Chapter Summaries

At the Xiao Clan’s family test in Wutan City, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi remained at Third Duan, drawing mockery and threats from Xiao Ning while Xiao Xun’er stood by him. Xun’er tested at Stage Eight and left with Xiao Yan, confident that his cultivation would recover.

• Xiao Yan tested at Third Duan Dou Qi, endured the crowd’s ridicule, and returned to Xiao Xun’er.
• Xiao Ning revealed that his grandfather and two other elders were pressuring the Patriarch to remove Xiao Yan from the family core, and vowed to target him afterward.
• Xiao Mei tested at Sixth Duan, then scorned Xiao Yan for relying on Xiao Xun’er.
• Xiao Xun’er tested at Stage Eight Dou Qi and defended Xiao Yan, saying she believed he would return to his peak soon.
• Xiao Xun’er explained that she had suppressed her cultivation to build a strong foundation, then linked arms with Xiao Yan and went home to cook for him.

Transmigrated into Xiao Yan, Chu Li cultivated despite his vanishing Dou Qi, expecting the soul inside his ring to be Medicine Elder. After speaking with Xiao Zhan, he decided to stop waiting and removed the ring, then continued cultivating as his Dou Qi began to accumulate again.

• Xiao Yan reflected on his transmigration, his lost Dou Qi, and his hope that Medicine Elder would emerge from his mother's ring.
• After cultivating until his Dou Qi disappeared again, Xiao Yan met Xiao Zhan, who reassured him that the elders could not expel him before the coming-of-age ceremony.
• Xiao Yan promised Xiao Zhan he would reach Seventh Duan Dou Qi, while privately worrying about Nalan Yanran's expected engagement annulment.
• Back at his house, Xiao Yan took off the unresponsive ring and resumed cultivating, feeling Dou Qi gather in his Qi Sea.

Xiao Yan met Medicine Elder, learned that the old man had absorbed his Dou Qi for three years, and accepted him as his master to study alchemy and cultivation. Medicine Elder left Xiao Yan with a basic battle skill and ingredient list before returning to the Ring, while Xiao Yan was warned to keep his existence secret.

• Xiao Yan confronted Medicine Elder about absorbing his Dou Qi, and Medicine Elder confirmed that he had been using the Ring for three years.
• Medicine Elder offered to teach Xiao Yan alchemy, and Xiao Yan formally acknowledged him as his master.
• Medicine Elder gave Xiao Yan the Profound Rank Low Grade Blazing Fire Palm, which Xiao Yan learned and tested with little effect.
• Medicine Elder explained that Xiao Yan's foundation had grown stronger but his meridians could not withstand medicinal pills, then told him to prepare Purple Leaf Orchids, Bone-Washing Flowers, and a first-tier wood-attributed Magic Core.
• Medicine Elder sensed someone approaching, returned to the Ring, and ordered Xiao Yan not to reveal his existence to anyone.

Xiao Yan and Xun'er went shopping in Wutan City's market so he could buy medicinal ingredients, but their outing ended in a confrontation with Jia Lie Ao. Xiao Yan used the Xiao Clan's market guards to drive Jia Lie Ao away and hinted that he would settle the score himself later.

• Xun'er brought Xiao Yan breakfast and gave him a Purple-Gold Card containing several hundred thousand gold coins to fund his purchases.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er explored Wutan City's shops and market, where Xiao Yan bought ingredients for five batches of medicine.
• Jia Lie Ao approached Xiao Yan and Xun'er, mocked Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, and ordered his men to surround them when Xiao Yan insulted him.
• Xiao Yan summoned Payne and the market guards, preventing Jia Lie Ao from starting a fight in the Xiao Clan's market.
• Jia Lie Ao left with his men, and Xiao Yan told Xun'er that he intended to teach him a lesson himself.

Xiao Yan and Medicine Elder prepared a Foundation-Building Elixir to speed up Xiao Yan’s cultivation, and Xiao Yan began using it overnight. The next morning, he set out for harsh training while Xun'er discovered clues to his secrets.

• Medicine Elder refined the medicinal ingredients and made a Foundation-Building Elixir for Xiao Yan.
• Medicine Elder explained that the elixir could help Xiao Yan reach the seventh level of Dou Qi within a year, then offered a faster method involving being beaten.
• Xiao Yan cultivated overnight in the elixir-infused water and felt his Dou Qi increase rapidly.
• Medicine Elder told Xiao Yan to begin training, and Xiao Yan went to the clan's back mountain.
• Xun'er arrived with food, found Xiao Yan gone, and recognized the lingering scent as something that could accelerate Dou Qi cultivation.

Xiao Yan endured Medicine Elder’s punishing physical training and cultivated in a Foundation-Building Elixir bath, where Medicine Elder discovered that Xiao Yan healed unusually quickly. Medicine Elder recognized that Xiao Yan possessed a remarkable hidden opportunity and prepared to train him without holding back, while Xiao Yan headed back to the mountain with breakfast from Xun'er.

• Medicine Elder repeatedly lashed Xiao Yan with Dou Qi until his body was covered in bruises, and Xiao Yan persisted so he could grow stronger.
• Xiao Yan soaked in the Foundation-Building Elixir and cultivated while Medicine Elder watched his injuries fade rapidly.
• Medicine Elder questioned Xiao Yan about his quick recovery, examined his body, and discovered something extraordinary in Xiao Yan’s Qi Sea.
• Medicine Elder said he could now train Xiao Yan without holding back, then ordered him back to the Back Mountain.
• Xiao Yan found a breakfast box that he believed Xun'er had prepared and ate as he headed uphill, unaware of the harsher training ahead.

Xiao Yan endured Medicine Elder’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame training and used a costly medicinal bath to strengthen his body and advance to the fifth stage of Dou Qi. After Medicine Elder taught him Eight Extremes Collapse, Xiao Yan wondered whether he could fuse Dou Techniques, and Medicine Elder encouraged him to try despite the danger.

• Medicine Elder lashed Xiao Yan with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame for a hundred strikes, and Xiao Yan kept demanding that he continue until he passed out.
• Medicine Elder placed Xiao Yan in a barrel of red medicinal liquid, where Xiao Yan cultivated and absorbed its energy.
• Xiao Yan broke through to the fifth stage of Dou Qi, tested his strengthened body with Blazing Fire Palm, and received Eight Extremes Collapse from Medicine Elder.
• Xiao Yan practiced Eight Extremes Collapse on a tree, smashing its trunk and bringing it down.
• Xiao Yan asked whether Dou Techniques could be fused, and Medicine Elder explained the risks before telling him to try boldly.

Xiao Yan successfully fused Blazing Fire Palm with Eight Extremes Collapse into Cloud-Discharging Palm, then encountered Xiao Ning, who was jealous of Xiao Xun'er and challenged him to a duel. Xiao Yan accepted, leaving them poised to fight.

• Xiao Yan injured his right arm while repeatedly attempting to fuse Blazing Fire Palm and Eight Extremes Collapse, then adjusted the technique's circulation route and succeeded with his left palm.
• Medicine Elder praised Xiao Yan's success and warned him to heal his injured arm, which Xiao Yan repaired by cultivating.
• Xiao Yan tested his new Cloud-Discharging Palm on a tree, bringing it down with a powerful strike.
• Xiao Ning confronted Xiao Yan about Xiao Xun'er bringing him breakfast and accused him of being unworthy of her attention.
• Xiao Yan provoked Xiao Ning and accepted his challenge to a clan-sanctioned sparring match.

Xiao Yan faced Xiao Ning in a clan-wide duel arranged to humiliate him and undermine Xiao Zhan, but Xiao Ning’s strongest attack barely moved him. The fight remained unresolved as Xun’er showed her concern for Xiao Yan, further enraging Xiao Ning.

• Xiao Zhan learned of the duel and hurried to the training grounds, while the First Elder revealed that he and the other elders had spread the news to damage Xiao Zhan’s standing and push Xiao Yan out of the clan.
• Xiao Ning delayed the duel until Xun’er arrived, then charged Xiao Yan with his Iron Mountain Fist as the crowd watched.
• Xiao Yan stood firm against the blow, while Xiao Ning stumbled back and the First Elder accused Xiao Yan of cheating.
• Xiao Ning tore Xiao Yan’s shirt to look for evidence, revealing Xiao Yan’s muscular build and the red mark from the strike.
• Xun’er gave Xiao Yan clothes and urged him to put them on, making Xiao Ning even angrier.

Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Ning in the clan match, revealing the results of his month of brutal body-tempering training and his mastery of powerful techniques. After Xiao Ning attacked him with a dagger, Xiao Yan subdued him, and Xiao Zhan took his son to his study to learn how he had grown so strong.

• Xiao Yan's punch sent Xiao Ning staggering and coughing blood, while the crowd struggled to understand his sudden strength.
• Xiao Xun'er recognized that Xiao Yan was only at the fifth stage of Dou Qi and had strengthened his body through arduous training.
• As Xiao Yan prepared to leave, Xiao Ning attacked his back with a dagger, but Xiao Yan turned and struck him with Cloud-Discharging Palm, badly injuring him.
• Xiao Zhan demanded an explanation from the elders, and the First Elder punished Xiao Ning with three months of confinement; Xiao Yan accepted the penalty.
• Xiao Zhan took Xiao Yan to his study to question him about his rapid improvement.

Xiao Yan explained his rapid cultivation and victory over Xiao Ning to Xiao Zhan, who gave him fifty thousand gold coins without pressing him about his secrets. After spending the day with Xun'er, Xiao Yan went to the back mountain for another brutal training session with Medicine Elder.

• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that his cultivation talent had returned and that he had found and practiced a body-tempering Dou Technique, and Xiao Zhan accepted the explanation without asking further.
• Xiao Zhan gave Xiao Yan fifty thousand gold coins and sent him from the study.
• Xun'er asked Xiao Yan about his progress, then took him for a stroll and a meal when he struggled to answer.
• Xiao Yan found breakfast from Xun'er at his door the next morning and hurried to the back mountain, followed by two shadows.
• Medicine Elder increased the force of his training strike, and Xiao Yan screamed as the pale flames coursed through his body.

Xiao Xun'er wanted to stop Xiao Yan’s painful training, but Xiao Zhan persuaded her to let him continue and suggested she spar with him to give him breaks. After Medicine Elder’s medicinal treatment strengthened Xiao Yan’s body, he learned to use two layers of force with Eight Extremes Collapse, though doing so nearly exhausted him.

• Xiao Xun'er secretly watched Xiao Yan endure training with Heavenly Flame whips, but Xiao Zhan stopped her from intervening.
• Xiao Zhan explained that Xiao Yan had chosen his path and warned Xiao Xun'er that intervening could damage their relationship.
• Xiao Zhan suggested Xiao Xun'er spar with Xiao Yan sometimes to reduce his training, and she agreed to pretend she had not seen him.
• Xiao Yan absorbed Medicine Elder’s red medicinal liquid, which strengthened his body and increased his physical power.
• Medicine Elder taught Xiao Yan how to produce two layers of force with Eight Extremes Collapse, and Xiao Yan pierced a tree with the technique.

Xiao Yan sparred with Xun'er at the Back Mountain after she brought him breakfast, and he discovered that her Ninth Duan Dou Qi and movement technique far surpassed his expectations. He began applying the close-combat moves of Eight Extremes Collapse, but Xun'er ended the exchange by sending him flying with a powerful technique.

• Xun'er brought Xiao Yan breakfast and asked him to spar with her, and Medicine Elder encouraged him to accept.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er went to the Back Mountain, where he attacked her with Force Qi and Eight Extremes Collapse, but she easily evaded and deflected his strikes.
• Medicine Elder criticized Xiao Yan for focusing on Eight Extremes Collapse's force instead of its close-combat moves.
• Xiao Yan used Mountain-Shaking Sea-Crashing and Arrowlike Collapse Fist to press Xun'er backward and land an elbow strike.
• Xun'er drew a Tai Chi-like pattern with her glowing palms and blasted Xiao Yan more than a dozen meters away, leaving him asking what technique she had used.

Xiao Yan and Xun'er sparred, then Xun'er taught him the High-Grade Profound Rank Dou Technique Swallow Counter Strike, which he renamed Heavenly Shift. After Xiao Yan learned it quickly and tested it against Xun'er, he sent her flying and caught her, leaving them both embarrassed.

• Xiao Yan and Xun'er exchanged attacks until their Dou Qi ran out, then rested together on a boulder and cultivated as the sun set.
• Xun'er explained that her countering move was the High-Grade Profound Rank Dou Technique Swallow Counter Strike, and Xiao Yan renamed it Heavenly Shift.
• Xun'er gave Xiao Yan a golden scroll and taught him the technique, which he learned in one attempt.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er tested Heavenly Shift in the moonlight, and Xiao Yan's counter sent Xun'er flying.
• Xiao Yan caught Xun'er, and she blushed, asked him to put her down, then hurried back down the mountain.

After five months of training, Xiao Yan and Xun'er went to Wutan City's marketplace to buy medicinal ingredients and Wood-attribute Monster Cores for Foundation-Building Elixir. Xiao Yan bought the ingredients and negotiated for a core, hoping to sell elixirs instead of borrowing more money.

• Xun'er praised Xiao Yan's rapid progress in sparring, while Xiao Yan asked her to stop because of the heat, but she refused.
• Xiao Yan told Medicine Elder he planned to make Foundation-Building Elixir to sell rather than continue borrowing money from Xun'er.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er went to Wutan City, ate lunch, and searched the marketplace for ingredients and Wood-attribute Monster Cores.
• Xiao Yan bought five portions each of lower-aged Purple Leaf Orchid and Bone-Washing Flower, then found only four Wood-attribute Monster Cores after looking around.
• Xiao Yan inspected a vendor's Emerald Lizard core and negotiated its price down to six hundred gold coins.

Xiao Yan bought Xun'er a bracelet and secretly acquired a mysterious Black Iron Piece, but Jia Lie Ao challenged his claim to a Wood-attribute Monster Core and forced a duel. Xiao Yan defeated Jia Lie Ao with one punch, leaving the onlookers stunned and speculating about his strength.

• Xiao Yan persuaded the merchant to include the bracelet and Black Iron Piece with his purchase, after Medicine Elder urged him to take the iron piece.
• Jia Lie Ao arrived with guards, tried to take the Magic Core, and mocked Xiao Yan for giving Xun'er a cheap bracelet.
• Payne and a patrol squad arrived, but Jia Lie Ao paid the merchant and challenged Xiao Yan to a fight over the goods.
• Xiao Yan accepted Jia Lie Ao's challenge, and the two faced off as guards and spectators gathered around them.
• Xiao Yan struck Jia Lie Ao with Eight Extremes Collapse, broke his arm, and sent him flying.
• The stunned crowd debated Xiao Yan's strength and spread a rumor that the Xiao Clan had concealed his talent to protect him.

Xiao Yan defeated Jia Lie Ao in their duel, prompting Jia Lie Bi to confront him and fight Xiao Zhan. Jia Lie Bi then joined forces with another Great Dou Master, leaving Xiao Zhan locked in a stalemate against their combined attacks.

• Xiao Yan battered Jia Lie Ao and tried to finish him, but Jia Lie Ao’s guard captain intervened and knocked him back.
• Xiao Yan ordered Payne to lead the Xiao Clan guards against the Jia Lie Clan guards, drawing Jia Lie Bi to the scene.
• Jia Lie Bi attacked Xiao Yan, but Xiao Zhan arrived in time to block him and defend his son.
• Xiao Zhan and Jia Lie Bi fought across the street, with Xiao Zhan gradually gaining the advantage.
• Jia Lie Bi called on a spear-wielding Great Dou Master to attack Xiao Zhan from behind, forcing Xiao Zhan to meet both opponents’ attacks in a stalemate.

Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Clan elders defeated Jia Lie Bi and Jia Lie Nu, leaving the Jia Lie Clan’s leaders badly injured. Back at home, Xiao Yan discovered the Black Iron Piece contained the Sucking Palm and began experimenting with it, ending with the saber hovering in midair.

• Xiao Zhan called on two Xiao Clan elders, and their surprise attacks helped him and the elders seriously injure Jia Lie Bi and Jia Lie Nu, though Jia Lie Nu escaped with Jia Lie Bi and his son.
• Xiao Zhan promised to compensate the merchants and mercenaries for the damage, and a fat merchant returned the Black Iron Piece and magic core to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan took the Black Iron Piece to his room, where Medicine Elder identified its Dou Technique as the low-tier Xuan-class Sucking Palm.
• Xiao Yan learned to draw a door open with the Sucking Palm, then used both hands while shouting “Dragon-Grasping Hand” and knocked over his weapon rack.
• Xiao Yan practiced pulling a saber toward himself with the Sucking Palm and managed to make it hover in the air.

Xiao Yan brought five bottles of Foundation-Building Elixir to the Mitel Auction House, where Master Gu Ni confirmed their quality and Ya Fei proposed delaying the auction to attract more bidders. Xiao Yan agreed to wait a day or two so the elixir could earn a higher price.

• Xiao Yan disguised himself in a black robe and went to the Mitel Auction House with Foundation-Building Elixir refined by Medicine Elder.
• Xiao Yan presented a bottle to the appraiser, who summoned Master Gu Ni and Ya Fei to examine it.
• Master Gu Ni tested the elixir and confirmed that it was a second-tier spiritual elixir with the effects Medicine Elder had claimed.
• Xiao Yan produced five bottles of Foundation-Building Elixir, astonishing Ya Fei, Master Gu Ni, and the appraiser.
• Ya Fei suggested waiting a day or two to promote the auction and attract more bidders, and Medicine Elder agreed.

Medicine Elder arranged for the Mitel Auction House to gather medicinal ingredients, while Ya Fei avoided investigating his identity and prepared to win his favor. The Xiao Clan and other major clans gathered for the Foundation-Building Elixir auction, which began with Ya Fei presenting a basin of water as a demonstration.

• Medicine Elder gave Ya Fei a list of medicinal ingredients and asked her to acquire two sets, with the cost deducted from the Foundation-Building Elixir proceeds.
• Master Gu Ni confirmed that Medicine Elder was at least a second-tier alchemist and warned Ya Fei against investigating or offending him.
• The Xiao Clan elders decided to bid for multiple bottles of Foundation-Building Elixir to strengthen their younger generation and keep the Oba and Jia Lie Clans from obtaining too many.
• Xiao Zhan brought Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning, and other clan members to the crowded auction, where Xun'er joined them.
• Jia Lie Bi restrained himself from attacking Xiao Zhan at the auction house, and Ya Fei began the event with a basin of clear water as Xiao Yan recognized her sales tactic.