Chapter Summaries

Lu Yunxiao reflected on his cultivation bottlenecks and his plans to seek the Bodhi Ancient Tree after the Pill Gathering. Yun Yun and the others emerged from seclusion with greatly increased strength, and the chapter ended with Ya Fei eagerly agreeing to warm Lu Yunxiao's bed.

• Lu Yunxiao considered how much cultivation and soul energy he still needed, and resolved to seek the Bodhi Ancient Tree after the Pill Gathering.
• Lu Yunxiao noted that he was twenty-two and wondered when Cai'er and the others would emerge from seclusion.
• Several powerful light pillars rose over Misty Cloud Mountain as the women and others broke through and emerged from seclusion.
• Nalan Yanran joyfully told Lu Yunxiao she had reached Six-Star Dou Zun, and he praised her.
• Ya Fei credited Lu Yunxiao for helping her reach Eight-Star Dou Zun, and Lu Yunxiao teased her about warming his bed that night; she happily agreed.

Lu Yunxiao announced that Cloud Gate would relocate to the Central Continent and that he would attend the Alchemist Grand Assembly with the women. He proposed Thunder Mountain or the Star Realm as Cloud Gate’s new base, then revealed that Venerable Lei was already on his side, making Thunder Mountain an available choice.

• Ya Fei happily agreed to stay by Lu Yunxiao’s side, while Yun Yun felt slighted by his casual remark about Ya Fei warming his bed.
• Lu Yunxiao told the women that Cloud Gate was nearly ready to relocate and invited them to accompany him to the Pill Gathering in less than two months.
• Lu Yunxiao named Thunder Mountain and the Star Realm as possible new homes for Cloud Gate, and Yun Yun worried that both places already belonged to others.
• Lu Yunxiao teased Yun Yun about taking the Amethyst Crystal, then reassured her that Venerable Lei, the Wind Lightning Pavilion’s master, was already one of his people.

Lu Yunxiao revealed that Yao Chen was the true master of the Starfall Pavilion and arranged for Cloud Gate to establish itself in the Star Realm. Later, he visited Yun Yun in her room after spending time with Ya Fei.

• Lu Yunxiao summoned Yao Chen and introduced him as the Starfall Pavilion’s true master and a Two-Star Dou Saint known as Medicine Saint.
• Yao Chen explained that he and Feng Xian had founded the Starfall Pavilion and offered to persuade Feng Xian to welcome Cloud Gate.
• Yun Yun and Queen Medusa disagreed over whether Cloud Gate should settle in the Star Realm or at Thunder Mountain, and most of the women favored the Star Realm.
• Lu Yunxiao chose the Star Realm, told Yao Chen to prepare the Starfall Pavilion, and ordered Cloud Gate to gather at Misty Cloud Mountain in three days.
• After visiting Ya Fei, Lu Yunxiao entered Yun Yun’s room; she woke and drew her sword before realizing who he was.

Lu Yunxiao reunited with Yun Yun, then opened a passage into his Inner World to lead Cloud Gate’s strongest members toward Central Continent. He left the passage open as his Inner World’s growing power promised to become a realm of its own.

• Lu Yunxiao visited Yun Yun at night, and the two spent the night together.
• Three days later, Lu Yunxiao opened a vortex in the Cloud Sea on Misty Cloud Mountain and ordered Cloud Gate’s Dou Wang and stronger disciples to enter.
• Cloud Gate’s stewards and Elders followed, including Venerable Skyfire and the newly strengthened Hai Bodong.
• Qing Lin, Yao Ye, Yao Yue, and Xiao Yu entered the vortex at Lu Yunxiao’s command.
• Lu Yunxiao explained that the passage led into his vast Inner World, which could become a true small world when he reached the Dou Saint level.

Lu Yunxiao brought Yun Yun and the others to Starfall Pavilion and entered its naturally formed Starfall Grand Array. Inside, Yao Chen sensed their arrival and went with Venerable Feng to greet them as a group of pavilion members approached.

• Lu Yunxiao dispelled the clouds over Misty Cloud Mountain and flew toward the Central Plains with Yun Yun and the others on the Wind-chasing Sky-howling Eagle.
• After traveling through space for ten days, Lu Yunxiao led the group to the Heavenly Star Mountain Range and explained how the Starfall Grand Array concealed Starfall Pavilion.
• Lu Yunxiao opened a starlit spatial gate, and the group entered Starfall Pavilion.
• Yao Chen sensed Lu Yunxiao's arrival and told Venerable Feng that the sect master had come.
• Venerable Feng doubted whether Lu Yunxiao could enter the array, but agreed to go meet him with Yao Chen.
• A group of Starfall Pavilion members approached Lu Yunxiao and the others after they appeared inside the array.

Lu Yunxiao met Yao Chen, Venerable Feng, and Mu Qingluan as Starfall Pavilion came under Cloud Gate’s rule. Venerable Feng’s resistance gave way to awe when Lu Yunxiao reminded him of their past encounter at Wood Emperor Mountain.

• Yao Chen introduced Venerable Feng to Lu Yunxiao, while Mu Qingluan and Venerable Feng stood apart from the others and refused to bow.
• Venerable Feng questioned Lu Yunxiao’s identity, and Queen Medusa rebuked him for addressing the sect master by name.
• Queen Medusa’s terrifying aura frightened Venerable Feng, who changed how he addressed Lu Yunxiao and treated him with greater respect.
• Lu Yunxiao reminded Venerable Feng that they had met at Wood Emperor Mountain, where Venerable Feng had helped hold off Soul Hall experts.
• Venerable Feng recognized Lu Yunxiao as the youth who had killed Demonic Rain, and his resistance toward him faded.

Lu Yunxiao visited Starfall Pavilion with Yao Chen and won Venerable Feng's respect after revealing that he had slain Demonic Rain. He inspected the Pavilion's Star Power cultivation site, then summoned his powerful allies to the main square to assert Cloud Gate's control.

• Mu Qingluan recognized Lu Yunxiao as the man who had slain Demonic Rain, and her resistance to his takeover of Starfall Pavilion faded.
• Venerable Feng learned that Lu Yunxiao had killed Demonic Rain and accepted his strength, then Yao Chen led the group into Starfall Pavilion.
• Yao Chen showed Lu Yunxiao the Back Mountain stone tower where Star Power gathered, and Lu Yunxiao approved of it as a cultivation site for Cloud Gate's disciples.
• Lu Yunxiao gathered Starfall Pavilion's disciples and elders in the main square to establish his authority and released a Spatial Vortex.
• Hai Bodong, Venerable Skyfire, Jia Xingtian, Yun Shan, and other powerful allies emerged, leaving Venerable Feng wary of their strength.

Lu Yunxiao revealed Cloud Gate’s formidable ranks to the former Starfall Pavilion, leaving Venerable Feng, Mu Qingluan, and the disciples stunned. As the pavilion’s doubts faded, the chapter established that Cloud Gate had become a major force, though Lu Yunxiao only considered the Soul Clan and Gu Clan worthy of his attention.

• Venerable Feng watched eight Dou Zun experts emerge for Cloud Gate and was shocked by the strength of Lu Yunxiao’s companions, including Qing Lin, Yun Yun, and Xiao Yi Xian.
• Starfall Pavilion’s disciples reconsidered their resistance to joining Cloud Gate after seeing its overwhelming experts, while Mu Qingluan’s opposition weakened.
• Cloud Gate displayed dozens of Dou Zong experts and more than a hundred Dou Emperors, revealing a foundation capable of dominating the Northwest Continent.
• Venerable Feng recognized Cloud Gate as a first-rate force, while Lu Yunxiao regarded the Soul Clan and Gu Clan as the only powers worth his attention.

Lu Yunxiao put Yao Chen and Venerable Feng in charge of integrating Starfall Pavilion into Cloud Gate. A month later, the former Starfall Pavilion had been renamed and reorganized, while Lu Yunxiao kept plans for a higher rank of experts secret.

• Lu Yunxiao entrusted Yao Chen with handling Starfall Pavilion's people, and Yao Chen asked Venerable Feng to arrange their settlement.
• Venerable Feng accepted Cloud Gate's takeover, convinced that the former Starfall Pavilion disciples would be better off under Lu Yunxiao.
• Venerable Feng led Cloud Gate's members into Starfall Pavilion to begin integrating its people and industries.
• A month later, Starfall Pavilion had officially become Cloud Gate, and its original disciples had adjusted to the new organization.
• Lu Yunxiao's hierarchy placed Yun Yun and Queen Medusa as Vice Sect Masters, with elders and disciples ranked according to their strength and status.
• Lu Yunxiao decided to postpone establishing a Heavenly King Hall and its Nine Heavenly King Palaces so he would not reveal Cloud Gate's full foundation.

Lu Yunxiao set unifying the Southern Region as Cloud Gate’s long-term goal and revealed that the sect had another Dou Saint. He then arranged for Hai Bodong to oversee Cloud Gate while he and several senior members traveled to the Pill Region for the Pill Gathering.

• Lu Yunxiao declared that Cloud Gate would expand its influence and eventually unify the Southern Region.
• Venerable Feng warned that the region had many powerful factions and Dou Saints, but Lu Yunxiao said Cloud Gate had another Dou Saint besides Yao Chen.
• Lu Yunxiao ordered Cloud Gate’s departments to work toward unifying the Southern Region, and the Elders accepted the goal.
• Lu Yunxiao announced that he would attend the upcoming Pill Gathering in the Pill Region with the two Vice Sect Masters and several Grand Elders.
• Lu Yunxiao placed Hai Bodong in charge of Cloud Gate during their absence and appointed Venerable Feng as his assistant.

Lu Yunxiao ordered Cloud Gate to locate every Soul Hall branch, while Gu Xun'er broke through to Nine-Star Dou Zun in the Ancient Realm. Gu Yuan wondered about her secret technique and her devotion to Lu Yunxiao, unaware that the two had already met again.

• Lu Yunxiao ordered Venerable Feng and Cloud Gate's Elders to investigate the locations of all Soul Hall branches, especially the important ones.
• Gu Xun'er broke through to Nine-Star Dou Zun and destroyed a distant mountain peak with the golden light from her eyes.
• Gu Yuan praised Gu Xun'er and questioned the source of the technique that could multiply her attack power.
• Gu Xun'er said Lu Yunxiao was stronger than her and insisted he would appear again.
• Gu Yuan reflected on Gu Xun'er's attachment to Lu Yunxiao, not knowing they had already reunited.

Gu Yuan arranged for Gu Xun'er to attend the Pill Gathering and try to obtain Three Thousand Burning Flame, while she hoped to see Lu Yunxiao there. In Holy Pill City, Lu Yunxiao led his companions toward a place to stay, and the women teased him about his ties to Cao.

• Gu Yuan told Gu Xun'er that the Pill Gathering offered a chance to subdue Three Thousand Burning Flame and offered to arrange her participation.
• Gu Xun'er agreed to travel to the Pill Region, hoping she might see Lu Yunxiao.
• Lu Yunxiao arrived in Holy Pill City with Yun Yun, Queen Medusa, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Yanjing, and Ya Fei as the city filled with visitors for the Pill Gathering.
• Lu Yunxiao said he would take the women somewhere to stay despite the crowded inns, and they teased him about Cao's affection for him.
• Lu Yunxiao hurried ahead while Queen Medusa scoffed at his excuse that it was getting late.

Cao Ying waited for Lu Yunxiao to honor his promise to attend the Pill Gathering with her, unaware that he was already arriving at Cao Courtyard. She reunited with him and learned the identities of the three women accompanying him.

• Cao Ying reflected on Lu Yunxiao’s absence and her progress as an eighth-tier alchemist before a guard reported that a handsome man with Heavenly Flames had come to see her.
• Cao Ying hurried to the gates of Cao Courtyard and recognized Qing Yanjing, then suspected that Lu Yunxiao was the Xiao Yunlu she had known before.
• Lu Yunxiao explained that he had disguised his appearance for safety, and Cao Ying admitted that she preferred his current looks.
• Cao Ying asked about Yun Yun and Queen Medusa, and Lu Yunxiao introduced them as his wives.

Lu Yunxiao told Cao Ying that he already had wives and revealed that his real name was Lu Yunxiao, not Xiao Yunlu. They revisited their promise to compete in pill refinement at the Pill Gathering, and Cao Ying vowed that she had improved.

• Lu Yunxiao said he had no intention of pursuing more women and acknowledged that marrying Yun Yun, Cai'er, and his other wives was his good fortune.
• Cao Ying reacted with heartache to learning Lu Yunxiao had wives, then complimented his good fortune.
• Lu Yunxiao admitted that Xiao Yunlu was an alias and revealed his real name to Cao Ying.
• At the Cao Courtyard, Cao Ying reproached Lu Yunxiao for deceiving her with his false name and appearance.
• Cao Ying reminded Lu Yunxiao of their agreement to compete at the Pill Gathering and warned him not to underestimate her progress.
• Lu Yunxiao accepted the challenge, confident that his pill-refining ability had reached the continent's peak.

Lu Yunxiao asked Cao Ying about recent events in Holy Pill City, learning that the Ye Clan had been expelled from the Five Great Clans and that mysterious guests had arrived for the Pill Gathering. Cao Ying invited him to visit Xuan Kongzi, while the Pill Tower Three Giants continued to speculate that Lu Yunxiao was connected to the Pill Tower's Little Ancestor.

• Lu Yunxiao and Cao Ying discussed their spar and the upcoming Pill Gathering.
• Cao Ying told Lu Yunxiao that the Cao Clan had dissolved its marriage arrangement with the Ye Clan, which was subsequently expelled from the Five Great Clans.
• Cao Ying said the Pill Gathering had drawn unusually skilled alchemists and that special guests were staying in the inner city.
• Cao Ying invited Lu Yunxiao to visit Xuan Kongzi, saying that he and the other Pill Tower leaders had been talking about him.
• Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Leizi mistook Lu Yunxiao's made-up name Dan Xiang as evidence that he might be the successor of Pill Tower's Little Ancestor.

Lu Yunxiao visited the Pill Tower with Cao Ying to reunite with Xuan Kongzi and apologize for having once concealed his identity. Xuan Kongzi welcomed Cao Ying but was left puzzled by the handsome young man beside her, not realizing he was Lu Yunxiao.

• Lu Yunxiao agreed to visit the Pill Tower with Cao Ying and said he wanted to apologize to Xuan Kongzi for using a false identity.
• Lu Yunxiao and Cao Ying entered the Pill Tower headquarters after passing its inspections, attracting attention as they made their way through.
• Lu Yunxiao considered the benefits of bringing the Pill Tower into Cloud Gate, then decided he would not force the matter.
• Cao Ying knocked on Xuan Kongzi's hall door, and Lu Yunxiao entered with her.
• Xuan Kongzi greeted Cao Ying warmly, then studied Lu Yunxiao and wondered who the handsome young man was and why she seemed close to him.

Lu Yunxiao revealed his identity to Xuan Kongzi, explaining that he had used a false name and appearance to avoid Soul Hall. He confirmed that he had entered the Pill Gathering to obtain Three Thousand Burning Flame and declared confidence in defeating Soul Hall’s alchemist.

• Cao Ying teased Xuan Kongzi into guessing the identity of the young man with her.
• Lu Yunxiao revealed the Green Lotus Core Flame, prompting Xuan Kongzi to recognize him as Xiao Yunlu.
• Lu Yunxiao apologized for concealing his identity and explained that he had used a false one to avoid Soul Hall’s attention.
• Xuan Kongzi teased Cao Ying about her feelings for Lu Yunxiao, and she blushed while watching for Lu Yunxiao’s reaction.
• Lu Yunxiao confirmed that he wanted Three Thousand Burning Flame for Gu Xun'er, and Xuan Kongzi warned him about the strong competitors, including Soul Hall’s alchemist.
• Lu Yunxiao expressed confidence that he could defeat Soul Hall’s contestant, and Xuan Kongzi praised his ambition.

Xuan Kongzi warned Lu Yunxiao not to underestimate the Soul Hall before Dan Chen and Song Qing arrived. Cao Ying praised Lu Yunxiao’s alchemy skills above her own, stirring Song Qing’s jealousy as the gathering began.

• Xuan Kongzi cautioned Lu Yunxiao about the Soul Hall’s power and urged him to stay vigilant.
• Dan Chen and Song Qing entered the hall and greeted Xuan Kongzi.
• Cao Ying introduced Dan Chen and Song Qing to Lu Yunxiao.
• Xuan Kongzi declared that Lu Yunxiao’s abilities were no weaker than Cao Ying’s, astonishing Song Qing and Dan Chen.
• Cao Ying said Lu Yunxiao’s alchemy skills surpassed her own, and Song Qing reacted with hostility toward him.

Lu Yunxiao met Song Qing as Xuan Kongzi explained the threat the Soul Hall posed to the Pill Gathering and the Three Thousand Burning Flame. With the preliminaries five days away, Xuan Kongzi asked Lu Yunxiao to protect Cao Ying.

• Lu Yunxiao greeted Song Qing, whose jealousy and hostility toward him went unnoticed by Song Qing himself.
• Xuan Kongzi explained that the Soul Hall might try to claim the Three Thousand Burning Flame or break its seal if it failed.
• Xuan Kongzi said the Pill Tower’s rules required it to admit any qualified alchemist, even those from enemy forces.
• Xuan Kongzi warned the group to remain inside the Pill Tower because the Soul Hall might use underhanded methods before the preliminaries.
• Cao Ying said Lu Yunxiao could keep them safe, and Lu Yunxiao agreed to protect her.

Cao Ying took Lu Yunxiao on a tour of the Pill Tower after Xuan Kongzi asked her to show him around. Song Qing grew intensely jealous and hostile toward Lu Yunxiao, while Lu Yunxiao and Cao Ying discussed her using him to provoke Song Qing.

• Xuan Kongzi asked Cao Ying to show Lu Yunxiao around the Pill Tower, and Cao Ying invited Dan Chen to join them.
• Dan Chen declined and left alone, while Song Qing stayed behind, consumed by jealousy over Cao Ying's attention to Lu Yunxiao.
• Song Qing blamed Lu Yunxiao for disrupting his claim on Cao Ying and vowed to remove him if he became an obstacle.
• As Lu Yunxiao walked with Cao Ying, he asked whether she planned to explain how she had used him to probe Song Qing.
• Cao Ying teased Lu Yunxiao by asking if he was angry, and Lu Yunxiao said he was not upset over the trivial matter.