Recaps

Lin Ming watched Elder Huo win the Earth Heart Fire Stone, then left before the auction of the Spirit Dou Pill ended to collect his own winnings. After settling the payment with pills and meeting Hu Baiqiang and Deacon Bi, Lin Ming brought Han Yue to a banquet with them.

• Elder Huo outbid the competition and bought the Earth Heart Fire Stone for two million eight hundred thousand gold coins.
• The auction presented a Spirit Dou Pill as its final item, but Lin Ming left early to collect the Black Token and Crimson Flow Gold Cauldron he had won.
• Lin Ming asked the Jia Nan Auction House to accept medicinal pills for the part of his bill he could not cover with gold coins.
• Deacon Bi and Hu Baiqiang met Lin Ming, and Hu Baiqiang recognized him as the young alchemist who had refined a Third-Grade Pill.
• Hu Baiqiang appraised Lin Ming's pills, and Deacon Bi completed the exchange after Lin Ming confirmed his auction items.
• Lin Ming invited Han Yue to join him, Hu Baiqiang, and Deacon Bi for a banquet, and they returned late that night.

Lin Ming tested his new Crimson Flow Gold Cauldron and refined a Liquid Energy Pill with a Pill Pattern. Elder Huo offered him the Earth Heart Fire Stone if he became a 4th Grade Alchemist before next year's Inner Academy Grand Competition selection tournament.

• Lin Ming discovered that the black token's malicious intent could enhance Spiritual Strength only up to the level of a Second-Grade Alchemist.
• Lin Ming tested the Crimson Flow Gold Cauldron and found it produced flames twenty percent hotter than his Bronze Medicine Cauldron.
• Lin Ming refined a Liquid Energy Pill on his first attempt with the new cauldron, and the pill developed a Pill Pattern.
• Steward Yang told Lin Ming that Elder Huo wanted to see him, and Lin Ming went to meet the elder.
• Elder Huo explained why the academy had bid on the Earth Heart Fire Stone and offered it to Lin Ming if he became a 4th Grade Alchemist before next year's selection tournament.
• Lin Ming accepted the challenge and said Elder Huo would only need to keep the Earth Heart Fire Stone for one year.

Lin Ming arranged to focus on pill refining at Jia Nan Academy while promising Instructor Zhang Man he would place in the top five at next year’s Inner Academy Selection Tournament. After months of refining pills and cultivating, he advanced to Five-Star Dou Master and later took a second Liquid Energy Pill.

• Lin Ming asked Instructor Zhang Man for leave to spend most of his time refining pills, and she granted it on the condition that he place in the top five at next year’s Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Lin Ming moved into a courtyard at the Alchemy Department and chose to buy medicinal materials on credit, with the academy taking a share of the pills’ sale price.
• Over more than two months, Lin Ming refined Third-Grade Pills with high success rates, earned more than three million Gold Coins, and began producing pills with Pill Patterns regularly.
• Lin Ming reached the peak of Four-Star Dou Master and broke through to Five-Star Dou Master during midnight cultivation.
• Lin Ming continued refining pills and cultivating, came close to opening the executing meridians for his Earth Tier Dou Technique, then took his second Liquid Energy Pill after stabilizing his cultivation.

Lin Ming joined the Year-End Grand Competition and led Black Tier Class One to first place in the class arena matches. The open Arena Tournament then began, and Lin Ming waited eagerly for a chance to fight.

• Steward Yang told Lin Ming that the Year-End Grand Competition had started, so Lin Ming hurried to his class’s arena.
• Lin Ming organized his classmates’ teams and challenged Black Tier Class Two, where he defeated Liu Qing’s Great Mountain Split with his Explosive Thunder Fist.
• Lin Ming won all seven of his matches, helping Black Tier Class One finish first with twenty-five points, ten points ahead of Black Tier Class Two.
• The next day, Vice Dean Hu Gan and the elders opened the Arena Tournament and announced Third-Grade Pills as rewards for the top ten.
• After learning the tournament rules, Lin Ming waited at the plaza, eager to fight the other students.

Lin Ming challenged Xu Chong for an arena and defeated him with controlled flames, becoming its defender. After recovering, he accepted Han Dongshen’s challenge and prepared to face the Nine-Star Dou Master’s Ice Soul Spear.

• Lin Ming waited for Xu Chong to finish recovering, then challenged him and insisted he was qualified to claim the arena.
• Lin Ming used Flame Gold Flame and the Technique of Pill Fire to overwhelm Xu Chong, who conceded and lost the arena.
• The students below hesitated to challenge Lin Ming after seeing his control of fire, but Lin Ming quickly recovered.
• Han Dongshen stepped onto the arena and attacked Lin Ming with an Ice Soul Spear, hoping to close in before Lin Ming could use his flames.

Lin Ming defended his arena against Han Dongshen, then defeated several challengers with the Technique of Pill Fire. The next afternoon, a formidable young man stepped onto the arena, and Lin Ming sensed a pressure that made his blood boil.

• Lin Ming countered Han Dongshen's ice with the Flame Gold Flame, then drew the Star Dragon Saber when Han Dongshen extinguished his fire net.
• After more than a hundred exchanges, Lin Ming defeated Han Dongshen's Ice Heart Break with Startling Swan Slash, and Han Dongshen conceded.
• Lin Ming recovered his Dou Qi and defeated Luo Jin and two more challengers, then won three matches the next morning and another at the start of the afternoon.
• After Lin Ming finished meditating, a man around twenty-two or twenty-three years old stared at him from the arena, and Lin Ming felt the pressure of a powerful opponent.

Lin Ming challenged Zuo Rulong, who revealed that he had just advanced to the Da Dou Shi realm and used Dou Qi Armor to withstand Lin Ming’s attacks. Lin Ming broke through the armor with the Startling Swan Slash, but Zuo Rulong charged back, preparing to unleash a Dou Technique.

• Lin Ming mocked Zuo Rulong’s offer to guard the arena, and Zuo Rulong introduced himself and challenged him.
• Lin Ming accepted the match and trapped Zuo Rulong in Golden Flame, but Zuo Rulong revealed he had advanced to Da Dou Shi and formed Dou Qi Armor.
• Zuo Rulong broke free of Lin Ming’s flames and blocked his ordinary Star Dragon Saber strikes with his armor.
• Lin Ming used the Startling Swan Saber Technique and struck Zuo Rulong with the Startling Swan Slash, splitting his armor and drawing blood.
• Zuo Rulong acknowledged Lin Ming’s skill, wiped away the blood, and charged at him to demonstrate a Dou Technique.

Lin Ming defeated Zuo Rulong in the Year-End Grand Competition despite being a realm weaker, then held his arena until the competition ended. His victory secured him a place in the top ten and made history as a freshman at Jia Nan Academy.

• Lin Ming countered Zuo Rulong's Dragon Grasping Claw with Mountain Rushing and Flood Fist, breaking both of his hands before striking him with the complete technique.
• Lin Ming's final blow shattered Zuo Rulong's Dou Qi Armor and left him unconscious, and the referee declared Lin Ming the winner after arranging treatment for Zuo Rulong.
• Lin Ming swallowed a Qi Replenishing Pill and recovered while the spectators recognized his strength, but no one dared challenge him again.
• The Year-End Grand Competition ended with Lin Ming among the ten arena champions, making him the first freshman to enter the top ten at Jia Nan Academy.

After the grand competition, Lin Ming began his vacation and joined Chen Yuanlong’s Enforcement Team for a mission through the Black Corner Region to gain combat experience. Before leaving, he visited Elder Huo, who gave him a Dragon Power Pill for the journey.

• Han Yue and Instructor Zhang Man visited Lin Ming to congratulate him on placing in the grand competition’s top ten, and they enjoyed the Spiritual Fruits he had brought from the Alchemy Department.
• After reflecting on his fight with Zuo Rulong, Lin Ming decided to seek combat experience during vacation and went to the Enforcement Team the next morning.
• Lin Ming met Chen Yuanlong and accepted a place on his team for a mission through the Black Corner Region to inspect an academy mine, agreeing to depart at noon the next day.
• Lin Ming visited Elder Huo to report his plans and offer early holiday greetings, and Elder Huo gave him a Dragon Power Pill for protection.
• Lin Ming stayed with Elder Huo until nearly sunset, then left to prepare for the mission.

Lin Ming joined Chen Yuanlong, Tang Xi, and two other academy members on a mission to inspect mineral supplies, traveling toward Black Seal City through Eight Gates territory. After noticing Tang Xi’s unusual influence and hidden cultivation, Lin Ming entered the city with her, where the powerful guards demonstrated the danger and scale of the Black Corner Region.

• Lin Ming met Chen Yuanlong, Tang Xi, and the other mission members before they flew to an academy outpost and continued toward Eight Gates territory.
• On the road, Lin Ming burned a recently killed traveler’s corpse, while Chen Yuanlong and the others waited for him.
• Near Black Seal City, Chen Yuanlong split the group, and Tang Xi chose to travel with Lin Ming.
• Lin Ming suspected Tang Xi was more powerful and influential than she appeared, but accepted traveling with her.
• Lin Ming and Tang Xi reached Black Seal City, where a High-Level Dou Master guard kicked away a person who could not pay the entry fee.

Lin Ming and Tang Xi crossed Black Seal City and continued toward their meeting point, where three bandits followed them into a forest and surrounded them. Lin Ming pretended to be a sheltered young master to mislead the attackers, who demanded their valuables and threatened Tang Xi.

• Tang Xi used her aura to deter the City Guards from searching her, and she and Lin Ming entered Black Seal City.
• Lin Ming and Tang Xi traveled across the city and arranged to meet Chen Yuanlong and the others beyond the opposite gate.
• After leaving the city, Lin Ming noticed three men following them, but he and Tang Xi continued on because the men seemed no threat.
• The three men surrounded Lin Ming and Tang Xi in a forest after deciding no one was protecting them.
• Lin Ming pretended that he and Tang Xi were powerful family geniuses, but the bandits believed his act and demanded their valuables.

Lin Ming and Tang Xi killed three men who tried to rob them, then reunited with Chen Yuanlong and the others and traveled to Jia Nan Academy’s copper Mine. Steward Song welcomed the group with a banquet and arranged their lodging, with the inspection set to begin the next day.

• Lin Ming killed the fat robber, while Tang Xi fought the Da Dou Shi leader and Lin Ming defeated the gaunt man.
• Lin Ming took two Storage Rings for himself and gave Tang Xi the leader’s ring before they continued to the meeting place.
• Lin Ming and Tang Xi reunited with Chen Yuanlong and the other three, then traveled for four days to the Mine.
• Chen Yuanlong asked whether they had met trouble, and Lin Ming briefly said they had dealt with men who followed them from the city gates.
• The group arrived at the Mine near nightfall, accepted Steward Song’s banquet and lodging, and agreed to begin the inspection the next day.

Lin Ming and the others audited the copper mine and found a substantial mismatch between its records and physical stock, but Steward Song persuaded most of them to let the matter go. As the group prepared to finish the mission, Lin Ming grew suspicious because he could not detect Steward Song’s cultivation.

• Lin Ming and the other auditors spent several days comparing account books and mine stock, finding that the physical figures fell short by several thousand gold coins.
• Steward Song blamed the discrepancy on fluctuating prices, lower copper content in one section, and increased expenses, then appealed to the auditors’ sympathy.
• Chen Yuanlong and the others agreed to report the issue without pursuing it further, and Steward Song hosted them at a lavish dinner.
• Lin Ming asked Chen Yuanlong about Steward Song’s cultivation after realizing he could not probe it, unlike Chen Yuanlong’s approximate level.
• Lin Ming reasoned that Steward Song either had a Concealment Treasure or had reached at least Six Stars of the Dou Ling realm.

Lin Ming and the others discovered that Steward Song had secretly advanced to the Dou Ling realm, suggesting the mine was responsible for his abnormal cultivation. After Steward Song reluctantly agreed to let them inspect underground, Chen Yuanlong and two others descended while Lin Ming and Tang Xi waited above.

• Lin Ming told Chen Yuanlong and the others that he could not sense Steward Song's cultivation, despite being able to estimate Chen Yuanlong's.
• Tang Xi investigated Steward Song and concluded that he was a seasoned Dou Ling, not a peak Dou Grandmaster as expected.
• The group suspected the mine had caused Steward Song's rapid advancement and decided to investigate underground.
• Steward Song resisted Lin Ming and Chen Yuanlong's request to enter the mine but eventually assigned Liu Zi to guide them.
• Chen Yuanlong and two others entered the mine while Lin Ming and Tang Xi stayed above, ready to help if trouble arose.

Chen Yuanlong’s inspection team discovered that the mine’s reserves might be five years short of the academy’s plan, so they headed back to report it. Lin Ming and the others stopped in Black Seal City to attend Eight Gates’ Black Seal Auction, which began after they entered the crowded auction hall.

• After the inspection team returned from the mine, Steward Song questioned Liu Zi about their visit and grew worried after they left the next morning.
• On the road back, A Jin told Lin Ming and Chen Yuanlong that his sensing technique indicated the mine held only about twenty-five years of reserves instead of the planned thirty, and Chen Yuanlong decided to report the shortage to the academy.
• Lin Ming and his companions continued their journey, handled several people who tried to provoke them, and reached Black Seal City four days later.
• Lin Ming suggested that the group attend Eight Gates’ Black Seal Auction, and Chen Yuanlong agreed before they entered the city in separate groups.
• Lin Ming, Tang Xi, and the others met at the Black Seal Auction House, joined the queue, and took their seats inside.
• A bell rang through the auction hall, announcing the start of the Black Seal Auction.

Lin Ming attended the Black Seal Auction and bought a quarter of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map for 120,000 Gold Coins. He left the auction confident that finding more fragments would eventually let him claim the flame and advance his cultivation technique.

• The White-haired Auctioneer opened the Black Seal Auction, and the Crimson Bronze Cauldron sold for 363,000 Gold Coins after fierce bidding.
• The auction offered various items, and Lin Ming made no bids until Eight Gates put a tattered map fragment up for sale.
• Lin Ming recognized the fragment and bid 120,000 Gold Coins, surprising the crowd and prompting the White-haired Auctioneer to finalize the sale.
• Lin Ming concealed his face beneath his robe and considered how he could gather the remaining fragments and claim the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

Lin Ming bought the rare Purple Crystal Wings Flying Fighting Skill at the Black Seal Auction, then left the city with Tang Xi. At the inn, he examined the scroll and learned it had been crafted from a Purple Crystal Winged Lion that was killed while advancing to Tier 5.

• Lin Ming instructed Chen Yuanlong to bid up to three million Gold Coin for the Purple Crystal Wings, and Chen Yuanlong won them for 2.45 million.
• Lin Ming left the auction and paid 120,000 Gold Coin to collect the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame Fragment Map.
• Chen Yuanlong gave Lin Ming a Storage Ring containing the Purple Crystal Wings scroll and a Black Seal Auction House VIP card.
• Lin Ming and Tang Xi traveled onward and stopped at an inn for the night.
• Lin Ming opened the scroll and read how its maker had killed a Tier 5 Purple Crystal Winged Lion, taken its wings, and crafted the Flying Fighting Skill.

Lin Ming fought and defeated the Purple Crystal Winged Lion’s remnant soul while refining the Purple Crystal Wings, gaining the ability to fly and a boost to his Spiritual Strength. After demonstrating the wings to Tang Xi, he realized the increased strength would help him refine Tier 4 Medicinal Pills and fight more effectively.

• Lin Ming began refining the Purple Crystal Wings, but the Purple Crystal Winged Lion’s remnant soul attacked his mind.
• Lin Ming repeatedly struck the remnant soul with a Spiritual Strength saber, then defeated its final attack and absorbed its horn, strengthening his Spiritual Strength.
• The Purple Crystal Wings emerged from Lin Ming’s back, and their flames opened the last remaining meridians of his Blazing Sun Saber Technique.
• Tang Xi checked on Lin Ming, and he showed her that he could fly using the newly refined wings.
• Lin Ming meditated and estimated that his Spiritual Strength had increased by roughly one-tenth, enough to begin refining Tier 4 Medicinal Pills.

On the way back to the academy, Lin Ming and his companions were ambushed by the wanted Cui Brothers. Lin Ming charged his Blazing Sun Slash and struck Cui Jian, leaving the battle's outcome unresolved.

• Lin Ming, Tang Xi, and Chen Yuanlong reunited and headed back toward the academy's outpost.
• Lin Ming sensed someone spying on the group, and the Cui Brothers emerged from the woods to attack them.
• Tang Xi proposed that Lin Ming fly to the academy for reinforcements, but Lin Ming chose to charge a powerful Dou Technique while the others held off the brothers.
• Lin Ming used his Purple Crystal Wings to gather sunlight and surrounding fire energy into a blazing sun at the tip of his Star Dragon Saber.
• Lin Ming ordered Chen Yuanlong and the others to move aside, then launched his Blazing Sun Slash at Cui Jian, who screamed as the attack engulfed him.

Lin Ming and his companions fought Cui Qiang after Lin Ming killed Cui Jian, and Tang Xi helped keep Cui Qiang from reaching Lin Ming. Cui Qiang tricked the group so he could retrieve Cui Jian's corpse and flee, threatening Jia Nan Academy as he escaped.

• Cui Jian died from his wounds, and Cui Qiang swore to avenge him by killing Lin Ming.
• Cui Qiang threw his saber at Tang Xi and attacked Lin Ming, but Chen Yuanlong and Tang Xi intervened.
• Lin Ming blocked Cui Qiang's strike with Mountain Rushing Flood Fist, and Tang Xi struck Cui Qiang from behind.
• Lin Ming gave Tang Xi a Tier 5 Dragon Power Pill and moved away while she faced Cui Qiang.
• Cui Qiang feigned an attack on A Jin to draw Tang Xi aside, then stored Cui Jian's corpse in his Storage Ring and fled through the forest.

Lin Ming returned to the academy after the group failed to capture Cui Qiang, whose knowledge of the region and Griffon Beast blind spots suggested the ambush had been planned. He reported his suspicions and mission to Elder Huo, who praised Lin Ming’s gains and said his Spiritual Strength was strong enough to refine Tier 4 Medicinal Pills.

• Chen Yuanlong and Tang Xi pursued Cui Qiang while Lin Ming alerted academy personnel, who joined the chase.
• Cui Qiang escaped after evading several ambushes, and the pursuers returned to the outpost at night.
• Tang Xi returned Lin Ming’s Dragon Power Pill, and the group flew back toward the academy the next morning.
• Lin Ming practiced flying with the Purple Crystal Wings and discovered they absorbed sunlight to reduce his Dou Qi consumption.
• Lin Ming returned to the academy, greeted Steward Yang, and reported his safe return and suspicions to Elder Huo.
• Elder Huo listened to Lin Ming’s account and said his improved Spiritual Strength allowed him to refine Tier 4 Medicinal Pills.

Lin Ming learned that his improved Spiritual Strength should let him refine a Tier 4 pill, and Elder Huo gave him a Fire Cleansing Pill formula to study. After reviewing the gains from his recent trip, Lin Ming spent the next few days preparing to refine the pill.

• Lin Ming asked Elder Huo for a recommended Tier 4 pill, and Elder Huo gave him the Fire Cleansing Pill formula, which could clear Fire Poison.
• Lin Ming told Elder Huo he would study the formula before attempting refinement, and Elder Huo promised to investigate Lin Ming’s suspicions about academy betrayal.
• Lin Ming returned to his courtyard and reviewed his gains, including a Pure Lotus Demonic Flame Fragment Map piece, Purple Crystal Wings, and progress in cultivation.
• Lin Ming studied the Fire Cleansing Pill’s ingredients and refining methods, using Elder Huo’s annotations to prepare for a first successful attempt.

Lin Ming returned to class for the start of the semester, then went to the Alchemy Department to attempt refining a Fire Cleansing Pill. He had finished processing its ingredients and was extracting the energy from the final Magic Core when Steward Yang arrived with news that drew Elder Huo away.

• Lin Ming attended the first two days of classes, answered his classmates' cultivation questions, and joined their banquet.
• On the third day, Lin Ming told Elder Huo he was ready to refine the Fire Cleansing Pill, and Elder Huo supplied materials for three batches.
• Lin Ming prepared the cauldron and refined the pill ingredients while Elder Huo watched and praised his skill.
• Steward Yang entered the Pill Refinement Room and whispered to Elder Huo, who left Steward Yang to guard Lin Ming.
• Lin Ming extracted the energy from the final Water Attribute Magic Core without noticing Elder Huo had left.

Lin Ming completed the Fire Cleansing Pill after narrowly stabilizing the volatile Demonic Core Energy, marking his rise to a 4th Grade Alchemist. Steward Yang congratulated him and reflected on the guidance Lin Ming had received, before taking him to find Elder Huo.

• Steward Yang told Lin Ming that Elder Huo had left to handle something and that he would watch over the refinement.
• After recovering his Dou Qi, Lin Ming fused the medicinal essences and used his Spiritual Strength to control the Demonic Core Energy during the dangerous final stage.
• Lin Ming successfully formed the pill, nurtured it, and collected the round blue-green Fire Cleansing Pill.
• Steward Yang congratulated Lin Ming and praised his rapid progress to becoming the youngest 4th Grade Alchemist.
• Lin Ming considered how Master Toso and Elder Huo had helped him, then recognized he would eventually need to go to Middle Continent to advance further.
• Steward Yang took Lin Ming to tell Elder Huo about the successful refinement, while Lin Ming wondered what had made Elder Huo leave.

Lin Ming revealed that he had successfully refined a Fire Cleansing Pill on his first attempt, becoming the youngest 4th Grade Alchemist and delighting Elder Huo. Zi Yan snatched the pill and demanded compensation for the medicinal materials Elder Huo had taken, leaving him trying to persuade her to return it.

• Lin Ming and Steward Yang entered Elder Huo’s room and found Zi Yan demanding medicinal materials from him.
• Elder Huo assumed Lin Ming had encountered trouble refining a Tier 4 Medicinal Pill, but Steward Yang announced Lin Ming had succeeded.
• Lin Ming showed Elder Huo the Fire Cleansing Pill, and Elder Huo examined it and celebrated Lin Ming’s achievement.
• Zi Yan snatched the pill and demanded more pills in exchange for forgiving Elder Huo for taking her medicinal materials.
• Elder Huo threatened to have Zi Yan locked up, then softened when she complained about losing her Ice Spirit Fruit and asked her to return Lin Ming’s pill.