Chapter Summaries

Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu completed pill formulas using Long Xuan’s Pill-Fusion Technique, and the judges debated the value of Long Yuyao’s Spirit Restoration Pill and Feng Shuang’s Purple Phoenix Pill. The judges favored Long Yuyao’s broadly useful life-saving pill, leaving Feng Shuang behind in the round, though Feng Tiancheng believed the Heaven-Burning Ancestor could still secure victory for the Feng Clan.

• Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu woke at nearly the same time and wrote down pill formulas they had created with the Pill-Fusion Technique.
• The judges examined the formulas and praised the three contestants’ skill and talent.
• The judges learned that Long Yuyao’s Spirit Restoration Pill temporarily raised a Gu cultivator’s combat power by two minor realms but lowered their realm by one minor realm afterward.
• Feng Tiancheng argued that Feng Shuang’s Purple Phoenix Pill was more valuable because it purified the Feng Clan bloodline, while Long Xiaoyao countered that it benefited only Feng Clan cultivators.
• The judges agreed that the Spirit Restoration Pill had greater value to the mixed group, and Long Yuyao smugly watched Feng Shuang realize his mistake.
• Feng Tiancheng regained his composure, believing the Heaven-Burning Ancestor’s score would still let the Feng Clan win the wager.

After Long Yuyao, Wang Wu, and Feng Shuang received their scores, Wang Hu accused Qin Dan of being Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor and colluding with the Flame Court Empire. The judges set the accusation aside for later and turned their attention back to the three prodigies’ newly created pill formulas.

• Long Yuyao received ninety-two points, Wang Wu received ninety-one, and Feng Shuang received ninety, leaving a gap between their scores for the first time.
• Wang Hu accused Qin Shang of colluding with Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor and used an Integrity Gu to challenge him, but it did not light up.
• Wang Hu proposed having Gu Kings test Qin Dan after the competition, and Qin Shang refused, warning that the test could be used to kill him.
• Qin Shang argued that Qin Dan’s presence in the Flame Court Empire did not prove the empire had colluded with him, citing the Heavenly Phoenix Empire’s similar defense.
• A respected judge ruled that the accusations against the two empires should be treated alike and redirected everyone’s attention to the three prodigies’ pill formulas.

Long Xuan secretly compared Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Duan Tianwu’s formulas before submitting his simplified Aphrodisiac Pill formula. Their recipes used living people to create powerful demonic pills, leaving the judges to debate the danger of the formulas and how to score them without violating the competition rules.

• Long Xuan pretended to remain in enlightenment until Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Duan Tianwu had nearly finished writing, then used the Eye of Heavenly Secrets to inspect their formulas.
• Long Xuan discovered that Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Duan Tianwu had created the Gu King Pill and Soul-Replenishing Pill, both of which required living people as ingredients.
• Long Xuan judged the demonic formulas too powerful to challenge with his other recipes and submitted the simplified Aphrodisiac Pill formula.
• The judges recognized the public danger of the two formulas, and Long Xiaoyao demanded that they be destroyed and erased from memory.
• Feng Tiancheng argued that Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Duan Tianwu had broken no competition rules and proposed testing the formulas with condemned prisoners from Heavenly Phoenix City.

Long Xuan’s pill formula for inducing Spirit Insects to reproduce won the judges’ praise and gave him a four-point lead in the Alchemy Competition. Feng Tiancheng decided Long Xuan must not be allowed to live, while Duan Tianwu planned to challenge him with an Inheritance Pill in the final match.

• The judges recognized Long Xuan’s formula as a practical, side-effect-free pill that could make even Supreme-grade Spirit Insects lay eggs, and Heaven-Burning Ancestor left in anger before the scores were announced.
• Duan Tianwu accepted that Long Xuan had beaten him again and resolved to refine an Inheritance Pill for the finals, despite Little Apothecary’s teasing.
• The judges awarded Long Xuan ninety-four points and tied Heaven-Burning Ancestor with Qin Dan at ninety-three, giving Long Xuan a four-point overall lead.
• Feng Tiancheng feared Long Xuan would ruin the Feng Clan’s chance of winning its wager and decided the boy must not be allowed to live.
• Long Xiaoyao carefully kept Long Xuan’s original formula, while flames from the judges’ platform destroyed Heaven-Burning Ancestor’s and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor’s formulas and tables.

Long Xuan learned the finals rules and decided to refine his Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill, but the Heaven-Burning Ancestor’s public release of two Demonic Pill formulas threw the city into chaos. Four days later, Long Xuan had gathered the materials for one Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill and only a hundred sets for the complete Aphrodisiac Pill, leaving his plans to build a vast Gold-Eating Insect swarm far from reach.

• Long Xiaoyao told Long Xuan that the finals allowed any pill and urged him to reveal his Heavenly Flame, while Long Xuan planned to refine the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill.
• A panicked messenger announced that the Heaven-Burning Ancestor had scattered two Demonic Pill formulas through the streets, causing the judges to leap up in alarm.
• Long Xuan returned to the inn and sent his clones to collect ingredients for the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill and Aphrodisiac Pill.
• Four days later, Long Xuan gathered enough ingredients for one Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill, using a third of his Living Wood.
• Long Xuan found only enough rare ingredients for one hundred complete batches of Aphrodisiac Pills and worried that the limited supply would keep his Gold-Eating Insect force small.

Long Xuan fled after hearing that Feng Clan Gu Kings had been killed, while Feng Tiancheng suspected Heaven-Burning Ancestor was behind the attack. As the Western Region Alchemy Competition final approached, the Gambling God bet heavily on Long Xuan, hinting that he had defeated the Gambling God twice before.

• Long Xuan heard that several Feng Clan Gu Kings had been killed nearby and escaped in his Thatch Gu House.
• A survivor told Feng Tiancheng that Heaven-Burning Ancestor had likely killed five Feng Clan Gu Kings, and Feng Tiancheng condemned him for disrupting the clan’s plans.
• Qin Shang learned that Emperor Qin knew nothing of the rumors about Qin Dan, then urged him to conceal Qin Manyuan’s suspected collusion with Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor.
• Qin Shang and Emperor Qin agreed to help Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor win the competition to protect the Flame Court Empire from exposure.
• The Gambling God learned that nearly everyone had bet on Feng Jiu or Qin Dan, while his associates had wagered fifty billion spirit stones on Long Xuan.
• The Gambling God revealed that Long Xuan had defeated him twice before and headed to the final, eager to see how Long Xuan would win.

The Gambling God arrived to oversee the Clan Fortune wager as Long Xuan and the two revealed Old Devils gathered for the alchemy finals. Long Xiaoyao expected Long Xuan to win, but his secret plan also guaranteed the Long Family victory if the finals were disrupted.

• Feng Tiancheng and the chief alchemists welcomed the Gambling God, whose Gambling God Gu would oversee the Clan Fortune wager.
• Long Yuyao warned Long Xuan that the Long Family's fate rested on his performance, while Long Xuan watched the Gambling God warily.
• Feng Jiu and Qin Dan entered the plaza, and Long Xuan took the first-place seat among the ten finalists.
• Long Xiaoyao offered Feng Tiancheng another wager, but Feng Tiancheng refused because he had lost too many Gu Insects and feared another defeat.
• Long Xiaoyao relied on a backup plan to bring Gu Emperor City enforcers to Heavenly Phoenix City and disrupt the finals if Long Xuan could not secure victory.

The Western Region Alchemy Competition finals began, and Duan Tianwu and Heaven-Burning Ancestor revealed multiple Heavenly Flames while refining Fourth-Grade Pills. Long Xuan revealed the Setting Sun Divine Flame and began refining a Fourth-Grade Pill across grades, leaving the judges and Feng Tiancheng stunned as the contest intensified.

• Feng Tiancheng opened the final round and announced that contestants could refine any pill for the judges to score.
• Duan Tianwu used the Imperial Mausoleum Golden Flame, extinguishing the other contestants' pill flames and forcing the organizers to protect the plaza and spectators.
• Heaven-Burning Ancestor revealed the Nine Netherworld Flame, the Nine-Heavens Bright Moon Flame, and the Life-Extinguishing Flame, while Long Xuan summoned the Setting Sun Divine Flame.
• Long Xuan noticed Heaven-Burning Ancestor's interest in the other contestants' Heavenly Flames and decided to leave a clone behind for the prize while his true body escaped with a Hundred-Li Talisman.
• Long Xuan split into five clones and used six balls of Setting Sun Divine Flame to refine a Fourth-Grade Pill, astonishing the judges and drawing grave reactions from Feng Tiancheng, Duan Tianwu, and Heaven-Burning Ancestor.

Long Xuan stunned the Alchemy Competition by refining a Fourth-Grade Pill across grades, then focused on perfecting his Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill while secretly learning the pill formulas of Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor. As the contest continued, Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu finished their pills and received extraordinary scores, but they remained overshadowed by the three masters still refining.

• The contestants paused in dismay after Long Xuan demonstrated that he could refine a Fourth-Grade Pill across grades, while spectators and judges watched in excitement.
• Long Xuan secretly learned the pill formulas of Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor, judged their formulas powerful but flawed, and resumed refining his own pill.
• Long Xuan concentrated on refining his Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill as the venue quieted and a day passed.
• Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu completed their pills, while Long Xuan, Heaven-Burning Ancestor, and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor continued refining their Fourth-Grade Pills.
• The judges awarded Long Yuyao's Spirit Restoration Pill ninety-two points and Feng Shuang's Purple Phoenix Pill and Wang Wu's Emperor Pill ninety-one points each.
• Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu felt dejected despite their high scores because Long Xuan and the two ancestors overshadowed them.

After three days of refining, Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor and Heaven-Burning Ancestor began condensing their pills and summoned red Life-Extinguishing Lightning. Long Xuan’s pill then produced vastly greater white Rebirth Lightning, leaving the judges and both ancestors stunned.

• The other contestants finished refining, with Long Yuyao leading the venue at ninety-two points, while Long Xuan and the two ancestors continued.
• Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor and Heaven-Burning Ancestor began condensing their pills at nearly the same time.
• Both ancestors’ pills summoned dark tribulation clouds and red lightning, which the judges identified as Life-Extinguishing Lightning.
• White tribulation clouds appeared above the red clouds and swallowed them, spreading across thousands of li.
• The Gambling God identified the white lightning as the ninth-ranked Rebirth Lightning, and Feng Tiancheng was shocked that Long Xuan had summoned it.

Long Xuan’s pill drew the legendary Rebirth Lightning, making the Long Family certain winners of the Alchemy Competition and threatening the imperial capital with a catastrophic Heavenly Tribulation. As the city emptied in panic, Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor stayed beside their furnaces to finish refining their pills.

• Long Xiaoyao and the Long Family celebrated when Long Xuan’s pill summoned Rebirth Lightning, while spectators reacted with shock and excitement.
• Feng Tiancheng ordered the city’s formations activated and charged at Long Xuan to stop the tribulation, but Long Xiaoyao blocked him.
• The crowd and people throughout the city fled in panic as the Rebirth Lightning gathered overhead, and the Gu Kings abandoned the high platform.
• Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor accepted their defeat to Long Xuan but stayed at their furnaces rather than abandon their nearly completed pills.

Long Xuan’s Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill summoned Rebirth Lightning, giving the Tribulation Gu a chance to complete its second transformation. Long Xuan fled after the Gu survived the first bolt, while Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor watched it withstand the continuing tribulation and recognized its threat to Forbidden Gu.

• Long Xuan brought out the Tribulation Gu when Rebirth Lightning descended toward the pill furnace.
• The City-Protecting Formation weakened the first bolt, and the Tribulation Gu collided with and devoured it, while the lightning’s shockwave wrecked the furnaces and injured or killed nearby onlookers.
• Long Xuan left his clones by the furnace and used a Hundred-Li Talisman to escape, avoiding Heaven-Burning Ancestor’s attempt to track him.
• The Tribulation Gu faced the second and third bolts, growing stronger as it devoured the lightning and leaving much of central Heavenly Phoenix City in ruins.
• Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor expressed shock at the Tribulation Gu’s power, and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor warned that it could threaten those who refined Forbidden Gu.

The Long Family Alliance and Flame Court Empire won the competition wagers, while Long Xuan's pill survived the Rebirth Lightning Tribulation. Greedy Gu Kings fought over the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill, leaving Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor as the final two contenders.

• Gambling God declared the Long Family Alliance and Flame Court Empire the winners of their respective wagers, awarding them half of their opponents' Clan Fortune.
• Tribulation Gu shattered the final bolt of Rebirth Lightning, but the alchemy furnace exploded and the emerald Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill emerged intact.
• A masked Peak Gu King seized the pill, and Long Xuan's five clones fled rather than risk their lives to stop him.
• Gu Kings fought over the pill as it changed hands, and Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor joined the battle, killing many contenders.
• The other Gu Kings fled, leaving Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor facing each other among the corpses.

Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor fought with four Heavenly Flames, setting Heavenly Phoenix City ablaze, while the Gambling God prepared to invade the weakened Heavenly Phoenix Empire. Long Xuan escaped with his champion rewards, then decided to refine a Tea Gu using Enlightenment Tea and Iceheart Tea, experimenting with the Tea-Frying Technique.

• Heaven-Burning Ancestor and Heaven-Deceiving Ancestor clashed over the Heaven-Defying Pill, and their four Heavenly Flames engulfed Heavenly Phoenix City.
• The Gambling God concluded that the Heavenly Phoenix Empire was vulnerable and ordered his puppet army to conquer it within three months.
• Long Xiaoyao confirmed Long Xuan had won the alchemy competition, gave him the champion's rewards, and urged him to hide under another identity because Heaven-Burning Ancestor coveted his Heavenly Flame.
• Long Xuan used a Thatch Gu House to escape to the Land of Sin, where his clones delivered Enlightenment Tea and the Iceheart Tea Tree from Long Xiaoyao.
• Long Xuan decided to refine a Tea Gu with the two divine teas and considered using the Tea-Frying Technique to make it stronger.

Long Xuan refined a Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill after the Tribulation Gu easily devoured another Rebirth Lightning tribulation. He brought the pill to Water Elder to trade for Heavenly Water and convinced him it could restore a soul body by claiming a powerful master had refined it.

• Long Xuan refined the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill while the Tribulation Gu recovered from its injuries.
• The Tribulation Gu swallowed every bolt of Rebirth Lightning, including the final strike, and emerged unharmed.
• Long Xuan took the pill to Water Elder and offered it as a way for him to rebuild his physical body instead of possessing someone else.
• Water Elder doubted the pill until he connected it to the Rebirth Lightning tribulation and saw that it had been freshly refined.
• Long Xuan claimed his master had refined the pill and used the Integrity Gu to support his claims, causing Water Elder to believe him and fear provoking him.

Long Xuan and Water Elder negotiated a deal involving the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill and the Heavenly Water. Water Elder agreed to help Long Xuan subdue the Heavenly Water in exchange for his conditional help killing Shui Wuqing at the River God Secret Realm, which was expected to open during the conventions one year later.

• Long Xuan explained that the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill could restore Water Elder's original body or create a new one, but its only side effect was a lifelong fear of fire and its grade prevented choosing a special physique.
• Water Elder chose to restore his original body to preserve his top-tier aptitude, then warned Long Xuan that he could not safely subdue the Heavenly Water without help.
• Water Elder offered to help Long Xuan subdue the Heavenly Water if Long Xuan helped kill Shui Wuqing in the River God Secret Realm, where Gu Kings and their Gu Insects would be suppressed to the Spiritual Sea Stage.
• Water Elder explained that Shui Wuqing would attend the Tea-Tasting and Wine-Tasting Conventions because of his expertise in tea and wine, and Long Xuan decided to attend to collect fine tea for refining Tea Gu.
• Long Xuan agreed to join Water Elder against Shui Wuqing only if Water Elder first helped him subdue the Heavenly Water and Long Xuan could withdraw if danger arose; Water Elder accepted while secretly planning to use Onefold Heavy Water to force the confrontation.

Long Xuan used his Water Clone to subdue the Heavenly Water, then planned to make fine wine from World Tree fruit for the River God Secret Realm. After Water Elder swallowed the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill and rebuilt his body, he vowed to take revenge on Shui Wuqing.

• Long Xuan sent his Water Clone to subdue the Heavenly Water and went to admire the Iceheart Tea Tree on his icy floating island.
• Long Xuan decided to create fruit wine from World Tree fruit and pair it with fine tea as an offering to the River God.
• Three days later, the Water Clone had subdued the Heavenly Water at the cost of severe injuries, and Long Xuan took possession of it.
• Long Xuan gave Water Elder the Bone-Regenerating Blood-Fusing Pill, and Water Elder swallowed it to restore his body.
• Water Elder celebrated his rebirth and vowed to find Shui Wuqing and take his head.

Long Xuan returned to seclusion to develop a wine recipe using World Tree fruit, while his Alloy Insect Armor made Master Song's shop popular again. After six months, he had gathered most of the required materials, and a mysterious black-robed visitor arrived to inspect the shop's prized armors.

• Long Xuan gave Water Elder cultivation pills and let him cultivate safely near the lightning rods before entering seclusion himself.
• Water Elder inspected Long Xuan's pills but chose to take one from his own storage ring instead.
• Long Xuan developed premium Alloy Insect Armor and reopened Master Song's Insect Armor Shop to trade it for rare materials.
• Over six months, Long Xuan completed the Grand Thousand Wine Recipe and gathered all but three of its materials.
• A mysterious black-robed man examined the shop's three prized Insect Armors, and Long Xuan questioned whether he was an Insect Armor Smith.

Long Xuan traded three Alloy Insect Armors to a black-robed spirit beast for Spirit Fruits, then shut down Master Song's Insect Armor Shop and arranged for the Thatch Gu House to burn. Three months later, he finished brewing and distilling Grand Thousand Wine, gave it to Little White, and began cultivating ahead of the upcoming conventions and River God Secret Realm.

• The black-robed man traded a pile of Fire, Ice, and Wood Spirit Fruits for three Alloy Insect Armors and said he would buy more at the Artifact Sect in the Radiant Moon Empire.
• Long Xuan realized others might uncover the Insect Armors' secret, closed Master Song's Insect Armor Shop, and left through the Thatch Gu House, which later burned down.
• Three months later, Long Xuan tasted Grand Thousand Wine and learned that it could awaken Fire, Ice, or Wood Spirit Physiques, though it would have no effect on his Ten Extremity Physique.
• Long Xuan distilled the Grand Thousand Wine and placed Little White in the jar; Little White drank until it passed out.
• With Little White soaking in the wine, Long Xuan began cultivating to reach the Late Spiritual Sea Stage before the conventions and the River God Secret Realm.

The Western Region Artifact Refinement Competition finals began in Radiant Moon City as the judges worried about the mysterious puppet army devastating the Heavenly Phoenix Empire and the danger facing their own nations. Artifact Maniac stunned the crowd by using the Peacock Skyward Flame to heat an unidentified black metal, leaving Wang An increasingly anxious about the Radiant Moon Empire’s wager.

• The judges discussed the puppet army’s conquest of most of the Heavenly Phoenix Empire and feared it might attack the other nations next.
• Wang An worried that the Radiant Moon Empire could suffer the same fate after losing half its National Fortune, then announced the competition finals.
• Long Batian predicted Artifact Maniac might win, while Wang An dismissed him and explained the Radiant Moon Empire’s wager against the Flame Court Empire.
• Artifact Maniac received encouragement from his master and senior sister, then began refining an artifact with the Peacock Skyward Flame.
• Artifact Maniac’s multicolored Heavenly Flame extinguished every other flame in Radiant Moon City, and the judges marveled at the unknown black metal it could not melt.