Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan resists Queen Medusa’s threats by arguing that killing him could provoke the Misty Cloud Sect, whose newly powerful Old Sect Master might endanger the Snake-People Tribe. Medusa chokes and throws him down, but ultimately spares him.
• Xiao Yan sends Hai Bodong and Qing Lin back toward the Imperial City for safety, while Medusa takes him into Snake-People territory. Hai Bodong worries Xiao Yan may not survive captivity.
• In Medusa’s palace, Xiao Yan agrees to make Pills in exchange for Medicinal Materials. Medusa considers using marriage or other enticements to secure his loyalty, but Xiao Yan remains skeptical and focused on his own goals.
• Over the next six months, Xiao Yan consumes the tribe’s resources while producing valuable Fourth- and Fifth-Rank Pills. He reaches Seven-Star Dou Ling and advances to the level of a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, approaching Seventh-Rank.
• Xiao Yan reveals that many of the tribe’s leading fighters have unknowingly accumulated his Netherworld Poison Flame through his Pills. He could cripple them at will, but Medusa has never taken one, as she is waiting for the promised Transformation Pill.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan shows resolve and strategic cunning: he survives Medusa’s intimidation, negotiates for resources, and quietly builds leverage while improving his strength and alchemy.
• Queen Medusa shifts from outright coercion toward persuasion, recognizing that mistreating Xiao Yan could make him resent the tribe. Still, she remains wary and keeps the Transformation Pill as her goal.
• Hai Bodong is shaken by Medusa’s power and feels troubled about leaving Xiao Yan behind.
• Qing Lin fears for Xiao Yan and is willing to risk herself for him, especially after seeing Medusa overpower her snake companion.
• Yue Mei reacts fiercely to Xiao Yan’s flirtatious remark about Medusa, reflecting her reverence for the queen.

Significant themes

• Power and leverage: Xiao Yan counters physical weakness with political reasoning, alchemy, and a concealed threat.
• Coercion versus cooperation: Medusa needs Xiao Yan’s skills, while Xiao Yan uses the arrangement to gain resources and strength without trusting her promises.
• Deception and hidden danger: The Poison Flame in the Pills gives Xiao Yan influence that the tribe does not realize it has surrendered.
• Ambition and cultivation: The six-month period highlights Xiao Yan’s rapid growth and his preparation for future challenges in the Black-Corner Region.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan and Medusa trade threats, then negotiate an uneasy working arrangement in which each tries to control the other.
• Medusa considers winning Xiao Yan over through marriage; Xiao Yan responds with flirtation but privately dismisses her overtures as insincere.
• Yue Mei tries to attack Xiao Yan for disrespecting Medusa, but the queen orders her to stand down.
• Hai Bodong and Qing Lin leave the tribe’s territory concerned for Xiao Yan, while he remains behind to pursue his alchemical and cultivation goals.

Key plot points and events

• Yue Mei informs Xiao Yan that Queen Medusa and the Snake-People elders have summoned him. In six months, he has advanced ten cultivation levels and become a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, while his Pills have also strengthened many Snake-People.
• In a secret meeting, the elders debate how to secure his continued support. Mo Bass angrily rejects the idea of Medusa marrying a human and proposes restraining or crippling Xiao Yan, but the others warn that making an enemy of a powerful Alchemist would be disastrous.
• The Grand Elder argues that an alliance with Xiao Yan could give the tribe an unprecedented chance to rise. She asks Medusa to accept the marriage proposal.
• Medusa agrees, despite uncertainty about the consequences. The elders hope marriage—and possibly a child—will bind Xiao Yan to the tribe.
• Yue Mei brings Xiao Yan into the chamber, where he notices the unusually tense gathering.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains focused on his rapid advancement and alchemy; his growing influence has made him central to the tribe’s future. He and Medusa have shared a home for six months but have had little contact, moving only from hostility to occasional greetings.
• Medusa accepts the proposed marriage out of duty and strategic concern, though she is troubled by what it entails and unsure whether it is the right choice.
• The Grand Elder shifts from concern about imposing the alliance to relief when Medusa agrees. Her deeper aim is to secure Xiao Yan’s lasting connection to the tribe through family.
• Mo Bass remains openly hostile to Xiao Yan, while the other commanders favor accommodation because of the benefits his alchemy has brought.
• Yue Mei appears attracted to Xiao Yan but recognizes that he does not regard her as a prospective partner.

Significant themes

• Political marriage and duty: Medusa’s private wishes are subordinated to the tribe’s survival and advancement.
• Power and dependence: Xiao Yan’s talent makes him both a valuable ally and a potential threat; the elders believe they must secure his loyalty rather than provoke him.
• Ambition versus attachment: The elders see marriage and blood ties as ways to keep a rising talent in their “shallow pool,” even as they acknowledge he is likely destined for a larger world.
• Cultural division: The Snake-People’s rules forbid human marriages, yet necessity challenges that tradition.

Key plot points and events

• The Snake-People Tribe’s leaders, including the Grand Elder and the commanders, treat Xiao Yan with unusual warmth. Xiao Yan suspects the change is connected to Queen Medusa.
• Asked about his marriage prospects, he says he once had an engagement, then clarifies that his fiancée ended it. The revelation reassures the tribe’s leaders, who propose that he marry Queen Medusa.
• Medusa makes clear she would be his bride—not Yue Mei—and promises that, after marriage, he would be her only partner. Xiao Yan accepts, and the Grand Elder sets the wedding for the beginning of the next month.
• Later, as Xiao Yan and Medusa walk together, they discuss her snake tail and the difficulty of transforming or advancing her bloodline. Xiao Yan suggests that a specially refined pill, made using Heavenly Flames, might awaken the ancient bloodline within her.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains cautious despite accepting the marriage proposal; he still withholds his plans and treats the tribe’s kindness warily. At the same time, he shows concern for Medusa’s future and offers to help her reach her potential.
• Queen Medusa presents the marriage proposal coolly, but her flushed ears and softened manner reveal embarrassment and feeling beneath her proud composure. She listens with surprise and interest when Xiao Yan proposes a new path to strengthening her bloodline.
• The Grand Elder and Snake-People leaders regard Xiao Yan as a valuable potential ally and welcome the match. Mo Bass, by contrast, reacts with anger and is sharply reprimanded.
• Xiao Yan and Medusa share teasing, awkward exchanges that hint at growing intimacy, while their conversation about her abilities establishes trust and a practical partnership.

Significant themes

• Alliance and self-interest: The marriage is both a personal commitment and a political bond between Xiao Yan and the Snake-People Tribe.
• Pride and vulnerability: Medusa’s composed, formidable exterior contrasts with her quiet embarrassment and hopes for advancement.
• Trust and caution: Xiao Yan accepts the tribe’s offer but does not abandon his guarded approach.
• Breaking limits: The possibility of awakening Medusa’s ancient bloodline reflects the chapter’s focus on overcoming inherited constraints through knowledge and cooperation.

Key plot points and events

• Queen Medusa accepts her engagement to Xiao Yan with sincere devotion. Xiao Yan remains surprised by how quickly their relationship has changed, but says his efforts are for their future children as well.
• With the engagement confirmed, the Snake-People Tribe now treats Xiao Yan as its royal consort. Medusa assigns Hua She’er, a Dou Wang and commander of her personal guard, to protect him.
• Xiao Yan asks the tribe to provide rare medicinal ingredients needed for a pill intended to advance Medusa’s bloodline.
• Old Lord agrees to demonstrate his alchemy. He summons the enormous Eight Trigrams Furnace and teaches Xiao Yan how each of its eight positions produces different kinds of heat and serves a particular purpose in refining.
• Old Lord gives Xiao Yan a Banana Leaf Fan to stoke the furnace. Xiao Yan’s first swing unleashes a tremendous gust, raising vast sandstorms and towering tornadoes. Snake-People elders, the Grand Elder, and Medusa watch in alarm and wonder whether Old Lord—or Xiao Yan’s teacher—has intervened.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan is still inexperienced in romance and unsettled by Medusa’s sudden devotion, but he accepts responsibility for their future and focuses on obtaining what she needs. He also advances as an alchemist, learning the furnace’s deeper principles.
• Queen Medusa reveals a traditional, loyal side beneath her fearsome reputation. She sees Xiao Yan’s innocence as reassuring and now protects him as her fiancé.
• Old Lord acts as Xiao Yan’s teacher, offering a dramatic practical lesson and emphasizing that the furnace’s positions must be used correctly.
• Hua She’er shifts from guarding Xiao Yan to keep him contained to guarding him in earnest, while carrying out his requests.
• The Grand Elder and other Snake-People are astonished by the scale of the alchemical display, which far exceeds what they associate with even powerful alchemists.

Significant themes

• Devotion and commitment: Medusa’s loyalty contrasts with Xiao Yan’s uncertainty and lack of romantic experience.
• Teaching and mastery: Xiao Yan must learn the principles behind his tools rather than treating the Eight Trigrams Furnace as ordinary equipment.
• Power and perception: The spectacular display unsettles the Snake-People and makes them question the true source and extent of Xiao Yan’s abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Old Lord orders Xiao Yan to use the Banana Leaf Fan twice to drive powerful winds into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Xiao Yan struggles through the effort, using Qi-Replenishing Pills, before Old Lord combines several kinds of fire and completes a pill.
• The pill develops rudimentary intelligence and tries to escape, but Old Lord captures it in a Jade Bottle and gives it to Xiao Yan. Old Lord and the furnace then disappear.
• The Snake-People elders mistake Xiao Yan’s master for an immensely powerful alchemist from a major Central Plains force and become more respectful of Xiao Yan.
• The Pill Tower Ancestor—an ancient, intelligent Ninth-Grade Profound Pill in a child’s form—arrives, fascinated by the alchemy. Xiao Yan credits his master, and the Ancestor gives him a Little Pill Tower token, offering a way to contact him and inviting him to visit.
• The Ancestor mentions Xiao Yan’s connection to the Xiao Clan and laments its decline. Xiao Yan reflects on rescuing his ancestor Xiao Chen, now a Fire Slave in the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame’s space, and resolves to enter that space once he has all the map fragments.
• The Snake-People elders ask Xiao Yan for help: a stray flame from the alchemy is spreading through the northern Tagor Desert and cannot be extinguished, even by Dou Emperors.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan demonstrates stamina and control by wielding the fan, but is still overwhelmed by its demands. He is pleased to keep it and recognizes its formidable combat potential. He remains respectful toward the Pill Tower Ancestor while concealing how much he understands about his identity.
• Old Lord displays overwhelming power and casual authority, completing the pill and leaving Xiao Yan to handle the aftermath and visitors.
• The Pill Tower Ancestor shifts from curiosity to reverence after sensing the alchemy’s power. He seeks a connection with Xiao Yan, partly out of respect for his potential and concern about the Soul Clan.
• The Snake-People elders move from astonishment to careful deference, treating Xiao Yan as someone protected by a great master and offering him whatever he needs.
• Xiao Yan and the elders end on an awkward note: their request to deal with the spreading fire places a new burden on him.

Significant themes

• Power and perception: The spectacle makes others vastly overestimate Xiao Yan’s own status, though his master is the true source of the greatest power.
• Legacy and responsibility: Xiao Yan’s ties to the fallen Xiao Clan shape his plans, including his determination to rescue Xiao Chen.
• Strategic alliances: The Ancestor’s token creates a potentially valuable connection amid the threat posed by the Soul Clan.
• Power’s unintended consequences: Old Lord’s extraordinary alchemy leaves behind a dangerous fire that Xiao Yan must now address.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan’s use of the Yang Banana Leaf Fan accidentally spreads the Six-Ding Divine Fire into a vast sea of flames across the desert. Since the Yang Fan only intensifies fire, he cannot put it out immediately.
• He reveals that his master refined a pill to awaken the trace of bloodline within Medusa. Xiao Yan estimates it to be ninth grade, astonishing the Snake-People elders and prompting speculation that his master is a Dou Sheng.
• The Grand Elder suggests the flames could serve as a defensive barrier at the border. Xiao Yan agrees, leaving the vast blaze in place.
• In a private courtyard, Medusa tells Xiao Yan she will take the pill and marry him after emerging from seclusion. She then initiates a kiss and urges him to hold her, but Xiao Yan stops himself from taking their intimacy further. Medusa withdraws, evidently affected too.
• Xiao Yan sends letters to his father, eldest brother, and Hai Bodong, then plans to marry Medusa before traveling to the Black-Corner Region for training. He also wonders how Xiao Yi Xian is faring.
• The chapter shifts to the Jia Ma Empire: a messenger arrives at the Mittel residence with an urgent message. Hai Bodong, meanwhile, laments losing hope of obtaining a Barrier-Breaking Pill because of the woman who continues to haunt him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows both resourcefulness and embarrassment over the accidental fire, then uses the situation diplomatically. His affection for Medusa is clear, though he remains cautious about their physical relationship. He is also preparing to reconnect with family and allies before leaving.
• Medusa moves from her usual commanding composure toward open vulnerability. She acknowledges their planned marriage and makes the first move, but retreats after their encounter stirs her own emotions.
• The Snake-People elders are awed by Xiao Yan’s master and pill, and the Grand Elder quickly reframes the destructive flames as a strategic advantage.
• Hai Bodong is shown disappointed and frustrated by the loss of a chance to obtain a Barrier-Breaking Pill, with his thoughts dominated by a mysterious woman.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: The pill’s apparent ninth-grade quality transforms the elders’ view of Xiao Yan and his master.
• Intimacy and restraint: Xiao Yan and Medusa’s attraction grows, but both remain uncertain and emotionally affected.
• Unintended consequences turned to advantage: Xiao Yan’s accidental sea of fire becomes a potential border defense.
• Fate and separation: Xiao Yan prepares to leave for further training, while Hai Bodong reflects bitterly on fortune and lost hope.

Key plot points and events

• Hai Bodong receives Xiao Yan’s letter from the Snake-People Tribe. It mentions the Barrier-Breaking Pill, their five-year agreement, Heavenly Flames, and Xiao Yan’s supposed upcoming marriage to Queen Medusa. Hai Bodong interprets the marriage as a coded plea for rescue.
• Unable to confront the Snake-People Tribe directly, Hai Bodong plans to exploit Pill King Gu He’s interest in Heavenly Flames. He intends to tell Gu He that Medusa has taken one, hoping Gu He’s expedition will create enough confusion for a rescue.
• The Xiao family receives a wedding invitation addressed to Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding. Xiao Zhan recognizes his son’s handwriting and decides to go, while instructing Xiao Ding and Xiao Li to protect the clan and avoid seeking revenge if the trip proves fatal.
• At Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Xun’er learns that Xiao Yan was abducted and is to marry Medusa. Her composure breaks, and she reacts with intense fury.
• At the Misty Cloud Sect, Gu He’s advances toward Yun Yun remain unreturned. Yun Yun also tells Nalan Yanran not to resent the Xiao Clan for refusing compensation after she ended her engagement to Xiao Yan, and urges her to show him consideration at their coming three-year agreement.
• Yun Yun agrees to accompany Gu He to the desert in half a month to pursue Medusa and the Heavenly Flames, giving herself time to prepare.

Character developments and interactions

• Hai Bodong shifts from anxious waiting to a determined rescue plan, using Gu He as an unwitting means to provoke a confrontation.
• Xiao Zhan shows paternal resolve: he accepts the risk of going to the Snake-People Tribe but prioritizes his sons’ and clan’s survival.
• Xiao Xun’er reveals how deeply Xiao Yan matters to her; news of his forced marriage provokes a rare, violent loss of composure.
• Yun Yun remains reserved toward Gu He, while showing care for Nalan Yanran and concern that the Xiao Clan was treated unfairly.
• Nalan Yanran is nearing the Da Dou Shi level and remains confident in her decision to end her engagement, though Xiao Yan briefly returns to her thoughts.
• Mittel Tengshan is bewildered by the letter and regrets that the Xiao Clan’s talented alchemist is entangled with the Snake-People Tribe.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and family duty: Hai Bodong and Xiao Zhan accept risks to protect Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan.
• Miscommunication and coded intentions: The supposed wedding invitation and marriage announcement are treated as possible messages or traps, driving several characters toward action.
• Power, ambition, and leverage: Gu He’s desire for Heavenly Flames becomes the key to Hai Bodong’s rescue scheme, while the Misty Cloud Sect considers the political value of Gu He’s support.
• Unresolved relationships: Xiao Yan’s past engagement continues to affect Nalan Yanran, while Xiao Xun’er’s attachment to him is made unmistakable.

Plot points and events

• At the Misty Cloud Sect, Mo Li tries to get close to Nalan Yanran, presenting himself as concerned about her broken engagement. She firmly rejects him and leaves. Mo Li’s friendliness turns sinister: his clan hopes to use its connection to the sect to gain power, and he hints that an upcoming Mo Clan celebration may give them a chance to act against Yanran.
• In the Snake-People settlement, Xiao Yan waits while Queen Medusa spends nearly half a month refining a powerful Ninth-grade Pill. He expects it to advance her bloodline and is also awaiting the arrival of his father and eldest brother for his wedding.
• News arrives that humans have attacked the Charm-People Tribe. Yue Mei is wounded and fleeing, pursued by Gu He and a force that includes several powerful fighters.
• Xiao Yan orders Hua She’er to guard Medusa’s courtyard and flies off to investigate. His golden wings and extraordinary speed shock Hua She’er, who had underestimated his abilities.
• Yue Mei tries to escape while hoping that Medusa and the other Snake-People tribes will send help. Gu He’s group moves to stop her. Hai Bodong, disguised in black, and Teng Shan appear to have their own reasons for being involved, while Gu He asks Yun Yun to help capture Yue Mei.

Character developments and interactions

• Nalan Yanran remains composed and self-assured, making clear that rejecting her former fiancé does not make her available to Mo Li.
• Mo Li reveals the ambition beneath his charm: he views Yanran as a means for his clan to gain influence and is willing to use coercion.
• Xiao Yan takes charge when the Snake-People are threatened, showing unexpected combat abilities and earning Hua She’er’s respect.
• Hua She’er follows Xiao Yan’s order despite her concern, reflecting the Snake-People elders’ acceptance of him as Medusa’s future consort.
• Yue Mei endures her injuries and keeps fleeing, relying on a warning she sent ahead. Gu He’s forces include Yan Shi and Feng Li, while Hai Bodong and Teng Shan’s motives remain partly concealed.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: Mo Li’s plot contrasts with Nalan Yanran’s insistence on choosing her own future.
• Loyalty and trust: The Snake-People’s willingness to accept Xiao Yan, and his decision to protect them, deepen their bond.
• Hidden strength and uncertain motives: Xiao Yan’s abilities surprise Hua She’er, while Hai Bodong’s and Teng Shan’s intentions complicate the pursuit of Yue Mei.

Key plot points

• Yun Yun seriously wounds Yue Mei after overcoming the Snake-Person commander’s attempt to escape by splitting into many snakes.
• Xiao Yan arrives at the last moment, rescues Yue Mei, and reveals Dou Qi Transformation Wings. His sudden appearance shocks Yun Yun, Yan Shi, Feng Li, and Hai Bodong.
• Gu He explains that he came seeking the Heavenly Flames Queen Medusa took. Xiao Yan says he has already absorbed them and orders the visitors to leave.
• When Gu He insists on seeing Medusa, Xiao Yan declares that she is his fiancée and that their wedding is only days away. Yue Mei’s pleased, provocative reaction confirms the claim.
• Gu He refuses to back down, so Xiao Yan reveals two Heavenly Flames and uses them to form enormous fire wyrms that trap most of the group. Gu He quickly agrees to leave.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan reveals how much he has grown: Yun Yun remembers him as a Dou Shi from only half a year earlier, yet he now has the speed and presence of a far stronger cultivator. He also acts decisively to protect Yue Mei and defend his standing with Medusa.
• Yue Mei shifts from desperate, gravely wounded flight to visible relief in Xiao Yan’s arms. She accepts his “fiancée” claim without protest and uses her reaction to challenge the visitors.
• Yun Yun is startled both by Xiao Yan’s rapid advancement and by his intervention. Her earlier attack on Yue Mei places her in direct opposition to him in the moment.
• Gu He arrives confident that his pursuit of the Heavenly Flames justifies pressing into the Snake-People Tribe’s territory, but Xiao Yan’s threat and display of power force him to retreat.
• Hai Bodong begins to suspect that Xiao Yan’s earlier request for help was actually connected to the announced wedding.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Xiao Yan’s display turns a confrontation that had seemed to favor the visitors into one controlled by him.
• Loyalty and protection: He risks confronting powerful figures to save Yue Mei and protect Medusa’s territory and wedding.
• Reputation versus reality: The group must revise its assumptions about the young man they thought was merely a Dou Ling.
• Possessiveness and public commitment: Xiao Yan’s declaration of Medusa as his fiancée raises the stakes of the confrontation, while Yue Mei’s reaction publicly supports it.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan defeats Gu He, Yun Yun, Hai Bodong, and their companions with his two Fire Flood Dragons. At Hai Bodong’s plea, he spares them, though they are badly injured.
• Yue Mei, wounded while protecting Xiao Yan, recovers after he gives her a precious Fifth-grade pill. She openly shows affection for him, while the Snake-People elders warn her to be discreet around Queen Medusa.
• Xiao Yan thanks Hai Bodong with a Barrier-Breaking Pill and a recovery pill, and rewards Mittel Tengshan with a Dou Ling Pill for supporting his family. He learns his father is arriving and goes to welcome him.
• The Snake-People commanders, previously skeptical of Xiao Yan, now respect him after witnessing his strength. Mo Bass remains hostile.
• Yun Yun returns to the Misty Cloud Sect seriously injured. To hide her weakness from the Imperial Family, she announces a period of seclusion and orders the elders to keep her condition secret.
• Yun Yun asks Nalan Yanran to represent her at the Mo Clan patriarch’s birthday celebration, warning her not to draw attention to the sect. She also questions Yanran about Xiao Yan’s lost cultivation, but concludes the powerful young man she encountered was probably someone else with the same name.
• Half a month later, Xiao Li and Xiao Ding arrive with Xiao Zhan. Xiao Li tells Xiao Yan that Xiao Yi Xian left for the Chu Yun Empire, apparently seeking a way to help him. Qing Lin has also come and happily greets him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows both overwhelming power and restraint: he protects Yue Mei, spares Gu He’s group, and repays Hai Bodong and Tengshan for their help.
• Yue Mei’s gratitude deepens into romantic interest. The Grand Elder cautions her that Medusa has not yet emerged from seclusion.
• Yun Yun remains conflicted about Xiao Yan: she remembers his formidable power but doubts he is the same person as the Xiao Yan whose cultivation Yanran reported lost. Her injury also forces her to conceal her vulnerability and rely on Yanran.
• Nalan Yanran remains loyal to her teacher and follows her instructions, while Xiao Li and Xiao Ding reunite warmly with Xiao Yan and bring news of his absent friends.

Significant themes

• Mercy and reciprocity: Xiao Yan chooses not to kill his defeated opponents and rewards those who helped him.
• Hidden strength and mistaken identity: Yun Yun’s uncertainty about Xiao Yan underscores how drastically appearances and assumptions can mislead.
• Political instability: Yun Yun’s injury could upset the balance between the Misty Cloud Sect and the Imperial Family, making secrecy essential.
• Loyalty and affection: Yue Mei’s devotion, the Xiao family’s unity, and Xiao Yi Xian’s apparent effort to help Xiao Yan all emphasize personal bonds amid conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Qing Lin reunites with Xiao Yan after six months of training. She has grown healthier and stronger, reaching peak Nine-Star Dou Zhe. Xiao Yan is pleased by her progress and affection for him.
• Xiao Yan’s family has also advanced: Xiao Ding has become a Da Dou Shi, Xiao Li is near the peak of Dou Shi, and Xiao Zhan has reached peak Da Dou Shi. Xiao Yan gives Xiao Ding pills and supplies to strengthen the Xiao Clan, while cautioning him not to attract unwanted attention.
• As Xiao Yan prepares to return to the Jia Ma Empire after his wedding, Queen Medusa undergoes a dramatic bloodline evolution. Xiao Yan protects her transformation, silencing the settlement and guarding the site with two Fire Flood Dragons.
• Medusa emerges as a Dou Zong with human legs and a powerful, unfamiliar aura. In full view of the Snake-People Tribe, she kisses Xiao Yan and declares him her King Consort; their wedding is set for half a month later.
• Xiao Yan and Medusa pay respects to his family. Xiao Zhan gives her a bracelet that belonged to Xiao Yan’s mother, and Medusa accepts it warmly. Later, she joins Xiao Yan in bed, and they discuss her transformation. She recounts a vision of a world-ending catastrophe and a mythic act of repairing the sky. Xiao Yan recognizes the story and wonders what his teacher put in the pill that caused her evolution.

Character developments

• Qing Lin has become more confident and robust, though she remains devoted to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan shows growing power and responsibility, using his alchemy to support his clan and protecting Medusa during her evolution. He also chooses to wait until their wedding before becoming intimate with her.
• Queen Medusa has evolved into a higher, more human form and reveals a tender, affectionate side that contrasts with her fearsome reputation. Accepting Xiao Zhan’s bracelet and calling him “Father” mark her growing bond with Xiao Yan’s family.
• Xiao Zhan remains uneasy about his son marrying the infamous Medusa, but her respectful behavior begins to reassure him.
• Hai Bodong, still haunted by Medusa’s past violence, expects the worst and is stunned by her public affection for Xiao Yan.

Significant themes

• Reputation versus reality: Medusa’s cruel public image clashes with her private affection and respect.
• Family and belonging: Xiao Yan supports the Xiao Clan, while Medusa is welcomed into his family through the formal bows and his mother’s bracelet.
• Power and responsibility: Xiao Yan’s strength and resources can uplift his clan, but he recognizes that displaying too much wealth or power may invite danger.
• Myth and mystery: Medusa’s vision suggests a connection to ancient creation myths beyond the world’s known history, deepening the mystery of her bloodline and transformation.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan gently teases and praises Qing Lin, reinforcing her trust and attachment to him.
• Xiao Yan entrusts Xiao Ding with pills and practical advice for protecting and strengthening the clan.
• Xiao Yan shields Medusa’s evolution from disturbance, earning the Snake-People commanders’ respect.
• Medusa’s unexpected kiss shocks the onlookers and overturns their assumptions about her feelings.
• Xiao Zhan gives Medusa his late wife’s bracelet; she responds with warmth and calls him Father.
• Medusa and Xiao Yan share a playful, intimate conversation, ending with her extraordinary vision and Xiao Yan’s alarmed realization that his teacher’s pill may have triggered it.

Key plot points and events

• On Medusa and Xiao Yan’s wedding day, Mo Bass—drunk and resentful—encounters Qing Lin with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. He insults her mixed heritage, attacks Xiao Li, and demands that Qing Lin leave Snake-People territory.
• Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils unexpectedly take control of Mo Bass, leaving him vacant and obedient.
• Xiao Yan and Medusa arrive. Xiao Yan prevents Mo Bass from being punished immediately and assigns him as Qing Lin’s guard. Medusa agrees, warning Mo Bass that he will pay if Qing Lin is harmed.
• Qing Lin fears she has ruined the wedding and disappointed Xiao Yan. He comforts her, praises her ability, and gives her pills to help her advance to Dou Shi and strengthen her control.
• Xiao Yan removes and destroys Mo Bass’s soul, leaving his body as a controllable “puppet” for Qing Lin to use as a guard.

Character developments

• Qing Lin shows the power of her rare eyes, controlling someone far stronger than she normally could. Despite this, she remains insecure about her mixed heritage and worries that Xiao Yan will reject her.
• Xiao Yan responds protectively and reassuringly, treating Qing Lin’s actions as an achievement rather than a disruption. He also uses his power decisively to secure her control over Mo Bass.
• Medusa displays both tenderness toward Xiao Yan and ruthless protectiveness of his loved ones, accepting Qing Lin’s importance and defending her.
• Mo Bass shifts from a bullying commander to a helpless puppet after underestimating Qing Lin.

Significant themes

• Prejudice against mixed heritage and the harm it causes to Qing Lin’s self-worth.
• The contrast between outward weakness and hidden power.
• Loyalty and protection: Xiao Yan’s acceptance helps Qing Lin feel safe, while the Snake-People leadership enforces Medusa’s authority.
• Power and control, especially the reversal in which an arrogant aggressor becomes the controlled one.

Character interactions

• Mo Bass provokes the Xiao brothers; Xiao Li fights back but is badly injured, while Xiao Ding tries to prevent the conflict from escalating.
• Medusa offers to kill Mo Bass, but Xiao Yan chooses to make him Qing Lin’s guard instead.
• Xiao Yan comforts Qing Lin, wipes away her tears, praises her ability, and gives her pills, reinforcing their trusting, affectionate bond.

Plot points and events

• After their wedding, Medusa questions Xiao Yan about the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. He admits he possesses them but keeps his distance from the Snake-People, viewing them as useful allies rather than trusted members of the Xiao Clan.
• The scene turns playful and intimate as Medusa teases Xiao Yan for cultivating on their wedding night.
• At a gathering of Jia Ma’s young elites, Liu Ling describes Xiao Yan’s extraordinary power, including his ability to wield two Heavenly Flames. Nalan Yanran recognizes his name but assumes he cannot be the same Xiao Yan she once knew.
• The guests discuss Xiao Yan’s ties to Medusa and the Mittel Family. Ya Fei brushes off questions about her connection to him.
• Princess Yao Ye’s real purpose in inviting Ya Fei becomes clear: she is investigating Xiao Yan, whose history seems to have been deliberately erased. She suspects the Mittel Family is involved and is personally intrigued by him.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan remains cautious and politically minded, distinguishing between using the Snake-People as allies and trusting them as family.
• Medusa shows both her bold, challenging nature and a more playful, shy side with Xiao Yan.
• Nalan Yanran feels relieved that the powerful Xiao Yan is supposedly someone else, but his fame inspires her to grow strong enough to leave the empire.
• Yao Ye emerges as an ambitious, perceptive political player who is interested in Xiao Yan both as a potential match and as a figure of power.
• Ya Fei conceals what she knows while deftly redirecting the conversation; she also anticipates Nalan Yanran’s eventual realization about Xiao Yan.
• Liu Ling openly admires Xiao Yan and recognizes the limits of his own standing beside such a prodigy.

Significant themes

• Trust and political alliances: Cooperation does not equal intimacy or loyalty.
• Power and ambition: Xiao Yan’s rise unsettles the empire’s elite, while Nalan Yanran and Yao Ye respond by considering their own paths to strength and influence.
• Hidden identities and past choices: Xiao Yan’s erased history leaves others speculating, while Nalan Yanran remains unaware that the famous prodigy is the man whose engagement she broke.
• Political maneuvering: Beneath the gathering’s polite conversation, the imperial family and the Mittel Family are quietly assessing Xiao Yan’s connections and significance.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan and Medusa trade teasing remarks that shift into affectionate intimacy.
• Liu Ling’s account of Xiao Yan’s feats shocks the gathering and prompts Nalan Yanran, Yao Ye, and Ya Fei to reveal different reactions.
• Yao Ye probes Ya Fei for information, while Ya Fei parries her questions with humor and changes the subject.
• Yao Ye and Ya Fei recognize each other’s political awareness without openly stating their motives.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan visits the Xiao Clan’s new residence in the Imperial City, where the Mittel Family has housed them for six months.
• He thanks Mittel Tengshan, whose fortunes have improved dramatically after taking Xiao Yan’s Dou Ling Pill and advancing to six-star Dou Wang.
• Tengshan mentions that Ya Fei has returned and wants to see Xiao Yan. Queen Medusa, Cai Lin, reacts with jealousy, but Xiao Yan reassures her that Ya Fei is an old friend.
• Xiao Yan reunites warmly with Ya Fei. She is attracted to his success and considers that becoming his concubine might be preferable to the marriage her family could have arranged with Mu Zhan.
• Ya Fei reports that Nalan Jie’s worsening condition is beyond Gu He’s ability to treat. Xiao Yan says Nalan Yanran’s broken engagement is no concern of his.
• Cai Lin suggests visiting Nalan Yanran, partly out of curiosity and resentment on Xiao Yan’s behalf. Xiao Yan calms her before she can act on her hostility.
• Ya Fei mentions that the Alchemist Tournament is approaching. Xiao Yan decides that he and Cai Lin will attend.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows confidence and composure, balancing his affection for Cai Lin with his friendly, physically familiar reunion with Ya Fei. He remains detached from the broken engagement and its consequences.
• Cai Lin / Queen Medusa remains proud and intimidating, but her possessiveness and tenderness toward Xiao Yan are apparent. She is suspicious of Ya Fei and protective of Xiao Yan regarding Nalan Yanran.
• Ya Fei is flirtatious and welcoming, but also pragmatic: aware of her limited cultivation prospects and the social pressures facing her, she considers a future with Xiao Yan.
• Tengshan is deeply grateful to Xiao Yan and increasingly awed by his potential; Cai Lin’s presence frightens him.
• Xiao Yan’s easy affection toward Ya Fei contrasts with Cai Lin’s guarded jealousy, while his gentle reassurance keeps the encounter peaceful.

Significant themes

• Power and influence: Xiao Yan’s abilities and generosity have earned the Xiao Clan protection and made powerful figures eager to court his favor.
• Jealousy and affection: Cai Lin’s possessiveness reveals her emotional attachment, while Xiao Yan navigates her feelings without giving up his friendship with Ya Fei.
• Choice and consequence: Xiao Yan views Nalan Yanran’s broken engagement as her decision to own, rather than a personal wound.
• Pragmatism and social pressure: Ya Fei weighs romance against the limited options available to a woman without cultivation talent.

Plot and key events

• On the day of the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yan leaves Cai Lin to rest and goes with Ya Fei to the venue. He has no intention of competing, but the Alchemist Guild has invited him to serve as a judge.
• Xiao Yan wears his Guild-certified Three-Rank Alchemist robe, despite being far more advanced. Their arrival draws attention: he carries Ya Fei into the plaza with his golden wings, and spectators mistake him for a powerful Dou Wang.
• In the VIP area, they meet Princess Yao Ye, Yao Yue, and Liu Ling. Yao Ye recognizes Xiao Yan from the rumors, while Liu Ling is suspicious of the mismatch between Xiao Yan’s apparent rank and his presence.
• Before Ya Fei can introduce Xiao Yan, Mu Zhan attacks him. Xiao Yan catches the punch easily and sends Mu Zhan stumbling backward. Yao Ye threatens Mu Zhan with her spear, but Xiao Yan takes over the confrontation, challenging him to withstand one move or die.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains calm and confident, concealing his true strength behind his modest rank. His response to Mu Zhan’s attack is decisive and threatening.
• Ya Fei accompanies Xiao Yan openly and is clearly close to him. She is startled by Mu Zhan’s assault and Xiao Yan’s effortless defense.
• Yao Ye acts unexpectedly to protect Xiao Yan, risking conflict with the Mu Family despite the assumed alliance between the Mu and Mittel families.
• Mu Zhan arrives aggressive and possessive, calling Ya Fei “his woman.” Xiao Yan’s easy deflection unsettles him, though he tries to maintain his bravado.
• Yao Yue and Liu Ling watch the confrontation with surprise: Yao Yue had hoped to assess Xiao Yan’s ability, while Liu Ling doubts the identity suggested by his robe.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and appearances: Xiao Yan’s Three-Rank robe disguises his real ability, while his arrival and effortless defense reveal more than he intends.
• Power and social claims: Mu Zhan treats Ya Fei as his possession, but Xiao Yan’s challenge and Yao Ye’s intervention contest his assumed authority.
• Public status and political risk: The confrontation unfolds before influential figures, turning a personal attack into a potential clash between powerful families.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan reveals overwhelming power by crushing Mu Zhan beneath his aura. Onlookers recognize him as a Dou Emperor—and notice that he possesses two Heavenly Flames.
• After hearing how Mu Zhan attacked Ya Fei, Mu Family Clan Leader Mu Chen offers half the family’s wealth to seek mercy. Xiao Yan makes him endure one attack: Mu Chen’s defenses are destroyed, and he survives only after losing an arm.
• Xiao Yan spares the family but demands the promised wealth be given to the Mittel Family. His show of force is also a warning to Elder Jia and the Misty Cloud Sect not to threaten the Xiao Clan.
• With the disturbance settled, the Alchemist Tournament begins. Xiao Yan takes a place among the judges, confirming his status as an exceptional alchemist as well as a powerful fighter.
• Nalan Yanran arrives and learns that the young man at the judges’ table is Xiao Yan. When she finally sees his face, she realizes he is the same Xiao Yan whose engagement she broke.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains calm and controlled throughout the confrontation. He punishes Mu Zhan, forces Mu Chen to pay for his family’s wrongdoing, but stops short of killing him or destroying the whole family.
• Mu Chen accepts responsibility for Mu Zhan’s actions and risks his life to secure mercy for his family. He emerges badly injured and promises the wealth Xiao Yan demanded.
• Ya Fei explains the incident and stays close to Xiao Yan, attending to him at the judges’ table. Her intimacy with him draws jealous or competitive looks from others.
• Hai Bodong is openly pleased with his association with Xiao Yan, while Jia Xingtian envies the benefits Hai has received and tries to promote his own granddaughters, Yao Ye and Yao Yue.
• Yao Yue is fascinated by Xiao Yan and regrets that Yao Ye had the first opportunity to meet him. Liu Ling is awed by Xiao Yan’s power and potential as an alchemist.
• Nalan Yanran becomes increasingly uneasy as Xiao Yan’s voice and appearance seem familiar. Her guilt over her grandfather’s worsening poison deepens before the recognition finally hits her.

Significant themes

• Power and deterrence: Xiao Yan uses force not only to punish an immediate offense but to warn anyone who might target his clan.
• Responsibility and consequences: Mu Chen must answer for the actions of a family member, even though he was not the one who caused the trouble.
• Reputation and recognition: Xiao Yan’s extraordinary abilities have made him famous, but Nalan Yanran’s personal recognition ties that public legend back to their painful past.
• Jealousy and alliance: The characters’ attention to Xiao Yan reflects both romantic rivalry and the political value of being close to a rising power.

Key plot points and events

• Nalan Yanran sees Xiao Yan again and reflects on how much he has changed since she ended their engagement two years earlier. He is now a renowned powerhouse and Medusa’s husband.
• Xiao Yan treats Nalan with polite distance, chatting easily with Ya Fei and Yao Ye while leaving Nalan isolated. She accepts that she brought this situation on herself, though she privately imagines the punishment she might face if she becomes his slave after their Three-Year Agreement.
• At the alchemist tournament, Xiao Yan notices a black-robed contestant whose skill seems far beyond the level suggested by his records.
• The contestant is identified as a seventeen-year-old alchemist from the hostile Chu Yun Empire, but Xiao Yan recognizes that he is actually Yan Li, an older, Fourth-Rank Alchemist using an Appearance-Restoring Pill to disguise his age.
• Fa Ma explains that proving the deception is difficult: the pill is hard to make, and tournament officials cannot simply intervene without evidence or a replacement dose.
• Xiao Yan asks for the pill formula and prepares to address the cheating himself.

Character developments

• Nalan Yanran is increasingly conscious of the gap between her strength and Xiao Yan’s. Her regret and embarrassment mingle with an unexpectedly eager, romanticized anticipation of the consequences of their agreement.
• Xiao Yan remains composed and confident. He notices the disguised contestant through his superior alchemical perception and takes responsibility for protecting the tournament’s integrity.
• Fa Ma recognizes the seriousness of the deception but is constrained by the practical difficulty of proving and stopping it.
• Yan Li is revealed as a veteran alchemist concealing his age to exploit the tournament’s under-twenty rule.

Significant themes

• Consequences and regret: Nalan faces the emotional fallout of breaking the engagement and humiliating the Xiao Clan.
• Power and self-perception: Her pride in reaching Nine-Star Dou Shi collapses when measured against Xiao Yan’s extraordinary advancement.
• Deception and fair competition: Yan Li’s disguise exposes the political rivalry between the empires and the lengths one side will take to win.
• Responsibility and authority: Xiao Yan’s confidence in acting against the cheating contrasts with the officials’ limited options.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan and Nalan exchange a brief look; his warm but distant manner leaves her uncertain and alone.
• Xiao Yan socializes comfortably with Ya Fei and Yao Ye, underscoring Nalan’s separation from the group.
• Xiao Yan and Fa Ma discuss the contestant’s identity and the Appearance-Restoring Pill, while Hai Bodong and the others struggle to follow the alchemical clues.
• Xiao Yan’s final request for the formula signals that he intends to take action against Yan Li.

Key plot points

• Yan Li, a 37-year-old Fourth-Rank Alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire, produces a Peak Fourth-Grade Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill and appears poised to win the tournament. His victory would leave the Jia Ma Empire unable to challenge him openly.
• Just as Fa Ma is about to declare the result, Xiao Yan interrupts and accuses Yan Li of violating the tournament’s age limit. Yan Li denies the charge and demands proof.
• Xiao Yan says he can refine an Appearance-Restoring Pill on the spot to reveal Yan Li’s true age. Yan Li mocks him, doubting that he can make such a powerful pill so quickly.
• Xiao Yan ignites the Eight Trigrams Furnace with two flames and reveals an intimidating aura that onlookers mistake for that of a Dou Emperor. He then begins refining multiple ingredients at once, stunning the crowd and the tournament’s experts.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shifts from apparently having failed to prepare a dramatic challenge. His confidence, power, and technical mastery become clear as he undertakes an exceptionally difficult refinement before the entire arena.
• Yan Li goes from triumphant and provocative to shocked and uncertain when Xiao Yan exposes his age and demonstrates his strength.
• Fa Ma had resigned himself to defeat but is astonished by Xiao Yan’s intervention and skill. He explains the complexity of the simultaneous refinement to Ya Fei, who is amazed; Yao Ye also becomes fascinated by Xiao Yan.
• The Little Princess and Liu Ling, already discouraged by Yan Li’s superior pill, are left stunned by Xiao Yan’s display.

Significant themes

• Merit versus deception: Yan Li’s apparent championship is undermined by his concealed age and rule-breaking.
• Skill and ambition: Xiao Yan’s confidence is backed by extraordinary technique, not empty boasting.
• National pride and reputation: The tournament’s outcome matters beyond individual achievement, as the Jia Ma Empire risks being humiliated by a rival nation.
• The limits of perception: Xiao Yan’s apparent youth and calm demeanor conceal a level of power and expertise far beyond what the crowd expects.

Key plot points and events

• During the Alchemist Tournament, Xiao Yan quickly refines a genuine Fifth-grade Appearance-Restoring Pill, exposing Yan Li as an impostor who had used one to disguise himself as a seventeen-year-old Fourth-Rank Alchemist.
• The revelation also shows that Xiao Yan is a seventeen-year-old Sixth-Rank Alchemist Grandmaster—an unprecedented prodigy who could qualify for the tournament.
• Yan Li swallows the pill and returns to his true, middle-aged appearance. He flees, but Xiao Yan reveals he poisoned the pill with the Netherworld Poison Flame. The poison erupts as Yan Li tries to leave the capital, killing him in a corrosive blaze.
• Later, Cai Lin confronts Xiao Yan about the poison flame hidden in pills he had given the Snake-People Tribe. He explains he can control it, that it has been dormant and may even improve their cultivation, and offers to remove it. Cai Lin elects to leave it in place as a lesson.
• Cai Lin reveals that she has reached Four-Star Dou Zong after awakening her bloodline, with ambitions of eventually attaining far higher ranks.
• Nalan Yanran arrives asking to see Xiao Yan, presumably about her grandfather. Xiao Yan refuses, but Cai Lin insists they meet her and warns that she will not tolerate anyone trying to order or mistreat her husband.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan confirms both his extraordinary alchemical skill and his ruthlessness: he publicly unmasks Yan Li, then uses the poisoned pill to ensure his death. With Cai Lin, he is affectionate but embarrassed by her discovery of his secret. He initially refuses Nalan Yanran, showing resentment and reluctance to help her.
• Yan Li shifts from boastful fraud to terrified, exposed fugitive. His own advocacy of combining poison and alchemy becomes the means of his death.
• Cai Lin is protective and possessive of Xiao Yan, yet measured enough to let him decide whether to remove the poison from her people. Her confidence grows alongside her rapid cultivation progress. She takes charge of the coming encounter with Nalan Yanran.
• Fa Ma, Hai Bodong, and Jia Xingtian recognize the threat Yan Li poses and prepare to pursue him, but Xiao Yan’s concealed plan makes intervention unnecessary.
• Nalan Yanran appears only at the end, setting up a tense meeting shaped by Xiao Yan’s past engagement and Cai Lin’s protectiveness.

Significant themes

• Deception and exposure: Yan Li’s disguise collapses, while Xiao Yan’s apparent leniency hides a lethal trap.
• Poison as retribution: Yan Li dies by the very poison-and-pill practice he promoted; Xiao Yan’s hidden poison also raises questions of trust and responsibility.
• Power and vulnerability: Xiao Yan’s status commands awe, while even allies such as Cai Lin may unknowingly carry a danger he planted.
• Loyalty, marriage, and jealousy: Cai Lin’s protection of Xiao Yan contrasts with his unresolved history with Nalan Yanran.
• Ambition and potential: Xiao Yan’s alchemical genius and Cai Lin’s awakened bloodline suggest extraordinary futures for both.

Key plot points and events

• Nalan Yanran visits Xiao Yan to ask him to save her grandfather, Nalan Jie, whose long-suppressed Brand Poison has flared up. She is prepared to accept the consequences of breaking her engagement to Xiao Yan.
• Queen Medusa (Cai Lin) arrives with Xiao Yan and takes control of the encounter. She rejects Nalan Yanran’s plea at first, using her Dou Zong power to overwhelm her, then humiliates her and insists that a servant has no right to bargain with her master.
• Nalan Yanran gives up her remaining pride and accepts the role of Xiao Yan’s servant. Xiao Yan tells her to clean herself up, then agrees to go with her to the Nalan residence and examine her grandfather.
• Cai Lin declares that she and another woman—apparently connected to Xiao Xun’er and the Gu Clan—will not peacefully share influence over Xiao Yan. She presents Nalan Yanran’s new status as his personal concubine and orders her not to refuse him.
• At the Nalan residence, the family’s Alchemists confirm that Nalan Jie’s poison is beyond their ability to treat; they believe only someone with a Heavenly Flame can cure it. Xiao Yan’s arrival astonishes them, and Nalan Su welcomes him as the family’s hope.

Character developments

• Nalan Yanran shifts from a proud former fiancée to a desperate granddaughter willing to serve Xiao Yan to save Nalan Jie. Her submission also makes her newly aware of the rivalries among the women around him.
• Cai Lin displays both possessiveness and strategic control: she dictates the terms of Nalan Yanran’s submission, while apparently bringing her into Xiao Yan’s household herself.
• Xiao Yan remains reluctant to punish Nalan Yanran and had originally intended to leave her alone, but he agrees to help her family. He recognizes Cai Lin’s actions may be part of a broader struggle over his relationships.
• Nalan Su is anxious and helpless over his father’s illness, but gains hope when Xiao Yan arrives.

Significant themes

• Pride, consequences, and reversal: Nalan Yanran now occupies a position of dependence resembling the one Xiao Yan once faced when she ended their engagement.
• Power and submission: Cai Lin makes clear that status and strength determine who can ask for help—and on what terms.
• Loyalty and family duty: Nalan Yanran accepts humiliation to save her grandfather, while Nalan Su fears the collapse of the family.
• Romantic rivalry and possession: Cai Lin’s remarks foreshadow conflict among the women connected to Xiao Yan.

Character interactions

• Cai Lin intimidates and humiliates Nalan Yanran, then coaches her to address Xiao Yan as her master.
• Xiao Yan watches the exchange uneasily, but ultimately accepts Nalan Yanran as a servant and agrees to help Nalan Jie.
• Cai Lin privately assigns Nalan Yanran the role of Xiao Yan’s concubine, while Nalan Yanran recognizes that Xiao Xun’er may also be a rival.
• At the Nalan residence, the Alchemists eagerly crowd around Xiao Yan, but Nalan Yanran clears the way so he can meet her father.