Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan fought through a relentless training exercise in the Warcraft Mountains, using a massive black sword and hit-and-run tactics to defeat four Magical Beasts. Exhausted and badly wounded, he faced the cunning Black Bear and began evading its attacks while recovering his strength.

• Xiao Yan fled from a Snow Leopard and fierce tiger, killing the tiger with his massive black sword.
• A Wind Wolf wounded Xiao Yan, but he drove it back with Cloud-Discharging Palm before a Wild Boar ambushed and injured him.
• Xiao Yan cast off the sword’s restraint and killed the Wild Boar with a series of close-range strikes.
• Xiao Yan lured in and killed the Snow Leopard, then used the same tactics to defeat the fierce tiger and Wind Wolf as the Black Bear followed behind.
• The Black Bear struck Xiao Yan once his strength was nearly spent, but Xiao Yan planted his sword in the ground and evaded the bear while recovering his Dou Qi and stamina.

Xiao Yan discovered that the Hidden Force of the Eight Extremes Collapse let him break through a giant bear’s defenses and kill it. After Medicine Elder admitted he had been drawing magical beasts to Xiao Yan for training, Xiao Yan recalled his first terrifying encounter with a lion and asked whether his body could become tougher.

• Xiao Yan studied the Hidden Force of the Eight Extremes Collapse during his fight with the giant bear, then used it to wound the beast and drain its blood before killing it.
• Medicine Elder praised Xiao Yan for killing five magical beasts, and Xiao Yan complained that Medicine Elder’s training had repeatedly exposed him to dangerous groups of beasts.
• Medicine Elder admitted that he had arranged for magical beasts to gather around Xiao Yan, then teased him about his first encounter with a lion.
• Xiao Yan recalled fleeing from the lion, suffering claw wounds, and finally killing it with a desperate barrage of Dou Techniques.
• Xiao Yan pointed to the old wound on his back and asked Medicine Elder if his body could become tougher for close combat with magical beasts.

Xiao Yan tried Heavenly Flame Body Tempering to strengthen his body, but recklessly unleashed the flames and lost consciousness. He survived, and Medicine Elder noticed a mysterious mark appear on his forehead before it vanished.

• Medicine Elder proposed burning Xiao Yan's whole body with Heavenly Flame to temper it, and Xiao Yan agreed to try.
• Xiao Yan spread the Heavenly Flame throughout his body without gradually controlling its temperature and collapsed unconscious as black-and-white flames engulfed him.
• Medicine Elder feared Xiao Yan would burn to ashes, then discovered that the flames were tempering his body and that a mysterious black-and-white mark had appeared on his forehead.
• The black flames vanished and white flames healed Xiao Yan while he dreamed of being burned in a furnace and then soothed by water.
• Xiao Yan woke naked in a pit, dressed himself, and learned from Medicine Elder that he had survived and triggered a special mark.
• Xiao Yan searched his forehead with a mirror but could not find the mark.

Xiao Yan activated his black-and-white Clan Mark and discovered that it boosted his strength without causing discomfort, while Heavenly Flame training had also strengthened and healed his body. Medicine Elder set him a challenge to defeat ten first-rank magical beasts without removing his black greatsword, and Xiao Yan began training against three beasts in the forest.

• Medicine Elder showed Xiao Yan how to activate his Clan Mark, which raised Xiao Yan to Three-star Dou Zhe and could be switched on and off without leaving him weakened.
• Xiao Yan discovered that Heavenly Flame training had healed his injuries and strengthened his body, meridians, and Dou Qi circulation.
• Medicine Elder challenged Xiao Yan to defeat ten first-rank magical beasts at once while carrying the black greatsword and forbade him from using hit-and-run tactics.
• Xiao Yan faced a Demon Wolf, a Flame Hound, and a Rock-Armored Giant Elephant in the forest while keeping the greatsword on his back.
• Xiao Yan endured the Flame Hound's fire and grabbed the Rock-Armored Giant Elephant's tusks, throwing the beast to the ground.

Xiao Yan fought six magical beasts and was nearly killed after the Ice Serpent immobilized him and the Giant Lizard poisoned him. A warm current surged through his body, letting him defeat the beasts, and he finished by killing the Giant Lizard.

• Xiao Yan fought off the Demon Wolf and Flame Hound, then struck the Rock-Armored Giant Elephant with Eight Extremes Collapse.
• The Ice Serpent bound Xiao Yan’s legs while the Giant Lizard bit him and injected venom; the other beasts joined the attack, leaving him restrained and fading.
• A warm current spread through Xiao Yan’s body, and his flame mark blazed as his aura blasted the surrounding beasts away.
• Xiao Yan killed the Demon Wolf, crushed the Rock-Armored Giant Elephant’s spine, and slew the Flame Hound with Dragon-Grasping Hand and his greatsword.
• Xiao Yan chased down the fleeing Ice Serpent and Giant Lizard, chopping the serpent apart and smashing the lizard into the ground until it died.

After defeating five Magical Beasts, Xiao Yan collected their Magic Cores and prepared to begin refining the Strength-Gathering Pill under Medicine Elder’s guidance. He established a hidden cave and summoned the Yang Fire, leaving the refinement about to begin.

• Medicine Elder praised Xiao Yan for defeating five Magical Beasts, and Xiao Yan discovered that the Yin-Yang Twin Flame had neutralized their poison.
• Xiao Yan cut open the remaining beasts and found a Magic Core in each of the five corpses.
• Xiao Yan carved a cave into a high cliff with the Heavenly Flame, lit it with Moonlight Stones, and sealed its entrance with rocks.
• Medicine Elder gave Xiao Yan the Strength-Gathering Pill formula and explained that refining it would help him meet the standard for a First-Grade Alchemist.
• Xiao Yan prepared more than fifty sets of ingredients and brought forth the Yang Fire to begin refining the pill.

Xiao Yan refined Strength-Gathering Pills and Flame-Congealing Pills, then continued training in the Warcraft Mountains. After three months of fighting Magical Beasts by day and practicing alchemy at night, he reached the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire.

• Xiao Yan successfully refined his first Strength-Gathering Pill, and Medicine Elder declared him an alchemist.
• Xiao Yan swallowed a Strength-Gathering Pill, felt its stamina-restoring effects, and refined more than fifty portions into pills.
• Medicine Elder taught Xiao Yan the Flame-Congealing Pill formula, and Xiao Yan refined more than thirty pills after an initial failure.
• Xiao Yan took a Flame-Congealing Pill and found that it increased the density of nearby fire-element energy and improved his cultivation speed.
• Xiao Yan left his cave and trained in the Warcraft Mountains, fighting Magical Beasts by day and refining pills at night.
• After three months, Xiao Yan arrived at the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire.

Xiao Yan arrived in the Imperial Capital after three months of training, planning to earn a Second-grade Alchemist certification and obtain the Seven-Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva for Medicine Elder. At an inn, he learned that Nalan Jie was gravely ill from Branding Iron Venom, and he considered how the crisis could benefit his plans and threaten the Xiao Clan.

• After reaching Five-star Dou Zhe and learning to refine second-grade pills, Xiao Yan chose to visit the Imperial Capital before going to Qingshan Town.
• Xiao Yan entered the Imperial Capital, admired its bustle, and bought medicinal herbs and antiques before settling at an inn.
• Skinny Monkey told a middle-aged man that Nalan Jie’s Branding Iron Venom had worsened after Nalan Yanran’s failed attempt to annul her engagement.
• Xiao Yan recalled that Nalan Yanran’s actions had enraged Nalan Jie and caused his poison to erupt.
• Xiao Yan planned to seek the Seven-Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva for Medicine Elder and worried that Nalan Jie’s death could leave the Xiao Clan vulnerable to retaliation.

Xiao Yan learned how the Nalan Clan’s decline and the Jia Ma Empire’s political pressure were tied to Nalan Yanran’s annulment, then asked Medicine Elder to make a pill so he could avoid recognition in the Imperial Capital. After taking the Illusory Form Appearance-Changing Pill, Xiao Yan saw that his face had completely changed, though his body remained the same.

• Xiao Yan overheard two men discuss the Nalan Clan’s precarious position, Nalan Yanran’s troubles, and the Jia Ma Imperial Family’s pressure on other groups.
• Xiao Yan speculated about the Jia Ma Empire’s role in the Xiao Clan’s past decline, then decided to eat, rest, and visit the Alchemist Association the next day for First-Grade certification.
• Xiao Yan asked Medicine Elder for a temporary appearance-changing pill, and Medicine Elder agreed to refine an Illusory Form Appearance-Changing Pill from ingredients they already had.
• Medicine Elder refined the pill overnight while Xiao Yan rested at the inn.
• Xiao Yan took the pill the next morning and saw that it had transformed his facial appearance without changing his body.

Xiao Yan went to the Alchemist Association to take the First-Grade Alchemist examination, but the registrar demanded a mentor or a letter of introduction. When the registrar challenged him to prove his ability by refining a pill, Xiao Yan set out his cauldron and ingredients, leaving the onlookers wondering whether he could succeed.

• Xiao Yan found the Alchemist Association and looked through its trading, pill-refining, and restricted halls before heading to the examination area.
• Xiao Yan approached the registrar and asked to take the First-Grade Alchemist examination, but he had neither a mentor present nor a letter of introduction.
• The registrar angrily ordered Xiao Yan to leave, and the gathered apprentices and alchemists doubted that a youth his age could become an alchemist.
• Xiao Yan offered to prove his skill by refining a pill, and the registrar agreed that making Spring-Rejuvenation Powder would qualify him to take the examination.
• Xiao Yan took out a medicinal cauldron and Strength-Gathering Pill ingredients, making the registrar reconsider his ability.

Xiao Yan demonstrated his alchemy skill during the First-Grade Alchemist assessment, refining a Strength-Gathering Pill in public. President Fama examined the pill and appeared surprised, leaving Xiao Yan wondering what had caught the president’s attention.

• Xiao Yan produced controllable flames from his Dou Qi and began refining a Strength-Gathering Pill while a crowd gathered to watch.
• President Fama and Vice President Qiemier arrived and observed Xiao Yan, while Fama sensed a familiar aura from him.
• Xiao Yan put all three medicinal ingredients into the cauldron at once, stunning the onlookers when he refined them without burning them.
• Xiao Yan smoothly extracted and merged the ingredients, formed a pill, and handed it to the assessment official for inspection.
• The official took the pill to Fama, who examined it with surprise, and Xiao Yan realized the purple-robed elder was the association’s president.

Xiao Yan, posing as Nie Feng, passed the first-tier alchemist assessment and earned President Fama’s praise and a valuable Dou Technique. Fama sensed Medicine Elder’s aura and suspected Nie Feng was the disciple of the old friend who had once guided him, while Xiao Yan left to avoid drawing more attention.

• Fama and Qiemier examined Xiao Yan’s Strength-Gathering Pill and confirmed its unusual, refreshing scent.
• Xiao Yan told Fama that his eccentric teacher was named Xiongba and introduced himself as Nie Feng.
• Fama offered a fire-attribute Dou Technique in exchange for the pill, and Xiao Yan accepted it after Medicine Elder urged him to.
• Fama gave Xiao Yan an alchemist’s robe, and Xiao Yan left the association without attempting the second-tier assessment.
• After Xiao Yan departed, Fama told Qiemier that Nie Feng reminded him of his old friend’s disciple and ordered him to fulfill Nie Feng’s requests.

Xiao Yan sorted through his accumulated supplies with Medicine Elder and discovered that two seemingly ordinary items were valuable finds. He put away a rare longevity-extending pill formula and a powerful Flame Fist technique, deciding to wait until he left the Imperial Capital before practicing the latter.

• Xiao Yan rented a courtyard and sorted his collected items with Medicine Elder, who discarded most of the worthless finds.
• Xiao Yan organized his stored pills and ingredients, planning to refine the ingredients and sell the resulting pills.
• Medicine Elder revealed that an old pill formula was for the Longevity-Extending Pill, which could add up to four years to a person's lifespan.
• Xiao Yan examined the Flame Fist technique, a High-Grade Profound Rank Dou Technique, and realized it could complement his Eight Extremes Collapse Force Qi.
• Xiao Yan put away the formula and technique and chose not to practice Flame Fist in the Imperial Capital, then wondered why President Fama had given it up for a low-grade pill.

Xiao Yan finished refining thousands of pills but struggled to find a buyer who would offer a fair price. Vice President Qiemier helped him and introduced him to his disciple Yaoyue, the imperial princess, who was taking her Second-grade Alchemist assessment.

• Medicine Elder recalled helping Fama and mourned the betrayal of a former disciple, while Xiao Yan resolved to help him regain a body without letting him fall into slumber.
• Xiao Yan spent more than ten days refining pills, producing over four thousand First- and Second-grade pills worth roughly five million gold coins.
• Xiao Yan went to the Alchemist Association to sell the pills, but rejected the merchants’ low offers and prepared to leave.
• Qiemier met Xiao Yan, offered to help sell his pills, and brought him to meet his disciple Yaoyue.
• Yaoyue initially dismissed Xiao Yan as ordinary, but Qiemier praised his abilities, prompting Yaoyue to introduce herself warmly.

Yaoyue prepared to take her Second-grade Alchemist assessment while her sister Yao Ye met Xiao Yan, who was posing as Nie Feng. Their visit was interrupted by Gu He, who arrived with his disciple Liu Ling and sought help finding someone with a Heavenly Flame to treat Old Master Nalan.

• Yaoyue waited for Yao Ye to arrive so her sister could watch her Second-grade Alchemist assessment.
• Yao Ye met Xiao Yan, heard him introduce himself as Nie Feng, and offered to help him if he encountered difficulties.
• A luxurious carriage arrived at the Alchemist Association, carrying Gu He and his disciple Liu Ling.
• Gu He told Qiemier that Old Master Nalan's Branding Iron Venom required a Heavenly Flame to cure and that he had come to ask Fama about its whereabouts.

Xiao Yan encountered Nalan Yanran at the Alchemist Association while disguised as the alchemist Nie Feng. Nalan Yanran grew suspicious that he was the Xiao Yan who had defeated her, but Qiemier ushered everyone inside before she could press him further.

• Nalan Yanran arrived at the Alchemist Association burdened by her grandfather Nalan Jie's illness and the clan's scorn after her defeat by Xiao Yan.
• Liu Ling brought Nalan Yanran to the association, hoping its alchemists and Chairman Fama could help identify someone with a Heavenly Flame.
• Nalan Yanran noticed Xiao Yan, whom she knew as Nie Feng, and said he seemed familiar.
• Yaoyue praised Nie Feng's alchemy talent to Liu Ling, making Liu Ling jealous and prompting him to challenge Nie Feng to a spar.
• Nalan Yanran recognized Xiao Yan's familiar voice and confronted him, but Xiao Yan insisted his name was Nie Feng.
• Qiemier asked everyone to go inside, causing Nalan Yanran to temporarily set aside her suspicions.

Gu He and Nalan Yanran sought Fama’s help finding someone with a Heavenly Flame to cure Nalan Jie’s Branding Iron Venom, while Xiao Yan concealed that he had one. Xiao Yan then revealed nearly four thousand pills for sale, astonishing the Alchemist Association’s leaders.

• Gu He asked Fama whether he knew anyone with a Heavenly Flame who could cure Nalan Jie, and Nalan Yanran offered the Nalan Clan’s wealth as payment.
• Fama said he knew of no such person and advised Nalan Yanran to post a notice offering medicinal ingredients as a reward.
• Fama recognized Xiao Yan as Nie Feng and invited him to show the pills he had brought to sell.
• Xiao Yan filled most of a huge table with nearly four thousand pills, including many second-tier pills, shocking Fama, Gu He, and the others.

Gu He, Fama, and the others examined the pills Xiao Yan had gathered and praised their quality and quantity. Fama and Gu He determined that Xiao Yan had refined most of them himself, leaving Liu Ling jealous and the hall impressed by Xiao Yan’s talent.

• Gu He and Fama inspected the pills and praised their medicinal strength, while Yaoyue, Nalan Yanran, Yao Ye, and Liu Ling examined them too.
• Liu Ling questioned how Nie Feng had produced so many pills, and Xiao Yan joked that his teacher had made most of them and thrown them away.
• Fama identified a recently made Second-Grade Azure Flame Pill, and Xiao Yan admitted that he had refined it.
• Gu He confirmed that the pills had been made within three months and praised Xiao Yan’s improving skill, predicting he would surpass him.
• Liu Ling grew bitterly jealous as everyone in the hall admired Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan’s pills drew interest after Gu He identified their healing, beauty-enhancing, and possible lifespan-extending effects. Xiao Yan let Fama purchase the pills and decide how to divide them among the empire’s three major factions.

• Yaoyue asked how Xiao Yan refined so many pills, and Xiao Yan kept his method secret.
• Gu He praised Xiao Yan’s pills for their healing and beauty-enhancing effects and suggested they might prolong life.
• Yaoyue, Yao Ye, and Nalan Yanran each took a Strength-Gathering Pill and described its benefits.
• Fama offered ten million gold coins for all the pills, while Gu He and Yao Ye also requested a share.
• Xiao Yan told Fama that the pills already belonged to him and left their distribution to him.
• Fama ordered Qiemier to tally, categorize, and divide the pills into three portions.

Xiao Yan accepted payment for his pills and received invitations and tokens from Jia Ma's major powers, while Liu Ling grew resentful of the attention he received. The chapter ended with Liu Ling challenging Xiao Yan to take the Second-grade Alchemist assessment, intending to outshine him.

• Yao Ye questioned Yaoyue about Nie Feng's composure and concluded that he was no ordinary young man.
• Fama, Gu He, and Yao Ye bought shares of Xiao Yan's pills, and Fama gave Xiao Yan the proceeds from the sale.
• Gu He invited Xiao Yan to join the Misty Cloud Sect, and Yao Ye offered him a token granting access to the imperial palace.
• Fama offered Xiao Yan support from the Alchemist Association, and Xiao Yan replied that he was already a member.
• Liu Ling invited Xiao Yan to take the Second-grade Alchemist assessment, hoping to prove himself superior.