Chapter Summaries

After dying as a star, Si Chen awoke reincarnated as a human infant. His new family named him, beginning his struggle to learn how to be a person.

• The sun watched life flourish and vanish on a blue planet, growing indifferent over billions of years.
• A young, black-haired human met the sun’s gaze before disappearing with his companions into a place its light could not reach.
• As the sun died, its final expansion destroyed the planet, and its collapse formed a black hole and a new singularity.
• The sun’s consciousness awoke inside a newborn boy and, after being slapped, began crying.
• The boy’s mother hoped he would hold on to hope like starlight, and the family named him Si Chen.

Si Chen grew up as an unnaturally quick-learning but emotionally detached child, and his seven-year aptitude test showed no spiritual roots and only an ordinary root bone. After his uncles demonstrated spell and body cultivation, he effortlessly replicated both techniques, leaving the Si family horrified and amazed.

• Si Chen spent five years learning and observing human customs, startling the Si family with his extraordinary memory and skill while showing little emotion.
• At age seven, Si Chen took the spiritual root and root bone tests, but the Spirit-Testing Stone did not react and the jade showed an ordinary grade.
• Ye Fu comforted Si Chen, and Si Kai said that his son could still manage the family estate despite being unable to cultivate.
• Si Che demonstrated the Fireball Technique and Si Shuo displayed body cultivation for Si Chen.
• Si Chen produced a fireball and destroyed a stone target, then used golden gang qi to smash another target and crack the courtyard wall.

Si Chen amazed the Si Household by copying cultivation techniques despite having never cultivated, and his family ordered him to hide his abilities. He tried to act like an ordinary child when other lineages visited, learning that praise and candy could bring unexpected rewards.

• Si Chen copied the techniques demonstrated by Si Che and Si Shuo, stunning the lineage members despite the Spirit-Testing Stone showing no reaction.
• Third Granduncle ordered everyone to keep Si Chen's abilities secret, and Si Chen said spiritual energy knew where to go on its own.
• Ye Fu asked Si Chen not to reveal his abilities to outsiders, and the elders later attributed his condition to an unknown peerless constitution.
• Si Shuo became Si Chen's bodyguard, and Si Chen stopped himself from breathing fire during a children's game before pretending to lose.
• A girl from the Lin Household gave Si Chen candy and praised his looks, and he complimented her in return.

Si Chen became interested in cultivation after learning that cultivators could ascend to another realm, then reached qi refining ninth layer in two hours. His family decided to conceal his true progress by presenting him as an unparalleled genius who had reached only the third layer, while Si Chen wondered whether cultivation truly meant defying heaven.

• Si Chen studied the Lineage’s cultivation texts and became intrigued by ascension to a higher realm.
• In his first seclusion, Si Chen rapidly reached qi refining ninth layer, stopping just short of foundation establishment to seem ordinary.
• Si Shuo discovered Si Chen’s progress and rushed to alert the Lineage’s core members.
• Si Kai, Ye Fu, Si Che, and the elders debated how to hide Si Chen’s cultivation before deciding to announce that he had reached qi refining third layer.
• Si Chen accepted the explanation as a local rule and later questioned whether heaven and earth objected to cultivation.

Si Chen left the Si Household’s blessed land for his first visit to Cloud Brocade City, where he misunderstood deference to the powerful as universal politeness. After he confronted an arrogant cultivator and the man backed down upon recognizing Si Shuo, Si Chen left believing his manners had helped, and his reputation for being courteous and kindhearted began to spread.

• Si Chen persuaded Ye Fu and Si Kai to let him travel beyond the blessed land, and Si Shuo escorted him to Cloud Brocade City.
• City representatives welcomed Si Shuo and Si Chen, while people throughout the streets greeted them with conspicuous courtesy.
• Si Chen imitated the shopkeeper’s polite manners and concluded that the people of the city were friendly.
• Si Chen questioned why an arrogant young cultivator was bullying a plainly dressed rogue cultivator, then told him to be more polite.
• The young cultivator recognized Si Shuo and withdrew, and Si Chen advised the rogue cultivator to observe proper manners too.
• Si Chen returned to Si Shuo believing he had successfully corrected the conflict, while his reputation for kindness began spreading through the city.

Si Chen established his foundation at seven with effortless ease, astonishing Cloud Brocade City. After mistaking the locals’ self-deprecating politeness for a rule he should imitate, he insulted the Li Household’s young master at a banquet, and Si Shuo hurried him away.

• The Li Household head apologized for his son by giving Si Chen a first-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and Si Chen asked Si Shuo whether foundation establishment required pills.
• Si Chen decided it was time to establish his foundation, entered the Quiet Chamber, and emerged shortly afterward at the early stage of foundation establishment.
• News that Si Chen had established his foundation at seven spread through Cloud Brocade City, bringing a stream of visitors and congratulations.
• Si Chen observed local dignitaries belittling their own cultivation and gifts, and concluded that self-deprecation was a form of polite etiquette.
• At the Li Household’s banquet, Si Chen called his own aptitude dull and said he was ashamed of his inferiority to the Li Household’s young master.
• Si Shuo scooped up Si Chen and left the banquet as guests struggled to contain their laughter.

After Si Chen reached Foundation Establishment, the Si Household sent him a vast trove of resources, and he kept practicing the virtues he had learned. His newfound generosity led him to give away thousands of spirit stones and attract a crowd of would-be beneficiaries, so Si Shuo rushed to take him out of Cloud Brocade City.

• The Si Household sent Si Shuo a storage ring filled with cultivation resources for Si Chen, and Ye Fu reminded her son that his safety and happiness mattered most to her.
• Si Chen practiced propriety and modesty by making awkward compliments and self-deprecating remarks, leaving Si Shuo embarrassed.
• At a charity sale in the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, Si Chen donated more than five thousand spirit stones and called the gift too paltry to offer.
• Inspired by the praise, Si Chen gave spirit stones to people seeking charity and relief around Cloud Brocade City, drawing a crowd of eager followers.
• Si Shuo scooped up Si Chen and warned the crowd away, then left Cloud Brocade City with him aboard the Mystic Boat.

Si Shuo brought Si Chen home from Cloud Brocade City and explained how the boy’s lavish gifts and blunt remarks had caused a stir. Si Kai decided that Si Chen should eventually attend a sect or academy, and Si Chen wondered if it would offer a more interesting world.

• Si Shuo scolded Si Chen aboard the Mystic Boat for giving away spirit stones indiscriminately, but Si Chen apologized so readily that Si Shuo could not stay angry.
• Si Shuo returned Si Chen to the Si Household, where Ye Fu embraced her son and Si Kai noticed the strength of his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• Si Shuo recounted Si Chen’s exploits in Cloud Brocade City to Si Kai, Ye Fu, and Si Che, who laughed at the boy’s remarks and generosity.
• Si Kai accepted that the trip had been useful and suggested finding Si Chen a suitable sect or academy after some time.
• Si Chen wondered whether a sect or academy would be more complicated and interesting than Cloud Brocade City.

The Si Household postponed Si Chen’s sect enrollment while he stabilized his cultivation and discussed the danger of his having no spiritual root. After Si Shuo explained spiritual roots, Si Chen spontaneously grew a thunder spirit root, leaving the family stunned.

• The Si Household decided Si Chen would remain in its blessed grounds until his cultivation and temperament were steadier before attending a sect academy.
• Si Chen reached the Foundation Establishment middle stage after roughly half a month, astonishing Si Che and Si Shuo.
• The elders worried that outsiders would suspect Si Chen of using a treasure or forbidden art if they discovered he had no spiritual roots.
• Si Shuo explained spiritual roots to Si Chen and demonstrated his thunder spirit root with a spark of lightning.
• Si Chen thought he should have a spiritual root, and silvery lightning erupted across his body before he drew it back under control.
• Si Chen told the gathered family that the thunder spirit root had grown on its own, and Si Shuo privately wished to send him away.

After Si Chen’s newly grown thunder spirit root left the Si Household baffled, he realized his rapidly advancing cultivation was overburdening his mortal body. The family agreed to begin the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art, leaving open the possibility that Si Chen would later attempt the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body.

• Si Kai and the Lineage members confirmed that Si Chen had grown a thunder spirit root, while Ye Fu proudly defended him.
• Si Chen sensed that his body could not keep pace with his soul and cultivation, and decided he wanted to remain in his mortal life by making his body sturdier.
• Si Shuo concluded that Si Chen needed body tempering, and Si Che presented the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art and the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body as options.
• Si Chen said he wanted to try both arts, despite the elders warning that their attributes conflicted.
• Si Shuo proposed that Si Chen first use the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art to strengthen his body before deciding whether to attempt the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body.
• Si Kai approved the plan and told Si Chen to stop immediately if anything felt wrong.

After five years of cultivating the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art, Si Chen prepared to face the first tribulation of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body. With his family’s support, he entered the formation as thunder gathered overhead.

• Si Chen spent five years cultivating beneath the courtyard tree, gradually building vitality and restoring his body despite making no progress in cultivation.
• At twelve, Si Chen told Si Kai and Ye Fu that he was ready to try the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body, and Si Kai arranged the preparations.
• Si Shuo gave Si Chen a jade slip describing the deadly Yin Thunder Tribulation, and Si Chen studied it before strengthening his body with the vitality he had accumulated.
• Si Chen’s family accompanied him to the forbidden area, where he sat inside the prepared formation as lightning gathered in the clouds.
• Si Chen sensed the clash between the thunder’s destructive force and the vitality within him, looked up at the sky, and prepared to begin the tribulation.

Si Chen endured the Yin Thunder Tribulation without resisting it, allowing lightning and the vitality of the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art to merge within his body. After the ninth bolt, he emerged transformed, and his gaze turned toward a wider world beyond the Lineage’s blessed land.

• Si Chen took the first lightning bolt head-on, suffering severe burns while his plant vitality began repairing his body.
• As successive bolts struck, Si Chen’s vitality started to meet and absorb the lightning, and he let the two forces coexist within him.
• Si Chen’s body adapted to the tribulation, healing more quickly and growing resistant to the lightning.
• Si Chen endured the ninth and final bolt without swaying, completing the Yin Thunder Tribulation.
• Ye Fu embraced Si Chen, while Si Kai and Si Shuo marveled at his recovery and newfound strength.
• Si Chen sensed that his body had broken past its former limits and looked beyond the Lineage’s blessed land.

Si Chen told Si Kai and Ye Fu that he wanted to leave the Si Household to seek Yang Thunder and experience the wider world on his own. After receiving Ye Fu’s Heartguard bracelet and farewells from his family, he departed as an independent young cultivator.

• Si Chen told Si Kai he wanted to travel, find Yang Thunder for the second stage of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body, and see the world beyond the Si Household.
• Si Kai agreed to let Si Chen leave and told Ye Fu about his decision.
• Ye Fu gave Si Chen her Heartguard bracelet and told him to take care of himself and come home when he was tired.
• Si Che gave Si Chen pills, while Si Shuo advised him to fight when he could and run when he could not.
• Si Chen bowed to his parents and uncles, left the Si Household, and began his journey alone.

Si Chen left the Si Household’s blessed land to travel through the mortal world, where he encountered Zhang Quan apparently draining children’s vitality before healing them. After Zhang Quan reappeared and three cultivators ambushed Si Chen, Si Chen suspected the supposed rescuer was behind the attack and confronted him.

• Si Chen traveled for about half a month, leaving the mountains behind and experiencing the mortal world without the Si Household’s protection.
• In Green Mulberry, Si Chen sensed a life-devouring aura around several sick children as Zhang Quan treated them, and he noticed the Daoist stopped draining them when he saw him.
• Zhang Quan intercepted Si Chen in the hills, questioned his background and destination, and offered to travel with him, but Si Chen refused.
• Three Foundation Establishment cultivators ambushed Si Chen with coordinated attacks, and he evaded them while studying their fighting style.
• Zhang Quan returned, pretending to rescue Si Chen, but Si Chen kept his distance and asked whether Zhang Quan was trying to kill him for his treasures.

Si Chen confronted Zhang Quan and three Bandit Cultivators, then used his lightning-wreathed strength to kill the three attackers. Zhang Quan escaped on a talisman, and Si Chen pursued him to ensure no one got away.

• Zhang Quan pretended to offer help, then ordered the three Bandit Cultivators to attack Si Chen.
• Si Chen evaded their first assault and calmly told them to die, then crushed one attacker’s wrist and resisted the others’ weapons.
• Zhang Quan used his wounded accomplice as a shield against Si Chen’s punch, killing the man, then fled with a talisman.
• Si Chen caught and killed two fleeing Bandit Cultivators with lightning-infused blows.
• Si Chen took to the air and chased Zhang Quan’s distant red streak.

Zhang Quan fled from Si Chen and sought protection from disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, accusing Si Chen of murder and harming children. When Zhao Qinghe tried to stop Si Chen, Si Chen caught his sword bare-handed and asked whether he also wanted to kill him and steal his treasures.

• Zhang Quan spotted Zhao Qinghe and the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples, then begged them for help and accused Si Chen of killing his companions and harming children in Green Mulberry Town.
• Zhao Qinghe questioned Si Chen, who admitted killing Zhang Quan’s accomplices in self-defense and said he intended to kill Zhang Quan, while denying any involvement with the children.
• The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples grew suspicious of Si Chen, and Zhao Qinghe ordered him to stop until they investigated.
• Si Chen ignored Zhao Qinghe and continued toward Zhang Quan, so Zhao Qinghe attacked with his longsword.
• Si Chen caught Zhao Qinghe’s sword in his bare hand and asked whether Zhao Qinghe wanted to kill him and steal his treasures too.

Si Chen killed Zhang Quan after the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples attacked him, then forced Zhao Qinghe and the others to declare they would not be his enemies. He returned Zhao Qinghe’s sword and flew away, refusing an invitation to visit the sect.

• Zhao Qinghe’s disciples attacked Si Chen while Zhang Quan secretly prepared to escape again.
• Si Chen hurled Zhao Qinghe aside, impaled Zhang Quan with Zhao Qinghe’s sword, and killed him with a punch.
• Zhao Qinghe stopped a disciple from provoking Si Chen and secretly crushed a Communication Jade Talisman to summon the sect’s elders.
• Si Chen asked whether the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples still intended to be his enemies, and Zhao Qinghe apologized and denied it.
• Si Chen cleaned and returned Zhao Qinghe’s sword, then rejected his invitation to visit the sect and flew away.

After leaving the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples behind, Si Chen mastered and refined the Thunderbolt Flash movement art on his way to Ancient Gaze City. There, he encountered Zhao Qinghe and his companions again, along with their Golden Core elder, Lü Yan, who approached him to discuss the earlier misunderstanding.

• Zhao Qinghe stopped his disciples from pursuing Si Chen and told them to report the incident to their master.
• Si Chen searched his storage ring, found the Thunderbolt Flash technique, and quickly mastered it using his thunder spirit root and tempered body.
• Si Chen refined Thunderbolt Flash during his journey, increasing his speed while reducing its spiritual power consumption.
• Si Chen reached Ancient Gaze City, explored its busy streets, and entered the Hundred Flavors House for a meal.
• Zhao Qinghe and the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples arrived at the restaurant with Golden Core elder Lü Yan and froze when they recognized Si Chen.
• Lü Yan approached Si Chen and introduced himself, asking whether a misunderstanding had occurred between Si Chen and his disciples.

Si Chen calmly explained that Zhao Qinghe and the other Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples had attacked him first, and that he considered the grievance settled. After Si Chen rejected Lü Yan’s offer to join the sect, Lü Yan left and ordered an investigation into his origins.

• Si Chen recounted how Zhao Qinghe attacked him, the other disciples joined in, and the conflict ended when Zhao Qinghe said he would not attack again.
• Lü Yan asked about Si Chen’s background, and Si Chen said he was a rogue cultivator without a master.
• Lü Yan offered to recruit Si Chen into the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, but Si Chen refused.
• Lü Yan asked Si Chen’s name, and Si Chen identified himself before turning his attention to his meal.
• Lü Yan left the restaurant with Zhao Qinghe and the other disciples, then ordered a disciple to investigate Si Chen’s origins.

After Lü Yan confirmed that no record of Si Chen could be found, he assumed the boy had obtained a powerful inheritance and ordered Zhao Qinghe to monitor him. Si Chen searched for Yang Thunder and, finding no leads, accepted an invitation to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower’s auction in three days.

• Lü Yan learned that Si Chen had no traceable identity, concluded he had a fortuitous inheritance, and ordered Zhao Qinghe to discreetly track his movements.
• Si Chen spent several days enjoying Ancient Gaze City’s restaurants before asking people around town about Yang Thunder.
• An old cultivator suggested Si Chen seek information at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.
• Steward Qian told Si Chen the Tower had no specific leads on Yang Thunder and invited him to its Monthly Auction in three days.
• Steward Qian learned that Si Chen had clashed with Lü Yan and decided the boy warranted attention as a potential major client.