Recaps

Xiao Lin settled affairs in the Jia Ma Empire and prepared to return to the Central Plains to deal with the threats from the Soul Hall and Hun Clan. Yun Yun joined him, leaving the Misty Cloud Sect after bidding farewell to Yun Shan.

• Yun Shan asked Xiao Lin to take Yun Yun to the Central Plains, and Xiao Lin agreed while promising not to tell her why Yun Shan had arranged it.
• Xiao Lin met Jia Xing Tian, Hai Bodong, Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and Mu Chen, confirmed his strength, and promised to help the Jia Ma Empire if trouble arose.
• After spending about a month settling matters, Xiao Lin planned to return to the Central Plains to address the danger facing the Xiao Household.
• Three months later, Xiao Lin arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect, where Yun Yun agreed to leave with him after Yun Shan had persuaded her.
• Yun Yun said goodbye to Yun Shan, then entered Xiao Lin's Spatial Passage and departed for the Central Plains.

Xiao Lin teased Yun Yun about her hidden feelings for Xiao Yan and revealed that he and Yun Shan had witnessed their time together in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He reassured her that they accepted her feelings and suggested expelling Xiao Zhan and Nalan Yanran from their respective lineages to remove the complications, leaving Yun Yun stunned by his solution.

• Xiao Lin noticed Yun Yun acting nervously around him and teased her about growing distant.
• Xiao Lin told Yun Yun that he and Yun Shan had seen everything between her and Xiao Yan in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• Yun Yun panicked and apologized, fearing Xiao Lin's family would condemn her feelings for Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Lin explained that he and Yun Shan had chosen not to interfere because feelings could not simply be controlled.
• Xiao Lin proposed expelling Xiao Zhan and Nalan Yanran from their masters' lineages to resolve the taboo, leaving Yun Yun bewildered.

Xiao Lin reassured Yun Yun about her feelings for Xiao Yan and told her a fabricated story about Yang Guo and Li Mochou to help her overcome her doubts. Yun Yun was moved by the tale and began to see hope for a relationship with Xiao Yan.

• Yun Yun refused Xiao Lin's suggestion to expel Nalan Yanran and worried that Xiao Yan might not return her feelings.
• Xiao Lin reminded Yun Yun that she had kissed Xiao Yan before leaving the Magical Beast Mountain Range and urged her to regain the courage she had shown then.
• Xiao Lin told Yun Yun an adapted tale in which Yang Guo and his martial aunt Li Mochou fell in love and lived happily together.
• Yun Yun asked whether Yang Guo and Li Mochou had truly lived on the Dou Qi Continent, and Xiao Lin claimed he had learned their story in a secret realm.
• Yun Yun identified with Li Mochou and began to believe she and Xiao Yan might overcome their own relationship taboo.

Ji Li returned to the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace after earning a breakthrough to Early-Stage Three-Star Dou Sheng in an underwater ruin. He was met with an attack from a mysterious woman, and the two stopped their clash from damaging the hall.

• Ji Li emerged from the sea after surviving a Dou Saint Ruins trial that advanced him to Early-Stage Three-Star Dou Sheng.
• Ji Li opened a spatial passage and returned to the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace without warning Xiao Lin or his friends.
• A woman in the palace attacked Ji Li with a glowing palm strike as he stepped out of the passage.
• Ji Li blocked the woman's attack, and they used spatial power together to contain the resulting shock waves.
• Ji Li looked toward the northeastern corner of the hall and saw a stern, cool-featured woman staring at him.

Ji Li returned to the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace and mistook Grand Elder Ling Miao for an enemy, leading to a standoff before Xiao Lin cleared up the misunderstanding. After learning about the palace’s new strength and Xiao Lin’s rapid cultivation, Ji Li ended the reunion disheartened that he still could not catch up.

• Ji Li and Ling Miao questioned each other after clashing in the palace hall, each believing the other might be an intruder.
• Xiao Lin arrived through a Spatial Passage, recognized Ji Li, and brought him and Ling Miao to the Realm of Formations to explain their identities.
• Ling Miao learned Ji Li was the palace’s Second Palace Master and a descendant of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, while Ji Li learned the Hun Clan had destroyed the Ling Clan and Xiao Lin had brought Ling Miao into the palace.
• Ling Miao apologized for attacking Ji Li, and Ji Li admitted his surprise entrance had helped cause the misunderstanding.
• Ji Li learned Xiao Lin had advanced from around Two-Star Dou Saint to Late Five-Star Dou Sheng and felt disheartened that he could not catch up.

Ji Li reunited with Xiao Lin and Ling Miao after rising to Three-Star Dou Sheng by inheriting a high-star Dou Sheng’s underwater tomb. When Xiao Lin revealed that he had found the Ancient Emperor’s Cave and befriended Zhukun, Ling Miao and Ji Li considered its inheritance, but Xiao Lin warned them away and pointed out that gathering all eight pieces of Ancient Emperor Jade was impossible.

• Xiao Lin and Ling Miao were shocked to learn that Ji Li had advanced from Nine-Transformation Peak Dou Venerable to Three-Star Dou Sheng in less than ten years.
• Ji Li explained that he had found a high-star Dou Sheng’s tomb beneath the sea, survived its dangers, and obtained its inheritance.
• Ji Li and Ling Miao reacted with disbelief when Xiao Lin revealed that he had found the Ancient Emperor’s Cave and discovered Old Dragon Emperor Zhukun trapped inside.
• Ling Miao excitedly considered using Tou She Ancient God’s inheritance to avenge the Ling Clan, while Xiao Lin privately recalled the dangers waiting inside the cave.
• Xiao Lin told Ji Li and Ling Miao to forget about the inheritance because they could not gather all eight pieces of Tou She Ancient God Jade, and Ling Miao accepted that the task was impossible.

Xiao Lin revealed that he expected to breach the Emperor Array trapping Zhukun within five years, potentially freeing the Old Dragon Emperor and gaining powerful support for the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace. Ji Li and Ling Miao then dismissed Xiao Lin’s other concerns so he could focus on studying the array.

• Ji Li urged Xiao Lin to focus on Zhukun rather than the inheritance in the Ancient Emperor's Cave.
• Xiao Lin explained that freeing Zhukun could make the Ancient Void Dragon Clan a powerful ally against the Soul Hall and Hun Clan.
• Xiao Lin said he was an Earth Tier High Rank Spiritual Formation Master and expected to open a breach in the Emperor Array within five years.
• Ling Miao considered how Zhukun’s return could reunite the Ancient Void Dragon Clan’s hidden experts and restore its strength.
• Ji Li and Ling Miao told Xiao Lin to leave his remaining affairs to them and concentrate on studying the Emperor Array.

Xiao Lin decided to use the Xiao Household’s piece of Tou She Ancient God Jade to draw attention away from his clan and trade it for resources. A rumor about the jade spread across the Central Plains, and Hun Tiandi began investigating who was behind it.

• Xiao Lin agreed to prioritize studying the Emperor Array and freeing Zhukun, but first asked Ji Li and Ling Miao to secretly spread news about his Tou She Ancient God Jade.
• Ji Li and Ling Miao questioned Xiao Lin’s plan to use the Xiao Clan’s inherited treasure as bait, but Xiao Lin explained that it could divert the Hun Clan and bring a valuable trade.
• Xiao Lin reasoned that one piece of Tou She Ancient God Jade was of little practical use and instructed Ji Li and Ling Miao to handle the plan discreetly.
• Half a month later, a rumor about the Tou She Ancient God Jade spread through the Central Plains and alarmed the remaining Emperor Clans.
• Hun Miesheng reported the rumor to Hun Tiandi, who considered whether Xiao Clan remnants or another party was behind it.

Hun Tiandi ordered the Soul Hall to investigate a rumor that the Tou She Ancient God Jade once held by the Xiao Household would be auctioned within five years, while the Gu Clan debated whether the news was true. The Hun Clan planned to move against the Stone Clan after the auction, and the Gu Clan remained uncertain about the Xiao Household’s jade.

• Hun Tiandi told Hun Miesheng to investigate the rumored auction and put the Xiao Clan remnants aside for now.
• The Nihility Devouring Flame reported that Ling Miao had not appeared near the Gu Realm, and Hun Tiandi ordered an attack on the Stone Clan after the Hun Clan obtained the Xiao Household’s jade.
• Hun Tiandi privately vowed that he would soon move closer to becoming a Dou Emperor.
• Gu Clan members argued over whether the Xiao Household’s Tou She Ancient God Jade had surfaced or been lost, while Gu Xun'er thought about Xiao Yan.

The Gu Clan decided to pursue the Tou She Ancient God Jade through the auction rumored to take place in five years and to monitor the Hun Clan closely. The Yan, Lei, Yao, and Shi Clans also heard the news but chose not to compete seriously.

• Gu Lie called the Gu Clan meeting to order, and Gu Yuan announced that the clan would prepare to participate in the auction.
• Gu Clan Elders welcomed the auction as a way to obtain the Xiao Household’s jade without violating the clan’s old promise.
• Xun'er warned that Hun Tiandi and the Hun Clan would seek the jade, prompting Gu Yuan to order increased surveillance of them.
• The Gu Clan and the Hun Clan began acting against each other, making Ji Li and Ling Miao’s activities easier and reducing the threat to the Xiao Household.
• The Yan, Lei, Yao, and Shi Clans considered the jade but stayed on the sidelines, leaving the Hun and Gu Clans as the determined contenders.

Xiao Lin met with Yun Yun and his grandsons Xiao Ding and Xiao Li before leaving the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace. He learned that Yun Yun had been settling in with the brothers’ help, while their rapid cultivation growth showed the sect’s next generation was rising.

• Xiao Lin summoned Yun Yun, who arrived with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li after the brothers had spent several days looking after her.
• Yun Yun was astonished to learn that Xiao Ding had reached Two-Star Dou Zong and Xiao Li had reached Nine-Star Dou Emperor.
• The chapter explained that Sound Valley had strengthened Xiao Ding through soul-focused training, while Ling Miao had taught Xiao Li the Ling Clan’s legacy to repay Xiao Lin’s help.
• Xiao Lin reflected that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li could contend for the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace’s Top Ten Sequences and represented the sect’s rising generation.
• Yun Yun blushed when Xiao Lin called them all family, and Xiao Lin realized she had read romantic meaning into his words.
• Xiao Lin invited the three to sit and asked Yun Yun and the brothers about their lives at the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace.

Yun Yun decided to leave the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace and roam the Central Plains to temper herself and follow the path of Ancestor Yun Potian. Xiao Lin supported her choice, recommended that she visit the Flower Sect, and equipped her with safeguards before she departed.

• Yun Yun assured Xiao Lin that she was well at the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace, then revealed she wanted to leave.
• Yun Yun explained to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that she had come to the Central Plains to temper herself and hoped to follow Ancestor Yun Potian’s path.
• Xiao Lin accepted Yun Yun’s decision and suggested she consider visiting the Flower Sect.
• Yun Yun stayed at the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace for almost another month, then left to roam the Central Plains.
• Xiao Lin gave Yun Yun medicinal pills, a Fifth-Level Formation Disk, and a Communication Stone before returning to Jia Nan Academy.

Xiao Yan emerged from the Underground Magma World after two years, and Xiao Lin returned to Jia Nan Academy and praised his immense progress. Xiao Yan reunited with Nalan Yanran, while privately feeling guilty about his relationship with Medusa.

• Xiao Yan burst out of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and found Xiao Lin arriving through a Spatial Passage.
• Xiao Lin assessed Xiao Yan as a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor with four heavenly flames and Mortal Realm Peak soul power, and invited him to try specially developed Combination Formations.
• Heavenly Fire Venerable recognized Xiao Lin as the man who had predicted his rescue and decided to keep his suspicions about Xiao Lin's plans to himself.
• Xiao Lin returned to his Trial Grounds, and Nalan Yanran rushed into Xiao Yan's arms.
• Xiao Yan embraced Nalan Yanran but felt guilty as he remembered his relationship with Medusa.

After reuniting with Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran shyly let him hold her hand in public. Xiao Yan told Su Qian that he had found a second, newly born fallen heart flame, giving Jia Nan Academy a safer way to restore the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

• Nalan Yanran embraced Xiao Yan above the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, then blushed and pulled away when she noticed everyone watching.
• Xiao Yan apologized for worrying Nalan Yanran and took her hand despite her embarrassment at being seen together.
• Xiao Yan told Nalan Yanran that he had found a second fallen heart flame in the Underground Magma World, one that was easier to control.
• Xiao Yan informed Su Qian about the newly born fallen heart flame, and Su Qian placed it in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for careful nurturing.
• Su Qian rewarded Xiao Yan and promised Jia Nan Academy would help him whenever he faced difficulties.

Xiao Lin trained with Zhukun in the Ancient Emperor's Cave to master spatial displacement and advance his cultivation. After months of practice and seclusion, he broke through to Early Six-Star Dou Sheng and demonstrated control over the surrounding space.

• Xiao Lin visited Zhukun to study the Emperor Array and try to break through to Six-Star Dou Sheng.
• Zhukun used spatial displacement to show Xiao Lin how a Six-Star Dou Sheng could move the space around a target.
• Xiao Lin persuaded Zhukun to train him by promising to bring Zi Yan to visit.
• Xiao Lin practiced spatial displacement with Zhukun for three months and developed a deeper understanding of the technique.
• Xiao Lin secluded himself for three months, then broke through to Early Six-Star Dou Sheng.
• Xiao Lin restored the space he had shattered and drew his newly strengthened aura back into his body.

After Zhukun helped Xiao Lin break through to Six-Star Dou Sheng, Xiao Lin tested his new abilities in a Chaos Space. He returned to find Zhukun clinging to Zi Yan, who called on him to help her leave.

• Zhukun praised Xiao Lin for reaching Six-Star Dou Sheng and insisted that Xiao Lin bring Zi Yan to him.
• Xiao Lin returned to Jia Nan Academy and coaxed Zi Yan into visiting Zhukun.
• Xiao Lin opened a Chaos Space and tested his Star River Annihilation technique, which failed to disturb it.
• Xiao Lin emerged to find Zhukun pleading with Zi Yan to stay, and Zi Yan called to Xiao Lin for help.

Xiao Lin helped Zi Yan agree to visit Zhukun every three months as she struggled to accept her father after years apart. Back at Jia Nan Academy, they learned Xiao Yan had challenged the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking leader, and Zi Yan realized that she was the one he would face.

• Xiao Lin and Zi Yan agreed that she would visit Zhukun every three months, then left the Ancient Emperor's Cave space together.
• Xiao Lin encouraged Zi Yan to give herself time to grow closer to Zhukun, and she firmly agreed to keep trying.
• Xiao Lin and Zi Yan returned to Jia Nan Academy, where Ye Xinlan reported that Xiao Yan had challenged the top person on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking.
• Zi Yan initially forgot that she held the top spot as the Brute Force King, then clenched her fists when Ye Xinlan reminded her.

Students and instructors gathered at Jia Nan Academy’s sparring arena to watch Xiao Yan challenge the Strong Ranking’s top student. Before the match, Xiao Yan teased Nalan Yanran at Pan Gate’s quarters, leaving her flustered as he prepared to leave.

• Students, instructors, and elders flocked to the sparring arena to watch Xiao Yan’s challenge for the top spot on the Strong Ranking.
• Xiao Yan rose early at Pan Gate’s quarters while Nalan Yanran helped straighten his clothes.
• Xiao Yan pointed to his lips and suggested that Nalan Yanran’s task was not finished.
• Nalan Yanran blushed and told Xiao Yan to stop fooling around because he was about to have a match.

Xiao Yan sought a kiss from Nalan Yanran before heading to the Arena to challenge the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking champion. He discovered that his opponent was Zi Yan, and their match began as the barriers rose around the Competition Ground.

• Xiao Yan coaxed Nalan Yanran into giving him a quick kiss, and she promised more if he claimed first place on the Strong Ranking.
• Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran, and Pan Gate members arrived at the Arena, where a large crowd gathered to support him.
• Xiao Yan greeted First Elder Su Qian and learned that he would referee the challenge.
• Zi Yan revealed herself as Xiao Yan's opponent and objected to her nickname, the Brute Force King.
• Xiao Yan and Zi Yan stepped onto the Competition Ground, and the barriers rose to begin their match.

Xiao Yan challenged Zi Yan for the Inner Academy Strong Ranking’s top spot, but underestimated her strength and quickly realized he was outmatched. Zi Yan began attacking him after demonstrating her control over his techniques and revealing power that appeared to belong to a Dou Venerable.

• Xiao Lin watched from concealment and concluded that Xiao Yan had no chance against Zi Yan, who had received Zhukun’s Ancient Void Dragon Clan legacy.
• Su Qian officially began Xiao Yan’s challenge against Zi Yan, while Xiao Yan hesitated because he did not want to hit her.
• Xiao Yan launched a probing Flame Wheel Dance, but Zi Yan stopped it in midair and sent it flying back at him.
• Xiao Yan dodged the explosion, then watched in horror as Zi Yan tore open space and stepped through it.
• Zi Yan raised her fist and swung it toward Xiao Yan’s chest.

Zi Yan overwhelmed Xiao Yan in their Challenge Tournament match, shattering his defenses and powerful Dou Techniques with her fists. Xiao Yan admitted he had underestimated her and escalated his attacks, but Zi Yan left him facing the same one-sided defeat.

• Zi Yan shattered Xiao Yan's Mystic Light Barrier with one punch and sent him crashing into the Arena floor.
• Nalan Yanran and the watching students reacted in shock as Xiao Yan struggled to recover, while Su Qian and the other Elders remained unsurprised by Zi Yan's strength.
• Zi Yan called out Xiao Yan for underestimating her, and Xiao Yan apologized and promised not to repeat his mistake.
• Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations to raise his cultivation to four-star Dou Zong, then attacked Zi Yan with his Heavy Xuan Ruler.
• Zi Yan punched through Xiao Yan's flames and shattered the Emperor Seal Art's Sea Overturning Seal with a strike that broke the void.

Zi Yan toyed with Xiao Yan during their challenge, using her spatial power to overwhelm his attacks and nearly injure him. Xiao Yan recognized the gap between them and prepared to use his strongest attack for one final attempt.

• Xiao Yan's Sea Overturning Seal failed against Zi Yan, who shattered the surrounding space and forced him to evade its sharp fragments with Three Thousand Lightning Movement.
• Zi Yan threw fragments of the void at Xiao Yan, gradually wounding him as she demonstrated spatial control on par with a Dou Zun's.
• Xiao Yan narrowly dodged a fragment near his lower body and realized Zi Yan had been playing with him throughout the fight.
• Zi Yan stopped her attacks and offered Xiao Yan one last chance to strike.
• Xiao Yan admitted he had been rash to challenge Zi Yan and announced that he would use his strongest attack.

Zi Yan crushed Xiao Yan’s final attack in the Challenge Tournament, defeating him decisively and ending his bid for the top spot. The spectators were left stunned by the Brute Force King’s strength.

• Su Qian and the spectators marveled at Zi Yan’s dominance as she overwhelmed Xiao Yan without using a Dou Technique.
• Xiao Yan gathered his remaining Dou Qi and unleashed the Five Wheel Leaving Fire Art with four Heavenly Flames.
• Zi Yan praised Xiao Yan’s control of four Heavenly Flames, then answered his attack with the Illusory Dragon Fist.
• Zi Yan’s punch shattered the four flame beasts and sent Xiao Yan crashing into the arena’s protective barrier.
• The crowd realized Xiao Yan had lost the tournament after suffering a crushing defeat to Zi Yan.

Xiao Yan conceded defeat to Zi Yan in the Strong Ranking Challenge Tournament, and the crowd praised both fighters while recognizing Zi Yan’s overwhelming strength. After returning to Pan Gate, Xiao Yan received a kiss from Nalan Yanran and began recuperating, his disappointment gone.

• Xiao Yan admitted he could no longer fight, and Su Qian declared Zi Yan the winner of the challenge.
• The spectators cheered for Zi Yan and encouraged Xiao Yan, while Nalan Yanran resolved to something after seeing his disappointment.
• Zi Yan patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder, teased him about being a good punching bag, and invited him to challenge her again before leaving.
• Nalan Yanran and Pan Gate members checked on Xiao Yan, who explained that he was not seriously injured and had mainly exhausted his Dou Qi.
• Back at his room, Nalan Yanran kissed Xiao Yan to encourage him, then left as he began to recuperate without feeling dejected.

Xiao Lin studied the Emperor Array in Tou She Ancient God's Cave to find a way to free Zhukun early, using Zhukun's firsthand knowledge to aid his research. When Zhukun attacked the boundary wall at Xiao Lin's request, an illusory figure appeared on it.

• Xiao Lin focused on advancing his Spirit Array Master level and understanding the Emperor Array, while Zhukun shared what he knew about being trapped.
• Xiao Lin asked Zhukun to test the boundary wall, and discovered that Xiao Lin could pass through it while Zhukun was repelled, even when they touched the same spot together.
• Xiao Lin asked Zhukun to attack the wall, and Zhukun reluctantly transformed into his true form and struck it with his tail.
• The boundary wall rippled but remained intact, then released a terrifying pressure and displayed an illusory figure that Xiao Lin suspected was Tou She Ancient God.