Chapter Summaries

Lin Qingyun took an old Medicine Cauldron from the Xiao Family Warehouse and learned the Palm Alchemy Method from a vision in the Taiyi Profound Pill Record. After his first attempt at refining a Qi Nourishing Pill failed, he practiced extracting medicinal ingredients, while Xiao Yan watched and learned from Medicine Elder why Lin Qingyun seemed so gifted.

• Lin Qingyun retrieved the old Medicine Cauldron from the Xiao Family Warehouse and brought it to a cliff in the Xiao Family Back Mountain.
• Lin Qingyun activated the Taiyi Profound Pill Record with Dou Qi and watched an old man demonstrate the Palm Alchemy Method.
• Lin Qingyun tried to refine a Qi Nourishing Pill, but the Spirit Gathering Grass burned to ash before he could control it.
• Lin Qingyun practiced with cheap medicinal herbs until he successfully extracted pale-red powder from Blood Coagulation Grass.
• Xiao Yan watched Lin Qingyun practice, and Medicine Elder told him that Lin Qingyun was likely a transformed Magical Beast with inherited memories.

Lin Qingyun succeeded in refining a single-herb pill, then used that insight to develop a method for combining several herbs with Magic Core energy. After two failed attempts, he refined two blue pills and celebrated his success.

• Lin Qingyun refined one medicinal herb into a small pill and replenished his Dou Qi.
• Lin Qingyun began refining Spirit Gathering Grass, Purple You Orchid, Jade Lotus Fruit, and a Magic Core, but his first fusion attempt exploded.
• Lin Qingyun repeated the process and realized that the Magic Core energy needed to devour the medicinal liquids rather than collide with them.
• Lin Qingyun used the revised method to fuse the ingredients and shape the mixture into two pills.
• Lin Qingyun nurtured the pills in the flames, stored them in a jade bottle, and celebrated his successful alchemy.

Medicine Elder discovered Lin Qingyun’s abilities and asked him to become his disciple, but Lin Qingyun refused unless Xiao Yan could become his junior martial brother. After spending the night refining Qi Nourishing Pills, Lin Qingyun brought seven bottles to Ya Fei at the Mite'er Auction House, where she called Gu Ni to test them.

• Medicine Elder concluded that Lin Qingyun was a transformed Magical Beast and promised to keep his secret if Lin Qingyun became his disciple.
• Lin Qingyun refused Medicine Elder’s offer unless Xiao Yan could become his junior martial brother, and Medicine Elder ultimately gave up.
• Lin Qingyun assured Medicine Elder that he would help Xiao Yan in the future, then left and refined Qi Nourishing Pills through the night.
• Lin Qingyun brought seven bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills to Ya Fei at the Mite'er Auction House.
• Ya Fei called Gu Ni to test Lin Qingyun’s pills.

Gu Ni confirmed that Lin Qingyun had refined two perfect Qi Nourishing Pills, while Ya Fei warned him that the Jia Lie Family was preparing to target the Xiao Family. After Lin Qingyun killed one of four Jia Lie guards sent to capture him, he returned to the Xiao Family meeting hall and offered to devise a ruthless response.

• Gu Ni examined Lin Qingyun’s Qi Nourishing Pills and insisted that only a Fourth-Rank Alchemist Master could have refined them, but he doubted Ya Fei when she said Lin Qingyun made them.
• Ya Fei told Lin Qingyun that Jia Lie Bi had bought a large batch of hemostatic herbs and was confident the Jia Lie Family could suppress the Xiao Family; she offered help through the auction house.
• Lin Qingyun noticed four Jia Lie Family guards following him, lured them into an alley, killed the burly leader, and told the survivors to warn their master that he accepted the challenge.
• Lin Qingyun entered the Xiao Family meeting hall as Xiao Zhan and the First Elder argued over his earlier clash with the Jia Lie Family.
• Lin Qingyun said he had several ways to deal with the threat, and Xiao Zhan asked for the most ruthless one.

Lin Qingyun investigated the Jia Lie Family’s Rejuvenation Powder scheme and watched its poor medicine cause trouble among customers. Jia Lie Bi’s attempt to launch the product collapsed under rising herb costs and reports of injuries, leaving him furious and searching for whoever was targeting his family.

• Lin Qingyun went to the Xiao Family Back Mountain and saw Xiao Yan training and refining medicine.
• Jia Lie Bi agreed to Liu Xi’s demand for sixty percent of the Rejuvenation Powder profits, while Liu Xi accepted herbs and young women as payment for his work.
• Jia Lie Bi learned that the Miter Auction House had tripled medicinal herb prices, but ordered his family to buy the herbs anyway.
• Lin Qingyun disguised himself, bought a bottle of Rejuvenation Powder, and judged its medicinal effect to be weak.
• A customer accused the Jia Lie Family of selling fake medicine after his brother’s leg swelled from using Rejuvenation Powder, and Lin Qingyun quietly left.
• Jia Lie Bi received reports that Rejuvenation Powder had caused wounds to swell or rot and angrily demanded to know who was targeting the family.

A black-robed alchemist offered the Xiao Family a supply of healing medicine to help it compete with the Jia Lie Family, and Lin Qingyun was revealed to be close to the alchemist and Xiao Yan. The alchemist left the medicine sales and payments in Xiao Yan’s hands, prompting Lin Qingyun to chase after him while Xiao Zhan celebrated his son’s standing.

• Xiao Zhan told the black-robed visitor that the Jia Lie Family’s Rejuvenation Powder had taken much of the Xiao Family’s business.
• The black-robed alchemist offered to cooperate by supplying healing pills and produced 842 bottles of Blood Coagulation Powder for the Xiao Family to sell.
• Xiao Zhan proposed giving the alchemist seventy percent of the sales, but the alchemist suggested an even split instead.
• The alchemist revealed that he had helped unblock Lin Qingyun’s meridians and considered him half a nominal disciple because he was Xiao Yan’s brother.
• The alchemist told Xiao Zhan to have Lin Qingyun deliver the pills and give the payment to Xiao Yan, then departed.
• Lin Qingyun rushed after the alchemist to confront him, while Xiao Zhan was delighted to learn that Xiao Yan was the alchemist’s disciple.

Lin Qingyun prepared the Xiao Family’s counterattack while the Jia Lie Family’s Rejuvenation Powder sales surged. The Xiao Family revealed its cheaper, more effective Blood Coagulation Powder, and customers began abandoning the Jia Lie Family’s marketplace.

• Lin Qingyun learned from Ya Fei that Jia Lie Nu had arranged to bring medicinal herbs from Trane City, and he said the Jia Lie Family had brought the trouble on itself by challenging the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Mei told Lin Qingyun that Xiao Zhan wanted to see him, and Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan evaded Xiao Zhan’s questions about Medicine Elder.
• The Xiao Family stayed quiet as the Jia Lie Family expanded its marketplace business and merchants allied with the Xiao Family grew worried.
• Jia Lieku dismissed reports that the Xiao Family was selling medicine while crowds continued buying Rejuvenation Powder.
• Dozens of mercenaries entered the Jia Lie Family’s marketplace and demonstrated that the Xiao Family’s cheaper Blood Coagulation Powder quickly stopped bleeding.
• Customers left the Jia Lie Family’s marketplace in a rush, while the mercenary who demonstrated the powder revealed the Xiao Family clan emblem beneath his clothes.

Xiao Yan and Lin Qingyun ambushed Jia Lie Nu’s convoy and seized its cargo of Medicinal Herbs. After Medicine Elder stored the supplies, Lin Qingyun announced they would continue robbing the Jia Lie Family.

• Jia Lie Nu traveled with a convoy of Medicinal Herbs and cursed the Xiao Family for forcing him to obtain supplies in Trane City.
• Two Black-robed people stopped the convoy, and Jia Lie Nu attacked the older one with a crossbow and then his Fighting Skill, Layered Waves.
• The older Black-robed person revealed himself as Xiao Yan, while Lin Qingyun attacked and killed the convoy’s guards.
• Medicine Elder used Xiao Yan’s Storage Ring to collect the Medicinal Herbs from the carriages.
• Lin Qingyun set off to rob the Jia Lie Family, and Xiao Yan followed while pointing out that they had already robbed them.

Jia Lie Bi learned that the Jia Lie Family’s herbs had been stolen and the Second Elder killed, then agreed to confront the Xiao Family over the theft. As Xiao Zhan’s group waited at the Xiao Family’s medicinal herb shop, Ya Fei and Gu Ni arrived.

• Jia Lie Bi learned that Jia Lie Nu was dead and that the stolen herbs had left the Jia Lie Family in financial trouble.
• Jia Lieku told Jia Lie Bi that the Xiao Family was selling the stolen herbs, and Liu Xi offered to help reclaim them by force.
• An arrow bearing a message from the Xiao Family arrived, and Jia Lie Bi agreed with Jia Lie Su to go confront them.
• Xiao Zhan, Lin Qingyun, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun'er waited at the Xiao Family’s shop with the stolen herbs on display.
• A messenger announced that Ya Fei and Gu Ni of the Miter Auction House had arrived.

Lin Qingyun used a forged-looking receipt and the threat of burning Jia Lie Family’s medicinal herbs to bargain for three of its marketplaces. After Jia Lie Bi took the herbs and admitted defeat, Xiao Zhan worried that the Jia Lie Family could recover with Rejuvenation Powder, but Lin Qingyun hinted that they would not have any.

• Ya Fei joined Lin Qingyun at the Xiao Family hall, where Jia Lie Bi arrived with Liu Xi and accused the Xiao Family of stealing the medicinal herbs.
• Lin Qingyun presented a receipt bearing the Jia Lie Family Second Elder’s handprint and claimed the herbs had been sold to the Xiao Family.
• Jia Lie Bi offered three hundred thousand for the herbs, but Lin Qingyun demanded five marketplaces and began burning boxes when Jia Lie Bi refused.
• Lin Qingyun and Jia Lie Bi bargained until they agreed on two medium-sized marketplaces and one small marketplace in exchange for the herbs.
• Jia Lie Bi signed the transfer contracts, took the medicinal herbs, and admitted defeat; Lin Qingyun then told Xiao Zhan the Jia Lie Family would not have Rejuvenation Powder.

Lin Qingyun infiltrated the Jia Lie Family to watch Liu Xi, but Xiao Yan arrived first and confronted the alchemist over his plans to abduct Xiao Xun'er or Ya Fei. Xiao Yan began to kill Liu Xi with a strange flame, while Lin Qingyun remained hidden nearby.

• Lin Qingyun disguised himself and left the Xiao Family, unaware that another figure followed after him.
• Liu Xi offered to make Great Vajra Pills for Jia Lie Bi if he could obtain Xiao Xun'er or Ya Fei, but Jia Lie Bi hesitated over the danger.
• Lin Qingyun knocked out a maidservant and hid in a wardrobe as Liu Xi entered the room.
• A black-robed Xiao Yan appeared, sealed the room, and trapped Liu Xi when he tried to escape.
• Xiao Yan revealed himself and raised an eerie flame as Liu Xi begged for his life.

Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan beat Liu Xi into agreeing to work for Lin Qingyun, then took him away from the Jia Lie Family. The next morning, Jia Lie Bi discovered Liu Xi was missing and suspected someone had abducted him.

• Lin Qingyun stopped Xiao Yan from killing Liu Xi and offered him work instead.
• Liu Xi resisted, so Xiao Yan and Lin Qingyun beat him until he agreed to surrender.
• Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan arranged to take Liu Xi to the Xiao Family, and Xiao Yan knocked him unconscious.
• Jia Lie Bi found Liu Xi missing and noticed signs of a struggle and footprints by the window.
• Jia Lie Bi concluded Liu Xi had been abducted and wondered who was trying to destroy the Jia Lie Family.

After months of cultivation and alchemy, Lin Qingyun left seclusion just before Jia Nan Academy's enrollment. He said goodbye to Ya Fei before setting out with Xiao Yan for training in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, promising to visit her in the Imperial Capital within a year.

• After Liu Xi disappeared and the pill dispute ended, Lin Qingyun devoted himself to cultivation and alchemy for several months, mastering his fire control and unlocking the fourth page of the Taiyi Profound Pill Record.
• Lin Qingyun emerged from seclusion the day before Jia Nan Academy's enrollment instructors were due to arrive in Wutan City.
• Lin Qingyun passed Liu Xi refining Blood Coagulation Powder and saw Xiao Family youths training in hopes of meeting the academy's entry requirements.
• Lin Qingyun met Ya Fei, who was sad that he would leave with Xiao Yan for training in the Monster Beast Mountain Range and later attend Jia Nan Academy.
• Lin Qingyun promised Ya Fei that he would visit her in the Imperial Capital within a year, and they strolled through Wutan City hand in hand.

Lin Qingyun accompanied Xiao Yu and the Xiao clan youths to Jia Nan Academy’s recruitment site, where they passed through a frightening line of battle-hardened soldiers and met Xiao Yu’s friend Xue Ni. The group was about to take the recruitment test when Xue Ni revealed that Luo Bu had joined the team, and Xiao Yu learned that Lin Qingyun had rejected her plan to use him to deter Luo Bu.

• Lin Qingyun sparred with Xiao Yan and beat him, leaving Xiao Yan bruised and resentful.
• Lin Qingyun and the others found the recruitment square packed, so Xiao Yu used her token to guide them through the guarded passage into the restricted area.
• Senior Ke explained that the soldiers’ intimidating presence was a test set by Instructor Ruo Lin, and he praised the group’s composure.
• Xiao Yu introduced Xue Ni to Lin Qingyun, Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Ning before Xue Ni offered to take them to the test.
• Xue Ni told Xiao Yu that Luo Bu was on the recruitment team and had advanced to Four-Star Dou Zhe; Xiao Yu looked to Lin Qingyun for help, but he refused to pretend to be involved with her.
• Xue Ni was shocked when Xiao Yu said Lin Qingyun had advanced from never cultivating to Dou Zhe in one year.

Lin Qingyun and the new students arrived at the academy’s assessment tent, where Luo Bu used an admissions rule to target Lin Qingyun out of jealousy. Lin Qingyun accepted Ge Ci’s challenge and left Xiao Yu’s side to face him.

• Xiao Yu reunited with her friends at the tent and pretended to be shy with Lin Qingyun when Luo Bu approached.
• Luo Bu tested the newcomers, then ordered them to spend half an hour in the sun; when Xiao Yu objected, he singled out Lin Qingyun for a spar with Ge Ci.
• Xiao Yan offered to handle Ge Ci, but Lin Qingyun refused and mocked him as trash.
• Lin Qingyun pulled Xiao Yu into his embrace, called the gesture interest for her dragging him into the trouble, then stepped forward to face Ge Ci.

Lin Qingyun defeated Ge Ci in an instant and injured his arm when Luo Bu demanded that he let him go. After warning Luo Bu against further threats, Lin Qingyun heard Instructor Ruo Lin praise his talent.

• Ge Ci challenged Lin Qingyun, but Lin Qingyun quickly subdued him and forced him to kneel.
• Xue Ni and Xiao Yu watched Lin Qingyun with admiration while Luo Bu grew hostile.
• Lin Qingyun ignored Luo Bu’s demand to end the match and injured Ge Ci’s arm until Ge Ci fainted.
• Luo Bu threatened to report Lin Qingyun, but Lin Qingyun warned that he could keep Luo Bu from leaving Wutan City.
• Instructor Ruo Lin praised Lin Qingyun’s talent and said she might have picked up a treasure.

Instructor Ruo Lin welcomed the new students and assessed their strength and potential at Jia Nan Academy. Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er stunned the tent with their cultivation, while Xiao Yu revealed that Xiao Yan and Lin Qingyun had both made remarkable recoveries and rapid progress.

• Instructor Ruo Lin entered the tent, treated Ge Ci's injured arm, and explained the academy's potential rankings to the new students.
• Xiao Yan reported that he was a Four-Star Dou Zhe at fifteen or sixteen, surprising Instructor Ruo Lin and the other students.
• Xiao Xun'er reported that she was a Six-Star Dou Zhe at sixteen, exceeding the academy's S-Class potential limit.
• Xiao Xun'er named Xiao Yan and Lin Qingyun as more talented than herself, but both refused to explain their histories.
• At Instructor Ruo Lin's request, Xiao Yu revealed that Xiao Yan had regained his cultivation in a year and that Lin Qingyun had gone from being unable to cultivate to reaching the Dou Zhe realm in a year.

Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan asked Instructor Ruo Lin for a year’s leave from Jia Nan Academy, and Lin Qingyun argued that their teacher could offer better cultivation. After their black-robed teacher appeared and backed their request, Ruo Lin agreed on the condition that the two youths endure twenty exchanges against her.

• Instructor Ruo Lin ended registration and announced that Jia Nan Academy’s flying convoy would arrive in Wutan City in seven days.
• Xiao Yan asked for leave because of an important task, and Lin Qingyun specified that they needed a full year, which Ruo Lin initially refused.
• Lin Qingyun challenged the idea that Jia Nan Academy offered the best cultivation and claimed that a Sixth-grade Alchemist Master taught them.
• Lin Qingyun called for their teacher, who appeared in a black robe, confirmed that the leave was for assigned tasks, and pressured Ruo Lin to grant it.
• Ruo Lin agreed to the year’s leave if Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan could withstand twenty exchanges against her, and their teacher approved the condition before vanishing.

Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan fought Instructor Ruo Lin, using their skills and Lin Qingyun’s Black Flame to hold their own against her. After she unleashed Water and Sky Merge, the two emerged from the water mist unharmed and revealed that they had used life-saving trump cards, leaving the outcome of the match unresolved.

• Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan agreed to fight Instructor Ruo Lin outside, and she armed them with iron swords before beginning the match.
• Lin Qingyun dodged Ruo Lin’s whip and attacked with Xiao Yan, whose iron sword struck her Water Spirit Shield.
• Lin Qingyun’s Black Flame weakened and shattered Ruo Lin’s whip, while Xiao Yan attacked with iron pieces and close-combat techniques.
• Ruo Lin’s water-based defenses blunted their attacks, and Lin Qingyun warned Xiao Yan when they stood in a puddle; both fighters retreated, tired from the exchange.
• Ruo Lin formed her Profound Tier Advanced Fighting Skill, Water and Sky Merge, and its beam crashed down on Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan.
• After the blast, two figures emerged from the water mist, and Lin Qingyun said they had used life-saving trump cards and teased that he would still take his one-year vacation.

Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan earned Instructor Ruo Lin’s approval and secured a year of leave, after which Lin Qingyun prepared to depart with Ya Fei. He left Wutan City for the Monster Beast Mountain Range, promising Ya Fei he would visit her in the Imperial Capital within a year.

• Xiao Yan and Lin Qingyun blocked Instructor Ruo Lin’s attack, convincing her to grant them a year of leave.
• Lin Qingyun visited the beggars’ street where he had once lived, then returned to the Xiao Family banquet and carried the drunken Fourth Elder home.
• The next morning, Lin Qingyun woke beside Ya Fei, kissed her, and said goodbye to the Fourth Elder before leaving the Xiao Family with her.
• Lin Qingyun and Ya Fei shopped together, then reached the city gate, where Ya Fei asked him to visit her in the Imperial Capital within a year.
• Lin Qingyun promised Ya Fei he would come and walked away toward the Monster Beast Mountain Range.