Chapter Summaries

Yang Chan and three other Pharmacists reached Tan City, where the Qingyuan Sect and the Wusheng Heresy had divided the city and were fighting. At Tanyun Mansion, Yang Chan and his assistants treated the wounded and prepared medicines, and he stayed overnight to respond quickly if any patients worsened.

• Yang Chan and the others arrived in Tan City and learned that the Qingyuan Sect and the Wusheng Heresy occupied opposite sides of the city.
• Yang Chan and the three other Pharmacists began treating injured Qingyuan Sect disciples at Tanyun Mansion.
• The wounded told Yang Chan that ordinary residents had used concealed weapons to ambush Formal Disciples, prompting the sect to keep commoners at a distance.
• Yang Chan collected medicinal ingredients, inspected them with Han Bingyu and the other Alchemist Assistants, and prepared medicine packets.
• Yang Chan arranged for overnight watch and stayed in the Geng-character room to monitor the injured disciples.

In Tan City, Chen Yuan and the Wusheng Heresy’s leaders discussed how to delay Qingyuan Sect’s reinforcements and learned their mission was to keep Qingyuan Sect from aiding Yuzhou. They decided to unleash concealed attacks on the newcomers, especially pharmacists, while Chen Yuan planned to confirm the orders with the Cult Master.

• Chen Yuan worried that Tan City’s Wusheng Heresy could not match Qingyuan Sect’s many Internal Refinement Grandmasters.
• Zhu Yiqun relayed the Wusheng Saintess’s order to hold out as long as possible before withdrawing, and Zhu Yangbo and Zhu Siyuan supported following her instructions.
• Zhu Yiqun explained that the Wusheng Heresy’s goal was to delay Qingyuan Sect’s reinforcements while the Holy Church pursued victory in Yuzhou.
• Chen Yuan agreed to delay Qingyuan Sect and planned to write to the Cult Master to verify the orders.
• Chen Yuan and Zhu Yiqun decided to use their hidden measures against Qingyuan Sect’s newcomers and target pharmacists to increase casualties.

After returning to Tanyun Mansion, Yang Chan used his Potential Points to strengthen his Tiger Demon techniques and assessed his steady cultivation progress. He resolved to keep improving while staying cautious around the Wusheng Heresy and the new disciples.

• Yang Chan used his medicines, set traps in his room, and gained 2.3 Potential Points at midnight.
• Yang Chan spent all 28 accumulated Potential Points on the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and Tiger Demon Martial Imprint, reaching 140 tempered bones and Third Order: Mastery, 60% in the fist technique.
• Yang Chan examined his panel and noted that his other techniques and Pharmacist proficiency had progressed through regular practice.
• Yang Chan decided to keep focusing his Potential Points on his Tiger Demon techniques until he perfected External Refinement: Iron Bones.
• Yang Chan considered the Wusheng Heresy's threat and resolved to stay vigilant around Steward Disciples, avoid drawing attention, and protect himself.

Yang Chan treated a badly poisoned disciple as Qingyuan Sect disciples newly arrived in Tan City suffered a wave of attacks. Han Bingyu uncovered evidence that Steward Disciples might be connected to the Wusheng Heresy, leaving Yang Chan and his assistants on guard against both people and supplies.

• Yang Chan and Han Bingyu treated a disciple who had been wounded and poisoned during a shift change, though his condition left little hope of survival.
• More injured disciples arrived, and Yang Chan suspected the Wusheng Heresy was targeting Qingyuan Sect members who had recently come down the mountain.
• Yang Chan warned Han Bingyu and the other Alchemist Assistants to check their food, drink, and medicine carefully and remain vigilant.
• Han Bingyu shared information suggesting that Qingyuan Sect Steward Disciples had injured many of the disciples and might include members of the Wusheng Heresy.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to set traps in her room at night as protection against a sneak attack.

Yang Chan treated injured disciples at Tanyun Mansion and was assigned to brew Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup. While checking the medicine vats, he discovered that one had been tainted with Soul Chasing Three-Day Powder, apparently targeting the Qingyuan Sect.

• Yang Chan cultivated the Purple Qi Body Cultivation Technique and treated injured disciples after the Qingyuan Sect purged Wusheng Heresy believers.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan that the Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup had run out and that he was assigned to prepare more.
• Yang Chan and two Alchemist Assistants went to the medicine-brewing courtyard to inspect ingredients and brew ten vats of soup.
• Yang Chan checked the fires and water in the medicine vats, then noticed that the water in the seventh vat contained Soul Chasing Three-Day Powder.

Yang Chan discovered that a medicine vat had been poisoned with Soul Chasing Three-Day Powder and quietly alerted Steward He, who summoned the Law Enforcement Hall. As they surrounded the suspects, You Da declared his loyalty to Wusheng Laomu and prepared to make a final attack.

• Yang Chan identified poison in the seventh medicine vat and noticed that Steward Disciple You Da acted nervously.
• Yang Chan discreetly told Steward He about the poison and asked him to have the Law Enforcement Hall investigate.
• Yang Chan kept Han Bingyu and the others away from the suspicious disciples while they inspected the sealed medicine packets.
• Law Enforcement Hall disciples arrived and surrounded You Da and the other Steward Disciples.
• You Da refused to surrender, condemned the Qingyuan Sect, and vowed to make a final contribution to Wusheng Laomu.

A Wusheng Heresy attack disrupted the medicine-brewing courtyard, but Yang Chan helped stop an assailant and avoided injury. After the Law Enforcement Hall restored order, he resumed work and returned to quietly improving his escape preparations.

• You Da distracted the Law Enforcement Hall disciples while other Steward Disciples revealed concealed weapons and attacked people in the courtyard.
• Yang Chan killed a Steward Disciple charging at him with a throwing knife, and the Law Enforcement Hall disciples subdued the attackers.
• The attack killed and injured disciples, including the Junior Alchemist, while Yang Chan worried that his own martial cultivation might have been exposed if he had stayed nearby.
• The Law Enforcement Hall inspected the Steward Disciples, replaced the seventh medicine vat, and supervised the resumed medicine brewing.
• Yang Chan returned to the Geng-character room, warned others to watch the pharmacy, and went back to secretly digging his tunnel.

Chen Yuan agreed to help Zhu Yiqun’s group delay the Qingyuan Sect for up to half a month, though he planned to flee if Tan City became dangerous. After Chen Yuan left, Zhu Yangbo said he expected him to run at the first sign of trouble.

• Chen Yuan and Zhu Yiqun discussed their losses to the Qingyuan Sect and the exposed undercover agents they planned to discard.
• Chen Yuan said he wanted to leave Tan City, but Zhu Yiqun warned that abandoning the mission could bring punishment from the Punishment Hall.
• Chen Yuan agreed to stay for at most half a month while the group rearranged its forces and used local believers to distract the Qingyuan Sect.
• Chen Yuan left, and Zhu Yangbo called him Chen Paopao and said he would flee as soon as danger arose.

Zhu Yiqun planned to use Chen Yuan as a pawn to delay the Qingyuan Sect while he and his brothers pursued their own task. In Tan City, Yang Chan treated the growing number of Qingyuan Sect casualties and kept a low profile as the campaign against the Wusheng Heresy intensified.

• Zhu Yiqun, Zhu Siyuan, and Zhu Yangbo agreed to use Chen Yuan to hold off the Qingyuan Sect, and Zhu Yiqun concealed his intent to kill him.
• Yang Chan learned from Han Bingyu that the Qingyuan Sect had cleared about half the Wusheng Heresy's territory in Tan City and killed several of its Incense Masters.
• Yang Chan reflected that ordinary people and martial artists alike were trapped in a world ruled by strength, and he lacked the power to change it.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan that more injured disciples had arrived, as the Qingyuan Sect's campaign continued despite its casualties.
• Yang Chan treated the injured disciples, practiced his fist technique between patients, and appreciated Han Bingyu's careful preparation of his alchemist's tools.

Yang Chan treated injured Qingyuan Sect disciples and focused on advancing his Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist while weighing how to spend future Potential Points. At White Stone Courtyard, Lu Zhenghai urged Gu An to make Chen Yuan, a heretic preacher known as Chen Paopao, their priority target.

• Yang Chan and Han Bingyu treated the injured disciples, sending those with minor wounds away with food and medicinal supplements.
• Yang Chan calculated that he could soon improve his Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and Tiger Demon Martial Imprint, then considered whether to invest future Potential Points in his Pharmacist profession or cultivation.
• Yang Chan set aside his doubts and practiced the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist in his room.
• Lu Zhenghai met with Gu An and reported that Qingyuan Sect's operation had reduced the Wusheng Heresy's activity and uncovered traces of Chen Yuan.
• Lu Zhenghai recommended targeting Chen Yuan first because his exceptional movement technique made him likely to escape.

Lu Zhenghai and Gu An planned to eliminate the Wusheng Heresy’s senior fighters in Tan City and discussed whether Yang Chan posed a threat. They left Yang Chan under observation and prepared to pursue Chen Yuan at another stronghold.

• Gu An and Lu Zhenghai agreed that they should break Chen Yuan’s legs and kill him before he could escape Tan City.
• Gu An asked whether Lu Zhenghai still suspected Yang Chan, and Lu Zhenghai said Yang Chan’s preparations seemed cautious but not suspicious.
• Lu Zhenghai said Yang Chan could return to Qingyuan Sect once the Tan City matters were settled.
• Gu An explained that Yang Chan might become a Senior Alchemist and that Elder Yan had offered to guide him if he advanced to Intermediate Alchemist.
• Gu An told Lu Zhenghai about another Wusheng Heresy stronghold where Chen Yuan might appear, and the two planned to investigate it.

Yang Chan continued cultivating his Tiger Demon Martial Imprint and increased his Potential Point income while tending to wounded disciples in Tan City. Meanwhile, Chen Yuan was driven into a deadly escape by Qingyuan Sect ambushes, and Luo Zhenhai blocked his path.

• Yang Chan balanced cultivating his Tiger Demon Martial Imprint with his Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and looked forward to eventually using the Nine Ox Two Tiger Martial Seal.
• Yang Chan refined medicines that raised his daily Potential Point income to 2.7 and went with Han Bingyu to examine an injured disciple.
• Chen Yuan realized Lu Zhenghai, Gu An, and other Qingyuan Sect members had ambushed him, while Zhu Yiqun and the others refused to help.
• Luo Zhenhai ambushed Chen Yuan with the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint and struck him hard enough to shake his internal organs.
• Chen Yuan, already slowed by a broken leg and repeated injuries, feared he would die in Tan City and regretted his choices.

Chen Yuan fled through Tan City despite his grievous injuries, while the Qingyuan Sect repeatedly ambushed him and cut off his routes. As he chose the dangerous road toward Tanyun Mansion, Zhu Yiqun and his brothers realized the Qingyuan Sect was planning something against Yuzhou and debated retreating.

• Chen Yuan ignored Luo Zhenhai's taunts and kept fleeing because his injuries left him unable to fight.
• Qingyuan Sect ambushers wounded Chen Yuan again, and he chose the road toward Tanyun Mansion as his best chance to survive.
• Zhu Yangbo observed that the Qingyuan Sect had revealed many hidden forces in Tan City and suspected its plans targeted more than the Wusheng Heresy.
• Zhu Yiqun decided they needed to send intelligence to Yuzhou and warn the Saintess and the others.
• Zhu Siyuan urged the brothers to retreat because Tan City was too dangerous, and Zhu Yiqun faced the risk of staying without an advantage.

Zhu Yiqun, Zhu Yangbo, and Zhu Siyuan planned to hold out in Tan City for three more days, even if they had to sacrifice their subordinates. As battles between Internal Refinement Grandmasters reached Tanyun Mansion, Yang Chan witnessed the destruction left by Chen Yuan and a Qingyuan Sect elder and returned to safety.

• Zhu Yiqun told Zhu Yangbo and Zhu Siyuan that they had to hold out for three more days to complete the Wusheng Saintess's plan and avoid punishment.
• Zhu Yiqun proposed sacrificing more External Refinement: Iron Bones subordinates to delay the Qingyuan Sect, and Zhu Yangbo and Zhu Siyuan agreed.
• Yang Chan cultivated at Tanyun Mansion while battles between Internal Refinement Grandmasters shook Tan City and grew closer.
• Chen Yuan accused the Qingyuan Sect elder of targeting Yuzhou, then continued fighting him despite severe injuries.
• The battle destroyed a courtyard and killed everyone inside, and Yang Chan inspected the wreckage before deciding to stay away.

Yang Chan returned to his room and found the wounded Internal Refinement Grandmaster Chen Yuan hiding inside. Yang Chan stalled him while waiting for Qingyuan Sect’s elders to arrive, leaving the two locked in a dangerous standoff.

• Yang Chan returned to the Geng-character room after finding no injured Steward Disciples needed his treatment.
• Yang Chan discovered Chen Yuan in his room and stayed calm as Chen Yuan’s martial intent pinned him in place.
• Chen Yuan explained that he had been badly wounded while trying to escape Tanyun Mansion and had hidden in Yang Chan’s room to recover.
• Yang Chan claimed he would sacrifice himself for Qingyuan Sect, but Chen Yuan called out his bluff after spotting the hidden weapons in the room.
• Yang Chan suggested Chen Yuan escape through the back while he kept quiet, but Chen Yuan rejected the offer and accused him of planning to expose him.
• Yang Chan continued talking to buy time for Qingyuan Sect’s elders to find them, while keeping his own backup measures in reserve.

Yang Chan used Qianji Yin to poison Chen Yuan and help stop his escape, earning credit for the Wusheng Heresy assassin’s death. Gu An questioned him about the poison and told him he could choose a reward after returning to Qingyuan Sect.

• Chen Yuan recovered slightly, attacked Yang Chan, and threatened to kill him for the creature that had injured him.
• Yang Chan triggered the Qianji Yin in the room and fled as the poison erupted through Chen Yuan’s internal organs.
• Yang Chan shouted for help, drawing the unfamiliar Internal Refinement Grandmaster and other elders, who found Chen Yuan dead.
• Gu An brought Yang Chan to White Stone Courtyard and told him Chen Yuan’s death would earn him contribution points and other rewards.
• Yang Chan explained how Qianji Yin worked, and Gu An said he could choose a reward after returning to Qingyuan Sect.

Yang Chan weighed Gu An’s offer to return to the Qingyuan Sect or continue taking missions, while resolving to avoid the coming danger in Yuzhou. Meanwhile, Zhu Yiqun and Zhu Yangbo learned that Chen Yuan had died and realized the Qingyuan Sect was targeting the Wusheng Heresy in Yuzhou.

• Gu An told Yang Chan that Tan City’s troubles would soon be resolved and offered him the choice to return to the Qingyuan Sect or keep taking missions.
• Yang Chan accepted Gu An’s goodwill and privately decided to return with the injured disciples rather than join the mission to Yuzhou.
• Yang Chan considered the Qingyuan Sect’s plans against the Wusheng Heresy, then went to sleep after rearranging his room to alert him if anyone entered.
• Zhu Yiqun learned that Chen Yuan had died, and Zhu Yangbo concluded that the Qingyuan Sect intended to strike the Wusheng Heresy in Yuzhou.

Zhu Yiqun and his brothers debated how to delay Qingyuan Sect’s forces, while Yang Chan discovered a heretical cultivation manual in the tunnel where Chen Yuan had hidden. Yang Chan learned that the Taiyin Heavenly God Method contained the Internal Refinement and visualization methods he needed, but remained wary of its dangers.

• Zhu Siyuan warned Zhu Yiqun that an unfamiliar Internal Refinement Grandmaster had appeared in Tanyun Mansion.
• Zhu Yangbo and Zhu Siyuan suggested delaying Qingyuan Sect along the road, but Zhu Yiqun decided they should remain in Tan City for now.
• After his brothers left, Zhu Yiqun reflected that the Wusheng Saintess had placed something inside him and his brothers that forced them to serve her.
• Yang Chan searched the tunnel beneath the bed and found a booklet titled Taiyin Heavenly God Method and a damaged seal marked with the character Yin.
• Yang Chan read the booklet and discovered that it contained methods for Internal Refinement of Six Viscera and a Taiyin Heavenly God visualization method.
• Yang Chan considered using the manual for his cultivation but worried that the heretical method could have dangerous effects.

Yang Chan decided to return to the Qingyuan Sect and brought Gu An the Wusheng Heresy's Taiyin Heavenly God Method, which he had discovered while clearing a hidden tunnel. He left the booklet with Gu An for inspection, hoping the discovery could help him obtain the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method.

• Yang Chan read the Taiyin Heavenly God Method and learned that its visualization and Soul Seizing techniques consumed others' spiritual power and could control them, though the method carried limitations and lingering consequences.
• Yang Chan planned to report the booklet to Gu An and potentially exchange it for the Qingyuan Sect's Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method.
• Yang Chan visited Gu An at the White Stone Courtyard and said he wanted to return to the Qingyuan Sect to improve his Pharmacist abilities.
• Gu An agreed that Yang Chan could return in a day or two with the injured disciples and care for them along the way.
• Yang Chan told Gu An he had found a shattered identity token and the Taiyin Heavenly God Method while clearing a tunnel beneath his bed, then handed Gu An the booklet for inspection.

Yang Chan offered the Taiyin Heavenly God Method to Gu An, giving the Qingyuan Sect insight into how the Wusheng Heresy controlled people and how it might be countered. He asked to exchange his reward for the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method, and Gu An agreed to consider the request.

• Gu An examined the Taiyin Heavenly God Method and recognized its value for understanding and opposing the Wusheng Heresy.
• Gu An told Yang Chan to keep the damaged identity token as spoils of war and offered him a reward for presenting the method.
• Yang Chan asked to exchange his reward for an Internal Refinement Method, explaining that he wanted to understand the gap between himself and an Internal Refinement Grandmaster before focusing on alchemy.
• Gu An cautioned Yang Chan that he was still far from Internal Refinement and advised him to consider his choice carefully.
• Yang Chan named the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method as the Internal Refinement Method he wanted to exchange for.