Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• On New Year’s Eve, Ning Ji texts her brother-in-law, Chen Shu, about being hit by her sister, Ning Qing. He consoles her, then persuades her to seek extra lucky money from their father and suggests joining him and Chen Banxia for tangyuan the next morning.
• The next morning, Chen Shu wakes early, feeling guilty for missing a day of cultivation, and playfully wakes Chen Banxia. She gets up to make tangyuan, while he demands New Year greetings and a red envelope.
• Ning Ji obtains 8,888 in lucky money from President Ning, then demands more by threatening to tell her mother about his secret. Ning Qing sends her a red envelope and takes her to Chen Shu’s home.
• Chen Shu prepares tangyuan for the family and their cats. Ning Ji and Ning Qing arrive, and everyone shares the New Year meal. Chen Shu worries that Ning Ji had to ride through the cold, but Ning Qing offers no response.
• Elsewhere, Zhang Suannai eats tangyuan on the Sword Sect’s frigid mountain. She exchanges New Year greetings with Ning Qing and plans to identify the anonymous group-chat member Greens by searching Ling’an Academy’s student records.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Ji remains mischievous and guarded, but is pleased to extract money from her father and receive a red envelope from Ning Qing. She relies on Chen Shu’s advice and follows her sister to his home.
• Chen Shu is disciplined about cultivation and uneasy when he breaks his routine. His teasing with Chen Banxia and concern for Ning Ji show his affectionate, informal family role.
• Chen Banxia is sleepy and reluctant, but gets up to help prepare the meal; she and Chen Shu exchange playful demands.
• Ning Qing stays terse and emotionally reserved, yet quietly gives Ning Ji a red envelope and brings her to breakfast.
• Zhang Suannai is playful and self-amused, but also scheming: she intends to investigate Greens’ identity while keeping her own secret persona hidden.

Significant themes

• New Year’s family rituals and affection: Greetings, lucky money, red envelopes, and shared food create warmth despite teasing and strained relationships.
• Discipline versus comfort: Chen Shu’s guilt over skipping cultivation shows how easily routines can weaken.
• Secrets, leverage, and identity: Ning Ji uses a secret to negotiate with her father, while Zhang Suannai plots to uncover someone else’s identity and protect her own.
• Everyday warmth amid contrasting worlds: The cozy family breakfast contrasts with Zhang Suannai’s isolated, freezing mountain setting.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu spends the New Year holiday with family and classmates: he visits ancestral graves, sees his elderly maternal grandparents, and attends several social outings.
• During his free time, he studies spells and cultivates. He privately imagines a jealous romantic rival, but recognizes that he and Qingqing have long seemed destined to be together, keeping their relationship quiet and uncomplicated.
• On January 6, Chen Shu logs into Wide and Narrow Alley and reconnects with Mr. Cat. He sends an improved version of the Bodyguard Divine Light spell and asks about the Defensive Barrier spell.
• Chen Shu proposes trading research on Swordlight Art for military-grade Swordlight shells. He is actually more interested in acquiring modern Penetration Runes and negotiates for several new weapons or shells containing them. Mr. Cat agrees to arrange the items for 1,000 coins, with 500 deferred, despite the risks and expense of smuggling.
• Wanting to reach the Middle Tier before the exchange, Chen Shu arranges a short winter trip with Qingqing, during which he plans another attempt to break through the Spirit Lock. They agree to leave on the tenth.

Character developments

• Chen Shu remains playful and socially active, but his spell research is increasingly ambitious. He is especially focused on overcoming spiritual defenses and obtaining restricted military technology. He also takes initiative in planning a breakthrough.
• Qingqing is calm and practical, spending the holiday reading and tending flowers. Her close bond with Chen Shu is evident in her quick agreement to travel with him.
• Mr. Cat proves pragmatic and perceptive: he negotiates firmly, recognizes Chen Shu’s real motives, and explains the obstacles to obtaining advanced weapons.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu and Qingqing tease each other by message. Their familiar affection appears in his complaint that outings are no fun without her and in their easy coordination of the trip.
• Chen Shu and Mr. Cat conduct a shrewd, friendly negotiation, mixing spell expertise, humor, suspicion, and mutual trust.
• Chen’s family ties are emphasized through his time with his sister, his deceased grandparents’ graves, and his lively maternal grandparents.

Significant themes

• Ordinary life alongside ambition: family visits, friendships, and romance contrast with Chen Shu’s increasingly technical and dangerous research.
• Trust and negotiation: Chen Shu and Mr. Cat cooperate while carefully weighing costs, motives, and risks.
• Love as steady companionship: Chen Shu’s imagined romantic drama contrasts with his quiet, long-established connection with Qingqing.
• The dangers and restrictions of military magic: Penetration Runes and Swordlight Art are valuable precisely because they are powerful and tightly controlled.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu takes Ning Qing, Xiaoxiao, and Peach on a trip around Bai City. They admire a vast meteor crater whose green interior contains fields, villages, and roads. Chen Shu explains that he has long thought of it as a hidden paradise, though he never explored it because he feared the view might not live up to reality.
• They spend the afternoon wandering through the crater and stay there overnight. The following day, they travel to Bitter Crossing, a quiet former base of the Buddhist Order.
• At their hotel, Xiaoxiao understands that Chen Shu is about to advance and expects Ning Qing to watch over him. She and Peach take one room while Chen Shu and Qingqing share the other.
• Chen Shu consumes his advancement medicines and successfully reaches the mid tier. His Spirit Sea grows substantially, and the transformation also strengthens his body and soul and extends his lifespan.
• After the process, Qingqing checks on him and offers him a warmed face mask. Chen Shu showers, then realizes she is still watching him because he forgot to ask her to leave.

Character developments

• Chen Shu advances into the mid tier, gaining a major increase in spiritual capacity and broader physical and spiritual changes. His playful, romantic teasing of Qingqing continues, though he also shows a more reflective side when describing the crater.
• Ning Qing remains composed and practical, accompanying Chen Shu as his monitor during his advancement. Despite her calm manner, she watches over him attentively and provides water and comfort.
• Xiaoxiao demonstrates her familiarity with Chen Shu’s cultivation routine and her consideration for the couple, though her attempt to assign the rooms goes awry.
• Peach remains a quiet presence and is treated as part of the group.

Significant themes

• Beauty and perspective: The crater feels like a paradise from above, while Chen Shu wonders whether exploring it might change that impression.
• Cultivation and transformation: Chen Shu’s advancement marks a significant step, affecting not only his Spirit Sea but also his body, soul, and lifespan.
• Intimacy through everyday moments: The hotel-room banter, Qingqing’s caretaking, and the shower mishap create gentle romantic tension between the pair.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu flirts with Qingqing at the crater, saying there is room in his heart only for her; she deflects him by focusing on the scenery.
• Xiaoxiao matter-of-factly suggests that Chen Shu and Qingqing share a room so Qingqing can supervise his advancement, prompting playful confusion over the room keys.
• Chen Shu teases Qingqing about their first time sharing a hotel room, while she dismisses the sentiment as empty formalities.
• Qingqing quietly cares for Chen Shu during and after his advancement, and their comfortable familiarity culminates in her watching him shower after he forgets to send her out.

Key plot points and events

• After advancing to Mid-Tier Cultivator, Chen Shu washes up while Qingqing watches from the bedroom. He is embarrassed and threatens to punish her, but she calmly warns that she may record him while he takes the Essence-Returning Pill, so he backs down.
• Chen Shu tries to annoy Qingqing by using a large amount of her skincare product. Her generosity defeats the prank: she simply encourages him to put some on his face too.
• Before taking the pill, Chen Shu persuades Qingqing to hook their index fingers together as a “game.” The pill makes him fall asleep, and Qingqing reads beside him. When his hand slips free, she quietly tucks it beneath his quilt.
• The next morning, Ning Ji uses her sister’s phone to message Chen Shu, then goes out with Peach to buy breakfast. She struggles to sneak past the motion-sensor light, while Peach’s antics repeatedly give her away.
• Ning Ji brings Qingqing roasted baby potatoes and water, confirms that Chen Shu successfully advanced, and learns the pill’s effects will last about twelve hours. She leaves Peach with Qingqing and Chen Shu, then tries—and fails again—to evade the hallway light.

Character developments

• Chen Shu is physically stronger after reaching the Mid-Tier, a major step beyond ordinary cultivation. He remains playful and competitive, but his sleepy request to hold Qingqing’s hand reveals a softer, more trusting side.
• Qingqing stays composed and affectionate through Chen Shu’s teasing. She protects his sleep and keeps hold of their playful connection even after he lets go.
• Ning Ji is mischievous and childlike, treating the motion sensor as a challenge and trying to persuade Peach to come with her. Her concern about Chen Shu’s success also shows her interest in his progress.
• Peach remains a comic, easily distracted companion, whose behavior repeatedly foils Ning Ji’s plans.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and transformation: Chen Shu’s advancement brings a dramatic increase in strength and resilience, marking a difficult threshold in a cultivator’s life.
• Intimacy expressed through teasing and care: Chen Shu and Qingqing bicker, but their small gestures—sharing belongings, holding hands, and protecting one another’s comfort—show mutual affection.
• Playful domestic humor: Attempts at pranks, the motion-sensor light, and Peach’s interruptions turn ordinary routines into comic contests.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu tries to provoke Qingqing with threats and by wasting her skincare product; she responds calmly, leaving him disarmed rather than angry.
• Qingqing lets Chen Shu hold her hand, then quietly cares for him once he falls asleep.
• Ning Ji and Qingqing exchange brief messages and talk about Chen Shu’s advancement. Ning Ji tries to take Peach along, but Peach stays behind with Qingqing.

Plot points

• After twelve hours unconscious from taking an Essence-Returning Pill, Chen Shu wakes with severe temporary memory loss and childlike behavior. Ning Qing calmly explains—or invents—that she is his mother, then tries to get him to wash up and leave the hotel.
• Chen Shu resists, asks bewildering questions about his reflection and body, and needs persistent coaxing. Ning Qing endures the ordeal with patience, privately treating it as practice for motherhood.
• Ning Qing introduces him to Xiaoxiao. The two quickly bond, exchange mistaken introductions, and go to eat together. Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao gossip about Ning Qing, unaware she can hear them.
• Chen Shu gradually becomes quieter as they leave Pudu, and by evening at North Sea Bay his memories have returned. Ning Qing tells him she recorded his embarrassing behavior. He is mortified, though he recognizes that she is someone he trusts.
• On the rooftop, Chen Shu inspects his Spirit Sea: its capacity and other qualities have grown dramatically—about four times its previous size—but it remains somewhat damaged, and the pill’s restorative effect was weaker than before. He can use spiritual energy and feels newly confident.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing remains composed and caring throughout Chen Shu’s confusion, teasing him but also reassuring and looking after him. Her patient, almost maternal conduct reveals both affection and a glimpse of how she imagines a future family.
• Chen Shu shifts from a frightened, confused childlike state back to his adult self. Once restored, he feels acute embarrassment about his behavior but trusts Ning Qing enough to remain beside her.
• Xiaoxiao readily befriends Chen Shu and treats him warmly, even inviting him to catch bugs. Her easy rapport with him contrasts with Ning Qing’s exasperated caretaking.
• Ning Qing and Chen Shu’s relationship is shown through teasing, trust, and tenderness: she comforts him after his memories return and shares the awkward truth that she recorded the episode.

Significant themes

• Care and trust: Ning Qing’s insistence that she is the one Chen Shu can rely on is borne out by her actions.
• Humor in vulnerability: Chen Shu’s helplessness and embarrassment create comedy, while Ning Qing’s steady patience keeps the situation affectionate rather than cruel.
• Growth and cost: Chen Shu’s Spirit Sea has expanded enormously, but the advancement leaves it damaged, suggesting that power comes with physical risk.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After Chen Shu’s breakthrough, he borrows Qingqing’s expensive skincare lotion. He encourages Xiaoxiao to use plenty as well, then returns the bottle.
• Chen Shu asks the sisters to forget an embarrassing incident from earlier. Qingqing refuses to promise not to mention it at home, but agrees not to tell anyone else. Xiaoxiao is persuaded to keep quiet after Chen Shu playfully pressures her.
• Their conversation turns awkwardly comic when Qingqing carefully applies lotion to her feet, prompting Chen Shu and Xiaoxiao to stare. Qingqing calmly insists the lotion is worth its price.
• The group’s winter holiday trip ends. On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Chen Shu travels to Sea Beast Harbor to collect a hidden delivery from Mr. Cat, retrieving five boxes and a long wrapped item from a concealed pit near a cemetery.
• Back home on Lantern Festival, Chen Shu examines the shipment: Swordlight Thunders and Shells for studying the Swordlight Art, plus Blue Nation anti-armor weapons, shells, and specialized arrows for researching penetration technology.
• Chen Shu begins planning the difficult work of analyzing and reproducing the weapons’ spiritual-power effects, especially the unfamiliar Penetration Runes.

Character development

• Chen Shu remains resourceful and bold, but also shows a mischievous, playful side with the sisters. His research ambitions are growing, and he is more capable after a semester of study, though he recognizes the limits of his knowledge.
• Qingqing is composed and quietly teasing. She resists Chen Shu’s attempt to control what she says, but draws a boundary by agreeing to keep the incident private outside the household.
• Xiaoxiao is shy and easily flustered, yet increasingly willing to engage in the sisters’ teasing dynamic with Chen Shu.
• Mr. Cat does not appear in person, but his generous and carefully arranged arms shipment supports Chen Shu’s research.

Character interactions

• Chen Shu’s casual borrowing of lotion becomes a comic domestic exchange with Xiaoxiao, while Qingqing accepts the sisters’ and brother-in-law’s shared use without complaint.
• Chen Shu bargains with Qingqing to keep an earlier embarrassing event quiet. She outmaneuvers his threats with a counter-threat, while Xiaoxiao hesitantly asks him to beg before agreeing.
• Chen Shu’s curiosity about Qingqing’s appearance and her deliberate, matter-of-fact lotion routine create an awkward moment that both he and Xiaoxiao observe.

Significant themes

• Humor and intimacy: Everyday teasing and embarrassment reveal the comfortable, familiar relationships among the three.
• Learning through research: Chen Shu approaches the weapons methodically, acknowledging that progress requires patience, expertise, and collaboration.
• National rivalry and technological advancement: He frames the study of Blue Nation’s weapons as a patriotic duty, tying his research to the revival of Great Yi.
• Limits of individual knowledge: Chen Shu’s lack of experience with higher-level Penetration Runes underscores the importance of teachers, universities, and collective expertise.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu abandons his attempt to examine the Swordlight Thunder and bullets. Interfering with their spiritual energy could make them detonate without warning, so he plans to study them later in the academy’s safer laboratories.
• On Lantern Festival, he watches fireworks and reflects on the old custom of “Stealing Greens.” He messages Qingqing about the moon, but their exchange quickly turns into teasing about a private joke and her plans to move to the Jade Capital.
• At a royal family gathering, Meng Chunqiu feels isolated among relatives discussing careers and cultivation. While he is away, they criticize his devotion to poetry—until one cousin points out that two striking, apparently original lines Meng posted online cannot be found elsewhere. The family’s opinion shifts, and Meng returns to unexpected admiration without knowing why.
• On the eighteenth, Chen Shu visits Ning Qing as she severely prunes her roses for transport to the colder Jade Capital. He helps clear the cuttings, then awkwardly tries to persuade her to remove her manicure and let him replace it. Ning Qing notices his odd insistence and suspects he is hiding something.
• Chen Shu checks that the little girl has packed for the trip. She reveals a wish to become a god, defeat her sister, and eventually grant wishes—beginning with Chen Shu’s. She also imagines covering the world in potatoes. When she asks what he wished for, he refuses to tell her.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is cautious about dangerous research, playful with Qingqing and the little girl, and unusually interested in Ning Qing’s manicure, though she sees through his behavior.
• Ning Qing is practical and patient with her flowers, but sharp enough to recognize when Chen Shu is acting strangely.
• Meng Chunqiu feels lonely and insecure about his poetry, yet receives unexpected encouragement when his relatives discover his lines seem original. Their teasing gives way to genuine respect.
• The little girl displays an imaginative, affectionate streak beneath her deadpan humor. She wants to beat her sister but also plans to grant her wishes and Chen Shu’s.

Significant themes

• Belonging and recognition: Meng Chunqiu’s isolation contrasts with the family’s sudden appreciation of his work.
• Tradition and cultural memory: Chen Shu reflects on a custom preserved from his former life but nearly forgotten over generations.
• Care and teasing: The exchanges among Chen Shu, Ning Qing, Qingqing, and the little girl show affection expressed through jokes, nagging, and practical help.
• Patience and growth: Ning Qing’s pruning illustrates how cutting back can prepare plants for stronger growth, echoing the chapter’s broader attention to change and potential.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing’s nearly one hundred potted flowers are loaded onto an unmanned cargo truck bound for Jade Capital. She leaves two hardy roses in the yard so she can see them during future visits—and, she admits, so “they” can see them too.
• Chen Shu removes Ning Qing’s nail art, while she quietly watches his reaction.
• Chen Shu and Chen Banxia fly back to Jade Capital. Their parents offer little in the way of farewells: their mother has a case to handle, and their father is absorbed in the stock market.
• After arriving near midnight, Chen Shu agrees to stay at Banxia’s apartment. A video of the emperor visiting New Orthodox Temple catches his attention, especially the appearance of the reclusive Bodhisattva of Calamity.
• Intrigued by the temple and its history, Chen Shu invites Ning Qing and Xiaoxiao to visit the next day. Ning Qing agrees and asks for dumplings in sour broth.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Qing’s choice to leave the roses reveals her attachment to the place—and, through her correction, to the people who will remain there. She is candid with Chen Shu despite trying to soften her explanation.
• Chen Shu shows his usual playful confidence with his parents, then turns his curiosity toward the temple and promptly makes plans with Ning Qing.
• Banxia teases Chen Shu about going back to his dorm and invites him to stay so he can cook for her. Their easy banter reflects their close sibling relationship.
• Chen Shu and Ning Qing’s brief messages are familiar and affectionate: he anticipates her request for food, and she readily accepts his invitation.

Significant themes

• Home and attachment: The flowers, especially the two roses left behind, represent continuing ties to a place and to loved ones.
• Tradition and modernity: The emperor and monk appear alongside soldiers in powered armor, placing ancient religious customs in a technologically advanced world.
• Faith, power, and mortality: The Bodhisattva’s rare public appearance sparks speculation about his age, the emperor’s health, and the Buddhist Order’s influence.
• Reimagined religious traditions: Chen Shu reflects that this world’s Buddhist and Daoist Orders were shaped by the Sacred Ancestor rather than copied directly from the traditions of his previous life.

Key events

• Chen Shu returns to the cold Jade Capital after a strange dream involving the Sacred Ancestor, the emperor, and the Bodhisattva of Calamity. Chen Banxia’s everyday complaints quickly bring him back to ordinary life.
• Chen Shu, Ning Qing, the young girl, and their cat Peach travel to New Orthodox Temple, climbing its long mountain staircase among blooming peach trees and gentle monkeys.
• At the temple, visitors are barred from using spiritual power or flying. Chen Shu leads the group to the main hall, where they wait to worship before eight Buddha statues.
• While offering incense, Chen Shu asks the Buddhas where the world’s Deities have gone. He senses that the hall’s light briefly grows brighter, leaving him unsettled, but he says nothing further.
• After the thirty-six tolls of the meal bell, the group eats the temple’s simple but satisfying vegetarian food. Chen Shu uses their Buddhist-refuge certificates to avoid the small meal charge.
• As the mist lifts, they take in a clear view of the mountain, peach blossoms, and distant Jade Capital.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu moves easily between domestic humor and serious curiosity. He teases Chen Banxia about her research, behaves playfully toward the monkeys, and treats the temple visit practically—especially when it comes to obtaining a free meal. Yet his question to the Buddhas reveals his persistent investigation into the hidden Deities.
• Chen Banxia is annoyed that Chen Shu ate the dumplings she had saved and that he is leaving for the temple, but she agrees to continue researching materials for a formula he wants.
• Ning Qing shares the quiet pilgrimage with Chen Shu; he prepares her favorite sour-soup dumplings before they leave. She provides Peach comfort in the imposing main hall.
• The young girl joins the worship and meal, while Peach becomes timid around the towering Golden Bodies. Chen Shu’s teasing of the shy monkeys adds a comic note to the trip.

Significant themes

• The sacred and the everyday: Mystical dreams, ancient temples, and possible contact with Deities sit alongside breakfast, family bickering, and lunch.
• Worship, power, and succession: Chen Shu reflects that the great religious and martial figures have been worshipped, replaced, and sometimes shared positions of authority—raising questions about what divinity means and where Deities go.
• Faith and uncertainty: Chen Shu approaches the Buddhas sincerely, but his prayer is less conventional devotion than a search for answers. The strange change in the hall’s light hints that his question may have reached something.
• Community and simplicity: The temple’s accessible pilgrimage route and inexpensive vegetarian meal make it a place of ordinary visitors as well as religious tradition.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu asks a warrior monk to take photos of him, Ning Qing, the young girl, and Peach. The monk turns out to be a highly skilled photographer, directing them through many poses and producing excellent shots. Chen Shu is delighted and promises to write praise for him.
• The group visits the Vajra Stone, which supposedly predicts a person’s fortunes for the next few days. Chen Shu explains that its prediction is unreliable and can be changed simply by learning it. He and the young girl receive favorable answers; Peach does too, further suggesting the stone is not very meaningful.
• In a suddenly emptied corridor, Chen Shu encounters a mysterious red-robed monk. The monk says the Bodhisattva of Calamity answered Chen Shu’s question to a Buddha statue—“Where did all of you go?”—by advising him to search west if he wants answers, though the journey itself may be more valuable than the answer. True Light Buddha will respond only when Chen Shu meets him in person.
• The monk also says two of his disciples will have a connection with Chen Shu and asks him to look after them when they meet. He then vanishes, and the ordinary bustle of the temple abruptly returns.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu is energetic and playful: he enthusiastically organizes the photos, appreciates the monk’s expertise, and treats the fortune-telling ritual with skepticism and humor.
• Ning Qing remains calm and reserved, cooperating with the photos and quietly observing events.
• The young girl follows Chen Shu’s lead, takes the fortune ritual seriously, and is disappointed when he points out that most people seem to receive favorable predictions. After the mysterious monk’s visit, she earnestly reflects on Chen Shu’s teasing advice.
• Peach participates in the photo session and touches the Vajra Stone, receiving the same favorable prediction.
• The photographer-monk is courteous, modest, and exceptionally capable. The red-robed monk is gentle but enigmatic, speaking in riddling terms and creating a direct link between Chen Shu and future events.

Significant themes

• Fate and uncertainty: The Vajra Stone’s predictions are limited and easily undermined by the knowledge of them, raising questions about whether fortune can be meaningfully predicted.
• Seeking answers: The Bodhisattva’s message suggests that the search itself may bring value, even when a clear answer remains out of reach.
• Humor versus profundity: Chen Shu jokes that vague statements sound profound when delivered by someone mysterious, contrasting everyday banter with spiritual language.
• Foreshadowing and connection: The instruction to go west and the warning about two future disciples point toward later encounters and a larger quest.

Plot and events

• After leaving the New Orthodox Temple, Chen Shu pauses on the ancient mountain steps to photograph the scenery. He and his companions descend toward Wangxi Ancient Town.
• The Bodhisattva of Calamity watches them from the summit’s white pagoda, reflecting on Chen Shu’s youth.
• The chapter explains how Wangxi Ancient Town developed from a Buddhist-protected cultivator trading hub into a modern, regulated tourist market—especially known for Antiques Street.
• Chen Shu browses the street, amused by implausible claims and obvious fakes. Though genuine goods and Spell Artifacts are available, they are either overpriced or low quality.
• Ning Qing identifies a ring that truly is a Spatial Artifact. It is of little value and may carry some minor trouble, but could give Chen Shu a practical way to conceal his existing, far more powerful storage ability.
• Despite her warnings about the price and possible drawback, Chen Shu decides to return and bargain for it, also mentioning that another item caught his eye.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Shu remains playful, irreverent, and opportunistic. He jokes with Qingqing about bride prices and dowries, and hopes to make easy money by finding a bargain.
• Ning Qing offers a measured assessment of the ring: she can confirm its nature and foresee a vague risk, but not the details. Her caution contrasts with Chen Shu’s willingness to try it.
• Qingqing reacts to Chen Shu’s antics with deadpan disapproval. Briefly, her gaze turns strikingly cold and divine, hinting at a hidden, formidable side before she resumes her ordinary manner.
• Ning Qing’s younger sister stays quiet and observant, following the group and carrying the tired Peach.
• The Bodhisattva of Calamity’s attention suggests Chen Shu may have drawn the temple’s notice, though the reason is not explained.

Significant themes

• Ancient traditions in a modern world: A once-independent religious marketplace now operates under government rules and taxation.
• Appearance versus truth: Antiques Street is crowded with fabricated histories and exaggerated claims, while genuine items are difficult to identify and often costly.
• Caution and concealment: Chen Shu’s powerful hidden Crystal makes an ordinary Spatial Artifact useful as a cover, showing how secrecy shapes his choices.
• The uncertain value of risk: The ring may bring trouble, but Chen Shu is willing to accept a modest danger for its convenience and potential benefit.

Plot points and events

• Chen Shu and Ning Qing browse a night market selling supposed antiques and magical artifacts. Chen tries to bargain for a novelty teapot, but the seller refuses his low offers, and Chen leaves empty-handed.
• At another stall, a customer declines a ring after the seller claims it may be a valuable Spatial Artifact. Chen then bargains for it himself, ultimately paying 120,000 yuan. He borrows 20,000 from Ning Qing, promising to repay her from the sale proceeds.
• The seller uses similarly extravagant claims to pitch other items, but Chen recognizes the hype and challenges his stories.
• Xiaoxiao, holding the white cat, quietly listens to a vendor’s comic sales pitch about a Phoenix Feather, then walks away without buying anything.
• On the drive home, Chen impersonates Ning Qing in a text exchange with her friend Zhang Suannai. Zhang reveals she had planned to take Ning Qing to the same market and warns her about its dishonest sellers.
• Chen examines the ring and recognizes that its Restraining Seal is sophisticated. He decides to research how to break it.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu shows sharp bargaining instincts, a playful streak, and a genuine interest in the ring’s craftsmanship. Though cautious about the seller’s claims, he is willing to take a calculated risk—and sees deciphering the seal as a learning opportunity.
• Ning Qing remains composed and largely unimpressed by Chen’s antics. She lends him money and teases him about repayment, while their familiar banter shows their closeness.
• Xiaoxiao is observant but reserved, enjoying the performance without engaging with the seller or spending money.
• Zhang Suannai comes across as enthusiastic about the market but somewhat gullible: she claims to find treasures there while warning Ning Qing that it is full of scammers. Chen’s imitation of Ning Qing highlights his playful familiarity with her.

Significant themes

• Deception and discernment: Sellers inflate the value and history of their wares, while buyers must distinguish genuine worth from persuasive salesmanship.
• Risk and curiosity: Chen’s purchase balances skepticism with interest in the ring’s materials and mysterious seal.
• Affection expressed through teasing: Chen and Ning Qing’s joking negotiations and casual exchanges convey an easy, longstanding intimacy.

Plot points and events

• On the twentieth day of First Month, Ning Qing waits for flowers to arrive at the couple’s new Jade Capital home. She teases her chatty friend Zhang Suannai, who guesses their new roommate is a returning veteran; Ning Qing reveals the roommate is her younger sister, Xiaoxiao, and wins their bet.
• The flowers arrive. Ning Qing, Chen Shu, and Xiaoxiao unload them, then transplant about half into the courtyard. Ning Qing directs the work and prepares the soil; Chen Shu uses spells to dig holes quickly, while Xiaoxiao waters and Peach supervises.
• Once the courtyard work is finished, Chen Shu suggests planting cooking herbs in a remaining corner. The family then prepares to leave for Ling’an Academy, where Xiaoxiao will move into Ning Qing’s dorm and begin her new life in Jade Capital.

Character developments

• Ning Qing is practical and decisive about arranging her flowers, though she leaves the digging to Chen Shu. She is also playful with Zhang Suannai.
• Chen Shu uses his spellcraft thoughtfully, adapting it to avoid damaging the soil. He shows affection for Xiaoxiao while giving her a long, teasing list of instructions.
• Xiaoxiao is quiet and obedient, but her stern reaction when Chen Shu calls her a “little fool” reveals a growing willingness to push back. She looks forward to leaving home and spending time with her sister.
• Zhang Suannai is energetic and inquisitive, and readily commits to a confident—but wrong—guess.

Themes

• Family care and teasing: Chen Shu’s instructions mix sincere concern for Ning Qing and Xiaoxiao with jokes and playful manipulation.
• New beginnings: Xiaoxiao’s move to Jade Capital marks a transition toward independence and a new school life.
• Magic in everyday life: Spells make routine labor far faster, while the scene also emphasizes that skill and care matter—poorly used magic could harm the plants.
• Home and cultivation: Planting flowers and planning herbs turn the courtyard into a shared, practical living space.

Character interactions

• Ning Qing and Zhang Suannai banter over the identity of the new roommate, ending in a playful wager.
• Ning Qing directs Chen Shu’s work in the garden; he jokes about being assigned the hard labor but uses magic to help.
• Xiaoxiao assists with watering and listens to Chen Shu’s advice. His joking request that she spy on potential suitors and help him against Ning Qing highlights their affectionate, teasing bond.
• The family leaves together, with Chen Shu carrying Xiaoxiao’s heavy luggage.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing brings her sixteen-year-old younger sister, Ning Ji—who prefers to be called Xiaoxiao—to their women’s dormitory as Zhang Suannai’s long-awaited new roommate.
• Xiaoxiao explains that she has been admitted to Ling’an Academy through a special program and will study Artificial Life Engineering. She came early because she did not want to remain at home and needs to train for the Spell Principles Competition.
• Zhang Suannai questions Xiaoxiao at length, boasts about being the Sword Master’s final disciple, and is corrected when Xiaoxiao points out that “last” and “final” are redundant. Their first conversation ends with Suannai declaring both sisters annoying.
• At Yujing University, Chen Shu reunites with roommates Meng Chunqiu and Jiang Lai. Meng is impressed to learn Chen Shu made his cousin’s music and produced homemade cured meats; Jiang praises the Defensive Runes Chen Shu sent him.
• After dinner, Chen Shu examines a Space Stone ring whose complex Restraining Seal he plans to decipher. He also reviews his finances: he has redeemed an investment for a profit, but expensive Fourth-to-Fifth-Tier cultivation potions mean he still needs to save money. He hopes Chen Banxia’s research may eventually provide a more affordable option.
• Chen Shu records the ring’s seal structure until an alarm reminds him to leave for a class meeting.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao is quiet, literal, confident in her intelligence, and highly accomplished for her age. Her restrained curiosity contrasts with Zhang Suannai’s exuberant, intrusive friendliness.
• Zhang Suannai tries to impress Xiaoxiao with her own achievement, but Xiaoxiao’s matter-of-fact correction punctures her boastful confidence. Their teasing, awkward exchange establishes a comedic rivalry.
• Ning Qing remains calm and largely lets the two meet on their own, while her affectionate bond with Xiaoxiao is evident in their shared manner and Xiaoxiao’s decision to live with her.
• Chen Shu is modest—or playfully self-congratulatory—about his many skills, and his friends’ praise highlights how much talent he has kept under wraps. He is also practical and financially cautious, balancing ambitious study with the costs of advancement.

Significant themes

• Talent and humility: Xiaoxiao and Chen Shu are exceptionally capable, but their accomplishments provoke admiration, teasing, or self-consciousness from others.
• Money and ambition: Chen Shu’s plans for cultivation are constrained by the steep cost and limited effectiveness of higher-tier potions.
• Character through conversation: The chapter uses contrasting conversational styles—Suannai’s relentless enthusiasm, Xiaoxiao’s blunt literalness, and Chen Shu’s dry deflections—to build relationships and humor.

Plot and events

• At the start of the new semester, class monitor Wang Weixin hands out timetables and offers to collect everyone’s textbooks, earning the class’s praise.
• Class assistant Xia Yunyun welcomes the students back, reviews safety rules for cultivators, and announces the semester’s Martial Body Meet.
• The meet has separate general and Martial Arts College divisions, with both conventional sports and arena matches. The arena events bring together top fighters from several schools and are hosted at the National Defense Military Academy.
• Xia reveals that students in Chen Shu’s major count as part of the Martial Arts College division. Although they are first-years and not expected to win, she encourages them to enter; only participants may watch the arena matches.
• Chen Shu asks which schools are involved and learns that Yujing University, Ling’an, National Comprehensive University, the National Defense Military Academy, the Buddhist Academy, and the Daoist Academy will take part. The general division’s events begin around March, followed later in the semester by the Martial Arts College division and its arena rounds.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu approaches the announcement with curiosity rather than immediate enthusiasm. He doubts he can place against stronger competitors, but sees the meet as a rare chance to watch skilled fighters—and possibly encounter people connected to his online group. He considers which sects and individuals might compete.
• Xia Yunyun is cheerful and approachable at first, then takes on a responsible, practical role: she warns students against using spells in conflicts and urges them to participate.
• Wang Weixin shows his sociable, network-minded personality by personally handing out timetables and arranging to fetch the class’s books.
• The class responds enthusiastically to the prospect of exciting arena matches, then grows uneasy when it learns that its relatively inexperienced students will be grouped with Martial Arts College competitors.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Students are warned to control themselves, avoid escalating disputes, and understand the serious legal consequences of using spells.
• Competition and belonging: Chen Shu’s class occupies an awkward middle ground—too powerful for ordinary student events, yet inexperienced beside martial artists and advanced cultivators.
• State regulation of strength: Chen Shu sees the meet as evidence that the state permits elite cultivation in controlled settings while seeking to prevent uncontrolled proliferation of powerful fighters.
• Curiosity about the wider world: The interschool matches promise a glimpse of different cultivation traditions, sects, and combat styles.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Qing’s younger sister, Xiaoxiao, finds Zhang Suannai—their unusual roommate—watching cartoons and drinking tea in the living room. Suannai persuades Xiaoxiao to try her expensive “Wisdom Tea,” brewed in a teapot she claims once belonged to the Yu Dynasty’s founding emperor.
• Xiaoxiao is put off by the teapot’s design but admits the tea tastes good. She asks Suannai to save some for Ning Qing, then quietly confirms that she and her sister visited Wangxi Ancient Town.
• When Ning Qing returns, Suannai enthusiastically offers her tea and shows off the teapot. Ning Qing recognizes it and reacts with silent disbelief; she refuses the tea, leaving Suannai feeling insulted.
• Suannai turns to the Ancient Cultivator group chat, where members discuss the semester’s Martial Body Meet. She explains the competition format and tells a freshman, Greens and Cocoa, that non–Martial Arts College students may qualify for the Martial Arts Division through the Regular Division.
• Greens and Cocoa teases the group with news of a major discovery, then solicits red packets for the details. Several members send money and move to a private chat without Suannai.
• Frustrated at being excluded and ignored, Suannai threatens to expose everyone’s identities and beat them at the meet. Another member dryly asks whether anyone is even talking to her.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao remains quiet and cautious, but shows warmth toward Ning Qing by saving tea for her. She finds Suannai friendly, even as her eccentricities unsettle her.
• Zhang Suannai is generous and outgoing, but also boastful, meddlesome, and quick to take offense. She proudly shares her tea and teapot, gives the freshman competition advice, and then becomes comically furious when the group excludes her.
• Ning Qing remains reserved and unimpressed by Suannai’s enthusiasm. Her silent exchange with Xiaoxiao suggests they share an understanding about the teapot and Suannai’s antics.
• Greens and Cocoa emerges as a playful, information-gathering freshman who knows how to win the group’s attention—and money.
• The group-chat members tease Suannai, ignore her boasts, and reward Greens and Cocoa instead, turning Suannai into the chapter’s comic target.

Significant themes

• Social belonging and exclusion: Suannai wants to be included and recognized, but the group repeatedly sidelines her.
• Comedic contrast: Xiaoxiao’s quiet reserve, Ning Qing’s deadpan reactions, and Suannai’s exuberance create much of the humor.
• Competition and reputation: The Martial Body Meet sets up future rivalry, while Suannai’s confidence and threats hint at her ambition.
• Trust and appearances: Suannai’s extravagant claims about the “antique” teapot are met with skepticism, underscoring the gap between her self-assurance and others’ judgment.

Plot points and events

• In the group chat, Greens and Cocoa reveals that Grandma Always Says is a woman, then claims she is the roommate of a striking, cold-natured girl with Celestial blood. The reveal turns out to be a prank—or at least Grandma insists it is—though the group reacts with surprise and sends red packets.
• Grandma says she is close to uncovering Illumination at Night’s identity and demands payment. After the others send red packets, she calls him out for not contributing; he accuses her of scamming them.
• In person, Zhang Suannai decides to expose Greens and Cocoa at school the next day. She then persuades Xiaoxiao to drink more tea, despite Xiaoxiao’s fear that it is “idiot tea.” Zhang uses the moment to add Xiaoxiao on Feixin and asks her to watch for anyone following her sister. Xiaoxiao agrees without taking the warning seriously, convinced her sister is nearly invincible.
• On the morning of Chen Banxia’s birthday, Chen Shu goes to the Ancient Cultivation Building to research Swordlight Thunder. Both research labs are occupied, so he joins a student in one room and borrows the spiritual-power analyzer.
• While the analyzer runs, Chen Shu recognizes that the student is secretly developing Impact Art and offers advice. The student accepts his help, and Chen Shu guides him toward correcting the spell’s core Runes.
• Chen Shu prints the analyzer’s report, describing his dangerous research as an agricultural spell for cutting down trees. He then goes to the basement testing room to continue studying Swordlight Thunder.

Character developments

• Zhang Suannai is indignant about the chat prank but quickly shifts into a friendly, persuasive manner with Xiaoxiao. Her protective concern for Xiaoxiao’s sister is mixed with curiosity and a desire to investigate.
• Xiaoxiao remains trusting and somewhat literal. She complies with Zhang’s requests but dismisses the idea that her sister is in danger.
• Chen Shu shows confidence and generosity as a researcher: he works cautiously with a volatile spell and readily helps a junior student, while disguising the true purpose of his research.
• The junior student is secretive at first, but Chen Shu’s perceptiveness and guidance earn his trust and gratitude.

Significant themes

• Secrets and misdirection: The group chat’s identity claims, Zhang’s covert questioning, and Chen Shu’s false “agricultural spell” explanation all show characters concealing their true aims.
• Modern cultivation and research: Analyzers, simulators, Runes, and reinforced testing facilities blend magical practice with scientific methods.
• Mentorship and cooperation: Chen Shu uses his experience to help a younger researcher, even while pursuing his own unusual project.
• Protection and vulnerability: Zhang worries about a creep targeting the sisters, while Xiaoxiao’s confidence in her sister contrasts with the real uncertainty of the threat.

Character interactions

• The group members react to Greens and Cocoa’s sensational claims with disbelief, surprise, jokes, and red packets; Grandma and Illumination at Night trade accusations over the unpaid contribution.
• Zhang coaxingly offers Xiaoxiao tea, warns her to watch out for suspicious people, and adds her on Feixin. Xiaoxiao answers briefly and does not share Zhang’s concern.
• In the lab, Chen Shu negotiates for the analyzer, reassures the student about safety, then identifies and improves the student’s spell. The student, initially wary, comes to regard Chen Shu as a helpful senior.
• Chen Shu’s brief interaction with the student ends with mutual trust, while his own research continues privately in the basement.

Plot points and events

• At Ling’an Academy, Zhang Suannai searches student records for the mysterious group member “Greens and Cocoa.” Teacher Zhi Yan warns her not to invade students’ privacy, but Zhang insists she is looking for a friend.
• Zhang checks likely colleges, then visits five possible students’ dorms, bringing sunflowers as an excuse to meet them. None is Greens and Cocoa. She broadens her criteria and keeps searching, but still comes up empty.
• Hungry and frustrated, Zhang lets a coin decide whether to eat, then ignores the result and goes for noodles. In the group chat, she discovers Greens and Cocoa’s personal information was never supplied. When members complain that she took their money without producing results, Zhang tells them to treat it as a lesson. She and Greens and Cocoa trade insults, with Greens calmly eating sunflower seeds while Zhang vows to expose her.
• Zhang abandons the search for the day, partly because she needs to show Ning Qing’s younger sister around campus.
• Meanwhile, Chen Shu reviews possible business partnerships for his Rune designs. He worries that hiring outside engravers could lead to the designs leaking and damaging his income. He decides an exclusive, long-term arrangement with the Arena owner may be the simplest and most profitable option.
• Chen contacts Arena owner Li, who invites him to discuss the terms in person. Chen says he would rather negotiate online, and Li agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Suannai is persistent, boastful, and impulsive, but her search proves less effective than she expects. Her teasing, evasive attitude in the group chat contrasts with her determination to find Greens and Cocoa.
• Zhi Yan tries to keep Zhang from violating students’ privacy, but their exchange is familiar and combative; Zhang leans on her status as Zhi Yan’s martial aunt.
• Greens and Cocoa remains unidentified and unbothered by Zhang’s efforts, responding with playful detachment and challenging Zhang’s claims about her appearance.
• Chen Shu shows growing business sense: he weighs profit against effort, Rune leakage, and the difficulty of protecting his designs. He prefers convenience and security over taking on more demanding work.
• Chen and Li begin negotiating a partnership, with Chen setting a low-effort, online-first tone.

Significant themes

• Privacy versus curiosity: Zhang’s search is framed as friendly, but Zhi Yan’s warnings and the group’s gossip highlight the risks of digging into personal information.
• Effort, convenience, and ambition: Zhang’s energetic pursuit clashes with Chen’s preference for easy, secure income.
• Trust and control over creative work: Chen’s business dilemma centers on how to profit from his Rune designs while preventing them from spreading beyond his control.
• Comic self-confidence: Zhang’s grand claims and confident plans repeatedly collide with failure, while Greens and Cocoa’s calm responses amplify the humor.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu refuses to hand over the two Rune sets he made for Jiang Lai, since he wants to preserve his friend’s advantage. Instead, he offers Arena Li a new, market-beating set within a week.
• Arena Li explains that Jiang Lai is a promising fighter the arena hopes to develop, and agrees to Chen Shu’s proposal: Chen Shu supplies the Runes, and the arena pays after reviewing them. They decide not to bother with a contract, relying on mutual trust.
• Chen Shu remembers his sister Chen Banxia’s birthday and sends her 1,888.88, joking to himself that she’ll repay him on his own birthday.
• Classes begin. Chen Shu coasts through some lectures, but attends Elementary Cultivation and tells Teacher Fu he has reached the Fourth Tier. She gives him Fourth-Tier materials and orders him to register for the Martial Body Meet.
• Teacher Fu reviews Chen Shu’s academic record and realizes his cultivation talent is exceptional: he may reach the Fifth Tier well before graduation. His perfect score in Spell Principles also prompts her to ask another teacher about his ability.
• After class, Chen Shu meets Qingqing, who has been waiting outside the school. He takes her for pickled-cabbage pork trotters and checks how she is settling into her dorm. She describes a roommate’s help and her meals, including her beloved potatoes.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Shu shows loyalty to Jiang Lai, confidence in his Rune-design skills, and a casual preference for trust over paperwork. Though overwhelmed by study, cultivation, classes, and social obligations, he still makes time for Qingqing.
• Arena Li reveals his ambition for Jiang Lai and his willingness to work flexibly with Chen Shu. Their conversation is friendly and informal, with both teasing one another over messaging and voice-to-text.
• Teacher Fu shifts from treating Chen Shu as a student who can choose how to spend his class time to recognizing him as a rare talent. Her practical support includes providing advanced materials and urging him to compete.
• Qingqing remains quiet and earnest, but shows that she is adapting to dorm life. Her devotion to potatoes—and her certainty that she will grow as tall as her sister—becomes a gentle running joke between her and Chen Shu.

Significant themes

• Trust and loyalty: Chen Shu protects Jiang Lai’s competitive advantage, while he and Arena Li choose personal trust over formal contracts.
• Talent and ambition: Chen Shu’s rapid cultivation progress and academic strength suggest an unusually high ceiling, while Arena Li hopes Jiang Lai will rise through the arena ranks.
• Care expressed through everyday acts: Chen Shu looks after Qingqing by checking on her, sharing a meal, and encouraging her to eat nourishing food.
• Humor and warmth: Teasing, awkward message transcription, and Qingqing’s earnest food preferences soften the chapter’s focus on study and achievement.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Shu learns that the Martial Body Meet is approaching. He plans to enter the Arena Match and, for fun, hundred-meter archery, despite Jiang Lai assuming he is mainly an academic type.
• Zhang Suannai has spent three days searching Ling’an Academy’s talented students for the mysterious group member “Greens and Cocoa,” but has found no one who matches.
• In the group chat, Zhang concludes that Greens and Cocoa may not actually attend the academy. Greens and Cocoa counters that she does—and says she once saw Zhang at Misty Sky Building before classes began.
• Zhang is stunned by the revelation and suspects surveillance footage exposed her, though that explanation may also be wrong.
• She asks her roommate Ning Qing how to track someone watching through cameras. Ning refuses to investigate, but advises Zhang to “drink more Wisdom Tea,” hinting that she is pursuing the wrong lead.

Character developments

• Chen Shu casually reveals an unexpected willingness to compete in the Arena Match, while keeping his athletic plans lighthearted and recreational.
• Zhang Suannai is resourceful and confident in her investigative abilities, but her failed search leaves her confused and increasingly prone to elaborate theories.
• Ning Qing remains reserved and blunt, yet shows a small measure of consideration by offering Zhang an indirect hint.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Chen Shu’s scholarly image conceals his interest in fighting, while Zhang’s confident deductions repeatedly fail.
• Intelligence and self-deception: Zhang’s certainty that she is “smart” contrasts with her inability to recognize that she may be looking in the wrong place.
• Trust and credibility: The group members challenge one another’s claims, while Zhang insists on protecting her reputation by sharing her findings.

Character interactions

• Jiang Lai is surprised by Chen Shu’s Arena Match entry, since he thinks of Chen as a gentle intellectual rather than a strong fighter.
• The group chat teases Zhang and presses her to explain what she has discovered; Greens and Cocoa’s account leaves her flustered and skeptical.
• Zhang seeks help from Ning Qing, whose cool response—and indirect advice—offers little comfort but quietly points toward a different way of thinking.