Chapter Summaries

Jiang Lin drove Rock Tiger’s mercenaries from Qingshan Town, then returned to Artifact Forging Valley to train and prepare the Purple Cloud Wings manual for Blue Eagle. After Blue Eagle accepted the inheritance, black-purple flames ignited its Dou Qi, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Rock Tiger conceded defeat and led the Fierce Beast Mercenary Group out of Qingshan Town, while Jiang Lin promised to visit him in Black Rock City within two years.
• Jiang Lin flew away on Blue Eagle, leaving Mr. Yao to deal with the townspeople seeking bows and contact with him.
• Jiang Lin wore down the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle’s residual soul in the Purple Cloud Wings manual over three days, while Blue Eagle began advancing.
• Jiang Lin practiced the Roaring Lion Chant for a month and successfully released a roaring spear of Dou Qi.
• Blue Eagle awakened at the late first order, and Jiang Lin had it accept the Purple Cloud Wings inheritance, causing illusory black-purple flames to ignite its Dou Qi.

Jiang Lin helped Eagle Sauce inherit the Purple Cloud Wings, turning it into the Purple Cloud Lan Eagle, then spent a year studying and developing Flying Dou Artifacts. After he and Pei Xuan killed a third-tier Wind-Chanting Falcon, Jiang Lin headed for Wutan City, where its fallen genius was about to begin his story.

• Jiang Lin realized the Purple Cloud Wings transferred a Magical Beast's Dou Qi energy model, and Eagle Sauce awakened with wing patterns that improved its intelligence and flying speed.
• Jiang Lin renamed Eagle Sauce Xiao Lan, examined its body and Dou Qi circulation, and spent a year collecting materials and researching Flying Dou Artifacts.
• Jiang Lin and Pei Xuan pursued a Wind-Chanting Falcon from the Monster Mountain Range, with Pei Xuan drawing its attacks while Jiang Lin struck from the forest.
• Jiang Lin rode Xiao Lan into the sky and killed the Wind-Chanting Falcon with Crimson Gold Arrows, completing his collection of materials for a Flying Dou Artifact.
• Jiang Lin stored the falcon and Pei Xuan in his Bone Storage Ring, then flew toward Wutan City to rest and replenish supplies.

Jiang Lin watched Xiao Yan’s training assessment, gave Xiao Xun'er a Profound Qi Umbrella, and left to look for a mercenary group to hunt a Third-tier Magical Beast. Xiao Xun'er then returned the umbrella to Xiao Yan, who accepted it while acknowledging Jiang Lin’s past help to the Xiao Family.

• Jiang Lin watched Xiao Yan receive a Third Stage Dou Qi assessment and noticed the awakened Soul Ring at his chest.
• Xiao Xun'er caught Jiang Lin carrying his umbrella, and he gave her the Profound Qi Umbrella as a gift.
• Jiang Lin left the Xiao Family and headed for the Mercenary Guild to seek a group hunting a Third-tier Magical Beast.
• Xiao Xun'er gave Xiao Yan the Profound Qi Umbrella that Jiang Lin had returned to her.
• Xiao Yan accepted the umbrella and told Xiao Xun'er that Jiang Lin had indirectly helped the Xiao Family over the years.

Xiao Xun'er learned that Jiang Lin had become a one-star Dou Master and was likely a Third-rank Artifact Forger, making him difficult to recruit. She reflected on the Heavenly Craftsmen Pavilion and the lost inheritance of artifact forging, ending with the revelation that ancient Emperor Clans once possessed Inheritance Saint Artifacts.

• Ling Ying told Xiao Xun'er that Jiang Lin had become a one-star Dou Master and might be a Third-rank Artifact Forger.
• Xiao Xun'er concluded that Jiang Lin’s talent could draw the Heavenly Craftsmen Pavilion’s interest and put him beyond her control.
• Xiao Xun'er considered the rivalry and covert dealings between the Heavenly Craftsmen Pavilion and the Alchemist Tower.
• Xiao Xun'er recalled that the ancient upheaval had broken the inheritance of artifact forging, leaving artifacts above Earth-grade unable to function.
• Xiao Xun'er remembered her father explaining that a cracked ring-shaped relic in the Gu Realm was an Inheritance Saint Artifact left by an ancient Emperor Clan.

Xiao Xun'er decided not to investigate Jiang Lin’s identity, believing they might share a mission and that exposing him could endanger them both. In Wutan City, Jiang Lin joined the Mercenary Guild, received a Qilin Mercenary Medal, and became interested in how it was made.

• Ling Ying asked whether they should investigate Jiang Lin, and Xiao Xun'er told him to leave Jiang Lin’s identity unspoken.
• Xiao Xun'er speculated that Jiang Lin might be pursuing a mission involving the Xiao Family and warned Ling Ying to watch over Xiao Yan.
• Jiang Lin took a missing-child mission from the Mercenary Guild and gave the receptionist a cellar address as a clue.
• Jiang Lin registered for a Mercenary Medal and received a Qilin medal matched to his Dou Qi.
• Jiang Lin asked whether the Guild sold medal-making materials, then decided to post a mission of his own.

Jiang Lin posted a Three-star Mission to hunt a Lightning-Averting Black Rhinoceros, offering his unusual Yellow-grade low-tier Flying Dou Skill manual, Feather Sheath, as the reward. After Jiang Lin left for the Mittel Merchant Guild, the Blood Beast Mercenary Group accepted the mission while traveling toward Qingshan Town.

• Jiang Lin offered Feather Sheath as payment for a mission to hunt a Third-tier Lightning-Averting Black Rhinoceros and told Lin Lei to send the five hundred gold coins to the Mittel Merchant Guild.
• A returned Dou Zhe brought in the child Jiang Lin had drugged, who accused him of giving him wine that made him sleep for two days; Jiang Lin left the Mercenary Guild.
• Jiang Lin saw the five-member Blood Beast Mercenary Group enter and learned from the mercenaries that its members were all Da Dou Shi.
• Mu Yun submitted a wooden box for the Blood Beast Mercenary Group's mission and asked when they would receive the Heart-Clearing Pill for Mo Lan.
• A Blood Beast member noticed Jiang Lin's mission, and Mu Yun accepted it because its marked hunting area lay along their route to Qingshan Town.

Jiang Lin returned to Artifact Forging Valley with the Wind-Chanting Falcon’s corpse and prepared new equipment for Pei Xuan while planning a Flying Dou Artifact. After Eagle Sauce consumed the falcon’s Magic Core, Jiang Lin decided to spend another year or two exploring the Monster Mountain Range before leaving to pursue other goals.

• Blood Beast Leader Mu Yun spotted a flying mount near the Monster Mountain Range and decided to investigate Qingshan Town before reporting back to the mission’s issuer.
• Jiang Lin returned to Artifact Forging Valley, released Pei Xuan, and dismantled the Wind-Chanting Falcon to gather materials.
• Jiang Lin forged Pei Xuan a second-order Mystic Armor Shield and considered whether the Mystic Armor Puppet Technique might hold a hidden gift from its predecessor.
• Jiang Lin fed the Wind-Chanting Falcon’s third-tier Magic Core to Eagle Sauce, which swallowed it and began absorbing its Dou Qi.
• Jiang Lin stored away a fifth-tier Sea Magic Core and decided to explore the Monster Mountain Range’s interior before designing his first-generation Flying Dou Artifact.

Jiang Lin visited the Mittel Merchant Guild to seek a Dou Skill scroll for his Flying Dou Artifact project and discussed a potential partnership with Master Guni. He left Master Guni eager to support the project and help the guild claim a market for Flying Dou Artifacts.

• Jiang Lin asked Master Guni whether the auction house had a Dou Skill scroll that could continuously output Dou Qi.
• Master Guni recognized Jiang Lin as the Young Qilin Artifact Forger and wondered whether his recent progress involved a flying artifact.
• Jiang Lin hinted that his work would bring the Mittel Merchant Guild a pleasant surprise within a year, then confirmed that his Flying Dou Skill could only keep its user from falling.
• Master Guni realized Jiang Lin was offering to cooperate with the guild on Flying Dou Artifacts and eagerly promised the guild would provide whatever he needed.

Jiang Lin spotted Nalan Yanran in Wutan City and sent Xiao Yan a letter after recognizing the awakened presence in his ring. Xiao Yan received the letter amid the Xiao Family’s tense gathering and found Jiang Lin teasing him about his fiancée.

• Jiang Lin left the Mittel Merchant Guild with three Dou Techniques and Third-tier Magical Beast materials gifted by Master Guni.
• Jiang Lin saw Nalan Yanran’s carriage at the city gates and learned from passersby that she was the Nalan Family’s young lady.
• Jiang Lin wrote Xiao Yan a letter and asked Xiao Ning to deliver it, promising him a toy in return.
• Nalan Yanran visited the Xiao Family and left with Misty Cloud Sect disciples, appearing angry.
• Xiao Ning delivered Jiang Lin’s letter to Xiao Yan in the Xiao Family’s main hall, where Xiao Yan read that Jiang Lin had seen the beautiful girl and called him lucky.

After Nalan Yanran’s visit, Xiao Yan resolved to rely on his own strength and even took off his ancient ring. Yao Chen finally revealed himself, and Xiao Yan eagerly accepted him as a teacher, leaving his plan to cultivate alone behind.

• Xiao Yan hid Jiang Lin’s letter from Xiao Xun’er, but she took it and teased him about Jiang Lin thinking he and Nalan Yanran were a perfect match.
• Xiao Yan spent the evening studying his ancient ring, then decided to remove it and follow Jiang Lin instead of relying on it.
• Yao Chen revealed himself and asked Xiao Yan if he wanted to become stronger.
• Xiao Yan begged Yao Chen for help, and Yao Chen agreed to take him as a disciple and teach him alchemy.
• Xiao Yan immediately bowed to Yao Chen and accepted him as his teacher.

Jiang Lin learned that Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran had broken off their engagement and made a Three-Year Agreement, then decided to visit Wutan City to investigate a confusing phrase Xiao Yan had used. He left Xiao Yi Xian in charge of supervising Pei Xuan and departed with Eagle Sauce.

• Xiao Yi Xian told Jiang Lin about Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's broken engagement and Three-Year Agreement, and Jiang Lin admitted he had written Xiao Yan a letter wishing them well.
• Xiao Yi Xian recounted how Xiao Yan's defiant challenge had made the story of the Fallen Genius and Nalan Yanran famous.
• Jiang Lin questioned how Xiao Yan had used the phrase "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" when Wutan City had never experienced a river diversion.
• Jiang Lin recognized the phrase from The Scholars and decided to go to Wutan City to investigate the situation.
• Jiang Lin told Xiao Yi Xian to supervise Pei Xuan, then left Artifact Forging Valley with Eagle Sauce.

Xiao Yan took Xiao Xun'er’s money to buy cultivation materials at the Magical Beast Market, where he and Jiang Lin both reached for a strange Black Iron Fragment. Jiang Lin offered to let Xiao Yan have it, but the stall owner stopped the sale, leaving Jiang Lin to offer the owner a trade for the fragment.

• Xiao Yan asked Xiao Xun'er for money, and she gave him a crystal card worth a thousand gold coins before returning to the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Yan bought materials for Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid at Yao Chen’s suggestion, then followed his teacher’s attention to a street stall.
• Xiao Yan and Jiang Lin reached for the Black Iron Fragment at the same time, recognized each other, and Jiang Lin offered to yield it to Xiao Yan.
• The stall owner stopped Xiao Yan from taking the fragment, saying he had never agreed to sell it.
• Jiang Lin threw a short blade into the stall and offered to trade it for the fragment, while telling the nervous owner he could refuse.

Jiang Lin gave Xiao Yan a Black Iron Fragment and revealed that a Dou Artifact he had made could loudly insult its user. As Jiang Lin offered to examine Xiao Yan to learn any technique the fragment might contain, Xiao Yan misread his kindness and concluded that Jiang Lin was romantically interested in him and jealous of Nalan Yanran.

• The old stall owner traded the Black Iron Fragment to Jiang Lin for a top-grade First-tier Dou Artifact.
• Jiang Lin told Xiao Yan that he had upgraded the Lion's Roar Dagger into a short blade, which made its user shout, "I'm an idiot!!!" when infused with Dou Qi.
• Jiang Lin asked Xiao Yan to teach him any Dou Technique the fragment revealed, then proposed examining Xiao Yan so he could learn it himself.
• Xiao Yan noticed Jiang Lin's concern and recalled how Jiang Lin avoided Xun'er while repeatedly helping him.
• Xiao Yan accused Jiang Lin of liking men, then decided Jiang Lin's gifts and attention—and his letter about Nalan Yanran—proved that he was in love with Xiao Yan and jealous.

Jiang Lin slapped Xiao Yan after mistaking his question about affection for a confession, and their clash sparked rumors of a lovers' quarrel in the Xiao Family. Xiao Yan regretted offending Jiang Lin, while Old Yao warned him about Jiang Lin’s strength and considered speaking with him if necessary.

• Jiang Lin slapped Xiao Yan outside the Xiao Family gates, called him stupid, and left while complaining that Xiao Yan had mistaken his motives.
• The Xiao Family guards helped Xiao Yan up, and rumors that he and Jiang Lin had quarreled as lovers spread through the clan.
• Xiao Xun'er suspected Jiang Lin wanted to compete with her for Xiao Yan and the Ancient Jade, but Ling Ying explained that Xiao Yan had angered Jiang Lin by asking if he liked him.
• Xiao Yan returned to his courtyard and wished he could apologize to Jiang Lin, while Old Yao warned him not to provoke Jiang Lin and revealed that Jiang Lin’s Soul Strength was exceptionally high.
• Old Yao decided he might speak with Jiang Lin if Xiao Yan could not avoid him, and privately mused that Jiang Lin’s talent suited alchemy despite his stubborn devotion to artifact refining.

Jiang Lin completed a prototype Dou Qi Turbo Engine and Mechanical Wings, then tested them in a dangerous aerial flight. After the engine launched him at high speed, he crashed and cried out for Eagle Sauce to save him.

• Old Yao told Xiao Yan he would reveal Jiang Lin’s origins once Xiao Yan became a Dou Zhe and officially became an Alchemist.
• Jiang Lin returned to Artifact Forging Valley and completed the Prototype Dou Qi Turbo Engine and Prototype Wings over two months.
• Jiang Lin strapped on the wings and jumped from a high cliff while Eagle Sauce followed to keep watch.
• Jiang Lin deployed his Feather Sheath and Mechanical Wings, then used their Dou Qi nodes to control his glide.
• Jiang Lin ignited the Dou Qi Engine, shot across the sky, crashed in a red firework, and called for Eagle Sauce to save him.

After the Mechanical Wings exploded, Jiang Lin realized their Dou Qi Engine had drawn in energy from the surrounding air and identified it as the basis of a Half-step Earth-grade Dou Skill. He named it the Dou Qi Furnace and left the Flying Dou Artifact designs nearly finalized.

• Jiang Lin explained that rampant Dou Qi in the air had overloaded the Mechanical Wings despite their throttling system.
• Jiang Lin recognized that the Dou Qi Engine could draw in Dou Qi from heaven and earth, a feature absent from the Yellow-grade and Xuan-level techniques he knew.
• Jiang Lin concluded that the engine was too difficult to cultivate because it was a Half-step Earth-grade Dou Skill, then named it the Dou Qi Furnace.
• Jiang Lin decided the Flying Dou Artifact designs were basically finalized and planned Double-leaf Feather Sheath Wings, Four-leaf Feather Sheath Wings, and Six-leaf Feather Sheath Wings for himself.

Jiang Lin completed the Four-leaf Feather Sheath Wings and tested their flight, then reflected on the Forging Fire Art's benefits and limits. He decided to gamble on its path and rebuild the Artifact Forging System, aiming to become the world's first Seventh Order Spirit Artifact.

• Jiang Lin simplified the Feather Sheath Wing designs, creating a basic Double-leaf version and a standard framework for a Yellow-grade Dou Qi Engine.
• Jiang Lin built the Four-leaf Feather Sheath Wings and tested them over the Monster Mountain Range, where Eagle Sauce flew alongside him.
• Jiang Lin flew for hours with short rests and realized the Forging Fire Art had strengthened his meridians, giving him remarkable Dou Qi recovery.
• Jiang Lin concluded that the Forging Fire Art might suppress his cultivation as he approached the Da Dou Shi realm and wondered whether it was meant to build his foundation.
• Jiang Lin chose to follow the risky path of the Forging Fire Art and vowed to rebuild the Artifact Forging System and become the first Seventh Order Spirit Artifact.

Jiang Lin decided to keep cultivating the Forging Fire Art after realizing his Dou Qi Furnace might let him develop toward becoming a Humanoid Spirit Artifact. Meanwhile, Mu Yun’s Blood Beast Mercenary Group finished investigating Pei Suo’s disappearance and prepared to return from Qingshan Town.

• Jiang Lin connected the Dou Qi Furnace, Dou Crystal, and Forging Fire Art, then resolved to keep pursuing the cultivation method.
• Jiang Lin flew through the Monster Mountain Range with Eagle Sauce, and Mu Yun’s mercenaries recognized them from below.
• Mu Yun’s teammates admired Jiang Lin’s crimson-gold Dou Qi and speculated that he had a better Flying Dou Skill than the Yellow-grade low-tier one he had traded away.
• Mu Yun’s group harvested the Lightning-Averting Black Rhinoceros and stored its valuable materials in their Storage Ring.
• Mu Yun concluded that Pei Suo’s Storage Ring was likely with a girl from Myriad Medicine Hall and declared the Blood Beast Mercenary Group’s investigation complete.

Mu Yun decided to approach Jiang Lin and report only the information his team had gathered about Pei Suo’s death. After Xiao Yi Xian sent word that the Wutan City mission was complete, Jiang Lin prepared to travel there and discovered that Eagle Sauce had advanced to the second tier.

• Mu Yun chose not to intervene in the conflict between artifact forgers and planned to befriend Jiang Lin, a promising future Profound-grade Artifact Forger.
• Mu Yun led his team toward Wutan City, intending to meet Jiang Lin as mercenaries.
• Jiang Lin received Xiao Yi Xian’s letter from Eagle Sauce and learned that the Wutan City mission had been completed.
• Jiang Lin packed supplies for another trip to Wutan City and considered the risks of hunting the Lightning-Averting Black Rhinoceros.
• Jiang Lin told Eagle Sauce to head to Wutan City, then realized that it had advanced to the second tier.

Jiang Lin tested the Purple Cloud Lan Eagle’s new Second-Order strength and Purple Cloud Wings, then flew to Wutan City and visited the Mittel Auction House. He asked Gu Ni about recent auction items while enjoying the pastries prepared for him.

• The Purple Cloud Lan Eagle advanced to Second-Order and grew stronger, faster, and more intelligent.
• Jiang Lin had Eagle Sauce activate the Purple Cloud Wings, and the pair raced through the sky at a speed comparable to a Third-rank Flying Magical Beast.
• Jiang Lin flew to Wutan City, learned the Blood Beast Mercenary Group had gone to a Mittel auction, and continued to the Mittel Auction House.
• A guard recognized Jiang Lin despite his hood, and Jiang Lin rebuked him before heading inside.
• Gu Ni greeted Jiang Lin in his private reception room, where Jiang Lin asked about recent auction items and ate the pastries prepared for him.