Chapter Summaries

Jiang Lin subdued Ling Ying and confronted Gu Xun'er, while Xiao Yan and Yao Chen interpreted his actions as a warning against the Gu Clan’s surveillance. Jiang Lin also reconsidered why the Spirit Clan had canceled his registration despite leaving him alive, suspecting his escape had happened too soon.

• Jiang Lin used his Divine Essence Spirit Fire to subdue Ling Ying without killing him.
• Jiang Lin told Gu Xun'er that he wanted no part in her grievances and that Ling Ying had provoked him by investigating him.
• Yao Chen explained to Xiao Yan that Ling Ying had been monitoring them and that Jiang Lin was making Gu Xun'er recognize her place.
• Jiang Lin reasoned that the Spirit Clan Dou Saint could likely have tracked him but had chosen to cancel his registration instead, while the Soul Clan had sent Hun Ke'er to find him.
• After Yao Chen told Jiang Lin about the Xiao Clan, Jiang Lin concluded that he might have escaped the Spirit Clan too early.

Jiang Lin dismissed Gu Xun'er and Ling Ying after warning them, while Xiao Yan followed Gu Xun'er back to her lodgings. Ling Ying explained that Jiang Lin belonged to a secluded Soul Clan faction associated with Vessel Venerable, and Gu Xun'er asked Xiao Yan what he thought of him.

• Jiang Lin warned Gu Xun'er about Ling Ying’s behavior and sent them away, asking Hu Jia to escort them out.
• Xiao Yan hesitated between watching Jiang Lin and following Gu Xun'er, then hurried after her group.
• After they left, Jiang Lin considered which Ancient Eight Clans had gathered at Jia Nan Academy and studied an ancient book.
• At the villa, Ling Ying recovered with Xiao Yan’s help and told Gu Xun'er that Jiang Lin was likely part of Vessel Venerable’s secluded Soul Clan faction.
• Gu Xun'er asked Xiao Yan what he thought of Jiang Lin, and Xiao Yan said the Artisan Elder did not seem to mean them harm.

Jiang Lin met with Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yan, and Hu Jia after Gu Xun'er reconsidered confronting him, then revealed the risks tied to the Golden Emperor Blazing Heaven Flame inside her. The visit ended with Gu Xun'er agreeing to discuss the matter while Xiao Yan and Yao Chen reacted to Jiang Lin's unusual Spiritual Eye.

• Gu Xun'er agreed to visit Jiang Lin and asked Xiao Yan and Hu Jia to keep the previous night's events secret.
• The next morning, Xiao Yan brought Gu Xun'er and Hu Jia to the Artifact Forging Department while Ling Ying stayed behind to repair his meridians.
• Jiang Lin told Gu Xun'er that the Golden Emperor Blazing Heaven Flame inside her was not its true body and that a restriction linked to it could cause trouble if its power weakened.
• Gu Xun'er covered herself after Jiang Lin said his Spiritual Eye could see through clothing, and Xiao Yan stepped in front of her.
• Gu Xun'er said she knew her limits and would help Jiang Lin if doing so could make up for her earlier offense.
• Xiao Yan privately wondered about Jiang Lin's abilities, and Yao Chen teased him for having touched what he had not seen.

Jiang Lin gathered Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yan, Yao Chen, and Hu Jia to prepare for forging Life Artifacts, then negotiated for Yao Chen’s complete alchemy inheritance in exchange for Fallen Heart Flame and Sea Heart Flame. After mapping Jia Nan Academy’s protective formation, he entered the Heavenly Incineration Artifact Forging Chamber to forge the Sixth Crystal Core.

• Jiang Lin introduced Life Artifacts and gave Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yan artifact-forging manuals, telling them to move into the Artifact Forging Department building and study.
• Jiang Lin took Xiao Yan around Jia Nan Academy to map its energy nodes and asked about Han Feng, then offered him Fallen Heart Flame and Sea Heart Flame in exchange for Yao Chen’s complete alchemy inheritance.
• Xiao Yan agreed to have Yao Chen provide the inheritance in three days, while Yao Chen reflected that Jiang Lin was pursuing a new path combining artifact forging and alchemy.
• Jiang Lin completed a survey of Jia Nan Academy’s protective formation and discussed modifying it with Pei Xuan, deciding to ask Su Qian for materials the next day.
• Jiang Lin went to the Heavenly Incineration Artifact Forging Chamber and brought out a small bronze cauldron to forge the Sixth Crystal Core.

Jiang Lin forged with rare materials while he and Pei Xuan discussed how his cultivation changes revealed the Spirit Clan’s origins. Pei Xuan traced the Spirit Clan’s founding artifact to the Spirit Infusion Immortal Gourd and revealed that Danqizi had forged it.

• Jiang Lin added a Sixth-tier Wind-element Magic Core and Source Crystal-bearing liquid to the Azure Profound Cauldron, then forged while cultivating the Forging Fire Art and Soul Refining Art.
• Jiang Lin noticed that the techniques interacted differently with his Spirit Body and Divine Essence Spirit Fire after his breakthrough, and Pei Xuan said he was evolving into something inhuman.
• Jiang Lin guessed that the Spirit Clan had originated from a Spiritual Artifact becoming an Emperor, and Pei Xuan explained that the Forging Fire Art was the Spirit Emperor’s altered version of the Spirit Forging Art.
• Pei Xuan said the Spirit Emperor was the Spirit Infusion Immortal Gourd, that his descendant Sage Ling Hu founded the Spirit Clan’s bloodline, and that Danqizi had forged the gourd.

Jiang Lin learned how the Spirit Clan’s Forging Fire Art differed from the Spirit Emperor’s Spirit Forging Art and how his Crystal Core Technology might help bridge the gap. After integrating a Wind Element Crystal Core and testing a Dou Wang Pill, he realized his fused body and soul had changed how he cultivated and began to understand the Forging Fire Art’s evolution.

• Pei Xuan explained the origins of the Forging Fire Art, the Spirit Clan’s formation-based cultivation, and why Jiang Lin’s Dou Crystal Technique gave him a chance to develop the Spirit Forging Art.
• Jiang Lin joked about refining Pei Xuan with Divine Essence Spirit Fire, then used Pei Xuan’s explanation to understand Spirit Cores as advanced Crystal Cores.
• Jiang Lin integrated a sixth-tier Wind Element Crystal Core into his body and found that the Forging Fire Art drew in wind energy without changing his Dou Qi’s appearance.
• Jiang Lin realized that his fused body and soul had removed some of the Forging Fire Art’s cultivation restrictions, then swallowed a Dou Wang Pill and absorbed it in less than an hour.
• Jiang Lin sensed that the pill had only slightly increased his Spiritual Particles and concluded that his high-quality Dou Qi prevented it from raising his Dou Qi rank by a full star.

Jiang Lin proposed installing a Dou Qi Energy Gathering Array throughout Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, promising a substantial cultivation boost while warning Su Qian about its radiation. After Su Qian agreed to gather the materials, Jiang Lin left puzzled by the scarcity of high-grade spiritual herbs in the academy's storehouse.

• Jiang Lin realized his cultivation method refined away drug resistance and considered whether he could do the same for other people.
• Jiang Lin told Su Qian that he could adapt the Heart Refining Cushion technology into an academy-wide Dou Qi Energy Gathering Array.
• Jiang Lin warned that the array produced radiation and needed to be switched off periodically, but said it could raise Dou Qi concentration by at least thirty percent.
• Su Qian enthusiastically accepted the proposal and asked for three days to gather the materials.
• Su Qian found that most of Jiang Lin's listed materials were already in the Inner Academy storehouse and wondered how Jiang Lin had known what it contained.
• Jiang Lin noticed that the Inner Academy storehouse held few high-grade spiritual herbs and wondered why.

Jiang Lin began forging Qi Gathering Spires for the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array, which would be added to Jia Nan Academy’s existing Guardian Sect Grand Array. As he forged the spires in the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower, Elder Yan, Xiao Yan, and the others prepared the array pathways aboveground.

• Jiang Lin collected the materials from Su Qian and ordered the Inner Academy elders to seal off the Qi Refining Tower while he forged the Qi Gathering Spires.
• Jiang Lin gave Elder Yan the blueprint and told him to plan the array routes around the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower.
• Jiang Lin returned to the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower and used the Divine Essence Spirit Fire and Fallen Heart Flame to forge the spires at a rate of one per day.
• Elder Yan led the Artifact Forging Department, including Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er, in excavating and preparing the Guardian Sect Grand Array’s pathways and nodes.
• Xiao Yan marveled at the array’s construction as Yao Chen remarked on the unusual ability of Artifact Forgers to mobilize so many people for construction.

Xiao Yan and Yao Chen discussed artifact forging, Jiang Lin’s talent, and the mysterious Vessel Venerable while Jia Nan Academy prepared for a major construction project. Ten days later, Jiang Lin emerged from the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower and began building the Nine-One Qi Gathering Tower Array.

• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen watched Jia Nan elders dismantle buildings and remove the Guardian Sect Grand Array to make way for construction.
• Yao Chen explained that Jiang Lin was exploring Formation Artifacts, Soul Artifacts, and alchemy to overcome a bottleneck.
• Yao Chen described the Vessel Venerable’s uncertain status as a Ninth Order Holy Artifact Master and his long-stalled progress.
• Xiao Yan asked whether Yao Chen or the Vessel Venerable was stronger, prompting Yao Chen to boast about his alchemy before clarifying their different paths.
• Ten days later, Jiang Lin emerged from the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower and began building the Nine-One Qi Gathering Tower Array for Jia Nan Academy.

Jiang Lin built nine Qi Gathering Spires around Jia Nan Academy and linked them to the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower, creating the Nine-One Qi Gathering Tower Array. He activated it through the academy’s protection array, and Elder Yan realized Jiang Lin had added a new array without altering the original one.

• Jiang Lin began assembling the first Qi Gathering Spire while explaining its design and maintenance to Su Qian and Elder Yan.
• Jiang Lin completed the first spire, then built eight more over the following week and linked them with chains to the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen saw the chains encircle the academy, and Yao Chen remarked that the setup resembled Soul Hall.
• Su Qian worried that the array looked sinister, so Jiang Lin suggested decorating the spires and chains to make them look like an earthly paradise.
• Jiang Lin activated the connection between the two arrays, and Elder Yan exclaimed that he had added a new array without changing Jia Nan Academy’s Guardian Sect Grand Array.

Jiang Lin activated the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array, linking Jia Nan Academy’s nine Qi Gathering Towers to the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower and beginning a cycle that drew Heaven and Earth Energy toward the Inner Academy. He left the elders planning to expand enrollment and went to inspect the tower’s deepest level, where he saw a Soul Gathering Bead embedded overhead.

• Magma energy spread through the underground array, lighting the nine Qi Gathering Towers and sending nine streams of colored Dou Qi toward the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower.
• The streams entered the tower and formed an energy cycle that began gathering Heaven and Earth Energy around the Inner Academy.
• Jiang Lin warned Su Qian and the others that energy density and radiation would be stronger near the tower, advising them to build residences farther away.
• Hu Qian suggested increasing Inner Academy enrollment, and Su Qian and Elder Yan discussed bringing the Outer Academy into the area.
• Jiang Lin descended to the lowest level of the Sky Burning Artifact Forging Tower and saw a Soul Gathering Bead embedded at the top of a hollow passage.

Jiang Lin inspected the Soul Gathering Bead and calculated that the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array could harvest ten units of soul power each day from Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy. He and Pei Xuan agreed to let the system run while Jiang Lin considered how Soul Hall might exploit it further, leaving Pei Xuan confused by Jiang Lin's sudden strange expression.

• Jiang Lin examined the Soul Gathering Bead and estimated that it produced ten units of soul power daily from the Inner Academy's residents.
• Jiang Lin calculated that the Soul Gathering Bead could store about a thousand units and support high-grade artifact forging, while Pei Xuan praised the system's efficiency.
• Pei Xuan explained that he had joined forces with Jiang Lin because Jiang Lin could provide souls and help him overcome the limits of possessing bodies.
• Jiang Lin and Pei Xuan decided to let the array operate for a while and discuss possible improvements with Martial Uncle Ke'er when she returned.
• Jiang Lin imagined Soul Hall turning the system into a scheme that encouraged people to live, have children, and pay for better cultivation, then clutched his head as Pei Xuan watched in confusion.

Jiang Lin inspected the space beneath Heart Flame Plaza, confirmed the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array was working, and returned to study alchemy. As Gu Xun'er and Yao Chen worried over the array’s subtle depletion of Soul Power, Jiang Lin considered whether to make Spirit Furnace technology public.

• Jiang Lin examined Heart Flame Plaza and sensed that the tower extended into the magma around the Fallen Heart Flame, but he left the deeper exploration for when he was stronger.
• Jiang Lin told Su Qian and the others that the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array worked well, then returned to the Artifact Forging Institute to study alchemy.
• Ling Ying questioned the array’s supposed radiation, while Gu Xun'er worried that Jia Nan Academy would ignore warnings and that the Spirit Artisan’s combined techniques gave him a technological advantage.
• Yao Chen warned Xiao Yan that the array gradually stripped away Soul Power, and Xiao Yan judged that it benefited ordinary cultivators while limiting soul growth and harming geniuses.
• Jiang Lin weighed whether to open up Spirit Furnace technology, considering that Spirit Stones and Soul Tax could turn people into wage slaves.

Jiang Lin hid his Spirit Furnace blueprints in Jia Nan Academy before meeting Yao Chen to discuss high-grade alchemy techniques. He showed them Gray Jade Soul Pills refined from soul fragments, and his claim that he could produce one each day stunned Yao Chen and Xiao Yan.

• Jiang Lin moved the Spirit Furnace blueprints to a conspicuous place in the Artifact Refining Academy library and asked Hu Jia to have Elder Yan tidy the library.
• Jiang Lin went to the Alchemy Academy, where Xiao Yan led him to meet Yao Chen in a secluded courtyard.
• Jiang Lin revealed two Gray Jade Soul Pills and gave one to Pei Xuan, startling Xiao Yan and Yao Chen with the ghost imp's appearance.
• Yao Chen gave his pill to Xiao Yan, who could use it to advance his soul realm and attempt refining a Fifth-grade Pill.
• Jiang Lin said he could refine about one Gray Jade Soul Pill a day, leaving Yao Chen and Xiao Yan astonished.

Jiang Lin explained why he refused to consume soul pills and proposed that Dou Wang Pills made with different regional formulas might avoid drug resistance. Yao Chen considered the idea as they prepared to test it, while Xiao Yan listened.

• Jiang Lin explained that he sold soul pills but would not eat them because consuming souls would violate his principles and change his state of mind.
• Yao Chen and Jiang Lin gathered ingredients and prepared to refine Dou Wang Pills in the courtyard.
• Jiang Lin asked whether different Dou Wang Pill formulas could prevent drug resistance, and Yao Chen thought the idea might work.
• Jiang Lin suggested that regional differences in ingredients and Alchemists’ formulas could produce distinct pills despite their shared name.
• Xiao Yan realized that cultivation-enhancing pills might have been limited by an assumption drawn from testing pills made with similar formulas.

Jiang Lin used the Divine Essence Spirit Fire to refine a nameless cultivation pill, revealing its extraordinary power to purify energy. Yao Chen identified the finished pill as a Perfected Spirit Pill, and Jiang Lin gave it to Xiao Yan to try.

• Jiang Lin explained that Crystal Pills gathered energy and showed Yao Chen and Xiao Yan the Divine Essence Spirit Fire.
• Jiang Lin repeatedly purified a medicinal herb inside the Azure Profound Cauldron while Yao Chen and Xiao Yan waited.
• Jiang Lin combined the purified herb with auxiliary ingredients and formed a pale green spirit pill.
• The pill’s escaping Spiritual Particles produced a strange fragrance that invigorated Yao Chen and Xiao Yan.
• Yao Chen recognized the pill as a Perfected Spirit Pill, and Jiang Lin tossed it to Xiao Yan.

Jiang Lin tested his nameless spirit pill on Xiao Yan, but Zi Yan emerged from a spatial rift to snatch it, prompting a fierce fight with Jiang Lin. The battle escalated into the sky as someone urgently called for them to show mercy.

• Jiang Lin tossed the nameless spirit pill to Xiao Yan, but Zi Yan reached through a spatial rift to steal it.
• Jiang Lin seized Zi Yan's arm, dragged her from the rift, and threw her through nearby buildings before charging after her.
• The teachers and students recognized the purple-haired girl as Zi Yan, the Inner Academy's top-ranked expert known as Brute Force King.
• Zi Yan and Jiang Lin traded powerful attacks, with Jiang Lin's wings and brute force driving her to dodge desperately.
• Zi Yan kicked Jiang Lin away, then charged at him in the sky as he dove toward her, just as a familiar voice called for them to show mercy.

Jiang Lin subdued Zi Yan after she tried to take his pills, and Su Qian arrived fearing for her safety. Jiang Lin let her go once Su Qian explained who she was, leaving Zi Yan crying and the gathered teachers and students stunned.

• Jiang Lin held Zi Yan by the head as she furiously punched his arm without being able to reach him.
• Su Qian arrived and pleaded with Jiang Lin to spare Zi Yan, whom he had taken in.
• Jiang Lin told Su Qian that Zi Yan had taken his pills without permission, and Su Qian offered to compensate him.
• Jiang Lin said there had been no loss and released Zi Yan, who clung to Su Qian and cried that Jiang Lin had hit her.
• Su Qian comforted Zi Yan as the gathered teachers and students reacted in disbelief that the Brute Force King had been made to cry.

Jiang Lin beat Zi Yan, realized she was a partially transformed Magical Beast, and gave her a Form Transformation Pill, frightening her into running away. In the back mountains, Xiao Yan absorbed a medicinal pill and began breaking through to Dou Ling.

• Jiang Lin gave Zi Yan a Form Transformation Pill, and she rejected his offer to stop bullying children before fleeing in tears.
• Su Qian realized Jiang Lin’s parting words had made Zi Yan fear that he wanted her to grow up so he could beat her again.
• Jiang Lin told Yao Chen that Zi Yan was likely a Magical Beast in an incomplete human form and said he would not spare her if she came seeking revenge.
• Jiang Lin admitted he wanted to test himself against a stronger Zi Yan, while Yao Chen discussed the pill’s potential to help her break through to the sixth order.
• Jiang Lin noticed Xiao Yan’s aura changing as he absorbed the medicinal pill and began breaking through to Dou Ling.

As Xiao Yan reached nine-star Da Dou Shi and began breaking through, Jiang Lin noticed his bloodline was becoming spiritualized and inferred that the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations was awakening it through Heavenly Flames. Yao Chen praised Jiang Lin’s insight, leaving him recognized as a true grandmaster.

• Xiao Yan’s cultivation accelerated with the Nine-One Qi Gathering Array and Heart Refining Cushion, and he began breaking through in Jia Nan Academy’s back mountains.
• Jiang Lin examined Xiao Yan with his Spiritual Eye and noticed a glow in his blood that signaled his bloodline’s spiritualization.
• Yao Chen confirmed that Xiao Yan was awakening his bloodline and noted that members of four Ancient Eight Clans had gathered around Wutan City.
• Yao Chen revealed that Xiao Yan had obtained the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations, and Jiang Lin deduced how it used Heavenly Flames to nourish the bloodline.
• Yao Chen marveled at Jiang Lin’s deductions and said he already carried the bearing of a grandmaster.