Chapter Summaries

Xiao Lin explained to Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue that Xiao Yan was being tested by the remnant soul of the Dou Qi Continent’s foremost Alchemist, reassuring them that the test was not dangerous. He then told them he planned to take Xiao Ding to the Central Plains after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony and have him join a friend’s sect.

• Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue asked Xiao Lin to explain his plans for Xiao Yan, worried about their son's declining cultivation and standing in the Xiao Household.
• Xiao Lin admitted he should have eased their worries sooner and revealed that the Storage Ring held Yao Lao, a powerful Alchemist whose test Xiao Yan was undergoing.
• Xiao Zhan asked whether Yao Lao intended to take Xiao Yan as his disciple, and Xiao Lin confirmed it.
• Yang Xiyue asked whether the test was dangerous, and Xiao Lin said Xiao Yan's future achievements would be limited if he failed but that his parents should not interfere.
• Xiao Lin told Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue that he planned to take Xiao Ding to the Central Plains after this year's Coming-of-Age Ceremony so he could join a friend's sect.

Xiao Lin decided to take Xiao Ding to the Central Plains to train at the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace, and Xiao Ding eagerly agreed. After completing his coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Ding left Wutan City with Xiao Lin, concealing their destination from the rest of the Xiao Household.

• Xiao Lin told Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue that he planned to take Xiao Ding to the Central Plains after the coming-of-age ceremony and later take Xiao Li as well.
• Yang Xiyue supported the plan, and Xiao Lin asked Xiao Ding whether he wanted to go; Xiao Ding enthusiastically agreed.
• Xiao Ding spent the remaining two months with his family, then completed the Xiao Household Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
• Xiao Ding told Xiao Li and Xiao Yan he was leaving to gain experience, without revealing that he was going to the Central Plains.
• Xiao Lin and Xiao Ding left Wutan City and stopped at an empty stretch of mountain.

Xiao Lin took Xiao Ding toward the Central Plains and revealed that he could open a spatial passage, shocking his grandson with the truth about his strength. He left Xiao Ding with many questions about the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace and admitted his supposed injury had been staged with Yun Shan.

• Xiao Ding asked whether they were traveling to the Central Plains through the Heavenly Serpent Empire, but Xiao Lin said he had chosen the route to find a deserted place.
• Xiao Lin opened a spatial passage with a casual sweep of his hand, leaving Xiao Ding stunned by a display beyond what he believed even Yun Shan could manage.
• Xiao Lin protected Xiao Ding with a Dou Qi barrier and led him through the passage toward the Central Plains.
• Xiao Lin told Xiao Ding that he had founded the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace with friends, rather than merely knowing one of its founders.
• Xiao Ding asked about Xiao Lin's injury, and Xiao Lin admitted he and Yun Shan had faked it to outsiders.

Xiao Lin explained to Xiao Ding why Yun Shan had supported the Xiao Household and kept some of his deeper secrets hidden. He brought Xiao Ding to the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace, where Xiao Ding joined as an ordinary disciple without learning that Lin Xiao was his grandfather until after he had entered.

• Xiao Lin told Xiao Ding that Yun Shan had supported the Xiao Household because of their arrangement and refused to reveal more secrets until Xiao Ding was strong enough.
• After nearly two days of travel, Xiao Lin and Xiao Ding arrived at the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace, where Xiao Ding was awed by the rich spiritual energy.
• Xiao Lin changed his appearance, told Xiao Ding to call him Lin Xiao, and warned him not to reveal their relationship or expect special treatment.
• Xiao Ding joined the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace as an ordinary disciple, with only Xiao Lin and Ji Li knowing his identity.
• After entering the palace, Xiao Ding learned that his grandfather was its Palace Master and was stunned.

Xiao Lin left Xiao Ding with Ji Li and began exploring the Central Plains while observing the stars. In Wutan City, Nalan Yanran visited Xiao Yan after his cultivation fell to Three-Section Dou Qi again, and her teasing helped lift his spirits.

• Xiao Lin entrusted Xiao Ding to Ji Li before leaving the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace, and Ji Li admired Xiao Lin's plan to develop a Heaven Rank Cultivation Method.
• Xiao Lin began sightseeing in the Central Plains and observing the stars at night.
• Nalan Yanran heard that Xiao Yan's cultivation had fallen to Three-Section Dou Qi again and went to see him in Wutan City.
• Xiao Yan initially mistook Nalan Yanran's visit for mockery, but apologized when she offered to ask her master to examine him.
• Nalan Yanran revealed that Yun Yun was her master and joked that Xiao Yan should call her senior sister.
• Nalan Yanran's visit and teasing eased Xiao Yan's dispirited mood.

Xun'er and Nalan Yanran competed in a polite but pointed exchange over Xiao Yan, each asserting her closeness to him. Their visit rekindled Xiao Yan’s resolve to cultivate, while Yao Lao watched and hoped he would succeed.

• Xun'er arrived while Xiao Yan was chatting with Nalan Yanran and joined them, hiding her jealousy behind concern for him.
• Xun'er and Nalan Yanran traded barbs about being Xiao Yan’s little sister and fiancée, with each claiming she could visit and support him.
• Xiao Yan misread their smiling confrontation, but Nalan Yanran’s visit encouraged him to put aside his despair and resume cultivating.
• Yao Lao watched from the shadows and urged Xiao Yan not to disappoint him or his grandfather.
• Nalan Yanran left Wutan City after her visit, ending the showdown without either woman claiming victory.

Xiao Xun'er learned that an unknown being had drained Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and might be hiding in his Storage Ring. Suspecting Xiao Lin may have known about it, she chose not to expose the matter and decided to watch Xiao Yan's condition develop.

• Ling Ying reported to Xiao Xun'er that an unknown being had drained Xiao Yan's Dou Qi twice and was likely stronger than a Dou Zong.
• Ling Ying suspected the being was hiding in Xiao Yan's Storage Ring, which Xiao Lin had given him when he was six.
• Xiao Xun'er questioned whether Xiao Lin knew about the being and asked Ling Ying whether the trials might have benefited Xiao Yan by correcting flaws in his character.
• Ling Ying said Xiao Yan's personality seemed to have improved after his two setbacks, though he could not confirm Xiao Lin's intentions.
• Xiao Xun'er decided not to reveal her suspicions and chose to watch what happened, hoping Xiao Yan's condition might lead to the end of his engagement to Nalan Yanran.

Xiao Yan returned to the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi for the third time before turning twelve, but Yao Lao's final test caused his cultivation to fall again. The Xiao Household pitied him rather than mocking him, while Xiao Yan remained unaware that Yao Lao was behind the repeated regressions.

• Xiao Yan regained the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi in a year, surpassing Xiao Ning and other young clansmen despite having lost his cultivation twice.
• Xiao Yan grew tense as he approached his third loss, while Yao Lao prepared to test his determination.
• Xiao Yan's Dou Qi began disappearing during cultivation, and he cursed through the night as Yao Lao secretly watched.
• Xiao Yan's cultivation fell to the Eighth Stage by dawn, prompting the Xiao Household to sigh and doubt that he could become a Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Yan avoided the ridicule he had faced in the original story because his powerful family and ties to the Misty Cloud Sect protected him.

After his cultivation fell to Three-Section Dou Qi for the third time, Xiao Yan gave up on training and realized he had neglected his family. On his way back to spend time with his parents, he stumbled upon Xiao Yu bathing and fled when she threatened him.

• Xiao Yan's cultivation fell to Three-Section Dou Qi again, and he decided to stop training and enjoy his life as the Xiao Household's third young master.
• While resting in the hills, Xiao Yan reflected on how he had taken his family's care for granted and resolved to return to his parents.
• Xiao Yan heard water near a pool and discovered Xiao Yu bathing there.
• Xiao Yu spotted Xiao Yan and threatened to kill him, so he ran from the pool.
• As Xiao Yu emerged and dressed, Xiao Yan glanced back, and she caught him looking.

After accidentally seeing Xiao Yu bathing, Xiao Yan fled as she chased him down the mountain. He escaped by throwing dirt in her eyes and fleeing, while Xiao Yu returned to the Xiao Household vowing revenge.

• Xiao Yu pursued Xiao Yan after he stumbled upon her bathing and looked back at her.
• Xiao Yan apologized as he ran, but Xiao Yu steadily closed the distance between them.
• Xiao Yu leaped at Xiao Yan, who rolled aside and flung dirt into her eyes.
• Xiao Yu fell onto Xiao Yan, and he grabbed her thigh while pushing her away before escaping.
• Xiao Yan ran home and hid in his room, while Xiao Yu sat alone, then returned to the Xiao Household threatening revenge.

Xiao Yan had withdrawn from cultivation after his power fell for the third time, while Xiao Yu waited outside his courtyard, determined to beat him. Nalan Yanran’s remark about preparing betrothal gifts and dowry reignited Xiao Yan’s resolve to break the curse, and Yao Lao judged that he had passed his final trial.

• Xiao Ning confronted Xiao Yu about waiting outside Xiao Yan’s courtyard, and she said she was looking for a chance to beat Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan remained in his room for more than a month, lost his drive to cultivate, and spent his days doing nothing as Yao Lao watched.
• Nalan Yanran visited the Xiao Household and told Xiao Yan, “I’ll prepare the betrothal gifts. You prepare the dowry.”
• Xiao Yan felt humiliated by Nalan Yanran’s words and vowed to overcome the curse, even if his cultivation fell countless times.
• Yao Lao witnessed Xiao Yan’s oath beneath the stars and concluded that Xiao Yan had passed the final trial.

After more than three months, Xiao Yan prepared to cultivate again when Yao Lao emerged from his Storage Ring and revealed that he had caused Xiao Yan’s cultivation to fall. Xiao Yan remained angry and distrustful, while Yao Lao offered compensation and hoped to guide him.

• As Xiao Yan prepared to cultivate, Yao Lao spoke to him from inside the room, then emerged from the Storage Ring as a soul.
• Xiao Yan mistook Yao Lao for a ghost and panicked until Yao Lao explained that he had sealed the room and meant him no harm.
• Yao Lao reminded Xiao Yan of his three cultivation declines, and Xiao Yan realized Yao Lao had been absorbing his Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan charged at Yao Lao, passed through his soul, and fell face-first to the floor.
• Yao Lao claimed he had been tempering Xiao Yan’s will and offered compensation, but Xiao Yan told him to leave and stop ruining his life.

Xiao Yan learned that Yao Lao had drained his Dou Qi three times to test and improve his character, then thanked him and asked to become his student. With Yao Lao’s cultivation method and guidance, Xiao Yan regained his strength and began learning medicine refining.

• Yao Lao revealed that Xiao Yan had passed his test and that his three losses of Dou Qi had been meant to temper his character.
• Xiao Yan accepted Yao Lao’s explanation, thanked him, and learned that his name was Yao Chen.
• Xiao Yan asked for Yao Lao’s Supreme Cultivation Method, and Yao Lao said Xiao Yan had to reach the Dou Zhe Realm first.
• Yao Lao gave Xiao Yan the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula to speed up his cultivation.
• With Yao Lao’s help, Xiao Yan rose from Three-Section Dou Qi to the Ninth Stage in about half a year and began learning to refine medicine.

Xiao Lin searched the Central Plains for the final insight needed to advance his Star Codex to Heaven Rank. During a full moon, a lunar eclipse triggered a surge of Astral Power, revealing the opportunity he had been seeking.

• Xiao Lin continued observing the stars across the Central Plains as he refined his Quasi-Heaven Tier Star Codex and built up his reserves.
• Xiao Lin passed through Starfall Pavilion, visited Venner, and set out again on his journey.
• Xiao Lin watched the full moon as Astral Power suddenly surged and the Three Thousand Burning Flame burst from his body.
• Xiao Lin recognized the moon's darkening edge as Heavenly Dog Devours the Moon, a lunar eclipse that explained the surge in Astral Power.

During the Heavenly Dog Devours the Moon eclipse, Xiao Lin became the Three Thousand Burning Flame to absorb the raging Astral Power and study the changing constellations. The Star Codex advanced into a Heaven Rank Cultivation Method, summoning a heavenly tribulation of Black Demon Lightning that Xiao Lin prepared to face in dragon form.

• Xiao Lin flew into the sky and transformed himself into the Three Thousand Burning Flame to safely absorb the violent Astral Power.
• As the eclipse deepened, Xiao Lin became a giant purple-black fire dragon and studied the shifting constellations while absorbing Astral Power.
• When the moon disappeared, the Star Codex crossed its final barrier and became a Heaven Rank Cultivation Method.
• A pitch-black thundercloud gathered, and Xiao Lin recognized the deep-blue lightning streaked with black as Black Demon Lightning.
• Xiao Lin considered how becoming the Three Thousand Burning Flame could help him withstand the heavenly tribulation.

Xiao Lin endured all nine Black Demon Lightning bolts while transformed into the Three Thousand Burning Flame, then absorbed the departing thunderclouds. After surviving the tribulation, he renamed his upgraded Star Codex the Nine Heavens Star Record.

• Xiao Lin used the abundant Astral Power during the Heavenly Dog Devours the Moon to recover from the first six Black Demon Lightning bolts.
• Xiao Lin taunted the tribulation, and its seventh and eighth bolts struck as the Astral Power began to fade.
• Xiao Lin survived the ninth bolt, which destroyed more than half of his dragon body and crushed the mountain range beneath him.
• Xiao Lin restored his body, swallowed the dispersing thunderclouds, and emerged unharmed.
• Xiao Lin named his newly upgraded mid-tier Heaven-Rank cultivation method the Nine Heavens Star Record.

Xiao Lin used his newly created Nine Heavens Star Record and the power of the Black Demon Lightning tribulation to break through to Dou Sheng. He reached late-stage One-Star Dou Saint and tested his new ability to control space.

• Xiao Lin developed the Star Codex into the mid-level Heaven Rank Nine Heavens Star Record and decided to use the Black Demon Lightning tribulation's energy to break through.
• Xiao Lin secluded himself in the mountains and absorbed spiritual energy, Astral Power, and the remaining power of the tribulation.
• After three days, Xiao Lin broke through from Nine-Transformation Dou Venerable to late-stage One-Star Dou Saint.
• Xiao Lin tested his strength by sealing the surrounding space and preventing Dou Venerables from drawing on its energy.

After reaching the late One-Star Dou Sheng Realm, Xiao Lin tested his new command of space and the energy of heaven and earth, then discovered his soul power had also risen to the late Heavenly Realm. Confident that his combined strength placed him among the continent’s highest-ranking experts, he finished the chapter satisfied with his abilities.

• Xiao Lin reflected that becoming a Dou Sheng gave him the standing to meet Lei Ying and deal with the Eight Great Emperor Clans on nearly equal terms.
• Xiao Lin tested his new spatial control and ability to wield the energy of heaven and earth, finding that his casual strikes rivaled Earth Rank Dou Techniques.
• Xiao Lin opened a small space about one kilometer across, examined it, and destroyed it after ten minutes.
• Xiao Lin released his soul power and found that his breakthrough had raised it to the late Heavenly Realm.
• Xiao Lin assessed that his soul and cultivation could let him contend with stronger Dou Saints, then concluded that he had entered the continent’s highest ranks.

Xiao Lin considered how to obtain or create stronger techniques after reaching the Dou Sheng realm, then secretly checked on his grandson Xiao Ding and set out to visit the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame he had been cultivating for Xiao Yan. He arrived in the Magical Beast Mountain Range of the Jia Ma Empire to see how the flame had developed.

• Xiao Lin decided to upgrade his Earth Rank Dou Techniques, create new ones, and seek out Earth Attribute Heaven Rank Dou Techniques.
• Xiao Lin secretly observed Xiao Ding, who had advanced from an Eight-Star Dou Zhe to an Eight-Star Dou Spirit in three years under Ji Li's instruction.
• Xiao Lin asked Ji Li and the Eight Elders to collect Earth Attribute Heaven Rank Cultivation Methods, then left to seek inspiration for creating a Heaven Rank Star Attribute Cultivation Method.
• Xiao Lin remembered the Beast Flame he had left transforming into the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame for Xiao Yan and flew to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• Xiao Lin emerged from the void in the Magical Beast Mountain Range of the Jia Ma Empire.

Xiao Lin returned to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to check on the Beast Flame he had once helped evolve and found that it had become the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. He calmed his Three Thousand Burning Flame and discovered that the new Heavenly Flame recognized and trusted him, leaving it ready to be subdued.

• Xiao Lin used spatial power to travel directly to the valley where he had discovered the evolving Beast Flame.
• Xiao Lin saw that the Beast Flame had become the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, an evolution accelerated by his Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• The Three Thousand Burning Flame tried to devour the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, but Xiao Lin calmed it and stopped it from attacking.
• The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame took the form of the Amethyst Winged Lion King and approached Xiao Lin.
• The flame nuzzled Xiao Lin, who stroked it without being burned and realized it had accepted him.