Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Wang Changqing explains the Chaotic Star Sea’s three great natural disasters. Sky Wind is a devastating hurricane, while Ghost Fog is a deadly black mist from which no living thing is said to return. Both make Naruto’s group reconsider their plan to find a small island and cultivate in isolation.
• Karin asks why Boss Gu wants her group to go to Kui Xing Island. Naruto reassures Wang that they only want the truth before deciding whether to help.
• Wang explains that Boss Gu moved to Kui Xing Island hoping to enter the lucrative long-distance trade between major islands. Only ten households may participate, and their places are decided every three years in contests of magical arts.
• With the contest approaching, Gu needs to hire an immortal master to challenge a qualified household. He has little time and few connections among cultivators.
• Karin questions why cultivators do not transport the goods themselves. Wang says the cargo is too large, cultivators would not want to haul it, and their Storage Pouches are valuable.
• Wang returns with Gu’s offer: substantial Spirit Stones whether or not the group succeeds, official residency on Kui Xing Island if they win, and 30 percent of the Gu Family’s trading profits for three years.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li is frustrated by the dangers of the sea and doubts the group’s plan to settle somewhere in the region.
• Karin probes Wang carefully, first uncovering Gu’s hidden motive and then questioning the logic of the island’s trade system.
• Naruto takes a reassuring, diplomatic approach, prompting Wang to disclose the situation rather than risk offending the group.
• Wang is deferential and increasingly nervous around the cultivators, but ultimately explains the rules and delivers Gu’s generous proposal.
• Gu does not appear directly; his need to secure a cultivator’s help—and his willingness to offer substantial rewards—drives the scene.

Significant themes

• The hazards of nature: The sea’s disasters threaten even powerful cultivators and shape the group’s plans.
• Power and access: A small number of families control profitable trade, with entry determined by contests involving cultivators.
• Negotiation and trust: The group seeks information before committing, while Wang weighs honesty against fear of displeasing them.
• Social hierarchy: Cultivators’ status and reluctance to perform ordinary labor influence how commerce is organized.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Changqing clarifies that visitors to Kui Xing Island can either stay temporarily or gain permanent residence with a prominent local household as guarantor. Permanent residents pay lower annual fees, may hold island positions, and can enter the ten-year Spirit Land Competition for access to superior cultivation grounds.
• Han Li realizes the rules encourage powerful Cultivators to settle on the main island, whose spirit vein is far richer than those of the surrounding islands. After asking Naruto’s opinion, he agrees—reluctantly—to consider helping Wang Changqing and Boss Gu, provided their opponents are manageable.
• Four days later, the group reaches Kui Xing Island. Because nine unfamiliar Cultivators have arrived, they must register with the harbor authorities to avoid being treated as hostile intruders.
• At the harbor office, Foundation Establishment Cultivator Yang initially treats them impatiently. Boss Gu explains their situation and discreetly pays him Spirit Stones, improving his attitude.
• The newcomers receive Communication Jade Tokens as proof of temporary registration. Naruto gives his real name, while Yang notes that the refined corpse accompanying the group does not need a token.
• Boss Gu hires carts to take the group inland. They travel through busy towns, then onto increasingly quiet roads.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li reacts skeptically to the residency system and recognizes its political and economic purpose. Though reluctant, he is willing to help Boss Gu and Wang Changqing if the challenge is within their ability.
• Naruto remains easygoing and confident, telling Han Li he need not doubt his strength. He also chooses to use his real name in this new world.
• Wang Changqing and Boss Gu are anxious to secure the newcomers’ help; both are relieved when Han Li agrees to consider intervening. Boss Gu also handles the registration process and bribes Immortal Master Yang.
• Immortal Master Yang shifts from dismissive to more accommodating after receiving Spirit Stones, then issues the group’s required tokens.
• The group remains observant and cautious, relying on Wang Changqing’s explanations while learning about local customs and the island’s scale.

Significant themes

• Power and access: Better cultivation resources are tied to residence, status, and competition, encouraging strong outsiders to settle on the main island.
• Bureaucracy and corruption: New arrivals must register, while a small bribe helps smooth the process.
• Adaptation to a new world: Naruto and his companions navigate unfamiliar laws, language, customs, and geography.
• Strategic cooperation: Han Li weighs the risks of helping their hosts, while Naruto’s confidence supports the possibility of action.

Key events

• Naruto and his companions arrive at the Gu family’s large, unusual farmstead. Naruto detects a modest formation around the surrounding pines, suggesting the estate is protected.
• Boss Gu welcomes the group. Naruto agrees to compete on his behalf, confident that his team can handle the expected Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment opponents—and escape any stronger threat with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• After five days, Naruto travels with Boss Gu and Wang Changqing to Eaststone City. At the city gate, guards use a device called a Spirit Disc to identify Cultivators, which intrigues Naruto.
• The city is unusually crowded because it is market day, held once every three months. Naruto sees a bustling square and learns that traders have come from more than a dozen eastern towns.
• Boss Gu leads Naruto and Wang Changqing into a guarded palace-like building. Inside, they encounter several influential-looking people who react to Boss Gu with hostility.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto remains observant and confident: he notices the estate’s formation, studies the Spirit Disc, and readily accepts the competition. His confidence rests on his group’s strength and their ability to retreat if necessary.
• Boss Gu acts as host and sponsor, arranging Naruto’s participation and guiding him through the city and into the competition venue. The hostile reception inside hints that he has rivals or has fallen out of favor.
• Wang Changqing accompanies them and explains the Spirit Disc and the reason for the city’s crowds.
• Naruto’s companions stay behind on the island, paying a temporary residence fee while they learn about the region and plan their next steps.

Significant themes

• Cultural and technological discovery: Naruto encounters unfamiliar crops, local customs, and a tool that lets ordinary guards identify Cultivators.
• Power and confidence: Naruto sees the likely competition opponents as far beneath his group’s abilities, while recognizing the need to prepare for a much stronger enemy.
• Status and social tension: The city’s clothing and servant arrangements reveal visible social hierarchy; the hostility toward Boss Gu suggests political or personal rivalries.
• Transition and exploration: The group uses the stay on Kui Xing Island to acclimate to the Chaotic Star Sea and decide what to do next.

Key plot points and events

• Naruto arrives at a merchant challenge event, escorted into the hall by Wen Qiang, a low-level cultivator who mistakes him for an ordinary Qi Refining practitioner.
• The event’s overseer, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, explains the rules: challengers draw lots, fight one-on-one, and may not kill their opponents. Winners can then challenge established merchants’ representatives.
• Naruto conceals his true Foundation Establishment cultivation with a concealment technique, deliberately appearing to be at Qi Refining level.
• During the draw, he realizes he cannot read the local writing on his lot but hides his confusion. When his match is called, he steps forward late, claiming he mistook his number.
• Naruto’s opponent, a confident seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator, boasts that Naruto should concede. Naruto dismisses the threat and knocks him unconscious before he can use a magical item.

Character developments

• Naruto remains calm and observant, using concealment and restraint to avoid drawing attention. He is also amused by the mistaken assumptions others make about his strength.
• Wen Qiang is friendly and respectful, but his limited cultivation and experience mean he cannot recognize Naruto’s true level.
• Naruto’s opponent begins arrogant and self-assured, then is swiftly defeated before he can act.
• The overseer is authoritative but inattentive, failing to notice Naruto’s concealed power.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Naruto’s apparent weakness contrasts sharply with his actual abilities.
• Arrogance versus competence: The opponent’s confidence proves useless against Naruto’s speed and skill.
• Underestimation and misjudgment: Nearly everyone in the hall assumes Naruto is an ordinary, inexperienced cultivator.

Character interactions

• Wen Qiang welcomes Naruto and chats with him, expressing admiration for his courage in traveling at such a low cultivation level.
• The overseer gives Naruto and the other challengers instructions but overlooks Naruto’s true cultivation.
• Naruto’s opponent attempts to intimidate him into conceding; Naruto responds casually and defeats him almost instantly.

Plot points and events

• Naruto wins his match against a stronger, middle-aged Cultivator and returns with both bamboo slips. The senior judge appears to recognize how Naruto secured his victory.
• In the next round, the first challengers underestimate their opponents and are badly injured. Several competitors delay their turns, hoping to see how the fights go.
• Naruto challenges a burly sixth-layer Cultivator and emerges unharmed, dragging his charred but barely living opponent from the platform. His decisive win shocks the hall and earns him the other challengers’ respect—and fear.
• After the remaining fighters are also injured, the challengers forfeit. The judge declares Naruto the sole winner and gives him a blue Jade Slip, granting the Gu Family permission to trade on the main island.
• Naruto delivers the slip to Boss Gu, who is elated and promises to honor the family’s agreement. Naruto warns him not to abandon him now that he has fulfilled his role.
• After three days of cultivation, Naruto learns he can apply for permanent residence on Kui Xing Island and receive a Cave Dwelling. He flies to Immortal Mountain, where an unidentified voice recognizes him.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto remains calm and self-assured under pressure. His unexpected strength changes how others treat him, and he takes care to protect his own interests in his dealings with Boss Gu.
• Boss Gu shifts from disbelief to delight at Naruto’s success, showing both gratitude and anxiety as he clutches the valuable Jade Slip.
• The challengers grow cautious after seeing early opponents badly wounded. Naruto’s victory intensifies their alarm, and they ultimately choose to forfeit rather than risk defeat.
• The old judge watches Naruto with apparent understanding and little surprise, while Wen Qiang is openly stunned by Naruto’s performance.

Significant themes

• Strength commands respect: Naruto’s display of power immediately changes the competitors’ behavior.
• Prudence versus pride: Several Cultivators avoid fights once the danger becomes clear, while early challengers pay for underestimating their opponents.
• Trust and self-interest: Naruto’s warning to Boss Gu underscores that their arrangement depends on mutual obligations.
• Advancement and belonging: Winning secures the Gu Family’s trading opportunity and opens Naruto’s path to permanent residence and a place to cultivate.

Key plot points and events

• Naruto, fresh from defeating one of Kui Xing Island’s guards, runs into Wen Qiang, who explains that the guards are unusually battle-hardened despite their modest cultivation.
• Wen Qiang escorts Naruto toward the Immortal Ascension Pavilion and describes Green Cloud Mountain: its many cultivation sites, the contest for its richest peaks, and the restricted main peaks.
• Naruto learns that Island Master Wood Dragon is a mid-Core Formation Cultivator, while deputy island masters Yuan Jun and Kan Qin are early-Core Formation Cultivators and cultivation partners. The island’s powerful leadership gives Naruto pause.
• They reach the pavilion, whose shabby exterior contrasts sharply with its lavish interior. Wen Qiang warns Naruto that the official in charge has a strange temperament and departs.
• Naruto meets the haggard, extravagantly dressed official, a Late Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He asks whether Naruto has a sponsor, then examines the Gu Family’s signed document. The chapter ends as the official studies Naruto.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto remains polite and composed, but his surprise at the island’s powerful residents gives way to strategic interest in its cultivation opportunities. He is cautious around the pavilion official, recognizing the man’s strength.
• Wen Qiang acts as Naruto’s guide, sharing local knowledge and offering practical help. His warning about the official suggests he knows the man’s unsettling reputation.
• The pavilion official is introduced as physically haggard yet powerful, with an eccentric, opulent presentation. His scrutiny of Naruto leaves their reception uncertain.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Access to the best cultivation grounds depends on status and strength, while formidable leaders dominate the island.
• Appearance versus reality: The pavilion’s ruinous exterior conceals extravagant luxury, mirroring the gap between appearances and underlying power.
• Opportunity and uncertainty: Naruto arrives seeking a place to cultivate, but the island’s rules—and the official’s temperament—may complicate his plans.

Key plot points and events

• A middle-aged Cultivator confronts Naruto over defeating a member of the island guard, who is revealed to be his disciple. He demands a rematch in five years but says he will not pursue the dispute afterward.
• Naruto receives a blue jade pendant that offers some protection from water, along with a map showing available cultivation sites. Qi Refining Cultivators cannot claim mountain peaks, but may choose other vacant locations.
• Naruto asks about Little Ring Island, a remote island with a small spirit vein, a town, and a protective Formation. The Cultivator warns that its spiritual energy is much weaker than the main island’s, and Naruto would have to pay to maintain its defenses.
• Despite these drawbacks, Naruto chooses Little Ring Island. The Cultivator records the choice and gives him a Jade Slip proving his claim and listing the island’s residents.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto remains composed through the confrontation and does not respond to the Cultivator’s provocation. His choice of Little Ring Island suggests he values independence and privacy over faster cultivation, and he acts decisively despite the costs.
• The middle-aged Cultivator is openly disdainful of Naruto and expects him to regret his choice. Though he shows hostility and hints at danger, he holds back from acting on it.
• Their exchange is tense: the Cultivator pressures and warns Naruto, while Naruto calmly asks practical questions and commits to his decision.

Significant themes

• Independence versus advantage: Naruto accepts slower cultivation and financial burdens in exchange for control over his own territory.
• Power, status, and rivalry: The five-year rematch frames Naruto’s victory as a lingering challenge to the Cultivator’s authority and pride.
• Hidden strength and judgment: Naruto conceals his true ability, while the Cultivator underestimates him and assumes his choice will end in failure.

Plot and events

• Naruto leaves Qingyun Mountain with Han Li, Hinata, and the others, buys a map, and travels to Little Ring Island to establish a cultivation base.
• He confirms his authority with the town elder using a Jade Slip. Since the townspeople can contribute little toward the island’s protective formation, Naruto supplies enough Spirit Stones to maintain it for a year and promises to fund it annually.
• Naruto chooses the island’s lower, broader peak for an apparent Cave Dwelling, but secretly digs a tunnel beneath the mountain and across to the taller peak. There he builds a sealed, hidden Cave Dwelling modeled on his former home.
• To protect both peaks, he has Xin Ruyin install the Reversing Five Elements Formation, the Sky Wind Rampaging Formation, and the Illusory Form Heavenly Net Formation. The defenses should deter all but a direct assault by a Core Formation cultivator.
• Inside the true dwelling, the group plants medicinal herbs and creates specialized rooms for raising insects, housing the white spiders and the Wood Clone’s Exotic Insects behind restrictive seals.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto acts decisively as the new master of Little Ring Island, reassuring the elder while privately recognizing that he will bear nearly all the formation’s cost. His caution also shows in the concealed dwelling, decoy site, and layered defenses.
• The town elder and fishermen greet Naruto deferentially and accept his authority; the elder is grateful for Naruto’s support.
• Naruto relies on Xin Ruyin’s expertise to set up the formations and directs his companions’ work on the dwelling, herb garden, and insect rooms.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and security: A decoy Cave Dwelling, hidden passage, sealed true base, and overlapping formations protect Naruto’s plans.
• Preparation and self-reliance: Naruto invests in defenses and facilities before settling into cultivation.
• Leadership and responsibility: Although the islanders’ contribution is negligible, Naruto funds the protective formation and assumes responsibility for the community’s safety.

Key events

• Naruto, Han Li, and their companions settle into separate cave dwellings on Little Ring Island, each contributing through cultivation, crafting, formations, or raising creatures.
• They remain secluded for more than twenty years. The islanders adapt to the mist surrounding the peaks and learn not to enter it. Naruto still quietly supplies the town’s protective formation with Spirit Stones, earning the residents’ goodwill.
• On Sea Ape Island, a dramatic spiritual phenomenon marks Qi Yunxiao’s successful Core Formation. A cold warning keeps curious cultivators away, though many settle nearby hoping to meet the new expert.
• Qi Yunxiao is revealed to be the last of Naruto’s group to break through. Naruto, Hinata, Karin, Xin Ruyin, and the five elemental clones had all completed Core Formation over the preceding two years.
• The Ink Flood Dragon has also advanced to fourth rank, equivalent to early Core Formation. Han Li, by contrast, has only reached late Foundation Establishment, partly because Naruto has claimed many resources and opportunities.
• With supplies nearly exhausted, Naruto leads the group—and brings Han Li along in hopes he might encounter useful opportunities—to Kui Xing Island.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto’s group has become a formidable force: ten early-Core Formation cultivators and a fourth-rank beast. Naruto remains protective of his secrecy and prefers isolation, but continues to support the islanders from a distance.
• Han Li’s progress is comparatively slow, creating a marked disparity between him and Naruto’s companions. Naruto’s decision to bring him along also shows his continued interest in benefiting from Han Li’s luck and opportunities.
• The townspeople have grown accustomed to the immortals’ presence and regard Naruto favorably because he respects their daily lives and reliably funds their defenses.
• Rogue cultivators are eager to approach the newly formed expert, but Qi Yunxiao’s group firmly discourages them.

Significant themes

• Time and cultivation: Decades pass almost unnoticed during secluded training, producing dramatic changes in the cultivators’ strength.
• Seclusion and boundaries: Naruto’s group maintains its privacy, while the surrounding people learn how to coexist with the mysterious mist.
• Power and unequal progress: The group’s breakthroughs contrast sharply with Han Li’s slower advancement, highlighting how access to resources shapes cultivation.
• Reputation and mutual benefit: Naruto’s quiet aid wins local goodwill, while the new Core Formation cultivator’s power attracts both fear and ambition.

Key plot points and events

• Naruto and his nine companions travel by Divine Wind Boat toward Kui Xing City, the island’s enormous central city. Its flight-restricting seal forces them to land before entering.
• After reaching the northern district, they discover that “Heavenly Capital Street” is a vast, barrier-enclosed shopping district—not a single street—and marvel at the emerald Cloud Dream Pavilion floating above it.
• Naruto and the others conceal their true strength, lowering their displayed cultivation to late Foundation Establishment.
• They meet two attractive rogue cultivators, Yanli and Yuan Yao, who offer to guide them. Naruto recognizes them as the “two future ghost cultivators,” though he does not reveal this.
• The group follows the women through the busy shopping district toward the central plaza, expecting the major shops to be located beneath the pavilion. They find the pavilion’s doors closed.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto is cautious and deliberately avoids drawing attention, both by landing rather than resisting the city’s seal and by disguising the group’s cultivation.
• Yanli introduces herself and her friend Yuan Yao as visitors seeking rare materials. Yuan Yao makes the offer to act as a guide, while the three men accompanying them react with jealousy but defer to Naruto’s stronger group.
• Naruto’s five elemental clones eagerly flirt and joke with the women before the party continues.
• The companions share Naruto’s curiosity about the city and its striking floating pavilion.

Significant themes

• Concealment and strategy: Naruto’s group hides its power to avoid unwanted attention.
• Appearance and influence: The women’s beauty and bold dress shape the men’s reactions and help them take the lead as guides.
• Wonder at cultivation-world spectacle: Kui Xing City, its immense shopping district, and the airborne pavilion emphasize the scale and marvels of the setting.

Key plot points and events

• Naruto and his companions arrive at Heavenly Capital Street, where six specialty shops stand around a square. Since each attracts similar crowds, Naruto realizes the shops likely specialize in different goods, as their banners suggest.
• The group visits Whitewater Tower, whose attendant assumes they want high-grade Magical Artifacts. Naruto agrees to meet the shopkeeper, though the displayed items are beneath the group’s interest.
• The group has concealed their true strength, appearing to be Late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Naruto’s nine companions besides Han Li have secretly reached Core Formation; Han Li remains at Late Foundation Establishment.
• The group’s real purpose is to help Han Li prepare for Core Formation. He asks shopkeeper Cao about Snow Spirit Water and Heavenly Fire Liquid, two resources he needs.
• Cao contacts Ouyang of Jade Ring Residence. Ouyang arrives carrying enough of both substances for two attempts at Core Formation and congratulates Han Li.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto acts as the group’s cautious guide, assessing the shops and letting Han Li handle the negotiation so Han Li can encounter the opportunity they expect.
• Han Li remains polite and guarded, explaining his needs without revealing the group’s background.
• Shopkeeper Cao is helpful and sociable, but his questions about their origins and sect affiliations make the group wary.
• Ouyang presents himself as hearty and generous, yet his attention to Naruto suggests he senses Naruto’s strength. The group suspects both shopkeepers may be more calculating than they appear.
• Han Li does not know that his companions have already reached Core Formation, underscoring the group’s concealed strength and their effort to protect his anonymity.

Significant themes

• Concealed strength and strategic caution: The group hides its cultivation and gives strangers little information.
• Commerce and opportunity: The shops’ specialties and the resources Han Li needs turn a routine market visit into a possible breakthrough.
• Loyalty and support: Naruto and the others accompany Han Li to help him make his attempt at Core Formation.

Key plot points and events

• Cao Lu and the burly man offer Han Li two rare cultivation aids: Snow Spirit Water and Heavenly Fire Liquid. Han Li suspects the gift comes with strings attached and refuses to accept it without knowing what they want.
• The men admit that the Six-Linked Hall is recruiting help to kill a level-six Demonic Beast and obtain its demon core. They need six false-core cultivators; five have already agreed.
• They promise each participant a Dustfall Pill, said to improve the chances of Core Formation. The hunt will also involve two Core Formation-stage guest elders and the Six-Escape Water Wave Formation.
• Wary of the danger, Han Li asks for two days to decide. The merchants let him keep the two liquids regardless of his answer.
• After leaving, Han Li decides to shop at smaller stores rather than visit the other Six-Linked Hall establishments. Naruto agrees to remain with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li is cautious and pragmatic: he recognizes that the valuable “gift” is an inducement, refuses to commit before learning the task, and delays his decision after hearing the risks. His desire to improve his Core Formation prospects nevertheless makes the offer tempting.
• Naruto supports Han Li’s choices and stays close, while the group’s prior experience with Core Formation resources gives them more knowledge of the Dustfall Pill than Han Li has.
• Cao Lu and the burly man shift from feigned generosity to a candid recruitment pitch once Han Li sees through their motives. They use both valuable materials and the promised pill to persuade him, but accept his hesitation without hostility.

Significant themes

• Caution in a world of bargains: seemingly generous gifts may conceal obligations, so Han Li insists on learning the terms.
• Ambition versus danger: the Dustfall Pill could aid Core Formation, but the mission pits cultivators against a formidable beast.
• Trust and negotiation: the exchange remains polite, yet both sides carefully manage their interests.

Key plot points and events

• Han Li finishes shopping in Kui Xing City, buying medicinal seeds and several pill formulas. He is astonished to find that higher-grade pills in the Chaotic Star Sea are made mainly from demonic-beast cores, with spirit herbs serving only as supplementary ingredients. He buys a few formulas, including a version of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula that substitutes fifth-rank beast cores for rare herbs used in Tian Nan.
• He also buys books on unfamiliar water-based spells and a reference work describing the Dustfall Pill, which he wants to study before deciding whether to fulfill the Six-Linked Hall’s request.
• Han Li, Naruto, and their companions leave the city and travel to Gu Family Manor. Rather than fly directly into the estate, they approach its gate out of courtesy.
• The guards recognize Naruto and Han as the long-awaited “immortal masters.” Boss Gu greets them warmly, gives them a large bag of Spirit Stones, and introduces younger members of his family—especially his eldest son, Gu Kai.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li is surprised by the Chaotic Star Sea’s distinctive pill-making tradition and reflects on how its abundant demonic beasts have shaped local cultivation. He remains practical, gathering information before deciding whether to help the Six-Linked Hall.
• Naruto explains why demonic-beast cores are so commonly used: the sea’s vast population of beasts makes them an abundant resource. He also greets Boss Gu with warmth when they meet again.
• Boss Gu is now visibly aged and frail, but still treats Naruto and Han with deep respect. By presenting his family and offering Spirit Stones, he appears to be seeking their goodwill and hoping they will support the Gu family after he is gone.

Significant themes

• Different environments shape different traditions: The Chaotic Star Sea’s plentiful demonic beasts have led to pill formulas unlike those of Tian Nan.
• Knowledge and careful judgment: Han Li collects manuals and studies the Dustfall Pill before committing to a potentially consequential request.
• Age, legacy, and obligation: Boss Gu’s frailty and introductions to his heirs suggest concern for the family’s future and a hope that old connections may endure.

Plot points and events

• After Naruto declines Boss Gu’s banquet, he and his companions leave Gu Family Manor and settle at an inn. Naruto explains the rare Dustfall Pill to Han Li: it offers a small but valuable boost to the chance of reaching Core Formation, but obtaining it requires scarce beast cores and herbs.
• Naruto warns that the Six-Linked Hall’s generous offer likely signals danger. Han Li nevertheless accepts the mission, hoping to secure the pill and build useful connections in the Chaotic Star Sea. He plans to investigate the Hall’s reputation first.
• Half a month later, Naruto and Han Li board a large ship bound for the area where Demonic Beasts have been appearing. They are greeted by captain Luo Zheng; Cao Lu, the manager of Whitewater Tower, sees them off.
• Aboard, they meet Feng Sanniang and four other cultivators, who are preparing to practice the Six-Escape Water Wave Formation they will oversee. Feng introduces Mao and his Dao companion Xue, as well as the reclusive Qing Suanzi and the powerful Yan.
• Mao questions Naruto’s standing in a dismissive way. Naruto calmly counters that he is new to Kui Xing Island and has never heard of Mao either. Feng quickly redirects the conversation, and Qing Suanzi and Yan greet Naruto cordially.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li is strongly motivated by the Dustfall Pill and chooses to accept the risk despite Naruto’s warning. He also thinks strategically about verifying the Six-Linked Hall and gaining a foothold in the region.
• Naruto acts as Han Li’s protector and adviser, offering candid warnings and stepping in front of him when the other cultivators’ attention turns their way. He remains composed when challenged.
• Feng Sanniang demonstrates social skill by welcoming the newcomers and smoothing over Mao’s insult before it can escalate.
• Mao is arrogant and immediately antagonistic toward Naruto; Naruto refuses to be intimidated. Qing Suanzi and Yan, by contrast, are respectful and approachable.

Significant themes

• Risk versus reward: Han Li is willing to face uncertain danger for even a slight improvement in his chances of advancement.
• Caution and trust: The group recognizes that a valuable reward may conceal a hazardous mission and that alliances must be assessed carefully.
• Composure and diplomacy: Naruto’s measured response and Feng Sanniang’s tact keep a tense first meeting from turning into open conflict.

Key plot points and events

• A middle-aged scholar abruptly leaves a planning meeting, offended or uncomfortable, while his young wife follows. Yan criticizes his arrogance.
• Naruto and Han Li learn that another invited cultivator, Dou, is still in seclusion. Feng Sanniang explains the Still Water Formation; she is a rare formation master. Naruto pretends not to know it, though he has already studied it.
• The group spends several days practicing the Six-Escape Water Wave Formation’s variations at sea so they can trap the target reliably. After a month, they reach a desolate island.
• Elder Miao, a Core Formation cultivator, meets them there. He explains that Elder Gu is engaging the beast and that the group must operate the prepared formation when it is lured into the trap the next morning.
• Qing Suanzi presses Feng Sanniang to reveal what they are hunting. She discloses that the target is an Infant Carp Beast, prompting alarm among the other cultivators.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Sanniang takes charge of the preparations, patiently training the group and reassuring Elder Miao that they have mastered the formation. Her earlier questioning of Naruto suggests particular interest in him, though her motives remain unclear.
• Naruto is direct and observant, asking who is missing, but conceals his prior knowledge of the formation.
• Han Li remains quiet and watchful, noting Feng’s attention to Naruto and recognizing Elder Miao’s formidable cultivation.
• The scholar initially clashes with the group but returns for the formation briefing. At Elder Miao’s arrival, he eagerly ingratiates himself, irritating the others.
• Qing Suanzi finally challenges Feng’s secrecy, prompting the revelation about the target.
• Elder Miao is formal and commanding, yet rewards the group’s cooperation with a reassuring, kindly manner.

Significant themes

• Preparation and coordination: The group’s repeated practice emphasizes that success depends on teamwork and mastery of the formation.
• Secrecy and trust: The Six-Linked Hall withholds the target’s identity until the group reaches the island, raising questions about how much the helpers have been told.
• Power and status: The cultivators defer to Elder Miao, while the scholar’s eagerness to please him exposes the social tensions within the group.
• Foreshadowing and danger: The strong reaction to the Infant Carp Beast signals that the coming hunt is far more perilous—and politically significant—than an ordinary beast hunt.

Key plot points and events

• The group confronts Feng Sanniang over the danger of hunting the Infant Carp Beast, whose water-based powers make it exceptionally formidable despite being only grade six.
• Feng Sanniang defends the Six-Linked Hall’s description of the beast, then offers each participant an extra thousand spirit stones—on top of the promised Dustfall Pill—for keeping the mission secret. Most accept the compensation; the middle-aged scholar remains uneasy but is silenced by his companion.
• After resting overnight, the hunters assemble at sea and take positions around a prepared formation, each carrying a blue ritual flag.
• Two cultivators flee toward the trap, pursued by a vast bank of white mist. The mist conceals the Infant Carp Beast and carries its eerie cries and rumbling thunder.
• On Feng Sanniang’s signal, the hunters conceal themselves. Once the beast enters the formation, a blue barrier springs up around the mist, and the group channels their flags’ power into it.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Sanniang shows both resolve and political skill: she rejects the accusation of deception, then appeases the uneasy hunters with added payment and directs the operation.
• The middle-aged scholar openly challenges her, while the other rogue cultivators share his distrust but hesitate to confront the Six-Linked Hall. His young companion quietly persuades him to hold back.
• Han Li remains observant and wary, monitoring Naruto and watching the approaching threat. Naruto appears calm and smiles despite the danger.
• The fleeing cultivators, including Elder Miao and Brother Gu, draw the beast toward the ambush; Elder Miao fears its Water Astral Divine Thunder.

Significant themes

• Trust and secrecy: The hunters recognize that the Six-Linked Hall withheld important information, raising doubts about the mission’s fairness.
• Risk and reward: Extra payment and a valuable pill help persuade the cultivators to accept a dangerous task.
• Preparation and cooperation: The formation depends on the group acting in unison, though the threat’s true strength remains uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• Elder Miao and Elder Gu arrive and begin preparing two ancient bronze dagger-axes, while the others keep the Infant Carp Beast trapped in a formation.
• The beast unleashes its Water Astral Divine Thunder. The formation redirects some of the attack, but the barrage heavily strains the barrier and the cultivators holding it.
• The beast then gathers mist, thunder, and waves into a massive assault. The wave smashes through the formation gate defended by a middle-aged scholar and a young married woman, breaking the barrier and injuring the cultivators maintaining it.
• As the formation collapses, the scholar and woman flee. Elder Miao and Elder Gu strike with their enlarged dagger-axes, pinning the beast to the sea and ending its attack.
• With the mist dispersed, the beast’s strange form is revealed: a baby-faced, blue carp-like creature with human hands and winglike fins. Each hand holds a gleaming treasure.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li is startled by the beast’s strength and pushes himself to his limits to support the formation. After the barrier breaks, he replenishes his magical power and studies the subdued creature.
• Feng Sanniang recognizes the Water Astral Divine Thunder, rallies the cultivators, and sacrifices blood essence to strengthen her contribution to the barrier.
• Elder Miao and Elder Gu work in tandem, preparing and launching the dagger-axes that subdue the beast.
• The middle-aged scholar and young woman defend their section together, then escape as soon as the formation fails.
• Naruto remains relaxed beside Han Li, in sharp contrast to the danger and alarm around them.

Significant themes

• The scene emphasizes the overwhelming danger of powerful demonic beasts and the high cost of confronting them.
• Cooperation and coordinated action are essential, but even a well-maintained formation can fail under extreme pressure.
• The beast’s grotesque, almost childlike appearance contrasts with its lethal power and the valuable treasures it carries.

Key plot points and events

• Elders Miao and Gu use the Qian Tian Halberds to pin the Infant Carp Beast to the sea, but the effort leaves them badly exhausted.
• As the elders approach to kill it, a surge of Mysterious Yin Demonic Qi freezes the surrounding sea and beast. Wu Chou arrives with two women and claims the beast’s demon core as a gift for his grandfather, Ji Yin Patriarch.
• Wu Chou’s announcement that Ji Yin is emerging from seclusion frightens the Six-Linked Hall elders and the other cultivators. He says his grandfather has completed a powerful demonic cultivation.
• The Six-Linked Hall hesitates to challenge Wu Chou: its elders are weakened, while Wu Chou is a formidable cultivator backed by the notorious Ji Yin.
• Wu Chou ignores Elder Gu’s request to leave the demon core for the hall and begins harvesting the beast. He retrieves an azure pearl and takes a severed wrist with its Blue Coral. Elder Gu then privately contacts him.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Chou acts arrogantly, using his grandfather’s reputation to intimidate the Six-Linked Hall and take the beast’s spoils.
• Elders Miao and Gu shift from confidence after defeating the beast to alarm and caution. Gu tries to negotiate a compromise but cannot stop Wu Chou openly.
• Feng Sanniang is displeased but holds back, recognizing that her group is not bound to fight for the hall.
• Qing Suanzi and the other helpers retreat from the conflict, unwilling to risk confronting Wu Chou.
• Han Li stays quiet and observes. Naruto watches with a cold, calculating interest, noting the black qi’s resemblance to other demonic powers and the connection to the Mysterious Yin Scripture.
• Wu Chou’s two companions guard against the elders while he searches the beast, underscoring the tense standoff.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Ji Yin’s name is enough to make experienced cultivators hesitate.
• Pragmatism and self-preservation: The helpers withdraw rather than fight a dangerous battle that is not theirs.
• Humiliation and political standing: The Six-Linked Hall must weigh the value of the demon core against the damage to its authority if it yields.
• Force overriding negotiation: Wu Chou’s actions show that his claim rests less on agreement than on intimidation.

Plot points and events

• Elder Gu and Elder Miao exchange secret messages with Wu Chou. Wu Chou demands proof, and Elder Gu gives him a ghost-emblem token.
• Qing Suanzi recognizes the danger and flees. Han Li, realizing something is wrong, takes Naruto and escapes aboard the Divine Wind Boat.
• Elder Gu and Elder Miao pursue the fugitives, while Wu Chou attacks Feng Sanniang and the others with a wave of Yin Wind to silence them.
• Elder Gu catches up with Han Li and Naruto. Han Li prepares to fight, but Naruto steps forward and tells him to wait.
• Naruto uses lightning to bind Elder Gu and sends a small black-and-gold bolt into his forehead, killing the Core Formation cultivator in one move.

Character developments

• Han Li reacts quickly to the threat, but recognizes that escape may be impossible and prepares to fight. Naruto’s effortless victory leaves him stunned.
• Naruto reveals overwhelming power, defeating an opponent of a much higher cultivation level without assistance.
• Qing Suanzi shows that he understands the danger and prioritizes escape.
• Elder Gu and Elder Miao drop their composed façade when challenged, revealing their readiness to kill witnesses.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden identities: The elders’ secret exchange suggests that appearances and affiliations are not what they seem.
• Survival and rapid judgment: Qing Suanzi and Han Li both act decisively when they sense danger.
• Unexpected power: Naruto’s victory overturns expectations about the gap between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators.

Character interactions

• Wu Chou openly demands proof from Elder Gu, prompting the token’s reveal and alarming the onlookers.
• Han Li notices Qing Suanzi fleeing and immediately escapes with Naruto.
• Elder Gu pursues Han Li and Naruto, while Elder Miao goes after Qing Suanzi; Wu Chou targets those left behind.
• Han Li readies his artifacts to defend them, but Naruto takes the lead and kills Elder Gu, leaving Han Li shocked.

Plot points and events

• After reaching Core Formation, Naruto has greatly improved his powers, combining Kamui with Flying Thunder God techniques and augmenting his attacks with divine lightning and wind. He overwhelms Elder Gu, leaving Han Li astonished at how far Naruto has surpassed him.
• Naruto searches Elder Gu’s Storage Pouch. Among its contents are Spirit Stones, talismans, a level-five Demonic Beast core, and five Dustfall Pills.
• Naruto gives the Dustfall Pills to Han Li, who accepts them gratefully and vows to repay him. Han Li plans to find a spiritually suitable island and enter the lengthy, difficult seclusion required to attempt Core Formation.
• Hinata, Karin, and the clones return after dealing with Elder Miao and Wu Chou. Karin reports that Miao had little treasure, while Wu Chou was rich; their loot restores resources depleted during years of cultivation.
• Naruto’s dormant system suddenly restarts and announces that it will forcibly open a space-time passage in ten seconds, requiring him to return to the Naruto World. Naruto tells his companions, but has no time to say goodbye to Xin Ruyin or Qi Yunxiao before he, Hinata, Karin, and the clones disappear.

Character developments and interactions

• Naruto’s Core Formation breakthrough marks a major leap in strength and confidence. He uses the spoils from defeated enemies practically, while generously giving Han Li the pills he needs.
• Han Li feels the sting of being outpaced but turns it into resolve: he intends to cultivate until he can reach Core Formation himself. Naruto’s gift gives him a better chance, and Han Li promises to repay it with valuable Millennium Spirit Herbs.
• Karin’s lively report contrasts with the chapter’s sudden, serious ending; the group’s successful looting offers a brief sense of recovery before Naruto is abruptly taken away.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and unequal progress: Naruto’s advancement highlights how differently companions can progress, motivating Han Li to push forward.
• Generosity and reciprocity: Naruto helps Han Li with a rare, valuable resource, establishing an expected future exchange.
• Uncertainty and sudden change: Just as the group seems settled and resupplied, the system’s command abruptly disrupts their plans and separates them from allies.
• A transitional ending: The chapter closes Naruto’s current stretch in the Cultivation World with an involuntary return to his original world.