Chapter Summaries

Yang Chan returned to Qingyuan Sect and reassured Princess Lanyue that he would take her to Tianxuan Holy Land when the time was right. After restoring her disguise, he inspected and secured his secret chamber, then planned to demonstrate his ability to refine Five-Viscera Organ-Nourishing Pills for Sect Master Gu.

• Princess Lanyue embraced Yang Chan when he returned and heard him promise that Qingyuan Sect was safe for now and that they could later go to Tianxuan Holy Land.
• Yang Chan returned the Thousand Faces Mask Treasure Artifact, and Princess Lanyue put it on to resume Xiao Xiang's appearance.
• Princess Lanyue asked to stay the night, but Yang Chan sent her to sleep in the study while he went to cultivate in the secret chamber.
• Yang Chan inspected the secret chamber, restored its traps and aura-concealing formation, and reflected on how heart tempering had improved his ability to control his heartbeat.
• Yang Chan decided to show Sect Master Gu that he could refine Five-Viscera Organ-Nourishing Pills so he could obtain more spiritual medicines for his cultivation.

After emerging from seclusion, Yang Chan heard Han Bingyu’s account of recent events in Qingyuan Sect and asked her to keep him informed about the sect’s plans for Tianxuan Holy Land. He continued weighing his own future path toward the Holy Land while growing closer to Han Bingyu.

• Princess Lanyue left Yang Chan’s study disappointed that he had not accepted her advances, despite agreeing to take her to Tianxuan Holy Land.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan that two Internal Refinement of Five Organs experts from holy lands had passed through Qingyuan Sect, prompting the sect to tighten security and recall its missions.
• Han Bingyu reported that the Great Yin Demoness had been sighted in Yuzhou, that people from the holy lands had largely left Qingzhou, and that Qingyuan Sect would soon resume external missions and distribute spirit herbs.
• Yang Chan asked Han Bingyu to tell him when Qingyuan Sect selected Formal Disciples for Tianxuan Holy Land, since he wanted information about the Holy Land for his own plans.
• Yang Chan reflected that he would need Tianxuan Holy Land’s resources to advance beyond his current cultivation prospects, while keeping the secret of Taiyin Heaven’s high tower hidden in his Mysterious Yin Hanging Beads.

Gu An praised Yang Chan for refining a qualified Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pill and encouraged him to keep improving while maintaining his martial cultivation. He revealed that Liu Xuan planned to obtain the complete Peng Demon Marrow Cleansing Scripture for the Qingyuan Sect, and promised Yang Chan a chance to study it if his pill refinement progressed.

• Gu An examined Yang Chan's Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pill, judged it qualified despite its modest efficacy, and praised his alchemy talent.
• Yang Chan worried that his pill completion rate was low, so Gu An reassured him and planned to have him refine more pills for the sect.
• Gu An urged Yang Chan to continue martial cultivation so he could extend his lifespan and keep refining pills for years to come.
• Gu An explained that Liu Xuan had become Chiyu Peak's peak master but faced pressure from other peak masters in Tianxuan Holy Land.
• Gu An said Liu Xuan's letters mentioned plans to send the complete Peng Demon Marrow Cleansing Scripture to the Qingyuan Sect once Chiyu Peak was secure.
• Gu An promised Yang Chan he could study the complete scripture if he refined more high-quality Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills.

Yang Chan increased his Potential Point income by refining Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills and planned to improve his alchemy before attempting a rare new formula. His peaceful days ended when a letter warned him that the Golden Meng Empire had resumed its war against the Great Zhou Dynasty, threatening to draw in Qingzhou and the Qingyuan Sect.

• Yang Chan refined Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills with a thirty percent success rate and raised his daily Potential Point income to 9.3.
• Yang Chan inspected the Essence Condensing Organ Refining Pill formula from Princess Lanyue and decided to improve his alchemy before trying it.
• Yang Chan returned to Yuanqing Courtyard and resumed his quiet routine while remaining wary of unfamiliar visitors.
• Han Bingyu delivered an urgent letter from the Han Family to Yang Chan.
• Yang Chan learned that the Golden Meng Empire had massed forces in Lanzhou, Qizhou, and Yuzhou for a renewed war against the Great Zhou Dynasty.
• Yang Chan anticipated that the fighting could bring conscription to Qingzhou and require the Qingyuan Sect to send support under the Pact of Alliance.

Yang Chan learned that the war between two nations might draw the Qingyuan Sect and Qingzhou into conflict, and he resumed cultivating while awaiting more news. In Tai'an City, Yin Shuiyue crippled a maid who had betrayed her and ordered her taken to the Taihe Military Camp, while thinking about the man whose body had strengthened her cultivation.

• Yang Chan learned the Han Family had received news of the war two days earlier and told Han Bingyu to keep gathering reports from the family and the Qingyuan Sect.
• Yang Chan considered the Qingyuan Sect's obligations under the alliance and resumed cultivating the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method.
• Yin Shuiyue confronted a maid who said the Holy Son had forced her to betray the Saintess, then destroyed the maid's Jing Power.
• Yin Shuiyue ordered the crippled maid sent to the Taihe Military Camp to face a thousand soldiers, ignoring her pleas and curses.
• Yin Shuiyue recalled how the man from the stone cave had strengthened her Nine Nether Primordial Body and resolved to claim him again.

The Great Yin Saintess planned to hunt down the mysterious person whose aura she had collected, while watching the Great Zhou Dynasty’s transition on behalf of her sect. At the Qingyuan Sect, Yang Chan taught his Alchemist Assistants to compound medicine and assigned them delivery work.

• The Great Yin Saintess dismissed her new maids, vowed to find the disguised person again, and believed he held the opportunity to reach Martial Saint and Divine Aperture realms.
• The Great Yin Saintess prepared to monitor the Great Zhou Dynasty’s dynastic transition and prevent other sacred lands from interfering with the Golden Meng Empire’s interests.
• Yang Chan compounded Cold Fragrance Yuan Refining Powder and explained its key steps to four Alchemist Assistants.
• Yang Chan described how the Qingyuan Sect rewarded outstanding Steward Disciples with medicine as it trained them to replenish its Formal Disciples.
• Yang Chan dismissed the Alchemist Assistants and told them to deliver the prepared medicine, while noting his trust in Han Bingyu’s diligent work.

Gu An assigned Qingyuan Sect personnel to support the war and told Yang Chan that he had refused the imperial family's request for him to go to the border, suspecting the court might target him. Yang Chan stayed in the sect to refine pills while concealing his growing ability, and the chapter left him continuing his cultivation and preparing for his medicinal bath.

• Gu An divided support quotas among Qingyuan Sect's halls and assigned disciples to aid the Great Zhou Dynasty in its war against the Golden Meng Empire.
• Gu An told Yang Chan that the imperial family had requested his help at the border, but he refused because he suspected it might be targeting Yang Chan.
• Yang Chan agreed to remain in Qingyuan Sect and focus on refining Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills and studying inherited formulas.
• Gu An promised Yang Chan premium spiritual herbs and said he would not assign him outside duties unless necessary.
• Yang Chan used a premium Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pill from the Mysterious Yin Hanging Beads and resolved to keep his alchemy success rate low to avoid attracting attention.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan that his Dragon Bone Medicinal Bath was ready after his cultivation session.

Yang Chan refined Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills with a success rate that surpassed Princess Lanyue’s, while she reflected on his extraordinary alchemy talent. He warned her to keep their abilities hidden from the Great Zhou Imperial Family, and she agreed to pose as his uninformed maid.

• Princess Lanyue told Yang Chan that his pill success rate had reached fifty percent and his success rate for superior Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills had reached thirty percent, surpassing hers.
• Princess Lanyue explained that an alchemist needed an eighty percent success rate for Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills before attempting Seven-Revolutions Organ Nourishing Pills, and outlined the requirements for becoming a Senior Alchemist.
• Yang Chan dismissed Princess Lanyue’s praise and said he wanted to remain low-key, especially after the Great Zhou Imperial Family had taken an interest in him.
• Yang Chan warned Princess Lanyue that they needed to hide their abilities, and she said she was merely his maid, Xiao Xiang, who knew nothing about pill refinement.
• Yang Chan finished refining pills and said he and Princess Lanyue would return to Yuanqing Courtyard to rest.

Yang Chan gained access to the Qingyuan Sect’s senior alchemy notes and found two promising Internal Refinement pill formulas, while deciding to improve his Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pill skills before attempting them. After reviewing reports of the stalemated border war, he expected to remain safe within the sect and considered following Gu An to Tianxuan Holy Land if the Great Zhou Dynasty fell.

• Yang Chan gave Gu An qualified Five-Cycle Organ Nourishing Pills, and Gu An praised his rising success rate while refusing to yield him to the Great Zhou Imperial Family.
• Gu An granted Yang Chan unrestricted access to the senior alchemy notes on the Medicine Hall Library Pavilion’s top floor.
• Yang Chan studied the formulas, memorized the Creation Body Tempering Pill recipe, and identified the Spirit Replenishing Organ Nourishing Pill as a formula he could try after improving his skills.
• Han Bingyu brought Yang Chan letters from the Han Family and the Qingyuan Sect describing the border war.
• Yang Chan read that the Great Zhou Dynasty and Golden Meng Empire were locked in a fierce stalemate and considered leaving with Gu An for Tianxuan Holy Land if the dynasty collapsed.

Six Gates constables received orders to travel to Yuzhou for the war against the Golden Meng Empire, while Imperial Tutor Helian Guang was assigned to lead them and hold the border. The Old Emperor reassured him that the Old Ancestor would intervene if the battle turned dire, but Helian Guang accepted the command with his thoughts concealed.

• A Six Gates messenger ordered Captain Xing and Yan Xiaoliu to leave for Yuzhou the following night.
• Captain Xing urged Yan Xiaoliu to marry before departing, but Yan Xiaoliu joked that he preferred a bridegroom's carefree life and the two agreed to celebrate at Red Apricot Tower if they returned.
• Imperial Tutor Helian Guang reported to the Old Emperor that Six Gates had begun heading for the border.
• The Old Emperor told Helian Guang to lead the border defense in his place and reassured him that the Old Ancestor would act if the battle became dire.
• The Old Emperor placed Six Gates under Helian Guang's command, and Helian Guang accepted the assignment without revealing his inner thoughts.

Old Emperor Yang Yu and the Great Zhou Dynasty’s Martial Saint Ancestor discussed their plan to exploit the war with the Golden Meng Empire and weaken both nations’ Golden Dragons of National Fortune. They hoped to seize the power released by the national fortune so Yang Yu could become a Pillar-Supporting Martial Saint and the Ancestor could extend his life, while preparing scattered Yang Clan descendants as a last resort.

• Yang Yu dismissed Imperial Tutor Helian Guang and told the Martial Saint Ancestor that the Great Zhou Dynasty needed its ministers’ sacrifices to advance their plan.
• The Ancestor explained that the war was intended to deplete the two nations’ national fortunes, creating a chance to seize their returning power and extend his life.
• The Ancestor warned Yang Yu that he had to break through to the Pillar-Supporting Martial Saint realm, since the Great Zhou Dynasty could fall if they both failed.
• The Ancestor revealed that members of the Yang Clan had been sent away under new identities to preserve the family’s final hope.
• Yang Yu proposed sending more sect prodigies to hasten the depletion of national fortune, but the Ancestor refused and said they would wait for the right moment to strike the Golden Dragon of National Fortune.

Yang Chan read bizarre ancient alchemy records before receiving news of the Great Zhou Dynasty's strange military decisions in its war with the Golden Meng Empire. He could not discern the Imperial Family's motive, so he ordered further investigation and offered guidance to Han Bingyu as she advanced in martial cultivation.

• Yang Chan read ancient alchemy notes about failed experiments, including pills intended to transform miniature ponies into explosive weapons.
• Han Bingyu brought Yang Chan intelligence reports about the Great Zhou Dynasty sending Imperial Guards, Six Gates forces, Imperial Tutor Helian Guang, and civil ministers to the front lines.
• Yang Chan questioned the Great Zhou Imperial Family's unusual wartime decisions and asked whether the sect or outside world had analyzed them.
• Han Bingyu said they were still gathering information, and Yang Chan told her to keep watch for developments.
• Yang Chan offered to guide Han Bingyu in External Refinement: Bronze Skin, and she welcomed the chance to grow closer to him.

Yang Chan reflected on his cultivation progress and settled into another day of practice, while the Great Yin Saintess confronted a Personal Disciple who had betrayed her. She threatened to send him to the He Yuan exotic beast pack, but he relied on his value as a reserve Primordial Yang Body to argue that she would not let him die.

• Yang Chan found that his body consumed Nine Nether Qi faster while gaining less from it, and he credited his steady cultivation progress to Potential Points as well.
• Yang Chan planned to continue training his life-nourishing techniques and hoped to receive the complete Peng Demon Marrow Cleansing Scripture from Tianxuan Holy Land.
• The Great Yin Saintess accused her Personal Disciple of betraying her and using her personal maid to take the blame for his actions.
• The Personal Disciple accused Yin Shuiyue of intending to harvest his cultivation after he became a Primordial Yang Body, and said his service had repaid her earlier help.
• Yin Shuiyue threatened to send him to the He Yuan exotic beast pack during its mating season, while he insisted she needed him alive to strengthen her foundation and pursue the Martial Saint Realm.

The Great Yin Saintess tortured Ji Boduan after deciding she no longer needed his Primordial Yang Body. After learning that the man she desired had appeared near Star River City and vanished, she ordered her people to keep searching for him.

• The Great Yin Saintess demanded more leverage from Ji Boduan, then revealed she no longer needed his Primordial Yang Body.
• The Great Yin Saintess cut off Ji Boduan’s legs and then castrated him, destroying his Jing Power as he cursed her.
• The Great Yin Saintess ordered her attendants to take Ji Boduan to the He Yuan exotic beasts, leaving his tongue intact so he could scream.
• A black-clad woman told the Great Yin Saintess that the man she sought had appeared near Star River City and disappeared, likely using disguise techniques.
• The Great Yin Saintess concluded that the man had left Qingzhou and ordered her people to continue searching for him.

Yang Chan entered seclusion and used Potential Points to complete the tempering of his second internal organ, setting his sights on becoming a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. He also continued advancing his other abilities while awaiting news about the fierce borderland war.

• Yang Chan attended the Sect Competition ceremony as the Medicine Hall’s chief Pharmacist and refined pills for its rewards.
• Yang Chan entered seclusion after his second internal organ neared the end of its tempering.
• Yang Chan spent Potential Points until his Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method reached 40%, completing the tempering of his second internal organ and allowing him to begin work on the third.
• Yang Chan resolved to reach the Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster realm and to improve his Calm Heart Breath Holding Method before advancing further.
• Yang Chan remained concerned about the war between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Golden Meng Empire and had Han Bingyu report any new information.
• Yang Chan continued allocating Potential Points to the Sword Master profession and Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique, pursuing greater combat power and a longer lifespan.

The Great Zhou Dynasty began recruiting troops across all thirty-two provinces again, deepening Gu An and Yang Chan’s suspicions about the war’s unusually urgent escalation. Princess Lanyue speculated that the dynasty’s Martial Saint Patriarch might be unable to intervene, but the reason remained unconfirmed.

• The Great Zhou Dynasty ordered every province to recruit soldiers and required major sects to meet support quotas, prompting Gu An to protect Qingyuan Sect’s strength by assigning most of its quota to affiliated forces.
• Gu An recognized that the dynasty’s repeated recruitment and willingness to deplete its forces were unusual, and he hoped Tianxuan Holy Land would provide reliable information.
• Yang Chan questioned Han Bingyu about the new recruitment, and she reported that neither side had gained an advantage in the fierce battles across Lanzhou, Qizhou, and Yuzhou.
• After Han Bingyu left, Yang Chan asked Princess Lanyue to interpret the imperial family’s intentions.
• Princess Lanyue suggested that a problem involving the Martial Saint Patriarch or other Pillar-Supporting Martial Saints might explain why the dynasty was recruiting instead of intervening.

Gu An received the Great Zhou Dynasty’s third conscription, which demanded half of each major sect’s Internal Refinement Grandmasters and all its Intermediate Alchemists, and decided the sects had to discuss how to respond. Meanwhile, Princess Lanyue watched Yang Chan’s alchemy improve and reflected on the vast gap between their talents, as Yang Chan remained focused on effort and the wider world beyond Taiyu Divine Continent.

• Gu An read the Great Zhou Dynasty’s edict ordering the major sects to send half their Internal Refinement Grandmasters and all their Intermediate Alchemists to support the war.
• Gu An reviewed letters from other sects and, with no word from Tianxuan Holy Land, decided they could not wait any longer to discuss how to respond.
• Princess Lanyue praised Yang Chan’s rising pill completion rates, while Yang Chan credited his improvement to studying alchemy notes and working hard.
• Princess Lanyue admitted that Yang Chan’s talent made him seem impossible to catch up to, and Yang Chan encouraged her to keep trying.
• Yang Chan told Princess Lanyue that Taiyu Divine Continent was only part of a much larger world, and she shared what she had heard about the Holy Lands.

Yang Chan discussed the Holy Lands and the possibility of powers beyond the Martial Saint realm with Princess Lanyue, then encouraged her to focus on cultivation and offered to guide her. They left Earth Fire Courtyard for Yuanqing Courtyard, with Yang Chan remaining careful to guard their secrets.

• Princess Lanyue explained that Holy Lands had ordinary levels of spiritual energy but powerful methods for nurturing disciples, and said she did not know whether anyone had surpassed the Martial Saint realm.
• Yang Chan asked whether higher realms involved gods or acupoints, but Princess Lanyue could not confirm either possibility.
• Yang Chan urged Princess Lanyue to cultivate diligently toward Internal Refinement Grandmaster and offered to guide her when she encountered difficulties.
• Yang Chan checked that no one was nearby, then took Princess Lanyue back to Yuanqing Courtyard.

Yang Sheng prepared Old Emperor Yang Yu to use the Great Zhou Dynasty’s national fortune in an attempt to extend their lives and break through, despite the risks to the dynasty. Yang Yu confirmed his plans and protections, including guarding the Dragon Suppressing Stone, as the Great Zhou prepared for the journey and its possible consequences.

• Yang Sheng told Old Emperor Yang Yu that the sects’ participation would help secure their plans, and that they could forcibly recruit sects encountered near the border.
• Yang Sheng ordered Yang Yu to appoint an Imperial Prince to supervise the realm, with a new Emperor to replace him if his breakthrough failed.
• Yang Sheng advised Yang Yu to bring Grand Tutor Yan Hongwen and Grand Protector Sikong Wenwen, whose national fortune could buy time while Yang Yu refined its power.
• Yang Yu said he had chosen additional ministers and replacements to support the Great Zhou Dynasty whether the plan succeeded or failed.
• Yang Sheng warned Yang Yu that the Dragon Suppressing Stone in White Jade Capital’s imperial mausoleum had to be protected, and Yang Yu described the guards stationed there.
• Yang Sheng explained that destroying the Dragon Suppressing Stone would expose the Golden Dragon of National Fortune and doom the dynasty, while cursing the Yang Clan for generations.

Yang Chan learned from Gu An that the Great Zhou Dynasty had begun a third conscription and that he would have to go to the border. Gu An warned him the dynasty’s actions seemed deeply troubling and told him to flee if anything went wrong.

• Yang Chan completed his Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method training and recovered with the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan she had heard rumors of a third conscription and suspected Gu An had summoned him about it.
• Gu An explained that the Great Zhou Dynasty demanded large portions of the sects’ disciples and alchemists for the border effort.
• Gu An said the Great Zhou Martial Saint Ancestor had punished Qingxuan Fanlou after its opposition and was forcing sects in nearby provinces to provide more people.
• Gu An told Yang Chan to prepare for the journey to the border, avoid the front lines, and flee if the situation felt wrong.