Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu’s reverse-rune design for heavy spirit-power cannons becomes a national and international sensation. News outlets report that it boosts their explosive power by at least 700%, improving their military usefulness and restoring their cost-effectiveness.
• Chen happily follows the coverage and university-forum discussions, especially the praise—and comments calling him handsome. He backs a post arguing that his work surpasses Zhang Suannai’s thesis, then quietly closes the forum when an acquaintance confronts him over an old lie.
• Relaxing on a swing with Ning Qing, Chen tries to make her admire his success. They tease each other: he jokes that he is her parent and says he will attend her upcoming thesis defense as one; she calls him a show-off and punches him.
• At Jade Capital’s Ultimate Sword Hall, Coach Zhang defeats a Fifth Tier Sword Cultivator who challenges the school, motivated in part by a cash bonus. She enjoys the crowd’s admiration, but later discovers that Chen’s achievement has received even more attention than her own past accomplishment.
• Zhang initially tries to ignore the news, but keeps encountering posts about Chen. Despite feeling jealous, she cannot resist checking the school forum and seeing people compare them.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is openly proud and eager to share his recognition with Qingqing, showing that he is most unguarded around her.
• Ning Qing stays composed and affectionate beneath her teasing, reading while indulging Chen’s excitement and sparring with his jokes.
• Coach Zhang remains skilled, diligent, and fond of attention. Her pride is bruised by Chen’s greater popularity, revealing a competitive, envious side that she struggles to suppress.
• Chen and Qingqing’s easy banter contrasts with Zhang’s solitary scrolling and growing resentment.

Significant themes

• Recognition and rivalry: Public acclaim energizes Chen but makes Zhang feel overshadowed.
• Technology’s wider consequences: Chen’s academic work has major military implications and attracts attention beyond the cultivation world.
• Affection through teasing: Chen and Qingqing show closeness through playful, familiar exchanges.
• The pull of status and attention: Both Chen and Zhang are affected by praise, comparison, and online discussion.

Key plot points and events

• In an online chat the night before her defense, friends joke about Chen Shu’s sudden popularity and compare it with the attention Ning Qing received the previous year. Chen Shu insists her work—not simply her looks—is earning recognition; the group teases him for being modest and funny.
• The next morning, Chen Shu and Ning Qing eat breakfast together and go to the astronomy building, where they sit in the back for the graduation defenses.
• Ning Qing presents her sixty-thousand-word thesis, “The Observation and Verification of Spirituality Force.” She explains the theory that neighboring worlds influence one another and gradually become more alike. Her paper lays out ways to test the force using practitioners from three different systems.
• She describes how Spirituality Force might shape worlds on a vast scale, but also account for smaller parallels: similar inventions, names, stories, dreams, and ideas appearing across different worlds.
• Chen Shu recognizes this as a possible explanation for the many similarities between his former world and the present one—including foods, technologies, and words that the Sacred Ancestor did not create. The idea also makes him wonder whether his own story could pass into another world and inspire someone there.
• The reviewers question Ning Qing about verification and evidence. She says her advisor has checked the proof and consulted qualified experts; while many proposed effects remain conjectural, she says there is concrete evidence for the force’s operation in their world. She passes all twelve reviewers.
• Afterward, Ning Qing asks Chen Shu if she was “cool.” He agrees, and she smiles, making the moment feel like the beginning of spring.

Character development

• Ning Qing demonstrates confidence and intellectual ambition, presenting a bold theory with calm precision. After her formal success, she reveals a playful, vulnerable side by seeking Chen Shu’s approval.
• Chen Shu admires Ning Qing and listens closely to her research. Her explanation gives him a new framework for understanding his world’s similarities to his former one, and inspires a romantic hope that his own story might reach another world.

Significant themes

• Interconnected worlds: Spirituality Force proposes that worlds affect and imitate one another, accounting for both large-scale similarities and small coincidences.
• Imagination and storytelling: Dreams, inventions, and stories may be echoes of real experiences in other worlds.
• Romance and wonder: The chapter treats the universe itself—and the possibility of stories crossing between worlds—as profoundly beautiful.
• Recognition and intimacy: Ning Qing’s public achievement culminates in a private moment of reassurance and affection.

Character interactions

• The group chat playfully compares Ning Qing and Chen Shu’s popularity, with Chen Shu defending the significance of her work.
• At breakfast, Chen Shu casually samples Ning Qing’s noodles while she lets him; their comfortable physical closeness underscores their intimacy.
• During the defense, Chen Shu watches Ning Qing with admiration, while she occasionally looks toward him as she presents.
• After she passes, Ning Qing asks for Chen Shu’s judgment, and his enthusiastic approval turns her formal triumph into a shared, affectionate moment.

Plot points and events

• On a warm spring day, Chen Shu urges Ning Qing to watch the news coverage of her thesis, which has confirmed the existence of Spirituality Force and proposed that worlds can influence or glimpse one another through dreams and imagination. The story’s central idea quickly captivates viewers online.
• Ning Qing remains indifferent to her sudden fame, while Chen Shu eagerly reads the reactions. The news sparks a playful rivalry between Ling’an Academy and Yujing University, whose student recently developed a powerful High-Tier Tracer Technique. Forum users debate which achievement matters more, while others notice that Ning Qing and Chen Shu are a couple.
• In a research institute, a frail, mute elderly cultivator watches the students’ thesis defenses. His former student explains that Ning Qing’s work passed review and that cultivators from three traditions—the Celestial, Buddhist, and Daoist—have verified Spirituality Force.
• The old man, who had long championed the idea, acknowledges the confirmation with a blink. His former student suggests that Ning Qing may discover what their generation could not, though the old man may not live to see it. The chapter ends with him watching the crimson light of dusk.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing stays composed and uninterested in fame. Her quiet amusement at Chen Shu’s excitement and the online speculation shows her affection and familiarity with him.
• Chen Shu is exuberant and teasing, trying hard to get Ning Qing to admire the coverage. He enjoys the university rivalry and the forum’s jokes, including comments exposing their relationship.
• The elderly cultivator is physically diminished by Spiritual Decline but remains mentally steadfast and engaged with the discovery he spent his life pursuing. His former student cares for him, explains the verification, and offers him the choice to stop enduring treatment.
• The little girl and the white cat quietly observe the garden—and listen in on Chen Shu and Ning Qing—adding a playful, watchful note to the scene.

Significant themes

• Interconnected worlds and stories: Dreams, imagination, and observation may link separate worlds, blurring the boundary between fiction and reality.
• Discovery across generations: Ning Qing’s breakthrough fulfills an older scholar’s lifelong hope and may carry his work further.
• Mortality and resilience: The old man’s fading body contrasts with his enduring spirit, while the sunset echoes the beauty and transience of life.
• Recognition versus meaning: Public fame and institutional rivalry surround the discovery, but its deeper significance lies in the knowledge itself and its human consequences.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing continue their nightly cultivation. Chen is nearing the Eighth Tier, while Ning says her progress would be quick even without the mark. Their joking conversation turns serious as Chen reflects that what matters most is sharing a life and lifespan with her.
• In their group chat, friends discuss Ning Qing’s thesis-defense video, the public interest in observing Spirituality Force, and who might be the “protagonist” of their era. Ning Qing cuts through the argument by saying everyone is the protagonist of their own story—then adds that Chen Shu would make the best protagonist.
• Online attention around Chen and Ning surges after their relationship and childhood connection are publicized. Chen enjoys the romantic coverage and imagines their future child discovering their old fame.
• Chen remembers that Xiaoxiao is competing at the Martial Body Meet. He and Ning go to watch her fight, planning to visit Green Mountain Ridge afterward.
• Xiaoxiao, only twenty and already at the Fifth Tier, wins through aggressive close-quarters combat. Chen is impressed, and she hurries to him and Ning afterward.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains playful and affectionate, teasing Ning during cultivation and joking about their future family. Beneath the humor, he values the prospect of a shared future above cultivation rank or supernatural power. He is also openly proud of Xiaoxiao.
• Ning Qing responds to Chen’s teasing with punches, but shows quiet devotion when she says she will stay with him even if he becomes a god. She also offers a grounded perspective in the group chat.
• Xiaoxiao displays a contrast between her gentle, familiar persona and her fierce, formidable fighting style. After her victory, she tries to preserve a stern image, though Chen’s praise visibly delights her.
• Chen and Ning’s closeness is evident in their easy banter, shared routines, and support for Xiaoxiao. Ning silently observes Chen’s affectionate attention to Xiaoxiao.

Significant themes

• Love and shared destiny: Chen cares more about spending their lives together than about marks, power, or godhood.
• Public image versus private relationships: The internet turns Chen and Ning’s history into a romantic spectacle, while their private life remains playful and ordinary.
• Identity and ambition: The group’s debate over who is the era’s protagonist highlights everyone’s confidence and sense of personal importance.
• Growth and generational change: Xiaoxiao’s strength and Ling’an Academy’s thinning ranks of top cultivators point to both emerging talent and shifting institutional fortunes.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing browse the stalls at Green Mountain Ridge, where they bargain for Sword Pig meat and buy several cuts, four brains, and intestines for dinner.
• While they wait for the young girl to arrive, Chen Shu chats with cultivators about their progress toward higher tiers. Zhang Suannai boasts that she has reached the Eighth Tier, prompting a playful wager over who will reach the Ninth Tier first.
• The young girl arrives on her mini motorcycle only after Chen and Ning have finished shopping. Disappointed to have missed the trip into the village, she reflects that she needs to advance to the Sixth Tier so she can fly rather than rely on a motorcycle.
• Back at the courtyard, Chen prepares a large meal. The young girl massages Ning Qing in exchange for an Otherworldly Beast Core, but Ning insists the massage continue even when dinner is ready.
• Zhang Suannai returns just in time for the meal. The group eats and jokes together as evening falls.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is knowledgeable and shrewd when buying meat, while his cooking skill and coordination are increasingly impressive. He teases Ning Qing about making her sister work for the core.
• Ning Qing remains calm and quietly firm, comfortably accepting the young girl’s service and ignoring Chen’s protests.
• The young girl is energetic and proud, but her eagerness to help arrives too late to be useful. She accepts the massage bargain and, despite her frustration, obeys Ning Qing.
• Zhang Suannai is boastful about reaching the Eighth Tier, yet readily joins the group’s teasing and eagerly enjoys Chen’s food.
• The group’s affectionate banter—especially Chen’s teasing and the young girl’s exasperation—makes the courtyard feel warm and lively.

Themes

• Impatience and timing: The young girl arrives just after the shopping is done, while her attempt to escape the massage ends when Ning reminds her of their deal. The title’s warning is echoed by the value of patience and follow-through.
• Progress and ambition: The cultivators compare their advancement, and the young girl’s desire to fly reflects her wish to grow stronger.
• Friendship, family, and shared comfort: Food, jokes, and small acts of care bring the characters together in a peaceful domestic scene.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• On March 16, Chen Shu attempts another Breakthrough in the Quiet Chamber using an Otherworldly Beast Core and a Ninth Tier Essence-Returning Pill. After confirming that Qingqing has not filled the chamber with water, he begins.
• While Chen Shu cultivates, Ning Qing’s younger sister, Xiaoxiao, brings food for her sister and jokes about whether Chen Shu will “get smaller.” She and Ning Qing trade barbs over leftovers, pickles, and Xiaoxiao’s plan to hunt Sword Pigs at Green Mountain Ridge after her school Arena Matches.
• Chen Shu’s Spirit Power repeatedly batters his Spirit Lock until he breaks through to the Eighth Tier. The high-quality Spirit Power enabled by Divine Power makes the breakthrough unusually easy, though enduring the Beast Core’s effects remains painful.
• Ning Qing feeds him the Essence-Returning Pill and carries him to bed while he recovers. She later gives Xiaoxiao the unappealing dinner Xiaoxiao had prepared for her.
• On March 18, Chen Shu wakes after sleeping for more than twenty-eight hours. Ning Qing refuses to tell him whether he woke during that time or what he might have done, prompting his suspicion that he behaved embarrassingly while unconscious.
• Chen Shu discovers that reaching the Eighth Tier has strengthened him and that the mark’s power has not diminished; it may respond even more strongly to higher-quality Spirit Power.
• Xiaoxiao returns home by vaulting over the courtyard wall and says she caught five Sword Pigs the previous evening. Chen Shu asks whether he woke during his recovery, but her uncertain-sounding answer leaves him doubtful.
• Xiaoxiao then asks Chen Shu to attend her Regular Division Finals the next day. He agrees, still wondering what Ning Qing and Xiaoxiao may be hiding.

Character developments

• Chen Shu reaches the Eighth Tier and gains a clearer understanding of how Spirit Power quality affects the mysterious mark. His curiosity and suspicion also grow when Ning Qing withholds information about his recovery.
• Ning Qing remains composed and difficult to read. She cares for Chen Shu during his recovery but also enjoys keeping him uncertain, refusing to answer his questions.
• Xiaoxiao is energetic, mischievous, and intent on pursuing both her school competition and Sword Pig hunting. Despite teasing her sister, she prepares and delivers food for her, and later invites Chen Shu to support her in the finals.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through endurance: Chen Shu’s breakthrough is enabled by powerful, refined Spirit Power but still demands that he withstand severe physical strain.
• Care expressed through teasing and routine: Food, recovery care, and playful arguments reveal affection beneath the characters’ sharp exchanges.
• Secrets and playful mistrust: Ning Qing’s silence and Xiaoxiao’s questionable reassurance keep Chen Shu guessing, creating comic tension around his lost memories.
• Family-like rivalry: The sisters’ arguments are sharp but familiar, mixing threats and complaints with practical concern for one another.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing share a mix of intimacy and playful power struggles: she feeds and carries him, while he tries unsuccessfully to coax information from her.
• Ning Qing and Xiaoxiao bicker over meals, pickles, and hunting plans; Xiaoxiao tries to provoke her sister, but Ning Qing’s calm responses repeatedly undercut her.
• Chen Shu questions Xiaoxiao about his recovery and suspects she may be concealing something, while Xiaoxiao shifts the conversation to her upcoming finals and asks him to attend.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu questions Peach about whether he lost his senses during his recent breakthrough. After reflecting on the day, he realizes he likely remained himself throughout—and that Ning Qing had quietly watched him make a fool of himself while he doubted his sanity.
• The next day, Chen Shu, Ning Qing, Peach, and Zhang Suannai head to Ling’an Academy for Ning Ji’s championship match. Zhang is startled to learn Chen has reached the Eighth Tier, catching up to her soon after she entered the Seventh. She suspects something unusual about his breakthrough and asks whether he lost his senses; Ning Qing says no, though Chen’s reaction suggests he is embarrassed by what happened.
• Ning Ji faces Huang He, a Peak Fourth Tier student with extensive sparring experience. He plans to evade her first attack and rely on his technique, but her speed lets her catch and throw him off the arena almost immediately. Ning Ji wins the Regular Division title.
• Though Ning Ji hopes to project a cool, fearsome image, the crowd mainly cheers that she is cute and adorable. Afterward, Chen Shu congratulates her and invites her to a celebratory palace-style banquet, with Zhang paying.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is relieved to realize he did not lose his senses, but feels mortified that Ning Qing let him agonize over the possibility. He affectionately teases and supports Ning Ji, and cheers her on at the match.
• Ning Qing remains calm and perceptive, quietly amused by Chen Shu’s confusion. She confirms the truth to Zhang without exposing Chen’s embarrassment.
• Zhang Suannai is impressed and unsettled by Chen Shu’s rapid advancement, briefly wondering whether his Spirit Sage Mark surpasses her Sword God Mark. She also helps explain how Ning Ji acquired the nickname “Senior Xiaoxiao.”
• Ning Ji (“Senior Xiaoxiao”) is revealed as a talented, confident fighter whose strength and speed overwhelm her opponent. She tries to cultivate a formidable public persona, but her classmates’ affection—and Chen Shu’s doting treatment—keep emphasizing her cute, younger-sister image.
• Peach mimics the crowd’s cheering, then settles into a dignified silence after deciding that a powerhouse should not make a fuss.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Chen Shu’s fear that he lost himself contrasts with the truth, while Ning Ji’s intended image as a fearsome fighter clashes with the crowd’s perception of her as adorable.
• Affection and embarrassment: The close, teasing relationships among the group provide both comfort and comic awkwardness.
• Talent, progress, and rivalry: Chen Shu’s rapid cultivation challenges Zhang’s assumptions about their relative potential.
• Power and reputation: Ning Ji’s decisive victory establishes her strength, but the way others respond shapes her reputation just as much as her performance.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Coach Zhang treats Chen Shu’s group—and Peach—to an expensive palace-cuisine meal at Gardenia Garden. She insists Peach counts as the sixth diner and orders the most expensive set menu.
• The group enjoys the food, but finds it less impressive than expected. Chen Shu prefers ordinary home cooking, while Peach’s companions eat much of the food placed in its bowl.
• Over dinner, Coach Zhang warns Xiaoxiao that she cannot defeat a Fifth Tier sword cultivator from the Martial Arts College and advises her to conserve her strength for the Inter-School Tournament. Xiaoxiao insists she can win.
• After the meal, the group strolls through Jade Capital and finds a newly erected memorial honoring Celestials. Chen Shu recognizes the name Bai Yuan from Qingqing’s recent thesis defense but cannot discover why living—or possibly deceased—Celestials are being commemorated.
• At the Martial Body Meet Finals, Xiaoxiao faces the Fifth Tier sword cultivator Ning Ji. Spectators expect her to lose, but she reveals prodigy-level spiritual aptitude and uses advanced Spirit Sect spells alongside her apparent martial abilities.
• Xiaoxiao reads Ning Ji’s swordsmanship with uncanny precision, counters every attack, and targets his vulnerabilities until he surrenders. She becomes the school champion.

Character developments and interactions

• Coach Zhang shows her generosity by treating the group, including Peach, and takes pride in hosting them. Their lukewarm reactions leave her wondering how to choose a better outing next time. Her confidence in Xiaoxiao falters, and she even tries to persuade Ning Ji not to injure her too badly.
• Xiaoxiao remains calmly confident despite everyone’s doubts. Her hidden spiritual talent and extraordinary understanding of swordsmanship are revealed through her decisive victory.
• Chen Shu notices the memorial and becomes curious about its purpose, particularly after recognizing Bai Yuan’s name.
• Peach is treated as a valued member of the group, though it is dismayed when everyone eats much of the food from its bowl.
• Zhang Suannai and Chen Banxia share an easy, affectionate rapport, walking together and teasingly encouraging the group to explore.
• Zhang Suannai’s alarm during the final match suggests she understands something unusual about Xiaoxiao’s mastery of sword cultivators, beyond the apparent outcome of the fight.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Xiaoxiao is underestimated as a soft, inexperienced martial cultivator, but proves to possess formidable spiritual abilities and combat insight.
• Changing traditions and modern life: The restaurant’s palace cuisine represents refinement and prestige, yet does not necessarily surpass ordinary modern cooking.
• Belonging and recognition: Coach Zhang’s insistence that Peach counts as a diner reflects the group’s affectionate inclusion of the cat.
• Unanswered mysteries: The Celestial memorial raises questions about the honored figures, their status, and the motives behind the monument.
• The limits of swordsmanship: Xiaoxiao’s victory exposes vulnerabilities in a style widely assumed to be unbeatable in close combat.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Ji impresses everyone by winning a fight with ease, earning praise from Chen Shu and a bronze medal and certificate. Chen Shu is surprised by how skilled—and violent—his usually gentle sister-in-law has become.
• Chen Shu investigates the mysterious Celestial Memorial Monument. A group member says it was raised by a small, secretive circle; some of the Celestials named on it, including Esoteric Sect cultivator Bei Zhi, have disappeared. Ning Qing offers a cryptic clue: “They went into the darkness.”
• At the Off-Campus Division’s Martial Body Meet, Ning Ji advances to the top four, defeating every Fifth Tier university competitor. Her fights are often grueling, and she repeatedly ends up in the hospital, though she seems to enjoy competing.
• Ning Ji loses her final match to Yan Keling, who gently carries her out of the Arena. Yan Keling and Jiang Lai then advance to the final.
• Chen Shu reflects that Ning Ji could have won the tournament in another year. Despite being only twenty and devoting most of her effort to Artificial Life Technology, she has extraordinary combat ability.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Ji emerges as a formidable fighter while remaining gentle and composed outside the Arena. Chen Shu takes pride in her talent but worries about her apparent enjoyment of violence and the possibility of her becoming the “Little Devil King” seen in another predicted timeline.
• Chen Shu shifts from casual curiosity about the monument to genuine interest as its mystery deepens. He also recognizes how much Ning Ji has changed since childhood.
• Ning Qing provides the key clue about the missing Celestials, though she remains taciturn and gives little explanation.
• The group chat mixes concern and teasing: Chen Shu asks the others to go easy on Ning Ji, while “Grandma” jokes that any injury to Xiaoxiao will be repaid tenfold.
• Yan Keling and Ning Ji interact warmly before their match; Yan Keling’s gentle treatment of Ning Ji contrasts with the tournament’s violence.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Ning Ji’s strength is striking, but Chen Shu values that she does not let her bloodline or fighting instincts define her outside the Arena.
• Growing up and changing: Chen Shu sees that his once-sweet younger sister-in-law has become a powerful competitor, almost without him noticing.
• Mystery and disappearance: The monument and the vanished Celestials hint at a hidden event beyond public knowledge, while “going into the darkness” suggests an enigmatic fate.
• Talent and unfair advantages: Ning Ji’s achievements stand out because she is younger and less focused on cultivation than her older, high-tier opponents.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• At the Martial Body Meet Finals on April 28, the group watches Yan Keling face Jiang Lai. Their fierce, close-combat match showcases their skill and experience; Yan Keling wins, and both are badly injured and taken to the campus hospital.
• The group heads to the cafeteria for a final meal on the Military Academy’s tab. Chen Shu orders the same dishes he remembers from an earlier hospital visit, and the familiar food brings back warm memories. He also charms the cafeteria worker into filling his takeout container with fish balls, to the group’s amazement.
• Over lunch, Chen Shu says that after graduation he and Qingqing plan to stay in Jade Capital and cultivate until he reaches Ninth Tier, then decide what comes next. Qingqing will remain with him.
• On May 4, Chen Shu and Qingqing attend their separate university graduation ceremonies. At Yujing University’s ceremony, Chen Shu receives his jade pendant, Outstanding Graduate award, and National Outstanding Graduation Thesis certificate. His thesis is ineligible for international consideration because it contains classified information.
• Afterward, Chen Shu reflects on how much of university life he may have overlooked, but accepts that regret is a natural part of looking back. Qingqing picks him up on her Mini Motorcycle, and they leave campus together.

Character developments

• Chen Shu is more reflective than before: familiar food and the graduation ceremony make him feel the weight of memory, achievement, and the end of university life. He recognizes that even a second chance cannot prevent every regret.
• Qingqing remains close to Chen Shu and is set to continue cultivating alongside him in Jade Capital. Their playful, affectionate reunion after the ceremonies reinforces their partnership.
• Yan Keling demonstrates her growing combat ability by winning the Finals. Her regular sparring with Jiang Lai has helped her improve.
• Jiang Lai is shown as a tough, experienced fighter whose cultivation depends on enduring hardship and repeated sparring.
• The young girl watches the Finals with fascination and envy, briefly imagining becoming strong enough to boss her sister around.

Significant themes

• Memory and nostalgia: Familiar cafeteria dishes connect the present to an earlier moment in Chen Shu and Qingqing’s relationship.
• Achievement and transition: Graduation marks both a personal milestone and the end of a formative stage of life.
• Regret and acceptance: Chen Shu wishes he had made more of university, yet understands that regret is an ordinary, even meaningful, part of life.
• Companionship: Chen Shu and Qingqing’s shared plans and easy affection offer continuity as university life ends.

Character interactions

• The group teases one another while watching the Finals, mixing admiration for the fighters with jokes about women’s strength.
• Chen Shu and Qingqing exchange a knowing glance when they notice the young girl’s intense interest in the match.
• Chen Shu chats playfully with Master Tongdeng about vegetarian food and Buddhist traditions; the monk answers patiently.
• The group visits Yan Keling and Jiang Lai after the match before going their separate ways.
• At the end, Qingqing collects Chen Shu outside campus. They joke briefly, then ride away together, leaving the lively graduation-night scene behind.

• Graduation and social media: Chen Shu and Ning Qing take playful graduation photos, with Qingqing posing coolly in her academic gown and the little girl directing the shots. Chen Shu posts a nine-photo graduation update and answers a flood of congratulations from friends, teachers, and classmates. He also posts on Qingqing’s behalf, giving her a rare moment of visibility among her small circle of contacts.
• A new invention: The little girl demonstrates Greeny Dog, a fire-breathing artificial dog that obeys commands. She explains that it is an early prototype and could eventually be upgraded into artificial spirit beasts—or even powerful artificial combatants—but current materials and its clumsiness limit its usefulness. Chen Shu is impressed; the girl privately resents that her sister’s punishing homework contributed to the breakthrough.
• News of wider change: A television report announces the artificial-life breakthrough, a new Spirit Power weapon, and the removal of major restrictions on civilian flying cars. Seeing that Meng’an Motors’ shares have already climbed, Chen Shu considers buying Professor Chen a flying car, since the professor is still occupied with research in Jade Capital.
• The Beast Core and the sisters’ clash: Ning Qing gives the little girl an Otherworldly Beast Core, which the girl eagerly secures before immediately insulting her sister. She orders Greeny Dog to attack, but Qingqing kicks it aside and pulls the girl close for a spanking. When Qingqing asks whether the girl expects to succeed on her first attempt, the girl instantly understands the hint, apologizes, and switches from defiance to respectful submission.
  Character developments and interactions: Chen Shu comes across as affectionate and socially attentive, sharing the graduation milestone with Qingqing and thinking of a gift for Professor Chen. The little girl is inventive, ambitious, and proud of Greeny Dog, but remains wary of Qingqing’s authority; her bravery is tempered by an instinct for self-preservation. Qingqing stays cool and commanding, using both the Beast Core and a disciplinary encounter to control the interaction between them.
  Themes: The chapter pairs technological progress with family comedy, suggesting that inventions may reshape society while everyday relationships remain governed by affection, rivalry, and power. It also highlights ambition and recognition: the little girl wants to push her technology further, while graduation marks a transition and a chance to share achievements.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing leaves Xiaoxiao limping after their off-page encounter. Xiaoxiao insists she fell, while Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao privately agree that Ning Qing is acting strangely.
• Chen Shu learns in the family chat that Lawyer Wei will arrive the next day. He invites her to dinner, and Chen Banxia agrees to pick her up.
• Master Zhang visits the Small Courtyard after finishing her work. She is astonished by Greeny Dog, an artificial creature that behaves convincingly like a real dog and can breathe fire.
• Xiaoxiao asks Ning Qing where her advanced “Homework” came from. Ning Qing says Xiaoxiao’s future self created it. Xiaoxiao is furious to learn she has effectively tormented herself, but decides to wait until she is powerful enough to get revenge by assigning Ning Qing piles of homework.
• The next afternoon, Chen Banxia collects Lawyer Wei in her brightly decorated convertible. On the drive, she explains that Chen Shu and Ning Qing have lived together at the Small Courtyard for years and that the home’s lease or ownership arrangements do not trouble them.
• At the courtyard, Lawyer Wei sees Chen Shu and Ning Qing cooking together amid flowers, with the guardians and artificial creatures nearby. The domestic scene reassures her.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao shifts from shock and anger to calculated patience, turning her discovery into a long-term revenge plan. Her fearsome resolve is undercut by her childish focus on hanging Ning Qing from the persimmon tree.
• Ning Qing remains cool and composed, even when Xiaoxiao confronts her; she reveals the origin of the punishing homework without apparent concern.
• Chen Shu and Chen Banxia banter freely in the family chat, while Chen Banxia and Lawyer Wei trade teasing remarks during the drive.
• Master Zhang is impressed by the girl’s technological achievement and again feels the gulf between her own knowledge and the girl’s.
• Lawyer Wei begins the visit concerned about Chen Shu’s living arrangements, but seeing the couple’s ease and shared domestic routine softens her worries.

Significant themes

• Revenge and patience: Xiaoxiao postpones retaliation until the balance of power changes.
• Technology and intelligence: Greeny Dog’s lifelike behavior highlights the remarkable sophistication of the artificial-life technology—and the gap between its creator and those observing it.
• Home and belonging: The Small Courtyard’s shared routines and warm atmosphere matter more than whose name is on the lease.
• Family intimacy and teasing: The group’s jokes and casual interactions show affection beneath their irreverent exchanges.

Key plot points and events

• Lawyer Wei watches Chen Shu cook, joined by Ning Qing and several young companions who eagerly await food. She tastes the Pickled Chili Rabbit and enjoys the warm, domestic scene—until Chen Shu teases her and she playfully smacks him.
• In the courtyard, Lawyer Wei confronts Professor Chen about his weight loss and insomnia after his stay in Jade Capital. She warns him to look after himself and threatens to send him back to Yuanzhou.
• At dinner, she asks Chen Shu about his diploma and plans. He hopes to research spells and live on patent income; his sister and Zhang Suannai offer alternative career advice.
• Lawyer Wei asks Chen Shu and Ning Qing when they will marry. Neither sees any urgency, leaving her exasperated. Chen Shu suggests they might wait until they have more friends to receive wedding gifts; Ning Qing says she is equally unconcerned.
• Chen Shu proposes buying Lawyer Wei a flying car after Meng’an Motors’ upcoming launch, but she cautions that a new model may be overpriced or unreliable.
• The group spends the evening walking and gaming. At midnight, Chen Shu, Ning Qing, and Chen Banxia cultivate in the Quiet Chamber, while Peach rests happily in Chen Shu’s lap.
• In a separate scene, Cao Ci approaches a mist-shrouded continent where a failing seal contains dangerous power from a Deity of the Otherworld. The power attacks his mind and soul, but he proceeds, apparently prepared to sacrifice this incarnation to release and then suppress it.

Character developments and interactions

• Lawyer Wei’s concern for her family shows through her teasing and criticism. Seeing Chen Shu’s comfortable home makes her proud that he has grown up, but also leaves her feeling a little bereft. Her affectionate, playful dynamic with Chen Shu contrasts with her more serious worry about Professor Chen’s health.
• Chen Shu remains practical and casual about work, marriage, and family matters. He and Ning Qing are comfortable together, but neither feels a need to formalize their relationship.
• Professor Chen appears to have struggled during his time away, losing weight and sleeping poorly; he also nervously anticipates Chen Shu teasing him about a missed investment.
• Chen Banxia and Zhang Suannai bring lively, joking advice to the dinner conversation, while Ning Qing stays composed and understated.
• Cao Ci’s determination to face the sealed threat alone reveals his willingness to accept a potentially fatal sacrifice.

Significant themes

• Home and growing up: Lawyer Wei’s pride in Chen Shu’s independence is mixed with the sadness of realizing he has built a life apart from her.
• Different ideas of commitment: Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s relaxed view of marriage clashes with Lawyer Wei’s belief that it offers meaningful ceremony and security.
• Everyday affection: Food, teasing, shared games, and quiet routines express family and companionship.
• Duty and sacrifice: Cao Ci accepts responsibility for a danger that might otherwise have remained sealed, despite the likely cost to himself.

Key plot points

• After Meng’an Motors opens reservations for its new flying cars, Chen Shu and his family visit a Jade Capital showroom to inspect them.
• The salesman explains the three sizes and two propulsion types. Spirit Repulsion models are much faster and better suited to long journeys, while cheaper propeller models are practical for everyday travel. The cars are self-driving, regulated, and can recharge rapidly at highway stations.
• Chen Shu reveals that his Meng’an Motors shares have doubled. His father, Professor Chen, regrets buying a competing automaker’s stock instead.
• Chen Shu and his sister, Chen Banxia, decide to buy their parents a four-seat flying car as a joint sixty-fifth-birthday gift. Despite their parents’ hesitation, Banxia places an order on the spot.
• After leaving the store, Banxia teases their mother, Lawyer Wei, about being clingy with Professor Chen and gets smacked for it.
• Banxia invites Chen Shu to play a life-simulation game at Zhang Suannai’s home that evening. The group joins the same game room.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is relaxed about the car’s high price because of his investment profits. He displays affection for his parents through the gift, while jokingly competing with Banxia over which sibling is more “filial.”
• Chen Banxia is energetic and decisive: she helps settle on the four-seater and immediately pays the deposit. Her playful teasing of her mother ends in a comic reprimand.
• Professor Chen is practical about waiting for prices to fall, but his missed investment gains leave him visibly frustrated.
• Lawyer Wei tries to discourage her children from spending on the car, though she ultimately lets them proceed. Her sharp response to Banxia’s teasing reinforces their familiar, affectionate family dynamic.
• The siblings bicker throughout the decision, but cooperate in choosing and funding the gift; their parents are largely outvoted.

Significant themes

• Technological change: Flying cars are becoming accessible, with automated flight, fast charging, and new safety rules.
• Practicality versus excitement: Buyers must weigh cost and convenience against speed and range.
• Family affection expressed through teasing and generosity: The car purchase is both a lavish gift and a source of comic sibling rivalry.
• Investment and regret: Chen Shu’s gains contrast with Professor Chen’s frustration at choosing the wrong stock.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Suannai welcomes the group to her cluttered but technologically advanced virtual “home,” where they try fighter-jet combat, tank battles, motorcycle racing, and sports-car racing.
• Chen Banxia is overwhelmed by the realistic combat and repeated racing crashes, though she keeps quiet so the others can enjoy themselves.
• The group visits Chen Shu’s virtual home: a peaceful farming landscape. Zhang Suannai and Xiaoxiao enthusiastically help plant crops, while Chen Banxia ends up digging under Qingqing’s watchful eye.
• The group logs off late. Qingqing insists Xiaoxiao finish her homework, and Zhang Suannai is disappointed the session has to end.
• Chen Banxia privately resolves to make her friends help with alchemy as payback for their exhausting games.
• A few days later, Chen Banxia prepares to summon them to her new Alchemy Room. Before she can, the Spirit Sect appoints Du Heng as its new sect master. Chen Shu returns to the sect both to attend to the transition and study the Blazing Sun World-Destroying Divine Art, leaving Banxia without her intended helpers.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Banxia acts as the group’s elder sister and tries to accommodate everyone, despite disliking their games. Her patience eventually gives way to a humorous plan for revenge through forced alchemy work.
• Zhang Suannai is exuberant about her machines and games, and eagerly embraces farming despite finding it unusual at first.
• Chen Shu enjoys farming enough to compete with university classmates over crop yields.
• Qingqing quietly keeps the group in line, overseeing the farm and firmly reminding Xiaoxiao about her homework.
• Xiaoxiao is absorbed in both the games and farming, and resists stopping for the night.

Significant themes

• Affection and compromise: Banxia endures activities she dislikes because she values spending time with her friends and family.
• Different kinds of enjoyment: Zhang Suannai’s high-speed games contrast sharply with Chen Shu’s tranquil farming world.
• Humorous role reversals: Banxia, usually the responsible elder sister, becomes an exhausted participant—and later plots to turn the group into her “alchemy ingredients.”

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing leave Xiaoxiao behind, reminding her to study for her exams and care for the flowers. Xiaoxiao agrees, though she is distracted and later remembers only those two instructions.
• The couple fly to the Spirit Sect. Chen Shu enjoys pushing himself to supersonic speed, briefly leaving surrounding sounds behind, while Qingqing keeps to a steady pace.
• They arrive at Jade Summit Mountain, where Peach emerges from storage carrying Chen Shu’s underwear and has rummaged through their luggage.
• The Vice Sect Master tells Chen Shu that the Sect Master is still holding up, outlines Chen Shu’s duties at the upcoming succession ceremony, and agrees to lend him the Spirit Sect’s signature technique, the Blazing Sun World-Destroying Divine Art.
• Chen Shu receives its seven volumes and studies them closely. He sees that the art builds on, but substantially alters, the Great and Little Blazing Sun Arts, combining their Runes into a vastly more powerful spell with seemingly no upper limit.
• Qingqing sends Peach to fetch Chen Shu when he becomes absorbed in reading, prompting him to stop and begin his daily cultivation. He also briefly checks messages about the succession, which many prominent young figures plan to attend.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is exuberant and restless, delighting in high-speed flight. He is also curious and ambitious in his study of advanced magic, but relies on Qingqing to keep him on schedule.
• Ning Qing remains composed and practical, flying steadily and later ensuring Chen Shu does not neglect his cultivation. Their easy teasing shows their closeness.
• Xiaoxiao is left alone but takes the household reminders seriously—once she has finished thinking about something else.
• Peach remains mischievous, rummaging through luggage and stealing underwear, while affectionately seeking attention from both Chen Shu and Qingqing.
• The Vice Sect Master is friendly with Chen Shu but becomes wary when Chen Shu suggests playing Go with Qingqing as his adviser, anticipating another loss.

Significant themes

• Freedom and exhilaration: Chen Shu’s supersonic flight gives him a fleeting sense of limitless freedom.
• Affection expressed through teasing and care: The characters’ banter and reminders reveal the closeness of their relationships.
• Discipline alongside curiosity: Chen Shu’s fascination with a powerful new art must be balanced against his cultivation routine.
• Power without an apparent ceiling: The divine art’s design suggests that its potential may exceed even what a Deity can fully realize.

Plot points and events

• Jade Summit Mountain grows crowded in the days before the Spirit Sect’s Vice Sect Master inauguration, as influential guests arrive to network and conduct business.
• Chen Shu joins the welcome party for the leaders of Jade Peace Temple and New Orthodox Temple. He and the visiting young masters, Xuanzhen and Tongdeng, greet each other formally while also joking with Peach, who is treated as an honored guest.
• Once their elders leave, Chen, Xuanzhen, and Tongdeng drop their formal manners and play with Peach until the next important visitors arrive.
• The emperor arrives with Royal Family members, government officials, and several young cultivators, including Chen’s friends. The younger generation reunites and trades familiar teasing.
• Chen notices that several of his peers seem tired. The Group Leader confirms she has reached the Eighth Tier and explains that everyone has been pushing hard to keep pace with him.
• They reveal the “Sleep-Cycle Great Method”: gradually shifting a daily cultivation session earlier whenever the combined time needed for cultivation and recovery is less than twenty-four hours, allowing practitioners to cultivate more often over time. The chapter ends as Chen begins to understand their strategy.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains playful and self-assured, prompting his friends to judge his looks and jokingly advising them to study multiple traditions to improve their insight. He also persuades Peach to help with the formal reception.
• Peach behaves solemnly during the ceremony but quickly returns to playful antics, especially with Xuanzhen and Tongdeng. His running “pig” insult reflects his ongoing comic rivalry with them.
• Xuanzhen and Tongdeng balance formal religious courtesy with relaxed, affectionate joking once they are away from the reporters.
• The Group Leader has reached the Eighth Tier and explains her progress modestly, crediting the speed of Imperial Spirit Arts.
• Chen’s peers—including Meng Chunqiu, Zhang Suannai, Yan Keling, and others—renew their friendly banter with him. Their fatigue suggests they have been training intensely.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through discipline and innovation: The Sleep-Cycle Great Method shows how practitioners optimize schedules to gain more training time.
• Competition and ambition: Chen’s rapid progress motivates his peers to work harder and find ways to catch up.
• Public formality versus private familiarity: Characters perform ceremonial respect in front of dignitaries and reporters, then quickly return to playful, informal behavior.
• Networking and social status: The inauguration draws religious, political, and business leaders seeking useful connections.

Key plot points

• Chen Shu and the Silly Goose Group welcome powerful guests to the Spirit Sect’s summit ceremony. The group jokes about their strange “Sleep-Cycle Great Method,” which has left them exhausted and forgetful.
• Chen Shu takes his friends, including Zhang Suannai, to explore the ancient town after the formal greetings.
• He later welcomes four familiar young demons from the Eastern Continent. They reveal they have practiced the Sleep-Cycle Great Method for two years, much longer than the Great Yi group’s roughly six months.
• Chen Shu realizes the demons are formidable rivals: Senior Sister Jin may already have reached the Eighth Tier, and the others are close. He considers using this discovery to spur his own friends to train harder.
• At the Azure Cloud Tower Inn, Senior Sister Jin recognizes Zhang Suannai’s Eighth Tier achievement and sincerely—but tactlessly—attributes it to her “low intelligence,” provoking Zhang’s anger.
• Chen Shu reveals that his own group also uses the sleep-cycle technique. Both groups realize their rivals have been working just as hard, and the atmosphere turns competitive.
• Ning Qing arrives with Xiaoxiao and Peach. Seeing her with Chen Shu, Senior Sister Jin assumes they are still together and praises Chen Shu’s supposed exceptional qualities despite his ordinary appearance.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu acts as a host and mediator, welcoming guests and defusing tension. He privately recognizes how close the Eastern Continent’s talents are to Great Yi’s.
• Zhang Suannai remains playful with Chen Shu but bristles at Senior Sister Jin’s backhanded compliment; their exchange nearly turns into a fight.
• The Great Yi group and the young demons discover that both sides have been training intensely. Their mutual respect gives way to renewed determination and rivalry.
• Senior Sister Jin is perceptive and sincere, but her blunt observations repeatedly offend people—including Zhang Suannai and, by implication, Chen Shu.
• Ning Qing’s arrival prompts a mistaken assumption about her relationship with Chen Shu, leaving the chapter’s final joke unresolved.

Significant themes

• Rivalry as motivation: Learning that their opponents have trained hard pushes both groups to work even harder.
• Talent versus circumstance: Chen Shu recognizes that Great Yi’s advantage comes partly from its larger population and greater pool of exceptional people, not necessarily superior individual ability.
• Comedic misunderstandings and blunt honesty: The sleep-cycle method, Zhang’s insult, and Senior Sister Jin’s comments create humor through exhausted characters and sincere but tactless remarks.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu dresses carefully for the Spirit Sect master’s inauguration, amusing himself with his own good looks. Ning Qing, a little girl, and a cat react to his vanity; Ning Qing privately wishes she had worn traditional clothes so they would look better together.
• At the ceremony on Jade Summit Mountain, Chen Shu joins the formal proceedings as the former sect master—his trusted ally—officially hands over leadership. The former master’s visible aging reflects the approaching Spiritual Decline. The new master gives a speech pledging service to the sect, the Yi Emperor, and the nation.
• Afterward, leaders of the great sects gather. Their teasing, bickering conversation reveals both their long familiarity and their awareness of age and mortality. They discuss Cao Ci, whose Bright Sect techniques and Buddhist practice have made him exceptionally difficult to defeat; the Sword Master admits his last fight with Cao Ci nearly went badly.
• Before leaving, the Sword Master challenges Chen Shu over his victory against the Sword Master’s young disciple. Chen Shu boldly insists he won easily. The Sword Master appreciates his arrogance and wishes he had joined the Sword Sect, though Chen Shu says he lacks the talent for Sword Cultivation.
• As the guests depart, the former sect master sits alone. Chen Shu recognizes the sadness behind the scene and leaves to rejoin his friends.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful and self-confident, but also respectful toward his seniors. His cheeky exchange with the Sword Master shows he is growing comfortable asserting himself among the strongest figures.
• Ning Qing admires Chen Shu’s appearance and imagines how they might look together, hinting at affection and a desire for closeness.
• The former sect master remains composed and warm, but his age and solitude reveal the emotional cost of watching old friends approach death.
• The Sword Master, Changpei Dao Chief, and Sword King trade familiar insults and provocations, suggesting years of camaraderie beneath their antagonism. The Yi Emperor and the new sect master eventually calm the Sword Master and Sword King when they nearly come to blows.
• The chapter marks a transition in leadership while emphasizing that the new generation is taking its place as the old one confronts decline and loss.

Significant themes

• Aging, mortality, and Spiritual Decline: Even the greatest figures cannot escape time, and each farewell makes their eventual separation more tangible.
• Friendship and loyalty: The elders’ teasing and reunions reveal bonds that endure despite rivalry, while the former master’s loneliness shows how painful those bonds can become.
• Change and continuity: The inauguration transfers authority, while the refined traditional clothing reflects the idea that tradition can adapt without losing its essence.
• Confidence and ambition: Chen Shu’s boldness signals his rising stature, even as others recognize his potential beyond his current sect.

Key events

• Zhang Suannai visits Chen Shu’s courtyard with Qingqing and Xiaoxiao. She learns they will remain at the Spirit Sect, leaving her reluctant to return to Jade Capital alone; Chen suggests inviting Chen Banxia over.
• The visiting group explores Chen Shu’s kitchen and praises his cooking. He invites everyone to dinner, shops with Qingqing, and prepares an elaborate meal of meat and vegetarian dishes, taking care to accommodate Master Tongdeng.
• The shared feast becomes a warm, comic gathering. The guests enthusiastically enjoy the food, while Zhang Suannai takes pride in being familiar with Chen Shu’s cooking. Their conversation turns to Cao Ci: he may soon attempt a crucial fusion, and the group discusses why delay would weaken his position. Illumination at Night remains withdrawn from the discussion.
• After the guests leave, the Spirit Sect quiets down. Chen Shu continues studying the difficult Blazing Sun World-Destroying Divine Art under the Sect Master’s guidance, becoming so absorbed that he skips his usual break.
• News coverage of the Spirit Sect’s leadership change draws attention to its promising young figures, including Chen Shu. Lawyer Wei and Chen Banxia confront him in their group chat about keeping his status quiet. Chen jokes that he will remember them when he becomes successful.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu shows care through hospitality: he cooks thoughtfully for his friends and guests, and his growing ambition and dedication to studying the divine art contrast with his usual laziness.
• Zhang Suannai reveals her loneliness at the thought of returning alone, then enjoys the group meal and tries to draw others into the conversation. When they fail to respond, she turns playfully indignant and focuses on the food.
• The guests move from admiring Chen Shu’s kitchen and cooking to sharing an unusually communal, convivial meal. Their teasing—especially the Group Leader’s mishap with the taro—helps create an informal atmosphere.
• Lawyer Wei and Chen Banxia are surprised by Chen Shu’s prominence and tease him for hiding it; his confident joke leaves them speechless.
• Cao Ci’s situation casts a serious shadow over the meal: the group believes he may act soon, though the possible conflict seems distant from most of them.

Significant themes

• Food as connection: Chen Shu’s cooking brings the group closer and turns hospitality into a form of affection.
• Ambition and change: Chen Shu’s intense study and newfound public recognition mark a shift from his laid-back image.
• Belonging and loneliness: Zhang Suannai’s reluctance to be alone contrasts with the warmth of the gathering.
• Public image versus private life: News coverage reveals a side of Chen Shu that even close acquaintances did not know, while his understated response keeps the moment light.