Chapter Summaries

Gu He completed a Fifth-grade Recovery Pill in public, drawing attention from the Black Corner Region and establishing his pill-refining business. He gave the pill to Zhao Yu, whose old injuries were completely healed.

• Gu He finished refining the Recovery Pill and contained the energy surges inside the Medicine Cauldron.
• The crowd cheered and discussed hiring Gu He to refine pills, while Han Feng grew displeased at the prospect of losing business.
• Gu He chose the injured Zhao Yu from the crowd and explained that the pill could heal her lingering ailments.
• Zhao Yu took the Recovery Pill, and its medicinal power restored her health within half an hour.
• Chen Li and Zhao Yu thanked Gu He, who had given away the pill to spread word of his alchemy across the Black Corner Region.

Gu He announced an auction in Twilight City, then founded Gu Ling Pavilion and began recruiting personnel with generous benefits. The Yao Brothers learned of the offer and hoped Gu He would accept them despite their feud with Elder Jin Yin.

• Gu He announced a Twilight City auction one month later featuring Imperial Pills, Spirit Dou Pills, and Sixth- and Seventh-grade Pill Formulas.
• Gu He told Liu Jianlin that he would establish Gu Ling Pavilion and make Twilight City its headquarters, then ordered him to post recruitment notices.
• Liu Jianlin arranged for the notices to be posted throughout the city, advertising salaries, contribution points, and pills refined by Gu He for recruits who stayed three years.
• Yao Da, Yao San, and their brother learned the recruitment benefits from a passerby and felt relieved, though they worried whether Gu He would accept them.

Gu He used generous benefits to attract Da Dou Shi and stronger experts to Gu Ling Pavilion, then reviewed the first applicants with Liu Jianlin. The chapter ended with Gu He directly recruiting the Yao Brothers, while Liu Jianlin quietly worried that the newcomers might diminish his standing.

• A passerby explained Gu Ling Pavilion's pay, cultivation techniques, and pill benefits to Yao Da, Yao Er, and Yao San, prompting them to head for registration.
• Liu Jianlin reported that 123 Da Dou Shi and 37 Dou Ling had applied to join Gu Ling Pavilion.
• Gu He ordered a background check on the applicants and told Liu Jianlin to watch for recruits controlled by poison, venomous insects, or other methods.
• Liu Jianlin identified the Yao Brothers as three peak Dou Ling who had never joined a faction, and Gu He ordered them recruited without further tests.
• Liu Jianlin agreed to notify the brothers the next day and privately worried about the status of later-arriving experts.

Gu He established Gu Ling Pavilion, recruited its first members, and prepared for an auction that drew the Black Corner Region’s factions to his city. As Su Mei and Yuan Yi apologized for their subordinates, Gu He stopped Yuan Yi’s bow and said he should apologize for executing them.

• Gu He recruited one hundred and one Da Dou Shi and twenty Dou Ling, appointed Liu Jianlin to manage the pavilion’s funds, and turned the former Blood Sect Headquarters into Gu Ling Pavilion and Twilight City into Gu Ling City.
• The leaders of Eight Fan Gate and Rakshasa Gate apologized to Gu He, who accepted their apologies outwardly while remaining wary of them.
• Gu He announced an auction of Spirit Dou Pills, Imperial Pills, and pill formulas, hoping the formulas would attract Han Feng.
• Su Mei and Yuan Yi arrived in Gu Ling City to apologize for their subordinates, then traded insults while waiting for Gu He.
• Yuan Yi apologized and bowed to Gu He, who stopped her and said he should apologize for executing her subordinates.

After Gu He resolved the conflict with Su Mei and Yuan Yi, visitors continued seeking him out until the Gu Ling Auction House opened. Yuan Yi arrived at the lavish auction and was escorted to a private room, where she marveled at Gu He's investment and the scale of Gu Ling Pavilion.

• Su Mei praised Gu He for enforcing his ban on fighting in the city, and Gu He quietly decided to build goodwill with her while waiting to learn Yuan Yi's attitude.
• Su Mei and Yuan Yi left Gu Ling Pavilion satisfied, and Gu He received a steady stream of visitors in the following days as rumors cast him as a Peak Dou Emperor.
• Gu He eagerly awaited the auction, expecting its guests to leave the city afterward rather than keep visiting him.
• Yuan Yi arrived at the Gu Ling Auction House and was impressed by its crowds, its Da Dou Shi guards, and Gu Ling Pavilion's growing strength.
• Liu Jianlin welcomed Yuan Yi and led her through the VIP passage to a second-floor private room.
• Yuan Yi examined the one-way crystal window and estimated that the Earth Element Crystal used in the VIP rooms was worth at least one and a half million gold coins.

Gu He opened the Gu Ling City auction, where the early lots sold before the Raging Flame Art drew fierce bidding. A second-floor bidder raised the cultivation technique's price to one million gold coins, and the auction continued with the winner still undecided.

• Gu He appeared at the auction to welcome the crowd and establish his authority before the auctioneer began.
• The auctioneer sold a Qi Gathering Powder for two hundred and thirty-eight thousand gold coins to a wealthy middle-aged man.
• A peak fourth-grade Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill sold for five hundred and ten thousand gold coins during the early stage of the auction.
• The auctioneer presented the High-grade Profound cultivation technique Raging Flame Art and opened bidding at four hundred thousand gold coins.
• After bids climbed to nine hundred and fifty thousand gold coins, a second-floor private room bid one million, quieting the auction hall.

Gu He watched the Black Emperor Auction House sell the Blood Spirit Absorption Art, a technique famed for raising Fan Lao from Da Dou Shi to Dou Emperor in just over a decade. The Mad Lion Gang Leader bought it for eleven million five hundred thousand gold coins, leaving the auction house stunned.

• Gu He reflected that his auction goods had earned nearly seven million gold coins and anticipated the price of the Blood Spirit Absorption Art.
• Two major Black Corner Region factions bought the Spirit Dou Pill and Imperial Pill for three million five hundred thousand and five million one hundred thousand gold coins, respectively.
• The auctioneer revealed the Blood Spirit Absorption Art and explained how Fan Lao had used it to rise from Da Dou Shi to Dou Emperor in a dozen years.
• Bidders drove the technique's price from one million gold coins to eleven million five hundred thousand, while Gu He watched the second-floor contenders.
• The Mad Lion Gang Leader won the auction, and Gu He recognized the buyer's private box and considered how quickly the technique might strengthen him.

Gu He presented three rare treasures at the Gu Ling Auction House and demanded specific items or information in exchange. He traded the Earth Spirit Pill Formula to Han Feng for the Sect Breaking Pill Formula, while suspecting Demonic Flame Valley had captured Zi Jing.

• Gu He introduced the Great Blood Bodhi Devour technique and the Earth Spirit and Azure Nether Longevity Pill Formulas, then named the items and information he would accept in exchange.
• Gu He offered the first choice of treasure for a Sixth-grade Sect Breaking Pill Formula, the second for a Low-grade Earth Water Attribute cultivation technique, and the third for information about Zi Jing.
• Gu He sensed a disturbance from Demonic Flame Valley’s third elder and suspected the valley had captured Zi Jing.
• Han Feng offered his Sect Breaking Pill Formula for the Earth Spirit Pill Formula, and Gu He agreed to exchange them.
• Gu He and Han Feng exchanged the formulas simultaneously, and Gu He confirmed that the Sect Breaking Pill was exceptionally difficult to refine.

Gu He secured a deal with Demonic Flame Valley’s Third Elder while publicly offering a Low-grade Earth battle skill for news of his missing servant, Zi Jing. He suspected the sect had captured Zi Jing to cultivate the Life Transformation Fire and prepared to meet the Third Elder while concealing his hostility.

• Han Feng accepted the pill formula after confirming it could suppress Heavenly Flames, and Gu He offered the remaining rewards for a Low-grade Earth Water Attribute cultivation technique.
• Demonic Flame Valley’s Third Elder offered the Tidal Genesis technique in exchange for the Azure Nether Longevity Pill formula and Gu He’s promise to refine a pill in about a year.
• Gu He agreed to the future transaction and announced that anyone with reliable news of Zi Jing could exchange it for his Low-grade Earth battle skill, warning against false information.
• The Third Elder privately planned to investigate Gu He and kill him after the pill was refined, while revealing that Zi Jing was crucial to the sect’s attempt to complete the Life Transformation Fire.
• Gu He considered Demonic Flame Valley’s strength and suspected its three elders had captured Zi Jing for the Life Transformation Fire; he then arranged a private meeting with the Third Elder and hid his anger.

Gu He exchanged the Azure Nether Pill Formula for the Low-grade Earth Water Attribute cultivation method Tidal Genesis and used his dealings with Demonic Flame Valley’s Third Elder to confirm that Zi Jing was still alive and being held by the valley. The Third Elder promised to help search for her, while Gu He resolved to rely on strength to get her back; meanwhile, the auction house offered buyers a safe place to use items that could immediately increase their strength.

• Gu He exchanged the Azure Nether Pill Formula with Demonic Flame Valley’s Third Elder for the cultivation method Tidal Genesis.
• Gu He asked the Third Elder to have Demonic Flame Valley’s disciples search for Zi Jing, and the Third Elder’s reaction convinced him that she was alive.
• Gu He identified the Third Elder’s injury from a powerful Fire Attribute Dou Technique and offered to ease its damage, though he said a complete cure would require abandoning the technique.
• Gu He promised to help the Third Elder in exchange for assistance finding Zi Jing, while privately concluding that Demonic Flame Valley would not release her without a fight.
• After Old Yin Bone completed his auction handover, a Gu Ling Auction House representative offered him a designated room where he could safely consume the Imperial Pill.

Gu He established new regulations for the Gu Ling Auction House and planned its staffing, while keeping his Spiritual Energy cultivation secret from the powerful guests in the city. After obtaining the Sect Breaking Pill formula from Han Feng, he discovered that refining it would be even more difficult than expected and sought ways to improve his chances.

• Old Yin Bone and most other buyers of strength-increasing items stayed in Gu Ling City to observe whether they were safe.
• Gu He told Liu Jianlin that protecting customers' property would distinguish the auction house, then divided future auctions into Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow grades.
• Liu Jianlin recommended recruiting low-level staff and specialized personnel, so Gu He summoned Yao Er to organize recruitment.
• Gu He and Liu Jianlin and Yao Er finalized the auction regulations and recruitment plans before Gu He returned to his residence to rest.
• Gu He avoided cultivating the Nameless Mantra because Dou Emperor experts were still in the city, then examined the Sect Breaking Pill formula he had obtained from Han Feng.
• Gu He concluded that his chances of refining the Sect Breaking Pill were below fifty percent and decided to improve them before risking his four batches of ingredients.

Gu He consumed Earth Fire Lotus Seeds to improve his compatibility with the Green Lotus Core Flame and strengthen his fire control. After reaching Late-stage Nine-star Dou Huang, he stepped outside the next morning and found Liu Jianlin waiting excitedly.

• Gu He remembered the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds and consumed one to refine his meridians and raise his cultivation.
• Gu He tested his improved fire control by manipulating Green Eagles made from Dou Qi and Heavenly Flame.
• Gu He confirmed that one seed nearly doubled his compatibility with the Green Lotus Core Flame and replenished his Dou Qi when the Eagles merged back into him.
• Gu He consumed two more Earth Fire Lotus Seeds that night, raising his compatibility by more than twofold and reaching Late-stage Nine-star Dou Huang.
• Gu He left his room the next morning and saw Liu Jianlin waiting outside with an excited expression.

Gu He used the auction’s proceeds to fund a Gu Ling Pavilion merchant caravan that would secure medicinal herbs and support his plans to grow stronger and deal with Han Feng. After delegating the work to Liu Jianlin, Gu He walked through the city, where residents greeted him respectfully.

• Liu Jianlin gave Gu He 30.9415 million gold coins from the auction after the handling fee was deducted.
• Gu He instructed Liu Jianlin to establish a Gu Ling Pavilion merchant caravan for buying and selling medicinal herbs, starting with two million gold coins.
• Gu He told Liu Jianlin to investigate the herb shops’ suppliers and consider purchasing their caravans or bringing them into Gu Ling Pavilion.
• Gu He explained that the caravan would help him obtain rare herbs and keep his medicinal purchases from revealing information about him.
• Gu He left Gu Ling Pavilion and walked through the city, where people greeted him without daring to cause trouble.

Gu He began refining pills to improve his affinity with the Heavenly Flames while the third elder returned to Demonic Flame Valley and warned its leaders about Gu He. Demonic Flame Valley planned to investigate Gu He's origins before choosing whether to recruit him or destroy Gu Ling Pavilion, and the third elder went to ease the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's seal.

• After patrolling the city, Gu He returned to Gu Ling Pavilion and began refining a Calamity Breaking Pill.
• The third elder flew to Demonic Flame Valley's headquarters and summoned the Great Elder Fang Yan and the second elder.
• The third elder told Fang Yan and the second elder that the Gu Ling Pavilion Master was the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's master, a Peak Dou Emperor, and a Sixth-grade Alchemist.
• Fang Yan ordered an investigation into Gu He's background and said Demonic Flame Valley would recruit him if possible or destroy Gu Ling Pavilion if his backing posed a threat.
• The third elder decided to loosen the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's seal in case she joined Demonic Flame Valley.

Fang Yan planned to use Gu He’s recruitment and the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to eliminate Gu He and seize the deputy valley master position. In Demonic Flame Valley’s dungeon, the Third Elder told Zi Jing that her master had been found, and she learned Gu He had become a Peak Dou Emperor.

• Fang Yan stopped the Third Elder from changing Demonic Flame Valley’s plans and explained that he intended to use Gu He to become deputy valley master.
• The Third Elder left the council hall with the auction’s pill formula and went to visit the imprisoned Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
• Zi Jing attacked the Third Elder with violet flames, then remembered how Demonic Flame Valley had captured and tortured her after she refused to submit.
• The Third Elder told Zi Jing that he had found her master, and Zi Jing learned that Gu He was a Peak Dou Emperor and Sixth-grade Alchemist.
• Zi Jing was shocked that Gu He had advanced from Six-star Dou Emperor to Peak Dou Emperor in four months.

Gu He completed a Calamity Breaking Pill and spent ten days adjusting to his improved Heavenly Flame control while Gu Ling Pavilion expanded its operations and began managing Gu Ling City. The pavilion had gotten on track, but it still lacked Dou Wang and Dou Emperor experts, so Gu He planned to cultivate its own Dou Wang members.

• The Third Elder questioned Zi Jing about Gu He's background, but she stayed silent and left him unable to learn more.
• Gu He successfully refined a Calamity Breaking Pill and stored it after testing its medicinal effect.
• Gu He spent ten days refining pills and adapting to his increased affinity with the Heavenly Flame as many auction buyers left Gu Ling City.
• Liu Jianlin acquired a medicinal herb caravan, Gu Ling Pavilion opened pharmacies, and its formal disciples grew to more than five hundred.
• Gu He assigned Gu Ling Pavilion disciples to city defense, patrols, intelligence gathering, and other duties, while the eldest Yao Brother prepared to attempt a breakthrough to Dou Wang.
• With no outside Dou Wang or Dou Emperor experts joining, Gu He decided to focus on nurturing Gu Ling Pavilion's own Dou Wang experts.

Gu He cleared powerful Magical Beasts from a mountain and found a Moon Spirit Orchid, a rare ingredient for the Body Transformation Pill. He protected the orchid in its cave, though it had not yet matured and he lacked the pill formula.

• Gu He left Gu Ling City and searched a mountain for a safe cave, killing the Magical Beasts above the Fourth Tier along the way.
• Gu He defeated the Blue Feather Thunder Eagle with a precise strand of sword qi and stored its body in his Ring.
• Gu He entered the mountaintop cave, confirmed it was safe, and discovered a Moon Spirit Orchid among piles of bones.
• Gu He recalled the orchid's use in Body Transformation Pills and considered how the pills might improve talent and cultivation.
• Gu He placed restrictions around the orchid and summoned a black Medicine Cauldron.

Gu He refined the Blue Feather Thunder Eagle’s body with Azure Flame and medicinal herbs to draw out the trace of Sky Demon Phoenix blood within it. He produced a powerful bluish-red essence blood mass, but its aura resisted further refinement, leaving Gu He at the limit of what he could extract.

• Gu He collected samples from the Blue Feather Thunder Eagle and refined its body with Azure Flame until it became a blood sphere.
• Gu He added blood-activating herbs, then fire-attributed herbs, burning away stagnant blood and concentrating the eagle’s essence.
• Gu He refined potent medicinal herbs into a liquid and added it to the blood sphere to stimulate the Sky Demon Phoenix blood.
• The Magic Core shattered into the sphere, which shrank as its energy surged; Gu He contained the fluctuations with layers of fire nets.
• The sphere became a little-finger-sized mass of bluish-red essence blood, and Gu He found that its Dou Zong-like aura resisted further refinement.

Gu He refined a trace of Sky Demon Phoenix bloodline power, reaching Peak Dou Emperor and increasing his physical strength. Meanwhile, Han Feng successfully refined the Earth Spirit Pill in Maple City.

• Gu He used the Devouring Flame to absorb a cyan-red blood mass and extracted a trace of Sky Demon Phoenix Bloodline Power.
• Gu He endured the painful transformation as he absorbed the bloodline energy, and his strength rose to Peak Dou Emperor.
• Gu He tested his enhanced body and found that his physical strength had increased by around twenty percent before watching the sunrise.
• Han Feng gathered materials for the Earth Spirit Pill, failed at his first attempt, and began refining it again after receiving another Sixth Tier Water Attribute Magic Core.
• Han Feng successfully refined the Earth Spirit Pill in Maple City.

Gu He began refining the Sect Breaking Pill, hoping to improve his chances of advancing to Dou Zong, but his first attempt at fusing the purified ingredients failed. He reviewed the failed process and prepared to try again.

• Gu He sensed Han Feng refining a Sixth-grade pill in Maple City and recognized that he had successfully made the Earth Spirit Pill.
• Gu He checked the Moon Spirit Orchid, then gathered the ingredients and considered how the Sect Breaking Pill could help him break through to Dou Zong.
• Gu He refined the Cold Marrow Branch and the other medicinal ingredients in the Medicine Cauldron.
• Gu He tried to fuse the purified ingredients, but violent energy fluctuations scattered more than half of them.
• Gu He cleared the cauldron, reviewed the fusion process, and began preparing for another attempt.