Chapter Summaries

After the iron essence vanished, the Guang'an authorities closed the case by blaming the Shui family, and Xu Yi left the Patrol Division to honor his agreement with Elder Song. He reached the Alchemy Hall, where Elder Song praised his recent exploits, and Xu Yi confronted him for breaking their appointment.

• Xu Yi hid the iron essence in a rock in the artificial hill, and Chief Clerk Cui’s three-day search found nothing.
• The Guang'an Prefecture Governor’s office and Chief Clerk Cui blamed Shui Zhongjing and the Shui family to close the case, sparking a prolonged dispute between them.
• The governor promoted Li Zhongshu to Chief Clerk’s Staff Officer, while Xu Yi took leave from the Patrol Division.
• Xu Yi gave Yuan Qinghua five thousand gold in notes to seek high-quality Precious Medicine, then hurried to the Alchemy Hall after his communication device rang.
• Elder Song greeted Xu Yi by praising his assault on the Black Dragon Hall, and Xu Yi demanded an explanation for Elder Song missing their agreed meeting.

Xu Yi helped Elder Song test a method for forging a mid-grade Blood Drinker Blade and learned how artifact refining relied on balance among the five elements and harmony between yin and yang. Elder Song became frantic after hearing that iron essence had been stolen, while Xu Yi tried to draw out what he knew before the exhausting quenching work wore him down.

• Xu Yi ended his argument with Elder Song and agreed to help forge a Blood Drinker Blade.
• Elder Song heated iron and other materials in the furnace, then poured human blood inside as Xu Yi worked the bellows.
• Elder Song explained how balance among the five elements and harmony between yin and yang affected a weapon’s strength and ability to contain True Qi.
• Elder Song learned that the Patrol Division’s iron essence had been stolen and lamented that he had missed the chance to buy it at Linglong Pavilion.
• Xu Yi tried to learn more about iron essence from Elder Song, but Elder Song began quenching the blade instead.
• Xu Yi worked the bellows for nearly three hours before telling Elder Song he could not continue.

Xu Yi endured hours of working Elder Song’s bellows, learning how bodily tempering could shape the quality of his future Qi Sea. After Elder Song forged a mid-to-low-grade Blood Artifact, Xu Yi maneuvered him into offering help, leaving Elder Song amused at the favor he owed.

• Elder Song explained the different sizes of Qi Seas and urged Xu Yi to keep tempering his body before advancing.
• Xu Yi continued working the bellows despite his exhaustion while Elder Song completed the Blood Artifact’s quenching.
• Elder Song forged a mid-to-low-grade Blood Artifact and found Xu Yi still pulling the bellows in a trance.
• Elder Song gave Xu Yi two pills, and Xu Yi recovered enough to prepare to leave.
• Elder Song realized Xu Yi had earned a favor through his help and the earlier ten-thousand-gold bet, then called him a cunning brat.

Xu Yi persuaded Elder Song to arrange for him to study alchemy through work at the Guili Room instead of joining the Alchemy Hall. He arrived at the underground facility and was assigned to Room Ninety-Seven, where its rules were carved on the wall.

• Elder Song realized Xu Yi had endured the bellows work to earn his gratitude, and Xu Yi admitted he wanted to learn alchemy.
• Elder Song explained the Alchemy Hall's lengthy entry requirements and warned that mastering alchemy demanded years of study.
• Xu Yi asked to study under Elder Song while paying for materials and helping with the bellows, so Elder Song recommended him for the Guili Room.
• Elder Song gave his waist token to a green-robed attendant, who arranged Xu Yi's registration and placement.
• Xu Yi received a green crystal pass, followed signs deep underground, and was assigned to Room Ninety-Seven upon arrival at the Guili Room.

Xu Yi entered the Guili Room and discovered that its strict daily quota put him at a disadvantage after Elder Song had cost him half a day. He began refining scrap weapons with the Flame of Separation, starting his work in Room Number Ninety-Seven.

• Xu Yi read the Guili Room's rules and learned that workers who missed their daily quota or ranked among the three lowest producers would be eliminated.
• Xu Yi hurried to Room Number Ninety-Seven after two young masters mocked him for being a newcomer who had brought a large load of scrap weapons.
• Xu Yi inspected the forging room and learned that menial workers used the Flame of Separation to recover metal from scrap weapons.
• Xu Yi hid his iron essence and placed his manuals and possessions aside before preparing to work.
• Xu Yi set the furnace to the Flame of Separation and began hammering a broken Great Guan Dao to remove its impurities.

Xu Yi discovered that the iron essence could escape his clothes and destroy a weapon in the Fire of Separation, leaving him with usable bronze scraps. After meeting his material quota, he was summoned for inspection and mocked by the other workers for staying in the forging room past the appointed time.

• Xu Yi carefully hammered the Great Guan Dao until the iron essence burst from his clothes, landed on it, and caused it to shatter in the furnace.
• Xu Yi inspected the green fragments, identified them as bronze, and weighed them until he had collected thirty jin of material.
• Xu Yi searched the room for signs of surveillance, then began planning how to test the iron essence.
• The Green-robed Man summoned Xu Yi to the inspection counter after his jade token signaled that it was time to submit his goods.
• Brother Zhou pointed Xu Yi out to the crowd and ridiculed him for hiding in the forging room, prompting the workers to laugh.

Xu Yi was caught skipping the inspection, but he used the chance to test his iron-essence theory and passed with an impressive result. Steward Xie confronted Brother Zhou and Brother Li when they tried to leave without honoring their boasts.

• Brother Zhou and Brother Li prompted Steward Xie to look for Number Ninety-Seven, and Xu Yi was dragged out for inspection.
• Xu Yi realized the jade tags were taken from those who failed and bet Brother Zhou and Brother Li that he would pass.
• Steward Xie tested Xu Yi's green copper and announced that he had refined thirty catties, earning a blue banner.
• Brother Zhou and Brother Li were stunned because Xu Yi had surpassed their own combined output despite arriving that day.
• Steward Xie stopped the two young masters from leaving and called them shameless for trying to evade their boasts.

Xu used Zhou and Li’s wager money to win Steward Xie’s favor and secure a forge for repairing broken weapons. After settling into Forge Room Number Nine, Xu prepared three damaged weapons to test the iron essence and began investigating what had made it move on its own.

• Xu persuaded Zhou and Li to honor their wager without forcing them to change their surnames or eat the inspection table, and they gave him two thousand-gold notes.
• Xu offered Steward Xie a note for judging the dispute, then discreetly let him keep the two wager notes and asked to use a forge.
• Steward Xie lent Xu his Crystal Token, allowed him to draw supplies from the waste storehouse, and arranged dinner and clean clothes for him.
• Xu entered Forge Room Number Nine and examined a broken Steel-Point Spear, a Mountain-Cleaving Axe, and a damaged Moon Ring.
• Xu planned to test whether the iron essence could break down weapons of different grades, but first set out to discover what had made it move on its own.

Xu Yi discovered that the Iron Essence broke down damaged weapons when exposed to Lihuo, revealing its value as a tool for his alchemy studies. After concealing the Geng Iron he extracted, he returned the Moon Ring to Steward Xie and left the forge.

• Xu Yi tested the Iron Essence in Lihuo and found that it broke down the Steel-Point Spear into Heavy Iron and the Mountain-Cleaving Axe into Geng Iron.
• Xu Yi left the Moon Ring in the furnace for hours until he heard a faint crack, then stopped the fire and confirmed the Iron Essence was unharmed.
• Xu Yi realized the Iron Essence could provide abundant materials for studying alchemy and forging damaged weapons.
• Xu Yi fused the Geng Iron with Five Elements additives, shaped it into a crude object, then smashed and burned it into slag to hide what he had done.
• Steward Xie brought Xu Yi breakfast, inspected the Moon Ring, and accepted six gold coins from him.
• Xu Yi told Steward Xie he would not return to the forge that day and left, while Steward Xie urged him to come back.

Xu Yi received Master Zhou’s farewell letter and replenished Qiu Wa before heading to Hongbin Tower to meet Yuan Qinghua about a Precious Medicine. Yuan Qinghua had arrived first and was negotiating with the mountain trader Mr. Wang, whose patience was already wearing thin.

• Xu Yi learned from the neighboring wine seller that Master Zhou had left Guang'an for good and read his letter urging caution and continued cultivation of the Overlord Strength Art.
• Xu Yi found Yuan Qinghua’s letter saying he had reserved a Precious Medicine from an old mountain trader and was waiting at Hongbin Tower.
• Xu Yi replenished Qiu Wa with the Precious Medicine he had on hand, then hurried to Hongbin Tower after putting her back in the jade box.
• Yuan Qinghua arrived at Hongbin Tower, where merchants and martial artists greeted him as Xu Yi’s retainer and the manager offered to treat him to lunch.
• Yuan Qinghua met his old guide companion Skinny Monkey and the mountain trader Mr. Wang, who had agreed to wait one night but threatened to sell the medicine to Linglong Pavilion.

Yuan Qinghua hosted Old Mountain Guest and Skinny Monkey while waiting to take Old Mountain Guest’s rare medicines to Xu Yi. When Yuan Qinghua found a seven-hundred-year-old snow lotus and a five-hundred-year-old crimson fruit, a Yun family youth tried to seize them, leaving their sale in dispute.

• Old Mountain Guest apologized after learning he was selling his medicines to Xu Yi, then agreed to meet Yuan Qinghua and wait for him.
• Yuan Qinghua reassured Old Mountain Guest that Xu Yi was expecting him and hosted him to a lavish meal at Hongbin Tower.
• Old Mountain Guest showed Yuan Qinghua a seven-hundred-year-old snow lotus and a five-hundred-year-old crimson fruit.
• A Brocade Robe Youth tried to buy the medicines for two thousand gold and knocked Yuan Qinghua down when he blocked him.
• Skinny Monkey invoked Xu Yi’s name, but the Brocade Robe Youth insisted that he could still bid because the deal had not been made.

Yuan Qinghua tried to protect the Precious Medicine he had bought for his master from Young Master Yun, who beat him and seized the boxes. As Yuan Qinghua stood in his way again, a Man in green robe intervened and clashed with Uncle Wu, leaving Young Master Yun terrified by the newcomer’s strength.

• Old Mountain Guest backed away from selling the Precious Medicine to Young Master Yun after hearing that Yuan Qinghua served Divine Constable Yi.
• Old Mountain Guest told Young Master Yun that he had already sold the two herbs to Yuan Qinghua, and Yuan refused Young Master Yun’s offer of two thousand gold.
• Young Master Yun slapped Yuan Qinghua twice, knocked him down, and took the medicine boxes.
• Yuan Qinghua got back up and demanded that Young Master Yun return the medicine, so Young Master Yun gathered strength to attack him.
• A Man in green robe restrained Young Master Yun as Uncle Wu warned him, and a thunderous clash between the two men shook the hall.

Xu Yi arrived to rescue Yuan Qinghua and confronted Young Master Yun over the two Precious Medicines meant to save Qiu Wa. As Xu Yi prepared to punish Yun for robbery, Yun attacked and the Red Robe Middle-aged Man struck at Xu Yi.

• Xu Yi revealed himself, shocking the crowd and the Red Robe Middle-aged Man with his strength and speed.
• Skinny Monkey told Xu Yi how Young Master Yun had taken the Precious Medicines and beaten Yuan Qinghua's companions.
• Xu Yi declared that Yun's actions counted as robbery and demanded that he sever his own hands or let Xu Yi do it.
• Young Master Yun attacked Xu Yi with his Left Leg, and Xu Yi moved to shield Yuan Qinghua as the Red Robe Middle-aged Man unleashed a blast of energy at him.

Xu Yi fought the Red Robe Middle-aged Man, a Qi Sea Realm expert, while protecting Yuan Qinghua and using Young Master Yun as a shield. Xu Yi defeated the expert in the hall, proving he could cross the gap between the Body Tempering and Qi Sea realms.

• Xu Yi blocked the Red Robe Middle-aged Man's attack on Yuan Qinghua and threw Young Master Yun to the floor.
• Xu Yi used Young Master Yun as a shield to stop the Red Robe Middle-aged Man's lethal attack, then broke both of Young Master Yun's palms.
• The Red Robe Middle-aged Man charged Xu Yi, but Xu Yi chased him through the hall and struck him repeatedly.
• Xu Yi shattered the Red Robe Middle-aged Man's High-grade magic robe, broke his bones, and kicked him into a wall.
• The crowd watched in stunned silence as the defeated Red Robe Middle-aged Man lay motionless.

Xu Yi arrested Young Master Yun and the Red Robe Middle-aged Man after defeating them, then asked Old Mountain Guest about caring for an injured Ginseng Baby. Old Mountain Guest suggested spiritual soil, giving Xu Yi a new idea for helping Qiu Wa recover.

• Xu Yi ordered Captain Gongsun to take Young Master Yun and the Red Robe Middle-aged Man to the Patrol Division and arranged treatment and compensation for Yuan Qinghua.
• Xu Yi took Old Mountain Guest to a private room and paid him for the medicine with two gold notes.
• Xu Yi indirectly asked Old Mountain Guest how to care for an injured Ginseng Baby, hoping to learn how to help Qiu Wa.
• Old Mountain Guest explained that Ginseng Babies grew from Sophora flavescens roots and suggested planting an injured one in highly spiritual soil.
• Xu Yi realized spiritual soil might help Qiu Wa heal and asked whether Guang'an City shops sold it.

Xu Yi returned to the Patrol Division after his fight at Hongbin Tower, where Gao Junmo praised his victory over Wu Gang and tried to challenge him. Their conversation was interrupted by Li Zhongshu and a white-bearded official from the Guang'an Prefecture Governor's office, and Xu Yi's insults left the old man stammering and bleeding.

• Xu Yi left Linglong Pavilion after asking Old Mountain Guest about spirit soil and decided to let Yuan Qinghua search for it.
• Gao Junmo praised Xu Yi for defeating Wu Gang and repeatedly urged him to spar, but Xu Yi refused because of Gao's Seven Absolute Swords.
• A superior from the Guang'an Prefecture Governor's office arrived with Li Zhongshu to handle the case involving Young Master Yun.
• Xu Yi mocked Li Zhongshu as a stray dog, and Li Zhongshu grew furious but could not retaliate.
• When the white-bearded old man called Xu Yi a junior, Xu Yi insulted him until the man flushed, began bleeding, and struggled to speak.

Xu Yi defended the Patrol Division’s arrest of the Yun family’s third son and Wu Gang by laying out the evidence and arguing that their actions violated the law. Li Zhongshu demanded Gao Junmo’s answer, but Xu Yi’s insults derailed the confrontation before Gao could respond.

• Li Zhongshu accused Xu Yi of abusing his authority by beating the Yun family’s third son and Wu Gang at Hongbin Tower, while Gao Junmo let Xu Yi explain the case.
• Xu Yi recounted the incident and presented more than a hundred witness statements, citing laws that he said justified punishing Yun and Wu Gang.
• The Yun family’s Head Butler, Yun Zhongjian, argued that Royal Court laws did not bind powerful clans and condemned Xu Yi for striking a Yun family member.
• Xu Yi mocked Yun Zhongjian and prompted Li Zhongshu to identify him, then challenged Li to repeat the insults he had called disrespectful.
• Li Zhongshu accused Xu Yi of caring only about verbal victories and demanded an answer from Gao Junmo.

Xu Yi exploited his strength under Guang'an City's public duel rules to cow Yun Zhongjian and Li Zhongshu into negotiating over the prisoners. He began laying out the price for Yun Xiao San's actions at Hongbin Tower, leaving their release unresolved.

• Yun Zhongjian threatened to leave unless Gao Junmo released the prisoners, but Xu Yi warned that he could devastate the Yun family under the public duel rules.
• Xu Yi slapped Li Zhongshu three times and stopped him from drawing his sword by threatening to send him to the Ascending Dragon Platform.
• Gao Junmo declared that Xu Yi could make decisions for the Patrol Division and left the meeting.
• Xu Yi explained that his exceptional strength at Body Tempering Peak made him uniquely able to exploit the public duel rules and dominate his opponents.
• Xu Yi invited Yun Zhongjian and Li Zhongshu to negotiate, then argued that Yun Xiao San had to pay for stealing what Xu Yi wanted and attacking his guest at Hongbin Tower.

Xu Yi extorted ten thousand gold from Yun Zhongjian and Li Zhongshu to release Young Master Yun and Wu Gang, then left the Patrol Division and returned home. After sharing two thousand gold with Gao Junmo, he ate with Yuan Qinghua and asked him what he had wanted to discuss.

• Xu Yi demanded ten thousand gold from Yun Zhongjian and Li Zhongshu for the release of Young Master Yun and Wu Gang.
• Yun Zhongjian sent a green bird for gold notes, paid Xu Yi, and took the prisoners away while Li Zhongshu hurried out after Xu Yi warned him to protect Xu Yi's reputation.
• Xu Yi refused to split the money with Gao Junmo, but secretly tossed him two thousand gold notes before leaving on a month-long leave.
• Xu Yi returned home, ate the meal Yuan Qinghua had prepared, and asked him to explain what he wanted to discuss.

Xu Yi followed a mysterious message promising news about the Divine Essence Pill and met the Hat Man, who revealed himself as Elder Qi Ming of the Pill Cauldron Sect. Qi Ming offered to obtain the pill if Xu Yi agreed to do him a favor.

• Yuan Qinghua told Xu Yi that a note had invited him to meet someone with news about the Divine Essence Pill.
• Xu Yi rushed to the sesame-seed flatbread stall and waited for the contact, who left him an address on the table.
• Xu Yi followed the address to a narrow courtyard and met the Hat Man, carefully avoiding the tea he suspected was poisoned.
• Xu Yi challenged the Hat Man to produce proof of his claim about the Divine Essence Pill.
• The Hat Man removed his disguise, revealed himself as Elder Qi Ming, and placed a Pill Cauldron Sect badge on the table.