Chapter Summaries

An Yi exhausted his soul power while refining a Peak Fifth-Rank Dou Spirit Pill, but the Vermilion Bird Divine Flame awakened and replenished it, allowing him to finish the pill. His breakthrough also eased the pressure on the remaining contestants, and the chapter ended with An Yi teasing them after his success.

• More than half the finalists were eliminated under the Vermilion Bird Divine Flame’s pressure, while Fa Ma dismissed their complaints about An Yi’s influence on the contest.
• An Yi reached pill condensation but nearly ran out of soul power, and Medicine Elder warned him that continuing risked backlash.
• As An Yi’s flames faltered, a Vermilion Bird phantom emerged from him and a surge of soul power renewed his strength.
• The Vermilion Bird’s cry lifted the pressure on the surviving alchemists, and several contestants, including Princess Yao Yue, Xiao Yan, and Liu Ling, felt their soul perception improve.
• An Yi condensed a high-quality Peak Fifth-Rank Dou Spirit Pill, stunning the spectators and veteran alchemists.
• An Yi put the pill away and encouraged the dumbfounded contestants to keep refining.

An Yi secretly concealed his novice status after refining a Pinnacle Fifth-Rank Dou Spirit Pill, while Fa Ma declared Yan Xiao the Alchemist Convention champion. An Yi left the guild with a Soul-Merging Pill formula and three sets of Dou Spirit Pill ingredients, then planned to collect gifts from Jia Xingtian and Gu He.

• Xiao Yan refined a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill and won the convention, while Yao Yue, Liu Ling, and Yan Li completed lesser pills.
• Fa Ma presented An Yi as the senior master Nangong and announced Yan Xiao as champion, and the crowd accepted the explanation.
• An Yi returned Medicine Elder's soul ring to Xiao Yan, then received the Sixth-Grade Soul-Merging Pill formula from Fa Ma.
• An Yi traded the Supreme Dou Spirit Pill to Fa Ma for payment, and Fa Ma added three sets of Dou Spirit Pill ingredients as a gift.
• Fa Ma warned An Yi to keep his novice status secret and study alchemy seriously, and An Yi agreed before leaving to seek gifts from Jia Xingtian and Gu He.

An Yi attended Princess Yao Ye’s banquet, bringing the reluctant Xiao Yan along and collecting gifts from Jia Xingtian and Gu He for helping young alchemists in the competition. The banquet fell quiet when Yun Yun, leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, arrived at Nalan Yanran’s invitation.

• An Yi accepted Yao Ye’s invitation to the banquet and returned to the Alchemist Guild to drag Xiao Yan along.
• Ya Fei told Nalan Yanran and Yao Ye that An Yi and Yan Xiao had grown up together and shared an alchemy teacher, but declined to explain further.
• At the banquet, An Yi let Xiao Yan handle the eager young alchemists and nobles while he slipped away to a quiet corner.
• Jia Xingtian gave An Yi a Scarlet Sky Flame Crystal Orchid, and Gu He gave him a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill formula as thanks for helping Yao Yue and Liu Ling.
• Yun Yun entered the banquet hall, surprising Gu He, who had thought she was in seclusion.

At the imperial banquet, An Yi met Yun Yun while disguised as the young alchemist Master Nangong, then privately revealed his identity to her. Yun Yun recognized him after he mentioned her debt, and An Yi demonstrated how completely he could change his appearance and Dou Qi aura.

• Yun Yun arrived at the banquet to meet the famed alchemist Master Nangong and praised An Yi's skill at the convention.
• An Yi asked Yun Yun to speak with him privately, alarming Nalan Yanran, Gu He, Jia Xingtian, and others who feared he might join the Misty Cloud Sect.
• In the soundproof side hall, An Yi asked Yun Yun whether she recognized him and reminded her that she owed him more than ten million.
• Yun Yun realized Master Nangong was An Yi but struggled to believe it because his appearance and aura had changed completely.
• An Yi withdrew his Vermilion Bird Bloodline to reveal his silver-haired, blue-eyed appearance, then resumed his disguise and explained why it was safer at the banquet.
• Yun Yun said both of An Yi's appearances looked good.

An Yi reunited with Yun Yun, explained his rapid cultivation and alchemy progress, and tried to arrange a longer stay at the Misty Cloud Sect. Their kiss was interrupted when Queen Medusa emerged from his chest, leaving Yun Yun shocked by Medusa’s jealous reaction.

• Yun Yun questioned An Yi about reaching Dou Wang and refining a peak Five-Grade Dou Spirit Pill, and he credited Medusa’s gifts and an Alchemy Grandmaster’s inheritance.
• Yun Yun told An Yi she had barely begun learning the Void-Stepping Technique, and he embraced her and promised to teach her the complete version.
• An Yi said he planned to visit Jia Nan Academy but joked that he could invent a scandalous excuse to stay longer with Yun Yun at the Misty Cloud Sect.
• An Yi kissed Yun Yun, but a sharp pain made him pull away as the Seven-Colored Python coiled against his chest glared at him.
• Queen Medusa appeared in the side hall, and Yun Yun stepped in front of An Yi while the two women confronted each other.
• An Yi tried to calm both women, and Yun Yun realized Medusa seemed jealous and aggrieved over him.

An Yi and Medusa reconciled after she bit him in anger, but she discovered his soul was badly weakened from the day's pill competition and worried over him. Yun Yun left the side hall alone, where Nalan Yanran anxiously questioned her about An Yi.

• Yun Yun withdrew from the side hall, leaving An Yi alone with Medusa.
• An Yi hugged Medusa despite her anger, and she bit his shoulder and absorbed his blood and Vermilion Bird energy.
• Medusa noticed An Yi's pallor and learned that he was still suffering from severe soul exhaustion after forcing a Five-Grade Dou Spirit Pill during the competition.
• Medusa sent her Dou Qi into An Yi to stabilize him, and he promised to refine a Soul-Melting Pill for her himself.
• Yun Yun returned to the main hall, and Nalan Yanran questioned her about why An Yi had stayed behind.

Yun Leng urged Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran to turn the Three-Year Pact with Xiao Yan into a public event at the Misty Cloud Sect to restore Yanran’s reputation. Nalan Yanran agreed, and Yun Leng left Yun Yun to invite Master Nangong personally.

• Yun Leng arrived at the gathering and asked Yun Yun about Master Nangong, whom he hoped to meet on behalf of the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yun Leng proposed inviting the Imperial Capital’s prominent powers to watch Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan settle their grievance at the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yun Leng explained that he had already secured the attendance of Xiao Zhan and Nalan Jie, believing their public goodwill would help dispel rumors about Yanran.
• Yun Yun asked Nalan Yanran to decide, and Nalan Yanran agreed to settle the matter publicly before everyone.
• Yun Leng said he would arrange the invitations and venue, leaving Yun Yun to invite Master Nangong personally.

An Yi recovered from refining pills by devouring rare ingredients and broke through to Four-Star Dou Wang. He then asked Medusa to help him take on a Four-Star Dou Zong, but she doubted they could win even with two more Dou Zongs.

• Yun Yun showed concern for An Yi, and Nalan Yanran learned that Yun Yun had met him a year earlier while disguised.
• An Yi left the hall with Nalan Yanran after making an unintentionally suggestive remark to Yun Yun.
• Back at the Mittel Auction House, An Yi refined the Scarlet Sky Flame Crystal Orchid and a trove of spirit herbs and Magic Cores, then swallowed them to cultivate.
• By dawn, An Yi had recovered and advanced to Four-Star Dou Wang, while Medusa marveled at how quickly he grew stronger.
• An Yi told Medusa he wanted to take on a roughly Four-Star Dou Zong, and she warned that her unstable strength could barely protect her against one.
• An Yi asked Medusa what would happen if they added two more Dou Zongs to their side.

An Yi warned Medusa that a Dou Zong from the Hall of Souls was targeting him and hiding behind the Misty Cloud Sect. At the Misty Cloud Sect, Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran began their Three-Year Pact duel, astonishing the spectators by revealing that they were both Da Dou Shi.

• An Yi told Medusa he had sensed a sinister Dou Zong watching him at the Alchemist Convention and traced the aura to the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Prominent figures gathered at the Misty Cloud Sect to witness the Three-Year Pact, while Nalan Jie and Xiao Zhan appeared on friendly terms.
• An Yi, Yun Yun, and Nalan Yanran arrived, followed by Xiao Yan, who entered the square carrying his Heavy Xuan Ruler.
• Yun Yun agreed to referee the duel, and An Yi insisted that neither fighter strike the face, use heavy blows, or attack vital points.
• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran released their Da Dou Shi auras, formed Dou Qi armor, and clashed sword against ruler as the spectators watched in shock.

An Yi stopped Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran’s dangerous spar by swallowing the explosion caused by Xiao Yan’s three-colored fire lotus, then declared the match a draw. Yun Yun backed his decision, while Yun Leng objected to his intervention.

• Yun Yun praised Xiao Yan’s skill, and An Yi claimed he was only a month older before predicting Xiao Yan might use an explosive technique.
• Nalan Yanran unleashed Extreme Wind, Setting Sun Radiance, and Xiao Yan countered by fusing three flames into a Three-Colored Fire Lotus.
• The fire lotus collided with Nalan Yanran’s attack, creating a destructive storm that An Yi contained with the Heaven-Devouring Art and swallowed whole.
• An Yi declared the spar a draw, and Yun Leng challenged his authority to intervene.
• Yun Yun supported An Yi’s decision and warned Xiao Yan that the fire lotus could have injured him too.

After Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran settled their grievance, a battle erupted between Yun Yun and the White-Furred Tiger-Man on Misty Cloud Sect’s back mountain. The tiger-man overwhelmed the sect’s defenders, and the spectators wondered how the supposedly slain beast had reached Dou Emperor strength.

• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran explained that their duel stemmed from a private engagement dispute, and their families confirmed they remained on good terms.
• As Jia Xingtian prepared to recruit Xiao Yan, two Dou Emperor auras burst from the back mountain, where Yun Yun fought a white-furred beastman wielding a Tiger-Head Halberd.
• The White-Furred Tiger-Man knocked Yun Yun into the square, and she claimed he had infiltrated the sect to raid its treasury and wounded Mr. Nangong.
• Yun Leng and two Dou Wang elders attacked the tiger-man, but he shattered their combined assault and sent them falling from the sky.
• Hai Bo Dong said he would struggle to survive the tiger-man’s attacks, while Jia Xingtian wondered how the beast rumored to have been killed by the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King had appeared at Dou Emperor level.

Queen Medusa and Yun Shan revealed that they had both reached the Dou Zong realm, then unexpectedly attacked Yun Yun and the White-Furred Tiger-Man. As Medusa and the tiger-man pressured Yun Shan, the watching factions hoped the Misty Cloud Sect would be weakened, while injured Yun Yun ordered them to leave the mountain.

• Yun Leng ordered the Misty Cloud Sect disciples to form the Cloud Smoke Covering Sun Formation, whose energy strengthened Yun Yun and let her drive back the White-Furred Tiger-Man.
• Queen Medusa appeared, forced Yun Yun back, and revealed a Dou Zong aura, alarming Jia Xingtian, Hai Bo Dong, Fa Ma, and the other faction representatives.
• Yun Shan emerged from Misty Cloud Mountain with a Dou Zong aura and redirected the formation's energy from Yun Yun to himself.
• Medusa struck Yun Yun while Yun Shan attacked the White-Furred Tiger-Man, knocking both Dou Emperors from the sky.
• The White-Furred Tiger-Man swallowed Magic Cores to recover his strength, then joined Medusa in attacking Yun Shan and forced the newly advanced Dou Zong onto the defensive.
• Injured Yun Yun came before Jia Xingtian and the other guests and ordered them to leave Misty Cloud Mountain.

Yun Shan and Yun Yun joined forces with Medusa and An Yi to turn against Protector Wu, whose attack had nearly overwhelmed them. Protector Wu was left on the brink of destruction, and Yun Shan revealed that An Yi had helped uncover a Soul Imprint hidden in his soul.

• Jia Xingtian, Fa Ma, Xiao Yan, and the other outsiders left Misty Cloud Mountain while Yun Yun returned to the battle.
• Protector Wu emerged from a chasm and offered to help Yun Shan, then attacked Medusa and the White-Furred Tiger-Man with soul-striking chains.
• An Yi unleashed divine-beast cries and Vermilion Bird Divine Flame, disrupting Protector Wu and leaving him exposed.
• Yun Shan and Yun Yun struck Protector Wu from behind with their Setting Sun Radiance while Medusa and An Yi blocked his escape.
• Protector Wu accused Yun Shan of betraying the Hall of Souls, and Yun Shan revealed the hidden Soul Imprint in his soul.
• An Yi returned to human form and told Yun Shan that he had confirmed the Soul Imprint was real.

An Yi’s trap against Protector Wu unfolded as Yun Shan and Yun Yun turned on him, with Medusa and Medicine Elder joining the fight. The four fighters overwhelmed Protector Wu, whose Soul Body was being broken apart, but the battle was still underway.

• An Yi revealed that he had secretly warned Yun Shan and Yun Yun about Protector Wu’s Soul Imprint and arranged for Yun Shan to help ambush him.
• Yun Shan rejected Protector Wu’s threats and confronted him about planting the Soul Imprint to control him and the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Protector Wu mocked An Yi and claimed Medusa and An Yi were too weakened to stop him, but An Yi called Medicine Elder to join the fight.
• Medicine Elder emerged from Xiao Yan’s body, and he, Yun Shan, and Medusa surrounded Protector Wu as An Yi sealed the battlefield with Vermilion Bird Divine Flame.
• An Yi’s divine-beast roars suppressed Protector Wu while the three Dou Zong-level fighters attacked, leaving Protector Wu’s Soul Body badly damaged and unable to fight back.

Protector Wu tried to escape by self-destructing and nearly killed An Yi, but Medicine Elder captured his remaining soul. As An Yi lay near death, he asked for Dou Qi and Heavenly Flame energy, and the Vermilion Bird Divine Flame began healing him.

• Protector Wu charged An Yi and detonated himself, devastating the Misty Cloud Sect's rear mountain.
• Medicine Elder found Protector Wu's escaping soul in the ruins and sealed it in a jade bottle.
• Medusa and Yun Yun found An Yi gravely wounded, and Medicine Elder said his injuries seemed beyond saving.
• An Yi sent a faint soul transmission asking everyone to give him energy and fire.
• Medusa, Yun Yun, Yun Shan, and Medicine Elder poured Dou Qi and energy from two Heavenly Flames into An Yi.
• The Vermilion Bird Divine Flame revived and began restoring An Yi's life force and wounds.

A month after Protector Wu’s self-detonation, An Yi recovered from his physical wounds but still suffered soul damage as he examined the treasures he had taken from the dead protector. He gave Yun Yun an Emperor’s Extreme Pill to help her grow strong enough to face the Hall of Souls, whose Protectors might soon investigate.

• An Yi and Yun Yun discussed their recovery, and An Yi reassured her that his soul would heal thanks to his Vermilion Bird Bloodline.
• An Yi showed Yun Yun Protector Wu’s surviving Storage Ring, which contained Sect Breaking Pills, cultivation pills, and treasures that nourished the soul.
• An Yi gave Yun Yun an Emperor’s Extreme Pill, explaining that she needed to grow stronger before other Hall of Souls Protectors came to investigate.
• An Yi explained that Yun Shan had blamed Protector Wu’s disappearance on a fictional White-Haired Beastman and mysterious experts, giving the Misty Cloud Sect a cover story.

An Yi persuaded Yun Yun to accept the Cold Jade, but Queen Medusa interrupted their intimate moment and revealed that Nalan Yanran had entered the Gate of Life and Death after learning about An Yi and Yun Yun. Yun Shan arrived with news that Xiao Yan had come to the Misty Cloud Sect, leaving An Yi wondering why he had returned.

• An Yi urged Yun Yun to take the Cold Jade so she could grow strong enough to protect the Misty Cloud Sect, and she finally accepted it.
• An Yi kissed Yun Yun, but Queen Medusa arrived and confronted them with jealous sarcasm.
• An Yi asked about Nalan Yanran, and Yun Yun explained that she had entered the Gate of Life and Death to become stronger.
• Medusa revealed that Nalan Yanran had learned about Yun Yun and An Yi's relationship and was upset by it.
• Yun Shan appeared at the Pavilion and told An Yi that Xiao Yan had arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect.

After the Hall of Souls abducted Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan learned that its members had taken him to obtain something from the Xiao Household and resolved to become strong enough to rescue him. He secretly secured his family’s protection in the Imperial Capital, then left for Jia Nan Academy.

• Yun Shan told An Yi that Xiao Yan had returned to find the Xiao Household attacked and Xiao Zhan missing.
• Xiao Yan demanded answers from Protector Wu, who revealed that the Hall of Souls had ordered him to capture Xiao Zhan and that three Dou Huang Soul Envoys had acted before he gave the order.
• Medicine Elder calmed Xiao Yan, and An Yi and Medicine Elder reasoned that the Hall of Souls would keep Xiao Zhan alive until it got what it wanted.
• Over the next half month, Xiao Yan arranged for the Mittel Family to care for his relatives while Yun Shan and the Misty Cloud Sect guarded them in secret.
• After settling the Xiao Household in the Imperial Capital, Xiao Yan secretly departed for Jia Nan Academy to grow stronger and rescue his father.

After recovering at the Misty Cloud Sect, An Yi prepared to leave for the Black-Corner Region to draw the Hall of Souls’ attention away from the Jia Ma Empire. He said goodbye to Yun Yun and walked into the sunset hand in hand with Medusa.

• An Yi gave Yun Yun a Sect Breaking Pill and urged her to grow stronger while he left to make the White-Furred Beast infamous in the Black-Corner Region.
• Yun Yun worried that An Yi would become a bandit and pleaded with him to stay safe; he promised to avoid powerful Dou Zong opponents before they kissed goodbye.
• An Yi met Medusa at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain, teased her about crying when he was nearly killed, and learned she had denied it.
• Medusa asked whether An Yi had said goodbye to Ya Fei, and An Yi revealed that he had visited her the night before.
• An Yi kissed Medusa’s cheek and then held her hand as they walked together beneath the setting sun.

At Jia Nan Academy, Xun'er learned that An Yi had survived a Soul Hall Protector’s self-detonation and reached Five-Star Dou King, while the Xiao Household had also been attacked. She chose not to alert the Ancient Clan yet and waited for An Yi to arrive at the academy.

• Xun'er restrained her anger after Ling Ying confirmed that An Yi had survived his injuries and was no longer in serious danger.
• Ling Ying told Xun'er that the Xiao Household had been attacked, Xiao Zhan had been taken, and Xiao Yan had fled with members of the household.
• Ling Ying warned Xun'er that revealing her feelings for An Yi to the Ancient Clan could put An Yi in danger, and she agreed not to report the matter to her father.
• Ling Ying reported that An Yi had reached Five-Star Dou King after recovering from the Soul Hall Protector’s self-detonation.
• Xun'er smiled at Ling Ying’s account of An Yi’s dangerous training and said she would wait for him at Jia Nan Academy.