Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Back in the Immortal Estate, Chen Zhuo inspects the medicine Sijing supplied, wary of counterfeit goods despite their friendship. He confirms that the Azure Dragons, Little White Dragon, and Snow Leopard vaporized medicines are genuine and accepts the four-thousand-Spirit-Coin purchase.
• Chen Zhuo uses the World-Breaking Pearl to return to the Ancient Immortal Realm aboard the Sword Boat, which is approaching Greenstone Market to recruit disciples.
• He injects an Azure Dragon and a Little White Dragon simultaneously, following the instructions for the first two doses of Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin. Their combined effect is extraordinarily potent: his Myriad Woods Bow to Origin Skill activates, spiritual energy floods into him, and he breaks through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.
• The Sword Boat’s Spirit-Gathering Array rapidly channels its spiritual energy into Chen Zhuo’s room. Foundation Establishment cultivator Zhao Shu notices the disturbance and realizes Chen is likely responsible. He orders the backup array activated and authorizes the use of Spirit Stones to support Chen’s cultivation.

Character development and interactions

• Chen remains pragmatic and cautious: he verifies Sijing’s medicine rather than relying solely on trust, but is content to let her profit for sourcing it quickly.
• Chen’s breakthrough demonstrates the exceptional cultivation potential associated with his Heavenly Spiritual Root—and the unusual force of the paired injections.
• Zhao Shu’s attitude shifts from complicated disappointment over losing Chen to the Rosy Sword Lineage to awe at Chen’s ability. He also becomes concerned that other sects might try to seize such a rare talent.
• Zhao Shu directs the disciples preparing for Greenstone Market, then redirects the Sword Boat’s resources to protect and assist Chen.

Significant themes

• Trust and self-interest: Chen’s caution reflects a cultivation world where even close relationships may be exploited.
• Talent, fortune, and rivalry: Chen wonders whether Li Changqing is lucky, while Zhao Shu recognizes how a Heavenly Spiritual Root can provoke violence and sect competition.
• Power and opportunity: The medicine’s immense effect accelerates Chen’s progress and prompts the Sword Gate to invest more heavily in his cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo breaks through to the Qi Refinement Sixth Layer, causing a minor celestial phenomenon. Zhao Shu is thrilled and worries the group should hurry back to the sect, while Xu Chan quietly observes.
• Xu Chan confirms Chen’s spiritual energy is exceptionally pure, showing he advanced without pills.
• Xu Chan gifts Chen a Wind-Thunder Sword Talisman, a powerful Talisman Treasure made from a portion of Xu Chan’s bonded Magical Artifact. It can threaten any opponent below the Golden Core Realm, but each use drains Chen’s energy, grows weaker, and is limited to roughly eight or nine activations.
• When Xu Chan asks about his sword studies, Chen explains several subtle improvements to the basic sword techniques—ideas he learned from Teacher Xiao in the Immortal Estate’s world, though he presents them as his own. Xu Chan is astonished by Chen’s insight.
• Chen admits he has not yet studied the sword scripture because he prioritized his cultivation breakthrough. Xu Chan accepts this but urges him to practice swordsmanship, given the dangers of the world.
• Xu Chan says the swordship will remain for a day and allows Chen to go out with Zhao Shu, while hinting that others will keep watch over him. Before leaving, he gives Chen a collection of Jiangnan poetry and tells him to learn proper seven-character regulated verse.

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo displays extraordinary cultivation talent and unexpected insight into sword techniques. He is grateful for Xu Chan’s protection and carefully keeps the source of his sword insights secret.
• Xu Chan shifts from skepticism about Chen’s sword potential to genuine surprise at his aptitude, while continuing to guide and protect him.
• Zhao Shu becomes intensely protective of Chen, convinced that his unusual breakthrough marks him as a rare prodigy.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and rising expectations: Chen’s Heavenly Spiritual Root drives rapid cultivation, while his sword insight suggests further potential.
• Preparation and survival: The Talisman Treasure and Xu Chan’s warnings underscore the dangers Chen will face and the need to balance cultivation with practical skills.
• Mentorship and protection: Xu Chan’s gifts and advice show his growing investment in Chen’s future.
• Discretion and hidden knowledge: Chen presents insights gained elsewhere as his own, keeping his unusual sources concealed.

Character interactions

• Xu Chan praises Chen’s clean breakthrough, gifts him a powerful defensive weapon, and tests his progress in swordsmanship.
• Chen responds with respect and gratitude, impressing Xu Chan with his analysis but admitting he has neglected the scripture.
• Xu Chan balances encouragement with caution, then unexpectedly adds literary instruction by giving Chen a poetry collection.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo refuses to go strolling after his recent breakthrough, worried that an enemy might assassinate him despite the protection of Golden Core cultivators. Instead, he stays in seclusion to consolidate his cultivation, using more than a dozen Spirit Stones to fuel the powerful Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin technique.
• As the swordship leaves Greenstone Market, Golden Core True Persons Xu Chan and Lu discuss Chen’s unusual self-restraint and the threat posed by the Pu family. Xu Chan has found evidence that the family patriarch’s Divine Sense was influenced by a Buddhist Cultivator, likely the Western Mountain Maha Jumomi. Lu reveals that several allied sect leaders are following the ship in case Jumomi attacks.
• Xu Chan asks Lu to use his precious bonded treasure to make a protective Talisman for Chen. Lu refuses, but offers several inherited top-grade Magical Artifacts to protect Chen until Foundation Establishment.
• Back in the Immortal Estate, Chen relaxes with Happy Water and television. The Spell Repository notifies him that his commissioned Azure Sun Thunder-Controlling Sword Scripture has been optimized.
• The revision, derived from the remnant Divine Sense of the Vast Dharma Universal Thunder Sword Monarch, corrects errors, improves cultivation routes, boosts cultivation speed and power, and substantially reduces the risk of cultivation deviation. Chen is delighted by the detailed cultivation insights.
• Teacher Xiao Yugang sends Chen a recommended training plan: a Wood-aspected body-tempering technique, two spells, and a basic Wood-aspected sword art. More advanced resources are beyond Chen’s means and aren’t supplied by the academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo shows that his ambition is balanced by strong caution: he prioritizes survival and steady cultivation over adventure. He is pleased by the optimized scripture and eager to put it to use.
• Xu Chan is protective of Chen and takes his safety seriously, both by investigating the Pu family and by pressing Lu to provide Chen with a powerful defensive Talisman.
• Lu praises Chen’s discipline and agrees to provide lesser inherited artifacts, but refuses to sacrifice power from his bonded treasure.
• Xiao Yugang continues to guide Chen’s development with practical, affordable recommendations suited to his Wood Spiritual Root.
• The Sword Monarch, though long dead and limited to a remnant Divine Sense, contributes valuable expertise through the improved scripture and his cultivation notes.

Significant themes

• Survival and prudence: Chen chooses security over unnecessary risks, while his elders prepare for possible political and spiritual threats.
• Mentorship and protection: Xu Chan, Lu, and Xiao Yugang all support Chen, though their aid is constrained by resources and personal priorities.
• Knowledge as power: Modern cultivation theory combined with the Sword Monarch’s experience makes the revised scripture far more effective and safer.
• Sect rivalry and looming danger: The suspected Buddhist influence on the Pu family points to a wider conflict between Great Li Mountain’s Nine Sects and Western Mountain’s Buddhist forces.

Key plot points

• Teacher Xiao selects four techniques for Chen Zhuo: the Azure Wood Body Tempering Technique, Clearwind Shadow-Escape Art, Endless Heavenly Thunder Protective Sword Spell, and Formless Sword Qi. Chen pays 100 Spirit Coins at the academy Library and receives the instructions.
• The techniques cover body tempering, escape, defense, and concealed sword attacks. Chen is pleased, though he notes that the body-tempering method would be even stronger if he could cultivate beside a powerful spirit tree.
• Ready to return home and cultivate his optimized Azure Sun Thunder-Controlling Sword Scripture, Chen runs into Liang Ningwan.
• Chen asks whether her family can help him obtain body-strengthening medicine. Ningwan says her father has supplies intended for her younger sister and offers to arrange a trade. Her sister, however, has a habit of spending money meant for medicine on tips to True Person Que.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo feels genuine gratitude toward Xiao, recognizing his teacher’s care despite his stern manner. He is ambitious and resourceful, pleased to build a broad skill set and seeking a more reliable source of medicine.
• Xiao Yugang shows his support by carefully matching techniques to Chen’s wood-element Spiritual Root and the needs of the upcoming Dao Tournament. He warns Chen that losing his reserve-team place would bring shame.
• Liang Ningwan warmly congratulates Chen on making the reserve team and willingly offers to help him access her family’s medicine.
• Chen and Ningwan bond through their shared One Heart Society membership and a practical exchange: Chen needs medicine; Ningwan can connect him with her family’s supply.
• Chen learns that Ningwan’s family is heavily involved in body cultivation, while she herself took a different path. Her brother is also a reserve member, and her younger sister’s wasteful tipping frustrates the family.

Significant themes

• Mentorship and gratitude: Xiao’s careful guidance earns Chen’s sincere appreciation.
• Strategic cultivation: Chen seeks complementary abilities and resources rather than relying on a single technique or supplier.
• Humor and self-awareness: Chen jokes about becoming a “hexagonal warrior” and treats his own advantage as only a “little cheat,” while poking fun at the Liang family’s unusual dynamics.
• Competition and pressure: The approaching Dao Tournament gives Chen a clear goal and makes retaining his reserve position important.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Back in the Ancient Immortal Realm aboard the Sword Boat, Chen Zhuo reflects that it feels more welcoming than the Immortal Estate World, though he wishes he could combine the benefits of both.
• He begins cultivating the optimized Azure Sun Thunder-Controlling Sword Scripture, using the Sword Monarch’s annotations. The streamlined method is easier and more efficient than the original.
• Chen Zhuo quickly senses Jia Wood Pure Qi, far sooner than an ordinary cultivator would. After roughly a day and a half of focused practice, he stabilizes the qi and gathers a faint trace of thunder qi in his dantian—the beginnings of the Thunder Seed the scripture aims to create.
• He then reviews several spells taught by Teacher Xiao. The Endless Heavenly Thunder Protective Sword Spell seems manageable, but the Azure Wood Body Tempering Technique requires a nearby tree, so he postpones it until he reaches the sect and can plant one at his Cave Abode.
• Wanting to test his new cultivation, Chen Zhuo realizes he lacks a suitable sword-cultivator weapon. For now, he decides to use the Blood Sword given to him by Senior Brother Zhao Shu.

Character development

• Chen Zhuo shows greater ease and belonging in the Ancient Immortal Realm, contrasting it with the Immortal Estate World’s emotional coldness.
• His rapid progress builds his confidence, but he remains practical and attributes much of it to the optimized scripture and the Realm’s abundant spiritual energy rather than assuming he is naturally exceptional.
• He is eager to advance, yet accepts that some techniques must wait for the right conditions.

Character interactions

• Chen Zhuo’s progress is shaped by the Sword Monarch’s annotations, and he praises the Sword Monarch for making the scripture clearer and more effective.
• He recalls Martial Uncle Xu Chan’s estimate of how long ordinary cultivators need to sense Jia Wood Pure Qi and form a Thunder Seed, highlighting how unusual his speed is.
• Teacher Xiao’s instruction leads him to study the protective sword spell and body-tempering technique.
• Senior Brother Zhao Shu’s Blood Sword becomes Chen Zhuo’s temporary weapon, though Chen Zhuo considers it poorly suited to sword cultivation.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through knowledge and refinement: The optimized scripture shows how clearer methods can make dangerous, inefficient practice safer and faster.
• Environment and opportunity: Chen Zhuo’s progress benefits from the Ancient Immortal Realm’s rich spiritual energy, while the lack of a tree aboard the Sword Boat limits his body-tempering practice.
• Patience and preparation: Early gains are promising but incomplete; Chen Zhuo still needs to strengthen his thunder qi, acquire a proper sword, and find suitable conditions for further training.

Key plot points

• Chen Zhuo leaves his room carrying the Blood Sword, whose baleful aura weighs on him but strengthens his Divine Sense.
• He tells Martial Niece Zhang that he has made an initial breakthrough in the Sword Manual. Zhao Shu hears this and quickly arranges a practice area, clearing space on the Sword Boat and summoning five disciples as sparring partners.
• Chen Zhuo is impressed by the vast Sword Boat and recognizes the effort made to accommodate him. He asks the disciples—four at Qi Refining Sixth Layer and one at Seventh—to fight seriously, then draws his sword.
• Unseen above the deck, Xu Chan and True Person Lu watch. Xu Chan boasts of Chen Zhuo’s rapid progress, while Lu cautions that a few days of practice do not prove his talent. Xu Chan wagers a Tribulation-Crossing Pill that Chen Zhuo can defeat all five. If Xu Chan wins, Lu must give up his clan’s thousand-year-old Jianmu tree so it can be made into a sword for Chen Zhuo.

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo shows calm confidence and eagerness to test his newly learned swordsmanship. He remains composed despite the disciples’ mixed reactions.
• Martial Niece Zhang is astonished by his progress and warmly hopeful that his talent will help revive the sect.
• Zhao Shu displays strong support for Chen Zhuo, going so far as to clear a large practice area aboard the ship for him.
• Xu Chan is openly proud of Chen Zhuo and treats his progress as evidence of exceptional promise.
• True Person Lu is more skeptical, reserving judgment until he sees Chen Zhuo fight.

Character interactions

• Zhang respectfully attends to Chen Zhuo and reacts with admiration to his claimed breakthrough.
• Zhao Shu warmly congratulates Chen Zhuo and arranges the sparring session; Chen Zhuo responds respectfully and addresses the five disciples as “Martial Nephews.”
• The five disciples show varied feelings toward Chen Zhuo—envy, jealousy, and possibly resentment—but agree to spar.
• Xu Chan and Lu debate Chen Zhuo’s prospects and turn that disagreement into a high-stakes wager.

Significant themes

• Talent versus proof: Chen Zhuo’s rapid progress inspires awe, but Lu insists that ability must be demonstrated in combat.
• Sect loyalty and investment in prodigies: Zhang and Zhao Shu’s support reflects the hope that Chen Zhuo can help restore the Qiwu Sword Sect.
• Reputation and expectation: Chen Zhuo is already treated as an extraordinary talent, placing the upcoming match under intense scrutiny.

Plot points and events

• Before the tournament match, Xu Chan explains why he is determined to honor the Thunder Sword Lineage. The sect failed to protect it during the Western Mountain invasion: its disciples died at Great Li Mountain while the sect’s Golden Core protector was unavailable, and the Rosy Sword elder whose breakthrough had taken precedence also died. The tragedy weakened the Sword Gate and remains a painful taboo.
• Xu Chan has found Chen Zhuo, a heavenly-spiritual-root disciple, to inherit the lineage and intends to make Senior Brother Zhongli’s name resound again. He is willing to give Chen Zhuo a precious thousand-year-old tree to make a sword.
• Chen Zhuo faces a Qi Refining Sixth Layer rogue cultivator who resents his exceptional talent. At the signal to begin, Chen Zhuo uses a net-like artifact to force his opponent’s attention, then lands a powerful sword slash infused with Jia Wood Pure Qi and faint lightning.
• The slash drives his opponent from the platform but leaves him physically unharmed. Chen Zhuo has deliberately held back and invites the remaining challengers to attack without concern for his status.
• The other disciples are startled by the quality of his swordsmanship. Zhao Shu and the two True Persons watching recognize that Chen Zhuo has advanced extraordinarily quickly: in only a few days, he has mastered the basics of the Thunder Scripture, gathered lightning qi, and approached the threshold of First Wood Divine Thunder.
• Xu Chan’s wager with the Fat True Person is settled in his favor: the latter agrees to give him the Jianmu.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Chan reveals the depth of his loyalty and guilt toward the fallen Thunder Sword Lineage. Chen Zhuo’s talent gives him hope of restoring its legacy.
• Chen Zhuo remains calm under pressure and demonstrates both impressive skill and restraint. His inner monologue shows some comic overconfidence, but he is also considerate, asking challengers not to go easy on him.
• The first opponent begins from envy and a desire to prove himself, but Chen Zhuo’s controlled strike leaves him shaken and respectful.
• Zhao Shu shifts from observing the match to genuine astonishment at Chen Zhuo’s rapid progress.
• The Fat True Person moves from skepticism about wasting a rare tree on a young cultivator to acknowledging Chen Zhuo as an extraordinary prodigy.

Significant themes

• Legacy and atonement: Xu Chan seeks to repair the Sword Gate’s betrayal of the Thunder Sword Lineage by training a worthy successor.
• Talent versus resentment: Chen Zhuo’s heavenly spiritual root provokes jealousy, but his ability quickly validates his promise.
• Restraint and responsibility: Chen Zhuo wins decisively without injuring his opponent, showing control as well as strength.
• The extraordinary nature of true talent: His rapid mastery challenges expectations and suggests he may become a major figure beyond the Southern Wilderness.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo defeats all five Qi Refining disciples in a sparring match. His newly developed First Wood Divine Thunder overwhelms the strongest opponent, who concedes that Chen’s swordsmanship is beyond comprehension.
• Chen privately credits his success to an optimized cultivation technique, powerful spiritual energy built up with enhancement drugs, and guidance from a highly knowledgeable Nascent Soul cultivator. He concludes that Immortal Estate cultivators have a major advantage over their Ancient Immortal Realm counterparts at low cultivation levels.
• Zhao Shu praises Chen and accepts his claim that the sparring gave him new insights. Chen returns to his room to preserve his image as a swordsmanship prodigy.
• Convinced Chen is an extraordinary talent, Zhao Shu orders his nephew to carve out territory and establish a new kingdom for Chen’s supposed mortal relatives. The Zhao family hopes this generous gesture will secure Chen’s goodwill and protect its own political standing.
• Chen knows nothing of the plan. He has no relatives and sees little value in a mortal throne. He reflects that his identity as a prodigy seems secure, since no one noticed the optimization of his technique.
• Before he can settle in, the ship shakes with a violent impact. A voice reaches directly into Chen’s Divine Sense, announcing that the speaker has been waiting for “Jumomi.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo grows more confident that his training and carefully maintained prodigy persona are working. Outwardly modest, he privately takes pride in his overwhelming advantage and remains wary of revealing too much.
• The defeated disciples are stunned by Chen’s apparent mastery of First Wood Divine Thunder; the strongest acknowledges defeat respectfully.
• Zhao Shu shifts from admiration to strategic action, treating Chen as a powerful future ally and trying to provide for him.
• Chen and Zhao Shu interact through praise and polite deference, though their assumptions differ: Zhao sees Chen as a talented cultivator with mortal kin, while Chen has neither relatives nor interest in Zhao’s intended gift.
• The mysterious voice introduces an abrupt threat or encounter at the chapter’s end.

Significant themes

• Artificial enhancement versus natural cultivation: Chen’s joking “pure additives, zero natural ingredients” highlights the disparity between drug-assisted, optimized Immortal Estate cultivation and the Ancient Immortal Realm’s traditional methods.
• Appearance and misrecognition: Chen deliberately sustains the image of a natural prodigy, while others interpret his extraordinary performance through their own assumptions.
• Power and political security: Zhao Shu’s proposed kingdom shows how cultivators influence mortal rule and how political families use patronage to protect their position.
• Humor amid danger: Chen’s irreverent inner commentary contrasts with the disciples’ awe and the serious political maneuvering around him, before the sudden cliffhanger shifts the tone.

Plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo’s Sword Boat is attacked by a Golden Core cultivator, but several Golden Core allies—including Xu Chan—fight back. Chen Zhuo stays focused on cultivation rather than trying to watch a battle he can barely see.
• After the battle ends, Chen Zhuo infers that his side won because the Sword Boat is unharmed. Xu Chan later confirms that Jumomi, a Western Mountain Maha, was slain; his Golden Core escaped, allowing him to reincarnate and cultivate again.
• A transmission summons Chen Zhuo to Xu Chan. On the way, the disciples treat him with new respect after hearing that he defeated five opponents of his own realm.
• Xu Chan introduces Lu Xu, a senior elder of the Rosy Sword Lineage. Lu Xu welcomes Chen Zhuo and gives him a pouch of twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, a valuable gift.
• Xu Chan assures Chen Zhuo the rest of the journey is safe and offers to escort him around, take him to Ten Thousand Swords Cliff to select a flying sword, and arrange a Cave Abode. Chen Zhuo asks to plant an Ancient Wood Spirit Plant there.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo remains outwardly confident and devoted to cultivation, while privately worrying that his supposed Heavenly Spiritual Root is a false identity he must protect. He accepts the burdens—and perks—of maintaining his reputation as a prodigy.
• His reputation has shifted from envy to admiration: the disciples now see him as someone beyond their reach and greet him respectfully.
• Lu Xu’s warm welcome and generous gift establish a cordial relationship with Chen Zhuo. Xu Chan acts protectively, offering practical help and reassurance after the assassination attempt.
• Chen Zhuo responds to both elders with deference, but his request to plant a spirit plant shows he is already planning how to make use of his new home.

Significant themes

• Reputation and envy: The disciples’ attitudes change when Chen Zhuo’s achievements make him seem exceptional rather than comparable.
• Secrecy and self-invention: Chen Zhuo must sustain a false image of extraordinary talent, even as he works hard to make that image convincing.
• Diligence and composure: He chooses steady cultivation over distraction and remains calm amid danger.
• Patronage and opportunity: Chen Zhuo’s growing status brings protection, resources, and access to valuable sect benefits.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Chan and a plump True Person tell Chen Zhuo that Senior Brother Lu will give him a five-thousand-year-old Moon Jade Tree, which Chen can use to support his body-tempering practice. Chen is thrilled, though the tree is clarified to be a venerable Moon Jade Tree—not the legendary Jianmu.
• After returning to his room, Chen decides that Divine Sense is the major gap in his abilities, but his immediate priority is beginning the Azure Wood Body Tempering Technique properly before the tree is transplanted.
• Three days later, Chen returns to the Immortal Estate to meet Liang Ningwan and her older brother, Liang Ninghong. Liang’s family has prepared body-tempering potions for him, and Chen hopes to ask Liang Ninghong for advice about the soreness in his arms.
• At the upscale Tribe Barbecue, Chen sees the steep prices for demonic-beast meat. On meeting Liang Ninghong, he impulsively asks why the man’s head is so pointy, then immediately regrets the tactless question. Liang Ninghong responds matter-of-factly that perhaps it is pointy because it is pointy.

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo is eager to improve and takes stock of what his training still lacks. Though ambitious, he remains practical about resources, avoids spending cultivation potential on costly meals, and is inexperienced enough with body cultivation to worry that he may be practicing incorrectly.
• Xu Chan and the plump True Person show respect for the Moon Jade Tree’s age and sentimentalize their ancestors’ lost homeland, Jiangnan. Their solemn talk contrasts with Chen’s straightforward satisfaction with life in the Southern Wilderness.
• Liang Ningwan helps Chen obtain specialist body-tempering medicines through her family’s expertise.
• Liang Ninghong appears relaxed and unbothered, even when Chen comments bluntly on his unusual appearance.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through patience and preparation: Chen recognizes that progress requires filling gaps in his abilities and starting body training carefully.
• Practicality and resourcefulness: He weighs the value of spiritual food, medicines, and training rather than spending carelessly.
• Nostalgia and belonging: The elders mourn Jiangnan, while Chen feels content with the Southern Wilderness, highlighting different generations’ attachments to home.
• Humor and social awkwardness: Chen’s unfiltered question about Liang Ninghong’s head punctures the chapter’s cultivation talk with comedy.

Character interactions

• Xu Chan and the plump True Person reassure Chen about the tree and send him back to his cultivation.
• Chen arranges to meet Liang Ningwan, whose family connections provide medicines and potential guidance.
• Chen’s first exchange with Liang Ninghong is an awkward, blunt observation; Liang’s calm, literal reply keeps the moment light.

Plot and events

• Chen Zhuo meets Liang Ningwan and her brother, Liang Ninghong, to buy beginner body-tempering injections.
• Ninghong has taken a professional-grade injection beyond his level and is acting oddly: he complains that spirit rice is “wrong” because it makes him full, and remarks on Chen Zhuo’s head.
• Ningwan reassures Chen Zhuo that beginner-level drugs should be safe for him. He agrees to buy five doses each of three common injections for 1,000 Spirit Coins, with the exchange to happen later at his home.
• The group eats only spirit rice because restaurant dishes are expensive. Chen notices that other diners also avoid costly meat, preferring to spend their money on cultivation drugs.
• While eating, Chen asks Ninghong why his arms ache after practicing the introductory exercises of the Azure Wood Body-Tempering Technique. Ninghong gives a confusing explanation and suggests a costly injection; Ningwan translates, explaining that the soreness means Chen worked the right muscles and should improve as his Law Body strengthens.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo is cautious about body-cultivation drugs, fearing they could alter his appearance or impair his poetic talent. Despite his reservations, he proceeds carefully and seeks advice about his training.
• Liang Ningwan is practical and apologetic about her brother’s behavior. She reassures Chen, negotiates the sale, and interprets Ninghong’s strange advice.
• Liang Ninghong is single-minded about eating and injections, and his excessive dose leaves him muddled. Though his advice is hard to understand, it contains a useful point about Chen’s training.

Themes

• The chapter humorously contrasts cultivation language with modern pharmaceutical terminology.
• It emphasizes the practical trade-offs cultivators make: expensive food competes with the perceived value of training drugs.
• It also highlights the importance of moderation and level-appropriate cultivation, as Ninghong’s overpowered injection causes his bizarre behavior.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo buys body-tempering medicine from Liang Ningwan and Liang Ninghong, paying them generously in Spirit Stones and leaving the door open to future purchases.
• He notices Liang Ninghong’s purple lips and warns that his heart may be in danger. Liang dismisses the warning, unaware of its seriousness.
• Before using the medicine, Chen Zhuo researches it online. He learns that the extreme, monstrous physiques of some body cultivators come from a separate procedure involving monster-beast muscle, not ordinary body-tempering injections.
• Back in the Ancient Immortal Realm, Chen Zhuo injects the medicine and uses the Azure Wood Body Tempering Technique to absorb it. The process is intensely painful, but it strengthens and restores his body.
• Determined to endure the hardship, he takes repeated injections through the night.
• The next day, Chen Zhuo attends his Dao Tournament Reserve class. Meng Yan has reached Qi Refining Fifth Layer, though the aura of death around him seems stronger. As Chen Zhuo prepares to leave for sword practice, Instructor Yuan summons him to his office.

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo is cautious and methodical: he researches the medicine before using it, but once convinced it is safe, he pushes through severe pain with stubborn resolve. He also prefers traditional cultivation and has no wish to become unnaturally muscular or turn his body into a Magical Artifact.
• Liang Ninghong remains confident and dismissive despite Chen Zhuo’s warning about his apparent heart problem.
• Meng Yan advances rapidly in cultivation, but his worsening aura of death suggests that his progress may come with a troubling cost.

Significant themes

• Endurance and commitment: Chen Zhuo treats pain as part of cultivation and a test of his resolve.
• Moderation versus extremity: He seeks strength without sacrificing his preferred appearance or humanity.
• Prudence and foreboding: Chen Zhuo researches unfamiliar methods and notices danger signs in others, even when they refuse to take them seriously.

Character interactions

• Chen Zhuo and the Liang siblings complete a discreet sale, with his generosity helping preserve their relationship.
• He warns Liang Ninghong about his health, but Liang brushes him off with a boast.
• Chen Zhuo observes Meng Yan’s advancement with concern.
• Instructor Yuan’s request to speak with Chen Zhuo sets up the chapter’s closing encounter.

Key plot points and events

• Counselor Yuan Mingde summons Chen Zhuo, returns the 550-Spirit-Coin kickback he previously took, and adds 50 coins. He wants Chen to recommend him to Teacher Xiao Yugang for a Foundation Establishment Spirit Object.
• Chen recognizes the request, hints that a favor should come with a courtesy—using an empty teacup as an excuse—and accepts Yuan’s tea and Spirit Stones. He agrees only to mention the request, not to guarantee Xiao’s support.
• Chen heads to the Sword Cultivator Training Grounds, where Xiao praises his composure and invites him to cultivate there every weekend.
• Chen privately thinks the grounds’ spiritual energy is poor, but avoids revealing his unusual standards. Before training, he tells Xiao about Yuan’s request and gifts, leaving the decision to him.

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo shows growing social savvy: he quickly identifies Yuan’s motive, negotiates a small benefit, and remains outwardly sincere and composed. He intends to be honest with Xiao, while keeping the World-Breaking Pearl and the Ancient Immortal Realm secret.
• Yuan Mingde reveals how badly he wants a chance at Foundation Establishment: he readily sets aside pride and uses Chen’s connection to Xiao.
• Xiao Yugang becomes more impressed with Chen, interpreting his restraint as the discipline of an ancient sword cultivator.

Character interactions

• Yuan flatters Chen and calls him “Brother” to secure his help; Chen responds politely but makes clear he can only raise the matter.
• Xiao praises Chen’s calm demeanor and offers him regular access to the training grounds. Chen respects Xiao but is internally uneasy about the invitation and chooses to disclose Yuan’s approach honestly.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over pride: Yuan treats dignity as less important than a rare cultivation opportunity.
• Honesty with limits: Chen is candid about ordinary matters but carefully guards secrets that could endanger him.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao reads Chen’s discomfort with the grounds as composure, while Chen conceals his true judgment.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo gives Teacher Xiao Spirit Tea and offers valuables in hopes of earning a recommendation. Xiao refuses everything but the tea, explaining that his war injuries and damaged cultivation foundation make money and Spirit Stones of little use. He will recommend Chen only if no more suitable candidate appears.
• Xiao asks about Chen’s training. Chen says he has received two body-tempering injections, is learning an escape technique and the Body-Protecting Sword Curse, and has chosen a sword art that cultivates First Wood Divine Thunder.
• Xiao approves of the fierce thunder art, interpreting Chen’s choice as evidence of a bold, relentless sword temperament. Chen privately knows he chose it because his Azure Sun Thunder-Controlling Sword Scripture requires it; he would have preferred the cheaper, more practical Yi Wood Divine Thunder.
• Xiao activates the academy’s automated training ground and tells Chen to test his techniques against magical wooden puppets. Chen destroys the attackers using his sword, escape technique, and protective curse, eventually breaking so many that he collapses from exhaustion.
• Impressed by Chen’s rapid progress, Xiao concludes that he has genuine sword talent. After the trial, he unexpectedly asks whether Chen has ever killed anyone.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo is respectful and eager to prove himself, but his practical, money-conscious thoughts contrast humorously with Xiao’s romantic view of sword cultivation. In the trial, he shows quick reactions and an ability to combine his newly learned techniques.
• Xiao Yugang remains committed to old-school sword ideals but accepts that modern injections are necessary given the Immortal Estate’s poor spiritual conditions. He becomes increasingly enthusiastic about Chen’s potential, while also reflecting on how unfairly education and opportunity are determined by Spiritual Roots.
• Their teacher-student relationship deepens: Xiao evaluates Chen through advice and a demanding practical test, while Chen follows his instructions and demonstrates his abilities.

Significant themes

• Talent versus institutional barriers: Xiao believes Chen has sword aptitude but laments that his lack of an Innate Spiritual Root confines him to a vocational college.
• Pragmatism versus idealism: Xiao speaks of preserving a pure Sword Heart, while Chen thinks about costs and the practical benefits of different techniques.
• Merit and opportunity: The chapter questions a system that lets Spiritual Roots and educational status outweigh individual ability.
• Humorous satire: Chen’s expectations of a challenge—and his suspicion that the school may have misused its millions of Spirit Coins—undercut the grand language of cultivation with everyday concerns.

Summary

• No fictional plot events occur. This is an author’s announcement and thank-you note marking the book’s release on September 1.
• The author thanks readers for helping the novel gain strong early results: 8,000 chapter-followers, a Sanjiang recommendation, and the top spot on the new-book rankings.
• He admits he has been anxious about the story’s pacing, outline, and reception, and is unhappy with chapters 73 and 74. He resolves to keep writing as well as he can rather than blame readers or circumstances if the book falters.
• He explains plans to reward support with bonus chapters tied to monthly votes, though he notes that the platform has canceled monthly-ticket bonuses. He still asks readers to vote for the book, hoping it can reach the top fifty.
• He warns readers not to click scam links posted by automated accounts, clarifies his background at a vocational college, and promotes a friend’s novel.

Character and interaction notes

The author presents himself as grateful, self-deprecating, anxious but determined, and playfully dramatic—joking about kowtowing and writing himself to death for enough votes. His central interaction is with readers: he thanks them, asks for their support, and promises to keep working hard. No story characters develop or interact in this announcement.

Themes

Gratitude and reader–author rapport; creative insecurity and perseverance; ambition and public measures of success; and playful humor in community promotion.

Key events

• Chen Zhuo tells his teacher, Xiao Yugang, that he has never killed anyone in the Immortal Estate—a technically true answer that conceals his past killings elsewhere.
• Xiao says he’ll take Chen out to gain experience. Taiqing City is tense because criminal groups are recruiting amid the fallout from True Lord Qiong Lou Yun Zhu’s scandal. Law Enforcement Cultivators are preparing a major operation against the Feathered Immortal Cult.
• Chen is warned not to contact his former classmates, some of whom may be cult remnants. He will assist Xiao with street-level enforcement during the citywide crackdown and may face minor cultists.
• Xiao offers to lend Chen 100,000 Spirit Coins to buy a Thunderfire Sword from a secondhand Magical Artifact shop. Chen eagerly accepts, interpreting the loan as a generous opportunity.
• The shopkeeper sells him the sword on a 1,200-installment loan. Chen then learns it is a 14666-model sword—a very old First-Generation Swarm Flying Sword, not the modern exceptional-grade weapon he expected.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo remains technically truthful but inwardly cynical, joking about debt and law enforcement. He is eager to embrace both dangerous “experience” and borrowing for a weapon, despite the sword’s suspiciously low price.
• Xiao Yugang acts as Chen’s mentor and supervisor: he explains the coming crackdown, recruits Chen for enforcement duty, and connects him with a sword seller. His casual delivery leaves Chen to discover the purchase’s real nature for himself.
• The shopkeeper presents the old sword with upbeat salesmanship, turning Chen’s apparent bargain into a comic surprise.

Significant themes

• Technical truth and hidden histories: Chen’s answer is accurate only because he narrowly defines where he has killed.
• Debt and consumer culture: Loans, installment plans, and spiritual cultivation are treated as ordinary parts of life.
• Comedy through mismatched expectations: Chen expects an exceptional sword but buys an ancient, mass-produced model.
• Law and danger: The upcoming crackdown brings real risk, even as the characters discuss it in casual, bureaucratic terms.

Key events

• Chen Zhuo hears the Thunderfire Sword’s history: its owners repeatedly died in the Star Realm War, and it eventually came to market when its retired owner’s descendant needed money.
• The sword costs 100,000 Spirit Coins, adding to Chen Zhuo’s existing debts. He calculates that its long repayment plan is manageable, though he still worries about owing too much.
• He studies the sword’s guide and discovers its advanced features: fifteen refinement restrictions, a spirit inscription, and three slots that let it use Sword Intents stored in Spirit Stones. Two slots contain Thunder and Fire Sword Intents; the third can be customized through the official website.
• Chen Zhuo binds the sword to himself as soon as he gets home, gaining much more convenient control over it.
• He then notices a message from Sijing offering to split the cost of a discounted batch of Black Coiled Dragon medicine. Chen Zhuo jokingly asks for it free because he is a student; she refuses and quotes him a price of 1,500 Spirit Coins.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo remains comically frugal despite his enthusiasm for high-quality equipment. He tracks his debts closely, considers borrowing to improve his Spiritual Root, and jokes that having descendants is a burden.
• He becomes impressed by the Immortal Estate’s technological advantage, especially the sword’s ready-made Sword Intents, which he compares favorably to the hard-won skills of Ancient Immortal Realm cultivators.
• He recognizes the sword’s built-in Sword Intents as useful but inferior to the First Wood Divine Thunder he hopes to wield after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• His exchange with Sijing is playful and familiar: she addresses him casually as “brother,” while he tries to exploit his student status for a free share of the medicine.

Significant themes

• Technology versus traditional cultivation: Mass-produced, precisely engineered Magical Artifacts give modern cultivators capabilities that once required decades of individual mastery.
• Debt and consumer culture: Chen Zhuo treats loans, installment plans, and even his magical equipment as ordinary parts of cultivation life.
• Immortality and family: He humorously frames descendants as financial burdens, contrasting family inheritance with a cultivator’s pursuit of personal freedom and advancement.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo agrees to buy the dragon-tail portion of a Black Coiled Dragon slow-release dose from Sijing for 1,500 Spirit Coins. Sijing explains that the full dose comes in three injections and that the stronger parts are unsuitable for his current cultivation level.
• Sijing broadcasts that she is seeking a Jambudvipa Leaf to improve an alchemical preparation for an upcoming competition. She hopes to place third and earn direct admission to Taiqing Pharmaceutical University.
• Chen Zhuo recognizes the item from a leaf Steward Xiao once gave him. He retrieves it from a Storage Bag in the Ancient Immortal Realm and confirms that it matches Sijing’s picture—and is exceptionally large and potent.
• Though it is worth about 8,000 Spirit Coins, Chen Zhuo offers to sell it to Sijing. She eagerly offers 20,000 Spirit Coins and the dose she makes for the competition.
• Chen Zhuo accepts enthusiastically, joking that they can call each other “Dad” and “Mom.”

Character developments

• Chen Zhuo is cautious about the injection at first, even worrying about cross-infection, but agrees after learning it is designed as separate doses. He then proves resourceful by remembering and retrieving the rare leaf—and opportunistic when Sijing offers far more than its market price.
• Sijing reveals how much she wants to advance from junior college to university. Her ambition to win the competition drives her desperate search for the leaf; her usual confidence gives way to exaggerated pleading once Chen Zhuo produces one.

Significant themes

• The scarcity and unequal access to resources: Rare spiritual materials and educational opportunities are difficult for junior college students to obtain.
• Ambition and social mobility: Sijing sees university admission as a transformative leap that could change her status and prospects.
• Comedy through transactional relationships: The characters’ grand claims of dignity quickly collapse when a valuable deal appears, especially in Sijing’s comically extravagant bargaining.

Character interactions

• Chen Zhuo and Sijing negotiate over the Black Coiled Dragon dose, with Chen prioritizing safety and Sijing explaining its use.
• Sijing casually describes the leaf she needs, unaware that Chen Zhuo may possess one. Once he sends a photo, she immediately calls and begs him to sell it, offering a high price and her competition-made dose in return.

Plot and key events

• Chen Zhuo sells Sijing a high-quality Jambudvipa Leaf for 20,000 Spirit Coins plus competition potions. To avoid a large bank transfer triggering risk controls, he asks her to pay in several kinds of Qi Refinement potions and deducts the price of her share of a Black Coiled Dragon.
• After shipping the leaf, Chen Zhuo sets aside worries about his growing debt and returns to the Ancient Immortal Realm to cultivate.
• Sijing realizes the leaf could help her transfer into an undergraduate program and pursue her ambitions. Since she cannot afford the payment herself, she borrows through a lending app and then takes out a loan from her parents, agreeing to repay them with interest.
• She contacts Dong Xuejiao, who helps her source potions. Sijing’s unusually large order sparks a buying spree that shakes up the local underground market for Qi Refinement drugs among vocational-college students.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo shows his usual opportunistic, irreverent pragmatism: he negotiates payment in goods, jokes with Sijing, and treats his debt as a problem for later. Once supplied with potions, he eagerly resumes cultivation.
• Sijing shifts from playful bargaining to determined ambition. The Jambudvipa Leaf gives her hope of overcoming her past academic disappointment, and she is willing to borrow heavily to seize the opportunity.
• Sijing and her parents share a comic exchange over childish chat names: her father renames himself “Lone Wolf,” and her mother becomes “Wolf Warrior 2.” Despite the silliness, they lend Sijing the money—with interest.
• Dong Xuejiao eagerly takes on Sijing’s huge order, treating the potential business as more important than any status difference between their schools. Her small transfer to Sijing is a respectful gesture.

Significant themes

• Ambition and second chances: Sijing sees the leaf as a route to a fresh start after missing her undergraduate cutoff.
• Debt and financial risk: Chen Zhuo and Sijing both rely on borrowing or delayed repayment, played for comedy but central to the deal.
• Status and social mobility: The characters poke fun at distinctions between vocational colleges and universities, while Sijing pursues a chance to move upward.
• Commerce and unintended consequences: A private bargain becomes a major disruption to the local potion market.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zhuo spends a week cultivating in the Ancient Immortal Realm, making rapid progress in Qi Refinement and building up Jia Wood Pure Qi and First Wood Divine Thunder energy. He is nearing the point of forming a Thunder Seed.
• He has also advanced his study of several sword techniques and spells, though he has not yet developed Formless Sword Qi.
• Confident in his cultivation, drug supply, and newly acquired Thunderfire Sword, Chen Zhuo prepares to attend the Dao Tournament Reserve advancement class, where students will compete to keep their places.
• At the college, more than two hundred students gather for the selection round. Many hope to challenge weaker reserves and claim the benefits of membership.
• Wang Heng, now at Qi Refining Sixth Layer after joining the illegal Feathered Immortal Cult, secretly plans to challenge Chen Zhuo. He wants revenge and hopes to win back Little Jade’s affection. He has also received combat training and bought a Lesser-Grade Magical Artifact.
• Chen Zhuo enters carrying his sword case just as everyone’s Spirit Message Jade Slips vibrate; the chapter ends before the notification or challenge is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhuo grows substantially stronger and remains comically self-assured, joking that he is a “born sword prodigy” and that his drug use is not addictive. He is eager to test himself but does not yet know Wang Heng intends to challenge him.
• Wang Heng has gained strength through the Feathered Immortal Cult, but his motivation is tangled with humiliation, revenge, and a desire to regain Little Jade’s regard. He addresses her through his message slip, claiming he is now capable of defeating Chen Zhuo.
• The students scrutinize the reserves and discuss likely targets, especially lower-ranked members such as Meng Yan and Chen Zhuo.
• The reserve program’s organizers intend the challenge round to remove unqualified students, including some who secured places through financial arrangements rather than ability.

Significant themes

• Ambition and competition: Students vie for scarce opportunities and the rewards attached to reserve status.
• Power and questionable means: Chen Zhuo progresses through cultivation resources, while Wang Heng turns to an illegal organization for strength.
• Comic self-confidence: Chen Zhuo’s extravagant pride and humorous rationalizations contrast with the serious threat gathering around him.
• Revenge and recognition: Wang Heng’s challenge is driven as much by wounded pride and romantic hopes as by rivalry.