Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Foodie Bro Chen Wangjun Reporting for Duty”

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen visits Satisfy You, a small bun shop near Jinling University. Knowing the owner works exhausting double shifts to support her younger siblings, he decides to help her by creating an entertaining food video.
• He asks to buy 200 buns, but the skeptical owner initially gives him only 20, telling him to prove he can eat them before she sells him the rest.
• Jun records a short video for Mushroom TV, introducing himself as “Foodie Bro Chen Wangjun” and announcing a ten-minute challenge. As he eats, the Swallowing Heaven Ring mysteriously makes each bun disappear into its internal space, letting him consume them at extraordinary speed.
• He finishes 240 buns in ten minutes, surpassing his target. He pays the owner 300 yuan—more than the 240 yuan owed—and asks her to prepare 500 buns for his return the next morning.
• Jun then receives a call from Mo Duoduo, who asks him to meet her at the university entrance. He agrees and leaves.
• Meanwhile, Mushroom TV reviewer Wei Shengjin watches Jun’s video. Initially dismissive, he is amazed by the eating feat, promotes it as a trending video, and follows Jun’s account.
• Viewers quickly share the clip across social media. Jun’s follower count surges, and prominent streamers help spread it, making him an overnight sensation on the platform.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen shows ambition and confidence as he begins building an online persona. His concern for the bun-shop owner also reveals generosity and awareness of her hardships.
• The shop owner shifts from skepticism to amazement and gratitude. Though reluctant to accept extra money, she is touched by Jun’s kindness.
• Wei Shengjin moves from fatigue and contempt for the video’s premise to enthusiastic support once he sees Jun’s extraordinary performance.
• Mo Duoduo reaches out to Jun in a shy, hesitant manner, suggesting that their meeting may carry personal significance.

Character interactions

• Jun’s exchange with the shop owner contrasts his outlandish challenge with her practical concern that he is wasting money. His payment and offer to return leave them on warm terms.
• Wei’s internal reactions—and decision to promote the clip—show how Jun’s performance wins over even a skeptical reviewer.
• Mo’s phone call briefly interrupts Jun’s new online success and sets up a separate meeting at the university.

Significant themes

• Online fame and viral entertainment: An unusual, compelling performance can rapidly transform an unknown creator into a popular figure.
• Kindness and mutual support: Jun uses his emerging platform and money to encourage a hardworking shop owner.
• The extraordinary amid the everyday: The mysterious ring turns an ordinary bun-eating challenge into an astonishing spectacle.
• Skepticism giving way to belief: Both the shop owner and Wei initially doubt Jun, but his actions quickly change their minds.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen meets Mo Duoduo outside Jinling University. Since the temporary remedy for her fire-devouring poison has stopped working, she decides to undergo his complete acupuncture treatment.
• To keep the procedure secret from their families, Mo takes him to a private room in a hotel owned by her family’s corporate group.
• Mo, having worked up the courage to undress, exposes herself before Jun can explain that he can treat her blindfolded. He ties a handkerchief over his eyes and begins the procedure.
• Jun inserts several needles and explains the sensations Mo experiences as effects of stimulating particular acupoints, though his explanations are mixed with teasing and questionable medical claims.
• As Jun prepares to channel elixir qi through the needles, he realizes Mo has been clutching his hand. After she lets go, he forms a hand seal and sends purple qi into her body, beginning the treatment in earnest.

Character developments

• Mo Duoduo shows determination by choosing a permanent cure despite her conservative upbringing and embarrassment. Her nervousness gives way to curiosity and growing trust in Jun’s knowledge.
• Jun Wangchen tries to maintain a gentlemanly image, but his inner monologue comically casts Mo’s actions as an elaborate scheme to seduce him. He is nonetheless focused and capable during the treatment.

Significant themes

• Embarrassment, modesty, and trust: Mo must overcome her inhibitions, while the blindfold offers a way to preserve privacy.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: Their different interpretations of “covering up,” along with Jun’s exaggerated fantasies, turn a medical procedure into an awkward farce.
• Traditional medicine and knowledge: Jun presents acupuncture and qi as part of a vast body of inherited medical wisdom.

Character interactions

• Mo’s resolve and Jun’s awkwardness create a series of humorous exchanges, especially after she mistakenly undresses before he covers his eyes.
• Mo’s embarrassment turns to indignation when Jun jokes about having seen her, and she insists he must finish the treatment.
• During the acupuncture, Mo’s involuntary reactions make her question Jun about his methods; his explanations impress her and strengthen her confidence in him.

Summary

Key plot points

• Jun Wangchen finishes treating Mo Duoduo’s fire-devouring poison. His elixir qi has removed about two-thirds of it, and he says one more treatment within a day or two should clear the rest.
• The treatment causes Mo Duoduo to experience intense, euphoric sensations. She appears disappointed when it ends, then hurries off to shower. Jun, meanwhile, struggles to suppress his attraction and keep his composure.
• While waiting, Jun browses Jinling University’s forum. Students enthusiastically praise his piano performance in wildly exaggerated, comic stories about how the music inspired them.
• A scantily dressed woman approaches Jun, offering paid “special services.” He refuses to pay, despite her attempts to tempt him.
• The woman suddenly dishevels herself, wets her hair, and cries that Jun tried to rape her. A burly accomplice bursts in and attacks him, demanding compensation.
• Jun recognizes the honey-trap extortion scheme, blocks the attacker’s punch with ease, and crushes his arm, leaving the woman shocked by Jun’s strength.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows discipline in resisting temptation, relying on exaggerated inner monologues and comic self-control. He also reveals confidence and formidable strength when confronted by the extortionists.
• Mo Duoduo is grateful for the treatment but embarrassed by her involuntary reactions; her apparent enjoyment leaves Jun flustered.
• The sexy woman and her accomplice act as a coordinated pair: she tries to seduce Jun, then falsely accuses him, while the man uses threats and violence to demand money.
• Jun’s encounter with the pair shifts from flirtatious farce to confrontation, ending with him decisively overpowering the accomplice.

Significant themes

• Self-control versus desire: Jun repeatedly fights his attraction to Mo Duoduo and the woman at the door.
• Comedy through contrast: Jun’s solemn efforts to remain “pure” contrast with his suggestive circumstances and the forum’s absurd jokes.
• Appearance versus reality: The apparent sexual encounter is a calculated scam, and Jun’s seemingly frail appearance hides considerable strength.
• Exploitation and coercion: The honey trap demonstrates how desire and social pressure can be weaponized for extortion.

Plot points and events

• After Mo Duoduo comes out of the bathroom, Jun Wangchen explains that a woman and her supposed boyfriend tried to extort him through a honey-trap scam. The boyfriend is already injured.
• Mo Duoduo orders that the pair be beaten and handed to the police. Before they can act, two hotel security guards arrive and falsely accuse Jun and Mo of kidnapping, demanding 50,000 yuan to “settle” the matter.
• Mo Duoduo recognizes that the guards are accomplices. They reveal their involvement by threatening her and trying to recruit Jun and Mo into the scheme.
• Jun pretends to consider joining so he can draw out information. The scammers disclose that there are five honey-trap gangs operating at the hotel and that the hotel’s general manager leads them. Mo secretly keeps her call recording running, capturing their admissions.
• The hotel’s owner, Shen Jinbing, arrives with police, and all four scammers are arrested. Mo warns Shen that an apology is not enough and insists the entire operation be dealt with. She gives him the recording as evidence.
• After Mo and Jun leave, Shen orders a sweep of the hotel and reveals that Mo is the Mo Family’s heiress, leaving the arrested scammers terrified.

Character developments

• Mo Duoduo shows both moral outrage and sharp judgment. She stays composed under threat, records the gang’s confessions, and uses her influence to demand accountability.
• Jun Wangchen is protective of Mo and strongly opposed to honey-trap scams, partly because such a scheme once harmed someone in his family. He conceals Mo’s identity and cleverly plays along to expose the wider network.
• Shen Jinbing shifts from apologetic manager to furious enforcer once he hears the recording and understands the seriousness of the scandal.
• The scammers move from smug confidence to panic when their deception is exposed and they realize who Mo is.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: The chapter condemns scams that damage victims’ finances, reputations, and lives, and stresses that a brief apology cannot replace real consequences.
• Deception and exposure: The scammers’ layered impersonations are undone by Mo’s insight, Jun’s questioning, and the recording.
• Power and influence: Mo’s family status helps ensure swift action, while the gang’s own influence and police connections initially embolden them.
• Loyalty and protection: Jun and Mo work together, with Jun shielding Mo while she takes the lead in confronting the operation.

Character interactions

• Mo and Jun coordinate without openly discussing their plan: Jun draws information from the gang while Mo records it and contacts the hotel’s owner.
• The scammers attempt to intimidate Mo and recruit Jun, underestimating both of them.
• Mo confronts Shen directly about his failure to prevent the racket; Shen responds with deference and promises an investigation.
• The gang’s confidence collapses when Shen identifies Mo as the Mo Family’s heiress.

Key plot points and events

• After a lavish dinner with Mo Duoduo, Jun Wangchen returns to his dorm to prepare for Five-Two-Zero’s opening-night publicity performance.
• His roommates reveal they bought him a ten-thousand-yuan suit using money earned from selling his photos online. The group heads to the shop, where a crowd of several hundred students has gathered after the roommates’ Tieba promotion.
• Ke JiusI organizes a dance, while Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli distribute free milk-tea samples. The crowd grows, and customers begin buying drinks.
• Jun thanks the audience and promotes the shop’s affordable prices. He then uses Literary Qi to create a moonlit sky, make the crowd feel weightless, and leap onto a poplar tree.
• From the tree, he plays the guitar. The music conjures a moving story about a cousin still grieving a long relationship even as he becomes engaged to someone new. The performance closes with a meditation on lost love, memory, and accepting life’s changes.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun becomes more comfortable with Mo Duoduo, then shifts into the role of performer and spokesman for the shop. His magical, emotionally resonant performance demonstrates his growing artistic power and audience appeal.
• His roommates’ teasing and opportunism—especially their use of his photo-sale profits to buy the suit—coexists with genuine teamwork and encouragement. Their promotion and free samples help make the opening lively and commercially successful.
• Ke JiusI handles the event with confidence, though his crude joke briefly embarrasses Jun.
• The cousin in Jun’s story appears outwardly successful and composed, but privately remains haunted by his former girlfriend. His younger relative recognizes that cheerful appearances and practical choices can conceal deep sorrow.

Significant themes

• Love and lingering grief: A breakup can leave someone attached to a former partner long after the relationship ends.
• Appearance versus inner reality: The cousin’s social ease, business success, and new engagement mask emotional numbness.
• Time and change: People move into new relationships and stages of life, while memories of past love endure.
• Acceptance and regret: The story questions whether settling for comfort is release or resignation, and ends with the pain of words and possibilities left unspoken.
• Art’s emotional power: Jun’s music draws the crowd into the story, turning a shop promotion into a shared reflection on love and loss.

Key plot points and events

• As Jun Wangchen continues playing guitar outside the milk tea shop, the crowd falls silent, moved by the sorrow and tenderness in the music.
• The performance unfolds as a reflection on insecurity, regret, and missed chances: people often imagine others judge or reject them, while overlooking the care those people actually show.
• The piece recalls everyday moments in which someone hurts loved ones without realizing it—snapping at a worried mother, dismissing a persistent admirer, failing to notice a classmate’s sadness, or rejecting a grandparent’s efforts.
• It also warns against mistaking small signs of attention from a crush for love, and neglecting genuine relationships while chasing an imagined possibility.
• The music urges listeners to stop dwelling on minor slights, recognize kindness, make amends, and show affection before time or distance makes it impossible.
• When Jun finishes, a withdrawn girl breaks the silence to praise him. The crowd responds with heartfelt applause, and Zhang Zhengxiao and his companions are deeply impressed.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates his ability to move people through instrumental music alone; his performance reveals emotional depth and strengthens the others’ admiration for him.
• The audience is drawn into personal memories and recognizes itself in the song’s message. Their tears and applause show how profoundly they have been affected.
• The withdrawn girl unexpectedly speaks up, overcoming her silence to praise Jun.

Significant themes

• Miscommunication and insecurity: People often interpret neutral actions as criticism or rejection.
• The overlooked kindness of loved ones: Care may be quiet, and self-absorption can cause people to miss it or push it away.
• Regret and the passage of time: Reconciliation and gratitude should not be postponed, since some chances cannot be recovered.
• Choosing compassion over suspicion: The piece encourages people to treat others well and see the world less defensively.
• Music as emotional expression: Instrumental performance can communicate shared human experience more powerfully than words.

Character interactions

• Jun communicates with the crowd through his guitar rather than conversation, prompting listeners to reflect on their own relationships.
• The crowd’s shared response—first silence, then praise and applause—creates a moment of collective understanding.
• The song’s examples focus on strained or unrecognized bonds between children and parents, rejected admirers, classmates, grandparents, and people pursuing unreturned romantic feelings.

Plot points and events

• Following the emotional opening event at the Five-Two-Zero milk tea shop, Jun Wangchen returns to his dorm instead of staying to celebrate. His growing public profile and a powerful enemy’s threat convince him that he urgently needs greater strength.
• He enters the Pill Refining Space and swallows the Foundation Establishment Pill, whose immense spiritual power begins tearing through his body.
• Jun directs the pill’s power against the invisible barrier between qi condensation and foundation establishment. As the process causes unbearable pain, he initially uses the Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy to disperse excess power, then stops so that more of it can strike the barrier.
• After repeated attacks, he finds a weak point and concentrates the remaining power there until the barrier breaks. His body’s meridians and flesh are destroyed, then regenerated.
• Jun successfully reaches the early foundation establishment stage. His body and senses are enhanced, his dantian’s lotus count doubles from one to two, and its spiritual-power grooves increase from four to eight. He also gains power from the Heavenly Dao, doubling his lifespan to two hundred years and vastly increasing his strength.
• He tests his new power with a punch that blasts through the air, then reflects on the Groundhog Phone’s importance and resolves to keep its existence secret.
• After Jun leaves the Pill Refining Space, the River God appears and says that granting him the phone was the right choice.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows determination and a willingness to endure extreme suffering rather than risk failing his breakthrough. His success transforms him from a vulnerable qi-condensation cultivator into a much stronger foundation-establishment cultivator, while deepening his awareness of both his responsibilities and the danger surrounding him.
• Jun and the River God have no direct interaction in this chapter, but the River God’s closing observation reveals that he has been watching Jun and deliberately selected him as the phone’s recipient.
• The shop’s staff and Ke JiusI’s friends are overwhelmed by the event’s unexpected popularity, while Jun is absent, focused on cultivation.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and transformation: Jun’s breakthrough requires enduring pain and the destruction and renewal of his body.
• Power and responsibility: His new strength brings heightened awareness that extraordinary tools like the Groundhog Phone must not fall into malicious hands.
• Rising danger: Jun’s growing influence and an unseen enemy make cultivation a matter of survival, not merely ambition.

Key plot points and events

• After advancing to early Foundation Establishment, Jun Wangchen returns to his dorm, washes up, and discovers that his senses and physical abilities have become dramatically stronger.
• On his way out that night, he detects three early Yellow-tier martial artists waiting to ambush him. He deliberately leads them to a deserted grove.
• The trio—two men and a masked woman—say they were sent by their boss to capture him, preferably alive. They underestimate his recent breakthrough and attack together.
• Jun Wangchen counters with a massive spiritual-power palm that overwhelms their combined strike. When they try to flee, he kills one man with a blast of spiritual power through the throat.
• A second attacker abandons the masked woman and runs. Jun Wangchen catches and kills him with a single punch, leaving the woman frozen in terror.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen has become vastly more powerful and confident after reaching Foundation Establishment. He stays composed under pressure, then reveals an overwhelming, lethal force—and makes sure the blood does not touch him.
• The masked woman and her companions shift from smug certainty to panic when they realize Jun Wangchen is far beyond their expectations. One man’s attempt to save himself by shoving the woman toward Jun exposes the group’s lack of loyalty; the woman is left helpless and despairing.

Significant themes

• Power and underestimation: The attackers rely on outdated information and misjudge Jun Wangchen’s rapid growth.
• Fear and survival: Their confidence collapses into desperate flight once they see the gap in strength.
• Betrayal: One attacker sacrifices his companion in a selfish attempt to escape.
• Transformation: Jun Wangchen’s advancement has changed not only his abilities but also the atmosphere he projects—he now appears almost inhumanly formidable.

Character interactions

• Jun Wangchen taunts the trio about talking too much, then answers their attack with decisive force.
• The attackers coordinate briefly, but their unity breaks under pressure: one tries to flee alone, while another pushes the masked woman into danger to get away.
• The masked woman, initially provocative and confident, ends the encounter terrified and unable to move as Jun Wangchen pursues the final fleeing man.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• After killing the men who tried to capture him, Jun Wangchen spares their remaining accomplice, a masked woman, when she pleads for her life. He makes her his servant and uses a supernatural technique to extract the soul that sustains her life, binding her to obey him.
• The woman identifies herself as Ji Ruyu. She explains that she became a martial artist after swallowing a mysterious pill, then began working for Tian Ba, who promised to support her training in exchange for her service.
• Jun realizes Tian Ba has been secretly poisoning Ji Ruyu with qi-scattering powder, causing her strength to decline. He deduces that she tried to capture him to prove her usefulness before Tian Ba discarded her.
• Jun treats her with the Mystic Gate Needle Art, using three needles and spiritual qi to destroy the poison in her dantian. Though the treatment briefly causes pain and bleeding, Ji Ruyu’s ability to circulate qi returns, and her strength begins recovering.
• Jun orders her to return to Tian Ba, pretend she is still weakened, and report his activities. He also gives her his contact information and reveals that he is an alchemist before disappearing into the night.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen remains ruthless toward threats but shows a protective, practical side by healing Ji Ruyu and giving her a chance to escape Tian Ba’s control. He also reveals that his abilities extend beyond combat to advanced medicine and alchemy.
• Ji Ruyu shifts from terrified captive to grateful, newly hopeful servant. Learning that Tian Ba deliberately poisoned her turns her fear and confusion into anger toward him; Jun’s healing and promise of future advancement earn her trust and loyalty.
• Tian Ba is revealed as a manipulative employer who poisoned Ji Ruyu while pretending to help her cultivate.

Character interactions

• Jun intimidates Ji Ruyu into submission through the soul-binding technique, then questions her about her history and employer.
• He exposes Tian Ba’s deception, treats Ji Ruyu despite her initial misunderstanding of his request, and directs her to spy on her former boss.
• Ji Ruyu responds first with fear and obedience, then with gratitude and growing admiration for Jun, whom she sees as a far better master than Tian Ba.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Jun secures Ji Ruyu’s obedience through supernatural coercion, while Tian Ba has controlled her more subtly by limiting her strength.
• Betrayal and loyalty: Tian Ba’s apparent mentorship is exposed as exploitation; Jun’s mix of force and aid earns Ji Ruyu’s loyalty.
• Knowledge as power: Jun’s ability to recognize and cure the poison gives him leverage and changes Ji Ruyu’s prospects.
• Hope through transformation: The treatment restores Ji Ruyu’s cultivation and offers her a future beyond her former dependence on Tian Ba.

Key plot points and events

• After resolving matters with Ji Ruyu, Jun Wangchen returns to the Five-Two-Zero Milk Tea Shop and helps his roommates through a busy late-night rush. His piano fame draws crowds, and the shop sells nearly ten thousand cups, earning about 30,000 yuan in four hours.
• The roommates celebrate the profit, but Jun reminds them that the rush depended heavily on his performance; they will need their own ways to promote the business.
• Jun discovers his Mushroom TV comedy clip has gained 300,000 followers and more than 200,000 comments in ten hours. While many viewers praise him, some accuse him of faking his eating feats.
• The next morning, he visits Satisfy You, where the exhausted owner has prepared the promised 500 buns. To address the accusations, he livestreams himself eating them. Using the Swallowing Heaven Ring to conceal what happens to the buns, he finishes the challenge in ten minutes, drawing a fast-growing audience and gaining 50,000 followers.
• After the challenge, Jun notices the owner asleep. He secretly leaves her 1,000 yuan, adjusts a fan to keep her comfortable, and tells viewers about her demanding work schedule and family responsibilities. He encourages local viewers to support her shop and announces a future livestream at a Jinling buffet.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen balances ambition with compassion: he uses livestreaming to build his following and answer critics, yet quietly helps the bun-shop owner without demanding recognition. His gratitude for her labor and concern for her welfare show a tender, considerate side.
• Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli are thrilled by the shop’s first-night earnings and immediately discuss its future. Jun’s warning helps them recognize that one successful promotion does not guarantee lasting business.
• Ke JiusI jokes that the sum is modest compared with his father’s restaurant chain, while the others push back and remind him that their achievement is impressive for a first night.
• The bun-shop owner is introduced as hardworking and self-sacrificing, supporting her family while working two jobs and sleeping very little. Her kindness and effort move Jun, though she remains unaware of his help as she sleeps.
• Jun and his audience interact through jokes, gifts, praise, and skepticism. Rather than argue with trolls, Jun responds by livestreaming and inviting viewers to judge for themselves.

Significant themes

• Hard work and sacrifice: The bun-shop owner’s exhausting routine illustrates the burdens people carry for their families.
• Kindness and social solidarity: Jun hopes that collective support can offer practical help and remind struggling people that society can be warm.
• Authenticity and public image: Jun’s livestream serves both as proof against accusations and as a way to connect directly with viewers, while raising the possibility that some may see his charitable appeal as self-promotion.
• Ambition balanced by responsibility: Jun welcomes his rapid online growth but also urges his roommates to build a sustainable business rather than depend on his fame.
• Unspoken affection and timing: The reflective closing suggests that Jun’s connection with the young woman may remain unspoken, emphasizing how circumstance and timing can shape relationships.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen’s livestream goes viral after he gives a struggling young woman money and turns on her fan. His followers surge to two million, though he remains unaware of the attention.
• Feng Mei asks Jun to accompany her to the Feng Collateral Branch’s Alchemist selection. The branch will choose two Alchemists for a competition at the main branch, with access to its scripture repository as the reward. Jun agrees because he has already promised to help her.
• On the way to the branch’s secluded mountain residence, Feng Mei struggles up the steep trail in high heels. Jun carries her the rest of the way.
• At the residence, Feng Mei’s cousin Feng Zhua insults her and mocks Jun. Jun answers with a string of cutting jokes, provoking Feng Zhua to attack.
• Feng Zhua’s claw strike nearly reaches Jun, but Jun knocks him flying with a slap. He remarks that Feng Zhua’s thick skin hurt his hand.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is shown as both compassionate—his kindness to the young woman inspires viewers—and self-assured. He keeps his promise to Feng Mei, studies the competition’s likely rivals, and remains calm in the face of Feng Zhua’s threats.
• Feng Mei is grateful for Jun’s help and increasingly flustered by their physical closeness when he carries her. She also shows anger and vulnerability when Feng Zhua humiliates her, while worrying that his behavior could drive Jun away.
• Feng Zhua emerges as Feng Mei’s spiteful, entitled rival. Resentful of her, he has previously poached her Alchemist and now publicly degrades her before escalating to violence. His confidence in his martial ability is abruptly overturned by Jun.
• Jun and Feng Mei’s growing trust contrasts with Feng Zhua’s hostility; Jun defends her when she cannot stop the insults herself.

Significant themes

• Kindness and public recognition: Jun’s quiet generosity touches viewers and brings him sudden fame.
• Loyalty and keeping one’s word: Jun helps Feng Mei because he promised to, despite having little personal interest in the reward.
• Humiliation and retaliation: Feng Zhua’s verbal cruelty escalates into physical aggression, while Jun answers both with composure and decisive force.
• Power and overconfidence: Feng Zhua assumes his status and martial skill make him untouchable, but Jun’s strength proves otherwise.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen humiliates Feng Zhua with a single slap, then effortlessly stops his furious counterattack by holding a Tree Needle to his throat. Feng Zhua backs down, though he resolves to restore his pride during the alchemy event.
• A robed alchemist tells Feng Zhua that Jun Wangchen is likely representing Feng Mei and assumes someone so young cannot be a skilled alchemist.
• Feng Qianyuan, the collateral branch’s powerful head and a grandmaster alchemist, arrives and briefly studies Jun Wangchen, sensing that he is unusually composed and difficult to assess. He sends everyone to the Alchemy Plaza for the selection event.
• At the plaza, thirty alchemists prepare to compete under supervision. Feng Mei stays apart because her parents have not come. Jun Wangchen tries to comfort her, unaware of how deeply her family rejects her.
• Feng Zhua tells his parents about being struck. His mother plots to sabotage Jun Wangchen’s mechanical pill furnace by remotely altering its flame temperature. His father initially objects but ultimately does not stop her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen displays overwhelming martial skill and composure, warning Feng Zhua not to underestimate others. He also shows concern for Feng Mei, though he misunderstands the severity of her family situation.
• Feng Mei grows more impressed by Jun Wangchen and remains determined to befriend him. Her quiet disappointment at her parents’ absence reveals her painful family circumstances.
• Feng Zhua shifts from arrogant confidence to humiliation and fear, then clings to the hope of defeating Jun Wangchen through alchemy.
• Feng Zhua’s parents respond to his injury with resentment. His mother escalates the conflict by proposing sabotage, while his father’s reluctant silence allows the scheme to proceed.
• Feng Qianyuan recognizes that Jun Wangchen may be exceptional, setting him apart from the others who dismiss him based on his age.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus ability: Jun Wangchen’s frail appearance and youth conceal formidable martial and alchemical potential.
• Pride, humiliation, and revenge: Feng Zhua’s wounded pride drives the coming conflict.
• Family rejection and loyalty: Feng Mei’s parents’ absence contrasts with Feng Zhua’s parents’ fierce support.
• Fairness versus ambition: The planned sabotage threatens the selection’s integrity and reveals how personal grudges can undermine a competition meant to identify talent.

Key plot points and events

• The Alchemist Selection Event begins. Thirty participants have two hours to refine Youth-Restoring and Body-Tempering Pills; the two fastest producers of the highest-quality pills will advance.
• Jun Wangchen’s furnace repeatedly extinguishes his spiritual flames. He realizes Feng Zhua is remotely sabotaging it, but the officials dismiss his complaint when another alchemist tests the furnace successfully.
• Jun counters by drawing a Seal that blocks Feng Zhua’s control. His furnace then burns normally, despite Feng Zhua repeatedly trying to shut it down.
• Jun demonstrates remarkable skill by placing all four Youth-Restoring Pill ingredients into the furnace at once and controlling separate flame temperatures to extract each essence.
• Within five minutes, he completes a pill and immediately begins another. His speed and precision astonish the other contestants and Feng Qianyuan, the event’s alchemy grandmaster.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen remains calm under sabotage and mockery, revealing a powerful defensive technique and alchemical ability far beyond what his apparent rank suggests.
• Feng Zhua shifts from smug confidence to shock when his remote control fails.
• Feng Mei worries when Jun appears unable to work, then feels relieved when his flames catch.
• Feng Qianyuan is stunned to see Jun perform a feat he believes exceeds even his own capabilities.

Significant themes

• Skill and knowledge can defy rank: Jun’s specialized teachings let him accomplish what others consider impossible.
• Composure under pressure: He ignores ridicule and responds to sabotage strategically.
• Unfairness and perseverance: Feng Zhua’s cheating threatens Jun’s chance, but Jun finds a way to continue.

Character interactions

• Feng Zhua sabotages Jun’s furnace and taunts him; nearby alchemists join in the mockery.
• Jun reports the problem to the black-clad official, who tests the furnace and rejects his claim.
• Feng Mei silently cheers Jun on from outside the barrier.
• Jun’s extraordinary performance draws the attention—and amazement—of the contestants and Feng Qianyuan.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen calmly finishes all five Youth-Restoring Pills and five Body-Tempering Pills in just thirty minutes, far faster than the other contestants. Though several observers assume he sacrificed quality for speed, he places the ten pills on the inspection table.
• The two-hour selection event ends, and Feng Qianyuan inspects the contestants’ pills one by one. He gives detailed, constructive feedback; most contestants have mixed or poor results.
• The robed alchemist, who finished second, earns praise when all eight of his pills pass inspection, each with about forty percent medicinal efficacy. Feng Zhua smugly treats this as proof that his favored contestant will do well.
• Jun’s turn comes last. His ten pills are beautifully formed and bear vivid pill patterns. Feng Qianyuan judges them to have an extraordinary eighty percent medicinal efficacy, prompting amazement from the crowd.
• Feng Mei’s confidence in Jun is vindicated, while Feng Zhua and his mother are stunned. Before Feng Qianyuan can announce the two qualifiers, the robed alchemist objects, claiming Jun’s pills could not have been made by him.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains composed and modest despite skepticism and attention. He finds the assigned pills too easy, but his exceptional results reveal his mastery.
• Feng Mei moves from anxiety to confidence and then to relief and excitement. She thanks Jun and trusts his ability rather than judging him by his speed.
• Feng Qianyuan is impressed by Jun’s calm, talent, and humility. He also demonstrates fairness and generosity by offering guidance to unsuccessful contestants.
• Feng Zhua continues to mock Jun and expects him to fail; the inspection overturns his confidence and leaves him speechless.
• The robed alchemist is proud of his own strong performance, but when Jun’s results surpass it, he challenges their legitimacy.
• Feng Zhua’s mother is likewise shocked that Jun produced patterned pills despite earlier interference with the furnace.

Significant themes

• Skill versus appearances: Jun’s speed is mistaken for carelessness, but the quality of his pills proves otherwise.
• Humility and composure: Jun’s restraint contrasts with the taunts and boasting around him.
• Merit and fair judgment: Feng Qianyuan evaluates everyone carefully and offers useful advice, while the final objection threatens to turn the contest from assessment into accusation.
• Talent and expectation: Jun’s patterned pills far exceed what is expected of someone at his level, reshaping how others view him.
  The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as the robed alchemist disputes that Jun made the pills.

Key plot points and events

• A robed Alchemist accuses Jun Wangchen of cheating in the earlier alchemy competition, arguing that his speed and marked pills exceed what an Apprentice Alchemist should manage.
• Feng Zhua and his mother press for Jun to be tested, claiming they must protect the collateral branch’s reputation. Jun calmly agrees, more interested in getting to lunch than arguing.
• The robed Alchemist challenges Jun to a contest testing pill-seed stimulation and medicinal-herb identification. They wager that the loser will accept the winner’s chosen punishment; Jun demands that the robed Alchemist slap himself a hundred times and descend the mountain on his knees if he loses.
• Feng Qianyuan oversees the test. The robed Alchemist identifies his seed as a Blue Branch Seed and stimulates it to nine inches.
• Jun’s seed appears to grow slowly, prompting the crowd to doubt him. It then suddenly reaches twelve inches. Jun explains that it is actually a Green Branch Seed, which must first be nourished with spiritual power. The gathered Alchemists confirm his identification.
• Feng Qianyuan declares Jun the winner, noting that the test assessed both stimulation and seed identification. The robed Alchemist honors the wager, slapping himself a hundred times before crawling down the mountain—then loses his footing and tumbles down it.
• The crowd’s suspicion gives way to admiration for Jun’s knowledge and potential.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains unruffled by accusations and responds with mocking humor. His accurate identification of the seed reveals that his alchemical knowledge is far greater than others assumed.
• Feng Mei defends Jun and worries when his seed appears to stall, then celebrates his victory.
• The robed Alchemist moves from confident accuser to humiliated loser after misidentifying the seed and underestimating Jun.
• Feng Zhua and his mother use concern for the collateral branch’s standing to push for scrutiny of Jun, though their hostility is apparent.
• Feng Qianyuan acts as a fair witness, sets the test, and publicly confirms Jun’s result.
• The crowd shifts from doubt to awe as Jun proves his ability in front of everyone.

Significant themes

• Knowledge over appearances: Jun’s success depends not merely on raw power but on recognizing the seed’s true identity and knowing how to handle it.
• Fairness and accountability: The test settles the accusation, while the wager forces the accuser to accept the consequences of his own challenge.
• Talent and prejudice: Jun’s exceptional performance is initially treated as evidence of cheating, showing how unusual ability can provoke suspicion.
• Pride and humiliation: The robed Alchemist’s confidence collapses into public embarrassment, capped by his accidental tumble down the mountain.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen and the robed Alchemist are selected to represent their side at the Direct-Line Alchemy Competition. Feng Qianyuan honors his promise and lets them and their employers enter the scripture repository.
• Feng Mei chooses a charm-technique manual and thanks Jun. He encourages her to ignore gossip and live for herself, giving her a newfound confidence.
• Jun’s mother, Shen Luoying, calls him home for his uncle’s birthday and to discuss a road project that threatens their backyard. Jun plans to help his family by rebuilding their house and brings his uncle a valuable jade-bearing stone and 300,000 yuan.
• On arriving home, Jun finds a group of men pressuring his mother to accept half the government’s stated demolition compensation. When she refuses, they threaten and try to force her to sign.
• Jun intervenes by hurling his money case at one attacker, then easily defeats two more with his cultivator’s strength. He seizes the yellow-haired ringleader as the man invokes the rule of law.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen shows growing confidence in his abilities, warmth toward Feng Mei, and deep affection—and guilt—over having neglected his mother. His protective instincts quickly take over when she is threatened.
• Feng Mei shifts from gratitude and hesitation toward renewed self-assurance after Jun’s advice.
• Shen Luoying stands up to the men over the unfair compensation, though she fears for her son once violence begins.
• The yellow-haired man is revealed as a bully who relies on intimidation and claims of police protection; his bravado collapses when Jun confronts him.

Themes

• Self-worth and independence: Jun urges Feng Mei not to let gossip define her life.
• Family duty and gratitude: Jun wants to provide for his mother and repay his uncle’s kindness.
• Abuse of authority and injustice: The demolition crew exploits its power and threatens Shen Luoying over compensation.
• Strength and accountability: Jun uses his extraordinary power to defend his mother, while exposing the hypocrisy of a lawbreaker appealing to legality.

Character interactions

• Jun and Feng Mei share a moment of sincere appreciation, interrupted before she can fully respond by his mother’s call.
• Jun’s memories of his uncle’s past kindness motivate his plans for a generous birthday gift.
• Shen Luoying refuses to yield to the demolition crew; Jun arrives just in time to protect her.
• Jun reassures his mother, then confronts the men. The chapter ends with him lifting the ringleader by the throat as the latter tries to invoke the rule of law.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen nearly strangles Huang, the yellow-haired demolition enforcer, after finding him threatening his mother, Shen Luoying, over unfair compensation. Shen intervenes, reminding Jun that killing someone would bring serious legal consequences; Jun releases Huang.
• Jun confronts Huang about the compensation being cut from the government’s stated 200 yuan per square meter to 100 yuan, and demands to know who is behind the scheme. Huang initially refuses, but Manager Zheng arrives with dozens of men before he can reveal anything.
• Zheng denies wrongdoing, accuses Jun of obstructing government work, and orders his men to seize him. Jun produces the family’s contract as evidence, but Zheng calls it forged and escalates the threat.
• Jun sends his mother inside and prepares to face the crowd. Before the confrontation turns violent, he receives a call from Mo Xinao, asking him to examine his son, whose health has suddenly worsened.
• Jun explains the situation and learns that Lai’s Demolition Company belongs to the Mo family. Mo promises to resolve the matter within a minute.
• At the hospital, Mo confronts Lai Chengtian, the demolition company’s owner, and orders him to stop his men and personally make amends to Jun. Lai immediately sets off for Baijia Town and orders his secretary to halt Zheng.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen shows formidable strength and a willingness to use violence, but restrains himself when reminded of the law. He is protective of his mother and seeks a solution that avoids bringing her into legal trouble.
• Shen Luoying is frightened for her son and lacks proof to counter the demolition workers’ denials, but remains outspoken in defending her family.
• Huang and Manager Zheng shift from bullying confidence to fear as they realize Jun can resist them and may have evidence against them. Zheng nevertheless tries to exploit the authority of the government and the size of his force.
• Mo Xinao is deeply indebted to Jun for saving his son and acts decisively to protect and befriend him. Lai Chengtian, previously unaware of his employees’ actions, becomes terrified of the consequences and rushes to contain the crisis.

Significant themes

• Power and justice: The demolition workers exploit their connections and intimidate residents, while Jun’s strength—and later Mo’s influence—are needed to challenge them.
• Law versus revenge: Jun wants to punish the men but holds back because of the legal consequences, especially for his mother’s sake.
• Corruption and exploitation: Neighbors’ accounts suggest the unfair compensation scheme affects multiple families and may involve bribery.
• Loyalty and reciprocity: Mo’s gratitude for Jun saving his son turns into immediate assistance when Jun is in trouble.

Character interactions

• Shen restrains Jun from killing Huang and later tries to defend their family against Zheng’s accusations.
• Jun interrogates Huang, challenges Zheng’s false claims, and reassures his mother before sending her to safety.
• Jun and Mo negotiate help over the phone; Jun names Lai’s company, and Mo responds by confronting its owner.
• Mo threatens Lai, who in turn orders his staff to stop Zheng’s men—setting up a rapid reversal of the confrontation in Baijia Town.

Key plot points

• At Jun Wangchen’s home, a demolition-company crew prepares to force his mother, Shen Luoying, to sign an unfair contract. Jun is ready to fight, but Manager Zheng Dechun abruptly calls his men back after receiving an urgent warning from his boss’s secretary: do not touch anyone named Jun Wangchen.
• Lai Chengtian, the company’s billionaire boss, arrives, strikes Zheng, and apologizes deferentially to Jun. He confirms that Mo Xinao sent him to resolve the situation.
• Lai offers a million yuan for emotional distress and ten times the official demolition rate. Jun refuses the excess compensation and insists that Zheng and the yellow-haired ringleader apologize sincerely to his mother. Under pressure, both men bow and eventually kneel.
• Shen Luoying asks Jun to let the matter go. Jun explains privately that Lai’s deference comes from Jun having saved the son of an important man connected to Lai’s company. Reassured, she accepts their apologies but refuses the million-yuan payment.
• Jun gives Lai the contract as evidence that Zheng and his associate colluded with local police to cheat residents on compensation. He tells Lai to deal with the misconduct and leaves with his mother.
• After they depart, Lai orders Zheng to resign and disclose everything about the police bribery. He reveals that Jun saved Mo Xinao’s son, leaving Zheng and the yellow-haired man horrified by the power they had unknowingly provoked.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains calm and controlled despite the threat, using his influence to protect his mother and expose broader wrongdoing. He rejects a personal windfall but insists on accountability and fair treatment.
• Shen Luoying shifts from alarmed and protective to bewildered by her son’s influence, then proud once he explains its source. Her compassion leads her to forgive the men, though she remains uncomfortable accepting money.
• Lai Chengtian changes from an intimidating company boss to a fearful, ingratiating mediator. He is eager to satisfy Jun and later acts decisively against his employees to protect his own position.
• Zheng Dechun and the yellow-haired man go from threatening and arrogant to terrified, repeatedly apologizing and kneeling once they realize Jun’s connections.
• The central interaction is the contrast between Jun’s quiet authority and the company men’s sudden submission; Jun ultimately lets his mother decide how far to pursue their apology.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Jun’s hidden connection to the Mo Family reverses the balance of power instantly.
• Family loyalty: Jun’s anger is driven by the threat to his mother, while Shen Luoying’s concern is ultimately for her son’s welfare.
• Justice versus revenge: Jun demands apologies and an investigation into exploitation, but respects his mother’s wish to show mercy.
• Integrity and restraint: Jun refuses excessive compensation, choosing fairness for local residents over personal gain.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen arrives in Baijia Town with Shen Luoying for his eldest uncle Shen Xin’an’s birthday banquet. Xin’an welcomes him warmly, and they chat while Luoying helps in the kitchen.
• Xin’an asks Wangchen typical family questions about school and dating. Wangchen’s inner monologue turns the conversation into exaggerated, shameless boasts about his looks and romantic appeal.
• Wangchen’s younger uncle Shen Licheng and Licheng’s wife, Ou Xin, arrive unexpectedly. Wangchen suspects they have an ulterior motive, given their history of neglecting the family and their habit of looking down on poorer relatives.
• Licheng insults Wangchen’s education, his mother’s job, and their finances. Xin’an rebukes the couple, but they continue to signal their contempt.
• Licheng reveals an expensive water-type jadeite pendant—worth roughly 70,000–80,000 yuan—as Xin’an’s birthday gift. The relatives admire it, and Xin’an gratefully accepts.
• Licheng then pointedly asks what Luoying and Wangchen have brought, drawing everyone’s attention to them and setting up a public comparison between the gifts.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen is affectionate toward Xin’an and initially keeps his anger in check, but Licheng’s insults prompt him to respond coolly and challenge the couple’s boastfulness. His comic inner monologue portrays him as vain and irreverent.
• Shen Xin’an is warm and welcoming toward Wangchen, values the thought behind a gift rather than its cost, and firmly defends him and Luoying against Licheng’s taunts.
• Shen Licheng and Ou Xin are presented as wealthy, status-conscious, and spiteful. Their expensive gift is both a gesture toward Xin’an and a means of flaunting their wealth and humiliating Luoying’s family.
• Shen Luoying remains composed in the face of the couple’s pointed mockery, though their remarks visibly upset her.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and old grudges: Licheng’s long-running conflict with Luoying affects the whole family, while Xin’an tries to keep the younger generation out of the elders’ feud.
• Wealth and status: The relatives’ reactions to the costly pendant show how money shapes social standing and comparisons within the family.
• Thoughtfulness versus showmanship: Xin’an says a gift’s meaning matters more than its price, while Licheng uses his gift to display wealth and provoke Luoying.
• Filial duty and resentment: Wangchen’s account of Licheng and Ou Xin’s absence when the grandparents were ill and died underscores the gap between their public generosity and their past conduct.

Character interactions

• Xin’an and Wangchen share a friendly, teasing conversation, while Luoying helps with the birthday preparations.
• Xin’an repeatedly intervenes when Licheng and Ou Xin insult Wangchen and Luoying.
• Licheng and Ou Xin use their gift and remarks to belittle Luoying’s family in front of the gathered relatives.
• Wangchen challenges Licheng’s haughty tone, while the relatives watch the growing tension and wait to see what gift Luoying and Wangchen have brought.

Plot and events

At Shen Xin’an’s birthday luncheon, Shen Licheng and his wife, Ou Xin, mock Shen Luoying for bringing only a modest red envelope and milk. Jun Wangchen steps in and presents Shen Xin’an with a small stone, claiming it is jadeite. The relatives laugh, and Shen Licheng and Ou Xin accuse him of making a fool of his uncle.
Jun challenges them to a bet: if the stone proves to be premium jadeite, they must kneel and apologize to his mother for years of insults; if he is wrong, he will serve Shen Licheng for life. Shen Licheng accepts, confident the stone is worthless. Jun scrapes its surface with a pocketknife, revealing vivid green jade. Shen Xin’an recognizes it as glass-type imperial green jadeite.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen is calm and defiant under pressure. He turns the family’s mockery into a direct challenge, making clear that defending his mother’s dignity matters more to him than the risk of losing.
• Shen Luoying is embarrassed by the family’s contempt but remains protective of her son. She is unsure whether his confidence is justified and tries to stop him from escalating the conflict.
• Shen Licheng and Ou Xin use their wealth and status to belittle Luoying and Jun. Their certainty that Jun is a fraud sets them up for a humiliating reversal.
• Shen Xin’an tries to preserve family harmony and give Jun a graceful way out, but his skepticism gives way to astonishment when the jade is revealed.

Themes

• Dignity and family loyalty: Jun’s wager is framed as a defense of his mother against years of mistreatment.
• Appearances versus reality: A stone dismissed as worthless contains exceptionally valuable jade.
• Arrogance and humiliation: Licheng and Ou Xin’s confidence and cruelty make the emerging jade a sharp reversal of fortune.
• Wealth and worth: The scene contrasts expensive gifts and status with the unexpected value of Jun’s humble-looking offering.

Character interactions

Licheng and Ou Xin jointly shame Luoying, while Jun answers their insults with sarcasm and then challenges them to stake their pride on the stone’s value. Luoying tries to restrain Jun and apologizes to Xin’an; Xin’an responds kindly but cautiously. Once the green jade appears, the relatives’ ridicule turns to stunned silence, and the bet’s outcome remains unresolved at the chapter’s end.