Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jules confronts Kang Nan, accusing him of bringing an unauthorized visitor onto Imperial Capital Academy grounds and threatening to report him to the Student Discipline Committee.
• Kang Nan explains that Ye Chuqi is Teacher Bai Fenghua’s guest, but Jules dismisses the explanation and grows more confident, believing he has caught both Kang Nan and Bai Fenghua breaking the rules.
• Big Black Fish appears overhead, its enormous size and unsettling grin frightening Jules and his friends. The Beast Companion intervenes because it recognizes that Jules is targeting Ye Chuqi as well as Kang Nan.
• Kang Nan insists the fish has nothing to do with him. Ye Chuqi points out that Jules would not believe her even if she explained that Bai Fenghua invited her and that the Beast Companions are certified.
• Jules backs away from the threat but insults Ye Chuqi, Bai Fenghua, the academy, and the Beast-Tamer Guild.

Character developments and interactions

• Kang Nan remains calm despite Jules’s accusations. He views Jules as foolish and leaves the confrontation largely to unfold on its own.
• Ye Chuqi is composed and self-assured, letting Kang Nan handle Jules until the situation escalates. She matter-of-factly challenges Jules’s assumptions and casually pushes Big Black Fish aside.
• Jules begins boastful and eager to punish Kang Nan, but Big Black Fish’s presence exposes his fear and reliance on “tricks” rather than genuine strength. Though he retreats, he tries to recover his pride by insulting Ye Chuqi.
• Big Black Fish shows loyalty to Ye Chuqi, looming over Jules to protect her. It also reacts to her discomfort by closing its mouth and trying to make itself look smaller.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and insecurity: Jules’s confidence collapses when confronted with a power he cannot judge or control.
• Appearances and assumptions: Ye Chuqi’s plain clothing leads Jules to underestimate her, while Big Black Fish’s bizarre appearance conceals a serious threat.
• Loyalty and protection: Big Black Fish acts decisively to defend Ye Chuqi, while Kang Nan’s calmness suggests trust in the situation.
• Rules as a pretext for rivalry: Jules invokes academy regulations less from concern for order than from his longstanding hostility toward Kang Nan and Bai Fenghua.

Key plot points and events

• Jules, an Imperial Capital Academy student, insults Ye Chuqi and challenges her to a fight to the death in the Challenge Arena.
• Ye mocks his skill and asks whether fighting him herself would count as bullying someone younger. She sends Xiaojiu to fight in her place, explaining that it would be unfair for her to face Jules directly.
• Jules takes the substitution as an insult but accepts Xiaojiu’s challenge. Xiaojiu is eager to fight, despite initially wondering why he has been pulled into the dispute.
• The academy’s Challenge Arena allows students to settle conflicts under a protective magic formation; injuries can be treated at the nearby Infirmary.
• Word of the match spreads, drawing a crowd. Spectators initially root for Jules, seeing Xiaojiu as an irritating outsider, but their attention shifts when they notice Ye Chuqi watching nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains cool, sharp-tongued, and confident, effortlessly provoking Jules and controlling the confrontation. Her casual, insincere apology when Xiaojiu questions her doubtful look adds to the comic tension.
• Jules is easily baited by Ye’s insults. Unable to answer her verbally, he resorts to a challenge and grows more furious when she assigns Xiaojiu instead.
• Xiaojiu moves from reluctant observer to enthusiastic challenger, stepping forward to shield Ye from Jules’s glare.
• Kang Nan recognizes the mismatch between Jules and Ye and struggles to answer Ye’s teasing question about whether Jules is a “little kid.”
• The academy students are drawn into the spectacle, judging Xiaojiu by his appearance and becoming fascinated by Ye’s beauty. Some also sense that her unusual silver hair and dark eyes seem familiar.

Significant themes

• Strength and arrogance: Jules’s confidence and aggression expose his poor judgment, while Ye’s composure suggests she has little reason to fear him.
• Humor through role reversal: Ye treats the supposed challenger as a minor nuisance and delegates the fight, turning Jules’s attempt to intimidate her into a public embarrassment.
• Rules and controlled violence: The arena gives students a sanctioned way to resolve disputes while protecting them from fatal harm.
• Appearance and recognition: The crowd’s reactions show how quickly people form impressions, while Ye’s distinctive features hint at a reputation or identity they have not yet recalled.

Key plot points

• The onlookers recognize Xiaojiu as the guest Teacher Bai Fenghua invited to the Imperial Capital Academy, and realize Jules has challenged someone far beyond his expectations.
• Xiaojiu takes a wooden sword and fights Jules with fierce, instinctive determination. Though Jules is a third-year Advanced Class student and a High-Rank Martial Fighter, Xiaojiu overwhelms him, breaks his weapon, and kicks him off the arena.
• Kang Nan explains that Jules’s lack of combat experience—and his attempt to match Xiaojiu strike for strike instead of using Fighting Spirit—helped bring about his defeat.
• Jules accuses Xiaojiu of cheating, then tries to attack the situation through public accusations. Xiaojiu looks to Ye Chuqi for guidance; she calls him back and asks the watching teachers whether she may simply beat Jules up if he continues provoking her.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaojiu shows how his harsh upbringing among Demon Beasts shaped his survival-first fighting style: he commits fully to every attack and gives opponents no room to recover. He trusts Ye Chuqi to protect him, but is unsure how to respond to Jules’s accusation.
• Ye Chuqi acts as Xiaojiu’s protector and coach, amused—and concerned—that his fighting has become wilder again. She dismisses Jules’s provocation and challenges the teachers to let her deal with him.
• Jules is exposed as overconfident and poorly disciplined in combat. Rather than accept defeat, he insists Xiaojiu must have cheated.
• Kang Nan, despite disliking Jules, concedes that Jules is not wholly without ability; his defeat reflects poor judgment and inexperience, not the weakness of every third-year student.

Significant themes

• Survival versus sport: Xiaojiu fights as if his life depends on it, while the arena treats combat as a controlled challenge.
• Experience and adaptability: Technical rank matters less when a fighter cannot respond effectively to an unfamiliar style.
• Privilege and humility: Ye Chuqi criticizes academy students who consider themselves superior without understanding the harsher world beyond their protected environment.

Plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi’s confrontation with Jules is watched by teachers from the arena’s Stone Towers. The teachers look to Bai Fenghua to handle the situation, but he doubts he can manage Ye Chuqi.
• Ye Qinglan suddenly appears at Ye Chuqi’s side. Recognizing him—and realizing she is his sister—Jules loses his bravado. Ye Qinglan rebukes him, effectively ending the confrontation.
• Ye Chuqi assures her brother that she only wanted Xiaojiu to get some practice and that she could handle the situation. Ye Qinglan, however, is more concerned that she might overdo it and incur the cost of the damage.
• The students erupt in excited cheers at Ye Qinglan’s arrival. Embarrassed by the attention, he leaves the arena with Ye Chuqi.
• The spectacle ends Ye Chuqi’s academy tour. She has seen most of the grounds, but has little interest in studying there; the Ye and Bai family schools would be sufficient.
• As Ye Chuqi and Ye Qinglan leave, they find the Imperial Capital Griffin Legion assembled outside the academy gates.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains composed during the dispute and takes a practical, lightly teasing view of her brother’s intervention. Though ready to meet the Ye family, she has no particular desire to attend the academy.
• Ye Qinglan shows a protective side, confronting Jules on his sister’s behalf. His normally cold composure falters under the students’ enthusiastic attention.
• Jules goes from loud and aggressive to frightened and submissive once he recognizes Ye Qinglan and understands who Ye Chuqi is.
• Bai Fenghua privately doubts he can control Ye Chuqi, but is prepared to deal with Jules before Ye Qinglan arrives.
• Ye Chuqi and Ye Qinglan share familiar, affectionate banter: she thinks he is angry over Jules, while he is mainly worried she might cause costly damage.

Significant themes

• Family protection and loyalty: Ye Qinglan steps in immediately when Ye Chuqi is threatened.
• Status and power: Jules’s confidence collapses once he recognizes Ye Qinglan, showing how reputation and family standing shape the confrontation.
• Public attention and embarrassment: Ye Qinglan’s fame turns a private intervention into a spectacle, making him uncomfortable.
• Independence and choice: Ye Chuqi is prepared for life among the Ye family but does not see academy enrollment as necessary.

Plot points and events

• Harry, deputy commander of the Griffin Legion, arrives with an imperial invitation for Ye Qinglan and Ye Chuqi. The Emperor and Empress want to see them, and Madam Jun is waiting specifically for Ye Chuqi.
• Ye Chuqi is confused by the invitation and by the implication that she has important connections she has never been told about. Ye Qinglan explains that Madam Jun was a close friend of his mother, Bai Quanxin.
• The chapter reveals that Madam Jun, formerly the Empire’s Empress, helped save Ye Chuqi when she was dangerously frail as an infant. Ye Qinglan hints that the means she used—and the family’s past—are complicated matters that have long been left unspoken.
• On the way into the palace, Second Prince Haynes confronts them and taunts Ye Chuqi as the Ye Family’s long-lost daughter and the Third Prince’s long-lost fiancée. Ye Chuqi is stunned to learn she apparently has a fiancé.
• Ye Qinglan ignores Haynes and leads Ye Chuqi around him, making clear that he will not let the prince obstruct them.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains largely uninformed about her family and identity. Her surprise at the palace invitation and the revelation of a royal fiancé underscores how much of her past has been kept from her. She stays cautious and deferential in the royal setting.
• Ye Qinglan is protective and guarded. He tries to reassure Ye Chuqi while withholding sensitive history, but his grim reaction to Harry and icy response to Haynes reveal how seriously he takes the situation.
• Harry is enthusiastic about Ye Chuqi and clearly knows something important about her, but obeys Ye Qinglan’s warning not to explain it.
• Madam Jun is introduced as a powerful, independent former Empress and a longtime friend of Ye Chuqi’s mother. Her past bond with Ye Chuqi may be central to the family secrets.
• Haynes comes across as smug and antagonistic, using Ye Chuqi’s supposed engagement to provoke her and Ye Qinglan. Ye Qinglan responds with cold contempt rather than engaging.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and family secrets: Ye Chuqi’s lineage, childhood, and betrothal have been concealed from her.
• Unspoken history and delayed revelations: Ye Qinglan and others have avoided discussing the past, but events at court are forcing it into the open.
• Protection and control: Ye Qinglan shields Ye Chuqi while also deciding what she is—and is not—ready to know.
• Power and social hierarchy: The palace setting calls for caution, while Haynes’s challenge tests Ye Qinglan’s willingness to defy royal privilege.

Plot points and events

• Haines resents Ye Qinglan’s influence and fears the Third Prince’s prospects. Since he cannot claim power for himself, he intends to undermine the Third Prince instead. He sees Ye Chuqi—newly returned to the Ye family and unfamiliar with capital life—as someone he might manipulate.
• Ye Chuqi finds Haines’s smug, supposedly wicked manner unpleasant and worries that the palace may be full of people like him.
• At the main hall, Ye Qinglan introduces her to Madam Jun, a powerful and striking woman who was once married to the Emperor and divorced him amicably.
• Madam Jun greets Ye Chuqi with overwhelming affection, embraces her, and promises to protect her when she meets the Emperor and Empress.
• Madam Jun notices that Ye Chuqi’s clothes seem unsuitable for the capital and reproaches Ye Qinglan and Bai Fenghua. Ye Chuqi explains that clothes have been prepared for her, but she prefers her practical usual attire.

Character developments and interactions

• Haines reveals his ambition and hostility toward the Third Prince. He views Ye Chuqi less as a person than as a potential political tool.
• Ye Chuqi remains blunt and practical, privately judging Haines’s appearance and manner, and feels awkward when Madam Jun embraces and fusses over her.
• Madam Jun shows deep, long-held affection for Ye Chuqi. She regrets missing the girl’s childhood but is determined to make her feel cherished and safe now.
• Ye Qinglan is deferential toward Madam Jun and familiar with her moods. He lets her take the lead, while she treats him with affectionate authority and scolds him over Ye Chuqi’s appearance.

Significant themes

• Political ambition and manipulation: Haines plans to exploit Ye Chuqi’s unfamiliarity with noble society to weaken the Third Prince.
• Belated family affection: Madam Jun mourns the years she missed, but believes care and closeness can still be built.
• Protection and belonging: Ye Chuqi is entering a powerful, unfamiliar world, yet Madam Jun assures her she has allies there.
• Practicality versus courtly expectations: Ye Chuqi values convenience over elegant dress, while Madam Jun believes she deserves to be pampered and presented beautifully.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi realizes her practical clothes may be too plain for a palace visit. At Madam Jun’s insistence, she changes into a neat silver-white jacket embroidered with golden maple leaves.
• Emperor Clement and Empress Winona wait for Ye Chuqi in the main hall, trading familiar, irreverent jabs while they wait.
• Ye Chuqi arrives with Madam Jun and Ye Qinglan. Her uniformed appearance beside Ye Qinglan makes her look like a younger counterpart to him, unsettling Clement and apparently dashing his private hopes.
• The meeting is brief. Clement invites them to dinner, but Madam Jun refuses and leads the group away before he can object.
• Outside the palace, Ye Chuqi quietly asks whether Madam Jun’s conduct was acceptable. Madam Jun’s attitude reflects the Jun, Ye, and Bai families’ willingness to offer the emperor only minimal respect and resist his authority.
• The chapter recalls Clement’s political weakness and past failures: he could not protect his first wife or daughter, and his first wife’s child was raised badly. His marriage to Madam Jun briefly became affectionate, but she ultimately left him after losing faith in him.
• As the group leaves, an imposing, golden-haired figure in an ornate dark-blue dress uniform waits outside the palace gates.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains reserved and obedient during the audience, but her question afterward shows she is conscious of the political consequences of Madam Jun’s behavior.
• Madam Jun controls the visit from start to finish, shielding Ye Chuqi from the emperor’s expectations and openly challenging his authority. Her history with Clement adds a personal edge to her defiance.
• Clement is shown as emotionally conflicted and politically constrained: he longs for something from Ye Chuqi but cannot openly compel the powerful families around her.
• Winona and Clement share a teasing, candid relationship, contrasting with their formal bearing when the visitors arrive.
• Ye Qinglan remains distant and composed; his resemblance to Ye Chuqi in both dress and expression shapes Clement’s reaction.

Significant themes

• Power and political limits: The emperor’s title does not give him control over the great families that sustain his rule.
• Loyalty and independence: Madam Jun and the families she represents refuse to let the Imperial Family dictate their choices.
• Regret and failed protection: Clement’s past inability to protect his family continues to haunt him.
• Appearance and expectation: Ye Chuqi’s chosen uniform challenges the image Madam Jun had wanted to create and visibly affects Clement.

• A long-awaited reunion becomes tense: Madam Jun’s son Jelous returns in military uniform. Ye Qinglan, clearly hostile toward him, steps between Jelous and Ye Chuqi before eventually letting them meet. Ye Chuqi finds Jelous strikingly handsome but is unnerved by his cold stare and hides behind her brother.
• Ye Chuqi learns Jelous is her fiancé: Madam Jun introduces Jelous as her “good-for-nothing” son and Ye Chuqi’s fiancé. Ye Qinglan immediately says the engagement was only a temporary arrangement and that he wants to discuss ending it. Jelous watches Ye Chuqi leave with Ye Qinglan without speaking.
• The engagement’s origins are revealed: Ye Chuqi was born prematurely and gravely ill after her mother, Bai Quanxin, was attacked while pregnant. A High Priest said her soul was incomplete and that she might die young. Desperate to help her, Madam Jun arranged a Heartbond engagement contract, which could share the strength of the couple’s souls and bring the Light God’s protection. Bai Quanxin agreed, but ensured it could be dissolved if Ye Chuqi later wished. Jelous accepted at the time, partly out of regard for his close friendship with Ye Qinglan.
• Ye Chuqi disappeared: Soon after the contract was made, a spatial vortex swept her away. She remained missing for more than a decade, leaving the engagement in place despite its uncertain future.
• Madam Jun pressures Jelous: After Ye Chuqi leaves, Madam Jun scolds Jelous for appearing to have ruined his chances with her and insists he win her back. Jelous says Ye Chuqi dislikes him; Madam Jun counters that he deliberately frightened her to make her give up on him.
  Character developments and interactions: Ye Qinglan is protective of Ye Chuqi and openly rejects the engagement, while Jelous maintains a cool, distant exterior despite his mother’s claim that he is acting deliberately. Madam Jun is affectionate toward Ye Chuqi but meddlesome and forceful, having arranged the contract without Jelous’s consent. The exchange also reveals the old closeness—and current tension—between Ye Qinglan and Jelous.
  Themes: The chapter explores family protection and parental intervention, the burden of an arrangement made during a crisis, and the contrast between a binding contract and personal choice.

Plot points and events

• On the way back to the Ye estate, Ye Chuqi worries less about the engagement than about meeting the rest of her family after years apart. Ye Qinglan reassures her that the family will approach her patiently and won’t force her into anything.
• The family does not gather to greet her. Instead, they leave a large collection of Spatial Rings as gifts, showing their affection while giving her space. The estate’s tearful butler welcomes her and says the master and madam are waiting for her to come home.
• San San detects a child hiding in the hall. Ye Qinglan knocks aside the cabinet concealing him, revealing Ye Shiyi, an eight-year-old who had sneaked in. Shiyi immediately appeals to Ye Chuqi for sympathy, while Qinglan describes him as a habitual runaway and troublemaker.
• Ye Chuqi teases and questions Shiyi, then threatens to send him back or lock him up. He protests that she is being cruel, and she playfully declares herself ruthless.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains wary about reconnecting with her family, but the gifts and the butler’s welcome soften the moment. She quickly takes charge with Shiyi, mixing affection and teasing.
• Ye Qinglan understands Chuqi’s unease and reassures her. His stern handling of Shiyi contrasts with his gentleness toward his sister.
• Ye Shiyi is revealed as a mischievous, manipulative child who eagerly tries to win Chuqi’s protection. Despite his complaints, he clearly wants her affection.
• The Ye Family shows care through restraint: rather than overwhelm Chuqi, they wait for her to approach them.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: The gifts and the promise that the family is waiting convey acceptance without demanding an immediate reunion.
• Patience and respect: The Ye Family gives Chuqi time to adjust, in contrast to the more forceful emotional reactions she has encountered elsewhere.
• Affection through teasing: Chuqi and Shiyi’s playful exchange begins to establish a sibling bond.

Plot points and events

• Ye Shiyi sneaks out to visit Ye Chuqi, as he often does, with the Ye Family’s tacit acceptance and Shadow Guards keeping him safe.
• Ye Chuqi asks Ye Qinglan about attending the Imperial Capital Academy temporarily, mainly to explore its library and teaching methods for her future plan to found a school.
• Ye Qinglan says she can attend, given her abilities and her family’s influence. He explains, however, that the academy trains officers for service at the Beast Abyss Frontline, with a five-year commitment after graduation.
• Ye Chuqi accepts the possibility of serving there if she can be with Ye Qinglan, then eagerly questions him about academy life and military service.
• Xiaojiu and Joshua return from shopping with their companions and several small purchases. Joshua says Big Black Fish traded him something valuable, while Big Black’s stated motive is to keep useful things “in the family.”

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows curiosity, ambition, and a practical streak: she wants to learn from the academy, but immediately weighs the realities of graduation and service.
• Ye Qinglan balances support with dry humor, gently restraining Ye Shiyi and warning Ye Chuqi about the academy’s obligations. His willingness to let her serve alongside him reassures her.
• Ye Shiyi is affectionate and possessive toward Ye Chuqi, insisting he must attend too; Ye Qinglan teases him that he must avoid getting expelled.
• Joshua’s cheerful, innocent appearance contrasts with his sharp bargaining instincts. Big Black Fish, despite its scheming, is portrayed as resourceful and loyal to its adopted group.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: The characters indulge Ye Shiyi’s antics, and Big Black Fish treats Joshua as family.
• Learning and ambition: Ye Chuqi sees the academy as a chance to study both its library and its educational system.
• Freedom versus obligation: Her wish to attend casually collides with the academy’s purpose and its mandatory military service.
• Appearances and hidden motives: Ye Chuqi suspects Ye Shiyi’s tears and affection may be partly strategic, while Joshua’s sweetness masks a shrewd negotiator.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi gives Big Black Fish gold for outings with Starry and Little White, teasing him that he’s been accepted into the group. She also warns him to control his growing size if he wants to keep going out.
• She encourages Joshua to pursue his dream of becoming a Mage and study at Imperial Capital Academy. Though he worries he may not be capable, he agrees to prepare for the entrance assessment—and acknowledges that tuition will be costly.
• Xiaojiu rejects the idea of attending the academy. He wants to join the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, starting in its Reserve Corps, after Bone Wolf’s sincere invitation.
• Ye Chuqi gives Xiaojiu a Spatial Ring stocked with money and supplies for protection, urging him to treat it as starting capital rather than another debt. Xiaojiu sets off toward the group’s base, planning to meet them on the way to Monte City ahead of the Beast Tide.
• After Xiaojiu leaves, Ye Chuqi takes Joshua to Imperial Capital Academy for an assessment arranged through Bai Fenghua’s recommendation. Although it is outside the annual assessment period, anyone may try and enroll if they pass.

Character developments

• Joshua moves from self-doubt toward cautiously accepting the opportunity to pursue Mage training. He remains anxious about the expense and feels indebted to Ye Chuqi.
• Xiaojiu chooses a practical path suited to him rather than pursuing an academic life that feels alien. He accepts support but remains preoccupied with repaying his debts.
• Ye Chuqi acts as a mentor and provider, supporting each young man’s ambitions while pushing them to think beyond immediate money worries.
• Big Black Fish is treated increasingly as part of the household, though Ye Chuqi expects him to manage his growth responsibly.

Significant themes

• Choosing one’s own path: Joshua aims for academy training, while Xiaojiu chooses mercenary life; neither route is presented as universally right.
• Support, trust, and belonging: Ye Chuqi’s money and encouragement signal that the others are accepted and need not face their futures alone.
• Independence and debt: Xiaojiu and Joshua both feel obligated to repay Ye Chuqi, while she encourages them to see her help as an investment in their futures.
• Preparation for danger: Xiaojiu’s plans are shaped by the approaching Beast Tide and the need to build experience and resources.

Character interactions

• Ye Chuqi balances teasing with practical guidance in her exchanges with Big Black Fish and Joshua.
• Joshua and Xiaojiu’s contrasting plans—and their differing attitudes toward money—create light comic tension.
• Ye Chuqi respects Xiaojiu’s choice, equips him for it, and then helps Joshua pursue his own opportunity through Bai Fenghua’s support.

Key plot points

• Ye Chuqi seeks direct entry into the Imperial Capital Academy’s Advanced Class. Unlike Joshua’s basic entrance assessment, she must prove her talent and strength, pass a demanding written exam, and receive a strong overall rating based on missions and contributions.
• The teachers know of her achievements in the Lost Forest, and Bai Fenghua supports her account. Ernie disputes the praise and accuses Bai of exaggerating.
• Ye Chuqi responds with pointed insults, then reveals that she possesses the rare Nine-Leaf Green Flower Ernie desperately wanted. This further enrages him, while Bai Fenghua also struggles to control his anger.
• To prevent the argument from escalating, the supervising teacher sends Ye Chuqi to a nearby room for a day-long exam covering material from both the Junior and Intermediate Classes.
• San San has prepared her through an intensive study course but will not help her cheat.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows confidence in her achievements, sharp verbal combat, and fierce loyalty to Bai Fenghua. Though she wants to fight Ernie, she restrains herself because she is not yet strong enough and he is a teacher.
• Bai Fenghua openly vouches for Ye Chuqi and becomes protective when Ernie threatens her.
• Ernie resents the praise of Ye Chuqi and Bai Fenghua, is especially sensitive to being called old, and becomes increasingly furious when Ye reveals she has the flower he hoped would extend his life.
• The assessment teacher tries to contain the feud and keep the exam process moving.
• Ye and Bai work as a united front against Ernie, trading insults while the teachers watch the exchange.

Significant themes

• Merit and recognition: Ye must formally prove herself despite her celebrated deeds.
• Loyalty and family: Ye’s defense of Bai Fenghua reflects the Bai Family’s strong instinct to protect its own.
• Restraint and self-control: Ye’s verbal retaliation contrasts with her decision not to attack Ernie physically.
• Ambition and preparation: Her confidence is backed by intense study, while the academy’s assessment demands both knowledge and practical accomplishments.

Key events

• Ye Chuqi completes her written entrance assessment after learning the local language and material remarkably quickly, aided by San San’s daily recitations and her unusually powerful Divine Sense.
• After the exam, she worries that Bai Fenghua might confront Ernie. The supervising teacher assures her he would have acted already if he meant to fight—but notes that targeting Ye Chuqi could provoke him.
• Ye Chuqi explains that she wants to attend the Imperial Capital Academy to learn more and use its library; she is willing to accept the five years of service required after graduation. She chooses the Combat Academy.
• The chapter outlines the academy’s three divisions—Combat, Mage, and Comprehensive—and the qualifications needed to advance through each.
• Ye Chuqi receives notice that she has passed the first day’s assessment and must take a practical test. Ernie has arranged for her to face Kang Nan, a powerful third-year Advanced Class Martial Fighter, while a teacher supervises.
• Kang Nan warns Ye Chuqi not to hit him too hard, having overheard her ask Bai Fenghua how much strength she should use.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows impressive intelligence and adaptability, but remains humble about learning and straightforward about her reasons for enrolling. She is confident in her written work and committed to the Combat Academy.
• San San’s support is significant: its lessons help Ye Chuqi succeed, while its laughter highlights its private amusement at her rapid progress.
• Bai Fenghua’s loyalty to Ye Chuqi is established as a possible source of conflict with Ernie, who has spent years provoking him.
• The supervising teacher admires Ye Chuqi’s candor and is entertained by her earlier defiance of Ernie, though he recognizes the political complications around her assessment.
• Kang Nan’s warning adds humor to the looming practical test and hints that Ye Chuqi’s real strength may exceed what her opponents expect.

Significant themes

• Learning and merit: Ye Chuqi’s success comes from exceptional aptitude and effort, despite her unfamiliarity with the world.
• Power and underestimation: Ernie’s faction treats her as an inexperienced outsider, while her abilities may make the test far more dangerous than expected.
• Loyalty and conflict: Bai Fenghua’s restraint toward Ernie may end if Ye Chuqi is harmed.
• Choosing one’s path: Ye Chuqi enrolls not for status, but to learn—and pursues the discipline most suited to her sword-based skills.

Plot points and events

• Kang Nan, an accomplished Martial Fighter, asks Ye Chuqi for a practice match to test his progress, despite knowing she is far stronger. Bai Fenghua encourages her to fight freely.
• Ye Chuqi’s injuries have healed roughly 60–70% thanks to the Nine-Leaf Green Flower and Spiritual Liquid. She believes she can still defeat Kang Nan and perhaps even challenge a low-rank Martial Grandmaster.
• Teachers from the Martial, Magic, and Comprehensive Academies gather to watch. Some Beast Tamer teachers speculate that Ye Chuqi should have joined their academy because of her affinity with Demon Beasts.
• Kang Nan chooses to fight with fists and Fighting Spirit rather than swords. He attacks first, aiming a Fighting-Spirit-coated punch at Ye Chuqi’s face.
• Ye Chuqi blocks it head-on with her bare fist, scattering his Fighting Spirit. She then presses the attack, forcing Kang Nan to dodge and defend.
• As they trade blows, Ye Chuqi studies how his Fighting Spirit works, noting its limits: it seems to cover only the body parts he uses to attack and may not move quickly enough to follow his strikes. The match is still underway.

Character developments

• Kang Nan shows humility and eagerness to improve, putting pride aside to learn from Ye Chuqi. Once she scatters his Fighting Spirit, he relaxes and commits to fighting at full strength.
• Ye Chuqi displays extraordinary physical power despite her delicate appearance and incomplete recovery. She is also perceptive, quickly analyzing Kang Nan’s technique while fighting.
• Bai Fenghua supports Ye Chuqi’s confidence and sees the match as a chance to remind the teachers that she should not be underestimated.
• San San is protective of Ye Chuqi and insists that Medicine Cultivator is a better fit for her than Beast Tamer, despite Ye Chuqi’s natural rapport with Demon Beasts.

Character interactions

• Kang Nan respectfully requests a sparring match, while the other teachers are startled that an advanced student is asking a beginner for instruction.
• Bai Fenghua quietly urges Ye Chuqi not to hold back; the teachers overhear him.
• San San reports the Beast Tamer teachers’ comments and argues with their assessment of Ye Chuqi’s talents.
• During the match, Ye Chuqi openly questions Kang Nan about Fighting Spirit as she counters his attacks, turning the fight into both a contest and a practical lesson.

Significant themes

• Humility and learning: Kang Nan willingly seeks guidance from someone junior in rank.
• Strength beyond appearances: Ye Chuqi’s small, delicate frame conceals overwhelming physical power.
• Observation and adaptation: She studies her opponent’s abilities even while fighting.
• Competition and respect: The sparring match is intense, but both fighters treat it as a chance to test and develop their skills.

Plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi defeats Kang Nan in their exhibition match by using speed and an afterimage to bait him into exposing his back. She subdues him from behind before he can react.
• The watching teachers are surprised by how quickly she wins and realize she has barely exerted herself.
• Ye Chuqi points out Kang Nan’s tactical weakness: his Beast Mimicry technique roots him in place and leaves his back vulnerable. Kang Nan accepts the criticism, though he believes training to increase his strength will eventually compensate.
• Rather than wait until the afternoon, Ye Chuqi asks to fight her next opponent immediately. The teachers summon the instructor Ernie arranged to assess her.
• The instructor arrives resentful and assumes Kang Nan went easy on Ye Chuqi. He accuses her of arrogance and hints that she passed the first match through favoritism, then warns her to be humble before their bout.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi demonstrates sharp tactical judgment, speed, and confidence. Though she treats the first match as a light contest, she gives Kang Nan practical advice and readily accepts the next challenge.
• Kang Nan shows improved strength and speed in Beast Mimicry State but discovers that his attack leaves him dangerously exposed. He is embarrassed by the quick defeat yet takes the lesson seriously.
• The teachers move from concern about Ye Chuqi’s safety to astonishment at her ability; some begin to anticipate that she may defeat even a low-rank Martial Grandmaster.
• The instructor appears motivated by Ernie’s promised reward and ambitions for advancement, but he is also resentful of being sent to fight a young girl. He misreads Ye Chuqi’s earlier victory as a setup rather than evidence of her skill.

Significant themes

• Technique versus raw strength: Kang Nan’s power cannot compensate for a predictable, immobile attack.
• Underestimation and prejudice: The instructor dismisses Ye Chuqi because of her age and assumes she relies on connections.
• Confidence and competence: Ye Chuqi’s willingness to continue immediately reflects how little the first match challenged her.
• Political ambition: The instructor’s choice to side with Imperial Capital nobles—and Ernie’s role in arranging the assessment—shows how advancement and factional interests shape the academy’s proceedings.

Plot points

• Ye Chuqi agrees to the Guiding Teacher’s assessment, then surprises him by drawing her sword. Her controlled strike overwhelms his defenses and leaves a cut on his face.
• Realizing how dangerous she is—and that continuing would bring him little but humiliation and trouble—the shaken teacher ends the assessment.
• Ye Chuqi passes with an excellent evaluation and is placed directly into the Advanced Class’s first year, an unprecedented leap.
• Although she could aim for a more advanced year, she chooses to take time to study the academy’s library, adjust to life in the capital, and recover from her injuries.
• She also considers a longer-term problem: she cannot safely advance her cultivation using the Spiritual Energy in her space, which is not yet developed enough to support that process.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shifts from a mild, obedient manner to a formidable swordswoman. She demonstrates remarkable power and precision, then downplays the encounter to Bai Fenghua, claiming the teacher was merely startled and that she did not intend serious harm.
• The Guiding Teacher begins overconfident and apparently willing to belittle her, but her sword strike frightens him into reassessing her. He abandons the confrontation and recognizes her skill.
• Bai Fenghua is present as Ye Chuqi’s companion when she returns from the assessment; Ye Chuqi explains the outcome to him.
• The watching teachers are impressed by Ye Chuqi’s talent, though her identity and unusual past leave them reluctant to comment openly.
• Ernie’s attempt to have Ye Chuqi put in her place backfires: the teacher sent to do it is instead intimidated by her.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Ye Chuqi’s gentle, compliant demeanor conceals formidable ability.
• Power and restraint: Her strike is potentially lethal, yet its precision shows she can control her strength and stop short of killing.
• Ambition balanced with patience: She could advance further immediately, but chooses time to learn, recover, and understand her surroundings.
• Limits and adaptation: Her cultivation cannot progress safely through her current resources, forcing her to seek another path.

Key plot points and events

• Joshua passes the Mage Academy’s entrance assessment with Bai Fenghua’s recommendation, then enrolls in the Junior Class after proving his ability to sense Magic Elements and paying tuition.
• His initial delight at joining Imperial Capital Academy quickly gives way to anxiety when he receives a daunting list of foundational books, Magic Runes, and language study. Ye Chuqi sympathizes but reminds him that the work must be done.
• Kang Nan graduates and leaves for the Beast Abyss Frontline to pursue his military dream. He visits the Ye family to bid farewell and formally salutes Ye Qinglan, who wishes him safe travels.
• The narrative emphasizes the terrible cost of the frontline: fewer than one in ten soldiers survived during the worst fighting. Ye Qinglan also condemns the unresolved Noble Blood Vial affair, questioning why soldiers should die to protect those he considers useless.
• As her own life at Imperial Capital Academy begins, Ye Chuqi learns that students’ housing depends heavily on what they can afford. Joshua chooses an affordable four-person suite, where students have separate bedrooms but share common facilities.

Character developments

• Joshua matures from a pampered, fragile-seeming young man into a more resilient student. His excitement about becoming a Mage is tempered by the academy’s rigorous workload, and he pragmatically accepts modest housing.
• Ye Chuqi remains committed to finding a solution to her cultivation problem and continues to favor sword cultivation, despite the demanding study expected of both medicine cultivators and mages.
• Kang Nan has grown from a student into a young soldier, leaving the academy at twenty to serve at the Beast Abyss Frontline.
• Ye Qinglan shows restrained respect for Kang Nan’s resolve, but bitter anger toward the people and institutions implicated in the Noble Blood Vial affair.

Significant themes

• Power and cultivation: Different paths may draw on the same underlying source, and Ye Chuqi believes she can find another way forward.
• The cost of peace: The continent’s prosperity rests on the blood and sacrifice of young soldiers, not merely youthful idealism.
• Ambition versus reality: Joshua’s dream of joining the academy and Kang Nan’s military aspirations both meet demanding or dangerous realities.
• Class and access: Academy life offers vastly different levels of housing and comfort according to students’ means and social standing.

Character interactions

• Joshua shares his hopes and fears with Ye Chuqi, who encourages him to face his studies while jokingly recalling her own exhausting education.
• Kang Nan’s formal salute to Ye Qinglan marks a moment of earned recognition; Ye Qinglan responds with a brief but sincere farewell.
• Joshua appeals to Ye Chuqi to let him visit the manor for meals and company during breaks, using his charm to soften the request.

Plot points and events

• Bai Fenghua arranges a detached villa for Ye Chuqi, with a garden and pond suited to her Beast Companions, rather than placing her in a shared dormitory.
• Starry and Little White prefer to stay close to Ye Chuqi, while Big Black Fish is content in the pond and resumes training and evolving after realizing its growing size makes it inconvenient to accompany her.
• Ye Chuqi officially joins Senior Year Advanced Class Six, entering the Advanced Class unusually early and amid rumors that her powerful connections—notably Bai Fenghua and her engagement to the Third Prince—secured her place.
• Her classmates know little about her actual ability. They have also failed to question Joshua, who remains absorbed in his studies at the Mage Academy.
• Ye Chuqi introduces herself warmly to the class. Assistant Teacher Lucien arrives with her; he will oversee the class’s daily affairs and accompany students on assignments.

Character developments

• Ye Chuqi shows herself to be considerate of her companions’ needs, but also reluctant to be separated from them. Her poised, welcoming introduction makes a strong impression.
• Big Black Fish recognizes the practical limits of its size and chooses to adapt through training and evolution.
• The classmates’ curiosity about Ye Chuqi is mixed with uncertainty and assumptions about her status.

Themes

• Reputation versus proven ability: Students attribute Ye Chuqi’s advancement to connections because they do not know what she demonstrated in her assessment.
• Belonging and adjustment: Ye Chuqi enters an established class as an unusual late addition and must begin building relationships.
• Care and independence: Her arrangements balance her companions’ needs with the practical demands of academy life.
• Appearance and charisma: Ye Chuqi’s warm smile immediately charms her classmates, shaping their first impression of her.

Character interactions

• Bai Fenghua anticipates Ye Chuqi’s and her companions’ needs by arranging her villa, leaving her little room to refuse.
• Starry and Little White communicate their preference to remain near Ye Chuqi through their behavior.
• The students watch Ye Chuqi closely, eager to learn about her and whether she resembles her brother, Ye Qinglan.
• Lucien begins his role as the class’s day-to-day guide and supervisor.

Key events

• Assistant Teacher Lucien welcomes the class and distributes regular tasks, higher-reward bounty assignments, and a new training schedule with minimum assessment targets.
• He introduces experimental alchemical wristbands, developed by a Comprehensive Academy teacher with input from Bai Fenghua. The devices record students’ training and generate assessments; students can review their records on a shared Sheepskin Scroll. Lucien invites feedback on the trial devices.
• After Lucien leaves, classmates crowd around new student Ye Chuqi, eager to ask about her brother, the famed Ye Qinglan. Ye Chuqi deflects their curiosity by suggesting that any misconduct might give him reason to worry. The boys quickly promise to behave and look out for her.
• A short-haired, dark-skinned young woman cuts through the commotion, reminding the boys to focus on training, assessments, and arena matches.

Character developments and interactions

• Lucien comes across as gentle, approachable, and organized, explaining the class’s assignments and new training system clearly.
• Ye Chuqi shows poise and quick wit in handling her classmates’ intrusive questions. Though wary at first, she finds them amusing and begins to look forward to academy life.
• Her classmates are competitive and ambitious, but also curious about Ye Qinglan and eager to meet him. Their excitement turns to awkward reassurance when Ye Chuqi exposes the implication behind their questions.
• The short-haired young woman appears disciplined and outspoken, challenging the boys’ idling and redirecting them toward their responsibilities.

Significant themes

• Competition and self-discipline: Students understand that success depends on their own effort, and many aim to excel rather than merely pass.
• Technology and improvement: The experimental wristbands offer a new way to track progress, while inviting collaboration and feedback.
• Reputation and social curiosity: Ye Chuqi’s connection to Ye Qinglan immediately shapes how classmates approach her, but she establishes her own presence through confidence and humor.

Plot points and events

• Akes, the strongest student in Class Six, approaches Ye Chuqi after the other students leave. Curious about Ye’s reputation and entrance assessment, she asks whether Ye can fight.
• Ye jokes that she is “third best in the world,” naming Teacher Bai Fenghua and Lord Ye Qinglan as the two above her.
• Akes points out that Advanced Class assignments rely heavily on Fighting Spirit, which Ye has not awakened. She warns that failing the daily training and assessments could cost Ye her place in the class.
• Ye accepts the concern but insists she will not quit. She intends to become an outstanding graduate and serve at the Beast Abyss Frontline, and resolves to learn how to cultivate Fighting Spirit alongside Spiritual Power.
• Ye reviews her wristband assignments and completes her physical training with surprising ease. Her schedule is tailored to her abilities, emphasizing technique over strength; the classmates who assumed it was ordinary soon realize she handles the workload effortlessly.

Character development and interactions

• Ye Chuqi is confident, playful, and determined. She is honest about not having awakened Fighting Spirit, explaining privately that her Spiritual Power currently shuts it out. Rather than feel defeated, she treats the problem as a challenge.
• Akes comes across as blunt and imposing, but her warning is motivated by concern rather than hostility. She respects strength, has earned her influence through fighting, and is intrigued by Ye’s abilities. Ye recognizes Akes’s good intentions, easing the tension between them.
• The classmates are wary and curious about the newcomer, watching to see whether Akes will bully her and later being astonished by how easily she completes her training.

Significant themes

• Strength earns respect: At the academy, ability matters more than birth or status, and students establish their standing through competition.
• Persistence and belonging: Ye is committed to proving she deserves her place despite a significant gap in her training.
• Different kinds of strength: Ye’s unusual talents challenge assumptions about what a martial student should be able to do, while the chapter introduces the difficulty of combining inwardly generated Fighting Spirit with Spiritual Power.