Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan used Liao Du’s reckless bid for the Poison Fire Crystal to have him seized and questioned. He learned that the crystal held a wisp of Netherworld Poison Flame and demanded to know where Liao Du had found it.

• Liao Du realized he could not afford his five-million-gold-coin bid, while Xiao Yan arranged with the Black Seal City Lord to seize him.
• After the auction, Liao Du tried to escape Black Seal City but was confronted by an auction-house manager and the Black Seal City Lord.
• Xiao Yan stayed overnight in the city’s luxurious guest residence with Ruo Lin and the students, then left them to dine while he met with Liao Du.
• Xiao Yan questioned the bound Liao Du about the Poison Fire Crystal and identified the wisp of Netherworld Poison Flame sealed inside it.

Xiao Yan forced Liao Du to reveal that the Poison Fire Crystals came from the Netherworld Poison Saint’s ruins and that the Hall of Souls was hunting him. Xiao Yan planned to visit the ruins with Liao Du and the Black Seal City Lord, then departed with a group for the ancient academy.

• Xiao Yan exposed Liao Du’s lie by emptying his Storage Ring of more than a hundred Poison Fire Crystals and threatened to burn or search his soul.
• Liao Du confessed that the crystals came from the Netherworld Poison Saint’s ruins and explained that the Hall of Souls was pursuing him after he killed a Dou Huang.
• Xiao Yan gave Liao Du a Jade Slip containing a seventh-rank alchemist’s insights, ordered him to stay in Black Seal City, and promised to take him to the ruins.
• The Black Seal City Lord asked to join the expedition, and Xiao Yan agreed while warning him to fend for himself if danger arose.
• Xiao Yan departed the next morning with a group bound for the ancient academy.

Xiao Yan escorted Ruo Lin and her students to Jia Nan Academy, where he sought an introduction to Great Elder Su Qian. When Director Li insulted Ruo Lin and accused Xiao Yan of being a spy, Xiao Yan struck him.

• Xiao Yan traveled with Ruo Lin's team for seven days, disguising his appearance to avoid being recognized by Han Feng.
• Ruo Lin led Xiao Yan and the students through Peace Town and into Jia Nan City, where he asked to meet Great Elder Su Qian.
• Ruo Lin explained that she needed Deputy Dean Hu Qian's approval to arrange a meeting with Su Qian and took Xiao Yan to the dean's office building.
• Director Li questioned Xiao Yan's identity, dismissed Ruo Lin's account that he had saved the team, and accused her of being his lover.
• Xiao Yan slapped Director Li across the face and demanded to know what he was barking about.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed Jia Nan Academy’s deputy headmaster, Hu Qian, and demanded to meet Great Elder Su Qian. Hu Qian led him to the Inner Academy, where Su Qian greeted him cautiously.

• Xiao Yan slapped Director Li into a wall and dismissed Jia Nan Academy’s instructors as unimpressive.
• Hu Qian confronted Xiao Yan, sensed his overwhelming strength, and agreed to take him to Su Qian.
• Hu Qian demoted Director Li, ordered him to reflect for three months, and withheld his salary.
• Xiao Yan and Hu Qian flew to the Inner Academy, where Xiao Yan recognized the basin as the likely location of the fallen heart flame.
• Hu Qian brought Xiao Yan to Su Qian’s courtyard, and Su Qian asked what had brought him there.

Xiao Yan negotiated with Su Qian and Hu Qian for Jia Nan Academy’s help in killing Han Feng, while seeking the Fallen Heart Flame beneath the academy. He promised to find the academy a replacement flame before taking its own and joined as an elder under the name Yan Xiao.

• Xiao Yan told Su Qian and Hu Qian that Han Feng was his senior fellow disciple and that he had come to kill him because he could not stand him.
• Su Qian agreed to cooperate against Han Feng, then grew wary when Xiao Yan revealed his interest in the Fallen Heart Flame.
• Xiao Yan offered to find Jia Nan Academy a new Fallen Heart Flame before taking the one beneath its tower, and Su Qian agreed to consider the deal.
• Xiao Yan dismissed the academy headmaster Mang Tianchi as a mere Dou Zun, then accepted a temporary position as an academy elder.
• Xiao Yan asked Su Qian to register him as Sixth-Rank Alchemist Yan Xiao, and Su Qian appointed him an elder of the Alchemy Department.

Xiao Yan joined Jia Nan Academy’s Alchemy Department as its newest Sixth-Rank Alchemist and was assigned to oversee the Medicinal Materials Repository. He demonstrated his heavenly flames and exceptional fire control before the elders, who finished by cheering for him to teach them.

• Su Qian brought Xiao Yan to the Alchemy Department and introduced him as its new Sixth-Rank Alchemist, responsible for the Medicinal Materials Repository.
• The elders worried Xiao Yan might clash with Zi Yan, but Su Qian assured them that Xiao Yan was strong enough to handle her.
• At the elders’ request, Xiao Yan displayed dozens of Seven-Colored Fire Lotuses and revealed that he possessed heavenly flames.
• Xiao Yan merged the Fire Lotuses with remarkable control, impressing the elders and prompting them to praise his chances of refining a seventh-grade pill.
• Xiao Yan completed a Fifth-Rank Windwalk Pill, and the elders cheered and begged him to teach them.

After Xiao Yan impressed the Alchemy Department elders by refining a fifth-grade Windwalk Pill without a medicine cauldron, they brought him to Jia Nan Academy’s Medicinal Materials Treasury to begin his new duties. Elder Hao welcomed him and started showing him around the treasury, leaving Xiao Yan curious about its contents.

• The Alchemy Department elders praised Xiao Yan’s alchemy and eagerly asked to learn from him.
• Su Qian approved of Xiao Yan and sent him with the elders to the Medicinal Materials Treasury.
• The elders escorted Xiao Yan through the Inner Academy, drawing curious looks from students.
• The elders introduced Xiao Yan to Elder Hao and warned him to take good care of the new alchemy master.
• Elder Hao gave Xiao Yan a white jade token and led him into the treasury to show him around.

Xiao Yan toured Jia Nan Academy’s medicinal ingredient vault with Elder Hao and encountered a little girl who had been eating the stored treasures. After Xiao Yan resisted Zi Yan’s strike without injury, he asked if she was Zi Yan.

• Xiao Yan admired the jade vault as Elder Hao boasted that his loyalty had earned him responsibility for the collection.
• Xiao Yan and Elder Hao heard someone eating, then found a little girl who had gnawed several rare medicinal ingredients.
• Elder Hao confronted the girl, who denied stealing, threatened him, and pleaded with him not to report her to the Great Elder.
• Xiao Yan patted the girl’s head and remained unharmed when she struck at his wrist.
• Xiao Yan asked the girl if her name was Zi Yan.

Xiao Yan subdued Zi Yan, then won her over with rare medicinal treasures and offered to treat her as his little sister. Zi Yan accepted his gifts and began to trust him, while Xiao Yan promised her a Transformation Pill once she reached Peak Dou Wang.

• Zi Yan struggled against Xiao Yan until Elder Hao warned them that they were damaging the treasure chamber, and Xiao Yan released her.
• Xiao Yan stopped Zi Yan from leaving by offering her tastier herbs, then showed her Essence Blood from a Ninth-Rank Magical Beast and refined precious herbs into pills.
• Xiao Yan asked Zi Yan about her parents, and she explained that she had grown up alone before the Inner Academy's Grand Elder brought her to Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Yan told Zi Yan she was his little sister, and she eagerly called him big brother after seeing the pills he had refined for her.
• Xiao Yan gave Zi Yan the pills and promised her a Transformation Pill after she reached Peak Dou Wang, leaving her touched and tearful.

Xiao Yan entered the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower with Elder Hao and discovered that he could easily suppress the fallen heart flame. After exploring the third floor and beginning to cultivate, he was interrupted by someone knocking on his room door.

• Elder Hao visited Xiao Yan with wine, then took him to the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower the next morning.
• Xiao Yan sensed the fallen heart flame beneath the tower and devoured a wisp of it after entering.
• Xiao Yan showed his Alchemy Department Elder token to gain access to the third floor and chose an empty cultivation room.
• Xiao Yan used the Fire Energy Card Su Qian had given him, then suppressed the fallen heart flame with his soul power.
• Someone pounded on Xiao Yan's room door, darkening his smiling expression.

Xiao Yan confronted Liu Fei and her companions after they disturbed his cultivation chamber, then knocked them unconscious when Lei Na challenged him. Han Yue witnessed his strength as Xiao Yan introduced himself and continued toward the fourth floor of the Qi Refining Tower.

• Xiao Yan entered the cultivation chamber and demanded to know who had disturbed him, while Liu Fei's group claimed the room was reserved for her.
• Lei Na threatened Xiao Yan, and Liu Fei urged him to be careful not to hurt Xiao Yan too badly.
• Han Yue intervened, warning Liu Fei and Lei Na that disturbing a cultivator could cause a dangerous backlash, but Xiao Yan told her to stay out of it.
• As Han Yue turned away, Xiao Yan slapped Lei Na, Liu Fei, and the other students unconscious, leaving them with injuries and broken teeth.
• Xiao Yan introduced himself to Han Yue as Yan Xiao, mentioned the Alchemy Department, and headed down toward the fourth floor.
• Elder Hao arrived on the third floor, saw the unconscious students, and asked Han Yue what had happened.

Elder Hao told Han Yue that Yan Xiao was a powerful new Alchemy Department elder, and Xiao Yan reached the lowest level of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower to sense the fallen heart flame. When the flame reacted violently to his soul power, Great Elder Su Qian arrived and asked whether Xiao Yan had caused its stirrings.

• Elder Hao learned that Yan Xiao had beaten Liu Fei and the others, then told Han Yue that Yan Xiao was a sixth-rank Alchemist and a powerful Dou Emperor.
• Xiao Yan reached the lowest level of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, where two elders refused him entry without Great Elder Su Qian’s permission.
• Xiao Yan sat nearby and spread his soul power through the seal and into the magma beneath the academy.
• Xiao Yan sensed the Invisible Fire Python, and it struggled so violently that the magma ocean boiled.
• The two guards recognized the fallen heart flame’s stirrings, and Su Qian arrived and asked whether they were connected to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan persuaded Su Qian to let him confront the fallen heart flame beneath the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, and the academy evacuated its students. He entered the sealed area and began overpowering the fire python, leaving Su Qian shocked by his strength.

• Xiao Yan asked Su Qian for permission to reach the fallen heart flame, and Su Qian agreed after warning him to honor their agreement.
• Xiao Yan summoned the fallen heart flame from the magma and told Su Qian to evacuate the students before their fight began.
• Elder Hao and Han Yue helped clear the tower after learning that the fallen heart flame was about to run rampant, and Han Yue suspected Elder Yan Xiao was involved.
• Su Qian opened the seal, and the fallen heart flame charged for the gap as Xiao Yan appeared before it.
• Xiao Yan struck the fallen heart flame with a massive seven-colored flame hand, and Su Qian watched in alarm as it proved nearly powerless against him.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed the Fallen Heart Flame beneath Jia Nan Academy and refined its power into nearly a hundred portions of origin heart flame. He trapped the remaining tiny flame snake and left it sealed as Su Qian hoped some of the extracted treasure would strengthen the academy.

• Su Qian realized Xiao Yan was far stronger than he had expected as Xiao Yan subdued the Fallen Heart Flame in the Magma World.
• Xiao Yan used his heavenly flames and soul power to restrain the Invisible Fire Python and extract its origin heart flame, shocking Su Qian.
• Su Qian kept students away from the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower while the battle continued below for three days.
• Xiao Yan crushed the weakened Fallen Heart Flame and refined its remaining power into nearly a hundred portions of origin heart flame.
• The tiny Invisible Fire Python tried to flee, but Xiao Yan sealed it in a cage of flame and watched its consciousness begin to fade.

Xiao Yan collected the origin heart flames and gave half to Su Qian, promising to help Jia Nan Academy make better use of them and find another fallen heart flame. After leaving the tower, he encountered Liu Qing, who confronted him over Liu Fei, just as a small white figure ran to Xiao Yan and called him big brother.

• Xiao Yan gathered the origin heart flames and gave half to Su Qian, reserving three each for Zi Yan and Han Yue.
• Xiao Yan promised to work with the Alchemy Department's elders on a pill to improve the use of origin heart flames and later help the academy find another fallen heart flame.
• Xiao Yan left the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower and passed students who questioned why he could enter and leave freely.
• Liu Qing blocked Xiao Yan on the way to the Alchemy Department and challenged him for injuring Liu Fei.
• A petite white figure ran to Xiao Yan and called him big brother, causing Liu Qing's gaze to sharpen.

Xiao Yan reunited with Zi Yan, reprimanded Liu Qing, and brought her to the Alchemy Department, where he introduced her as his little sister. He met Fei Shi, the department director, and proposed researching a pill to help Dou Lings temper themselves with the origin heart flame.

• Zi Yan asked Xiao Yan to make tasty pills to help her absorb the energy from the pills she had already eaten, and he agreed to take her to the Alchemy Department.
• Xiao Yan warned Liu Qing to teach his sister properly, while Zi Yan threatened Liu Qing not to upset her brother.
• The Alchemy Department Elders reacted warily to Zi Yan, and Xiao Yan reassured her before asking them to look after her as his little sister.
• Fei Shi introduced himself as the Alchemy Department director and eagerly proposed comparing alchemy techniques with Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan offered Fei Shi a research topic: a pill to improve Dou Lings' success rate when tempering themselves with the origin heart flame.

Xiao Yan examined Jia Nan Academy’s pill recipe for improving the success rate of origin heart flame body tempering and revised it to sharply reduce its cost. The elders were impressed, and Fei Shi prepared to test the new formulation.

• The Alchemy Department elders told Xiao Yan that their pill recipe was too costly for students to use.
• Xiao Yan reviewed the recipe and identified cheaper replacements for its three main ingredients.
• Xiao Yan explained that an Ice Heart Pill could replace the expensive Soul-Calming Fruit’s role in protecting the soul.
• Xiao Yan revised the recipe further, reducing its cost to roughly that of an ordinary fifth-grade pill.
• The elders praised Xiao Yan’s changes, and Fei Shi eagerly proposed testing the new recipe.

Xiao Yan began refining a fifth-grade pill in the Alchemy Plaza, drawing a crowd with his heavenly flames and extraordinary fire control. The pill’s energy surged out of control, and Xiao Yan contained it, but the ingredients burned to ash and the attempt failed.

• Xiao Yan asked the Alchemy Department elders to gather ingredients and moved with them to the Alchemy Plaza to refine a pill.
• Xiao Yan extracted the ingredients’ essences with his seven-colored flame while Fei Shi and the gathered students watched in awe.
• Xiao Yan combined the medicinal essences inside a flaming bud as his reputation spread among the students.
• Fei Shi warned the students that the pill was about to explode, and Xiao Yan trapped the surging energy in a giant flaming hand.
• Xiao Yan found only ash where the pill should have formed and frowned as he considered what had gone wrong.

Xiao Yan successfully refined and named the Heart Flame Body-Tempering Pill, earning Jia Nan Academy's respect and establishing his reputation. As he made digestive pills for Zi Yan, a powerful, concealed presence appeared above the academy.

• After reviewing two failed refinements, Xiao Yan added origin heart flame to the medicinal essence and successfully refined a crystalline water-blue pill.
• Xiao Yan named it the Heart Flame Body-Tempering Pill, recorded its formula and refinement steps, and sent the Queen a message requesting supplies.
• The academy crowd dispersed with Xiao Yan's reputation firmly established, while Liu Fei began considering how to win his favor.
• Xiao Yan refined digestive pills for Zi Yan at the Inner Academy Back Mountain as she eagerly watched them cook.
• A powerful concealed aura appeared in the sky, startling the academy's Dou Zong experts, and Xiao Yan recognized the figure.

Xiao Yan met Yun Potian, who brought medicinal ingredients and news of the Gold and Silver Elders, and sent him back with origin heart flames and a pill recipe for the Flame Alliance. After Su Qian learned that a Dou Zun served under Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan asked him to keep his identity secret and returned to Zi Yan, leaving his thoughts on preparing to devour the fallen heart flame.

• Xiao Yan left Zi Yan with the embryonic pills and went to meet Yun Potian and Jia Nan Academy’s elders in the sky.
• Yun Potian reported that the Gold and Silver Elders might be at Spring God Ravine, and Xiao Yan ordered two skilled trackers to search for them.
• Xiao Yan gave Yun Potian fifty strands of origin heart flame and the Heart Flame Body-Tempering Pill recipe to take to Cai Lin for the Flame Alliance.
• Su Qian asked whether Yun Potian was Xiao Yan’s subordinate, and Xiao Yan asked him to keep his identity secret while they focused on capturing Han Feng.
• Xiao Yan returned to Zi Yan, who had stored the pills and stuffed some into her cheeks, then looked toward the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower as he considered preparing to devour the fallen heart flame.