Recaps

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling discovered that the Blood Spirit Demonic Flower was only bait and fought through the Yin Demon Vines guarding the deeper mountain range. After Hong Ling exposed Chen Senlin stalking her, she rejected his advances and left with Jiang Donghua.

• Jiang Donghua realized the Blood Spirit Demonic Flower could not explain the red light and concluded the true anomaly lay deeper in the mountain range.
• Jiang Donghua pulled Hong Ling away from a collapsing patch of ground as Yin Demon Vines burst out and attacked them.
• Jiang Donghua used his blue flames to burn the Yin Demon Vines while Hong Ling watched.
• Hong Ling struck a tree with lightning and forced Chen Senlin out of hiding.
• Chen Senlin claimed he was worried about Hong Ling and insulted Jiang Donghua, but Hong Ling told him to shut up and left with Jiang Donghua.

Jiang Donghua defended Hong Ling from Chen Senlin, whose attempt to attack him failed, and Chen Senlin was later killed by a creature in the black mist. Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling continued deeper into the mountain range, where they narrowly avoided a Tier 5 Shadow Demon Ape.

• Hong Ling blasted the ground with lightning to drive Chen Senlin away, and Jiang Donghua burned away Chen Senlin’s poison mist when he attacked.
• Chen Senlin threatened Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling, then hid in a tree and followed them through the black mist.
• The shifting mist confused Chen Senlin, and a scarlet-eyed creature emerged and killed him.
• Jiang Donghua sensed something had disappeared, but he and Hong Ling continued toward their destination.
• Hong Ling recalled pulling Jiang Donghua away from a sleeping Tier 5 Shadow Demon Ape and teased him for his poor perception.

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling discovered two powerful flood dragons battling over a red-lit Exotic Treasure and learned that Chen Senlin had died carrying it. As they tried to seize the treasure, a masked stranger took it and thanked them for distracting the dragons.

• Jiang Donghua sensed fresh traces of pure Fire attribute energy and concluded someone powerful had entered the area before him and Hong Ling.
• Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling found a Yellow Rock Flood Dragon and a Mysterious Thunder Flood Dragon searching for the source of the red light.
• The Yellow Rock Flood Dragon exposed a crack glowing red, and the two flood dragons began fighting over what lay beneath it.
• Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling spotted Chen Senlin's corpse hanging from the Mysterious Thunder Flood Dragon, with a red-glowing object clenched in his hand.
• The Yellow Rock Flood Dragon knocked Chen Senlin's corpse through the air, and Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling rushed for the fallen treasure before the flood dragons forced them back.
• A masked figure caught the red-lit treasure and thanked Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling for drawing the flood dragons' attention.

Jiang Donghua recognized Black Robe’s crimson arm as a fire seed cultivated by the two flood dragons, and he and Hong Ling escaped before the beasts killed him. As the flood dragons began mating by force, Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling decided to seize their treasures while they were occupied.

• Jiang Donghua recognized the crimson arm as a dangerous fire seed and warned Hong Ling to retreat as Black Robe unleashed it against the flood dragons.
• The Yellow Rock Flood Dragon and Mysterious Thunder Flood Dragon attacked Black Robe together, killing him while Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling escaped.
• Jiang Donghua explained that the flood dragons had used Black Robe as a vessel to cultivate a Dragonblood Fire Seed for their offspring.
• Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling hid as the flood dragons began to fight, then entwined and formed a vortex of crimson fire seeds.
• Hong Ling proposed stealing the flood dragons’ treasures while they were occupied, and Jiang Donghua agreed that they had one chance.

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling waited for two flood dragons to finish mating so they could attack while the beasts were weakened, but the dragons released an aphrodisiac mist that affected the entire valley. After Jiang Donghua subdued and treated Hong Ling, they prepared to go after the still-rampaging dragons and their treasures.

• Jiang Donghua persuaded Hong Ling to wait until the flood dragons finished mating, when they would be weakened and rare treasures might appear.
• After several hours, Jiang Donghua noticed strange pink mist and found Hong Ling affected by it.
• Jiang Donghua tried to give Hong Ling a Calming Pill, but she resisted as the mist stirred desire in the valley's creatures.
• The flood dragons finished mating and began rampaging, and Jiang Donghua dragged Hong Ling into a crevice to escape a lightning strike.
• Jiang Donghua knocked Hong Ling unconscious, gave her several medicines, and helped her recover from the mist's effects.
• Hong Ling teased Jiang Donghua, then joined him in preparing to attack the flood dragons and seize their treasures.

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling stole a Crimson Flame Dragon Saliva Flower from two enraged Flood Dragons and fled through the Black Corner Great Forest. They headed deeper into the forest to keep the beasts away from Jia Nan Academy, but the pursuit continued.

• Jiang Donghua persuaded Hong Ling to check the ground where the Flood Dragons had mated, and they discovered a Crimson Flame Dragon Saliva Flower.
• Jiang Donghua warned Hong Ling that the flower was protected by residual energy and prepared to collect it with a Mysterious Ice Jade Box.
• When the Flood Dragons discovered them, Jiang Donghua used an illusory water-element Flood Dragon to distract the beasts while Hong Ling dug up the flower and escaped with him.
• Hong Ling and Jiang Donghua fled into a narrow cave, evaded the Flood Dragons, and Hong Ling kissed Jiang Donghua before they hurried onward.
• To protect Jia Nan Academy, Hong Ling changed course and led them deeper into the Black Corner Great Forest as the Flood Dragons chased them and terrified the forest’s magical beasts.

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling escaped a clash between three powerful beasts, but the Crimson Flame Dragon Saliva Flower began to wilt. They swallowed it to preserve its power, triggering a violent transformation and flood dragon instincts that left them losing control inside the sealed cave.

• A peak Rank Six Crimson Flame Unicorn intercepted the Mysterious Thunder Flood Dragon and Yellow Rock Flood Dragon, and the three beasts began fighting as Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling fled.
• Hong Ling killed an Ironback Grey Wolf, then sealed the cave entrance with boulders so they could hide.
• Jiang Donghua discovered that the Crimson Flame Dragon Saliva Flower was wilting, so Hong Ling divided it and forced half into each of them.
• The flower's fire, lightning, and earth energies transformed their bodies, bringing out crimson scales and overwhelming them with pain.
• Jiang Donghua realized flood dragon instincts were consuming their reason, but Hong Ling pounced on him as their powers spiraled out of control.

After an intense encounter in the cave, Hong Ling broke through to Dou Wang while Jiang Donghua’s Dou Qi barely increased. With her new power stabilized, Hong Ling promised to compensate him next time.

• Hong Ling and Jiang Donghua resumed their intimacy in the cave, teasing each other afterward.
• Hong Ling’s newly attained Dou Wang power surged with unstable lightning, and Jiang Donghua told her to regulate her breathing.
• Jiang Donghua sat behind Hong Ling and guided her Dou Qi until her aura steadied and the lightning receded.
• Hong Ling asked why she had advanced to Dou Wang while Jiang Donghua had gained little, and he suggested their cultivation techniques or his unusual constitution might explain it.
• Hong Ling pinched Jiang Donghua’s chin and promised to compensate him next time.

Hong Ling absorbed the herb’s power and became an Eight-star Dou Wang, while Jiang Donghua gained no Battle Qi but greatly improved his Lightning Shadow Step. After discussing Hong Ling’s plans to leave Jia Nan Academy and her concern for him, the two raced back toward the academy, turning their contest into a playful chase.

• Hong Ling discovered that the herb had raised her to at least an Eight-star Dou Wang, while Jiang Donghua said it had strengthened his movement technique instead.
• Hong Ling worried that her rapid breakthrough had outpaced her control of Battle Qi and explained that Dou Wang students often left Jia Nan Academy to seek opportunities outside.
• Jiang Donghua teased Hong Ling about leaving him behind, and they agreed to compete to see who reached Jia Nan Academy first.
• Jiang Donghua used his mastered Earth-tier Mid Grade Dou Technique, Lightning Shadow Step, to race out of the cave ahead of Hong Ling.
• Hong Ling chased Jiang Donghua, who used a sudden turn and a burst of flame to evade her as they raced through the sky above the forest.

Jiang Donghua overused Lightning Shadow Step and Hong Ling helped stabilize his battle qi before carrying him back with her Battle Qi Wings. When he told her he would marry her, Hong Ling lost control of her wings and they fell from the sky together.

• Jiang Donghua staggered to a stop after Lightning Shadow Step wreaked havoc on his meridians.
• Hong Ling used her lightning battle qi to steady Jiang Donghua and then flew him back by the collar.
• Jiang Donghua privately considered combining Lightning Shadow Step with Soul Force to improve his escape abilities.
• Hong Ling grew tired while flying, and Jiang Donghua told her he would marry her.
• Hong Ling challenged Jiang Donghua to mean his proposal, and he said she could marry him instead.
• Hong Ling's Battle Qi Wings burst with lightning and they fell, with Jiang Donghua pulling her into his embrace.

Hong Ling and Jiang Donghua discussed marriage and their plans to travel to the Central Plains, with Hong Ling insisting she would wait for him to reach Dou Wang. The chapter left them walking together after Jiang promised to write to her when he broke through.

• Hong Ling flipped herself above Jiang Donghua as they fell and asked when he would marry her; he answered, “Right now!” and cushioned their landing with Dou Qi.
• Hong Ling said Jiang Donghua should reach Dou Wang before they traveled to the Central Plains, and offered to wait for him at Jia Nan Academy.
• Jiang Donghua urged Hong Ling to return to the Central Plains first so she would not delay her cultivation, but she insisted on staying and said she could cultivate to Dou Huang at the academy.
• Jiang Donghua agreed to Hong Ling’s plan and promised to write to her as soon as he broke through to Dou Wang.
• Hong Ling told Jiang Donghua to write more than a few words, and he teased her by asking whether she wanted to hear that he missed her.

Jiang Donghua and Hong Ling parted after several passionate days, with Hong Ling secretly planning to use their child to secure their future together. Months later, Jiang Donghua reached Dou Ling Peak during seclusion and worried about the powerful Central Plains family he would have to face, just as Mo Xuan approached him.

• Hong Ling threatened Jiang Donghua into promising to follow her to the Central Plains, and they spent their remaining days together before she departed.
• Mo Xuan teased Jiang Donghua about missing Hong Ling, while Jiang Donghua resolved to grow strong enough to face her family and took several days to recover before secluding himself.
• Traveling toward the Central Plains, Hong Ling touched her belly and planned to bring their child back to Jia Nan Academy if Jiang Donghua did not come to her.
• Months later, students at Jia Nan Academy speculated about Jiang Donghua's strength as he prepared to enter the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Jiang Donghua reached Dou Ling Peak after months of cultivation and worried about Hong Ling's family's eight-star Dou Zong and its connection to the Xuan Ming Sect.
• Mo Xuan came up behind Jiang Donghua and asked whether he had finally decided to leave the cultivation platform.

Jiang Donghua learned more about Hong Ling’s powerful Fang Clan and resolved to reach Dou Zong, while preparing to enter Jia Nan Academy’s Outer Court Grand Competition for a Treasure Pavilion reward. Three days later, the competition began, leaving Jiang Donghua poised to show what he could do.

• Mo Xuan told Jiang Donghua that Hong Ling’s family was the Fang Clan, whose ancestor Fang Qianjue was an Eight-star Dou Zong with a possible connection to the Xuan Ming Sect.
• Jiang Donghua vowed to cross the Dou Zong threshold despite the Fang Clan’s strength, and Mo Xuan urged him to hurry before Hong Ling stopped waiting for him.
• Mo Xuan discovered Jiang Donghua had reached Dou Ling Peak and realized he planned to enter the Outer Court Grand Competition to win a Treasure Pavilion reward.
• Mo Xuan supported Jiang Donghua’s entry, hoping his success would bring more funding to the Alchemy Department, while Jiang Donghua hinted he had another prize in mind.
• Jiang Donghua dismissed the Outer Court’s rising geniuses and waited for the competition, which began three days later.

Jiang Donghua entered the Inner Academy selection tournament after being mocked for his low ranking and the belief that alchemists could not fight. He defeated Zhao Yan in one move, revealing Dou Ling-level combat strength and his status as a Fourth-grade Alchemy Master, and left the arena as the crowd and top-ranked competitors took notice.

• Students questioned Jiang Donghua's fiftieth-place ranking, while Alchemy Department students recalled seeing him split a waterfall with one slash.
• Jiang Donghua was called to fight Zhao Yan and ignored the crowd's doubts as he stepped onto the arena.
• Zhao Yan attacked Jiang Donghua, who caught his fist and broke his arm with a squeeze.
• Zhao Yan surrendered, and the crowd realized Jiang Donghua possessed Dou Ling-level strength and was a Fourth-grade Alchemy Master.
• Ye Ming and Jia Yixuan took renewed interest in Jiang Donghua as admiring students called out to him.

Jiang Donghua drew attention after his previous victory, clashed verbally with Liu Yun, and advanced through several matches when opponents forfeited. Wang Meng finally challenged him and launched a powerful attack, leaving Jiang Donghua's response unresolved.

• Female students crowded around Jiang Donghua to praise his arena skills and ask for instruction, but he dismissed their requests.
• Liu Yun mocked Jiang Donghua, and the two nearly fought until an elder warned them that private fighting was forbidden during the tournament.
• Liu Feng forfeited his match against Jiang Donghua, prompting students and ranking geniuses to recognize Jiang Donghua as a formidable contender.
• Jiang Donghua won several more matches by forfeit before Wang Meng took the arena and challenged him.
• Wang Meng covered himself in earth-element armor and charged at Jiang Donghua with Rockfall Fist.

Jiang Donghua stunned the Outer Court by defeating Wang Meng in one move and drawing attention to his hidden strength during the Inner Academy selection tournament. After two days of opponents avoiding him and admirers crowding around him, he faced Zhu Pang as the competition reached its fiercest stage.

• Jiang Donghua shattered Wang Meng’s rock armor with one punch, winning their match and prompting spectators to estimate his strength at around a Three-Star Battle Spirit.
• Jiang Donghua noticed several figures on the raised platform watching him, then left for the resting area as the Outer Court discussed his power.
• Over the next two days, Liu Pang forfeited his match against Jiang Donghua, while female students crowded around Jiang Donghua after he won by default and he firmly rejected their advances.
• On the third day, Jiang Donghua was matched against Zhu Pang, an Ice Attribute fighter, as the tournament’s remaining competitors gathered on the arena.

Jiang Donghua defeated Zhu Pang in one move, then faced Liu Hanshuang, a Half-step Spirit Fighter ranked twelfth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking. He severely wounded her with a fire dragon, leaving the arena stunned.

• Zhu Pang attacked Jiang Donghua with Frost Fang Thrust, but Jiang caught and shattered the ice spike before knocking Zhu Pang out of the match with one palm.
• Jiang Donghua defeated Zhu Pang, while students in the stands praised his strength and cheered for him.
• At noon, Jiang Donghua was matched against Liu Hanshuang, the Frost Blade ranked twelfth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking.
• Liu Hanshuang attacked with Thousand Ice Soul Blades, but Jiang dodged the barrage and struck her Mysterious Ice Shield with Blazing Palm.
• Liu Hanshuang tried to stab Jiang from behind with Frost Scar Stab, but he evaded her sword and struck back with a fire dragon that sent her crashing into the arena edge and spitting blood.

Jiang Donghua secured a place in the Scripture Depository selection by defeating Liu Hanshuang in one move, then returned to the Alchemy Department to celebrate. He set his sights on first place as his fellow students hailed his victory.

• Jiang Donghua defeated Half-step Spirit Fighter Liu Hanshuang in one move, and she vowed to remember the humiliation and challenge him again during the selection.
• An elder announced the top fifty qualifiers and said the ranking battles would begin the next day; Jiang Donghua resolved to aim for first place.
• Jiang Donghua returned to the Alchemy Department, where his fellow students celebrated his victory and praised him for bringing honor to their department.
• The Alchemy Department steward held a feast, and Jiang Donghua told his junior brothers and sisters to beat down anyone who looked down on them.

After Jiang Donghua celebrated his victory over Liu Hanshuang, Mo Xuan revealed that his Soul Force was nearing a breakthrough to sixth-grade Alchemist, after which he planned to leave Jia Nan Academy for the Central Plains. He warned Jiang Donghua about the region’s dangers and hinted at an old score he intended to settle there.

• Jiang Donghua celebrated with the Alchemy Department, and Mo Xuan disclosed that Jiang Donghua had reached Dou Ling Peak.
• Mo Xuan told Jiang Donghua that his Soul Force was close to breaking through to the sixth grade, exciting the Alchemy Department.
• Jiang Donghua asked why Mo Xuan would leave Jia Nan Academy, and Mo Xuan explained that the Central Plains dwarfed the Northwestern Continent and that he had once been forced to leave it.
• Mo Xuan promised to leave Jiang Donghua pill formulas, Central Plains secrets, and his accumulated wealth, while warning him not to neglect alchemy.
• Mo Xuan cautioned Jiang Donghua against getting involved in ancient disputes without sufficient strength, then resolved to return to the Central Plains and settle an old score.

Jia Nan Academy’s Outer Court elders changed the ranking matches into a challenge tournament, making Jiang Donghua the number one defender after learning he had reached Dou Ling Peak. The Outer Court students reacted with alarm and defiance as the tournament approached.

• Lei Tian and the elders debated how to arrange the matches, concerned that Jiang Donghua would overwhelm the other students.
• Fat Elder proposed a challenge tournament with Jiang Donghua defending first place against consecutive challengers, and Lei Tian approved the change.
• Fat Elder told Elder Yan that Mo Xuan was nearing a breakthrough to Sixth-grade Alchemist, prompting them to speculate about the Central Plains.
• Outer Court students learned Jiang Donghua was at Dou Ling Peak and worried they could not defeat him or earn top-five resources.
• At dawn, the new rules spread across the Outer Court, where students despaired, prepared to challenge Jiang Donghua, or insisted he could be worn down.

Jiang Donghua was named the first arena champion in Jia Nan Academy's Outer Court selection, and he defeated Bai Qing'er in a single move when she challenged him. As Mao Shan stepped forward to challenge him, the contest for first place was about to intensify.

• Lei Tian announced that Jiang Donghua would begin as the first arena champion and that students could challenge for the arena spots.
• Students rushed to claim other ranked arenas, while no one initially dared to challenge Jiang Donghua.
• Bai Qing'er challenged Jiang Donghua, but he knocked her out of the arena before her sword left its sheath.
• Jiang Donghua asked who else would challenge him, prompting Mao Shan to step forward and declare that he would take first place.
• Jiang Donghua accepted Mao Shan's challenge.

Jiang Donghua defeated Mao Shan with a single precise strike, then intimidated the other top Outer Court contenders into refusing to challenge him. When the competition ended without another challenger, he was declared champion of the Outer Court Selection Tournament.

• Mao Shan charged Jiang Donghua with his Mountain-Splitting axe, but Jiang deflected the blow and knocked him out of the arena with one strike.
• The students and elders reacted to Jiang Donghua's effortless victory, and he called for the next challenger.
• Zhao Ming, Lin Xiu, and the other Battle Spirit contenders judged Jiang Donghua too strong to face and stayed off the arena.
• An hour passed without anyone challenging Jiang Donghua, while contests continued on the other ranking arenas.
• Dean Lei Tian announced Jiang Donghua as the champion of the Outer Court Selection Tournament.

After winning the Grand Competition, Jiang Donghua ignored the crowd’s adoration and returned to his alchemy room. The next day, his teacher Mo Xuan broke through to Dou Huang, bringing the Alchemy Department greater prestige and drawing even more attention to Jiang Donghua.

• Dean Lei Tian announced Jiang Donghua, Zhao Ming, Wang Han, Lin Xiu, and Bai Ling as the Grand Competition’s top five and ordered them to gather at the Scripture Depository in three days.
• Jiang Donghua walked away from the arena through a crowd of admiring students without stopping or responding to their offers.
• The next day, a powerful aura erupted from the Alchemy Department, and Jiang Donghua recognized it as the sign of a Dou Huang breakthrough.
• Jiang Donghua realized the breakthrough belonged to his teacher, Elder Mo Xuan, who had been stuck at Peak Dou Wang for more than half a year.
• Dean Lei Tian confirmed that Mo Xuan had reached Dou Huang, and students began treating Jiang Donghua with even greater reverence and envy.

After Elder Mo Xuan broke through to the Dou Huang realm, he gave Jiang Donghua a jade slip that would reveal nearby Earth-grade cultivation techniques in the Scripture Depository. Mo Xuan told Jiang Donghua he planned to leave for the Central Plains soon, and Jiang Donghua renewed his resolve to choose a suitable technique the next day.

• Jiang Donghua visited Elder Mo Xuan and congratulated him on his breakthrough and restored youth.
• Elder Mo Xuan gave Jiang Donghua a jade slip that would react when he approached an Earth-grade cultivation technique in the Scripture Depository.
• Elder Mo Xuan warned Jiang Donghua that the jade slip would reveal only a technique's grade, leaving him to judge whether it suited him.
• Elder Mo Xuan told Jiang Donghua he planned to leave for the Central Plains in a few days and encouraged him to continue forging his own path.
• Jiang Donghua set aside his sadness and promised Elder Mo Xuan he would not disappoint him when choosing a technique the next day.

Jiang Donghua and four other top Outer Court students entered the Scripture Depository to seek cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques. Inside its strange spatial realm, they learned that they could inspect the drifting light orbs and return unwanted items, while Jiang Donghua's jade slip began to warm.

• Dean Lei Tian opened the Scripture Depository and warned the five students to take only one item, avoid greed and fighting, and leave the spatial walls alone.
• Jiang Donghua, Wang Han, Zhao Ming, Lin Xiu, and Bai Ling entered the Depository and found themselves in a realm filled with colorful light orbs containing unknown items.
• Zhao Ming and Lin Xiu observed that they could sense the orbs' attributes but could not discern their contents or grades.
• Bai Ling grabbed items from a golden orb and a blue orb, rejected them as a low-grade incomplete Dou Technique and another unworthy item, and watched them return to the spatial barrier.
• Jiang Donghua understood how the orbs could be inspected and returned, then infused Dou Qi into his Storage Ring as the jade slip inside began to warm.