Chapter Summaries

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Qiuyuzi presses Yunmiaozi to demonstrate the Bronze Mirror rather than lend it. Yunmiaozi uses it to examine Lu You.
• The mirror reveals Lu You’s past-life figure and a Jade Flute, which the Peachwood Sword identifies as a life-bound treasure. The flute displays a peaceful Jiangzuo town: a Peach Paradise tied to a Reincarnated Immortal’s true spirit.
• The vision clears Lu You’s confusion and gives him new insights. A breakthrough begins, and Qiuyuzi sends him to a quiet room to cultivate using the Seven Immortals Method.
• Qiuyuzi reveals that another Reincarnated Immortal is in Jiankang: Chen Fangqing, the Marquis of Linru County, who is staying at the temple. Zhou Youzi worries Kunlun may misjudge or target him.
• Chen Cuo arrives, having stabilized his cultivation but still seeking insight into Divine Ability. Yunmiaozi examines him and discovers a Daoist figure and spiritual light within him, prompting him to exclaim that it is a “god within his heart” and possibly a Divine Ability.

Character developments

• Lu You gains clarity and apparent access to a new stage of cultivation after the mirror’s revelation.
• Chen Cuo has progressed in cultivation and is pursuing understanding of Divine Ability.
• Yunmiaozi, initially confident he knows what the mirror will reveal, is stunned by what he perceives within Chen Cuo.
• Zhou Youzi grows increasingly anxious that Chen Cuo will be mistaken for someone else or become the target of Kunlun’s suspicions.
• Qiuyuzi remains curious and forceful, using the examination to compare signs of reincarnation.

Significant themes

• Reincarnation and continuity: A life-bound treasure can anchor a true spirit across lifetimes.
• Hidden spiritual foundations: A person’s past life or inner nature may be concealed until revealed by magical perception.
• Knowledge and misjudgment: The Daoists’ interpretations carry potential consequences, while even Yunmiaozi’s perception produces an unexpected discovery.
• Cultivation as insight: Lu You’s breakthrough follows not just technique but a sudden clearing of his understanding.

Character interactions

• Qiuyuzi persuades Yunmiaozi to use the Bronze Mirror and questions him closely about its findings.
• The Peachwood Sword explains the significance of Lu You’s Jade Flute and Peach Paradise.
• Zhou Youzi and Yunmiaozi react differently to the news about Chen Cuo: Zhou fears danger, while Yunmiaozi expects the examination to expose a mistaken identity.
• Chen Cuo greets the Daoists and meets Yunmiaozi’s scrutiny; the chapter ends with Yunmiaozi’s shocked realization of the power within him.

Key events

• Yunmiaozi examines Chen Cuo and is startled by the immense power he senses. He and Zhou Youzi struggle to explain how Chen could have advanced so quickly, suspecting he may be a reincarnated immortal.
• At Qiuyuzi’s insistence, Yunmiaozi uses the Mind-Calming Gate’s Mind-Discerning Mirror to determine Chen’s past-life status.
• The mirror draws out the Frenzied Thought within Chen’s Ghost-Faced Mask, which Chen suppresses. It produces a vague projection resembling his former life.
• A gourd-shaped object appears in the projection, which Qiuyuzi identifies as Chen’s Reincarnation Anchor. The mirror then reveals an even more striking scene: a tranquil landscape recognized as a Peach Paradise.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo remains composed as others misread his cultivation and identity. He recognizes that the projection reflects his previous life, though he doubts he was anything like an immortal. The mirror also gives him a brief insight into his Divine Ability.
• Yunmiaozi shifts from suspicion to astonishment, then considers recruiting Chen if Kunlun will not accept him. He tries to manage Qiuyuzi’s expectations, but the revelations leave him uncertain.
• Zhou Youzi becomes increasingly unsettled as his senior brother’s conclusions clash with what he knows about Chen. He privately urges Yunmiaozi to be candid and later questions whether the gourd truly proves Chen is a reincarnated immortal.
• Qiuyuzi pushes for the examination and watches the signs closely. He treats the gourd as a possible anchor and recognizes the final vision as a Peach Paradise.
• The Mind-Calming Gate brothers’ private exchanges contrast with their attempts to maintain a calm, professional front before Chen and Qiuyuzi.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: Chen’s actual history and abilities do not fit the assumptions others make about reincarnation.
• Uncertainty in interpreting signs: The mirror reveals powerful clues, but the characters cannot agree on what they mean.
• Hidden power and dangerous knowledge: The examination exposes Chen to the mask’s Frenzied Thought and may reveal more than he intended.
• Fate and identity: The possible Reincarnation Anchor and Peach Paradise suggest a remarkable past whose meaning remains unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo’s display under the Mind-Discerning Mirror convinces Qiuyuzi—and ultimately the Peachwood Sword—that he is a Reincarnated Immortal. The sword confirms the judgment aloud, despite the unusual differences between Chen’s vision and Lu You’s.
• The mirror’s effects unsettle Yunmiaozi and Zhou Youzi. Their Mindfields falter under the doubts it stirs, and they leave to restore their composure.
• Chen Cuo privately remains unconvinced. He considers whether Chen Fangqing, rather than himself, might be the Reincarnated Immortal, and resolves to learn more about the cultivation world so he can understand his own situation and make progress.
• Chen agrees to stay and recuperate for another day or two. He also intends to watch Great General Hou’s actions and, if necessary, strike first rather than let matters drag on.
• Before leaving, Yunmiaozi and Zhou Youzi invite Chen to visit them at the Prince’s Residence. Chen welcomes the chance to repay Zhou’s kindness and build a closer relationship.
• The Peachwood Sword explains the Mind-Calming Gate’s practice: worldly affairs test and “till” the mind, while merit, precepts, fulfilled obligations, and severed attachments help disciples advance. The method is powerful but risky; unresolved emotional entanglements can damage the Dao Heart.
• After Chen departs, the sword reveals that the Qingwei Sect has identified a fourth Reincarnated Immortal in the Western Regions’ Vast Sea. Five have reincarnated in total, leaving one unidentified. Qiuyuzi assumes Chen Fangqing is the fifth and celebrates, but the sword urges him to contact Kunlun. It then conjures a meeting with Qiuyuzi’s senior brother, a Daoist riding a blue ox.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo is increasingly thoughtful and cautious. Though others’ expertise makes him question his assumptions, he trusts his knowledge of his own origins and decides that greater learning is essential.
• Yunmiaozi and Zhou Youzi are shaken by the mirror’s revelation, exposing how vulnerable even disciplined practitioners can be to destabilizing doubts. Zhou also regrets not having pushed harder earlier.
• Qiuyuzi takes confidence from the confirmation and sees Chen as a major opportunity, but his certainty may be premature.
• The Peachwood Sword serves as a knowledgeable counterbalance to Qiuyuzi, explaining the Mind-Calming Gate’s strengths and dangers and urging caution about the larger reincarnation mystery.
• Chen’s exchanges with the Mind-Calming Gate disciples are warm and respectful, while his conversation with Qiuyuzi and the sword turns into an impromptu lesson in cultivation.

Significant themes

• Knowledge versus certainty: Chen’s limited experience makes him question his own interpretation, even when he trusts his personal memories.
• The dangers of doubt: For Mind-Calming Gate cultivators, stray thoughts can directly destabilize the mind and threaten cultivation.
• Cultivation through worldly life: Relationships, obligations, merit, and emotional trials can be tools for spiritual advancement—but unresolved attachments can become hazards.
• Misreading signs and premature conclusions: The mirror appears to confirm Chen’s identity, yet his own doubts and the still-unidentified fifth immortal keep the truth unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Chen Cuo reflects on the Little Gourd, Dream Marsh, and the visions of his past life, and wonders why his Divine Ability has stalled halfway. He also notes a mysterious marker pointing toward Peach Paradise.
• While recovering at Lu Residence, he learns the broad cultivation stages. His wounds heal quickly, though his depleted vitality and unsettled Five Qi remain problems. Qiuyuzi is busy, so Chen Cuo postpones asking him about Peach Paradise.
• Hearing that suspicious people are watching the Marquis’s Residence, Chen Cuo leaves Lu Residence to avoid drawing trouble there. After he departs, Qiuyuzi celebrates that Young Lu has reentered Transcendence and formed a Qi Vortex.
• Back home, Chen Cuo reunites with the Little Pig and Little Turtle. The Pig complains about its food and reveals it used magic to erase the servants’ memories after frightening them. When the Pig hears Chen Cuo has nearly reached Dao Foundation, it is surprised that his Divine Ability remains incomplete.
• Steward Chen He reports that Chen Cuo’s mother is worried about his clash with Hou Xiao, a deputy of the powerful Hou Andu. Chen Cuo refuses to back down, believing the unresolved conflict is weighing on his Dao Heart. He orders compensation for the damage at Fortune’s Arrival Tower, but says he will give his mother an answer before leaving.
• Thinking through his stalled Divine Ability, Chen Cuo suspects that cultivation depends on personal history and experience. He also reasons that Hou Andu may have supported the Evil Ghost to obtain Human Thought or the Peach Paradise marker, though the ghost’s lost memories leave the truth uncertain.
• Chen He tells Chen Cuo’s mother about her son’s defiance. Alarmed, she decides to visit him herself. Before she can leave, a messenger announces that the Prince of Ancheng has come to see Chen Cuo.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo grows more analytical about his cultivation and the link between his past, present experiences, and Divine Ability. He remains determined to confront the Hou family rather than let the dispute burden his Dao Heart, while still showing responsibility by paying for the fight’s damage.
• Qiuyuzi continues helping Chen Cuo but is occupied with other matters; his response to Chen Cuo’s departure suggests he sees worldly affairs as attachments to settle.
• The Little Pig and Little Turtle provide a comic domestic contrast to the serious cultivation concerns. The Pig’s surprise confirms Chen Cuo’s stalled progress is unusual.
• Chen He tries to restrain Chen Cuo and protect him from Hou Andu’s influence. Chen Cuo’s mother is angry and frightened for him, but her resolve to visit shows she will not abandon him.
• The chapter ends by introducing the Prince of Ancheng, whose unexpected visit may complicate the family’s concerns.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and personal history: Chen Cuo suspects that forming a Divine Ability requires more than technique; one’s lived experience and identity may shape it.
• The cost of unresolved conflict: Chen Cuo sees the Hou dispute as an obstacle to inner peace and spiritual progress.
• Duty versus protection: Chen Cuo’s family urges caution, while he insists on acting according to his own judgment.
• Mystery and hidden motives: The Evil Ghost, Hou Andu, and the Peach Paradise marker remain connected by unanswered questions.

Key plot points and events

• The Prince of Ancheng visits Chen Cuo’s mother, praising her second son, Fang Qing, and framing his conflict with Hou Xiao as an insult to the Imperial Clan. She agrees, though her response is strained.
• Chen Hai tells Chen Cuo the prince has arrived. Chen Cuo correctly guesses the visit concerns Hou Andu and welcomes him.
• The prince reveals that the Emperor intends to gather capable members of the Chen clan to assassinate Hou Andu. He presents an imperial decree, which Chen Cuo verifies as genuine.
• The prince explains that Hou Andu allegedly used a wicked art and a blood sacrifice involving Gaozu’s son to steal a share of the Chen clan’s fortune. Because of this connection, the clan itself must deal with him.
• The Emperor has authorized Chen Cuo to study the Eastern Observatory’s collection, including texts on cultivation, while he gains strength and avoids alerting Hou Andu. The prince promises further intelligence and support.
• Chen Cuo agrees to take part, saying he would have sought to settle the matter himself.
• The conversation turns to a canceled Literary Gathering. The prince offers to host a banquet to restore Chen Cuo’s standing and mentions his son, Chen Shubao. Recognizing the name, Chen Cuo reacts with sudden surprise.

Character developments

• Chen Cuo is more powerful than the prince knows: he has advanced close to the Dao Foundation and can fight at Second Realm strength. He remains cautious and strategic, but accepts the assassination plan.
• The Prince of Ancheng presents himself as a practical ally, combining imperial authority, political reassurance, and promises of resources.
• Chen Cuo’s mother is soothed by the prince’s praise and his defense of her son, though she appears uncomfortable with the political implications.
• Hou Andu emerges as a dangerous, powerful minister whose alleged supernatural methods threaten both the Chen clan and the dynasty.

Significant themes

• Power and political danger: Hou Andu’s influence makes opposing him perilous, even for the imperial family.
• Family and dynastic responsibility: The Chen clan must act because Hou Andu’s power is tied to its fortune.
• Cultivation versus court entanglement: Chen Cuo senses that deep involvement in politics may constrain his path in the Immortal Dao.
• Reputation and status: The prince’s visit restores the family’s sense of prestige and offers to repair the slight of the canceled gathering.

Character interactions

• The prince reassures Chen Cuo’s mother by praising Fang Qing and declaring that the Imperial Clan cannot allow its members to be bullied.
• Chen Cuo and the prince speak frankly, testing each other’s knowledge and intentions before discussing the assassination plan.
• The prince offers Chen Cuo access to the Eastern Observatory and promises intelligence, palace support, and a future scholarly banquet.
• Chen Cuo’s final reaction to the name Chen Shubao leaves the chapter on a note of recognition and surprise.

Key plot points

• After Prince of Ancheng’s visit, Chen Cuo briefly wonders how the prince’s son could become emperor despite the existence of a crown prince. He dismisses the question as court intrigue and focuses instead on cultivation.
• The court grants Chen Cuo permission to use the East Observatorium, the dynasty’s extensive library. His cousin Zhang Ju welcomes him, explains the collection, and leaves to attend to other business.
• Bao Gan, a library collation official, guides Chen Cuo through the stacks. The inner hall contains rare original texts and manuscripts; its third floor is restricted, guarded, and apparently holds cultivation-related works.
• Chen Cuo senses traces of Human Thought throughout the library. He believes its accumulated writing may help him deepen his Incense Path and complete his developing Divine Ability.
• He selects a copy of Nine Songs, a richly layered work: Qu Yuan’s original, Wang Yi’s commentary, and a copy in Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy. Its Human Thought is unusually strong, but it remains bound to the book rather than responding to Chen Cuo’s Breathing Technique.
• A well-dressed youth drops books nearby. Bao Gan treats him gently, suggesting the youth is important. Chen Cuo notices but returns to reading.
• In the rear hall, two elderly guardians discuss Chen Cuo. Though he has permission to enter, they intend to judge whether he has enough ability to access the deeper collection. They doubt his prospects because the Imperial Clan’s Dynastic Purple Qi may constrain his growth, but his choice of Nine Songs catches their interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo remains focused on cultivation rather than politics. The library gives him a promising new avenue for strengthening his Dao, and his instinctive choice of Nine Songs hints at his sensitivity to meaningful texts.
• Zhang Ju is warmly supportive and proud of his cousin, while his colleagues are awkward around Chen Cuo.
• Bao Gan serves as a courteous guide, then quietly reports Chen Cuo’s movements to the guardians.
• The two guardians are cautious gatekeepers, comparing Chen Cuo with earlier promising visitors, Ren Gui and Wu Chao. They regard his background and path as potential limitations but remain curious.
• The unnamed youth attracts notice through his status and the Human Thought surrounding him, though he has not yet interacted directly with Chen Cuo.

Significant themes

• Writing as a path to power: Human Thought accumulates around texts that resonate across generations, making literature a source of spiritual strength.
• Knowledge and access: The library’s layers and guarded third floor represent both the depth of inherited knowledge and the tests required to reach it.
• Potential versus constraint: The guardians weigh Chen Cuo’s talent against the restrictions of his Imperial Clan status and cultivation path.
• Politics versus personal purpose: Chen Cuo deliberately sets aside succession intrigue to pursue his own advancement.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo studies the Nine Songs, a text describing ancient Chu rites in which people used music and dance to entertain gods. Though it contains eleven pieces, the work reflects both religious practice and Qu Yuan’s personal grief and indignation.
• His reflections awaken the Human Thought within the book. It gathers around the Mind Daoist, and the ghost mask begins consuming it. A black-haired elder praises Chen Cuo’s insight but warns that merely absorbing the power without understanding the underlying worship method would be a waste; a white-haired elder argues that knowledge should be passed on.
• At the Directorate of Historiography, Zhang Ju hears colleagues gossip that his cousin, the Marquis of Linru County, has angered the powerful Duke of Guiyang Commandery by fighting the Marquis of Huaihua County, Hou Xiao. Zhang privately worries for his cousin, while noticing how quickly his colleagues’ attitude toward him has changed.
• Zhang waits for Chen Cuo outside the East Observatorium, but Chen remains inside reading for three days. When Zhang finally returns intending to check on him, he learns that Hou Xiao has died.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo becomes deeply absorbed in the Nine Songs and begins to grasp a method of worshipping gods, strengthening the Mind Daoist and awakening the ghost mask.
• The two elders differ in emphasis: the black-haired elder values Chen’s progress but stresses understanding its essence, while the white-haired elder values the free circulation of knowledge.
• Zhang Ju grows anxious about his cousin’s safety and disillusioned by his colleagues’ opportunism. He restrains their gossip but resolves to warn Chen Cuo to keep a low profile.
• Zhang’s colleagues shift from seeking connections through Chen Cuo’s success to distancing themselves once rumors of political trouble arise.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and interpretation: Studying an old text can reveal spiritual power, but genuine understanding matters more than simply absorbing it.
• Human thought, worship, and the supernatural: The Nine Songs links human emotion and ritual to the gods, while Chen Cuo’s cultivation makes that connection tangible.
• Social opportunism and unstable loyalties: Zhang’s colleagues quickly change their stance as Chen Cuo’s fortunes appear to change.
• The danger of political power: Rumors surrounding the Duke of Guiyang Commandery leave Zhang fearful that Chen Cuo may have made a dangerous enemy.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Ju hears rumors that Hou Xiao has died from injuries sustained in his clash with Chen Cuo. Worried that Chen Cuo may be drawn into trouble, he rushes to the East Observatorium to warn him.
• Guards block Zhang Ju from entering while Chen Cuo is secluded, copying books. Shen Zunli, a young man of the Shen clan with imperial connections, is permitted inside. Before Zhang Ju can learn more, he is urgently summoned to the Prince of Nankang’s Residence by Chen Cuo’s mother.
• Chen Cuo suspects Hou Xiao’s reported death is being used as a political pretext by Hou Andu to move against him. He also reflects on his recent study: by copying books and using his Breathing Technique and Ghost-Faced Mask, he has absorbed Human Thought from their pages.
• Shen Zunli enters and attacks Chen Cuo without introduction, claiming he wanted to test his abilities. Chen Cuo uses Human Thought Resonance to harness the thought-energy in the library, pinning Shen to the floor.
• Shen breaks free using a form of Righteous Qi cultivated through reading, then launches a stronger display of power. Chen Cuo counters by stirring the books’ accumulated thoughts and unleashing a flood of images and information, overwhelming Shen.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo shows growing mastery of Human Thought, turning the library itself into a weapon. He remains composed and reproaches Shen for fighting among rare books, while recognizing that Shen’s technique is unusual.
• Shen Zunli is confident and competitive, using his status to gain access and attacking to assess Chen Cuo. His Righteous Qi proves formidable, but Chen Cuo’s command of the library gives him the advantage.
• Zhang Ju is anxious and loyal, trying to warn Chen Cuo but unable to reach him. His summons to the Prince’s Residence hints that the political situation is developing beyond the observatorium.
• The elders watching from nearby observe Chen Cuo’s unusual ability to influence the books but do not intervene.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as power: Reading and books provide both Chen Cuo’s source of strength and the means by which he defeats Shen.
• Politics and manipulation: Hou Xiao’s alleged death may be a deliberate maneuver to create grounds for conflict.
• Pride and restraint: Shen’s competitive ambition leads him to attack; Chen Cuo responds decisively but emphasizes the need to protect the priceless books.
• The boundary between thought and force: Human Thought and Righteous Qi emerge as distinct powers, each shaped by different relationships to knowledge and cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Zunli becomes absorbed in the library’s stories after Chen Cuo uses Frenzied Thought and Myriad Manifestation Thought to draw on the books’ Human Thought. A mysterious intervention breaks the effect before Shen can sink in completely.
• Once recovered, Shen explains that his first palm strike used Righteous Qi, a force cultivated through the Confucian Path that can strike people without damaging objects. He and Chen Cuo discuss the uncertain Confucian and Martial Paths, and Shen shares some of his family’s cultivation methods.
• Before leaving, Shen warns Chen that reports of Hou Xiao’s death may be a plot and urges caution. Chen replies that the Prince of Ancheng should act when a reasonable opportunity arises rather than wait for perfect preparations.
• Alone again, Chen concludes that unseen watchers are likely in the inner hall. He then studies the library’s Human Thought, using several books to form the Seal Script character “joy” in his Human Thought Golden Book. His attempt to draw usable characters from Nine Songs fails, suggesting that its ritual and divine associations require a different approach.
• Chen recognizes the East Observatorium’s collection as a major resource for strengthening his Heart God and perhaps eventually manifesting a Divine Ability. As he resumes reading, a young attendant appears hesitant to speak. Chen senses a sudden, significant opportunity and focuses on the boy.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo shows both strategic caution and intellectual curiosity. He gains Shen’s trust, probes his cultivation, warns the Prince of Ancheng indirectly through Shen, and continues developing his own path rather than adopting the Martial or Confucian traditions.
• Shen Zunli shifts from being overwhelmed and awestruck to speaking openly with Chen. He is learned and capable in both martial cultivation and scholarship, and he remains loyal to his mother while also acting as a cautious intermediary.
• The two hidden elders are concerned that Chen’s influence could create trouble with the emperor. Their intervention ends Shen’s trance, while their presence confirms Chen’s suspicion that he is being watched.
• Chen and Shen develop an easy, respectful rapport through their conversation, though political caution shapes their farewell. Shen leaves carrying Chen’s advice to the Prince of Ancheng.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as power: Books contain Human Thought that Chen can absorb and refine into spiritual resources.
• The search for a personal path: Chen admires Shen’s dual cultivation but insists on steadily following his own route.
• Political uncertainty and timely action: The possible deception surrounding Hou Xiao’s death makes waiting for certainty dangerous.
• Limits of control and understanding: Different texts yield different results, and the divine, ritual nature of Nine Songs resists Chen’s usual method.
• Opportunity and vigilance: Chen’s warning about acting before conditions are perfect is echoed by the mysterious opportunity that arrives at the chapter’s end.

Plot points and events

• Chen Cuo meets Xu Fayan, a young Collation Gentleman and grandson of the famed scholar Xu Ling, in the book pavilion. Xu explains that his grandfather sent him there hoping that time among books would help him fulfill a prediction that he would become a great literary master.
• The prediction came from a Daoist who had also accurately foretold Chen Baoying’s rebellion. He told Xu’s family that, if Xu remained alive, the opportunities needed for his destined future would eventually arrive.
• Xu’s story triggers a breakthrough for Chen Cuo. He realizes that fate and possibility depend on being present: because he is here, the right future can unfold. Grateful, he promises Xu a favor and leaves in haste.
• Chen Cuo’s revelation sends golden light from his Mind Daoist into the pavilion’s Human Thought, creating mysterious ripples. In a hidden chamber, two elders sense the resulting disturbance: the Thought of Destruction begins to struggle, and they suppress it with visions of prosperity and ruin.
• The elders discuss how political upheaval and the growing influence of Buddhism and Daoism are worsening the destructive force. Xu later remembers that Bao Gan wanted Chen Cuo to visit the rear hall’s third floor, but decides to pass the message on later.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo moves from curiosity about Xu’s unusual position to a profound spiritual insight. He treats Xu warmly, draws him into conversation, and acknowledges him as the catalyst for his breakthrough.
• Xu Fayan begins cautiously but grows comfortable speaking with Chen Cuo. His confidence rests less on literary skill than on his belief in the Daoist’s prediction. After witnessing Chen Cuo’s shining eyes and sudden departure, he is left bewildered.
• The two elders reveal their role in containing the Thought of Destruction and their concern that it is becoming harder to control.

Significant themes

• Fate and agency: A predicted future may depend on simply remaining alive and present for the opportunities that make it possible.
• Enlightenment through ordinary encounters: Xu’s account unintentionally unlocks Chen Cuo’s understanding.
• The tension between creation and destruction: Human Thought can foster visions of flourishing civilization or collapse, while political and religious changes affect the balance.
• Knowledge and destiny: Xu’s family places him among books not because he is already a master, but because they believe the right conditions will allow his potential to emerge.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo returns to the Marquis’s Residence and withdraws to his Study, determined to cultivate without interruption. He reflects that worldly obligations consume time he would rather spend pursuing immortality.
• Chen Cuo’s mother worries that the Hou family’s response to Hou Xiao’s death could endanger her sons. She considers seeking help through Zhang Ju or the Mind-Calming Gate Daoists.
• The Daoists unexpectedly insist on visiting Chen Cuo themselves, signaling how much his standing has changed.
• Prince of Ancheng and Shen Zunli discuss Chen Cuo’s abilities and the danger posed by Hou Andu. They fear Chen Cuo may eventually abandon worldly affairs to seek the Dao, but agree they need him now: Hou Andu is an exceptionally powerful martial artist, and the clan has few people capable of opposing him.
• Hou Andu reveals that Hou Xiao has been reborn as a deity from a dark pool. A veiled woman warns that this transformation does not grant immortality and that Hou Xiao’s developing Divine Ability will take time to mature. His Fire Poison still afflicts him. Hou Andu nevertheless urges him to capture Chen Cuo and take his marker and Human Thought.
• In his Study, Chen Cuo completes three days of gathering and condensing Human Thought. Realizing that the present is what can change even if past and future are fixed, he prepares to manifest his Divine Ability.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo becomes more focused on cultivation and recognizes that his worldly responsibilities conflict with his desire for Longevity. His growing power is evident in the Daoists’ deference and in the Human Thought he has accumulated.
• Chen Cuo’s mother remains anxious and protective, seeking allies as she anticipates retaliation from Hou Andu.
• Shen Zunli respects Chen Cuo but worries he may leave the political struggle. He acknowledges that Chen Cuo is essential to confronting Hou Andu.
• Prince of Ancheng presses for immediate action, placing responsibility for the Hou family’s future on Shen Zunli and stressing the urgency of securing Chen Cuo’s help.
• Hou Andu is confident and ambitious, while Hou Xiao is reborn but remains weakened by Fire Poison and has not yet completed his Divine Ability. The veiled woman offers a more sober account of the limits of rebirth and cultivation.
• The Daoists’ decision to visit Chen Cuo, rather than waiting for him, reflects a reversal in status and respect.

Significant themes

• The present and free will: The chapter’s central idea is that even if past and future are fixed, the present remains changeable.
• Ambition versus detachment: Chen Cuo’s pursuit of the Dao and Longevity conflicts with the political and familial duties others need him to fulfill.
• The limits of power and immortality: Becoming a deity, possessing a Divine Ability, or gaining strength does not guarantee Longevity; cultivation requires time and carries enduring weaknesses.
• Changing status: Chen Cuo’s rise alters how others approach and depend on him.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo awakens the Divine Ability Between Cause and Effect. He reasons that his presence in Chen Fangqing’s body connects the man’s early death in the past to the later death recorded in history: by living in the body, Chen Cuo lets the future “effect” remain possible.
• He identifies the ability’s limitation: a past cause and future effect need enough intervening conditions to connect, or the power cannot take hold.
• Chen Cuo applies the ability to Hou Xiao. The past cause is their fight, which shattered Hou Xiao’s Fist Intent and left him gravely wounded with Divine Fire clinging to him; the effect is the widespread belief that Hou Xiao is dead. Chen Cuo invokes the connection between them.
• Meanwhile, Hou Xiao is being transformed into a god by Hou Andu, with help from a mysterious woman in black gauze. The process consumes Human Thought taken from an Evil Ghost, though enough remains for Hou Andu to pursue longevity.
• Hou Xiao completes a new ability that lets hatred enter a “Heart Plague” and spread across the world. The woman detects an attempt to investigate their hiding place and shields it with the Two-World Art.
• Chen Cuo’s influence nevertheless reaches Hou Xiao. His black-mist protection is torn apart; Divine Fire erupts through him and the scattered thoughts sustaining him, leaving him screaming as the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo gains a powerful but conditional supernatural ability and immediately tests it against Hou Xiao, acting decisively despite recognizing other dangers—including the instability of his own body.
• Hou Xiao is midway through becoming a god. His lingering human instincts produce a premonition, but Hou Andu dismisses it; after completing his transformation, Hou Xiao’s arrogance quickly gives way to agony.
• Hou Andu sees Hou Xiao’s transformation as a means to greater power and hopes the remaining Human Thought will help him pursue longevity. He admires the woman’s magic but remains wary of her motives.
• The woman in black gauze assists Hou Andu without asking for repayment, while acknowledging Chen Cuo’s unusual nature. She is the first to recognize that their protection has failed.
• The chapter’s central confrontation is indirect: Chen Cuo’s remote use of his new power penetrates the defenses maintained by Hou Andu and the woman, while Hou Xiao becomes its target.

Significant themes

• Cause, effect, and continuity: Chen Cuo’s presence bridges a broken timeline, making a future possible despite an earlier death.
• Power and its limits: Even a seemingly far-reaching ability requires conditions; Hou Xiao’s godhood likewise depends on Human Thought and the completion of his transformation.
• Humanity versus divinity: Hou Xiao’s remaining human instincts make him vulnerable, while his transformation promises freedom from them at the cost of becoming dependent on others.
• Hidden schemes and uncertain loyalties: Hou Andu’s alliance with the woman is useful but unexplained, and Chen Cuo’s secrets draw attention from forces beyond the immediate conflict.

Key points

• The author apologizes for posting release-day remarks late, explaining that revisions, several updates, and upcoming commitments left little time.
• After seeing better-than-expected first-day subscription numbers, the author pushed out an extra update, despite worrying this might make it harder to keep up later.
• The new book combines xianxia with the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The author says this lets them use existing historical research, while hinting that another reason will become clear later.
• The book has a detailed overall outline, but each volume is designed to stand as a novella, so the author expects to revise and fill gaps as they write.

Character development and interactions

• This is primarily an author’s note, so it does not develop the book’s fictional characters.
• The author reflects on returning to xianxia, finding it creatively freeing, while acknowledging that their limited time can make the writing feel rushed.
• The author credits editor Huya Da Wang with helping improve earlier work and shaping story ideas, including the structure of Dao Fruit. After Qidian’s editorial reorganization, the author can work with her on xianxia again.

Themes

• Creative freedom and craft: The author enjoys xianxia’s flexibility but recognizes that enthusiasm for a subject does not automatically mean writing it well.
• Planning versus adaptation: A firm outline provides structure, yet novella-like volumes require ongoing revision and adjustment to reader expectations.
• Gratitude and perseverance: The author thanks readers and their editor, and hopes to make more time to write carefully and meet readers’ expectations.

Plot points

• The Human Thought pool in Hou Andu’s cellar suddenly ignites, consuming Hou Xiao, who had become a god. His burning form breaks apart into countless thoughts, filling the cellar with cries of terror and death.
• Hou Andu tries to extinguish the blaze with his Fist Intent, but the fire races back along his attack and burns his right arm. The Black-Veiled Woman intervenes with Seven-Colored Waterflow and moonlight, but the flames consume even her magic and illusory power.
• She teleports Hou Andu out of the cellar. After the underground site settles, they return to find it charred, the Human Thought pool gone, and Hou Xiao reduced to a blackened stone figure and then ash.
• Hou Xiao’s final thoughts accuse his “elder brother” of killing him and mention hearing Chen Fangqing’s voice. Hou Andu suspects Chen Fangqing arranged the disaster.
• The Black-Veiled Woman gives Hou Andu a bottle of Blood of Creation—powerful but dangerous—and warns him to keep the incident secret and avoid provoking Chen Fangqing. She then leaves.
• Alone, Hou Andu hides the bottle and departs, fearful and furious. Meanwhile, Chen Cuo reflects on a Divine Ability and its limitations.

Character developments and interactions

• Hou Andu loses his cousin, his accumulated Human Thought, and his hopes of reaching Longevity through the pool. His injured arm and fear deepen his distrust of cultivators, while hatred of Chen Fangqing begins to consume him. He nevertheless accepts the Blood of Creation as a possible alternative.
• The Black-Veiled Woman proves powerful but unable to control the fire. She rescues Hou Andu, warns him about the Heart Plague and Chen Fangqing, and offers him a risky path forward, but provides little explanation.
• Hou Xiao dies in agony; his last fragment of thought expresses grief, rage, and suspicion toward Hou Andu and Chen Fangqing.
• The interactions reveal growing tension: Hou Andu depends on the Black-Veiled Woman but resents her distance, and his suspicions about Chen Fangqing threaten to drive him toward vengeance.

Significant themes

• Destructive power and limits: The mysterious fire burns not only physical matter and thought but also magic and projections.
• Loss and ambition: Hou Andu’s hard-won resources and aspirations vanish abruptly, leaving him desperate for another route to Longevity.
• Hatred and corruption: The Heart Plague amplifies Hou Andu’s anger, clouding his judgment and potentially shaping what he does next.
• Fate and causality: The Black-Veiled Woman suspects Hou Andu’s fate has been disrupted, while Chen Cuo’s reflection on fixing outcomes before events unfold echoes the chapter’s questions about manipulation and cause.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo identifies two requirements for Between Cause and Effect: the past and future must be anchored, and the necessary cause must be prepared in advance. In Hou Xiao’s case, Hou Andu’s public announcement fixed his supposed death as fact, while Fire Poison in his bones provided the cause that let Samadhi True Fire consume him.
• The ability can seemingly bypass limits of distance, time, and differences in realm, but using it drains Chen Cuo’s mental energy and strains the god within his heart. A Clarity Pill restores some strength, but cannot repair the deeper damage.
• Chen Cuo concludes that he needs either to advance his cultivation or build up his Incense foundation. He chooses to seek Human Thought Incense at the East Observatorium, since he wants to consolidate his recent breakthrough rather than rush ahead.
• Meanwhile, the badly wounded Hou Andu returns to the city, drawing the Attendant Tower’s attention. Li Duoshou learns that Hou Xiao’s soul lamp has gone out and that divination links the incident to the Marquis of Linru County.
• Li Duoshou orders an investigation and decides to let two Daoists from the Mind-Calming Gate meet the Marquis before bringing them in for questioning. The chapter ends as the Daoists arrive at the Marquis’s residence.

Character developments

• Chen Cuo gains a clearer understanding of his new ability and its costs. He recognizes that its deeper value lies in what it can teach him about the path of Path-Seeking, not merely its power to kill.
• Li Duoshou remains cautious and politically alert, but adapts his plans when he learns the Mind-Calming Gate Daoists have already arranged to see the Marquis.
• The two Daoists are eager to approach the Marquis, though one tempers expectations about whether his status means he has personal ties to the Attendant Tower.

Significant themes

• Cause, effect, and preparation: Chen Cuo’s power works only when the right conditions are established beforehand.
• Power and its cost: A formidable ability can damage its user when their spiritual foundation cannot support it.
• Cultivation through understanding: Chen Cuo values insight into how his Divine Ability works over relying on its immediate combat strength.
• Incense and support: Spiritual power depends not only on personal cultivation but also on external foundations and followers.

Character interactions

• Chen Cuo reasons through his ability and its consequences largely in solitude, using the Temple Dragon King’s teachings to plan his next step.
• At the Attendant Tower, Li Duoshou questions his subordinate about Hou Andu and Hou Xiao, then considers the woman’s suggestion to use the Mind-Calming Gate Daoists to approach the Marquis.
• The two Daoists discuss their prospects on the way to the Marquis’s residence, balancing hope with caution.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Youzi and Yunmiaozi visit Chen Cuo to ask him to help the Mind-Calming Gate gain access to the Attendant Tower. The Tower Commandant has refused the sect’s request to serve the court as Attendants.
• Chen initially doubts his influence with the Tower, but agrees to speak on their behalf because the Daoists have helped him before.
• Chen’s mind suddenly weakens when the Clarity Pill’s effect fades. He briefly falls asleep and wakes with his mental strength restored, astonishing the Daoists.
• After the Daoists leave, they speculate that Chen’s unusual ability may relate to his reincarnation and decide that understanding him—and themselves—could advance their cultivation.
• An emissary appears almost immediately to invite the Daoists to meet the Tower Commandant, suggesting Chen’s influence is greater than he realizes.
• Chen hurries to the Eastern Observatory, taking the pages he copied there and storing them in Dream Marsh. Little Pig and Little Turtle watch him leave and decide to delay telling him something until they have finished their rations and consumed more incense.
• At the Observatory, the Black-Haired and White-Haired Elders notice Chen’s weakened mind and discuss his recent cultivation progress. The White-Haired Elder suspects Chen has noticed something and wants him brought in soon; the Black-Haired Elder prefers to observe him longer.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo shows gratitude and loyalty by agreeing to help the Daoists despite having little confidence in his connections. His rapid recovery through sleep reveals a mysterious ability.
• Zhou Youzi and Yunmiaozi are impressed by Chen’s character and powers. Yunmiaozi regrets not assessing him earlier and sees a chance to deepen both his relationship with Chen and his own cultivation.
• Little Pig and Little Turtle remain secretive, choosing to postpone a revelation while enjoying food and incense.
• The Observatory elders disagree over whether to intervene immediately or keep watching Chen.

Significant themes

• Reciprocity and kindness: Chen’s willingness to return the Daoists’ kindness shapes their trust and admiration.
• Hidden power and mystery: Chen’s mental weakness, instant recovery, reincarnation, and apparent influence all suggest abilities and origins not yet understood.
• Cultivation through understanding: Yunmiaozi believes personal insight and understanding others may lead to spiritual advancement.
• Observation and uncertainty: Several characters watch Chen closely, but none yet knows the full scope of his nature.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo returns to the Eastern Observatory and uses his Myriad Manifestation Thought to stir the Human Thought embedded in the books. The Mind Daoist absorbs it through the Ghost-Faced Mask, rapidly restoring and strengthening Chen Cuo’s mind.
• The gathered thought reveals a vast will hidden in faint traces throughout the books. The two elders guarding the Observatory fear Chen Cuo may consume so much Human Thought that they will be unable to restrain the Thought of Destruction. One sends a thought to intervene.
• Bao Gan approaches Chen Cuo, who stops absorbing the books’ thought and heads for the rear hall, saying he has delayed long enough.
• On the rear hall’s second floor, Chen Cuo discovers several self-aware Incense Essences. Unlike Evil Ghost, they seem unusually docile, suggesting that something is keeping them under control.
• The third floor is strangely empty and cut off from the Human Thought below. Bao Gan addresses unseen figures, receives an apparent response, and leaves Chen Cuo alone.
• Shadows appear on the wall, revealing a door standing by itself in the otherwise bare room. The chapter ends as Chen Cuo notices something beyond it.

Character developments

• Chen Cuo recovers from his earlier weakness and gains greater mental strength. He also considers storing Human Thought in Dream Marsh as a reserve for future Divine Abilities.
• Bao Gan shifts from cautious observation to guiding Chen Cuo, but his deferential exchange with unseen authorities suggests he is wary of—or obedient to—the Observatory’s hidden powers.
• The two elders are shown to be concerned about Chen Cuo’s growing influence and the threat posed by the Thought of Destruction.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as power: Books contain readers’ Human Thought, which Chen Cuo can absorb to strengthen his mind and deepen his understanding.
• The dangers of accumulation: Chen Cuo’s success alarms the elders because drawing in too much thought could weaken the safeguards restraining a greater threat.
• Hidden forces and uncertain perception: The controlled Incense Essences, the unseen figures, and the mysterious door suggest that the Observatory conceals powers beyond what Chen Cuo can perceive.

Character interactions

• Xu Fayan asks Bao Gan whether he now believes his earlier account; Bao Gan advises him to keep quiet and hints the discovery may benefit him.
• The elders discuss Chen Cuo’s absorption and one of them acts to stop it.
• Bao Gan attempts to speak with Chen Cuo, but Chen Cuo cuts him off and proceeds to the rear hall.
• Bao Gan speaks respectfully to unseen figures on the third floor, then leaves Chen Cuo to face the mysterious door alone.

Summary

• Chen Cuo develops his causal Divine Ability. Before the ornate doorway, he uses Between Cause and Effect to link the Hou’s tyranny and threat to the imperial realm with his agreement to study cultivation. The attempt succeeds, strengthening his confidence that he can now prepare a way to kill Hou Andu. The Mind Daoist, who helps enact the ability, is less depleted than before.
• He surprises the Black-and-White Elders. Chen Cuo senses the mysterious elders, greets them, and opens the door without undergoing its usual trial. The doorway normally sends visitors into an illusion of books and Human Thought, where they must escape through literary insight or martial force. Chen’s Mind Daoist instead absorbs the incoming phantoms and thoughts. The elders are baffled: the book-fragrance never touches him, and the illusion itself seems to have vanished.
• Chen faces the River of History. Beyond the door, he recognizes a river carrying memories of past lives and the rise and fall of ages. A great wave nearly pulls him into another person’s life, threatening to make him begin again. He resists by forming a Glazed Wisdom Sword from Myriad Manifestation Thought, the Facial Mask, and the cluster of light, then strikes at the wave.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo moves from testing a newly formed ability to using it with increasing certainty. He remains composed rather than clinging to success or fearing failure, and treats historical upheaval as no threat to his own path.
• The Mind Daoist proves essential both in combining cause and effect and in shielding Chen from the doorway’s thoughts and the River of History.
• The Black-and-White Elders debate Chen’s prospects, compare him with earlier challengers Ren Gui and Wu Chao, and are left astonished by his effortless passage. Their curiosity turns to anticipation of what he will do next.
• The elders’ discussion also frames Chen’s unusual approach: unlike earlier figures who endured the illusion through teaching or combat, he bypasses it through his distinctive ability.

Significant themes

• Causality and preparation: Chen’s breakthrough suggests that understanding the right connection between cause and effect can turn an unlikely attempt into a reliable weapon.
• History and perspective: The river embodies the repetitive cycles of dynastic rise and fall. Chen argues that later generations can see these patterns clearly and need not be swept into them.
• Staying true to one’s path: Chen resists both the doorway’s mental trials and the river’s pull by refusing to let past events—or another life—derail his pursuit of the Dao.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo confronts the Long River Conception, seeing history swing between peaceful prosperity and violent decline. Rather than being swept into these visions, he cuts through them with his sword.
• The Thought of Destruction takes shape as a vast, chaotic force and assaults him with images of dynasties collapsing, wars, famine, and death. Two elders warn that it is dangerous and offer to guide him out.
• Chen Cuo refuses to retreat. He regards encountering the Thought of Destruction as a rare opportunity and uses his Wisdom Sword to pierce it, seeking to understand its patterns and strengthen his Dao Heart.
• His attack produces a vision of land divided into fields, ruled by local powers whose contributions sustain the Twelve Golden Figures and the realm’s Fortune. Over time, the fields consolidate into a few powerful territories; their rulers devour the smaller powers, the figures collapse, and disorder follows. Eventually, a single realm emerges and the cycle begins again.
• Seeing this vision, the Thought of Destruction withdraws. Chen Cuo receives a spiritual spark that becomes a Five-Zhu Coin. A vision of Book Mountain and Sea of Learning merges into it, and the Wisdom Sword shatters.
• Chen Cuo returns to the tower’s third floor, where the two elders greet him as the Marquis of Linru County and reveal that the experience was “Peach Paradise.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo demonstrates composure, courage, and intellectual curiosity. He accepts the inevitability of dynastic change but says his ambitions now reach beyond preserving his lineage or status. Rather than fleeing a dangerous force, he treats it as material for insight and spiritual growth.
• The two elders, one in black and one in white, first warn Chen Cuo about the Thought of Destruction and urge him to trust them. After witnessing him withstand it—and cause it to recede—they respond with surprise and respect.
• Chen Cuo’s exchange with the elders highlights the contrast between their caution and his determination to face uncertainty directly.

Significant themes

• The cycle of history: Prosperity and collapse recur; dynasties and aristocratic families alike are impermanent.
• Order and disorder: The vision suggests that political order depends on a balance of land, local authority, and shared Fortune, while consolidation and predation can destroy that structure.
• Facing destruction: Chen Cuo turns catastrophe from a threat into a chance to deepen his understanding and strengthen his Dao Heart.
• Ambition beyond status: He rejects mere dynastic survival as his ultimate goal, hinting at a larger pursuit of the Dao.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cuo meets the library’s two elders, Sheng and Shuai, and asks permission to read cultivation texts. They first question him about how he crossed the river of history and confronted the Thought of Destruction.
• Chen admits he used a Divine Ability, but keeps its nature private. The elders praise his unusual talent and steadfast Dao Heart, while warning that his use of the Wisdom Sword may have strengthened the destructive entity.
• Sheng and Shuai explain that the Thought of Destruction formed from centuries of suffering and chaos. It has a trace of instinct but is still confused and contradictory; suppressing it may not solve the problem.
• Chen proposes that, rather than simply suppressing or trying to destroy it, someone might sort through and guide its accumulated thoughts. His question—whether it is truly destructive by nature or merely labeled as such—provokes a sudden reaction from beneath the floor.
• The elders suppress the disturbance with the force of dynastic rise and decline. Chen senses a further mystery through the Five-Zhu Coin and the Mind Daoist, but the disturbance is contained.
• Sheng suggests that the entity might be taught or restrained, though doing so would require immense wisdom, perseverance, and good fortune. Shuai speculates that Chen may someday have a role in saving people during an age of chaos. Chen rejects grand ambitions but says he would do what he could if the crisis came.
• Chen turns from the texts to learn more about the elders. They reveal that they were once black and white game stones owned by Ban Mengjian, became spirits through the nourishment of historians’ writings, and have served as custodians of Human Thought for six hundred years before becoming gods.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cuo shows caution by concealing his Divine Ability, but also intellectual courage in proposing a new way to understand the Thought of Destruction. He remains modest about the possibility of becoming a savior.
• Elder Sheng is probing and perceptive, questioning Chen’s experience and later acknowledging the possibility of guiding the destructive entity.
• Elder Shuai is more cautionary, warning that the entity’s accumulated misery makes it dangerous and difficult to restrain. He sees Chen’s encounter as potentially significant.
• The elders begin by assessing Chen, then engage with his insight seriously. Their complicated reaction to his proposal suggests it has challenged their long-held understanding.

Significant themes

• Suppression versus understanding: Destructive forces may worsen if merely contained; understanding and guiding them could offer another path.
• History and recurring cycles: Dynastic rise and decline shape both the library’s power and the nature of the threat.
• Wisdom, responsibility, and humility: Chen’s insight hints at a possible future duty, but he refuses to claim heroic ambitions prematurely.
• The power of collective thought: Human suffering and belief can accumulate into powerful beings, whether destructive or divine.