Chapter Summaries

At the Alchemist Convention, Yao Yue and Yao Ye publicly treated Nalan Chaoge as Yao Ye’s partner, astonishing the assembled elites. Later, Nalan Chaoge challenged the convention’s rules on false identities after recognizing that Xiao Yan was competing as Yan Xiao, leaving Otto visibly alarmed.

• Yao Yue called Nalan Chaoge brother-in-law and showed the crowd the rare beast-flame seed he had given her.
• Yao Ye arrived in armor, publicly presented herself as Nalan Chaoge’s wife, and kissed his forehead before leaving.
• Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and Vice President Mitchell reacted to the apparent marriage alliance between the Jia Ma Imperial Family and the Nalan Family.
• Xiao Yan entered the hall as Yan Xiao, and Nalan Yanran told Nalan Chaoge that he had used heavenly flames to cure her grandfather.
• Nalan Chaoge asked Fa Ma about penalties for competing under a false name and identity, then warned Otto about knowingly recommending a disguised alchemist.
• Otto denied that Black Rock City had broken the rules, while Nalan Chaoge’s warning left him frightened.

The Alchemist Convention's internal test challenged the contestants to purify medicinal herbs, while Nalan Chaoge concealed his real ability behind a seemingly disastrous performance. Liu Ling and Yao Yue emerged early, and Xiao Yan remained inside as the others waited to see how he had done.

• Chemir explained that contestants had to purify the prepared herbs before the hourglass ran out, or fail the test.
• Liu Ling publicly needled Yan Xiao, while Nalan Chaoge asked Yao Yue how to refine herbs and drew laughter from the hall.
• Nalan Chaoge used the Green Lotus Core Flame and his powerful soul strength to refine the Black Iron Spirit Leaf, then emerged first and claimed he had refined it only once.
• Liu Ling and Yao Yue emerged next, and Yao Yue suggested Nalan Chaoge might surpass Liu Ling in purity.
• The other contestants gradually left their rooms, while Liu Ling mocked Xiao Yan for still being inside and Nalan Chaoge wondered whether Xiao Yan could handle a crisis.

Xiao Yan and Nalan Chaoge stunned the Alchemist Guild with purity scores of eight and ten in the preliminary test, leaving Nalan Chaoge in first place. As the crowd urged Nalan Chaoge to certify his alchemist grade before the convention, Nalan Jie eagerly awaited his answer.

• Xiao Yan emerged just before time ran out, and the Guild began testing the purity of the participants’ refined ironwood spirit leaf.
• Liu Ling and Yao Yue each scored seven, while Xiao Yan’s sample earned eight and silenced the hall.
• Yao Yue put Nalan Chaoge’s sample into the machine, revealing a perfect score of ten after he claimed he had refined it only once.
• Chemir verified the machine by testing another alchemist’s sample, then ranked Nalan Chaoge first, Xiao Yan second, Liu Ling third, and Yao Yue fourth.
• The elders congratulated Nalan Jie, and someone suggested that Nalan Chaoge certify his alchemist grade before the convention.

Nalan Chaoge attended a celebratory reception with Nalan Yanran, where rumors about him spread among the guests. The evening erupted into a fight when Kimimaro and Xiao Yi Xian attacked Mu Tie, ending with Mu Tie drenched in hot tea.

• Nalan Chaoge declined to reveal his rank, invited the gathered alchemists to the Nalan Family reception, and Xiao Yan refused Nalan Jie's invitation before leaving.
• Nalan Yanran helped Nalan Chaoge get ready, and servants outside spread rumors about his victory and romantic entanglements.
• A servant told Nalan Chaoge and Nalan Yanran that Kimimaro and Xiao Yi Xian were fighting Mu Tie at the reception.
• Mu Tie detected poisoned wine, avoided drinking it, and erupted with his Five-star Dou Ling aura.
• Kimimaro disguised as a little girl stabbed Mu Tie's hand with a bone sword, but Mu Tie struck him and sent him flying.
• Xiao Yi Xian hurled a kettle at Mu Tie, who caught it and was splashed with boiling water and tea leaves.

Kimimaro and Xiao Yi Xian attacked Mu Tie at Nalan Jie's banquet, using bone weapons and deadly poison to wound him. Mu Tie trapped Xiao Yi Xian and knocked Kimimaro aside, but an icy voice warned him not to harm her as he raised his sword.

• Kimimaro survived Mu Tie's blow and revealed that he had come to avenge his grandfather, whom Mu Tie had murdered.
• Xiao Yi Xian poisoned Mu Tie's dou qi shield while Kimimaro launched a bone spike, leaving Mu Tie dizzy and cutting his cheek.
• Mu Tie trapped Xiao Yi Xian in a Heavenly Prison Cage, and Kimimaro failed to break it with his bone blade.
• Kimimaro blocked Mu Tie's greatsword with a bone shield, but Mu Tie kicked him across the hall and injured him.
• Xiao Yi Xian used her poisonous blood to corrode the cage as Mu Tie raised his greatsword against her.
• An icy voice warned Mu Tie that he would not leave alive if he harmed Xiao Yi Xian.

At the Nalan Family reception, Nalan Chaoge used Amaterasu to kill Mu Tie after Mu Tie attacked Xiao Yi Xian and Kimimaro, then concealed the truth by claiming Mu Tie had fled. Nalan Jie arrived and began addressing the guests, ending with an announcement he was about to make about Nalan Chaoge.

• Nalan Chaoge and Nalan Yanran entered the hall as Mu Tie attacked Xiao Yi Xian, and Nalan Chaoge warned him to stop.
• Nalan Chaoge used Amaterasu to burn Mu Tie and his greatsword to nothing, but told the guests that Mu Tie had escaped.
• Nalan Chaoge gave healing pills to Xiao Yi Xian and Kimimaro and confirmed that Mu Tie had been killed, prompting Kimimaro to sob over his grandfather's death being avenged.
• Nalan Jie arrived with prominent guests, summoned Nalan Chaoge to his side, and honored the soldiers who had died in battle with a toast poured onto the ground.
• Nalan Jie welcomed the guests and began to announce something about Nalan Chaoge.

Nalan Jie announced that Nalan Chaoge would take charge of all the Nalan Family's affairs, and Chaoge accepted the role before warning that he would deal harshly with anyone who threatened his family or the Jia Ma Empire. As the reception continued, Gu He and other powerful figures praised Chaoge and revealed that he had saved their lives, before Gu He asked how Chaoge had purified a black iron spirit leaf in one refinement.

• Nalan Jie named Nalan Chaoge the new helmsman of the Nalan Family, and the guests applauded as Yao Ye supported the announcement.
• Nalan Chaoge thanked Nalan Jie, promised to be a dependable friend and teammate, and declared that he would kill anyone who offended the Nalan Family or the Jia Ma Empire.
• Nalan Jie introduced Nalan Chaoge to Mittel Tengshan and other guests while Yao Ye attended to Chaoge.
• Gu He praised Nalan Chaoge's talent and thanked him for helping save Gu He, Yan Shi, and Feng Xing in the Tagor Desert.
• Gu He asked Nalan Chaoge how he had brought the black iron spirit leaf to perfect purity with a single refinement, and Chaoge froze.

Nalan Chaoge attended the Alchemist Convention with his family and companions, while his unusual talents and ties to the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor continued to intrigue the powerful figures around him. As the convention opened, Jia Xing Tian approved of Chaoge and Yao Ye’s match but said they should wait until Chaoge’s Three-Year Pact with Xiao Yan was settled.

• Nalan Chaoge hinted to Gu He that he had prepared his trial-test result beforehand, then accidentally revealed to Vice President Chemir that he knew the origin of Yao Yue’s beast fire.
• The Alchemist Convention began, and Nalan Yanran brought a group of companions to cheer Nalan Chaoge on as they traveled to the Royal Plaza with a growing crowd.
• Nalan Chaoge entered the protected Royal Plaza, where the Jia Ma Imperial Family hosted thousands of alchemists and prominent guests gathered on the dais.
• Jia Xing Tian arrived and explained that he had come to see the promising youngsters at the convention, while Nalan Jie raised the prospect of arranging Nalan Chaoge and Yao Ye’s marriage.
• Jia Xing Tian agreed that the match could be settled after the convention but said they should first wait for Nalan Chaoge’s Three-Year Pact with Xiao Yan to conclude.

At the Seventh Alchemist Convention, Ya Fei maneuvered Nalan Chaoge into accepting temporary custody of the Seven Star Dragon Abyss and two sixth-grade medicinal herbs. The convention opened, and Liu Ling made a dramatic entrance into the arena.

• Ya Fei offered Nalan Chaoge the Seven Star Dragon Abyss, but he refused to accept it as an outright gift.
• Ya Fei asked Nalan Chaoge to safeguard the cauldron, promised he could use it as its master, and included two sixth-grade medicinal herbs; Nalan Chaoge accepted.
• Chemir officially opened the Jia Ma Empire's Seventh Alchemist Convention, and seven thunderous reports echoed across the Royal Plaza.
• The young alchemists began descending from the spectator stands into the arena.
• Liu Ling leaped from the stands and used jets of air from his heels to land steadily, drawing Yao Yue's scorn.

Nalan Chaoge made a seemingly disastrous entrance to the Alchemist Convention but revealed he had reached the competition grounds safely. The first round tested medical diagnosis, leaving him unable to answer while Xiao Yan and the other contestants began writing.

• Yao Yue and the other contestants made dramatic entrances, then Nagato blasted Nalan Chaoge toward the plaza when he tried to walk in.
• Nalan Chaoge appeared unharmed at his station, apparently using a clone and Instantaneous Movement, while Nagato returned to his seat with Shinra Tensei.
• Chemir announced that the first elimination round required contestants to diagnose a patient and write a prescription, using soul power to project the patient before every Alchemist.
• Liu Ling and Yao Yue examined the projection and began writing, while Nalan Chaoge asked his system for help and learned it could not diagnose the illness.
• Xiao Yan began writing after initially standing still, leaving Nalan Chaoge as the only contestant who had not started an answer.

At the Alchemist Convention, Nalan Chaoge appeared to leave the first-round test blank, but his answer sheet was not marked as either a pass or a failure. Chemir discovered a problem with the patient used in the test, while Du Yue accused the convention of favoring Nalan Chaoge and stirred suspicion among the crowd.

• Nalan Chaoge waited until the final moment to write four characters on his answer sheet, then remained at his platform after the first-round bell.
• Chemir eliminated the alchemists who had not answered, but Nalan Chaoge insisted he had written an answer and stayed in the competition.
• Du Yue challenged Nalan Chaoge's right to remain and vowed to eat shit if he advanced.
• Chemir assessed the answer sheets, but the light before Nalan Chaoge stayed white, leaving his result unclear.
• Chemir questioned the patient and confronted the convention's organizer after discovering a problem with the patient.
• Du Yue accused Chemir and the convention of favoring Nalan Chaoge, prompting the crowd to question the competition's fairness.

Nalan Chaoge proved that the convention’s patient had been artificially made ill, exposing the flaw in the test and earning first place in the round. As the corrected results appeared, a mysterious alchemist from the Cloud Empire outscored Xiao Yan and Liu Ling.

• Nalan Chaoge challenged Du Yue to crawl out naked if Chaoge advanced, and Du Yue accepted the wager.
• Chemir apologized for the flawed test, and Rubens admitted he had deliberately induced a Guild employee’s symptoms to create a patient.
• Chemir revealed Chaoge’s answer, “Not sick, just pretending,” showing that Chaoge had identified the deception.
• Fa Ma ruled that Chaoge deserved first place and that the other contestants should be scored by the quality and practicality of their answers.
• The revised results showed Xiao Yan and Liu Ling among the leaders, but a gray-robed young man from the Cloud Empire produced an even brighter green pillar.

Nalan Chaoge won the Alchemist Convention’s first match and confronted Du Yue over their wager. After Du Yue tried to exploit the rules to escape punishment, Nalan ordered Nagato to kill him, and Du Yue fled toward the plaza gates.

• The convention eliminated nearly half the contestants, and Chemir announced Nalan Chaoge as the first-match winner for seeing through the patient’s feigned illness.
• Nalan Chaoge reminded Du Yue of their wager, but Du Yue argued that Nalan had not proved he could make him crawl out.
• Nalan Chaoge agreed not to force Du Yue to crawl or eat anything at the Royal Plaza, then reiterated that he would kill him if Du Yue did not crawl out.
• Nalan Chaoge called Nagato and ordered him to kill Du Yue, who challenged Nalan to a duel before running toward the exit.
• Nalan Chaoge watched Du Yue flee while Nagato prepared to act.

Nagato killed Du Yue at the Royal Plaza boundary, and Yao Ye justified the act before the Alchemist Convention resumed. Nalan Chaoge received a bye in the second match, and the chapter ended as a gray-robed youth successfully refined a pill.

• Nagato killed Du Yue with a pebble just as Du Yue crossed the Royal Plaza boundary, and Nalan Chaoge declared that offenders against the Nalan Family and Jia Ma Empire would be punished.
• Yao Ye defended the killing as punishment for Du Yue’s insults and rule-breaking, prompting the crowd to applaud and the convention to continue.
• Chemir resumed the second match after the alchemists agreed to refine pills from their own recipes, and Nalan Chaoge advanced directly with a bye.
• The alchemists began refining pills, but Liu Ling, Xiao Yan, the Little Princess, and other contestants suffered cauldron explosions.
• Nalan Chaoge predicted someone was about to succeed, and a gray-robed youth produced a round pill and pressed the green button.

The convention exposed Yan Li, the Cloud Empire Alchemist Guild vice president, as an overage Grade 5 Alchemist competing under a youthful appearance. With the elders unable to disqualify him without proof, they turned to Nalan Chaoge as their best chance to preserve the championship, and Fa Ma asked him to reveal his true alchemy level.

• The gray-robed alchemist took first place in the round, while Xiao Yan and Liu Ling tied and Yao Yue placed third.
• Yao Ye prompted Nalan Chaoge to test the gray-robed contestant, whose powerful aura and reaction revealed that he was hiding his identity.
• Fa Ma recognized the contestant as Yan Li, a Grade 5 Alchemist over forty who had used a Reshaping Pill to appear young.
• The elders realized they lacked proof to remove Yan Li and discussed relying on Nalan Chaoge to defeat him in the competition.
• After the convention ended, Fa Ma stopped Nalan Chaoge and asked him what grade of alchemist he really was.

Nalan Chaoge revealed that he could refine fifth-grade pills, and Fa Ma asked him to defeat Yan Li in the Alchemist Convention’s final contest. After receiving herbs from the Alchemist Guild, Nalan Chaoge entered the Royal Plaza as the final round began, while Xiao Yan grew resentful of his advantages.

• Nalan Chaoge told Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and Jia Xing Tian that he could refine fifth-grade pills, shocking them.
• Fa Ma explained Yan Li’s threat and asked Nalan Chaoge to win the championship; Nalan Chaoge agreed to try, and Fa Ma promised to provide the necessary herbs and recipe.
• Nalan Chaoge received a pile of fifth-grade medicinal herbs from the Alchemist Guild and headed to the convention’s final day.
• Spectators mocked Nalan Chaoge’s progress to the finals, but he entered the Royal Plaza confidently alongside Yao Yue, Liu Ling, and Xiao Yan.
• Nalan Chaoge teased Xiao Yan about his wife and family connections, intensifying Xiao Yan’s resentment.
• Chemir announced the start of the final contest, and the spectators erupted in cheers.

During the Alchemist Convention’s final round, Nalan Chaoge and the Jia Ma Empire’s contestants outshone Yan Li with their exceptional cauldron and flame, while Nalan Chaoge secretly prepared to barbecue instead of refine pills. The contest began, but Nalan Chaoge’s actual plan remained hidden from the other alchemists.

• Chemir announced that contestants had to refine pills using their own ingredients and recipes, and the favorites initially waited to see what their rivals would choose.
• Little Princess Yao Yue and Liu Ling brought out sixth-rank cauldrons, but the Gray-Robed Youth’s Blazing Flame Cauldron, ranked on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, drew even greater attention.
• Yan Li mocked the Jia Ma Empire for lacking a worthy cauldron, but Nalan Chaoge countered him and then revealed the Seven Star Dragon Abyss, the third-ranked cauldron on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking.
• Yan Li displayed the Sky-piercing Fire Cloud Monkey’s beast flame, and Yao Yue answered by summoning the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor’s origin beast fire, leaving Yan Li momentarily disheartened.
• As the contestants prepared their medicines and began refining, Nalan Chaoge laid out seasonings and sauces for a barbecue instead of pill ingredients.

The alchemists’ convention grew more tense when Yan Li switched from a fourth-grade recipe to a fifth-grade pill, while Nalan Chaoge delayed by eating a barbecue meal and Xiao Yan restarted his work with a higher-grade recipe. As the contest reached pill formation, the Little Princess began using a second flame to refine her pill further.

• Yan Li put away his partially refined herbs and began preparing a fifth-grade pill, alarming the spectators and forcing Xiao Yan to switch recipes as well.
• Nalan Chaoge opened Seven Star Dragon Abyss and ate a roasted roe deer leg, kidneys, skewers, and wine while Yao Ye explained that he was waiting to avoid committing to a recipe too soon.
• Xiao Yan began refining what Nalan Chaoge suspected was a fifth-grade Purple Spirit Recovery Pill for the injured Black-Robed Elder who followed him.
• Several contestants failed and left the competition, while other alchemists reached the pill-formation stage and families sought to recruit promising participants.
• The Little Princess formed a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, then summoned the Azure Water Flame and fed it into her cauldron to refine the pill further as she struggled under the effort.

Nalan Chaoge ended two days of lounging by beginning his pill refinement with a spectacular display of his Seven Star Dragon Abyss and four fire dragons. His display disrupted Xiao Yan and Yan Li’s furnaces, and he began extracting all his herbs at once as the contest continued.

• Liu Ling and Yao Yue finished refining their Fourth-grade Pills while Xiao Yan and Yan Li continued extracting ingredients for their Fifth-grade Pills, and Nalan Chaoge spent two days eating, drinking, and sleeping.
• On the third morning, Xiao Yan and Yan Li prepared to fuse their ingredients, while Nalan Chaoge announced that he would show his abilities and drew the spectators’ attention.
• Nalan Chaoge expanded the Seven Star Dragon Abyss and summoned four fire dragons, revealing his formidable power and astonishing the crowd.
• The fire dragons’ appearance disrupted Xiao Yan’s and Yan Li’s furnaces, causing both to explode, and Nalan Chaoge intimidated Yan Li into silence.
• Nalan Chaoge sent the fire dragons into his cauldron, tossed in all his herbs, and poured in a vast surge of soul power to extract them at once.

At the Alchemist Convention, Xiao Yan revealed his Mysterious Yellow Flame and began refining a fifth-grade pill alongside Yan Li and Nalan Chaoge. Yan Li completed his pill first, then disrupted Xiao Yan’s final step; Nalan Chaoge struck Yan Li in response, and the chapter ended with the contestants demanding the winner be announced.

• Xiao Yan revealed the Mysterious Yellow Flame, prompting Nalan Yanran to recognize him as the black-robed youth from the Mo Family incident.
• Yan Li and Xiao Yan both produced colored pill fragrance as their fifth-grade pills neared completion.
• Yan Li completed a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill and sent his Sky-piercing Fire Cloud Monkey to attack Xiao Yan, disrupting Xiao Yan’s pill retrieval and ruining his pill.
• Nalan Chaoge leaped to defend Xiao Yan and struck Yan Li with his Eight Trigrams: Great Void Palm, sending Yan Li and his cauldron crashing through the plaza.
• Yan Li claimed his flames had gone out of control and called the contestants even, then demanded that the convention’s winner be announced.