Chapter Summaries

After fleeing Holy Soul Village to avoid Tang Hao and Tang San, Xia Liang joined Guowan Village’s Martial Soul Awakening and discovered that no Martial Soul appeared in either hand. The awakening left him surrounded by a Black-Purple glow, and he began seeing and hearing Ghost Fire.

• Xia Liang recalled how he had left Holy Soul Village after learning Tang Hao and Tang San’s identities, then waited in Guowan Village for the Martial Soul Awakening.
• The old village chief brought Xia Liang and seven local children to meet Su Yuntao, who began awakening their Martial Souls.
• Su Yuntao found that the first children had ordinary household-item Martial Souls but no Soul Power.
• Xia Liang stepped into the awakening array, but no Martial Soul appeared in either of his hands.
• A Black-Purple glow spread across Xia Liang’s body, and he saw Ghost Fire drifting behind Su Yuntao.

Xia Liang awakened a rib-shaped Skeleton Martial Soul with Innate Level Five Soul Power, qualifying him to become a Soul Master despite Su Yuntao calling the Martial Soul crippled. That night, Xia Liang suspected the ribs were only its initial form and that his Martial Soul could grow into a complete skeleton.

• Xia Liang awakened Black-Purple Ribs, and Su Yuntao identified them as an incomplete Skeleton Martial Soul.
• Xia Liang tested the Blue Crystal Ball and revealed Innate Level Five Soul Power, surprising Su Yuntao.
• Su Yuntao told the old village chief that Xia Liang was Guowan Village’s only child with Soul Power and learned Xia Liang had come from Konoha Village.
• That night, Xia Liang practiced releasing his Skeleton Martial Soul on a hill outside Guowan Village.
• Xia Liang reasoned that his ribs were the Martial Soul’s initial form and might develop into a complete skeleton as he grew.

Xia Liang examined his Skeleton Martial Soul and planned how Soul Rings could build it into a Susanoo-like form. The next morning in Guowan Village, he ate breakfast with the old village chief, who began asking him about Soul Masters.

• Xia Liang used his ribcage Skeleton Martial Soul to see nearby Undead, then withdrew it when he realized he could not interact with them.
• Xia Liang connected his Skeleton Martial Soul’s missing bones to Soul Bones and planned Soul Ring Skills that would gradually add arms, a skull, flesh, armor, and legs.
• Xia Liang decided that his completed Martial Soul would resemble Susanoo and named the form Bone Transformation Susanoo.
• The next morning, Xia Liang prepared breakfast at the old village chief’s home in Guowan Village.
• The old village chief asked Xia Liang whether he knew what Soul Masters were, and Xia Liang described seeing people with Martial Souls and white rings in Nuoding City.

Xia Liang accepted the villages’ work-study spot and began cultivating with the ordinary Meditation Method, since his Skeleton Martial Soul lacked the Dark Attribute. He tested its rib armor and found it exceptionally hard and protective, then resumed meditation, wondering whether it could one day rival Bone Douluo’s defenses.

• The old village chief told Xia Liang the villages had given him their shared work-study spot, and Xia Liang thanked him before agreeing to cultivate at the chief’s home until classes began.
• Xia Liang meditated on the hill and considered how different Martial Souls might use specialized Meditation Methods, but he could not use nearby undead to help cultivate.
• Xia Liang tested his Skeleton Martial Soul’s Black-Purple Ribs against a tree and boulder, finding that they endured repeated impacts without backlash and cracked the boulder.
• Xia Liang jumped from a two-meter rock while protected by the ribs and remained unharmed, then returned to meditating after lunch and his nap.

Xia Liang traveled from Guowan Village to Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy, hoping to learn Soul Beast knowledge that could guide his Skeleton Martial Soul cultivation. He arrived with Lin Xiao, another Work-Study Student, and began the academy registration process.

• Xia Liang spent three months cultivating and training while planning to give each Soul Ring a different form for his Skeleton Martial Soul.
• Xia Liang said farewell to the village chiefs and rode Uncle Meng's ox cart toward Nuoding City, where Uncle Meng confirmed Boss Cui would hire him as a cook at the Fish Roast Restaurant.
• Xia Liang arrived alone at Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy and considered learning Soul Beast knowledge from Yu Xiaogang.
• Lin Xiao introduced himself to Xia Liang as Niupi Village's Work-Study Student and offered to carry Xia Liang's bag.
• Lin Xiao and Xia Liang presented their Spirit Hall certificates at the academy gate and went to the academic affairs office to register.

Xia Liang and Lin Xiao registered as work-study students and moved into Dorm 7, where Lin Xiao fought Wang Sheng to prove himself. Xia Liang treated Lin Xiao’s injuries as the dormmates explained their rules and invited them to eat.

• Teacher Mo registered Xia Liang and Lin Xiao, gave them uniforms, and told them to follow the academy’s rules.
• Xia Liang and Lin Xiao arrived at Dorm 7, where Wang Sheng welcomed them after learning about their Martial Souls and Soul Power.
• Wang Sheng challenged Lin Xiao to a fight, and Lin Xiao lost after charging him with his Water Buffalo Martial Soul.
• A dormmate explained that Wang Sheng had tested Lin Xiao’s strength so he could help defend Dorm 7 against Noble Students.
• Xia Liang treated Lin Xiao’s injuries, and Wang Sheng invited them to eat with the other students.

Xia Liang and Lin Xiao learned about their work-study duties at Nuoding Academy, while Yu Xiaogang studied Xia Liang’s Martial Soul certificate and concluded that his rib-only Skeleton Martial Soul had undergone a Benign Mutation. Yu Xiaogang considered meeting Xia Liang, leaving open whether he would guide him as a disciple.

• Xia Liang offered Lin Xiao five Copper Spirit Coins for helping carry his sack, but Lin Xiao declined the meal and said classmates should help each other.
• Teacher Mo assigned Lin Xiao to clean the garden for ten Copper Spirit Coins a day, while Xia Liang declined cleaning because his uncle had arranged restaurant work for him.
• Teacher Mo told Xia Liang and Lin Xiao that the opening ceremony was the next day and classes would begin the day after.
• Dean Ding showed Yu Xiaogang Xia Liang’s information card, and Yu Xiaogang recognized the discrepancy between his Innate Level Five Soul Power and the certificate’s Waste Martial Soul label.
• Yu Xiaogang concluded that Xia Liang’s Skeleton Martial Soul had undergone a Benign Mutation and might grow into a complete skeleton, then said he should meet the child.
• Dean Ding suggested Yu Xiaogang might take Xia Liang as a disciple, but Yu Xiaogang avoided answering and left for the cafeteria.

Xia Liang studied soul beasts at Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy while Yu Xiaogang watched him and speculated about his Skeleton Martial Soul’s defensive potential. After classes, Xia Liang went to his part-time job at the Fish Roast Restaurant, where he considered the pay and other benefits.

• Teacher Mo taught the class about soul beasts, their soul rings, and the abilities different beasts might provide.
• Xia Liang took notes on soul beast knowledge because he wanted to choose effective stacking soul skills for his Skeleton Martial Soul.
• Xia Liang and his Dorm 7 roommates ate in the cafeteria while Noble Students led by Xiao Chenyu watched them from the second floor.
• Yu Xiaogang observed Xia Liang and resolved to help him develop his Skeleton Martial Soul into a powerful defense-focused ability.
• After afternoon classes, Xia Liang changed into his chef’s outfit and went to the Fish Roast Restaurant in the Noble District for work.

Xia Liang worked at the Fish Roast Restaurant while planning how to earn enough money for cultivation resources, and he discovered a pale yellow crystal inside a ten-year Iron-skinned Whale. He suspected it was Whale Rubber and planned to test whether heat softened it and whether consuming it caused a strong reaction.

• Xia Liang cooked at the Fish Roast Restaurant and considered selling Blue Star seasonings and recipes to afford an Advanced Medicinal Bath.
• Uncle Chen asked Xia Liang about his cooking, and Xia Liang said his parents had been killed by Soul Masters.
• Xia Liang noticed a crystal among the Iron-skinned Whale's discarded organs and retrieved it from the trash.
• After cleaning the crystal, Xia Liang recognized it as a possible sample of Whale Rubber and recalled its restorative properties.
• Xia Liang decided to test the crystal by heating it and checking its effects after consumption.

Over two years at Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy, Xia Liang studied and cultivated while working at Fish Roast Restaurant, eventually reaching Level Nine Soul Power and strengthening his body with Ten-Year Whale Rubber. Three months later, Dean Ding reviewed Xia Liang’s report that he had reached Level Ten but had not yet obtained his first Soul Ring.

• At Fish Roast Restaurant, Xia Liang found a pale yellow crystal that was later confirmed to be Ten-Year Whale Rubber, then returned to Dorm 7 and went to sleep exhausted.
• Over two years, Xia Liang attended theory classes, cultivated in the Academy Back Mountain, and worked at Fish Roast Restaurant, developing recipes and helping the restaurant prosper.
• Xia Liang consumed nine pieces of Ten-Year Whale Rubber, improved his physical condition, and raised his Soul Power from Level Five to Level Nine.
• During the holiday, Xia Liang saw Su Yuntao begin the village’s annual Martial Soul Awakening and set a goal of obtaining a Five-Hundred-Year First Soul Ring within half a year.
• Three months later, Dean Ding read Xia Liang’s cultivation summary, which listed Level Ten Soul Power and no first Soul Ring yet.

Dean Ding persuaded Yu Xiaogang to approach Xia Liang and offer guidance, hoping to take him as a disciple. Xia Liang refused Yu Xiaogang’s offer, and Yu Xiaogang began explaining why he was stuck at level twenty-nine.

• Dean Ding showed Yu Xiaogang Xia Liang’s cultivation record and persuaded him to consider guiding the talented student.
• Yu Xiaogang agreed to visit Xia Liang at the Academy Back Mountain and possibly take him as a disciple.
• Xia Liang meditated at the Level Ten bottleneck and planned to seek a century-old Netherworld Ghost Bear Soul Ring to help his Skeleton Martial Soul grow arms.
• Yu Xiaogang approached Xia Liang and offered advice on obtaining his First Soul Ring and cultivating his Skeleton Martial Soul.
• Xia Liang refused to take Yu Xiaogang as his master, so Yu Xiaogang asked whether he knew why Yu Xiaogang had remained at level twenty-nine.

Xia Liang rejected Yu Xiaogang’s offer to become his disciple and instead traded fabricated Martial Soul theories for a copy of the Soul Beast Compendium. After securing the book, Xia Liang presented Yu Xiaogang with four more theories, including one about poison empowering Martial Souls.

• Xia Liang rejected Yu Xiaogang’s claims about his expertise and proposed exchanging knowledge instead of becoming his disciple.
• Xia Liang invented a theory about dominant and recessive Martial Soul Bloodlines and malignant mutations, convincing Yu Xiaogang to agree to the exchange.
• Yu Xiaogang offered Xia Liang a copied Soul Beast Compendium, which Xia Liang discovered contained records of many rare and powerful Soul Beasts.
• Xia Liang accepted the book and presented four theories about Soul Masters, Tool Beast Integration, Martial Soul potential, and the offensive potential of Poison Attribute Soul Rings.

Xia Liang shared poison-based theories that impressed Yu Xiaogang, who then met Tang San at the academy gate and accepted him as a student. After buying a limited-capacity Storage Soul Tool, Xia Liang returned to Dorm 7 and recognized a familiar boy among the new arrivals.

• Xia Liang proposed using Blue Silver Grass’s tendency to break and multiple Poison Attribute Soul Rings to create a dangerous Mixed Poison, prompting Yu Xiaogang to reconsider his theories.
• Xia Liang left for his job, while Yu Xiaogang later decided to revise his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul and seek a disciple to test them.
• Yu Xiaogang stopped the gatekeeper from attacking Old Jack and Tang San, confirmed Tang San’s Spirit Hall certificate was genuine, and brought him into the academy.
• After work, Xia Liang returned to the academy with a Silver Bracelet Storage Soul Tool and considered how to secure knowledge of Immortal Herbs and prepare for his First Soul Ring.
• At Dorm 7, Xia Liang found Wang Sheng and Lin Xiao with two unfamiliar children, including a girl with a long black scorpion braid and a boy he recognized.

Xia Liang met Tang San and Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy, then set out with Teacher Mo to hunt for his first Soul Ring in Soul Hunting Forest. After three days in the forest, he camped with Mo and sensed Soul Beasts watching them, while remaining wary of Tang Hao’s surveillance.

• Wang Sheng introduced Tang San and Xiao Wu to Xia Liang, and Xiao Wu declared herself Dorm 7’s boss and demanded that they call her Sister Xiao Wu.
• Tang San recognized Xia Liang from Holy Soul Village, while Xia Liang decided against seeking knowledge from him because he feared Tang Hao might be watching.
• Yu Xiaogang took Tang San to Soul Hunting Forest to obtain his first Soul Ring after becoming his master.
• After the opening ceremony, Xia Liang and Teacher Mo traveled to Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Soul Beasts.
• Three days into the forest, Xia Liang sensed nearby Soul Beasts while camping, and Teacher Mo reassured him that the campsite was safe and promised to keep watch.

Xia Liang asked to join Teacher Mo’s future Mercenary Group so he could gain combat experience and search for a Soul Ring that might complete his Skeleton Martial Soul. Teacher Mo agreed in principle, but they remained in Soul Hunting Forest, where they still had to find a Netherworld Ghost Bear for Xia Liang’s First Soul Ring.

• Teacher Mo told Xia Liang he planned to leave the academy and form a Mercenary Group with his wife and sister-in-law.
• Xia Liang asked to join Teacher Mo’s Mercenary Group after obtaining his First Soul Ring, explaining that he hoped a suitable Soul Ring would help complete his Skeleton Martial Soul.
• Teacher Mo agreed to let Xia Liang join and said he would ask Dean Ding to approve his early graduation when they returned to the academy.
• Teacher Mo showed Xia Liang a map of Soul Hunting Forest and explained that Netherworld Ghost Bears were often found near beehives, though their earlier searches had failed.
• Xia Liang asked Teacher Mo to keep searching for a Netherworld Ghost Bear at night, since he had no alternative Soul Beast in mind.

Xia Liang revealed his Skeleton Martial Soul’s Ghost Fire ability to Teacher Mo, who recognized its potential for scouting and searching for Soul Beasts. They agreed to use the Ghost Fires to search for Netherworld Ghost Bears at night, and Xia Liang sent out twenty clusters before nearly exhausting his Soul Power.

• Xia Liang returned from his tent and showed Teacher Mo how his Skeleton Martial Soul summoned Black-Purple Ghost Fire at night.
• Xia Liang explained that the Ghost Fires had little combat power but could float and follow his will, and Teacher Mo mistook the ability for an Innate Skill.
• Teacher Mo realized the Ghost Fires could scout dangerous places, track Soul Beasts, and aid the Mercenary Group’s searches.
• Xia Liang and Teacher Mo agreed to search for Netherworld Ghost Bears with Ghost Fire over the next few nights before considering other Soul Beasts.
• Xia Liang sent twenty Ghost Fire clusters in different directions and felt weak as his Level Ten Soul Power nearly ran out.

Xia Liang and Teacher Mo found a Netherworld Ghost Bear in the Soul Hunting Forest and confronted it. The bear targeted Xia Liang, but Teacher Mo intercepted its attack with his Lightning Eagle Martial Soul.

• A Black-Purple Ghost Fire told Xia Liang that the Netherworld Ghost Bear had been found, and Teacher Mo followed him to a nearby lake.
• Xia Liang and Teacher Mo watched the bear eat honey and kill the surrounding bees with a powerful roar.
• Xia Liang identified the bear as a Netherworld Ghost Bear with at least five hundred years of cultivation and said he wanted it.
• Teacher Mo summoned his Lightning Eagle Martial Soul and three Soul Rings, prompting the bear to abandon its attack on him and charge at Xia Liang.
• Teacher Mo completed his Thunder Eagle possession and blocked the bear's paw with his lightning-wreathed Eagle Claws.

Xia Liang killed the Netherworld Ghost Bear and successfully absorbed its five-hundred-year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring. He broke through the level ten bottleneck, and his Skeleton Martial Soul changed as Teacher Mo wondered how Xia Liang had endured the ring’s energy.

• Teacher Mo defeated the Netherworld Ghost Bear with his lightning-enhanced Eagle Claws and warned Xia Liang that they had to retreat from the Core Area before absorbing its Soul Ring.
• At night in the Outer Area, Xia Liang killed the paralyzed Netherworld Ghost Bear with repeated dagger cuts and summoned its yellow Soul Ring.
• Xia Liang absorbed the Soul Ring, while Teacher Mo observed that its energy transformed Xia Liang’s body and changed his Skeleton Martial Soul into a rib wreathed in Black-Purple Flame.
• Xia Liang’s Soul Power rose beyond level ten, confirming that the absorption had succeeded, and he thanked Teacher Mo as he noticed his stronger, taller body.

After absorbing a 560-year Netherworld Ghost Bear Soul Ring, Xia Liang discovered his first Soul Skill, Netherworld Transformation, and demonstrated its power to Teacher Mo. Teacher Mo was left trapped in Xia Liang’s enlarged Skeleton Arm.

• Teacher Mo noticed Xia Liang’s pale, lifeless appearance, and Xia Liang explained that his strengthened Skeleton Martial Soul had changed his appearance while improving his physical condition and Spiritual Power.
• Xia Liang told Teacher Mo that Netherworld Transformation increased his strength and defense by fifty percent, and said it also formed the Netherworld Ghost Bear’s entire right arm bone.
• Xia Liang activated the skill, creating a giant Netherworld Ghost Bear Phantom and transforming his Skeleton Martial Soul as Black-Purple Ghost Fire gathered into a right arm.
• Xia Liang extended the Skeleton Arm toward Teacher Mo, who retreated until the arm reached its apparent ten-meter limit.
• Xia Liang stepped forward to extend the arm another meter, grabbed Teacher Mo, and explained that the enhanced arm was too strong for him to break free without activating his Martial Soul.

Xia Liang tested his newly strengthened Skeleton Martial Soul in a spar with Teacher Mo, then registered as a Soul Master at Level Thirteen. He returned to Nuoding Academy committed to training with the Mercenary Group and exploring new uses for his Ghost Fire.

• Teacher Mo broke free of Xia Liang's Skeleton Arm, but Xia Liang struck back with a crushing blow that forced Teacher Mo to escape using Swift Thunder Wings.
• Teacher Mo judged Xia Liang's combat strength comparable to a Two-Ring Soul Master, while noting that he still needed real combat experience.
• Xia Liang decided to join Teacher Mo's Mercenary Group after receiving approval for early graduation, hoping to train and find suitable Soul Rings.
• Xia Liang secretly kept the full strength of his First Soul Skill hidden and harvested meat from the Netherworld Ghost Bear.
• Teacher Mo brought Xia Liang to the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City, where Master Ma Xiunuo registered him at Level Thirteen Soul Power and Xia Liang received a Gold Soul Coin subsidy.
• Back at the academy, Xia Liang planned to practice controlling his newly enhanced Ghost Fire, which could now form spiritual humanoid shapes.