Ch. 541It's Normal for New Gods to Be Short on Brains

Key plot points and events

  • Ning Qing enters the Buddhist Order’s Reincarnation Forbidden Land alone. The trial generates countless possible lives and realities, probing whether she can distinguish illusion from truth and hold to her real self.
  • Ning Qing sees through the trial easily, recognizing its doubts as ideas she has already examined many times through the Esoteric Sect’s practices. She leaves the illusions behind and enters the Forbidden Land’s core.
  • Using her prior experience and the advantages of her Mark and widespread recognition, she merges with part of the Space-Time Origin. The result is a power beyond ordinary spirit power, though not quite the Origin itself.
  • After more than a month, Ning Qing emerges and reunites with Chen Shu. Their casual teasing and playful sparring make clear that their familiar relationship has not changed despite her becoming a god.
  • Back in Jade Capital, Xiaoxiao worries about being short and asks when she can receive a Mark. Chen Shu explains she must reach Seventh Tier first, but promises that he and Ning Qing can help her cultivate with small amounts of divine power.
  • Chen Shu checks in with the other newly ascended figures. Most have completed their Origin fusions; a few are still in Forbidden Lands or waiting their turn.
  • The group jokes about choosing divine titles. Zhang Suannai announces she is the “Last Sword God,” closing the succession of increasingly grand Sword God names. The others offer a mixture of serious and ridiculous titles, leaving Chen Shu convinced that their new gods are anything but dignified.

Character developments and interactions

  • Ning Qing demonstrates extraordinary self-knowledge and mental discipline. Her trial confirms that she can face uncertainty without being trapped by it, and she successfully becomes a god.
  • Chen Shu is also a god, but remains playful and irreverent. He and Ning Qing trade dry jokes as naturally as before, while he offers practical reassurance to Xiaoxiao.
  • Xiaoxiao is determined to grow taller and catch up with her sister. Though frustrated by the requirements for a Mark, she is reassured by the promise of divine help.
  • Zhang Suannai claims the title “Last Sword God,” humorously but firmly ending the tradition of successors trying to outdo earlier Sword Gods.
  • The other members of the group reveal their personalities through their title banter: some favor formal names, while others lean into absurdity. Their mockery and camaraderie continue despite their newfound divine status.

Significant themes

  • Self-knowledge and truth: The Forbidden Land tests whether a person can preserve their identity amid convincing illusions and contradictory possibilities.
  • Resilience through reflection: Ning Qing’s repeated inner examinations make the trial’s challenges feel crude; confronting falsehood without losing one’s purpose becomes a path to seeing reality clearly.
  • Power and recognition: Marks, contact with the Plane Origin, and public recognition help the new gods merge with the Origin more quickly.
  • Continuity amid transformation: Ascending to godhood changes the characters’ power, but not their humor, affection, rivalries, or everyday concerns.
  • The absurdity of status: The title debate pokes fun at divine prestige, showing that even gods can be childish and self-important.

Ch. 542Let's Just Wrap Things Up

Plot points and events

  • Chen Shu and the other Deities discuss divine titles. Greens and Cocoa jokingly gives himself the title Space-Time Spirit Sage and assigns Ning Qing Space-Time Secret Sage, prompting an awkward chorus of reactions.
  • They arrange for Ning Ji (“Xiaoxiao”) to receive a divine Mark and eventually succeed the Spirit Sage. Chen Shu also suggests his gifted young cat, Peach, as a possible future Deity; several Deities volunteer to mark her. Chen Shu privately considers whether Peach might one day inherit the Spacetime Artifact.
  • The major sects formally proclaim their champions as Deities: Tongdeng as Living Buddha, Xuanzhen as Celestial Venerable, Zhang as Sword God, and Chen Shu as Spirit Sage. The public accepts the honors as fitting recognition of the group’s deeds.
  • Tribulation Buddha reports that the war has worsened the Withering Power and brought its threat to nearby planes forward. The Deities gather at the Slaughter Forbidden Land and prepare to travel to the Plane Core.
  • Trusting one another and accepting their responsibility, Chen Shu, Ning Qing, and the others enter the Forbidden Land. They leave Earth behind for the moment, expecting that future research may make a return possible.

Character developments and interactions

  • Chen Shu remains playful and affectionate, teasing Ning Qing about a title while quietly looking out for her and the younger people around them. He recognizes Xiaoxiao’s immense talent but also her volatile temperament, and believes his presence can help keep her steady.
  • The Deities’ joking chat—especially the boasts about family members and the exaggerated divine titles—shows their easy camaraderie. Beneath the banter, they respect one another’s abilities and contributions.
  • As they prepare to depart, the group’s confidence in Chen Shu is explicit: Zhang, the Buddhist and Daoist leaders, and others say they will follow his lead. Their humor gives way to calm solidarity.

Significant themes

  • Responsibility and sacrifice: The characters’ peaceful lives were made possible by those who came before; now it is their turn to face the calamity.
  • Friendship and trust: The group meets an uncertain future together, relying on bonds built through shared trials.
  • Transition and renewal: The departure marks the end of an old era and the beginning of one the Deities must shape themselves. Chen Shu’s vision of the dusk suggests both loss and the promise of a new dawn.

Ch. 543Closing Thoughts

Summary

  • Events: The author reflects on finishing the book and says this ending feels satisfying: it ties up the loose ends and remembers even the minor character Tang Ke. The story could have ended during the Plane War, but the author chose a gentler conclusion. They also gave up a planned three extra chapters—and the attendance bonus—to avoid prolonging the ending.
  • Character developments: The author looks back on improved writing habits, a more consistent update schedule, and extensive revisions, while acknowledging that some rushed chapters fell short when their chapter reserve ran low. Repetitive typing has also caused suspected tenosynovitis, prompting a break before the next book and a plan to change typing habits. No new developments occur for the story’s fictional characters; the author imagines their lives continuing in another universe.
  • Themes: The closing note centers on endings and letting go, gratitude toward readers and collaborators, artistic effort and its limits, and the physical costs of demanding creative work. The author is proud of the book but candid about its shortcomings and hopes to improve next time.
  • Character interactions: The author addresses readers directly, apologizing to anyone whose experience was poor and thanking those who enjoyed the story. They praise editor Lord Qilin for his patient, effective support and thank several readers who served as Alliance Leaders, while regretting that they couldn’t add more bonus updates. They announce a long extra for subscribers and close with a farewell and hope of meeting readers again.

Ch. 545The Bonus Chapter for Full Subscribers Is Out—

The passage is an announcement that a bonus chapter for full subscribers was published two days ago. Readers can find it after the final chapter; the author adds that they are posting the notice because readers said the bonus chapter had not been announced. No plot, characters, or themes are described.

Ch. 546Bonus Story: "My Divine Relatives"

Summary

  • Xiaoxiao’s evening at the temple: After school, Xiaoxiao wanders to Potato Mountain Park, where she regularly eats dinner. At the summit’s Potato God Temple, she demands that the God of Artificial Life appear. When the god does, Xiaoxiao complains she has no one to play with, takes some offerings, and insists she needs a proper dinner rather than more potato dishes. She also asks the god to check and sign her homework; the god refuses, telling her to get her parents to sign it the next day.
  • The essay and family teasing: The following morning, Chen Shu and Ning Qing read Xiaoxiao’s essay, “My Divine Relatives,” with several gods looking on. The essay boasts that her parents are gods, that she was born a High-Tier Cultivator, and that her relatives include numerous deities. The Sword God helps her revise “my humble father,” mistakenly reinforcing Xiaoxiao’s belief that the phrase sounds educated. Xiaoxiao presents her extraordinary family as a burden, claiming it has made her childhood unlike other children’s and left her worried about being spoiled.
  • Parenting—and indulgence: Chen Shu is embarrassed by the essay and looks to Ning Qing for support, but she leaves him to handle their daughter’s behavior. Chen Banxia objects to anyone hitting Xiaoxiao, then immediately encourages Chen Shu to tell everyone about his and Ning Qing’s travels—revealing that she, too, spoils the child. Chen Shu signs the essay in Ning Qing’s name and indulges Xiaoxiao as she clings to him, though he reminds her she must get to school. Xiaoxiao counters by teasing him about his own history of lateness and skipping class.
  • A new adventure: The conversation turns to Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s recent trip to another plane. Chen Shu describes their interest in exploring different worlds for the stories and experiences they offer, rather than judging them by their strength. As he talks, he realizes he may need to ask Xiaoxiao’s teacher for time off so she can join their travels.

Character developments and interactions

Xiaoxiao is curious, mischievous, and self-assured, but her complaint about having nobody to play with hints at loneliness beneath her confidence. She treats the gods as familiar relatives rather than distant authorities, and expertly wins attention and favors from the adults around her. Chen Shu is affectionate and easily charmed, despite trying to discipline her; Ning Qing is more reserved and leaves the parenting to him. Chen Banxia and the Sword God humorously contribute to Xiaoxiao’s spoiling, while the Potato God appears resigned to the girl’s demands.

Themes

The chapter playfully contrasts divine status with ordinary family life: gods still face homework, meals, school, and difficult children. It also explores the costs of privilege—Xiaoxiao’s exceptional birth and god-filled family set her apart, though the adults’ affection makes her concerns about being spoiled rather comic. Finally, Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s travels emphasize curiosity and storytelling as ways of appreciating unfamiliar worlds.

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