Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Using the newly learned Foresee the Future divine power, Xiao Yan sees Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa plotting to attack the Xiao Clan that night, with hired fighter Han Kui leading the assault.
• Bodhi confirms that the vision is clear because the danger is imminent. Xiao Yan leaves to confront the conspirators, warning Xun’er to keep the clan inside and out of the fight.
• At the West City Gate, Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa wait for Han Kui. Xiao Yan arrives instead, carrying Han Kui’s severed head: he had intercepted and killed Han Kui and his twelve mercenaries on the way.
• Jia Lie Bi attacks, but Xiao Yan catches his saber barehanded and kills him with Command the Five Thunders. Oba Pa flees, only to be cut down by Xiao Yan’s lightning-charged sword. Xiao Yan also defeats the Jia Lie Family’s Death Warriors, leaving the survivors to surrender.
• Xiao Yan returns to the Xiao Clan and reports that the two patriarchs are dead. Before dawn, the clan seizes both families’ properties. By morning, the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families have been destroyed, and Xiao Yan’s name dominates the city.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shifts from preparing to defend his family to taking the offensive. He displays confidence in his new powers and defeats several powerful opponents alone, though the clan assumes his teacher helped him.
• Bodhi advises Xiao Yan to control the power of his newly formed Five Thunders.
• Xun’er senses the danger behind Xiao Yan’s departure and secretly asks Ling Ying to follow him.
• Ling Ying witnesses the fight and realizes Xiao Yan defeated the enemies without assistance, changing his view of Xiao Yan’s strength.
• Xiao Zhan is relieved to see his son return and accepts the explanation without pressing for details, believing Xiao Yan’s teacher must have intervened.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and agency: Seeing the attack coming lets Xiao Yan act before his family is harmed.
• Power and responsibility: Xiao Yan uses his rapidly developing abilities to protect his clan and eliminate the threat, while Bodhi cautions him to restrain his power.
• Hidden strength and reputation: The clan misunderstands who fought the battle, while Ling Ying recognizes Xiao Yan’s true ability. The public, meanwhile, credits Xiao Yan with the fall of two rival families.

Plot points and events

• After Xiao Yan defeats the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families’ leaders, the Xiao Clan takes over their businesses and recruits some of their former employees and guards. Under Xiao Zhan’s management, the new holdings quickly resume operating.
• Stories of Xiao Yan’s victory spread through Wutan City and grow increasingly exaggerated: people eventually claim he is a Dou Ling, despite his actual rank being far lower. Xiao Yan and Xun’er joke about the rumors, and he lets them persist because concealing his real strength may benefit the clan.
• Xiao Yan spends the following months training: practicing the Nine Breaths of Qi, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, swordsmanship, and thunder techniques under Bodhi’s guidance. His control of golden thunder improves, and he advances to Six-Star Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yan also refines pills for Xiao Zhan. The gentle medicinal support helps Xiao Zhan recover and cultivate until he reaches Nine-Star Great Dou Master, nearing the Dou Ling breakthrough.
• The chapter ends with a letter from the Misty Cloud Sect. It praises Xiao Yan’s talent and asks him to visit, invoking the old marriage agreement between him and Nalan Yanran. Xiao Zhan summons Xiao Yan, who is surprised that the matter has resurfaced.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan grows stronger and more disciplined, improving his thunder control while keeping his true cultivation hidden behind public rumors. He supports his father through pills and reflects humorously on how his original plans have changed.
• Xiao Zhan shifts from burdened clan leader to a healthier, more confident cultivator. He accepts Xiao Yan’s help and breaks through to Nine-Star Great Dou Master.
• Xun’er shares a lighthearted exchange with Xiao Yan, teasing him about the rumors and reinforcing their warm familiarity.
• Bodhi patiently guides Xiao Yan, especially advising him not to force his unreliable ability to foresee the future.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan discuss the Misty Cloud Sect’s invitation, bringing the Nalan Yanran marriage agreement back into focus.

Significant themes

• Reputation versus reality: Rumors inflate Xiao Yan’s strength, while his real progress remains private.
• Family support and mutual growth: Xiao Yan’s success strengthens the clan and helps his father advance, while Xiao Zhan’s recovery eases the family’s burdens.
• Patience and discipline: Xiao Yan’s steady practice improves his abilities more reliably than dramatic claims or shortcuts.
• A past obligation returning: The sect’s letter introduces renewed pressure around the old marriage agreement and foreshadows a consequential meeting.

Plot points and events

• The Misty Cloud Sect sends Xiao Yan a polite invitation to visit, likely hoping to assess his strength and recruit him. Xiao Yan suspects his recent battle—not merely his reputation as a young Dou Zhe—sparked their interest.
• Xiao Yan tells his father, Xiao Zhan, that he already has a master and has no need to join the sect. He plans to visit anyway, but to end his engagement to Nalan Yanran.
• Xiao Yan explains that he has no personal bond with Nalan Yanran and does not want an arranged marriage to dictate either of their futures. He also warns Xiao Zhan that the Misty Cloud Sect is more dangerous than it appears and should not be trusted simply because of the families’ old ties.
• Xiao Zhan ultimately accepts Xiao Yan’s decision, while insisting that he treat Nalan Yanran and her family courteously and take responsibility for his own choice.
• Xun’er arrives with tea after overhearing the conversation. She asks whether Xiao Yan is going to the sect and when he will leave; he says he must first settle matters at home.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows confidence, independence, and foresight. He refuses both the sect’s potential recruitment and the marriage, while avoiding unfairly blaming Nalan Yanran for events that have not happened.
• Xiao Zhan initially worries that breaking the engagement would dishonor the families’ history. After hearing Xiao Yan’s reasoning and warning, he supports him but emphasizes courtesy and accountability.
• Xun’er appears quietly pleased by Xiao Yan’s plan to end the engagement, though she does not explain her reaction. Her gentle conversation with him hints at her personal interest.

Significant themes

• Personal choice versus inherited obligation: Xiao Yan rejects a marriage arranged by earlier generations because neither party has chosen it.
• Power and political maneuvering: The sect may be using the invitation and engagement to recruit Xiao Yan and gain influence over the Xiao Clan.
• Trust, caution, and hidden danger: Xiao Yan warns that the Misty Cloud Sect’s respectable image conceals greater risks.
• Respectful responsibility: He intends to end the engagement honestly rather than tarnish Nalan Yanran’s reputation.

Plot and events

• Xiao Yan spends a month preparing the Xiao Clan for his eventual absence. He arranges a steady supply of medicinal ingredients through the Mittel Auction House and agrees that the auction house will receive first chance to sell any surplus pills.
• With Bodhi’s help, Xiao Yan gives three promising young clan members a trace of wood attribute, allowing them to begin learning alchemy. After a month of practice, they can reliably prepare the clan’s everyday medicinal liquid, freeing Xiao Yan from managing the pharmacy himself.
• Ya Fei recognizes that Xiao Yan and the mysterious “Mr. Origin Return,” who consigns medicine at the auction house, are the same person. Xiao Yan confirms it, explaining that he had previously needed to keep his identity hidden. Ya Fei agrees to protect his secret, and the two become more openly friendly.
• Having secured supplies, trained replacements, and prepared pills for the clan, Xiao Yan finally sets out for the Imperial Capital and the Misty Cloud Sect to meet his fiancée, Nalan Yanran.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows increasing responsibility as a clan leader: he plans for the Xiao Clan’s needs, teaches future alchemists, and makes arrangements before traveling. He also grows more willing to trust Ya Fei with his secrets.
• The three young clan members move from eager beginners to capable assistants who can prepare common medicinal liquids, though they are still far from being accomplished alchemists.
• Ya Fei demonstrates sharp observation by piecing together Xiao Yan’s hidden identity. Rather than exploiting the discovery, she offers discretion and friendship.
• Xiao Zhan is anxious about Xiao Yan traveling alone, but is reassured by the presence of Xiao Yan’s master. Xiao Yan gives him a pill intended to help him advance from Nine-Star Great Dou Master to Dou Ling, deepening their bond.
• Xun’er sees Xiao Yan off with food for the journey and asks him to write from the Imperial Capital, showing her affection and concern.

Significant themes

• Preparation and responsibility: Xiao Yan ensures the clan can function without him before leaving.
• Mentorship and opportunity: Bodhi opens the door to alchemy for the three youths, but their progress depends on their own effort.
• Trust and discretion: Ya Fei’s discovery of Xiao Yan’s identity leads to greater mutual confidence.
• Family and ambition: Xiao Yan balances care for his father and clan with his personal journey toward a long-awaited confrontation with Nalan Yanran.

Key plot points and events

• After Xiao Yan leaves for the Misty Cloud Sect, Xun’er worries that he may face resistance when seeking to end his engagement. Xiao Zhan says he trusts Yan’er and his mysterious teacher, whom he suspects is a powerful Dou Wang and accomplished Alchemist.
• Xun’er remembers that Ling Ying could not identify the teacher, leaving his true identity and motives uncertain.
• At the Misty Cloud Sect, the elders debate reports from Wutan City claiming Xiao Yan rose from Dou Zhe to Dou Ling in under a year. They dismiss the most extreme rumors but take seriously the deaths of Han Kui, Jia Lie Bi, and Oba Pa, along with the Xiao Clan’s sudden growth.
• The sect suspects Xiao Yan has an exceptionally strong teacher—possibly a Dou Wang Alchemist—and that this person may be responsible for the Xiao Clan’s breakthroughs and new medicines.
• Yun Yun decides the sect should wait to meet Xiao Yan before judging the reports. She orders the guards to welcome the Xiao Clan’s delegation respectfully.
• Nalan Yanran asks eagerly about Xiao Yan’s progress, prompting Yun Yun to tease her. The engagement will be discussed, but Yun Yun says the young pair’s wishes should ultimately be heard.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Zhan shows growing confidence in Xiao Yan’s abilities and trust in his unseen mentor, despite his concern as a father.
• Xun’er remains protective and curious about the teacher’s identity, though she accepts Xiao Zhan’s reassurance.
• Yun Yun takes a measured, diplomatic approach: she neither believes every rumor nor dismisses the evidence, and she insists on treating the Xiao Clan as honored guests.
• Nalan Yanran reveals genuine curiosity about her fiancé, then becomes embarrassed when Yun Yun notices and teases her. Her thoughts suggest she is imagining their first meeting.
• The Misty Cloud elders shift from skepticism toward cautious respect as they consider the deaths and the Xiao Clan’s rapid changes.

Significant themes

• Reputation versus evidence: The sect questions exaggerated stories but recognizes that the Xiao Clan’s gains and its enemies’ deaths are real.
• Hidden power and uncertainty: Xiao Yan’s unknown teacher is a force shaping events, yet neither Xun’er nor the sect can identify him.
• Autonomy and family: Xiao Zhan accepts that he cannot choose his son’s path for him, while Yun Yun similarly argues that the engagement’s outcome should reflect the couple’s wishes.
• Growing romantic curiosity: Nalan Yanran’s interest in Xiao Yan begins before they have met, fueled by the stories surrounding him.

Chapter summary

Key plot points

• Xiao Yan arrives in the Imperial Capital, sends word to his family that he is safe, and decides to visit the Misty Cloud Sect to end his arranged engagement to Nalan Yanran.
• Before he leaves, his teacher Bodhi reminds him to make his own choices and take responsibility for them.
• At the sect, Xiao Yan meets Sect Master Yun Yun, Grand Elder Yun Leng, Ge Ye, and Nalan Yanran. He reveals that he is a Six-Star Dou Shi—not the Dou Ling described in rumors—and credits his unnamed teacher for his progress.
• Yun Yun suggests he could cultivate at the sect, but Xiao Yan declines because he already has a master.
• Xiao Yan then formally asks to dissolve his engagement with Nalan Yanran. He argues that neither of them chose the match, they barely know each other, and both should be free to make their own life plans.
• He presents documents, a letter from his father approving the visit, and two medicinal gifts as an apology. Nalan Yanran, hurt by his approach, challenges the idea that the pills should make the matter acceptable.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan is calm, direct, and self-possessed throughout the visit. He insists the decision is his—not his teacher’s—and promises not to blame Nalan Yanran. His careful preparation shows he intends to handle the matter responsibly, though his formal, prearranged approach wounds her.
• Nalan Yanran begins curious and impressed by Xiao Yan’s composure and cultivation, but her reaction shifts to hurt and anger when she realizes he arrived ready to end the engagement before they had a chance to know each other.
• Yun Yun welcomes Xiao Yan and responds thoughtfully to his explanation, stopping Yun Leng from immediately objecting. Her initial warmth fades as the engagement issue becomes serious.
• Yun Leng questions the rumors and challenges Xiao Yan’s right to annul an agreement made by their elders. Ge Ye, meanwhile, is impressed by Xiao Yan’s composure.

Significant themes

• Personal choice versus family arrangements: Xiao Yan argues that marriage should not be decided solely by elders’ agreement.
• Responsibility and agency: Bodhi’s advice is reflected in Xiao Yan’s insistence that the decision and its consequences belong to him.
• Intent versus impact: Xiao Yan means to be fair and considerate, but his prepared documents and gifts make Nalan Yanran feel dismissed rather than respected.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan retracts the two bottles of pills after realizing that presenting them made the broken engagement seem like a decision Nalan Yanran was expected simply to accept.
• He explains that he wants to end the engagement because he does not wish to marry under an agreement made by their elders—not because Nalan’s cultivation is lower. When Yun Leng challenges his conduct, Xiao Yan insists that the people who would marry should decide for themselves.
• Nalan, unwilling to accept the dissolution without making her own stand, challenges Xiao Yan to a duel. She clarifies that winning would earn an apology, not force him to marry her. Xiao Yan agrees, and Yun Yun supervises to prevent serious injury.
• In the courtyard, Nalan attacks first with a wind-infused sword strike. Xiao Yan reads the flow of her Dou Qi and counters with a single controlled sword stroke, disarming her and knocking her beyond the boundary. The match lasts barely a breath; he leaves her unharmed.
• Though defeated, Nalan rises on her own and vows that she will surpass him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan recognizes the hurt caused by his approach and apologizes for making the decision feel imposed. He remains firm about ending the engagement, while showing restraint and precise control in the duel.
• Nalan Yanran moves from shame and anger to determined defiance. The defeat humiliates her, but strengthens her resolve rather than making her accept Xiao Yan’s terms passively.
• Yun Yun gives the pair room to settle the matter themselves, then oversees the duel and checks Nalan for injuries.
• Yun Leng questions Xiao Yan’s respect for the elders’ agreement and underestimates how decisively he can fight. Ge Ye worries that Nalan is acting impulsively, given the cultivation gap.
• The duel turns their dispute over the engagement into a public contest, with the watching disciples’ attention heightening Nalan’s embarrassment.

Significant themes

• Personal choice versus inherited obligation: Xiao Yan argues that an agreement made by elders cannot dictate the lives of the people involved.
• Dignity and agency: Nalan wants to respond on her own terms, not merely accept a decision—even one she may also desire.
• Humility, restraint, and perseverance: Xiao Yan corrects his insensitive approach and uses only enough force to win safely; Nalan answers defeat with a promise to keep striving.

Key plot points and events

• After losing to Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran insists that defeat today does not determine their futures. She acknowledges the difference in their current strength but vows to keep improving.
• Nalan signs the document dissolving their engagement. Xiao Yan agrees to tell others that he initiated the breakup, while both keep copies of the document.
• Nalan proposes a rematch in three years at the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. She says that if she wins, Xiao Yan must publicly retract his contempt and apologize; if she loses, she will never raise the matter again. Xiao Yan accepts, and Yun Yun agrees to witness the pact.
• As Xiao Yan prepares to leave, Grand Elder Yun Leng confronts him. Claiming Xiao Yan publicly damaged the Misty Cloud Sect’s dignity, Yun Leng demands that he apologize to Nalan and bring his teacher to explain himself.
• Xiao Yan refuses to involve his teacher and challenges Yun Leng’s reasoning. Yun Leng’s allies block the way out, and he gathers Dou Qi, threatening to detain Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan reaches for his sword, while Yun Yun prepares to intervene.

Character developments and interactions

• Nalan Yanran turns her humiliation into resolve. She accepts the end of the engagement but insists on proving herself through her own strength, setting the terms for a future rematch.
• Xiao Yan respects Nalan’s determination and accepts the challenge, while making clear he will continue training rather than wait for her. He remains firm when Yun Leng tries to extend the dispute to his teacher.
• Yun Yun is relieved that Nalan retains her fighting spirit and formally witnesses the three-year agreement. She becomes visibly hostile when Yun Leng threatens Xiao Yan.
• Yun Leng shifts from enforcing sect authority to demanding an apology and the presence of Xiao Yan’s teacher. His attempt to detain Xiao Yan creates an immediate standoff.
• The disciples witness the breakup and duel, then fall silent as the conflict escalates from a personal dispute into a clash over the sect’s reputation.

Significant themes

• Resilience and self-improvement: Nalan refuses to let one defeat define her future.
• Personal agency and dignity: She accepts the breakup on her own terms and seeks recognition through a fair contest, not through the engagement.
• Fairness and accountability: Xiao Yan agrees that the rematch will stand apart from the dissolved engagement and accepts its stated conditions.
• Honor versus authority: The closing confrontation pits Xiao Yan’s insistence on personal responsibility against Yun Leng’s demand that he answer to the sect.

Key plot points and events

• Yun Yun stops Yun Leng from detaining Xiao Yan, arguing that the engagement was mutually dissolved, Nalan Yanran was not seriously hurt, and the duel’s outcome should stand. She warns that punishing the winner would damage the Misty Cloud Sect’s reputation.
• Nalan Yanran accepts her defeat and tells Yun Leng to let Xiao Yan leave. She renews her promise to challenge him at the Xiao Clan in three years.
• Xiao Yan departs without a fight. He remains wary of the Misty Cloud Sect’s hidden dangers, especially Yun Shan and the Soul Hall, and resolves to become stronger. Unseen, a wisp of black mist slips into the sect’s forbidden grounds.
• In the Imperial Capital, Xiao Yan writes home about the broken engagement and Three-Year Agreement. He plans to visit his brothers in Stone Desert City, bringing them medicines and pill instructions, and reassures his family that his master is with him.
• Xiao Yan leaves the next morning, gathering herbs and training along the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After several days, he reaches Qingshan Town and hears that the wounded mercenaries are rushing to see Xiao Yi Xian. Recognizing her name, he follows them.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Yun acts decisively and fairly, preventing a confrontation and earning Xiao Yan’s increased respect.
• Nalan Yanran swallows her humiliation and takes responsibility for her loss by reaffirming the three-year challenge.
• Xiao Yan shows restraint, accepts the agreement confidently, and focuses on preparation, family ties, and practical travel plans.
• Ge Ye escorts Xiao Yan out, regretting that the sect has lost both a promising talent and the engagement.
• Bodhi teases Xiao Yan about taking on another obligation and his eagerness to save money; their exchange is relaxed and familiar.

Significant themes

• Honor and accountability: Nalan Yanran insists the duel’s result be respected, while Xiao Yan accepts the future challenge.
• Fairness versus institutional pride: Yun Yun prioritizes the sect’s integrity over retaliation.
• Preparation and self-reliance: Xiao Yan trains, gathers ingredients, and plans for future dangers.
• Family loyalty: He prepares practical gifts and useful knowledge for his brothers and reassures his family.
• Unseen threats: The mysterious black mist hints that danger within or around the sect remains unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan enters the Myriad Medicine Pavilion with mercenaries carrying Old Zhou, who has been bitten by a Blue-Scaled Snake.
• Xiao Yi Xian identifies the snake venom and realizes the mercenaries worsened it by applying blood-eroding vine. She begins treatment, but the shop lacks enough dew-condensing grass to act quickly.
• Xiao Yan supplies mature herbs and helps prepare a medicinal mixture with flame. Old Zhou drinks it, coughs up poisoned blood, and wakes. Xiao Yi Xian finishes treating him and orders him to remain under observation.
• Afterward, Xiao Yan introduces himself and explains that he has just arrived in town and plans to gather herbs before visiting his older brothers in Stone Desert City.
• Xiao Yi Xian helps him identify medicinal plants and warns him about a counterfeit root. She also mentions purple-leaf orchids growing near a dangerous cliff east of town.
• The cliff reminds Xiao Yan of a treasure cave from the original story, though he does not know its exact location. He asks to join Xiao Yi Xian’s planned herb-gathering trip the next day, and she agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yi Xian demonstrates sound medical knowledge, calm under pressure, and compassion in saving Old Zhou. She and Xiao Yan quickly develop an easy rapport through their shared interest in herbs and medicine.
• Xiao Yan shows practical skill as an alchemist and a willingness to help without seeking payment. He keeps his knowledge of Xiao Yi Xian’s future “Woeful Poison Body” to himself, judging it inappropriate to raise.
• Their cooperation earns the mercenaries’ gratitude, while their later conversation establishes trust and sets up their next meeting.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and cooperation: Xiao Yi Xian diagnoses the problem, while Xiao Yan’s supplies and alchemical skill make a timely cure possible.
• Compassion and responsibility: Both prioritize Old Zhou’s survival over payment or recognition.
• Hidden danger and foreknowledge: Xiao Yan’s awareness of the original story hints at future events, but he chooses not to interfere prematurely.
• Trust built through shared expertise: Their exchange of practical knowledge turns a brief emergency into a promising partnership.

Key events

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian set out into the mountains to collect herbs. Xiao Yan reveals he is also searching for an old cultivation abode, and they agree to share anything they find.
• Using a new “See Through Walls” technique taught by his mentor, Xiao Yan spots a cave hidden behind vines on a cliff face.
• The pair descend to the entrance. When a Rock Snake attacks, Xiao Yan kills it with a single sword strike, impressing Xiao Yi Xian.
• Inside, Xiao Yi Xian identifies and opens a concealed mechanism in a stone door. Beyond it, they discover a chamber containing valuables, a thriving herb garden, and a skeleton beside three locked stone boxes.
• Xiao Yan recognizes an Ice Spirit Flame Grass in the garden, confirming this is the abode he sought. He also notices keys hanging from the skeleton’s fingers.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan demonstrates growing skill and confidence: he uses his new perception ability, handles the dangerous descent, and dispatches the beast effortlessly. He relies on his mentor’s guidance while keeping his precise abilities somewhat vague to Xiao Yi Xian.
• Xiao Yi Xian proves to be more than a herb gatherer: her local knowledge helps locate the cliff, and her reading about mechanisms lets her open the door safely. She is impressed by Xiao Yan’s combat ability.
• Their partnership becomes more trusting and cooperative. They agree to share the find, and Xiao Yan supports Xiao Yi Xian during the descent while she contributes practical expertise inside the cave.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and complementary strengths: Xiao Yan provides combat and cultivation skills, while Xiao Yi Xian contributes knowledge of the terrain, herbs, and mechanisms.
• Fortune and discovery: A routine herb-gathering trip turns into a major treasure find.
• Caution alongside ambition: The pair take care during the descent and avoid forcing the stone door, preserving what lies inside.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian harvest the mature herbs in the hidden Herb Garden, leaving young plants undisturbed. Xiao Yan separately stores the rare Ice Spirit Flame Grass for future alchemy.
• They open the three Stone Boxes:
  • Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, which Xiao Yi Xian claims.
  • Eagle Wings, a High Xuan Tier Flying Dou Technique that Xiao Yan intends to learn.
  • Mad Lion’s Roar, a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique, which Xiao Yan plans to keep as a reference and eventually add to the Xiao Clan’s resources.
• Xiao Yan discovers an ancient, incomplete map concealed in the cave owner’s skeleton. Its flame-shaped lotus resembles the symbol of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, a treasure he has long sought.
• They divide the remaining herbs and Gold Coins fairly. Xiao Yan stores Xiao Yi Xian’s share for her, and together they bury the cave owner and mark the grave with a plain stone tablet.
• As they leave, Xiao Yan reflects that the detour has brought them valuable supplies and techniques, and that learning the flying technique will aid his trip to Stone Desert City.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yi Xian is thrilled by the Poison Scripture but briefly wonders whether studying poison is wrong. Xiao Yan reassures her that knowledge can help identify and treat poisons, and that poison can be used in self-defense. His concern that she study unfamiliar formulas carefully puts her at ease.
• Xiao Yan shows restraint and consideration: he does not disturb immature herbs, honors the cave owner with a burial, and insists on a fair division even after discovering the map’s importance.
• The pair share their finds without conflict. Xiao Yi Xian willingly lets Xiao Yan keep both techniques and the map, accepting additional herbs and most of the coins instead.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as both danger and protection: Poison can harm, but understanding it can also save lives and provide defense.
• Fairness and trust: Xiao Yan honors their agreement to share the discoveries, strengthening the partnership.
• Respect for nature and the dead: They preserve young plants and give the cave’s former owner a proper burial.
• Preparation and ambition: The rewards serve immediate practical needs while advancing Xiao Yan’s longer-term goals.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan returns to Qingshan Town with Xiao Yi Xian and gives her the medicinal ingredients and gold they recovered from a cave dwelling. She stores them safely, and the two discuss his planned departure for Stone Desert City.
• Mu Li and several members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group force their way into the Myriad Medicine Pavilion’s rear courtyard. They accuse Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan of taking the cave’s treasures and demand Xiao Yan’s Storage Ring and Xiao Yi Xian’s return to their base.
• Xiao Yan refuses. When a mercenary attacks him, he catches and snaps the saber with his bare hand, then knocks the attacker through the gate.
• Mu Li tries to seize Xiao Yi Xian, but Xiao Yan shields her and kills Mu Li and the charging mercenaries with a single sword technique.
• Mu She, the group’s leader and Mu Li’s father, arrives and attacks Xiao Yan with the force of a two-star Dou Shi. Xiao Yan kills him with a five-colored lightning technique.
• The remaining mercenaries drop their weapons. Xiao Yan tells Xiao Yi Xian to tend to the injured shop assistant.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan remains calm under pressure and reveals strength far beyond what Xiao Yi Xian had seen before. He protects her and the shop assistant, while showing no hesitation toward those who threaten them.
• Xiao Yi Xian is grateful for Xiao Yan’s trust and thoughtfulness, and their teasing conversation suggests growing warmth between them. During the attack, she is alarmed but relies on him; afterward, she realizes his earlier display of skill was only a fraction of his power.
• Mu Li and Mu She underestimate Xiao Yan and attempt to take the cave’s spoils by force. Their coordinated plan collapses when Xiao Yan swiftly kills them both.
• Xiao Yan’s care for the shop assistant contrasts with the mercenaries’ violence and underscores his concern for people caught in the conflict.

Significant themes

• Power and misjudgment: The mercenaries mistake Xiao Yan for an easy target and discover too late the gap between their strength and his.
• Protection and loyalty: Xiao Yan stands between Xiao Yi Xian and danger, honoring the trust established between them.
• Greed and consequences: The Wolf Head Mercenary Group’s attempt to seize the treasures leads to its leaders’ deaths and the group’s disarmament.

Plot points and events

• After killing Mu She, Xiao Yan goes straight to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group’s compound to prevent its remaining members from threatening Xiao Yi Xian. He kills the second and third commanders, Gan Mu and He Meng, along with several armed men, and destroys the group’s banner. The mercenaries scatter, ending the group’s control over Qingshan Town.
• Xiao Yan returns to the Myriad Medicine Pavilion with money taken from the compound, asking Xiao Yi Xian to use it for repairs and the injured attendant’s treatment. News of the group’s collapse spreads rapidly through town.
• Over dinner, Xiao Yi Xian learns Xiao Yan is a six-star Dou Shi. Inspired by the Poison Scripture and eager to study unfamiliar herbs, she asks to travel with him to Stone Desert City. He agrees, noting that his older brothers are there.
• The next morning, Xiao Yi Xian prepares the shop and checks on the injured attendant before saying goodbye to the people she has treated. Xiao Yan is waiting with supplies.
• Xiao Yi Xian introduces Xiao Yan to Xiao Lan, a Blue Eagle she once nursed back to health. They set off for Stone Desert City on its back.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan acts decisively to secure Xiao Yi Xian’s safety, then provides money to make amends for the damage and injuries caused by the mercenaries. His strength surprises her, and he looks forward to reuniting with his brothers.
• Xiao Yi Xian moves from staying rooted in Qingshan Town to choosing a wider life of travel and learning. Her care for her patients is clear in her careful preparations and farewell. She and Xiao Yan trade lighthearted remarks about whether they will prioritize visiting family or gathering herbs.
• Xiao Lan is affectionate toward Xiao Yi Xian but initially wary of Xiao Yan; a piece of dried meat wins him over.

Significant themes

• Protection and justice: Xiao Yan’s swift destruction of the Wolf Head group ends its threat, while the compensation supports those it harmed.
• Adventure and discovery: Xiao Yi Xian’s curiosity about medicinal plants motivates her to leave familiar surroundings.
• Companionship and new beginnings: The journey brings Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Lan together as they head toward new places and reunions.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian travel by Blue Eagle toward Stone Desert City. They pause to let the rank-one beast rest, while Xiao Yan practices and gathers medicinal herbs.
• In the city, Xiao Yan asks directions to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and is warmly welcomed by his second brother, Xiao Li. Xiao Yi Xian is introduced as the friend whose Blue Eagle made the journey possible.
• Xiao Yan reunites with both Xiao Li and his eldest brother, Xiao Ding. They check that he is well and ask after their father.
• Xiao Yan reveals he has reached six-star Dou Shi, astonishing both brothers. He updates them on the Xiao Clan’s improved position and says their father, Xiao Zhan, has reached nine-star Da Dou Shi and received a pill intended to help him break through to Dou Ling.
• He also tells them he dissolved his engagement with Nalan Yanran; she will challenge him at the Xiao Clan in three years. Xiao Li reacts with amused admiration, while Xiao Ding accepts Xiao Yan’s decision and offers him a place to stay.
• Xiao Yan presents the brothers with medicines he refined himself, prompting another stunned reaction.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan appears more capable and self-assured, combining cultivation and herbal gathering during the trip. He is eager to reconnect with his brothers and openly shares both his achievements and major decisions.
• Xiao Li greets Xiao Yan with exuberant affection and teasing, and is impressed by his rapid progress and boldness.
• Xiao Ding shows his protective, responsible nature by checking Xiao Yan for injuries and asking about the family. He is pleased by the news from home and supports Xiao Yan’s choices without demanding explanations.
• Xiao Yi Xian accompanies and assists Xiao Yan, then quietly enjoys seeing the brothers react to his cultivation and medicine-making as she has before.
• The brothers’ reunion is warm and affectionate: Xiao Li teases and jokes, while Xiao Ding offers steady reassurance and support.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and belonging: Xiao Yan’s reunion restores the warmth of his childhood bonds and reassures his brothers about the family’s security.
• Growth and changing roles: Xiao Yan has advanced so quickly that his brothers’ expectation of guiding him is overturned; he can now teach Xiao Li and provide medicine.
• Trust and mutual support: The brothers accept Xiao Yan’s choices, while his gifts and updates show his continued commitment to the Xiao Clan.
• Humor and affectionate teasing: Surprise at Xiao Yan’s accomplishments becomes a source of lighthearted family comedy.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan shows his brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li a batch of pills he refined, then asks them to return to Wutan City. Their father needs trusted help managing the family’s businesses, guards, and caravans.
• He reassures them that Mo Tie mercenaries who wish to come can find work with the Xiao clan, while those who stay will receive their pay and help settling elsewhere.
• Xiao Yan gives each brother a custom qi method and Dou Technique, written by his teacher to suit their attributes and fighting styles. Both qi methods are Low-grade Heaven Tier, astonishing the brothers and Xiao Yi Xian.
• Before the family can discuss their return, Luo Bu and Mo Xing arrive with armed men. Luo Bu demands that Mo Tie hand over its southern escort contracts and merge into the Sand Mercenary Group.
• Xiao Yan steps in and kills Luo Bu, Mo Xing, and the mercenaries in moments, ending the confrontation. He then returns to the question of going home.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan shows growing care and responsibility toward his family: he offers his brothers practical roles, considers the needs of their men, and gives them rare cultivation resources.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li are torn between their attachment to Mo Tie and their longing to return home. Xiao Yan’s plan makes going back seem possible without abandoning their followers.
• The brothers are stunned by the quality of the gifts and by how casually Xiao Yan’s teacher produced them.
• Luo Bu’s attempt to intimidate and absorb Mo Tie is answered by Xiao Yan’s overwhelming strength, shifting him from mediator and provider to decisive protector.

Significant themes

• Family and responsibility: Xiao Yan seeks to reunite the family while ensuring his brothers and their men have a secure future.
• Loyalty and choice: The mercenaries are offered a place with the Xiao clan but are not forced to follow.
• Mentorship and generosity: Xiao Yan’s teacher supports the brothers with personalized techniques, while Xiao Yan passes that help on.
• Power and protection: Xiao Yan’s swift victory demonstrates how dramatically his strength has grown and removes the threat preventing the family’s return.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yan kills Luo Bu in a single strike, ending the Sand Mercenary Group’s threat to the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. The remaining rivals quickly back down.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li arrange their return to Wutan City with most of their mercenaries. Those who stay behind are paid fairly, and the brothers begin practicing the new techniques Xiao Yan gave them.
• Xiao Yan warns his brothers to keep the techniques secret, since their value could make them targets.
• He asks Xiao Yi Xian to travel ahead with the caravan and stay in the Xiao family’s medicine shop, where she can study and help if she chooses. She agrees, on the condition that she can take herbs as needed.
• Before the caravan departs, Xiao Yan gives Xiao Ding a letter for their father and a Sand Crystal lamp for Xun’er. Xiao Yi Xian and the others leave for Wutan City while Xiao Yan remains behind.
• In Desert City, Xiao Yan locates an old map shop and recognizes a map fragment resembling one he found earlier. He deduces that the elderly shopkeeper is Dou Huang expert Hai Bodong and tells him he can break his seal.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan shows overwhelming combat strength and continues to support his family, while pursuing his own plans independently. His gift for Xun’er also hints at personal affection.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li commit to returning home and taking responsibility for their family. They trust Xiao Yan’s guidance but recognize the danger of revealing their powerful techniques.
• Xiao Yi Xian chooses a stable place to continue her medicinal studies and establishes practical terms with Xiao Yan, while showing concern for his safety.
• Hai Bodong shifts from a seemingly indifferent mapmaker to an alert, potentially dangerous figure once Xiao Yan reveals his identity and knowledge of the seal.

Significant themes

• Family duty and reunion: Xiao Ding and Xiao Li return to support their father and clan.
• Secrecy and the risks of power: The brothers’ valuable techniques must be guarded from outsiders.
• Trust and mutual support: Xiao Yan helps his companions find a path forward, while they show concern and confidence in him.
• Independent journeys: The group separates to pursue different goals, setting up new developments.

Character interactions

• Xiao Li is astonished by Xiao Yan’s strength; Xiao Ding organizes the mercenaries’ return.
• Xiao Yan and the brothers discuss family responsibilities and the need to protect their techniques. Bodhi privately teases Xiao Yan about repeating his advice.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian negotiate her stay at the medicine shop, blending practical arrangements with mutual concern.
• Xiao Li jokes about Xiao Yan’s gift for Xun’er, while Xiao Ding agrees to deliver it.
• Xiao Yan confronts Hai Bodong with a direct offer to break his seal, ending the chapter on a tense reveal.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Yan visits Hai Bodong’s map shop and reveals that he knows the Snake Seal Curse is suppressing Hai’s power. He offers to remove it in exchange for Hai’s remnant map and a year of protection when Xiao Yan faces trouble.
• With the Grandmaster’s guidance, Xiao Yan channels Bodhi’s precise energy into Hai Bodong. It carefully separates the curse from Hai’s own Dou Qi without damaging him.
• Hai’s seal dissolves, and his power returns. He reaches two-star Dou Emperor—still below his former five-star strength, but able to recover further over time.
• Hai gives Xiao Yan the map he had kept hidden, including both halves. Xiao Yan compares it with a map he already owns; the matching markings confirm that both relate to the route to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, though the route remains incomplete.
• Hai leaves his shop and joins Xiao Yan, honoring their one-year agreement.

Character developments

• Xiao Yan demonstrates confidence and negotiation skills, while relying on his teacher’s expertise rather than pretending the cure is his own work. He gains both a valuable map and a powerful ally.
• Hai Bodong moves from suspicion to trust after witnessing Xiao Yan’s ability to loosen the seal. Restored to Dou Emperor strength, he is eager to resume life beyond the shop but sets a clear limit: he will protect Xiao Yan, not harm others on his behalf.
• The Grandmaster/Bodhi displays remarkable control, removing only the foreign restriction and containing the dangerous release of Hai’s cold energy.

Character interactions

• Xiao Yan and Hai begin cautiously, with Hai questioning how a young Dou Shi could know about his curse. Xiao Yan earns Hai’s cooperation by proving the seal can be weakened.
• Hai briefly mentions that Queen Medusa cursed him after he fought her to protect someone, but Xiao Yan respects his reluctance to discuss the past.
• Hai thanks Xiao Yan’s teacher, learns Xiao Yan’s name, and asks to be called “Elder Hai.” Their relationship shifts from wary bargaining to a formal alliance.

Significant themes

• Trust earned through action: Xiao Yan convinces Hai through a visible demonstration rather than promises alone.
• Power and restraint: The cure succeeds through precision, not force, and Hai’s pledge distinguishes protection from aggression.
• Renewal and freedom: Hai’s return to strength allows him to leave behind years of seclusion.
• Long-term ambition: The joined map pieces bring Xiao Yan closer to pursuing the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, though more fragments are still needed.

Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong searched the desert for the Green Lotus Core Flame, following Hai Bodong’s map and the Grandmaster’s guidance. They found a passage leading toward an unusual fire underground and entered it together.

• Xiao Yan told Hai Bodong they would search near Stone Desert City for the Green Lotus Core Flame, and Hai Bodong identified three likely geothermal sites on his map.
• Xiao Yan asked Bodhi whether the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts required a separate flame-devouring cultivation method, and Bodhi told him to learn to gather and control the flame without rushing to refine it into his body.
• Hai Bodong carried Xiao Yan to the first two sites, where Xiao Yan used See Through Walls and found only scattered, ordinary underground fire.
• Hai Bodong traced the heat beneath the rock layers to a final site, where Xiao Yan detected a passage and Bodhi confirmed that a green lotus grew below.
• Hai Bodong enveloped himself and Xiao Yan in cold energy and entered the passage first, with Xiao Yan following toward the crimson glow.

Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong descended into a magma cavern to find the Green Lotus Core Flame, where Xiao Yan carefully guided the flame into the lotus seat and collected the lotus and its seeds. After they returned safely, Xiao Yan decided to find a place to learn how to use his prize.

• Hai Bodong subdued a Rank four Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that guarded the magma cavern.
• Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong entered the magma, protected by Hai Bodong's cold aura and the Grandmaster's clear radiance around Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan found the Green Lotus Core Flame and, following Bodhi's guidance, used his sword to draw it toward the lotus seat.
• The Grandmaster sealed the flame in the lotus seat, and Xiao Yan cut free the lotus while leaving its roots in the magma and stored its seeds in jade bottles.
• Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong emerged with the flame safely stored in Xiao Yan's ring, and Xiao Yan chose to find somewhere to learn how to use it.