Chapter Summaries

Tang Yan gave Du Shu a collection of refined pills to sell, then cultivated on the third floor of the Nine Nether Fire Sea for two days despite being only at Profound Tier. When Xiao Cangshan told Elder Zhen and Elder Huo that Tang Yan had entered his third day there, the elders were stunned.

• Tang Yan showed Du Shu his newly refined pills, explained their effects, and trusted him to handle the business while he went into seclusion.
• Tang Yan cultivated in the Nine Nether Fire Sea, enduring the third floor's fire spirit energy as it tempered his True Qi.
• Students on the third floor noticed Tang Yan had remained there for two days and learned that he was the Eastern District's top new student, who had recently been at Profound Tier seventh grade.
• At the Formation Pavilion, Elder Zhen complained that Tang Yan had not come to study formations, while Elder Huo joked that he wanted to learn pill refining instead.
• Xiao Cangshan told Elder Zhen and Elder Huo that Tang Yan had stayed on the third floor for two days and entered his third day, surprising them.

Tang Yan spent half a month cultivating in the Nine Nether Fire Sea, broke through to Profound Tier Ninth Grade, and emerged to find that his gang, Reach the Summit, was advertising an auction of peerless Divine Pills. Elder Zhen and Elder Huo discussed Tang Yan’s cultivation and the mysterious pills as the auction drew attention.

• Xiao Cangshan told Elder Zhen and Elder Huo that Tang Yan had remained in the Nine Nether Fire Sea for days, and the elders went to check on him.
• News of Tang Yan’s prolonged cultivation spread through Azure Dragon Academy, drawing attention from students, elders, and instructors.
• After half a month inside, Tang Yan broke through to Profound Tier Ninth Grade and left the Nine Nether Fire Sea.
• Tang Yan read Reach the Summit’s advertisement for a peerless Divine Pills auction and learned from a passerby that it would be held in the Rookie District.
• Elder Huo expressed interest in teaching Tang Yan pill refinement, while Elder Zhen told him about Reach the Summit’s advertised pills and their supposedly miraculous effects.

Tang Yan and Du Shu launched Reach the Summit’s first auction, drawing a skeptical crowd with claims about extraordinary pills. The Soul-Tempering Pill’s effects stirred interest, but doubts about its authenticity remained as Elder Zhen urged Elder Huo to inspect it.

• Elder Zhen persuaded Elder Huo to visit Reach the Summit’s auction because Tang Yan had founded the faction.
• Tang Yan arrived at the Rookie District and found a large crowd gathered for the auction.
• Du Shu introduced Reach the Summit and opened the auction by presenting the Soul-Tempering Pill and describing its effects.
• The crowd reacted with excitement, while Du Shu claimed the pill far surpassed Meridian Tempering Powder.
• A skeptic questioned whether the pills were fake, and Du Shu defended their credibility despite lacking an appraiser.
• Elder Zhen asked Elder Huo to examine the Soul-Tempering Pill.

Elder Huo authenticated Tang Yan’s pills as genuine and far superior to the Meridian Tempering Powder, giving Du Shu’s auction a surge of credibility and driving bids for the Soul-Tempering Pills. As the auction drew a crowd, Tang Yan offered the thick-browed young man a way to attract attention.

• Elder Zhen pushed Elder Huo into attending the auction, where Elder Huo offered to inspect Du Shu’s pills.
• Elder Huo found the pills’ fragrance and refined quality astonishing, then confirmed they were genuine and far better than the Meridian Tempering Powder.
• Elder Huo stayed beside Du Shu to authenticate the remaining pills, while Tang Yan realized his help was no longer needed.
• Du Shu began auctioning two Soul-Tempering Pills, and the bids quickly climbed past one hundred Star Value.
• Tang Yan asked the thick-browed young man if he wanted to attract the girls’ attention, and the young man eagerly asked whether Tang Yan had a way.

Tang Yan’s advice led a thick-browed young man to bid far too much on the first bottle of Soul-Tempering Pills, but Mo Han’s higher bid spared him the purchase. After the remaining Soul-Tempering Pills sold for thousands of Star Value, Du Shu introduced the Blasting Pills and began their auction, leaving Tang Yan curious about the bids.

• Tang Yan urged the thick-browed young man to make a bold bid for show, and the young man offered four thousand Star Value for the first bottle of Soul-Tempering Pills.
• Mo Han bid four thousand one hundred Star Value, won the first bottle, and relieved the thick-browed young man of his accidental obligation to buy it.
• Du Shu auctioned the other two bottles of Soul-Tempering Pills for four thousand and four thousand two hundred Star Value.
• Du Shu introduced the Blasting Pills, and Elder Huo examined them, judged them likely genuine, and recommended that students buy them.
• Du Shu set the Blasting Pills’ starting bid at five hundred Star Value, and Tang Yan waited to see how much bidders would offer.

Tang Yan’s pills drew fierce bidding at the Azure Dragon Academy auction, and Du Shu introduced the final lot as a Youth-Preserving Pill that could preserve a youthful appearance. The pill’s price surged as eager bidders competed for it.

• Chen Mu and Jing Yunlong competed for the Blasting Pills, and Chen Mu won them for nine thousand one hundred Star Value.
• Elder Huo confirmed the Blood-Coagulating Pills were genuine, and the three bottles sold for eight thousand, eight thousand one hundred, and eight thousand three hundred Star Value.
• Tang Yan’s Shangqing Pills and Spirit-Gathering Pills sold for good prices.
• Du Shu presented the final lot as a Heaven-Aligned Longevity Youth-Preserving Pill and claimed it could preserve a youthful appearance for twenty years.
• Elder Huo said he was ninety percent certain the Youth-Preserving Pill was genuine, and Du Shu began bidding at one thousand Star Value.
• Bidders quickly raised the Youth-Preserving Pill’s price to seven thousand Star Value.

Tang Yan’s pills earned 126,900 Star Value at auction, with Ziyuan buying the Youth-Preserving Pill for 70,000. Back at the dormitory, Du Shu proposed using the money to expand Reach the Summit’s business at Azure Dragon Academy.

• The Youth-Preserving Pill’s price climbed to 70,000 Star Value, and Ziyuan won the bidding.
• Du Shu told the crowd that future auctions were uncertain, and Elder Huo asked him to send Tang Yan to the Pill Pavilion.
• Wan Fei scolded Du Shu for selling the Youth-Preserving Pill, while Lin Dongxue suggested Tang Yan could refine another one.
• Du Shu and the others returned to the dormitory, where Tang Yan asked how much Star Value the auction had raised.
• Du Shu reported a total of 126,900 Star Value and proposed selling pills through methods beyond auctions to reach Azure Dragon Academy’s student market.

Du Shu proposed building a pill business to challenge the Sacred Pill Alliance, and Tang Yan agreed to support his plan. Tang Yan then arranged for the group to cultivate and gather ingredients before heading to see his teacher, with Elder Huo waiting for him at the Pill Pavilion.

• Du Shu outlined plans to recruit a struggling alchemy faction, sell ordinary pills alongside Tang Yan's Divine Pills, and eventually expand across the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom and beyond.
• Tang Yan backed Du Shu's ambitions, asked him to list potential alchemy factions, and promised regular pill supplies.
• Tang Yan told the group to cultivate, instructed Du Shu to buy spirit herbs, and explained his purchasing strategy to Wan Fei.
• Wan Fei and Lin Dongxue asked Tang Yan for more Youth-Preserving Pills, and he promised to refine them once he found Clear Snow Lotus and water-lubricating flower.
• Yu Juechen told Tang Yan that Elder Huo wanted to see him, and Tang Yan went to visit his teacher first.

Tang Yan revealed that he had refined the auctioned pills himself and claimed to be a third-tier Alchemy Master, then agreed to prove his skill to Elder Huo and Elder Zhen by making a Flowing Spirit Pill. He impressed the elders with his knowledge and bearing, but startled them by putting all twenty-six ingredients into the cauldron at once.

• Tang Yan told Elder Huo and Elder Zhen that he had refined the auctioned pills himself and explained that an unnamed master had taught him alchemy.
• Tang Yan said he was a third-tier Alchemy Master, prompting Elder Huo to bring out his cauldron and challenge him to refine a pill.
• Tang Yan accurately described the cauldron’s construction, then chose to refine a Flowing Spirit Pill.
• Tang Yan lit the fire before preparing ingredients, and Elder Huo and Elder Zhen sensed his confident, masterful bearing.
• Tang Yan put all twenty-six Flowing Spirit Pill ingredients into the cauldron without first purifying them, shocking Elder Huo.

Tang Yan refined three superior-grade Flowing Spirit Pills with astonishing speed and precision, convincing Elder Huo of his alchemy mastery. Elder Huo offered to teach him, but Tang Yan clarified that he had accepted the Fire Cloud Pill only to point out a flaw in it, leaving Elder Huo wondering whether he knew how to fix the problem.

• Tang Yan purified twenty-six medicinal ingredients at once, and Elder Huo marveled at his speed and the purity of the extracted essences.
• After four hours, Tang Yan formed three Flowing Spirit Pills and gave them to Elder Huo and Elder Zhen to inspect.
• Elder Huo judged the pills to be superior grade and praised Tang Yan's skill, then offered to teach him alchemy without making him a formal disciple.
• Tang Yan accepted Elder Huo's Fire Cloud Pill, prompting Elder Zhen to encourage him to study alchemy with Elder Huo.
• Tang Yan explained that the Fire Cloud Pill's fiery energy was insufficiently unrestrained and asked whether Elder Huo still had it.
• Elder Huo recognized Tang Yan's description as the flaw troubling him and asked whether Tang Yan knew how to resolve it.

Tang Yan diagnosed the flaw in Elder Huo’s Fire Cloud Pill and impressed both elders with his alchemy, then remembered Zi Yun’s Meridian-Altering Qi method while worrying about the upcoming student tournament. He began studying the obscure technique outside the academy and finally found a clue to its central problem.

• Tang Yan explained that Elder Huo’s Fire Cloud Pill needed a longer extraction of blazing flame root, and Elder Huo gave him the pill and offered future help with alchemy.
• After Tang Yan left, Elder Huo told Elder Zhen that Tang Yan’s alchemical work was flawless and that he had nothing to teach him.
• Tang Yan worried that the other districts’ top students had reached the Earth Tier, but resolved to compete for the Eastern District rather than give up.
• Tang Yan recalled Zi Yun’s Meridian-Altering Qi method and went to the academy’s outskirts to practice it.
• After struggling with the method for two hours, Tang Yan reconsidered its instructions and realized where the problem lay.

Tang Yan realized the Meridian-Altering Qi technique might need to be cultivated in reverse and used the Heaven-Earth Creation Flame to unlock its power. After testing his new strength, he returned to Zi Yun's Courtyard to recover, leaving the technique's heavy true qi consumption as a concern.

• Tang Yan suspected the technique's name and instructions were reversed, then tried using the Heaven-Earth Creation Flame to activate it.
• Tang Yan's first attempt stalled in his meridians, injured him, and taught him to circulate his true qi faster.
• Tang Yan successfully transformed his meridians, wielded the Wuxie Sword, and destroyed a huge rock with the Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword.
• People who heard the blast arrived and guessed that an Earth Tier expert had used an Earth Tier Martial Skill.
• Tang Yan returned to Zi Yun's Courtyard, worried about his true qi consumption and his past encounters with Zi Yun, then began cultivating in his room.

Tang Yan talked with Zi Yun about his ambitions and learned that she was troubled by something she would not explain. She told him she would speak when he reached Heaven Tier, and Tang Yan vowed to get there soon.

• Tang Yan woke from cultivation and joined Zi Yun for tea, but she punished him for calling her a silly girl.
• Zi Yun asked Tang Yan why he had come to Azure Dragon Academy and what he wanted from life.
• Tang Yan declared that he wanted to travel far, gain strength, and make heaven and earth unable to obstruct him.
• Tang Yan questioned why Zi Yun cultivated at the academy, then guessed that she had come to escape something or obtain something.
• Tang Yan urged Zi Yun to tell him what troubled her, but she refused until he reached Heaven Tier.
• Zi Yun walked away, and Tang Yan shouted that he would reach Heaven Tier soon.

Tang Yan refined Spirit-Cleansing Pills and reviewed struggling alchemy factions with Du Shu before choosing to approach Four Directions Cauldron about joining Reach the Summit. The chapter left them inside its tiny shop, where Tang Yan inspected its ordinary pills and met the woman running it.

• Zi Yun challenged Tang Yan to reach Heaven Tier within half a year, and Tang Yan realized she would only discuss her concerns with him once he grew stronger.
• Tang Yan refined six Spirit-Cleansing Pills to strengthen his meridians.
• Du Shu brought Tang Yan information about struggling alchemy factions, and Tang Yan chose to visit Four Directions Cauldron first.
• Du Shu explained that the Peak Society controlled the trading area's best shop locations, and Tang Yan said he hoped Reach the Summit would eventually have territory of its own.
• Tang Yan and Du Shu entered Four Directions Cauldron, where Tang Yan examined its limited selection of common pills and spoke with the woman behind the counter.

Tang Yan tried to recruit Qin Yue'er, the leader of the Four Directions Cauldron, while Zhang Danian and the Precious Pill Pavilion pressured her to raise her pill prices. Qin Yue'er declined Tang Yan’s offer of a Youth-Preserving Pill, and he asked why.

• Tang Yan learned that Qin Yue'er led the Four Directions Cauldron.
• Zhang Danian and two Precious Pill Pavilion members threatened Qin Yue'er over her low pill prices and urged her to join their faction.
• Qin Yue'er stood her ground and revealed that she was ready to fight Zhang Danian in the arena district.
• Tang Yan introduced himself and invited Qin Yue'er to join Reach the Summit.
• Tang Yan offered Qin Yue'er a Youth-Preserving Pill, but she declined the offer.
• Tang Yan calmly asked Qin Yue'er why she had refused.

Tang Yan offered Qin Yue'er and the Four Directions Cauldron generous benefits to join Reach the Summit, and Qin Yue'er accepted. She returned with three others, then revealed that some members had left the group the previous day.

• Tang Yan tested Qin Yue'er's ability to detect his spiritual power and judged her promising for alchemy.
• Tang Yan offered a Youth-Preserving Pill, access to rare pill formulas, Teng Cauldrons, and his guidance to help the group advance as alchemists.
• Tang Yan explained Reach the Summit's requirements of unity, contributing value, and keeping pill formulas confidential, and Qin Yue'er agreed to join.
• Tang Yan discarded the Four Directions Cauldron's pill price tags, and Zhang Danian left with his two companions.
• Qin Yue'er returned with three people and told Tang Yan that some members had left the group the previous day.

Tang Yan outlined his plans for Reach the Summit, assigning Du Shu to run the business and telling the Alchemy Masters to focus on cultivation and pill-making. He devised a membership system to attract herb sellers and customers, then watched the four Alchemy Masters finish refining pills so he could assess their skills.

• Tang Yan introduced Du Shu and Qin Yue'er’s people, explained that Reach the Summit would fund their alchemy work, and said the faction would buy Pill Cauldrons after a month.
• Tang Yan brought Qin Yue'er, Ge Jiao, Wu Xian, and You Butong to a Pill Room and asked them to refine pills while he observed.
• Tang Yan told Du Shu to replace the shop sign, spend the faction’s Star Value on herbs, and promote the pills Reach the Summit planned to sell.
• Tang Yan explained a points-based membership system that rewarded herb sellers and customers with access to special pills, and Du Shu hurried off to put the plan into action.
• After six hours, the four Alchemy Masters finished refining their pills and showed them to Tang Yan for inspection.

Tang Yan demonstrated his superior alchemy skills by diagnosing the flaws in Qin Yue'er, Ge Jiao, You Butong, and Wu Xian's pills, then teaching them advanced refining techniques. After they were convinced and asked for guidance, Tang Yan explained why their results varied and began to tell them a story.

• Tang Yan ranked the four pills and explained the flaws in each, including how extraction counts and delays affected their quality.
• Tang Yan borrowed Wu Xian's Pill Cauldron and taught the four how to extract multiple ingredients and fuse them in stages.
• Tang Yan refined four high-quality Spirit-Cleansing Pills, and Qin Yue'er, Ge Jiao, You Butong, and Wu Xian acknowledged his skill.
• Tang Yan explained that inconsistent foundations caused their pills to vary in quality, then said he would tell them a story.

Tang Yan taught Reach the Summit’s pill refiners to strengthen their fundamentals, then entered the fourth level of the Nine Nether Fire Sea to cultivate. He used the Heaven-Earth Creation Flame and a Spirit-Cleansing Pill to endure its scorching fire spirit qi, but the combined strain left him suffering intense pain.

• Tang Yan told the pill refiners the story of Chen Yaozi and instructed them to practice purifying each ingredient thirty thousand times while he went into seclusion for a week.
• Qin Yue'er urged the members of Reach the Summit to take Tang Yan's advice seriously and begin practicing the next day.
• Tang Yan entered the fourth level of the Nine Nether Fire Sea, drawing astonished reactions from cultivators who doubted he could endure its heat.
• Tang Yan used the Heaven-Earth Creation Flame to suppress the fire's scorching effect and began cultivating amid the dense fire spirit qi.
• Tang Yan swallowed a Spirit-Cleansing Pill to temper and widen his meridians, enduring the pill's heat, the fire spirit power, and the swelling pain of cultivation.

Tang Yan endured the fourth level of the Nine Nether Fire Sea, strengthening his meridians as the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron repeatedly absorbed the Fire Spirit Power threatening to overwhelm him. After he used all six Spirit-Cleansing Pills, the academy watched his prolonged cultivation, while his friends prepared for the New Student Competition without him.

• Tang Yan adjusted to the fourth level’s pain, refined Fire Spirit energy, and discovered his meridians had filled with powerful Fire Spirit Power.
• When Tang Yan’s meridians neared their limit, the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron absorbed the energy, allowing him to keep cultivating and swallow another Spirit-Cleansing Pill.
• The cauldron repeatedly cleared Tang Yan’s meridians, and he used all six Spirit-Cleansing Pills while cultivating on the fourth level.
• News spread that Tang Yan, a Profound Tier martial artist, had stayed on the fourth level for two days, drawing Zi Yun and academy experts to observe him.
• With the New Student Competition approaching, Du Shu and the others discussed whether to alert Tang Yan, but Yu Juechen warned against interrupting his cultivation.
• Fang Xuan decided that Yu Juechen would take Tang Yan’s place in the competition if Tang Yan did not come out.