Chapter Summaries

A modern man transmigrated into Xiao Yan and discovered that the Black Ancient Ring was draining his Dou Qi. At the Xiao Clan test, he resisted the ring’s suction and reached four stages of Dou Qi, leaving his family and Xun'er hopeful as he planned to control the ring and change Xiao Yan’s fate.

• Xiao Yan regained awareness in the Xiao Clan Training Ground and recalled that Elder Yao was secretly absorbing his Dou Qi through the Black Ancient Ring.
• Xiao Yan faced the Testing Stele while Xiao Ning, Xun'er, and Xiao Zhan watched and the crowd mocked his past failures.
• Xiao Yan forced his Dou Qi toward the stele despite the ring’s suction, making the crystal show four stages of Dou Qi.
• Elder Xiao Shan confirmed Xiao Yan’s progress, while Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ning, and Xun'er congratulated him.
• Xiao Yan concealed the ring’s secret and resolved to manage its absorption, awaken Elder Yao, and grow strong enough to protect Xun'er.

Xiao Yan reflected on the secret of Yao Chen in his Storage Ring and worried about Nalan Yanran’s expected visit to break off their engagement. Encouraged by Xun'er and Xiao Ning, he resolved to face her and wait for the chance to rise again when Yao Chen awakened.

• Xiao Yan remembered how Yao Chen had told him his meridians were tampered with and promised to help restore them when he awakened.
• Xiao Yan worried about Nalan Yanran’s impending visit and recalled her childhood promise to take him away.
• Xun'er found Xiao Yan, brought him Osmanthus Cake, and gave him Qi Gathering Powder to ease his cultivation.
• Xiao Ning arrived and angrily defended Xiao Yan against rumors that he would beg Nalan Yanran not to break off the engagement.
• Xiao Yan accepted his friends’ support and resolved to face Nalan Yanran while keeping Yao Chen’s presence in the Storage Ring secret.

After one day in the Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Yan reflected on how Xiao Ning’s unexpected kindness suggested that events could differ from the story he remembered. He resolved to grow stronger, handle Nalan Yanran’s impending annulment calmly, and protect the women whose lives had been marked by regrets before falling asleep.

• Xiao Yan recalled Xiao Ning defending and supporting him, contrasting it with the hostility he remembered from the original story.
• Xiao Yan considered whether his arrival had changed Xiao Ning and whether he could influence Nalan Yanran’s impending annulment.
• Xiao Yan decided he would try to resolve the rift with Nalan Yanran without forcing her to stay.
• Xiao Yan resolved to protect Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, Medusa, and Qing Lin and prevent their future hardships.
• Xiao Yan silently asked Elder Yao to awaken and help him rebuild his meridians, then fell asleep with renewed resolve.

Xiao Yan learned that Nalan Yanran had come under pressure from Misty Cloud Sect elders but did not intend to break their marriage pact. He accepted her Three-Year Pact and set out to rebuild his strength, while a faint stir from Elder Yao’s Storage Ring hinted that the old man might be awakening.

• Xiao Yan worried about Nalan Yanran’s impending visit while trying unsuccessfully to rouse Elder Yao through the Storage Ring.
• Nalan Yanran told Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan that Yun Yun opposed breaking the marriage pact and had promised to shield her from the sect elders’ pressure.
• Nalan Yanran offered Xiao Yan three years to grow stronger, promised to honor the pact if he defeated her at the Misty Cloud Sect, and presented him with three bottles of Qi Gathering Powder.
• Xiao Yan accepted the Three-Year Pact and vowed to ascend the Misty Cloud Sect and defeat Nalan Yanran.
• After Nalan Yanran departed, Xiao Yan sensed a brief strand of soul power from the Storage Ring and resolved to train for the challenge whether or not Elder Yao awakened.

Xiao Yan discovered that Yao Chen had been draining his Dou Qi from the Storage Ring, then learned that the senior could guide his cultivation and restore his strength. Xiao Yan became Yao Chen’s disciple and received the Blazing Art, beginning his preparation for the Three-Year Pact with Nalan Yanran.

• Xiao Yan sensed a voice in his Storage Ring and learned that Yao Chen’s sleeping soul had unconsciously absorbed his Dou Qi for three years.
• Yao Chen stabilized his soul by having Xiao Yan deliberately guide Dou Qi into the ring, then explained his past and his connection to Xiao Yan’s mother.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen about Nalan Yanran’s Three-Year Pact and vowed to defeat her at the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yao Chen offered to teach Xiao Yan the Blazing Art, and Xiao Yan knelt to acknowledge him as his master.
• Yao Chen improved one bottle of Nalan Yanran’s Qi Gathering Powder and instructed Xiao Yan to cultivate with it and the Blazing Art.

Xiao Yan struggled to afford the ingredients needed to refine Qi Gathering Powder and swallowed his pride to ask Xun'er for a loan. Xun'er gave him twenty thousand copper coins and directed him to a trusted herb shop, and he set out to buy ingredients and strengthen himself for the Three-Year Pact.

• Xiao Yan counted his eight copper coins and realized he could not afford the ingredients for Qi Gathering Powder.
• Xiao Yan decided to ask Xun'er for help after thinking of his father's burdens and the people who had turned away from him.
• Xiao Yan told Xun'er about Elder Yao, his cultivation plans, and his need to borrow money for medicinal ingredients.
• Xun'er gave Xiao Yan twenty thousand copper coins and recommended Hundred Herbs Hall, where he could receive fair prices.
• Xiao Yan returned to his room, resolved to refine Qi Gathering Powder and fulfill the Three-Year Pact, then left early the next morning for Hundred Herbs Hall.

Xiao Yan visited Hundred Herbs Hall to buy ingredients for Qi Gathering Powder, and Uncle Wang selected fresh herbs and advised him on their use. Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan with a Wind Wolf Core and supplies for two batches, eager to begin refining under Elder Yao's guidance.

• Xiao Yan went to Hundred Herbs Hall with the Money Pouch Xun'er had given him and asked Uncle Wang for cultivation herbs.
• Uncle Wang selected two stalks of Qi Gathering Grass and three portions each of Green Leaf Grass, Dew Condensing Flower, and Clematis Vine, advising Xiao Yan to use Qi Gathering Powder cautiously.
• Xiao Yan paid four thousand copper coins for the herbs and bought a first-tier Wind Wolf Core for one hundred copper coins.
• Uncle Wang explained how to grind and add the monster core powder, warning Xiao Yan that too much could disrupt the pill.
• Xiao Yan left Hundred Herbs Hall and headed back to the Xiao Clan, anticipating his first attempt at refining Qi Gathering Powder with Elder Yao.

At Wutan City's Marketplace, Xiao Yan defended a Xiao Clan stall from Jia Liebi's attack and proved that his Blazing Art had made him far stronger than his reputation suggested. He left Jia Liebi humiliated and the Xiao Clan encouraged, while resolving to grow stronger before the Three-Year Pact.

• Xiao Yan and Xun'er visited the Marketplace, where Jia Liebi smashed a Xiao Clan stall and tried to lure Xun'er away from Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan confronted Jia Liebi, then used his condensed, scorching Dou Qi to overpower him and drive off his underlings.
• Xiao Yan pinned Jia Liebi down and forced him to apologize publicly and promise double compensation for the damaged stall.
• Jia Liebi paid with a gold ingot and limped away, while Xiao Yan gave the money to the Xiao Clan stall owner to cover losses and compensate the clansmen.
• Xun'er checked on Xiao Yan and shared candied hawthorn with him as he resolved to protect his loved ones and prepare for the Three-Year Pact.

Xiao Yan watched Elder Yao refine high-quality Qi Gathering Powder and used one pill to stabilize his cultivation and break through to Fighter Two Star. He began consolidating his new realm, determined to train harder for the Three-Year Pact with Nalan Yanran.

• Xiao Yan brought medicinal herbs and a Wind Wolf Core to his room, where Elder Yao taught him how to assess and pre-process the ingredients.
• Elder Yao used the Copper Small Cauldron to refine three Qi Gathering Powders, explaining each step as Xiao Yan observed.
• Xiao Yan swallowed one Qi Gathering Powder and cultivated with the Blazing Art while Elder Yao guided the medicinal power with Soul Force.
• Xiao Yan used the pill's final medicinal power to break through from Fighter One Star to Fighter Two Star.
• Elder Yao told Xiao Yan to practice pill refining daily and cultivate for at least two hours after taking a Qi Gathering Powder; Xiao Yan agreed and began consolidating his new realm.

Xiao Yan endured a month of brutal training under Elder Yao to master the High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique Eight Level Collapse. He reached the eighth level by destroying the Xiao Clan’s Strength Testing Stone, leaving him newly confident in his strength and ability to protect those around him.

• Elder Yao gave Xiao Yan the Eight Level Collapse technique and began punishing his mistakes with a Soul Power Whip as he trained his stance and punches.
• After seven days of conditioning, Xiao Yan learned First Level Collapse and split a bluestone with a single punch.
• Xiao Yan advanced to Third Level Collapse by the fourteenth day, Fifth Level Collapse by the twentieth day, and Sixth Level Collapse by the twenty-first day.
• On the twenty-eighth day, Xiao Yan endured a Dou Qi backlash and Elder Yao’s whipping to stabilize his power and master Seventh Level Collapse.
• On the thirtieth day, Xiao Yan compressed his Dou Qi to the eighth level and shattered the Xiao Clan’s Strength Testing Stone with one punch.

Xiao Yan challenged Liu Xi’s public pill refining demonstration and exposed the harmful effects of Liu Xi’s Qi Gathering Powder, securing a decisive victory for the Xiao Clan. The Xiao Family Pill Shop prospered afterward, while Xiao Yan resolved to continue his path in alchemy.

• Jia Lie Ao hired Liu Xi, a Second-grade Alchemist, to undercut the Xiao Family Pill Shop with cheaper, supposedly stronger Qi Gathering Powder.
• Xiao Yan volunteered to compete against Liu Xi, and Elder Yao warned him that Liu Xi’s use of scraps from second-grade ingredients made his pills harmful to the meridians.
• At the public demonstration, Liu Xi refined golden pills while Xiao Yan used ordinary ingredients and Elder Yao’s method to produce pure Qi Gathering Powder.
• A young cultivator who took Liu Xi’s pill developed meridian discomfort, while a veteran mercenary praised Xiao Yan’s pill for its purity and lack of side effects.
• Xiao Yan exposed Liu Xi’s flawed method before the crowd, and Liu Xi fled in disgrace as Jia Lie Ao withdrew with the Jia Lie Family.
• The Xiao Family Pill Shop gained more customers, and Xiao Yan accepted Elder Yao’s advice as he looked toward the next stage of his alchemy path.

After Jia Lie Ao sent Jia Lie Hu and twenty men to ambush the Xiao Clan’s herb convoy, Xiao Yan rescued his cousin Xiao Cheng and defeated the attackers. The captured men exposed Jia Lie Ao’s orders, damaging the Jia Lie Family’s standing in Wutan City, while Xiao Yan prepared for the feud to continue.

• Jia Lie Ao ordered Jia Lie Hu to ambush the Xiao Clan’s herb convoy in Black Wind Forest and leave no survivors.
• Jia Lie Hu’s men attacked Xiao Cheng and the convoy, scattering herbs and injuring several Xiao Clan disciples.
• Xiao Yan arrived after Elder Yao sensed danger, defeated Jia Lie Hu and his men, and forced them to confess that Jia Lie Ao had sent them.
• Xiao Yan had the captives and surviving herbs brought back to Wutan City, where the ambush provoked public outrage and scrutiny from the City Lord’s Manor.
• Xiao Zhan praised Xiao Yan for protecting the convoy, while Elder Yao warned him that Jia Lie Ao would not let the matter go.

Elder Yao refined three exceptionally potent third-grade Qi Gathering Pills, which Xiao Yan consigned to the Miteer Auction House. The pills sold for one hundred thousand Gold Coins, and Ya Fei supplied discounted herbs, strengthening the Xiao Clan’s plans to expand its Alchemy Workshop.

• Elder Yao refined three third-grade Qi Gathering Pills with spiritual energy and effects thirty percent stronger than ordinary pills.
• Xiao Yan took the pills to the Miteer Auction House, where Ya Fei accepted a fifty-thousand-Gold-Coin reserve price and offered the Xiao Clan discounted herbs.
• A mysterious black-robed bidder bought the Qi Gathering Pills for one hundred thousand Gold Coins at the auction.
• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yan ninety-seven thousand Gold Coins after commission and a list of rare herbs, including five Purple Leaf Orchids.
• Xiao Yan brought the money and herb list to Xiao Zhan, who celebrated the support for the clan’s Alchemy Workshop.

Xiao Yan expanded the Xiao Clan’s alchemy business by refining first-grade pills in batches and selling them through the Xiao Family Pill Shop and Miteer Auction House. As Xiao Clan pills gained customers across Wutan City, Jia Lie Ao vowed to oppose the family while Xiao Yan prepared to pursue second-grade pills.

• Ya Fei sent a large shipment of medicinal ingredients to the Xiao Family Mansion, and Xiao Yan began batch-refining Qi Gathering Powder under Elder Yao’s guidance.
• Over three days, Xiao Yan improved to refining six batches at once and produced superior-grade Qi Gathering Powder for the Xiao Family Pill Shop’s reopening.
• The Xiao Family Pill Shop sold all 126 portions of Qi Gathering Powder on its first day, earning more than five thousand Gold Coins in net profit and receiving reservations for more.
• Xiao Yan proposed expanding the shop’s offerings and consigning pills through Miteer Auction House, then refined a hundred Clear Spirit Pills and arranged their auction with Ya Fei.
• The Clear Spirit Pills sold for seven thousand Gold Coins, and Xiao Yan returned to the workshop determined to attempt second-grade pills.
• Jia Lie Ao received a report about the Xiao Clan’s growing pill business, smashed a teacup, and vowed not to let Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan prosper.

Xiao Yan ambushed Jia Lie Hu’s convoy at Luofeng Gorge and seized the herbs and Demonic Cores the Jia Lie Family had bought in Black Rock City. The Jia Lie Family returned empty-handed, while Xiao Yan brought the supplies to the Xiao Clan’s Alchemy Workshop and prepared to refine pills.

• Jia Lie Ao sent Jia Lie Hu and ten clan members to Black Rock City with ten thousand Gold Coins to buy herbs and Demonic Cores.
• After Xiao Yan learned that Jia Lie Hu had left Wutan City, he arranged an ambush at Luofeng Gorge with Xiao Cheng and five clansmen.
• Xiao Yan and the crossbowmen attacked the returning convoy, defeated Jia Lie Hu’s men, and took the herbs and fifteen Second-tier Demonic Cores.
• Jia Lie Hu returned with empty carriages, and Jia Lie Ao realized the Jia Lie Family had lost its money and its chance to make pills.
• Xiao Yan brought the seized supplies to the Xiao Clan, where he told Xiao Zhan they would produce pills for the clan and the market.

Xiao Yan and Xun'er earned admission to Jia Nan Academy, but Xiao Yan chose to postpone enrollment for a year of travel and experience, and Xun'er agreed to wait for him. After preparing the Alchemy Workshop and gathering supplies, Xiao Yan left Wutan City to begin his journey.

• Xiao Yan and Xun'er impressed Mo Chen during the Jia Nan Academy selection, earning direct admission with their high Dou Qi purity.
• Xiao Yan asked to postpone enrollment for a year, and Xun'er chose to wait; Mo Chen gave them Provisional Admission Tokens and reserved their places.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan he planned to seek medicinal materials and experience, while Xun'er agreed to manage the Alchemy Workshop and send him letters.
• Xiao Yan entrusted the workshop to Xiao Cheng, prepared pills and travel equipment, and planned to visit the Misty Forest and Stone Desert City.
• Xiao Yan said goodbye to his family and the Xiao Clan, then left Wutan City to begin his year of travel.

Xiao Yan entered the Monster Beast Mountain Range, where he killed a Silver Horn Horse and a Black Mane Bear before fighting off three bandits who tried to steal his spoils. He spent the night by a stream and prepared to search Misty Valley for Blood Leaf Flower the next day.

• Elder Yao warned Xiao Yan about the mountain range's dangers and advised him to train in the outskirts before entering Misty Valley.
• Xiao Yan killed a Silver Horn Horse, collected its horn, and continued deeper after treating a scrape on his arm.
• Xiao Yan defeated a Black Mane Bear by targeting its eye and abdomen, then took its Bear Paws and Demonic Core.
• Three bandits tried to claim the bear's corpse, so Xiao Yan killed the tall, thin man and wounded Scarface and the short, fat man, forcing them to flee.
• Xiao Yan rested beside a stream and cultivated in a cave while Elder Yao told him to take a Detoxification Pill before searching Misty Valley for Blood Leaf Flower.

Xiao Yan searched the Black Stone Mine for Spirit Cleansing Ore, defeating a pack of Stone Armor Rats, an Iron Spine Snake, and three bandits who tried to rob him. After using the ore to improve the purity of his Dou Qi, he set out for Wind Wolf Valley to test his strength and pursue a breakthrough to Fighter Five Stars.

• Xiao Yan entered the Black Stone Mine and killed a pack of Stone Armor Rats, gaining combat experience and collecting their shells and teeth.
• Xiao Yan found Spirit Cleansing Ore in an associated mine vein and fought an Iron Spine Snake, killing it by striking its vital point.
• Xiao Yan ambushed three bandits who entered the chamber, wounded their leader, and forced them to flee.
• Xiao Yan emerged with eight pieces of Spirit Cleansing Ore and absorbed their energy overnight, bringing his Dou Qi close to Fighter Five Stars.
• Xiao Yan set out for Wind Wolf Valley after Elder Yao suggested he test his strength against the Wind Wolves there.

Xiao Yan was nearly killed by a Bloodthirsty Wind Wolf in Wind Wolf Valley before Xiao Yi Xian rescued him, treated his injury, and traded him Ice Heart Grass for his Qi Gathering Powder. With Xiao Yi Xian’s map, he gathered Wind Wolf Cores and prepared to continue training and refine pills.

• Xiao Yan was cornered by a Bloodthirsty Wind Wolf and injured at a cliff, but Xiao Yi Xian’s flute melody drove the beast away.
• Xiao Yi Xian helped Xiao Yan climb to safety, gave him a Clear Spirit Pill, and treated his shoulder at her wooden hut.
• Xiao Yi Xian gave Xiao Yan three stalks of Ice Heart Grass, and Xiao Yan exchanged three high-quality Qi Gathering Powders for them.
• Xiao Yi Xian gave Xiao Yan a map of Wind Wolf Valley and offered to help if he encountered danger, then left to gather Blood Ginseng.
• Xiao Yan used the map to avoid hazards, killed three Second-tier Wind Wolves, and collected their cores.
• Xiao Yan camped in a concealed cave and planned to refine Windwalk Pills and Pulse Protecting Pills with the resources he had gathered.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian explored a hidden cave, gathered rare herbs, and discovered the belongings of a long-dead cultivator. After Xiao Yan drove off a bandit leader and his men, the pair left with their treasures and a mysterious map that Elder Yao warned Xiao Yan to keep secret.

• Xiao Yi Xian led Xiao Yan through a concealed waterfall entrance into a cave filled with rare medicinal herbs, which they carefully collected.
• Xiao Yan found a fragmentary map depicting a Golden Lotus and blue flame in the skeleton’s hand, and Elder Yao urged him to hide it from others.
• Xiao Yi Xian claimed a Poison Scripture from the first chest, while Xiao Yan took a Flying Fighting Skill from the second.
• Scarface and two bandits entered the cave to seize the treasures, but Xiao Yan defeated them and forced them to flee.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian opened the third chest, found Essence Solidifying Pills and Mysterious Iron Stone, then left the cave with their finds and agreed to investigate the map together later.