Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan reluctantly agreed to compete against Yaoyue and Liu Ling in a pill-refining contest after hearing that the winner would receive valuable pill formulas. The three selected ingredients and moved to the alchemy assessment square, where the contest was about to begin.

• Xiao Yan initially declined the Second-grade Alchemist assessment, but Qiemier persuaded him by mentioning the better robes and medicinal-ingredient discounts.
• Qiemier proposed a friendly pill-refining contest, and Yaoyue, Liu Ling, and Xiao Yan agreed to participate.
• Fama offered the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill formula, Gu He added the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill formula, and Qiemier promised ingredients for both pills.
• Qiemier led the contestants to the ingredient storehouse, where Xiao Yan resolved to return later to buy scarce higher-grade ingredients.
• The three contestants chose their ingredients and went to the Fifth-Grade Alchemist assessment square, where Qiemier told them to pick their positions before joining Fama and Gu He.

Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and Princess Yaoyue competed in the Alchemist Association’s pill-refining assessment, with Liu Ling and Yaoyue using Beast Flames while Xiao Yan concealed his strength and worked with ordinary flames. The judges recognized the pills Liu Ling and Yaoyue were refining, but they could only guess that Xiao Yan was attempting a rare longevity-extending pill.

• Fama began the assessment as Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and Princess Yaoyue took their places at the stone platforms.
• Princess Yaoyue summoned azure Beast Flame, and Liu Ling revealed brown Beast Flame obtained with Gu He's help.
• Xiao Yan used ordinary flames in his cauldron, drawing Liu Ling's scorn and puzzling Yaoyue and Gu He.
• Liu Ling and Yaoyue refined ingredients faster than Xiao Yan, who had more ingredients and fell behind.
• Fama identified Yaoyue's pill as a Spirit-Nourishing Pill and Liu Ling's as a Fire Origin Pill.
• Fama and Gu He could not identify Xiao Yan's complex pill, while Fama guessed it might extend one's lifespan.

During the alchemy competition, Liu Ling and Yaoyue completed their Tier 3 pills while Xiao Yan struggled to catch up. After Liu Ling deliberately startled Yaoyue, Xiao Yan began forming a pill that shocked the judges and spectators, though its success and quality remained uncertain.

• Liu Ling and Yaoyue used Qi-Replenishing Pills and carefully began merging their refined ingredients into Tier 3 pills while Xiao Yan finished preparing his ingredients.
• Liu Ling completed his pill and slammed his cauldron to disrupt the others, nearly causing Yaoyue to lose control of her flames.
• Yaoyue recovered, finished her pill, and glared at Liu Ling, while Qiemier, Yao Ye, and Nalan Yanran reacted angrily to his stunt.
• Xiao Yan continued refining as Fama watched him closely and recalled the mentor who had taught him alchemy in his youth.
• Xiao Yan fused the remaining ingredients and formed an immature pill, prompting everyone on the platform to stand in shock.

Xiao Yan faced an unexpected breakthrough while refining a pill in the competition, but continued working after Nalan Yanran persuaded Fama that he had a way to withstand the incoming energy. Xiao Yan explained that his cultivation technique was operating automatically, leaving his breakthrough underway as he continued refining.

• Xiao Yan began absorbing heaven-and-earth energy as a breakthrough approached, and the spectators feared he would have to abandon the competition or risk damaging his future cultivation.
• Xiao Yan continued refining the pill instead of stopping to break through, prompting Fama to prepare to intervene.
• Nalan Yanran stopped Fama and pointed out that Xiao Yan had not taken Qi-Replenishing Pills and showed no signs of pain from the unrefined energy.
• Yao Ye confirmed Nalan Yanran's observations, and Fama reassured her that he would look after the Nalan Clan even if Nalan Jie died.
• Yao Ye privately reconsidered her plans after hearing Fama's promise, while Xiao Yan continued refining and realized his cultivation technique was advancing automatically.

Xiao Yan ignored a massive energy vortex while refining a Longevity-Extending Pill, breaking through to Six-Star Dou Zhe as he completed the pill. After the three young alchemists regrouped with the judges, Qiemier asked who would have their pill examined first.

• Liu Ling watched Xiao Yan remain unaffected as heaven and earth energy surged around him, and Fama warned the others not to provoke the mysterious youth.
• Xiao Yan absorbed the energy into Dou Qi and his Heavenly Flame Seed while Medicine Elder absorbed some through Xiao Yan's Ring, allowing him to continue refining the pill.
• The vortex dissipated as Xiao Yan advanced to Six-Star Dou Zhe and successfully refined a pale green Longevity-Extending Pill.
• Fama, Gu He, and Qiemier praised the three young alchemists, while Liu Ling grew uncomfortable when Gu He complimented Xiao Yan instead of him.
• Qiemier asked Fama and Gu He which pill they would inspect first.

Fama appraised Liu Ling and Yaoyue’s pills before examining Xiao Yan’s Longevity-Extending Pill, which could extend life and had several other remarkable effects. The chapter left the onlookers astonished by Xiao Yan’s pill, without declaring a winner.

• Fama appraised Liu Ling’s Fire Origin Pill as an excellent third-grade pill that strengthened fire-attribute cultivation and aided breakthroughs.
• Fama and Gu He appraised Yaoyue’s Spirit-Nourishing Pill, finding its quality comparable to Liu Ling’s pill.
• Qiemier urged Xiao Yan to present his pill, and Xiao Yan handed Fama a jade bottle whose aroma stirred the older alchemists’ desire to take it.
• Xiao Yan identified the pill as the Longevity-Extending Pill, which could add two years to a person’s lifespan and could be taken twice.
• Fama confirmed the pill’s lifespan-extending effect, said it could restore youth and suppress toxins, and praised its quality as rivaling fifth- or sixth-grade pills.

Xiao Yan’s longevity pill impressed the alchemists and offered Nalan Yanran a way to temporarily suppress her grandfather’s Branding Iron Venom. As Nalan Yanran tried to buy it and probe Nie Feng’s identity, Xiao Yan feigned ignorance about her engagement to Xiao Yan.

• Yao Ye, Liu Ling, and Gu He reacted to Xiao Yan’s pill, and Gu He confirmed that it could suppress Branding Iron Venom and potentially wake Nalan Jie for a time.
• Gu He explained that one pill could sustain Nalan Jie for about a year and two pills for up to three years, and Nalan Yanran asked Xiao Yan to sell one to the Nalan Clan.
• Xiao Yan considered the advantages of selling the pill, including avoiding a risky visit to the Nalan Clan and keeping the clan occupied with Nalan Jie’s recovery.
• Nalan Yanran offered to repay Xiao Yan in her next life, and Xiao Yan teased her about implying that he was not handsome before joking at Liu Ling’s expense.
• Nalan Yanran said she had promised to become a slave or maid if she lost a duel three years later, and Xiao Yan pretended not to know her fiancé, Xiao Yan.
• Nalan Yanran told Xiao Yan that her fiancé had defeated her and made her write an annulment agreement, while she continued to suspect that Nie Feng had a hidden connection to him.

After winning the competition, Xiao Yan negotiated pill deals with Nalan Yanran and Yao Ye while considering whether helping Yun Shan would protect the Xiao Clan. The others departed, leaving Xiao Yan, Fama, and Qiemier in the square.

• Nalan Yanran offered the Nalan Clan’s treasures and ten million gold coins in exchange for Longevity-Extending Pills, and Xiao Yan agreed to refine two more if she supplied the ingredients.
• Xiao Yan suspected Nalan Yanran wanted the extra pills for Yun Shan and weighed whether Yun Shan had already begun cooperating with the Soul Hall.
• Yao Ye asked Xiao Yan to refine two pills for Jia Xingtian, and Xiao Yan told both women to submit their rewards and ingredients through Fama.
• Xiao Yan gave Nalan Yanran the pill for her grandfather, and Gu He left with Liu Ling and Nalan Yanran after encouraging Liu Ling to train for their next competition.
• Yao Ye left with Yaoyue to prepare a reward for Xiao Yan, then Qiemier excused himself when Fama and Xiao Yan turned to him.

Fa Ma took Xiao Yan to his secluded residence for protection, where Xiao Yan revealed that he was Medicine Elder’s disciple and helped Fa Ma formally join the master’s lineage. Xiao Yan then disclosed his true identity to Fa Ma.

• Fa Ma flew Xiao Yan away from the Alchemist Association and brought him to his residence in a secluded valley.
• Fa Ma led Xiao Yan to an underground chamber and asked whether he had trusted him despite the risk.
• Xiao Yan revealed that Medicine Elder had considered Fa Ma his disciple, and Fa Ma knelt and performed the ceremony to enter his lineage.
• Xiao Yan and Fa Ma discussed Medicine Elder, and Xiao Yan said he would bring him to visit when he returned.
• Fa Ma questioned Xiao Yan about his false name and appearance, and Xiao Yan told him his true identity.

Xiao Yan explained his history with Nalan Yanran and why he was helping Nalan Jie, while Fama recognized his caution and offered support. As Jia Xingtian arrived to investigate him, Xiao Yan asked Fama to conceal his identity and give him a false background.

• Fama recognized Xiao Yan and questioned why he had come to the Imperial Capital, and Xiao Yan claimed he had gotten lost while training in the Warcraft Mountains.
• Xiao Yan explained that he no longer held a grudge against Nalan Yanran, but blamed Nalan Jie and Nalan Su for manipulating her into annulling the engagement.
• Xiao Yan told Fama he was helping Nalan Jie to prevent the Nalan Clan from retaliating against the Xiao Clan, and Fama offered to intervene if the Misty Cloud Sect acted against them.
• Jia Xingtian's pressure filled the air, and Fama identified him as the royal family's guardian who had come to investigate Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan asked Fama to hide his identity and tell Jia Xingtian he was a traveler from the Central Plains, and Fama agreed.

Xiao Yan discussed his encounter with Jia Xingtian with Medicine Elder, who praised his composure and gave him alchemy notes for Fama. Fama then met Jia Xingtian and described Xiao Yan’s teacher as a mysterious expert from the Central Plains.

• Xiao Yan told Medicine Elder that claiming Fama was his teacher had helped him avoid being taken by Jia Xingtian.
• Medicine Elder praised Xiao Yan for calmly handling Nalan Yanran, Fama, Gu He, and the imperial princesses.
• Medicine Elder gave Xiao Yan a scroll of alchemy insights for Fama and returned to the ring.
• Fama told Jia Xingtian that Xiao Yan had left because he seemed anxious.
• Fama said Xiao Yan’s teacher came from the Central Plains and had unfathomable strength.

Jia Xingtian questioned Fama about Xiao Yan’s identity, then offered payment for two Longevity-Extending Pills to protect the Jia Ma Empire. After Jia Xingtian left, Xiao Yan gave Fama his teacher’s alchemy insights and accepted the ingredients and compensation, leaving Fama eager to study the scroll.

• Jia Xingtian asked Fama about Xiao Yan’s background and requested that he persuade Xiao Yan to refine two Longevity-Extending Pills.
• Jia Xingtian gave Fama ingredients for six batches of pills and compensation before leaving.
• Fama told Xiao Yan that Jia Xingtian suspected him and might investigate his identity further.
• Xiao Yan accepted Fama’s leftover medicinal ingredients and gave him a scroll of his teacher’s alchemy insights.
• Fama accepted the scroll as his teacher’s disciple, gave Xiao Yan Jia Xingtian’s payment, and hurried away to study.

Xiao Yan examined the gifts Jia Xingtian had left in a Storage Ring and discovered that the wine was dangerously addictive and the Tier Six Magical Beast egg could not hatch. He tried to revive the egg with his Yang Fire, gave up, and prepared to refine the pills before leaving Fama’s residence.

• Xiao Yan found that the Storage Ring was an intermediate one and laid out its contents, including three wooden boxes.
• Medicine Elder opened the boxes and identified a huge luminous pearl and wine secretly mixed with addictive medicinal ingredients.
• Medicine Elder examined the final box and explained that its centuries-old Tier Six Magical Beast egg had no life aura and could not hatch.
• Xiao Yan infused the egg with Yang Fire, but it only glowed while he supplied energy and showed no sign of life.
• Xiao Yan stored the egg and began preparing to refine the pills so he could leave Fama’s residence.

Nalan Yanran returned to the Nalan Clan with Gu He as Nalan Jie lay near death from the Branding Iron Venom. The Longevity-Extending Pill revived him and bought the clan time to seek a cure.

• Nalan Yanran arrived at the clan and learned that Nalan Jie's Branding Iron Venom had flared up again.
• Gu He examined Nalan Jie and found the venom had reached his heart, then reminded Nalan Yanran about the pill from Nie Feng.
• Gu He fed Nalan Jie the pill and cleared his meridians while Nalan Yanran helped him sit upright.
• Nalan Jie recovered consciousness, and Gu He warned that he must suppress the venom with battle qi and avoid anger.
• Gu He said the pill could sustain Nalan Jie for a year and a half, and that Nalan Yanran had a second pill that could extend his time to three years while they searched for someone with a Heavenly Flame.

After Nalan Jie recovered, he learned more about Nie Feng and decided to secure his services before rival clans could. He and Mitel Tengshan and Mu Chen then raced toward Fama’s residence, each hoping to obtain Nie Feng’s miraculous pills.

• Gu He told Nalan Jie that Nie Feng was an exceptionally talented young alchemist and cultivator, then departed after declining the Nalan Clan’s thanks.
• Nalan Yanran insisted that Xiao Yan’s broken engagement was her own affair, while Nalan Jie planned to address the insult and asked about Nie Feng.
• Nalan Yanran explained that Fama had carried Nie Feng on his back and agreed that Nalan Jie should seek Fama’s help obtaining pills.
• Nalan Jie ordered his granddaughter to prepare payment and medicinal ingredients so Fama would refine pills for the Nalan Clan and the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Nalan Jie flew toward Fama’s residence and met Mitel Tengshan and Mu Chen, who were also hurrying there to pursue Nie Feng’s miraculous pills.

Fama accepted the three great families’ requests for pill refinement and brought their payment and ingredients to Xiao Yan. While examining the gifts, Xiao Yan found a powerful bow and finally spotted the Seven-Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva he had come to the Imperial Capital seeking.

• Nalan Jie, Mu Chen, and Mitel Tengshan gave Fama the ingredients and payment for their pill requests and asked him to thank Nie Feng.
• Fama sent the three family heads away and told his servant to turn away future visitors, then delivered their gifts to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan found a heavy golden greatbow in one Storage Ring and, after Medicine Elder’s reminder, activated it with Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan identified another Storage Ring’s many medicinal ingredients as the Mitel Family’s gift and opened the Nalan Clan’s seven wooden boxes.
• Medicine Elder froze at the sight of the azure plant with a shifting seven-colored flower, and Xiao Yan recognized it as the Seven-Illusion Azure Spirit Saliva.

Xiao Yan and Medicine Elder spoke openly about their mutual motives and affection as teacher and disciple, and Medicine Elder promised to teach him a movement technique. Xiao Yan began refining Longevity-Extending Pills and used Yin Fire to secretly prepare a poisoned pill for Jia Xingtian.

• Medicine Elder realized Xiao Yan had come to the Imperial Capital for his sake, and Xiao Yan explained that their mutual interests did not diminish his gratitude toward his teacher.
• Medicine Elder said Xiao Yan needed a movement technique more than another offensive technique and told him to finish refining the pills before they left.
• Xiao Yan decided to refine sixteen Longevity-Extending Pills, setting aside ten for the three great clans and the Imperial Family and six for Fama.
• Xiao Yan used his Heavenly Flame to speed up the refining while Medicine Elder kept watch, then proposed tampering with a pill to get back at Jia Xingtian.
• Medicine Elder told Xiao Yan to use Yin Fire, which made pills poisonous, and Xiao Yan finished refining a pill that looked and smelled like an ordinary one.

Xiao Yan learned how Yin Fire could produce poisonous pills, then finished refining fifteen Longevity-Extending Pills for Fama and several factions. He left the Imperial Capital through a secret passage into the Warcraft Mountains to continue training, while Fama looked forward to seeing him at the Alchemist Grand Ceremony in two years.

• Medicine Elder explained that Yin Fire added toxicity to pills and that a Life-Reducing Pill could make someone seem younger while shortening their life; Xiao Yan stored one separately and refined another with Yin Fire.
• Xiao Yan finished refining fifteen Longevity-Extending Pills, then restored Fama's cauldron and packed up the medicinal herbs.
• Xiao Yan gave Fama the pills allocated to the Imperial Family, the Nalan Clan, the Mitel Family, the Mu Clan, and Fama himself.
• Xiao Yan told Fama he was leaving to continue training, and Fama gave him two Storage Rings, one intended for Medicine Elder.
• Fama led Xiao Yan to a secret passage into the Warcraft Mountains to help him evade clan spies, and Xiao Yan agreed to try to attend the Alchemist Grand Ceremony in two years.

Medicine Elder taught Xiao Yan the Heavenly Net Formula, which Xiao Yan renamed Wind God Leg, and helped him study the Flame Fist scroll. Xiao Yan began combining Wind God Leg with Eight Extremes Collapse, developing a rapid Scuff Kick as Medicine Elder continued learning the Flame Fist.

• Medicine Elder taught Xiao Yan his inherited Heavenly Net Formula, and Xiao Yan quickly cultivated it to the fifth level and renamed it Wind God Leg.
• Xiao Yan remembered the Flame Fist scroll Fama had given him and asked Medicine Elder to study it before teaching it to him.
• Xiao Yan considered fusing Wind God Leg, Cloud-Discharging Palm, and Flame Fist, but acknowledged that he had not yet mastered the techniques.
• Xiao Yan found that Wind God Leg alone produced little offensive force and decided to combine it with Eight Extremes Collapse.
• Xiao Yan practiced Scuff Kick against a boulder until his rapid strikes opened a huge hole through it, then continued training while Medicine Elder studied the Flame Fist.

After learning the Flame Fist, Xiao Yan urged Medicine Elder to absorb rare herbs even though it would leave Xiao Yan unprotected for months. Medicine Elder entered the ring to sleep, and Xiao Yan soon encountered a bloodied, apparently dead man who had fallen from the mountain.

• Medicine Elder finished studying the Flame Fist and taught the technique to Xiao Yan, who blasted a deep hole into a cliff.
• Xiao Yan gave Medicine Elder the Storage Ring from Old Fama, and Medicine Elder found rare medicinal ingredients that could strengthen his soul.
• Medicine Elder warned that absorbing the herbs would leave him asleep for at least half a year, so Xiao Yan weighed the risks of going without his protection.
• Xiao Yan decided Medicine Elder should absorb the herbs now and promised to be careful while training alone in the Warcraft Mountains.
• Medicine Elder entered the ring to absorb the herbs, and a bloodied white-haired man fell from the sky and struck Xiao Yan to the ground.