Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan, discussed his plans and the danger to his family with Xiao Zhan, and struggled over his feelings for Xun'er and Xiao Yixian. Xiao Yu confronted him about injuring her brother, then told him the clan had summoned him to New Year's Eve dinner.

• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that he had returned to complete his coming-of-age ceremony, apply to Canaan Academy, and continue training, while Xiao Zhan warned him to keep a low profile and mentioned Xiao Yu's anger.
• Xiao Zhan asked about Black Feather, and Xiao Yan explained that the Magical Beast had hatched by accident and was now at the third tier.
• Xiao Yan returned to his room, worried about choosing between Xun'er and Xiao Yixian, and waited in vain for Xun'er to visit.
• Xiao Yu kicked open Xiao Yan's door and accused him of injuring her brother, but her kick hurt her leg against Xiao Yan's hardened body.
• Xiao Yu told Xiao Yan that Xiao Zhan had called him to the main hall for New Year's Eve dinner, but she could not walk because of her injured leg.

Xiao Yan attended the Xiao Clan's New Year's Eve dinner with Xiao Yu, provoking jealousy from Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yixian before they left together. After the meal, Xiao Zhan revealed to the elders that Xiao Yan had learned alchemy and arranged for promising clansmen to receive cultivation pills under strict secrecy.

• Xiao Yan brought Xiao Yu into the hall and sat beside her, drawing surprised and jealous looks from the Xiao Clan members, Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Yixian.
• Xiao Zhan began the feast, and Xiao Yan ate eagerly while Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yixian felt moved by the hardships he had endured for them.
• Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yixian left together after eating, while Xiao Yu departed with Xiao Ning to tend to her injuries.
• Xiao Yan finished the meal with Xiao Zhan and the three elders, who then accompanied Xiao Zhan to his room for a private discussion.
• Xiao Zhan told the elders that Xiao Yan had refined the healing medicines and learned alchemy from his teacher.
• Xiao Zhan offered the elders cultivation pills for promising clansmen and warned them to keep the matter secret.

Xiao Zhan gave the elders pills to strengthen the Xiao Clan and warned them to keep a low profile. Xiao Yan reunited with Xiao Xun'er, gave her the Eagle's Wings, and recounted his training journey, but her pointed question about Yao Ye left him on the spot.

• Xiao Zhan showed the three elders pills for the clan and explained that Yan'er’s master had also prepared pills to help them advance to Dou Ling.
• Xiao Zhan warned the elders that the Misty Cloud Sect, the Nalan Clan, and another powerful force were threats, and the elders promised to protect Xiao Yan and keep the clan discreet.
• Xiao Yan returned to his residence and found Xiao Xun'er waiting; she told him Xiao Yixian had gone back to their former home in the little valley.
• Xiao Yan gave Xiao Xun'er the Eagle's Wings, and she accepted the rare flying Dou Technique after learning he already had one.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Xun'er about his year of training, including what happened with Yao Ye, and she asked whether anything had happened between them during their seven days together.

Xiao Yan spent time with Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian before heading to the Small Valley to begin refining a Tier 4 pill. He started making Gathering Qi Powder with Medicine Elder watching over him.

• Xun'er rewarded Xiao Yan’s devotion, then left before dawn to avoid suspicion.
• Xiao Yan visited Black Feather with Medicine Elder, who explained that the bird could reach the Seventh Rank and had limitless potential with Heavenly Flame nourishment.
• Xiao Yan flew to the Small Valley, where Xiao Yi Xian welcomed him and insisted she would stay with him for life.
• Xiao Yan went to the cave and learned from Medicine Elder that his cauldron was the Heart of the Earth, a naturally formed cauldron with exceptional hardness.
• Xiao Yan began refining Gathering Qi Powder by heating Ink-Leaf Lotus in the Heart of the Earth with white flames.

Xiao Yan refined the Gathering Qi Powder and advanced to a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, then spent more than half a month building and remodeling homes for Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yixian. After the two women teased him into exhaustion, he hesitated over whose room to enter, leaving Xun'er wondering which side of him was genuine.

• Xiao Yan refined the Gathering Qi Powder, becoming a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, and Medicine Elder congratulated him.
• Xiao Xun'er told Xiao Yan she would move in with him and Xiao Yixian, and Xiao Yan agreed to build her a house.
• Xiao Yixian and Xiao Xun'er kept asking Xiao Yan to improve their homes until he had built them two bamboo houses over half a month.
• Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yixian thanked and kissed Xiao Yan, who went to bathe and fell asleep on a boulder from exhaustion.
• Xiao Yan hesitated outside the women's rooms, and Xiao Yixian left him alone with Xiao Xun'er, who wondered which version of him was real.

Xun'er told Xiao Yan the truth about her identity and asked them to stop hiding things from each other. Xiao Yan explained why he worked to become stronger, and the chapter ended with him carrying Xun'er to bed.

• Xun'er confronted Xiao Yan about how much he knew of her identity and asked them both to stop lying.
• Xiao Yan admitted he knew her status was exceptionally noble but refused to say when he had learned it.
• Xiao Yan explained that he wanted to become strong enough to earn her clan's recognition and avoid being powerless if her family opposed them.
• Xun'er wept in Xiao Yan's arms and offered to provide him with cultivation methods, Dou Skills, and resources.
• Xiao Yan accepted her offer of help if he needed it, then carried Xun'er toward the bed as she protested that she wanted to find Xiao Yixian.

Xiao Yan refined pills to strengthen the Xiao Clan and began making a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill with Medicine Elder’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame. The pill reached its third pattern when Xiao Yan prepared to use the Yang Fire for the final step.

• Xiao Yan decided to improve his strength and began refining Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills and Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pills.
• Xiao Yi Xian advanced to the Dou Master level by consuming Xiao Yan’s poisons, then defeated Xiao Yan in a fight.
• Xiao Yan finished refining the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills and gave most of them to Xiao Zhan, who gathered the three elders to cultivate in seclusion.
• Xiao Yan began refining an Azure Spirit Pill, first forming one pattern with his Yin-Yang Twin Flame.
• Medicine Elder lent Xiao Yan the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, which strengthened the pill to two patterns and then three.
• Xiao Yan prepared to use the Yang Fire of the Yin-Yang Twin Flame for the final refining step.

Xiao Yan refined a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill whose Yang Fire removed its backlash, making it exceptionally valuable. He gave pills to Xiao Zhan, continued refining in the Small Valley, and returned to the Xiao Clan with Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian as the coming-of-age ceremony approached.

• Xiao Yan used Yang Fire to complete a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill, and Medicine Elder explained its powerful effects and the danger of revealing it.
• Xiao Yan decided to give the pills to Xiao Zhan and his two brothers, while keeping their existence secret from powerful factions.
• Xiao Yan delivered three pills to Xiao Zhan, who was thrilled by the prospect of advancing to Dou Ling and eventually growing stronger.
• Xiao Yan continued refining pills in the Small Valley and relaxed with Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian between sessions.
• Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan with Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian as the coming-of-age ceremony neared.

Xiao Yan attended the Xiao Clan’s preliminary test with Xiao Yixian and Xiao Xun'er, drawing attention from the clan and outside observers. He kept his true strength hidden, while the clan’s cultivation had improved greatly with his help.

• Xiao Zhan and the elders waited for Xiao Yan at the Blue Stone Square and discussed his late arrival with smiles.
• Xiao Yan arrived with Xiao Yixian and Xiao Xun'er, and the clan’s young members welcomed him, remembering his rise from Third Duan Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in one year.
• Xiao Yan noted that most of the young members had advanced to Seventh Duan Dou Qi or higher after receiving cultivation pills from him.
• Xiao Yan learned that Xiao Zhan had reached the Dou Ling realm and that the three elders had reached the peak of the Great Dou Master realm.
• Xiao Yan spotted Ya Fei and Gu Ni among the observers and joked with Xiao Yixian and Xiao Xun'er about their interest in his progress.
• Xiao Yixian revealed that she was only a Three-star Dou Zhe, while Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er marveled at how quickly her Calamity Poison Body strengthened her.

The Xiao Clan’s coming-of-age test showed that most of its youths had reached the required cultivation, with Xiao Mei even becoming a Dou Zhe. Xun’er stepped forward for her test as Xiao Yan watched, leaving her result unrevealed.

• Xiao Zhan announced that youths needed to reach Seventh Duan Dou Qi to pass, and the examiner began calling names for the test.
• Xiao An passed at Seventh Duan, Xiao Jun reached Eighth Duan, and other youths also recorded strong results, pleasing Xiao Zhan and the elders.
• Ya Fei and Gu Ni discussed the Xiao Clan’s improved standing, noting Xiao Yan’s Blood-Coagulating Powder and the increased strength they sensed in Xiao Zhan and the elders.
• Xiao Mei tested at One Star Dou Zhe, drew praise from the crowd, and smiled toward Xiao Yan before leaving the platform.
• Xiao Yan told Xun’er he had refined a Gathering Qi Powder for Xiao Mei, while Xun’er teased him about it.
• The examiner called Xun’er, and she released Xiao Yan’s arm and walked toward the Black Stone Stele for her test.

Xun'er tested as a Five-star Dou Zhe, while Xiao Yan's result showed only Three-star Dou Zhe, leaving Ya Fei uncertain about his true strength. After the ceremony, Xiao Yan reunited with Ya Fei and Gu Ni, explained away his low result by claiming past pills had damaged his potential, and introduced them to Xiao Yixian.

• Xun'er tested at Five-star Dou Zhe and hurried over to encourage Xiao Yan before his turn.
• Xiao Yan tested at Three-star Dou Zhe, surprising the crowd and prompting Gu Ni to speculate that he was either truly a Dou Zhe or concealing Great Dou Master strength.
• The testing ceremony ended, and Xiao Zhan introduced Ya Fei and Gu Ni to Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Xiao Yixian.
• Xiao Yan thanked Ya Fei and Gu Ni for their past help, then claimed medicinal pills had damaged his potential and limited his progress.
• Ya Fei praised Xun'er's beauty and cultivation before asking Xiao Yixian whether she was the Xiao Yixian from Qingshan Town.

Ya Fei questioned Xiao Yan about the Xiao Clan and Xiao Yixian before leaving, prompting the clan elders to recognize that outside factions were watching Xiao Yan. In the Imperial Capital, Nalan Jie learned that Xiao Yan had tested as a Three-star Dou Zhe and, believing his talent was ordinary, renewed his desire to take revenge on the Xiao Clan.

• Ya Fei asked about Xiao Yixian and the destruction of Myriad Medicine Hall and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, then declined Xiao Zhan's invitation to stay.
• After Ya Fei and Gu Ni left, Xiao Zhan and the elders discussed Ya Fei's probing and the spies monitoring Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan reassured Xiao Yixian.
• The spies returned to report on Xiao Yan's test, and Nalan Jie learned that Xiao Yan was a Three-star Dou Zhe.
• Nalan Jie and Nalan Su dismissed the possibility that Xiao Yan had hidden his strength, speculated that he had used methods that consumed his potential, and discussed whether to attack the Xiao Clan.

Nalan Jie and Nalan Su plotted to weaken the Xiao Clan by asking the Mitel Family to use its influence in Wutan City. Ya Fei warned Mitel Tengshan that the Xiao Clan was far stronger than it appeared, and Tengshan began investigating whether Xiao Yan was the mysterious young alchemist Nie Feng.

• Nalan Jie told Nalan Su to enlist the Mitel Family and support the Xiao Clan’s rivals rather than attack directly.
• Ya Fei inferred that the Nalan Clan wanted the Mitel Family to suppress the Xiao Clan and sent Mitel Tengshan a letter detailing the Xiao Clan’s strength and Xiao Yan’s possible alchemist identity.
• Mitel Tengshan read Ya Fei’s warning and suspected Xiao Yan might be Nie Feng, the extraordinarily talented youth who had previously astonished the empire.
• Mitel Tengshan summoned the family’s alchemists to compare two kinds of medicinal pills, including pills supplied by the Nalan Clan.

Mitel Tengshan had the family’s alchemists appraise three medicines and concluded that Nie Feng might be Xiao Yan, a figure too dangerous for the Mitel Family to oppose. He flew to Wutan City to tell Ya Fei that her warning had saved the family from a calamity.

• Mitel Tengshan asked Haige and the other alchemists to appraise three medicines, which they judged to have been made by a master and novice from the same lineage.
• Mitel Tengshan suspected Nie Feng was Xiao Yan and feared the consequences of antagonizing him and his powerful connections.
• Mitel Tengshan blamed Nalan Jie for nearly bringing disaster upon the Mitel Family, then decided to thank Ya Fei for her warning.
• Mitel Tengshan flew to Wutan City and met Ya Fei, who had been anxiously awaiting his response.
• Mitel Tengshan told Ya Fei that her letter had spared the family a great calamity and warned her that Xiao Yan was far more formidable than she believed.

Mitel Tengshan and Ya Fei suspected Xiao Yan was actually Nie Feng and planned to verify his identity at the Xiao Clan’s coming-of-age ceremony. At the ceremony, guests gathered to watch Xiao Yan’s examination, while Liu Xi became infatuated with Ya Fei.

• Mitel Tengshan told Ya Fei that pills made by Nie Feng and Xiao Yan had been appraised as the work of the same person, leading him to suspect they were one and the same.
• Ya Fei explained that the Xiao Clan’s coming-of-age ceremony would give Mitel Tengshan a chance to meet Xiao Yan and judge him personally, and he agreed to attend.
• A few days later, the Xiao Clan began its coming-of-age ceremony at Blue Stone Square, with the Jia Lie Clan, the Oba Clan, and other guests watching the proceedings.
• Jia Lie Ao warned Liu Xi that Ya Fei belonged to powerful forces the Jia Lie Clan could not afford to offend, but Liu Xi continued staring at her.

Xiao Yan endured his coming-of-age ceremony while Mitel Tengshan secretly assessed the Xiao Clan and recognized Xiao Yan’s hidden strength. After returning to the auction house, Mitel Tengshan concluded that Xiao Yan was the prodigy from the Imperial Capital.

• Ya Fei identified Liu Xi as a lecherous First-Grade Alchemist, while Mitel Tengshan dismissed him as unworthy of attention.
• When Xiao Yan’s turn came, Liu Xi became fixated on Xun'er and asked Jia Lie Ao to help him abduct her in exchange for crushing the Xiao Clan.
• Mitel Tengshan watched Xiao Yan’s ritual retest and recognized that his Dou Qi control suggested strength far beyond the displayed Three-star Dou Zhe rank.
• Mitel Tengshan left the ceremony early with Ya Fei and Gu Ni because he suspected Xiao Yan’s master was dangerous.
• After Xun'er completed her ceremony, Mitel Tengshan told Ya Fei that the Xiao Clan’s leaders were powerful and that Xiao Yan was likely the prodigy from the Imperial Capital.

Mitel Tengshan promoted Ya Fei and ordered her to win over the Xiao Clan, especially Xiao Yan, for the Mitel Family’s future. Ya Fei accepted despite feeling reduced to a tool, and Tengshan instructed her to use a letter ordering action against the Xiao Clan to make them trust her.

• Mitel Tengshan promoted Ya Fei to Chief Inspector and told her to stay in Wutan City and spare no effort to win over the Xiao Clan.
• Tengshan urged Ya Fei to make Xiao Yan favor her, suggesting that a relationship with him could secure her a place as family elder and heir.
• Ya Fei felt devastated by the prospect of being used to secure family ties, but resolved to cultivate her strength and approach Xiao Yan.
• Tengshan told Ya Fei to show the Xiao Clan his letter ordering action against them, then blame the order on Nalan Jie and portray herself as secretly helping the Xiao Clan.

Ya Fei visited the Xiao Clan after learning the Mitel Family had been ordered to help the Nalan Clan oppose them. She offered to stay out of the conflict if Xiao Zhan could drive the Jia Lie Clan and the Oba Clan from Wutan City, leaving the Xiao Clan to wonder what she wanted in return.

• Mitel Tengshan told Ya Fei to keep their conversation secret and entrusted the Mitel Family's future to her.
• Ya Fei arrived at the Xiao Clan, where Xiao Yan served her tea and showed little interest in her.
• Ya Fei gave Xiao Zhan Mitel Tengshan's letter ordering her to assist the other clans against the Xiao Clan.
• Ya Fei explained that the Nalan Clan had used the Mitel Family to pressure the Xiao Clan because it could not act against them directly.
• Ya Fei offered not to oppose the Xiao Clan if Xiao Zhan drove the Jia Lie Clan and the Oba Clan out of Wutan City, and Xiao Zhan asked what she expected in return.

Ya Fei explained to Xiao Zhan that she supported the Xiao Clan because its hidden alchemist made it too dangerous to oppose and too valuable as a partner. After escorting her out, Xiao Yan spoke frankly about his lack of romantic feelings for her, while Ya Fei left admitting she was beginning to like him.

• Ya Fei told Xiao Zhan that the Xiao Clan’s alchemist had made Blood-Coagulating Powder, Foundation-Building Elixir, and Gathering Qi Powder, so she had kept the alchemist’s existence from her family and continued supporting the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Zhan thanked Ya Fei for her help and promised the Xiao Clan would assist her in the future.
• While escorting Ya Fei through the courtyard, Xiao Yan compared her beauty with Xun'er and Xiao Yixian and said he admired her but could not share her path because her cultivation was weak.
• Ya Fei said she had relied on her beauty because her poor cultivation talent limited her prospects, then left the Xiao Clan.
• After Xiao Yan returned to discuss destroying the Jia Lie Clan and the Oba Clan, Ya Fei looked back at the gate and admitted she was beginning to like him.

Xiao Yan killed Liu Xi after Jia Lie Ao and the alchemist tried to pressure Xiao Xun'er in Wutan City's market. Jia Lie Ao ordered his guards to attack, but Xiao Yan's disguised allies among the merchants charged them first.

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er strolled through Wutan City's market when Jia Lie Ao approached with Liu Xi and guards, then surrounded them.
• Liu Xi tried to woo Xun'er and boasted about his alchemist status, while Xiao Yan and Xun'er mocked him.
• Liu Xi attacked Xiao Yan, who beat him down and killed him despite Liu Xi's threats about his teacher.
• Jia Lie Ao ordered his guards to attack, but Xiao Yan gave a command and the market vendors drew weapons and charged the guards.