Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan received a low-ranked Third Stage Dou Zhi Qi result and endured the crowd’s mockery while reflecting on who had stayed loyal to him. As he waited beneath the locust tree, he thought of Nalan Yanran’s impending visit and the Medicine Venerable, then recalled how he had transmigrated from Blue Star into this world as a newborn.

• Xiao Yan was assessed at Third Stage Dou Zhi Qi, ranked Low, and Xiao Ke and Xiao Min mocked his decline.
• A square-faced youth rebuked Xiao Min for having once fawned on Xiao Yan, while Xiao Mei avoided Xiao Yan’s gaze.
• Xiao Yan returned to the last row by the locust tree and thought that Nalan Yanran would arrive in two days to break off their engagement.
• Xiao Yan looked at the black ring and thought that the Medicine Venerable should soon awaken.
• Xiao Yan recalled playing Battle Through the Heavens on Blue Star, accidentally tapping a pop-up, and awakening as a newborn in the Dou Qi Continent.

Reborn as the young Xiao Yan, who remembered the dangers of his future, he resolved to change the original story and began preparing for a safer path by studying medicinal herbs. His growing Soul Power gave him photographic memory, and by age three his knowledge impressed the Xiao Clan’s pharmacist.

• Xiao Yan recalled the hardships and dangers awaiting him and resolved to change his fate and protect those he cared about.
• Unable to cultivate Dou Zhi Qi as an infant, Xiao Yan asked Xiao Zhan for books about medicinal herbs, claiming he wanted to become an Alchemist and earn money.
• Xiao Zhan bought him more than a dozen medicinal tomes, and Xiao Yan read them diligently each day.
• Xiao Yan’s Soul Power steadily grew and gave him photographic memory, allowing him to absorb the books’ contents after reading them once.
• By age three, Xiao Yan’s knowledge surpassed Pharmacist Ge’s, and Pharmacist Ge told Xiao Zhan that Xiao Yan would surely become an Alchemist.

At four years old, Xiao Yan began cultivating Dou Zhi Qi under Xiao Zhan’s guidance and used his exceptional Soul Power to sense and absorb energy immediately. Xiao Zhan recognized his son’s talent, and Xiao Yan ended the day determined to cultivate diligently.

• Xiao Yan asked Xiao Zhan to teach him how to cultivate, and Xiao Zhan agreed after seeing his determination.
• Xiao Yan memorized Xiao Zhan’s instructions and used his Soul Power to perceive the energies around him.
• Xiao Yan sensed and absorbed Dou Qi, forming his first strand of Dou Zhi Qi in his dantian.
• After cultivating until sunset, Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that he had Dou Qi, and Xiao Zhan confirmed it by examining his meridians.
• Xiao Zhan praised Xiao Yan’s potential and urged him to keep cultivating, and Xiao Yan promised not to disappoint him.

Xiao Yan rose from an early Dou Qi breakthrough to Eight-Star Dou Fighter by age eleven, while gradually growing closer to Xiao Xun'er. His cultivation then collapsed because Yao Chen's soul was draining the ring's Dou Qi; Xiao Yan chose to endure the setback and wait for Yao Chen to awaken.

• Xiao Yan reached the First Stage of Dou Qi at four and met Xiao Xun'er, who had arrived at the Xiao Clan.
• After Xiao Yan found Xiao Xun'er unconscious and helped her, she began visiting him, and they gradually became close.
• Xiao Yan condensed a Dou Qi Cyclone at nine and reached Eight-Star Dou Fighter at eleven, earning the Xiao Clan's hopes.
• Xiao Yan's Dou Qi suddenly fell to One-Star Dou Fighter, and the clan's remedies and Gu Ni's examination found no cause.
• Xiao Yan realized Yao Chen in his mother's black ring was absorbing his Dou Qi, but chose to wait three years for him to awaken and teach him the Flame Mantra.
• By twelve, Xiao Yan had fallen to the Third Stage of Dou Qi, endured Xiao Ning's taunts, and continued his usual training, cultivation, and reading.

Xiao Yan took Xiao Xun'er away after she reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi and promised to become strong enough to ask her clan for her hand in marriage. A Hijacking System then bound itself to him, mistook his own opportunities for ones he had hijacked, and granted him powerful rewards.

• Xiao Xun'er reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, then went with Xiao Yan to the back mountain.
• Xiao Xun'er considered summoning alchemists to examine Xiao Yan, but he asked whether she believed in him.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Xun'er he knew she came from beyond the Jia Ma Empire and promised to ask her clan for her hand in marriage within ten years.
• Xiao Xun'er blushed and ran into the forest after Xiao Yan's proposal.
• The Hijacking System bound itself to Xiao Yan and identified the Bone Flame Ring, Yao Lao, and Xiao Xun'er as opportunities he had hijacked.
• The system awarded Xiao Yan the Myriad-Flame Divine Physique, Heaven-Burning Divine Art, and an Undying Divine Flame Seed, and he decided to claim them.

Xiao Yan claimed and absorbed the Undying Divine Flame Seed, awakening the Myriad-Flame Divine Physique and Heaven-Burning Divine Art. He reached Four-Star Dou Practitioner, gained the physical strength of a One-Star Dou Master, and left with greatly improved flame affinity and cultivation potential.

• Xiao Yan learned that the Myriad-Flame Divine Physique and Heaven-Burning Divine Art could grow stronger by devouring flames, and that the Undying Divine Flame Seed granted healing and Nirvana.
• Xiao Yan claimed the Undying Divine Flame Seed from the System and fused it into his body without pain.
• The divine flame healed Xiao Yan's hidden injuries, purified his meridians, strengthened his body, and formed an Undying Divine Flame and embryonic Myriad Flame Source Seed in his dantian.
• Xiao Yan's Myriad-Flame Divine Physique advanced to the Flame Spirit Body stage as his cultivation surged to Four-Star Dou Practitioner and his physical strength reached the level of a One-Star Dou Master.
• The Heaven-Burning Divine Art rose from Yellow Tier to High Mystic Tier, improving Xiao Yan's cultivation speed, Dou Qi capacity, and flame control.

Xiao Yan convinced Yao Lao that the Undying Divine Flame was an innate flame and became his disciple. Yao Lao offered him two cultivation methods, including a Low Yellow Tier method that could evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames.

• Xiao Yan summoned Yao Lao from the ring and confronted him about draining his Dou Qi for three years.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao to accept him as a disciple, then claimed the Undying Divine Flame had been sealed inside him since birth.
• Yao Lao accepted Xiao Yan’s explanation and agreed to take him as his disciple, hoping to use the flame in his resurrection.
• Xiao Yan formally acknowledged Yao Lao as his master after learning he was an Alchemist.
• Yao Lao revealed a Low Earth Tier fire-attribute method and a Low Yellow Tier method that could evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames.

Xiao Yan chose the Flame Mantra over the safer Ninefold Heart-Scorching Art, earning Yao Lao’s trust and receiving three combat skills. The system rewarded him with additional skills and Martial Dao Space, and he secretly converted his cultivation while convincing Yao Lao that the Flame Mantra had evolved.

• Xiao Yan chose the Flame Mantra, explaining that he would risk everything for strength and wanted to help Yao Lao return to life.
• Yao Lao passed Xiao Yan Eight Extremes Collapse, Explosive Step, and Flame-Congealing Sword Art.
• The system rewarded Xiao Yan with Five-Flame Heaven-Burning Seal, Lingxi Sword Fingers, and Martial Dao Space, which could refine combat skills without consuming outside time.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao for a powerful finishing skill, but Yao Lao told him to master the skills he already had first.
• Xiao Yan secretly circulated the Heaven-Burning Divine Art as though it were the Flame Mantra and told Yao Lao it had evolved to High Mystic Tier after absorbing the Undying Divine Flame.
• Yao Lao returned to the Bone Flame Ring, and Xiao Yan practiced his new combat skills before going to the hot spring.

Xiao Yan acquired and mastered the Suction Palm, then sold it to the Miter Auction House in exchange for Magic Cores and medicinal ingredients. Gu Ni and Ya Fei suspected the mysterious black-robed seller was a powerful Alchemist, while Xiao Yan left the auction house with his purchases.

• Xiao Yan bought a rusted iron plate from a mercenary at the Xiao Clan Marketplace by bundling it with a Magic Core and several worthless items.
• Xiao Yan discovered the Suction Palm hidden in the plate, mastered the Low Mystic Tier technique, and received the Intermediate Mystic Tier Flame Burst Fist from the system.
• Xiao Yan disguised himself in a black robe and brought the iron plate to the Miter Auction House, where Gu Ni confirmed it contained the Suction Palm.
• Xiao Yan sold the technique for fifty thousand gold coins and exchanged the money for six Second-Order Magic Cores and the finest ingredients on his prescription.
• Gu Ni and Ya Fei concluded that the black-robed seller was likely a Fourth-Rank Alchemist or higher after he left the auction house.

Xiao Zhan warned Xiao Yan that he could lose his place in the clan if he failed to reach Seven-Stage Dou Zhi Qi by his coming-of-age ceremony, but Xiao Yan remained confident about the next day. Xiao Yan traded his Magic Cores for six months and seven days in the Martial Dao Space, where his Martial Dao Projection appeared.

• Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan and told Xiao Zhan he had been cultivating in the back mountain.
• Xiao Zhan warned Xiao Yan that the clan might assign him to manage a business if he failed to reach Seven-Stage Dou Zhi Qi within a year.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan he would request to leave the clan if his strength did not recover, while keeping his plans for Nalan Yanran's arrival secret.
• Xiao Yan asked the system how much time Magic Cores could buy and exchanged the Swallowwood Fox's First-Order Magic Core and six Second-Order Magic Cores for six months and seven days.
• Xiao Yan entered the Martial Dao Space, where his Martial Dao Projection appeared alongside a panel listing his cultivation art and Dou Techniques.

Xiao Yan spent six months and seven days in the Martial Dao Space mastering the Heaven-Burning Divine Art and several Dou Techniques. After returning to his body, he began deep cultivation, while Yao Lao awoke and wondered how Xiao Yan had learned the Flame Mantra so quickly.

• Xiao Yan used the Martial Dao Projection to bring the Heaven-Burning Divine Art to Minor Mastery and Eight Extremes Collapse to Major Mastery.
• Xiao Yan cultivated several more Dou Techniques, including reaching four seals of the Five-Flame Heaven-Burning Seal, before the Martial Dao Space ran out of time.
• Xiao Yan returned to his body with his Dou Qi circulation greatly improved and prepared to cultivate through the night.
• Yao Lao woke from the Dou Qi fluctuations and was shocked by Xiao Yan’s precise Flame Mantra circulation, but set aside his suspicions.
• Xiao Yan entered deep cultivation, and his energy and cultivation advanced through the night.

Xiao Yan entered the Xiao Clan’s reception hall with a newly confident bearing as the clan hosted elders and disciples from the Misty Cloud Sect. After the elders deliberately left him without a seat, Xiao Xun'er invited him to sit beside her, and the gathering continued with Xiao Yan composed among the guests.

• Xiao Yan cultivated overnight and felt his Dou Qi grow stronger, then dressed and went with Steward Mo to the reception hall.
• Xiao Yan entered the hall and recognized the visitors as Misty Cloud Sect representatives who had come concerning the engagement.
• Xiao Ning dismissed Xiao Yan’s changed demeanor, while Xiao Xun'er was struck by his confidence and the young Misty Cloud Sect woman noticed that he barely looked at her.
• Xiao Yan greeted Xiao Zhan and the three elders, but found that every seat was occupied because the elders had deliberately arranged for him to stand.
• Xiao Xun'er offered Xiao Yan the seat beside her, and he accepted while the three elders held back from objecting.

Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran asked Xiao Zhan to dissolve Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran’s engagement, prompting Xiao Yan to take control of the dispute. After rejecting her offer of a Qi-Gathering Powder, Xiao Yan declared that he would be the one casting her aside, and a Misty Cloud Sect disciple attacked him.

• Xiao Zhan learned that Ge Ye’s request, made on Yun Yun’s behalf, was to end the engagement between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran.
• Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye faced off with their Dou Qi until Xiao Yan stood up and asked his father to let him handle the matter.
• Xiao Yan agreed that arranged marriages should end but criticized Nalan Yanran for humiliating the Xiao Clan and damaging its friendship with the Nalan Clan.
• Nalan Yanran offered Xiao Yan a Qi-Gathering Powder, but he refused and declared that he would cast her aside rather than be rejected by her.
• A young Misty Cloud Sect disciple took offense at Xiao Yan’s words and lunged at him with a Dou Qi-coated fist.

Xiao Yan revealed that he had recovered and reached Four-Star Dou Practitioner, then fought Nalan Yanran after giving her a divorce letter. The two left the hall for the rear courtyard to continue their confrontation.

• Ge Ye blocked Xiao Zhan from intervening as a young Misty Cloud Sect disciple attacked Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan revealed his Four-Star Dou Practitioner strength and knocked the Five-Star Dou Practitioner into a wall with one punch.
• Xiao Yan told Nalan Yanran he had recovered, gave her the divorce letter, and declared that he was the Xiao Yan who had reached Eight-Star Dou Fighter at eleven.
• Nalan Yanran attacked Xiao Yan with Wind Profound Slash, but his Flame Burst Fist forced her back and left him unmoved.
• Xiao Yan rushed to the rear courtyard to fight, and Nalan Yanran, Ge Ye, Xiao Zhan, the three elders, and the others followed.

Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran in their duel, proving the full extent of his restored strength and ending their engagement. Nalan Yanran admitted defeat, and Xiao Yan ordered her and her companions to leave the Xiao Clan after formally repudiating her.

• Xiao Yan offered to dissolve the engagement and apologize if Nalan Yanran won, but said he would repudiate her if she lost.
• Nalan Yanran attacked Xiao Yan with Wind Spirit Splitting Sword, but Xiao Yan countered her phantom swords with Lingxi Sword Fingers.
• Xiao Yan used Explosive Step and Eight Extremes Collapse to overpower Nalan Yanran and crack her sword.
• Nalan Yanran unleashed Wind's Extremity: Sunset Glow, and Xiao Yan countered with the Undying Divine Flame and Flame-Congealing Sword Art.
• The clash shattered Nalan Yanran's sword and left her exhausted on her knees; she admitted that she had lost.
• Xiao Yan formally repudiated Nalan Yanran and ordered her and her people to leave the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan accepted Nalan Yanran’s challenge to fight again in three years, declaring that she would never catch up to him. After Ge Ye took the injured Lin Ming and left, Xiao Yan announced that he would ascend Cloud Mist Mountain in three years to settle matters with the Misty Cloud Sect.

• Nalan Yanran challenged Xiao Yan to a rematch on Cloud Mist Mountain in three years, wagering that she would become his servant if she lost and demanding an apology if he did.
• Xiao Yan accepted and said he would give Nalan Yanran three years, confident she could never catch up to him.
• Xiao Yan’s words overwhelmed Nalan Yanran, who spat blood before Ge Ye fed her a healing pill.
• Nalan Yanran told Ge Ye to take the unconscious Lin Ming and leave, and Ge Ye warned that the Misty Cloud Sect would not let the matter rest.
• Xiao Yan revealed that he knew Yun Shan was attempting to break through to Dou Zong, ordered Ge Ye to leave, and promised to settle everything at the Misty Cloud Sect in three years.
• Ge Ye took Lin Ming and left the Xiao Clan, while the gathered clan members silently watched Xiao Yan.

After Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran and exposed his restored strength, the Xiao Clan members reacted with guilt, admiration, and shock. In the main hall, Xiao Yan explained that a mysterious master surnamed Yao had helped him recover, leaving the clan stunned by the promise of his powerful connections.

• Xiao Yan's gaze silenced the Xiao Clan members, and Xiao Ning lowered his head in shame for having mocked him.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Xun'er welcomed Xiao Yan's return to strength as he walked back to the main hall.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that his talent had recovered the previous day after a mysterious figure appeared in the back mountain and took him as a disciple.
• Xiao Yan explained that a flame sealed within his body had consumed his Dou Qi since he was eleven and a half, and that his master's Seventh-Rank Crimson Firmament Profound Origin Pill had restored him to Four-Star Dou Practitioner.
• Xiao Yan said his master, surnamed Yao, had left him a Storage Ring and would be found in the Central Plains once Xiao Yan reached Dou Zong; the clan members were left astonished and envious.

After revealing that a powerful Dou Zong was his master, Xiao Yan confronted the Xiao Clan elders and Xiao Ning over their years of mistreatment. He refused to accept a simple apology and began naming those who would face consequences.

• Xiao Xun'er resolved to have Ling Ying investigate Xiao Yan's master and would call on the Ancient Clan if he posed a threat.
• Xiao Zhan rejoiced at Xiao Yan's restored talent and powerful master, while the three elders feared Xiao Yan would punish them for their past actions.
• Xiao Yan confronted the First, Second, and Third Elders over withholding his resources, plotting against his position, and humiliating him before guests.
• Xiao Ning invoked his grandfather's status as an elder, but Xiao Yan struck him down and reminded him that Xiao Ning had insulted him and benefited from resources taken from him.
• The First Elder admitted that the elders had been wrong and said they would accept Xiao Yan's judgment.
• Xiao Yan named Xiao Ning and Xiao Shi, and Xiao Shi fell to his knees, begging for forgiveness.

Xiao Yan punished the Xiao Clan members who had humiliated him, demoting Xiao Ning and stripping the three elders of their positions. After the elders submitted to his authority, Xiao Yan left the hall and the clan members realized their power structure had changed.

• Xiao Yan ordered Xiao Ning sent to manage ordinary affairs at a branch household business, and the First Elder reluctantly accepted the decision.
• Xiao Yan removed the three elders from their positions and made them stewards instead.
• When the Second Elder tried to object, Xiao Yan revealed the Undying Divine Flame, and all three elders agreed to his terms.
• Xiao Yan bowed to Xiao Zhan, left the hall, and the clan members watched in shock as he walked away.
• The people in the hall recognized that Xiao Yan had settled scores with those who had humiliated him and that the Xiao Clan’s order had changed.

Xiao Yan prepared to learn alchemy from Yao Lao, who demonstrated how to refine the ingredients for a Foundation-Building Elixir. The chapter ended with Yao Lao’s first hour of work complete and Xiao Yan watching closely, eager to understand the process.

• Xiao Zhan demoted the three elders to stewards and transferred Xiao Ning, Xiao Shi, Xiao Han, and the others to the branch family's businesses.
• Xiao Yan returned to his room, where Yao Lao silently approved of his decisions and respected his secrets.
• Yao Lao explained that he had given Xiao Yan the Foundation-Building Elixir formula so he could earn money for cultivation and alchemy ingredients.
• Xiao Yan watched as Yao Lao used the Bone-Chilling Flame to refine Purple Leaf Orchid Grass, Bone-Washing Flowers, and a First-Order Magic Core.
• Yao Lao completed the first hour of refining without showing fatigue, while Xiao Yan observed every step.