In this chapter, we learn that the royal dragon guards have refused to teach the alchemists the final two grades of their armor. The reason, says the alchemist, is that the king's armor is too weak to withstand the attack of a single spirit. The only way the king can defeat the alchemist is if the alchemist has mastered the art of refining his own body. The alchemist tells the king that he is in need of blood from the red-tailed ice fox, a level three spiritual beast. He says that he will use the bug in the ice fox's food as bait to catch the beast.