Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ling traveled toward the Charming Snake Tribe on Rayquaza while beginning to refine a Dou Spirit Pill, and Yue Mei sent word to the Holy City that he possessed a Heavenly Flame. In the Imperial Capital, Mu Tie informed Jia Xing Tian that Xiao Ling had returned to the empire as a Dou Wang and Sixth-grade Alchemist, accompanied by another Dou Wang.

• Xiao Ling, Zi Yan, and Yue Mei rode Rayquaza toward the Charming Snake Tribe while Xiao Ling prepared to refine a Dou Spirit Pill.
• Xiao Ling used the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame to begin extracting the medicinal ingredients, making Yue Mei realize he possessed a Heavenly Flame.
• Yue Mei sent a small snake toward the Holy City to report Xiao Ling's Heavenly Flame to Medusa.
• Mu Tie hurried to Jia Xing Tian's residence in the Imperial Capital to report Xiao Ling's return and his whereabouts in the east.
• Mu Tie told Jia Xing Tian that Xiao Ling had reached Dou Wang, was a Sixth-grade Alchemist, and traveled with another Dou Wang.

Jia Xing Tian learned that Xiao Ling had returned as a Dou Wang and Sixth-grade Alchemist, and agreed to help move and protect the Xiao Family in exchange for a Sect Breaking Pill. He sent Mu Tie back to his post and tasked Yao Ye with preparing ingredients for three pills before Xiao Ling reached the Imperial Capital.

• Mu Tie told Jia Xing Tian that Xiao Ling possessed Dou Qi Wings, a Sixth-grade Alchemist badge, and Heavenly Flames, and had asked the Royal Family to escort the Xiao Family to the Imperial Capital.
• Jia Xing Tian agreed to arrange the Xiao Family's move in exchange for ingredients for three Sect Breaking Pills and ordered Mu Tie to collect a reward before returning to Zhen Gui Pass.
• Jia Xing Tian flew to the imperial palace and told Princess Yao Ye about Xiao Ling's return and remarkable strength and alchemy.
• Jia Xing Tian instructed Yao Ye to obtain the ingredients for three Sect Breaking Pills before Xiao Ling arrived in the Imperial Capital.

Xiao Ling completed a high-quality Dou Spirit Pill during his journey and parted ways with Yue Mei near the Charming Snake Tribe before heading toward Hai Bodong's map shop. In Wutan City, Xiao Yan continued to suffer from his unexplained loss of Dou Qi, with his assessment approaching and his cultivation still at Stage Three.

• Jia Xing Tian ordered Yao Yue to arrange medicinal ingredients and an imperial escort for the Xiao Family, and asked Yue'er to accompany the team to Wutan City.
• Xiao Ling finished refining a Dou Spirit Pill aboard Rayquaza in half a day and gave it to Yue Mei.
• Xiao Ling parted from Yue Mei near the Charming Snake Tribe and ordered Rayquaza to fly at full speed toward Hai Bodong's map shop.
• Xiao Yan noticed that the Dou Qi he had cultivated was disappearing again, while the ancient ring on his finger briefly glimmered unnoticed.
• Xiao Yan recalled that the Xiao Family's efforts to restore his talent had failed and worried that he would remain at Dou Qi Stage Three for the assessment in half a year.

Xiao Zhan announced that Xiao Ling had returned to the Jia Ma Empire as a Dou Wang and Sixth-grade Alchemist, and planned to move the Xiao Family back to the Imperial Capital. Xiao Yan and the family heard the news with surprise as they prepared to await the Royal Family’s escort.

• Steward Mo summoned Xiao Yan to the Council Hall, where Xiao Zhan and the elders greeted him warmly.
• Xiao Zhan announced that Xiao Ling had returned to the Jia Ma Empire after years of training.
• Xiao Zhan revealed that Xiao Ling had reached the Dou Wang realm and become a Sixth-grade Alchemist.
• Xiao Zhan said Xiao Ling intended to move the Xiao Family to the Imperial Capital and had arranged for the Royal Family to escort them.
• Xiao Yan recalled his past interactions with Xiao Ling and wondered how Xiao Ling would react to seeing him now.

Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan that Xiao Ling planned to examine him and believed he could restore his lost cultivation talent. As Xiao Yan prepared for the family's move to the Imperial Capital, Yao Chen decided to judge Xiao Ling's abilities before choosing whom to approach.

• Xiao Zhan dismissed the clan members to pack for the move and assigned the three elders to sell the family's shops.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan that Xiao Ling had sent a prescription on his own and planned to examine him in the Imperial Capital.
• Xiao Yan became excited at the prospect of recovering his talent, while Yao Chen privately doubted Xiao Ling and considered him a potential test or replacement target.
• Xiao Zhan advised Xiao Yan to pack, rest, and enjoy Wutan City before they left, and Xiao Yan went to gather his belongings.
• Xiao Zhan watched Xiao Yan leave and affirmed that he believed his son could still become strong.

Xiao Ling reached Desert City with the exhausted Zi Yan and sought shelter at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, intending to reunite with his cousins Xiao Li and Xiao Ding and take Qing Lin away. A mercenary escorted them to the residential area while going to inform the leaders.

• Xiao Ling finished refining a Dou Spirit Pill during the flight, while Zi Yan admitted she had eaten all the pills he had prepared and grew drowsy.
• Xiao Ling and Zi Yan arrived at Desert City, landed outside its walls, and entered the city on foot.
• Xiao Ling sensed a familiar Snake People Race aura and found the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's compound.
• Xiao Ling presented his Xiao Family token to the guards and explained that he was Xiao Li and Xiao Ding's cousin, seeking a place for Zi Yan to rest.
• The leading burly man arranged for Xiao Ling and Zi Yan to be led to the residential area and went to report their arrival to the group's leaders.

Xiao Ling reunited with Xiao Li and Xiao Ding after arriving at their mercenary group, and told them he had become a Dou Wang and a sixth-grade alchemist. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li asked him to examine Xiao Yan, and Xiao Ling promised to do so when he returned to the Xiao Family.

• Xiao Ling settled the sleeping Zi Yan in a clean room, then followed a mercenary to meet his cousins.
• Xiao Li recognized Xiao Ling, welcomed him into the hall, and brought him to Xiao Ding.
• Xiao Ling told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that he had reached the Dou Wang realm and become a sixth-grade alchemist.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li asked Xiao Ling to examine Xiao Yan, whose cultivation had fallen to Dou Qi Stage Three and stalled for two and a half years.
• Xiao Ling promised to examine Xiao Yan after returning to the Xiao Family and said Xiao Yan would soon surpass his brothers.

Xiao Ling told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that he had arranged for the Xiao Family to return to the Imperial Capital, and they discussed whether the brothers would leave the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Before retiring, he gave them pills to support the group and explained that some were compensation for taking Qing Lin; Xiao Ding and Xiao Li accepted the resources.

• Xiao Ling told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that he had sent a letter asking the clan leader to move the Xiao Family back to the Imperial Capital.
• Xiao Ding thanked Xiao Ling for helping the family, and Xiao Ling assured him he would protect the Xiao Family from serious danger.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li said they would keep the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, which had become their second home, but would visit the Xiao Family after settling its affairs.
• Xiao Ling placed hundreds of bottles of pills and two boxes of Three-pattern Green Spirit Pills on the table for Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
• Xiao Ling said some pills were lodging expenses and the rest were support for taking the half-blood girl Qing Lin from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, and Xiao Ding and Xiao Li accepted them.

Xiao Ling rested at Xiao Ding’s home and met Qing Lin the next morning, offering to make her his little sister and protect her. Qing Lin’s three emerald-green dots flickered in her eyes as she heard him.

• Xiao Ding agreed to let Xiao Ling take Qing Lin and warned him that she was timid, while Xiao Li vowed to repay Xiao Ling’s help.
• Xiao Ling checked on the sleeping Zi Yan, heard her dream about food, and went to sleep in a guest room.
• Xiao Ling woke the next morning and met Qing Lin, who had brought warm water to help him wash up.
• Qing Lin told Xiao Ling that Xiao Ding had asked whether she would become his maid.
• Xiao Ling asked Qing Lin to become his little sister and promised that no one would bully her again, and three green dots flickered in her eyes.

Xiao Ling reassured Qing Lin that he accepted her despite her Snake People Race bloodline and asked her to become his little sister. Qing Lin agreed, and Xiao Ling gave her a Storage Ring and cultivation resources as he prepared to teach her cultivation.

• Xiao Ling sensed the power of Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and recognized that her soul force could daze powerful opponents.
• Qing Lin feared Xiao Ling would despise her Snake People Race bloodline, but Xiao Ling told her he accepted her and promised to protect her.
• Qing Lin cried with relief, and Xiao Ling embraced her before asking her to become his little sister; she agreed.
• Xiao Ling and Qing Lin grew more familiar, though she continued to call him “Young Master.”
• Xiao Ling placed a Storage Ring on Qing Lin’s finger and gave her cultivation resources, explaining how to use them to advance toward Dou Zhe.

Xiao Ling prepared to take Qing Lin away from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and reassured her when the mercenaries treated her with disgust. After telling Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, he waited for Zi Yan to wake so he could introduce the two girls.

• Xiao Ling asked Qing Lin to tell Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that she would leave the Desert Iron Mercenary Group with him, and she looked forward to meeting Zi Yan.
• As Xiao Ling and Qing Lin crossed the mercenary group, the mercenaries showed disgust toward Qing Lin, and Xiao Ling comforted her and offered to punish them.
• Qing Lin asked Xiao Ling not to attack the mercenaries because the leader had given her a home, and Xiao Ling agreed to let them go.
• Xiao Ling told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that Qing Lin would leave with him, and Xiao Ding accepted his decision and asked him to look after her.
• Xiao Ling found Zi Yan waking in her room, told her he would wait in the living room, and drank a cup of room-temperature cola while waiting.

Xiao Ling broke the restriction on the Dou Zun Relic Map and learned that it belonged to Wang Yanqing, a Dou Zun and Alchemy Grandmaster who had once possessed a Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame. He discovered that Wang Yanqing’s relic lay in a Magical Beast Forest in the Luo Yan Empire.

• Xiao Ling used his Spirit Realm Soul to break the map’s restriction, revealing the words “Turtle Spirit Venerable.”
• Xiao Ling suspected that Wang Yanqing had refined a Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame and hoped it might remain in the relic.
• Xiao Ling used the map to access a golden message identifying its creator as Wang Yanqing, a Dou Zun and Alchemy Grandmaster from a thousand years earlier.
• Wang Yanqing’s message recounted how he obtained the Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame, rose to Three-Star Dou Zun, and was fatally injured after exploring a Dou Sheng Relic.
• Wang Yanqing explained that he built a relic to pass down his possessions and skills, and Xiao Ling learned it was located in a Magical Beast Forest in the Luo Yan Empire.

Xiao Ling learned that Wang Yanqing’s Dou Zun relic might contain the Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame and planned to search for it after settling matters in the Jia Ma Empire. He introduced Qing Lin to Zi Yan, who welcomed her as a little sister.

• Xiao Ling stored the Dou Zun Relic Map and considered the Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame, the other Heavenly Flames he had located, and his plan to search for the relic in the Luo Yan Empire.
• Zi Yan came out of the bedroom and asked Xiao Ling to fix her hair, then showed her growing strength and boasted that she was close to becoming a Sixth-tier Magical Beast.
• Xiao Ling finished tying Zi Yan’s hair and told her about Qing Lin’s past.
• Qing Lin entered with her belongings, and Xiao Ling introduced her to Zi Yan.
• Zi Yan welcomed Qing Lin as her little sister and promised to protect her, leaving Qing Lin happy to have another family member.

Xiao Ling took Qing Lin from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and flew with her and Zi Yan to Hai Bodong's map shop. Hai Bodong welcomed their return, hopeful that Xiao Ling had obtained the Sand Mandala and could help restore his strength.

• Qing Lin told Xiao Ling she was ready to leave the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, then introduced herself to Zi Yan, and the two quickly became friendly.
• Xiao Ling carried Qing Lin as he flew toward Desert City with Zi Yan following; Qing Lin enjoyed the flight and fell asleep in his arms.
• Hai Bodong worried that Xiao Ling might have fallen into Queen Medusa's hands and considered risking a negotiation with her to save him.
• Xiao Ling and Zi Yan reached Hai Bodong's map shop with Qing Lin, and Hai Bodong came out to greet them, asking whether Xiao Ling had obtained the Sand Mandala.

Xiao Ling returned with the Sand Mandala and agreed to refine a Breaking Calamity Pill to restore Hai Bodong’s strength. After taking Hai Bodong’s formula, he went with him to retrieve the medicinal ingredients from the map shop warehouse.

• Xiao Ling told Hai Bodong he had obtained the Sand Mandala from Queen Medusa and would refine the pill after resting.
• Xiao Ling asked Hai Bodong for the formula and the three sets of medicinal ingredients.
• Hai Bodong handed Xiao Ling the Breaking Calamity Pill formula, which Xiao Ling kept in his Storage Ring.
• Hai Bodong said the ingredients were stored in the map shop warehouse and offered to take Xiao Ling there.

Xiao Ling visited Hai Bodong’s treasure vault to collect the rare herbs needed to refine a Breaking Calamity Pill. After warning Hai Bodong that the pill could fail, Xiao Ling entered a quiet room to begin refining it while Hai Bodong guarded the corridor.

• Hai Bodong led Xiao Ling, Qing Lin, and Zi Yan through a concealed stone door into his treasure vault.
• Hai Bodong brought Xiao Ling a large pile of rare medicinal herbs, and Xiao Ling checked that none were missing.
• Xiao Ling warned Hai Bodong that refining the Sixth-grade Breaking Calamity Pill could fail, and Hai Bodong accepted that Xiao Ling would not be responsible.
• Xiao Ling stored the herbs in his Storage Ring and asked Hai Bodong to prepare a quiet room where nobody could disturb him.
• Xiao Ling entered the room to refine the pill, while Hai Bodong promised to guard the corridor.

Xiao Ling began refining the Breaking Calamity Pill while Yao Yue arrived in Wutan City with the Royal Family guard unit to escort the Xiao Family to the Imperial Capital. At the Xiao Family’s farewell banquet, Xiao Yan left the hall and encountered Yao Yue by the pond.

• Xiao Ling studied the Breaking Calamity Pill prescription, heated his cauldron with the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and began refining the pill with careful control.
• Yao Yue arrived in Wutan City with more than fifty Royal Family guards, intending to escort the Xiao Family to the Imperial Capital and see Xiao Ling’s birthplace.
• The Royal Family guard unit met Xiao Zhan, and they agreed to leave for the Imperial Capital at dawn the next day.
• Xiao Zhan hosted a farewell banquet for Wutan City’s major and minor forces, where Xiao Zhan, Gale Bi, and Ouba Pa drank together.
• Xiao Yan left the banquet and went to the pond, where he noticed Yao Yue approaching along the path.

Yao Yue met Xiao Yan at the Xiao Family estate and discussed his stalled cultivation and engagement to Nalan Yanran. Xiao Yan declined President Fama’s offer to examine him, saying he would rely on Xiao Ling when his cousin returned.

• Yao Yue left the banquet preparations and wandered the Xiao Family estate, where her guard told her Xiao Yan was nearby.
• Yao Yue approached Xiao Yan and asked whether he was the Third Young Master of the Xiao Family and Nalan Yanran’s fiancé.
• Xiao Yan explained that his engagement came from an agreement between their grandfathers and admitted he doubted Nalan Yanran would still accept him now that he could not cultivate.
• Yao Yue told Xiao Yan that Nalan Yanran was the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect and had many admirers, including Liu Ling.
• Yao Yue mentioned that President Fama could examine Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan said Xiao Ling would examine him when he returned to the Xiao Family.

Yao Yue examined Xiao Yan and tried to discover why his Dou Qi kept disappearing, but the ancient ring on his finger secretly absorbed it. Meanwhile, Xiao Ling finished refining a Rank 6 Breaking Calamity Pill for Hai Bodong.

• Yao Yue offered to examine Xiao Yan, and he sat down while she used her Soul Power to inspect his body.
• Yao Yue found Xiao Yan's meridians were as strong as an ordinary Dou Zhe's and asked him to cultivate so she could observe his lost Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan repeatedly tried to cultivate, but the ancient black ring flashed and absorbed his Dou Qi without either of them noticing.
• Xiao Ling burned the Pill Precursor in his medicinal cauldron and completed the pale-purple Breaking Calamity Pill.

Xiao Ling completed a high-quality Breaking Calamity Pill and gave it to Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong secured the pill and promised that he and the Mittel Family would help Xiao Ling after he regained his Dou Emperor cultivation.

• Xiao Ling contained the pill’s surging energy with a Soul Power barrier and examined the finished Breaking Calamity Pill.
• Xiao Ling stored the pill, remaining medicinal ingredients, and medicinal cauldron, then left the room.
• Hai Bodong grew anxious as he waited outside and prepared to enter when the door remained shut.
• Xiao Ling appeared in the corridor and tossed Hai Bodong the jade bottle containing the pill.
• Hai Bodong caught the pill, expressed his gratitude, and pledged help from himself and the Mittel Family once he recovered his cultivation.