Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen’s first-place result on the Fifth Stone Tablet—testing plant affinity—causes a sensation across the Pill Sect. He then claims first place on the Sixth and Seventh Tablets, followed by the Eighth, setting his sights on the remaining Ninth Tablet.
• His growing fame attracts both admiration and hostility. Fang Yiqian’s suitors want to punish him for surpassing her, but they cannot identify or locate him.
• Fang Yiqian’s leading suitor, a powerful inner disciple and an elder’s son, publicly threatens anyone who helps Jun. The threat silences many supporters, though Jun watches with amusement and decides to make himself even more famous.
• On the day disciples collect their points, Jun enters the Ninth Stone Tablet, which tests soul power by measuring how many iron balls a candidate can levitate. He raises every ball at once, appearing poised to claim first place on all nine tablets.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen remains relaxed despite the attention, but increasingly embraces his rising reputation. Rather than hide from his pursuers, he deliberately aims to make himself more famous.
• Fang Yiqian’s suitors, especially their bald leader, grow more desperate and aggressive as Jun’s achievements eclipse her standing.
• Jun’s admirers multiply, particularly among the female disciples, though intimidation forces some to keep their support quiet.

Significant themes

• Talent and impossible achievement: Jun’s successive records challenge the Pill Sect’s assumptions about what a disciple can accomplish.
• Fame and envy: Public acclaim brings admiration but also threats and attempts to suppress his reputation.
• Power and status: The bald suitor uses his family connections and strength to intimidate others, while Jun’s achievements undermine the influence of established figures.

Character interactions

• Disciples, elders, and stewards watch and debate Jun’s progress; admirers celebrate him while Fang Yiqian’s suitors search for him.
• The bald suitor confronts the crowd with threats, silencing potential supporters. Jun observes without revealing himself and responds by pursuing the Ninth Tablet.

Plot and key events

• Jun Wangchen earns a perfect score in the ninth stone tablet’s trial by suspending every iron ball with his soul power. His name takes first place, completing a sweep of all nine tablets in only half a month.
• The achievement rings the Ancient Bell on the Third Peak and activates the Pill Dao Grand Formation. The resulting Pill Mist spreads through the sect, cleansing and strengthening the soul power of those it reaches.
• Disciples, elders, and the five peak masters gather at the Third Peak. Jun’s admirers lead a loud celebration, while others debate whether success on the tablets proves his ability to refine pills.
• The peak masters agree to report the event to the sect master. Mu Fengzheng, Jun’s peak master, predicts Jun may become the sect’s fifth Personal Disciple, though he will still have to pass the required assessments.
• Jun takes a photo of the tablets and leaves, regarding his accomplishment as only a beginning.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen enjoys the admiration he receives and recognizes how much his new standing depends on the tools and knowledge that helped him. He exchanges a respectful greeting with Mu Fengzheng, who responds with clear approval.
• Mu Fengzheng is proud that a First Peak disciple has brought honor to the peak and supports reporting Jun’s achievement.
• Fang Yiqian feels resentful, believing Jun has taken the recognition that should have been hers. Still, she refuses to concede defeat and resolves to prove herself in the upcoming outer-to-inner disciple assessment.
• Mei Yuxiang and Jiang Yanhao, startled by the bell, rush to witness the achievement. They leave determined not to remain behind.
• The other peak masters acknowledge Jun’s exceptional result but stress that tablet rankings measure basic abilities; practical pill refining remains the real test.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and recognition: Jun’s unprecedented achievement turns him into a sect-wide legend.
• Ambition and rivalry: Fang, Mei, and Jiang respond to Jun’s success by renewing their resolve.
• The limits of acclaim: Some disciples question whether rankings matter without demonstrated skill in refining pills.
• A milestone, not a destination: Jun treats his triumph as the start of a larger journey.

Key plot points and events

• Three days after Jun Wangchen took first place on all nine Pill Pavilion tablets, the Pill Sect’s outer-to-inner sect promotion assessment begins at three separate venues. Jun attends the assessment at Qu Shui Orchid Pavilion, the site for First and Second Peak disciples.
• While waiting, Jun meets Lu Deshui, a flamboyant, self-absorbed spectator. Lu assumes Jun is one of many impostors claiming to be the famous top-ranked disciple.
• Mei Yuxiang, the outer sect’s second-ranked genius, and Fang Yiqian, its top-ranked woman, arrive to take the assessment. Fang recognizes Jun after learning about him from the Second Peak master, who recently adopted her.
• Jiang Yanhao, considered the strongest outer disciple, also arrives and regards Jun warily.
• At around nine o’clock, the pavilion doors open and an elderly man appears, silencing the crowd. The assessment is about to begin.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains calm and observant amid the attention surrounding him. He lets Lu’s mistaken assumptions pass rather than trying to convince him, and privately finds Lu’s boasting exasperating.
• Lu Deshui is introduced as an eccentric comic foil: he mistakes others’ glances toward Jun for admiration of himself and delivers increasingly extravagant praise of his own looks.
• Fang Yiqian approaches Jun with a new awareness of his exceptional status and an unusual sense of his presence; she privately compares his aura to that of the sect master.
• Mei Yuxiang looks toward Jun, while Jiang Yanhao watches him with caution. Their reactions reinforce the attention Jun’s achievements have drawn.

Significant themes

• Reputation and mistaken identity: Jun’s sudden fame has led to imitators, so even he is initially dismissed as a pretender.
• Status and scrutiny: The upcoming assessment gathers ambitious disciples and spectators, while Jun’s achievement changes how prominent figures perceive him.
• Comedy through contrast: Lu’s absurd vanity contrasts with Jun’s restrained demeanor and the serious atmosphere surrounding the assessment.

Key plot points and events

• Hall Master Zheng announces a revised inner-sect promotion exam: candidates first pass through Qu Shui Orchid Pavilion’s gates to reveal their stone-tablet records, then compete in pill refinement. Scores from both rounds will be combined; a total of 60 is required, and only 30 of the 100 candidates can advance.
• The first round displays each candidate’s number of attempts and rankings. Each top-ten result earns a chime from the Pill Bell, with higher rankings contributing more points.
• Several candidates impress the crowd: Jiang Yanhao places in the top ten on three tablets; Mei Yuxiang on four; and Maseike, after 500 attempts, reaches tenth place on five tablets.
• Fang Yiqian earns seven chimes, ranking second on the first seven tablets.
• Jun Wangchen then passes through the gates. The bell rings nine times: he has attempted the trials only nine times and ranks first on all nine tablets.

Character developments and interactions

• Hall Master Zheng establishes the new rules and shows particular interest in Maseike’s achievement.
• Jiang Yanhao and Maseike display their rivalry. Maseike takes pride in outperforming Jiang on more tablets; Jiang downplays the difference, though he recognizes Maseike’s accomplishment.
• Lu Deshui explains how rare strong outer-disciple rankings are, then enthusiastically praises Jun as a once-in-decades genius. Jun reacts modestly and cuts off the growing flattery.
• Fang Yiqian confirms her exceptional talent, though Lu notes that Jun’s presence keeps her from claiming first place.
• Jun’s extraordinary record ultimately eclipses the other candidates’ results and startles the crowd.

Significant themes

• Merit and competition: Promotion depends on measurable performance across two distinct skills—tablet rankings and pill refinement.
• Talent, effort, and reputation: Maseike’s 500 attempts contrast with Jun’s nine, while both results attract attention for different reasons.
• Rivalry and humility: Candidates compare achievements, while Jun remains restrained despite being celebrated as a prodigy.
• Exceptional genius: The chapter builds anticipation around elite candidates, then emphasizes Jun’s unprecedented dominance across all nine tablets.

Key plot points and events

• The stone-tablet rankings reveal that the calm young man present is Jun Wangchen—the celebrated genius who holds first place on all nine tablets. The crowd is stunned, especially Lu Deshui, who had just accused him of impersonating Jun.
• Hall Master Zheng begins the second exam round: each of the hundred examinees must use ten ingredient sets to make Fallen Seraph pills within two hours. Their scores depend on how many acceptable pills they produce and their quality.
• The pill is difficult to refine because its yin-heavy ingredients require precise flame control. Jun studies the method and discovers that around four ingredient sets contain nearly undetectable impurities that could ruin a batch.
• Several leading examinees—including Fang Yiqian, Mei Yuxiang, Jiang Yanhao, and Maseike—make acceptable pills on their first attempt. Fang’s is notably high quality.
• Fang mocks Jun for still inspecting his ingredients. But on the next attempt, she and nearly all the other examinees fail, leaving them puzzled.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains composed despite his identity being exposed and the crowd’s adoration. He would rather have stayed anonymous, partly to avoid unwanted attention and the danger posed by Fang Yiqian’s admirers. His careful inspection suggests he is alert to the exam’s hidden difficulty.
• Lu Deshui goes from disbelief and embarrassment at having doubted Jun to thrilled pride at having spoken with his idol.
• Fang Yiqian displays confidence after her first successful, high-quality pill, then looks down on Jun for taking his time. Her later failure undercuts that confidence.
• Mei Yuxiang, Jiang Yanhao, and Maseike show their skill by succeeding on their first attempt, but are confounded by the widespread failures that follow.
• The crowd shifts from examining Jun with disbelief to treating him as a celebrity, while Hall Master Zheng moves the gathering on to the next stage of the exam.

Significant themes

• Reputation versus reality: Jun’s extraordinary fame contrasts with his desire for privacy and his unassuming demeanor.
• Skill and discernment: The round tests more than technical ability; noticing concealed flaws in the ingredients may be crucial.
• Pride and uncertainty: Early success fuels Fang’s confidence, but the near-universal second-round failure suggests the challenge is more deceptive than it appears.

Summary

• The second batches fail: After examinees succeed with their first batches of medicinal ingredients, their next attempts unexpectedly fail. The crowd speculates that something is wrong with the furnaces, but Jun Wangchen realizes the herbs are the problem: Hall Master Zheng secretly added substances that disrupt flame temperatures. Examinees who do not find and remove them are likely to keep failing.
• Jun Wangchen demonstrates his skill: He carefully checks his first batch, then refines it with precise control of the furnace’s flames and each ingredient’s ignition point. He extracts the herbs’ essences, combines and heats them, and uses Spirit Water to help form the pill. His process is smooth and uninterrupted, impressing the spectators and Hall Master Zheng, who recognizes Jun’s exceptional ability and potential for his age.
• He solves the hidden challenge: Before refining his second batch, Jun searches it with soul power, finds and removes the interfering substances, and successfully produces another high-quality pill. His success prompts Fang Yiqian to inspect her own ingredients. She discovers the contamination and alerts the other examinees, who begin checking and cleaning their batches as the time limit becomes pressing.
• The chapter ends on a new discovery: Jun is already working on his fourth batch when a particular stalk of grass catches his attention.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen proves both technically accomplished and perceptive: he notices the flaw in the test, examines ingredients others overlook, and handles the refinement with remarkable confidence. His success draws admiration from the crowd and Hall Master Zheng.
• Fang Yiqian shifts from puzzlement to frustration, then uses her discovery to alert the other examinees. Her warning changes their approach to the assessment.
• Hall Master Zheng watches Jun closely and comes away impressed by his refinement technique and promise.
• The examinees and spectators move from confusion and speculation to action once the hidden interference is exposed.

Significant themes

• Carefulness matters as much as skill: A capable refiner can fail by making assumptions and neglecting to inspect the ingredients.
• Composure and expertise under pressure: Jun’s careful observation and precise control distinguish him from the other examinees.
• Hidden tests reveal character: The assessment rewards vigilance and adaptability, not simply the ability to repeat a successful technique.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen suspects one ingredient is actually copying grass, which can imitate other herbs and evade soul-power detection. He exposes it with water, then discovers further problems: contaminants, incompletely processed ingredients, and herbs disguised by misleading colors.
• While other contestants repeatedly fail or succeed unpredictably with their batches, Jun carefully inspects and cleans his supplies instead of rushing to refine.
• As the assessment progresses, Maseike appears to lead with six pills, followed by Fang Yiqian with five. Mei Yuxiang has four, Jiang Yanhao three, while Jun has only three visible pills and attracts criticism for working so slowly.
• Jun’s delay is deliberate: he senses two concealed Grandmaster-level observers, likely the First and Second Peak Masters. He avoids displaying his full ability, which could reveal his Celestial Master-level soul power and threaten his plan to remain in the Pill Sect and eventually become Sect Master.
• With fifteen minutes left, Jun begins refining his carefully prepared ingredients. He produces his fourth, fifth, and sixth pills in quick succession, then makes a seventh—shocking the spectators and unsettling Maseike.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates sharp perception, patience, and strategic restraint. He understands that the assessment tests ingredient inspection as much as refining, and he deliberately limits how much of his power he reveals.
• Maseike grows increasingly confident as spectators praise him for overtaking Fang Yiqian. His confidence turns to alarm when Jun rapidly catches up.
• Fang Yiqian remains calm and consistent despite falling behind Maseike; her five pills appear better in quality than his six.
• Jiang Yanhao becomes frustrated by his comparatively poor performance, especially when he sees that Jun’s few pills are exceptionally high-quality.
• The contestants and spectators speculate about rankings, praise Maseike as a rising talent, and question Jun’s slow progress. Their opinion shifts toward astonishment as his results mount.
• Hall Master Zheng notices Jun’s unusual behavior but does not intervene. Meanwhile, the concealed peak masters silently observe the contestants.

Significant themes

• Careful judgment over speed: Success depends on detecting flawed or deceptive ingredients, not simply refining quickly.
• Patience and hidden ability: Jun’s apparent slowness masks deliberate preparation and exceptional skill.
• Perception versus appearances: Copying grass and disguised herbs show how unreliable surface appearances can be.
• Ambition and concealment: Jun balances proving himself against protecting his identity and long-term goal of leading the sect.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen successfully refines the Fallen Seraph pill in his first nine attempts, then begins the tenth while the crowd watches in suspense.
• He carefully extracts and combines the seven herbs’ essences, precisely controls the furnace’s flames, adds Spirit Water, and completes the final pill. All ten batches have succeeded.
• Jun explains that he spotted and removed hidden contaminants in the ingredients—including Copying Grass disguised as another herb. Each batch contained something that could have caused a failed refinement if overlooked.
• Hall Master Zheng inspects the pills: all ten are exceptionally consistent, have pill veins, and retain about eighty percent medicinal efficacy. He announces Jun the overall winner, having placed first in both rounds.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun’s skill, focus, and ability to detect subtle flaws establish him as far beyond the other examinees. He remains composed throughout and explains his method when asked.
• Fang Yiqian, Mei Yuxiang, and Jiang Yanhao recognize that Jun has surpassed them and feel bitter and powerless.
• Maseike, who had planted contaminants in the ingredients, repeatedly predicts Jun will fail. Each success breaks down his confidence, leaving him helpless and dejected.
• Hall Master Zheng is first stunned, then impressed by Jun’s discernment and the quality of his pills, publicly praising him.
• The crowd shifts from disbelief to celebration, praising Jun and asking how he achieved ten straight successes.

Significant themes

• Careful observation and preparation: Jun succeeds not through luck, but by inspecting every ingredient and anticipating hidden dangers.
• Mastery and perseverance: His controlled technique and steady concentration carry him through all ten refinements.
• Envy and the limits of rivalry: Jun’s achievement forces his rivals to confront how far they have fallen behind.
• Recognition of excellence: His performance earns public acclaim and official confirmation of his superiority.

Plot points

• Jun Wangchen’s perfect score and success refining all ten Fallen Seraph ingredient sets make him a sensation in the Pill Sect. He becomes an Inner Disciple and moves into more luxurious quarters.
• He largely ignores his fame and continues keeping to himself. Fang Yiqian repeatedly tries to beat his records but remains second on all nine Pill Pavilion tablets; Maseike, Mei Yuxiang, and others also earn high rankings.
• The Pill Sect requires every Inner Disciple to complete a Pill Pavilion mission within a month or risk demotion. Jun draws a mission to investigate the traitor Gao Leizhen, whose activity has been detected near the Cloudrise Tribe, and sets out immediately.
• To save time, Jun crosses the dangerous Windwalk Grassland rather than taking the safer, longer route. At night, he kills a peak yellow-tier Swiftwind Wolf without leaving his meditation posture; the other beasts keep their distance.
• The next morning, he reaches Windward City, the grassland’s main settlement. After noting the strength of its martial defenders, he is stopped at the gate and told to pay an entry fee of ten thousand yuan.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun remains detached from status and praise, focused instead on his own cultivation and responsibilities. His effortless defeat of the wolf demonstrates his composure and power.
• Fang Yiqian continues striving to surpass Jun, while accepting the distinction of holding second place across all nine rankings.
• Jun observes mercenaries discussing deaths and danger in pursuit of profit, prompting reflection on how differently people value risk and survival.
• At Windward City, Jun’s first interaction is with a guard demanding payment; the mission itself will take him onward to investigate Gao Leizhen.

Significant themes

• Fame versus personal purpose: Jun’s sudden reputation matters little to him.
• Risk and survival: The grassland and mercenaries’ stories show the dangers people face for reward and livelihood.
• Competence under pressure: Jun handles a lethal ambush calmly and decisively.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen enters Windward City, paying the steep ten-thousand-yuan entrance fee. Two guards recognize him from a picture and arrange to track him for a man offering them spirit stones.
• While browsing the city’s magical-artifact stalls, Jun finds Dragon Abyss. He recognizes that the sword is better than it appears and buys it for 700 spirit stones, giving him a more suitable weapon than his wooden sword.
• At a lavish hotel, Jun orders lunch. A waitress explains the hotel’s suggestive extra services, but he declines, saying he came only to eat.
• Using his soul power, Jun discovers men in a neighboring room surveilling him. Their conversation confirms someone is pursuing him—likely connected to the Pill Sect, though Jun cannot think of anyone there he has offended.
• Jun chooses to leave the crowded hotel so any confrontation will not endanger bystanders. The surveillance team loses track of him briefly, but the guard returns with the man seeking him: Jiang Yanhao. Jiang pays the guard and sets off after Jun.

Character developments

• Jun remains composed and self-assured, quickly identifying the surveillance but showing no fear of whoever is behind it. His concern is mainly avoiding harm to innocent people.
• He makes a practical upgrade by choosing Dragon Abyss, keeping his powerful Green Lotus Sword unused because it is too dangerous for his current circumstances.
• The guards and their associates are driven by the promised rewards; the lackeys prove inattentive, allowing Jun to leave before they react.

Significant themes

• Money and status: Entry fees, spirit-stone prices, and the hotel’s lucrative services show how wealth shapes life in the martial world.
• Power and confidence: Jun’s immense strength makes the pursuit seem unthreatening to him.
• Caution and responsibility: Despite his confidence, Jun avoids risking bystanders in a likely fight.
• Surveillance and pursuit: The chapter shifts from ordinary city exploration to a developing confrontation, ending with Jiang Yanhao closing in.

Character interactions

• The gate guards recognize Jun, agree to monitor him, and report his movements for payment.
• Jun negotiates with a stall owner before buying Dragon Abyss.
• A waitress offers Jun the hotel’s additional services; he politely refuses and orders food.
• Jun’s pursuers discuss their assignment while watching him, and Jiang pays the guard before continuing the chase.

Plot points and events

• Resentful that Jun Wangchen has eclipsed him and attracted Mei Yuxiang’s attention, Pill Sect disciple Jiang Yanhao hires assassins to kill Jun so he can regain his status and possess Mei.
• Jiang follows Jun into a deserted part of the forest, intending to wait for the assassins before confronting him. Jun realizes he is being followed and challenges him.
• Jiang raises a wall of flames to defend himself, but Jun’s swordsmanship cuts through it and severs Jiang’s arm. When Jiang tries to flee, Jun kills him and takes his storage pouch, finding 10,000 Spirit Stones.
• Three earth-tier assassins arrive, see Jiang’s body, and pursue Jun, believing he will be easy to kill. Steward Li, who had been watching, confirms the attack was anticipated and follows the assassins to protect Jun.

Character developments

• Jiang Yanhao is consumed by envy, wounded pride, and possessiveness toward Mei Yuxiang. His confidence in his plan and defenses collapses once Jun overwhelms him.
• Jun Wangchen is alert to danger, decisive, and overwhelmingly powerful compared with Jiang. He treats the attempted murder as justification for killing Jiang and taking his belongings.
• Steward Li is revealed to have been monitoring the situation on the Peak Master’s orders and is prepared to intervene for Jun’s protection.

Character interactions

• Jiang’s resentment centers on Jun’s success and Mei’s repeated attempts to learn from him; he sees her interest as an affront to her dignity and his claim over her.
• Jun confronts Jiang’s implausible excuse for following him, then defeats him before he can escape.
• The assassins discuss their employer’s death and pursue Jun for the promised reward, while Steward Li follows them.

Significant themes

• Violence and consequences: The chapter’s title captures its central rule: an attempted killer may be killed in return.
• Envy and entitlement: Jiang’s fixation on status and Mei drives him to murder, while his possessive view of her is presented as part of his corruption.
• Power and misjudgment: Jiang and the assassins underestimate Jun, with fatal consequences.
• Protection and loyalty: Steward Li’s surveillance suggests the sect recognizes Jun’s value and is prepared to safeguard him.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• While traveling from Windward City toward the Cloudrise Tribe, Jun Wangchen is attacked in the Nightfall Forest by a peak black-tier Dark Python.
• The python’s tough tail breaks Jun’s first sword strike, but Jun wounds it with a rapid attack, counters its corrosive venom with Sword Domain, and kills it by severing its head.
• Three assassins hired by Jiang Yanhao arrive. Their leader, an early earth-tier martial artist, attacks, but Jun cuts apart his palm strike with ease.
• The assassins decide to kill Jun before his strength grows further. Jun moves faster than they can follow and kills the red-clad assassin with Red Sword at the Fingertips.
• The yellow-clad assassin tries to negotiate, while the blue-clad assassin pleads for his life. Jun offers to spare them in exchange for their Storage Bags. When the yellow assassin refuses, Jun kills him and takes his bag.
• The blue assassin surrenders his Storage Bag and kneels. Jun leaves, but an Ink-Colored Bird he planted on the man explodes and kills him. All three assassins are wiped out.
• Steward Li arrives afterward, realizes what Jun can do, and concludes that the Pill Sect has gained an exceptional talent.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates that his strength is far greater than his age and apparent level suggest. He is composed in battle, decisive with enemies, and quick to seize the assassins’ valuables. His apparent mercy toward the blue assassin proves calculated rather than genuine.
• The assassins shift from confidence to alarm as Jun reveals his speed and swordsmanship. The red man is killed before he can react; the yellow man’s attempt to bargain fails; the blue man survives only briefly, unaware of the explosive bird Jun has left behind.
• Steward Li moves from observer to impressed witness, recognizing Jun as an extraordinary prospect for the Pill Sect.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and misjudgment: The assassins underestimate Jun because of his youth and discover too late that his true abilities exceed their expectations.
• Mercy versus survival: Jun’s cool, practical behavior contrasts with the assassins’ sudden pleas for compassion; he treats surrender as a tactical opportunity, not a promise of safety.
• Violence and consequence: The assassins’ attempt to eliminate Jun ends with their own deaths, while their employer’s role is exposed as the source of the conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen flies through Nightfall Forest, noting its unusually high number of powerful demonic beasts.
• At a pond, he finds Xiao Family members facing a deadly Earth Tier Colorless Lizard. The group needs skyworm grass to save their master, but the lizard’s poisonous body and attacks leave them badly outmatched.
• The lizard kills several guards, poisons the group’s leader, and traps his son, Xiao Shaowen, with its tongue.
• Jun intervenes, severing the tongue with a sword strike and saving Shaowen. He then kills the charging lizard with a single blow.

Character developments and interactions

• The Xiao Family leader tries to protect both his people and the mission, urging the young woman and Shaowen to escape. He risks himself against the lizard and is poisoned.
• Shaowen hesitates between staying with his father and protecting the young woman. He ultimately shields her, but is captured; after Jun frees him, he rushes to check on his father.
• The young woman refuses to abandon the group, even when warned that she cannot help.
• Jun moves from observing the danger to rescuing the Xiao Family. His overwhelming skill stuns everyone, who immediately recognize him as a powerful expert. The leader thanks him and asks for further help.

Significant themes

• Courage and duty: The Xiao Family members put loyalty and responsibility ahead of their own safety.
• The limits of strength: The group’s bravery cannot overcome the lizard’s power, making Jun’s intervention decisive.
• Power and reputation: Jun’s effortless victory transforms him from a distant observer into an awe-inspiring presence.
• Sacrifice and protection: The leader and Shaowen each risk themselves to protect others.

Key plot points and events

• In Nightfall Forest, Jun Wangchen kills a rampaging, late-Earth-Tier Colorless Lizard with one sword strike, rescuing the Xiao family party.
• Xiao Zhengqi, poisoned by the beast, asks Jun to escort his daughter home. Jun instead expels most of the poison with sword intent, telling Zhengqi to finish the cure with antidote pills.
• Jun plans to travel to the Cloudrise Tribe but discovers he has been following his map upside down. He accepts the Xiao family’s offer to stay overnight and travel there by helicopter the next day.
• Jun gives the Colorless Lizard’s valuable remains to the Xiao family. The party explains they had sought skyworm grass to treat the ailing Xiao patriarch; their information about the beast’s strength was wrong.
• They reach Silent City, where Jun is shown around the Xiao family estate and settled in its best guest room. Shortly afterward, a violent crash shakes the estate, and Jun rushes outside to investigate.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun’s overwhelming strength and medical skill impress the Xiao family, though he is reluctant to accept their thanks or rewards. His confidence is paired with a comic navigational mistake.
• Xiao Zhengqi moves from near death to gratitude and hospitality after Jun saves him. Xiao Shaowen and Xiao Haixia also admire Jun and welcome his decision to give them the beast’s remains.
• The Xiao family members explain their mission and offer Jun practical help, while Jun agrees to stay largely because it makes his journey easier.

Significant themes

• Power and generosity: Jun’s great strength is evident, but he uses it to rescue others and gives away the spoils.
• Gratitude and reciprocity: The Xiao family repeatedly seeks to repay Jun, while he insists he needs little.
• Comedy amid danger: Jun’s upside-down map provides a humorous contrast to the deadly encounter and his formidable abilities.
• Uncertainty and escalation: The Xiao family’s misjudgment of the Colorless Lizard foreshadows how unreliable information can be, while the sudden crash ends the chapter on a new threat.

Plot points and events

• The Liu Family, led by Liu Meng, confronts the Xiao Family and demands its ancestral Alchemy Compendium, threatening to destroy the family if it refuses.
• The Xiao Family is already weakened: Xiao Long is gravely injured by a Bone-Melting Palm, businesses have been attacked, and a Xiao Family member lies beaten.
• The attacker, a hooded old man working with the Liu Family, reveals himself and tries to abduct Xiao Haixia.
• Jun Wangchen intervenes, first cutting the force restraining Haixia, then defeating the old man’s powerful palm attack.
• When the old man tries to seize Haixia again, Jun moves faster and kills him with one sword strike. The crowd realizes the young swordsman is likely a heaven-tier expert.
• Liu Meng immediately abandons his threats, praises Jun, tells Xiao Long the compendium is rightfully his, and flees with his men. Jun lets them go.
• Xiao Long thanks Jun and orders a banquet in his honor, then shows him around the estate.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Long remains resolute in defending his family’s inheritance despite his injuries. He is grateful to Jun, though Jun judges him too cautious for not exploiting the Liu Family’s retreat.
• Xiao Haixia recognizes Jun as the expert who previously saved her and is nearly abducted before Jun rescues her again.
• Jun Wangchen displays overwhelming speed and swordsmanship but stays calm and declines recognition. He chooses not to pursue the fleeing Liu Family.
• Liu Meng shifts from threats to flattery and retreat once he sees Jun’s strength.
• The hooded old man is exposed as the one who poisoned Xiao Long and attacked the family. His attempt to take Haixia ends in his death.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: The Xiao Family’s weakened position invites attack, but Jun’s superior strength abruptly changes the balance.
• Courage and restraint: Jun acts decisively to protect Haixia yet refrains from taking revenge on the fleeing Liu Family.
• Different ideas of ambition: Jun believes Xiao Long could have seized a greater advantage, while Xiao Long prioritizes survival and gratitude.
• Hypocrisy and self-preservation: Liu Meng’s sudden praise of the Xiao Family reveals how quickly his principles change when he faces danger.

Plot points and events

• At lunch, Xiao Long and the Xiao Family thank Jun Wangchen for his help. After learning he is an Alchemist, they show him their family’s alchemy manual. Jun identifies major flaws and improves it, impressing them with his expertise.
• The Xiao Family gains prestige after word spreads that it has a Heavenly-Rank Martial Artist, and Jun’s revisions give it the ability to make better pills. The family rewards him with access to its ancestral grounds.
• While exploring, Jun finds soulgrass and uses the Soul-Seizing Art to greatly strengthen his soul power. He comes close to becoming a Quasi-Ancestral Rank, sixth-grade Alchemist.
• Xiao Haixia takes Jun around Silent City to thank him for saving her life. At a clothing shop, she offers to buy him several outfits. Jun is startled by the extravagant prices, but she insists they are affordable.
• Jun tries on a striking purple outfit, and Xiao Haixia is captivated by how handsome he looks. Before the outfit can be packed, a wealthy middle-aged man and his heavily made-up companion demand it for themselves.
• The saleswoman hesitates over the competing offers. Xiao Haixia refuses to surrender the outfit, insisting it belongs to Jun because she chose it for him. The man becomes threatening, leaving the scene tense.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates deep alchemical knowledge, generosity, and growing power. He remains dryly amused by the clothing shop’s inflated prices and the couple’s crude flirting.
• Xiao Haixia shows gratitude and affection toward Jun, eagerly choosing clothes for him and openly admiring his appearance. She also proves assertive, standing firm when challenged.
• The Xiao Family recognizes Jun’s value and rewards his contribution by granting him access to its ancestral grounds.
• The middle-aged man and his companion use money and petulant demands to try to claim the outfit, creating a direct confrontation with Xiao Haixia. The saleswoman is caught between customer loyalty and the man’s extra payment.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and generosity are rewarded: Jun’s alchemical expertise benefits the Xiao Family and earns its trust.
• Power and advancement: The ancestral grounds and soulgrass help Jun progress toward a higher alchemist rank.
• Gratitude and affection: Xiao Haixia’s shopping trip expresses her appreciation for Jun and hints at her growing attraction.
• Status and entitlement: The wealthy man assumes money gives him the right to take what he wants, while Xiao Haixia defends fairness and Jun’s choice.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Haixia insists on buying a particular outfit, but Mr. Zheng also wants it. Manager Xiaohuang sides with Zheng, ordering the sales assistant to give him the clothes despite Haixia having chosen them first.
• Haixia challenges Xiaohuang’s favoritism. Jun Wangchen tries to calm her and suggests they shop elsewhere, but Xiaohuang continues to insult and threaten them.
• Zheng boasts that Baile Company has acquired his business and made him a department head. Xiaohuang, impressed by his supposed wealth and status, becomes even more hostile toward Haixia and Jun.
• Haixia calls Baile’s chairman, asks him to bring the store’s owner, and demands that Zheng be dismissed. The chairman immediately takes the complaint seriously.
• Xiaohuang, Zheng, and Zheng’s companion mock Haixia, believing her threats are empty. Their confidence falters when the store’s owner, Fatso, suddenly arrives.

Character developments

• Xiao Haixia shifts from anger over the unfair treatment to decisive action, using her authority and connections rather than continuing the argument.
• Jun Wangchen remains composed and protective, trying to prevent a minor dispute from upsetting Haixia.
• Xiaohuang reveals herself as a status-conscious, abusive manager who values pleasing powerful customers over fairness and her employee.
• Mr. Zheng is arrogant and eager to flaunt his new position, though he does not realize how much influence Haixia holds.
• The sales assistant is frightened and powerless under Xiaohuang’s threats.

Themes

• Abuse of authority and class prejudice: Xiaohuang humiliates customers and mistreats her employee because she assumes they lack influence.
• Arrogance and misplaced confidence: Zheng and Xiaohuang mistake wealth and appearances for real power.
• Consequences of disrespect: Their mockery sets up an imminent reversal when the owner arrives and Haixia’s complaint reaches Baile’s chairman.

Character interactions

• Xiaohuang sides with Zheng against Haixia and the sales assistant, while Jun attempts to defuse the confrontation.
• Haixia directly confronts Xiaohuang, then escalates the matter to Baile’s chairman.
• Zheng and Xiaohuang bond over their contempt for Haixia, but the owner’s sudden arrival leaves their assumptions—and the outcome—uncertain.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Haixia’s shop confrontation escalates when the owner, Fatso, rushes in and slaps his employee Little Huang for offending her.
• Fatso explains that Xiao is the heiress of the newly dominant Xiao family. Little Huang and the middle-aged customer, Zheng, realize the woman they had insulted holds enormous influence.
• After hearing what happened, Fatso fires Little Huang and offers Xiao the clothes she chose, along with expensive outfits and shoes for her boyfriend, as an apology.
• Xiao asks Jun Wangchen what he thinks. He leaves the decision to her, and she accepts the apology, saying they should not push things further.
• Xiao leaves with Jun, but her cryptic remark about making life miserable for those who oppose her frightens Zheng.
• Zheng soon learns by phone that Baile Company has dismissed him and frozen his former company’s operations, leaving him with nothing.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Haixia displays confidence and authority, calmly deciding when to show mercy while hinting she can be ruthless. She consults Jun before accepting the shop owner’s apology.
• Jun Wangchen remains relaxed and defers the decision to Xiao, reinforcing her control of the situation.
• Fatso shifts from anger at Little Huang to anxious deference toward Xiao, firing his employee and offering gifts to protect his business.
• Little Huang goes from defiance to panic and is left disgraced after losing his job.
• Zheng, who had mocked Xiao, becomes terrified once he learns her identity; the consequences of his earlier behavior soon destroy his livelihood.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Recognition of Xiao’s family name transforms the shop’s balance of power.
• Consequences and accountability: Little Huang and Zheng pay for their insults, though Xiao’s apparent leniency toward Zheng proves uncertain.
• Mercy and ruthlessness: Xiao accepts an apology but suggests she is willing to punish those who oppose her.
• Fear-driven obedience: Fatso’s and Zheng’s reactions show how influence can make others act out of self-preservation.

Key events

• Jun Wangchen arrives at the Cloudrise Tribe to investigate Gao Leizhen, a traitor from the Pill Sect. He decides to apply for membership so he can access places closed to outsiders.
• Applicants must pass a one- to two-day assessment by raising demonic beasts. Jun accepts the task, confident that his advanced alchemy skills will make it easy.
• At his assigned quarters, he finds five hostile Greenwood Dog puppies. When they attack, he restrains them effortlessly and puts them in a cage.
• Jun reads the tribe’s rules and background in the provided Jade Slip, learning about its beast-rearing practices and Beast Tamers.

Character development and interactions

• Jun is resourceful and self-assured, treating the assessment as a straightforward route into the tribe. His Soul Power shields him from the foul-smelling assessment grounds, and he uses it again to stop the puppies without harming them.
• The puppies are initially aggressive toward Jun, but their failed attack and escape attempts give the scene a playful tone. They eventually abandon the cage bars and play among themselves.
• The staff member and elder are brief, businesslike presences: the staff member guides Jun in, while the elder gives him his token and instructions without ceremony.

Significant themes and context

• Pragmatism and access: Jun joins the tribe not out of loyalty, but to advance his investigation.
• Knowledge as advantage: His alchemical expertise makes the beast-rearing test seem easy, while the Jade Slip teaches him how the tribe functions.
• The tribe’s dependence on demonic beasts: Beasts provide combat strength, labor, and transport—and can also become food. Their numbers help determine a tribe’s power.
• The chapter also establishes the tribe’s hierarchy of Beast Tamers, their training requirements, and the rarity of higher-tier beasts.

Key plot points

• Jun Wangchen settles into the Cloudrise Tribe’s rearing house, but poor mountain reception leaves him with little to do, so he meditates.
• Overnight, the five young greenwood dogs howl and batter their enclosure because they have been left without food. Jun initially dismisses them, then realizes they are genuinely starving.
• He goes into the forest outside the tribe to hunt, since killing the tribe’s demonic beasts is forbidden. He returns at daybreak with meat, which the puppies devour eagerly.
• Concerned that hunting for them every day will be exhausting, Jun decides to make a Beast-Control Pill. He reasons that the tribe likely reserves its limited supply of pills for more valuable beasts.
• Jun successfully refines a black pill, but it develops a consciousness and tries to escape. He destroys that consciousness with soul power.
• The pill’s scent sends the puppies—and demonic beasts in nearby rearing houses—into a frenzy. They stare at Jun and the pill, apparently recognizing it as an extraordinary source of nourishment.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun shifts from treating the puppies’ cries as a nuisance to recognizing their hunger and taking responsibility for feeding them. His practical concern about the effort involved leads him to seek a better solution.
• The puppies show unusually humanlike behavior: they express grievance, react to Jun’s words, celebrate the promise of food, and gesture thanks after eating. Their hunger also turns their initial defiance into fear and frantic eagerness.
• Jun’s exchanges with the puppies are comic and teasing, but he ultimately responds with care. The pill’s effect creates a sharp change in their relationship to him: they now desperately want what he holds.

Significant themes

• Responsibility and care: Jun’s new role requires him to provide for creatures dependent on him.
• Resource scarcity and hierarchy: The tribe’s limited pills are likely reserved for high-status beast tamers and valuable beasts.
• The extraordinary hidden in the ordinary: Even low-level puppies prove intelligent, while the pill displays surprising power and draws the attention of many beasts.
• Comedy amid cultivation: Jun’s deadpan reactions contrast with the puppies’ dramatic, almost human behavior.