Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua visited the Hundred Herbs Sect on Shang Hua Ming’s behalf and was warmly received by Jiang Fan, who hoped to win over the sect. After tasting the sect’s spirit fruits, Xiao Hua asked to take a collection of century-old dried seeds, leaving Jiang Fan to decide whether to grant his request.

• Jiang Fan notified Sect Leader Jiang Jiantong that Xiao Hua had arrived, and Jiang Jiantong chose not to meet a disciple who had not yet entered Shang Hua Ming.
• Jiang Li gave Xiao Hua an invitation talisman for Xiao Xianrui and asked him to deliver it when he returned to Shang Hua Ming.
• Jiang Fan escorted Xiao Hua to the Reception Hall, where Xiao Hua ate an Icefire Fruit that briefly increased his spiritual power.
• Jiang Fan explained that the Hundred Herbs Sect planned to remove a batch of unidentified seeds planted a hundred years earlier and asked why the herb-growing disciples had bothered him about them.
• Xiao Hua asked Jiang Fan to give him the dried seeds, and Jiang Fan hesitated over the request.

Xiao Hua negotiated with Jiang Fan for Zhe Wu Grass in exchange for Shang Hua Ming’s Spirit Gathering Fruits and secured ten stalks despite the Hundred Herbs Sect’s dwindling supply. He also obtained bags of dried, failed, and damaged seeds to study, and left with the exchange arranged.

• Xiao Hua asked Jiang Fan for discarded medicinal seeds, and Jiang Fan ordered a disciple to bring dried and damaged seeds along with some permitted spirit-herb seeds.
• Xiao Hua thanked Jiang Fan for the Hundred Herbs Sect’s help and offered Spirit Gathering Fruits in exchange for Zhe Wu Grass.
• Jiang Fan explained that most of the Zhe Wu Grass had been traded away, then offered Qi Nurturing Pills, but Xiao Hua insisted on a fair exchange.
• Jiang Fan learned that ten stalks of Zhe Wu Grass remained and stopped the sect’s pill refinement so Shang Hua Ming could receive them.
• Xiao Hua accepted the ten stalks and the bags of seeds, then inspected the Zhe Wu Grass and thanked Jiang Fan.
• As Jiang Fan moved to return the remaining Spirit Gathering Fruits, Xiao Hua urgently stopped him.

Xiao Hua returned from the Hundred Herbs Sect with immature Zhe Wu Grass after Jiang Fan arranged a calculated exchange and escort. Back at Shang Hua Ming, Xiao Hua secretly planted the grass in his mind-space and Xiao Yuehong invited him to watch the upcoming pill refinement.

• Xiao Hua exchanged the Spirit Gathering Fruits for under-mature Zhe Wu Grass, and Jiang Fan provided a storage pouch and arranged an escort to Huanghua Ridge.
• Jiang Jiantong praised Jiang Fan's handling of the exchange and told him to send Xiao Hua safely home without giving him any further gifts.
• Xiao Hua returned to Huanghua Ridge, where Gong Mingwei and Zhang Qingxiao received him and took the herbs to Shang Hua Ming.
• Xiao Hua reported that the Hundred Herbs Sect had traded immature Zhe Wu Grass, and Xiao Yuehong lamented that it was unsuitable for the mature Spirit Gathering Fruits.
• Xiao Hua secretly used his puppet and mind-space to plant the Zhe Wu Grass, then learned that he could watch Xiao Yuehong refine pills in two days.

Xiao Yuehong explained why Hundred Zhang Peak drew Rogue Cultivators seeking the legacy of Hundred Zhang Old Man and warned Xiao Hua against going. After Xiao Hua recounted saving Cai Zhuoxia from the Pilan Twin Bears, Xiao Yuehong tested his strength and discovered that his punches could break a powerful Golden Bell Talisman.

• Xiao Yuehong told Xiao Hua that Hundred Zhang Old Man had been a Rogue Cultivator who reached early Golden Core and was said to have left his cultivation technique at Hundred Zhang Peak.
• Xiao Yuehong inspected Cai Zhuoxia’s communication talisman, warned Xiao Hua to stay at Huanghua Ridge, and suspected she had invited him to the peak to lure him there.
• Xiao Hua explained that he had saved Cai Zhuoxia from the Pilan Twin Bears and described how he defeated the attackers despite his first-layer Qi Cultivation.
• Xiao Yuehong activated a Golden Bell Talisman and asked Xiao Hua to strike it; Xiao Hua shattered its defense with five punches, astonishing his master.

Xiao Hua joined his senior brothers and sister in Shang Hua Ming’s alchemy room and learned about its furnace and the different levels of alchemy. Xiao Xianrui revealed that Xiao Yuehong had hinted at an art of alchemy beyond even the high-grade methods they knew.

• Xiao Hua told Xiao Yuehong that his close-range attack would be difficult to use against prepared opponents, and Xiao Yuehong approved his resolve to focus on cultivation.
• Xiao Yuehong sent Xiao Hua to the alchemy room, where Xiao Hua met Zhang Qingxiao, Gong Mingwei, and Xiao Xianrui and handed over the Qi Nurturing Pill.
• Xiao Hua entered the alchemy room and found its furnace, herbs, and tools strangely familiar despite never having been inside before.
• Gong Mingwei explained the three levels of alchemy, while Zhang Qingxiao described Shang Hua Ming’s Jihao Furnace and the legendary Nascent Soul Transformation Pill.
• Xiao Xianrui said Xiao Yuehong had mentioned an alchemy art beyond high-grade alchemy, prompting the others to wonder whether it could work without a pill furnace.

Xiao Hua learned that Shang Hua Ming had a Marrow Cleansing Pill formula and arranged to gather herbs while concealing his own supply of Zhe Wu Grass. After emerging from a hidden spot with spirit herbs, he was met by his excited senior brothers and Xiao Xianrui, who marveled at his apparent luck.

• Xiao Xianrui explained that even her father knew little about the ancient art of refining pills without a furnace, while Gong Mingwei warned Xiao Hua not to enter the restricted cave.
• Xiao Hua delivered Jiang Li’s invitation talisman and Jiang Fan’s Qi Nurturing Pill to Xiao Xianrui, who accepted the pill with shy delight.
• Xiao Hua cultivated and planned to use Marrow Cleansing Pills to improve his cultivation, then asked Xiao Yuehong about their ingredients.
• Xiao Yuehong said Shang Hua Ming had the Marrow Cleansing Pill formula, named Black Ginseng and Famu Wood as its main ingredients, and promised Xiao Hua half the Qi Nurturing Pills if he found aged herbs.
• Xiao Hua went to a hidden spot, gathered Zhe Wu Grass and other spirit herbs from his space, and sent a communication talisman to summon the others.
• Zhang Qingxiao, Gong Mingwei, and Xiao Xianrui arrived, and Zhang Qingxiao teased Xiao Hua after spotting the herbs in his hands.

Xiao Hua found a hidden cave full of mature spirit herbs, and Xiao Yuehong agreed to let him learn pill refinement once he advanced further. The next day, Xiao Hua joined the others to observe Xiao Yuehong begin refining Qi Nurturing Pills, and he reacted with shock and confusion as the process started.

• Xiao Hua showed Xiao Yuehong and his senior siblings the Zhe Wu Grass and other spirit herbs he had found in a hidden cave, explaining that Little White had led him there.
• Xiao Yuehong questioned Xiao Hua about the herbs, then eased his suspicions after seeing the cave and told Gong Mingwei to teach Xiao Hua the Herb Gathering Art as a sign he intended to accept him into the sect later.
• Xiao Yuehong joked that he would accept Xiao Hua immediately if he found three-hundred-year-old Linglong Grass the next day, while Xiao Hua secretly knew he could produce such grass in the future.
• The next morning, Xiao Hua and the other disciples gathered at the pill room on Xihua Peak to watch Xiao Yuehong refine Qi Nurturing Pills.
• Gong Mingwei started the earth fire, and Xiao Yuehong turned the flames azure with a scarlet gourd before forming a complex spell gesture; Xiao Hua watched with shock and bafflement.

Xiao Hua watched Xiao Yuehong refine a Qi Nurturing Pill and found that the alchemy hand seals seemed familiar, deepening his doubts about his own background. After Xiao Yuehong left him to guard the furnace with Zhang Qingxiao, Zhang Qingxiao questioned him about the different hand seals Xiao Hua had made.

• Xiao Yuehong lit the earthfire and began refining the Qi Nurturing Pill, while Xiao Hua recognized the purpose of his hand seals despite having no alchemy experience.
• Xiao Xianrui and Gong Mingwei explained that Qi Cultivation disciples could use costly yellow talismans to assist with alchemy.
• When the furnace trembled, Xiao Yuehong stabilized it with hand seals and used a reusable Core Melting Talisman before leaving to recover his spiritual power.
• Gong Mingwei assigned Xiao Hua to guard the furnace, and Zhang Qingxiao chose to stay with him.
• Zhang Qingxiao asked why Xiao Hua's fingers had moved during Xiao Yuehong's demonstration, and Xiao Hua claimed he had merely tried to imitate the hand seals.

Zhang Qingxiao confronted Xiao Hua about his strange talent with hand seals and his unknown origins, then affirmed his determination to protect Shang Hua Ming. After Zhang Qingxiao left Xiao Hua to watch the pill furnace, Xiao Hua pondered his past, his plans for alchemy, and the unusual movements his hands seemed to remember.

• Zhang Qingxiao questioned Xiao Hua about imitating Xiao Yuehong’s hand seals and wondered whether someone had possessed him.
• Zhang Qingxiao declared that he would protect Shang Hua Ming and its people, and Xiao Hua assured him that he regarded the sect as home.
• Zhang Qingxiao explained the benefits and drawbacks of medicinal pills, including why Qi Nurturing Pills could still help Shang Hua Ming’s disciples.
• Zhang Qingxiao left Xiao Hua to guard the pill furnace and told him to use his communication talismans if anything went wrong.
• Xiao Hua examined his snake-shaped ring, resolved to uncover his origins by strengthening Shang Hua Ming, and considered learning alchemy himself.
• Xiao Hua watched the furnace and practiced instinctive hand seals while Exotic Starlight later enveloped it during his cultivation.

Xiao Yuehong completed a batch of Qi Nurturing Pills and gave Xiao Hua half of them for finding the spirit herbs. Xiao Hua asked to spend more time in the pill chamber, then took a pill and cultivated through the night, ending with uncertainty about how many more he would need to reach the second layer of Qi Cultivation.

• Xiao Yuehong completed the pill refinement, and Gong Mingwei collected twenty-four Qi Nurturing Pills from the furnace.
• Xiao Yuehong credited Xiao Hua’s high-quality spirit herbs for the increased yield and gave him twelve pills, which Xiao Hua accepted after his companions urged him.
• Xiao Yuehong sent Gong Mingwei and the other disciples to Jingxin Cave to take their pills, and allowed Xiao Hua to visit the pill chamber to pursue his memories of alchemy.
• Xiao Hua swallowed a Qi Nurturing Pill on Guzhang Peak and cultivated through the night as Exotic Starlight mingled with the pill’s refined medicinal power.
• Xiao Yuehong secretly watched Xiao Hua and the others cultivate, while Xiao Hua awoke disappointed that one pill had not raised his cultivation to the second layer.

Xiao Hua took several Qi Nurturing Pills but remained at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, while his senior brother and senior sister advanced to the eleventh layer after one pill each. Xiao Yuehong set out to refine more pills for the disciples, and Zhang Qingxiao tried to claim Xiao Hua’s remaining pills.

• Xiao Hua took one Qi Nurturing Pill each day for three days and felt his spiritual power grow, though his cultivation stayed at the first layer.
• Zhang Qingxiao, Gong Mingwei, and Xiao Xianrui rushed to Minsi Peak to tell Xiao Yuehong they had all reached the eleventh layer after refining one pill each.
• Xiao Yuehong examined one of their pills but could not identify what made it so effective, and he refused to take their remaining pills.
• Xiao Hua admitted that he had taken three pills and was still at the first layer, though each pill had advanced his cultivation about as much as a year of ordinary practice.
• Xiao Yuehong told the disciples to keep cultivating and flew to Xihua Peak to refine twenty-four more Qi Nurturing Pills.
• Zhang Qingxiao suggested taking Xiao Hua’s remaining pills, but Gong Mingwei rebuked him.

Xiao Hua used twelve Qi Nurturing Pills to break through to the second layer of Qi Cultivation, while his senior brothers and sister advanced in their cultivation. After testing the new pills, Xiao Yuehong and the others found that they lacked the strange medicinal property of the previous batch.

• Xiao Hua spent six days cultivating but remained at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, while Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui stayed in seclusion.
• Xiao Hua took his final two Qi Nurturing Pills at Zhang Qingxiao's urging and broke through to the second layer of Qi Cultivation.
• Zhang Qingxiao told Xiao Hua that he had reached the initial stage of the eleventh layer, while Gong Mingwei had reached its middle stage.
• Xiao Hua joined his senior brothers and sister in the pill room, where Xiao Yuehong criticized him for needing all twelve pills to advance.
• Xiao Yuehong gave each of them a pill to test, and Gong Mingwei reported that the new pills lacked the strange property found in the previous batch.

Xiao Hua went with Gong Mingwei to Shang Hua Ming’s hidden Inheritance Hall to receive the Qi Cultivation second-layer method. When he saw its strange divine statue, he experienced a vision of a vast wilderness beneath ten suns, then returned to the hall and paid his respects.

• Xiao Yuehong gave Xiao Hua talismans and directed him to retrieve the second-layer cultivation method from the Ancestral Hall.
• Gong Mingwei took Xiao Hua to the Secret Chamber on Minsi Peak and revealed a concealed entrance beneath the floor.
• Gong Mingwei and Xiao Hua used the talisman to enter the Inheritance Hall, where he explained its purpose and solemn customs.
• Xiao Hua saw the emerald statue of a woman with a snake tail and suddenly experienced a vision of enormous beasts beneath ten suns.
• Gong Mingwei called Xiao Hua back to his senses, then introduced him to the statue, and Xiao Hua bowed in respect.

Xiao Hua memorized and practiced Shang Hua Ming’s second-layer Qi Cultivation technique in the Inheritance Palace, but his magic power grew without his cultivation realm advancing. After Xiao Yuehong began testing whether his pill-refining method affected Qi Nurturing Pills, Xiao Hua returned to Xihua Peak and wondered why pills that affected others differently had the same effect on him.

• Gong Mingwei told Xiao Hua that Shang Hua Ming did not know whether the strange statue in the Inheritance Palace depicted its founding ancestor, then showed him the sect’s cultivation techniques.
• Xiao Hua memorized the second-layer technique quickly and circulated his qi, but realized that his realm barely progressed despite increased magic power.
• Gong Mingwei brought Xiao Hua out of the ancestral hall and explained that the entry talisman was a one-use secret known to only a few people in Shang Hua Ming.
• Xiao Yuehong decided to refine Wutuodan before making another batch of Qi Nurturing Pills to test whether the ingredients or his refining method caused the unusual results.
• After two days of cultivation, Xiao Hua returned to Xihua Peak with two Qi Nurturing Pills from Zhang Qingxiao, and both pills increased his magic power by about two years.
• Xiao Hua questioned why he needed pills or many years of cultivation to advance and why both batches of Qi Nurturing Pills affected him alike.

Xiao Yuehong and his disciples tried to discover why the first batch of pills had unusual effects, suspecting Xiao Hua was the key. They secretly watched him recreate the original circumstances, and Xiao Yuehong revealed that Xiao Hua could sense his divine sense.

• Xiao Hua arrived at the pill chamber, where Zhang Qingxiao tested Xiao Yuehong's latest Wutuodan batch and found it no different from before.
• Xiao Yuehong and Zhang Qingxiao suspected Xiao Hua's presence had affected the first batch, so Xiao Hua watched another seven-day refinement, but Zhang Qingxiao again found no unusual effect.
• Xiao Xianrui suggested recreating the first refinement, and Xiao Yuehong told Xiao Hua to cultivate in the pill chamber while he repeated the original steps.
• Xiao Yuehong and the others secretly observed Xiao Hua through a mirror technique as he meditated, but they saw nothing unusual.
• Xiao Yuehong told Gong Mingwei, Zhang Qingxiao, and Xiao Xianrui that Xiao Hua could sense his divine sense, shocking them.

Xiao Yuehong and the others discovered that Wutuodan refined while Xiao Hua guarded the furnace became supreme-grade, though none of them could explain why. Convinced Xiao Hua was responsible, they began another experiment with the sect’s final batch of Spirit Gathering Fruit and Zhe Wu Grass to refine Qi Nurturing Pills.

• Xiao Yuehong and the others speculated about Xiao Hua’s mysterious origins and abilities while watching him cultivate through a mirror technique.
• Xiao Hua guarded the pill furnace for seven days, cultivating as starlight enveloped the furnace and was absorbed by the Wutuodan.
• Xiao Yuehong collected twenty-four Wutuodan and found that one had healing effects far beyond high-grade pills, identifying the batch as supreme-grade.
• Xiao Hua denied doing anything unusual, while Zhang Qingxiao jokingly called him Shang Hua Ming’s future God of Wealth.
• Xiao Yuehong taught Xiao Hua alchemy while refining another batch, which again yielded twenty-four supreme-grade Wutuodan.
• Xiao Yuehong began refining Qi Nurturing Pills from the sect’s final batch of Spirit Gathering Fruit and Zhe Wu Grass.

Xiao Xianrui received Jiang Li’s invitation to visit Yaonong Peak, and Xiao Yuehong ended the disciples’ reflection so she could go. Xiao Xianrui departed with Gong Mingwei and Zhang Qingxiao, while Xiao Yuehong remained puzzled by the Myriad Poisons Sect and questioned Xiao Hua about the top-grade pills.

• Xiao Xianrui revealed Jiang Li’s invitation talisman, and Xiao Yuehong ended the disciples’ reflection in Jingxin Cave.
• Xiao Yuehong noticed strange thunderclouds overhead and urged Xiao Xianrui to consider staying at Huanghua Ridge, but she insisted she wanted to see the world beyond it.
• Xiao Yuehong sent Xiao Xianrui to Yaonong Peak with Gong Mingwei and Zhang Qingxiao, warning her to conceal the cause of their cultivation breakthroughs.
• After the flying boat left, Xiao Yuehong inspected Shang Hua Ming’s protective formation and wondered why the Myriad Poisons Sect had attacked only once.
• Xiao Hua asked to resume pill refining, but Xiao Yuehong chose to wait for the others’ return and asked whether Xiao Hua knew how the top-grade pills were made.
• Xiao Yuehong accepted Xiao Hua’s denial, then remarked that he had not expected Xiao Xianrui to be thinking about dual cultivation.

Xiao Yuehong explained Shang Hua Ming’s mysterious origins and discovered records describing Xiao Hua’s unusual constitution as characteristic of the Celestial Clan. The chapter left Xiao Hua stunned by the possibility that he came from overseas.

• Xiao Yuehong told Xiao Hua that he would not dare take him into Shang Hua Ming because the small sect might hinder his cultivation.
• Xiao Yuehong brought Xiao Hua to the Inheritance Palace and described its enigmatic statue of Wa, missing ancestral spirit tablets, and obscure records.
• Xiao Yuehong explained that Shang Hua Ming’s Water-attribute cultivation method suited his other disciples, while Xiao Hua’s Five Elements Pearl had shown no light.
• Xiao Yuehong revealed a jade-slip passage about the Celestial Clan on Canwu Island, whose members had constitutions unlike ordinary cultivators.
• Xiao Hua asked whether the records meant he had come from overseas, and Xiao Yuehong’s revelation left him dumbfounded.

Xiao Yuehong described the strange qualities of Xiao Hua’s meridians and questioned whether he should be accepted into Shang Hua Ming, but Xiao Hua’s Five Elements Pearl showed a faint fire attribute. As a storm gathered over Xihua Peak, Little White emerged from the stream and faced what appeared to be a lightning tribulation.

• Xiao Yuehong told Xiao Hua that his meridians seemed alive and snake-like, and that his uncertain origins made him hesitant to admit Xiao Hua into Shang Hua Ming.
• Xiao Hua’s Five Elements Pearl began glowing faint red, revealing a fire attribute; Xiao Hua denied that his physique had changed, and Xiao Yuehong sent him back to Xihua Peak.
• Xiao Yuehong returned to the Secret Chamber to search the records while ominous clouds and lightning spread over Huanghua Ridge.
• Xiao Hua felt his living meridians react to the pressure in the sky and went to the summit of Xihua Peak, where he sensed danger gathering.
• Little White flew from the mountain stream and challenged the sky as the clouds turned red; Xiao Hua realized Little White was facing a lightning tribulation, and the snake began to expand after roaring.

Little White faced the lightning tribulation needed to transform into a dragon, while the light cube in Xiao Hua’s mind diverted and absorbed the heavenly lightning meant for her. As Little White’s dragon features solidified and Xiao Hua’s body lay charred among the rocks, she believed he was enduring the tribulation for her and felt profound gratitude.

• Little White transformed into a gigantic, partially formed dragon as her tribulation clouds gathered over Xihua Peak.
• When the first bolt descended, the light cube in Xiao Hua’s mind caused half the lightning to split toward him as he tried to flee; he fainted and fell onto the rocks.
• The light cube absorbed the lightning before it destroyed Xiao Hua, while the bolt battered Little White and caused her dragon scales, horns, and whiskers to emerge.
• Xunyunzi, True Person Liukong, and Fairy Yingzhuo watched the scene through a mirror, then flew toward Huanghua Ridge after the mirror shattered.
• The second bolt struck Little White, but half of it again diverted to Xiao Hua, and the light cube absorbed both the lightning and its thread of Heavenly Dao.
• Little White recalled how Xiao Hua’s blood had saved her before and believed he was enduring the tribulation for her, filling her with gratitude.