Chapter Summaries

Yang Jingxue confronted Xue Chuxin about her hidden ties to Chen Yu and the possibility that Xue Shiqiong was her daughter. After reminding Xue Chuxin of their sworn sisterhood and Xia Qingyun’s absence, she persuaded her to go see Xia Qingyun.

• Yang Jingxue told Xue Chuxin that Xue Shiqiong seemed to be her daughter and challenged her denials.
• Xue Chuxin insisted that Yang Jingxue’s suspicions were unfounded and said she had her own hardships.
• Yang Jingxue urged Xue Chuxin to visit Xia Qingyun, who had stayed away while Chen Yu was bedridden and the Xia Clan faced a succession change.
• Xue Chuxin recalled the secret sisterhood of the Nine Divine Maidens and their oath to support one another.
• Xue Chuxin relented and said she should go see Xia Qingyun, who might have been waiting for her.

Yang Jingxue admitted to Chen Xiaojun that she had secured what he wanted, while Xue Chuxin and Xue Churan inferred that he had used Jingxue as a go-between to approach them. Xue Chuxin took his indirect overture as recognition of her status as second young madam, but remained worried about Yu Ge and the larger Chen Clan situation.

• Yang Jingxue met Chen Xiaojun and said her intervention had gone smoothly, reminding him to honor his promise.
• Yang Jingxue suspected Chen Xiaojun had deliberately planted the idea that led her to visit him, and accused him of setting up the day’s events.
• Xue Churan asked Xue Chuxin whether Yang Jingxue had influenced her decision to see Xia Qingyun, and Xue Chuxin confirmed it.
• Xue Chuxin and Xue Churan concluded that Chen Xiaojun had sent Yang Jingxue as a lobbyist after Xue Shiqiong returned to the clan.
• Xue Chuxin interpreted Chen Xiaojun’s indirect approach as acknowledgment of her status as second young madam.
• Xue Churan raised concerns about Yu Ge, and Xue Chuxin said the key issue concerned Xia Qingyun, their uncle and aunt, and the Chen Clan.

Xue Churan and Xue Chuxin discussed aligning their interests with the Chen Clan to strengthen their faction and help Xue Churan reach the titled level. Chen Xiaojun then persuaded Chen Hua to teach Tian Tian, and the chapter ended with Chen Hua asking how Xiaojun planned to handle the Big Dipper Grand Technique.

• Xue Churan and Xue Chuxin agreed that the Chen Clan’s support could help Xue Churan break through to the titled level and stabilize their faction.
• Chen Hua confronted Chen Xiaojun for arranging Tian Tian’s discipleship without telling him beforehand.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested teaching Tian Tian sword techniques through brushwork and recommended skills from the Nine Yin Manual.
• Chen Xiaojun recalled that Old Ancestor Chen Shiwen had left a brush-sword method in the clan’s Sword Canon, prompting Chen Hua to search for it.
• Chen Xiaojun said the Seven Kill Sword matter would eventually need to be resolved together, and Chen Hua asked what he planned to do about the Big Dipper Grand Technique.

Chen Xiaojun agreed that Ji Tiantian should learn the Big Dipper Grand Technique if she swore not to pass it on, then helped Chen Hua gain confidence in his new role as Minister of Organization. He urged Chen Hua to involve Chen Mu in organizational work, leaving Chen Hua considering how the experience might temper him.

• Chen Xiaojun decided Ji Tiantian could learn the Big Dipper Grand Technique after swearing not to share it, but said Chen Hua needed approval from the elders.
• Chen Hua rebuked Chen Xiaojun for trying to make him seek approval alone, and Chen Xiaojun agreed to go with him.
• Chen Hua admitted he felt unsure about managing the Organization Department, and Chen Xiaojun told him to follow the clan's strategy and accept room for mistakes.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested Chen Hua bring Chen Mu into organizational work to steady his temperament and unconventional swordsmanship.
• Chen Hua considered the idea as a way of forging Chen Mu like tempered steel, then released a resounding sword cry.

Yang Jingxue and Ximen Xiaoran argued over places in the Chen Clan’s Tiangang Grade cultivation plan, but Chen Zixiu refused to grant either family an extra slot and offered compensation instead. The families exchanged cultivation inheritances and secret techniques, and Chen Zixiu agreed to share Golden Bell Shield with both on the condition that only their main lines could use it.

• Yang Jingxue and Ximen Xiaoran feigned a dispute over equal places in the Tiangang Grade plan to pressure Chen Zixiu into granting the Ximen Family an extra slot.
• Chen Zixiu gave each family three places, then compensated Yang Jingxue with three jars of Eighth Grade Wine Spirit Wine, an Eighth Grade Icefire Twin Lotus, and a choice of one skill; she chose Hand Waving Five Strings.
• The Yang Family selected the Starry Sky Formless Scripture, while the Ximen Family chose the Pure Yang Limitless Skill to explore combining its yang-fire soul power with yin-fire cultivation.
• Ximen Xiaoran offered several Ximen Family secret techniques in exchange for Golden Bell Shield and, if possible, Fierce Yang Saber.
• Yang Jingxue offered Yang Family inheritances in exchange for Golden Bell Shield, and Chen Zixiu agreed to provide it to both families for use by their main lines only.

Xue Churan proposed sending Xue Shiqing to Sword Rain Academy to meet Chen Chenghui, and Chen Qiujun welcomed the possibility of a match. In Soul Fighting City, Chen Jianjun revealed his concern over his grandfather’s condition before his friends guessed that his real worry involved the Senior Elite Competition.

• Xue Churan told Chen Qiujun that she wanted Xue Shiqing to accompany him to Sword Rain Academy and spend time with Chen Chenghui.
• Xue Churan explained that Xue Shiqing was thirty-five, loved traveling, and hoped the two young people might suit each other.
• Chen Qiujun accepted the idea, seeing a possible marriage as a way to strengthen ties between the Chen and Xue families.
• Chen Jianjun told Ximen Chuixue that his grandfather had been ambushed by three Titled Douluo from the Crimson Church and was unconscious.
• Gui Dang encouraged Chen Jianjun, who said his main concern was something else, while Xue Wanni guessed it concerned the Senior Elite Competition.
• Xue Wanni picked up Chen Jianjun’s ink-soaked tactical map, and another young girl stepped forward to take it.

Chen Jianjun and his companions reviewed intelligence on Chang'an Academy, which he considered a present rival because his younger brother Chen Xiaojun led its team. Ma Yinqi brought Xue Wanni a poem by Tanhualang and sold Chen Jianjun a report, leaving the group comparing the two academies’ ranked fighters and believing their own lineup was stronger on paper.

• Xue Wanni recognized Chen Xiaojun’s name on the Chang'an Academy report, and Chen Jianjun said the academy was already a rival.
• Ma Yinqi sold Xue Wanni a letter containing Tanhualang’s new poem, which Xue Wanni eagerly bought and read.
• Ma Yinqi sold Chen Jianjun intelligence on Chang'an Academy for five hundred gold coins, and he began reading it.
• Gui Dang objected to being called a Golden Hairpin, while Fang Yiling reflected on Gui Dang’s strength and their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• The report listed the Golden Hairpins and the ranked members of both teams, and Fang Yiling judged their own lineup stronger on paper.

Chen Jianjun warned his team that Xiao Jun and the returning Xiao Yi made Chang'an Academy far more dangerous than expected. After revealing Xiao Yi’s hidden combat abilities and her relationship with Xiao Jun, he left the team weighing how difficult their upcoming match would be.

• Ma Yinqi and the others discussed their rivals, Xiao Jun’s reputation, and Ma Yinqi’s younger brother Ma Liang at Chang'an Academy.
• Ximen Chuixue recalled Xiao Jun’s thousand-meter sword qi, while Gui Dang and Chen Jianjun joked with the women about their nicknames and appearances.
• Chen Jianjun revealed that the team’s odds had dropped because Xiao Yi had returned, and the others learned she was a Level 51 healer and the god-granddaughter of Yang Jingxue.
• Chen Jianjun explained that Xiao Yi was Xiao Jun’s wife and a dual-type Soul Master with healing and control abilities, though her unusual Martial Soul remained unexplained.
• Chen Jianjun warned that Xiao Jun and Xiao Yi could combine their strengths with several capable teammates, making Chang'an Academy difficult to defeat.

Xue Shiming’s team reviewed intelligence on Chang’an Academy, where a Wolf Bandit assault had wounded senior figures and disrupted the school team. The report revealed that Chen Xiaojun’s reserve members had recovered and fought several victories, leaving Heaven Dou Royal Academy to assess the changed threat.

• Xue Shiming distributed intelligence reports, and Yu Tianya began briefing Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s team on Chang’an Academy.
• Yu Tianya reported that Chen Xiaojun’s reserve team had trained in Zhongnan Mountain before Wolf Bandits attacked, drawing Saint King Level soul beasts and a Titled Douluo from the Crimson Church into the fighting.
• Yu Tianya said Qiankun Crown and Sword Hero Crown had been gravely wounded, while several Chang’an Academy team members were injured but none had died.
• Yu Tianya explained that Chang’an Academy planned to send its reserve team to the Fasinuo Province preliminaries in place of its injured main team.
• Bai Tianrui questioned why the report mattered, and Ling Xinyao asked whether the reserve members had been injured.
• Yu Tianya said the reserve team had recovered and, under Chen Xiaojun’s leadership, had won three battles in Zhongnan Mountain, killing thousands of Wolf Bandits and over a hundred Silver Moon Wolves.

Xue Shiming briefed Heaven Dou Academy’s team on Chen Xiaojun’s battlefield victories and Chang'an Academy’s plans, then organized their preparations for the Gao Ying Competition. The chapter ended with the team assigning Ge Tianhao to captain the second team while tracking their rivals’ strengths.

• Yu Tianya reported that Chen Xiaojun had commanded three victorious battles, destroyed thousands of Wolf Bandits, and would likely lead Chang'an Academy’s competition preparations.
• Xue Shiming told the team that Heaven Dou Academy’s teachers would leave this year’s competition arrangements to the students, urging them to learn from and defeat Chen Xiaojun.
• Yu Tianya reported that Chang'an Academy had recruited Chen Xinyi, whose Life Ancient Vine martial soul could change the academy’s tactics; Ye Zijun said Chen Xinyi was likely Xiaojun’s childhood sweetheart Xiao Yi using an alias.
• The team reviewed intelligence on rival academies, including Star Luo Academy’s Dai Tianlin and Zhu Yuxi, and Xue Shiming asked about Ling Xinyao, Hu Yanzan, and Yan Zaiyang’s cultivation progress.
• Xue Shiming appointed Ge Tianhao captain of the second team, despite Bai Tianrui’s doubts about Ge Tianhao’s temperament.

Chen Xiaojun returned to Chang'an Academy after helping manage the Chen Clan’s expanding departments and alliances. He examined Xiao Yi’s cultivation injuries and began considering how swordsmanship might help her master the Seven Injuries Seal.

• Chen Xiaojun returned to Chang'an Academy after a week away, having been occupied with the Chen Clan’s reforms, recruitment, market expansion, and alliances with the Yang Family and Ximen Family.
• Chen Hua and Chen Chen struggled to staff new departments and establish markets, while members of the Yang Family and Ximen Family joined the Brocade-Clad Guards.
• Chen Menglin and Chen Qiujun departed on journeys, Chen Xun returned to Chen Lin Village with Bo Xian'er, and Chen Zixiu prepared to leave after Ximen Xiaoran and Yang Cheng Lin.
• Chen Xiaojun found Xiao Yi practicing the Muscle and Bone Forging Sutra and learned that she could not yet awaken the Moon Godly Venerable Body or smoothly fuse the Seven Injuries Seal.
• Chen Xiaojun guided moonlight through Xiao Yi’s meridians and determined that repeated practice of the Seven Injuries Seal had caused internal injuries because her foundation was not ready.
• Chen Xiaojun asked whether Xiao Yi knew swordsmanship after recalling a possible way to help her cultivate the Seven Injuries Seal.

Chen Xiaojun gave Xiao Yi a sword forged from rare metals and named their paired blades Zhao Jun and Green Robe, then shared food with her. He learned that their classmates had been fighting older students over the Middle Department’s selection for the Provincial Preliminary Competition, and decided to go set rules at the Soul Duel Arena.

• Xiao Yi demonstrated her sword-qi control, and Chen Xiaojun offered her a choice between two swords forged from five rare metal essences.
• Xiao Yi chose the black sword, and Chen Xiaojun named it Zhao Jun while naming his own sword Green Robe.
• Xiao Yi stored Zhao Jun in her Nine Revolutions Exquisite bracelet and led Chen Xiaojun to her room, where they shared lunch and fried potatoes.
• Xiao Yi told Chen Xiaojun that Zhu Wuneng, Du Gu Fu, Su Ningxia, Gao Cuilan, Chen Bin, Chen Shurui, and Ma Liang had been dueling older students over the Middle Department’s selection for the Provincial Preliminary Competition.
• Chen Xiaojun asked whether anyone had troubled Xiao Yi, then decided to visit the Soul Duel Arena with her and establish rules for the dispute.

Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi watched Ma Liang defeat a formidable upper-year challenger, then saw Zhu Wuneng step forward amid a growing faction battle between noble-family descendants and commoner experts. The commoner side had initially held its own, but after three days of rotating duels, Zhu Wuneng’s team had gained the upper hand.

• Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi arrived at the indoor Soul Duel Stage and watched Ma Liang overwhelm his opponent with Phoenix Comet Fist and a series of fiery attacks.
• Ma Liang unleashed Phoenix Meteor Fist, destroying his opponent’s Mystic Ice defenses and blasting him away until a healer rushed to treat him.
• Spectators discussed the Middle Department starters’ strength and the tournament selection’s growing factional clash as Zhu Wuneng entered the arena.
• Zhu Wuneng challenged the opposing group, whose strongest fighter had been a rank 48 soul master defeated by Ma Liang.
• The narration described how students split into noble-family, commoner, and neutral camps, and how the commoner experts’ fortunes worsened over three days as Zhu Wuneng’s team adapted to their fighting styles.

Chen Xiaojun arrived at the Soul Duel Stage after Xiao Yi saved an injured student and heard the commoner experts’ complaints about being excluded from the school team. He explained that the rumored ban on their participation was false, but defended the decision to give the preliminary-round spots to Zhu Wuneng and his team, leaving the commoners angry and unconvinced.

• Aaron Frayke urged the commoner experts to keep fighting with dignity, while Zhu Wuneng challenged them to continue the match.
• A Wood Attribute healer called for a Life Attribute healer as the injured Ice Attribute student’s condition worsened, and Xiao Yi arrived with Chen Xinyi to treat him.
• Xiao Yi healed the student’s wounds, repaired his internal injuries, and calmed his disordered Soul Power, saving his life.
• Chen Xiaojun reprimanded Zhu Wuneng’s team for acting too hot-headed, told Ma Liang to improve his control, and ordered Chen Bin and Chen Shurui to write self-critiques.
• Meiji Bo explained that the commoner experts had challenged Zhu Wuneng’s team because they believed they had been denied a chance to join the school team.
• Chen Xiaojun said the participant list had not been announced and private duels could not determine the team, then explained that Wu Neng and the others had received the preliminary-round opportunity; a commoner expert accused the selection of being predetermined.

Chen Xiaojun opened the selection for the provincial preliminaries to individual duels, requiring Zhu Wuneng and his teammates to meet the same standards as the upper-year students. He then confronted the Golden Generation and several teachers about the school's suspicious handling of the recent conflict, leaving them to explain themselves.

• Chen Xiaojun explained that Wuneng and the others had been chosen as preliminary contestants because the instructors knew their ability, then announced that outstanding duel results or a ten-win streak would earn selection opportunities.
• Chen Xiaojun applied the same standards to Zhu Wuneng's group, arranged for Xiao Yi to heal the fighters, and urged everyone to fight at full strength.
• Chu Youwei, Gu Wuyan, Liu Ruyan, Shen Youchu, Ji Boda, and Chen Ze discussed Chen Xiaojun's strategy in a private box.
• Chen Xiaojun entered the box as a clone and questioned Zhuang Mochen, Ji Xiang, Yan Chengyi, and the Golden Generation about the school's failure to intervene or provide adequate healing during the past three days.
• Chu Youwei claimed they had only come to watch, while Chen Ze and the others denied responsibility and said they lacked the motive and ability.

Chen Xiaojun discussed the academy rumor plot with Zhuang Mochen and the teachers, then learned that spies were likely present and that Oldest had gone into seclusion. He proposed public student rankings and challenge systems to use the turmoil to drive academy reforms, leaving Zhuang Mochen impressed by the plan.

• Chen Xiaojun accepted Zhuang Mochen and Ji Xiang’s account that the teachers had not arranged the rumors, and learned Yan Chengyi and Ji Xiang would lead the school team at the Gao Ying Competition.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed that the rumor plot had either been covered up by a powerful force or originated among the students, while Yan Chengyi promised to investigate.
• Zhuang Mochen dismissed the others and told Chen Xiaojun that hidden cells, including Imperial Capital forces, operated in the academy, and that Oldest had gone into seclusion.
• Chen Xiaojun suspected Zhuang Mochen might have orchestrated the turmoil himself to distract spies from Zhuo Qianren’s breakthrough to Title.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed public rankings for student challenges and training rewards, and Zhuang Mochen praised his plan to use the turmoil to stir up reforms.

Ma Wencai entered the Ten-Win Streak challenge and defeated a string of opponents with his Sunlight Brocade Chicken Martial Soul, while Chen Xiaojun ordered Du Gu Fu to attempt the challenge and collected his battle records. After Ma Wencai reached seven consecutive wins, a Soul Ancestor challenged him, and Ma Wencai sent Tom Sack crashing into the arena barrier with his Right Arm Bone Soul Skill.

• Chen Xiaojun encouraged Ma Wencai, who stepped into the Ten-Win Streak arena determined to claim ten victories.
• Ma Wencai blinded Xiao Lin with Brocade Splendor Feathers and defeated him with Blazing Sun Wheel.
• Chen Xiaojun ordered Du Gu Fu to take the Ten-Win Streak challenge and demanded his battle records from the past few days.
• Ma Wencai defeated Keller Carl, bringing his streak to seven wins as spectators praised his unusual blend of power attacks and illusions.
• Tom Sack challenged Ma Wencai, but Ma Wencai's Right Arm Bone Soul Skill, Sunlight Dawn Strike, broke through Tom Sack's wind defense and hurled him into the barrier.

Chen Xiaojun presented Zhuang Mochen with a plan to build University City around Chang'an Academy, strengthening its defenses and creating specialized academies for its graduates. He urged Zhuang Mochen to expand enrollment dramatically, leaving the dean shocked by the prospect of Chang'an Academy growing into the continent’s largest school.

• Zhuang Mochen asked Chen Xiaojun about his plans after learning that You Dongshan, Gao Ying, Dugu Lin, Yang Buer, and Cheng Nanxing had been scouting White Deer Plain.
• Chen Xiaojun explained his University City plan, including four new specialized academies and stronger defenses against Beast Tides.
• Chen Xiaojun said the eight specialized academies could offer further study to students who left Chang'an Academy’s Middle Department.
• Chen Xiaojun revealed that about four thousand soul masters awakened in Fasinuo Province each year, far more than Zhuang Mochen had believed.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed increasing Chang'an Academy’s intake from about 250 students to as many as 800 per year, and Zhuang Mochen was stunned by the scale of the plan.

Chen Xiaojun outlined a plan to expand Chang'an Academy and fund it through White Deer Plain’s development, city support, and donations from powerful families. Zhuang Mochen was impressed by the scheme and recognized how much influence the Chen Clan could wield over the academy’s future.

• Chen Xiaojun argued that Chang'an Academy could soon expand to twelve classes and five hundred students, using its spare classrooms and existing facilities while building more dormitories.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed retaining outstanding graduates, recruiting or poaching teachers, and expanding enrollment across the academy’s middle and advanced levels.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that a university city on White Deer Plain could grow into a satellite city and generate revenue for Chang'an Academy.
• Zhuang Mochen learned that the Chen Clan had already obtained development rights to White Deer Plain and praised Chen Xiaojun for securing them.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed seeking more funding from the City Lord's Mansion and donations from the Ten Great Families in return for admission quotas, recruitment access, research priority, and naming honors.
• Zhuang Mochen cursed Chen Xiaojun's crafty plan, recognizing that its benefits could favor the powerful families already represented at the academy.

Chen Xiaojun laid out his vision for Chang'an Academy to become the greatest academy under heaven and explained that Xiao Yi’s return had greatly improved their chances in the Gao Ying Competition. He left Zhuang Mochen stunned by revealing the reason: a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

• Zhuang Mochen praised Chen Xiaojun’s plan to gather talented students and make Chang'an Academy the Continent's Number One Academy.
• Chen Xiaojun described his vision of an academy that welcomed worthy students and used martial arts and scholarship to protect justice and benefit the people.
• Zhuang Mochen warned that the Era of Great Strife would make the academy’s path to the top arduous and asked Chen Xiaojun about his plan.
• Chen Xiaojun said Xiao Yi’s return gave him about forty to fifty percent confidence in winning the Gao Ying Competition, and Zhuang Mochen inferred that his real confidence was higher.
• When Zhuang Mochen asked how Xiao Yi could improve their chances so much, Chen Xiaojun revealed that they had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.