Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The Original Inner Academy Students”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang decisively defeats Liu Yi in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament. He catches Liu Yi’s longsword between two fingers, reinforces his hand with dark crimson flames, and snaps the weapon in half.
• Before Liu Yi can recover, Xiao Yang strikes him with a single punch. The blow shatters Liu Yi’s Battle Qi Armor and sends him flying more than ten meters, though Xiao Yang deliberately holds back enough to avoid seriously injuring him.
• The referee announces Xiao Yang as the winner, shocking the spectators. His overwhelming strength leads many to question whether he is truly a freshman.
• Xiao Yang returns to Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, who remain confident in his ability. Irina enthusiastically praises him and predicts that he will become one of the Inner Academy’s most outstanding students.
• The first day’s preliminary round ends with just over one hundred students advancing from more than three hundred contestants. Despite losing to Xiao Yang, Liu Yi advances because tournament performance is judged across multiple matches.
• By the following morning, 164 students remain. The day’s matches will determine the fifty students who qualify for the Inner Academy.
• Several notable contestants appear, including Liu Fei, sister of the Inner Academy student Liu Qing, and Han Yue, both familiar figures from the original story. Xiao Yang recognizes their names but shows little concern because neither appears as strong as expected.
• After observing several matches, Xiao Yang’s own next battle is finally announced, setting up the chapter’s conclusion.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Establishes himself as the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament. His calm confidence, powerful Battle Qi Armor, flame ability, and restraint demonstrate both superior strength and control. He remains largely uninterested in fame or the surrounding attention.
• Liu Yi: Experiences a humiliating defeat after his weapon and Battle Qi Armor are both destroyed. Although physically battered, he survives without serious injury and advances to the next round.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian: Continue to display complete faith in Xiao Yang’s abilities. They are relaxed and even tease him when he looks at Liu Fei.
• Irina: Becomes openly excited and proud of Xiao Yang, recognizing that he may dominate the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Liu Fei and Han Yue: Are introduced as promising contestants with ties to important Inner Academy figures and future storylines. Liu Fei is considered a likely top-five contender, while Han Yue is presented as another notable competitor.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength and hidden potential: Xiao Yang’s performance far exceeds expectations for a freshman, emphasizing the gap between his apparent status and his true power.
• Reputation and intimidation: After witnessing his victory, the other students stop approaching or provoking him, and he becomes recognized as the tournament’s championship favorite.
• Confidence versus arrogance: Xiao Yang remains composed and modest despite his dominance, while those around him celebrate his achievements.
• The contrast between past and present expectations: Xiao Yang knows the reputations of characters from the original storyline, but their current strength is weaker than it was in that version of events, highlighting how the altered circumstances affect the world.
• Competition as a path to advancement: The tournament determines entry into the Inner Academy, with victory depending not only on individual matches but also on overall performance.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Yang’s confrontation with Liu Yi is brief and one-sided, ending before Liu Yi can meaningfully respond.
• Irina excitedly praises Xiao Yang, while he responds politely and playfully accepts her encouragement.
• Xiao Yang, Xun’er, and Xiao Yi Xian converse casually after the match, treating his victory as expected rather than surprising.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian tease Xiao Yang for looking at Liu Fei, prompting him to awkwardly deny being interested in her appearance.
• Xiao Yi Xian provides background on Liu Fei and Liu Qing, helping Xiao Yang understand why the names seem familiar.
• The chapter closes as Xiao Yang’s next match is called, shifting the focus back to the tournament.

Chapter Summary: “Gained Another Series Quest!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang faces Bai Cheng of Black Tier Class Nine in the Inner Academy selection semifinals.
• Bai Cheng displays arrogance and repeatedly leers at Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, provoking Xiao Yang’s silent anger.
• Once the match begins, Bai Cheng immediately uses his strongest technique, “Viper Shatters a Thousand Mountains,” while activating Battle Qi Armor.
• Xiao Yang effortlessly dodges the attack and defeats Bai Cheng with a single precisely controlled punch to the abdomen.
• Bai Cheng is severely injured internally and requires immediate treatment, though he is neither killed nor crippled.
• The referees declare Xiao Yang the winner, noting that his attack obeyed the tournament rules and demonstrated remarkable control.
• Bai Cheng’s injuries prevent him from continuing the tournament, eliminating his chances of placing in the top five.
• Xiao Yang secures one of the fifty available Inner Academy slots.
• Completing the selection requirement triggers the system’s Inner Academy I quest reward: 300,000 Universal Experience and 1,000,000 Shop Points.
• A new quest, Inner Academy II, appears, requiring Xiao Yang to obtain a top-five ranking. Its rewards include the low Earth-Tier Battle Skill Shadowless, 1,000,000 Universal Experience, and 3,000,000 Shop Points.
• Xiao Yang is pleased by the new quest because he has not yet upgraded his movement Battle Skill.
• As the finals approach, Jia Nan Academy and Canaan City become crowded with spectators eager to watch Xiao Yang, Han Yue, Liu Fei, and the other strongest students compete.
• Irina helps Xiao Yang, Xun’er, and Xiao Yi Xian enter the heavily guarded tournament area, where the remaining elite students begin arriving.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, calmness, and precise control. He is emotionally restrained but reacts decisively to Bai Cheng’s inappropriate interest in his companions. His focus shifts toward achieving a top-five ranking and obtaining the valuable new quest reward.
• Bai Cheng: Reveals himself to be arrogant, jealous, and lustful. His overconfidence and provocation lead to a humiliating defeat and serious injuries that end his tournament run.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian: Remain beside Xiao Yang and serve as the targets of Bai Cheng’s unwanted attention, indirectly motivating Xiao Yang’s harsher response.
• Irina: Acts as a guide and supporter by escorting Xiao Yang and the others into the finals venue.
• Han Yue and Liu Fei: Are established as prominent and popular competitors, admired for both their beauty and combat ability.

Significant Themes

• Strength and restraint: Xiao Yang’s victory shows that true power includes the ability to control one’s force precisely rather than simply overwhelming an opponent.
• Consequences of arrogance: Bai Cheng’s jealousy and improper behavior cause him to underestimate Xiao Yang, resulting in severe punishment.
• Progress and ambition: Securing an Inner Academy slot is only an intermediate goal; Xiao Yang immediately sets his sights on the top five.
• System-driven advancement: Xiao Yang’s achievements unlock increasingly valuable rewards, reinforcing the importance of completing chained quests.
• Reputation and public attention: Xiao Yang’s growing fame makes him the main attraction of the finals and places him at the center of the academy’s expectations.

Character Interactions

• Bai Cheng attempts to provoke Xiao Yang with false courtesy and arrogant remarks, but Xiao Yang ignores him and demands that the match begin.
• Bai Cheng’s lecherous looks toward Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian create tension and contribute to Xiao Yang’s cold hostility.
• The referees treat Bai Cheng’s injuries but do not condemn Xiao Yang, recognizing both Bai Cheng’s provocation and Xiao Yang’s compliance with the rules.
• After the fight, Xiao Yang calmly rejoins Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, showing that he considers the confrontation insignificant.
• Irina later assists the trio by guiding them into the crowded finals venue.

Chapter Summary: “1v48!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The fifty students who qualified for the Inner Academy gather in the square, including the badly injured Bai Cheng, who continues to glare resentfully at Xiao Yang.
• Hu Gan explains that entry into the Inner Academy does not guarantee equal treatment; students’ rewards and cultivation conditions will depend on their performance in the final match.
• Rather than holding a conventional arena battle, the academy introduces a new format:
  • Twenty balls are placed in a box, ten blank and ten bearing the names of the ten strongest students.
  • Five balls are supposed to be drawn.
  • Any student whose name is drawn must survive a coordinated attack from everyone else for two minutes.
  • Those who endure may select treasures from the academy treasury, with fewer selected contestants receiving greater rewards.
  • If the attackers win, they receive Fire Energy, which can be exchanged for extremely valuable pills, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques.
• Xiao Yang senses that something is suspicious. Using his powerful soul force, he secretly examines the box and discovers that all twenty balls are blank.
• Hu Gan secretly produces a ball bearing Xiao Yang’s name from his Storage Ring and pretends to draw it, then draws another blank ball. Xiao Yang is therefore declared the only contestant selected.
• Xiao Yang must now fight all forty-eight other students and survive for two minutes. If successful, he can choose five treasures.
• Most students expect Xiao Yang to fail, believing that even a powerful Nine-Star Da Dou Shi would struggle against the combined assault of so many opponents.
• Hu Gan’s manipulation appears intended to create a difficult challenge for Xiao Yang and give the other students a chance to defeat him.
• Although Irina worries about Xiao Yang, Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian remain completely confident in his ability to win.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Remains calm and confident despite Bai Cheng’s hostility and the overwhelming odds. His ability to detect the rigged drawing demonstrates his exceptional soul power and awareness. Instead of exposing Hu Gan, he appears willing to accept the challenge.
• Bai Cheng: Still severely injured and unable to move normally, he continues to harbor deep resentment toward Xiao Yang but does not yet act against him.
• Hu Gan: Reveals a playful but manipulative side by secretly rigging the selection so that Xiao Yang becomes the sole target. He likely wants to test Xiao Yang or create a more entertaining and rewarding final match.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian: Their complete lack of concern shows their absolute trust in Xiao Yang’s strength.
• Irina: Unlike the others, she is visibly worried, highlighting her more cautious and protective attitude.
• The other students: Their excitement over Fire Energy turns into hostility and anticipation as they see a chance to humble the increasingly famous Xiao Yang.

Significant Themes

• Strength determines status: The Inner Academy rewards ability and performance rather than merely granting equal treatment to all successful entrants.
• Trust and confidence: Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian’s faith in Xiao Yang contrasts with the doubts of the other students.
• Manipulation and hidden motives: The supposedly random selection is secretly rigged, suggesting that academy authorities are testing Xiao Yang or influencing the outcome.
• Reputation and envy: Xiao Yang’s popularity and connections to Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian have caused resentment among older male students.
• Overwhelming odds versus true power: The 1-versus-48 battle is designed to make Xiao Yang appear disadvantaged, setting up a test of whether his actual strength matches his reputation.

Character Interactions

• Bai Cheng silently confronts Xiao Yang with an angry, resentful stare, while Xiao Yang deliberately ignores him.
• Hu Gan addresses the qualified students and indirectly challenges Xiao Yang by arranging the unusual final match.
• The students become united against Xiao Yang, motivated both by the prospect of Fire Energy and by their desire to defeat him.
• Irina expresses concern for Xiao Yang, but Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian reassure her through their unwavering confidence in him.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

Xiao Yang accepts a time-limited mission requiring him to win the final match of the Inner Academy selection competition. The mission offers increasingly valuable rewards for surviving two minutes, defeating one-third of the opponents, and eliminating everyone—including a mysterious Fallen Heart Flame Lure. Hu Gan starts the match with a two-minute hourglass, warning that the contestants will face additional punishment if they fail to defeat Xiao Yang within five minutes.
The students immediately surround and attack Xiao Yang. When he reveals his Violet Cloud Wings, many mistake them for Dou Qi Transformation Wings and assume he may be a Dou Wang. Han Yue correctly identifies them as a flying Dou Technique and urges the others to stop him before he can take flight. Xiao Yang withstands the initial encirclement, drives Han Yue and Liu Fei back with powerful flames, repels several attackers, and endures direct attacks without his Battle Qi Armor breaking. Once he gains an opening, he takes to the air—but rather than merely stall for time, he dives back into the crowd and begins defeating opponents one by one.

Character Development

Xiao Yang demonstrates confidence, tactical intelligence, and overwhelming combat ability. Instead of relying passively on flight to secure the mission’s first-stage reward, he chooses to pursue the higher rewards by fighting aggressively. He uses his defensive armor, flame manipulation, Violet Cloud Wings, Eight Extremes Collapse, Mountain-Splitting Fist, and Snow-Treading Without a Trace in combination, revealing his versatility and superior cultivation. He also shows restraint by incapacitating Liu Fei without using the technique’s Hidden Force, rather than seriously injuring her.
Han Yue and Liu Fei display their experience and awareness by immediately recognizing the danger of Xiao Yang’s flying technique, but both are quickly overwhelmed. The other students’ confidence collapses as they realize they cannot keep up with Xiao Yang’s speed or withstand his attacks.

Significant Themes

The chapter emphasizes the gap between genuine genius and ordinary strength, showing that even elite Inner Academy students are helpless against Xiao Yang’s superior cultivation and techniques. It also highlights tactical adaptability: Xiao Yang turns what could have been a defensive battle into an aggressive hunt. Another major theme is ambition, as the mission’s escalating rewards motivate him to seek complete victory rather than simply survive the allotted time. The scene also contrasts appearances with reality, particularly through the misunderstanding surrounding Xiao Yang’s wings.

Character Interactions

Han Yue and Liu Fei, despite disliking each other, cooperate indirectly because neither wants Xiao Yang to win. They join the initial encirclement and attack him alongside the other students. Xiao Yang counters them with twin fireballs, forcing both women to retreat and damaging their Battle Qi Armor. He later targets Liu Fei directly, striking her with Eight Extremes Collapse and rendering her unable to continue fighting. He then kicks a nearby Nine-Star Dou Master out of the battle and disables another Eight-Star Dou Master while escaping the surrounding attackers. By the end of the excerpt, Xiao Yang is rapidly weaving through the battlefield with his wings and movement technique, repeatedly diving into the crowd to defeat opponents before they can react.

Chapter Summary: “Unscathed!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The two-minute challenge ends, but Xiao Yang continues fighting the nearly fifty students who had surrounded him.
• Despite facing the strongest students qualified for the Inner Academy—including Liu Fei, Han Yue, and others—Xiao Yang defeats them all in less than four additional minutes.
• Every opponent is either unconscious or too injured to continue, while Xiao Yang remains completely unharmed.
• The system announces that Xiao Yang has completed all three stages of the timed mission and grants him rewards.
• Hu Gan officially declares Xiao Yang the winner of the match.
• As his reward, Xiao Yang receives permission to choose five treasures from the Library Pavilion and is awarded one thousand days of Fire Energy.
• Xiao Yang decides to visit the Library Pavilion that afternoon, before entering the Inner Academy in seven days.
• After the match, the injured students are removed by teachers and medical personnel, while Xiao Yang leaves the square with Xun’er, Xiao Yi Xian, and Irina.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, defeating forty-eight elite students without suffering a single injury. His victory confirms that he is far stronger than the academy expected and establishes him as an extraordinary new student. He remains calm and confident, treating the battle as insignificant and immediately focusing on obtaining his rewards.
• Hu Gan: Initially intended the challenge to humble Xiao Yang and pressure the elite students, but is shocked when Xiao Yang completely dominates the fight. He becomes concerned that the defeated students may lose confidence, though he honors the agreed rewards.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian: Although they expected Xiao Yang to win, they are still impressed by the scale and flawless nature of his victory. Their support and admiration for him remain clear.
• Irina: Becomes highly enthusiastic about Xiao Yang’s achievement and jokingly—or perhaps seriously—promises to protect Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian in the Inner Academy. Her possessive protectiveness reveals her loyalty to Xiao Yang and his companions.
• The Outer Academy students and citizens of Canaan City: Their perception of Xiao Yang changes dramatically. They are stunned that a newly enrolled student could effortlessly defeat the academy’s most talented fighters.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength and superiority: Xiao Yang’s flawless victory establishes a massive gap between him and even the academy’s elite.
• Reputation and public recognition: The battle transforms Xiao Yang from an impressive newcomer into a figure of widespread awe and discussion.
• Confidence versus humility: Hu Gan intended to curb Xiao Yang’s arrogance, but the result instead proves that Xiao Yang’s confidence is justified.
• Loyalty and protection: Irina’s promise to defend Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian emphasizes the bonds forming among Xiao Yang and his companions.
• Preparation for the Inner Academy: The rewards and the seven-day countdown set up Xiao Yang’s transition to the next stage of his training and adventures.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan congratulates Xiao Yang, explains his rewards, and arranges to escort him to the Library Pavilion.
• Xiao Yang respectfully thanks Hu Gan but immediately requests to claim his treasure-selection reward.
• Irina celebrates Xiao Yang’s victory and vows to protect Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian from anyone who approaches them.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian praise Xiao Yang for defeating everyone without being injured.
• Feeling uncomfortable under the crowd’s attention, Xiao Yang suggests leaving, and the group returns to their dormitory.

Chapter Summary: “Library Pavilion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After notifying Xun’er, Xiao Yang goes to Hu Gan’s office, where Hu Gan immediately takes him to the Library Pavilion to claim his reward from the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Hu Gan activates a hidden mechanism in his office, revealing a dark underground passage. After walking for about half an hour, they emerge into a secluded valley surrounded by cliffs.
• In the valley stands the ancient Library Pavilion, guarded by two concealed gray-robed elders.
• Hu Gan respectfully announces that Xiao Yang is the sole remaining reward recipient from the tournament and requests permission to enter.
• The elders sense Xiao Yang’s unusually powerful soul force and ask whether he is an alchemist. Xiao Yang openly confirms it.
• Hu Gan explains that the other four tournament candidates were defeated and injured by Xiao Yang, surprising the elders but convincing them that their losses were justified.
• The elders begin activating the pavilion’s “Space Lock.” Their hand seals cause the surrounding barrier to ripple like water, eventually forming a doorway that will allow Xiao Yang to enter.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates confidence and composure throughout the journey. He remains alert because of his strong soul power and recognizes the concealment techniques and defensive barriers around the pavilion. His advanced artifact-refining knowledge allows him to see that the barrier is relatively crude. He also shows little awe toward the supposedly formidable guardian elders, judging them mainly by their past failure to protect the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Hu Gan: Acts respectfully and dutifully, following the Library Pavilion’s procedures without impatience. His explanation of the tournament results highlights Xiao Yang’s overwhelming strength.
• The two gray-robed elders: Initially appear mysterious and powerful because they were concealed from view. They are revealed to be Peak Dou Zong guardians with a limited role: protecting the pavilion and controlling its spatial entrance. They become curious about Xiao Yang after sensing his soul power.

Significant Themes

• Power versus reputation: The elders appear imposing, but Xiao Yang evaluates them based on actual accomplishments rather than their status or cultivation.
• Hidden knowledge and ancient legacies: The secret passage, secluded valley, ancient pavilion, and time-worn inscription emphasize the academy’s long history and the exclusive knowledge contained within the Library Pavilion.
• Respect for procedure and authority: Despite Xiao Yang’s strength, Hu Gan carefully follows the rules and treats the guardians respectfully before requesting access.
• Advanced perception and expertise: Xiao Yang’s soul power and artifact-refining knowledge let him detect hidden people and analyze the pavilion’s barrier, showing that strength comes not only from cultivation but also from specialized understanding.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan guides Xiao Yang and formally presents him to the guardians as the tournament’s reward recipient.
• The elders question Xiao Yang’s identity as an alchemist after sensing his soul power; he confirms it but gives no further details.
• They question why only one candidate has arrived, and Hu Gan honestly recounts Xiao Yang’s victories.
• The elders acknowledge Xiao Yang’s strength before using their combined abilities to unlock the spatial entrance to the Library Pavilion.

Chapter Summary: “Flame Gold”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Gan and Xiao Yang enter the Library Pavilion after receiving permission from the two gray-robed elders.
• Because of Xiao Yang’s unusual circumstances, he is allowed to select five treasures, though the elders warn him not to forcefully take anything or become greedy. The pavilion will remain open for only five hours.
• Inside, Xiao Yang discovers that the pavilion’s treasures are stored in separate spatial areas behind energy shields. The items periodically emerge from these barriers, allowing visitors to test whether they can claim them.
• Xiao Yang’s powerful soul force lets him inspect the treasures, while his expertise as an artifact refiner enables him to identify and exploit weaknesses in the energy layers. Items that would resist even Dou Lings or Dou Wangs are easily obtained by him.
• Over four hours, Xiao Yang gathers more than twenty valuable treasures, including Earth-Tier battle skills, cultivation techniques, pill materials, Sixth-Rank Magic Cores, and spirit-artifact materials.
• The most important discovery is a piece of Flame Gold, a rare metal formed in lava over centuries or millennia and valuable enough to serve as material for an Eighth-Grade Spirit Artifact.
• Rather than choosing the most expensive treasures, Xiao Yang selects five items according to his future needs:
  1. Flame Gold
  2. Millennium Ice Soul
  3. Heavenly Meteoric Iron
  4. A Sixth-Rank Magic Core
  5. A principal ingredient for an Emperor’s Extreme Pill
• Xiao Yang leaves before the five-hour limit expires. The elders inspect him and warn him never to reveal what is inside the Library Pavilion.
• Back in Hu Gan’s office, Xiao Yang confirms that he is highly satisfied with his selections.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang demonstrates exceptional soul force, artifact-refining knowledge, and self-control. He can bypass the pavilion’s energy restrictions by identifying their weaknesses rather than relying on brute force.
• He shows strategic judgment by selecting items that support his long-term goals instead of simply taking the rarest or most valuable treasures.
• His excitement at the end reveals how significant the chosen materials are, especially for upgrading his pill-refining equipment.
• Hu Gan acts as Xiao Yang’s guide and protector, repeatedly reminding him to follow the pavilion’s rules.
• The gray-robed elders remain stern and detached, enforcing the Library Pavilion’s restrictions and secrecy.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and specialized skill: Xiao Yang’s artifact-refining expertise gives him an advantage that raw strength alone cannot provide.
• Restraint over greed: Although Xiao Yang could potentially take many valuable items, he limits himself to five and chooses according to practical need.
• Preparation for future growth: The selected materials will help him refine a stronger pill furnace and improve his cultivation and alchemical capabilities.
• Hidden value: Flame Gold and other artifact materials are undervalued by the wider continent because few people understand artifact refining, emphasizing the importance of recognizing potential others overlook.
• Secrecy and rules: The elders’ warning reinforces that the Library Pavilion contains powerful and closely guarded resources.

Character Interactions

• The elders instruct Xiao Yang on the pavilion’s rules and warn him against forcing treasures or exceeding the five-item limit.
• Hu Gan supports the elders’ warnings and later checks whether Xiao Yang obtained anything worthwhile.
• Xiao Yang responds respectfully but remains largely silent, relying on his own judgment inside the pavilion.
• At the end, Xiao Yang’s satisfied expression and Hu Gan’s question create a brief moment of mutual acknowledgment regarding the success of the selection.

Summary: “Heading to the Inner Academy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Gan informs Xiao Yang that he will receive his promised thousand Fire Energy after entering the Inner Academy and reminds him to arrive with the other students in seven days.
• During the waiting period, Xiao Yang spends his time with Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, attending Outer Academy classes and visiting Canaan City with them.
• Because of Xiao Yang’s reputation, few students dare provoke the two girls. Those who do are defeated and have their legs broken.
• Xiao Yang prepares medicinal pills and Delicious Powder for both women, especially Xun’er, who will be separated from him after his departure.
• After seven days, Xiao Yang shares an emotional farewell with Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian. Both encourage him to focus on cultivation rather than repeatedly returning to the Outer Academy.
• Xiao Yi Xian reveals that she has reached the two-star Dou Master level and intends to advance to the Da Dou Shi realm before entering the Inner Academy through an elder’s recommendation.
• Xiao Yang joins the other forty-nine students outside Hu Gan’s office. The group then boards ten Griffins, traveling in groups of five toward the forest surrounding the Inner Academy.
• Xiao Yang is assigned to the same Griffin as Han Yue, Liu Fei, Bai Cheng, and Lu Renjia. Bai Cheng and Liu Fei remain hostile toward him, while Han Yue maintains a more neutral and polite attitude.
• During the flight, Hu Gan and three elders protect the Griffins from attacking flying magical beasts. Even Fifth-Order Magical Beasts avoid confrontation after sensing the elders’ strength.
• Xiao Yang secretly memorizes the locations of magical beasts in the forest, intending to return later to gain experience.
• The Griffins arrive at a ravine, where Hu Gan activates a hidden formation and reveals a giant silver gate leading into the Inner Academy. The students pass through the barrier and officially enter.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang demonstrates increased maturity and strength. He prioritizes his relationships during his final days in the Outer Academy, prepares resources for Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, and remains confident despite hostility from Bai Cheng and Liu Fei.
• Xun’er displays emotional restraint and determination. Although reluctant to separate from Xiao Yang, she urges him to cultivate diligently so they can remain together in the future.
• Xiao Yi Xian shows growing confidence in her cultivation, having reached the two-star Dou Master level and setting her sights on the Da Dou Shi realm and eventual entry into the Inner Academy.
• Bai Cheng and Liu Fei retain their resentment toward Xiao Yang, especially because of their previous conflicts and injuries.
• Han Yue remains courteous and composed, acknowledging Xiao Yang without joining the hostility surrounding him.
• Hu Gan acts as a stern but protective guide, organizing the journey and personally safeguarding the students.

Significant Themes

• Separation and emotional attachment: Xiao Yang’s departure creates a bittersweet farewell, but the characters accept separation as necessary for their long-term goals.
• Cultivation and self-improvement: Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian emphasize that strength and dedication are essential to preserving their relationships and securing their futures.
• Transition to a higher stage: Entering the Inner Academy marks a major turning point, moving the students from the relatively relaxed Outer Academy into a more demanding environment.
• Hidden dangers and preparation: The dangerous forest, powerful magical beasts, and concealed formation hint that the Inner Academy will present serious challenges.
• Rivalry and unresolved conflict: Bai Cheng and Liu Fei’s hostility suggests that Xiao Yang’s previous battles and victories will continue to affect his life.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan and Xiao Yang interact respectfully, with Hu Gan trusting Xiao Yang enough not to question his recent gains.
• Xiao Yang shares a close and affectionate farewell with Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian, kissing each of them before departing.
• Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian jointly encourage Xiao Yang to remain focused on cultivation.
• Xiao Yang and Han Yue exchange a polite greeting, contrasting with the hostile looks from Bai Cheng and Liu Fei.
• Hu Gan suppresses Bai Cheng and Liu Fei’s objections by firmly assigning them to the same Griffin as Xiao Yang.
• The students depend on Hu Gan and the elders for protection as they travel through the dangerous forest and cross the hidden barrier into the Inner Academy.

Chapter Summary: Fire Energy Hunting Tournament

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang enters the Inner Academy’s forest through the silver gate, where the Fire Energy Hunting Tournament is about to begin.
• A system side mission appears, offering rewards for:
  1. Protecting the Fire Energy he possesses.
  2. Defeating three Inner Academy squads in retaliation.
  3. Defeating the powerful Black and White Fiends Squads, with especially valuable rewards, including perfect mastery of the Shadowless battle skill.
• The Inner Academy elders explain the tournament rules. New students must cross the forest and reach the academy while avoiding attacks from older students, who are allowed to seize their Fire Energy as long as they do not kill or cripple them.
• Each student receives a crystal chip containing Fire Energy. Most new students receive five points, but Xiao Yang’s chip contains 1,005 points because of his selection-competition reward.
• Elder Hu Gan warns Xiao Yang that his original 1,000 points are protected, though the additional five points can still be taken.
• Once the tournament begins, the older students view the newcomers as prey, and the new students quickly form several groups for protection.
• Xiao Yang declines to join the groups and heads alone toward the depths of the forest. He has little interest in ordinary older students and intends to target the Black and White Fiends Squads directly.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang demonstrates confidence and strategic thinking. Rather than fear the tournament or hide his unusually large Fire Energy reserve, he plans to turn the hunters into his own targets.
• He accepts the system mission because its rewards—particularly the experience needed to perfect Shadowless—are extremely valuable to him.
• Xiao Yang’s growing strength is recognized by the Inner Academy elders, who expect him to make the tournament unusually interesting.
• Hu Gan continues to support Xiao Yang, privately informing him about the protection surrounding his original Fire Energy.
• Han Yue, Liu Fei, and Lu Renjia emerge as the strongest and most influential figures among the new students, attracting most of the other students into their groups.
• Liu Qing, an older student and apparent “little monster,” is introduced as a potential rival because his younger sister is among the new students and reportedly resents Xiao Yang.

Significant Themes

• Predator and prey reversal: Although the older students believe they are hunting vulnerable newcomers, Xiao Yang views them as potential prey.
• Competition and survival: The tournament emphasizes resource competition, group formation, and the need to outmaneuver stronger opponents.
• Power attracting attention: Xiao Yang’s strength and massive Fire Energy reserve immediately draw interest from both the elders and the older students.
• Strategic individualism: While most students seek safety in numbers, Xiao Yang relies on his own strength and pursues a more ambitious objective.
• Progress and reward: The tournament is not merely a test of survival; it provides Xiao Yang with an opportunity to gain experience, Shop Points, and improve his battle skills.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan introduces Xiao Yang to Elders Chen and Wang, who are impressed by his cultivation and anticipate that he will disrupt the usual tournament pattern.
• The elders discuss how Xiao Yang’s presence may clash with Liu Qing, especially because of Liu Qing’s sister’s hostility toward him.
• Elder Wang distributes the Fire Energy crystal chips and explains the rules and dangers of the tournament to the new students.
• Hu Gan privately reassures Xiao Yang about the safety of most of his Fire Energy.
• The new students gravitate toward Han Yue, Liu Fei, and Lu Renjia, while Xiao Yang remains separate and moves alone into the forest.

Chapter Summary: “Black-and-White Fiends”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang flies deep into the forest while Hu Gan and two Inner Academy elders pursue him. The elders are astonished that Xiao Yang’s flying speed surpasses theirs, despite him being only a Da Dou Shi.
• Hu Gan realizes that Xiao Yang’s overwhelming performance is not due solely to his flying Dou Technique. Xiao Yang’s immense Dou Qi reserves and powerful cultivation technique also contribute to his strength.
• Using his soul power to search the forest, Xiao Yang looks for the Black-and-White Fiends, the strongest group participating in the Fire Energy Hunting Tournament.
• He reasons that they are likely waiting near the forest’s exit rather than searching for freshmen, since the available Fire Energy is limited and not worth the effort for powerful Inner Academy students.
• Xiao Yang eventually discovers two teams of old students dressed in black and white. Their leaders are Lin Yan and Liu Qing, both of whom have recently advanced to the Dou Ling realm.
• Before confronting them, Xiao Yang activates an Experience Doubling Card and a Gold Coin Doubling Card.
• He arrives dramatically before the Black-and-White Fiends, startling the group with his purple-black wings, dark crimson armor, and intimidating presence.
• The old students initially mistake him for a young Dou Wang or an outsider brought into the academy by an elder. Xiao Yang reveals that he is actually one of the newly recruited freshmen, leaving everyone shocked.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates extraordinary speed, endurance, soul power, and confidence. His ability to outpace Dou Wang elders emphasizes how far beyond ordinary freshmen he is. He also shows strategic thinking by identifying where the Black-and-White Fiends are likely to be and preparing himself before the confrontation.
• Hu Gan: Becomes increasingly impressed and puzzled by Xiao Yang’s abilities. He recognizes that Xiao Yang’s strength exceeds what was displayed during the selection tournament.
• Elder Wang and Elder Chen: Shift from curiosity to astonishment when they realize they cannot keep up with Xiao Yang, despite being Dou Kings.
• Lin Yan and Liu Qing: Are introduced as powerful but still-developing Inner Academy elites. They are cultivation-focused and choose to guard the exit rather than rob freshmen. Their alertness suggests they immediately recognize Xiao Yang as a serious threat.
• The Black-and-White Fiends members: Become disappointed that their leaders refuse to hunt freshmen, then turn shocked and wary when Xiao Yang appears.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Xiao Yang’s youthful appearance and freshman status conceal power capable of astonishing experienced elders and elite students.
• The gap between reputation and reality: The elders and old students attempt to categorize Xiao Yang based on his age and rank, but his actual abilities defy their expectations.
• Strategic intelligence over brute force: Xiao Yang uses soul power, deduction, and preparation to locate and confront the Black-and-White Fiends efficiently.
• Cultivation and ambition: Lin Yan and Liu Qing’s decision to cultivate rather than pursue Fire Energy highlights their dedication to long-term advancement over short-term rewards.
• Power hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation rank alone does not determine combat ability, as Xiao Yang’s speed and reserves allow him to challenge opponents of much higher apparent strength.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan and the two elders discuss Xiao Yang’s flying ability and growing disbelief at his speed.
• Xiao Yang ignores the pursuing elders while concentrating on his search, demonstrating his confidence and independence.
• Lin Yan and Liu Qing’s teammates complain that their captains are refusing to participate in the tournament’s robbery, revealing the captains’ detached, cultivation-centered personalities.
• Lin Yan and Liu Qing sense Xiao Yang’s arrival before the others and respond cautiously.
• Xiao Yang directly identifies himself as a freshman and confirms that they are the Black-and-White Fiends, provoking disbelief from the entire group and setting up the impending confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Making a Move”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang reveals that he is a newcomer to the Inner Academy, surprising the Black and White Fiends Squad because his cultivation is already close to that of Liu Qing and Lin Yan despite his young age.
• The senior students invoke the Inner Academy’s tradition of forcing newcomers to hand over their Fire Crystal Cards. One student, driven by jealousy and cruelty, hopes Xiao Yang will resist so they can justify attacking him.
• Xiao Yang refuses, activates an Experience Doubling Card and a Gold Coin Doubling Card, and challenges them to take the Fire Crystal Card themselves.
• Lin Yan briefly notices that the card may contain over a thousand days of Fire Energy, an amount seemingly impossible even for Strong Rankings experts. This gives him an ominous sense that Xiao Yang is far stronger than expected.
• Xiao Yang launches a surprise attack, using his winged movement and overwhelming speed to knock two senior students away with single punches. Their Battle Qi Armor shatters, and both are rendered unable to fight after crashing into trees.
• The remaining members regroup, realizing that Xiao Yang is not an ordinary newcomer. Even Liu Qing and Lin Yan begin treating him as a serious threat.
• Xiao Yang equips a pair of gloves and prepares a flaming attack. Lin Yan recognizes the danger and pulls nearby teammates away; Liu Qing follows his example.
• Two other senior students attempt to block Xiao Yang’s fireball with the Luminous Palm and Wave-Stacking Fist, but their attacks are ineffective. The fireball engulfs them, destroys their Battle Qi Armor, and sends them crashing through several trees.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang establishes himself as an exceptionally powerful and confident newcomer. Rather than submit to the academy’s bullying tradition, he openly challenges the seniors and quickly overwhelms them.
• Lin Yan shifts from indifference to caution and alarm. His glimpse of Xiao Yang’s Fire Energy total makes him suspect that Xiao Yang possesses extraordinary resources and strength.
• Liu Qing also recognizes the seriousness of the situation, reacting quickly to Lin Yan’s warning and helping his teammates evade the fireball.
• The Black and White Fiends Squad moves from arrogance and confidence to shock and fear. Their assumption that seniority and numbers guarantee victory is decisively undermined.

Significant Themes

• Power versus seniority: The seniors expect tradition and rank to give them control, but Xiao Yang proves that strength and talent matter more than status.
• Jealousy and bullying: The veterans’ demand for the Fire Crystal Card is presented as a ritualized form of humiliation, fueled by resentment toward gifted newcomers.
• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Xiao Yang’s youthful appearance causes the seniors to underestimate him, while the mysterious amount of Fire Energy on his card hints at even greater capabilities.
• Confidence challenged by reality: The squad believes it is undefeated and cannot be defeated by a newcomer, but Xiao Yang’s attacks rapidly destroy that confidence.

Character Interactions

• The senior students collectively pressure Xiao Yang to surrender his Fire Crystal Card, framing the threat as an unavoidable academy tradition.
• Xiao Yang responds defiantly, inviting them to take the card by force rather than arguing with them.
• Lin Yan and Liu Qing act as the squad’s strongest and most perceptive members, recognizing Xiao Yang’s danger sooner than the others.
• Xiao Yang’s physical attacks and fireball serve as his direct answer to the squad’s intimidation, leaving several members severely defeated while Lin Yan and Liu Qing prepare for a more serious confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Who Was the Prey?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Yan and Liu Qing lead the remaining senior students in a coordinated attack against Xiao Yang after he defeats two of their companions.
• Xiao Yang uses his Dou Qi wings and explosive speed to evade their attacks, suddenly appearing before the weaker students and knocking two more out of the fight.
• Lin Yan and Liu Qing protect the last two students and wait cautiously, but Xiao Yang launches a powerful flaming palm attack.
• Their blade and spear techniques fail to stop the attack. Xiao Yang’s flaming palm shatters their Dou Qi shields and sends all four opponents flying, leaving the two weaker students unconscious and Lin Yan and Liu Qing seriously injured.
• Xiao Yang demands that Lin Yan and Liu Qing surrender their Fire Crystal Cards. Rather than give up, both consume healing pills and make one final attack.
• Xiao Yang overwhelms them again with his flames, destroying their Dou Qi Armor and leaving them unable to continue.
• Elder Wang and Elder Chen arrive to treat the injured students. Hu Gan recognizes that Xiao Yang had not yet used his full strength.
• Xiao Yang asks whether the tournament rules allow freshmen to seize fire energy from senior students. The elders confirm that this is permitted.
• Xiao Yang forcibly collects the Fire Crystal Cards from all the defeated students, including Lin Yan and Liu Qing, transferring their stored fire energy to himself. A system notification appears at the end of the chapter.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, speed, combat awareness, and mastery of his powerful flame technique. He shifts from defending himself against the seniors to decisively hunting them for their fire energy, revealing his confidence and ruthlessness.
• Lin Yan: Remains proud and unwilling to surrender despite being badly injured. He acknowledges Xiao Yang’s extraordinary talent but insists on fighting until defeated.
• Liu Qing: Acts as a disciplined and cautious combatant, supporting Lin Yan and attempting to recover through medicinal pills. Despite his composure, he is ultimately powerless against Xiao Yang’s flames.
• The senior students: Their initial confidence turns into fear after Xiao Yang rapidly defeats them. Even those who resist eventually surrender their Fire Crystal Cards.
• Hu Gan, Elder Wang, and Elder Chen: Become increasingly impressed by Xiao Yang’s potential and suggest that his arrival may disrupt the Inner Academy’s Strong Rankings.

Significant Themes

• Reversal of predator and prey: The seniors initially attempt to rob the freshmen, but Xiao Yang quickly turns the situation around and becomes the one taking their fire energy.
• Overwhelming strength and hidden power: Xiao Yang’s victory is effortless enough that the elders believe he still has not revealed his full capabilities.
• Pride versus survival: Lin Yan and Liu Qing refuse to surrender out of pride, while the weaker students choose submission after recognizing the gap in strength.
• Breaking established traditions: The elders imply that Xiao Yang may challenge the Inner Academy’s existing hierarchy and traditions.
• Rules and opportunism: Xiao Yang uses the tournament’s rules to justify taking the seniors’ resources, showing that legality and strength matter more than seniority.

Character Interactions

• Lin Yan and Liu Qing cooperate closely, attempting to combine their blade and spear techniques against Xiao Yang.
• The two senior students rely on Lin Yan and Liu Qing for protection after their companions are defeated.
• Xiao Yang repeatedly warns and challenges the senior group, eventually intimidating them into surrender.
• Hu Gan humorously comments on the seniors’ defeat while praising Xiao Yang’s hidden strength.
• Elder Wang and Elder Chen treat the injured students but also react with amusement when Xiao Yang confirms that stealing their fire energy is allowed.
• Xiao Yang directly humiliates the senior students by collecting their Fire Crystal Cards one by one, completing the reversal of the tournament encounter.

Chapter Summary: “Inner Academy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang completes the third stage of the Inner Academy side quest after taking all the Fire Energy from the two Black-and-White Fiends squads.
• He receives rewards including perfected proficiency in the Low Earth-Tier Battle Skill Shadowless, 5,000,000 Universal Experience, and 10,000,000 Shop Points.
• Rather than immediately leaving the forest, Xiao Yang waits to counter-hunt another old-student squad and complete the next quest stage.
• While waiting, he fully absorbs the insights granted by Shadowless. His Spirit Realm soul allows him to process them in only a few hours.
• Using his expanded soul power, Xiao Yang locates another five-member old-student squad that has already robbed two new-student groups.
• He uses Shadowless to approach them undetected and defeats all five before they can mount a meaningful defense. He then takes their Fire Energy, completing Stage Two.
• Xiao Yang leaves the forest, completing Stage One as well, and waits outside for the other new students.
• The new students eventually emerge bruised and discouraged after failing to defeat the old students who ambushed them.
• Elder Wang announces the tournament results. Since Xiao Yang was the first to leave and defeated both Black-and-White Fiends squads, he receives an Azure Fire Crystal Card and 300 days of Fire Energy.
• Xiao Yang and the other new students enter the Inner Academy, which is located in a basin. He is given a private pavilion as his residence.
• Elder Wang warns him that the Inner Academy contains many powerful experts and advises him to consider joining a faction. He also explains that Fire Energy is the academy’s most valuable resource and can be used at the Battle Skill Hall, Cultivation Technique Pavilion, and especially the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang grows more confident in Shadowless after witnessing its exceptional stealth and close-range mobility. He recognizes that it is superior to the Violet Cloud Wings for sudden attacks and changes in direction.
• His Spirit Realm soul significantly improves his ability to absorb battle-skill knowledge and detect enemies across a wider area.
• Xiao Yang demonstrates a widening gap between himself and ordinary old students, defeating an entire squad almost effortlessly.
• Despite his strength, he remains practical and calculating, choosing not to waste time robbing weaker squads with little Fire Energy.
• The other new students, including Han Yue and Liu Fei, are humbled by their defeat and realize how much stronger even relatively low-ranked old students have become after one year in the Inner Academy.
• Elder Wang takes on a guiding role, acknowledging Xiao Yang’s power while cautioning him against underestimating the Inner Academy’s factions and experts.

Significant Themes

• Growth and mastery: Xiao Yang’s rapid mastery of Shadowless reflects his extraordinary cultivation and learning ability.
• Strategic strength: The chapter emphasizes that victory comes not only from raw power but also from reconnaissance, stealth, timing, and efficient resource management.
• The Inner Academy as a higher level of competition: The defeated new students learn that entering the academy means facing opponents far stronger than expected.
• Resources and advancement: Fire Energy is presented as the central currency of the Inner Academy, essential for obtaining techniques, cultivation methods, and access to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
• Power attracts attention: Xiao Yang’s performance in the tournament earns him rewards but also makes him a target for powerful factions and individuals.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Yang intimidates the Black-and-White Fiends squads into avoiding further confrontation.
• He silently infiltrates and defeats another old-student squad, overwhelming them before they can coordinate.
• Elder Wang publicly praises Xiao Yang’s tournament performance and gives him special rewards.
• After escorting Xiao Yang into the Inner Academy, Elder Wang personally assigns him a private residence and warns him about the dangers ahead.
• Han Yue, Liu Fei, and the other new students share the experience of being defeated by the old students, highlighting their collective realization of the Inner Academy’s harsh power hierarchy.

Chapter Summary: Heavenly Spirit Grass

Key Plot Points and Events

• Elder Wang refuses to explain the purpose of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, teasing Xiao Yang by calling it the foundation of the Inner Academy and telling him to discover its benefits himself.
• Xiao Yang settles into his new attic, appreciating that it includes multiple rooms and a cultivation chamber suitable for pill refining and equipment forging.
• He decides to explore the Inner Academy marketplace, primarily seeking high-grade medicinal ingredients. He wants to conserve his valuable Heavenly Fire Energy and avoid relying entirely on the system store or expensive purchases.
• The marketplace contains shops and student-run stalls selling honey, elixirs, magic cores, beast blood essence, and other resources.
• Xiao Yang visits a Medicine Hall to learn the local prices and discovers a stalk of Heavenly Spirit Grass, a key ingredient for the Fifth-Grade Heavenly Spirit Pill.
• The Heavenly Spirit Pill can raise a Dou Ling’s cultivation by one or two stars, though each person can consume no more than two pills. Xiao Yang suspects the formula is rare, lost, or controlled by ancient factions.
• He purchases the Heavenly Spirit Grass for eighty Heavenly Fire Energy, paying without bargaining.
• The Medicine Hall student is shocked when Xiao Yang uses an Azure Fire Crystal Card containing over 1,500 days of Fire Energy, since even many Strong Ranking students may not possess such wealth.
• Learning that the Medicine Hall has no more Heavenly Spirit Grass, Xiao Yang is directed toward the Inner Academy’s Alchemy Department, which contains rarer ingredients collected by Jia Nan Academy’s experts.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Yang asking where the Alchemy Department is located.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang is shown to be practical, financially cautious, and highly focused on alchemy. He prioritizes acquiring rare ingredients and preserving Heavenly Fire Energy rather than spending recklessly.
• His advanced abilities and wealth are emphasized through his possession of a Fifth-Grade pill formula, his knowledge of valuable ingredients, and his enormous reserves of Fire Energy.
• Xiao Yang’s confidence is also evident in his refusal to buy low-quality elixirs and his direct, decisive approach to purchasing the Heavenly Spirit Grass.
• The Medicine Hall student initially treats Xiao Yang as an inexperienced newcomer, but becomes respectful and cautious after seeing Xiao Yang’s Azure Fire Crystal Card and wealth.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and discovery: Elder Wang’s teasing about the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower establishes the Inner Academy as a place containing powerful secrets.
• Resource accumulation and preparation: Xiao Yang’s search for medicinal ingredients reflects his long-term planning and desire to strengthen his alchemy and cultivation.
• Wealth and status: Heavenly Fire Energy functions as the Inner Academy’s currency, and Xiao Yang’s large reserves immediately distinguish him from ordinary students.
• Rarity of knowledge: The uncertain existence of the Heavenly Spirit Pill formula highlights how valuable lost or restricted alchemical knowledge can be.
• Quality versus convenience: Xiao Yang refuses inferior elixirs and seeks better ingredients, emphasizing his high standards as an alchemist.

Character Interactions

• Elder Wang deliberately withholds information from Xiao Yang, creating a teasing and slightly frustrating exchange.
• In the Medicine Hall, the old student assumes Xiao Yang is a junior and recommends the Hall’s low-quality elixirs, but Xiao Yang silently dismisses their value.
• Xiao Yang’s purchase and display of his Azure Fire Crystal Card dramatically changes the student’s attitude, making him more careful and cooperative.
• The student provides Xiao Yang with the crucial lead about the Inner Academy’s Alchemy Department, directing him toward a richer source of rare medicinal ingredients.

Chapter Summary:

Alchemy Department

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang is approached by an older Inner Academy student from the Medicine Gang, who invites him to join and offers pill formulas, medicinal ingredients, and assistance selling refined pills for Fire Energy.
• Xiao Yang rejects the offer, believing the Medicine Gang and Inner Academy students cannot provide meaningful assistance to a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. He prefers to wait until he reaches the Sixth Rank before seeking cooperation with the academy’s elders.
• He purchases large quantities of medicinal ingredients from multiple shops and stalls, spending several hundred Fire Energy in less than an hour. His use of an Azure Fire Crystal Card and visible wealth attracts the attention of many Inner Academy students.
• Xiao Yang then travels to the Alchemy Pavilion, headquarters of the Inner Academy’s Alchemy Department.
• At the entrance, he claims to be an alchemist who wants to join the department. A student explains that even refining a First-Grade Elixir would be enough for admission.
• Xiao Yang is brought before Teacher Liu, a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, for assessment. When Xiao Yang declares that he wants to be tested as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, Teacher Liu initially assumes he is boasting.
• Xiao Yang offers to provide his own Fifth-Grade ingredients, removing the department’s concern over the high cost of the assessment materials.
• Teacher Liu advises him to take a lower-level test if he is uncertain, but Xiao Yang insists. Since Teacher Liu cannot personally assess a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, he agrees to summon Fire Elder.
• Xiao Yang waits in an alchemy room and prepares a set of ingredients for a relatively simple Fifth-Grade healing elixir, intending to demonstrate his ability and establish a reputation within the academy.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates confidence, independence, and ambition. He refuses mediocre alliances, openly displays his considerable Fire Energy, and seeks immediate recognition as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. His goal is not merely to join the department but to build a reputation that will attract powerful clients and opportunities.
• Teacher Liu: Initially skeptical and somewhat irritated by Xiao Yang’s claim, he gradually recognizes that Xiao Yang may be serious. His willingness to advise Xiao Yang and protect him from wasting valuable ingredients reveals a fair and responsible personality.
• Fire Elder: Although he does not appear directly, he is established as the Alchemy Department’s strongest alchemist and a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. His reputation for having a severe temperament creates anticipation for Xiao Yang’s upcoming assessment.

Significant Themes

• Confidence versus skepticism: Xiao Yang’s youth and appearance cause others to doubt his abilities, but he remains composed and allows his alchemy skills to prove his claims.
• Reputation and recognition: Xiao Yang deliberately seeks to display his Fifth-Rank status so that the academy’s elders and influential figures will learn of him.
• Independence and ambition: Rather than relying on the Medicine Gang, Xiao Yang intends to form stronger alliances and pursue greater opportunities on his own terms.
• Value and scarcity: Fire Energy, medicinal ingredients, and alchemist ranks are treated as important resources that determine status and influence within the Inner Academy.

Character Interactions

• A Medicine Gang student attempts to recruit Xiao Yang, but Xiao Yang dismisses the offer because he considers the group too weak to assist him.
• Teacher Liu questions Xiao Yang’s decision to wait until the Inner Academy to join the Alchemy Department and challenges his claim of being a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.
• Xiao Yang responds respectfully but firmly, offering his own ingredients and requesting that Fire Elder conduct the assessment.
• Their interaction shifts from suspicion to cautious respect, setting the stage for Xiao Yang’s formal evaluation by Fire Elder.

Chapter Summary: “Fire Elder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Teacher Liu brings Fire Elder to the alchemy room, where Fire Elder recognizes Xiao Yang from the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
• Fire Elder is shocked to learn that Xiao Yang is a new student, only seventeen years old, and already a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.
• To verify Xiao Yang’s abilities, Fire Elder asks him to refine a pill using his own materials.
• Xiao Yang calmly begins refining a Fifth-Grade Healing Pill while Fire Elder and Teacher Liu observe.
• His process reveals extraordinary precision, mastery of medicinal ingredients, and the ability to adapt the pill formula rather than follow it mechanically.
• Fire Elder realizes that Xiao Yang’s fundamentals and techniques may surpass his own in certain areas.
• Xiao Yang successfully produces a high-grade Fifth-Grade Healing Pill, astonishing both observers.
• Teacher Liu is instructed to register Xiao Yang’s alchemist status and explain the Alchemy Department’s benefits.
• Fire Elder asks to discuss alchemy with Xiao Yang, but Xiao Yang postpones the conversation because he is exhausted after refining the pill.
• Fire Elder learns that Xiao Yang is only a Da Dou Shi, making his achievement even more unbelievable. Xiao Yang’s low cultivation had forced him to spend more than a day refining the pill, though his ability to continually recover his Dou Qi allowed him to succeed.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates exceptional alchemy talent, a strong grasp of medicinal properties, and remarkable control despite his young age and relatively low cultivation. His calm, practical attitude contrasts with the astonishment of those around him.
• Fire Elder: Changes from curious and skeptical to deeply impressed and eager to learn from Xiao Yang. He recognizes Xiao Yang as an alchemy prodigy and possibly the student of a powerful master.
• Teacher Liu: Is overwhelmed by Xiao Yang’s abilities and realizes that Xiao Yang’s alchemy skills exceed his own despite Xiao Yang’s youth.

Significant Themes

• Genius defying expectations: Xiao Yang’s age, status as a new student, and low cultivation make his Fifth-Rank alchemy achievement extraordinarily difficult to believe.
• True mastery and fundamentals: Xiao Yang’s strength comes not merely from talent, but from precise control, deep ingredient knowledge, and a solid foundation.
• Humility versus reputation: Xiao Yang does not boast about his abilities and simply allows his results to speak for him.
• Respect earned through skill: Fire Elder’s attitude shifts after witnessing Xiao Yang’s actual performance, showing that expertise commands respect regardless of age or status.
• The limits of cultivation: Xiao Yang’s alchemy demonstrates that exceptional technique and recovery abilities can partially overcome the restrictions of low cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Fire Elder and Teacher Liu jointly observe Xiao Yang’s refinement, with Fire Elder understanding parts of the process while Teacher Liu eventually cannot follow it.
• Fire Elder examines the finished pill and openly marvels at Xiao Yang’s accomplishment.
• Teacher Liu is assigned to register Xiao Yang and guide him through the Alchemy Department.
• Fire Elder attempts to establish an alchemical exchange with Xiao Yang, but Xiao Yang politely postpones it due to exhaustion. Fire Elder accepts this and arranges for him to rest.

Chapter Summary: “Becoming an Elder?!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After refining a Fifth-Grade Healing Pill, Xiao Yang accepts Fire Elder’s invitation to establish a closer relationship, partly because Fire Elder possesses valuable medicinal ingredients and pill formulas.
• Fire Elder arranges for Xiao Yang to rest in a luxurious Alchemy Pavilion lounge equipped with its own alchemy room. Xiao Yang sleeps for more than ten hours to recover from the exhaustion of refining the high-grade pill.
• Upon waking, Xiao Yang finds Fire Elder waiting outside. Fire Elder is eager to discuss Xiao Yang’s unusual and highly advanced alchemy techniques, particularly his method of extracting the Seven-Luminary Heart Lotus.
• The two enter the lounge’s alchemy room and spend more than a day discussing alchemy. Fire Elder initially asks about Xiao Yang’s refining process, but the conversation gradually becomes a one-sided consultation, with Xiao Yang answering most of Fire Elder’s questions.
• Fire Elder realizes that Xiao Yang’s understanding of medicinal ingredients and extraction techniques surpasses his own, despite Xiao Yang’s relatively low cultivation and young age.
• The discussion gives Fire Elder major insights. He believes he may soon break through to the Sixth Rank of alchemy and improve both the success rate and quality of his future pills.
• Grateful for Xiao Yang’s guidance, Fire Elder presents him with an elder’s token for Jia Nan Academy’s independent Alchemy Department.
• Xiao Yang is officially appointed an elder despite having only recently arrived at the academy. Fire Elder explains that the department values alchemy ability more than cultivation strength.
• The position grants Xiao Yang access to medicinal ingredients from the academy and allows him to freely study the Alchemy Department’s pill formulas, immediately appealing to him.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates astonishing alchemy knowledge and control. His mastery is revealed to be far beyond what his age and cultivation would suggest. He remains humble, describing the exchange as mutual learning, though he is clearly pleased by the practical benefits of becoming an elder.
• Fire Elder: Shifts from being Jia Nan Academy’s strongest alchemist to viewing Xiao Yang as a potential teacher. His admiration develops into near-reverence, and he becomes deeply grateful for Xiao Yang’s guidance. He rewards Xiao Yang by appointing him an elder.
• Relationship between Xiao Yang and Fire Elder: Their connection develops from a useful alliance into a mentor-like relationship, although the expected roles are reversed: the older and more established Fire Elder becomes the student, while Xiao Yang acts as the superior alchemy expert.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and underestimated ability: Xiao Yang’s low cultivation and young age conceal extraordinary alchemy expertise.
• Knowledge over status: Fire Elder willingly sets aside his seniority and reputation when faced with superior knowledge.
• Mutual benefit and alliances: Xiao Yang gains access to ingredients and formulas, while Fire Elder receives guidance that may advance his alchemy rank.
• Recognition through merit: Xiao Yang’s appointment shows that the Alchemy Department rewards genuine skill more than age, seniority, or combat strength.
• Humility despite superiority: Xiao Yang does not boast about his abilities and treats the exchange as mutual learning, even though Fire Elder clearly benefits more.

Important Character Interactions

• Fire Elder eagerly questions Xiao Yang about his pill-refining methods.
• Xiao Yang openly explains his techniques and resolves most of Fire Elder’s questions.
• Fire Elder admits that Xiao Yang effectively guided him and even considers taking him as a master.
• Fire Elder formally thanks Xiao Yang, offers him future protection and assistance in the Inner Academy, and appoints him an elder of the Alchemy Department.
• Xiao Yang reacts with surprise to the unexpected promotion but becomes especially interested when he learns of the access to medicinal ingredients and pill formulas.

Chapter Summary: Medicinal Materials Management Office

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fire Elder grants Xiao Yang an Elder Token, officially recognizing him as an elder of Jia Nan Academy’s Alchemy Department.
• The token allows Xiao Yang to:
  • Freely browse the academy’s stored pill formulas.
  • Exchange a set quota of medicinal ingredients from the Medicinal Materials Vault.
• Fire Elder asks Xiao Yang to repair or recreate pill-formula scrolls whose stored soul power is nearly depleted. Xiao Yang readily agrees, since his Spirit Realm soul power makes the task easy.
• Fire Elder, eager to enter seclusion and digest what he learned from their alchemy discussion, gives Xiao Yang directions to the Medicinal Materials Vault and leaves.
• Xiao Yang travels there alone, eating roasted meat along the way despite having gone several days without food.
• An instructor and guards initially stop and question him. After seeing the Elder Token, they recognize him as the newly appointed Elder Xiao and escort him to the Medicinal Materials Management Office.
• The instructor explains that the vault is heavily guarded because it contains:
  • Jia Nan Academy’s extensive supply of medicinal ingredients.
  • Numerous valuable pill formulas inherited through the academy’s history.
  • Rare materials from the resource-rich Black-Corner Region that the academy’s alchemists have not yet learned to refine.
• At the management office, Xiao Yang meets Hao Elder, a Dou Wang expert responsible for guarding the vault.
• Hao Elder is surprised by Xiao Yang’s youth but confirms his identity and offers to show him the pill formulas first.
• Hao Elder opens a heavily protected room using his token and explains that Xiao Yang’s Elder Token will also grant him access in the future.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yang formally gains greater status and privileges within Jia Nan Academy. His immediate excitement over the Elder Token reveals how valuable access to formulas and ingredients is to his cultivation and alchemy ambitions.
• He demonstrates confidence, politeness, and practicality, accepting Fire Elder’s request without hesitation and handling the guards’ suspicion calmly.
• His Spirit Realm soul power is emphasized, establishing that copying or repairing pill formulas is now relatively easy for him.
• Fire Elder develops greater trust and satisfaction toward Xiao Yang, while also becoming eager to retreat into seclusion after benefiting from their alchemy exchange.
• Hao Elder is initially skeptical because of Xiao Yang’s age but quickly becomes respectful and cooperative once Xiao Yang’s identity is confirmed.
• The academy’s instructors and guards are shown to be cautious and disciplined, but willing to recognize Xiao Yang’s authority.

Significant Themes

• Recognition and advancement: Xiao Yang’s appointment as an elder marks a major step in his growing influence and status.
• Knowledge as power: Access to rare pill formulas is portrayed as nearly as valuable as access to medicinal materials.
• Trust and responsibility: Xiao Yang receives privileges but is also expected to preserve and restore the academy’s alchemical resources.
• Security and institutional wealth: The vault’s layered defenses and guards emphasize the importance and rarity of its contents.
• Cultivation and personal habits: Despite his increasing strength, Xiao Yang retains ordinary habits such as eating for enjoyment, showing that power has not erased his humanity.

Character Interactions

• Fire Elder and Xiao Yang negotiate the practical benefits and responsibilities of his new position, with Fire Elder entrusting him with access to the academy’s resources.
• Fire Elder apologizes for leaving, but Xiao Yang reassures him and allows him to pursue seclusion.
• The instructor initially challenges Xiao Yang’s presence but becomes respectful after identifying the Elder Token and escorts him to the vault.
• Hao Elder welcomes Xiao Yang after confirming his identity, comments on his unusually young age, and personally guides him into the restricted pill-formula room.

Chapter Summary: Reviewing Pill Formulas and Choosing Medicinal Ingredients

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yang enters Jia Nan Academy’s pill formula storage room, where thousands of well-preserved formulas are kept in evergreen-wood bookshelves and boxes.
• Hao Elder warns him to handle the unique original copies carefully and explains that reproducing one could earn rewards from the academy before leaving him to study.
• Xiao Yang discovers formulas ranging from the first to the eighth grade. Although eighth-grade formulas are rare and poorly preserved, he decides to memorize all of them.
• He spends three days studying the entire collection, including rare formulas unavailable even in the Northwestern Continent.
• Xiao Yang plans to reproduce the eighth-grade formulas later. Because his soul force has reached the Spirit Realm—far beyond Fire Elder’s Late Mortal Realm—he believes he can successfully copy them and gain valuable rewards.
• After leaving the formula room, Xiao Yang asks Hao Elder for permission to claim medicinal ingredients from his allotted quota. Hao Elder agrees and explains how to use the Elder Token to deactivate the storage barriers and register the selected materials.
• Xiao Yang enters the medicinal ingredient vault, a white-jade chamber designed to preserve medicinal properties. He first surveys all the ingredients instead of immediately opening the cabinets.
• He finds several hundred rare ingredients, none below the value of materials used for Fourth-Grade Elixirs, while some can serve as auxiliary ingredients for Eighth-Grade Elixirs.
• Overwhelmed by the vault’s treasures, Xiao Yang wishes he could take everything but realizes he must choose carefully to avoid exceeding his quota or provoking the academy.

Character Development

• Xiao Yang: Demonstrates remarkable diligence, memory, and ambition by studying the entire formula collection. His Spirit Realm soul force gives him confidence in reproducing even eighth-grade formulas, highlighting his exceptional advancement as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. His reaction to the medicinal ingredients also reveals his greed for valuable resources, though he remains practical enough to respect the academy’s limits.
• Hao Elder: Acts as a helpful and trustworthy guide. He explains the rules governing rare formulas, rewards, storage barriers, and medicinal quotas, while also showing familiarity with Fire Elder’s earlier habits.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation of knowledge and power: Xiao Yang treats the academy’s collection as an invaluable opportunity to expand his alchemical foundation.
• Exceptional talent versus formal rank: Although Xiao Yang is only a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, his Spirit Realm soul force allows him to attempt feats beyond what others of the same rank can accomplish.
• Preservation of valuable knowledge and resources: The evergreen wood and white jade symbolize the academy’s efforts to protect rare formulas and medicinal materials across generations.
• Temptation and restraint: Xiao Yang is dazzled by the vault’s treasures but must limit himself to what his quota allows.

Character Interactions

• Hao Elder and Xiao Yang exchange cordial remarks after Xiao Yang finishes studying. Hao Elder jokes that Xiao Yang has practically moved into the storage room, comparing him to Fire Elder.
• Xiao Yang expresses admiration for the academy’s extensive collection and then asks Hao Elder for access to his medicinal allotment.
• Hao Elder grants permission and gives precise instructions for using the Elder Token, emphasizing that Xiao Yang should decide what he wants before activating the storage system.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Yang alone in the medicinal vault, struggling to decide which rare ingredients are most worth taking.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yang chooses medicinal ingredients he can refine immediately, planning to earn contribution points later and return for more.
• While gathering Fifth-Grade elixir materials, he senses someone bypassing the room’s protective barrier. He finds Zi Yan casually taking and eating rare medicinal ingredients, including a Heavenly Jade Spirit Fruit.
• Xiao Yang recognizes her as a powerful Dou Wang and receives a six-stage side quest to win her friendship. The first three stages involve earning her approval, helping her find her people, and helping her grow up; the later stages remain locked. The rewards promise enormous experience, shop points, and powerful techniques.
• Hoping to gain her favor, Xiao Yang offers her grilled meat seasoned with his own Delicious Powder. Zi Yan eagerly eats the entire supply and offers to protect him in the Inner Academy in exchange for more.

Character developments

• Xiao Yang is practical about managing resources, but the quest’s rewards quickly make him eager to befriend Zi Yan. He uses food as a way to approach her.
• Zi Yan is introduced as a formidable yet childlike figure: she ignores barriers, eats rare medicinal ingredients despite their unpleasant taste, and is immediately won over by delicious food.

Themes and interactions

• Opportunity and self-interest: Xiao Yang sees Zi Yan’s friendship as both a personal connection and a path toward major rewards.
• Food as a bond: Grilled meat replaces the medicinal ingredients as Zi Yan’s preferred treat and gives the pair an immediate basis for cooperation.
• Power and vulnerability: Though Zi Yan has overwhelming strength, her appetite and straightforward bargaining make her seem playful and approachable.
• Their first interaction ends in a humorous exchange: Zi Yan promises to protect Xiao Yang from bullying elders, provided he keeps supplying her with grilled meat.