Chapter Summaries

Xiao Han let the Xiao Clan Members choose between joining Langya Pavilion and making their way through the Central Plains, then learned most had chosen the dangerous Southern City Guard. After deciding to enter seclusion for a year, he remembered his neglected disciple Xiao Wu and went to see him, where he caught Xiao Wu cursing him.

• Xiao Han allowed the Xiao Clan Members to choose their own paths, and most chose to seek strength outside Langya Pavilion.
• Ye Jianxin reported that nearly seventy Xiao Clan Members had chosen to make their way independently, while the remaining twenty-some low-rank Dou Wangs joined the dangerous Southern City Guard.
• Xiao Han told Ye Jianxin he planned to enter seclusion for about a year, and Ye Jianxin resolved to pursue a breakthrough of his own.
• Yi Huang reminded Xiao Han that he had neglected his disciple Xiao Wu, and Xiao Han and Yi Huang punished Ye Jianxin after he teased them.
• Xiao Han went to visit Xiao Wu and heard him call the Langya Pavilion Master a bastard, then approached him with an evil smile.

Xiao Han gave Xiao Wu an Earth Rank cultivation method and abundant resources, then explained that Xiao Wu would eventually be able to cultivate a higher-ranked method. After Xiao Han left to enter seclusion, the narration revealed that he chose Xiao Wu as his heir because of the boy’s connection to Shi Tou and his background.

• Xiao Han gave Xiao Wu the Ice Sealing Skill and said it was a transitional cultivation method until Xiao Wu reached Dou Wang.
• Xiao Han promised to send Xiao Wu basic information about the continent and explained why he could not yet cultivate a method above Earth Rank.
• Xiao Han gave Xiao Wu a Storage Ring filled with pills and Dou Techniques, told him to ask Yi Huang for help, and said he would enter seclusion for a year.
• Xiao Wu inspected the Storage Ring’s contents and prepared to cultivate.
• The narration explained that Xiao Han’s decision to nurture Xiao Wu stemmed not only from his talent but also from his ties to Shi Tou and his background.

Xiao Han discovered that Xiao Wu was a core descendant of another Xiao Clan branch and decided to pass on his inheritance without revealing their relationship yet. As Xiao Han prepared to enter seclusion, he also asked Yi Huang to search for second flames of Exotic Fire types that already had masters.

• Xiao Han identified Xiao Wu as a core descendant of the Xiao Clan from the jade pendant Shi Tou had found with him.
• Xiao Han concluded that Xiao Wu's branch had likely suffered a disaster and arranged for people to search for news of surviving Xiao Clan branches.
• Xiao Han decided to keep Xiao Wu's heritage secret until after his fifteenth Coming-of-Age Ceremony and regarded him as his ideal successor.
• Xiao Han dismissed Ye Jianxin while preparing Langya Pavilion's affairs before entering seclusion.
• Xiao Han asked Yi Huang to search for second flames of Exotic Fire types, hoping to collect them for a future junior.

Five or six years passed while Xiao Han remained in seclusion, leaving Ye Jianxin to manage Langya Pavilion and Yi Huang to keep watch over the Xiao Clan. Xiao Zhan invited Yi Huang to his third child’s Full Moon Banquet, and she agreed to attend.

• Xiao Han asked Yi Huang to watch for another Strange Fire, report extreme-cold anomalies, and look after the Xiao Clan youngsters.
• Five or six years passed without Xiao Han emerging from seclusion, while his reputation and Langya Pavilion’s strength kept their enemies at bay.
• Ye Jianxin complained about Xiao Han’s absence, then continued managing Langya Pavilion and reached Dou Zun Peak.
• Xiao Zhan reported the Xiao Clan’s affairs to Yi Huang and asked whether Xiao Han had emerged; Yi Huang said she sensed he would return stronger.
• Xiao Zhan invited Yi Huang to his third child’s Full Moon Banquet, and Yi Huang promised to attend.

Xiao Wu learned that a banquet was tied to his origins and his master, Xiao Han, whose real surname was also Xiao. Yi Huang revealed that Xiao Han had hidden his name because of a powerful enemy and could barely protect himself, leaving Xiao Wu bracing for more revelations.

• Xiao Wu practiced swordsmanship at Langya Pavilion, where disciples admired his talent and the young women hoped to win his attention.
• Yi Huang summoned Xiao Wu and told him he had to attend an important banquet, despite his reluctance to leave his cultivation.
• Yi Huang gave Xiao Wu a cyan jade pendant whose pattern matched his own, and Xiao Wu learned that it had belonged to his master.
• Yi Huang revealed that Xiao Han's real name was Xiao Han and that he had hidden his surname because of a powerful enemy.
• Yi Huang told Xiao Wu that Xiao Han could only barely protect himself, and Xiao Wu urged her to explain the rest.

Xiao Wu learned more about the dangers surrounding the Xiao Clan and resolved to spend time with Grandpa Shi before attending the Full Moon Banquet. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was born, received his name and a ring from Xiao Long, and the Xiao Clan began preparing to celebrate as Wutan City's factions watched closely.

• Xiao Wu left after hearing about the Xiao Clan's enemies and decided to visit Grandpa Shi.
• Xiao Yan was born with his eyes open, and Xiao Long survived childbirth thanks to Xiao Zhan's Seventh Grade Life-Returning Pill.
• Xiao Zhan named the baby Xiao Yan, and Xiao Long tied her ring to his arm while he slept.
• News of the Xiao Clan's third son and upcoming Full Moon Banquet spread through Wutan City, where the Oba Family and Gale Family saw a chance to investigate the clan.
• Mittel Qingming ordered gifts for the banquet and recalled witnessing a Xiao Clan member defeat a Tier 5 Magical Beast, which had convinced him to follow the Grand Elder's advice and befriend the clan.

Gu Yuan arrived at the Xiao Family’s Full Moon Banquet to investigate the descendants of the former Xiao Clan and find the Tou She Ancient God Jade. Xiao Zhan welcomed him warmly while secretly monitoring him, and Gu Yuan began probing the family’s strength.

• Gu Yuan came to Wutan City after his clan’s Secret Method pointed him to the Xiao Clan, and he heard that the Xiao Family was hosting a Full Moon Banquet.
• Xiao Zhan sensed Gu Yuan’s overwhelming strength, suspected he was connected to the Xiao Family’s former allies, and invited him inside after Gu Yuan introduced himself.
• Xiao Zhan discreetly ordered a clan member to watch Gu Yuan and ensure he was served properly.
• Gu Yuan surveyed the Xiao Family’s courtyard with his Soul Strength, assessed its members, and wondered where the Tou She Ancient God Jade was kept.
• Xiao Zhan returned to accompany Gu Yuan personally because he feared leaving such a powerful guest alone.

Gu Yuan visited the Xiao Clan and examined the infant Xiao Yan, while Yi Huang and Xiao Wu turned back to avoid exposing their hidden identities. Xiao Zhan then received the Jia Lie and Aoba clan leaders for a private discussion.

• After Xiao Zhan warned Yi Huang about Gu Yuan's suspected arrival, Yi Huang and Xiao Wu abandoned their trip and returned.
• Xiao Zhan hosted Gu Yuan and agreed to let him meet the infant Xiao Yan.
• Gu Yuan examined Xiao Yan's aptitude and judged it excellent, with the potential to reach Dou Sheng given enough resources and opportunities.
• Xiao Zhan left Gu Yuan to meet with the Jia Lie and Aoba clan leaders, who had requested a private discussion.
• Jia Liebi and Aobapa followed Xiao Zhan to the reception hall to speak with him privately.

Jia Liebi and Aobapa’s attempt to secure the Xiao Clan’s help with the Mittel Auction House failed, while Gu Yuan asked Xiao Zhan to foster his young daughter. Xiao Zhan agreed after seeing the enormous wealth Gu Yuan offered, leaving the Xiao Clan set to receive a new guest.

• Jia Liebi and Aobapa stormed out after Xiao Zhan rejected their proposed partnership, which they had hoped would help their families connect with the Mittel Family.
• Jia Liebi complained that they would have to seek another opportunity, while the two clan heads remained unaware that Xiao Zhan had simply considered their offered profits insignificant.
• Gu Yuan asked Xiao Zhan to foster his young daughter in the Xiao Clan, surprising Xiao Zhan, who had expected him to ask for the Tou She Ancient God Jade.
• Gu Yuan handed Xiao Zhan a Storage Ring filled with wealth, and Xiao Zhan agreed to foster Gu Yuan’s daughter.

Gu Yuan arranged for Xun Er to spend her childhood with the Xiao Clan and learned that the clan was hiding from a powerful enemy. After Gu Yuan left, Xiao Zhan decided to accelerate the clan’s plans, while a strange phenomenon in Xiao Han’s secret chamber forced Ye Jianxin to evacuate disciples and deploy the Langya Guard.

• Gu Yuan asked Xiao Zhan to care for Xun Er when she was old enough, and Xiao Zhan agreed.
• Xiao Zhan told Gu Yuan that the Xiao Clan had gone into seclusion after offending a powerful enemy, but refused Gu Yuan’s offer to help.
• After Gu Yuan departed, Xiao Zhan said the Xiao Clan’s plan needed to be accelerated.
• An elder reported a strange phenomenon in Xiao Han’s secret chamber, where ice and snow covered the room and cracks spread through the Soul Locking Grand Array.
• Ye Jianxin ordered disciples below the Dou Zong level to evacuate and directed nearly forty Dou Zun experts of the Langya Guard to form a barrier around the chamber.

Xiao Han broke through to the Seven-Star Initial Stage after six years in seclusion, while Langya Pavilion’s elders struggled to contain the violent aftereffects. He emerged to reunite with Yi Huang, then stayed with her in his room for three days.

• Xiao Han repeatedly struck a barrier while his cultivation caused a dangerous storm around the secret chamber.
• Ye Jianxin brought Langya Pavilion’s secluded elders to relieve the exhausted Langya Guard and maintain the Soul Locking Grand Array.
• Yi Huang returned and nearly sent her Earthen Yellow Flame into the array, but Ye Jianxin stopped it; she then stayed nearby while the array’s personnel rotated for ten days.
• Xiao Han shattered the barrier, reached the Seven-Star Initial Stage, and gradually brought the pressure down until the elders withdrew the array.
• Xiao Han emerged from the rubble, and Yi Huang rushed into his arms; after they teased each other, he carried her back to his room.
• Xiao Han remained in the room with Yi Huang for three days.

Xiao Han caught up with Langya Pavilion’s affairs and discovered that his disciple Xiao Wu had reached Dou Emperor after six years of cultivation. He took Xiao Wu to the Martial Arts Arena to test his strength, where their sparring began with Xiao Han effortlessly overpowering Xiao Wu’s attack.

• Ye Jianxin reported that Langya Pavilion had developed steadily and reminded Xiao Han that he had neglected Xiao Wu for six years.
• Ye Jianxin told Xiao Han that the Heavenly Sound Old Man had visited Langya Pavilion several times looking for him.
• Xiao Han visited Xiao Wu and was astonished to learn that he had become a Dou Emperor after starting cultivation at five.
• Xiao Han took Xiao Wu to his private Martial Arts Arena and learned that Ye Shenghan had taught Xiao Wu swordsmanship.
• Xiao Wu struggled to find an opening against Xiao Han, then attacked with Ice Wolf, Devour.
• Xiao Han countered with the same technique, destroying Xiao Wu’s Ice Wolf and forcing him to defend with three Ice Walls.

Xiao Wu tested his techniques against Xiao Han in a sparring match, using layered ice attacks that briefly trapped his teacher. Xiao Han broke through the formation and knocked Xiao Wu unconscious when he began using his dangerous Natal Ice Crystal, then realized he had never warned him about its consequences.

• Xiao Han surprised Xiao Wu with a sudden attack, and Xiao Wu defended himself with Thorn Jungle before being knocked into the arena wall.
• Xiao Wu took to the air and combined Dou Qi Transformation Wings with Ice Wing Thousand Strike and the Ice Meteor Sword Formation to trap Xiao Han.
• Xiao Han used Frost Mirror Image, but Xiao Wu recognized that the formation prevented the mirror image and original body from switching places.
• Xiao Han broke the sword formation with his living, regenerating Thorn Jungle technique and challenged Xiao Wu to continue.
• Xiao Wu began using his Natal Ice Crystal, so Xiao Han knocked him unconscious and explained the risk of severe backlash if it shattered.
• Xiao Han worried that Xiao Wu might have suffered the crystal's consequences, then realized he had never warned him about them.

After Xiao Wu nearly endangered himself by using his Natal Ice Crystal in a spar, Xiao Han gave him the Heaven Rank Middle Grade Ice Emperor Scripture. Xiao Wu learned that the method involved a mysterious Heavenly Ice, but Xiao Han withheld further details until Xiao Wu was strong enough to know them.

• Xiao Wu woke with a headache, and Shi Tou explained that Xiao Han had knocked him out to stop him from recklessly using his Natal Ice Crystal.
• Shi Tou told Xiao Wu that Xiao Han wanted to pass him a new cultivation method, so Xiao Wu hurried to find his teacher.
• Xiao Han gave Xiao Wu a single-use Scroll containing the Heaven Rank Middle Grade Ice Emperor Scripture.
• Xiao Wu spent two hours absorbing the method before the Scroll crumbled to ash.
• Xiao Wu asked about the Heavenly Ice mentioned in the scripture, but Xiao Han said Xiao Wu was not yet strong enough to learn more.

Xiao Han reflected on the secrets hidden in ancient ruins and sought ways to strengthen the Xiao Family and Langya Pavilion. He arrived in Wutan City, reassured Xiao Zhan about Gu Yuan’s visit, and assessed the infant Xiao Yan’s promise while warning that talent alone could not make an expert.

• After Xiao Wu left, Xiao Han recalled the dangerous ancient ruins and resolved to seek greater strength and opportunities.
• Xiao Han planned to help the Xiao Family take Wutan City and traveled there, arriving above the city in a day.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Han that Gu Yuan had visited, and Xiao Han calmly told him to proceed as usual.
• Xiao Zhan reported that the Jia Ma Empire, the Mittel Family, and the Yun Lan Sect supported the Xiao Family’s plan; Xiao Han urged him to move quickly and eliminate the Jia Lie and Aoba families.
• Xiao Han met the infant Xiao Yan, praised his talent, and cautioned Xiao Zhan that talent alone could not determine his future achievements.

Xiao Han gave Xiao Zhan a Gathering Yuan Array Disc and a Soul Locking Grand Array scroll, then opened a concealed space for the Xiao Clan. With the Gale Family and Oba Family destroyed and Wutan City under Xiao Clan control, Xiao Han told Xiao Zhan to proceed carefully with the next phase of their plan.

• Xiao Han warned Xiao Zhan to pay attention to the younger generation’s character and gave him a Gathering Yuan Array Disc that could double cultivation speed.
• Xiao Han told Xiao Zhan he would open a space for the Xiao Clan, then handed him a Soul Locking Grand Array scroll to conceal it from outsiders.
• Two months later, Xiao Han showed Xiao Zhan the newly opened space and advised him to use it for medicinal herbs, Magical Beasts, and secluded cultivation.
• Xiao Zhan reported that the Gale Family and Oba Family had been destroyed and that the Xiao Clan had taken control of Wutan City.
• Xiao Zhan asked how to cooperate with Jia Ma and the others without alarming the Jia Ma Empire, and Xiao Han replied that a large strength gap made it no problem.

After an omen of snow and lightning appeared in the hot Yaori Region, Xiao Han realized it signaled the emergence of a rare treasure and decided to send Xiao Wu instead of going himself. He prepared to reinforce Xiao Wu’s group with Langya Guards, while the treasure’s significance remained tied to Xiao Han’s hidden fears.

• Xiao Han received Yi Huang’s urgent message and left the Jia Ma Empire, entrusting its affairs to Xiao Zhan.
• Xiao Han returned to Langya Pavilion and learned that abnormal snowfall accompanied by thunder and lightning had appeared in the Yaori Region.
• Yi Huang noticed Xiao Han’s hidden panic, but he reassured her and said he would not go to the Yaori Mountain Range himself.
• Xiao Han decided to use the treasure expedition as a test for Xiao Wu and offered to add three Langya Guards to his group.

Xiao Han ordered Xiao Wu to train in the Yaori Region, explaining that the trip was connected to the Heavenly Ice Xiao Wu had asked about before. Xiao Wu learned he would travel beyond the Central Plains with three Langya Guards, though his journey was set to begin the next day.

• Xiao Han sent Xiao Wu to the Yaori Mountain Range, and Xiao Wu feared the heat would cripple his ice-attribute techniques.
• Xiao Han asked about Xiao Wu's progress with the Ice Emperor Scripture, and Xiao Wu realized its connection to Heavenly Ice might explain the destination.
• Xiao Han confirmed that the answer was the question Xiao Wu had asked him before, then told Xiao Wu to leave the Central Plains the next day and travel on his own.
• Xiao Wu worried that he would be outmatched and arrive too late, but Yi Huang reassured him that Xiao Han had arranged three Langya Guards to accompany him.

Xiao Han sent Xiao Wu away under the protection of three Langya Guards, then remained at Langya Pavilion after Yi Huang reminded him that Heavenly Sound Old Man would visit. Seven days later, Heavenly Sound Old Man arrived and urgently asked Xiao Han to help Sound Valley with a grave crisis.

• Xiao Han entrusted Xiao Wu to Jia Qing and two other Langya Guards, giving him a Space Jade Slip in case of danger.
• Xiao Wu departed through a temporary Space Wormhole, and Xiao Han quietly wished that he would make something of himself.
• Yi Huang told Xiao Han that Heavenly Sound Old Man was coming to visit and that Xiao Han could not leave the pavilion.
• Seven days later, Heavenly Sound Old Man visited Xiao Han and begged him to help Sound Valley.
• Xiao Han promised to spare no effort to help, and Heavenly Sound Old Man relaxed somewhat.

Heavenly Sound Old Man told Xiao Han that Sound Valley had split apart because someone inside was colluding with Soul Hall. Xiao Han agreed to help and learned that the Soul Hall Grand Heavenly Venerate was behind the interference, though he had not personally appeared, leaving both men puzzled by Soul Hall's intentions.

• Heavenly Sound Old Man explained that external forces and an internal traitor had caused Sound Valley to split apart.
• Xiao Han suspected Soul Hall and welcomed the chance to act against it, hoping to uncover its hidden intelligence.
• Heavenly Sound Old Man identified the Soul Hall Grand Heavenly Venerate as the figure involved.
• Xiao Han and Heavenly Sound Old Man wondered why the Grand Heavenly Venerate had not personally attacked Sound Valley and why Heavenly Sound Old Man had been allowed to seek help.