Recaps

Xiao Hua and his allies successfully established the Nine Provinces Great Formation, uniting Cangxian Continent’s Confucian destiny. As Buddhist forces gathered around Maitreya Buddha World Honored One, a vast golden swastika began forming above Thunder Sound Temple.

• Xiao Hua distributed the Nine Provinces Ding among his allies, and Immortal Emperor Gouchen agreed to let them proceed after Xiao Hua urged him to avoid unnecessary wars.
• Xiao Hua summoned Maitreya Buddha World Honored One, whose arrival spread Buddhist light and lotuses across the Three Great Continents, while the River of Faith blocked his path.
• Xiao Hua and his allies activated the nine ding together, pinning the currents of Confucian destiny and completing the Nine Provinces Great Formation.
• The formation gathered Cangxian Continent’s destiny around Immortal Emperor Gouchen, but Buddhist light and chanting soon surged across the continent and toward Yilin Continent.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One revealed his golden Buddha body as the River of Faith swelled, while Buddhist leaders at Thunder Sound Temple watched for the Buddha Kingdom’s Heavenly Gate to open.
• Swastika symbols rose from the blossoming Buddhist lotuses and converged above Thunder Sound Temple, where an enormous golden symbol began to take shape.

Three simultaneous ascension phenomena sealed the Three Great Continents and surrounding regions, forcing Xiao Hua’s avatars to head toward their respective gates. As the Lord of Wenqu Palace and the Lord of Shangqing Palace prepared for the Book Gate, Xiao Hua fled toward the West Sea as his own immense tribulation clouds gathered.

• Three Great Sages of the Great Sacred Hall shattered the northern sky, revealing three starry skies as Demon Race ascension signs appeared.
• Dragon Island revealed two Heaven-Opening Eyes, which Immortal Emperor Gouchen identified as belonging to Elder Ao Jia Ao and True Person Da.
• The overlapping ascension restrictions sealed the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, the Pure Land World, the North Sea, and other regions, so Xiao Hua’s avatars separated toward their own ascensions.
• Wenqu and the Lord of Shangqing Palace each triggered a Book Gate, and the Lord of Shangqing Palace prepared to ascend to the Heavenly Court.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person flew toward the West Sea while immense tribulation clouds gathered over Yilin Continent, Xiaoyu Continent, and the West Sea.

Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person faced an unprecedented ascension tribulation that spread across the Four Great Continents, while the strange appearance of the Thirteenth Great God and the Pangu Axe was overwhelmed by Dao-cultivation lightning. As the tribulation’s power restricted the entire realm, Zhang Jie fled an approaching figure and Bai Fei struggled with envy and doubts about his spiritual item.

• Xiao Hua and Wu Daoist recognized the darkness over the Four Great Continents as carrying the aura of the Witch Realm, and the Thirteenth Great God appeared and split it with the Pangu Axe.
• Lightning overwhelmed the Thirteenth Great God’s image and spread into a realm-wide ascension tribulation, weakening Xiao Hua’s connection to his avatars while leaving his space intact.
• Zhang Jie watched the tribulation, noticed someone approaching from the south, and flew north before the growing heavenly pressure forced her to stop.
• Bai Fei emerged from a cave near Million Meng Mountain and lamented that he might never catch up to True Person Xiao.
• Xiao Yue warned Bai Fei that his spiritual item seemed less effective, but Bai Fei concluded that his own refining was incomplete and ordered her to keep observing it.

Xiao Hua’s ascension tribulation drew faith from countless beings as two different Gates of the Immortal Realm formed above Yilin Continent and the Western Sea. After three days of mounting pressure, Xiao Hua and several other powerful figures manifested enormous golden bodies, leaving their observers stunned as the final tribulation approached.

• Bai Fei refused to watch Xiao Hua’s tribulation and vowed to rely on his own strength, while Ancestor Hongmeng recognized Xiao Hua’s group and sped toward the Great Sacred Hall in the form of a World-Ending Mayfly.
• Cultivators and ordinary people across the continents and realms prayed for Xiao Hua, and their gathered faith entered the crystalline godhead behind his head.
• Two distinct Gates of the Immortal Realm took shape above Yilin Continent and the Western Sea, astonishing Old Man Gu Qiong and Hao Yue Jushi.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person endured three days and nights of mounting pressure as crimson light and iron-blue color spread across Heaven and Earth.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person manifested golden bodies tens of thousands of zhang tall, while Maitreya Buddha and the Lord of Wenqu Palace revealed similarly immense forms.
• The Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One said Maitreya’s merit and the faith of living beings could help him enter the Buddha Kingdom, while Immortal Emperor Gouchen marveled at the Lord of Wenqu Palace’s secondary body.

Xiao Hua, Thunderclap True Person, and Maitreya Buddha World Honored One began their ascension tribulations as the Immortal Realm Gates and Pure Land World descended upon them. In the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Feng Wu, and Huang Tong also faced the start of their final tribulations.

• Xiao Hua sent his scattered Nascent Souls into Shenhua Continent before the Daoist Immortal Realm's lightning tribulation struck.
• Xiao Hua smashed the first bolt with the As-You-Wish Staff and fought off the following waves of lightning.
• Thunderclap True Person split the descending spherical lightning with the Soaring Flood Dragon Scissors, then faced a rain of denser lightning.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One resisted the Pure Land's heavenly flowers, maidens, and dragons, but his Buddhist light and power of faith weakened until darkness spread across the Four Great Continents.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng, Feng Wu, and Huang Tong were enveloped by starry tribulation forces as their star marks and patterns began to manifest.

Feng Wu, Huang Tong, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng underwent different trials as they tried to cross into the Demon Alliance. The Golden-Winged Great Peng failed and became a star, while Feng Wu’s star reached the barrier and the heavens darkened as his trial continued.

• Huang Tong’s 132 million souls fought bird beasts formed from the blood-red starry sky as soul baleful energy tore at his demon body.
• Stars fell onto the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Feng Wu, solidifying their star marks while Huang Tong struggled against blood light and attacking beasts.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng shattered its starry sky and endured trials of heaven and earth, but lightning struck its star at the dimensional barrier and caused its soul to scatter.
• Feng Wu’s body broke into 132 million pieces that joined with star patterns, then condensed into a single star beneath his essence blood.
• Feng Wu’s star rose through trials of heaven and earth toward the barrier, where the heavens darkened with a wailing sound.

Ao Jia and True Person Da endured the stages of tribulation beneath the Heavenly Eyes, whose lightning destroyed their dragon bodies and transformed them into golden caterpillar-like forms. Ao Yi explained that they had to endure possessing the weakest insect body before they could control the strongest dragon body.

• Ao Jia and True Person Da faced Earth Fire Wind Thunder, with Ao Jia relying on Dragon Artifacts while True Person Da endured the trials with his dragon body.
• Earth fire, wind, and thunder shattered Ao Jia’s defenses and badly damaged him, while True Person Da advanced toward the Heavenly Eyes largely unharmed.
• The Heavenly Eyes opened and struck both dragons with seven waves of colored lightning, destroying their scales and leaving them exposed to the eighth wave.
• Black lightning shattered both dragons’ bodies except for their Dragon Horns and tails, which were enveloped in golden and nine-colored light.
• Golden pillars lifted Ao Jia and True Person Da as their forms became golden caterpillar-like bodies, and Ao Yi explained that the trial tested their ability to control the weakest body.

Wenqu and the Lord of Shangqing Palace began the Heavenly Gate ascent as the dragons watched the final lightning threaten the transforming Ao Jia and True Person Da. Wenqu broke through his archery trial and rose toward the Heavenly Gate, where a new test of heavenly fire and earthly wind awaited him.

• As the final lightning and strange ripples battered the cocoons, Ao Jia’s golden dragon butterfly began to crack and release Dragon Sacrifice aura, while True Person Da’s cocoon also trembled.
• The Gate of Scrolls formed in Confucian Heaven, and Wenqu and the Lord of Shangqing Palace faced trials based on the Six Arts and the Eight Elegant Pursuits.
• Wenqu entered the archery trial, endured the attack of ten Fire Crows, and used a golden arrow to pierce nine of them and shatter the lightning sphere.
• A scroll unfurled above Wenqu, and plum blossoms formed beneath his feet to carry him upward as Immortal Emperor Gouchen and Empress Dongmian discussed the risks of the simultaneous ascent.
• A flood-dragon of heavenly fire descended toward Wenqu as earthly wind spiraled upward, but both forces appeared too weak to threaten him.

Wenqu passed the Heaven and Earth Cauldron by using five streams of innate True Qi, then used the Heaven and Earth Pagoda to withstand Book Mountain. The Lord of Shangqing Palace emerged badly burned and faced Book Mountain as well, while a new torrent of oracle-bone inscriptions surged toward Wenqu.

• A bamboo slip marked with the oracle-bone character Ding formed the Heaven and Earth Cauldron and sealed Wenqu inside with the Five Elements True Fire.
• Wenqu summoned five streams of innate True Qi, including two from Ying Kui, and his dragons devoured the fire, allowing him to pass the cauldron.
• Wenqu used the Heaven and Earth Pagoda to shatter the oracle-bone inscriptions of Book Mountain, while the Lord of Shangqing Palace emerged from the cauldron badly burned.
• The Lord of Shangqing Palace faced a rain of oracle-bone inscriptions, and Immortal Emperor Gouchen suspected Wenqu's success had eased the other Guiding Emissary's trial.
• A scroll shattered and sent a torrent of golden oracle-bone inscriptions toward Wenqu, so Immortal Emperor Gouchen summoned Great White Golden Star.

Wenqu broke through the Sea of Learning, but the Guiding Emissary’s bell cast him and the Lord of Shangqing Palace into the dead realm. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person discovered that tribulation lightning could generate immortal spirit qi, and they continued ascending as weaker lightning struck them.

• Immortal Emperor Gouchen warned Great White Golden Star to keep the Sea of Learning from spilling onto Cangxian Continent, but Wenqu absorbed its torrents into the Heaven and Earth Pagoda and shattered them into writing.
• As Wenqu approached the scroll, a bell destroyed the surrounding trials and sent him and the Lord of Shangqing Palace into the dead realm.
• Wenqu used his Five Qi Ascending to the Origin and the qi of life to hold back the deathly vapor and fill the dead realm with growing vegetation.
• Xiao Hua realized that tribulation lightning converted true essence into immortal spirit qi, so he stopped defending himself and let the lightning strike his body.
• Thunderclap True Person followed Xiao Hua’s example, and both emerged from the lightning torrent alive as immortal spirit qi formed within them.
• Weaker tribulation lightning struck Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person again, producing more immortal spirit qi.

Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person endured the Five Elements tribulation lightning from the Gates of the Immortal Realm and reached the limit of their immortal spiritual qi. As a new, more dangerous tribulation began, Xiao Hua faced a white tiger formed from lightning while Thunderclap True Person confronted an unknown crystalline foe.

• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person endured successive azure, blue, and red tribulation lightning while observers discussed the difficulty of tempering the body alongside cultivation.
• Thunderclap True Person destroyed much of the powerful yellow lightning with his Nine Heavens Divine Lightning, then tore apart the remainder and swallowed it; Xiao Hua also survived his yellow lightning trial.
• Silver light lifted Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person a thousand li, and the next yellow bolts vanished before leaving the Gates of the Immortal Realm.
• Golden and silver runes enveloped the two cultivators, then shattered under a surge of lightning and formed a white tiger above Xiao Hua and sword-shaped filaments above Thunderclap True Person.
• Xiao Hua used Metal Evasion and struck the white tiger with the As-You-Wish Staff as its claws threatened his golden body.

Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person battled the Immortal Realm’s tribulation attacks, with Xiao Hua defeating the Five Elements Primal Spirits and Thunderclap True Person struggling against successive assaults. After Xiao Hua spared the qilin spirits and absorbed the revealed Immortal Spirit Yuan Crystals, silver light enveloped him as he shot toward the skies.

• Xiao Hua used the Five Elements As-You-Wish Heaven-Piercing Staff to destroy the white tiger primal spirit while Thunderclap True Person used the Soaring Flood Dragon Scissors to split the descending golden sword.
• Thunderclap True Person survived the Immortal Realm’s wood, water, and fire attacks using the Annihilation Thunder Bead and Innate True Water, then tried to stop a falling star with the Sea-Overturning Seal.
• Xiao Hua fought the qilin primal spirit while Thunderclap True Person’s Dharma Body was battered, and the qilin pierced Xiao Hua’s back before summoning hundreds more qilins.
• Xiao Hua released hundreds of Spirit Severing Primordial Lights to pin the qilins, then withdrew them and let the primal spirits return through the Gate of the Immortal Realm.
• Xiao Hua absorbed the Immortal Spirit Yuan Crystals left behind by the qilin, and silver radiance surrounded him as he surged toward the skies.

Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person endured the Immortal Realm’s Astral Wind and resisted a deadly assault of death qi, while Ancestor Hongmeng secretly plotted to seize Xiao Hua’s soul. The tribulations unleashed extraterrestrial heavenly demons across the Four Great Continents, leaving the realms under attack.

• Thunderclap True Person rebuilt his Lightning Dharma Body after clashing with the falling star, then endured Astral Wind that extinguished his true essence but left his body intact.
• Xiao Hua realized the Astral Wind was attacking his bones, and his seven-colored bones withstood it as Ancestor Hongmeng recognized his Divine Bone and planned to wait until Xiao Hua entered the Immortal Realm before killing him.
• Death qi poured from the Gates of the Immortal Realm, but Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person used the power of life and death to extinguish it.
• The death qi conjured Xue Xue and other figures from Xiao Hua’s memories, ending with the sight of Guo Village before darkness swallowed the visions.
• Extraterrestrial heavenly demons descended across the Pure Land World, the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, Cangxian Continent, the West Sea, and the North Sea, eager to prey on those undergoing tribulation.

Outer Realm and Mount Sumeru demons overwhelmed the ascension tribulations across the Four Great Continents, endangering Maitreya Buddha World Honored One, Feng Wu, Huang Tong, Ao Jia, True Person Da, and the Lord of Shangqing Palace. Demon Venerable Slayer trapped and devoured the demons with his array, allowing the tribulations to continue, though Maitreya Buddha World Honored One emerged as a burning Buddha heart rather than a relic.

• Outer Realm and Mount Sumeru demons attacked Maitreya Buddha World Honored One's Buddha light and invaded Feng Wu and Huang Tong's tribulations.
• The demons also assaulted Ao Jia and True Person Da's light cocoons and overwhelmed the Lord of Shangqing Palace's death realm, killing him as he called for Pear Blossom Fairy.
• Wen Qu watched the Lord of Shangqing Palace die and hesitated over whether to use his third mouthful of life qi.
• Demon Venerable Slayer revealed his demonic array and trapped the demons attacking the tribulation sites, then devoured them as the darkness faded.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One's Buddha heart ignited and drove the remaining demons back, leaving the Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata wondering why it was a Buddha heart instead of a relic.

Maitreya Buddha World Honored One passed his tribulation, and strands of light from multiple ascension trials converged on Xiao Hua. As a strange death light emerged from the Gates of the Immortal Realm, Ancestor Hongmeng approached them, while Ye Zhen recognized something in the visions of the Immortal Realm.

• Merit lotuses formed a golden body for Maitreya Buddha World Honored One, and he shattered the Mount Sumeru-like Immovable Tribulation with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.
• Buddha light and pillars from several realms descended on Xiao Hua, while the same ascension lights reached Feng Wu, Huang Tong, True Person Da, and Wen Qu.
• Demon Venerable Slayer withdrew his formation after clearing the heavenly demons, and the Lord of Shangqing Palace vanished as Wen Qu ascended through the Book Gate.
• A snowflake-like death light emerged from the Gates of the Immortal Realm, and Ancestor Hongmeng headed toward the gates, intent on pursuing Xiao Hua.
• Xiao Hua, True Person Ji Yan, and Kong Qiang were bewildered by the unprecedented white-light killing tribulation, while Ye Zhen reacted with alarm to the Immortal Realm visions.

Ye Zhen speculated that Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person faced a tribulation associated with high-level Immortals, while both entered the Immortal Realm fragments and survived the white-light killing tribulation. An Underworld Judge appeared in the Four Great Continents, discovered billions of souls missing from the underworld, and recognized Xiao Hua as the one who had killed his avatar, but Xiao Hua ascended before the Judge could attack.

• Ye Zhen suggested that the black-and-white killing tribulations might correspond to low-level and high-level Immortals, alarming the gathered cultivators.
• Xiao Hua entered an Immortal Realm fragment and absorbed its powerful immortal spiritual qi, while his scattered infants devoured the energy; Thunderclap True Person followed into the white light.
• A vast ghost rune formed in the Four Great Continents, gathered wandering souls into a vortex, and brought forth an Underworld Judge, whose Book of Life and Death showed that billions of souls were missing.
• The Underworld Judge investigated the realm and realized that someone had prevented the souls from returning to the underworld.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person emerged from the white-light tribulation and were enveloped by golden guiding pillars from the Gate of the Immortal Realm.
• The Underworld Judge identified Xiao Hua as the killer of his avatar and vowed to pursue him, then concealed his scarlet official robe beneath a black robe.

Xiao Hua and his companions completed their tribulations as the laws of their respective realms sent them toward ascension. Several companions ascended after opening passageways to the Myriad Monster Realm, while Xiao Hua remained among the last to enter the Gate of the Immortal Realm.

• Xiao Hua’s body was stripped away, leaving his Nascent Soul to form a powerful Dharma Body, while Wu Daoist, Celestial Man, and Demon Venerable Slayer recognized their connections to him.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One ascended through a heavenly gate, stabilized a passageway into the Myriad Monster Realm, and later appeared again as a second-turn golden-bodied Buddha.
• Huang Tong and Feng Wu ascended through starry vortices after opening two passageways to the Myriad Monster Realm for Xiao Hua.
• True Person Da ascended into the Dragon Realm after opening another passageway, while Ao Jia followed him into the realm.
• Wen Qu ascended through a palace gate after opening a passageway from the Dao Alliance to the Myriad Monster Realm.
• The Gate of the Immortal Realm began humming above Thunderclap True Person as the other realm gates closed and Xiao Hua continued his tribulation.

As the Gates of the Immortal Realm opened, Thunderclap True Person and Xiao Hua created passages to the Myriad Monster Realm for the Dao cultivators left behind in the Four Great Continents. Xiao Hua entered the Immortal Realm but was struck by tribulation lightning, and a mysterious silver figure who looked like Xu Zhi intervened before Xiao Hua realized the figure was an impostor and lost consciousness.

• Thunderclap True Person opened a passage from the Furuo Forbidden Land to the Myriad Monster Realm, then entered the Immortal Realm as Ancestor Hongmeng and the Underworld Judge followed by different routes.
• Xiao Hua delayed his ascent to fill the Kunlun Mirror and Haotian Mirror with golden guiding light and secure them with immortal incantations.
• Xiao Hua created a golden bridge from the Xuangong Forbidden Land to the Myriad Monster Realm for the Dao cultivators, paid his respects to the Thunder Control Sect and Million Meng Mountain, and entered the Immortal Realm.
• Nine-colored true lightning attacked Xiao Hua because his scattered nascent soul had not undergone the Immortal Realm tribulation, and the lightning overwhelmed his defenses.
• A silver figure resembling Xu Zhi dispelled the lightning, but Xiao Hua recognized that the figure was not Xu Zhi before the realm barrier forced him into unconsciousness.
• A vast human face appeared over the Four Great Continents, lamented that it had arrived too late, and vanished as the land welcomed a new day.

After Xiao Hua and the other rulers ascended, their companions mourned his departure while Wu Daoist and the celestial being planned how to manage the new passage between Myriad Monster Realm and the Four Great Continents. At the Immortal Realm Gate, Xiao Hua exposed and struck down a mysterious attacker, but the Immortal Realm’s pressure overwhelmed him and he lost consciousness.

• Wu Daoist and the celestial being agreed to consult Liu Yi and other Creation Sect disciples about the passage to Myriad Monster Realm and arrangements with the Heavenly Alliance and Dao Alliance.
• Demon Venerable Slayer and Zhang Qingxiao entered Demon Subduing Valley, while Huang Mengxiang vowed to find Xiao Hua in the Immortal Realm.
• Xun Shu grieved at Xiao Hua’s grave, and Qian Diheng reminded her to keep cultivating; Zhuo urged Myriad Thunder Valley’s disciples to follow Xiao Hua’s example.
• Elder Shaman told Zi Ming that Xiao Hua had ascended successfully, as cultivators across the realms discussed the unprecedented ascension and the beginning of a post-Xiao Hua age.
• At the closing Immortal Realm Gate, Xiao Hua released more than a hundred scattered infants, whose array struck down the disguised attacker with a combined Execution Stage.
• The Immortal Realm’s pressure forced Xiao Hua unconscious after the attacker’s immortal artifact fell away.

Tan Hua reflected on completing the sixteen-million-word Chronicles of the Cultivating God after six years, ten months, and two days, thanked his readers and supporters, and said he would keep striving toward mastery. He promoted his new novel, King of Order, and asked readers to take part in the completion survey and support the finished book.

• Tan Hua looked back on writing Chronicles of the Cultivating God, describing the loneliness and persistence that had carried him through its nearly seven-year journey.
• Tan Hua thanked his readers, listed their names, and expressed hope that they would continue accompanying and encouraging him.
• Tan Hua thanked Yuewen, Qidian, and his editors for supporting his writing.
• Tan Hua promoted his upcoming urban novel, King of Order, and invited readers to follow its updates and discuss it.
• Tan Hua asked eligible readers to vote in the completion satisfaction survey and invited supporters to help the novel reach Alliance Leader status.

Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua speculated about the origins of the Four Great Continents, their ancient cultivation systems, and the purpose of the three great formations. The reflections left the formations as a coalition’s effort to suppress soul cultivation and isolate Xiaoyu Continent, while the rival traditions continued to fight over orthodoxy.

• Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua described Dao, Confucian, Buddhist, demon, dragon, and soul cultivation as ancient systems that converged and clashed across the Four Great Continents.
• Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua speculated that demons from the Four Great Continents had been driven into the Myriad Monster Realm and the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, while the Dragon Race had allied with humanity.
• Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua proposed that the Heavenly Palace, the Buddhist Kingdom, and a power tied to the Great Sacred Hall had jointly established the three great formations.
• Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua argued that the formations primarily suppressed soul-cultivation inheritance and sealed off Xiaoyu Continent, with their collapse potentially destroying it.
• Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua concluded that the cultivation systems repeatedly united against soul cultivation but otherwise fought over which lineage was orthodox.

The author compared Chronicles of the Cultivating God to Along the River During the Qingming Festival, arguing that the novel’s parallel montage made it a vivid panorama of life. The essay ended by weighing that ambitious style against its drawbacks and comparing Tan Hua’s choices with Wang Yu’s Mortal Cultivation.

• The author compared the two works as richly colored panoramas that captured the lives and turmoil of their respective worlds.
• The author described the novel’s scattered narrative threads and parallel montage, focusing on the escalating rescue attempts in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and Xiao Hua’s eventual arrival.
• The author traced how the imprisonment and rescue arc continued toward a later climax involving the Star Moon Palace and the Creation Sect’s purge of the Xuanhuang List.
• The author argued that parallel montage made the novel distinctive but also required extensive groundwork and could keep Xiao Hua absent for many chapters.
• The author compared Tan Hua’s ambitious structure with Wang Yu’s simpler plot and more replicable model in Mortal Cultivation, and noted that timing also affected a novel’s success.

The author reviewed Tanhua’s writing style and argued that Chronicles of the Cultivating God had not become a major hit because it diverged from mainstream tastes, built up its story slowly, faced publishing constraints, and had limited reader interaction. The author ended by reaffirming their love for the novel and Tanhua despite criticism and disputes among readers.

• The author recalled discovering Chronicles of the Cultivating God in 2015, becoming devoted to its updates, and subscribing to it on Qidian.
• The author described Tanhua’s writing as fresh, humanistic, focused on hardship, expansive in its cultivation system, and full of intricate foreshadowing.
• The author argued that the novel struggled to become hugely popular because its gentle tone and Xiao Hua’s character did not suit mainstream readers, its detailed pacing lacked buildup, Qidian did not let Tanhua start a new book, and Tanhua interacted little with readers.
• The author criticized readers who praised one work by slandering others and said disagreement over characters and plot showed that Chronicles of the Cultivating God was gaining readers’ attention.
• The author declared their affection for Chronicles of the Cultivating God and Tanhua and said they would keep enjoying the novel regardless of what others thought.

The narrator reflected on the personal nature of reading, comparing Mortal Cultivation with Chronicles of the Cultivating God and explaining why he loved the latter despite its drawbacks. He then revisited his 2008 notes on poetry and Zen, concluding that understanding depended on accumulated learning, experience, and insight.

• The narrator argued that readers had to find books suited to their own tastes rather than rely on recommendations or popular opinion.
• He contrasted Mortal Cultivation’s easily replicated cultivation model with Chronicles of the Cultivating God’s vast, distinctive framework and admitted he loved the latter despite its length and weaker results.
• The narrator criticized readers who looked at books without truly understanding them and described understanding as a gradual process shaped by knowledge and life experience.
• He shared his 2008 notes comparing poetry and Zen, drawing on Yan Canglang, Ming Anpan, and Hu Yinglin to discuss enlightenment and method.
• The narrator concluded that people understood poetry and books according to their different levels of insight and experience, which generally broadened with age.

The chapter analyzed the women around Xiao Hua and the different kinds of love that bound them to him, focusing on Meng, Fairy Hongxia, Xue Xue, Zixia, and Jiu Xia. It ended by reflecting on love’s varied costs and noting that Xiao Hua’s long road to godhood remained ahead of him.

• The narrator grouped the women around Xiao Hua into six kinds of love, including love shaped by fate, gratitude, admiration, and foresight.
• The narrator described how Di Shitian’s Demonic Dao Heart Seed engineered Meng and Zhang Xiaohua’s love and led to Xiao Hua’s painful assault on Yixiang.
• The narrator recounted Fairy Hongxia’s insecurity and separation from Xiao Hua, then described how Xiao Hua gave her resources and support before his ascension.
• The narrator explained how Xue Xue’s devotion to Xiao Hua led her to sacrifice herself, and how Xiao Hua preserved her soul in the Shenhua Continent.
• The narrator portrayed Zixia as Xiao Hua’s steadfast partner through danger and Jiu Xia as a perceptive woman who supported him while his power was still growing.
• The narrator contrasted the women’s different experiences of love and concluded that Xiao Hua still had a long road to godhood.