Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After the Special Affairs Bureau kills the Taotie, Professor Wang asks to preserve one for study. Qin Zheng refuses, prioritizing safety over research. The team reports that no beasts survived.
• Before the professors can examine the bodies, the sealed tunnel erupts. A huge, unnatural creature emerges: a seven- or eight-meter-tall, horned being with a humanlike head, four pillar-like legs, and pulsing green lights beneath its forelegs.
• The creature surveys the dead Taotie without visible grief, laughs, speaks in an unknown language, and regards the humans with contempt. Ying Wenjie suspects it is the Taotie King—the powerful being sealed beneath the ruins.
• Elsewhere, Chen Hao senses an energy disturbance in the direction of Mount Lao but brushes it aside and returns to his game with Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing.
• At Mount Lao, the Taotie King charges a blazing fireball and strikes the camp. The blast destroys several tents and kills Liu, a Bureau member who shields Professor Chen Jingshan.
• Grief-stricken and furious, Qin Zheng orders the team to fire everything they have. Their bullets and explosive rounds strike the King but fail to pierce its hide—or even disperse the black mist around it.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Zheng remains resolute and protective: he rejects risky specimen collection, then responds to Liu’s death with anguish but quickly leads the counterattack.
• Professor Wang is eager to study the Taotie, but accepts Qin’s refusal. The other professors are awed by the discovery before the King’s arrival turns their curiosity to fear.
• Liu dies protecting Professor Chen Jingshan, demonstrating the danger faced by the team and the cost of the King’s attack.
• Ying Wenjie voices the group’s fear and identifies the emerging creature as a possible Taotie ruler.
• Chen Hao senses something significant happening near Mount Lao, but does not investigate, creating a contrast between his ordinary distraction and the crisis unfolding there.
• The Taotie King shows no concern for its fallen kind and treats the armed humans as insignificant, establishing its arrogance and apparent superiority.

Significant themes

• Human life versus scientific curiosity: Qin puts immediate safety ahead of preserving a rare specimen.
• The limits of human power: The team’s most powerful weapons are ineffective against the King, leaving them confronting an enemy beyond their capabilities.
• Sacrifice and duty: Liu gives his life to save Professor Chen Jingshan.
• Foreshadowing and contrast: Chen Hao’s unexplained energy sense links him to the Mount Lao events, while his decision to return to gaming delays any involvement.

Plot points and events

• Modern weapons prove completely ineffective against the Taotie King: machine guns and a direct rocket strike leave it unharmed.
• Qin Zheng orders Teams One and Two to hold the monster back while Team Three evacuates the professors and other noncombatants. The covering team soon realizes the Taotie King has vanished.
• The monster has bypassed the retreat and appears hovering in the air ahead of the fleeing group, trapping them. More gunfire and rockets fail; a black mist blocks every attack.
• With no apparent way to escape or fight back, Qin Zheng orders everyone into a defensive circle around the professors, preparing for a last stand.
• Just as despair takes hold, a colossal blue-green divine bird arrives over Mount Lao. Its majestic presence contrasts with the Taotie King’s sinister aura, setting up a confrontation.

Character developments

• Qin Zheng remains resolute under pressure, prioritizing evacuation and survival before preparing to fight to the death.
• Professor Chen Jingshan, previously confident in science, is overwhelmed by an enemy that defies its explanations.
• Qin Xiaoyu is furious and shaken that her formidable swordsmanship cannot harm the monster.
• Ying Wenjie panics at the prospect of dying before spending his Havoc Coins, while jokingly vowing to become a better-equipped fighter if he survives.
• The operatives show loyalty and courage, insisting on standing with Qin Zheng and ultimately shielding the professors despite overwhelming odds.

Significant themes

• The limits of conventional science and human technology against the supernatural.
• Courage, duty, and solidarity in the face of near-certain defeat.
• Despair giving way to sudden hope with the divine bird’s arrival.

Character interactions

• Qin Zheng clashes with his operatives’ desire to stay beside him, insisting they obey orders and help the others escape.
• Qin Xiaoyu and Ying Wenjie share a brief, anxious exchange as they confront the possibility of death.
• The operatives form a protective ring around the professors, turning their shared helplessness into a final act of collective defense.

Plot points and events

• The Three Blue Birds, a divine beast recognized by Ying Wenjie and Qin Xiaoyu, appears and attacks the Taotie King, diverting it from the people below.
• While the two powerful creatures clash in a destructive aerial battle, Qin Zheng orders the group to flee toward Mount Lao’s outer defenses.
• The group runs for about twenty minutes, nearing safety, when the wounded Three Blue Birds crashes onto their escape route.
• Though badly injured and apparently defeated, the bird rises to face the Taotie King again, intending to hold it off so the humans can escape.
• Some Special Affairs Bureau members try to join the fight, but Qin Zheng stops them, warning that their weapons cannot harm the Taotie King and they would only hinder the bird. Ye Chendong laments that the “High God” might have been able to defeat it.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Zheng stays focused on protecting the group: he directs the evacuation, then restrains his team from making a futile sacrifice.
• Qin Xiaoyu recognizes the Three Blue Birds and reacts with grief and anger when it falls.
• Ying Wenjie shifts from exhilaration at the bird’s arrival to stunned despair after its defeat.
• The Three Blue Birds is revealed as both a formidable fighter and a self-sacrificing protector, standing between the Taotie King and the humans despite its injuries.
• The team members move from panic to hope, then despair, and finally a desperate desire to fight beside the bird. Qin Zheng’s blunt warning forces them to confront their helplessness.
• Professor Lin Song is confused by Ying Wenjie’s references to a livestream and a “High God,” while Ye Chendong invokes the same figure as their only imagined hope.

Significant themes

• Hope and despair: The bird’s arrival briefly revives the group’s hope, but its fall makes their danger seem inescapable.
• Sacrifice and protection: The Three Blue Birds chooses to keep fighting, even at the cost of its life, to give the humans a chance to escape.
• Human helplessness before overwhelming power: The battle is beyond human intervention, and courage alone cannot make the team’s weapons effective.
• Courage and responsibility: The team wants to fight, but Qin Zheng insists that restraint—not reckless bravery—is the useful choice.

Key plot points and events

• As the survivors prepare to make a last stand against the Taotie King, a vast, dark-gold-edged rift opens in the sky.
• Chen Hao steps through and calmly hovers above the battlefield. The exhausted survivors recognize him as the “High God” and believe they are saved.
• The Taotie King recognizes Chen Hao and reacts with intense, personal hatred, revealing that the two have clashed before.
• The Taotie King attacks with twin fireballs, a blast of fiery breath, and a powerful claw strike. Chen Hao barely moves: a thin golden barrier deflects the attacks, and the Taotie King’s claw is stopped and damaged against it.
• The barrier also disperses the sinister aura surrounding the Taotie King, leaving him frozen in disbelief.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is presented as calm and overwhelmingly powerful, treating the battle almost casually. He neither speaks nor visibly struggles, and his restraint makes his strength seem even greater.
• The Taotie King shifts from furious aggression to shock when his strongest assault fails to penetrate Chen Hao’s defense.
• Qin Xiaoyu, Ying Wenjie, Wu Qingya, and the agents move from despair to ecstatic relief and renewed confidence at Chen Hao’s arrival.

Significant themes

• Hope after despair: Chen Hao’s sudden appearance transforms a likely final defeat into a chance of survival.
• Myth made real: The rift and Chen Hao’s entrance exceed the survivors’ understanding of science and martial arts, evoking divine legend.
• Power through restraint: Chen Hao’s stillness and minimal effort contrast sharply with the Taotie King’s destructive fury.
• Fear and awe: The witnesses’ reactions show how overwhelming power can reshape morale before a battle is even decided.

Character interactions

• The survivors respond to Chen Hao with reverence and relief; he acknowledges them with only a slight nod.
• The Taotie King directly addresses Chen Hao by name, making their apparent history and enmity clear.
• Chen Hao answers the King’s hostility not with words, but by effortlessly blocking each attack, leaving the Taotie King and the onlookers stunned.

Plot points and events

• The Taotie King tears out the extra eyes beneath his armpits, swallows them, and summons an enormous black eye that plunges Mount Lao into darkness.
• The eye fires a devastating beam at Chen Hao, but Chen Hao casually raises one hand. A gigantic golden palm blocks the attack and crushes the eye.
• Wounded and terrified, the Taotie King attempts to flee. Chen Hao stops him from afar and traps him in a cage of spatial blades.
• The blades slice the Taotie King apart and erase him completely. The confrontation lasts less than two minutes, and Chen Hao never leaves his position.

Character developments

• The Taotie King escalates to a grotesque, self-destructive attack, then shifts from confidence to disbelief, fear, and helplessness as Chen Hao overpowers him.
• Chen Hao is revealed as overwhelmingly powerful and composed. He defeats the King with minimal movement and no visible strain.
• The Special Affairs Bureau operatives and other witnesses are left stunned; some had been retching at the King’s transformation, and afterward they can scarcely believe what they have seen.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power and restraint: Chen Hao’s calm, effortless actions contrast with the King’s violent desperation.
• Horror and grotesque transformation: The King’s self-mutilation and monstrous eye weapon emphasize the battle’s bodily and supernatural terror.
• The collapse of arrogance before superior strength: The King’s ultimate weapon fails, leaving him powerless and erased.

Character interactions

• The Taotie King directly threatens Chen Hao and attacks him with the black beam. Chen Hao responds without speaking, first destroying the eye and then preventing the King’s escape.
• The witnesses watch the exchange in silence, their shock underscoring the extraordinary gap between Chen Hao’s strength and the threat that had seemed nearly impossible to defeat.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao kills the King of Taotie with one hand, then heals the badly wounded Three Blue Birds with a golden pill. The bird recovers and follows him deeper into Mount Lao.
• The expedition team panics when Ying Wenjie suddenly screams—but he only regrets forgetting to record Chen Hao’s battle. The group’s fear gives way to disbelief and irritation.
• Qin Xiaoyu suggests following Chen Hao into the Ancient Lao Ruins. Qin Zheng refuses, citing the wounded, damaged equipment, and the team’s exhausted state. The group withdraws to camp to regroup and await reinforcements.
• In the ruined underground chamber, Chen Hao confirms the ancient seal remains partially intact. He recognizes its markings and recalls his past encounter with the Taotie.
• He discovers crimson crystals embedded in the wall. Their powerful energy had continually eroded the seal, enabling the Taotie King to escape.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains calm and powerful, healing the Three Blue Birds before investigating the ruins. The seal’s markings awaken memories of his younger, more impetuous self.
• Ying Wenjie provides comic relief: his scream is caused by missing the chance to film the battle, deeply exasperating Qin Zheng.
• Qin Zheng acts cautiously and responsibly, prioritizing the team’s safety over curiosity. Qin Xiaoyu, Wu Tian, and Ye Chendong reluctantly accept his decision.
• The Three Blue Birds shows quiet trust in Chen Hao, accepting his healing without fear and then pursuing him.
• In the past, Chen Hao and Wang Yao, then far more powerful than he was, fought the Taotie together. They could not kill it and instead sealed it beneath the ruins.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Chen Hao’s effortless victory contrasts with Qin Zheng’s careful management of a vulnerable group.
• Duty versus curiosity: The team must abandon the chance to explore the ruins in favor of recovery and safety.
• The persistence of history: The seal, its markings, and Chen Hao’s memories connect the present crisis to events from the Primordial Era.
• Unintended consequences: The crimson crystals’ energy weakened the seal over time, showing how a hidden force can undo ancient safeguards.

Key plot points

• Chen Hao discovers that the crimson crystals beneath Mount Lao are Flame Spirit Stones. Their energy weakened the ancient seal holding the Taotie King, enabling it to escape.
• Three Blue Birds, now recovered, chooses to follow Chen Hao. Chen Hao welcomes him, and the enormous bird shrinks to palm size and settles on his shoulder.
• At the mountain’s outskirts, Cao Shoujun has established a military camp and requested reinforcements after Qin Zheng reported the crisis. A general and Special Affairs Bureau personnel receive a detailed account of events.
• Chen Hao arrives at the camp. Cao Shoujun greets him with deep gratitude, and Chen Hao explains that the ruins are no longer dangerous, clarifies the origin of the skeletal remains, and warns that more Demonic Beasts remain on Mount Lao. The Flame Spirit Stones beneath the mountain are causing its animals to mutate.
• When Qin Zheng asks what to do with the stones, Chen Hao says they may handle them as they wish. He then prepares to leave.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains composed and detached, but shows unusual tenderness toward Three Blue Birds. The bird’s return brings back memories of Chen Hao’s former companions, Wang Yao and Xiao Qing, and eases his long solitude.
• Three Blue Birds moves from recovering after near death to eagerly choosing Chen Hao as his companion, showing affection and trust.
• Cao Shoujun sets aside his official formality to greet Chen Hao personally, openly acknowledging his debt to him.
• Qin Zheng and the officials treat Chen Hao with respect and rely on his knowledge to understand the danger. The military general also recognizes Chen Hao’s reputation and follows Cao Shoujun to meet him.

Significant themes

• Companionship after loneliness: Three Blue Birds’ loyalty restores a bond Chen Hao has been without for ages.
• Power and unintended consequences: The Flame Spirit Stones both undermine the ancient seal and threaten further mutation across Mount Lao.
• Respect earned through action: Chen Hao’s repeated role in averting supernatural disasters commands the trust of military and government authorities.

Key plot points and events

• At the military camp, Ying Wenjie asks Chen Hao to take him as a disciple. Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian join him in kneeling. Chen Hao agrees, telling them to find him in Treasure Sky City once their affairs are settled.
• Chen Hao opens a spatial gateway and departs with the three Blue Birds, leaving the onlookers stunned. The four new disciples celebrate and begin preparing to travel.
• In Treasure Sky City, Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao abandon a string of disastrous game matches and wait for Chen Hao. He unexpectedly returns via the balcony, prompting questions about how he got there.
• The sisters notice that Three Blue Birds can shrink and try to entice the bird with dried fish. The bird refuses to cooperate, while Xiao Yue appears jealous of the attention it receives.
• The next day, Qin Xiaoyu, Ying Wenjie, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian arrive at Chen Hao’s home with gifts.

Character developments

• Chen Hao accepts four disciples and demonstrates his power by opening a portal through space. He remains calm and matter-of-fact.
• Ying Wenjie, Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian move from nervous pleading to joyful anticipation at becoming Chen Hao’s students.
• Qin Xiaoyu receives her uncle Qin Zheng’s permission to go, showing both her excitement and her family’s support.
• Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao are eager to interact with Three Blue Birds, but their attempts to win it over fail.
• Xiao Yue seeks Chen Hao’s attention after watching the sisters dote on the bird.

Significant themes

• The prestige of mentorship: Becoming Chen Hao’s disciple is presented as a life-changing honor.
• Power and mystery: Chen Hao’s effortless spatial travel emphasizes how far beyond ordinary people his abilities lie.
• Humor and domestic warmth: The sisters’ gaming frustration and determined attempts to feed the bird provide a playful contrast to the extraordinary events.
• Loyalty and jealousy: Xiao Yue’s behavior hints at her attachment to Chen Hao and her displeasure at being overlooked.

Character interactions

• The four prospective disciples kneel together and share the emotional shock of Chen Hao’s acceptance.
• Qin Zheng encourages Qin Xiaoyu to go, while Cao Shoujun jokes that the Qin family will benefit from her new connection.
• Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao jointly coax Three Blue Birds with dried fish; the bird pointedly refuses, and Xiao Yue turns to Chen Hao for affection.
• The four new disciples arrive together, bringing gifts as they enter Chen Hao’s home.

Plot points

• Qin Xiaoyu and the others visit Chen Hao’s home after using the Flame Spirit Stone to cultivate. Qin has advanced from early dark force to peak transformation in one night; Ye Chendong and Wu Tian have reached the transformation realm as well. Ying Wenjie has not yet cultivated, though his vitality and bearing have improved.
• Chen Hao appears, and the four visitors kneel and address him as their master, surprising Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing. He asks them to rise and praises their aptitude.
• Chen Hao teaches them the Eight-Nine Mystical Skill, a supreme Primordial Era body-refining method said to refine both body and soul and offer a path to sagehood through nine revolutions. He transmits it directly into their minds.
• The four experience visions of ancient script and a figure demonstrating a series of animal-like, ever-changing movements. Ying Wenjie sees the vision too, though he cannot yet grasp its deeper meaning.
• Yang Wanqing bursts into delighted laughter at having gained four junior disciples, since her standing in the lineage had previously fallen. Chen Siyao explains her reaction and learns the four became Chen Hao’s disciples at Mount Lao.
• The visitors recount the previous day’s events: the ruins and sea of bones, Taotie’s attack, the Three Blue Birds’ rescue, and Chen Hao’s effortless destruction of Taotie. Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing are stunned by the scale of what Chen Hao accomplished.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian have made dramatic cultivation breakthroughs and now formally follow Chen Hao.
• Ying Wenjie is eager to begin cultivating and receives the same transmission, despite having no prior experience.
• Chen Hao establishes himself as their teacher, gives them a powerful method, and treats their formal deference as unnecessary in modern life.
• Yang Wanqing goes from brooding over her reduced lineage rank to ecstatic relief at becoming a senior sister to four new disciples.
• Chen Siyao is caught off guard by her brother’s secret discipleship and by the title “Aunt-Master.” Though uncomfortable with the formality, she reluctantly accepts “Aunt-Master Yaoyao.”
• The chapter highlights the gap between modern casual social customs and the strict lineage traditions followed by the four disciples.

Significant themes

• Power and inheritance: Chen Hao passes on a rare, profound technique, binding the new disciples to his lineage.
• Transformation and potential: The young cultivators’ rapid progress contrasts with the old, frail masters who usually reach the highest realm.
• Tradition versus modernity: Formal disciple ranks create both comedy and awkwardness in Chen Siyao’s household.
• Hidden greatness: Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing discover how extraordinary Chen Hao’s recent exploits were only after hearing the visitors’ account.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao lets his four disciples—Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, Wu Tian, and Ying Wenjie—try to receive Zhao Gongming’s God of Wealth inheritance through an ancient copper coin. The first three fail; the coin accepts Ying Wenjie after he offers his blood essence, surrounding him with golden wealth energy and transmitting the inheritance.
• Ying asks whether this new inheritance conflicts with the Eight-Nine Mystical Skill. Chen Hao explains that one cultivates the body and the other the Dao of wealth, so he can pursue both.
• Chen Hao gives each disciple a Flame Spirit Stone and tells them to master their techniques and reach the Body-Tempering Realm before he takes them on combat trials.
• In response to their questions, Chen Hao outlines the cultivation stages: Qi Refining (also known as Xiantian), Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul Refinement, Deity Transformation, Body Integration, and Mahayana. He explains that the Body-Tempering Realm is equivalent to Qi Refining.
• Chen Hao says that some beings, including the legendary Lady Houtu and Great Emperor Fengdu, reached the highest realm as soul entities. He also reveals that the dragon at the West Sea Dragon Palace has reached Mahayana. He declines to explain realms beyond Mahayana, telling the disciples to focus on their current training.

Character developments

• Ying Wenjie gains Zhao Gongming’s inheritance and is delighted to learn he can combine it with the Eight-Nine Mystical Skill.
• The disciples move from receiving powerful inheritances and resources to learning how much they have yet to understand about cultivation.
• Chen Hao remains composed and authoritative, sharing enough knowledge to guide his students while withholding information he considers premature.

Significant themes

• Affinity and destiny: The coin chooses Ying rather than simply responding to the group’s strongest or luckiest member; Yang Wanqing jokes that it may favor the wealthy.
• Cultivation as disciplined practice: Inherited techniques and spiritual stones are only a beginning; body training and real combat experience are essential.
• The vastness of the cultivation path: Each newly revealed realm expands the students’ sense of how far they are from true mastery.
• Knowledge and restraint: Chen Hao limits what he tells them, framing focus on immediate training as more useful than dwelling on distant realms.

Character interactions

• The disciples respectfully test the coin, and the contrast between the first three failures and Ying’s success leaves the group astonished.
• Ying seeks Chen Hao’s guidance about combining his inheritances; Chen reassures him.
• The disciples, Chen Siyao, and Yang Wanqing eagerly question Chen Hao about cultivation. Their curiosity and amazement are balanced by his steady explanations and eventual reminder to concentrate on training.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao explains physical cultivation’s stages, culminating in the Indestructible Battle Body, equivalent to the Mahayana Stage. He warns that body cultivation is exceptionally demanding and that, before reaching Heavenly Dharma Form, body cultivators are generally disadvantaged against qi cultivators—especially because qi cultivators can fly much earlier.
• The four disciples remain determined to follow this difficult path. After asking Chen Hao further questions, they leave and agree to return in half a month.
• As they head home, Qin Xiaoyu guesses that Chen Hao has reached the ninth realm, though she and the others do not know what it is. Ying Wenjie quietly keeps the copper coin Chen Hao gave him, feeling its warmth.
• During the disciples’ half-month away, reports of giant, mutated beasts spread across China, despite government efforts to contain the news. The public comes to accept that the world has changed.
• A young man called Xiao Yuanfeng, claiming to be a disciple of the Primordial-era Perfected Taiyi, becomes famous after defeating the internet personality “Superman Da-ge” in a livestreamed fight. The thousand-year-old Qingwei School then names him its Acting Sect Leader, sparking rumors about his power and origins.
• Xiao’s sudden rise fuels an online “studying is useless” craze. Many young people abandon work and school to search mountains, temples, and other historic sites for legacies that might bring them instant success.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Tian is drawn to physical cultivation’s power but initially struggles to understand its disadvantages. His resolve—and that of the other disciples—strengthens once they learn what the highest stages offer.
• Qin Xiaoyu shows her familiarity with martial-world rankings and traditions, reflecting on her grandfather’s limits and speculating about Chen Hao’s standing. Ye Chendong prompts the discussion, while Wu Tian asks what lies beyond the known realms.
• Ying Wenjie remains reserved, speaking mainly to coordinate his return visit. His attachment to the warm copper coin suggests it matters to him.
• Xiao Yuanfeng’s public victory and appointment establish him as a powerful, divisive figure whose influence reaches far beyond the martial arts world.

Significant themes

• The cost of power: Physical cultivation promises extraordinary strength but demands rare talent and endurance while imposing serious early disadvantages.
• A world transformed: Mutated beasts and upheavals make the supernatural impossible to dismiss.
• Fame, misinformation, and social influence: Rumors about Xiao Yuanfeng spread rapidly, while his apparent shortcut to success encourages reckless imitation.
• Patience versus instant success: The disciples commit to a long, difficult cultivation path, in contrast with young people hoping to gain power overnight.

Key plot points and events

• Dragon Girl becomes an international sensation after a short video shows her kicking away attacking wolves on the Northern Frontier grasslands. Her striking beauty and commanding presence win her more than a hundred million followers in three days.
• She accepts major endorsements and film roles, rapidly overtaking Xiao Yuanfeng in fame. Together, the two are dubbed “the two standouts of the age.”
• Dragon Girl’s rise intensifies the public rush to famous mountains and rivers in search of supernatural legacies. Crowds overwhelm scenic sites, and people fight over supposedly auspicious locations.
• In Treasure Sky City, Chen Hao’s four disciples arrive to visit him and discuss how Xiao Yuanfeng gained leadership of the Qingwei School. Qin Xiaoyu suggests his claimed connection to the revered Perfected Taiyi would explain the school’s submission.
• The disciples reunite with Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao, then greet Chen Hao. He assesses their cultivation and notes that all four have entered the Body-Tempering Realm, while his younger sister is nearing its late stage.

Character developments and interactions

• Dragon Girl rises from an enigmatic figure to a globally famous celebrity, accepting the opportunities her sudden popularity brings.
• Qin Xiaoyu shows careful judgment in explaining Xiao Yuanfeng’s influence through the Qingwei School’s traditions and reverence for Perfected Taiyi.
• Yang Wanqing enjoys her role as eldest senior sister, playfully insisting the others make themselves at home and warmly hosting them.
• Chen Hao quietly evaluates his disciples’ progress, indicating their cultivation has advanced steadily.
• The disciples’ respectful greetings and Yang Wanqing’s delighted response highlight their close, hierarchical fellowship.

Significant themes

• Fame and beauty: Dragon Girl’s appearance alone can generate influence that rivals or surpasses martial achievement.
• Opportunity and mass obsession: Her success fuels the belief that anyone can find a legacy and become famous, drawing the public into increasingly chaotic searches.
• Unrest beneath prosperity: Society appears energized by new possibilities, but the rush brings conflict and danger.
• Tradition and authority: Xiao Yuanfeng’s power may be accepted not merely because of strength, but because of his claimed link to a revered ancestral figure.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao summons his four trainees—Ying Wenjie, Wu Tian, Ye Chendong, and Qin Xiaoyu—for a real-combat trial in Australia. Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao also join them.
• Rather than arranging flights, Chen Hao calls Xiao Qing, a small blue-green bird that transforms into an enormous divine bird. The group rides on its back, protected by Chen Hao’s golden barrier, and flies from Pengcheng toward the Southern Hemisphere.
• During the flight, an airline passenger briefly sees the giant bird and its riders, but her boyfriend dismisses her account after the apparition disappears.
• The group lands at night on Australia’s desolate Labo Plain. Ying Wenjie identifies the location, and Ye Chendong recalls Indigenous legends describing it as an entrance to hell, with a deep cave below where demons supposedly live. The group reacts warily, preparing for whatever they may encounter.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao acts as a calm, confident mentor, emphasizing combat experience over isolated physical training and revealing the extraordinary means of reaching their trial.
• Wu Tian eagerly embraces the prospect of real combat, reflecting his enthusiasm for a challenge beyond routine clan training.
• Ying Wenjie moves from practical questions about travel arrangements to exhilaration at Xiao Qing’s transformation; he also checks their location on his phone after landing.
• Yang Wanqing is thrilled by the flight and eagerly records the view. Chen Siyao, by contrast, is visibly nervous and grips the bird’s feathers despite trusting it.
• Qin Xiaoyu stays composed and contemplative in flight, then rests a hand on her sword when they arrive. Ye Chendong contributes knowledge of the ominous local legends.
• The airline passenger’s frightened attempt to share what she saw is brushed aside by her sleepy boyfriend, leaving her shaken and isolated.

Significant themes

• Training through danger: Chen Hao insists that real combat is essential to martial development.
• The extraordinary breaking into the ordinary: Xiao Qing’s flight briefly crosses paths with commercial aviation, but the sight is too unbelievable to be accepted.
• Wonder and fear: The exhilarating journey gives way to the threatening silence, strange terrain, and hellish folklore of Labo Plain, setting up a dangerous trial.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao leads six disciples across a desolate plain littered with animal bones and remains. They reach a vast, lightless pit that reeks of blood and decay.
• A grotesque, faceless creature climbs out and attacks. Wu Tian knocks it into a rock wall with a powerful kick, but it keeps fighting; Qin Xiaoyu finishes it by beheading it.
• Chen Hao identifies the creature as a Soul-Devouring Abyss Demon. They consume anything in their path and are the group’s combat-training targets.
• Chen Hao senses that an ancient seal beneath the pit is nearly broken. Flame Spirit Stone energy underground has weakened it, allowing smaller demons to escape.
• He retrieves his ancient sword, which he left as the seal’s anchor ten thousand years earlier. Once the sword is removed, a multitude of demons roar from below, frightening the group.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Tian eagerly tests his recent cultivation, charging the demon rather than retreating and demonstrating his strength.
• Qin Xiaoyu acts decisively, saving Wu Tian by striking the demon’s neck.
• Ying Wenjie is visibly nervous and asks Chen Hao what the creature is; Yang Wanqing is frightened and moves closer to Chen Siyao.
• Chen Siyao quickly shifts from her relaxed manner to a battle-ready stance. The others also prepare to defend themselves.
• Chen Hao remains composed and reveals his deep history with the demons, the seal, and the sword. His discovery that Flame Spirit Stones are appearing across the Nine Provinces hints at a wider problem.

Significant themes

• Training through danger: The disciples are meant to face real threats and test their cultivation.
• Ancient history resurfacing: Chen Hao’s past, his Primordial-era sword, and the old seal connect present events to a much older conflict.
• Escalating danger: The weakened seal and the mass of demons below suggest that the first creature was only the beginning.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao conjures the Primordial Immortal Pavilion and orders the others to defend the pit in rotating three-person shifts, killing any Soul-Devouring Abyss Demons that escape.
• Chen Siyao forms the first team with Yang Wanqing and Ying Wenjie, keeping the less experienced fighters close. Wu Tian, Ye Chendong, and Qin Xiaoyu take the next shift.
• The first team fights for two hours. Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing quickly knock demons back, while Ying Wenjie struggles at first: one demon tears his sleeve, but he overcomes his fear and kills it with repeated punches.
• The second team proves highly coordinated. Wu Tian attacks with powerful strikes, Ye Chendong overwhelms enemies at close range, and Qin Xiaoyu finishes them with precise swordsmanship. Their teamwork is more efficient than the first team’s.
• After a much deeper roar rises from underground, the fighters pause. Chen Hao tells them to continue, but silently probes the pit with his divine sense and discovers an energy entity beneath the cracked seal.

Character developments

• Ying Wenjie gains hard-won combat experience and improves his mastery of the first transformation of the Eight-Nine Mystical Skill, despite painful injuries.
• Chen Siyao’s footwork has improved, and she carefully studies her teammates’ techniques.
• Yang Wanqing and Ying Wenjie are given support and protection by Chen Siyao as the least experienced members of the group.
• Wu Tian eagerly welcomes the prospect of a stronger opponent, while Qin Xiaoyu and Ye Chendong demonstrate substantial growth in skill and coordination.
• Chen Hao remains outwardly calm but is alert to the danger beneath the pit.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: Ying Wenjie learns by facing danger rather than being rescued.
• Teamwork and complementary strengths: The second team’s distinct roles make it especially effective.
• Preparation versus hidden danger: The group treats the task as training, but the cracked seal and unknown entity suggest the threat may be far greater than expected.

Character interactions

• Chen Siyao organizes the teams and protects the newer fighters without taking their chance to fight away.
• Ye Chendong stops Wu Tian and Qin Xiaoyu from intervening when Ying Wenjie falters, believing he needs real experience.
• The second team works seamlessly together, each fighter complementing the others.
• Chen Hao watches the battle from the pavilion, while Chen Siyao notices his concern when his teacup remains suspended as he senses something below.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao explains that Soul-Devouring Abyss Demons reproduce through cannibalism: when enough have gathered and fought, an Overlord-class demon can emerge. Their numbers regenerate as long as the underground pit remains, which is why he sealed the abyss ten thousand years ago.
• After a full day of fighting, the six trainees defeat the last demons to emerge. With no further movement from the pit, they return to the Primordial Pavilion.
• Chen Hao uses his rune-covered Ancient Sword to seal the pit temporarily. Its golden light drives the demons back and silences the depths, making it safe for the group to rest.
• The group cleans up, shares a hearty dinner prepared by Chen Siyao and Qin Xiaoyu, and spends the evening relaxing together.

Character development

• The trainees have grown more capable and coordinated. Their frantic early fighting has become effective teamwork, and Ying Wenjie says the battle taught him more about using the Eight-Nine Mystical Skill than weeks of practice.
• Qin Xiaoyu remains composed and takes the lead back to the pavilion, despite her fatigue.
• Wu Tian’s enthusiasm for combat remains undiminished; even after a hard day, he jokes that he is ready to fight another hundred demons.
• Chen Hao quietly approves of the group’s progress, while Chen Siyao’s relief reveals her concern for their safety.

Character interactions

• The trainees joke and encourage one another after the battle, balancing Wu Tian’s eagerness for more fighting against Yang Wanqing’s insistence that they need rest.
• Chen Hao acknowledges their report and orders them to rest, then protects them by sealing the pit.
• Chen Siyao and Qin Xiaoyu cooperate in the kitchen, and the group’s shared meal and relaxed evening reinforce their growing camaraderie.

Significant themes

• Evolution through struggle: The demons’ cannibalistic cycle produces stronger threats, while the trainees also improve through combat.
• Preparation and protection: Chen Hao’s ancient seal and timely intervention show the need to contain dangers, not merely defeat those that surface.
• Rest and fellowship: After violence and exhaustion, food, humor, and quiet companionship restore the group and strengthen their bonds.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yue has grown larger, sleeker, and more intelligent through spiritual energy, beginning to resemble a divine beast.
• The group discovers that thirty-six legendary Penglai islands have appeared in the East Sea, complete with ancient palaces. Authorities seal the surrounding waters and deploy two carrier strike groups as foreign powers also move in to claim access.
• The emergence of Penglai coincides with a worldwide rise in “superhumans,” whose abilities are disrupting sports and breaking records. Governments can no longer conceal the upheaval, and the existing world order seems poised to change.
• The group resolves to take the Australia Trial seriously and grow stronger to protect themselves and those around them.
• At dawn, they head to the pit for training. Chen Hao withdraws the ancient sword that had sealed it, unleashing a deafening mass of Abyss Demons from below.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yue shows marked growth in size, appearance, and intelligence; Xiao Qing watches the news from above the table.
• Yang Wanqing reacts with excitement to Penglai’s appearance and mocks South Korea’s territorial claim. Qin Xiaoyu recognizes the islands’ importance from her knowledge of ancient texts and warns that their treasures could shift global power.
• Ying Wenjie is astonished by the news and fantasizes about the rewards Penglai might hold.
• Chen Siyao turns the group’s alarm into resolve, urging them to train hard. Wu Tian eagerly vows to push his Eight-Nine Mystical Skill to its limits, and the others follow with renewed determination.
• Chen Hao remains quiet and contemplative, gazing east toward Penglai. The next morning, he releases the seal while the group prepares to face the demons.

Significant themes

• A changing world: Superhuman abilities and ancient wonders are overturning familiar institutions and power structures.
• Competition for power: Penglai’s possible legacies attract governments and foreign factions, raising the stakes beyond the group’s personal journey.
• Preparedness and responsibility: The characters see strength as necessary not only for survival but also for protecting others.
• Escalating danger: The chapter shifts from distant news of global upheaval to immediate peril as the Abyss Demons are unleashed.

Key plot points and events

• At Penglai, Ye Chendong’s group braces for a stronger attack and fights another wave of Soul-Devouring Abyss Demons. Their combat is calmer and more coordinated than the previous day.
• Chen Hao watches the battle from his balcony with Xiao Qing.
• In a secure command center on Dinghai Island, Huaxia officials review Penglai’s defenses. The thirty-six islands are protected by ancient formations, and Daoist Jiang Lü can only partially understand the first island’s formation.
• The government discusses research, civilian safety, and foreign vessels near the restricted area. Han Songyue orders a warning to any unauthorized ships.
• Han asks Qin Zheng to contact Chen Hao, hoping his involvement could help overcome the formations.
• On Australia’s Labo Plain, the fighters’ teamwork has improved: Ye Chendong leads, Qin Xiaoyu seeks openings, Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing attack directly, Ying Wenjie supports with spells, and Wu Tian charges through the demons.
• A powerful heartbeat rises from the pit, stronger and nearer than before. It overwhelms the fighters with pressure, bringing the battle to a sudden halt.

Character developments and interactions

• The fighters show greater confidence and discipline. Yang Wanqing challenges Ying Wenjie to compete over kills, but he rejects the idea; despite his dislike of the contest, he is physically recovered and eager to fight.
• The team’s distinct strengths now fit together more effectively, and Wu Tian’s reckless enthusiasm makes him a formidable frontline attacker.
• Han Songyue acts cautiously and pragmatically, turning to Chen Hao when the government’s own experts cannot make progress. Qin Zheng responds promptly to the request.
• Daoist Jiang Lü is candid about the limits of his knowledge, emphasizing how formidable Penglai’s defenses are.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and adaptation: The fighters survive by coordinating their differing abilities rather than fighting independently.
• Limits of knowledge and power: Even respected experts cannot readily decipher Penglai’s ancient formations.
• Escalating danger: The increasingly intense heartbeat suggests that the threat beneath the pit is growing, raising the stakes beyond the demon attacks.
• Authority and uncertainty: Huaxia must balance national security, foreign interest, and an unknown supernatural phenomenon.

Key plot points and events

• An Overlord-class Soul-Devouring Abyss Demon erupts from the pit, terrifying the fighters gathered nearby. Its enormous size, corrosive saliva, and overwhelming presence make clear that the group cannot defeat it.
• Chen Hao intervenes from the balcony, forming a giant golden sword that the demon manages to catch. He then summons a vast formation of swords and destroys the creature in seconds.
• Afterward, Chen Hao calmly tells his disciples to continue their trial. They bow to him and resume the fight.
• Chen Hao receives a call from Qin Zheng, who asks him to oversee a situation in the Penglai Archipelago. Chen Hao declines, explaining that he is in Australia guiding his disciples through a trial. Qin Zheng offers assistance if needed.
• Seven days pass in the Australian Abyss. The disciples grow more skilled and composed in combat, while Chen Siyao breaks through into the meridian-opening realm after enduring a more potent medicinal bath.

Character developments

• Chen Hao demonstrates overwhelming power with effortless calm, then returns to his tea as though the battle were routine. He remains focused on training his disciples rather than taking on Qin Zheng’s request.
• Chen Siyao overcomes the physical pain of her medicinal treatment and advances to a new cultivation realm.
• Ying Wenjie develops more structured fighting techniques, balancing heavy strikes with feints.
• Yang Wanqing expands her kicking repertoire, chaining techniques and changing legs in midair.
• Qin Xiaoyu reaches the peak of the body-tempering realm in swordsmanship.
• Ye Chendong improves the precision and timing of his close-range punches.
• Wu Tian is portrayed as already strong enough that he mainly needs combat experience.

Significant themes

• The gap between overwhelming power and ordinary skill: The disciples are helpless before the Overlord, while Chen Hao destroys it without leaving his seat.
• Growth through hardship: The week of live combat and Chen Siyao’s painful treatment show that progress comes through sustained effort and endurance.
• Mentorship and discipline: Chen Hao’s brief command to continue makes clear that the demon’s defeat is not the end of the trial.
• Calm amid danger: Chen Hao’s composure contrasts with the disciples’ fear and astonishment.

Character interactions

• Chen Siyao and Qin Xiaoyu intensify their attacks to clear lesser demons before the Overlord emerges; the others respond with caution, recognizing that the creature is beyond them.
• Chen Hao protects the group, and the disciples answer his intervention with a unified, reverent “Yes, Master!”
• Qin Zheng respectfully consults Chen Hao about the Penglai situation. Chen Hao declines, and Qin Zheng accepts his answer while offering support.
• Chen Siyao’s breakthrough follows Chen Hao’s guidance: he prepares the stronger medicinal formula, while she supplies the determination to endure it.

Plot points and events

• Chen Siyao’s cultivation has advanced so far that low-level Soul-Devouring Abyss Demons are no longer useful trials, so she stops joining the fights.
• The group’s combat teams grow more coordinated. Qin Xiaoyu, Yang Wanqing, and Ying Wenjie combine control, flanking, and direct attacks; Wu Tian and Ye Chendong pair strength with precision.
• Xiao Yue proves herself a ferocious fighter, while Xiao Qing supports her with precise, lethal strikes. Chen Hao watches their progress from the sidelines.
• After two weeks of medicinal baths and battlefield training, Ying Wenjie reaches the Meridian Opening Realm. He is the last of Chen Hao’s disciples to do so, meaning the whole group has reached that level.
• With the New Year approaching, Chen Hao announces that the trial is ending after the remaining abyss creatures are dealt with. He tells the others to wait above, then descends alone into the seemingly bottomless pit.
• At thirty thousand meters, Chen Hao reaches a cavern containing Flame Spirit Stones and five enormous, intelligent Overlord-class Abyss Demons. They retreat and attempt to surround him; Chen Hao kills the first with a single finger strike.

Character developments

• Chen Siyao recognizes that her rapid improvement has made the lower-level enemies too easy.
• Qin Xiaoyu advances through natural talent, while Wu Tian progresses through relentless effort and endurance.
• Ying Wenjie achieves a major breakthrough, completing the group’s cultivation milestone.
• Xiao Yue reveals a dramatic, battle-hardened side, and Xiao Qing shows even greater precision and efficiency.
• Chen Hao remains calm and overwhelmingly confident, taking on the deeper threat alone.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao encourages Siyao to stop fighting enemies that no longer challenge her.
• The disciples’ teamwork deepens through their paired battle formations; Ye Chendong praises Xiao Yue’s ferocity.
• The group celebrates Ying Wenjie’s breakthrough, then grows worried when Chen Hao decides to enter the pit alone.
• Yang Wanqing jokes privately to Siyao that Chen Hao’s casual promise to “take care of it” spells trouble for whatever he faces.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: Intense combat and disciplined training rapidly transform ordinary people into cultivators.
• Teamwork and complementary strengths: The teams succeed by combining different abilities, while Xiao Yue and Xiao Qing coordinate naturally.
• Confidence versus danger: The disciples have made remarkable progress, but the abyss’s intelligent Overlords reveal that much greater threats remain.
• Mentorship and protection: Chen Hao lets his students advance through battle, then shields them from the deeper danger by confronting it himself.