Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ling and Zi Yan arrived as a burly man seized a rare Earth Yellow Essence, and Zi Yan killed him with her spatial power after he recognized Xiao Ling and begged for mercy. The two excavated the pit and discovered Earth Core Jade Mother containing Earth Core Soul Marrow, a soul-tempering treasure that Xiao Ling intended to keep for himself.

• A burly man ambushed the Alchemists after they killed a serpent-shaped magical beast, and one escaped by crushing a Space Stone.
• The burly man uncovered Thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence, but Xiao Ling took it before he could claim it.
• The burly man recognized Xiao Ling and begged for his life, but Zi Yan erased him with her Power of Space.
• Xiao Ling drove the remaining onlookers away, then dug into the pit with Zi Yan and uncovered Earth Core Jade Mother.
• Xiao Ling cut open the jade and revealed Earth Core Soul Marrow, which he explained could temper and strengthen his soul.

Xiao Ling and Zi Yan recovered a Seven-Colored Raw Stone and headed to the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range to seek rare herbs from its eighth-tier overlord. They reached the beast’s stone hall, where two guards attacked them on sight.

• Xiao Ling stored the Earth Core Soul Marrow and Earth Core Jade Mother, then spared Huang Yi after accepting his Storage Ring as compensation for spying.
• Zi Yan found a Seven-Colored Raw Stone, and Xiao Ling recognized it as a valuable tonic for Medusa and stored it for her.
• Xiao Ling and Zi Yan traveled to the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range and spotted Cao Ying and other Pill Gathering contestants near its outskirts.
• Xiao Ling sensed the eighth-tier Magical Beast ruling the range and set out with Zi Yan to take the rare medicinal ingredients from its cave.
• Two savage Magical Beast guards charged Xiao Ling and Zi Yan outside the stone hall at the mountain peak.

Xiao Ling fought Xiong Zhan, the Ancient Dragon Bear who ruled the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range, after defeating the two beasts guarding his hall. Their battle escalated as both transformed and unleashed powerful physical attacks, ending with Xiong Zhan slammed into the mountain below.

• Xiao Ling used his physical strength to badly injure the two Seventh-tier Magical Beasts guarding the hall, sending them crashing into its doors.
• Xiong Zhan emerged from the hall and attacked Xiao Ling, but Xiao Ling blocked his punch and forced him back.
• Xiong Zhan recognized Xiao Ling's strength and invited him to fight, while Xiao Ling agreed and activated the Azure Dragon Transformation.
• Xiong Zhan transformed into his bear form as Xiao Ling attacked with Azure Dragon Sky-Tearing Hand, and Xiong Zhan countered with a powerful punch.
• Their collision unleashed a devastating energy storm that drove nearby Magical Beasts to flee and destroyed much of the mountain forest.
• Xiong Zhan was struck down into the mountain, where his impact created a huge crater.

Xiao Ling and Xiong Zhan fought fiercely in the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range before Xiao Ling revealed that he was an Eighth-grade Alchemist and proposed peace. As Cao Ying worried over the battle and Soul Hall forces set out to find Xiao Ling, the chapter ended with Zi Yan checking that he was unharmed.

• Xiao Ling and Xiong Zhan clashed repeatedly, and their battle shattered floating islands and tore open Spatial Rifts.
• The examinees at the Pill Gathering assessment sensed the battle, and Song Qing faced ridicule after his plan to challenge the magical beast overlord was questioned.
• Cao Ying recognized Xiao Ling's aura in the disturbance and quietly worried about his safety.
• Venerable Mu Gu and Star-Picking Old Ghost decided to head toward the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range to find and eliminate Xiao Ling, then departed with the Soul Hall Protectors.
• Xiao Ling sent Xiong Zhan flying, proved his Eighth-grade Alchemist status with his Soul Power, and proposed peaceful negotiations.
• Xiao Ling returned to Zi Yan, who checked that he was unharmed and threatened to punish Xiong Zhan if he had hurt him.

Xiao Ling and Zi Yan visited Xiong Zhan’s medicinal herb collection after Zi Yan revealed her Ancient Void Dragon bloodline and earned his respect. Xiao Ling traded Eighth-grade pills for rare herbs while Zi Yan eagerly sampled them, and Xiong Zhan grew hopeful that befriending them could help him leave the Pill Realm and advance his cultivation.

• Xiao Ling introduced Zi Yan to Xiong Zhan and suggested that Xiong Zhan’s Ancient Dragon Bear bloodline might be connected to hers.
• Zi Yan released her Dragon Might, subdued Xiong Zhan, and revealed that she was an Eighth-tier Ancient Void Dragon.
• Xiong Zhan apologized to Zi Yan and invited her and Xiao Ling into his hall to see his medicinal herb collection.
• Xiao Ling offered to trade pills for the herbs, and Xiong Zhan agreed to show them the plaza where he had stored his collection.
• Zi Yan began eating herbs from the plaza while Xiao Ling gathered unfamiliar varieties and paid Xiong Zhan with several Eighth-grade pills.
• Xiong Zhan welcomed the valuable pills and hoped that staying close to Xiao Ling might help him leave the Pill Realm and eventually awaken his dragon bloodline.

Xiao Ling searched the Medicinal Herb Plaza for ingredients to prepare Earth Core Soul Marrow and found Heavenly Hemp Jade Stone Essence, but no Pill Spirit Sap. Xiong Zhan led him to the Mysterious Water Tiger Dragon’s pool, where they found Pill Spirit Sap and Xiong Zhan asked his subordinate to give it to Xiao Ling.

• Xiao Ling found and stored the Heavenly Hemp Jade Stone Essence after searching the Medicinal Herb Plaza.
• Zi Yan agreed to help Xiong Zhan leave the Pill Realm, and Xiong Zhan told Xiao Ling that a Mysterious Water Tiger Dragon under his command had Pill Spirit Sap.
• Xiao Ling agreed to trade for the Pill Spirit Sap rather than take it by force, then followed Xiong Zhan with Zi Yan to the tiger dragon’s home.
• Xiong Zhan summoned the Mysterious Water Tiger Dragon from its pool and asked it to give Xiao Ling the Pill Spirit Sap.

Xiao Ling traded two Seventh-grade pills with the Mysterious Water Tiger Dragon for its Pill Spirit Sap, then sensed that Soul Hall was attacking Cao Ying and Dan Chen’s group. He and Xiong Zhan set off to confront the attackers.

• Xiao Ling offered the Mysterious Water Tiger Dragon a Form Transformation Pill and a Sect Extreme Pill in exchange for its Pill Spirit Sap, and the tiger dragon accepted.
• Xiao Ling collected the Pill Spirit Sap and gave Zi Yan a cup to taste, which she drank before leaping into his arms and kissing his cheek.
• Xiao Ling sensed a battle near the edge of the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range and recognized that Soul Hall had targeted Cao Ying and the others.
• Xiong Zhan agreed to help Xiao Ling, and they hurried toward Cao Ying’s location with Zi Yan in Xiao Ling’s arms.

Soul Hall forces slaughtered the Alchemists trapped in the Pill Realm, while Venerable Mu Gu confronted the Pill Tower contestants and vowed to kill them for revenge. Cao Ying resolved to resist him, and the chapter ended as Mu Gu unleashed a mysterious attack against her group.

• Soul Hall Protectors killed most of the trapped Alchemists and crushed contestants who tried to escape with Space Stones.
• Song Qing pleaded with the Protectors, but Venerable Mu Gu arrived and ordered them to attack the other contestants while he dealt with the Pill Tower group.
• Venerable Mu Gu revealed his past expulsion from the Pill Tower and declared that he would kill its young talents to claim the Pill Gathering championship.
• Cao Ying tried to reason with Mu Gu, who rejected her appeal and threatened to seize Dan Chen for her soul-absorbing constitution.
• Cao Ying steeled herself to fight and thought of Xiao Ling, while Mu Gu formed a huge dark-energy claw and his opponents raised defensive barriers.

Cao Ying nearly sacrificed herself to stop Venerable Mu Gu’s attack, but Xiao Ling arrived in time to save her and confront Soul Hall. As Star-Picking Old Ghost launched a surprise attack, Xiao Ling faced the enemy force head-on.

• The deep-blue claw mark tore through the contestants’ barriers, and Cao Ying prepared a secret technique as Venerable Mu Gu redirected the attack toward her.
• The claw mark destroyed Song Qing and nearly struck Cao Ying, but a golden rune stopped her from completing her sacrifice and white light healed her while weakening her.
• Xiao Ling appeared behind a giant flaming shield that blocked the claw mark, then healed Cao Ying and entrusted her to Dan Chen.
• Xiao Ling faced Venerable Mu Gu, exchanged taunts with him, and dismissed his threats while considering Soul Hall’s hidden plans.
• Star-Picking Old Ghost attacked Xiao Ling with Star Picking Hand, sending a withered hand through a spatial rift toward him.

Xiao Ling opened a Spatial Tunnel so Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and the other survivors could escape, then faced four Soul Hall Venerable Elders alone. He summoned twelve Sky Demon Puppets to overwhelm them, killed the Soul Hall Protectors, and left Venerable Mu Gu vulnerable after breaking through his mental defenses.

• Xiao Ling blocked the Soul Hall Elders' attacks and opened a Spatial Tunnel for Cao Ying and the others to escape.
• Cao Ying and Dan Chen left through the tunnel with the other survivors, while Xiao Ling stayed behind to fight the four Venerable Elders.
• Xiao Ling summoned twelve Sky Demon Puppets, which forced the four Elders onto the defensive as he slew the Soul Hall Protectors in the barrier.
• The Sky Demon Puppets severely wounded Star-Picking Old Ghost and the other Elders, while Xiao Ling identified the Nihility Devouring Flame protecting Venerable Mu Gu.
• Xiao Ling used Illusory Dream Spirit Shadow to overcome Venerable Mu Gu's soul defenses, leaving him dazed as a Sky Demon Puppet moved behind him to strike.

Xiao Ling defeated Star-Picking Old Ghost and the other Soul Hall Venerable Elders after Zi Yan secretly stopped their Spatial Scroll from summoning reinforcements. After collecting the fallen souls, bodies, and other spoils, Xiao Ling left with Zi Yan to return to Xiong Zhan’s cave dwelling and refine a treasure before the Pill Realm assessment ended.

• Xiao Ling captured Venerable Mu Gu’s corpse, lingering soul, and Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame, while the Sky Demon Puppets attacked the remaining Soul Hall Venerable Elders.
• Star-Picking Old Ghost crushed a Spatial Scroll to summon Soul Hall experts, but Zi Yan used the Power of Space to seal the forming rift.
• Xiao Ling sent the twelve Sky Demon Puppets against Star-Picking Old Ghost and his two companions, who were pierced through the heart and killed.
• Xiao Ling extracted and sealed the three Venerable Elders’ souls, collected their bodies and rings, and gathered the other souls in the valley for the Myriad Soul Banner.
• Xiao Ling and Zi Yan decided to return to Xiong Zhan’s cave dwelling so Xiao Ling could refine a treasure and they could collect medicinal ingredients along the way.

Cao Ying and Dan Chen waited for Xiao Ling at the edge of the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range, and he returned safely with Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan. Xiao Ling brought them to Xiong Zhan’s hall to gather assessment ingredients, then urged them to leave the Pill Realm soon.

• Cao Ying refused to leave the mountain range without Xiao Ling, and Dan Chen stayed to protect her.
• Xiao Ling and Xiong Zhan arrived, and Xiao Ling reassured Cao Ying and Dan Chen while giving them a partial account of his escape from the Soul Hall experts.
• Xiao Ling introduced Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan, and Cao Ying and Dan Chen agreed to keep Zi Yan’s presence in the Pill Realm secret.
• Xiao Ling invited Cao Ying and Dan Chen to trade pills for assessment ingredients at Xiong Zhan’s residence, and they accepted.
• Xiao Ling opened a Spatial Tunnel and led the group to Xiong Zhan’s giant stone hall, where Cao Ying and Dan Chen found a plaza full of rare medicinal ingredients.
• Xiao Ling told Cao Ying and Dan Chen to select their ingredients quickly so they could leave the Pill Realm and finish the assessment.

Xiao Ling led Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Zi Yan, and Xiong Zhan out of the Pill Realm to avoid scrutiny after their clash with the Soul Hall. At the northern exit, they found Old Man Qing Hua waiting, and a Pill Tower elder arrived after Cao Ying and Dan Chen reported the incident.

• Xiao Ling explained that the group needed to leave the Pill Realm quickly before news of the Soul Hall encounter reached the Pill Tower, and Cao Ying and Dan Chen gathered their assessment herbs.
• Xiao Ling and Zi Yan collected the medicinal ingredients in the plaza, and the group departed on Xiong Zhan's Mysterious Bird Beast after Cao Ying offered help with their exit.
• Xiao Ling's group passed the Alchemists he had rescued earlier, greeted them briefly, and continued toward the northern exit.
• The Mysterious Bird Beast carried the group to the empty exit plaza, where Xiao Ling recognized the waiting Old Man Qing Hua and recalled his history with Yao Chen.
• Cao Ying and Dan Chen told the stationed stewards that an accident had occurred and requested an early exit, prompting a Pill Tower elder to arrive through distorted space.

Xiao Ling and his companions left the Pill Realm and returned to the Pill Tower, where Xiong Zhan joined Starfall Pavilion and Cao Ying reported the Soul Hall attack to Xuan Kongzi. After Xiao Ling explained that the Soul Hall elders had withdrawn, Xuan Kongzi accepted his account, counted their examinations as passed, and watched Xiao Ling depart with Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan.

• Elder Xu brought Xiao Ling, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Xiong Zhan, and Zi Yan through a Spatial Tunnel from the Pill Realm to the Pill Tower.
• Xiong Zhan asked Xiao Ling for a place to join, and Xiao Ling invited him to become an elder of Starfall Pavilion; Xiong Zhan accepted.
• Cao Ying recounted the Soul Hall's attack in the Pill Realm to Xuan Kongzi, who vowed to retaliate against the Soul Hall.
• Xiao Ling told Xuan Kongzi that the Soul Hall Venerable Elders had withdrawn from the Pill Realm, and Xuan Kongzi accepted his explanation while deciding to investigate.
• Xuan Kongzi counted the group's examinations as passed, and Xiao Ling left the hall with Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan after bidding Cao Ying and Dan Chen farewell.

Xiao Ling glimpsed a veiled woman in a pavilion while leaving the Pill Tower, and Chu Wanqing recognized that her buried feelings about him might need to be faced. After returning to the courtyard with Xiong Zhan, Xiao Ling introduced him to the others and arranged a room for him.

• Xiao Ling, Zi Yan, and Xiong Zhan looked over the crowded Sacred Pill City, and Xiao Ling briefly saw a familiar silhouette behind a pavilion curtain.
• Chu Wanqing watched Xiao Ling leave, recalled old memories, and told Su Li she might need to change her attitude toward him and speak with him face-to-face.
• Zi Yan used the Power of Space to bring Xiao Ling and Xiong Zhan back to the secluded courtyard, where Xiao Xun'er, Medusa, and Qing Lin were gathered.
• Xiao Ling told Qing Lin that an unexpected event had forced them to leave the Pill Realm early and introduced Xiong Zhan as a new elder of Starfall Pavilion.
• Xiao Ling arranged a room for Xiong Zhan in the outer courtyard, keeping the Inner Academy private.

Xiao Ling and Xun'er reunited in Sacred Pill City, where they shared an intimate moment and discussed his progress. Later, Xiao Ling captured Venerable Mu Gu's fleeing soul, took his belongings, and discovered a Ninth-grade Pill Recipe in his Storage Ring.

• Xun'er expressed concern about the Soul Hall and praised Xiao Ling for reaching the Four-Star Dou Zun Realm.
• Xiao Ling and Xun'er shared an intimate moment in their room.
• Xiao Ling released Venerable Mu Gu's body, but Mu Gu's soul tried to flee underground.
• Xiao Ling used the Myriad Soul Banner to capture and swallow Venerable Mu Gu's soul, planning to turn his body into a pill-refining puppet.
• Xiao Ling removed Venerable Mu Gu's Storage Ring and discovered a Ninth-grade Pill Recipe inside.

Xiao Ling studied the Heavenly Fire Yuan Condensing Pill formula and resolved to refine one for Yao Chen when he became capable of making Ninth-grade Precious Pills. He extracted the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame from Venerable Mu Gu’s corpse, then asked Little Sable and the Spirit of the Ancestral Stone whether absorbing it would be dangerous.

• Xiao Ling read the Ninth-grade Precious Pill formula and learned that the Heavenly Fire Yuan Condensing Pill could nurture a powerful Pseudo Exotic Flame in whoever consumed it.
• Xiao Ling decided he would someday refine the pill for Elder Yao to help make up for Yao Chen losing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
• Black flames appeared in Venerable Mu Gu’s corpse, and Xiao Ling extracted the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame from its eye sockets.
• Xiao Ling summoned Little Sable and the Spirit of the Ancestral Stone and showed them the flame.
• Little Sable and the Spirit of the Ancestral Stone recognized its devouring power, and Xiao Ling asked whether absorbing it might put him at risk.

With the Spirit of the Ancestral Stone’s help, Xiao Ling began refining the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame, whose resistance nearly overwhelmed his Heavenly Flames until the Ancestral Stone suppressed it. The refinement fueled Xiao Ling’s cultivation and triggered a breakthrough from the peak of Four-Star Dou Zun, drawing Xun’er, Medusa, and the others to his chamber.

• The Spirit of the Ancestral Stone agreed to help Xiao Ling safely absorb the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame, while Little Sable admitted he could not control its devouring power.
• Xiao Ling swallowed the Sub-flame and used his Dou Qi and Heavenly Flames to suppress it before beginning to refine it with the Fen Jue.
• The Sub-flame resisted the Fen Jue, released a terrifying aura that unsettled Xiao Ling’s Heavenly Flames, and broke free of their restraints.
• The Ancestral Stone emitted a white halo that suppressed the Sub-flame, allowing Xiao Ling to resume refining it and convert its power into nourishment for his flames and cultivation.
• As Xiao Ling approached a breakthrough beyond the peak of Four-Star Dou Zun, he swallowed essence pills and drew energy from heaven and earth into his chamber.
• Xun’er sensed the disturbance, sealed the area with a barrier, and joined Medusa and the other women outside Xiao Ling’s chamber.

Chu Wanqing secretly entered Xiao Ling’s cultivation chamber and accidentally triggered the Ancestral Stone’s defenses while examining him. After they recognized each other, she offered to make up for interrupting his breakthrough and helped him cultivate by pouring energy into him.

• Chu Wanqing watched Xiao Ling approach a breakthrough and slipped past Xun’er’s formation into his chamber.
• Chu Wanqing’s Soul Perception touched Xiao Ling, and the Ancestral Stone’s white light expelled it, waking Xiao Ling and alerting him to her presence.
• Xiao Ling recognized Chu Wanqing, teased her about following him, and heard her explain that she had come to Sacred Pill City to protect the girls.
• Chu Wanqing admitted that she had interrupted Xiao Ling’s cultivation and promised to help him reach Five-star Dou Zun.
• Xiao Ling resumed cultivating as Chu Wanqing pressed a palm to his back and supplied him with a torrent of heaven-and-earth energy.

Xiao Ling used Chu Wanqing’s support to refine the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame while pushing toward a breakthrough, as Xun’er and the others waited outside the secret chamber. In a hidden valley, Hun Miesheng discovered that the sub-flame had been refined and tried to investigate Sacred Pill City, but Old Ghost stopped him.

• Xiao Ling endured Chu Wanqing’s torrents of ambient energy as he refined the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame and prepared to break through to Five-star Dou Zun.
• Xun’er worried over the unusual fluctuations from the secret chamber, but Rayquaza reassured her that Xiao Ling was safe, and she calmed down while the others recalled their history with Rayquaza.
• Hun Miesheng sensed that the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame bestowed on Venerable Mu Gu had been refined and blamed Mu Gu for losing it and his life.
• Hun Miesheng released his Heavenly Realm Great Perfection Soul Power toward Sacred Pill City to try to reclaim the sub-flame.
• Old Ghost blocked Hun Miesheng’s soul sense and warned him not to investigate Sacred Pill City or scheme there, while Hun Miesheng invoked the threat of a powerful lord.