Chapter Summaries

Hun Tiandi recovered from his long slumber, revealed the Soul Realm, and discovered a novel that predicted his defeat at the hands of Xiao Yan. After burning the book, he sent Hun Miesheng to carry out several tasks personally.

• Hun Tiandi dismissed the nihility devouring flame’s warnings about Gu Yuan and ordered the Soul Clan to stop hiding the Soul Realm.
• The nihility devouring flame secretly watched Hun Tiandi, who noticed its surveillance and hinted that it had concealed something from him.
• Hun Tiandi read “Battle Through the Heavens,” learned that Xiao Yan would become a Dou Di and kill him, and wondered who had delivered the book.
• The nihility devouring flame sensed an unseen threat and roared into the void, while Gu Yuan discovered that the Soul Realm had reappeared and suspected Hun Tiandi was alive.
• Hun Tiandi memorized and burned the novel, then ordered Hun Miesheng to handle several matters in person.

After Xiao Yan was humiliated by Nalan Yanran, Hun Tiandi appeared and offered to become his cultivation master alongside Yao Chen. Xiao Yan accepted, and Hun Tiandi sensed Gu Yuan approaching as Xiao Yan left the mountain.

• Xiao Yan grieved over his humiliation and vowed never to suffer such shame again.
• Hun Tiandi revealed that he was the Hun Clan patriarch, then proposed that he and Yao Chen jointly teach Xiao Yan.
• Hun Tiandi produced Han Feng, and Yao Chen ordered him killed for his betrayal; Hun Tiandi turned Han Feng to dust and collected the Sea Heart Flame.
• Xiao Yan accepted Hun Tiandi and Yao Chen as his masters, eager to gain power.
• Hun Tiandi gave Xiao Yan a Storage Ring containing cultivation resources and told him to descend the mountain before confronting the arriving Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan confronted Hun Tiandi, and their battle sent Xiao Yan fleeing back to the Xiao Clan. After the danger passed, Xiao Zhan spoke with Xiao Yan about the coming-of-age ceremony and warned him that he might have to leave the clan if his cultivation did not improve.

• Gu Yuan appeared before Hun Tiandi, and the two Dou Sheng clashed with attacks that shattered the surrounding space.
• Yao Lao urged Xiao Yan to flee, and Xiao Yan reached the Xiao Clan, where Xiao Zhan ordered the gate opened for him.
• Xiao Zhan reassured the gathered clansmen that the clan could defend itself, while Xiao Yan recognized the fighters as Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan.
• After the battle's aftershocks faded, Xiao Zhan kept Xiao Yan behind and discussed the consequences of his upcoming coming-of-age ceremony.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan that he would have to assign him to a clan business if he failed to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi before turning sixteen.

Xiao Yan opened Hun Tiandi’s Storage Ring and discovered abundant cultivation and alchemy resources, including a Spirit Fusion Pill that could restore Yao Chen’s soul. Yao Chen began preparing Xiao Yan for rapid cultivation, while Xiao Yan resolved to become an alchemist.

• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan to bind Hun Tiandi’s Storage Ring with a drop of blood, and Xiao Yan found its vast collection of treasures.
• Yao Chen identified the Spirit Fusion Pill as a way to restore his soul and wondered why Hun Tiandi had chosen Xiao Yan as his disciple.
• Yao Chen reflected that Xiao Yan had endured three years of hardship without falling into despair, passing the test Yao Chen had secretly set for him.
• Yao Chen asked whether Xiao Yan could endure solitude, then prepared a bath of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid and gave him a Pulse-Protecting Pill.
• Yao Chen said Xiao Yan could reach the Dou Zhe realm within six months, and Xiao Yan declared that he wanted to become an alchemist.

A year after Hun Tiandi’s departure, Xiao Yan reached two-star Dou Zhe and returned to the Xiao Clan’s coming-of-age test, determined to protect what he cherished. As Xiao Xun’er’s Dou Zhe strength drew the crowd’s attention, Xiao Ning’s jealousy of Xiao Yan deepened.

• Xiao Yan revealed that he had advanced to two-star Dou Zhe, devoured the peach blossom flame, and raised the Flame Mantra to yellow tier middle grade.
• Xiao Yan vowed to wash away his humiliation and returned from the mountain to face the Xiao Clan’s test.
• Xiao Yan reunited with Xiao Xun’er, promised to take her to the marketplace, and ignored the clan members mocking him.
• Xiao Ning tested at the ninth stage of Dou Qi and grew furious when Xiao Xun’er continued to favor Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Xun’er’s Dou Zhe strength was announced, exciting the crowd and intensifying Xiao Ning’s jealousy.

Xiao Yan stunned the Xiao Clan by testing as a Two-Star Dou Zhe, then accepted Xiao Ning’s challenge to prove his strength. Xiao Ning was sent flying in the opening exchange, while Xiao Zhan and the Great Elder clashed over whether Xiao Yan had cheated.

• Xiao Yan pressed his palm to the Black Stone Stele, which displayed “Two-Star Dou Zhe,” and the Great Elder confirmed the stele was sound.
• Xiao Zhan celebrated Xiao Yan’s returned cultivation, while the elders and clan members struggled to believe he had advanced so quickly.
• Xiao Ning challenged Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan calmly accepted as Xiao Xun'er cheered him on and Xiao Mei watched with conflicted feelings.
• After the duel began, Xiao Ning charged with Mountain-Splitting Palm while Xiao Yan stood still, prompting Xiao Zhan to fear he might be unable to defend himself.
• Xiao Zhan rose to protect Xiao Yan, but the Great Elder blocked him; meanwhile, Xiao Ning was sent flying and blood arced through the air.

Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Ning in the clan competition, then stopped Xiao An from retaliating with the threat of Xiao Zhan and the guards. After the ceremony, Xiao Yan left with Xiao Xun'er and gave Xiao Mei healing pills for Xiao Ning, leaving her wondering whether she could still stand beside him.

• Xiao Yan struck Xiao Ning down, breaking his arm after Xiao Ning attacked him with the Mountain-Splitting Palm.
• Xiao An charged at Xiao Yan, but Xiao Ning begged his father to stop, and Xiao Zhan's display of power forced Xiao An to back down.
• Xiao Zhan allowed Xiao An to take Xiao Ning home before reporting to the Enforcement Hall, and Xiao Yan left the platform as the clan members made way for him.
• Xiao Yan teased Xiao Xun'er about his restored cultivation and shared a triumphant moment with Xiao Zhan.
• Xiao Yan gave Xiao Mei a bottle of healing pills to take to Xiao Ning, then left arm in arm with Xiao Xun'er while Xiao Mei watched them go.

Xiao Yan followed a mysterious summons to the Mittel Auction House, where he met his senior sister Hun Xian'er and learned she had once been known as Xiao Yi Xian. Their conversation ended with Hun Tiandi appearing in the private room.

• After saying goodbye to Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yan received a black auction-house card and instructions to visit the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yan followed the card's instructions and was escorted to the Heavenly Character No. 1 private room.
• Hun Xian'er introduced herself as Xiao Yan's senior sister and explained that she had once lived in the Jia Ma Empire under the name Xiao Yi Xian.
• Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xian'er's claim to seniority, and she revealed herself as a One-Star Dou Ling.
• Hun Tiandi appeared and remarked that Xiao Yan was only a Two-Star Dou Zhe.

Hun Miesheng brought Yao Chen out of the Black Ring and arranged for him to teach Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian alchemy, offering him a Five-Star Dou Sheng's remains as payment for helping him resurrect. Xiao Yi Xian became Yao Chen's disciple and teased Xiao Yan, while Hun Miesheng warned that Hun Tiandi would arrive in Wutan City in two months to assess their cultivation and take them training.

• Hun Miesheng appeared before Xiao Yan and summoned Yao Chen, then explained that Yao Chen would teach Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian alchemy.
• Hun Miesheng offered Yao Chen the remains of a Five-Star Dou Sheng as compensation, and Yao Chen eagerly accepted the arrangement.
• Xiao Yi Xian paid respects to Yao Chen and became his disciple, while Xiao Yan wondered how their seniority now worked.
• Xiao Yi Xian teased Xiao Yan as her junior brother, and Yao Chen and Hun Miesheng privately enjoyed his embarrassment.
• Hun Miesheng said Hun Tiandi would come to Wutan City in two months to assess their cultivation and warned Xiao Yan to train hard or risk being resurrected in a woman's body.

After agreeing to return to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yi Xian asked Xiao Yan to attend a secret auction before they left. When Xiao Yan admired the Divine Crow Flame but admitted he could not afford it, Xiao Yi Xian bid five hundred thousand gold coins for him, leaving him stunned.

• Xiao Yi Xian asked to stay for a secret auction, where she explained that its offerings included soul entities and slaves.
• Ya Fei opened the auction by presenting the Divine Crow Flame, a beast flame from a sixth-rank magical beast.
• Xiao Yan wanted the flame to help cultivate the Flame Mantra but gave up when bidding passed his means.
• Xiao Yi Xian ordered the attendant to bid five hundred thousand gold coins and told Xiao Yan she would buy him anything he wanted.

At the auction, Jia Lie Bi risked the Jia Lie Family’s wealth to outbid Xiao Yi Xian for a Beast Flame intended for Liu Xi. Xiao Yan identified the bidders and planned to exploit their departure to attack Liu Xi, but the chapter ended as a Dou Ling’s oppressive aura erupted from the private room.

• Jia Lie Bi hesitated to challenge the mysterious bidder, but Liu Xi pressured him by reminding him how much the Jia Lie Family had sacrificed to raise the funds.
• Jia Lie Bi bid six hundred thousand gold coins and ordered his group to split up after the auction so they could avoid being followed.
• Xiao Yan had Yao Chen identify Jia Lie Bi’s group and place soul imprints on them, especially Liu Xi.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Yi Xian he planned to attack Liu Xi after the Jia Lie Family split up, while she offered to help.
• Ya Fei sold the Beast Flame to Jia Lie Bi, and a Dou Ling aura suddenly surged from the Heavenly Character No. 1 Private Room.

Xiao Yan ambushed and killed Liu Xi, the Jia Lie Family's First-Rank Alchemist, after waiting for him to leave the auction house. He stole Liu Xi's storage ring and staged the scene to implicate the Ao Ba Family while leaving a Xiao Clan crest behind.

• Xiao Yan left the auction house and waited in a dark alley for the Jia Lie Family members, but Liu Xi stayed inside until the auction ended.
• Yao Lao identified Liu Xi among the departing crowd, and Liu Xi walked into the alley while fantasizing about the women he planned to claim.
• Xiao Yan struck Liu Xi from behind and killed him, while Yao Lao remarked that Liu Xi was too weak to provide useful combat training.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Lao searched Liu Xi's storage ring and found the Divine Crow Flame and the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula.
• Xiao Yan left a Xiao Clan crest and wrote "Aoba" in Liu Xi's blood to frame the Ao Ba Family, then took the storage ring and disappeared into the night.

Xiao Yan returned to the Mittel Auction House and learned that Xiao Yi Xian had bought Qing Lin, a half-human, half-Snake-People girl, as her assistant. Ya Fei explained that the Jia Ma Empire and Yun Shan had begun targeting the Snake-People Tribe after it obtained a heavenly flame, while Xiao Yan prepared to take both girls home late at night.

• Xiao Yan returned to the auction house and found Xiao Yi Xian dining with Ya Fei and the young mixed-blood girl Qing Lin.
• Ya Fei revealed that Qing Lin had been auctioned as a slave, and Xiao Yi Xian said she had bought the girl out of pity and made her a little herbal assistant.
• Xiao Yi Xian fed Qing Lin peeled lobster tails, and Qing Lin happily accepted her new master's kindness.
• Xiao Yan asked about the border conflict, and Ya Fei explained that the Snake-People Tribe had obtained a heavenly flame after a Dou Sheng vanished in the desert.
• Ya Fei said the Jia Ma Empire and Yun Shan, who had advanced to Dou Zong, were moving against the Snake-People Tribe, likely leading to more of its people being enslaved.
• Xiao Yi Xian asked Xiao Yan to take them home, and he worried about arranging rooms for both girls so late at night.

Xiao Yan brought Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the Xiao Clan residence, then refined the Divine Crow Flame overnight and tested a powerful technique combining it with another Beast Flame. Meanwhile, Liu Xi’s death sparked a crisis in Wutan City, and the Xiao Clan prepared to exploit the conflict between the Jia Lie and Ao Ba Families.

• Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan residence with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, settled them in his courtyard, and went to refine the Divine Crow Flame.
• Jia Lie Bi learned that Liu Xi had been killed; the Jia Lie Family found an Xiao Clan emblem and the name “Aoba” at the scene.
• Jia Lie Bi led a force toward the Ao Ba Family, while Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Clan elders agreed to seize the opportunity created by the conflict.
• At dawn, Xiao Yan tested a yellow-and-pink flame lotus that exploded with great force, confirming that the repulsion between Beast Flames could create powerful attacks.

Xiao Yan created the powerful Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus and reached Four-Star Dou Zhe after devouring the Divine Crow Flame, then returned to find the Xiao Clan preparing for a crisis. Xiao Xun'er misunderstood his relationship with Xiao Yi Xian and fled after throwing him a protective talisman, leaving Xiao Yan determined to explain.

• Xiao Yan named his new Dou Technique Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus and learned from Yao Chen that he needed to consolidate his rapidly advancing cultivation.
• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that the fallen heart flame could temper his Dou Qi, but Xiao Yan concluded that life-and-death battles were his practical option.
• Xiao Yan saw the Xiao Clan's Dou Zhe gathered at the Training Grounds and went to his courtyard to speak with his father and settle Xiao Yi Xian nearby.
• Xiao Xun'er headed to Xiao Yan's courtyard with a protective talisman, while Xiao Yi Xian taught Qing Lin how to circulate her energy.
• Xiao Xun'er found Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin with Xiao Yan, misunderstood Xiao Yi Xian's teasing explanation, and ran out after calling Xiao Yan a bastard.
• Xiao Yan picked up the protective talisman Xiao Xun'er had thrown and resolved to explain the misunderstanding to her.

Xiao Yan joined the Xiao Clan’s surprise raid on the Jia Lie Family while disguised as Xiao Zhan. The assault began with the Jia Lie Family’s Second Elder holding off the attackers, and Xiao Yan stayed back to preserve the deception.

• Xiao Yi Xian gave Xiao Yan a hand-sewn protective talisman, and Qing Lin shyly wished him luck before he left to handle his family’s affairs.
• Xiao Zhan assigned Xiao Yan to the Third Elder’s unit, ordering him to wear his cloak and impersonate the clan leader during the raid.
• Xiao An told Xiao Yan that the medicinal pill had worked and that Xiao Ning no longer hated him, easing Xiao Yan’s suspicion of the father and son.
• The Xiao Clan’s Third Elder led the unit to the Jia Lie Family’s compound, where the clansmen broke through the gates and began fighting the remaining defenders.
• The Jia Lie Family’s Second Elder confronted the attackers, mistook Xiao Yan for Xiao Zhan, and called for the clan leader to return while Xiao Yan maintained the disguise.

The Xiao Clan ambushed the Jia Lie Family after Jia Lie Bi was lured away from his compound, while Xiao Yan faced the Jia Lie Family’s Second Elder. Xiao Yan survived a powerful strike and unleashed his Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, leaving Second Elder Jia Lie Family engulfed in flames.

• Jia Lie Bi recognized that the Xiao Clan Emblem might signal an attack, but a wounded clansman reported that Xiao Zhan was already assaulting the Jia Lie compound.
• Jia Lie Bi raced back with his clansmen and was ambushed by Xiao Zhan, two elders, and more than twenty Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yan revealed himself to Second Elder Jia Lie Family and demonstrated that he had advanced to Four-Star Dou Zhe.
• Second Elder Jia Lie Family charged Xiao Yan, who struck back with Flame Splitting Wave Ruler and was thrown backward, while Yao Chen helped keep him from hitting a wall.
• Xiao Yan formed a Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus and sent it at Second Elder Jia Lie Family; the explosion engulfed him in flames.

Xiao Yan destroyed the Jia Lie Family’s resistance and returned to the Xiao Clan, though the battle exhausted him. Xiao Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian clashed over him, while their Half-Saint protectors departed to fight; the chapter ended with Xiao Xun’er discovering Xiao Yan wore two protective charms.

• Xiao Yan’s Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus devastated the Jia Lie Family compound, and he left the Third Elder to oversee the aftermath.
• After leaving the compound, Xiao Yan swallowed pills to recover and sensed that the Flame Mantra had produced more condensed Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Xun’er argued on rooftops, prompting Gu You and Tong Xuan to enter a Demiplane and fight.
• Xiao Xun’er rushed to the Xiao Clan and complained to Xiao Yan that Xiao Yi Xian had bullied her.
• Xiao Xun’er found two protective charms beneath Xiao Yan’s collar and angrily demanded to know why he had both.

Xiao Yan recovered from his injuries and reported his role in the Xiao Clan’s victory over the Jia Lie Family, earning the clan’s respect and a high Black Tier Dou Technique. He discovered that Earth Flame could work especially well with his beast flames, leaving him amused by how perfectly it seemed to suit him.

• Yao Chen refined a healing pill for Xiao Yan, who took it and recovered enough to move freely.
• Xiao Yan emerged as the Xiao Clan returned with spoils from the Jia Lie Family, and his clansmen treated him with fear and reverence.
• Xiao Yan explained that the Third Elder had gravely wounded Jia Lie Deng and that he had delivered the final blow, astonishing Xiao Zhan and the elders.
• The Great Elder proposed rewarding Xiao Yan with the Jia Lie Family’s high Black Tier Dou Technique, and Xiao Zhan handed him the jade slip for Earth Flame.
• Xiao Yan realized Earth Flame’s fire-control method could strengthen his beast flames efficiently and wondered at how conveniently the technique suited him.

Xiao Yan tried to ease his clan's fear of him by rescuing Xiao Ning after other clansmen beat and humiliated him. He left the training grounds having shown he would not take revenge on everyone, though Yao Lao reminded him how ruthless family could be.

• Xiao Yan concealed the Earth Flame jade slip in his Storage Ring and asked Yao Chen to prepare a list of ingredients for a healing pill and teach Hun Xian'er basic alchemy.
• Xiao Ning's fellow clansmen rejected and beat him, leaving him despairing and close to giving up on life.
• Xiao Yan arrived, drove off Xiao Ning's attackers, and treated Xiao Ning with medicine and Dou Qi.
• Xiao Ning's arm meridians cleared and his wounds began healing, while the watching clansmen saw that Xiao Yan had no intention of taking revenge on them all.
• Xiao Yan left amid the clan members' praise, reflecting on their indifference to Xiao Ning's suffering as Yao Lao remarked on family members' cruelty.