Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu confirms that the pills he produced are twentieth-tier—far beyond the previous record of sixteen tiers. The disciples realize why Liu Ruofeng, Ten Thousand Medicines Valley’s Alchemy Dao Great Emperor, had begged Chen Mu to accept him as a student.
• Rather than take Liu on himself, Chen Mu uses Mythic Summoning and brings forth Supreme Lord Lao, who appears as an immortal Daoist and addresses Chen Mu as his master.
• Supreme Lord Lao demonstrates his skill by refining a twentieth-tier pill in moments with a sweep of his fly whisk. His ability shocks the gathered disciples and Liu.
• Liu asks to become Supreme Lord Lao’s disciple. Chen Mu approves, and Supreme Lord Lao becomes the new master of Ten Thousand Medicines Valley; Liu voluntarily steps down to deputy valley master.
• As Chen Mu leaves the alchemy chamber, he senses concealed killing intent among the crowd, hinting at a new threat.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu continues to surprise everyone with his extraordinary alchemy, then deftly turns Liu’s request into an opportunity to strengthen the Divine Court. He directs Supreme Lord Lao, who obeys him unconditionally.
• Liu Ruofeng shifts from hoping Chen Mu will teach him to eagerly accepting Supreme Lord Lao as his master. His belief that strength determines authority leads him to surrender the valley’s leadership.
• Supreme Lord Lao proves his immense alchemical ability and accepts Liu as his disciple, while taking over the valley.
• Qin Xuanji watches Chen Mu’s accomplishments overturn her earlier doubts about Chen Tianlin. She concludes that Chen Mu’s excellence reflects both his parents and destiny.
• Chen Juexin is delighted by her family’s exceptional status, while the gathered disciples move from disbelief to awe.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming talent and power: Chen Mu and Supreme Lord Lao redefine what the onlookers believe possible.
• Strength and hierarchy: Liu’s decision to step aside reflects the valley’s acceptance that the strongest should lead.
• Destiny and family: Qin Xuanji comes to see Chen Mu’s gifts as evidence of a greater family fate.
• Hidden danger: The final trace of killing intent breaks the chapter’s celebratory mood and foreshadows conflict.

Key events

• Chen Mu detects murderous intent from a Ten Thousand Medicines Valley disciple and suspends him with an almost invisible strand of spiritual qi.
• Though the disciple and others insist he is a loyal member of the valley, Chen Mu kills him. His body then reveals that he was a barbarian using Disguise Art—and that the real disciple he impersonated is already dead.
• Chen Mu summons the barbarian as an undead and questions him. The spy admits he belonged to the Heavenly Dao Alliance, had stolen pills and formulas for the group, and planned to self-destruct to kill Chen Mu and Qin Xuanji.
• Qin Xuanji confirms that the alliance was formed by rebels exiled to the Desolate Ancient Desert, and that it had also attempted to assassinate her in the Lower Realm. She orders a hundred thousand cavalry to strike the alliance, choosing a large force because of the desert’s hazards.
• Concerned for the expedition and unable to leave the Divine Court herself, Qin Xuanji explains that alliance spies could exploit her absence to terrorize civilians. Chen Mu reveals more than ten thousand Divine-Rank Shadow Puppets, each apparently possessing Great Emperor-level strength and a Saint Body aura.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu acts decisively on his perception, refusing to be swayed by the spy’s appeal to loyalty and public opinion. He then turns the captured enemy into a source of intelligence and offers his mother practical support.
• Qin Xuanji moves from dismissing the distant alliance as a minor threat to treating it as an urgent danger after it targets her son. Her duty to protect the populace also prevents her from personally leading the campaign.
• The valley’s disciples initially defend the impostor because of his good reputation, then learn that he was responsible for the thefts and had planned an assassination.
• Chen Mu and Qin Xuanji discuss the threat and coordinate their response: he urges a decisive campaign, while she balances military action with security at home.

Significant themes

• Deception and vigilance: Even a trusted, convincing disguise can conceal an enemy, while Chen Mu’s unusual perception exposes the threat.
• Loyalty versus truth: The spy invokes loyalty and fairness to resist judgment, but evidence reveals his true allegiance.
• Protective responsibility: Qin Xuanji’s decision to remain behind reflects the danger of leaving civilians vulnerable, while Chen Mu’s forces may help secure the expedition.
• Escalating power: The immense puppet army hints at how extraordinary Chen Mu’s resources are—and raises questions about their origin and capabilities.

Key plot points

• Qin Xuanji learns that Chen Mu made the Divine-Rank Shadow Puppets himself. Each possesses Great Emperor cultivation and two Saint Bodies, leaving her stunned.
• Chen Mu says the puppets can attack the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the Desolate Ancient Desert. Since they can be replaced if destroyed, he prefers risking them over human lives.
• He opens a spatial fissure and sends the puppets through with orders to slaughter the alliance.
• Zhao Donglai, the Divine Court’s Protector General, arrives after sensing the immense unfamiliar auras. Qin Xuanji explains that the apparent warriors were actually Chen Mu’s puppets.
• Zhao recognizes Chen Mu as the long-discussed crown prince and is introduced to him as his uncle. Noticing Chen Mu’s powerful Sword Intent, he asks whether Chen Mu is also a sword cultivator.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Xuanji is repeatedly forced to revise her sense of what her son can do. His artifact-making, spatial mastery, and the puppets’ abilities exceed her expectations. She accepts his plan to deploy them and grows eager to see what else he can do.
• Chen Mu remains matter-of-fact about his extraordinary creations and abilities, presenting the puppets as expendable tools while prioritizing the safety of people. He greets Zhao Donglai politely.
• Chen Juexin reinforces that Chen Mu’s displayed talent is only “the tip of the iceberg,” prompting Qin Xuanji to anticipate further surprises.
• Zhao Donglai shifts from investigating a frightening spectacle to discovering that the crown prince is his nephew—and an exceptional talent. His sensitivity to Sword Intent leads him to question Chen Mu’s identity as an artifact refiner.

Significant themes

• Power beyond imagination: Chen Mu’s abilities repeatedly outstrip the expectations of even highly capable people.
• The value of life and expendable power: Chen Mu is willing to risk replaceable puppets rather than human fighters.
• Identity and hidden potential: The chapter suggests Chen Mu has talents beyond artifact refining, as the Sword Intent raises the possibility that he is a sword cultivator too.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Xuanji tells Zhao Donglai that Chen Mu is not only an extraordinary artifact refiner but also a master pill refiner. His disciple’s skill was so astounding that Liu Ruofeng, the Pill Emperor, accepted that disciple—and thereby became Chen Mu’s “granddisciple.”
• Zhao Donglai struggles to believe Chen Mu’s achievements. Qin Xuanji adds that Chen Mu’s disciple can refine a twentieth-rank pill in moments, leaving Zhao even more stunned.
• Zhao asks whether Chen Mu’s swordsmanship is equally exceptional. Chen Juexin proudly declares him the number-one sword cultivator under heaven.
• Eager to test that claim, Zhao proposes a duel decided by one strike each. Chen Mu agrees and draws the Immortal-Grade Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapon, Heavenly Phoenix. Zhao is amazed by the sword’s quality and wagers his own sword and a choice of one treasure from his storage space.
• Zhao attacks with ink-painting-like sword intent, transforming the surroundings into an imagined landscape. Chen Mu answers with a casual swing that unleashes a fiery phoenix. Their techniques collide, sending spiritual energy through Ten Thousand Medicines Valley and drawing its disciples outside.

Character developments

• Zhao Donglai shifts from disbelief to awe as he learns the extent of Chen Mu’s talents. His long-standing confidence as the Divine Court’s foremost swordsman gives way to eager anticipation for a worthy opponent.
• Chen Mu remains modest and accommodating, accepting his uncle’s challenge and wager without fuss. His casual response hints at the enormous gap between his abilities and ordinary expectations.
• Qin Xuanji proudly reveals her son’s accomplishments and clearly delights in boasting about him.
• Chen Juexin enthusiastically champions her younger brother, confidently calling him the best sword cultivator in the world.

Significant themes

• Unfathomable talent: Chen Mu’s abilities exceed established limits in pill refining, artifact crafting, and swordsmanship.
• Reversal of status: A Pill Emperor becomes the disciple of Chen Mu’s own disciple, overturning normal hierarchies of mastery.
• Family pride and affection: Qin Xuanji and Chen Juexin celebrate Chen Mu’s achievements, while Zhao’s challenge takes the form of friendly family rivalry.
• Mastery and worthy competition: Zhao longs for a true test after years at the summit; the duel promises to measure two swordsmen who both claim the title of number one.
• Exceptional weapons: The Immortal-Grade Heavenly Phoenix Sword represents a level beyond what Zhao believed possible.

Character interactions

• Qin Xuanji explains Chen Mu’s pill-refining feats to Zhao, who repeatedly questions the extraordinary claims.
• Chen Juexin interrupts Zhao’s inquiry to praise Chen Mu’s swordsmanship.
• Zhao challenges his nephew to a one-strike duel and wagers his treasures for the Heavenly Phoenix Sword.
• Chen Mu accepts, and the two launch contrasting attacks: Zhao’s ink-like sword technique meets Chen Mu’s blazing phoenix strike.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mu battles Zhao Donglai, the famed Sword Immortal, while the crowd assumes the two are evenly matched and that Zhao may be holding back.
• Chen Mu’s sword strike overwhelms Zhao and shatters his Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapon, leaving Zhao defeated. Qin Xuanji catches him before he is thrown away.
• Spectators are stunned that Chen Mu wins with a single strike, and many Ten Thousand Medicines Valley disciples become loyal to him.
• Zhao accepts the loss and recognizes Chen Mu as the foremost sword cultivator. He resolves to return to diligent sword training.
• Chen Mu offers Zhao a replacement sword, then reveals a hundred Immortal-Grade Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapons, allowing Zhao to choose one.
• The system responds to Chen Mu’s feedback by upgrading his thousandfold rebate feature to a ten-thousandfold rebate.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu demonstrates swordsmanship far beyond the crowd’s expectations, complementing his already extraordinary pill-refining ability. His vast collection of swords shows how commonplace such treasures have become to him.
• Zhao Donglai moves from confidence in his standing to sincere acceptance of defeat. He remains gracious toward his nephew and is delighted by Chen Mu’s generous offer.
• Qin Xuanji is astonished and proud of Chen Mu, imagining how his abilities might elevate the Divine Court. She would gladly give him the throne if he wanted it.
• Chen Juexin proudly celebrates her younger brother’s victory and insists his swordsmanship is unmatched.
• The spectators and valley disciples shift from doubting Chen Mu’s combat ability to admiration and loyalty.

Significant themes

• Humility after defeat: Zhao treats his loss as a reason to resume learning rather than cling to his former reputation.
• Power beyond expectations: Chen Mu’s mastery of both pills and swordsmanship challenges assumptions that exceptional talent must be limited to one discipline.
• Generosity and abundance: Chen Mu readily replaces the weapon he destroyed, while his collection underscores his extraordinary resources.
• Recognition and loyalty: Chen Mu’s public victory reshapes how others view him and strengthens his influence.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mu notices that his system’s gift-rebate feature has upgraded from tenfold to ten-thousandfold.
• Zhao Donglai chooses the Taiyin Sword, which Chen Mu readily gives him. The gift triggers a rebate of 10,000 random Immortal-Grade Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapons.
• Zhao Donglai vows to protect Chen Mu and asks about the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s attack in the Lower Realm. Qin Xuanji says Chen Mu has already dealt with the attackers and sent someone to the Desolate Ancient Desert.
• Zhao Donglai spots a Divine-Rank Shadow Puppet hidden in Chen Mu’s shadow. Qin explains that it is the agent sent to subdue the Alliance. Worried that one puppet might not be enough, Zhao offers to join the fight.
• Chen Mu encourages him, and Zhao—after checking Qin’s reaction and seeing that she leaves the decision to her son—travels to the desert frontier.
• From the city wall, Zhao uses his enhanced vision and Divine Sense to locate the battle. Seeing the vast force of Shadow Puppets, he realizes Chen Mu’s “not many” was an understatement.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains casual about giving away priceless weapons and modestly downplays the scale of his forces, while quietly benefiting from the enormous rebate.
• Zhao Donglai shows fierce loyalty and protectiveness toward Chen Mu. His eagerness to test his new sword also fuels his willingness to join the battle.
• Qin Xuanji trusts Chen Mu’s judgment and makes clear that he has authority over the response.
• The alchemists nearby are inspired by Chen Mu’s generosity and resolve to work toward higher ranks in hopes of earning his favor.

Significant themes

• Power and generosity: Chen Mu’s lavish gifts demonstrate his extraordinary resources and generosity.
• Family loyalty and protection: Zhao’s promise to defend his nephew is sincere, and he acts on it immediately.
• Hidden scale of power: Chen Mu’s understated description contrasts with the enormous force he has deployed.
• Ambition and inspiration: Chen Mu’s reputation motivates the alchemists to pursue greater mastery.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Donglai sees more than ten thousand Divine-Rank Shadow Puppets—each with a Saint Body and great-emperor cultivation—and rushes toward the Heavenly Dao Alliance. He doubts anyone could face them alone, though he believes Qin Xuanji could win.
• From the Imperial Palace, Chen Mu, Qin Xuanji, and Chen Juexin watch the battle through Heaven-Peering Mirrors. Qin worries the Alliance’s rapid growth threatens ordinary people even if it poses no direct danger to the Divine Court.
• Asked about his cultivation, Chen Mu checks his status and discovers he has reached 103,700 layers of the great emperor realm. He conceals the truth, claiming he is around a hundred layers.
• The Alliance’s leaders, trapped in an underground chamber amid the puppet assault, consider firing their unfinished World-Destroying Cannon as a last resort. Before they can act, a Shadow Puppet emerges from a member’s shadow and kills him.
• The Alliance members extinguish the torches to eliminate shadows, but Chen Mu explains that the puppets can move through darkness too, so the tactic will not save them.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains casual despite his staggering strength. He hides the true scale of his cultivation to avoid discouraging Qin Xuanji and Chen Juexin.
• Qin Xuanji acknowledges that Chen Mu far surpasses her and firmly asserts that Zhao Donglai would never dare use his full strength against Chen Mu in her presence. She also considers the Alliance a growing threat to the public.
• Chen Juexin is astonished by her brother’s supposed hundred layers and privately imagines he must be secretly working hard, since he usually appears to relax.
• Zhao Donglai acts quickly by heading to the battlefield, while the Alliance’s leaders are forced into desperate cooperation as their defenses collapse.

Significant themes

• Power and disparity: Chen Mu’s hidden cultivation dwarfs even the realm’s strongest figures.
• Secrecy and perception: Chen Mu’s understatement lets others form their own explanations for his strength.
• Escalating danger and desperation: The Alliance turns to an unfinished superweapon when ordinary defenses fail.
• Adaptation and false security: Extinguishing the lights seems like a clever defense, but the puppets’ abilities make it futile.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu confirms that Divine-Rank Shadow Puppets can travel through darkness itself, making them nearly impossible to predict or defend against.
• The puppets overwhelm the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s forces and kill everyone except the Alliance leader. He offers to surrender the World-Destroying Divine Cannon in exchange for his life.
• Chen Juexin and Qin Xuanji learn that the cannon is an ancient weapon excavated in the Desolate Ancient Desert. It requires 100,000 dangerous-to-obtain magic crystals for one shot.
• Qin Xuanji prepares to intervene, but Chen Mu reveals a “better way”: his system grants him 10,000 cannons and an unlimited supply of magic crystals. He places 100 cannons outside the frontier pass.
• The puppets drag the Alliance leader through darkness and show him the Divine Court’s overwhelming arsenal. His confidence collapses, while Qin Xuanji is also unsettled by Chen Mu’s immense resources.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains calm and resourceful, using his system and Space Saint Body to neutralize the threat without needing Qin Xuanji to go herself.
• Qin Xuanji moves from concern to readiness to act, then is surprised—and uneasy—at the scale of Chen Mu’s power.
• Chen Juexin asks questions about the unfamiliar weapon, prompting an explanation.
• The Alliance leader shifts from arrogant commander to desperate supplicant, then breaks down when he sees that his supposedly decisive weapon is vastly outmatched.
• Chen Mu’s matter-of-fact response contrasts with the leader’s panic and Qin Xuanji’s astonishment.

Significant themes

• Power and scale: A weapon that took decades to build and could threaten the Divine Court becomes insignificant against Chen Mu’s resources.
• Fear and vulnerability: The Shadow Puppets’ movement through darkness makes even powerful fighters helpless.
• False leverage: The Alliance leader mistakes possession of a formidable weapon for real bargaining power.
• Comic reversal: His dramatic surrender and disbelief are undercut by the Divine Court’s casually overwhelming arsenal.

Key plot points and events

• Through the Heaven-Peering Mirror, Chen Juexin and Qin Xuanji discover that Chen Mu has made more than a hundred World-Destroying Divine Weapon Cannons—an armament far beyond ordinary Spirit Weapon Cannons.
• Chen Mu claims he built them casually, and explains away his knowledge of the ancient weapon design as a natural result of artifact refining. A system sign-in grants him “Best Actor-Level Acting,” helping him conceal the truth.
• Meanwhile, the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s Third Chief prepares to fire the alliance’s single cannon at the Divine Court. He reassures uneasy subordinates that the weapon can devastate the Divine Court and help them seize control.
• A Heaven-Peering Mirror reveals Chen Mu’s cannons near the Divine Court border. The alliance soldiers panic, but the Third Chief persuades them the display must be an illusion.
• Before they can continue preparing, a cannon blast erases the mountaintop, the Third Chief, and everyone with him. The blast tears open the Yellow Mist Sea for tens of thousands of meters.
• Divine-Rank Shadow Puppets continue efficiently eliminating the remaining enemies. Watching the destruction, the Heavenly Dao Alliance leader loses hope.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains casual and confident, using a fabricated explanation to hide his capabilities and the system. His companions accept his account: Qin Xuanji trusts him, while Chen Juexin jokes about how the alliance leader must feel.
• Qin Xuanji is briefly puzzled by Chen Mu’s knowledge of the ancient design, but does not seriously doubt him.
• Chen Juexin responds with amusement, especially at the alliance leader’s changing expressions, and asks Chen Mu what he plans to do.
• The Third Chief tries to keep his forces calm and focused, but his confidence proves misplaced. His subordinates move from anxiety to self-reassurance by choosing to believe the cannons are an illusion.
• The alliance leader, who had put his faith in the weapon, is left devastated by Chen Mu’s overwhelming response.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power and escalation: The alliance’s supposedly ultimate weapon is eclipsed by Chen Mu’s much larger arsenal.
• Fear and denial: Faced with evidence of defeat, the soldiers prefer to believe it is an illusion rather than accept the danger.
• Trust and concealment: Qin Xuanji’s faith in Chen Mu contrasts with his need to hide how he obtained his abilities.
• Irony and hubris: The alliance expects its cannon to bring victory, but its confidence collapses before it can even fire.

Chapter Summary

• The Heavenly Dao Alliance is destroyed: Chen Mu fires the system-rewarded World-Destroying Divine Weapon, obliterating the Alliance and its weapon in a single devastating shot. Its leader, seeing no chance of escape, kills himself. Chen Mu has both his body and divine soul destroyed to prevent any possibility of return.
• The weapon’s power astonishes observers: Chen Juexin and Qin Xuanji note that the cannon used less than a tenth of its magic crystals. Zhao Donglai, who witnessed the blast firsthand, realizes Chen Mu may be far more powerful than he had assumed—even Qin Xuanji’s extraordinary talent seems surpassed by her son.
• A far greater danger appears: As Zhao Donglai prepares to return to the Imperial Palace, he detects an immense demon-beast tide emerging from the Desolate Ancient Desert. The beasts are exceptionally powerful: even the weakest have a hundred thousand years of cultivation, and the tide includes million-year and ten-million-year beasts.
• The city prepares to defend itself: Zhao Donglai orders the city gates sealed and stands guard alone, then alerts Chen Mu and Qin Xuanji. Qin Xuanji immediately leaves to confront the threat, while Chen Mu studies the situation through the Heaven-Peering Mirror and the system’s World Map.
• The threat is global: Chen Mu’s map shows red markers packed across the entire Desolate Ancient Desert, which surrounds the Divine Court. The chapter ends with the realization that the beast tide is not a local outbreak but a vast encirclement.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Chen Mu remains composed despite the catastrophe, but briefly wonders whether his cannon shot awakened the beasts. His decisive destruction of the Alliance leader also shows his strong aversion to leaving future threats alive.
• Qin Xuanji reassures Chen Mu that he should not blame himself, then leaves at once to help face the danger.
• Chen Juexin voices the possibility that the cannon blast stirred the ancient beasts and shares the alarm of the others.
• Zhao Donglai shifts from awe at Chen Mu’s strength to urgent caution. He recognizes the beast tide as a threat too great to challenge alone and takes responsibility for protecting the city.
• The characters coordinate through magical communication and observation: Zhao Donglai reports what he sees, while Chen Mu and the others track events through the Heaven-Peering Mirror.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: Chen Mu’s overwhelming weapon ends one conflict but may have triggered a far larger one.
• Escalation of danger: The destruction of the Heavenly Dao Alliance is quickly eclipsed by a threat on an almost world-spanning scale.
• Family loyalty and responsibility: Qin Xuanji acts to protect others while also shielding Chen Mu from excessive guilt.
• Uncertainty before overwhelming forces: Even powerful figures must assess risks carefully when confronted with enemies of unknown number and scale.

Key plot points and events

• A massive Beast Tide emerges from the Desolate Ancient Desert and surrounds the Divine Court. The Demon Beasts are powerful enough to threaten the entire border, though Chen Mu realizes their resurgence has nothing to do with him.
• Qin Xuanji goes to the front lines, while Zhao Donglai withdraws to the city gates. Qin displays an External Dao Body and uses the Ten Thousand Swords Art, destroying thousands of beasts—but the Tide is too vast for attacks alone to stop.
• Qin devises a defensive solution: she uses ten thousand Immortal-Grade Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapons as the foundation for a Forbidden Formation, creating a sword barrier that blocks the beasts.
• The formation leaves a gap because Qin lacks enough weapons. Chen Mu supplies several thousand more, completing the barrier and forcing the Beast Tide back from the border. The threat remains, so Qin plans to strengthen the formation and wait for the beasts to retreat.
• Chen Mu receives a rebate of forty million Immortal-Grade Heavenly Dao Emperor Weapons. When Qin and Zhao return, Zhao asks how Chen Mu knows how to use Qin’s Heavenly Mandate Forbidden Art.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Xuanji demonstrates formidable skill and quick judgment, but recognizes that fighting the entire Tide directly would be costly and impractical. She protects the Divine Court by prioritizing defense.
• Chen Mu supports his mother by providing the weapons needed to complete her formation. His knowledge of her forbidden art surprises Zhao.
• Zhao Donglai is awed by Qin’s power and initially worries about her safety. He identifies Chen Mu as the likely source of the weapons and later questions his knowledge.
• Chen Juexin worries about the battle and is reassured by Chen Mu; she also greets Qin with concern when she returns. Qin comforts her affectionately.

Significant themes

• Protection over conquest: The immediate goal is to shield civilians, not pursue a costly battle of extermination.
• Cooperation and family support: Qin’s strategy depends on Chen Mu’s resources, while Chen Juexin and Chen Mu show concern for Qin.
• Escalating mystery and power: The Beast Tide’s coordinated emergence remains unexplained, and Chen Mu’s extraordinary resources and knowledge raise new questions.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu claims he independently comprehended the powerful sword formation that protects the Divine Court, concealing that he copied it from Qin Xuanji. Qin Xuanji and Zhao Donglai accept his explanation.
• The group discusses how to deal with the demon-beast tide permanently. The formation can hold the beasts back for roughly ten thousand years, but it only postpones the danger.
• Chen Juexin proposes using Beast Tamers to tame the demons and turn them against the tide. Qin Yuan arrives and reveals she has just contracted with an Azure Cloud Dragon Python with four million years of cultivation.
• Qin Yuan advocates developing the Divine Court’s Beast Tamers, while Zhao Donglai warns that sending inexperienced cultivators against the powerful beasts would be reckless. Qin Xuanji agrees they have time to strengthen the discipline before the formation fails.
• Chen Mu discovers through his system that Qin Yuan and Zhao Donglai are married. Qin Yuan then takes an interest in Chen Mu’s many talents and offers to teach him beast taming as her personal disciple.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu continues hiding the source of his abilities, smoothly passing off the copied formation as his own comprehension. His relatives learn he is also remarkably skilled at swordsmanship, alchemy, and formations.
• Qin Xuanji trusts Chen Mu without hesitation and remains confident that the Divine Court has time to prepare.
• Qin Yuan is introduced as Qin Xuanji’s younger sister and Chen Mu and Juexin’s third aunt. Fierce and protective of her family, she is also a capable Beast Tamer who wants to build up the Divine Court’s ranks.
• Zhao Donglai, Chen Mu and Juexin’s uncle by marriage, cautions against reckless action but is easily bullied by his wife. Their playful bickering reveals a lively, affectionate marriage.
• Chen Juexin helps steer the discussion by suggesting beast taming as a possible solution to the tide.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus urgency: The formation buys time, but the looming beast tide still demands a lasting plan.
• Trust and concealment: Chen Mu’s secret copying ability remains hidden beneath a convincing explanation.
• Family and humor: Qin Yuan’s threats toward Chen Tianlin and her teasing relationship with Zhao Donglai add warmth and comedy amid the crisis.
• Cultivating strength: Rather than relying on a single powerful fighter, the Divine Court may need to train more Beast Tamers and develop its capabilities over time.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Yuan, impressed by Chen Mu’s talents, considers taking him as her beast-taming disciple. Zhao Donglai warns her that Chen Mu has already surpassed would-be masters: the famed alchemist Liu Ruofeng became his grand-disciple after studying under Chen Mu’s own disciple, who can refine twentieth-rank pills.
• Qin Yuan asks Chen Mu to demonstrate his beast-taming ability. He opens a vast pocket world created by his Space Creation Art, revealing numerous demon and sacred beasts with millions—and even tens of millions—of years of cultivation.
• Seeing the scale of Chen Mu’s strength, Qin Yuan recognizes him as more qualified to be the foremost beast tamer and yields her authority over efforts to revitalize the field and counter the beast tide.
• Chen Mu tries to avoid being tasked with leading a campaign, offering instead to provide an assistant. He summons the mythical Beast-Taming Divine King Su Feng.
• A Golden Thunder Sacred Lion appears. Qin Yuan identifies it as a divine beast with at least fifty million years of cultivation. Zhao Donglai assumes it is the promised ally, but Chen Mu clarifies that the lion is only that person’s mount.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Yuan shifts from hoping to mentor Chen Mu to acknowledging his superiority. Her shock at his beasts’ power humbles her, and she voluntarily yields her position and responsibility.
• Zhao Donglai reacts with mounting disbelief, but tries to stay optimistic and avoid becoming discouraged by Chen Mu’s overwhelming abilities.
• Chen Mu remains outwardly modest and seeks to avoid exhausting responsibilities, while readily demonstrating extraordinary power when asked.
• Chen Juexin privately recognizes that Chen Mu’s claim to know “a little” is misleading: he habitually understates his abilities.
• Qin Xuanji and Chen Juexin are comparatively unfazed by the spectacle, suggesting they are more accustomed to Chen Mu’s astonishing feats.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming talent and humility: Chen Mu’s achievements repeatedly eclipse renowned experts, yet he remains composed and understated.
• Changing hierarchies: Established “foremost” figures willingly concede their status when confronted with a clearly superior talent.
• Power versus responsibility: Chen Mu’s strength draws others toward assigning him major duties, while he tries to delegate the burden.
• Wonder becoming routine: Zhao Donglai is shocked, while Qin Xuanji and Chen Juexin are accustomed to Chen Mu’s exceptional abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu’s summoned disciple, Su Feng, arrives riding the enormous Golden Thunder Sacred Lion. The beast submits to Chen Mu, and Su Feng kneels to acknowledge him as his master.
• Chen Mu assigns Su Feng to Qin Yuan, leaving her free to use his beast-taming expertise or send him to help defend the border against the Beast Tide. Qin Yuan departs with Su Feng and Zhao Donglai to plan the response.
• Qin Xuanji praises Chen Mu’s many talents, joking that he has surpassed her most capable aides. She takes Chen Mu and Chen Juexin to the Qin Lineage’s Ancestral Land to visit their grandparents.
• At the entrance, guards are surprised to learn Qin Xuanji has children. They praise the siblings’ imposing presence but disparage their father, Chen Tianlin, as a useless man who lives off his wife. Chen Mu overhears and considers improving his father’s strength to change that reputation.
• The family arrives while the Qin elders are in the middle of a heated discussion—apparently concerning a marriage.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu demonstrates his extraordinary authority over summoned beings, then casually entrusts Su Feng to Qin Yuan. He remains composed amid others’ astonishment, but reacts protectively when strangers insult his father.
• Qin Yuan is stunned by Su Feng’s obedience, yet quickly accepts Chen Mu’s help and heads to the border to address the Beast Tide.
• Qin Xuanji is proud of her son and daughter and eager to show them to the Qin Lineage, especially to those who once opposed her marriage. She also shields the elders from being overwhelmed by Chen Mu’s achievements.
• Chen Juexin is relieved to learn her grandparents are well and looks forward to seeing them again.
• Su Feng acts as Chen Mu’s obedient disciple and accepts Qin Yuan’s authority at Chen Mu’s command.

Significant themes

• Power and obedience: Chen Mu’s summoned servants submit to him as completely as if his authority surpassed the Heavenly Dao.
• Family loyalty and reputation: Chen Mu’s response to the insult against Chen Tianlin highlights his attachment to his father and desire to defend the family’s honor.
• Prejudice and status: The Qin Lineage’s old opposition to Qin Xuanji’s marriage persists in gossip about Chen Tianlin, setting up tension at the ancestral home.
• Pride in lineage: Qin Xuanji takes satisfaction in her children’s accomplishments as proof of the strength of her family line and as a rebuttal to those who doubted her choices.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu overhears Qin Xuanji’s relatives discussing a new marriage proposal from the Blood Corpse Devil Race. Some argue she should marry the Devil Master to strengthen political ties and stop wasting time on Chen Tianlin; others acknowledge that Xuanji is now powerful enough to decide for herself.
• The Blood Corpse Devil Race is a major founding ally of Xuanji’s empire, so she has tolerated its influence despite the Devil Master’s long-running pursuit of her. She intends to refuse the latest proposal and has no plan to end her marriage to Chen Tianlin.
• In the Lower Realm, Chen Tianlin trains relentlessly, determined to become strong enough to stand proudly beside Xuanji and avoid putting their children in the middle of their parents’ relationship.
• Chen Mu contacts him telepathically and explains that the Devil Master has proposed to Xuanji repeatedly. Alarmed, Tianlin asks about his rival’s power: the man is at the twenty-seventh level of the Great Emperor Realm.
• Chen Mu offers to boost his father’s cultivation so he can defeat the Devil Master. Tianlin agrees, calling the power a loan to be repaid. Chen Mu then prepares to use Great Emperor Experience Packs, which fill his system inventory.

Character developments

• Chen Mu acts as both a concerned son and an eager “cheater,” using his system’s power to help his parents. He also recognizes that Tianlin and Xuanji care deeply for each other despite their outward reserve.
• Chen Tianlin shows jealousy and insecurity when he learns of the proposal, but his concern turns into resolve. He accepts Chen Mu’s help after initially framing it as a debt.
• Qin Xuanji remains committed to Tianlin, even though her feelings are not openly expressed. Her attribute panel shows very high affection for him and complete affection for their children.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty: Chen Mu wants his parents united and is willing to strengthen Tianlin to protect the family.
• Love beneath restraint: Xuanji and Tianlin may appear distant or dismissive, but their feelings run deep.
• Power and politics: Xuanji must balance personal choice with obligations to a powerful founding ally.
• Ambition and pride: Tianlin’s relentless training is driven by a desire to earn respect and protect his children from family tensions.

Character interactions

• Xuanji’s relatives debate her marriage prospects, revealing differing views on political strategy and her independence.
• Chen Mu and Xuanji share a quiet moment of understanding as he notices her discomfort.
• Chen Mu and Tianlin discuss the Devil Master; Tianlin’s alarm and questions expose his jealousy and lingering rivalry.
• Chen Mu reassures Tianlin that they are family and encourages him to accept a cultivation boost so they can face the outsider together.

• Chen Mu gives Chen Tianlin fifty layers of Great Emperor cultivation. A ten-thousandfold rebate returns five hundred thousand Great Emperor Experience Packs, leaving Chen Mu with an effectively inexhaustible supply. Though stunned, Chen Tianlin accepts his son’s reassurance and prepares for the journey to the Upper Realm.
• Chen Mu and Chen Juexin reunite with Qin Xuanji’s family. Qin Shan and Xiao Tianjun welcome them, while the younger relatives—who had earlier questioned Chen Tianlin’s suitability—quiet down in Qin Xuanji’s formidable presence. They shower the newcomers with valuable gifts in hopes of winning favor; Chen Mu and Juexin accept them, with Juexin already considering selling the Upper Realm treasures at auction.
• Chen Mu challenges the claim that the Blood Corpse Devil Master would make a better match for Qin Xuanji than Chen Tianlin. Using the Heaven-Peering Mirror, he reveals the Devil Master’s debauched conduct in his palace, embarrassing his supporters and ending their enthusiasm for the match. Chen Tianlin may be less powerful, but the family recognizes that he is decent and faithful.
• The scene shifts to the Blood Corpse Devil Master after his marriage proposal is rejected. In a rage, he kills a woman in his palace, then dismisses the others. He complains that Qin Xuanji refuses him and hints that he may seize her by force, though he tells his adviser he was “merely talking.”
• The Devil Master reveals a more immediate scheme: he has obtained a jade-green medicine bottle and intends to use the same method by which Chen Tianlin once won Qin Xuanji. Despite his adviser’s warning, he shows no fear of the Female Emperor.
  Character developments and interactions: Chen Mu’s generosity toward his father reflects both filial concern and confidence in his overwhelming resources. Chen Tianlin remains humble and worried about the cost to his son. Qin Xuanji’s authority silences her relatives, while Chen Mu defends his parents’ relationship with evidence rather than argument. The Devil Master’s vanity, cruelty, and obsession with Qin Xuanji become increasingly clear, setting him up as a dangerous antagonist.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts genuine affection and personal choice with status-driven matchmaking and coercion. It also emphasizes the consequences of unchecked power: Qin Xuanji uses her authority to protect her family, while the Devil Master treats others as disposable and regards marriage as something to take by force.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mu reveals a Heaven-Peering Mirror recording of Blood Corpse Devil Master Xiao Qingkuang plotting to drug Qin Xuanji with Love Poison, force a marriage, weaken the Qin Lineage, and seize the imperial throne.
• Qin Shan and the others accept the evidence and turn against Xiao, discussing whether to depose him or suppress the Blood Corpse Devil Race.
• Xiao arrives in person to propose to Qin Xuanji. She rejects him, including his suggestion that he marry into her family.
• Xiao tries to get Qin Xuanji alone under the pretense of discussing the safety of his people. Knowing his real plan, the others refuse to trust him.
• Chen Mu suggests searching Xiao and confiscating his treasures. Xiao angrily challenges his right to speak, so Qin Xuanji knocks him out of the hall and identifies Chen Mu as the Divine Court’s crown prince.
• Xiao recognizes Chen Mu as a possible obstacle to his ambitions and secretly considers killing him. Just then, an unexpected visitor enters and speaks up for Chen Mu.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu exposes Xiao’s intentions and remains alert to his deception, even noting how convincing Xiao’s false performance is.
• Qin Xuanji firmly rejects Xiao’s advances and protects Chen Mu, asserting her authority when Xiao insults him.
• Xiao Qingkuang appears composed and righteous, but his private motives are predatory and politically ambitious. Learning Chen Mu is crown prince makes him view Chen as a threat.
• Qin Shan, Chen Juexin, and the others unite against Xiao after seeing the evidence and consider how to remove him from power.
• The chapter ends on a cliffhanger: an unidentified figure enters and challenges Xiao’s treatment of Chen Mu.

Significant themes

• Deception and exposure: Xiao hides criminal intentions behind polished, noble-sounding excuses, but the recording reveals the truth.
• Power and succession: Xiao’s desire for Qin Xuanji is tied to his plan to control the Divine Court, while Chen Mu’s position complicates that ambition.
• Family loyalty and protection: Qin Xuanji stands firmly by her son, and the Qin faction closes ranks against a shared threat.
• Collective judgment: The evidence transforms private suspicion into a unified political response.

• Chen Tianlin returns with overwhelming strength. At the Qin Lineage’s ancestral home, Chen Tianlin sends Xiao Qingkuang flying with his aura alone, shocking the gathered clan members and transforming their opinion of him. Chen Mu reveals to Chen Juexin that he has secretly increased their father’s cultivation by fifty levels of the Great Emperor Realm, bringing him to roughly the fifty-fifth level.
• Xiao Qingkuang challenges him to a deadly duel. Angry that Chen Tianlin has returned while he is pursuing Qin Xuanji, Xiao Qingkuang accuses him of a sneak attack and demands a duel to the death. The challenge is a calculated trap: Xiao expects to benefit whether Chen Tianlin accepts or refuses. Chen Tianlin accepts without hesitation, despite Xiao’s known cultivation at the twenty-seventh level.
• Chen Mu recognizes the twist in Chen Tianlin’s fate. The system reports that Chen Tianlin was once a Child of Fortune but lost the title after straying too far from his destined path through excessive slacking. Chen Mu finds this reversal both absurd and amusing, while Qin Xuanji and other onlookers worry that Chen Tianlin is acting recklessly.
• Chen Tianlin and Qin Xuanji grow closer. Qin Xuanji tries to warn him, but he reassures her: she has protected him for years, and now he will protect her. His earnest declaration moves her, revealing that their relationship still matters deeply to both of them. Chen Juexin understands that Chen Mu’s intervention is also meant to restore his father’s confidence and marriage.
• The duel begins. A crowd gathers at the Martial Arena, where rumors and old prejudices shape expectations of Chen Tianlin. He remains calm and confident, grateful for his family and especially Chen Mu’s help. Xiao Qingkuang, enraged by his composure, launches the first attack.
  Key themes: The chapter plays with the idea of a “destined protagonist,” showing how fortune can be lost through inaction; explores family loyalty and a husband’s desire to reclaim his place beside his wife; and contrasts reputation and rumor with the strength Chen Tianlin now displays.

Plot points and events

• Chen Tianlin reveals overwhelming power in the Life-and-Death Arena, immobilizing and forcing Xiao Qingkuang—the Blood Corpse Devil Master, a twenty-seventh-layer Great Emperor—to kneel.
• Xiao begs to surrender and warns that his death could destabilize the Divine Court, but Chen Tianlin kills him with a glance.
• The spectators are stunned and praise Chen Tianlin and the Qin Lineage. Chen Tianlin jokingly asks Qin Xuanji whether he has embarrassed her; she downplays his victory while considering how to prevent turmoil among the Blood Corpse Devil Race.
• Chen Mu suggests keeping Xiao as Devil Master. Using his system, he resurrects Xiao as an undead. Xiao returns in demonic-smoke form, then kneels to Chen Mu and addresses him as “Master.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Tianlin casts off his slacker reputation, demonstrating immense strength and an uncompromising attitude toward enemies. His triumph intensifies Qin Xuanji’s affection for him.
• Qin Xuanji is proud of Chen Tianlin but remains composed outwardly. She worries about succession and possible conflict, and is confused when both Chen Tianlin and Chen Mu insist Xiao is now on their side.
• Chen Mu quietly directs events, using his undead-summoning ability to turn the slain Xiao into a servant. He reassures his mother that Xiao poses no threat.
• Xiao Qingkuang goes from confident challenger to helpless victim, then returns as Chen Mu’s obedient undead.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and mistaken judgment: Chen Tianlin’s apparent idleness conceals extraordinary strength.
• Power, loyalty, and control: Chen Mu’s ability to bind a defeated enemy transforms a political crisis into an opportunity.
• Appearance versus reality: The crowd mistakes Xiao’s resurrection for a secret technique, unaware that Chen Mu is responsible.
• Family trust and affection: Qin Xuanji’s growing feelings for Chen Tianlin contrast with her bewilderment at the men’s unexplained confidence.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Qingkuang rises from the dead and kneels before Crown Prince Chen Mu, pledging allegiance. The onlookers are stunned, since Xiao was a founding hero who had never shown such deference.
• Chen Mu uses the system to restore Xiao Qingkuang’s human appearance, making the disguise convincing even to spiritual scrutiny.
• The sky turns blood-red as Xiao Hai, the Blood Corpse Ancestor and Xiao Qingkuang’s father, appears and accuses the Qin Lineage of betrayal.
• The truth emerges: Xiao Hai secretly supported Xiao Qingkuang’s rebellion and planned to use his apparent death as a pretext to overthrow the Qin Lineage. He claims the Qin Lineage killed his son and wronged the Blood Corpse Devil Race.
• Xiao Qingkuang urges his father to stop, but Xiao Hai rejects him, insisting his real son is already dead.
• Xiao Hai opens a blood gate and draws in the Blood Corpse Devil Race’s blood energy, exploiting his own people to boost his power. He reaches the forty-eighth level of the Great Emperor Realm, matching Qin Xuanji.
• As Qin Xuanji prepares to fight, Chen Tianlin stops her and offers to face Xiao Hai himself. The crowd doubts he can win.
• Chen Mu gains the Heaven Rank Silencing Curse through the system and silences the doubters. Qin Xuanji expresses her trust in Chen Tianlin, who then confronts Xiao Hai alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mu remains in control of events, using the system both to conceal Xiao Qingkuang’s identity and to quiet the crowd.
• Xiao Qingkuang appears to switch loyalties, but is actually under the system’s control; he makes a sincere-sounding appeal to Xiao Hai.
• Xiao Hai is revealed as a calculating opportunist. His outrage is a cover for a planned coup, and he is willing to exploit his own race for power.
• Qin Xuanji is shocked by Chen Tianlin’s apparently immense, previously concealed strength, but ultimately chooses to trust him.
• Chen Tianlin steps forward to protect Qin Xuanji and face Xiao Hai, despite public skepticism.
• The crowd’s disbelief and criticism contrast with Qin Xuanji’s confidence in Chen Tianlin.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and self-interest: Xiao Hai disguises ambition as a demand for justice and betrays even his own people.
• Trust and concealed strength: Qin Xuanji must decide whether to trust Chen Tianlin despite not understanding his sudden power.
• Power and manipulation: The system lets Chen Mu control appearances and silence opposition, while Xiao Hai uses a secret method to seize strength.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao Qingkuang’s apparent resurrection and Xiao Hai’s righteous accusations both conceal the truth.