Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Xuan’s profile is broadcast at National Destiny Plaza: he is a Soul Ancestor from Soul Land World, a Star Luo Academy core disciple with a White Tiger martial soul. His achievements include winning the academy tournament, earning a Millennium Spirit Bone, and advancing to Soul Ancestor.
• Dragon Nation’s viewers and officials take his strength as a sign that their country can finally recover from nine consecutive trials without a national destiny reward. They predict a top-three finish, while Zhao Clan representatives celebrate his prospects.
• Viewers from Dragon Nation and Cherry Blossom Nation trade threats and argue over whether Zhao Xuan or Cherry Blossom’s Peak Jonin, Kato Kaito, is stronger. Cherry Blossom’s confidence is undercut by uncertainty: its people have not fully explored Naruto World and have no direct comparison with a Soul Ancestor.
• The shared rankings begin appearing. Dragon Nation’s hopes rise as Zhao Xuan is absent from the lower places, but the list reveals him at rank 11—outside the top ten that earn rewards.
• The chapter ends with Dragon Nation’s audience stunned and devastated by the result.

Character developments

• Zhao Xuan is presented as an accomplished and powerful contender, but the rankings sharply contradict expectations about his standing.
• Dragon Nation’s viewers and officials move from confidence and celebration to shock and despair.
• Cherry Blossom Nation’s viewers boast about their participant, yet their arguments reveal lingering doubts about how Naruto World’s strength compares with Soul Land.
• The Zhao Clan head remains publicly cautious despite the praise, acknowledging formidable competition from other nations.

Significant themes

• Pride and premature certainty: Dragon Nation assumes Zhao Xuan’s strength will secure a high rank before the results are known.
• National rivalry and resentment: Nations’ competition is fueled by accumulated battlefield grievances and threats of future conquest.
• Uncertainty beneath bravado: Both sides boast, but neither has reliable evidence that its contender or world is superior.
• Hope turning to despair: The sudden reveal of rank 11 reverses the celebratory mood and emphasizes how much the trial’s rewards matter.

Character interactions

• Dragon Nation’s viewers celebrate Zhao Xuan and exchange congratulatory remarks with Zhao Clan representatives.
• The Zhao Clan head tempers the praise by pointing to the strength of other nations’ training worlds.
• Dragon Nation and Cherry Blossom Nation’s viewers taunt one another, comparing Zhao Xuan with Kato Kaito and their respective worlds.
• The rankings silence the arguments: Zhao Xuan’s unexpected placement leaves Dragon Nation’s audience with no immediate explanation.

Plot points and events

• Dragon Nation’s contestant, Zhao Xuan, places 11th in the Centennial National Destiny Training, shattering the public’s expectation that his Soul Ancestor realm would secure a top-ten finish.
• The result brings no reward to Dragon Nation. Viewers and mentors fear the nation may weaken further, especially after nine consecutive Trials without rewards.
• Rival nations mock Dragon Nation and praise their own advantages, arguing that past rewards have helped them explore stronger Trial worlds.
• Kimchi Nation’s Piao Duan Yao takes 10th, earning national destiny, comprehension, and Initial Identity Talent increases. Gaul Nation’s Tafeir places 9th and receives larger rewards.
• The rankings continue through eighth, seventh, and sixth place. Later, Cherry Blossom Nation’s Kato Kaito is revealed in 3rd place, with especially substantial rewards.

Character developments

• Wang Gang, Zhao Xuan’s mentor, goes from confidence to shock and collapses when he sees the 11th-place result. Other mentors help and console him, though they share his despair.
• Zhao Xuan is established as exceptionally talented—he reached Soul Ancestor on his first day—but his strength proves insufficient against the current competition.
• Piao Duan Yao, Tafeir, and Kato Kaito demonstrate the strength of rival nations’ contestants through their high placements.

Significant themes

• Hope and devastation: Dragon Nation’s confidence makes its failure to reach the top ten especially crushing.
• National strength and decline: Trial results affect the fate of entire nations, not just individual contestants.
• A widening competitive gap: Rewards improve citizens’ abilities and Initial Identity Talent, helping powerful nations explore stronger worlds and reinforce their advantage.
• Stagnation versus adaptation: Dragon Nation is criticized for relying on Soul Land while other nations have invested in exploring new Trial worlds.

Character interactions

• Dragon Nation’s mentors rally around Wang Gang and offer cautious reassurance, despite their own bleak outlook.
• Dragon Nation viewers and rival nations’ viewers clash in the livestream: outsiders taunt, while Dragon Nation supporters answer back.
• Citizens of nations receiving rewards celebrate their improved abilities, while viewers from less successful nations envy the benefits.

Key plot points and events

• Kato Kaito’s third-place finish is revealed, earning the Cherry Blossom Nation major rewards: a 15% increase to Initial Identity, stronger national destiny, and improved comprehension. Cherry Blossom viewers celebrate and taunt the Dragon Nation, even threatening a future National War.
• Dragon Nation viewers are discouraged that their nation has missed the top ten for ten consecutive rounds. They question whether the Soul Land World is still competitive and worry their weak national destiny will give future explorers poor identities and talents.
• Viewers notice that the strongest known contestants have already appeared, yet Cherry Blossom is only third. Speculation spreads about an unknown contestant who must have entered a powerful new trial world.
• Second place is revealed as Serafino of Eagle Sauce Nation, a high-rank Six-Winged Angel from the Heaven World. His rewards strengthen Eagle Sauce Nation’s national destiny and citizens’ comprehension by 15%, while raising everyone’s Initial Identity Talent by 20%.
• Serafino’s second-place result shocks viewers, since Eagle Sauce Nation has dominated previous rounds. With first place still unknown, nations argue over which country produced the mysterious top contender.
• Dragon Nation’s viewers largely dismiss the possibility that the winner is one of their own, though some quietly hope a first-place finish could compensate for years without rewards.
• Eagle Sauce Nation remains confident that the unknown winner is also theirs. The rankings flare with golden light as the first-place contestant’s information begins to appear, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Kato Kaito is established as a formidable Peak Jonin whose third-place achievement boosts Cherry Blossom Nation’s confidence and national pride.
• Serafino is revealed as an exceptionally powerful angel-world contender, but his second-place finish suggests someone has surpassed even him.
• Cherry Blossom viewers shift from celebrating Kaito’s success to boasting and threatening Dragon Nation.
• Dragon Nation viewers move between resentment, despair, and reluctant hope, reflecting their long run of poor results.
• Viewers across nations argue over the identity and nationality of the unknown leader, while Eagle Sauce supporters remain especially assured of their nation’s dominance.

Significant themes

• National pride and rivalry: Rankings fuel boasting, insults, and threats between nations.
• Hope versus discouragement: Dragon Nation’s viewers struggle to believe in a comeback after repeated failures.
• The value of national destiny: A nation’s resources are portrayed as shaping contestants’ starting identities, talents, and prospects.
• Uncertainty and anticipation: The unnamed first-place contender challenges expectations and drives the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Key plot points and events

• The National Destiny Training rankings reveal Li Yi of Dragon Nation in first place. His training world is the previously unknown Primordial World, and his realm is listed as Peak Primordial Unity Supreme Immortal.
• Dragon Nation receives an exceptional reward: 50% more national fortune, 50% greater comprehension for its citizens, and a 100% boost to citizens’ Initial Identity talent.
• Dragon Nation’s citizens celebrate the victory and the return of a major national reward, while viewers from other countries question how Li Yi could have survived in such a powerful world.
• Wang Gang, Li Yi’s former instructor, realizes that the winner is his student. He is ashamed because he had favored Zhao Xuan and dismissed Li Yi’s choice of training world.
• Eagle Sauce Nation is outraged at losing first place. Its leaders suspect Li Yi’s success came from an unusually fortunate Initial Identity, since Primordial World was unknown even to Dragon Nation.
• Eagle Sauce officials remain confident they can dominate the upcoming rankings through Serafino, Heaven World’s powerful artifacts, and the chance to summon a Legendary Angel.

Character developments

• Li Yi is established as a remarkable, previously overlooked talent whose achievement surpasses the expectations of his nation and the world.
• Wang Gang shifts from dismissing Li Yi to feeling embarrassed and guilty for having underestimated him.
• Eagle Sauce’s leaders and citizens respond to defeat with anger and denial, attributing Li Yi’s victory to luck and insisting their own advantages will prevail later.

Significant themes

• Underestimating hidden talent: Li Yi’s success exposes how badly others misjudged him.
• National pride and rivalry: The ranking becomes a source of celebration for Dragon Nation and humiliation for its rivals.
• Fortune versus individual ability: Observers debate whether Li Yi’s result came from luck, his Initial Identity, or his own strength.
• Overconfidence and denial: Eagle Sauce Nation clings to confidence in Heaven World and future victories despite a clear defeat.

Character interactions

• Dragon Nation’s citizens celebrate Li Yi’s achievement and speculate about who he is, while rival viewers insult or doubt him.
• Wang Gang’s colleagues congratulate him, but he recognizes he has no right to take credit for Li Yi’s success.
• At Eagle Sauce’s Congress, Robert demands an explanation; officials respond by suggesting Li Yi was lucky and reassure one another that Serafino can win the later contests.

Key plot points and events

• After Li Yi defeats Serafino, Eagle Sauce Nation’s Speaker calms down, convinced that Dragon Nation’s success is temporary and that Eagle Sauce will dominate future rankings thanks to its superior “Heaven World.” Other officials predict Dragon Nation may not place highly in the upcoming Divine Artifact Rankings.
• Having spent years cultivating in the Primordial World, Li Yi learns of the developments on Blue Star. He expects his strength to secure Dragon Nation’s future victories and believes this will repay the karmic debt left by his body’s former owner.
• Li Yi has used Heavenly Dao Merit to repair his treasures and advance from Mid-stage to Peak Quasi-Saint. Confident that his treasures and other methods make him exceptionally powerful, he turns his focus to becoming a Sage.
• Rather than wait for the difficult Force-Proving Dao path, Li Yi decides to compete with Hongjun for Heavenly Dao Authority. He plans to gain influence by preaching to beings destined to become future Sages and era leaders.
• Li Yi announces that he will preach on Yingzhou Island in three thousand years.
• In Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun remains stuck at Peak Quasi-Saint. He resents Li Yi for surviving the Dao-Devil War, killing Luohou, and claiming most of the Heavenly Dao Merit and authority that Hongjun expected to use to become a Sage.
• Hongjun independently decides to preach to establish karmic ties and gain Heavenly Dao Authority—but Li Yi’s announcement reaches him first. Hongjun realizes he has lost the advantage of being the first to teach the Primordial World.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi shifts from cultivation to actively competing for control of the Dao. He acts confidently and decisively, using his power and strategic understanding of karma to protect his chance to become a Sage.
• Hongjun becomes increasingly frustrated and openly hostile toward Li Yi. He intends to become a Sage through the Three Corpses Severing method and views Li Yi, a Chaos Demon God, as a threat he may eventually need to eliminate.
• The Eagle Sauce Speaker and officials dismiss Li Yi’s achievement and reassure themselves that their nation will remain dominant. Their confidence contrasts with Li Yi’s certainty about Dragon Nation’s future.
• Li Yi and Hongjun do not meet directly, but their competing plans collide: both choose preaching as a way to gain Heavenly Dao Authority, and Li Yi’s earlier announcement unsettles Hongjun’s strategy.

Significant themes

• Competition for power and legitimacy: Becoming the first to preach may determine who gains influence over the Primordial World and its future leaders.
• Karma and teaching: Preaching is presented not merely as sharing knowledge, but as a way to forge lasting karmic ties and gain authority.
• Ambition and rivalry: Li Yi’s rise disrupts Hongjun’s carefully calculated plan, turning their pursuit of Sagehood into a direct contest.
• Overconfidence and national rivalry: Eagle Sauce’s officials underestimate Li Yi, while the chapter’s events suggest that Dragon Nation’s fortunes may soon surpass their expectations.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun announces that he will teach the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace in three thousand years, shortly after Heaven-Earth Daoist (Li Yi) makes a similar announcement. Hongjun resents appearing to follow Li Yi, but consoles himself that his greater fame should draw more listeners.
• The Three Pure Ones debate which teacher to seek. Tongtian favors Li Yi because he defeated Luohou and earned Heavenly Dao Merit. Yuanshi and Laozi favor Hongjun, citing his distinguished origins, leadership in the Dao-Devil War, and the prestige of studying with him.
• Tongtian refuses to join his brothers and sets out for Yingzhou Island to hear Li Yi. Yuanshi dismisses him as disrespectful to their Pangu heritage; Laozi expects him to learn from the choice.
• Fuxi argues that Hongjun is the better guide to the Sage Dao, even if Li Yi is stronger in battle. Nuwa agrees to go to Purple Cloud Palace, though she feels an unexplained unease.
• Elsewhere, one of Li Yi’s Spirit Treasure Avatars discovers a concealed Innate Formation beneath Buzhou Mountain. After breaking through it, the avatar finds a hidden world containing a remarkable Five-Colored Gourd Vine bearing seven gourds.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun is irritated by Li Yi’s earlier announcement and is eager to preserve his reputation and draw the larger audience.
• Tongtian shows independence and admiration for proven strength, choosing his own path despite his brothers’ objections. His argument with Yuanshi exposes their growing disagreement.
• Yuanshi and Laozi place status, lineage, and reputation above Tongtian’s evidence of Li Yi’s merit; Yuanshi is especially contemptuous of Li Yi’s obscure origins.
• Nuwa follows Fuxi’s reasoning but remains uneasy, hinting that she may sense something others do not.
• Li Yi is shown as patient and resourceful: he has spent many ages searching with specialized avatars and uses his formation expertise to uncover the treasure.

Significant themes

• Lineage and status versus demonstrated merit: The brothers disagree over whether noble origins and reputation outweigh proven accomplishments.
• Independent judgment and brotherly conflict: Tongtian chooses his own teacher despite pressure from his family.
• Reputation and rivalry: Hongjun’s concern about seeming to imitate Li Yi reveals the competition surrounding their public authority.
• Fate and hidden opportunity: Nuwa’s unease and the discovery of the concealed gourd vine suggest that unseen forces and discoveries may shape what comes next.

Key plot points

• Li Yi finds the Innate Gourd Vine after searching for it for more than a dozen Yuanhui. Its six ripe gourds are Supreme-grade Innate Spirit Treasures, while its unripe seventh gourd could become an Innate Supreme Treasure—or perhaps return to chaos—but is dying for lack of Primordial Mother Qi.
• Li Yi uses his Cosmos Cauldron to produce Primordial Mother Qi, reviving the seventh gourd. The vine shifts from attacking him to eagerly welcoming him, and he takes it, along with the Nine Heavens Resting Soil, into the cauldron.
• Li Yi then goes to Yingzhou Island, where his awakened spirit-herb attendants are preparing for an upcoming Dao Discussion.
• At Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun begins his Dao Discussion before nearly two thousand Great Firmament cultivators. He is unsettled because he expected three thousand, whose collective Fortune would strengthen his Heavenly Dao Authority.
• Laozi and Yuanshi claim two of the six Spirit Treasure Futons as members of the Pangu Orthodox lineage. Hongjun is relieved to see future Sage candidates among the attendees—until he realizes only two of the Three Pure Ones have arrived.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi demonstrates the advantage of knowing the future: he is positioning himself to influence who creates the Human Race and who leads its first sect. His resourcefulness and restraint show when he pacifies the vine with what it needs rather than fighting it.
• The Innate Gourd Vine is initially defensive, attacking Li Yi, but quickly becomes docile and affectionate once it senses Primordial Mother Qi.
• Hongjun appears composed while teaching, but privately grows anxious as the attendance falls short of his expectations. He suspects the missing third Pure One may have gone to the Heaven-Earth Daoist.
• Laozi and Yuanshi act together to claim seats, invoking their Pangu connection. The gathered cultivators accept their claim rather than challenge them.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge as power: Li Yi’s knowledge of future events lets him plan for influence over the Human Race and its future Sages.
• Fate versus uncertainty: Hongjun can infer destiny but cannot fully control or predict it; the unexpected absence exposes the limits of his deductions.
• Power through relationships and resources: Li Yi gains the vine’s cooperation by meeting its needs, while the Pure Ones use their lineage and reputation to secure privileged seats.
• The struggle for future authority: The Human Race, the futons, and the Dao Discussion all represent opportunities to shape the Primordial World’s coming order.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun asks why Tongtian is absent and learns he has gone to hear Li Yi, the Heaven-Earth Daoist. Hongjun hides his anger, criticizes Li Yi’s teachings as unorthodox, and claims to reserve a seat for Tongtian.
• Di Jun and Taiyi consider taking seats, but the Ancestor Witches block them to prevent the Demon Tribe from gaining an advantage.
• Fuxi calculates that one of the remaining seats is tied to Nuwa’s future. Nuwa takes it; Hong Yun and Kunpeng take the others.
• Zhunti and Jieyin arrive late and use their usual pleading—and, in Kunpeng’s case, insults—to claim seats. Hong Yun yields willingly, and Kunpeng gives way under pressure.
• Once the five occupants are seated, Hongjun realizes they are destined to become Heavenly Dao Sages. He begins to teach the Great Firmament Dao.
• Nuwa suddenly asks to leave. Hongjun suppresses his displeasure and lets her go. Outside the palace, she tells Fuxi that sitting on the mat gave her a strong sense that something important was at risk. She decides to visit Yingzhou Island.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun maintains a calm façade despite growing frustration over Tongtian’s absence and Nuwa’s departure. He prioritizes his long-term plans over punishing her.
• Nuwa trusts her intuition even when it conflicts with Fuxi’s calculations and the apparent value of hearing Hongjun’s teaching.
• Fuxi uses the River Chart and Luo Script to discern karmic ties, but ultimately trusts his sister’s warning over his own reading of Destiny.
• Zhunti and Jieyin manipulate others to secure their places; their tactics expose Kunpeng to hostility from Yuanshi and suspicion from the Witches.
• Hong Yun gives up his seat out of compassion, while Kunpeng resists at first but yields when faced with too many powerful opponents.
• Di Jun and Taiyi are checked by the Ancestor Witches, highlighting the rising rivalry between the Demon and Witch Tribes.

Significant themes

• Destiny versus choice: The seats appear tied to future Sagehood, yet Nuwa’s unease prompts her to abandon hers.
• The limits of prediction: Fuxi recognizes that Destiny has an unknown, changeable element beyond his calculations.
• Power and concealed motives: Hongjun disguises his plans as respect for Pangu, while Zhunti and Jieyin use social pressure to gain advantage.
• Rivalry and political balance: The Witches act to prevent the Demon Tribe’s growing influence, foreshadowing their broader conflict.

Plot points and events

• On Yingzhou Immortal Island, Li Yi begins a Dao lecture for more than ten thousand cultivators, explaining the path from Golden Immortal to Great Firmament. Unlike Hongjun’s more abstruse teaching, Li Yi presents the material step by step so listeners of varying ability can understand.
• Tongtian attends in disguise, while Nuwa arrives with another companion and listens from the edge of the gathering. Both gain substantial insight.
• The chapter briefly contrasts this with Hongjun’s lecture in the Purple Cloud Palace. Many attendees fail to follow it, though Laozi and Yuanshi benefit: Laozi expects to reach the peak of the Great Firmament realm, while Yuanshi anticipates breaking through to its late stage. Hongjun announces that his next lecture will cover the Quasi-Saint Dao.
• After Li Yi’s lecture, Tongtian breaks through to the peak Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, and Nuwa advances toward the late Great Firmament stage. Li Yi protects nearby cultivators during Tongtian’s breakthrough.
• Tongtian thanks Li Yi as his teacher, and the other attendees express their gratitude. Li Yi announces that he will lecture again after the Third Assembly, then departs. Tongtian leaves for Kunlun to learn how his brothers have progressed.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi demonstrates that his teaching is accessible and effective, and his lecture creates a bond of karmic connection with Tongtian and Nuwa.
• Tongtian gains a major breakthrough and openly acknowledges Li Yi as his teacher.
• Nuwa finds clarity and reassurance through the lecture, then makes progress in cultivation.
• Laozi and Yuanshi benefit from Hongjun’s lecture, while Yuanshi remains dismissive of Tongtian’s choice to seek Li Yi.
• The contrast between Li Yi’s clear explanations and Hongjun’s difficult discourse highlights the different ways the two figures teach.

Significant themes

• Accessible knowledge: Clear, structured teaching can help more people than a lecture that assumes advanced understanding.
• Different paths to cultivation: Insight and progress depend on the teacher, the student’s comprehension, and the path each cultivator follows.
• Fate and choice: Li Yi believes even destinies set by the Heavenly Dao can be changed, foreshadowing his willingness to shape or redirect future sage paths.
• Teacher-student bonds: Breakthroughs gained through instruction create lasting ties between teacher and disciple.

Key plot points and events

• Yuanshi returns from seclusion having advanced to Late Great Firmament Golden Immortal after attending Hongjun’s Dao Discussion at Purple Cloud Palace. Confident that he has surpassed Tongtian, he goes to confront him.
• Tongtian says he learned a great deal from Teacher Qiankun on Yingzhou Island, while modestly admitting he has not understood everything. Yuanshi mistakes this humility for proof that the teaching was poor.
• Yuanshi insults Qiankun and challenges Tongtian’s choice of teacher, then releases his cultivation aura to demonstrate his supposed superiority.
• Tongtian reveals that he has reached Peak Great Firmament Golden Immortal—above both Yuanshi and even Laozi. Yuanshi is humiliated and leaves without a meaningful reply.
• Across the Primordial World, cultivators returning from the two Dao Discussions compare results. Many who attended Qiankun’s discussion made breakthroughs, while Purple Cloud Palace attendees gained little, prompting them to question their choice.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuanshi becomes more arrogant after his breakthrough. He treats cultivation rank as proof of a teacher’s worth and is forced to confront the failure of his assumptions.
• Tongtian remains grateful to Qiankun despite his own modesty. When Yuanshi insults his teacher, Tongtian firmly defends him and reveals his remarkable progress.
• Laozi is present during the confrontation but says little; his cultivation is also surpassed by Tongtian’s.
• The brothers’ exchange shifts from Yuanshi’s condescending confidence to Tongtian’s cold challenge, ending in Yuanshi’s embarrassed retreat.

Significant themes

• Humility versus pride: Tongtian understates his understanding, while Yuanshi’s certainty makes his humiliation sharper.
• Gratitude and loyalty: Tongtian will not tolerate insults against the teacher to whom he feels indebted.
• The limits of judging by rank: Yuanshi assumes cultivation alone proves who teaches best, but Tongtian’s progress overturns that judgment.
• Questioning authority and opportunity: The wider cultivation community begins to reconsider whether the Dao Ancestor’s teachings were as beneficial as they had believed.

Plot points and events

• As the second lecture approaches, Tongtian invites his elder brothers, Laozi and Yuanshi, to hear Qiankun preach on Yingzhou Island.
• Yuanshi refuses, still resentful over being surpassed by Tongtian and blaming his earlier poor progress on bad luck and the Heaven-Earth Daoist. Laozi also declines: he expects Hongjun’s lecture to teach the Quasi-Saint path and believes his reserved meditation cushion may lead to a Sage Position.
• Laozi and Yuanshi urge Tongtian to attend Hongjun’s lecture, arguing that the Three Pure Ones have a special opportunity to become Sages. Tongtian declines without arguing and leaves for Yingzhou Island.
• Hongjun reflects that his earlier preaching has strengthened his karmic ties to future Sages and increased his Heavenly Dao Authority. He plans to use the coming lecture to guide several figures toward Quasi-Sainthood, become a Sage, and defeat Qiankun.
• Hongjun discovers that the karmic links between him and Tongtian and Nuwa have been severed. He assumes they have chosen Qiankun, but believes he can still win the contest for the Dao by becoming a Sage first.
• Hongjun arrives at the Purple Cloud Palace expecting a large audience. Instead, he finds far fewer people than before and wonders whether the rest have gone to Yingzhou Island.

Character developments and interactions

• Tongtian remains open and sincere toward his brothers, inviting them despite their strained relationship. When they refuse, he calmly follows his own judgment and chooses Qiankun’s lecture.
• Yuanshi remains proud and resentful, interpreting Tongtian’s invitation as condescension. He refuses to admit that his assumptions or choices contributed to his earlier setback.
• Laozi prioritizes the promised opportunity for a Sage Position and Hongjun’s teachings. Though outwardly composed, he is unsettled by Tongtian’s sudden cultivation lead and expects to surpass him again.
• Hongjun is confident in his plan but increasingly hostile toward Qiankun and those who reject him. His confidence falters when the audience is unexpectedly small.

Significant themes

• Pride and self-deception: Yuanshi blames others rather than examining his own conduct; Laozi likewise dismisses the possibility that Qiankun could teach the Quasi-Saint path.
• Competing paths and loyalties: Characters must choose between Hongjun’s established authority and Qiankun’s alternative teachings.
• Destiny, karma, and ambition: Hongjun treats karmic bonds and Sage Positions as instruments in his plan to gain Heavenly Dao Authority and power.
• Rivalry and the contest for the Dao: Hongjun sees the two lectures as a struggle to become Sage first and eliminate his rival.

Key events

• After his previous Dao Discussion, Hongjun enters seclusion to gain more Heavenly Dao Authority. Returning to find many seats empty, he is angered that so many Daoists chose to hear Qiankun—the Heaven-Earth Daoist—instead.
• Yuanshi, Zhunti, Jieyin, and others flatter Hongjun by dismissing the absentees and belittling Qiankun’s teaching. Hongjun initially regains his composure, but then realizes the rumors favor Qiankun because many listeners made breakthroughs at his lectures.
• Determined to prove his superiority, Hongjun decides to explain the Quasi-Saint Dao carefully and systematically, rather than merely establish connections with future Heavenly Dao Sages.
• On Yingzhou Island, Li Yi is surprised to find his audience has grown from about ten thousand to nearly thirty thousand, including almost two thousand Great Firmament Golden Immortals. Tongtian, Nuwa, Fuxi, and members of the Witch Tribe are among them.
• Li Yi announces that he will teach both the Quasi-Saint Dao and the Formation Dao. He also plans to review the Golden Immortal-to-Great Firmament teachings before beginning.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun moves from wounded pride to concealed determination. Though he maintains a calm exterior, he is deeply provoked by comparisons with Qiankun and resolves to improve his lecture.
• Yuanshi, Zhunti, and Jieyin seek Hongjun’s favor through enthusiastic praise. They strengthen his confidence by portraying Qiankun’s followers as foolish and Qiankun’s teaching as inferior.
• Li Yi shows practical skill as a teacher and some consideration for his audience. Seeing Houtu among the listeners, he includes the Formation Dao, which the Witch Tribe can study despite lacking Primordial Spirits.
• Nuwa sits close to Li Yi, signaling that she intends to accept him as her teacher. Houtu, wary of being unable to benefit from Primordial Spirit cultivation, is encouraged by the prospect of learning formations and quietly wonders whether Li Yi added the subject for the Witch Tribe’s sake.
• The crowd’s respectful greeting of Li Yi as “Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor” reflects his growing stature and the gratitude of those who have benefited from his instruction.

Significant themes

• Teaching demonstrated through results: Qiankun’s reputation rests on students’ breakthroughs, intensifying the contrast with Hongjun’s perceived lack of clarity.
• Pride, rivalry, and reputation: Hongjun’s anger is driven less by the empty seats themselves than by the public claim that another teacher is better.
• Inclusive instruction: Li Yi adapts his lecture to include formations, offering the Witch Tribe a path to benefit even though they cannot cultivate the Primordial Spirit Dao.
• Loyalty and opportunism: Hongjun’s supporters praise him partly because they hope to secure access to the Sage Dao.

Plot points and events

• In Eagle Sauce Nation’s congress chamber, officials celebrate Serafino’s acquisition of two Super Divine Artifacts—the Seraphim Scepter and Cherubim Scepter—as well as the Holy Angel Armament. They expect him to dominate the upcoming Divine Artifact Rankings.
• Congress compares Serafino with Dragon Nation’s Li Yi. Based on intelligence from an insider, they believe Li Yi has gained no new weapons and that his cultivation has stalled. Their experts dismiss his innate treasures as less powerful than Divine Artifacts, and they assume he has already reached the limits of his supposedly inferior world.
• Meanwhile, Li Yi is in the Primordial World, absorbed in teaching the Primordial Unity Dao. Tongtian listens closely and, after Li Yi’s explanation of the Quasi-Saint Dao, suddenly comprehends and begins to break through. His transformation shocks the gathered listeners.

Character developments

• Serafino is presented as Eagle Sauce Nation’s carefully prepared contender, armed with exceptionally powerful artifacts and progressing rapidly.
• Li Yi remains unaware of the Blue Star competition and continues teaching profound Dao principles.
• Tongtian gains a major breakthrough from Li Yi’s teaching, with signs that he has attained the Dao.

Character interactions

• Eagle Sauce Nation’s officials share intelligence and reinforce one another’s confidence, while Speaker Robert questions Carl about Li Yi.
• Li Yi teaches an assembled audience; its members respond with varying degrees of understanding.
• Tongtian listens with particular focus, and Li Yi’s lecture directly triggers his breakthrough.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and misjudgment: Eagle Sauce Nation’s officials underestimate Li Yi and his treasures because they interpret unfamiliar things through their own assumptions.
• Knowledge as a path to power: Li Yi’s teaching enables Tongtian’s sudden advancement.
• Contrasting worlds and perspectives: The officials judge strength through rankings and artifacts, while the Primordial World’s cultivation is advancing through Dao comprehension.
  The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as the listeners realize someone has attained the Dao.

• Tongtian breaks through: As Tongtian reaches the Quasi-Saint (Primordial Unity) realm, his spiritual energy and cultivation transform dramatically. His breakthrough also strengthens Li Yi’s bond with the Heavenly Dao, bringing more authority to Li Yi.
• The crowd turns against Hongjun: Witnessing Tongtian’s breakthrough and comparing Li Yi’s clear, effective teaching with Hongjun’s earlier lectures, many cultivators conclude that Hongjun’s Dao explanations were confusing and unhelpful. Some even suspect he deliberately obscured the Dao. Their shifting allegiance weakens Hongjun’s Heavenly Dao Authority while raising Li Yi’s share to six-tenths.
• Tongtian and Nuwa seek discipleship: Grateful for Li Yi’s guidance, Tongtian formally asks to become his personal disciple. Nuwa, encouraged by Tongtian’s success and confident in her own talent, follows suit. Li Yi accepts both as his Qiankun personal disciples; they bow and thank him.
• Hongjun’s plan falters: At Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun teaches the more accessible Three Corpses method of reaching Quasi-Saint, but it requires rare Innate Spiritual Treasures that many cultivators lack. He expects the resulting gratitude to increase his Heavenly Dao Authority, only to discover that it has fallen instead.
  Character developments and interactions: Tongtian’s gratitude becomes a formal teacher–disciple bond with Li Yi, and Nuwa makes the same commitment. The gathered cultivators increasingly regard Li Yi as the true Dao Ancestor. Hongjun remains confident in his strategy but is left bewildered when the authority he expects to gain disappears.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts clear, generous instruction with opaque, self-serving teaching; shows how gratitude and public opinion can shift power; and links spiritual progress, mentorship, and political authority.

• Hongjun’s disappointment: Hongjun expected his Dao Discussion to increase his share of Heavenly Dao Authority, but instead the Heavenly Dao reclaimed part of it. Investigating the cause, he learns that Qiankun (Li Yi) has been teaching the Law Dao on Yingzhou Island. Tongtian and many Great Firmament cultivators have benefited from Li Yi’s instruction, weakening Hongjun’s influence.
• Different teaching styles: Hongjun concludes that Li Yi’s success comes from explaining principles that Hongjun takes for granted. Rather than questioning his own teaching, he blames his students’ lack of understanding and becomes more resentful of Li Yi.
• Laozi advances: Applying Hongjun’s Three Corpses Severing Method, Laozi separates his Kind Corpse using the Supreme Unity Whisk as its vessel. Both Laozi and the new avatar reach Early Primordial Unity Supreme Immortal cultivation. The crowd is impressed, and Yuanshi feels briefly anxious about falling behind before reassuring himself that he will soon follow.
• Hongjun gains disciples: Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti ask Hongjun to accept them as disciples, and he agrees. He intends to use their progress toward Quasi-Sainthood to recover his Heavenly Dao Authority, then eventually challenge Li Yi. He dismisses the value of Li Yi’s teaching, believing that power and cultivation rank matter more.
• The discussion ends: Hongjun announces that he will resume teaching after the Three Yuan Assembly and explain the Dao of Sanctification. The prospect of learning how to become a Sage excites the assembled cultivators.
  Character developments and interactions: Laozi’s breakthrough gives him renewed confidence and intensifies his desire to surpass Tongtian. Yuanshi likewise takes pride in becoming Hongjun’s disciple and expects to outpace his absent third brother. Their success contrasts with Tongtian’s progress through Li Yi’s Law Dao. Hongjun outwardly remains composed but is inwardly furious and increasingly determined to defeat Li Yi.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts rote or exclusive teaching with explanations suited to students’ understanding; explores rivalry, pride, and the pursuit of status; and questions whether raw power is more important than knowledge and the ability to teach.

Key plot points and events

• After teaching the Law Dao, Li Yi gives a shorter lecture on the Formation Dao, drawing on his mastery of several powerful formations. Houtu follows the deeper material particularly well, and the teachings resolve questions she has wrestled with for years.
• Li Yi ends the discussion, announcing that after the Three Yuan Assembly he will return to Yingzhou Island to teach the path to Sagehood and the Sage Dao. He believes this will fulfill his Heavenly Mandate to teach all living beings, though the number of future Sage Positions will not change.
• Back in Kunlun, Laozi and Yuanshi confront Tongtian for skipping Hongjun’s lecture. They emphasize that Hongjun accepted them as direct disciples and that Laozi expects a future Sage Position.
• Tongtian reveals that he became Li Yi’s eldest disciple and refuses to attend Hongjun’s teachings. When Yuanshi challenges him to explain Li Yi’s version of the Primordial Unity Dao, Tongtian recounts the Four Great Elements Dao—Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. His brothers are left bewildered because it differs sharply from Hongjun’s Three Corpses Severing Method.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi expands his role as a teacher, moving from cultivation and Law Dao to formations, with plans to teach the Sage Dao later.
• Houtu demonstrates unusually strong aptitude for formations and benefits directly from Li Yi’s instruction.
• Tongtian openly commits to Li Yi as his Master, remaining composed despite his brothers’ criticism. He is modest about his own understanding of the teachings.
• Laozi presents himself as concerned for Tongtian but is inwardly pleased by his own progress and prospects. Yuanshi is openly dismissive, viewing Tongtian’s choice as foolish and doubting Li Yi’s authority.
• The brothers’ familiar Dao discussions turn into a test of competing teachings: Tongtian shares what Li Yi taught, while Laozi and Yuanshi judge it against Hongjun’s method.

Significant themes

• Different paths to cultivation: Li Yi’s Law Dao and Four Great Elements approach contrasts with Hongjun’s Three Corpses Severing Method.
• Loyalty and choice: Tongtian chooses his own Master despite the prestige and promised advantages associated with Hongjun.
• The limits of understanding: Tongtian acknowledges that he has grasped only a small portion of Li Yi’s profound teaching, while his brothers mistake this humility for evidence that the teaching is inferior.
• Teaching and destiny: Li Yi’s commitment to instruct all beings is framed as a Heavenly Mandate, even though the ultimate Sage Positions remain limited.

Key plot points and events

• Yuanshi argues that Tongtian’s Law Dao is wrong and presents Hongjun’s Three Corpses Severing method as the orthodox route to Quasi-Sainthood.
• Laozi manifests his severed Kind Corpse, while Yuanshi displays his own powerful aura. They expect Tongtian to regret following his master’s teachings.
• Tongtian reveals that he has also become a Quasi-Saint through the Law Dao. His power overwhelms Laozi and his Kind Corpse, exposing a striking difference between the two paths.
• Angry that his brothers have insulted his master, Tongtian sends them from his cave and returns to seclusion.
• Yuanshi and Laozi leave shaken. Yuanshi briefly wonders whether Tongtian’s master’s method might be the true path, but suppresses his regret.
• The scene shifts to Blue Star, where the second day’s Weapon Rankings are about to be announced. Eagle Sauce viewers confidently expect Serafino and their nation to dominate.

Character developments and interactions

• Tongtian remains firm in his faith in his master’s Law Dao. His calm turns to disappointment and then anger when his brothers disparage that master; he asserts his strength without attacking them directly.
• Yuanshi moves from smug certainty to shock and unease after seeing Tongtian’s power. Though a hint of regret surfaces, pride makes him reject it.
• Laozi is unsettled by Tongtian’s strength and chooses not to resist being sent away, sensing that a fight could go against him.
• The brothers’ confrontation reveals a deepening divide: Tongtian values loyalty to his master, while Yuanshi and Laozi judge his teachings against Hongjun’s method.
• On Blue Star, Eagle Sauce viewers mock Dragon Nation and express confidence in Serafino, setting up the next rankings reveal.

Significant themes

• Different paths to power: The Law Dao and Three Corpses Severing are contrasted, with Tongtian’s strength suggesting that the supposedly easier, orthodox method may not be superior.
• Loyalty and respect: Tongtian’s anger stems less from criticism of himself than from his brothers’ repeated disrespect toward his master.
• Pride and doubt: Yuanshi’s brief uncertainty is quickly buried beneath humiliation and stubbornness.
• Overconfidence before a contest: Eagle Sauce’s boastful expectations echo the brothers’ earlier confidence, foreshadowing possible reversals.

Plot points

• The second day of the National Destiny Trial focuses on weapon rankings. Rival nations boast about newly acquired divine artifacts, especially Cherry Blossom Nation’s Kato Kaito and his Uchiha Fan, while Dragon Nation viewers assume Li Yi has little chance of ranking.
• Dragon Nation’s citizens remain grateful to Li Yi for securing a 50% national-destiny boost and a major talent reward on the first day. They briefly regain hope when they hear another contender has borrowed the Sea God’s Trident.
• The rankings begin with Li Yi’s Six Desires Mind-Seizing Banner at rank 100. Rival nations mock the low placement, and Cherry Blossom supporters predict Kaito will reach the top three.
• But the next entries—ranks 99 and 98—also belong to Li Yi. The chapter ends as viewers realize the ranking is filling with his weapons and wonder whether it is broken.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi does not appear directly, but the rankings reveal that he possesses numerous weapons, including several mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. His apparent “low” placement is already more substantial than other nations expected.
• Dragon Nation’s viewers shift from resignation to cautious hope, then to astonishment as Li Yi’s weapons keep appearing.
• Cherry Blossom Nation’s supporters are confident in Kato Kaito and dismiss Li Yi’s equipment, while Dragon Nation’s viewers defend Li Yi by pointing to his enormous first-day contribution. The exchange grows heated, though Cherry Blossom’s side cannot answer the argument about Dragon Nation’s exceptional reward.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Viewers misjudge Li Yi’s weapons because they misunderstand the Primordial World’s ranking system.
• National pride and rivalry: The ranking sparks boasting, taunts, and defensive arguments between nations.
• Gratitude and expectations: Dragon Nation accepts that Li Yi may not rank again, believing his earlier achievements are already more than enough.
• Hidden scale of power: The repeated entries hint that Li Yi’s collection—and perhaps his strength—far exceeds what the other nations understand.

The Golden Ranking kept filling with weapons belonging to Li Yi of Dragon Nation, whose entries climbed from 87th place toward the top ten. Viewers from other nations accused him of cheating, while Cherry Blossom Nation supporters insisted their participant, Kaito, and his Uchiha Fan would still place highly.
In Eagle Sauce Nation, Congress speaker Robert angrily confronted the Intelligence Department after its prediction that Li Yi’s weapons would not enter the top hundred proved wrong. The department relayed its advisers’ explanation: Li Yi was not exceptionally powerful; other nations’ weapons were simply weak. They assured Robert that Eagle Sauce Nation’s two “Super Divine Artifacts,” acquired from Heaven World, would surpass Li Yi’s treasures and contend for the top three. Reassured, Eagle Sauce viewers regained their confidence and dismissed Dragon Nation’s success.
As the ranking advanced, Li Yi’s weapons rose from mid-grade to high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. Dragon Nation viewers began to infer the ranking’s grade hierarchy and wondered whether Li Yi’s Innate Supreme Treasure, the Cosmos Cauldron, outranked all his other weapons. The list reached the top ten before that question was answered.
Character developments and interactions: Li Yi never appears directly, but his repeated ranking entries establish him as the chapter’s dominant figure. Robert shifts from fury and anxiety to renewed confidence after hearing the advisers’ assurances. The Cherry Blossom and Eagle Sauce audiences respond to Li Yi’s rise with denial and nationalistic boasting, while Dragon Nation viewers grow hopeful but remain uncertain about the treasures’ relative strength.
Themes: The chapter highlights national pride, rivalry, and the danger of overconfidence. Eagle Sauce Nation’s experts defend a mistaken forecast by minimizing Li Yi’s strength and disparaging other competitors, while the ranking itself steadily undermines their claims.

Key events

• The Golden Ranking began revealing its top ten, with each placement granting national rewards.
• Li Yi’s weapons filled the rankings from tenth through third place. Each announcement brought Dragon Nation boosts to national fortune, citizens’ comprehension, and trial talents, while showers of golden light helped some citizens break through cultivation bottlenecks.
• Eagle Sauce Nation and Cherry Blossom Nation had hoped their contestants’ weapons would claim the top spots. Cherry Blossom supporters praised Kaito’s Uchiha Fan, while Eagle Sauce supporters argued that their two Heaven World Super Divine Artifacts could sink a landmass.
• When Li Yi’s Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation took third place, Dragon Nation spectators assumed the last two spots would go to Eagle Sauce Nation: they believed Li Yi had four higher-ranked treasures but only two slots remained.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yi remains the dominant force in the rankings, taking 98 of the top 100 places, according to Dragon Nation spectators.
• Robert, Eagle Sauce Nation’s Congress Speaker, shifts from confidence to worry as Li Yi’s run continues, then relaxes when his intelligence official predicts Eagle Sauce will claim first and second.
• Dragon Nation’s crowd celebrates Li Yi’s achievements and the tangible benefits they receive, though they resign themselves to missing the final two places.
• Eagle Sauce and Cherry Blossom supporters argue over whose nation has the strongest artifacts; each confidently predicts victory, while Eagle Sauce officials share Robert’s growing anxiety.

Significant themes

• National rivalry and pride: The rankings are treated as a contest between nations, with citizens eagerly claiming credit and anticipating rewards.
• Power and uncertainty: Li Yi’s extraordinary performance unsettles even confident rivals, while characters use incomplete information to reassure themselves about the outcome.
• Collective consequences of individual achievement: Li Yi’s placements directly improve Dragon Nation’s fortune, comprehension, and trial prospects, making his success a national benefit.