Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan faces Pei Shiyu, a prodigy whose lightning-based swordsmanship and four-line Imago are considered far superior to Xu Yuan’s newly devised, two-line Imago.
• Xu Yuan openly calls himself a “touchstone,” encouraging Pei to demonstrate his full strength while insisting he will win in the end. Pei takes the provocation and unleashes his Imago, overwhelming Xu Yuan’s many flying swords.
• Xu Yuan reunites the swords into his great sword, End of the World, and reveals an Imago that reproduces two lines of Pei’s own verse. Pei realizes Xu has been studying and copying his swordsmanship through their exchange.
• Pei attacks Xu and sends him into the night sky, dismissing the imitation as a hollow copy. Xu disappears into a cloud, then reveals that he, too, has reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.
• Xu tries to form a new technique from what he has learned, but lacks the Spiritual Power to complete it. The chapter ends with the outcome unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows astonishing confidence, unusual control of his flying swords, and an ability to learn and reproduce another cultivator’s swordsmanship during combat. His ambition exceeds his current power: he has grasped a new insight but cannot yet execute it.
• Pei Shiyu begins as a proud, composed challenger, convinced his inherited and painstakingly cultivated Imago is unbeatable. Xu’s imitation shocks him, though Pei still believes Xu has not mastered the real power behind it.
• Fu Xiuyi shifts from criticizing the unequal preparation Xu received to recognizing his exceptional potential. She and the emperor share a toast to the rising talent of Luofu’s new class.
• The emperor acknowledges Pei’s formidable preparation but remains interested in what Xu may reveal. Their conversation with Fu Xiuyi highlights the contrast between Pei’s years of training and Xu’s apparent, spontaneous talent.
• Lu Yiyi and Lu Qingxuan recognize Xu’s limitation: he understands a powerful new technique but lacks the Spiritual Power to bring it forth.

Significant themes

• Talent versus cultivation: Pei represents disciplined, accumulated mastery; Xu represents extraordinary adaptability and intuition.
• Imitation and understanding: Xu’s copying is more than mimicry—he probes Pei’s methods and reconstructs part of his Imago, though understanding alone does not guarantee execution.
• Confidence and spectacle: Xu’s audacious certainty unsettles Pei and captivates the crowd, turning their duel into a public test of ability.
• Potential constrained by resources: Xu’s insight reaches beyond his current Spiritual Power, leaving a gap between what he can comprehend and what he can wield.

Key plot points and events

• As his debate with Pei Shiyu reaches its apparent end, Xu Yuan unexpectedly attempts Foundation Establishment in midair—without a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• He withstands the first two tribulation bolts: he redirects the first with a delicate sword stroke and splits the second with a powerful slash.
• The second bolt triggers an inner-demon vision in which Xu Yuan imagines losing his powers and returning to an ordinary life on Earth. He accepts each setback calmly, revealing a deep capacity to adapt.
• In the vision, Xu Yuan perceives the Universe’s “Dimensions” and understands a profound truth about how creation works in Whisper. He then faces the third, most dangerous bolt.
• Drawing on his brief study of Pei Shiyu’s sword intent, Xu Yuan releases countless Flying Swords to meet the final strike. When the clouds clear, he has successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Yuan unveils a vast, star-filled sword Imago shaped by lines from the poem “A Moonlit Night on the Spring River.” Its overwhelming force breaks Pei Shiyu’s Imago, disarms him, and leaves Qiong Iron at his throat. Xu Yuan wins their contest.
• Pei Shiyu asks how Xu formed such an extraordinary Imago. Xu says he thought it up on the spot, stunning the crowd. He then invites the freshmen to challenge him, reaffirming that he is their “touchstone.”

Character developments

• Xu Yuan proves himself both extraordinarily gifted and composed under pressure. His calm acceptance of the inner-demon vision, rapid insight into the Universe, and ability to create a powerful Imago show that his strength comes from adaptability and imagination as much as technique.
• Pei Shiyu is revealed as a disciplined, formidable swordsman whose Imago was built through years of practice and travel. Though defeated, he acknowledges Xu’s achievement and withdraws respectfully.
• Jiang Xueyao and Yang Xiaobing react with awe and concern as Xu undergoes tribulation; witnessing his breakthrough leaves them deeply impressed.
• Fu Xiuyi tries to appear composed about Xu’s success, but her pride is obvious. The emperor notices and is amused.

Significant themes

• Adaptability in the face of loss: Xu Yuan’s inner trial suggests that identity and purpose can survive even when power or success disappears.
• Creation through perception and imagination: Xu’s understanding of the Universe and his poetic Imago connect observation, insight, memory, and creative power.
• Effort versus innate brilliance: Pei Shiyu’s decade of training is contrasted with Xu Yuan’s ability to improvise a winning Imago, highlighting their very different paths to greatness.
• Ambition and challenge: Xu treats hardship as an opportunity and, even after a major breakthrough, immediately seeks his next opponent.

Character interactions

• Xu and Pei’s debate becomes a direct contest of sword intent. Xu studies Pei’s technique during their confrontation, then defeats him with an Imago that combines imitation, innovation, and overwhelming force.
• Pei questions Xu’s seemingly impossible claim that he invented the Imago on the spot; Xu answers matter-of-factly, leaving Pei—and the audience—speechless.
• Jiang Xueyao and Yang Xiaobing share their anxious excitement, while Fu Xiuyi and the emperor exchange knowing reactions to Xu’s breakthrough and its effect on the gathering.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan successfully breaks through to Foundation Establishment, gaining a major increase in strength, vitality, reflexes, and mental speed. However, he cannot yet awaken his Dimension System’s second-tier ability, “Righteous to the Point of Evil.” He must reach the Middle Stage first.
• No one dares challenge him after his demonstration. His sigh is mistaken for disappointment at having no worthy opponents, reinforcing the impression that he is a lonely, formidable master. His mentor, Headmaster Fu Xiuyi, proudly sends him off to rest.
• The other new students learn that Xu Yuan is Fu Xiuyi’s disciple and reconsider the gulf between their prospects and his. The Dao-discussion continues, and several students are selected after competing.
• The emperor and Fu Xiuyi compare stories about reaching Foundation Establishment as teenagers. Their conversation puts Xu Yuan’s breakthrough in perspective and eases the crowd’s unease.
• After the gathering, Xu Yuan agrees to meet Yang Xiaobing and Jiang Xueyao for breakfast—but misunderstands, thinking they mean the canteen. They remind him that he must first complete registration and move into his assigned dorm.
• Jiang Xueyao gives Xu Yuan a pouch and a teleportation disc connecting Luofu with North River, so he can continue fulfilling his duties as a Guest Retainer of the Jiang Residence.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan is newly powerful but remains modest and obedient toward his mentor. He jokes and flirts with Yang Xiaobing, while his obliviousness about university procedures provides comic relief.
• Yang Xiaobing is affectionate and playful with Xu Yuan, though she insists they are not yet dating. She says she will devote herself to cultivation and meet Xu Yuan at the Summit; even if she falls short, she will accept that she did her best.
• Jiang Xueyao teases the pair and imagines their future marriage, offering them a home, a cultivation array, and a godfather for their child. Beneath the jokes, he worries about Yang Xiaobing’s future and envies her freedom to choose her path.
• Fu Xiuyi takes obvious pride in Xu Yuan, while the emperor treats the new student’s achievement as understandable in light of the exceptional talent of those around him.

Significant themes

• Ambition and limits: Xu Yuan’s breakthrough is impressive, but his desired ability remains beyond reach until he grows stronger.
• Humility amid achievement: Xu Yuan’s restrained conduct contrasts with the crowd’s increasingly grand image of him.
• Freedom versus obligation: Yang Xiaobing can pursue cultivation and love on her own terms, while Jiang Xueyao feels constrained by family status and arranged expectations.
• Youth and uncertainty: The chapter closes on the recognition that people assume they have time, while the future can arrive quickly and change their choices.

Key plot points and events

• On her first day at Luofu, Yang Xiaobing remembers Xu Yuan’s promise that she will become a great cultivator and resolves to work hard. She and Jiang Xueyao compare dorm rooms and plan to meet later, though Jiang must go home first. Yang arrives at her room, where three roommates silently size her up.
• Xu Yuan receives a call from Sun Changfei, Luofu’s senior disciple, urging him to stay at the top of his class. After Xu tactfully describes his family’s financial hardship and weak background, Sun arranges a million spirit stones in support: a grant, an interest-free loan, and a personal gift. Sun also gives Xu permission to leave campus freely while training his sword technique.
• Xu remembers that his sword technique is due for testing, but has little time: he must also prepare for the urgent Nine Nether Prefecture Selection challenge. He leaves the dorm and travels to Heavenly Palace Entertainment Tower.
• There, Xu encounters Qi Canghai, the organization’s president, and Bai Yuanze. Qi asks about Xu’s recent kills. Xu confronts him over the organization’s failure to protect him after his father’s death and the repeated attempts on his life by fellow agents. Qi concedes the organization was wrong and says Xu was justified in killing them.
• Bai then reveals that Ninefold Nether is nearing the Mortal Realm and that their dimensions are about to overlap. Xu realizes the long-anticipated invasion is imminent.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Xiaobing draws motivation from Xu’s faith in her and begins her school life with determination. Her new roommates’ chilly scrutiny hints at possible social friction.
• Xu Yuan uses tact and leverage to secure support from Sun, while remaining focused on competing demands. He also stands up forcefully to Qi, insisting that the organization answer for its treatment of his family.
• Sun Changfei initially seems severe, but proves generous and responsible, taking care of Xu’s finances and training access. Lu Qingxuan’s contribution—and the Commandery Princess’s hidden financial support—surprises Sun and prompts his envy of Xu’s romantic good fortune.
• Qi Canghai is bluntly confronted by Xu and, when presented with a clear argument, acknowledges the organization’s culpability. Xu also subtly reminds him of an unfulfilled promise of a reward.
• Bai Yuanze serves as the messenger who explains Qi’s visit and delivers the alarming news about Ninefold Nether.

Significant themes

• Merit, support, and opportunity: Xu’s progress is aided not only by talent but by financial and institutional support.
• Accountability and loyalty: Xu argues that an organization cannot expect loyalty if it fails to protect the families of those who serve it.
• Ambition under pressure: Yang’s resolve and Xu’s crowded schedule reflect the effort required to advance amid competing demands.
• Imminent catastrophe: The approaching dimensional overlap shifts the story from personal and school concerns toward a looming invasion.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan asks All Things Unity Society leaders Qi Canghai and Bai Yuanze for access to the organization’s teachings, explaining that despite being one of its most promising young members, he has received almost no instruction or support.
• Qi Canghai accepts the request and gives him a black Heaven-Mending Token, which lets its bearer travel freely through the Ninefold Nether without obstruction from Ghost Entities. Bai Yuanze explains that the token has been recognized for thousands of years.
• Qi also gives Xu two Foundation Establishment Pills and a Formation Disc to reach an upcoming secret meeting. Xu teleports there first.
• Alone, Qi and Bai Yuanze discuss their suspicions about Xu, especially because he is the last known user of Netherworld Passage. They search his room but find nothing.
• Bai Yuanze admits that his poor orders helped derail Xu’s plan to lure the True Crown Prince to the Square. Qi acknowledges that his own distrust and hesitation were the greater cause of the failure.
• Qi reflects on neglecting the organization and resolves to put it in order. He and Bai head to the meeting, where Xu is already waiting among the officers.

Character development

• Xu Yuan confidently advocates for the training and guidance he has been denied, while remaining wary of the organization’s intentions. He is delighted by the token and other gifts, which grant him much greater freedom of movement.
• Qi Canghai shifts from suspicion and defensiveness toward self-reflection. He recognizes that he has neglected both Xu and the organization, and accepts responsibility for a costly mistake.
• Bai Yuanze supports Xu’s request, owns up to his role in the failed operation, and encourages Qi to address the organization’s internal problems.

Significant themes

• Neglect and responsibility: Xu’s lack of support reflects wider failures in the organization’s leadership.
• Trust and suspicion: Qi’s doubts about Xu contributed to a missed opportunity, even as his concerns about Xu’s rare Bloodline remain.
• Belonging and recognition: Xu is formally empowered by the Society, but his ignorance of its traditions shows how distant he has been from it.
• Access and opportunity: The token opens the Ninefold Nether to Xu, expanding his ability to pursue his own goals.

Character interactions

• Xu confronts Qi and Bai with a reasonable demand for training; Bai backs him, and Qi ultimately grants it.
• Qi tests Xu’s behavior by letting him teleport alone, but Xu leaves without hesitation.
• After Xu departs, Qi and Bai debate whether he can be trusted, search his room, and then discuss their shared responsibility for organizational failures.

Key plot points and events

• At an All Things Unity Society meeting, Qi Canghai announces that Ninefold Nether is nearing the Mortal Realm and that the worlds may soon connect. He assigns secret roles and command flags for the coming operation.
• Xu Yuan discovers he can sense Ninefold Nether’s approach, but Qi gives him no assignment, telling him to remain in the Mortal Realm. Xu Yuan privately welcomes the chance to avoid the Society’s plans and focus on his own progress.
• Qi proposes an Oversight Team to monitor commanders. When Xu Yuan is singled out, his “Honor Among Thieves” ability triggers: Qi has unknowingly left an item in Xu’s Heaven-Mending Token. Xu pretends to feel insulted, though the item turns out to be a wanted poster.
• The Society’s concern about Xu’s sudden celebrity status complicates efforts to supervise him. Because he must return to Luofu and attend the Zhou Tian Instrument, the Golden Core observers cannot safely follow. Qi postpones the monitoring.
• Back at the artists’ dormitory, Xu finds an eleven-year-old wanted poster for his father, Xu Chengan. It says Xu Chengan was once a dangerous Netherworld Passage Art user, later reached Abyss Lord strength, and was eventually amnestied.
• Xu sees his father’s figure in his left eye. Xu Chengan warns that Qi will never trust him and may try to strip his skin to exploit his Art. He reveals that Xu is not merely connected to the coming invasion:

Xu himself is the passage between Ninefold Nether and the human world.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows growing supernatural sensitivity, sharp suspicion, and a habit of turning setbacks to his advantage. He remains outwardly cooperative but resists being controlled, and the revelation about his father and his own power leaves him facing a much larger role.
• Qi Canghai is focused on the impending invasion and wary of Xu. He tests Xu’s reaction to the proposed oversight but delays acting because he still distrusts him.
• Bai Yuanze mediates between Qi and Xu, questions Qi’s motives, and considers warning Xu about the coming use of the Netherworld Passage Art. Qi decides to keep watching instead.
• Xu Chengan reappears through Xu Yuan’s bloodline power, offering a grave warning about Qi and explaining the true nature of Xu’s ability.
• Xu’s celebrity news—endorsements, a film role, and music plans—creates an absurd contrast with the Society’s preparations for war and makes him difficult to monitor.

Significant themes

• Trust and exploitation: The Society needs Xu but fears his power, while Xu’s father warns that he may be used as a tool.
• Hidden identity and inherited power: The wanted poster and the father’s appearance reveal the dangerous history behind Xu’s bloodline and ability.
• Power amid political conflict: The approaching world overlap makes Xu’s ability strategically crucial.
• Irony and self-interest: Xu’s accidental gain from workplace bullying, his celebrity status, and his desire to avoid assignments undercut the meeting’s grave atmosphere.

Chapter summary: “Unexpected Gains”

• Xu Yuan visits a Ninefold Nether fragment. A mirror in the performers’ dormitory becomes a passage to a white-sand desert in the Netherworld. His father, Xu Chengan, speaks to him from afar and directs him to a skeleton, then disappears. Beneath the bones, Xu Yuan finds three Blood Devour Emblems, which can each let him kill a Bloodline holder and absorb their Bloodline.
• Xu Yuan reconsiders his father’s motives. Looking back over the original Xu Yuan’s memories, he recalls that Xu Chengan was usually absent and had little warmth for his family. Xu Yuan realizes his father’s sudden help came only after he himself achieved Path Entry and awakened his Bloodline; the original Xu Yuan had died before that. He cannot tell whether Xu Chengan is acting from guilt, parental instinct, or some hidden purpose, so he puts aside any hope of easy familial affection and becomes wary of him.
• A strange ability yields a clue. The skeleton appears ordinary, but Xu Yuan deliberately trips over it to activate Covert Plunder of Honor Among Thieves. This creates a historical branch revealing that the skeleton belonged to a child who vanished long ago. In ten years’ past, Xu Yuan may find a token proving the child’s identity on the Third Layer of the Nine Nether Prefecture.
• Xu Yuan prepares for the Selection Tournament. Back in the dormitory, he realizes he has not practiced the swordsmanship assigned by his master and eldest senior brother. He studies the Sword Seal but cannot learn it because his existing sword skills are merely mortal techniques, while the new art is heavenly in origin. He concludes that he must gain experience and Spotlights through the Competition to learn it.
• The tournament begins. Xu Yuan enters the Nine Nether Prefecture Selection, whose goal is to choose a path, claim the authority of a military rank, and pursue his own creation. Passing earns a Blank Historical Branch and a return to ten years later; failure means elimination with no second chance. He arrives on the Third Layer, a fragment of Avici Hell, and finds himself alone on a small rock suspended in darkness.

Character developments and relationships

Xu Yuan shifts from hoping for a warm family bond to guarded uncertainty about his father. He remains practical and resourceful, using his unusual abilities to extract clues even when ordinary inspection fails. His teachers’ expectations also come into focus: sword practice is his assigned task, but his immediate challenge is to unlock the training required to master it.

Significant themes

• Family affection and suspicion: Xu Yuan questions whether his father’s help comes from love, guilt, or another motive.
• Survival through ingenuity: When direct investigation fails, Xu Yuan finds another way to trigger his ability.
• Progress with limits: Powerful techniques may remain inaccessible until Xu Yuan earns the right experience.
• Uncertainty and hidden history: The Emblems, Xu Chengan’s actions, and the unknown child’s identity all point to larger mysteries.

Key plot points

• Xu Yuan discovers a recording device in a fragment of Avici Hell. It reveals that the authorities imprisoned him there as punishment for killing eighteen servants and refusing to surrender his Waist Token.
• Before escaping, Xu Yuan retrieves a jade identity plaque hidden in the rock. It bears the name Xu Jingchen, whose significance remains unknown.
• Xu Yuan uses the Mending Heaven token. Though it initially seems ineffective, it activates a teleportation array—and even provides him with an envelope of materials and spirit stones, prompting him to realize the Society’s bribery system is automated.
• On the Third Layer, officials welcome him because of his Assistant General’s Waist Token and present eleven possible promotions. Xu Yuan instead chooses a crossed-out, long-vacant office.
• The officials explain that claiming it requires mastery of Ninefold Nether Bonecraft, the special profession of Old World Sorcerer, and access to the professions office on the Seventh Layer. Xu Yuan uses a Free Choice Waist Token to travel there.
• The Seventh Layer’s array recognizes Xu Yuan’s bloodline. It takes his tokens and delivers a Dark Jade slip containing the techniques of Eldritch Creation. The slip confirms that he has met its requirements.
• The mission’s first task—choosing a path—is complete. Xu Yuan still must master the Authority attached to his military rank and create what he envisions.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains quick-thinking and opportunistic: he retrieves the hidden plaque, tests his tokens, and pursues the mysterious office despite the officials’ warnings.
• He sees the other promotion options as comfortable posts where an official has decisive control, but follows the Overseer’s instruction to choose the erased office instead.
• The Third Layer’s officials treat Xu Yuan with deference, while privately assuming he is a rebellious scion of a great aristocratic clan. They cancel plans against him and arrange for an attendant to help him acknowledge his supposed identity—a mistaken interpretation of his behavior.
• Xu Yuan learns that his father came from the Ninefold Nether, explaining why he passes the Seventh Layer’s bloodline test.

Significant themes

• Power and bureaucracy: A token transforms Xu Yuan’s treatment, granting access, status, and resources within the Netherworld’s rigid hierarchy.
• Corruption and privilege: The automated “bribery” delivery and the officials’ assumption that Xu Yuan is an aristocratic heir expose normalized favoritism.
• Identity and destiny: The unexplained Xu Jingchen plaque, Xu Yuan’s bloodline, and the erased office all hint at hidden connections and a larger purpose.
• Choice and creation: Xu Yuan’s path leads beyond a conventional promotion toward mastering a lost art and building a creation of his own.

Key plot points

• Xu Yuan worries that his use of future-derived knowledge may draw the All Things Unity Society’s attention and disrupt events. He asks Yalita to keep Qi Canghai and the Society’s other leaders out of the Ninefold Nether for now.
• Yalita explains that ghost society is organized around nine powerful lineages, each tied to a special bloodline. Advancement generally requires pledging service to one; Xu Yuan’s appointment will also face close scrutiny.
• To strengthen himself and prepare for life in the prefecture, Xu Yuan takes a Foundation Establishment Pill. He advances to the middle stage, doubles his Spiritual Power, and learns he is close to awakening a new ability.
• An official challenges Xu Yuan’s claim to a prestigious appointment, insisting that only a high-ranking bloodline could qualify. Xu Yuan presents a jade token taken from a skeleton, hoping it will pass as proof of identity.
• The token is accepted as belonging to the Xu Household, and Xu Yuan is summoned to its residence. There, an old servant tests the token and confirms that Xu Yuan carries the household’s bloodline: he is officially recognized as a Blood Descendant of the Xu Residence.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan shifts from worrying about interference and bureaucracy to adapting pragmatically: he strengthens himself, conceals his true nature, and impersonates a clan scion to preserve his chance at the Selection Tournament.
• His supposed impersonation takes an unexpected turn when the Xu Household’s bloodline test confirms the identity is genuine.
• Yalita proves both powerful and helpful, taking on Xu Yuan’s request and explaining the Ninefold Nether’s social order.
• The old servant treats Xu Yuan as a long-lost young master and expresses emotion at his return, while Xu Yuan remains guarded and unsentimental.

Significant themes

• Identity and belonging: Xu Yuan needs a recognized place in ghost society, and a borrowed token unexpectedly reveals a real connection.
• Status and bloodline: Advancement depends heavily on ancestry, lineage service, and institutional recognition.
• Adaptation for survival: Xu Yuan dislikes social maneuvering but accepts that he must navigate it to achieve his goals.
• Power and preparation: He improves his cultivation while arranging protection against potential threats.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan instructs Yalita to prevent the All Things Unity Society’s leaders from appearing, then listens as she briefs him on its structure.
• A prefecture official pressures Xu Yuan to disclose his background; Xu Yuan responds by presenting the jade token.
• Two maidservants escort him to the Xu residence, where an old servant welcomes and tests him. The test confirms the bloodline connection, leaving Xu Yuan astonished.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan returns to the Ninefold Nether and is recognized by the Xu Residence as Xu Jingchen, apparently because his bloodline passes the family’s test.
• The residence’s matriarch welcomes him, but He Chen challenges him. Xu Yuan defeats him with a single sword strike, despite He Chen unleashing a powerful bloodline spirit: a giant black snake.
• The matriarch explains that Xu Yuan’s parents are visiting the Torch Dragon Residence. She also says his childhood betrothal was reassigned while he was missing. Xu Yuan is indifferent to the marriage and declines the 300,000 spirit stones offered as his accumulated allowance.
• He presents his deputy-general token and asks the clan to support his promotion to a full post—the one that was erased. He has mastered its required art, but still needs a slight increase in bloodline elevation.
• The matriarch contacts the former betrothed, who immediately insists that the marriage arrangement be restored. Xu Yuan is suspicious of her sudden enthusiasm and postpones discussing marriage.
• The girl asks to speak with him and tells him, “Only when mountains lose their peaks and heaven and earth become one would I dare part from you.” The familiar-sounding line leaves Xu Yuan stunned and wondering whether she, like him, may be from Earth.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains controlled and pragmatic, concealing his reactions and focusing on his official promotion. His strength and unusual power impress the family, but he remains wary of their motives and of the betrothal.
• He Chen, initially arrogant, is humbled by Xu Yuan’s effortless victory. His black-snake bloodline spirit even recognizes that Xu Yuan is stronger. The matriarch encourages him to leave home and gain experience.
• The matriarch is warm and supportive, but also manages the family’s affairs carefully, including the marriage negotiation.
• The former betrothed shifts the scene’s focus with her emphatic willingness to marry Xu Yuan, then surprises him with a phrase that seems to carry personal or otherworldly significance.
• The other young relatives watch the duel and react uneasily to the marriage discussion, revealing competition and tension within the household.

Significant themes

• Homecoming and belonging: Xu Yuan is welcomed as family, yet the staged-feeling challenge and awkward marriage politics make his return uncertain.
• Strength and experience: Xu Yuan’s victory establishes his superiority, while the matriarch uses it to urge He Chen to mature through hardship.
• Ambition and clan support: Xu Yuan’s real purpose is advancement in the Nine Nether Prefecture, not money or romance.
• Suspicion and hidden connections: The betrothed’s sudden insistence, and especially her strikingly familiar words, suggest that Xu Yuan’s return may involve secrets beyond the family’s affairs.

Plot points and events

• In the pavilion, Xu Yuan responds to the mysterious woman’s vow with a cryptic line about being “the man in someone’s springtime dreams.” The call ends before he learns who she is; the matriarch identifies her as Nana and assumes Xu Yuan met her while away.
• The matriarch’s second son, an official in the Nine Nether Prefecture, offers to help resolve Xu Yuan’s stalled appointment. The matriarch gives Xu Yuan 300,000 Spirit Stones and 100,000 merit points to advance his official career.
• Xu Yuan reveals that he has awakened the Netherworld Passage Bloodline. Impressed, the matriarch decides to revisit his possible engagement to Nana, whom she considers a worthy match.
• The matriarch assigns Xu Yuan the luxurious Starry Sky Courtyard and four maids. After he leaves, she orders a thorough blood-and-soul test to verify that he is truly Xu Jingchen, then departs to visit Torch Dragon Residence.
• At the courtyard, Xu Yuan marvels at its spirit spring and Spirit-Gathering Array, eager to study and cultivate. Xu Hechen asks whether he cares about the engagement. Xu Yuan says he would rather pursue cultivation and eternal life than be bound by a piece of paper.
• Hechen misinterprets this as meaning Xu Yuan wants to pursue many women, and tells the others that Xu Yuan wants “the whole forest.”
• Xu Yuan is then confronted by a middle-aged couple who claim to be his parents. The woman embraces him in tears, while their hostile younger son warns Xu Yuan to stay away from Nana, whom he claims as his own.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan proves adept at navigating the household and officialdom, while remaining focused on his career, cultivation, and the opportunities his new residence offers. His calm, candid answer about marriage is misunderstood.
• The matriarch grows increasingly impressed by Xu Yuan’s battlefield experience, awakened Bloodline, and composure. She supports his appointment and potential engagement, but remains cautious about his identity.
• Xu Hechen shifts from confronting Xu Yuan to admiring him, though he misunderstands his views on marriage and spreads a distorted interpretation.
• Nana remains offstage, but her vow and the matriarch’s comments establish her as a talented cultivator and prospective fiancée.
• Xu Yuan’s supposed parents and brother introduce a new family conflict: the parents show affection and grief, while the brother reacts with jealousy and threatens him over Nana.

Significant themes

• Cultivation versus romance: Xu Yuan prioritizes the pursuit of strength and eternal life over marriage obligations.
• Identity and suspicion: The matriarch’s order for testing reflects uncertainty about whether the returned Xu Jingchen is genuine.
• Experience and merit: Xu Yuan’s time in battle earns him respect and helps distinguish him from sheltered peers.
• Miscommunication and rivalry: Xu Yuan’s sincere words are twisted by Hechen, while the final confrontation hints at competition over Nana and Xu Yuan’s place in the family.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yuan, posing as the returned Xu Jing Chen, meets his birth parents and adopted younger brother, Xu Huaichuan. Huaichuan is angry because Xu Jing Chen’s return threatens a marriage agreement he now claims for himself.
• Xu Yuan says he has no interest in the agreement, but refuses to surrender Nana’s choice on her behalf. When Huaichuan attacks him and their parents excuse the younger son’s behavior, Xu Yuan kicks him away and uses a formation to eject the family from his courtyard.
• Hoping to end the dispute, Xu Yuan asks Huaichuan to contact Nana. After making Huaichuan apologize and call him “big brother,” Xu Yuan tells Nana directly that he does not want to marry her because he already loves someone.
• Nana accepts his answer, but says she would marry him if his current relationship ends. She then launches into a vicious insult of Huaichuan and the parents before ending the call. Xu Yuan and the family are left speechless.
• Xu Yuan returns to his room, intending to study the Eldritch Creation Art and focus on his duties and the Selection Tournament.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan stays controlled and practical, avoiding the family’s arguments until Huaichuan’s attack forces him to defend himself. He insists on speaking to Nana directly and clearly, prioritizing honesty and her agency over the family’s maneuvering.
• Xu Huaichuan is entitled and aggressive, trying to claim the marriage agreement and attacking Xu Yuan. He reluctantly apologizes only when Xu Yuan makes it a condition of contacting Nana.
• Xu Jing Chen’s parents favor Huaichuan and excuse his insults and violence, while condemning Xu Yuan for defending himself. Their behavior helps Xu Yuan understand why Jing Chen may have left home.
• Nana proves sharp-tongued and unwilling to be spoken for: she insists on hearing from Xu Yuan himself, respects his answer, and fiercely denounces the family’s conduct.

Significant themes

• Honesty and consent: Xu Yuan rejects the marriage agreement openly and lets Nana decide for herself.
• Family favoritism and hypocrisy: The parents demand respect from Xu Yuan while overlooking Huaichuan’s insults and attack.
• Self-control versus provocation: Xu Yuan keeps his priorities in view, but sets firm boundaries when the family interferes.
• Reputation and character: Nana judges the men by their behavior, not by family status or claims to the agreement.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan’s parents and younger brother Xu Huaichuan urge him to surrender his Deputy General’s post and Waist Token so Huaichuan can take the position. They propose that Xu Yuan fight in Huaichuan’s place, despite Huaichuan having no military experience.
• Xu Yuan pretends to agree, saying he will first consult his colleagues and friends. After his family leaves, he seals his room and resumes studying the Olden Art.
• He masters Eldritch Creation, creating a living chair that can inherit one of his abilities. The chair chooses Heaven-Stealing, and Xu Yuan confirms the technique works before dismissing it.
• The Overseer warns that another person claiming to be Xu Jing Chen is on his way to the Xu Residence. Xu Yuan prioritizes completing the Selection Tournament and returns to the Nine Nether Prefecture.
• To claim the post, Xu Yuan must overcome an eligibility rule requiring a specific bloodline and advancement tier. He offers all 100,000 merit points on his Waist Token; the officials accept the customary payments and then unanimously agree to waive the bloodline requirement.
• Xu Yuan proves his identity with a Mending Heaven token and demonstrates the Netherworld Passage Art. The officials formally invite him to take office.
• Just as the process concludes, Yalita warns that she cannot hold off Qi Canghai, who has gained power by making an offering to the Old God of All Things Unity. Her message is cut off.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains strategic and self-possessed. He masks his intentions around his family, follows the Nine Nether Prefecture’s customs to secure his appointment, and advances his mastery of the Olden Art.
• Xu Huaichuan is interested in the status and benefits of Xu Yuan’s post, but recoils when he learns it would entail actual combat. He ultimately accepts the plan for Xu Yuan to fight in his place.
• Xu Yuan’s parents favor Huaichuan’s advancement and treat Xu Yuan’s rank as something he can hand over. They praise Xu Yuan when he appears to comply.
• The officials and Ghost Entities shift from suspicion to enthusiasm once Xu Yuan demonstrates his credentials and pays the customary fees.
• The living chair quickly displays loyalty and ingenuity, offering to inherit Heaven-Stealing so it can appear beneath Xu Yuan when he sits.
• Yalita and the Overseer act as urgent sources of warning: the Overseer alerts Xu Yuan to the impostor, while Yalita reports Qi Canghai’s pursuit.

Significant themes

• Family favoritism and exploitation: Xu Yuan’s family expects him to sacrifice his hard-won position for his younger brother.
• Pragmatism and social adaptation: Xu Yuan bends to local rules and customs—not out of naïveté, but to make his appointment legitimate and win acceptance.
• Power, identity, and legitimacy: His right to office depends on both formal evidence and collective recognition, which he secures through tokens, ability, merit, and political maneuvering.
• Creation and loyalty: Eldritch Creation lets Xu Yuan give life and abilities to objects, raising questions about the bond between creator and creation.
• Competing priorities and escalating danger: Xu Yuan pursues the Selection Tournament even as an impostor approaches and Qi Canghai’s pursuit threatens Yalita.

Key events

• A young man claiming to be Xu Jingchen arrives at the Xu Residence. Madam Xu and President Qi Canghai subject him to bloodline and disguise tests; he realizes they suspect him and escapes using the Netherworld Passage Art.
• Madam Xu and Qi discuss the scarce Netherworld Passage bloodline and the danger posed by the man they believe may be behind the impostor. They also note that the real Xu Jingchen—Xu Yuan—is taking office in the Ninefold Nether.
• While Qi leaves to pursue a threat, Xu Yuan races to complete his appointment as Libationer. With Yalita distracting Qi, officials finish the formalities and the Ninefold Nether recognizes Xu Yuan’s new office.
• The appointment fills Xu Yuan’s Life Force, allowing him to awaken the Dimension System’s Second Tier ability, Righteous to the Point of Evil. He now has powers at the First Tier of the Gaze System, Third Tier of the Whisper System, and Second Tier of the Dimension System.
• Xu Yuan delays returning to the Xu Residence by socializing with officials, then meets Overseer One on the seventh level. The Overseer explains that Libationer is the traditional first step toward rulership and that the Ruin Gate intends to use the restored office to acquire powerful inheritances and strengthen itself.
• Xu Yuan learns that the other impersonator has left the residence and may come looking for him. Though the Overseer’s task is complete, Xu Yuan still has one Selection Tournament objective unfinished: “build the creation you have always dreamed of.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan secures a major promotion and power increase while remaining cautious about the threat of Qi Canghai and the impostor. He builds goodwill with Ninefold Nether officials, but his personal objective remains unresolved.
• Madam Xu is calculating and suspicious: she wants to verify Xu Jingchen’s identity, yet sees the office he holds as valuable to the Xu Residence.
• Qi Canghai regards the suspected Netherworld Passage user as dangerously powerful and leaves to pursue him, interrupting the residence’s confrontation.
• Yalita risks drawing Qi away so Xu Yuan can complete his appointment.
• Overseer One reveals its larger, pragmatic plan for Xu Yuan’s new office: restore the Libationer position and use it to strengthen the Ruin Gate, rather than immediately seize rulership.

Significant themes

• Identity and deception: competing claims to Xu Jingchen’s identity drive suspicion and conflict.
• Power through institutions: formal office, bloodline, and approval by the Ninefold Nether translate into real authority and strength.
• Ambition and strategy: characters pursue influence through cautious maneuvering, alliances, and long-term plans.
• Unfinished purpose: Xu Yuan’s promotion is a milestone, but his broader goal remains incomplete.

• Xu Yuan begins his dream creation: After completing the earlier parts of the Selection Tournament, Xu Yuan decides to build the creation he has always wanted. He returns to the Parallel World, where the Funeral Love Family has made a bone monument resembling him into their base. He names the settlement Burial Shadow Village and asks the ghosts to add likenesses of themselves to the monument.
• The bone mecha comes to life: Xu Yuan sketches a design, and the ghosts build a towering bone machine. Using Eldritch Creation, he gives it life and the ability Heaven-Stealing. The machine initially proves to be a sarcastic storyteller, charging Xu Yuan coins to tell a dark version of Little Red Riding Hood. Xu Yuan realizes it is not yet what he wants.
• The creation becomes a battle armor: Xu Yuan tests whether the machine can transform. He uses Righteous to the Point of Evil, asking the Universe to judge whether it looks like battle armor. The Universe agrees, and the machine’s bones turn to alloy. It gains a cockpit and fifteen combat functions. Xu Yuan climbs inside, and the armor transforms into a silver fighter jet—his real passion. This completes the challenge, and he receives a Blank Historical Branch and the option to return ten years later, though he postpones leaving.
• Xu Yuan confronts the mystery of Xu Jingchen: Returning to the seventh level of the Nine Nether Prefecture, Xu Yuan waits with the Final Gaze Mask until a figure arrives, claiming to be Xu Jingchen. Using Heaven-Stealing, Xu Yuan strips away the figure’s human skin and reveals Xu Chengan—Xu Yuan’s father. Xu Yuan then gives the discarded skin life through Eldritch Creation. It identifies itself as the skin Xu Jingchen wore while alive and says Xu Chengan killed the life within it.
• The chapter ends in confrontation: Xu Yuan recognizes that his father is the person who killed Xu Jingchen. He summons living tentacles and begins taking control of the Battle Armor as the scene turns toward a direct reckoning.
  Character developments and interactions: Xu Yuan’s dream of creating a transforming mecha is realized, and his playful, inventive side shows in his banter with the ghosts and the machine. The ghosts enthusiastically help build his creation and react with awe to its transformation. The Battle Armor develops a sardonic personality before becoming a cold, capable machine. Xu Yuan’s encounter with his father shifts the tone from comic triumph to personal mystery and impending conflict.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts imagination and achievement with darker revelations; explores creation and identity through the living machine and Xu Jingchen’s animated skin; and emphasizes how appearance can conceal the truth. It also closes on the tension between a son’s discovery and the violence that may follow.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan confronts Xu Chengan, who is piloting a powerful Mobile Battle Armor. Xu Chengan accuses him of impersonating Xu Jingchen and disrupting his plans.
• They exchange attacks: the armor uses weapons and its Heaven-Stealing ability to reposition Xu Chengan, while Yalita intervenes when the ability enters cooldown.
• Xu Chengan recognizes Yalita from her failed Blood Saint Ritual. He opens a passage to another fragment of the Nine Nether World, and the group moves to a remote desert to talk away from the Nine Nether Prefecture’s center of power.
• Xu Yuan briefly banishes Xu Chengan beneath the desert using Heaven-Stealing. Yalita explains that a Blood Saint is someone whose powerful bloodline grants access to an Old God’s abilities. Xu Chengan claims he has successfully become one.
• Xu Chengan proposes exchanging information rather than fighting. He claims to belong to the Ruin Gate, as does Xu Yuan, but Xu Yuan distrusts his Nameplate and summons the Overseer to verify it. The Overseer reveals that Xu Chengan’s Nameplate is fake and identifies him as a Royalist Party member.
• Xu Chengan admits he returned because he heard someone was impersonating his son, Xu Jingchen. He explains that he is Xu Jingchen’s biological father, despite Xu Jingchen being raised as his second brother’s child.
• Yalita recognizes Xu Chengan as a notorious and disturbing figure from her past. Her reaction, combined with the Overseer’s warning that Xu Chengan would not “eat” Xu Yuan, leads Xu Yuan to realize there is something deeply dangerous about him.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan remains wary and strategic: he tests Xu Chengan, uses Heaven-Stealing to control the confrontation, and refuses to accept his identity claim without independent verification.
• Xu Chengan proves perceptive and formidable, but also deceptive: he is a Blood Saint, belongs to the Royalist Party rather than the Ruin Gate, and has a disturbing history involving numerous descendants.
• Yalita becomes a crucial ally in the confrontation. Her recognition of Xu Chengan reveals that his reputation predates the current conflict, and her visible distress suggests she knows more about his threat than she says.
• The Overseer confirms Xu Yuan’s standing and makes clear that its appearance protects him from immediate danger, though it does not punish Xu Chengan.

Significant themes

• Trust and verification: shared affiliations and claims are not enough; Xu Yuan relies on evidence and the Overseer to uncover Xu Chengan’s deception.
• Hidden identities and divided loyalties: Xu Chengan’s false Nameplate, Royalist ties, and concealed family history complicate the question of who is friend or foe.
• Power and restraint: the characters possess extraordinary abilities, but the possibility of information-sharing makes a fight a choice rather than an inevitability.
• Corruption within powerful families: Xu Chengan’s explanation of Xu Jingchen’s parentage and Yalita’s reaction suggest that the great lineages conceal unsettling practices and dangers.

Key plot points and events

• Yalita reveals that Xu Chengan once belonged to the Xu Residence but sided with the Eldritch Emperor and opposed the All Things Unity Society. Xu Chengan denies wanting to interfere with the group’s plans and initially lets Xu Yuan and Yalita leave with the Human Skin.
• Xu Yuan demands that Xu Chengan stay out of the Xu Household’s affairs, since the household is their route into the All Things Unity Society. Xu Chengan agrees, then disappears.
• Yalita privately tells Xu Yuan that Xu Chengan’s children began vanishing as his Bloodline grew purer and stronger. She hints at the horrifying nature of his Imago, but an unseen force prevents her from describing it.
• Sensing danger, Xu Yuan sends Yalita away. He empowers his Battle Armor with Deep Dive, adding it to the armor’s existing Heaven-Stealing ability.
• Xu Chengan returns and confronts Xu Yuan. After demonstrating the overwhelming power of his Netherworld Passage Art, he proposes that they make peace because they share an enemy: the All Things Unity Society.
• Xu Chengan offers to kill Yalita and take her place, intending to consume her pure Bloodline in a Blood Devouring Ritual. Xu Yuan instead demands Xu Chengan’s method for raising his Bloodline’s Ontological Rank.
• Xu Chengan reveals the truth: he has been draining his children to strengthen himself. A vision of a Scarlet Palace shows skinless boys in crystal coffins, their bodies connected by roots to a statue of Xu Chengan. A many-eyed black insect—the Imago—rests atop it.
• Xu Chengan admits that draining Xu Yuan and Yalita could raise his rank again. His murderous intent erupts, and he prepares to kill Xu Yuan.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan shifts from gathering information and negotiating to knowingly preparing for a dangerous confrontation. He sees the encounter as an opportunity to learn about Xu Chengan, despite the risk.
• Yalita shows she knows more about Xu Chengan’s past than she initially says. Her fear and abrupt departure underline how dangerous he is.
• Xu Chengan moves from genial, conciliatory politeness to open predation. His apparent concern for his children is revealed as pride in having raised them as resources for his Bloodline.

Significant themes

• Family twisted into exploitation: Xu Chengan presents himself as a devoted father, yet treats his children as fuel for his power.
• Power and corruption: His rapid Bloodline advancement is tied to horrific sacrifices and an unnerving Imago.
• Deception and hidden knowledge: Xu Chengan’s friendly manner conceals his intentions, while a supernatural whisper suppresses information about his Imago.
• Pragmatism and risk: Xu Yuan prioritizes intelligence, alliances, and his long-term position—even when pursuing them may force him into a deadly fight.

Character interactions

• Yalita warns Xu Yuan about Xu Chengan, but cannot fully explain what she knows.
• Xu Yuan and Xu Chengan negotiate over the Xu Household and the All Things Unity Society, then argue over Yalita and Xu Chengan’s Bloodline method.
• Xu Yuan refuses to let Xu Chengan harm Yalita and challenges him for knowledge; Xu Chengan responds by revealing his intent to drain Xu Yuan as well.

Key plot points

• Xu Chengan traps Xu Yuan inside his Imago, the Ancestral Household Shrine, which turns the surrounding world into a blood-red realm. The Whisper sacrifices Xu Chengan’s descendants, imprisoning their souls and using their suffering to empower the Old God.
• Xu Yuan uses Deep Dive to escape into a parallel world, but Xu Chengan’s ritual begins merging that realm with the shrine.
• Xu Yuan suppresses the Imago and releases the trapped souls. Using a Blank Historical Branch, he fully delivers them, allowing them to leave for rebirth. The shrine vanishes, and Xu Yuan’s Divine Temple responds with an unexplained glow.
• The Overseer permits the outcome but forbids Xu Yuan from killing Xu Chengan, since doing so could disrupt history. Xu Yuan leaves Xu Chengan behind in the parallel realm, where he cannot break through.
• To preserve his cover as Xu Jingchen, Xu Yuan uses the Human Skin and asks the universe to confirm that he looks like Xu Jingchen. The skin fuses with him, restoring Xu Jingchen’s memories and making the identity convincing.
• Xu Yuan prepares to return to the Xu Residence. He asks Zuo Lingjing to use her Surface and Interior Bloodline Art to take on his original appearance.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan demonstrates a deeper understanding of Whispers than Xu Chengan and chooses to free the souls rather than simply defeat his opponent. He remains cautious and accepts the Overseer’s restriction, then turns his attention to maintaining his infiltration.
• Xu Chengan is shocked that his descendant can command the shrine’s souls more effectively than he can. He blames his hesitation and begins invoking the Old God, apparently seeking a way to counter Xu Yuan’s power.
• Zuo Lingjing remains wary of danger and recommends continuing Body Escape. She follows Xu Yuan’s plan and agrees to disguise herself as him.

Significant themes

• Deliverance versus exploitation: Xu Chengan treats his descendants’ suffering as fuel for power; Xu Yuan frees them and restores their chance at rebirth.
• Power and understanding: Xu Yuan’s knowledge of Whispers and his unusual nature prove more decisive than Xu Chengan’s control of the Imago.
• Identity and history: Xu Yuan’s transformation into Xu Jingchen blurs the boundary between disguise and genuine identity, while the Overseer’s limits show the danger of altering the past.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating the Heir-Offering Family Shrine, Xu Yuan discovers that he has earned a Merit Fruit for subduing a powerful ancient Imago.
• He chooses not to take the Imago’s destructive abilities. Instead, he gains “Borrow the False to Cultivate the True,” which lets him turn an Imago into reality at the cost of Life Force.
• Xu Yuan tests the power by making his Night Rain Imago into a convincing, peaceful upstairs room. The scene can instantly transform back into a lethal storm of Flying Swords, showing that the Imago is both real and illusory, and can become a domain at his command.
• Xu Yuan and Zuo Lingjing arrive at the Xu Residence under their real identities: Xu Yuan poses as Xu Jingchen, while Zuo Lingjing resumes her own appearance. Xu Yuan explains that he left home years ago to prepare for a confrontation with Xu Chengan, luring him into a trap with Zuo Lingjing’s help.
• Madam Xu appears receptive but cautious. Before accepting Xu Yuan’s identity, she asks him to undergo a simple test.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan gains a major new divine power and shows restraint in choosing it: he rejects the Shrine’s violent abilities in favor of one that fits his own path. He also presents himself as a patient strategist who spent more than a decade preparing to confront Xu Chengan.
• Zuo Lingjing assists Xu Yuan in maintaining their disguises and serves him tea during the quiet Imago demonstration. She admires his apparent ability to imitate Xu Chengan’s power, though Xu Yuan privately knows that his new ability works differently.
• Madam Xu remains warm in manner but carefully evaluates Xu Yuan. She is impressed by his claimed resolve and potential, especially with the coming War Between the Two Realms, yet insists on verifying who he is.
• The Xu Residence’s Cultivators react with a mixture of mockery, disgust, fear, and eventual unease as Xu Yuan describes his long-term plan.

Significant themes

• Reality and illusion: Xu Yuan’s new power makes the boundary between the two changeable, turning a tranquil scene into a weapon.
• Power and its cost: Making an Imago real requires Life Force, underscoring that exceptional abilities demand resources.
• Identity and deception: Disguises and uncertain loyalties shape the reunion at the Xu Residence, where even family ties cannot replace proof.
• Strategy and inheritance: Xu Yuan’s success contrasts with Xu Chengan’s failure to anticipate an opponent from a later generation—and an Immortal Species—while the Residence weighs Xu Yuan’s usefulness to its future.

Key plot points

• In a deserted parallel world, Xu Chengan realizes he has been trapped in an abandoned dimension. He suspects Xu Yuan—his descendant—did this with the help of other Old Gods. Desperate to escape, Xu Chengan performs a self-mutilating ritual, summoning a many-eyed black insect that says it can save him, but only through the first stage of the Dimension System’s power.
• Back at the Xu Residence, Xu Yuan undergoes an exhaustive identity examination. His body, soul, memories, and Libationer authority all confirm that he is the real Xu Jingchen. Madam Xu welcomes him and asks what happened to Xu Chengan; Xu Yuan says Chengan is trapped in a ruin.
• In private, Madam Xu confirms Chengan’s disappearance and explains that his pact with a particularly evil Old God threatened to destroy the Ninefold Nether system. Since the Xu family cannot oppose its protecting god, Xu Yuan’s fight against Chengan was justified as self-defense.
• Madam Xu reveals that an Anchor Point has been established in the Mortal Realm and the two realms will merge in ten years. Before then, the Dark Crown, an ancient cultivation-world inheritance and competition, will take place. Xu Yuan realizes it may be connected to the high-level competition he previously encountered.
• After leaving with Zuo Lingjing, Xu Yuan senses danger and abruptly returns to his own time. He finds himself in the performers’ dormitory, holding the Blank Historical Branch he earned. The Overseer says the next Selection Tournament has not yet begun and gives Xu Yuan one month to reach Foundation Establishment Late Stage, threatening to find someone else if he fails.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Chengan shifts from frustrated confusion to desperate, nearly hysterical determination, resorting to a bloody ritual rather than accepting his imprisonment.
• Xu Yuan is formally recognized as Xu Jingchen and demonstrates that he retains genuine childhood memories. Though he says he opposed Chengan to survive, he also remains cautious, acting immediately on his intuition when danger emerges.
• Madam Xu shows relief and warmth toward Xu Yuan, then speaks candidly about the political and cosmic stakes. She validates his actions against Chengan but urges him to prepare carefully for the coming events.
• The Overseer confirms it witnessed Xu Yuan’s recent actions but did not intervene. It treats his weakness as a serious liability and imposes a strict cultivation deadline.
• Zuo Lingjing accompanies Xu Yuan to the Celestial Star Courtyard; their brief visit ends when he senses danger and takes her with him.

Significant themes

• Survival and moral justification: Xu Yuan’s attack on his own father is framed as a necessary struggle for survival.
• Power and helplessness: Xu Chengan’s ritual and the Overseer’s ultimatum show how precarious even powerful characters are when facing forces beyond them.
• Identity, memory, and legitimacy: Xu Yuan’s examination establishes that he is accepted as the authentic Xu Jingchen in both body and official status.
• Preparation for looming conflict: The Dark Crown, the coming realm merger, and the Overseer’s deadline all point toward an approaching crisis for which Xu Yuan must rapidly grow stronger.