Recaps

Ning Xiaochuan watched the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion and six thousand Scarlet Armor soldiers march through Nanshan Village to attack a Dark Emperor City stronghold. After the army departed, a legendary dragon appeared overhead, leaving the villagers wondering why such powerful forces had been deployed.

• Gou Sheng repaid Three-Fingered Lin the money he owed, and Ning Xiaochuan marveled that the blind fortune-teller could recognize him from far away.
• Twelve Dragon Elephant Divine Martial warriors and six thousand Scarlet Armor soldiers marched through Nanshan Village, prompting rumors that they were heading to destroy a Dark Emperor City stronghold.
• Ning Xiaochuan met the icy gaze of a blue-haired, green-eyed female Dragon Elephant Divine Martial warrior and staggered back, overwhelmed by her killing intent.
• A colossal shadow flew above the village, and the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial warriors paused before the blue-haired, green-eyed warrior ordered them onward.
• Yu Yan said the shadow had likely been a legendary dragon, and Gou Sheng recalled that Yulan Imperial City’s Divine Dragon Warriors rarely appeared except in exceptionally important wars.

Ning Xiaochuan learned that Dark Emperor City was a powerful underground organization and traveled with Murong Wushuang into Nanyue Mountain to find Blood Toad Wood. By nightfall, he realized Murong Wushuang was a martial arts expert whose hidden strength made him wary.

• Yu Yan explained that Dark Emperor City ruled the Imperial City's hidden world and was difficult for the court to destroy.
• Three-Fingered Lin doubted the army would defeat Dark Emperor City, while Murong Wushuang urged Ning Xiaochuan to continue searching for the tree.
• Ning Xiaochuan, Yu Yan, and Murong Wushuang left Nanshan Village, and Murong Wushuang revealed his proper name after Yu Yan questioned his fortune-telling.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang rode to Nanyue Mountain, while Ning Xiaochuan left Yu Yan in a village at its foot for safety.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang traveled deep into the mountain until nightfall, and Ning Xiaochuan recognized that Murong Wushuang's cultivation was no lower than his own.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang traveled into the mountains to find the Blood Toad Wood tree, while Cui Buping tracked them there to seize it. When Cui Buping’s men attacked, Ning Xiaochuan revealed his strength by knocking two martial artists off a cliff.

• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang camped, cultivated, and continued their journey into the mountains.
• Murong Wushuang admitted the crimson leaf was worth only eighty Small Coin, and Ning Xiaochuan explained that the leaf was made from valuable Blood Toad Wood.
• Cui Buping arrived with a Thousand Mile Two-Headed Hound and more than ten armed martial artists, declaring he would kill them after they led him to the tree.
• Ning Xiaochuan explained that a jin of Blood Toad Wood sold for one hundred thousand Small Coin and revealed he had anticipated Cui Buping’s deception and pursuit.
• Cui Buping sent two Profound Qi Sixth Level martial artists to attack, and Ning Xiaochuan struck them off the cliff.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang defeated Cui Buping and the Profound Leaf Abode martial artists to keep the Blood Toad Wood secret. Murong Wushuang offered Ning Xiaochuan the tree as a gift, and Ning Xiaochuan left him with a cultivation manual before they went to retrieve it.

• Ning Xiaochuan used his Profound Qi Sword to sever Cui Buping's weapon and legs while Murong Wushuang killed the Profound Leaf Abode martial artists and threw their bodies off the cliff.
• Cui Buping tried to turn Murong Wushuang against Ning Xiaochuan, but Murong Wushuang beheaded Cui Buping and discarded his corpse.
• Murong Wushuang declared that he wanted to be Ning Xiaochuan's friend and offered him the Blood Toad Wood as a gift.
• Ning Xiaochuan offered Murong Wushuang Gold Thread Purple Wood in exchange, but Murong Wushuang refused because the treasure would put him in danger.
• Ning Xiaochuan carved the Turtle Breath Immovable Skill onto a stone slab for Murong Wushuang.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang descended a cliff in search of Blood Toad Wood, where a Fire Spider attacked them. Ning Xiaochuan killed the beast after breaking through to the Profound Qi Eighth Level, then reached the Blood Toad Wood and began digging it out.

• Murong Wushuang chose to accompany Ning Xiaochuan down the cliff and carried the cultivation manual with him.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang found Blood Toad Wood below, but a Second-Grade Fire Spider attacked and left Murong Wushuang hanging by its silk.
• Ning Xiaochuan fought the Fire Spider on the cliff, broke through to the Profound Qi Eighth Level, and killed it with a Profound Qi Sword.
• Ning Xiaochuan rescued Murong Wushuang and sent him back up the cliff to tend to his injuries.
• Ning Xiaochuan reached the thousand-year-old Blood Toad Wood, stopped the Demon Sword from absorbing it, and began excavating its roots.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang recovered the Blood Toad Wood in Nanyue Mountain, then witnessed Yue Wuyang defeat Minister Tian in a battle above the clouds. As they left the mountain, an unexplained voice begging Ning Xiaochuan to save it continued to haunt him.

• Ning Xiaochuan dug up the Blood Toad Wood Tree and carried it back to Murong Wushuang, who had been cultivating the Turtle Breath Immovable Skill.
• Ning Xiaochuan warned Murong Wushuang that Profound Leaf Abode might send more experts after them, and they prepared to leave Nanyue Mountain.
• Yue Wuyang arrived on a giant dragon and defeated Minister Tian, who fell from the sky as his teng serpent was blasted into blood.
• Ning Xiaochuan heard an aged voice asking him to save it, though Murong Wushuang had heard nothing.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang returned to the village, where Murong Wushuang destroyed the Turtle Breath Immovable Skill's stone slab and promised to keep the technique secret.
• As Yu Yan called Ning Xiaochuan to return to Begonia Manor, he remained troubled by the voice echoing in his mind.

Ning Xiaochuan followed the voice calling for help back to Nanyue Mountain and found the gravely injured Minister Tian, whom he carried away to treat. Three Dragon Elephant Warriors then discovered that Minister Tian had escaped using Corpse Shelling and began searching for him.

• Ning Xiaochuan returned to Begonia Manor, planted the Blood Toad Wood in Purple Qi Garden, and ordered the servants to stay away.
• Ning Xiaochuan heard Minister Tian's plea again and rushed from the manor to the battlefield in Nanyue Mountain.
• Ning Xiaochuan found Minister Tian inside a charred corpse shell and, deciding to uphold his principles as a physician, carried the injured man away.
• A blue-haired, green-eyed Dragon Elephant Warrior discovered that Minister Tian had used Corpse Shelling to escape and noticed footprints near the empty shell.
• The blue-haired, green-eyed warrior sent Zuo Jinfeng to report to the Marquis and ordered You Zui to mobilize three thousand soldiers to search Nanyue Mountain.

Ning Xiaochuan treated Minister Tian, absorbed Blood Toad Wood to strengthen his cultivation, and mastered a three-strike Profound Qi Sword technique. As he remained at the Profound Qi Eighth Level, Steward Qiu and Ye Chenglong plotted to investigate his garden, while Murong Wushuang arrived to visit him.

• Ning Xiaochuan repaired Minister Tian's injuries and used Mysterious Medicine to give him a chance of surviving.
• Ning Xiaochuan refined Blood Toad Wood into Blood Toad Elixir, which the Demon Sword absorbed, boosting his cultivation.
• Ning Xiaochuan reached the Profound Qi Eighth Level, circulated his blood six times per minute, and demonstrated his Profound Qi Sword Three-Hit Combo.
• Steward Qiu bribed Ye Chenglong with Azure Gold and asked him to help find the expert aiding Sickly Ning by investigating the Purple Qi Garden.
• Murong Wushuang, newly at the Profound Qi Eighth Level, brought a stolen hen to Begonia Manor to visit Ning Xiaochuan.

Murong Wushuang visited Begonia Manor and learned that Ning Xiaochuan had become its manor lord, while Ning Xiaochuan discovered Steward Qiu spying on his Profound Spirit Wood and killed him. Ye Chenglong then tried to ambush Ning Xiaochuan and attacked him openly, leaving their fight unresolved.

• Murong Wushuang arrived at Begonia Manor, where Steward Qiu demanded his overdue annual dues and threatened to seize his grandfather until Ning Xiaochuan came out to greet him.
• Ning Xiaochuan brought Murong Wushuang to Purple Qi Garden, sensed an intruder, and found Steward Qiu investigating the Profound Spirit Wood.
• Steward Qiu threatened to report Ning Xiaochuan's cultivation to Fourth Master, but Murong Wushuang blocked his escape and Ning Xiaochuan killed him with a Profound Qi Sword.
• Ye Chenglong attempted to attack Ning Xiaochuan from behind, but Ning Xiaochuan cut his saber in two and confronted him.
• Ye Chenglong declared that he served Fourth Master and launched his own Profound Qi Sword at Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang defeated Ye Chenglong and staged an assassin’s escape to conceal Ning Xiaochuan’s ability to cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi. After recovering, Ning Xiaochuan researched Dark Emperor City in Purple Qi Garden, where a mummy-like figure appeared behind him, and he recognized it as someone who had come back to life.

• Ning Xiaochuan cut off Ye Chenglong’s arm with successive Profound Qi Swords, then killed him by piercing his heart with an Evil Dragon Scale as Murong Wushuang joined the fight.
• After recovering, Ning Xiaochuan thanked Murong Wushuang, asked him to keep his cultivation secret, and gave him ten drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir; he also promised to treat Murong Wushuang’s ill grandfather when he became an Intermediate Heart Nourisher.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang covered up the deaths of Steward Qiu and Ye Chenglong by claiming an assassin had attacked, with Murong Wushuang escaping in disguise while the guards pursued him.
• After two days, Ning Xiaochuan pretended to recuperate in Purple Qi Garden while reading historical records about Dark Emperor City.
• A mummy-like figure appeared behind Ning Xiaochuan, who turned and exclaimed that it had come back to life.

Ning Xiaochuan convinced the resurrected Minister Tian that returning to Dark Emperor City would put his life at risk, while the Old Marquis punished Ning Qianwen and Ning Qianwu after an attempt on Ning Xiaochuan’s life. The struggle over the Sword Pavilion Marquis’s heir grew more tangled as Ning Qianwu’s strategist suspected Ning Qiancheng had engineered the assassination and the Old Marquis’s decision to transfer authority.

• Ning Xiaochuan warned Minister Tian that the Undead City Lord would suspect him of betrayal if he returned to Dark Emperor City, and Minister Tian agreed to stay hidden while recovering.
• The Old Marquis summoned Ning Qianwen and Ning Qianwu over the attack on Ning Xiaochuan and ordered each to surrender half of his authority.
• The Old Marquis announced that Ning Qiancheng was returning after conquering the Heavenly Mystery Dynasty, and that the surrendered authority would go to him.
• Ning Qianwu’s strategist Yu Zhicong suggested that Ning Qiancheng may have arranged the assassination to weaken his brothers before returning.
• Ning Qianwu ordered his people recalled from Begonia Manor and decided to prepare for Ning Qiancheng’s return.

Ning Xiaochuan took control of Begonia Manor, advanced to the Profound Qi Ninth Level, and learned from Minister Tian about Heart Spirit Perception and the higher cultivation realms. After failing to locate the Three Hidden Meridians needed to enter the Divine Body Realm, he headed to the Imperial City with Begonia Manor’s funds and Blood Toad Wood to buy an Intermediate Pill.

• Ning Xiaochuan promoted formerly oppressed servants to stewards and continued cultivating with Blood Toad Wood until he reached the Profound Qi Ninth Level.
• Ning Xiaochuan sensed Minister Tian watching him, struck at him with a Profound Qi Sword Five-Hit Combo, and learned about Heart Spirit Perception and the cultivation realms.
• Ning Xiaochuan realized his Seven Aperture God Demon Heart had given him a Heart Aperture from birth, though its power was still limited.
• After a month, Ning Xiaochuan studied the Three Hidden Meridians but could not find them, and concluded he needed an Intermediate Pill to reach the Divine Body Realm.
• Ning Xiaochuan loaded Begonia Manor’s money and a fifty-jin branch of Blood Toad Wood into a cart and traveled to the Imperial City to buy an Intermediate Pill.

Ning Xiaochuan collected an unexpectedly generous stipend from the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall and prepared to buy Intermediate Pills. Before he could leave, Silver Pool Madam accused the Hall of selling counterfeit Mysterious Medicine, forcing Yu Qianqian to face a public scandal.

• Ning Xiaochuan met Yu Qianqian, reassured himself that she had not revealed his Heart Nourisher status to the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, and told her he lived at Begonia Manor.
• Yu Qianqian helped Ning Xiaochuan collect five million Small Coin, an Intermediate Heart Nourisher's stipend, and recommended the Golden Roc Auction House for buying Intermediate Pills.
• Silver Pool Madam arrived at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall and accused it of selling counterfeit Fourth Grade Bloodstone Profound Grass that had lost its mystic qi and medicinal aura.
• The Sixth Deacon explained the strange case to Yu Qianqian, while Ning Xiaochuan observed the crowd and learned more about Silver Pool Madam's influence and status.
• Silver Pool Madam stirred public distrust of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, and Yu Qianqian demanded to inspect the supposed counterfeit medicine.
• Silver Pool Madam had Xiao Li hand the box containing the medicine to Yu Qianqian.

Ning Xiaochuan restored the drained Bloodstone Mysterious Medicine and exposed Silver Pool Madam’s attempt to frame the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. Silver Pool Madam left in disgrace, then turned on Xiao Li and cast him out of her carriage.

• Yu Qianqian and the Sixth Deacon realized Xiao Li had drained the Bloodstone Profound Grass, leaving the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall trapped by Silver Pool Madam’s accusation.
• Ning Xiaochuan discovered a trace of medicinal aura remained and infused the Stone Grass with Blood Toad Wood aura, restoring it to Bloodstone Mysterious Medicine.
• Ning Xiaochuan revealed the restored medicine and claimed its Stone Skin had concealed it, allowing Yu Qianqian to challenge Silver Pool Madam’s judgment publicly.
• Silver Pool Madam invited Ning Xiaochuan to join the Imperial Heart Nourishing Hall, but he returned her medicine and she left in her carriage.
• Xiao Li offered to kill Ning Xiaochuan, but Silver Pool Madam slapped him, rejected his pleas, and struck him out of her carriage.

After Ning Xiaochuan helped the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall defeat Silver Pool Madam, he received an Intermediate Pill and bought Mysterious Medicine. Xiao Li ambushed him on the road out of the Imperial City, and Ning Xiaochuan fled after surviving his first attack.

• Xiao Li beat several martial artists who mocked him and vowed to kill Ning Xiaochuan so Silver Pool Madam would take him back.
• Ning Xiaochuan revealed that the Bloodstone Profound Grass was an illusion, and Yu Qianqian rewarded him with an Intermediate Pill for saving the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall's reputation.
• Yu Qianqian warned Ning Xiaochuan that Silver Pool Madam had killed her former male favorites, and Ning Xiaochuan bought Mysterious Medicine before leaving the Imperial City.
• Ning Xiaochuan sensed Xiao Li hiding beneath his Azure Deer Carriage, but Xiao Li smashed the carriage and attacked him.
• Xiao Li identified himself and struck Ning Xiaochuan with sword Qi, but Ning Xiaochuan's Profound Fortification Protective Shield let him survive and flee.
• Xiao Li pursued Ning Xiaochuan, confident he would kill him.

Ning Xiaochuan escaped Xiao Li by diving into a river, where he discovered three Hidden Meridians and began opening one. Xiao Li tracked him down again, but Ning Xiaochuan’s sword technique had grown stronger, and he fled into the forest as Xiao Li continued the pursuit.

• Ning Xiaochuan fought back with his Profound Qi Sword Five-Hit Combo, then fell into the river and escaped downstream while Xiao Li searched the banks.
• Ning Xiaochuan discovered three blocked Hidden Meridians and used Martial Dao Profound Qi to open a small portion of the third one.
• Xiao Li searched the opposite riverbank and tried to draw Ning Xiaochuan out, but Ning Xiaochuan stayed hidden until nightfall.
• Xiao Li tracked Ning Xiaochuan’s aura after he left the marsh, forcing him to flee again.
• Ning Xiaochuan shattered Xiao Li’s five Profound Qi Swords with his Profound Qi Sword Six-Hit Combo and escaped into the forest as Xiao Li pursued him.

Ning Xiaochuan advanced his Heaven and Earth Profound Qi and opened his second hidden meridian while trapped underwater, then returned to fight Xiao Li. After draining Xiao Li’s blood and crippling his arm, Ning Xiaochuan drove him to flee and gave chase.

• Ning Xiaochuan cultivated Heaven and Earth Profound Qi underwater, reaching the third level and surviving beneath the river for two days.
• Xiao Li waited for Ning Xiaochuan to emerge, then attacked when he surfaced carrying a ten-thousand-jin boulder.
• Ning Xiaochuan shattered Xiao Li’s protective shield with Profound Qi Sword Sevenfold Slash and wounded his chest.
• Ning Xiaochuan used the Demon Sword to drain Xiao Li’s blood, opening his second hidden meridian as Xiao Li escaped with a ruined arm.
• Xiao Li fled into the forest, and Ning Xiaochuan pursued him.

Ning Xiaochuan fled after three Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion experts interrupted his attack on Xiao Li. Ji Hanxing restored Xiao Li and pursued the suspected Demon Sect attacker, while Ning Xiaochuan came ashore unaware that she had tracked him.

• Ning Xiaochuan wounded Xiao Li with sword Qi and tried to kill him, but a finger sword from the forest knocked his strike off course.
• Ji Hanxing, Zuo Jinfeng, and You Zui arrived, and Zuo Jinfeng treated Xiao Li while Ji Hanxing ordered him sent to the Vajra Martial Academy.
• The three experts discovered Xiao Li's withered arm and identified the Blood Devouring Demon Art; Ji Hanxing restored his vitality with a drop of her blood.
• Ji Hanxing recognized footprints linked to the person who had rescued Minister Tian, then sent Zuo Jinfeng and You Zui away and followed the trail to the river.
• Ning Xiaochuan swam for six hours, came ashore far downstream, and headed back, believing he had escaped the experts.
• Ji Hanxing reached the place where Ning Xiaochuan had come ashore and continued tracking his footprints.

Ning Xiaochuan returned to Begonia Manor, replenished its funds, and gave Yu Yan a costly necklace before discovering that an army had surrounded the estate. Ji Hanxing identified him as the person she had tracked while pursuing Minister Tian and demanded his cooperation.

• Ning Xiaochuan learned that Yu Yan had sold her ornaments to cover Begonia Manor’s expenses, then brought back money and medicine after selling Blood Toad Wood.
• Ning Xiaochuan gave Yu Yan a Spirit Communication Jade necklace, and she explained why his gift moved her to tears.
• A steward warned Ning Xiaochuan that the Nanshan Village garrison had surrounded Begonia Manor.
• Two military experts smashed the manor gates and beat its guards, while Ning Xiaochuan confronted them as the army held the estate under siege.
• Ji Hanxing recognized Ning Xiaochuan from his footprints and revealed that she had mobilized the troops to capture Minister Tian, then demanded his cooperation.

Ning Xiaochuan tried to stop Ji Hanxing and the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion from searching Begonia Manor for Minister Tian by invoking his status as the Sword Pavilion Marquis's grandson. The Cloud Marquis arrived in person, and Ning Xiaochuan remained defiant as Ji Hanxing protected him from a deadly attack.

• Ning Xiaochuan warned Ji Hanxing that searching Begonia Manor would provoke the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, but she ordered her soldiers to search anyway.
• Ning Xiaochuan provoked Ji Hanxing and relied on her reluctance to harm the Sword Pavilion Marquis's grandson to keep her out of the manor.
• The Cloud Marquis arrived in a carriage drawn by six dragon elephants, and Ning Xiaochuan alone remained standing before the gates.
• Luo Mufeng attacked Ning Xiaochuan with a sound wave for refusing to kneel, but Ji Hanxing intercepted the blow and revealed Ning Xiaochuan's identity.
• Ning Xiaochuan thanked Ji Hanxing by magnanimously forgiving her for grabbing his chest, leaving her furious.

Ning Xiaochuan faced Cloud Marquis’s forces at Begonia Manor until his uncle Ning Qiancheng appeared and forced them to retreat. Cloud Marquis later revealed that the powerful arrival was only Ning Qiancheng’s Martial Soul Avatar, while Ji Hanxing stayed behind to search the manor for Minister Tian.

• Cloud Marquis recognized Ning Xiaochuan as Ning Qianyi’s son and ordered his guards to enter Begonia Manor to capture Minister Tian.
• Ning Qiancheng arrived with a fearsome soul shadow, forced Cloud Marquis’s guards to their knees, and struck down a soldier with a glance.
• Cloud Marquis identified Ning Qiancheng as Sword Pavilion Marquis’s second son, and Ning Qiancheng challenged Cloud Marquis’s authority and made his army withdraw.
• Cloud Marquis explained to Ji Hanxing why he had avoided a clash and warned her not to provoke Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion or Dark Emperor City.
• Cloud Marquis revealed that Ning Qiancheng’s appearance had been a Martial Soul Avatar and gave Ji Hanxing a Dragon Wing Profound Pearl for protection.
• Ji Hanxing stayed behind, slipped back into Begonia Manor, and continued searching for Minister Tian.

Ning Xiaochuan broke through to the Divine Body Realm and discovered that the sword within his heart connected him to the World Extinction Path. He left off unleashing its blood-red sword at Minister Tian.

• Ning Qiancheng revealed that he was visiting as a temporary Martial Soul Avatar, offered to bring a Heart Nourisher to cure Ning Xiaochuan, and departed without him.
• Ning Xiaochuan returned to Begonia Manor, where Minister Tian refused to leave because he feared Yue Wuyang's watchers.
• Ning Xiaochuan spent three days opening his final hidden meridian, which passed through his brain, and broke through to the Divine Body Realm amid lightning and surging Profound Qi.
• The Demon Sword pulled Ning Xiaochuan's soul into his heart, where he met Sui Hanyu, who named him the fourth-generation successor of the World Extinction Path.
• Ning Xiaochuan comprehended the character “Sword” and sent a gigantic blood-red sword flying from his chest toward Minister Tian.

Ning Xiaochuan learned about the Divine Body Realm from Minister Tian and discovered that he possessed the Lightning Divine Beast power as well as the World Extinction Demon Sword’s sword intent. He resolved to enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy and earn enough by refining Intermediate Pills to redeem Yu Ningsheng.

• Ning Xiaochuan tested his World Extinction Demon Sword sword waves on Minister Tian, who explained the Divine Body Realm and its categories and levels.
• Ning Xiaochuan kept the Demon Sword’s existence secret, believing that revealing it would bring him fatal danger.
• Ning Xiaochuan isolated himself in his room and tested his first innate Divine Power, Lightning Divine Beast, by firing lightning into a teapot.
• Ning Xiaochuan decided to take the Heavenly Emperor Academy’s examination to gain combat experience and encounter talented peers.
• Ning Xiaochuan remembered his promise to Yu Ningsheng and planned to refine Intermediate Pills to earn the 300 million Small Coins needed to redeem her.

Ning Xiaochuan sought advice on refining Intermediate Pills at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, but Intermediate Heart Nourisher Wang Shisong dismissed him before learning he was already a Quasi-Intermediate Heart Nourisher. Wang Shisong then went to report the news to Hall Master Guo Shidao, who invited him in while teaching Yu Qianqian.

• Ning Xiaochuan attended Wang Shisong's lecture and asked what auxiliary medicine would pair with Blood Toad Wood to refine Intermediate Pills.
• Wang Shisong rebuked Ning Xiaochuan for reaching beyond his Elementary Heart Nourisher level, and the other attendees mocked him.
• Ning Xiaochuan revealed he was a Quasi-Intermediate Heart Nourisher who needed only to refine one batch of Intermediate Pills to advance.
• Wang Shisong admitted he could not guide Ning Xiaochuan because he barely understood Intermediate Pill refinement himself.
• After Ning Xiaochuan left, the attendees recognized him as the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall's prodigy, and Wang Shisong worried he had offended him.
• Wang Shisong requested an audience with Guo Shidao, who let him enter as he taught Yu Qianqian.

Wang Shisong reported that Ning Xiaochuan had become a Quasi-Intermediate Heart Nourisher, prompting Guo Shidao to summon and mentor him. After Ning Xiaochuan memorized a vast collection of Profound Medicine books, Ji Hanxing confronted and followed him on his way back to Begonia Manor.

• Wang Shisong told Guo Shidao and Yu Qianqian that sixteen-year-old Ning Xiaochuan had become a Quasi-Intermediate Heart Nourisher.
• Guo Shidao recognized Ning Xiaochuan, questioned him about his healed congenital ailment, and invited him to attend lectures at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall.
• Guo Shidao explained medicinal principles to Ning Xiaochuan and encouraged him to learn through repeated attempts at refining Intermediate Pills.
• Ning Xiaochuan memorized all ninety-seven books on First, Second, and Third Grade Profound Medicines in one day.
• Ji Hanxing confronted Ning Xiaochuan outside the hall, demanded to know why he had been there, and lifted him by the collar when he tried to leave.
• Ning Xiaochuan drove the Azure Deer Carriage toward Begonia Manor while Ji Hanxing followed behind.