Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen heads to the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy for its tenth-anniversary celebration, where he meets Zi Hanyan. He is struck by her elegant, dressed-up appearance, and the two enter together.
• Zi Hanyan goes upstairs to visit Master Yang, leaving Jun to wait in the crowded main hall.
• A disciple boasts that senior brother Guo Wu is the academy’s top fighter, a three-time tournament champion, and a likely successor to Master Yang despite not being his son.
• Guo Wu comes downstairs and agrees to demonstrate his skill. His powerful display culminates in a kick that bursts through a hanging punching bag, earning loud applause.
• Just as Guo Wu basks in the crowd’s praise, someone bluntly criticizes his technique, calling out scattered force, weakly focused kicks, unstable footing, openings, and theatrical expressions.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen is presented as swaggering and comically vain, joking that his looks are too impressive to conceal. Yet he also watches Guo Wu closely and recognizes that the man has genuine ability.
• Zi Hanyan appears poised and striking, attracting attention throughout the academy. She and Jun seem comfortable together, though onlookers assume they may be a couple.
• Guo Wu demonstrates real strength and carries himself with courtesy, but the crowd’s admiration visibly feeds his pride.
• The thick-browed disciple enthusiastically promotes Guo Wu and the academy, treating his senior brother’s success almost as his own.

Significant themes

• Appearance and reputation: Jun’s looks draw attention, while Guo Wu’s fame shapes expectations before his demonstration.
• Pride and humility: Guo Wu performs impressively but is clearly pleased with the applause, setting up a challenge to his self-image.
• Substance versus spectacle: The chapter contrasts Guo Wu’s dramatic display with the final critic’s insistence that his technique has serious flaws.
• Martial skill and succession: Guo Wu’s status as a powerful outsider being considered as the academy’s future successor highlights merit, loyalty, and institutional inheritance.

Character interactions

• A couple jokingly argues over Jun’s looks, and his self-congratulatory reaction establishes the chapter’s comedic tone.
• Jun and Zi Hanyan arrive together; her presence prompts jealous looks from other guests, though neither confirms their relationship.
• Guo Wu greets the visitors and performs at their request, earning admiration from the crowd and praise from the thick-browed disciple.
• The chapter ends with an unidentified speaker publicly challenging that praise by dissecting Guo Wu’s weaknesses.

Key plot points and events

• At the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy’s tenth-anniversary celebration, Jun Wangchen bluntly points out flaws in Guo Wu’s martial arts demonstration. Guo challenges him to spar, but Jun declines, explaining privately that he does not want to embarrass the academy or offend its master. The guests mistake his restraint for fear.
• Master Yang arrives with Zi Hanyan and welcomes the guests. Before the anniversary luncheon can begin, Song Lin of the rival Song Family Martial Arts Academy storms in with his disciples and has the academy’s doorman thrown to the floor.
• Song Lin claims his group came to celebrate, but Master Yang recognizes the provocation. Zi explains to Jun that the academies are rivals: Yang’s growing reputation and Guo Wu’s championship record have drawn students away from Song.
• Song reveals that his real purpose is to challenge the academy. The agreed contest will consist of three consecutive bouts, with the last fighter standing deciding the winner. Master Yang stipulates that Song’s academy must apologize to the injured doorman and pay ten times his medical costs if it loses. Song demands that Yang’s academy leave the East District if it loses.
• Despite his disciples’ objections, Master Yang accepts the stakes, invoking the academy motto: “Forge ahead fearlessly! Never shrink from a challenge!” The first fighters are sent to the platform, and the chapter ends as the opening bout is about to begin.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows confidence in his own strength but deliberately avoids fighting Guo to spare the academy embarrassment. Though others judge him a coward, he stays quiet rather than defend himself.
• Guo Wu is proud and quick to take offense at criticism, interpreting Jun’s refusal as cowardice. Once Song arrives, however, his concern shifts to protecting the academy; he eagerly volunteers to fight, but accepts Master Yang’s decision to hold him back.
• Master Yang responds firmly to Song’s insult and accepts a high-stakes challenge despite the danger, choosing to uphold the academy’s honor and principles.
• Song Lin uses the anniversary as an opportunity to provoke and undermine his rival, disguising his hostility as goodwill.
• Zi Hanyan provides Jun with context about the rivalry and the academies’ competing fortunes.
• The academy’s disciples initially fear the consequences of the wager, but Master Yang’s speech renews their resolve.

Significant themes

• Courage and perseverance: Master Yang insists that retreating from a challenge would contradict the academy’s values.
• Honor and reputation: The contest threatens not only the academies’ standing but Yang’s continued right to operate in the district.
• Restraint versus appearances: Jun’s considerate choice to avoid humiliating Guo is misread as fear.
• Rivalry and ambition: Song’s challenge is driven by declining enrollment and a desire to damage Yang’s growing success.

Plot points and events

• The Song and Yang martial arts academies begin a three-bout challenge match. Song’s Fu Ping defeats Yang’s Long Dongqiang by exhausting him, tripping him, and brutally attacking him while he is down.
• Yang’s senior student, Guo Wu, avenges Long by knocking Fu Ping off the platform and breaking several of his ribs.
• Song’s master, Song Lin, brings out Yi Tianchou, a feared former champion who has returned after five years. Yi’s overwhelming presence alarms both the spectators and Jun Wangchen.
• Yi challenges Guo Wu to forfeit or be crippled. Guo fights, but Yi breaks his hand with one kick, then knocks him off the platform with a devastating blow. Guo is badly injured.
• With Guo defeated and the remaining students far weaker, Academy Master Yang prepares to concede rather than risk more injuries. Song Lin gloats, expecting his academy’s victory to secure its rise.
• Zi Hanyan regrets not bringing her powerful “Brother Eight” to help. Jun Wangchen offers to fight instead, claiming he has a 90% chance of winning. As Academy Master Yang is about to concede, Jun arrives and declares that he has not even entered the ring.

Character developments and interactions

• Guo Wu proves himself brave and forceful, first defeating Fu Ping, then facing Yi despite his fear. His defeat underscores the vast gap between Yi and the other fighters.
• Yi Tianchou is introduced as cold, arrogant, and exceptionally powerful; he treats Guo as an insect and threatens to cripple him.
• Song Lin uses Fu Ping’s victory to taunt the Yang academy, then relies on Yi to dominate the match and intimidate Academy Master Yang into conceding.
• Academy Master Yang shifts from anger and hope to despair, torn between protecting his students and refusing to surrender the academy’s standing.
• Zi Hanyan feels responsible for the crisis because she did not bring her stronger ally, and her concern for the Yang academy prompts Jun to step forward.
• Jun Wangchen moves from silent observer to potential challenger. He judges Yi’s style as powerful but limited, believing his own techniques and abilities give him a decisive advantage.

Significant themes

• Bravery versus overwhelming power: Guo’s courage cannot overcome Yi’s superior strength, leaving the academy seemingly helpless.
• Cruelty and sportsmanship: Fu Ping’s attacks on the fallen Long and Song Lin’s taunts contrast with the stated purpose of a martial arts challenge.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Zi’s wish to repay Academy Master Yang’s past kindness drives Jun’s decision to intervene.
• Hope at the brink of defeat: Just as the Yang academy is about to concede, Jun’s interruption offers a last chance to reverse the outcome.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen steps forward to face Yi Tianchou, despite warnings that Yi has already defeated the Yang Academy’s senior disciples.
• Jun claims he could defeat Guo Wu in three moves, provoking disbelief and anger. Zi Hanyan quietly persuades Master Yang to let him fight.
• Yi threatens to cripple Jun and attacks first with a powerful palm strike.
• Jun effortlessly evades the blow, appears at Yi’s side, and lands a punch that injures him. The hall is stunned as Yi recognizes Jun as a late-stage human-rank martial artist.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen reveals that his frail appearance conceals formidable strength. He remains calm and confident under pressure.
• Master Yang shifts from anxiety to cautious faith after Zi Hanyan’s reassurance, gambling the academy’s fate on Jun.
• Zi Hanyan shows confidence in Jun, though Yi’s attack briefly worries her.
• Yi Tianchou goes from contemptuous certainty to shock after Jun’s counterattack.
• Guo Wu and the other Yang disciples move from warning and resentment to astonishment at Jun’s ability.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Jun’s slight build masks his strength.
• Confidence and underestimation: Yi and the Song Academy dismiss Jun, while his calm confidence proves justified.
• Risk and trust: Master Yang must decide whether to trust Zi Hanyan’s belief in Jun when the academy’s reputation is at stake.

Character interactions

• Jun brushes aside Guo Wu’s and Long Dongqiang’s warnings, while his boast about defeating Guo in three moves further antagonizes them.
• Zi Hanyan privately urges Master Yang to trust Jun; Master Yang then openly supports him despite the disciples’ objections.
• Yi and Jun exchange threats before Yi attacks. Jun’s swift evasion and counterpunch abruptly reverse their apparent power dynamic.

Plot points and events

• During the academy challenge, Yi Tianchou’s shocked exclamation prompts Guo Wu to explain that martial artists are people able to cultivate the world’s spiritual energy. They are ranked from human to heaven, with four stages in each rank.
• Jun Wangchen realizes that Yi Tianchou is a late-stage human-rank martial artist, but judges his own late-Qi-Condensation cultivation to be stronger. He also understands why his punch hit so hard: his cultivation and the Mortal’s Cultivation Art give him exceptional spiritual power.
• Yi Tianchou unleashes Thunderbolt Force, an ancestral martial technique he learned only the previous night. Song Lin assumes this will secure victory.
• Jun calmly prepares and uses Tai Chi Fist to deflect, evade, and counter Yi’s attacks. He barely exerts himself, while Yi becomes increasingly frustrated and is driven back.
• Jun urges Yi to use his strongest move. Yi responds with a spectacular, explosive barrage of white light that appears to strike Jun directly in the face.
• Zi Hanyan rushes forward in alarm—but when the dust clears, Jun is standing unharmed and yawning.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen moves from confusion about martial-arts ranks to understanding the distinction between martial artists and cultivators. His confidence and restraint contrast with Yi’s escalating aggression; he considers his performance little more than a test.
• Yi Tianchou begins wary after Jun’s powerful punch, gains confidence when using Thunderbolt Force, then grows angry and desperate as Jun effortlessly counters him. He finally resorts to his most impressive attack.
• Guo Wu and the Yang Family disciples learn that Jun is far more formidable than they assumed. Their initial disbelief turns to admiration and hope for their academy.
• Song Lin shifts from concern to confidence when Yi reveals Thunderbolt Force, then becomes anxious as Yi struggles.
• Zi Hanyan shows concern for Jun when the attack seems to hit him.

Significant themes

• Power and perspective: Martial-arts ranks provide a framework for measuring strength, but Jun’s cultivation places him beyond what the onlookers expect.
• Skill versus raw force: Yi’s newly learned, destructive technique is outmatched by Jun’s mastery of Tai Chi and effortless control.
• Appearance versus reality: Jun’s unassuming demeanor and casual response conceal overwhelming ability; apparent victory for Yi proves misleading.

Plot points and events

• During the academy challenge, Yi Tianchou’s powerful palm strike lands on Jun Wangchen but does no harm. Jun explains internally that Fiery Golden Eyes lets him spot the attack’s weakness, while Tai Chi Fist redirects its force.
• Yi attacks relentlessly, but Jun keeps reading and dismantling his techniques. Exhausted and shaken, Yi realizes Jun has been holding back.
• Jun urges Yi to concede. When Yi refuses, Jun demonstrates that he has copied Yi’s Thunderbolt Force during their fight, then uses it to strike Yi in the chest and knock him unconscious.
• With their strongest fighter defeated, the Song Family Martial Arts Academy concedes the challenge. Song Lin apologizes to the injured gatekeeper, compensates him, and leaves with his team.
• Jun is thanked by Master Yang for saving the academy. Zi Hanyan explains that she helped because Master Yang is her father’s friend. At the luncheon, the crowd gathers around Jun, while Zi and Master Yang field questions for him.
• Jun later reminds Guo Wu that he had criticized his techniques earlier. Guo, embarrassed, admits that Jun was right.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen shows exceptional skill, tactical insight, and restraint, but also reveals a competitive streak: after defeating Yi, he is disappointed that no one else will fight him.
• Yi Tianchou goes from proud confidence to disbelief, fear, and a crushing loss of self-esteem when Jun outmatches him and uses his own technique.
• Song Lin shifts from confidence to fear and reluctantly concedes once his top fighter falls.
• Guo Wu moves from dismissing Jun’s advice to acknowledging his superior judgment.
• Master Yang expresses profound gratitude, while Zi Hanyan is pleased and impressed by Jun’s victory.

Themes and interactions

• The chapter emphasizes the gap between apparent strength and genuine mastery: Jun wins not just through power, but by reading attacks and exploiting their weaknesses.
• It highlights pride and humility. Yi’s refusal to concede worsens his defeat, while Jun’s modest manner contrasts with his formidable ability.
• Jun’s interactions with Yi turn from a controlled contest into a demonstration of overwhelming superiority. His exchange with Guo closes the loop on Guo’s earlier skepticism, and the thanks from Master Yang and Zi affirm the bonds behind Jun’s intervention.

Plot points and events

• After Jun Wangchen impresses guests at the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy celebration, he accepts more than thirty drinks and becomes very drunk.
• Zi Hanyan brings him to her family’s villa rather than risk drawing attention by taking him through the campus. Uncle Fang is surprised when she asks him to settle Jun in her bedroom.
• Left alone, Jun uses spiritual energy to expel the alcohol and wakes quickly. He realizes he is in Zi Hanyan’s room and explores it.
• He spots her powerful, restricted Heaven Shadow Computer and uses it to visit an adult video site.
• Zi returns with hangover soup. Jun hurriedly hides what he was doing and claims he was only admiring the computer. When she says she wants to show him pictures saved on it, he suddenly lunges to stop her from turning on the monitor.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is socially overwhelmed by the attention he receives, but his drunkenness passes quickly through his martial abilities. His curiosity and impulsiveness lead him to misuse Zi’s computer, while his frantic cover-up reveals his embarrassment.
• Zi Hanyan shows unusual trust and care by bringing Jun home and letting him rest in her private bedroom. She is friendly but grows suspicious when she finds him at the computer.
• Uncle Fang is struck by Zi’s exceptional consideration for Jun and wonders what their relationship means.

Significant themes

• Growing closeness and trust: Zi’s actions suggest Jun is unusually important to her, though neither clarifies their relationship.
• Comedy through secrecy and embarrassment: Jun’s covert browsing and desperate attempt to conceal it create the chapter’s central humor.
• Power and status: Zi’s privileged background is reflected in her family’s villa and access to a government-grade computer.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen is caught in Zi Hanyan’s bedroom with an explicit video on her computer. He blames a supposed virus and offers to install antivirus software.
• While trying to shut down the computer, he accidentally tears down Zi Hanyan’s skirt. Uncle Fang enters, sees the compromising scene, and silently pretends he saw nothing before retreating.
• Zi Hanyan orders Jun to keep the incident secret, then flees in embarrassment. Jun decides to apologize and leaves the room.
• Sun Wukong messages Jun, asking for more QQ Candy. Jun claims it is scarce and offers chewing gum instead. After learning how to blow bubbles, Sun Wukong is delighted and offers Jun a reward.
• Jun asks for combat training. Sun Wukong explains that his techniques are dangerous and cannot be learned quickly, and that his combat skills could cause backlash.
• Sun Wukong instead sends Jun the Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy, an immortal art that attacks through written characters. Jun eagerly chooses to learn it.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen improvises shameless excuses to escape embarrassment, then uses his cleverness and knowledge of modern sweets to win Sun Wukong’s favor. His recent fight has made him aware that he needs stronger combat skills, not just spiritual power and support abilities.
• Zi Hanyan is mortified by the bedroom mishap and fiercely insists Jun keep it private.
• Uncle Fang avoids confronting the situation, pretending he never saw it, though he worries that he interrupted the pair.
• Sun Wukong is curious and easily delighted by chewing gum; pleased by Jun’s gift, he considers him a friend and offers support.

Significant themes

• Comedy through embarrassment and misunderstanding: Jun’s attempts to appear innocent only lead to increasingly awkward mishaps.
• Resourcefulness and exchange: Jun turns an ordinary modern item into leverage for gaining a powerful ally and a valuable immortal skill.
• Growth through recognizing weakness: Jun understands that he must improve his fighting ability after struggling against a stronger opponent.
• Unexpected connections across worlds: Everyday goods can build friendships and open access to extraordinary knowledge.

Character interactions

• Jun and Zi Hanyan’s awkward encounter ends with her demanding secrecy.
• Uncle Fang’s tactful retreat preserves their dignity while adding to the misunderstanding.
• Jun and Sun Wukong form a friendly bargain: gum delights the Great Sage, who rewards Jun with a powerful calligraphy-based skill and promises to have his back.

Key events

• Jun Wangchen learns the immortal technique Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy, which turns written characters into attacks. He tests it by writing “Cleave” in the air; the resulting sword of light splits a tree in two.
• The technique is powerful but consumes substantial spiritual energy, so Jun resolves to use it sparingly.
• He also gains calligraphic mastery equal to Wang Xizhi’s and briefly considers recreating the lost original of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion for enormous profit. He abandons the idea, recognizing that the attention and greed it would attract could endanger him while he remains relatively weak.
• Zi Hanyan invites Jun to watch a calligraphy contest at her family’s villa. There, two renowned local masters, Shi and Fei, display their work and receive lavish praise.
• Jun offers to critique their calligraphy. The masters invite him to examine it, while the critics privately doubt that someone so young could have anything worthwhile to say.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun grows more confident in the scholarly art’s martial potential, but shows restraint and practical judgment by keeping his new abilities—and the possible value of his calligraphy—under wraps.
• Jun and Zi Hanyan leave their earlier intimate moment unmentioned, treating it as a private secret. Her father, Zifeng Town, realizes she had secretly arranged for Jun to accompany her and suspects she has fallen for him; Hanyan blushes and avoids his gaze.
• Zifeng welcomes Jun warmly, surprising the onlookers. The two calligraphy masters are courteous and curious, while the critics quietly expect Jun to embarrass himself.

Significant themes

• Art as power: Calligraphy is transformed from a scholarly pursuit into a formidable weapon.
• Restraint and self-preservation: Talent and potential wealth can invite danger, so Jun chooses caution over immediate gain.
• Appearance versus ability: The critics judge Jun by his youth and assume he lacks expertise, setting up a clash between reputation and genuine skill.
• Unspoken affection: Jun and Hanyan’s connection is conveyed through their shared secret and her father’s knowing reaction.

Plot and key events

• Jun Wangchen studies the calligraphy of Elders Fei and Shi, then gives each a precise, balanced critique: he praises their skill while pointing out flaws in rhythm, concision, and composition.
• The elders welcome his advice. They explain that fame has brought them flattery instead of useful criticism, leaving them unable to identify what is holding their work back.
• Impressed, the elders ask Jun to demonstrate his own calligraphy. Though he initially demurs, Zifeng Town and Zi Hanyan encourage him, and he agrees.
• As Jun begins writing, the elders and critics sense soul aura—a rare union between the calligrapher and the brush, paper, and other objects. They compare this state to Wang Xizhi’s legendary achievement.
• Jun writes passages from the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. His brushwork is so natural, powerful, and elegant that the observers conclude his skill and style rival Wang Xizhi’s.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shifts from modest critic to astonishing master. His expertise initially surprises the gathering; his demonstration confirms that he possesses extraordinary talent.
• Elders Fei and Shi move from curiosity to admiration. Rather than resent criticism, they value Jun’s frank, respectful advice and eagerly seek to learn from him.
• Zifeng Town is astonished by Jun’s knowledge and encourages him to write, wanting to see the ability behind his critique.
• Zi Hanyan openly supports Jun and watches his success with pride and admiration.
• The other critics begin skeptical and incredulous, but Jun’s insight and performance leave them stunned.

Significant themes

• Honest criticism over empty praise: Flattery can halt improvement, while thoughtful criticism helps artists recognize their weaknesses.
• Talent and mastery: Jun’s youth contrasts with his extraordinary ability, presenting him as a rare, heaven-favored prodigy.
• Tradition and innovation: Wang Xizhi’s greatness is described as combining inherited techniques with an original artistic vision; Jun appears to embody the same ideal.
• Harmony between artist and materials: The soul-aura episode presents calligraphy as more than technique—a unity between the artist, the brush, and the objects used to create the work.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen writes several passages from Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, astonishing the courtyard with calligraphy that closely resembles Wang Xizhi’s. He must stop when the effort exhausts his soul power, realizing that even his extraordinary talent cannot fully match the original master.
• Elder Shi and Elder Fei praise Jun’s work and concede his superiority. Jun explains that true calligraphy can go beyond ink and paper: he traces the character for “life” in the air, reviving a dead osmanthus tree and making it blossom despite the summer season.
• Jun describes an ideal in which literary skill can transform the world and wield power through words. The witnesses are stunned by his ability and vision.
• The two elders ask to buy Jun’s calligraphy for study. He gives it to them freely, saying appreciation and friendship matter more than money. Grateful, they promise to help him if he ever needs it.
• Zifeng Town invites the group to tea and further discussion. On the way, Zi Hanyan asks Jun to write something for her birthday. Mistaking his initial refusal for rejection, she is relieved when he gives her a piece immediately.
• The inscription reads, “Blessed across three lifetimes to meet you, even sorrow is love,” leaving Zi Hanyan deeply moved.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen displays extraordinary skill, humility, generosity, and social tact. His discovery of his limits also gives him a clearer sense of the gulf between his ability and Wang Xizhi’s.
• Zi Hanyan first feels insecure about being left behind by Jun, then resolves to improve herself. Her admiration becomes more openly affectionate, and Jun’s gift reassures and delights her.
• Elder Shi and Elder Fei move from skeptical masters to wholehearted admirers. Jun’s gift earns their gratitude and an offer of support.
• Zifeng Town becomes more determined to cultivate a friendship with Jun, while the appraisers and other onlookers react with astonishment and respect.

Significant themes

• Mastery and humility: Jun is exceptional, yet recognizes that imitation cannot equal Wang Xizhi’s original achievement.
• Art as living power: Calligraphy is presented not merely as beauty on a page, but as a force capable of changing nature.
• Generosity and recognition: Jun values meaningful connections and appreciation over financial reward.
• Admiration, insecurity, and affection: Zi Hanyan’s feelings prompt her to pursue self-improvement, while Jun’s inscription offers a tender personal response.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen returns to Dormitory Room 520 after spending hours discussing calligraphy. His roommates, Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli, launch into a ridiculous philosophical defense of porn, then reveal that Zhang mainly wants access to Wang’s video account. Jun tells them to focus on their milk-tea shop, and they immediately do.
• Exhausted from writing the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion with a spiritual technique, Jun receives a message from Taishang Laojun. On Sun Wukong’s recommendation, Laojun offers to make Jun his personal disciple.
• Jun eagerly accepts, knowing that personal disciples receive the best instruction and resources. Laojun names him “Dimwit,” which Jun dislikes but tolerates for the opportunity.
• Laojun sends Jun the first volume of the Alchemy Art, covering pills from Qi Condensation to Golden Core. He explains that possessing formulas is not enough: an alchemist’s rank determines which pills they can actually refine. None of his nine previous disciples has reached the ninth rank, and he hopes Jun will.
• Jun uses his Groundhog Phone to learn the volume, absorbing its vast contents into his mind in minutes. When he tells Laojun he has memorized it, Laojun refuses to believe him, since even his most gifted disciple took seven days.
• Jun offers to prove his claim. Laojun initiates a face-to-face chat, and Jun’s consciousness is suddenly pulled into darkness.

Character developments

• Jun is ambitious and quick to recognize the value of becoming Laojun’s personal disciple, though he accepts the insulting name to secure the opportunity. He also takes the challenge of becoming a ninth-rank alchemist seriously.
• Jun begins to realize that the Groundhog Phone may grant him an extraordinary learning advantage: it can transfer entire manuals directly into his mind.
• Laojun is generous toward Jun because of Sun Wukong’s recommendation, but he is skeptical of Jun’s extraordinary claim and chooses to test him.
• Zhang and Wang’s comic banter shows their eccentricity and close friendship; beneath the nonsense, they are also actively working on their business.

Significant themes

• Talent, effort, and limits: The Alchemy Art offers formulas at every level, but skill and rank determine what a practitioner can actually accomplish.
• Unusual learning and hidden advantages: Jun’s instant absorption of the manual suggests his phone gives him an exceptional advantage, setting him apart from ordinary students.
• Mentorship and opportunity: Sun Wukong’s endorsement opens the door to a prestigious apprenticeship, while Laojun’s expectations give Jun a demanding goal.
• Comedy and contrast: The roommates’ crude humor contrasts with the serious discussion of cultivation, alchemy, and Jun’s new future.

Character interactions

• Jun reacts with exasperated amusement to Zhang and Wang’s conversation, then redirects them toward their milk-tea shop.
• Sun Wukong indirectly helps Jun by persuading Laojun to take him on as a disciple.
• Jun flatters Laojun and accepts his mentorship despite the “Dimwit” nickname; Laojun rewards him with the first volume and sets expectations for his progress.
• When Laojun doubts Jun’s claim, Jun insists on proving himself, leading to the face-to-face chat and the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen wakes in an endless white space and calls for his master, Taishang Laojun.
• After Jun addresses him by name, Taishang Laojun unleashes overwhelming power to discipline him. Jun quickly apologizes, and Laojun explains that the space is a private place for teaching.
• Jun misreads the setting—and Laojun’s furniture—as a sexual threat, panics, and starts to undress. Laojun clarifies that he is testing Jun on alchemy, leaving Jun embarrassed.
• Laojun quizzes Jun on pill effects, restrictions, and ingredients. Jun answers every question about the first volume of the Alchemy Art instantly and accurately, proving he memorized it.
• Laojun tries to divine Jun’s origins but fails; the Heavenly Dao warns him, and the attempt makes him cough blood. He hides the real reason and praises Jun’s talent.
• Laojun offers Jun half an hour of personal instruction and promises him his modified furnace, Furnace Model Seven, if he successfully refines a pill. He supplies unlimited ingredients.
• Jun chooses to attempt a Qi-Congealing Pill, suited to his current ability.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shifts from fear and confusion to confidence as he demonstrates exceptional memory and earns a rare opportunity. His inner monologue is crude and suspicious, while his outward behavior is deferential—especially when confronted with Laojun’s power.
• Taishang Laojun is stern but willing to reward talent. Jun’s performance astonishes him, and his failed divination leaves him privately unsettled by the mystery of Jun’s origin.
• Their relationship moves from reprimand to teacher-and-student instruction, though Jun’s misunderstanding briefly creates comic tension.

Significant themes

• Talent and merit: Jun’s mastery of the text wins him exceptional attention.
• The limits of knowledge: Even a powerful immortal cannot discern Jun’s origins, and the Heavenly Dao itself intervenes.
• Power and deference: Jun’s fear of Laojun’s strength shapes their interaction.
• Comic misunderstanding: Jun’s panicked misinterpretation contrasts with the serious alchemy test.
• Opportunity and ambition: Jun eagerly accepts the chance to learn and gain a valuable furnace.

Plot points and events

• Taishang Laojun explains that an alchemist’s strength depends on soul perception, which governs refinement success and pill quality. He gives Jun Wangchen a Soul-Returning Pill, restoring his depleted soul power.
• Jun begins extracting qi-congealing herb essence. His first attempts burn the herb, but after adjusting the furnace temperature and learning to account for variations in the herbs, he succeeds with his sixteenth stalk.
• After a short rest and another Soul-Returning Pill, Jun quickly extracts the essences of two other ingredients. Laojun then teaches him to merge all three essences.
• Jun heats the ingredients into a paste, but his first attempt to add Spirit Water fails because the flames are too hot. Following Laojun’s advice, he lowers the temperature, and the water blends into the paste.
• The mixture forms a pill. Laojun finds that Jun’s first pill has thirty percent medicinal potency and declares him an alchemist.
• Laojun gives Jun Furnace Model Seven and access to the practice space for six months, explaining how Jun can enter and leave. After Laojun departs, Jun celebrates his achievement and exits.
• Laojun returns briefly and speculates that Jun may be protected by the heavenly Dao because he is a powerful being’s reincarnation—or possibly the heir of the Primordial Heaven Venerable.

Character development

• Jun Wangchen moves from eager novice to newly certified alchemist. He learns through repeated mistakes, persists despite exhaustion and pressure, and begins to understand the precision required in pill refinement.
• Taishang Laojun acts as a patient but demanding mentor. Though he hides his approval during the lesson, he privately recognizes Jun’s exceptional progress: his previous disciples needed about thirty herbs to master extraction, while Jun needed only sixteen. His curiosity about Jun’s possible origins grows.

Significant themes

• Practice and perseverance: Talent helps, but progress comes through failure, adjustment, and sustained effort.
• Precision and control: Successful alchemy depends on managing soul power and temperature, not simply following steps.
• Mentorship and earned recognition: Laojun’s guidance enables Jun’s success, while his restrained praise encourages discipline rather than complacency.
• Destiny and hidden potential: Jun’s possible connection to a legendary figure hints that his achievement may be part of a larger fate.

Character interactions

• Laojun restores Jun’s soul power, teaches him each stage of refinement, and corrects him when he mishandles the heat.
• Jun treats Laojun with respect, worries about disappointing him, and gratefully accepts both the furnace and the opportunity to practice.
• Laojun’s outwardly stern demeanor contrasts with his private admiration and growing interest in Jun’s identity.

Chapter Summary: “Crash Scam (1)”

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen returns from an independent space, where time passes much faster than on Earth. Only a minute has elapsed outside, and his soul power is fully restored after taking a Soul-Returning Pill.
• His roommates Zhang Zhengxiao, Wang Nuli, and Ke JiusI joke about promoting their newly purchased milk tea shop. Ke takes the other two to ask Sister Yun at the Blue Night Charm Bar for help with its design, leaving Jun behind.
• Jun quickly completes a large homework assignment, then considers how to fund his alchemy. The ingredients for Soul-Returning and Spirit-Restoring Pills are available on Earth, but their high prices mean he needs a way to earn money.
• A flyer for a rough-stone trading market gives him an idea: his Fiery Golden Eyes can reveal whether jadeite is hidden inside stones, potentially making stone gambling a lucrative source of income. He memorizes the market’s location and heads there.
• At the market, Jun agrees to park a BMW X7 for its owner, Xu Yirou. A man deliberately crashes into the car, smears himself with prepared chicken blood, and pretends to be seriously injured, drawing a crowd.
• Jun and Xu recognize the setup as a crash scam. When the scammer grabs Jun and demands money, Jun warns him to let go and begins twisting his hand, causing him to cry out in pain.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is energized by his pill’s effects and increasingly practical about supporting his cultivation. He is observant and resourceful, spotting an opportunity in stone gambling, and confrontational when faced with the scammer.
• Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli continue their shameless, comic banter, disguising their interest in beautiful women and profit as devotion to “righteousness.”
• Ke JiusI joins in their antics but also proposes asking Sister Yun for storefront-design help.
• Xu Yirou appears elegant and striking, but her expression turns cold when she realizes the collision is staged. She and Jun are united in recognizing the scam.
• The scammer uses fake injuries and public pressure to extort money, but his confidence falters when Jun physically challenges him.

Significant themes

• Cultivation meets ordinary life: Jun’s supernatural abilities and goals depend on practical matters like money and sourcing ingredients.
• Opportunity and risk: Stone gambling offers a possible solution to Jun’s financial needs, though it is generally a high-risk business.
• Deception and public spectacle: The scammer exploits bystanders’ assumptions, while the crowd watches and records rather than intervening.
• Comedy and camaraderie: The roommates’ exaggerated “righteousness” and the scammer’s theatrical performance provide much of the chapter’s humor.

Key plot points and events

• A man in a flower shirt pretends Jun Wangchen has hit and badly injured him. His accomplices—a grieving “partner” and a punk-haired “mediator”—work the crowd and pressure Jun to pay.
• Jun recognizes the scene as a coordinated accident scam. Instead of exposing them immediately, he pretends to be frightened, then invents an absurd story about his immense wealth and offers five million yuan.
• When Jun asks what it would cost to kill someone, the mediator assures him that money could settle it. Jun gets in his BMW and drives toward the supposed victim. The flower-shirted man panics and admits he was faking; Jun stops just short of hitting him.
• The angry crowd identifies the three as scammers, attacks them, and keeps them from escaping. Police arrive and take them away after the men confess.
• Jun helps Xu Yirou park her car and exchanges names and a business card with her. He then heads to the Rough Stone Trading Market. Xu is soon joined by Mr. Kong, a renowned stone appraiser, whom she hopes will help solve her jadeite supply problem.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows himself to be quick-thinking, shamelessly theatrical, and confident under pressure. He uses the scammers’ greed and fear to expose their act, while allowing the crowd to deliver the punishment.
• Xu Yirou recognizes that Jun’s wealthy-heir story is fabricated and is amused by his performance. She remains grateful for his help and gives him her card.
• The three scammers operate as a team, each playing a distinct role, but their greed makes them easy to manipulate. Their act collapses when the supposed victim loses his nerve.
• The crowd shifts from condemning Jun to confronting the scammers once the deception is revealed. Xu later greets Mr. Kong respectfully, emphasizing his expertise and her reliance on him.

Significant themes

• Deception turned against deceivers: Jun counters the scam with a performance of his own, using the crew’s tactics against them.
• Crowd judgment and justice: Onlookers condemn Jun before understanding the situation, then rapidly unite against the scammers once the truth emerges.
• Greed and overconfidence: The scammers’ belief that Jun is wealthy encourages them to demand more, ultimately helping him expose them.
• Comic exaggeration: Jun’s extravagant claims and mock attempt to run over the “victim” turn a tense scam into farce.

Chapter summary

Jun Wangchen visits Jinling City’s Rough Stone Trading Market, where buyers gamble on whether valuable jadeite lies inside apparently ordinary stones. He learns that the more expensive second floor requires proof of a net worth of at least one million; with only the two hundred thousand he received from Brother Kai, he stays among the cheaper first-floor stalls.
Using a magnifying glass to look like an ordinary novice, Jun secretly scans stones with his Fiery Golden Eyes. Most of the jadeite he finds is too small or poor in quality to be worthwhile. Eventually he spots a discarded, chipped stone containing a sizable piece of flawless, spiritually charged ice-type jadeite. To avoid alerting the seller, he first asks about other stones. His eyes reveal those attractive-looking stones are worthless, though the seller demands five and six hundred thousand for them.
The seller judges Jun by his inexpensive clothes, doubts he can afford anything, and tells him to stay away from stone gambling. Jun remains polite and tries to steer the conversation toward the valuable chipped stone, but the seller becomes impatient. Before Jun can ask its price, someone behind him mocks him and insults his mother, calling her a street sweeper. Jun freezes, his expression darkening; the excerpt ends before he responds.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is cautious and resourceful: he conceals his supernatural ability, studies the seller’s behavior, and uses decoy questions to avoid revealing which stone he wants. He also shows restraint, staying courteous despite being patronized.
• The stall owner is eager for customers but quickly becomes dismissive after judging Jun’s appearance. He offers inflated prices for stones Jun knows are empty, then tells Jun to leave.
• An unidentified speaker enters with a personal insult aimed at Jun and his mother, sharply escalating the tension at the chapter’s close.
• Brother Kai is mentioned as the source of Jun’s limited funds, but does not appear in the scene.

Significant themes

• Risk and uncertainty: Stone gambling can bring immense wealth or ruin, and appearances offer little reliable guidance.
• Knowledge as an advantage: Jun’s Fiery Golden Eyes let him see what other buyers and the seller cannot.
• Class prejudice and dignity: The seller assumes Jun is poor and inexperienced from his clothes; the final insult makes that contempt personal.
• Caution and deception: Jun must hide what he knows to avoid being exploited or revealing his advantage.

Key plot points and events

• Qiu Ya and Qin Shou encounter Jun Wangchen at a rough-stone stall and try to tarnish his reputation, claiming he cheated them out of six hundred thousand yuan.
• Jun Wangchen answers their insults with sarcastic mockery, then asks the seller about a chipped, previously cut stone. He recognizes that the stone may still contain jadeite, though others think it is worthless.
• The seller asks ten thousand yuan, but Jun Wangchen points out its cutting marks and bargains it down to five hundred. He buys it and asks to use the cutting machine.
• Qin Shou and Qiu Ya ridicule him for buying and cutting what they believe is proven scrap. The seller eventually tells them to stop harassing his customer.
• Jun Wangchen insults Qiu Ya in return, unsettling her by accurately alluding to her menstrual pain. Qin Shou privately suggests they wait until the stone fails before mocking Jun again.
• Jun Wangchen knows his enhanced sight can detect jadeite in the stone. He explains the usual stages of processing rough stone and determines that earlier cuts missed the jadeite; one more cut should reveal it.
• Just as he prepares to start, Qiu Ya loudly calls attention to him, drawing a crowd. Jun Wangchen freezes, his expression turning grim and his eyes filling with murderous intent.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains confident in his abilities despite public ridicule. He uses wit to counter the couple’s attacks, bargains shrewdly, and keeps his knowledge of the stone’s contents to himself. Qiu Ya’s attempt to make a spectacle of him provokes a much darker reaction.
• Qiu Ya and Qin Shou act as a hostile pair, flaunting their wealth and trying to humiliate Jun. When the seller intervenes, they turn their hostility toward him; afterward, they agree to wait for Jun’s apparent failure before attacking him again.
• The seller shifts from suspicion of Jun—after hearing the couple’s accusations—to sympathy and support, objecting when they continue to insult his customer.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus hidden truth: A stone dismissed as scrap may contain valuable jadeite, just as Jun’s apparent foolishness conceals his special insight.
• Mockery and reversal: Qiu Ya and Qin Shou expect Jun to fail, but his confidence suggests their ridicule may soon rebound on them.
• Pride and social prejudice: The couple use wealth and status to belittle Jun, while the seller’s initial judgment shows how quickly reputation can shape perception.

Key plot points and events

Jun Wangchen’s restraint finally wears thin as Qiu Ya and Qin Shou publicly mock him for buying a chipped, previously cut rough stone for only 500 yuan. A crowd gathers, expecting him to fail. Jun quietly uses his Fiery Golden Eyes to locate the jadeite inside and cuts away the portion containing no jade, ignoring the crowd’s conventional advice to grind a viewing window first.
With no green visible after the cut, the onlookers—including respected appraiser Elder Kong—assume the stone is worthless. Jun proceeds to grind it anyway. When he washes the newly ground surface, green appears and spreads with each basin of water, culminating in a brilliant, lustrous emerald glow that outshines the market lights.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains outwardly calm despite the humiliation, relying on his Fiery Golden Eyes and confidence in his judgment. His anger toward Qiu Ya grows, though he restrains himself because of the law and the watching crowd.
• Qiu Ya and Qin Shou work together to draw attention to Jun and ridicule him, taking satisfaction in the crowd’s contempt.
• The onlookers initially mock Jun and dismiss his stone, while the seller feels guilty for profiting from the sale and allowing Jun to be publicly shamed.
• Xu Yirou, who recognizes Jun as someone who helped her earlier, hopes his stone may yield valuable jadeite so she can repay him.
• Elder Kong, a renowned appraiser accompanying Xu, judges the stone unlikely to contain jadeite but is intrigued by Jun’s unwavering confidence. His initial assessment is challenged by the dramatic reveal.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts appearance and hidden value: a discarded-looking stone conceals exceptional jadeite, just as Jun’s modest appearance masks unusual ability. It also emphasizes confidence in one’s own judgment against public ridicule, while showing how quickly a crowd can mistake conventional expectations for certainty.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen polishes a discarded rough stone he bought for just 500 yuan and uncovers a fist-sized piece of rare jade.
• Onlookers identify it as high-grade ice jade with both high-ice and blue-ice qualities. Elder Kong estimates it is worth at least two million yuan.
• Jade merchants compete to buy it, and the bidding reaches 2.5 million. Jun sells it to Xu Yirou, turning his 500-yuan purchase into a huge profit.
• Xu invites Jun upstairs to discuss something. As he leaves, Qin Shou and Qiu Ya dismiss his success as luck.
• Qin learns that his uncle, Master Liu—a renowned stone gambler—is also at the market. He and Qiu decide to enlist him to challenge Jun.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen stays calm while others are shocked and the bids climb, showing confidence and composure. He accepts Xu’s offer and leaves with her.
• Xu Yirou is impressed by Jun’s ability and politely buys the jade for her company. Her interest in him deepens, and she asks to speak with him privately.
• Elder Kong gives a detailed appraisal, confirming the jade’s exceptional quality and value.
• Qin Shou and Qiu Ya move from disbelief to envy and bitterness. After Jun’s success, they plan to use Master Liu to undermine him.
• The vendor and jade merchants regret their assumptions: the vendor laments giving up the stone, while merchants compete unsuccessfully for the jade.

Significant themes

• Appearances can deceive: A stone dismissed as worthless contains valuable jade.
• Skill versus luck: Jun’s success appears extraordinary, but his calm certainty leaves others questioning whether it was chance.
• Envy and resentment: Qin and Qiu cannot accept Jun’s triumph and immediately seek a way to challenge him.
• Opportunity and value: Jun’s discovery transforms a tiny investment into a fortune, while the competing bids reveal jade’s commercial and status value.