Chapter Summaries

Yun Yun received a brief letter from Lu Yuan, who had been traveling away from the Yun Lan Sect for five years, and recalled his extraordinary talent and reasons for keeping it hidden. The chapter leaves Nalan Yanran’s impulsive decision to break her engagement with Xiao Yan in context, while Lu Yuan’s return home is underway.

• Yun Yun reread Lu Yuan’s letter, which said he had begun his journey home.
• Yun Yun recalled how Lu Yuan mastered the sect’s Dou Techniques with astonishing speed and possessed All-Attribute Dou Qi.
• Lu Yuan had left the Yun Lan Sect at ten to train, agreeing to carry an Inner Disciple token and send a letter every three months.
• Nalan Yanran believed her absent Senior Brother was a good-for-nothing and did not know how powerful Lu Yuan had become.
• Yun Yun reflected on Nalan Yanran’s resentment over her arranged engagement and her public attempt to break the Marriage Contract with Xiao Yan.
• Yun Yun recognized that Xiao Yan’s humiliation and three years of cold treatment had helped shape his resolve.

Nalan Yanran went to the Xiao Family to break off her engagement while Lu Yuan killed Han Feng in the Black-Corner Region and claimed the Sea Heart Flame. After killing the cultivators who tried to seize it, Lu Yuan found that Han Feng’s soul had survived and decided to take it as an apology gift for his Junior Sister.

• Nalan Yanran recalled Yun Yun’s advice, resolved to change her fate, and knocked on the Xiao Family’s gate.
• Lu Yuan confronted Han Feng over his betrayal of Yao Chen and killed him, causing the Sea Heart Flame to emerge from his corpse.
• Lu Yuan took hold of the Sea Heart Flame as hidden observers gathered, then beheaded Eagle Mountain Old Man when he attacked.
• Lu Yuan extracted Eagle Mountain Old Man’s soul and killed the fleeing Dou Kings and Dou Emperors by severing their Life Threads.
• Lu Yuan addressed Han Feng’s corpse, revealed that part of Han Feng’s soul had survived, and declared that he would take the soul as an apology gift for his foolish Junior Sister.

The Yun Lan Sect visited the Xiao Family, where Ge Ye publicly requested that Nalan Yanran’s engagement to Xiao Yan be dissolved. Xiao Yan remained composed as Xiao Xun’er supported him, leaving the Xiao Family to consider the sect’s request and its offered compensation.

• Xiao Xun’er found Xiao Yan in the back mountain and told him that Nalan Yanran had arrived with the Yun Lan Sect to see him.
• Xiao Xun’er learned from Ling Ying that the Ancient Clan expected her to make progress toward obtaining the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade, while her resources and cultivation lagged behind her potential.
• Xiao Yan arrived at the main hall and was left without a seat until Xiao Xun’er made room beside her for him.
• Ge Ye told Xiao Zhan that Yun Lan Sect rules prevented Nalan Yanran from maintaining an engagement and offered compensation to dissolve it.

Xiao Zhan struggled to defend the Xiao Family’s dignity as Nalan Yanran sought to annul her engagement to Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan rejected the Yun Lan Sect’s compensation. A mysterious youth revealed himself as Xiao Yan’s fellow transmigrator and claimed he would discipline Nalan Yanran as her Senior Brother.

• Ge Ye offered the Xiao Family Qi Gathering Powder as compensation, while the Xiao Family elders considered accepting the deal and Xiao Zhan resisted.
• Xiao Yan rejected the powder and confronted Nalan Yanran, who used her Dou Master aura to suppress him and taunted him about their strength difference.
• Xiao Yan suddenly recovered from Nalan Yanran’s pressure, prompting her to suspect Xiao Zhan had secretly intervened.
• A mysterious youth appeared beside Xiao Xun’er, while Ling Ying revealed himself as a Dou Huang guard.
• The youth stepped between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran and proposed that they explain their grievances; Xiao Yan recognized him through their shared transmigrator catchphrases.
• After Nalan Yanran challenged his right to interfere, the youth said he was her Senior Brother and would discipline her in their Master’s place.

Lu Yuan intervened in Nalan Yanran’s attempt to break off her engagement to Xiao Yan, claimed his identity as a Yun Lan Sect disciple, and used his overwhelming power to silence those who challenged him. Nalan Yanran offered to apologize to Xiao Yan personally but refused to speak for the Yun Lan Sect, leaving Lu Yuan and Xiao Yan to consider how to settle the dispute.

• Nalan Yanran threatened Lu Yuan for interrupting her, while Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Family elders could not identify him.
• Xiao Yan defended Lu Yuan and accused Nalan Yanran of humiliating the Xiao Family by breaking off the engagement publicly.
• Xiao Xun'er asked Ling Ying to assess Lu Yuan’s strength, and Lu Yuan told Xiao Yan that they shared the identity of transmigrators.
• A Yun Lan Sect youth demanded Lu Yuan prove his identity, so Lu Yuan struck him down and forced Ge Ye into the floor with his aura.
• Lu Yuan tossed his Yun Lan Sect token to Nalan Yanran and said he had the right to restrain her, while she insisted her marriage was her own decision and offered Xiao Yan a personal apology.

Lu Yuan settled the dispute between the Xiao Family and the Yun Lan Sect by apologizing, proposing compensation for Xiao Yan, and arranging a future duel with Nalan Yanran. After Nalan Yanran agreed to return to the sect, Lu Yuan asked Xiao Yan to take him somewhere private to address his fading talent.

• Lu Yuan advised Xiao Yan to stop worrying about public opinion and supported ending the engagement, while apologizing to Xiao Zhan for the Yun Lan Sect's conduct.
• Lu Yuan offered to help Xiao Yan pursue alchemy and recover his talent, and proposed a three-year rematch to restore the Xiao Family's standing.
• Xiao Zhan accepted Lu Yuan's proposal and thanked him, while Lu Yuan praised Xiao Zhan in a way that strengthened his position within the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran agreed to meet at the Yun Lan Sect in three years for a contest that would not be fought to the death.
• Nalan Yanran chose to return to the Yun Lan Sect immediately, and Lu Yuan asked Xiao Yan to lead him somewhere quiet to discuss his problems.

Lu Yuan exposed Xiao Xun'er as Gu Xun'er, the daughter of the Ancient Clan Leader, and challenged her motives for living in the Xiao Family while Xiao Yan's cultivation declined. Xiao Yan sided with Lu Yuan and demanded to know whether Gu Xun'er had manipulated him from the beginning.

• Lu Yuan sealed the space around Xiao Yan, then dragged Xiao Xun'er and her guard Ling Ying into the Back Mountain.
• Lu Yuan removed the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame covering Xiao Xun'er and warned Xiao Yan that she was Gu Xun'er, not simply the younger sister he believed he knew.
• Lu Yuan described the Ancient Eight Clans and questioned why Gu Yuan had left his daughter in the Xiao Family without intervening when Xiao Yan lost his talent.
• Lu Yuan speculated that Gu Xun'er had been sent to obtain something valuable from the Xiao Family or to make Xiao Yan dependent on her.
• Gu Xun'er denied Lu Yuan's suspicions, but Xiao Yan said he believed Lu Yuan and demanded to know whether Gu Xun'er had trapped him when he nurtured her bones and roots.

Xiao Yan confronted Xiao Xun'er over her deception and, after she admitted hiding secrets, severed ties with her and sent her away. He then joined Lu Yuan for dinner, where Lu Yuan explained the Strange Fires and the power levels of the Dou Qi world, leaving Xiao Yan warned about the dangers ahead.

• Xiao Yan questioned Xiao Xun'er about how she had secretly helped him and accused her of manipulating him, while Lu Yuan revealed that Xiao Yan had identified him through shared phrases from their former world.
• Xiao Xun'er refused to answer at first, but eventually admitted she had hidden secrets and claimed she had reasons and never intended to harm Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan declared that he and Gu Xun'er had severed their bond, tore off part of his sleeve as a symbol of the break, and ordered Lu Yuan to release her and Ling Ying.
• Xiao Yan broke down in tears after Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying left, then chose to eat with Lu Yuan rather than continue dealing with other problems.
• Lu Yuan explained that Gu Xun'er had wielded the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and described the Strange Fires, then outlined the abilities of Dou Zongs, Dou Zuns, and Dou Saints while warning Xiao Yan to be careful.

Lu Yuan helped Xiao Yan confirm that his Dou Qi could recover, then exposed Yao Chen as the soul in Xiao Yan’s ring and the cause of his three years of lost cultivation. After explaining Yao Chen’s past and motives, Lu Yuan urged him to apologize and negotiate compensation, leaving Xiao Yan and Yao Chen to resolve the grievance.

• Lu Yuan had Xiao Yan cultivate without the ring, and Xiao Yan recovered to the fourth stage of Dou Zhi Qi.
• Lu Yuan threatened the ring with blue flames, prompting Yao Chen to reveal himself and Xiao Yan to realize that a soul lived inside it.
• Xiao Yan confronted Yao Chen for secretly draining his Dou Qi for three years and demanded an explanation.
• Lu Yuan gave Xiao Yan a booklet describing Yao Chen’s life, including his betrayal and death at the hands of his disciple and outsiders.
• Lu Yuan told Yao Chen to apologize and discuss compensation with Xiao Yan rather than deny responsibility.

Lu Yuan reconciled Xiao Yan and Yao Chen by revealing Yao Chen’s true standing and offering him Han Feng’s corpse and soul. Yao Chen agreed to guide Xiao Yan and consider Lu Yuan’s requests to study his cultivation methods, including Fen Jue, and make the Yun Lan Sect an honorary connection.

• Yao Chen apologized to Xiao Yan for absorbing his Dou Qi and offered to compensate him with teachings and treasures, but Xiao Yan rejected the offer and insulted him.
• Lu Yuan explained that Yao Chen was a powerful Nine Revolutions Dou Zun alchemist and the ideal teacher for Xiao Yan, prompting Xiao Yan to awkwardly apologize for his earlier words.
• Lu Yuan gave Yao Chen Han Feng’s corpse and captured soul, and Yao Chen destroyed Han Feng’s soul with the Bone Spirit Cold Fire.
• Xiao Yan asked Lu Yuan about immortal cultivation and learned that Lu Yuan had traveled through multiple worlds and cultivated methods with different limits.
• Yao Chen agreed to work with Xiao Yan and asked Lu Yuan what he wanted in return for the gift.
• Lu Yuan asked to study Yao Chen’s cultivation methods, including Fen Jue, and requested that Yao Chen become an honorary elder of the Yun Lan Sect.

Lu Yuan studied Fen Jue and persuaded Xiao Yan to disperse his cultivation so he could learn its Profound Rank form, offering the Sea Heart Flame in exchange. Xiao Xun'er decided to investigate Lu Yuan and recruit or deal with him according to his origins while continuing her search for the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Seal.

• Lu Yuan explained how he planned to combine Fen Jue’s evolutionary traits with the Heavenly Book rather than cultivate Fen Jue himself.
• Lu Yuan offered Xiao Yan the Sea Heart Flame in exchange for showing him Profound Rank Fen Jue, and Xiao Yan dispersed his fourth-stage Dou Zhi Qi to start over.
• Lu Yuan reflected on the dangers of rebuilding his cultivation and prepared to help Xiao Yan absorb the Sea Heart Flame once Xiao Yan regained some Dou Zhi Qi.
• Xiao Xun'er asked Ling Ying to investigate Lu Yuan, suspecting a connection to the Yun Lan Sect and the emergence of another Yun Potian.
• Xiao Xun'er ordered Lu Yuan’s information sent to her father and instructed Ling Ying to reinforce her guards while she pursued the Lu Yuan route to the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Seal.

After helping Xiao Yan absorb the Sea Heart Flame and begin cultivating again, Lu Yuan planned his next journey and asked to borrow the Xiao Family’s Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade. He intended to use the jade and the truth about his identity to draw attention away from the Yun Lan Sect and set the Ancient Clan and Soul Hall against each other.

• Xiao Yan broke through to the first stage of Dou Zhi Qi after absorbing the Sea Heart Flame, while Yao Chen accepted him as his Close Disciple.
• Lu Yuan told Xiao Yan he planned to return to the Yun Lan Sect, visit the Tagor Desert, and then go to Canaan Academy.
• Lu Yuan asked Xiao Yan to borrow the Xiao Family’s Patriarch Jade Pendant and explained that it was one of the eight pieces of Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade.
• Xiao Yan agreed to speak with his father and lend Lu Yuan the jade, while Lu Yuan warned that powerful clans might dissect them to investigate the world beyond their own.
• Lu Yuan considered using his identity as a peerless genius and his possession of the jade to attract powerful factions’ attention and keep the Yun Lan Sect safe.

Lu Yuan returned to the Yun Lan Sect after five years away and discovered that Outer Sect Disciples were being misled into choosing faulty cultivation methods, leaving their foundations unstable. After suspecting that an elder surnamed Mo was being protected, he flew into the sect to investigate and confront those responsible.

• Lu Yuan returned to the Yun Lan Sect with the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade, which Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan had given him to keep until Xiao Yan needed it.
• The gatekeeping disciples recognized Lu Yuan's Inner Sect Disciple Token and welcomed him back as Senior Brother.
• Lu Yuan asked about Nalan Yanran, Yun Yun, Gu He, and Yun Shan, but the Outer Sect Disciples could not tell him where they were or whether Yun Shan had emerged from seclusion.
• Lu Yuan noticed that the Outer Sect Disciples had unstable foundations and learned that senior disciples had steered many of them toward faulty cultivation methods, possibly with an elder surnamed Mo as their backer.
• Lu Yuan accused someone of covering for Elder Mo, said he would not tolerate it, and flew into the Yun Lan Sect as the Outer Sect Disciples realized a confrontation was coming.

Lu Yuan returned to the Yun Lan Sect and found Yun Yun discussing a Breakthrough Pill for Yun Shan with Gu He and the elders. As Yun Yun began organizing a search for the rare ingredients, Lu Yuan arrived with food, leaving the elders unaware of his plans and concerns about Yun Shan and the Hall of Souls.

• Lu Yuan considered how the Yun Lan Sect could deal with Yun Shan and the Hall of Souls, and why relying on the Gu Clan would be dangerous.
• Lu Yuan reached Yun Yun's residence, teased a young maid, and learned that Yun Yun was meeting with Gu He and several elders.
• Yun Leng asked whether Gu He could refine a sixth-rank Breakthrough Pill, and Gu He confirmed that he could if they found the ingredients.
• Gu He gave Yun Yun the pill formula and explained which ingredients the Yun Lan Sect needed to gather.
• Yun Yun worried that the rare ingredients would be difficult to find because Yun Shan needed the pill to extend his life and strengthen the sect.
• Gu He proposed that he and the Yun Lan Sect search for the ingredients together, while Lu Yuan carried the meal toward their meeting.

Lu Yuan returned to the Yun Lan Sect during a gathering where Yun Yun and the elders discussed obtaining a Breakthrough Pill for Yun Shan. After warning that the sect faced serious internal problems, he confronted Yun Leng and the elders for trying to control Yun Yun and declared that her marriage was her own decision.

• Yun Leng advised Yun Yun to pay for the Breakthrough Pill rather than owe favors, and Gu He agreed he did not mind either way.
• Yun Leng and the Fourth Elder teased Yun Yun and Gu He about marrying, but Yun Yun tried to redirect the conversation when it became awkward.
• Lu Yuan entered disguised as a dish bearer, and Yun Yun recognized him and invited him to sit beside her.
• Lu Yuan criticized Nalan Yanran for breaking off her engagement with Xiao Yan and warned Yun Yun that the Yun Lan Sect was facing dangerous problems.
• When Yun Leng suggested sending Lu Yuan away, Lu Yuan accused the elders of overstepping their authority and declared that Yun Yun alone should decide whether to marry.

Lu Yuan confronted Yun Leng and the Yun Lan Sect elders over misconduct that had harmed new disciples, then traced the problem to the Mo Family’s paid cultivation-method recommendations and Yun Leng’s failure to intervene. Yun Yun ordered Yun Leng to investigate and handle the Mo Family, while Lu Yuan’s unexpectedly powerful aura raised questions about his strength that he promised to answer later.

• Lu Yuan mocked Yun Leng’s outburst while calmly eating, and Gu He defended Lu Yuan’s right to act freely in Yun Yun’s home.
• Lu Yuan accused Yun Lan Sect members of harming fellow disciples by steering new recruits toward unsuitable cultivation methods, and Yun Yun demanded an explanation.
• Lu Yuan revealed that every new disciple admitted over four years and seven months had been affected, with at least a third losing half a year of cultivation progress.
• Lu Yuan named Yun Leng as negligent rather than the main culprit and explained that a Mo Family descendant had started charging new disciples for cultivation-method recommendations that later disciples copied.
• Lu Yuan struck Yun Leng with his chopsticks and urged Yun Yun to replace him, while Yun Leng realized Lu Yuan had written the extra techniques in the sect’s Hidden Skill Pavilion.
• Yun Yun gave Yun Leng a chance to redeem himself by investigating and handling the Mo Family, and Yun Leng left with the other elders to carry out her order.

Lu Yuan revealed his strength and plans to Yun Yun, then claimed a powerful family had entrusted him with protecting its young lady and retrieving a jade pendant. He left Yun Yun with a warning that the family’s eldest young lady was nearby, while secretly pinning the blame on Xiao Xun'er.

• Yun Yun guessed Lu Yuan was a Nine-Star Dou Wang or Half-Step Dou Huang, but he revealed he was a Three-Star Dou Huang at fifteen.
• Lu Yuan told Yun Yun he planned to visit Canaan Academy, the Tagor Desert, and Wutan City, citing concerns about Queen Medusa, a girl with Azure Serpent Three Flower Pupils, and a suspected Woeful Poison Body.
• Yun Yun sent Gu He away so she and Lu Yuan could privately discuss the Yun Lan Sect’s situation.
• Lu Yuan claimed a powerful family had invested in him, assigned him to protect its eldest young lady, and tasked him with retrieving a jade pendant he said could unlock a Dou Di Inheritance.
• A Hall of Souls Steward secretly listened and weighed whether to report Lu Yuan’s claims, while Lu Yuan said the family’s young lady was present and could be Xiao Xun'er.

A Hall of Souls Envoy learned that Gu Xun'er was at the Yun Lan Sect, reported his findings, and left to verify them. After confessing his feelings to Yun Yun and receiving a week of punishment, Lu Yuan prepared to draw the Soul Hall and Gu Clan’s attention onto himself by intervening when Gu Xun’er was in danger.

• The Hall of Souls Envoy prioritized the report that Gu Xun'er was hiding at the Yun Lan Sect over rumors about a Heavenly Flame and sent his information to several Hall Masters.
• The Hall of Souls Envoy left for Wutan City to verify the intelligence, while Lu Yuan watched him go and turned Yun Yun’s questions back on her.
• Lu Yuan confessed to Yun Yun that he liked her and wanted to marry her, leaving her stunned and angry.
• Yun Yun ordered Lu Yuan to reflect behind closed doors for a week, but Lu Yuan left a shadow duplicate to serve the punishment in his place.
• Lu Yuan detected a Hall Master and other Soul Hall experts approaching, then planned to rescue Gu Xun'er at the right moment and shift attention away from the Yun Lan Sect before departing through a Spatial Tunnel.

Nalan Yanran returned to the Yun Lan Sect and learned that the silver-winged Emperor Rank expert who had entered earlier was her long-missing Senior Brother Lu Yuan. She found Yun Yun safe but flustered after Lu Yuan’s visit, and the chapter ended with Ge Ye still waiting anxiously outside the study.

• Nalan Yanran questioned the gatekeeping disciples and learned that a young man in a white windbreaker with silver Dou Qi Wings had entered the sect as an Emperor Rank expert.
• Nalan Yanran suspected the man had come to target Yun Yun, so she hurried to Yun Yun’s courtyard with Ge Ye, leaving him outside with instructions to seek help if she did not emerge.
• Nalan Yanran entered Yun Yun’s study and found her daydreaming alone, then heard Yun Yun discuss the broken engagement and Lu Yuan’s bold words.
• Yun Yun confirmed that the Emperor Rank expert was Lu Yuan and explained that the sect had concealed his talent because they feared rival factions would kill him.
• Nalan Yanran was stunned to learn Lu Yuan had been a Dou Master at age ten, while Ge Ye continued waiting outside.

Lu Yuan followed a Hall of Souls Envoy toward Wutan City as Xiao Xun'er grew uneasy about the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade and Xiao Yan’s changed circumstances. Lu Yuan continued toward the Yun Lan Sect while weighing his opposition to the Soul Clan and planning how to gain enough strength before his three-year deadline.

• Lu Yuan pursued the Hall of Souls Envoy without alerting him, while Xiao Xun’er felt a disturbance in her Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame in Wutan City.
• Xiao Yan’s recovered talent and mysterious alchemist master raised his standing in the Xiao Family, but he continued to reject Xiao Xun’er and she could not learn what had happened to the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade.
• Xiao Xun’er considered whether Lu Yuan had taken the jade and reflected on the Gu Clan’s obligations to protect the Xiao Family and its assets.
• Lu Yuan explained why he was avoiding Spatial Imprints on his way back to the Yun Lan Sect and resolved to oppose the Hall of Souls rather than serve the Soul Clan.
• Lu Yuan assessed his three-year deadline and the limits of his cultivation, then considered seeking powerful allies and using the coming conflict between the Gu Clan and Soul Clan to pursue his plans.