Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Before the Martial Body Meet, Chen Shu receives targeted coaching from Shi Qian and Fu Jia on how to fight Zhang Suannai, the Sword Sect’s gifted Sixth-Tier disciple. They explain traditional Sword Cultivators’ sharp, explosive attacks, keen senses, and mobility, and advise Chen Shu to keep his distance while using hard-to-dodge attacks.
• Fu Jia simulates Sword Cultivation so Chen Shu can practice. Though her imitation lacks the authenticity of real Sword Qi, her higher cultivation level makes it a useful challenge.
• Zhang independently seeks a powerful Spiritual Cultivator to spar with, worried that losing to Chen Shu would embarrass the Sword Sect. She and Chen happen to train in neighboring areas behind Jade Peace Temple. Discovering each other’s preparations, they accuse one another of hypocrisy—both have arranged opponents who imitate the other’s discipline—then return to training without further interference.
• In their group chat, the Daoist priest proposes meeting at the Martial Body Meet. Zhang boasts that everyone else should concede the championship to her. Someone posting as “Illumination at Night” calls her shameless.
• Zhang suspects the message may have come from her roommate Qingqing. Xiaoxiao confirms Qingqing has gone out to find “Brother-in-law.” The Green-Lamp Ancient Buddha then reveals that Illumination at Night is the group’s “girlfriend he isn’t dating”—Zhang’s roommate, who has secretly seen Zhang’s embarrassing group-chat antics all along. Zhang is left stunned and retreats to the sofa in the dark.

Character developments

• Chen Shu takes his opponent seriously and accepts practical coaching, showing humility and determination.
• Zhang Suannai is competitive and anxious about the match, but also resourceful enough to arrange specialized sparring. Her bravado in the group chat contrasts with her private worry about being exposed.
• Shi Qian and Fu Jia support Chen through tailored instruction and simulated combat.
• Qingqing is revealed as the previously mysterious “Illumination at Night,” quietly observing Zhang’s online behavior while maintaining a close, teasing relationship with her.

Significant themes

• Preparation and fairness: Both rivals seek advantages by practicing against simulations of the other’s discipline, exposing how closely matched—and equally calculating—they are.
• Pride and insecurity: Zhang’s confident claims conceal fear of losing and disgracing her sect.
• Hidden identities and comic embarrassment: The group-chat reveal turns Zhang’s private performance into public knowledge.
• Rivalry mixed with familiarity: Chen and Zhang’s accusations suggest not only competition but a shared social circle and mutual understanding.

Character interactions

• Chen listens to Shi Qian and Fu Jia’s tactical advice and trains under Fu Jia’s imitation of Sword Cultivation.
• Zhang jokes and argues with her Sixth Senior Sister while searching for a sparring partner.
• Chen and Zhang confront each other after discovering their parallel training plans, exchange accusations, and silently agree to leave one another alone.
• Zhang’s group-chat boasts draw skeptical replies, while the reveal about Qingqing’s identity makes the members realize she has been watching the whole time.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing spend the evening on the quieter western bank of the Clearwater River. They joke about the group-chat prank that left Zhang Suannai embarrassed, with each blaming the other.
• They discuss the supposed treasure at Green Mountain Ridge. Ning Qing explains that it is actually the opening of a Forbidden Land, where Divine Power will spill out as the Bodhisattva of Calamity prepares to become a Buddha. Only Chen Shu’s group is expected to go.
• Chen Shu reasons that Forbidden Lands may not be permanently tied to particular Origins. Ning Qing worries that the era’s powerful rising figures and new Deities could bring calamity and disrupt their peaceful life. She plans to stay behind and cultivate Thought; she says she’ll cultivate Sorrow by letting time wear it away.
• The next day is Ning Qing’s twenty-third birthday. Zhang Suannai acts unusually blank and subdued after being embarrassed the previous night, though her friends treat the mood as a familiar, temporary spell.
• While preparing birthday food, Chen Shu shows Ning Qing a new Spirit Arts Network cooking tool that slices a potato instantly. As he cooks, Ning Qing hugs him from behind and asks him to start dating her.
• She explains that worrying about uncertain disasters won’t make them happier; they should enjoy their time together and face the future as best they can. Chen Shu refuses, fearing she may leave once she has finished cultivating him.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing reveals her anxiety about the future but ultimately chooses to prioritize present happiness. Her decision to initiate their relationship marks a major shift from their teasing, unresolved courtship.
• Chen Shu tries to reassure her with humor and optimism, while also showing genuine fear of losing her. His final refusal is playful, but exposes his insecurity about being used as a cultivation tool.
• The pair’s relationship remains teasing and affectionate: they trade blame, discuss serious matters openly, and share a quiet moment by the river before Ning Qing makes her proposal.
• Zhang Suannai suffers an embarrassing emotional shutdown after the group-chat exchange, while Chen Banxia and Xiaoxiao recognize it as a recurring, harmless pattern.

Significant themes

• Living in the present amid uncertainty: Ning Qing decides that possible future calamity should not prevent them from enjoying the time they have.
• Destiny, prediction, and change: New Deities can disrupt the World Prediction Line, suggesting that the future is inherently uncertain and even established predictions can change.
• Love and mutual dependence: The couple’s banter gives way to a more direct commitment, while Chen Shu’s concern about being treated as a means to cultivation highlights his need for reassurance.
• The ordinary alongside the extraordinary: Cosmic threats and spiritual power are discussed alongside birthday cooking, practical jokes, and everyday intimacy.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• While cooking, Chen Shu struggles to keep Ning Qing from clinging to him. She teases that she can feel him getting worked up and promises to let go if he kisses her. Chen Shu gives in, while Xiaoxiao distracts Chen Banxia and Zhang Suannai by getting them to trim the roses. The potato pancakes burn while they are away.
• On April 20, the Martial Body Meet’s off-campus division begins at the Military Academy. Chen Shu arranges passes for himself, Ning Qing, and Xiaoxiao, and the group discusses meeting for lunch.
• Luo Huai’an appears to be chased across the training ground by Military Academy cadets—apparently over an old grudge. She pauses to greet Chen Shu’s group before fleeing again, prompting them to watch Chen Shu’s roommate Jiang Lai’s match instead of Zhang Suannai’s.
• Jiang Lai faces a highly skilled King Court Sword Cultivator. After realizing a defensive strategy will not work, he switches to offense and wins a brutal, bloody fight by pinning his opponent and striking until the gong sounds. Both fighters show respect afterward.
• Chen Shu then defeats a Fourth-Segment Martial Artist from Ling’an Academy with a single Weakened Tracer Technique, deliberately holding back because his full-power attack could be dangerously destructive.
• The group heads off to eat, joined by Yan Keling, who is still shy around the others.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing: Ning is openly affectionate and physically clingy. Chen Shu has grown accustomed to this closeness and realizes that her former distance came largely from worry and restraint; in her Worry-Free state, she is comfortable acting like a young woman in love.
• Jiang Lai: His match reveals both his toughness and adaptability. He abandons his usual defensive approach when it proves ineffective, accepts the risk of trading wounds, and earns his opponent’s respect.
• Chen Shu: His effortless win demonstrates his power, but also his caution and awareness of how dangerous his techniques can be.
• Xiaoxiao, Chen Banxia, and Zhang Suannai: Xiaoxiao deftly removes the others from the kitchen, leaving Chen Shu and Ning Qing alone. At the match, Chen Shu tries to shield Xiaoxiao and Peach from the violence, though both remain determined to watch.
• Luo Huai’an: Her comic flight from the cadets hints at an unresolved history with the Military Academy and shows her irreverent, outspoken personality.
• Yan Keling: Though initially shy, she feels more at ease when surrounded by familiar faces and joins the group.

Significant themes

• Affection and emotional openness: Ning Qing’s closeness reflects her growing ease in expressing love.
• Adaptability and resolve: Jiang Lai succeeds by changing tactics rather than clinging to a failing strategy.
• Respect between opponents: Despite the match’s brutality, both fighters acknowledge the result with dignity.
• Power and restraint: Chen Shu’s victory is easy, but he deliberately limits his strength to avoid causing excessive harm.

Key plot points and events

• The group gathers for a meal at the Military Academy during the Martial Body Meet. Chen Shu introduces the attendees, including the masked King Court member Wu Eiwei, known online as Luo Huai’an, and Ning Qing, whose group alias is Illumination at Night.
• Zhang Suannai and Wu Eiwei trade insults over their rival affiliations, the Sword Sect and King Court. Chen Shu intervenes, reminding them they are group members first and asking them to keep the gathering friendly.
• The group’s reaction to Ning Qing’s identity embarrasses Zhang: everyone realizes she had been asking about Illumination at Night without knowing it was her own roommate. Wu Eiwei repeatedly teases her about it.
• Wu Eiwei’s mask shifts aside so she can eat, prompting Zhang to pepper her with questions. Wu deflects the teasing by asking whether Ning Qing’s treatment of Zhang makes her angry.
• Conversation turns to the unconscious group leader. Wu says she visited him; the others discuss Cao Ci’s attack and the situation in Puluo, but Master Tongdeng gives only cryptic assurances that the leader will wake soon.
• As the meal continues, the group again mocks Zhang for her belated discovery of Ning Qing’s identity. Ning Qing finally defends her, calling Zhang foolish but cute and fun.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Suannai tries to divert attention from her embarrassment by provoking Wu, but the group’s teasing repeatedly defeats her. Her irritation gives way to surprise and gratitude when Ning Qing speaks warmly about her.
• Wu Eiwei / Luo Huai’an remains cool and sharp-tongued, matching Zhang’s jabs while revealing little about herself. Their rivalry is hostile in tone but familiar and competitive.
• Ning Qing stays composed and reserved throughout, then shows unexpected affection for Zhang, suggesting she enjoys her roommate’s antics despite knowing how foolishly Zhang behaved online.
• Chen Shu acts as mediator, introducing the group and stopping the feud from escalating. Xiaoxiao and the cat Peach watch the arguments with amused curiosity; the other group members contribute to the teasing.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and dramatic irony: The group members know Ning Qing’s online identity while Zhang has been oblivious to it.
• Banter beneath rivalry: Sect tensions fuel sharp exchanges, but the gathering’s social bonds temper the hostility.
• Embarrassment and affection: Zhang’s humiliation becomes a moment of closeness when Ning Qing’s teasing gives way to a sincere defense.
• Concern for the absent group leader: The conversation about his condition provides a subdued undertone beneath the comic meal.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After the gathering, the characters split up to attend matches or return to school. Chen Shu visits the badly injured Jiang Lai, bringing him lunch; Qingqing and Yan Keling accompany him.
• Jiang Lai has suffered more than a hundred sword wounds in a match against a King Court Sword Cultivator, but says he is nearly healed. He plans to stay in the Spirit Healing Room overnight so he can fight again the next day.
• Chen Shu and Qingqing discuss Xiaoxiao’s enthusiasm for violent matches. Qingqing suggests that family, love, and friendship help keep people grounded, and agrees to let Chen Shu teach her Go.
• Xiaoxiao and Zhang Suannai watch the matches together. Zhang explains the fights, though she repeatedly boasts that other fighters are weak. Xiaoxiao asks whether Zhang is stronger than Chen Shu and her sister, leaving Zhang unable to answer confidently about the latter.
• Chen Shu advances easily through his next match. The tournament continues until the quarterfinals, where Jiang Lai faces a powerful Fifth Tier sword cultivator.
• Yan Keling defeats Master Xuanzhen, demonstrating the advantage of the Imperial Sect’s system over the opposing system.
• In the semifinals, Chen Shu faces Yan Keling, while Zhang Suannai rematches Master Tongdeng. Both advance, setting up the long-awaited final.
• At the end of April, the final is unprecedented: both finalists are Sixth Tier cultivators, the first time that has happened in the tournament’s history.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Lai shows extraordinary resilience and recovery, treating severe sword injuries as manageable and eager to keep competing.
• Chen Shu remains caring and playful, visiting Jiang Lai and teasing him, while his affection for Xiaoxiao is clear.
• Qingqing reflects on how relationships anchor people and shows a quiet willingness to share activities with Chen Shu.
• Xiaoxiao is observant and composed, asking pointed questions about strength and recognizing the gap between Zhang Suannai’s confidence and her uncertainty.
• Zhang Suannai is knowledgeable and boastful, but her exchange with Xiaoxiao exposes limits to her certainty—especially when comparing herself with Xiaoxiao’s sister.
• Yan Keling emerges as a formidable competitor, defeating Master Xuanzhen and advancing to the semifinals.

Significant themes

• Resilience and recovery: Jiang Lai’s rapid healing lets him endure injuries that would otherwise be fatal.
• Unequal systems and power: The chapter stresses that combat systems are not inherently balanced; the Esoteric Sect and other traditions can hold decisive advantages.
• Relationships as grounding forces: Qingqing presents love, family, and friendship as bonds that help shape a person.
• Confidence versus reality: Zhang’s bravado contrasts with the genuine disparities in ability among fighters.
• Competition and escalation: The tournament builds toward a historic final between two Sixth Tier cultivators.

Plot and key events

• On the final day of April, Chen Shu and Ning Qing head to the Military Academy arena for his match against Zhang Suannai. Chen Shu bargains for Ning Qing to wear a skirt if he wins; she agrees, giving him extra motivation.
• The arena has been enlarged for the high-tier duel, and senior figures from the Spirit Sect, Sword Sect, and university gather to watch. Zhang Suannai’s Sword Sect supporters boast about her rare talent and complain that competitors cannot use their personal swords.
• At the start, Zhang Suannai advances with volleys of Sword Light while Chen Shu retreats and fires modified tracer attacks. Their explosions fill the arena with mist and disrupt Spirit Eye, concealing the fight.
• Chen Shu uses reinforced earth barriers to absorb Zhang’s Sword Lights, then springs a counterattack combining tracer explosions, True Flame, and Thunder. Zhang endures the onslaught and breaks through, only to discover that she has been attacking an illusion.
• Chen Shu follows with the Little Blazing Sun Art. Its intense light and heat engulf Zhang; a second “sun” appears in the arena. The chapter ends before the match’s outcome is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu enters the fight prepared: he has adapted an earth-based defense specifically to blunt sword attacks and modified his tracer technique to obstruct vision and Spirit Eye. He remains playful with Ning Qing but is determined to win.
• Ning Qing is understated but supportive, agreeing to Chen Shu’s request and cheering him on. The little girl holding Peach loudly backs Chen Shu, even telling him to beat Zhang up, which visibly pains Zhang.
• Zhang Suannai is confident and composed under pressure. Even as Chen Shu’s combined attacks burn through her defenses and inflict severe pain, she pushes forward with resolve and strikes decisively—though her target proves illusory.
• The two sects’ contrasting cultures are reflected in their spectators: the Spirit Sect’s reserved demeanor contrasts with the Sword Sect elder’s pride and preemptive excuses about the rules.

Significant themes

• Preparation and adaptability: Chen Shu’s customized tactics turn the arena’s terrain and his opponent’s strengths into opportunities.
• Perseverance under pressure: Zhang continues fighting despite pain and overwhelming attacks.
• Spectacle versus uncertainty: Smoke, explosions, illusions, and blinding light keep spectators—and readers—from seeing the decisive action clearly.
• Competition and personal stakes: The duel is a major contest, but Chen Shu’s playful promise to Ning Qing gives his victory a personal incentive.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Suannai is trapped inside Chen Shu’s Little Blazing Sun Art. Its heat burns through her Spirit Power defenses, nearly leaving her insensible, but she rallies and escapes with a sword strike.
• She attacks Chen Shu, shattering his sword and cutting him, but his Sixth-Tier-strengthened body lets him withstand the blow. He retreats while using Rising with the Wind and Tracer Technique to slow her pursuit.
• Zhang, also physically strengthened by an Otherworldly Beast Core, breaks through his explosions and barriers despite her burns. Chen Shu realizes he may need his Spirit Form to defeat her.
• He begins the Little Blazing Sun Art again, then cancels it and reveals a magnificent divine statue. The statue launches a powerful barrage, but Zhang counters with her sword and prepares a final, all-out charge.
• The fighters’ powers combine into a blazing sun. Zhang’s giant sword gradually disintegrates in the heat, and her clothing burns away as she presses toward Chen Shu.
• Chen Shu abruptly ends the attack when he notices her clothes are nearly gone. Zhang reaches him with her partly melted sword and asks whether he ran out of Spirit Power or is conceding. He answers that he stopped because he feared he might see her “little willy.”

Character developments

• Zhang Suannai shows extraordinary resilience and determination, enduring severe burns and continuing to fight with unwavering resolve. Her usual playfulness gives way to a battle-focused seriousness.
• Chen Shu demonstrates resourcefulness and formidable control of his techniques, but his decision to stop the fight reveals consideration—and comic embarrassment—amid the battle.
• The duel remains unresolved in practical terms: Zhang reaches Chen, but Chen’s reason for stopping is neither exhaustion nor a straightforward admission of defeat.

Significant themes

• Endurance and willpower: Both fighters push their bodies and abilities to the limit.
• Power and ingenuity: The fight turns on a mix of raw strength, technique, and tactical adaptation.
• Comedy amid danger: A near-catastrophic duel ends on an unexpectedly awkward, humorous note.

Character interactions

• Zhang and Chen trade increasingly powerful attacks while adapting to one another’s tactics.
• Zhang’s determination contrasts with Chen’s calculated retreat and eventual interruption of his own technique.
• Spectators watch in alarm as the battle intensifies; Xiaoxiao and Ning Qing shield their eyes from the blinding spectacle.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Suannai concedes her match against Chen Shu just before her strength gives out. She insists she could have won with a proper Spirit Sword and warns him not to become smug; Chen Shu cheerfully admits that showing off is “impossible” for him.
• Zhang Suannai collapses, and Chen Shu throws her a coat to cover her torn clothing. The judges declare Chen Shu the winner.
• A senior Sword Sect figure—identified as the Sword Master’s eldest direct disciple—takes Zhang Suannai away. He remarks on Chen Shu’s flashy display; Chen Shu agrees without hesitation, surprising him.
• Chen Shu reunites with his supporters, then realizes how badly he has been cut up. His powerful physique helped prevent the Sword Light wounds from becoming fatal.
• Zhang Suannai’s injuries are far worse. She is burned and battered by Chen Shu’s techniques, loses her sight and voice, and is wrapped in bandages for treatment. Though she cannot communicate, she remains convinced that the match did not prove Chen Shu was better.
• She is taken to a Spirit Healing Room—where Chen Shu is also recovering. From her bed, she overhears Chen Shu being fussed over and fed by Qingqing and Xiaoxiao, while she lies unable to move or speak.
• Chen Shu reminds Qingqing of her promise to wear a dress if he won. She agrees, leaving Zhang Suannai privately devastated that her loss has also earned Chen Shu this reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains playful and shamelessly confident, even after a dangerous fight. He shows a considerate side by covering Zhang Suannai and later acknowledges the support of his friends and teachers.
• Zhang Suannai shifts from bravado to humiliation and helpless frustration. Despite her defeat and severe injuries, she rationalizes that she might have turned the fight around and fixates on what others—especially her roommates—will think.
• Qingqing and Xiaoxiao show affection for Chen Shu by caring for him, feeding him, and sharing food and drinks. Their casual teasing and the dress promise become a source of envy for Zhang Suannai.
• The Sword Sect representative recognizes Chen Shu’s talent and spectacle, while displaying a youthful, informal manner that contrasts with his great age and status.

Significant themes

• Victory and the cost of competition: Chen Shu wins, but both fighters suffer serious injuries, and Zhang Suannai’s defeat carries an emotional cost as well.
• Pride versus reality: Zhang Suannai’s confidence clashes with the result, prompting her to cling to the belief that circumstances—not superiority—decided the match.
• Care and camaraderie: The supporters’ celebration and attention contrast sharply with Zhang Suannai’s isolation, emphasizing how relationships shape the aftermath of a contest.
• Comic contrast: The chapter undercuts the battle’s intensity with Chen Shu’s blunt humor and Zhang Suannai’s increasingly exasperated inner monologue.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu defeats Zhang Suannai in their martial-arts tournament, though observers agree both fighters were constrained by the Arena’s rules. They judge Chen Shu stronger, while noting that both held back.
• While recovering in a spiritual therapy room, Chen teases the badly burned, bandaged Suannai and tells her their group-chat friends are coming to visit.
• His visitors arrive and, at Suannai’s suggestion, Master Xuanzhen reads her online forum reactions to the match. The group particularly enjoys posts criticizing her performance and records the exchange to share with the absent group owner.
• Academy officials, university staff, and Spirit Sect seniors visit. They check on Chen and Suannai, though most of the attention falls on the conscious Chen. The Sword Sect seniors have already left.
• Chen and Suannai spend the night in therapy; Chen watches movies with Ning Qing and Peach to keep Suannai company. The next morning, both leave the treatment room.
• At home, Chen teases Ning Qing about wearing a dress. She turns the request into a challenge for Xiaoxiao and Peach to choose one, prompting Xiaoxiao’s protest and Peach’s bafflement.
• A group member, “Grandma Always Says,” repeatedly posts a cryptic “60''” message. The normally lively chat goes silent, and Chen cautiously asks two members about it. The monk replies with conspicuous politeness, suggesting the message has unsettled everyone.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains playful and provocative, especially toward Suannai, but also makes an effort to keep her company while she is unable to move or speak. He is recovering, though not fully healed when discharged.
• Zhang Suannai is rendered helpless by her injuries and must listen as others discuss her defeat and read unflattering online commentary. Her earlier confidence contrasts with her vulnerable, silent state.
• Ning Qing quietly cares for Chen—bringing him food and staying with him—while maintaining her cool demeanor. At home, she mischievously ropes Xiaoxiao and Peach into choosing a dress.
• Master Xuanzhen is initially unsure how to comfort Suannai but finds a practical way to occupy her: reading forum posts aloud. The visitors bond through their shared amusement.
• Xiaoxiao objects to being pulled into the dress decision, while Peach reacts with comic confusion. The group chat’s members, usually quick to banter, show unusual caution around the repeated “60''” messages.

Significant themes

• Victory, pride, and public judgment: Suannai’s loss is followed by online criticism, showing how quickly a celebrated fighter’s reputation can shift.
• Care mixed with teasing: Chen’s jokes are insensitive on the surface, but he also tries to ease Suannai’s boredom and keep her company.
• Rivalry and factional loyalties: The visitors’ comments, the Sword Sect’s absence, and the group’s satisfaction at Suannai’s defeat reflect ongoing sect rivalries.
• Comedic domesticity: The recovery period gives way to playful exchanges at home, while the ominous group-chat messages introduce a note of mystery.

Plot points and events

• After winning the Martial Body Meet, Chen Shu returns to Yujing University and finds no one waiting for him. He runs into Jiang Lai, who is training with an expensive gravity belt—his biggest purchase, made necessary by his extraordinary strength and limited training options.
• Chen Shu discovers online discussion of the tournament but is disappointed that his achievement has not made him famous or attracted the fans he expected.
• At the dorm, the roommates watch a news report announcing a months-long military exercise that will seal off Green Mountain Ridge Nature Reserve. Chen Shu recognizes that the closure is connected to the imminent opening of the Royal Family’s Forbidden Land there.
• Meng Chunqiu explains that the Bodhisattva of Calamity is about to attain Buddhahood. As it merges with the Origin, Divine Power will spill from the Forbidden Land, creating a major opportunity for cultivators. Because of this event, the land’s usual dangers will largely disappear.
• Meng plans to enter if he reaches the Fourth Tier before the opening. He offers to bring Jiang, having secured permission from his grandfather. Jiang eagerly accepts, especially after hearing that powerful Otherworldly Beasts and valuable treasures may be inside.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains confident and irreverent, but his disappointment at being overlooked reveals his vanity and appetite for public recognition. He knows more about the Forbidden Land than Meng expects, though he cannot access the Spirit Sect’s restricted records.
• Jiang Lai continues his demanding physical training and shows growing ambition. Learning about the Forbidden Land gives him a new goal: train harder so he will be ready to enter.
• Meng Chunqiu has begun taking cultivation seriously and is proud to share knowledge he has gained through his Royal Family connections. He enjoys impressing Jiang, then qualifies his confidence when he remembers Chen Shu’s overwhelming performance at the tournament.
• The three friends tease and encourage one another. Meng acts as an insider and guide, while Chen’s knowledge and talent quietly outstrip his expectations. Seeing both friends commit to training, Chen calls them “two kings of the grind.”

Significant themes

• Different paths to strength: Martial Artists progress through disciplined, expensive, standardized training, while cultivators depend on cultivation and access to rare knowledge and opportunities.
• Access and inequality: High-level information, equipment, and entry to the Forbidden Land depend on wealth, rank, and connections.
• Ambition and competition: Each roommate is pursuing strength for a different reason, but their example pushes the others forward.
• Humor and humility: Chen’s joking self-importance contrasts with the seriousness of the coming events, while Meng’s pride is tempered by awareness of Chen’s exceptional ability.

Plot and events

• After winning the Finals, Chen Shu returns to campus and is warmly celebrated by classmates. He enjoys the attention but reflects on how quickly university is passing, especially because he has already experienced losing these years once before. He values his spell and cultivation classes, which help fill gaps left by his rapid rise to Sixth Tier.
• While recovering from illness, Zhang Suannai waits outside Ning Qing’s class. Once discharged, she follows Ning to collect a package. Ning compliments her short hair, then invites her to the Small Courtyard for Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings.
• On the holiday, Chen Shu admires Ning’s rare skirt and praises her appearance. Xiaoxiao arrives in a school uniform, which reminds Chen Shu of her younger days. She reveals that Ning has bought several skirts, including a black slip dress intended to go with stockings.
• Zhang Suannai arrives with Chen Banxia. They find Xiaoxiao dressed in a skirt, despite her dislike of wearing them. At the courtyard, they discover Ning and Peach are dressed up as well. The outfits are the result of a bet Zhang lost, leaving her both guilty and impressed by how attractive everyone looks.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains grounded despite his championship fame. His past experience makes him cherish campus life, and he openly admires Ning’s appearance.
• Ning Qing shows a little warmth toward Zhang Suannai by complimenting her hair and inviting her to celebrate the holiday. Her choice to wear a skirt also reveals a more playful, stylish side, though she remains reserved.
• Zhang Suannai is exuberant and eager for closeness with Ning, interpreting the compliment as a major breakthrough. She feels guilty about the bet but cannot deny that Ning and the others look lovely.
• Xiaoxiao remains aloof and insists she dislikes skirts, while Chen Banxia’s questions draw attention to her unusual outfit. She also mischievously exposes Ning’s wardrobe plans to Chen Shu.
• Chen Banxia joins the holiday gathering and chats with Xiaoxiao; Peach quietly wears a dress as part of the same playful forfeit.

Significant themes

• Time and memory: Chen Shu’s earlier life makes him conscious of how fleeting university years are.
• Affection expressed indirectly: Ning’s invitation and compliment, Zhang’s eager companionship, and Chen Shu’s praise reveal closeness beneath restrained or teasing exchanges.
• Playfulness and self-presentation: The bet forces several characters into outfits they would not usually choose, creating humor and revealing contrasting personalities.

Plot and key events

• During a family dumpling-making session, Chen Banxia asks why Ning Qing, Xiaoxiao, and Peach are dressed up and why Zhang Suannai’s hair is short. Suannai eventually admits Chen Shu burned her hair off during their Martial Body Meet. Banxia refuses to take her friend’s side against her brother, laughing off the injury instead.
• Chen Shu receives word from the Spirit Sect that the Royal Family’s Slaughter Forbidden Land in Green Mountain Ridge will open on the first day of the sixth month. He agrees to enter. The challengers must leave before the site closes, roughly eighty to ninety days later, and should avoid fighting overseas entrants. The Forbidden Land revives the many cultivators who died there over thousands of years, forcing anyone seeking its Origin to face them.
• At lunch, Chen Shu serves three kinds of crayfish. Ning Qing peels crayfish for him, while Banxia steals from his bowl and enjoys being fed. Suannai, hoping to earn similar affection from Qingqing over time, starts peeling crayfish for her—but Qingqing quietly passes the meat to Banxia instead.
• In the afternoon, Suannai tries to tell the others about a school Mid-Autumn Gala. She walks in on Chen Shu resting his head on Qingqing’s lap and touching her leg. Qingqing slaps his hand away when he reaches too far; Suannai is embarrassed and retreats.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Suannai struggles to admit she lost to Chen Shu, then turns her disappointment into a determined, comical plan to build a lasting bond with Qingqing by caring for her.
• Chen Banxia is fiercely loyal to her brother, even when her friend asks for revenge. Her playful, self-interested affection for him is clear.
• Ning Qing protects Suannai from embarrassment by concealing why the women are wearing dresses, but shows her affection for Chen Shu through small acts such as peeling his crayfish. She remains composed when he flirts, setting limits with a slap rather than engaging.
• Chen Shu accepts the dangerous Forbidden Land challenge and continues his relaxed, teasing intimacy with Qingqing.

Significant themes

• Affection built over time: Suannai hopes today’s small acts of care might be repaid decades later, echoing Qingqing’s long history with Chen Shu.
• Loyalty and familiar bonds: Banxia’s allegiance to her brother outweighs her friendship with Suannai.
• Risk and ambition: The Slaughter Forbidden Land offers the chance to fuse with the Origin, but requires confronting generations of fallen cultivators—and surpassing the achievements of prior challengers.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu lounges with his head on Ning Qing’s lap while the group chat discusses the coming Royal Family Forbidden Land. Members expect rare treasures and possible clashes with foreign cultivators, but agree to avoid killing and cooperate where possible.
• Chen Shu shares uncertain intelligence from an Otherworldly Beast: those seeking a safer place outside the Forbidden Land’s sealed boundary may find an Otherworldly Beast gathering to the west. The group also speculates that foreign entrants may bear Deity Marks, suggesting divine influence extends across national borders.
• Chen Shu tells Ning Qing he plans to return to Bai City and then spend more than two months in the Forbidden Land, disguising his absence as an internship. His sister Chen Banxia briefly wakes when she hears her name, then goes right back to sleep.
• Ning Qing’s younger sister shows Chen Shu a lifelike artificial snake she created for her Artificial Life Engineering studies. The “Qingqing Snake” is powered by Spirit Power, can hunt and fight, and must be fed or it will eventually die. She imagines how such artificial creatures could form a self-sustaining ecosystem.
• By late May, Brother Meng has advanced from Third Tier to Fourth Tier in a little over three months. Chen Shu takes leave, returns to Bai City, and then travels to Green Mountain Ridge as the Forbidden Land is about to open.
• At the outskirts, Divine Power is already leaking out, drawing Otherworldly Beasts and changing ordinary plants and animals. Several chat members gather there; Chen Shu, Zhang Suannai, and the Moonlit Heroine are among those planning to enter. Chen Shu privately messages Ning Qing, urging her to begin cultivating “Thought” and to keep thinking of him while they are apart.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing: Their affectionate but teasing domestic dynamic continues. Chen Shu pushes his boundaries by touching and kissing Ning Qing’s leg; she repeatedly orders him up and ultimately hauls him away by the collar. They discuss his coming absence, and he asks her to think of him during it.
• Chen Shu and the younger sister: She proudly presents her artificial snake and explains its needs and behavior. Chen Shu jokes with her, praises her work, and accepts the creature, which promptly hides from him.
• The group-chat members: They exchange warnings, intelligence, and strategic advice, showing mutual trust while recognizing that entering the Forbidden Land will separate them and expose them to serious danger.
• Zhang Suannai: She is unusually quiet and appears preoccupied, though the chapter offers no explanation.

Significant themes

• Cooperation amid danger: The group favors peaceful coordination but is prepared to defend its dignity and interests.
• Divine influence and uncertainty: The possibility that Deities are shaping both domestic and foreign generations of geniuses raises questions about the future.
• Artificial life and ecosystems: The Qingqing Snake blurs the line between toy and living creature, prompting a glimpse of how artificial organisms might form an entire ecological world.
• Affection and separation: Chen Shu’s playful closeness with Ning Qing contrasts with his impending, lengthy journey into a dangerous place.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu receives supplies from his sect, including pills and a Spirit Pearl Bracelet, before heading to Green Mountain Ridge. Along the way, he spots a Celestial and a Nightfolk, both of whom seem to be entering the Forbidden Land.
• At the gathering point, the group discusses its plans. Tongdeng, Xuanzhen, Ji Ba, Meng Chunqiu, and Jiang Lai intend to seek out the Otherworldly Beasts and cultivate safely; Chen Shu and Zhang Suannai plan to explore the outskirts and eventually go farther in.
• Chen Shu shares some of his healing medicine with Jiang Lai, whose fighting style makes him prone to injury. Before the Forbidden Land opens, Zhang Suannai challenges Chen Shu and their companions to a rematch, with the loser having to wear a dress and post a photo in the group chat.
• At dawn, the Forbidden Land opens. The landscape transforms into a dim, ancient forest under a permanently setting blood-red sun. Burial mounds erupt, releasing preserved dead warriors and cultivators who attack newcomers.
• Tongdeng easily destroys one ancient Martial Artist. The group then splits up: the others head toward the Otherworldly Beasts, while Chen Shu and Zhang Suannai continue together.
• After fighting through groups of ancient Fifth- and Sixth-Tier opponents, Chen Shu and Zhang Suannai reach a vast black curtain marking the true Forbidden Land. They cross it and are separated.
• Chen Shu finds himself in a battlefield-like interior, where Spirit Power is exceptionally dense and powerful beings may be present. Hearing signs of a fight between the Bodhisattva of Calamity and a likely Ninth-Tier opponent, he seeks a secluded place to cultivate.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is practical and considerate: he prepares for danger, shares medicine with Jiang Lai, and recognizes the value of the group’s cultivation plan. He also relies on Zhang Suannai to help manage the enemies his disruptive Spells might attract.
• Zhang Suannai acts independently and initially denies agreeing to team up, but stays beside Chen Shu, citing their friends and his sister as reasons. She takes the lead in combat, displaying considerable Sword Qi control.
• The group parts amicably, with mutual farewells and confidence that the others can manage the outer region.
• The Celestial and Nightfolk are introduced as striking, aloof figures whose presence hints at the diverse and formidable people entering the Forbidden Land.

Significant themes

• Risk and preparation: Cultivators balance the chance to advance with the need for safety, supplies, and reliable allies.
• Cooperation and loyalty: Chen Shu’s generosity toward Jiang Lai and his partnership with Zhang Suannai show the importance of supporting others in a dangerous environment.
• The past confronting the present: Ancient dead return with their memories and skills, but their strength is often surpassed by modern cultivators.
• The cost of immortality and repetition: The fallen seem destined to return whenever the Forbidden Land opens, compelled to fight again rather than rest.
• A world governed by mystery: The altered landscape, strange sunset, and black spatial barrier suggest that the Forbidden Land obeys rules unlike those of the outside world.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing begins cultivating “No Thought” in a courtyard outside Jade Capital. She discovers that losing the ability to miss someone is not relief from longing but a loss of memory and connection, leaving her feeling hollow, guilty, and lonely.
• Her younger sister interrupts and asks about Chen Shu, who entered the Forbidden Land two days earlier. Ning Qing cannot tell whether he is safe and estimates he may not return for two or three months. The exchange makes her reflect that thinking of someone can also ease loneliness.
• Chen Shu continues surviving in the Forbidden Land, where its abundant Divine Power aids cultivation but Seventh Tier opponents repeatedly force him to flee. He has developed a reliable escape routine, using the Little Blazing Sun Art, Spirit Power, and sometimes spirit beads.
• He intervenes when a Seventh Tier Martial Cultivation practitioner is beating a newly advanced tiger demon, Huang Chu. After helping her escape, they introduce themselves and agree to form a temporary alliance.
• At the safer outer edge of the Forbidden Land, Master Xuanzhen and Master Tongdeng advance to the Sixth Tier and enter the deeper region after consolidating their cultivation. Yan Keling is still approaching that breakthrough.
• Jiang Lai grows stronger through constant combat against the Revived. Divine Power gradually improves the quality of his Spirit Power and speeds his recovery, pushing his martial ability toward the Sixth Segment threshold. He asks to go deeper to seek High Tier Otherworldly Beasts and obtain blood essence. Yan Keling persuades him to wait until she advances so they can go together.

Character developments

• Ning Qing experiences the emotional cost of No Thought: it suppresses not only yearning but also the memories and bonds that make longing possible.
• Chen Shu remains resourceful and increasingly skilled at evading stronger opponents. He is also willing to help others, even while being hunted himself.
• Huang Chu is curious and adventurous, but cautious enough to seek an ally after her first brush with a Seventh Tier foe. Her successful breakthrough to the Sixth Tier gives her new confidence.
• Jiang Lai becomes tougher and more capable through relentless battles, yet remains focused on his original goal. He accepts the need to wait rather than recklessly enter the most dangerous depths alone.
• Yan Keling shows concern for Jiang Lai and offers practical support, while continuing her own push toward the Sixth Tier.

Character interactions

• Ning Qing quietly answers her younger sister’s questions about Chen Shu; the sister’s practical, teasing manner contrasts with Ning Qing’s inward grief.
• Chen Shu rescues Huang Chu, and their conversation reveals mutual assumptions about each other’s luck and knowledge of the Forbidden Land. They agree to cooperate while prioritizing their own survival in a crisis.
• Xuanzhen and Tongdeng leave the outer refuge separately after advancing, while Yan Keling remains behind to cultivate.
• Yan Keling and Meng Chunqiu tend Jiang Lai’s wounds after battle. When Jiang Lai proposes going deeper, Yan Keling urges him to wait so they can face the danger together.

Significant themes

• Memory, longing, and separation: No Thought shows that missing someone is inseparable from remembering and valuing them.
• Survival and adaptation: Chen Shu’s repeated escapes and the group’s different cultivation strategies show how they adjust to the Forbidden Land’s dangers.
• Growth through hardship: Divine Power and combat accelerate advancement, but progress comes with serious risk and physical cost.
• Cooperation and self-preservation: Alliances offer protection, yet characters recognize that survival may ultimately require putting themselves first.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu and the tiger demon Huang Chu escape two Seventh Tier pursuers using the Great Blazing Sun Art, then hide in a tomb to recover.
• Their month in the Forbidden Land has brought rapid cultivation gains: Chen Shu is nearing the peak of the Sixth Tier, while the dense Divine Power has permanently improved the quality of their Spirit Power. The deeper they venture, however, the more dangerous the opponents become; they have faced coordinated Seventh Tier hunters and even an Eighth Tier expert.
• Over food, Chen Shu and Huang Chu discuss the other entrants from their nations. They agree to continue deeper together, while candidly allowing that either may flee if the other is in danger.
• Huang Chu senses a distant golden manifestation. Chen Shu checks the date and wonders about Qingqing.
• Back in Jade Capital, Qingqing repeatedly falls into distracted spells while missing Chen Shu. The little girl jokes that Qingqing has “gone stupid,” and Peach runs to comfort her.
• On July 7, Jiang Lai, Yan Keling, and a fox demon become trapped in an unusual tomb, apparently built by an ancient Yi general. The general had pursued the Three-Origin Method to help Martial Artists reach the High Tier, but his approach failed; his research nevertheless contributed to later bloodline potions.
• While the fox demon and Yan Keling work to open the tomb’s exit, two stone statues awaken: an ancient swordsman and an armored soldier. Jiang Lai holds them off alone so his companions can continue. Though badly wounded, he manages to fight them.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu and Huang Chu become increasingly effective partners, relying on his protective spirit orbs and her keen perception. Both privately feel guilty about exposing the other to danger, but neither admits this, each hoping to preserve the partnership.
• Qingqing reveals how deeply Chen Shu’s absence affects her: she feels that missing him is painful, but that not missing him would leave an even greater emptiness.
• Jiang Lai shows courage and selflessness by taking on two powerful opponents alone to protect Yan Keling and the fox demon.
• Yan Keling and the fox demon cooperate in deciphering the tomb’s formation while Jiang Lai buys them time.

Significant themes

• Risk and opportunity: The Forbidden Land’s immense cultivation benefits come at the cost of escalating danger.
• Trust and unspoken care: Chen Shu and Huang Chu conceal their guilt even as they rely on one another; Qingqing’s absence from Chen Shu exposes her emotional attachment.
• Sacrifice and teamwork: Jiang Lai accepts serious injury to give his companions a chance to escape.
• The limits of ambition and inherited knowledge: The general’s failed search for a Martial Artist path to the High Tier still helped later generations, suggesting that unsuccessful work can leave a lasting legacy.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Lai fights two ancient warriors released from the underground palace: an Azure-Robed Swordsman and a Heavy-Armored Soldier. He deliberately exposes himself to land a decisive punch, killing the swordsman, then battles the soldier despite severe injuries.
• The soldier eventually knocks Jiang Lai unconscious. When he wakes, the warriors’ armor, weapons, and clothes remain, but their bodies have crumbled to ash. Neither Jiang Lai nor Yan Keling and the fox demon knows what happened after he passed out.
• Jiang Lai realizes that the two warriors’ memories and voices have entered his mind. They identify themselves as Yan San and Chen Qing, soldiers from an earlier age who were sealed alongside General Luo. One says the general meant to preserve the perfected Three-Origin Method; they also reveal that the current year is 5023, far beyond their own time.
• The chapter then shifts to Chen Shu, who shelters underground as the Bodhisattva of Calamity fights a host of Ninth-Tier experts nearby. Nearly all of Chen Shu’s spirit pearls are gone. He believes the tiger demon who chose to remain in the dangerous depths has likely been killed after he distracted an Eighth-Tier pursuer and fled separately.

Character developments

• Jiang Lai shows extraordinary endurance, tactical resolve, and willingness to sacrifice himself to defeat a stronger opponent. His victory comes at the cost of catastrophic injuries, and the mysterious transfer of the warriors’ memories suggests a new connection to the perfected Three-Origin Method.
• Yan Keling and the fox demon are relieved and grateful to Jiang Lai, but they initially misunderstand how the ancient warriors were defeated.
• Yan San and Chen Qing emerge as distinct personalities: Chen Qing is boastful and irreverent, while Yan San is more serious and defensive of General Luo’s intentions. Their voices fade into silence as they confront how much time has passed.
• Chen Shu remains pragmatic, conserving his dwindling resources and prioritizing survival, though he feels guilty about the tiger demon’s likely death.

Significant themes

• Endurance and sacrifice: Jiang Lai keeps fighting through injuries that should have left him helpless.
• The weight of time: The ancient warriors’ shock at the present year emphasizes the distance between their era and the current one.
• Legacy and preservation: General Luo’s effort to leave the Three-Origin Method for future generations hints at knowledge surviving across generations.
• Survival and consequence: Chen Shu’s decision to flee may have saved him, but it leaves him burdened by the likely loss of his companion.

Character interactions

• Jiang Lai exchanges brief, reassuring words with the trapped Yan Keling and fox demon while fighting.
• Afterward, Yan Keling and the fox demon praise him and explain what they believed had happened; their account prompts Jiang Lai to discover the two voices in his mind.
• Yan San and Chen Qing bicker over their history, General Luo’s intentions, and the new world they have awakened in.
• Chen Shu’s earlier choice to let the tiger demon stay in the depths contrasts with his own escape, leaving their relationship unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Lai, recovering from his injuries, hears two arguing voices in his head: an armored soldier and a green-clad swordsman. They debate the perfected Three-Origin Method, which combines Divine Power with the original method to strengthen a Martial Artist’s body and Spirit Power and potentially allow them to reach the High Tier. The swordsman considers it impossible and dangerous; the soldier defends it. Their bickering reveals that both once served General Luo and that the swordsman resents how his life turned out.
• Jiang Lai silences them by taking Spirit Maiden Lantern Capsules and falling asleep. Once healed, he sets out to find Otherworldly Beasts and his companions despite warnings that the Forbidden Land is becoming more dangerous.
• As the Bodhisattva of Calamity’s battle winds down, the Revived become increasingly restless and hunt outsiders more aggressively. Chen Shu, whose Sixth Tier cultivation is nearing its peak, retreats from the depths and misses his former ally, the Tiger Demon.
• Chen Shu encounters the Moonlit Heroine fighting a young Nightfolk man. The Nightfolk leaves; she explains she had taken a Seventh Tier Otherworldly Beast Core from him, though her real reason for fighting was simply that she disliked him.
• The Moonlit Heroine proposes that she and Chen Shu work together to challenge weaker Seventh Tier cultivators. Using a King Court treasure to seal off each battle, they can fight without attracting attention and give Chen Shu time to cultivate afterward. Though reluctant, he agrees.
• Over the following days, they win some fights and lose others, collect treasures and two Beast Cores, and cross paths with the Celestial and someone from Lanya. When the Bodhisattva’s battle ends and the Divine Power begins to thin, the Revived intensify their search. Chen Shu and the heroine retreat to the Forbidden Land’s edge, venturing inward only briefly with the treasure.
• In Jade Capital, Ning Qing completes No Thought and begins cultivating Deep Thought. Missing Chen Shu now makes her feel whole, although she remains anxious about his safety and expects to finish the practice within days.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Lai remains determined to pursue his goals despite warnings. The two voices in his head provide conflicting accounts of the past and argue constantly, while he tries to get practical answers from them.
• Chen Shu shifts from wanting to hide and cultivate alone to joining the heroine’s risky battles. His caution contrasts with her confidence and appetite for combat.
• The Moonlit Heroine reveals herself as an exceptionally capable fighter who has been challenging others alone. Her bluntness and combative instincts create a lively, sometimes exasperated partnership with Chen Shu.
• Ning Qing adapts to Chen Shu’s absence: longing becomes a source of emotional wholeness, though concern for him persists.

Significant themes

• Risk versus survival: Characters must weigh advancement and opportunity against the growing danger of the Forbidden Land.
• Power and its costs: The perfected Three-Origin Method offers the possibility of reaching the High Tier but demands extreme conditions and may endanger the practitioner.
• Companionship and absence: Chen Shu misses his lost ally, forms a new partnership, and remains the focus of Ning Qing’s longing.
• Clashing temperaments: The voices’ quarrels and the heroine’s boldness repeatedly challenge Jiang Lai’s and Chen Shu’s desire for peace and clarity.

Plot points and events

• Old Lord Ouyuangong lectures about Ling Boxin’s Twin Universe Theory: two planes may develop separately but be brought into alignment by Spirituality Force. He praises Ling’s careful observation and willingness to pursue an idea. The class laughs at the suggestion that the Sacred Ancestor might be a transmigrator; Ning Qing is the only student who responds with a faint smile.
• Ning Qing spends the break remembering how she and Chen Shu used to share autumn days on campus. Hoping he will return for Ling’an Academy’s Mid-Autumn gala, she sends him a photograph of the changing trees.
• In the Forbidden Land, Chen Shu and the Moonlit Heroine win a difficult fight against a weaker Seventh Tier cultivator. Chen Shu plans to leave before the end of August to attend the gala with Ning Qing and his little sister. The Moonlit Heroine agrees, intending to test herself against a Seventh Tier opponent alone.
• Other survivors pursue different strategies: Zhang Suannai grows stronger fighting a Seventh Tier Revived, while Masters Tongdeng and Xuanzhen hide and cultivate. Jiang Lai, Yan Keling, and the fox demon have already withdrawn to search for treasures outside the Forbidden Land, where danger is also increasing.
• The trio finds a large patch of thousand-year-old Spirit Jade Incense, but they are caught in a Revived encirclement. Yan Keling and the fox demon fly off to draw some attackers away, leaving Jiang Lai concealed as a peak Sixth Tier cultivator remains nearby. The chapter ends as Jiang Lai prepares to face the threat.

Character developments

• Ning Qing appears composed but deeply misses Chen Shu; her quiet attention to the lecture and her message reveal her longing.
• Chen Shu balances the dangers of the Forbidden Land with his wish to return for a meaningful family celebration.
• The Moonlit Heroine has grown formidable and welcomes the chance to push herself further without Chen Shu’s help.
• Zhang Suannai is pleased with her progress and eager to challenge Chen Shu again.
• Jiang Lai feels inadequate when his companions must protect him, but responds to danger with calm determination.

Character interactions

• Ouyuangong teaches the class and invites students to reflect on Ling Boxin’s example.
• Ning Qing reaches out to Chen Shu by sending him a photograph.
• Chen Shu and the Moonlit Heroine discuss when to leave and their differing goals.
• Yan Keling and the fox demon sacrifice their advantage by splitting off to draw enemies away from Jiang Lai; the two spirits within Jiang Lai’s mind argue over his prospects and repeatedly urge caution.

Significant themes

• Time, aging, and mortality: Ouyuangong’s physical decline contrasts with his calm acceptance of life’s end.
• Observation and intellectual courage: Ling Boxin’s theory exemplifies bold thinking tempered by careful verification.
• Longing and connection: Ning Qing’s memories and Chen Shu’s plans make the approaching festival a symbol of reunion.
• Growth through risk: Characters seek strength by testing their limits, while the escalating dangers of the Forbidden Land make survival increasingly uncertain.
• Different forms of strength: Jiang Lai’s martial path is contrasted with cultivators’ advantages, yet his resolve remains his own.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Lai refuses to surrender against a powerful Rune Sect cultivator, despite being badly wounded and vastly outmatched. He repeatedly gets back up, trying first to use the terrain, then his spear and sword.
• When Jiang Lai is close to collapse, he agrees to let the Azure-Robed Swordsman, Yan San, take control. Yan San reveals himself as a mortal swordsman of the White Jade Gate and channels the strength of his soul into a final attack. He kills the cultivator, proving that Martial Artists can challenge cultivators, but his soul burns out in the process.
• Jiang Lai sees Lord Lin Jian’s phantom and receives the Otherworldly Beast’s Originating Spirit Power. After being taken to camp and recovering, he learns from Chen Qing that Yan San is gone and that the power may let him attempt the Three-Origin Method.
• The method’s true form requires Divine Power to help fuse Otherworldly Beast power with a Martial Artist’s body and soul. Jiang Lai begins the transformation, enduring repeated destruction and rapid regeneration. Chen Qing helps sustain his soul until he can do no more.
• Jiang Lai appears to die, but his body continues transforming. Lord Lin Jian indicates that he had the right conditions for the process, but that the time had not yet come.
• Elsewhere, Chen Shu saves two Northern Continent geniuses near the Black Curtain, then leaves the Forbidden Land rather than visit Jiang Lai and Meng Chunqiu. He heads for Jade Capital, eager to see Qingqing.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Lai demonstrates extraordinary resolve, refusing to accept the gap between Martial Artists and cultivators. He trusts Yan San enough to share control of his body and later willingly risks death to pursue the Three-Origin Method.
• Yan San moves from urging Jiang Lai to give up to encouraging and ultimately fighting through him. His last battle is a culmination of decades spent trying to prove Martial Artists are not inferior to cultivators.
• Chen Qing, the Heavy-Armored Soldier, initially advises caution but ultimately supports Jiang Lai’s transformation and helps protect his soul. His bond with Yan San is revealed through their fond, teasing farewell.
• Meng Chunqiu watches over Jiang Lai and reacts with disbelief when he is declared dead.
• Yan Keling seeks Lord Lin Jian’s judgment, while the Fox Demon calmly reports Jiang Lai’s apparent death.
• Chen Shu remains focused on Qingqing, choosing his reunion with her over visiting his companions.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and defiance: Jiang Lai and Yan San refuse to accept that Martial Artists are inherently lesser than cultivators.
• Legacy and sacrifice: Yan San and Chen Qing’s years of struggle become a legacy passed on through their teachings, aid, and final sacrifices.
• Transformation and uncertainty: Jiang Lai’s attempt to transcend his limits depends on forces beyond ordinary understanding, and apparent death may not be the end.
• Loyalty and personal longing: The chapter balances bonds formed through struggle with Chen Shu’s personal desire to return to someone he misses.