Recaps

Xiao Yan and the three women arrived in Road Mountain City, where he learned that the Cliff Gang controlled the region’s medicinal herb markets. After exploring the busy city, Xiao Yan reached the Spiritual Medicine Tower and noticed someone in the crowd.

• Xiao Yan emerged from the spatial passage with Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Mu Qingluan and learned that Road Mountain City lay at the intersection of the Pill Tower, Burning Flame Valley, and Sound Valley.
• Xiao Yan used his soul power to frighten away people who were watching the group, then asked a guard captain where to buy high-grade medicinal herbs.
• The guard captain told Xiao Yan about the Cliff Gang, which controlled the medicinal herb markets in Road Mountain City and two nearby cities, and gave him a map.
• Xiao Yan decided to visit the Cliff Gang for rare ingredients needed to make seventh-tier medicinal pills and stopped at a medicine shop along the way.
• Xiao Yi Xian said she wished things could always stay as they were, and Xiao Yan noticed someone in the crowd as the group reached the Spiritual Medicine Tower.

Xiao Yan’s group encountered a mysterious young man and a Dou Zun elder in Road Mountain City, then went to the Spiritual Medicine Tower to gather ingredients for the approaching Pill Convention. Steward Tao told Xiao Yan that the Cliff Gang might have the high-grade herbs he needed.

• Xiao Yan recognized the young man’s companion as a powerful Dou Zun, while Qing Lin sensed that the elder’s strength rivaled her own.
• The young man and Elder Yan identified Xiao Yan’s group and chose not to challenge them, citing Huo Xuan’s protection and their mission for the Spirit Clan.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian reminisced about meeting in a pharmacy before a clerk brought them to Steward Tao.
• Steward Tao gave Xiao Yan lists of the medicinal ingredients available at the Spiritual Medicine Tower and those obtainable from other shops in Road Mountain City.
• Steward Tao said the Cliff Gang would have the high-grade herbs Xiao Yan needed, prompting Xiao Yan to plan a visit.

Xiao Yan bought a large supply of herbs from the Spiritual Medicine Tower and learned how the Cliff Gang coordinated the herb trade across three cities. At the Cliff Gang Medicine Estate, he resisted Hua Li’s charm technique after she tried to cut ahead in line, prompting one of her companions to confront him.

• Steward Tao explained that Lin Xiuya had built the Cliff Gang’s influence with the support of Sound Valley and had organized transparent herb sales across three cities.
• Xiao Yan waited for herbs from two other pharmacies to arrive, paid for the large order, and left the Spiritual Medicine Tower with his group.
• Xiao Yan and his companions reached the Cliff Gang Medicine Estate, where an inspector required visitors to be fifth-tier alchemists or above Dou Emperor level.
• Hua Li and five men pushed past the line, and Hua Li used her charm technique to try to persuade the inspector and Xiao Yan to give way.
• Xiao Yan’s cold snort broke Hua Li’s influence over the inspector and her companions, after which Hua Li apologized and one of the men demanded that Xiao Yan apologize to her.

Xiao Yan visited the Cliff Gang to buy medicinal herbs, where Gang Leader Lin Xiuya recognized him and helped him obtain a large supply at a favorable price. Lin Xiuya then hinted that the Cliff Gang had even rarer treasures not available to ordinary buyers.

• Hua Li and her companions tried to cut in line, but the Cliff Gang's middle-aged man apologized to Xiao Yan and offered a discount.
• Lin Xiuya arrived, welcomed Xiao Yan's group, and stopped the middle-aged man from explaining himself, praising how he had handled the situation.
• Lin Xiuya recognized Xiao Yan as the young master of the Starfall Pavilion and introduced himself as a fellow Jia Nan Academy alumnus.
• Lin Xiuya hosted Xiao Yan's group as Xiao Yan bought a large quantity of high-grade medicinal herbs, paying partly with medicinal pills.
• Lin Xiuya hinted that the Flower Sect had come to Road Mountain City for treasures beyond the herbs openly displayed at the Cliff Gang.

Xiao Yan accepted Lin Xiuya’s invitation to a barter-only trade fair in North Mountain City and settled into the Cliff Gang’s lodging with his companions. He encountered a mysterious young man again, while the man’s followers confirmed that an ancient item would appear at the fair.

• Lin Xiuya invited Xiao Yan to the trade fair and gave him a card for the Cliff Gang’s lodging.
• Xiao Yan considered trading cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, or pill formulas, then took his companions to Cliff Corner.
• Xiao Yan met the mysterious white-clothed man from the Spiritual Medicine Tower again and sensed his powerful soul force, but Mu Qingluan did not recognize him.
• Xiao Yan and the three women settled into their rooms, and Xiao Yi Xian said Elder Mu’s seal kept her Woeful Poison Body stable.
• The white-clothed man’s followers reported that something passed down from ancient times would appear at the trade fair, and he welcomed the news.

After failing to refine a peak seventh-tier pill, Xiao Yan rested with Xiao Yi Xian and asked whether they could obtain the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva from Sound Valley. Xiao Yi Xian began to reveal that she had a painful past from before they met.

• Xiao Yan failed to refine a peak seventh-tier pill and left his quiet room to calm himself.
• Xiao Yan found Xiao Yi Xian reading and agreed to rest while she massaged his back.
• Xiao Yan asked whether they could obtain the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, and Xiao Yi Xian explained that Sound Valley might not surrender it easily because of its connection to the Bodhi Tree.
• Xiao Yi Xian admitted she felt she had already lived longer than she deserved, and Xiao Yan reassured her that she was not to blame for the Woeful Poison Body losing control.
• Xiao Yi Xian told Xiao Yan that she had only described her time in the Chuyun Empire and said she would tell him about her life before they met.

Xiao Yi Xian told Xiao Yan how her Woeful Poison Body killed her mother, father, and the people of her village, as well as countless others. After revealing her guilt and fear that she brought misfortune to everyone around her, she asked Xiao Yan whether she deserved to live.

• Xiao Yi Xian recalled her childhood in a mountain village, where her ill mother and mercenary father hoped to find a cure for her mother.
• On Xiao Yi Xian's sixth birthday, purple poisonous mist erupted from her body and killed her playmate and the villagers, including her mother.
• Xiao Yan held Xiao Yi Xian as she broke down in tears, then listened as she continued her story.
• Xiao Yi Xian explained that her father later raised graves for the villagers and took her away, but his health deteriorated after living with her.
• Xiao Yi Xian said her father died when she was fifteen, and the poisonous mist surged again as she buried him beside her mother.
• Xiao Yi Xian confessed that she had killed hundreds of thousands of people and asked Xiao Yan whether someone like her deserved to live.

Xiao Yan comforted Xiao Yi Xian over her guilt and fear that she brought misfortune to those around her, promising to face the burden with her. Xiao Yi Xian accepted his feelings, and they ended the night together in her room.

• Xiao Yan reminded Xiao Yi Xian that she had saved many people and promised to help her bear her guilt and travel with her to help others.
• Xiao Yi Xian worried that her presence had nearly cost Xiao Yan his life, but Xiao Yan rejected the idea that she brought misfortune.
• Xiao Yi Xian embraced Xiao Yan, and they hurried to her room when they heard movement from Mu Qingluan's room.
• Xiao Yi Xian explained why she had abandoned her birth name and said she wanted to take the surname Xiao so she could be Xun Er's older sister.
• Xiao Yi Xian kissed Xiao Yan, and the two became intimate in her room.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian tried to hide their new intimacy from Qing Lin and Mu Qingluan, then prepared to attend Lin Xiuya’s trade fair. At Lin Xiuya’s medicine estate, Xiao Yan learned that the event’s powerful participants suggested a hidden force stood behind the Cliff Gang.

• Xiao Yi Xian woke beside Xiao Yan and blushed as she remembered their night together.
• When Qing Lin asked where Xiao Yan had gone, Xiao Yi Xian covered for him, and Xiao Yan slipped out through the window before re-entering through the main door.
• Mu Qingluan questioned Xiao Yan about when he had gone out, and he claimed he had left to clear his head after a failed pill refinement.
• Xiao Yan refined a mid-tier seventh-grade pill, then set out with Xiao Yi Xian, Mu Qingluan, and Qing Lin for the trade fair.
• Xiao Yan’s group encountered other powerful guests on the way to Lin Xiuya’s medicine estate, where Lin Xiuya welcomed them and hinted that he was only the public face of the event.

Xiao Yan and the others entered the Cliff Gang’s trading fair, where Lin Xiuya explained the rules and a powerful presence warned guests to obey them. The first auction item was the first change of Burning Flame Valley’s Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire, and Lin Xiuya urged the alchemists to bid for it.

• Xiao Yan concealed his identity with a mask as he and the three women entered the underground trading venue.
• Xiao Yan’s group waited in a private room, where he noticed the Clear Mind Grass placed on the desk.
• Lin Xiuya welcomed the guests and explained the auction and free-trade stages of the fair.
• A powerful aura swept through the venue, and a white-robed man and Elder Yan recognized that someone from the Pill Tower had produced it.
• Lin Xiuya presented the first auction item, the cultivation method for the first change of the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire, and encouraged guests to bid for it.

At the exchange meeting, Xiao Yan passed on the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire, bought rare medicinal herbs, and abandoned an overpriced movement technique. The chapter ended with Qing Lin insisting that they buy an ancient, damaged medicinal cauldron.

• Lin Xiuya auctioned the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire, and the occupant of Room Thirteen won it after competing bids.
• Xiao Yan declined to bid for the cultivation insight because he already possessed the complete Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire.
• Xiao Yan bought several medicinal ingredients needed to revive Yao Lao, paying higher prices as alchemists competed for the herbs.
• Mu Qingluan suggested that the Cliff Gang obtained its herbs through the Pill Tower, and Xiao Yan concluded that several major powers supported the gang.
• Xiao Yan abandoned his bids for an expensive high-level Earth-class movement technique.
• Qing Lin examined an ancient, broken medicinal cauldron and firmly urged Xiao Yan to buy it.

Qing Lin recognized the ancient medicinal cauldron as an object connected to Ming Mei’s inheritance, so Xiao Yan bid for it at the auction. A mysterious bidder in Room Three escalated the contest with eighth-tier pills, and Xiao Yan identified him as the powerful-souled young man he had encountered before.

• Qing Lin told Xiao Yan that the cauldron matched patterns in the memories left by Ming Mei and urged him to buy it.
• Xiao Yan waited until the auction was about to pass the cauldron over, then placed a bid from Room Sixty-Six.
• The guest in Room Three offered an eighth-tier pill, drawing attention to the cauldron and the bidder.
• Xiao Yan countered with two eighth-tier pill formulas and five seventh-tier pills, but Room Three bid two eighth-tier pills.
• Xiao Yan recognized the bidder in Room Three as the young man with powerful soul strength, who then offered three eighth-tier pills.

Xiao Yan gave up bidding for the ancient cauldron, while the man in white secretly used it to reveal the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal. Qing Lin then identified the Spirit-Nurturing Dust as a treasure that could raise Xiao Yan’s soul to the Spiritual State, and shared Senior Ming Mei’s advice about obtaining it.

• Xiao Yan abandoned the ancient cauldron bid because he needed to preserve his resources for the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva.
• The man in white won the cauldron with three eighth-tier pills, and Elder Yan concealed Room Three while the man used flames to draw emerald light from it.
• Qing Lin recognized the Spirit-Nurturing Dust and explained that it could help Xiao Yan advance his soul from the Mortal State to the Spiritual State.
• Qing Lin described the four soul realms and said Senior Ming Mei had prepared a way to improve Qing Lin’s soul power herself.

Xiao Yan won a pellet of Spirit-Nurturing Dust at great cost, hoping it would help him become an eighth-tier alchemist and revive Yao Lao. Ling Zhuo revealed that he had obtained the more valuable treasure from the fair, but then sent Xiao Yan the ancient cauldron as a gift.

• Lin Xiuya introduced the Spirit-Nurturing Dust, and Xiao Yan joined the fierce bidding for it.
• After an hour of bidding, Xiao Yan secured one of the three pellets by trading three pill formulas and three Earth-tier cultivation methods.
• Ling Zhuo absorbed the power of the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal and mocked the bidders for overlooking the ancient cauldron.
• Ling Zhuo learned that Number Sixty-Six was Xiao Yan and decided to give him the cauldron because Huo Xuan and Gu Xun Er thought highly of him.
• A maid delivered Ling Zhuo's medicinal wine and the ancient cauldron to Xiao Yan, while Ling Zhuo raised his cup to him from Room Three.

Xiao Yan drank the man in white’s wine and advanced his Soul Power into the Spiritual State Soul. Qing Lin reconstructed the patterns on the ancient cauldron, revealing a blue-violet sphere that entered Xiao Yan and sent a flood of information into his mind.

• Xiao Yi Xian confirmed the wine was not poisoned, and Xiao Yan drank it after sending thanks to the man in white.
• The wine strengthened Xiao Yan’s Soul Power and advanced it into the Spiritual State Soul.
• Qing Lin studied the ancient cauldron and used her Dou Qi to reconstruct its patterns.
• The cauldron shattered, revealing a blue-violet sphere that Qing Lin sent into Xiao Yan.
• The sphere melted into Xiao Yan, and a flood of information surged into his mind.

Xiao Yan obtained the Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging technique, which could temper both the body and soul and might help him overcome his Spiritual State Soul bottleneck. After the Cliff Gang's auction ended, the private trading session began, and a worried red-haired old man in Room Two vowed to save his son, Huo'er.

• Xiao Yan absorbed the Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging technique and realized it could help him advance his soul.
• Xiao Yan asked Qing Lin why she had not claimed the inheritance, and Qing Lin said she was following her grandmother's instructions.
• The Cliff Gang finished its auction, and Xiao Yan celebrated obtaining ingredients for Yao Lao and a possible path toward becoming an eighth-tier alchemist.
• The gathering moved on to private trading, where a red-haired old man in Room Two anxiously promised to save Huo'er at any cost.

Tang Zhen revealed that Burning Flame Valley needed an eighth-tier alchemist with a Heavenly Flame and offered the complete Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire in exchange. Ling Zhuo answered the call, but demanded the Nine Dragon Thunder Fire as payment.

• Tang Zhen, the Valley Master of Burning Flame Valley, appeared at the trade meet and said he had a favor to ask.
• Tang Zhen offered the complete Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire in exchange for help from an eighth-tier alchemist who possessed a Heavenly Flame.
• Xiao Yan reassured Mu Qingluan that he would consider helping Tang Zhen with his request.
• Ling Zhuo emerged and showed his Wind Fury Dragon Flame, then agreed to help if Tang Zhen offered the Nine Dragon Thunder Fire.

Ling Zhuo demanded Burning Flame Valley’s Nine Dragon Thunder Fire as payment for helping Tang Zhen, then revealed that he wanted to marry Tang Huo'er instead. Tang Zhen refused, and an unknown voice challenged Elder Yan’s claim that no other eighth-tier alchemy master with a Heavenly Flame could be found.

• Ling Zhuo offered to serve Tang Zhen in exchange for the Nine Dragon Thunder Fire, but Tang Zhen refused to trade away Burning Flame Valley’s inherited Heavenly Flame.
• When a middle-aged man rebuked Ling Zhuo, Elder Yan restrained him, and Tang Zhen stepped in to keep him from being humiliated.
• A hunchbacked white-haired old man warned Tang Zhen that Ling Zhuo’s surname was Ling, stopping Tang Zhen from considering an attack.
• Ling Zhuo said he no longer required the Nine Dragon Thunder Fire and asked to marry Tang Huo'er, but Tang Zhen firmly refused.
• Elder Yan claimed Tang Zhen could find no other eighth-tier alchemy master with a Heavenly Flame, and an unknown voice contradicted him.

Xiao Yan stepped forward to support Mu Qingluan, revealing his Crimson Lotus Karma Flame and drawing attention to his identity as the Starfall Pavilion’s Young Pavilion Master. When Ling Zhuo’s attendant attacked, Qing Lin blocked him, and Ling Zhuo challenged Xiao Yan’s ability to refine pills.

• Mu Qingluan asked Xiao Yan to intervene, and he led the others out of their room.
• Xiao Yan displayed the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame, which Tang Zhen confirmed met the Heavenly Flame requirement.
• Tang Zhen recognized Mu Qingluan and learned Xiao Yan was her Senior Brother, prompting the crowd to identify Xiao Yan as the Starfall Pavilion’s Young Pavilion Master.
• Ling Zhuo threatened Xiao Yan and ordered him to stay out of the matter, but Xiao Yan refused to back down.
• Ling Zhuo’s attendant attacked Xiao Yan, and Qing Lin intercepted the blow and forced the old man back.
• Ling Zhuo returned to taunting Xiao Yan and asked whether he knew alchemy.

Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo agreed to compete with their Heavenly Flames after the auction, and their contest began above the auction grounds. Ling Zhuo attacked with a soul-powered flame dragon, but Xiao Yan's Crimson Lotus Karma Flame defended him as Qing Lin challenged the experts' understanding of how spiritual flames could be controlled.

• Xiao Yan challenged Ling Zhuo to compete after the auction, and Tang Zhen agreed to let their match proceed.
• Ling Zhuo appeared above the auction grounds and proposed a contest of flame control; Xiao Yan accepted and formed a crimson fire lotus opposite Ling Zhuo's flame dragon.
• Tang Zhen and the hunchbacked elder recognized Ling Zhuo's Myriad Spirit Enlightenment Art and speculated about his cultivation and soul power.
• Ling Zhuo sent a concealed soul attack through his flame dragon, but dark crimson energy surged from Xiao Yan and blocked the attack.
• Qing Lin told Tang Zhen and the hunchbacked elder that Xiao Yan had refined the spirituality of his Heavenly Flame for his own use, and Elder Yan dismissed her explanation.

Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo’s Heavenly Flame duel escalated as both fighters used soul power and hidden attacks. Xiao Yan survived Ling Zhuo’s killing moves, and the chapter ended with Ling Zhuo shocked by the strength of Xiao Yan’s newly revealed green flames.

• Qing Lin guarded against Elder Yan while Xiao Yan listened to the spectators and recognized the danger posed by Ling Zhuo’s soul power and Spirit Clan techniques.
• Ling Zhuo sent his strengthened Heavenly Flame true dragon at Xiao Yan, who empowered the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame to collide with it.
• The Crimson Lotus Karma Flame scorched the dragon and charred parts of its body, but Ling Zhuo’s soul power and Dou Qi kept it from being destroyed.
• An illusory killing sword formed from hidden currents and slashed toward Xiao Yan after the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame could not return to defend him.
• Green flames erupted from Xiao Yan, consumed the killing sword, and left Ling Zhuo stunned by their apparent strength.

Xiao Yan defeated Ling Zhuo by using two Heavenly Flames and a hidden karmic-fire attack to destroy Ling Zhuo’s soul avatar inside his Heavenly Flame dragon. Elder Yan stabilized Ling Zhuo with a divine tree, while Tang Zhen saw a chance for Xiao Yan to solve the problem troubling him.

• Xiao Yan revealed the Green Lotus Core Flame, shocking Tang Zhen, Elder Yan, and the hunchbacked elder.
• Xiao Yan’s Crimson Lotus Karma Flame struck the true Heavenly Flame dragon and pierced Ling Zhuo’s hidden soul avatar, causing the dragon to collapse.
• Xiao Yan weakened from soul depletion, and Qing Lin supported him as he recovered.
• Ling Zhuo’s soul was overwhelmed by the karmic fire, and Elder Yan summoned a divine tree to help stabilize and cleanse him.
• Xiao Yan realized Ling Zhuo’s low karma had made the attack easier to resolve, while Tang Zhen considered whether Xiao Yan could solve his long-standing problem.

After Xiao Yan defeated Ling Zhuo in their soul-power contest, Tang Zhen chose Xiao Yan to help save Tang Huo'er rather than hire Ling Zhuo. As Ling Zhuo departed and vowed to settle matters at the Pill Convention, an unseen observer took interest in Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo recovered from their contest, while Ling Zhuo struggled to hide his anger at losing to Xiao Yan.
• Tang Zhen rejected Ling Zhuo's offer, then confirmed that Xiao Yan possessed several Heavenly Flames and decided to rely on him to save Tang Huo'er.
• Ling Zhuo left with Elder Yan and threatened to settle matters with Xiao Yan at the Pill Convention.
• Xiao Yan sensed that someone was watching him but could not find anyone, and Qing Lin saw nothing unusual.
• A hidden black figure praised Xiao Yan for sensing something, then another figure emerged from the void and urged Lord Void to return to the Clan Chief.

After the black figure ordered Hun Gui to let the hunt continue until the prey was desperate, Xiao Yan accepted compensation from the Pill Tower and agreed to help Tang Zhen’s daughter, whose condition had worsened after a flawed pill. Kang Ning then compared Xiao Yan to Yao Chen, leaving the group discussing Xiao Yan’s resemblance to the former alchemist.

• The black figure told Hun Gui to inform Hun Sha that they should wait until their prey struggled before striking, then vanished after warning Xiao Yan that they would meet again.
• Kang Ning apologized to Xiao Yan for Elder Yan’s attack and gave him a Clear Tea Pill as compensation from the Pill Tower and Burning Flame Valley.
• Tang Zhen asked Xiao Yan to help treat a Burning Flame Valley disciple who had been harmed during the inheritance of the Nine Dragon Thunder Fire.
• Tang Zhen revealed that the disciple was his daughter and that only a Heavenly Flame could fully resolve her condition after a flawed Fire Bodhi Pill worsened it.
• Xiao Yan agreed to help control his Heavenly Flame while an alchemist from the Pill Tower assisted.
• Kang Ning remarked that Xiao Yan reminded him of Yao Chen, and Tang Zhen agreed that Xiao Yan carried some of Yao Chen’s bearing.

Xiao Yan revealed that Yao Chen was his master and learned that Sound Valley had cut off contact with the outside world. He set out for Sound Valley to obtain Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva before going to the Pill Tower to treat Tang Huo'er.

• Xiao Yan told Tang Zhen and Kang Ning that he was Yao Chen's disciple, reassuring Tang Zhen that Yao Chen's guidance improved the chances of treating Tang Huo'er.
• Xiao Yan said he had to visit Sound Valley first to seek Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, and Tang Zhen explained that Tang Huo'er's condition could wait until the Pill Convention.
• Kang Ning and Lin Xiuya revealed that Sound Valley had been out of contact for half a month and had cut off communication, but Xiao Yan insisted on going there.
• Tang Zhen offered to accompany Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan declined and promised to reach the Pill Tower before the Pill Convention.
• Xiao Yan's group departed for Sound Valley on a magical beast, carrying Tang Zhen's letter and a grain of Spirit-Nurturing Dust.