Chapter Summaries

Xu Ran offered Jia Nan Academy plans for a gravity training ground and a Magic Core-powered Qi Gathering Tower, prompting Su Qian and Hu Qian to praise him and discuss Hu Jia’s recent cultivation and changed behavior. Su Qian then asked Xu Ran to take Zi Yan under his guidance, and Xu Ran agreed to meet the formidable Inner Academy student.

• Xu Ran outlined a gravity training ground and a nine-floor Qi Gathering Tower that would use Magic Cores to supply abundant Dou Qi.
• Su Qian and Hu Qian welcomed Xu Ran’s plans, hoping the new facilities would reduce the academy’s dependence on the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
• Hu Qian thanked Xu Ran for helping Hu Jia reach Dou Ling, while Su Qian and Hu Qian remarked that she had become more disciplined around him.
• Su Qian proposed bringing Zi Yan to cultivate with Xu Ran, explaining that she was his adoptive daughter and the Inner Academy’s top-ranked student.
• Xu Ran agreed to meet Zi Yan and help guide her, saying he was eager to see whether she would be troublesome.

Xu Ran agreed to train Zi Yan after Su Qian and Hu Qian visited him, while his students benefited from his intense training. The chapter ended with Zi Yan eating stolen medicinal ingredients in the Inner Academy, unaware that she would soon be sent to train with Xu Ran.

• Su Qian and Hu Qian left Zi Yan in Xu Ran's care and arranged for her to train with him.
• Xu Ran's students finished a punishing training session and noticed their Dou Qi had grown purer and more condensed.
• Hu Jia questioned Xu Ran about Su Qian's visit, and Xu Ran said he had refused the offer to become vice headmaster.
• Xu Ran told Hu Jia that Zi Yan would soon come to train with them, surprising her and delighting Xiao Mei.
• Zi Yan ate medicinal ingredients she had stolen from the Medicinal Materials Storehouse.

Zi Yan followed Su Qian’s suggestion to visit Xu Ran, where she found and ate his pills before pocketing the rest. When she tried to leave using Spatial Power, she discovered the room’s space had been sealed, leaving her trapped.

• Su Qian told Zi Yan that Xu Ran could provide her with pills to eat, and Zi Yan immediately went to find him.
• Zi Yan tracked Xu Ran to his room and slipped inside using her Spatial Power.
• Zi Yan ate several of Xu Ran’s pills, enjoyed feeling full, and put the remaining pills into her Spatial Ring.
• Zi Yan tried to leave with her Spatial Power but found that she could not use it inside the room.

Zi Yan was caught stealing and eating Xu Ran’s pills, then tried to avoid paying him by blaming Su Qian and offering protection instead. Xu Ran remained unimpressed, leaving Zi Yan frustrated by his lack of deference to her Strong Ranking status.

• Xu Ran confronted Zi Yan after watching her eat dozens of pills in his room.
• Zi Yan was startled to discover Xu Ran had been there, then learned he wanted compensation for the pills.
• Zi Yan claimed Su Qian had sent her to eat the pills, but Xu Ran prepared to ask Su Qian about it.
• Zi Yan stopped Xu Ran and offered to pay him back, then proposed counting the pills as a protection fee.
• Zi Yan boasted that she was first on the Inner Academy’s Strong Ranking, but Xu Ran’s indifference enraged her.

Xu Ran fought Zi Yan after she demanded protection money and easily overpowered her despite limiting himself to Dou Wang strength. Zi Yan sensed a strange bloodline suppression and asked whether Xu Ran knew her origins.

• Zi Yan challenged Xu Ran to prove her strength, using her spatial abilities to attack him from behind.
• Xu Ran revealed he could match her while restricting his cultivation to one-star Dou Wang, and Zi Yan was shocked to learn he was a Dou Wang.
• Zi Yan unleashed increasingly powerful punches, but Xu Ran resisted them and she realized she could not defeat him.
• Zi Yan sensed that Xu Ran’s presence suppressed her bloodline and asked who he was and why he affected her that way.
• Xu Ran guessed that Zi Yan wanted to learn about her origins, and Zi Yan excitedly asked whether he knew.

Xu Ran impressed Zi Yan by identifying her as a Magical Beast and recounting details of her past and condition. Zi Yan was left stunned as he explained why she could not yet return to her beast form and why she kept stealing pills.

• Zi Yan realized Xu Ran was unusually powerful and mysterious, and became curious about him.
• Xu Ran told Zi Yan that she was not human, causing her to panic and deny it.
• Xu Ran promised not to reveal Zi Yan's identity, and she relaxed after he said he would not punish her for eating his pills.
• Xu Ran described how Zi Yan had lived in the mountains and been chased by powerful Magical Beasts, embarrassing her.
• Xu Ran explained that Zi Yan had found human transformation grass, that Su Qian had brought her to Jia Nan Academy, and that she needed to reach Dou Huang to switch forms, which was why she stole energy-rich pills and ingredients.

Zi Yan questioned Xu Ran about her magical beast heritage and family, and he revealed that her father was trapped beneath Jia Nan Academy in the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. She refused to believe him and left with more pills, promising to return when she felt better.

• Zi Yan defended how she had found the Human Transformation Grass and admitted she had accidentally eaten Xu Ran's pills.
• Xu Ran confirmed that he was a magical beast with a stronger bloodline than Zi Yan and said her home was in the Central Plains.
• Xu Ran told Zi Yan that her father was renowned and powerful but had disappeared and was trapped at Jia Nan Academy.
• Zi Yan accused Xu Ran of teasing her when he said her father was at the academy, then turned away angrily.
• Zi Yan took more pills and rushed out, while Xu Ran let her go.

Xu Ran explained that the seemingly young Zi Yan was the Inner Academy’s strongest student, while Han Feng’s base in Feng City came under attack from two powerful Heavenly Venerables of the Hall of Souls. The attackers restrained Han Feng and questioned him about his former teacher, Yao Chen, as they prepared to restore the Hall of Souls’ reputation.

• Hu Jia, Xiao Mei, Xun'er, and the others teased Xu Ran after Zi Yan left his room, and he denied their suspicions while planning to confront Zi Yan over the pills she had taken.
• Xu Ran told Xun'er and the others that Zi Yan was the Inner Academy’s top-ranked student and explained her unusual appearance and overwhelming strength.
• Two black mists covered Feng City, and Han Feng recognized that the Hall of Souls had arrived while he waited for Xu Ran.
• A black-robed Heavenly Venerable restrained Han Feng and judged his sixth-rank alchemist soul useful to the Hall of Souls.
• The two Heavenly Venerables questioned Han Feng about Yao Chen and discussed capturing him, revealing that one was a one-star Dou Sheng and the other a Half-Saint.

Xu Ran intervened when the Hall of Souls’ Heavenly Venerables threatened Han Feng, then rejected their offer to make him the Ninth Heavenly Venerable. Gu You moved to fight Xu Ran, and the chapter ended as his Half-Saint aura covered Feng City.

• The First Heavenly Venerable tried to kill Han Feng after learning that Yao Chen was in the Black-Corner Region, but Xu Ran arrived and stopped him.
• Xu Ran stepped on Han Feng and confronted the First and Second Heavenly Venerables, who were shocked by his youthful appearance and asked if he had killed the Ninth Heavenly Venerable.
• Xu Ran confirmed that he had killed the Ninth Heavenly Venerable and mocked the two Hall of Souls experts.
• The First Heavenly Venerable offered Xu Ran the vacant Ninth Heavenly Venerable position in exchange for joining the Hall of Souls, but Xu Ran refused to accept it without defeating them first.
• Gu You, the Second Heavenly Venerable, stepped forward to test Xu Ran’s strength, spreading his black mist and Half-Saint presence across Feng City.

The Great Heavenly Venerable and Gu You confronted Xu Ran in Feng City, while their immense power darkened the Black-Corner Region and drew the attention of its experts. As the Hall of Souls prepared to fight Xu Ran, Yao Lao doubted he would survive, and Xiao Yan began plotting to exploit the aftermath.

• The Great Heavenly Venerable warned Gu You that Xu Ran's strength was difficult to judge, while secretly hoping to seize whatever secrets Xu Ran possessed.
• Gu You unleashed his power over Feng City, draining the Dou Qi from the air and darkening the entire Black-Corner Region.
• Experts across the region sensed the Hall of Souls' presence, and Yao Lao feared Xu Ran might die but suspected the Hall of Souls could instead be defeated.
• Xiao Yan declared that Xu Ran was certain to die and vowed to win Xun'er back and use Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei to gain allies.

Su Qian and Zi Yan learned that Xu Ran was in danger and rushed to see what was happening. Xu Ran effortlessly killed Gu You and then seized and killed the Great Heavenly Venerable, leaving the Hall of Souls without its two powerful fighters.

• Su Qian decided to go to Xu Ran's aid, and Zi Yan hurried ahead after learning he was in trouble.
• Gu You attacked Xu Ran, but Xu Ran vanished from his sight and appeared behind him, leaving Gu You and the Great Heavenly Venerable alarmed by his strength.
• Xu Ran pierced Gu You through the heart with a sword of Dou Qi, killing the Second Heavenly Venerable in seconds.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable fled, but Xu Ran sealed the space within a hundred li and caught him.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable begged for his life, but Xu Ran snapped his neck and killed him.

Xu Ran killed the Hall of Souls' Great Heavenly Venerable and Second Heavenly Venerable, leaving the Hall of Souls furious and badly weakened. After taking Han Feng's Sea Heart Flame, Xu Ran planned to study the fallen experts' corpses for puppet-making.

• Hun Miesheng learned that the Great Heavenly Venerable and Second Heavenly Venerable had died and considered asking the Soul Clan for reinforcements to deal with Xu Ran.
• Hun Miesheng vowed that Xu Ran would die, though he remained wary of the unknown strength that had killed the Great Heavenly Venerable outright.
• Peace returned to Feng City, where Han Feng struggled to understand how easily Xu Ran had killed a Dou Sheng.
• Xu Ran took the Sea Heart Flame from Han Feng as payment for dealing with the two Heavenly Venerables, and Han Feng accepted out of fear.
• Xu Ran kept the Great Heavenly Venerable's and Second Heavenly Venerable's corpses, considering refining them into puppets to protect Xun'er and the others.

After the battle with the Hall of Souls, Zi Yan and Su Qian feared Xu Ran had died, but they found him alive and unharmed on the road to Jia Nan Academy. Xu Ran claimed he had easily defeated the Hall of Souls experts, leaving Zi Yan skeptical and Su Qian convinced.

• Zi Yan insisted Xu Ran could not have died, while Su Qian worried that Jia Nan Academy would suffer a great loss without him.
• Su Qian and Zi Yan hurried toward Feng City and met Xu Ran, who was eating roast chicken and drinking as though nothing had happened.
• Zi Yan teased Xu Ran about being safe, then hugged his arm and asked if they were friends; Xu Ran moved away and denied they were close.
• Zi Yan asked how Xu Ran had escaped the Hall of Souls experts, and Xu Ran claimed he had wiped them out with ease.
• Zi Yan dismissed Xu Ran's boast that even the Hall of Souls Hall Master would only be a challenge for him, while Su Qian believed Xu Ran had killed the experts.

Xu Ran proposed trading cultivation pills to help Zi Yan grow stronger in exchange for monster cores from her clan. Zi Yan accepted, and Xu Ran said the deal could eventually help her become an eighth-rank magical beast.

• Zi Yan chatted with Xu Ran as they walked, surprising Su Qian with her sudden talkativeness.
• Xu Ran asked Su Qian for Jia Nan Academy’s records on puppet refinement so he could study making protective puppets for Xun'er and the others.
• Xu Ran offered Zi Yan pills in exchange for resources, and she agreed on the condition that the pills were at least fifth-grade.
• Xu Ran secretly proposed exchanging pills that could help Zi Yan reach the eighth rank for a few dozen seventh- and eighth-rank monster cores from her clan.
• Zi Yan wondered at her clan’s power and realized the deal might let her advance toward Dou Zun.

Xu Ran developed a new art of puppetry and reassured Su Qian that he could protect Jia Nan Academy from the Hall of Souls. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan wrongly believed Xu Ran was dead and confronted Xun'er and the other women.

• Su Qian sent Xu Ran Jia Nan Academy's texts on puppetry, and Xu Ran quickly analyzed them and began creating his own methods.
• Su Qian asked whether Xu Ran had killed the Hall of Souls experts, and Xu Ran revealed the corpses of the First Heavenly Venerable, a Dou Sheng, and the Second Heavenly Venerable.
• Xu Ran promised to protect Jia Nan Academy and warned Su Qian that a future crisis would draw powerful factions to the academy because of the Ancient God's mansion beneath it.
• Xiao Yan told Xun'er to return to his side because he believed Xu Ran was dead, and Xun'er struck him after he insulted Xu Ran.
• Xiao Yan claimed the Hall of Souls had sent a Dou Sheng to kill Xu Ran and, seeing Xun'er, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Yu before him, revealed his sinister intentions.

Xiao Yan told Xun'er and the others that the Hall of Souls would kill Xu Ran, then tried to win Xun'er back by blaming Xu Ran for their estrangement. Xu Ran appeared alive on the roof, leaving Xiao Yan stunned and despairing while Xun'er and the others rejoiced.

• Hu Jia and Xun'er challenged Xiao Yan over his claim that Xu Ran was in danger from the Hall of Souls.
• Xiao Yan explained that Xu Ran had offended the Hall of Souls and boasted that Yao Lao, his renowned master, supported him.
• Xiao Yan asked Xun'er to return to him, but she rejected him and said her feelings for Xu Ran would not change.
• Xu Ran called out from the roof, and Xiao Yan fell in shock after believing he was dead.
• Xun'er and the others welcomed Xu Ran with relief, while Xiao Yan despaired that even the Hall of Souls had failed to kill him.

Xu Ran revealed that he had killed two Dou Sheng from the Hall of Souls, leaving Xiao Yan and the women at Jia Nan Academy stunned by the extent of his power. Xun'er accepted that Xu Ran could overcome even the Gu Clan, while his victory threatened to draw the attention of the Central Plains and the Emperor Clans.

• Xu Ran pinned Xiao Yan beneath his foot and dismissed the Dou Sheng Xiao Yan had believed would kill him.
• Xu Ran produced the corpses of the Great Heavenly Venerable and the Second Heavenly Venerable, confirming that he had killed two Hall of Souls Dou Sheng.
• Yao Lao recognized the corpses as Dou Sheng and realized that neither he nor Xiao Yan could defeat Xu Ran.
• Xun'er celebrated Xu Ran's strength as she realized that the Gu Clan might also be unable to oppose him.
• Xu Ran promised Xun'er he would make her clan accept their relationship, while Hu Jia struggled to believe what she had witnessed.
• The deaths of the Hall of Souls' Dou Sheng threatened to stir the Central Plains and bring powerful factions to Jia Nan Academy.

Xu Ran revealed his overwhelming strength by displaying a Dou Sheng’s corpse, then confronted Xiao Yan by targeting his teacher, Yao Chen. The chapter ended with Han Feng appearing before Yao Chen and kneeling to Xu Ran, leaving his former master furious and pitying him.

• Hu Jia, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yu, and the others realized Xu Ran had killed a Dou Sheng and was far stronger than they had imagined.
• Xiao Yan despaired over the gap between himself and Xu Ran, then panicked when Xu Ran threatened to target Yao Chen.
• Yao Chen emerged from Xiao Yan and defended his disciple, while Xu Ran said he would keep Xiao Yan alive as a plaything.
• Xu Ran summoned Han Feng, who knelt and kowtowed to him, shocking and angering Yao Chen.
• Yao Chen recognized his former disciple and felt his hatred give way to pity and anger at Han Feng’s lack of dignity.

Xu Ran humiliated Han Feng in front of Yao Chen, then turned against him when Yao Chen condemned the treatment. The chapter ended with Xu Ran crushing Han Feng beneath his pressure as Han Feng cursed him.

• Xu Ran sent Xun'er and the others away, then taunted Yao Chen by making him watch Han Feng kneel.
• Han Feng greeted Yao Chen, who denounced him for betraying his teacher and submitting to Xu Ran.
• Han Feng declared loyalty to Xu Ran and urged Xiao Yan to surrender, but Xiao Yan refused.
• Xu Ran said he would kill Han Feng instead of helping him, and Han Feng begged for his life by offering his knowledge of the Black-Corner Region.
• Xu Ran dismissed Han Feng as useless and increased the pressure on him while Han Feng screamed and cursed him.

Xu Ran killed Han Feng after Han Feng repented and sought forgiveness from Yao Chen, deepening Yao Chen’s hatred of Xu Ran. Yao Chen then asked Xu Ran to let him speak to Xiao Yan before killing him.

• Xu Ran mocked Han Feng for betraying Yao Chen and said Han Feng was unworthy to serve him.
• Facing death, Han Feng regretted betraying Yao Chen, apologized to him, and asked Xiao Yan to care for their master.
• Yao Chen forgave Han Feng, but Xu Ran crushed him into blood mist, killing him.
• Yao Chen cursed Xu Ran and said Han Feng had repented too late to be spared.
• Yao Chen claimed Xiao Yan could eventually surpass Xu Ran and asked to speak with him before Xu Ran killed him.