Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan chose the Strength Elephant Art from the Four Saints Manifestation Art, spent half a month understanding its essence, and began cultivating it. Meanwhile, tension mounted among the Four Great Sects at Qingtuo Mountain as Jian Ming opened his eyes in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s main hall.

• Xiao Yan rejected the Winged Elephant Art and the Golden Elephant Art, then chose the Strength Elephant Art and absorbed its cultivation method from the scroll.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Northern King to guard him and spent half a month studying the Strength Elephant Art until he grasped its essence.
• Xiao Yan began cultivating the Strength Elephant Art by focusing his attention on every part of his body and making subtle movements that disturbed the surrounding space.
• At the Heavenly Sword Sect’s encampment on Qingtuo Mountain, members of the Four Great Clans gathered in a hostile silence while the four white-haired elders avoided one another.
• Jian Ming, the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sect master and an Eight-Star Dou Di, opened his eyes at the head of the main hall.

Jian Ming questioned Zhuo Lin and Bai Ying about Xiao Yan’s disappearance from the ruins, suspecting that a powerful hidden expert had rescued him. Bai Ying confirmed Zhuo Lin’s account, shocking the hall and leaving Jian Ming’s attempt to turn the clans against Zhuo Lin thwarted.

• Jian Ming silenced Sun Zhi and ordered Zhuo Lin to recount what happened in the ruins.
• Zhuo Lin described Xiao Yan and the One-Horned Whale Serpent vanishing, leading Jian Ming to suspect a mysterious expert had intervened.
• Jian Ming asked Zhuo Lin to stake his life on the truth of his account, and Zhuo Lin did so.
• Jian Ming pressed Bai Ying to confirm or challenge Zhuo Lin’s story, putting Zhuo Lin’s life and the clans’ positions at risk.
• Bai Ying confirmed that Zhuo Lin’s account was true, and Jian Ming crushed his stone armrest in anger.

The leaders of the Spirit Refining Sect, Battle Martial Sect, and Withered Leaf Sect discussed the deaths in the Ancient Ruins and the threat posed by Xiao Yan. One month later, Xiao Yan tested the Strength Elephant Art in the Xilin Mountain Range and discovered its immense power.

• Chen Zhen publicly supported the newly appointed first elder, then revealed in private that the elder was his junior brother and that they planned to use the sect's factions until they were no longer useful.
• Wu Jitian warned that a storm was coming to the Western Region because Xiao Yan had caused the deaths of dozens of Dou Di experts in the Ancient Ruins.
• Ye Luotian met with a Ghost Hall messenger, who said the First Hall Master was taking Xiao Yan seriously and urged caution; Ye Luotian questioned how a Half-Emperor could kill Dou Di experts.
• After a month of silence atop a mountain peak, Xiao Yan activated the Strength Elephant Art and destroyed two mountain peaks with a punch that used no Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan marveled at the technique's power and judged it stronger than his Vajra Glazed Body.

After testing the Strength Elephant Art on his journey to Yan City, Xiao Yan arrived at the Thousand Medicine Pavilion seeking a Fire Plume Flower. He found Jin Yao being attacked by Lu Cheng and intervened, meeting Lu Cheng’s physical strength with a punch.

• Xiao Yan used the Strength Elephant Art to crush his enemies during his journey and watched an Early One-Star Dou Di retreat after recognizing him.
• Xiao Yan reached Yan City and went to the Thousand Medicine Pavilion to look for the Fire Plume Flower and thank Jin Yao.
• Lu Cheng confronted Jin Yao and demanded that she go back with him, then overpowered her despite her resistance.
• Xiao Yan appeared in front of Jin Yao as Lu Cheng reached to seize her.
• Xiao Yan struck Lu Cheng’s palm with a punch after Lu Cheng bulged his arm to display his physical strength.

Xiao Yan defeated Lu Cheng in a contest of physical strength, but Lu Cheng broke their agreement and attacked again, escalating the fight into a battle above Yan City. Xiao Yan revealed his immense Spiritual Strength and alchemist identity as the confrontation continued.

• Lu Cheng charged Xiao Yan with a physical attack, but Xiao Yan used the Strength Elephant Art to blast him across the compartment with one hand.
• Lu Cheng returned in a rage, breaking their agreement and attacking Xiao Yan and Jin Yao with his full physical strength and Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan activated the Vajra Glazed Body and collided with Lu Cheng, destroying part of the Thousand Medicine Pavilion and sending the fight into the sky above Yan City.
• Fang Qian and Dong Chuan watched the battle and recognized Lu Cheng as a member of the Battle Martial Sect, while wondering who Xiao Yan was.
• Xiao Yan released Spiritual Strength that stunned the onlookers, then manifested a flame in his palm and revealed that he was an alchemist.

Xiao Yan forced Lu Cheng to retreat from Yan City, then recovered at Jin Yao’s residence while seeking a Fire Plume Flower. After Jin Yao suggested contacting the auction house, Fang Qian and Dong Chuan appeared and focused their attention on Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yan’s display of Spiritual Strength and warning convinced Lu Cheng to leave Yan City, though Xiao Yan sensed him watching from the shadows until he truly departed.
• Fang Qian and Dong Chuan agreed that they should visit Xiao Yan after witnessing his strength.
• At Jin Yao’s residence, Xiao Yan’s injuries and exhaustion caused him to fall asleep, and he later cultivated beside her pond.
• Xiao Yan asked Jin Yao for help finding a Fire Plume Flower, but she said the Thousand Medicine Pavilion had none and she had never heard of one.
• Jin Yao suggested Xiao Yan approach the auction house, and he left her residence with a new plan.
• Fang Qian and Dong Chuan appeared before Xiao Yan and Jin Yao in the sky, directing all their attention toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan proved his identity to Dong Chuan and Fang Qian, then asked the Heavenly Cloud Auction House to help find a Fire Plume Flower for his Ice Spirit Pill. Although they had no record of the ingredient, Fang Qian recalled hearing it had been found in a mountain range and promised to investigate, giving Xiao Yan renewed hope.

• Xiao Yan showed Dong Chuan and Fang Qian the jade fan, then proved he was Xiao Yan by summoning a dazzling flame.
• Dong Chuan apologized for doubting Xiao Yan and offered the Heavenly Cloud Auction House’s help.
• Xiao Yan asked the auction house to find a Fire Plume Flower, but Dong Chuan said its records showed no trace of one.
• Fang Qian recalled hearing that a Fire Plume Flower had recently been found in a mountain range and asked Xiao Yan to remain in Yan City while they investigated.
• Xiao Yan promised Dong Chuan and Fang Qian two fourth-tier pills if they found the flower.

Xiao Yan spent the evening talking with Dong Chuan and Fang Qian, who warned him about the Four Great Sects and Lu Cheng’s powerful Battle Martial Sect elder. Jin Yao arrived in anger after he forgot to meet her, while Dong Chuan and Fang Qian revealed that their information about the Fire Plume Flower was uncertain and ordered an immediate search for it.

• Dong Chuan and Fang Qian warned Xiao Yan that the Four Great Sects might target him and explained that Lu Cheng belonged to the Battle Martial Sect, whose elder was a Four-Star Dou Di.
• Xiao Yan talked with Dong Chuan and Fang Qian until midnight, forgetting his promise to return to Jin Yao at the Thousand Medicine Pavilion.
• Jin Yao confronted Dong Chuan and Fang Qian at the Heavenly Cloud Auction House, and Xiao Yan revealed he was unharmed and had simply lost track of time.
• Jin Yao left in anger after Xiao Yan explained why he had stayed, and Xiao Yan hurried after her.
• Dong Chuan learned that Fang Qian’s Fire Plume Flower information had been only a stalling tactic, so he ordered an immediate search throughout the Western Lin Region.

Xiao Yan apologized to Jin Yao for leaving her worried, and she forgave him as he stayed at her residence while waiting for news of the Fire Plume Flower. He practiced the Strength Elephant Art in a mud pit, but Jin Yao interrupted his attempt to smash a boulder; then Fang Qian arrived with news that the Fire Plume Flower had been found.

• Xiao Yan apologized to Jin Yao for making her worry, and promised not to leave her without a word again.
• Xiao Yan told Jin Yao that Fang Qian would search for the Fire Plume Flower, and Jin Yao welcomed him to stay at her residence.
• Xiao Yan spent the next few days training his Spiritual Strength and practicing the Strength Elephant Art by trying to smash a boulder while standing in a mud pit.
• Jin Yao returned and accidentally interrupted Xiao Yan just as he was about to strike the boulder, causing him to sink into the pit.
• Fang Qian arrived and told Xiao Yan that the Fire Plume Flower had been found.

Xiao Yan learned that the Fire Plume Flower would be auctioned in Xuan City, a city within the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sphere of influence, and decided to pursue it despite the danger. He left the Heavenly Cloud Auction House and flew back toward the Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

• Fang Qian told Xiao Yan that the Fire Plume Flower had been found and was due to be auctioned in less than a month.
• Jin Yao excused herself and left after Xiao Yan said he needed to go to the Heavenly Cloud Auction House.
• Xiao Yan and Fang Qian met Dong Chuan, who revealed that the auction would take place in Xuan City, jointly governed by the Huo Clan and the Bai Clan.
• Dong Chuan warned Xiao Yan that experts from both clans would attend, but Xiao Yan said he had his own means of staying alive.
• Xiao Yan left the auction house and flew back toward the Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

Xiao Yan returned to the Thousand Medicine Pavilion to reassure Jin Yao before setting out for Xuan City to seek the Fire Plume Flower. After reaching the city, he began investigating the upcoming auction and was jostled into the Medicine Master Guild.

• Xiao Yan surprised Jin Yao by returning to the Thousand Medicine Pavilion and told her he would leave the next day.
• Xiao Yan and Jin Yao spent the night talking about his origins and the family he had left far away.
• Xiao Yan departed Yan City for Xuan City, while Jin Yao watched him go and two elders observed her from the Heavenly Cloud Auction House.
• After traveling for half a month, Xiao Yan reached Xuan City, disguised himself in black robes, and paid three tier-two medicinal pills for lodging.
• Xiao Yan searched the crowded city for information about the auction and its factions but ended up entering the Medicine Master Guild.

Xiao Yan entered the Alchemist Guild in Xuan City despite a Seventh-Grade Alchemist trying to bar his way. Inside, he watched Xu Yao finish refining a Ninth-grade Pill and began to leave after calling the moment a pity, prompting her to question him.

• Xiao Yan ignored a burly Seventh-Grade Alchemist's demand that he stay out of the guild and subdued him when he attacked.
• Xiao Yan entered the guild and passed its enormous medicinal cauldron and displays of rare ingredients.
• Xiao Yan followed the scent of a pill to a crowded refining room, where he saw Xu Yao refining a Ninth-grade Pill.
• Xu Yao retrieved the powerful pill from her cauldron, and Xiao Yan frowned and called the result a pity.
• Xu Yao stopped Xiao Yan as he turned to leave and asked what he meant.

Xiao Yan criticized Xu's pill-refining technique, but the red-dressed girl challenged his right to judge her and ordered him to apologize. When her guards tried to kill him, Xiao Yan defeated them and slapped her, leaving the Alchemist Guild hall stunned.

• Xiao Yan explained how the girl's poor Dou Qi and flame control had lowered her pill's quality, angering her.
• The girl questioned Xiao Yan's credentials and demanded an apology, while he tried to leave without escalating the dispute.
• The girl ordered four hidden guards to seize Xiao Yan, and they attacked his throat with blades.
• Xiao Yan evaded the guards with an afterimage and blasted them back with powerful soul force.
• Xiao Yan beat the four guards until they could no longer fight, then slapped the girl across the face.

Xiao Yan struck Xu Yao for her cruelty, then repelled Lin Ran’s ambush and faced down the Lin Clan before they withdrew. Afterward, Xiao Yan called out to someone who had been watching from hiding.

• Xiao Yan rebuked Xu Yao and slapped her, leaving her frightened and injured.
• Lin Ran attacked Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan stopped the attack and sent him flying with a Spiritual Strength shout.
• Lin Quan apologized to Xiao Yan, and Lin Ran pretended the clash had been a misunderstanding before leaving with Xu Yao.
• Xiao Yan refused Lin Ran’s attempt to make friendly introductions and called out to the hidden observer after the Lin Clan group departed.

Xiao Yan spoke with Zhuang Zhong in the Alchemist Guild about the Fire Plume Flower and the people involved in the earlier confrontation. After learning that Xu Yao’s grandfather was a newly promoted Third-Tier Alchemist named Xu Songming, Xiao Yan revealed that he had dealt with him before.

• Zhuang Zhong introduced himself as the Alchemist Guild president and invited Xiao Yan to talk while the crowd outside kept him from leaving.
• Zhuang Zhong said the Fire Plume Flower’s details were being kept secret, but the mysterious merchant association auctioning it had a reputation for selling only genuine, high-quality goods.
• Zhuang Zhong explained that Lin Ran was the young master of Xuan City’s leading Lin Clan, which held ties to the Huo Clan and Bai Clan.
• Xiao Yan denied belonging to the Alchemist Alliance and learned that Xu Yao was connected to it through her grandfather, who had recently become a Third-Tier Alchemist.
• Xiao Yan asked whether Xu Yao’s grandfather was Xu Songming, and told Zhuang Zhong that he had dealt with Xu Songming before.

Xiao Yan rested before Xuan City's auction while Xu Songming learned that he had struck Xu Yao and planned to confront him. The next morning, Xiao Yan sensed Xu Songming and others arriving in the city as the auction day began.

• Xiao Yan cultivated at the inn, preparing to attend the auction and hoping to learn more about the Fire Plume Flower.
• Xu Songming angrily blamed Lin Ran for failing to protect Xu Yao, then reconsidered his plans after learning Xiao Yan was a Third-Tier Alchemist who might belong to the Alchemist Alliance.
• Lin Zehong persuaded Xu Songming to wait until the next day before seeking Xiao Yan, while privately rebuking Lin Ran after Xu Songming and Xu Yao left for their guest rooms.
• Xu Songming inwardly dismissed Lin Ran and stayed at the Lin Clan residence, while Xu Yao remained resentful toward Xiao Yan.
• The next morning, Xiao Yan opened his eyes and spotted Xu Songming and the others standing in the sky above Xuan City.

Xiao Yan faced Xu Songming and the Lin Clan leaders after they confronted him over the previous day’s dispute. When Xiao Yan overpowered Xu Songming in a clash of soul power, Lin Zehong demanded an apology, setting the stage for a fight.

• Lin Zehong led Xu Songming, Lin Ran, and Xu Yao to the inn, where they waited for Xiao Yan to come out.
• Xu Songming recognized Xiao Yan as the Third-Tier Alchemist who had defeated him in Yan City and warned that he would settle their old and new scores.
• Xu Songming attacked Xiao Yan with his soul pressure, but Xiao Yan matched and then overwhelmed him with greater soul power.
• Lin Zehong stepped in to shield Xu Songming and demanded that Xiao Yan apologize to Xu Yao and Lin Ran for the previous day’s incident.
• Xiao Yan asked what apology Lin Zehong wanted, and Lin Zehong unleashed his Dou Qi pressure after threatening to force one himself.

Xiao Yan confronted Lin Zehong, who tried to force him to apologize to Lin Ran and Xu Yao before attacking him. Xiao Yan unveiled the Strength Elephant Art and met Lin Zehong’s renewed assault with Yellow Springs Palm.

• Lin Zehong demanded that Xiao Yan apologize to Lin Ran and Xu Yao, while Xu Songming accepted Lin Zehong’s plan to undermine Xiao Yan’s state of mind.
• Xiao Yan rejected Lin Zehong’s demand and rebuked him, prompting Lin Zehong to attack with a lion-headed palm.
• Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations and unleashed the Strength Elephant Art, forcing Lin Zehong to retreat from his first strike.
• Lin Zehong dismissed Xiao Yan’s power and charged again, while Xiao Yan struck back with Yellow Springs Palm, backed by the enormous phantom.

Xiao Yan used the Strength Elephant Art to overpower Lin Zehong in their battle above Xuan City, then turned his attention to Xu Songming. The chapter ended as Xiao Yan appeared beside Xu Songming before he could finish invoking the Alchemist Alliance.

• Xiao Yan and Lin Zehong’s clash devastated much of Xuan City, while the onlookers realized Xiao Yan could contend with a Dou Di expert.
• Lin Zehong attacked with a spear, but Xiao Yan’s phantom fist broke it and forced him to retreat.
• Xiao Yan used his speed and afterimages to strike Lin Zehong repeatedly, explaining that Lin Zehong had started the confrontation over his son’s wrongdoing.
• Xiao Yan sent Lin Zehong flying to the Lin Clan experts, who recognized their family had brought the conflict upon itself.
• Xiao Yan turned toward Xu Songming, dismissed his appeal to the Alchemist Alliance, and flashed to his side.

After Xuan City recovered from the battle, Xiao Yan studied the Strength Elephant Art and realized its phantom concealed injuries he suffered during combat. He judged that the art could let him stand against powerful Dou Di opponents, but its overwhelming offense came with the risk of grave hidden injuries.

• The Lin Clan and Xu Songming retreated, and Xuan City began filling with visitors drawn by the upcoming auction.
• Rumors of the morning's battle frightened many Half-Emperor experts into leaving, while the shops kept their payment for the vacated rooms.
• Xiao Yan refined a pill and discovered that clashes made through the Strength Elephant Art's phantom had left his body injured, including two minor fractures in his left hand.
• Xiao Yan recalled that the phantom had blocked Lin Zehong's attacks without him feeling pain, then realized the damage had only become apparent after the battle.
• Xiao Yan concluded that the Strength Elephant Art multiplied his strength enough to challenge even Mid One-Star Dou Di experts, but its phantom could conceal serious injuries until combat ended.