Chapter Summaries

Li Qiang sent the Kun Gang to challenge Xia Mo and then targeted his associates to force him out. At the arena, Sun Hao fought Lin Guan but was badly injured, while Xia Mo remained unseen among the spectators.

• Li Qiang ordered Liu Tao to challenge Xia Mo, then plotted with several Da Dou Shi fighters after Liu Tao returned without finding him.
• Students and faction leaders gathered at the arena to watch the Kun Gang face Xia Mo’s associates, whom they suspected were being used to draw him out.
• Han Yue, Lin Xiuyai, and Yan Hao discussed the Kun Gang’s treatment of the new students and noticed a hidden figure they believed was Xia Mo.
• Sun Hao battled Lin Guan, but Lin Guan overpowered him and left him seriously injured.
• Sun Hao wiped the blood from his lips and raised his saber to fight again as Lin Guan aimed his spear at him.

Wang Bo entered the arena to face Lin Guan, but Xia Mo arrived and knocked Lin Guan out before challenging the Kun Gang’s Qiang. Xia Mo sent Zi Yan to fight Qiang, who was defeated by her punch.

• Wang Bo stopped Sun Hao from fighting Lin Guan and took his place in the arena.
• Wang Bo and Lin Guan charged at each other, but Xia Mo appeared between them, sent Wang Bo back, and knocked Lin Guan out of the arena.
• Qiang of the Kun Gang stepped onto the platform, and Xia Mo challenged him on behalf of his newly announced Dog Beating Gang.
• Xia Mo called Zi Yan from the shadows to serve as the Dog Beating Gang’s First Elder, and she demanded an extra meal in exchange.
• Zi Yan attacked Qiang, dodged his counterpunch, and sent him flying with a powerful punch.

Xia Mo defeated Li Qiang, prompting Wang Kun to concede and warn him about a future match. Zi Yan protected Xia Mo and her presence deterred the Kun Gang, leaving the dispute settled for now.

• Xia Mo defeated Li Qiang, who collapsed unconscious in the arena.
• Wang Kun arrived, accepted the Kun Gang's defeat, and warned Xia Mo that he hoped to face him in the arena.
• Zi Yan declared Xia Mo was under her protection, making the onlookers and Liu Tao wary of provoking them.
• Xia Mo reassured Zi Yan that no one else had bullied him and promised to keep refining pills for her.
• Wang Kun ended the dispute, had the Kun Gang carry Li Qiang away, and led the crowd to disperse.

Xia Mo cultivated the Lion Tiger Shattering Gold Chant beneath a waterfall and used a throat-protecting medicine to keep practicing. His Dragon Phoenix inheritance awakened and granted him the Dragon Phoenix Heavenly Pattern Sound, a powerful sound-wave cultivation art.

• Xia Mo practiced the Lion Tiger Shattering Gold Chant but struggled with hoarseness despite roaring through the morning.
• Xia Mo refined Ice Spirit Throat Protecting Liquid and drank some to soothe his throat so he could continue training.
• As Xia Mo practiced beneath the waterfall, inheritance light points entered his consciousness and formed a Dragon Phoenix phantom.
• The Dragon Phoenix taught Xia Mo the incantation for the Dragon Phoenix Heavenly Pattern Sound, which could harm bodies and suppress souls through sound waves.
• Xia Mo memorized the inherited art and learned that it could also disrupt an opponent's senses when used with sufficient power.

Xia Mo struggled to master Dragon Phoenix Heavenly Pattern Sound until a moment of insight helped him combine his own sound-wave rhythm with the majesty of the Dragon Phoenix’s cry. He unleashed a devastating roar that shook the lake and felled beasts throughout the mountain forest, then marveled at his success.

• Xia Mo practiced Dragon Phoenix Heavenly Pattern Sound for two days but could produce only weak sound waves.
• Xia Mo used his soul perception to enter a tranquil state and analyze the rhythms in his previous roars.
• Xia Mo realized his sound lacked the majesty of a true Dragon Phoenix cry and fused its remembered power with his perfected sound-wave rhythm.
• Xia Mo unleashed a thunderous roar that blasted enormous waves from the lake and caused beasts across the forest to collapse or die.
• Xia Mo watched the valley’s mist disperse and exclaimed that he had mastered the technique’s power.

Zi Yan returned to Xia Mo for more pills and persuaded him to help her retrieve a treasure guarded by a Snow Demon Sky Ape. They reached the deep-forest valley, where Xia Mo faced the formidable beast and doubted Zi Yan could keep it occupied.

• Zi Yan asked Xia Mo to refine more pills after finishing his previous batch and offered to take him to find something good.
• Zi Yan revealed that a Snow Demon Sky Ape guarded a treasure in a valley and asked Xia Mo to help retrieve it while she distracted the beast.
• Xia Mo agreed, refined Zi Yan's herbs, and then traveled with her into the forest.
• Xia Mo and Zi Yan suppressed their Dou Qi as they passed powerful magical beasts and entered a small valley.
• The Snow Demon Sky Ape confronted Zi Yan at the valley entrance, and Xia Mo realized its strength could become even greater if it awakened its berserk bloodline.

Zi Yan battled the Snow Demon Sky Ape while Xia Mo tried to enter the valley and find the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk. The chapter ended with Zi Yan’s purple energy colliding with the ape’s frigid vortex sphere.

• The Snow Demon Sky Ape warned Zi Yan to leave, but she taunted it and refused to back down.
• The Snow Demon Sky Ape attacked Zi Yan with icy claws, but Zi Yan dodged using her talent and mocked the ape.
• The Snow Demon Sky Ape formed a huge ice sphere and smashed it into the ground, while Zi Yan continued to taunt it.
• Xia Mo used his bloodline power to resist their auras and flew toward the valley to search for the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk.
• Zi Yan’s purple light surged as the Snow Demon Sky Ape moved to intercept Xia Mo, and she struck it into a mountain wall.
• The Snow Demon Sky Ape fired a frigid vortex sphere at Zi Yan, and her purple energy collided with it in a massive explosion.

Xia Mo entered the Snow Demon Sky Ape’s valley while Zi Yan held the beast off, then followed a hidden passage into an underground cavern. He found the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk collecting beneath a massive stalactite and watched a new drop form.

• Zi Yan kept the Snow Demon Sky Ape occupied while Xia Mo searched the valley for the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk.
• Xia Mo found a cave and uncovered a concealed passage beneath a patch of fur and sand.
• Xia Mo followed the descending passage into a vast underground world filled with glowing stalactites.
• Xia Mo reached a massive stalactite above a bluestone basin containing the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk.
• Xia Mo watched a fresh drop fall into the basin and realized the liquid took about a year to form each drop.

Xia Mo retrieved the true Earth Core Body Tempering Milk from inside the cavern stalactite and collected the diluted milk from the hollow below. He returned to find Zi Yan and the Snow Demon Sky Ape still fighting, both visibly injured and exhausted.

• Xia Mo cut an opening into the enormous stalactite and discovered the concentrated Earth Core Body Tempering Milk inside.
• Xia Mo collected most of the true Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, left a little behind, and sealed the opening with the stalactite fragment.
• Xia Mo filled four jade bottles with the diluted Earth Core Body Tempering Milk from the hollow and left the cave.
• Xia Mo flew back to the valley entrance and saw the battlefield badly damaged, with Zi Yan and the Snow Demon Sky Ape still fighting.
• Xia Mo noticed deep claw marks on Zi Yan and signs of heavy injuries, fear, and exhaustion on the Snow Demon Sky Ape.

Xia Mo and Zi Yan faced the berserk Snow Demon Sky Ape after obtaining the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk. After Xia Mo stunned it with his Dragon's Roar Phoenix's Cry, the Snow Demon Sky Ape asked to become his subordinate, and Xia Mo agreed.

• The Snow Demon Sky Ape awakened its berserk bloodline, turned blood-red, and attacked Zi Yan before shifting its assault to Xia Mo.
• Xia Mo unleashed his Dragon's Roar Phoenix's Cry, stunning the Snow Demon Sky Ape and dodging its strike.
• Xia Mo warned Zi Yan that the Snow Demon Sky Ape had grown too powerful, and they prepared to retreat.
• The Snow Demon Sky Ape regained its senses and asked Xia Mo to take it as a subordinate so it might overcome its bloodline limits.
• Xia Mo agreed to accept the Snow Demon Sky Ape as a subordinate.

Xia Mo gave Zi Yan Monkey Wine enhanced with Earth Core Body Tempering Milk and told her he planned to return to the Jia Ma Empire. Zi Yan asked to go with him, and Xia Mo brought her to meet Grand Elder Su Qian, where he assured him that he cared for Zi Yan like family.

• Xia Mo gave Zi Yan three bottles of Monkey Wine, explaining that her share of Earth Core Body Tempering Milk had been added to it.
• Xia Mo told Zi Yan he was leaving for the Jia Ma Empire, and she asked him to take her if she could persuade Grand Elder.
• Xia Mo and Zi Yan went to Su Qian's office with a steward, and Zi Yan offered Su Qian a flask of Monkey Wine.
• Su Qian praised Xia Mo's wine and asked him to be patient with Zi Yan, who had few friends.
• Xia Mo told Su Qian that Zi Yan was like family to him and promised to take good care of her.

Xia Mo got Su Qian’s approval to take leave from the Inner Academy and bring Zi Yan with him to the Jia Ma Empire. Before they planned to depart the next day, Xia Mo set rules for Zi Yan and promised her food and gifts to keep her from wandering off.

• Xia Mo told Su Qian he had broken through to Dou Ling and wanted to return to the Jia Ma Empire, and Su Qian approved his leave and Zi Yan’s trip with him.
• Xia Mo asked to borrow an academy Griffon Beast for the long journey, and Su Qian told him to contact the flying division when they left.
• Xia Mo and Zi Yan returned to the courtyard, where the Snow Demon Sky Ape continued cultivating the Ice Demon Ape Art Xia Mo had taught it.
• Xia Mo told Zi Yan she had to stay by him and consult him before pursuing treasures, and she agreed after he promised her food, drinks, and gifts.
• Zi Yan stopped drinking Monkey Wine when Xia Mo warned that drinking too much might keep her from traveling the next morning.

Xia Mo set out with Zi Yan and Xiao Bai for the Outer Academy, obtaining Elder Su’s approval to leave the Inner Academy. They arrived by Griffon Beast and headed toward a small building Xia Mo remembered.

• Xia Mo shared breakfast with Zi Yan and Xiao Bai, then met Sun Hao and his companions, who fled in alarm after recognizing Zi Yan.
• Xia Mo asked Elder Su for permission to leave the Inner Academy and presented his authorization token.
• Xia Mo gave Elder Su a bottle of Monkey Wine, and Elder Su opened a passage through the Space Barrier and directed him to the Griffon Beast station.
• Xia Mo, Zi Yan, and Xiao Bai traveled toward the Outer Academy aboard a Griffon Beast.
• Xia Mo and Zi Yan arrived at the Outer Academy, thanked the men who brought them, and headed toward a small building Xia Mo remembered.

Xia Mo returned to the Outer Academy with Zi Yan and reunited with Xiao Yi Xian, Hu Jia, and Xiao Xun'er. He revealed that he had reached the Dou Ling realm, introduced Zi Yan to his friends, and joined them for a welcoming meal.

• Xia Mo and Zi Yan arrived at the Outer Academy, where students discussed Xia Mo's reputation and speculated about his strength.
• Xia Mo headed to the dormitory building and met Hu Jia practicing her whip outside.
• Xiao Yi Xian saw Xia Mo and hurriedly brought him inside, where he explained that he had taken leave after a breakthrough.
• Xia Mo told the group he had reached the Dou Ling realm and described how the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower had helped him cultivate.
• Xia Mo introduced Zi Yan to Xiao Yi Xian, Hu Jia, and Xiao Xun'er, then gave them gifts.
• Xiao Yi Xian prepared a welcome meal, and Zi Yan quickly warmed to her because she had food.

Xia Mo left Jia Nan Academy with Zi Yan on a Tiger Eagle Beast and began the long journey back to the Jia Ma Empire. After a month of travel, they crossed a small country and continued toward the empire’s border, with Xia Mo wondering how Old Yao and Xiao Yan were faring.

• Xia Mo spent three days with Xiao Yi Xian at the Outer Academy before preparing to leave with Zi Yan.
• Xia Mo summoned his tamed Tiger Eagle Beast, and he and Zi Yan departed Jia Nan Academy for the Jia Ma Empire.
• After a month of flight, Xia Mo checked his map and estimated that they were still about half a month from the Jia Ma Empire’s border.
• Zi Yan and Xiao Bai returned with rare medicinal herbs that Zi Yan had secretly taken from factions in a nearby city.
• Xia Mo increased their flight speed to put distance between them and the city, and they continued drawing closer to the Jia Ma Empire.

Xia Mo and Zi Yan reached Town Ghost Pass, the Jia Ma Empire’s border fortress, and stopped to rest while Xia Mo gathered local news. He overheard travelers discussing Xiao Yan’s growing reputation, leaving him surprised that Wutan City gossip had spread so far.

• Xia Mo and Zi Yan arrived at Town Ghost Pass, where Xia Mo planned to rest before traveling to Black Rock City and the Tagor Desert.
• Xia Mo shrank the Tiger Eagle Beast and entered the city with Zi Yan and Xiao Bai, then bought Zi Yan snacks and took her to a tavern.
• Xia Mo gathered information and learned that a local Herb Gathering Pavilion stocked rare medicinal herbs.
• At the tavern, Xia Mo overheard people recounting Xiao Yan’s annulled engagement, restored talent, rise to S-class Talent, and status as an Alchemist.
• Xia Mo was astonished that gossip about Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan had reached Town Ghost Pass.

Xia Mo and Zi Yan reached Black Rock City after taking nearly a week to wander through towns and cities along the way. Xia Mo planned to visit the Alchemist Guild the next morning to test whether he could advance to Fourth-grade Alchemist, while Zi Yan looked forward to more fun and food.

• Xia Mo and Zi Yan traveled toward Black Rock City, stopping in cities to sightsee and raid medicinal herb shops as rumors of the Black-and-White Bandits spread.
• After nearly a week on the road, Xia Mo and Zi Yan arrived at Black Rock City and entered through its massive black-rock walls.
• Zi Yan bought large quantities of snacks as she and Xia Mo explored the crowded streets.
• Xia Mo told Zi Yan that he planned to visit the Alchemist Guild the next day and test for Fourth-grade Alchemist status.
• Xia Mo promised to play with Zi Yan after his visit to the guild, and the two stopped at an inn for the night.

Xia Mo and Zi Yan visited the Alchemist Guild in Black Rock City, where they unexpectedly met Xiao Yan. After catching up and introducing Zi Yan, the group moved aside as someone rushed toward the entrance.

• Xia Mo and Zi Yan found the Alchemist Guild and were stopped at the entrance for lacking a letter of introduction.
• Xia Mo reunited with Xiao Yan, who asked about Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian at Jia Nan Academy.
• Xia Mo teased Xiao Yan about Xun Er's admirers and introduced Zi Yan as his senior sister.
• Zi Yan called Xiao Yan weak, while Old Yao warned Xiao Yan that Xia Mo's companions were exceptionally powerful.
• A fragrant breeze rushed toward the entrance, and Xia Mo and Xiao Yan moved aside to avoid it.

Xiao Yan and Xia Mo encountered Otto and Lin Fei outside the Alchemist Guild, then used their flames to prove their unusual abilities and gain entry. They entered the guild without alchemist badges, leaving the guards and onlookers stunned.

• Lin Fei arrived with her teacher Otto and tried to buy the little monkey from Xia Mo.
• Otto noticed Xia Mo and the others seemed unusual, especially because Xia Mo carried a Fourth-tier Magical Beast.
• A guard asked Xiao Yan and Xia Mo for a mentor's recommendation letter, which they did not have.
• Xiao Yan summoned Purple Flame and Xia Mo summoned Dragon Phoenix Flame, startling the guards and bystanders.
• The guards respectfully let Xiao Yan and Xia Mo into the Alchemist Guild, and Xia Mo followed Xiao Yan inside with Zi Yan.

Xiao Yan and Xia Mo registered for Alchemist assessments at the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild, where the unusual ranks they requested surprised Ya Han. After learning they had to enter the examination hall alone, they went inside while Zi Yan and the others waited outside.

• Ya Han registered Xiao Yan and Xia Mo, who gave their mentor's name as Old Yao despite his absence from Guild records.
• Xiao Yan requested the Second-grade assessment, while Xia Mo requested the Fourth-grade assessment and offered his Jia Nan Academy Alchemist Badge as proof.
• Ya Han explained that Xiao Yan had to pass the First-grade assessment before attempting the Second-grade one, while Xia Mo's badge required verification by the Guild President or Vice President.
• Ya Han brought them to the guarded examination hall, where Te Ya checked their forms and issued them examination armbands numbered seven and eight.
• Xiao Yan and Xia Mo left Zi Yan, Xiao Bai, and the Tiger Eagle Beast outside and entered the hall alone.