Chapter Summaries

Gu An learned from Lu Zhenghai that the Wusheng Heresy was tied to the Great Zhou Imperial Family and possibly created by Crown Prince Yang Gan. The Qingyuan Sect reconsidered its campaign against the heresy, and Gu An asked whether they should return to Qingzhou.

• Gu An reacted with disbelief when Lu Zhenghai revealed that the Wusheng Heresy was connected to the imperial family.
• Lu Zhenghai explained that the imperial family and Yuzhou's government offices had helped bring down Xuanqing Palace.
• Lu Zhenghai reported that Crown Prince Yang Gan had assembled heretical experts in Yuzhou, though Emperor Yang Yu's involvement remained uncertain.
• Gu An considered the risk of opposing the imperial family and recognized that the Qingyuan Sect might need to accept losses rather than confront it directly.
• Gu An asked whether the Sect Master wanted them to return to Qingzhou, given the possibility that an imperial Grandmaster might intervene.

Gu An and Lu Zhenghai decided to withdraw the Qingyuan Sect from the campaign against the Wusheng Heresy after learning that Crown Prince Yang Gan might be behind the uprising, leaving the other sects to continue the fight. Back at Qingyuan Sect, Yang Chan advanced the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method to the First Order and cultivated Jiaomo Strength.

• Lu Zhenghai explained that Liu Xuan had ordered the Qingyuan Sect to return to Qingzhou while they waited to see how the imperial court responded to the uprising.
• Gu An agreed to withdraw and chose not to reveal the Wusheng Heresy's circumstances to the other sects, allowing them to decide whether to attack it themselves.
• Lu Zhenghai accepted Gu An's decision and prepared to inform the elders and arrange the Qingyuan Sect's return.
• Yang Chan advanced the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method to the First Order and nurtured Jiaomo Strength, which nearly injured his tendons and membranes.
• Yang Chan continued his cultivation plans after a Senior Alchemist's Detoxification Pill kept the poisoned disciples alive, though it could not fully remove the poison.

Yang Chan reflected on the support he had gained through Gu An and stayed cautious about judging Qingyuan Sect’s unexplained return from Yuzhou. He then asked Zhao Yi how his preparations to make Spirit Recovery Tendon Quenching Liquid were going.

• Yang Chan recognized that his iron bones could withstand Jiaomo Strength and considered how Gu An’s support had brought him goodwill from others, including the Han Family.
• Han Bingyu left Yang Chan’s residence with a slow step, while Yang Chan chose to keep their trade arrangement unchanged and focus on cultivation.
• Zhao Yi told Yang Chan that Gu An and other Qingyuan Sect leaders were returning from Yuzhou despite the Wusheng Heresy nearing defeat.
• Yang Chan cautioned Zhao Yi against judging the sect’s decision without knowing the full circumstances.
• Yang Chan asked Zhao Yi about his progress preparing Spirit Recovery Tendon Quenching Liquid to advance from Ancient Bronze toward Steel Tendons.

Yang Chan helped Zhao Yi diagnose his repeated failures preparing Spirit Recovery Tendon Quenching Liquid, then returned to treating injured disciples at the Medicine Hall. He reflected on the requirements for the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint and chose to prioritize reaching Internal Refinement Grandmaster before advancing as an alchemist.

• Zhao Yi told Yang Chan that his attempts to prepare Spirit Recovery Tendon Quenching Liquid kept failing and nearly poisoned him.
• Yang Chan listened to Zhao Yi's process and suggested changes to how he added Pinellia, Chinese Milkweed, and Asian Copperleaf.
• Han Bingyu told Yang Chan that more injured disciples had arrived, and Yang Chan went with her to see them.
• Yang Chan noted that the Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint had reached First Stage Peeking into the Threshold and considered the higher requirements for fully imbuing it.
• Yang Chan decided to keep focusing on martial cultivation until he became an Internal Refinement Grandmaster, rather than pursuing Intermediate Alchemist first.

Qingyuan Sect's leaders learned that Crown Prince Yang Gan was behind the Wusheng Heresy and had been using an evil technique to pursue a breakthrough. Sect Master Liu Xuan decided the sect would avoid the imperial succession struggle, leaving the Crown Prince's intentions uncertain.

• Liu Xuan gathered Qingyuan Sect's elders and three Supreme Elders in Azure Jade Hall before revealing the latest information.
• Liu Xuan confirmed that Crown Prince Yang Gan, rather than Emperor Yu, had arranged the Wusheng Heresy to absorb spiritual power and become a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster.
• Liu Xuan said Qingyuan Sect would stay out of the royal power struggle and tolerate the heresy unless it entered Qingzhou, while remaining wary of Emperor Yu.
• Gu An asked whether Qingyuan Sect would simply leave the Wusheng Heresy alone, and Liu Xuan set the boundary at Qingzhou.
• Lu Zhenghai asked whether Yang Gan intended to rebel, and Liu Xuan said Qingyuan Sect had no information from its agents in White Jade Capital.

Sect Master Liu Xuan outlined Qingyuan Sect’s plans for the upheaval caused by the transfer of imperial power, sending elders across Qingzhou and other provinces to protect the sect and pursue opportunities. He and the three Supreme Elders also prepared to seek a Marrow Cleansing Spirit Fruit, leaving Liu Xuan determined to pursue the chance to advance.

• Gu An, Luo Zhenhai, and the other elders questioned Liu Xuan, who explained that Qingyuan Sect would avoid the struggle for the throne but prepare for the instability it would cause.
• Liu Xuan announced that, with the three Supreme Elders’ approval, he would send Internal Refinement Grandmaster elders to White Jade Capital, Jinxiu City, vulnerable locations in Qingzhou, and other provinces.
• Liu Xuan assigned some elders to investigate opportunities to break through to the Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster realm and ordered them to compete for those opportunities if confirmed.
• The elders left Azure Jade Hall to prepare for their assignments, while Liu Xuan planned to discuss sensitive travel arrangements with them individually.
• After the hall cleared, a Supreme Elder warned Liu Xuan that the sect should give up the Marrow Cleansing Spirit Fruit if obtaining it proved too dangerous.
• Liu Xuan acknowledged the warning but remained determined to pursue the fruit, the primary ingredient for the Marrow Cleansing Spirit Pill.

Gu An met with Yang Chan and encouraged him to improve his alchemy, hinting that an opportunity was coming. Yang Chan suspected an Alchemist Conference was planned but decided to focus on martial cultivation and avoid attending if he could.

• Gu An sent people from the Medicine Hall down the mountain, leaving others puzzled until they learned the assignments involved no conflicts.
• Yang Chan visited Gu An, who told him to improve his alchemy and said becoming an Intermediate Alchemist could bring unexpected benefits.
• Gu An offered to help Yang Chan with anything he needed, deepening their relationship.
• Yang Chan suspected Gu An's hint referred to an Alchemist Conference and decided not to rush his alchemy or risk going down the mountain before growing stronger.
• Yang Chan concluded that anyone who wanted to attend the conference could go, while he continued following his original cultivation plan.

Yang Chan examined poisoned disciples in the Medicine Hall and could only help those who still had a chance to survive. After two disciples died, he instructed Han Bingyu to care for the remaining two and went to the Library Pavilion to continue studying alchemy.

• Zhao Yi declined Yang Chan’s offer to arrange a mission and asked what the Hall Master had told him.
• Han Bingyu asked Yang Chan to examine several poisoned disciples whose conditions had worsened.
• Yang Chan examined four disciples and told one whose organs had failed to leave his final wishes before the man died.
• Yang Chan ordered Han Bingyu to arrange the dead disciple’s departure, then continued examining the others; another disciple died, while two received special Detoxification Pills.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to give the two surviving disciples more nourishing food and soup, then went to the Medicine Hall’s Library Pavilion to borrow alchemy books.

Yang Chan weighed the danger of poison and the attention surrounding him as he advanced the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method toward Internal Refinement. In the East Palace, a jade-crowned man learned that the Wusheng Heresy had nearly been wiped out in Yuzhou but had secured the Spirit Gathering Liquid, and he questioned whether a particular person had caused the other sects to intervene.

• Yang Chan concluded that reaching Internal Refinement of Lungs and Viscera would better protect him from poison, and he planned to remain in Qingyuan Sect while managing the attention he had gained.
• Yang Chan spent his refreshed Potential Points on the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method and continued progressing toward its Second Order.
• In the East Palace, the jade-crowned man demanded a report on the Wusheng Sacred Cult in Yuzhou and learned that most of its members had died.
• The man in black reported that the Wusheng Heresy had gathered all the Spirit Gathering Liquid and that it would reach White Jade Capital the next day.
• After hearing which sects had attacked, the jade-crowned man wondered whether the same person had prompted their intervention, while the man in black stayed silent.

The Tianshan Sword Sect decided to exploit Xuanqing Palace’s weakness rather than challenge the Qingyuan Sect, while Xuanqing Palace sent Yuan Zhiyuan to the White Jade Capital with its inheritance and hopes for survival. The chapter left Xuanqing Palace’s remaining leaders facing its likely downfall as they entrusted its future to those sent away.

• The Tianshan Sword Sect learned that the Wusheng Heresy had been created by the imperial family and suspected the Qingyuan Sect had withdrawn after receiving secret news.
• The Tianshan Sword Sect’s Sect Master and First Elder decided to send people to the White Jade Capital and target weakened Xuanqing Palace for its resources.
• The Palace Master of Xuanqing Palace sent his tearful Personal Disciple Yuan Zhiyuan away with the sect’s inheritance, urging him to find a patron and survive.
• The Third Palace Master asked the First Palace Master whether Xuanqing Palace still had hope, and he replied that the people they had sent away were that hope.

Yang Chan reviewed his cultivation progress and used his new Potential Points to advance his Flood Dragon techniques, bringing him to the threshold of Internal Refinement. He planned to temper his heart and small intestine next, hoping to become an Internal Refinement Grandmaster and gain more lifespan.

• Yang Chan spent the past month cultivating and studying Pharmacist texts, raising his profession's progress to 78%.
• Yang Chan advanced the Calm Heart Breath Holding Method and used it to conceal his Internal Refinement aura.
• Yang Chan chose to temper his heart and small intestine, reasoning that stronger blood circulation and mental strength would help him resist poison and cultivate.
• At midnight, Yang Chan spent his two new Potential Points on the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method and Flood Dragon Demon Martial Imprint, raising both to the Second Order.
• Yang Chan checked his panel and concluded that he could begin Internal Refinement, wondering whether becoming an Internal Refinement Grandmaster would improve his talent.

Yang Chan gathered materials and began experimenting with refining the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill, hoping to aid his Internal Refinement and increase his Potential Points. After a day of failed attempts, he returned home to find Han Bingyu delivering more high-quality ingredients from Jinxiu City, leaving him ready to try refining the pill again.

• Yang Chan reviewed the risks of keeping the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method and kept it hidden under traps until he could safely destroy it.
• Yang Chan gathered the costly ingredients for the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill and prepared to refine it without using Potential Points.
• Yang Chan tested the refining process at the Earth Fire Courtyard, where early attempts burned an ingredient before he adjusted the timing and added water sooner.
• Yang Chan spent the afternoon refining without producing a successful pill, but learned from his attempts and moved closer to mastering the process.
• Han Bingyu delivered medicine chests of well-preserved ingredients from Jinxiu City, and Yang Chan praised the Han Family's care and accepted her help carrying them inside.

Yang Chan focused on advancing his Flood Dragon Demon Breathing Method so he could become an Internal Refinement Grandmaster as quickly as possible. He then went to the Medicine Hall to assess more Alchemist Assistants and considered Zhao Yi’s advice about choosing them.

• Yang Chan spent Potential Points on the Flood Dragon Demon Breathing Method and estimated that he could reach Internal Refinement Grandmaster in roughly seventy-four days.
• Yang Chan resolved to prioritize becoming an Internal Refinement Grandmaster before pursuing other goals.
• Yang Chan visited the pharmacy, where Zhao Yi complained that there had been little work and asked why Yang Chan had come.
• Yang Chan explained that he needed to assess Alchemist Assistants to fill his positions and planned to have Han Bingyu guide those he recruited.
• Zhao Yi joked that Yang Chan should choose beautiful assistants, and Yang Chan insisted that he valued ability before agreeing to consider the advice.

Yang Chan assessed candidates for Alchemist Assistant and chose two ordinary Formal Disciples to avoid entanglement with aristocratic families. He then went to the Medicine Hall Library Pavilion to study records that could help him refine the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill with fewer costly failures.

• Yang Chan questioned six candidates on medicinal herbs and theory, then selected one male and one female ordinary Formal Disciple as Alchemist Assistants.
• Yang Chan told the two successful candidates to report to the Medicine Hall pharmacy the next day and planned to leave the remaining position open for now.
• Yang Chan went to the second floor of the Medicine Hall Library Pavilion to exchange books and study accounts of refining the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill.
• Yang Chan compared the records with his own pill-refining experience, hoping to learn from others' successes and failures and reduce the cost of future attempts.

Yang Chan borrowed books on refining the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill and met Han Yu, an Elite Disciple who wanted to buy Lantian Jade Refining Pills. Han Yu left impressed by Yang Chan’s rapid rise, while Yang Chan agreed to sell him pills in three days.

• Yang Chan borrowed several books on pill refinement from the Medicine Hall's Library Pavilion to study at home.
• Han Yu stopped Yang Chan and asked to buy three Lantian Jade Refining Pills, offering to pay above the Qingyu Street price.
• Yang Chan declined to sell his remaining pills but told Han Yu to return in three days, when he would refine another batch at the original price.
• Han Yu accepted Yang Chan's terms without complaint and watched him leave.
• Han Yu reflected on how Yang Chan had risen from a Steward Disciple to an Elite Disciple even faster than he had.

Yang Chan rejected the great families’ attempt to influence his Alchemist Assistant choice and focused on cultivating the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method. Meanwhile, Han Yu and Jin Kangbo planned to approach him again after learning he was refining pills that could aid a breakthrough to Internal Refinement Grandmaster.

• Yang Chan decided against taking the great families’ proposed assistant and returned to his residence with pharmacist books.
• Yang Chan prioritized cultivating the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method and felt his strength and lifespan increase.
• Jin Kangbo asked Han Yu whether his meeting with Yang Chan had gone well, and Han Yu said it was a good start.
• Jin Kangbo told Han Yu that Yang Chan was refining One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pills that could help with a breakthrough to Internal Refinement Grandmaster.
• Han Yu asked Jin Kangbo to keep gathering information about Yang Chan.

Gu An asked Senior Alchemist Yan Jinfeng to consider taking Yang Chan to the Alchemist Exchange Meet in White Jade Capital. Yan agreed on the condition that Yang Chan refine a One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill within half a year, leaving Yang Chan with a chance to attend if he proved his skill.

• Yan Jinfeng told Gu An that he would attend the Alchemist Exchange Meet to compete for Qingyuan Sect’s share of medicinal resources.
• Gu An recommended Yang Chan, citing his ability to refine the Lantian Jade Refining Pill and his work on the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill.
• Yan Jinfeng agreed to take Yang Chan and one Intermediate Alchemist if Yang Chan refined the pill within half a year.
• Gu An thanked Yan Jinfeng on Yang Chan’s behalf.

Yang Chan postponed refining the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill while he studied alchemy records and focused on martial cultivation. After Han Bingyu brought him high-quality ingredients from the Han Family, he gave her three Lantian Jade Refining Pills to sell to Han Yu, keeping his distance from the matter.

• Yang Chan reviewed alchemy records, decided he was not ready to waste ingredients on another attempt at the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill, and turned his attention to the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method.
• Han Bingyu delivered medicinal ingredients from the Han Family, and Yang Chan found their quality better than the supplies from the Medicine Hall.
• Yang Chan asked Han Bingyu to sell three Lantian Jade Refining Pills to Han Yu when he came to collect them.
• Yang Chan sorted and assessed the new ingredients for small trials, intending to test his ideas and record the results in his alchemy notes.

Han Yu visited Yang Chan’s residence hoping to buy medicine and build a connection, but Yang Chan declined to meet him and continued researching pill refinement. Han Yu left with the medicine, while Yang Chan focused on improving his next attempt at refining the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill.

• Han Yu arrived at Yang Chan’s courtyard with gifts and asked Han Bingyu to arrange an audience.
• Han Bingyu gave Han Yu three Lantian Jade Refining Pills at the original price and explained that Yang Chan was occupied with pill research.
• Han Yu paid the requested amount, left his gifts unoffered, and departed after accepting that Yang Chan would not meet him.
• Han Bingyu judged Han Yu’s standing and prospects to be limited, and recognized that Yang Chan’s attitude shaped her own view of him.
• Yang Chan told Han Bingyu to keep Han Yu’s payment for the next medicine purchase and continued recording his pill-refinement findings.

Yang Chan refined the One-Cycle Viscera Nourishing Pill successfully after learning from several failed attempts. The medicinal liquid left in the furnace promised to raise his daily Potential Point income, while his thoughts turned to whether advanced martial cultivators could let their souls leave their bodies.

• Yang Chan watched the earth fire and carefully prepared the final ingredients and water for his fifth attempt at refining the pill.
• When the recorded medicinal fragrance appeared, Yang Chan added the five herbs and water in the proportion he had worked out, then stopped heating the furnace once the scent changed.
• As the medicine cooled, Yang Chan considered a book passage about souls leaving the body and wondered whether Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters could do so.
• Yang Chan opened the furnace and found a mass of medicinal liquid with the expected fragrance, confirming that the refinement had succeeded.