Chapter Summaries

Lu Yunxiao recognized the suspicious young-looking competitor as Yan Li, a powerful alchemist from the Outcloud Empire who had disguised his age with an Appearance Restoration Pill. Fama and the other leaders also suspected Yan Li was far older and more experienced than his records claimed, but Hai Bodong trusted Lu Yunxiao to handle the competition.

• Lu Yunxiao identified the Grey-robed Man as Yan Li, the Outcloud Empire Alchemist Guild's vice president, and explained that he had used an Appearance Restoration Pill to look young.
• Yao Yue and Xiao Yan agreed that Yan Li seemed suspicious, while Liu Ling accused Lu Yunxiao of jealousy and was cowed by Lu Yunxiao's rebuke.
• Lu Yunxiao named the Appearance Restoration Pill as the likely explanation for Yan Li's youthful appearance, prompting Yao Yue and Xiao Yan to regard him with contempt.
• Fama checked Yan Li's records and concluded that his claimed age and rank were false because his alchemy showed decades of experience.
• Jia Xingtian worried about an Outcloud Empire champion, but Hai Bodong urged them to proceed with the second round, trusting Lu Yunxiao.

Lu Yunxiao exposed Yan Li’s use of an Appearance Restoration Pill to enter the assembly, but warned Yao Yue that they had no evidence to accuse him and should instead defeat him. The second round began with contestants tasked with refining a pill from a prescription that secretly included an unnecessary ingredient, and Lu Yunxiao prepared to start refining.

• Yao Yue vowed to expose and punish Yan Li, but Lu Yunxiao pointed out that they lacked evidence and urged the group to defeat him instead.
• Yao Yue asked Lu Yunxiao to take on Yan Li, and he agreed; she offered to treat him to a meal afterward.
• Fama announced the second round and told the contestants to press the red button on their stone platforms.
• The contestants received ingredients and a prescription for the Windwalk Pill, and Lu Yunxiao realized the prescription falsely emphasized Thick Earth Ganoderma.
• Yan Li sneered at the Jia Ma Empire’s alchemists, and Lu Yunxiao answered with disdain before summoning a crimson flame.

Lu Yunxiao revealed the Innate Separation Fire during the alchemy contest, leading Xiao Yan and Old Yao to suspect it was an unrecorded Heavenly Flame. Xiao Yan decided to plot to steal it despite the danger, while Lu Yunxiao continued refining multiple ingredients at once.

• Lu Yunxiao displayed the Innate Flame, and Jia Xingtian, Fama, and Hai Bodong discussed its unusual power and origins.
• Xiao Yan and Old Yao judged that the flame might be a new Heavenly Flame beyond the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
• Xiao Yan resolved to take the flame, and he and Old Yao agreed to wait for an opportunity because Queen Medusa protected Lu Yunxiao.
• Lu Yunxiao sensed Xiao Yan's unease but dismissed it, then tossed the Innate Separation Fire into the Nether River Cauldron and began refining several ingredients at once.
• Yan Li snorted at Lu Yunxiao's unconventional method and started refining his ingredients one by one.

Lu Yunxiao’s unconventional alchemy impressed the VIP guests and drew praise from Fama and Jia Xingtian, while Gu He grew angry at their confidence in Lu Yunxiao. Nalan Yanran arrived late after advancing to an eight-star Da Dou Shi and joined Yun Yun to watch the competition.

• Lu Yunxiao refined the eight medicinal ingredients with his distinctive techniques, astonishing the alchemists in the VIP seats.
• Fama and Jia Xingtian praised Lu Yunxiao and said they believed he could defeat Gu He, angering Gu He.
• Yun Yun, Queen Medusa, Ya Fei, and Qing Yanjing watched Lu Yunxiao perform, each showing admiration or affection.
• Nalan Yanran arrived in a green dress, greeted the VIPs, and told Yun Yun she had broken through to an eight-star Da Dou Shi with Lu Yunxiao’s guidance.
• Yun Yun praised Nalan Yanran’s progress, then Nalan Yanran turned the conversation toward Lu Yunxiao’s alchemy.

Lu Yunxiao dominated the second round of the Alchemist Grand Assembly by quickly refining medicinal ingredients for the Windwalk Pill, while Yan Li struggled to keep up. As Lu Yunxiao began combining the herb essences, Yan Li grew desperate and threw all his remaining ingredients into his cauldron.

• Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun watched Lu Yunxiao face Yan Li as the other alchemists struggled with the second-round test.
• Fama praised Lu Yunxiao for spotting the flaw in the Windwalk Pill prescription, while Hai Bodong boasted about his connection to him and teased Jia Xingtian about marriage plans.
• Queen Medusa objected to Hai Bodong joking about Lu Yunxiao's marriage, but Yun Yun reminded her not to disrespect him.
• Lu Yunxiao finished extracting the medicinal ingredients far faster than Yan Li and began merging their essences in his cauldron.
• Yan Li saw how far Lu Yunxiao had advanced, became enraged, and threw all his remaining medicinal ingredients into his cauldron.

Lu Yunxiao completed a Perfect Pill before Yan Li could finish refining his ingredients, winning the second round and humiliating his rival. Yan Li began preparing for the third round, while Lu Yunxiao quietly pointed Yao Yue toward the problem with her Windwalk Pill.

• Yan Li pushed himself to refine all his ingredients faster after seeing Lu Yunxiao fuse medicinal essences.
• Lu Yunxiao carefully stabilized his pill while Yan Li finally finished refining his ingredients and began condensing his own.
• Lu Yunxiao completed a Perfect Pill, and the Testing Machine confirmed his success with a brilliant emerald light.
• Yao Yue nearly rushed to embrace Lu Yunxiao, but he stopped her; he then mocked Yan Li, who smashed a jade bottle and vowed to face him in the third round.
• Lu Yunxiao tossed aside the Thick Earth Ganoderma, prompting Yao Yue to recognize the issue with her Windwalk Pill and resume working.

Lu Yunxiao exposed a flaw in the alchemy test, helping several contestants pass while he once again took first place with a Perfect Pill. As the exhausted competitors left, Xiao Yan grew furious at Nalan Yanran’s affection for Lu Yunxiao, and Yao Yue tried to persuade Lu Yunxiao to attend a celebration banquet.

• Lu Yunxiao noticed the flawed prescription and silently arranged the ingredients so nearby alchemists could discover the extra Thick Earth Ganoderma and refine their pills again.
• Yao Yue, Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and several other alchemists completed their refinement, but most contestants failed when time ran out, leaving only a little over a hundred from more than two thousand.
• Lu Yunxiao won the pill assessment with a Perfect Pill, and Fama ended the competition for the day before the final round.
• Yan Li threatened Lu Yunxiao as they left, but Lu Yunxiao dismissed him and Yao Yue called him an idiot.
• Nalan Yanran joined Lu Yunxiao, told him she had broken through that morning, and smiled when he praised her dress, while Xiao Yan watched and seethed with jealousy.
• Yao Yue asked Lu Yunxiao to attend a banquet celebrating him and the Little Princess after he initially declined.

Lu Yunxiao accepted Yao Ye and Yao Yue’s invitation to dine at the Princess’s Manor, with Qing Yanjing accompanying him at Queen Medusa’s insistence. As they departed, Xiao Yan saw the banquet as a chance to target Lu Yunxiao for his Heavenly Flames and began planning with Old Yao.

• Yao Ye and Yao Yue invited Lu Yunxiao to a meal, and Yun Yun and Queen Medusa agreed that he could go.
• Queen Medusa told Qing Yanjing to accompany Lu Yunxiao, and he called Qing Yanjing to his side.
• Xiao Yan saw Lu Yunxiao’s departure without Queen Medusa as an opportunity to act, while Old Yao agreed they needed to plan carefully.
• Yao Ye and Yao Yue led Lu Yunxiao toward the Princess’s Manor after he said goodbye to Nalan Yanran.
• Yun Yun and Queen Medusa left with Qing Lin, Ya Fei, and the others.

Lu Yunxiao attended a banquet at Princess's Manor, where Yao Ye and Yao Yue tried to draw him closer and get him drunk. After they passed out from drinking, Lu Yunxiao left with Qing Yanjing and held her hand, leaving their growing intimacy to develop naturally.

• Yao Yue persuaded Lu Yunxiao to call her Yue'er, then urged him to call Yao Ye Ye'er as well, but he continued addressing her as Yao Ye.
• Yao Ye and Yao Yue took turns toasting Lu Yunxiao, while Qing Yanjing warned him not to drink too much.
• By around ten at night, Yao Ye and Yao Yue had both become dead drunk, while Lu Yunxiao remained sober.
• As Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing left Princess's Manor, he took her hand and asked to hold it for a while, and she blushed and agreed.

Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing walked through the Imperial Capital at night before Old Yao ambushed them, seeking the Innate Separation Fire. Lu Yunxiao recognized the threat and refused to surrender, and Old Yao attacked them with Soul Power.

• Lu Yunxiao praised Qing Yanjing as they walked together, and she blushed and leaned close to him.
• Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing sensed that someone had sealed the surrounding space with Soul Power.
• Lu Yunxiao identified the attacker as Old Yao and recognized that Xiao Yan was likely involved.
• Old Yao appeared and demanded that Lu Yunxiao hand over the Innate Separation Fire in exchange for his life.
• Lu Yunxiao refused, and Old Yao formed an enormous invisible palm and struck toward him and Qing Yanjing.

Qing Yanjing revealed her peak Dou Zong strength and defeated Old Yao and Xiao Yan when they attacked Lu Yunxiao. She captured the two, and Lu Yunxiao confronted Xiao Yan over his attempt to steal from him.

• Old Yao attacked Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing with Soul Power, but Qing Yanjing shattered the hand seal.
• Qing Yanjing revealed that she was a peak Dou Zong and dispelled Old Yao's Soul Power blockade.
• Old Yao fled with Xiao Yan, but Qing Yanjing intercepted them and struck them down.
• Qing Yanjing shattered Old Yao's ruler attack, captured him, and brought him back to Lu Yunxiao.
• Xiao Yan admitted he had sought a Heavenly Flame and regretted failing to investigate Lu Yunxiao's strength.
• Lu Yunxiao told Xiao Yan that he would take from them whatever they had tried to steal from him.

Lu Yunxiao forcibly extracted the Bone Chilling Flame from Yao Chen, but Yao Chen escaped by detonating part of his soul and taking control of Xiao Yan. Lu Yunxiao suppressed and claimed the flame, then revealed he had a way to pursue the fugitives.

• Qing Yanjing pulled Yao Chen from Xiao Yan, and Lu Yunxiao mocked Yao Chen before demanding his Bone Chilling Flame.
• Lu Yunxiao tore the flame’s origin from Yao Chen, severely damaging his Soul Body and enraging Xiao Yan.
• Yao Chen triggered the flame’s hidden imprint and detonated part of his Soul Power, breaking free of Qing Yanjing’s hold and escaping inside Xiao Yan’s body.
• Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing suppressed the Bone Chilling Flame, erased Yao Chen’s imprint, and Lu Yunxiao placed the flame in his dantian.
• Lu Yunxiao reassured Qing Yanjing that Yao Chen would not escape and pressed Yao Chen’s Soul Origin into a Soul Contract Stone.

Lu Yunxiao explained why he let Xiao Yan escape: he had already bound Yao Chen, wanted Nalan Yanran to settle her troubles through the Three-Year Agreement, and had now fulfilled his promise to spare someone from the Xiao Clan once. He revealed that Xiao Yan’s disguise would keep him attending the agreement, while Qing Yanjing suspected Lu Yunxiao had deliberately baited him with the Innate Separation Fire.

• The Soul Contract Stone bound Old Yao, allowing Lu Yunxiao to sense that he and Xiao Yan were heading south, but Lu Yunxiao chose not to pursue them.
• Lu Yunxiao told Qing Yanjing he was leaving Xiao Yan for Nalan Yanran to defeat at the Three-Year Agreement and because sparing Xiao Yan fulfilled his promise to Xiao Zhan.
• Lu Yunxiao explained that Xiao Yan would still attend the agreement because he believed Lu Yunxiao did not know that Yan Xiao was his disguised identity.
• Qing Yanjing suspected Lu Yunxiao had used the Innate Separation Fire to provoke Xiao Yan, but Lu Yunxiao denied it and said Xiao Yan’s own greed had harmed him.

After the ambush, Lu Yunxiao comforted Qing Yanjing and nearly kissed her before Jia Xingtian, Fama, Queen Medusa, and Yun Yun arrived. Fama then asked Lu Yunxiao for a favor concerning Yan Li, and Lu Yunxiao revealed that he already knew about the matter.

• Lu Yunxiao warned Qing Yanjing to be more guarded and drew her into an embrace, deepening her affection for him.
• Lu Yunxiao and Qing Yanjing nearly kissed, but the arrival of powerful figures from the Imperial Capital interrupted them.
• Jia Xingtian and Fama asked what had happened, and Lu Yunxiao said an attacker had ambushed him for his Heavenly Flames and escaped.
• Queen Medusa and Yun Yun checked that Lu Yunxiao was unharmed, and Queen Medusa offered to kill the attacker before Lu Yunxiao assured her he had a plan.
• Fama asked Lu Yunxiao for a favor concerning Yan Li, and Lu Yunxiao surprised him by showing that he already knew about Yan Li.

Lu Yunxiao agreed to defeat Yan Li in the alchemy finals, then told his companions that Xiao Yan had ambushed him with help from a Dou Zong-level Soul Body. The discussion turned to the Three-Year Agreement, and Lu Yunxiao insisted Nalan Yanran would lose without his training.

• Fama and Jia Xingtian asked Lu Yunxiao to show his full strength and defeat Yan Li in the finals, and he agreed.
• At the Mittel Family tea room, Queen Medusa demanded to know who had ambushed Lu Yunxiao, and he identified Xiao Yan.
• Yun Yun and Ya Fei realized Xiao Yan was the same person as Yan Xiao, and Ya Fei regretted helping him.
• Lu Yunxiao explained that Xiao Yan had a Soul Body with strength comparable to a Dou Zong behind him, but said Xiao Yan should be left for the Three-Year Agreement.
• Lu Yunxiao criticized Yun Yun's teaching and said Nalan Yanran would certainly lose without his help, leaving Yun Yun to question her own ability as a teacher.

Lu Yunxiao told Yun Yun to keep his plans against Xiao Yan and the Misty Cloud Sect’s enemies secret, and she agreed to stand by him while asking him not to harm Yun Shan. After Queen Medusa and Yun Yun bickered, Lu Yunxiao chose to spend the night in Ya Fei’s room.

• Queen Medusa questioned why Lu Yunxiao was letting Xiao Yan go, and he said he would deal with Xiao Yan and the Jia Ma Empire’s opposing forces after the Three-Year Agreement.
• Lu Yunxiao warned Yun Yun not to tell anyone in the Misty Cloud Sect, including Yun Shan, about his plans, and admitted he did not trust anyone there except her and Senior Disciple Sister.
• Yun Yun agreed to stay with Lu Yunxiao until the Three-Year Agreement and asked him not to hurt Yun Shan; Lu Yunxiao assured her he would not.
• Queen Medusa taunted Yun Yun about putting Lu Yunxiao first, and Lu Yunxiao stopped their argument.
• Lu Yunxiao sent Queen Medusa and Yun Yun to rest before the finals and decided to spend the night in Ya Fei’s room, delighting her.

Lu Yunxiao spent the evening with Ya Fei and considered how to refine the Bone Chilling Flame without damaging his cultivation foundation. He learned the system could turn its excess energy into Energy Crystals and planned to give them to Hai Bodong, before he and Ya Fei went to bed together.

• Queen Medusa, Yun Yun, and Qing Yanjing left so Lu Yunxiao could spend time with Ya Fei.
• Lu Yunxiao examined his cultivation and the Bone Chilling Flame, deciding he could not refine it recklessly without risking his foundation.
• Lu Yunxiao learned from the system that it could condense the Bone Chilling Flame's excess energy into Energy Crystals.
• Lu Yunxiao planned to give the Energy Crystals to Hai Bodong to help him reach Dou Zong.
• Ya Fei invited Lu Yunxiao to rest with her, and he carried her to bed.

After spending the morning with Ya Fei, Lu Yunxiao let her join him to watch the day’s matches despite worrying about her condition. He gave her a Tier 6 Rejuvenation Pill, and they left together.

• Lu Yunxiao woke beside Ya Fei and reflected that he hoped Yun Yun would soon become his woman too.
• Ya Fei woke, asked Lu Yunxiao to kiss her, and the two kissed in bed.
• Lu Yunxiao urged Ya Fei to rest instead of attending the matches, but she insisted she wanted to watch him win.
• Lu Yunxiao gave Ya Fei a Tier 6 Rejuvenation Pill, which quickly restored her, and they left together.

Lu Yunxiao arrived at the Royal Plaza for the alchemy competition final, where Yan Li provoked him and declared that the Outcloud Empire would triumph. Lu Yunxiao dismissed Yan Li's threats and prepared to defeat him in the arena.

• Hai Bodong led Lu Yunxiao and the others through a guarded side entrance into the crowded Royal Plaza.
• Yao Yue told Lu Yunxiao that Yao Ye was still asleep after drinking too much the previous night, then asked him to protect the Jia Ma Empire's reputation in the final.
• Yan Li confronted Lu Yunxiao, boasting that he would crush him and trample the Jia Ma Empire's alchemists.
• Lu Yunxiao answered Yan Li with scorn and threatened to defeat him, while Yao Yue urged him not to let the provocation upset him.
• Yan Li walked away, confident that Lu Yunxiao had not yet shown enough strength to threaten him.

Lu Yunxiao arrived at the plaza for the third round of the alchemy competition and decided to refine a Dou Spirit Pill. Yao Yue confessed her interest in him, but he turned her down and urged her to focus on the contest as the opening bell rang.

• Lu Yunxiao entered the crowded plaza with Yao Yue while Hai Bodong led Yun Yun, Queen Medusa, and the others to the VIP seats.
• Yao Yue asked Lu Yunxiao what kind of girl he liked and proposed becoming his girlfriend, but he said she would be better as a younger sister and that he preferred sexy women.
• Lu Yunxiao returned to his place at the stone platform and chose to refine a Dou Spirit Pill, hoping to challenge Gu He later.
• Yao Yue continued trying to talk with Lu Yunxiao, who told her to focus on placing in the top three.
• A clear bell rang to signal the start of the third round.