Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• At the Black Seal Auction, Xiao Yan spots Elder Qing of the Green Snake Mansion and waits for the mysterious Fragmented Map, which may lead to a world-shaking treasure.
• Xiao Yan bids 110,000 gold coins for the map. Fan Ling of the Blood Sect raises the price to 200,000, apparently just to provoke him; Xiao Yan wins it with a final bid of 210,000.
• Xiao Yan considers punishing Fan Ling and the Blood Sect, both to avenge the insult and to strengthen the Xiao Clan’s standing and help his second brother. Medusa offers to handle them, but Xiao Yan declines.
• Xiao Yan’s Emperor’s Extreme Pill and Sect Breaking Pill each sell for ten million gold coins. Later, Elder Qing wins both the Thunder Bat Sky Wings technique and the auction’s grand prize, the seventh-tier Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill.
• Xiao Yan warns Elder Qing that her prizes may make her a target in the dangerous Black-Corner Region. She remains confident in the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s protection.
• Xiao Yan leaves with Medusa, Qing Lin, and Xiao Yi Xian. He has also obtained a copy of the Transformation Pill formula from Eight Gates and plans to try making the pill.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains composed and strategic, but his response to Fan Ling’s deliberate provocation reveals his resolve to use the Blood Sect’s defeat to advance the Xiao Clan.
• Medusa displays jealousy when Xiao Yan notices Elder Qing. Xiao Yan calms her with affection, and the two openly act like a devoted couple. Xiao Yi Xian is exasperated by their display.
• Fan Ling’s pride and impulsiveness lead him to antagonize Xiao Yan despite having no intention of winning the map.
• Elder Qing shows boldness—or overconfidence—by bidding against the Blood Sect and claiming valuable prizes, then dismisses Xiao Yan’s warning.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: Wealth and prized items bring danger as well as status, especially in the lawless Black-Corner Region.
• Ambition and factional strength: Xiao Yan views conflict with the Blood Sect as an opportunity to build the Xiao Clan’s reputation and influence.
• Jealousy and intimacy: Xiao Yan and Medusa’s playful, possessive dynamic contrasts with the auction’s political maneuvering.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan uses the Eight Trigrams Furnace and his two Heavenly Flames to refine a Seventh-Grade Transformation Pill. The furnace’s eight positions regulate heat, ingredients, and yin-yang and Five-Element energies; Xiao Yan realizes that both the furnace and his newly accessible true qi are essential to the process.
• After successfully completing the pill, Xiao Yan recognizes the achievement as proof that he has become a Seventh-Rank Alchemist. He treats the Transformation Pill as practice and plans to give it to White Fang.
• The pill’s energy sends a pillar of light above the inn, drawing attention from across Black Seal City. Powerful factions—including the Eight Gates, the Blood Sect, and the Heavenly Snake Mansion—wonder who the new alchemist is and consider approaching him.
• Cai Lin goes to protect the inn and Xiao Yan from anyone who might take advantage of an alchemist during refinement. The chapter ends as she appears above the crowd, orders everyone within a hundred meters to leave, and kills several hidden intruders as a warning.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan demonstrates his growing skill and soul control by refining a Seventh-Grade Pill. His calm response to the public spectacle shows his confidence in his strength and protection.
• Cai Lin takes responsibility for guarding Xiao Yan and the others. She also drops her earlier hostility toward Xiao Yi Xian, admitting she had only been sulking and praising Xiao Yi Xian’s talent.
• Xiao Yi Xian worries that her limited strength makes her a burden, but Cai Lin’s reassurance helps ease the tension between them.
• Qing Lin quietly observes the exchange and is pleased to see the two women reconcile.
• Fan Ling and Elder Qing recognize the political value of befriending a Seventh-Rank Alchemist, but Elder Qing chooses caution until she knows his identity.

Significant themes

• Mastery and advancement: Xiao Yan’s success marks a major step in his alchemy and soul-power control.
• Power and vulnerability: A pill’s creation can expose an alchemist to danger, making strength and protection essential.
• Alliance and reconciliation: Cai Lin and Xiao Yi Xian move past their friction through honesty and mutual recognition.
• Influence and ambition: Major factions see the alchemist’s appearance as an opportunity to gain wealth, prestige, or help their own advancement.

Character interactions

• Cai Lin tells Xiao Yi Xian to stay behind while she handles potential threats; Xiao Yi Xian responds with concern for Cai Lin’s safety.
• Cai Lin reassures Xiao Yi Xian that she does not blame her and compliments her ability, softening their strained relationship.
• Qing Lin watches the exchange and privately celebrates their newfound understanding.
• Fan Ling’s adviser urges him to cultivate the alchemist’s favor, while Elder Qing holds back from approaching until she can identify the newcomer.
• Cai Lin’s lethal warning forces the gathered experts to recognize that the alchemist is protected.

Plot and key events

• Fan Ling and the Blood Sect realize that the woman with Xiao Yan is a Dou Zong—apparently Medusa—and fear that Xiao Yan may be an immensely powerful alchemist. Fan Ling abandons his confrontation and leaves Black Seal City to consult his father.
• Elder Qing recognizes the woman and connects her to reports of Xiao Yan’s past power. Hoping to survive the dangers of the region, she decides she must make a favorable connection with him.
• Yuan Yi, leader of the Eight Gates, arrives with armed men but quickly shifts to ingratiating himself. He apologizes to Medusa, offers gifts, and gives her a region-wide Black-Gold Card, which she accepts.
• After the crowd disperses, Xiao Yan—disguised as another young man—shops in the city. He bargains down the price of a sealed, high-grade Storage Ring and buys it, appearing pleased by what he senses in it.

Character developments and interactions

• Fan Ling goes from swaggering confidence to fear and caution once he understands the power he may have provoked.
• Elder Qing responds to Xiao Yan’s reputation with calculated charm, while her subordinate privately doubts that Xiao Yan’s earlier warning was personal concern.
• Yuan Yi demonstrates political shrewdness: he uses a practical gift to cultivate goodwill with Medusa and, by association, Xiao Yan.
• Medusa (Cai Lin) remains cool and authoritative, dismissing the apology but accepting the useful card.
• Xiao Yan stays out of the public commotion, using his disguise to explore the market and his bargaining skill to acquire the ring.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Even uncertainty about Xiao Yan’s abilities is enough to frighten rivals and attract potential allies.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Fan Ling retreats, Elder Qing seeks protection, and Yuan Yi offers a useful token—all act with their own survival or advantage in mind.
• Appearances and hidden value: Xiao Yan conceals his identity, while the sealed Storage Ring may contain treasures—or nothing at all.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan secretly enters the Secret Chamber and removes the seal from an Advanced Storage Ring.
• Inside, he finds valuable alchemy recipes and medicinal materials, as well as a fragment of the Flame Mantra containing its owner’s diary.
• The diary reveals the owner is Han Feng, Yao Lao’s former disciple. Han Feng became a powerful alchemist but turned against his master after discovering Yao Lao had withheld part of the Flame Mantra. His attempt to exploit Yao Lao’s injury failed, and he escaped as a remnant soul.
• Han Feng appears from the ring and tries to recruit Xiao Yan by promising him the Flame Mantra. Xiao Yan reveals he has already found the fragment and recognizes Han Feng.
• When Han Feng attempts to flee, Xiao Yan traps him with Heavenly Flames, then seals him in a jade bottle, intending to deliver him to Starfall Pavilion.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan demonstrates strong soul power and control over Heavenly Flames, easily removing the ring’s seal and defeating Han Feng. He also shows judgment, seeing through Han Feng’s self-serving version of his past.
• Han Feng is exposed as ambitious and resentful, fixated on the Flame Mantra and unwilling to acknowledge what Yao Lao had done for him. His confidence collapses when Xiao Yan identifies and captures him.
• Yao Lao, though absent, is shown to have survived Han Feng’s betrayal and likely spared him out of lingering regard for their former master-disciple bond.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and ingratitude: Han Feng’s ambition overrides loyalty to the master who raised and trained him.
• Perspective and self-deception: Han Feng’s diary presents his grievance as justification, while Xiao Yan recognizes what it leaves out.
• Power and restraint: Yao Lao could have killed Han Feng but apparently chose mercy; Xiao Yan, by contrast, captures him for later judgment.

Character interactions

• Cai Lin notices Xiao Yan’s secretive behavior but lets him go.
• Han Feng attempts to manipulate Xiao Yan with promises of power, but Xiao Yan answers with mockery and clear knowledge of his history.
• Xiao Yan subdues Han Feng without accepting his offer, turning the former master manipulator into a prisoner.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan sells the Sea Heart Flame for 210,000 gold coins, then absorbs it into his Fire Flood Dragon. The flame joins the other Flame Seeds within it, increasing the power of his fire.
• Elder Qing visits Xiao Yan and asks him to save her, offering the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s help and invoking a seventh-grade pill. Xiao Yan refuses to help for free, reminding her that the Mansion abducted Qing Lin and still owes him an explanation.
• Elder Qing tries to persuade him by seducing him. Xiao Yan stops her and agrees only to have White Fang escort her safely out of the Black-Corner Region.
• Cai Lin arrives, checks whether Elder Qing left any mark on Xiao Yan, then kisses and teases him. They go to his room together, disturbing Xiao Yi Xian next door.
• The next day, Xiao Yan studies Han Feng’s Storage Ring. He finds several valuable sixth-grade pill formulas, including one for the Azure Nether Longevity Pill, and considers buying ingredients to make it.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan grows stronger through absorbing the Sea Heart Flame and continues to act cautiously in negotiations. Despite Elder Qing’s advances, he holds to his terms and offers limited help rather than trusting her.
• Elder Qing drops her poised façade when she admits she needs rescue, then turns to seduction when Xiao Yan refuses. Her regret at being stopped hints that the attempt was more than a last-minute tactic.
• Cai Lin shows jealousy and possessiveness, scrutinizing Xiao Yan after Elder Qing’s visit. Her playful intimacy with him contrasts with her formidable public image.
• Xiao Yi Xian becomes frustrated and embarrassed by the couple’s late-night behavior, temporarily losing interest in cultivation and the pill Xiao Yan made for her.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Xiao Yan’s mastery of multiple Heavenly Flame Seeds strengthens his position, while Elder Qing’s plea shows how vulnerable even influential figures can be.
• Trust, obligation, and bargaining: Xiao Yan refuses to overlook the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s past actions, making assistance conditional.
• Jealousy and intimacy: Cai Lin’s teasing affection and Xiao Yi Xian’s irritation add a domestic, comedic contrast to the chapter’s high-stakes cultivation and negotiations.
• Preparation for advancement: Xiao Yan’s interest in longevity and breakthrough pills reflects his careful planning for future cultivation.

Key plot points

• After several days of alchemy, Xiao Yan prepares to leave Black Seal City for Jia Nan Academy to find Xun’er. He asks about Elder Qing, who is due to depart that day, and sets out with Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin.
• Xiao Yan leaves Yuan Yi an Emperor’s Extreme Pill as thanks for supplying medicinal materials. Yuan Yi is delighted, seeing the gift as proof his effort to win Xiao Yan’s goodwill has succeeded.
• Fan Lao and his son Fan Ling wait outside the city to ambush Elder Qing and seize her Seventh-Grade pill and movement technique. Fan Lao dismisses the risk of provoking Xiao Yan.
• Elder Qing’s attempt to leave without protection fails: White Fang refused to carry her, and she decides to wait for Xiao Yan’s help if he happens to pass by. Fan Lao’s group attacks before that can happen, surrounds her party, and demands her possessions.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains generous and confident in his position, but his focus turns toward finding Xun’er. His companions react differently: Xiao Yi Xian is amused, while Cai Lin hides some anxiety about how she will fare against Xun’er.
• Qing Lin openly admires Xiao Yan, calling him the greatest man in the world.
• Yuan Yi’s gamble on cultivating Xiao Yan’s favor pays off, though the pill’s value is secondary to the goodwill it represents.
• Fan Lao’s arrogance overrules Fan Ling’s caution. He assumes Xiao Yan will not protect Elder Qing and threatens her with torture and abuse.
• Elder Qing, already frustrated by White Fang’s refusal, realizes too late that she should have delayed her departure and sought Xiao Yan’s protection.

Significant themes

• Power and influence: Xiao Yan’s status as a Seventh-Rank Alchemist inspires awe, yet Fan Lao believes the Black-Corner Region’s lawlessness can blunt even that influence.
• Risk and misjudgment: Elder Qing’s rushed departure and Fan Lao’s overconfidence both shape the looming confrontation.
• Loyalty and patronage: Yuan Yi’s generosity toward Xiao Yan is rewarded, while Elder Qing’s connection to him may have offered protection she failed to secure.

Key plot points and events

• Elder Qing and the Heavenly Snake Mansion disciples are cornered by the Blood Sect. Other nearby factions refuse to help, and Qing hopes Xiao Yan will intervene.
• Fan Lao’s subordinate steals Qing’s Storage Ring, giving the Blood Sect control of the Seventh-Grade Pill. Fan Lao orders his men to kill the disciples and take Qing captive.
• As Qing is disarmed and faces assault, White Fang arrives carrying Xiao Yan. He kills Fan Ling and Fan Lao with Dark-Green Flame, then burns the remaining Blood Sect members, ending the threat.
• Xiao Yan sends White Fang to take Qing and the surviving disciples back to the Heavenly Snake Mansion after dropping him and his companions at Jia Nan Academy.
• Qing thanks Xiao Yan and offers him the Seventh-Grade Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill and her auction prize, the Three Thousand Lightning Movement. Xiao Yan returns the pill, saying it is not valuable enough to interest him.

Character developments and interactions

• Elder Qing shifts from determined resistance to despair, then profound gratitude. She had underestimated Xiao Yan’s willingness to help and tries to repay him, while he gently rejects her attempt to test his motives.
• Xiao Yan demonstrates decisive, overwhelming power, punishing the Blood Sect without hesitation. Despite his fearsome reputation and violence toward his enemies, he treats Qing with generosity and refuses her valuable gift.
• White Fang reveals both compassion and loyalty: she had tried to guide Qing toward safety and now intervenes, knowing Xiao Yan would not abandon her.
• Fan Lao and Fan Ling are exposed as arrogant and cruel; both are killed once Xiao Yan arrives. Fan Lao’s fear turns to rage after his son’s death.
• White Fang respectfully calls Xiao Yan “Master,” while Qing expresses her gratitude through a formal bow. The nearby factions wait until Xiao Yan leaves before scavenging the Blood Sect’s remains.

Significant themes

• Cruelty and survival: In the Black-Corner Region, factions avoid risk and seize opportunities when the powerful fall.
• Power and mercy: Xiao Yan’s strength makes the rescue effortless, but his generosity—not merely his power—distinguishes him.
• Trust and misjudgment: Qing expects Xiao Yan to abandon her, while White Fang understands his character better.
• The cycle of predation: After the Blood Sect is destroyed, other factions move in to plunder it, reflecting the region’s harsh order.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan arrives in Peace Town, Jia Nan Academy’s heavily guarded outpost, riding White Fang, a Sixth-Rank Magical Beast. The Enforcement Team is alarmed, assuming such a mount signals an extraordinarily powerful visitor.
• Xiao Yan introduces himself as an Outer Academy student from Instructor Ruo Lin’s class. Instructor Huo De recognizes his name and arranges for him to travel to Jia Nan City, where the Inner Academy selection is scheduled for the next day.
• Xiao Yan leaves Cai Lin and Qing Lin in Peace Town to await and protect his father and eldest brother when they bring the Xiao Clan to the area. He plans to enter the academy with Xiao Yi Xian.
• Huo De warns Xiao Yan that Xun’er is popular and that many students are eager to meet him. Xiao Yan prepares to reunite with her and hopes to win her over.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan appears confident and powerful, though he downplays his strength. His return after more than a year away surprises the academy staff. He is mindful of how his companions’ presence might affect his reunion with Xun’er.
• Huo De begins cautiously, intimidated by Xiao Yan’s arrival, but becomes welcoming once he learns Xiao Yan is a former student. He is impressed by Xiao Yan’s connections, yet misreads his promise to Qing Lin as idle flirtation.
• Cai Lin readily agrees to stay behind. Her reluctance to face Xun’er reflects the complicated tension created by her marriage to Xiao Yan before his reunion with his childhood sweetheart.
• Qing Lin is disappointed when Xiao Yan tells her to remain behind, but cheers up after he promises to bring her into the academy once she reaches Dou Wang.
• Xiao Yi Xian accompanies Xiao Yan as an enrolled student and is described as an ally who may help ease tensions between Xiao Yan and Xun’er.

Significant themes

• Power and status: In the Black-Corner Region, strength determines how people are treated; even Jia Nan Academy’s rules cannot erase the deference inspired by Xiao Yan’s formidable mount.
• Love, loyalty, and jealousy: Xiao Yan’s relationships with Xun’er, Cai Lin, and Qing Lin complicate his return, and his choices show that he is trying to manage competing attachments.
• Reputation and mistaken impressions: Others infer Xiao Yan’s status from his mount, while Huo De’s assumptions about Xiao Yan’s power and romantic behavior prove incomplete.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and their companions arrive near Jia Nan City on a Griffin. When the Griffin can take them no farther, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian reveal they can fly using Dou Qi wings—evidence that both have reached the Dou Wang realm. Instructor Huo De and his Enforcement Team are stunned.
• Outside Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Yan finds Xiao Ning being beaten by Ma Yan and several other students. They have been targeting Xiao Ning because they cannot find Xiao Xun'er, and they ignored Xiao Ning’s warnings about Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan lets Xiao Ning retaliate. Xiao Yi Xian’s presence—and the revelation that two Dou Wangs are standing before them—terrifies the attackers. Xiao Ning beats them while Xiao Yan watches.
• Xiao Ning suddenly remembers that the Inner Academy selection is about to begin. If they are late, Instructor Ruo Lin may lose her teaching credentials.
• At the Arena, Xiao Xun'er wins a match and is greeted by the enthusiastic crowd. The flirtatious Little Demoness teases her about Xiao Yan, while Ruo Lin wonders whether he has arrived. Xun'er is hopeful but uncertain, since Xiao Yan was last known to be in the Black-Corner Region.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains composed, but his Dou Wang strength shows how far he has advanced. He protects Xiao Ning without needing to fight personally and lets his cousin settle the score.
• Xiao Yi Xian playfully teases Xiao Yan on the journey, then backs him up at the academy by looming over the attackers and blocking their escape.
• Xiao Ning is battered but defiant. Once Xiao Yan arrives, he gains the confidence to punish the bullies, though he then panics about missing the selection.
• Instructor Huo De shifts from curiosity about Xiao Yan to disbelief at his and Xiao Yi Xian’s power.
• Xiao Xun'er continues to impress in the Arena and remains eager for Xiao Yan’s return, while the Little Demoness openly flirts with her and Ruo Lin anxiously awaits news of him.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken assumptions: The academy’s students underestimate Xiao Yan, only to discover that he has reached an extraordinary level.
• Loyalty and protection: Xiao Yan’s arrival turns the tide for Xiao Ning, while Xiao Yi Xian supports him.
• Anticipation and romantic tension: Xun’er’s concern over Xiao Yan’s return contrasts with the Little Demoness’s teasing flirtation.
• Consequences of reputation: Xiao Yan’s name has made Xiao Ning a target, but his real power quickly changes how others treat them.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan is announced as the opponent of Bai Shan, a powerful and popular Da Dou Shi. With Xiao Yan absent for over a year, the crowd expects Bai Shan to win by forfeit.
• Bai Shan challenges the fairness of Xiao Yan’s extended leave, threatening not only Xiao Yan’s enrollment but also Ruo Lin’s position as his teacher.
• As officials consider removing Xiao Yan from the match, Hu Gan refuses, knowing Xiao Yan is an exceptional cultivator and alchemist whose background has drawn the academy dean’s attention.
• Xiao Yan makes a dramatic entrance atop a colossal, sky-darkening black pillar marked with ancient script and surrounded by three fiery, dragon-like patterns. Its overwhelming pressure terrifies Bai Shan, and Hu Gan pulls him out of danger.
• Xiao Yan identifies himself and declares that he has come to compete.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan returns with a display of immense power, immediately transforming the contest from a likely forfeit into a confrontation on his terms.
• Bai Shan’s confident, mocking demeanor collapses into panic when faced with Xiao Yan’s arrival and apparent strength.
• Ruo Lin fears for her job and Xiao Yan’s future, while Xiao Xun’er remains certain he will come. Her heartfelt smile at his arrival reveals the depth of her feelings and surprises the Little Demoness.
• Hu Gan protects Xiao Yan’s place in the academy, valuing his potential and connections despite pressure to strike his name from the roster.
• Xiao Ning appears behind Xiao Yan, proudly standing beside him, accompanied by an unnamed woman in white.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Xiao Yan’s entrance instantly overturns assumptions about who holds authority and strength.
• Loyalty and faith: Xun’er trusts Xiao Yan despite his long absence, while Ruo Lin has risked her standing to protect him.
• Ambition and institutional politics: Bai Shan’s challenge exposes tensions around privilege and fairness, while Hu Gan’s knowledge of Xiao Yan’s importance shapes the academy’s response.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan dramatically returns to Jia Nan Academy and appears above the arena, astonishing the students and staff with his immense strength.
• He agrees to compete and challenges the students who had demanded a “proper welcome,” especially Bai Shan.
• Bai Shan, a talented peak Da Dou Shi, loses his nerve and concedes without fighting. Xiao Yan calls the assembled students “pathetic trash,” and Hu Gan formally declares him the winner.
• Xiao Yan shrinks his enormous black pillar back into his Mystic Staff, then greets Instructor Ruo Lin and Xiao Xun’er.
• Hu Jia, frightened and embarrassed, confesses publicly that she likes Xiao Yan and only befriended Xun’er to get close to him.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan returns with overwhelming confidence and power, making clear that he now stands far above the Academy’s students. His playful charm toward Ruo Lin contrasts with his intimidating presence in the arena.
• Xiao Xun’er is delighted to see him, and much of her resentment fades despite his long absence. She also shows a mischievous streak by teasing Hu Jia.
• Bai Shan is psychologically crushed by the gap between himself and Xiao Yan; his surrender threatens to shatter his confidence.
• Hu Jia shifts from joking bravado to fear, then blurts out the truth about her feelings.
• Ruo Lin is overjoyed by Xiao Yan’s return but restrains the scolding she had planned after witnessing his strength.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan publicly confronts the Academy crowd and singles out Bai Shan, whose surrender ends the contest before it begins.
• Xun’er and Hu Jia share a teasing exchange: Xun’er turns Hu Jia’s earlier joke about jealousy back on her, then reveals Hu Jia’s admiration for Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan warmly greets Ruo Lin before facing Xun’er, while avoiding her gaze at first. Xun’er notices and looks toward Xiao Yi Xian, who greets her; the two women have kept in touch.
• Under Xiao Yan’s attention, Hu Jia’s attempt to hide behind Xun’er collapses into a public confession.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Xiao Yan’s dramatic return overturns the students’ assumptions and makes even a prodigy like Bai Shan seem insignificant.
• Pride and humiliation: Bai Shan’s defeat without a fight shows how overwhelming disparity can destroy confidence.
• Longing and reconciliation: Xun’er’s happiness at Xiao Yan’s return softens her lingering hurt over his absence.
• Comedy and romantic entanglement: Xun’er’s teasing and Hu Jia’s confession turn the tense arena scene into a public romantic embarrassment.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan reunites with Xiao Xun’er at Jia Nan Academy. Hu Jia and her grandfather, Dean Hu Gan, jokingly claim Hu Jia likes Xiao Yan, but he sees through the ruse.
• Xiao Yan apologizes to Xun’er for taking so long to visit. She feigns jealousy, and he reassures her with affection; they embrace and kiss in front of the academy disciples.
• Hu Jia complains that Xiao Yan kicked her away, while Hu Gan is secretly pleased that the encounter has ended her romantic hopes.
• Xiao Yan notices that Ling Ying has advanced to seven-star Dou Zong. Ling Ying credits the breakthrough to guidance from Xiao Yan’s master. Xiao Yan accepts him as a fellow disciple, with Xun’er’s approval.
• Xun’er raises the issue of Xiao Yan’s newlywed wife, Medusa. Xiao Yan declares Xun’er his “first wife,” promising a formal marriage and authority over his household. Xun’er happily accepts.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan is affectionate toward Xun’er and recognizes her political and interpersonal strengths, envisioning her as the person best suited to manage his household.
• Xiao Xun’er reveals a playful, jealous, and possessive side beneath her composed exterior. Reassured by Xiao Yan’s promises, she becomes cheerful and accepting.
• Hu Jia remains outwardly indignant but is forced to confront the gap between her feelings and Xiao Yan’s overwhelming stature.
• Hu Gan uses the misunderstanding to redirect Hu Jia’s affections and is impressed by Xiao Yan’s power.
• Ling Ying shows deep respect for Xiao Yan and his master, and is eager to accept Xiao Yan as his senior fellow disciple.

Significant themes

• Devotion and reassurance: Xiao Yan’s reunion with Xun’er centers on his efforts to affirm her importance.
• Jealousy and relationships: Xun’er’s concern over Medusa prompts a promise that clarifies her place in Xiao Yan’s life.
• Power and hierarchy: Xiao Yan’s strength and Ling Ying’s rapid advancement underscore the gulf between exceptional talents and ordinary cultivators.
• Household authority: Xun’er is presented as a capable future leader, not merely a romantic partner.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan sees through Hu Jia and Hu Gan’s claim, then turns his attention to Xun’er and affectionately reassures her.
• Hu Gan teases along with the lie and later warns Hu Jia against pursuing Xun’er’s partner.
• Ling Ying respectfully credits Xiao Yan’s master for his growth; Xiao Yan elevates him to the status of senior apprentice brother.
• Xun’er challenges Xiao Yan about Medusa, and he answers by promising her the formal position of primary wife and control of his household.

Plot and events

• The Inner Academy selection trials continue, but the matches feel anticlimactic after the spectacular feats of the opening day. Xiao Yan and Xun’er have disappeared, yet are still awarded two of the five places: no one is willing to challenge either of them.
• Xun’er has entered seclusion and stopped suppressing her cultivation, intending to break through to Dou Wang. Xiao Yan, with time on his hands, visits the trials.
• Xiao Yan’s success as a high-ranking alchemist has transformed the Xiao Clan. His pills have boosted the younger generation’s cultivation without weakening their foundations, allowing many clan members to enter Jia Nan Academy and rise quickly. The clan’s growing strength and access to pills attract widespread envy.
• Xiao Yan chats with Xiao Ning and other clan members as the crowd and even the competing fighters pay attention to his arrival. Xiao Mei greets him, and Xiao Ning teases her about her admirers.
• Acting on Xiao Ning’s advice to take initiative, Xiao Yu shyly asks Xiao Yan whether he would like to rest his head on her lap. He is left speechless.

Character developments and interactions

• Xun’er is motivated by the rapid progress of Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian to pursue a breakthrough of her own.
• Xiao Yu admits she feels outmatched by the women around Xiao Yan, but decides to make a direct romantic gesture after Xiao Ning urges her not to hesitate.
• Xiao Ning jokes with and encourages his sister, while enjoying the prestige and influence Xiao Yan’s success brings the clan.
• Xiao Yan remains relaxed and familiar with his relatives despite his fame, and notices how much Xiao Mei has grown. Xiao Yu’s offer catches him off guard.
• Xiao Mei is shy around Xiao Yan, while others view association with him as a source of status and protection.

Significant themes

• Collective advancement through individual achievement: Xiao Yan’s alchemy benefits the whole Xiao Clan, raising its standing and opportunities.
• Quality over shortcuts: The chapter contrasts inferior pills that inflate cultivation without a solid foundation with high-grade pills that strengthen both cultivation and potential.
• Romantic initiative and competition: Xiao Yu weighs her insecurities against the crowded field around Xiao Yan and chooses to act.
• Fame and influence: Xiao Yan’s presence alone commands attention and changes how others treat his clan.

Plot points and events

• The Outer Academy tournament concludes, with fifty disciples qualifying for the Inner Academy assessment. The top five are Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun’er, Xiao Yi Xian, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao; Xiao Yi Xian had displaced Bai Shan with a single kick. Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning also make the cut.
• Xiao Yan chooses a medicinal ingredient from the Mystic Scripture Pavilion, then confirms he will take part in the final assessment. He wants to collect Fire Energy—valuable currency in the Inner Academy, especially for access to the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
• The newcomers arrive at the assessment site, where veteran students are expected to intercept them. A senior student makes suggestive remarks about the newcomers’ female disciples and is reprimanded by an elder.
• Elder Bai recognizes Xiao Yan and learns that he insisted on joining despite his dangerous reputation. He revises the assessment rules: captured veterans retain at least ten days of Fire Energy, and veterans who survive to the end receive a bonus. When a student questions the original bonus, Elder Bai increases it to five hundred days’ worth of Fire Energy.
• The veterans realize the enormous reward may be a warning that the newcomers are unusually dangerous. They decide to cooperate and focus on surviving until the end rather than simply taking Fire Energy from the newcomers.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan is confident and pragmatic, treating the assessment as an opportunity to build up resources before entering the Inner Academy. His reputation is intimidating enough that the elders quietly anticipate trouble for the veterans.
• Hu Gan recognizes Xiao Yan’s motives and, though uneasy about the potential imbalance, acknowledges that Xiao Yan meets the participation requirements.
• Elder Bai responds to Xiao Yan’s presence by changing the rules to protect the veteran students, while maintaining the appearance of a fair assessment.
• The veteran students begin arrogantly, especially in their treatment of the newcomers, but become wary and form an alliance when the altered rules and reward suggest they may be the ones in danger.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Xiao Yan’s past actions shape how the elders assess the danger of the upcoming contest.
• Resource competition: Fire Energy is presented as essential currency, and the assessment becomes a contest over valuable access to cultivation resources.
• Reversal of expectations: The veterans expect to prey on the newcomers, but Xiao Yan’s arrival turns them into the likely targets.
• Confidence versus caution: The veterans’ greed tempts them to pursue the massive reward even as they sense that something is wrong.

Xiao Yan and his companions dominated the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, revealing that three of the newcomers were Dou Wang experts. At the finish line, Luo Hou learned the Black Fiend Team had already been defeated and realized he could not avoid the newcomers.

• A senior student robbed a newcomer of his fire energy points until Xiao Yan arrived and subdued him, prompting the senior students to surrender their Fire Energy Cards.
• Xiao Yan returned the stolen points, then flew off with Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian, whose Dou Wang auras stunned the senior students.
• A newcomer told the senior students that Xiao Yan was a Sixth-Rank Alchemist Grandmaster who had been away from the Outer Academy for more than a year.
• Luo Hou dismissed reports of three Dou Wang newcomers until his teammate confirmed that the Black Fiend Team had been swiftly defeated and stripped of its points.
• Luo Hou protested to Elder Bai that the newcomers' power violated the rules, but Elder Bai said they qualified and warned that they would soon reach the finish line.

Xiao Yan collected Luo Hou’s fire energy and agreed to establish a faction called the Dao Sect to protect future Xiao Clan students and recruit talent. When Xiao Xun'er revealed that the Gu Clan might take her back, Xiao Yan flew out to confront the ten approaching Gu Clan figures.

• Xiao Yan persuaded Luo Hou to hand over his Fire Energy Card and raised his total to 512 fire energy points.
• Hu Jia and Wu Hao proposed gathering the new students into a faction, and Xiao Yan agreed to name it the Dao Sect.
• Xiao Yan spent time with Xiao Xun'er, who asked whether he would miss her if she had to leave him.
• Xiao Xun'er explained that members of the Gu Clan wanted her returned, and Xiao Yan asked whether she minded him teaching them a lesson.
• Xiao Yan carried Xiao Xun'er into the air and faced the ten figures approaching from the Gu Clan.