Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan handed Ling Zhuo the herbs they had gathered in exchange for the Nine-Jointed Jade Bamboo, then let him leave Mist Mountain without a fight. Ling Zhuo revealed to Cao Ying that he had come without backup, while Cao Ying hoped her message to Xiao Yan would change the situation.

• Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan gathered herbs until their soul power weakened, then Ling Zhuo used his stronger soul power to harvest most of what remained.
• Ling Zhuo demanded their herbs, and Xiao Yan insisted on receiving the Nine-Jointed Jade Bamboo first; after verifying it, Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan handed over their remaining herbs.
• Xiao Yan refused Lei Jingxiao's suggestion to attack Ling Zhuo because Yao Qingyu needed protection, and he vowed to settle matters at the final Pill Convention.
• Ling Zhuo left Mist Mountain with Cao Ying and credited her advice for helping him secure the herbs.
• Cao Ying learned that Ling Zhuo had come alone and that he trusted her judgment, while she silently hoped her jade-slip message would prompt Xiao Yan to act.

Wei Jiangyuan successfully refined the Heart Bamboo Pill, and Xiao Yan intercepted its Pill Lightning to temper his body and soul. As Xiao Yan endured the lightning, his soul began to break through its bottleneck.

• Wei Jiangyuan formed the Heart Bamboo Pill after five days of refining, securing Yao Qingyu's chance to recover and continue in the Pill Convention.
• Pill Lightning gathered over the mountain as the eighth-tier pill entered its final nurturing.
• Xiao Yan volunteered to protect the pill and use the Colorless Pill Lightning to cultivate Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging.
• Xiao Yan drew the lightning into his body and endured its assault while guiding it through his cultivation technique.
• Xiao Yan felt his soul power strengthen, and the bottleneck of his early Spiritual State Soul began to loosen.

Xiao Yan used the Heart Bamboo Pill’s Pill Lightning to strengthen his body and soul, then plunged into the thundercloud to force a breakthrough. After absorbing all its lightning, he broke through the barrier holding back his Spiritual State Soul, and his perception began to expand.

• Xiao Yan endured successive bolts of Pill Lightning, using Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging to temper his body and raise his soul power.
• Yao Qingyu worried over Xiao Yan, while Lei Jingxiao admired his feat and Wei Jiangyuan realized he was cultivating with the Pill Lightning.
• Xiao Yan sensed that he was close to breaking through and plunged into the thundercloud to absorb its strongest lightning.
• Xiao Yan drew every bolt into his body, where the lightning strengthened his bones and muscles and nourished his soul.
• Xiao Yan exhausted the lightning inside the cloud and shattered the barrier to the middle stage of the Spiritual State Soul, causing his soul perception to expand.

Xiao Yan completed his breakthrough to the mid-stage Spiritual State Soul after forging his body in lightning, then joined Wei Jiangyuan and Lei Jingxiao in helping Yao Qingyu recover. The chapter ended with Yao Qingyu wearing a bracelet of nine wood spirits and taking a pill to restore herself.

• Xiao Yan erupted with soul power, shattered the thunderclouds, and emerged with a regenerated body after reaching the mid-stage Spiritual State Soul.
• Wei Jiangyuan congratulated Xiao Yan on his rapid advancement, and Xiao Yan explained that his training, pills, and Soul-Awakening Powder had contributed to it.
• Xiao Yan reassured Yao Qingyu that he was safe and urged her to take the pill and recover while he, Wei Jiangyuan, and Lei Jingxiao stood guard.
• Lei Jingxiao gave Yao Qingyu a bracelet containing nine wood spirits, which Wei Jiangyuan explained could restore life energy and enhance her healing.
• Yao Qingyu accepted the bracelet, put it on, and began taking the pill to recover.

As Yao Qingyu recovered, Xiao Yan and his companions discussed their strengths and the suspicious advantages Ling Zhuo had enjoyed in the Pill Realm trial. Before the trial ended, Xiao Yan asked Lei Jingxiao to let Yao Qingyu keep the life-restoring bracelet, and Lei Jingxiao agreed.

• Wei Jiangyuan learned that Lei Jingxiao belonged to the Thunder Clan and had an aunt surnamed Jiang, while Xiao Yan explained why he could not use Lei Jingxiao's lightning technique to cultivate like Pill Lightning.
• Wei Jiangyuan noted that Xiao Yan's breakthrough strengthened their chances, but Xiao Yan warned that Ling Zhuo's soul had likely reached the late stage of the Spiritual State.
• Xiao Yan, Wei Jiangyuan, and Lei Jingxiao discussed how Ling Zhuo seemed to know where Mist Mountains would appear and had known Yao Qingyu's identity, making the second round appear unusually favorable to him.
• Yao Qingyu recovered her vitality with a pill and Lei Jingxiao's Nine-Link Wood Spirit Bracelet, and Xiao Yan asked Lei Jingxiao to let her keep it.
• Lei Jingxiao agreed to leave the bracelet with Yao Qingyu, then Wei Jiangyuan teased him about romance and suggested Xiao Yan's powerful maid might have feelings for him.

Xiao Yan, Wei Jiangyuan, Lei Jingxiao, and Yao Qingyu returned to Mist Mountain so Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan could use special methods to overcome its restrictions. Wei Jiangyuan reached late Spiritual State Soul and probed the mountain, but chose the remains of harvested herbs rather than the seven herbs still growing there.

• Yao Qingyu recovered with the life-force bracelet and asked Xiao Yan about his romantic partners.
• Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan agreed to return to Mist Mountain, and the four traveled there together.
• Xiao Yan began converting his Dou Qi into soul strength with the Soul-Turning Secret Technique.
• Wei Jiangyuan used a secret technique to raise his soul strength from middle to late Spiritual State Soul.
• Wei Jiangyuan awakened first and probed beyond the runic formation, targeting the roots and stems left by harvested herbs.

Xiao Yan completed the Soul-Turning Secret Technique and joined Wei Jiangyuan in clearing the herbs from a restriction garden before the group took stock of their gains. As they divided their ingredients ahead of the Pill Convention, Xiao Yan admitted he had not decided what to refine.

• Xiao Yan used his strengthened soul power to collect the seven herbs in the restriction, then helped Wei Jiangyuan gather all the remaining roots and stems.
• Wei Jiangyuan told Xiao Yan he planned to use the roots and stems to anger Ling Zhuo, and the group left Mist Mountain with Xiong Zhan marveling at the emptied garden.
• The group compared their gains from the Pill Realm, with Xiao Yan having collected far more herbs than Wei Jiangyuan, Yao Qingyu, or Lei Jingxiao.
• Wei Jiangyuan took two of Lei Jingxiao's herbs and challenged him to refine a fourth-tier medicinal pill in exchange for ten times the materials.
• As the group divided the ingredients, Yao Qingyu asked Xiao Yan what he planned to refine, and Xiao Yan said he had not decided.

Xiao Yan considered what pill to refine for the final Pill Convention while discussing Cao Ying’s information about the Spirit Clan’s control over her and Dan Chen. Meanwhile, Ling Zhuo prepared his team to refine pills above tier eight and promised Ling Yu that he would avenge Ling Luo, confident Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan would fail.

• Xiao Yan showed Wei Jiangyuan and Yao Qingyu Cao Ying’s jade slip, which described the Spirit Clan’s control of her and her suspicions about its schemes.
• Xiao Yan weighed refining his evolving self-created pill formula against the Life-Merging Bone-Growing Pill for Yao Lao’s resurrection, while Wei Jiangyuan studied his Storage Ring in silence.
• Ling Zhuo ordered Yi Xu, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Ling Yu to refine pills above tier eight for the final Pill Convention.
• Ling Yu urged Ling Zhuo to avenge his dead twin, and Ling Zhuo promised that Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan would pay for Ling Luo’s death after the clan’s mission was completed.
• Cao Ying warned that Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan remained difficult to restrain, but Ling Zhuo declared that they would achieve nothing in the final Pill Convention.

Xiao Yan and the other contestants emerged from the Pill Tower’s second trial as Holy Pill City gathered for the Pill Convention’s final round. Xuan Kongzi announced that the contestants would compete on the floating platforms, and the championship contest was about to begin.

• Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Mu Qingluan waited for Xiao Yan and Lei Jingxiao while contestants began emerging from the spatial gate.
• Ling Zhuo, Yi Xu, Dan Chen, Cao Ying, and Ling Yu appeared, and Venerable Mingshui speculated that Mu Gu had died inside the trial.
• Xiao Yan emerged alongside Lei Jingxiao, Yao Qingyu, and Wei Jiangyuan, then reassured Xiao Yi Xian and the others with a smile.
• The spatial gate closed after more than two thousand contestants had gathered in the plaza for the final round.
• Xuan Kongzi congratulated the contestants and announced that whoever remained standing at the end would win the Pill Convention.

At the Pill Convention’s final pill-refining round, contestants raced to claim platforms while Wei Jiangyuan, Lei Jingxiao, and Ling Zhuo fought over the central one. Lei Jingxiao unleashed his Heaven Class Dou Technique, threatening the crowd as Xuan Kongzi moved to intervene.

• Xuan Kongzi announced the final round’s rules, and nearly three thousand Alchemists rushed to claim stone platforms.
• Xiao Yan took an outlying platform while his junior disciple, Yao Qingyu, moved far away from him.
• Wei Jiangyuan reached the central platform first, but Ling Zhuo attacked him and Lei Jingxiao joined the battle.
• Ling Zhuo held off both Wei Jiangyuan and Lei Jingxiao with his flames, spatial powers, and Source Spirit Pattern Crystal.
• Wei Jiangyuan urged Lei Jingxiao to use a Heaven Class Dou Technique, and Lei Jingxiao began Mighty Thunder Summoning as the contestants below feared for their lives.
• Ling Zhuo prepared his own Heaven Class Dou Technique while Xuan Kongzi swept forward with soul power to stop Lei Jingxiao’s attack.

Xuan Kongzi stopped Ling Zhuo and Lei Jingxiao’s fight, rejected Wei Jiangyuan’s attempt to get them disqualified, and opened the Pill Convention. Amid the chaos, Cao Ying received a changed jade scroll from Yao Qingyu, understood its message, and silently confirmed her decision to Xiao Yan.

• Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Leizi contained Ling Zhuo and Lei Jingxiao’s Heaven Class Dou Techniques and moved the two contestants apart.
• Wei Jiangyuan urged Xuan Kongzi to disqualify Ling Zhuo and Lei Jingxiao, but Xuan Kongzi let them remain in the competition after warning them not to fight again.
• Xuan Kongzi declared the start of the pill refining, and Wei Jiangyuan quietly asked Xiao Yan whether he had caused enough of a commotion.
• Xuan Kongzi praised Yao Chen’s disciples while the Netherwater Saint defended Wei Jiangyuan’s mischievous conduct.
• Cao Ying received a jade scroll from Yao Qingyu, recognized its changed contents, and gave Xiao Yan a firm nod to show that she had decided.

The Pill Convention began with thousands of alchemists displaying their cauldrons and flames, drawing attention to Xiao Yan, Cao Ying, and Ling Zhuo. Xiao Yan’s Red Lotus Core Flame overwhelmed Ling Zhuo’s Wind Fury Dragon Flame, but Xiao Yan suspected Ling Zhuo had another purpose for showing it.

• Xiao Yan saw Cao Ying’s signal and relaxed as the Pill Convention began and the alchemists summoned their cauldrons.
• The crowd recognized Xiao Yan’s Black Demon Cauldron and Wei Jiangyuan’s Jade Mountain Cauldron as treasures on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, while Ling Zhuo resented Xiao Yan’s presence.
• Cao Ying revealed her powerful Blood Demon Flame, which Xiao Yan recognized as an artificially created flame made from the blood of fire-attributed magical beasts.
• Ling Zhuo unleashed the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, suppressing nearby flames and making the surrounding alchemists struggle to control their cauldrons.
• Xiao Yan released the Red Lotus Core Flame, which overwhelmed Ling Zhuo’s Heavenly Flame and won cheers from the spectators.
• Xiao Yan wondered why Ling Zhuo had made such a dramatic display despite knowing he would lose, and suspected Ling Zhuo had another purpose.

At the Pill Convention, Xiao Yan began refining a self-created pill intended to replace vital blood and potentially help Cao Ying and Dan Chen. As the contestants refined their pills, Ling Haonan watched Ling Zhuo closely, while the chapter ended with Xuan Yi questioning how quickly Ling Zhuo was progressing.

• Ling Haonan and Ling He watched the competition from a distance, and Ling Haonan was relieved that Ling Zhuo did not challenge Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan chose to test his newly completed pill formula, which he had developed using knowledge of blood transfusion and the conditions of Cao Ying and Dan Chen.
• Xiao Yan began carefully refining the ingredients for his original pill, hoping to verify the formula and advance toward ninth-tier alchemy.
• Lei Jingxiao twice blew up his cauldron while trying to refine a fourth-tier pill, then studied the formula and prepared to try again.
• Xuan Kongzi and the others discussed Wei Jiangyuan's flame and Shennong's plans for his inheritance.
• Xuan Yi noticed that Ling Zhuo seemed to be refining his pill unusually quickly.

At the Pill Convention, Ling Zhuo and several other contenders refined at an unusually accelerated pace while Xiao Yan, Wei Jiangyuan, and Yao Qingyu continued their own work. After seven days, Xiao Yan began fusing the ingredients for his original pill formula, meant to free Cao Ying and Dan Chen from the Dou Di blood essence in their bodies.

• Xuan Yi pointed out that Ling Zhuo, the Cao Clan girl, and the Dan Clan girl were refining unusually quickly, while Yao Qingyu proceeded at a normal pace.
• Xuan Leizi noted that Ling Zhuo's soul had reached the late Spiritual State Soul and predicted that his pill might emerge from the furnace early.
• Over five days, some alchemists completed low-grade pills, while Lei Jingxiao failed at refining his fourth-tier pill for the third time and resolved to keep trying.
• Xiao Yan continued extracting ingredients as Wei Jiangyuan refined herbs in his Jade Mountain cauldron and Yao Qingyu worked with her Wood Spirit bracelet.
• After seven days, Xiao Yan finished preparing the ingredients, ignited the Red Lotus Core Flame, and slowly began fusing them without encountering any major flaws.

As the Pill Convention reached its climax, Alchemists completed increasingly powerful pills, and Yi Xu refined an eighth-grade pill that summoned single-color Pill Lightning. Before the crowd recovered, another Alchemist produced an eighth-grade pill with two-color lightning, leaving the final rankings uncertain while Xiao Yan continued refining.

• An Alchemist completed a mid-tier seventh-grade pill and realized it could not place in the top ten.
• More Alchemists finished high-tier seventh-grade pills, and Pill Lightning repeatedly filled the sky.
• Yi Xu opened his cauldron, released a patterned pill, and summoned the solid silver cloud that marked an eighth-grade pill.
• Xuan Yi and Xuan Kongzi commented that Yi Xu had hurried the pill and might have improved its quality by taking more time.
• Another Alchemist's cauldron shattered as a second eighth-grade pill summoned two-color Pill Lightning.
• Xiao Yan kept condensing his pill and watched the gathering lightning, unable to leave his work to absorb it.

Cao Ying and Dan Chen completed eighth-grade pills, joining the other two Spirit Clan alchemists and further raising the clan’s standing at the convention. As Xiao Yan and the other finalists continued refining, an unusual disturbance began inside Ling Zhuo’s cauldron.

• Cao Ying and Dan Chen finished their eighth-grade pills, and Cao Ying summoned two-colored Pill Lightning while Dan Chen summoned one-colored lightning.
• Xuan Kongzi felt pride in Cao Ying’s achievement and guilt over the circumstances that had brought her under the Spirit Clan’s control.
• The crowd celebrated the Spirit Clan’s four successful eighth-grade alchemists while Xiao Yan’s supporters grew anxious about the remaining contestants.
• Xiao Yi Xian reassured Fei Tian and the others that Xiao Yan’s pace was normal and that the Spirit Clan alchemists had a reason to hurry.
• Half a day after the four Spirit Clan alchemists finished, an unusual disturbance stirred inside Ling Zhuo’s cauldron.

Ling Zhuo intensified the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, prompting concern that he was risking his pill, but Xuan Kongzi recognized that he still controlled it. Cauldrons across the arena began exploding as the flames of competing alchemists went out of control, and the remaining contestants searched for the source.

• Ling Zhuo rose and poured immense power into the Wind Fury Dragon Flame while continuing to refine his pill.
• Venerable Mingshui condemned Ling Zhuo's excessive flames, but Xuan Kongzi said Ling Zhuo could control them with his late Spiritual State Soul.
• A middle-aged high-grade seventh-tier alchemist lost control of his flames, and his cauldron exploded.
• Flames went out of control across the arena, ruining pills and causing a wave of cauldron explosions.
• Alchemists noticed the flame energy had become unnaturally orderly and suspected Xiao Yan or Ling Zhuo, while only ten contestants could still control their flames.

Ling Zhuo used the Wind Fury Dragon Flame and the Myriad Spirit Enlightenment Art to disrupt the alchemists’ flames during the Pill Convention. Yao Qingyu’s cauldron exploded, leaving her pill ruined as Lei Jingxiao protected her.

• After more alchemists lost control of their cauldrons, Lei Jingxiao accused Ling Zhuo of sabotage, but Ling Yu demanded evidence and blocked him from approaching.
• The Pill Tower elders suspected Ling Zhuo was responsible but chose to wait for him to reveal a flaw rather than break the rules.
• Ling He credited the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal with advancing Ling Zhuo’s Myriad Spirit Enlightenment Art and helping him manipulate flames across the arena.
• Ling Zhuo strengthened his control over the remaining alchemists’ flames and targeted Yao Qingyu as she tried to stabilize her pill.
• Yao Qingyu’s flames surged out of control, her cauldron exploded, and Lei Jingxiao rushed to shield her as she stared at the ruined pill shell.

Ling Zhuo sabotaged the remaining alchemists until only Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan remained, but Wei Jiangyuan discovered the source of the interference and struck back. Wei Jiangyuan’s pill failed, while Ling Zhuo’s flame-control technique was disrupted and his own refinement was thrown into danger.

• Ling Zhuo caused Qinghua Old Monster and Luo Sai’s flames to go out of control, making both veteran eighth-tier alchemists’ cauldrons explode.
• By the twenty-fourth day, only Ling Zhuo, Xiao Yan, and Wei Jiangyuan remained in the arena.
• Ling Zhuo used the Wind Fury Dragon Flame to destabilize Wei Jiangyuan’s flames, but Wei Jiangyuan reinforced his Jade Mountain Cauldron with prepared Dou Qi and soul power.
• Wei Jiangyuan located and imprisoned the points where Ling Zhuo’s soul power extended, then unleashed his soul power to disrupt Ling Zhuo’s flame-control technique.
• Wei Jiangyuan’s pill failed as green smoke rose from his cauldron, while Ling Zhuo’s Wind Fury Dragon Flame churned out of control and put his refinement in danger.

Wei Jiangyuan's pill failed after he disrupted Ling Zhuo, leaving Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo as the final contenders in the Pill Convention. As Xiao Yan unexpectedly accelerated his refinement, the Pill Tower debated intervening, but Xuan Yi said she trusted his resilience.

• Wei Jiangyuan's pill refinement failed, and he collapsed after sacrificing his strength to disrupt Ling Zhuo.
• Ling Zhuo recovered control of his flames and focused on completing his pill, while Xiao Yan continued refining.
• Xiao Yan also increased his pill-refining speed, confusing the observers and frustrating Wei Jiangyuan, who had hoped to give him a safe opportunity.
• Pill Tower elders debated whether to act against Ling Zhuo and the Spirit Clan, but Xuan Leizi warned that intervention could damage the Tower's reputation.
• Xuan Kongzi asked Xuan Yi for her view, and she said she believed in Xiao Yan's resilience.