Chapter Summaries

Yang Chan conducted his first Alchemist Assistant assessments and was puzzled when none of the candidates met his supposedly modest standards. Pharmacist Zhao Yi explained that the candidates were simply poorly prepared, while the disappointed disciples reconsidered whether alchemy suited them.

• Yang Chan raised his Ox Demon Strength Fist to the fourth tier, then cultivated the Purple Qi Body Cultivation Technique at sunrise.
• Yang Chan set detailed questions for three Formal Disciples seeking to become his Alchemist Assistants, but their answers fell far short of his expectations.
• Yang Chan asked Pharmacist Zhao Yi whether Alchemist Assistant assessments had standards, and Zhao Yi explained that new Pharmacists often attracted poorly prepared candidates.
• Xu Yu told other Formal Disciples that Yang Chan's assessment had left him questioning his aptitude for alchemy, while another candidate decided to focus on martial cultivation.

Sect Master Liu Xuan convened Qingyuan Sect’s elders after the Wusheng Heresy seized half of Tan City and threatened to spread from Yuzhou into Qingzhou. He ordered a total extermination and sent Lu Zhenghai and Luo Zhenhai to reinforce Elder Wu and destroy the heresy.

• Liu Xuan told the assembled elders that the Wusheng Heresy had risen across Yuzhou and now occupied at least half of Tan City despite Elder Wu’s efforts.
• Liu Xuan warned that the heresy might have support from other forces and ordered its complete destruction, including killing all its believers in Tan City.
• Lu Zhenghai volunteered to lead the reinforcement effort, and Liu Xuan agreed to send him.
• Luo Zhenhai volunteered to accompany Lu Zhenghai, and Liu Xuan entrusted the two elders with resolving Tan City’s crisis.

Yang Chan learned that Lu Zhenghai had assigned him to join a mission against the Wusheng Heresy in Tan City, and he devised a way to avoid going down the mountain. He deliberately tested failed Lantian Jade Refining Pill dregs, learned what had gone wrong with the refinement, and collapsed from the poison.

• An External Affairs Hall disciple told Yang Chan that Lu Zhenghai had assigned him to accompany elders on a mission to eradicate the Wusheng Heresy in Tan City.
• Yang Chan decided to use the toxicity of his failed Lantian Jade Refining Pill dregs to make himself too ill to travel.
• Yang Chan asked Zhao Yi about refining the pill and discussed how testing medicine could reveal mistakes in the process.
• Yang Chan consumed the medicinal dregs and sensed that he had added some ingredients too early and others too late while mishandling the earthfire.
• Yang Chan swallowed a Detoxification Pill, then fainted as Zhao Yi called out anxiously.

Lu Zhenghai replaced the injured Yang Chan with Duan He'an for the Tan City mission but also arranged for Yang Chan to join if reinforcements were needed, intending to investigate his suspicions. Yang Chan woke from his staged poisoning and kept acting weak until the others departed, then focused on recovering and building his strength.

• After Yang Chan was poisoned during drug testing, Lu Zhenghai chose Duan He'an to accompany the mission to Tan City and told the External Affairs deacon to add Yang Chan if reinforcements were needed.
• Lu Zhenghai arranged for the Law Enforcement Hall to investigate Yang Chan and other sect members because he suspected Yang Chan might be hiding something.
• Yang Chan woke in the infirmary, and Zhao Yi told him to rest for half a month while he recovered from the poison.
• After Zhao Yi left, Yang Chan used the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique to speed his recovery but deliberately stayed weak so he would not have to join the mission.
• When Yang Chan woke after dark, he ate the food left for him, swallowed a Void Spirit Pill, and applied Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste.

While recovering, Yang Chan heard Zhao Yi explain how the Wusheng Heresy had resurfaced in Tan City and spread through nearby provinces, possibly with a powerful force backing it. The Qingyuan Sect sent three elders to confront them, and Yang Chan hoped they would be wiped out soon.

• Yang Chan saved his Potential Points so his body would not recover too quickly before Lu Zhenghai and the others left the mountain.
• Zhao Yi told Yang Chan that Lu Zhenghai and Elder Luo had taken disciples to Tan City to deal with the Wusheng Heresy.
• Zhao Yi explained that the heresy had returned after Elder Wu's purge because its followers had hidden among Tan City's common people.
• Yang Chan reasoned that the Wusheng Heresy likely had Internal Refinement Grandmasters and a force supporting it, since ordinary people could not threaten Xuanqing Palace on their own.
• Zhao Yi left to prepare medicine, and Yang Chan silently hoped the Wusheng Heresy would soon be wiped out.

Yang Chan used his recovered Potential Points to advance the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and tempered sixteen more bones, then returned to the Medicine Hall to maintain his cover and earn money for another attempt at refining the Lantian Jade Refining Pill. The chapter left him working among the injured disciples while concealing how quickly his strength had grown.

• Yang Chan avoided returning to dangerous Tan City and spent his recovery period taking medicine and studying the Lantian Jade Refining Pill.
• Yang Chan invested his Potential Points in the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, reached Second Order: Entering the Hall at 85%, and tempered sixteen bones, bringing his total to fifty-one.
• Yang Chan went to the Medicine Hall's pharmacy to resume examining injured disciples and earn his stipend for more alchemy ingredients.
• Zhao Yi urged Yang Chan not to overexert himself, and Yang Chan reassured him that he would take care of his health.
• Yang Chan treated disciples until he broke a sweat, then rested while keeping up the appearance of an ordinary, recovering alchemist.

Yang Chan returned to the Earth Fire Courtyard to make another attempt at refining Lantian Jade Refining Pills, applying lessons from his previous failures. He began the demanding process in a carefully prepared alchemy room and remained focused on controlling the heat and ingredients.

• Yang Chan reserved Room Fifteen, Grade A, on the second underground level, and Steward Zhou recorded his request to extend the session if needed.
• Yang Chan entered the room, cleaned the pill furnace, positioned it over the earth fire, and arranged his medicinal ingredients in order.
• Yang Chan began heating the ingredients with a measured amount of water and added the herbs according to changes in fragrance, timing, and heat.
• Yang Chan continued monitoring the furnace and earth fire closely, adding water and adjusting the process as the refinement proceeded.

Yang Chan successfully refined Lantian Jade Refining Pills, increasing his income and resolving the lingering concern over his earlier failed attempts. He shared the news at the Medicine Hall, where Zhao Yi accepted a bottle of pills and other Pharmacists praised Yang Chan and considered trying the recipe themselves.

• Yang Chan completed the Lantian Jade Refining Pill refinement, cooled the furnace, and molded the medicine into pills.
• Yang Chan tested a small amount and confirmed that the pills worked as intended.
• At the Medicine Hall, Yang Chan told Zhao Yi that he had refined Lantian Jade Refining Pills and credited Zhao Yi's advice.
• Yang Chan gave Zhao Yi a bottle of five pills, which Zhao Yi accepted after a brief refusal.
• Nearby Pharmacists inspected the pills, praised Yang Chan's success, and began considering attempts of their own.

Yang Chan explained how he had refined the Lantian Jade Refining Pill and advanced his Pharmacist proficiency, while Zhao Yi shared troubling reports about the Wusheng Heresy’s growing threat. The chapter left Yang Chan worried he might soon be sent to reinforce Tan City as the heresy spread across multiple provinces.

• Yang Chan confirmed the Lantian Jade Refining Pill still granted him 0.3 Potential Points, bringing his daily gain to 2.1.
• Zhao Yi asked Yang Chan how he had refined the pill, and Yang Chan said success depended partly on developing a personal sense for the process.
• Yang Chan’s Pharmacist proficiency rose to Second Order: Entering the Hall, 64%, after his successful refinement.
• Zhao Yi reported that Elder Lu Zhenghai, Elder Luo Zhenhai, and Elder Wu had not completely resolved the Wusheng Heresy problem in Tan City, and that reinforcements might be needed.
• Yang Chan and Zhao Yi discussed how the Wusheng Heresy was spreading across several provinces, with Xuanqing Palace in Yuzhou struggling to hold on.
• Yang Chan worried that he might be assigned to Tan City as a reinforcement despite having avoided going there before.

Yang Chan weighed his rapid progress in External Refinement against the danger of attracting attention as he considered how to obtain the Qingyuan Sect’s Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method. He decided to stay hidden and pursue the method later, after advancing to Personal Disciple and improving his alchemy rank.

• Yang Chan spent nearly 28 Potential Points raising the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist to Third Order: Mastery, 35%, and the Tiger Demon Martial Imprint to Second Order: Entering the Hall, 46%.
• Yang Chan estimated that he needed more than forty additional Potential Points to temper all 206 bones and complete External Refinement: Iron Bones.
• Yang Chan recalled that the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method could strengthen his internal organs and support a powerful Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint.
• Yang Chan concluded that revealing his rapid cultivation to obtain the method could put him at risk, especially given the Qingyuan Sect’s Young Sect Master, Liu Shengyu.
• Yang Chan decided to keep a low profile, improve his cultivation and alchemy, and seek the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method after advancing to Personal Disciple.

Yang Chan chose Han Bingyu as his new Alchemist Assistant, hoping to use her connections to gather information about Tan City. As Qingyuan Sect members began signing up for the dangerous mission there, Yang Chan grew wary of being sent down the mountain.

• Yang Chan assessed four Formal Disciples and selected Han Bingyu after her strong answers about goji berries helped her pass.
• Yang Chan recalled Han Bingyu’s connections and decided they could help him gather information about Tan City; he told her to report to the Medicine Hall pharmacy the next day.
• Yang Chan saw many people registering for the Tan City mission and worried that the sect would soon send Pharmacists to support the campaign against the Wusheng Heresy.
• Zhao Yi asked Yang Chan about the assessment, and Yang Chan said he had lowered the requirements and found a qualified assistant.
• Wang Gang overheard Yang Chan and Zhao Yi discussing Pharmacists’ duty to improve and contribute to the sect, and praised their awareness.

Zhao Yi and Yang Chan discussed the risks and rewards of going to Tan City while treating injured disciples at the Medicine Hall dispensary. Yang Chan later introduced Han Bingyu as a new Alchemist Assistant, though Zhao Yi suspected he had selected her for personal reasons.

• Yang Chan warned Zhao Yi to speak more carefully after Wang Gang nearly overheard his unguarded remarks.
• Zhao Yi asked Yang Chan about registration for the Tan City mission, but said he preferred to remain on the mountain and treat injured disciples.
• Yang Chan kept quiet about whether he would go to Tan City, since an elder might appoint him to the mission.
• Zhao Yi questioned whether Yang Chan had favored Han Bingyu when selecting her as an Alchemist Assistant, but Yang Chan denied it.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to observe the other assistants and follow him when injured disciples arrived.

Han Bingyu settled into her duties as Yang Chan’s Alchemist Assistant, while Zhao Yi warned Yang Chan to be careful with her and with selling pills. When badly injured disciples arrived from Tan City, Yang Chan and Han Bingyu treated one whose condition was critical, leaving him under close observation for the next two days.

• Han Bingyu quickly learned the pharmacy’s work, and Zhao Yi cautioned Yang Chan that the daughter of the Han Family of Jinxiu City was not simple.
• Zhao Yi reminded Yang Chan to keep pill sales within acceptable limits, and Yang Chan said he would not risk crossing the line.
• An Alchemist Assistant reported that more than a dozen injured disciples had returned from Tan City, and Yang Chan, Zhao Yi, and the other Pharmacists went to treat them.
• Yang Chan treated a severely injured disciple with Han Bingyu’s help, directing her to pour Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup down his throat and bring Hemostatic Powder and gauze.
• After the disciple’s wounds were controlled, Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to watch him closely for warning signs over the next two days.

Yang Chan proposed a cooperation agreement to Han Bingyu, offering the Han Family Lantian Jade Refining Pills in exchange for medicinal herbs and information about Tan City. Han Bingyu said the family would likely accept, but she needed to send word home and await its reply.

• Han Bingyu visited Yang Chan after he summoned her, hoping to build ties with him on behalf of the Han Family.
• Yang Chan asked Han Bingyu to gather recent information from Tan City through the Qingyuan Sect and the Han Family.
• Yang Chan offered to provide the Han Family with eight Lantian Jade Refining Pills from each successful batch in exchange for medicinal herbs from his list.
• Han Bingyu said the Han Family could likely accept the terms but needed two days to respond after she sent a letter.

Han Bingyu secured cooperation with Yang Chan but planned to keep pursuing his help to advance her cultivation. Yang Chan learned that he might be sent to Tan City and prepared to face the Wusheng Heresy while hoping the crisis would end before he had to leave.

• Han Bingyu reflected that her agreement with Yang Chan benefited the Han Family, but she intended to try again to gain his help advancing to External Refinement: Bronze Skin.
• Yang Chan learned from Pharmacist Qian that Lu Zhenghai had asked the External Affairs Hall to send him to Tan City if more support was needed.
• Yang Chan sought detailed intelligence through Han Bingyu and the Han Family because he could not obtain reliable information within the Qingyuan Sect.
• Yang Chan prepared Five Poisons Powder and considered the dangers posed by the Wusheng Heresy, its followers, and its hidden experts.
• Yang Chan added 2.1 Potential Points to the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and hoped Han Bingyu would send intelligence soon.

Yang Chan prepared medicines and poisons for his upcoming mission to Tan City, where he would descend the mountain with Elder Gu and others. He began a materials trade with Han Bingyu’s family and insisted that she inspect the Lantian Jade Refining Pills before accepting them.

• Yang Chan successfully refined one batch of Lantian Jade Refining Pills and planned medicines and supplies for his journey to Tan City.
• Yang Chan decided to prepare Qianji Yin as well as more Five Poisons Powder because Tan City was more complicated than Taiyu City.
• Yang Chan sold and allocated his Lantian Jade Refining Pills, then focused on preparations instead of taking more dispensary work.
• Han Bingyu gave Yang Chan intelligence from the Han Family and the sect, and confirmed that her family had accepted his cooperation terms.
• Yang Chan gave Han Bingyu eight Lantian Jade Refining Pills and a list of materials, then firmly asked her to inspect the pills before completing the transaction.

Yang Chan learned that the Wusheng Heresy had bewitched Tan City’s citizens and was supported by three Internal Refinement Grandmasters using the arts of the destroyed Profound Yin Demonic Cult. As he prepared to descend the mountain, he planned to bring extra poisons, antidotes, and concealed weapons while seeking to reach Internal Refinement as soon as possible.

• Han Bingyu confirmed Yang Chan’s eight Lantian Jade Refining Pills and promised the Han Family would deliver the requested ingredients.
• Yang Chan warned Han Bingyu that the trip to Tan City could be dangerous, and she left with the pills and intelligence.
• Yang Chan read that bewitched citizens had poisoned and killed Qingyuan Sect disciples, while three Wusheng Heresy Internal Refinement Grandmasters obstructed Lu Zhenghai and Luo Zhenhai.
• Yang Chan learned that the three Grandmasters used Profound Yin Demonic Cult arts and that the Wusheng Heresy might receive reinforcements.
• Yang Chan planned to prepare more Five Poisons Powder and antidotes, bring his concealed weapons, and make more Heart Demon Lure as protection.

Qingyuan Sect leaders discussed preparations to confront the Wusheng Heresy, while Gu An asked to keep Yang Chan from joining the mission because of his talent and the danger. Liu Xuan refused, explaining that Yang Chan had been assigned to descend the mountain so the sect could investigate lingering suspicions about his identity.

• Han Zhengcheng and Qi Yuansheng urged Liu Xuan to send more elders against the Wusheng Heresy, but Liu Xuan said he had arranged a joint effort with other forces.
• Gu An asked to replace Yang Chan among the pharmacists assigned to descend the mountain, citing his promise as an alchemist and the danger to pharmacists.
• Liu Xuan explained that Lu Zhenghai had insisted Yang Chan join the Tan City mission so the sect could watch him for possible ties to an enemy sect.
• Liu Xuan ordered Gu An to arrange additional protection for Yang Chan, and Gu An agreed to investigate him further.

Yang Chan prepared Qianji Yin and other supplies for his upcoming trip to Tan City, where clashes had left many Qingyuan Sect disciples injured or poisoned. As he treated another returning disciple, the sect’s Intermediate Alchemists were still working on an antidote for Profound Yin Poison.

• The Han Family delivered Yang Chan’s medicinal ingredients, and after three failed attempts he refined Qianji Yin and stored it separately from its trigger medicine.
• Yang Chan told Zhao Yi he had prepared several antidotes and advised him to study more before attempting the costly Lantian Jade Refining Pill.
• Yang Chan and Zhao Yi saw another injured disciple arrive from Tan City, and Yang Chan began treating him with Han Bingyu’s assistance.
• Yang Chan treated the returning disciple’s wounds while noting that more severely poisoned patients were being handled by Intermediate Alchemists.
• The Intermediate Alchemists continued developing an antidote that would let ordinary disciples suppress or neutralize Profound Yin Poison after detecting it.

Yang Chan traveled toward Tan City with Gu An and the Qingyuan Sect group, accepting Gu An’s goodwill while staying cautious about the dangers ahead. His advice and vigilance impressed Gu An and taught Han Bingyu and Du Xiaolin to take precautions as they approached the Wusheng Heresy’s territory.

• Yang Chan accepted Gu An’s offer of support, recognizing that Gu An’s protection could help him avoid trouble after descending the mountain.
• Yang Chan warned Han Bingyu to inspect food and drink in Tan City, explaining that the Wusheng Heresy might use poison and other underhanded methods.
• Han Bingyu checked the waterskin before drinking, and Gu An approved of Yang Chan’s caution.
• Du Xiaolin offered Yang Chan cooked beef, and Yang Chan inspected it before eating, prompting Du Xiaolin to follow his example.