Recaps

Qin Yu accepted Sky Serpent Mansion’s substitute cultivation resources and kept the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor at Misty Cloud Sect. He used the resources to create two new Five-Star Dou Zong puppets and then went to check on Qing Lin’s cultivation.

• Nether Serpent delivered two Seventh-Tier Magical Cores and another formation in place of the items Sky Serpent Mansion lacked, then left the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor behind at Misty Cloud Sect.
• Qin Yu explained the arrangement to the disgruntled Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, which curled up and went to sleep.
• Qin Yu gave Qing Lin the cultivation resources and went to the back mountain to refine two puppets using the Seventh-Tier Magical Cores.
• Qin Yu infused the first puppet with the Green Lotus Core Flame’s power, creating a Five-Star Dou Zong puppet that could wield the flame as a consumable.
• Qin Yu used Protector Xuan’s soul in the second puppet, silenced his threats with three Heavenly Flames, and completed another Five-Star Dou Zong puppet.
• Qin Yu went to see Qing Lin as she continued cultivating.

The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor decided to abandon the Sky Serpent Mansion and pledge loyalty to Qing Lin and the Misty Cloud Sect. His defection pleased Yun Shan and further irritated Jia Xing Tian.

• Qin Yu learned that the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor had been asking Qing Lin about him, Yun Yun, and Zi Yan, and realized the serpent wanted to switch sides.
• Qing Lin continued training with Qin Yu, while the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor grew bored after she stopped visiting him.
• Qing Lin returned with Qin Yu and Zi Yan, and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor worried that they might kill him for his Magic Core.
• Before Qin Yu could ask, the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor volunteered to join the Misty Cloud Sect and pledge himself to Qing Lin.
• The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor promised to contract with Qing Lin once she was strong enough, and Qin Yu accepted his pledge.
• Yun Shan celebrated the news and flaunted the Misty Cloud Sect's growing strength to Jia Xing Tian, who could only grumble.

After two months without news from the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, Tian She secretly tried to contact it while Nether Serpent refused to intervene. On Misty Cloud Mountain, Qing Lin formed a Heart-Eye Symbiosis Contract with Old Eight after her soul power surged, then collapsed into Qin Yu’s arms.

• Nether Serpent stopped Tian She from contacting the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, but Tian She secretly sent it a message that went unanswered.
• Qing Lin told Qin Yu she wanted to form a Heart-Eye Symbiosis Contract with the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, and Qin Yu explained its risks and benefits.
• Qing Lin and Old Eight began forming the contract while Qin Yu monitored their souls, and Qing Lin’s soul power began to falter.
• Qing Lin’s soul power suddenly surged, allowing her to complete the contract and nearly reach the late Mortal Realm.
• Qing Lin’s strength drained away after the contract formed, and Qin Yu caught her as she fell asleep.

Qin Yu helped Qing Lin establish the Heart-Eye Symbiosis Contract with Old Eight, then prepared to boost her cultivation by capturing powerful snake-type Magical Beasts. He and Old Eight reached the lair of a peak Tier 6 Profound Nether Serpent, which emerged as they arrived.

• Old Eight gained a portion of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' power through its contract with Qing Lin, and Qin Yu told it to prepare to capture a Tier 6 snake-type Magical Beast.
• Qing Lin woke after nearly a day of sleep, celebrated her successful contract with Qin Yu, and resolved to cultivate until she caught up with Yun Yun, Xiao Yi Xian, and Zi Yan.
• Qin Yu strengthened Qing Lin with medicinal baths and discussed the resources needed for her rapid cultivation with Old Eight, which promised to seek help from Sky Serpent Mansion.
• Qin Yu and Old Eight entered the Devil Beast Mountain Range to capture a peak Tier 6 Profound Nether Serpent, and Old Eight steeled itself to prove its worth.
• Qin Yu and Old Eight reached the serpent's mountain lair, and a massive snake head emerged from a crack in the mountain.

Old Eight defeated and enslaved the Peak Sixth-Tier Profound Nether Serpent, letting Qing Lin draw on its power and rapidly advance to the Dou Ling realm. Qin Yu gave Qing Lin and Hai Bo Dong Five-Star Dou Zong puppets to protect them, then said Qing Lu had chosen to remain in Wutan City and look after his courtyard.

• Old Eight used the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to defeat and enslave the Profound Nether Serpent, then asked Qin Yu for his approval.
• Qing Lin sensed the Profound Nether Serpent through the linked Snake-Pupil Space and used its power to advance from Da Dou Shi to Dou Ling.
• Qin Yu gave Qing Lin a puppet and said he would give another to Hai Bo Dong, while Old Eight marveled at the strength of the puppets he carried.
• Hai Bo Dong accepted his puppet and remarked that Qing Lin was fortunate to have Qin Yu looking after her.
• Qin Yu told Qing Lin that Qing Lu had chosen to stay in Wutan City and care for his courtyard, then left Hai Bo Dong's question about his attachment unanswered.

Qin Yu refined Emperor Hong Violet Qi to advance to Three-Star Dou Zong and left Misty Cloud Mountain with Zi Yan for the Central Plains. He left behind Qilin Seals so Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian could find him after their breakthroughs, along with cultivation guidance for Qing Lin.

• Qin Yu broke through to Two-Star Dou Zong, then used Emperor Hong Violet Qi to temper his Dou Qi and reach Three-Star Dou Zong.
• Qin Yu decided to leave quietly, but Zi Yan caught up with him and scolded him for forgetting to say goodbye.
• Qin Yu promised Zi Yan compensation, and the two left Misty Cloud Mountain without disturbing Qing Lin.
• Hai Bo Dong discovered Qin Yu's letter and two Qilin Seals, then gave the letter to Qing Lin.
• Qing Lin learned Qin Yu had left and continued focusing on her cultivation.

Qin Yu helped Zi Yan work through her doubts about her identity as she grew up, then arranged their journey through Windbreak City's Spatial Wormhole. There, he reunited with Shen Yuan, who offered to arrange their passage to the Central Plains.

• Qin Yu noticed Zi Yan had become quiet and listened as she voiced her thoughts about not knowing what she was.
• Qin Yu helped Zi Yan see that she was Zi Yan, surrounded by good friends, and she gradually let go of her embarrassment and doubts.
• After Zi Yan fell asleep at their Windbreak City lodgings, Qin Yu went out to learn about the Spatial Wormhole controlled by the Shen Clan.
• Qin Yu met Shen Yuan, his old classmate from Jia Nan Academy, and learned that Shen Yuan was now a Sixth-Grade Alchemist.
• Shen Yuan offered to arrange a suitable time for Qin Yu and Zi Yan to travel to the Central Plains, and Qin Yu gave him a sixth-grade Heavenly Profound Flame Pill.

Qin Yu and Zi Yan waited in Windbreak City for the Spatial Wormhole to be prepared, and Zi Yan cultivated until she nearly reached Seven-Star Dou Emperor. After Shen Yuan gave them a Spatial Ship, they entered the wormhole and traveled through its spatial passage.

• Zi Yan woke refreshed, but Qin Yu told her Windbreak City had little to do besides wait for the Spatial Wormhole.
• After Zi Yan returned disappointed from exploring, she cultivated for five days and nearly reached Seven-Star Dou Emperor.
• The Shen Clan informed Qin Yu and Zi Yan that the Spatial Wormhole was ready, and Qin Yu gave Zi Yan an Emperor's Extreme Pill for after her breakthrough.
• Shen Yuan met them at the plaza, led them away from the crowd, and gave Qin Yu a Spatial Ship.
• Qin Yu and Zi Yan entered the Spatial Wormhole, activated the Spatial Ship, and headed through the passage.

Qin Yu and Zi Yan crossed the Spatial Wormhole into the Central Plains and gathered information about Fallen God Ravine in Thousand Feather City. They set out toward the ravine, and after Zi Yan advanced to Nine-Star Dou Emperor, they reached a chilling, dark ravine where Qin Yu believed treasure lay.

• Qin Yu and Zi Yan traveled through the Spatial Wormhole and emerged in Thousand Feather City, where Qin Yu sensed several treasures.
• At the city’s largest trading house, Qin Yu obtained Fallen God Ravine’s location and intelligence, while the staff hesitated when Zi Yan asked why the city was so deserted.
• Qin Yu marked several treasure locations along their route, and he and Zi Yan left Thousand Feather City for Fallen God Ravine.
• Zi Yan broke through to Seven-Star and used Qin Yu’s Emperor's Extreme Pill to reach Nine-Star Dou Emperor.
• Two days later, Qin Yu and Zi Yan arrived at a dark ravine, where Zi Yan questioned whether treasure was really inside.

Qin Yu gathered yin energy from a Dark Abyss Nether Crow skeleton to create an eighth-rank beast core, then continued toward Fallen God Ravine with Zi Yan. Meanwhile, Zi Yan’s clansmen detected the Emperor’s aura in the Northern Region of the Central Plains and sent Hei Qing to find her.

• Qin Yu identified the skeleton beneath the rift as an eighth-rank Dark Abyss Nether Crow, gathered its yin energy into a beast core, and refined the skeleton for essence blood.
• Qin Yu and Zi Yan found an eighth-grade medicinal pill and a High Earth Tier cultivation method on their way through the Central Plains.
• Qin Yu and Zi Yan passed through Wind Lightning West Pavilion territory and continued toward Fallen God Ravine, while Qin Yu avoided getting involved with local powers.
• Zi Yan wondered whether her clansmen would find her and take her back, but Qin Yu fell asleep before responding.
• An old man told Hei Qing that the Emperor’s aura had appeared in the Northern Region of the Central Plains, and Hei Qing left through a spatial rift to find her.

Qin Yu and Zi Yan reached Fallen God Ravine to hunt a Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast, while Qin Yu went ahead to set up a Formation. Zi Yan’s Ancient Void Dragon kin, Hei Qing, found her and revealed that she was the Dragon Emperor, but she refused to return to Dragon Island before seeing her friend again.

• Qin Yu and Zi Yan arrived at Fallen God Ravine, where Qin Yu planned to weaken the poisonous miasma with a Formation before fighting the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast.
• Zi Yan felt a stronger pull from her kin, and Hei Qing emerged from a spatial rift and knelt before her.
• Hei Qing identified Zi Yan as the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon clan and asked her to return to Dragon Island.
• Zi Yan refused to leave without Qin Yu, whom she described as a very good friend who had cared for her and shared his food.
• Hei Qing agreed to wait with Zi Yan and asked what Qin Yu was doing, and Zi Yan explained that he was setting up a Formation and preparing for battle.

Qin Yu, Zi Yan, and Hei Qing traveled into Fallen God Ravine, where Hei Qing effortlessly defeated the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast. Afterward, Qin Yu began extracting its magic core while Zi Yan ate medicinal pills.

• Hei Qing met Qin Yu, agreed to help defeat the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast, and quickly became his brother.
• Qin Yu, Zi Yan, and Hei Qing entered Fallen God Ravine, where Hei Qing smashed aside the poisonous creatures blocking their way.
• Hei Qing found the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's lair and destroyed it with a punch.
• Hei Qing grabbed the wounded beast by its tail and battered it until it stopped moving.
• Qin Yu gave Zi Yan medicinal pills and began extracting the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's magic core.

Qin Yu parted ways with Zi Yan after she returned to Dragon Island with Hei Qing, then left Fallen God Ravine with the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast’s magic core. Short on medicinal ingredients for his puppets, he headed toward the Pill Region to seek out the Pill Tower.

• Qin Yu took the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast’s magic core and said goodbye to Zi Yan, who kept his Dragon Seal so she could find him if she left Dragon Island.
• Zi Yan went with Hei Qing through a spatial rift, leaving Qin Yu alone in Fallen God Ravine.
• Qin Yu burned the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast’s corpse with his three Heavenly Flames, gathered more poison, and left the ravine.
• After finding he lacked ingredients to refine pills for his puppets, Qin Yu decided to visit the Pill Tower and set out for the Pill Region.

Qin Yu found a Blood Demon Fruit and broke into a cave to claim an eighth-tier Beast Flame. He took the flame before Cao Ying and her two guards could stop him, leaving them facing Qin Yu and his two puppets.

• Qin Yu collected a Blood Demon Fruit from a blood-soaked valley and sensed that a high-tier Beast Flame was nearby.
• Qin Yu blasted through a cliff wall and entered a cave, resisting the Beast Flame's demonic aura with his strong soul power.
• Qin Yu widened the cramped cave passage with an explosion as Cao Ying and two Dou Zong elders hurried toward the disturbance.
• Qin Yu summoned the Earth Puppet and Thunder Puppet, then found an eighth-tier Beast Flame within a Magical Beast skeleton.
• Qin Yu took the flame before Cao Ying could stop him, and Cao Ying introduced herself as a member of the Cao Family while assessing his strength.

Cao Ying negotiated with Qin Yu for the Blood Essence Demon Flame and promised to help him obtain resources and an Alchemist assessment at the Pill Tower. After they returned to Saint Pill City, she brought him to the assessment hall, where Elder Han Li greeted them.

• Cao Ying approached Qin Yu and offered the Cao Family’s support in exchange for the Blood Essence Demon Flame.
• Qin Yu asked the Cao Family to help him exchange for Pill Tower resources and take an Alchemist certification assessment, and Cao Ying agreed to arrange it herself.
• Cao Ying sensed that Qin Yu’s soul power surpassed hers, grew curious about his Alchemy, and learned his name was Qin Yu.
• Qin Yu agreed to give Cao Ying the Blood Essence Demon Flame after their business was concluded, and the two headed back to the Pill Region.
• Cao Ying’s companions returned to the Cao Family and reported that she had subdued the flame and gone to find Xuan Kongzi.
• Cao Ying took Qin Yu to the Pill Tower assessment hall, where Elder Han Li was surprised to see her with an unfamiliar man.

Qin Yu took a Mid-Level Seventh-Rank Alchemist assessment at the Pill Tower while Cao Ying asked Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi about factions skilled in puppetry. Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi became curious about Qin Yu and went to see him after he passed.

• Cao Ying brought Qin Yu to the Pill Tower and asked Steward Han to arrange an Alchemist rank assessment.
• Qin Yu told Steward Han he would take a Mid-Level Seventh-Rank assessment, and Cao Ying waited for the result.
• Cao Ying asked Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi which factions were proficient in puppetry and explained her encounter with Qin Yu and his two high-level Dou Zong puppets.
• Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi discussed the puppet factions and decided to see Qin Yu for themselves because he was taking an assessment.
• Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi arrived as Qin Yu left the assessment site with a Mid-Level Seventh-Rank Alchemist badge.

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi investigated Qin Yu’s alchemy examination and learned he planned to attend the Pill Tower Trade Fair, while Xuan Yi caught them privately criticizing her. Qin Yu put off giving Cao Ying the Blood Essence Demon Flame until after the trade fair, and stayed near Saint Pill City until she visited him the day before it began.

• Tian Leizi and Xuan Kongzi questioned Deacon Han about Qin Yu’s examination, and Han described his skill and his interest in the Pill Tower Trade Fair.
• Xuan Kongzi teased Tian Leizi, but Xuan Yi overheard their private exchange and revealed she had understood their thoughts.
• Xuan Yi asked about Cao Ying’s companion, and Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi said Qin Yu might be an independent cultivator they should continue observing.
• Cao Ying asked Qin Yu for the Blood Essence Demon Flame, but he told her to wait until after the trade fair.
• Qin Yu stayed near Saint Pill City, and Cao Ying came to see him the day before the trade fair began.

Qin Yu visited the Pill Tower trade fair, where his Treasure-Seeking Sacred Body led him to buy another fragment of the Taiyi Yin-Yang Formation at a bargain. After picking up a few more items, he went to find Cao Ying as she had requested.

• Cao Ying reminded Qin Yu to meet her after the trade fair and warned that her family would notice if he did not absorb the Blood Essence Demon Flame soon.
• Cao Ying told Qin Yu about the Pill Tower's posted alchemy requests before leaving.
• Qin Yu spotted a fragment of the Taiyi Yin-Yang Formation at the fair and bargained the seller down to two Seventh-Rank Pills.
• Qin Yu collected a few more items at the fair, then went to find Cao Ying.

Qin Yu revealed his Green Lotus Core Flame to Cao Ying, who learned he had obtained it in the Northwestern Continent before leaving to refine the Blood Essence Demon Flame. After half a year of earning commissions and tempering his puppets with Pill Lightning, Qin Yu heard that Tang Zhen was seeking a seventh-rank Alchemist to refine a pill in exchange for any requested reward.

• Cao Ying accepted the Blood Essence Demon Flame and explained that she had repeatedly missed chances to obtain Heavenly Flames while refining pills.
• Cao Ying recognized Qin Yu's Green Lotus Core Flame and recalled that her family had once found traces of one in the eastern continent, but Qin Yu clarified that he had obtained his flame in the Northwestern Continent.
• Cao Ying left to refine the Blood Essence Demon Flame, while Qin Yu headed to the Pill Tower office to take alchemy commissions.
• Over the next half year, Qin Yu refined pills that drew Pill Lightning and tempered his Earth Puppet and Thunder Puppet to Peak Dou Zong level.
• After Qin Yu completed another pill commission, the client told him that Tang Zhen of Burning Flame Valley wanted a seventh-rank Alchemist to refine a pill and would offer any reward in return.

Qin Yu used the Emperor Hong Violet Qi and a Soul Art to break through to a Spirit Realm soul, strengthening his prospects of refining Tang Zhen’s Fire Bodhi Pill for Burning Flame Valley. Meanwhile, Yun Yun emerged from seclusion on Misty Cloud Mountain, reuniting with Nalan Yanran and the others.

• Qin Yu decided to visit Burning Flame Valley and attempt to refine Tang Zhen’s Seventh-Rank High-Level Fire Bodhi Pill, hoping to earn a chance to comprehend the Three Mysterious Flame Change.
• Qin Yu spent more than a month cultivating with the Emperor Hong Violet Qi and Yao Chen’s Soul Art, then broke through to the Spirit Realm and briefly let his soul exist outside his body.
• Nalan Yanran asked Yun Shan how much longer Yun Yun would remain in seclusion, and Yun Shan said she needed more time to break through to Dou Zong.
• Two powerful auras erupted from Misty Cloud Mountain’s rear mountain, and Yun Shan, Qing Lin, and Nalan Yanran rushed over as Old Dong calmed the sect.
• Nalan Yanran embraced Yun Yun, while Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian chatted; Hai Bo Dong teased Yun Shan, who glared at him until he became uneasy.

Yun Shan and Hai Bo Dong joked about their loneliness and argued over whether Hai Bo Dong should attempt to break through to Dou Zong. Hai Bo Dong reminded Yun Shan of his former defiance, prompting Yun Shan to return to his old seclusion chamber and decide to attempt the breakthrough again, though he first asked Yun Yun whether Qin Yu had left any pills.

• Yun Shan patted Hai Bo Dong and said he was glad to have an old friend for company, while Hai Bo Dong recoiled and misunderstood his intentions.
• Hai Bo Dong revealed that he had reached Nine-Star Dou Emperor and planned to try for Dou Zong, surprising Yun Shan.
• Yun Yun, Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin left and discussed Yun Shan's old habit of discouraging others from attempting breakthroughs.
• Hai Bo Dong confronted Yun Shan in the back mountain, bringing up the Hall of Souls and saying he preferred Yun Shan's former untamed defiance.
• Yun Shan spent two days in his old seclusion chamber, then emerged determined to reach Dou Zong through his own strength and asked Yun Yun whether Qin Yu had left any pills.

Qin Yu left Burning Flame Valley and headed back toward Saint Pill City, but three Hall of Souls Protectors ambushed him on the way. He killed all three and continued on, realizing he would need to prepare for further attacks.

• Qin Yu decided to return to Saint Pill City after Tang Zhen was unwilling to offer the Three Mysterious Flame Change for refining the Fire Bodhi Pill.
• Three Hall of Souls Protectors ambushed Qin Yu in a Mountain Range, but his Thunder Puppet and Earth Puppet immediately struck down the two Seven-Star Dou Zongs.
• Qin Yu used Heavenly Flame chains to capture and kill the two fallen Protectors while the remaining Eight-Star Dou Zong fled from the puppets.
• Qin Yu and his puppets caught up with Protector Han after more than half a day and killed him with their combined attacks.
• Nearby factions arrived after the battle, but Qin Yu had already left and continued toward Saint Pill City, urging his Thunder Puppet to reach the Dou Venerable level.

Qin Yu went to the Pill Tower to take the High Seventh Grade Alchemist assessment, prompting Xuan Kongzi to arrange it and drawing a crowd from across the Pill Region. Cao Ying watched from the crowd and joined him inside the assessment venue.

• Cao Ying visited Qin Yu and showed off her Seventh-Rank High-Level Alchemist badge, and Qin Yu announced that he planned to earn the same badge.
• Qin Yu asked Steward Han Li to arrange the High Seventh Grade assessment, and Han Li reported his request to Xuan Kongzi.
• Xuan Kongzi ordered the assessment preparations after hearing that Qin Yu would attempt the High Seventh Grade level.
• Pill Region families and other observers gathered to watch, including Cao Ying and her younger brother Cao Dan.
• An elder led Qin Yu into the assessment venue, where he found that Cao Ying had pulled strings to enter too.

Qin Yu completed the High Seventh Grade Alchemist examination, revealing Spirit Realm soul power and refining a pill that triggered Tricolor Pill Lightning. He used the lightning to temper his Thunder Puppet, which emerged with its silver exterior stripped away to reveal gold.

• Xuan Kongzi arrived as members of the other four families watched Qin Yu refine, and he assured Qin Yu they would not interfere.
• Several days later, Qin Yu drew Tricolor Pill Lightning as he refined a pill, and Xuan Kongzi sensed that Qin Yu's soul power had reached the Spirit Realm.
• Qin Yu summoned his Thunder Puppet to face the lightning, and Xuan Kongzi realized the puppet was absorbing it to temper itself.
• As the puppet's silver shell peeled away to reveal gold, Qin Yu compressed energy into the pill and completed it, ending the lightning.
• Xuan Kongzi announced that Qin Yu had passed the examination, while Cao Ying and Cao Dan reacted with astonishment at his skill.

Qin Yu considered joining the Pill Tower and privately asked Xuan Kongzi whether it could protect him from the Hall of Souls. After Xuan Kongzi left, Qin Yu met Dan Chen, whose rivalry with Cao Ying sparked a public quarrel that ended with both Dan Chen and Cao Dan using Qin Yu as an excuse.

• Qin Yu admired his evolved Heavenly Demon Puppet and considered replacing its Tier 6 Magic Core with a Tier 7 one.
• Xuan Kongzi praised Qin Yu's puppet and invited him to join the Pill Tower, while Qin Yu asked about its benefits and whether it could protect him from the Hall of Souls.
• Dan Chen introduced herself to Qin Yu, and her special constitution briefly tugged at his soul.
• Cao Ying teased Qin Yu about Dan Chen, prompting Dan Chen and Cao Ying to argue over their rivalry and familiarity with him.
• Qin Yu stopped the quarrel when onlookers gathered, and Cao Ying dragged Cao Dan away after finding him spying.
• Cao Dan and Dan Chen each gave Qin Yu as their excuse when questioned by Cao Ying and Dan Xuan.