Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• As the group walks through the Secret Realm, Yan Keling notices that Chen Shu and the others are behaving strangely. Zhang Suannai seems especially dazed and unsteady.
• Yan suspects that the Southern Continent’s Otherworld Power has corrupted the group. She reasons that Zhang Suannai may actually be resisting it, while the others have already been affected. Jiang Lai agrees and prepares to protect Yan if things turn violent.
• Yan tries to encourage Zhang Suannai to stay awake, then persuades her and Jiang Lai to flee. When Chen Shu confronts them about leaving, Yan and Jiang Lai panic and run to the Divine Dragon Hall.
• Yan makes a wish asking the Divine Dragon to cleanse her companions of corruption—or, failing that, get the fugitives safely out. Chen Shu and the others follow them inside.
• Chen Shu reveals that nobody has been corrupted: Yan and Jiang Lai simply misread the group’s behavior. He explains the real reason for everyone’s awkwardness—the group’s wishes to the Divine Dragon have become known, leaving several people mortified. Two more now know the wishes, and the group grows even more uncomfortable.

Character developments

• Yan Keling shows sharp reasoning, courage, and concern for her companions, but her elaborate theory is built on a misunderstanding. Her attempts to rescue everyone become increasingly panicked.
• Jiang Lai proves loyal to Chen Shu and ready to risk himself to protect Yan, even while he accepts her mistaken conclusions.
• Zhang Suannai appears exhausted and confused, yet responds warmly to Yan’s concern and agrees to leave with her.
• Chen Shu is perceptive enough to notice the whispered discussion and amused by the misunderstanding; he ultimately clears things up.
• The rest of the group’s unusual behavior stems not from danger but from embarrassment about their wishes.

Themes

• Miscommunication and mistaken assumptions: Yan interprets awkwardness and fatigue as signs of supernatural corruption, and every attempt to act on that theory makes the situation more absurd.
• Loyalty and self-sacrifice: Jiang Lai is prepared to hold off the group so Yan can escape, while Yan refuses to abandon her companions.
• Humor through dramatic irony: Readers know the group’s behavior has an embarrassing, ordinary cause, while Yan and Jiang Lai construct an increasingly dire explanation.
• Embarrassment and vulnerability: The Divine Dragon’s wishes reveal private desires, leaving the group unable to face one another comfortably.

Character interactions

• Yan and Jiang Lai communicate covertly, with Jiang silently encouraging and supporting her plans.
• Yan’s sincere effort to comfort Zhang Suannai briefly creates a heartfelt connection, though Zhang’s confusion complicates it.
• Chen Shu’s blunt question triggers Yan and Jiang Lai’s flight, baffling everyone else.
• Once the misunderstanding is exposed, the group’s embarrassment replaces suspicion, and the newly informed characters join in the awkward silence.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu’s group leaves the Secret Realm after meeting the Wish-Granting Dragon. The Group Leader recognizes the Space Stone’s enormous strategic value, but also its connection to the Sacred Ancestor and the dragon’s immense power.
• Chen Shu claims the Space Stone for now, saying the government can be told about it and that it might be handed over later. He stores it inside his Crystal, astonishing the others with what they assume is an exceptionally stable storage artifact.
• Back at the Otherworldly Beast Ancestral Court, Chen Shu notices reeds spreading around a lake. Xuanzhen explains that they began growing a few days earlier and regrow when cut. Chen Shu identifies this as a sign that the Reed God is awakening.
• Chen Shu’s companions reveal that they have followed him to spar—and intend to fight him four against one. He accepts, having recently reached the Eighth-Tier Late Stage and unlocked the ability to use the Blazing Sun World-Destroying Divine Art without an Ascension Pill.
• The spectators watch an extremely fierce battle. Chen Shu’s varied techniques, especially the Blazing Sun, nearly overwhelm the four opponents; the fight ends when two fighters’ clothes are badly burned and they have to stop. The gathered geniuses resolve to imitate the Central Nation’s intense approach to sparring.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu becomes more openly formidable: he secures the Secret Realm, advances to the Eighth-Tier Late Stage, and demonstrates the Spirit Sect’s strength against multiple opponents.
• The Group Leader, despite his doubts about what to do with the Space Stone, accepts Chen Shu’s decision and agrees to report the situation.
• Yan Keling recognizes that Chen Shu’s smile now seems to include her among those he is amused by, a consequence of what happened in the Secret Realm.
• Chen Shu’s companions—Meng Haoran, Tongdeng, the Jade Peace Temple Daoist, and Wu Eiwei—turn their shock and frustration into a coordinated four-on-one challenge. Their teamwork contrasts with Chen Shu’s wide-ranging, crowd-effective techniques.
• The spectators’ admiration shifts their understanding of “sparring”: they see that the Central Nation’s fighters train with near-battlefield intensity. Even the Nightfolk begin fighting again as the others watch.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: The Secret Realm is a valuable national asset, but its supernatural ties make possession and control complicated.
• Preparation through adversity: The brutal sparring shows how serious training can build strength and resilience.
• Different martial philosophies: Sword specialists favor duels, while the Spirit Sect excels at fighting groups and large-scale combat.
• Humor amid danger: Chen Shu’s lighthearted attitude and the companions’ revenge-minded challenge temper the chapter’s awe-inspiring displays of power.

Key plot points and events

• After returning to their cave, Chen Shu lets Ning Qing treat the wounds he sustained fighting Wu Eiwei. She cleans the wounds and applies a powerful ointment, briefly taking on his pain herself.
• While treating him, Ning Qing explains how the Sacred Ancestor gathered Divine Power and converted it into Spacetime Energy, leaving some behind. Chen Shu can carry that energy in the Crystal into the fragile Withered Plane and use it cautiously in battle.
• Ning Qing also reveals the purpose of two locations in Jinguan City: one contains an artifact that can open a route to the Sacred Ancestor’s universe and measure the difference in time between worlds; the other is a Divine Power cultivation site.
• Chen Shu worries about how much time would pass in this world if he visited his original Earth. Ning Qing explains that the universes’ time flows have grown closer since the Sacred Ancestor opened a passage between them.
• Ning Qing suggests Chen Shu visit his old world before the coming war, using one source of Spacetime Energy to travel and another to return. The journey could resolve his uncertainty and might yield advantages for the conflict. Chen Shu agrees only to consider it.
• After treatment, Chen Shu plans to check on his injured companions, especially Xuanzhen, teasingly intending to show off the care he received.
• In the neighboring cave, Zhang Suannai and Yan Keling wake after sleeping together. Yan Keling still remembers an embarrassing incident involving a wish-granting dragon, while Zhang Suannai seems not to remember it at all, leaving Yan bewildered.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing shows care through practical, understated actions: she treats Chen Shu gently and secretly absorbs his pain. Her calm manner also masks her distress at his injuries. She has prepared extensively for another attempt, prioritizing everyone’s survival over simply winning.
• Chen Shu remains lighthearted and flirtatious even while injured, but becomes reflective when considering his old home, the Sacred Ancestor’s final wish, and the people he might leave behind. His feelings about returning are unresolved.
• Yan Keling remains anxious and self-conscious about her past blunder, despite hoping sleep would make her forget it.
• Zhang Suannai is hospitable and protective toward Yan, inviting her to share her modest bed. Her apparent lack of memory of the wish incident contrasts sharply with Yan’s distress.
• Chen and Qingqing’s relationship is affectionate and intimate, mixing teasing with trust and quiet mutual care.

Significant themes

• Preparation and the cost of failure: The group’s new plans reflect lessons learned from a previous defeat; success means minimizing casualties and bringing everyone home.
• Home, memory, and belonging: Chen must weigh returning to Earth against the attachments he has formed in this world.
• Time and connection: The changing relationship between universes links their time flows and raises the stakes of travel.
• Care expressed through action: Ning Qing’s treatment of Chen, and Zhang Suannai’s hospitality toward Yan, show affection without grand declarations.
• Embarrassment and comic relief: Yan’s lingering mortification and Chen’s plan to tease Xuanzhen offset the chapter’s heavier questions.

Plot points and events

• During his two months in Southern Continent, Chen Shu settles into a steady routine: he practices controlling Spacetime Energy, cultivates, studies, spars with other geniuses, and shares meals with the group. Cross-system combat helps him develop counters to fast, agile opponents.
• In October, the Otherworld Power spreading across Southern Continent grows stronger, despite the Tribulation Buddha’s efforts and the barriers around the region.
• On the day the group is due to leave, the Silly Goose Group squeezes in one last round of sparring. The return of the Reed God interrupts them: reeds rapidly cover the wasteland, and the Reed God’s arrival, alongside the Tribulation Buddha, halts the Otherworld Power’s advance.
• The group is transported to the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, near Red Mountain Ridge. The other continents’ geniuses are sent elsewhere. Chen Shu finds Qingqing, takes her hand, and they leave the Forbidden Land together.
• In an epilogue, the little girl returns to Angelica Orchid Garden and notices a new clump of reeds. She remembers her sister’s promise that the reeds’ appearance everywhere would signal that she and her brother-in-law were coming home.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu balances his playful nature with a growing sense of responsibility toward the people whose sacrifices made victory possible. His training and sparring also advance his combat skills.
• The group’s teasing, shared meals, and habitual sparring show how close they have grown during their stay. Even as they prepare to part, the geniuses from different continents choose to bid farewell by fighting.
• Qingqing’s quiet concern for Chen Shu’s injuries, and their final handclasp, underscore their closeness.
• The little girl’s discovery of the reeds connects the distant events in Southern Continent to the family waiting at home.

Significant themes

• Everyday life amid danger: Chen Shu finds warmth and routine even in isolation, while remaining mindful of the struggle ahead.
• Growth through cooperation and challenge: Fighting across different cultivation systems helps the geniuses learn from one another.
• Hope and return: The Reed God’s awakening checks the spreading corruption, while the reeds signal the protagonists’ anticipated homecoming.

Plot and events

After returning home, Chen Shu finds Xiaoxiao has hurriedly cleaned the neglected yard and house. He arrives with a wound from an unexplained sparring match; Qingqing treats it while Xiaoxiao watches anxiously. Back in the living room, Xiaoxiao presses him about the dangers he faces. When he asks what she would do if he died, she quietly says she would kill whoever was responsible—or, if she couldn’t identify them, everyone.
The household soon settles into its familiar rhythm: Xiaoxiao and Zhang Suannai trade deadpan remarks until Xiaoxiao sends her home, then Xiaoxiao and Qingqing argue over who should have protected Chen Shu and over Qingqing’s flowers. Xiaoxiao also tells Chen Shu about her research institute’s attempt to build a combat robot comparable to a High-Tier Cultivator, though it lacks the necessary materials and energy source. Chen Shu checks the messages he missed while away, replies to friends and colleagues, and announces that he is back.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao appears composed and independent, but her questions and fierce response to the thought of losing Chen Shu reveal deep attachment and protectiveness. She is also working at a research institute and remains blunt, stubborn, and quick-witted.
• Chen Shu is relaxed about his injury and glad to be home, but he recognizes Xiaoxiao’s concern. He tries to mediate the sisters’ arguments and reconnects with people after his absence.
• Qingqing cares for Chen Shu’s wound, watches his exchange with Xiaoxiao, and bickers with Xiaoxiao in their familiar combative way.
• Zhang Suannai tries to question Xiaoxiao about her plans, but their circular conversation ends with Xiaoxiao escorting her out.
• Xiaoxiao’s quiet concern for Chen Shu contrasts with her sharp teasing and accusations; the group’s banter restores the sense of ordinary domestic life.

Significant themes

The chapter centers on returning to everyday life after danger: cleaning, wound care, television, messages, and household squabbles reestablish a lived-in routine. Beneath the humor, Xiaoxiao’s answer exposes the intensity of her loyalty and the threat of grief turning into indiscriminate vengeance. The story also hints at wider plans and technological limits through the institute’s research into artificial High-Tier Cultivators.

Key events

• After recovering from his wound, Chen Shu relaxes at home with Ning Qing, watching a music show and teasing her.
• He proposes using Ning Qing’s Esoteric Sect technique to exchange senses, claiming it could help her cultivation; she sees through his self-serving excuse and refuses.
• The next morning, Chen Shu discovers Xiaoxiao has already left for work. Ning Qing explains that Xiaoxiao bought the courtyard, meaning they are living in her home.
• Ning Qing says she has reached High Tier and must resume supplementary cultivation, beginning a month of the Stillheart Way. Chen Shu realizes this will limit their usual closeness and laments losing his favorite way to unwind.
• He turns to pestering Peach to transform into a catgirl, while Ning Qing quietly calculates something related to Peach’s transformation.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is healthy, playful, and dependent on companionship: he tries to turn cultivation into an excuse for intimate experimentation, then complains about Ning Qing’s upcoming retreat.
• Ning Qing remains composed but fond of Chen Shu, indulging his chatter despite finding him noisy. She is practical about her cultivation and quietly thinks through the implications of Peach’s transformation.
• Xiaoxiao is absent for much of the chapter, but her work and purchase of the courtyard reveal her growing independence and her role in supporting the household.
• Peach follows the household’s movements and reacts expressively, but is still treated as a pet and playfully pestered by Chen Shu.

Significant themes

• Intimacy and boundaries: Chen Shu’s teasing contrasts with Ning Qing’s clear-eyed resistance, while their familiarity allows affectionate banter.
• Memory versus lived experience: Ning Qing’s inherited memories are fragmented; she still needs to learn and cultivate through her own experiences.
• Interdependence and changing household roles: Xiaoxiao’s purchase of the home shifts the balance of support, prompting jokes about who is living under whose roof.
• Cultivation alongside ordinary life: Spiritual advancement coexists with work, domestic routines, entertainment, and playful relationships.

Key events

• Chen Shu weighs Peach in a plastic bag, then measures Xiaoxiao and records that she has grown 4.43 centimeters since her last measurement.
• A cold front settles over Jade Capital. Chen Shu reflects that winter feels especially comforting now, though Qingqing’s Stillheart practice has kept him from being physically affectionate with her.
• A smuggled Transformation Aid Potion arrives from Eastern Continent. Peach’s Spirit Power has reached the threshold for Transformation, and Chen Shu arranges both an instructor and possible legal-identity help through his friend Huang Chu.
• Excited by the promise of becoming human, Peach drinks the potion. After several hours in the Quiet Chamber, she successfully Transforms.
• Peach begins online lessons with a rabbit-spirit instructor to shape her new form.
• Watching Chen Shu, Xiaoxiao, and Peach, Ning Qing reflects on her past experience with the Stillheart Way and gains a new insight: this time, the practice is less about observing the world and more about observing herself.

Character developments

• Peach shifts from embarrassed, helpless cat to eager student, motivated by the hope of gaining dignity and becoming a “higher life-form.” Her Transformation succeeds, though she must now learn to shape her form.
• Chen Shu acts as Peach’s practical, supportive caretaker, securing the rare potion, arranging instruction, and preparing to help her obtain legal status.
• Ning Qing deepens her understanding of her own feelings. She recognizes that she would willingly relive her memories of loving Chen Shu, and finds renewed meaning in the Stillheart Way.
• Xiaoxiao remains a curious, cheerful presence, following the Transformation process with excitement.

Significant themes

• Transformation and identity: Becoming human is not automatic; Peach must actively shape her appearance through training and cultural models.
• Memory and love: Ning Qing’s recollection shows that knowing how a feeling will unfold does not prevent it from moving her.
• Everyday life as something precious: The ordinary warmth of the household—measurements, winter routines, and Peach’s new lessons—is what Ning Qing wants to protect.
• Growth and change: Xiaoxiao’s height, Peach’s Transformation, and Ning Qing’s spiritual insight all mark different forms of development.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu gently but teasingly weighs Peach, measures Xiaoxiao, and celebrates her growth.
• Chen Shu and Huang Chu coordinate the potion, training, and potential legal paperwork, relying on their history and trust.
• Chen Shu encourages Peach’s Transformation, while Peach responds with eager trust and determination.
• Ning Qing watches the family’s interactions from a distance, connecting the present household to memories of her earlier practice and reaffirming her attachment to this life.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao help Peach prepare for Transformation, telling her to keep her cat ears and tail and to have a small, cute appearance. Peach misunderstands their discussion of names and surnames, but accepts their guidance.
• Peach spends weeks taking online lessons. Her rabbit instructor teaches her Transformation, while Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao teach her language and appearance. Peach struggles with pronunciation and repetition, and flees their teasing lessons to seek refuge on Ning Qing’s lap.
• In the Twelfth Month, the rabbit instructor arrives to guide Peach through the decisive stage. After a private session in the Quiet Chamber, Peach emerges transformed into a tiny catgirl, retaining her fluffy tail and cat ears.
• Xiaoxiao checks Peach’s new form and is delighted by how cute she is. When Chen Shu invites Peach over, she instead runs to Ning Qing, falls, gets back up, and climbs into her master’s lap.

Character developments and interactions

• Peach is earnest and eager to learn, believing her humans’ advice is meant to help her. Though frustrated by language lessons, she shows clear attachment to Ning Qing and instinctively chooses her over Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao after transforming.
• Chen Shu takes an active, affectionate role in preparing Peach, guiding her look, arranging her instruction, and eagerly welcoming her new form.
• Xiaoxiao enthusiastically shapes Peach’s desired appearance and playfully teaches her phrases. Her delight at the transformed Peach briefly recalls her own childhood.
• Ning Qing remains silent and emotionally unreadable, observing from a distance. Peach’s persistent closeness contrasts with that reserve.
• The rabbit instructor is experienced and professional, carefully guiding the Transformation and allowing the family time to request changes.

Significant themes

• Family, care, and belonging: Peach is treated as part of the household, and her transformation is approached as a shared family milestone.
• Identity and transformation: Peach’s new humanlike body changes her appearance and abilities, but her animal traits and attachments remain.
• Communication and affection: Peach’s language lessons are comic failures, while her choices—especially running to Ning Qing—express feelings more clearly than words.
• Appearance and agency: The family’s preferences shape Peach’s new form, though the instructor emphasizes that adjustments can still be discussed before the Transformation memory settles.

Plot points and events

• After Peach completes her transformation into a humanlike catgirl, Chen Shu returns home eager to see her. Rabbit Teacher has just left after advising that Peach will need help adapting to human manners.
• Peach clings to Ning Qing, while Qingqing’s younger sister, Xiaoxiao, tries to enlist Chen Shu in teasing Qingqing. Chen Shu unexpectedly reprimands Xiaoxiao for calling her sister “mute” and “dimwit,” leaving Xiaoxiao confused about his intentions.
• Qingqing sees through the act, removes Peach from her lap, and catches Xiaoxiao as she tries to flee. She scolds and smacks her for the insults. Chen Shu tries to shield Xiaoxiao from the punishment, but Qingqing insists she has earned it. He then covers Peach’s eyes—unsuccessfully—as Qingqing turns her attention to him and questions his visit with the attractive Rabbit Teacher.
• Neighbor Zhang secretly watches the commotion, delighted to see Qingqing discipline the household. When she looks again, the family has settled into a peaceful scene.
• Chen Shu gently begins teaching Peach human habits: speaking instead of making animal noises, not rubbing against people, and using a cup. Peach struggles at first, spilling water and nearly drinking from the cup like a cat, but eventually manages to hold it and take a sip—only to find the tea hot.

Character developments and interactions

• Peach is curious and affectionate, but still behaves much like a cat. Her transformation marks the start of learning ordinary human customs. She is accustomed to Qingqing’s occasional smacks and is not distressed by them.
• Chen Shu is patient and encouraging with Peach, much as he was with Xiaoxiao when she was young. He also tries to protect Xiaoxiao, though he cannot prevent Qingqing from punishing her.
• Ning Qing remains cool and perceptive, quickly reading the others’ thoughts. She shows authority in correcting Xiaoxiao and sets limits on Peach’s behavior.
• Xiaoxiao is playful and eager to tease Qingqing, but her plan backfires. She also helps Peach practice using a cup and takes pride in contributing.
• Neighbor Zhang is an amused, unseen spectator who enjoys the discipline but is startled when the household’s chaos gives way to calm.

Significant themes

• Learning and adaptation: Peach’s first lessons in human behavior are awkward but affectionate, suggesting that transformation is only the beginning of becoming accustomed to human life.
• Family teasing and discipline: The siblings’ insults and schemes are treated as familiar household mischief, while Qingqing’s retaliation restores order.
• Care expressed through everyday acts: Chen Shu’s patient teaching, Xiaoxiao’s help, and Qingqing’s quiet presence show the family’s affection through small interactions.
• Comedy from contrasting expectations: Peach’s catlike instincts, Xiaoxiao’s mistaken reading of Chen Shu’s intentions, and Zhang’s overheard observations drive the chapter’s humor.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu takes responsibility for the newly transformed Kitten Girl, introduces himself and the household, and tries—mostly unsuccessfully—to teach her what to call everyone. She calls him “Uncle Chen” and Ning Qing “Master.”
• He photographs her for official identification and asks his friend Huang Chu to arrange her documents. The girl waits obediently, then returns to investigating the grass as if she were still a cat.
• Xiaoxiao embraces her new role as an older sister, spending her free time teaching the Kitten Girl to speak, eat with utensils, use a napkin, and try new clothes and snacks.
• By the first snowfall in the Twelfth Month, the girl can ride a small bicycle, greet Chen Shu politely, and imitate proper table manners. Her identity documents arrive, making her an Eastern Continent demon; her Yi Nation visa is still pending.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing discuss when to send her to school. Chen Shu decides she will start after the New Year, though she is too absorbed in filling her mug to notice.

Character developments

• Chen Shu takes on a parental, protective role, though he remains playful and awkward about naming it. He is settling into a busy routine of cultivation and research, which he finds unexpectedly fulfilling.
• Xiaoxiao grows more confident and mature through caring for the Kitten Girl. Being an older sister gives her a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.
• The Kitten Girl (Ning Taozi) remains curious and catlike, but gradually learns human habits and household manners. She trusts Chen Shu and looks to him for guidance.
• Ning Qing stays calm and dryly teasing, leaving decisions to Chen Shu while gently reminding him that he chose both her and the girl’s surname.

Significant themes and interactions

• Family formed through care: Chen Shu, Ning Qing, Xiaoxiao, and the Kitten Girl settle into a household defined by affection and shared responsibility.
• Growing up and learning: Xiaoxiao’s teaching helps the Kitten Girl adapt, while caring for her also helps Xiaoxiao feel more adult.
• Human customs versus instinct: The girl’s lingering feline behaviors contrast humorously with her efforts to copy human manners.
• Warm, teasing relationships: Chen Shu’s playful fussing, Xiaoxiao’s patient instruction, and Ning Qing’s deadpan replies show the family’s comfortable closeness.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing discuss the cold weather, the date, and whether he should return to Yuanzhou for the New Year. Ning Qing encourages him to take a break.
• Chen Shu considers what to do with his future. He recalls an offer to earn a special doctorate and teach at Yujing University, but decides to focus for now on cultivation, research, and strengthening his abilities.
• They discuss finding a cultivation teacher for Peach. Ning Qing thinks there is no hurry and suggests Chen Shu study Demon Race methods and teach her himself. They also wonder whether Peach should have her own room or share with Xiaoxiao.
• Ning Qing says she is beginning a new stage of the Other-Mind Way and promises Chen Shu a surprise the next day. She refuses to explain, leaving him restless.
• In the neighboring room, Xiaoxiao finishes working and goes to sleep beside Peach. She dreams of becoming a god and of enormous potatoes, then wakes to a foggy winter morning. Hearing Ning Qing exclaim from next door, she eagerly listens for signs of trouble but hears nothing further.
• Chen Shu wakes and realizes he is in a different body: his own handsome male body is beside him, while he appears to be inhabiting Ning Qing’s body. He is stunned and asks what has happened.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu reflects on moving beyond a carefree, idle life, though he postpones career decisions. His enthusiasm for Peach’s future and playful dependence on Ning Qing are clear. The body swap leaves him shocked.
• Ning Qing remains composed and practical, encouraging Chen Shu to rest and setting a measured pace for Peach’s training. Her new cultivation stage appears to have caused the chapter’s final surprise.
• Xiaoxiao is accustomed to caring for Peach and finds the catgirl’s habits endearing. Her curiosity about the couple’s private life adds a comic note.
• Peach is comfortable and affectionate with Xiaoxiao, sleeping close and displaying catlike behavior.

Significant themes

• Balancing ambition and rest, and deciding what responsibilities to take on.
• Family care and planning for Peach’s education and independence.
• Intimacy and domestic comfort, expressed through teasing and everyday conversation.
• The unknown consequences of cultivation, culminating in the apparent body swap.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing temporarily swap souls while retaining their own brains and bodies. They explain that the resulting mismatch between mind, brain, and body will cause unfamiliar sensations and contradictory impulses; the exchange should last six to eight hours.
• Chen Shu, now in Ning Qing’s body, tests its sensations and teases her. Ning Qing, in his body, repeatedly stops his hands and keeps watch while he dresses, refusing to let him watch her change.
• Both find moving in their unfamiliar bodies awkward, though Ning Qing adapts more quickly. She notices how bodily reactions—such as a changed heartbeat and hormones—can influence thought and emotion.
• The next morning, Ning Qing works on a research paper while Peach wakes up. Downstairs, Chen Shu is making breakfast, and Ning Qing is cooking—each in the other’s body.
• Chen Shu behaves unusually toward Xiaoxiao, silently tousling her hair for a long time. Then Ning Qing treats Peach with uncharacteristic warmth. Xiaoxiao and Peach realize that neither “sister” nor “master” is acting like themselves.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful and curious about inhabiting Ning Qing’s body, but the experience also makes him keenly aware of how strange it feels to move and think through someone else’s body. His behavior toward Xiaoxiao becomes noticeably more distant and physical.
• Ning Qing approaches the swap analytically, studying the ways the body affects sensation and thought. Though still stern toward Chen Shu, she adapts quickly and shows unexpected tenderness toward Peach while in his body.
• Xiaoxiao and Peach are both puzzled by the adults’ altered behavior. Peach especially trusts her familiar image of her master and is alarmed when “her” sudden gentleness contradicts it.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing continue their familiar teasing and mutual boundary-setting, while their changed bodies make even ordinary actions—dressing, walking, cooking, and comforting others—feel unfamiliar.

Significant themes

• Mind, body, and identity: The chapter explores how personality and thought emerge from the interaction of soul, brain, and body rather than from any one part alone.
• Empathy through embodied experience: The swap lets each character experience the other’s physical perspective, while revealing how bodily sensations can shape emotion and behavior.
• Familiarity and recognition: Xiaoxiao and Peach identify the adults not only by appearance but by their habitual mannerisms, showing how small behavioral changes can unsettle a sense of identity.
• Domestic comedy and intimacy: Everyday routines become awkward and funny as Chen Shu and Ning Qing navigate new bodies, teasing, and shifting roles.

Key events

• During a snowy morning, Chen Shu and Ning Qing wake up in each other’s bodies. They explain to Xiaoxiao and Peach that the swap is temporary and will help Ning Qing with her cultivation; they expect to switch back that afternoon.
• Over breakfast, the group struggles to adjust to the change. The television reports that Lanya has completed its withdrawal from Duqin, whose new Royal Government has restored sovereignty and is demanding war reparations. Chen Shu reflects that Duqin’s leaders may know why Lanya truly withdrew and wonders how “Cat Bro” is doing.
• Ning Qing discovers that food tastes different in Chen Shu’s body: she still likes the tomato, but the pleasure is dulled. Chen Shu tastes it and finds the flavor more vivid, though he explains the change as leftovers absorbing flavor.
• Xiaoxiao and Peach secretly observe the swapped couple, confirming that each person’s speech and mannerisms match the other’s body. Their attempts to interact with them produce awkward, amusing moments: Ning Qing reaches to pat Xiaoxiao’s head, and Chen Shu’s head-pat makes Xiaoxiao freeze in surprise.
• In private, Chen Shu teases Ning Qing about wearing her clothes and admiring the borrowed body’s long legs. They trade playful insults, while Ning Qing is both exasperated by his antics and unable to stop noticing how expressive her own face looks on him.
• When Peach is asked to choose whom to approach, she is torn between Chen Shu’s unusually warm expression in Ning Qing’s body and Ning Qing’s cool expression in Chen Shu’s body. Overwhelmed, she slips into her native “woof.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing adapt to the swap through close observation of each other’s bodies and expressions. Their teasing shows their familiarity and affection, while Ning Qing’s altered taste also makes the physical effects of the exchange tangible.
• Xiaoxiao is bewildered and embarrassed by being treated as though her sister and brother-in-law have exchanged bodies, especially when each tries to pat her head.
• Peach is similarly confused and must decide whether to follow appearance or identity. Her instinctive response highlights how completely the swap has unsettled the household.
• The household’s breakfast-table confusion contrasts with the warmth and everyday intimacy of the scene.

Significant themes

• Identity and embodiment: The characters’ minds and personalities remain recognizable even when their bodies change, but bodily sensations and habits do not transfer perfectly.
• Intimacy and perspective-taking: Experiencing one another’s bodies gives Chen Shu and Ning Qing a new, playful awareness of each other.
• Peace after conflict: News of Duqin’s restored sovereignty provides a broader counterpoint to the domestic comedy, suggesting relief after a long and consequential war.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu logs into the game Wide and Narrow Alley and reconnects with Mr. Cat, a high-ranking Duqin contact. Their brief exchange confirms that both know Lanya’s withdrawal brought peace, though the conversation leaves Chen Shu wistful about their long absence.
• Chen Shu, currently in Ning Qing’s body because of an Esoteric Sect technique, relishes the rare opportunity. He plans to sing, wear clothes Ning Qing had previously refused, and take affectionate photos with her.
• Zhang Suannai visits for breakfast and mistakes Chen Shu’s unusual reserve for a quarrel with Qingqing. Trying to mediate, she criticizes Qingqing’s temperament while advising Chen Shu to be patient—unaware that the person she is addressing is Qingqing in Chen Shu’s body.
• Chen Shu comes downstairs singing in Qingqing’s voice, then explains the body swap. Zhang is horrified to realize she has just badmouthed Qingqing to her face and is so stunned that she finishes breakfast and chores almost on autopilot.
• Chen Banxia arrives with a chicken, assumes Chen Shu is upset, and hears Zhang’s mistaken theory about a fight. After Chen Shu returns from shopping, Banxia discovers the truth and accuses Zhang of setting her up. Zhang admits she was wrong too, but takes comfort in not being the only one fooled.

Character developments

• Chen Shu is playful and delighted by inhabiting Qingqing’s body, while his online reunion with Mr. Cat reveals a more reflective, nostalgic side.
• Ning Qing is unusually affectionate and expressive in Chen Shu’s body, making her familiar friends question their assumptions about her.
• Zhang Suannai tries earnestly to protect and reconcile her friends, but her confidence in her “persuasion strategy” collapses when she realizes Qingqing heard her criticism.
• Chen Banxia is caring and generous, bringing food for Chen Shu, but quickly becomes exasperated when she, too, is misled by the body swap.

Significant themes

• Perspective and mistaken identity: The body swap causes people to misread behavior and exposes how much they rely on appearances.
• Friendship and loyalty: Zhang’s clumsy advice comes from genuine concern, and both she and Banxia want to support Chen Shu and Qingqing.
• Comedy from dramatic irony: Readers know the truth while the characters draw increasingly mistaken conclusions.
• Intimacy and familiarity: Chen Shu’s plans and the friends’ assumptions underscore the couple’s long history and closeness.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Mr. Cat share a cautious, bittersweet reunion, each aware that the other knows more than he says.
• Zhang attempts to counsel “Chen Shu,” unknowingly speaking directly to Qingqing; their exchange turns her advice into an awkward confession of what she thinks of Qingqing.
• Zhang and Banxia bond over their shared confusion, with Zhang admitting her mistake and Banxia feeling tricked in turn.
• Chen Shu and Qingqing’s affectionate, playful behavior in each other’s bodies leaves both visitors bewildered.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu inspects the fresh chicken Chen Banxia brought and starts preparing Big Plate Chicken with her help. Their kitchen banter reveals that Banxia is researching Spiritual Decline and plans to return to Yuanzhou with him in a few days.
• Zhang Suannai connects Banxia’s research to a wish she once made: that her friend live a long, healthy life free of Spiritual Decline. She wonders whether the research might make that wish come true.
• Banxia and Zhang Suannai remain uneasy around Ning Qing after mistaking her for Chen Shu and saying something insulting. Qingqing’s silent scrutiny makes them flee the kitchen, though she eventually relents when Banxia asks her to take over.
• With the body swap nearing its end, Chen Shu uses Qingqing’s body to take playful photos with her, pose in clothes he likes, and record a song in her voice. Qingqing tolerates his antics, though she watches him closely.
• While listening to Chen Shu sing as her, Qingqing reflects that she might someday learn to express affection more openly. As the swap ends, she tells him she will gradually learn to be gentler, but needs time.
• The viewpoint then shifts to Unknown Person, who awakens in a snowy setting after an apparent return from a drastically altered history. He recalls changed events—including the Reed God’s revival and Southern Continent’s suppression—and contacts the Ancient Cultivator Group before the school or military.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful and opportunistic during the body swap, but affectionate toward Qingqing; he turns the unusual situation into keepsakes and a chance to hear her voice.
• Ning Qing continues to appear cool and guarded, yet willingly indulges Chen Shu. Her admission that she wants to become gentler suggests a gradual emotional opening.
• Chen Banxia is embarrassed by the earlier body-swap misunderstanding but remains close to Chen Shu, sharing her research plans and cooking with him.
• Zhang Suannai links Banxia’s work to her own wish, giving her research a personal and hopeful significance.
• The household’s teasing, awkwardness, and shared meal contrast with the more serious, mysterious shift to Unknown Person’s return.

Significant themes

• Wish fulfillment and hope: Banxia’s research may help realize Zhang Suannai’s wish, while Unknown Person’s survival feels like a second chance.
• Intimacy and trust: The body swap lets Chen Shu and Qingqing experience one another in unusual ways, while Qingqing’s patience and promise point toward deeper closeness.
• Changed choices and consequences: Unknown Person’s memories of altered events suggest a transformed timeline and raise questions about what has changed—and whether his former companions still remember him.

Key events

• Unknown Person returns after being presumed dead, prompting an excited welcome from the group chat. The members arrange to meet him near Chang’an Gate after he reports to the military.
• Chen Shu wakes beside Ning Qing, who is back in her own body. He is delighted to see her and tries to kiss her, but she points out that his phone is buzzing. Once he reads the group messages, he realizes Unknown Person has returned and decides to join the reunion.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing leave together. At home, Ning Qing affectionately rubs Xiaoxiao’s head; Xiaoxiao initially tolerates it, then realizes it is her sister—not Chen Shu—in her own body and reacts with embarrassed indignation. Peach happily seeks affection from both Chen Shu and Ning Qing.
• The group gathers outside Chang’an Gate, including the longtime members and newer acquaintances Brother Meng and Brother Jiang. Chen Shu arrives with Ning Qing and greets everyone.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is openly affectionate toward Ning Qing and reluctant to stop admiring her, but his attention shifts immediately to the news of Unknown Person’s return. He also teases Xiaoxiao while preparing to leave.
• Ning Qing is comfortable showing affection toward Chen Shu and playfully dotes on Xiaoxiao, quietly pleased by the reaction she provokes.
• Xiaoxiao is caught off guard when she discovers that the person rubbing her head is Ning Qing, not Chen Shu; her protest suggests she is embarrassed to be treated like a child.
• Peach remains affectionate and uncomplicated, happily rubbing against Chen Shu and accepting both him and Ning Qing.
• The group members show strong concern and relief at Unknown Person’s return. The Group Leader is especially eager to find him, though the others tease one another over embarrassing wishes made earlier.

Significant themes

• Reunion and belonging: Unknown Person’s return brings the group together and underscores their affection for one another.
• Intimacy and playful family dynamics: Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s closeness contrasts with the teasing, caretaking, and mild embarrassment among the household members.
• Humor and camaraderie: The group’s banter about secret wishes and Xiaoxiao’s reaction to Ning Qing’s affection keep the reunion lighthearted.

Plot points and events

• The group reunites with Unknown Person, who has been missing for years. After warm, awkward greetings, they gather at the State Guesthouse to catch up.
• The Group Leader recounts the group’s major adventures and advances: several members reached the Eighth Tier, the Bodhisattva of Calamity became a Buddha, and they confronted Cao Ci’s avatar on the Southern Continent.
• Unknown Person explains that an Esoteric Sect senior separated his body and soul, sealing them in different places. An Origin Fragment within him led to the Reed God awakening, curing his Genius Disease and leaving him with a divine mark.
• Though Unknown Person remains Sixth Tier, the Group Leader predicts the mark and divine power will help him advance quickly and may eventually let him succeed the Reed God.
• The group continues its reunion over a state-banquet-style dinner. Chen Shu and the Group Leader deliberately avoid discussing the original plan for Unknown Person’s “cure.”

Character developments

• Unknown Person is overwhelmed by how much everyone has changed and by his own unexpected role in the Reed God’s awakening. He doubts that he deserves to be called kindhearted or chosen, but Greens helps him recognize that he has returned to a better life and can choose what to do with it.
• Chen Shu keeps the reunion light and familiar, using humor and a playful punch to welcome Unknown Person. He deliberately lets him begin again without burdening him with knowledge of another possible path.
• Zhang Suannai remains boastful and competitive, joking that Unknown Person will take centuries to catch up with her.
• Young Master Xuanzhen shares two failed matchmaking stories: one woman wanted him to be possessed by a sword cultivator, while another turned out to be a lesbian.

Themes

• A new life and personal choice: Unknown Person’s return marks a chance to live differently from the fate once arranged for him.
• Friendship and belonging: The group’s sincere welcome reassures him more than elaborate words could.
• Fate versus agency: His apparent destiny as a future successor to the Reed God contrasts with his own uncertainty and the choices he can now make.
• Compassion through silence: Chen Shu and the Group Leader withhold painful information so Unknown Person can move forward unburdened.

Character interactions

The reunion blends teasing with genuine affection: the group welcomes Unknown Person, Zhang Suannai jokes about his cultivation, and the others respond to his story with surprise and encouragement. Greens’s quiet advice reaches him deeply. Chen Shu’s playful punch conveys that, despite the years apart, their friendship can resume as before.

Key plot points and events

• Over dinner, Zhang Suannai learns from Unknown Person that the Marks and the rapid rise toward Ninth Tier are connected to a coming war against an Other Plane—a struggle for their world’s survival. Most of the group had sensed something of this, but Chen Shu refuses to explain further, saying it is for their leaders and teachers to announce.
• Before New Year, Chen Shu visits the Spirit Sect. The Sect Master asks about his cultivation and his progress with the Blazing Sun World-Destroying Divine Art, then raises the same question: why the Deities gave them Marks and are helping them grow so quickly.
• The emperor formally tells several Mark-bearers that their world faces annihilation if they lose the coming war. They accept their duty without hesitation. The Group Leader speaks for the Meng family; Meng Chunqiu jokes that he may finally be remembered for a thousand years. The emperor then declares that he will go with them.
• Other leaders and fighters receive the news in their own settings. Zhang Suannai and the Sword Master respond with determined resolve; Master Tongdeng accepts the Buddhist Order’s responsibility to protect the world. The Gate of Myriad Wonders privately reflects that he ought to fall in love, while the Moonlit Heroine treats the threat as less serious than expected.
• Chen Shu travels from Jade Capital toward Yuanzhou with Qingqing, Banxia, and the little catgirl. They spot the immense floating Heavenly Palace of Yi Nation, which the child watches in awe.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Suannai’s easy, playful banter with Chen Shu shows how comfortable their relationship has become: they still trade insults, but she no longer takes his teasing to heart. She is surprised to discover that others already suspected the truth about the Marks.
• Chen Shu remains affectionate toward Ning Qing and deliberately withholds details of the war, believing such grave news should come from people in authority. His composure contrasts with the group’s curiosity.
• The emperor’s willingness to join the expedition turns a formal call to duty into a personal commitment, strengthening the resolve of those gathered.
• The leaders’ varied reactions reveal their personalities: Zhang Suannai is exuberant, Tongdeng is solemn and dutiful, the Gate of Myriad Wonders is wistful, and the Moonlit Heroine is understated.

Significant themes

• Collective duty and sacrifice: The Mark-bearers understand that their power carries an obligation to defend their world.
• Leadership and responsibility: The emperor and religious and martial leaders must both prepare others and share the danger themselves.
• Different responses to looming catastrophe: Resolve, humor, solemn acceptance, and private longing all coexist as the characters face an existential threat.
• Everyday life beside world-changing events: New Year plans, meals, teasing, and family travel continue even as a war for the world approaches.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing return to Bai City with Peach, their transformed cat-girl. Lawyer Wei and Professor Chen welcome them and ask about Peach’s identity, schooling, and future care.
• Chen Shu “teaches” Peach how to peel mangosteens, persuading her to prepare a whole basket while he relaxes and eats the fruit. Lawyer Wei calls him out for exploiting her, but Peach trusts Chen Shu and keeps working.
• Chen Shu teases Professor Chen about the stock market and shares news that the Martial Artist Research Center may have found a safe method for ordinary Martial Artists to advance to higher tiers.
• In the group chat, members notice that several wishes seem to have come true. They wonder whether the Wish-Granting Dragon is responsible; the group leader is especially frightened. Chen Shu avoids answering when asked about his own wish.
• On New Year’s Eve, the group spends the day together shopping, eating, cycling, and flying kites. Peach gleefully experiments with firecrackers, even though she is already a Fourth-Tier cultivator capable of Transformation.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing discuss their planned return to Chen Shu’s original universe. They review the calculations and the reasons earlier travelers failed, then consider whether to return before or after the coming war. Chen Shu hopes to take Ning Qing sightseeing once he reaches the Ninth Tier.
• Holding Ning Qing’s hand, Chen Shu realizes that the Wish-Granting Dragon may indeed have fulfilled his wish: he now has the ability to travel between universes and return to his original Earth.

Character developments and interactions

• Peach is affectionate, eager to please, and childishly playful. She quickly accepts Lawyer Wei and Professor Chen as “Auntie” and “Uncle,” but is easily persuaded by Chen Shu and enjoys her new human abilities.
• Chen Shu is mischievous and shamelessly takes advantage of Peach’s eagerness, while also thinking seriously about his responsibilities, the coming war, and his future with Ning Qing. He remains guarded about his connection to the Wish-Granting Dragon.
• Ning Qing is calm and reassuring. She explains the risks of inter-universe travel and supports Chen Shu’s decision, while making clear that either timing is acceptable to her.
• Lawyer Wei is warm toward Peach and protective of her, challenging Chen Shu when he exploits the little girl.
• Professor Chen remains stoic as Chen Shu needles him about investments and tries to interest him in insider information.
• The group’s chat reveals a mix of excitement and fear as members connect their fulfilled wishes to the Wish-Granting Dragon.

Significant themes

• Wish fulfillment and uncertainty: The group cannot tell whether the wishes coming true are coincidence or the Dragon’s influence, but Chen Shu recognizes that his own power may be proof.
• Family and belonging: New Year’s traditions, the group’s easy teasing, and Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s plans together emphasize their shared life and closeness.
• Childlike curiosity amid great power: Peach’s ordinary, playful fascination with firecrackers contrasts humorously with her extraordinary cultivation level.
• Hope and preparation: Chen Shu and Ning Qing look toward both the approaching war and the possibility of a peaceful journey beyond it.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing watch the New Year’s Eve gala online with Chen Banxia and Xiaoxiao. A teasing exchange about Chen Shu’s old viral comment on Highness Cinnabar leads Banxia to come to his door demanding the story.
• The next morning, Chen Shu makes fermented-rice tangyuan for everyone. Ning Qing tells him that the New Sage will return that afternoon, and that he will likely seek the Wooden Bead now in her possession.
• Ning Qing explains that the New Sage is likely to understand the altered timeline and recognize that he is in the “Rear Universe” of a Form-and-Shadow Twin Universe. She invites Chen Shu to meet him.
• The New Sage reappears in the Northern Continent. Sensing that his Wooden Bead is far to the south, he travels to the Mirror Sea, where Ning Qing and Chen Shu are waiting.
• Ning Qing explains that their original plane was defeated, and that her counterpart crossed into this universe using the Wooden Bead and the Sacred Ancestor’s Crystal, turning back time to create a chance to change events.
• Rather than demand the Wooden Bead, the New Sage asks to hear what their future selves prepared to do about the coming crisis. Ning Qing begins explaining.

Character developments

• Chen Shu remains playful and easygoing, but is eager—and somewhat nervous—to meet the legendary New Sage.
• Ning Qing demonstrates calm confidence and deep knowledge of the universe’s structure. She treats the New Sage as a peer in understanding rather than withholding information from him.
• The New Sage is thoughtful and curious. Even after returning to an altered reality, he responds by investigating its mysteries and seeking information about the future, not by asserting authority or reclaiming the Wooden Bead.
• Chen Banxia is lively and persistent, turning the online teasing into a real-life confrontation in search of gossip.
• Xiaoxiao and Peach quietly listen to Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s conversation, then privately look up the old story together, suggesting a close, wordless bond.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and curiosity: The New Sage’s first instinct is to analyze the universe’s strange mechanics, and he eagerly seeks an account of the future.
• Time, identity, and parallel worlds: The chapter explores how counterparts and a Form-and-Shadow Twin Universe affect memory, existence, and the consequences of traveling between planes.
• Preparedness and the altered future: The New Sage’s return was part of a larger plan to face a coming catastrophe, though events have already diverged from expectations.
• Everyday warmth amid cosmic stakes: New Year’s celebrations, shared food, jokes, and quiet companionship sit alongside universe-spanning danger.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing banter over his past comment about Highness Cinnabar, while Banxia eagerly presses them for details.
• The household shares tangyuan on New Year’s Day, with Xiaoxiao and Peach helping with the dishes.
• At the Mirror Sea, Chen Shu and Ning Qing respectfully welcome the New Sage. Ning Qing explains the altered timeline, and the New Sage responds by asking about the preparations for the coming crisis.