Chapter Summaries

Chen Huo brought Gu He into the inner region of Sacred Pill City and introduced him to Pill Tower President Xuan Kongzi. Xuan Kongzi welcomed Gu He without pressing him about his rapid rise, leaving Gu He reassured that the Pill Tower would not demand the secrets behind his success.

• Chen Huo led Gu He to an empty courtyard, where they rested overnight before heading to the inner region of Sacred Pill City.
• Chen Huo explained the Pill Tower's elder qualifications and its reasons for investigating outsiders, and Gu He stayed silent about the history behind the Soul Hall's infiltration.
• Chen Huo brought Gu He to meet President Xuan Kongzi, one of the Pill Tower's three giants, in a hall filled with bookshelves and flames.
• Gu He sensed that Xuan Kongzi's cultivation and soul power far surpassed his own and realized he would have little chance of escaping if they became enemies.
• Xuan Kongzi praised Gu He's achievements but did not ask him to reveal how he had risen so quickly, and Gu He felt relieved.

Gu He joined the Pill Tower as a certified eighth-grade Alchemist and received an advanced soul cultivation method. After completing his elder registration, he asked Chen Huo whether his new status would attract Dou Zuns as they went to view a residence in Sacred Pill City.

• Xuan Kongzi apologized for investigating Gu He and gave him a complete ancient soul cultivation method before certifying him as an eighth-grade elder.
• A middle-aged woman judged Gu He worth nurturing, while Tian Lei Zi urged the Pill Tower to assess him during the Ancient Cave Mansion; Xuan Kongzi agreed and told them to keep their discussion secret.
• Chen Huo escorted Gu He to register, where Elder Lin recorded Gu He's Soul Imprint and explained that the record could reveal when an elder needed rescue.
• Chen Huo explained that Elder Lin could not speak because an enemy had cut out his tongue, then offered to show Gu He a quiet courtyard in the inner region.
• Gu He asked whether becoming an eighth-grade Alchemist would attract Dou Zuns, and Chen Huo said many people would seek him out once his status and pill-refining services were known.

Gu He settled into his new Pill Tower residence and studied the ancient soul cultivation method he received from Xuan Kongzi. After gaining nearly ten percent more Soul Power, he began using the technique to draw in spiritual energy and strengthen his soul.

• Gu He chose a courtyard, thanked Chen Huo for guiding him, and learned that Bai Shi would serve as its steward.
• Gu He told Bai Shi to announce that he would refine pills below Eighth-grade Three-colored Pill Lightning for suitable compensation and provided ingredients.
• Gu He studied the Soul Heart Seal, then used the ancient parchment scroll and entered a state that gathered spiritual energy and caused the courtyard plants to grow rapidly.
• News of Gu He's pill-refining offer spread, and people flocked to his residence while Bai Shi registered their requests during Gu He's five days of seclusion.
• Gu He emerged with nearly ten percent more Soul Power, absorbed the scroll's three Soul Imprints, and began cultivating with its technique to draw spiritual energy into his soul.

Gu He emerged from seclusion, accepted eleven commissions for Seventh- and Eighth-grade pills, and began refining them, drawing attention across the Central Continent. Meanwhile, Qing reached one-star Dou Zong and left the Small Valley to search the Northwest Continent for other Heavenly Flames.

• Gu He practiced keeping his soul cultivation technique running while using a portion of his attention to control his body.
• Gu He left the secret chamber and learned from Bai Shi that fifteen people had submitted pill-refining requests.
• Gu He selected eleven commissions for Seventh-grade or higher pills and began refining them behind courtyard restrictions.
• Gu He's pill lightning spread news of his Eighth-grade alchemy skills throughout Sacred Pill City and the Central Continent.
• Qing advanced to one-star Dou Zong with the help of Fallen Heart Flame, the Sect Breaking Pill, and the Fire Bead.
• Qing declined Zi Jing's suggestion to wait for Xiao Yi Xian and the others, then left the Small Valley to search for Heavenly Flames.

Gu He refined a Fire Flame Pill to exceptional perfection, triggering four-colored Pill Lightning and experiencing a major increase in his soul power. The Sky Demon Puppet endured the lightning, tempering its body as the chapter ended.

• Zi Jing chose to remain behind and wait for Gu He, leaving Green Barbarian and White Fang stuck with her.
• Gu He refined a Fire Flame Pill for Venerable Huo, and four colors appeared in its Pill Lightning, raising the pill's quality beyond its expected grade.
• Gu He realized that a wondrous state during refinement had increased his soul power by nearly fifty percent, bringing it to the level needed to refine pills with Five-colored Pill Lightning.
• Gu He summoned the Sky Demon Puppet to withstand the Pill Lightning, which tempered its body for nearly half an hour.

Gu He completed the commissioned pills in Sacred Pill City and sought a Dou Zun to protect him when the Soul Burial Mountain Range opened. He then asked Chen Huo to show him the city’s pill-refining shops, beginning with a Medicine Cauldron store.

• Gu He collected the successfully refined pill and offered Venerable Huo a Three-colored Pill Lightning pill to accompany him to the Soul Burial Mountain Range, but Venerable Huo asked for three days to decide.
• Gu He finished distributing the commissioned pills and went to find Chen Huo after deciding to explore Sacred Pill City.
• Chen Huo agreed to guide Gu He around the Inner Domain, and Gu He asked to visit places related to pill refining.
• Chen Huo led Gu He to a famous Medicine Cauldron shop, where a clerk introduced its high-quality cauldrons.

Chen Huo brought Gu He through Wen Muyue’s shop to see its prized Eighth Tier Medicine Cauldron. Wen Muyue welcomed Gu He and led them to the cauldron, whose icy presence they sensed as they approached.

• Chen Huo explained the grades of Black Ice Stone and the Medicine Cauldrons made from it.
• Chen Huo revealed that the shop held an Eighth Tier Medicine Cauldron, and Wen Muyue emerged after hearing him speak about her.
• Chen Huo introduced Gu He to Wen Muyue, who was connected to the Cao Family’s head through marriage.
• Gu He asked Wen Muyue to show him the cauldron, and she led him and Chen Huo deeper into the shop.
• Gu He and Chen Huo reached the floating, pitch-black Medicine Cauldron and felt an icy chill from it.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu He and Chen Huo visit a shop owned by Wen Muyue, where they see an eighth-tier Medicine Cauldron.
• Wen Muyue invites them to a trading fair organized by the Five Great Families.
• Gu He and Chen Huo explore the fair, with Gu He interested in pill formulas and Chen Huo in medicinal herbs.
• Gu He overhears a conversation about a Three-colored Pill Lightning pill formula (Guiyuan Pill) and decides to make an offer.

Character Developments

• Gu He: Shows interest in pill formulas, particularly the Guiyuan Pill formula. He's willing to trade a Four-colored Pill Lightning pill in the future to obtain it.
• Chen Huo: Regrets not being able to purchase the eighth-tier Medicine Cauldron. He's interested in gathering medicinal herbs at the trading fair.

Significant Themes

• The value and rarity of pill formulas, medicinal herbs, and other alchemy-related items.
• The high standards for entry into the trading fair, reflecting the exclusivity of the event.

Character Interactions

• Gu He and Chen Huo: They separate to explore the fair, showing their individual interests and priorities.
• Gu He and the old man in red robes: They engage in a polite negotiation over the Guiyuan Pill formula, with Gu He offering a future Four-colored Pill Lightning pill in exchange.
• Gu He and the middle-aged man: The man tries to persuade Gu He to make an offer, showing his eagerness to secure the trade.

Gu He traded for a rare pill formula, accepted Bai Jingxin’s invitation to visit the Bai Family, and then discovered Earth Core Soul Marrow at the fair. The stall owner demanded an eighth-grade pill that summoned Three-colored Pill Lightning and half of the prepared marrow in exchange, leaving Gu He to consider how to obtain it.

• Gu He agreed to exchange a Four-colored Pill Lightning pill for the Guiyuan Pill formula and exchanged contact information with the red-robed old man.
• Bai Jingxin recognized Gu He, invited him to visit the Bai Family, and arranged for him to come the day after tomorrow.
• Gu He considered whether the Bai Family might offer useful eighth-grade pill formulas and continued browsing the trade fair.
• Gu He joined the crowd around a stall displaying Earth Core Soul Marrow and realized it could greatly increase his spiritual strength.
• The stall owner announced that he wanted an eighth-grade pill summoning Three-colored Pill Lightning and half of the prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow.

Gu He secured Earth Core Soul Marrow by agreeing to prepare it with Pill Spirit Nectar and Gastrodia Jade Stone Essence, then negotiated a share for the stall owner. He promised to save some for Chen Huo, who hoped to advance to an Eighth-grade Alchemist before they entered the Ancient Cave Mansion.

• The stall owner demanded an Eighth-grade pill and half of the prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow, prompting the alchemists to protest and compete with offers.
• Chen Huo offered an Eighth-grade Spirit-Combining Pill formula and disclosed its serious side effects, but the stall owner remained hesitant.
• Gu He offered to provide the needed ingredients and prepare the Earth Core Soul Marrow, negotiating a deal that required him to deliver the stall owner twenty percent of the original amount within two months.
• Gu He and Chen Huo gathered ample Pill Spirit Nectar and Gastrodia Jade Stone Essence from pharmacies in the Inner Region.
• Chen Huo asked for some of the prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow to help him reach the Spiritual Realm and become an Eighth-grade Alchemist, and Gu He agreed to save him a portion.

Gu He prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow and delivered Qian Yao’s share before agreeing to take on more pill commissions. Meanwhile, Chi Wuyao confronted a hooded man in the forest and struck him down, though the confrontation continued.

• Gu He refined the Gastrodia Jade Stone Essence and combined it with Pill Spirit Nectar and Earth Core Soul Marrow to prepare bottles of jade-green medicinal liquid.
• Bai Shi told Gu He that several people had come to commission Eighth-grade pills, including one request for a pill with Four-colored Pill Lightning, and Gu He decided to refine pills for the next two months.
• Gu He visited Master Qian Yao and gave him his share of the prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow.
• Chi Wuyao called out a hidden watcher, who emerged from the shadows and warned her against interfering in matters outside her territory.
• Chi Wuyao attacked the hooded man with Dark Soul Annihilation, sending him skidding backward and drawing blood.

Gu He delivered the prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow to Chen Huo, then used the remainder to greatly strengthen his soul force and resumed refining pills for the coming Ancient Cave Mansion. Two months passed as Central Continent’s experts prepared for the mansion to open, and Gu He’s reputation grew among those who hired him.

• Gu He delivered the Earth Core Soul Marrow to Chen Huo, who gave him a prescription in return and said he hoped to reach the Spirit Ascension realm within a month.
• Gu He returned to his courtyard, entered seclusion, and consumed the Earth Core Soul Marrow to strengthen his soul force.
• After his soul force grew substantially, Gu He resumed pill refining and accepted five commissions for pills above the eighth grade, including one involving Four-colored Pill Lightning.
• As the Ancient Cave Mansion’s emergence approached, prices for high-grade pills rose and Gu He’s reputation increased among the experts who hired him.
• Two months passed while Dou Zun experts prepared supplies and waited for the Ancient Cave Mansion to open.

Gu He and Chen Huo gathered their Dou Zun companions and traveled to the Soul Burial Mountain Range for the Ancient Cave Mansion. They arrived in a city crowded with powerful experts, and Gu He sent the group to gather information while avoiding conflict.

• Gu He and Chen Huo compared the Dou Zuns they had recruited and agreed to meet at a Space Wormhole the next morning.
• Gu He prepared pills for the journey, including Earth Spirit Pills, and told Bai Shi not to accept alchemy commissions until he returned.
• Gu He and Chen Huo introduced their companions at the Space Wormhole, including Venerable Xuanwu, Venerable Hailang, and Venerable Yujian, before the ten of them departed.
• After ten days of travel, Gu He and his group reached a city near the Soul Burial Mountain Range, where Gu He sensed many experts, including two Five-star Dou Zuns.
• Gu He told the group to gather information without starting conflicts, and Chen Huo asked whether many experts were in the city.

Gu He and his companions entered the Ancient Cave Mansion and began gathering its rare medicinal herbs. As Gu He’s team collected herbs on a mountain, a powerful baleful aura erupted from within it, revealing a dangerous presence.

• Gu He learned that dozens of Dou Zuns had gathered near Soul Burial Valley, then waited there with his group for the Ancient Cave Mansion to open.
• A spatial gate appeared, and Gu He’s group entered the vast mansion, where roaming lightning energy harmed weaker cultivators.
• Gu He and Chen Huo divided their companions into two teams to collect medicinal herbs on opposite sides of a mountain.
• Gu He and the five Dou Zuns with him gathered rare herbs until a terrifying aura emerged from inside the mountain and began warping space.

Gu He and the five Dou Zuns attacked the mountain’s seal, helping the creature trapped inside break free. The creature emerged as a gigantic Ancient Wind Wolf, while Gu He and the others prepared to contain it.

• Gu He sensed the creature’s aura and estimated its combat strength at Five-star Dou Zun, then decided the group would wait and confront it if they could.
• Gu He ordered the five Dou Zuns to attack the energy seal when he realized it was absorbing natural energy and might take too long to break.
• Gu He and the five Dou Zuns struck the seal while the creature rammed it from within, cracking and draining most of its power.
• Gu He ordered the five Dou Zuns to stop and recover their Dou Qi as the creature tore through the weakened seal.
• Venerable Huo Yan identified the creature’s claw as likely belonging to an ancient wolf species, and Gu He had the group form a containment formation.
• The seal broke apart, revealing a gigantic dark-green Ancient Wind Wolf with eight pairs of wings.

Gu He and the five others fought the Ancient Wind Wolf after sealing the surrounding space, and Gu He killed it when it tried to self-destruct. The group extracted its eighth-tier Magic Core, while Gu He considered how to handle the enormous corpse.

• The six sealed the area around the Ancient Wind Wolf, which attacked Venerable Huo Yan and resisted their attempts to subdue it.
• Gu He asked the Ancient Wind Wolf to follow him, but it refused and vowed to kill him.
• The group unleashed their strongest attacks, wounding the wolf until it began swelling to self-destruct.
• Gu He struck the wolf with a soul seal, then pierced its heart with sword qi and killed it with a final attack to its brow.
• Gu He extracted the wolf's eighth-tier Magic Core and stored it in a jade box.
• Gu He looked over the giant corpse and considered how to deal with it.

Gu He refined the Ancient Wind Wolf's essence blood with help from hired Dou Zuns, then sent Venerable Tian Feng to guard its wings while the others gathered herbs deeper in the cave dwelling. After two days, Gu He reached a lightning-filled region around a silver-white Space Channel, where Dou Zuns began cultivating amid the dangerous energy.

• Gu He let three hired Dou Zuns take portions of the Ancient Wind Wolf's remains, then worked with three fire-attributed Dou Zuns to refine its corpse into a sealed bottle of essence blood.
• Gu He asked Venerable Tian Feng to guard the Ancient Wind Wolf's eight pairs of wings, and Tian Feng agreed to retreat if he faced an enemy he could not defeat.
• Gu He and the others split into two nearby groups to gather increasingly precious medicinal ingredients throughout the cave dwelling.
• After two days, Gu He withdrew his soul afterimage and joined three three-star Dou Zuns to enter the cave dwelling's depths.
• Gu He found a silver-white Space Channel pouring lightning into a thunder lake, where the dense energy drew Dou Zuns into cultivation while the violent lightning threatened those nearby.

Gu He used the Sky Demon Puppet to locate the Void Lightning Pool and planned to use it to strengthen himself and trade more puppets with alchemists. As he and the Dou Zuns left the Ancient Cave Mansion, they discovered Venerable Tian Feng was under attack and rushed to help him.

• Gu He sent the Sky Demon Puppet into the lightning pool and drew offers from alchemists who wanted to buy it for resisting Pill Lightning.
• Gu He refused to sell the puppet yet, promised to refine more for trade, and directed it through the Space Channel toward the Void Lightning Pool.
• The Sky Demon Puppet reached the lightning lake, where Gu He’s Soul Imprint let him roughly pinpoint the pool’s location.
• Gu He and his group left the Ancient Cave Mansion, having gained medicinal ingredients, alchemist contacts, and the Void Lightning Pool’s coordinates.
• Venerable Huo Yan sensed that Venerable Tian Feng was fighting someone, and Gu He led the four Dou Zuns toward the mountain peak to intervene.

The Ice River Valley Master attacked Venerable Tian Feng and stole three pairs of Wind Wolf Wings while Gu He was arriving. Gu He pursued the weakest fleeing Dou Zun, who discarded the wings and prepared to defend himself.

• The Ice River Valley Master launched a black icy claw at Venerable Tian Feng while his two companions moved to steal the Wind Wolf Wings.
• Venerable Tian Feng countered with concealed sword qi, and their attacks shattered the space between them.
• The Ice River Valley Master and his companions seized three pairs of Wind Wolf Wings and fled in separate directions as Gu He and his allies arrived.
• Gu He gave Venerable Tian Feng a seventh-tier healing pill, left his companions to guard the remaining wings, and pursued the weakest Dou Zun.
• Gu He caught up with the one-star Dou Zun and attacked with a sword light, forcing the elder to discard the Wind Wolf Wings and turn to defend himself with snowflakes.

Gu He confronted Tian Shuangzi over the theft of his Wind Wolf Wings and learned that the Extreme Cold Venerable had helped instigate it. Gu He rejected Tian Shuangzi’s plea to escape and badly wounded him, leaving their fight unresolved.

• Tian Shuangzi claimed the theft and fight had been a misunderstanding, then named the Extreme Cold Venerable as the one who had led Ice River Valley to the Wind Wolf Wings.
• Gu He refused Tian Shuangzi’s offer to return the wings and dismissed his warning about making an enemy of Ice River Valley.
• Gu He declared that he killed those who offended him and attacked Tian Shuangzi at overwhelming speed.
• Tian Shuangzi’s ice armor shattered under Gu He’s palm, and the blow sent him flying with a badly injured chest.
• Tian Shuangzi recovered his composure and swallowed a medicinal pill, while Gu He acknowledged his courage but showed no intention of sparing him.