Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Angel Investor System

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Chen, a modern man, transmigrates into the world of Battle Through the Heavens and becomes a collateral-branch elder of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.
• He discovers that he is related to Xiao Yan, effectively becoming Xiao Yan’s “big uncle.”
• An Angel Investor System binds to him. By gifting cultivation resources, techniques, pills, or opportunities to individuals with great fortune, Xiao Chen can receive critical-hit rebates with potentially unlimited multipliers.
• The system grants Xiao Chen a fortune-observation ability. He identifies:
  • Xiao Yan as possessing rainbow-gold, protagonist-level fortune.
  • Xiao Xun’er as another individual with extraordinary golden fortune.
  • Ya Fei as possessing significant blue fortune.
• Xiao Chen decides to invest in Xiao Yan, believing that helping him at the lowest point of his life will produce the greatest returns.
• At the Xiao Clan’s training ground, Xiao Chen witnesses the famous annulment of Xiao Yan’s engagement to Nalan Yanran. Nalan Yanran publicly humiliates Xiao Yan and declares him unworthy, while the clan members mock or pity him.
• Xiao Yan responds by declaring the Three-Year Agreement and vows that he will surpass Nalan Yanran, delivering the famous challenge: “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully a young man into poverty!”
• Xiao Chen leaves after the confrontation and begins planning the resources for his first investment in Xiao Yan.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Quickly adapts to his new identity and becomes ambitious after receiving the system. He shifts from confusion to excitement, viewing the major characters of the world as investment opportunities. His knowledge of the original story gives him confidence that Xiao Yan will eventually become immensely powerful.
• Xiao Yan: Begins the chapter as a humiliated, fallen genius with only Three-Stage Dou Qi. Nalan Yanran’s annulment wounds his pride but also reignites his determination, setting him on the path toward future growth.
• Nalan Yanran: Acts decisively and arrogantly in publicly ending her engagement to Xiao Yan, emphasizing his low talent and social standing.
• Xiao Xun’er and Ya Fei: They do not directly interact with Xiao Chen in this chapter, but their exceptional fortune marks them as future investment targets.

Significant Themes

• Fate and opportunity: Xiao Chen’s knowledge of the original plot allows him to recognize people destined for greatness before anyone else does.
• Investment and strategic assistance: The system transforms cultivation resources into investments, rewarding Xiao Chen for helping powerful or fortunate individuals.
• Humiliation as a catalyst for growth: Xiao Yan’s disgrace and broken engagement become the emotional foundation for his determination and future rise.
• Hidden potential versus present weakness: Although Xiao Yan is mocked as useless, Xiao Chen understands that his current weakness conceals extraordinary future potential.
• Ambition and exploitation of foresight: Xiao Chen intends to use both his knowledge and the system to gain power by supporting key figures before their rise.

Character Interactions

• Nalan Yanran publicly confronts Xiao Yan and cancels their engagement.
• Xiao Yan rejects the humiliation and counters with a vow to surpass her within three years.
• The Xiao Clan youths ridicule or pity Xiao Yan, contrasting their shallow judgment with Xiao Chen’s knowledge of his destiny.
• Xiao Chen remains an observer rather than intervening, deliberately waiting until Xiao Yan reaches his lowest point so that his assistance will have the greatest impact.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Chen returns to his secluded courtyard after the commotion caused by Xiao Yan’s broken engagement.
• He examines the investment system’s rules. Gifts to a target generate critical returns based on the target’s fortune grade and coefficient, ranging from white-grade at 1× to rainbow-gold at 1,000×.
• The system requires genuine goodwill and actual benefit to the recipient, and the same item can only trigger a return once for the same target.
• Xiao Chen opens the beginner gift pack and instantly becomes a Grade-3 Alchemist.
• He visits the Xiao Clan Drug Hall and uses the system to scan its medicinal ingredients.
• He discovers a discarded Earth Marrow Grass, a seemingly withered herb that is actually the key ingredient for Grade-2 Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid.
• Despite being mocked by apprentice pharmacists and the Drug Hall steward, Xiao Chen uses his newly acquired alchemy skills to refine the herb with several ordinary ingredients.
• He successfully produces a high-quality Grade-2 Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid, shocking everyone present.
• The Drug Hall’s elders recognize that the liquid is even purer than the clan’s consecrated alchemist’s version.
• Xiao Chen refuses to explain his origins or acknowledge his true abilities, then leaves with the spiritual liquid, intending to give it to Xiao Yan.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Gains confidence in the investment system and realizes how powerful Xiao Yan’s fortune may be. After becoming a Grade-3 Alchemist, he adopts a deliberately modest and unassuming persona while secretly demonstrating overwhelming skill. He also begins actively preparing resources to help Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan: Does not appear directly, but becomes Xiao Chen’s chosen investment target. Xiao Chen views him as a heavenly-favored protagonist whose fortune can produce enormous returns.
• Drug Hall apprentice pharmacists: Initially look down on Xiao Chen because of his low-profile collateral-line status. After witnessing his alchemy, they become shocked and respectful.
• Drug Hall steward: Publicly mocks Xiao Chen but quickly becomes frightened and apologetic after realizing Xiao Chen’s abilities.
• Drug Hall elder: Moves from detached skepticism to genuine reverence after verifying the exceptional purity of Xiao Chen’s spiritual liquid.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated individuals: Xiao Chen deliberately conceals his power, allowing others to mistake him for an insignificant elder until he reveals his abilities.
• Investment and strategic generosity: The system transforms helping others into a path toward personal growth, but only when the aid is sincere and genuinely beneficial.
• Fortune and destiny: Xiao Yan’s extraordinary fortune makes him an ideal investment target, suggesting that his future potential is far greater than his current circumstances indicate.
• Alchemy as status and power: Xiao Chen’s sudden mastery of alchemy gives him influence and credibility within the clan, demonstrating that technical ability can overturn social prejudice.
• Humility as a disguise: Xiao Chen repeatedly minimizes his accomplishments, using modesty to protect his secrets while gaining the advantage of surprise.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen privately communicates with the system to clarify the investment rules and test the limits of its mechanics.
• At the Drug Hall, apprentice pharmacists mock Xiao Chen for rummaging through discarded herbs, reinforcing the clan’s low opinion of him.
• Xiao Chen responds calmly rather than angrily, then silences their ridicule by refining a Grade-2 spiritual liquid in front of them.
• The steward apologizes profusely after fearing punishment for insulting Xiao Chen.
• The Drug Hall elder questions Xiao Chen about his alchemical teacher, but Xiao Chen avoids revealing the truth and leaves with his new creation.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Chen setting out to aid Xiao Yan, signaling the beginning of his investment in him.

Chapter Summary: “The Arrogance of Youth!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yan sits alone in the Xiao Clan’s back mountain, overwhelmed by the humiliation of Nalan Yanran’s broken engagement and the daunting Three-Year Agreement.
• Xiao Chen, an otherwise unremarkable collateral-branch elder, approaches him and praises Xiao Yan’s defiant declaration: “Thirty years east of the river…”
• Xiao Chen gives Xiao Yan a bottle of second-grade Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid, calling it an “investment” rather than charity.
• He explains that he believes Xiao Yan possesses the determination and ruthlessness necessary to overcome his current disgrace and defeat Nalan Yanran in three years.
• Encouraged by Xiao Chen’s sincere confidence, Xiao Yan accepts the gift and vows to win three years later.
• Xiao Chen’s hidden system confirms that his Angel Wheel Investment has successfully invested in Xiao Yan, identified as possessing Heavenly Mandate Gold Fortune.
• Xiao Chen privately reveals that he knows Xiao Yan’s future opportunities—including Yao Lao, Heavenly Flames, and the Flame Mantra—and intends to support him while benefiting from his eventual rise.
• Before leaving, Xiao Chen reminds Xiao Yan that true worth comes from earning respect rather than receiving charity.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yan: Begins the chapter crushed by shame, self-doubt, and the pressure of the Three-Year Agreement. Xiao Chen’s belief restores his fighting spirit, allowing him to reaffirm his pride and determination. He shifts from seeing himself as worthless to viewing the coming three years as a challenge he can overcome.
• Xiao Chen: Reveals himself as perceptive, calculating, and unusually knowledgeable about Xiao Yan’s destiny. Although his encouragement is genuine, he also views Xiao Yan as a valuable long-term investment. He positions himself as a mentor-like supporter and hopes to gain status through Xiao Yan’s future success.
• Nalan Yanran: Does not appear directly, but her insults and rejection remain the central source of Xiao Yan’s emotional pain and motivation.
• Yao Lao and future opportunities: They are only mentioned, but their expected arrival foreshadows Xiao Yan’s coming transformation.

Significant Themes

• Youthful pride and defiance: Xiao Chen argues that a young person should possess the arrogance to challenge humiliation rather than surrender to it.
• Adversity as a test: The broken engagement is reframed not merely as disgrace, but as a trial that could lead to greatness.
• Earned respect versus charity: Xiao Chen emphasizes that lasting dignity comes from proving oneself, not relying on pity or gifts.
• Faith and encouragement: Xiao Yan’s recovery begins when someone sincerely believes in his potential.
• Investment and destiny: The chapter blends genuine mentorship with calculated self-interest, presenting Xiao Yan’s future success as both fate and opportunity.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen’s calm, supportive approach initially clashes with Xiao Yan’s suspicion and bitterness.
• Xiao Yan questions why Xiao Chen would help him, showing his distrust after repeated mockery from others.
• Xiao Chen counters Xiao Yan’s self-deprecation with direct praise and a concrete gift, transforming the interaction from possible pity into a challenge and wager.
• Their exchange establishes a new bond: Xiao Chen becomes a backer who believes in Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan accepts the responsibility of proving that faith justified.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Yan drinks the Grade Two Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid given to him by Xiao Chen, determined to live up to Elder Xiao’s faith and repay his kindness.
• The spiritual liquid breaks through the bottleneck that has kept Xiao Yan at the third stage of Dou Qi for years. His cultivation rapidly rises through the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages before he successfully reaches the Dou Zhe realm overnight.
• Xiao Yan is stunned by his transformation and realizes that Xiao Chen’s encouragement was genuine rather than empty consolation. He silently vows to remember Xiao Chen’s favor.
• At the same time, Xiao Chen receives the system’s investment settlement. Because Xiao Yan possesses “Rainbow-Gold Fortune,” the spiritual liquid investment earns a hundredfold critical return: a Grade Five Marrow-Washing Frost Spirit Pulp.
• Xiao Chen uses the Frost Spirit Pulp in a medicinal bath, enduring intense pain as it rebuilds his bones, flesh, meridians, and dantian.
• His cultivation rises from One-Star Dou Zhe to the peak of the Dou Zhe realm in a single night. More importantly, his physical aptitude is greatly enhanced, changing him from a weak “D-rank White Card” into a much stronger “B-rank Blue Card.”
• The next morning, a servant notices Xiao Chen’s dramatically altered aura and is frightened by the change. Xiao Chen deliberately gives a vague explanation and allows the news of his strength to spread through the clan.

2. Character Development

• Xiao Yan: Regains his cultivation and confidence after years of stagnation. His breakthrough restores his belief in his own potential and strengthens his gratitude and loyalty toward Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen: Evolves from an insignificant One-Star Dou Zhe into a powerful peak Dou Zhe with a transformed physical foundation. He also becomes more politically aware, recognizing that displaying some of his strength can help him establish authority within the Xiao Clan.
• The servant: His reaction emphasizes how completely Xiao Chen’s appearance, presence, and perceived status have changed.

3. Significant Themes

• Investment and reward: Xiao Chen’s support of Xiao Yan produces benefits for both of them, reinforcing the system’s investment-based progression.
• Transformation through endurance: Both characters achieve breakthroughs by enduring intense physical or emotional trials—Xiao Yan through the spiritual liquid and Xiao Chen through the agonizing marrow-washing process.
• Faith and reciprocity: Xiao Chen believes in Xiao Yan’s potential, while Xiao Yan responds with gratitude and a renewed determination to succeed.
• Hidden strength and reputation: Xiao Chen realizes that remaining underestimated is no longer necessary; revealing enough power can deter enemies and improve his position.
• Fate and opportunity: Xiao Yan’s exceptional fortune triggers the system’s hundredfold return, showing how his destiny affects Xiao Chen’s advancement.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen’s earlier encouragement and gift directly influence Xiao Yan’s breakthrough, even though the two do not meet during the chapter.
• Xiao Yan internally acknowledges Xiao Chen’s kindness and resolves to repay him.
• Xiao Chen compares their simultaneous progress, noting that Xiao Yan has reached Dou Zhe while he himself has advanced to Dou Zhe Peak.
• The servant’s fearful encounter with Xiao Chen demonstrates the social impact of his transformation and his newly intimidating presence.

Chapter Summary: Taking Control of the Drug Hall and Trade Routes

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads rapidly through the Xiao Clan that Xiao Yan has broken through from the third stage of Dou Qi to the Dou Zhe realm overnight. The clan is shocked, since such a breakthrough would normally require years of cultivation.
• The clan elders suspect that Xiao Yan has received guidance or assistance from a powerful expert, with some quietly speculating that Xiao Chen is responsible.
• Xiao Zhan summons Xiao Chen privately and questions him about the Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid that helped Xiao Yan break through.
• Xiao Chen avoids directly admitting that he refined the liquid, instead presenting it as a simple gift whose effects depended on Xiao Yan’s own talent and fortune.
• Impressed by Xiao Chen’s alchemical ability and business sense, Xiao Zhan promotes him to a senior elder with real authority over the Xiao Clan’s Medicine Hall and trade routes.
• Xiao Chen accepts the position while pretending to be reluctant. Internally, he is pleased, since control of these resources will allow him to acquire materials and support Xiao Yan and the other “Sons of Fortune.”
• The next morning, Xiao Chen formally takes control of the Medicine Hall. He immediately establishes centralized authority over procurement, refining, and sales, while warning the apprentices and stewards against corruption or selling inferior goods.
• Three days later, the Xiao Clan holds a large banquet attended by clan members and representatives of affiliated forces. Xiao Chen uses the gathering to observe the various people present.
• His attention is ultimately drawn to a quiet, beautiful young girl in pale green: Xun’er.

Character Developments

• Xiao Yan: His sudden advancement to Dou Zhe transforms him from a ridiculed “trash” into a figure of awe and speculation within the clan. His breakthrough also increases Xiao Zhan’s confidence in his future.
• Xiao Chen: He demonstrates strategic intelligence, political restraint, and hidden ambition. Rather than openly claiming credit for Xiao Yan’s breakthrough, he allows Xiao Zhan to draw his own conclusions. By taking control of the Medicine Hall and trade routes, he gains a practical base of power and access to resources.
• Xiao Zhan: His attitude toward Xiao Chen shifts dramatically from ordinary clan leadership to respect and cautious dependence. He recognizes Xiao Chen’s value and entrusts him with important clan assets, hoping he will protect Xiao Yan.
• Medicine Hall staff: Their attitude changes from possible disrespect to fear and submission after Xiao Chen assumes authority. The apprentice who mocked him previously becomes especially intimidated.
• Xun’er: She is introduced as a quiet, strikingly beautiful girl who appears detached from the banquet and separate from the surrounding social atmosphere.

Significant Themes

• Power and recognition: Xiao Yan’s breakthrough instantly changes how the clan views him, showing how strength determines status.
• Hidden ability and strategic concealment: Xiao Chen deliberately conceals the full extent of his alchemy and influence, using modesty as a political tool.
• Control of resources: Authority over the Medicine Hall and trade routes gives Xiao Chen the material foundation needed to expand his influence and strengthen those he supports.
• Mutual exploitation and alliance: Xiao Zhan believes he is rewarding Xiao Chen to secure Xiao Yan’s future, while Xiao Chen accepts the appointment primarily because it benefits his own plans.
• Protecting talent: The chapter emphasizes that gifted individuals need powerful guardians and resources in order to develop safely.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Chen: Their private conversation is the chapter’s central political exchange. Xiao Zhan probes Xiao Chen about the spiritual liquid, while Xiao Chen carefully answers without revealing too much. Their discussion ends with Xiao Zhan granting Xiao Chen authority and asking him to protect Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Chen and the Medicine Hall staff: Xiao Chen asserts dominance through a firm speech, making clear that corruption and dishonesty will not be tolerated.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Yan: Though Xiao Yan does not appear directly in the main interactions, his breakthrough motivates the entire discussion between Xiao Zhan and Xiao Chen and strengthens their political connection.
• Xiao Chen and Xun’er: They have not yet spoken, but Xiao Chen notices her unusual presence at the banquet, setting up a likely future interaction.

Chapter Summary: “Ya Fei”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a Xiao Clan gathering, several disciples mock Xiao Xun’er for being an adopted daughter with supposedly mediocre cultivation and an unknown background.
• Xiao Chen recognizes Xun’er’s true identity and the immense power of the Gu Clan behind her. Disapproving of the disciples’ ignorance, he approaches her while she sits alone.
• Xiao Chen and Xun’er have a calm, respectful conversation. He praises her bearing and potential without flattering her or focusing on her status as an adopted daughter.
• Xiao Chen subtly offers to help her in the future, predicting that Wutan City will eventually be too small for her ambitions.
• Xun’er becomes curious about Xiao Chen, sensing that the seemingly ordinary collateral elder is more perceptive and capable than he appears.
• When Xun’er asks why he treats her differently, Xiao Chen replies that it is because she is “Little Yan’s girl,” emotionally affecting her.
• Xiao Chen then travels to the Mittel Auction House to study Wutan City’s commercial activity and meet Ya Fei.
• At the Treasure Appraisal Convention, Ya Fei hosts the event and immediately attracts the attention of the crowd with her beauty and charm.
• Xiao Chen bids on and purchases a second-grade Healing Pill for three thousand gold coins, drawing public suspicion because the price seems excessive.
• Ya Fei becomes intrigued by Xiao Chen’s unusual purchase and his growing reputation within the Xiao Clan.
• After the auction, she approaches him privately. When she asks about his interest in the pill market, Xiao Chen boldly says that he is interested in her.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Demonstrates insight, confidence, social awareness, and hidden knowledge of powerful figures. He treats Xun’er with genuine respect and deliberately uses the auction to attract Ya Fei’s attention.
• Xun’er: Initially reserved, she becomes more receptive to Xiao Chen after recognizing that his praise is sincere rather than sycophantic. She begins to suspect that he is far more mysterious than his public identity suggests.
• Ya Fei: Introduced as beautiful, charismatic, and highly capable in her role as auction host. She is observant and quickly notices that Xiao Chen’s expensive purchase may conceal a deeper purpose.
• Xiao Clan disciples: Their shallow judgments about Xun’er highlight their ignorance of her true origins and abilities.

Significant Themes

• Appearances versus reality: The clan disciples see Xun’er as an insignificant adopted daughter, while Xiao Chen understands her extraordinary background and potential. Similarly, Xiao Chen’s unremarkable appearance conceals his greater knowledge and motives.
• Hidden power and identity: Both Xun’er and Xiao Chen possess deeper importance than others realize.
• Respect based on character: Xiao Chen judges Xun’er by her bearing and potential rather than her status or rumored origins.
• Strategic social interaction: Xiao Chen uses conversation, spending, and calculated boldness to establish connections with influential women.
• Ambition beyond Wutan City: His prediction that Xun’er will eventually outgrow the city foreshadows her larger destiny.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and the Xiao Clan disciples: Their disrespectful discussion of Xun’er prompts Xiao Chen’s silent criticism and decision to intervene.
• Xiao Chen and Xun’er: Their conversation is polite but meaningful. Xiao Chen offers encouragement and recognizes her true nature, while Xun’er responds with growing curiosity and emotional warmth.
• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei: Their first interaction is strategic and flirtatious. Ya Fei investigates his motives after his unusual bid, while Xiao Chen deliberately challenges her with the direct statement that his interest is in her rather than the auction’s goods.

Chapter Summary: “Improved Version of Gale Step”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Chen approaches Ya Fei after the auction and openly proposes a business partnership. He explains that he has some alchemical skill and wants to develop trade routes in Wutan City.
• To demonstrate his value, Xiao Chen gives Ya Fei a second-grade Healing Pill. Its purity exceeds that of the high-grade pill auctioned earlier, impressing her and making her take his abilities seriously.
• Ya Fei agrees to visit him later to discuss business, while privately suspecting that Xiao Chen’s motives and ambitions extend beyond Wutan City.
• Meanwhile, Xiao Yan trains relentlessly after using Xiao Chen’s Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid to break through to the Dou Zhe realm. His rapid progress amazes the clan, and Xiao Zhan proudly praises him.
• The system calculates the rewards from Xiao Chen’s investment in Xiao Yan. A second-grade Warm Nourishing Pill produces a hundredfold return due to Xiao Yan’s exceptional fortune, yielding an incomplete Profound Tier Low Grade movement technique, Gale Step.
• Xiao Chen studies and reconstructs the incomplete technique throughout the night, creating an improved version that is easier for Dou Zhe practitioners to learn while retaining its power.
• He gives the improved Gale Step manual to Xiao Yan, emphasizing that survival and escape are as important as defeating opponents.
• Xiao Yan quickly learns the technique and demonstrates astonishing speed, impressing nearby guards. His confidence in Xiao Chen grows, as does his belief that his uncle possesses many hidden treasures.
• Xiao Chen is pleased because giving Xiao Yan the technique both helps him improve and allows Xiao Chen to continue receiving investment returns.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Becomes more openly strategic and entrepreneurial. He uses his alchemy to cultivate a relationship with Ya Fei, while also refining and distributing the system’s rewards for maximum benefit. His guidance to Xiao Yan reveals a practical, survival-oriented philosophy.
• Ya Fei: Initially amused by Xiao Chen’s directness, she becomes genuinely interested after examining the unusually pure Healing Pill. She begins viewing him as a potentially valuable ally, though she remains suspicious of his true intentions.
• Xiao Yan: Shows intense determination after reaching the Dou Zhe realm, trying to make up for years of stagnation. He develops deep trust and gratitude toward Xiao Chen and gains a powerful new movement technique that greatly enhances his combat and escape abilities.
• Xiao Zhan: Becomes openly proud of Xiao Yan’s transformation and confidently praises his potential.
• The Xiao Clan: Its members and guards are increasingly astonished by Xiao Yan’s dramatic rise in strength.

Significant Themes

• Investment and calculated rewards: Xiao Chen’s gifts are both acts of support and deliberate investments that generate even greater returns through the system.
• Hidden power and ambition: Ya Fei recognizes that Xiao Chen’s abilities far exceed what he publicly reveals, suggesting that his goals are much larger than local influence.
• Survival over pride: Xiao Chen stresses that escaping a stronger enemy is a crucial skill, presenting prudence and preservation of life as signs of wisdom rather than cowardice.
• Mentorship and trust: Xiao Chen’s assistance gives Xiao Yan renewed confidence, while Xiao Yan’s gratitude and faith deepen their uncle-nephew bond.
• Rapid transformation through opportunity: Xiao Yan’s breakthrough and new technique demonstrate how the right resources can revive a previously suppressed talent.
• Mutual benefit in relationships: Xiao Chen helps others while also advancing his own cultivation and influence.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei: Their meeting establishes a possible commercial alliance. Xiao Chen’s candid proposal and superior pill earn Ya Fei’s respect, though she remains wary of his deeper motives.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Yan: Xiao Chen gives Xiao Yan the improved Gale Step and advises him to prioritize survival. Xiao Yan responds with heartfelt gratitude and a promise to work hard.
• Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan: His spectacular training and use of Gale Step leave clan members stunned, reinforcing his rising reputation.
• Xiao Chen and the system: The system rewards his investment in Xiao Yan with the Gale Step scroll, which Xiao Chen then improves and passes on to its intended recipient.

Chapter Summary: “Jia Lie Clan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Jia Lie Clan launches an aggressive commercial attack on the Xiao Clan by cutting drug prices by thirty percent and selling inferior medicine as high-quality goods.
• The Xiao Clan’s Medicine Hall loses most of its customers, creating financial pressure and prompting the shopkeeper to seek Elder Xiao Chen’s help.
• During a council meeting, the Xiao Clan elders debate various responses, including further price cuts, appealing to the City Lord’s Mansion, or attacking Jia Lie businesses. None offers a practical solution.
• Xiao Chen reveals his hidden advantage: superior pill formulas that can produce medicine of thirty percent higher quality while costing less to make and allowing an additional twenty percent price reduction.
• He stakes his position as an elder on succeeding within three days and receives full authority from Clan Head Xiao Zhan to manage the commercial conflict.
• At the Jia Lie estate, Clan Head Galle Bi and steward Jia Lie Ang celebrate what they believe is the imminent collapse of the Xiao Clan. They underestimate Xiao Chen but order him watched.
• Xiao Chen plans to counterattack through “assembly-line pill refinement,” using mass production and superior formulas rather than simply lowering prices.
• Three days later, he presents three improved pill formulas to Ya Fei at the Mittel Auction House. Impressed by their quality and innovation, she agrees to grant the auction house exclusive sales rights in exchange for a fifty-fifty profit split.
• Ya Fei is left deeply intrigued by Xiao Chen, recognizing that he is far more capable and mysterious than the Xiao Clan’s reputation suggests.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen emerges as a confident, strategic, and highly skilled figure. He remains calm under pressure, anticipates the Jia Lie Clan’s moves, and uses superior knowledge rather than brute force.
• Xiao Zhan initially faces disorder among the elders but ultimately demonstrates trust and decisiveness by granting Xiao Chen complete authority.
• The Xiao Clan elders are shown to be divided and reactive, while Xiao Chen distinguishes himself through practical planning and confidence.
• Galle Bi and Jia Lie Ang are revealed as arrogant and overconfident. They assume their economic advantage guarantees victory and fail to recognize Xiao Chen as a serious threat.
• Ya Fei shifts from businesslike curiosity to genuine respect and fascination after examining Xiao Chen’s formulas.

Significant Themes

• Strategy versus brute force: Xiao Chen defeats an economic assault through planning, innovation, and superior expertise instead of direct confrontation.
• Hidden ability and underestimated talent: The Jia Lie Clan dismisses Xiao Chen as an insignificant collateral-line elder, not realizing he possesses exceptional pill-refining knowledge.
• Economic warfare and innovation: The conflict is fought through supply, pricing, production efficiency, and product quality.
• Trust and authority: Xiao Chen earns Xiao Zhan’s confidence by accepting a high-risk wager, while Ya Fei recognizes the value of partnering with him.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: The Jia Lie Clan’s confidence blinds it to the possibility of an unexpected counterattack.

Important Character Interactions

• The Medicine Hall shopkeeper urgently reports the crisis to Xiao Chen, who reassures him without revealing his plan.
• Xiao Chen challenges the council elders’ ineffective proposals by presenting pill formulas as the clan’s secret weapon.
• Xiao Zhan publicly backs Xiao Chen, placing the clan’s commercial response entirely in his hands.
• Galle Bi and Jia Lie Ang discuss their plans and dismiss Xiao Chen as harmless, setting up dramatic irony.
• Xiao Chen negotiates with Ya Fei, offering the Mittel Auction House exclusive distribution rights and a fifty-percent profit share.
• Ya Fei’s reaction establishes growing respect and curiosity toward Xiao Chen, hinting at a significant future alliance.

Chapter Summary: “What a Xiao Clan!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three superior pill formulas appear in the Mittel Auction House, causing an immediate sensation throughout Wutan City.
• The pills sell rapidly because they are both higher quality and nearly the same price as the Jia Lie Clan’s inferior products.
• The Jia Lie Clan’s medicine shops lose nearly all their customers, while their stock accumulates. Their reputation and business collapse.
• The Xiao Clan’s strategy—using improved formulas and the Mittel Auction House’s distribution network—proves highly successful. Members of the Xiao Clan’s Drug Hall praise Xiao Chen for his foresight.
• The Drug Hall elder, previously proud and self-assured, seeks to exchange alchemy knowledge with Xiao Chen.
• Ya Fei proposes an exclusive, long-term partnership in which Mittel will handle all pills produced by the Xiao Clan. Xiao Chen readily accepts.
• Xiao Chen receives a system reward: a set of “Formula Improvement Insights” and 500 spirit stones. The insights solve many problems in formula refinement and greatly strengthen his future alchemical potential.
• The Jia Lie Clan reacts with anger and alarm. Galle Bi learns that Xiao Chen provided the formulas to Ya Fei and orders Xiao Chen to be closely watched.
• Xun’er sends Xiao Chen a valuable collection of meridian-nourishing pill formulas as a supposed thank-you gift, but Xiao Chen recognizes it as a test.
• Xun’er later visits Xiao Chen personally and subtly questions him about powerful forces beyond the Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Chen remains composed, denies having such knowledge, and turns the question back on her.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Demonstrates strong commercial and strategic abilities by crippling the Jia Lie Clan’s medicine business. His alchemical knowledge advances further through the system’s reward, and he shows considerable perceptiveness in recognizing both Xun’er’s hidden motives and the political implications of his success.
• Ya Fei: Gains prestige and profit from the successful pill campaign. She recognizes Xiao Chen’s value and proactively establishes an exclusive business alliance with the Xiao Clan.
• Galle Bi: Becomes enraged and humiliated by the Jia Lie Clan’s sudden commercial defeat. His anger shifts toward Xiao Chen, whom he now regards as a serious threat.
• Jia Lie Ang and the Jia Lie Clan: Are shown to be powerless in the face of the Xiao Clan’s superior products and Mittel’s influence. Their confidence gives way to fear and confusion.
• Xun’er: Reveals her interest in Xiao Chen’s background and possible knowledge of powerful outside clans. Her polite visit masks a deliberate investigation.
• The Drug Hall elder: Develops genuine respect for Xiao Chen and seeks to learn from him, signaling Xiao Chen’s growing authority in alchemy.

Significant Themes

• Superior quality defeating low-price competition: The chapter emphasizes that consumers will choose better value over merely cheaper goods.
• Commercial warfare and strategic alliances: Xiao Chen’s victory comes not only from improved products but also from securing Mittel’s powerful distribution network.
• Hidden power and growing influence: The Xiao Clan’s success begins to alter the balance of power in Wutan City, attracting both allies and enemies.
• Knowledge as a force multiplier: The system’s formula insights suggest that mastery of principles is more valuable than simply possessing individual recipes.
• Caution and concealed motives: Several characters act indirectly—Xun’er tests Xiao Chen, while Galle Bi orders surveillance rather than confronting him immediately.
• Reputation and status: Xiao Chen’s achievements transform how others view him, from a little-known elder into a respected alchemist and strategic force.

Important Character Interactions

• The Mittel staff and customers demonstrate the overwhelming market demand for Xiao Chen’s pills.
• The Jia Lie shopkeeper argues with his accountant, revealing the clan’s frustration and inability to compete.
• The Drug Hall elder respectfully approaches Xiao Chen to discuss alchemy.
• Ya Fei and Xiao Chen form an exclusive commercial partnership.
• Galle Bi interrogates Jia Lie Ang about the Xiao Clan’s success and orders surveillance of Xiao Chen.
• Xun’er first sends a suspiciously valuable gift, then visits Xiao Chen to probe his knowledge of distant powers. Xiao Chen politely deflects her questions and subtly challenges her to explain her own sources of information.

Key plot points and events

• Xun’er gives Xiao Chen a chance to explain his knowledge of the wider world, but he evades her questions, urging her to protect herself and claiming he only wants a peaceful life in Wutan City.
• Xiao Chen gives Xun’er a Calmheart Pill, saying it will help stabilize her energy and nourish her bloodline.
• After Xun’er leaves, Xiao Chen recognizes her perceptiveness. A system notification rewards him with a fragment of the Gu Clan’s cultivation manual for increasing her affinity.
• The next day, Xiao Chen demonstrates alchemy publicly at the Xiao Clan Medicine Hall. He shocks the crowd by refining pills with ordinary fire, then impresses them with his precise, steady technique as the pill begins to take shape.

Character developments

• Xun’er grows more suspicious of Xiao Chen, sensing that his modest status and claims conceal greater knowledge. She accepts his care but remains wary and curious.
• Xiao Chen maintains his grandfatherly, unassuming façade while privately treating his interactions with Xun’er as an investment. He is eager to study the valuable manual fragment and confident in his alchemical skill.
• The Medicine Hall’s observers shift from skepticism toward amazement as Xiao Chen’s technique proves effective.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and guarded knowledge: Xiao Chen conceals what he knows, while Xun’er tries to see through him.
• Care and calculation: Xiao Chen’s kindness appears genuine to Xun’er, yet it also earns him a system reward.
• Skill beyond appearances: His use of ordinary fire challenges assumptions about what an accomplished alchemist needs.
• Powerful legacies: The Gu Clan manual fragment represents the value of ancient knowledge and inheritance.

Character interactions

• Xun’er directly questions Xiao Chen about who he is; he answers with a warning to protect herself rather than revealing anything.
• Xiao Chen offers Xun’er medicine out of apparent concern, and she responds with gratitude mixed with suspicion.
• At the Medicine Hall, Xiao Chen’s unconventional demonstration draws criticism and doubt at first, but his calm control gradually silences the crowd.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Chen demonstrates exceptional pill-refining skill in the Drug Hall, producing three superior second-grade pills using ordinary fire and astonishing the Drug Hall elder and everyone present.
• He explains that the display is meant to establish the Xiao Clan’s reputation in Wutan City. The Drug Hall elder offers him a prestigious position, but Xiao Chen declines titles and asks instead for freedom to refine pills and priority access to medicine for Xiao Yan.
• The elder agrees, providing Xiao Chen with an exclusive refining room and allowing him to share his knowledge with the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Yan, whose cultivation has rapidly improved with Xiao Chen’s spiritual liquid, techniques, and pills, finally asks why Xiao Chen has invested so much in him.
• Xiao Chen says he believes in Xiao Yan’s determination and wants to see him reclaim his honor before the Misty Cloud Sect in three years and restore the Xiao Clan’s standing.
• Deeply moved, Xiao Yan renews his resolve and returns to training. His speed and progress impress the clan guards.

Character developments

• Xiao Chen proves himself both a master pill refiner and a deliberate advocate for the Xiao Clan. He values independence over rank and is personally committed to Xiao Yan’s future.
• Xiao Yan moves from uncertainty about Xiao Chen’s motives to gratitude and renewed confidence. His determination to grow stronger is reinforced.
• The Drug Hall elder shifts from astonishment to admiration, ultimately accepting Xiao Chen’s conditions.

Significant themes

• Freedom and mastery: Xiao Chen believes skill flourishes when a practitioner can work without restrictive rules.
• Faith and perseverance: Xiao Chen supports Xiao Yan because he recognizes his refusal to give up.
• Honor and restoration: Xiao Yan’s future victory is tied not only to personal redemption but also to restoring the Xiao Clan’s reputation.
• Skill as a source of influence: Xiao Chen’s pill-refining display helps establish the clan’s standing.

Character interactions

• Xiao Chen’s demonstration leaves the Drug Hall elder and crowd in awe; the elder’s offer and Xiao Chen’s conditions establish a respectful working arrangement.
• Xiao Yan confronts Xiao Chen with his doubts, and Xiao Chen answers with a heartfelt expression of belief, strengthening their bond.
• Xiao Yan leaves encouraged, while the guards’ remarks show that both his progress and Xiao Chen’s influence are becoming noticeable.

Chapter Summary: “Let the Bullets Fly for a While!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the Mittel Auction House, Ya Fei auctions a batch of high-quality second-grade Healing Pills supplied by the Xiao Clan.
• Jia Lie Ang, a steward of the rival Jia Lie Clan, deliberately bids far above the market price and declares that his clan intends to seize the Xiao Clan’s goods. His goal is to embarrass and financially disrupt the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Chen remains calm and instructs the Xiao Clan members not to interfere. He reveals that the Xiao Clan owns a share of the pills sold through the auction house, meaning the Jia Lie Clan’s inflated purchase actually benefits them financially.
• Xiao Chen then has Ya Fei spread a rumor that the Xiao Clan possesses even greater hidden treasures. Jia Lie Ang believes the rumor and begins gathering large amounts of Spirit Stones to dominate the next auction.
• Although the Jia Lie Clan has already spent over half its available funds buying pills, Jia Lie Ang insists on continuing, convinced that the supposed treasures can be resold for a huge profit.
• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei plan to auction the rare Purple Heart Grass, confident that the Jia Lie Clan will either fail to afford it or be unable to obtain it.
• Meanwhile, Xiao Chen intensifies his alchemy training. After repeated failures, he steadily improves his success rate and eventually refines high-grade third-grade pills, including an improved Warm Nourishing Pill.
• By using the Perception Pill and the techniques recorded in Hundred Solutions to Alchemy, Xiao Chen gains a much sharper understanding of medicinal properties and flame control.
• His achievements astonish the Drug Hall apprentices and elder, who suggest that Xiao Chen’s alchemy skills may soon surpass those of the current Drug Hall elder.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen demonstrates patience, strategic intelligence, and confidence. Rather than reacting emotionally to Jia Lie Ang’s provocation, he turns the Jia Lie Clan’s greed against them.
• Xiao Chen’s alchemy ability advances dramatically. His increasing success rate and creation of high-grade third-grade pills show that he is becoming a genuine master of the craft.
• Jia Lie Ang becomes increasingly arrogant and reckless. His desire to humiliate the Xiao Clan blinds him to the financial trap Xiao Chen has prepared.
• Ya Fei proves to be a capable and cooperative ally. She quickly understands Xiao Chen’s plan and helps manipulate the auction and spread the rumor.
• The Xiao Clan followers initially feel anger and humiliation but gradually learn to trust Xiao Chen’s broader strategy.
• The Drug Hall apprentices and elder gain greater respect for Xiao Chen after witnessing the quality and quantity of his pills.

Significant Themes

• Patience and strategic retaliation: Xiao Chen shows that immediate confrontation is unnecessary when an opponent can be defeated through careful planning.
• Greed as a weakness: Jia Lie Ang’s ambition drives him into spending resources and following a false lead.
• Hidden strength: The Xiao Clan appears vulnerable, but Xiao Chen possesses both financial arrangements and rare treasures that give it an advantage.
• Growth through persistence: Xiao Chen’s alchemy breakthroughs come only after repeated failures and careful adjustment.
• Knowledge and perception: The Perception Pill and Hundred Solutions to Alchemy symbolize how improved understanding can transform talent into mastery.
• Economic and political rivalry: The conflict between the Xiao and Jia Lie Clans is fought through commerce, auctions, reputation, and resource control rather than open violence.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen calmly reassures the Xiao Clan follower when Jia Lie Ang purchases the Healing Pills, explaining the hidden financial benefit.
• Ya Fei initially considers intervening but follows Xiao Chen’s signal to allow the sale, then helps spread the rumor about the Xiao Clan’s hidden treasures.
• Jia Lie Ang publicly taunts the Xiao Clan and later boasts privately that he will obtain all of its supposed treasures.
• Jia Lie Ang’s accountant warns him that the clan is exhausting its funds, but Jia Lie Ang dismisses the concern and continues pursuing Xiao Chen’s bait.
• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei privately coordinate the next auction and decide to offer Purple Heart Grass as the next lure.
• The Drug Hall apprentices react with amazement to Xiao Chen’s overnight accomplishments, while the Drug Hall elder acknowledges his rapidly growing superiority.

Chapter Summary: “Xun’er... Is Leaving”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Xiao Clan Apothecary expands rapidly under Ya Fei’s management, opening three new branches across Wutan City. Its high-quality, affordable pills and partnership with the Mittel Auction House make the business extremely successful.
• Xiao Chen recognizes that the clan’s growing influence will provoke its rivals, particularly the Jia Lie Clan.
• Facing the collapse of its own apothecary business, the Jia Lie Clan attempts to sabotage the Xiao Clan by bribing a manager in the City Lord’s Mansion and falsely claiming that the Xiao Clan Apothecary lacks proper qualifications.
• Soldiers arrive to suspend the Xiao Clan’s eastern branch. Xiao Chen calmly confronts them and uses Ya Fei’s personal connection with the Mittel Auction House to pressure the City Lord’s Mansion.
• The soldiers retreat, and three days later the City Lord’s Mansion apologizes to the Xiao Clan while warning the Jia Lie Clan not to interfere again. The Jia Lie Clan’s scheme backfires, leaving Galle Bi humiliated and enraged.
• Xiao Zhan and the rest of the Xiao Clan gain even greater respect for Xiao Chen, with Xiao Zhan entrusting all of the clan’s businesses to his management.
• Xun’er visits Xiao Chen to announce that she has been summoned back to her clan. Before leaving, she spends a quiet, emotional final moment with him and asks him to protect the Xiao Clan, especially Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Chen gives Xun’er a Meridian-Protecting Pill to protect her bloodline and aura during the journey. Deeply moved by his care, she asks why he treats her so kindly.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Demonstrates strategic intelligence, composure, and political influence by resolving the City Lord’s investigation without violence. His authority within the Xiao Clan grows, and he shows genuine affection and concern for Xun’er.
• Ya Fei: Continues proving herself as an effective manager whose business skills, combined with Xiao Chen’s pill formulas, drive the Apothecary’s success. Her connection to the Mittel Auction House becomes an important source of protection.
• Galle Bi and the Jia Lie Clan: Become increasingly desperate as their business declines. Their underhanded attempt to damage the Xiao Clan fails and exposes their weakness, leaving Galle Bi furious and powerless.
• Xiao Zhan: Develops even deeper trust and admiration for Xiao Chen, formally offering him control over the Xiao Clan’s businesses.
• Xun’er: Reveals her emotional attachment to Xiao Chen and the Xiao Clan. Although usually reserved and self-reliant, she struggles with leaving the courtyard and entrusts Xiao Chen with the protection of her family and Xiao Yan.

Significant Themes

• Power through alliances: The Xiao Clan’s partnership with the Mittel Auction House allows it to withstand political pressure from the Jia Lie Clan and the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Strategic strength over brute force: Xiao Chen defeats the attempted crackdown through composure, leverage, and careful use of connections rather than direct confrontation.
• Family loyalty and protection: The Xiao Clan increasingly relies on Xiao Chen, while Xun’er asks him to safeguard those she cares about.
• Parting and emotional attachment: Xun’er’s departure emphasizes the bonds she has formed and the difficulty of leaving people who have become like family.
• Hidden identities and duty: Xun’er’s return reflects the conflict between her personal feelings and her obligations to the Gu Clan.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei discuss the Apothecary’s success and anticipate retaliation from the Jia Lie Clan.
• Xiao Chen confronts the City Lord’s soldiers, using Ya Fei’s connection to force them to withdraw.
• Galle Bi vents his frustration to Jia Lie Ang after the failed scheme.
• Xiao Zhan praises Xiao Chen and entrusts him with the Xiao Clan’s commercial affairs.
• Xun’er and Xiao Chen share a quiet farewell over tea. She asks him to protect the Xiao Clan and Xiao Yan, while he gives her a protective pill. Her emotional question at the end highlights the depth of their bond.

Xiao Chen says farewell to Xun’er, reassuring her that her safety matters more to him than her achievements. In gratitude for his care, she gives him a valuable Gu Clan token that can grant access to her clan, then leaves. The system rewards Xiao Chen’s investment in her with a fragment of the Gu Clan’s foundational Qi Condensation cultivation method, whose quality far exceeds ordinary techniques.
At Xiao Yan’s birthday banquet, Xiao Chen gives him the Xuan Tier Wind-Splitting Palm and begins teaching him personally. His training is harsh: he attacks Xiao Yan at full force, criticizes his mistakes, and makes him spar repeatedly. Though painful, the discipline rapidly improves Xiao Yan’s reactions and technique. After three days, Xiao Yan can form a wind blade powerful enough to split a wooden post, astonishing the watching clan disciples.
The system recognizes Xiao Yan’s progress and rewards Xiao Chen with the High Xuan Tier movement technique Wind-Thunder Step. Xiao Chen conceals his excitement and plans even tougher training for Xiao Yan.

• Character development: Xun’er shows affection and gratitude toward Xiao Chen by entrusting him with her clan’s token. Xiao Yan demonstrates perseverance and quickly develops under demanding instruction. Xiao Chen acts as both a protective uncle and a strict mentor, while using his investments to strengthen his own abilities.
• Themes: Care and gratitude; talent brought out through discipline; mentorship and perseverance; the rewards—and risks—of investing in others.
• Key interactions: Xun’er and Xiao Chen share a heartfelt farewell; Xiao Chen pushes Xiao Yan through intense sparring; Xiao Yan credits his teacher for his progress, while Xiao Chen gives him credit for his own talent.

Chapter Summary: “Mid-Stage Dou Zhe?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Chen reflects on the Xiao Clan’s rapid progress over the past six months. Xiao Yan has advanced far beyond expectations, Ya Fei’s intelligence network is developing, and the Xiao Clan Apothecary and trade businesses are expanding throughout Wutan City.
• Xiao Yan has reached the mid-stage Dou Zhe realm, astonishing the clan members who once regarded him as trash.
• Concerned that Xiao Yan is advancing too quickly through the use of Warm Nourishing Pills, Xiao Chen orders his supply reduced to one delivery every five days. He also gives Xiao Yan a fragment of a Gu Clan cultivation technique to help stabilize his foundation.
• Xiao Chen similarly slows the expansion of several profitable businesses, believing that uncontrolled growth could create hidden dangers and that “slow is fast.”
• The Misty Cloud Sect investigates the Xiao Clan’s sudden rise, particularly Xiao Yan’s progress and Xiao Chen’s mysterious influence.
• Xiao Chen detects surveillance around a Xiao Clan warehouse and predicts that the desperate Jia Lie Family will attempt to destroy it.
• More than a dozen men hired by the Jia Lie Family attack the warehouse with blazing oil, but Xiao Chen and Xiao Zhan ambush them. Xiao Chen reveals himself as a peak Dou Zhe and defeats the leader with a single palm strike.
• The attackers are captured along with a Jia Lie Family token and confessions. The Xiao Clan publicly exposes the attack, turning Wutan City’s public opinion against the Jia Lie Family.
• Galle Bi, head of the Jia Lie Family, comes to apologize and offer compensation. Xiao Chen forces him to choose between submitting to the Xiao Clan or facing its complete destruction. Galle Bi ultimately lowers his head in defeat.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Demonstrates strategic patience, careful long-term planning, and overwhelming combat strength. He acts not only as Xiao Yan’s mentor but also as the architect of the Xiao Clan’s economic and political rise.
• Xiao Yan: Has transformed from a disgraced “trash” into a mid-stage Dou Zhe. He deeply trusts Xiao Chen and willingly accepts his guidance, even when he does not fully understand the reasons behind it.
• Xiao Zhan: Becomes more confident in Xiao Chen’s leadership and helps execute the warehouse ambush. His admiration for Xiao Chen grows after witnessing his strength and foresight.
• Galle Bi: Shifts from covert aggression to humiliation and submission after his family’s failed attack is exposed.
• The Misty Cloud Sect’s leader: Takes notice of the Xiao Clan’s rapid development and begins investigating Xiao Chen, suggesting that the clan’s rise is attracting powerful external attention.
• The Jia Lie Family: Is portrayed as increasingly desperate, resorting to sabotage as its position deteriorates.

3. Significant Themes

• Controlled growth and long-term planning: Xiao Chen deliberately slows both Xiao Yan’s cultivation and the clan’s business expansion, emphasizing stability over rapid gains.
• Foundation versus speed: Advancement is valuable only if it does not damage one’s future potential; Xiao Chen worries that excessive pills and rapid breakthroughs could destabilize Xiao Yan’s foundation.
• Power and deterrence: Xiao Chen uses both overwhelming strength and careful preparation to protect the clan and force rivals into submission.
• Public reputation and political influence: By exposing the Jia Lie Family’s attack publicly, the Xiao Clan wins moral legitimacy and makes the Jia Lie Family appear treacherous.
• The dangers of rising influence: The Xiao Clan’s success attracts surveillance from the Misty Cloud Sect, foreshadowing greater conflicts beyond Wutan City.
• Trust and mentorship: Xiao Yan’s absolute faith in Xiao Chen allows the latter to guide his development, while Xiao Chen’s actions reveal a protective, paternal concern.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen speaks with Xiao Yan in the back mountain, advising him to reduce his pill consumption and giving him a new cultivation technique. Xiao Yan responds with complete trust.
• Xiao Chen instructs the Drug Hall and merchant caravan to slow their activities, revealing his cautious strategy to the confused caravan manager.
• The Misty Cloud Sect’s leader questions her subordinate about the Xiao Clan and orders an investigation into Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Zhan coordinate the warehouse defense. Xiao Chen handles the main attacker personally, while Xiao Zhan commands the guards in capturing the remaining criminals.
• After the attack, Xiao Chen confronts Galle Bi indirectly through an ultimatum: submit to the Xiao Clan or be destroyed. Galle Bi is forced to surrender.

Chapter Summary: “Xun’er Has Returned”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ya Fei visits the Xiao Clan to congratulate Xiao Chen after the Jia Lie Family suffers a major setback.
• She brings valuable gifts, including ancient mountain ginseng, snow lotuses, and other high-grade alchemy materials.
• Ya Fei reveals that she previously protected the Xiao Clan from interference by the City Lord’s Mansion and asks to share in the clan’s prosperity.
• Xiao Chen presents her with a prepared contract granting her a 30% stake in the Xiao Clan Apothecary.
• Though shocked by the generosity of the offer, Ya Fei accepts, declaring that the Mittel family and the Xiao Clan are now “one family.”
• Xiao Zhan initially panics over the loss of such a large portion of the apothecary’s profits, but Xiao Chen explains that the partnership secures the Xiao Clan’s access to:
  • Mittel’s sales network
  • Medicinal ingredient supplies
  • Protection from the City Lord’s Mansion
  • Mittel’s intelligence network
  • Future expansion beyond Wutan City
• Xiao Chen describes the arrangement as achieving four goals: binding Ya Fei to the clan, gaining Mittel’s intelligence, deterring political enemies, and creating a bridge for larger commercial ambitions.
• After three months away, Xiao Xun’er returns to the Xiao Clan. Her presence and bearing have changed dramatically, suggesting a major increase in strength.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen demonstrates strategic foresight and political acumen. Rather than viewing the 30% stake as a loss, he uses it to secure the Xiao Clan’s long-term economic and political stability.
• Ya Fei shifts from a helpful outside ally to a formal partner of the Xiao Clan. Her acceptance of the stake deepens her personal and commercial commitment to Xiao Chen and the clan.
• Xiao Zhan initially reacts emotionally, fearing the clan has sacrificed too much wealth, but comes to understand and admire Xiao Chen’s broader strategy.
• Xun’er returns with a colder, more noble demeanor and an intimidating aura, implying that her cultivation and status have advanced significantly during her absence.

Significant Themes

• Strategic alliances over immediate profit: Xiao Chen willingly gives away substantial wealth to secure a stronger, more reliable partnership.
• Mutual dependence and political protection: The Xiao Clan’s success depends heavily on Mittel’s resources, making formal cooperation essential.
• Long-term ambition: Xiao Chen looks beyond Wutan City and begins laying the foundation for the clan’s future expansion.
• Power and transformation: Xun’er’s changed aura suggests that her journey has elevated her strength and status.
• Trust and family bonds: Both Ya Fei and Xiao Chen frame their partnership as a familial alliance, while Xiao Chen reassures Xiao Zhan that they are working for the clan’s collective future.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei: Their negotiation is playful but calculated. Ya Fei seeks compensation for her assistance, while Xiao Chen reveals that he has already anticipated her request. Their agreement ends with a symbolic toast and a declaration of unity.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Zhan: Xiao Zhan challenges the decision to give away the stake, but Xiao Chen patiently explains its practical benefits, converting anxiety into admiration.
• Xiao Chen and Xun’er: The chapter ends with their reunion. Xun’er respectfully greets him as “Grandpa Xiao,” while Xiao Chen immediately notices the powerful change in her cultivation and presence.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xun’er returns from the Gu Clan and informs Xiao Chen that the clan elders wish to meet him after hearing about his actions.
• Xiao Chen refuses the invitation, claiming that his low status, mediocre cultivation, and unstable condition make a meeting inappropriate. He understands that the Gu Clan suspects he possesses a valuable item.
• Xun’er subtly reveals that the elders believe the rumored item may be in Xiao Chen’s possession, but she personally suspects he is hiding something else. Xiao Chen conceals his true thoughts.
• That night, a mysterious Gu Clan spy appears in Xiao Chen’s courtyard to investigate him. Xiao Chen detects the intruder, but the figure retreats without confrontation.
• Three days later, Xiao Chen secretly meets Xun’er in a mountain pavilion and gives her a unique pill capable of suppressing her bloodline fluctuations and concealing her aura.
• Xun’er explains that someone informed the Gu Clan about a deeply hidden elder within the Xiao Clan, causing the elders to investigate Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen suspects the message came from another powerful figure secretly operating in Wutan City.
• After Xun’er leaves, the system rewards Xiao Chen’s “investment” in her with the Second Section of the Ancient Clan Cultivation Technique, complementing the First Section.
• Xiao Chen begins cultivating the new fragment and discovers that it can cleanse and widen his meridians, greatly improving his foundation and confirming the technique’s extraordinary value.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Becomes increasingly cautious and strategic as the Gu Clan begins targeting him. He successfully maintains a façade of weakness while investigating the source of the clan’s information. His gift to Xun’er demonstrates genuine concern, but also reflects his careful understanding of timing and influence. The new cultivation fragment strengthens his ambitions and confidence.
• Xun’er: Shows greater trust and emotional attachment toward Xiao Chen. She recognizes his intelligence, respects his refusal to meet the Gu Clan, and openly warns him of the danger. After receiving the protective pill, she declares that he is the person closest to her in the world.
• Gu Clan Elders: Their interest in Xiao Chen escalates from suspicion to active investigation, including sending a covert spy.
• The Hidden Informant: Though unidentified, this unseen figure is established as someone powerful enough to influence the Gu Clan’s decisions.

3. Significant Themes

• Trust versus secrecy: Xiao Chen and Xun’er care for one another, but both remain surrounded by hidden motives, political pressures, and secrets.
• Protection and sacrifice: Xiao Chen refuses personal gain from the Gu Clan and instead gives Xun’er a rare pill to protect her from surveillance and the burdens of her bloodline.
• Political surveillance and danger: The Gu Clan’s investigation illustrates how powerful organizations use indirect probing, spies, and informants to uncover concealed threats.
• Strategic generosity: Xiao Chen’s gift is both sincere and calculated; he understands that helping Xun’er at a crucial moment will deepen their bond and produce future benefits.
• Power through foundation: The cultivation fragment emphasizes that true strength comes not only from immediate cultivation level but also from strengthening one’s meridians and underlying potential.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Xun’er: Their conversation begins formally, with Xun’er delivering the Gu Clan’s invitation, but develops into a sincere exchange of trust. Xiao Chen refuses the clan while giving Xun’er a protective gift, and Xun’er responds with gratitude, emotional vulnerability, and a warning about the informant.
• Xiao Chen and the Gu Clan: Their relationship is indirect and adversarial. The clan seeks to uncover Xiao Chen’s secrets, while he avoids them, detects their spy, and prepares for further scrutiny.
• Xiao Chen and the unseen investigator: Xiao Chen recognizes the spy immediately and calmly challenges them, demonstrating his awareness and control, while the spy withdraws rather than engage.
• Xiao Chen and the cultivation technique: The discovery of the Second Section marks a major advancement, revealing that his connection with Xun’er can yield powerful cultivation resources and perhaps eventually lead to a complete, continent-defying technique.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Xiao Clan Drug Hall holds its annual pill-refining trial, where several alchemists produce high-quality first-grade pills.
• Alchemist Liu provocatively challenges Xiao Chen to demonstrate his reputed pill-refining skill. Though reluctant, Xiao Chen accepts.
• Using only ordinary flame, Xiao Chen repeatedly purifies and condenses medicinal ingredients instead of stopping after a single refinement. The process lasts nearly an hour and astonishes the spectators.
• Xiao Chen successfully refines an initial third-grade pill with visible pill patterns—an extraordinary achievement given his use of ordinary flame.
• Alchemist Liu admits defeat, while the Drug Hall elder and the rest of the hall recognize Xiao Chen’s overwhelming talent.
• Xiao Zhan appoints Xiao Chen as the Xiao Clan’s Consecrated Elder, granting him status and resources equal to those of the clan head.
• Xiao Yan witnesses the event and renews his determination to fulfill the Three-Year Agreement, believing he must not hinder Xiao Chen’s efforts on his behalf.
• The following morning, Xiao Chen begins investigating the Xiao Clan merchant caravan’s accounts, suspecting corruption and embezzlement.
• Through subtle observations of the managers’ reactions and heartbeats, Xiao Chen identifies those likely concealing wrongdoing. Rather than acting immediately, he allows fear and uncertainty to spread while quietly preparing a larger purge.
• Xiao Zhan later asks about the investigation. Xiao Chen explains that he intends to expose the corruption thoroughly and punish the guilty in a way that will serve as a warning to everyone else.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen: Demonstrates that his pill-refining abilities far exceed everyone’s expectations. His calm attitude contrasts with the shock he causes, and his new position reveals his growing authority within the clan. He also emerges as a calculating administrator, using patience, intimidation, and careful observation to uncover corruption.
• Alchemist Liu: Begins as a proud and skeptical rival but is forced to acknowledge Xiao Chen’s superiority and openly concedes defeat.
• Xiao Zhan: Recognizes Xiao Chen’s value and elevates him to a position equal to the clan head, showing trust in both his abilities and his judgment.
• Xiao Yan: Gains renewed motivation after seeing Xiao Chen’s accomplishments. He vows to become stronger and fulfill the Three-Year Agreement rather than rely entirely on his uncle’s support.
• Merchant caravan managers: Their nervous reactions suggest that some may be involved in fraud or mismanagement. Xiao Chen’s investigation places them under intense pressure.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and humility: Xiao Chen presents himself as an ordinary participant, yet reveals an ability far beyond the other alchemists.
• Mastery through skill and perseverance: His successful refinement of a third-grade pill with ordinary flame emphasizes technique, patience, and control over superior tools or resources.
• Authority earned through ability: Xiao Chen’s promotion demonstrates how exceptional talent can transform one’s political and social standing.
• Responsibility and loyalty: Xiao Yan’s determination reflects his desire to live up to Xiao Chen’s sacrifices and support.
• Justice, corruption, and strategic punishment: Xiao Chen treats the merchant caravan as vital to the clan’s survival and plans a public, decisive punishment to deter future corruption.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Alchemist Liu: Liu challenges Xiao Chen out of pride, but Xiao Chen’s astonishing performance forces him to submit and acknowledge Xiao Chen’s superiority.
• Xiao Chen and the Drug Hall elder: The elder encourages Xiao Chen to display his rare ability and witnesses the full extent of his talent.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Zhan: Xiao Zhan rewards Xiao Chen with the position of Consecrated Elder, while Xiao Chen respectfully accepts and later reassures him about the caravan investigation.
• Xiao Chen and Xiao Yan: Though they do not directly speak during the trial, Xiao Yan’s reaction shows how deeply Xiao Chen influences his ambitions and sense of responsibility.
• Xiao Chen and the caravan managers: Xiao Chen questions them calmly while detecting their nervousness, establishing his control and beginning his investigation into their possible misconduct.

Chapter Summary: “Branch President”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After three days of auditing the Xiao Clan caravan’s accounts, Xiao Chen publicly exposes two corrupt stewards:
  • Steward Zhang falsified transportation losses and embezzled 900 jin of medicinal herbs worth over 8,000 gold coins.
  • Steward Zhao delayed payments for a month at a time, secretly pocketing the resulting interest.
• Xiao Chen presents evidence, invokes Xiao Clan rules, and has both men beaten with thirty strokes, expelled from the clan, and permanently barred from future employment.
• His harsh but justified punishment frightens the other stewards into correcting their accounts. The caravan’s internal discipline and financial management improve immediately.
• Ya Fei visits Xiao Chen while worried about Mittel Auction House headquarters’ plan to establish a Wutan City branch and appoint one of several managers as branch president.
• Although Ya Fei lacks the experience and performance record of her rivals, Xiao Chen promises to create a major achievement that will secure her promotion.
• In exchange, Ya Fei agrees that, if appointed, the Xiao Clan will receive first priority in business dealings with Mittel’s Wutan City branch.
• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei devise a plan:
  1. Supply the auction house with the Xiao Clan Medicine Hall’s inventory.
  2. Have Xiao Chen refine several valuable third-grade pills as the event’s finale.
  3. Publicize an unprecedented treasure appraisal convention to attract merchants from Wutan City and neighboring cities.
• The next morning, Xiao Chen moves quickly to transfer medicinal stock, announce the event, gather high-quality ingredients, and begin refining pills.
• News of the convention spreads, generating curiosity, skepticism, and excitement among merchants. Xiao Chen views Ya Fei’s promotion as both a profitable partnership and a first step toward gaining influence over Mittel’s wider commercial network.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen demonstrates his authority, intelligence, and ruthless commitment to rules. His audit establishes him as a capable leader who can detect subtle fraud and enforce discipline. He also reveals a broader strategic ambition, using Ya Fei’s career advancement to expand the Xiao Clan’s influence.
• Ya Fei shifts from anxious and uncertain to hopeful and determined. She recognizes Xiao Chen as a reliable partner and entrusts her professional future to his plan, while also agreeing to prioritize the Xiao Clan’s interests.
• Stewards Zhang and Zhao serve as examples of the consequences of corruption. Their punishment changes the behavior of the entire caravan.
• The other stewards become fearful and obedient, abandoning dishonest practices and recognizing Xiao Chen’s authority.

Significant Themes

• Order and accountability: Xiao Chen argues that embezzlement damages not only material wealth but also the rules and trust that hold an organization together.
• Leadership through fear and competence: His combination of accurate investigation and severe punishment earns obedience and respect.
• Business and political strategy: Xiao Chen treats commercial success and personnel advancement as interconnected tools for building power.
• Mutual benefit and alliance: His partnership with Ya Fei is based on an exchange—he provides the performance she needs, while she grants the Xiao Clan preferential access to Mittel’s business.
• Long-term ambition: The immediate goal is Ya Fei’s promotion, but Xiao Chen is ultimately aiming to influence Mittel’s operations throughout the Jia Ma Empire.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen confronts Zhang and Zhao publicly, using their punishment to warn the rest of the caravan.
• He addresses the stewards collectively, demanding transparent accounts and reinforcing his control over the organization.
• Ya Fei confides in Xiao Chen about her career difficulties, and he reassures her by offering practical support rather than empty encouragement.
• Their conversation includes light teasing and hints of personal familiarity, though Xiao Chen emphasizes that they are partners.
• The chapter ends with both characters working toward a shared plan, combining Ya Fei’s position within Mittel with Xiao Chen’s resources and alchemical abilities.

Chapter Summary:

Ancient Gu Clan Fragmented Jade!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Chen successfully refines a superior third-rank Bone Tempering Pill, discovering that the pill’s quality exceeds his expectations.
• He gives the pill to Ya Fei for the Mittel Auction House’s monthly auction.
• The auction draws influential clans, wealthy merchants, and major forces from across Wutan City and the Jia Ma Empire.
• The Bone Tempering Pill becomes the auction’s grand finale. Its powerful fragrance and visible pill patterns shock the crowd, revealing it to be a superior third-rank pill.
• Fierce bidding drives the pill’s price to 7,200 gold coins, setting a new record for Wutan City.
• The auction’s total transaction volume reaches 37,000 gold coins, equal to the previous three months’ combined sales.
• Xiao Chen receives a system reward: Third-Rank Pill Refining Insights, which contain the essential methods for refining all third-rank pills and improve both speed and success rate.
• Mittel Headquarters praises Ya Fei’s results, effectively securing her position as president of the Wutan City branch.
• Xiao Chen tells Ya Fei that this is only the beginning and suggests they may eventually control much of Mittel’s business throughout the Jia Ma Empire.
• Ya Fei, deeply moved and impressed by his support, declares that her life belongs to him.
• The next morning, Xun’er gives Xiao Chen a precious fragment of ancient jade from the Gu Clan. It contains a trace of the aura of the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame, a powerful Heavenly Flame.
• Xun’er explains that the fragment can nourish fire-element meridians and assist Xiao Chen in pill refining. Despite its value as a clan heirloom, she insists that he accept it.

Character Developments

• Xiao Chen demonstrates his growing skill as an alchemist and his ability to create major commercial opportunities. His calm response to the record-breaking auction shows his confidence and ambition.
• He also reveals broader strategic goals, intending to use Ya Fei’s success as the foundation for expanding their influence across the Jia Ma Empire.
• Ya Fei gains major recognition from Mittel Headquarters and moves closer to securing permanent leadership of the Wutan City branch. Her admiration and loyalty toward Xiao Chen deepen significantly.
• Xun’er shows increasing trust and affection toward Xiao Chen by giving him an exceptionally valuable Gu Clan treasure. Her willingness to part with a protective heirloom emphasizes the importance she places on him.

Significant Themes

• Talent and influence: Xiao Chen’s alchemy allows him to reshape the balance of power in Wutan City.
• Ambition and expansion: The auction is presented not as an endpoint but as the first step toward controlling Mittel’s wider commercial network.
• Trust and loyalty: Ya Fei’s declaration and Xun’er’s gift both reflect their growing emotional and personal investment in Xiao Chen.
• Hidden power and rare treasures: The jade fragment introduces the significance of ancient clans and Heavenly Flames, suggesting larger forces and opportunities beyond Wutan City.
• Calculated generosity: Xiao Chen’s support enables Ya Fei’s success, while Xun’er’s gift demonstrates how personal relationships can grant access to extraordinary resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Chen and Ya Fei: He provides the Bone Tempering Pill, enabling her record-breaking auction. She expresses gratitude and later pledges her life and loyalty to him.
• Xiao Chen and the auction crowd: His pill becomes the focus of astonishment and intense competition, establishing his mysterious alchemist identity as a source of speculation.
• Xiao Chen and Mittel Headquarters: Although indirect, the auction’s success earns Ya Fei official praise and strengthens Xiao Chen’s influence over the organization.
• Xiao Chen and Xun’er: Xun’er offers him the ancient jade fragment despite its value and personal significance. Xiao Chen recognizes its extraordinary nature, while Xun’er affectionately insists that he accept it.