Chapter Summaries

Gu You attacked Burning Flame Valley to seize the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame, but Huoyun appeared as a Half-Saint and drove the Soul Hall forces away. After the danger passed, Zhao Li learned the mysterious stone had been swallowed by the Heavenly Flame and returned to the Pill Tower, where Xuan Yi urged Xuan Xueling to pursue Zhang Li.

• Gu You subdued the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame, but Huoyun appeared and revealed he had reached Half-Saint, forcing Gu You to flee through a Spatial Channel.
• Gu You reported the failed confrontation and Huoyun's breakthrough to the Soul Hall Vice Hall Master, who turned his attention toward the Pill Tower.
• Huoyun arranged for Han Zichuan to heal Tang Renjie, thanked Zhao Li for helping, and discussed Soul Hall's plot involving the swallowed Strange Stone.
• Zhao Li returned to the Pill Tower, where Xuan Xueling and Xuan Yi circled him and Xuan Yi urged her aunt to boldly pursue Zhang Li.

After the Soul Hall attack was repelled, Zhao Li spent the remaining days at Burning Flame Valley with Xuan Xueling and Xuan Yi, while Han Zichuan and Old Ancestor Huoyun dealt with the aftermath. Han Zichuan then began the journey home with Xuan Xueling, still hoping to bring her and Zhao Li closer.

• Xuan Yi's remark about Zhao Li and Xuan Xueling made Zhao Li fear that Elder Han was evaluating him as a potential son-in-law, but Xuan Xueling reassured him that she considered him a good friend.
• Zhao Li strolled around the ceremony with Xuan Xueling and Xuan Yi, then used a Human Skin Mask to avoid people seeking his friendship.
• Old Ancestor Huoyun's Nine-Dragon Thunderflame devoured an Eighth Grade Two-Colored Pill Lightning before Zhao Li could go watch it.
• Han Zichuan and Old Ancestor Huoyun took their leave from each other, and Huoyun vowed to remember Gu You and Soul Hall before examining the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame for the Strange Stone Zhao Li had mentioned.
• Han Zichuan traveled with Xuan Xueling to Heavenly Flame City and reflected on how pleased he was with Zhao Li, though Xuan Xueling had not responded to his efforts to bring them closer.

Han Zichuan brought Zhao Li to Holy Pill City and led him into the Pill Tower after their return from Burning Flame Valley. While Zhao Li waited, Han Zichuan went to report their trip to the Pill Tower’s chairmen.

• Han Zichuan left Heavenly Flame City with Zhao Li and Xuan Yi, while Xuan Xueling stayed behind to oversee the local Pill Tower branch.
• After several days of travel through a Spatial Wormhole, Han Zichuan’s group arrived in Holy Pill City and headed for the Pill Tower.
• Zhao Li wondered whether the Three Thousand Burning Flame had already been discovered or sealed away.
• Han Zichuan dismissed the group at the Pill Tower, then took Zhao Li to the elders’ floor and went upstairs to report their Burning Flame Valley trip.
• Han Zichuan found Spirit Pearl and Wind Lightning after their soul confrontation, and Wind Lightning asked what his earlier message had been about.

Han Zichuan reported the Soul Hall’s attack on Burning Flame Valley to the Pill Tower chairmen, who suspected the Soul Hall was also behind alchemists disappearing across the continent. Wind Lightning met Zhao Li and tested him with a Grade 8 Soul Purification Spirit Pill formula, leaving Zhao Li with the formula and an invitation to study at the Pill Tower.

• Han Zichuan told Wind Lightning and Spirit Pearl how the Soul Hall had attacked Burning Flame Valley, and Wind Lightning warned that alchemists had been disappearing across the continent.
• Wind Lightning hurried to meet Zhao Li, while Spirit Pearl explained that Wind Lightning liked testing and teasing juniors.
• Wind Lightning asked Zhao Li whether he could refine a Grade 8 Pill and gave him the Soul Purification Spirit Pill formula to examine.
• Zhao Li recognized the formula as an Eighth Grade Low-Level pill that he could refine, but hesitated to accept Wind Lightning’s request without knowing his intentions.
• Spirit Pearl introduced Wind Lightning as one of the Pill Tower’s Three Giants and told Zhao Li to keep the formula, while Wind Lightning encouraged him to study toward eighth grade.

Zhao Li joined the Pill Tower and learned that his Spirit Realm Soul Power had impressed Wind Lightning, who suspected he could refine Rank 8 Pills. Curious about the Five Great Clans’ assessment, Zhao Li attended as the clans arrived, and Han Zichuan began proceedings.

• Zhao Li kept his teacher’s identity secret as Spirit Pearl and Wind Lightning arranged his Pill Tower entry and encouraged him to study there.
• Wind Lightning revealed that Zhao Li’s Soul Power showed signs of reaching the Spirit Realm, and privately suspected he could already refine Grade 8 Pills.
• After receiving his badge, Zhao Li left the tower to find a residence, then heard that the Bai Family had arrived for the Five Great Clans’ assessment.
• Zhao Li entered the assessment hall, spotted Xuan Yi and Han Zichuan, and watched as the Ye Clan arrived.
• Han Zichuan confirmed that all Five Great Clans were present and asked whether anyone objected to him presiding over the assessment.

Zhao Li watched as Han Zichuan began the Five Great Clans' Alchemist assessment with a Soul Testing round. Dan Xiaoxiao and several others tested their Soul Power, while Gao Qiqiang stepped forward after mocking Li Hongwei.

• Zhao Li declined Han Zichuan's invitation to join the assessment, and two other young Alchemists joined the Five Great Clans' six participants.
• Han Zichuan explained that the first assessment would measure Soul Power, with a score above 400 qualifying.
• Dan Xiaoxiao tested first and scored 899, followed by Cao Dahua, who scored 777.
• Li Hongwei scored 599, and Gao Qiqiang mocked him before accepting his challenge to take the test.
• Gao Qiqiang focused his mind and released his Soul Power at the stone stele.

The first assessment ended with Ye Xingchen barely qualifying, and Elder Han began the Soul Manipulation assessment using Soul Pearls that reminded Zhao Li of the Soul Hall. Dan Xiaoxiao led the second assessment with 83 beads, one ahead of Qiu Qiutang, while the other participants reported their results.

• Gao Qiqiang, Bai Gujing, and Qiu Qiutang scored 666, 765, and 852 in the Soul Testing, while Ye Xingchen barely qualified with 456.
• Elder Han announced that everyone passed the first assessment and ranked the clans Dan, Qiu, Cao, Bai, and Ye.
• Elder Han explained the Soul Manipulation assessment and released thousands of Soul Pearls for the participants to catch with their soul power.
• Zhao Li recognized that the Soul Pearls suppressed the soul in the same way as the stone stele in the Soul Hall of the Tianmu Mountain Range and wondered how his master was connected to it.
• The participants withdrew as they reached their limits, and Dan Xiaoxiao lasted the longest before reporting 83 beads caught.
• Qiu Qiutang reported 82 beads, and Elder Han praised both women before asking the other participants for their scores.

The contestants completed the Soul Pearl assessment, with Ye Xingchen barely passing, before Elder Han began a Soul Power melee to rank their offensive abilities. Gao Qiqiang and Li Hongwei opened the fight with a forceful clash.

• Bai Gujing and Cao Dahua each reported catching 73 Soul Pearls, while Gao Qiqiang caught 60 and Li Hongwei caught 59.
• Ye Xingchen announced that he had caught exactly 40 Soul Pearls and passed, drawing disappointed reactions from the crowd.
• The Ye Clan's old woman defended her clan's prospects, while Zhao Li reflected on the Xiao Family's decline and wondered about Xiao Xuan's choices.
• Elder Han introduced a Soul Power-only melee with rankings but no pass or fail, and the contestants took positions inside the circle.
• Gao Qiqiang attacked Li Hongwei with a Soul Power strike shaped like a salted fish, and Li Hongwei countered with a fist-shaped attack.
• The attacks collided and their aftershock forced the other contestants to brace themselves; Gao Qiqiang taunted Li Hongwei to continue.

The Five Great Clans’ assessment devolved into a chaotic fight, and Zhao Li intervened when Li Hongwei and Gao Qiqiang tried to cripple Ye Xingchen. Elder Han ended the assessment, declared all five clans passed, and revealed Zhao Li was a Pill Tower member who had helped save the Li Clan.

• Li Hongwei and Ye Xingchen teamed up against Gao Qiqiang, while Cao Dahua, Bai Gujing, and Qiu Qiutang attacked Dan Xiaoxiao.
• Dan Xiaoxiao used Soul Hand Seal to repel their attacks, but withdrew from the circle when the others pressed her again.
• Li Hongwei and Gao Qiqiang turned their attacks on Ye Xingchen, who conceded, and Zhao Li blocked their strikes.
• Elder Han stopped the assessment and ranked the clans Dan, Qiu, Cao, Bai, and Ye, declaring that all five had passed.
• Li Youtian accused Zhao Li of interfering, but Elder Han rebuked him and revealed Zhao Li was a Pill Tower member who had helped save the Li Clan.

After the assessment, Zhao Li accepted a quiet courtyard from the Ye Clan and began studying at the Pill Tower while planning to refine the Soul Purification Spirit Pill. He headed to the Alchemist Trade Fair to find its missing ingredients, arriving amid a large crowd.

• The old woman and Ye Xingchen thanked Elder Han and Zhao Li, and Ye Xingchen gave Zhao Li a secondary residence in Holy Pill City.
• Gao Qiqiang suggested secretly killing Zhao Li after discussing the failed attempt to eliminate Ye Xingchen, while Father Li warned Li Hongwei not to be used as a weapon.
• Zhao Li woke with a headache, discovered his Cultivation Level had risen by a star, and reflected on cultivating his will and Soul Power.
• Zhao Li spent four days studying alchemists' notes in the Pill Tower Library Pavilion and learned he lacked every main ingredient for the Soul Purification Spirit Pill.
• Zhao Li went to the crowded Alchemist Trade Fair, where his Soul Power made people move aside as he entered.

Zhao Li visited the Alchemist Trade Fair to collect ingredients for a Soul Purification Spirit Pill, trading a soul-healing pill for the Spirit Cleansing Fruit. He reached the third floor and met Xuan Yi and Dan Xiaoxiao, but still lacked a Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core.

• Zhao Li browsed the second-floor stalls and collected most of the ingredients needed for the Soul Purification Spirit Pill.
• Zhao Li found the stall owner demanding a Seventh Grade High Grade Pill for a Spirit Cleansing Fruit, then returned after searching the other stalls.
• Zhao Li diagnosed the old man's damaged Soul Origin and gave him a Soul Replenishing Pill in exchange for the Spirit Cleansing Grass.
• The old man felt his soul recovering, handed Zhao Li the ingredient, and left to recover safely.
• Zhao Li entered the third floor, met Xuan Yi and Dan Xiaoxiao, and told them he was still searching for a Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core.

Zhao Li searched the Pill Gathering for a Mysterious Iron Piece and a Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core, while Dan Xiaoxiao offered him the core. Their exchange drew the hostile attention of Chen Haolong, who attacked as Zhao Li reached for it.

• Zhao Li found a Mysterious Iron Piece like the one he owned, but refused the stall owner's demand for a Seventh Grade High Grade Pill.
• After failing to find a Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core, Zhao Li posted an offer to trade pills or a refining opportunity for one.
• Dan Xiaoxiao offered Zhao Li her azure Magic Core, and he accepted it after Chen Haolong interrupted and insulted him.
• Chen Haolong threatened Zhao Li and thrust his folding fan toward him as he reached for the Magic Core.

At the Alchemist Trade Fair, Zhao Li took the Magic Core Dan Xiaoxiao gave him and clashed with Chen Haolong, who concealed his anger and left. Zhao Li obtained a chance to trade a Mysterious Iron Piece for a Seventh Grade High Grade Pill, gathered ingredients for a Soul Purification Spirit Pill, and waited in his courtyard as someone arrived at night.

• Zhao Li deflected Chen Haolong's attempt to seize the Magic Core and accepted it from Dan Xiaoxiao.
• Chen Haolong threatened Zhao Li, then left the fair with the two Elders of Xuanming after Dan Xiaoxiao warned him against acting in Holy Pill City.
• Zhao Li arranged to refine a Seventh Grade High Grade Pill for the old man in exchange for the Mysterious Iron Piece.
• Zhao Li gathered ingredients for the Soul Purification Spirit Pill and found that he had only one set of its main ingredients.
• At night, Zhao Li sensed someone arriving at his courtyard and realized the fish had come.

Zhao Li confronted Elder Xuan Ming, who had come to kill him, and revealed overwhelming control over energy despite matching the elder's Dou Zun cultivation. After suppressing him, Zhao Li watched the once-arrogant elder beg for his life.

• Zhao Li sensed a Spatial Barrier, sealed the courtyard with Space Lock, and waited for Elder Xuan Ming to arrive.
• Elder Xuan Ming attacked Zhao Li with Xuan Ming Divine Palm, but Zhao Li's palm overpowered it and shocked him with its strength.
• Elder Xuan Ming accused Zhao Li of luring him, then invoked the Xuan Ming Sect and Tian Ming Sect when Zhao Li questioned how he had found the courtyard.
• Zhao Li used Soul Power and Heaven and Earth Energy to suppress Elder Xuan Ming against the ground.
• Elder Xuan Ming threatened Zhao Li, then realized his life was in Zhao Li's hands and begged to be spared.

Zhao Li killed the Black Robe Old Man and tracked his aura to the Xuan Ming Sect's Holy Pill City station, where he killed Chen Haolong. He confronted the Two Elders of Xuanming with the corpses and demanded that the sect's leaders come out.

• Zhao Li suppressed the Black Robe Old Man, killed him, and put away his corpse.
• Zhao Li tracked the old man's aura to the Xuan Ming Sect's courtyard in Holy Pill City while Spirit Pearl sensed a brief, unexplained disturbance from the Pill Tower.
• Zhao Li appeared in Chen Haolong's quarters and showed him the Black Robe Old Man's corpse.
• Chen Haolong begged for his life and blamed Li Hongwei for telling him about Dan Xiaoxiao, but Zhao Li killed him.
• Zhao Li took both corpses into the courtyard, called for the Xuan Ming Sect's leaders, and faced the Two Elders of Xuanming.

After dealing with the Xuan Ming Sect, Zhao Li reflected on the role of strength and tried to uncover the secrets of two mysterious iron pieces. He spent the day studying alchemy materials and watched a Pill Tower elder refine pills, mentally deducing the formula from the ingredients.

• Zhao Li warned the Two Elders of Xuanming to leave with the bodies of Elder Xuan Ming and Chen Haolong and never act domineeringly again.
• Zhao Li searched Holy Pill City for Li Youtian and his son, failed to find them, and returned to the Ye Family Villa.
• Zhao Li reflected on how strength gave him the freedom to choose, then spent nearly four hours trying blood, fire, and water on the Mysterious Iron Pieces without success.
• Zhao Li searched the Pill Tower's book repository for Rank 8 Alchemist notes, unaware that Wind Lightning had planted the notes he found earlier to test him.
• Zhao Li watched Senior Lan Luhu refine pills in Alchemy Square and began deducing the Pill Formula from the ingredients.

Zhao Li witnessed Lan Luhu use Spirit Infusion to raise a Seventh Grade pill to Grade 8 and absorb Pill Lightning’s Dao Rhyme, then entered a strange state that improved his comprehension of the Rules and cultivation speed. After postponing his trade with the old man until the following day, Zhao Li went to seek out Elder Han.

• Zhao Li watched Lan Luhu infuse a Seventh Grade pill with spirit, raising it to Grade 8 as it absorbed the Rule Dao Rhyme from Pill Lightning.
• Zhao Li entered a strange state in which he saw threads connecting him to unknown places and an orange-yellow light before his consciousness faded.
• Zhao Li discovered that his comprehension of the Rules had risen by a level and that his cultivation speed increased after the experience.
• The old man who had traded Zhao Li the Mysterious Iron Piece came to complete their deal, but Zhao Li rescheduled it for the next day because he planned to refine a Grade 8 pill.
• Zhao Li saw the old man off and went to seek out Elder Han.

Zhao Li prepared to refine a Grade 8 Pill at the Pill Tower and drew a large crowd with his confident performance. After processing the supplementary ingredients, he began refining the Spirit Cleansing Fruit and Illusion God Grass, leaving the crucial pill-making stage ahead.

• Zhao Li asked Elder Han to observe his pill refinement and give him pointers, and Elder Han promised to support him.
• Zhao Li gathered friends and went to Alchemy Square, where crowds assembled to watch him refine a Grade 8 Pill.
• Zhao Li brought out Ji Changlin's Medicine Cauldron and used orange-gold flames to refine more than a hundred supplementary ingredients.
• Zhao Li carefully roasted the Spirit Cleansing Fruit while Dan Xiaoxiao and Xuan Yi watched and discussed the gap in their alchemy skills.
• In less than two days, Zhao Li finished refining the Spirit Cleansing Fruit and Illusion God Grass, then took out the Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core.

Zhao Li refined the Soul Purification Spirit Pill, using his Heaven Realm Soul Power to imbue it with spirituality and raising its quality beyond the formula’s expected grade. Wind Lightning and Spirit Pearl recognized his extraordinary ability and decided to investigate his identity, while five-colored Pill Lightning formed above the arena.

• Xuan Yi teased Dan Xiaoxiao about giving Zhao Li her Seventh Tier Water Attribute Magic Core, while Zhao Li began refining it.
• Zhao Li used Heaven Realm Soul Power to guide spirituality into the pill, astonishing Wind Lightning and Spirit Pearl, who suspected his identity might be false.
• Wind Lightning and Spirit Pearl decided to investigate Zhao Li through the Medicine Cauldron once used by Ji Changlin and consider him for the Little Pill Tower if his identity proved sound.
• Zhao Li discovered that the Medicine Cauldron’s Power of Life had fused into the pill, then finished refining it.
• Five-colored Pill Lightning gathered overhead, revealing that Zhao Li had refined the Soul Purification Spirit Pill to Eighth Grade Mid-Level quality.

Zhao Li refined a pill that drew Five-Color Pill Lightning, attracting the attention of the Pill Tower's chairmen, who questioned him about his Soul Power. After settling in the Pill Tower and reviewing his alchemy insights, he wondered whether he would join the Pill Gathering before visiting Elder Han to ask about events outside.

• Zhao Li repeatedly struck the Thunder Cloud with colorful lightning until it dispersed without landing a blow, then stored his pill and answered the summons from the Pill Tower's chairmen.
• Wind Lightning asked whether Zhao Li's Soul Power had reached the Heavenly Realm, explained the Soul Power realms, and advised him to stay in the Pill Tower for safety.
• After Zhao Li left, Wind Lightning departed to investigate his background while Spirit Pearl doubted most of what Zhao Li had said.
• Zhao Li reviewed his pill-refining process, slept, and considered whether his abilities would make the Pill Gathering unfair to other competitors.
• Zhao Li went to Han Zichuan's room on the Pill Tower's second-highest floor to ask about events outside.