Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yu reunited with Xue Mei and Lin Fei after Cai Lin subdued a troublesome apothecary owner, then accompanied them to meet President Fama at Black Mountain Fortress. His Sixth Grade Alchemist badge astonished Fama, Yao Zhantian, and everyone in the council hall.

• Cai Lin intimidated an apothecary owner after he offended her, and Xiao Yu arrived with her and Zi Yan to check on the commotion.
• Zi Yan told Xiao Yu that the owner had tried to pressure Xue Mei and Lin Fei into buying herbs, and Xiao Yu recognized the two women as former acquaintances.
• Xue Mei and Lin Fei invited Xiao Yu to meet President Fama, and they were shocked to learn that he had become a Sixth Grade Alchemist.
• The apothecary owner gave Xue Mei the Thousand Spirit Grass for free, while Zi Yan grabbed a pile of herbs and left a Gold Coin behind.
• Xue Mei and Lin Fei brought Xiao Yu to the council hall, where he greeted President Fama, Yao Zhantian, and Yao Yue.
• President Fama noticed Xiao Yu's Sixth Grade Alchemist badge, prompting astonishment throughout the hall.

Xiao Yu reassured Yao Zhantian that he would give his all in the Alchemist Tournament and explored Black Mountain Fortress after the welcoming dinner. On the fortress walls, he spoke with Yao Yue, who asked to study alchemy by his side, and agreed to take her back to the Black Corner Region after the tournament.

• Fama praised Xiao Yu's participation in the Alchemist Tournament, while Yao Zhantian worried that rival empires might have powerful alchemists too.
• Xiao Yu promised to give his all and keep the Jia Ma Empire from ranking near the bottom, and Yao Zhantian arranged rooms and a welcoming dinner for the group.
• After dinner, Xiao Yu inspected Black Mountain Fortress's large garrison and encountered Yao Yue on the walls.
• Xiao Yu teased Yao Yue about her familiarity with Liu Ling, then noticed that something was troubling her and helped her laugh.
• Yao Yue told Xiao Yu that Fama wanted her to return to the Black Corner Region with him to study alchemy, and Xiao Yu agreed to take her after the tournament.

Xiao Yu recruited Yao Yue into the Underworld and discussed their plans with Cai Lin, who showed hints of growing affection for him. Half a month later, the alchemists gathered for the tournament outside Black Mountain Fortress, where Xiao Yu wondered how Xiao Yi Xian was faring in the Chuyun Empire.

• Xiao Yu told Yao Yue that the Underworld would protect his family and oppose the Soul Hall, and she agreed to join in exchange for his guidance in alchemy.
• Cai Lin asked Xiao Yu when he would go to the Central Plains, and he explained that they would wait until the Underworld had secured the Black Corner Region.
• Xiao Yu teased Cai Lin about having fallen for him, and she left with a blush before privately wondering what was wrong with her.
• Cai Lin told Cai Die that she would protect her while she absorbed the drop of true blood.
• Half a month later, Fama brought Xiao Yu and the alchemists to the tournament outside Black Mountain Fortress, where Xiao Yu recognized the Golden Goose Sect, Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, and Mulan Valley.
• Seeing the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, Xiao Yu thought of Xiao Yi Xian and wondered how she was doing in the Chuyun Empire.

Xiao Yu and Fama faced Yan Luotian, the Mulan Three Elders, and Xie Shan at the Alchemist Tournament, where Fama revealed that Yun Shan had reached Dou Zong before he was killed. The other empires’ alchemy leaders then questioned Gu He’s absence and recalled his past contest with Old Luo.

• Yan Luotian greeted Fama and taunted the Jia Ma Empire over the Misty Cloud Sect’s decline.
• Fama said Yun Shan had become a Dou Zong before he was killed, and confirmed that his killer remained in the Jia Ma Empire at Jia Nan Academy.
• Yan Luotian and the others cautiously accepted Fama’s warning and agreed to bring the participants onto the stage.
• The presidents of the other three empires’ Alchemist Guilds arrived and asked Fama where Gu He was.
• Old Luo mocked Gu He and recalled that he had nearly refined a Sixth Grade Pill during their past contest.

Xiao Yu and the Jia Ma Empire’s alchemists prepared for the tournament as Fama explained the rival guilds, their competitors, and the two-round format. In the Chuyun Empire’s camp, Yan Xixi learned that Old Woman Zhang expected her to win and take over the guild, while also warning her to distance herself from Xiao Yi Xian and the Poison Sect.

• Fama identified Luo Jingyao and his grandson, Luo Tian, as the Luoyan Empire’s competitors and told Yao Yue to learn from the tournament before joining Xiao Yu in the Black Corner Region.
• Xiao Yu agreed to take Yao Yue as his student after Fama promised him medicinal ingredients from the guild’s Medicine Stockpile.
• Fama warned the Jia Ma alchemists about Old Woman Zhang’s poison-pillar expertise, her disciple Yan Xixi, and the Mulan Empire’s Mu Lanfa and his disciples Zhao Feiyun and Zhao Feilong.
• Fama explained that the tournament would have two rounds, with the first requiring contestants to refine pills from supplied ingredients and the second decided by random selection.
• Yan Xixi promised Old Woman Zhang she would prove the strength of the Chuyun Empire’s Poison Masters.
• Old Woman Zhang ordered Yan Xixi to win the tournament and succeed her as guild president, then confronted her about associating with Xiao Yi Xian, the Poison Sect’s leader.

Yan Xixi recalled why she had joined the Alchemist Guild and became determined to avenge her parents, while alchemists from several empires prepared for the tournament. The first round began the next day, and Fama started announcing its rules.

• Old Woman Zhang warned Yan Xixi that the Alchemist Guild had to balance its ties with the Poison Sect and the Chuyun Empire's imperial family, then urged her to win the tournament.
• Yan Xixi remembered that an alchemist had killed her parents and that she had learned alchemy to gain the authority to find him.
• Mu Lanfa warned Zhao Feiyun and Zhao Feilong not to underestimate Yan Xixi and explained that tournament standings would affect the empires' positions in an operation against the Jia Ma Empire.
• The next day, Xiao Yu, Yao Yue, and Huo Yue'er joined the Jia Ma Empire's alchemists as the tournament gathered more than forty competitors.
• Fama addressed the gathered alchemists and began announcing the first-round rules.

The Alchemist Tournament began with a fourth-grade pill refinement round, and Xiao Yu discovered that Yan Xixi possessed extraordinary Soul Power. After the contestants received their numbers and ingredients, Fama started the competition.

• Fama explained that contestants had to refine a fourth-grade pill, with pill quality determining their ranking for the second round.
• Yan Xixi recognized Xiao Yu from a portrait in Xiao Yi Xian's room, while Xiao Yu sensed her formidable aura and realized she had detected his Soul Power.
• Xiao Yu told Yao Yue and Huo Yue'er that Yan Xixi was stronger than Yao Yue and suggested Huo Yue'er could challenge her.
• Fama distributed number plates and directed the alchemists to their black stone platforms; Xiao Yu drew number thirty-four and stood between Yan Xixi and Huo Yue'er, with Yao Yue behind him.
• Xiao Yu pressed the button beneath his platform, revealing the ingredients and a scroll, and Fama announced the start of the first round.

At the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yu and the others began the first round, which required refining a fourth-grade Seven Absolutes Pill from a limited supply of ingredients. Huo Yue'er revealed a flame that subdued the other flames, then Xiao Yu summoned his Chaos Flame and left the competitors stunned.

• Mu Lanfa questioned whether the Jia Ma Empire had sent only a Fourth-grade Alchemist, while Fama hinted that it had a surprise in store.
• Xiao Yu declined to use his Flame Condensation Cauldron Technique and let Yao Yue, Huo Yue'er, and Yan Xixi take the first round seriously.
• The contestants read the Seven Absolutes Pill formula and learned they had only two sets of ingredients to refine the pill.
• Huo Yue'er summoned her milky-white flame, causing the other flames to bend toward it and alarming Yan Xixi and the presidents.
• Xiao Yu summoned his dark-golden Chaos Flame, which made the other flames shrink and dim, and the nearby competitors regarded him gravely.

Xiao Yu refined the Seven Absolutes Pill ingredients together with the Chaos Flame, astonishing the other contestants and guild presidents with his skill. As the rival empires reconsidered their plans against the Jia Ma Empire, a rich pill fragrance spread from Xiao Yu’s cauldron.

• Xiao Yu tossed all the Seven Absolutes Pill ingredients into his Medicine Cauldron and refined them together, while Yan Xixi, Luo Tian, and the Zhao brothers doubted his method.
• Luo Jingyao and Mu Lanfa remarked on Xiao Yu’s unusual techniques and flames, and Fama identified him as a Jia Ma Empire alchemical genius and guild elder.
• Yan Luotian, Xie Shan, and the Mulan Three Elders debated whether the Jia Ma Empire had become too powerful for their planned alliance to attack.
• Xiao Yu finished refining the ingredients ahead of the other contestants and began fusing them into a pill, while Yan Xixi watched in shock.
• A rich pill fragrance rose from Xiao Yu’s Medicine Cauldron and spread across the plaza.

Xiao Yu refined a Seven Absolutes Pill with a Pill Pattern and won first place in the Alchemist Tournament’s first round. After returning to his quarters, he received a visit from Yan Xixi, who asked about his Soul Power and teacher.

• Xiao Yu refined a Pill Pattern Seven Absolutes Pill, astonishing the four presidents and the other alchemists.
• Yan Xixi, Huo Yue'er, Luo Tian, the Zhao Feiyun brothers, and Yao Yue also completed their pills before the first round ended.
• Mu Lanfa announced that Xiao Yu took first place, Huo Yue'er and Yan Xixi shared second, and Luo Tian placed third among the top five.
• Xiao Yu returned to his quarters to recover, and Yan Xixi came to visit him.
• Yan Xixi asked about Xiao Yu's powerful Soul Power and teacher, and Xiao Yu said his Soul Power had been strong since birth and his teacher was Dan Lao.
• Yan Xixi said she had one more question for Xiao Yu.

Yan Xixi told Xiao Yu that Xiao Yi Xian led the Poison Sect in the Chuyun Empire and was being suppressed by the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate and the imperial family. Xiao Yu arranged to visit her in two months, then entered the second round of the Alchemist Tournament, where the champion’s valuable rewards raised the stakes.

• Yan Xixi explained that Xiao Yi Xian was the Poison Sect’s leader and that the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate and the imperial family were suppressing her sect.
• Xiao Yu asked Yan Xixi to tell Xiao Yi Xian that he would visit the Chuyun Empire in two months, and Yan Xixi hinted that Xiao Yi Xian kept a portrait of him.
• The next day, Fama announced that contestants in the tournament’s second round would draw one of four Fifth Grade Pill formulas.
• Fama said contestants could choose to refine a higher-grade pill if they supplied their own formula and ingredients.
• Fama announced that the champion would receive an Earth Tier Low-Grade Dou Technique, a sixth-tier magical beast core, and four original Sixth Grade Pill formulas, while second and third place would receive pill formulas.

Yao Ye and Jia Xingtian discussed the threat posed by rival empires gathering near Black Mountain Fortress, while Cai Lin received an urgent summons from the Snake People Clan and departed with Zi Yan. At the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yu began refining a Sixth Grade Crimson Soul Pill, leaving the result of the contest unresolved.

• Yao Ye told Jia Xingtian that the Chuyun and Luoyan Empires were gathering forces near Black Mountain Fortress, and Jia Xingtian decided to go there for what he called his last service to the royal family.
• Cai Lin received a summons from the Snake People Clan’s soul altar and agreed to take Zi Yan with her to investigate.
• Cai Lin left a scroll for Xiao Yu and departed with Zi Yan while Xiao Yu remained at the Alchemist Tournament.
• Xiao Yu began the second round by choosing to refine a Sixth Grade Pill instead of the low-tier Fifth Grade Pill he had drawn.
• Yao Yue selected a low-tier Fifth Grade Pill to refine, and the contestants began alchemy as their flames leaned toward Xiao Yu.
• Xiao Yu put the ingredients for a Crimson Soul Pill into his Medicine Cauldron.

Xiao Yu spent most of the Alchemist Tournament refining ingredients for an unknown pill while Yan Luotian prepared the Golden Goose Sect’s plans against the Jia Ma Empire and the Tagor Desert. When Xiao Yu finally began fusing the pill, his Medicine Cauldron exploded, leaving the other contestants and judges stunned.

• Mu Lanfa predicted that Xiao Yu was refining a high-grade Fifth Grade Pill and claimed his own disciple would win with a high-quality mid-grade Fifth Grade Pill.
• Yan Luotian told the Mulan Three Elders and Xie Shan that the Jia Ma Empire lacked a Dou Zong, then ordered his sect to prepare troops and act against the Tagor Desert.
• While the other alchemists began fusing their pills, Xiao Yu continued refining ingredients, worrying Fama and Huo Yue'er.
• Luo Tian formed a high-grade Fifth Grade Pill, while Zhao Feiyun and Zhao Feilong produced pills with a stronger pink aura.
• Xiao Yu refined the Scarlet Soul Fruit and began fusing his ingredients with the Chaos Flame and Soul Power.
• Xiao Yu's Medicine Cauldron exploded, startling Fama and Yan Xixi and prompting Zhao Feiyun and Zhao Feilong to mock him.

Xiao Yu used the Condensing Fire and Forming Cauldron Technique to save his pill after his cauldron exploded, then completed a Crimson Soul Pill that could raise Soul Power by one minor level. The four Alchemist Guild presidents competed to buy it, and Fama offered an Earth Tier Low-Grade Dou Skill as the bids escalated.

• Xiao Yu formed a fire cauldron around the pill after his Medicine Cauldron exploded, shocking Zhao Feiyun and the guild presidents.
• Xiao Yu finished refining the Crimson Soul Pill and warned Huo Yue'er to control her flames before she burned her ingredients.
• Xiao Yu revealed that the Sixth Grade Crimson Soul Pill could raise an alchemist's Soul Power by one minor level.
• Fama, Luo Jingyao, Mu Lanfa, and Old Woman Zhang offered pills, pill formulas, and Dou Skills to buy the Crimson Soul Pill.
• Fama offered three original Fifth Grade pill formulas and an Earth Tier Low-Grade Dou Skill, leaving the four presidents waiting for Xiao Yu's choice.

Xiao Yu sold the Crimson Soul Pill to Luo Jingyao and secured Fama’s promise to support the Underworld’s Medicine Hall while he was away. After winning the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yu returned to Black Mountain Fortress, where Jia Xingtian asked him to refine a Primal Bone Sculpting Pill for the imperial family.

• Xiao Yu chose Luo Jingyao’s offer for the Crimson Soul Pill, and Luo Jingyao traded pills, a pill formula, and a Dou Skill for it.
• Mu Lanfa asked Xiao Yu to refine another Crimson Soul Pill if he could obtain its rare ingredients, and Xiao Yu gave him and Old Woman Zhang the ingredient list.
• Xiao Yu told Fama he could refine a safer Seventh-grade Pill to raise his Soul Power if Fama agreed to support the Underworld’s Medicine Hall, and Fama accepted.
• Xiao Yu won the Alchemist Tournament and returned to Black Mountain Fortress, where he found Cai Lin’s letter about trouble involving the Snake People Clan.
• Xiao Yu met Jia Xingtian, Yao Zhantian, Yun Yun, and Little Xiao Nian outside his room, and Jia Xingtian asked him to refine a Primal Bone Sculpting Pill for the imperial family.

Jia Xingtian asked Xiao Yu to refine a pill to heal the imperial family’s guardian beast, and Xiao Yu completed it before turning toward the Snake People Clan. During the refining, Yun Yun discovered that Little Xiao Nian remained cold in the furnace-like room, and Xiao Yu’s Bone-White Flame became quiet in his hand after Yun Yun attacked it.

• Jia Xingtian asked Xiao Yu to refine a Primal Bone Sculpting Pill for the injured Abyssal Sea Flood Dragon Beast and offered a Xuan Tier High-Grade Dou Technique as payment.
• Xiao Yu accepted Jia Xingtian’s offer, received the medicinal ingredients, and told Yun Yun they would visit the Snake People Clan after he finished refining the pill.
• Xiao Yu began refining the pill while Little Xiao Nian played with Little Purple, whose discomfort from the heat prompted Yun Yun to suggest taking the girl outside.
• Yun Yun noticed that Little Xiao Nian’s hand was ice-cold despite the room’s intense heat, and Xiao Yu examined her but found no apparent problem.
• Yun Yun recognized a wisp of Bone-White Flame coiling around her wrist and split it with a sword aura, but Xiao Yu caught the flame serpent and calmed it in his hand.

Xiao Yu reassured Yun Yun that Little Xiao Nian’s Heavenly Flames would not harm her, then left with his family for the Tagor Desert. There, Cai Lin gathered the Snake People Clan’s leaders to decide how to respond to the Chuyun Empire’s invasion, and her final remark raised the possibility of involving the Jia Ma Empire.

• Xiao Yu explained that Little Xiao Nian had received his two Heavenly Flames and promised to teach her alchemy when she was older.
• Xiao Yu gave Jia Xingtian the Primal Bone Sculpting Pill and asked Fama to assist with its use; Jia Xingtian promised to send a Dou Skill to Xiao Ding in the Black Corner Region.
• Xiao Yu told Yao Yue to go to Maple City and find Xiao Ding, then he and Yun Yun left Black Mountain Fortress with Little Xiao Nian, while Little Purple carried Huo Yue'er.
• Cai Lin asked the Snake People Clan’s leaders how to respond to the Chuyun Empire, and Mo Bass, Yin Shi, Yan Li, and Yue Mei argued over whether to fight or wait.
• Cai Lin ordered the eight tribes to relocate to the royal city and suggested the Jia Ma Empire might be the anxious party, prompting Yin Shi to ask if she meant that empire.

Cai Lin planned to protect the Snake People Clan by moving its tribes to the royal city and considering an alliance with the Jia Ma Empire if necessary. After speaking with Zi Yan, she led her to a dark cave and went inside, leaving Zi Yan to wait outside.

• Cai Lin proposed relocating the eight tribes to the royal city and said an alliance with the Jia Ma Empire might be needed if the Snake People Clan had no other choice.
• Mo Bass told Hei Du that Cai Lin had spent time with Xiao Yu, a human from the Jia Ma Empire, and wondered if Xiao Yu influenced her thoughts about an alliance.
• Hei Du told Mo Bass to focus on moving the clansmen and said Cai Lin would make the right judgment.
• Cai Lin reassured Hua She'er that she would remain with the Snake People Clan, then led Zi Yan deeper into the palace.
• Cai Lin brought Zi Yan to a gloomy cave and asked her to wait outside while she went in.

Cai Lin arranged for the Four Great Elders to protect Cai Die while she slept through an attempted evolution, then went to meet Yan Luotian, who arrived claiming he could help resolve the Snake People Clan’s hatred of the Jia Ma Empire.

• Cai Lin told the Four Great Elders that Cai Die was her sister and asked them to guard her during her evolution.
• Cai Lin fed Cai Die a drop of Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python essence blood, and Cai Die endured the pain before falling asleep at the soul altar.
• Cai Lin left Cai Die in the elders’ care and departed with Zi Yan as Yan Luotian announced his arrival at the royal city.
• Cai Lin, Zi Yan, and Hua She'er met Yan Luotian outside the city, where he said he had come to help end the Snake People Clan’s hatred of the Jia Ma Empire.

Cai Lin drove Yan Luotian and the Gold Goose Sect away after revealing her Dou Zong strength, though she feared the Snake People Clan could still face a greater threat. In the Chuyun Empire, Xie Shan met the emperor and offered information about the Poison Sect in exchange for answers.

• Cai Lin revealed that she had reached the Dou Zong realm and rejected Yan Luotian’s offer of an alliance.
• Yan Luotian threatened the Snake People Clan, but Cai Lin attacked him and forced him to retreat with his elders.
• Zi Yan reassured Cai Lin that Xiao Yu might come to help, and Cai Lin denied having any relationship with him before returning to the royal city.
• Yan Luotian headed toward the Chuyun Empire, intending to help its royal family and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate stabilize their position before the planned invasion of the Jia Ma Empire.
• The Chuyun Emperor learned that Xie Shan knew the Poison Sect’s location, and Xie Shan asked the emperor to answer the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate’s questions.