Chapter Summaries

As students from the Northern and Western Districts climbed the Earth Ranking, the Eastern District was mocked for Tang Yan’s absence. Wan Fei stepped forward to test herself on the Spirit-Appraising Stone Slab, hoping to restore her district’s reputation.

• Qin Yue'er offered to injure rival fighters to help Yu Juechen win the tournament, but he refused and promised to compete fairly.
• The Earth Ranking announced Lang Qingyun in third place and Jing Wuhen in fourth, drawing students from across the academy.
• Xue Xiao struck the Spirit-Appraising Stone Slab and rose to fourth place, pushing Jing Wuhen down one rank.
• Xue Xiao’s result prompted the crowd to ridicule the Eastern District for Tang Yan’s absence, leaving its freshmen ashamed.
• Yu Juechen promised to defend the Eastern District’s dignity, and Wan Fei walked toward the stone slab to test her strength.

Wan Fei, Lin Dongxue, and Yu Juechen challenged Azure Dragon Academy’s Earth Ranking, putting three Reach the Summit members among the top fifteen. Tang Yan emerged from seclusion, learned they had challenged the ranking to defend his reputation, and resolved to take over from them.

• Wan Fei used a stacked-power punch to reach thirteenth place on the Earth Ranking, drawing praise from Xiao Cangshan and the Grand Elder.
• Lin Dongxue challenged the ranking and took fourteenth place, impressing Xiao Cangshan with her unusual constitution and martial skill.
• Yu Juechen surged past twentieth place and stopped at sixth, placing three Reach the Summit members in the Earth Ranking’s top fifteen.
• Tang Yan left the Nine Nether Fire Sea after reaching the peak of Profound Tier Ninth Grade and went to see the silver light above Azure Dragon Academy.
• Tang Yan saw his friends’ rankings and learned they had challenged the Earth Ranking to defend his reputation, then resolved to take over from them.

Tang Yan directed Du Shu to promote Reach the Summit’s upcoming shop, membership system, and Alchemy Master recruitment at the Earth Ranking. As other students criticized the offer, a mysterious challenger struck the Spirit-Appraising Stone Slab, and Tang Yan’s name appeared in first place.

• Tang Yan told Du Shu to announce that Reach the Summit would open its shop in three days, and Du Shu promoted its pills and quality guarantee.
• Du Shu explained the membership points system, pill reservations, ingredient purchases, and recruitment of Alchemy Masters.
• Jing Wuhen, Lang Qingyun, and Xue Xiao criticized Reach the Summit, prompting a student to question whether its Alchemy Masters would be treated as drudges.
• A dark figure rushed to the Earth Ranking and struck the Spirit-Appraising Stone Slab with a powerful punch.
• The ranking’s light surged past second place, and Tang Yan’s name appeared in first place.

Tang Yan defended Reach the Summit by announcing generous benefits for its Alchemy Masters, while the academy prepared to hold the New Student Competition. The four district representatives took the arena, and the chapter left the competitors' strength under the crowd's scrutiny.

• Tang Yan answered criticism of Reach the Summit by promising cauldrons, ingredients, alchemy guidance, compensation, and access to pill formulas for its Alchemy Masters.
• Lang Qingyun, Xue Xiao, and Jing Wuhen reacted to Tang Yan's speech before Tang Yan led Reach the Summit away from the square.
• Chen Wuji discussed the new rankings with the Youth in Green and decided to wait and see how Dong Wuxie responded to Tang Yan's first-place ranking.
• Tang Yan practiced the Extreme Six Forms and went to the square for the New Student Competition.
• Xiao Cangshan addressed the students, explained that district representatives' results would determine their accommodations, and summoned the four representatives onto the arena.

Tang Yan and Du Shu retaliated after Xue Xiao mocked Tang Yan, with Du Shu threatening to blacklist her from Reach the Summit and Tang Yan theatrically defending his brother. Xiao Cangshan started the New Student Competition, and Xue Xiao proposed that she and Lang Qingyun settle their match in three moves.

• Xue Xiao mocked Tang Yan while she and Lang Qingyun stepped forward for the first match.
• Du Shu announced that Reach the Summit would refuse to sell pills to Xue Xiao, her associates, and any faction that recruited her.
• Tang Yan defended Du Shu with an exaggerated speech that left the crowd stunned before everyone burst into laughter.
• Xiao Cangshan called an end to the interruptions and officially began the New Student Competition with Xue Xiao versus Lang Qingyun.
• Tang Yan warned Du Shu that Lang Qingyun seemed more than he appeared, while joking with Wu Xian about testing his pill-refining skills.
• Xue Xiao proposed that she and Lang Qingyun each use three moves to decide who held the advantage.

Lang Qingyun defeated Xue Xiao with his Formation Martial Dao, prompting the districts to assume the competition rankings were settled. Tang Yan then faced Jing Wuhen, who proposed an alchemy contest, and Tang Yan challenged the fairness of competing against a third-tier Alchemy Master.

• Lang Qingyun and Xue Xiao agreed to limit their match to three moves, and Lang Qingyun gained the upper hand with his martial skills.
• Lang Qingyun used his second-tier Dragon-Trapping Pool Formation Martial Dao attack to force Xue Xiao back and win their match.
• Students from the Southern, Northern, and Western Districts supported rankings that placed Lang Qingyun first, Jing Wuhen second, Xue Xiao third, and the Eastern District last.
• Xue Xiao challenged Tang Yan, but Tang Yan mocked her defeat and then entered the arena to face Jing Wuhen.
• Jing Wuhen asked Tang Yan to compete in alchemy, and Tang Yan pointed out that Jing Wuhen was a third-tier Alchemy Master while he was only a lowly one.

Tang Yan and Jing Wuhen agreed to compete by making Full Qi Pills, with the winner deciding the wager. Tang Yan delayed his own work to advise Jing Wuhen, who dismissed his guidance and continued refining while the judges watched.

• Tang Yan challenged Jing Wuhen to wager that the loser would join Reach the Summit or hand over the Soul-Tempering Pill formula, and Jing Wuhen accepted the terms.
• Jing Wuhen chose Full Qi Pills and set a one-hour limit for the contest, which Xiao Cangshan officially began with Elder Huo and the Ninth Elder judging.
• Tang Yan watched Jing Wuhen refine six ingredients at once and advised him to divide the sixteen ingredients into batches of seven, six, and three.
• Tang Yan warned Jing Wuhen that he had not fully refined the Hidden Root Branch, but Jing Wuhen mocked him and told him to admit defeat.

Tang Yan and Jing Wuhen competed in pill refining, and Tang Yan astonished the Alchemy Masters by refining sixteen ingredients at once. After Jing Wuhen finished first and mocked Tang Yan’s plain-looking pills, Elder Huo noticed something unusual about them.

• Tang Yan began refining sixteen ingredients simultaneously, drawing disbelief from Jing Wuhen and the Alchemy Masters.
• Tang Yan fused the ingredients in three breaths and advised Jing Wuhen on how to improve his technique, but Jing Wuhen angrily told him to shut up.
• Jing Wuhen completed three snow-white pills and taunted Tang Yan for showing no pill fragrance.
• Tang Yan struck his cauldron and released six ordinary-looking pills as the crowd laughed at him.
• Elder Huo studied Tang Yan’s pills and suddenly recognized something unusual about them.

Tang Yan won the alchemy round by refining six first-tier Immortality Pills, stunning the judges and the crowd. After explaining why Jing Wuhen’s pills were inferior, Tang Yan invited him to Reach the Summit in two days, then rested before the next battle.

• Elder Huo and the Ninth Elder appraised Tang Yan’s pills and recognized them as Immortality Pills, prompting Elder Huo to declare Tang Yan and the Eastern District the winners.
• Jing Wuhen objected to the result, and Tang Yan explained how he had refined the ingredients and fused their medicinal properties more effectively.
• Tang Yan split open one of his pills to reveal its fragrance and confirmed it was an Immortality Pill, leaving Jing Wuhen impressed and inviting him to Reach the Summit.
• Qin Yue'er explained the rarity and value of Immortality Pills to Fang Xuan, Du Shu, and the others as word of Tang Yan’s achievement spread across the square.
• Xiao Cangshan ordered a two-hour rest before the next battle, and Tang Yan joined the Eastern District students before taking a High Spirit Pill to recover.

Tang Yan challenged Lang Qingyun to a wagered martial arts match at the Peak Showdown, provoking him with taunts before the fight began. Their first clash showed that Lang Qingyun’s Earth Tier strength was formidable, though Tang Yan managed to withstand the blow.

• Tang Yan refused Lang Qingyun’s demand to concede and called him a coward for suggesting it.
• Tang Yan and Lang Qingyun wagered that Tang Yan would last half an hour; if Tang Yan won, he would take everything in Lang Qingyun’s Storage Ring, and if he lost, he would call Lang Qingyun a coward three times.
• Xiao Cangshan agreed to witness their wager and declared the match begun.
• Tang Yan quietly repeated that Lang Qingyun was a coward, enraging him and disrupting his True Qi.
• Lang Qingyun revealed that he had reached peak Earth Tier First Grade, while Mo Bin predicted Tang Yan could at least draw with him.
• Tang Yan met Lang Qingyun’s punch head-on and took a slight half step back, surprising Lang Qingyun.

Tang Yan fought Lang Qingyun to a standstill, combining martial arts and Formation Martial Dao as the spectators and academy elders reassessed his abilities. The chapter ended as their formations collided, with Elder Zhen deciding Tang Yan would be considered for priority observation if he won.

• Lang Qingyun's punch forced Tang Yan back only half a step, and Elder Zhen deduced that Tang Yan's meridians had been strengthened.
• Tang Yan changed the path of his punch to bypass Lang Qingyun's attack, then matched him blow for blow.
• Tang Yan kept up a relentless chain of attacks for nearly a quarter of an hour, preventing Lang Qingyun from gaining the upper hand.
• Lang Qingyun summoned the Heaven and Earth Falling Ice Formation, and Tang Yan countered with his Rain Blades formation, revealing that he was a Formation Martial Master.
• Xiao Cangshan discussed Tang Yan's prospects for the Tingxiang Academy Battle, and Elder Zhen decided to add him to priority observation if he won.
• Tang Yan's and Lang Qingyun's Formation Martial Dao attacks collided.

Tang Yan faced Lang Qingyun in the arena, forcing him to reveal his Earth Tier Second Grade strength before unleashing Qi Meridian Transformation to match his attacks. Lang Qingyun then formed a nineteen-point formation, while Elder Zhen resolved to give Tang Yan a Formation Martial Arts Diagram after the match.

• Tang Yan destroyed the formation points overhead and continued fighting Lang Qingyun as the elders watched.
• Lang Qingyun revealed his Earth Tier Second Grade strength, and Tang Yan publicly reminded him that he no longer qualified for the Earth Ranking.
• Lang Qingyun attacked with Hidden Dragon Slash, but Tang Yan activated Qi Meridian Transformation and met his strike with Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword.
• Tang Yan and Lang Qingyun each stepped back from their clash, and Lang Qingyun decided to use a formation before the incense burned out.
• Lang Qingyun formed nineteen points with Rain-Covering Cloud-Turning Formation, while Elder Zhen said he would give Tang Yan a Formation Martial Arts Diagram after the fight.

Tang Yan found and exploited a weakness in Lang Qingyun’s Turning Clouds and Raining Formation, defeating him and claiming his Star Value. He won the New Student Competition and received the academy’s championship rewards.

• Elder Huo and Elder Zhen negotiated a deal over Tang Yan, settling on five fourth-tier pills.
• Lang Qingyun unleashed the Turning Clouds and Raining Formation, but Tang Yan sensed its weaknesses and struck through its formation points.
• Tang Yan disabled Lang Qingyun, took his Storage Ring, and transferred all his Star Value to his own Star Token.
• Xiao Cangshan declared Tang Yan the winner, and the Eastern District students celebrated their chance to live in the Four-Star Dormitory.
• Jing Wuhen defeated Xue Xiao in the next match.
• Xiao Cangshan awarded Tang Yan one hundred thousand Star Value and an upper-grade Earth Tier Martial Skill.

After winning the New Student Competition, Tang Yan used his speech to promote the Reach the Summit Shop and its membership system, leaving Azure Dragon Academy’s leaders stunned. He then gave brief cultivation advice, and prepared Du Shu to buy medicinal ingredients for the shop’s opening.

• Tang Yan accepted his championship reward and was invited by Xiao Cangshan to address the gathered students.
• Tang Yan announced the Reach the Summit Shop’s upcoming opening, its pills, membership points, and plans to buy medicinal ingredients.
• After Xiao Cangshan urged him to share cultivation advice, Tang Yan praised high-quality pills and guaranteed the shop’s products would be superior quality.
• Xiao Cangshan began the next competition segment, inviting students to challenge the Earth Ranking for rewards.
• Du Shu congratulated Tang Yan on his advertisement, and Tang Yan transferred him over two hundred thousand Star Value to fund the shop’s ingredient purchases.

Tang Yan prepared Reach the Summit’s alchemists to stock their shop, while Meng Xing learned that the new faction’s pill sales and ingredient buying could threaten the Sacred Pill Alliance. The chapter ended with Meng Xing asking Yang Xia whether he had a countermeasure.

• Tang Yan instructed Qin Yue'er, Wu Xian, and Ge Jiao to refine ordinary second-tier pills, while You Butong focused on making high-grade Essence-Tempering Pills.
• Qin Yue'er and the others began refining pills with the ingredients Tang Yan provided and found that their practice had improved their work.
• Meng Xing discussed Reach the Summit with Jiang Qi and dismissed it as a threat because the new faction lacked manpower.
• Yang Xia warned Meng Xing that Reach the Summit’s popular pills and large-scale ingredient purchases could deprive rival factions of supplies and raise their costs.
• Meng Xing recognized the danger to the Sacred Pill Alliance and asked Yang Xia if he had a countermeasure.

Yang Xia and Meng Xing plotted to hinder Reach the Summit, while Meng Xing secretly hoped to recruit Tang Yan after weakening him. At the Pill Room, Tang Yan gave the alchemists Spirit Transformation Pills to clear spiritual grime from their bodies, and they were astonished by their value.

• Yang Xia persuaded Meng Xing to join forces against Reach the Summit, and they planned to close its shop and incite Dong Wuxie to cause trouble.
• After Yang Xia left, Meng Xing told Jiang Qi he wanted to weaken Tang Yan before offering him a chance to join the Sacred Pill Alliance.
• Qin Yue'er refined a high-grade pill, and Tang Yan advised Wu Xian on improving his alchemy.
• Tang Yan gave Qin Yue'er and the others Spirit Transformation Pills and explained that they could clear accumulated spiritual grime from their meridians.
• Qin Yue'er and the other alchemists stared in astonishment because they had never heard of Spirit Transformation Pills and understood how precious they were.

Tang Yan learned that the Sharp Peak Society had forced Reach the Summit out of its Trading District shop, so he decided to open in Azure Dragon Plaza instead. He also arranged for the group to keep buying ingredients, while Elder Huo sought Elder Zhen’s promised Formation Martial Arts Diagram so he could consult Tang Yan about improving his alchemy.

• Tang Yan gave Qin Yue'er and the other alchemists Spirit Transformation Pills, then told them to resume making pills for sale.
• Du Shu told Tang Yan that the Sharp Peak Society had terminated Reach the Summit’s shop lease, and Tang Yan decided to open a shop in Azure Dragon Plaza the next day.
• Tang Yan told Du Shu to buy as many medicinal ingredients as possible and entrusted him with pricing the pills, while estimating that outfitting thirty alchemists would cost 2.4 million star value.
• Elder Huo told Elder Zhen that Tang Yan’s advice had improved his Fire Cloud Pills and asked for the Formation Martial Arts Diagram so he could seek further guidance from Tang Yan.

Elder Huo sought Tang Yan’s guidance to improve his Fire Cloud Pill refining and followed Tang Yan’s detailed instructions during a batch. Two fiery-red pills emerged from the cauldron, leaving their quality unknown.

• Elder Huo asked Elder Zhen for a powerful second-tier formation to give Tang Yan, and learned that the Peak Society had driven Tang Yan’s group from their shop and would clash with Reach the Summit over its planned opening.
• Elder Huo met Tang Yan and asked why his Fire Cloud Pills had stopped improving despite refining the blazing flame root repeatedly.
• Tang Yan asked Elder Huo to refine a batch so he could identify the problem, then explained how to handle and position the medicinal ingredients.
• Tang Yan instructed Elder Huo on the order for fusing the ingredients, and Elder Huo chose to follow the unfamiliar method despite the risk to his precious materials.
• Elder Huo finished refining the batch, and two fiery-red pills flew out of the Pill Cauldron.

Tang Yan secured Courtyard One as a trading base for Reach the Summit after the Peak Society ended the gang’s shop lease. He left to prepare for the opening, while Elder Huo reprimanded Xiao Cangshan for making the arrangement so costly.

• Elder Huo examined Tang Yan’s superior-grade Fire Cloud Pills, praised his alchemy skills, and gave him a Formation Martial Arts Diagram from Elder Zhen.
• Tang Yan told Elder Huo that the Peak Society had ended Reach the Summit’s shop lease, and Elder Huo summoned Xiao Cangshan with a Thousand-Mile Summoning Bell.
• Tang Yan asked Xiao Cangshan for a trading site, and Xiao Cangshan offered Courtyard One at three million Star Value a year.
• Tang Yan accepted the lease despite his tight funds, and Xiao Cangshan granted him one month to assess the business and handed him the key.
• After Tang Yan left to prepare for the opening, Elder Huo scolded Xiao Cangshan for turning the shop request into a trading-base arrangement.

Elder Huo learned that Tang Yan had rented Courtyard One to build a force and recruit talent, while Tang Yan prepared to turn it into Reach the Summit’s new base. Du Shu was stunned by the rent, and Tang Yan spent the night refining pills ahead of the shop’s opening.

• Xiao Cangshan explained to Elder Huo that Tang Yan chose Courtyard One to raise Reach the Summit’s profile and attract talent for a future force.
• Tang Yan gave Du Shu the keys to Courtyard One and told him to prepare it as a shop opening the next day.
• Du Shu learned the rent was 250,000 Star Value a month and despaired over the cost before heading to inspect the base.
• Tang Yan refined pills through the night, producing sixteen top-grade pills in one batch and inspiring Qin Yue'er and the others to work harder.
• Du Shu arrived the next morning to hurry Tang Yan and the others because the shop would open at the hour of the Snake.