Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and Yao Chen found Han Feng refining medicinal ingredients at an oasis, but Yao Chen sensed something strange about him and attacked. Yao Chen destroyed the Medicine Puppet, only for Chen Guan to reveal himself in fury, leaving Yao Chen facing a new enemy.

• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen crossed the unusually quiet Tagor Desert and followed a hotter wind toward a possible Heavenly Flame.
• Yao Chen recognized Han Feng at an oasis and sensed that his former disciple's body and Spiritual Power were abnormal.
• Chen Guan watched from concealment and realized Yao Chen was tempted to attack Han Feng.
• Yao Chen took over Xiao Yan's body and struck the Medicine Puppet with a powerful fiery ruler attack, destroying it and half the oasis.
• Chen Guan shouted at Yao Chen for destroying his puppet and threatened him.

Chen Guan forced Yao Chen to negotiate after defeating him with his puppets, the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, and a Spirit Realm soul attack. He rejected Yao Chen’s proposed compensation and demanded the Flame Mantra, which Yao Chen refused to surrender.

• Chen Guan attacked Yao Chen after Yao Chen destroyed the Medicine Puppet, then used Crimson Starfall and rose into the air with his Spirit Realm soul.
• Chen Guan surrounded Yao Chen with five puppets and the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, then struck his soul with Soul Star Vine and left him injured.
• Yao Chen offered compensation to stop Chen Guan from attacking again, and Chen Guan questioned him about his connection to Han Feng.
• Chen Guan retrieved the badly damaged Medicine Puppet and rejected Yao Chen’s offers of a Dou Technique, an alchemist inheritance, and pill formulas.
• Chen Guan asked for the Flame Mantra, and Yao Chen declared that he would never hand it over.

Chen Guan negotiated with Yao Chen, trading the complete Flame Mantra for the location of the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, Spirit Nourishing Dust, and other terms. After they agreed to a half-month arrangement, Xiao Yan woke and Chen Guan introduced himself.

• Yao Chen rejected Chen Guan’s offer to trade for a Medicine Puppet, but began considering an exchange for news of another Heavenly Flame.
• Chen Guan offered the Wind Fury Dragon Flame’s whereabouts and two portions of Spirit Nourishing Dust, persuading Yao Chen to offer the complete Flame Mantra and agree to help refine a body if Chen Guan obtained a third Heavenly Flame.
• Chen Guan agreed to seek Yao Chen’s method for controlling the Poison Body of Misfortune, while Yao Chen asked to observe Xiao Yan for three months; Chen Guan limited the arrangement to half a month because he had urgent matters to attend to.
• Chen Guan recalled his puppets and the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, then summoned Snake People and told them to inform Commander Hua She'er that he would return to the Holy City in half a month.
• Yao Chen realized Chen Guan had ties to the Snake People Race, and Chen Guan claimed the Tagor Desert and Jia Ma Empire as his territory.
• Xiao Yan woke in pain and asked who Chen Guan was, so Chen Guan introduced himself as a member of the Jia Ma Empire Imperial Family.

Xiao Yan recovered from his injuries and met Chen Guan, then learned firsthand how vast the gap between them was when he fought Chen Guan’s puppet. The chapter ended with Chen Guan casually breaking through to Eight-star Dou Ling, leaving Xiao Yan’s confidence shaken again.

• Xiao Yan remembered meeting Chen Guan years earlier in a Wutan City inn, and the two spoke cordially while Yao Chen refined healing pills.
• Two days later, Xiao Yan recovered and asked Chen Guan to spar, so Chen Guan summoned a weakened puppet for him to fight.
• As Xiao Yan struggled against the puppet, Yao Chen revealed that Chen Guan was a Seven-star Dou Ling and encouraged Xiao Yan not to lose heart.
• Xiao Yan focused on the fight and used his Dou Techniques to improve his chances against the puppet.
• While Chen Guan cultivated, he broke through to Eight-star Dou Ling, and Xiao Yan was stunned by how easily he advanced.

Chen Guan exchanged the Flame Mantra and Poison Pill Method with Yao Chen, then returned to the Jia Ma Empire and gave Spirit Nourishing Dust to Yaoyue and Yun Yun. After bidding Yun Yun farewell, he left for Tagouer to begin secluded cultivation.

• Chen Guan traded Yao Chen the Flame Mantra and Poison Pill Method for Spirit Nourishing Dust and warned him about the Snake People Race in the Tagor Desert.
• Yao Chen reassured Xiao Yan that he could still find a Heavenly Flame, and they continued into the desert to search for the Wind Fury Dragon Flame.
• Chen Guan returned to the Jia Ma Empire, gave Yaoyue a portion of Spirit Nourishing Dust, and visited Yun Yun at the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Chen Guan gave Yun Yun Spirit Nourishing Dust and told her he was leaving for Jia Nan Academy to enter secluded cultivation.
• Chen Guan thanked the Alchemist Guild and the Mittel Family, spent the morning with Jia Xingtian, Yaoye, and Yaoyue, then set out for Tagouer on the Griffin Beast.

Chen Guan, Zi Yan, and their Griffin Beast endured a massive Black Storm on the Black Region Great Plains. After surviving it, they were attacked by Black Bandits, whom Chen Guan began killing with a Spiritual Power technique.

• Chen Guan sensed a huge Black Storm approaching and hid with Zi Yan and the Griffin Beast in a cave he blasted into the plains.
• Chen Guan used his Red Leaf Blade and Fire Crystal Shields to hold them in place as the storm dragged at them for over an hour, while Zi Yan fed him recovery pills.
• After the storm passed, Chen Guan and Zi Yan recovered before a group of Black Bandits rushed toward them to loot the dead.
• The Black Bandits threatened Zi Yan, so Chen Guan stopped her from fighting and stayed seated as he faced them.
• Chen Guan's Spiritual Power attack killed more than half the Black Bandits, and an invisible Spiritual Power storm swept toward the survivors.

Chen Guan returned to Jia Nan Academy with Zi Yan and asked Su Qian about Xiao Xun'er, whose name was missing from the new student roster. Su Qian agreed to investigate, while Zi Yan began preparing to advance and he led Chen Guan to a safer place for her breakthrough.

• Chen Guan and Zi Yan returned to the academy after he spent the journey pondering Soul Dou Techniques inspired by the Black Storm.
• Su Qian welcomed them, praised Chen Guan's cultivation, and urged him to focus on advancing toward Dou Wang.
• Chen Guan noticed Xiao Xun'er was absent from the roster and asked Su Qian to look into whether she had enrolled at Jia Nan Academy.
• Su Qian agreed to ask Hu Gan for the complete student records, while Chen Guan wondered whether Xiao Xun'er had come to the academy at all.
• Su Qian noticed Zi Yan was asleep and sensed she was about to advance, then told Chen Guan to carry her as he led them to a suitable place.

Chen Guan helped Zi Yan begin her advancement in a secluded valley, then prepared to devour the Sea Heart Flame and switch to the Flame Mantra. After gathering supplies and returning to the valley, he began circulating his Dou Qi along the Flame Mantra’s route.

• Chen Guan and Su Qian brought Zi Yan to a secluded valley, where she released her suppressed energy and formed an Energy Cocoon as her advancement began.
• Su Qian asked Chen Guan about Queen Medusa, then left him to watch over Zi Yan while he cultivated nearby.
• Chen Guan built two cabins, studied the Flame Mantra, and returned to the academy to gather supplies for devouring the Sea Heart Flame.
• Chen Guan encountered Li Chang'an, now a One-star Dou Spirit weakened by fire poison, and warned him that his condition could be fatal.
• Chen Guan collected supplementary medicinal ingredients, returned to the valley, and began switching to the Flame Mantra.

Chen Guan switched to the Flame Mantra, endured the loss of most of his Dou Qi, and absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame under Su Qian’s protection. After recovering, he absorbed the Sea Heart Flame, reaching Peak Dou Spirit while the Flame Mantra evolved to Earth Tier Low Grade.

• Chen Guan switched to the Flame Mantra in one morning, and his Dou Qi dwindled while his cultivation realm remained unchanged.
• Chen Guan endured a day and night of agony as he absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame, while Su Qian guarded the hut and kept him safe.
• Chen Guan thanked Su Qian, who explained that Xiao Xun'er was not listed among the new students and said Li Chang'an had left the academy.
• After resting, Chen Guan used the Medicine Puppet to absorb the Sea Heart Flame, taking over twenty days to advance to Peak Dou Spirit.
• The Flame Mantra evolved to Earth Tier Low Grade.

After refining the Sea Heart Flame, Chen Guan discussed the dangerous Fallen Heart Flame with Su Qian and agreed to help Jia Nan Academy if it became impossible to suppress. He postponed trying to refine it, planning to recover and prepare the pills and precautions he would need.

• Chen Guan tested his new cobalt-blue Heavenly Flame, checked on Zi Yan, and fed the Little Sky-Swallowing Python Companion Amethyst Source.
• Su Qian deduced that Chen Guan's cultivation technique had enabled him to refine two Heavenly Flames and warned him to conceal the Sea Heart Flame because Han Feng's wealth would attract enemies.
• Su Qian asked whether Chen Guan could refine a third Heavenly Flame, and Chen Guan confirmed that he could.
• Su Qian requested that Chen Guan help Jia Nan Academy if it could no longer suppress the Fallen Heart Flame, promising not to stop him from refining it then; Chen Guan agreed.
• Chen Guan decided to recover and prepare an Earth Spirit Pill and other special pills before attempting to refine the Fallen Heart Flame.

Chen Guan gathered the ingredients for the Earth Spirit Pill and spent more than two months exchanging alchemy knowledge with Elder Huo. After Elder Huo left for the Outer Academy, Zhao Gang entered the annual selection tournament and defeated a stronger opponent with one spear thrust.

• Chen Guan traded two Fifth-Grade Pills for the Earth Core Fire Ganoderma and Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit, then posted a task to obtain the Azure Wood Immortal Vine.
• Elder Huo visited Chen Guan, learned he had reached fifth-grade, and agreed to exchange alchemy knowledge with him.
• Chen Guan and Elder Huo refined pills and discussed alchemy in the little valley for more than two months, while Great Elder Su Qian watched their occasional arguments.
• Elder Huo returned to the Outer Academy for the Inner Academy Selection Tournament, and Chen Guan chose to stay behind and digest what he had learned.
• At the tournament, Zhao Gang faced Zhang Wei despite not yet being a Dou Master and sent the eight-star Dou Master flying with a single spear thrust.

After returning to the Inner Academy, Chen Guan reunited with Zhao Gang and arranged for him to join Wolf Fang and learn to manage a faction. As night fell, Lin Yan arrived after Chen Guan had summoned him.

• Su Qian told Chen Guan that Zhao Gang had entered the Inner Academy and agreed to spread word that Chen Guan would refine high-grade fifth- and sixth-tier pills for elders who supplied ingredients.
• Chen Guan returned to the Inner Academy and found Nie Xian advising Zhao Gang to join Wolf Fang for protection.
• Chen Guan reunited with Zhao Gang and Nie Xian, then arranged for Zhao Gang to join Wolf Fang and train in faction management until he became a Da Dou Shi.
• Chen Guan gave Nie Xian two jade bottles of pills and teased him with a gold coin as payment before Nie Xian left.
• Lin Yan arrived at the small building, and Chen Guan told the nervous Nie Xian that he had invited him.

Chen Guan treated Lin Yan’s fire poison in exchange for the Azure Wood Immortal Vine and agreed to refine Blood Burning Pills for him. Over the next half month, Chen Guan refined pills for Inner Academy elders and successfully produced an Emperor Extreme Pill, setting his sights on the Fallen Heart Flame.

• Lin Yan offered Chen Guan the Azure Wood Immortal Vine in exchange for a Blood Burning Pill and help removing his fire poison, then explained how he had been poisoned while fighting two Fifth-Tier Magical Beasts for a Stone-in-Fruit.
• Chen Guan refined Ice Spirit Fluid and gave it to Lin Yan with Heart Calming Pills, promising the fire poison would be nearly gone after seven days.
• Lin Yan left Chen Guan three sets of Blood Burning Pill ingredients and the Azure Wood Immortal Vine, while Chen Guan asked Zhao Gang to receive visiting elders.
• Over the next half month, Chen Guan accepted the elders’ requests to refine pills, most of which were for Dragon Strength Pills.
• Chen Guan successfully refined a high-grade sixth-grade Emperor Extreme Pill and decided the Fallen Heart Flame was his next goal.

Chen Guan erased Queen Medusa’s Soul Imprint, bringing her back after she broke through to Dou Zong, and the two discussed their plans while Zi Yan remained inside her Energy Cocoon. Chen Guan successfully refined an Earth Spirit Pill, and Medusa postponed his attempt at the Soul Melting Pill for three days so he could improve his chances.

• Chen Guan finished his pill deliveries, checked on Zi Yan, and gave the Little Sky-Swallowing Python the remaining Companion Amethyst Source before erasing Queen Medusa’s Soul Imprint.
• Queen Medusa reappeared after breaking through to Dou Zong, and Chen Guan reassured Su Qian that they were friends.
• Chen Guan told Medusa he had gathered enough ingredients for two attempts at the Soul Melting Pill, and she agreed to protect him while he refined it.
• At Medusa’s request, Chen Guan began by refining an Earth Spirit Pill, carefully processing its ingredients through the night and the following day.
• Chen Guan successfully caught the finished Earth Spirit Pill, but Medusa told him to wait three days before attempting the Soul Melting Pill.

Chen Guan persuaded Su Qian to let him attempt to refine the Fallen Heart Flame by explaining his preparations, including Heavenly Cold Qi and his Soul Power. Su Qian agreed to give him one chance and began arranging for the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda to be empty during the attempt.

• After returning to the Inner Academy, Chen Guan told Su Qian he wanted to refine the Fallen Heart Flame and keep supplying the academy’s pagoda.
• Su Qian warned Chen Guan that the Fallen Heart Flame was too dangerous and urged him to travel the wider world instead.
• Chen Guan claimed he could recharge a Fire Gourd Creation Method every ten years and showed Su Qian Heavenly Cold Qi and other items prepared for refining the flame.
• Chen Guan demonstrated his Soul Power and argued that he could locate the Fallen Heart Flame and escape if the attempt failed.
• Su Qian agreed to let Chen Guan try once, with himself and Queen Medusa guarding outside the seal, while the elders arranged for the pagoda to be empty.

Chen Guan exchanged a Dou Spirit Pill for permission to undergo Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering ahead of schedule, and Su Qian secured the elders’ approval. At the bottom of the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda, Chen Guan stood beneath the Origin Heart Flame, which Su Qian sent into his body.

• Chen Guan offered Su Qian a Dou Spirit Pill in exchange for an early chance to undergo Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering.
• Su Qian gathered the elders, who approved Chen Guan’s request after hearing his offer and recognizing his value to the academy.
• Su Qian also won the elders’ support for Chen Guan’s promise concerning the Fallen Heart Flame.
• While waiting at the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda, Chen Guan chatted with Elder Liu and gave him a bottle of simplified second-grade Heart Calming Pills.
• Su Qian led Chen Guan and Elders Tan, He, and Lu through the guarded lower levels to the chamber containing the Origin Heart Flame.
• Su Qian and the elders released the Origin Heart Flame, explained its body-tempering effects, and sent it into Chen Guan’s body.

Chen Guan reached Dou Wang while tempering his body with the Origin Heart Flame, but the Fallen Heart Flame erupted and forced him to begin refining it immediately. Elsewhere, Xiao Yan and Yao Chen escaped a Soul Hall Dou Zong and prepared to absorb the weakened Wind Fury Dragon Flame.

• Chen Guan endured the Origin Heart Flame’s tempering, and his Dou Crystal burst apart as he broke through to Dou Wang.
• The Fallen Heart Flame surged out of the Fire Well, and Chen Guan alerted Su Qian before joining the elders in reinforcing the seals.
• Chen Guan sent Little Sky-Swallowing Python away to protect it and Queen Medusa, then entered the Fire Well to confront the Fallen Heart Flame with Heavenly Flame Condensation.
• Su Qian arrived at the Fire Well after ordering an evacuation and hoped Chen Guan would succeed.
• In the Tagor Desert, Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that a Soul Hall Dou Zong had weakened the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and Xiao Yan prepared to absorb it while vowing to surpass Nalan Yanran.

Chen Guan outwitted the Fallen Heart Flame in its lava world, enduring a staged defeat to reveal the flame’s true form. He destroyed its intelligence and seized its core, then began recovering from his injuries.

• The Fallen Heart Flame tried to wear Chen Guan down with waves of lava, but he split one apart with his True Flame Wave-Shattering Blade.
• Chen Guan plunged into the lava and fought the Fallen Heart Flame’s attacks while searching for its true form.
• Chen Guan faked a grievous injury, and the Fallen Heart Flame exposed its location as it approached him.
• Chen Guan used an ice-blue jade bottle to freeze the surrounding lava and weaken the smaller Fire Python, then destroyed the Fallen Heart Flame’s intelligence with a Heavenly Flame-infused punch.
• Chen Guan took medicinal pills to recover and pulled an invisible fire snake from the Fallen Heart Flame’s body.

Chen Guan began refining the Fallen Heart Flame beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda, while Queen Medusa, newly freed from Little Sky-Swallowing Python, searched for him. After learning he was refining the flame, Medusa asked to descend into the Fire Well to see him.

• Chen Guan swallowed the Invisible Little Snake and began refining the Heavenly Flame Source in the Lava World.
• After succeeding with the Soul Melting Pill and stabilizing her strength, Queen Medusa went to the Inner Academy to find Chen Guan.
• Queen Medusa questioned Zhao Gang, who said Chen Guan had left and that he did not know where he was.
• Queen Medusa found Su Qian at the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda and learned that Chen Guan was refining the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Queen Medusa told Su Qian she wanted to go down into the Fire Well because Chen Guan had something she needed.

After more than eight months in the Lava World, Chen Guan reached the Dou Emperor realm and joined Queen Medusa in exploring the source of a mysterious call beneath the lava. They evaded hostile Flame Lizardmen and entered a sealed space, where they discovered a floating skeleton.

• Su Qian reassured Elder Tan and the others that Queen Medusa would be safe in the Fire Well, though he privately sensed danger from her.
• Chen Guan opened his eyes on the dwindling Black Rock island and surprised Medusa with his advancement to Dou Emperor.
• Chen Guan dressed after Medusa ordered him to, then said he wanted to descend farther because something below was calling to him.
• Chen Guan carried Medusa through the lava and explained that the hostile creatures attacking them were Flame Lizardmen.
• Chen Guan and Medusa escaped the pursuing Lizardmen by passing through a light barrier they would not cross.
• Chen Guan and Medusa surveyed the quiet space inside the barrier and spotted a mysterious floating skeleton.