Chapter Summaries

Gu He absorbed Old Man Mu Gu’s alchemical knowledge, then practiced refining pills until his ingredients ran out and Xuan Kongzi led him toward the Small Pill Tower’s assessment. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan reached Dou Zong and planned to gain experience before entering the next Pill Gathering.

• Gu He returned to the Medicine Realm, spent two months absorbing Old Man Mu Gu’s knowledge, and then practiced refining high-tier pills for more than a month.
• Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Zong at Tian Mu Mountain and told Yao Chen he planned to gain experience before competing in the next Pill Gathering.
• Jin Gu and Jin Shi congratulated Xiao Yan, who warmly cultivated a relationship with the Golden Swallowing Rat Clan.
• After using up his medicinal ingredients, Gu He asked Xuan Kongzi for a recommendation to take the Small Pill Tower’s assessment.
• Xuan Kongzi opened a Space Channel, and Gu He followed him inside.

Gu He arrived at the Small Pill Tower and prepared to take its admission assessment, which required refining an Eighth-grade pill that produced Seven-colored Pill Lightning. As the assessment began, the five elders of the Grand Elder Council appeared before the gathered pill refiners.

• Xuan Kongzi brought Gu He to meet the Great Elder, who approved of Gu He's abilities and scheduled his admission assessment for the following day.
• While waiting, Gu He met senior-generation pill refiners, learned their techniques and the assessment requirements, and gathered medicinal herbs from the mountain.
• The next morning, Xuan Kongzi accompanied Gu He to the plaza and warned him not to be distracted by the elders' discussions during the assessment.
• A bell rang, and four aged figures appeared on the stone platform as Xuan Kongzi joined them, completing the five-member Grand Elder Council.

Gu He began the Small Pill Tower assessment by refining a Mysterious Spirit Pill capable of summoning Eight-colored Pill Lightning. His exceptional cauldron, flame, and alchemy skills astonished the assembled elders, and the forming pill drew a sudden gathering of thunderclouds over the plaza.

• The Great Elder announced the assessment rules, and Gu He stepped forward to begin.
• Gu He brought out the Myriad Beasts Cauldron and used his blue-black flame to heat it, impressing and angering the watching alchemists.
• Gu He selected ingredients for a Mysterious Spirit Pill, prompting the elders to react to his attempt at an Eight-colored Pill Lightning pill.
• Gu He extracted the ingredients’ medicinal essence and fused them with precise control, shocking Xuan Kongzi and the other elders with his rapid improvement.
• Gu He formed the pill embryo inside the cauldron, and thunderclouds suddenly gathered above the plaza.

Gu He passed the Small Pill Tower’s test by refining an Eighth-grade pill and effortlessly withstanding Eight-colored Pill Lightning, earning acceptance as a member. As Xuan Kongzi escorted him away, Gu He asked what he would need to offer to use the Small Pill Tower’s medicinal ingredients.

• Gu He shattered the Eight-colored Pill Lightning and revealed strength that Xuan Kongzi estimated had reached the Intermediate Half-Saint level.
• Gu He finished refining the Eighth-grade pill without suffering harm, and the Great Elder announced that he was now a member of the Small Pill Tower.
• The alchemists crowded around Gu He with requests to see his Heavenly Flames and borrow the Myriad Beasts Cauldron, but Xuan Kongzi took him away from the plaza.
• Gu He credited his cultivation breakthrough to a Heavenly Grade Cultivation Technique and his alchemy progress to lessons from Xuan Kongzi and Yao Kongzi, keeping his other source of knowledge secret.
• Gu He asked Xuan Kongzi what he would have to offer in exchange for using the Small Pill Tower’s medicinal ingredients.

Gu He borrowed Xuan Kongzi’s ingredient quotas and gathered materials for refining Eight-colored and Nine-Colored Pill Lightning in the Small Pill Tower. After returning to the Pill Fire Pavilion, he was greeted by its disciples and met Heavenly Fire Venerable.

• Xuan Kongzi explained the Small Pill Tower’s ingredient quotas and offered Gu He some of his unclaimed quota.
• Gu He gathered three sets of ingredients for Nine-Colored Pill Lightning and five sets for Eight-colored Pill Lightning near the Pill Tower founder’s former cultivation site.
• Gu He registered the ingredients with an elder and left the Small Pill Tower.
• Gu He flew to the Pill Fire Pavilion, where disciples greeted him as Deputy Pavilion Master.
• Heavenly Fire Venerable teased Gu He about his time at the Pill Tower, and Gu He replied that he did not want to think about it.

Gu He arranged for Heavenly Fire Venerable to refine Sky Demon Puppets and then prepared to attempt a Nine-Colored Pill Lightning pill. Meanwhile, his clone Old Man Mu Gu returned to the Soul Hall after collecting souls and received a Five-colored Pill Lightning pill formula.

• Gu He showed Heavenly Fire Venerable a Sky Demon Puppet, explained how to make more, and gave him the refining method and cultivation pills.
• Gu He returned to Sacred Pill City, refined four Eight-colored Pill Lightning pills, and prepared three sets of ingredients for a Nine-Colored Pill Lightning pill.
• Gu He rested, sought advice from experienced alchemists, and began refining the pill in private.
• Old Man Mu Gu slaughtered experts across the Tian She Empire and nearby countries to gather souls, leaving the Soul Hall's regional forces to face the backlash.
• Old Man Mu Gu returned to the Soul Hall, completed his mission without arousing suspicion, received a Five-colored Pill Lightning pill formula, and disappeared into obscurity.

Old Man Mu Gu offered free Eighth-grade pills for information on Heavenly Flames while Gu He refined a pill that summoned Nine-Colored Pill Lightning in Sacred Pill City. Gu He punched the lightning apart, leaving a vast void in the sky and the crowd stunned by his power.

• Old Man Mu Gu spread word through the Soul Hall that anyone who provided information on Heavenly Flames could receive two Eighth-grade pills refined for free.
• Nine-Colored Pill Lightning gathered above Gu He's courtyard, drawing crowds who recognized him as the alchemist responsible.
• Gu He sent Xiao Yi Xian and the others away before facing the lightning alone.
• Gu He gathered the energy of heaven and earth around his fist and punched the descending lightning.
• The collision erased hundreds of zhang of space, and Gu He swept the unconscious onlookers to safety as the energy storm subsided.

After refining a pill that summoned Nine-Colored Pill Lightning, Gu He was acclaimed as the Dou Qi Continent’s number one alchemist, drawing clients and attention from powerful factions. He continued accepting commissions and refining pills as the Soul Hall began considering whether to capture him.

• Gu He completed the Nine-Colored Pill Lightning pill, and Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and the others congratulated him and discussed his rising reputation.
• News of Gu He’s achievement spread across the continent, attracting experts seeking Bodhi Pills and leading people to call him the number one alchemist.
• A young man in the Northern Region rejected Gu He’s title, while the voice in his black ring said Gu He had surpassed the young man’s teacher; the young man demanded harsher training.
• Chen Huo learned of Gu He’s success, compared it with his own progress, and decided to return to see for himself.
• The Soul Hall Master agreed to try capturing Gu He so he could help Hun Xuzi refine pills, and an attendant left to make arrangements.
• Gu He accepted most requests for pills that summoned Seven-Colored Pill Lightning or stronger, improving his success rate and gaining further support from his clients.

Gu He managed pill-refining commissions while preparing to take Zi Yan to Dragon Island. After finishing the commissions ahead of schedule, he headed to the Void Lightning Pool to strengthen himself before keeping his promise.

• Gu He accepted a commission for three batches of Spirit Origin Pills and a cultivation technique from a white-haired old man.
• Xiao Yi Xian reminded Gu He that Zi Yan was homesick, and he promised to take her to Dragon Island within four months.
• Gu He increased his refining speed and completed all his commissioned pills in just over a month.
• Rather than deliver the pills, Gu He traveled to the Void Lightning Pool to raise his cultivation.
• Gu He reached the Void Lightning Pool after a little over a day and sensed its destructive power.

Gu He absorbed energy in the Void Lightning Pool and broke through from Half-Saint to Dou Saint. After stabilizing his cultivation, he tested his new ability to control the energy of heaven and earth and recognized how greatly his strength had increased.

• Gu He stopped before the Black Demon Lightning and used the Devouring Flame to absorb the energy around him.
• Soul Qing Saint learned that Gu He remained in the Pill Region and decided to wait for him to leave when he reached an alchemy bottleneck.
• After more than a month of absorbing energy, Gu He reached saturation and used his accumulated strength to break through to Dou Saint.
• Gu He spent another day stabilizing his cultivation, then left the Void Lightning Pool and tested his ability to command nearby energy.
• Gu He judged that his Dou Saint strength far surpassed his Half-Saint power and that opponents below Dou Saint could not defeat him through numbers alone.

Gu He brought Zi Yan to Dragon Island after reaching the peak of One-star Dou Sheng by refining Black Demon Lightning. When Zi Yan’s bloodline stirred the Primordial Void Dragon clan, an elder recognized the aura of the Dragon Emperor and hurried to meet them.

• Gu He captured and refined ten Black Demon Lightning bolts, raising his cultivation to the peak of One-star Dou Sheng.
• Gu He told Zi Yan he had become a Dou Saint and took her toward Dragon Island through the void.
• Zi Yan sensed a familiar power and guided Gu He southeast until they reached the island’s silver barrier.
• Long Li questioned Gu He, who introduced Zi Yan as a friend returning to her ancestral roots.
• Zi Yan’s bloodline released a powerful fluctuation, and an old man recognized the Dragon Emperor’s aura and rushed to the barrier.

Gu He and Zi Yan met Great Elder Qing Shan, who verified Zi Yan’s Dragon Emperor bloodline and welcomed her back to East Dragon Island. Qing Shan explained the island’s division and growing danger, while Gu He comforted Zi Yan after she feared her father had abandoned her.

• Great Elder Qing Shan asked Zi Yan for a drop of blood to verify her identity, and Gu He encouraged her to comply.
• Zi Yan’s blood produced a purple radiance and phantoms across East Dragon Island, confirming her Dragon Emperor bloodline.
• Qing Shan and the Primordial Void Dragons bowed to welcome Zi Yan as their young mistress, then invited her and Gu He inside.
• Qing Shan recounted how the three Dragon Kings had split Dragon Island and how East Dragon Island had become increasingly precarious.
• Zi Yan asked whether her father had abandoned her, and Gu He reassured her that the Old Dragon Emperor must have had a reason to leave.

Gu He pressed Great Elder Qing Shan to ensure East Dragon Island would properly nurture Zi Yan, then watched as Qing Shan gave her a Dragon Blood Flower to accelerate her bloodline growth. The flower caused Zi Yan’s cultivation to surge, and Qing Shan assured Gu He that the increase posed no hidden danger.

• Gu He asked Great Elder Qing Shan how East Dragon Island would care for Zi Yan, and Qing Shan promised to devote resources and ancient treasures to her.
• Zi Yan feared Gu He would leave her, and Gu He promised to visit and told her she could join him once she had grown stronger.
• Great Elder Qing Shan returned with a Dragon Blood Flower and explained how it could temper Zi Yan’s bloodline.
• Zi Yan took the flower, which entered her body and activated the power in her bloodline.
• Zi Yan’s cultivation rose from Six-Star Dou Huang to Seven-Star Dou Huang and continued climbing, while Qing Shan said the growth would not destabilize her Dou Qi or damage her potential.

After leaving Dragon Island, Gu He returned to the Small Pill Tower, where Xuan Kongzi asked him to judge the upcoming Pill Gathering. The Pill Tower Great Elder grew suspicious of Gu He's rapid cultivation and sought the Pill Tower Ancestor's guidance.

• Gu He left Dragon Island after seeing Zi Yan continue to cultivate her awakened bloodline power, and he expected her to reach great strength before the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit appeared.
• Xuan Kongzi summoned Gu He to the Small Pill Tower to discuss preparations for the Pill Gathering, less than two years away.
• Xuan Kongzi asked Gu He to serve as a judge, and Gu He agreed as long as the duty would not take much time.
• Gu He returned to Dan Gu Courtyard after delivering completed pill commissions and accepting new ones.
• The Pill Tower Great Elder used a cyan pill to locate the Pill Tower Ancestor, concerned that Gu He's extraordinary cultivation speed might signal a threat or a connection to the Soul Hall.

The Pill Tower Grand Elder met the Pill Tower Ancestor, who assessed Gu He's extraordinary rise and ordered the Great Elder to bring him into the Great Elder Council as a test. Gu He remained unaware that the ancestor had decided to support and monitor him, leaving him on course to enter the Pill Tower's highest ranks.

• The Green Ox Herder Boy sensed the fragment of his body and traveled to meet the Small Pill Tower Great Elder.
• The Great Elder told the Pill Tower Ancestor that Gu He had advanced from an Intermediate Half-Saint to the peak of One-star Dou Sheng in less than a year.
• The Pill Tower Ancestor considered Gu He's origins and instructed the Great Elder to trust him, promote him to the Great Elder Council, and watch for signs of trouble.
• The Pill Tower Ancestor gave the Great Elder a green pill that would summon him quickly and said he would remain near the Pill Tower.
• The Great Elder returned to the Small Pill Tower, while Gu He remained unaware of the meeting and the support behind his prospective promotion.

Gu He agreed to accompany Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi to a newly emerged Dou Sheng's Cave Mansion after hearing it might contain a cultivation-boosting meditation cushion. They reached the cave mansion in the Northern Region, where Gu He secretly used his true body to inspect the area while his Soul Clone traveled with the others.

• Soul Qing Saint spread news of a Dou Sheng's Cave Mansion to lure Gu He out of Sacred Pill City.
• Xuan Kongzi told Gu He about the cave mansion and its rumored meditation cushion, and Gu He agreed to join the expedition.
• Xuan Kongzi arranged for their group to depart half a month before the cave mansion opened, while Gu He finished his alchemy commissions.
• Gu He sent his Soul Clone with Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi and secretly followed them through the void as they traveled north.
• The group reached the cave mansion and inspected its silver barrier and surrounding space while Gu He secretly assessed the area with his true body.

Gu He’s group entered the newly opened cave mansion, which he believed belonged to the Bodhi Saint, and reached its Medicine Hall. They discovered a vast inner space lined with rare storage racks and jade boxes, but the medicinal ingredients inside had not yet been revealed.

• Gu He planned to gather Bodhi Seeds and treasures from the cave mansion for himself and his allies.
• The light barrier exposed the cave mansion, and spatial turbulence injured or killed many experts who tried to enter recklessly.
• Gu He sent a Soul Clone into the hostile space with Xuan Kongzi and the others, and they flew toward the central hall.
• The group reached the Medicine Hall, whose immense interior held Tengtian Wood racks and jade boxes made from refined jade marrow.

Gu He and the others collected rare medicinal ingredients throughout the Ancient Cave Mansion and reached its final floor, where Gu He dismantled a space barrier guarding two glowing objects. The objects escaped into the sealed room, leaving the group to pursue them.

• Gu He opened a jade box containing Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Grass, and Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi praised its rarity and value.
• Gu He, Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi divided the medicinal ingredients on the first and second floors before heading to the final floor.
• The group discovered two jade boxes protected by a space barrier that Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi said could not be broken without destroying the contents.
• Gu He studied the barrier, drained its energy, and made it collapse in less than half an hour.
• Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi praised Gu He's mastery of space, while the two glowing masses flew around the sealed third floor in an apparent attempt to escape.

Gu He and the others collected the spiritual medicinal ingredients in the third level and identified a rare Five-colored Cold Marrow. Gu He then opened another box and recognized the sinister vine inside as an exceptionally powerful Myriad Soul Nether Vine.

• Gu He used his power to freeze the flying jade boxes and drew two of them to the group.
• Gu He opened one box, and Xuan Kongzi identified its five-colored liquid as Five-colored Cold Marrow and explained its uses.
• Gu He set the Cold Marrow aside and opened the next jade box, releasing a deathly aura and revealing a face-covered vine.
• Gu He recognized the vine as a Myriad Soul Nether Vine that had grown on a battlefield where many powerful experts had died.

Gu He and Xuan Kongzi’s group divided the treasures from the Medicine Hall, while Soul Qing Saint revealed that the cave mansion was bait to lure Gu He into a Soul Hall ambush. Soul Qing Saint ordered his forces to capture Gu He alive or kill him and extract his soul.

• Xuan Kongzi said the Myriad Soul Nether Vine could help refine a Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill to raise Gu He’s soul power.
• Gu He asked to keep the Myriad Soul Nether Vine and offered the others first choice of later treasures, and Xuan Kongzi and the other two agreed.
• Gu He’s group left the Medicine Hall and continued gathering resources in the cave mansion.
• Shadow Ghost reported to Soul Qing Saint that Gu He had entered the cave mansion and that seventeen Dou Zuns were stationed around it to intercept him.
• Soul Qing Saint ordered Shadow Ghost to capture Gu He alive if possible, or kill him and extract his soul.