Recaps

After defeating two senior student teams, Xiao Yao returned the new students’ Fire Energy and prepared to face the stronger Black Fiend Team and White Fiend Team alone. He persuaded Han Yue and the others to enter the Inner Academy while he held off the teams, with the option to escape if he could not win.

• Han Yue returned the new students’ Fire Energy, and they cheered for Xiao Yao and crowded around him.
• Han Yue explained that the Black Fiend Team and White Fiend Team were the strongest remaining teams, then offered to help Xiao Yao fight them.
• Xiao Yao refused help because his fighting style could injure the new students, and Han Yue returned to discuss the matter with the group.
• The new students gathered around Xiao Yao and pleaded to join the fight, but he pointed out that they were still injured.
• Xiao Yao proposed holding off both teams while the new students ran into the Inner Academy, promising to retreat there himself if necessary.
• Han Yue and the new students agreed to Xiao Yao’s plan, while he privately hoped to claim the two teams’ Fire Energy for himself.

Xiao Yao faced the Black Fiend Team and the White Fiend Team alone at the edge of the Inner Academy after drawing a crowd of senior students. When He Yuan and Mo Shan sent their teams to attack, Xiao Yao charged forward to meet them.

• Senior students, Elder Su, and Elder Qing gathered to watch Xiao Yao challenge the Black Fiend Team and the White Fiend Team.
• Xiao Yao led the freshmen out of the forest and identified Mo Shan and He Yuan as Dou Ling-level opponents.
• Xiao Yao declared that he would fight both teams alone, and He Yuan challenged his confidence.
• He Yuan and Mo Shan each sent their four teammates to attack Xiao Yao.
• Xiao Yao advanced toward the attackers, and the battle began.

Xiao Yao fought eight Inner Academy senior students at once, relying on his powerful Dou Qi Armor and rapid recovery to defeat them. He then challenged He Yuan and Mo Shan, whose Dou Qi reached the Dou Ling level.

• Xiao Yao formed golden Dou Qi Armor and wounded the White Fiend Team member who first attacked him.
• The seven remaining senior students surrounded Xiao Yao and launched their Dou Techniques together, but his Blazing Sun Explosive Flame injured several of them.
• Xiao Yao endured their attacks with only cracks in his armor and continued fighting as his Dou Qi rapidly recovered.
• Xiao Yao defeated all eight senior students, leaving himself with no serious injuries.
• Xiao Yao pointed his spear at He Yuan and Mo Shan and asked them to fight him, and both seniors released Dou Ling-level pressure.

Xiao Yao fought Mo Shan and He Yuan, two Dou Ling experts, and revealed a hidden trump card after challenging them to withstand his full-strength attack. The chapter ended as he unleashed the power of a tier-four Magic Core and Elder Su and Elder Qing rushed to intervene.

• Xiao Yao replaced his Dou Qi Armor and invited Mo Shan and He Yuan to attack him together.
• Mo Shan’s sword techniques forced Xiao Yao back, but Xiao Yao’s rapid succession of energy attacks pushed Mo Shan away from the blast.
• Xiao Yao offered to surrender his Fire Energy if the two elders blocked his trump card, and asked them to use their full strength.
• Xiao Yao concealed a tier-four Magic Core inside a ball of Dou Qi, alarming Mo Shan and He Yuan as they prepared their strongest attacks.
• Xiao Yao sent the ball toward Mo Shan and He Yuan, then unleashed the Magic Core’s energy; Elder Su and Elder Qing cried out and moved to intervene.

Xiao Yao's Sun Magic Core exploded with enough force to destroy the opposing attacks and threaten everyone nearby, forcing two elders to contain the blast. After defeating the Black Fiend Team and White Fiend Team, Xiao Yao claimed their Fire Energy, and Elder Su announced the new students' rewards.

• Xiao Yao's Sun Magic Core unleashed a devastating explosion, and two Dou Wang elders formed a barrier that redirected its energy into the sky.
• Mo Shan and He Yuan lay badly injured as the students and elders stared in shock at the crater and Xiao Yao's power.
• Elder Su congratulated Xiao Yao for defeating both teams and making history in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition.
• Xiao Yao apologized for the danger, then asked the Black Fiend Team and White Fiend Team to hand over their Fire Crystal Cards; they complied, bringing his Fire Energy close to 500.
• Elder Su declared the new students the winners and awarded them 20 days of Fire Energy, while Xiao Yao received 100 days and an Azure Fire Crystal Card.

Xiao Yao received an Azure Fire Crystal Card after the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, then entered the Inner Academy and chose a secluded residence. As senior students discussed his strength, Elder Huo of the Alchemy Department decided to recruit him.

• Elder Su awarded Xiao Yao 100 days of Fire Energy and an Azure Fire Crystal Card, which he loaded with his accumulated Fire Energy.
• Elder Su announced that the senior students would face consequences for breaking competition rules, while Elder Qing led the freshmen into the Inner Academy.
• Elder Qing offered Xiao Yao special accommodation, and Xiao Yao requested a quiet, isolated tall building with plenty of sunlight.
• Senior students learned that Xiao Yao had caused the golden pillar of light and speculated that he could reach the Strong Ranking despite being a Four-Star Da Dou Shi.
• Elder Huo examined the heat-scorched pit, recognized Xiao Yao's unusual attribute and strong soul power, and resolved to bring him into the Alchemy Department.

Xiao Yao visited the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and discovered that its formless flame could condense his Dou Qi and accelerate his cultivation. After he recovered from its effects on his first visit, an elder recognized him, and the students around him learned who he was.

• Xiao Yao chose a secluded five-story pavilion as his residence, then headed to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
• Xiao Yao entered the tower without protection, and its formless flame appeared inside him.
• Xiao Yao passed his Dou Qi through the flame, condensing it and confirming that the tower could help his cultivation.
• Xiao Yao let the formless flame dissipate after three streams of Dou Qi passed through it, then recovered on his own.
• An elder approached Xiao Yao and recognized him, and the surrounding students reacted with astonishment when he confirmed his identity.

Xiao Yao toured the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower with Elder Liu, whose respect for Xiao Yao’s Heart Flame adaptation talent earned him an exception to the new-student rules. Xiao Yao reached the third floor and began testing a low-grade cultivation room, where he found the Heart Flame manageable.

• Elder Liu welcomed Xiao Yao and explained that enduring the tower’s Heart Flame showed a student’s adaptation talent.
• Elder Liu described the cultivation rooms’ grades and offered to take Xiao Yao to a deeper floor because of his strength and talent.
• Elder Liu escorted Xiao Yao past the second floor to the third, warning him that the Heart Flame could damage his body if he overexerted himself.
• Xiao Yao entered an empty low-grade cultivation room and sat down to test the third floor’s Heart Flame.
• Xiao Yao felt a dense surge of Heart Flame but found it bearable, so he decided to cultivate there for the time being.

After cultivating without suffering Fire Poison, Xiao Yao earned Elder Liu’s permission to use the fourth level of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and spent three days strengthening his Dou Qi. After leaving the tower, he met Elder Huo, who asked whether he wanted to become an alchemist, and Xiao Yao immediately agreed.

• After one night on the third level, Xiao Yao found that his Yang-Attribute Dou Qi had burned away the violent flame factors, leaving him free of Fire Poison.
• Xiao Yao asked the instructors for access to the fourth level, and Elder Liu approved the request after learning of his resistance to Fire Poison.
• Xiao Yao cultivated on the fourth level for three days, refining the Dou Qi in his body several times.
• While Xiao Yao was away, older students extorted the new students, and Inner Academy factions recruited many of them; Xiao Yao chose not to form a faction.
• After leaving the tower, Xiao Yao sensed someone watching him and confronted the hidden observer.
• Elder Huo emerged and asked Xiao Yao whether he wanted to become an alchemist, and Xiao Yao agreed at once.

Xiao Yao began learning alchemy under Elder Huo at the Inner Academy's Alchemy Department branch. After memorizing the basics and passing Elder Huo's test, he created golden flames with unusual vitality and began training to control their temperature.

• Xiao Yao agreed to learn alchemy, and Elder Huo explained how the Alchemy Department operated before giving him basic books to study.
• Xiao Yao read the books while cultivating and memorized them within a few days.
• Xiao Yao returned to Elder Huo, answered his questions about alchemy, and passed the test.
• Elder Huo led Xiao Yao into an alchemy room, where Xiao Yao used his Dou Qi to create golden flames inside a medicinal cauldron.
• Elder Huo sensed that Xiao Yao's flames already possessed vitality and gave him a Fire Stone to practice controlling flame temperature.

Xiao Yao trained his flame control under Elder Huo’s guidance using a specialized Fire Stone, then practiced on his own until he met the required standard. Elder Huo approved his progress and prepared him to begin refining medicine.

• Xiao Yao used the Fire Stone in a medicinal cauldron while Elder Huo taught him flame control and explained the academy’s step-by-step alchemy training.
• Xiao Yao practiced changing the Fire Stone’s colors as his flame temperature shifted, and Elder Huo demonstrated precise control over all 108 squares.
• Xiao Yao asked to borrow the Fire Stone and received it, an ordinary medicinal cauldron, and a large batch of books from Elder Huo.
• Xiao Yao practiced for several days and then passed Elder Huo’s assessment by producing randomly requested colors within a single breath.
• Elder Huo praised Xiao Yao’s flame-control talent and told him it was time to try refining medicine.

Xiao Yao learned to refine Hemostatic Powder under Elder Huo’s guidance and succeeded on his first attempt. His panel recorded the mastery, allowing him to refine ten batches without failure, and Elder Huo assigned him more medicines to learn before attempting formed pills.

• Elder Huo gave Xiao Yao the Hemostatic Powder formula and guided him as he selected and prepared the ingredients.
• Xiao Yao followed Elder Huo’s instructions on flame temperatures and fused the ingredients into Hemostatic Powder on his first try.
• Xiao Yao’s panel recorded that he had mastered the refining method, ensuring he would not lose that mastery.
• Xiao Yao refined nine more batches successfully while Elder Huo watched in surprise.
• Elder Huo told Xiao Yao to learn to refine other medicines before trying to make formed pills, the requirement for becoming a first-rank alchemist.

Xiao Yao mastered four unranked formulas under Elder Huo’s guidance, then refined the first-rank Fire-Clearing Pill. The pill formed with a Pill Pattern, marking Xiao Yao’s success as a First-Rank Alchemist.

• Elder Huo guided Xiao Yao through Clearwind Paste, Beast-Repelling Powder, and Detoxifying Liquid, and Xiao Yao mastered each formula after ten successful refinements.
• Elder Huo gave Xiao Yao the first-rank Fire-Clearing Pill formula while Xiao Yao recovered his Soul Power.
• Xiao Yao asked Elder Huo to guide him through the Fire-Clearing Pill’s refinement, and Elder Huo explained how to extract the Ice-Pattern Bluegrass and fuse the ingredients.
• Xiao Yao formed the pill in the medicinal cauldron and nurtured it in the flames for half an hour.
• Elder Huo examined the finished pill and exclaimed that it had a Pill Pattern, confirming Xiao Yao had successfully refined a first-rank pill.

Xiao Yao impressed Elder Huo by refining several excellent pills, including one with a distinct Pill Pattern, then focused on cultivation and advanced to Five-Star Da Dou Shi. He planned to return to the Alchemy Department after resting and strengthening himself.

• Elder Huo praised Xiao Yao's first successful tier-one pill and said his talent could make him a grandmaster by regional standards.
• Xiao Yao refined several more pills without failure, and his final Fire-Clearing Pill had a distinct Pill Pattern.
• Elder Huo dismissed Xiao Yao to rest, while Xiao Yao decided to wait a few days before returning to study alchemy.
• Xiao Yao absorbed solar energy by day and tempered his Dou Qi in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower at night.
• Xiao Yao broke through to Five-Star Da Dou Shi and celebrated his advancement alongside becoming a tier-one alchemist.

Xiao Yao advanced his alchemy under Elder Huo’s guidance and received a fourth-rank Qi Gathering Powder formula. When he returned to his residence, Han Yue invited him to explore some ruins with her.

• Xiao Yao refined a high-quality Purple Sun Pill, and Elder Huo praised his near-perfect success rate.
• Elder Huo gave Xiao Yao the formula for fourth-rank Qi Gathering Powder and kept his rapid progress secret from the other elders.
• Xiao Yao left Elder Huo and found Han Yue waiting outside his residence.
• Han Yue invited Xiao Yao to explore some ruins with her.

Xiao Yao agreed to help Han Yue explore ruins guarded by a peak fourth-tier Purple-Striped Wind-Chasing Leopard in exchange for half the treasures. After reaching the beast’s territory, Xiao Yao proposed using its keen sense of smell to lure it away from its den and attack by surprise.

• Han Yue told Xiao Yao that a Purple-Striped Wind-Chasing Leopard guarded the ruins and offered to split the treasures equally if he helped her.
• Xiao Yao accepted the offer, and he and Han Yue set off into the primeval forest to find the ruins.
• Han Yue consulted her map, but Xiao Yao climbed a tree to correct their route after she lost her bearings.
• The pair heard a roar and spotted the Purple-Striped Wind-Chasing Leopard leaving its den.
• Han Yue explained that the beast could detect intruders from far away, and Xiao Yao proposed entering the den after it left and striking it by surprise.

Xiao Yao used a Serrated Mouse carrying a Fourth-Order Sun Magic Core to lure the Purple-Striped Wind-Chasing Leopard into an explosion. The blast killed the beast and left Han Yue shaken by the scale of Xiao Yao’s trump card.

• Xiao Yao learned from Han Yue how the Wind-Chasing Leopard used its scent zone to detect intruders.
• Xiao Yao planted a Sun Magic Core in an unconscious Serrated Mouse and tossed it into the valley as bait.
• Xiao Yao and Han Yue watched from a giant tree as the Wind-Chasing Leopard arrived and attacked the mouse.
• Xiao Yao detonated the Sun Magic Core, and the resulting blast engulfed the Wind-Chasing Leopard.
• Han Yue warned Xiao Yao not to use such a powerful trump card near crowds, and Xiao Yao confirmed that the explosion had killed the leopard.

Xiao Yao and Han Yue searched a magical beast's lair for ruins and discovered a dying message and the Blood-Burning Qi-Combustion Secret Art. Xiao Yao learned that the art could temporarily boost strength at the cost of blood Qi and Dou Qi, and considered it suitable for himself.

• Xiao Yao collected the Wind-Chasing Leopard's Magic Core and usable materials after defeating it with the Sun Magic Core's explosion.
• Xiao Yao and Han Yue cleared rubble from the leopard's collapsed lair and searched its passages for the ruins.
• Han Yue found man-made marks on a rock wall, and Xiao Yao broke through its crude mechanism with a powerful punch.
• Xiao Yao and Han Yue entered a stone chamber and found desiccated remains and a message written on the floor.
• Xiao Yao retrieved a scroll titled Blood-Burning Qi-Combustion Secret Art from the remains' Storage Ring and learned it temporarily increased strength by consuming blood Qi and Dou Qi.

Xiao Yao obtained the Blood-Burning Qi-Combustion Secret Art and discussed its dangerous power with Han Yue. They honored their original agreement to split the ruins’ treasures evenly, leaving with the secret art, rare items, medicinal herbs, and shared cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, including a Low Earth Tier technique.

• Xiao Yao examined the Blood-Burning Qi-Combustion Secret Art and concluded it could raise strength by more than a major realm at the cost of severe bodily damage.
• Han Yue warned Xiao Yao not to abuse the secret art, and Xiao Yao gave her the Storage Ring to count their gains.
• Han Yue offered to take thirty percent, but Xiao Yao insisted they keep their prior fifty-fifty agreement.
• Xiao Yao selected the secret art, medicinal herbs, and rare treasures, while he and Han Yue shared the cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, including a Low Earth Tier technique.

Xiao Yao and Han Yue escaped the valley after obtaining the Earth Tier Dou Technique Brilliant Meteor, which Xiao Yao began cultivating back at the Inner Academy. When a group confronted him and demanded he stay away from Han Yue, Xiao Yao defeated their leader and followers with a single attack.

• Xiao Yao and Han Yue examined the Brilliant Meteor scroll, learned how demanding it was to cultivate, and left the valley with their spoils.
• Xiao Yao returned to the Inner Academy, began practicing Brilliant Meteor, and continued his usual studies and training.
• A burly student and his group blocked Xiao Yao and warned him to stay away from Han Yue.
• Xiao Yao mocked the group, then struck the leader with a kick and sent him and his followers tumbling across the ground.

Xiao Yao used the Blood-Burning Qi-Combustion Secret Art to overwhelm a Dou Ling opponent and discovered that his rapid recovery let him use the technique with few drawbacks. After driving off the troublemakers, he assessed how the secret art could raise his strength and help him fight stronger opponents.

• Xiao Yao burned his Dou Qi with the secret art and defeated the burly man, who had reached the Dou Ling realm, in one blow.
• Xiao Yao ordered the burly man's companions to leave, then regretted not challenging him in the arena to win Fire Energy.
• Xiao Yao found that his body and Dou Qi recovered quickly enough to make the secret art's costs manageable, and he considered how burning blood Qi or Dou Qi could boost different aspects of his strength.
• Xiao Yao estimated that he could reach the strength of a Two-Star Dou Ling for a sustained fight or a Five-Star Dou Ling for a brief burst, and judged that he could wear down most Dou Ling opponents in an open, mobile battle.

Xiao Yao’s reputation kept other students from seeking revenge, while he focused on cultivation and alchemy. With Elder Huo’s guidance, Xiao Yao successfully refined Qi Gathering Powder and became a Fourth-Tier Alchemist.

• Xiao Yao found that the students he had defeated avoided him, and no faction came to challenge him.
• The defeated student’s leader showed him the crater left by Xiao Yao’s Sun Magic Core, convincing him not to pursue revenge.
• Xiao Yao began his first attempt to refine the fourth-tier Qi Gathering Powder under Elder Huo’s guidance.
• Xiao Yao combined the medicinal essences, added energy from a Water Attribute Magic Core, and carefully nurtured the embryonic pill.
• Xiao Yao completed the pill, and Elder Huo congratulated him on becoming a Fourth-Tier Alchemist.

After becoming a Fourth-Tier Alchemist, Xiao Yao planned to study more fourth-grade formulas before attempting a fifth-grade pill. With his Fire Energy running low, he went to the arena to earn more and challenged the crowd to a fight for 200 days of Fire Energy.

• Elder Huo praised Xiao Yao's Qi Gathering Powder and gave him three fourth-grade formulas to study, offering to guide him as he refined them.
• Xiao Yao realized his Fire Energy was close to falling below 200 days and decided to earn more by fighting in the arena.
• At the arena, Xiao Yao watched Lin Xiuya defeat Liu Qing after their fierce spear-and-sword battle.
• Xiao Yao stepped onto the platform, displayed his Azure Fire Crystal Card, and offered 200 days of Fire Energy to whoever would fight him.
• The crowd reacted with surprise, and someone recognized Xiao Yao as the most monstrous talent among this year's new students.

Xiao Yao challenged the Inner Academy students for a wager of 200 days of Fire Energy, and Crazy Axe Mu Tong accepted. Xiao Yao defeated Mu Tong in moments, leaving the arena empty and Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing wary of his strength.

• Xiao Yao displayed his Seven-Star Great Dou Master rank and wagered 200 days of Fire Energy, but the students hesitated after learning he had defeated two Dou Ling during the Fire Energy Hunting Competition.
• Crazy Axe Mu Tong, a Three-Star Dou Ling, stepped onto the stage and offered his Blue Fire Crystal Card, which held more than 150 days of Fire Energy.
• Mu Tong attacked Xiao Yao with his huge axe, but Xiao Yao met the strike with his fiery red spear and knocked the weapon aside.
• Xiao Yao kicked Mu Tong through his armor and sent him crashing to the ground, winning the wager of 200 days of Fire Energy.
• The arena fell silent after Xiao Yao's victory, while Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing watched him warily and judged that few students could be certain of defeating him.