Chapter Summaries

Lu Heng learned that the Three-Year Agreement was approaching and that Nalan Yanran had grown far stronger than Xiao Yan. Nalan Yanran arrived and paid respects to Lu Heng as her Grandmaster.

• Qing Lin told Lu Heng she had reached One-Star Da Dou Shi and hurried away to help prepare breakfast.
• Ya Fei told the household that Yan Xiao had won the Alchemist Conference by refining a Peak Fourth-Grade Pill, and Lu Heng realized the Three-Year Agreement was near.
• Lu Heng assessed that Nalan Yanran's peak Three-Star Da Dou Shi strength gave her a major advantage over Xiao Yan, who was only a Nine-Star Dou Master.
• The steward announced that Nalan Yanran had arrived to pay respects to Lu Heng and Yun Yun.
• Nalan Yanran greeted Yun Yun as her teacher, then bowed to Lu Heng and paid respects to him as her Grandmaster.

Nalan Yanran sought Lu Heng and Yun Yun’s guidance after struggling to break through before the Three-Year Agreement. Lu Heng identified injuries in her meridians, helped her reach Four-Star Da Dou Shi, and sent her to stabilize her realm before the coming match.

• Nalan Yanran visited Lu Heng and Yun Yun, explaining that her cultivation was stalled despite having enough Dou Qi to reach Four-Star Da Dou Shi.
• Yun Yun examined Nalan Yanran and found her Dou Qi unstable, while Lu Heng recognized that anxiety over the Three-Year Agreement had made her impatient.
• Lu Heng tested Nalan Yanran’s sword techniques, criticized her scattered force and poor control, and Cai Lin pointed out that her meridians were strained.
• Lu Heng used Azure Wood Dou Qi to heal Nalan Yanran’s meridian injuries and guided her in breaking through to Four-Star Da Dou Shi.
• Nalan Yanran thanked Lu Heng, and he told her to stabilize her realm before the Three-Year Agreement, where Yun Yun encouraged her to win.

Three days before the Three-Year Agreement, Yun Shan arranged a Misty Cloud Sect gathering to support Nalan Yanran and display the sect’s strength, while Xiao Yan prepared for the duel. The chapter ended as the assembled Imperial Capital powers watched from the ceremonial seats, awaiting the agreement’s start.

• Nalan Yanran accepted Yun Yun’s counsel, said farewell to Ya Fei and the others, and left the Mittel Family’s rear courtyard with steadier steps.
• Yun Shan ordered the Misty Cloud Sect to invite the Imperial Family, major families, Ya Fei, and Fa Ma to a gathering three days later.
• Xiao Yan reviewed his progress as a peak Nine-Star Dou Master, and Yao Chen privately considered intervening if the duel went badly.
• Three days later, Jia Xing Tian, Yao Ye, Nalan Jie, Fa Ma, Ya Fei, Yun Yun, and other powers gathered at the Misty Cloud Sect’s martial arena.

Xiao Yan arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect to fulfill his Three-Year Agreement and began fighting Nalan Yanran. Nalan Yanran controlled the early exchanges, while Xiao Yan tried to use the Heavy Xuan Ruler and his battle instincts to overcome their difference in strength.

• Xiao Yan climbed the mountain and announced that he had come to fulfill the Three-Year Agreement.
• Yun Shan appointed the Misty Cloud Sect as witness, and Yun Yun declared that the duel would end the agreement regardless of its outcome.
• Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan entered the arena, and Yun Yun began the battle.
• Xiao Yan opened with a strike from the Heavy Xuan Ruler, but Nalan Yanran dodged and countered with her sword techniques.
• Nalan Yanran's attacks cut Xiao Yan's shoulder, leaving him at a disadvantage as he looked for openings to counter.

Xiao Yan faced Nalan Yanran in their long-awaited duel, and Yao Chen lent him power to overcome her ultimate technique. After losing, Nalan Yanran handed Xiao Yan a letter of divorce and tried to take her own life, but Yun Yun stopped her.

• Nalan Yanran used her superior movement and swordplay to wear Xiao Yan down, then unleashed Extreme Wind: Setting Sun Flare.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao for help, and Yao Chen lent him power that raised his strength to Peak Da Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yan countered Nalan Yanran's ultimate move with Flame-Splitting Wave-Eroding Ruler and defeated her in the collision.
• Lu Heng sensed Yao Chen's presence in Xiao Yan's ring, while a hidden observer watched from the western cliff and expressed greed.
• Nalan Yanran admitted defeat, gave Xiao Yan her prepared letter of divorce, and pressed her sword to her neck.
• Yun Yun rushed over and grabbed Nalan Yanran's sword-wielding wrist.

Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran and left the Misty Cloud Sect, but Yao Chen sensed Soul Hall pursuing him for the soul inside his ring. Lu Heng observed the chase with his Spirit Realm soul and chose not to intervene, leaving Xiao Yan and Yao Chen to face their own trial.

• Xiao Yan burned the divorce letter, declared himself even with Nalan Yanran, and refused Yun Shan's apology gift before leaving the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yao Chen urged Xiao Yan to flee after sensing Lu Heng's powerful soul and a Soul Hall presence targeting him.
• The guests departed, while Yun Yun stayed with Nalan Yanran and Ya Fei, Cai Lin, and Lu Heng left the mountain together.
• Lu Heng sensed Soul Hall's black-mist pursuer chasing Xiao Yan through the Back Mountain and decided not to interfere.
• Lu Heng withdrew his perception, believing Yao Chen might have a last-ditch plan and that Xiao Yan had to face his own path.

After Nalan Yanran’s defeat, Yun Shan urged the Misty Cloud Sect to let Xiao Yan go and preserve its ties with Lu Heng. As Xiao Yan fled the Imperial Capital on Yao Chen’s warning, Protector Wu recognized Yao Chen’s soul and intercepted him, forcing Yao Chen to take control of Xiao Yan’s body.

• Yun Shan comforted Nalan Yanran, then told her to reflect on her mistakes and ordered Yun Yun not to let the sect provoke Xiao Yan again.
• Yun Shan welcomed Yun Yun’s settled relationship with Lu Heng, valuing the protection a Seventh-Grade Alchemist could bring the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yao Chen sensed a dangerous presence and urged Xiao Yan to flee the Imperial Capital, so Xiao Yan raced through the forest toward the outskirts.
• Protector Wu detected Yao Chen’s soul, abandoned his plan to approach Yun Shan, and pursued Xiao Yan to capture Yao Chen.
• Protector Wu blocked Xiao Yan’s path, and Yao Chen poured his soul force into Xiao Yan’s body to take control.

Yao Chen possessed Xiao Yan and fought Protector Wu, but the Soul Hall Protector’s soul-chain techniques overwhelmed them. As the chain pythons closed in and Yao Chen faced defeat, a mysterious black shadow appeared on the battlefield.

• Yao Chen possessed Xiao Yan, raising his strength to Peak Da Dou Shi and attacking Protector Wu with Eight Extremities Collapse.
• Protector Wu countered with Ten Thousand Soul Heavenly Chains, and Yao Chen used the Bone Chilling Flame and Heavy Xuan Ruler to burn through the soul chains.
• The chains’ soul-devouring power injured Yao Chen and began consuming Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi, while Protector Wu summoned giant pythons with Hundred Soul Sky-Locking Python.
• Yao Chen damaged one python with a combined attack, but another struck Xiao Yan and shattered his Dou Qi Armor, leaving him badly hurt.
• As the chain pythons surrounded Xiao Yan, space rippled beside one of them and a blurry black shadow appeared.

A mysterious black-clad fighter rescued Yao Chen and Xiao Yan from Protector Wu, helping them drive off the Soul Hall pursuer. Before disappearing, the fighter said he had acted on the young lady’s orders, leading Xiao Yan to realize Xun Er had sent someone to protect him; Yao Chen warned that Soul Hall had found them, so they needed to leave quickly.

• The black-clad fighter destroyed two of Protector Wu’s chain pythons with Dark Glare Blade, interrupting his attack on Yao Chen and Xiao Yan.
• Yao Chen adjusted Xiao Yan’s chaotic Dou Qi, then fought alongside the fighter, using Bone Chilling Flame while the fighter restrained the pythons with Shadow Bind.
• Protector Wu forced the pair to evade a final assault and retreated into the shadows, warning that Soul Hall would find Yao Chen again.
• Yao Chen withdrew his soul power from Xiao Yan and told him to leave quickly because the battle had exhausted him.
• The black-clad fighter said he had acted on the young lady’s orders, then vanished; Xiao Yan recognized that Xun Er had sent him.
• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that Soul Hall had come looking for them, and Xiao Yan resolved to leave the area.

Protector Wu fled after failing to capture Yao Chen, but resolved to return with enough men to seize him. As Lu Heng prepared to leave in three days, he settled arrangements with the women around him and visited Yun Yun, telling her he would depart with Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian.

• Protector Wu escaped to a valley, confirmed that Yao Chen possessed Xiao Yan, and planned to return with reinforcements.
• Lu Heng told Ya Fei he would leave in three days and gave Cai Lin a jade slip containing cultivation guidance and prescriptions for the Snake-People Tribe.
• Lu Heng promised to spend the next two days with Ya Fei and said he would take Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian to the Black-Corner Region after visiting Yun Yun.
• Lu Heng visited Yun Yun at the Misty Cloud Sect and told her he would leave the day after tomorrow with Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian.

Lu Heng promised Yun Yun he would be careful in the Black-Corner Region, then spent the day with her before returning to the Mittel Family. After spending the night with Cai Lin, he joined Ya Fei, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin for breakfast, where Ya Fei quietly anticipated her turn with him.

• Yun Yun warned Lu Heng about the dangers of the Black-Corner Region and asked him to return for her and the others once he had settled matters there.
• Lu Heng spent the day with Yun Yun and left her at dusk, promising to arrange things and come back for them.
• Cai Lin confronted Lu Heng about visiting Yun Yun, then went with him to her room for the night.
• At breakfast, Ya Fei teased Cai Lin about her stiff walk while Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin reacted, and Ya Fei privately hoped Lu Heng would spend time with her next.

Lu Heng spent his last day and night with Ya Fei before setting off with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin for the Black-Corner Region. Ya Fei asked to have his child, and the chapter ended with the three travelers beginning their half-month journey toward Jia Nan Academy.

• Lu Heng accompanied Ya Fei through her work, and she told him she wanted to have his child before he left for the Black-Corner Region.
• Lu Heng agreed, and he and Ya Fei spent the night together.
• At breakfast, Lu Heng told Qing Lin that she would see Han Yue when they reached Jia Nan Academy, while Ya Fei and Cai Lin teased him about keeping their portraits.
• Yun Yun arrived to see Lu Heng off, and Ya Fei, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin gathered with him at the courtyard gate.
• Lu Heng took Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin into the air and flew toward the Black-Corner Region, stopping along the way to rest and gather herbs.

Lu Heng returned to Jia Nan Academy with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin after registering them in Peace Town. At the Outer Academy gates, he reunited with Xueni, introduced his companions, and asked where Xiao Yu and Instructor Ruo Lin were.

• Lu Heng, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin reached Peace Town, where Lu Heng presented Hu Gan's personal token and registered Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
• The three traveled through Jia Nan City and arrived at the Outer Academy gates, where Lu Heng reflected on his return after three years away.
• Xueni recognized Lu Heng, rushed to hug him, and then blushed when she realized students had seen her.
• Lu Heng introduced Xiao Yi Xian as his girlfriend and Qing Lin as his younger sister, while Xueni greeted both of them.
• Lu Heng picked up Xueni's dropped textbooks and asked where Xiao Yu and Instructor Ruo Lin were.

Lu Heng reunited with Xueni, Xiao Yu, and Ruo Lin in the Outer Academy, then took Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the Inner Academy. At Courtyard No. 1, he found Han Yue waiting for him after three years.

• Lu Heng met Xueni, Xiao Yu, and Ruo Lin and treated them to a barbecue dinner on East Street.
• Lu Heng told the group that he planned to bring Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the Inner Academy.
• Lu Heng said goodbye to Xueni, Xiao Yu, and Ruo Lin after dinner and led Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin into the Inner Academy.
• Lu Heng found Courtyard No. 1 swept clean, with fresh lanterns and steaming tea, and saw Han Yue waiting there.
• Han Yue greeted Lu Heng after three years apart.

Lu Heng returned after three years and reunited with Han Yue, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin. As they welcomed him home, Zi Yan rushed in from Back Mountain and leaped into his arms, admitting she had feared he would not return.

• Lu Heng embraced Han Yue, apologized for returning late, and kissed her after she said she had waited three years and two months.
• Lu Heng introduced Xiao Yi Xian as his woman and Qing Lin as his younger sister, while Han Yue teased Qing Lin about being a beloved little sister.
• Zi Yan charged into the courtyard and slammed into Lu Heng's arms, telling him she had thought he was not coming back.
• Lu Heng asked how Zi Yan had gotten so disheveled, and she said she had smelled him and run all the way from Back Mountain.

Lu Heng returned to Jia Nan Academy, reunited with Zi Yan, and settled Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin into the West Wing. After Han Yue found his note and stayed up waiting for him, he asked her to sleep in the main house that night.

• Zi Yan complained that Lu Heng had been gone for more than three years, then happily ate the pills he brought her.
• Lu Heng learned from Han Yue that the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower had grown stable and that Great Elder Su Qian thought the Fallen Heart Flame might be dormant.
• Lu Heng took Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to their rooms in the West Wing, while Xiao Yi Xian thanked Han Yue for her care.
• Han Yue found Lu Heng's note beneath a bowl of soup, which read, "Wait for you."
• Lu Heng caught Zi Yan eavesdropping at the East Wing, promised to take her for food the next day, and sent her home.
• Lu Heng returned to Han Yue after she finished her soup and asked her to sleep there that night.

After reuniting with Han Yue, Lu Heng spent the night with her and teased her the next morning before leaving to meet the Great Elder. Su Qian was astonished to discover Lu Heng had reached Five-Star Dou Emperor in the three years since they last met.

• Han Yue agreed to Lu Heng's advances, and they spent the night together.
• Han Yue woke sore and embarrassed, while Lu Heng teased her until Qing Lin called them to breakfast.
• At breakfast, Zi Yan pointed out Han Yue's slow walk and red face, embarrassing her in front of everyone.
• Lu Heng told Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin he would meet the Great Elder and look for suitable cultivation techniques, while Han Yue offered to show them around.
• Lu Heng met Su Qian, who was shocked to learn he had advanced from Seven-Star Dou King to Five-Star Dou Emperor in three years.

Lu Heng told Su Qian about Xiao Yi Xian’s Woe Poison Physique and Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, then received access to the Inner Academy Library Pavilion. He found a supplementary poison cultivation method and an introductory snake-bloodline pupil guide, while the complete method for Qing Lin remained in the Heaven Snake Mansion.

• Lu Heng told Su Qian that he had brought back someone with the Woe Poison Physique and someone with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and revealed that he had suppressed the poison with a pill.
• Su Qian gave Lu Heng a dark-gold token granting unrestricted access to the Library Pavilion and warned that the complete pupil method was likely in the Heaven Snake Mansion.
• Lu Heng went to the Library Pavilion to find cultivation methods for Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
• Lu Heng found the Mystic Poison Scripture, which offered a way to guide poison-attributed Dou Qi through the meridians.
• Lu Heng found Jade Pupil Guidance, an introductory method for Qing Lin, and learned that the complete Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils method was kept in the Heaven Snake Mansion.

Lu Heng gave Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin cultivation methods, then spent half a month refining pills and helping them practice at Jia Nan Academy. When he learned Yan Hao had vanished after an ambush near Soul-Falling Cliff and Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing were searching for him, Lu Heng prepared to leave alone the next morning.

• Lu Heng gave Xiao Yi Xian the Mystic Poison Scripture and Qing Lin the Jade Pupil Guidance, and planned to take them to the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower after they had adapted.
• Lu Heng considered retrieving the Infant Fallen Heart Flame and reviving Skyfire Venerable from beneath the tower, but decided to wait until the timing was right.
• Han Yue told Lu Heng that Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, Yan Hao, and Lin Yan had become Outer Academy elders and were on a mission in the Black-Corner Region.
• Lu Heng spent the next half month refining pills and helping Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin cultivate their new methods.
• Han Yue informed Lu Heng that Yan Hao had been ambushed near Soul-Falling Cliff, leaving four teammates dead, two injured, and Yan Hao missing; Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing had gone to search for him.
• Lu Heng suspected the mission had deliberately led the team into danger and told Han Yue he would leave for Soul-Falling Cliff alone the next morning.

Lu Heng uncovered how Zhao Ping had redirected Yan Hao’s mission into a Demon Flame Valley ambush and traveled alone to Soul-Falling Cliff. He rescued Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, and two wounded students, then defeated the attackers’ forces and left the three Seven-Star Dou Kings incapacitated.

• Lu Heng questioned Hu Gan, learned Zhao Ping had altered Yan Hao’s route toward Soul-Falling Cliff, and studied a map of the area.
• Lu Heng reached Soul-Falling Cliff, sensed Demon Flame Valley cultivators below, and descended through the poisonous miasma.
• Lu Heng found Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing protecting two wounded students from more than thirty Demon Flame Valley cultivators and three Seven-Star Dou Kings.
• Lu Heng ordered Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing to retreat, then killed the surrounding Dou Lings and Da Dou Shis with Azure Wood Explosive Flame Seals.
• Lu Heng protected the wounded with a Fire-Earth Lava Barrier and incapacitated the three fleeing Dou Kings with Earth Gold Mountain-Suppressing Edge.