Chapter Summaries

Ya Fei told Lu Heng that Nalan Yanran sought a high-grade alchemist to cure her poisoned grandfather, Nalan Jie, and Lu Heng agreed to help so he could obtain the Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva. After settling into Ya Fei’s courtyard with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, Lu Heng prepared to visit the Nalan Family, while Nalan Yanran returned to the Misty Cloud Sect pondering Lu Heng’s connection to the Mittel Family.

• Ya Fei explained that Nalan Yanran had come seeking an alchemist to cure Nalan Jie, and she teased Lu Heng about taking Nalan Yanran in as well.
• Lu Heng agreed to go with Ya Fei the next day to treat Nalan Jie, hoping to obtain the Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva and help Ya Fei gain the Nalan Family’s favor.
• Ya Fei showed Xiao Yi Xian her prepared room and told Lu Heng he would stay with her, while Qing Lin teased Ya Fei about preparing an extra pillow.
• Nalan Yanran returned to the Misty Cloud Sect instead of going home and wondered how the mysterious young Dou Wang she had met in Wutan City was connected to the Mittel Family.

Yun Yun learned that Lu Heng had returned to the Imperial Capital and decided to visit Nalan Mansion with Nalan Yanran, hoping to see him there. Lu Heng arrived with Ya Fei, where he reunited with Yun Yun and sparked Ya Fei's curiosity about their relationship.

• Nalan Yanran told Yun Yun that Ya Fei had greeted a young man named Lu Heng at the auction house, leading Yun Yun to suspect he was the Lu Heng who had saved her.
• Yun Yun agreed to accompany Nalan Yanran to Nalan Mansion to examine Nalan Jie's worsening poison.
• Lu Heng and Ya Fei traveled to Nalan Mansion after the Nalan Family invited them to consult about Nalan Jie's condition.
• Lu Heng and Yun Yun recognized each other in the main hall, while Ya Fei noticed their exchanged glances and wondered if they had a romantic connection.

Lu Heng arrived at the Nalan Mansion with Ya Fei, where he revealed his Dou Emperor cultivation and was asked to treat Nalan Jie. While Lu Heng and Nalan Yanran went to Nalan Jie's residence, Yun Yun told Ya Fei that Lu Heng had also encountered Queen Medusa in the Snake-People Tribe.

• Ya Fei introduced Lu Heng as an alchemist no weaker than Pill King Gu He, and Lu Heng revealed his Dou Emperor pressure to convince Nalan Su.
• Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun vouched for Lu Heng, and Nalan Su apologized and asked him to save Nalan Jie.
• Lu Heng agreed to help because Ya Fei had promised to assist Nalan Yanran, then followed Nalan Su and Nalan Yanran to Nalan Jie's residence.
• Ya Fei asked Yun Yun how she knew Lu Heng, and Yun Yun explained that Lu Heng had saved her in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and again in the Snake-People Tribe's Holy City.
• Yun Yun told Ya Fei that Queen Medusa had become a Dou Zong and suggested that her relationship with Lu Heng was extraordinary, leaving Ya Fei shocked.

Lu Heng removed Nalan Jie's Brand Poison with the Green Lotus Core Flame and learned that Ya Fei had been questioning Yun Yun about his relationship with Queen Medusa. The chapter ended with Ya Fei pressing Lu Heng about how close he and Medusa had become.

• Ya Fei asked Yun Yun whether Queen Medusa had harmed Lu Heng, and Yun Yun said Medusa had treated him courteously.
• Lu Heng examined Nalan Jie, sent Nalan Su and Nalan Yanran outside, and used the Green Lotus Core Flame to burn away the poison.
• After half an hour, Lu Heng announced that Nalan Jie was cured and said he would recover enough to leave bed in half a month.
• Nalan Su and Nalan Yanran confirmed Nalan Jie was safe, while Lu Heng left before Nalan Su could thank him.
• Ya Fei drew Lu Heng into the hall with Yun Yun and asked whether he and Queen Medusa had been close in the Snake-People Tribe.

Nalan Jie thanked Lu Heng for curing his Brand Poison and gave him the Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva. Yun Yun invited Lu Heng to the Misty Cloud Sect, leaving Nalan Yanran troubled by the apparent closeness between them.

• Nalan Jie presented Lu Heng with the Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva as thanks for saving his life, and Lu Heng accepted it.
• Lu Heng declined Nalan Jie's offer of a banquet so the recovering elder could rest, while Nalan Yanran thanked Lu Heng for saving her grandfather.
• Yun Yun asked Lu Heng when he would visit the Misty Cloud Sect, and he said he would come the next day.
• Lu Heng and Ya Fei left the Nalan Mansion together, and Ya Fei teased him about Yun Yun's feelings as they returned to the Mittel Auction House.
• Nalan Yanran watched Yun Yun leave and wondered about her teacher's relationship with Lu Heng.

Lu Heng told Ya Fei about his time with Medusa and revealed that he could face an ordinary One-Star Dou Zong, then visited the Misty Cloud Sect the next morning as promised to Yun Yun. Hai Bodong broke through to six-star Dou Emperor and agreed to watch over the Imperial Capital while Lu Heng was away.

• Lu Heng recounted his experiences in the Tagor Desert to Ya Fei, including Medusa’s evolution and her challenge to him, and reassured Ya Fei that he was not afraid of an ordinary One-Star Dou Zong.
• Hai Bodong broke through to six-star Dou Emperor, thanked Lu Heng for his help, and agreed to keep watch over the Imperial Capital while Lu Heng visited the Misty Cloud Sect.
• The next morning, Lu Heng left Ya Fei asleep and ate breakfast with Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian, telling them he was going to see Yun Yun.
• Qing Lin asked to accompany Lu Heng, but Lu Heng, Ya Fei, and Xiao Yi Xian all refused, and Lu Heng set off for the Misty Cloud Sect.

Lu Heng visited Yun Yun at the Misty Cloud Sect, where she asked him to replace the deceased Gu He as the sect’s pill supplier. He agreed to refine pills in exchange for access to the sect’s treasury but declined the Guest Elder position, explaining that he was helping for Yun Yun’s sake and planned to leave the Jia Ma Empire after securing Ya Fei’s position and safety.

• Lu Heng arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect, and Yun Yun welcomed him to her private courtyard.
• Yun Yun told Lu Heng that she had suppressed complaints over Gu He's death, but his absence left the sect without a reliable supplier of high-grade pills.
• Yun Yun asked Lu Heng to refine pills for the Misty Cloud Sect, and he agreed in exchange for choosing items from its treasury.
• Yun Yun invited Lu Heng to become a Guest Elder, but he declined because he disliked restraints and was refining pills for her sake.
• Lu Heng told Yun Yun he intended to leave the Jia Ma Empire after arranging for Ya Fei's position and safety.

Lu Heng offered Yun Yun a Peak Seventh-Grade pill that could let Yun Shan break through to Dou Zong in exchange for a promise from the Misty Cloud Sect, while secretly retaining a way to control whoever took it. In the Imperial Capital, Jia Xing Tian learned of the young alchemist who healed Nalan Jie and ordered Yao Ye to investigate him without provoking him.

• Lu Heng told Yun Yun about the pill’s breakthrough power and its cost, then proposed trading it to Yun Shan for the Misty Cloud Sect’s promise to keep Ya Fei safe.
• Yun Yun rushed off to find Yun Shan, while Lu Heng considered how the pill might draw him away from cooperating with Protector Wu.
• News spread that Lu Heng had cured Nalan Jie’s Brand Poison, and Jia Xing Tian received a report identifying him as a young alchemist whose skill could rival Gu He’s.
• Jia Xing Tian ordered Yao Ye to investigate Lu Heng’s origins and ties to the Mittel Family, warning her not to alarm him.
• Jia Xing Tian suspected the Mittel Family’s recent rise and its new alchemist were connected to the same person.

Yun Yun awakened Yun Shan and told him about Lu Heng’s Imperial Creation Pill, prompting the former sect master to accept Lu Heng’s conditions in exchange for the chance to reach Dou Zong. Yun Shan eagerly went with Yun Yun to meet Lu Heng, whose courtyard sensed their approach.

• Yun Yun used the Sect Master Jade Flute to awaken Yun Shan and explained Lu Heng’s role in Gu He’s failed expedition and his Imperial Creation Pill.
• Yun Shan weighed the pill against the Soul Hall’s offer and chose the open, tangible chance to break through, despite the pill’s limits.
• Yun Yun told Yun Shan that Lu Heng wanted to choose items from the sect treasury and have the Misty Cloud Sect protect the Mittel Family.
• Yun Shan agreed to both conditions and teased Yun Yun about her feelings for Lu Heng.
• Yun Yun led Yun Shan to her courtyard, where Lu Heng sensed their approaching auras.

Lu Heng showed Yun Shan the Imperial Creation Pill and secured Yun Shan’s agreement to his conditions. Yun Shan gave him access to the Misty Cloud Sect’s treasure vault, and Yun Yun led him toward it while Yun Shan hoped to bring them together.

• Yun Shan met Lu Heng and asked to inspect the Imperial Creation Pill.
• Lu Heng revealed the pill, and its medicinal fragrance stirred Yun Shan’s hopes of breaking through to Dou Zong.
• Yun Shan agreed to Lu Heng’s conditions and offered Yun Yun to him, but Lu Heng said Yun Yun should decide for herself.
• Yun Yun softly responded, and Lu Heng handed the pill to Yun Shan, who eagerly accepted it.
• Yun Shan ordered Yun Yun to let Lu Heng choose anything from the sect’s treasure vault, and she led Lu Heng toward the Back Mountain.

Lu Heng searched the Misty Cloud Sect treasury and found a Seven-Colored Phantom Dragon Saliva Grass, the key ingredient for a Phantom Dragon Pill that could help him break through to the Spirit Realm. After teasing Yun Yun and promising to refine pills for her and the sect, he left to cultivate in seclusion.

• Yun Yun led Lu Heng into the Misty Cloud Sect treasury and invited him to take whatever he wanted.
• Lu Heng used his soul power to search the treasury and found a Seven-Colored Phantom Dragon Saliva Grass, which he stored in his Storage Ring.
• Lu Heng explained that the herb could help him refine a Phantom Dragon Pill to temper his soul and attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Realm.
• Yun Yun asked about taking the Imperial Creation Pill, but Lu Heng warned her that forcing a breakthrough would damage her potential.
• Lu Heng teased Yun Yun about Old Sect Master Yun's plan to betroth them, then collected more ingredients and promised to refine pills for her and the sect.
• Lu Heng left the Misty Cloud Sect and headed toward seclusion to refine the Phantom Dragon Pill.

Lu Heng returned to the Mittel Family residence and told Ya Fei he planned to use a pill to balance the Jia Ma Empire’s rising Dou Zong powers while protecting her and her family. He entered his new alchemy room to refine a pill using the Seven-Colored Phantom Dragon Saliva Grass, preparing to strike at a Spirit Realm soul.

• Lu Heng returned to the Mittel Family residence, where Ya Fei told him that the Jia Ma Imperial Family and the Alchemist Guild had sent calling cards.
• Ya Fei showed Lu Heng the alchemy room she had built for him, and they shared an affectionate reunion.
• Lu Heng told Ya Fei to reveal that he could provide a pill to help a Nine-Star Dou Emperor break through to Dou Zong, in exchange for the imperial family’s support and protection of the Mittel Family.
• Lu Heng explained that he had already made a similar deal with Yun Shan, and that strengthening Jia Xing Tian would create a balance between the Misty Cloud Sect, the imperial family, and Queen Medusa.
• Lu Heng asked Ya Fei to keep others from disturbing him, then began preparing to refine a pill with the Seven-Colored Phantom Dragon Saliva Grass.

Lu Heng refined and consumed a Phantom Dragon Pill, advancing to Four-Star Dou Emperor and reaching the Spirit Realm. As the Imperial Family and Misty Cloud Sect sought the Imperial Creation Pill, Lu Heng stayed in seclusion to refine more pills.

• Lu Heng began refining the Phantom Dragon Pill while Yao Ye told Jia Xing Tian about the Imperial Creation Pill that could help a Nine-Star Dou Emperor break through to Dou Zong.
• Jia Xing Tian sent Yao Ye to the Miteer Auction House to ask Ya Fei about visiting Lu Heng and acquiring the pill.
• Lu Heng resisted the pill’s lightning, consumed it, and refined its energy through the night.
• Yao Ye asked Ya Fei to arrange a meeting and confirmed the Imperial Family wanted the Imperial Creation Pill, while learning Yun Shan had also made an offer.
• Lu Heng broke through to Four-Star Dou Emperor and the Early Spirit Realm, then chose to remain in seclusion and refine more pills.

Yao Ye reported Lu Heng’s formidable soul pressure to Jia Xing Tian, prompting the Imperial Family to offer him access to its treasury and protection for the Mittel Clan. After a week of refining pills, Lu Heng emerged from seclusion and reunited with Ya Fei, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin.

• Yao Ye told Jia Xing Tian that Lu Heng’s soul pressure had surpassed anything she had felt from Jia Xing Tian, and Jia Xing Tian ordered the Imperial Family to offer Lu Heng anything he wanted from its treasury and guard the Mittel Clan’s properties.
• Lu Heng spent a week in seclusion refining three Imperial Creation Pills, five Imperial Pills, ten Dou Ling Pills, and other pills with an exceptionally high success rate.
• Ya Fei welcomed Lu Heng when he emerged and explained that Yao Ye had visited repeatedly to offer access to the Imperial Treasury and that Imperial Guards were protecting the Mittel Clan’s auction house.
• Lu Heng found Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin cultivating in the courtyard; Xiao Yi Xian had stabilized at One-Star Dou Master, while Qing Lin had reached Three-Star Dou Master.
• Lu Heng, Ya Fei, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin sat together for a meal and chatted.

Lu Heng and Ya Fei went to the Imperial Palace so he could seek something in the Imperial Treasury and address the danger Jia Xing Tian posed. Yao Ye greeted them at the palace gate and escorted them to meet her great-grandfather.

• Ya Fei asked Lu Heng whether she could have his child, and he said it depended on luck.
• At lunch, Lu Heng announced that he planned to visit the Imperial Palace, and Ya Fei decided to accompany him.
• Lu Heng told Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to stay home and cultivate while they traveled to the palace.
• Yao Ye learned that Ya Fei was visiting and went to the palace gate to receive her and Lu Heng.
• Yao Ye greeted Lu Heng and Ya Fei, then led them through the palace to her great-grandfather's study.

Lu Heng negotiated with Jia Xing Tian for access to the Imperial Treasury and protection for the Mittel Family, explaining that he wanted to repay Ya Fei for giving him a home. After handing over the Imperial Creation Pill, he and Ya Fei entered the treasury, where he encouraged her to take anything she wanted.

• Jia Xing Tian asked Lu Heng to confirm that he possessed a pill capable of helping him break through to Dou Zong.
• Lu Heng demanded access to the Imperial Treasury and the imperial family's protection of the Mittel Family and Ya Fei after he left the Jia Ma Empire.
• Lu Heng explained that his deal was meant to give Ya Fei a safe home in return for the home she had given him as a child, and Jia Xing Tian accepted.
• Lu Heng gave Jia Xing Tian the Imperial Creation Pill, and Jia Xing Tian ordered Yao Ye to escort Lu Heng and Ya Fei to the Imperial Treasury.
• Yao Ye opened the treasury's bronze gate, and Lu Heng entered with Ya Fei and told her to take whatever caught her eye.

After taking treasures from the imperial treasury, Lu Heng spent a month cultivating and refining pills while living peacefully with Ya Fei, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin. Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan then broke through to Dou Zong on the same day and sparred above the Imperial Capital, leaving the empire’s leaders wary of the changed balance of power.

• Lu Heng took rare medicinal ingredients from the imperial treasury and left with Ya Fei, escorted by Yao Ye.
• Lu Heng stayed in the Mittel Family’s courtyard, advanced his cultivation, guided Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, and refined pills for his companions and Medusa.
• A month later, Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan each emerged as a Dou Zong, their auras shaking the Imperial Capital.
• Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan exchanged attacks in the sky, and their clash sent sand scattering across the wilderness.
• Nalan Jie and Fa Ma warned their followers not to provoke the powerful families, while Lu Heng, Ya Fei, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin watched the spar and discussed who might be stronger.

Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan ended their duel and raced to Lu Heng’s auction house with Yao Ye and Yun Yun, each hoping to win his favor. Lu Heng received the two groups and found himself caught between their competing attempts to introduce the women.

• Jia Xing Tian’s Sun Sand Phoenix was destroyed by Yun Shan’s Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill, and the two Dou Zongs stopped fighting.
• Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan admitted that Lu Heng’s pills had helped them advance, then decided to visit him together with Yao Ye and Yun Yun.
• Lu Heng sensed their approaching auras, and Hai Bodong told him the two groups had met outside the auction house.
• Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian traded barbs over how Yun Yun and Yao Ye were dressed while they waited at the entrance.
• Lu Heng came outside with Ya Fei and Hai Bodong, and Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian presented Yun Yun and Yao Ye to him as they offered thanks.

Ya Fei handled Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian's offers of support while Queen Medusa flew into the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, unleashing her Dou Zong aura. Lu Heng recognized her and reassured the others she was not an enemy, leaving Ya Fei to wonder whether he had conquered the queen.

• Ya Fei led Lu Heng and the guests to the reception room, where Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian offered protection to the Mittel Family.
• Ya Fei turned aside their offers and credited Lu Heng with keeping the family safe, impressing Yao Ye and making Yun Yun blush.
• Queen Medusa sensed the two new Dou Zong auras and flew toward the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, insisting to herself that she had come to investigate a potential threat.
• Queen Medusa entered the city and released a powerful aura that forced commoners to their knees and alarmed the city's cultivators.
• Lu Heng recognized Queen Medusa's aura and told Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian that she was not an enemy, prompting Ya Fei to ask whether he had conquered her.

Lu Heng brought Ya Fei to meet the Queen Medusa above the Imperial Capital, where Ya Fei and the queen traded provocative looks. Medusa agreed to stay at Lu Heng’s home, leaving Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian astonished as the group returned together.

• Lu Heng carried Ya Fei into the sky and invited Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian to meet the Queen Medusa.
• The Queen Medusa greeted Lu Heng coldly and recognized the importance of Ya Fei, who met her gaze without backing down.
• Medusa remarked that Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian had likely reached Dou Zong with Lu Heng’s help, and Jia Xing Tian confirmed it.
• Lu Heng invited Medusa to the Mittel Family residence, and she agreed to stay there as she had stayed with the Snake-People Tribe.
• Lu Heng flew back with Ya Fei, Medusa at his side, and Yun Shan and Jia Xing Tian following behind.