Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen prepares to leave for the Mythic Heavenly Palace, spending his final morning cultivating and stabilizing the Heaven-Tier Peak cultivation Taishang Laojun granted him. He has also mastered the first six forms of the Green Lotus Sword Art.
• Deputy Chief Instructor Pei Qinhu and instructor Chen Yuechu come to collect him. Pei doubts that someone so young can competently lead combat training, dismisses the claim that Jun is a Heavenly-Rank Martial Artist, and suspects he was appointed through connections.
• Pei challenges Jun to prove himself. Jun calmly questions whether Pei’s challenge amounts to insubordination, but Pei presses him.
• Jun opens his eyes and releases a crushing aura. Pei is overwhelmed, forced to his knees, and left unable to resist. Jun asks whether he still wants to test himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains composed and focused on cultivation. His brief display of power makes clear that his youth does not reflect his strength or authority.
• Pei Qinhu, a formidable fourth-realm Body Cultivator, begins arrogant and dismissive, confident that battle experience makes him superior. Jun’s pressure abruptly reverses their power dynamic.
• Chen Yuechu acts as the cautious intermediary, warning Pei not to offend Jun and trying to defuse the confrontation. Her initial skepticism gives way to unease as the encounter unfolds.
• The clash is less a physical fight than a test of authority: Pei challenges Jun’s legitimacy, while Jun responds with overwhelming, controlled force.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus ability: Jun’s age leads others to underestimate him, but his strength contradicts their assumptions.
• Authority and respect: Pei’s refusal to accept the appointment creates a confrontation that establishes Jun’s position.
• Power and humility: Pei’s confidence collapses when confronted with a level of power beyond his own, while Jun remains measured throughout.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen confronts Pei Qinhu, whose disrespectful challenge leaves him pinned by Jun’s overwhelming pressure. Pei apologizes, and Jun releases him.
• Chen Yuechu escorts Jun toward the Mythic Heavenly Palace’s base, which stands offshore. When told the trip by boat would take about as long as walking, Jun chooses to walk.
• Jun leaps into the air and uses the seventh form of the Green Lotus Sword Art to cleave a vast stretch of sea, creating a path to the base. He walks along it as sword energy holds back the waves.
• At the base, the assembled soldiers speculate that their new Chief Instructor is too young and may have received the post through connections. Captain Jun Moxiao orders them to stop and trust the leadership’s decision.
• Li Bingqing, newly arrived to train, recalls her humiliating encounter with Jun Wangchen and resolves to grow stronger so she can confront him again.
• A tremendous disturbance shakes the base. The soldiers see Jun approaching along the split sea, leaving them stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates immense power and confidence, first subduing Pei Qinhu without a fight and then splitting the sea with one sword strike. His feats make both his escorts and the soldiers reconsider what he is capable of.
• Pei Qinhu moves from arrogance to wary respect after experiencing Jun’s pressure firsthand.
• Chen Yuechu treats Jun respectfully and guides him to the base, then shares Pei’s shock at his display of power.
• Jun Moxiao emerges as a disciplined, capable leader who restrains his team’s skepticism and remains composed until he sees Jun’s arrival.
• Li Bingqing channels her resentment toward Jun Wangchen into determination to train and become stronger.
• The soldiers begin distrustful and dismissive of their young instructor, but Jun’s dramatic entrance leaves them awestruck.

Significant themes

• Power and respect: Jun’s strength immediately silences doubt and changes how others regard him.
• Pride versus humility: The elite soldiers’ confidence and suspicion contrast with the undeniable evidence of Jun’s ability.
• Determination through adversity: Li Bingqing turns a painful defeat into motivation to improve.
• Spectacle and authority: Jun’s impossible feat establishes his presence before he even reaches the base.

Plot points and events

• The Mythic Heavenly Palace is shaken when a young man parts the sea into a towering-walled path and walks across it. The figure is Jun Wangchen, the Palace’s new Chief Instructor.
• The assembled soldiers, who had planned to challenge him because of his age, are cowed by his overwhelming display. Jun Moxiao formally greets him; Jun Wangchen says he will train them over the next month.
• Jun Wangchen confirms he knows the group had doubts about him. When Pei Qinhu calls out two soldiers who had threatened to challenge him, the first backs down. Mi Yi steps forward to defend his pride.
• Jun Wangchen says Mi Yi’s body is too weak to withstand the backlash of his power, but offers to take Mi Yi’s full-strength punch without resisting. He wagers that if Mi Yi can make him move even half a step, he will resign.
• Mi Yi strikes him, shattering the bones in his own hand. Jun Wangchen remains completely still, having blocked the blow with his body alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen establishes himself as calm, confident, and far beyond the soldiers’ expectations. He assesses Mi Yi’s physical limits immediately and demonstrates his strength without attacking.
• Li Bingqing recognizes Jun Wangchen as the man she offended the previous night. Shock and regret leave her pale and shaken.
• Jun Moxiao greets Jun Wangchen respectfully, while the rest of the soldiers abandon their earlier defiance and fall silent under his presence.
• Mi Yi is embarrassed by Jun Wangchen’s warning and accepts the challenge to preserve his pride, only to injure himself.
• Pei Qinhu tests the soldiers’ courage by calling on the men who had bragged about challenging the Chief Instructor. Chen Yuechu and Pei Qinhu watch the confrontation without intervening.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: Jun Wangchen’s feats instantly overturn the soldiers’ assumptions and establish his command.
• Pride and humility: Mi Yi’s need to save face leads him into a humiliating defeat, while others retreat from their boasts.
• Strength beyond appearances: Jun Wangchen looks like an ordinary young man, but his abilities are astonishing.
• Consequences of underestimation: The soldiers’ contempt for their young instructor vanishes once they witness what he can do.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen defeats Mi Yi’s attack by relying on his formidable physical strength; the backlash shatters Mi Yi’s hand bones. He quickly repairs the injury, then demands to know whether anyone still objects to his appointment as Chief Instructor.
• When the soldiers remain silent, Jun Wangchen amplifies his voice with Lingering Melodies, overwhelming the group. They unanimously accept him, and he rebukes them for being unprepared for the international Military District Combat Tournament.
• He orders Captain Jun Moxiao to lead the team into the sea and complete 100,000 punches in an hour. Though they consider it impossible, the soldiers enter the water and begin training rather than risk dismissal.
• At a meeting with senior officers, Jun Wangchen learns that rival teams’ members are generally mid-to-late earth tier, while his own team ranges from peak black tier to early-to-mid earth tier. He proposes raising every member to earth tier peak within a month, astonishing the officers.
• After inspecting their ordinary training method and tempering liquid, he dismisses them as inadequate and presents a new technique, Hundredfold Tempering into Steel, along with a special liquid he plans to refine. He claims the combination can raise the team to half-step heaven tier in a month.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen establishes himself as both an overwhelming fighter and an uncompromising instructor. He heals Mi Yi after humiliating him, sets extreme standards, and backs his ambitions with a supposedly superior training method.
• Mi Yi is physically defeated and publicly corrected, while the rest of the soldiers shift from doubt to fearful respect.
• Jun Moxiao, the team captain, accepts Jun Wangchen’s authority and urges his teammates to persevere with the underwater punishment-training.
• Chen Yuechu becomes convinced Jun Wangchen can restore the team’s prospects after last year’s disappointing tournament result. She and Pei Qinhu show him respect, though Pei Qinhu questions the feasibility of his plans.
• The soldiers initially resist Jun Wangchen’s demands but ultimately respond with determination, driven by their desire to remain in the Mythic Heavenly Palace.

Significant themes

• Strength earns authority: Jun Wangchen’s display of power quickly overturns the group’s skepticism.
• Discipline through pressure: His harsh orders force the soldiers to confront their weakness and commit to training.
• Ambition versus perceived limits: The officers view rapid advancement as impossible, while Jun Wangchen believes better methods can overcome those limits.
• Hope after failure: His arrival gives the Mythic Heavenly Palace renewed confidence ahead of the international tournament.

Key plot points

• Jun Wangchen claims that his body-cultivation technique, Hundred Refinements into Steel, can bring someone to Earth Tier Peak in a month. Deputy Chief Instructor Pei Qinhu doubts him, so Jun has him try the technique while taking repeated punches.
• After only a minute, Pei feels his long-stagnant body cultivation beginning to advance, confirming the technique’s effectiveness.
• Jun explains the method’s harsh demands: practitioners must endure repeated blows and intense pain, and rapid progress also requires his specially made Body-Tempering Liquid. Even so, the liquid could help ordinary special-forces soldiers reach Peak Black Tier within six months.
• The technique and liquid could greatly strengthen Huaxia’s forces, but mass production seems unlikely: the liquid requires a Celestial Master Alchemist, of whom Huaxia has very few, and the powerful Pill Sect has refused to help the government.
• Jun reluctantly says he will make the liquid himself. The others realize this means he is a Celestial Master Alchemist. He confirms it by releasing overwhelming soul power, leaving the room stunned and thrilled.

Character developments and interactions

• Pei Qinhu moves from skepticism to excitement after personally testing the technique; his reaction also reveals his awareness of how difficult body cultivation is.
• Chen Yuechu focuses on the technique’s practical value and whether the liquid can be produced at scale. She explains the scarcity and influence of high-ranking alchemists.
• Jun Wangchen remains matter-of-fact about his abilities and the burdens of the method. Though he would prefer others to handle production, he accepts the task when no suitable alchemist is available.
• The group’s initial disbelief gives way to collective elation as they recognize the strategic value of Jun’s discoveries and rare alchemical ability.

Significant themes

• Progress through hardship: Body cultivation demands exceptional pain tolerance and resolve.
• Power and national responsibility: A breakthrough technique could transform Huaxia’s military strength, but its use depends on leadership and practical constraints.
• Institutional self-interest: The Pill Sect’s refusal to serve the country illustrates how powerful groups prioritize their own interests.
• Hidden exceptional talent: Jun’s revelation that he is a Celestial Master Alchemist dramatically raises his value to the Mythic Heavenly Palace.

Key plot points and events

• Huaxia’s leaders learn that Jun Wangchen is a Celestial Master Alchemist who possesses the body-training method “Hundred Refinements into Steel” and a formula for a powerful body-tempering liquid. They witness the results and conclude these resources could transform Huaxia’s military strength.
• To protect Jun’s identity, the leaders suppress the news. They privately decide that he will become master of the Mythic Heavenly Palace after the international Military District Combat Tournament, regardless of the team’s placement.
• Jun puts the entire Palace through punishing daily training: robot beatings in the morning and body-tempering pools in the afternoon. Many members initially pass out, but Jun’s medical skill revives them.
• After two weeks, the members’ strength and physiques have improved dramatically. Their work ethic remains intense even when Jun leaves them to train without direct instruction.
• During sparring, Mi Yi discovers that Fierce Tiger has secretly trained through the nights and advanced to late Earth-tier physical strength. His progress motivates the others to work harder.
• The chapter ends with Fierce Tiger challenging Deputy Chief Instructor Pei Qinhu to a match, drawing everyone’s attention.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is established as a gifted alchemist, a powerful Heavenly-Rank martial artist, and the driving force behind the Palace’s rapid transformation. Though he stays aloof and focused on cultivation, his presence continues to inspire the trainees.
• The Palace members become tougher, more disciplined, and more ambitious, treating Jun as their example.
• Fierce Tiger emerges as a particularly determined trainee, secretly training at night and surpassing his peers.
• Li Bingqing shows notable perseverance, rising from mid Black tier to mid Earth tier despite the hardship and the extra separation required for her training.
• Mi Yi is humbled by Fierce Tiger’s strength and recognizes that his own lack of extra practice has held him back.
• Chen Yuechu, Pei Qinhu, and the instructors admire the trainees’ progress and discuss what accounts for their gains. Pei Qinhu is surprised when Fierce Tiger challenges him.

Significant themes

• Discipline and effort: The training’s painful results depend on persistence, and Fierce Tiger’s progress shows the cost of falling behind.
• Leadership and inspiration: Jun’s example and authority motivate the Palace even without constant supervision.
• Transformation through hardship: Relentless physical suffering produces rapid improvement and renewed confidence.
• Secrecy and national ambition: The leaders conceal Jun’s abilities while planning to use his discoveries to strengthen Huaxia’s military.

Plot and events

• Pei Qinhu, the Deputy Chief Instructor, challenges Fierce Tiger to curb his confidence and test his progress. Despite Pei’s earth-tier peak physique, Fierce Tiger’s late earth-tier body—strengthened through the Hundred Refinements into Steel technique and Body-Tempering Liquid—matches him in their opening clash.
• Impressed and slightly embarrassed, Pei Qinhu decides to train alongside Fierce Tiger for the next half month.
• Fierce Tiger then challenges Chief Instructor Jun Wangchen. Jun effortlessly catches his full-force punch and explains that true power comes from concentrating the whole body’s strength into one point.
• To demonstrate, Jun Wangchen throws a punch that breaks the sound barrier and creates a temporary pit in the distant sea. He admits the display was meant to humble Fierce Tiger, leaving him disgruntled.
• Captain Jun Moxiao asks to test his physical strength against Jun Wangchen. The group learns that Moxiao has reached an earth-tier peak physique. He launches a full-speed attack and appears behind Jun Wangchen as the scene ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Fierce Tiger is proud of his rapid progress and eager to prove himself, but Jun Wangchen’s overwhelming demonstration reminds him how much he still has to learn.
• Pei Qinhu begins as a confident challenger but recognizes Fierce Tiger’s unusual strength. His embarrassment turns into a resolve to train harder.
• Jun Wangchen remains composed and authoritative, using both instruction and a deliberately intimidating display to teach and humble his trainees.
• Jun Moxiao reveals a surprisingly advanced physique and precise control of his strength. Unlike Fierce Tiger, he approaches the challenge without arrogance.
• The trainees’ admiration for Jun Wangchen grows as they witness the results of his training and his extraordinary power.

Significant themes

• Rapid growth through disciplined training: The group’s remarkable gains in just half a month highlight the effectiveness of Jun Wangchen’s methods.
• Strength versus skill: Raw power is not enough; Jun Wangchen emphasizes proper concentration and technique.
• Humility and continued improvement: Fierce Tiger and Pei Qinhu are reminded that progress does not make them invincible.
• Hidden potential and uneven progress: Jun Moxiao’s advanced physique surprises the others, revealing that their development varies even though they began training together.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen reveals that his body has reached early heaven tier after spending two weeks high in the sky, enduring atmospheric pressure ten times stronger than the force used to train the others below.
• He demonstrates his strength by taking Jun Moxiao’s earth-tier-peak punch without injury. He praises Moxiao’s speed and strategy and advises him to double his training to reach half-step heaven tier.
• Moxiao’s surname prompts Wangchen to ask whether he belongs to Beijing’s Jun family, which Wangchen suspects may be connected to his own origins. Moxiao confirms it, but Wangchen does not question him further.
• Fierce Tiger asks whether Wangchen has reached heaven tier, and Wangchen confirms it. The trainees are awed by his combined accomplishments as a martial artist, body cultivator, and Celestial Master Alchemist.
• Li Bingqing gives up her plan to train at the palace to get revenge on Wangchen, recognizing how extraordinary he is.
• Pei Qinhu welcomes the retired former Palace Master, Old Fang, who arrives with his grandchildren Fang Yan and Fang Sha. Old Fang says he has brought them to see the new Chief Instructor and learn from him.
• Fang Sha is eager to meet Wangchen, while competitive Fang Yan doubts the glowing reports. When Pei points Wangchen out, the newcomers frown after seeing him; the chapter ends before explaining their reaction.

Character developments and interactions

• Wangchen’s calm under pressure and willingness to endure extreme pain highlight his discipline as well as his overwhelming strength. His exchange with Moxiao also hints at a possible family connection.
• Moxiao shifts from confident challenger to respectful trainee after his punch fails to move Wangchen.
• Fierce Tiger and the other trainees recognize the widening gap between themselves and their instructor; Li Bingqing’s hostility likewise gives way to reluctant admiration.
• Old Fang remains warm and authoritative, correcting Pei Qinhu’s formal address and checking his grandson’s arrogance. Fang Yan obeys but remains defiant; Fang Sha is curious and enthusiastic.

Significant themes

• Discipline and endurance: Wangchen’s advancement comes through silently enduring a training ordeal far harsher than that faced by his students.
• The gap between talent and effort: The trainees admire Wangchen but realize that matching him will require sustained work.
• Reputation versus reality: The newcomers have heard extravagant claims about the instructor, but their first glimpse of him leaves them unconvinced or unsettled.
• Unresolved identity: Wangchen’s question about the Jun family foreshadows a possible connection to his own past.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen, the newly appointed Chief Instructor of the Mythic Heavenly Palace, is scrutinized by Fang Sha, Fang Yan, and an elderly former palace master. They see only an ordinary-looking young man and cannot detect martial cultivation, dismissing him as merely a Body Cultivator.
• Deputy Chief Instructor Pei Qinhu defends Jun, describing him as a Heaven Tier Body Cultivator and Heavenly-Rank Martial Artist. He nearly reveals Jun is also a Celestial Master Alchemist, but stops because that information is confidential.
• Fang Yan doubts Jun could possess such abilities and argues that dual Heaven Tier cultivation is extraordinarily rare. Fang Sha likewise rejects Pei’s claim that Jun once split open the Sea Zone with a single sword.
• The group learns that the palace master and senior commanders approved Jun’s appointment. The revelation does little to reassure Fang Sha or Fang Yan.
• Cao Dahua, the former Chief Instructor and an early-stage Heaven Tier Body Cultivator, returns with the palace master. He challenges Jun to prove himself, saying he will seek Jun’s removal and reclaim the post if Jun is unqualified.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains silent in this excerpt, but his concealed strength and humble appearance make him the focus of suspicion.
• Pei Qinhu acts as Jun’s defender, insisting that the new instructor is exceptionally powerful despite the others’ disbelief.
• Fang Yan is openly contemptuous and resentful of Jun’s appointment, which he sees as evidence of poor leadership.
• Fang Sha shares her brother’s skepticism and mocks both Jun’s apparent weakness and the extraordinary claims about him.
• The elderly former palace master is doubtful but measured, questioning who endorsed Jun rather than openly confronting him.
• Cao Dahua emerges as a direct rival: confident in his own qualifications, he intends to test Jun and potentially regain his former position.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus hidden ability: Jun looks unremarkable, and his cultivation cannot be sensed, prompting others to underestimate him.
• Authority and legitimacy: Jun’s appointment is challenged despite formal approval from senior leadership.
• Rivalry and institutional politics: Cao’s return and Fang Yan’s resentment turn the assessment into a contest over status and control.
• Secrecy and reputation: Pei’s near-revelation of Jun’s alchemical identity underscores that others know only part of his capabilities.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Pei Qinhu realizes that the former Palace Master and former Chief Instructor, Cao Dahua, may have come to cause trouble.
• At the training ground, the members of the Mythic Heavenly Palace admire Jun Wangchen’s strength and discipline. He encourages them, saying their recent progress could lead them to his level within a year.
• Jun explains that diligent practice of the first volume of Hundred Refinements into Steel can take a body beyond the earth-tier limit and eventually to heaven tier.
• The former Palace Master and Cao arrive. The members credit Jun with helping them reach mid-earth-tier physical strength in just half a month, surprising the former Palace Master.
• Fang Yan, the Palace Master’s grandson and a proud young cultivator from the powerful Fang Family, challenges Jun to demonstrate his supposed heaven-tier strength.
• After Fang Yan boasts that he is a late-earth-tier cultivator on the verge of reaching earth-tier peak, the group bursts into laughter.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains calm and modest, praising the trainees’ progress while confidently explaining the potential of their training.
• Pei Qinhu is wary of the visitors and quietly asks Jun to be patient with Fang Yan’s arrogance.
• Fang Yan approaches Jun with open provocation, relying on his family’s reputation and his own accomplishments.
• The trainees show increasing admiration and loyalty toward Jun, openly crediting him for their improvement.
• The former Palace Master is surprised by their rapid progress and becomes more curious about Jun.

Significant themes

• Hard work and discipline: Jun’s progress and the trainees’ improvement are linked to relentless practice.
• Humility versus arrogance: Jun speaks modestly, while Fang Yan boasts and underestimates him.
• Talent and status: Fang Yan leans on his family’s prestige, setting up a contrast with Jun’s demonstrated ability.
• Training and transformation: The chapter emphasizes that perseverance can push cultivators beyond their apparent limits.

• Confrontation at the training grounds: Fang Yan, a late Earth-tier body cultivator, demands that Chief Instructor Jun Wangchen fight him and threatens not to recognize his authority otherwise. Jun refuses to be provoked, saying he does not need Fang Yan’s acknowledgment and telling the visitors not to disrupt training. Fang Yan and Fang Sha call him a coward, provoking the Mythic Heavenly Palace members to defend their instructor.
• Jun’s standing with the members: The trainees’ loyalty reflects Jun’s work with them over the past two weeks. He has trained alongside them and taught them the powerful Hundred Refinements into Steel technique; as a result, they feel more devoted to him than to the Palace Master.
• Pei Qinhu is reprimanded: Jun asks why Pei Qinhu allowed outsiders in without permission. Though Pei tries to explain, Jun cuts him off and says he will report the breach of military orders.
• The visitors assert their rank: Cao Dahua argues that Jun, as a Chief Instructor, is outranked by him and the former Palace Master, so they should not need Jun’s permission to enter. The old man agrees, laments the Palace’s decline, and prepares to leave with Fang Yan, Fang Sha, and Cao Dahua.
• Character interactions and developments: Fang Yan’s pride and entitlement are evident in his insistence on a fight and his anger at being dismissed. Jun remains controlled and authoritative, while the trainees show strong collective loyalty. Pei Qinhu is anxious under Jun’s reprimand; Cao Dahua and the former Palace Master challenge Jun’s authority.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts formal rank with earned respect, suggesting that leadership is secured through commitment and service. It also highlights discipline, loyalty, and the conflict between Jun’s authority and the visitors’ belief that senior status entitles them to disregard it. The scene ends on a cliffhanger as Jun orders them to stop.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen invokes military law, ordering Fang Yan and the three others who entered the Mythic Heavenly Palace without permission to receive one thousand strokes each.
• Fang Yan dismisses Jun’s authority and attacks him, enlarging his body and unleashing a powerful punch. Cao Dahua notes that Fang Yan’s technique lets him strike at near earth-tier peak strength.
• Jun remains still and takes the punch without injury. He then slaps Fang Yan so forcefully that he is sent flying, loses teeth, and crashes into the ground, leaving cracks around him.
• The onlookers are stunned by the stark difference between Fang Yan’s attack and Jun’s strength.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen remains calm and unwavering, enforcing the rules without regard for rank or threats. His effortless response reveals overwhelming physical strength.
• Fang Yan shifts from confident defiance to being decisively overpowered.
• Fang Sha initially boasts about her brother, then reacts with horror when Jun withstands his punch and defeats him instantly.
• Cao Dahua recognizes the quality of Fang Yan’s technique, while Pei Qinhu and the Mythic Heavenly Palace members understand that Fang Yan’s strength is no match for Jun.

Significant themes

• Discipline and equality under law: Jun insists that military rules apply regardless of status.
• Strength versus arrogance: Fang Yan’s impressive power and confidence prove insignificant against Jun.
• Misjudging appearances: Jun’s stillness is mistaken for weakness, but his restraint masks immense power.

Character interactions

• Fang Yan challenges Jun’s authority, citing his grandfather’s rank and warning him about his connections.
• Jun calmly rejects those arguments and repeats his demand that the group submit to punishment.
• Fang Yan turns the dispute physical; Jun responds with a single slap, while the gathered observers react with disbelief and awe.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen defeats Fang Yan with a single slap, leaving him unconscious and paralyzed from the waist down after Fang Yan violated military orders and attacked him.
• Cao Dahua angrily confronts Jun, but Jun insists Fang Yan’s punishment was justified and says he would have killed him if this were not his first offense.
• Jun’s overwhelming aura intimidates Cao and impresses the onlookers. The Fang Family elder acknowledges that Fang Yan was at fault, but vows the family will seek revenge.
• As the elder prepares to leave with Fang Yan, Jun stops them with a display of sword energy and orders them to take a thousand strokes before they go. The chapter ends before the punishment is carried out.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen displays absolute confidence and authority, presenting himself as a strict enforcer of military discipline. His formidable power and cold composure change many observers’ attitudes toward him.
• Cao Dahua begins furious and tries to challenge Jun, but becomes visibly shaken by Jun’s presence. Concern for Fang Yan keeps him defiant.
• The Fang Family elder shifts from anger toward reluctant acknowledgment of Fang Yan’s wrongdoing, while maintaining a threat of future retaliation.
• Li Bingqing loses her resentment toward Jun and becomes deeply admiring of him.

Character interactions

• Fierce Tiger and other onlookers defend Jun, arguing that Fang Yan brought the injury on himself.
• Pei Qinhu attempts to mediate, but Cao pushes him aside.
• Jun and Cao clash over whether Jun’s response was excessive; Jun frames it as enforcement of military orders.
• The elder concedes Fang Yan was out of line but exchanges a warning with Jun, who answers by imposing a further punishment.

Significant themes

• Discipline and consequences: Violating military orders brings severe punishment.
• Power and authority: Jun’s strength and composure establish his dominance over the gathered fighters.
• Justice versus revenge: Jun presents his actions as discipline, while the Fang Family views them as grounds for retaliation.
• Reputation and respect: Jun’s display transforms how those around him perceive him.

Key plot points and events

• After a farewell banquet at the Mythic Heavenly Palace, Jun Wangchen leaves by helicopter with Chen Yuechu. She gives him rice dumplings from the group for the Dragon Boat Festival.
• Recognizing the date, Jun asks Chen to stop near Beijing and flies down on his Wooden Sword to visit Xu Youyue.
• Xu is spending the festival on Beijing’s pedestrian street with friends, including wealthy young man Li Qingyun. She notices a masked man hovering on a sword and senses he is a martial artist.
• The stranger says he has come to give a gift to the woman he loves, points to Xu, and creates a spectacular starry sky over the sunlit street. The stars gather around her.
• He leaves without removing his mask, promising a still more beautiful gift next time. Xu recognizes his voice and asks if he is A Chen; he neither confirms nor denies it. He says they will meet again when the name Jun Wangchen resounds throughout China, then flies away.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen shows affection for Xu through an extravagant, magical gesture, while preserving his anonymity and emphasizing his ambition.
• Xu Youyue moves from curiosity to emotional recognition and hope. She trusts her intuition about the masked man and is delighted by his visit.
• Li Qingyun becomes visibly wary when the stranger identifies Xu as the woman he loves, hinting at possible jealousy or rivalry.
• Chen Yuechu supports Jun’s departure and provides a quiet connection to the Mythic Heavenly Palace’s farewell.

Character interactions

• Chen gives Jun the group’s festival gift, and he responds by diverting from his journey to see Xu.
• Xu’s friend urges caution and initially treats the masked man as suspicious, while Xu approaches him directly.
• Jun’s declaration and celestial display put Xu at the center of the crowd’s attention; her urgent questions reveal their presumed shared history.

Significant themes

• Love expressed through spectacle: Jun’s gift is both intimate and grand, transforming a public place for Xu.
• Recognition and mystery: Xu senses Jun’s identity, but his mask and silence keep their reunion incomplete.
• Ambition and reunion: Jun ties their next meeting to his future renown, suggesting personal achievement is part of his promise.

• Key events: Jun Wangchen defeats former Chief Instructor Cao Dahua with a light, Tai Chi–style redirection, sending the early Heaven-tier body cultivator flying and leaving him coughing blood. Jun asks whether Cao accepts his sentence of a thousand strokes with the military rod. Cao’s companion—the Mythic Heavenly Palace’s master—proposes testing Jun first; if he loses, they will accept the punishment. Jun agrees. The master powers up and launches his formidable Flying Tiger Fist, a forceful technique that worries the onlookers.
• Character developments: Cao’s confidence gives way to shock and reluctant recognition that he underestimated Jun. Jun remains calm and authoritative, while also showing curiosity about the palace master’s strength. The master emerges as a proud, formidable challenger, willing to risk a fight on behalf of his side.
• Interactions: The palace members and Chen Yuechu’s group watch in stunned silence as Jun overwhelms Cao. Pei Qinhu explains the master’s fighting style and voices concern that Jun may struggle against the incoming blow.
• Themes: The scene emphasizes the gulf between apparent rank and actual power, the effectiveness of skill and controlled redirection against brute force, and the tension between enforcing discipline and proving strength.

Chapter Summary: “Meddling”

Key plot points

• At the base, food is scarce because supply runs are dangerous. Most residents receive only one meal a day; those with useful skills or jobs may earn more.
• Chen Yuechu and Li Tianshuai witness hundreds of desperate people competing for just ten maintenance jobs, while women and children struggle to get noticed.
• The hiring leader gives the positions to people who offer him meal tickets and other goods. When a man protests that the process is unfair, the leader and his men beat him brutally, and the crowd does nothing.
• Chen Yuechu challenges the leader and, after learning he is exploiting the applicants, punches him.
• The ten people selected then beg Chen to stop. The leader returns their gifts and cancels the hiring, prompting the applicants to plead with Chen to let the corrupt arrangement continue.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Yuechu is moved by the residents’ suffering and refuses to stay silent when she sees corruption and violence. Her attempt to help, however, brings her into conflict with the very people she wants to protect.
• Li Tianshuai identifies Chen as his friend, which makes the leader hesitate and signals Chen’s connection to someone influential.
• Jun Wangchen watches quietly and appears to recognize the difficult truth behind the applicants’ reactions.
• The applicants reveal how hunger has narrowed their choices: despite recognizing exploitation, they fear losing their only chance to feed themselves and their families.
• The leader is openly self-serving and uses violence and intimidation to preserve his power.

Significant themes

• Survival and compromised morality: In extreme scarcity, people may accept exploitation if it offers a chance to live.
• Power and corruption: The leader turns control over scarce work and food into an opportunity for personal gain.
• Fear and collective helplessness: Residents witness a beating but remain silent because resisting power could make their circumstances worse.
• The limits of good intentions: Chen’s intervention is morally understandable, yet it risks depriving the workers of the only livelihood available to them.

Key plot points and events

• At the base’s outer layer, Chen Yuechu intervenes when a leader is recruiting desperate residents for manual labor under degrading conditions. She offers them more than forty meal tickets—far more than he is offering—in hopes they will refuse.
• The residents reject her help. They fear that accepting the tickets will cost them access to work and insist they need to secure their own survival. The leader mocks Chen, and she eventually steps aside as the residents follow him.
• Jun Wangchen and Li Tianshuai explain that hardship has become normal across the bases: compassion alone cannot change people’s choices while the virus remains.
• The group enters the Inner Layer, where the contrast with the outer layer is stark. Its residents enjoy fine housing and abundant food, while the dining hall reveals women being shackled, abused, and sexually exploited by powerful men.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Yuechu tries to help the workers, but their refusal leaves her angry, helpless, and deeply disillusioned with the loss of human dignity. She ultimately withdraws, though she remains troubled.
• Li Tianshuai acts as a pragmatic guide. He sympathizes with Chen’s outrage but believes that people shaped by survival and systemic injustice cannot be changed through individual generosity.
• Jun Wangchen stays quiet during the confrontation, then comforts Chen and urges her to see the problem as widespread. He leads the group onward to inspect the Inner Layer.
• The workers reveal how completely scarcity and fear have narrowed their choices: they plead for the right to accept degrading work rather than risk losing future income.
• The recruiter uses sarcasm and false deference to shame Chen and justify his actions. In the Inner Layer, the wealthy men’s treatment of women exposes an even more brutal abuse of power.

Significant themes

• Survival versus dignity: People accept exploitation because immediate survival outweighs the hope of resisting it.
• Power and inequality: The gulf between the outer and Inner Layers is not merely material; the privileged exploit the vulnerable with impunity.
• The limits of individual compassion: Chen’s sincere offer cannot overcome a system that keeps people dependent and afraid.
• Numbness and dehumanization: Repeated hardship has dulled people’s resistance and empathy, while the women in the dining hall have been reduced to objects in the eyes of their abusers.

Plot points and events

• The Four Heavenly Kings move to protect Head of State Number One as Jun Wangchen’s aura rises. Gu Xuanming warns him and unleashes pressure, but Jun absorbs it with the Swallowing Heaven Ring.
• Jun calms down and asks why the government wants him to take over the Pill Sect. Head of State Number One explains that the sect has become arrogant and may be collaborating with overseas forces, so the country wants it brought under control.
• The Head of State also argues that cooperation with the government would help protect Jun’s family and friends if he eventually leaves the mortal world.
• Jun agrees to pursue the sect-master position. The plan is for him to enter the Pill Sect through a disciple recruitment tournament in one week, with government support securing him a place.
• Jun asks to return to Jinling City first to see his mother and friends. The request is approved, and Pei Qinhu will oversee the Mythic Heavenly Palace members in his absence.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows both formidable power and restraint: he withstands Gu Xuanming’s pressure, but chooses to listen and negotiate rather than attack. He also prioritizes reassuring his loved ones before beginning the mission.
• Head of State Number One is candid about the government’s aims and frames the alliance as mutually beneficial, offering protection for Jun’s family in exchange for his help.
• Gu Xuanming reacts cautiously to Jun’s power and tries to prevent a confrontation. The Four Heavenly Kings remain prepared to defend the Head of State.
• The chapter ends with the Head of State reflecting on Jun’s potential future.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Jun’s strength is paired with restraint and concern for others.
• Loyalty and security: Protecting family and friends is central to the government’s appeal.
• Political control and trust: Jun is asked to take over the Pill Sect to counter a suspected threat, linking personal ambition with national interests.

Plot points and events

• The Mythic Heavenly Palace holds Jun Wangchen a farewell dinner before he leaves. The following morning, Chen Yuechu flies him back toward Jinling City and gives him rice dumplings from the members for the Dragon Boat Festival.
• Jun realizes the date and asks Chen to hover the helicopter over Beijing. He leaps out and rides his wooden sword toward someone he wants to see.
• In Beijing, Xu Youyue spends the festival shopping with a wealthy group that includes her close friend and Li Qingyun, an elegant young man who pays for the outing.
• Xu spots a masked man floating above a wooden sword. While onlookers assume it is an illusion, Xu recognizes the man’s powerful martial-artist aura. He looks at her, and she is struck by how familiar his eyes seem.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun shows an unexpected personal purpose behind his return journey, breaking off from the helicopter to seek someone out.
• Chen supports Jun’s decision without questioning him, though she is puzzled.
• Xu is poised and considerate of Li Qingyun’s role as host, but the masked stranger unsettles her with a sense of recognition.
• Li Qingyun is gracious and accommodating toward Xu and the group. Xu’s friend encourages her to watch the street performance, bringing the group toward the encounter.

Significant themes

• Reunion and recognition: The chapter builds toward a meeting, with Xu sensing a connection to the masked man before his identity is revealed.
• Hidden power in ordinary settings: Jun’s extraordinary abilities emerge against the everyday bustle of a holiday street.
• Gratitude and bonds: The farewell gift from the Heavenly Palace emphasizes Jun’s ties to its members, even as he leaves.

Plot points and events

• At a crowded pedestrian street, Xu Youyue notices a masked man hovering on a wooden sword and feels she recognizes him. Her best friend suspects he may be a scammer, while Li Qingyun watches warily.
• The man says he has come to give the woman he loves a gift, then points to Xu Youyue.
• He displays overwhelming power, darkening only the street above them and creating a vivid, moving starry sky. The stars gather around Xu Youyue, making her the scene’s centerpiece.
• Xu Youyue asks him to remove his mask, but he refuses. He promises to give her “a land as beautiful as a painting” when they meet again.
• She asks whether he is A Chen and when they will meet again. He leaves without confirming his identity, saying they will meet when the name Jun Wangchen resounds throughout China.
• Once he departs, the extraordinary sky vanishes. The crowd is stunned, while Xu Youyue smiles with hopeful anticipation.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Youyue moves from curiosity to growing certainty that the masked man is someone she knows and loves. His gesture awakens her hope for their reunion.
• The masked man, apparently Jun Wangchen, expresses his love through a spectacular, personal gift, but keeps his identity hidden and sets a future condition for their reunion.
• Li Qingyun reacts with suspicion and narrowed eyes as the man identifies Xu Youyue as the woman he loves.
• Xu Youyue’s best friend is protective and skeptical, warning her about possible scammers, but witnesses the same astonishing display.

Significant themes

• Love and longing: The masked man’s gift and Xu Youyue’s recognition suggest a deep connection and an anticipated reunion.
• Identity and recognition: His familiar voice leads Xu Youyue to suspect who he is, though he refuses to confirm it.
• Ambition and destiny: His promise that his name will shake the nation frames their reunion as tied to his future rise.
• Wonder and transformation: The brief starry sky turns an ordinary street into an extraordinary spectacle, reflecting the emotional significance of the encounter.