Chapter Summaries

After Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran led the new students to defeat the senior teams, Elder Su and Elder Qing declared the new students the winners and awarded the trio azure Fire Crystal Cards. The elders then led the new students into the Inner Academy, where Xiao Lin opened his eyes at the Trial Grounds.

• The new students defeated the Black Fiend Team and White Fiend Team, took half the fire energy from their members, and won the competition.
• Elder Su and Elder Qing praised Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran, then declared the new students the winners and awarded every new student twenty fire energy points.
• Elder Qing explained the Fire Crystal Card rankings, and Elder Su gave Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran azure cards with an extra thirty fire energy points each.
• Elder Su and Elder Qing led the new students up the Azure Stairway and into the vast basin of the Inner Academy.
• At the center of the Inner Academy's Trial Grounds, Xiao Lin opened his eyes as the new students arrived.

After helping the new students establish the Pan Gate, Xiao Yan finally set out with Xun'er and Nalan Yanran to visit the master of the Inner Academy's Trial Grounds, Lin Supreme Elder. They arrived at the bamboo grove that concealed the formations and central pavilion.

• Xiao Yan founded the Pan Gate to protect the new students from senior students' demands and recruited most of his classmates.
• Xun'er and Nalan Yanran managed the Pan Gate while Xiao Yan took a hands-off role, helping the new students gain a foothold in the Inner Academy.
• Xiao Yan told Xun'er and Nalan Yanran they should visit someone they had put off seeing, and both girls realized he meant Lin Supreme Elder.
• Xun'er and Nalan Yanran argued over who could hold Xiao Yan's hand as the three left for the Trial Grounds.
• Xun'er and Nalan Yanran explained that the bamboo grove contained over a hundred formations and a pavilion with additional rewards, and the three arrived to visit Lin Supreme Elder.

Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran entered the Trial Grounds hoping to clear its formations and meet Lin Supreme Elder to thank him. Xiao Lin secretly split them apart and prepared to put them through a trial of his own.

• Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran learned that clearing three randomly grouped formations could earn them a chance to meet the Grand Elder and make a request.
• Xiao Yan urged the group to keep trying until they cleared the Trial Grounds, and the three entered the bamboo grove.
• Xiao Lin, annoyed that Xiao Yan had waited over a month before seeking him out, took control of the formations to put the three newcomers through their paces.
• Xiao Lin's formations separated Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran as soon as they entered the grove.
• Xiao Yan marveled at how the group had been split up, while Yao Lao noted that the Trial Grounds contained over a hundred formations and required passing through at least three to reach the central pavilion.

Xiao Lin trapped Nalan Yanran in a customized Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation, where false memories convinced her she and Xiao Yan had shared a life together and were about to marry. As Nalan Yanran began her wedding, Xiao Lin’s carefully crafted illusion was poised to take a sudden turn.

• Xiao Lin let Xun'er and Nalan Yanran pass the first two formations, then trapped them in his perfected Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation.
• Xiao Lin altered Nalan Yanran’s memories and made her believe that she and Xiao Yan had cultivated and traveled together before becoming celebrated lovers.
• Nalan Yanran believed it was her wedding day, said farewell to her parents and grandfather, and left the Nalan Family with Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan brought Nalan Yanran to the Xiao Household Ancestral Residence, where their friends and relatives gathered for the wedding.
• Nalan Yanran noticed one guest was missing, while Xiao Lin prepared to disrupt the perfect wedding illusion.

Nalan Yanran experienced an illusion in which Xiao Xun'er interrupted her wedding to Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan abandoned her to follow Xun'er. The illusion shattered, restoring Nalan Yanran's memories and leaving her furious.

• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran began their wedding bows, but Xiao Xun'er interrupted them before they could bow to each other.
• Xun'er told Xiao Yan that her father had arranged a marriage for her and asked him not to forget her, then ran away in tears.
• Xiao Yan abandoned Nalan Yanran at the wedding and chased after Xun'er despite Nalan Yanran threatening to sever their ties.
• Nalan Yanran began to emit black vapor as the wedding scene shattered, revealing that it had been an illusion.
• Nalan Yanran regained her memories and remained furious about what had happened in the illusion.

Xiao Lin’s Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation for Xun’er collapsed when a special wisp of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame erupted to protect her from having her memories altered. Xiao Lin realized Gu Yuan had placed a powerful safeguard inside Xun’er, and he wondered whether the flame remained linked to its main body.

• Xiao Lin arranged a Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation for Xun’er, with a script designed to make her relive a life of waiting for Xiao Yan and accepting his many other confidantes.
• When Xun’er entered the formation, her memories began to blur and other memories started invading her mind.
• Golden flames burst from Xun’er, cracking and destroying the illusion world before Xiao Lin’s script could unfold.
• Xiao Lin recognized the flames as the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and withdrew the Three Thousand Burning Flame that had reacted to it.
• Xiao Lin concluded that the flame was an unusual child flame still connected to its main body and had emerged because the formation threatened Xun’er’s memories.
• Xiao Lin suspected Gu Yuan had planted the safeguard in Xun’er and warned himself that further interference could bring Gu Yuan in person.

Xun'er broke through the third formation after the golden emperor burning heaven flame inside her disrupted the illusion, becoming the first to reach the Bamboo Grove. There, Ye Xinlan greeted her on Xiao Lin's orders, while Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran remained stuck in their trials.

• Xiao Lin gave up trying to manipulate Xun'er's life after Gu Yuan's sealed flame reacted to his attempt to alter her memories.
• The golden emperor burning heaven flame withdrew, and Xun'er wondered whether it had broken the third formation and allowed her to pass by cheating.
• Xun'er entered the revealed Bamboo Grove and headed toward the pavilion she believed was Lin Supreme Elder's residence.
• Xun'er heard footsteps and mistook the approaching person for Xiao Yan or Nalan Yanran, unaware that she had reached the grove before either of them.
• Ye Xinlan introduced herself to Xun'er and said she had come on Lin Supreme Elder's orders to receive her.

Ye Xinlan, a gifted alchemist and formation master, had become Xiao Lin’s attendant after passing the Trial Grounds at Jia Nan Academy. She guided Xun'er toward Xiao Lin’s Pavilion and revealed that Xiao Yan and Yanran were still struggling to pass.

• Ye Xinlan had joined the Myriad Formation Spirit Palace and developed into a peak Tier 4 alchemist, a level-two formation master, and a Peak Dou Ling ranked fourteenth on the Inner Academy Strong Ranking.
• Xiao Lin had kept Ye Xinlan by his side in the Trial Grounds and entrusted her with his daily needs and with receiving those who passed through.
• On Xiao Lin’s instructions, Ye Xinlan came to guide Xun'er to the Pavilion in the Bamboo Grove.
• Xun'er asked whether Xiao Yan and Yanran had passed the Trial Grounds, and Ye Xinlan told her they were still attempting the formations.
• Ye Xinlan said Xun'er was the first person besides herself to pass the Trial Grounds since Xiao Lin returned.

Xun'er met Lin Supreme Elder after passing the Trial Grounds and learned she could make a request of him. She chose to wait for Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran before deciding, and Nalan Yanran emerged from the Trial Grounds as Ye Xinlan went to fetch her.

• Xun'er asked Ye Xinlan why she lived at the Trial Grounds, and Ye Xinlan explained that she had requested to stay there after passing.
• Ye Xinlan brought Xun'er to meet Lin Supreme Elder, who invited her to sit and make a request as promised.
• Xun'er explained that she and her companions had come to thank Lin Supreme Elder for the recommendation letters he had sent through Grandpa Xiao.
• Lin Supreme Elder insisted that Xun'er's chance to make a request still stood, and Xun'er asked to wait until Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran arrived.
• Nalan Yanran emerged from the Trial Grounds, and Lin Supreme Elder sent Ye Xinlan to fetch her.

After leaving the Red Dust Heart-Refining Formation, Nalan Yanran struggled to control her anger toward Xun'er, whom she blamed for taking her groom in the illusion. Xiao Lin invited both women to watch Xiao Yan endure his trial, and his image appeared in a crystal ball.

• Ye Xinlan brought Nalan Yanran to Xiao Lin, then sat aside to read his book on formations.
• Nalan Yanran warned Xun'er to stay out of her sight because she feared she would draw her sword, while thanking Xiao Lin for his Letter of Recommendation.
• Xun'er challenged Nalan Yanran's warning, and the two traded snorts before setting their grudge aside while on Xiao Lin's grounds.
• Nalan Yanran declined Xiao Lin's offer to make a request, matching Xun'er's choice, and both agreed to wait for Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Lin offered to show the women what Xiao Yan was experiencing, then revealed Xiao Yan's figure in a crystal ball.

Xiao Yan endured Xiao Lin’s Three-in-One Grand Formation, surviving a series of punishing landscapes and disasters until the false world vanished. He emerged from the trial with his soul realm advanced to late Mortal Realm and his cultivation at Peak Dou Ling.

• Xiao Yan crossed mountains, oceans, forests, and other hazardous terrain in the formation, then struggled through its vast desert.
• Xiao Yan kept moving despite his exhaustion because passing through the Trial Grounds was his only way to see Lin Supreme Elder.
• Xiao Lin showed Xun'er and Nalan Yanran Xiao Yan’s ordeal in a crystal ball, and both watched with concern as Nalan Yanran wrestled with her feelings about him.
• Xiao Yan endured the formation until its false world disappeared and sunlight fell on him in the Bamboo Grove.
• Xiao Yan sensed that his soul realm had reached late Mortal Realm and his Dou Qi cultivation had risen from Eight-Star Dou Spirit to Peak Dou Ling.
• Yao Lao explained that the formation had tempered Xiao Yan’s soul, body, and Dou Qi, and Xiao Yan accepted the changes.

After Xiao Yan realized the Three-in-One Formation Trial had tempered him and helped him break through, he reunited with Xun'er and Nalan Yanran. Nalan Yanran was upset by the illusion she had experienced, but Xiao Yan misunderstood her mood and told her to drink more hot water.

• Xiao Yan learned from Yao Lao that the trial had strengthened his body and soul, letting him reach Peak Dou Ling, Late Mortal Realm soul, and the ability to refine Tier 5 Medicinal Pills without Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Lao suspected Xiao Lin had specially arranged the trial because of Xiao Yan's grandfather, and Xiao Yan resolved to repay him someday.
• Ye Xinlan introduced herself and led Xiao Yan through the Bamboo Grove to Xiao Lin, where Xun'er and Nalan Yanran had already arrived.
• Xun'er greeted Xiao Yan excitedly, while Nalan Yanran recalled the illusion in which he had abandoned her on their wedding day to pursue Xun'er.
• When Nalan Yanran said she was in a bad mood, Xiao Yan told her to drink more hot water, leaving both girls stunned and Nalan Yanran embarrassed and angry.

Xiao Yan’s concern eased Nalan Yanran’s anger after the Trial Grounds, while Xun’er sulked at their closeness. Xiao Yan, Xun’er, and Nalan Yanran thanked Xiao Lin for his help instead of asking for a promise, and Xiao Yan revealed the gains he had made in the Trial Grounds.

• Xiao Yan mistook Nalan Yanran’s shifting expression for a physical ailment and checked her condition, which softened her resentment toward him.
• Xun’er grew jealous as Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran drew close, and Xiao Lin interrupted them before asking about the promise they wanted.
• Xiao Yan, Xun’er, and Nalan Yanran thanked Xiao Lin for the recommendation letters and insisted they did not need another promise.
• Xiao Yan revealed his Peak Dou Ling cultivation and late Mortal Realm Soul Power as the benefits he had gained in the Trial Grounds.

Xiao Lin reassured Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran that he had sent them Letters of Recommendation for their talent and promised they could ask him for help in the future. As he laid the groundwork to aid Xiao Yan through his alternate identity, Xiao Lin explained that he had befriended Xiao Yan’s grandfather because they were both Formation Masters.

• Xiao Lin praised Xiao Yan’s cultivation and alchemy talent, then said he had recommended the three youths for the academy’s sake rather than out of personal obligation.
• Xiao Lin reminded Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran that his rule allowed students who passed the Trial Grounds to make him one request, and said they could ask him later.
• Xiao Yan accepted Xiao Lin’s offer, and Xun'er and Nalan Yanran accepted it as well.
• During their conversation, Xiao Yan asked how Xiao Lin had become friends with his grandfather.
• Xiao Lin praised Xiao Yan’s grandfather’s knowledge and Formation Dao, claiming they became friends because they were both Formation Masters.

Xiao Yan and the others cleared the Trial Grounds, raising Pan Gate’s standing as Xiao Yan advanced to eleventh place on the Inner Academy’s Strong Ranking. Elsewhere, Xiao Lin saw Zi Yan awaken after four months at Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor.

• Xiao Yan mistook Xiao Lin’s praise of his grandfather for a story about their shared knowledge of formations, and Xun'er and Nalan Yanran accepted the explanation.
• Xiao Lin saw Xiao Yan and the two girls out of the Trial Grounds, and news of their success spread through the Inner Academy.
• Xiao Yan’s cultivation reached peak Nine-Star Dou Spirit, his Tier 5 Alchemist status boosted Pan Gate’s influence, and he climbed to eleventh on the Strong Ranking.
• Xiao Yan held off challenging the top ten, whose members were all Dou Wang experts, until he could break through to Dou Wang.
• Xiao Lin saw Zi Yan awaken after four months, with her cultivation risen from Five-Star Battle Emperor to Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor.

Zi Yan woke from her growth and discovered that her true form was an Ancient Void Dragon, then proudly promised to protect Xiao Lin and Jia Nan Academy. Xiao Lin asked her for a drop of blood essence to prove her identity, intending to use it to make a deal with Zhukun.

• Zi Yan showed Xiao Lin that she had grown a little, and he praised her while avoiding saying that she still acted like a child.
• Zi Yan complained about Su Qian and told Xiao Lin that she had learned her true form was an Ancient Void Dragon.
• Zi Yan declared that she would protect Xiao Lin and Jia Nan Academy once she grew stronger.
• Xiao Lin asked Zi Yan for a drop of blood essence that could prove her identity so he could approach Zhukun.

Xiao Lin obtained a drop of Zi Yan’s blood essence so he could approach Zhukun and negotiate a deal, then returned to the Underground Magma World. He arrived with the confidence of a Three-Star Dou Sheng, far stronger than on his previous visit.

• Xiao Lin took a drop of Zi Yan’s blood essence and gave her a Tier 7 Medicinal Pill to make up for it.
• Xiao Lin kept his plans for the blood essence from Zi Yan, intending to use it to convince and pressure Zhukun into negotiating.
• Xiao Lin returned to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and reached its lowest floor.
• Xiao Lin opened the Fire-Sealing Formation and entered the Underground Magma World.

Xiao Lin encountered the Fallen Heart Flame in the Underground Magma World, but it fled from him rather than fight. He continued deeper into the magma, where powerful magma creatures gathered around him.

• The Fallen Heart Flame emerged as a giant flaming python, recognized Xiao Lin, and quickly retreated into the magma.
• Xiao Lin considered absorbing some of the Fallen Heart Flame’s origin but decided against weakening it because Xiao Yan had entered Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Lin covered himself with the Three Thousand Burning Flame and descended into the Underground Magma World.
• After descending for more than ten minutes, Xiao Lin noticed the environment changing and sensed concealed magma creatures approaching.
• Xiao Lin identified the creatures, including two with Half-Saint-level auras, and remained unafraid of them.

Xiao Lin drove the Flame Lizardmen away from his path through the underground magma and continued toward the depths of the Ancient Emperor’s Cave. He left the Heavenly Fire Venerable behind with a promise that someone would rescue him in about five years.

• Xiao Lin identified the two Half-Saint Flame Lizardmen as the creatures’ leaders and learned they warned intruders to leave the God's Cemetery.
• Xiao Lin used Infinite Purgatory to crush some Flame Lizardmen under intense gravity, then hurled the survivors away.
• Xiao Lin sensed the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s soul light but chose not to approach him.
• Xiao Lin sent the Heavenly Fire Venerable a thought telling him to wait about five years for someone to rescue him and rebuild his body.
• Xiao Lin continued deeper into the Underground Magma World without further opposition.

Xiao Lin journeyed through the Magma World and discovered a hidden space created by Tou She Ancient God. Inside, he found the Ancient Emperor's Cave, the destination he had been seeking.

• Xiao Lin pressed deeper into the Magma World, reasoning that Tou She Ancient God had created it and that the Flame Lizardmen were born there.
• Xiao Lin slowed when the magma turned reddish-black and sensed a strange boundary ahead.
• Xiao Lin touched the magma with his palm and discovered a concealed space, then stepped inside.
• Xiao Lin crossed the silent, empty space and spotted a vast stone gate beside an enormous plaza.
• Xiao Lin read the words "Ancient Emperor's Cave" above the gate and declared that he had finally found it.