Chapter Summaries

At the Xiao Clan’s assessment, Xiao Yan remained at Third Stage and Xiao Yuan was found unable to cultivate, drawing mockery from the crowd. Xiao Yan defended his twin brother, and Xiao Xun’er later approached them with respect.

• Xiao Yan tested at Third Stage Dou Qi and ignored the crowd’s ridicule.
• Xiao Yuan tested at the Testing Magic Stone Tablet, which detected no Dou Zhi Li, and the crowd mocked him.
• Xiao Yan grabbed a man who insulted Xiao Yuan, but Xiao Yuan pulled him away and calmed him down.
• Xiao Mei tested at Seventh Stage Dou Qi, and Xiao Xun’er then achieved Ninth Stage Dou Qi.
• Xiao Xun’er greeted Xiao Yan and Xiao Yuan respectfully, surprising the watching crowd.

Xiao Yuan dealt with a thief who had insulted him and learned that the goods he had ordered were nearly ready. He revealed that he had spent years searching for a way to cultivate and began recalling the mysterious jade pieces he found in Xiao Zhan’s room.

• Xiao Yuan teased Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan, then left them to return to the market.
• Xiao Yan asked Xiao Xun'er if he had acted too impulsively, and she said she believed he would regain his strength.
• Peien and two guards brought in a bound thief who had insulted Xiao Yuan and stolen from the market.
• Xiao Yuan ordered the guards to drag the thief away and told Peien to burn him because he might threaten Xiao Yan.
• Peien told Xiao Yuan that the goods he had ordered would arrive that night, and Xiao Yuan rejoiced that his cultivation problem might soon be solved.
• Xiao Yuan recalled finding two emerald-green jade pieces in an ancient box in Xiao Zhan’s room when he was five.

Xiao Yuan learned that the Tou She Ancient God Jade contained the Five Qi Refining Body method, which could let him cultivate Dou Qi despite his special constitution. He gathered the necessary materials and completed the ritual, successfully drawing Dou Qi into his Liver Azure Wood Qi Palace.

• Xiao Yuan touched a glowing jade fragment and learned about the Five Qi Refining Body method and its five Qi Palaces.
• Steward Mo told Xiao Yuan that the clan would receive distinguished guests the next day and asked him to return home early.
• Xiao Yuan brought home the materials and five elemental magic cores he had collected to perform the secret technique.
• Xiao Yuan used the materials and magic cores to refine his five viscera and open a Qi Palace in each one.
• Xiao Yuan absorbed his first wisp of Dou Qi into the Liver Azure Wood Qi Palace and noticed that the magic cores still held a little energy.

Xiao Yuan discovered that his newly opened Five Elements Qi Palace had reached the third stage and learned the dangerous Five Qi Convergence technique. He entered the main hall with Xiao Yan to meet the honored guests, including Nalan Yanran, who was startled by his appearance.

• Xiao Yuan inspected his progress, found his five qi palaces at the third stage, and learned the risks of using Five Qi Convergence.
• Xiao Yuan cleaned up, dressed, and answered Steward Mo’s summons to the main hall.
• Xiao Yuan found Xiao Yan struggling with his disappearing Dou Qi and brought him along to meet the guests.
• Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan entered the hall, where Xiao Yuan assessed the visiting Seven Star Great Fighter, the Five Star Fighter, and Nalan Yanran.
• Nalan Yanran turned toward Xiao Yuan and was shocked by how handsome he was.

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan attended a gathering where Nalan Yanran planned to break off her engagement, and Xiao Yuan realized the marriage contract might be his rather than Xiao Yan's. The chapter ended as Nalan Yanran's companion stood to address the Xiao family.

• Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan arrived and greeted Xiao Zhan and the three Elders.
• Xiao Xun'er offered Xiao Yan a seat beside her, while Xiao Yuan took his reserved place.
• Nalan Yanran reflected on her decision to end the engagement despite being struck by Xiao Yuan's appearance.
• Xiao Yan worried that Nalan Yanran might use the Misty Cloud Sect's influence to humiliate the Xiao family.
• Xiao Yuan realized he might be the groom named in the contract and wondered how he could then put Xiao Yan through the wringer.
• Nalan Yanran's companion stood after she signaled that she was ready to break off the engagement.

Xiao Yuan confronted Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect elders before they could use their status to pressure the Xiao Clan. He led Nalan Yanran aside and declared that their engagement should be dissolved, leaving her poised to respond.

• Ge Ye asked Xiao Zhan for a favor, and Xiao Yuan inferred that Nalan Yanran had come to end their engagement.
• Xiao Yuan warned that Nalan Yanran could discuss the private matter elsewhere, hinting that he might tell Nalan Jie how she had treated the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Zhan welcomed Nalan Yanran and proposed that she and Xiao Yuan speak privately, while Ge Ye left the decision to her.
• Nalan Yanran agreed to talk with Xiao Yuan and followed him through the rear courtyard.
• Xiao Yuan said that he and Nalan Yanran had no feelings for each other and declared that their engagement should indeed be dissolved.

Xiao Yuan persuaded Nalan Yanran to delay dissolving their engagement for three years so his father would not lose face, and they signed copies of an agreement. They returned to the reception hall, where Nalan Yanran offered gifts to Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye revealed the Qi Gathering Powder.

• Xiao Yuan asked Nalan Yanran to wait three years before he brought the engagement contract to the Nalan Residence and dissolved their engagement.
• Nalan Yanran agreed, offered Xiao Yuan a Qi Gathering Powder as an apology, and then accepted his proposal to draw up a written agreement.
• Xiao Yuan and Nalan Yanran each pressed a bloody fingerprint onto the agreement, treated their wounds, and exchanged copies.
• Xiao Yuan told Nalan Yanran that he could not cultivate and that he already admired someone else.
• Xiao Yuan and Nalan Yanran returned to the reception hall, where she presented gifts to Xiao Zhan.
• Ge Ye opened a jade box containing Qi Gathering Powder, startling the three Xiao Clan elders.

Xiao Yuan turned Nalan Yanran’s Qi Gathering Powder into a meeting gift for Xiao Zhan and agreed to dissolve his engagement in three years. After Nalan Yanran left, he revealed that he had regained the ability to cultivate, leaving the family to decide who should receive the powder.

• Nalan Yanran presented the Qi Gathering Powder to Xiao Zhan as a meeting gift after Xiao Yuan refused it, then left for the Imperial Capital with Ge Ye and her companion.
• Xiao Yuan escorted Nalan Yanran out and reaffirmed that he would meet her in the Imperial Capital in three years.
• Xiao Yuan sent the three elders away and told Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun'er that he had agreed to dissolve the engagement in three years.
• Xiao Yuan revealed that he had regained his ability to cultivate the previous night, delighting Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun'er.
• Xiao Zhan offered the Qi Gathering Powder to Xiao Yuan, who declined and suggested Xiao Yan or Xiao Xun'er receive it.

Xiao Yuan realized Qi Gathering Powder could help him cultivate, but he needed more energy and rare materials to advance. He visited Mite'er Ya Fei at the Mittel Auction House to ask for help obtaining the resources, and she agreed to arrange them.

• Xiao Yuan decided the Qi Gathering Powder could help fill his Five Elements Qi Palace, but he avoided taking it until his meridians could handle its power.
• Xiao Yuan realized advancing to Dou Zhe required more energy, two First Order Wood Attribute Magic Cores, and an Azure Wood Vine.
• Xiao Yuan went to the Mittel Auction House to ask Mite'er Ya Fei for help obtaining cultivation resources.
• Ya Fei was delighted to learn Xiao Yuan could cultivate and offered to arrange the materials on his list.

Xiao Yuan told Ya Fei that he had agreed to end his engagement with Nalan Yanran in three years and invited her to accompany him to Nalan Residence. He then handed most of his market duties to Xiao Tong so he could focus on cultivation, aiming to reach Dou Zhe before his Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

• Ya Fei asked Xiao Yuan about Nalan Yanran, and he said they had agreed to dissolve their engagement in three years.
• Ya Fei praised Xiao Yuan and predicted Nalan Yanran would regret breaking the engagement; Xiao Yuan invited Ya Fei to accompany him to Nalan Residence in three years.
• Xiao Yuan returned to the Xiao Clan Market and summoned Deputy Market Master Xiao Tong.
• Xiao Yuan asked Xiao Tong to handle most of the market's affairs and said he intended to step down after the rating assessment so he could cultivate.
• Xiao Tong celebrated Xiao Yuan's newfound ability to cultivate and promised to keep it secret while managing the market.

Xiao Yuan visited the Xiao Clan’s Dou Techniques Hall and chose a Yellow Rank High Level technique, Wind Eagle Leg. Xiao Mei and other clan members noticed his unusual visit and watched as he selected it.

• Xiao Yuan told Xiao Yan to shop near the market master’s residence and suggested he ask Xun Er for money, while Yao Lao secretly probed Xiao Yuan and sensed no Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yuan decided to visit the Dou Techniques Hall to find a technique suited to his abundant cultivation reserves.
• Xiao Yuan passed Xiao Mei and her companions on the way, and Xiao Mei followed him to the hall after wondering why he had come.
• Xiao Yuan bypassed the lower-ranked techniques and picked up a scroll titled Yellow Rank High Level: Wind Eagle Leg.
• Xiao Mei asked whether Xiao Yuan wanted to learn Dou techniques as other clan members watched him.

Xiao Yuan borrowed the Wind Eagle Leg Dou Technique despite warnings that it was difficult to master, then learned its circulation route and moves with surprising ease. He tested it in the Back Mountain, where his powerful kick broke a tree but drained his Dou Qi and strained his meridians, leaving him resolved to improve his physical fitness.

• Xiao Mei warned Xiao Yuan that Wind Eagle Leg required at least Eighth Stage Dou Qi, but he registered the scroll anyway.
• Xiao Yuan studied Wind Eagle Leg and successfully memorized its Dou Qi circulation route and movements.
• Xiao Yuan went to a secluded spot in the Back Mountain to test the technique.
• Xiao Yuan kicked through a thick tree trunk, exhausting his Dou Qi and causing pain in his meridians.
• Xiao Yuan recognized the technique's heavy physical demands and began planning special training to strengthen his body.

Xiao Yuan tested several Dou Techniques at the clan hall and found that he could quickly grasp their basics, then used Xiao Yu to deter Xiao Ning. After Peien told him that Ya Fei had prepared his cultivation materials, Xiao Yuan went to meet her at the Mittel Auction House.

• Xiao Yuan returned Wind Eagle Leg and quickly learned the basics of Crushing Stone Palm, Rending Claw Strike, and Iron Mountain Fist.
• Xiao Yuan concluded that the clan's ordinary Dou Techniques offered him little challenge and decided he would need Sister Ya Fei's help.
• Xiao Ning mocked Xiao Yuan for visiting the Dou Techniques Hall, but Xiao Yuan warned him that Xiao Yu would punish him if he caused trouble.
• Xiao Ning wondered whether Xiao Yuan could now cultivate Dou Qi and grew troubled at the thought that he might become Xiao Yu's brother-in-law.
• Peien told Xiao Yuan that Miss Ya Fei had sent word that his materials were ready, and Xiao Yuan went to the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yuan greeted Ya Fei in her office and asked whether the materials were ready.

Xiao Yuan collected resources from Ya Fei and learned that the Mittel Family was investing in him after she reported that he was a cultivation genius. He declined the Wind Scroll Skill for now and asked Ya Fei to find him Dou Techniques.

• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yuan a Storage Ring, a Purple-Gold Card, and the resources prepared for him.
• Xiao Yuan discovered that the card held five hundred thousand Gold Coins, and Ya Fei said the Mittel Family considered it an investment in his potential.
• Ya Fei explained that she had told the family Xiao Yuan had reached the seventh stage of Dou Qi and would become a Dou Zhe within a year.
• Ya Fei offered Xiao Yuan the Profound Rank High Level Wind Scroll Skill, but he suggested auctioning it to the Gale Family instead.
• Xiao Yuan asked Ya Fei to find him suitable Dou Techniques, and she promised to discuss securing at least a Mysterious Rank technique with her family.

Xiao Yuan cultivated with a five-colored medicinal mixture before attending the Mittel Auction House’s major auction. Disguised as Miss Xiao Yuan, he drove up the price of the Wind Scroll Skill and left Gale Bi with the winning bid at an enormous cost.

• Xiao Yuan absorbed medicinal power from a five-colored liquid he had prepared from five Medicinal Herbs, increasing his Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yuan attended the Mittel Auction House auction in a black cloak and recognized the concealed Xiao Yan in the hall.
• Ya Fei auctioned Foundation Establishment Liquid and then presented the Mystic High-Rank Wind Scroll Skill as the grand finale.
• Xiao Yuan disguised his voice and bid against Gale Bi, claiming Ya Fei’s assurance that Miss Xiao Yuan had enough assets to pay.
• Xiao Yuan left after Gale Bi raised the bid to six hundred and ten thousand, and Ya Fei declared Gale Bi the successful buyer of the Wind Scroll Skill.

After the auction, Xiao Yuan received six low-level Mysterious Rank Dou Techniques from Ya Fei and chose Swimming Dragon Step and Six Harmonies Spear. He spent two months mastering the movement technique, then learned from Peien that trouble had arisen with the market district grade assessment.

• Xiao Yuan returned to Ya Fei’s office, where she apologized for being unable to obtain more Foundation Establishment Liquid and was surprised to hear he had reached the fifth stage.
• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yuan six low-level Mysterious Rank Dou Techniques to choose from and described rewards for reaching Dou Zhe and Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yuan selected Swimming Dragon Step and Six Harmonies Spear, then promised Ya Fei he would ensure only the Xiao Clan remained in Wutan City within three years.
• Xiao Yuan focused on practicing Swimming Dragon Step and, two months later, completed a difficult course through obstacles with greatly strengthened Dou Qi.
• Peien came to Xiao Yuan with news that there was trouble with the market district grade assessment.

Xiao Yuan investigated claims that the Gale Family had disrupted his marketplace by interfering with weapons and medicinal herb merchants. He confronted a shop under Huang Jing's command, recruited its guards, and ordered his squad to seize the shop for the Xiao Clan.

• Xiao Tong told Xiao Yuan that marketplace merchants had been accused of selling bad or unavailable goods and that the Gale Family was likely behind the trouble.
• Xiao Yuan ordered Xiao Tong to summon the Great Elder for support and took Peien and ten guards to a medicinal herb shop linked to Huang Jing.
• Xiao Yuan swiftly subdued the shop's two guards and offered them a place on his team; they agreed to join the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Yuan told the shopkeeper that the shop would belong to the Xiao Clan, and when the shopkeeper challenged him, Xiao Yuan sent Peien and the guards rushing in.

Xiao Yuan raided the medicinal herb and weapon shops over their role in the Xiao and Gale clans’ conflict, defeating the guards and ordering Huang Jing to Central Square. Gale Ao appeared at the weapon shop but fled when Xiao Yuan told his men to seize him.

• Xiao Yuan beat the medicinal herb shopkeeper and ordered an attendant to tell Huang Jing to meet him at Central Square or lose one of his Dou Zhes.
• Xiao Yuan defeated two guards at the weapon shop, killing one and pinning the other with a saber.
• Peien and the others entered the weapon shop and fought its defenders.
• Gale Ao burst out of the shop, recognized Xiao Yuan’s intentions, and fled when Xiao Yuan ordered his men to capture him.
• Xiao Yuan turned toward the battered weapon shopkeeper and led his group to Central Square.

Xiao Yuan confronted Huang Jing and Jax over their subordinates selling inferior goods in the Xiao Clan Market, then faced Huang Jing’s attack. The Great Elder rescued him and went to confront Huang Jing, while warning Xiao Yuan that he would deal with his recklessness later.

• Xiao Yuan accused Huang Jing and Jax’s subordinates of selling inferior Medicinal Herbs and weapons, and demanded an explanation.
• Jax apologized, offered triple compensation and a personally forged weapon, then killed his shopkeeper after Xiao Yuan handed the man over.
• Huang Jing threatened two former employees who had joined Xiao Yuan’s guard squad, then attacked Xiao Yuan under the pressure of his Dou Shi aura.
• Xiao Yuan dodged Huang Jing’s first attacks and crushed the Medicinal Herbs shopkeeper’s head as Huang Jing came at him.
• The Great Elder struck Huang Jing away, and Xiao Yuan revealed that he had acted boldly because he had sensed the Great Elder arriving.

The Great Elder killed Huang Jing for attacking Xiao Yuan, then brought Xiao Yuan back to the Xiao Clan to discuss his rapid cultivation. Xiao Yuan claimed he had Five Stages Dou Qi, but the elders believed he had reached Eight Stages in three months, and he left them waiting for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony to confirm his strength.

• The Great Elder killed Huang Jing and took his Storage Ring after declaring that the Xiao Clan would protect Xiao Yuan.
• Xiao Yuan told Jax he would send a list of compensation and weapon requirements, and Jax decided to warn his subordinates against interfering in the affairs of powerful clans.
• At the council meeting, Xiao Yuan claimed he had Five Stages Dou Qi and credited his speed to practicing Wind Eagle Leg.
• The Great Elder insisted Xiao Yuan's strength was at least Eight Stages Dou Qi, while Xiao Zhan and the Third Elder questioned how he had advanced so quickly.
• Xiao Yuan said the Coming-of-Age Ceremony would reveal his strength, and Xiao Zhan suggested the clan might one day produce a Dou Emperor.