Chapter Summaries

Li Chen received a new mission to visit the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall and began planning a journey that would also take him to the Eternal Day Empire. Prince Morris delivered the Pope’s reply and tried to discuss Heavenly Strategy’s new mobile phone chip, but Li Chen had already made the empire’s trade plans irrelevant.

• Li Chen spent the night with Consort Yi, who wore Li Sining’s pale purple dress, then avoided joining Li Sining when she went to visit her mother.
• Li Chen received a system mission to enter the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall’s Library Pavilion and learn a cultivation art, and he planned to visit the Eternal Day Empire as well.
• Eunuch Cui informed Li Chen that Prince Morris had requested an audience, and Morris delivered the Pope’s letter.
• Li Chen asked after the Pope’s health, and Morris said the Pope was well but had been losing sleep because of the Holy See’s workload.
• Morris asked about Heavenly Strategy’s mobile phone chip, and Li Chen revealed that the empire had developed a substitute instead of importing crystals from Everlasting Day.
• Morris reported that Everlasting Day’s railway had entered service with help from Heavenly Strategy’s technical support.

Li Chen received the Pope’s invitation to visit the Papal Palace and inspect the Amethyst Barrier, while preparing to head south. Meanwhile, Tuoba Zhen served Great Luo while secretly stoking border tensions, hoping to manipulate Li Chen and Luo Hou into giving him a chance to reclaim power.

• Morris left the Imperial City after Li Chen sent his regards to the Pope, and Li Chen read the Pope’s invitation and received an Amethyst Token.
• Li Chen considered the ancient texts about the Immortal, Divine, and Devil races as he prepared to travel south.
• After losing Sacred Mountain City and much of his territory, Tuoba Zhen sought refuge with Luo Hou, who appointed him Northern Frontier General.
• Luo Hou sent Tuoba Zhen and his soldiers into dangerous campaigns, while Tuoba Zhen concealed his anger and feigned loyalty.
• Tuoba Zhen secretly bribed soldiers to provoke clashes along the border, hoping Li Chen would attack Great Luo and leave him room to bargain.
• Tuoba Zhen plotted to reclaim his territory and expand his dominion, while Li Chen visited his mother and consorts whenever northern intelligence arrived.

Li Chen settled the border dispute by writing to Luo Hou and announced he would travel south to the Eternal Day Empire, choosing Xuan Ji to accompany him. Before leaving, he visited Tang Shan's Mother and the Tang Family, while Dai's Mother secretly urged Dai Xiaoyao to seek Li Chen's favor.

• Li Chen rejected calls from Guo Poyun to launch a Northern Expedition and decided to send Luo Hou a letter, leaving Han Wu to handle border affairs.
• Li Chen told Zhao Wenyuan and Guo Poyun he would head south, then selected Xuan Ji to accompany him to the Eternal Day Empire.
• Xuan Ji presented Li Chen with a booklet on the Eternal Day Empire's customs and etiquette.
• Li Chen asked Tang Shan's Mother whether she wished to visit her sect, but she said she was content to remain with him; after he left, Dai's Mother sent Dai Xiaoyao a secret message urging him to seize his chance.
• Li Chen visited the prosperous Tang Family incognito, where Liu Yuran told him that Madam Su had joined the Ladies' Club and promised he would like her figure.

Tang Shan returned to find the Tang Family prosperous under Tang Yue, while Li Chen and Xuan Ji headed south. Dai Xiaoyao arranged a gift for Li Chen and met him in Abyss-Facing City, where he persuaded Li Chen to visit the Starfall Kingdom after first going to the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall.

• Tang Shan returned from his training journey, and Tang Yue claimed he had expanded the family business through connections with the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.
• Li Chen quietly left for the south with Xuan Ji while the Tang Family prepared another encounter for him.
• Dai Xiaoyao decided to offer He Ying to Li Chen and rode to Qingtian Pavilion to invite her to host an important guest.
• He Ying agreed to welcome Dai Xiaoyao's guest, unaware that he intended her to be a gift for Li Chen.
• Dai Xiaoyao waited for Li Chen at Sea-Viewing Tower in Abyss-Facing City and invited him to the Starfall Kingdom.
• Li Chen agreed to visit after going to the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall, and Dai Xiaoyao offered to accompany him.

Li Chen returned the Immortal Token to Yuan Tianhe and secured Dai Xiaoyao permission to study a cultivation art at the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall. After completing a system quest in the Library Pavilion, Li Chen visited the sect’s recruitment tournament and offered his Sidearm Sword as the champion’s prize.

• Li Chen returned the Immortal Token to Yuan Tianhe, who welcomed him and his companions to the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall.
• Li Chen asked Yuan Tianhe to let Dai Xiaoyao study a cultivation art, and Yuan Tianhe granted him access to the Library Pavilion.
• Li Chen quickly grasped the essence of the incomplete Eight Gates Wilds Sword Canon and completed the system quest First Acquaintance with the Sects.
• Li Chen joined Yuan Tianhe at the sect’s disciple recruitment tournament and offered his Sidearm Sword to the champion.

Li Chen traveled to Starfall Kingdom with Dai Xiaoyao and was welcomed by He Ying at Qingtian Pavilion. After sharing wine and conversation with her, he asked her to teach him her palm techniques.

• At the Eight Gates Heaven-Sundering Hall, an unassuming gray-clad boy won twelve consecutive matches and claimed the competition's crown.
• Li Chen exchanged courtesies with Yuan Tianhe, then departed south with Dai Xiaoyao and his party by railway.
• Dai Xiaoyao brought Li Chen to Qingtian Pavilion, where He Ying welcomed him with a banquet.
• Li Chen impressed He Ying with amusing cultivation stories, while Dai Xiaoyao repeatedly excused himself from the table.
• After three rounds of wine, Li Chen asked He Ying to instruct him in her palm techniques.

Li Chen sparred with He Ying and revealed that he had reached the peak of the saint realm, leaving her mortified after she had tried to guide him. He invited her to accompany him to the Holy See, and she agreed to set out with him the next day.

• He Ying sparred with Li Chen, first offering him pointers before fighting seriously when his perfectly timed moves left her flustered.
• After fifty exchanges, He Ying asked Li Chen's realm, and he revealed he was at the peak of the saint realm.
• Dai Xiaoyao returned and learned that He Ying had not known Li Chen's strength; he suggested she accompany Li Chen south as an apology.
• He Ying brought Li Chen a late-night meal, and he told her the Pope had personally invited him to the Holy See in the Eternal Day Empire.
• He Ying asked whether she could go without an invitation, and Li Chen agreed that they would leave together the next day.
• That night, Li Chen directed all his attention toward Xuan Ji.

Li Chen and He Ying traveled south to the Hundred Flowers Sect, where their journey stretched from three days to eight as Li Chen kept her occupied. After arriving, Li Chen met sect leader Hua Rumeng and decided to stay a few more days among the women the sect had taken in.

• He Ying accompanied Li Chen south, and their repeated palm-technique sessions and overnight encounters delayed the trip for eight days.
• Hua Rumeng welcomed Li Chen and learned he had reached the peak of the saint realm.
• Hua Rumeng showed Li Chen around the Hundred Flowers Sect, including its hot spring and the women who had lost their families or husbands to war.
• Li Chen told He Ying he wanted to stay a few more days, and she understood his intention and arranged their lodgings.

Hua Rumeng discovered He Ying and Li Chen together in the Hundred-Flower Spring, then confronted He Ying, who claimed Li Chen had been teaching her palm techniques. He Ying arranged for Hua Rumeng to seek Li Chen’s guidance in sword techniques, and Li Chen wondered what an emperor was supposed to do.

• Hua Rumeng arranged for Li Chen, He Ying, and Xuan Ji to stay in her private courtyard before tending to sect affairs.
• He Ying invited Li Chen to the Hundred-Flower Spring, where the two practiced palm techniques together.
• Hua Rumeng returned to the courtyard, saw He Ying and Li Chen in the spring, and hurried away.
• Hua Rumeng questioned He Ying, who claimed Li Chen had taught her palm techniques and then suggested Hua Rumeng ask him for sword guidance.
• He Ying told Li Chen that Hua Rumeng wanted his sword-technique insights, and Li Chen wondered how he had ended up in this situation.

Li Chen gave Hua Rumeng pointers on her swordsmanship, helping her grasp new insights into the Hundred Flowers Sword Art. The next morning, Hua Rumeng sparred with He Ying and learned that Li Chen had also greatly improved He Ying’s palm techniques.

• At dinner, He Ying told Li Chen and Xuan Ji that Hua Rumeng had once hoped to become Yangci Daoist’s nominal disciple, and Xuan Ji revealed that Yangci had ties to Li Chen.
• Hua Rumeng asked Li Chen for sword guidance, and he corrected several details as she demonstrated the Hundred Flowers Sword Art.
• After dinner, Hua Rumeng practiced Li Chen’s corrections and saw the sword art’s final form begin to reveal itself, while her strikes damaged the hall’s pillars.
• The next morning, Hua Rumeng challenged He Ying to a spar in the Martial Arena, but He Ying evaded her attacks and teased her with powerful palm techniques.
• He Ying explained that Li Chen had corrected her shortcomings, leaving Hua Rumeng impressed by his skill and wondering whether his guidance could improve her abilities too.

Hua Rumeng sought Li Chen’s swordsmanship guidance and was astonished by his skill and restraint, then trained until her abilities improved. After challenging He Ying and losing, she learned He Ying had reached the Heavenly Abyss Realm, and a disciple brought Hua Rumeng a letter from her husband.

• Hua Rumeng visited Li Chen for swordsmanship guidance, and he demonstrated a single stroke that parted the steam, water, and plants without harming them.
• Hua Rumeng practiced Li Chen’s sword technique, gained a measure of its essence, and sought his instruction day after day as her swordsmanship improved.
• Hua Rumeng challenged He Ying at the Martial Arena, but He Ying countered her sword wind with palm wind and defeated her.
• He Ying revealed that Li Chen had guided her to break through into the Heavenly Abyss Realm, leaving Hua Rumeng stunned and angry.
• A Hundred Flowers Sect disciple brought Hua Rumeng a letter from her husband, and Hua Rumeng eagerly asked to read it.

Hua Rumeng sought Li Chen's guidance to prove she could strengthen the Hundred Flowers Sect, and she broke through to the heavenly abyss realm after spending the night with him. She left determined to keep seeking his guidance and eventually reach the saint realm.

• Hua Rumeng felt insulted by her husband's letter suggesting she return home and let the Azure Qilin Empire manage her sect, so she resolved to prove herself by advancing her cultivation.
• Hua Rumeng brought a jar of Daughter's Red to Li Chen and asked him to help her break through to the heavenly abyss realm.
• Li Chen said the breakthrough required close physical guidance, and Hua Rumeng agreed to proceed despite the risk to her reputation.
• Hua Rumeng spent the night with Li Chen and broke through to the heavenly abyss realm, then limped out the next morning.
• He Ying revealed that she had reached the mid-heavenly abyss realm and teased Hua Rumeng, who decided to keep seeking Li Chen's guidance.

After sparring, Hua Rumeng and He Ying discussed her swordsmanship, and Li Chen invited both women to visit Heavenly Strategy with him. In the Imperial Capital, Yangci Daoist showed off Heavenly Strategy’s power to southern cultivators, then entered the Imperial Prison to visit Heaven-Topping High Person.

• After sparring, Hua Rumeng asked He Ying whether her swordsmanship could ever match Yangci Daoist’s, and He Ying teased her about cultivating with Li Chen.
• Li Chen arrived, embraced Hua Rumeng and He Ying, and invited them to Heavenly Strategy to meet Yangci Daoist; Hua Rumeng and He Ying reacted with anticipation and uncertainty.
• In the Imperial Stud, Yangci Daoist showed visiting southern cultivators his phone and described the talented workers and abundant resources of Heavenly Strategy.
• Yangci Daoist decided to visit Heaven-Topping High Person in prison and received Li Chen’s permission to go.
• Yangci Daoist followed a Ministry of Justice official to the cell, where he saw the ragged Heaven-Topping High Person raise his head in surprise.

Yangci Daoist visited his fallen former mentor, Heaven-Topping High Person, in the Imperial Prison before returning to his new life in Heavenly Strategy. At the Hundred Flowers Sect, Mo Tianxing and allied sects demanded Madam Liu and her daughter, but Li Chen arrived and revealed his Saint Realm power as the confrontation began.

• Yangci Daoist visited Heaven-Topping High Person in prison, and the two exchanged words about Yangci Daoist’s new position at the Imperial Stud.
• Yangci Daoist returned home and thought of inviting Mo Tianxing to find a position in Heavenly Strategy, unaware that Mo Tianxing was besieging the Hundred Flowers Sect.
• Mo Tianxing demanded that Hua Rumeng surrender Madam Liu, whom he accused of being married to an Azure Mist Sect traitor, while Hua Rumeng refused to hand her over.
• Madam Liu pleaded for the Hundred Flowers Sect to be spared and asked that her daughter be protected, but Hua Rumeng challenged Mo Tianxing to a fight.
• Hua Rumeng fought Mo Tianxing evenly for dozens of exchanges before he wounded her and renewed his threat to destroy the sect.
• Li Chen arrived at the gates, declared that he was in the Saint Realm, and caused the sky to darken and the void to shatter.

Li Chen drove Mo Tianxing and the other attackers away from the Hundred Flowers Sect with his overwhelming power, then reminded Hua Rumeng that she owed him a favor. After witnessing how Hua Rumeng and He Ying repaid that debt, Madam Liu considered leaving but was persuaded by He Ying to repay it herself that night.

• Li Chen overwhelmed the attackers with his Saint Stage aura, forced Mo Tianxing to kneel, and sent him away after naming Heavenly Strategy as his sect.
• Mo Tianxing threatened the Hundred Flowers Sect after Li Chen left, then hurried away with his followers when Hua Rumeng and He Ying mocked him.
• Madam Liu thanked Hua Rumeng for defending her and her daughter, then decided to leave the sect to avoid causing Hua Rumeng more trouble.
• Madam Liu overheard Hua Rumeng and He Ying with Li Chen that night and spent the rest of the night unable to sleep.
• He Ying teased Madam Liu the next morning and suggested that she repay her debt to Hua Rumeng herself that night.

Madam Liu sought Li Chen’s protection for her daughter and joined the women competing for his favor, delaying the party’s departure from the Hundred Flowers Sect. When they finally reached the Eternal Day Empire, Li Chen used his Amethyst Token to gain entry under the Holy See’s authority.

• He Ying persuaded Madam Liu to approach Li Chen for protection, and Madam Liu dressed seductively before going to see him.
• Madam Liu offered Li Chen a massage, and the other women at the Hundred Flowers Sect competed to entertain him.
• Li Chen stayed at the Hundred Flowers Sect for more than ten days, and the party departed with a convoy of beautiful women.
• At the Eternal Day Empire’s border, guards demanded the convoy’s Pass Permit, but Li Chen presented his Amethyst Token.
• The guard captain recognized Li Chen as an honored guest of the Holy See, apologized, and let the convoy enter.

Li Chen learned about the Eternal Day Empire’s rigid caste system before Young Master Alfred invited him and his companions to Rose Manor with predatory intentions. Li Chen accepted, and the chapter ended as Alfred introduced his five wives at the manor’s banquet hall.

• At the Golden Rose, Hans explained the four castes and how joining the Holy See could allow someone to rise in rank.
• Young Master Alfred arrived, took an interest in the women at Li Chen’s table, and invited the group to Rose Manor.
• Li Chen accepted Alfred’s invitation despite Hans’s anxious warnings, telling Madam Liu that there would be a good show that night.
• Alfred’s carriages led Li Chen and his companions to Rose Manor, where Alfred welcomed them and showed off the estate.
• Alfred introduced his five wives, led by his first wife, Gwyneth.

At Alfred’s banquet, Li Chen revealed an Amethyst Token and was mistaken for a member of the Pope’s personal guard, forcing Alfred to abandon his scheme against Li Chen’s companions and lavish him with hospitality. Li Chen then summoned Gwyneth and claimed to sense a faint Holy Light within her.

• Alfred used Gwyneth and Sophia to distract Li Chen while probing his business background, then suggested the women go to the rear garden where his men were waiting.
• Li Chen dropped an Amethyst Token, and a maid recognized it as the Holy See’s highest-ranking token; Alfred and his wives immediately showed him deference.
• Li Chen ordered the kneeling maids to rise, and Alfred excused himself before giving Li Chen the finest hospitality and a luxurious room.
• Li Chen decided to keep playing the role of a Pope’s personal guard and summoned Gwyneth to his room.
• Li Chen told Gwyneth that he sensed a faint Holy Light within her, and Gwyneth reacted with delighted disbelief.

Alfred tried to ambush Li Chen, but discovered he was supposedly a personal guard of the Pope and dared not oppose him. Li Chen spent the night with Alfred’s first wife, Gwyneth, then demonstrated that he had given her sacred energy, leaving Alfred and the other wives astonished.

• Alfred ordered more than thirty guards to seize Li Chen, then dismissed them after claiming Li Chen was one of the Pope’s personal guards.
• Alfred summoned Gwyneth to his bedroom, but learned that Li Chen had called for her instead.
• Alfred heard suggestive sounds from Li Chen’s guest room and waited outside, too afraid of the Pope’s authority to intervene.
• Li Chen later explained that he had altered a cultivation method and used Saint Realm energy to give Gwyneth a temporary supply of sacred power.
• The next morning, Gwyneth showed Alfred and the other wives the sacred energy in her palm and praised Li Chen, while Alfred reconsidered what had happened the night before.

Li Chen’s supposed holy light won over Alfred’s wives, and Alfred challenged Gwyneth to expose him as a fraud. Gwyneth’s devastating attack proved the power was real, leaving Alfred gravely injured while she hurried off to replenish her holy light.

• After Alfred left to fetch wine, Sophia persuaded Li Chen to give her a private examination, and Alfred overheard her praising his holy light.
• At dinner, Alfred’s remaining wives eagerly sought Li Chen’s holy light, while Alfred hid his jealousy and let them approach him.
• On the third morning, Alfred challenged Gwyneth to spar at the Glory Court, convinced he could expose Li Chen’s tricks.
• Gwyneth unleashed Holy Light Judgment, blasted Alfred through trees and a statue, and shattered the foundation of his meridians.
• Gwyneth worried that she had spent more than half her holy light and ran to find Li Chen, while Pedro helped Alfred ask to be carried back.