Chapter Summaries

At twelve, Xiao Yan discovered that the ring left by his mother was stealing his Dou Qi and confronted the soul hidden inside it, Yao Lao. Though Xiao Yan remained wary of possession, Yao Lao gave him part of his soul origin as leverage, and Xiao Yan agreed to trust him for the time being.

• Xiao Yan realized the ring was absorbing his Dou Qi and raised a hammer to destroy it.
• Yao Lao appeared from the ring, apologized for absorbing Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi, and recognized his powerful soul and alchemy aptitude.
• Xiao Yan suspected Yao Lao intended to possess him and repeatedly tried to smash the ring, but Yao Lao restrained him with soul power.
• Yao Lao demonstrated his overwhelming strength in Xiao Yan’s sea of consciousness and insisted that he would not possess him.
• Xiao Yan demanded mutual leverage, and Yao Lao gave him a portion of his soul origin that Xiao Yan could destroy to injure him.
• Xiao Yan accepted Yao Lao’s soul origin and agreed to trust him for the time being.

Yao Lao revealed that he was the famed alchemist Venerable Yao, whose disciple had betrayed him, and asked Xiao Yan to help him return to life. Xiao Yan rejected the dangerous undertaking despite Yao Lao’s promises of training and power, leaving Yao Lao to ask what it would take to persuade him.

• Yao Lao explained that his disciple had helped his enemies destroy his body, leaving him a remnant soul that had absorbed Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi to survive.
• Yao Lao asked Xiao Yan to help him obtain rare materials and a Heavenly Flame to refine a Bone-Growing Blood-Fusing Pill and restore his life.
• Yao Lao offered to teach Xiao Yan his alchemy technique, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques in exchange for his help.
• Xiao Yan weighed the risks, doubted Yao Lao’s promises, and refused to agree to the quest.
• Yao Lao realized Xiao Yan was bargaining from a position of leverage and asked what it would take for him to help.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao reached an honest agreement about helping gather resurrection materials, and Yao Lao began considering him as a potential disciple. Three years later, Yao Lao complained that Xiao Yan was still asking for underhanded techniques and extra trump cards, finally offering him a wisp of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame’s essence.

• Xiao Yan avoided making a firm promise to help Yao Lao, and Yao Lao recognized his caution while deciding to teach him.
• Yao Lao offered to teach Xiao Yan what he knew and asked him to seek resurrection materials only when he judged the danger manageable.
• Xiao Yan promised to do everything he could if Yao Lao proved trustworthy, while retaining the right to abandon a task that was too dangerous.
• Yao Lao grew more receptive to Xiao Yan and considered taking him as a disciple after observing his character.
• Three years later, Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao for more secret techniques to use as trump cards, and Yao Lao offered him a wisp of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame’s essence.

Xiao Yan mastered a wisp of Yao Lao's Bone Spirit Cold Flame and decided to report sixth-stage Dou Power at the Xiao Clan's annual assessment to reassure his father. After Xiao Yan's successful assessment, Xiao Mei scored seventh stage and set her sights on surpassing Xiao Xun'er.

• Yao Lao gave Xiao Yan a wisp of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and Xiao Yan mastered it and drew it into his Dou Qi vortex.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Lao he would report sixth-stage Dou Power at the assessment, partly to make Xiao Zhan happy and preserve his chance to attend Jia Nan Academy.
• Yao Lao said he wanted Xiao Yan to reach the Da Dou Shi realm before taking him to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for combat training.
• Xiao Yan used the Testing Magic Stone Tablet to register sixth-stage Dou Power, earning Xiao Zhan's pleased smile and criticism from some Xiao Clan disciples.
• Xiao Mei registered seventh-stage Dou Power and resolved to surpass Xiao Xun'er to become the Xiao Clan's foremost young talent.

Xiao Xun'er displayed only seventh-stage Dou Power at the Xiao Clan test and privately revealed she knew Xiao Yan was hiding his strength. After learning her Dou Emperor bodyguard had observed him, Xiao Yan stayed in the clan but became determined to cultivate until he could protect himself.

• Xiao Xun'er tested at the seventh stage of Dou Power, while Xiao Mei was relieved that her displayed rank remained tied with hers.
• Xiao Xun'er approached Xiao Yan and told him she had been watching him and wanted to see how far he would go.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao how Xiao Xun'er knew he concealed his strength, and Yao Lao explained that her Dou Emperor bodyguard had observed him.
• Xiao Yan feared that the bodyguard posed a danger and considered leaving the Xiao Clan, but Yao Lao promised to handle the matter.
• Xiao Yan decided to remain in the clan for now and hurried to the Back Mountain to cultivate toward becoming a Dou Emperor.

Xiao Yan learned that the Misty Cloud Sect guests included Nalan Yanran, his betrothed, and watched as Ge Ye publicly requested that the Xiao Clan dissolve their engagement. The chapter ended with Xiao Zhan crushing his cup in anger at the insult.

• Xiao Zhan visited Xiao Yan during his cultivation and told him to attend the clan council hall the next morning to meet important guests.
• Xiao Yan met Ge Ye, a young man, and Nalan Yanran at the council hall, then realized they were from the Misty Cloud Sect and that Nalan Yanran was his betrothed.
• Ge Ye announced that the Misty Cloud Sect wanted the Xiao Clan to dissolve Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's engagement because Nalan Yanran was being groomed as the sect's next leader.
• Xiao Zhan crushed his cup and angrily told Ge Ye that this was not how such matters should be handled.

At the Council Hall, Xiao Yan challenged the Misty Cloud Sect’s attempt to end his engagement with Nalan Yanran on its own terms. He rejected Ge Ye’s offer of three pills of Qi Gathering Powder and demanded thirty, leaving the negotiation unresolved.

• Xiao Zhan let the Xiao Clan members voice their anger at Ge Ye and the Misty Cloud Sect, then moved to silence them and accept the humiliation.
• Xiao Yan stepped forward and told Ge Ye that the Xiao Clan would end the engagement, but warned that the Nalan Family could lose face too.
• Xiao Yan proposed issuing Nalan Yanran a letter of repudiation and publicizing the dispute across the imperial capital, alarming Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran.
• Ge Ye asked for Xiao Yan’s second solution, and Xiao Yan said the Misty Cloud Sect could preserve its dignity by paying compensation.
• Ge Ye offered three pills of Qi Gathering Powder, but Xiao Yan raised three fingers and demanded thirty.

Xiao Yan rejected Nalan Yanran’s attempt to settle the engagement dispute with medicine, insisting that the Xiao Clan’s honor could not be priced. Nalan Yanran threatened future retaliation and proposed a three-year agreement, leaving the assembly hall waiting for Xiao Yan’s response.

• Xiao Yan demanded thirty portions of Qi Gathering Powder or said he would proceed with the repudiation, while Nalan Yanran protested that the demand was impossible.
• Xiao Yan argued that the dispute concerned the Xiao Clan’s honor and his father’s dignity, turning the clan members against the Misty Cloud Sect representatives.
• When Ge Ye tried to negotiate, Xiao Yan ordered writing supplies and prepared to write the repudiation letter.
• Nalan Yanran threatened to seek revenge on the Xiao Clan if Xiao Yan repudiated her, then offered a three-year agreement in which he could win her hand by defeating her.
• The Xiao Clan members worried that they could not withstand the Misty Cloud Sect’s retaliation or that Xiao Yan would be humiliated again, and Xiao Yan began to answer Nalan Yanran’s challenge.

Xiao Yan turned Nalan Yanran’s three-year wager into a contest where his alchemist connections could give him a decisive advantage. He left Nalan Yanran stunned by proposing to bring ten helpers.

• Xiao Yan argued that Nalan Yanran had better cultivation resources and proposed competing in three years, but she refused to give them up.
• Xiao Yan asked whether alchemists could invite helpers, and Nalan Yanran agreed that they could bring as many as possible.
• Xiao Yan revealed that he had learned basic alchemy and demonstrated a pill-refining flame, surprising Nalan Yanran and the Xiao Clan.
• Nalan Yanran accepted the wager but insisted there be a limit on Xiao Yan’s helpers.
• Xiao Yan proposed inviting ten helpers, leaving Nalan Yanran shocked.

Xiao Yan negotiated with Ge Ye over the terms of his future match with Nalan Yanran, demanding compensation in exchange for reducing the number of helpers he could bring. Ge Ye accepted the deal, and Nalan Yanran left vowing revenge at the Misty Cloud Sect in three years.

• Xiao Yan refused to reduce his demand for ten helpers until Ge Ye intervened and negotiated with him.
• Ge Ye offered three helpers, then five, and Xiao Yan demanded two portions of Qi Gathering Powder and one hundred thousand gold coins for each helper he gave up.
• Ge Ye agreed to five helpers in exchange for five portions of Qi Gathering Powder and two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins.
• Xiao Yan accepted the compensation and confirmed that he would fight Nalan Yanran at the Misty Cloud Sect in three years with up to five helpers.
• Nalan Yanran left with Ge Ye and vowed to make Xiao Yan repay her humiliation a hundredfold.

After Xiao Yan drove off the Misty Cloud Sect and revealed himself as an Alchemist, the Xiao Clan celebrated his triumph. He refused to hand over his compensation to the clan elders and left determined to grow stronger before facing Nalan Yanran in three years.

• The Xiao Clan praised Xiao Yan for forcing the Misty Cloud Sect to leave with compensation, while Xiao Mei despaired over losing her chance to lead the clan.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Xun'er praised Xiao Yan for protecting the clan and outmaneuvering the Misty Cloud Sect.
• The Three Elders tried to claim Xiao Yan's five doses of Qi Gathering Powder for the clan, but Xiao Yan said he would only sell them at a reduced price.
• Xiao Yan left the Council Hall, resolved to repay Nalan Yanran for humiliating his father.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Lao to intensify his special training so he could defeat the Misty Cloud Sect in three years.

Xiao Yan adopted the identity of the wandering Third-Rank Alchemist Li Feiyu so he could buy ingredients for advanced pills without drawing suspicion. At the Mittel Auction House, Gu Ni recognized the list as containing third-rank ingredients and decided to cultivate a relationship with the mysterious alchemist.

• Xiao Yan and Yao Lao agreed to aim for Dou Emperor within three years while preparing for Yao Lao's resurrection.
• Xiao Yan decided to use his supposed alchemist teacher identity to justify purchasing third-rank ingredients, then disguised himself as Li Feiyu and slipped out of the Xiao Clan grounds.
• Xiao Yan revealed his pill flame at the Mittel Auction House, prompting an attendant to summon Gu Ni.
• Gu Ni sensed Li Feiyu's powerful soul energy and respectfully escorted him to a private room.
• Li Feiyu handed Gu Ni a list of third-rank ingredients, and Gu Ni suspected he was Xiao Yan's mysterious teacher and resolved to win his favor.

Xiao Yan, posing as the Third-Rank Alchemist Li Feiyu, met Ya Fei at the Mittel Auction House and accepted medicinal ingredients in exchange for refining three pills for Gu Ni. After Xiao Yan produced high-tier Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid from inexpensive ingredients, Gu Ni was left in awe of his skill and formula.

• Ya Fei entered and learned from Gu Ni that the black-robed Li Feiyu was a Third-Rank Alchemist and the Xiao Clan boy's new master.
• Ya Fei offered Xiao Yan medicinal ingredients worth a hundred thousand gold coins as a welcoming gift, and he agreed to repay the favor by refining three second-rank pills for Gu Ni.
• Xiao Yan gave Gu Ni the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula and asked him to prepare the ingredients.
• Gu Ni watched Xiao Yan refine the liquid but found his technique too fast and precise to learn from.
• Xiao Yan produced three portions of high-tier second-rank Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, leaving Gu Ni revering him.

Xiao Yan taught Gu Ni the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula after Gu Ni agreed to become his disciple in name and look after the Xiao Clan. Gu Ni and Ya Fei then prepared a gift and set out to visit the clan and meet Xiao Yan's disciple.

• Gu Ni coveted the low-cost, powerful formula, and Xiao Yan offered to teach it if Gu Ni would support the Xiao Clan after Xiao Yan and his disciple left Wutan City.
• Gu Ni proposed becoming Xiao Yan's disciple in name so he could help the Xiao Clan without compromising the Mittel Auction House's neutrality.
• Xiao Yan accepted the arrangement, and Gu Ni formally acknowledged him as his master before receiving over two hours of instruction.
• Xiao Yan left with his medicinal ingredients, told Gu Ni to practice, and said he would return in a month.
• Gu Ni decided to visit the Xiao Clan with Ya Fei, who agreed and looked forward to meeting Xiao Yan's disciple.

Xiao Yan faced the Three Elders’ doubts about his Alchemist master until Gu Ni and Ya Fei arrived at the Xiao Clan. Gu Ni revealed that he had become a disciple of Li Feiyu and acknowledged Xiao Yan as his senior brother, leaving the clan stunned.

• The First Elder challenged Xiao Yan to prove that his master existed, while Xiao Yan refused to explain further and Xiao Zhan trusted him.
• A guard announced that Gu Ni and Ya Fei had come to visit the Xiao Clan, prompting Xiao Zhan and the elders to welcome them.
• Gu Ni told the assembled clan that Li Feiyu had taken him as a disciple.
• Gu Ni explained that Xiao Yan was Li Feiyu’s first disciple and respectfully addressed him as his senior brother.

Xiao Yan advanced rapidly under Yao Lao’s guidance while Ya Fei considered whether to pursue a connection with the elusive Li Feiyu. After Xiao Yan and Yao Lao said farewell to Gu Ni and Ya Fei, Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan as its coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin.

• Gu Ni mastered the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula after six months of instruction, then urged Ya Fei to seek Li Feiyu’s support; she denied liking him and refused to marry for advantage.
• After another six months, Xiao Yan reached six-star Da Dou Shi, and Yao Lao planned to take him to the Magical Beast Mountain Range after the ceremony and academy registration.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Lao bid farewell to Gu Ni and Ya Fei, and Gu Ni promised to protect the Xiao Clan.
• Ya Fei gave Li Feiyu a purple-gold VIP card bearing a hidden character, “Fei,” as he departed.
• Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan square, where the coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin.

At the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan concealed his true strength but revealed ninth-stage Dou Power, alarming the clan and prompting Xiao Mei to challenge him. Xiao Xun'er’s remarks made him suspect he had a bloodline, while Yao Lao began to wonder whether the Xiao Clan might descend from the Ancient Eight Clans; the chapter ended as Xiao Yan prepared to test his new Dou Techniques against Xiao Mei.

• Xiao Xun'er praised Xiao Yan’s rapid cultivation and said she hoped they could talk openly once her bloodline awakened, making him worry about the Gu Clan bodyguard and plan to leave the Xiao Clan after the ceremony and Jia Nan Academy’s enrollment.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao whether he had a bloodline, and Yao Lao reconsidered whether the Wutan City Xiao Clan could be descended from the Ancient Eight Clans’ Xiao Clan.
• After the ancestral rites, Xiao Yan revealed ninth-stage Dou Power at the testing, surprising the crowd and frustrating the Third Elder.
• The Third Elder urged Xiao Mei to challenge Xiao Yan, and she regained her resolve despite doubting whether she could compete for the Clan Leader position.
• Xiao Mei challenged Xiao Yan to a sparring match, and he decided to practice his new Fire-Blowing Palm and Suction Palm techniques against her.

Xiao Yan accidentally pulled Xiao Mei into an embrace during their match, prompting her to flee and the Third Elder to imagine her marrying into Xiao Yan’s family. Xiao Yu watched from the crowd and recalled her own embarrassing history with Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan learned Yao Lao had caused those past encounters and decided to leave the Xiao Clan.

• Xiao Mei attacked Xiao Yan with the Green Wind Art, but he repelled her whirlwind and used Suction Palm to pull her into an embrace.
• Xiao Mei fled in embarrassment, while the Third Elder reconsidered his plans and imagined her becoming the Clan Leader’s wife.
• Xiao Yu recalled repeatedly encountering Xiao Yan while bathing at a secluded pool before she left for Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Yan noticed Xiao Yu watching him and worried that she had misunderstood what happened with Xiao Mei.
• Yao Lao admitted he had arranged Xiao Yu’s past encounters with Xiao Yan but denied causing the mishap with Xiao Mei, and Xiao Yan decided to flee the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan confronted the Third Elder over his insistence that Xiao Yan marry Xiao Mei, but the elder refused to back down because he believed the public incident had compromised her reputation. The First Elder intervened and left with Xiao Yu after her reaction stirred suspicion, while Xiao Yan remained trapped in the unwanted marriage dispute and waited for Jia Nan Academy's recruitment.

• The Third Elder brought Xiao Mei and tonics to Xiao Yan again, and Xiao Yan declared that he had no romantic feelings for her.
• The Third Elder demanded that Xiao Yan marry Xiao Mei, and Xiao Mei fled in tears after hearing Xiao Yan's rejection.
• The First Elder arrived with Xiao Yu and urged the Third Elder to respect Xiao Yan's wishes.
• The Third Elder accused the First Elder of hypocrisy, and Xiao Yu blushed as she recalled her encounter with Xiao Yan at Back Mountain.
• The First Elder left with Xiao Yu after briefly yielding to the Third Elder, who then acted as if Xiao Yan's marriage to Xiao Mei was settled.
• Xiao Yan seethed over the pressure to marry and wondered why Jia Nan Academy's recruitment had not begun.

Xiao Yan enrolled in Jia Nan Academy after defeating Luo Bu and demonstrating his talent to Instructor Ruo Lin. He secured a year's leave to study with his grandmaster, while Ruo Lin approved the request after seeing that he could control his temper and conceal his abilities.

• Xiao Yan reached the Jia Nan Academy recruitment site and met Xiao Yu and Xue Ni, who teased him about being Xiao Yu's sweetheart.
• Luo Bu challenged Xiao Yan out of jealousy, and Xiao Yan broke through to One-Star Dou Zhe before defeating him.
• Instructor Ruo Lin admitted Xiao Yan after praising his talent and combat skills.
• Xiao Yan requested a year's leave, explaining that his seventh-tier Alchemist grandmaster had summoned him to learn a secret art.
• Instructor Ruo Lin required Xiao Yan to spar with her, then approved his leave after he fought without showing off.