Recaps

Ning Xiaochuan spent a month studying Heart Nourishing Arts and attempted to refine an Intermediate Pill from Blood Toad Wood. He produced six Half-Finished Pills, learned that living and dead ingredients clashed, and went to buy living medicines for another attempt.

• Ning Xiaochuan studied Heart Nourishing Arts for a month while Yu Qianqian and Ji Hanxing stayed close to him.
• Ning Xiaochuan failed seven attempts to refine pills from Blood Toad Wood, then succeeded in producing six blood-red pills on his eighth attempt.
• Ning Xiaochuan took the pills to Guo Shidao, who appraised them as Half-Finished Pills despite their potency rivaling ordinary Intermediate Pills.
• Guo Shidao explained that fresh Blood Toad Wood clashed with the harvested supplementary medicines, and Ning Xiaochuan realized the mismatch had caused his failures.
• Ning Xiaochuan went to buy living Fifth-Grade Snow Lotus and Third-Grade Nourishing Heart Grass so he could try refining the pills again.

Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian each brought a newly refined Intermediate Pill to the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall and wagered over whose was better. Guo Shidao judged their pills, giving Ning’s batch of twelve Blood Toad Pills the edge in medicinal effect.

• Ning Xiaochuan met Yu Qianqian at the hall, and they teased each other while arguing over whether to call her senior sister.
• Yu Qianqian explained that she solved the Ice Silkworm Pill’s problem by adding a Fire Cloud Profound Mulberry leaf, then wagered that her pill would beat Ning’s.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian asked Guo Shidao to judge their Intermediate Pills.
• Guo Shidao praised Yu Qianqian’s Ice Silkworm Pill for its purity and effectiveness.
• Ning Xiaochuan revealed twelve top-grade Blood Toad Pills, and Guo Shidao ruled that the two pills were close in quality but Ning’s had the stronger medicinal effect.

Ning Xiaochuan won Yu Qianqian’s Ice Silkworm Pill and planned to mass-produce Blood Toad Pills. Meanwhile, the West Mu Royal Concubine learned of Yu Qianqian’s feelings for Ning Xiaochuan and began pursuing a marriage alliance, unaware that the two knew nothing about her plans.

• Ning Xiaochuan told Yu Qianqian that he urgently needed money and intended to refine Blood Toad Pills in bulk, then accepted the Ice Silkworm Pill she had wagered.
• Yu Qianqian offered the Golden Roc Auction House’s help promoting Ning Xiaochuan’s Blood Toad Pills, and he agreed to notify her before the auction.
• The Sixth Deacon reported to the West Mu Royal Concubine that Yu Qianqian had privately pledged herself to Ning Xiaochuan.
• The West Mu Royal Concubine learned that Ning Xiaochuan was the Sword Pavilion Marquis’s grandson and considered him a suitable match for Yu Qianqian.
• The West Mu Royal Concubine visited Guo Shidao, who praised Ning Xiaochuan and revealed that he possessed the Seven Aperture God-Demon Heart Palace.
• The West Mu Royal Concubine returned to discuss securing a marriage alliance with the Great Golden Roc King, while Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian remained unaware of her plans.

The Great Golden Roc King and the West Mu Royal Concubine planned to resist the Holy Emperor’s Eliminate Vassals Policy by joining forces with the Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion and proposing a marriage between Qian Qian and Ning Xiaochuan. Meanwhile, Ning Xiaochuan discovered that Murong Wushuang’s grandfather, Murong Hua, was not merely ill but had been crippled by a powerful seal, leaving Ning Xiaochuan wary that he had stumbled upon a major secret.

• The Great Golden Roc King and the West Mu Royal Concubine discussed opposing the Eliminate Vassals Policy and planned to raise Qian Qian and Ning Xiaochuan’s marriage at court when Ning Qiancheng returned.
• Ning Xiaochuan finished refining forty-eight Blood Toad Pills and six Half-Finished Pills, then went to Murong Wushuang’s home to treat his grandfather.
• Ning Xiaochuan encountered Ji Hanxing outside Begonia Manor, and she followed him to Murong Wushuang’s home.
• Three-Fingered Lin joined Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang inside, seeming wary when he learned Ning Xiaochuan was a Heart Nourisher.
• Ning Xiaochuan felt a tyrannical force repel his Profound Qi while examining Murong Hua and realized the old man’s blood vessels had been severed and his Profound Qi sealed.
• Murong Hua opened his eyes in shock after Ning Xiaochuan identified his condition, and Ning Xiaochuan wondered what secrets the two powerful old men were hiding.

Ning Xiaochuan offered to help Murong Hua break his seal, but Ji Hanxing’s arrival exposed the men’s hiding place and prompted Three-Fingered Lin to reveal how Yue Wuyang had framed Ning Qianyi for a massacre ten years earlier. Three-Fingered Lin and Murong Hua took shelter at Begonia Manor, while Ning Xiaochuan’s hatred of Yue Wuyang deepened and the identity of the true power behind the betrayal remained concealed.

• Ning Xiaochuan told Murong Hua he could help break the seal in his body if they found the Mysterious Medicine Thousand Year Time Sleep.
• Three-Fingered Lin defeated Ji Hanxing, but she escaped after swallowing a white mysterious pearl and flying away with dragon wings.
• Ning Xiaochuan offered Three-Fingered Lin and Murong Hua shelter at Begonia Manor, and they accepted because they could no longer remain in Nanshan Village.
• Three-Fingered Lin revealed that he and Murong Hua had been Divine Dragon Warriors alongside Ning Qianyi and Yue Wuyang, and that an ambush at Nine Deaths Cliff had killed seven hundred thousand soldiers.
• Three-Fingered Lin and Murong Hua explained that Yue Wuyang had blamed Ning Qianyi for the leaked army movements, crippled Murong Hua, and gained the title of Cloud Marquis after Ning Qianyi and his wife died.
• Three-Fingered Lin warned Murong Wushuang that someone more powerful than Yue Wuyang had been behind the events, and that learning the truth would bring no benefit.

Ning Xiaochuan visited the Great Golden Roc King Residence with Murong Wushuang to see Yu Qianqian, but West Mu Royal Concubine arranged a martial test instead. Ning Xiaochuan defeated the stronger guard Cheng Lin, and Yu Qianqian arrived to stop the fight.

• Three-Fingered Lin told Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang that he had cut off seven fingers out of guilt over the deaths of seven hundred thousand soldiers, and warned them to keep the truth about Yue Wuyang secret.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang disguised themselves as beggars, saw soldiers searching their old alley, and returned to Begonia Manor without being questioned by Yue Wuyang's men.
• Ning Xiaochuan gave Murong Wushuang a Blood Toad Pill and took him to the Great Golden Roc King Residence to visit Princess Qianqian.
• West Mu Royal Concubine recognized Ning Xiaochuan's name and ordered Cheng Lin to test his martial arts while she watched from the residence walls.
• Cheng Lin attacked Ning Xiaochuan and blasted Murong Wushuang aside, prompting Ning Xiaochuan to defeat Cheng Lin with his Lightning Divine Beast technique.
• Yu Qianqian emerged and stopped Cheng Lin from continuing the fight, while West Mu Royal Concubine concluded that Ning Xiaochuan could defeat opponents of a higher level.

Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian prepared to auction his Blood Toad Pills at the Golden Roc Auction House, where they encountered Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's young geniuses. Ning Hengqing confronted Ning Xiaochuan and rejected his offer to make peace, ending the chapter with the two at odds.

• Yu Qianqian apologized for her guards attacking Ning Xiaochuan and promised to protect him and Murong Wushuang in the future.
• Ning Xiaochuan said he had refined forty-eight Blood Toad Pills and would auction forty at the Golden Roc Auction House.
• Ning Xiaochuan, Yu Qianqian, and Murong Wushuang arrived at the bustling auction house, where Murong Wushuang gawked at a female slave and made embarrassing remarks about women.
• Ning Xiaochuan recognized a group of Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's Heaven's Chosen, including Ning Hengqing and Ning Meier, who had come to buy Blood Toad Pills.
• Ning Xiaochuan offered to shake hands and settle his past dispute with Ning Hengqing, but Ning Hengqing insulted him and declared him beneath a slave.

Ning Xiaochuan revealed his strength by defeating Ning Hengqing and then fighting Xiao Li to a standstill at the Golden Roc Auction House. Yu Qianqian stopped the clash, Xiao Li left after challenging Ning Xiaochuan to meet him at the Heavenly Emperor Academy, and Yu Qianqian led Ning Xiaochuan into the auction house.

• Ning Xiaochuan stopped Murong Wushuang from confronting Ning Hengqing and shattered Ning Hengqing’s Profound Qi Sword, then struck him down with lightning.
• Murong Wushuang pretended to offer Ning Hengqing a handshake and knocked him unconscious with a brick.
• Xiao Li arrived and attacked Ning Xiaochuan, but Ning Xiaochuan matched his blows and repelled his techniques.
• Yu Qianqian ordered the fight stopped, and Xiao Li withdrew after challenging Ning Xiaochuan to settle their dispute at the Heavenly Emperor Academy.
• Ning Meier approached Ning Xiaochuan and asked to practice swordsmanship with him, but Yu Qianqian took his wrist and led him into the auction house.

Ning Xiaochuan’s Blood Toad Pills sold for a huge sum at the Golden Roc Auction House, drawing the attention of rival Heart Nourishing Halls. Meanwhile, the Jade Ripple Great Emperor used Ning Qiancheng’s victory to take control of the Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion’s army, alarming the nobles.

• The Little King of the Qilin King Residence bought the first Blood Toad Pill, broke through to Divine Body Third Level, and left to cultivate in seclusion.
• The Blood Toad Pills sold for increasingly high prices, while Silver Pool Madam ordered her people to find the pill refiner and recruit or eliminate him.
• Yu Qianqian gave Ning Xiaochuan a Universe Pouch containing his auction proceeds, and Ning Xiaochuan rode with Murong Wushuang toward the Jade Viewing Pavilion.
• The Jade Ripple Great Emperor appointed Ning Qiancheng Heavenly Mystery Dynasty Protector God Master and renamed his two-million-strong army the Emperor’s Army.
• The nobles realized the decree had placed the Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion’s private soldiers under the emperor’s command and looked toward the Old Marquis.

The Great Golden Roc King used a marriage alliance between Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan to force the Jade Ripple Great Emperor to pause the Eliminate Vassals Policy. After Ning Xiaochuan’s family learned of his cultivation and disappearance, powerful factions began searching for him, while he entered Jade Viewing Pavilion with Murong Wushuang.

• The Sword Pavilion Marquis argued that Ning Qiancheng should remain in the military, but the Great Golden Roc King supported rewarding him and then asked the Jade Ripple Great Emperor to preside over Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan’s marriage.
• The Jade Ripple Great Emperor recognized the political threat posed by the marriage alliance and the two million soldiers outside the Imperial City, so he compromised and put the Eliminate Vassals Policy on hold.
• Ning Meier and the other Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion descendants told the Old Marquis that Ning Xiaochuan could cultivate and had fought Xiao Li to a standstill at the Golden Roc Auction House.
• The Old Marquis and Ning Qiancheng learned that Ning Xiaochuan had disappeared and ordered a search, while other factions also began looking for him.
• Ning Xiaochuan entered Jade Viewing Pavilion with Murong Wushuang, gave him silver to spend, and was approached by the observant madam.

Three months after promising to free Yu Ningsheng, Ning Xiaochuan visited Jade Viewing Pavilion and presented her with an Ice Silkworm Pill. He declared that he had come to redeem her freedom, stunning Yu Ningsheng and everyone around them.

• Ning Xiaochuan paid Yu Youyan to arrange a meeting with Yu Ningsheng and sent her an Ice Silkworm Pill as a gift.
• Yu Youyan escorted Ning Xiaochuan to the garden after Yu Ningsheng agreed to see him, turning away Ru Yizhi, one of the Imperial City Ten Talents.
• Ning Xiaochuan met Yu Ningsheng and explained that the pill was a token of gratitude for her life-saving kindness.
• Ning Xiaochuan announced that he had come to redeem Yu Ningsheng's freedom, leaving her, Yu Youyan, and the music courtesans astonished.

Ning Xiaochuan tried to ransom Yu Ningsheng from Jade Viewing Pavilion for eight hundred million coins, stirring alarm across the Imperial City. The pavilion’s master refused, and Yue Wuyang’s Martial Soul Avatar arrived to reveal that Yu Ningsheng was the daughter of a condemned minister.

• Ning Xiaochuan offered eight hundred million coins to ransom Yu Ningsheng, drawing the attention of Jade Viewing Pavilion’s mysterious master and its gathered guests.
• Yu Youyan celebrated Ning Xiaochuan as Yu Ningsheng’s benefactor, while Yu Ningsheng wondered whether she could truly leave the pavilion.
• Ning Qiancheng learned of the ransom attempt and rushed to stop Ning Xiaochuan from jeopardizing his marriage alliance with Princess Qianqian.
• Yue Wuyang learned of Ning Xiaochuan’s hidden martial talent and decided to use the ransom attempt against the planned alliance between Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion and the Great Golden Roc King Residence.
• Yu Qianqian heard that Ning Xiaochuan was ransoming Yu Ningsheng and angrily set out for Jade Viewing Pavilion with a group of experts.
• The master refused to release Yu Ningsheng, and Yue Wuyang’s Martial Soul Avatar appeared, declaring that she was the daughter of a condemned minister.

Ning Xiaochuan insisted on redeeming Yu Ningsheng despite Yue Wuyang accusing him of treason and trying to have him executed. Ning Qiancheng and the Old Marquis intervened, Yu Qianqian declared she would not marry Ning Xiaochuan, and Ning Qiancheng knocked him unconscious and carried him home.

• Yue Wuyang recounted the massacre at Nine Deaths Cliff, blaming Ning Qianyi and claiming Yu Ningsheng had been sold into Jade Viewing Pavilion as a child.
• Ning Xiaochuan challenged the Holy Emperor's authority, so Yue Wuyang ordered guards to seize and behead him.
• Ning Qiancheng arrived, drove off the guards, and threatened to unleash the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's two million soldiers if Yue Wuyang pressed the matter.
• The Old Marquis and the Great Golden Roc King arrived and tried to end the confrontation, but Ning Xiaochuan again vowed to redeem Yu Ningsheng.
• Yu Qianqian declared that she would not marry Ning Xiaochuan and ran out, while Ning Qiancheng knocked Ning Xiaochuan unconscious and carried him back to the mansion.

After waking at the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, Ning Xiaochuan learned that Princess Qianqian had annulled their arranged marriage and that his devotion to Yu Ningsheng had made him an Imperial City celebrity. He committed himself to growing stronger so he could change Yu Ningsheng's fate, then advanced his cultivation and tested his Lightning Divine Beast ability against Ning Xiner.

• Ning Xiner told Ning Xiaochuan that the Old Marquis had carried him home and praised his newly revealed ability to cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi.
• The Old Marquis explained that Princess Qianqian had annulled her marriage to Ning Xiaochuan, worsening relations between the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion and the Great Golden Roc King Residence.
• Ning Xiaochuan learned that the Academy Master could change Yu Ningsheng's status, but he would first need to enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy and rank among its top ten examinees.
• The Old Marquis ordered Ji Bo and eight Martial Dao experts to keep Ning Xiaochuan inside the mansion until the entrance examination, while rumors branded him the Number One Romantic Fool Under Heaven.
• Ning Xiaochuan absorbed Earth Martial Essence Qi from the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box and advanced his Lightning Divine Beast ability until he could form half its body.
• Ning Xiner attacked Ning Xiaochuan to test his cultivation, and he blocked her sword with a Lightning Divine Shroud before counterattacking with his Lightning Divine Beast.

Ning Xiaochuan sparred with Ning Xiner, gave her a Blood Toad Pill, and survived two assassination attempts before joining the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's candidates for the dangerous Heavenly Emperor Academy assessment. Outside the Heavenly Gate, Yu TianDi attacked a Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion disciple, showing the gathered candidates his strength.

• Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xiner exchanged ten blows, then he gave her a Blood Toad Pill that she swallowed before cultivating.
• Two groups of assassins attacked Ning Xiaochuan overnight, but Ji Bo and the guards killed them.
• At the Martial Arena, the Old Marquis announced a sixty-percent estimated death rate for the assessment, and sixteen young geniuses withdrew.
• Ning Qianwen announced rewards for admission and top-ten placement, and Ning Qiancheng led the remaining seventy-five candidates to the Heavenly Gate.
• The Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's candidates met the larger Qilin King Residence contingent, and Yu TianDi struck a Sword Pavilion disciple who challenged his boast of being immortal.

Ning Xiaochuan and the other candidates entered the Emperor Ruins to begin the Heavenly Emperor Academy examination, while Yu Ningsheng sent him a letter saying their debt was settled. Ning Xiaochuan discovered a hidden poem on the envelope revealing her feelings, but he remained resolved to follow through on his promise.

• Ning Xiner drove Yu TianDi back with a single sword strike before the candidates entered the Heavenly Gate.
• Ning Xiaochuan sensed the Emperor Ruins through the gate and arrived in the Madaro Great Desert, where candidates received scrambled number tokens and learned the examination would begin the next day in a dangerous location.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xiner received different numbers and separated to find their assigned stone houses.
• Murong Wushuang delivered Yu Ningsheng's letter to Ning Xiaochuan, which said that he had fulfilled his promise and they owed each other nothing.
• Ning Xiaochuan found a poem written in water on the envelope expressing Yu Ningsheng's wish to stay with him and her sorrow at their separation.

Ning Xiaochuan and the other examinees were sent to the Fire Demon Mountain Range for a month-long Heavenly Emperor Academy examination to find Black Fire Wood Pearls and survive. After jumping down into the burning forest, Ning Xiaochuan was attacked by a disguised Vine Wood Snake.

• Ning Xiaochuan concealed the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box and cultivated Heaven and Earth Profound Qi through the night, nearing its fourth level.
• Jin Quexi gathered examinees onto the Blue Wind Spirit Sparrow and revealed that their examination would take place in the Fire Demon Mountain Range, where they had to find Black Fire Wood Pearls and survive for a month.
• Jin Quexi warned the examinees about the mountain range’s dangers and its Mystic Beast eggs before the Blue Wind Spirit Sparrow carried them into the range and dropped them at separate locations.
• Ning Xiaochuan jumped from the spirit sparrow and landed in the burning forest, where a Vine Wood Snake disguised as a vine struck him and sent him crashing into a tree.

Ning Xiaochuan survived a battle with a Third Grade Mystic Beast and escaped a Fifth Grade Rhino Horn Beast while searching Fire Demon Mountain Range for a Black Fire Wood Pearl. He witnessed Xiao Li rescue Qi Chan'er from Lin Hen's group, then saw Xiao Li kill Lin Hen with a single blow.

• Ning Xiaochuan killed a Vine Wood Snake, collected its Low-Grade Profound Stone, and stored the valuable beast in his Universe Pouch.
• Ning Xiaochuan fled a pursuing Fifth Grade Rhino Horn Beast, mapped the danger zone, and continued searching cautiously through the mountains.
• Ning Xiaochuan found Qi Chan'er fighting Lin Hen of Spirit Creek Sect, who demanded her Black Fire Wood Pearl and attacked her with two companions.
• Xiao Li appeared and killed Lin Hen's two companions with sword qi, then crushed Lin Hen's saber defense and killed him with a Taotie claw.
• Ning Xiaochuan recognized that Xiao Li had reached the Divine Body Second Level and watched him from concealment.

Ning Xiaochuan cultivated toward the Divine Body Second Level while secretly following Xiao Li and Qi Chan'er, but his breakthrough left him unable to move when Xiao Li discovered him and attacked. The chapter ended as Ning Xiaochuan's Lightning Divine Beast clashed with Xiao Li's saber strike.

• Qi Chan'er identified herself as the daughter of Silver Pool Madam, and Xiao Li concealed his hatred by claiming to be a loyal disciple of Qi Tian Marquis's Mansion.
• Xiao Li earned Qi Chan'er's trust as her protector while Ning Xiaochuan followed them for three days and resolved to kill Xiao Li after reaching the Divine Body Second Level.
• Ning Xiaochuan reached the peak of the Divine Body First Level, brought his Lightning Divine Beast to great mastery, and began activating the Source of Divine Power for his next divine power.
• The thunder from Ning Xiaochuan's breakthrough alerted Qi Chan'er and Xiao Li, who suspected someone was following them and hurried toward him.
• Xiao Li found Ning Xiaochuan immobilized in the middle of his breakthrough and slashed at him, but Ning Xiaochuan sent a Lightning Divine Beast to meet the blow.

Ning Xiaochuan fought Xiao Li and killed him with the Heavenly Thunder Bell and a saber strike, though Xiao Li’s dying blow left him gravely wounded. With savage profound beasts closing in, Qi Chan'er confronted Ning Xiaochuan and weighed whether to kill him because he knew about her Black Fire Wood Pearl.

• Xiao Li battered Ning Xiaochuan with saber strikes and a Gluttonous Giant Claw, but Ning Xiaochuan unleashed the Heavenly Thunder Bell and severed Xiao Li’s left arm.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Xiao Li resumed their battle as Qi Chan'er watched and savage profound beasts gathered nearby.
• Ning Xiaochuan stunned Xiao Li with the Heavenly Thunder Bell and cut off his head, but Xiao Li’s body struck Ning Xiaochuan in the chest before collapsing.
• Qi Chan'er told Ning Xiaochuan she had known Xiao Li was lying and had planned to kill him once her injuries healed.
• Ning Xiaochuan tried to leave, but Qi Chan'er held her sword over him and hesitated over whether to kill him to protect the secret of her Black Fire Wood Pearl.

Ning Xiaochuan escaped the pursuing mystic beasts by luring them into the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s territory, where the scorpion killed them with its poisonous mist. He discovered that the Demon Sword’s influence let him absorb the poison and heal, then gathered valuable loot and crept toward the scorpion’s nest.

• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er fled from the mystic beasts drawn by Xiao Li’s blood, but split up when she ignored his warning to turn left.
• Ning Xiaochuan lured his pursuers into a dangerous forest, where a Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion poisoned them to death.
• Ning Xiaochuan absorbed the scorpion’s poisonous mist and found that it strengthened his body and healed his wounds, which he attributed to the Demon Sword’s power.
• Ning Xiaochuan collected profound stones, hides, and armor from the dead mystic beasts and stored them in his Universe Pouch.
• Ning Xiaochuan concealed himself and approached the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s nest, hoping to find treasures.

Ning Xiaochuan stole the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s treasure-filled nest and escaped with Qi Chan’er as the enraged scorpion rampaged through the Fire Demon Mountain Range. After a gigantic bird seized and devoured the scorpion, Qi Chan’er learned Ning Xiaochuan’s identity and discovered that he had killed Xiao Li.

• Ning Xiaochuan found Black Fire Wood Pearls, Azure Gold, and Profound Stone in the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s nest, then took the whole nest when Qi Chan’er’s arrival awakened the scorpion.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan’er fled together, but the scorpion pursued a herd of mysterious beasts and left destruction and dead examinees in its wake.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan’er hid on a cliff and watched a huge black bird snatch the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion and eat it.
• Ning Xiaochuan introduced himself as a member of Sword Pavilion Marquis’s Mansion, and Qi Chan’er recognized him as the Number One Romantic Fool Under Heaven.
• Ning Xiaochuan told Qi Chan’er that he had killed Xiao Li, leaving her stunned to learn that the famed genius was already dead.

Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er recovered from their injuries, discovered that the Black Fire Wood Pearls revealed a ruined demon palace deep in the Fire Demon Mountain Range, and set out together to find it. They reached the deadly Five Colors Poison Barrier Forest and hid when a group of fourteen examinees arrived.

• Ning Xiaochuan told Qi Chan'er how he and Yu Ningsheng had met, then cultivated while she guarded him and hunted food for him.
• After Ning Xiaochuan recovered, he showed Qi Chan'er the Golden Winged Ghost King Scorpion's nest, where they found six Black Fire Wood Pearls and other treasures.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er each saw a vision of a ruined demon palace in the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range and agreed to seek it together.
• The pair traveled deeper into the range and found a vast Five Colors Poison Barrier Forest filled with deadly mystic beasts, blocking their way forward.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er hid in a tree as fourteen young martial artists arrived, led by a golden-armored man riding a restrained Six-Legged Lion.

Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er watched Yu Tiandi and more than sixty Qilin King Residence experts seize Black Fire Wood Pearls from other examinees. Believing his younger sister could challenge Yu Tiandi, Ning Xiaochuan left to find Ning Xiner.

• Yu Tiandi ordered the Qilin King Residence experts to ambush examinees entering the Five Colors Miasma Forest and take their Black Fire Wood Pearls.
• Yu Tiandi killed a fleeing Mystic Beastman from the Mystic Ox Tribe and took his pearl, then continued ambushing other groups with his men.
• Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er watched the Qilin King Residence gather more than sixty young experts and collect several Black Fire Wood Pearls.
• Ning Xiaochuan told Qi Chan'er that his younger sister could fight Yu Tiandi and left to search for Ning Xiner using their faint Divine Sense connection.

Ning Xiaochuan used the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box and the Demon Sword to strengthen his cultivation before entering a Flame Swamp in search of a Mystic Beast Egg. There, he clashed with an explosive ape over the egg and unleashed the World Extinction Demon Sword.

• Ning Xiaochuan hid underground, cultivated with the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box, and decided to absorb blood qi with the Demon Sword to break through to the Divine Body Third Level.
• Ning Xiaochuan drained the Vine Wood Snake's blood qi and refined it overnight.
• The next morning, Ning Xiaochuan killed a bat and a blood-red tiger, then found a golden fire pool in the Flame Swamp and suspected a Mystic Beast Egg was inside.
• Ning Xiaochuan encountered an explosive ape at the pool, and they charged toward it before attacking each other.
• Ning Xiaochuan wounded the ape but could not pierce its tough body, so he unleashed the World Extinction Demon Sword.