Chapter Summaries

Elder Liu began the Fire Energy Hunt Competition, sending the new students through a forest while Inner Academy seniors tried to seize their Fire Energy Points. Lin Ming chose to travel alone and evade the seniors, and after three days he neared the forest’s end before sensing people ahead.

• Elder Liu gave each new student a black Crystal Card worth five Fire Energy Points and explained the rules and rewards of the Fire Energy Hunt Competition.
• Lin Ming decided not to organize the new students to fight back and entered the forest alone, confident he could escape the seniors.
• Lin Ming hid in a tree as a group of Old Students complained that they had captured too few new students and earned too few Fire Energy Points.
• Over three days, Lin Ming evaded three groups of Old Students and advanced deep into the forest.
• Lin Ming neared the Inner Academy, sensed people ahead with his Soul Perception, and cautiously approached to identify them.

Lin Ming met the Black Fiend Team, whose leader Sun Feng explained that Xu Shilin and Zi Yan had both warned the Inner Academy not to harm him. After resting with them overnight, Lin Ming crossed the White Fiend Team's ranks unharmed and reached the Inner Academy.

• The Black Fiend Team's leader, Sun Feng, spotted Lin Ming hiding nearby and invited him to share their roasted meat.
• Sun Feng explained that Xu Shilin and Zi Yan had each declared Lin Ming under their protection, making other competitors unwilling to rob him.
• Lin Ming ate with the Black Fiend Team and accepted Sun Feng's offer to spend the night at their camp.
• The next morning, Lin Ming thanked the team and continued through the forest, passing the White Fiend Team after revealing his identity.
• Lin Ming encountered no further trouble and reached the Inner Academy's buildings early that afternoon.

Lin Ming reached the Inner Academy gathering point first, impressed Elder Liu with his Tier 4 pill-refining skill, and earned the elder’s goodwill while learning about the academy. After all fifty new students arrived, Elder Liu welcomed them into the Inner Academy and rewarded Lin Ming with Fire Energy for preserving all five of his points.

• Lin Ming told Elder Liu that he could maintain a fifty percent formation rate when refining ordinary Tier 4 medicinal pills, and Elder Liu offered to help him in the Inner Academy.
• Cheng Chen, Zuo Rulong, Su Xue, and the other new students emerged from the forest and gathered with Lin Ming over the next two days.
• Elder Liu assembled all fifty students, warned them about the gap between new and experienced Inner Academy members, and pointed out that Lin Ming alone had kept all five points of Fire Energy.
• Elder Liu awarded Lin Ming twenty points of Fire Energy, raising his total to twenty-five, then led the students toward the Inner Academy.

Lin Ming entered the Inner Academy and accepted Xu Shilin’s offer to arrange his lodging and introduce him to the Medicine Gang. After a welcome banquet, Xu Shilin gave Lin Ming a room on the top floor of the gang’s medicinal cauldron-shaped building, where Lin Ming began cultivating.

• Elder Liu led the new students into the Inner Academy and assigned most of them to shared courtyards according to their rankings.
• Xu Shilin arrived and offered to arrange Lin Ming’s lodging, explaining that they had both received Elder Huo’s guidance.
• After Elder Liu confirmed that Lin Ming could live elsewhere, Lin Ming agreed to go with Xu Shilin.
• Xu Shilin brought Lin Ming to the Medicine Gang and introduced him to its alchemists at a welcome feast.
• After the feast, Xu Shilin showed Lin Ming to the top floor, where Lin Ming chose a room and began cultivating.

Lin Ming joined Xu Shilin at the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, eager to experience the Fallen Heart Flame and its cultivation benefits. As the tower opened, Xu Shilin also told him about Wine Pavilion leaders Shao Qing and Wang Yan and warned that Shao Qing could be a future rival.

• Lin Ming told Xu Shilin he would prioritize cultivation over refining pills, and Xu Shilin assured him that no one in the Medicine Gang would force him to work.
• Xu Shilin led Lin Ming through the Medicine Gang’s private passage to the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and explained how its flame purified and strengthened Dou Qi.
• Xu Shilin introduced Shao Qing and Wang Yan, explaining that Shao Qing had risen to tenth on the Strong Ranking after defeating a stronger opponent with his Wine Tyrant Fist.
• Xu Shilin predicted Shao Qing would be a formidable opponent for Lin Ming in the Inner Academy Grand Competition three years later, and Lin Ming welcomed the prospect of a challenge.
• An ancient bell rang, an aged voice announced that the tower was opening, and the tower’s doors slowly swung open.

Lin Ming entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and deliberately endured the Fallen Heart Flame’s Heart Flame to study its burning effects before refining it into stronger Dou Qi. He left the tower’s true danger in the future, planning to use the coming years to prepare to refine the mature Fallen Heart Flame.

• Xu Shilin warned Lin Ming that he could circulate Dou Qi through any Heart Flame that appeared inside him to refine his cultivation.
• Lin Ming entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and appeared to be burned by its Heart Flame, alarming Xu Shilin and the students behind him.
• Xu Shilin had someone summon an Elder to deal with the Heart Flame inside Lin Ming.
• Lin Ming revealed that he had deliberately endured the Heart Flame, then circulated Dou Qi through it and refined the flame into denser, more powerful Dou Qi.
• Lin Ming planned to use the next ten years to prepare for refining the mature Fallen Heart Flame.

Lin Ming explained that he had endured Heart Flame to test its strength before using it to refine his Dou Qi, earning the respect of the students and satisfying Xu Shilin. After Elder Liu arrived and found Lin Ming unharmed, Xu Shilin led him to a first-floor cultivation room, where Lin Ming assessed how long his Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire could protect him from Fire Poison.

• Lin Ming told Xu Shilin he had tested the Heart Flame before using it to refine his Dou Qi, making the nearby students wary and admiring him.
• Elder Liu hurried to treat the supposed injured newcomer, then learned Lin Ming had already refined the Heart Flame and left him to cultivate.
• Xu Shilin led Lin Ming to the best cultivation room on the first floor and returned to cultivate elsewhere.
• Lin Ming sealed the cultivation room and prepared to use his Fire Crystal Card to draw out Heart Flame.
• Lin Ming determined that his Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire could resist Fire Poison for five days, but prolonged cultivation beyond half a month would require medicine to clear the buildup.

Lin Ming cultivated for five days in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, refining his Dou Qi while using the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire to absorb the Heart Flame’s Fire Poison. After leaving the tower and returning to the Medicine Gang, he learned that Zi Yan had waited a day for him to make more pills and was close to losing her temper.

• Lin Ming cultivated in the tower for five days, directing Heart Flame-refined Dou Qi through the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire to remove its Fire Poison.
• Lin Ming ended his session when the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire neared saturation, having advanced significantly toward Three Star Dou Grandmaster.
• Lin Ming noticed a deep Black Hole in the tower and guessed that it transmitted the Heart Flames before he left for the Medicine Gang.
• A Medicine Gang member hurried to Lin Ming and warned him that the gang might be torn apart if he did not return quickly.
• The member explained that Zi Yan had waited a day for Lin Ming to return and refine more pills, and her anger was nearly at its limit.

Lin Ming returned to the Medicine Gang, reassured its members, and spent two hours refining flavored medicinal pills for Zi Yan. He told her he would cultivate in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower for five days at a time and asked her to visit for pill-making only during his two-day breaks.

• Lin Ming arrived at the Medicine Gang, where Zi Yan welcomed him and he thanked her for helping him establish himself in the Inner Academy.
• Lin Ming reflected on Zi Yan's lonely past and recognized that she gave medicinal materials to the academy because she longed for companionship and recognition.
• Lin Ming brought Zi Yan to his room and used the Crimson Flow Gold Cauldron and Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire to refine her medicinal materials into flavored pills.
• Lin Ming added a delicious pale purple fruit to the mixture to make a new flavor of sugar pills, then finished refining Zi Yan's materials and returned the filled Storage Ring to her.
• Lin Ming told Zi Yan he would spend five days cultivating in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and asked her to come for pill-making during his two-day breaks, which she agreed to do.

After resting, Lin Ming went to the Medicine Gang to help with pill refining and accepted a Tier 4 Yi Fu Beast Pill task. He spent three hours studying its formula before beginning the refinement.

• Lin Ming recovered from his exhaustion with a night's sleep and visited the Medicine Gang to offer help refining pills.
• Wu Shi summoned deputy Gang Leader Wang Sheng, who told Lin Ming that a Tier 4 pill task had arrived while the Gang Leader was cultivating.
• Lin Ming agreed to refine the task instead of attempting the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, which he postponed because he lacked confidence and wanted to slow his cultivation progress.
• Wang Sheng gave Lin Ming the Yi Fu Beast Pill formula and its materials, and Lin Ming studied the formula for three hours while Wang Sheng waited.

Lin Ming refined the ingredients for a Yi Fu Beast Pill while Wang Sheng watched and reassessed his alchemy skills. After one failed attempt caused by his newly strengthened Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire, Lin Ming began again and reached the pill-formation stage at dawn.

• Lin Ming extracted the Stone Pearl Fruit flesh with precise flame control, impressing Wang Sheng with his skill.
• Lin Ming extracted the remaining ingredients, meditated to recover his Dou Qi, and began fusing the essence.
• The Crimson Flow Gold Cauldron exploded during Lin Ming's first attempt because he overheated the ingredients while adjusting to the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire.
• Lin Ming restarted the refinement, extracted multiple medicinal materials simultaneously, and impressed Wang Sheng further.
• At dawn, Lin Ming changed his hand seals and shaped the medicinal essence into a pill as Wang Sheng smelled its fragrance.

After refining a Yi Fu Beast Pill and two Lightning Resistance Pills, Lin Ming resumed cultivation in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and made steady progress. A sudden disturbance forced him to abandon his session and evacuate as the Great Elder warned everyone to leave.

• Lin Ming finished refining the Yi Fu Beast Pill and asked Wang Sheng to deliver it to the client.
• Lin Ming arranged for the Medicine Gang to gather materials, then refined two Lightning Resistance Pills for his cultivation.
• After his fire poison cleared, Lin Ming entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and chose a Cultivation Room on its second level.
• Lin Ming cultivated with the Heart Flame for four days, strengthening his Two Star Dou Grandmaster cultivation.
• A tremor interrupted Lin Ming, and Su Qian ordered everyone to leave the tower immediately; Lin Ming retrieved his Fire Crystal Card and evacuated.

Lin Ming encountered the Fallen Heart Flame’s eruption in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower before escaping with the other students. After the tower reopened, he returned to cultivation and took advantage of the temporarily stronger Heart Flame.

• The Fallen Heart Flame stirred behind the tower’s seal, and Elder Xiong ordered Lin Ming to evacuate.
• Lin Ming left the tower and told Xu Shilin he had been delayed while cultivating, concealing that the Fallen Heart Flame’s aura had intimidated him.
• Qin Zhongtian, ranked fourth on the Strong Ranking, praised Lin Ming and hinted at asking him to refine pills; Lin Ming directed him to commission the Medicine Gang.
• Xu Shilin speculated that the tower’s tremors were connected to its cultivation flames, then left for the Medicine Gang while Lin Ming waited.
• When the tower reopened, Lin Ming returned to his cultivation room and found that the Heart Flame was more active and cultivation more effective after the eruption.

After ending his five-day cultivation in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, Lin Ming visited Xu Shilin and then, bored by his slower routine, went to the Back Mountain to train the Purple Lightning Radiant Body Technique. He endured a lightning strike and began absorbing its power, finding that the pain gradually gave way to a resilient sensation.

• Lin Ming stopped cultivating in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower after the Heart Flame’s effect diminished and the Fire Poison reached saturation.
• Lin Ming returned to the Medicine Gang, where he discussed his Tier 4 alchemy skills with Xu Shilin over tea.
• After breakfast, Lin Ming wandered around the Inner Academy and spotted storm clouds over the Back Mountain.
• Lin Ming flew to a mountain beneath the thunderclouds, took a Lightning Resistance Pill, and raised the Star Dragon Saber to attract lightning.
• A lightning bolt struck the saber and passed into Lin Ming, who then circulated the Purple Lightning Radiant Body Technique to absorb its power.

Lin Ming endured repeated lightning strikes to cultivate the Purple Lightning Radiant Body Technique, reaching minor success and strengthening his body. After the Thundercloud Cluster dissipated, he discovered the lightning had also further purified the Star Dragon Saber.

• Lin Ming tested his tougher skin with a knife, then provoked the Thundercloud Cluster to strike him again.
• Lin Ming survived a second lightning bolt and controlled the Purple Lightning Radiant Body Technique to absorb and refine its power.
• Lin Ming provoked the Thundercloud Cluster again, endured a stronger third bolt, and absorbed its lightning in less time than before.
• Lin Ming concluded that the technique had reached minor success, but that future progress would require many more bolts as his body became resistant to thunder.
• Lin Ming picked up the Star Dragon Saber and noticed that lightning had removed more of its impurities, making its blade and golden dragon pattern appear brighter.

Lin Ming recovered from lightning training, resumed cultivation in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, and prepared to refine Zi Yan’s medicinal materials. He recognized an Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit as a valuable ingredient for a pill that could help him absorb the Fallen Heart Flame, so he kept it and offered to refine the remaining materials for Zi Yan.

• Lin Ming soaked in medicinal water to heal minor injuries from absorbing lightning power, and Xu Shilin noticed his improved physique at dinner.
• Lin Ming spent a day refining pills, then entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and cultivated for five days until the fire poison filled the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire.
• Zi Yan visited Lin Ming for breakfast and brought medicinal materials for him to refine into pills.
• Lin Ming recognized the Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit among Zi Yan’s materials and decided to keep it for his future plans involving the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Lin Ming told Zi Yan he would keep the fruit and refine the rest of her medicinal materials for her.

Lin Ming cultivated in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and used thundercloud lightning to strengthen his body, then broke through from a Two Star Dou Grandmaster to a Three Star Dou Grandmaster. He reflected on his rapid progress at Jia Nan Academy and wondered how Ya Fei was doing.

• Lin Ming refined Zi Yan's medicinal materials into pills and gave her the finished medicine before beginning another period of cultivation.
• After five days in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, Lin Ming left to cultivate the Purple Lightning Radiant Body Technique beneath thunderclouds and absorbed six lightning bolts.
• Lin Ming returned to the tower and, on the fourth day of cultivation, safely broke through to the Three Star Dou Grandmaster level.
• Lin Ming spent the rest of his tower visit consolidating his cultivation, then returned to his room and thought about his progress and Ya Fei.

Lin Ming successfully refined a Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, bringing his alchemy to Tier 4 Peak, and used two such pills over the following year to reach the Nine-star Dou Grandmaster realm. The chapter leaves him discussing his rapid progress with Xu Shilin after returning to the Inner Academy.

• Lin Ming advanced to the Three Star Dou Grandmaster realm and began refining the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill.
• Lin Ming's first attempt failed during Pill Fusion, but he recovered and tried again with his remaining ingredients.
• Lin Ming refined a Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill whose visible purple pill fragrance showed its quality approached that of a Tier 5 pill, advancing his alchemy to Tier 4 Peak.
• Lin Ming stored the pill and rested, deciding to save his last set of ingredients for another time.
• Over the next year, Lin Ming took the pills and cultivated until he reached the Nine-star Dou Grandmaster realm, while his physique advanced to a comparable level.
• Xu Shilin noticed Lin Ming's cultivation and was astonished by how quickly he had progressed.

Lin Ming spoke with Xu Shilin about his graduation and plans to return to his family in Beast Cry City, then joined him for a final lesson from Elder Huo. The chapter ended as Lin Ming and Xu Shilin began refining Tier 5 Instant Qi Pills in a friendly contest.

• Xu Shilin told Lin Ming he planned to return to his family in Beast Cry City after graduating, and the two promised to meet again in Middle Continent.
• Elder Huo arrived at the Medicine Gang and advised Xu Shilin to keep practicing alchemy after leaving the academy.
• Elder Huo brought Xu Shilin and Lin Ming to the Medicine Refinement Hall and invited more than a dozen Medicine Gang Alchemists to observe their final lesson.
• Elder Huo gave Lin Ming and Xu Shilin the formula for the Tier 5 Instant Qi Pill and a day to study it before refining.
• At daybreak, Elder Huo gave each student three sets of ingredients, and Lin Ming and Xu Shilin brought out their cauldrons and began the refinement contest.

Lin Ming and Xu Shilin refined Tier 5 Instant Qi Pills while Elder Huo guided them through their mistakes. After Xu Shilin failed twice and grew discouraged, Elder Huo reminded him not to give up before the final moment, and Xu Shilin regained his resolve.

• Lin Ming learned that Xu Shilin's black Demon Devouring Flame came from a Seventh Order Demon Devouring Raven's eggshell.
• Lin Ming and Xu Shilin extracted the Instant Qi Pill ingredients as the gathered spectators watched, with Lin Ming recovering Dou Qi afterward.
• Xu Shilin's first Pill Fusion failed, and Elder Huo explained what he had done wrong.
• Lin Ming's first Pill Fusion also failed, and Elder Huo explained his mistake before Lin Ming began another attempt.
• Xu Shilin's second Pill Fusion failed at the Pill Formation stage, leaving him dejected.
• Elder Huo urged Xu Shilin not to give up before the last moment, and Xu Shilin regained his resolve.