Chapter Summaries

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Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Blade Master takes over Peng Qing’s identity and memories in the real world. Peng Qing, a powerful but discreet cultivator, disappears from the game world, while the Blade Master assumes his place outside it.
• After the Heavenly Demon Palace brutally punishes demons who defied it, the demons submit and withdraw to the Endless Mountains, forbidding attacks beyond their territory. Their retreat signals that they intend to stay out of humanity’s civil war now that the Human Emperor is dead.
• Great Zhao fractures further: the lords of Qianshan, Luoyue, and Nanfeng are already in rebellion, and the Marquis of Baiyong then captures over three hundred cities in three days. Dongwen, Wu’an, and Northcloud support the Imperial Court; other prefectures wait to see which side gains the advantage.
• Players exploit the disorder to seize territory, but their efforts are minor beside the war between the Court and the rebels. Northcloud remains comparatively stable under its powerful marquis, whose earlier destruction of player-held cities has deterred further expansion.
• Qin Shujian continues traveling through True Domains to break seals and refine evil fiends. Their energy yields are diminishing as his Spirit God grows stronger, but his Fortune Value continues to rise. After refining another fiend, his Spirit God reaches ninety-two zhang, and he senses that he is nearing its limit.

Character developments and interactions

• The Blade Master quietly begins a new life in the real world, while the former Peng Qing vanishes from the game.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace reasserts its authority over the demons. Its withdrawal is understood by human factions as a deliberate refusal to interfere in the struggle for power.
• Qin Shujian recognizes that evil fiends provide little energy because they are reborn after being refined, whereas the Moon-Swallowing Demon King’s permanent death explains his much greater yield. He dismisses the impractical idea of hunting Demon Kings or Heavenly Being Demons and focuses on clearing the remaining fiends in Northcloud.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: The Human Emperor’s authority held Great Zhao together; the imperial family alone may not command the same loyalty.
• Political opportunism: Many feudal lords wait to join whichever side appears strongest, while few are willing to risk fighting the demons for another faction’s benefit.
• Pragmatism and restraint: The demons avoid a costly war, and Qin Shujian focuses on attainable gains rather than dangerous, unrealistic prey.
• Progress through repetition: Qin’s tedious work steadily strengthens him, though each new advance requires more effort.

Key plot points and events

• Over six months, Qin Shujian clears evil fiends from 153 of Northcloud Prefecture’s 176 True Domains. With only 23 domains and roughly 78 fiends remaining, he expects to finish within another month. His experience and strength make most of the work routine; only fiends sealed by especially powerful formations require his direct intervention.
• Players in other prefectures exploit the ongoing conflict between the Imperial Court and rebellious lords. Unable to challenge either side directly, some players deliberately break seals on evil fiend fortresses, unleashing demon calamities.
• Three fiends escape in Southmount Prefecture. Their emergence forces the Imperial Court and the Marquis of Southmount to pause their war and commit troops to contain the threat, though both sides remain wary of a surprise attack.
• With city defenses weakened, players raid True Domain cities, plunder their resources, and withdraw rather than attempt to hold them. The tactic proves profitable, and players repeat it across the realm. Demon calamities eventually erupt in eleven of Great Zhao’s thirteen prefectures.
• Central Province contains its outbreaks quickly thanks to its concentration of imperial forces. Northcloud Prefecture remains stable: Qin has already eliminated the fiends in its Mortal Domains and most of those in its True Domains, while higher-level sealed sites are heavily guarded.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian continues his systematic campaign against the fiends, reinforcing his reputation as nearly invincible within True Domains.
• The Marquis of Northcloud is vindicated for acting early to eliminate the threat. His foresight prevents players from triggering a comparable crisis in his territory.
• The Southmount fortress commander responds to a fiend’s escape by organizing the defenders into battle formations. Expecting to die, he chooses to hold the fiend back rather than retreat, hoping to prevent wider destruction and avoid disgrace.
• The Imperial Court and the Marquis of Southmount suspend their fighting to contain the calamity, but keep forces ready against each other, underscoring their deep mutual distrust.
• Players shift from seeking direct territorial control to opportunistic raids: they trigger disasters, exploit weakened defenses, and prioritize plunder over occupation.

Significant themes

• Foresight versus crisis: Northcloud’s preventative action contrasts with other prefectures’ desperate responses.
• The costs of opportunism: Players turn a catastrophe into a tactical advantage, while ordinary soldiers and civilians bear the danger.
• Duty and honor: The fortress commander chooses a likely death in battle over retreat or later punishment.
• Fragile stability and distrust: Even a common threat cannot erase the rivalry between the Imperial Court and the rebellious Marquis.
• Power and preparation: Strong defenses and concentrated forces determine whether a released fiend becomes a regional disaster or is quickly contained.

A sudden eruption of spiritual qi in the Newly Emerged Region signals that a Xiantian Spirit Object has finished forming. Origin Sect experts rush toward the region, but Ran Yuan blocks them on the Sect Master’s orders. A Manifestation Realm guest elder recognizes the likely source of the disturbance but withdraws rather than risk provoking the absent Qin Shujian, whose reputation for defeating powerful enemies keeps the sect’s members cautious.
Grand Transmission Elder Zheng Fang realizes the eruption means the region is ready for another expedition. He summons the elders, including Niu Dali, the sleepy, peace-loving Demon Branch master who attends because he is its only representative. Zheng proposes that the sect explore the region again in three days, charging disciples 3,000 contribution points—less than the 5,000 charged for the first expedition. After confirming that Qin Shujian has already been notified, the elders accept Zheng’s decision.
Character developments and interactions: Zheng takes charge in Qin’s absence, displaying quiet authority that unnerves one elder and hints at strength beyond his apparent cultivation. The elders defer to him, while Niu Dali remains detached from their deliberations and attends mainly out of obligation. The guest elder’s retreat underscores how strongly Qin’s reputation restrains potential rivals.
Themes: The chapter emphasizes the value—and risks—of rare treasures, the authority required to govern a powerful sect, and the influence a leader can exert even while absent. It also highlights the gradual formation of a new region’s resources and the practical compromises involved in exploration.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian learns that a Xiantian Spirit Object has appeared in a Newly Emerged Region. He decides to let the sect’s disciples search for it, since the expedition can both benefit the sect and give disciples a way to spend their Contribution Points.
• He reflects on his ongoing hunt for Evil Fiends. Once the remaining fiends are gone, he expects to rely again on his disciples for Life Source, making their long-term growth more valuable than his personal, immediate gains.
• Qin considers the Origin Sect’s strength: it is remarkably powerful for a sect only about three years old, but rapid crises—rebellions, the Human Emperor’s death, rampant demonic beasts, and the threat of war—keep making him feel unprepared.
• He suspects players are behind Demon Calamities elsewhere, since they may pursue profit without regard for the destruction they cause. He also recognizes that players are becoming stronger and can now gather in overwhelming numbers.
• Qin considers whether players can be killed permanently, but rejects using quests to threaten people in the real world. He fears that doing so would provoke every player and turn the Origin Sect into a target. For now, he chooses not to antagonize them.
• Continuing his hunt, he reaches another fortress and proves his identity with his Command Token. The gates open, and the welcoming guards say they have been waiting for him.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian is increasingly focused on sustainable growth rather than short-term rewards. He wants the sect’s disciples to become strong enough to generate Life Source for him, though he admits that this is still a distant goal.
• He is more cautious about the players than before. He recognizes their growing power and avoids actions that could unite them against him, while leaving open the possibility of confronting them if he becomes strong enough.
• He remains confident in his future prospects: after advancing further and drawing on his arrays, Dao Artifacts, and the Marquis of Northcloud’s support, he believes he could at least resist a Demon King.

Significant themes and interactions

• Long-term cultivation and institutional strength: Qin sees strengthening the sect and its disciples as a more reliable investment than personally hunting scarce enemies.
• Power and insecurity: Despite the Origin Sect’s exceptional progress, constant upheaval reminds Qin that strength can quickly prove insufficient.
• Restraint and escalation: Qin avoids exploiting players’ real-world vulnerabilities, fearing that crossing that line would trigger a catastrophic backlash.
• Qin and the players: He benefits from the players within his own sect, who contribute Life Source, but worries that players as a whole are becoming difficult to control.
• Qin and the fortress authorities: The guards verify his identity before admitting him, then greet him warmly and return his Command Token.

Key plot points and events

• Soldiers guarding fortresses welcome news that Qin Shujian is hunting Evil Fiends. With the fiends gone, their stagnant, thankless posts may finally become unnecessary.
• The Origin Sect prepares for a second expedition into the Newly Emerged Region. Azure Cloud Sect Master Qingxu asks Grand Elder Zheng Fang for an entry slot and offers one million taels.
• Zheng Fang turns the request into a larger deal, offering ten slots for five million taels. Qingxu realizes the offer is difficult to refuse without offending the Origin Sect and reluctantly agrees.
• Seeing Qingxu’s interest, Zheng Fang decides to sell access more broadly. The Origin Sect announces the same package—ten slots for five million taels—to every sect in the Liangshan Spirit Domain.
• Though the second expedition is expected to yield far fewer treasures than the first, sects rush to raise the money. A Xiantian Spirit Object could help a faction advance in rank, making the costly gamble worthwhile.

Character developments

• Zheng Fang shows growing commercial and administrative savvy. Mindful of the Origin Sect’s expenses, he recognizes that selling entry slots can turn its control of the region into substantial revenue.
• Qingxu is pragmatic and ambitious: he initially wants one slot for a promising disciple, hoping for a treasure that could elevate his sect. He reluctantly accepts ten when Zheng Fang frames the offer as a favor between allied sects.

Significant themes

• Power and privilege: The Origin Sect’s dominance lets it control access to a valuable region and dictate the terms.
• Risk versus reward: Sects are willing to spend heavily for a slim chance at a treasure that could transform their standing.
• The costs of leadership: Zheng Fang’s concern with funding a large sect motivates him to seek profit from the expedition.
• The burden of duty: Fortress soldiers long for change, reflecting the frustration of service without advancement or recognition.

Character interactions

• Zheng Fang uses the Azure Cloud Sect’s friendly relationship with the Origin Sect to make a larger sale than Qingxu intended.
• Qingxu recognizes the pressure behind the offer but accepts to preserve goodwill.
• Other sects, previously unwilling to challenge the Origin Sect’s control, respond eagerly once access is officially put up for sale.

Key plot points and events

• News of Xiantian Spirit Objects in the Newly Emerged Region attracts factions from across the cultivation world. The Origin Sect sells entry slots: Liangshan Spirit Domain sects pay five million taels of silver, while outsiders must pay twenty million for ten slots.
• Many potential buyers hesitate because the fee could cripple their finances, and entry offers no guarantee of finding a Spirit Object. Some withdraw; others pay, unable to pass up the opportunity.
• The chapter explains why the region is exceptionally valuable: few places can produce newly emerged domains, and the Origin Sect is powerful enough to control this one despite pressure from rival factions.
• As visitors arrive in Liangshan City, the city’s flight-prohibiting formation forces cultivators to descend and enter on foot, demonstrating the Origin Sect’s authority.
• The Fang Family of the Northern Mountain Great Domain arrives in an impressive carriage pulled by a sky-soaring Azure-Eyed Firecloud Beast. Its young members initially disparage the city, but their leader rebukes them and warns them not to offend the Origin Sect.
• More sects and powerful families arrive, swelling the city’s already large gathering of cultivators.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Peng, leader of the Fang Family group, shows respect for Qin Shujian and the Origin Sect, while his younger companions’ dismissive remarks reveal their arrogance. He silences them and stresses that the Fang Family cannot protect them if they cause trouble.
• Fang Peng privately recognizes the family’s decline. After losing two Clan-Guarding Treasures, the Fang Family has fallen far from its former height and needs Xiantian Spirit Objects to restore its fortunes.
• Onlookers compare the Fang Family’s prestige with the Origin Sect’s power. Though the Fang Family remains formidable, Qin Shujian’s reputation and strength make the Origin Sect the dominant force.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: The Origin Sect controls access to the region and enforces its rules, even on powerful outsiders.
• Risk and ambition: Factions weigh the enormous cost of entry against the possibility of gaining a precious Spirit Object.
• Rise and decline: Fang Peng reflects on how the once-mighty Fang Family has weakened, illustrating that prosperity does not last.
• Reputation and humility: The Fang youths learn that a city’s size matters less than the power and stature of the person who rules it.

Key plot points and events

• With Qin Shujian away, Grand Elder Zheng Fang represents the Origin Sect at a meeting about entry to the Newly Emerged Region. He sets the maximum allowed cultivation at the Spirit God Realm, explaining that stronger cultivators could damage the region’s unstable laws.
• Several sects object, hoping to send more powerful cultivators, but Zheng stands firm: they must accept the limit or leave. A few factions withdraw rather than pay for entry; the rest purchase slots in batches of ten.
• The visiting factions are unsettled by the sight of two to three thousand Origin Sect disciples preparing to enter. Fang Peng warns his family’s disciples to stay together and follow his orders.
• Zheng gives the signal, and the Origin Sect disciples enter first, followed by the other factions.
• Elsewhere, Qin finishes killing the remaining Evil Fiends in Northcloud Prefecture. His Wisdom King Karmic Fire has grown stronger through repeated use, but his spirit god has reached ninety-seven zhang and is nearing the limit imposed by the laws of heaven and earth.
• After purifying the tainted area and packing away his formation equipment, Qin bids farewell to the fortress commander and returns toward Liangshan Spirit Domain.

Character developments and interactions

• Zheng Fang demonstrates calm authority, using the Origin Sect’s standing to enforce the entry rules without being drawn into argument. His confidence reassures the factions that remain.
• Xu Yuanming handles the practical side of the arrangement, collecting payment before guiding entrants into the region.
• Fang Peng takes a cautious leadership role, warning his group that the Origin Sect’s numerical advantage makes discipline essential. His relatives trust his experience and strength.
• Qin Shujian continues growing more powerful through his campaign, but encounters a new ceiling: his spirit god is close to the natural limit and may need a transformation to advance further.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: Zheng’s firm control reflects the Origin Sect’s dominance and discourages factions from challenging its terms.
• Pragmatism and risk: Factions weigh the cost of entry, the danger of sending too many people, and the value of preserving their disciples.
• Limits of cultivation: Qin’s progress shows that effort alone cannot overcome restrictions imposed by heaven and earth.
• Collective strength and caution: The Origin Sect’s large force intimidates its rivals, while Fang Peng emphasizes that cooperation is vital for survival.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian returns to the Origin Sect after spending months hunting evil fiends and immediately convenes the elders to review the sect’s affairs.
• He uses his spirit eye to inspect the elders’ loyalty and cultivation. The leadership appears stable, and several elders have advanced.
• Niu Dali has unexpectedly progressed from the spirit martial fourth to fifth layer, despite apparently spending most of his time sleeping. Qin suspects he may be the reincarnation of a powerful being, but takes no action because Niu’s loyalty is exceptionally high.
• Zheng Fang has also reached the spirit martial fifth layer. Qin is pleased to discover that the elder he once considered mediocre has improved rapidly.
• Xu Yuanming reports that an expedition into the Newly Emerged Region produced three xiantian spirit objects and earned the sect 435 million taels by selling entry slots—enough to cover its expenses for years, assuming it does not expand.
• An elder raises the issue of making contribution points freely tradable. Qin postpones a decision, and the meeting ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian returns to his role as sect leader, checking both the loyalty and progress of his leadership. He is cautious about Niu Dali’s unexplained growth but balances suspicion with trust.
• Niu Dali is revealed to be much stronger than expected. He senses Qin’s scrutiny and becomes nervous, unaware that Qin briefly considers him a potential threat.
• Zheng Fang demonstrates that he has grown into a capable cultivator, earning Qin’s surprise and satisfaction.
• The elders provide a coordinated account of the sect’s condition. Several support making contribution points transferable, while recognizing the possible impact on the sect’s economy.

Significant themes

• Power and uncertainty: Rapid, unexplained cultivation can suggest hidden origins, prompting caution even when no threat is evident.
• Trust and loyalty: Qin’s confidence in Niu Dali’s loyalty stays his hand despite his suspicions.
• Institutional growth: The sect’s wealth, stronger leadership, and expanding systems show its increasing influence and stability.
• Merit and development: Zheng Fang’s progress challenges Qin’s earlier judgment of his talent, underscoring that growth can exceed expectations.

Summary

Key events

• Qin Shujian reflects on a flaw in Origin Sect’s Contribution Points system: points cannot be traded. He considers forging new Identity Tokens himself, since altering the system’s existing tokens could create chaos, but postpones the difficult project while prioritizing his own cultivation breakthrough.
• He reviews his resources: his Fortune Value has passed 10,000 without triggering any special change, while his Life Source remains insufficient for the manuals he wants to upgrade. He decides to preserve his Fortune Value for now.
• Qin asks Elder Xu Yuanming to discreetly investigate what the “Pursuer” is—possibly an individual or a faction—and to search for Command Tokens like the one that opened the Huading Cave Abode. Qin suspects other similar abodes may exist, perhaps containing the treasures behind its two unopened doors.
• Xu tells him that the Imperial Court sent a reward for killing the Moon-Swallowing Demon King. The reward had been delivered through the Marquis of Northcloud’s Manor while Qin was away.
• Qin inspects the Storage Ring and finds ten spirit stones, one hundred jin of ninth-tier forging materials, and three Grandmaster-Level Formations. He sets aside his fifteen spirit stones rather than spend more of them on formations.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin shows caution and long-range thinking: he weighs the risks of changing the sect’s system, keeps his Fortune Value in reserve, and treats the Pursuer mystery as a potentially serious threat or opportunity.
• Xu is loyal and tactful. He accepts Qin’s request, memorizes the token’s appearance, and does not press for details when Qin declines to explain his interest. He also returns the Imperial reward he had safeguarded.
• Qin and Xu’s exchange reflects their established trust: Qin assigns sensitive work to Xu, while Xu carries it out discreetly and respects his authority.

Significant themes

• Institution-building and control: A useful system can become dangerous if its rules are altered carelessly.
• Resource management: Qin balances immediate advancement against preserving rare assets for future needs.
• Mystery and exploration: The Pursuer and possible undiscovered cave abodes hint at a larger hidden world.
• Recognition and reward: The Imperial Court’s gift formally acknowledges Qin’s service in defending humanity.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian considers how spirit stones can strengthen formations and improve a sect’s cultivation environment, but postpones acting on the idea to focus on forging.
• To protect the spiritually aware osmanthus tree from stray tribulation power, he forges on Liangshan Summit. He uses ninth-rank materials and Wisdom King Karmic Fire to make eighteen High Grade Spirit Weapon Array Disks.
• The forging brings thunderclouds and tribulation lightning for half a month. The disciples are largely accustomed to such displays, though the power still unsettles them.
• Qin inscribes the disks with an enhanced Grandmaster-Level Spirit-Gathering Formation that combines spiritual-energy accumulation with offense. Once complete, the disks are as powerful together as a Dao artifact, though less offensively potent than a dedicated attack formation.
• Meanwhile, Xu Yuanming investigates the mysterious Pursuer at Qin’s request. The Origin Sect’s broad intelligence network finds no leads, so Xu concludes the Pursuer is either exceptionally hidden or immensely influential. He suspects Qin learned of it through the Unknown Cave Abode token and redirects the investigation toward that token.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian remains burdened by sect responsibilities despite hoping for rest. His advanced spiritual sense lets him inscribe a Grandmaster-Level Formation with ease, demonstrating his growing mastery of the Array Dao.
• Xu Kai envies Qin’s forging abilities but is discouraged by his own slow progress as a Low-Grade Forge Master. The chapter contrasts visible player progress with the uncertainty faced by native cultivators.
• Xu Yuanming responds seriously to Qin’s orders, methodically reassesses the failed investigation, and acts on his new theory about the Cave Abode token.
• The Origin Sect’s disciples treat Qin’s repeated tribulation-forging as familiar, while Xu Yuanming speculates about the weapon’s power from the scale of the storm.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Qin’s growing abilities bring more work rather than relief.
• Progress and hope: Seeing measurable advancement can sustain motivation, even when improvement is slow.
• Secrecy and intelligence: A powerful organization can still be confounded by an enemy that leaves no trace.
• Innovation and balance: Qin combines cultivation support with defensive offense, accepting reduced attack power for broader utility.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian returns to the Undying Plains, a lifeless region still saturated with demonic qi after the Undying Evil Lord’s destruction. The pollution is difficult to remove because it has seeped deep into the earth.
• He searches the site where he once opened the Huading Cave Abode but finds no trace of it. Its apparent disappearance, despite Qin’s powerful divine sense, leaves him uneasy and suggests it may involve advanced spatial methods.
• Qin deploys eighteen array disks to create a vast formation that draws in spiritual energy and gradually purifies the plains. He estimates the process will take six months to a year.
• To protect the work, he manifests a nearly thousand-foot spirit god and forbids anyone from entering, declaring trespass an act of war against the Origin Sect. The formation can kill anyone below the Heavenly Being level who enters without permission.
• Observers across Liangshan assume Qin has reached the Divine Martial Realm, since they believe a spirit god of that size is impossible at his actual level, the Spirit Martial Realm.
• Back at the Origin Sect, Qin orders his disciples to stay away from the plains and prepares to enter secluded cultivation until he breaks through to the Divine Martial Realm.
• Before withdrawing, he asks Xu Yuanming for updates: the search for the mysterious Pursuer has yielded nothing, while reports about the Unknown Cave Abode’s Command Token remain unverified. Qin also requests historical information on reincarnated mighty ones in Great Zhao.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian shows greater power and authority, using his spirit god and formations to secure the region. Yet the vanished cave abode troubles him, revealing that his confidence does not extend to mysteries beyond his understanding. He remains focused on advancement and further investigation.
• Xu Yuanming reports candidly that the search has made little progress and that leads about the Command Token need verification. Qin accepts the limits of the investigation and gives him another research task.
• The people of Liangshan are astonished by Qin’s manifestation and conclude he has reached the Divine Martial Realm. Their mistaken assumption underscores how far his abilities exceed what they consider possible.

Significant themes

• Power and perception: Qin’s Spirit Martial Realm spirit god is so extraordinary that observers mistake his cultivation level.
• Control versus uncertainty: Qin can command the region and purify its corruption, but the missing cave abode points to forces and techniques he cannot yet explain.
• Order and responsibility: His ban and protective formation secure the plains while preventing others from dying there.
• Ambition and unfinished knowledge: Qin’s planned seclusion and continued searches show his drive to advance while pursuing answers about the Pursuer, the cave abode, and reincarnated mighty ones.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian investigates whether Niu Dali might be a reincarnated mighty one, suspecting he is probably a Demon Race figure. He absorbs three Xiantian Spirit Objects, then cultivates at Liangshan Summit using fifteen spirit stones arranged in a formation.
• After half a month, Qin finds that five of his seven cultivation manuals have made no progress. He concludes that advancing multiple manuals naturally becomes extremely difficult, even with his exceptional talent and cultivation conditions. He reluctantly spends life source to raise one manual by a level.
• In the Imperial City, Xi Yang occupies the throne for three years under the Human Emperor’s final decree, temporarily ending the princes’ succession struggle. With rebellions and Demon Calamities spreading across Great Zhao, officials debate whether to kill sealed Evil Fiends or keep guarding them to protect the Demon Abyss’s seal.
• Xi Yang asks the court for a course of action. General Shan Hao supports Zhou Dingjun’s proposal to exterminate the Evil Fiends, arguing that outbreaks and the unpredictable actions of otherworlders make defensive containment unreliable.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian learns the limits of self-directed cultivation and accepts that progress across all seven manuals would take centuries; he chooses to spend life source on one instead.
• Xi Yang presents himself with imperial authority but privately recognizes that his position is insecure and that officials do not fully respect him. He solicits advice rather than immediately imposing a decision.
• Zhou Dingjun argues forcefully for killing the Evil Fiends before their outbreaks devastate the realm. Xing Jian’an warns that killing them could strengthen the Demon Abyss and destabilize its seal. Their public dispute exposes the court’s lack of consensus.
• Shan Hao backs Zhou’s approach, framing mass extermination as the lesser danger compared with uncontrolled Demon Calamities.

Significant themes

• The cost and limits of advancement: Qin’s experience shows that ambition and favorable conditions cannot eliminate the difficulty of cultivating multiple paths.
• Leadership under uncertainty: Both cultivation and governance require choices when outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
• Political fragility: Xi Yang’s temporary rule and the officials’ divided loyalties limit his authority.
• Competing dangers: The court must weigh immediate harm from Demon Calamities against the risk of making the Demon Abyss stronger.

Plot points and events

• General Shan Hao backs Emperor Xi Yang’s plan to prioritize suppressing the Demon Calamity. He asks the emperor to release another portion of the Ancestral Weapon’s power to kill sixth-level Heavenly Being evil fiends before they can grow stronger. Xi Yang agrees, requiring that all evil fiends outside the Spirit Domains and Great Domains be eliminated.
• Xi Yang mobilizes more than half the Imperial Court’s experts and orders the cultivation sects to join the campaign, threatening to brand anyone who refuses a traitor to humanity. He also calls on the Otherworlders through missions.
• Shan Hao is uneasy about Xi Yang’s confrontational approach toward the sects, but does not object; he has long wanted to bring unruly sects under imperial authority.
• In Falling Moon Prefecture, Marquis Du Chengwu and his generals discuss seven evil fiends loose across four True Domains. The crisis is difficult to contain because powerful Dao Artifacts and capable fighters are scarce.
• A general proposes cooperating with the cultivation sects and recruiting Otherworlders. Their immortality makes them useful against the evil fiends’ contagious corruption. Du Chengwu approves.
• Another general suggests asking Qin Shujian to eliminate evil fiends still sealed in the True Domains, as the Marquis of Northcloud did. Du Chengwu postpones the idea: he is reluctant to appear incapable by seeking help from another prefecture, and Falling Moon is only partly under his control.

Character developments and interactions

• Xi Yang uses the Demon Calamity to strengthen his rule. His ambitions extend well beyond the promised three-year reign, and he treats the crisis as an opportunity to impose imperial authority on the sects.
• Shan Hao establishes his influence by openly supporting the emperor, silencing Xing Jian’an. Though cautious about Xi Yang’s risky policy, he shares the desire to discipline rebellious sects.
• Du Chengwu favors practical cooperation but is constrained by pride and political rivalry. He accepts help from local sects and Otherworlders, yet resists relying on Qin Shujian.
• The court’s power dynamics are clear: Xing Jian’an backs down before Shan Hao, while the generals in Du Chengwu’s hall debate competing priorities and strategies.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: Xi Yang seeks to secure his throne through military success and expanded imperial control.
• Crisis as political opportunity: The Demon Calamity enables the court to demand cooperation from sects and Otherworlders.
• Pragmatism versus pride: Du Chengwu recognizes effective solutions but hesitates when they might damage his reputation.
• Uneasy alliances: The court, cultivation sects, and Otherworlders may need to cooperate despite their separate interests and past tensions.

Plot points and events

• The Imperial Court issues players a major mission to kill Evil Fiends as demon calamities spread across Great Zhao. The rewards are unusually generous: one merit point per creature slain.
• Cao Hong, now a chief constable serving the Imperial Court after failing to infiltrate the Origin Sect, considers how to profit from the mission. He and Liu Qinghong discuss earning merit points and potentially obtaining a powerful formation.
• Liu proposes trading with Origin Sect players for formations, since Northcloud Prefecture has no demon calamity and its players cannot claim the Imperial Court’s mission. Cao agrees.
• Players across other prefectures rush to accept the limited mission slots, which are quickly filled. Northcloud Prefecture’s players complain about being excluded.
• They realize Qin Shujian’s earlier campaign against the Evil Fiends left their region without targets—and therefore without missions. His strength now makes resentment toward him too dangerous to act on.
• The Origin Sect remains largely peaceful, protected by its arrays and the Heavenly Demon Palace’s restraint of the Demon Race. Players who enter the Undying Plains despite warnings are killed by its formations.

Character developments

• Cao Hong has given up on revenge against Qin Shujian and on relying on unreliable fellow players. He focuses instead on strengthening his own position within the Imperial Court.
• Liu Qinghong takes a pragmatic, opportunistic approach, seeking to turn player-to-player trades into access to valuable formations.
• Qin Shujian, though absent, looms over events: his actions have deprived Northcloud’s players of opportunities, while his power discourages them from confronting him.

Character interactions

• Cao and Liu assess the Imperial Court’s rewards and negotiate a strategy, balancing the value of merit points against their desire to preserve them for promotions.
• Cao reflects on fellow players’ tendency to abandon alliances for immediate benefits, reinforcing his distrust of them.
• Northcloud’s players collectively complain and blame Qin Shujian, but his reputation and strength leave them powerless.

Significant themes

• Self-interest over solidarity: Players pursue whichever faction offers the best rewards, and alliances prove fragile.
• Power and unintended consequences: Qin Shujian’s victory over the Evil Fiends protects the region but also removes opportunities for its players.
• Merit and social advancement: Merit points are valuable not only as currency for rewards but as a path to official rank.
• Security through deterrence: The Origin Sect’s defenses preserve peace, but those who ignore its warnings face lethal consequences.

Summary

• The Imperial Court seeks Qin Shujian’s aid: Imperial envoy Wu Lang arrives at Origin Sect to invite the sect master to help suppress demon calamities across Great Zhao. He cites Qin’s past victories as the reason for the request. Zheng Fang explains that Qin is in seclusion and cannot be contacted. Since Wu Lang has only half a month, Zheng offers to host him and promises to send word if Qin emerges. The envoy is lodged in Liangshan City and shown around by an inner sect deacon.
• Qin weighs the cost of advancement: During his seclusion, Qin checks his progress and finds that his five cultivation manuals are nearly at the eighth level of the Spirit Martial Volume. Raising them further requires enormous amounts of life source. Although the sect’s growing disciple base steadily supplies life source, Qin feels his progress has slowed compared with his earlier rapid breakthroughs.
• He rejects a risky faction upgrade: Qin’s fortune value has risen past ten thousand, enough either to strengthen a Dao Artifact or potentially raise Origin Sect from a fifth-level to a sixth-level faction. He decides against the latter: a powerful new sect could attract the Imperial Court’s suspicion and invite destruction. Since Origin Sect is his main source of life source, he cannot risk losing it. Instead, he plans to convert his fortune value into life source to improve his own cultivation, then notices that Spirit Eye can be upgraded.

Character developments and interactions

• Zheng Fang handles the envoy’s request diplomatically, acknowledging that Qin’s absence prevents him from giving a definite answer while still treating Wu Lang with proper respect.
• Wu Lang is courteous and practical. Disappointed that Qin is unavailable, he accepts Zheng’s offer to wait rather than abandon his mission.
• Qin Shujian shows increasing strategic caution. Though he wants the strength a higher-level faction would bring, he prioritizes preserving Origin Sect and chooses personal cultivation over expansion.

Significant themes

• Power comes with political risk: Greater strength can attract the attention of a stronger authority.
• Slow, costly advancement: Qin’s rapid early rise gives way to the long effort required at higher realms.
• Security through interdependence: Qin relies on Origin Sect for life source, making the sect’s survival essential to his own progress.

This chapter is an author’s note rather than part of the story. The author asks readers to support the book with votes and comments, jokingly encouraging them to comment freely as long as they are not insulting. They explain that the book’s public engagement numbers lag behind those of similar titles and say they hope to improve them. The author also promises to publish a large batch of chapters once they have built up a stockpile.

• Plot and characters: No story events or character development.
• Themes and interactions: The note highlights the author’s desire for reader engagement and the direct, playful relationship they hope to build with readers.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian spends 1,000 fortune points to evolve his Spirit Eye into the Dharma Eye. Its description promises the ability to perceive the world’s changes, read fortune, and even kill through observation.
• Testing it, he sees the heaven-and-earth barrier covering the entire sky, confirming his suspicion that it surrounds the world.
• He can also perceive the fortune of factions. The Origin Sect’s strong yellow fortune forms a nearly solid, hundred-foot qilin that greets him. Other sects have ordinary pale-blue fortune, while the Azure Cloud and Heavenly Blade Sects appear somewhat stronger.
• The cities’ yellow fortune remains dormant. Qin Shujian infers that it belongs to Great Zhao and reflects the turmoil following the Human Emperor’s death; it may revive when a new emperor takes the throne.
• He tries to look toward Central Province and glimpse the foundation of Great Zhao’s fortune. The backlash overwhelms him: his eyes bleed, his spirit god is shaken, his protective treasures and formation break, and he spits blood. He survives, but the attempt leaves him badly injured and his array disks cracked.

Character development and interactions

• Qin Shujian moves from curiosity about the Dharma Eye to a more serious understanding of its limits. His confidence briefly turns into overreach, and he recognizes that even a distant glimpse of powerful fortune can be fatal.
• The Origin Sect’s qilin responds to his gaze with apparent affection, reflecting his close connection to the sect and its prosperity. By contrast, other factions’ fortune-beasts defer to the Origin Sect’s stronger fortune.

Significant themes

• Fortune and political upheaval: A faction’s fortune reflects its prosperity, stability, and prospects; Great Zhao’s dormant fortune signals crisis after the emperor’s death.
• Power and its limits: Greater perception brings greater danger. Qin Shujian’s new ability can reveal extraordinary truths, but powerful forces can retaliate against being observed.
• Leadership and responsibility: The Origin Sect’s flourishing fortune is presented as evidence of Qin Shujian’s capable management, while its future remains tied to his choices.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian realizes that using his Dharma Eye to inspect powerful beings or their fortunes carries a dangerous backlash. His glance at Great Zhao’s national fortune pierced two Dao Artifacts’ defenses, destroyed an Array Disk, and badly injured his spirit god and eyes.
• He survives because of his defensive abilities, but is temporarily blind. His ordinary perception still lets him sense his surroundings, and he spends about a week recovering at Liangshan Summit.
• The incident frightens the Origin Sect and nearby Liangshan City. Powerful observers feel the brief aura, but no one knows exactly what caused it.
• Once healed, Qin decides his near-death experience proves he needs greater strength. He spends 7,500 fortune points to increase his life source, then uses 750 million life source to perfect the Spirit Martial volumes of his remaining cultivation manuals.
• The manuals’ completion triggers a surge of power and the manifestation of his enormous spirit god, which appears to grow beyond ninety-seven zhang. Qin then uses the Fusion Panel to combine his seven manuals, spending 300 fortune points and gaining an unnamed cultivation manual at its thirty-first level. He is now preparing for a breakthrough to the Divine Martial Realm, though he first wants to consolidate his gains.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian learns to treat the Dharma Eye with caution and recognizes the gap between his strength and that of the world’s most powerful beings. His response is practical: recover, improve his cultivation, and prepare for advancement.
• Xiang Haoqian is shaken by the power he sensed and wonders where it came from, judging it more terrifying than even a Heavenly Being’s aura.
• Wu Lang suspects Qin’s power came from a reserve left from his previous life and begins to believe rumors that Qin may already have reached the Divine Martial Realm.
• Niu Dali briefly senses danger on the Lion-Tiger Plains, then dismisses it and goes back to sleep, reflecting his deep preference for rest and the Demon Race’s long lifespan.

Character interactions

• Qin’s display of power affects the entire Origin Sect and nearby city, leaving cultivators of every level stunned and afraid.
• Xiang Haoqian and Wu Lang interpret the event from the outside, drawing different but related conclusions about its source and Qin’s abilities.
• Niu Dali reacts instinctively to the distant threat, though he remains uninvolved.

Significant themes

• Power has consequences: Even a glance through the Dharma Eye can provoke a devastating response from forces beyond Qin’s control.
• Humility and caution: Qin’s survival reminds him not to underestimate the world’s strongest beings.
• Growth through adversity: The near-fatal incident drives Qin to strengthen himself and approach his next breakthrough.
• Perception and reputation: Those who witness the aura cannot identify its cause, but Qin’s reputation as a reincarnated mighty one shapes their assumptions.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian undergoes the lightning tribulation required to break through to the Divine Martial Realm. He stands against the first strikes without resisting, allowing their pure-yang energy to temper his Spirit God.
• The tribulation grows far stronger than expected, eventually threatening to disperse even Qin’s extraordinary hundred-zhang Spirit God. He suspects its immense size is causing the unusually severe trial.
• Qin uses his Fourth-Grade Golden Lotus to defend himself. When it begins to falter, he spends 500 Fortune Value to upgrade it into a Sixth-Grade Golden Lotus, whose powerful defenses withstand the remaining lightning.
• After half a day, the final strike falls. Qin’s Spirit God transforms and expands to two hundred zhang, while its immense divine sense sweeps across the Liangshan Spirit Domain and overwhelms nearby cultivators.
• Qin returns to his body, which also undergoes a dramatic transformation: his flesh, bones, and organs become denser, and the dragon-like power within him develops into a complete, formidable presence. He officially reaches the Divine Martial Realm and recognizes that his lifespan has risen to between one and three thousand years.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian completes his breakthrough and gains vastly greater spiritual and physical power. His already extraordinary foundation sets him apart from ordinary Divine Martial Realm cultivators, though the tribulation pushes him close to collapse.
• Wu Lang watches in stunned confusion, unable to reconcile Qin’s apparent Spirit Martial Realm status with the power of his hundred-zhang Spirit God.
• The Liangshan cultivators are forced to confront just how exceptional Qin is; many had assumed he must have reached the Divine Martial Realm long before.

Significant themes

• Strength carries a cost: Qin’s immense Spirit God appears to provoke a correspondingly brutal tribulation.
• Preparation and resources matter: His foundation lets him endure the trial, while the Golden Lotus—and his willingness to spend Fortune Value to strengthen it—proves crucial.
• Power reshapes perception: Qin’s breakthrough inspires awe and disbelief, while the sweep of his divine sense makes the difference between him and ordinary cultivators unmistakable.
• Transformation and longevity: Reaching the Divine Martial Realm changes both body and spirit and grants a greatly extended lifespan.

Character interactions

• Qin faces the tribulation largely alone, relying on his own endurance and the Golden Lotus rather than assistance from others.
• Cultivators across the Liangshan Spirit Domain observe the event and speculate that Qin is breaking through. Their astonishment deepens when they see the size of his Spirit God and feel its overwhelming divine sense.
• Wu Lang’s silent bewilderment contrasts with the crowd’s shock: neither can make sense of Qin’s extraordinary cultivation.