Chapter Summaries

Tang Yan defeated Lin Dongxue in a spar, but Wu Xuan accidentally injured him while trying to intervene. He gained a promise of Wu Xuan’s visit and twenty thousand taels from Lin Dongxue, then returned home and began preparing to strengthen the Tang Family.

• Tang Yan blocked Lin Dongxue’s yellow-tier sword attack and stopped his blade at her throat, but Wu Xuan struck him and sent him crashing into a cypress.
• Wu Xuan gave Tang Yan a healing elixir, while the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron suppressed his restless true qi and eased most of his injuries.
• Tang Yan challenged Wu Xuan over injuring him, then arranged for her to visit the Tang Family and offer martial arts guidance instead of accepting compensation.
• Lin Dongxue honored their wager by giving Tang Yan a banknote worth twenty thousand taels, and he left the City Lord’s Residence in a carriage.
• Tang Yan returned to his quarters, wrote a list of medicinal ingredients, and sent Xiao Cui to buy them.

Tang Yan refined all the medicinal ingredients, advanced to Yellow Tier First Grade, and awakened the heaven-earth creation flame from the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron. At the Drill Grounds, he rewarded Chang Tie for reaching Yellow Tier and encouraged the guards to keep advancing before Mo Yanjun approached him.

• Tang Yan finished refining the medicinal ingredients, then broke through to Origin Tier Ninth Grade and advanced again to Yellow Tier First Grade as a deep-blue heaven-earth creation flame appeared in his dantian.
• Tang Yan learned the Fire Control Technique, tested the flame by burning two herbs to dust, and discovered that using it drained all his true qi.
• Tang Yan went to the Drill Grounds, where the guards welcomed him warmly after a month of hard training alongside them.
• Chang Tie demonstrated that he had reached Yellow Tier First Grade, so Tang Yan raised his monthly pay to two hundred taels and gave him a five-hundred-tael reward.
• Tang Yan promised further pay increases for the guards' breakthroughs and told them to report their progress to Captain Mo Yanjun.
• After Tang Yan dismissed the guards, Mo Yanjun approached him quietly.

Tang Yan encouraged Mo Yanjun to remain captain of the Tang Family Guards and gave him First Spirit Pills to help the guards advance. Meanwhile, the Liu Family plotted to kill Tang Yan at the Mid-Autumn Gathering, unaware that he was preparing to auction pills at the Heavenly Treasure Auction House.

• Tang Yan persuaded Mo Yanjun to keep leading the Tang Family Guards, gave him First Spirit Pills for the guards, and urged him to cultivate toward the Heaven Tier.
• Liu Wuhui reprimanded Liu Quan for underestimating Tang Yan, while Liu He and Liu Jing discussed Tang Yan's unexpectedly restored dantian and strength.
• Liu Wuhui, Liu Jing, and Liu He planned to provoke Tang Yan into fighting Liu Zhi at the Mid-Autumn Martial Contest so Liu Zhi could kill him.
• Tang Yan, unaware of the plot, disguised himself and went to the Heavenly Treasure Auction House to auction three First Spirit Pills.
• An old man at the auction house assumed Tang Yan was from a minor Lineage and doubted he had pills worthy of an auction.

Tang Yan failed to convince an auction house to accept his First Spirit Pill, then devised a new way to make money by offering the Wonderful Elixir Workshop a formula for Meridian Tempering Powder. Ge Ming reacted with shock to the valuable formula, and Tang Yan expected powerful lineages to compete for it.

• Tang Yan described the First Spirit Pill’s effects to an old man, but the man dismissed it, so Tang Yan left without making a sale.
• Tang Yan thought of a long-term business plan and went to the Wonderful Elixir Workshop, where he noticed a beautiful, dangerous woman and realized she was injured and still too powerful to provoke.
• Ge Ming welcomed Tang Yan and thanked him for the earlier elixir formula, while Tang Yan credited his unnamed master.
• Tang Yan offered to sell the Wonderful Elixir Workshop the Meridian Tempering Powder formula, which could improve Origin Tier martial artists’ meridians.
• Ge Ming jumped up in shock at the offer, and Tang Yan anticipated that lineages would compete to obtain the powder.

Tang Yan negotiated a deal with the Wonderful Elixir Workshop to sell the Meridian Tempering Powder formula and share the profits. After leaving the workshop, he followed the woman in white as she left Cloud City.

• Tang Yan offered the Wonderful Elixir Workshop the formula rights for one million taels and a thirty-seventy profit split, with the workshop receiving seventy percent.
• Ge Ming examined the Meridian Tempering Powder, confirmed its effects, and agreed to Tang Yan's terms.
• Tang Yan and Ge Ming signed the contract, exchanged the formula and payment, and agreed to work together.
• The woman in white asked Ge Ming to refine third-tier, high-grade pills, then left when he said he could not.
• Tang Yan followed the woman through the city and continued after her when she left through the gates.

Tang Yan blundered into a fight between Zi Yun and Bai Qing, who had poisoned and injured her. After discovering openings in Bai Qing’s swordplay, Tang Yan directed Zi Yun’s attacks and helped her seize the advantage.

• Bai Qing attacked Tang Yan to distract Zi Yun, but Zi Yun intercepted his strike and protected him.
• Bai Qing taunted Zi Yun and used his flexible sword to press her while she was poisoned and injured.
• Tang Yan retreated, studied Bai Qing’s movements, and insulted him to draw his attention.
• Tang Yan called out an opening in Bai Qing’s defense, and Zi Yun followed his instructions to force him onto the defensive.
• Tang Yan directed another sequence of attacks, and Zi Yun spun through the air to launch a powerful strike at Bai Qing.

Tang Yan helped Zi Yun defeat Bai Qing, then killed the Heaven Tier expert with his hidden flame and carried Zi Yun to the city when her Fire Evil Poison overwhelmed her. Zi Yun later woke in an unfamiliar room, dressed in different clothes and unable to summon true qi.

• Following Tang Yan’s instructions, Zi Yun struck Bai Qing three times and left him injured and desperate to escape.
• Bai Qing flew toward Tang Yan and tried to kill him, but Tang Yan burned a hole through his neck with a deep-blue flame and killed him.
• Tang Yan claimed he had used a single-use protective treasure, then searched Bai Qing’s body and took his belongings and two Essence Augmentation Pills.
• Zi Yun’s Fire Evil Poison flared up, and she begged Tang Yan not to violate her before losing control and throwing herself at him.
• Tang Yan knocked Zi Yun unconscious and carried her toward the city, fearing the poison would damage her cultivation or kill her.
• Zi Yun woke in a furnished room with an empty dantian and realized she was wearing clothes that were not her own.

Tang Yan told Zi Yun that he had cured her Fire Evil Poison and let her stay with the Tang Family until she recovered. Meanwhile, Old Master Tang learned that all 120 Tang Family guards had reached yellow tier first grade and asked Mo Yanjun how they had advanced.

• Tang Yan told Zi Yun she had not been violated, warned her not to threaten him, and left her to recover at the Tang Family.
• Old Master Tang reflected on Tang Yan's restored Dantian and new strength, which had revived his hopes for the family.
• Uncle Mo reported that all 120 Tang Family guards had advanced to yellow tier first grade.
• Old Master Tang and Uncle Mo went to the Drill Grounds, where Mo Yanjun assembled the guards and demonstrated their strength.
• Old Master Tang verified that every guard had reached yellow tier and asked Mo Yanjun how they had improved.

Old Master Tang learned that Tang Yan’s pills had raised more than a hundred guards to Yellow Tier and approved the family’s promised rewards. In Tang Yan’s courtyard, Zi Yun watched him practice the Extreme Six Forms, then walked in on an awkward scene that left Old Master Tang stunned.

• Mo Yanjun told Old Master Tang that Tang Yan’s pills had helped the guards break through, and Old Master Tang approved the guards’ promised wages and rewards.
• Old Master Tang went to Tang Yan’s courtyard, where Zi Yun spoke with Xiao Cui and became curious about Tang Yan’s past and martial skill.
• Tang Yan practiced the Extreme Six Forms, exhausting and replenishing his true qi to improve his cultivation.
• Tang Yan stripped down to his underpants to bathe in the courtyard, startling Zi Yun, who had refused to leave.
• Old Master Tang kicked open the gate and found Tang Yan nearly naked with Zi Yun in the courtyard.

Zi Yun revealed her identity as a Heaven Tier expert from Purple Bamboo City and persuaded Old Master Tang to let her guide Tang Yan. After Tang Yan complained about her tricking his grandfather, he offered to make pills that could restore her strength far faster than expected.

• Zi Yun showed Old Master Tang her Purple Bamboo City token and confirmed that she was Zi Yun.
• Zi Yun told Old Master Tang she wanted to take Tang Yan to Purple Bamboo City, but agreed to stay and guide him after learning he already had a master.
• Old Master Tang told Tang Yan to respect and learn from Zi Yun, and Tang Yan reluctantly agreed.
• After Old Master Tang left, Tang Yan accused Zi Yun of misleading him, and she threatened to tell his grandfather.
• Tang Yan said Zi Yun's recovery would take years without his pills, then promised his pills could restore her peak strength within three months.

Tang Yan prepared for the Mid-Autumn Gathering while refining pills to help Zi Yun recover and advance his own cultivation. Two days later, Old Master Tang arrived at Tang Yan’s courtyard demanding an explanation.

• Tang Yan realized the Mid-Autumn Gathering was approaching and resolved to compete despite being far weaker than Liu Zhi, Wu Feiming, and Qin Jiushan.
• Lin Xiao and Madam Lin discussed inviting Tang Yan to Madam Lin’s birthday celebration to thank him for the Scarless Pill and deter the other lineages from harming the Tang Family.
• Tang Yan refined High Spirit Pills, then prepared Qi-Restoring Pills and First Spirit Pills for Zi Yun.
• Tang Yan gave Zi Yun the pills and said her recovery would take between forty days and three months; Zi Yun thanked him before returning to her room.
• After two days of cultivating with High Spirit Pills, Tang Yan reached the second grade of the yellow tier, while Zi Yun’s dantian began producing true qi.
• Old Master Tang came to Tang Yan’s courtyard and demanded to know what was going on.

Tang Yan attended the City Lord's Wife's birthday banquet and provoked the Qian Family by slapping and kicking Qian Rulong and Qian Shenghu after claiming they had taken his seat. When Qian Shenghu attacked, Tang Ling intervened, sparking a confrontation among the four great lineages that an aged voice tried to end.

• Old Master Tang told Tang Yan that the City Lord had specifically invited him to the birthday banquet, and Tang Yan suspected the invitation was connected to the Scarless Pill.
• Tang Yan prepared in his Pill Room, then rode with Old Master Tang to the City Lord's Residence for the celebration.
• At the foremost table, Tang Yan mocked Qian Rulong and Qian Shenghu as servants and demanded they give up his seat.
• Tang Yan slapped both Qian brothers and kicked them away, prompting Qian Shenghu to attack him.
• Tang Ling knocked Qian Shenghu back with a teacup and threatened anyone who harmed Tang Yan, while Liu Wuhui, Wu Wei, and Qin Feiyue criticized him.
• An aged voice defended Tang Ling's intervention and urged the gathering to let the matter end.

Tang Yan turned the dispute over the Tang Family’s seats into a public slight against the Liu Family, while the Wonderful Elixir Workshop’s support helped prevent the conflict from escalating. At City Lord Lin Xiao’s birthday banquet, the Liu, Qin, and Wu families presented extravagant gifts, leaving Old Master Tang worried that the Tang Family’s modest offering would embarrass them.

• Ge Ming backed the Tang Family, and Liu Wuhui agreed to let the dispute over the seats drop.
• Tang Yan mocked the Liu Family for tolerating the Qian Family’s beating and threatened to attack the Liu Family, angering Liu Zhi.
• Lin Xiao and Madam Lin arrived and opened the birthday banquet with a toast.
• Liu He, Qin Ling, and Wu Bayang presented Madam Lin with valuable treasures from their families.
• Old Master Tang realized the other three lineages had coordinated their lavish gifts and worried that the Tang Family’s ten first-tier upper grade pills would seem paltry.

Tang Yan presented Madam Lin with a Youth-Preserving Pill at her birthday celebration, turning the other families’ attempt to embarrass the Tang Family against them. Wu Xuan appraised the pill and praised its extraordinary refinement, leaving Madam Lin reassured and grateful to the Tang Family.

• Liu Wuhui and the heads of the Qin and Wu Families mocked Tang Ling, expecting the Tang Family’s gift to fall short.
• Tang Yan praised Madam Lin and revealed that a Tang Family pill had already removed the scars from her face.
• Tang Yan presented Madam Lin with a Youth-Preserving Pill, claiming it would preserve her appearance for twenty years.
• Wu Xuan examined the pill and explained that she could not identify its ingredients because they had been fused into a single fragrance.
• Wu Xuan declared the pill genuine and its refinement at least fourth tier, and Madam Lin accepted it with thanks to Tang Yan.

After presenting a rare pill at the City Lord's banquet, Tang Yan won Lin Xiao's approval with his blunt answers about governing. He practiced Phantom Shadow Steps through the night, but a sudden sense of danger stopped him outside the city.

• Tang Yan told Wu Xuan that the pill he had presented was the only one he could obtain, concealing that he had refined several himself.
• Lin Xiao took Tang Yan aside and discussed governing, and Tang Yan's candid answers earned the City Lord's approval.
• After leaving the City Lord's Residence, Tang Yan chose to practice Phantom Shadow Steps on his way home.
• Tang Yan fell repeatedly as he learned the footwork, then gradually mastered its movements and grew faster by using High Spirit Pills.
• Tang Yan became absorbed in practicing and headed out of the city, where he suddenly sensed terrible danger and stopped.

Tang Yan fought a third-tier Nether Leopard by evading it for hours, improving his Phantom Shadow Steps until the exhausted beast could no longer keep up. After killing it and taking its golden beast core, he sensed the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron react with joy.

• Tang Yan recognized the attacking beast as a third-tier Nether Leopard and fled, using Phantom Shadow Steps to dodge its attacks.
• As the chase continued for hours, Tang Yan improved his footwork and replenished his true qi with High Spirit Pills.
• Tang Yan tried to attack the tired Nether Leopard, but it still had enough strength to drive him back into another chase.
• After nearly eight hours, Tang Yan fought the exhausted beast with Cloudflow Sword and killed it with a thrust to the throat.
• Tang Yan split open the Nether Leopard's skull and took its golden beast core, then noticed the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron reacting joyfully.

Tang Yan absorbed a beast core through the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron, broke through to yellow tier fourth grade, and discovered that it helped a Spirit Whirlpool Fruit plant grow. After clashing with Zi Yun, he cultivated for nine days and reached yellow tier sixth grade ahead of the Mid-Autumn Gathering, where Zi Yun emerged from seclusion smiling.

• Tang Yan fed a third-tier beast core to the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron, whose energy helped him break through to yellow tier third grade and then fourth grade.
• Tang Yan found a new shoot on the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit plant inside the cauldron and suspected beast cores could nourish the herbs there.
• Tang Yan returned to Cloud City and interrupted Zi Yun's zither playing, prompting her to challenge him with her sword.
• Tang Yan fought Zi Yun using only origin tier eighth-grade strength and suppressed her despite her origin tier ninth-grade cultivation.
• Over the next nine days, Tang Yan cultivated to yellow tier sixth grade in preparation for the Mid-Autumn Gathering.
• Zi Yun emerged from her room with a broad smile as Tang Yan considered his chances at the gathering.

Tang Yan sparred with Zi Yun, endured her escalating attacks, and refined a Dantian-Expanding Pill to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Gathering. He swallowed the pill late at night, and its power erupted inside him.

• Zi Yun challenged Tang Yan to spar and raised her strength from Yellow Tier Third Grade to Profound Tier when she could not defeat him.
• Tang Yan increased his own strength during the fight, but Zi Yun overwhelmed him and left him bruised after half an hour.
• Tang Yan reflected that he needed to grow stronger for the next day's Mid-Autumn Gathering and chose not to reveal his heaven-earth creation flame.
• Tang Yan used the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit and other costly ingredients to refine a Third Tier middle-grade Dantian-Expanding Pill.
• Tang Yan took the pill in his bedroom, and an enormous surge of power exploded inside his body.

Tang Yan endured the Dantian-Expanding Pill’s painful effects and formed a vortex dantian, greatly increasing his true-qi reserves. At the Tang Family gathering before the Mid-Autumn competition, Zi Yun revealed that he had reached yellow tier sixth grade, leaving the family eager for him to compete.

• Tang Yan endured the merging vortices until his dantian transformed, and the ancient cauldron replenished his spiritual energy.
• Tang Yan discovered that his vortex dantian held unusually abundant true qi and let him perform more repetitions of the Extreme Six Forms.
• Old Master Tang and the Tang Family elders discussed whether to enter the Mid-Autumn martial competition, while Uncle Mo suggested letting Yan Jun compete alone.
• Zi Yun announced that Tang Yan had reached yellow tier sixth grade and could contend for the top spot among the younger generation.
• Tang Yan released his aura to confirm his strength, astonishing the elders and restoring their confidence in the Tang Family's prospects.

After the Tang Family learned that the Four Seas Gang had attacked the Liu Family, Tang Yan uncovered a plot to undermine their allies and reputation at the Mid-Autumn Gathering. He ordered a swift assault on the gang, leaving Uncle Mo to mobilize the guards and prepare the strike.

• Tang Yan asked the family to keep his strength secret, and Old Master Tang declared that they would attend the Mid-Autumn Gathering that night.
• A guard reported that the Four Seas Gang had wrecked the Liu Family's shops and killed guards, while the Tang Family had suffered casualties.
• Tang Yan warned that rival lineages were using the attack to weaken the Tang Family's allies before the gathering, and urged the family to destroy the Four Seas Gang.
• Tang Yan ordered Uncle Mo to send all one hundred and twenty newly trained guards and ten elite fighters, approaching the gang's headquarters in separate groups.
• Tang Yan offered the guards a hundred taels of silver for every enemy killed, and Old Master Tang approved the plan.