Chapter Summaries

After Wei Yang’s public pill refinement revealed him as a possible Sixth-grade Alchemist Master, factions sought to earn his favor, and he settled into the Alchemist Guild for protection from the attention. The next morning, Ya Fei arrived at the Guild with the Little Princess and Princess Yaoye, prompting speculation about their connection to Wei Yang and his wife.

• News of Wei Yang’s age, alchemy skill, and Honorary Elder status spread, and the Jia Ma Imperial Family, Misty Cloud Sect, and other factions ordered their people to make contact with him.
• The Alchemist Guild gave Wei Yang a quiet courtyard to live in, where he could avoid the crowds seeking pills and favors.
• A royal carriage carrying Ya Fei, the Little Princess, and Princess Yaoye arrived at the Guild entrance under heavy guard.
• The three women entered the Guild, and witnesses who had seen Wei Yang refine pills recalled that Ya Fei had attended with his white-haired, white-robed wife.

Wei Yang developed a new Black Flame technique after gaining inspiration while refining his Fire Control Technique. He named it Ten Directions Annihilation, but lost control of its unstable power and hurled it into the sky above the Imperial Capital, where the ten black suns erupted.

• Wei Yang practiced improving the Nine Dragon Fire Control Technique to better control the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame.
• Wei Yang drew inspiration from the idea of ten suns and formed his Black Flame into a rapidly spinning ring, creating Ten Directions Annihilation.
• The ten suns grew unstable, so Wei Yang flew high above the Imperial Capital and hurled the technique into the sky.
• The ten enormous black suns appeared above the Imperial Capital, blinding and terrifying its people before they erupted.

Wei Yang accidentally unleashed a devastating new move over the Imperial Capital, then pretended to know nothing when concerned experts arrived. After trading a Dou Spirit Pill to Yaoye, Ziyue, and Ya Fei, he was left to consider his new technique as the three women’s visit hinted at a larger purpose.

• Wei Yang’s uncontrolled Black Sun explosion shattered the sky above the Imperial Capital, but the damage subsided without causing a disaster.
• Qing Lin and Xian'er rushed to check on Wei Yang, who claimed he had merely lost control while testing a new move.
• Fa Ma and Chemier questioned Wei Yang about the explosion, and he pretended to be as surprised as they were.
• Ya Fei brought the imperial Princesses Yaoye and Ziyue to deliver ingredients and three Fourth Grade Soul Nurturing Lotuses in exchange for a Dou Spirit Pill.
• Wei Yang gave Yaoye the pill and dismissed the three women, while Ya Fei suspected the imperial family had sent both Princesses for a reason.

Xiao Yan and Elder Yao reunited with Wei Yang in the Imperial Capital after recognizing the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame’s explosive display. They discussed Xiao Yan’s visit to the Nalan Family and Wei Yang’s breakthrough to Dou Emperor, leaving the two master-and-disciple pairs reunited and aware that two Heavenly Flames awaited in the Black Corner Region.

• Xiao Yan and Elder Yao saw the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame’s explosion and guessed that Wei Yang had been testing a powerful technique.
• Wei Yang sent Ya Fei and the two princesses away, then put up a sign declaring that he was in seclusion and would receive no visitors.
• Xiao Yan, disguised with a human-skin mask, visited Wei Yang, who recognized his name and let him into the courtyard.
• Xiao Yan explained that he had visited the Nalan Family to treat Nalan Jie in exchange for Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Saliva to help restore Elder Yao’s soul.
• Elder Yao emerged and congratulated Wei Yang on becoming a Dou Emperor; the three discussed their reunion and the two Heavenly Flames in the Black Corner Region.

Wei Yang agreed to help Medusa obtain the Soul Fusion Pill recipe if Xiao Yan failed to win the Alchemist Grand Meeting. Medusa then asked Wei Yang to refine the pill for her, and he warned that doing so would require a substantial price.

• Wei Yang told Xiao Yan that his wife Xian'er would compete in the Alchemist Grand Meeting, and Xiao Yan confidently agreed to compete against her.
• That night, Wei Yang met Queen Medusa in his courtyard and learned that the Seven-Colored Small Snake had been her body under the control of a companion soul.
• Medusa explained that she wanted the Soul Fusion Pill recipe to resolve the two-souls-one-body condition and asked Wei Yang to help if Xiao Yan failed to win the championship.
• Wei Yang agreed to help Medusa obtain the recipe in exchange for a favor, noting that he had no intention of letting the championship go to anyone outside his circle.
• Medusa asked Wei Yang to personally refine the pill as soon as possible, and he said that refining it would cost more than helping her secure the recipe.

Wei Yang negotiated with Medusa to refine a Soul Fusion Pill if she gathered two sets of ingredients, giving Xiao Yan a final chance to win her over. As the Alchemist Grand Meeting began, Xian'er impressed Xiao Yan in the guild's prediction trial, while Wei Yang's Soul Nurturing Liquid strengthened Qing Lin and helped Single-Horn recover.

• Wei Yang offered Medusa a discounted deal to refine a Soul Fusion Pill in exchange for two sets of ingredients and a higher fee, and Medusa accepted.
• Xian'er entered the guild's internal prediction trial and surprised Xiao Yan with her alchemy skill, making him take her seriously.
• Wei Yang refined three portions of Soul Nurturing Liquid and gave them to Qing Lin for herself and Single-Horn.
• After taking the liquid, Qing Lin's Soul Power grew to rival a low-level Dou Wang's, while Single-Horn's soul recovered enough for him to understand complex instructions unaided.
• Three peaceful days passed, and the Alchemist Grand Meeting began.

Wei Yang, Xian'er, and Qing Lin went to the Alchemist Guild for the opening of the Alchemist Assembly, where Xiao Yan introduced him to Otto, Frank, Lin Fei, Xue Mei, and Hai Bodong. The chapter ended with Wei Yang meeting Hai Bodong, whom he recognized as a famous angel investor.

• Wei Yang set out for the Alchemist Guild with Xian'er and Qing Lin as alchemists gathered throughout the Imperial Capital for the Assembly.
• Dozens of alchemists followed Wei Yang to the Guild's crowded front hall and then went their separate ways.
• Wei Yang met Xiao Yan, who introduced Otto, Frank, Lin Fei, and Xue Mei as his acquaintances.
• Wei Yang warmly treated Xiao Yan's companions as friends, easing their nervousness around him.
• Xiao Yan introduced Hai Bodong to Wei Yang, and they exchanged greetings.

Xiao Yan, Xian'er, and their companions arrived at the Royal Plaza for the Alchemist Grand Meeting and took seats in the VIP section. Jia Xingtian arrived with Ziyue and Yaoye and warmly greeted Wei Yang, hoping to build ties with a likely Sixth-grade Alchemist Master.

• Otto explained that more than two thousand alchemists would compete in several elimination rounds at the Royal Plaza.
• Wei Yang led the group into the plaza, where they saw the contestant platforms and filled spectator stands.
• The group joined President Fa Ma and vice president Chemier in the VIP seats, and Wei Yang joked privately about Chemier asking to exchange pointers.
• Jia Xingtian arrived with Ziyue and Yaoye and greeted Wei Yang, while the onlookers recognized the imperial family's desire to secure his support against the Misty Cloud Sect.

At the Alchemist Competition, Nalan Yanran and Ya Fei approached Wei Yang, drawing attention to the history between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan. The chapter ended with Nalan Yanran confronting Xiao Yan publicly about whether to call him Yan Xiao or Xiao Yan.

• Jia Xingtian greeted Wei Yang and Xiao Yan, then mentioned that Yaoye commanded fifty thousand soldiers overseeing the competition.
• Nalan Jie, Mitell Tengshan, and Mu Chen greeted Wei Yang before taking their seats with the Three Great Families.
• Ya Fei introduced Nalan Yanran to Wei Yang, who remembered her from three years earlier while Xiao Yan sat nearby, visibly tense.
• Nalan Yanran praised Wei Yang, and Ya Fei and Nalan Yanran apologized after realizing their approach had made the gathering awkward.
• Nalan Yanran stopped beside Xiao Yan and asked whether she should call him Mr. Yan Xiao or Xiao Yan, leaving Nalan Jie furious.

After Nalan Yanran left, Wei Yang and Elder Yao comforted Xiao Yan over the broken engagement, and Xiao Yan resolved to settle the matter after fulfilling the Three-Year Agreement. The seventh Alchemist Assembly began, where Xian'er's striking entrance revealed her overwhelming strength and left Jia Xingtian troubled.

• Nalan Jie ordered Nalan Yanran to leave, and Ya Fei hurried her away as Xiao Yan watched in silence.
• Wei Yang and Elder Yao reassured Xiao Yan about the broken engagement, and Xiao Yan said he would settle the matter after the Three-Year Agreement.
• President Fa Ma declared the seventh Alchemist Assembly open and directed Xian'er, Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and Xiao Yue'er to their special platforms.
• Xian'er descended onto her platform in a display that captivated the crowd and drew the attention of the powerful spectators.
• Jia Xingtian realized Xian'er was a Six-Star Dou Huang and understood that Wei Yang already had an exceptional woman by his side.

At the Alchemist Grand Meeting, Xian'er and Xiao Yan faced an unusual assessment that gave contestants only a crude second-grade pill formula and two sets of ingredients. They struggled with the unfamiliar challenge while Liu Ling trusted his orthodox training, and their teachers chose to let them work it out themselves.

• Ya Fei, Nalan Yanran, Yaoye, and the Little Princess watched Xian'er as Vice President Chemier and President Fa Ma praised her, and Wei Yang predicted she would place in the top three.
• Xian'er discovered that the assessment provided only incomplete notes for a second-grade pill and two sets of ingredients, making the task difficult for contestants without experience interpreting crude formulas.
• Xiao Yan called to Elder Yao for help, but received no response, and he and Xian'er studied the notes together while Liu Ling sneered at their lack of orthodox training.
• Wei Yang and Elder Yao discussed Xiao Yan's limited alchemy experience and agreed to let him face the challenge without help, even as Xiao Yan pointed out that he could hear them.

Xian'er analyzed the incomplete Bone Regeneration Pill formula and began refining it using an advanced technique she had learned from Wei Yang. The first round continued as the crowd and assembled alchemists watched her closely.

• Fa Ma explained the first round’s two-attempt rule and time limit, then started the competition.
• Xian'er studied the simplified Bone Regeneration Pill formula before beginning her refinement.
• Xian'er concluded she could reconstruct most of the formula and heated her Crimson Cauldron.
• Xian'er refined all six medicinal herbs at once, startling the Little Princess, Liu Ling, and Xiao Yan.
• The alchemists and dignitaries recognized echoes of Wei Yang’s pill-refining technique and watched Xian'er intently.

Xian'er successfully developed a Second Grade pill formula, and Wei Yang recognized her creativity as he watched her refine the ingredients. When Elder Yao learned that Wei Yang had improved the Nine Dragon Fire Control Technique into the Ten Directions Fire Control Art, he was stunned but ultimately encouraged Wei Yang to follow his own path.

• Wei Yang saw Xian'er refine all six medicinal ingredients and realized she had worked out the complete pill formula.
• Wei Yang recognized Xian'er's creativity and inspiration, which he considered more valuable than experience or accumulated knowledge.
• Elder Yao was shocked to learn that Wei Yang had adapted the Nine Dragon Fire Control Technique into the Ten Directions Fire Control Art.
• Wei Yang worried he had made a mistake when Elder Yao fell silent and asked him for guidance.
• Elder Yao assured Wei Yang that he had done nothing wrong and encouraged him to follow the path his heart envisioned.

During the first round of the alchemy assessment, Xian'er and several other contestants completed their pills while Xiao Yan refined until the final instant. Xiao Yan passed just as time ran out, leaving Wei Yang convinced he needed a more reliable companion for the Ancient Emperor's Cave.

• Many alchemists failed the incomplete-formula assessment and left the arena as Wei Yang and Fa Ma criticized their reliance on established Pill Formulas.
• Xian'er refined a high-grade Bone Regeneration Pill without a detailed formula and earned praise from the dignitaries.
• Liu Ling and the Little Princess completed their pills, followed by several hundred other contestants, while Xiao Yan continued refining.
• As the hourglass nearly emptied, Liu Ling expected Xiao Yan to fail, and Xian'er watched anxiously.
• Xiao Yan opened his cauldron at the final instant and caught the pill he had successfully refined.
• Wei Yang covered his forehead and decided to find a more dependable companion than Xiao Yan for the Ancient Emperor's Cave.

The alchemists’ Bone Regeneration Pills were tested after the first round’s time limit, exposing many failed or dangerous concoctions. Xiao Yan and Xian’er produced the strongest results, setting up their rivalry as the competition continued.

• Fa Ma ended the refinement period and instructed the remaining contestants to test their Bone Regeneration Pills with the machines beneath their platforms.
• A Second-Grade Alchemist’s pill triggered an intensely bright red light, and he angrily left the square.
• The testing eliminated at least another hundred contestants, leaving just over half of the original competitors.
• Xiao Yan, Xian’er, the Little Princess, and Liu Ling tested their pills together, and all four produced green lights stronger than those seen elsewhere.
• Xian’er’s light was the strongest, Xiao Yan’s was next, and the Little Princess and Liu Ling ranked behind them.
• Xian’er called Xiao Yan her greatest competitor, while Liu Ling resented losing to the self-taught Xiao Yan.

A mysterious gray-robed alchemist produced a pill whose testing light nearly matched Xian’er’s, startling the gathering’s leaders and contestants. Fa Ma learned the stranger was a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire, leaving his identity and extraordinary soul strength unexplained.

• Fa Ma and the other leaders praised Xian’er’s high-grade pill and discussed how Xiao Yan’s depleted Dou Qi had hindered his refinement.
• Fa Ma sensed a powerful Soul Power from a gray-robed contestant, and Wei Yang judged it to rival Xian’er’s at the middle stage of the Mortal Realm.
• The gray-robed man placed his pill in the testing machine, producing a green pillar nearly as bright as Xian’er’s and pushing Liu Ling to fourth place and the Little Princess to fifth.
• Xian’er, Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and the Little Princess examined the stranger, who revealed blue eyes beneath his bamboo hat but remained unrecognized.
• Fa Ma ordered Chemier to find the stranger’s information, and the document identified him as an alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire.

The Jia Ma Empire's leaders realized the mysterious Chu Yun Empire contestant had taken over a young body, and they agreed to let him continue competing while planning to deal with him afterward. Hai Bodong began secretly freezing the contestant's bamboo hat to expose his face.

• Fama doubted the contestant was truly a seventeen-year-old Second-Grade Alchemist, while Chemier noted that alchemy required years of experience.
• Wei Yang asked Elder Yao about the contestant, and they concluded that he had used Body Seizure because his powerful soul did not fit his young body.
• Wei Yang revealed the conclusion to Jia Xingtian, Fama, and the others, who agreed the contestant should not return alive after the competition.
• Jia Xingtian and the others decided to let the contestant compete so they would not appear to reject a fair challenge.
• Hai Bodong secretly sent out freezing fluctuations to turn the contestant's bamboo hat to powder and reveal his face.

Hai Bodong exposed the gray-robed contestant as a remarkably young boy from the Chu Yun Empire, prompting Wei Yang and the Jia Ma Empire’s alchemists to treat him as a threat to the championship. Fa Ma began the second round after Wei Yang tasked Xian'er and Xiao Yan with stopping the boy from winning.

• Hai Bodong detected the gray-robed boy’s hidden chill and shattered his conical hat, revealing his youthful face to the crowd.
• Wei Yang suspected the boy’s arrival was an aberration caused by changes to the original plot and resolved to eliminate him if necessary.
• The Little Princess recognized the boy’s Chu Yun Empire badge, and Liu Ling urged Xian'er, Xiao Yan, and the others not to let him win the championship.
• Wei Yang told Xian'er and Xiao Yan to keep the boy from winning, offering to enter the competition himself if they could not stop him.
• Fa Ma announced the second round and instructed the contestants to press the small red button on their stone platforms.

The contestants began the second assessment by refining a Windwalk Pill, but repeated failures revealed that the supplied formula concealed a flaw. Xiao Yan also failed, yet he recognized that the formula itself was the problem, while the gray-robed youth mocked the guild.

• The contestants received a Windwalk Pill formula and two sets of ingredients, and the gray-robed youth and Xian'er quickly spotted a hidden trap.
• Most alchemists, including Liu Ling and the Little Princess, began refining, while Xiao Yan and two others waited cautiously.
• Alchemists across the plaza began failing during pill fusion, and Liu Ling and the Little Princess also failed.
• A Third-Grade Alchemist exhausted both ingredient sets, was eliminated, and left angrily insisting that he had controlled the heat correctly.
• Xiao Yan attempted the fusion, failed, and realized the pill formula was flawed again.
• The gray-robed youth mocked the guild as the contestants turned toward him furiously.

Xian'er and Xiao Yan discovered the flaw in the pill-refining ingredients and demonstrated advanced Fire Control Techniques to refine them. As the spectators learned that Xiao Yan and Wei Yang shared a powerful mentor, Nalan Yanran reaffirmed that she would decide her own future.

• The gray-robed youth mocked the Jia Ma Empire's alchemists and continued refining ingredients after failing to identify the cause of his mistake.
• Xian'er refined eight ingredients together, revealing the flaw and giving the contestants a hint; Xiao Yan recognized it and followed her example with his purple flames.
• Xiao Yan's Nine Dragon Fire Control Technique astonished the spectators, and Wei Yang explained that Elder Yao was both their mentor and Xiao Yan's personal master.
• Otto confirmed that Xiao Yan had listed Elder Yao as his mentor, and Wei Yang revealed that he was only an outer disciple while Xiao Yan was Elder Yao's closed-door disciple.
• Nalan Jie regretted his past decision as Ya Fei and others reacted to Xiao Yan's background, while Nalan Yanran resolved to shape her own future.