Chapter Summaries

After Zhao Li drove away Hun Sha, Shi Potian, and Gu Dao, he reassured Ye Yunsheng that no one could keep him from leaving if he wished. Hun Sha returned to the Soul Realm with the unconscious Hun Xuzi and moved to report the matter of the Nihility Devouring Flame to the clan leader.

• Shi Potian withdrew after considering Gu Dao's ties to the Gu Clan, and Gu Dao departed after criticizing Zhao Li's arrogance.
• Ye Yunsheng relaxed against Zhao Li, and he carried her away while warning her about the danger posed by the Soul Clan and other Imperial Clans.
• Zhao Li confronted Ye Yunsheng for not using the Jade Slip, then told her that nobody but her could keep him from leaving.
• Hun Sha brought the injured Hun Xuzi to the Soul Clan's Alchemy Branch and ordered the alchemists to treat him at once.
• The Soul Clan's Chief Alchemist used precious pills to restore Hun Xuzi while worrying that a major event was unfolding.

Hun Xuzi recovered in the Soul Clan and told Hun Sha how Zhao Li had defeated them, including that Zhao Li possessed an Emperor Realm Soul. Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng wandered through Holy Pill City, where he offered to pay for whatever she wanted.

• Hun Xuzi woke after half a month of recovery and broke through to the peak of Four-Star Dou Sheng.
• Hun Sha ordered Hun Xuzi to recount the battle, and Hun Xuzi described Zhao Li's strength and his use of Soul Devouring on Hun Qing.
• Hun Xuzi confirmed that Zhao Li's Soul Power had reached the Emperor Realm, and Hun Sha ordered him to refine pills as punishment for endangering the clan's plans.
• Hun Sha told Hun Xuzi that the Nihility Devouring Flame Sub-Flame had been taken away, leaving Hun Xuzi stunned by the consequences of his actions.
• Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng explored Holy Pill City, and Zhao Li promised to pay for anything she wanted.

While strolling through Holy Pill City, Zhao Li gained a new insight into alchemy from Ye Yunsheng’s unusual pill-making method. He returned to the Ye Clan courtyard and successfully refined Emperor's Extreme Pills without a flame, opening a new path for his alchemy.

• Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng followed a crowd to watch two Seventh-Grade Alchemists compete in a Pill Battle.
• Ye Yunsheng asked whether she could win a Pill Gathering, and Zhao Li said she could not because her unusual path was beyond ordinary alchemy.
• Ye Yunsheng explained that she kneaded ingredients together and filtered them with Cold Qi, inspiring Zhao Li to reconsider how pills could be refined.
• Zhao Li returned to the Ye Clan courtyard, where Ye Yunsheng stood guard while he organized his new insight.
• Zhao Li refined nearly a hundred ingredients barehanded and produced several Emperor's Extreme Pills without using flame.

Zhao Li discovered a way to refine an Emperor's Extreme Pill with at least thirty percent more Medicinal Power, then entered a state of enlightenment that deepened his understanding of the rules governing alchemy and cultivation. He used his remaining Ninth Grade Treasure Pill to break through to Two-Star Dou Sheng Mid-Stage and caught up to Ye Yunsheng.

• Zhao Li changed how he extracted and combined medicinal ingredients, eventually refining an Emperor's Extreme Pill whose Medicinal Power exceeded his previous version by at least thirty percent.
• Zhao Li entered a state of enlightenment as he connected the properties of medicinal ingredients to the rules underlying cultivation, Formations, and Artifact Refining.
• Ye Yunsheng sealed the Small Building and watched Zhao Li's aura merge with heaven and earth during his three-day enlightenment.
• Zhao Li sensed an opportunity to break through, left Holy Pill City, and found a secluded mountain range far from anyone living.
• Zhao Li consumed his last Ninth Grade Treasure Pill and absorbed the Dou Qi around him, reaching Two-Star Dou Sheng Mid-Stage.

Hun Tiandi investigated a disturbance in the mountain forest caused by Zhao Li’s cultivation but found no trace of him. After meeting Gu Yuan, Hun Tiandi decided to treat the unknown expert as a potential enemy and abandoned his search, while Zhao Li remained unaware that his breakthrough had drawn the attention of the continent’s strongest figures.

• Hun Tiandi arrived at the mountain forest and deduced that someone had cultivated there, but he could not detect their aura.
• Gu Yuan spoke to Hun Tiandi from the Void, and the two discussed the disturbance and the unknown expert behind it.
• Hun Tiandi invited Gu Yuan to search for the expert together, but Gu Yuan refused and returned to the Ancient Realm.
• Hun Tiandi decided to count the mysterious expert among his potential enemies and left the Nameless Mountain Range, abandoning his search for Zhao Li.
• Zhao Li returned to his room without knowing that Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan had investigated the disturbance caused by his breakthrough.

Zhao Li revealed to Ye Yunsheng that he could sense the world's limits, then visited the Pill Tower in Holy Pill City to reconnect with old acquaintances. He learned that Han Zichuan had stepped down and asked Elder Huo about the Pill Tower and Yao Chen.

• Zhao Li teased Ye Yunsheng about his breakthrough, then claimed he could reach wherever she wanted to go across the continent.
• Ye Yunsheng took Zhao Li as her test subject through the night while experimenting with cultivation.
• Zhao Li went to the Pill Tower wearing his Seventh-Grade Alchemist badge and used a Little Pill Tower token to reach a restricted floor.
• Zhao Li asked for Elder Han and learned from the red-faced old man that Han Zichuan had stepped down.
• Elder Huo told Zhao Li that Yao Chen had become a Rank 8 Alchemist and was now respectfully called Venerable Yao, and Zhao Li asked how he had been.

Zhao Li learned that Yao Chen had become the renowned Venerable Yao and decided to repay his past kindness by sharing what he knew about Han Shanshan. At the top of the Pill Tower, he witnessed the Three Thousand Burning Flame battling three powerful figures and wondered what had changed since he last heard of it.

• Huo Chenjun told Zhao Li that Yao Chen had become a famous venerable alchemist, and Zhao Li resolved to give him a gift by revealing Han Shanshan’s whereabouts.
• Zhao Li left Huo Chenjun’s office and found no powerhouse stationed at the top of the Pill Tower.
• A thunderous explosion drew Zhao Li’s attention to a sealed area in the Star Domain, where a giant dragon faced three figures.
• Zhao Li recognized the dragon as the Three Thousand Burning Flame and saw Wind Lightning, Spirit Pearl, and Programmer trying to subdue it.
• Zhao Li wondered what had happened to the Heavenly Flame and why it was no longer under Huang Wen’s control.

Zhao Li returned to the Pill Tower and reunited with Spirit Pearl, Wind Lightning, and Cheng Xuyuan after they had sealed the Three Thousand Burning Flame. He learned that Old Huang had left, then realized the others might mean that Old Huang was gone for good.

• Spirit Pearl, Wind Lightning, and Cheng Xuyuan decided to leave the Three Thousand Burning Flame sealed and hoped a future generation could subdue it.
• The three encountered Zhao Li near the Pill Tower, and he proved his identity with his token and Orange-Gold Flame.
• Zhao Li briefly explained his absence and asked why the Three Thousand Burning Flame had been sealed.
• Spirit Pearl told Zhao Li that Old Huang was gone, and Zhao Li asked whether Old Huang had died.

Zhao Li learned that Huang Wen had died of old age and declined to pursue the Three Thousand Burning Flame for now. After hearing that the Soul Sweep campaign had achieved little, he reflected that he had destroyed more Soul Hall branch halls alone and agreed to visit the Little Pill Tower.

• Zhao Li asked what had happened to Huang Wen, and Spirit Pearl explained that the old man had reached the end of his long life protecting the Pill Tower.
• Spirit Pearl invited Zhao Li to try subduing the Three Thousand Burning Flame, but Zhao Li declined because he lacked the time and confidence to handle it safely.
• Zhao Li asked about the Soul Sweep campaign, and Wind Lightning said it had destroyed only a few known branch halls and had not seriously weakened the Soul Hall.
• Zhao Li realized he had destroyed more Soul Hall branch halls by himself during the past half month than the campaign had managed.
• Cheng Xuyuan invited Zhao Li to visit the Little Pill Tower, and Zhao Li agreed.

Zhao Li returned to the Little Pill Tower and revisited the places tied to his past. In a classroom, he challenged a teacher who was overwhelming three young students with Soul Power, then quietly eased their strain.

• Zhao Li entered the Little Pill Tower without difficulty, surprising Wind Lightning, Spirit Pearl, and Cheng Xuyuan.
• Spirit Pearl explained that the younger members had grown up and gone out into the world while the elders searched for new Geniuses ahead of the next Pill Gathering.
• Zhao Li visited his old pavilion, found his abandoned pill-formulation drafts, and reflected on how his past efforts had shaped who he was.
• Zhao Li entered a classroom and objected when an unfamiliar old teacher scolded three young students for failing to understand his advanced lesson.
• The teacher swept Soul Power over the students, and Zhao Li used his own Soul Power to calm and comfort them.

Zhao Li stopped Mu Cangming from bullying the young alchemists, slapped him, and challenged him to call for help from the Little Pill Tower. Mu Cangming summoned several elders, including Wind Lightning and Cheng Xuyuan, and began portraying himself as the victim.

• Zhao Li quietly nourished the young alchemists’ souls and disrupted Mu Cangming’s soul power.
• Mu Cangming tried to seize Zhao Li, but Zhao Li evaded him and slapped him in front of the students.
• Zhao Li challenged Mu Cangming’s claim that the Little Pill Tower would protect him and invited him to summon reinforcements.
• Mu Cangming called for help, bringing Wind Lightning, Cheng Xuyuan, and three other elders to the classroom.
• Wind Lightning asked what had happened, and Mu Cangming claimed Zhao Li had struck him after he had merely treated the newcomer coldly.

Zhao Li confronted Mu Cangming over mistreating the young disciples, then challenged Ye Shangqiu after he defended Mu Cangming and insulted Zhao Li. The two agreed to settle their dispute with an alchemy contest, leaving Wind Lightning worried about the damage to the Little Pill Tower.

• Mu Cangming claimed he had only been teaching the young disciples, but Zhao Li explained that he had objected to Mu Cangming showing off and disturbing them.
• Elder Bi and Elder Suo urged Zhao Li to let the matter go, while Ye Shangqiu dismissed Zhao Li's concerns and accused him of disrespecting his elders.
• Zhao Li insulted Ye Shangqiu, who challenged him to an alchemy contest to determine whose pill had higher quality.
• Zhao Li agreed on the condition that Ye Shangqiu apologize and stop ruining the young disciples; Ye Shangqiu accepted the contest.
• Wind Lightning tried to persuade them to reconcile, but both Zhao Li and Ye Shangqiu refused to back down.

Zhao Li and Ye Shangqiu began a Pill Battle after Wind Lightning urged them to settle their dispute through the contest. Ye Shangqiu revealed his Mysterious Yellow Flame, while Zhao Li loaded his ingredients into the cauldron and closed his eyes, leaving the onlookers to wonder what he would do next.

• Wind Lightning asked Zhao Li and Ye Shangqiu to end their dispute after the contest, and both agreed before heading to the Pill Battle arena.
• Mu Cangming questioned whether Zhao Li could match Ye Shangqiu, while Bi Youji said he did not know and urged him to watch.
• Ye Shangqiu released the Mysterious Yellow Flame, and the crowd discussed its Heavenly Flame ranking and its benefits for alchemy.
• Ye Shangqiu began refining nearly a hundred clusters of ingredient essence while Zhao Li examined the ingredients and set most of them aside.
• Zhao Li put all the remaining ingredients into his cauldron without lighting a fire and closed his eyes, prompting Ye Shangqiu to sneer that he was putting on a show.

Zhao Li used his accumulated knowledge and Power of Rules to attempt a newly devised Pill Formula while Ye Shangqiu refined his own ingredients. As Zhao Li’s medicinal liquids began fusing into a pill, the surge of Heaven and Earth Energy suggested he might be making a Ninth Grade Profound Pill.

• Ye Shangqiu assumed Zhao Li’s delay meant he was struggling with an unfamiliar formula, while Wind Lightning and Cheng Xuyuan wondered whether Zhao Li was attempting a ninth-grade pill.
• After two days of preparation, Zhao Li opened his eyes and refined nearly a hundred Medicinal Ingredients with his Orange-Gold Flame.
• Zhao Li’s flame took on an ethereal aura that made nearby flames, including Ye Shangqiu’s Mysterious Yellow Flame, respond with reverence.
• Zhao Li used his Power of Rules to refine the ingredients and fuse their medicinal liquids, forming the embryonic shape of a pill.
• A violent surge of Heaven and Earth Energy shook the Medicine Cauldron, and a spectator recognized it as a sign of a Ninth Grade Profound Pill.

Zhao Li refined a Ninth Grade Profound Pill, drawing Heaven and Earth Energy from across the region and then using the Power of Origin when that energy ran short. The pill formed and unleashed unprecedented Pill Lightning and Pill Rain, leaving Zhao Li relieved that he had succeeded.

• Zhao Li realized the surrounding Heaven and Earth Energy was insufficient and swept energy from across Holy Pill City and beyond into the Proto-Pill.
• After millions of li were nearly drained of energy, Zhao Li used the rules of wind, lightning, water, fire, and wood to supply the pill with the Power of Origin.
• The Proto-Pill became a Ninth Grade Profound Pill, and dark clouds filled the sky with destructive Black Thunder.
• Zhao Li opened the Medicine Cauldron as the pill emerged and medicinal grains fell like Pill Rain before returning to heaven and earth.
• Zhao Li murmured that he had finally succeeded.

Zhao Li completed a Ninth Grade Profound Pill, endured its thunder tribulation, and captured it after it emerged from its shell. He made Ye Shangqiu fulfill his promise and admonished the Little Pill Tower’s seniors to treat their juniors with tolerance.

• Zhao Li collected the newly condensed pill and realized that its Rule Origin showed him a path toward Ninth Grade Golden Pills and Emperor Grade Pills.
• Ye Shangqiu, Cheng Xuyuan, and Wind Lightning watched in shock and delight as Zhao Li’s pill drew a terrifying black Thunder Cloud.
• Zhao Li protected those present with an Energy Barrier while the lightning struck the pill’s egg-like shell until it cracked and burst.
• A golden Profound Pill tried to escape, but Zhao Li caught it and branded it with his Emperor Realm Soul.
• Zhao Li told Ye Shangqiu to fulfill his promise, and Ye Shangqiu delivered a self-criticism before Zhao Li warned the seniors to treat their juniors with tolerance.

After Zhao Li refined a Ninth Grade Profound Pill, the Pill Tower’s leaders and members reckoned with his overwhelming power and Mu Cangming’s disgrace. Zhao Li secluded himself in a distant mountain forest and prepared to absorb the Sub-Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, leaving himself poised for a dangerous internal battle.

• Zhao Li left the Little Pill Tower after restoring its seal, while the witnesses discussed his power and the Three Giants ordered them to keep the events secret.
• Ye Shangqiu left Mu Cangming behind and warned him to abandon his arrogance in the Little Pill Tower.
• The Three Giants wondered whether Zhao Li was truly the same person they had known and worried about having such a powerful expert among them.
• Zhao Li reached a mountain forest and considered devouring the Sub-Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame to comprehend Devouring Rules.
• Zhao Li swallowed the Formation Plate and used the Power of Rules to seal his body off from the outside world before beginning the fight.

Zhao Li fought and subdued the Nihility Devouring Flame inside his body after more than ten days of struggle. Outside, news of a supposed Ninth Grade Great Grandmaster spread, drawing powerful visitors to the Pill Tower, where Ye Yunsheng came looking for Zhao Li and left after learning he was absent.

• Zhao Li used the rules and energy within his body to weaken the Nihility Devouring Flame, withstand its burst, and expose its origin.
• After more than ten days, Zhao Li subdued the Nihility Devouring Flame.
• Wind Lightning, Cheng Xuyuan, and Spirit Pearl discussed the surge of visitors and the need to strengthen the Pill Tower.
• Ye Yunsheng arrived at the Pill Tower, named Zhao Li as the person she sought, then left when she learned he was not there.
• Ye Yunsheng heard people in Holy Pill City discussing the strange phenomenon and realized Zhao Li was the mysterious expert behind it.

Ye Yunsheng learned that Yao Chen had come to Holy Pill City hoping to meet Zhao Li, who had already left to study the Sub-Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame. Two months later, Zhao Li returned unharmed and planned to grow stronger before facing the continent’s powerful experts.

• Ye Yunsheng told Yao Chen that Zhao Li had visited Holy Pill City and planned to see him later at Starfall Pavilion.
• Yao Chen went to the Pill Tower, hoping to meet Zhao Li when he returned to the Little Pill Tower.
• Zhao Li returned to Holy Pill City after studying the Sub-Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame for two months, gaining advances in space and cultivation speed.
• Zhao Li found no powerful experts lying in wait and decided to use the opportunity to secretly grow stronger.
• Ye Yunsheng welcomed Zhao Li back with sarcasm, then admitted his long disappearance had worried her.
• Zhao Li reassured Ye Yunsheng that he would become strong enough soon.

Zhao Li returned to the Little Pill Tower with Ye Yunsheng, reassured Spirit Pearl, and arranged to lecture the alchemists before leaving Holy Pill City. After his half-month lecture, he planned to travel across the continent with Ye Yunsheng and hoped the Little Pill Tower would advance alchemy in his absence.

• Ye Yunsheng told Zhao Li about the attention his earlier commotion had brought to Holy Pill City and the factions visiting the Pill Tower.
• Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng visited Spirit Pearl, and Zhao Li told him he would lecture the Little Pill Tower’s alchemists before leaving the city.
• Spirit Pearl told Zhao Li that Yao Chen had left for his sect after waiting more than a month, so Zhao Li planned to visit Starfall Pavilion later.
• Zhao Li promised Ye Yunsheng they would travel across the continent together once his business was finished.
• Zhao Li completed a half-month lecture on cultivation, alchemy methods, and pill-refining concepts, then hoped the Little Pill Tower would find ways to develop alchemy further.