Chapter Summaries

Lin Ming revealed his Dou King cultivation to deter Green Barbarian, shifting the crowd’s view of him and strengthening the Mittel Family’s position. Green Barbarian spoke privately with Qing Lin and urged her to join her sect so she could grow strong enough to accompany Lin Ming in the future.

• Lin Ming displayed his Dou King cultivation, shocking the crowd and making Green Barbarian weigh his personal strength and potential.
• Lin Ming sent Qing Lin to speak with Green Barbarian after she promised not to take Qing Lin by force.
• Qing Lin told Green Barbarian she would not leave Lin Ming to join her sect.
• Green Barbarian praised Lin Ming and argued that Qing Lin might hold him back if she failed to keep pace with his cultivation.
• Green Barbarian urged Qing Lin to join her sect so she could become strong enough to help Lin Ming wherever his future took him.

Qing Lin decided to leave with Green Barbarian and join the Heavenly Snake Mansion, and Lin Ming accepted her choice after confirming she had not been threatened. After Green Barbarian swore to protect Qing Lin, the banquet continued, and Lin Ming watched Qing Lin depart before returning to the courtyard.

• Qing Lin told Lin Ming she had chosen to leave with Green Barbarian and join the Heavenly Snake Mansion, though she could not bear to part from him.
• Lin Ming asked whether Green Barbarian had threatened Qing Lin, and Qing Lin insisted that she had made the decision freely.
• Lin Ming approved Qing Lin's choice and warned Green Barbarian that anyone who bullied her would pay the price.
• Green Barbarian swore that she would protect Qing Lin, and Lin Ming invited her to the Mittel Family's celebration banquet.
• After the banquet, Lin Ming watched Qing Lin's serpentine figure disappear beyond the horizon and returned to the small courtyard.

Lin Ming refined a reviving spirit purple pill and gave it to Elder Hai to restore his lost cultivation. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan resolved to win the Jia Ma Empire alchemist grand meet and use it as his first step toward catching up with Lin Ming.

• Lin Ming used his bronze medicine cauldron and mysterious yellow flame to refine a reviving spirit purple pill.
• Old Yao confirmed the pill’s completion to Xiao Yan, who felt discouraged by Lin Ming’s abilities.
• Old Yao urged Xiao Yan to compete in the upcoming Jia Ma Empire alchemist grand meet, and Xiao Yan vowed to win its championship.
• Lin Ming told Elder Hai that Qing Lin had chosen to leave and that they should respect her decision.
• Lin Ming explained how he had arranged to refine the pill with Xiao Yan and gave the reviving spirit purple pill to Elder Hai.

Lin Ming completed Old Master Nalan's final detoxification, clearing all the Lao Du from his body. After declining to linger, Lin Ming left the Nalan Residence and returned to his courtyard.

• Elder Hai took the Reviving Spirit Purple Pill and began secluded cultivation to restore his peak strength.
• Nalan Yanran welcomed Lin Ming and led him to Old Master Nalan for the final detoxification.
• Old Master Nalan praised Lin Ming's revealed Dou King cultivation and discussed the possibility of reaching the Dou Emperor realm.
• Lin Ming used the Mysterious Yellow Flame for several hours and completely removed the remaining Lao Du from Old Master Nalan's body.
• Old Master Nalan offered Lin Ming a favor, and Lin Ming politely replied before leaving the Nalan Residence with Nalan Yanran seeing him out.

Lin Ming helped Xiao Yi Xian absorb the remaining toxins so she could attempt a breakthrough to Da Dou Shi, then guarded her room as she began advancing. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan worried that he could not match Nalan Yanran before the Three Year Agreement, and Old Yao gave him a medicinal prescription to speed up his cultivation.

• Lin Ming transferred the final toxins into Xiao Yi Xian, prompting her Calamity Poison Body to gather in her dantian and begin a breakthrough.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan sealed Xiao Yi Xian's room against any Calamity Poison Gas that might escape, then waited outside.
• Xiao Yan awakened from meditation as a six-star Dou Shi and told Old Yao he feared Nalan Yanran would reach Da Dou Shi before the Three Year Agreement.
• Old Yao warned Xiao Yan against rushing his cultivation, then gave him a prescription for a medicinal liquid that could accelerate it despite causing unbearable itching.

After Xiao Yi Xian advanced safely and Elder Hai regained his peak cultivation, Lin Ming and his companions went to watch the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Grand Meet. At the venue, Lin Ming caught the attention of Fa Ma, who could not see through his cultivation and suspected he possessed an exceptional Concealment Method.

• Xiao Yi Xian completed her advancement without danger, and Elder Hai soon finished secluded cultivation with his strength restored to its peak.
• Xiao Yan took first place in the Alchemist Guild’s internal test, drawing the attention of families hoping to recruit him; Lin Ming recognized him as Xiao Yan in disguise.
• Lin Ming took Ya Fei, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yi Xian to the Grand Meet, where Old Master Nalan welcomed them onto the viewing platform.
• Fa Ma observed Lin Ming, failed to discern his strength, and concluded that Lin Ming must have an exceptional Concealment Method.

At the competition, Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian noticed Hai Bodong’s restored cultivation and wondered what had caused his rapid improvement. Jia Xingtian suspected Hai Bodong had obtained a method from Medusa, while Lin Ming and Hai Bodong knew nothing of their guesses.

• Fa Ma guessed that Lin Ming’s concealment method came from Jia Nan Academy and might eventually become part of the Mittel Family’s inheritance.
• Hai Bodong called Lin Ming and the women accompanying him over, and they greeted Hai Bodong and Fa Ma before taking seats.
• Jia Xingtian arrived with Yao Ye and Yao Yue, greeted Lin Ming and his old friends, and explained that he had come to watch the competition and see them.
• Jia Xingtian noticed Hai Bodong’s cultivation had recovered to its former peak and was astonished by how much it had improved in only a few months.
• Jia Xingtian suspected Hai Bodong had stolen a rapid cultivation method from Medusa, which might explain why she had hunted him down.

Elder Hai flaunted his recovered cultivation to Jia Xingtian as the alchemy contestants gathered for the 7th Alchemist Grand Meet. Fa Ma opened the first round, and while Lin Ming quickly identified the Second-Grade Bone-Regenerating Pill task, Xiao Yan began refining with an ordinary flame instead of his Green Lotus Core Flame.

• Elder Hai teased Jia Xingtian about his recovered cultivation, and Jia Xingtian turned to speak with Fa Ma.
• Yao Ye greeted Lin Ming, exchanged compliments with him, then went to speak with Xiao Yan.
• Fa Ma announced the start of the 7th Alchemist Grand Meet, and the contestants received incomplete formulas and two sets of medicinal materials.
• Fa Ma explained that the contestants had to refine a pill from the incomplete formula, with failure or running out of time resulting in elimination.
• The first round began, and Lin Ming recognized the materials as substitutes for a Second-Grade Bone-Regenerating Pill and lost interest.
• Xiao Yan began refining with an ordinary flame produced through his medicinal cauldron rather than using the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Lin Ming watched the Alchemist Grand Meet’s first round as contestants refined and tested their Bone-Regenerating Pills. A gray-robed contestant from the Chu Yun Empire surpassed everyone else, and Fa Ma suspected that his identity and reported rank concealed something.

• Several Alchemists, including Xiao Yan, Yao Yue, and Liu Ling, failed during the pill-refining round, while the gray-robed person completed his pill without error.
• Fa Ma eliminated contestants who had not finished in time and instructed the remaining Alchemists to test their Bone-Regenerating Pills.
• Xiao Yan, Yao Yue, and Liu Ling passed the test, with Xiao Yan’s pill showing the deepest green among the three.
• The gray-robed person’s pill produced an even deeper green, and Fa Ma sensed that his Soul Power exceeded Gu He’s level during the earlier competition.
• Fa Ma’s assistant reported that the gray-robed Alchemist was seventeen and listed as a Second-Grade Alchemist, leading Fa Ma to conclude that something was wrong with him.

Elder Hai exposed the gray-robed first-round champion as a youthful-looking alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire, and the Alchemist Grand Meet moved into its second round. As contestants struggled with a third-tier pill, Xiao Yan began another attempt and clashed with the Chu Yun alchemist's taunts.

• Elder Hai destroyed the gray robe covering the first-round champion, revealing a youthful face that Fa Ma and Elder Hai suspected did not match his recorded age.
• Lin Ming suggested that pills could alter the alchemist's appearance, and Jia Xingtian remarked that the Grand Meet would be interesting.
• Fa Ma began the second round, in which contestants had two attempts to refine a third-tier pill from a complete formula.
• Lin Ming realized that one supplied ingredient was unnecessary, while Xiao Yan sensed a faint ripple and resumed refining after his cauldron exploded.
• The Chu Yun Empire alchemist mocked the Jia Ma Empire contestants, and Xiao Yan retorted before pouring the remaining ingredients into his cauldron and engulfing them in green flames.

Xiao Yan revealed that he possessed the Green Lotus Core Flame and used it to finish refining his pill before the Chu Yun Empire alchemist. Although Xiao Yan’s early finish only damaged his rival’s morale and did not affect advancement, it prompted the remaining contestants to rush to complete their pills before time ran out.

• Xiao Yan summoned the Green Lotus Core Flame, astonishing the audience and prompting Fa Ma to recognize it as a Heavenly Flame.
• The spectators compared Xiao Yan’s Heavenly Flame with Lin Ming’s, while the Chu Yun Empire alchemist accelerated his pill refining.
• As the rival’s pill began to take shape first, Xiao Yan launched his unfinished pill from the cauldron and completed its refinement in his flame-wreathed hand.
• The crowd cheered when Xiao Yan revealed his finished pill, and the Chu Yun Empire alchemist completed his own about a cup of tea later.
• The contestants realized they only needed to finish within the allotted time to advance, then hurried to complete their pills.

After Xiao Yan finished first, Fa Ma worried that the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist would win the final round and asked Lin Ming to enter as a special contestant. Lin Ming declined, and the second round ended with a little over a hundred contestants advancing to the final round the next day.

• Fa Ma worried that the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist could defeat the official contestants in the final round, despite Xiao Yan's first-place finish.
• Fa Ma asked Lin Ming, who confirmed he possessed a Heavenly Flame, to enter the third round as a specially invited contestant.
• Lin Ming refused to compete, citing Xiao Yan's chances and his own reasons for keeping his alchemy skills hidden.
• The second round ended, and fewer than a tenth of the contestants, a little over a hundred people, qualified for the final round.
• Fa Ma announced that the final round would begin the next day and urged the remaining contestants to rest and attend.

Lin Ming assessed the Chu Yun Empire contestant as a likely peak fourth-grade alchemist, leaving the Alchemist Grand Meet’s outcome dependent on Xiao Yan’s performance. That night, Xiao Yan began breaking through to Nine Star Dou Shi while Elder Hai, Fa Ma, and Jia Xingtian set out to investigate the rival contestant.

• Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian agreed to investigate the suspicious Chu Yun Empire alchemist that night, and Elder Hai joined them.
• Lin Ming told Elder Hai that the contestant had Tier 5-level soul power but would likely refine a peak fourth-grade pill in the final round.
• Lin Ming declined to join the investigation, while Elder Hai accepted that the championship might depend on Xiao Yan’s performance.
• After returning to his lodging, Xiao Yan told Old Yao that the competition had loosened his cultivation and asked to break through to Nine Star Dou Shi.
• Old Yao agreed to let Xiao Yan advance, weighing the risks of rapid cultivation against the harm a defeat might do to his resolve.
• Lin Ming sensed Elder Hai, Fa Ma, and Jia Xingtian leaving to investigate, then returned to his room.

Lin Ming learned that Yan Li was the Chu Yun Empire Alchemist Guild’s vice president, but the guild could not act against him before the grand meet ended. At the final round, the contestants began revealing their cauldrons and unusual flames as they prepared to compete for the championship.

• Fa Ma told Lin Ming that Yan Li’s disguise had been exposed, but the guild could not move against him without risking its reputation.
• Elder Hai urged Fa Ma to rely on Xiao Yan to defeat Yan Li, and Fa Ma left to give Xiao Yan the Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill formula and materials.
• Lin Ming and the other contestants arrived at the packed venue for the grand meet’s final round.
• Fa Ma announced that contestants could refine any pill within the time limit, with the highest-judged pill winning the championship.
• Yao Yue and Liu Ling revealed fifth-order cauldrons with five fire-mouths and displayed unusual flames, prompting other contestants to reveal their own hidden abilities.

Xiao Yan used his Heavenly Flame to suppress the other contestants’ flames, then deliberately switched to ordinary Dou Qi flames and appeared to fail at refining. After Yao Lao’s soul power restored his composure, Xiao Yan began a risky attempt to refine every ingredient for the Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill at once.

• Xiao Yan summoned the Green Lotus Transformation Fire, whose imperial pressure subdued the other flames, and began refining as the final round started.
• As time passed, contestants failed and withdrew while the spectators watched Yan Li and the others refine.
• Xiao Yan shifted from his Heavenly Flame to ordinary Dou Qi flames, and his cauldron soon sounded with an apparent refining failure.
• Yan Li rejoiced at Xiao Yan’s apparent setback, while Fa Ma worried that the pressure of the Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill had overwhelmed him.
• A brief soul fluctuation from Yao Lao helped Xiao Yan recover, and Xiao Yan resumed with the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• With little time left, Xiao Yan tossed all the Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill’s ingredients into the cauldron together.

Xiao Yan resumed refining with a new flame-control technique and successfully stabilized his cauldron after switching flames. When Yan Li’s Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill seemed certain to win, Xiao Yan revealed that he possessed another flame.

• Xiao Yan used the technique Yao taught him to control multiple Heavenly Flames and refine medicinal materials with greater precision.
• Yan Li regained confidence as his pill neared formation, while Xiao Yan prepared to switch flames again.
• Xiao Yan successfully switched flames and stabilized his cauldron, prompting Fa Ma to relax.
• Yan Li completed his Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill and declared that he would win the championship.
• Fa Ma judged Xiao Yan’s Two-Patterned Green Spirit Pill inferior to Yan Li’s pill and doubted Xiao Yan could produce the higher-grade version.
• Lin Ming urged Fa Ma to keep believing in Xiao Yan, who then summoned a chilling Bone White Flame and revealed he possessed another flame.

Xiao Yan used the Bone Spirit Cold Flame as a third flame to refine a highest-quality Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill, but his medicinal cauldron began cracking under the strain. Yan Li took the damage as proof that Xiao Yan’s pill would be ruined, while Fa Ma’s hopes for victory collapsed again.

• Xiao Yan switched from his Dou Qi flame to the Bone Spirit Cold Flame without making a mistake, startling the spectators and Yan Li.
• Fa Ma realized Xiao Yan was using three flames to create a highest-quality Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill, one of the few Tier 4 pills that could surpass Yan Li’s Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill.
• Xiao Yan’s medicinal cauldron began cracking as the Bone Spirit Cold Flame continued to envelop the pill.
• Yao Yue noticed the damaged cauldron, and Fa Ma despaired that it would break before Xiao Yan could finish refining.
• Yan Li laughed and taunted Xiao Yan, believing the cracking cauldron meant the pill was doomed.

Xiao Yan revealed that he had completed a Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill before the time limit, interrupting Yan Li’s expected victory. Since Xiao Yan’s pill surpassed Yan Li’s, Yan Li lost the championship and realized he could not escape the Jia Ma Empire.

• Yan Li’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame shattered Xiao Yan’s medicinal cauldron, and Fa Ma began announcing Yan Li as the champion.
• Xiao Yan emerged from the smoke and reminded Fa Ma that the time limit had not ended.
• Xiao Yan drew a pill wrapped in Bone White Flame from the sky and placed it in a jade bottle.
• Xiao Yan announced that he had refined a Tier 4 Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill.
• Yan Li recognized that Xiao Yan’s pill outranked his Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill and fell to the ground in despair.

Xiao Yan won the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Tournament after several master alchemists confirmed his Three-Patterned Green Spirit Pill was genuine. Yan Li fled the venue but was cornered by Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, Elder Hai, and Lin Ming, then sacrificed an arm in a diversion to seize Lin Ming as a hostage.

• Yan Li demanded that the alchemists inspect Xiao Yan's pill, but their examination confirmed it was flawless and Fa Ma declared Xiao Yan the champion.
• Yan Li slipped away as the tournament ended, and Fa Ma left with Elder Hai, Jia Xingtian, and Lin Ming to pursue him.
• Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, Elder Hai, and Lin Ming confronted Yan Li, who threatened war with the Chu Yun Empire and then pretended to self-destruct.
• Yan Li sacrificed one arm to create a diversion, rushed toward Lin Ming, and tried to take him hostage so he could escape.

Lin Ming killed Yan Li and took his Storage Ring, which contained poison-related items he hoped would help Xiao Yi Xian. Back at his courtyard, Lin Ming broke Yan Li’s weak Soul Imprint and opened the ring.

• Yan Li tried to seize Lin Ming as a hostage but realized too late that Lin Ming was a powerful Dou King who had him helplessly by the neck.
• Lin Ming burned Yan Li to ash with the Mysterious Yellow Flame and took his Storage Ring.
• Elder Hai said the group should return, and Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma left without contesting Lin Ming’s claim to the ring.
• Lin Ming returned to his courtyard and found Yan Li’s Mid-Grade Storage Ring was unusually spacious and protected by a weak Soul Imprint.
• Lin Ming used his Soul Power to erase the imprint and reveal the ring’s contents.