Chapter Summaries

Lu Heng challenged Cao Yue to study her Pill Fire Meteor Array and used his soul force to identify and break one of its array connections. The match remained underway as Cao Yue restored the array and questioned Lu Heng’s intentions.

• Chu Yuan withdrew from the remaining matches due to injury, leaving Zi Yan provisionally first, Cao Yue second, and Lu Heng fifth.
• Lu Heng chose to challenge Cao Yue rather than Xiao Zhanting, hoping to study her Pill Fire Meteor Array.
• Cao Yue opened the match by forming a rotating array of Pill Flame fireballs, then unleashed over a hundred compressed meteors at Lu Heng.
• Lu Heng defended with an Earth Origin Shield and sensed the soul-force array eyes hidden among the fireballs.
• Lu Heng identified an array connection, cut through it with a Golden Light Slash, and watched Cao Yue reorganize her disrupted array.

Lu Heng defeated Cao Yue by dismantling her Pill Fire Array and experimenting with a Five Elements Light Wheel, earning second place in the Strong Ranking Tournament. After Cao Yue advised him to use earth to mediate the conflict between water and fire, Lu Heng immediately began refining his Five Elements Array.

• Lu Heng admitted he had been studying Cao Yue’s array during their fight, so Cao Yue formed the Pill Fire: Purgatory Wall to test him.
• Lu Heng constructed a Five Elements Light Wheel with his five attributes and soul power, then used it to shatter Cao Yue’s fiery wall.
• Lu Heng asked Cao Yue to rebuild her Pill Fire Meteor Array and repeatedly found and struck its hidden core until Cao Yue conceded.
• The referee declared Lu Heng the winner and raised him to second place on the Strong Ranking List, while Cao Yue fell to third.
• Cao Yue advised Lu Heng to use earth as a buffer between water and fire, and Lu Heng began deducing the Five Elements Array after the match.

Lu Heng refined his ideas for balancing the Five Elements Cycle while the Strong Ranking Tournament concluded, leaving him second behind Zi Yan. Su Qian announced that the top ten would receive rewards and undergo Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering in the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

• Lu Heng tested using earth Dou Qi to balance water and fire, but found that the Five Elements Cycle still had problems where metal and wood connected.
• Xiao Zhanting defeated Lin Xiaowan, and Su Qian announced the final rankings, with Zi Yan first, Lu Heng second, and Chu Yuan tenth.
• Su Qian announced that the top ten could collect their rewards in three days and that the top three would receive extra rewards.
• Su Qian said the top ten would enter the lowest level of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower in seven days to undergo Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering.

After the Strong Ranking List competition, Cao Yue gave Lu Heng a jade slip on the Pill Fire Meteor Array and warned him about the dangers of absorbing Heart Fire during body tempering. Han Yue teased Lu Heng about Cao Yue’s attention, then walked out with him hand in hand as Zi Yan called for food.

• Lu Heng agreed to study Cao Yue’s Pill Fire Meteor Array principles after Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering, and she handed him a jade slip.
• Cao Yue warned Lu Heng to control his absorption rate during Heart Fire Body Tempering because his constitution resembled her pill fire.
• Han Yue teased Lu Heng about Cao Yue’s interest, and Lu Heng held her hand and reassured her.
• Lin Yan watched the pair walk away together while the others left him behind.
• Zi Yan called out to Lu Heng that she was hungry.

Lu Heng cooked dinner for Zi Yan, Han Yue, and their friends before continuing to develop the Five Elements Array. With Han Yue’s suggestion to activate and lock the nodes one at a time, he successfully formed a stable five-color array.

• Zi Yan took Lu Heng’s left hand while he held Han Yue’s right, and the three left the plaza together as Inner Academy students gawked.
• Lu Heng prepared sweet-and-sour spirit fish, grilled magical beast meat, and soup for Zi Yan, Han Yue, Lin Yan, Liu Qing, Yan Hao, and Lin Xiuya.
• After dinner, Zi Yan fell asleep, Han Yue covered her with a robe, and Lu Heng tested the Five Elements Array in the courtyard.
• Lu Heng’s simultaneous activation caused Water and Fire to clash, so he struggled to stabilize the five attributes with his soul force.
• Han Yue suggested activating the nodes in sequence and locking each one into place, giving Lu Heng a new approach.
• Lu Heng activated the nodes in the order of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, and the completed five-colored wheel rotated stably.

Lu Heng and the other top-ranked students received their Strong Ranking List rewards, including a sixth-tier medicine cauldron and an ancient array fragment for Lu Heng. He left eager to study the Five Elements Evolution Array fragment and prepare for the upcoming Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering, while Zi Yan complained that she had to wait until tomorrow to visit the treasure vault.

• Su Qian announced the rewards for the Strong Ranking List's top ten, including exclusive cultivation time and weapons or armor for those ranked fourth through tenth.
• Su Qian told Zi Yan she could choose three treasures from the Academy Treasure Vault, with Elder Huo accompanying her because she had eaten a Thousand-Year Ganoderma intended for a pill.
• Cao Yue chose the Cangwu Cauldron, and Lu Heng took the multi-attribute Chixiao Cauldron.
• Su Qian gave Lu Heng a fragment of the Five Elements Evolution Array because its energy matched Lu Heng's Five Elements Cycle.
• Lu Heng planned his cultivation before the Heart Fire Origin Body Tempering, and Cao Yue remarked on his talent.
• Zi Yan ran into Lu Heng and complained that the treasure vault would not open until the next day.

Lu Heng prepared for the Heart Fire Origin body tempering by refining pills for Han Yue, then entered the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower with the top students. As the seven-day tempering began, his Li Fire Body absorbed the Fallen Heart Flame’s origin with ease and started to grow stronger.

• Lu Heng left with Zi Yan after promising to make her roasted fish, while Cao Yue watched their closeness and went to the Alchemist Department with the Cangwu Cauldron.
• Lu Heng used the Chixiao Cauldron to refine pills over three days, then gave Han Yue five bottles of medicine to support her cultivation and protect her meridians.
• Han Yue thanked Lu Heng with a kiss, and Zi Yan promised to protect him during the upcoming body tempering.
• Su Qian led Lu Heng and the other Strong Ranking students to the tower’s bottom level, where he explained the seven-day tempering and the rules for leaving early.
• Lu Heng began absorbing the Heart Fire Origin through his fifth-stage Li Fire Body, while the Five Spirits Chaos Art refined its energy into Dou Qi.

Lu Heng absorbed Fallen Heart Flame for ten days, reaching peak Five-Star Dou Ling and alarming the sealed flame with how much of its origin he consumed. After leaving the tower with Zi Yan, he sensed that his Five Elements Cycle could refine the flame and resolved to return for it.

• Chu Yuan, Lin Feng, and Gu Yue withdrew from the Heart Fire tempering before the seven-day limit, while Xiao Zhanting, Cao Yue, Mo Chen, Zhao Lie, Lin Xiaowan, Zi Yan, and Lu Heng remained.
• When the seven days ended, Su Qian allowed Lu Heng to keep absorbing Heart Fire after confirming that his body and cultivation remained stable.
• Zi Yan waited beside Lu Heng as he continued absorbing Fallen Heart Flame for three more days, while Su Qian guarded the tower.
• Lu Heng awakened at peak Five-Star Dou Ling with his Li Fire Body strengthened, and Zi Yan complained that she had waited hungry for three days.
• Fallen Heart Flame erupted against its seal, but Su Qian suppressed it; the flame glared at Lu Heng after he had drained an extraordinary amount of its origin.
• Lu Heng left with Zi Yan and sensed that his Five Elements Cycle could refine Fallen Heart Flame, deciding to return and use it as the Five Elements Evolution Array's core.

Over two years, Lu Heng and his companions trained relentlessly, and Lu Heng reached Seven-Star Dou King at age fifteen while advancing to a junior seventh-grade alchemist. He realized that awakening his Small Five Elements Spirit Body required rare top-tier treasures of four elements, and Zi Yan arrived at his training room.

• Lu Heng established a routine of cultivation, alchemy, cooking for Zi Yan, and discussing arrays, while Han Yue and the others intensified their training.
• Han Yue broke through the fourth turn of the Nine-Turn Wind-Roaming Steps, and the other members of Courtyard No. 1 advanced their abilities through punishing practice.
• After two years, Lu Heng reached Seven-Star Dou King on the Heavenly Burning Tower's ninth floor, aided by his Five Elements Cycle physique, Fallen Heart Flame, and a Mystic Spirit Barrier-Breaking Pill.
• Lu Heng's Book of Destiny recorded his Sixth Rank physiques, junior seventh-grade alchemy, and an unawakened Small Five Elements Spirit Body that required rare elemental Heavenly Treasures and magical beast blood essence.
• Lu Heng recognized that he needed top-tier metal, wood, water, and earth treasures to awaken the Small Five Elements Spirit Body, then left his Training Room as Zi Yan approached.

After two years of seclusion at Jia Nan Academy, Lu Heng decided to return to Wutan City to see Ya Fei and handle other matters. With Su Qian’s permission and a special token, he left the academy, promising Zi Yan and Han Yue he would return.

• Lu Heng emerged from seclusion, told Han Yue and his friends he planned to return to Wutan City, and shared a meal with them before leaving.
• Lu Heng reflected on Ya Fei and prepared pills for her, along with Heart Protecting Pills for Xiao Yi Xian.
• Lu Heng asked Su Qian for leave, and Su Qian approved it and gave him an Inner Academy Special Token.
• Lu Heng refused Zi Yan’s request to come along, gave her semi-finished sixth-grade medicinal pills, and promised to return before setting off from Jia Nan Academy.

Lu Heng left Jia Nan Academy to return to Wutan City, reuniting briefly with Ruo Lin and Xueni before flying on alone. Ruo Lin and Xueni departed toward the Jia Ma Empire, while Lu Heng reached Wutan City after seven days of travel.

• Lu Heng met vice dean Hu Gan, confirmed that he was leaving to visit his family, and learned that Ruo Lin was preparing to recruit students in the Jia Ma Empire.
• Lu Heng found Ruo Lin and Xueni at the Outer Academy's main gate and reunited with them after more than two years apart.
• Xueni embraced Lu Heng but could not bring herself to confess her feelings, while Ruo Lin invited him to travel with them and agreed to visit him in Wutan City.
• Lu Heng took off using his five-colored wings, leaving Ruo Lin and Xueni to depart southwest on their recruitment journey.
• Lu Heng flew continuously with the support of his Five Elements Cycle and arrived in Wutan City after seven days.

Lu Heng returned to Wutan City after three years and reunited with Ya Fei at the Miteer Auction House. After they embraced and kissed, he began telling her about his years at Jia Nan Academy and his breakthrough to the Dou Wang realm.

• Lu Heng entered Wutan City quietly and found Ya Fei presiding over an auction at the Miteer Auction House.
• Ya Fei recognized Lu Heng, stopped the auction, and rushed to meet him in front of the crowd.
• Ya Fei brought Lu Heng to a private room, where she clung to him and cried before they kissed.
• Ya Fei and Lu Heng shared wine and caught up, and Lu Heng recounted his academy training and rise to the Dou Wang realm.

Lu Heng reunited with Ya Fei and told her about Han Yue, Xiao Yi Xian, and his feelings for her. The chapter ended with Ya Fei and Lu Heng sharing a bed as she fell asleep beside him.

• Ya Fei listened as Lu Heng described his rapid cultivation and worried that he must have suffered, but he reassured her that his path had been smooth.
• Lu Heng told Ya Fei that he was together with Han Yue, and Ya Fei accepted the news as long as he still had a place for her in his heart.
• Lu Heng embraced Ya Fei and told her she would always be his first, then admitted that Xiao Yi Xian was his too.
• Ya Fei said she liked Lu Heng's domineering nature and sent him to rest after his seven-day flight.
• Lu Heng and Ya Fei returned to his unchanged bedroom, lay together, and Ya Fei fell asleep in his arms.

Lu Heng gave Ya Fei valuable pills and revealed that he had reached beginner Seventh-Grade Alchemist status, while asking her to keep it secret. Ya Fei left for the auction house, and Lu Heng stayed behind to consider his next plans.

• Lu Heng gave Ya Fei several batches of pills, including Youth Preserving Pills for her and a bottle of Vitality Protecting Pills for Gu Ni.
• After Ya Fei kissed him, Lu Heng told her he was a beginner Seventh-Grade Alchemist, though his academy badge showed Sixth Grade.
• Lu Heng reminded Ya Fei that he intended to make her the most powerful woman in the Jia Ma Empire and asked her to keep his alchemist rank secret.
• Ya Fei went to the auction house to make up for the disruption at the previous day's auction, while Lu Heng remained at home.
• At the courtyard gate, Ya Fei asked Lu Heng to warn her before kissing her again, then hurried away.

Lu Heng returned to Wutan City to see Ya Fei and handle several matters, then unexpectedly met Xiao Yu waiting near the Miteer Auction House. After they talked, Xiao Yu invited him to visit the Xiao Family, and he agreed before leaving for Green Mountain Town.

• Lu Heng considered visiting Xiao Yi Xian, bringing Qing Lin back, and seeking the Green Lotus Core Flame before leaving the auction house courtyard.
• Lu Heng encountered Xiao Yu at the Miteer Auction House and learned she had been waiting there because she thought he might return.
• Xiao Yu admitted she had visited the auction house several times after returning to Wutan City, and Lu Heng told her he had come back the previous evening.
• Lu Heng said he planned to visit Green Mountain Town, and Xiao Yu invited him to the Xiao Family first.
• Lu Heng agreed to visit the Xiao Family, hoping to learn about Wutan City and meet Xiao Yan.

Lu Heng visited the Xiao Family with Xiao Yu and met her grandfather, Xiao Baichuan, who recognized Lu Heng’s exceptional talent and tried to gauge his willingness to help the family. Lu Heng declined involvement in ordinary family affairs but offered to help if the Xiao Family faced serious trouble, leaving Xiao Baichuan to notice Xiao Yu’s feelings for him and summon her back.

• Xiao Yu brought Lu Heng to the Xiao Family residence and introduced him to her grandfather, Xiao Baichuan.
• Xiao Baichuan recognized Lu Heng as the prodigy who had defeated a Jia Lie Family expert three years earlier and inferred that Lu Heng had reached at least the Dou Ling level.
• Over tea, Xiao Baichuan mentioned troubles involving the Jia Lie Family and Aoba Clan to test Lu Heng’s interest in the Xiao Family’s affairs.
• Lu Heng said he would not interfere in ordinary disputes but offered to help if the Xiao Family encountered serious trouble, and Xiao Baichuan gratefully accepted.
• After Lu Heng left with Xiao Yu, Xiao Baichuan realized she was interested in him and summoned her back for a conversation.

Xiao Xun'er learned that Lu Heng had reached the Dou Wang realm and ordered Ling Ying to investigate him discreetly. After leaving the Xiao Family, Lu Heng encountered Nalan Yanran and her companions at Wutan City's southern gate, recognizing that she had come to break off her engagement.

• Ling Ying told Xiao Xun'er that Lu Heng was a teenage Dou Wang who had once been a Dou Master three years earlier.
• Xiao Xun'er ordered Ling Ying to investigate Lu Heng's cultivation technique and connections at Jia Nan Academy without alerting him.
• Lu Heng left the Xiao Family and walked south through Wutan City, planning to leave for Green Mountain Town the next morning.
• At the southern city gate, Lu Heng recognized Nalan Yanran by her appearance and attire.
• Lu Heng identified the arrogant Five-Star Dou Zhe and the middle-aged Da Dou Shi accompanying Nalan Yanran as a minor character and Elder Ge Ye.

At Wutan City's gate, Lu Heng used his pressure to force an arrogant Misty Cloud Sect disciple to kneel, then accepted apologies from Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran. After they parted, Lu Heng recognized that Nalan Yanran's arrival meant Xiao Yan's engagement-cancellation events were about to begin.

• Lu Heng stared at Nalan Yanran, and Li Wang angrily confronted him for looking at her.
• Lu Heng pinned Li Wang to the ground with precise pressure, making Ge Ye recognize that Lu Heng was likely a Dou Wang.
• Ge Ye apologized for Li Wang and persuaded Lu Heng to withdraw his pressure.
• Nalan Yanran apologized for her senior brother, and Lu Heng acknowledged that he had stared at her impolitely.
• Nalan Yanran's group entered Wutan City while Lu Heng left, realizing that Xiao Yan's engagement-cancellation plot was about to begin.

Nalan Yanran learned that the young man who punished Li Wang might be as strong as a Dou Wang, while Lu Heng studied the Five Elements Evolution Array and prepared to visit Xiao Yi Xian. Ya Fei sent him off with her blessing to bring Xiao Yi Xian back.

• Nalan Yanran asked Ge Ye to estimate the black-robed young man's strength, and Ge Ye said he might match the Misty Cloud Sect's Great Elder, Yun Leng.
• Nalan Yanran decided not to investigate the young man and ordered Li Wang to receive thirty strokes at the Discipline Hall.
• Lu Heng studied the incomplete Five Elements Evolution Array on a mountaintop, then returned to the auction house and shared a meal with Ya Fei.
• Lu Heng told Ya Fei he planned to visit Xiao Yi Xian in Green Mountain Town, and Ya Fei prepared food and clothes for his departure.
• Ya Fei urged Lu Heng to bring Xiao Yi Xian back because Green Mountain Town was unsafe for her.

Lu Heng traveled to Green Mountain Town and reunited with Xiao Yi Xian after four years apart. The chapter ended with him embracing her as she clutched his robe.

• Lu Heng thanked Ya Fei, then flew from Wutan City to Green Mountain Town.
• He heard townspeople say Xiao Yi Xian had become a respected healer and helped Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion prosper.
• Lu Heng entered Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion and found Xiao Yi Xian writing prescriptions.
• Xiao Yi Xian recognized Lu Heng, and they exchanged greetings after four years apart.
• Lu Heng told Xiao Yi Xian she had become prettier and pulled her into an embrace.