Chapter Summaries

Tang Yan chose to retaliate against Yu Yiwu and his companions after weighing the risks, then advanced to the Supreme Venerable Realm by consuming spirit stones and pills. He entered Lü Yuanjun’s bedroom in disguise and trapped him in a hall where Lü’s attacks turned against himself, leaving Lü maimed as Tang Yan prepared to continue.

• Tang Yan decided that he would no longer tolerate Yu Yiwu and the others, implanted a Soul-Thought Gu in a crow, and sent it toward Spirit Flame Peak.
• Tang Yan taught Tong Banzhi and Yan Biao new pill-refinement methods, then used 308 mid-grade spirit stones and Mountain-Breaking Pills to reach the peak of the Dominion Realm.
• Tang Yan swallowed a Sovereign Realm-Breaking Pill, broke through to the Supreme Venerable Realm, and used more pills to consolidate his cultivation.
• After the crow signaled that Yu Yiwu and the others had dispersed, Tang Yan disguised himself and slipped into Lü Yuanjun’s courtyard.
• Tang Yan pulled Lü Yuanjun into an eerie hall, where Lü’s saber strikes severed his own arm and legs whenever he tried to attack Tang Yan.
• Tang Yan told Lü Yuanjun that he intended to sweep away bad people, while Lü’s severed arm picked up the saber and raised it over his head.

Tang Yan killed Lü Yuanjun after extracting the Glutinous Ice Antidote Pill formula, then prepared for the Pill Alliance’s investigation and sought more cultivation resources. The next morning, he persuaded his master to let him visit the Trading Base, where Shopkeeper Qin paid upfront for herbs in exchange for a promised batch of Treasure Pills.

• Tang Yan questioned Lü Yuanjun with the Soul-Thought Gu, learned the Glutinous Ice Antidote Pill formula, killed him, and took his Storage Ring.
• Tang Yan warned Tong Banzhi not to let Yan Biao distract him, then worried that the Pill Alliance would investigate Lü Yuanjun’s disappearance.
• Tang Yan persuaded the Female Demon that he had not brought her Heavenly Profound Fragrant Dew because she needed no added fragrance, and she sent him to buy some.
• Tang Yan visited the Trading Base in disguise, where Shopkeeper Qin and Tong Chengxian eagerly awaited him.
• Tang Yan told Shopkeeper Qin that his pill-making group now required herbs upfront, and Shopkeeper Qin handed him a Heaven and Earth Bag for the promised pills.

Tang Yan traded a large batch of pills for spirit stones and supplies, then discovered that Tong Chengxian was secretly tied to the Divine Clan. At the Demon Suppression Abyss, the Academy's seal began to fail, and the dean prepared to defend it with the scholars' bodies.

• Tang Yan exchanged pills for Tong Chengxian's ingredients and traded more pills for his spirit stones and treasures.
• When Tong Chengxian clasped his hand, Tang Yan's Eye of Truth revealed a monstrous phantom like the Divine Clan member he had seen in the Heavenly Selection Secret Realm.
• Tang Yan delivered pills to Shopkeeper Qin, asked him to procure Heavenly Profound Fragrant Dew, and brought Monkey Wine to the she-devil.
• At the Demon Suppression Abyss, demonic energy overwhelmed the Academy's sixteen supreme experts, and the Literary Sage's statue and brush began to crack.
• The dean unfurled the scroll bearing the words “Eternally Suppress the Mountains and Rivers” and vowed that he and the other scholars would fight the Demon Race.

Meng Yao prepared to sacrifice herself to reinforce the seal against the Demon Race, but first teased the Academy sages with jokes and recited Feng Chenye’s romantic lines and poem. As she linked her life force to the scroll and asked the sages to give Feng her Courtyard, a young man appeared outside the Academy.

• Meng Yao argued that the Dean and senior sages should remain at the Academy while she and the lower-ranked sages handled the sacrifice.
• As demonic qi battered the seal, Meng Yao told vulgar jokes and shared romantic lines she had learned from Feng Chenye, leaving the sages stunned.
• Meng Yao recited Feng Chenye’s poem and praised his brilliance, then asked the sages to give him her Courtyard if he wished to stay at the Academy.
• Meng Yao sat on the scroll and linked her life force to it, preparing to suppress the Demon Race when the seal broke.
• A young man stood outside the Academy.

Feng Chenye learned that Meng Yao was at the Academy, where she was suppressing the demons, and Wang Instructor told her of the hardships Feng had endured searching for her. When the seal collapsed, Meng Yao agreed to meet him, and Wang Instructor rushed Feng to her.

• Feng Chenye praised the Academy’s plaque and told Wang Instructor he had spent over a year searching the Spirit Wasteland for Meng Yao.
• Wang Instructor went to the Demon Suppression Abyss and asked Meng Yao whether she would see Feng; she initially refused.
• Wang Instructor described Feng’s year of searching, including how he wrote and spread storybooks to fund his travels, moving Meng Yao to tears.
• The abyss’s seal collapsed, and Meng Yao used the Scroll to suppress the demonic energy while the Dean urged her to meet Feng.
• Meng Yao agreed to see Feng, and Wang Instructor hurried to bring him to her.

Feng Chenye reunited with Meng Yao at the Demon Suppression Abyss and used his immense literary qi to cleanse the demonic qi and seal the passage. With Meng Yao weakened but safe, the pair were left alone to return together.

• Feng Chenye and Meng Yao tearfully reunited, and she asked what he would do if they never met again.
• Meng Yao was overwhelmed by the abyss's demonic qi, and Feng Chenye begged to go with her as the Academy sages explained their mission to guard the passage.
• Feng Chenye channeled his literary qi, destroyed the demonic qi, and used a Demon Suppression Method to seal the passage between the Demon Race and the Human Realm.
• Feng Chenye carried Meng Yao away from the abyss after she said her vital essence was depleted and she needed rest.
• The Dean, Ye Jingyun, thanked Feng Chenye, invited him to a banquet, and gave him a bottle of pills for Meng Yao.
• After the Academy's experts left, Meng Yao asked Feng Chenye to carry her back, and she nestled against his chest.

Tang Yan captured Yu Yiwu and learned that He Muyang had targeted him over rumors about Duan Yin. After killing Yu Yiwu and taking his hidden wealth, Tang Yan returned to his courtyard and continued teaching his senior brothers.

• Sheng Xueqi and Ji Shujing told Yu Yiwu that Lü Yuanjun was missing, and Yu Yiwu suggested waiting until the next day before reporting it.
• Tang Yan secretly entered Yu Yiwu's courtyard, trapped him in his God's Domain, and used Lü Yuanjun's phantom to cripple him.
• Tang Yan learned that He Muyang had plotted against him because he believed Tang Yan and Duan Yin were together, then memorized two pill formulas and took Yu Yiwu's belongings.
• Yu Yiwu revealed a second Storage Ring hidden in a courtyard tree, and Tang Yan killed him and took the ring's supplies and spirit stones.
• A crow carried the ring away after Tang Yan returned to his courtyard, where he refined pills, prepared two Storage Rings, and taught his senior brothers another hand technique.

Tang Yan researched the Divine Clan and learned that its members wielded the Spirit-Seizing Art, then discovered Elder Xiao knew a secret art against them. The chapter left Tang Yan skeptical of Elder Xiao’s costly offer and heading back to borrow books.

• Tang Yan went to the Scripture Pavilion to study the Divine Clan after learning Tong Chengxian belonged to it.
• Sheng Xueqi told Ji Shujing that Lü and Yu had disappeared, and they feared they might be next after confronting Tang Yan.
• Tang Yan learned that the Divine Clan hunted powerful beings and used the Spirit-Seizing Art to seize spirit bodies and sometimes their abilities.
• Elder Xiao offered to teach Tang Yan a secret art against the Divine Clan in exchange for ten flasks of Cloud-Dream Wine.
• Tang Yan went to buy the wine, balked at its price of fifty mid-grade spirit stones, and returned to accuse Elder Xiao of fleecing him.
• Elder Xiao insisted the secret art was worth the price, but Tang Yan rejected his pitch and went to borrow books.

Tang Yan expanded his Spirit Herb Garden business and helped Duan Yin refine upper-grade Sovereign Realm-Breaking Pills, while Zi Yun survived tribulation lightning and transformed into human form. Tang Yan left Duan Yin’s courtyard knowing rumors about them would spread and hoping to provoke He Muyang.

• Tang Yan went to Setting Sun Peak and persuaded Shi Shenglan to let him set up a formation in the Spirit Herb Garden in exchange for half the apprenticeship fee.
• Zi Yun endured nine bolts of tribulation lightning, absorbed the spiritual qi vortex, and transformed into human form before returning to Reach the Summit with the two White-Faced Dough Balls.
• Shi Shenglan grew cold toward Tang Yan and asked to observe the formation for a week, while Tang Yan decided to visit Senior Brother He once he reached the middle Supreme Venerable stage.
• Duan Yin told Tang Yan that the sect had heard he bought ten bottles of expensive Cloud Dream Wine, then brought him to her courtyard to refine Sovereign Realm-Breaking Pills.
• Tang Yan guided Duan Yin through two batches of pills, and she produced upper-grade pills both times, giving him four from the second batch.
• Tang Yan left Duan Yin’s courtyard after making remarks that encouraged onlookers to gossip, and rumors about them quickly spread again.

Sheng Xueqi and Ji Shujing reported Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun missing, and the Enforcement Hall confirmed Yu Yiwu had been murdered. Ji Xingsi questioned Tang Yan and his companions at Clear Sky Peak, but Tang Yan denied involvement and Yan Biao supported his alibi.

• Sheng Xueqi told Song Anchang that Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun had disappeared and suspected Tang Yan because of their dispute over the Spirit Herb Garden.
• Song Anchang took Sheng Xueqi and Ji Shujing to the Enforcement Hall, where an officer used a Fate-Appraising Bottle on Yu Yiwu's hair and confirmed he was dead.
• Ji Xingsi and the Enforcement Hall members went to Clear Sky Peak and questioned Tang Yan, Tong Banzhi, and Yan Biao.
• Tang Yan claimed Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun had mistreated him over payment and a contract, then denied killing them.
• Tang Yan said he had been reading while his two senior brothers refined pills in his courtyard, and Yan Biao confirmed they had been there.

Ji Xingsi investigated Tang Yan and his senior brothers over the deaths of Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun, but found no stolen property and refused Song Anchang’s demand for a soul search. Tang Yan collected overdue payment from Song Anchang and stayed at Clear Sky Peak to keep reading while the investigation and grudges remained unresolved.

• Ji Xingsi questioned Tang Yan and his senior brothers, who said they had been reading or practicing alchemy in Tang Yan’s courtyard when the two disciples disappeared.
• Cui Gao returned with Tang Yan’s borrowing records, and Tang Yan correctly answered Ji Xingsi’s questions about three books on demon materials and herbs.
• Ji Xingsi inspected the four men’s storage rings, found no stolen property, and ordered a search of their residences and surroundings.
• Song Anchang demanded that Ji Xingsi search Tang Yan’s divine soul, but Ji Xingsi refused without evidence and said the Enforcement Hall would investigate by the rules.
• Tang Yan asked Ji Xingsi to help collect Spirit Herb Garden payment, and Song Anchang paid him two hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones’ worth.
• After the visitors left, Tang Yan decided to remain in his courtyard and continue reading rather than pursue new partnerships with other alchemy peaks.

He Muyang learned that Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun had died, then joined Song Anchang in accusing Tang Yan and pushing for a soul search. Song Anchang gathered disciples to confront Tang Yan at Clear Sky Peak, while a crow watched from the roof.

• Lü Haijiao told He Muyang that the Enforcement Hall had investigated Tang Yan over the deaths of Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun but found no evidence against him.
• He Muyang learned that Shi Shenglan had named him and ordered Lü Haijiao to warn others not to speak carelessly about the Spirit Herb Garden's payment.
• He Muyang went to Song Anchang, feigned grief over Yu Yiwu's death, and urged him to identify the killer by investigating the disciples' shared enemies.
• Sheng Xueqi blamed Tang Yan, and He Muyang argued that the group should search his soul to uncover the truth.
• Song Anchang agreed to go to Clear Sky Peak with Sheng Xueqi and a group of disciples to capture Tang Yan.

Tang Yan let Song Anchang’s group force a soul search, intending to expose their violation of sect law and clear his name. Rao Baoyue stopped the search, but Song Anchang and He Muyang knelt and appealed to her to grant their request.

• Tang Yan sent Tong Banzhi to fetch Ji Xingsi and explained that he planned to use an unlawful soul search to claim compensation and dispel suspicion.
• Song Anchang and He Muyang arrived with Spirit Flame Peak disciples, accused Tang Yan of murdering Yu Yiwu and Lü Yuanjun, and demanded to search his soul.
• Song Anchang attacked Tang Yan, who pretended to be badly injured and asked Yan Biao to let the Enforcement Hall supervise a limited search.
• He Muyang tried to use the Soul-Searching Pearl, but it shattered as Rao Baoyue appeared and ordered everyone to leave.
• Ji Xingsi arrived and rebuked Song Anchang for violating the rules, but Song Anchang and He Muyang knelt before Rao Baoyue and pleaded for permission to search Tang Yan's soul.

Tang Yan agreed to a soul search to prove his innocence, and Rao Baoyue arranged for elders to witness it. The memories revealed that Spirit Flame Peak's disciples had humiliated, coerced, and beaten Tang Yan, leaving the gathered elders furious.

• Song Anchang and the Spirit Flame Peak disciples demanded a soul search, and Tang Yan volunteered to undergo one.
• Rao Baoyue agreed to the search and summoned the Grand Elder and Third Elder as witnesses.
• Ji Xingsi used the Soul-Searching Pearl to examine Tang Yan's memories from the night he visited Spirit Flame Peak.
• The memories showed Dai Wenshi refusing to pay Tang Yan and Spirit Flame Peak disciples insulting and bullying him.
• The memories revealed that Yu Yiwu and the others pressured Tang Yan to sign a harsh contract, then beat him and kicked him out.
• Rao Baoyue, the elders, and the Enforcement Hall members grew furious as the Spirit Flame Peak disciples lost their confidence.

Tang Yan was proven innocent after Ji Xingsi exposed He Muyang’s role in provoking his feud with Yu Yiwu. Rao Baoyue punished the disciples who had searched Tang Yan’s soul and let him decide compensation, leaving him to negotiate with the Grand Elder for the care of Rear Peak’s spirit herb garden.

• Tang Yan’s memories showed that he had been isolated and despondent, and that he spent the following day quietly reading and practicing alchemy.
• Ji Xingsi rejected He Muyang’s request to inspect unrelated memories and revealed that He Muyang had delayed payment to Tang Yan and likely acted out of jealousy over Duan Yin.
• The Grand Elder and the others accepted that Tang Yan was innocent, and Ji Xingsi ended the soul search.
• Rao Baoyue struck the offending disciples twice each with a Dragon Pillar and told Tang Yan to set their compensation.
• Tang Yan declined to demand punishment from the disciples and instead asked the Grand Elder to recommend him to manage the spirit herb garden on Rear Peak.

Tang Yan secured a sect commission to set up the Spirit Herb Garden’s formation after Rao Baoyue vouched for him, then faced her suspicion about his movements and his parents. The next day, he returned to the Trading Base, where Tong Chengxian promised another large deal and Shopkeeper Qin brought him Heavenly Profound Fragrant Dew and a full bag of medicinal ingredients.

• Rao Baoyue guaranteed Tang Yan, and the Grand Elder agreed to have the Mission Hall commission him to set up the sect’s Spirit Herb Garden formation.
• Ji Xingsi punished Song Anchang, He Muyang, Sheng Xueqi, and Ji Shujing with a deduction of three months’ stipends and took them to the Enforcement Hall for investigation.
• Rao Baoyue questioned Tang Yan about his whereabouts and parents, then kicked him out of the courtyard when he said his parents were alive.
• Yan Biao mistook Tang Yan flying through the air for a bird he could catch and roast.
• Tang Yan went to the Trading Base, where Tong Chengxian promised a future large deal and Shopkeeper Qin exchanged medicinal ingredients and Heavenly Profound Fragrant Dew for pills.

Tang Yan expanded his pill business at the trading market, then delivered gifts to Duan Yin and Rao Baoyue while trying to negotiate a trip home. Rao Baoyue refused and ordered him to find two more Fascia Guns, and the next day the Mission Hall assigned him to maintain the Spirit Herb Garden.

• Tang Yan agreed to sell upper-grade pills to Meng Hongxuan and other stallholders at eighty percent of market price, collecting orders worth two hundred and thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Tang Yan produced the pills in God's Domain and delivered them to the merchants, who said they would order more next time.
• Tang Yan gave Duan Yin a Heavenly Garment card, then presented Rao Baoyue with Heavenly Profound Fragrant Dew and promised to bring her wine later.
• Rao Baoyue refused Tang Yan permission to leave the Pill Alliance and demanded that he find two Fascia Guns within a month.
• Ma Shanjing from the Mission Hall brought Tang Yan his assignment to maintain the Spirit Herb Garden for eighteen Mid-Grade Spirit Stones a month.

Tang Yan completed a watering formation for the sect’s Spirit Herb Garden, then traded for supplies and asked Elder Xiao how to deal with the Divine Clan. Elder Xiao agreed to make him two Drunken Divine Pills, leaving Tang Yan to collect them in three days.

• Tang Yan and Xu Rong tested the new formation, which watered the Spirit Herb Garden’s plants according to their needs.
• Tang Yan visited the Trading Base in disguise, accepted the merchants’ orders, and bought wine and other supplies from Shopkeeper Qin.
• Tang Yan delivered Monkey Wine to Rao Baoyue, then met Elder Xiao at the Scripture Pavilion and asked about countering the Divine Clan.
• Elder Xiao explained that Drunken Divine Pills made Divine Clan members drunk for ten breaths and warned Tang Yan to leave no trace when using them.
• Tang Yan paid Elder Xiao ten mid-grade spirit stones for two Drunken Divine Pills, which Elder Xiao promised to refine within three days.

Tang Yan developed cheaper substitutes for the Mountain-Breaking Pill’s ingredients, then experimented until he created a Meridian-Forging version that reduced costs by twenty-five percent. After securing irrigation work for the Pill Alliance’s Spirit Herb Gardens and registering for Spirit Cliff Cave, he gave the new pills to Trading Base stallholders to help them compete.

• Tang Yan found cheaper substitutes for five auxiliary ingredients and tested seven more ingredients with side effects, eventually combining them into a pill that pleasantly stimulated the meridians and cost twenty-five percent less to make.
• Tang Yan negotiated with the Spirit Herb Gardens on the other Pill Peaks and secured all the irrigation work in the Pill Alliance.
• Rao Baoyue reminded Tang Yan to register for Spirit Cliff Cave, confirmed all four disciples would attend, and demanded that he bring her a Heavenly Garment Card before he entered.
• Tang Yan registered the four disciples at the Main Peak and went to the Trading Base, where he gave each stallholder a Meridian-Forging Mountain-Breaking Pill as a free sample.

Tang Yan sold Meridian-Forging Mountain-Breaking Pills, strengthened himself with spirit stones, and sought help investigating his parents and a suspected Divine Clan member. He still could not find a Heavenly Garment Card, and Rao Baoyue punished him with the Wings-Together Palm, ordering him to suffer until he found one.

• Tang Yan sold pills to the Trading Base stallholders, asked Shopkeeper Qin to find a Heavenly Garment Card, and used his earnings to strengthen himself through the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron.
• Tang Yan wrote to Guan Zirong asking the Dark Moon Sect to help investigate his parents' whereabouts, then collected Drunken Divine Pills from Elder Xiao and admitted he had a suspect from the Divine Clan.
• Tang Yan followed up with the stallholders and learned that the upgraded pills were selling extremely well, but Shopkeeper Qin still had not found a Heavenly Garment Card.
• Tang Yan crafted something in God's Domain, then brought Rao Baoyue Monkey Wine and a Dragon Pillar while explaining that he still could not obtain the card.
• Rao Baoyue asked for the Heavenly Garment Card, and when Tang Yan failed to provide one, she struck him with the Wings-Together Palm and told him to suffer until he found one.