Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan received a recommendation to take the Alchemist examination and represent the Mittel Family in the Alchemist Tournament, then entered the Alchemist Guild for his assessment. In the Tagor Desert, Xiao Jing planned for the Snake-people tribes’ relocation and reconciliation with humans, but a familiar cloaked figure suddenly attacked the meeting hall.

• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yan a recommendation letter and a request for him to represent the Mittel Family in the Alchemist Tournament, while Nalan Yanran suspected the Jia Ma Imperial Family had arranged it to keep her out of the matter.
• Xiao Yan asked Nalan Yanran to guide him to the Alchemist Guild, and she led him there with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
• President Fa Ma admitted Xiao Yan to the Alchemist Guild for his arranged assessment while Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin waited outside.
• Xiao Jing learned that most of the Ink Snake Tribe still opposed reconciliation with humans and decided to postpone their migration while the other tribes moved first.
• A cloaked figure suddenly appeared behind Xiao Jing and the chiefs, then struck them with a Dou Qi-infused longsword and destroyed the meeting hall.

Xiao Yan earned Third Grade Alchemist certification, impressing Fa Ma, while Nalan Yanran learned that Jia Xingtian still suspected her because of her ties to the Misty Cloud Sect. He then encountered Yao Ye’s procession as she prepared to travel to the Tagor Desert, where Mu Chen also recognized Xiao Yan’s exceptional character.

• Xiao Yan refined a high-quality Wind Hành Pill, passed the examination, and received his Third Grade Alchemist badge.
• Fa Ma inspected Xiao Yan’s pill, judged that he could likely refine Fourth-grade Pills, and suspected the royal family had arranged for the Miter Auction House and Nalan Family to support Xiao Yan’s tournament entry.
• Xiao Yi Xian told Nalan Yanran that Jia Xingtian had ordered her kept unaware of Xiao Yan’s recent affairs, and Nalan Yanran realized the Misty Cloud Sect’s troubles were serious.
• Xiao Yan showed Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yi Xian his Third Grade Alchemist badge, and Nalan Yanran celebrated his achievement.
• Yao Ye stopped her procession to tell Xiao Yan she was heading to the Tagor Desert with Mu Chen to negotiate with the Snake-people race, and Mu Chen silently assessed Xiao Yan’s character.

Xiao Yan returned to the Nalan Family with Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Zi Yun, where they shared dinner and spent the night. As Xiao Yan slept, Queen Medusa reflected on his sacrifice to save her and kissed him when he woke.

• Yao Ye said farewell to Xiao Yan and left to visit Xiao Jing, while Nalan Yanran resolved to win the Three-Year Pact and marry Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan and his companions arrived at the Nalan Family, where Nalan Jie learned Xiao Yan had earned Third Grade Alchemist certification and invited them to stay.
• Nalan Yanran prepared dinner for the group, and Nalan Jie noticed she ate far less than usual to impress Xiao Yan.
• After dinner, Xiao Yan went to bed exhausted, and Yao Chen tucked him in as he fell asleep.
• Queen Medusa recalled Xiao Yan risking his life to save her and realized he had stirred unfamiliar feelings in her.
• Medusa leaned in to kiss Xiao Yan, and when he woke, she kissed him deeply.

Queen Medusa briefly took control of her body, kissed Xiao Yan, and tried to take him back to the Snake-people race before the Colored Little Snake resurfaced. The next morning, Nalan Yanran prepared breakfast, and Xiao Yan accepted Nalan Jie's invitation to spar.

• Nalan Yanran sneaked to the kitchen for food while Queen Medusa kissed Xiao Yan and left him unconscious.
• Queen Medusa tried to take Xiao Yan to the Snake-people race, but the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's consciousness forced her to retreat into the Colored Little Snake.
• Yao Chen covered the unconscious Xiao Yan with a blanket, and the Colored Little Snake curled up against him to sleep.
• Nalan Yanran made breakfast for the guests and woke Xiao Yan the next morning.
• Xiao Yan watched Nalan Jie train, and Nalan Jie challenged him to spar.
• Xiao Yan accepted Nalan Jie's challenge and asked him for guidance.

Xiao Yan sparred with Nalan Jie and revealed a modified Eight Extremes Collapse that greatly increased his speed and strength. The technique left Xiao Yan severely pained and unable to move, and Nalan Jie advised him to use it sparingly as the others gathered around him.

• Xiao Yan attacked Nalan Jie, who blocked his strikes and corrected his overly obvious approach.
• After Nalan Jie told him not to hold back, Xiao Yan spent a minute preparing his modified Eight Extremes Collapse and attacked at astonishing speed.
• Nalan Jie defended himself by instinct and ordered Xiao Yan to stop, but Xiao Yan continued for three seconds before crashing into a courtyard wall.
• Xiao Yan explained that his technique was called Eight Extremes Collapse, while Yao Chen recognized that he had kept the stacked force circulating through his own body to boost his speed and strength.
• Xiao Yi Xian touched Xiao Yan's cracked skin, causing him intense pain, and Nalan Jie warned him that the technique's severe side effects made it dangerous to use.

After witnessing Xiao Yan’s overwhelming speed, Nalan Yanran left, shaken by how thoroughly she would lose the Three-Year Pact. As Xiao Yan struggled to recover, he explained to Yao Chen why he needed greater strength, and she agreed to help him remove Eight Extremes Collapse’s side effects.

• Nalan Yanran watched Xiao Yan’s movements prove impossible to follow, then hurried back to her room, unable to accept how helpless she would be against him.
• Nalan Jie concluded that Nalan Yanran could not withstand Xiao Yan’s modified Eight Extremes Collapse and led Xiao Yan and the others to breakfast at a slower pace.
• Xiao Yan struggled to walk while reflecting that Eight Extremes Collapse’s severe side effects left him vulnerable after use.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen to help him remove the technique’s side effects, explaining that the Snake-people race incident had taught him that strength was necessary to restrain those who abused it.
• Yao Chen recognized that Xiao Yan was now seeking strength without fearing it, and promised to help him overcome the technique’s side effects during training.

At Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Xun'er heard Ling Ying's report about Xiao Yan's dangerous exploits and ordered him to keep protecting Xiao Yan. After questioning him about Yun Yun and learning Xiao Yi Xian might have feelings for Xiao Yan, she sent Ling Ying back to his post and was pulled into Xiao Mei's film production.

• Xiao Xun'er summoned Ling Ying, who recounted Xiao Yan's adventures over the past half year, including his entry into the Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Xun'er rebuked Ling Ying for failing to help Xiao Yan, then told him to watch more carefully because Xiao Yan would likely risk his life again.
• Xiao Xun'er asked whether Xiao Yan had done anything during his night alone with Yun Yun, and Ling Ying swore that he had not while concealing Yun Yun's pregnancy.
• Ling Ying mentioned that Xiao Yi Xian seemed to have feelings for Xiao Yan, prompting Xiao Xun'er to react coldly before she let the subject drop.
• Ling Ying praised Xiao Yan as someone worth protecting and estimated that Xiao Yan could fight a Dou Wang without using the soul within him.
• Xiao Xun'er ordered Ling Ying to continue protecting Xiao Yan, then Xiao Mei hurried her back to the academy to join a film as its female lead opposite Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yan visited a busy market with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to find alchemy supplies, but realized he lacked the money to buy much. He put his Third-grade Pills up for sale, and Xiao Yi Xian drew a crowd by expertly selling them.

• Nalan Jie reassured Xiao Yan that Nalan Yanran was recovering from the shock of his strength and suggested he explore the Imperial Capital.
• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan to look for alchemy-related goods, and Nalan Jie arranged for a servant to guide Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin to a market.
• Xiao Yan held Qing Lin’s hand as they walked through the crowded market, while Xiao Yi Xian teased him about his reluctance to hold her hand.
• Yao Chen learned that Xiao Yan had only tens of thousands of Gold Coins and suggested he sell his Third-grade Pills to raise money.
• Xiao Yi Xian offered to lend Xiao Yan money, but he refused and set out his pills for sale instead.
• Xiao Yi Xian called out to customers and sold Xiao Yan’s pills with practiced ease, quickly drawing a crowd around their stall.

Xiao Yi Xian sold Xiao Yan’s pills and refused to take a share, helping him realize that refusing someone the chance to repay kindness could also cause them unease. After shopping, Xiao Yan spotted a seller trying to trade a damaged Peach Blossom Fire for a silver-haired girl’s Grade 4 pill recipe and stepped in to demand an honest description.

• Xiao Yi Xian sold Xiao Yan’s pills for three hundred and twenty thousand gold coins and persuaded him to accept the money as her way of repaying his kindness.
• Xiao Yan reflected on how refusing repayment could burden someone like Xiao Yi Xian, then thanked her for helping him understand this.
• Xiao Yan spent most of the proceeds on cultivation ingredients and herbs to help Xiao Yi Xian control her Calamitous Poison Body.
• Xiao Yan noticed a Peach Blossom Fire seed at a stall, and Yao Chen told him it was damaged, weak, and useless for raising the Fen Jue’s grade.
• A silver-haired girl offered the stall owner a Grade 4 pill recipe for the Peach Blossom Fire, and Xiao Yan blocked the exchange and challenged the owner to disclose the fire’s condition.

Xiao Yan stopped a stall owner from swindling Xue Mei with a defective Peach Blossom Fire seed, then accepted her offer to guide him into a market reserved for High-level Alchemists. As Xue Mei led Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin onward, she noticed the three of them looked like a family.

• Xiao Yan exposed the Peach Blossom Fire seed as defective and insisted the stall owner explain its true condition to Xue Mei.
• The stall owner packed up his stall and left without admitting wrongdoing, while Xue Mei thanked Xiao Yan.
• Xue Mei offered to bring Xiao Yan into a rarer market using her teacher's credentials, and she and Xiao Yan introduced themselves.
• Xiao Yi Xian grew jealous when Xue Mei met Xiao Yan, then pinched him after he clarified that they were only friends.
• Xue Mei led Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin toward the High-level Alchemist market and thought they looked like a family of three.

Xiao Yan entered the high-end gathering with Xue Mei’s help, met her teacher Frank and Otto, and earned Frank’s trust by explaining how he had prevented Xue Mei from making a disastrous trade. As Xiao Yan browsed the gathering with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, Xue Mei and the others discussed his connections, and a familiar voice called out to him.

• Xue Mei showed the guards Frank’s token, allowing Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin to enter the high-end gathering.
• Xue Mei introduced Xiao Yan to Frank and Otto and explained how he had stopped her from trading a Fourth Grade Pill Recipe for an incomplete Peach Blossom Fire seed.
• Xiao Yan told Frank and Otto that he had passed the Third Grade Alchemist examination, surprising them with his ability at a young age.
• Lin Fei teased Xiao Yan about his appearance and Xue Mei, then speculated carelessly about Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian before Otto reprimanded her.
• Frank accepted Xiao Yan as his guest and guarantor, and Xiao Yan left with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to browse the gathering.
• As Xue Mei wondered about Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian’s relationship, a familiar voice called out to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan reunited with Yun Ying at the gathering, where she explained her Clan’s work arranging funerals for powerful experts and her interest in his Righteous Path. After learning that no powerful expert had shared his ideals, Xiao Yan resolved to make the continent acknowledge them, while Yun Ying silently vowed to keep him safe.

• Xiao Yan happily greeted Yun Ying and invited her to explore the gathering with him, while Xiao Yi Xian felt uneasy about Yun Ying’s interest in him.
• Yun Ying said she had advanced to Da Dou Shi using a Secret Medicine from her Clan and claimed her Clan arranged funerals for powerful experts.
• Yun Ying explained that her Clan helped powerful experts accept death and find meaning in their lives in exchange for their treasures.
• Yun Ying told Xiao Yan that she had never encountered a powerful expert who shared his Righteous Path, disappointing him.
• Xiao Yan resolved to carry on his Righteous Path and make the continent acknowledge it, while Yun Ying vowed to keep him safe.

Xiao Yan defended Frank after Kuro accused him of intending to steal, forcing Kuro to choose between publicly questioning the gathering’s vendors or leaving in defeat. Kuro departed, and Xiao Yan reflected that staying silent in the face of unjust accusations could encourage them; he then apologized to Frank for becoming the excuse Kuro used to provoke him.

• Xiao Yan returned to Frank and found Kuro arguing with Frank, while Lin Fei and Xue Mei showed their hostility toward Kuro.
• Kuro insinuated that Xiao Yan had come to steal, and Xiao Yan calmly offered to let Kuro question every stall to verify that nothing was missing.
• Xiao Yan framed the investigation as proof of Kuro’s concern for Frank, trapping Kuro between offending the vendors and admitting he had no grounds for suspicion.
• Kuro glared at Xiao Yan, threatened him, and left rather than question the stalls, leaving Frank and Otto impressed.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen that the Snake-people race incident had taught him that silence could encourage arrogance, then apologized to Frank for giving Kuro an excuse to target him.

After Xiao Yan humiliated Kuro, Frank warned him that Kuro might retaliate and gave him an address where he could seek help. Xiao Yan then joined Yun Ying for a meal, and he realized his unusual formality toward Yun Ying came from wanting to hide any flaws from her.

• Lin Fei happily embraced Xiao Yan, prompting Xiao Yi Xian to pull him away while Xue Mei scolded Lin Fei.
• Frank warned Xiao Yan that Kuro might take revenge and gave him his address in Jia Ma Holy City in case he needed help.
• Xiao Yan thanked Frank and left with Xiao Yi Xian and the others, while Otto praised Xiao Yan's character and wished he could have him as a disciple.
• Yun Ying led Xiao Yan's group to a restaurant and offered to pay, and Xiao Yan agreed after asking to treat her another time.
• After Yao Chen questioned Xiao Yan's excessive politeness toward Yun Ying, Xiao Yan realized he instinctively wanted to keep Yun Ying from seeing any flaws in him.

Xiao Yi Xian struggled with jealousy over Xiao Yan’s closeness to Yun Ying, then was abducted by the unscrupulous stall owner as a hostage. Xiao Yan rescued her and killed the attacker, leaving Xiao Yi Xian frightened by his cruelty and Yun Ying intrigued by the contrast with his righteous nature.

• Xiao Yi Xian left the private room after reflecting on her jealousy and her inability to follow Xiao Yan’s righteous path as he did.
• The unscrupulous stall owner seized Xiao Yi Xian and tried to force her to go with him as a hostage against Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan appeared, tore off the stall owner’s arm, and pulled Xiao Yi Xian to safety while Yun Ying paid the innkeeper to keep the incident quiet.
• Xiao Yi Xian recoiled from Xiao Yan’s emotionless, crimson-eyed demeanor as he interrogated the wounded stall owner.
• The stall owner said an unnamed, high-status alchemist had sent him, and Xiao Yan suspected Kuro before killing him.
• Yun Ying watched Xiao Yan’s brutality and wondered how it fit with the righteous man she had come to admire.

After Xiao Yan killed the Unscrupulous Stall Owner for targeting Xiao Yi Xian, he took her and Qing Lin to the Nalan Family and set out to handle the trouble himself. A military messenger then reported that Chisha City had vanished without a trace.

• Xiao Yan reassured Xiao Yi Xian, cleaned the blood from the restaurant, and returned with her and Yun Ying to Qing Lin.
• Yun Ying offered help, but Xiao Yan declined and took Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the Nalan Family.
• Xiao Yan asked Nalan Jie to shelter Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin while he dealt with the situation, and Nalan Jie agreed.
• An emergency military messenger told Nalan Jie that all of Chisha City had suddenly disappeared.

After Chisha City vanished, Jia Xingtian and Nalan Jie accepted that they could not challenge the unknown power responsible and struggled to contain the panic among survivors in Jia Ma Holy City. Yun Ying then confronted Kuro, the Alchemist Guild Master of Chisha City, and revealed she had destroyed the city because he had displeased her.

• A messenger reported Chisha City's disappearance to Nalan Jie, who left Xiao Yan to inform Jia Xingtian at the Imperial Palace.
• Jia Xingtian concluded that no force in the region could have erased the city and ordered that no one investigate further, while Nalan Jie was tasked with settling survivors.
• News of Chisha City's destruction spread through Jia Ma Holy City, where grieving survivors begged for justice, some died by suicide, and others caused riots.
• Yun Ying strolled through the despairing city and decided it was time to deal with Kuro.
• Yun Ying appeared in Kuro's inn room and told him she had destroyed Chisha City because he had made her unhappy.

Yun Ying drove Kuro mad with Chisha City’s vengeful souls, killed him and an inn attendant, then erased the souls. Three days later, Xiao Yan helped Chisha’s survivors and struggled with whether saving them was right before Yun Ying approached him, unaware of her role in the disaster.

• Yun Ying sent Chisha City’s vengeful souls after Kuro, and their accusations drove him mad until his heart burst.
• Yun Ying dispersed the vengeful souls, killed an inn attendant who witnessed Kuro’s body, and vanished.
• Three days after Chisha City disappeared, Xiao Yan and others helped its survivors while the Alchemist Tournament was postponed.
• Xiao Yan stopped a bereaved man from killing himself, then questioned whether the survivors should be prevented from dying; a guard captain urged him to keep protecting life.
• Yao Chen worried over Xiao Yan’s mental exhaustion and kept Yun Ying’s responsibility secret to prevent him from confronting her.
• Yun Ying approached Xiao Yan, who greeted her warmly and showed no suspicion that she had caused Chisha City’s destruction.

After Chisha City’s destruction, Xiao Yan resolved to help its survivors and accepted Yun Ying’s offer to assist, unaware that she was responsible for the disaster. Aid workers struggled to care for the grieving in Jia Ma Holy City while Jia Xingtian ordered preparations for the Alchemist Tournament to resume.

• Yun Ying offered condolences to Xiao Yan, who condemned the law of the jungle and reaffirmed his determination to help the survivors.
• Yun Ying offered to join Xiao Yan in rescuing people who wanted to die, and he thanked her without knowing she had destroyed Chisha City.
• Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin cared for wounded survivors at a temporary medical station while Nalan Yanran brought in two bound men and refused to rest.
• Nalan Jie, Mu Zhan, the Alchemist Guild, and Princess Yao Yue continued helping the city’s survivors as the number of suicides declined.
• Jia Xingtian told his soldiers to stay alert and ordered preparations for the Alchemist Tournament, then lamented that he could not yet pass the throne to Yao Ye.

Xiao Yan went to the Miter Auction House before the Alchemist Tournament and encountered Ya Fei and Mu Zhan. After Mu Zhan thanked him for helping Chisha City’s residents, Ya Fei teased Xiao Yan until he fled her advances, then led him deeper into the auction house to collect what he needed.

• Xiao Yan left the Nalan Family for the Miter Auction House while Nalan Jie encouraged him to make a name for himself at the tournament.
• On his way, soldiers and residents thanked Xiao Yan for helping people from Chisha City, delaying his arrival.
• Ya Fei linked arms with Xiao Yan to fend off Mu Zhan, who then bowed and thanked Xiao Yan for saving Chisha City natives before leaving with visible jealousy.
• Ya Fei teased Xiao Yan by touching his chin, and he pulled away, insisting that men and women should keep their distance.
• Ya Fei led Xiao Yan farther into the auction house to collect what he needed while he kept his distance and asked Yao Chen for a Calming Pill.