Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yu returned to Wutan City for the Xiao Family Coming-of-Age Ceremony and confronted Liu Xi after he harassed her. When Gale Ao ordered his guards to seize her, Xiao Yu released her Dou Qi and prepared to fight them.

• Xiao Yu returned to Wutan City after two years at Jia Nan Academy without finding a solution to Xiao Yan's lost Dou Qi.
• Liu Xi blocked Xiao Yu in the Xiao Family Market and made lewd advances toward her.
• Gale Ao intervened but failed to stop Liu Xi from blocking Xiao Yu again, so she kicked Liu Xi away.
• Liu Xi demanded that Gale Ao capture Xiao Yu and promised a prescription that could help drive the Xiao Family from Wutan City.
• Gale Ao ordered his guards to surround Xiao Yu, and she unleashed her Dou Qi, declaring that the Xiao Family was not to be provoked.

Xiao Yu returned to the Xiao Family, defeated Gale Ao and the Gale Family guards causing trouble in the market, and learned that Xiao Yan had taken the younger disciples to train at the Back Mountain. There, she reunited with Xiao Yan after he stumbled onto her, and the chapter ended with them greeting each other.

• Xiao Yu used her whip to defeat the Gale Family guards and knocked Gale Ao unconscious after he threatened her.
• Xiao Yu ordered the Xiao Family guards to throw out the Gale Family men and beat Liu Xi before removing him from the market.
• Xiao Yu went to the Council Hall, where Xiao Zhan told her that Xiao Yan and the younger disciples were training at the Back Mountain.
• Xiao Zhan explained that the Gale Family's Hui Chun San had drawn customers away from the Xiao Family Market.
• Xiao Yu headed to the Back Mountain, worried about Xiao Yan and regretting that she had found no answer to his loss of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan tripped out of the bushes and landed on Xiao Yu, recognized her, and greeted her as she smiled and called him a little pervert.

Xiao Yu reunited with Xiao Yan at the mountain training camp and discovered that his Dou Qi had recovered and that the Xiao Family Disciples had all advanced to Dou Zhe. After three months of harsh training, Xiao Yan announced that the camp would end after lunch and everyone would return home for the new year.

• Xiao Yan apologized to Xiao Yu for an embarrassing childhood incident, then told her that his Dou Qi had recovered and he had reached Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Yan led Xiao Yu to the Hot Spring training camp, where she saw that the Xiao Family Disciples had stayed on the mountain for three months and their clothes were worn.
• Xiao Ning, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Xun'er welcomed Xiao Yu and explained that Xiao Yan's demanding training had helped everyone advance to Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Yan privately credited much of the disciples' progress to Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, which he had funded with about one hundred portions over three months.
• Xiao Yan told the Xiao Family Disciples to finish lunch because the training camp would end and they would go home for the new year.

After returning from three months of training with the Xiao Family Disciples, Xiao Yan learned that the Gale Family was drawing mercenaries away from Xiao Family Market with a healing medicine. When Xiao Yu revealed that the Gale Family had also targeted her, Xiao Yan coldly declared there would be no next time.

• Xiao Yan brought more than twenty Xiao Family Disciples back from the Back Mountain, and Xiao Zhan and the elders were astonished that they had all become Dou Zhe.
• Yao Chen hesitated when Xiao Yan asked about cultivating a technique, then withdrew into the ring, leaving Xiao Yan troubled by her sorrow and self-reproach.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan that merchants and customers were leaving Xiao Family Market for the Gale Family's market, where a first-tier alchemist sold Hui Chun San.
• Xiao Yu explained that Liu Xi and Gale Family Guards had harassed her, and said she had beaten the guards, Gale Ao, and Liu Xi.
• Xiao Yan interrupted Xiao Zhan and said there would be no next time, startling the others and making Xiao Yu turn to look at him.

Xiao Yan, consumed by anger, attacked the Gale Family and brutally crippled Gale Ao and Liu Xi. After Gale Bi struck him and broke his arm, Xiao Yu stepped between them to protect Xiao Yan.

• Yao Chen sensed that Xiao Yan's soul was tainted by resentment and hatred, while Xiao Yu recognized his altered state and hurried to warn Xiao Zhan before chasing after him.
• Xiao Yu reached the Gale Family too late and found its guards down, Gale Ao crippled, and Liu Xi gravely injured as Xiao Yan dragged him out.
• Gale Bi arrived and attacked Xiao Yan in a rage, but Xiao Yan's punch repelled him and broke his arm, though Xiao Yan was blasted into a wall.
• Gale Bi prepared to attack Xiao Yan again, but Xiao Yu blocked him with her whip and warned him not to touch Xiao Yan.

Xiao Zhan and Gale Bi nearly led their families into battle over Xiao Yan’s attack on Gale Ao and Liu Xi, but Ya Fei mediated a settlement that spared the Xiao Family a fight. After the Xiao Family left, Gale Bi ordered Gale Nu to bring Liu Xi’s teacher to Wutan City and enlist him against the Xiao Family.

• Xiao Zhan arrived with Xiao Family reinforcements, checked on Xiao Yu and the unconscious Xiao Yan, and argued with Gale Bi over whose family had started the conflict.
• Gale Bi called for a fight, but Ya Fei entered and offered the Gale Family a thirty-percent discount on medicinal ingredients in exchange for Xiao Zhan accepting responsibility for Xiao Yan’s actions.
• Xiao Zhan agreed to pay the discount as punishment, and both families withdrew without fighting.
• Gale Bi threatened that the dispute was not over as Xiao Zhan left with Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan.
• Gale Bi mourned Gale Ao’s injuries, dismissed the dead Liu Xi, and ordered Gale Nu to invite Liu Xi’s teacher and seek his help in taking revenge on the Xiao Family.

After Ya Fei mediated a settlement between the Xiao Family and the Gale Family, Xiao Yu cared for the injured Xiao Yan and realized the ring on his chest might be connected to his lost Dou Qi and recent protection. She confronted the ring, convinced something was inside it.

• Xiao Zhan thanked Ya Fei for preventing the Xiao Family and Gale Family from fighting, and Ya Fei returned to the Auction House.
• Xiao Yu carried the unconscious Xiao Yan home and noticed a white flash from his ring had appeared when he struck Gale Bi.
• Xiao Zhan confirmed Xiao Yan's injuries were not serious and left him in Xiao Yu's care.
• Xiao Yu tended Xiao Yan's wounds and realized he had attacked the Gale Family so fiercely because he feared she might have been abducted or harmed.
• Xiao Yu connected Xiao Yan's loss of Dou Qi three years earlier to the ring and suspected it had self-awareness.
• Xiao Yu stared at the ring and demanded that whatever was inside come out.

Yao Chen revealed herself to Xiao Yu after Xiao Yu noticed her presence, and they discussed Yao Chen’s role in Xiao Yan’s past and recent growth. Xiao Yu thanked Yao Chen for protecting Xiao Yan, asked her not to betray his trust, and left after reflecting on his selfless nature.

• Yao Chen emerged from Xiao Yan’s ring when she thought Xiao Yu had discovered her, but Xiao Yu initially dismissed the ring’s awareness as her imagination.
• Xiao Yu saw Yao Chen and accused her of causing Xiao Yan’s three years of Dou Qi regression by taking his Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yu recognized that Yao Chen had helped Xiao Yan during his clash with Gale Bi and thanked her, separating that favor from her grievance.
• Xiao Yu inferred that Yao Chen had also helped Xiao Yan and the Xiao Family Disciples reach Dou Zhe after three months of training, and Yao Chen admitted it with a shrug.
• Xiao Yu asked Yao Chen not to betray Xiao Yan’s trust and hoped she would teach him to be more selfish, then left the room.

After recovering from his fight with Gale Bi, Xiao Yan reaffirmed his commitment to the Righteous Path and asked Yao Chen to kill him if he ever became the kind of person he despised. Yao Chen agreed to do her best, though she doubted she could carry out the request.

• Xiao Yan woke in his room, thanked Yao Chen for saving him from Gale Bi, and promised to try not to act so recklessly again.
• Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er rushed in to check on Xiao Yan, then left so he could rest.
• Yao Chen noticed Xiao Xun'er's murderous look and concluded that the Gale Family would not survive the night.
• Xiao Yan admitted he was still too weak to advance his Righteous Path and told Yao Chen he feared becoming a believer in the Law of the Jungle.
• Xiao Yan begged Yao Chen to stop him, even by taking his life, if he ever abandoned his principles, and Yao Chen said she would do her best.

After the Gale Family vanished and the Oba Family fled Wutan City, the Xiao Family became the city's sole great family and prepared for its Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Nalan Yanran arrived at the Xiao residence, stirring unease among Xiao Yan's companions, and the chapter ended before she explained her purpose.

• The Gale Family disappeared completely, and the people of Wutan City gradually stopped remembering it.
• Oba Pa sold the Oba Family's assets and moved his family away, allowing Xiao Zhan to acquire both families' marketplaces for the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei discussed the Gale Family's disappearance while Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning watched Xiao Xun'er with suspicion.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Xun'er that Xiao Jing and Xiao Li planned to return before the New Year.
• A servant announced that Nalan Yanran had arrived, and Xiao Zhan wondered whether she had come to press Xiao Yan about their arranged marriage.

Nalan Yanran visited the Xiao Family and provoked Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mei by calling herself Xiao Yan's future wife. Xiao Yan avoided the quarrel to help prepare the family’s year-end celebration, while Nalan Yanran became more determined to marry him.

• Nalan Yanran told Xiao Zhan she hoped to marry into the Xiao Family, provoking Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er with teasing claims that they would be her sisters-in-law.
• Xiao Xun'er smashed her chair's armrest as she and Nalan Yanran confronted each other, but Xiao Yan led her away after a disciple said the preparations were finished.
• Xiao Ning urged Xiao Yan to resolve the tension between the women, while Xiao Yan admitted he was focused on his righteous path and had avoided thinking about love.
• Xiao Yan, Xiao Mei, Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yu, and the Xiao Family Disciples decorated the estate for the family's annual year-end gathering.
• Xiao Zhan explained the tradition to Nalan Yanran, who watched Xiao Yan hang lanterns and resolved to marry him.

On the morning of the Xiao Family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan faced romantic tension among Xiao Mei, Xiao Xun'er, Nalan Yanran, and Xiao Yu. He left Nalan Yanran in Xiao Yu's care while he went to help his father, prompting Nalan Yanran to recognize Xiao Yu as a formidable rival.

• Xiao Yan woke on the day of the Xiao Family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony and heard Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er arguing with Nalan Yanran outside his room.
• Xiao Mei clung to Xiao Yan, and he teased Nalan Yanran with the nickname Little Glutton before promising not to explain it.
• Xiao Yan arrived at the ceremony venue with Xiao Mei, Xiao Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran, where Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu greeted them.
• Xiao Yan asked Xiao Yu to keep Nalan Yanran company while he went to see Xiao Zhan, and Nalan Yanran grew wary of Xiao Yu's feelings for him.

At the Xiao Family’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Ya Fei drew close to Xiao Yan and considered the immense force behind the Gale Family’s disappearance. Nalan Yanran confronted Ya Fei after Xiao Yan fled, declaring that Xiao Yan was her fiancé.

• Xiao Yan brought Ya Fei away from the merchants, and she teased him about visiting the Gale Family before seeing her.
• Ya Fei reflected that Xiao Yan’s teacher might not alone have had enough power to erase the Gale Family so completely.
• Xiao Mei confronted Ya Fei for embracing Xiao Yan, while Xiao Xun'er, Nalan Yanran, and Xiao Yu reacted with jealousy and unease.
• Xiao Ning called everyone to prepare for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and Xiao Yan hurried away with Xiao Mei and the others following.
• Nalan Yanran introduced herself to Ya Fei and solemnly declared that Xiao Yan was her fiancé.

Ya Fei confronted Nalan Yanran over her engagement to Xiao Yan, challenging her to judge herself by her actions rather than her intentions. Nalan Yanran then witnessed the Xiao Family’s astonishing strength at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, where Xiao Yan was chosen first for a martial contest.

• Nalan Yanran declared that Xiao Yan was her fiancé and demanded that Ya Fei show respect, but Ya Fei guessed that she had once gone to the Xiao Family to break off the engagement.
• Nalan Yanran admitted she had intended to end the engagement before she knew Xiao Yan’s identity, and Ya Fei reminded her that actions mattered more than intentions.
• Ya Fei warned Nalan Yanran not to use the engagement to bind or threaten Xiao Yan and urged her to put aside her arrogance and consider whether she was worthy of him.
• Nalan Yanran watched Xiao Yan test as a One-star Dou Zhe and learned that every Xiao Family Disciple had reached the Dou Zhe realm, with Xiao Xun'er at Three-star Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Zhan arranged a martial contest for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and Xiao Yan drew the first match.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning fought the first match of the Xiao Family Coming-of-Age Ceremony, revealing how much their combat skills had improved after three months of harsh training. Their clash stunned the spectators, especially Nalan Yanran, who could hardly believe they were only Dou Zhes.

• Xiao Ning drew the same match number as Xiao Yan and tried unsuccessfully to trade lots with another disciple.
• Xiao Mei kicked Xiao Ning onto the stage, where he confirmed with Xiao Yan that they would not use Eight Extremes Collapse.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning rushed at each other as the examiner began the match, their opening punch shattering the stone tiles and frightening the examiner off the stage.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning traded blows at startling speed, leaving Xiao Zhan and the three elders astonished by the disciples’ strength.
• Xiao Yu resolved to intensify her training, while Xiao Xun'er recalled the brutal Back Mountain regimen and admired the Xiao Family Disciples for enduring it.
• Nalan Yanran watched the fight in terror and wondered how the two combatants could possibly be Dou Zhes.

After Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Ning, Nalan Yanran was overwhelmed by the gap between their abilities and her regret over how she had treated Xiao Yan. When she tried to leave the Xiao Family estate in distress, Xiao Yan stopped her and decided to take her somewhere to have fun.

• Nalan Yanran watched Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning fight, realized how far beyond her they were, and sank into despair over her past arrogance toward Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Ning, who accepted the loss and invited him to Ningchun Tower, but Xiao Yan refused and chose to wander instead.
• Xiao Yan noticed Nalan Yanran kneeling in the crowd and asked what was wrong; she said she was fine and planned to return to the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Xiao Yan refused to let Nalan Yanran leave in her distressed state, took her by the arm, and told her he would take her to have some fun.

Xiao Yan took a dejected Nalan Yanran to the market and cheered her up with games. After she repeatedly won nothing at an archery stall and Xiao Yan won its valuable bracelet in one shot, she accepted it and paid the stall owner a thousand gold coins.

• Xiao Yan led Nalan Yanran to an archery stall, where she repeatedly hit the wheel’s “Thank You For Participating” sections.
• Nalan Yanran grew frustrated after all five of her arrows landed on losing sections, and Xiao Yan took her to try other market games.
• Nalan Yanran’s mood improved as she played the games, though she later returned to the archery stall and continued hitting losing sections.
• Xiao Yan used the final arrow to win an Exquisite Bracelet, and the stall owner told him to keep it despite its value.
• Xiao Yan offered the bracelet to Nalan Yanran, who accepted it, gave the stall owner a thousand gold coins, and pulled Xiao Yan away.

After the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mei found Xiao Yan returning from the market with Nalan Yanran, who showed off a bracelet he had given her. Nalan Yanran apologized for flaunting it, reflected on the equality of her feelings for Xiao Yan, and declared she would never give up on him, leaving Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mei wary of her as a rival.

• Xiao Mei noticed Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning, and Nalan Yanran were missing, and Xiao Xun'er worried that Nalan Yanran had drawn Xiao Yan away.
• Xiao Yan returned with Nalan Yanran, and Xiao Mei confronted her before Xiao Yu summoned Xiao Yan to Xiao Zhan.
• Nalan Yanran showed Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er the bracelet Xiao Yan had given her, provoking their jealousy.
• Nalan Yanran apologized for showing off the bracelet and said she had realized her relationship with Xiao Yan should be equal.
• Nalan Yanran explained that Xiao Yan had given her the bracelet to cheer her up, then vowed she would never give up on him.

Xiao Yan reunited with his sisters, Xiao Jing and Xiao Li, and met Qing Lin, a shy girl they had brought home from their Mercenary Group. Xiao Jing revealed that Qing Lin was descended from a human and a snake-person, leaving Xiao Yan and the others astonished.

• Xiao Li greeted Xiao Yan warmly and teased Xiao Yu about becoming his wife, making Xiao Yu blush and hide her loneliness.
• Xiao Jing reunited with Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan, then introduced Qing Lin as a child taken in by the Mercenary Group.
• Xiao Yan gently greeted Qing Lin, but she recoiled when he noticed the snake-like scales on her wrist.
• Xiao Jing reassured Qing Lin and asked her to show the others her arm.
• Xiao Jing revealed that Qing Lin was descended from a human and a snake-person.

Xiao Jing told Xiao Yan how Qing Lin, the daughter of a human woman and a snake-person, lost both parents to prejudice between humans and the snake-people race. After recounting their deaths, Xiao Jing vowed to resolve the conflict between the two peoples.

• Xiao Yu comforted Qing Lin and agreed to let her stay in her room while she rested.
• Xiao Jing explained that slave traders’ persecution of snake-people had fueled hatred between them and humans, which later grew into violence on both sides.
• Xiao Jing recounted how Qing Lin’s parents fell in love and lived together in an oasis near the Tagor Desert.
• When Qing Lin’s mother became gravely ill, humans drove the family away with abuse and blades; her wounded father returned home and died soon after her mother.
• Xiao Jing and Xiao Li buried Qing Lin’s parents, and Xiao Jing vowed to end the hatred between humans and the snake-people race.
• Xiao Yan saluted Xiao Jing and wished her success in fulfilling that vow.