Chapter Summaries

Yang Chan raised the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint to the Third Order and tested its immense power in a secret chamber. He discovered that it greatly increased his speed and strength but quickly strained his body, while his Life-Nourishing Techniques restored him rapidly; he left resolved to use the boost and his other weapons to defeat Internal Refinement Grandmasters safely.

• Yang Chan spent a Potential Point to raise the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint to the Third Order and gained control over its once-wild aura.
• Yang Chan used the Martial Imprint in his secret chamber, suppressed its surging aura with the Calm Heart Breath Holding Method, and carefully tested his enhanced speed and strength.
• Yang Chan found that the Martial Imprint increased his speed by fifty percent but could be maintained for only about fifteen minutes before weakening his body.
• Yang Chan dispersed the Martial Imprint and quickly recovered through his Life-Nourishing Techniques.
• Yang Chan resolved to unleash his Martial Imprint, poison, and hidden weapons against future Internal Refinement Grandmaster attackers before they could respond.

Yang Chan considered how to limit the strain of using a Martial Imprint and planned how to spend his Potential Points before traveling to the White Jade Capital. After improving his concealment and sword techniques, he went to bed, intending to focus future points on techniques that would help him stay safe and mobile.

• Yang Chan reflected that experts could limit the duration of their Martial Imprints to reduce the resulting weakness, and that strengthening the mind could help sustain them longer.
• Yang Chan considered refining pills with effects beyond cultivation, such as pills that improved mental power, strength, or speed, to gain more Potential Points.
• Yang Chan spent one Potential Point on the Calm Heart Breath Holding Method and the other on the Demon Subduing Sword Technique.
• Yang Chan planned to prioritize the Demon Subduing Sword Technique, Calm Heart Breath Holding Method, and Stepping Wind Steps before his trip to the White Jade Capital.
• Yang Chan regretted not comprehending an Artistic Conception when his techniques reached Third Order, but expected future breakthroughs to give him more chances.
• Yang Chan ended his late-night practice and went to bed.

Han Bingyu delivered the Han Family’s medicinal materials and silver to Yang Chan as he prepared for the Alchemist Exchange Meet in the White Jade Capital. After checking the supplies, Yang Chan gave Han Bingyu another book to study and encouraged her to ask him for help with alchemy questions.

• Han Bingyu delivered the medicinal materials and requested silver, while Yang Chan declined to meet visitors seeking him out, including Han Yu.
• Yang Chan inspected the materials and set aside the silver as a reserve for his trip to the White Jade Capital.
• Yang Chan asked whether Han Bingyu had finished reading Foundations of Alchemy, and she confirmed that she had.
• Yang Chan gave Han Bingyu Compendium of Medicinal Materials and explained how it could improve her knowledge of medicinal ingredients.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to ask him when she encountered difficulties instead of struggling through them alone.

Gao Yuanlong rallied Qingyuan Sect’s Intermediate Alchemists to challenge Yang Chan’s Alchemist Exchange Meet spot by appealing to Elder Hua. The group followed him to make their case, leaving the spot’s fate unresolved.

• Gao Yuanlong complained that Yang Chan had received a spot and urged the Intermediate Alchemists to help contest the decision.
• Di Qiu questioned whether Elder Hua would intervene and warned that challenging the decision could cost them their dignity.
• Gao Yuanlong warned Di Qiu not to seek the spot later if he refused to join the effort.
• Gao Yuanlong declared that those who wanted the spot should accompany him to see Elder Hua, and the other Intermediate Alchemists followed.

Nine Intermediate Alchemists went to Qinghua Academy to seek out Senior Alchemist Hua Yongnian, while Yang Chan hoped their protest would keep him from attending the Alchemist Exchange Meet. Gao Yuanlong and the others gained an audience with Elder Hua, whose status and importance to Qingyuan Sect were made clear.

• Yang Chan sensed Gao Yuanlong and eight other Intermediate Alchemists heading to Qinghua Academy and learned they hoped to stop him from going to the Alchemist Exchange Meet.
• Yang Chan wished their dispute would grow serious enough to keep him in Qingyuan Sect, then returned to cultivating the Calm Heart Breath Holding Method and Demon Subduing Sword Technique.
• Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and the other Intermediate Alchemists arrived at Qinghua Academy and requested an audience with Hua Yongnian.
• A gatekeeper reported the gathering, and Elder Hua invited all nine Intermediate Alchemists inside.
• The chapter explained that Elder Hua and Yan Jinfeng were Internal Refinement Grandmasters who relied on their alchemy resources, and that Qingyuan Sect needed Senior Alchemists to supply cultivation resources.

Gao Yuanlong and the other Intermediate Alchemists visited Hua Yongnian to challenge the decision to give Yang Chan a spot at the Alchemist Exchange Meet. After calming down in Elder Hua’s presence, Gao Yuanlong cautiously asked whether Yang Chan had received a spot.

• Gao Yuanlong and the other Intermediate Alchemists entered Hua Yongnian’s residence and observed the rare spirit medicines he cultivated.
• Hua Yongnian finished tending his spirit medicines and brought the visitors to the reception hall.
• The Intermediate Alchemists reconsidered their chances and waited to see how Hua Yongnian would respond.
• Gao Yuanlong asked Hua Yongnian whether Junior Alchemist Yang Chan had been given a spot at the Alchemist Exchange Meet.

Hua Yongnian explained why Xu Gaocen and Yang Chan had been chosen for the Qingyuan Sect’s two Alchemist Exchange Meet slots, emphasizing their abilities, potential, and contributions. Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and the other Intermediate Alchemists accepted the decision, and Hua encouraged them to keep serving the sect and seek help improving their alchemy.

• Hua Yongnian confirmed that Xu Gaocen would receive one slot because of his pill-refining skill and the resources he could win for the Qingyuan Sect.
• Hua defended Yang Chan’s slot by citing his sect missions, combat record, alchemy achievements, and potential to become an Intermediate Alchemist.
• Gao Yuanlong reluctantly agreed that Yang Chan deserved a slot, and Di Qiu and the other Intermediate Alchemists voiced their agreement.
• Hua Yongnian encouraged the alchemists to earn future opportunities through their contributions and offered to help them improve their alchemy.

Hua Yongnian calmed Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and the other Intermediate Alchemists after they objected to Yang Chan’s place at the Alchemist Exchange Meet. Gu An discussed the dispute with Hua Yongnian, promised to handle future problems himself, and confirmed that travel arrangements for White Jade Capital were ready.

• Hua Yongnian encouraged Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and the other Intermediate Alchemists, sending them away with a renewed sense of purpose.
• Gu An revealed himself to Hua Yongnian and praised how he had settled the alchemists’ dispute.
• Hua Yongnian asked Gu An to handle such matters himself in the future, and Gu An promised to do so.
• Gu An explained that the alchemists resented Yang Chan’s talent and that Yang Chan could become Qingyuan Sect’s youngest Intermediate Alchemist.
• Hua Yongnian warned Gu An to prepare for the trip to White Jade Capital, and Gu An assured him that escorts and reception arrangements were in place.

Yang Chan prepared pills, hidden weapons, armor, and other supplies for his upcoming month-long trip to the White Jade Capital. Before leaving for the Alchemist Exchange Meet, he asked Han Bingyu to watch over his courtyard, entrusting her with a task that also tested her.

• Yang Chan learned that Gao Yuanlong and the other Intermediate Alchemists had returned empty-handed after failing to resolve their issue with Elder Hua.
• Yang Chan cultivated and refined pills while preparing supplies and exchanging sect contribution points for sharp weapon-grade hidden weapons.
• Yang Chan arranged to acquire sharp weapon-grade armor and a longsword and refined Advanced Detoxification Pills to protect himself during his trip.
• Yang Chan advised his Alchemist Assistants and apprentices as they prepared for the period when he would be away, while Han Bingyu continued studying and practicing alchemy.
• Han Bingyu delivered medicinal ingredients from the Han Family, and Yang Chan gave her a list of more ingredients he needed.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu that he would be away for at least a month and asked her to look after his courtyard.

Yang Chan arranged a test to judge whether Han Bingyu could be trusted while preparing to leave the Qingyuan Sect. He advanced the Demon Subduing Sword Technique to Fourth Order and comprehended the Demon Subduing Sword Intent.

• Yang Chan left hidden measures in his secret chamber and bedroom to detect whether Han Bingyu searched his residence, then entrusted her with preparing medicinal ingredients.
• Yang Chan saw that his Potential Points had refreshed and spent one to raise the Demon Subduing Sword Technique from Third Order: Mastery to Fourth Order: Proficient.
• Yang Chan used the Third Order Calm Heart Breath Holding Method to steady his mind and began comprehending the sword intent revealed by the technique.
• Yang Chan understood that the Demon Subduing Sword Intent could suppress the Ox Demon, Tiger Demon, Flood Dragon Demon, and other fiends.
• Yang Chan merged with the sword intent and made it surge faintly upon his longsword.

Yang Chan comprehended the Demon Subduing Sword Intent and unlocked the Sword Master profession, then spent Potential Points to strengthen it. He tested the improved Sword Intent, which made his Demon Subduing Sword Technique more natural and powerful.

• Yang Chan considered two ways to cultivate Demon Subduing Sword Intent and noted that the Sword Master profession had appeared on his panel after he comprehended it.
• Yang Chan spent a Potential Point to raise Sword Master from Beginner 1% to Beginner 11% and found that his Sword Intent had improved.
• Yang Chan changed his training plan to focus on Sword Master before improving Stepping Wind Steps, intending to learn what the profession could provide.
• Yang Chan spent his remaining Potential Point to raise Sword Master to Beginner 21% and deepened his control over Sword Intent.
• Yang Chan used his strengthened Demon Subduing Sword Technique to cut through a Hundred Refinements Long Sword with a light sweep of his Thousand Refinements Long Sword.

Yang Chan improved his Demon Subduing Sword Intent, then went to bed early to protect his health. As he prepared to travel to White Jade Capital for the Alchemist Exchange Meet, Zhao Yi and the other Pharmacists discussed the Twelve Floors and its celebrated courtesans.

• Yang Chan realized that he needed more Demonic Intent to strengthen his Sword Intent and went to bed after deciding not to stay up late.
• Qingyuan Sect's hidden guards mistook Yang Chan's late-night practice for preparation for the Alchemist Exchange Meet.
• Zhao Yi asked whether Yang Chan planned to visit Twelve Floors and told him about the White Jade Capital Twelve Beauties.
• Yang Chan said the trip was for the Alchemist Exchange Meet and that he likely would not have time to sightsee.
• Zhao Yi claimed Elder Yan and the other Pharmacists visited Twelve Floors, while Yang Chan reflected on the connections and women surrounding Qingyuan Sect's Pharmacists.

Yang Chan learned about the Alchemist Alliance’s influence in White Jade Capital and questioned Zhao Yi about the risks of visiting its Twelve Floors. He left the discussion wary of the unfamiliar city and unimpressed by Zhao Yi’s fascination with its famous beauties.

• Yang Chan considered how marriage alliances and romantic connections shaped relationships within Qingyuan Sect, including the interest others showed in him and Xu Gaocen.
• Yang Chan recognized that Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and other Intermediate Alchemists had reached their limits, and that Elder Hua’s words had ended their dispute.
• Yang Chan asked Zhao Yi whether jealousy over women could cause trouble in White Jade Capital.
• Zhao Yi explained that the Alchemist Alliance had strong ties to the imperial family and court, and that its members were rarely provoked.
• Yang Chan asked whether Sect Master Liu Xuan held a court post, but Zhao Yi said he did not know.
• Zhao Yi urged Yang Chan to visit the Twelve Floors and report on the White Jade Capital Twelve Beauties, while Yang Chan dismissed the fascination and resolved to stay focused on his goals.

Yang Chan discussed the White Jade Capital Twelve Beauties with Zhao Yi, who urged him to visit them during the upcoming trip. Yang Chan focused on his plans to learn from other alchemists and then rushed to treat a severely wounded Qingyuan Sect disciple.

• Zhao Yi explained that the White Jade Capital Twelve Beauties came from varied and often complicated backgrounds, then encouraged Yang Chan to visit them.
• Yang Chan said he planned to exchange alchemy insights and learn from Senior Alchemists in White Jade Capital, while leaving other arrangements to Elder Yan and the others.
• Zhao Yi took Yang Chan's answer as a sign he would visit the Twelve Floors, and the nearby Alchemist Assistants returned to their studies.
• Han Bingyu reported that an injured disciple had arrived, and Yang Chan went with her to assess him.
• Yang Chan assigned tasks to Han Bingyu, Gu Shiqing, Liu Qing, and Fang Yun before beginning treatment of the disciple, who had lost his lower body and much blood.

Yang Chan traveled with Qingyuan Sect’s delegation toward White Jade Capital for the Alchemist Exchange Meet, having advanced his Swordmaster profession and continued improving his cultivation and movement technique. The well-protected group proceeded along the official road, leaving Yang Chan to observe the unfamiliar scenery on his first journey to the capital.

• Yang Chan raised his Swordmaster profession to First Stage Peeking into the Threshold, then focused his Potential Points on Martial Cultivation and Stepping Wind Steps.
• Yang Chan’s second viscera tempering reached halfway, while his Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method reached Third Order: Mastery, 10%, and his Stepping Wind Steps reached Third Order: Mastery, 30%.
• Elder Yan led Xu Gaocen, Yang Chan, and Qingyuan Sect disciples toward White Jade Capital, accompanied by escorts including Cai Kun and Elder Ji Feng.
• Qingyuan Sect sent Elite Disciples on fine Qingzhou Horses and provided Elder Yan with a luxurious three-horse carriage to display the sect’s status and protect its Senior Alchemist.
• Yang Chan sensed that Elder Yan, Elder Ji Feng, and another hidden Internal Refinement Grandmaster protected the traveling party.
• The carriage reached the official road, and Yang Chan watched the unfamiliar scenery as the group continued toward White Jade Capital.

Yang Chan and the Qingyuan Sect’s caravan encountered Luo Zhenming and the Tianshan Sword Sect on the road through Yuzhou. Yan Jinfeng and Luo exchanged insults, leaving both groups wary but not yet in a fight.

• Yang Chan traveled through Yuzhou, taking medicine during breaks and investing his Potential Points in Stepping Wind Steps.
• Ji Feng spotted a Tianshan Sword Sect caravan waiting on the official road and warned Elder Yan.
• Elder Yan recognized Luo Zhenming, the Tianshan Sword Sect’s Senior Alchemist and his old rival, and suspected he had deliberately waited for them.
• Luo Zhenming used a sound-wave technique to call out to Yan Jinfeng, discomforting the Qingyuan Sect’s guarding disciples.
• Yan Jinfeng countered with his own sound-wave technique, then traded barbs with Luo Zhenming as both sects maintained their vigilance.

On the journey to White Jade Capital, Yang Chan watched Senior Alchemist Yan Jinfeng and Luo Zhenming of the Tianshan Sword Sect trade vicious insults, shattering his image of Elder Yan. That night, Yang Chan concealed his true cultivation, took pills, and continued quietly improving his internal refinement and Stepping Wind Steps.

• Yan Jinfeng and Luo Zhenming exchanged curses on the road, each mocking the other's age, appearance, and family.
• Yang Chan and several first-time travelers watched in astonishment as the two Internal Refinement Grandmasters insulted each other for nearly two hours.
• After nightfall, Yang Chan took a Lantian Jade Refining Pill and practiced the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist instead of the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method to hide his cultivation.
• Yang Chan took a One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill, letting most of its medicinal power dissipate so he would not reveal his internal refinement.
• Yang Chan spent a Potential Point on internal refinement and another on the Stepping Wind Steps, aiming to reach its fourth tier before arriving in White Jade Capital.

Yang Chan traveled toward White Jade Capital with the Qingyuan Sect and several other sects, enduring their Senior Alchemists’ constant verbal disputes while studying alchemy and considering his reliance on the sect’s resources. As the city drew near, he suspected the bickering was a performance meant to influence the Great Zhou Imperial Family amid the unrest connected to Yuzhou.

• Yang Chan traveled alongside the Tianshan Sword Sect and encountered the Lingxiao Pavilion and Tianwu Pavilion, whose members were also heading to White Jade Capital for the Alchemist Exchange Meet.
• Yang Chan studied alchemy books and learned that scarce medicinal herbs were prioritized for higher-ranked alchemists, reinforcing his decision to rely on Qingyuan Sect’s resources.
• The disputes among Yan Jinfeng, Luo Zhenming, and other Senior Alchemists continued as the roads grew crowded with sects and merchants bound for White Jade Capital.
• Yang Chan suspected the Senior Alchemists were prolonging their quarrel as a show for the Great Zhou Imperial Family.
• Yang Chan connected the performance to White Jade Capital’s unstable situation and the Qingyuan Sect’s withdrawal from the operation against the Wusheng Heresy in Yuzhou.

Yang Chan and his companions entered White Jade Capital, where Yan Jinfeng chose to visit the Alchemist Alliance before Qingyuan Pavilion. Xu Gaocen explained the capital’s dangerous contests between famous experts and challengers as they traveled onward.

• Yang Chan and his companions waited with the crowds to enter White Jade Capital and passed inspection at the gate.
• Ji Feng asked whether they should visit the Alchemist Alliance or Qingyuan Pavilion first, and Yan Jinfeng chose the Alchemist Alliance.
• Yang Chan observed White Jade Capital’s busy streets and lavish establishments as their carriage traveled through the city.
• Xu Gaocen explained that White Jade Capital drew powerful figures and challengers seeking fame, and that experts died there every day.

Emperor Yang Yu heard a report about the major sects gathering in the capital and settled a dispute over how the Great Zhou Dynasty should treat them. He ordered the Alchemist Exchange Meet to proceed and directed the Alchemist Alliance to try refining the Earth Origin Supreme Saint Pill, which could help him become a Martial Saint.

• Zhang Yu reported that people from the major sects across the thirty-two provinces had entered the capital and were heading to the Alchemist Alliance.
• Grand Tutor Yan Hongwen called for destroying the sects, while Grand Protector Sikong Wenwen argued that the court should tolerate them as long as they did not interfere in official affairs.
• Yang Yu stopped the argument and ordered Sikong Wenwen to ensure the Alchemist Alliance's triennial Alchemist Exchange Meet proceeded without trouble.
• Yang Yu ordered the Alchemist Alliance to attempt refining the Earth Origin Supreme Saint Pill, which could help a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster break through to Martial Saint.