Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Great Emperor Heng Yu reflects on the burden of attaining the Emperor realm. Although reaching the summit grants unrivaled power, it also becomes a shackle, as he must watch friends and family die while he alone continues living.
• Jiang Wanqing urges him to return to the ancestral land, but Heng Yu refuses. He will not seal himself away or retreat into a Restricted Area, believing that doing so would betray the principles he has upheld throughout his life.
• His convictions were shaped partly by Jiang Wanqing’s childhood teachings and stories about Human Emperor Suiren, the Sacred Body, the Lunar Human Emperor, and the Solar Holy Emperor.
• During his travels, Heng Yu visits the technologically advanced Eternal Star Domain. He briefly senses two vast currents of mysterious “qi” approaching it from the site where Tan Lin and the Undying Heavenly Emperor perished. Though he cannot confirm what he saw, he predicts that the Eternal Star Domain may eventually produce one or even two extraordinary beings.
• Heng Yu later returns to Earth, now recovering from ancient devastation and beginning to develop a new cultivation civilization. He travels unnoticed across its landscapes before reaching Mount Tai.
• Near the end of his life, Heng Yu creates a tomb at Mount Tai, enters it peacefully, and dies with the belief that his life was complete.
• His legacy endures in the Big Dipper. The Jiang Family survives, the Ancient Hua Divine Dynasty flourishes, and the Green Lotus Undying Medicine eventually transforms into a supreme existence, fulfilling Heng Yu’s prediction.
• Ten thousand years after his burial, two Supreme Beings awaken from the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning. Having confirmed Heng Yu’s death, they prepare to launch another Dark Turmoil and consume living beings across the Big Dipper.
• Panic spreads throughout the Northern Region and the entire star, especially within the Jiang Family, which fears that its sealed imperial descendants cannot oppose two Supreme Beings.
• Some Jiang elders argue that the family should retreat to its Ziwei ancestral land. Their proposal is abruptly silenced by a cold voice threatening execution for anyone advocating surrender. Four figures enter the council hall, led by a young man in green robes.

Character Developments

• Great Emperor Heng Yu: Reaches the end of his life without abandoning his moral principles. He rejects self-sealing and retreat, accepts death peacefully, and becomes a symbol of dignity, responsibility, and perseverance.
• Jiang Wanqing: Although saddened by Heng Yu’s refusal to return, she respects his decision and lets him leave. Her earlier teachings continue to shape his values long after their conversation.
• The Jiang Family: After losing its imperial protector, the family is shown struggling with fear and uncertainty. Its elders debate whether to retreat or awaken their sealed imperial descendants, revealing the vulnerability of even a powerful clan without a living Great Emperor.
• The Ancient Mine Supreme Beings: They emerge as calculating and predatory figures. They deliberately waited until Heng Yu’s death before beginning their renewed slaughter.
• The green-robed young man: He is introduced as a commanding and apparently powerful figure who rejects retreat and imposes order on the frightened Jiang elders.

Significant Themes

• The burden of immortality and power: Emperor attainment is presented not only as glory but also as isolation and a “shackle,” since the emperor must outlive everyone close to him.
• Moral conviction versus survival: Heng Yu refuses to enter a Restricted Area or abandon the outside world, maintaining his ideals even when doing so guarantees his eventual death.
• Legacy and remembrance: Individuals may eventually be forgotten beyond their homeland, but their actions continue through families, dynasties, transformed beings, and historical memory.
• The cycle of peace and catastrophe: Heng Yu’s death ends an era of protection, but almost immediately the Ancient Mine’s Supreme Beings initiate another Dark Turmoil.
• Homecoming and origins: Heng Yu’s final journey to Earth and Mount Tai symbolizes a return to humanity’s ancestral land and a peaceful reunion with the world he protected.

Character Interactions

• Heng Yu and Jiang Wanqing: They discuss his refusal to return to the ancestral land. Jiang Wanqing understands that he will not compromise his principles and gives him a final, resigned farewell.
• Heng Yu and the Eternal Star Domain: Although he does not directly interact with its inhabitants, his observation of the domain allows him to foresee its future potential.
• Heng Yu and Earth: His quiet passage through Earth’s developing cultivation civilization emphasizes his bond with the planet and its people.
• Jiang Family elders: Their fearful debate over retreat contrasts with the decisive arrival of the green-robed young man, who condemns cowardice and appears ready to confront the crisis.
• Supreme Beings and the wider world: The Supreme Beings’ emergence immediately triggers terror across the Big Dipper, demonstrating the devastating influence of the Restricted Areas and the fragile peace maintained by successive emperors.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Shaoyang, eldest son of Huan Yu Great Emperor, arrives at the Jiang Family Ancestral Land with his siblings—Jiang Xuanyang, Jiang Chiyang, and Jiang Ziling—during the outbreak of a Dark Turmoil.
• He takes command of the clan, ordering anyone who damages morale to be executed. He reveals that Huan Yu Great Emperor had prepared for this crisis and instructed his children to retrieve several sealed earthen jars.
• Jiang Shaoyang enters a hidden chamber and discovers four mysterious jars covered in glowing Dao patterns. Instead of taking only one, he brings all four before joining his siblings in battle.
• Two ancient Supreme Beings, Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being, attack the Jiang Family. They had once been defeated by Huan Yu Great Emperor and waited tens of thousands of years for his death before launching their assault.
• The four imperial descendants activate the Huan Yu Furnace and confront the attackers. Although they fight courageously, the vast gap in power leaves them severely wounded, with each suffering the destruction of their physical body.
• Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being attempts to bypass the furnace’s defenses and kill Jiang Ziling, but a golden divine attack intervenes.
• Yue Yuan, a Great Accomplished Golden Body—now called a Great Accomplished Sacred Body—arrives from the Outer Domain and challenges the two Supreme Beings, restoring hope throughout the Big Dipper Star Field.
• The chapter ends as Yue Yuan and Dingyang Ancient Emperor clash with their respective powerful weapons.

Character Developments

• Jiang Shaoyang emerges as a decisive and responsible leader. Despite being injured almost immediately, he refuses to retreat and repeatedly leads his siblings back into battle.
• Jiang Xuanyang, Jiang Chiyang, and Jiang Ziling demonstrate loyalty and courage by fighting alongside their elder brother, though their lack of strength against true Supreme Beings becomes clear.
• Huan Yu Great Emperor’s influence remains central even after his death. His preparations and foresight give the Jiang Family a chance to resist the coming catastrophe.
• Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being are portrayed as ruthless opportunists who waited until Huan Yu’s death before attacking. Their hatred and fear of him reveal the Great Emperor’s former dominance.
• Yue Yuan is introduced as a powerful and confident protector. His arrival establishes him as a major force capable of confronting the ancient Supreme Beings.
• A mysterious little girl in the Southern Region reacts to Yue Yuan’s appearance, hinting at a future connection or awakening.

Significant Themes

• Legacy and preparation: Huan Yu Great Emperor continues to protect his descendants through arrangements made before his death.
• Courage against overwhelming power: The Jiang siblings fight despite knowing they are severely outmatched, emphasizing resistance in the face of despair.
• The consequences of imperial conflict: Former enemies of Huan Yu exploit his death to unleash destruction upon the world.
• Hope amid catastrophe: Yue Yuan’s appearance dramatically revives the morale of ordinary beings and suggests that the Dark Turmoil may still be resisted.
• The burden of reputation and inheritance: The Jiang children inherit both Huan Yu’s enemies and his responsibility to defend the human world.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Shaoyang commands and reassures his siblings, maintaining composure even after being injured.
• The four siblings cooperate by combining their strength through the Huan Yu Furnace, functioning as a unified defensive force.
• Dingyang and Chaotic Ruins taunt the Jiang descendants, belittling their strength and invoking their mothers’ former resistance to the Restricted Areas.
• Yue Yuan intervenes to save Jiang Ziling, directly opposing the Supreme Beings and shifting the battle’s momentum.
• Dingyang and Yue Yuan exchange challenges before beginning a direct weapon clash, setting up the chapter’s next confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Yue Yuan, wielding a long halberd and relying on his Great Accomplished Saint Body, initially manages to knock back Dingyang Ancient Emperor and confronts Dingyang and Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being alone.
• Despite his strength, Yue Yuan gradually loses ground because he has not yet fully achieved Alternative Dao Attainment, while his opponents retain the experience and techniques of former Ancient Emperors and Dao Venerables.
• Eternal Heavenly Venerable emerges from the Immortal Mausoleum and joins the battle. His sword attack nearly strikes Yue Yuan, and he reveals his desire to seize the Saint Body’s Origin as a source of nourishment and research.
• Outnumbered three to one, Yue Yuan is quickly suppressed, even with the Huan Yu Furnace’s assistance.
• Jiang Shaoyang unseals a jar containing Great Emperor Blood left by his father, Jiang Huanyu. The blood temporarily gives him the aura and power of Great Emperor Heng Yu.
• Jiang Shaoyang joins the battle with the Heng Yu Furnace, forcing back Dingyang and Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being, though Eternal Heavenly Venerable remains capable of injuring him.
• Seeing his brother in danger, Jiang Xuanyang opens another jar of Great Emperor Blood and gains the same kind of power. He joins Jiang Shaoyang, choosing to face death alongside him.

Character developments

• Yue Yuan: His confidence is shaken as he realizes that reaching Great Accomplished Saint Body is not enough to overcome multiple Supreme Beings. He recognizes the enormous gap between himself and the mysterious “that person,” but continues fighting despite his disadvantage.
• Jiang Shaoyang: Demonstrates decisive courage and willingness to sacrifice himself for Yue Yuan and his family. By using his father’s Great Emperor Blood, he accepts the danger of burning through a precious inheritance.
• Jiang Xuanyang: Initially horrified by Jiang Shaoyang’s decision, he ultimately follows him into battle. His choice reveals deep loyalty and brotherly solidarity.
• The Supreme Beings: Dingyang and Chaotic Ruins display arrogance and predatory intent, seeking to consume Yue Yuan’s Origin. Eternal Heavenly Venerable is introduced as an especially dangerous enemy, motivated by both power and curiosity about the Saint Body.

Significant themes

• The limits of raw talent: Yue Yuan’s Great Accomplished Saint Body cannot fully bridge the gap between different levels of Imperial Dao cultivation.
• Sacrifice and familial loyalty: The Jiang brothers willingly burn Great Emperor Blood and risk death rather than abandon one another.
• Legacy and inheritance: Jiang Huanyu’s power survives through the blood and artifacts he left behind, allowing his descendants to continue his fight.
• The cruelty of the cultivation world: Supreme Beings treat powerful opponents as sources of nourishment, emphasizing the ruthless struggle for survival and longevity.
• Courage against overwhelming odds: Although victory appears unlikely, Yue Yuan and the Jiang brothers continue resisting rather than surrendering.

Character interactions

• Yue Yuan orders Jiang Shaoyang and the others to withdraw, attempting to protect them while confronting the Supreme Beings himself.
• Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Chaotic Ruins Supreme Being mock Yue Yuan’s ambition and emphasize the disparity between his cultivation and that of true Great Emperors.
• Eternal Heavenly Venerable joins the two Supreme Beings and immediately identifies Yue Yuan’s body as a valuable target.
• Jiang Shaoyang intervenes to save Yue Yuan, then Jiang Xuanyang follows him. The brothers’ final exchange—agreeing to “die together”—reinforces their bond and sets up their joint stand against the three Supreme Beings.

Chapter Summary

• Battle against the three Supreme Beings: Jiang Shaoyang and Jiang Xuanyang use Great Emperor Blood to temporarily gain Emperor-level power, joining the Great Accomplished Saint Body, Yue Yuan, against Dingyang Ancient Emperor, Eternal Heavenly Venerable, and Dao Venerable Luanxu. The battle devastates the surrounding galaxy.
• Jiang Shaoyang’s sacrifice: As the Great Emperor Blood runs out, Jiang Shaoyang’s body begins collapsing from the strain. When Eternal Heavenly Venerable attacks Jiang Xuanyang from behind, Jiang Shaoyang shields his younger brother and is pierced by the Eternal Life Sword. Eternal Heavenly Venerable absorbs his remaining Great Emperor Blood and Origin True Blood, partially recovering his own strength.
• Jiang Xuanyang’s final stand: Enraged, Jiang Xuanyang tries to attack Eternal Heavenly Venerable, but his body also begins to fail. Entrusting the Jiang Family to Jiang Lieyang and Jiang Ziling, he self-destructs to injure Dingyang Ancient Emperor and aid Yue Yuan. The deaths of both brothers plunge the Jiang Family into grief.
• Yue Yuan’s breakthrough: Just as Jiang Lieyang prepares to use the Emperor Blood Clay Jar, Yue Yuan breaks through during the battle, advancing from Great Accomplishment to Alternative Dao Attainment. His breakthrough summons a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation that forces the Supreme Beings back.
• The battle turns briefly: With his newly increased strength and the Heng Yu Furnace, Yue Yuan fights all three Supreme Beings and manages to hold them off. Jiang Shenxiao, descendant of Jiang Huanyu II, arrives carrying the Ancient Hua Ruler and joins him. Together with Jiang Lieyang and Jiang Ziling’s support, they begin contending with the enemy.
• Enemy counterattack: Realizing they may be worn down, Dao Venerable Luanxu orders a retreat. Yue Yuan prevents Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Luanxu from escaping, forcing Luanxu to ascend to the utmost and unleash a temporary surge of peak power. Dingyang also uses his enhanced state to overpower Yue Yuan and attack Jiang Shenxiao.
• Cliffhanger: Jiang Shenxiao blocks Dingyang’s killing blow with the Ancient Hua Ruler but is severely injured. Jiang Lieyang rushes in front of him to protect him and is struck through as the chapter ends.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Jiang Shaoyang and Jiang Xuanyang: Their brotherly bond is emphasized through mutual protection and sacrifice. Shaoyang dies saving Xuanyang, while Xuanyang’s last act is to protect the Jiang Family and aid Yue Yuan.
• Jiang Lieyang and Jiang Ziling: They witness the deaths of their elder brothers and are left carrying the Jiang Family’s future. Both are consumed by grief but continue supporting the battle.
• Yue Yuan: His near-death struggle and the loss of his allies push him past his bottleneck, allowing him to attain a higher realm and take command of the battlefield.
• Jiang Shenxiao: He enters as a new ally, identifying himself as another descendant of the Jiang imperial lineage. His arrival strengthens the resistance against the Supreme Beings.
• Eternal Heavenly Venerable: He is portrayed as cruel and predatory, treating Jiang Shaoyang’s blood as nourishment and using it to recover from his weakened state.
• Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Dao Venerable Luanxu: Both are driven to desperate measures, ascending to the utmost despite the danger in order to survive and regain the advantage.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and familial loyalty: The Jiang brothers repeatedly place themselves between danger and their family, making the battle deeply personal.
• The cost of power: Great Emperor Blood and ascension grant overwhelming strength but damage or destroy the users’ bodies.
• Legacy: Even after the imperial sons’ deaths, their descendants continue fighting and preserving the Jiang Family’s lineage.
• Breakthrough through crisis: Yue Yuan’s advancement demonstrates how extreme pressure and battle can force a warrior beyond a long-standing limit.
• Desperation versus endurance: Both sides escalate toward dangerous, temporary power boosts, turning the battle into a struggle of survival and attrition.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dingyang Ancient Emperor kills Jiang Lieyang by piercing his chest. Before dying, Lieyang accepts his fate and explodes, devastating his siblings.
• Enraged by their brother’s death, Yue Yuan, Jiang Shenxiao, and Jiang Ziling fight back with everything they have:
  • Yue Yuan burns his Origin to attack Dingyang Ancient Emperor.
  • Jiang Shenxiao battles Dao Venerable Luanxu.
  • Jiang Ziling uses the Heng Yu Furnace to hold off Eternal Heavenly Venerable.
• Dingyang Ancient Emperor and Dao Venerable Luanxu are eventually defeated and killed after their elevated states collapse. Eternal Heavenly Venerable retreats to the Immortal Mausoleum before he can be defeated.
• The victory comes at tremendous cost. Of the Jiang Family’s four imperial children, only Jiang Ziling survives. Jiang Shenxiao is gravely injured, and Yue Yuan suffers severe damage after burning much of his Origin.
• Three thousand years later, Yue Yuan enters his twilight years. He is afflicted by a terrifying curse that causes red hair to grow from his body, clouds his mind, and compels him toward the Immortal Mausoleum.
• While passing the Scarlet Glow River Forbidden Zone, Yue Yuan briefly regains clarity and enters the forbidden land instead of continuing toward the mausoleum.
• Deep within the zone, he encounters the Female Emperor, imprisoned on a stone platform by Divine Metal chains. She recognizes him and purifies the curse with a touch.
• The Female Emperor gives Yue Yuan a fruit from the Nine Wonderful Immortal Medicine and instructs him to refine it and begin a Second Life.
• Yue Yuan successfully rejuvenates himself and restores his strength. His survival and resistance to the curse alarm the Underworld’s Supreme Beings, who suspect that the supposedly dead Female Emperor may still be alive.
• Rather than leave, Yue Yuan remains in the Scarlet Glow River Forbidden Zone to guard the Female Emperor, whose condition alternates between clarity and confusion.
• When Yue Yuan asks whether she is waiting for someone, the Female Emperor reveals that she is waiting for two people, though she refuses to explain further.

Character Developments

• Jiang Lieyang dies courageously, accepting reunion with his deceased brothers and triggering the final counterattack against the enemy.
• Jiang Shenxiao and Jiang Ziling are pushed to their limits by grief. Shenxiao survives but suffers lasting damage to his lifespan, while Ziling becomes the only surviving member of the Jiang Family’s four imperial children.
• Yue Yuan evolves from a heroic warrior willing to burn his Origin into a survivor battling an imposed curse. His perseverance allows him to resist the curse, gain a Second Life, and become the Female Emperor’s guardian.
• The Female Emperor is shown as immensely powerful but physically and mentally burdened by endless years. Though detached and enigmatic, she helps Yue Yuan and provides him with a chance at renewed life.
• The Underworld’s Supreme Beings become fearful and uncertain, realizing that the Female Emperor’s survival could threaten their plans.

Significant Themes

• The cost of victory: The heroes defeat powerful enemies, but their triumph is overshadowed by death, permanent injuries, and the destruction of the Jiang Family’s strength.
• Resistance against fate and corruption: Yue Yuan’s struggle against the curse represents defiance against an overwhelming, externally imposed destiny.
• Survival and renewal: The Nine Wonderful Immortal Medicine grants Yue Yuan a Second Life, emphasizing rebirth after suffering and decline.
• Hidden power and uncertainty: The Female Emperor’s survival challenges the Underworld’s assumptions and introduces doubt about the true fate of ancient supreme beings.
• Loneliness and waiting: The Female Emperor’s isolation, fluctuating consciousness, and mysterious wait for two people suggest unresolved bonds stretching across time.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Lieyang’s death unites Jiang Shenxiao, Jiang Ziling, and Yue Yuan in a desperate revenge battle.
• The Female Emperor and Yue Yuan share a respectful relationship built on gratitude and protection. She saves his life, while he chooses to remain and guard her.
• Yue Yuan’s concern over the Female Emperor’s mental state reveals his growing attachment to and sympathy for her.
• The Underworld’s Supreme Beings discuss Yue Yuan’s survival and speculate that the Female Emperor—whom they call the Devouring Heaven Woman—may still pose a major threat.

Chapter Summary

• Yue Yuan’s sacrifice: During one of the Female Emperor’s lucid periods, Yue Yuan chooses to bind himself with Divine Metal Chains as well. This slows the erosion of his vital energy and blood, leaving him imprisoned alongside her in the Scarlet Glow River Forbidden Zone. Their continued existence reflects the immense cost of surviving across the ages.
• Tan Lin and Chi Yao’s reincarnation: Roughly fifty thousand years after Great Emperor Huan Yu’s death—and more than one hundred thousand years after Tan Lin’s final battle with the Undying Heavenly Emperor—two barely detectable wisps of soul drift near the shattered battlefield.
  • One is a remnant of Tan Lin’s true soul, preserved by the Soul Pearl after he self-destructed, sacrificing his body, primordial spirit, Origin, and Heavenly Emperor Mark.
  • The other is Chi Yao’s soul, sent into reincarnation by Tan Lin through the Soul Pearl before her death at the hands of a Supreme Being.
    After drifting through the cosmos for over one hundred thousand years, the two souls finally encounter and merge. A crimson light carries them toward a technologically advanced yet cultivation-oriented starfield, implying the beginning of a new reincarnation.
• Tan Lin’s new life: In the year 51,899 after Huan Yu’s death, Tan Lin is reborn on Eternal Main Star, within the Eternal Star Domain. He now lives as a seven- or eight-year-old orphan at the modest Happiness Welfare Institute in Feng City. The setting combines modern technology—flying vehicles, skyscrapers, factories, maglev trains, and mechs—with ancient cultivation traditions.
• Recurring nightmare and recovered memories: Tan Lin repeatedly dreams of his former final battle against an Immortal Phoenix. In the dream, a green-robed figure fights desperately, eventually choosing mutual destruction. The battle is blurred and incomplete, but it clearly reflects Tan Lin’s past death against the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
  Each time he awakens, he suffers severe headaches and gains fragments of memories from different lives. The clearest memories come from a previous existence on Azure Water Star. These recollections have gradually increased his intelligence and maturity beyond that of an ordinary child, while also suggesting that his former identities are slowly resurfacing.
• Relationship with Long Wang: Tan Lin shares a room with Long Wang, a blond, blue-eyed boy who has been his roommate for three years. Long Wang is kind and concerned about Tan Lin’s nightmares. After Tan Lin wakes from another episode, Long Wang gives him a bottle of nourishing evolution fluid, explaining that it was entrusted to him by Qi Xiyuan, who had visited Tan Lin the previous day.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Yue Yuan demonstrates loyalty and willingness to endure suffering by accepting the same restraint as the Female Emperor.
• Tan Lin begins a new life with his former soul and memories gradually awakening. Although physically a child, his psychological maturity and awareness are steadily increasing.
• Chi Yao is reintroduced through reincarnation, with her soul now reunited with Tan Lin’s, establishing a potentially important connection in their new lives.
• Long Wang is portrayed as Tan Lin’s caring friend and roommate, offering emotional support and practical help.
• Qi Xiyuan’s visit and gift suggest concern for Tan Lin and hint that she may play a significant role in his development.

Significant Themes

• Endurance and sacrifice: Yue Yuan’s imprisonment and Tan Lin’s self-destruction emphasize the sacrifices required to protect others or defeat powerful enemies.
• Reincarnation and fate: Tan Lin and Chi Yao’s souls cross the cosmos and reunite, suggesting that their connection transcends death and time.
• Memory and identity: Tan Lin’s dreams and fragmented past-life memories raise questions about whether his new childhood identity can coexist with the powerful person he once was.
• The meeting of ancient and modern worlds: Eternal Main Star blends cultivation, divine souls, and reincarnation with advanced technology and mechanized society, establishing the setting for Tan Lin’s rebirth.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin receives a bottle of nourishing Evolution Fluid from Long Wang. Qi Xiyuan had apparently asked the institute director to provide it, showing that she remains concerned about Tan Lin’s recurring weakness after his nightmares.
• The Evolution Fluid restores some of Tan Lin’s strength and reduces the pain in the back of his head.
• Unable to sleep, Tan Lin goes to the rooftop and processes fragments of memories from his previous life. He recalls reading the web novel Shrouding the Heavens and realizes that it contains references to the Eternal Star Domain, the world he currently inhabits.
• However, the Eternal Star Domain described in the novel differs greatly from his present reality. Tan Lin speculates that the novel may describe a future version of his world, though he ultimately cannot confirm this.
• While reflecting on society, Tan Lin reviews the highly unequal and technologically advanced structure of the Eternal Star Domain:
  • Cultivation depends heavily on money, Evolution Fluids, bloodline enhancement, and powerful mechs.
  • The poor generally live in towering slum buildings, while the wealthy occupy villas and castles.
  • Elite cultivators gain status by exploring the Outer Domain for Divine Minerals and other resources.
  • The political system is dominated by powerful cultivation families and ancient financial clans.
• Tan Lin recalls discovering that, unlike the other children in the Welfare Institute, he was not the child of deceased space travelers. He was found alone on the outskirts of the city and has no known identity.
• Because of his unusual black hair and black eyes, authorities suspect that he may be an Outer Domain stowaway’s descendant. They once considered sending him to an arena as expendable material.
• The former director protected Tan Lin by guaranteeing for him, but the old director later died. The current director appears increasingly willing to turn Tan Lin over to the Research Bureau, which studies unusual physiques and bloodlines and uses children like him as experimental subjects.
• Realizing that he may soon be taken away, Tan Lin concludes that he must escape the Welfare Institute, despite being only seven years old and having almost no resources.
• The following morning, he wakes to the alarm and finds that his body has partially recovered.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Becomes increasingly suspicious of his origins and the danger surrounding him. His memories of his former life give him knowledge, but they also cause painful nightmares and physical weakness. He shifts from passively enduring life in the institute to actively planning to escape.
• Qi Xiyuan: Is shown to be compassionate and protective toward Tan Lin. Her gratitude stems from his intervention when a volunteer attempted to harm her. Her privileged position allows her to obtain resources for him.
• Long Wang: Despite being nervous that Tan Lin might blame him for revealing the matter, he provides an explanation and helps deliver the Evolution Fluid. His action suggests basic loyalty toward Tan Lin.
• The former director: Is remembered as a self-sacrificing protector who risked his life to keep Tan Lin safe.
• The current director: Is portrayed as pragmatic and potentially threatening, since he may hand Tan Lin over to the Research Bureau for profit or influence.

Significant Themes

• Identity and origins: Tan Lin’s unknown background and unusual appearance mark him as an outsider and make him vulnerable to exploitation.
• Memory and reincarnation: His past-life memories connect him to a mysterious novel that may contain knowledge of future events, but the memories are fragmented and physically painful.
• Social inequality: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation, technology, status, and even survival depend on wealth.
• Exploitation of the powerless: Poor children and people with unusual abilities can be treated as resources, experimental subjects, or disposable combatants.
• Protection and compassion: Qi Xiyuan and the former director contrast with the institutions that view Tan Lin merely as an object of study or profit.
• The need for self-determination: Tan Lin recognizes that remaining passive may lead to imprisonment or death, motivating him to seek a way out.

Character Interactions

• Long Wang gives Tan Lin the Evolution Fluid and explains that Qi Xiyuan arranged for him to receive it.
• Tan Lin silently accepts the medicine, thanks Long Wang, and reflects on Qi Xiyuan’s concern.
• Tan Lin’s memories recall his earlier act of protecting Qi Xiyuan from an abusive volunteer, which established their bond.
• His thoughts also contrast the former director’s protection with the current director’s apparent willingness to sacrifice him to the Research Bureau.

Chapter Summary

Tan Lin recovers much of his strength after using a bottle of nourishing Evolution Fluid and goes to breakfast with his close companion, Long Wang, at the Welfare Institute. While eating, Tan Lin notices that many of the newer children are watching him with curiosity and pity, likely because his black hair and eyes are unusual in the city. He senses that something may be wrong but cannot determine the cause.
The cafeteria falls silent when Qi Xiyuan, the institute’s exceptionally beautiful and admired older girl, enters. She approaches Tan Lin directly and treats him with obvious familiarity and affection, ruffling his hair and whispering that she knows he suffers nightmares every night. She gently reproaches him for hiding the problem because she worries about his health. Qi gives him a valuable divine sense crystal to place beneath his pillow, explaining that it can stabilize his Sea of Consciousness and reduce his nightmares. Though Tan Lin initially hesitates because of the crystal’s high value, he accepts it after she tells him that taking care of himself is the best repayment.
Qi’s special concern for Tan Lin causes the cafeteria to erupt in gossip. Other children refer to him disparagingly as the “mutt-haired brat” and wonder why Qi treats him differently. Tan Lin remains used to being regarded as unusual and does not pay much attention to their comments.
After breakfast, a staff member informs Tan Lin that Director Wang Dejia wants to see him. The staff member’s pitying expression deepens Tan Lin’s suspicion that the institute knows something about his condition or circumstances. Long Wang offers to accompany him, but Tan Lin refuses and goes alone.
In the director’s office, Tan Lin meets Wang Dejia, the calculating new director who took office the previous year. She begins by asking how long he has lived at the institute. Tan Lin answers that he has been there for as many years as he is old, demonstrating his unusually mature and composed nature. The chapter ends as the director’s conversation—and presumably the reason for her summons—begins.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Tan Lin: Displays physical recovery, emotional restraint, and maturity beyond his age. He becomes increasingly suspicious of the pitying looks directed at him and the director’s summons. His nightmares and unstable Sea of Consciousness remain important abnormalities.
• Long Wang: Continues acting as Tan Lin’s loyal younger follower and friend, offering to accompany him to the director’s office.
• Qi Xiyuan: Shows deep, protective affection toward Tan Lin. Her knowledge of his nightmares and willingness to give him an expensive divine sense crystal suggest a particularly close bond.
• Wang Dejia: Introduced as an intelligent and calculating authority figure whose motives are not yet clear. Her meeting with Tan Lin creates suspense.
• Other children and staff: Their curiosity, gossip, and pity reveal that Tan Lin is viewed as different and possibly in danger.

Significant Themes

• Care and protection: Qi’s actions emphasize genuine concern and sibling-like affection.
• Social prejudice and otherness: Tan Lin’s rare appearance makes him an object of scrutiny and gossip.
• Hidden danger and foreshadowing: The pitying looks, Tan Lin’s nightmares, and the director’s summons suggest an undisclosed problem.
• Maturity in a harsh environment: Although Tan Lin is young, cultivation and life at the Welfare Institute have forced him to become observant, self-controlled, and independent.
• Beauty and influence: Qi Xiyuan’s beauty attracts widespread attention and goodwill, but the narration warns that such attention can also bring danger.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Key Events

• Welfare Institute director Wang Dejia informs seven-year-old Tan Lin that, under new funding policies, he must undergo a “physique assessment” by the city’s Research Bureau in three days.
• Tan Lin recognizes that the assessment is actually a method for selecting experimental subjects. Those taken by the Research Bureau may never return.
• Wang claims that the former director had already submitted Tan Lin’s name because of his recurring nightmares and possible special bloodline. She also warns that the Arena may forcibly take him now that the old director is dead.
• Realizing he cannot openly resist, Tan Lin pretends to agree to the assessment while secretly planning his escape.
• Outside, Qi Xiyuan tells Tan Lin that she knows what is happening and promises to take him with her when a female councilor sends for her. She frames the favor as repayment for Tan Lin having once saved her.
• On the maglev train to school, Tan Lin continues analyzing possible escape plans. His friend Long Wang tries to reassure him about his failure to open his Sea of Bitterness.
• The children arrive at Feng City No. 13 Public Welfare School, where Tan Lin remains outwardly calm while questioning the mystery of his body and recurring dreams.

Character Development

• Tan Lin demonstrates unusual maturity, caution, and strategic thinking. Though only seven, his awakened past-life wisdom allows him to recognize Wang Dejia’s manipulation and the danger posed by the Research Bureau.
• He is increasingly isolated and distrustful, especially after realizing that Wang is exploiting his vulnerable origins and the old director’s death.
• At the same time, Tan Lin’s emotions are becoming more natural and less detached than in his previous life. Qi Xiyuan’s support genuinely warms and reassures him.
• Wang Dejia is revealed as selfish and manipulative. She uses false concern, official rules, and threats from the Arena to pressure Tan Lin into signing away his freedom.
• Qi Xiyuan becomes Tan Lin’s main potential ally. Her promise to protect him shows loyalty and gratitude, while her personal concern deepens their bond.
• Long Wang remains a supportive friend. His successful cultivation contrasts with Tan Lin’s unexplained inability to awaken his own Sea of Bitterness.

Significant Themes

• Institutional exploitation: Authorities disguise forced experimentation as education, assessment, and public welfare.
• Powerlessness and survival: Tan Lin must maneuver carefully because his age, lack of resources, and uncertain origins leave him vulnerable.
• Trust and betrayal: The former director’s protection contrasts sharply with Wang Dejia’s exploitation, while Qi Xiyuan offers a rare source of genuine trust.
• Hidden identity and potential: Tan Lin’s nightmares, possible bloodline, and inability to open his Sea of Bitterness suggest that his body contains an unusual secret.
• Human emotion versus detached wisdom: Tan Lin’s past-life knowledge makes him calculating, but his present life and relationships are gradually allowing him to experience warmth and attachment again.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and Wang Dejia: A tense confrontation in which Wang pressures him to accept the Research Bureau’s assessment. Tan Lin hides his suspicion and agrees only as a temporary tactic.
• Tan Lin and Qi Xiyuan: Qi reassures him and promises to rescue or adopt him through the female councilor’s connections. Her gentle gesture and words of trust strengthen their emotional connection.
• Tan Lin and Long Wang: Their friendly conversation highlights Long Wang’s cultivation progress and his attempt to encourage Tan Lin, while also emphasizing Tan Lin’s unresolved physical mystery.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin attends classes at a technologically advanced school, including Mecha Structure Studies, runology, mineral materials science, and Human Potential Development.
• He excels in nearly every academic subject because of his exceptional memory and fragmented resurfaced memories, which contain knowledge of cultivation, runes, mecha construction, and materials science.
• His only major weakness is Human Potential Development: despite repeated attempts, he still cannot open his Sea of Bitterness, a basic milestone that most children achieve before completing elementary education.
• During the afternoon cultivation class, Tan Lin and several other struggling students practice five basic methods under an indifferent teacher. Tan Lin fails repeatedly, experiencing qi and blood rushing toward his head instead of gathering at his Life Wheel.
• In physical arts class, Tan Lin spars with his friend Long Wang. Although Long Wang has already opened his Sea of Bitterness and is physically strengthened as a Life Spring cultivator, Tan Lin easily counters and defeats him through superior physical ability and instinctive combat techniques.
• After several exchanges, Tan Lin throws Long Wang to the ground. Just as he helps his friend up, a massive explosion or impact suddenly erupts, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Demonstrates extraordinary intellectual ability, strong memory, and advanced combat instincts. Although he appears to be a cultivation failure because he cannot open his Sea of Bitterness, his body is mysteriously growing stronger. His unusual condition—especially qi and blood repeatedly flowing toward his head—suggests that his cultivation path may be fundamentally different.
• Long Wang: Continues to admire Tan Lin and treats him as an older-brother figure. Despite being a successful early cultivator who skipped a grade, he is humbled by Tan Lin’s superior strength and technique.
• The teachers: Tan Lin’s academic teacher recognizes his brilliance but regrets that he cannot cultivate normally. The Human Potential Development teacher has become apathetic toward the struggling students and offers little meaningful assistance.

Significant Themes

• Hidden potential versus conventional standards: Tan Lin is labeled deficient because he cannot open his Sea of Bitterness, yet his academic talent, physical strength, and combat ability far exceed those of ordinary students.
• The limits of established knowledge: The school assumes that opening the Sea of Bitterness is the universal foundation of cultivation, but Tan Lin’s abnormal development hints at an alternative path.
• Memory and identity: Fragmented memories from Tan Lin’s past or another existence grant him unusual knowledge and instincts, though he does not yet understand their full origin or meaning.
• Persistence amid failure: Despite repeated unsuccessful attempts at cultivation, Tan Lin remains calm and continues investigating the reason behind his condition.
• Friendship and rivalry: Tan Lin and Long Wang’s sparring reflects their close friendship, mutual trust, and Long Wang’s admiration for Tan Lin’s abilities.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin answers his academic teacher’s questions with ease, earning praise but also eliciting the teacher’s regret over his cultivation problem.
• Long Wang enthusiastically compliments Tan Lin’s talent in runology and other subjects, though he jokingly accuses him of pretending to find difficult material easy.
• During sparring, Long Wang challenges Tan Lin to fight seriously, only to be repeatedly outmaneuvered and defeated. Their exchange remains friendly, with Long Wang complaining humorously and Tan Lin responding matter-of-factly.
• The chapter concludes before anyone can react to the sudden explosion, leaving the cause and consequences unresolved.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive explosion occurs beyond Eternal Main Star’s domain, suggesting a high-level space battle. Wreckage from a destroyed warship begins falling toward the planet.
• Eternal Main Star’s defensive systems intercept most of the debris, but several fragments penetrate the school’s protective barrier. The fragments multiply after being shattered by rune fire, causing widespread panic and killing or injuring more than a dozen young students.
• Tan Lin remains calmer than the other children and tries to find cover. A tiny, superheated fragment strikes his arm, cutting him but missing his vital organs.
• The injury reveals that Tan Lin’s blood has mysteriously become pale gold. More astonishingly, his wound heals completely within seconds, leaving no scar.
• Zhao Feng, the chief instructor, secretly witnesses Tan Lin’s abnormal blood and regeneration. He searches for possible explanations and considers whether Tan Lin possesses a rare constitution, possibly related to the legendary Indestructible Golden Body. However, Tan Lin’s current cultivation level does not match the known characteristics.
• Zhao Feng realizes that Tan Lin is extraordinarily significant and discreetly contacts someone while pretending to handle the accident’s aftermath.
• At the end of the school day, an advanced, unmarked silver aircraft arrives at the school. A dignified middle-aged man and several black-uniformed attendants emerge and immediately identify Tan Lin.
• The man orders Tan Lin to accompany them to Heavenly Origin City.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Demonstrates calmness and practical judgment during the disaster, unlike most of his frightened classmates. His pale-gold blood and rapid healing reveal that his body is undergoing a mysterious transformation. He becomes wary when strangers arrive for him but bravely identifies himself and asks where they are taking him.
• Zhao Feng: Shifts from observing Tan Lin as an ordinary student to recognizing him as a potentially extraordinary existence. His reaction changes from surprise to intense excitement and ambition, suggesting he may see Tan Lin’s discovery as an opportunity for personal advancement.
• The students and teachers: Their confidence in Eternal Main Star’s defenses is shattered when the barrier fails to stop the debris. The young students’ lack of combat experience and emotional maturity is exposed, while the teachers struggle to protect them.
• The visiting middle-aged man: Appears scholarly and harmless, but his penetrating gaze, advanced aircraft, and powerful entourage imply that he represents an influential organization.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and latent power: Tan Lin’s unusual blood and regeneration hint at a concealed origin or special constitution that he himself does not understand.
• The fragility of security: Eternal Main Star is portrayed as technologically and militarily dominant, yet a sudden attack exposes weaknesses in its defenses and leaves ordinary civilians vulnerable.
• The difference between appearance and reality: The seemingly harmless debris causes deadly destruction, while the gentle, scholarly visitor may possess considerable authority and power.
• Discovery and exploitation: Zhao Feng’s excitement suggests that extraordinary talent may attract not only protection but also political, scientific, or personal exploitation.
• Childhood innocence versus harsh cultivation society: The students are still children despite possessing cultivation abilities, and the catastrophe forces them to confront death and danger prematurely.

Important Character Interactions

• Tan Lin reacts independently during the falling-debris crisis rather than relying on the teachers, emphasizing his unusual composure.
• The fragment’s attack exposes Tan Lin’s secret physical changes, though he hides them from the surrounding students.
• Zhao Feng secretly observes Tan Lin’s recovery and begins investigating his origins without informing him.
• At the school entrance, the visiting man publicly singles out Tan Lin, placing him under everyone’s attention and creating an uncertain transition from ordinary school life to a larger and more dangerous world.
• The chapter ends with Tan Lin being summoned to Heavenly Origin City, setting up a major change in his circumstances.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• A group of men from Heavenly Origin City, one of the Eternal Main Star’s most powerful cities, arrives in Feng City to take Tan Lin away.
• Their appearance shocks the locals, who speculate that Tan Lin must possess unusual importance or potential.
• Qi Xiyuan rushes to stop them, presenting the identity token of her adoptive mother, Councilor Zhou, and attempting to use the councilor’s influence to protect Tan Lin.
• The group’s leader calmly explains that even a Lower Council member cannot oppose the major powers rooted in Heavenly Origin City.
• Realizing she cannot change the situation, Qi Xiyuan reluctantly lets Tan Lin go. Tan Lin comforts her, embraces her, and assures her that he will be safe before boarding the aircraft.
• As the aircraft departs, Qi Xiyuan is overwhelmed by helplessness and vows to become powerful enough to change such situations in the future.
• During the journey, Tan Lin learns that he is being taken to the Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute in Heavenly Origin City because of his extraordinary physique.
• The middle-aged man explains that the institute is vastly superior to ordinary welfare institutions and that Tan Lin is considered worth cultivating rather than being subjected to cruel experiments.
• The aircraft leaves Feng City and uses a rune formation to tear open space, entering a dark void and beginning the journey to Heavenly Origin City.

Character developments

• Tan Lin demonstrates unusual maturity, composure, and insight. He quickly understands that refusing the group would be pointless, accurately guesses that his physique is the reason for their interest, and remains calm despite being taken away from everything familiar.
• He also shows emotional consideration toward Qi Xiyuan, reassuring her and encouraging her to grow stronger rather than allowing her to blame herself.
• Qi Xiyuan reveals deep concern and affection for Tan Lin, risking embarrassment and powerlessness to defend him. Her failed attempt to use her adoptive mother’s status exposes the limits of her current influence and inspires her determination to become stronger.
• The middle-aged leader is portrayed as calm, measured, and knowledgeable. Although intimidating, he assures Tan Lin that the organization does not intend to conduct inhuman experiments and views him as someone worthy of protection and cultivation.

Significant themes

• Powerlessness versus authority: Qi Xiyuan’s status is impressive in Feng City but insignificant compared with the great factions of Heavenly Origin City.
• The limits of social position: The chapter emphasizes that even political connections cannot overcome the power of entrenched ancient clans and major institutions.
• Growth through separation: Tan Lin’s departure marks a major transition from his isolated life in Feng City to a broader and more dangerous world.
• Chosen bonds and loneliness: Both Tan Lin and Qi Xiyuan come from backgrounds marked by emotional deprivation, making their friendship especially meaningful.
• Potential and destiny: Tan Lin’s mysterious physique attracts powerful forces and suggests that he may possess extraordinary abilities or a significant future.

Character interactions

• Qi Xiyuan confronts the men in black and attempts to protect Tan Lin through her connection to Councilor Zhou.
• The middle-aged man dismisses her influence without hostility, creating a clear contrast between her current limitations and the power of Heavenly Origin City.
• Tan Lin and Qi Xiyuan share an emotional farewell: he embraces her, comforts her, and encourages her future ambitions.
• Tan Lin also acknowledges Long Wang before leaving, suggesting that he values the relationships formed in Feng City.
• On the aircraft, Tan Lin directly questions the middle-aged man, leading to an explanation of his unusual physique and the purpose of his transfer.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin travels from Feng City to Heavenly Origin City through six Domain Gates aboard an aircraft.
• He is initially affected by the weightlessness of domain travel but quickly adapts, surprising nobody because his unusual ability remains unnoticed.
• Upon arriving, Tan Lin is stunned by Heavenly Origin City’s immense scale and contrasting atmosphere: ancient castles, futuristic villas, spiritual plants, advanced aircraft, flying mounts, and citizens from varied cultural and genetic backgrounds.
• The group passes the famous Tianyuan Arena, a historic battlefield where Great Saint-level beings once fought. Tan Lin experiences a mysterious emotional reaction, seemingly sensing echoes of its ancient violence and battles.
• After landing at the outer airfield, they transfer to the Starlight Rail Train, since aircraft are prohibited within Heavenly Origin City without authorization from the Council of Elders.
• During the crowded train ride, Tan Lin observes the city’s powerful inhabitants and notices that even wealthy or influential figures must outwardly obey public rules because of the balance among the many major powers.
• His unusual black hair and eyes attract speculation from other passengers, who wonder whether he is from the Outer Domain or connected to an important figure.
• A news broadcast introduces Audishiya, the eight-year-old fourth-generation descendant of the Divine Lineage of Bauhinia Imperial City. Despite her young age, she has already reached the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm and is hailed as a potential future Emperor.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Demonstrates rapid adaptation to unfamiliar environments, remaining calm during domain travel and indifferent to public scrutiny. His reaction to the Arena suggests he may possess an unusual sensitivity to ancient battlefields or powerful remnants of the past. His curiosity and awe grow as he encounters Heavenly Origin City’s advanced civilization and legendary figures.
• The middle-aged man: Becomes increasingly fond of Tan Lin during the journey and voluntarily explains the city’s rules, transportation system, and important landmarks. He acts as Tan Lin’s guide and informal protector.
• Audishiya: Though she does not appear directly, the news establishes her as an extraordinarily talented and prestigious child. Her divine bloodline, beauty, and cultivation make her one of the chapter’s most important figures and foreshadow her future significance.

Significant Themes

• Contrast between worlds: Feng City is presented as cramped, gloomy, and oppressive, while Heavenly Origin City is expansive, elegant, ancient, and technologically advanced.
• Power and social hierarchy: Heavenly Origin City contains immense wealth and powerful bloodlines, yet the concentration of major forces creates a system where even elites must follow shared rules.
• Tradition alongside technology: Ancient castles, spiritual beasts, divine bloodlines, and historic arenas coexist with holographic screens, mecha, evolution fluids, aircraft, and high-speed rail.
• Hidden potential and destiny: Tan Lin’s unexplained reactions and unusual appearance hint at a deeper identity or ability, while Audishiya’s exceptional talent introduces the idea of individuals destined for extraordinary futures.
• The persistence of history: The Arena’s ancient carvings and Tan Lin’s apparent perception of past battles show how historical violence and legendary figures continue to influence the present.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin and the middle-aged man converse throughout the journey, with the older man explaining Domain Gates, Heavenly Origin City, transportation regulations, and the Arena.
• Other train passengers notice and discuss Tan Lin’s black hair and eyes, projecting theories about his origins and status without speaking directly to him.
• The passengers collectively react with admiration and disbelief to the news of Audishiya’s talent, emphasizing how highly the Divine Lineage is regarded.

Chapter Summary

Plot and events

• Tan Lin arrives in a highly advanced, bustling city filled with arenas, shops, nightclubs, and entertainment venues.
• He is taken to the Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute, described as the finest welfare institution in the Eternal Star Domain.
• The institute contains specialized teaching, residential, entertainment, and cultivation areas, all protected by powerful formations and staffed by exceptionally strong guards.
• At the administration building, Tan Lin receives an identity card. The registration machine records him as seven years old with an unopened Sea of Bitterness, surprising the staff member.
• Supervisor Huo escorts him toward his assigned dormitory, Room 201 in Building Three, informing him that he will undergo a physical examination and potential assessment the next day.
• Along the way, Tan Lin notices a girl playing—or preparing to play—a guzheng in a bamboo grove. Supervisor Huo identifies her as Chi Yao, another child apparently belonging to an extraterrestrial bloodline.

Character developments

• Tan Lin remains quiet and observant, taking in the unfamiliar city and institute without openly expressing much emotion.
• He discovers that he can instinctively perceive other people’s cultivation levels, although he does not understand when or how he gained this ability.
• His registration reveals that he has not yet opened his Sea of Bitterness, suggesting that his true potential and background remain unclear.
• Tan Lin experiences an immediate, inexplicable sense of familiarity and emotional closeness toward Chi Yao, hinting at an important connection between them.
• Chi Yao is portrayed as mysterious, elegant, and contemplative. Upon noticing Tan Lin, her confusion and surprise shift into curiosity.

Themes

• A new beginning: Tan Lin enters an institution that may shape his future through education, cultivation, and assessment.
• Hidden identity and potential: His unusual abilities, unknown origins, and extraterrestrial bloodline suggest that his true nature has yet to be revealed.
• Fate and connection: The instant familiarity between Tan Lin and Chi Yao implies a deeper bond or shared destiny.
• Contrast between worlds: The noisy, indulgent city contrasts sharply with the peaceful, refined atmosphere of the welfare institute, emphasizing the institute as a protected place of growth.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: Tan Lin’s unexplained perception of cultivation and his connection with Chi Yao introduce major unanswered questions.

Character interactions

• Supervisor Huo acts as Tan Lin’s guide, explaining the institute and arranging his identification and accommodation.
• The female administrator processes Tan Lin’s identity card and reacts with surprise when she sees that his cultivation is still at the beginning stage.
• Tan Lin and Chi Yao share a silent but emotionally significant first encounter, recognizing something familiar in one another without speaking.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Tan Lin meets Chi Yao at Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute and is immediately struck by her name and presence, sensing an inexplicable familiarity despite having never met her.
• Supervisor Huo introduces the nearby Qingtan Academy, an elite school for descendants of powerful Council and Parliament members. Tan Lin observes its privileged students and feels the contrast between their world and his humble origins in Feng City.
• That night, Tan Lin reflects on his first day in Heavenly Origin City, including the advanced technology, the aristocratic academy, and his encounter with Chi Yao.
• Meanwhile, Chi Yao remains troubled by her own sense of familiarity toward Tan Lin. Her unusually sharp instincts as an Innate Dao Embryo suggest that the feeling may be meaningful.
• Chi Yao recalls fragments of her previous life on Burial Emperor Star. She remembers being born into the powerful Chi Family, cultivating rapidly, and becoming one of the family’s Twin Beauties alongside her sister Chi Xuan.
• Her memories also include a young man named Tan Lin from the Southern Region, who once stayed with the Chi Family. Their relationship deepened through shared experiences, but their peaceful lives were disrupted by the arrival of the “demonic woman” Shao Hanyun and a series of incidents involving family marriage plans and emotional conflicts.
• Chi Yao begins to suspect that the boy she met may be the same Tan Lin from her past life, but she repeatedly dismisses the idea as impossible. The chapter ends with her staring toward the heavens, caught between hope and uncertainty.

Character developments

• Tan Lin: Experiences awe and emotional disorientation upon entering Heavenly Origin City. His encounter with Chi Yao awakens a deep, unexplained sense of recognition, suggesting that dormant memories or bonds may be resurfacing.
• Chi Yao: Reveals herself to possess memories from a previous life, though they remain incomplete and fragmented. She displays exceptional maturity, intuition, and cultivation potential despite being physically only seven or eight years old. Her feelings toward Tan Lin shift from confusion to cautious anticipation.
• Supervisor Huo: Serves as Tan Lin’s guide to the city and explains the social importance of Qingtan Academy and its elite students.
• Shao Hanyun and the past-life Tan Lin: Though absent in the present timeline, they become important through Chi Yao’s recollections, hinting at unresolved relationships and conflicts that may shape the current story.

Significant themes

• Reincarnation and recovered memory: Chi Yao’s past-life memories are gradually returning, raising questions about identity, destiny, and whether bonds survive death.
• Fate and coincidence: Both Tan Lin and Chi Yao feel an immediate connection, while their similar origins and names suggest that their reunion may be more than chance.
• Social inequality: Tan Lin’s humble background is contrasted with the wealth and privilege of Qingtan Academy’s aristocratic students.
• The tension between reason and intuition: Chi Yao repeatedly rejects the possibility that Tan Lin is her former companion, yet her instincts and emotional response continue to point toward that conclusion.
• Childhood appearance versus mature consciousness: Chi Yao’s young body contrasts sharply with the depth of her memories and emotions.

Character interactions

• Tan Lin and Chi Yao’s brief first meeting is emotionally significant despite their limited conversation; both independently experience the same unexplained familiarity.
• Supervisor Huo guides Tan Lin through the estate and explains the importance of Qingtan Academy, helping establish Tan Lin’s outsider perspective.
• Chi Yao’s memories describe her past interactions with Tan Lin, her sister Chi Xuan, her senior cousin, and the disruptive Shao Hanyun, revealing a complicated web of affection, family expectations, and emotional conflict.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Yao is approached in the bamboo grove by Jueluo Chuan, a senior student from Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute, and several other students.
• They pretend to invite her to a banquet hosted by Lantuo, a noble young master from Qingtan Academy, but their real purpose is to recruit her, investigate her personality, and gauge her strength.
• Chi Yao repeatedly refuses, stating that she needs to practice the qin. The students become increasingly insulting when she ignores them.
• Jueluo Chuan secretly probes Chi Yao with his divine sense. She responds by striking the qin strings, releasing a powerful invisible shockwave that injures and repels him and affects the others.
• Chi Yao warns them not to pry into her again. Realizing he is no match for her despite his higher cultivation, Jueluo Chuan withdraws with the group.
• Outside the grove, the students reveal that Lantuo has already taken an interest in Chi Yao and intends to meet her at the banquet. They discuss the Lantuo Family’s immense political influence and speculate that Chi Yao might become Lantuo’s possession or concubine.
• Back in the grove, Chi Yao overhears their conversation through her unusually powerful divine sense. She reflects on the danger of being talented yet unprotected in this life and dismisses the noble youths as insignificant.

2. Character Developments

• Chi Yao: Demonstrates exceptional strength, composure, and independence. Although she is only at the First Heaven of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, her power and divine sense greatly exceed expectations. Her actions show that she refuses to be manipulated or treated as a commodity. Her previous-life memories and status give her confidence despite her current lack of support.
• Jueluo Chuan: Initially acts confident and superior, presenting himself as a senior offering friendship. After Chi Yao resists and effortlessly repels his divine sense, he is humiliated and forced to retreat. He is revealed to be motivated largely by the rewards promised for bringing Chi Yao to Lantuo.
• The Other Students: Their false friendliness quickly turns into jealousy, resentment, and opportunism. Their comments expose their acceptance of the unequal social order and their willingness to serve powerful nobles.
• Lantuo: Does not appear directly, but is established as a powerful noble youth who has already begun investigating Chi Yao and intends to claim her attention or control.
• Chi Yao’s Past Self: Her former identity as a renowned member of the Chi Family shapes her disdain for the supposedly powerful young nobles and helps preserve her confidence in her present vulnerable circumstances.

3. Significant Themes

• Exploitation of talent and beauty: Chi Yao’s special constitution, appearance, and cultivation make her the target of factions seeking to use her for their own benefit.
• Power and social hierarchy: The students believe that ordinary orphans must depend on noble families, revealing a society where influence and lineage often matter more than personal ability.
• Freedom versus possession: The discussion of Chi Yao becoming a “caged canary” or “plaything” highlights the threat that powerful men may treat gifted women as possessions rather than individuals.
• False friendship and manipulation: The students disguise their mission as social inclusion, but their true motives are recruitment, surveillance, and profit.
• Inner strength and dignity: Chi Yao maintains control without raising her voice, asserting her boundaries through calm refusal and overwhelming power.
• The burden of exceptional ability: Her talent grants her strength but also attracts unwanted attention and danger, especially because she lacks a protective family in this life.

4. Character Interactions

• Chi Yao firmly rejects Jueluo Chuan’s invitation and the group’s attempts to pressure her.
• Jueluo Chuan tries to intimidate and test her, but Chi Yao counters his divine-sense attack through the qin, reversing the power dynamic.
• The group’s outward politeness collapses into open insults when Chi Yao refuses to cooperate.
• After retreating, the students discuss Chi Yao as an opportunity to gain rewards from Lantuo rather than as a person.
• Chi Yao remains physically isolated in the bamboo grove but mentally dominates the encounter, listening to their private discussion and recognizing the threat posed by the noble forces interested in her.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chi Yao recognizes that Heavenly Origin City is governed by a delicate balance among powerful factions. Realizing that the bamboo grove is no longer safe, she leaves decisively, abandoning the peaceful place where others had been seeking her.
• Several groups arrive afterward hoping to meet Chi Yao, but find only an empty pavilion and leave disappointed.
• That night, Tan Lin overhears two Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute students discussing Chi Yao. They reveal that:
  • She possesses the legendary First-Generation Innate Dao Embryo physique.
  • Young Master Lantuo of the Lan Tuo Family has offered significant rewards for information about her habits, personality, whereabouts, or for anyone who can lure her out of the institute.
  • Chi Yao has already defeated older students from the Dao Palace Secret Realm with ease.
• The students also expose the institute’s darker reality: despite its claims of equality and self-improvement, Dawn Ancient functions as a reserve from which powerful nobles recruit servants, retainers, and expendable resources. Advanced evolution fluids and cultivation scriptures are monopolized by major forces.
• While listening, Tan Lin feels a strange familiarity when he hears Chi Yao’s name and the term “Innate Dao Embryo.” The connection triggers an intense headache.
• After reaching his room, Tan Lin collapses unconscious. When he awakens, his perception has dramatically changed: he can see without using his physical eyes, perceive objects through walls and darkness, observe circulating runes, and inspect the internal structure of his own body.

Character Developments

• Chi Yao becomes more cautious and resolute. She understands that she is being watched and targeted, but her departure suggests she will not passively allow herself to be controlled or treated as a valuable possession.
• Tan Lin begins uncovering hidden information about Chi Yao and the social structure surrounding the institute. His physical reaction to her name hints at a forgotten connection or sealed memory. After losing consciousness, he appears to awaken a powerful form of inner vision, suggesting a major transformation in his cultivation or identity.
• Young Master Lantuo is established as a threatening off-screen antagonist. His interest in Chi Yao is exploitative and predatory, motivated by her extraordinary physique and future value.
• The two welfare-institute students reveal their desperation and resentment. Although they recognize the injustice of the system, they are prepared to cooperate with nobles in exchange for resources and advancement.

Significant Themes

• Power, exploitation, and social inequality: The chapter contrasts noble factions’ control of cultivation resources with the limited opportunities available to welfare-institute students.
• Predetermined social roles: Dawn Ancient claims to help students rise through effort, but in practice prepares them to serve the powerful, emphasizing how birth and connections determine status.
• Surveillance and commodification: Chi Yao is treated not as a child or individual but as a rare physique and future asset to be monitored, acquired, and controlled.
• Awakening and hidden identity: Tan Lin’s painful reaction to Chi Yao’s name and his newly awakened inner vision imply that suppressed memories, abilities, or a deeper connection to the cultivation world are beginning to surface.
• Resistance versus submission: Chi Yao chooses withdrawal and self-protection, while the other students accept the system and seek to benefit from it.

Character Interactions

• Chi Yao’s earlier interaction with Qing Yan establishes her awareness that powerful figures may try to confine or use her.
• The students’ conversation provides information about Chi Yao without her being present, showing how widely she is being discussed and secretly tracked.
• Tan Lin does not confront the students, but his silent observation places him in the role of an unwilling witness to the institute’s corruption.
• Tan Lin’s involuntary reaction to Chi Yao’s name creates an unresolved connection between them, setting up a likely future relationship or revelation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin successfully enters a mysterious golden Sea of Consciousness, despite not yet having opened his Sea of Bitterness or formally becoming a cultivator. This unprecedented development leaves him shocked.
• His Sea of Consciousness contains:
  • Vast golden mist
  • A small lake filled with golden energy
  • A translucent divine-consciousness avatar
  • Scattered, unstable fragments of memories from his current and past lives
• He discovers that the golden mist can be circulated through his body, nourishing his cells and rapidly strengthening him. He suspects it is divine thought, a power more advanced than ordinary divine consciousness.
• Tan Lin realizes that his recurring nightmares may have been deliberately arranged by his past self. The seven years of painful dreams likely tempered his mind and enabled him to open his Sea of Consciousness prematurely.
• After returning to sleep, he experiences a new dream showing an unfamiliar battle in the starry sky. A Daoist figure attacks him, followed by another mysterious figure wielding a supreme Heavenly Blade. The blade pierces the green-robed man’s Dao Palace and destroys his five divine deities.
• The dream then returns to the familiar scene of Tan Lin battling an Immortal Phoenix and ultimately self-destructing.
• Upon awakening, Tan Lin speculates that the figures in the dream may have been powerful beings such as the Undying Daoist, the Undying Heavenly Emperor, or the Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable. He begins to suspect that one of his past lives belonged to an existence of unimaginable strength.
• He then accesses another newly awakened memory: a beautiful young girl standing above a multicolored, star-reflecting lake.

Character Development

• Tan Lin gains a clearer understanding of his unusual condition and past-life inheritance.
• He becomes more confident in manipulating divine consciousness and discovers that his Sea of Consciousness possesses an energy capable of directly strengthening his body.
• His interpretation of the nightmares changes: rather than being meaningless suffering, they may have been part of a deliberate cultivation plan created by his past self.
• Tan Lin also recognizes that his cultivation path may be fundamentally abnormal. He might open the Immortal Platform before the other major secret realms, making him an unprecedented anomaly.
• Despite his possible identity as a former supreme powerhouse, Tan Lin still retains the emotions and uncertainty of a young child. He is both excited and unsettled by the implications of his memories.

Significant Themes

• Past-life identity and fragmented memory: Tan Lin’s former lives are gradually resurfacing, but the memories remain broken and difficult to interpret.
• Destiny versus deliberate preparation: His nightmares and unusual development may have been carefully arranged by his past self, suggesting that his present life follows a predetermined plan.
• Unorthodox cultivation: Tan Lin’s early opening of the Sea of Consciousness challenges established cultivation principles and hints at a unique future path.
• The burden of power and knowledge: Learning that he may once have been a supreme existence gives Tan Lin both confidence and psychological pressure.
• Dreams as revelations: His nightmares function as windows into forgotten battles and identities, combining trauma with hidden guidance.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin’s main interactions are internal, involving his consciousness, memories, and speculation about his past selves.
• In the dream sequence, he clashes with an unidentified Daoist attacker and later witnesses a second mysterious figure ambush the green-robed man with a Heavenly Blade.
• The chapter ends by introducing a new figure—a beautiful young girl hovering over a radiant lake—whose identity and connection to Tan Lin’s past remain unknown.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tan Lin experiences a revived memory fragment in which he and a mysterious girl undergo Heavenly Tribulation simultaneously beside a lake. Their mutual gaze suggests a competitive relationship and a strong connection.
• The girl’s appearance faintly resembles the green-skirted girl Tan Lin saw in the bamboo forest. He instinctively associates her with Chi Yao, the girl from the Welfare Institute, though he is unsure why.
• Tan Lin reflects on the differences between his appearances across reincarnated lifetimes, wondering whether the changes are deliberate concealment or an unexplained aspect of reincarnation.
• The physical and spiritual exhaustion caused by the memory fragment forces Tan Lin back to sleep.
• The scene shifts to Heavenly Origin City at night, where the city’s respectable daytime image gives way to a decadent nightlife centered around luxury clubs.
• At the elite nightclub Everlasting Joy, Lan Tuo Xing, heir to the powerful Lantuo Family, entertains friends and hostesses in an extravagant private room.
• Lan Tuo Xing is distracted despite the luxurious surroundings, apparently still thinking about the possibility that Chi Yao may be more valuable and extraordinary than initially believed.
• His attendant, A Fu, reports that Chi Yao is likely not merely an Innate Dao Embryo but possesses a powerful Primordial Bloodline.
• Chi Yao has defeated several older Welfare Institute students with a single move, including a Dao Palace Pinnacle cultivator, demonstrating strength far beyond what her seven-year-old age suggests.
• A Fu also reveals that Chi Yao follows a highly disciplined routine: cultivating in the Enlightenment Zone, practicing the zither in the Purple Bamboo Forest, and otherwise remaining inside the Welfare Institute.
• Her lifestyle reminds Lan Tuo Xing of a future memory involving a beautiful green-dressed woman playing the zither in a bamboo forest after dual cultivation with him.
• A Fu reports that Chi Yao has warned Lan Tuo Xing’s people at the Welfare Institute, which amuses and intrigues him.
• The chapter ends when A Fu mentions that a new child has arrived at the Welfare Institute, setting up a likely connection between this newcomer and Tan Lin.

Character Developments

• Tan Lin: Gains another fragment of his past-life memories and begins recognizing a possible link between his current life, Chi Yao, and the mysterious girl from the memory. His uncertainty about his changing appearances highlights his incomplete understanding of reincarnation.
• Chi Yao: Emerges as an exceptionally gifted child with a likely Primordial Bloodline. Her combat ability, discipline, independence, and willingness to confront Lan Tuo Xing’s agents establish her as powerful and fearless.
• Lan Tuo Xing: Revealed as a privileged and hedonistic young heir, but also as someone strategically interested in rare bloodlines and future potential. His recollection of Chi Yao in a future intimate and peaceful setting suggests that their relationship may become significant and complicated.
• A Fu: Functions as Lan Tuo Xing’s efficient informant and attendant, providing detailed intelligence about Chi Yao and the Welfare Institute.

Significant Themes

• Reincarnation and identity: Tan Lin’s changing appearances and fragmented memories raise questions about how much of a person survives reincarnation and whether past identities are intentionally obscured.
• Fate and foreshadowing: The resemblance between the mysterious tribulation girl and Chi Yao, along with Lan Tuo Xing’s memories of a future green-dressed woman, hints at predetermined connections across time.
• Innate talent versus cultivated discipline: Chi Yao’s extraordinary bloodline is important, but her strict routine and focused lifestyle show that her power also comes from dedication.
• Elite decadence and social inequality: The lavish nightclub contrasts sharply with the Welfare Institute, emphasizing the privilege of Heavenly Origin City’s aristocratic families and their exploitation of talented children.
• Power and possession: Lan Tuo Xing views Chi Yao partly as an extraordinary resource or potential asset, foreshadowing conflict over control of her future.

Character Interactions

• Tan Lin does not directly interact with Chi Yao, but his memory and intuition establish a mysterious connection between them.
• Lan Tuo Xing interacts casually with the nightclub hostesses, displaying his confidence and privileged status while remaining emotionally distracted.
• A Fu gives Lan Tuo Xing intelligence about Chi Yao, strengthening their master-servant dynamic and revealing Lan Tuo Xing’s growing interest in her.
• Chi Yao’s indirect interaction with Lan Tuo Xing’s faction occurs through her warning to their agents, demonstrating that she is already aware of outside scrutiny and refuses to be intimidated.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Tuo Xing learns that a new girl named Chi Yao has arrived at Dawn Ancient and may possess the extremely rare First-Generation Innate Dao Embryo physique.
• He becomes interested in Chi Yao, not out of concern for her, but because he intends to exploit her physique for cultivation and eventually use her blood in a Strongest Physique Evolution Fluid. He orders his subordinate A Fu to monitor developments and report the results of her physique examination.
• Frustrated that Chi Yao has not yet been brought to him, Lan Tuo Xing returns to a private room and drinks while brooding over the possibility that other factions will discover her value.
• Fei Yuyan, a minor noble and bastard son of the Fei Family, attempts to gain Lan Tuo Xing’s favor. He brings in Xiaoya, a young girl whose twin brother owes the Fei Family money.
• Fei Yuyan explains that, under the Eternal Main Star’s rules, unpaid debts can be settled through property or people. Since Xiaoya’s family has nothing else of value, he offers her to Lan Tuo Xing.
• Xiaoya pleads for more time to repay the debt, explaining that her younger brother is her only remaining family after their parents died. Fei Yuyan ignores her distress.
• Lan Tuo Xing sends everyone else away and examines Xiaoya alone. He learns that the original debt was only thirty thousand Hengyuan, but predatory interest has increased it to more than two million.
• He offers to repay the debt and provide additional money for Xiaoya and her brother, clearly implying that this financial assistance comes with exploitative conditions. The chapter ends as Xiaoya, briefly hopeful, asks whether he is serious.

Character Developments

• Lan Tuo Xing: His cruelty and exploitative nature become more explicit. He views Chi Yao as a resource for cultivation rather than a person and treats Xiaoya as an object to be purchased. His wealth and social status allow him to manipulate vulnerable people easily.
• Chi Yao: She does not appear directly, but her rare physique establishes her as a target of powerful factions and foreshadows future conflict.
• A Fu: Demonstrates loyalty and obedience by monitoring Chi Yao and reporting to Lan Tuo Xing.
• Fei Yuyan: Reveals himself as opportunistic and sycophantic. He uses Xiaoya’s desperate circumstances to curry favor with Lan Tuo Xing and strengthen his own position.
• Xiaoya: Is portrayed as frightened but deeply devoted to her younger brother. Despite her helplessness, she tries to protect him from the deadly consequences of the debt.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation of the powerless: Wealthy elites use laws, debt, and social status to control vulnerable people.
• Dehumanization: Both Chi Yao and Xiaoya are treated as commodities—Chi Yao for her blood and physique, and Xiaoya for her body.
• Corruption of authority and law: The legal system permits people to be used as payment for debt, exposing the injustice beneath the society’s formal rules.
• Power imbalance: Lan Tuo Xing’s wealth gives him near-total control over others, while ordinary families have little means of resistance.
• False hope and coercion: Lan Tuo Xing’s offer to repay Xiaoya’s debt appears generous but is presented in a context that makes her consent effectively impossible.

Character Interactions

• Lan Tuo Xing instructs A Fu to investigate Chi Yao’s physique.
• Fei Yuyan flatters Lan Tuo Xing and presents Xiaoya as a gift for his entertainment.
• Xiaoya begs Fei Yuyan for mercy and more time to repay her brother’s debt, but he dismisses her.
• Lan Tuo Xing interrogates Xiaoya about the debt and offers to pay it, placing her in an even more vulnerable position as the two are left alone.