Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• Xiao Yan awakens in the body of his eleven-year-old namesake in the Dou Qi continent. He has just become a Dou Zhe—an astonishing achievement—and discovers that his memories and cultivation are real.
• He recognizes the black ring on his finger as his late mother’s keepsake and remembers that Yao Lao, the powerful alchemist, is hidden inside it. In the original story, Yao Lao drains Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for years, causing him to lose his advancement and face humiliation.
• Determined to avoid that fate, Xiao Yan devises a workaround: have his father, Xiao Zhan, wear the ring so Yao Lao absorbs the stronger man’s Dou Qi instead. He plans to retrieve it once Yao Lao awakens and become his disciple.
• Xiao Zhan visits with congee, checks Xiao Yan’s stable foundation, and promises clan cultivation resources. His warmth—and his sadness that Xiao Yan’s late mother cannot see her son’s achievement—makes Xiao Yan hesitate to use him.
• Xiao Yan decides he must monitor the ring and protect his father’s foundation. He cleans it, puts it in a wooden box, and rehearses a tactful explanation for asking Xiao Zhan to keep it.
• Before he can finish, a faint light appears in the box, and Yao Lao’s amused voice praises Xiao Yan’s “filial devotion.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan is excited by his new life and exceptional talent, but quickly becomes calculating, using his knowledge of the original story to protect his cultivation. His scheme is selfishly convenient, yet his concern for his father and his mother’s keepsake reveals genuine affection and guilt.
• Xiao Zhan is a powerful, affectionate father and clan leader. He celebrates Xiao Yan’s breakthrough, looks after his comfort, checks his health, and defends his achievement against possible objections from the elders.
• Yao Lao is initially silent, leaving Xiao Yan to speculate about the ring’s effects. His sudden, teasing remark confirms that he has been awake enough to hear Xiao Yan’s rehearsed appeal.

Significant themes

• Destiny versus foreknowledge: Xiao Yan knows the original story’s dangers and tries to change its course before they begin.
• Family affection and obligation: Xiao Yan’s plan treats his father as a practical solution, but Xiao Zhan’s tenderness makes the ethical cost harder to ignore.
• Humor and self-interest: Xiao Yan’s elaborate attempt to present a convenient scheme as a respectful favor creates comedy, especially when Yao Lao exposes it.
• Talent and vulnerability: Xiao Yan’s extraordinary breakthrough brings status and opportunity, but the ring threatens to undermine it.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan nearly drops the box when Yao Lao unexpectedly speaks from the ring. He tries to explain that he planned to give the elder to his father for help, but quickly admits the plan was foolish.
• A Daoist emerges from the ring, freezing the room’s surroundings. He introduces himself as Bodhi. Xiao Yan recognizes the name and wonders if he has somehow entered the wrong story.
• Bodhi explains that he is one fragment of his true self, scattered across many worlds to evade Sun Wukong, whom he finds noisy and persistent. This fragment is powerful enough that using more of his strength could damage the world.
• Bodhi notices the ring’s unusual fate and tells Xiao Yan that he has two origins joined in one body. He gives Xiao Yan room to explain in his own time rather than demanding answers.
• Eager to learn immortality, divine abilities, and medicine refining, Xiao Yan asks Bodhi to take him as a disciple. Bodhi questions his motives. Xiao Yan admits he fears dying and being unable to prevent future calamities.
• Bodhi asks him to consider not only his own life but the lives of others. Xiao Yan cannot answer, and Bodhi does not accept him immediately. Instead, he tells Xiao Yan to visit his father the next day, teasing him about his earlier plan to offer his father’s cultivation.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan shifts from scheming to secure help for Yao Lao to openly seeking Bodhi’s instruction. His desire for power is rooted in fear and foreknowledge of future dangers, but Bodhi’s challenge makes him confront whether he cares about others as much as himself.
• Bodhi comes across as immensely powerful but relaxed and perceptive. He sees through Xiao Yan’s excuses and mixed origins, yet is patient and leaves him space to speak honestly.
• Yao Lao remains inside the ring, while Xiao Yan’s concern about his recovery sets up the encounter and Bodhi’s teasing.

Themes and interactions

• Power and responsibility: Bodhi pushes Xiao Yan to consider whose lives he wants power to protect.
• Honesty and self-knowledge: Xiao Yan abandons excuses, but struggles to define his deeper purpose.
• Fate and identity: The ring’s unusual ties and Xiao Yan’s two origins suggest a larger, complicated destiny.
• Their exchange mixes humor and tension: Xiao Yan’s awkward attempts to explain himself contrast with Bodhi’s calm, incisive teasing, while the unusual stillness of the room underscores the gap between their power.

Plot points and events

• The morning after becoming a Dou Zhe, Xiao Yan visits his father, Xiao Zhan, and overhears him offering up money meant for his own medicine to pay for Xiao Yan’s extra cultivation supplies.
• Xiao Yan refuses to let his father sacrifice his treatment. He learns that Xiao Zhan is coping with an old injury from a Magical Beast attack, and realizes his father has been hiding the pain.
• Xiao Yan takes a copy of the prescription to Grandmaster Bodhi and asks him to examine the injury before teaching him anything else. Bodhi confirms that Xiao Zhan’s meridians are obstructed but his foundation is sound; the prescription and proper recuperation can restore him.
• Bodhi offers to teach Xiao Yan medicinal knowledge as the first step toward learning alchemy and making pills to nourish the meridians. Xiao Yan eagerly agrees.
• Bodhi reveals that the injured soul Xiao Yan had called for is recovering safely in a Soul-Nurturing Lamp and no longer needs to absorb Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan prepares tea and formally asks Bodhi to accept him as a disciple. Bodhi agrees to teach him, warns him not to use his cleverness against those closest to him, and invites him to choose a path and divine abilities.

Character development and interactions

• Xiao Yan shifts from thinking mainly about cultivation and future alchemy to recognizing the immediate needs of his father. His concern leads him to put Xiao Zhan’s medicine ahead of his own extra resources. He also shows humility and sincerity in seeking Bodhi’s guidance.
• Xiao Zhan is revealed as a loving, self-sacrificing father who conceals his pain while providing for his son. He accepts Xiao Yan’s objection, but keeps their relationship warm and affectionate, teasing him and sending him away with breakfast.
• Bodhi tests Xiao Yan’s motives, then responds to his concern with reassurance and an offer to teach him healing-related knowledge. Their relationship becomes formal when Bodhi accepts Xiao Yan as a disciple.
• Xiao Yan’s exchange with Bodhi about the soul in the lamp shows his relief at no longer being drained of Dou Qi. His joking curiosity about a “senior brother” adds a light note to the formal apprenticeship.

Significant themes

• Filial care and family loyalty: Xiao Yan recognizes his father’s sacrifices and acts to protect him in return.
• Character before ambition: Rather than rushing toward powerful abilities, Xiao Yan chooses to address his father’s suffering first.
• Mentorship and responsibility: Bodhi’s warning makes clear that cleverness must be tempered by care for loved ones.
• Recovery and new beginnings: Xiao Zhan’s injury is treatable, the soul is safely sheltered, and Xiao Yan’s apprenticeship marks the start of a new stage in his cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Bodhi presents Xiao Yan with two paths of supernatural cultivation: the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts. Xiao Yan is dazzled by the many abilities and initially assumes the Heavenly Dipper Arts must be stronger because of their name.
• Bodhi corrects that assumption by turning a tea leaf into a lifelike bird, demonstrating that an art’s power depends on the cultivator’s depth, not its title.
• Asked what he wants his abilities for, Xiao Yan says he wants to protect his family, survive overwhelming danger, and counter soul-seizing techniques. Bodhi explains that Command the Five Thunders is especially effective against the Soul Hall’s sinister soul arts.
• Xiao Yan also asks about using supernatural arts to support pill-making. Bodhi warns that forcing plants to grow does not create medicinal age and can exhaust the soil.
• Xiao Yan weighs his interests in swordsmanship, battlefield-wide techniques, the five elements, lightning, and formations. Bodhi explains that the Heavenly Dipper path advances from regulating qi, to commanding objects, to uniting the five elements within oneself with the power of heaven and earth.
• Xiao Yan chooses the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts. Bodhi imparts their names and principles—but Xiao Yan’s first attempt to cast a spell fails. Bodhi clarifies that he has received a syllabus, not mastery, and tells him to begin by learning to breathe.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan shifts from chasing impressive abilities to considering practical needs and the responsibilities of protecting his family. He approaches his choice more thoughtfully, acknowledging that he must learn gradually.
• His concerns reveal his frugality and care for his household: alongside defense, he hopes to save money on medicine by learning herb cultivation and identification.
• Bodhi acts as a patient but discerning teacher. He challenges Xiao Yan’s assumptions, explains the limits and proper use of techniques, and tailors his guidance to Xiao Yan’s motives.

Significant themes

• Cultivation depends on understanding and practice, not labels or lists: grand-sounding techniques are meaningless without skill.
• Power carries limits and responsibilities: escape, future-sight, and accelerated growth cannot simply bypass constraints or consequences.
• Practical compassion over display: Xiao Yan’s first thoughts about his abilities center on family safety and household costs, not showing off.
• Preparation begins with fundamentals: even the most powerful path starts with something as basic as learning to breathe.

Character interactions

• Bodhi uses demonstrations and probing questions to guide Xiao Yan rather than simply choosing for him.
• Xiao Yan openly discusses his fears about enemies, the Soul Hall, and his family’s finances; Bodhi responds with reassurance, caution, and instruction.
• Their exchange ends on a humorous note: Xiao Yan expects to use his new powers immediately, but Bodhi taps him on the head and assigns him the most basic first lesson.

Xiao Yan begins learning Nine Breaths of Qi, initially mistaking it for a breathing exercise. Bodhi corrects him and teaches him to quiet his thoughts, sense spiritual energy, and guide it through his meridians. Xiao Yan successfully draws in a small amount, strengthening his Dou Qi, but finds that his body cannot yet handle too much energy.
Bodhi then presents two foundational cultivation arts. The Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art rapidly cultivates essence, qi, and spirit, builds a strong foundation, and offers a path to longevity—but its practitioners face recurring lightning, fire, and wind calamities, so they need additional abilities to survive. The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts slowly temper the body, making it exceptionally durable and capable of regenerating from severe injury as long as the primordial spirit survives. They also contain the Seventy-Two Transformations, including tricks that can fool opponents and help the user escape.
Xiao Yan is excited by both options. The Heavenly Immortal Art appeals to his ambition for rapid advancement and power, while the Arcane Arts’ resilience and versatility reassure him. Bodhi emphasizes that neither art’s abilities come automatically: Xiao Yan must cultivate them himself, and the Arcane Arts demand substantial time and resources. The chapter ends with Xiao Yan asking what to choose if he wants both command of the five elements and skill in close-quarters sword combat.
Character development and interactions: Xiao Yan moves from naïve enthusiasm to a more thoughtful comparison of cultivation paths, though his fantasies of surpassing powerful enemies remain. Bodhi acts as a patient but wry teacher, correcting Xiao Yan’s misunderstandings and explaining each art’s benefits, risks, and demands.
Themes: Mastery requires disciplined practice, not shortcuts; power comes with costs and dangers; and a cultivator must balance speed, durability, versatility, and personal fighting style.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan asks which cultivation method would best prepare him to learn the sword and protect himself from soul-stealing techniques.
• Bodhi recommends the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, explaining that they strengthen the body and spirit, while the Five Thunders can counter evil forces. Xiao Yan chooses the arts, deciding that survival and protecting his family matter more than rapid progress.
• Bodhi teaches him the introductory method and how to combine it with the Nine Breaths of Qi: spiritual energy is drawn in, then refined through the flesh, sinews, and bones rather than being forced into his Dou Qi vortex.
• Xiao Yan successfully completes his first circulation. The strain is painful, but his body feels firmer, and he can absorb energy more safely. Bodhi warns him not to overtrain and explains that body tempering requires food and medicinal baths; he provides a list of herbs to learn.
• Xiao Yan asks about the arts’ transformations, but Bodhi postpones them until Xiao Yan can control his energy and build a foundation.
• Xiao Zhan calls him to dinner. Xiao Yan hides the extent of his training, though his aching legs and sweat give him away. He is hungry, and his father reminds him to look after his health.
• As Xiao Yan prepares to change, Bodhi reappears with a twig and asks whether he has a sword suited to him, turning the focus back to sword training.

Character development

• Xiao Yan commits to a demanding, slower path because it will better protect his body and soul. His resolve is rooted not only in self-preservation but also in his wish to stand beside his father and defend the Xiao Clan. He shows eagerness to progress, but learns to obey Bodhi’s limits.
• Bodhi acts as a patient but firm teacher: he tailors the method to Xiao Yan’s weaknesses, gives practical guidance on recovery, and restrains his ambition when he risks overexerting himself.
• Xiao Zhan remains a caring, observant father. He notices Xiao Yan’s condition, worries about his health, and looks after him without pressing too hard.

Significant themes

• Protection through preparation: Strength means being able to survive an attack and protect others, not merely acquiring powerful techniques.
• Balance and discipline: Cultivation requires controlled effort, recovery, and nourishment; reckless practice can undermine progress.
• A body-and-spirit approach to strength: The chosen arts build physical resilience while also nurturing the spirit, addressing Xiao Yan’s fears about soul-based attacks.
• Family responsibility: Xiao Yan’s training is driven by his desire to share the burden of protecting his father and clan.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan questions Bodhi about the risks of soul-seizing techniques; Bodhi answers confidently and guides him toward the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts.
• During training, Bodhi demonstrates the energy route, corrects Xiao Yan’s pace, and sets a limit on his first session.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan share a warm, lightly humorous exchange about Xiao Yan’s supposed “sitting,” before Xiao Zhan tells him to change and eat.
• Bodhi’s final question about a suitable weapon signals the next stage of Xiao Yan’s sword training.

Key plot points and events

• Bodhi presents Xiao Yan with what looks like an ordinary dead branch, calling it a fine sword. Xiao Yan doubts him but takes it home.
• At dinner, Xiao Yan is distracted and eager to return to his room. He declines Xun’er’s invitation to visit the Marketplace, claiming he wants to reflect on his cultivation.
• Xiao Zhan gives Xiao Yan Gold Coins to spend, which inspires him to consider buying a scabbard for the “branch.”
• Back in his room, Bodhi instructs Xiao Yan to channel Dou Qi into the branch while practicing the Arcane Arts. It transforms into the three-foot Taiji Liangyi Sword.
• Bodhi explains that the sword can channel yin-yang and the five elements, and that Xiao Yan can combine its abilities with his Heavenly Dipper Divine Powers. The sword will grow more powerful as Xiao Yan’s cultivation and understanding deepen.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan is increasingly absorbed in his new cultivation and the mysterious gift. His curiosity turns to excitement and appreciation once the branch reveals its true form.
• Xun’er notices that Xiao Yan seems changed and unusually distracted. She is quietly puzzled and somewhat disappointed when he declines her invitation.
• Xiao Zhan remains supportive, praising Xiao Yan’s attitude toward cultivation and giving him money to celebrate his advancement.
• Bodhi continues to guide Xiao Yan, revealing the sword’s nature and potential through demonstration and instruction.

Significant themes

• Hidden potential: The plain branch conceals a powerful weapon, reflecting the chapter’s emphasis on appearances being misleading.
• Growth through understanding: The sword’s power develops alongside Xiao Yan’s cultivation and comprehension of yin-yang and the five elements.
• Balancing relationships and ambition: Xiao Yan’s excitement about his training pulls him away from family time, especially from Xun’er.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan questions Bodhi’s gift, but Bodhi calmly confirms that the branch is indeed a sword.
• Xun’er tries to connect with Xiao Yan and invite him out, while he repeatedly turns his attention back to his room.
• Xiao Zhan offers encouragement and financial support, though he lightly teases Xiao Yan for rushing through dinner.
• Bodhi explains how Xiao Yan can use the sword to channel and combine his powers, strengthening Xiao Yan’s enthusiasm for training.

Key plot points and events

• Bodhi gives Xiao Yan the Origin Returning Sword Manual, teaching him to gather dispersed strength along a sword’s edge and release it through a focused thrust. The manual can eventually channel Dou Qi, the five elements, and Xiao Yan’s divine arts.
• Xiao Yan learns the basic Origin-Returning Sword move. Eager to test it, he nearly strikes his room’s door, so Bodhi takes him outside to practice in a secluded mountain clearing.
• Xiao Yan’s first thrust sends out a thin streak of sword energy that cleanly cuts the top from a boulder. Amazed by the result, he tries again to remove a small protrusion, but cuts away more stone than intended.
• Meanwhile, Xun’er notices Xiao Yan’s unusual distraction and sudden urgency to cultivate. Worried, she quietly asks Ling Ying to observe him without revealing her involvement.
• Ling Ying finds Xiao Yan practicing alone and sees no sign of danger. Bodhi, however, notices the hidden observer and tells Xiao Yan not to turn around yet.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan is thrilled by the manual’s possibilities and quickly shifts from awe to hands-on experimentation. His enthusiasm makes him ambitious, but his second attempt shows that his control still needs work.
• Bodhi acts as a calm, teasing mentor: he explains the sword’s deeper principles, prevents Xiao Yan from damaging his room, and guides his outdoor practice while quietly detecting Ling Ying.
• Xun’er shows concern and affection for Xiao Yan. She respects his independence but feels uneasy that he has become preoccupied and is keeping parts of his life from her.
• Ling Ying follows Xun’er’s request discreetly, judging Xiao Yan’s cultivation to be stable and his late-night practice harmless—for now.

Significant themes

• Power through discipline and understanding: The manual begins with a simple strike but points toward mastery of natural principles and immense power.
• Practice, experimentation, and control: Xiao Yan’s successful first cut proves the technique’s potential, while his imprecise second attempt shows that power alone is not mastery.
• Care and secrecy: Xun’er’s concern leads her to watch over Xiao Yan from a distance, creating a quiet contrast with his private training and new relationship with Bodhi.

Key plot points and events

• While Xiao Yan practices the Origin Returning Sword Manual in the mountains, Bodhi reveals that Xun’er sent Ling Ying to check on him. Bodhi shields his presence and gives Ling Ying only ordinary sights to observe.
• Xiao Yan makes progress: his sword strikes become steadier, and Ling Ying finds him healthy, with stable Dou Qi and improved posture, though his cultivation remains at One-Star Dou Zhe.
• Ling Ying quietly follows Xiao Yan home, then reports his observations to Xun’er. Reassured that Xiao Yan is well, she decides not to keep investigating.
• The next morning, Xun’er brings Xiao Yan congee. He admits he has been preoccupied with learning new skills and apologizes for worrying her, while explaining that he cannot yet share all the details.
• Xiao Yan invites Xun’er out, ostensibly for a stroll, but plans to visit medicine shops. She recognizes his real intention.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan grows more focused and disciplined in his sword practice, but begins to recognize how his single-mindedness has affected Xun’er. He responds more openly and thoughtfully than he did the night before.
• Xun’er shows concern without demanding answers. Once reassured, she respects Xiao Yan’s privacy and welcomes his apology.
• Ling Ying carries out Xun’er’s request discreetly, assessing Xiao Yan’s condition but finding no explanation for his new swordsmanship or changed manner.
• Bodhi calmly protects his secrecy, reassures Xiao Yan, and encourages him to continue training.

Significant themes

• Concern balanced with respect for privacy: Xun’er wants to ensure Xiao Yan is safe but chooses not to pry once she knows he is well.
• Single-minded ambition and its cost: Xiao Yan’s excitement about cultivation has made him inattentive to others, prompting him to acknowledge and repair the strain.
• Hidden knowledge and secrecy: Xiao Yan’s new training remains unexplained to Ling Ying and Xun’er, while Bodhi quietly conceals the truth.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan and Xun’er visit Wutan City’s Marketplace to buy herbs for a medicinal bath. Xun’er spots that the shopkeeper has mistakenly supplied Green-Joint Vine instead of Green-Bone Vine, teaching Xiao Yan how to distinguish them.
• Xiao Yan buys chestnut cakes for Xun’er as thanks and chooses a sturdy wooden scabbard for his sword. After seeing a Jia Lie Family Marketplace dispute over stall fees, he reflects on the rivalry among Wutan City’s three families and his father’s responsibilities.
• One costly herb threatens to exceed Xiao Yan’s budget. Bodhi offers a substitute plant from the mountain and later prepares an Azure Origin Body-Tempering Liquid from the herbs Xiao Yan did obtain.
• Xiao Yan uses the liquid while circulating the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. It eases his soreness and markedly improves his strength, so Bodhi urges him to keep training and absorb its remaining medicinal power.
• Over the following days, Xiao Yan follows a routine of cultivation, physical conditioning, sword practice, and medicinal baths. After more than ten days, he advances to Three-Star Dou Zhe and demonstrates his increased strength by cracking a large rock with his bare hands.
• Bodhi then offers to teach Xiao Yan how to refine medicine himself, and Xiao Yan eagerly accepts.

Character development and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows greater discipline and maturity: he focuses on buying what he needs, expresses gratitude to Xun’er, studies herbal identification rather than relying entirely on his master, and commits to a demanding training routine. His rapid progress boosts his confidence, but he remains eager to learn from Bodhi.
• Xun’er proves knowledgeable and observant by catching the wrong herb, and she supports Xiao Yan with advice, food, and the loan of an herbal guide. Their comfortable companionship deepens as he becomes more receptive to spending time with her.
• Bodhi acts as a practical mentor, helping Xiao Yan work around his limited funds, preparing a suitable body-tempering medicine, monitoring his training, and preparing to teach him medicine refinement.
• Xiao Yan’s thoughts about the Marketplace dispute show growing awareness of his father’s duties and the political pressures between the city’s families.

Significant themes

• Discipline and steady growth: Xiao Yan’s rapid advancement follows consistent practice rather than cultivation alone.
• Mentorship and self-reliance: Bodhi guides him, while Xiao Yan also makes an effort to learn skills independently.
• Knowledge as practical power: Xun’er’s herbal expertise prevents a costly mistake, and Xiao Yan recognizes the value of learning.
• Support and companionship: Small gestures between Xiao Yan and Xun’er, alongside Bodhi’s help, reinforce the importance of relationships in his progress.

Plot points and events

• Bodhi teaches Xiao Yan to extract medicinal liquid using an earthenware bowl and the divine art Wind-Returning, Flame-Reversing, focusing first on sensing and controlling fire.
• Xiao Yan’s first attempt overheats the Red-Pattern Grass, ruining some of its potency. He learns to adjust the flame to suit each ingredient and successfully extracts and combines several herbs into a basic medicinal liquid.
• As he practices over the following days, Bodhi gives him a small bronze Cauldron, whose steadier heat makes refining easier. Xiao Yan gradually improves his herb knowledge and fire control, producing increasingly clear Azure Origin Body-Tempering Liquid.
• Xun’er brings Xiao Yan food and shares a lighthearted moment with him while he works. He explains that learning medicine will let him depend less on others for treatment.
• A month after becoming Bodhi’s disciple, Xiao Yan reaches four-star Dou Zhe. He asks to learn pill refining so he can help treat his father’s lingering injuries. Bodhi agrees and gives him a custom formula for the Origin-Restoring Meridian-Nourishing Pill.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan grows more patient and observant, learning from mistakes rather than forcing the fire. His confidence as a beginning medicine-maker increases, and his cultivation also advances. His wish to treat his father reveals his growing sense of responsibility.
• Bodhi acts as a measured, encouraging teacher: he gives Xiao Yan practical tools and guidance while letting him do most of the work.
• Xun’er supports Xiao Yan warmly, teasing him gently and encouraging his ambitions.

Significant themes

• Practice and patience: Skill comes from careful observation, controlled effort, and learning from failure.
• Power put to practical use: Xiao Yan jokes that a mighty divine art is being used to heat medicinal baths, emphasizing humble, everyday applications of extraordinary abilities.
• Care and responsibility: Xiao Yan’s first goal in advancing from medicinal liquids to pills is to help his injured father.

Character interactions

• Bodhi teaches Xiao Yan through demonstrations and brief corrections, allowing him to discover how different herbs respond to heat.
• Xun’er’s playful visit provides Xiao Yan with companionship and relief from the strain of his work.
• Xiao Yan and Bodhi share a quiet understanding when Xiao Yan presents his father’s prescription; Bodhi recognizes his motive and supports it.

Plot points and events

• Bodhi gives Xiao Yan a formula for the Origin-Restoring Meridian-Nourishing Pill, a second-rank pill suited to the medicines available in their world. He explains that guided practice is only a first step toward mastering alchemy independently.
• With Bodhi’s guidance, Xiao Yan carefully refines his first batch: three pills. A brief loss of control during pill formation is corrected by following Bodhi’s advice.
• Xiao Yan takes the pills to his father, Xiao Zhan, and reveals that he has begun learning alchemy from a reclusive expert. He keeps the details of his cultivation method and ring secret.
• Xiao Yan demonstrates precise fire control and explains that the pills should ease the stagnation around Xiao Zhan’s ribs. Xiao Zhan takes one; after an hour, his pain and restricted movement are noticeably improved.
• At dinner, Xiao Zhan looks healthier and credits Xiao Yan’s efforts. Later, he offers money for Xiao Yan’s future ingredients, but Xiao Yan declines for now and says he intends to earn the money himself.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan grows more confident as an alchemist and takes special care because the medicine is for his father. His pride in helping Xiao Zhan matters more to him than praise for his talent. He also begins thinking about supporting his own training financially.
• Xiao Zhan shifts from surprise and concern about his son’s mysterious new teacher to relief and pride after seeing Xiao Yan’s skill and feeling the pill’s effects. He readily agrees to rest and urges Xiao Yan to respect his master.
• Bodhi acts as a patient, practical mentor, guiding Xiao Yan through a difficult step while reminding him that following instructions is not the same as independent expertise.
• Xun’er notices Xiao Zhan’s improvement and quietly shares in Xiao Yan’s satisfaction.

Themes and character interactions

• Filial devotion: Xiao Yan’s first batch is meant for his father, and his careful work reflects how much Xiao Zhan’s recovery matters to him.
• Mentorship and learning: Bodhi’s guidance enables Xiao Yan’s achievement, while also emphasizing the limits of beginner success.
• Responsibility and independence: Xiao Zhan offers financial support, but Xiao Yan begins planning to fund his own alchemy and cultivation.
• Family trust: Xiao Yan shares his new apprenticeship with his father while protecting private details; Xiao Zhan responds with concern for his son’s obligations and well-being rather than suspicion.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan wants a sustainable way to earn money and chooses to make a medicine useful to ordinary practitioners, rather than sell his personalized body-tempering liquid.
• Bodhi teaches him the formula for Origin-Nourishing Spirit Liquid, which supports meridians and helps Dou Zhe and newly advanced Dou Shi absorb Heaven and Earth Qi.
• Short on money, Xiao Yan persuades his father, Xiao Zhan, to provide the ingredients and a few Gold Coins. Xiao Yan records the costs, intending to repay them from his profits.
• After two flawed batches, Xiao Yan identifies an incompletely purified ingredient as the cause of the liquid’s uneven quality. He improves his technique and produces three high-quality bottles.
• He decides to consign the medicine at the Mittel Auction House, disguising himself to avoid drawing attention to his age and clan. Bodhi alters his voice and conceals his aura.
• At the auction house, an appraiser inspects the first bottle and calls for Master Gu Ni to assess it.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan shows initiative and business sense, but also recognizes the need to learn through practice. He takes responsibility for borrowing money and persists through early failures.
• Bodhi acts as teacher and practical supporter, guiding Xiao Yan through the formula, encouraging him to diagnose his own mistakes, and helping him maintain his disguise.
• Xiao Zhan supports his son without taking over the project, giving him both supplies and spending money while leaving the learning process to him.
• Xun’er demonstrates thoughtfulness by giving Xiao Yan a carefully prepared price guide and reminding him to eat. Xiao Yan appreciates her help but chooses to handle the sale alone.

Significant themes

• Learning through failure: Xiao Yan improves by examining the flawed batches and identifying the source of their defects.
• Independence and responsibility: He wants to build his own livelihood and plans to repay the help he receives.
• Mentorship and family support: Bodhi provides expertise, while Xiao Zhan offers resources without depriving Xiao Yan of the chance to learn.
• Prudence and discretion: Xiao Yan disguises himself to avoid unwanted attention and complications.

Character interactions

• Bodhi challenges Xiao Yan’s claim that he will earn money himself, prompting a humorous justification for borrowing startup funds, then advises him throughout the refining process.
• Xiao Zhan backs Xiao Yan’s venture while urging him to understand how it works, not merely whether it succeeds.
• Xun’er offers practical assistance and expresses concern for Xiao Yan’s well-being; he thanks her and promises to return early.
• Bodhi teases Xiao Yan as he struggles with his oversized robe and imitation of an elderly seller, then helps disguise his voice and aura.
• At the auction house, Xiao Yan’s guarded manner contrasts with the appraiser’s growing seriousness, setting up the medicine’s formal evaluation.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan brings three bottles of Origin-Nourishing Spirit Liquid to the Mittel Auction House, disguised in a black robe as an elderly expert.
• Second-Rank Alchemist Gu Ni examines a sample. He confirms it is a high-quality second-rank medicine that can speed cultivation for Dou Zhe and help newly advanced Dou Shi nourish their meridians.
• When Gu Ni asks how its ingredients were blended so cleanly, Xiao Yan relays his master’s advice: use less heat when extracting Jade Dew Leaf. The insight impresses Gu Ni, who thanks him for the instruction.
• Xiao Yan consigns the three bottles as separate auction lots for the sale the day after tomorrow, helping more buyers compete. He asks the auction house not to reveal the medicine’s origins and gives his assumed name as Mr. Origin Return.
• Back home, Xiao Yan tells Xun’er the medicine is headed to auction. He plans to repay his debt, buy more ingredients, and—if there is enough left—treat her to a meal.
• Ya Fei, newly responsible for an important auction assignment in Wutan City, reads the catalog and recognizes the medicine’s appeal to local families. She schedules the bottles near the auction’s end and orders invitations sent to distinguished regulars.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan gains confidence in his refining ability and enjoys seeing his work earn Gu Ni’s respect, though he remains cautious about promising money before the sale.
• Gu Ni proves both discerning and intellectually curious. Rather than merely appraising the medicine, he reflects on Xiao Yan’s advice and is inspired to revisit his own refining technique.
• Xun’er supports Xiao Yan with warm humor, while playfully holding him to his promise of a good meal.
• Ya Fei shows sharp commercial judgment, quickly recognizing the medicine’s value to the city’s influential families.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan maintains his mysterious persona with Gu Ni, who respectfully accepts his brief technical advice.
• The auction-house staff honor Xiao Yan’s request for discretion about the medicine’s origins.
• Xiao Yan and Xun’er share a lighthearted exchange about his plans for the auction proceeds.
• Ya Fei turns the appraisal into a sales strategy, positioning the medicine to attract high-profile bidders.

Significant themes

• Skill and learning: Xiao Yan’s success reflects his own hands-on effort as well as his master’s guidance; Gu Ni’s response shows that expertise includes willingness to reconsider established methods.
• Secrecy and reputation: Xiao Yan uses a disguise and alias to protect his identity while letting his work speak for itself.
• Opportunity and ambition: The auction may provide Xiao Yan with money to repay debts and continue refining, while also giving Ya Fei a chance to make her first assignment a success.

Summary

• Xiao Yan’s medicine sells exceptionally well. At the Mittel Auction House, the black-robed Xiao Yan watches Ya Fei present three bottles of his second-tier Origin-Nourishing Spirit Liquid. Her detailed explanation of the medicine’s benefits draws bidders in, and the bottles sell for 16,000, 18,000, and 21,000 Gold Coins—55,000 in total. Xiao Yan is thrilled by the profit, while Bodhi teases him for being so excited about money.
• Ya Fei and Xiao Yan establish a business arrangement. After the auction, Ya Fei gives him a clear settlement statement and the proceeds on a gold card. Xiao Yan checks the figures carefully, then gives her a list of medicinal ingredients he needs. The auction house can supply most of them and will obtain the rest. Ya Fei offers him a VIP token and future assistance; Xiao Yan agrees to buy ingredients through Mittel and let their cost be deducted from later sales, but avoids promising a regular supply. Ya Fei and Gu Ni respect his direct approach and agree that serving him well is the best way to maintain the relationship.
• Xiao Yan shares his earnings with his father. Back at the Xiao Clan, he presents Xiao Zhan with the proceeds he has set aside, including an additional 10,000 Gold Coins on a card. He explains that he has repaid the initial investment and kept enough for his cultivation, offering the remainder to help with clan expenses. Xiao Zhan initially refuses, but is moved by his son’s thoughtfulness and eventually accepts.
• Xun’er joins Xiao Yan for a meal. She notices his good mood and asks whether the medicine sold well. Xiao Yan invites her out to eat, promising not to take her to medicine shops this time.

Character development and interactions

Xiao Yan shows growing confidence as a medicine seller: he recognizes the value of skilled presentation, negotiates carefully, and manages his earnings responsibly. His generosity toward Xiao Zhan reveals his concern for both his father and the clan. Ya Fei is perceptive and tactful, building a professional connection without prying into Xiao Yan’s identity. Xiao Zhan’s initial surprise turns to pride and affection, while Bodhi provides dry humor and Xun’er shares in Xiao Yan’s pleasure.

Significant themes

The chapter highlights the value of skill and presentation in turning a product into profit, the importance of trust and fair dealing in business, and Xiao Yan’s filial care and growing responsibility. It also contrasts the practical value of money with the satisfaction of earning it through one’s own work.

Plot and events

• Xiao Yan enjoys his first meal paid for with money he earned through alchemy. Xun’er offers him a prepared pouch of money in case he runs short, but he declines, promising to ask if he ever needs help.
• As they walk home, Xun’er notices that Xiao Yan’s eagerness to grow stronger is sometimes mixed with worry. He admits he fears being too weak to protect people he cares about. Xun’er encourages him to keep those around him in mind and face difficulties together.
• The next day, Xiao Yan gives Xun’er a mild medicinal liquid he made specifically to soothe fatigue and nourish the meridians. She appreciates the thoughtful gift and tries it that night; Ling Ying notices her pleased reaction.
• Over the next few weeks, Xiao Yan’s cultivation and swordsmanship improve through Bodhi’s tailored medicinal baths and his own steady training. His alchemy business also becomes more orderly, with Mittel handling sales and preparing ingredients.
• Seeing a clan guard nursing an injury and worried that resting will cost him a chance to advance, Xiao Yan recognizes how difficult it is for the guards to balance work, injuries, and cultivation. He asks Bodhi whether they can modify a body-tempering liquid to help the guards grow stronger.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan becomes more open about the anxiety behind his drive to cultivate. His concern expands from his own progress and family to the welfare and strength of the wider clan.
• Xun’er shows quiet attentiveness and support: she anticipates Xiao Yan’s financial needs, notices his hidden distress, and offers to face problems alongside him. She is also touched by his personal gift.
• Bodhi continues guiding Xiao Yan’s training and is now asked to help adapt his knowledge for the clan’s benefit.
• The clan guards are shown as hardworking but vulnerable to injuries and limited opportunities to cultivate.

Themes and interactions

• The chapter emphasizes care expressed through practical gestures: Xun’er’s offer of money, Xiao Yan’s handmade medicine, and his concern for the guards.
• It contrasts personal ambition with responsibility to others. Xiao Yan wants strength not just for himself, but to protect loved ones and strengthen the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Yan and Xun’er’s relationship grows through honest conversation, mutual trust, and gentle teasing, while Xiao Yan’s interactions with the guards prompt him to turn empathy into action.

Plot and key events

• Xiao Yan brings his father a revised, cheaper medicinal-bath formula created by Bodhi. Because the clan cannot afford to treat every guard immediately, Xiao Zhan and the elders agree to test it on a small group, including the injured guard captain Xiao Hong.
• Five days later, the trial proves successful: the guards recover faster, their lingering aches ease, and Xiao Hong’s cultivation begins advancing again. The Grand Elder approves expanding the program, provided Xiao Yan is not burdened with every task.
• The clan organizes the work: staff prepare the ingredients, Xiao Yan handles the final refining, and the medicine is distributed according to individual needs. Xun’er helps track the dosages and encourages Xiao Yan to rest.
• As the baths become routine, the guards train more consistently. Xiao Yan also teaches them simple stretching methods, while keeping the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts to himself. Xiao Hong, guard captain Xiao Shi, and steward Xiao Yue reach Nine-Star Dou Zhe.
• Over three months, Xiao Yan balances cultivation, medicine sales, and refining remedies for the clan, yet advances to Nine-Star Dou Zhe himself. Bodhi gives him a recipe for a third-tier Origin Condensation Pill, to study once he becomes a Dou Shi.

Character development and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows practical concern for the clan, devising an affordable way to improve its members’ health and strength. He shares credit with those who train, and his own cultivation continues despite his responsibilities.
• Xiao Zhan acts cautiously at first, insisting on a trial, then supports the program and delegates its workload so Xiao Yan is not overburdened.
• The elders move from skepticism about the expense to recognizing the treatment’s value after seeing its results.
• Xiao Hong regains mobility and momentum in his cultivation, becoming deeply grateful to Xiao Yan, though Xiao Yan insists the breakthrough comes from Hong’s own effort.
• Xun’er contributes quietly and attentively, organizing dosages and looking after Xiao Yan’s well-being.
• Bodhi continues guiding Xiao Yan, supplying the revised formula and setting his next cultivation milestone with the Origin Condensation Pill recipe.

Significant themes

• Collective progress: The clan improves through coordinated effort, not just individual talent.
• Practical compassion: Treating old injuries helps the guards recover, train consistently, and advance.
• Responsibility and balance: Xiao Yan supports his clan while continuing to cultivate, and others help ensure the burden is shared.
• Earned achievement: Xiao Yan gives credit to the guards’ own discipline rather than claiming their breakthroughs as his doing.

Plot points and events

• In the fourth month of his training, Xiao Yan compresses the Dou Qi in his vortex into liquid and advances to One-Star Dou Shi, confirmed by his ability to form a Dou Qi Gauze Robe.
• Under Bodhi’s guidance, he tests his improved strength with the Taiji Liangyi Sword, cutting a deep crack into a boulder.
• Xiao Yan carefully prepares and successfully refines three Third-Rank Origin Condensation Pills, with Bodhi offering a small correction during the process.
• The pills are given to Xiao Hong, Xiao Shi, and Xiao Yue, three loyal Xiao Clan members whose injuries and cultivation have improved through recent treatment. Each enters secluded cultivation and advances to Dou Shi over the next three days.
• News of the trio’s breakthroughs inspires the clan’s guards and raises Xiao Yan’s standing within the Xiao Clan.
• The Jia Lie Family learns of the Xiao Clan’s three new Dou Shi and begins investigating the source of the clan’s recent gains.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan has progressed rapidly as both a cultivator and alchemist. His increased strength, perception, and control—supported by his cultivation of the Heavenly Dipper Divine Powers and Eight-Nine Arcane Arts—help him refine a Third-Rank pill.
• Bodhi continues to mentor Xiao Yan, advising him on stabilizing his breakthrough and correcting his technique during pill refinement.
• Xiao Hong, Xiao Shi, and Xiao Yue move from long-frustrated aspiration to genuine advancement. Xiao Hong’s emotional reaction shows how deeply he had wanted to reach Dou Shi.
• Xiao Zhan supports both the three recipients and Xiao Yan. His healed injuries and more relaxed demeanor reassure Xiao Yan, who takes particular satisfaction in seeing his father at ease.
• Xun’er quietly celebrates Xiao Yan’s growing reputation and shows her care by moving food closer to him.
• Jia Lie Bi recognizes that the breakthroughs could strengthen the Xiao Clan’s defenses and business operations, prompting him to investigate.

Significant themes

• Perseverance rewarded: Years of service and training finally bring Xiao Hong and the others the breakthrough they had long hoped for.
• Strength through knowledge and preparation: Xiao Yan succeeds through patient practice, careful observation, and guidance rather than relying on raw talent alone.
• Collective prosperity: Xiao Yan’s achievements benefit the entire clan, inspiring its members and giving them greater security.
• Rising rivalry: The Xiao Clan’s new strength alters the balance between local families, setting up further conflict.

Plot points

• Jia Lie Bi suspects that the Xiao Clan has an Alchemist, based on its bulk purchases of medicinal ingredients, its own healing medicines, and several guards’ sudden advances to Dou Shi. He sends his son, Jia Lie Ao, with the two-star Dou Shi Steward Luo to investigate.
• Xiao Yan and Xun’er stroll through the Xiao Family Market. Jia Lie Ao causes a scene at an apothecary, breaking a bottle of wound medicine to challenge its price and quality.
• Jia Lie Ao then harasses Xun’er and tries to grab her wrist. Xiao Yan intervenes, kills him with one palm strike, and then kills Steward Luo with a single sword stroke when the steward attacks.
• The stunned onlookers realize Xiao Yan’s strength is far beyond what they thought—and apparently at the level of a Dou Shi.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows both decisive protectiveness toward Xun’er and startling power. His recent medicine-making and sword practice have made him formidable, though his strength surprises even the crowd.
• Xun’er firmly rejects Jia Lie Ao’s advances and is ready to act, but Xiao Yan shields her. She remains calm during the violence and praises his sword afterward.
• Jia Lie Ao acts arrogant, relying on Steward Luo’s backing to provoke the Xiao Clan; his entitlement and aggression end in his death.
• Steward Luo initially uses his rank to intimidate the Xiao guards, but underestimates Xiao Yan and is killed while retaliating.
• The crowd’s view of Xiao Yan shifts from that of a young genius to someone capable of defeating a Dou Shi with ease.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Jia Lie Ao assumes his family’s influence and a Dou Shi’s presence will protect him, but Xiao Yan’s strength overturns that confidence.
• Protection and loyalty: Xiao Yan steps between Xun’er and danger; Xun’er, in turn, trusts him and stays focused on his safety.
• Hidden growth and its consequences: The Xiao Clan’s apparent rise—and Xiao Yan’s own strength—draws attention from rivals and foreshadows escalating conflict.

Summary

After Jia Lie Ao and Butler Luo are brought back dead, Jia Lie Bi learns that Xiao Yan killed them both—reportedly killing the young master with one strike and Butler Luo with a single sword blow. At first he refuses to believe Xiao Yan could be strong enough, but witnesses say Butler Luo identified him as a Dou Shi. Jia Lie Bi connects Xiao Yan’s rapid progress and the Xiao Clan’s recent breakthroughs to the possibility of a powerful Alchemist supporting them. Though furious and grieving, he decides not to attack the clan alone and instead seeks an alliance.
Jia Lie Bi persuades Oba Pa of the Ao Ba Family that the Xiao Clan’s growing strength threatens both families’ influence and businesses. They agree to join forces, with Oba Pa demanding an equal contribution of troops and ultimately receiving eighty percent of the Xiao Clan’s Marketplace holdings. Concerned that their combined forces may still be insufficient, Oba Pa proposes hiring Han Kui, a ruthless mercenary leader and Eight-Star Great Dou Master.
The two clan heads hire Han Kui for 500,000 Gold Coins, half paid in advance. He will bring twelve men, enter the Xiao Clan compound over a side wall, and confront Xiao Zhan while the families’ forces attack through the main gate. Han Kui warns that he will withdraw if the Xiao Clan has a hidden Dou Ling or stronger, but Jia Lie Bi accepts the risk. He insists Xiao Yan be captured alive for his own revenge. The group schedules the raid for midnight.

Character developments and interactions

• Jia Lie Bi shifts from disbelief to fear and calculated aggression. His grief over his son fuels his desire for vengeance, but he recognizes the Xiao Clan’s growing power and seeks allies rather than acting rashly.
• Oba Pa is cautious and commercially minded. He weighs the threat to his family’s business, negotiates for a larger share of the spoils, and recommends hiring stronger support.
• Han Kui proves pragmatic rather than blindly loyal: he demands a large payment, sets clear limits on the risk he will accept, and takes responsibility for intercepting Xiao Zhan.
• The three men move from suspicion and negotiation to a shared plan, though their alliance rests on mutual advantage, not trust.

Significant themes

• Fear of rising power: Xiao Yan’s rapid advancement and the Xiao Clan’s new strength unsettle their rivals.
• Grief and revenge: Jia Lie Bi’s personal loss drives the planned assault.
• Ambition and self-interest: The alliance is secured through bargaining over money, troops, and the division of business assets.
• Risk and uncertainty: The attackers know little about the mysterious support behind the Xiao Clan and proceed despite the possibility of a stronger hidden opponent.