Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu shares a lamb hotpot lunch with his teacher, Shi Qian, then studies the powerful spell Absolute Spiritual Perception, which can detect attacks, dangerous objects, poisons, and spell activity.
• In his online cultivator group, Chen Shu and another member, “Grandma Always Says,” compete to sell information about the Dream Moon Cult to Luo Huai’an. Chen Shu tricks his rival into backing out, provides Shi Qian’s information, and receives payment.
• On Friday, Chen Shu cooks intensely pungent, spicy luosifen for himself and his dormmates, Meng Chunqiu and Jiang Lai. Despite complaining about the smell, both enjoy it.
• The group receives a government reward. Unknown Person distributes the money to the members, including Chen Shu; Grandma repays everyone, briefly forgetting that Chen Shu is owed money.
• Chen Shu’s father tells him that Azure Boat Spirit Energy’s stock has surged after a royal-backed company took control. Chen Shu had sold earlier but bought back after hearing the price had fallen, so he benefits from the rebound.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu remains clever, mischievous, and opportunistic: he exploits Grandma’s anger to win the information sale, but also enjoys helping his group and taking part in its banter.
• Shi Qian’s unusually valuable intelligence gives Chen Shu an advantage, while his spell lesson introduces the strength of modern spiritual cultivation.
• Chen Shu’s view of Unknown Person softens: he sees him as kind and generous, though awkward and not very effective at helping.
• Meng Chunqiu and Jiang Lai trust Chen Shu’s cooking enough to try the luosifen, quickly becoming fans despite its smell and heat.
• Chen Shu’s father and son exchange a brief, teasing conversation about Chen Shu’s lucky investment timing.

Significant themes

• Cunning and rivalry: Chen Shu turns an online bidding contest into a prank that profits him and frustrates his competitor.
• Community and generosity: Despite the group’s teasing, members share information and distribute rewards fairly.
• Modern power and privilege: Spiritual cultivation is presented as technologically enhanced, while the Royal Family’s vast influence shapes both national industries and public confidence.
• Everyday humor: Food, money, and casual online antics provide comic counterpoints to the chapter’s discussion of spells, intelligence, and powerful institutions.

Key plot points and events

• At Sixth Talent School, Teacher Liu introduces visiting Ling’an Academy instructor Teacher Zhan to Ning Ji, a nationally acclaimed Spell Principles Competition winner. Liu describes her as neglected by her parents and surviving on cheap meals, prompting the adults to worry about her circumstances and urge Ling’an to recruit her before other universities do.
• The group finds Ning Ji eating five-yuan fried potatoes and guarding two persimmon cakes. Teacher Zhan offers to bring her hot food and milk, while the principal promises her free cafeteria meals. Ning Ji is bewildered by their concern and wonders whether adults become strange when they grow up.
• Later, Chen Shu reviews his finances after selling his Azure Boat Spirit Energy shares at a profit. With other earnings, he has over a million yuan, which he divides between promising funds and savings. He plans to attempt an intermediate-level breakthrough during winter break and eventually reach the fifth tier.
• On the eve of the Winter Solstice, Chen asks Meng Chunqiu to procure fresh lamb and offal so he can make soup for his almost-girlfriend and older sister. Meng agrees to arrange delivery.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Ji is shown to be proud, guarded, and deeply protective of food made by her brother-in-law. She softens when Teacher Zhan criticizes her parents, but remains suspicious of the adults’ sudden generosity.
• Teacher Liu cares about Ning Ji and advocates for her future, though her account of the girl’s poverty omits evidence that Ning Ji may sometimes have had better food.
• Teacher Zhan and the principal respond to Ning Ji’s apparent hardship with offers of nourishment and support, mistaking her private, awkward behavior for loneliness and deprivation.
• Chen Shu is financially cautious despite his growing wealth and remains focused on cultivation. His casual teasing and straightforward requests contrast with his careful planning.
• Meng Chunqiu willingly uses his connections to help Chen, while joking about Chen’s shifts between elegance and bluntness.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: The adults assume Ning Ji is impoverished and isolated, but her guardedness and the adults’ incomplete information complicate their conclusions.
• Care, pride, and misunderstanding: Ning Ji’s reluctance to share food is mistaken for deprivation, while the adults’ well-intentioned help leaves her confused.
• Practical ambition and security: Chen’s investments, cultivation plans, and completed spells reflect his desire for both financial stability and personal safety.
• Family and affection: Chen’s plans to cook for the people close to him, including an “almost-girlfriend,” reveal his care beneath his irreverent manner.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing chats privately with Chen Shu while eating one of the persimmons they made together. Its lingering bitterness is softened by the memory of making it with him.
• Her roommate Zhang Suannai invites her to celebrate the Winter Solstice over lamb soup. Ning Qing declines, saying she already has plans to eat lamb soup at an older sister’s home—meaning Chen Banxia’s, though she keeps the connection vague.
• On Winter Solstice, Chen Shu brings a large supply of lamb and offal to Chen Banxia’s apartment and prepares a lavish meal: lamb soup, pea shoots, hot-and-sour lamb’s blood, and homemade pickles. Snow falls as his sister naps nearby.
• Ning Qing arrives with fried dough sticks and Peach the cat. The group eats together, and Ning Qing is moved by the familiar taste of Chen Shu’s cooking and the warmth of their small gathering.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing remains reserved and blunt, but her memories and reactions reveal deep affection for Chen Shu and comfort in their shared traditions. She quietly values the familiar food and companionship more than she says.
• Chen Shu shows care through cooking, preparing dishes especially suited to Ning Qing’s tastes and planning to share leftovers with a lonely roommate. His playful teasing—rubbing everyone’s heads, including Ning Qing’s—brings out the group’s easy intimacy.
• Chen Banxia is affectionate and teasing, proud of her brother’s cooking, and delighted by the cozy meal. Her joking complaints and praise contrast with Ning Qing’s quietness.
• Zhang Suannai tries to draw Ning Qing into a roommate outing and shows concern that she might spend the holiday alone, but accepts her explanation.
• Peach joins the meal as part of the household, though she receives a comically small portion of soup. Ning Qing interprets her “speech” for Chen Shu.

Significant themes

• Home and belonging: The chapter’s title and Winter Solstice setting emphasize returning to warmth during the coldest part of the year. Though separated from family, the characters recreate a sense of home together.
• Affection expressed through ordinary acts: Cooking, sharing food, and preserving familiar routines communicate care more effectively than grand declarations.
• Memory and continuity: Ning Qing’s meal recalls earlier Winter Solstices spent with Chen Shu and his family, making this modest gathering feel emotionally significant.
• Comfort in the present: Amid cultivation and the wider world, Ning Qing finds meaning in the simple scene of warm soup, falling snow, and familiar company.

Key plot points and events

• Over dinner, Chen Shu teases Ning Qing about Xiaoxiao, the youngest national champion, receiving generous university offers and being encouraged to attend Ning Qing’s university. Ning Qing responds to Chen Shu’s joking request for more rice by serving him an absurdly huge bowl.
• Chen Shu gets back at his laughing sister, Chen Banxia, by loading her bowl with rice and later playfully smacking her when she complains. After dinner, he and Ning Qing clean up.
• In the cultivator group chat, Chen Shu—using the name “Greens and Cocoa”—learns that one member, “Unknown Person,” is alone in the capital and has never tried lamb soup. He arranges to send them a generous meal anonymously. The recipient turns out to attend National Defense University and provides their real contact details.
• The group presses Chen Shu for an update on his investigation into “Grandma Always Says.” Chen Shu hints that the member’s claimed identity as a Yujing University student is probably false, then teases everyone by withholding the rest.
• After sending the food, Chen Shu claims he has made progress: he has verified details about the girlfriend Grandma often mentions and may be able to identify Grandma through her. He asks the group to fund the investigation again. When Grandma threatens him, Chen Shu points out that he already knows the initials of the supposed girlfriend’s name, prompting several members to send red packets.
• Chen Shu notices Ning Qing reading messages from Zhang Suannai, who says she has encountered an unpleasant man and wants to talk. Chen Shu takes Ning Qing’s phone and replies as her: “I don’t want to hear it.”
• The chapter ends with the author noting that the monthly-vote total has surged past the next milestone, requiring a third bonus chapter.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful, mischievous, and opportunistic: he jokes with Ning Qing and Chen Banxia, helps an online acquaintance, and turns his investigation into a way to tease—and solicit money from—the group.
• Ning Qing shows her dry humor through the oversized rice serving and her calm domestic competence. Chen Shu’s decision to answer Zhang Suannai on her phone suggests he is protective or possessive, though he does not explain himself.
• Chen Banxia enjoys teasing her brother but becomes the target of his payback; their bickering reflects easy sibling familiarity.
• Unknown Person is grateful for the meal and seems trusting, sharing real contact information with Chen Shu.
• Grandma Always Says becomes defensive as Chen Shu hints at uncovering the truth, while other group members eagerly follow the investigation and contribute money.

Significant themes

• Affection expressed through teasing: Chen Shu’s joking with Ning Qing and his sister conveys closeness, even when it turns into petty retaliation.
• Generosity and community: Chen Shu shares leftover food with someone he has never met, and the group’s members support one another financially.
• Secrets, investigation, and bluffing: Chen Shu’s online investigation advances through hints and provocation, leaving the group—and the reader—uncertain about how much he truly knows.
• Possessiveness and boundaries: Chen Shu’s unsolicited reply to Zhang Suannai raises questions about his attitude toward Ning Qing’s relationships and privacy.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing returns to the dorm with mutton soup after Chen Shu persuades her to bring some for Zhang Suannai. She had previously declined Zhang’s invitation to go out, and the gesture lets her avoid an awkward moment.
• The roommates compare their soups. Ning Qing’s is clearly better, embarrassing Zhang, who had boasted about her own choice. Zhang still enjoys the meal and warns Ning Qing to watch out for men who have reportedly been following women around University City.
• Chen Shu returns to find Jiang Lai injured but excited: Chen’s Runes have helped him win six arena matches in a row, and he has recommended Chen to someone seeking Runes. Chen has also left mutton soup for him.
• Chen keeps making Absolute Spiritual Perception permanent, valuing the steady security his spells provide.
• As winter and exam season approach, Chen reaches the late Third Tier. Meng Chunqiu and Jiang Lai fret over their exams, while Chen’s courses are comparatively easy. He is concerned that the cultivation assessment could reveal his progress, so he avoids drawing attention to himself and spends his days relaxing with his roommates.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing shows consideration toward Zhang by bringing her soup, following Chen Shu’s advice despite her usual reserve. She remains calm and understated in their exchange.
• Zhang’s pride is pricked by the soup comparison, but she quickly recovers, shares a meal with Ning Qing, and expresses genuine concern for her safety. She offers to accompany her, trusting her spiritual senses as a Sword Cultivator.
• Chen acts as a quiet source of support: he encourages Ning Qing’s kindness, helps Jiang Lai through his Runes, and leaves him food. He also continues cultivating without making a show of his growing strength.
• Jiang Lai’s confidence in the arena is growing, though his academic workload remains a source of anxiety. Meng Chunqiu, despite his literary self-image and royal status, is equally worried about failing.

Significant themes

• Small acts of care: Sharing food and offering practical help strengthen relationships without dramatic declarations.
• Cultivation alongside ordinary life: Chen balances spiritual progress with meals, games, studying, and everyday companionship.
• Different forms of growth and pressure: Chen advances steadily in cultivation, Jiang Lai improves through Runes, and both Jiang and Meng struggle with academic demands.
• Modesty and concealment: Chen’s caution around the assessment shows that progress can bring risks, especially when others might notice it.

Plot points and events

• During the final lecture of Cosmic Radiation and Spiritual Power, Professor Ouyuangong explains that spiritual power carries information from distant stars—and that Earth’s own spiritual power helped reveal his theory of the planes: the universe is divided into vast, honeycomb-like regions, each containing tens of thousands of stars.
• Though nearing the end of his life and showing signs of Spiritual Decline, the professor promises to teach again next semester. He wishes the students a happy New Year and recommends six books on the universe and planes.
• At the course exam, Ning Qing finds the questions deliberately easy. The final prompt asks whether someone would choose to live again if they knew all the hardships ahead but could not change them.
• Drawing on a person she deeply admires, Ning Qing writes that he accepts every experience with a calm, open mind, finding what is genuine in life “interesting.” She sees his outlook as both an answer to the question and a way to face reality.
• Ning Qing submits her exam early despite the proctor’s objections. Her action prompts other students to hand in their papers as well.

Character developments

• Ning Qing moves from intellectual fascination with the universe toward a more personal search for what is real and meaningful. Her long answer reveals how strongly she has been influenced by someone else’s approach to life.
• Professor Ouyuangong remains warmly devoted to teaching despite his failing health. His affection for his students and hope of accompanying them into the next semester are evident.
• The unnamed person Ning Qing describes is presented as emotionally open yet unattached: he experiences joy, sorrow, pride, and shame fully, without letting them overwhelm him.

Significant themes

• Wonder and knowledge: Spiritual power and the theory of planes invite people to investigate a universe far larger and stranger than ordinary observation suggests.
• Facing life as it is: The exam’s final question asks whether life remains worth choosing despite inevitable pain and loss.
• Authenticity and detachment: True detachment is not indifference; it means accepting emotions and experiences while seeing beyond their distortions.
• Teaching and legacy: Ouyuangong’s lectures and reading recommendations reflect his wish to pass curiosity and knowledge on to the next generation.

Character interactions

• Ouyuangong engages playfully and kindly with students who plead for exam hints, reassure those worried about failing, and exchanges New Year wishes with the class.
• His final question indirectly connects cosmic study to personal philosophy, prompting Ning Qing’s reflection.
• The proctor tries to prevent Ning Qing from submitting early, but she ignores the warning; her example encourages the rest of the room to follow.

Plot points and events

• After Ning Qing’s exam, Chen Shu gives her a warm milk tea and asks about her test. She poses a hypothetical: if he could relive life knowing the script but unable to change events, would he still come? Chen Shu says he would—as long as she was there. He then ruins the tender moment by teasing her, earning a smack, before dragging her off to lunch.
• Chen Shu takes his cultivation test, expecting his true progress to be exposed. His classmates see cultivation as a fun source of friendly admiration, though it is no longer considered the main measure of achievement.
• The test reveals Chen Shu is at 3a, a dramatic jump from the 3f result recorded at his entrance test. Teacher Fu repeats the test, gets the same result, and dismisses him without an explanation. Chen Shu leaves without admitting he had previously misrepresented his ability.
• In the group chat, Greens and Cocoa reports that Grandma Always Says attends Ling’an Academy rather than Yujing University. After receiving donations for further investigation, Grandma jokes about investigating Greens and Cocoa instead, then announces that they may have found a new way to make money.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing: Their exchange reveals Chen Shu’s deep devotion: he would choose to return to life if Ning were there. Ning responds quietly, but remains attentive to him. Their closeness is balanced by Chen Shu’s irreverent teasing and casual care, such as bringing her milk tea and taking her to lunch.
• Chen Shu and Teacher Fu: Teacher Fu’s close attention makes the discrepancy in his results conspicuous. She suspects the truth but does not press him; Chen Shu’s embarrassment shows his reluctance to deceive a teacher who has treated him well.
• Chen Shu and his classmates: His earlier reputation as a ruined genius has made him approachable and well-liked. His sudden result may disrupt that easy image.
• The group chat: The members trade insults and jokes while eagerly funding gossip investigations. Grandma’s frustration with their obsession quickly gives way to enthusiasm once a potential moneymaking scheme occurs to them.

Significant themes

• Devotion and choosing someone again: Chen Shu’s answer presents love as worth repeating, even with hardship and foreknowledge.
• Appearances versus reality: Chen Shu’s public story and test results do not match, while his classmates’ assumptions about him are based on an incomplete account.
• Talent and social belonging: Cultivation ranks still inspire excitement, but kindness and companionship matter more than status.
• Gossip and opportunism: The group chat lampoons people’s appetite for secrets—and their willingness to turn that appetite into a business.

• Key events: On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Ning Qing buys Laba congee with Peach, her clingy White Cat. Zhang Suannai has been secretly tailing Ning Qing for days, hoping to uncover the identity of the mysterious group member “Greens and Cocoa.” Peach exposes her by biting her pants and dragging her to Ning Qing. Ning Qing gives Zhang a cup of congee and calmly points out the flaws in her excuses. Zhang invents a theory that Greens and Cocoa is avoiding her, then leaves convinced she has solved the mystery. After a bus briefly blocks the view, Zhang vanishes, leaving Peach bewildered.
• Character developments: Zhang’s curiosity about Ning Qing grows as she notices that Ning Qing’s detached image conflicts with her everyday habits—checking messages, dressing up, and buying fruit regularly. She begins to imagine becoming friends with her, though she still disguises her interest as suspicion and protection. Ning Qing remains composed and difficult to read, but she is planning to make the rented courtyard a long-term home, saying that they will live there for many years.
• Interactions: Zhang tries to pass off her surveillance as protecting Ning Qing from a campus stalker, but Ning Qing sees through her and teases that the stalker must be better at following people than Zhang is. Ning Qing’s understated kindness in sharing congee contrasts with Zhang’s bluster. Later, Ning Qing tells Chen Shu about her roommate’s “protective” stalking, making him laugh so hard he sprays his congee.
• Themes: The chapter explores the gap between outward impressions and private feelings: Ning Qing’s apparent aloofness hides ordinary habits and quiet plans for a shared future, while Zhang’s teasing, self-serving behavior masks growing affection and a desire for connection. Domestic details—food, flowers, and plans for home—underscore the gradual warmth developing between them.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu jokes with Ning Qing using a head massager he calls a “Soul Extractor.” Qingqing feels little and explains that Celestials register sensations differently from ordinary humans. Chen Shu then teases her about whether this means he will miss a “harmony part” when they play cards.
• Qingqing asks for pickled-chili chicken gizzards in exchange for pouring out half the water. Chen Shu refuses to go buy them, but after a sparrow soils his hand, Qingqing points out that he ignored her warnings and could have avoided it by agreeing to leave. She pulls him along to buy the gizzards, and he reluctantly goes.
• The next afternoon, Chen Shu finishes his final exam and meets Meng Chunqiu. They attend Jiang Lai’s arena match, expecting him to take another beating.
• Jiang Lai endures a sustained assault from a much larger opponent. His unusual toughness and the seemingly crude runes Chen Shu designed for him have attracted attention from fighters, studios, and arena operators seeking designs or business partnerships. Chen Shu has postponed responding, partly because he finds the negotiations tiresome.
• After absorbing many blows, Jiang Lai’s runes activate. He blasts his opponent into the air, then uses another rune to launch himself upward and strike back. The fight’s momentum abruptly shifts as the battered underdog becomes the aggressor.

Character developments

• Chen Shu remains playful and somewhat lazy: he jokes with Qingqing, avoids errands and business dealings, and admits he has not studied much. The arena’s growing interest in his rune designs suggests his work is gaining a reputation, though he is reluctant to capitalize on it.
• Ning Qing stays composed and perceptive. She calmly explains her Celestial traits, recognizes Chen Shu’s innuendo, and directly holds him accountable for ignoring her advice. Her request for food also shows her practical, gently assertive side.
• Jiang Lai is shown as exceptionally durable and disciplined, willing to absorb punishment while waiting for an opening. His rune-enhanced counterattack reveals the effectiveness of Chen Shu’s designs and Jiang Lai’s ability to turn defense into offense.
• Meng Chunqiu continues his theatrical, elegant persona, but also demonstrates knowledge of the arena’s owner and the limits imposed by military connections.

Significant themes

• Different ways of experiencing the world: Qingqing’s Celestial senses and muted outward reactions contrast with ordinary human responses.
• Consequences and accountability: Qingqing argues that Chen Shu’s misfortune was avoidable because he refused to listen.
• Hidden strength and reversal: Jiang Lai’s apparent weakness conceals unusual endurance and a powerful capacity to strike back.
• Talent versus convenience: Chen Shu’s successful rune work creates opportunities, but he avoids them because pursuing them would bring effort and complications.
• Power and restraint: Meng’s account of the arena suggests that connections and clear limits can keep a violent business operating within acceptable boundaries.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu teases Qingqing about her lack of reaction to the massager; she sees through his suggestive implication and redirects the conversation to lunch.
• Qingqing and Chen Shu argue over the chicken-gizzard errand and the bird dropping. She calmly explains why she was not responsible, then takes his arm and leads him to buy food.
• Chen Shu and Meng Chunqiu trade familiar banter, with Meng noticing that Chen’s form of address reflects his mood.
• The two watch Jiang Lai’s fight together. Meng comments on Jiang Lai’s supporters and the arena; Chen Shu observes Jiang Lai’s endurance and the runes’ dramatic effect.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Lai wins his underground fight, and the crowd responds unusually warmly: fans throw money into the ring and urge him to heal, eat well, and fight less. Chen Shu is struck by their concern.
• Chen Shu and Meng Chunqiu stay to watch more fights. Chen Shu studies the fighters’ styles, taking notes to help him design stronger Defensive Runes.
• On the ride home, Chen Shu declines a client’s offer to commission Runes. He says he is tired, not short of money, and wants a break. He also notes that selling Jiang Lai’s Rune design could reduce his advantage in the ring.
• Back at the dorm, Chen Shu resumes work on Jiang Lai’s Runes. He considers four defensive effects—hardening, retaliation, spiritual-energy shielding, and force distribution—and the difficulty of combining them with a Martial Artist’s limited spiritual energy.
• Zhang Suannai visits Ning Qing. She teases her about the men’s slippers and presumed boyfriend, then relaxes on the sofa and shares fruit with Peach, Ning Qing’s cat. Their conversation turns to a dog Ning Qing’s younger sister once owned; after being beaten for nearly biting someone, it ran away and disappeared. Ning Qing and Peach both seem to remember it.

Character developments

• Chen Shu is serious about improving his Rune craft, but remains deliberately unambitious about earning money. He shows consideration for Jiang Lai’s competitive edge as well as a growing investment in helping his roommate.
• Jiang Lai is badly injured but resilient. He accepts Chen Shu’s concern and says he does not mind if his Rune set is shared, reinforcing his generous, trusting nature.
• Zhang Suannai remains playful and outspoken, but her certainty that Ning Qing cannot fall in love makes the boyfriend-related clues especially amusing to her.
• Ning Qing stays reserved and economical with words. Her quiet mention of the vanished dog suggests a lingering memory of it, while Peach’s behavior hints at a similar attachment.

Significant themes

• Care in an uncaring arena: The fans’ concern for Jiang Lai contrasts with the usual indifference of fight spectators.
• Craft and responsibility: Chen Shu’s Rune design requires careful study of real combat and the limits of its user.
• Ambition versus rest: Chen Shu chooses leisure over a profitable commission, comfortable postponing work until he needs money.
• Companionship and loss: The household’s absent dog remains present in Ning Qing and Peach’s recollections.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Meng Chunqiu discuss Jiang Lai’s earnings and watch fights together, though Chen Shu’s attention is partly on the matches as research.
• Chen Shu checks Jiang Lai’s injuries, while Jiang Lai observes Chen Shu turning down paid work and questions his choice.
• Zhang Suannai teases Ning Qing about the slippers, strawberries, and Peach; Ning Qing answers briefly, and Peach appears to communicate with her through looks and gestures.
• Zhang Suannai and Ning Qing share a quieter moment discussing the missing dog, with Peach’s behavior reinforcing the sense that it is remembered by the household.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Suannai explores Ning Qing’s home, asking about its kitchen, leftovers, and Yuanzhou specialties. Ning answers tersely while Zhang keeps trying to draw her out. At dinner, Zhang enjoys the reheated dishes—especially beef with pickled peppers—and learns they were cooked by Ning’s boyfriend.
• Zhang says she is returning to Sword Province. She explains that many young sect disciples are orphans recruited through welfare homes, but she is content with her life in the Sword Sect. Her questions about Ning’s family go unanswered; she eventually leaves without noticing anything suspicious about Chen Shu.
• As the term ends, Chen Shu and Jiang Lai part ways. Chen tells Jiang he has nearly finished designing his Defensive Runes and expects to deliver them between New Year’s and the start of term. Jiang recommends a market street near the Astrology Tower for Jade Capital souvenirs.
• Chen returns home with Ning Qing and visits his sister, Chen Banxia, who is still working on a research project. Her college is trying to find affordable substitutes for scarce ingredients in an ancient Esoteric Sect pill formula intended to help Fourth-Tier cultivators advance to Fifth Tier. Chen jokes about taking some of the finished product; Banxia says she may make him a batch herself if the formula succeeds and he can obtain the ingredients.
• Banxia plans to finish her current stage of work before they travel home. Chen intends to go shopping with Qingqing and buy Breakthrough Auxiliary Potions: he is at the peak of Third Tier and preparing to attempt advancement after further weakening his Spirit Sea Lock.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Suannai is energetic, inquisitive, and playful, while also revealing a relaxed attitude toward being an orphan and strong affection for her fellow sect members.
• Ning Qing remains reserved and economical with words. Zhang’s attempts to warm her up bring out her dry bluntness, but Ning quietly hosts and feeds her.
• Chen Shu and Jiang Lai part on friendly terms, discussing Chen’s ongoing rune work.
• Chen Shu and Chen Banxia trade familiar teasing: he mocks her apparent laziness, while she wakes up and becomes interested when he mentions having admirers. Beneath their banter, she shares her research and offers possible help with his cultivation.

Significant themes

• Contrasting temperaments and belonging: Zhang’s sociability clashes humorously with Ning’s reserve, while Zhang describes finding community in the Sword Sect despite having no family.
• Everyday life alongside cultivation: Meals, travel plans, and family teasing sit alongside rune design, potion development, and advancement toward higher tiers.
• Scarcity and access to power: The ancient pill’s valuable ingredients may prevent affordable mass production, reflecting the tension between powerful discoveries and who can obtain them.
• Preparation and perseverance: Chen continues refining his runes and patiently prepares for a breakthrough rather than rushing into it.

Key plot points and events

• While sightseeing in Jade Capital, Chen Shu finds little worthwhile among the city’s food and tea specialties. He dismisses the temple handicrafts sold by street vendors as obvious fakes.
• He unexpectedly meets his roommate Jiang Lai outside Starlight Welfare Home. Jiang Lai has bought new outfits for the children and invites Chen Shu and Ning Qing to dinner.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing help carry in the parcels. Chen then plays with the children—getting stuck on a slide, winning marbles, and persuading Ning Qing to ride a seesaw with him.
• The three share a cafeteria meal with the children. Ning Qing quietly gives Chen Shu the chicken from her bowl.
• After leaving, Chen Shu realizes Jiang Lai spends his fighting-ring earnings on the welfare home, leaving little for himself or for Rune engraving. Chen and Ning Qing then head off to find a massage parlor before returning home the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful and sociable, quickly making himself at home among the children. He teases Ning Qing into joining their games and ends the evening with his usual joking, self-indulgent plans. He recognizes Jiang Lai’s sacrifices without turning the discovery into a solemn confrontation.
• Jiang Lai appears shy and awkward around Chen Shu and Ning Qing, but his generosity is clear: he buys every child a new outfit and supports the home through frequent, punishing fights.
• Ning Qing remains quiet and observant, understanding the situation from the conversation and watching Chen Shu’s antics. Though she resists his invitations, she goes along with the seesaw and shows care by sharing her chicken with him.
• Chen introduces Ning Qing as his “girlfriend I’m not dating” and explains her reserved manner by saying she has Celestial blood. The children, meanwhile, interpret Chen and Ning Qing’s playful closeness as romantic.

Significant themes

• Quiet generosity and sacrifice: Jiang Lai’s hard work sustains the children’s comfortable lives, even at considerable personal cost.
• Care shown through actions: Jiang Lai provides clothes and food; Ning Qing shares her meal; Chen helps with the parcels and engages the children.
• Humor alongside social awareness: The chapter contrasts Chen’s lighthearted behavior with the serious realities of supporting a welfare home, acknowledging that even a prosperous capital leaves vulnerable people behind.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu buys two premium Fourth Tier Auxiliary Potions from North River Company, along with two Essence-Returning Pills. Their high price leaves his account nearly empty, but he values their stronger, gentler effects and the pills’ help with post-breakthrough recovery.
• He and Chen Banxia fly to Bai City to meet Ning Qing and bring her home. The siblings bicker over sleeping arrangements during the flight, while Peach enjoys the view from the window.
• The family reunites at home with Professor Chen, Lawyer Wei, and Xiaoxiao. They share a meal, and Lawyer Wei welcomes Ning Qing warmly.
• Chen Shu learns that Xiaoxiao has received special admission to Ling’an Academy. She will study Artificial Life Engineering, attend training in Jade Capital next semester, and live in her older sister’s dorm under conditions her sister negotiated.
• Lawyer Wei asks Chen Shu and Chen Banxia to buy New Year supplies the next day, assigning the chore despite Chen Banxia’s protest.

Character developments

• Chen Shu shows growing confidence and financial comfort by choosing a reputable premium potion, though the purchase nearly empties his account. He remains teasing and scheming, joking about spying on Xiaoxiao through her dorm arrangements.
• Chen Banxia is affectionate and energetic around her family, but her teasing and complaints continue. She is assigned household duties despite trying to avoid them.
• Ning Qing is calm and quietly assertive. She warmly joins the family but also catches Xiaoxiao after the girl tries to evade her playful smack.
• Xiaoxiao is becoming more independent: she has secured admission, accepted her sister’s guidance, and is preparing for training away from home. She remains straightforward and unflustered by family teasing.
• Professor Chen and Lawyer Wei provide a warm homecoming: Professor Chen remains amused by the family’s antics, while Lawyer Wei shows care through cooking and practical planning.

Significant themes

• Family affection expressed through teasing and chores: The family’s jokes, scolding, and everyday errands reveal their closeness.
• Trust and guidance: Xiaoxiao relies on her sister’s judgment about school and living arrangements, while still pursuing her own training.
• Preparation and recovery: Chen Shu’s potion purchase highlights the risks of a Fourth Tier breakthrough and the importance of recovering from failure or success.
• Homecoming and change: The contrast between cold, misty Jade Capital and sunny Bai City underscores the comfort of returning home.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Chen Banxia bicker throughout the journey, sharing space and sleep on the plane.
• The family greets Ning Qing warmly; Chen Shu jokes with his father about being overlooked, and Banxia excitedly reunites with Xiaoxiao.
• Ning Qing playfully pursues Xiaoxiao, who tries to hide behind Professor Chen but is caught.
• Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao discuss her admission, major, training, and future dorm life; Chen Shu privately turns the arrangement into a mischievous plan.
• Lawyer Wei assigns Chen Shu and Banxia the task of buying New Year provisions, while Banxia objects without success.

Plot points and events

• On a pleasant afternoon, Chen Shu gives Qingqing a neat gray-blue manicure while Chen Banxia watches and demands one for herself. He jokingly charges her, then paints her nails in two complementary styles: a mirror finish and a small white flower.
• Chen Shu also does the nails of the younger girl, Xiaoxiao. She asks for a mature design like her sister’s, but loses confidence and accepts a flower. Chen Shu adds playful cartoon designs, including SpongeBob and a rabbit, and insists they look perfect.
• The next morning, Chen Shu and Chen Banxia shop for ingredients to make sausages and cured foods for the holiday. He plans a mix of locally popular sweet-spicy sausages and the numbing, spicy style he remembers from his former life, along with several family favorites.
• As Spring Festival approaches, children’s toys, lanterns, and kite sellers fill the streets, and the holiday mood grows. Yi Nation’s celebration is described as longer and more festive than Chen Shu’s former world’s.
• The scene shifts to Jade Capital, where Meng Chunqiu and two younger female cousins pedal a rented four-seat bike along the Ancient City Wall. The wall’s history and modern defensive systems are explained; now it is chiefly a tourist attraction. The cousins acknowledge polite admirers and ignore rude attention.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Shu’s patient, teasing care comes through in his nail work. He treats the three girls attentively, though he enjoys playfully provoking Banxia and gently overriding Xiaoxiao’s attempts to seem grown-up.
• Banxia is affectionate and appreciative of her brother’s skills. She jokes and bargains with him, but also reflects that, since she intends to remain single, caring for family gives her someone to spoil.
• Xiaoxiao wants to be seen as older, yet quickly reveals her uncertainty. Chen Shu’s playful designs leave her less than fully satisfied, but she goes along with his praise.
• Banxia and Chen Shu share the work of preparing holiday foods, reinforcing their close, comfortable sibling relationship.
• Meng Chunqiu and her cousins enjoy a casual outing while navigating unwanted attention with composure and a practical, open-minded attitude.

Significant themes

• Family affection expressed through everyday care: Manicures, cooking, and teasing show closeness more than grand gestures.
• Tradition and cultural variation: Spring Festival customs and sausage recipes reflect both local traditions and Chen Shu’s memories of another life.
• Growing up and self-image: Xiaoxiao’s wish to appear mature contrasts with her youthful tastes and hesitation.
• History alongside modern life: Jade Capital’s ancient wall remains a tourist landmark while serving as part of a modern defensive network.

Key plot points and events

• Meng Chunqiu, Highness Cinnabar, and their younger cousin finish cycling around the city wall, then share dinner at a local restaurant.
• Their conversation turns to Cinnabar’s music career. She explains that her album’s songs were arranged through Chen Shu, who coached her extensively and helped refine her performances.
• Meng Chunqiu realizes that Chen Shu—the roommate whose cooking and singing he already admires—is also the music professional Cinnabar praises. Both he and Cinnabar fall into private, awkward reflection.
• Their youngest cousin mistakes their silence for reluctance to pay the bill and ends up covering dinner, privately lamenting the loss of her allowance.
• Chen Shu visits Ning Qing’s family home. He admires its spring flowers, learns that her parents may be away, and says he plans to attempt an advancement and will need Ning Qing to watch over him.
• When he hears Ning Qing is doing posture exercises, he rushes inside to see her. The narration explains why posture training matters for cultivators and reveals that Qingqing keeps up the exercises partly because she wants to look good for Chen Shu.

Character developments

• Meng Chunqiu is humbled by the discovery that Chen Shu is far more accomplished than he had realized. He wonders whether Chen’s quiet modesty is a better way to carry talent than his own tendency to boast.
• Highness Cinnabar admires Chen’s skill and charisma, but is hurt and confused to learn he no longer considers himself her fan. She reconsiders their past interactions and worries about how to face him next.
• The youngest cousin proves the most practical person at dinner, stepping in to pay while privately resenting the older cousins’ distraction.
• Chen Shu appears both capable and unassuming: he has earned Cinnabar’s professional respect, yet focuses on preparing for advancement and seeks Ning Qing’s support.
• Ning Qing is shown as disciplined about her health and appearance, with her exercise routine motivated in part by affection for Chen Shu.

Significant themes

• Hidden talent and modesty: Chen Shu’s abilities surprise others precisely because he does not advertise them.
• Admiration and insecurity: Cinnabar’s feelings about Chen’s changed view of her, and Meng’s self-comparison, reveal how praise and perceived rejection can unsettle people.
• Affection expressed through small acts: Ning Qing’s exercise routine and Chen Shu’s request for her help show care through practical, personal gestures.
• Comic misunderstandings: The cousins’ intense private reactions contrast with the youngest cousin’s simple assumption that they are arguing over the bill.

Character interactions

• The cousins tease and question one another over food, music, and Cinnabar’s career before Chen Shu’s identity becomes the center of the conversation.
• Cinnabar praises Chen Shu to Meng Chunqiu, unaware at first that he knows him; once she discovers the connection, she excitedly asks about their relationship.
• The youngest cousin watches the older pair’s silence with confusion, then pays for the meal.
• At Ning Qing’s home, Chen Shu talks with her younger sister about the parents’ whereabouts and his plans for advancement; the sister innocently reveals that Qingqing is exercising, prompting his eager response.

Plot and events

• Ning Qing finishes a short yoga session while Chen Shu watches and teases her. She rebuffs his attempt to touch her and changes into looser clothes.
• Chen Shu asks Ning Qing to supervise his attempt to advance. She explains that, as an Esoteric Sect cultivator, she can foresee outcomes, but cannot share what she knows because it could alter his decisions and the result.
• Chen Shu drinks an Auxiliary Potion and begins a strenuous assault on his Spirit Lock. The potion keeps replenishing his Spirit Sea, allowing repeated full-strength attempts, but causes severe physical strain.
• While he struggles, Qingqing’s younger sister watches him closely and repeatedly wipes away his sweat, despite Ning Qing’s calm attention to the television.
• Chen Shu ultimately fails to break through, though he considers the attempt useful preparation for next time. He emerges exhausted, in pain, and intensely thirsty. The young girl brings him water, and Ning Qing dryly congratulates him on failing before offering him a shower.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Shu remains determined and self-aware: he expected failure and believes the effort has prepared him to succeed later. His playful flirtation with Ning Qing continues, but the attempt reveals the physical and mental cost of advancement.
• Ning Qing stays composed and guarded. She explains the limits of her foresight, supervises Chen Shu without interfering, and shows care through understated concern rather than overt comfort.
• The younger girl is openly attentive and protective of Chen Shu, tending to him while privately criticizing her sister for seeming indifferent. Her behavior highlights her affection and her rivalry with Ning Qing over how he should be treated.
• The scene’s teasing exchanges and quiet acts of care contrast with the painful, solitary nature of Chen Shu’s cultivation attempt.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and free choice: Ning Qing’s foresight must remain undisclosed so it does not distort the future it predicts.
• Persistence and preparation: Failure is presented as a meaningful step toward eventual success.
• Care expressed in different ways: The younger girl offers hands-on comfort, while Ning Qing’s concern is restrained and indirect.
• The cost of ambition: The potion strengthens Chen Shu’s attempts but leaves him badly depleted, showing that progress carries real risks.

• Plot and events: After Chen Shu’s failed attempt to break through a Spirit Lock, he assesses his injuries. His body should recover with rest and nutrition, but his Spirit Sea would take about a month to heal naturally. An Essence-Returning Pill can restore it much faster, though it leaves the user deeply unconscious and in need of supervision. Chen insists that Ning Qing watch over him—and uses exaggerated warnings and emotional pressure to secure permission to sleep in her bed. He takes the bitter pill and quickly falls into a drug-induced sleep. Ning Qing reads a spiritual-theory book whose deeper meaning points toward the path beyond the Ninth Tier and becoming a Deity. Later, she joins Chen in bed to monitor him, then quietly toys with his face, recalling childhood pranks they played on each other, and kisses his forehead.
• Character development: Chen is injured but already focused on recovering and trying again, relying on modern cultivation medicine. His theatrical insistence on Ning Qing’s care also reveals his playful, needy side. Ning Qing remains outwardly composed, yet shows affection through staying beside him, indulging in small acts of revenge, and kissing him. Her reading also highlights her unusual knowledge and insight into advanced spiritual theory.
• Character interactions: Chen playfully manipulates Ning Qing into agreeing to watch him overnight; she responds with dry remarks but ultimately takes his safety seriously. While he sleeps, she reverses familiar childhood teasing—tugging his lip and cheek and drawing on his face—before tenderly kissing his forehead.
• Themes: Modern technology and medicine reshape the risks and pace of cultivation. The chapter also develops quiet intimacy through teasing, shared memories, and care, while hinting at the larger spiritual mystery of transcending the Ninth Tier and attaining divinity.

Key plot points and events

• While Ning Qing is asleep, Chen Shu—still recovering from the damage to his Spirit Sea—begins moving during the night. Ning Qing stays awake and lets him hold her rather than waking him.
• In the morning, Chen Shu wakes in Qingqing’s room. He recalls holding her but assumes it may have been a dream. He teases her about her soft waist; she stays reserved and tells him to use the downstairs bathroom because hers is broken.
• Chen Shu encounters Peach in the hallway and jokes that he is the cat’s “real owner.” Xiaoxiao, watching a documentary downstairs, notices he came from her sister’s room. When he soon yells upstairs about someone drawing on him and scrubbing too hard, Xiaoxiao hopes Qingqing is punishing him.
• The documentary explains how modern military forces can now track and potentially defeat Ninth Tier cultivators through coordinated technology, contrasting this collective power with the older era, when only another Ninth Tier could stop one. It also recounts the Bright Sect emperor’s choice to give up absolute rule and establish a constitutional monarchy after the Third World War.
• Chen Shu returns home to find his older sister, Chen Banxia, just getting up. Their teasing banter turns to his absence the previous night; he claims he was at the Arena, but Banxia suspects he stayed with Qingqing. He offers to cook Hot-and-Sour Rice Noodles for dinner, and she accepts, though she cannot recall asking for them.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing shows quiet tenderness by allowing Chen Shu to hold her, while maintaining her composed, guarded manner the next morning.
• Chen Shu appears physically much improved, with his Spirit Sea mostly healed and his spiritual energy at roughly seventy percent. His teasing and domestic attentiveness—especially toward Banxia—show his easy affection for those close to him.
• Xiaoxiao is observant and curious about adult relationships, but interprets Chen Shu and Qingqing’s interaction with childish indignation and humor.
• Chen Banxia asserts her status as Chen Shu’s older sister and enjoys being indulged, while remaining curious about where he spent the night. Her sense that she has forgotten something hints at an unresolved detail.

Significant themes

• Affection expressed through restraint and teasing: Ning Qing’s silent acceptance, Chen Shu’s playful remarks, and his cooking plans convey closeness without direct declarations.
• Family warmth and hierarchy: Chen Shu and Banxia’s mock arguments and food-centered care reinforce their sibling bond.
• Changing power and political order: The documentary frames the shift from individual supremacy to coordinated modern strength, and highlights the emperor’s voluntary surrender of power as a consequential act of political reform.

Chapter Summary: “New Year’s Eve Fireworks”

Key plot points and events

• On the evening before New Year’s Eve, Chen Shu cooks hot-and-sour rice noodles for Chen Banxia, Ning Qing, and Xiaoxiao. Banxia theatrically complains about burning her mouth and getting oil on her, while Qingqing eats quietly. Their parents return later and Lawyer Wei regrets that the young guests weren’t treated to a fancier meal.
• Chen Shu checks the Ancient Cultivator group chat, where Greens and Cocoa teases Zhang Suannai by revealing her surname and organizing a private chat that deliberately excludes her. The others send New Year’s red envelopes, and the Green-Lamp Ancient Buddha jokes about offering the year’s first incense at the New Orthodox Temple. Zhang is left grumbling and trying unsuccessfully to get a response from Illumination at Night.
• Chen Shu experiments with the Fireworks Technique and cultivates. On New Year’s Eve, he shops with Banxia and prepares the family dinner. The siblings later fly a kite and enjoy the festive streets.
• That night, Chen Shu, Banxia, Qingqing, Xiaoxiao, and Peach walk along Mirror Sea, carrying lanterns and admiring the decorations. Spiritual-power fireworks begin across the city. Chen leads the group to a quieter lakeshore, where they watch the fireworks reflected in the water.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is attentive and practical: he takes charge of the New Year’s meal, spends time with Banxia, and brings the group to a peaceful spot for the fireworks. His interest in the Fireworks Technique connects his cultivation to the holiday spectacle.
• Chen Banxia remains playful and dramatic at dinner, but is also Chen Shu’s companion in preparing for the holiday and enjoying the outing.
• Qingqing is reserved and composed, contrasting with Banxia’s fussiness; she reluctantly carries a lantern despite having little interest in it.
• Zhang Suannai is revealed as the butt of the group’s teasing. Her frustration at being excluded shows her desire to belong, even as she insults the others.
• The group’s walk and shared view of the fireworks bring Chen Shu, Banxia, Qingqing, Xiaoxiao, and Peach together in a relaxed holiday moment.

Significant themes

• Family and companionship: Cooking, kite-flying, and walking together make the holiday feel warm and shared.
• Tradition amid a changing world: Familiar New Year customs—lanterns, food, and fireworks—coexist with spiritual cultivation and modern city life.
• Playful community: The cultivators’ chat is full of teasing, gifts, and mock rivalry, revealing affection beneath the jokes.
• Beauty and reflection: The fireworks mirrored on Mirror Sea create a striking image of celebration doubled between sky and water.

Plot points and events

• On New Year’s Eve, Chen Banxia shows off her newly reached Fifth Tier by setting off enormous spiritual-energy fireworks. Chen Shu guesses her advancement; she explains that higher cultivation makes her work with potions easier.
• Chen Shu launches two custom fireworks for Ning Qing: “Qingqing” followed by “You fool.” At Chen Banxia’s urging, he combines them into a message visible across the lake and city.
• Ning Qing then sets off her own firework, which bursts over the Mirror Sea and scatters across its rippling water—a symbolic, fresh start to the year.
• The family returns home to watch the New Year’s gala. Chen Shu reflects on a favorite song about accepting life’s good and bad, then exchanges affectionate New Year messages with Qingqing.
• Chen Shu jokes that Chen Banxia has no one to share the evening with, prompting her to threaten him. He then sends a red envelope to Xiaoxiao, who starts a video call and mischievously tries to show him Qingqing showering. Qingqing catches her and takes her away for a scolding; Chen Shu ends the call and grumbles that he should be blamed instead.
• With fireworks still filling the sky, Chen Shu sets off a few more himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is playful and teasing, but also thoughtful: his fireworks are a joking declaration to Qingqing, and he reflects on time, happiness, and the new year. He enjoys his closeness with both Qingqing and Xiaoxiao.
• Chen Banxia is proud of her progress but insists her cultivation is practical rather than an ambition in itself. She laughs at Chen Shu’s prank, then scolds him on Qingqing’s behalf; their sibling banter continues at home.
• Ning Qing remains composed and understated. She accepts Chen Shu’s teasing without protest, then responds with a striking water-and-firework display of her own.
• Xiaoxiao shows affection toward Chen Shu by thanking him for the red envelope, while also revealing her mischievous, impulsive side. Qingqing quickly asserts her authority as the older sister.
• The exchanges between Chen Shu and Qingqing—gentle, playful, and affectionate—underscore their growing intimacy.

Significant themes

• New beginnings: The fireworks over the Mirror Sea and the arrival of the new year suggest a clean start.
• Shared joy and connection: Public fireworks briefly unite strangers, while private jokes and messages strengthen family and romantic bonds.
• Time and memory: The gala song prompts Chen Shu to value the full journey of life, including both pleasant and difficult moments.
• Humor and affection: Teasing, playful gestures, and Xiaoxiao’s antics provide a lighthearted counterpoint to the chapter’s reflective moments.