Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• Xiao Yan arrives at the Mist Cloud Sect for his long-awaited Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran. He wants to restore his father’s and the Xiao Family’s honor after the humiliation of their broken engagement—not because he regrets ending it.
• Meng Chuan theatrically narrates Xiao Yan’s climb and entrance, while the Chat Group cheers him on. His excitement repeatedly turns into jokes and near-injuries for Yao Chen, whom he keeps trying to slap on the thigh.
• The sect’s grand elder is about to set limits on the duel, but Xiao Yan declares that life and death are up to fate. The fight begins, with Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran initially appearing evenly matched.
• Nalan Yanran uses her Wind Spirit Form-Splitting Sword, but Xiao Yan’s response is ineffective. The audience assumes she has the advantage when she reveals Dou Qi armor.
• Xiao Yan then manifests a sign of Dou Ling strength. The revelation shocks the crowd, who remember him as someone unable to gather Dou Qi three years earlier. Nalan Yanran is stunned, and Xiao Yan declares that he will return the humiliation she inflicted on his family.
• As the battle continues, Meng Chuan senses someone forcing their way through barriers in the sky, suggesting an unexpected arrival or threat.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan is confident and resolute. His goal is vindication for his family rather than personal attachment to Nalan Yanran; revealing his Dou Ling strength proves how dramatically he has advanced.
• Nalan Yanran begins as a poised, highly skilled opponent, but Xiao Yan’s unexpected strength unsettles her.
• Meng Chuan is an exuberant, over-the-top narrator whose commentary energizes the group but also makes him a comic nuisance to Yao Chen.
• Yao Chen remains patient and dryly humorous, repeatedly repairing or avoiding the damage caused by Meng Chuan’s enthusiasm.

Themes and interactions

• Honor and self-determination: Xiao Yan accepts the broken engagement but refuses to accept the way his father and family were treated.
• Perseverance and transformation: His rise from apparent failure to Dou Ling challenges the crowd’s assumptions about his potential.
• Spectacle and comedy: The solemn duel is paired with the Chat Group’s banter, especially Meng Chuan’s dramatic commentary and his running gag with Yao Chen.

Key plot points and events

• An Immortal-Grade Heavenly Sovereign descends from the Great Thousand World. Meng Chuan discovers the cause but falsely blames Yao Chen for disrupting fate, rather than admit that his own actions drew the newcomer.
• Yao Chen asks Meng Chuan to let the visitor confront Xiao Yan, then spare him and allow him to leave. He hopes the danger will give Xiao Yan some of the pressure and motivation he has missed.
• Xiao Yan defeats Nalan Yanran at the Mist Cloud Sect’s gathering. He burns the written repudiation, returns its meaning to her, and declares that their engagement is over. Though Nalan Yanran had sought freedom, his words and their finality leave her heartbroken.
• The newcomer reveals himself as the Western Heaven War Emperor. He asks for Xiao Yan, identifies him as the future Flame Emperor, and is surprised by how weak he seems in the present.
• The War Emperor demands that Xiao Yan give up his beautiful companions, including Xun’er, the Little Fairy Doctor, and Yun Yun. He also exposes Yun Shan hiding nearby, demonstrating his overwhelming power.
• Xiao Yan refuses and insults the War Emperor. The War Emperor decides to kill him before he can become the Flame Emperor and reaches to seize him. Xiao Yan defiantly calls for Meng Chuan to save him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows how far he has grown: he wins decisively, settles his engagement with Nalan Yanran, and stands up to a vastly stronger intruder rather than submit. His final appeal to Meng Chuan mixes bravado with reliance on his protector.
• Nalan Yanran is shaken by Xiao Yan’s strength and by the realization that Yan Xiao was Xiao Yan. She must face both her regret and the definitive end of their relationship.
• Yao Chen acts as a thoughtful mentor, recognizing that protecting Xiao Yan from every hardship may have deprived him of motivation. He trusts Meng Chuan to control the danger.
• Meng Chuan conceals his responsibility for the visitor’s arrival and plays along with Yao Chen’s plan, while observing the confrontation.
• The Western Heaven War Emperor is arrogant and possessive. His demand for Xiao Yan’s companions turns his curiosity about the future Flame Emperor into a direct threat.
• Yun Leng tries to stop Xiao Yan from leaving, but the War Emperor’s arrival immediately eclipses him. The War Emperor’s effortless defeat of Yun Shan reveals the gulf between his power and that of the local cultivators.

Significant themes

• Growth through adversity: Yao Chen believes hardship can restore the drive Xiao Yan has lacked.
• Choice and dignity: Xiao Yan’s breakup with Nalan Yanran acknowledges her right to choose while condemning the way she humiliated his family.
• Defiance against power: Xiao Yan refuses to surrender his loved ones even when faced with a seemingly unbeatable opponent.
• Fate and foreknowledge: The War Emperor’s knowledge of Xiao Yan’s future raises the question of whether he can—or should—prevent that future from unfolding.

Plot points and events

• The Western Heaven War Emperor moves to seize Xiao Yan, and his overwhelming presence leaves the people around him terrified. He declares himself invincible and dismisses everyone in the Lower Plane.
• Meng Chuan and Yao Chen arrive to protect Xiao Yan. Though Meng Chuan is constrained by the world’s backlash, he cripples the War Emperor’s arm with a finger.
• The War Emperor summons his Primordial War Emperor Dharmakaya and attacks with the Unbeatable War Spirit Cauldron. Yao Chen theatrically supplies a grandiose “voice-over,” but Meng Chuan actually destroys both the cauldron and Dharmakaya with a slap.
• Rather than kill his defeated opponent, Meng Chuan orders him to leave. The War Emperor obeys and departs without Xiao Yan’s wife.
• Meng Chuan warns Xiao Yan to be cautious when he eventually reaches the Great Thousand World, since he will not yet be strong enough to face the War Emperor. He also jokingly tells him to write his name backward.
• When questioned about why he had detained Xiao Yan, Yun Leng invents an excuse that the Mist Cloud Sect meant to apologize to the Xiao Family. Xiao Yan sees through the lie and leaves with Meng Chuan and Yao Chen.
• As they depart, Meng Chuan tells Xiao Yan he is a “True Dragon” destined for greatness, while cautioning him against arrogance.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan gains vindication and satisfaction as the arrogant War Emperor is defeated. He recognizes the difference between his own power and Meng Chuan’s, takes Meng Chuan’s warning seriously, and leaves with renewed confidence.
• Meng Chuan demonstrates immense power despite being limited by backlash from the world. He protects Xiao Yan, spares the War Emperor, and balances serious advice with teasing humor.
• Yao Chen remains a comic, provocative presence: he encourages the confrontation and delivers a falsely heroic narration, but cannot fight the War Emperor himself.
• The Western Heaven War Emperor goes from supreme arrogance to shock and humiliation, then retreats rather than risk his life.
• Yun Leng is exposed as dishonest when he tries to disguise his earlier intent to detain Xiao Yan.
• Nalan Yanran, watching Xiao Yan leave, reflects on how far he has changed since their past encounter.

Significant themes

• Power and perspective: The War Emperor’s status means little against Meng Chuan’s vastly greater strength, while Xiao Yan is reminded that he still has far to go.
• Humility alongside ambition: Xiao Yan is encouraged to pursue greatness without becoming arrogant or complacent.
• Reversal and vindication: The once-disparaged Xiao Yan now stands above those who had looked down on him.
• Comedy amid spectacle: Yao Chen’s mock-heroic narration, Meng Chuan’s dry retorts, and the backward-name joke undercut the epic battle’s grandiosity.

Plot points and events

• After leaving Cloud Mist Mountain, Meng Chuan remains in the Battle Through the Heavens world. Its laws strengthen his cultivation, help him form several Other Selves, and let him wield power over the world comparable to a Legend’s control of the Real World. He also teaches Yao Chen some alchemy before departing, leaving Divine Sense copies behind to continue their work.
• Returning to Shrouding the Heavens after 8,500 years, Meng Chuan reflects that power need not make someone cold or emotionless. He has deliberately held on to his human feelings since attaining Emperorhood.
• Meng Chuan meets Gu Tianshu, a Great Sage nearing the Quasi-Emperor realm. Gu argues that pursuing the Dao should not mean becoming heartless and cites the Heavenly Emperor as proof. Unaware that he is speaking to Meng Chuan himself, Gu insists he has never met the Heavenly Emperor and leaves after Meng Chuan teases him.
• The conversation gives Meng Chuan ideas for an event that will bring the Heavenly Emperor and Dao Realm Emperors closer to the people. He also checks on Wushi and learns that the Emperor has about 5,000 years left in his second life, prompting Meng Chuan to anticipate a future confrontation between Wushi and the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
• In the group chat, Klein asks for a Clown Potion. Meng Chuan gives it to him after learning that the Lifetime Method has helped him digest his Seer Potion faster than expected.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan remains powerful but consciously preserves his emotions and sense of humor. His encounter with Gu Tianshu inspires him to make the Dao Realm more accessible to ordinary people.
• Gu Tianshu shows strong convictions about compassion and the proper path of cultivation. His changed circumstances have brought him close to Quasi-Emperor status, far beyond the point he occupied in the original story. He hopes someday to meet the Heavenly Emperor.
• Klein has advanced quickly by combining the Lifetime Method with the Acting Method. Encouraged by Meng Chuan and other group members, he is ready to become a Clown.
• Wushi is approaching the end of his long second life, while the revived Emperors continue training to keep pace with one another.

Significant themes

• Power and humanity: Great strength need not erase emotion; preserving one’s humanity can be part of staying true to oneself.
• Growth and changed fate: The Dao Realm and the Lifetime Method alter the paths of Gu Tianshu and Klein, showing how new opportunities can break from established destinies.
• Connection across distance and time: Meng Chuan’s planned public event reflects his wish to bridge the gap between the powerful and ordinary people, while the group chat links characters living in different worlds and eras.

Plot points and events

• Inspired by Gu Tianshu, Meng Chuan creates the Number One Cultivator Tournament, open to everyone in the Universe. It will feature contests in cultivation and other disciplines, such as alchemy and formations, to encourage well-rounded development.
• The tournament will take place in the real Great Universe, with Meng Chuan extending the Dao Realm into another world. Its top prize is time spent with the Heavenly Emperor and personal guidance from him.
• When the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body asks to compete, Meng Chuan says he may—but his opponents will be the emperors. The tournament becomes an opportunity for the Dao Realm Emperors to test their Daos in direct combat and vie for the title of greatest emperor.
• Asked whether he will compete, Meng Chuan declares, “I’m above the heavens.” The emperors abandon their plans to challenge him and quietly disperse.
• Ruthless Great Emperor asks where she stands in relation to Meng Chuan. He says she is at his height; she insists she is below him, but only she is close enough to be there.
• Ruthless asks to fight Meng Chuan, knowing she cannot win but wanting to test herself. He suggests an opponent at roughly the same stage of the Red Dust Immortal Path: Soy Sauce Immortal.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan shows his characteristic confidence and humor. His tournament idea also reflects a broader interest in cultivation beyond combat.
• The emperors shift from calm spectators to eager rivals when offered a chance to test themselves against one another. Meng Chuan’s boast quickly deflates their enthusiasm for competing against him.
• Ruthless Great Emperor reveals her pride and her isolation: she has outgrown the other emperors but still sees Meng Chuan as her sole superior. Her request for a worthy opponent shows her hunger to advance through battle.
• The banter between Meng Chuan and Ruthless briefly takes on an unintended suggestive double meaning, which Meng Chuan notices but wisely leaves unspoken.

Significant themes

• Competition as cultivation: Fighting worthy opponents is presented as a way to test and refine one’s Dao.
• The loneliness of the summit: Ruthless has no equal among the emperors, while Meng Chuan stands beyond even her.
• Ambition and humility: The tournament inspires the emperors to pursue distinction, but Meng Chuan’s overwhelming status makes clear how far above them he remains.
• Well-rounded growth: The tournament values character, body, mind, and aesthetics, not just combat strength.

Key plot points

• Meng Chuan and Ruthless discuss a neighboring “Strange World,” a powerful realm with a small supply of Longevity Substance. It was created as a way station between their world and the damaged Immortal Domain, and was meant to help repair the latter.
• Meng Chuan explains that the nearby Immortal Domain is only a fragment of the once-whole realm, shattered in a battle involving the Desolate Heaven Emperor. It has no true Immortals, despite its residents’ extraordinary lifespans.
• Meng Chuan expands the Dao Realm to encompass the Strange World and announces a cross-world Number One Cultivator Tournament, presenting it as an opportunity for friendly exchange.
• Soy Sauce Immortal, the Strange World’s strongest cultivator, rejects the invitation and challenges Meng Chuan. Meng Chuan effortlessly strikes him down with a giant palm, silencing the realm.
• Meng Chuan makes clear that participation is not optional: he has come to inform them, not ask permission. Contestants who do well will gain broader access to the Dao Realm, while the winner will receive a chance to become an Immortal.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan balances a solemn public manner with private amusement at the name “Soy Sauce Immortal.” He is confident and authoritative, using the tournament both to assert control over the Strange World and to draw its inhabitants into the Dao Realm.
• Ruthless listens, senses the damaged Immortal Domain, and accepts Meng Chuan’s explanation. She is perceptive and composed, and accompanies him as he takes action.
• Soy Sauce Immortal begins arrogant, convinced that his world’s strength makes him superior to a supposedly weak Dharma-Ending world. His confidence collapses when Meng Chuan defeats him instantly.
• The Strange World’s inhabitants move from confusion and skepticism to stunned silence after witnessing the gap between their strongest cultivator and Meng Chuan.

Significant themes

• Power and perspective: Soy Sauce Immortal’s “well” metaphor is turned against him when he discovers that his world is not the highest power.
• Authority versus consent: Meng Chuan frames the event as an invitation but ultimately dictates the terms.
• Immortality and the broken Immortal Domain: Longevity is not the same as true immortality, and the realm once associated with immortals is damaged and empty of them.
• Ambition and incentives: The tournament’s promised rewards encourage participation, while access to the Dao Realm offers both practical benefits and a way for Meng Chuan to gather power of thought.

Plot and events

• Meng Chuan leaves the Strange World with Ruthless after defeating its strongest fighter. The locals speculate that he is an Immortal and begin hoping that immortality may be possible.
• Back in the Dao Realm, Meng Chuan gathers everyone and livestreams the rules for the World’s Greatest Cultivator Tournament. He rejects the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body’s suggestion of one enormous brawl and organizes divisions by cultivation realm, including separate Immortal Platform heavens, Quasi-Emperors, and Great Emperors. He also creates groups for crafts such as alchemy and formations.
• While discussing the rules, Meng Chuan reflects on Chiyou’s unexpectedly strong Sacred Body blood. He discovers that Chiyou inherited faint Sacred Body blood from his father, the Jiuli Great Emperor, and that it became much stronger after Chiyou’s rebirth.
• Meng Chuan rejects several proposals, including team matches for Great Emperors and Meng Qi’s suggested prize titles. He finishes the announcement by claiming the right to interpret the tournament rules.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan shows both irritation and enthusiasm: he resents the Sacred Body lineage’s influence, but enjoys organizing the tournament and managing its many participants.
• The Great Accomplishment Sacred Body and Chiyou repeatedly agree with each other, prompting Meng Chuan to suspect they are conspiring together. Meng Qi joins their apparent chorus in the livestream, making Meng Chuan feel outnumbered.
• Meng Qi complains that Meng Chuan only yells at him. His wife, Gu Xiaosang, catches him doing so and twists his ear; Meng Qi saves face by claiming the person who angered him was a woman.
• Wushi asks about tournament divisions. His dog, Little Black, has become a Dao Realm god and serves as a gate lord, though he jokingly calls himself the Heavenly Emperor’s watchdog.
• Dugu Baitian asks to enter the tournament, and Meng Chuan promises to arrange one for him if the opportunity arises.

Themes

• Cultivation and opportunity: The Dao Realm makes advancement easier, giving more people time to pursue crafts and other interests.
• Power and fairness: The tournament’s many divisions aim to give cultivators across a wide range of levels a chance to compete.
• Comedic authority and camaraderie: Meng Chuan’s attempts to impose order are continually met with jokes, suggestions, and teasing from those around him.

Chapter summary

The Heavenly Emperor announces the rules for the Number One Cultivator Tournament, stirring excitement across the Universe. The tournament offers valuable rewards, while its top title is widely believed to guarantee the winner an Emperor’s position through the Heavenly Emperor’s guidance. A separate Great Emperor division is reserved for those who have already achieved Alternative Dao Attainment.
Ji Zi, son of the Void Emperor, emerges from seclusion after thousands of years. Though now an Alternative Dao Attainment expert, he is old and gray. When the Ji Family head suggests using the family’s connections to secure Ji Zi entry into the Dao Realm without competing, Ji Zi rejects the idea. He insists that the Dao Realm belongs to the Heavenly Emperor, not the Ji Family, and warns the family head to curb relatives who hope to exploit their influence for immortality. Ji Zi’s loyalty reflects his respect for the Heavenly Emperor, who gave opportunities to his father and Ji Lianxing.
The tournament’s approach heightens anticipation across the Universe. Three days before it begins, residents of the Strange World are allowed to enter the Dao Realm. They arrive in the Divine City as clearly marked “Trial Users,” with some features restricted until the competition ends. The newcomers are astonished by the Dao Realm’s realism, its ability to let them use their full power, and the effortless connection it creates between two otherwise distant worlds. They are also surprised to find powerful cultivators in a universe they had assumed was in decline.
Meng Chuan watches the influx and privately jokes about turning the experience into a novel. Meanwhile, the established residents regard the newcomers with amusement, thinking they behave like people who have never seen the world.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Zi demonstrates firm principles and independence. He refuses to let family status substitute for merit, while reaffirming the Heavenly Emperor’s authority.
• The Ji Family head is tempted by the possibility of securing immortality for his relatives, but Ji Zi’s rebuke leaves him chastened.
• Meng Chuan remains confident and playful, overseeing the newcomers’ arrival without concern.
• The Strange World cultivators move from anticipation to awe as they encounter the Dao Realm and its inhabitants.
• The two groups meet with mutual curiosity: the newcomers marvel at the Dao Realm, while its residents find the newcomers’ wonder amusing.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and rightful authority: Ji Zi rejects the idea that family connections grant special claims over the Dao Realm.
• Merit versus privilege: The tournament provides a public path to recognition and advancement rather than relying on influence.
• Immortality and ambition: The chance to live forever motivates both the tournament hopefuls and the Ji Family’s relatives.
• Worldview and discovery: The Strange World cultivators’ amazement—and the locals’ amused response—highlights how perspective shapes one’s sense of what is extraordinary.

Key plot points and events

• Visitors from the Strange World explore the Myriad Heavens Tower and other institutions, stunned that powerful scriptures, immortal arts, and training resources are so widely available.
• They discover that even ranked prodigies such as Ji Zi have mastered many Great Emperor and Ancient Emperor scriptures and several immortal arts. Their confidence in surpassing everyone and earning immortality collapses; they realize they are newcomers from a much less developed world.
• Gu Tianshu reassures them that Meng Chuan welcomes the Ten Thousand Worlds into the Dao Realm, provided they behave well and contribute.
• Elsewhere, the Dark Faction invades the Land of Light to seize Daigu, whom they consider a powerful fighter and researcher suited to lead them. They demand that the Ultramen hand him over.
• Daigu refuses to leave, but a Dark Faction leader threatens his homeland. Daigu responds with overwhelming force, defeating the leaders and monsters without transforming.
• The group realizes that Daigu’s displayed level belongs to his own strength, not his transformed form. Meng Chuan concludes that the times—and their expectations of Daigu—have changed.

Character developments and interactions

• The Strange World’s Supremes move from arrogance to humility as they compare their world’s scarcity of high-level techniques with the Tower’s abundance. They become curious about meeting Meng Chuan, whose achievements transformed their world.
• Gu Tianshu acts as a welcoming intermediary, encouraging the newcomers to join the Dao Realm.
• Daigu shows that he is far more than a researcher or a transformed fighter: he is independently powerful and fiercely protective of his homeland. He intervenes when the two factions’ battle threatens to spiral out of control.
• Meng Chuan watches both developments with amusement, teasing Daigu through the group chat before being shocked by his strength. Other chat members share his surprise.
• The Ultramen urge their side to protect Daigu, while the Dark Faction first tries to recruit him and then threatens his homeland—an approach that provokes his attack.

Significant themes

• Changing standards of power: The Strange World’s elites discover that what they considered rare treasures are commonplace elsewhere; Daigu likewise overturns the assumption that his strength depends on transforming.
• Humility and adaptation: Encountering a broader world forces the newcomers to reassess their status and ambitions.
• Loyalty and protection: Daigu’s commitment to the Land of Light—and especially his refusal to let the Dark Faction threaten his homeland—drives his decisive response.
• Knowledge and power: The Tower’s extensive scriptures and Daigu’s blend of martial arts, spells, and other techniques illustrate how access to knowledge can reshape what people are capable of.

Key events

• The Number One Cultivator Tournament begins with a deliberately brief announcement from Meng Chuan, who skips the customary long opening speech.
• Across the lower cultivation divisions—from Sea of Bitterness through Half-Step Great Power—the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands win every first-place position. Their victories continue in the higher combat divisions, and Gu Tianshu takes first place among Great Sages.
• At the Great Power level, Meng Chuan introduces a test of the Dao using a stele containing the Heavenly Dao. The contest becomes both a competition and a rare opportunity for insight.
• From the Saint division onward, contestants also demonstrate skills such as pill refining and formation-making. The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands display far greater mastery, and the Golden Crow Clan wins the pill-refining contest.
• With most events concluded, anticipation builds for the tournament’s final and most prestigious contest: the Supreme battle.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan oversees the tournament with confidence, knowing that his world’s deeper foundations and stronger cultivation resources give it a decisive advantage. His tournament design also creates opportunities for participants, not just winners.
• Gu Tianshu’s Great Sage victory underscores the growing status of independent cultivators in the Dao Realm.
• Jade Lake produces the Great Power champion, an Innate Dao Embryo. Meng Chuan is surprised—and amused—that the Purple Mansion Holy Land still has not found one despite his having left it scriptures.
• Soy Sauce Immortal watches cautiously. He becomes increasingly alarmed by what he learns, yet sees Meng Chuan as potentially trustworthy and hopes to benefit from that impression.
• The Strange World’s cultivators move from hopeful rivalry to despair and admiration as they witness their opponents’ techniques and accomplishments. Many wonder why their own world lacks a figure like Meng Chuan.

Significant themes

• Unequal foundations: The tournament exposes the gulf between the worlds in talent, techniques, physiques, resources, and accumulated knowledge.
• Knowledge as power: The Dao Realm’s open sharing of cultivation methods and practical skills has helped the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands cultivate extraordinary strength.
• Competition and opportunity: Meng Chuan’s contests measure ability but also offer insight into the Heavenly Dao and may alter participants’ futures.
• Leadership and legacy: The Strange World increasingly recognizes Meng Chuan not only as a powerful cultivator, but as the source of advances in medicine, formations, and cultivation itself.

Key events

• The Quasi-Emperor contests conclude with the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands once again dominating the Strange World’s Supremes. The final matches feature formidable Ninth-Heaven Quasi-Emperors, whose strength reflects generations of accumulated teachings and original cultivation paths.
• Meng Chuan reassures Shennong that his lesser strength in an earlier age was a matter of circumstance. The Great Accomplishment Sacred Body, Gu Cang, jokes that he might have become Heavenly Emperor if born later, prompting Meng Chuan’s private hostility.
• Meng Chuan asks Ji Zi if he can take first place among the Supremes. Ji Zi confidently says the Dao Realm holds the top position, crediting the world that gave him access to the emperors’ scriptures.
• The gathering celebrates the Dao Realm’s immense contribution to cultivation: tens of thousands of years of shared knowledge have created a lasting Golden Age, strong enough that the Universe could now resist another Dark Turmoil.
• A Quasi-Emperor wins the pill-refining contest: Nangong Zhi, whom Meng Chuan recognizes as likely an ancestor of the later Great Immortal Nangong.
• The Supreme contests begin. Renowned Alternative Dao Attainers arrive, including Dragon Proud Heaven and Supreme Good Times—names that leave Meng Chuan bemused. The Strange World’s entrants receive little recognition, until a green-haired Supreme restores their confidence.
• The final contestant emerges from the Dao Realm Emperors’ area. Since only the Heavenly Emperor and the emperors may enter it, his appearance makes the audience suspect the tournament is rigged. The chapter ends with angry spectators demanding their money back.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan takes pride in the Dao Realm’s progress and in Ji Zi, whom he regards as one of its own. His amusement at the contestants’ grandiose names contrasts with his irritation at Gu Cang and Chiyou’s teasing.
• Ji Zi displays confidence and loyalty to the Dao Realm, while understanding that Gu Cang and Chiyou’s mockery is playful rather than hostile.
• Gu Cang and Chiyou act as comic provocateurs, joking that Ji Zi is currying favor with Meng Chuan. Their banter briefly embarrasses the gathered emperors before Meng Chuan silences them.
• Shennong reflects on how much stronger the current generation is than the one in which he competed.
• Nangong Zhi stands out as an independent cultivator whose achievement hints at a notable lineage spanning later eras.

Significant themes

• Collective progress: The Dao Realm accelerates cultivation by allowing knowledge and ideas to circulate, transforming the Universe into a Golden Age.
• Historical circumstance and legacy: Greatness depends partly on the era one is born into, while the impact of one generation can shape those that follow.
• Humor amid grandeur: The spectacle of peerless fighters is repeatedly undercut by irreverent banter, odd titles, and the crowd’s suspicion that the final event is unfair.

Plot points and events

• Ji Zi wins the Supreme division of the Number One Cultivator Tournament, becoming “number one under heaven.” The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands celebrate, while the Strange World protests that Ji Zi’s connection to the Heavenly Emperor made the contest unfair.
• Huang Tian and Divine Mark confront the protesters. When they threaten to reject the results and boycott the Dao Realm unless there is a rematch, the two eliminate the leading agitators—both their Dao Realm forms and their distant true bodies.
• Wushi offers the remaining Strange World competitors a choice: continue or withdraw permanently from the Dao Realm. None withdraws.
• Wushi wins the emperors’ battle, though it does not affect the tournament standings, leaving Ji Zi as the overall top-ranked cultivator.
• As the final match begins, Soy Sauce Immortal challenges Meng Chuan. Ruthless is set to face him, but Meng Chuan first whispers something to her. When the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body asks what he said, Meng Chuan brushes him off.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Zi confirms his formidable reputation by winning the Supreme division.
• The Strange World’s competitors shift from disappointment to collective indignation, using the alleged unfairness to demand a rematch; their protest collapses when they realize they have no leverage.
• Huang Tian and Divine Mark respond with blunt, overwhelming force, showing their contempt for challenges to the tournament’s legitimacy.
• Wushi reveals a sharper, more sardonic side beneath his usually gentle manner. He first mocks the protesters, then calmly makes clear that participation in the Dao Realm is conditional.
• Meng Chuan remains detached from the uproar and quietly prepares Ruthless for her match. His teasing dismissal of the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body adds humor before the final bout.
• Ruthless accepts Meng Chuan’s private instruction and proceeds to face Soy Sauce Immortal, whose challenge sets up the tournament’s concluding match.

Significant themes

• Worldly solidarity: The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands put unity above rivalries between their own contestants when faced with another world.
• Power and legitimacy: The tournament’s authority rests not only on its rules but on the immense power of its organizers, making protest ineffective.
• Fairness versus entitlement: The Strange World calls the result unfair, but its demand for a rematch appears self-serving because it disputes only the division it lost.
• Benevolence backed by force: The Heavenly Emperor’s reputation for virtue reassures the outsiders, yet the response to their leaders shows that tolerance has limits.
• Humor and irony: The chapter punctures the protesters’ bravado and closes on Meng Chuan’s playful evasion.

Key plot points

• The Female Emperor Ruthless enters the arena to face Soy Sauce Immortal, the Strange World’s strongest fighter. She overwhelms him with seemingly simple palm strikes, revealing a vast gap in their power.
• Ruthless escalates the battle with her perfected Flying Immortal Light and kills Soy Sauce Immortal, scattering his soul. His death is the tournament’s first and shocks both worlds.
• When asked why she killed him, Ruthless answers, “He deserved to die.” Meng Chuan then reveals images proving Soy Sauce Immortal had controlled Supreme Beings and sent them to provoke trouble.
• Soy Sauce Immortal had been testing Meng Chuan, mistaking his generosity for weakness. Meng Chuan reassures the Strange World’s people that they will gain access to the Dao Realm and will not be deliberately targeted.
• The tournament moves toward its main reward: Meng Chuan will name the victors, and the Heavenly Dao will grant them blessings.

Character developments and interactions

• Ruthless displays overwhelming strength and her characteristic reserve. She acts on Meng Chuan’s judgment without explanation, then briefly clarifies her decision.
• Soy Sauce Immortal begins confident and suspicious of Meng Chuan’s kindness, but Ruthless’s superiority forces him to admit defeat. His scheme is exposed, and his death reveals the cost of misjudging both her power and Meng Chuan’s intentions.
• Meng Chuan guides events from outside the fight. He recognizes Soy Sauce Immortal’s manipulation, directs Ruthless to kill him, and afterward balances punishment with reassurance for the Strange World.
• The Strange World’s cultivators lose their confidence after their strongest fighter falls and his deception is exposed, but the promise of Dao Realm access partly restores their spirits.

Significant themes

• Kindness is not weakness: Soy Sauce Immortal mistakes Meng Chuan’s generosity for an opportunity to exploit him.
• Power and humility: The Strange World’s long history does not guarantee superiority; its strongest fighter is decisively outmatched.
• Justice and trust: Ruthless accepts Meng Chuan’s judgment, while the revealed evidence explains why Soy Sauce Immortal was considered deserving of death.
• Integration through challenge: The tournament is meant to temper the Strange World’s pride and help its people join the wider community.

Key plot points and events

• Meng Chuan emerges from his viewing space at the end of the Number One Cultivator Tournament and names Ji Zi Number One Under Heaven. Heaven and earth respond to his decree with immense Fortune, which Meng Chuan partly shares with the emperors.
• He names the tournament’s other winners as well, including the Queen Mother of the West—whose talent was cultivated by Wushi—as the Yao Emperor. He also gives Gu Tianshu a teasing reminder of their earlier encounter, joking about how Gu once lectured him.
• The tournament establishes a lasting system: it will be held every ten thousand years, titles will expire after that span, and a new Number One Under Heaven Rankings list is added to the Dao Rankings. Meng Chuan creates small worlds to serve as future venues.
• In the chat group, Bibi Dong announces that she has Severed the Dao and that Tang San has been born. Meng Chuan wonders whether Tang San’s fate may now lead him to serve Bibi Dong rather than follow his familiar future.
• Klein reports that he has become a Clown and asks Meng Chuan for help making his identity as the Fool convincing within Source Castle. Meng Chuan sends him a wisp of Grey Mist, which merges with Klein and protects him from scrutiny.
• Audrey accidentally looks at Klein while he carries the Grey Mist’s power and suffers bloody tears. Klein realizes the gift is real and apparently distinguishes friend from foe. He resumes his performance as the Fool, while Meng Qi grumbles that he “was here first.”

Character developments

• Meng Chuan acts as both revered ruler and playful friend: he distributes Fortune, establishes institutions for future cultivators, and casually assists Klein.
• Ji Zi receives a powerful public honor and a vast blessing, though he and the other emperors are now too advanced for worldly Fortune to matter much.
• Gu Tianshu is embarrassed when Meng Chuan recalls their previous meeting, while Meng Chuan clearly enjoys teasing his loyal admirer.
• Bibi Dong has reached a new cultivation level and is connected to Tang San’s early life as a potential patron.
• Klein grows more confident in his role as the Fool and receives genuine supernatural protection from Meng Chuan.
• Audrey learns firsthand that Klein’s presence can be dangerous to behold; she and Alger increasingly feel involved in the Tarot Club.

Significant themes

• Authority and Fortune: Meng Chuan’s words can reshape reality, while his decree elevates Ji Zi and influences the world’s order.
• Legacy and institutional change: The tournament, titles, rankings, and venues establish a system meant to shape generations of cultivators.
• Fate and altered futures: Tang San’s birth raises the possibility that familiar destinies may change under Bibi Dong’s influence.
• Performance and genuine power: Klein’s “Fool” persona is a performance, but Meng Chuan’s gift makes its supernatural foundation real.
• Humor amid overwhelming power: The chapter contrasts cosmic authority with teasing banter, group-chat squabbles, and awkward social moments.

Character interactions

• Meng Chuan honors Ji Zi, rewards the tournament winners, and playfully needles Gu Tianshu.
• Bibi Dong’s news prompts jokes from Lu Mingfei and Meng Qi, irritating her; Meng Chuan instead considers its implications for Tang San’s future.
• Klein asks Meng Chuan for help, and Meng Chuan’s Grey Mist inadvertently injures Audrey when she looks at Klein. Klein reassures her, then returns to the Tarot Club performance.
• Meng Qi’s jealousy over Klein receiving Meng Chuan’s attention remains comic and unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Han Li’s observation period ends, and the group unanimously votes to make him a full member. Though he had kept his distance at first, his long period of watching the group convinced him that its members meant him no harm.
• Han Li sends a generous welcome red packet. Members receive valuable cultivation resources, while Daigu’s prize—a Nascent Soul—leads to a comic misunderstanding with his wife, Lina.
• Han Li reflects that the group’s relaxed atmosphere contrasts sharply with the scheming Cultivation World. With the group’s resources and teachings, he has advanced to Late Nascent Soul far faster than he did in his original life, while keeping his strength largely secret.
• Lu Mingfei uploads Han Li’s life record as a Fate Instance. Han Li watches his own life, edits out material he does not want shared, then opens the edited version to the group. He also begins viewing other members’ records.
• The group receives another newcomer-voting notice. A video shows a silver-armored man attacking his nephew, suppressing his sister, and killing a woman who intervenes. Meng Chuan recognizes him, and Bibi Dong angrily condemns him before the vote.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Li moves from cautious observer to willing participant. He trusts the group enough to share his story, though he worries its members’ habits may rub off on him.
• The group welcomes Han Li warmly, teasing him while appreciating his gifts. Daigu’s Nascent Soul prize becomes a running joke, and Klein’s overly sweet greeting makes everyone recoil.
• Meng Chuan comments on Han Li’s progress and recognizes the next prospective member from the video.
• Bibi Dong reacts with strong moral outrage to the newcomer’s cruelty. Meng Qi, meanwhile, is playfully mocked by Meng Chuan, Yao Chen, and Lu Mingfei.

Significant themes

• Trust and belonging: Han Li’s cautious observation gradually gives way to acceptance and openness.
• Fate and choice: Seeing his own life recorded lets Han Li confront his past, while editing and sharing the record lets him decide what others may know.
• Transformation through opportunity: Cross-world resources have dramatically accelerated Han Li’s cultivation and changed his prospects.
• Comedy amid danger: The group’s teasing and domestic jokes contrast with the brutality revealed in the next newcomer’s video.

Key plot points and events

• The Chat Group presents Yang Jian, labeled “I Really Am a Great Villain,” and his nephew Chen Xiang, “Reckless Logger,” as rival candidates—but only one person from each world can join.
• Yang Jian worries that Chen Xiang is rushing off to rescue his mother before he is ready. Though he has long been drafting proposals to reform the unjust Heavenly Rules, he hopes his nephew might help bring about change.
• Both Yang Jian and Chen Xiang receive notice that they are being considered for the group. Yang Jian reacts with alarm at the unseen voice in his mind; Chen Xiang tumbles off a rock in surprise and suspects an immortal or monster.
• Meng Chuan explains the candidates’ real stories. Yang Jian is no villain: he saved the Dragon Race princess and staged events to push Chen Xiang to understand the danger and seriousness of his mission. Chen Xiang eventually matures, rescues his mother, and helps establish the New Heavenly Rules.
• Meng Qi has already voted for Yang Jian. The others must choose between two heroes whose paths differ.

Character development

• Yang Jian is a powerful, strategic reformer who balances concern for his nephew with a determination to change Heaven’s laws. His harsh methods come from fear that Chen Xiang will treat a perilous struggle lightly.
• Chen Xiang begins as an impatient, headstrong young man who wants to act independently. Though he makes mistakes and is distracted by romance, he grows into a responsible hero.
• Meng Chuan holds back judgment until members have context, then gives a balanced explanation of both candidates.
• Meng Qi quickly and firmly supports Yang Jian.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Yang Jian’s “villain” label conceals a heroic purpose.
• Generational responsibility: Yang Jian tries to prepare Chen Xiang for a struggle whose consequences could be fatal.
• Reform and sacrifice: Changing an unjust system requires more than idealism; it demands preparation, resolve, and risk.
• Growth through mistakes: Chen Xiang’s early immaturity does not define him; he develops into someone capable of carrying responsibility.

Character interactions

• Yang Jian’s relationship with Chen Xiang is protective but tense: he restrains his nephew, then reluctantly allows him to go, and later uses painful deception to toughen him.
• Chen Xiang resents the adults who hold him back, while Yang Jian worries that he is unprepared for the dangers ahead.
• Meng Chuan’s explanation changes the group’s view of Yang Jian and clarifies Chen Xiang’s eventual growth, but it leaves members torn over which candidate deserves the invitation.

Plot points and events

• Chen Xiang briefly receives a notice that he has been rejected from the Chat Group, but the focus shifts to a new arrival: Yang Jian, the Erlang Shen known as the Holy Manifestation True Lord. The group welcomes him as a full member.
• Yang Jian’s admission is decisive: Meng Qi, Klein, Meng Chuan, Dugu Baitian, Zhang Sanfeng, Yao Chen, Xiao Yan, Bibi Dong, and Fei Peng support him, and the remaining members follow once it is clear the vote is settled.
• Yang Jian discovers that his thoughts appear directly in the group chat and learns that members come from different worlds. He notices the displayed levels, including those of the powerful Meng Chuan and Fei Peng, and is surprised that Fei Peng is a Heavenly Emperor.
• Fei Peng challenges Yang Jian to spar, prompting Meng Chuan to remind him to behave like a Heavenly Emperor. The members also joke about the striking looks of Meng Chuan, Fei Peng, and Yang Jian.
• Lu Mingfei and Klein compete to upload Yang Jian’s Fate Instance. Lu Mingfei uploads two Lotus Lantern memory records, but the system rejects them as incomplete.
• Meng Chuan realizes that a further story is needed and uploads Life’s Long Regret Flows East. With all the material present, the system creates a Fate Instance that only Yang Jian can view.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Jian is cautious but quickly accepts the Chat Group after reviewing its information. His composure and strength are evident, though he is surprised by the existence of powerful people across many worlds.
• Meng Chuan acts as the group’s guide, providing Yang Jian with basic information and identifying the missing piece in his Fate Instance.
• Fei Peng welcomes Yang Jian by proposing a duel, establishing a friendly, competitive connection; Meng Chuan reins him in.
• Lu Mingfei and Klein bicker over who gets to upload the new member’s Fate Instance. Their rivalry is playful, with Klein objecting that Lu Mingfei already had a previous opportunity.
• Bibi Dong reacts emotionally to Yang Jian’s profile picture, having apparently expected something different from the group’s video.
• Meng Qi envies the good looks of the newcomer and the two senior members, then feels stung when Chonghe describes him as “delicate-looking.”

Significant themes

• Cross-world connection and discovery: Yang Jian’s arrival expands the group’s sense of how many worlds and powerful figures exist.
• Fate, memory, and incomplete stories: The failed upload suggests that Yang Jian’s history extends beyond the familiar Lotus Lantern material; the missing story is required to form a complete Fate Instance.
• Humor and camaraderie: Teasing, rivalry, and self-deprecating reactions soften the group’s introduction of a powerful new member.

Key events

• Yang Jian enters his Fate Instance after first viewing those of the other Chat Group members. The instance shows a history resembling Lotus Lantern, with some differences from the harsher account in Life’s Long Regret Flows East.
• As a boy, Yang Jian uses his powers to save his younger sister, alerting the Heavenly Court to their mother Yao Ji’s forbidden mortal marriage. Yao Ji is taken away; Yang Jian’s father and elder brother die during the family’s escape.
• Yang Jian raises his grieving sister alone, enduring hunger and danger to provide for her. He even enters a venomous bee nest to bring her honey, suffering the stings in silence.
• Nuwa offers to take him as a disciple, but Yang Jian worries that his future defiance of Heaven will tarnish her reputation. She sends him to Yuding Zhenren, under whom he grows rapidly in power.
• Though he trains to rescue his mother, tragedy repeats when his sister also marries a mortal. Yang Jian turns against the unjust heavenly laws, alienating friends and loved ones. He seals his sister away and becomes an outcast, with only the Howling Celestial Dog remaining beside him.
• The Fate Instance ends with the creation of the New Heavenly Rules. Yang Jian is content with its conclusion and says he has no regrets.
• Fei Peng and Meng Chuan send Yang Jian red packets, and he returns the gesture. Klein’s arrival interrupts the moment, prompting Meng Chuan to joke that he came at exactly the right time.

Character development and interactions

• Yang Jian’s defining traits are established early: fierce protectiveness, self-sacrifice, pride, and an unwillingness to show weakness. He accepts hardship as the price of his choices rather than seeking sympathy.
• His sister is too young to understand the family’s loss and initially blames him; he comforts her with a lie about their parents playing hide-and-seek.
• Yang Jian’s sense of being “rejected by Heaven and Earth” shapes his decision not to burden Nuwa, even though he has not yet committed the rebellion he anticipates.
• The group members are deeply moved by his story. Bibi Dong is especially relieved that this version of Yang Jian reached a better ending. Meng Chuan respects his conviction and sees him as a solitary War God, not someone to pity.
• Fei Peng and Yang Jian connect as fellow War Gods, while Meng Chuan welcomes Yang Jian into the group with practical gifts.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Yang Jian takes on the burden of protecting his sister while still a child.
• Conviction and endurance: He persists through grief, hunger, pain, and rejection without surrendering his beliefs.
• Unjust authority and rebellion: Personal tragedies expose the cruelty of heavenly laws and drive Yang Jian to oppose them.
• Changing fate: The altered childhood and the emergence of New Heavenly Rules suggest that familiar stories can converge and resolve differently.

Plot points and events

• The Chat Group offers to help Yang Jian plan his next steps, with several members urging him to rebel against Heaven. Yang Jian rejects the idea as dangerously simplistic: the Heavenly Court’s power is backed by forces he cannot fully understand.
• Yang Jian says his deepest wish is to see new heavenly laws established. Meng Chuan points him toward the Group Store and tells him the group selected him rather than his nephew, Chenxiang. Yang Jian privately hopes that, if the group is genuine, he can reunite Chenxiang’s family and give the boy a happy life.
• Meng Chuan leaves the group to meet Wushi, who asks for advice on longevity and the different paths to immortality. Wushi admits he is impatient to grow stronger and wants to revive his parents.
• Meng Chuan suggests that Wushi could become an Immortal in one lifetime by pursuing the Battle Immortal path. Wushi dismisses this as impossible in their world. Meng Chuan confirms that ordinary Battle Immortality cannot be achieved there, while the Red Dust Battle Immortal path is essentially fatal for anyone but himself. Wushi remains set on becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
• After Wushi leaves, Meng Chuan decides that Wushi’s restlessness means it is time to bring forward the “Successor Appreciation Plan.” Wushi does not know that his visit has drawn him into its coming events.

Character development

• Yang Jian remains cautious and self-reliant, but the Chat Group and its resources rekindle his hope of protecting Chenxiang and repairing his family’s fate. He is prepared both to trust the group and to defend himself if it proves dangerous.
• Wushi reveals his impatience and personal motivation: he wants strength not only for its own sake but to bring his parents back. Though tempted by a faster route, he accepts that his path is becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
• Meng Chuan acts as a guide to both men. He understands Yang Jian’s burden and Wushi’s ambition, but also uses humor and calculated plans rather than simply giving direct reassurance.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Yang Jian recognizes that challenging Heaven means confronting hidden powers and political interests, not just winning a fight.
• Hope amid hardship: The possibility of a new path and a reunited family reignites Yang Jian’s fading hope.
• The cost of immortality: Different routes offer different timelines and risks; the fastest path may be impossible or fatal.
• Destiny and unintended consequences: Wushi seeks guidance to settle his doubts, only to become entangled in Meng Chuan’s plans.

Character interactions

• The Chat Group encourages Yang Jian to rebel, but he responds cautiously and explains why the situation is more complicated than Sun Wukong’s uprising.
• Meng Chuan directs Yang Jian to the Group Store and recognizes his instinct to shoulder his troubles alone.
• Wushi approaches Meng Chuan as a mentor, seeking a practical route to immortality. Their serious discussion is softened by teasing, including Meng Chuan joking that Wushi wants his position as Heavenly Emperor.

Key plot points and events

• Meng Qi summons Meng Chuan for an upcoming mission. Meng Chuan first makes him beg in the group chat, but recoils when Meng Qi obeys with an exaggeratedly sweet plea.
• Yang Jian, newly introduced to the group’s unusual customs and stories about Meng Chuan, wonders whether being “strange” is part of becoming powerful.
• Before leaving, Meng Chuan gathers the Dao Realm Emperors and tells them he will be away from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands for a long time. He comically describes his friend as dying, then murdered, and claims he must go avenge him and look after the friend’s wife and daughter.
• Meng Chuan asks the emperors to safeguard the Dao Realm and universe in his absence. He names Wushi as his successor if he has not returned in thirty thousand years, but Wushi refuses to accept the position.
• Meng Chuan reveals to Ruthless that his destination contains beings comparable to Immortal Emperors. She questions whether he must go, but he insists that saving his friend is necessary.
• Once the others have left, Meng Chuan admits his announcement was partly meant to establish an alibi: while he is away, he can claim not to know about problems back home.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Chuan remains immensely powerful, playful, and manipulative. He enjoys teasing Meng Qi and the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body, while disguising his real plans beneath a melodramatic farewell. He also shows confidence in his ability to survive the coming journey.
• Meng Qi submits to Meng Chuan’s demand for a polite plea, then privately laments the loss of his “innocence.”
• Yang Jian absorbs the group’s eccentric rules and begins to suspect that unusual behavior may be linked to strength.
• The Great Accomplishment Sacred Body keeps provoking Meng Chuan with casual mischief, including scattering seed shells and suggesting Meng Chuan raise his friend’s family. Meng Chuan repeatedly loses patience, eventually throwing him out of the Dao Realm before bringing him back.
• Wushi is asked to take over as Heavenly Emperor but declines, expressing faith that Meng Chuan will return.
• Ruthless is the only one to stay behind and question Meng Chuan directly. Her concern and curiosity hint at the seriousness of his departure, though she ultimately lets him go.

Significant themes

• Comedy and power: The characters’ absurd banter contrasts with their extraordinary strength and status.
• Responsibility and trust: Meng Chuan entrusts the realm to his companions, while they expect him to return.
• Hidden motives: His emotional-sounding farewell is largely a cover for his plans, illustrating his habit of manipulating appearances.
• Departure and uncertainty: His long absence and reference to a dangerous world introduce tension beneath the chapter’s humor.