Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Showdown with Hun Tiandi”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Hun Tiandi’s physical body is not dead; a fragment of his will has secretly entered Xiao Meng’s mind after the earlier attack.
• The system orders Xiao Meng to kill this fragment using only Soul Force, prohibiting the use of the Primordial Origin Flame and Taixu Divine Lotus. If successful, he will receive four fishing attempts.
• Hun Tiandi violently attacks Xiao Meng’s Soul Sea, repeatedly splitting it apart. Xiao Meng suffers extreme pain but continually repairs the damage and fights back.
• Although Hun Tiandi is weakened by the system, his superior experience and technique allow him to overwhelm Xiao Meng’s Soul Force attacks.
• Xiao Meng orders Big Old Two to guard the cave and prevent anyone from disturbing him. The magical beast stops refining the Life-Devouring Gu and focuses entirely on protecting him.
• The internal battle lasts for two days. Xiao Meng gradually loses awareness of time and pain, becoming completely focused on defeating Hun Tiandi within his own mind.
• During this period, the Xiao Clan nearly destroys the Gale Clan. Xiao Zhan spares noncombatants but executes the clan’s cultivators and confiscates its techniques, battle skills, markets, mines, and other assets.
• The Xiao Clan’s growing power terrifies Wutan City. Other factions regret having supported the Gale Clan and fear retaliation.
• The Mittel Auction House is especially shocked that the Ice Emperor, formerly connected to the Mite’er Family, now follows Xiao Meng. Concerned about offending him, the auction house considers asking Xiao Yan to help establish contact.
• After the Xiao Clan finishes dealing with the Gale Clan, Xiao Ding and other family members head to the back mountain to visit Xiao Meng.
• Big Old Two stops them, speaking arrogantly like an emperor. Its strength and the powerful flame within its body convince the group that it is likely a Sixth-Level Magical Beast.
• Xiao Li recognizes Big Old Two as the creature that once saved him. Big Old Two reveals that Xiao Meng is currently engaged in a life-and-death battle with a Dou Saint, leaving everyone stunned.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates extraordinary endurance and determination. Despite being repeatedly injured by Hun Tiandi, he refuses to surrender and adapts to prolonged soul combat. His confidence and arrogance remain evident in his taunts.
• Hun Tiandi: Remains extremely dangerous even as only a weakened fragment of will. His vast combat experience lets him exploit Xiao Meng’s weaknesses and dominate the battle.
• Big Old Two: Shows loyalty and responsibility by guarding Xiao Meng instead of continuing its own cultivation. Its proud, dismissive personality strongly resembles Xiao Meng’s.
• Xiao Zhan: Reveals a combination of mercy and ruthlessness by sparing vulnerable members of the Gale Clan while eliminating its cultivators and dismantling its power.
• Xiao Ding and the Xiao Clan members: Become increasingly curious and respectful toward Xiao Meng, particularly because of his connection to the Ice Emperor and powerful magical beast.
• Xiao Li: Remains calmer than the others because of his previous encounter with Big Old Two and attempts to use their past connection to communicate with it.
• Mittel Auction House leaders: Shift from confidence to uncertainty, realizing that the Ice Emperor’s loyalty to Xiao Meng has dramatically altered the balance of power.

3. Significant Themes

• Struggle against overwhelming power: Xiao Meng’s battle emphasizes perseverance against an opponent with superior experience and strength.
• Growth through adversity: The prolonged soul battle forces Xiao Meng to sharpen his will, combat awareness, and endurance.
• Power and political influence: The Ice Emperor’s allegiance to Xiao Meng causes major factions to reassess their relationships with the Xiao Clan.
• Mercy and ruthlessness: Xiao Zhan’s treatment of the Gale Clan illustrates the distinction between sparing innocents and eliminating threats.
• Loyalty and protection: Big Old Two’s decision to guard Xiao Meng highlights the bond between master and magical beast.
• Humor amid danger: Big Old Two’s arrogant behavior and resemblance to Xiao Meng provide comic relief despite the serious battle occurring inside Xiao Meng’s mind.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Hun Tiandi exchange threats and insults while battling through Soul Force inside Xiao Meng’s Soul Sea.
• Xiao Meng communicates mentally with Big Old Two and orders it to protect the cave.
• The Mittel Auction House’s red-robed woman and green-robed elder debate whether to approach the Ice Emperor and ultimately consider asking Xiao Yan to mediate.
• Xiao Ding organizes a family visit to Xiao Meng, while Xiao Yu and the others join out of curiosity about the Ice Emperor.
• Big Old Two intimidates the visiting Xiao Clan members, leading them to mistake it for a Sixth-Level Magical Beast.
• Xiao Li reminds Big Old Two of their encounter in the Tagor Desert, but the creature only barely remembers him.
• Xiao Yan consults Yao Lao, who confirms Big Old Two’s extraordinary strength and detects a powerful flame within it.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng spends more than ten days battling Hun Tiandi’s imprisoned fragment of will within his mind.
• Hun Tiandi is unable to self-destruct, while Xiao Meng cannot kill him outright. Whenever Xiao Meng’s attacks become lethal, another restraint on Hun Tiandi is removed, causing Hun Tiandi’s strength to increase.
• Hun Tiandi repeatedly attempts to damage or destroy Xiao Meng’s Soul Sea, but Xiao Meng endures the attacks and uses the battle to temper and strengthen his soul.
• Xiao Meng gradually improves from being unable to resist Hun Tiandi to matching and eventually defeating him. After several defeats, Hun Tiandi’s remaining restraints are removed; following another defeat, he becomes completely imprisoned within Xiao Meng’s mind.
• With his soul reaching a critical threshold, Xiao Meng begins cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture instead of continuing the battle.
• His soul develops into a massive, seemingly world-like sphere surrounded by runes and radiance, while a strange spiritual power spreads from the rear mountain of the Xiao Clan.
• This power affects everyone nearby, causing uncontrollable laughter, crying, despair, excitement, and other extreme emotional reactions.
• Xiao Clan members evacuate the area, while Big Old Two, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, and Hai Bo Dong work to contain the phenomenon. Xiao Yan activates the clan’s formation, and Hai Bo Dong uses his icy power to prevent the influence from spreading.
• The disturbance attracts attention from the factions of Wutan City. Xiao Zhan reassures them that the clan needs no aid, but uses the opportunity to establish deeper cooperation with the Mitre Auction House through Ya Fei, particularly concerning medicinal pills and ingredients.
• After more than ten days, the mysterious power stops intensifying and disappears two days later. The chapter ends with Xiao Meng emerging from cultivation drenched in sweat, exhausted, and visibly shaken by intense fear.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Becomes increasingly determined and ruthless in pursuing strength. His fear of losing his family motivates him to endure extreme pain and risk his life. Through the battle with Hun Tiandi, his Soul Force grows substantially, allowing him to begin cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture and achieve a major breakthrough.
• Hun Tiandi: His arrogance and rage intensify as he realizes he has been reduced to a tool for tempering Xiao Meng’s soul. Despite being immensely powerful, he is repeatedly defeated, restrained, and ultimately imprisoned, leaving him helpless and furious.
• Xiao Zhan: Demonstrates responsibility as clan leader by evacuating affected disciples, containing the crisis, and managing relations with outside factions.
• Hai Bo Dong: Recognizes the danger of Xiao Meng’s cultivation and immediately suppresses the spreading emotional influence, revealing both his strength and caution.
• Xiao Yan and Big Old Two: Xiao Yan assists by activating the protective formation, while Big Old Two guards the rear mountain and prevents intruders from approaching.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength through suffering: Xiao Meng deliberately accepts unbearable pain because he believes temporary suffering is preferable to losing his loved ones permanently.
• Fear of irreversible loss: His urgency comes from the possibility that family members could die in a way that even future resurrection or destiny-reversal powers could not undo.
• Humiliation and pride: Hun Tiandi’s fury stems from being forced into the role of Xiao Meng’s “whetstone,” exposing the conflict between his former supremacy and present helplessness.
• Cultivation and transformation: The battle serves as a trial that prepares Xiao Meng for a deeper stage of soul cultivation, symbolized by the formation of a universe-like soul sphere.
• Power’s consequences: Xiao Meng’s breakthrough is not isolated; its influence affects the entire clan, showing that immense power can endanger allies as well as enemies.
• Family and collective protection: Xiao Meng seeks strength to protect his family, while the clan members cooperate to protect one another from the dangerous effects of his cultivation.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Hun Tiandi: Their brutal mental battle drives the chapter. Xiao Meng attacks to temper his soul, while Hun Tiandi fights desperately for death or a chance to kill Xiao Meng.
• Xiao Zhan and the clan elders: They discuss the danger of the mysterious power and organize the evacuation of vulnerable disciples.
• Xiao Zhan and Ya Fei: They negotiate a mutually beneficial partnership between the Xiao Clan and the Mitre Auction House, strengthening the clan’s external relationships.
• Hai Bo Dong and the Xiao Clan: Hai Bo Dong suppresses the emotional influence with his icy Dou Qi, while coordinating indirectly with Xiao Yan’s formation.
• Big Old Two and outsiders: He guards the rear mountain and threatens to deal with anyone attempting to enter during Xiao Meng’s cultivation.

Chapter Summary: “Planting the Taishi Tree”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng finishes cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture. Although only about twenty days have passed in the outside world, he experienced an entire lifetime of brutal trials, including fire, ice, violent winds, the Yin Sea, and battles against the Demon and Ghost Clans.
• The experience nearly destroys his sanity, but it transforms his soul into a mass of purple liquid, making it more than ten times stronger. He learns that future cultivation sessions will involve increasingly difficult lifetimes and exponentially longer periods of subjective experience.
• Xiao Meng realizes that his soul has not yet become a true Soul Sea, which would require many more lifetimes of cultivation. The thought of potentially enduring ten thousand lifetimes terrifies him.
• After leaving seclusion, Xiao Meng speaks with Hai Bo Dong, thanks him for handling matters during his absence, and promises to refine a breakthrough pill for him once the necessary ingredients are found.
• He encounters Xiao Yan, instructs him to remove the protective formation, and allows the Xiao Clan to return. To avoid the many questions from Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, Xiao Xun’er, and the others, Xiao Meng quickly leaves with Big Old Two.
• Xiao Meng spends several days relaxing with his family and friends, while Big Old Two enters seclusion to refine the Life-Devouring Gu in its body.
• He consults the system about planting the Taishi Tree Seed. The seed must be planted in Void Divine Soil and nourished with the precious Wood Origin, which pains Xiao Meng because of its value.
• Xiao Meng chooses to plant the tree in the Xiao Clan’s back mountain rather than in the Heavenly Abode. His goal is to create an independent spatial refuge that can protect the clan if disaster strikes.
• He prepares the site by cutting down part of a mountain, creating a deep pit, and setting up formations around the area. He places a bronze cauldron filled with Void Divine Soil into the pit, then plants the Taishi Tree Seed together with the Wood Origin.
• The Nether Emperor, who will serve as the tree’s guardian divine beast, looks forward to the increase in cultivation speed the Taishi Tree will provide.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng demonstrates the terrifying cost of his cultivation technique. His soul becomes vastly stronger, but he is left shaken and fearful of repeating the experience. Despite his suffering, he remains practical and continues planning for his future and his family’s safety.
• He becomes more protective and responsible toward the Xiao Clan, deliberately sacrificing the benefits of planting the Taishi Tree in the Heavenly Abode to establish a refuge for his relatives.
• Hai Bo Dong remains loyal and grateful to Xiao Meng. His near-breakthrough to Six-Star Dou Emperor is acknowledged, and Xiao Meng promises to help him advance.
• The Nether Emperor shows increasing loyalty and maturity. Though it will be restricted to the area around the Taishi Tree, it accepts the responsibility of guarding the Xiao Clan and promises to grow stronger.
• Big Old Two continues supporting Xiao Meng but enters seclusion to refine the Life-Devouring Gu.

Significant Themes

• The cost of power: The Myriad Ages Undying Scripture grants extraordinary soul growth, but its trials threaten Xiao Meng’s sanity and life.
• Perseverance and sacrifice: Xiao Meng accepts personal hardship and sacrifices rare resources, including the Wood Origin, for greater long-term gains.
• Responsibility and protection: His decision to plant the Taishi Tree near the Xiao Clan reflects his desire to safeguard his family against future catastrophes.
• Loyalty and trust: Hai Bo Dong, the Nether Emperor, and the other companions support Xiao Meng, while he repays their loyalty with guidance and promises of assistance.
• Preparation for future conflict: The formations, the refuge created by the Taishi Tree, and the strengthening of his allies all suggest that Xiao Meng is preparing for larger dangers ahead.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Hai Bo Dong share a respectful conversation. Hai Bo Dong asks many questions about Xiao Meng’s cultivation, though Xiao Meng answers selectively. Their exchange ends with Xiao Meng promising to help him break through.
• Xiao Meng briefly speaks with Xiao Yan, ordering him to remove the formation so the Xiao Clan can return.
• His relatives and friends—especially Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Xun’er—question him persistently about his experiences, causing him to flee rather than explain everything.
• Xiao Meng and the Nether Emperor have a playful but affectionate conversation about their future separation. Their exchange reveals the Nether Emperor’s emotional attachment and its willingness to protect the clan.
• The chapter concludes with Xiao Meng and the Nether Emperor sharing optimism about the Taishi Tree’s benefits and their future growth.

Chapter Summary: “Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Two months after planting the damaged Taishi Tree Seed in Void Divine Soil, Xiao Meng discovers that it has finally sprouted.
• The seed’s growth begins producing a mysterious, high-level energy called Divine Power, which is vastly superior to Dou Qi and greatly accelerates cultivation.
• As the Taishi Tree develops, it creates an independent spatial world surrounded by a gradually strengthening barrier. Only Xiao Meng and the Nether Emperor can freely enter it; others can pass through the barrier but cannot access the true inner space without guidance.
• The space begins producing extremely fertile Divine Soil. Xiao Meng tests some of it in the outside valley, where plants grow explosively overnight, prompting him to preserve some for future use.
• Xiao Meng places the crystal coffin inside the new space and decides to turn the area into a secret fallback location for the Xiao Clan.
• He informs Xiao Ding and Xiao Li about the space, warning them to keep it secret. He also promises that both brothers will eventually be able to benefit from the Taishi Tree’s cultivation environment.
• Xiao Meng continues cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture and repeatedly battles the weakened will of Hun Tiandi. A later cultivation session lasts over twenty days and causes him severe mental and physical suffering, but it expands his liquid divine soul to nearly a hundred times its former strength.
• Afterward, Xiao Meng spends time with his family and travels with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. His painful cultivation experiences make him more emotionally sympathetic toward suffering people, leading him to give money to those in need.
• Once all his Origin Force has been converted into True Essence, Xiao Meng prepares to break through into the Spirit Transformation Realm, a stage involving the evolution of the mortal body into a spirit body.
• He uses his fishing ability while facing the bottleneck, hoping to obtain a breakthrough treasure. Through the fishing line, he sees a milky-white flame and suspects that he has caught the legendary Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng grows substantially stronger. His Origin Force is almost entirely converted into True Essence, his divine soul becomes extraordinarily powerful, and he approaches the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• His experiences while cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture deepen his empathy. Although he is not naturally charitable, witnessing suffering now affects him emotionally.
• Xiao Meng also becomes more strategic and protective, planning the Taishi Tree’s spatial world as a secret refuge for the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Ding feels embarrassed by falling behind Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan in cultivation but becomes excited at the prospect of training in the Taishi Tree’s Divine Power.
• Xiao Li worries about being separated from Xiao Ding’s progress and receives Xiao Meng’s reassurance that he will not be left behind.
• The Nether Emperor is established as the Taishi Tree’s guardian divine beast and can enter its space freely. It continues teasing Big Old Two.
• Big Old Two remains comedic and competitive, becoming frustrated that the Nether Emperor has special access to the spatial world while it does not.
• Hun Tiandi’s remaining will is gradually worn down through Xiao Meng’s repeated battles and is now considerably weaker.

Significant Themes

• Growth and transformation: The Taishi Tree’s development parallels Xiao Meng’s own advancement toward a higher realm.
• Protection and family loyalty: Xiao Meng creates a hidden sanctuary to preserve and protect the Xiao Clan.
• The value of powerful natural treasures: The Taishi Tree produces Divine Power and Divine Soil, demonstrating the immense potential of ancient divine resources.
• Suffering as a source of empathy: Xiao Meng’s harsh cultivation experiences change how he responds to the suffering of ordinary people.
• Humor amid cultivation and danger: The argument between Big Old Two and the Nether Emperor provides comic relief alongside the chapter’s serious developments.
• Preparation for future breakthroughs: Xiao Meng carefully saves fishing attempts and gathers resources, showing his increasingly calculated approach to cultivation.

Character Interactions

• The Nether Emperor explains why the damaged Taishi Tree Seed took so long to sprout and mocks Big Old Two for lacking access to the new spatial world.
• Big Old Two complains to Xiao Meng about the unfair treatment, but Xiao Meng points out that the Nether Emperor is the tree’s guardian while Big Old Two has no such status.
• Big Old Two and the Nether Emperor repeatedly quarrel and eventually wrestle after the Nether Emperor calls it “Big Old Two.”
• Xiao Meng entrusts Xiao Ding and Xiao Li with the secret of the Taishi Tree’s spatial world. He encourages Xiao Ding and assures Xiao Li that neither brother will be abandoned.
• Xiao Meng reunites with his family after cultivation, spending time eating and talking with Xiao Zhan and the others before returning to inspect the Taishi Tree.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Meng’s fishing attempt revealing a mysterious white flame, setting up the possibility that he has obtained the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng attempts to fish the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame out of its location but unexpectedly pulls out Xiao Chen, the Blood Axe and a five-star Dou Saint who is related to the Xiao Clan’s founder, Xiao Xuan.
• The system informs Xiao Meng that the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame will need approximately two breaths to react. Xiao Meng uses all his Soul Force to rapidly retrieve Xiao Chen.
• When the flame notices the intrusion, Xiao Meng pretends to be the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint, claiming that he has become a Dou Di and intends to destroy the flame. The deception briefly frightens and confuses the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, allowing Xiao Meng to escape with Xiao Chen.
• After being rescued, Xiao Chen treats Xiao Meng as his master because of the contract formed during the rescue. Xiao Meng is uncomfortable with his ancestor kneeling to him and seeks a way to restore Xiao Chen’s free will.
• The system warns that dissolving Xiao Meng’s contract immediately would trigger the slave mark implanted by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. Xiao Meng therefore summons the Nether Emperor and Big Old Two for protection and begins removing the marks first.
• Xiao Meng discovers five interconnected slave marks embedded in Xiao Chen’s heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The marks control Xiao Chen’s organs, soul, and thoughts, and could be detonated by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
• Removing the marks risks severely damaging Xiao Chen’s organs and weakening him. Xiao Meng nevertheless proceeds, using the Primordial Origin Flame and the suppressive power of his contract with Xiao Chen.
• After several hours of intense effort, Xiao Meng removes all five marks by nightfall. He is exhausted, while Xiao Chen realizes with surprise that he has survived his long enslavement.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Meng demonstrates increasing courage and resourcefulness. Although afraid of provoking the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, he risks himself to save Xiao Chen and successfully bluffs the flame by imitating its greatest enemy.
• He also shows loyalty to the Xiao Clan and genuine concern for Xiao Chen, refusing to leave him as a mindless puppet even though the contract gives Xiao Meng control over him.
• Xiao Chen is introduced as a powerful but enslaved ancestor. His initial obedience reveals how thoroughly the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame controlled him. After the slave marks are removed, he begins to regain his independence and awareness.
• The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame is portrayed as arrogant, violent, and easily enraged, but its deep fear of the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint makes it vulnerable to Xiao Meng’s deception.
• The Nether Emperor and Big Old Two act as Xiao Meng’s allies and provide security during the dangerous process of removing the slave marks.

3. Significant Themes

• Courage through deception: Xiao Meng survives by exploiting the flame’s fear rather than confronting its overwhelming power directly.
• Freedom versus control: Xiao Chen’s enslavement and Xiao Meng’s efforts to remove both contracts emphasize the importance of restoring personal will and autonomy.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Xiao Meng risks serious danger to rescue an ancestor and strengthen the Xiao Clan.
• Power and vulnerability: Despite its immense strength, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame can be manipulated psychologically, while Xiao Meng’s weaker cultivation is offset by strategy, artifacts, and special flames.
• Sacrifice and healing: Freeing Xiao Chen requires damaging his organs and exhausting Xiao Meng, suggesting that liberation comes at a substantial physical cost.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame engage in a tense battle of wits. Xiao Meng insults and threatens it while pretending to be the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint, successfully delaying its attack.
• Xiao Chen immediately kneels before Xiao Meng and calls him “Master,” creating an awkward generational conflict because Xiao Meng views him as an ancestor rather than a subordinate.
• Xiao Meng consults the system about breaking the contract, then coordinates with the Nether Emperor and Big Old Two to protect and assist him.
• During the removal process, Xiao Chen suppresses four slave marks while Xiao Meng attacks them one at a time with the Primordial Origin Flame, working together to free Xiao Chen from the flame’s control.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Meng removes the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame’s enslavement mark from Xiao Chen, then lifts the temporary contract he used to control him. Xiao Chen learns that Xiao Meng is a descendant of the Xiao Clan and discovers how badly the clan has suffered at the hands of the Soul Clan.
• Xiao Meng brings Xiao Chen to the newly formed Netherworld Realm. Because Xiao Chen’s powerful aura could damage its still-weak barrier, he must suppress it and cultivate elsewhere when necessary.
• Xiao Chen promises to protect the Xiao Clan from the shadows. He offers to pass on his Dou Techniques and help train its members, while Xiao Meng plans a Battle Skills Pavilion to safeguard and distribute the clan’s knowledge.
• Xiao Meng secures Heavenly Azure Stone from an imperial mine with Hai Bo Dong’s help. The Xiao family and hired laborers haul the massive blocks, and Xiao Meng builds a towering pavilion behind the clan grounds.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Meng fortify the area with formations, establish a trial that earns successful disciples Xiao Chen’s guidance, and conceal the Netherworld Realm behind an illusion and token requirement.
• Jia Nan Academy representatives arrive at the Xiao Clan, greet Xiao Meng as “Pill God,” and leave him surprised.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Chen regains his clarity and learns the present state of his clan. His grief turns to hatred of the Soul Clan, but he controls his anger and commits himself to protecting and strengthening his descendants. He remains reserved, preferring to watch over the clan from the shadows.
• Xiao Meng acts as Xiao Chen’s rescuer and organizer, arranging a place for him, asking him to guard the clan, and building the pavilion. He trusts Xiao Chen enough to place the clan’s treasured techniques and his brothers’ training in his hands.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li are sent to learn from Xiao Chen, while Xiao Zhan helps coordinate the costly stone transport. Xiao Yan joins the labor and is praised by Xiao Meng for not complaining.
• Hai Bo Dong secures imperial permission to use the mine and extracts the stone himself. His refusal of the Empire’s offered help irritates Xiao Meng, while Xiao Meng jokes about the emperor’s possible marriage plans.
• Xiao Chen is impressed by the strength of the Nether Emperor and Big Old Two, whose unusual bloodlines also surprise him.

Significant themes

• Clan legacy and renewal: Xiao Chen’s return reconnects the Xiao Clan with its past, while the pavilion gives it a foundation for future growth.
• Protection through strength and knowledge: Xiao Meng combines secrecy, formations, and a powerful guardian with the deliberate sharing of techniques.
• Trauma, restraint, and responsibility: Xiao Chen’s hatred of the Soul Clan is balanced by his choice to protect his people rather than act recklessly.
• Humor amid serious stakes: Xiao Meng’s teasing and the family’s reactions provide levity alongside the clan’s hardship and rebuilding.

Chapter Summary: “Third Brother, Easy for You to Say, Huh?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng returns to the Xiao Clan and is greeted by several people from Jia Nan Academy, including Instructor Ruo Lin and Instructor Lin Dao. They reveal that the academy has been worried about him after his sudden departure.
• Xiao Meng warmly hosts the instructors in Wutan City and offers to help Ruo Lin recruit talented students.
• After the instructors leave, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and others confront Xiao Meng about being called the “Pill God.” They learn from Xiao Yu that Xiao Meng is genuinely a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, not merely the Second-Grade Alchemist he had previously claimed to be.
• Embarrassed by the interrogation, Xiao Meng escapes by flying away, leaving Xiao Yu to explain his accomplishments.
• Xiao Meng spends several days showing Ruo Lin and the others around Wutan City while helping her identify promising recruits.
• He then travels with the Xiao Clan members and the Jia Nan Academy instructors toward Jia Nan Academy. His motivations include visiting the academy’s medicinal garden and completing a system mission involving the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Xiao Yan chooses a separate path, intending to train in the Beast Mountain Range and investigate a possible exchange for the Green Lotus Core Flame. Xiao Meng does not interfere.
• On the journey, Xiao Meng rides his chicken-shaped magical beast, Big Old Two, separately from the main group because the others’ noisy reactions to flying annoy him.
• Before entering the Black-Corner Region, Instructor Lin Dao and Ruo Lin decide to turn the Black Domain Great Plains into a survival exercise. The travelers are divided into teams and ordered to cross the plains without receiving help unless they face overwhelming danger.
• After more than half a month of being chased by magical beasts and attacked by bandits, the group reaches the other side exhausted, injured, and humiliated.
• Xiao Meng mocks their miserable condition, provoking resentment from Xiao Yu, Xiao Xun’er, and the others. Their irritation is intensified by the fact that they cannot compete with his overwhelming strength.
• Soon afterward, a mysterious figure flies over the group. Everyone is startled, and Instructor Ruo Lin orders the party to stop.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: His hidden identity and abilities become increasingly difficult to conceal. He is confirmed to be a powerful Fifth-Grade Alchemist and remains casual, evasive, and mischievous despite the shock this causes his family. His confidence and superiority are evident in how easily he travels and how lightly he treats the group’s ordeal.
• Xiao Yu: She is revealed to have known about Xiao Meng’s “Pill God” status but kept it secret. After being forced to explain everything, she becomes a target of her family’s frustration and later grows irritated by Xiao Meng’s mockery.
• Xiao Yan: He is surprised to learn that Xiao Meng truly refines pills at a high level. He continues pursuing his own dangerous training and plans related to the Green Lotus Core Flame.
• Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li: They shift from disbelief to astonishment upon learning Xiao Meng’s true alchemical rank. Their earlier assumptions about him are overturned.
• Xiao Xun’er and the other young members: The survival exercise exposes their limited experience and leaves them physically battered. Their admiration for Xiao Meng is mixed with helpless frustration because he makes their suffering seem trivial.
• Instructors Ruo Lin and Lin Dao: They act as responsible mentors but also deliberately give the students a harsh practical lesson before entering the dangerous Black-Corner Region.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and misunderstood identity: Xiao Meng’s family cannot reconcile his humble claims with the prestigious “Pill God” title and his true Fifth-Grade Alchemist status.
• The gap between talent and ordinary cultivation: Xiao Meng’s extraordinary power makes normal challenges seem effortless to him, emphasizing how far he stands above his relatives and companions.
• Practical survival versus sheltered learning: The crossing of the Black Domain Great Plains demonstrates that Jia Nan Academy’s students must gain real-world experience rather than rely solely on formal instruction.
• Family admiration and frustration: Xiao Meng’s relatives are proud and amazed by him, yet also annoyed that he hides information and constantly highlights their weakness.
• Humor through power imbalance: The group’s exhaustion and resentment are played comically against Xiao Meng’s relaxed attitude and deliberate teasing.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng exchanges respectful, friendly dialogue with Ruo Lin and Lin Dao while offering assistance with recruitment and hospitality.
• His family confronts him about his alchemical identity, but instead of answering directly, he flees and forces Xiao Yu to reveal the truth.
• Xiao Meng’s teasing of the exhausted travelers—especially Xiao Yu and Xiao Xun’er—creates comic tension and highlights their inability to challenge him.
• Ruo Lin and Lin Dao cooperate in designing the Black Domain Great Plains trial, balancing strict training with supervision.
• The chapter ends with the entire group reacting to the arrival of an unidentified flying figure, setting up the next confrontation or revelation.

Chapter Summary: I Told You to Keep Yapping

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng’s group is intercepted while traveling by sixteen Bloodflame Sky Leopards carrying thirty-seven Blood Sect members—thirty-six Dou Ling experts and one Dou Wang.
• The attackers are led by Fan Ling, the Blood Sect’s young sect master, who openly declares that they have come to kill the Jia Nan Academy students and instructors.
• Xiao Meng recognizes the danger posed by the Dou Wang and orders Lin Dao, Ruo Lin, and the others to retreat while he stays behind to delay the attackers.
• Fan Ling mocks Xiao Meng’s confidence, but Xiao Meng responds by asking whether they should fight in the air or on the ground, calmly claiming that Fan Ling would die faster in the air.
• Before Fan Ling can finish taunting him, Xiao Meng unleashes the AK-47. Its bullets become explosive fireballs, destroying the flying beasts and severely injuring the Blood Sect forces. Fan Ling is hit particularly badly, while even the Dou Wang, Luo Gang, is temporarily knocked from the air.
• Xiao Meng sarcastically tells Fan Ling, “I told you to keep yapping,” emphasizing how quickly his arrogance was punished.
• Xiao Meng sends the Jia Nan Academy group away while preparing to hold Luo Gang back. Ruo Lin decides to seek reinforcements, and the students express concern for Xiao Meng’s safety.
• Fan Ling orders Luo Gang to kill Xiao Meng. Luo Gang attacks with a golden spear, revealing himself to be a Two-Star Dou Wang.
• Xiao Meng asks Big Old Two to establish an array and force Luo Gang to fight on the ground. He uses gunfire to slow Luo Gang while the formation is prepared.
• The chapter ends as Xiao Meng faces Luo Gang and declares that he has never killed a Dou Wang before, intending to make Luo Gang his first.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates extreme confidence, tactical awareness, and willingness to risk himself for others. His mastery of the AK-47 allows him to overwhelm a large group of stronger opponents through surprise and firepower. He also begins preparing to challenge a Dou Wang directly, marking a major escalation in his combat ability.
• Fan Ling: Revealed as arrogant, cruel, and dismissive of Jia Nan Academy. His mockery of Xiao Meng quickly turns into humiliation and desperation after the gunfire leaves him gravely injured.
• Luo Gang: Establishes himself as the true threat among the Blood Sect attackers. Unlike Fan Ling, he remains composed and powerful, quickly recovering from Xiao Meng’s initial attack and pressing forward with overwhelming Dou Wang strength.
• Lin Dao and the academy group: Initially panic at the enemy’s strength but ultimately follow Xiao Meng’s orders. Their concern for him shows their growing respect and emotional attachment.
• Big Old Two: Acts as Xiao Meng’s support and helps execute the plan to create a battlefield favorable to Xiao Meng.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance punished by unexpected power: Fan Ling assumes numerical and cultivation superiority will guarantee victory, but Xiao Meng’s unfamiliar weapon completely overturns the situation.
• Courage and self-sacrifice: Xiao Meng deliberately stays behind so the others can escape, accepting the danger of facing a Dou Wang alone.
• Ingenuity versus cultivation: The battle highlights how technology, surprise, and strategy can temporarily compensate for a difference in cultivation levels.
• Mockery and retaliation: Xiao Meng’s calm insults and Fan Ling’s constant taunting culminate in Xiao Meng’s memorable rebuke after the attack.
• Escalation and ambition: Xiao Meng moves from defending his companions to openly seeking the chance to kill a Dou Wang, showing his growing confidence and determination.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Lin Dao clash over whether the group should retreat, with Xiao Meng forcefully taking command.
• Fan Ling repeatedly mocks Lin Dao and Xiao Meng, treating their confidence as absurd until Xiao Meng’s gunfire devastates his forces.
• The academy students, especially Xiao Yu, Xiao Li, and Xiao Xun’er, express fear and concern as Xiao Meng remains behind.
• Fan Ling relies on Luo Gang to avenge him, ordering the Dou Wang to kill Xiao Meng.
• Xiao Meng and Big Old Two coordinate tactically, using gunfire and a planned formation to neutralize Luo Gang’s advantage in aerial combat.

Chapter Summary: “Kill a Dou Wang (1)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng challenges Luo Gang, a Two-Star Dou Wang, declaring that he will make Luo Gang his first Dou Wang kill.
• Xiao Meng unleashes his True Essence and rapidly forms battle formations:
  • A massive golden bell temporarily traps Luo Gang.
  • A blue lightning formation summons powerful thunder beasts.
• Luo Gang breaks free from the golden bell and attacks with overwhelming speed and force, displaying enough power to crush a 9-Star Dou Ling.
• His Golden Python Spear transforms his Dou Qi into a giant golden python, which clashes with Xiao Meng’s thunder beasts. Both techniques ultimately destroy each other.
• Xiao Meng taunts Luo Gang for not showing greater strength. In response, Luo Gang activates his trump card, Heavenly Dipper Wrath Spirit, transforming into or summoning a gigantic Vajra-like golden battle spirit.
• The Wrath Spirit uses Gleaming Gold Fist, a devastating attack powerful enough to split the earth and threaten to crush Xiao Meng.
• Xiao Meng combines two black lotus platforms with the lightning formation, creating a concentrated black-and-lightning beam. It damages the golden fist but cannot stop it completely.
• The attack breaks through and sends Xiao Meng flying, causing him to spit blood.
• Luo Gang presses his advantage with a series of relentless attacks, injuring Xiao Meng again and refusing to let him recover.
• While retreating, Xiao Meng sends battle seals into his own body, causing his aura to rise dramatically.
• As Luo Gang prepares a final diving punch, Xiao Meng confidently declares that the battle is now his turn to control.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Initially calm, confident, and eager to test himself against a Dou Wang. He demonstrates extraordinary formation techniques, control over lightning, and the ability to combine multiple powers. Although badly injured by Luo Gang’s trump card, he remains defiant and begins activating a hidden enhancement technique, suggesting he has not yet revealed his full strength.
• Luo Gang: Revealed to be a cautious and experienced fighter rather than an overconfident brute. After sensing Xiao Meng’s danger, he immediately uses his full strength and later activates the powerful Heavenly Dipper Wrath Spirit. His fighting style becomes increasingly aggressive as he attempts to finish Xiao Meng before the younger fighter can recover.
• Fan Ling: Watches from a distance with malicious anticipation, expecting Luo Gang’s ultimate technique to kill Xiao Meng. However, Xiao Meng’s earlier performance makes him uncertain enough to withhold his judgment.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and escalation: Both fighters continually reveal stronger techniques when their previous attacks fail, turning the battle into a contest of concealed trump cards.
• Confidence versus caution: Xiao Meng’s bold taunts contrast with Luo Gang’s practical decision to use his full power once he recognizes the threat.
• Youth challenging experience: Xiao Meng’s age and apparent disadvantage are offset by his sophisticated formations and unusual combat abilities.
• Persistence under pressure: Even after being injured twice, Xiao Meng refuses to retreat or concede, instead preparing a counterattack.
• The danger of underestimating an opponent: Xiao Meng initially mocks Luo Gang’s strength, only to be forced onto the defensive when Luo Gang reveals the Wrath Spirit.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng openly provokes Luo Gang, criticizing his strength and demanding that he reveal his trump card.
• Luo Gang responds seriously rather than verbally, activating his most powerful technique and attempting to kill Xiao Meng.
• Their exchange reflects their contrasting personalities: Xiao Meng relies on confidence and provocation, while Luo Gang answers through increasingly violent displays of power.
• Fan Ling’s distant observation adds an element of hostile anticipation, as he hopes to see Xiao Meng defeated but becomes less certain of the outcome.

Key plot points

• Xiao Meng uses the Great Wilderness Scripture to drain the valley’s vitality, then defeats Luo Gang with the Great Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Finger. Big Old Two’s barrier prevents Luo Gang from escaping.
• Big Old Two burns the wounded Luo Gang to death. Xiao Meng kills Fan Ling after mocking and slapping him, then sets out with Big Old Two to finish off the remaining members of their group.
• Elsewhere, Instructor Ruo Lin and Lin Dao rush the students toward Peace Town to seek help, but black-robed attackers ambush them. The attackers kill more than thirty Enforcement Team members, including three Dou Wang experts and the captain.
• The attackers reveal that Xiao Xun’er is their target. She offers to go with them if they spare the others, but their leader says they would accept her corpse. Ruo Lin and Lin Dao try to protect the students but are quickly incapacitated; the attackers move in to kill the rest.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Meng shows the scale of his power and his ruthlessness. He pursues the defeated enemies rather than letting them escape, and his fury at Fan Ling’s earlier arrogance drives his prolonged, personal punishment of him.
• Big Old Two proves his value as both a fighter and tactician by trapping the enemy with a formation, then killing Luo Gang. He is unnerved by Xiao Meng’s treatment of Fan Ling.
• Xiao Xun’er responds to being targeted with courage and self-sacrifice, threatening to kill herself to protect her companions. Her offer is rejected.
• Lin Dao and Ruo Lin put themselves between the attackers and the students, but are overwhelmed. Xiao Yu faces death without panic, thinking instead of Xiao Meng and hoping he survived.
• The Xiao Clan disciples call on Xiao Meng to avenge them, while Xiao Yu’s final thought leads into the chapter’s cliffhanger: Xiao Meng’s voice answers that he will live.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Xiao Meng’s overwhelming strength contrasts sharply with the students’ helplessness against the attackers.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Xun’er, the instructors, and the students all try to protect one another despite the cost.
• Vengeance and cruelty: Xiao Meng’s treatment of Fan Ling shows how resentment can turn victory into personal retribution.
• Dramatic irony and suspense: Xiao Meng has survived his own battle, but the chapter ends with his friends facing imminent death, setting up a possible rescue.

Plot points

• Xiao Meng arrives just as the black-robed attackers are about to overwhelm Xiao Xun’er, Xiao Li, and their companions, and drives them back.
• He identifies the attackers as agents of the Misty Cloud Sect, linking them to an earlier assault on the Xiao Clan. The attackers confirm that they have come for Xiao Xun’er.
• Xiao Meng kills the leader—a powerful Dou Wang—with a high-grade bullet, then shoots three more Dou Wangs. His companion Tianhuang pursues and kills the fleeing Dou Lings.
• Xiao Meng treats the injured instructors and arranges flying beasts to carry the group safely to Jia Nan Academy.
• At the academy, Hu Gan rushes to report the attack. Xiao Meng asks him to help secure entry to the Inner Academy so he can use the Fallen Heart Flame to break through his cultivation bottleneck.
• Xiao Meng concludes that the attackers were testing whether Xiao Xun’er’s protector, Ling Ying, was nearby. He also suspects the Blood Sect is controlled by the same hidden force and that the abduction of women is part of a broader plan.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Meng’s arrival restores everyone’s hope. His casual jokes and teasing contrast with his overwhelming combat power, though using his weapon again injures his arm.
• Xiao Xun’er moves from fear to relief and admiration, while recognizing that Xiao Meng’s trump card comes at a physical cost. Xiao Yu is similarly stunned by his strength but calls him shameless.
• Xiao Li’s attempt to insult the attackers turns into incomprehensible gibberish, giving Xiao Meng and the others a moment of comic relief.
• Instructors Lin Dao and Ruo Lin are humbled by their defeat but grateful when Xiao Meng heals them. Xiao Meng also makes clear that his friends will receive no special treatment at the academy.
• Xiao Meng trusts Tianhuang to finish off the fleeing enemies and later relies on Hu Gan to help him reach the Inner Academy.

Significant themes

• Power and protection: Xiao Meng’s strength turns a hopeless defeat into a decisive victory, while exposing the gap between him and the younger fighters.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Xiao Meng risks himself to protect his companions and takes practical steps to ensure their safety afterward.
• Hidden threats and strategy: The attack was carefully timed to check for Ling Ying, suggesting a larger conspiracy behind the kidnappings and the Blood Sect.
• Humor amid danger: Banter and slapstick moments relieve the tension without diminishing the seriousness of the attack.

Chapter Summary

After returning to Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Meng resumes living in the Medicine Garden. Mu Zichen visits him and expresses gratitude for Xiao Meng’s past help, but Xiao Meng jokingly rebukes him for constantly giving him credit. Xiao Meng also tells Mu Zichen that he will soon enter the Inner Academy and intends to bring him along, despite Mu Zichen’s doubts about whether they qualify.
Xiao Meng boasts that, as the “Alchemy God” and a fifth-grade grand alchemist, he deserves special treatment. When Fire Elder mocks his arrogance, Xiao Meng challenges him to bet that he will become a top-tier sixth-grade alchemist within six months. Fire Elder refuses, admitting that he is not confident enough to bet against Xiao Meng. Xiao Meng then tries to trick him into betting on Xiao Meng’s failure, but Fire Elder angrily recognizes the guaranteed-win wager and threatens to beat him.
The mood turns serious when Fire Elder reveals that an Enforcement Team stationed in Peace Town has been massacred. The attack bears the Blood Sect’s signature, suggesting either retaliation or an attempt to undermine Jia Nan Academy. Xiao Meng advises Fire Elder not to retaliate immediately and recommends recalling the academy’s external Enforcement Teams to avoid provoking a stronger enemy prematurely. He plans to destroy the Blood Sect later, once he has made sufficient preparations, and remains especially cautious of a dangerous figure from the Misty Cloud Sect who possesses a mysterious system and may be difficult to kill.
Later, Vice Headmaster Hu Gan returns and informs Xiao Meng that the Inner Academy’s First Elder has agreed to allow Xiao Meng, Mu Zichen, and Xiao Xun’er to enter. Mu Zichen and Xiao Xun’er may enter directly, but Xiao Meng must pass a special test. The reward is substantial: if he succeeds, he will gain unrestricted access to the Inner Academy’s larger Medicine Garden and may freely harvest its medicinal herbs, provided he does not destroy their roots.
However, when Hu Gan explains the nature of the test, Xiao Meng becomes furious, believing the Inner Academy is exploiting him as free labor. He grabs Hu Gan and pins him down, demanding to know which elder devised the test and threatening revenge. The chapter ends with someone discovering the struggle and asking what they are doing. Without thinking, Xiao Meng shouts an obscene insult, creating a comedic cliffhanger.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates immense confidence in his alchemy and cultivation, but also reveals his strategic caution regarding the Misty Cloud Sect and Blood Sect. His pride, impulsiveness, violent humor, and willingness to exploit loopholes remain prominent.
• Mu Zichen: Shows deep gratitude toward Xiao Meng and continues to compare himself unfavorably with him. Xiao Meng treats him like a younger companion and plans to help him enter the Inner Academy.
• Fire Elder: Acts as both a skeptical elder and a source of important intelligence. He is impressed by Xiao Meng’s ambition but exasperated by his arrogance and jokes.
• Hu Gan: Successfully secures special entry arrangements for Xiao Meng and the others, but becomes the target of Xiao Meng’s anger after revealing the humiliating test. Their interaction is highly comedic and physically chaotic.
• Xiao Xun’er: Is included among those approved for Inner Academy entry, though she does not appear directly in the chapter.

Significant Themes

• Exceptional talent and privilege: Xiao Meng expects his alchemical achievements to earn him automatic recognition, but the Inner Academy still insists on testing him.
• Strategic restraint: Despite his aggressive personality, Xiao Meng understands that confronting the Blood Sect or the mysterious Misty Cloud Sect figure prematurely could endanger Jia Nan Academy.
• Power and reputation: Fire Elder worries about the academy appearing weak, while Xiao Meng argues that future victory will restore its reputation.
• Comedic arrogance: Xiao Meng’s confidence repeatedly clashes with authority figures, producing exaggerated arguments and physical comedy.
• Preparation before revenge: Xiao Meng intends to eliminate his enemies only after ensuring they cannot escape or retaliate, emphasizing caution beneath his reckless exterior.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Demoness catches Xiao Meng and Hu Gan in an embarrassing position, made worse by Xiao Meng’s crude remark. She misunderstands the scene, while Hu Gan is left humiliated and unable to explain himself. Xiao Meng retreats into seclusion rather than clarify matters.
• Xiao Meng spends a month cultivating the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture, emerging with a greatly expanded liquid divine soul.
• He learns that his Inner Academy entrance test requires him to defeat forty instructors alone and refine one thousand top-grade fifth-tier pills within five days. Convinced Hu Gan helped design the unreasonable challenge, Xiao Meng becomes determined to hold a grudge against him.
• Xiao Meng confronts Hu Gan and demands to begin the test. Their argument becomes a mixture of threats, insults, and mutual suspicion.
• During the journey to the Inner Academy, Hu Gan deliberately prevents Xiao Meng from riding his Griffin Beast. In retaliation, Xiao Meng summons Big Old Two, whose terrifying presence paralyzes the Griffins and leaves the students and elders stunned.
• Hu Gan is forced to allow Xiao Meng to travel with the group after realizing the Griffins cannot fly while Big Old Two is nearby.
• Xiao Meng travels with Hu Gan, several elders, Mu Zichen, Xiao Xun’er, and Little Demoness. He arranges for Xiao Xun’er to enter the Inner Academy for protection from possible enemies connected to the Misty Cloud Sect.
• The group passes through a dangerous magical-beast forest and arrives at a hidden silver gate leading to the Inner Academy. Once inside, Hu Gan reveals that Xiao Meng must cross the forest alone, under a restriction forbidding flight, and abandons him there without allowing him to protest.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng remains powerful, shamelessly confident, and highly competitive, but he also shows strategic concern for Xiao Xun’er’s safety. His cultivation strengthens him, while the unfair test intensifies his resentment toward Hu Gan.
• Hu Gan is revealed as petty and mischievous, deliberately provoking Xiao Meng and taking pleasure in inconveniencing him. Despite their hostility, he recognizes Xiao Meng’s abilities and appears to respect his strength.
• Little Demoness becomes an accidental witness to the chapter’s opening misunderstanding. Her disgusted reaction worsens Hu Gan’s embarrassment, while her privileged access to the Inner Academy highlights her close relationship with her grandfather.
• Xiao Xun’er remains loyal to the person she loves and is included in the Inner Academy journey primarily for her protection.
• Big Old Two demonstrates overwhelming power and an intimidating aura despite still resembling a chicken. Its presence reinforces Xiao Meng’s unusual status and gives him an opportunity to retaliate against Hu Gan.

Significant Themes

• Humor through misunderstanding and humiliation: The opening incident and the rivalry between Xiao Meng and Hu Gan rely on exaggerated embarrassment, insults, and deliberate misinterpretation.
• Power and status: Xiao Meng’s cultivation, pill-refining ability, and extraordinary magical beast set him apart from ordinary students, while the Inner Academy represents the highest level of advancement within Jia Nan Academy.
• Rivalry and retaliation: Xiao Meng and Hu Gan constantly provoke one another, turning the entrance test and journey into a personal contest.
• Protection and responsibility: Xiao Meng’s decision to send Xiao Xun’er into the safer Inner Academy shows that beneath his arrogance, he is alert to threats and concerned for those close to him.
• Institutional unfairness and privilege: The impossible test, Hu Gan’s arbitrary treatment of Xiao Meng, and Little Demoness’s effortless access to the Inner Academy suggest that the academy is shaped by favoritism and personal power.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Hu Gan exchange hostile jokes and threats, with Xiao Meng accusing Hu Gan of creating the absurd pill-refining challenge and Hu Gan denying responsibility.
• Little Demoness’s misunderstanding of Xiao Meng and Hu Gan creates lasting embarrassment, especially for Hu Gan, who is abandoned by Xiao Meng without an explanation.
• Xiao Meng uses Big Old Two to embarrass Hu Gan after being denied a place on the Griffin Beast, forcing Hu Gan to concede.
• Xiao Meng travels alongside Xiao Xun’er, Little Demoness, and Mu Zichen, though Xiao Xun’er and Little Demoness dominate the conversation while Xiao Meng and Mu Zichen remain quiet.
• Hu Gan and Little Demoness later physically punish Xiao Meng for insulting the academy, emphasizing their familial closeness and their willingness to gang up on him.
• The chapter ends with Hu Gan separating Xiao Meng from the group and sending him into the restricted forest alone, setting up the next stage of the trial.

Chapter Summary: Make You Breathe Fire and Set This Mountain Range Ablaze

Key Plot Points and Events

• On a mountain peak, elders from the Outer and Inner Academies observe Xiao Meng’s assessment and debate whether he can truly fight a Dou Wang.
• Xiao Meng encounters seven instructors—five eight-star Dou Lings and two nine-star Dou Lings. Using his formation and a single finger strike, he defeats all seven instantly.
• Rather than simply defeating them, Xiao Meng pins the instructors down and robs them, shocking and irritating the observing elders.
• Hu Gan and the other elders decide to abandon the original assessment format and send more than a dozen Dou Wang instructors, along with the defeated Dou Lings, to surround and “teach Xiao Meng a lesson.”
• Sensing the powerful group approaching, Xiao Meng realizes the assessment is being manipulated. Since he lacks enough ammunition to defeat so many Dou Wangs, he devises another strategy.
• Xiao Meng orders Big Old Two to breathe fire and ignite the mountain range. The enormous blaze forces Hu Gan and the elders to intervene immediately.
• Xiao Meng sarcastically pretends that he is merely continuing the assessment, then accuses Hu Gan of breaking the rules first by gathering all the instructors against him.
• Unable to risk Xiao Meng actually burning down the mountain, Hu Gan concedes and declares that Xiao Meng has passed the round.
• Xiao Meng then attempts to discover who ordered the next challenge: refining one thousand pills in five days. The elders collectively deny responsibility, unwilling to sacrifice their share of the profits.
• Xiao Meng tempts them with the offer of free Tier-Six pills, increasing the reward until Hu Gan interrupts to prevent anyone from revealing the truth.
• Xiao Meng is taken to the herb garden, where over a thousand sets of ingredients and numerous pill formulas await him.
• The next morning, he begins refining pills with the Myriad Furnace God, and his first attempt shocks everyone.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, defeating seven elite Dou Lings effortlessly. He also shows cunning, resourcefulness, and a willingness to retaliate when authority figures manipulate the rules.
• His mischievous and confrontational personality becomes even clearer. He uses sarcasm, intimidation, bluffing, and strategic threats to force the elders to yield.
• Despite his aggressive behavior, Xiao Meng can instantly disguise himself as polite and harmless, presenting a “gentle, bashful” image to the Inner Academy elders.
• Hu Gan shifts from confident evaluator to frustrated target. His attempt to overwhelm Xiao Meng backfires, and he is forced to concede rather than risk a catastrophe.
• Big Old Two enthusiastically supports Xiao Meng’s destructive plan, showing its loyalty and enjoyment of chaos.
• Xiao Xun’er and Mu Zichen become increasingly uneasy as they realize the assessment has turned into a coordinated attempt to punish Xiao Meng.
• The Inner Academy elders are exposed as self-interested and opportunistic. They want to conceal their involvement in the pill-refining challenge but are strongly tempted by Xiao Meng’s offer of free high-level pills.
• Little Demoness remains delighted by the possibility of seeing Xiao Meng suffer, contrasting with the others’ concern.

Significant Themes

• Authority versus individual defiance: The elders attempt to control and test Xiao Meng, but he refuses to accept unfair treatment and challenges their authority directly.
• Cunning over brute force: Xiao Meng cannot defeat or eliminate more than a dozen Dou Wangs with his limited ammunition, so he wins through psychological pressure and environmental destruction.
• Corruption and self-interest: The elders secretly benefit from Xiao Meng’s forced pill production while hiding behind the excuse of a collective decision.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao Meng’s innocent smile contrasts sharply with his ruthless, troublesome behavior, while the elders’ respectable positions conceal their manipulative motives.
• Escalation and mutual retaliation: Each side responds to the other’s schemes with increasingly extreme measures, turning a formal assessment into a battle of wits.
• Exceptional talent: Xiao Meng’s effortless victory and apparent mastery of pill refinement emphasize that he is far beyond the level expected of a normal candidate.

Character Interactions

• The elders repeatedly question Hu Gan’s confidence in Xiao Meng, only to be stunned when Xiao Meng defeats the seven Dou Lings instantly.
• Hu Gan and the other elders discuss how to overwhelm Xiao Meng, effectively conspiring to gang up on him.
• Xiao Meng and Big Old Two strategize together, ultimately choosing to threaten the entire mountain range rather than fight the gathered instructors directly.
• Xiao Meng confronts Hu Gan and accuses him of manipulating the assessment. Their argument ends with Xiao Meng gaining the upper hand.
• Xiao Meng attempts to manipulate the Inner Academy elders with increasingly generous offers of free Tier-Six pills, while Hu Gan desperately prevents them from exposing him.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Meng entering the herb garden and beginning the massive pill-refining assignment, setting up the next major demonstration of his abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Meng demonstrates extraordinary alchemy, refining batches of thirty, then forty, and eventually as many as one hundred Fifth-Grade Pills at once. Every pill is flawless, leaving the Inner Academy elders and its alchemists stunned.
• He rests whenever he is tired, then resumes work. After finishing the ordinary pills, he moves on to the more difficult top-grade ones.
• On the third day, First Elder Su Qian arrives to observe and asks Xiao Meng why someone of his ability came to Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Meng says he wants to borrow the academy’s secret Heavenly Flame, the Fallen Heart Flame. Su Qian reacts with alarm, since the flame’s existence is known to only a few people.
• Xiao Meng falsely claims that the academy’s founder, Mang Tianchi, told him about it, then admits he lied. He reveals that he knows the Fallen Heart Flame is becoming harder to contain and warns that its eruptions could endanger the academy.
• Xiao Meng proposes trading the academy’s Fallen Heart Flame for a second, young Fallen Heart Flame—and ends on the startling claim that the second one is already within Jia Nan Academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Meng remains confident and irreverent, openly dismissing an elder who questions him. Yet with Su Qian, a powerful Dou Zong, he adopts a more cautious and respectful manner. He uses selective truths, a deliberate lie, and a mysterious offer to steer their conversation.
• Su Qian begins skeptical and guarded. Xiao Meng’s alchemy impresses him, while Xiao Meng’s knowledge of Mang Tianchi and the Fallen Heart Flame unsettles him and sparks curiosity about the academy’s missing founder.
• Hu Gan realizes his demand for a thousand pills was far less daunting to Xiao Meng than he expected.
• Fire Elder and the other alchemists are so shaken by Xiao Meng’s effortless, perfect mass production that they question their own abilities.
• The elders move from suspicion and irritation to astonishment as Xiao Meng repeatedly proves his skill.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and shifting standards: Xiao Meng’s feats make even accomplished alchemists reconsider what is possible.
• Knowledge as leverage: Xiao Meng’s information about the academy’s secrets gives him influence in negotiations.
• Trust and secrecy: Su Qian must weigh the danger of revealing the Fallen Heart Flame against the possibility that Xiao Meng can help protect the academy.
• Power and restraint: Xiao Meng is blunt when challenged, but knows to temper his manner when dealing with someone stronger and when pursuing his goal.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Meng reveals that a second, juvenile Fallen Heart Flame is hidden somewhere in Jia Nan Academy’s Inner Academy. Su Qian is surprised but agrees that Xiao Meng may take the existing Fallen Heart Flame if he can subdue it.
• Xiao Meng learns that Hu Gan was behind the demand that he refine a thousand pills in five days. He finishes the task in four days, leaving Hu Gan and the other elders stunned and unsettled.
• Su Qian escorts Xiao Meng to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and orders the students to clear out. The elders follow, curious about why the Great Elder is bringing an unfamiliar young man inside.
• As they approach the tower’s central shaft, Xiao Meng is unaffected by the Fallen Heart Flame’s subtle, heart-burning influence. When the flame awakens as a huge, invisible fire python, Xiao Meng’s own flame makes it recoil in fear.
• Xiao Meng asks Su Qian to open the cage so he can go down and enlist the Fallen Heart Flame’s help. After some persuasion, Su Qian opens it. Xiao Meng jumps in—and immediately cries out in pain.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Meng remains confident and irreverent, dismissing the academy’s concerns and treating the dangerous Fallen Heart Flame as manageable. His calmness impresses and unnerves the elders, though his dramatic cries after the jump undercut his bravado.
• Su Qian shifts from disbelief to cautious cooperation. He is impressed by Xiao Meng’s abilities but still hesitates to let him enter the shaft, needing half an hour of persuasion.
• Hu Gan is revealed as the source of Xiao Meng’s punishing pill-refining assignment. Xiao Meng’s threat to remember the culprit leaves Su Qian relieved that he gave up Hu Gan’s name.
• Elder Liu and the other elders are first baffled by Xiao Meng’s apparent immunity, then shocked to see the Fallen Heart Flame fear the fire in his hand.

Significant themes

• Power and reversed expectations: The supposedly uncontrollable Fallen Heart Flame is intimidated by Xiao Meng’s mysterious fire.
• Confidence versus danger: Xiao Meng’s casual manner contrasts with the genuine peril of entering the tower’s shaft.
• Comedy through bravado: His menace toward Hu Gan and confidence before the elders give way to loud cries of pain after his leap.

Chapter Summary:

Xiao Yan’s Predicament

Key Plot Points and Events

• Deep beneath Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Meng cultivates inside the fourteenth-ranked Heavenly Flame, the Fallen Heart Flame. Unlike his previous cultivation with the Green Lotus Core Flame, which focused on transforming Origin Force into True Essence, he now concentrates on refining his physical body.
• Guided by the Eternal Undying Art, Xiao Meng allows the Fallen Heart Flame to destroy and regenerate his cells repeatedly. This evolutionary process is intended to produce mysterious Dao-like patterns in his body, enabling him to absorb and refine the energy of heaven and earth naturally.
• Outside the black hole, Grand Elder Su Qian and several elders anxiously wait for news. Su Qian explains that Xiao Meng entered the lava lake voluntarily, possibly to locate an infant form of the Fallen Heart Flame.
• The elders become hopeful that Xiao Meng may subdue or resolve the academy’s Fallen Heart Flame crisis. Su Qian reassures them that the lack of movement below suggests Xiao Meng has not been defeated, since the flame would have caused destruction if it had gained the upper hand.
• Meanwhile, Xiao Yan lies near death in a hidden cave in the Beast Mountain Range after a disastrous confrontation. His body is shattered, his meridians are severed, and his internal organs are severely damaged.
• Xiao Yi Xian, also badly injured, finds and treats him with medicinal herbs. Xiao Yan’s mysterious flame then activates and gradually heals his external and internal injuries. After more than a month, he finally awakens.
• Xiao Yan remembers the catastrophe: the Purple Crystal Lion King led tens of thousands of magical beasts, including more than a hundred fifth-tier beasts, in an attack on the human forces. Yao Chen was gravely injured, while a mysterious Dou Emperor helped him and Yao Chen escape.
• While fleeing with Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan encountered a powerful purple-robed man who defeated him and caused both him and Xiao Yi Xian to fall from a cliff. Xiao Yan now learns that Xiao Yi Xian saved his life, but Yao Chen remains barely conscious within the Storage Ring.
• On a distant mountain, the mysterious purple-robed man reveals that Xiao Yan is still alive through a lingering karmic thread. Despite searching the mountain range, he cannot locate Xiao Yan because something is concealing Xiao Yan’s fate and whereabouts. He vows that Xiao Yan cannot escape his karmic calamity.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng demonstrates extraordinary ambition and endurance by using the Fallen Heart Flame to evolve his body rather than merely strengthening his energy. His cultivation is progressing toward a self-sustaining physical transformation.
• Su Qian shows strategic judgment and confidence in Xiao Meng, while also recognizing the potential importance of his actions for the academy’s survival.
• Xiao Yan is brought to the brink of death but survives, emerging with renewed anger and determination. His immediate priorities become protecting Yao Chen, discovering the identities and fates of the mysterious powerful figures involved, and taking revenge on the Purple Crystal Lion King.
• Xiao Yi Xian displays loyalty, courage, and compassion by remaining with Xiao Yan for over a month and personally nursing him despite her own injuries.
• Yao Chen is revealed to be critically weakened after sacrificing himself to help Xiao Yan escape, leaving Xiao Yan deeply worried.
• The purple-robed man is established as a powerful and relentless enemy. His inability to find Xiao Yan frustrates him, while his reliance on karmic traces suggests Xiao Yan is connected to a larger hidden force or destiny.

Significant Themes

• Evolution through suffering: Xiao Meng’s physical transformation depends on repeated destruction and regeneration, presenting pain as the necessary price of transcendence.
• Survival and resilience: Xiao Yan survives catastrophic injuries and overwhelming enemies through the help of Xiao Yi Xian and his own mysterious flame.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Xiao Yi Xian saves Xiao Yan, while Yao Chen and the mysterious Dou Emperor risk themselves to create his escape.
• Fate and hidden destiny: The purple-robed man’s inability to trace Xiao Yan suggests that Xiao Yan’s destiny is being concealed or protected by an unknown power.
• Revenge and responsibility: Xiao Yan’s fear for Yao Chen turns into a fierce vow to destroy the Purple Crystal Lion King and the beasts responsible.
• Power and danger: Both Xiao Meng’s cultivation and Xiao Yan’s survival are tied to immense, unstable forces—Heavenly Flames, magical beasts, mysterious experts, and karmic power.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and the Fallen Heart Flame: Their relationship is one of hostile confrontation gradually becoming adaptation and possible mutual control.
• Su Qian and the elders: Su Qian calms their fears and explains Xiao Meng’s purpose, while the elders shift from anxiety to excitement at the possibility of resolving the academy’s greatest threat.
• Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan: Their reunion emphasizes trust and mutual dependence. She acts as his healer and protector, while Xiao Yan relies on her after losing consciousness and facing overwhelming danger.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen: Although Yao Chen cannot respond, Xiao Yan’s repeated calls and concern reveal their strong teacher-student bond.
• Xiao Yan and the Purple Crystal Lion King: Their conflict becomes intensely personal, with Xiao Yan swearing revenge for the destruction of the human forces and Yao Chen’s injury.
• The purple-robed man and the Purple Crystal Lion King: The supposedly dominant magical beast is shown to fear and obey the purple-robed man, establishing the man’s overwhelming authority and power.

Key events

• After three months guarding the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower’s sealed opening, the elders remain unable to explain when it will reopen.
• Deep in the magma, Xiao Meng completes a major body-cultivation breakthrough, reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm. He continues refining himself until the patterns branded into his body turn deep red, further strengthening his nearly unbreakable physique.
• He studies the Fallen Heart Flame but decides it is not worth refining. He also considers finding the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor’s cave and recruiting powerful allies, but avoids searching the dangerous magma for now.
• Xiao Meng discovers he can fly, practices above the magma, and then returns to the surface. His sudden appearance in the air astonishes Su Qian and the other elders.
• Back at the academy, students celebrate the elders’ return, assuming the tower may reopen. Su Qian gives Xiao Meng an identity token and leaves without directing him. Xiao Meng heads toward the Medicine Garden, dismisses several nosy students with a slap, and notices a duel ahead. His expression changes when he sees what is happening.

Character development and interactions

• Xiao Meng emerges far stronger and more confident, with a body capable of withstanding attacks from a powerful Dou Ling. He remains bold, irreverent, and dismissive of anyone he considers foolish, while also showing caution around enemies far beyond his strength.
• Su Qian and the elders are shocked by Xiao Meng’s ability to fly and his unexplained power. Su Qian recognizes that Xiao Meng is withholding details about his cultivation.
• Xiao Meng jokes that he has become a “Dou Di” and calls himself the “Mighty Emperor,” dodging the elders’ questions.
• Students’ hopes rise when the elders reappear, while Xiao Meng’s brief clash with the students who question him reinforces his impatience with arrogance and interference.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and earned advancement: Xiao Meng’s breakthrough builds on years of foundational training and sustained effort.
• Power and restraint: His strength has grown dramatically, but he avoids recklessly challenging the dangerous creatures below.
• Mystery and ambition: The ancient cave and possible allies hint at Xiao Meng’s larger plans, while the chapter’s closing duel sets up a new conflict.

Chapter Summary: As Long as You Can Take One Finger, You Can Take Him Away

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng arrives to find Mu Zichen dueling Yao Sheng, a powerful Six-Star Dou Ling and associate of Liu Qing.
• Yao Sheng dominates the fight with superior cultivation, close-combat skill, and his powerful Black Water Domain technique. Mu Zichen is badly injured but attempts to exchange wounds with Yao Sheng rather than surrender.
• At the decisive moment, Xiao Meng intervenes with a single finger strike, sending Yao Sheng flying and seriously injuring him.
• Mu Zichen explains that Yao Sheng had previously injured Xiao Xun’er and the Little Demoness. Enraged, Xiao Meng brutally punishes Yao Sheng by breaking his spine and arm and preparing to cripple his other hand.
• Liu Qing, ranked third on the Inner Academy’s Strong Ranking, rescues Yao Sheng and confronts Xiao Meng. Xiao Meng warns him not to interfere and declares that the academy’s rules do not apply to him.
• Liu Fei insults Xiao Meng, but he intimidates her into silence. Liu Qing nevertheless insists on protecting Yao Sheng because of their friendship.
• Xiao Meng challenges Liu Qing: if Liu Qing can withstand one finger from him, he may take Yao Sheng away. Before the confrontation begins, Elder Su intervenes.
• Elder Su announces that Yao Sheng will be barred from the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for two years and must surrender all his Fire Energy to Xiao Xun’er as compensation.
• The academy also grants Mu Zichen unrestricted access to the tower and academy resources, effectively choosing to nurture his exceptional talent.
• Xiao Meng remains dissatisfied and demands further support for Xun’er. He then asks Elder Su to lead him to the medicinal garden, taking Mu Zichen with him. The chapter ends when someone suddenly calls out to stop them.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng displays overwhelming strength, defeating a Six-Star Dou Ling effortlessly. His response to the injuries suffered by members of the Xiao Clan reveals his fierce loyalty, protectiveness, and ruthless sense of justice.
• His arrogance becomes more pronounced as he openly dismisses Jia Nan Academy’s rules and even threatens Liu Qing. However, he shows restraint by repeatedly warning Liu Qing rather than immediately attacking him.
• Mu Zichen demonstrates courage and determination despite the huge gap in cultivation. His willingness to risk serious injury for a chance to defeat Yao Sheng emphasizes his loyalty and fighting spirit.
• He also becomes more openly dependent on and admiring of Xiao Meng, joyfully calling him “Big Brother Xiao” and following him without hesitation.
• Yao Sheng is exposed as cruel and abusive, using his higher cultivation to attack weaker students. His defeat and punishment sharply reverse the power dynamic.
• Liu Qing is shown to be loyal to his associates and willing to confront Xiao Meng despite sensing the danger. At the same time, he is perceptive enough to understand Elder Su’s warning that Xiao Meng is someone the academy cannot afford to antagonize.
• Elder Su acts as a mediator. Though initially conciliatory, he firmly disciplines Yao Sheng and reveals the academy’s decision to favor and protect Mu Zichen.

Significant Themes

• Strength and protection: The chapter emphasizes Xiao Meng’s belief that power should be used to protect one’s allies and punish those who abuse the weak.
• Loyalty and clan solidarity: Xiao Meng’s anger stems not merely from personal offense but from Yao Sheng harming members of the Xiao Clan. His statement that only he may criticize or punish his clansmen reflects possessive clan loyalty.
• Power hierarchy: The fight highlights the overwhelming importance of cultivation levels, while Xiao Meng’s intervention completely overturns the academy’s established hierarchy.
• Justice versus excessive vengeance: Although Yao Sheng deserves punishment, Xiao Meng’s intention to cripple him raises the question of whether his response goes beyond justice into revenge.
• Institutional favoritism and political caution: Jia Nan Academy severely punishes Yao Sheng and grants Mu Zichen exceptional privileges, partly because it recognizes Mu Zichen’s potential and partly because it fears provoking Xiao Meng.
• Hidden identity and influence: The academy’s deferential treatment of Xiao Meng suggests that he possesses a background or status powerful enough to make even its elders cautious.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Mu Zichen: Their relationship is strongly protective and familial. Xiao Meng rescues and heals Mu Zichen, while Mu Zichen trusts and admires him completely.
• Xiao Meng and Yao Sheng: Their interaction shifts from Yao Sheng’s attempted bullying of a weaker student to Xiao Meng’s overwhelming and merciless retaliation.
• Xiao Meng and Liu Qing: Their confrontation establishes a tense rivalry. Liu Qing wants to defend his friend, while Xiao Meng challenges his authority and strength.
• Xiao Meng and Liu Fei: Xiao Meng immediately suppresses her mockery through intimidation, showing how little tolerance he has for interference or insults.
• Xiao Meng and Elder Su: Elder Su attempts to prevent violence and negotiate, but Xiao Meng treats him bluntly. Despite this, Elder Su accommodates his demands and escorts him to the medicinal garden.
• Elder Su and Yao Sheng: Elder Su formally condemns Yao Sheng’s abuse of weaker students and imposes severe institutional punishment.

Chapter Summary: “Taking Zi Yan Away”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zi Yan suddenly appears and stops Xiao Meng, claiming his voice seems familiar. Her arrival frightens everyone, including Elder Su, because of her overwhelming strength and reputation as the “Brute Force King.”
• Xiao Meng tells Zi Yan that he knows the truth about her origins and persuades her to leave with him. He deliberately withholds most details, using the promise of an explanation to gain her cooperation.
• Elder Su reluctantly reveals the direction of the Medicine Garden, worried that Zi Yan will consume or destroy its valuable spiritual herbs.
• Xiao Meng demonstrates his extraordinary power by carrying Mu Zichen through the air. Liu Qing, Liu Fei, Yao Sheng, Zi Yan, and Elder Su are all shocked, realizing that Xiao Meng’s strength far surpasses ordinary Dou Emperors.
• At the Medicine Garden, Zi Yan attempts to harvest the herbs, but Xiao Meng stops her and gives her a large supply of pills instead. He warns that even her Ancient Void Dragon physique cannot safely endure consuming too many high-grade pills at once.
• Xiao Meng takes Zi Yan to the main hall and explains her background, though he avoids important information—especially details about her parents—by claiming that “heavenly secrets” cannot yet be revealed.
• Over the following days, Zi Yan becomes increasingly attached to Xiao Meng because he supplies her with pills. Xiao Meng has her gather mature herbs, which he refines into pills, keeping eighty percent for himself and giving twenty percent to her.
• Mu Zichen enters seclusion to cultivate, while Xiao Meng continues studying the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture, sparring with Hun Tiandi, managing the Medicine Garden, and refining pills.
• Zi Yan becomes enthusiastic about collecting herbs and tries to stockpile them, but Xiao Meng stops her after learning she already possesses enough pills for several years.
• Xiao Meng later goes fishing and obtains a Red Lotus Karmic Fire, which is absorbed by his Primordial Origin Flame.
• Just as Xiao Meng prepares to enter seclusion, he senses more than forty unfamiliar auras approaching the Inner Academy. His expression changes drastically, suggesting an imminent threat or major confrontation.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Shows his cunning, confidence, and ability to manipulate situations to his advantage. He uses Zi Yan’s desire to learn about her origins and her love of pills to gain her loyalty. He also reveals overwhelming strength by moving through the air effortlessly and begins treating the Ancient Void Dragon’s power and lineage as a potential resource.
• Zi Yan: Initially suspicious and aggressive, Zi Yan quickly becomes cooperative after Xiao Meng promises information about her past. Her childish greed for spiritual herbs and pills is emphasized, but she also proves intelligent and responsible by picking only mature herbs and following pill formulas.
• Elder Su: Remains wary of Xiao Meng and deeply concerned about the damage Zi Yan could cause in the Medicine Garden. Although irritated by Zi Yan’s arrogance, he recognizes that Xiao Meng may be even more dangerous and powerful.
• Liu Qing, Liu Fei, and Yao Sheng: Their fear and shock at Xiao Meng’s movement through the air demonstrate the vast gap between his strength and theirs. Yao Sheng is especially terrified because of his earlier conflict with Xiao Meng.
• Mu Zichen: Remains quiet throughout the chapter and later withdraws into cultivation, serving as a largely passive companion.
• Hun Tiandi: Continues sparring with Xiao Meng, indicating an ongoing relationship based on combat and mutual testing.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Xiao Meng’s casual display of superior movement and strength changes how everyone perceives him. Even respected figures recognize that he stands far above conventional experts.
• Manipulation and strategic alliances: Xiao Meng uses knowledge, promises, and material rewards to secure Zi Yan’s cooperation. His motives are only partly altruistic; he is also thinking about controlling or benefiting from the Ancient Void Dragon clan.
• Identity and origins: Zi Yan’s unknown heritage drives her actions. Xiao Meng’s incomplete explanation keeps her dependent on him while establishing the importance of her Ancient Void Dragon bloodline.
• Greed versus stewardship: Zi Yan wants to consume and collect the Medicine Garden’s treasures, while Xiao Meng tries to regulate her behavior and preserve the herbs’ value by converting them into pills.
• Cultivation and accumulation: The chapter emphasizes gathering resources, refining pills, absorbing powerful flames, studying techniques, and preparing for future breakthroughs.
• Foreshadowing: The arrival of over forty unknown auras at the end signals that Xiao Meng’s temporary control of the Medicine Garden and his peaceful routine are about to be disrupted.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Zi Yan form the chapter’s central relationship. He teases and manipulates her, calling her a “little girl,” while she alternates between threats, curiosity, and eager cooperation.
• Xiao Meng and Elder Su clash over access to the Medicine Garden. Elder Su fears Zi Yan’s destructive appetite, whereas Xiao Meng dismisses his concerns and assumes responsibility for controlling her.
• Zi Yan’s relationship with Elder Su is marked by disrespect and intimidation: she openly treats him as inferior, while he resents her arrogance but fears confronting her.
• Xiao Meng establishes a mentor-like relationship with Zi Yan by providing pills, teaching her how to select herbs, and promising to explain her origins.
• Mu Zichen quietly accompanies Xiao Meng and Zi Yan before withdrawing to cultivate, while Xiao Meng’s regular sparring with Hun Tiandi highlights his ongoing pursuit of greater strength.