Chapter Summaries

After claiming a mysterious reward, Xiao Yan regained his cultivation and returned to Dou Zhe, shocking the Xiao Family and proving himself in a fight. He left the test with Xiao Xun'er, while Xiao Mei wondered whether their former closeness could return.

• At the Xiao Family test, Xiao Yan received a panel offering the Fallen Heart Flame and claimed it, rising from Three Stage Dou Qi to Nine Stage Dou Qi and becoming a Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Zhan embraced Xiao Yan, while Xiao Mei and the Elders reacted with disbelief and Xiao Ning accused Xiao Zhan of using questionable medicine.
• Xiao Yan invited Xiao Ning to attack him, endured the Stone Crushing Palm, and revealed that Xiao Ning was the one injured; Xiao Ning admitted defeat.
• Xiao Zhan resumed the test, and Xiao Mei received a Seven Stage Dou Qi result that drew little attention after Xiao Yan's return.
• Xiao Yan left with Xiao Xun'er, while Xiao Mei wondered if she and Xiao Yan could ever be close again.

Xiao Yan discovered that Yao Lao had absorbed his Dou Qi for three years and forced the old soul to offer him a cultivation technique. After the Flame Mantra evolved and a mysterious yellow flame appeared, Xiao Yan rose to Nine Star Dou Zhe, leaving Yao Lao stunned.

• Xiao Zhan celebrated Xiao Yan’s return to strength, while Xiao Ning let go of his feelings for Xiao Xun'er.
• Xiao Yan confronted Yao Lao after learning that he had absorbed Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for three years.
• Yao Lao offered Xiao Yan the Flame Mantra, which evolved to Profound Low-Rank after merging with the Fallen Heart Flame.
• At midnight, Xiao Yan claimed a Mysterious Yellow Flame, which merged with the Flame Mantra and raised him to Nine Star Dou Zhe.
• Yao Lao demanded to know where Xiao Yan had obtained the Mysterious Yellow Flame and cursed in disbelief.

Xiao Yan revealed his mysterious yellow Heavenly Flame, extraordinary mental strength, and astonishing talent by refining a pill with his bare hand, leaving Yao Lao shaken. After Xiao Yan accepted Yao Lao as his teacher, Ling Ying secretly observed him, and the next morning Xiao Yan was summoned to meet guests from the Misty Cloud Sect.

• Xiao Yan told Yao Lao that he might have an Innate Heavenly Flame Constitution, and Yao Lao proposed teaching him alchemy in exchange for help forging a body.
• Yao Lao tested Xiao Yan's mental strength and discovered it surpassed his own when he became a Tier-4 Alchemist.
• Xiao Yan used the Mysterious Yellow Flame as a hand-held cauldron and successfully refined a Heart Stabilizing Pill under Yao Lao's terse instructions.
• Xiao Yan thanked Yao Lao and accepted him as his teacher, moving Yao Lao despite his memories of Han Feng's betrayal.
• Xiao Yan sensed someone near his courtyard, while Ling Ying concealed himself and wondered how a Dou Zhe had detected him.
• The next morning, a servant told Xiao Yan that the Patriarch wanted him in the main hall because guests from the Misty Cloud Sect had arrived.

Xiao Yan joined his family at a meeting with Misty Cloud Sect representatives and learned that Nalan Yanran had come to dissolve their engagement. As Xiao Zhan and the Elders protested the public insult, Xiao Yan rose to handle the matter himself.

• Steward Mo led Xiao Yan to the reception hall, where he saw Ge Ye, Nalan Yanran, and a young Misty Cloud Sect disciple.
• Xiao Yan sat beside Xun Er, who teased him about secretly nourishing her bones and meridians when they were children, and promised to keep her company.
• Ge Ye asked Xiao Zhan to dissolve Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's engagement, citing the Misty Cloud Sect leader's rules and Yanran's future as a successor.
• Xiao Zhan and the Elders angrily protested the public humiliation, while Xiao Yan rose to take responsibility for handling the matter.
• Ge Ye presented an ancient jade box containing Qi Gathering Powder as an apology, and Xiao Zhan coldly told Nalan Yanran to call him Clan Leader Xiao.

Xiao Yan confronted Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye over their public attempt to dissolve his engagement, condemning their disrespect toward him and Xiao Zhan. He rejected their offers and revealed a pill he claimed he could refine himself, leaving the hall stunned.

• Ge Ye presented a Qi Gathering Powder refined by Pill King Gu He as compensation, and Xiao Yan asked whether Nalan Yanran's grandfather had agreed to the broken engagement.
• Nalan Yanran admitted the decision was hers, and Xiao Yan challenged her for humiliating him and Xiao Zhan publicly; she insisted she hated the engagement and offered more pills and Misty Cloud Sect training.
• Nalan Yanran insulted Xiao Yan and called him a toad lusting after a swan, prompting him to tremble with rage and say he wanted to kill her.
• Xiao Yan criticized Gu He's Qi Gathering Powder and took out a Heart Stabilizing Pill, claiming he could refine a Grade Two Pill at will.

Xiao Yan proved he was a Second Grade Alchemist, turning Nalan Yanran’s public attempt to annul their engagement against her. After he accepted the annulment, Nalan Yanran attacked him, but Xiao Yan shattered her sword and revealed that he had reached Nine Star Dou Zhe.

• Yao Lao urged Xiao Yan to stand his ground against the Misty Cloud Sect, and Xiao Yan called for herbs to demonstrate his pill refining.
• Xiao Yan used Mysterious Yellow Flame and his hand as a cauldron to refine a Heart Stabilizing Pill, shocking Nalan Yanran, Ge Ye, Xiao Zhan, and the Xiao Family Elders.
• Xiao Yan claimed that a Pill Refining Grandmaster had taught him, and Xiao Zhan declared that his son had the Pill King's Posture.
• Nalan Yanran feared the damage Xiao Yan's success could do to her family's reputation, while Xiao Yan agreed to annul their engagement and settle their grievances.
• Nalan Yanran stabbed at Xiao Yan, but he twisted her sword until it shattered and revealed his Nine Star Dou Zhe strength.

Xiao Yan revealed that he had reached Nine Star Dou Zhe, humiliating Nalan Yanran and ending their engagement. Nalan Yanran vowed to train at the Misty Cloud Sect and challenge him in three years, while Xiao Yan promised the Xiao Family juniors a supply of pills.

• Xiao Yan displayed his Nine Star Dou Zhe strength and explained that his mysterious master and years of accumulated cultivation had helped him advance.
• Nalan Yanran signed a blood-written challenge, demanding that Xiao Yan meet her at the Misty Cloud Sect in three years, and left the Xiao Family in humiliation.
• Xun Er rebuked Nalan Yanran and said she would have stayed beside Xiao Yan even if he had remained a cripple.
• Nalan Yanran declared that she would enter the Life and Death Gate and ask Gu He to refine pills to help her prepare for their future contest.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Mei, Xiao Ning, and the other juniors that he would obtain pills through the Mittel Auction House and let them eat them like beans.

Xiao Yan planned to make Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid for the Xiao clansmen and sold two Heart Stabilizing Pills at the Mittel Auction House to obtain money and Magic Cores. He left Ya Fei with a list of rare ingredients, whose contents shocked her and Gu Ni.

• Xiao Yan offered to refine pills for Xiao Mei and the other Xiao clansmen, then left the hall with Xun Er.
• Xiao Yan learned Yao Lao's Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula and sent Xun Er to find its ingredients while he went to the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yan sold two Heart Stabilizing Pills to Gu Ni for forty thousand Gold Coins, split between cash and First Grade Wood Attribute Magic Cores.
• Ya Fei gave Xiao Yan a Mittel VIP Card, and he asked to buy medicinal ingredients on credit from the family's headquarters.
• Ya Fei and Gu Ni were shocked when they examined Xiao Yan's ingredient list.

Xiao Yan killed Jia Lieao after he attacked Xiao Ning and provoked Xun Er, triggering a confrontation with Jia Liebi in the marketplace. Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Family's Great Elder drove Jia Liebi away, and Xiao Yan left with Xiao Ning after promising him medicine.

• Gu Ni was shocked by the high-grade alchemy materials Ya Fei brought him and suspected their owner was a Tier-4 Alchemist or higher.
• Jia Lieao blocked Xun Er and insulted Xiao Yan, then beat Xiao Ning when he defended her.
• Xiao Yan killed Jia Lieao and declared that he had killed Jia Lie Old Dog's son.
• Jia Liebi rushed in to avenge Jia Lieao, but Xiao Zhan intercepted his attack and the Great Elder helped force him to retreat with the corpse.
• Xiao Yan reassured Xiao Ning and promised to give him medicine after refining it.

Xiao Yan refined Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid for the Xiao Family Juniors and gave Xun Er an especially generous share. At the Mittel Auction House, Zuo Ya and his companions attacked Ya Fei, until a sudden burst of flame struck one of them as Xiao Yan arrived.

• Xiao Yan made fifteen drops of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid and gave one drop to each Xiao Family Junior, warning them to dilute it and keep it secret.
• Xiao Yan gave Xun Er a bottle containing ten drops and promised another surprise after Mittel's medicinal ingredients arrived.
• Ling Ying warned Xun Er that Xiao Yan's possession of two Heavenly Flames was unusual, but Xun Er said she only cared that he was her Brother Xiao Yan.
• Zuo Ya confronted Ya Fei at the Mittel Auction House, and his companions beat the enforcers who tried to intervene.
• Zuo Ya lunged at Ya Fei while his companions cheered, but a sudden flame burned one of the profligates to charcoal as Xiao Yan declared that they were blocking his way.

Xiao Yan killed Zuo Ya and his men after they attacked him, then revealed his master’s Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to Ya Fei and arranged for her to auction it. He left Ya Fei preparing the auction and looked forward to destroying the Jia Lie Family.

• Zuo Ya ordered his men to attack Xiao Yan and threatened Ya Fei, who agreed to go with him to protect Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan burned Zuo Ya’s men and then Zuo Ya to death with the Mysterious Yellow Flame.
• Ya Fei warned Xiao Yan that Zuo Ya’s grandfather was one of the Jia Ma Empire Ten Experts and offered him a token to flee to the Chu Yun Empire.
• Xiao Yan told Ya Fei that his master was a mysterious alchemist and showed her Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, winning her interest in a partnership.
• Ya Fei agreed to auction the medicinal liquid, while Xiao Yan looked forward to destroying the Jia Lie Family.

At the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan clashed verbally with Jia Liebi, while Oba Pa watched the family feud from the sidelines. Ya Fei auctioned Xiao Yan’s Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, and as Jia Liebi fought to buy it, Xiao Yan urged Xiao Zhan to raise the bid.

• Jia Liebi confronted Xiao Yan at the auction, but Ya Fei stopped him from acting, and Xiao Zhan taunted him over Jia Lieao’s death.
• The Second Elder apologized to Xiao Yan for his earlier actions, and Xiao Yan accepted without complaint.
• Ya Fei presented the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid and cited Xiao Yan’s rise in cultivation as proof of its effects.
• Ya Fei revealed that the mysterious alchemist had also made the Heart Stabilizing Pills, and Oba Pa confirmed that one had helped him reach Three Star Great Dou Shi.
• As bids for the spirit liquid climbed, Xiao Yan noticed Jia Liebi was determined to win it and told Xiao Zhan to raise the price.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan manipulated the auction to make Jia Liebi spend an exorbitant sum on Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid consigned by Xiao Yan. After the auction, Jia Lie Sen drank a bottle of the potent liquid, shocking Xiao Yan and the Xiao Family Juniors.

• Xiao Zhan and Oba Pa drove Jia Liebi's bids for the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid higher while Xiao Yan claimed that using more would boost its effects.
• Jia Liebi spent three hundred and twenty thousand Gold Coins to buy all five drops and gave up bidding on the Wind Scroll Skill.
• Ya Fei revealed that Xiao Yan had consigned the five drops, and Jia Liebi tried to attack him before the Auction House guards stopped him.
• Oba Pa bought the Wind Scroll Skill for three hundred and fifty thousand, then thanked Xiao Yan for keeping Jia Liebi from competing.
• Jia Liebi handed a bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to Jia Lie Sen, who pulled out the stopper and drank it.

Jia Lie Sen crippled his Dou Qi by drinking the potent medicine liquid, prompting Jia Liebi to blame Xiao Yan and threaten the Xiao Family. At the auction house, Ya Fei tried to protect Xiao Yan from Lei Le and two Zuo Family Guest Elders, but when they moved to seize her, a powerful ally burst in and forced them to their knees.

• Jia Lie Sen drank the medicine liquid undiluted, and his Dou Qi fell to the third stage as his meridians were damaged.
• Jia Liebi blamed Xiao Yan for Jia Lie Sen's condition, threatened the Xiao Family, and left with his son, carrying a Willow Character Medicine Tag.
• Ya Fei admitted responsibility for Zuo Ya's death and tried to send Xiao Yan away before Lei Le and two Zuo Family Guest Elders could capture him.
• Ya Fei confronted Lei Le, who ordered the Guest Elders to take her after she slapped him.
• A powerful surge of Dou Qi blasted open the door, and its owner crushed the two Guest Elders with mental strength, declaring Ya Fei his partner.

Xiao Yan used his overwhelming mental strength and the Fallen Heart Flame to force the Zuo Family Guest Elders into serving the Xiao Family and punish Lei Le for disrespecting Ya Fei. After securing a future partnership with the auction house, he invited Ya Fei to Wutan City's famous lovers' rendezvous spot.

• Xiao Yan subdued the Zuo Family Guest Elders and made them choose between death and becoming servants of the Xiao Family, so they submitted.
• Xiao Yan revealed the Fallen Heart Flame, and the Zuo Family Guest Elders recognized it as a Heavenly Flame and agreed to serve the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Yan burned Lei Le with a Fire Seed, broke his kneecap, and ordered Gu Ni to send him back to the Imperial Capital with a warning for Lei Ou.
• Xiao Yan arranged a long-term partnership with the auction house and asked Ya Fei to walk with him.
• Xiao Yan invited Ya Fei to chat at Wutan City's famous lovers' rendezvous spot, leaving her flustered.

Xiao Yan recruited Ya Fei to help bring down the Jia Lie Family by cutting off its marketplace trade, offering her support and a path to power within the Mittel Family. He then brought two Six-Star Great Dou Shi to serve Xiao Zhan, leaving the Xiao Family confident enough to plan a counterattack.

• Xiao Yan asked Ya Fei to use Mittel's influence against the Jia Lie Family and promised her pills and his backing in exchange for her cooperation.
• Ya Fei accepted Xiao Yan's offer and wondered how she could repay him, believing he had acted for Xiao Yan's sake.
• Xiao Zhan and the Elders discussed the Jia Lie Family's attacks on Xiao Family marketplaces and their lack of manpower to defend them.
• Xiao Yan entered the Xiao Family hall with Zhou Yuan and Zhou Cang, two Six-Star Great Dou Shi who knelt and called Xiao Zhan their master.
• Xiao Zhan celebrated his son's influence and declared that the Xiao Family would attack the Jia Lie Family the next day.

Jia Liebi celebrated the attack on the Xiao Family Marketplace and prepared to use Liu Xi and his Second Grade Alchemist senior brother against the Xiao Family. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan’s Myriad Beast Spirit Fire devoured Yao Lao’s Bone Chilling Flame, rapidly raising Xiao Yan to Eight-Star Dou Shi and strengthening the Flame Mantra; Xiao Yan then wondered if it could refine Beast Flames.

• Jia Liebi praised the Dou Shi who had raided the Xiao Family Marketplace and ordered them to continue their attacks the next day.
• Jia Lie Nu reported that Liu Xi was on his way and that his Second Grade Alchemist senior brother would follow, while Jia Liebi planned to transport medicinal ingredients to An Yang City.
• Xiao Yan claimed the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire reward, which raised him to Four-Star Dou Shi before its advancement stalled.
• The Myriad Beast Spirit Fire devoured much of Yao Lao’s Bone Chilling Flame and converted it into Dou Qi, raising Xiao Yan to Eight-Star Dou Shi and advancing the Flame Mantra to Profound Middle-Rank.
• Yao Lao warned Xiao Yan to control the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, and Xiao Yan retrieved his Beast Fire Vial to test whether the flame could refine Beast Flames.

Xiao Yan refined Beast Flame, learned that reaching Da Dou Shi would unlock a Secret Technique for controlling Heavenly Flames, and strengthened ties with Xun Er and the Xiao Family juniors. Meanwhile, Jia Liebi launched a raid on the Xiao Family Marketplace, where Xiao Zhan waited for the attacks to escalate before ordering a response.

• Xiao Yan devoured the Burning Flame Flood Dragon Beast Fire, and Yao Lao told him he needed to reach Da Dou Shi to learn a Secret Technique hidden in the Xiao Family's Dou Qi Pavilion.
• Xiao Yan sent a letter and five Qi Gathering Powders to the Mittel Auction House, then gave pills to the Xiao Family juniors and a special selection to Xun Er.
• Xun Er gave Xiao Yan ten Qi Gathering Powders, and his jealous outburst at the thought of her being taken by another man left her confused and pleased by his gift.
• Jia Lie Nu confirmed that the Xiao Family elders were away, and Jia Liebi sent more than a dozen men to rob and assault merchants in the Xiao Family Marketplace.
• Xiao Zhan refused to intervene at once, hoping the merchants would unite against the Jia Lie Family, then ordered his forces to act.

Xiao Zhan and his allies slaughtered the Jia Lie Family raiders in the Xiao Family Marketplace, while Xiao Zhan promised compensation to the merchants. Jia Lieqing then took a woman hostage and tried to kill her, but a mocking voice interrupted him from above.

• Jia Liebi watched the planned raid on the Xiao Family Marketplace until Xiao Zhan, Zhou Cang, and Zhou Yuan revealed themselves and began killing the Gray Robe Dou Shi.
• Xiao Zhan’s ambush trapped the raiders, and Oba Pa arrived with two Red Robe Da Dou Shi to help finish them off.
• Xiao Zhan told the merchants the attackers were mountain bandits and promised to compensate their losses, cover medical costs, and waive stall fees for three months.
• Jia Liebi learned that Jia Lieqing had survived and watched as Jia Lieqing seized a white-clothed woman as a hostage.
• Jia Lieqing raised a spike to stab the woman, but a mocking voice sounded from midair before the blow landed.

Xiao Yan returned in time to defeat Jia Lieqing and protect the marketplace, where he met Xiao Yi Xian. After hearing that Xun Er and the others were being harassed, he rushed to confront Liu Xi, who ordered his men to capture the young women.

• Xiao Yan struck Jia Lieqing down, and the merchants recognized the attacker as a member of the Jia Lie Family.
• Xiao Yi Xian thanked Xiao Yan, treated an injured merchant, and left with her maid.
• The merchants demanded justice from Xiao Zhan, while Oba Pa changed his attitude toward the Xiao Family after witnessing Xiao Yan's strength.
• Ke Lu told Xiao Yan that Liu Xi was harassing Xun Er and the others, and Xiao Yan hurried to the edge of the marketplace.
• Liu Xi threatened Xun Er and Xiao Mei, but Xun Er insulted him, so he ordered his men to capture them.