Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan consults the Old Lord about keeping the Eagle Wings technique. Though the Old Lord considers it an inferior shortcut, he agrees to help improve it later, since Xiao Yan still needs a way to travel before he can form Dou Qi wings.
• Xiao Yan retrieves a yellowed map from a skeleton in the cave. It depicts a damaged Fire Lotus, which catches his interest; Xiao Yi Xian is more interested in the herbs she collected.
• As they leave, Xiao Yan invites Xiao Yi Xian to join him in training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. She is relieved and pleased to keep traveling with him.
• Outside the cave, Gan Mu and Hemon of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group are waiting, intending to capture Xiao Yan before their leader arrives. Xiao Yan attacks and quickly kills them and the other mercenaries with his Mystic Staff.
• Xiao Yi Xian dissolves the bodies with medicinal powder to hide the evidence. The pair set off together, and Xiao Yan presses her about her name; she insists that “Xiao Yi Xian” is both her surname and given name.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows confidence in his strength, eagerness to learn from the Old Lord, and a casual attitude toward killing his enemies. He jokes with Xiao Yi Xian and invites her along rather than letting their parting stand.
• The Old Lord continues to guide Xiao Yan’s training and offers a philosophical view of violence: acting in accordance with one’s nature does not automatically create karmic debt.
• Xiao Yi Xian grows attached to Xiao Yan, becoming disappointed when she thinks they must part. His invitation makes her visibly happy. She also witnesses his overwhelming strength and helps conceal the fight’s aftermath.
• Gan Mu and Hemon underestimate the danger of confronting Xiao Yan. Gan Mu recognizes Xiao Yi Xian’s skill with poison, while Hemon’s crude interest in her underscores the mercenaries’ hostility.

Significant themes

• Mentorship and progression: Xiao Yan balances powerful long-term cultivation with practical needs, such as a way to travel.
• Growing companionship: Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian’s teasing, concern, and reluctance to separate suggest increasing closeness.
• Violence and morality: The Old Lord frames killing as an action that need not bring karmic guilt if it reflects one’s true nature.
• Concealment and danger: The pair erase the mercenaries’ remains, signaling that their conflict with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group may continue.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian visit her secluded cabin in a scenic valley of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• The Old Lord senses that the valley was once an ancient Poison Marsh and detects a faint, scorching presence. He identifies it as the vanished Netherworld Poison Flame, a Heavenly Flame.
• The Old Lord gathers the area’s spiritual energy, rekindling the marsh’s ordinary ghostly flames and causing a new Netherworld Poison Flame to form.
• Xiao Yan traps the newborn flame with his Qi Fire and absorbs it without the dangerous, lengthy process usually required to refine a Heavenly Flame.
• Afterward, he gives some of the poisonous flame to Xiao Yi Xian. Her Woeful Poison Body tolerates it, and she immediately breaks through to the Fifth Stage of Dou Qi.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan gains the Netherworld Poison Flame and begins considering whether his Qi Fire could help combine multiple Heavenly Flames, potentially strengthening his Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus. He also recognizes that his soul perception still needs improvement when Xiao Yi Xian approaches unnoticed.
• Xiao Yi Xian benefits directly from her poison-resistant constitution: what would be lethal to most people becomes a source of cultivation and rapid growth. Her breakthrough highlights her exceptional potential.
• The Old Lord demonstrates his vast abilities by restoring the conditions needed to create a Heavenly Flame.

Character interactions

• The Old Lord explains the valley’s history and guides Xiao Yan through the flame’s rebirth.
• Xiao Yi Xian quietly watches Xiao Yan absorb the flame, choosing not to interrupt him.
• Afterward, Xiao Yan encourages her to eat the poisonous flame despite its bitter taste, and she trusts him enough to try it. Her immediate breakthrough confirms the value of his discovery.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and unique potential: Xiao Yi Xian’s unusual body turns poison—a deadly threat to others—into a path to strength.
• Knowledge and ingenuity: Xiao Yan uses the Old Lord’s insight and his own unconventional Qi Fire method to claim a powerful flame.
• Power and possibility: The Netherworld Poison Flame’s return expands Xiao Yan’s abilities and hints at future techniques combining multiple Heavenly Flames.

Plot points and events

• After Xiao Yi Xian’s exertion leaves her pale and exhausted, Xiao Yan recognizes that her body is struggling to keep up with her rapidly growing cultivation. He gives her Second-Rank Qi Recovery Pills to replenish her vital blood.
• Xiao Yi Xian reflects on her Woeful Poison Body and fears that it will eventually turn her into a feared, isolated poison user. She suspects Xiao Yan understands her condition and gave her the Netherworld Poison Flame because it could satisfy her craving for poison.
• Xiao Yan asks whether the poison flame can substitute for ordinary poison. When she confirms it can, he reassures her that he knows a way to deal with her condition. Xiao Yi Xian is moved, though she remains uncertain why he is so kind to her.
• The following day, Xiao Yan asks his teacher, Old Lord, for the flying technique he was promised. Old Lord gives him an enhanced method based on the Rainbow Flight Art, incorporating a drop of Ancient Golden Crow blood essence.
• Xiao Yan activates the technique with a drop of his blood. He experiences a vision of a gigantic Golden Crow and wakes to discover its pale-gold mark between his brows, confirming the method has taken effect.

Character developments

• Xiao Yi Xian struggles between her dream of being a healer and the dangerous attraction of poison. Her fear of becoming monstrous and alone is balanced by her growing attachment to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan shows concern for her health and offers reassurance, while also eagerly embracing the powerful flying technique.
• Old Lord demonstrates his exceptional knowledge by transforming a basic request into a technique with seemingly lasting potential.

Significant themes

• Fate versus choice: Xiao Yi Xian fears her constitution will determine her future, but she has not yet surrendered to it.
• Kindness and connection amid isolation: Xiao Yan’s care gives her hope, even as she believes their paths may eventually separate.
• Power and mentorship: Old Lord’s gift far exceeds Xiao Yan’s expectations, illustrating the value of his teacher’s guidance.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan gives Xiao Yi Xian medicine, playfully ruffles her hair, and later reassures her about her condition.
• Xiao Yi Xian accepts his help with gratitude and quietly hopes that, even if she becomes a poison woman, she might one day spare his life.
• Xiao Yan requests a flying technique from Old Lord, who supplies the Golden Crow-based method and leaves him to practice it.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan masters the Rainbow Flight Art, forming golden wings that let him fly at extraordinary speed. He realizes it could let him evade even much stronger opponents, though he remains cautious around Dou Huang Yun Yun.
• He continues training with the Mystic Staff beneath a waterfall. Over two months, his technique advances toward major mastery, and the Old Lord approves of his talent.
• Xiao Yan tests his progress by provoking a Third-Order Snow Ape over a Crimson-Gold Fruit. Using the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique infused with the Netherworld Poison Flame, he kills it with ease despite being only a Five-Star Dou Master.
• He hears Yun Yun fighting the Amethyst Winged Lion King. When the beast uses its sealing attack, Xiao Yan warns her, allowing her to dodge.
• Xiao Yan offers to split the Purple Spirit Crystal with Yun Yun, then flies into the lion’s cave to search for it. Yun Yun holds off the weakened lion king.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan grows more confident as his flight and combat abilities improve. He enjoys the rapid rewards of his training but remains opportunistic, using Yun Yun’s fight as a chance to pursue valuable resources.
• Yun Yun is introduced as a cool, authoritative Dou Huang. Though initially surprised by Xiao Yan’s intervention and apparent youth, she accepts his warning and temporarily cooperates with him.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King is badly injured when Yun Yun cuts off his horn; his rage drives him to use his powerful sealing technique.

Significant themes

• Talent and visible progress: Xiao Yan reflects that immediate results help sustain effort, distinguishing exceptional cultivators from those who must labor far longer for modest gains.
• Power gained through training and ingenuity: Xiao Yan combines technique, speed, and the Netherworld Poison Flame to defeat a stronger creature.
• Caution and opportunism: Despite his growing strength, Xiao Yan avoids needlessly challenging top-tier experts and seizes openings when they arise.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan trains under the Old Lord’s approving gaze.
• He taunts and fights the Snow Ape, turning their conflict into a test of his two months of training.
• He warns Yun Yun during her battle, and she responds with gratitude.
• Xiao Yan proposes sharing the Purple Spirit Crystal; Yun Yun, surprised but pragmatic, keeps the lion king occupied while he enters its cave.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan enters the Amethyst Winged Lion King’s cave while Yun Yun distracts the beast. He takes the Companion Amethyst Source, collecting it in Jade Bottles, and leaves the cub unharmed.
• Xiao Yan and Yun Yun escape. The Lion King stays behind to protect his son rather than risk chasing them.
• Yun Yun realizes Xiao Yan is not a Dou Emperor; he explains that a Flying Dou Technique lets him keep pace with one. He gives her Purple Spirit Crystals as payment for her help.
• They introduce themselves. Yun Yun offers Xiao Yan a favor through the Misty Cloud Sect, but she suspects his name might connect him to her disciple’s former fiancé—then dismisses the idea.
• Back in the valley, Xiao Yan tells Xiao Yi Xian he plans to return home. She decides to accompany him, partly because she has become dependent on his Netherworld Poison Flame.
• After a meal, Xiao Yi Xian gets tipsy and asks Xiao Yan to carry her. He flies off with her toward their next destination, mindful of the approaching Jia Nan Academy enrollment.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows resourcefulness and restraint: he secures the rare treasure without harming the cub, compensates Yun Yun, and conceals his strength by explaining his flight. He also grows more comfortable with Xiao Yi Xian’s teasing closeness.
• Yun Yun shifts from a wary ally to a grateful one, offering Xiao Yan help in return. His name briefly stirs a connection to her disciple’s past.
• Xiao Yi Xian has advanced rapidly under the influence of Xiao Yan’s poison flame, but her craving for it suggests a growing dependence. Her jealousy over Xiao Yan’s scent and her drunken request to be carried reveal increasing affection and intimacy.
• The Lion King’s decision to protect his cub prevents further pursuit and underscores his priorities as a parent.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Xiao Yan and Yun Yun cooperate, then exchange payment and favors.
• Power and concealment: Xiao Yan’s flight technique lets him appear far stronger than he is.
• Attachment and dependence: Xiao Yi Xian’s reliance on the poison flame blends physical need with emotional closeness.
• Protection and restraint: The Lion King abandons revenge to keep his son safe, while Xiao Yan chooses not to harm the cub.

Summary

• Xiao Yan returns to Wutan City after three months away, carrying the sleeping Xiao Yi Xian back to his room. Though she is intoxicated and clings to him during the journey, he leaves her to sleep and cultivates on the floor instead.
• Xiao Yan advances to the peak of Five-Star Dou Master, nearing the next stage. He also tests a compressed Netherworld Poison Flame technique: a small, concealed flame that can explode on contact and leave a deadly poison capable of dissolving its victim.
• At a Xiao Clan council meeting, Xiao Yan takes the seat of honor as the clan’s strongest member. He considers how to protect the family while he is away, identifies the newly recruited Dou Ling, Mu Wen, as a possible asset, and plans to bring his elder brothers back from the imperial frontier.
• Xiao Yan establishes rewards for loyalty and service: clan members will receive basic pills, while guards must serve three years before qualifying for rewards based on their contributions. He gives Xiao Zhan a ring of pills and orders the clan to reserve its best stock for its own members.
• A sudden disturbance interrupts the meeting. Two powerful auras rise nearby—one pale gold and one poisonous purple. Xiao Yan recognizes the danger and reacts with alarm, but the chapter ends before the cause is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

Xiao Yan is increasingly confident in his strength and uses his growing influence to organize and protect the Xiao Clan. He balances ambition with caution: he wants to reward loyal members, but also intends to deal with corrupt ones once they expose themselves. Xiao Zhan is delighted by his son’s support and accepts the pills with great care. Xiao Yi Xian’s closeness to Xiao Yan is emphasized, though she remains asleep and unaware of his thoughts. Mu Wen shows strong deference to Xiao Yan, suggesting he may become part of the clan’s support network.

Significant themes

The chapter focuses on family responsibility, clan leadership, loyalty, and power. Xiao Yan’s cultivation and alchemical talent are presented not merely as personal achievements but as resources for strengthening the Xiao Clan. It also highlights the tension between rewarding service and enforcing discipline—and ends by hinting that Xiao Yan’s plans may be challenged by forces close at hand.

Key plot points and events

• In the Xiao Clan courtyard, Xiao Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian clash. Xun’er’s arm is poisoned, but she stops Ling Ying from retaliating and gives Xiao Yi Xian recovery pills. Xiao Yi Xian removes the poison.
• Xiao Yan arrives expecting a fight, only to find the two women sitting together and talking. Xun’er asks why Xiao Yi Xian is at the clan. Xiao Yan claims she has come to take Jia Nan Academy’s entrance exam with them; Xiao Yi Xian plays along and says she cannot leave him.
• Xiao Yu finds Xiao Yan and drags him to meet her teacher, who is waiting for him. Xiao Yan realizes Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian will also be going to the academy.
• Before leaving, Xun’er privately tells Xiao Yi Xian that she will soon be away from Xiao Yan and asks her to look after him. She also promises to seek a cure for Xiao Yi Xian’s Woeful Poison Body.
• The group reaches Wutan City, crowded with young applicants hoping to enter Jia Nan Academy. Xiao Yu explains the academy’s demanding rating system, while Xiao Yan takes in the crowd.

Character developments and interactions

• Xun’er shows both competitiveness and restraint: she fights Xiao Yi Xian, accepts treatment, and later sets aside jealousy to entrust Xiao Yan’s care to her.
• Xiao Yi Xian reveals her ruthlessness in combat and her growing attachment to Xiao Yan, driven partly by her interest in his Netherworld Poison Flame. She accepts Xun’er’s offer of help.
• Xiao Yan is caught between the two women and improvises an explanation for Xiao Yi Xian’s presence, then is hurried along by Xiao Yu.
• Xiao Yu acts assertively, teasing and physically steering Xiao Yan toward the academy trip.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and jealousy give way to uneasy trust and mutual respect.
• Xiao Yan’s growing connections—and the attention they bring—complicate his relationships.
• The academy represents opportunity and status, but its severe admissions standards make success rare.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yu leads Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan youths through a guarded side entrance, using a jade token to bypass the enormous enrollment line. The guards’ battle-hardened aura acts as a trial: only Xiao Yan, Xiao Yu, and Xun’er pass easily; the others struggle.
• Seeing the guards’ formation, Xiao Yan considers whether disciplined armies could become a powerful force. He asks the Old Lord about a Heavenly Soldier cultivation method. The Old Lord says it would require a huge, carefully selected army training together, but Xiao Yan sees even a lesser version as potentially useful against powerful enemies such as the alien demons.
• Xiao Yan helps the exhausted Xiao Mei’er and Xiao Ning, showing kindness beneath his confidence. An officer is impressed by how he draws the Xiao Clan’s young members together.
• At the enrollment desks, Xiao Yu reunites with her mischievous friend Xue Ni, who warns her about Luo Bu, a senior student.
• Luo Bu tries to impose an unofficial “entrance test,” ordering the newcomers to wait half an hour in the sun. When he boasts that he is a five-star Dou Zhe, Xiao Yan dismisses the achievement as unimpressive, provoking an awkward silence.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan displays strategic ambition, thinking beyond personal strength toward building an army for future threats. He also shows warmth and leadership by helping his relatives, while remaining casually provocative.
• Xiao Yu uses her connections to help the group, but her confidence wavers when Luo Bu asserts his status.
• Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei’er are shown to be less able to withstand the guarded passage than Xiao Yan, though Xiao Ning responds positively to Xiao Yan’s teasing and support.
• Xue Ni is introduced as Xiao Yu’s playful friend and a source of information about academy politics.
• Luo Bu emerges as an arrogant senior who uses his strength and the academy’s permissive attitude toward bullying to intimidate newcomers.

Significant themes

• Strength and privilege: Xiao Yan’s power lets him ignore conventional queues and challenges, while Luo Bu uses his rank to control weaker students.
• Leadership and solidarity: Xiao Yan’s support for his clan contrasts with the infighting common among powerful families.
• Preparation for larger threats: His interest in military formations reflects a shift from individual cultivation toward collective defense.
• Academy hierarchy and hazing: The enrollment process and Luo Bu’s behavior show how the academy normalizes tests and abuse as supposed means of promoting growth.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan and the Old Lord discuss the possibilities and limits of training a large formation-based army.
• Xiao Yan supports Xiao Mei’er and Xiao Ning after they struggle, while the observing officer admires his influence over the clan.
• Xue Ni teases Xiao Yu, then quietly warns her about Luo Bu.
• Xiao Yu rejects Luo Bu’s offer and signals her closeness to Xiao Yan; Luo Bu responds by trying to humiliate the newcomers, only for Xiao Yan to insult his supposedly impressive cultivation.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan insults Luo Bu and the gathered students as weak, prompting Luo Bu to challenge him.
• Older students expect Xiao Yan to be badly beaten, but he catches Luo Bu’s full-force punch and knocks him flying with a single kick.
• Xiao Yan calls Luo Bu “worthless trash” and orders him to remain squatting in the sun for the day. Luo Bu obeys, terrified.
• Instructor Ruo Lin emerges and begins assessing the situation. Xiao Yan argues that Luo Bu’s attack could have seriously injured him and insists that strength, not rank or school authority, determines the rules. He also points out that he has other opportunities if Jia Nan Academy refuses him.
• Ruo Lin allows the punishment to stand for now, reasoning that Xiao Yan may be an exceptionally powerful recruit—possibly a Dou Shi at only sixteen.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan reveals a ruthless, self-assured side. His casual manner masks overwhelming strength, and he refuses to accept the academy’s authority unless it treats him fairly.
• Luo Bu goes from threatening and confident to badly injured, humiliated, and afraid of Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yu is astonished by Xiao Yan’s severity and wonders how different he is from the mischievous boy she knows within their clan.
• Ruo Lin shifts from gentle instructor to cautious evaluator, recognizing both Xiao Yan’s power and his value as a potential recruit.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan openly taunts Luo Bu, defeats him, and enforces his own punishment despite Ruo Lin’s presence.
• The watching students and older students move from mockery to silence and unease after witnessing Xiao Yan’s strength.
• Ruo Lin questions Xiao Yan’s harsh treatment of a fellow student, but he challenges her to apply the same concern to the danger Luo Bu posed to him.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: Xiao Yan argues that strength determines who sets the rules, reflecting the academy’s own hierarchy.
• Reputation versus reality: Onlookers underestimate Xiao Yan based on his age and appearance, then discover the extent of his strength.
• Justice and retaliation: Xiao Yan presents his punishment of Luo Bu as a response to an attack that could have left him seriously injured.
• Ambition and recruitment: Ruo Lin sees Xiao Yan as a rare talent whose value could benefit the academy—and her own standing.

Plot points and events

• At Jia Nan Academy’s recruitment camp, students introduce themselves. Xiao Ning reveals he has become a One-Star Dou Zhe after using Xiao Yan’s Qi-Raising Powder; Xiao Xun’er impresses everyone with her Nine-Star Dou Zhe cultivation.
• Xiao Yan gives his own credentials: at sixteen, he is a Five-Star Dou Master. He then reveals he is also a Three-Rank Alchemist, demonstrating his flame ability and stunning Instructor Ruo Lin.
• Ruo Lin eagerly recruits him, but Xiao Yan insists on taking a year’s leave. She reluctantly agrees. After he leaves, Xiao Yu explains that he recovered from being considered a cripple and reached his current strength in only six months. Ruo Lin rushes after him but cannot find him.
• Xiao Yan watches her search from a nearby hill and decides Jia Nan Academy has little to offer him for now. He and Xiao Yi Xian set off together on a Blue Bird.
• Half a month later, during the journey, Xiao Yan breaks through to Six-Star Dou Shi and reflects on the strengthening effects of his cultivation and Vajra Art. They arrive near Black Rock City, where he plans to take the alchemist examination and make use of his public identity as an alchemist.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan demonstrates overwhelming talent and confidence, using his achievements to negotiate the freedom to pursue his own goals. He remains wary of revealing more of his abilities and believes he must grow through hardship rather than rely on the academy.
• Ruo Lin shifts from astonishment to fierce enthusiasm about recruiting Xiao Yan. Learning how rapidly he recovered intensifies her regret at letting him leave.
• Xiao Yu is proud of her cousin but embarrassed that she failed to warn Ruo Lin about his extraordinary progress.
• Xiao Yi Xian makes clear that staying with Xiao Yan matters more to her than enrolling at the academy. She supports the journey with her Blue Bird and responds warmly, if coyly, to his affection.
• Xiao Ning and Xiao Xun’er’s achievements briefly impress the group, but Xiao Yan’s revelations eclipse them. His display also frightens Luo Bu’s followers, who realize how badly they misjudged him.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and ambition: Xiao Yan’s rapid rise sets him apart even among gifted young fighters.
• Independence versus institutional support: He declines to rely on Jia Nan Academy, choosing his own path despite its resources.
• Loyalty and companionship: Xiao Yi Xian prioritizes remaining with Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yu supports him and shares his story.
• Reputation as protection: Xiao Yan plans to use his alchemist status to attract allies and deter enemies.

Key events

• In Black Rock City, Xiao Yan searches the market for rare treasures but finds only ordinary medicinal materials.
• Xiao Yi Xian, now a Dou Zhe thanks to the Netherworld Poison Flame, incapacitates a lecherous stall owner with a poisoned needle.
• Xiao Yan explains that her Woeful Poison Body may become uncontrollable within five years, so he is seeking materials to suppress it. He buys a thousand-year white lotus and heads to the Alchemist Association.
• Xiao Yan asks to take the Three-Rank Alchemist examination. Though the receptionist and Lin Fei doubt him, Master Otto accepts him because Ya Fei and Teng Shan of the Mittel Family have recommended him and supplied materials for three attempts.
• In the examination hall, Xiao Yan chooses a formula for the Spirit Link Meridian-Penetrating Pill, which heals hidden injuries and helps lower-level cultivators open their meridians and advance.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yi Xian’s rapid cultivation shows how strongly the Netherworld Poison Flame affects her. Her teasing question—whether she and Xiao Yan are “just friends”—reveals growing affection, while Xiao Yan treats their bond as friendship.
• Xiao Yan remains composed and practical, focused both on helping Xiao Yi Xian and on developing his alchemy.
• Otto’s passion for alchemy makes him eager, rather than envious, to witness a young prodigy. Lin Fei, his student, is stunned and skeptical.
• The Mittel Family’s recommendation gives Xiao Yan credibility before he proves himself, reflecting Ya Fei and Teng Shan’s confidence in his talent.

Significant themes

• Talent and recognition: Xiao Yan’s exceptional skill draws the attention of established alchemists and influential patrons.
• Care and loyalty: Xiao Yan’s search for a way to control Xiao Yi Xian’s condition shows his concern for her future.
• Affection beneath friendship: Xiao Yi Xian’s playful teasing hints at deeper feelings, while Xiao Yan does not yet respond in kind.
• Reputation versus appearance: Xiao Yi Xian looks delicate but is dangerous, and Xiao Yan’s youthful appearance makes others underestimate his abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan completes the alchemist assessment, astonishing the hall by controlling the Netherworld Poison Flame and refining a third-grade pill with a Pill Pattern.
• Senior alchemists Otto and Frank recognize his exceptional skill and certify him as a Three-Rank Alchemist. Black Rock City cannot assess ranks higher than that.
• Afterward, Xiao Yan proudly shows Old Lord his three-star robe. Old Lord praises him only faintly, jokes that Xiao Yan should hide their teacher-student relationship, and describes how far Xiao Yan still is from matching the powers of his own world.
• Xiao Yan meets Xiao Yi Xian, who admires his new status and thinks about Xun’er’s suggestion that they form an alliance. He takes her to a transit station, and they depart for a destination near the Tagor Desert.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan displays masterful composure and skill under pressure, earning public recognition. He is proud of his achievement but quickly reminded by Old Lord that his ambitions require much greater strength.
• Xiao Yi Xian is impressed by Xiao Yan’s new prestige and becomes flustered around him. Her thoughts turn to the possible meaning of an alliance with him and Xun’er.
• Xue Mei and Lin Fei are shaken by the gulf between their abilities and Xiao Yan’s; Xue Mei’s distraction even causes her furnace to flare.
• Otto and Frank, despite their own expertise, are stunned by Xiao Yan’s fire control and pill-making ability.

Significant themes

• Talent and comparison: Xiao Yan’s achievement dwarfs the other candidates’ efforts, while Old Lord’s standards make even a major milestone seem small.
• Status and prestige: The three-star alchemist insignia brings respect, privileges, and social attention.
• Ambition and the long road to power: Xiao Yan’s hopes of returning to his other world are tempered by Old Lord’s reminder of the higher realms beyond his current reach.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan’s performance leaves the examiners and fellow candidates speechless, while Otto and Frank openly acknowledge his superiority.
• Old Lord teases and belittles Xiao Yan even as he recognizes his progress, creating a familiar mix of encouragement and humiliation.
• Xiao Yi Xian admires Xiao Yan’s insignia and is awkward about the implied alliance; Xiao Yan, unaware of her thoughts, casually takes her with him on the journey.

Key plot points and events

• During the journey, a maid offers Xiao Yan her services. Xiao Yi Xian steps between them, glaring protectively, while Xiao Yan jokingly asks what the maid meant.
• Xiao Yan spends a day refining Three-Rank Spirit Link Meridian-Penetrating Pills. His pill-making astonishes the alchemists nearby, who struggle to believe he can refine continuously without rest.
• His cultivation advances to seven-star Dou Shi. He reflects on how the Vajra Art and the second transformation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts strengthen his body, and on the art’s potential to develop Soul Perception and support future abilities.
• Xiao Yi Xian has guarded him during his work and accepts a bottle of poison-based pills from him. They help suppress the Netherworld Poison Flame’s toxicity and suit her better than consuming poison directly.
• As the bird lands, Xiao Yan leaves with Xiao Yi Xian and flies to an old-fashioned shop. There he meets the elderly Hai Bodong, who is surprised to find a very young Three-Rank Alchemist.
• Xiao Yan asks for a Tagor Desert map, a Fragmented Map, and—revealing that he knows who Hai Bodong is—three years of Ice Emperor Hai Bodong’s services.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan displays confidence in his alchemy and rapid cultivation. He is also playful, but his final demand shows he has a specific plan involving Hai Bodong.
• Xiao Yi Xian acts jealous and protective when the maid approaches Xiao Yan. Her youthful, mischievous side comes through as she eagerly takes the pills, contrasting with the more hardened person she may become later.
• Hai Bodong shifts from polite curiosity to wariness when Xiao Yan mentions the Fragmented Map. The request for his service catches him off guard.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian’s teasing, familiar exchanges show their growing ease and closeness. Xiao Yi Xian also takes responsibility for protecting him while he refines.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through discipline: Xiao Yan’s relentless pill-making and training produce rapid progress.
• Power built on foundations: He sees the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts as a comprehensive path that can strengthen his body and eventually expand his alchemical abilities.
• Youth and future change: Xiao Yi Xian’s present innocence contrasts with the mature, battle-hardened figure she may become.
• Hidden knowledge and leverage: Xiao Yan’s knowledge of Hai Bodong’s identity turns an ordinary shopping request into a pointed negotiation.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan confronts Hai Bodong and offers to free him from Queen Medusa’s seal by refining a Barrier-Breaking Pill, in exchange for five years of service.
• Hai Bodong doubts Xiao Yan’s motives, but Xiao Yan reveals his formidable control of poisonous fire and implies he can soon become a fourth-rank Alchemist. When Xiao Yan begins to leave, Hai Bodong relents, gives him both pieces of the Fragmented Map he holds, and accepts the five-year arrangement. Xiao Yan promises to make the pill within three years.
• Xiao Yi Xian asks how Xiao Yan seems to know so much about people. He jokes about details from the Poison Scripture and makes an embarrassing guess about a mole, provoking her anger and flustered denial.
• Hai Bodong notices their teasing, but his attention shifts when Xiao Yi Xian swallows a poisonous pill. Xiao Yan warns him to keep what he has witnessed secret; Hai Bodong obeys, sensing Xiao Yan could kill him if challenged.
• The group sets out for Stone Desert City, where Xiao Yan plans to find his elder brother at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. He clarifies that his brother is currently only a Dou Shi, while Xiao Yan considers himself the Xiao Clan’s sole genius.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows confidence, strategic bargaining, and an intimidating edge beneath his playful manner. He uses Hai Bodong’s desperation for the pill to secure both the map and a five-year commitment, while continuing to tease Xiao Yi Xian.
• Hai Bodong shifts from anger and suspicion to cautious acceptance. Though once a Dou Emperor, he is weakened and recognizes both Xiao Yan’s potential and the danger of opposing him.
• Xiao Yi Xian is impressed by Xiao Yan’s insight but becomes embarrassed and irritated by his personal teasing. Her use of a poisonous pill also reveals an aspect of her condition that Hai Bodong did not expect.

Significant themes

• Power and leverage: Xiao Yan’s alchemical promise and demonstrated strength let him negotiate from a position of control despite his youth.
• Trust, secrecy, and danger: Hai Bodong’s agreement rests partly on his belief that Xiao Yan can help him—and his fear of what happens if he crosses him.
• Knowledge and intimacy: Xiao Yan’s uncanny-seeming insight unsettles others, while his teasing blurs the line between familiarity and intrusion.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan reunites with his elder brothers, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. They initially fear the Xiao Clan may have forced him out, but learn he chose to travel after passing Jia Nan Academy’s entrance exam.
• Xiao Li is alarmed that Xiao Yan intends to train in the dangerous Black-Corner Region. At Xiao Ding’s request, he spars with his younger brother to test him.
• Xiao Yan reveals he is a Seven-Star Dou Shi, not a Seven-Star Dou Zhe. His flame-wreathed strike shatters Xiao Li’s spear and stops at his throat, stunning the mercenaries and convincing Xiao Ding of his strength.
• In private, Xiao Yan introduces Hai Bodong and Xiao Yi Xian, then asks his brothers to enter the Black-Corner Region with him and prepare the way for the Xiao Clan’s future expansion.
• He supports his proposal with a large supply of pills he has refined and reveals he passed the Three-Rank Alchemist assessment. His deeper motive is to find protection for the clan from threats he cannot openly explain. He plans to use the Black-Corner Region as a shield while placing the clan’s vulnerable members near Jia Nan Academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan returns as a far more powerful and capable young man. He is confident, skilled, and strategic, balancing his immediate training goals with concern for the Xiao Clan’s safety.
• Xiao Ding remains measured and protective. He listens carefully, tests Xiao Yan’s claims through Xiao Li, and then considers the larger plan rather than dismissing it.
• Xiao Li is affectionate and exuberant, but his concern quickly turns to anger at the thought that Xiao Yan might have been mistreated. His shock at losing the spar reveals how dramatically Xiao Yan has advanced.
• Xiao Yi Xian accompanies Xiao Yan; Xiao Li playfully questions whether she is “just a friend,” but Xiao Yan gives no answer. Hai Bodong’s imposing presence draws Xiao Ding’s attention, though he remains composed throughout the test and discussion.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and protection: The brothers’ reunion is warm, and Xiao Yan’s plans are driven in part by the need to safeguard the Xiao Clan.
• Power and proof: Xiao Yan’s fight and alchemy accomplishments turn his claims into visible evidence, earning his brothers’ attention.
• Strategy amid danger: The Black-Corner Region is both a deadly challenge and a potential route to security, while Jia Nan Academy offers a nearby refuge.
• Hidden threats and withheld knowledge: Xiao Yan knows the clan faces grave dangers but keeps their full nature to himself, revealing how responsibility can require secrecy.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan introduces Hai Bodong, a former Dou Huang and Mittel Family elder, and says he will stay with the Xiao Clan for several years once his cultivation is restored. Xiao Ding recognizes the significance of gaining such powerful support.
• Xiao Ding decides to move the Desert Iron Mercenary Group to the Black-Corner Region, taking its core members and anyone else willing to go, while compensating those who stay. Xiao Li immediately sets the plan in motion.
• Xiao Yan asks about Qing Lin, a mixed Snake-People and human girl whom Xiao Ding had taken in after seeing her mistreated.
• In the mercenary group’s courtyard, a senior member insults and threatens Qing Lin. Xiao Yan confronts him and swiftly beats and chokes him, warning him not to disrespect Xiao Ding again.
• Xiao Yan then approaches Qing Lin. Expecting disgust, she reluctantly reveals the cyan scales on her arm. He sincerely calls them beautiful, prompting the others to echo his praise under pressure.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Ding shows decisive leadership, prioritizing the clan’s future and acting quickly on Xiao Yan’s proposal.
• Xiao Li demonstrates loyalty and trust by carrying out the relocation order without hesitation.
• Xiao Yan uses force to defend his family’s authority, but treats Qing Lin with warmth and acceptance. He reassures her that her heritage is not shameful.
• Qing Lin, fearful and accustomed to rejection, is surprised when Xiao Yan admires the feature others despise.
• Hai Bodong observes the Xiao brothers’ close bond and distinct roles with quiet interest.
• Shelly objects to Qing Lin’s bullying but is constrained by the aggressor’s rank; she yields when Xiao Yan intervenes.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and collective ambition: The Xiao brothers work together to prepare for a dangerous move in pursuit of greater opportunity.
• Prejudice and belonging: Qing Lin is ostracized for her mixed heritage, while Xiao Yan rejects the idea that her bloodline makes her lesser.
• Power and respect: The chapter suggests that social judgments often change when someone has the strength to command respect—though Xiao Yan also uses his power to protect the vulnerable.

Key plot points and events

• Qing Lin, newly accepted by Xiao Yan, begins assisting him and admires him deeply.
• Xiao Yi Xian reveals that her Woeful Poison Body is becoming unstable. The Netherworld Poison Flame inside her has caused the condition to worsen far earlier than expected.
• Xiao Yan realizes the flame is too powerful for her to safely contain. He decides to seal it in place and make it her dominant flame, allowing its power to suppress the poison body—though the procedure will hurt and require him to replenish the flame regularly.
• Using the Fire-Wood Sealing Curse Technique, Xiao Yan draws the scattered flame into a seal in Xiao Yi Xian’s abdomen. The procedure is painful, but the flame’s destructive effects settle.
• Xiao Yan scolds her for concealing the problem. After he leaves, Xiao Yi Xian watches him fondly, pleased that the danger has strengthened their bond.
• Xiao Yan then has Qing Lin use her special ability to locate a scorching flame in the desert, apparently continuing his search for the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows concern for Xiao Yi Xian but reacts with anger when he learns she hid her worsening condition. He takes responsibility for stabilizing her and treats Qing Lin warmly, praising and reassuring her.
• Xiao Yi Xian has been deliberately enduring the flame’s effects, partly out of fear that her bond with Xiao Yan is too weak and that he might eventually leave her behind. Her relief after the sealing suggests she values the procedure not only for its protection but also for the closeness it creates.
• Qing Lin is shy and insecure, but she feels grateful to be allowed to stay near Xiao Yan. She eagerly helps him and successfully uses her ability to identify the flame’s direction.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian’s relationship is marked by affection, tension, and unspoken insecurity: he is protective, while she longs for a deeper, more secure connection. Xiao Yan’s gentle attention to Qing Lin also hints at the growing importance of their new bond.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: The Netherworld Poison Flame grants strength but accelerates Xiao Yi Xian’s dangerous condition.
• Trust and concealment: Xiao Yi Xian’s choice to hide her symptoms creates conflict, while Xiao Yan’s intervention underscores the need for honesty and mutual care.
• Attachment and insecurity: Xiao Yi Xian’s willingness to suffer reflects her fear of being forgotten or replaced.
• Protection and belonging: Xiao Yan’s care offers both girls a sense of safety and a place beside him.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan, Qing Lin, and Hai Bodong travel into an underground world of lava, guided by Qing Lin’s directions. Hai Bodong opens their route by blasting a shaft through the sand with an ice dragon.
• Xiao Yan finds the volcanic region near the Green Lotus Core Flame. He explains that a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake lives beneath the lava and asks Qing Lin to hold its gaze when he brings it out.
• Xiao Yan dives into the magma and provokes the snake. When it surfaces, Hai Bodong wounds it with ice crystals while Xiao Yan strikes it with his Mystic Staff and poisons it with the Netherworld Poison Flame.
• After the snake is weakened and forced onto land, Xiao Yan calls Qing Lin forward to try to subdue it by meeting its gaze.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains confident and strategic, using Hai Bodong’s strength to excavate and restrain the snake while carefully setting up Qing Lin’s role. He reassures her and tries to prepare her for the frightening task.
• Qing Lin shows strong trust in Xiao Yan and courage despite her fear. Her concern when he disappears into the lava, and the faintly clearer mark between her brows, suggest her unusual abilities may be awakening.
• Hai Bodong is repeatedly put to work by Xiao Yan and grumbles at being treated as the group’s laborer. He still proves capable and helps injure the snake, while jokingly reminding Xiao Yan of his former reputation as the Ice Emperor.
• Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong trade teasing remarks, but their cooperation is effective. Qing Lin’s bond with Xiao Yan is expressed through her immediate willingness to follow his instructions.

Significant themes

• Trust and loyalty: Qing Lin follows Xiao Yan even when his plan frightens her.
• Courage under pressure: She chooses to face the snake despite her fear.
• Power and resourcefulness: Xiao Yan compensates for Hai Bodong’s reduced cultivation with planning, specialized techniques, and cooperation.
• Mentorship and preparation: Xiao Yan guides Qing Lin toward a dangerous test that may awaken or develop her latent abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Qing Lin awakens after successfully using her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to tame the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. It becomes docile and coils around her wrist like a bracelet.
• Xiao Yan learns through the snake that Queen Medusa has not yet appeared. He takes Qing Lin and Hai Bodong deeper into the molten depths in search of her.
• Xiao Yan finds the Green Lotus Core Flame and decides to absorb it before leaving. Using his Qi Fire, he swallows and refines the flame.
• The absorption raises Xiao Yan’s cultivation from Seven-Star Dou Shi to Five-Star Da Dou Shi. He now carries two Heavenly Flames within his dantian and can wield them through Qi Fire.
• His progress in the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts also sharpens his senses and strengthens his soul power, bringing him close to the level of a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. His master explains that the spiritual energy he has cultivated will provide a foundation for greater advancement in another world.
• Xiao Yan returns to the surface, expecting to leave, but finds Hai Bodong and Qing Lin cornered by Queen Medusa.

Character developments and interactions

• Qing Lin gains confidence and control over her unusual ability, successfully taming a powerful snake. She is affectionate toward Xiao Yan, who praises her achievement.
• Xiao Yan shows growing mastery and ambition: he absorbs a second Heavenly Flame, reaches a major cultivation breakthrough, and calmly considers the risks of combining the flames.
• Hai Bodong remains confused by Xiao Yan’s plans and is later reduced to a frightened bystander beside Qing Lin.
• The Old Lord guides Xiao Yan’s understanding of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and its future potential.
• Queen Medusa arrives as the chapter’s looming threat, blocking the group’s apparent escape.

Significant themes

• Growth through risk: Xiao Yan’s dangerous refinement of the Green Lotus Core Flame brings a dramatic leap in power.
• Mastery and potential: Qing Lin’s rare talent develops through practice, while Xiao Yan’s cultivation opens new possibilities.
• Power carries consequences: Just as the group seems ready to leave, Medusa’s arrival turns their success into a new crisis.

Key plot points and events

• Queen Medusa discovers Xiao Yan after he emerges from the underground magma and realizes he has absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Heavenly Flame she needed for her own bloodline-evolution plan.
• Enraged, she restrains him with her serpent tail. Xiao Yan recognizes that, as a mere Da Dou Shi, he has almost no chance against the Peak Dou Emperor.
• To save himself, Xiao Yan offers to refine a Sect Breaking Pill that could help Medusa advance to Dou Zong. She doubts his ability, but his control of two Heavenly Flames convinces her he is an alchemist.
• Xiao Yan claims that, at sixteen and already a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, he can reach the Sixth Rank within a few years. Medusa agrees to spare him for now.
• Medusa then threatens Hai Bodong and Qing Lin as witnesses. Xiao Yan intervenes, offering to go with her to the desert if she leaves them alone.
• He argues that she now needs him: he has consumed the nearby Heavenly Flame, and he claims to know another way to help her bloodline evolve. Medusa remains in control, but Xiao Yan has secured a chance to negotiate.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan stays composed under extreme pressure, using his alchemical talent, ambition, and knowledge of Medusa’s goals to bargain for survival. He also risks himself to protect Hai Bodong and Qing Lin.
• Queen Medusa shifts from furious executioner to calculating negotiator. Her anger is rooted in her tribe’s history of defeat and displacement, and in the loss of a rare opportunity to evolve into a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
• Hai Bodong is exposed as unable to challenge Medusa in his weakened state, despite Qing Lin’s confidence in him.
• Qing Lin is frightened and appeals to Hai Bodong, adding urgency to Xiao Yan’s decision to step in.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Xiao Yan’s ingenuity is his only defense against Medusa’s overwhelming strength.
• Negotiation under coercion: Medusa holds physical power, but Xiao Yan uses his knowledge and skills to create leverage.
• Ambition and sacrifice: Medusa’s pursuit of power is tied to the Snake-People Tribe’s desire for security, status, and a homeland beyond the desert.
• Loyalty and protection: Xiao Yan risks provoking Medusa to shield his companions.

Character interactions

• Medusa’s close, apparently intimate examination of Xiao Yan contrasts with her cold threats and physical violence.
• Xiao Yan and Medusa test each other through claims and counterclaims: she demands an explanation for the lost flame; he offers pills and an alternative path to evolution.
• Xiao Yan steps between Medusa and his companions, while Qing Lin’s plea and Hai Bodong’s silence underscore how helpless they are against her.