Chapter Summaries

Shen Wen began deriving a Zong Ji Pill recipe by using the Space Ancestral Talisman to imprint spatial rules into a pill. The chapter left him absorbed in the unprecedented formula while Xiao Yan learned that Shen Wen had already become an Eighth-Grade Alchemist.

• Cao Ying told Shen Wen that Xiao Yan had helped Instructor Ruolin improve her standing and that his relationship with Xiao Xun'er was now public.
• During the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, Xiao Yan defeated most of the old students who blocked him but was forced back by several Dou Wang students, then won first place among the new students.
• After entering the Inner Academy, Xiao Yan heard that Shen Wen had refined an Eighth-Grade Pill, and Old Yao confirmed the report.
• Shen Wen concluded that a Zong Ji Pill would need a trace of Space Power and realized the Space Ancestral Talisman might let him refine spatial rules into a pill.
• Shen Wen began deriving the Zong Ji Pill recipe, selecting ingredients and planning a method to imprint spatial rules as the pill formed.

Shen Wen discussed his Zong Ji Pill deductions with Old Yao and received a request from Sky Snake Mansion to refine several pills. After setting boundaries over Qing Lin’s cultivation, he sent Xiong Tao to investigate Soul Hall outposts before their planned departure for Jia Nan Academy.

• Shen Wen and Old Yao debated how to safely incorporate Space Power into the Zong Ji Pill.
• Huang Ling asked Shen Wen to refine five Pills to Break Dou Zong and one Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill, and he accepted in exchange for the required ingredients.
• Huang Ling raised Sky Snake Mansion’s interest in Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and Shen Wen said Qing Lin would decide for herself whether to consult the mansion’s ancient texts.
• Shen Wen gave Xiong Tao a Jade Slip listing Soul Hall outposts and ordered him to investigate their personnel and strength without engaging them.

Shen Wen refined twenty top-quality Pills to Break Dou Zong in four days, then prepared to deduce a method for making the Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill. The chapter ended with Shen Wen beginning that deduction before a week-long refinement in the Back Mountain Valley.

• Shen Wen used the Sky Burning Cauldron and his fused flame to refine the Pill to Break Dou Zong without consulting a recipe.
• Over four days, Shen Wen refined five batches and kept the excess pills beyond the five requested by the Sky Snake Mansion.
• Old Yao and Xiao Yan visited Shen Wen, admired his Soul Power control, and were invited to observe his next refinement.
• Shen Wen asked Cao Ying to invite Elder Su so he could borrow the Back Mountain Valley for roughly seven days.
• Su Qian agreed to clear and guard the valley, and Shen Wen began deducing how to refine the Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill.

Shen Wen used the Future Non-Birth Scripture to simulate more than a hundred attempts at refining the Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill, then began the real refinement in the Back Mountain Valley. He purified and combined the ingredients under the watch of his companions and academy elders, leaving the pill still in progress.

• Shen Wen repeatedly simulated the pill refinement until he perfected the process and prepared to begin the real attempt.
• Shen Wen told Cai Lin, Cao Ying, Xiao Yi Xian, Dan Chen, Qing Lin, Zi Yan, Xiao Yan, and Old Yao that the refinement would take around seven days and warned them to stay clear of Pill Lightning.
• Shen Wen and the group went to the Back Mountain Valley, where Su Qian, Qian Mu, and Bai Lie had cleared the area for the refinement.
• Shen Wen ignited Fallen Heart Flame fused with Myriad Beast Spirit Flame and began tempering Earth Core Soul Marrow in the Sky Burning Cauldron.
• Shen Wen added and purified the remaining medicinal ingredients while the observers watched his precise flame control and the medicinal essences gathered in the cauldron.

Shen Wen completed the peak Seventh-Grade Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill after seven days of refining, then used his combined Ancestral Symbol powers to withstand its Four-colored Pill Lightning. Xiao Yan watched Shen Wen’s mastery and wondered whether he could ever match it.

• Shen Wen used Space Power to fuse the pill’s soul, vitality, and blood-energy essences into a Chaos medicinal liquid.
• Shen Wen nurtured the medicinal liquid for two more days as Pill Lightning gathered over the valley.
• Shen Wen trapped the sentient pill when it tried to escape, completing the Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill.
• Four-colored Pill Lightning struck, and Shen Wen’s Chaos Light Shield absorbed it without damaging the pill.
• Old Yao praised Shen Wen’s pill refinement and tribulation defense, while Xiao Yan asked whether he could achieve the same and Old Yao replied, “Perhaps.”

Huang Ling collected the pills Shen Wen had refined and returned to the Sky Snake Mansion, while Shen Wen prepared for a future campaign against the Soul Hall. After Xiong Tao reported that the Tianxin Empire Branch Hall was guarded by two Dou Zuns, Shen Wen decided he needed more preparation before attacking.

• Huang Ling arrived at Shen Wen's courtyard and received five Pills to Break Dou Zong and one Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill.
• Huang Ling declined to press Shen Wen about visiting the Sky Snake Empire, then left with the pills and plans to report information about Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
• Shen Wen continued deducing pills and soul skills while Xiao Yan's conflict with Liu Fei over a cultivation room was halted by Lin Xiuya.
• Xiong Tao reported that most Soul Hall sites were minor outposts, but the Tianxin Empire Branch Hall had strict defenses and at least two auras stronger than his own.
• Shen Wen decided to prepare further before attacking the Tianxin Empire Branch Hall, since two Dou Zuns could escape if he failed to defeat them quickly.

Shen Wen completed the Zong Ji Pill recipe with Cao Ying and Dan Chen, then began refining it with rare ingredients and carefully controlled Space Power. After six days, the Space Power fused into the pill’s essence, and a tribulation vortex gathered over Back Mountain Valley.

• Shen Wen called Cao Ying and Dan Chen to help verify the Zong Ji Pill’s medicinal balance and Space Power runes, and the three completed a nearly flawless recipe after several days of discussion.
• Old Yao warned that the pill might be impossible for anyone but Shen Wen to refine and that stable sources of Space Power were scarce; Shen Wen identified Ancient Void Dragon blood as the best catalyst.
• Shen Wen began refining the Zong Ji Pill in the Sky Burning Cauldron with ingredients he had selected over several months, while Cao Ying and Dan Chen watched from a distant cliff.
• After six days, Shen Wen drew out a gentle wisp of Space Power with the Space Ancestral Talisman and fused it into the medicinal essence after three attempts.
• The fused essence stopped rejecting the Space Power, and dark clouds gathered into a vortex above the valley as lightning stirred within them.

Shen Wen completed the Zong Ji Pill, which could help Dou Zongs break through by using Space Power. After Xiong Tao's successful breakthrough proved its effect, Su Qian asked Shen Wen to refine one for her, while Shen Wen said he would first explore a soul skill for controlling Space Power that might also help Dan Chen.

• Cao Ying explained that the Zong Ji Pill could raise a Dou Zong's cultivation by one to two stars by nourishing their control of space.
• Shen Wen absorbed the Pill Lightning and retrieved the completed Zong Ji Pill from the Sky Burning Cauldron.
• Shen Wen gave the pill to Xiong Tao, who broke through from Six-star Dou Ancestor to Seven-star Dou Sect.
• Su Qian, desperate to advance beyond Three-star Dou Ancestor, asked Shen Wen to refine a Zong Ji Pill for her, and he requested three sets of ingredients and three Seventh-Rank Demonic Cores.
• Cao Ying warned that Shen Wen's unique method might make the pill difficult for other Alchemists to reproduce, and Shen Wen said he was developing a soul skill to control Space Power that could also help Dan Chen.
• Shen Wen said his idea would take time to explore and verify, and he would first refine Su Qian's pill.

Shen Wen helped Su Qian advance with a Zong Ji Pill, then began researching how Soul Power might control space to address Dan Chen’s soul condition. With Old Yao’s help, he developed the theory for a defensive soul barrier and left Dan Chen hopeful that he could eventually solve her problem.

• Su Qian delivered the herbs and Demonic Cores to Shen Wen, received a Zong Ji Pill, and advanced from a Three-star Dou Ancestor to a Five-star Dou Ancestor.
• Shen Wen devised the preliminary recipe for a Spirit Nurturing Pill and began exploring how Soul Power could control Space Power.
• Shen Wen discussed his Soul Space Barrier idea with Old Yao, who agreed that it could help contain Dan Chen’s soul’s suction and open a new path in soul cultivation.
• Shen Wen explained the proposed barrier to Dan Chen, who trusted him and agreed to cooperate when he was ready to test the Soul Skill.
• Shen Wen continued developing the Spirit Nurturing Pill and a defensive Soul Skill for Dan Chen with Old Yao.

Shen Wen developed the Sky Soaring Method, a technique that used Soul Power to sense and subtly manipulate space while containing Dan Chen’s soul-sucking force. After Old Yao confirmed the method’s promise, Shen Wen planned for Dan Chen to begin testing it under close supervision.

• Shen Wen reasoned that a powerful soul might use Soul Power to resonate with and influence space, and he spent days developing the idea with Old Yao’s guidance.
• Shen Wen completed a Soul Power method that could contain or redirect Dan Chen’s soul-sucking force and enable limited spatial manipulation.
• Shen Wen named the technique the Sky Soaring Method and brought its scroll to Old Yao.
• Old Yao tested the method, praised its precise and adaptable approach, and agreed that Dan Chen was suited to try it.
• Shen Wen planned to have Dan Chen cultivate the method while he and Old Yao monitored her progress and adjusted it as needed.

Shen Wen refined a Spirit Nurturing Pill that advanced Cao Ying’s soul cultivation and earned him the Ice Ancestral Talisman, while Dan Chen made progress controlling her soul suction through the Sky Soaring Method. The chapter ended with Yang Hao and the Ancient Clan’s Black Seal Army arriving at Shen Wen’s courtyard, where Yang Hao’s jealousy over Xiao Xun’er fueled his hostility.

• Shen Wen adjusted Dan Chen’s Sky Soaring Method training and refined a Rank Seven Spirit Nurturing Pill, which he gave to Cao Ying.
• Cao Ying reached the peak of the Spirit Realm after taking the pill, and Shen Wen received the Ice Ancestral Talisman when their soul resonance raised her favorability above 60%.
• Dan Chen began forming a Soul Power barrier that initially controlled her soul suction, while the others continued their cultivation.
• Shen Wen and Cai Lin sensed powerful auras approaching Jia Nan Academy, and the Ancient Clan’s Black Seal Army descended on Shen Wen’s courtyard instead of Xiao Xun’er’s residence.
• Yang Hao introduced himself as the leader of the group and revealed his resentment toward Shen Wen because of his feelings for Xiao Xun’er.

Yang Hao accused Shen Wen of pursuing Xiao Xun'er and threatened him on behalf of the Ancient Clan. Shen Wen denied any improper connection and ordered Yang Hao's group to leave, prompting Yang Hao to challenge him to a supposedly fair fight with conditions tied to Xiao Xun'er and Jia Nan Academy.

• Yang Hao confronted Shen Wen at his residence, called him good for nothing, and warned him to stay away from Xiao Xun'er.
• Shen Wen denied seeking Xiao Xun'er and rebuked Yang Hao for insulting him without learning the facts.
• Yang Hao used his peak Dou Zong pressure to threaten Shen Wen and claimed the Ancient Clan could make his life difficult across the continent.
• Shen Wen stated that he and Xiao Xun'er were merely acquainted, asserted his authority at Jia Nan Academy, and told Xiong Tao to remove the visitors or beat them out.
• Yang Hao challenged Shen Wen to a fight, offering to suppress his cultivation to three-star Dou Ancestor, and demanded that Shen Wen leave the academy and avoid Xiao Xun'er if he lost.

Shen Wen easily countered Yang Hao’s opening attack, then stopped him from unleashing the Emperor Seal Art with a powerful Space Power and Cosmic Extreme Bell. He punched the immobilized Yang Hao in the chest, leaving the outcome of the blow unresolved.

• Yang Hao attacked Shen Wen with Dragon Snake Steps and a claw strike, but Shen Wen dodged and numbed his arm with a precise finger strike.
• Shen Wen mocked Yang Hao and the Black Seal Army, prompting Yang Hao to abandon his cultivation suppression and prepare the Emperor Seal Art.
• Shen Wen used Space Power to slow Yang Hao and struck his mind with Cosmic Extreme Bell, leaving him frozen and unable to think.
• Shen Wen walked up to Yang Hao and punched him in the chest.

Shen Wen defeated Yang Hao and exposed the insecurity behind Yang Hao’s status in the Ancient Clan. Xiao Xun'er arrived, asked Shen Wen to release the Black Seal Army, and apologized for causing trouble.

• Shen Wen’s Space Solidification and Time Lag vanished, and he struck Yang Hao hard enough to send him flying and vomiting blood.
• Shen Wen immobilized the Black Seal Army soldiers as they tried to intervene, then questioned Yang Hao’s standing in the Ancient Clan.
• Yang Hao struggled to rise, humiliated as Shen Wen exposed his impure bloodline and ambition to enter the Ancient Clan’s core through marrying Xiao Xun'er.
• Shen Wen ordered the Black Seal Army to leave and warned them against provoking him without cause.
• Xiao Xun'er entered the courtyard, asked Shen Wen to release the soldiers, and apologized for causing him trouble.

After Shen Wen released Yang Hao, Xiao Xun'er explained that the Ancient Clan had tested him and considered arranging a marriage alliance between them. Shen Wen refused to be drawn into the clan’s affairs and resolved to strengthen himself before confronting the Soul Clan and its forces.

• Xiao Xun'er gave Shen Wen a Storage Ring as an apology, and he released Yang Hao, who left the courtyard with the Black Seal Army.
• Xiao Xun'er told Shen Wen that the Ancient Clan had sent Yang Hao to test his strength and feelings while exploring the possibility of matching them together.
• Shen Wen rejected the proposed alliance, warned Xiao Xun'er that further interference would not be settled so easily, and she left to explain matters to her father.
• Cao Ying asked whether Shen Wen would consider marrying Xiao Xun'er for the alliance, but he refused, saying he would not disrupt her feelings for Xiao Yan or become entangled with the Ancient Clan.
• Shen Wen recognized that the Ancient Clan had begun to notice him and resolved to develop his constitution, cultivate the Azure Dragon Body, and master the Great Origin Technique before going to the Tianxin Empire to deal with its Branch Hall.

Xiao Yan learned that Xun Er had been taken back to the Ancient Clan and confronted the gulf between his strength and hers. After he left, Shen Wen urged his companions to cultivate before returning to the Central Continent, then broke through to Four-star Dou Ancestor.

• Xiao Yan rushed to Shen Wen and explained that Xun Er’s Ancient Clan clansmen had taken her away, while their leader had effortlessly sent him flying.
• Shen Wen told Xiao Yan that the Ancient Clan was one of the Ancient Eight Clans, that Xun Er was the patriarch’s daughter, and that the clan had many Dou Sheng experts.
• Xiao Yan thanked Shen Wen and left, while Shen Wen decided not to pursue the ancient jade because Gu Yuan might retaliate if it came into an outsider’s hands.
• Cao Ying remarked that Xiao Yan was unlikely to marry Xun Er, and Shen Wen redirected the group toward cultivation and clearing Soul Hall’s forces from the Northwest Continent.
• Shen Wen advised Cao Ying to study the Sky Soaring Method and urged Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, Dan Chen, and Qing Lin to grow stronger before their return to the Central Continent.
• Shen Wen refined pills with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol and Kunpeng Treasure Technique, absorbed their energy, and advanced to Four-star Dou Ancestor.

After reaching Four-star Dou Ancestor, Shen Wen tested the Desolate Demonic Eye and discovered it could merge with Ancestral Symbol power. He combined several techniques to create the Prison Heaven Hand, whose appearance shook Jia Nan Academy, then dispersed it and left Su Qian to calm the students.

• Shen Wen decided to seek resources by trading medicinal pills and invited Mo Tian Xing to Jia Nan Academy to discuss a partnership.
• Shen Wen tested the Desolate Demonic Eye on a forest and found that Flame Ancestral Talisman energy could merge with its power to reduce matter to nothingness.
• Shen Wen combined the Great Desolation Scripture, Great Nirvana Finger, Azure Dragon Sky-Tearing Hand, and Space Ancestral Talisman to create the Prison Heaven Hand.
• Shen Wen's test summoned a giant phantom hand over Jia Nan Academy, frightening students and instructors and disrupting the academy.
• Su Qian confronted Shen Wen, who explained that he had been testing a new Dou Technique and dispersed the phantom hand.
• Su Qian judged the technique's power and went to calm the students.

Shen Wen tasked Mo Tian Xing with auctioning Dou Emperor Pills and rare resources, then demonstrated a pill that advanced Mo Tian Xing to Five-Star Dou Zong. Qing Lin also reached Dou Wang and discovered that her Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bone Wings had fused with her Dou Qi, greatly increasing her speed.

• Shen Wen gave Mo Tian Xing Dou Emperor Pills and a list of resources to acquire through auctions across the Black Corner Region and nearby areas.
• Shen Wen gave Mo Tian Xing two Zong Ji Pills and had him consume one to verify its effect.
• Mo Tian Xing advanced from Four-star Dou Ancestor to Five-Star Dou Zong and agreed to promote the remaining Zong Ji Pill at auction.
• Shen Wen set the Zong Ji Pill's minimum price at three Seventh-Rank Demonic Cores or equivalent requested items, with listed resources eligible for a premium.
• Qing Lin arrived after breaking through to Dou Wang and showed Shen Wen that her Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bone Wings had fused into her Dou Qi, making her faster than other Dou Wangs of the same level.

Shen Wen mastered the second realm of the Great Origin Technique, strengthening his Dou Qi, Soul Power, and foundation. As rumors of the Zong Ji Pill stirred the Black Corner Region, he traveled to Black Emperor City to support Mo Tian Xing and oversee the auction.

• Shen Wen completed the second realm of the Great Origin Technique, increasing his Dou Qi capacity by nearly fifty percent and his Soul Power by roughly thirty percent.
• After learning that the Zong Ji Pill had drawn powerful factions and senior Dou Zongs to the Black Corner Region, Shen Wen decided to attend the auction himself.
• Shen Wen ordered Xiong Tao to protect Cao Ying, Cai Lin, and the others while he left with Mo Ya for Black Emperor City.
• Mo Ya reported that the Blood Sect, Earth Demon Valley, Eight Fan Sect, and several independent Dou Zongs had arrived in the city.
• Shen Wen reached the Black Emperor Sect's auction hall and met Mo Tian Xing, who welcomed him with relief.

Shen Wen attended the Black Emperor Sect’s auction as the Zong Ji Pill sparked a fierce bidding war among powerful factions and cultivators. After Elder Fang Yan won the pill, Shen Wen recognized two hidden Soul Hall agents and expected trouble once the auction ended.

• Shen Wen reassured Mo Tian Xing that he would oversee the auction, and the event began with bidders competing for pills and treasures while Shen Wen’s requested supplies were acquired.
• The Zong Ji Pill was revealed, and Old Man Yingshan, Ling Xiaozi, Mo Tian Xing, and Elder Fang Yan raised their bids.
• Two black-robed bidders offered seven Seventh-Rank Demonic Cores and a Soul Infant Fruit, prompting Shen Wen to identify their concealed Soul Hall aura and suspect they planned an ambush after the auction.
• Elder Fang Yan won the Zong Ji Pill with seven Seventh-Rank Demonic Cores and a method for refining a Sky Demon Puppet.
• As the crowd left, powerful auras gathered around the auction house, creating an ominous sense of impending conflict.