Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yao and Xun'er watched the Phoenix Egg hatch into a fiery little bird, which bonded with Xun'er over potato chips. They named it Xiao Fengming, leaving the three of them sharing a happy moment together.

• Xun'er fed her fire-attributed Dou Qi into the Phoenix Egg, and Xiao Yao later filled it with Fallen Heart Flame energy until it stopped absorbing.
• Xun'er and Xiao Yao watched the Phoenix Egg shake, crack, and hatch into a crimson bird wreathed in flames.
• The little bird flew to Xun'er, ate potato chips from her bag, and settled on her shoulder while Xiao Yao jokingly reminded it that he was its owner.
• Xiao Yao suggested naming the bird Xiao Xiaohong, but Xun'er proposed Xiao Fengming, and he agreed.
• Xun'er and Xiao Yao gently stroked Xiao Fengming and treasured the memory of naming it and witnessing its birth.

Xiao Yao promised Xiao Zhan that he could resolve Xiao Yan's Dou Qi regression and reassured Xiao Yan that he would help him recover. He gave Xiao Yan Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid for medicinal baths and left him determined to keep cultivating.

• Xiao Yao heard people discussing Xiao Yan's declining cultivation, which had reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yao that physicians and alchemists had found no cause for Xiao Yan's regression and asked him to support his dispirited brother.
• Xiao Yao promised to solve Xiao Yan's problem and said the process would take over a year and a half.
• Xiao Yao reassured Xiao Yan that he would not abandon him, and Xiao Yan shared his desire to see the world beyond the Gama Empire.
• Xiao Yao gave Xiao Yan five bottles of Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid and warned him to use it only for medicinal baths.
• Xiao Yan became determined to keep cultivating, and his body's capacity for Dou Qi continued to increase despite his cultivation slowly regressing.

Two years later, Xiao Yao and Xun'er attended the family testing assembly, where Xun'er achieved Three-Star Dou Practitioner while Xiao Yan tested at Fifth Stage and faced the crowd’s ridicule. Xiao Yao and Xun'er comforted Xiao Yan, who left determined to persevere and prove himself.

• Xiao Yao fed chips to the Phoenix on Xun'er's shoulder, and the bird happily ate from his hand.
• Xun'er tested at Three-Star Dou Practitioner, earning cheers from the assembled youths.
• Xiao Yan tested at Fifth Stage, Grade Intermediate, and heard family members mock his decline.
• Xiao Yan saw Xiao Yao and Xun'er waiting quietly, and Xiao Yao and Xun'er offered him encouragement.
• Xiao Yan resolved to keep cultivating and prove he was not trash.

Xiao Yao took his cultivation test and was revealed to be a Four-Star Dou Practitioner, drawing mockery from the crowd. Xun'er grew angry on his behalf, but Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan comforted her before they left to get snacks and take a walk.

• Xiao Yao went to the stage while Xun'er took Phoenix Cry, and she told Xiao Yan how she and Xiao Yao had found and rescued the injured bird.
• Xiao Yao placed his palm on the black stone stele, which showed that he was a Four-Star Dou Practitioner.
• The crowd mocked Xiao Yao's lack of progress, but he reassured the concerned Xun'er after returning from the stage.
• Xun'er threatened to have Phoenix Cry drop waste on the people who insulted Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yao calmed her and offered her chips.
• Xiao Yao fed Phoenix Cry a chip, and Xun'er took Xiao Yao's hand and led him away to get food and go for a walk as Xiao Yan followed.

Xiao Yao refined Fifth Grade Soul Liquid and used it to draw Yao Lao out of Xiao Yan’s ring, revealing that Yao Lao had been absorbing Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for more than two years. Xiao Yan learned that he could resume cultivation and demanded compensation, while Yao Lao offered his knowledge as an alchemist instead of Heaven Tier techniques.

• Xiao Yao refined the medicinal ingredients into Fifth Grade Soul Liquid to strengthen a soul.
• Xiao Yao visited Xiao Yan and said he had found the cause of his abnormality.
• Xiao Yao poured the Soul Liquid into Xiao Yan’s ring and threatened to burn it with his Heavenly Flame, forcing Yao Lao to emerge.
• Yao Lao admitted that he had absorbed Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for more than two years, and Xiao Yan realized he could cultivate normally again.
• Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan demanded compensation from Yao Lao, who said he had no Heaven Tier cultivation methods but was an alchemist.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yao both accepted Yao Lao as a teacher, with Xiao Yao limiting their relationship to alchemy lessons. Three months later, Xiao Yan visited Xiao Yao to borrow money for cultivation supplies and left ready to resume refining pills.

• Xiao Yan performed the master-disciple ceremony with Yao Lao, and the system rewarded him with three Dou Emperor puppets.
• Xiao Yao accepted Yao Lao as his alchemy teacher, but declined the Flame Mantra and told Yao Lao to pass it to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yao gave Xiao Yan Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid and left him to continue cultivating with Yao Lao.
• Three months later, Xiao Yan visited Xiao Yao after using up the spiritual liquid and borrowed money to buy ingredients.
• Xiao Yan promised to repay Xiao Yao with money from selling pills, then left to buy ingredients and resume alchemy.

Xiao Yao checked his cultivation and joined Xun'er and Xiao Yan in the main hall to meet Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran. After Xiao Zhan exchanged greetings with Nalan Yanran, Ge Ye prepared to explain why they had come to the Xiao Clan.

• Xiao Yao reviewed his character panel and saw that he had reached Nine-Star Dou King.
• Xun'er summoned Xiao Yao to the main hall because guests had arrived at the clan.
• Xiao Yao recognized Nalan Yanran among the visitors and told Xun'er and Xiao Yan that he had met her as a child.
• Ge Ye told Xiao Zhan that he had come to ask the Xiao Clan for a favor.
• Xiao Zhan greeted Nalan Yanran and praised her for becoming Yun Yun's disciple.

Nalan Yanran came to the Xiao Clan to dissolve her engagement to Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yao intervened and Xiao Yan rejected her terms. Xiao Yan ended the confrontation by writing and signing a bloodstained letter repudiating Nalan Yanran, leaving her stunned.

• Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran asked Xiao Zhan to dissolve the engagement, and Xiao Zhan reluctantly agreed after the elders stopped him from attacking them.
• Ge Ye offered Qi-Gathering Powder as compensation, but Xiao Yao displayed three superior pills and used his Soul Force to make the elders and Ge Ye leave the decision to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan argued that neither family elder had agreed to end the engagement, while Nalan Yanran offered compensation and challenged him to fight her in three years.
• Xiao Yan refused Nalan Yanran's challenge, wrote a letter repudiating her, and marked it with his bloodied palm print.

After Xiao Yan declared a three-year challenge to Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yao pledged to accompany him to the Misty Cloud Sect and encouraged him to prepare for the fight. The group discussed Xiao Yan’s training and future trip to the Magic Beast Mountain Range, then Xun’er joined them on the back mountain before they returned together.

• Xiao Yan vowed to defeat Nalan Yanran at the Misty Cloud Sect in three years, and Xiao Yao received a Dou Zong Puppet from the system for the Three-Year Pact.
• Xiao Yao warned Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect not to interfere with the challenge, while Xiao Zhan sent Nalan Yanran, Ge Ye, and the young man away.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Yao he resented the public humiliation, and Xiao Yao promised to accompany him to the Misty Cloud Sect and urged him to prove himself at the coming-of-age ceremony.
• Yao Lao appeared and joked with Xiao Yan about Nalan Yanran, then said he would take Xiao Yan to the Magic Beast Mountain Range for training after the ceremony.
• Xun’er found Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan on the back mountain, and the three sat together until evening before heading back.

Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan went to the Mittel Family auction house to commission medicinal ingredients for the Emperor's Extreme Pill and Sect-Breaking Pill. The chapter ended with Gu Ni reviewing Xiao Yao's list and Xiao Yao agreeing to pay whatever it cost to obtain the ingredients.

• Xiao Yao asked Yao Lao about the Sixth-Grade pill planned for their training, and Yao Lao gave him the Emperor's Extreme Pill formula.
• Xiao Yao proposed selling pills and commissioning the auction house to search across the Jia Ma Empire for the ingredients, while Xiao Yan worried about attracting attention.
• Xiao Yao used a Disguise Mask to change his face and voice, and he and Xiao Yan disguised themselves in black robes before heading to the auction house.
• Xiao Yao showed the Mittel Family crystal card at the auction house and asked the staff to summon Gu Ni.
• Xiao Yao gave Gu Ni a list of ingredients for the Emperor's Extreme Pill and Sect-Breaking Pill, with extra herbs added to obscure the formulas.
• Gu Ni noted that most of the ingredients were Sixth-Grade and would cost a great deal, and Xiao Yao confirmed he would pay whatever was required.

Xiao Yao traded three kinds of Fifth-Grade Pills to the Mittel Family for medicinal ingredients, while Xiao Yan arranged to auction two bottles of Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid. More than half a year later, Xiao Yao and Xun'er arrived at the clan's Dou Qi testing assembly, where Xiao Yan had not yet appeared.

• Xiao Yao offered the Mittel Family three kinds of Fifth-Grade Pills in exchange for the medicinal ingredients on his formula and asked them to prepare enough for three sets.
• Xiao Yan handed Ya Fei two bottles of Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid to auction, and Gu Ni warned Ya Fei not to provoke the mysterious alchemist.
• More than half a year passed, leaving one month until Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan's coming-of-age ceremony and the clan's Dou Qi testing assembly.
• Xun'er reminded Xiao Yao that the testing assembly was taking place and led him by the hand to the training ground.
• Xiao Zhan and the three elders watched the assembly as the Second Elder asked why Xiao Yan had not arrived, and Xiao Zhan told him to be patient.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yao attended the clan's testing assembly, where Xun'er and Xiao Yao astonished the crowd with their cultivation results. Xiao Yan's final test revealed that he had returned to the ranks of Dou Zhe, leaving the crowd stunned.

• Xiao Zhan began the clan test, explaining that youths needed to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi to pass and could challenge a qualified companion if they failed.
• Xiao Mei passed with the eighth stage of Dou Force, and Xiao Yan reflected that strength and the support of his family mattered most.
• Xun'er tested as a Four-Star Dou Zhe, drawing shocked reactions from the elders and cheers from the crowd.
• Xiao Yao tested as a One-Star Battle Master, astonishing the clan members who had believed he was still a Four-Star Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Yan took the final test and revealed that he was a One-Star Dou Zhe, leaving the training ground completely silent.

Xiao Yan regained his standing by testing as a one-star Dou Zhe, while Xiao Yao reassured Xun'er of his affection and kept their promise to spend time together. The next morning, Xiao Yao and Xun'er left the clan grounds to stroll through the bustling streets.

• Xiao Zhan announced that Xiao Yan had reached one-star Dou Zhe and concluded the clan test after the remaining challenges.
• Xiao Mei congratulated Xiao Yan, who left for his courtyard, and Xiao Yao reassured her before she departed.
• Xun'er asked Xiao Yao whether he would remember her, and he took her hand and promised she was the only one in his heart.
• Xun'er reminded Xiao Yao to accompany her shopping the next day, and he agreed to spend the next few days with her.
• Xun'er arrived at Xiao Yao's courtyard the following morning wearing the necklace he had secretly given her as a child, and the two left the clan grounds together.

Xiao Yao took Xun'er shopping through the city, where they bought clothes and a bracelet in a market controlled by the Xiao Clan. Galeo approached them with a gift for Xun'er, but she rejected it, and Xiao Yao offered her the bracelet he had bought.

• Xun'er eagerly explored the busy street market with Xiao Yao and tried on a pale white dress that he praised.
• Xiao Yao led Xun'er to a Xiao Clan market, where guard captain Payne greeted them and ordered Pari to protect them from pickpockets.
• At a stall deeper in the market, Xiao Yao bought Xun'er a pale green bracelet for one hundred gold coins.
• Galeo approached Xun'er and offered her a Wood Spirit Bracelet set with a first-tier wood-attribute magic crystal.
• Xun'er declined Galeo's gift, and Xiao Yao offered her the bracelet he had just purchased.

Xiao Yao gave Xun'er a bracelet and drove off Galeo and his men before spending the following month with her. At the Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Yao, Xun'er, and Xiao Yan watched the guests arrive, and Xiao Yu confronted Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yao put a bracelet on Xun'er, then used his Battle Qi to deter Galeo's men until Payne and the Xiao Clan guards arrived and Galeo left.
• Xiao Yao accompanied Xun'er around Wutan City's marketplaces over the following weeks.
• Xiao Yao, Xun'er, and Xiao Yan sat beneath a tree during the Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony and noticed a woman from the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yan recognized Xiao Yu, who had returned from Jia Nan Academy, and she mocked him for his past disgrace.
• Xiao Yan responded to Xiao Yu's taunts with a curse, and Xiao Yu criticized his sharp tongue.

At the Xiao Clan’s Coming of Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan’s retest revealed he had recovered his talent and reached Two-Star Dou Zhe, stunning the assembled clans and families. The ceremony moved on to a challenge meant to test his Dou Technique mastery.

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu argued over his having touched her thigh at a hot spring, and Xiao Yu drew her sword before Xiao Zhan’s arrival made her leave.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yao and Xiao Yan that the Coming of Age Ceremony was about to begin, and they assured him they would not embarrass him.
• Xiao Yao complained to Xun'er about the ceremony’s tedious traditions as the First Elder began the proceedings.
• The Second Elder called Xiao Yan for his retest, and the Black Stone Stele displayed that he was a Two-Star Dou Zhe.
• The gathered representatives marveled at Xiao Yan’s recovery and speculated that Xiao Yao might have reached Battle Master level.
• The Second Elder announced that Xiao Yan would face a challenger below Two-Star Dou Zhe to test his mastery of Dou Techniques.

Xiao Yao revealed that he had reached the One-Star Battle Master realm during the Xiao Clan’s coming-of-age retest, stunning the audience and drawing Ya Fei’s interest. After the ceremony, he and Xun'er discussed the upcoming search for cultivation techniques before he prepared to return to his courtyard.

• Xiao Yu stopped Xiao Ning from challenging Xiao Yan, and the Second Elder ended Xiao Yan’s retest before calling Xun'er.
• Xiao Yao asked Second Elder Xiao Ying to skip the lengthy ritual and proceed directly to the test.
• Xiao Yao’s retest showed that he had become a One-Star Battle Master, shocking the crowd and prompting Jia Lie Bi to worry about the Xiao Clan’s growing strength.
• Ya Fei praised Xiao Zhan’s sons and asked about Xiao Yao’s alchemist master, while Xiao Zhan said Yao'er had learned alchemy from a reclusive expert.
• After the ceremony, Xun'er offered to find Xiao Yao a higher-tier cultivation technique, but he said he already had his own.
• Xiao Yao walked Xun'er to her courtyard and said he would return to his own courtyard.

Xiao Yao and Xun'er entered the Dou Qi Pavilion to select cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, where Xiao Yao broke powerful barriers with ease. After helping Xiao Mei obtain access to a room, he explained to Xun'er that his boastful display was meant to motivate the other clan members.

• Xiao Zhan explained the pavilion rules, and Xiao Yan entered after his fire attribute lit the crystal ball brightly.
• Xun'er shattered the crystal ball with her fire attribute, so Xiao Zhan sent her and Xiao Yao into the Fire Path together.
• Xun'er told Xiao Yao she already had her own methods and techniques, and they joked before exploring the pavilion.
• Xiao Yao found Xiao Yan holding the high-grade Yellow-tier cultivation method Flame Refining Incineration, then broke the strongest barrier in the Fire Path and took the scroll inside.
• Xun'er took a mid-grade Yellow-tier Dou Technique and led Xiao Yao through other paths, where they found Xiao Mei unable to break a barrier.
• Xiao Yao broke Xiao Mei's barrier with a finger and told Xun'er that his display was meant to awaken the other clan members' motivation.

Xiao Yao accepted Xun'er's gift of a high-level Xuan Tier cultivation method, then disguised himself and exchanged pills for medicinal ingredients at the Mittel Auction House. News of the upcoming auction spread through Wutan City, and the Xiao Clan received an invitation as interest grew in the pills he had supplied.

• Xiao Yao and Xun'er registered their cultivation methods at the Dou Qi Pavilion, and Xun'er gave Xiao Yao the Flame Manipulation Formula as a gift.
• Xiao Yao told Xun'er he would accept her feelings.
• Xiao Yao disguised himself, met Ya Fei and Gu Ni at the Mittel Auction House, and gave them pills in exchange for three Storage Rings of medicinal ingredients.
• Ya Fei announced that the pills would appear at a large auction, and Xiao Yao said he might attend.
• The auction house's publicity spread news of the Green Spirit Pill and Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid across Wutan City, and the Xiao Clan received an invitation.

Xiao Yao joined the Xiao clan at the Mittel Auction House, where he discussed Jia Nan Academy with Xun'er and noticed Galeo watching them. The auction began with two bottles of superior Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid, and bidding between Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa was underway when the chapter ended.

• Xiao Zhan led Xiao Yao, Xun'er, and the Xiao clan group to the Mittel Auction House through its VIP passage.
• Xiao Yao agreed to enroll in Jia Nan Academy with Xun'er rather than become an elder.
• Xiao Yao recognized Galeo and explained that Galeo had grown stronger after his father bought a Xuan Tier high-grade wind-attribute cultivation technique.
• Ya Fei opened the auction by presenting two bottles of superior Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid, appraised by Master Gu Ni.
• Jia Lie Bi bid fifty-one thousand for the spiritual liquid, and Ao Ba Pa mocked him before raising the offer to fifty-five thousand.