Chapter Summaries

Ling Ying secretly followed Hun Ruoruo in the Imperial Capital, but she discovered him and confronted him over his spying. After he apologized and promised to leave her alone, Hun Ruoruo stopped him and demanded that he pay a price.

• Ling Ying arrived near the Alchemist Tournament venue and searched for Hun Ruoruo while worrying that she would notice him.
• Hun Ruoruo appeared beside Ling Ying and demanded to know why he had been following her.
• Ling Ying claimed he had been protecting her, then said he feared she had ulterior motives toward Young Master Xiao Yan.
• Hun Ruoruo struck Ling Ying with her Soul Force and rebuked him for risking her friendship with Xun'er.
• Ling Ying apologized and promised never to disturb Hun Ruoruo again.
• Hun Ruoruo stopped Ling Ying as he tried to fly away and demanded that he pay a price.

Hun Ruoruo defeated the intruder Ling Ying, exposed Yan Li as an impostor contestant and a foreign spy, and killed him before explaining the evidence to Jia Xing Tian. After asking Hai Bodong to keep her identity and plans from Xiao Yan, she took shelter from the rain and unexpectedly came face-to-face with him.

• Jia Xing Tian and Hai Bodong investigated the battle between Hun Ruoruo and Ling Ying, then watched Hun Ruoruo drive Ling Ying from the Imperial Capital.
• Hun Ruoruo led the two elders to Yan Li, exposed him as an impostor, and killed him when he reached for his Storage Ring.
• Hai Bodong examined Yan Li's pill, and Hun Ruoruo explained that it could temporarily restore his original appearance as proof he was a foreign spy.
• Jia Xing Tian took Yan Li's corpse and the pills back to the Imperial Family, while Hun Ruoruo asked Hai Bodong not to tell Xiao Yan about her.
• Hun Ruoruo ran through the rain and found Xiao Yan waiting beneath the eaves of an alley.

Xiao Yan confronted Hun Ruoruo over her ties to the Misty Cloud Sect after learning that the sect had attacked his family and taken his father. Hun Ruoruo denied nothing and ordered him to leave, while Xiao Yan remained determined to repay her for her past help.

• Hun Ruoruo encountered Xiao Yan at an abandoned Soul Hall outpost and praised his performance in the alchemy competition.
• Xiao Yan showed Hun Ruoruo the bottle containing the Soul Light Cluster and questioned her about its connection to the Mo Family.
• Xiao Yan told Hun Ruoruo that the Misty Cloud Sect had nearly wiped out the Xiao Family and taken his father.
• Xiao Yan lost control of his emotions, struck a wall, and removed his disguise as he accused the sect.
• Hun Ruoruo reacted angrily to Xiao Yan's accusations, asserted her power over him, and ordered him to leave.

Xiao Yan confronted Hun Ruoruo about Xiao Zhan’s abduction and pleaded for her to stop hiding things from him. Hun Ruoruo realized Yun Leng had acted through the Mo Family and agreed to help Xiao Yan prepare for revenge, leaving him to pursue the Three-Year Pact.

• Xiao Yan told Hun Ruoruo that he wanted his father back and begged her not to harm the people around him.
• Hun Ruoruo connected the Misty Cloud Sect, Soul Hall, and Mo Family, concluding that Yun Leng had protected the Mo Family as part of his Soul Hall infiltration.
• Xiao Yan asked Hun Ruoruo about Yun Leng and proposed a deal involving her secret technique for compressing Dou Qi.
• Hun Ruoruo warned Xiao Yan that the technique would allow at most ten moves before his body collapsed and would prevent him from using Dou Qi beforehand.
• Hun Ruoruo wiped the blood from Xiao Yan’s lips, praised him, and said she would wait until he stood before her at the Three-Year Pact.

Hun Ruoruo learned that Yun Leng had arranged Xiao Zhan’s abduction and vowed to kill him. After Yun Shan approved a plan to silence the Xiao Family, Hun Ruoruo confronted Yun Leng as he returned to his cave.

• Hun Ruoruo left the Alchemist Tournament and watched from above as Xiao Yan refined a pill, then swore that Yun Leng would die.
• Yun Leng defended abducting Xiao Zhan to Yun Shan, arguing that keeping his High-level Soul Envoy status would help Yun Shan obtain Soul Light Clusters.
• Yun Shan warned Yun Leng to keep the incident secret and ordered him to silence the Xiao Family after the competition.
• Yun Leng left the hall and went to a secluded cave, boasting that the Xiao Family had secured his standing and that Xiao Yan was his lucky star.
• Hun Ruoruo emerged from the cave and challenged Yun Leng for touching what she had her eye on.

After winning the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yan began secluded cultivation to prepare for the Three-Year Pact, which was less than a month away. Hai Bodong discovered that Xiao Yan had reached the Dou Ling realm but had almost no Dou Qi reserves, then watched him destroy an ancient tree with a terrifying physical strike.

• The Imperial Family and Alchemist Guild displayed Yan Li's corpse, exposing Chu Yun Empire's cheating and turning the public against it.
• Xiao Yan claimed first place, became an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild, and entered seclusion with the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva.
• Xiao Yan gave Hai Bodong the Fifth-grade Spirit Revival Purple Pill they had agreed upon and learned that less than a month remained until the Three-Year Pact.
• Hai Bodong sensed that Xiao Yan had reached the Dou Ling realm, but his Dou Qi reserves were dwindling to an unusually low level.
• Xiao Yan struck the ancient tree with a seemingly motionless palm and crushed it, showing Hai Bodong that he planned to save his Dou Qi for where it was needed.

Xiao Yan traveled to the Misty Cloud Sect for the Three-Year Pact, carrying the fate of his father and the Xiao Family on his shoulders. He arrived at the sect’s plaza and announced himself before the empty Sect Master’s seat.

• Xiao Yan prepared calmly for the Three-Year Pact, reaffirming his resolve to protect his family and determine his own fate.
• Xiao Yan walked from the Imperial Capital toward the Misty Cloud Sect, gradually adapting his aura to the crowds along the way.
• Xiao Yan reached the sect’s plaza, where more than a thousand disciples gathered and Nalan Yanran sat alone on the lowest platform.
• Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian noticed that Yun Yun and Hun Ruoruo were absent from the central seats.
• Xiao Yan ascended the stone stairs, looked toward the empty Sect Master’s seat, and declared, “Xiao Family, Xiao Yan!”

Xiao Yan arrived at the Three-Year Pact with no Dou Qi, prompting the Misty Cloud Sect to mock him and doubt his ability to fight Nalan Yanran. He revealed overwhelming physical strength by defeating her with one punch, leaving the gathered spectators stunned.

• The Misty Cloud Sect elders probed Xiao Yan and discovered that he had no Dou Qi, prompting disciples to mock him.
• Nalan Yanran rose to face Xiao Yan and defended him from the crowd’s ridicule, while Fama sensed hidden Soul Force within him.
• Yun Leng presided over the Three-Year Pact, and Xiao Yan insisted that the fight be to the death rather than end at the point of contact.
• Nalan Yanran warned Xiao Yan to surrender, but he recognized that she knew the woman who valued him and explained why he had proposed stopping at the point of contact.
• Nalan Yanran attacked with sword qi, but Xiao Yan’s body shattered it and he struck her with a punch that sent her flying dozens of meters.
• Xiao Yan told the stunned spectators that he had feared accidentally beating Nalan Yanran to death.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed Nalan Yanran with his extraordinary physical strength, then acknowledged her skill when her sword techniques finally cut him. He drew on stored Dou Qi and brought out the Mysterious Black Ruler, vowing to make her repay the debt she owed the Xiao Family.

• Xiao Yan shattered Nalan Yanran’s Dou Qi Armor with a single punch, stunning the Misty Cloud Sect and the watching experts.
• Nalan Yanran admitted her earlier contempt for Xiao Yan was misplaced but stood by her choice to decide her own marriage and accepted the consequences of her past actions.
• Xiao Yan charged, crushed Nalan Yanran’s Thousand Wind Seal with his bare hand, and brushed aside her Wind attribute attacks.
• Nalan Yanran steeled her resolve and used Wind Spirit Fractal Sword, cutting bloody marks into Xiao Yan’s tough skin and earning his respect.
• Xiao Yan drew stored Dou Qi from his Storage Ring, summoned the Mysterious Black Ruler, and swung it while demanding the Xiao Family’s dignity be returned.

Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran in their Three-Year Pact duel, then destroyed their marriage contract and freed them both from its terms. When Yun Leng challenged Nalan Yanran for damaging the Misty Cloud Sect’s dignity, Xiao Yan stepped forward and challenged him instead.

• Nalan Yanran unleashed her strongest sword technique, but Xiao Yan shattered her sword with Vibrating Force and left her badly injured.
• Xiao Yan saw through Nalan Yanran’s remaining Soul Dou Technique, and she admitted defeat and swore to serve him according to their agreement.
• Xiao Yan rejected Nalan Yanran’s offer of lifelong service and destroyed the marriage contract, declaring them both free.
• Yun Leng berated Nalan Yanran for bowing to Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan told her to move aside and confronted the First Elder.
• Xiao Yan challenged Yun Leng to come fight him, shocking the Misty Cloud Sect disciples and the watching guests.

After Xiao Yan challenged Yun Leng, Yun Leng ordered the Enforcement Team to seize him, but Sect Master Shuang intervened and assured Xiao Yan that the Misty Cloud Sect would accept his victory. The chapter ended with Xiao Yan and Sect Master Shuang exchanging polite words while Nalan Yanran watched them suspiciously.

• Xiao Yan challenged Yun Leng, who revealed that he knew Xiao Yan had an expert guiding him.
• Yun Leng ordered the Enforcement Team to capture Xiao Yan, and Nalan Yanran tried unsuccessfully to stop them.
• Sect Master Shuang arrived and halted the Enforcement Team, reminding Yun Leng that Xiao Yan had won the match.
• Fama and Jia Xing Tian discussed Sect Master Shuang's strength and the Misty Cloud Sect's growing advantage over their factions.
• Sect Master Shuang reassured Xiao Yan that the Misty Cloud Sect would accept the result, and Xiao Yan thanked her respectfully.
• Nalan Yanran watched Xiao Yan and Sect Master Shuang exchange pleasantries and wondered what the woman was planning with her Third Young Master.

Xiao Yan accused Yun Leng of attacking the Xiao Family and demanded justice at the Misty Cloud Sect, while Hun Ruoruo gave him room to expose the First Elder. With Hai Bodong offering to testify and Xiao Yan invoking his standing with the Xiao Family and Alchemist Guild, he challenged Yun Leng to a life-or-death duel.

• Hun Ruoruo prompted Xiao Yan to reveal why he had come, and he accused Yun Leng of nearly wiping out the Xiao Family and driving his father away.
• Yun Leng denied the charge, and Hun Ruoruo threatened to remove him as First Elder unless he explained himself.
• Hai Bodong offered to testify for Xiao Yan, shocking Yun Leng and the onlookers.
• Yun Leng demanded evidence and insisted only the Misty Cloud Sect could judge him.
• Xiao Yan declared his status as Xiao Family Young Clan Leader and Alchemist Guild honorary elder, then challenged Yun Leng to fight to the death.

Xiao Yan challenged Yun Leng to a fight and revealed the power he had concealed, raising his cultivation to the peak of Dou Ling and activating the Heavenly Flames Three Profound Transformations. The chapter ended as Xiao Yan launched a blazing punch at Yun Leng, accusing him of abducting his father.

• Gu He realized Xiao Yan could not be the Dou Qi-less cripple he claimed to be, while Yun Leng dismissed the Alchemist Guild and challenged Xiao Yan.
• Hun Ruoruo allowed Xiao Yan and Yun Leng to fight, with both men agreeing that the feud would be settled by the battle.
• Xiao Yan declared he would defeat Yun Leng in ten moves, and Yun Leng formed a stone sword with his wind and earth Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan released the Sealing Technique and surged to the peak of Dou Ling, then used the Heavenly Flames Three Profound Transformations with a black fragment from the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yan accused Yun Leng of abducting his father and charged him with a flame-wreathed punch.

Xiao Yan fought Yun Leng at the Three-Year Pact, revealing his Dou Wang-level power, hidden-force technique, and soul attack while searching for his father. After Yun Leng taunted him with knowledge of his father’s whereabouts and threatened the Xiao Family, Xiao Yan unleashed his strongest ruler technique for a decisive strike.

• Xiao Yan matched Yun Leng’s opening attack and used Eight Extremities Collapse to wound him with hidden force.
• Xiao Yan attacked Yun Leng’s soul and battered him while Jia Xing Tian and Fama agreed to protect Xiao Yan.
• Yun Leng told Xiao Yan that his father was somewhere he would never find and threatened the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Yan drew the Mysterious Black Ruler and concealed himself with the Lesser Mastery Disguise Dou Technique, Fragrance. Annihilation, evading Yun Leng’s attack.
• Xiao Yan combined Azure Lotus Burning, Savage Fury, and Void Devour with the Void Spirit Devouring Flame and unleashed Flame Splitting. Devouring Wave Ruler at Yun Leng.

Xiao Yan killed Yun Leng despite Yun Shan’s intervention, then was trapped and overwhelmed by Yun Shan’s Dou Zong power. As Xiao Yan faltered and thought of his father, a surge of energy from his master revived him and reminded him that he was not alone.

• Yun Leng activated a Soul Hall Artifact and summoned Yun Shan, who froze Xiao Yan’s attack and demanded that he spare Yun Leng.
• Xiao Yan defied Yun Shan, broke through his pressure with the Tenth Move, and killed Yun Leng with the Black Flame.
• Yun Shan accused Xiao Yan of killing a Misty Cloud Sect elder and trapped him, then suppressed Hai Bodong when he tried to intervene.
• Badly injured and unable to resist, Xiao Yan thought of his father and heard his master remind him that he had a master too.
• Xiao Yan felt a vast energy surge through his dantian and murmured, "Master."

Xiao Yan’s side overwhelmed the Misty Cloud Sect as Hai Bodong, Jia Xing Tian, and Fama joined the battle, forcing Yun Shan to activate the sect’s grand formation. Hun Ruoruo turned on Yun Shan, sealed his power with the Reversal Array, and absorbed his soul, leaving the battle’s outcome in her hands.

• Xiao Yan regained his strength and fought Yun Shan while Hai Bodong, Jia Xing Tian, and Fama joined the battle against the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Hai Bodong scattered the elders with his Ice Dragons, while Yun Shan assigned Hun Ruoruo to hold him off.
• Yun Shan ordered the Misty Cloud Sect disciples to activate the Cloud-Veiling Sun-Covering Formation and went to its Array Eye.
• Hun Ruoruo stopped fighting Hai Bodong and used the Reversal Array to drain Yun Shan’s Dou Qi.
• Hun Ruoruo tore Yun Shan’s soul from his body and absorbed it with the Soul Absorption Technique.

Hun Ruoruo killed Yun Shan, revealed her alliance with Xiao Yan and his companions, and ordered the Misty Cloud Sect’s surviving elders and disciples removed from the battlefield. After healing Xiao Yan, she warned him that the Soul Hall would pursue its enemies relentlessly and confronted someone hiding in the abyss beneath the mountain.

• Hun Ruoruo absorbed Yun Shan’s soul after killing him, while the other powerful figures watched in shock.
• Hai Bodong reassured Jia Xing Tian and the others that Hun Ruoruo was their ally, and Jia Xing Tian apologized for doubting her.
• Hun Ruoruo ordered Hai Bodong, Jia Xing Tian, and the other man to subdue and move the Misty Cloud Sect’s elders and disciples without leaving the sect.
• Hun Ruoruo healed Xiao Yan and greeted him and Old Man Yao, then explained that the Soul Hall would pursue them unless they eliminated its threat.
• Hun Ruoruo faced the abyss beneath the mountain and demanded that the person hiding there come out.

Protector Wu emerged from the abyss beneath Misty Cloud Mountain, revealing himself as a powerful Soul Hall expert and trapping the sect behind a deadly barrier. As Old Man Yao fought him, Hun Ruoruo prepared a dangerous technique to turn the battle.

• Protector Wu appeared in black mist and sealed the Misty Cloud Sect behind a barrier, while Hai Bodong warned the others not to join the fight recklessly.
• Protector Wu tried to use the Soul Seal to erase Hun Ruoruo, but the connection broke and she remained unharmed.
• Protector Wu attacked with a Soul Chain, recognized Old Man Yao as Yao Chen, and declared his intention to take him and Hun Ruoruo to the Central Continent.
• Old Man Yao clashed with Protector Wu as Hun Ruoruo gathered the Soul Force of countless savage Beast Spirits into her brow to unleash a powerful move.

Hun Ruoruo revealed that she had prepared to absorb a violent Fierce Soul to bridge the gap between a Dou Huang and a Dou Zong, then joined Old Man Yao against Protector Wu. Her soul-attacking Dou Qi wounded him, but Protector Wu vowed to capture her and Yao Chen for Soul Hall.

• Xiao Yan sensed a violent Fierce Soul in Hun Ruoruo’s power, and Old Man Yao realized she had planned to use it to increase her strength.
• Hun Ruoruo absorbed the Fierce Soul, summoned Soul Chains from her Soul Token, and asked Old Man Yao to fight alongside her.
• Hun Ruoruo struck Protector Wu with a Soul Water Blade while Protector Wu used his Soul Chains to hold off her and Old Man Yao.
• Protector Wu discovered that Hun Ruoruo’s Dou Qi could injure his soul, but declared that he would capture her and Yao Chen for Soul Hall.

Protector Wu devoured the gathered Soul Light Clusters, boosting his strength and revealing that he had intended to use the Misty Cloud Sect's people as fuel. Hun Ruoruo and Old Man Yao faced the empowered Soul Hall protector as Nalan Yanran condemned the elders who had served him.

• Protector Wu used Nine Forests Hundred Soul Devour to absorb the Soul Light Clusters and increase his strength.
• Hun Ruoruo explained that the technique damaged the soul, resisted the urge to devour more clusters, and attacked Protector Wu's black mist alongside Old Man Yao.
• Protector Wu revealed that he had planned to refine the Misty Cloud Sect's disciples and elders, and the bound elders lost hope.
• Nalan Yanran rebuked the elders for calling Protector Wu their protector and said the sect's survival depended on Hun Ruoruo.
• Hun Ruoruo sensed that Protector Wu had reached Peak Six-star Dou Zong, and he vowed to capture her and Old Man Yao alive.