Chapter Summaries

Yin Daoyan met with his old friend Jing Tang to discuss the Blood Soul Pill’s return and the search for the mysterious Military Advisor Han. Jing Tang tried to have Yin accept his talented nephew Jing Yan as a disciple, but Yin revealed he had already taken on a hunter’s son from Black Mountain County.

• Yin Daoyan met Jing Tang at Miraculous Hand Garden, and the old friends exchanged teasing insults before discussing the Blood Demon Sect.
• Yin Daoyan recounted how he had found the Blood Soul Pill and showed Jing Tang Zhong Lin’s portrait of Military Advisor Han, whom neither could identify.
• Yin Daoyan warned that the Blood Demon Sect’s return could bring widespread slaughter, and Jing Tang promised to spread the warning throughout every nation.
• Jing Tang introduced his nephew Jing Yan, a young Rank 2 Pill Refiner, and Yin Daoyan praised the quality of Jing Yan’s Crimson Blood Pill.
• Yin Daoyan declined to take Jing Yan as a disciple because he had recently accepted the son of a hunter from Black Mountain County, but offered to teach Jing Yan the Pill Path.

Zhong Lin discovered that the Golden Muscle Jade Bone Skill could vibrate his bones and gradually affect his marrow, giving him confidence about advancing through the Middle Three Ranks. After enjoying a medicinal bath and an intimate evening with Yun Xiu, he asked Yin Daoyan to teach him alchemy, and his master sent him to explore the Pill Cauldron Garden.

• Zhong Lin practiced the Heavenly Origin Treasure Stance and Golden Muscle Jade Bone Skill, tempering his bones with blood and qi.
• Zhong Lin realized the skill could reach his marrow, but stopped when the strain caused him severe pain.
• Zhong Lin bathed in medicinal water while Yun Xiu attended him, and the two spent the night together.
• Yin Daoyan advised Zhong Lin to indulge without becoming attached and recommended Hundred Herbs Liquid for his cultivation.
• Zhong Lin asked to learn alchemy, and Yin Daoyan agreed to have Old Deng take him to the Pill Cauldron Garden.

Zhong Lin took Little Shi to school and then visited Pill Cauldron Garden to learn about pills and alchemy. He began studying under Xie Tianyun, a Rank 2 Pill Refiner.

• Zhong Lin enrolled Little Shi at Hundred Herbs Hall’s school and assigned Liu Zhao to escort him and ensure he was not bullied.
• Zhong Lin met Deng Yunsheng at Pill Cauldron Garden and learned about its alchemists and the pills it produced.
• Deng Yunsheng introduced Zhong Lin to Xie Tianyun, who had spent decades refining Blood Replenishment Pills and Bone Strengthening Pills.
• Zhong Lin admitted that he knew nothing about alchemy, and Xie Tianyun began teaching him its basic principles.

Zhong Lin learned the principles of alchemy from Xie Tianyun and unlocked the Blood Replenishment Pill skill after his first attempt failed. He quickly mastered the pill and left Xie Tianyun astonished by his results.

• Xie Tianyun explained alchemy and demonstrated how to refine Blood Replenishment Pills for Zhong Lin.
• Zhong Lin attempted to refine a batch but produced only black smoke, then discovered that alchemy had appeared on his system panel.
• Zhong Lin used Skill Points to raise Blood Replenishment Pill alchemy to Max Level and gained extensive knowledge of the craft.
• Zhong Lin refined ten high-grade Blood Replenishment Pills on his second attempt, leaving Xie Tianyun in disbelief.
• Zhong Lin refined a second batch of ten high-grade pills, and Xie Tianyun bowed and praised his extraordinary talent.

Zhong Lin learned and refined all eighteen First Grade Pills at Hundred Herbs Hall in one morning, becoming an all-round First Grade Alchemist. Yin Daoyan praised his talent, granted him access to the hall’s resources, and arranged for ten maidservants to be sent to his courtyard.

• Zhong Lin refined all eighteen First Grade Pills, leaving Xie Tianyun stunned by his achievement.
• Deng Yunsheng confirmed the pills were Zhong Lin’s work and hurried to show them to Yin Daoyan.
• Yin Daoyan examined the pills, summoned Zhong Lin, and heard him confirm he had become a First Grade Alchemist after first encountering alchemy that morning.
• Yin Daoyan cautioned Zhong Lin against arrogance and said he would take him to the sect to pay respects to the patriarch and register his name.
• Yin Daoyan ordered Deng Yunsheng to let Zhong Lin take any resources he wanted and send ten maidservants to his courtyard.

Zhong Lin trained, learned that his master had left to investigate the Blood Demon Sect, and brushed off Jing Yan’s challenge. He began studying pill refinement with Xie Tianyun and gained the Qi and Blood Pill skill after two failed batches.

• Zhong Lin trained in the courtyard and increased his Qi and blood.
• Little Shi went to school, and Liu Zhao told Zhong Lin that he had quickly made many friends.
• Zhong Lin met Jing Yan, who resented losing the chance to become Yin Daoyan’s disciple, but Zhong Lin ignored his duel challenge.
• Gu Yourong told Zhong Lin that Yin Daoyan and Jing Tang had gone to investigate Han Jin’s traces in Black Wind Forest, leaving Zhong Lin responsible for major matters at Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Xie Tianyun taught Zhong Lin about pills for the Middle Three Ranks and guided him through refining Qi and Blood Pills.
• After two failed batches, Zhong Lin gained the Qi and Blood Pill refinement skill on his System Panel.

Zhong Lin mastered the methods for refining all twelve Rank 2 pills in a day and prepared to learn Rank 3 pill refinement at East Mountain. Back at his courtyard, he sparred with Mei Weixuan and questioned the meaning of life while looking at the maidservants.

• Zhong Lin thanked Xie Tianyun for teaching him pill refinement and promised to help him if he ever needed it.
• Xie Tianyun told Deng Yunsheng that Zhong Lin had become a Rank 2 Pill Refiner, and Deng said he had already arranged for Zhong Lin to visit East Mountain.
• Zhong Lin returned to find Little Shi and his friends digging holes in the Xiangfei Bamboo, and he let them keep playing.
• Mei Weixuan surprised Zhong Lin with a physical attack, but Zhong Lin's strengthened bones let him match Mei Weixuan's strength.
• Mei Weixuan invited Zhong Lin to XiaoXiang Pavilion, but Zhong Lin declined and asked what the meaning of life was while watching the maidservants.

Zhong Lin teased Mei Weixuan over his maidservants and revealed he had become a Rank 2 Pill Refiner after only two days. When Mei told him about a Silver Wolf cub spotted in Black Wind Forest, Zhong Lin connected it to Han Jin’s return and hurried to alert Hundred Herbs Hall, leaving himself determined to grow stronger.

• Zhong Lin hosted Mei Weixuan for food and wine instead of going to XiaoXiang Pavilion, and the two joked about eighteen-year-old girls.
• Zhong Lin told Mei Weixuan he had become a Rank 2 Pill Refiner in two days, stunning him into drawing up a written pledge for a future divine pill.
• Mei Weixuan told Zhong Lin that his family’s caravan had found a Silver Wolf and its newborn cub in Black Wind Forest.
• Zhong Lin warned Mei Weixuan that Han Jin had also appeared in Black Wind Forest, and they suspected Han Jin might be after the cub.
• Zhong Lin informed Manager Deng, who sent someone to warn the Hall Master, while Zhong Lin resolved to strengthen his cultivation.

Zhong Lin visited Hundred Herbs Hall’s pill-refining grounds at East Mountain and demonstrated his skill after Xue Gang challenged his rapid rise as a pill refiner. Jing Yan watched Zhong Lin refine a furnace of Crimson Blood Pills and struggled to accept that his talent was real.

• Deng Yunsheng took Zhong Lin through East Mountain and explained how its meeting of fire and water made it ideal for refining pills.
• Zhong Lin encountered Jing Yan, who questioned his presence, and replied that he was inspecting his own holdings.
• Xue Gang, Hundred Herbs Hall’s Rank 3 Pill Refiner, asked Zhong Lin to refine Crimson Blood Pills so he could judge his claimed skill.
• Zhong Lin calmly began refining the pills, and Jing Yan recognized from his movements that Zhong Lin possessed extraordinary skill.

Zhong Lin asked Xue Gang to teach him how to refine the Rank 3 Great Revival Pill, then used repeated attempts to unlock the skill through the System and quickly master it. The chapter ended as his third refinement succeeded and the pill room filled with medicinal fragrance.

• Xue Gang confirmed Zhong Lin's Crimson Blood Pills were perfect and agreed to teach him about Rank 3 pills.
• Zhong Lin rejected memorizing a handbook and began refining the Great Revival Pill under Xue Gang's instructions, while Jing Yan mocked him.
• Zhong Lin's first attempt failed, but he continued until the System Panel recorded Great Revival Pill refinement as a Beginner skill.
• Zhong Lin used the System to add points, then began a third attempt with newfound confidence.
• Xue Gang and Jing Yan watched Zhong Lin refine the pill flawlessly as medicinal fragrance spread from the furnace.

Zhong Lin refined Great Revival Pills and taught Xue Pill Refiner and Jing Yan, then mastered all six of Hundred Herbs Garden’s Rank 3 pill formulas in seven days. After deciding to raise his strength so he could refine Rank 4 pills, he trained his sword in the Place Where Water and Fire Meet, where Deng Yunsheng arrived to report that Young Master had gone missing.

• Xue Pill Refiner recognized Zhong Lin’s Great Revival Pills, apologized, and asked him for instruction; Jing Yan joined them to learn.
• Zhong Lin studied the remaining five Rank 3 pill formulas and spent seven days refining all six types with Xue Pill Refiner and Jing Yan assisting.
• Zhong Lin reached Max Level in Rank 3 pill refinement and decided to increase his strength before attempting Rank 4 pills.
• Zhong Lin practiced swordsmanship against the violent currents in the Place Where Water and Fire Meet, using the strain to improve his cultivation.
• Deng Yunsheng hurried to Zhong Lin and reported that Young Master had gone missing.

After Shi Tou disappeared, Zhong Lin returned to Heavenly Sun County and threatened the traffickers gathered at Hundred Herbs Hall. One trafficker accused Ma San of abducting the child and offered to lead the guards to his Sheep Pen.

• Deng Yunsheng told Zhong Lin that Shi Tou had vanished after going to the Back Mountain, and Zhong Lin suspected a kidnapping.
• Jing Yan, Mei Weixuan, and Gu Yourong joined Zhong Lin at Hundred Herbs Hall, where Mei Weixuan suggested that traffickers had taken Shi Tou.
• Deng Yunsheng rounded up the county's traffickers, and Zhong Lin warned them to return Shi Tou or face death.
• When the traffickers denied involvement, Zhong Lin ordered Old Deng to kill every other one until someone confessed, and a guard slit an old woman's throat.
• Fatty Zhou accused Ma San of taking a big kidnapping job, while Ma San denied it, accused Fatty Zhou in return, and offered to lead Zhong Lin to Fatty Zhou's Sheep Pen.

Zhong Lin searched for the missing Shi Tou, traced his footprints to an abandoned estate, and entered with Mei Weixuan and the others. There, Jing Yan sensed something was wrong, prompting Zhong Lin to order everyone to draw their weapons.

• Mei Weixuan told Zhong Lin that the traffickers likely had not kidnapped Shi Tou, and Zhong Lin ordered Deng Yunsheng to take them to identify their hideouts while he searched for Shi Tou.
• Zhong Lin spared the kneeling Liu Zhao and had him lead the group to the Back Mountain, where Shi Tou had disappeared.
• Using his max-level Aura Tracking Technique, Zhong Lin followed Shi Tou's trail to an abandoned residence, despite Mei Weixuan's uncertainty about the place.
• Mei Weixuan described the estate's bloody history and kicked down its gate, and Zhong Lin led the group inside.
• Jing Yan said the estate's smell felt familiar and wrong, so Zhong Lin ordered everyone to draw their weapons.

A juvenile mutant beast Hyena Boar burst into the gathering and attacked Zhong Lin and the others. After Zhong Lin realized it was not fully grown, Mei Weixuan and Gu Yourong joined the fight, and Gu Yourong blinded it.

• Jing Yan recognized the foul smell as Hyena Boar dung and warned Mei Weixuan and the others to flee.
• The Hyena Boar smashed through a wall, killed two guards, and charged at Zhong Lin.
• Zhong Lin narrowly evaded its tusks and wounded it with Wind Thunder Strike, but the beast knocked him into a rockery.
• Xing Kui formed the guards into a circle around Zhong Lin, who recovered enough to realize the Hyena Boar was a juvenile.
• Jing Yan confirmed that the Hyena Boar he had seen before was at least twice as large, and Mei Weixuan attacked the juvenile.
• Gu Yourong pierced the Hyena Boar's eyes with her flexible sword, blinding it.

Zhong Lin stopped the blinded Hyena Boar from reaching the gate and killed it by smashing it into the ground. As the group searched the wreckage, they found human remains, and Zhong Lin was overcome by pain and spat blood.

• Zhong Lin intercepted the charging Hyena Boar and repeatedly slammed it into the ground until its insides were shattered and it died.
• Gu Yourong, Mei Weixuan, and Jing Yan watched in shock as Zhong Lin revealed that he had mastered the Golden Muscle Jade Bone Skill.
• Xing Kui led the guard squad to search the area after Zhong Lin declared the beast dealt with.
• The group found scattered human bones, rotting flesh, bloodstains, and human limbs in a collapsed house.
• Zhong Lin cried out for Shi Tou, felt a sharp pain in his heart, and spat blood.

Zhong Lin investigated the massacre at the abandoned house and learned that people had been killed to feed a mutant beast, while Little Shi was missing. Little Shi was later found safe at Hundred Herbs Hall, and Zhong Lin began interrogating the human traffickers as they implicated one another.

• Xing Kui reported that more than a hundred people had died at the abandoned house, including victims stabbed through the heart, and Zhong Lin ordered the site sealed and the County Governor and Three Great Families notified.
• A cloaked figure and several hidden accomplices withdrew from the exposed abandoned house after the Hyena Boar was slain.
• Zhong Lin returned to Hundred Herbs Hall and joyfully reunited with Shi Tou, whom Deng Yunsheng had found drugged in a cellar with a human trafficker.
• Zhong Lin sent Gu Yourong to take Shi Tou away and ordered Liu Zhao to interrogate the traffickers.
• The traffickers blamed one another for a major kidnapping deal until Xing Kui killed one of them and Zhong Lin demanded they speak properly.

Zhong Lin questioned captured human traffickers and used their accounts to identify five men connected to the Hyena Boar plot. After ordering the information sent to the County Governor and major powers, he returned to Gu Yourong and warned her to stay home while the danger remained.

• Zhong Lin interrogated the traffickers, recorded their recent deals, and rewarded those who exposed others’ lies.
• The traffickers helped Zhong Lin identify five suspects, including a scar-faced man, and provide details for a wanted-poster-style dossier.
• Zhong Lin ordered Old Deng to copy the dossier for the County Governor and major powers, then ordered the traffickers executed.
• Zhong Lin returned to Gu Yourong, told her the suspects had been identified, and advised her to avoid going out in case they retaliated.
• Gu Yourong said she liked both the old and current Zhong Lin, then blushed and hurried away.

Zhong Lin reached Qi and Blood Perfection after an intense training session and began preparing to cultivate the Rank 5 Inner Fortitude Realm. He learned that the city was under a sweeping investigation for the Hyena Boar and ordered pills while asking Deng Yunsheng to seek more clues.

• Zhong Lin consumed Qi and Blood Pills while practicing the Heavenly Origin Treasure Stance until he connected the blood qi throughout his body and attained Qi and Blood Perfection.
• Zhong Lin practiced the Golden Muscle Jade Bone Skill, Five Animal Frolics, and spear techniques, and saw the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear listed on his System Panel.
• Zhong Lin bathed with Yingluo attending him, then invited Deng Yunsheng to eat with him and asked about events outside.
• Deng Yunsheng reported that the County Governor had closed the city gates and joined the major factions in searching Sky Sun City for whoever brought in the Hyena Boar.
• Zhong Lin told Deng Yunsheng to ask Mei Weixuan for clues and arrange delivery of Five Elements Pills after revealing that he had reached Qi and Blood Perfection.

Zhong Lin learned the Breathing Technique and began cultivating the Rank 5 Inner Fortitude Realm by nourishing his lungs with Qi and Blood and Five Elements Pills. After coughing up blood-streaked phlegm, he felt his breathing and body improve, and looked forward to strengthening all his internal organs.

• Zhong Lin reassured Shi Tou about being kidnapped and told him he could begin practicing martial arts the next morning.
• Zhong Lin asked Gu Yourong about cultivating the Inner Fortitude Realm after reaching Qi and Blood Perfection.
• Gu Yourong explained that Rank 5 cultivation required slowly nourishing the internal organs and taught Zhong Lin her Breathing Technique.
• Zhong Lin used the system to master the Breathing Technique and then returned to his courtyard, where Deng Yunsheng had delivered Five Elements Pills.
• Zhong Lin took a pill and directed his Qi and Blood toward his lungs, coughing up foul, blood-streaked phlegm as the medicinal power nourished them.
• Zhong Lin felt refreshed after the initial lung nourishment and anticipated completing cultivation of all five viscera and six bowels.

Zhong Lin learned that the Herb Gathering Team had been massacred while gathering herbs on Turtleback Mountain and led Hundred Herbs Hall’s guards there to investigate. The group reached the mountain, where Zhong Lin planned to uncover what the killers had tried to conceal.

• Zhong Lin trained with bronze hammers and continued strengthening his bones and lungs before Deng Yunsheng reported that the Herb Gathering Team had been killed.
• Zhong Lin inspected the team’s bodies at Hundred Herbs Hall and ordered Xing Kui to assemble guards to avenge them.
• Deng Yunsheng judged that multiple powerful martial artists had killed the herb gatherers, while Zhong Lin questioned why the bodies had been thrown into a ravine.
• Zhong Lin learned that the team had assigned herb-gathering areas and led thirty guards, including eight Rank 6 experts and Xing Kui, toward Turtleback Mountain.
• Zhong Lin and the guards reached Turtleback Mountain, where the team’s schedule and gathering areas could help them locate the place where the murders occurred.