Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Unmatched Below, Foes Descend from Above”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu Si finds Lin Xian laughing outside the room. Lin Xian boasts that he has surpassed the Celestial Master and Feng Yao, implying that he has reached a higher stage of cultivation and returned to a youthful appearance.
• Xu Si takes the opportunity to question Lin Xian about Feng Yao, hoping to uncover secrets about Lin Xian’s past.
• Lin Xian reveals that Feng Yao is Feng Baobao’s father, identifying Baobao as a member of the Wind Family. This shocks Xu Si, who has long been searching for answers about Baobao’s identity and origins.
• Xu Si hides the revelation from the others and distracts everyone by asking Zhang Chulan to explain the power he gained from the Eight Extraordinary Skills’ Qi-State Origin-Flow.
• Zhang Chulan explains that the technique creates a continuous circulation of qi in his dantian, functioning automatically even while he sleeps.
• The group realizes that this gives Zhang Chulan an enormous advantage: unlike ordinary cultivators, he can accumulate power constantly without needing to devote conscious time to training.
• Zhang Chulan becomes arrogant and declares himself “unmatched below.”
• Lin Xian mocks his confidence, warning that he has not yet understood the technique’s true potential. He knocks Zhang Chulan unconscious and uses the Qi-State Origin-Flow together with the Return-to-Origin Method to help him comprehend the Dao through dreams.
• Lin Xian sends Zhang Chulan away with Feng Xingtong and Feng Shayan, joking that they should use the opportunity to develop their relationship.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Xian displays overwhelming strength, confidence, and a theatrical personality. He enjoys provoking others but also acts as a mentor by guiding Zhang Chulan toward deeper understanding.
• Xu Si shifts from playful curiosity to intense alarm after learning that Feng Yao is Feng Baobao’s father. His reaction reveals how important Baobao’s origins are to the Company.
• Zhang Chulan gains tremendous confidence after discovering the automatic nature of the Qi-State Origin-Flow. His excitement quickly becomes arrogance, though Lin Xian’s intervention suggests he still has much to learn.
• Feng Shayan becomes visibly frustrated and jealous over Zhang Chulan’s effortless cultivation advantage, while also reacting strongly to her brother’s teasing about their relationship.
• Feng Xingtong remains energetic and mischievous, enthusiastically accepting the chance to take Zhang Chulan away and “cultivate” his relationship with Feng Shayan.
• Xu San and the others recognize the long-term implications of Zhang Chulan’s technique, understanding that it could eventually make him extraordinarily powerful.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and long-awaited revelations: Lin Xian’s disclosure about Feng Yao and Feng Baobao provides a major clue to Baobao’s mysterious past.
• The dangers of arrogance: Zhang Chulan’s declaration of supremacy is immediately undercut by Lin Xian’s warning that greater threats exist beyond his current understanding.
• Innate advantage versus hard work: Zhang Chulan’s automatic cultivation contrasts with Feng Shayan’s painstaking training, raising questions about talent, fairness, and effort.
• Mentorship and deeper comprehension: Lin Xian’s actions show that true mastery involves understanding the Dao and the technique’s essence, not merely possessing overwhelming power.
• Comedy amid serious revelations: Major secrets and potentially world-changing abilities are presented alongside exaggerated boasting, teasing, and slapstick violence.

4. Character Interactions

• Xu Si flatters Lin Xian to encourage him to reveal information, but Lin Xian turns the conversation into a calculated disclosure about Baobao.
• Xu Si panics and attempts to separate Baobao from the others, while Xu San notices that his behavior is suspicious.
• Zhang Chulan explains his new ability to the group, prompting reactions ranging from curiosity to envy and disbelief.
• Feng Xingtong teases Zhang Chulan about becoming his future brother-in-law, provoking Feng Shayan to attack him.
• Zhang Chulan’s boastful attitude irritates nearly everyone, leading to collective mockery.
• Lin Xian ultimately silences Zhang Chulan, teaches him through a dream, and places him in the company of the Feng siblings, creating further comedic and romantic tension.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu San initially wants to pursue Zhang Chulan after he is taken away, fearing that all their efforts—and Feng Baobao’s long wait—will be wasted. Xu Si stops him, explaining that Zhang Chulan was only the means to reach their true objective.
• Xu Si asks Feng Baobao whether she knows someone named Feng Yao. Hearing the name triggers a powerful reaction: Baobao collapses, clutches her head, and begins crying as buried memories or emotions resurface.
• Lin Xian reveals that Feng Yao was actually Wugensheng, the former leader of Quanxing and a central figure in the Jia Shen Turmoil and the origin of the Eight Extraordinary Skills. Feng Baobao is therefore implied to be Wugensheng’s daughter.
• The revelation shocks Xu San and Xu Si, especially because Baobao’s unchanging appearance and childlike mind suggest that she may have lived for an extraordinarily long time.
• Company chairman Zhao Fangxu learns of the situation and announces that he is coming personally. Lin Xian emphasizes that the matter is more serious than the Eight Extraordinary Skills because it concerns immortality.
• Zhao admits that he has long suspected something was wrong with Feng Baobao and had chosen not to investigate in order to preserve stability. Lin Xian proposes resolving the matter decisively, and Zhao agrees to meet him.
• Lin Xian helps Feng Baobao recover physically and emotionally using his Qi-State Origin-Flow. She realizes that although she now knows where she came from, she still does not know who she is or where she should go.
• Baobao remembers only Gou Wazi, one of the few people who left a lasting impression on her otherwise untouched heart. Lin Xian decides to take her to see him one final time.
• Lin Xian and Feng Baobao leave through a radiant Immortal Bridge formed by Divine Runes and the River Chart, while Lin Xian chants verses warning against attachment to wealth, power, family, beauty, fame, and worldly desires.

Character Developments

• Feng Baobao: Her identity crisis deepens after learning that Feng Yao/Wugensheng was her father. Though she cannot recover specific memories, her sorrow confirms that the revelation has reached something buried within her. Her pure, undisturbed heart is portrayed as the foundation of her potential immortality.
• Lin Xian: He becomes the central figure guiding Baobao through her awakening. He treats her not merely as a mystery to solve but as someone standing at the beginning of an immortal path. His philosophy emphasizes a clear Dao Heart, freedom from worldly attachments, and companionship based on shared pursuit of immortality.
• Xu San and Xu Si: Both brothers are overwhelmed by the scale of the revelation. Their concern shifts from controlling Zhang Chulan’s fate to protecting and understanding Feng Baobao. They also realize that the Company has been involved in a secret much larger than they understood.
• Zhao Fangxu: He is presented as a highly informed and pragmatic leader. Although he has long suspected Baobao’s abnormal nature, he deliberately avoided exposing the truth to preserve social stability. The emergence of immortality forces him to take direct action.
• Zhang Chulan: Though absent after being taken away, he is revealed to have been only the “process” that led the others to the real discovery.

Significant Themes

• Identity and origins: Knowing one’s biological origin does not automatically provide a sense of self. Feng Baobao learns that Wugensheng was her father but still struggles to understand who she truly is.
• Memory and emotional imprint: Baobao cannot remember most people, yet she remembers Gou Wazi. This suggests that genuine emotional impact, rather than time or formal family ties, determines what survives in her mind.
• Immortality versus the mortal world: The chapter contrasts immortal potential with the temporary nature of fame, wealth, romance, family, power, and status.
• The Dao Heart: Lin Xian argues that the most valuable quality on the path to immortality is not strength or supernatural ability but an unclouded, unwavering heart.
• Stability versus truth: Zhao Fangxu’s decision to conceal the truth reflects the conflict between preserving order and confronting dangerous revelations.
• Detachment and companionship: Lin Xian rejects shallow worldly bonds but believes that those who share the same pursuit of immortality can become true comrades or Dao companions.

Character Interactions

• Xu Si restrains Xu San and reframes Zhang Chulan’s capture as part of a larger plan.
• Xu Si questions Feng Baobao about Feng Yao, while Lin Xian confirms Feng Yao’s identity and explains his connection to Wugensheng.
• Xu San angrily demands answers when Baobao collapses, showing his protective concern for her.
• Zhao Fangxu confronts the Xu brothers by phone, revealing that he already knew something was wrong and was aware of the possibility of immortality.
• Lin Xian and Zhao Fangxu agree to meet and resolve the crisis.
• Lin Xian comforts Feng Baobao, helps stabilize her, answers her questions about her origins, and escorts her to reunite with Gou Wazi.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After crossing the Immortal Bridge, Lin Xian and Feng Baobao are reminded to seek out “Gou Wazi,” Xu Xiang’s forgotten nickname. Xu San and Xu Si are shocked because they never knew their father had used that name.
• Lin Xian and Feng Baobao travel to the hospital where Xu Xiang, the dying head of the company’s North China Region, is receiving treatment. Lin Xian deliberately uses the Immortal Bridge to intimidate Xu San, Xu Si, and the company, but conserves his divine power by taking a taxi for the final journey.
• Xu Xiang recognizes Feng Baobao as “Awu,” the mysterious woman who has accompanied him throughout his entire life. Their relationship is shown to be deeper than ordinary friendship, resembling family, love, and lifelong companionship.
• Feng Baobao confirms that she has recovered information about her past, with Xu Xiang’s help. Having fulfilled his lifelong goal, Xu Xiang appears ready to die—but admits that he still wishes to remain alive to watch over her.
• As Xu Xiang’s life reaches its end, Lin Xian uses Qi-State Origin-Flow to preserve his final breath and temporarily restore his strength.
• Xu Xiang asks whether Lin Xian is truly an immortal. Lin Xian rejects the label, explaining that he is only human and that his “immortal” appearance is merely an image created by others’ perceptions.
• Lin Xian reflects on the hierarchy of cultivators and recognizes that he is not a peerless genius or destined emperor, but an ordinary cultivator who must carefully survive and improve.
• His realization leads to an important spiritual insight: accepting his true, ordinary self is necessary for strengthening his Dao heart and eventually seeing through illusion on the path toward the Other Shore.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Moves beyond his performative “immortal” persona and honestly acknowledges his limitations. He understands that pretending to be an immortal is useful, but believing the illusion himself would cause him to lose his identity. This marks a significant step toward self-knowledge and spiritual maturity.
• Feng Baobao: Remains emotionally detached and innocent in appearance, but her bond with Xu Xiang reveals the importance of the people who have cared for her. She confirms that her past has been found, giving Xu Xiang’s lifelong efforts meaning.
• Xu Xiang: Shown at the end of his life, he is finally relieved that Feng Baobao has found her past, yet remains unwilling to die because he wants to continue protecting her. His relationship with Feng Baobao is revealed as the emotional center of the chapter.
• Xu San and Xu Si: Their surprise at learning Xu Xiang’s old nickname emphasizes how much of their father’s past has remained hidden from them.

Significant Themes

• Identity versus appearance: Lin Xian’s “immortal” image is a disguise built from reputation and cultivation techniques, not his true nature.
• Self-knowledge and humility: True cultivation requires recognizing one’s actual level rather than being intoxicated by praise or appearances.
• Mortality and attachment: Xu Xiang’s impending death contrasts with Feng Baobao’s ageless appearance. His desire to stay alive shows how love and responsibility can keep someone clinging to life.
• The meaning of family: Xu Xiang and Feng Baobao are connected by decades of care, loyalty, and shared history, forming a bond that transcends conventional categories.
• The path of cultivation: Lin Xian’s realization that he is an ordinary cultivator reflects the chapter’s broader idea that progress depends on strengthening one’s Dao heart and seeing through illusions.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Feng Baobao: Their journey combines Lin Xian’s theatrical “immortal” behavior with Feng Baobao’s blunt, innocent directness. She openly identifies him as the person who helped recover her past.
• Feng Baobao and Xu Xiang: Their reunion is quiet but emotionally profound. Xu Xiang calls her “Awu,” while she bluntly asks whether he is about to die, exposing both their intimacy and her unusual attitude toward death.
• Lin Xian and Xu Xiang: Lin Xian temporarily saves Xu Xiang from death and speaks candidly with him about immortality. Their conversation allows Lin Xian to reject the false image others have created around him.
• Xu San and Xu Si: Their earlier interaction with Lin Xian establishes his intimidating reputation, while their ignorance of Xu Xiang’s nickname highlights the hidden history surrounding their father.

Chapter Summary: “I’m Here, I’ve Always Been Here”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian reflects on the Divine Bridge Realm, especially the “calamity of getting lost,” in which cultivators lose their direction, senses, or even their Dao heart while attempting to cross the Sea of Bitterness and reach the Other Shore.
• He realizes that his own Dao heart has already touched the Divine Bridge Realm, even though his cultivation has not fully reached it.
• Using the system as an analytical aid, Lin Xian reconsiders the significance of the mortal body. Rather than being the strongest physique, it is the most fundamental and unrestricted foundation, capable of bearing all Dao without inherited limitations.
• He concludes that his path is not immortality, but rapid advancement through the Great Saint Realm and eventually the Quasi-Emperor realm. The mortal body’s greatest strength is its ability to rely entirely on itself and potentially achieve ultimate Dao attainment.
• This realization causes the fog obstructing his mind to disperse. His aura becomes simpler and more ordinary, reflecting his return to clarity and his acceptance of the mortal path.
• Xu Xiang, who is nearing death, remarks that Lin Xian feels like an immortal despite his claim that he is not one. They discuss immortality, differing goals in cultivation, and the idea that not all cultivators seek eternal life.
• Zhao Fangxu unexpectedly reveals that he has been listening from a phone hidden beneath Xu Xiang’s hospital bedding. He then enters the room with Xu San, Xu Si, and an armed team of Otherworlders.
• Zhao orders Xu San and Xu Si out, declaring that they lack clearance for the sensitive discussion. The Nadutong Company takes control of the ward and establishes a heavily armed security perimeter.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Achieves a major breakthrough in understanding his Dao heart. He accepts that he is walking the path of the mortal body rather than pursuing immortality, and recognizes that his apparent ordinariness is actually a source of freedom and potential.
• Xu Xiang: Faces his approaching death calmly and philosophically. His conversation with Lin Xian shows both admiration and curiosity toward Lin Xian’s unusual attitude toward immortality.
• Zhao Fangxu: Demonstrates his caution, authority, and ability to remain informed without revealing himself. His arrival signals that the situation surrounding Feng Baobao is highly classified and politically significant.
• Xu San and Xu Si: React with alarm over Feng Baobao and are frustrated when Zhao excludes them from the discussion, emphasizing the seriousness of the secret.
• Feng Baobao: Though she does not speak in the chapter, her identity and apparent immortality remain the central mystery prompting the Nadutong Company’s intervention.

Significant Themes

• The mortal body versus extraordinary physiques: True strength ultimately depends not on bloodline or innate constitution, but on the individual’s ability to advance their realm.
• Self-reliance and freedom: The mortal body lacks both advantages and restraints, allowing it to follow any Dao and potentially surpass more gifted physiques.
• Immortality versus enlightenment: The chapter questions whether immortality is the highest goal. Lin Xian values a clear, unrestricted Dao heart over eternal life.
• Ordinariness as strength: Returning to simplicity and appearing ordinary becomes a sign of profound understanding rather than weakness.
• The dangers of cultivation: Crossing the Divine Bridge is both a physical breakthrough and a spiritual test involving confusion, loss of perception, and the questioning of one’s convictions.
• Secrecy and authority: Zhao’s classified intervention introduces a tense contrast between personal relationships and institutional control.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Xu Xiang engage in a philosophical discussion about immortality, differing ambitions, and the nature of cultivation.
• Xu Xiang compares Lin Xian to an immortal, while Lin Xian responds humorously and argues that cultivators may seek different goals.
• Zhao Fangxu interrupts their conversation, first speaking through the hidden phone and then entering personally.
• Xu San and Xu Si try to approach Feng Baobao, but Zhao stops them and excludes them from the classified matter.
• Zhao’s armed forces transform the hospital room into a controlled, high-security environment, ending the chapter on a note of tension and impending revelation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Fangxu seals the room and announces that he will question Feng Baobao and Lin Xian personally, outside his official role as company chairman. Depending on their answers, he may report the matter as the highest-level classified information.
• He explains that the company exists to preserve peace and stability in the Inhuman World. Anyone threatening that balance—including powerful Otherworlders, ordinary people, or even himself—will be treated as an enemy.
• Zhao asks about Feng Baobao’s origins. Xu Xiang confirms that she came from Wugensheng and is connected to the Eight Extraordinary Skills and the Jia Shen Turmoil, though she has spent many years working with the company.
• Zhao then asks Feng Baobao who she believes she is. She identifies herself simply as “Awu” and relies on Xu Xiang—whom she calls “Gou Wazi”—to verify her identity.
• His final question concerns her future now that her past has been uncovered. Feng Baobao admits she does not know and has always followed Xu Xiang.
• Lin Xian offers to show her a path, declaring that because she came from “Nonbirth,” she must go to “Immortality.” Feng Baobao immediately asks where Immortality is.
• Lin Xian proposes revealing the secret publicly rather than allowing rumors and hidden schemes to destabilize the world. He suggests creating an “iconic scene,” leaving Zhao Fangxu confused by his strange, almost promotional language.
• After the private discussion, Zhao tells Xu San and Xu Si that their father is nearing death and urges them to spend time with him. However, Xu Xiang appears energetic because Lin Xian has stimulated the last trace of his Innate Qi.
• Xu Xiang explains that this vitality is only a final surge before death and begins giving his sons his last instructions. Zhao watches them and wonders whether true ascension—and perhaps immortality—really exists.

Character Developments

• Zhao Fangxu reveals the depth of his commitment to peace. He is willing to oppose anyone, regardless of status, if they threaten the balance maintained by the company. His interrogation also shows both courage and anxiety, as he recognizes that Feng Baobao and Lin Xian may possess knowledge capable of causing enormous upheaval.
• Feng Baobao remains emotionally direct and innocent. Despite learning about her mysterious past, she has no clear sense of identity beyond being “Awu” and no independent plan for the future. Her instinct is still to follow Xu Xiang.
• Lin Xian takes on the role of Feng Baobao’s guide. He treats her identity as both “Feng Baobao” and “Awu” as meaningful and assigns her a symbolic destiny: moving from Nonbirth toward Immortality. He also demonstrates his willingness to manipulate public perception and reshape the political situation.
• Xu Xiang is shown to be at the end of his life, but Lin Xian temporarily restores his strength. His relationship with his sons becomes central as he prepares to leave final instructions.
• Xu San and Xu Si briefly set aside their usual conflicts when they realize their father may die, showing their underlying devotion and grief.

Significant Themes

• Peace versus truth: Zhao fears that uncovering the secrets of immortality could destroy the peace the company has spent decades preserving.
• Identity and self-definition: Feng Baobao’s past does not automatically give her a clear identity. The chapter contrasts external labels—Awu, Feng Baobao, immortal—with the simple relationships she trusts.
• Mortality and transcendence: Xu Xiang’s temporary vitality parallels the larger question of whether immortality or ascension is possible. His approaching death gives urgency to the chapter’s discussions of eternal life.
• Guidance versus suppression: Lin Xian argues that dangerous secrets should be revealed and directed rather than hidden, suggesting that controlled disclosure may be safer than repression.
• The burden of history: Zhao’s devotion to peace comes from memories of war and death, while Feng Baobao’s mysterious origins connect her personally to unresolved conflicts from the past.

Character Interactions

• Zhao and Xu Xiang clash over the necessity of Zhao’s questioning, but Xu Xiang ultimately acknowledges that the investigation is part of Zhao’s responsibility.
• Zhao carefully interrogates Feng Baobao while watching Lin Xian for signs of danger, reflecting his distrust and concern.
• Feng Baobao identifies herself through her bond with Xu Xiang, demonstrating how deeply she depends on him for emotional and personal orientation.
• Lin Xian gently ties Feng Baobao’s hair and presents himself as someone who can guide her future, reinforcing their growing teacher-guide relationship.
• Xu San and Xu Si rush to their father’s side, initially believing he is dying, then kneel together to hear his final words despite their usual antagonism.
• The chapter ends with Zhao observing the mysterious golden bridge and questioning whether Lin Xian’s claims about ascension may be genuine.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A notice announces the upcoming Luotian Grand Ceremony at Mount Longhu, organized by Tianshi Mansion and funded by Ten Elder Lu Jin. Otherworlders nationwide are invited, with the event connected to Zhang Chulan and the Eight Extraordinary Skills.
• The ceremony’s rewards include the Qi-State Origin-Flow and the Connecting Heaven Talisman, intensifying interest throughout the Otherworlder community.
• The Wang Family has lost its position among the Ten Elders. Feng Zhenghao declares that “the weather has turned cold,” signaling the family’s political and financial collapse.
• Although Feng Shayan believes the Wang Family deserves harsher revenge for its past actions against the Wind Family, Feng Zhenghao explains that his grandfather, Feng Tianyang, was once spared by Wang Family members. He therefore refuses to destroy them completely.
• Zhang Chulan argues that ruining the Wang Family financially is a more painful punishment than killing them. Their former privileged members are now forced to live in poverty and perform ordinary labor.
• Reports reveal that Wang Bing and other Wang Family members have attacked ordinary people and been arrested by the company. Zhang Chulan implies that their sudden fall from wealth and status pushed them toward desperate, criminal behavior.
• Feng Zhenghao publicly condemns the incidents and reminds the younger generation that Otherworlders must obey the law, while privately concealing evidence suggesting that the World Association may have helped engineer the Wang Family’s downfall.
• Zhang Chulan suspects that the Wang Family’s misfortune is connected to the Wind Family’s rise, though he jokingly convinces himself that it is merely “heaven’s punishment.”
• After the others leave, Feng Zhenghao prepares to teach Lin Xian Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills.

Character Developments

• Feng Zhenghao presents himself as magnanimous and lawful, but his hidden actions suggest he is strategically dismantling the Wang Family without openly violating his public image. He balances revenge, gratitude, and political calculation.
• Feng Shayan remains fiercely loyal to her family and dissatisfied with what she sees as insufficient revenge. Her hostility toward Zhang Chulan also continues, though their interactions have become familiar and comedic.
• Feng Xingtong acts as a mediator between Feng Shayan and Zhang Chulan. He also reveals that Feng Zhenghao intends to pass Spirit Summoning and Dispatching to Lin Xian.
• Zhang Chulan embraces his new position within the World Association, using humor and cynical insight to interpret the Wang Family’s collapse. He recognizes that economic humiliation can be more psychologically devastating than death.
• Lin Xian has advanced in his cultivation. After a conversation with Xu Xiang, he strengthened his Dao heart and gained a deeper understanding of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, particularly their connection to Primordial Qi.
• Xu Xiang’s brief restoration to the vitality of his former peak confirms Lin Xian’s theory about Primordial Qi, although the effect is temporary and Xu Xiang still dies afterward.

Significant Themes

• Revenge versus mercy: Feng Zhenghao claims not to seek total destruction, but his methods inflict severe suffering while preserving the appearance of restraint.
• The cruelty of social and economic downfall: The chapter emphasizes that people accustomed to luxury may suffer intensely when forced into poverty and ordinary labor.
• Public morality versus private manipulation: Feng Zhenghao publicly condemns criminal behavior while privately benefiting from—or possibly orchestrating—the Wang Family’s ruin.
• Power, status, and political realignment: The Luotian Grand Ceremony and the Wang Family’s removal from the Ten Elders demonstrate shifting alliances and the increasing importance of Zhang Chulan and the Eight Extraordinary Skills.
• Cultivation and the search for origins: Lin Xian’s pursuit of Primordial Qi reflects his larger effort to discover the shared foundation of the Immortal Dao and the world’s supernatural techniques.

Character Interactions

• Feng Shayan challenges Feng Zhenghao over his decision to spare the Wang Family.
• Zhang Chulan mocks the Wang Family’s suffering and provokes Feng Shayan, while Feng Xingtong repeatedly tries to calm them.
• Zhang Chulan and Feng Xingtong joke about their generational relationship and the possibility of Zhang becoming Feng Zhenghao’s son-in-law, triggering Feng Shayan’s anger.
• Feng Zhenghao performs a public lesson on law and responsibility for the younger characters while concealing his own involvement in the Wang Family’s troubles.
• After the younger group leaves, Feng Zhenghao and Lin Xian begin a private exchange centered on Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, linking the chapter’s political conflict to Lin Xian’s cultivation quest.

Chapter Summary: “Cheat, Come!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian seeks to study Feng Family’s Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, as another tool for investigating the path to immortality.
• He compares the Eight Extraordinary Skills to fragments of a larger truth: each may reveal part of the Immortal Dao, but none provides the complete answer on its own.
• Feng Zhenghao agrees to transmit the technique in private, while Feng Baobao casually leaves to stand guard.
• Feng Zhenghao summons the spirit of Feng Tianyang, the founder of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching. Feng Tianyang appears as an unusual, highly advanced soul—essentially a Ghost Immortal—with only limited awareness and the ability to demonstrate the art.
• Lin Xian learns that the technique allows its user to control spirits and borrow their abilities. Its more extreme form, Spirit Devouring, permanently strengthens the user but risks personality distortion and eventual madness.
• The Wind Family’s research into Wang Bing and Spirit Devouring confirms that the technique is dangerous and ultimately impractical.
• Lin Xian realizes that Spirit Summoning and Dispatching must contain deeper principles beyond its obvious applications, much as Qi-State Origin-Flow conceals the ability to reduce supernatural techniques to primordial qi.
• Rather than studying the technique over a long period, Lin Xian suddenly ends the demonstration and declares that he has already comprehended it—after only a short time.
• The chapter ends with Lin Xian inwardly invoking his mysterious advantage: “Cheat, come!”

Character Development

• Lin Xian is portrayed as extraordinarily knowledgeable, confident, and capable of instantly assimilating powerful techniques. His goal is not merely to gain combat abilities but to extract universal principles from different systems and use them to reconstruct the truth of immortality.
• Feng Zhenghao demonstrates respect and gratitude toward Lin Xian by offering his family’s secret art. He is also visibly shocked by Lin Xian’s impossible speed of comprehension.
• Feng Baobao remains detached from worldly power. Her lack of interest in the Eight Extraordinary Skills surprises Feng Zhenghao and reinforces her unusual, transcendent nature.
• Feng Tianyang is revealed to have reached the state of a Ghost Immortal. Although barely conscious, he retains enough spiritual awareness to transmit the technique.

Significant Themes

• Seeking immortality through accumulated knowledge: Lin Xian combines insights from different universes and cultivation systems rather than relying on a single tradition.
• Partial truths versus complete understanding: The Eight Extraordinary Skills are compared to blind men touching an elephant—each founder grasped one aspect of immortality but failed to see the whole.
• The danger of gaining power through assimilation: Spirit Devouring demonstrates how absorbing external spirits can damage one’s identity and corrupt the True Self.
• Talent and transcendent ability: Lin Xian’s instant mastery suggests that knowledge, insight, and his mysterious “cheat” allow him to surpass ordinary cultivation limits.
• The nature of the soul: The chapter explores the difference between a complete life-form and a spirit existing only in a mental or spiritual state.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Feng Zhenghao engage in a respectful exchange: Feng Zhenghao offers the secret technique, while Lin Xian treats him modestly despite his overwhelming superiority.
• Feng Baobao’s casual willingness to leave contrasts with Feng Zhenghao’s reverence for the Eight Extraordinary Skills, highlighting their different attitudes toward power.
• Feng Zhenghao summons his ancestor Feng Tianyang, creating a direct link between the Wind Family’s present inheritance and its founder.
• Lin Xian observes and evaluates Feng Tianyang’s spiritual state, recognizing him as a rare Ghost Immortal.
• After Lin Xian claims instant mastery, Feng Zhenghao reacts with disbelief, while Lin Xian maintains an enigmatic confidence and refuses to explain the true source of his ability.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian relies on System 10086 to analyze the Spirit Summoning and Dispatching technique, trusting the system to handle specialized work.
• System 10086 uses the Qi-State Origin-Flow, an Eight Extraordinary Skill, to analyze the technique and uncover its connection to the ultimate principle of Return to Origin. Its analysis stalls at 99%, prompting Lin Xian to tease and encourage it.
• Lin Xian asks Feng Zhenghao for an observatory so he can study the stars while cultivating. From his observations, he develops a theory about the nature of immortality in The Outcast world.
• He proposes that this world’s immortals do not rely primarily on overwhelming combat power. Instead, they resonate with Heaven and Earth, using their personal “small heaven and earth”—their Inner Landscape—to influence the greater universe.
• Lin Xian theorizes that the universe itself functions as a vast Qi Configuration, much like the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Tongtian Valley.
• To support his theory, he demonstrates that deeply cultivated Qi-State Origin-Flow produces Innate Qi, which he identifies with the foundational principle behind all constitutions.
• He then explains the importance of Primordial Qi/Primordial Essence/Longevity Immortal Essence, the original energy that sustains life and serves as the basis of cultivation and immortality.
• Lin Xian outlines two major paths to immortality:
  • The Ancient Immortal Era path, which relied on external Longevity Substance supplied by the universe.
  • The Red-Dust Immortal path, in which cultivators generate Longevity Immortal Essence internally and form a small universe within themselves.
• He concludes by challenging System 10086 to recognize that this foundational “One”—Primordial Essence—is central to all cultivation and immortality.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Xian is portrayed as clever, deeply knowledgeable, and deliberately lazy. He delegates difficult analysis to System 10086 while presenting himself as a philosophical guide. His apparent idleness masks a sophisticated ability to connect different cultivation systems and cosmologies.
• He develops a broader understanding of The Outcast world, realizing that its immortals may be weak in conventional destructive power but possess extraordinary control over universal laws and resonance.
• Lin Xian’s cultivation advances conceptually as he identifies Innate Qi with Primordial Essence and uses it to repair his damaged Life Wheel.
• System 10086 is shown as highly capable but increasingly frustrated by Lin Xian’s dependence on it. Despite its complaints, it is intellectually shaken and impressed by Lin Xian’s theory, especially because it understands the immense significance of Primordial Essence.
• The system’s status as an Intermediate System and its ambition to become an Advanced System add a humorous competitive dynamic between it and Lin Xian.

3. Significant Themes

• Delegation versus personal effort: Lin Xian argues that using one’s tools effectively is itself a form of wisdom, while the system resents doing nearly all the work.
• The relationship between different cultivation systems: The chapter connects The Outcast’s Inner Landscape and Qi Configurations with the broader cosmology of Shrouding the Heavens, suggesting that apparently different systems may arise from the same fundamental principles.
• The unity of Heaven, Earth, and the individual: Immortality is presented as the ability to create harmony between one’s inner world and the universe.
• The importance of origins and foundations: Primordial Qi is described as the “One” from which all life, constitutions, cultivation, and transformation arise.
• Mortality and the pursuit of longevity: Even powerful cultivators eventually exhaust their Primordial Essence unless they discover a method of replenishing or transforming it.
• Adaptation in an age of decline: When the universe can no longer provide Longevity Substance, exceptional cultivators create their own internal sources of immortality, demonstrating that the path to transcendence changes with the times.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and System 10086 engage in constant teasing and mutual criticism. Lin Xian mocks the system’s stalled analysis, while the system accuses him of behaving like the real system and avoiding work.
• Lin Xian attempts to motivate System 10086 by suggesting that success might help it evolve into an Advanced System, though the system remains skeptical of his manipulation.
• Lin Xian’s request to Feng Zhenghao for an observatory shows his ability to secure practical support from others while pursuing his theories independently.
• The chapter ends with Lin Xian placing the system in the role of student or evaluator, asking it to acknowledge the importance of Primordial Essence—the foundation of the entire discussion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian assigns System 10086 two quests: uncover the meaning of “Dao Generates One” and reveal the ultimate secret of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching.
• Reflecting on Lin Xian’s insights, System 10086 begins questioning its own nature, its purpose as a system, and whether its transmigration into the Shrouding the Heavens Universe was truly accidental.
• Lin Xian explains that longevity and combat power are separate. True strength comes from comprehending the Dao, not merely possessing Longevity Substance or living for a long time.
• He proposes reversing the creative sequence—“all things” back to Three, Two, One, and ultimately the Dao—not through literal destruction, but by studying a universe where the Great Dao is unusually exposed.
• Lin Xian argues that the technologically stable, cultivation-poor universe they inhabit resembles an Age of Severed Spirits. Because its laws are clear and resistant to supernatural interference, its underlying Dao may be easier to perceive, explaining why immortals from this world can potentially reach extraordinary heights.
• System 10086 completes its analysis of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching. The art is revealed to involve binding and dispatching one’s own soul and spiritual essence rather than merely controlling external spirits.
• Lin Xian practices the technique by visualizing divine identities. He first becomes a Water God, gaining genuine control over water, then attempts to invoke other divine powers such as fire and famous techniques from different worlds.
• When these later invocations produce only illusory effects, Lin Xian decides to summon a truly existing figure from another universe: Ye Fan.
• He transforms his heart-general deity into the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body and names this enhanced form of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching “Heavenly Emperor Stand-In.”

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates exceptional insight into the Dao despite his supposedly mediocre sixth-tier constitution. His understanding resembles that of exceptional figures such as Ruthless.
• He becomes increasingly creative and audacious, adapting Spirit Summoning and Dispatching into a method for borrowing the identities and powers of powerful beings.
• Lin Xian’s experimentation shows that he distinguishes between illusion and genuine power, but he is willing to exploit both.
• System 10086 develops beyond its mechanical role. It begins to reassess Lin Xian, reflect on its own identity, and recognize that systems may need hosts to absorb wisdom and humanity.
• The system also becomes more cautious and morally concerned, warning Lin Xian when his interpretation appears to be approaching world-ending or forbidden methods.

Significant Themes

• Creation and destruction: The chapter explores whether the Dao can be understood by reversing the process of creation. Destruction is presented as dangerous and potentially evil, but not necessarily incorrect.
• Comprehension versus lifespan: Longevity does not guarantee strength; true power depends on the speed, depth, and breadth of one’s Dao comprehension.
• The value of a low-spiritual world: A universe with few supernatural forces may expose its fundamental laws more clearly, making it an ideal environment for understanding the Dao.
• Inner cultivation versus external power: Spirit Summoning and Dispatching ultimately seeks inward, using one’s own soul, heart, and Primordial Spirit rather than relying solely on controlling outside entities.
• Identity and self-completion: System 10086’s reflections suggest that machines and systems may gain humanity through their interactions with hosts.
• Adaptation and imitation: Lin Xian turns divine visualization into a means of reproducing the powers and identities of legendary figures.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian teaches System 10086 about the relationship between Dao comprehension, immortality, and combat strength, causing the system to gain new understanding.
• System 10086 questions Lin Xian’s extreme interpretation of Dao cultivation, while Lin Xian clarifies that he is analyzing the universe rather than planning to destroy it.
• During the revelation of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, the system explains its meaning: “binding” relates to the soul and the Ninefold Netherworld, while “dispatching” involves uniting the heart, spirit, and Primordial Spirit.
• System 10086 protests when Lin Xian attempts to summon Ye Fan, insisting that this exceeds the original Eight Extraordinary Skills. Lin Xian rejects the objection and proudly redefines the technique as the evolved Heavenly Emperor Stand-In.

Chapter Summary: “Mind Monkey Returns to Righteousness, Six Thieves Vanish”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian explains the relationship between Primordial Qi and the progression from Dao to all things. He identifies Spirit Summoning and Dispatching as a spiritual technique derived from Innate Qi, while Qi-State Origin-Flow represents a higher, Earth-Immortal-level method.
• System 10086 warns Lin Xian about the mysterious strength of Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei, whose power may rival or exceed the Life Spring Peak. In response, Lin Xian breaks through to the Life Spring Peak himself.
• Xia He informs Lin Xian that Baron, a successor of the Sage Thief and wielder of the Eight Extraordinary Skill Six Vaults Immortal Thief, has agreed to meet.
• Lin Xian travels at extraordinary speed using his divine powers, triggering modern traffic-monitoring systems and prompting All-Management Division Six to intervene and cover up the supernatural incident.
• At the meeting place, Baron attempts to conceal himself by merging his aura with nature through Six Vaults Immortal Thief. Lin Xian immediately detects him and overwhelms him with a single devastating attack.
• Baron survives by rapidly restoring his body, though his recovery drains the vitality of the surrounding grass and earth.
• Lin Xian and Baron discuss the dangers of Six Vaults Immortal Thief. Baron explains that the technique can cause excessive physical vitality and uncontrolled desires, eventually leading the user toward cannibalism and spiritual emptiness.
• Lin Xian dismisses these dangers as a test of insufficient spiritual cultivation. He concludes that true immortality requires mastering both the body and the heart.
• Recognizing that Lin Xian may have a solution to the technique’s drawbacks, Baron addresses him respectfully. Lin Xian gives him the key instruction: “Mind Monkey returns to righteousness, and the Six Thieves vanish.”

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates a major increase in power by reaching the Life Spring Peak. His confidence grows, and he becomes increasingly willing to confront powerful figures such as Zhang Zhiwei.
• He also reveals a deeper understanding of cultivation, emphasizing that physical strength without spiritual discipline leads to destruction.
• Baron is introduced as powerful but psychologically troubled by the effects of Six Vaults Immortal Thief. His arrogance is broken after Lin Xian defeats him effortlessly, and he becomes hopeful that Lin Xian can help him.
• Xia He shifts from a confident intermediary to someone visibly shocked by Lin Xian’s overwhelming strength. She realizes that his earlier attacks had not represented his full power.
• System 10086 continues to act as a cautious counterpoint to Lin Xian, reminding him of the unknown threat posed by the Old Celestial Master.

Significant Themes

• Physical cultivation versus spiritual cultivation: The chapter argues that a powerful body is dangerous when not controlled by a disciplined mind and heart.
• Desire and emptiness: Unrestrained desire leads either to suffering when frustrated or emptiness when fulfilled. Six Vaults Immortal Thief symbolizes this cycle.
• The nature of immortality: Immortality is presented as more than physical longevity; it requires an “immortal heart” capable of resisting instinct and corruption.
• Strength and authority: Lin Xian’s overwhelming power allows him to dominate the conversation with Baron, showing how absolute strength can strip away pretense and force honesty.
• Redemption and self-mastery: The phrase “Mind Monkey returns to righteousness, and the Six Thieves vanish” suggests that controlling the restless mind and overcoming the senses can neutralize the technique’s destructive effects.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and System 10086 debate the ranks and origins of various cultivation techniques, as well as how to handle Zhang Zhiwei.
• Xia He serves as the link between Lin Xian and Baron, but Baron accuses her of betraying him after Lin Xian’s surprise attack.
• Lin Xian confronts Baron directly, defeating him physically before challenging his understanding of Six Vaults Immortal Thief.
• Their final exchange changes the relationship from a coercive meeting into a potential mentor-and-student dynamic, with Baron recognizing that Lin Xian may possess the answer to his spiritual crisis.

Chapter Summary:

Divine Bridge Immortal Venerable, Breakthrough!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian explains the Buddhist symbolism of Sun Wukong’s “Six Thieves,” linking them to the six senses and the desires that bind people to suffering.
• Baron recognizes that his obsession with food, wine, pleasure, and other desires has left him trapped in cycles of satisfaction and emptiness.
• Lin Xian offers to introduce Baron to a cultivator who may help resolve his spiritual troubles, on the condition that Baron follows him until the Luotian Grand Ceremony.
• Baron accepts reverently and returns with Lin Xian to World Group, leaving Xia He shaken and despondent after Lin Xian’s words about lust and desire strike at her hidden thoughts.
• System 10086 completes its analysis of the Six Vaults Immortal Thief. Lin Xian immediately comprehends and refines its ultimate meaning.
• Lin Xian gathers vast quantities of rare medicinal herbs from World Group and begins an unprecedented alchemical breakthrough.
• Believing his own blood contains divine power from the Sacred Fruit and Divine Spring, Lin Xian cuts open his arm and adds his blood to the pill furnace.
• He uses the Six Vaults Immortal Thief to refine the medicinal essence, absorb Heaven and Earth’s energy, and strengthen both his body and cultivation.
• Lin Xian successfully breaks through: he forms a Heavenly Vein, develops Divine Sense, and manifests three powerful platinum divine lights.
• His enhanced strength devastates the area around the pill chamber, destroying forests and a massive boulder with ease. Those present are awed and begin calling him an “Immortal Venerable.”

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Demonstrates increasing confidence, ruthlessness, and determination in pursuing cultivation. He is willing to injure himself and exploit every available resource to advance quickly, viewing his path as a struggle in which hesitation means falling behind. His breakthrough confirms his rapidly growing power and mastery of the Six Vaults Immortal Thief.
• Baron: Begins to confront the emptiness caused by his indulgence in sensual pleasures. He becomes humble and earnest, kneeling before Lin Xian and willingly agreeing to follow him in hopes of finding liberation.
• Xia He: Is deeply affected by Lin Xian’s condemnation of lust and desire, suggesting that his words expose feelings or intentions she has been concealing. She becomes stunned, ashamed, and emotionally despondent.
• System 10086: Continues working despite frustration and sunk costs, eventually deciphering the Six Vaults Immortal Thief. It is shocked by Lin Xian’s reckless decision to use his own blood in the refinement process.

Significant Themes

• Desire as bondage: The six thieves symbolize the senses and mental cravings that generate suffering. The chapter presents indulgence as producing only temporary satisfaction followed by emptiness.
• Cultivation of the heart: Spiritual liberation is shown to depend not merely on formal religious precepts but on mastering one’s desires and inner nature.
• The price of power: Lin Xian’s statement that every gift has a hidden price is reflected in his willingness to sacrifice blood, resources, and safety for advancement.
• Relentless ambition: Lin Xian believes that moving slowly means losing everything, so he pursues rapid growth through extreme methods.
• Body and spirit: The chapter emphasizes the physical-body focus of the Shrouding Method while showing Lin Xian’s simultaneous development of physical strength, Divine Sense, and spiritual power.
• Life, death, and transformation: The memory of Xu Xiang’s death and the birth of a child reinforces the cycle of mortality, while alchemy becomes a means of transforming life force and transcending ordinary human limits.

Important Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Baron: Lin Xian acts as a stern spiritual guide, diagnosing Baron’s attachment to pleasure and offering him a path toward liberation. Baron responds with deep respect and dependence.
• Lin Xian and Xia He: Lin Xian’s remarks about lust indirectly confront Xia He, causing her to recoil and withdraw emotionally.
• Lin Xian and System 10086: Their exchange combines humor with tension. The system is disturbed by Lin Xian’s reckless self-sacrifice, while Lin Xian insists that such risks are necessary for his Dao.
• Lin Xian and the alchemists/staff: The observers initially assist with the refinement but become terrified and reverent after witnessing his transformation and overwhelming destructive power.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian demonstrates the overwhelming power of his Body-as-Seed cultivation. His physical body is effectively indestructible, while his Primordial Spirit possesses equally exceptional strength and precision.
• Using his Divine Sense, he destroys multiple stone cliffs with a divine light from between his brows while carefully protecting everyone inside the nearby pill chamber. This display reveals his ability to combine immense destructive power with delicate control.
• The watching Otherworlders compare Lin Xian’s feat to legends of Lü Dongbin and begin wondering whether they are witnessing the birth of a true immortal.
• Lin Xian’s system registers the creation of a “famous scene,” as his actions begin to establish him as a figure who will be remembered and mythologized.
• He publicly declares, “I am utterly invincible in the Human World,” then forms a golden-and-silver Sun-Moon Immortal Bridge and departs toward the Other Shore.
• Witnesses spread images and stories of him through their phones. He quickly gains the title Divine Bridge Immortal Venerable, and his bridge becomes his signature symbol.
• The entire Inhuman World, including the Company, the Wind Family, and Otherworlders across the country and the world, is shaken by his appearance. His existence overshadows the Luotian Grand Ceremony, the Eight Extraordinary Skills, and other major events.
• Zhao Fangxu realizes that the upcoming Luotian Grand Ceremony may become the most authentic one in history because an apparent immortal now exists. He decides to attend Mount Longhu personally.
• Lin Xian challenges Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei to a Dao discussion and battle after the ceremony. The challenge is framed as a confrontation between an immortal from heaven and the invincible expert of the Human World.
• Lin Xian declares that he wants to test Zhang Zhiwei’s Five Thunder Righteous Method, which is said to originate from Heavenly Tribulation.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian fully embraces his identity as an unmatched figure. His confidence shifts from private strength to public authority as he openly claims invincibility and accepts the role of a legendary immortal.
• His control over Divine Sense develops into an extraordinarily refined ability, allowing him to distinguish and manipulate different forms of qi without harming allies.
• Lin Xian also becomes increasingly aware of the system’s requirements for creating historical “famous scenes.” Rather than relying only on the longevity of the Shrouding the Heavens universe, he seeks to build a legend through repeated dramatic achievements in the Human World.
• Zhao Fangxu demonstrates political wisdom and foresight. Having preserved peace by cooperating with Lin Xian, he now recognizes the importance of witnessing and possibly managing the coming confrontation at Mount Longhu.
• Zhao’s view of the Luotian Grand Ceremony changes from a conventional religious and political event into a potentially genuine gathering before an actual immortal.
• Feng Zhenghao is placed in the role of messenger and becomes visibly excited and nervous at the prospect of an unprecedented battle.
• Zhang Zhiwei, though absent from the chapter, is elevated as the only remaining figure significant enough to test Lin Xian’s claim of supremacy.

Significant Themes

• Myth becoming reality: Ancient legends of immortals and divine techniques are no longer merely stories; Lin Xian’s appearance makes them tangible.
• The creation of legend: The chapter explores how extraordinary deeds become history, then stories, legends, and myths. Lin Xian intentionally creates events powerful enough to survive through generations.
• Power and authority: Lin Xian’s strength transforms him from a powerful cultivator into a symbolic and almost religious figure whose existence destabilizes the established hierarchy.
• The mortal world confronting transcendence: The Inhuman World must reconsider its traditions, competitions, and power structures in the face of someone who appears to have surpassed them entirely.
• Physical perfection versus spiritual strength: The chapter emphasizes that Lin Xian’s advantage is not simply an invincible body; his Primordial Spirit and Divine Sense are also complete, making him extraordinarily balanced and difficult to challenge.
• Peace giving way to confrontation: Although Zhao Fangxu previously worked to preserve peace, Lin Xian’s challenge to Zhang Zhiwei sets the stage for a battle that could redefine the entire world.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian’s demonstration leaves the surrounding Otherworlders awestruck, inspiring them to compare him to legendary immortals and immediately spread news of his feat.
• Zhao Fangxu discusses Lin Xian’s significance with his secretary, explaining why the Luotian Grand Ceremony must be taken seriously and why he intends to attend.
• Zhao asks Feng Zhenghao to relay Lin Xian’s challenge, linking the Company, the World Association, and Mount Longhu through the coming confrontation.
• Lin Xian speaks with Feng Zhenghao while taking Feng Baobao away, calmly explaining that challenging Zhang Zhiwei is the natural action of someone who claims to be invincible in the Human World.
• The chapter ends by establishing the central conflict:

Lin Xian, the newly proclaimed Divine Bridge Immortal Venerable, versus Zhang Zhiwei, the long-dominant master of the Human World.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that the Old Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, will fight the mysterious Divine Bridge Immortal Venerable, Lin Xian. The announcement draws nearly the entire Inhuman World to Mount Longhu, including sect leaders, independent cultivators, foreign practitioners, and entertainers.
• Mount Longhu becomes dangerously crowded and tense. The Company sends personnel to maintain order, while sect disciples guard important routes and restricted areas.
• At the mountain gate, the performer Xiao Xiao entertains the gathering crowds with exaggerated commentary about famous figures, including a comedic description of “Old Dumbledore.”
• Inside the mountain, Zhang Zhiwei, Lu Jin, and the disabled Tian Jizhong discuss the coming battle. Zhang admits that Lin Xian’s abilities appear genuinely immortal and that ordinary mortal techniques may not be enough to defeat him.
• The elders worry that the enormous gathering could provide cover for Quanxing, a dangerous faction with a history of causing unrest. Lu Jin vows to kill any Quanxing members who appear, while Tian Jizhong believes the Company should handle the threat.
• Tian Jizhong directly asks Zhang whether he can win. Though deeply uncertain, Zhang publicly declares that he will win.
• Realizing that mortal methods cannot contend with an immortal, Zhang decides to rely on Mount Longhu’s supreme inheritance: the Five Thunder Righteous Method, associated with the ascended ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Daoling.
• Zhang withdraws into seclusion for three days, secretly meditating in the Patriarch Hall rather than his usual chamber. He appeals to the lineage of Celestial Masters for strength and emerges surrounded by violet lightning and azure thunder, prepared for the battle.

Character Developments

• Zhang Zhiwei: Initially doubtful and burdened by the responsibility of defending Mount Longhu, he recognizes the overwhelming gap between himself and Lin Xian. Despite his fear, he chooses to fight and seeks help from his ancestral tradition, displaying courage, humility, and renewed resolve.
• Lu Jin: Acts as Zhang’s loyal friend and supporter. He encourages Zhang while expressing fierce hostility toward Quanxing and readiness to defend Mount Longhu.
• Tian Jizhong: Provides a thoughtful and pragmatic perspective on immortality, ambition, and the possible Quanxing threat. His question—whether Zhang can win—forces Zhang to confront the reality of the battle.
• Xiaoyu: Appears outwardly as Tian Jizhong’s respectful attendant, but his internal reaction to Lu Jin’s threats against Quanxing suggests he may have a hidden connection to the faction.
• Lin Xian: Though absent from the chapter, his reputation and supernatural feats dominate the discussion. He is portrayed as an almost immortal-level opponent whose true goal may be immortality rather than fame.
• The wider Inhuman community: The gathering reveals its curiosity, excitement, opportunism, and anxiety, with many treating the battle as both a historic confrontation and a spectacle.

Significant Themes

• Mortality versus immortality: The chapter centers on whether a mortal cultivator can oppose someone who has seemingly reached an immortal realm.
• Duty versus personal desire: Zhang does not seek fame or the title of strongest under heaven; he fights to preserve Mount Longhu’s dignity and protect its foundation.
• The danger of ambition: The pursuit of immortality is shown as a source of conflict and disorder, though Tian Jizhong argues that seeking the Dao itself is not inherently wrong.
• Tradition and ancestral power: Zhang turns to the legacy of past Celestial Masters, especially the Thunder Method, suggesting that inherited spiritual traditions may bridge the gap between mortals and immortals.
• Chaos beneath spectacle: While the public focuses on the exciting duel, the elders fear that enemies such as Quanxing may exploit the gathering’s confusion.
• Courage despite uncertainty: Zhang’s declaration, “I will win,” is less a statement of confidence than a decision to face an almost certain defeat with dignity.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Zhiwei and Lu Jin: Their exchange shows a close friendship built on mutual respect. Lu Jin understands Zhang’s reluctance but urges him to stand firm.
• Zhang Zhiwei and Tian Jizhong: Tian challenges Zhang directly about his chances, prompting Zhang to commit himself to the battle. They also debate whether immortality is a noble goal or a source of trouble.
• Lu Jin and Tian Jizhong: They disagree over how seriously to treat Quanxing. Lu Jin favors direct violence, while Tian Jizhong believes the Company should manage the threat.
• Lu Jin and Xiaoyu: Lu Jin’s threats against Quanxing visibly unsettle Xiaoyu, hinting at concealed loyalties or a secret identity.
• Zhang Zhiwei and the ancestral Celestial Masters: During his three-day meditation, Zhang symbolically seeks guidance and power from his predecessors, culminating in his thunderous emergence from seclusion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Zhiwei, the Old Celestial Master, leaves seclusion intending to face Lin Xian, a newly emerged Divine Bridge Immortal. Knowing the enormous gap between immortals and mortals, Zhang only hopes to preserve Mount Longhu’s dignity by lasting several moves.
• He reaches the mountainside in a state of Ultimate Sublimation, carrying the Three-Five Male-Female Evil-Slaying Divine Swords and the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal.
• Instead of immediately fighting, Zhang discovers Tian Jizhong waiting in a pavilion with several people:
  • Baron, whom Tian claims to have recently accepted as a disciple, is secretly connected to Quanxing.
  • Xiaoyu has been restrained after being exposed as a hidden threat.
  • Lin Xian reveals himself as a Divine Bridge Immortal and proposes settling their contest through a game of Go.
  • Feng Baobao is also present, and Zhang is shocked to sense extraordinary divine potential in her.
• Lin Xian opens at the Go board’s center point, tengen, an unconventional and strategically disadvantageous move. Zhang immediately recognizes the symbolic challenge and concedes, declaring Lin Xian superior.
• Lin Xian begins discussing how to stage the upcoming Luotian Grand Ceremony, but a system notification announces that his quest to defeat Zhang has been completed, granting him the Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell with an “Ordinary” evaluation.
• Hoping to obtain more rewards, Lin Xian changes his mind and demands a real fight.
• Encouraged by Tian Jizhong and Feng Baobao, Zhang accepts. He unleashes his full power and surrounds Tianshi Mansion with brilliant golden light.
• Lin Xian responds with a single overwhelming palm strike. His perfected physical body and immense life essence shatter Zhang’s protective Golden Light, sending the Old Celestial Master crashing into a cliff.
• Zhang is decisively defeated in one move.

Character Developments

• Zhang Zhiwei: Demonstrates humility and realism by acknowledging the gap between mortals and immortals. Despite his confidence and preparation, he is forced to confront an unprecedented defeat after a century of near-invincibility.
• Lin Xian: Moves from respectful caution to absolute confidence after reaching the Divine Bridge Realm. He views the confrontation as both a test of strength and an opportunity to obtain system rewards. His combat philosophy is based on overwhelming force rather than elaborate techniques.
• Tian Jizhong: Reveals himself as manipulative and mischievous, having helped expose the infiltrator while also eagerly encouraging his senior brother’s humiliation. He readily accepts Lin Xian’s presence once he determines that Zhang is not in danger.
• Feng Baobao: Displays childlike enthusiasm about the battle and is recognized by Zhang as possessing extraordinary divine potential.
• Baron and Xiaoyu: Baron becomes Tian Jizhong’s apparent disciple and is tasked with recording events, while Xiaoyu is exposed and restrained as a danger to Mount Longhu.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming gap between realms: The chapter emphasizes that the difference between mortals and immortals is not merely technical but dimensional. Lin Xian’s Divine Bridge breakthrough renders Zhang’s numerous techniques and centuries of experience ineffective.
• Honor versus victory: Zhang does not expect to win; he seeks only to avoid disgracing Mount Longhu. His willingness to fight despite certain defeat reflects martial dignity.
• The power of systems and cultivation paths: The chapter contrasts the One Person World’s refined body-and-mind cultivation with the battle-oriented power system of Shrouding the Heavens, presenting Lin Xian’s strength as a superior, “dimensionality-reducing” force.
• Strength overwhelming technique: Lin Xian’s principle that “one force breaks ten thousand laws” is realized literally when his physical power destroys Zhang’s Golden Light without requiring complex spells.
• Public spectacle and legacy: Both the Go match and the planned Luotian Grand Ceremony are treated as performances meant to create legendary moments remembered by future generations.

Character Interactions

• Zhang questions Tian about the strange developments on Mount Longhu after his three-day seclusion.
• Tian casually introduces Baron, explains Xiaoyu’s betrayal, and presents Lin Xian as a fellow Divine Bridge Immortal.
• Zhang and Lin Xian communicate through the Go match, with Zhang recognizing the challenge behind Lin Xian’s tengen opening.
• Tian and Feng Baobao actively encourage the two to fight, while Tian orders Baron to record the battle.
• Lin Xian first treats Zhang with formal respect, then abruptly challenges him again after receiving the system reward.
• The chapter ends with Lin Xian defeating Zhang in a single exchange, transforming the Old Celestial Master’s anticipated legendary stand into an overwhelming demonstration of Lin Xian’s supremacy.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian and the Old Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, engage in a spectacular battle above Mount Longhu. Zhang uses the Five Thunder Righteous Method, while Lin Xian fights from atop a radiant Divine Bridge.
• Their clash splits the sky with green lightning, violet electricity, rainbow light, and immortal radiance, astonishing the Otherworlders gathered below.
• Lin Xian maintains overwhelming dominance. His manifested Divine Sense takes the form of a Heavenly Sword, effortlessly cutting apart Zhang Zhiwei’s attacks without Lin Xian needing to move.
• Zhang Zhiwei summons dark clouds and commands the power of heaven and earth through his Five Thunder Righteous Method. Observers identify his achievement as a “Half-Step Outer Landscape,” a realm in which the cultivator’s Inner Landscape influences the external world.
• Rather than avoid the thunder, Lin Xian deliberately rides his Divine Bridge into the thunderclouds, using Zhang’s lightning to temper his body and Divine Sense.
• The thunder is far weaker than a true Four Extremes Heavenly Tribulation, allowing Lin Xian to endure it safely while refining his spirit. His Divine Sense gains a stronger, more yang-aligned quality and appears reborn.
• After the thunderclouds fade, Lin Xian asks Zhang to increase the strength of his attack, leaving the Old Celestial Master stunned and irritated.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Demonstrates an immense gap between himself and the strongest cultivators of the Inhuman World. He is calm, confident, and almost completely immovable in battle. Rather than treating Zhang’s thunder as a threat, he uses it as a training method, revealing both his extraordinary resilience and his understanding of cultivation.
• Zhang Zhiwei: Shows the peak of Mount Longhu’s techniques and reaches the Half-Step Outer Landscape realm, gaining the ability to summon and control natural thunder. Despite this achievement, he remains unable to force Lin Xian to defend himself.
• Wang Ye: Begins questioning the value of the Eight Extraordinary Skills after witnessing the battle. His encounter with the mysterious man causes him to reconsider Fenghou Qimen and the importance of cultivating one’s foundation.
• Zhou Sheng: Reveals himself as the mysterious hooded man beside Wang Ye. He regrets pursuing the wrong path and realizing too late that orthodox cultivation of life and essence is more fundamental than the Eight Extraordinary Skills. He leaves by transforming into a bird, implying extraordinary abilities and a mysterious identity.
• Zhang Chulan and the other Otherworlders: Are overwhelmed by the battle and recognize that the two combatants have reached a level far beyond ordinary human practitioners.

Significant Themes

• There are always greater heights: The battle reinforces the idea that even the strongest human practitioners remain insignificant beside true immortals.
• Foundations versus shortcuts: The Eight Extraordinary Skills are portrayed as impressive but secondary compared with the orthodox cultivation of life, essence, and the immortal path.
• Regret and enlightenment: Zhou Sheng realizes that he pursued superficial power while neglecting the true foundation of cultivation, turning his insight into a warning for Wang Ye.
• Thunder as destruction and refinement: Lightning represents both heavenly authority and a tool for transformation. Lin Xian turns an attack into an opportunity to strengthen his body and spirit.
• The limits of human achievement: Zhang Zhiwei’s Half-Step Outer Landscape is extraordinary within the human world, yet Lin Xian’s effortless superiority shows the distance between advanced mortals and genuine immortals.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei: Their respectful but unequal battle forms the chapter’s centerpiece. Lin Xian praises Zhang’s ability but remains completely dominant, while Zhang boldly seeks instruction from an immortal through combat.
• Wang Ye and Zhou Sheng: Wang Ye questions whether the Eight Extraordinary Skills can rival immortal cultivation. Zhou Sheng responds with sorrow and regret, urging him to abandon Fenghou Qimen and study Tai Chi and foundational cultivation instead.
• Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei at the end: Lin Xian casually requests stronger lightning after enduring the Five Thunder Righteous Method, producing a humorous contrast between his immense calm and Zhang’s speechless frustration.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian continues bathing in Zhang Zhiwei’s Thunder Tribulation, using the heavenly lightning to temper his body. He casually asks the Old Celestial Master to increase the tribulation’s power, treating the battle more like a training session than a serious fight.
• Zhang Zhiwei escalates the confrontation by using the Celestial Master Sword, Celestial Master Seal, the Three-Five Male-Female Evil-Slaying Divine Swords, the Yangping Zhidu Technique, and numerous Five Thunder Talismans.
• While enduring the lightning, Lin Xian uses his divine sense to contact and challenge the contestants of the Luotian Grand Ceremony. Terrified of fighting a Divine Bridge Immortal, Zhang Chulan, Zhuge Qing, and the other participants voluntarily forfeit.
• Lin Xian is therefore declared the tournament champion almost immediately.
• He claims the Connecting Heaven Talisman from Lu Jin, who willingly gives it to him in exchange for Lin Xian striking Zhang Zhiwei’s upper dantian. Lu Jin specifically asks him to attack the Old Celestial Master on his behalf.
• Lin Xian receives the system reward, Grand Luo Grotto Vision, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills. It allows him to perceive causality, the structure of the universe, and the deeper essence of things.
• The system analyzes the Connecting Heaven Talisman, revealing that it directly connects its wielder to heaven, earth, and the universe rather than requiring permission from intermediaries such as patriarchs, ghosts, or gods.
• Combined with Grand Luo Grotto Vision, the talisman grants Lin Xian something resembling an immortal status. He becomes capable of overriding Zhang Zhiwei’s Five Thunder Talismans.
• Lin Xian turns Zhang’s own heavenly lightning against him, then punches him while claiming the attacks are “from Lu Jin” and “from Zhang Huaiyi.” The final punch is improvised and jokingly charged to Lu Jin’s account.
• The system confirms that Lin Xian has completed the normal missions for winning the Luotian Grand Ceremony and defeating the Old Celestial Master. A rarer version of the Old Celestial Master mission remains incomplete, setting up the next stage of the challenge.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian grows substantially stronger through both physical tempering and the acquisition of Grand Luo Grotto Vision and the Connecting Heaven Talisman. His authority over heavenly power approaches that of an immortal.
• He becomes increasingly confident, irreverent, and playful, treating powerful figures and sacred artifacts with casual familiarity. At the same time, he displays strong opportunism and “professional ethics” by fulfilling Lu Jin’s request exactly.
• Zhang Zhiwei shifts from combatant to unwilling training tool. Although he remains vastly powerful, he is outmaneuvered and humiliated when Lin Xian commandeers his own talismans.
• Lu Jin is shown to be unusually decisive and willing to support Lin Xian, especially because he wants Zhang Zhiwei struck in the upper dantian.
• Zhang Chulan and the other tournament participants recognize the overwhelming gap between themselves and Lin Xian. Their decision to forfeit reflects both fear and practical judgment.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond conventional cultivation: Lin Xian’s strength comes not only from physical ability but from combining vision, authority, and direct access to cosmic power.
• Authority and hierarchy: The Connecting Heaven Talisman symbolizes bypassing religious and bureaucratic intermediaries, allowing Lin Xian to communicate with heaven directly as an equal.
• Humor through humiliation: The chapter turns what should be a legendary battle into a comedic spectacle, with Zhang Zhiwei forced to endure lightning, punches, and public embarrassment.
• Exploitation of rules and systems: Lin Xian cleverly uses the Luotian Grand Ceremony, Lu Jin’s promise, the system’s rewards, and Zhang’s own techniques to advance his goals.
• Immortality and transformation: Grand Luo Grotto Vision and the Connecting Heaven Talisman mark Lin Xian’s movement toward genuine immortal status, even though his cultivation realm remains comparatively low.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei interact as nominal opponents, but Lin Xian dominates the situation and uses Zhang’s tribulation as a personal training resource.
• Lin Xian intimidates the Luotian Grand Ceremony contestants into surrendering without direct combat.
• Lu Jin actively commissions Lin Xian to attack Zhang Zhiwei, creating a humorous alliance based on revenge and mutual benefit.
• Lin Xian invokes Zhang Huaiyi and Lu Jin while striking Zhang Zhiwei, turning personal grudges into comic battle commentary.
• The chapter ends with Lin Xian deliberately preparing to pursue the rarer version of the mission, eager to discover what reward defeating the “rare” Old Celestial Master will provide.

Chapter Summary: “Daytime Ascension, a Legend for the Ages”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei invokes the legacy of the Three Heavens and summons the Celestial Master Dharma Form, revealing that the opponent Lin Xian must defeat is not merely Zhang Zhiwei, but the legendary first-generation Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling.
• Lin Xian realizes he is facing an immortal-level figure whose power may rival the highest realms of Shrouding the Heavens. Rather than hesitate, he accepts the challenge and prepares for battle.
• Lin Xian unleashes his phenomenon, Stars Illuminate the Azure Heavens, fully sublimating both his body and Primordial Spirit.
• Zhang Zhiwei and the Dharma Form respond with the Five Thunder Righteous Method, summoning overwhelming heavenly lightning.
• Lin Xian confronts the lightning directly, combining his Sea of Bitterness, Life Spring, and Divine Bridge. Their collision produces a world-shaking flash.
• The system declares that Lin Xian has completed the main quest—defeating the Old Celestial Master on Mount Longhu—with an “Excellent” evaluation.
• Lin Xian receives the Five Thunder Righteous Method and the Immortal Special-Effect Halo, which increases favorability with righteous figures and decreases it with evil ones.
• Using the halo, Lin Xian creates the appearance of a genuine immortal ascension: auspicious clouds, radiant light, a halo, immortal music, and a Southern Heavenly Gate.
• Zhang Zhiwei immediately recognizes Lin Xian’s performance and cooperates by publicly congratulating him on ascending and becoming an immortal. The Otherworlders accept the display as authentic and bow to Lin Xian.
• Zhang Zhiwei further enhances the spectacle by arranging for white cranes to accompany Lin Xian’s “ascension.”
• Lin Xian flies through the illusory Southern Heavenly Gate, completing the performance. The system awards him an Ascension Talisman for successfully creating a legendary famous scene.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates growing confidence and combat enthusiasm. Although intimidated by the possibility of fighting Zhang Daoling, he embraces the battle-first mentality of Shrouding the Heavens and relies on strength rather than speculation.
• He also shows cleverness and theatrical ability, realizing that the Immortal Special-Effect Halo can be used to manipulate public perception and create a historic spectacle.
• Zhang Zhiwei is portrayed as both immensely powerful and exceptionally perceptive. He recognizes Lin Xian’s deception almost immediately but chooses to support it, displaying flexibility, intelligence, and a mischievous sense of cooperation.
• Zhang Zhiwei’s ability to improvise—especially by ordering the cranes to accompany Lin Xian—reveals his talent for turning a simple trick into a convincing legend.
• System 10086 continues to provoke and encourage Lin Xian, pushing him toward direct confrontation and celebrating his victory.

Significant Themes

• Strength proven through combat: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation realms and theoretical rankings matter less than actual power demonstrated in battle.
• Myth-making and performance: Lin Xian’s “ascension” is largely staged, but the cooperation of Mount Longhu transforms the illusion into a socially accepted legend.
• Tradition supporting innovation: Ancient Daoist authority and modern system rewards combine to create a new immortal myth.
• Public belief as power: The Otherworlders’ faith and reverence validate Lin Xian’s performance, showing how reputation and collective perception can shape reality.
• Cooperation across apparent opposition: Although Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei fight, they ultimately work together to produce a greater spectacle and preserve the dignity of Mount Longhu.
• Legacy and historical fame: The successful scene is not merely a quest completion; it becomes an event destined to be remembered and celebrated for generations.

Important Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and System 10086: The system mocks the ambiguous wording of the quest but also urges Lin Xian to fight bravely.
• Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei/Zhang Daoling’s Dharma Form: They engage in a spectacular clash between Lin Xian’s celestial cultivation and the Celestial Master’s thunder arts.
• Lin Xian and Zhang Zhiwei after the battle: Zhang Zhiwei recognizes the staged ascension and publicly endorses it, allowing Lin Xian’s deception to succeed.
• Lin Xian and the Otherworlders: Lin Xian’s display convinces them that he has genuinely become an immortal, prompting their enthusiastic worship and congratulations.
• Zhang Zhiwei and the cranes: Zhang arranges the final visual flourish, making Lin Xian’s ascent appear even more divine and authentic.

Chapter Summary: “Return to Shrouding the Heavens”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian obtains an Ascension Talisman and confirms that the legendary Upper Realm truly exists. However, he refuses to activate it immediately, wary that the unknown realm may be even more dangerous than the Shrouding the Heavens Universe.
• He suppresses the heavenly phenomenon surrounding the Southern Heavenly Gate, causing the immortal aura and portal to disappear. The excited Otherworlders remain behind, hoping to benefit from his ascension.
• The Old Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, persuades everyone to disperse and becomes even more revered after demonstrating that he can withstand several attacks from Lin Xian. He is recognized as the strongest person beneath the immortal level.
• The Otherworlders begin secretly investigating whether the major orthodox sects possess hidden immortal-level powers or weapons. The sect leaders respond cryptically, treating their possible hidden trump cards as deterrents comparable to nuclear weapons.
• Zhang Zhiwei realizes that Lin Xian did not truly ascend. After questioning Zhang Chulan, he deduces that Lin Xian likely went to find Feng Baobao.
• At the guest courtyard, Zhang Zhiwei finds Lin Xian sitting with Feng Baobao. Lin Xian had deliberately prepared a meditation cushion and pretended to possess immense Divine Sense in order to impress the Celestial Master.
• Zhang Zhiwei explains the Otherworlders’ cultivation system, including foundation building, Qi Accumulation, the Nine Apertures, the Outer Landscape realm, and the Three Dharma-Body Realms.
• Lin Xian recognizes that this system belongs to the world of The Sage Who Transcended Samsara, revealing that the Shrouding the Heavens Universe is only an affiliated universe within a much larger and more dangerous True World.
• Alarmed by this revelation, Lin Xian abruptly activates his Time-Space Travel Ticket and genuinely ascends back toward the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, leaving Zhang Zhiwei confused.
• During his return, the Ascension Talisman begins pulling him toward the Upper Realm of the Shrouding the Heavens Universe. Lin Xian panics and attempts to convince that world’s guiding force that he is already one of its natives, pointing to the Sea of Bitterness activated for him by the Desolate Heaven Emperor.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes more cautious about exploring unknown realms. His earlier curiosity about the Upper Realm is replaced by fear after discovering the terrifying connection to the True World. Despite his powerful appearance, he continues relying on bluffing, improvisation, and the system’s abilities.
• Zhang Zhiwei gains greater authority and prestige. His ability to endure Lin Xian’s attacks establishes him as the foremost mortal expert, while his sharp observation allows him to see through the false impression that Lin Xian had ascended.
• Zhang Chulan strengthens his relationship with Zhang Zhiwei, shamelessly taking advantage of the Celestial Master’s growing status and volunteering to accompany him.
• Feng Baobao remains quiet and vacant-looking, but her presence is important because Lin Xian chooses to remain with her rather than immediately ascend.
• System 10086 is exposed as unreliable or deliberately misleading after identifying the dangerous True World as something less threatening. Its sarcastic explanation only increases Lin Xian’s frustration.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus curiosity: Lin Xian refuses to enter an unknown realm recklessly, demonstrating that survival sometimes requires resisting the temptation of power or adventure.
• Hidden strength and deterrence: The orthodox sects’ vague claims about secret immortal-level weapons show how concealed power can maintain influence without being used.
• Limits of knowledge: Lin Xian’s understanding of the worlds around him is repeatedly challenged. What he thought was an isolated universe is revealed to be part of a far larger cosmological hierarchy.
• Appearance versus reality: Lin Xian appears calm and omniscient but is often bluffing, while Zhang Zhiwei’s apparent confidence is backed by genuine strength and insight.
• Identity and belonging: As the Ascension Talisman tries to draw him toward the Shrouding the Heavens Upper Realm, Lin Xian argues that he has become a native of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, emphasizing his growing attachment to that world.

Character Interactions

• The Old Celestial Master and the Otherworlders interact as a powerful elder guiding excited but reckless cultivators away from danger.
• The orthodox sect leaders and Otherworlders engage in a humorous exchange over whether the sects possess hidden immortal trump cards, with the leaders deliberately maintaining ambiguity.
• Zhang Zhiwei and Zhang Chulan discuss Lin Xian’s supposed ascension, with Zhang Chulan quickly identifying Feng Baobao as the likely reason Lin Xian remained behind.
• Zhang Zhiwei and Lin Xian hold a rare exchange about cultivation systems. Lin Xian listens carefully, but the conversation unexpectedly reveals information that frightens him into leaving.
• Lin Xian and the system engage in an antagonistic internal exchange, as Lin Xian curses the system for misleading him about the true nature of the surrounding cosmology.
• At the end, Lin Xian appeals to the Shrouding the Heavens universe itself, attempting to prove that he belongs there and avoid being dragged into an unwanted realm.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian is caught between the summoning forces of two universes. To strengthen the pull of the Shrouding the Heavens Universe, he sacrifices the Ascension Talisman, sending it to Feng Baobao.
• During his journey through time and space, Lin Xian glimpses an incomprehensible battle at the edge of the Chaos Sea, involving a red-haired figure and a tentacled entity. He witnesses the destruction and rebirth of the Great Dao itself, gaining profound but fragmentary insights into space-time, life and death, Yin-Yang, and the Dao.
• Unable to comprehend the vision fully, Lin Xian records the fleeting revelations with his Divine Runes.
• He eventually returns to the Big Dipper Imperial Star, in the Eastern Wasteland of the Shrouding the Heavens Universe. The spiritual energy there rapidly restores his strength, and he realizes once again that this world is vastly superior to the nearly spiritually extinct Under One Person world.
• Lin Xian travels to a mortal city near the Desolate Antiquity Forbidden Zone, where he learns that he has arrived in the Yan Kingdom. The area is surrounded by six cultivation sects, including Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.
• A white-haired cultivator from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven explains the cultivation hierarchy and the severe difficulty faced by ordinary Mortal Bodies. Lin Xian gives him guidance on the Life Spring scripture, earning the man’s gratitude and valuable gifts.
• After the cultivator reports Lin Xian’s presence, three Divine Bridge Realm experts from Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven arrive to recruit or investigate him. Their leader, Elder Ma Yun, introduces himself, while an old woman openly looks down on Lin Xian for being a hidden, unaffiliated itinerant cultivator.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Demonstrates decisiveness by abandoning the Ascension Talisman for the sake of returning to his preferred universe. His exposure to the supreme transformations of the Great Dao broadens his understanding, though he remains unable to truly comprehend what he witnesses. Upon returning, his cultivation recovers quickly, and he displays confidence, generosity, and a willingness to guide weaker cultivators.
• The white-haired city cultivator: His background and limitations are revealed. Despite being over a century old, his Mortal Body has left him trapped at the Sea of Bitterness Realm. Lin Xian’s guidance gives him hope and causes him to treat Lin Xian with deep respect.
• Elder Ma Yun: Introduced as the calm and courteous leader of the Jade Cauldron delegation. He appears more measured and professional than his companions.
• The old woman elder: Reveals herself as arrogant and prejudiced, judging Lin Xian based on his concealed appearance and lack of sect affiliation.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and gain: Lin Xian’s willingness to give up the Ascension Talisman emphasizes the principle that meaningful progress requires sacrifice.
• The vastness of the Dao: The destruction and rebirth of the Great Dao highlight realities far beyond Lin Xian’s current understanding and establish the immense scale of the universe.
• Unequal cultivation opportunities: The chapter contrasts Lin Xian’s exceptional inheritance and resources with the struggles of ordinary cultivators, for whom advancing even one realm may be nearly impossible.
• Status and prejudice: Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven’s elders judge Lin Xian according to his origins, appearance, and lack of sect backing, revealing the importance of social hierarchy within the cultivation world.
• Knowledge as power: Lin Xian’s understanding of higher-level cultivation scriptures allows him to gain respect and materially improve another cultivator’s prospects.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian separates from Feng Baobao by throwing her the Ascension Talisman, prioritizing his return to the Shrouding the Heavens Universe.
• He questions the elderly Jade Cauldron disciple about the region, the sect, and the cultivation system, then rewards his honesty with guidance on the Life Spring scripture.
• The old cultivator responds by offering Lin Xian medicinal herbs and reporting his presence to Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.
• When the sect elders arrive, the old woman challenges Lin Xian’s concealed identity, but he ignores her hostility and addresses Ma Yun directly, establishing himself as confident and unwilling to submit to her contempt.

Chapter Summary

• Recruitment challenge: Lin Xian seeks admission to Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, but its elders look down on him as an incomplete, poorly equipped independent cultivator. They question whether he possesses a proper cultivation scripture, assuming his background is inferior to that of sect disciples.
• Lin Xian’s confidence: Lin Xian consults System 10086, which confirms that he can easily defeat the three Divine Bridge cultivators before him. Although his current cultivation is only at the initial Divine Bridge Realm and he has practiced only the Sea of Bitterness chapter of the Tianxuan Sacred Scripture, his techniques, physical body, and exceptional aptitude make him comparable to a candidate Holy Son.
• Displaying overwhelming strength: Rather than explain his cultivation, Lin Xian attacks the arrogant old woman with the Sky-Piercing Mark, striking her into the ground and injuring her. When she retaliates, he slaps her repeatedly. Elder Ma Yun attempts to intervene, but Lin Xian uses the Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell to induce a moment of enlightenment, effectively freezing Ma Yun during the battle.
• Defeating the elders: With Qi-State Origin-Flow and Six Vaults Immortal Thief enhancing his body, Lin Xian quickly subdues the remaining two Divine Bridge cultivators. Elder Ma Yun apologizes and offers to recommend Lin Xian for admission. Lin Xian negotiates for triple the normal resource stipend, which Ma Yun accepts to secure his release of the defeated elders.
• Recruitment and rewards: Lin Xian spares the elders because he wants Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven as an entry point into the wider cultivation world rather than creating unnecessary enemies. The old cultivator who originally recommended him receives a bottle of Hundred Herbs Liquid and permission to recommend a junior disciple as well.

Character developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates not only superior combat ability but also shameless confidence, negotiation skills, and a talent for grandiose speeches. He deliberately cultivates a legendary, flamboyant image.
• Elder Ma Yun shifts from testing Lin Xian to admiring and accommodating him after witnessing his strength.
• The old woman elder becomes humiliated and resentful after being defeated, while the other elder is deeply impressed and seemingly inspired by Lin Xian’s declaration that defeated enemies are merely those who have not yet caught up.
• System 10086 is repeatedly surprised by Lin Xian’s unconventional use of techniques and his reliance on dramatic rhetoric.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts sect inheritance with the fragmented cultivation paths of independent cultivators, while emphasizing that talent and combat ability can overcome social prejudice. It also satirizes cultivation-world posturing, recruitment politics, and the importance of reputation. Lin Xian’s flamboyant declarations reflect his belief that sufficiently bold words can help create legendary scenes.
• Return to the sect: After several days of enjoying music, dancing, and worldly pleasures, Lin Xian returns to Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. He immediately adopts a solemn, Dao-focused demeanor and praises the sect’s spiritual atmosphere, humorously claiming that even its spiritual essence smells “free and sweet.” Elder Ma Yun is left speechless because Lin Xian had made the same claim about entertainment venues only the day before.