Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan helped Qing Lin begin cultivating and encouraged her to become strong enough to protect herself. After she reached the first stage of Dou Power, Xiao Li arrived to bring Xiao Yan to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's monthly test.

• Xiao Yan promised to teach Qing Lin and guided Dou Qi through her meridians, finding that she had exceptional talent for cultivation.
• Xiao Yan taught Qing Lin a breathing method and decided to stay in Stone Desert City for a month to help her build a firm foundation.
• After seven days of diligent practice, Qing Lin gathered wood-attribute Dou Qi across her palm and reached the first stage of Dou Power.
• Xiao Yan told Qing Lin he would eventually leave and urged her to learn to protect herself, while Qing Lin resolved to protect him one day.
• Xiao Li found Xiao Yan and said the Desert Iron Mercenary Group wanted to see him demonstrate his abilities at its monthly test.

At the Desert Iron Mercenary Group’s assessment, Xiao Yan agreed to spar with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, who wanted to test his strength. He revealed that he had reached Two-Star Dou Ling and effortlessly stopped their combined attacks, leaving his brothers and the mercenaries stunned.

• Xue Lan defeated Kai Le in an assessment match and received praise from Xiao Ding.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Li arrived at the training grounds, where the mercenaries gathered to watch Xiao Yan spar.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li challenged Xiao Yan together, expecting him to be around Dou Shi level.
• The brothers announced their cultivation levels, and Xiao Yan revealed he was a Two-Star Dou Ling.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li unleashed their signature Dou Techniques, but Xiao Yan destroyed them with a single swing of his heavenly-flame sword.

After demonstrating his Dou Ling strength, Xiao Yan told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that he had come to Stone Desert City to search for Heavenly Flames. Qing Lin revealed a lead involving a powerful, injured woman and an object of extreme heat, and Xiao Yan set out with his brothers to investigate.

• Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Ding and Xiao Li with a Dou Qi weapon and revealed that he was a Two-Star Dou Ling.
• Xiao Yan told his brothers he planned to leave Stone Desert City after Qing Lin’s cultivation stabilized and resume searching for Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Yan showed Xiao Ding and Xiao Li his First-Rank Alchemist badge and explained that he had already reached the standard of a Second-Rank Alchemist.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li said they had no knowledge of strange heat in the area, but Qing Lin recalled sensing a powerful woman who had touched something extremely hot and left injured.
• Xiao Yan asked Qing Lin to take him to the site, and Xiao Ding and Xiao Li joined them to investigate.

Xiao Yan and his brothers searched the dunes east of Stone Desert City for the powerful presence Qing Lin had sensed, but found no trace of it before Mo Xing arrived to claim the area for the Sand Mercenary Group. After Xiao Li drove Mo Xing away, Xiao Yan flew off to confront Sha Luo while his brothers continued the search.

• Qing Lin led Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li to the dunes where she had sensed someone’s presence, and Xiao Yan ordered the area surveyed after finding no surface clues.
• Xiao Li returned with dozens of mercenaries, who dug and surveyed the dunes while Xiao Ding worried the work might attract the Sand Mercenary Group.
• Mo Xing arrived and claimed the dunes for the Sand Mercenary Group, but Xiao Li struck him with lightning and sent him away with his men.
• Xiao Yan volunteered to confront Sha Luo and flew away on his Eagle Wings, astonishing the mercenaries who wondered if he was a Dou Wang.

Luo Bu considered confronting the Desert Iron Mercenary Group after Mo Xing claimed they had found treasure, but Xiao Yan killed Mo Xing and forced Luo Bu to abandon his hostility. Luo Bu then brought his two hundred-odd mercenaries to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, surprising them at the excavation site.

• Mo Xing told Luo Bu that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was digging near the eastern dunes and urged him to seize the suspected treasure.
• Xiao Yan appeared in Luo Bu's headquarters, burned Mo Xing to ashes, and threatened Luo Bu with six Flame Beasts.
• Luo Bu promised that the Sand Mercenary Group would stop opposing the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, then decided to pledge allegiance to them.
• Xiao Yan returned to the dunes, where Luo Bu arrived with the Sand Mercenary Group and announced that they had come to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

Luo Bu brought the Sand Mercenary Group to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, and Xiao Yan revealed his alchemist status to secure Luo Bu’s loyalty and promise to help him reach Dou Ling. When the newcomers protested the group’s strict membership rules, Xiao Yan offered valuable pills as rewards, calming the unrest and making full membership highly coveted.

• Luo Bu explained that he wanted to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group because he hoped to advance to Dou Ling and believed Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had greater talent than he did.
• Xiao Yan revealed his Alchemist Badge and promised to support Luo Bu for ten years, then personally refine pills for him if he still had not reached Dou Ling.
• Xiao Ding appointed Luo Bu as Third Group Leader and allowed him to select fifty elite mercenaries, while the rest had to pass an assessment to become full members.
• Sand Mercenary Group members protested the rules, but Xiao Yan promised pills and monthly rewards to members who earned official positions in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.
• The mercenaries accepted Xiao Yan’s offer, and he spent the following half month refining pills until his palms burned.

After finishing a week of pill refining, Xiao Yan learned that Qing Lin had found a hidden underground passage connected to the presence he sought. He and Qing Lin entered it together to search for a possible heavenly flame, while Xiao Ding and Xiao Li guarded the entrance.

• Xiao Yan finished producing enough pills to supply the Desert Iron Mercenary Group for about three months.
• Qing Lin told Xiao Yan that the mercenaries had uncovered a winding underground passage after she sensed a peculiar presence.
• Xiao Yan inspected the passage and decided to explore it, leaving Xiao Ding and Xiao Li to guard the entrance.
• Qing Lin offered to guide Xiao Yan through the passage, and he agreed to take her with him.
• Xiao Yan promised to bring Qing Lin back within twelve hours and carried her into the underground passage.

Xiao Yan followed Qing Lin’s sense of a woman’s presence through underground passages to a magma pool, where a two-headed snake attacked him. After driving the beast beneath the magma, he thought it had backed down, but it suddenly lunged toward Qing Lin.

• Qing Lin sensed the woman’s strongest presence in one passage, and Xiao Yan sent a Flame Beast ahead to scout it.
• Xiao Yan and Qing Lin reached a magma pool, where Qing Lin warned him that something was living beneath the surface.
• Xiao Yan flew across the pool and struck a two-headed snake when it burst from the magma.
• Xiao Yan battered the fire-resistant beast with a heavenly flame sword until it plunged back into the magma.
• The two-headed snake suddenly emerged again and targeted Qing Lin at the passage entrance.

Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils awakened and bound the Two-Headed Snake to her, revealing that she could control snake-type Magical Beasts. With the snake guiding him toward the heavenly flame, Xiao Yan descended into the magma while Qing Lin waited above.

• The Two-Headed Snake ambushed Qing Lin, but her eyes transformed and pinned it in place before forming a contract that made it docile toward her.
• Xiao Yan struck the Two-Headed Snake and checked Qing Lin for injuries, then identified her physique as the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
• Qing Lin told Xiao Yan she could sense the snake’s thoughts and that it knew where the heavenly flame was.
• Qing Lin summoned the Two-Headed Snake and ordered it to guide Xiao Yan to the heavenly flame.
• Xiao Yan protected himself with the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame and followed the Two-Headed Snake down into the magma pool.

Xiao Yan followed the Two-Headed Snake deep into the Magma Pool and found the green lotus core flame, but its flame was gone. A colorful scale suggested Empress Medusa had taken it, leaving Xiao Yan hopeful that the flame might still be within reach.

• Xiao Yan grew impatient during the descent, but the myriad beast spirit flame puppy sensed something and led him farther down.
• Xiao Yan entered a green-lit area and found a mature green lotus that he identified as the green lotus core flame.
• Xiao Yan discovered that the lotus's flame was missing and realized someone had taken it before him.
• Xiao Yan found a colorful snake scale and suspected Empress Medusa had seized the flame for another purpose.
• Xiao Yan decided the green lotus might still be useful and hoped he could find the green lotus core flame again.

Xiao Yan retrieved the Green Lotus Platform and its seeds from the magma, then returned to Qing Lin and his brothers without finding the Heavenly Flame. After identifying Empress Medusa as the likely person who took it, he decided to pursue the flame despite the danger.

• Xiao Yan used the Ancient Jade Piece to cut free the Green Lotus Platform, took eleven Green Lotus Seeds, and fed one to the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.
• Xiao Yan left the Green Lotus Root behind, then returned from the magma pool to Qing Lin and took her out of the passage.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that Empress Medusa had likely taken the Heavenly Flame, but might still possess it because she could not absorb it.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li warned Xiao Yan not to challenge Empress Medusa, but Xiao Yan said he could not ignore the chance to obtain the Heavenly Flame.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li accepted Xiao Yan's decision and insisted on holding a feast before he left.

After leaving Stone Desert City, Xiao Yan absorbed a green lotus seed and continued toward the Snake-People Holy City, reaching an oasis in the territory of the Eight Snake-People Kings. He drank from the oasis and began refilling his flask, only to discover that a female Snake-Person had apparently tampered with the water.

• Xiao Yan said farewell to Qing Lin, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, then flew away from Stone Desert City.
• Xiao Yan absorbed a green lotus seed, reached the peak of Two-Star Dou Ling, and learned to conceal the power of his heavenly flame beneath green lotus Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan followed Elder Hai's map through the desert toward the Snake-People Holy City and reached an oasis within the Eight Snake-People Kings' territory.
• Xiao Yan waited for a powerful squad of female Snake-People to leave the oasis, then drank and filled his water flask.
• A beautiful female Snake-Person emerged from the oasis and asked Xiao Yan whether he had enjoyed her bathwater.

Xiao Yan was discovered in a Snake-People oasis and fought Yue Mei, one of their Dou Wang leaders, before fleeing across the desert. After his spirit flame freed him from Yue Mei’s sealing snakes, an enormous flying Magical Beast appeared overhead, carrying an unknown group that seemed to be near its target.

• Xiao Yan pretended to be weakened by poison, then broke free of Yue Mei’s Bewitching Charm Art and attacked her with a Heavenly Flames Greatsword.
• Yue Mei burned her hand on Xiao Yan’s flame, called for his death, and had the Snake-People surround him with venomous snakes.
• Xiao Yan used his Flying Dou Technique to escape, but Yue Mei pursued him with Dou Qi wings and sent two Snake-Shaped Energy Beasts to seal his Dou Qi.
• The myriad beast spirit flame transformed into a giant wolf, swallowed the energy snakes, and restored Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan prepared to fight Yue Mei, but an enormous flying Magical Beast appeared overhead, and someone aboard remarked that they had found a Snake-People Dou Wang near their target.

Xiao Yan encountered Pill King Gu He’s group as they sought an audience with Empress Medusa, while Yue Mei refused to help them. Their negotiations failed, and Gu He sent Yan Shi and Feng Li to fight the Snake-People as Xiao Yan retreated.

• A group led by Pill King Gu He arrived, and Yue Mei turned her attention from Xiao Yan to the powerful newcomers.
• The black-robed Dou Emperor recognized Xiao Yan as someone from the Jia Ma Empire, ending the group’s intent to kill him.
• Xiao Yan realized Gu He had come to the Tagor Desert seeking the green lotus core flame.
• Gu He asked Yue Mei to arrange an audience with Empress Medusa, but she rejected his request.
• Gu He ordered Yan Shi and Feng Li to attack, starting a battle as Xiao Yan withdrew and noticed the black-robed Dou Emperor watching him.

Yue Mei fought Yan Shi and Feng Li but escaped after being badly wounded, while Gu He’s group continued toward Empress Medusa in search of Heavenly Flames. Xiao Yan stopped Gu He and asked to join the party, revealing a blue-green flame to prove his usefulness.

• Yan Shi and Feng Li teamed up against Yue Mei, overwhelming her with close-range attacks and a sandstorm.
• Yue Mei struck Yan Shi with a sand wave, then used Snake Technique: Division to scatter into energy snakes and escape.
• Gu He recalled Yan Shi and Feng Li and urged the group to hurry to Empress Medusa, driven by the need to save his disciple with a Soul-Consolidating Pill.
• Xiao Yan stopped Gu He and asked to join his search for Heavenly Flames, claiming he was an alchemist who could help.
• Gu He questioned why he should recruit a stranger and Xiao Yan revealed a blue-green flame.

Xiao Yan persuaded Gu He to let him join the expedition for the Heavenly Flame by claiming his green lotus flame could sense its location. When one of Gu He's Dou Ling companions challenged him to prove his strength, Xiao Yan chose the team's strongest member, a Seven-Star Dou Ling.

• Xiao Yan explained that he had gained his green lotus flame by swallowing a Green Lotus Seed, and Gu He concluded that Empress Medusa had taken the Green Lotus core flame while leaving the seeds behind.
• Gu He asked to buy any spare Green Lotus Seeds, but Xiao Yan said he had only received one and had already used it.
• Xiao Yan claimed his flame let him sense the Green Lotus core flame, and the black-robed Dou Emperor vouched for him, prompting Gu He to accept him and offer fourth-grade pills as rewards.
• One of the five Dou Ling objected to Xiao Yan joining without proving himself and challenged him to defeat a member of the team.
• Xiao Yan chose the Seven-Star Dou Ling who had issued the challenge, despite being a Two-Star Dou Ling himself.

Xiao Yan fought He Rang in a ten-move challenge, using repeated Explosive Steps to build momentum and overcome the older Dou Ling's strength. He Rang's Rock Prison Collapse failed to trap Xiao Yan, who defeated him with a final greatsword strike and thanked him for the match.

• He Rang introduced himself as a Seven-Star Dou Ling and agreed to defeat Xiao Yan or drive him from the boundary within ten moves.
• Xiao Yan evaded He Rang's Earth-Splitting Cleave and countered with his green greatsword, then repeatedly attacked using Explosive Step.
• He Rang realized Xiao Yan was building force with successive steps and unleashed Rock Prison Collapse, raising three rings of stone spikes across the boundary.
• Xiao Yan shattered the spikes with Sonic Lion Roar and a green flaming palm print, then used them as footholds to launch his twentieth step.
• Xiao Yan's greatsword strike shattered the spikes and drove He Rang into the sand, leaving Xiao Yan unharmed.

Xiao Yan joined Gu He’s expedition and helped the group force its way through a Snake-People settlement while avoiding unnecessary deaths. After the black-robed Dou Emperor suggested Gu He take Xiao Yan as a disciple, the group continued toward the Heavenly Flame, and the Snake-People sent word to Empress Medusa.

• He Rang accepted his defeat and told Xiao Yan to focus on guarding Gu He, officially bringing Xiao Yan into the Heavenly Flame search party.
• The black-robed Dou Emperor used her aura to carry the expedition swiftly toward the Snake-People territory.
• Gu He ordered the Dou Ling fighters, including Xiao Yan, to clear a path through a settlement while the stronger members advanced.
• Xiao Yan knocked out Snake-People Guards without killing them, then collected more than twenty sand mandala plants he found growing in the settlement.
• Yan Shi and Feng Li praised Xiao Yan, and the black-robed Dou Emperor encouraged Gu He to consider taking him as a disciple.
• The expedition forced its way through the settlement, and the Snake-People ordered a messenger to inform Empress Medusa.

Xiao Yan and Gu He's party broke into the Snake-People Holy City and fought their way to the Medusa Temple in search of the Heavenly Flame. Empress Medusa answered Gu He's call, leaving the group poised to meet her.

• Sect Master Yun broke a hole in the Holy City's wall, allowing the group to enter as Snake-People guards raised the alarm.
• Xiao Yan sensed the Heavenly Flame to the north, and the group hurried toward the Medusa Temple.
• Yan Shi and Feng Li fought Empress Medusa's personal guards while Gu He and the others climbed the temple steps.
• The group battled through more guards and reached the temple hall, where Gu He called for Empress Medusa.
• Empress Medusa answered Gu He and remarked on the unusual visit from the Jia Ma Empire's Sixth-Rank Alchemist.

Gu He offered Empress Medusa valuable pills in exchange for her Heavenly Flame, but she refused. The black-robed Dou Emperor revealed that Medusa needed the flame for a secret rebirth ritual and struck her apparent image, exposing that it was only a mirror image.

• Empress Medusa appeared in the Divine Hall, and the black-robed Dou Emperor secretly helped Xiao Yan withstand her pressure.
• Gu He offered one Seventh-grade Transformation Pill and two Sixth-grade Dou Ling Pills for the Heavenly Flame, but Empress Medusa declined and told the group to leave.
• The black-robed Dou Emperor revealed that a Snake-People empress needed a Heavenly Flame to complete a rebirth and bloodline-evolution ritual.
• The black-robed Dou Emperor said Empress Medusa was only a mirror image and struck her, causing the image to dissolve into specks of light.