Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan explained the history of the Dou Emperors and the cave mansion beneath Jia Nan Academy while breaking through its spatial defenses with Zi Yan. He revealed that Zi Yan's father, Zhu Kun, was trapped inside, then began building a stable, two-way tunnel so they could enter and leave safely.

• Lu Yuan explained that he and Zi Yan were Dragon Clan members with exceptional mastery of Spatial Power, and told her about the ancient Dou Emperor clans.
• While analyzing the defenses, Lu Yuan explained how the Dou Emperor era ended and identified Tou She Ancient God's cave mansion beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Gas Tower.
• Lu Yuan broke through the first-layer space and revealed that Zi Yan's father, Zhu Kun, was trapped inside the cave mansion.
• Zi Yan asked whether they could get back out, and Lu Yuan explained that he was constructing a reinforced, two-way Spatial Tunnel.
• Lu Yuan told Zi Yan he would give her a token to access the tunnel from the Cultivation Room without anyone noticing.

Lu Yuan and Zi Yan entered the space beneath Canaan Academy’s Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower to find Zhu Kun, but discovered that Tuo She Ancient Emperor’s plaza was covered by a vast, one-way formation. After mapping part of it, Lu Yuan found a route to Zhu Kun and prepared to lead Zi Yan onward.

• Lu Yuan told Zi Yan that her future depended on whether he could break Tuo She Ancient Emperor’s formation, and rejected her plan to stay by his side.
• Lu Yuan opened a small Spatial Vortex, and the tower-guarding elders mistook Fallen Heart Flame’s agitation for an emergency and suppressed it.
• Lu Yuan and Zi Yan entered the second layer of space and found a colossal plaza lined with twenty-three pillars.
• Lu Yuan warned Zi Yan that the plaza was a grand, one-way formation and stopped her from wandering into it.
• Lu Yuan used the Eye of Fate to map fifteen thousand attempts, then told Zi Yan the route to Zhu Kun and the cave abode’s entrance.
• After more than four hours of further calculations, Lu Yuan announced that he would take Zi Yan to see her father.

Lu Yuan brought Zi Yan to the trapped Zhu Kun and explained how he had found them, while Zhu Kun struggled to keep his excitement in check. Their reunion left Zhu Kun mistakenly believing Lu Yuan was Zi Yan’s fiancé, and Lu Yuan changed the subject as Zi Yan began reconsidering her feelings for him.

• After decades trapped in Tuo She Ancient Emperor’s array, Zhu Kun saw Lu Yuan and excitedly welcomed him, then recognized him as a member of his clan.
• Lu Yuan told Zhu Kun to listen without interrupting and pulled Zi Yan out of the void, reuniting father and daughter.
• Zhu Kun agreed to hear Lu Yuan’s explanation, and Lu Yuan described meeting Zi Yan, locating Zhu Kun, and bringing her to him.
• When Zhu Kun questioned Lu Yuan’s withheld details, Lu Yuan threatened to leave, prompting Zhu Kun to back down and ask how he could cooperate.
• Zhu Kun misread the situation and called Lu Yuan his son-in-law, while Zi Yan wondered whether her feelings for Lu Yuan were romantic.
• Lu Yuan recognized that directly rejecting or accepting Zhu Kun’s assumption could complicate matters, so he changed the subject.

Lu Yuan negotiated a Fate Contract with Zhu Kun, who agreed to protect the balance of power and the Yun Lan Sect in exchange for rescue. After Zhu Kun accepted, Lu Yuan broke the formations trapping him and led him out.

• Zhu Kun mistook Lu Yuan’s evasive answer for a refusal to marry Zi Yan, but Lu Yuan shut down the misunderstanding and offered to rescue him in exchange for conditions.
• Lu Yuan established a Fate Contract requiring Zhu Kun to maintain the balance of power and guarantee the Yun Lan Sect’s safety permanently, while Lu Yuan rescued him unharmed.
• Zhu Kun accepted the contract and continued treating Lu Yuan as his son-in-law, prompting Zi Yan to urge them to finish their discussion.
• Lu Yuan used the Eye of Fate to snap the mana threads sustaining the formations around Zhu Kun.
• Lu Yuan beckoned Zhu Kun to take human form and led him out.

After Lu Yuan freed Zhu Kun from the formation, Zhu Kun and Zi Yan confronted their strained father-daughter relationship. Zhu Kun left with Zi Yan to return to the Void Ancient Dragon Clan, intending to restore his strength and prepare for a possible conflict with the Ancient Clan.

• Zi Yan accepted Zhu Kun as her father by blood but remained resentful that he had left her alone for years, and Lu Yuan chose not to pressure her to reconcile.
• Zhu Kun erased Lu Yuan's Spatial Tunnel and explained that he would return to the Void Ancient Dragon Clan to recover his strength and gather its forces.
• Zhu Kun said he expected to confront the Dragon Kings who had gained power during his absence and would notify Lu Yuan before taking action.
• Zhu Kun warned that war with the Ancient Clan could follow because of Lu Yuan's ties to Gu Yuan's daughter, and he resolved to approach the conflict cautiously.
• Zhu Kun offered his hand to Zi Yan, who took it, and then he carried her into the void and vanished.

Lu Yuan traveled openly toward Gama Imperial City, while Xiao Yan arrived first as the Alchemist Convention brought the empire’s powerhouses together. The chapter ended with Xiao Yan overwhelmed by the convention’s grandeur and the tense gathering of regional forces.

• Lu Yuan relied on the Void Ancient Dragon Clan’s protection and killed groups of robbers who tried to attack him on the road to Gama Imperial City.
• After Lu Yuan’s killings in the Black-Corner Region, low-star Dou Huangs fled to nearby empires, prompting the Gama Empire to recruit and accommodate new experts.
• The Gama Imperial Family gathered local powerhouses and invited Queen Medusa to display its strength and discourage its new Dou Huang recruits from provoking stronger factions.
• Jia Xingtian learned that the Yun Lan Sect had once possessed a monstrous fifteen-year-old Dou Huang, who had left after clashing with the sect’s elders.
• Xiao Yan arrived at Gama Imperial City and was dumbfounded by the Alchemist Convention’s grand scale.

Xiao Yan entered Gama Imperial City and headed for the Mitre Family to visit Ya Fei and Haibodong, avoiding the Yun Lan Sect because he did not want to endanger Lu Yuan’s delicate balance with the Gu Clan. Mistaken for another suitor hoping to become Ya Fei’s live-in son-in-law, he presented Haibodong’s token at the family gate and explained his visit.

• Xiao Yan decided to visit Ya Fei and Haibodong at the Mitre Family rather than risk complications by approaching the Yun Lan Sect.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen joked about food as Xiao Yan entered Gama Imperial City using his Third-Rank Alchemist badge.
• Xiao Yan learned that Ya Fei’s influence in the Mitre Family had attracted many suitors, including men hoping to become live-in sons-in-law.
• A passerby mistook Xiao Yan for one of Ya Fei’s suitors, and Xiao Yan took a detour to avoid spreading the misunderstanding.
• Xiao Yan reached a side gate crowded with Ya Fei’s suitors, showed the maid Haibodong’s token, and said he had come to see Ya Fei and Elder Hai.

Xiao Yan visited Ya Fei at the Mitre Family residence, where her maid recognized his connection to Ya Fei and Lu Yuan. Ya Fei was meeting Nalan Yanran to discuss finding a pill for Branding Poison, and Nalan left to seek help from alchemists as Xiao Yan’s arrival was announced.

• The maid admitted Xiao Yan after confirming his token and escorted him toward the hall.
• Xiao Yan asked the maid to tell Ya Fei that her younger brother from Wutan City, whom she and Lu Ge had once looked after, had come to visit.
• Ya Fei told Nalan Yanran that the Mitre Family would search for a pill to treat Branding Poison but could not promise to find one.
• Nalan Yanran thanked Ya Fei and left to seek out renowned alchemists who could treat her grandfather.

Xiao Yan met Nalan Yanran at Ya Fei’s residence while hiding his identity behind the alias Yan Xiao, and she recognized him but chose not to expose him. After hearing that Nalan Jie’s Branding Poison had defeated the empire’s leading alchemists, Xiao Yan decided to seek Yao Chen’s help.

• Ya Fei introduced Nalan Yanran to the masked Xiao Yan, who was using the name Yan Xiao.
• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that Nalan Yanran had recently advanced to One-Star Da Dou Shi and had surpassed his cultivation level.
• Nalan Yanran recognized Xiao Yan from his alias and appearance but pretended not to know him before taking her leave.
• Ya Fei teased Xiao Yan and brought him into her residence, where he asked why Nalan Yanran had come to see her.
• Ya Fei explained that Nalan Jie was afflicted with Branding Poison and that neither Fa Ma nor the Nalan Family could easily obtain Gu He's help.
• Xiao Yan resolved to find a way to treat Nalan Jie and called on Yao Chen for help.

Xiao Yan sought Ya Fei’s help to gain access to the Nalan Family and treat Nalan Jie, while Yao Chen agreed to support him on the condition that he won the Alchemist Convention. After reviewing the convention’s rules and guest list, Xiao Yan found no mention of Lu Yuan, and Nalan Yanran returned home thinking Xiao Yan had become a worthy rival.

• Yao Chen teased Xiao Yan, then agreed to help him while warning that he might not help again if Xiao Yan failed to win the Alchemist Convention.
• Xiao Yan decided he needed an introduction to the Nalan Family so he could treat Nalan Jie before Gu He became an option.
• Ya Fei agreed to arrange Xiao Yan’s introduction before the convention, and Xiao Yan asked when the competition began.
• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yan the convention booklet, which listed its guests and rules but did not mention Lu Yuan.
• Nalan Yanran returned to the Nalan Family and admitted that Xiao Yan was now qualified to be her opponent.

Nalan Yanran reluctantly received Xiao Yan and warned him that treating Nalan Jie’s Branding Poison could endanger both their lives. Xiao Yan proceeded to Nalan Jie’s bedroom to examine him, while Nalan Yanran insisted on staying to watch.

• Nalan Yanran accepted the task of receiving Xiao Yan because refusing Ya Fei’s recommendation could damage the Nalan Family’s reputation and ties with the Mitre Family.
• On the way to Nalan Jie’s bedroom, Nalan Yanran hinted that she suspected Yan Xiao was Xiao Yan and questioned his age, while both claimed to be eighteen.
• Nalan Yanran explained that Branding Poison could be treated with pills or Dou Qi, warned Xiao Yan not to risk an irreversible mistake, and offered to part ways before he began.
• Xiao Yan followed Nalan Yanran to Nalan Jie, who welcomed him into his bedroom and prepared to discuss the treatment.
• Nalan Jie gestured for Nalan Yanran to leave, but she insisted on staying because she felt uneasy about Xiao Yan, and Nalan Jie agreed.

Xiao Yan confronted Nalan Yanran’s doubts about his ability to cure Nalan Jie by revealing his Heavenly Flame and insisting that Gu He was no obstacle. He began treating Nalan Jie’s Branding Poison, but after Nalan Jie expelled black blood and improved, Nalan Yanran suddenly held a sword to Xiao Yan’s neck.

• Xiao Yan examined Nalan Jie and said that curing the Branding Poison would be troublesome but possible.
• Nalan Yanran invoked Pill King Gu He to challenge Xiao Yan, who dismissed Gu He and displayed the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.
• Nalan Yanran insisted on observing the treatment, and Xiao Yan set rules against interrupting him.
• Xiao Yan used his azure flames to draw the poison through Nalan Jie’s body, then struck his chest and made him spit out black blood.
• Nalan Yanran drew her sword and held its blade against Xiao Yan’s neck as Nalan Jie’s condition improved.

Nalan Yanran realized Xiao Yan had cured Nalan Jie and tried to apologize, but Xiao Yan stopped her and gave her room to discuss their past. After hearing about her lonely childhood and her promise to take one strike during the Three-Year Agreement, Xiao Yan kissed her forehead and told her they could face the agreement without burdens.

• Nalan Jie rebuked Nalan Yanran for drawing her sword on Xiao Yan after he had cured him, and demanded that she apologize.
• Nalan Yanran tried to kneel, but Xiao Yan stopped her; Nalan Jie invited Xiao Yan to dinner and left the two young people alone.
• Nalan Yanran confronted Xiao Yan about his identity, and Xiao Yan suggested they walk through the Nalan Family back garden instead.
• Nalan Yanran told Xiao Yan how her childhood had been shaped by relentless cultivation, her lost master, and doubts about her worth compared with her fiancé.
• Nalan Yanran promised to lower her guard and take one strike from Xiao Yan during the Three-Year Agreement.
• Xiao Yan kissed Nalan Yanran's forehead and said he had not saved Nalan Jie for her sake, so they could fight as usual during the agreement.

After leaving Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan questioned whether her admiration was for him or merely his strength, and Yao Chen helped him reconsider his distrust of others. Xiao Yan accepted his teacher’s advice and continued on with a steadier outlook, though he ended their serious conversation by teasing him.

• Nalan Yanran invited Xiao Yan to stay for a meal, but he declined and left her home after they parted on respectful terms.
• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that Nalan Yanran had fallen for him again, prompting Xiao Yan to question what she admired about him.
• Xiao Yan worried that Nalan Yanran only valued his strength and might abandon him if he became weak.
• Yao Chen compared Xiao Yan’s suspicions about Nalan Yanran to his past experience with Gu Xun'er and urged him not to judge her without knowing the whole picture.
• Yao Chen counseled Xiao Yan to offer sincere feelings without trying to control the outcome, and Xiao Yan thanked him for the advice.
• Xiao Yan teased Yao Chen for talking at length, and Yao Chen jokingly threatened to stop complimenting him.

Xiao Yan visited the Mitre Family estate, while Lu Yuan explained to Ya Fei his plans to refine a Poison Pill and how affinity with the laws could overcome limits in cultivation talent. The chapter left Ya Fei learning that innate talent was not fixed, as Lu Yuan offered to help her improve hers.

• Xiao Yan left the Nalan Family residence and headed to the Mitre Family estate, where a servant recognized him and welcomed him as the patriarch’s guest.
• Lu Yuan, back from the Black-Corner Region, told Ya Fei that he intended to use Xiao Yan to refine a Poison Pill.
• Lu Yuan explained that this Poison Pill was a specific pill formula using Bodhi Transformation Saliva, a seventh-tier Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast core, and three Heavenly Flames.
• Ya Fei inferred that Xiao Yan had mastered multiple Heavenly Flames, and Lu Yuan showed her flames on his fingertips.
• Lu Yuan explained that Heavenly Flames were manifestations of rules and told Ya Fei that strong affinity with the laws could compensate for low innate talent.

Lu Yuan learned from Yao Chen to meet others with sincerity instead of judging them through suspicion, and he destroyed the Fate Contract with Zhu Kun. The chapter ended with Zhu Kun ordering his forces to leave Yun Lan Sect and repay Lu Yuan’s favor.

• Xiao Yan barged in while Lu Yuan was helping Ya Fei improve her talent, and Lu Yuan buried him in the ground before explaining the painful process.
• After learning the truth, Xiao Yan fled before Ya Fei could blame him for interrupting her treatment.
• Lu Yuan told Yao Chen he had gathered the Bodhi Transformation Saliva and the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast’s magic core and had mostly settled matters with the Gu Clan.
• Yao Chen advised Lu Yuan not to let the world’s bad people blind him to the good, and urged him to offer sincerity when he could trust others.
• Lu Yuan reflected on Yao Chen’s counsel and destroyed the Fate Contract, freeing Zhu Kun from its effects.
• Zhu Kun ordered the North Dragon King to take Void Ancient Dragon Clan forces to Yun Lan Sect, remove the Black Submerging Army, and tell Gu Yuan that he owed Lu Yuan a favor.

Lu Yuan refined the Poison Pill under Yao Chen’s guidance, using three Heavenly Flames and his own streamlined alchemy methods. He succeeded on his first attempt, and Yao Chen recognized that he had begun forging his own path as a Sixth-Rank Alchemist; Xiao Yan then faced a review of what he had learned.

• Yao Chen explained that the Poison Pill’s success depended on the Woeful Poison Body’s willpower and on balancing its three categories of ingredients with three Heavenly Flames.
• Lu Yuan declined Xiao Yan’s Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame and Sea Heart Flame, then prepared to refine the pill with his scarce, irreplaceable materials.
• Lu Yuan produced the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Bone Spirit Cold Fire, and Fallen Heart Flame, assigning each to a different ingredient in the Poison Pill formula.
• Lu Yuan refined the ingredients in the Black Demon Cauldron while Yao Chen and Xiao Yan watched, and he completed the Poison Pill after half an hour.
• Yao Chen praised Lu Yuan for reaching the level of a qualified Sixth-Rank Alchemist, then tested Xiao Yan on the alchemy techniques he had learned.

Zi Yan returned to Canaan Academy with a Half-Saint guard from the Void Ancient Dragon Clan, surprising Su Qian and revealing that she was the clan’s Young Clan Leader. After Zi Yan defended her friendship with Lu Yuan, Su Qian accepted that she would leave the academy and invited them to eat before handling her withdrawal.

• Zi Yan returned to Canaan Academy after being away for over half a month, and Su Qian rushed over to scold her for disappearing.
• Zi Yan’s Half-Saint guard stopped Su Qian from striking her and warned him after learning he had tried to discipline the Young Clan Leader.
• Zi Yan introduced Su Qian to her clan aunt and explained that the encounter had been a misunderstanding.
• Su Qian recognized that Zi Yan would leave the academy, while her guard offered to capture Lu Yuan for ranking above Zi Yan on the Strong Ranking.
• Zi Yan rejected the offer, saying Lu Yuan was her friend and that her father acknowledged their friendship.
• Su Qian invited Zi Yan and her guard to share a meal before completing Zi Yan’s withdrawal from the academy.

Zi Yan stayed for a meal instead of helping the North Dragon King, who then forced the Black Submerging Army to abandon its post near the Yun Lan Sect. Gu Xun'er redirected the retreating troops to Canaan Academy and prepared a trap, hoping to draw out Lu Yuan through Zi Yan.

• Zi Yan accepted an invitation to eat, leaving the North Dragon King without the Half-Saint assigned to protect her.
• The North Dragon King arrived above the Yun Lan Sect with four other Dou Shengs and ordered the outnumbered Black Submerging Army to withdraw.
• The Black Submerging Army’s Two-Star Dou Sheng commander ordered a retreat, insisting that he was responsible for his troops and had no order to hold the area to the death.
• After hearing what happened, Gu Xun'er allowed the commander to atone by bringing his troops to Canaan Academy, where she planned to catch a big fish.
• Gu Xun'er ordered a space-sealing formation and demanded that the Black Submerging Army’s high-level combatants attend, while Zi Yan continued eating, unaware of her plan.

Gu Xun'er arrived at Canaan Academy with the Black Submerging Army and confronted Zi Yan, demanding Lu Yuan’s contact information while the two young clan leaders traded barbs. Gu Xun'er learned that Zi Yan considered Lu Yuan part of the Dragon Clan, and reflected on why she had tied her hopes to him as a potential path for the Gu Clan to survive.

• Gu Xun'er brought the Black Submerging Army to Canaan Academy, and Su Qian recognized her status and withdrew with the other elders.
• Gu Xun'er asked Zi Yan for Lu Yuan’s contact information, and Zi Yan called Lu Yuan her fiancé and warned Gu Xun'er to give up pursuing him.
• Zi Yan implied that Lu Yuan belonged to the Dragon Clan, shocking Gu Xun'er and making her wonder whether his bloodline was that of a Void Ancient Dragon.
• Gu Xun'er considered how the Gu Clan could escape the Soul Clan’s threat and concluded that Lu Yuan might be the lifeline she needed.
• Gu Xun'er recalled that her attachment to Lu Yuan came from both her desire to secure the Gu Clan’s future and her wish to defeat him.