Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Nearly 300 people—mostly military veterans—gather at Supreme Emperor Entertainment to apply for security jobs. They joke and worry about what the chief interviewer will ask.
• Jun Wangchen enters with Du Lingfei and two record keepers. From a brief look, he accurately sorts the applicants into trained soldiers, physically imposing men with no formal training, and less fit opportunists.
• After introducing himself as the chief interviewer, Jun is challenged by more than a hundred applicants who consider him too young and inexperienced to judge them.
• Jun answers a bald applicant’s mockery by punching a granite table and splitting it in two. He calmly asks whether anyone still objects.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen reveals sharp observational skills that surprise the record keepers and Du Lingfei, who had underestimated his abilities. He also jokes boastfully about his looks, then demonstrates formidable strength when the applicants question his authority.
• Du Lingfei shifts from surprise at Jun’s insight to concern when the applicants confront him; she is ready to defend him, but he takes control himself.
• The applicants begin as a lively, joking crowd, then become skeptical and openly confrontational when they learn their interviewer is young. Jun’s display silences their challenge.
• The two record keepers are impressed by Jun’s assessment, though his self-praise leaves them unimpressed.

Significant themes

• Judging by appearances: The applicants assume Jun lacks ability because of his age, while he demonstrates that first impressions can be misleading.
• Competence and authority: Jun establishes his credibility not through argument but through keen observation and a display of strength.
• Humor and self-confidence: Jun’s exaggerated vanity provides comic relief and contrasts with the tense confrontation.

Plot points and events

• During a security-guard recruitment interview at Supreme Emperor Entertainment, Jun Wangchen silences the room by breaking a thick granite table with one punch. The applicants accept his strength and ask about the test.
• He announces that the first test is to knock down Secretary Du Lingfei. The proposal alarms Du and the two female recorders, while some applicants seem eager to take advantage of the opportunity.
• Most applicants refuse, arguing that fighting a woman would be humiliating and wrong. Jun divides the candidates by whether they will participate, then declares those who refuse to act against a woman have failed.
• The rejected applicants protest. Jun explains that security guards cannot let gender-based scruples prevent them from confronting a dangerous female intruder. The test, he says, measures their ability to prioritize the company’s safety and assess situations professionally.
• The applicants accept that their answer was unsuitable for the job, while the hundred who agreed to participate pass the first assessment. The selection will have a second test, but it is not revealed here.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen first appears reckless and disrespectful, but reveals that the provocative test was designed to expose candidates’ rigid thinking. He remains calm through the protests and uses a practical argument to explain his decision. He ends by jokingly crediting his success to his looks and “presence.”
• Du Lingfei initially fears Jun’s test will endanger her and damage the company’s reputation. Once she understands its purpose, she recognizes that she misjudged him.
• The applicants split between those who refuse to fight a woman on principle and those who participate to preserve their job prospects. The first group is forced to reconsider how personal ideals can conflict with professional duties.
• The two female recorders share Du’s initial objections, then admire Jun when they understand the reasoning behind the test. His boastful punchline leaves them unimpressed.

Significant themes

• Duty versus personal principle: Security work may require action even when personal codes make it uncomfortable.
• Judgment under pressure: The test rewards practical reasoning and the ability to consider risks beyond the immediate situation.
• Appearances can mislead: Jun’s unusual, seemingly reckless test has a deliberate purpose beneath its provocative surface.

Key plot points and events

• After the first recruitment test leaves 100 applicants, Jun Wangchen announces a physical-fitness test: reach him, ten meters away, within five minutes.
• The applicants assume the task will be easy. Jun secretly alters the room’s gravitational field, making the marked area five times heavier.
• The applicants struggle to move; even Du Lingfei and the two recorders stumble when they enter the area. Jun explains the effect, astonishing them.
• Many applicants collapse or injure themselves. The 20 who remain standing keep pushing forward, but the fastest gets only nine and a half meters.
• Jun reveals that the test is not about reaching him: all 20 applicants still standing when time expires pass.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen again demonstrates that his tests are more demanding and thoughtful than they first appear. His calm explanation and hidden supernatural ability impress the others.
• Du Lingfei trusts Jun’s judgment despite her initial confusion, then becomes openly admiring after witnessing his power.
• The applicants move from confidence to shock and struggle. The final 20 show endurance and refusal to give up, even when they believe they have failed.
• Du Lingfei and the two recorders enter the altered area at Jun’s invitation, experience the increased gravity themselves, and are helped back up by him.

Significant themes

• Perseverance under pressure: The test rewards those who keep going, not simply those who arrive first.
• Appearances can mislead: A seemingly trivial task becomes an extraordinary challenge.
• Hidden ability and judgment: Jun’s unusual power and carefully designed test reveal more than the applicants initially recognize.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen concludes Supreme Emperor Entertainment’s security recruitment. Of 300 applicants, only 20 are hired.
• He explains that the second test was not really about walking ten meters or physical fitness. It was designed to measure perseverance: the ability to endure harsh conditions and remain committed in emergencies. The 20 who stayed standing passed; the 80 who collapsed failed.
• The successful applicants and the staff recognize that his tests assessed qualities genuinely needed for security work.
• Afterward, Jun leaves the registration work to the two record keepers and jokingly claims he needs to hide from Du Lingfei, whom he assumes is angry with him.
• Du apologizes for misjudging him. Jun playfully exaggerates his hurt, teases her with absurd metaphors and poems, and pretends to need private comfort. He then claims he is gay and asks her to pose as his girlfriend, before revealing the trick.
• His exaggeratedly cute performance makes Du laugh. Their banter continues as Jun jokes about gender, success, and whether he needs to find a girlfriend.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates perceptiveness and sound judgment as a recruiter: he values willpower and suitability for the job over raw performance. Outside work, he reveals a mischievous, theatrical side and enjoys provoking Du for fun.
• Du Lingfei moves from misunderstanding Jun’s methods to admiring his insight. She apologizes, then becomes increasingly amused and comfortable with his teasing.
• The applicants and staff come to accept Jun’s reasoning, with the 20 successful applicants impressed by his standards and the record keepers and Du recognizing his ability.

Significant themes

• Perseverance over appearances: The test’s apparent physical challenge is really a test of resolve, emphasizing endurance as essential to security work.
• Suitability over ranking: The chosen candidates may not be the strongest overall, but they are presented as the best fit for the role.
• Gender expectations and social pressure: Jun’s joking remarks about men needing material success contrast with the presumed ease of women’s path to security, though the exchange is comic rather than serious.
• Humor and misdirection: Jun’s teasing turns a professional disagreement into playful rapport.

Character interactions

• Jun explains his reasoning to the applicants and staff, earning their respect.
• Du apologizes for her earlier skepticism; Jun pretends to be wounded and uses escalating jokes to tease her.
• Du initially takes his claims seriously, then realizes he is tricking her, shoves him, and ultimately laughs at his performance.
• Their exchanges shift from professional tension to friendly, flirtatious banter.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen signs a contract with Supreme Emperor Entertainment, then leaves to meet Feng Mei at the Feng Family’s alchemy competition.
• In the Strongest Chat Group in History, he claims an exclusive red packet from King Qin Guang: an Undead Summoning Card, which can summon one undead being once.
• King Qin Guang explains that Judge Cui accidentally erased several living people from the Book of Life and Death. They are now in mortal danger, and he asks Jun to save them. Jun agrees, partly because he sees the card as a valuable safeguard.
• The coordinates show that one group of victims is nearby. At 10:10, Jun sees their bus out of control after a crash, with its driver missing and fuel leaking.
• He uses Shifting Form, Changing Shadow to teleport the bus to within five meters of himself, hoping to stop it. The move drains much of his spiritual power—but the bus is now barreling straight toward him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun is eager to help King Qin Guang, but his decision is also influenced by the card’s potential to protect him in a crisis.
• King Qin Guang treats Jun as a trusted brother and gives him the means to summon an undead ally in return for his help.
• The group chat’s immortals trade crude jokes and teasing insults, particularly targeting Zhu Bajie; Jun is amused and impressed by Tang Xuanzang’s unexpectedly lewd humor.
• Jun shifts abruptly from casual travel and chat to a life-or-death rescue, demonstrating quick action and confidence in his powers—though his attempt leaves him in immediate danger.

Significant themes

• Responsibility and fate: Jun is asked to intervene after a clerical mistake disrupts the victims’ appointed lifespans.
• Power and its limits: Jun’s magic can alter the situation, but its heavy cost and unintended consequences make the rescue perilous.
• Comedy amid danger: The irreverent chat-group banter contrasts sharply with the sudden, serious emergency.

Plot points and events

• A runaway bus speeds toward Jun Wangchen. He narrowly avoids being crushed by using martial arts to leap over it, stunning the crowd and pursuing officers.
• Rather than flee, Jun chases the bus, climbs onto its roof, and tries to reach the hatch so he can rescue the passengers.
• A flat tire and sharp turn nearly throw him off. He stays attached using his soul power, while passengers inside are tossed around and cry for help.
• Mo Li spots damaged wiring causing the accelerator to malfunction and realizes the bus is accelerating toward a lake. The hydraulic brakes are unusable; the air brakes could stop the bus, but the heat from braking may ignite spilled gasoline.
• She directs Jun to break through a cracked window, apply the air brakes, and rescue everyone within one minute. Jun acknowledges her warning and prepares to smash through the window.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows extraordinary physical and supernatural abilities, quick thinking, and determination: despite nearly dying, he prioritizes the passengers’ safety. He follows Mo Li’s instructions.
• Mo Li shifts from anxious observer to focused problem-solver. Though she finds Jun irritating, her fear for his safety reveals concern beneath their antagonism. She uses her vehicle knowledge to give him a precise plan.
• The crowd moves from expecting Jun’s death to cheering him on, while the officers are astonished by his feats.

Significant themes

• Courage and self-sacrifice: Jun risks his life to save strangers.
• Trust under pressure: Jun and Mo Li must rely on each other despite their strained relationship.
• Hope amid danger: The crowd’s reactions mirror the shift from apparent disaster to a slim chance of rescue.
• Escalating stakes: Every possible action carries danger—the bus may plunge into the lake, or braking may trigger an explosion.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen smashes into a runaway bus, engages its air brake, and forces it to slow—though sparks ignite leaking gasoline.
• With the bus about to explode, he breaks open the rear door and throws passengers to safety. A strange protective force cushions each person when they land.
• As time runs out, Jun finds an unconscious, bleeding woman shielding her crying infant. He hesitates briefly, knowing rescuing them may leave him trapped, then chooses to save them too.
• The bus explodes and crashes into a lake. The crowd believes Jun has died, but he suddenly resurfaces, complaining that a tire is pinning him underwater and asking for help.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen proves courageous and self-sacrificing, risking his life to save every passenger rather than escaping while he can.
• Mo Li, who once looked down on him as a sleazy charlatan, recognizes his kindness and grows deeply attached to him. She rushes into the lake in despair when she thinks he is dead.
• The bystanders and police move from hopeful anticipation to grief and guilt, feeling they failed to help. Jun’s unexpected survival abruptly breaks their mourning.
• Jun’s rescue of the mother and infant highlights his compassion; the crowd’s reaction emphasizes how profoundly his actions affect everyone.

Significant themes

• Heroism and self-sacrifice: Jun chooses strangers’ lives over his own safety.
• Compassion beneath appearances: Mo Li’s view of Jun changes as his generosity becomes unmistakable.
• Powerlessness and responsibility: The bystanders and police confront their inability to act, while Jun takes on the burden himself.
• Dramatic contrast: The chapter shifts from intense tragedy to comic relief when the presumed-dead hero resurfaces with an irritated complaint.

Plot and events

• Jun Wangchen survives the bus explosion and surfaces in the lake, prompting cheers from the crowd.
• Mo Li rushes to him, first fearing he has broken limbs, then misunderstanding his reassurance as a sign of brain damage. After Jun patiently explains himself, she realizes he is unharmed.
• Jun’s survival came at the cost of Su Daji’s Nine-Tailed Fox tail, which took the fatal blast in his place. He has used up his extra life, but feels saving the passengers was worth it.
• The incident left 32 people with minor injuries and three seriously injured; no one died. Mo Li thanks Jun and promises to report his actions for a major commendation.
• Jun declines to focus on rewards, urging the police to investigate why the bus went out of control and prevent another disaster.
• Mo Li invites him to dinner to make up for having misunderstood him in an earlier prostitution-related incident. Their teasing turns into a joke about her hosting but making him pay.
• Jun tries to leave before reporters arrive, but the little girl he rescued stops him and gives him candy as thanks. He accepts it and smiles.

Character development and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is revealed to have sacrificed a powerful protective resource to save the passengers. He is modest about recognition and prioritizes preventing future harm. The child’s simple gratitude gives him a warm, emotional moment.
• Mo Li moves from grief and fear to relief, admiration, and gratitude. Her concern is genuine, though her comic misunderstandings and sharp teasing keep their exchange playful.
• The rescued girl and her mother express heartfelt thanks, reinforcing the human impact of Jun’s actions.
• The crowd and police celebrate Jun as a hero; the reporting officer openly admires him, while Mo Li recognizes the scale of his contribution.

Significant themes

• Self-sacrifice and heroism: Jun accepts the loss of his extra life because it saved many innocent people.
• Gratitude and human connection: The passengers’ survival, Mo Li’s thanks, and the child’s candy all affirm the value of his choice.
• Humor amid danger: Banter between Jun and Mo Li relieves the tension after the disaster.
• Responsibility beyond rescue: Jun urges an investigation so the cause of the crash can be addressed, not merely celebrated.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen arrives late at Jinling Great Pharmacy, where Feng Mei is waiting to take him to the Feng Main Branch’s Direct-Line Alchemy Competition. He explains that he was delayed after stopping to save passengers on a bus.
• They reach the Main Branch’s grand mountain compound and enter the enormous competition plaza, where thirty alchemists will compete: twenty-eight from the Main Branch and two from the Collateral Branch.
• Jun notices that the robed alchemist he defeated at the Collateral Branch selection has rapidly advanced to third-grade Prospective Master Alchemist status.
• Feng Zhua taunts Jun and Feng Mei; Jun answers with sharp barbs, and Feng Mei challenges Feng Zhua to worry about his own competitor instead. Branch head Feng Qianyuan ends the exchange before it escalates.
• The four grand elders announce three rounds: Herb Identification, Herb Catalysis, and alchemy proficiency. The top three will receive an Earth Soul Fruit and Feng Family Guest Privileges, and qualify for the Pill Sect Disciple Recruitment Tournament.
• Feng Fu, the Main Branch head’s daughter, and Feng Xuan are revealed as competitors. Their participation makes the Collateral Branch elders suspect the Main Branch has a strong advantage.
• The first round begins: competitors must answer one hundred herb-identification questions under strict time and error limits.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is increasingly confident in his alchemy skills and eager to test himself against the Main Branch’s talent. He remains calm despite the high stakes and the Collateral Branch’s political disadvantage.
• Feng Mei supports Jun, welcomes him warmly, and encourages him before he takes his seat. She also stands up to Feng Zhua on his behalf.
• The robed alchemist has made a notable leap in skill since Jun defeated him and is highly motivated by the chance to qualify for the Pill Sect tournament.
• Feng Zhua remains hostile toward Jun, while Jun responds with humor and verbal confidence. Feng Qianyuan keeps the dispute from becoming a public embarrassment.
• Feng Qianyuan and the Collateral Branch elders are wary that Main Branch heirs Feng Fu and Feng Xuan may dominate the competition. Feng Qianyuan nevertheless sees Jun as a possible dark horse.
• Feng Fu attracts attention as a gifted alchemist despite her reputation as a student and performer; her entry surprises both guests and branch members.

Significant themes

• Ambition and opportunity: The competition offers a path to wealth, status, and the prestigious Pill Sect.
• Rivalry and family politics: The Main and Collateral Branches compete not only in alchemy but also for influence and recognition.
• Talent and potential: The robed alchemist’s rapid progress and Jun’s composure suggest that unexpected contenders may challenge established heirs.
• Confidence under pressure: Jun’s calm attitude contrasts with the crowd’s excitement and the elders’ concerns as the contest begins.

Key plot points

• The Feng Main Branch’s Direct-Line Alchemy Competition begins with a difficult herb-identification round. Thirty Alchemists must answer increasingly obscure questions, with three wrong answers meaning elimination.
• Jun Wangchen answers almost instantly, drawing on the extraordinary breadth of herbal knowledge contained in the Alchemy Art Taishang Laojun gave him. As other competitors fall away, he remains unfazed.
• Feng Fu and her brother Feng Xuan are among the strongest contestants, but the escalating questions eventually slow them. The robed Alchemist who had watched Jun earlier is eliminated, though he has scored enough to advance.
• With five minutes left, only Feng Fu, Feng Xuan, and Jun remain. Feng Fu recognizes Jun and, impressed by his unexpected skill, withdraws.
• Feng Xuan reaches his final chance after two wrong answers but cannot answer the next question. He leaves, making Jun the only contestant still working—and the apparent winner of the round.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen displays exceptional knowledge, confidence, and composure, emerging as a serious contender despite representing the collateral branch. His performance surprises nearly everyone.
• Feng Fu moves from concentration to disbelief when she realizes Jun is competing. She accepts his ability without resentment and withdraws after recognizing how formidable he is.
• Feng Xuan, initially a confident and capable rival, grows increasingly anxious under pressure. His pride and determination cannot overcome the final question.
• Feng Mei watches Jun anxiously at first, then with growing admiration. She rebukes Feng Zhua, who bitterly claims Jun received easier questions; Feng Mei points out that all contestants receive the same questions.
• The robed Alchemist acknowledges Jun’s superior talent, while Feng Qianyuan watches him with interest.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and preparation: Jun’s success comes from an unusually comprehensive source of knowledge, while even experienced Alchemists reach the limits of their learning.
• Humility versus pride: Jun remains relaxed as others struggle, while Feng Xuan’s confidence gives way to anxiety; Feng Zhua responds to Jun’s success with envy.
• Unexpected talent and shifting expectations: A collateral-branch contestant challenges the Feng Main Branch’s leading prodigy, disrupting assumptions about who belongs at the top.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen becomes the last alchemist at the tables in the first round of the Direct-Line Alchemy Competition, astonishing the crowd with his herb-identification skill.
• The four direct-line elders extend the round by giving him a hundred exceptionally difficult bonus questions. They promise him honored-guest treatment if he answers them correctly, whatever his later results.
• At Feng Mei’s urging, Jun accepts. Using two brushes with his soul power, he answers all hundred questions accurately in just five minutes.
• The elders and spectators are stunned by his unprecedented achievement. Jun calmly leaves the square, while the crowd watches him in awe.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains unruffled and playful, privately crediting his handsome looks as well as his talent. He treats even the bonus questions as easy and displays impressive calligraphy while answering.
• Feng Mei is delighted: Jun’s success could improve her influence and standing in the family. Her excitement also deepens into admiration and infatuation.
• Feng Xuan is frustrated by how thoroughly Jun outperforms him, but his competitive spirit remains strong.
• Feng Fu is astonished and reluctantly acknowledges Jun’s superior herb knowledge, though she still feels some jealousy and resentment.
• Feng Zhua and the robed alchemist are left speechless and hostile, while Feng Qianyuan and the branch-family elders approve of Jun’s performance.
• The direct-line elders recognize Jun as a rare prodigy and resolve to report his talent to the family head, hoping to keep him from joining a rival family.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and recognition: Jun’s mastery overturns expectations about an obscure branch-family alchemist.
• Composure and confidence: His calm, humorous attitude contrasts with the crowd’s shock and envy.
• Competition and jealousy: Jun’s success inspires admiration but also exposes the insecurity of his rivals.
• Talent as influence: His achievement promises practical benefits for Feng Mei and the branch family, as well as greater standing in the wider Pill Dao.

Plot points and events

• Ten of the thirty competitors are eliminated in the first round of herb identification. Jun Wangchen stands out by answering all one hundred extra questions in five minutes, earning the Feng Family’s honored-guest treatment.
• During the ten-minute break, the remaining alchemists prepare for the next round. Though impressed by Jun’s knowledge, they believe his first-round success will not help him in herbal catalysis, which tests soul power, stamina, experience, and precision.
• The second round begins: twenty competitors choose tables, each holding a hidden, different seed. They have ten minutes to catalyze it; the ten seeds brought to the greatest maturity will advance.
• Feng Fu draws an Azure Upper Ling Flower, which is difficult to keep warm during catalysis. Feng Xuan draws the more demanding Green Vine Pear, requiring precisely balanced soul power, but remains confident he can handle it.
• Jun Wangchen calmly chooses the final table. His seed turns out to be an ordinary potato seed, startling the competitors and spectators.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun’s exceptional knowledge has made him the focus of his rivals, who now hope to beat him in a different skill. Their intense attention makes him uncomfortable, and he jokingly flees to the restroom.
• Feng Fu watches anxiously from outside the arena, aware that this round will determine whether Jun reaches the third.
• Feng Xuan is displeased by his difficult seed but treats it as a chance to demonstrate his ability. He responds coolly to others’ sympathetic looks.
• The competitors show a mix of confidence and unease as they select their seeds, while the elders oversee the rules and start the timed round.

Significant themes

• Different kinds of mastery: Knowledge of herbs does not guarantee skill at catalyzing them; success requires judgment, control, and practical ability.
• Pressure and uncertainty: Each competitor faces a different seed and must adapt under a strict time limit.
• Comic contrast: Jun’s calm, celebrated arrival contrasts with the absurdly ordinary potato seed he receives, setting up uncertainty about how it will affect his chances.

Key plot points and events

• In the second Herb Catalysis round, Jun Wangchen draws a potato seed—the easiest pill seed to mature—while the other contestants receive more challenging seeds.
• Jun calmly uses his superior catalysis method and soul power to mature it far faster than the others. His seed reaches completion while even the quickest competitors are only about thirty percent done.
• Most contestants protest that the draw was unfair and demand a restart. The elders agree to give everyone the same seed.
• Jun accepts confidently, saying he wants to silence his doubters. The new seeds are revealed to be Otherworld Flowers, whose flowers and leaves never appear together.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains composed, efficiently catalyzes the potato, and displays confidence in his abilities despite the advantage his seed gives him.
• Feng Xuan recognizes the stark difference between Jun’s easy seed and his own difficult one; Feng Fu is likewise surprised by Jun’s luck.
• The other Alchemists, led by the robed contestant, become resentful and accuse the contest of being unfair.
• Feng Mei wants to defend Jun, but Feng Qianyuan signals her to hold back.
• Feng Zhua takes pleasure in seeing Jun targeted. The long-bearded elder and the other elders respond to the protests by arranging a uniform second attempt.

Significant themes

• Luck versus skill: Jun’s favorable draw gives him a major advantage, raising questions about whether the round can fairly measure ability.
• Fairness and responsibility: Contestants chose their own tables, yet the elders acknowledge that the seed selection may still have produced an uneven test.
• Confidence under scrutiny: Jun welcomes a more equal challenge and intends to prove himself beyond dispute.

Key plot points

• The restarted Herb Catalysis test requires contestants to grow otherworld flowers, rare seeds that need both soul power and genuine emotion. Even skilled alchemists may fail.
• Most contestants immediately pour soul power into their seeds, but make little progress. Some exhaust themselves, collapse, or withdraw.
• Jun Wangchen pauses to study his seed before beginning. He then channels soul power and a deeply held emotion into it with exceptional precision, wasting none of his power.
• With two minutes left, only five contestants remain. Jun’s seed is the first to transform fully into a shoot and begin growing roots and leaves, astonishing the spectators.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains calm under time pressure, choosing observation and understanding over haste. His efficient technique and emotional connection set him apart.
• Feng Mei anxiously watches Jun, fearing he will run out of time; Feng Zhua hopes his delay will make him fail.
• Feng Fu and Feng Xuan recognize how formidable the challenge is. Both manage only to produce shoots, while Feng Xuan regrets having demanded the restart.
• Feng Qianyuan is surprised by the test’s difficulty and notes the care the Direct Line’s leader put into designing it.
• The struggling contestants’ repeated failures contrast with Jun’s controlled progress and expose the test’s emotional demands.

Significant themes

• Emotion as a source of power: Otherworld flowers respond not just to technique or soul power, but to love, loyalty, and attachment.
• Death, separation, and rebirth: The flower symbolizes both Heaven and Hell, with white associated with rebirth and red with pain and damnation.
• Patience and understanding: Jun’s willingness to study the seed before acting proves more effective than frantic effort.
• Love and loss: The flower’s separation of blooms and leaves reflects longing and the idea that beauty can be intertwined with sorrow.

Plot points and events

• In the second contest, Herb Catalysis, Jun Wangchen’s Otherworld Flower Seed grows much faster than the other contestants’. Feng Xuan releases unusually powerful soul energy to make his own seed sprout and later spends vital soul power to force it to produce a half-open bloom, injuring and exhausting himself.
• With ten seconds remaining, Feng Xuan boasts that Jun cannot surpass him. Jun replies that ten seconds is enough: his seed blossoms fully.
• Jun then performs a technique that gathers green energy—and, as he understands it, the feelings of nearby plants and trees—and infuses it into the flower. The seed grows into a twenty-foot Otherworld Tree bearing flowers and forming small fruits.
• The crowd and the elders are stunned. Feng Xuan realizes he has lost to Jun in both rounds.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates extraordinary skill and composure, progressing far beyond ordinary catalysis. He takes a calculated risk with an experimental technique, having already secured qualification.
• Feng Xuan reveals the depth of his ability but also his pride and competitiveness. His desperate use of vital soul power earns admiration, yet leaves him injured and defeated.
• Feng Fu and the other onlookers are shaken by the scale of Jun’s achievement; Feng Mei, in particular, is visibly excited and captivated.

Significant themes

• Talent versus effort and cost: Feng Xuan pushes himself to his physical and spiritual limits, while Jun’s results surpass his through a different, seemingly innovative approach.
• Connection to nature: Jun treats plants as beings with feelings and draws on that connection to nourish the Otherworld Flower.
• Ambition and humility: Feng Xuan’s confidence gives way to the painful recognition of defeat, while Jun remains focused rather than boasting.

Character interactions

• Feng Xuan repeatedly compares his progress with Jun’s and challenges him, culminating in his claim that Jun cannot bloom the flower in time.
• Jun largely ignores Feng Xuan’s provocations, then answers with his actions.
• The contestants, spectators, and elders react together to Jun’s feat, transforming the contest’s atmosphere from competitive tension to collective astonishment.

• Key events: Jun Wangchen catalyzes an Otherworld Flower seed into a full Otherworld Tree that blooms and bears fruit—a feat considered beyond even many Grandmaster Alchemists. Before the elders can intervene, he collects every Otherworld Fruit into his ring. The tree then dissolves into black light, drawing the crowd into the afterlife world represented by the flower: the Yellow Springs Road, River of Forgetfulness, Bridge of Helplessness, Meng Po’s soup, and the Three Lives Stone. The vision reveals the sorrowful cost of love and remembrance across lifetimes. Once everyone returns to reality, Jun asks the challengers whether they are convinced. They admit defeat and acknowledge his result.
• Character developments: Jun remains calm and unboastful despite the crowd’s awe, treating his achievement as ordinary. Feng Zhua realizes Jun is someone not to provoke; another alchemist recognizes the vast gap between them. Feng Xuan reluctantly concedes, while Feng Fu watches Jun with renewed interest. Grandmaster Feng Qianyuan and the other elders are impressed, and some envy Feng Mei for having brought Jun to the gathering.
• Character interactions: The assembled alchemists and elders shift from skepticism and demands to admiration. The direct-line elders covet the valuable fruit but cannot take it openly. Jun’s final challenge puts the protesting alchemists on the spot, and they publicly acknowledge that he has proved himself.
• Significant themes: The chapter celebrates exceptional talent and mastery, but its central vision dwells on love, loss, memory, and reincarnation. Meng Po’s soup represents the pain of forgetting; refusing it preserves devotion but brings a thousand years of separation and torment. The Otherworld Flower thus embodies both the beauty of deep love and the sorrow bound up in it.

Key plot points and events

• After the second round, ten Alchemists are eliminated, leaving ten to compete in pill refinement. Although the survivors are pleased to advance, Jun Wangchen’s earlier victories have overshadowed their achievements.
• Feng Fu asks her brother, Feng Xuan, what he thinks of Jun. Feng Xuan dismisses him as merely talented, arguing that pill refinement—not the first two rounds—shows an Alchemist’s true strength.
• The third round begins. Each contestant receives an incomplete pill formula and must work out how to refine it, with only three attempts before time runs out.
• Jun’s assigned pill is the Beast-Control Pill. His Alchemy Art contains the nearly identical Beast-Taming Pill formula, so he already knows the ingredients and method.
• Jun, Feng Fu, and Feng Xuan begin refining quickly. Jun then summons two Soul Power flames and controls them separately within different zones of the furnace. The observers realize he is splitting his focus.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen remains calm when Feng Xuan belittles him, privately looking forward to proving himself against a formidable opponent. Though he recognizes the experience gap between himself and the Feng siblings, his access to the Alchemy Art gives him a decisive advantage.
• Feng Xuan displays confidence in his long experience and pill-refining skill, underestimating Jun.
• Feng Fu admires Jun’s ability but trusts her brother’s proven expertise.
• The other contestants and spectators increasingly regard Jun as the competition’s standout, and his unusual technique heightens their astonishment.

Significant themes

• Talent versus experience: Jun acknowledges that years of training matter, but extraordinary knowledge and guidance can overcome a late start.
• Confidence and underestimation: Feng Xuan’s certainty sets up a challenge for Jun to surpass him.
• Exceptional mastery: Jun’s dual-flame technique suggests an unusual level of concentration and control.
• Advantage and isolation: Jun jokingly reflects on the loneliness of being far ahead because of the knowledge he possesses.

Character interactions

• Feng Fu questions Feng Xuan about Jun’s abilities; Feng Xuan dismisses Jun’s prospects in pill refinement.
• Jun overhears their conversation but does not confront them, choosing instead to focus on the coming contest.
• Jun notices Feng Fu and Feng Xuan begin refining quickly and respects their experience.
• When Jun demonstrates control over two flames at once, the elders, contestants, and crowd react with shock.

• Jun Wangchen’s unusual skill: Jun divides his Soul Power between two tasks, refining with the speed and efficiency of two Alchemists. He smoothly extracts the essences of the ingredients, impressing spectators and competitors.
• A hidden challenge: Several Alchemists’ ingredients burn despite careful temperature control. Jun identifies the cause: the ingredients contain impurities that must be removed during extraction. Feng Xuan mocks the competitors for failing to inspect them, while they thank Jun and try again. Feng Mei questions why Jun would help his rivals; Feng Qianyuan answers that the truly strong do not rely on luck.
• The seventh ingredient: The competitors must synthesize a missing ingredient from the six they have refined, then use their own judgment to devise a method for making the Beast-Control Pill. Nervousness causes one Alchemist to fail his final attempt and leave the contest. Jun, already ahead, weighs several possible methods before choosing a simple one; Feng Fu and Feng Xuan each use different methods.
• The attack: Jun’s refining proceeds so flawlessly that it seems as if he has made the pill before. A slower competitor, having already failed twice, sees Jun nearing success and secretly attacks his furnace with Soul Power. Jun’s control is disrupted, the flame surges, and the nearly formed pill paste burns away.
  Character developments and interactions: Jun’s exceptional talent is paired with calm confidence and a willingness to help rivals, even when doing so could reduce his advantage. Feng Xuan is contemptuous of careless competitors, while Feng Mei worries about Jun’s generosity and Feng Qianyuan trusts his confidence. The chapter ends with a rival’s sabotage turning the competition into a direct threat to Jun’s success.
  Themes: Skill and careful preparation matter more than luck; confidence can steady a competitor under pressure, while anxiety leads to failure. The closing attack introduces envy and unfair competition as threats to merit and achievement.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen’s herbal paste suddenly burns away during the final stage of the third-round alchemy contest. Many assume he has failed, but he recognizes that a robed alchemist has sabotaged his flames.
• Rather than give up, Jun reveals sixfold multitasking, splitting his soul power among six furnace zones to refine replacement herbs. He completes a new Beast-Control Pill in just two minutes, with time still remaining.
• The robed alchemist tries to sabotage Jun again by sending soul power toward his furnace. Jun counters with a soul-targeting technique, crushing the intruder’s soul power and leaving the man gravely weakened and unconscious.
• As time expires, the other contestants’ pills emerge first. Jun’s pill appears only as the furnace is being recalled, but he catches it successfully, completing the pill at the last possible moment.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates composure, exceptional alchemical skill, and a willingness to reveal his full ability when provoked. He also shows that he can defend himself against covert attacks.
• Feng Qianyuan recognizes that Jun’s initial mishap was caused by sabotage. After the robed alchemist is exposed, he reprimands Feng Zhua for recruiting unreliable alchemists.
• Feng Mei remains concerned for Jun and feels vindicated when those who targeted him face consequences.
• Feng Zhua is embarrassed and submits silently to Feng Qianyuan’s warning.
• The robed alchemist is revealed as the saboteur; his attempt to ensure Jun’s failure backfires, costing him most of his soul power and his standing as an alchemist.

Significant themes

• Hidden ability and perseverance: apparent failure gives way to a remarkable recovery through skill and persistence.
• Integrity versus sabotage: Jun succeeds despite another contestant’s underhanded interference, while the saboteur’s malice brings punishment.
• Power and mastery: Jun’s sixfold control and rapid pill-making demonstrate the difference between ordinary alchemical methods and the more advanced techniques he has learned.
• Justice and accountability: the sabotage is confronted, and Feng Qianyuan warns his family against enabling dishonest practitioners.

Character interactions

• Feng Mei worries over Jun, while Feng Zhua mocks him; Feng Qianyuan quiets their argument and later holds Feng Zhua responsible for the family’s poor recruitment.
• Jun directly confronts the robed alchemist, then defeats his second attack and warns him against targeting people beyond his ability.
• The crowd and elders shift from expecting Jun’s failure to watching in astonishment as he completes the pill just as time runs out.

Plot and key events

• Jun Wangchen completes a Beast-Control Pill just before the elders collect the furnaces, recovering from an earlier mistake and qualifying for the test. Feng Xuan needles him about his timing, but Jun calmly counters that he deliberately slowed down.
• The elders explain that the seven successful candidates must test their pills in the Colorless Pill Furnace: red means failure, while green means the pill passes, with brighter green indicating higher quality.
• The other candidates’ pills produce red light. Feng Fu’s pill passes with a dim green glow, and Feng Xuan’s produces a much brighter one.
• Jun’s pill makes the furnace shake before it shines an exceptionally vivid jade green. Its scent drives beasts throughout the mountain into a frenzy, demonstrating its extraordinary quality. Jun retrieves the pill, and the beasts quickly calm.
• The elders declare Jun the champion of all three rounds. Feng Fu, Feng Xuan, and Jun are named the final winners, and the Collateral Line celebrates its first victory over the Direct Line in the competition.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains composed under pressure and turns Feng Xuan’s taunts back on him. His final pill proves his ability decisively and brings honor to the Collateral Line.
• Feng Xuan begins confident and challenges Jun, but the spectacular result forces him to acknowledge defeat. Though reluctant, he accepts that Jun surpassed him in all three rounds.
• Feng Fu supports her brother, yet also appreciates Jun as a rival who can push Feng Xuan to improve. Her own successful pill earns her a place among the three winners.
• Feng Qianyuan, Feng Mei, and the Collateral Line move from anxious anticipation to relief and celebration as Jun succeeds. Feng Zhua, by contrast, feels humiliated as Jun takes center stage.
• The Direct Line elders recognize Jun’s achievement and formally announce the results.

Significant themes

• Genius and perseverance: Jun recovers from a setback and succeeds under severe time pressure.
• Rivalry as motivation: Feng Fu sees Jun’s challenge as a way to spur Feng Xuan’s growth.
• Skill proven by results: Producing a pill is not enough; its quality matters—and Jun’s pill surpasses the others dramatically.
• Recognition and reversal of status: Jun’s victory allows the Collateral Line to overcome the Direct Line and publicly establishes him as an exceptional young alchemist.