Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yi recovered from her battle with the Heart Demon and approached the Shao Siming Dharma Idol, which bestowed a flood of divine laws upon her through an Orchid Finger. She fell unconscious within a cocoon of blue-white light, leaving the Nine Palaces patterns and divinity intertwined around her.

• Xiao Yi watched the Primordial Purple Qi settle and sensed that the Shao Siming Dharma Idol was silently acknowledging her victory.
• Xiao Yi rose to meet the Dharma Idol at eye level and realized that the Nine Palaces Soul Shifting Technique had used her mortal soul to stir the fragment of fate law within divinity.
• The Shao Siming Dharma Idol raised its hand and tapped Xiao Yi's brow with an Orchid Finger, freezing her body and thoughts.
• Blue-white divine light flooded Xiao Yi's consciousness with a torrent of laws and information, causing her to lose consciousness.
• Shao Siming's Dharma Idol withdrew its finger as Xiao Yi floated unconscious in a light cocoon marked by entwined Nine Palaces patterns and divine light.

The author reviewed the volume’s tournament, clan expansion, battles against the Crimson Church, and the leads’ personal milestones. The volume ended with Xiao Yi’s coronation and Chen Xiaojun gaining a divine sword skill, while the next volume was set to continue the story.

• The author explained how the Gao Ying Competition, the Chen Clan’s rise, and the conflict with the Crimson Church shaped the volume’s “heavenly ladder” title.
• The Chen Clan expanded beyond Fasinuo Province, consolidated its bases, and dealt major losses to the Crimson Church.
• Xiao Yi, Chen Xiaojun, and Xi Xi joined forces to kill the Titled Douluo Nether Dragon, and Xiao Yi defeated Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Chen Xiaojun obtained the preliminary stage of Da Siming’s divine sword skill after the Underground City events and the awakening of the Black-Red Light Cocoon.
• The author announced that there would be no update that day and said the four owed chapters would be made up.

Chen Xiaojun woke after two days of unconsciousness in the Bone Excavation Group’s lair and found his companions recovering from the battle. Still sensing a connection between the dark-red crystal fragments and the Black-Red Light Cocoon in his mind, he prepared to investigate what had triggered his collapse and learn Iron Jaw Fortress’s current condition.

• Chen Xiaojun recalled that a sudden influx of Da Siming’s inheritance had overwhelmed him after the battle, and that he had fallen unconscious amid the Black-Red Light Cocoon’s violent reaction.
• Chen Xiaojun changed clothes and went to the courtyard, where he found Qiu Qingquan, Yuan Run, An Mingyuan, Ma Liang, Chen Mu, and Zhu Wuneng recovering from their injuries.
• His companions welcomed Chen Xiaojun’s awakening and told him he had slept for two days.
• Chen Xiaojun thanked his companions for protecting him and noticed that he could still sense a faint resonance between the dark-red crystal fragments and the Black-Red Light Cocoon.
• Chen Xiaojun said he would investigate what had triggered the reaction and find out how Iron Jaw Fortress was doing.

After waking at Iron Jaw Fortress, Chen Xiaojun learned that his mother had come to treat the wounded and promised martial skills to three injured companions. Reassured that Xiao Yi was likely out of danger, he prepared to ask his mother for details.

• Qiu Qingquan argued with Zhu Wuneng about contribution points, and Chen Xiaojun offered to cover martial skills for Qiu Qingquan, An Mingyuan, and Yuan Run.
• Qiu Qingquan, An Mingyuan, and Yuan Run thanked Chen Xiaojun, while Zhu Wuneng complained that he had received nothing.
• Chen Xiaojun learned that Ye Xiuxin had brought healers to Iron Jaw Fortress after the battle to treat the wounded.
• Chen Xiaojun asked about Xiao Yi, and Chen Mu said Ye Xiuxin believed the two were connected and that Xiao Yi was likely not in danger.
• Chen Xiaojun felt reassured and nodded, intending to ask his mother about Xiao Yi himself.

After waking at Iron Jaw Fortress, Chen Xiaojun learned he had missed Chang'an Academy’s crucial competition against Moonlight Academy while unconscious for two days. The group accepted that the domestic title might be lost and focused on the continental finals, then Gu Zijian brought them food prepared from the fortress’s inspected stores.

• Chen Mu and Zhu Wuneng told Chen Xiaojun where everyone was working and explained that Wencai and Big Brother Shou Zhong had left to compete.
• Chen Xiaojun realized that Chang'an Academy’s match against Moonlight Academy was taking place that day, and Zhu Wuneng and Ma Liang worried that the team might lose its lead and championship hopes.
• Chen Xiaojun regretted missing the match while Xiao Yi was unable to fight, but Chen Mu reminded everyone that the continental finals mattered more than the domestic title.
• Gu Zijian arrived with food and explained that his father and Master Xin Cunyi had inspected the fortress’s ingredients and approved the safe stores for use.
• Gu Zijian said the supplies could feed their people for almost a month, though unfamiliar underground mushrooms and tubers still needed to be identified by trusted former cooks.

Gu Zijian brought food to the women and children rescued from the Bone Excavation Group and declared his intention to become a Warrior Chef. Chen Xiaojun approved his plan despite concerns about Gu Yuanchao’s reaction, then hinted that Warrior Professions might have a brighter future than Chen Mu expected.

• Gu Zijian explained that the food cart was for the women and children rescued from the Bone Excavation Group, many of whom had Soul Master aptitude and had suffered neglect and abuse.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Gu Zijian about attending Warrior Profession Academy, and Gu Zijian firmly said he wanted to become a Warrior Chef.
• Chen Xiaojun gave Gu Zijian permission to attend the academy and encouraged him to train toward a possible Secondary Awakening of Soul Power.
• Chen Mu and An Mingyuan worried that Chen Xiaojun’s decision could worsen the conflict with Gu Yuanchao, while Chen Xiaojun said the clan could not leave willing members behind.
• Chen Mu questioned the low status and limited prospects of Warrior Professions, but Chen Xiaojun hinted that their future might change and ended the discussion by telling everyone to eat.

Chen Xiaojun and Chen Mu visited the warehouse courtyard to assess the trafficked children and women and identify children with soul master potential. After the group removed their restraints, Chen Mu judged most of their talent to be low, while a few showed promise, and Zhu Wuneng asked them to reveal their martial souls.

• After the meal, Chen Xiaojun asked Chen Mu to inspect the warehouse courtyard and evaluate the children held there.
• On the way, Chen Mu explained how organizations obtained and trained trafficked children, and described the difficulty of estimating their innate soul power after age six.
• Chen Xiaojun and Chen Mu arrived at the guarded courtyard, where more than a hundred frightened children and young women were being held.
• Chen Xiaojun ordered Zhu Wuneng, Qiu Qingquan, An Mingyuan, and Ma Liang to remove the captives' soul power restraints.
• Chen Mu used his Sword Eye to assess the children's talent, finding mostly low-grade aptitude and only a few promising candidates.
• Zhu Wuneng asked the children to display their martial souls, and a few cautiously began circulating their soul power.

Chen Mu assessed the Martial Souls and Soul Power of the trafficked children, identifying several promising recruits for the Chen Clan. He arranged potential mentors for them and singled out the strongest prospects, including Bao Ruoxi, Bian Zhu, and Xiang Feng.

• Over a hundred children revealed their Martial Souls, and Chen Mu noted a handful of mid-grade and dual-attribute talents among the mostly low-grade awakenings.
• Chen Mu questioned the children about their ages and Soul Power, confirming their growth matched their limited training and harsh circumstances.
• Bao Ruoxi told Chen Mu how she had been kidnapped after fleeing her village, and he welcomed her Food System Bun Martial Soul into the Chen Clan.
• Bian Zhu and Xiang Feng revealed level-six Innate Soul Power and their defensive Mystic Armor Turtle Shield and aggressive Mystic Iron Eagle Falcon Martial Souls.
• Chen Mu matched promising children with suitable Chen Clan followers and identified the Ice Flame Wolf and Radiant Quartz bearers as especially strong prospects.

Chen Xiaojun and Chen Mu tested the children with a top-grade Soul Testing Ball, discovering that Bao Ruoxi had stronger potential than previously believed. As the Chen Clan began registering and arranging care for the children, a shackled woman watched from the crowd and worried about her own prospects.

• Chen Xiaojun gave Chen Mu the top-grade Soul Testing Ball, and it measured Bian Zhu's Innate Soul Power at Level 6.7 and Xiang Feng's at Level 6.4.
• Chen Mu tested Bao Ruoxi and discovered her Innate Soul Power was Level 6.2, prompting Chen Xiaojun to recognize her potential as a Food System Soul Master.
• Bao Ruoxi was overwhelmed to learn she might become a Soul Emperor or Soul Sage, while Chen Mu praised her Bun Martial Soul.
• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Mu to have the Chen Shadow Guard and relevant elders arrange the children's follow-up care, especially for Bao Ruoxi.
• A shackled woman in the crowd wondered whether the Chen Clan's Soul Testing Ball might have come from Sea God Island and feared the Clan would notice her.
• Chen Mu directed Zhu Wuneng, Qiu Qingquan, An Mingyuan, and Ma Liang to register and retest the children as the courtyard filled with activity.

Chen Mu freed Lin Dong from his shackles and persuaded him to reveal his martial soul. Lin Dong summoned the Ice Blood Dragon, displaying exceptional Soul Power and leaving the Chen Clan stunned.

• Chen Mu learned from the former Bone Excavation Group manager that Lin Dong had been captured three years earlier and refused to reveal his martial soul.
• Chen Mu unlocked Lin Dong’s Soul Power Shackles and offered him better treatment if he proved his potential.
• Lin Dong asked whether Chen Mu would let him go, and Chen Mu said he would not release or sell him but would let him live under the Chen Clan’s rules.
• Lin Dong finally revealed his martial soul, the Ice Blood Dragon, and Chen Mu recognized his Soul Power as near Ninth Rank.

Lin Dong’s soul power test revealed an aptitude rating of 8.7, stunning everyone at the warehouse and confirming his exceptional potential. Chen Xiaojun recognized Lin Dong as a prize worth pursuing, while a shackled young woman in the crowd reacted with alarm.

• Chen Mu sensed Lin Dong’s soul power and estimated that his Innate Soul Power had been at least rank seven, possibly rank eight.
• Lin Dong tested the Soul Testing Ball, which displayed an aptitude rating of 8.7 and shocked the gathered people.
• Bian Zhu proudly asked Xiang Feng if he was convinced, and Xiang Feng reacted with frustration before turning away.
• Zhu Wuneng overheard Bian Zhu and Xiang Feng’s exchange and decided to investigate their relationship.
• Chen Xiaojun considered Lin Dong’s strength, history, and potential, while a young woman in the crowd clenched her hands beneath her sleeves and cursed inwardly.

Lin Dong challenged Ma Liang to test the Chen Clan’s rules and his own strength. As the youths cheered, Lin Dong activated his Ice Blood Dragon Martial Soul and immediately attacked Ma Liang, who had yet to summon his martial soul.

• Chen Mu learned that Lin Dong had received cultivation resources from the Bone Excavation Group, but Cao Tingzhu said only Manager Boni and Deacon Leif controlled those secrets.
• Lin Dong declared that he wanted to test the Chen Clan’s rules and challenged Ma Liang rather than the older or more powerful members of the clan.
• Chen Xiaojun allowed Ma Liang to accept the challenge, while Chen Mu permitted the match despite Lin Dong’s actions violating the rules.
• Chen Mu invited the abducted youths to cheer, and they loudly encouraged Lin Dong.
• Lin Dong revealed his rank as a level 28 Power Attack Type Soul Grandmaster, activated his Ice Blood Dragon Martial Soul, and charged at Ma Liang before Ma Liang summoned his own martial soul.

Ma Liang fought Lin Dong and revealed his strength by defeating him despite Lin Dong’s ice, blood, and annihilation powers. He then challenged Bian Zhu and Xiang Feng as well, facing all three together without using his martial soul.

• Lin Dong attacked Ma Liang with his claws and Dragon Blade, but Ma Liang dodged his strikes and knocked him back with a kick.
• Lin Dong charged again with his annihilation aura, but Ma Liang’s Southern Blazing Fire neutralized it.
• Lin Dong used Ice Blood Dragon Scale Armor and attacked once more, but Ma Liang struck him down and asked Bian Zhu and Xiang Feng to join the fight.
• Bian Zhu summoned his Mystic Armor Turtle Shield and Xiang Feng summoned his Mystic Iron Eagle Falcon, then they joined the injured Lin Dong against Ma Liang.
• Bian Zhu blocked from the front, Xiang Feng attacked from above, and Lin Dong searched for openings as Ma Liang dodged their combined assault.

Ma Liang effortlessly defeated Lin Dong, Bian Zhu, and Xiang Feng, then revealed his level and identity as a renowned genius. The youths were left stunned by the gulf between them, while Zhu Wuneng’s boastful introduction drew teasing from the others.

• Ma Liang countered Lin Dong, Bian Zhu, and Xiang Feng’s attacks with Phoenix Meteor Fist, knocking all three down.
• Ma Liang halted his Phoenix Sky Blade just above the fallen challengers, then demonstrated its power by cleaving through a stone courtyard wall.
• Lin Dong and Xiang Feng questioned Ma Liang’s age and strength, and Ma Liang revealed he was thirteen and level 45 with the Nine Heavens Rainbow Phoenix martial soul.
• Zhu Wuneng identified Ma Liang as the Continental Genius List’s sixty-fifth-ranked Jade-Faced Young Master of Chang'an, the Blazing Cloud Phoenix Monarch.
• Xiang Feng wondered why a genius like Ma Liang served as an attendant, while Chen Mu, Chen Xiaojun, and An Mingyuan mocked Zhu Wuneng’s self-promoting speech.

Gu Yuanchao and Mai Zheleng arrived at the warehouse courtyard, where Mai Zheleng and Xin Shouyi both tried to recruit Bao Ruoxi as their disciple. Gu Yuanchao learned about the rescued group and urged special training for one promising survivor, but Chen Xiaojun insisted that he follow the normal process.

• Gu Yuanchao explained that he was temporarily managing Chen Shadow Guard affairs while Yin Tie recovered from his injuries.
• Mai Zheleng met Bao Ruoxi and became eager to take the girl, whose Bun Martial Soul and Rank Six Innate Soul Power suited his wheat-based cooking skills, as his disciple.
• Xin Shouyi also asked Bao Ruoxi to become his disciple, and he and Mai Zheleng argued over who was better suited to teach her.
• Chen Mu briefed Gu Yuanchao on the rescued people, prompting Gu Yuanchao to propose exceptional training for one promising survivor.
• Chen Xiaojun rejected the proposal and ordered that the survivor go through the normal process.

Chen Xiaojun decided Lin Dong would enter the Chen Shadow Guard under its ordinary rules, where he could earn advancement and resources through strength. He proposed opening a path for talented guards to receive treatment comparable to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, then agreed with Chen Mu to create a separate title and system for them.

• Chen Xiaojun told Gu Yuanchao that Lin Dong would be tempered through the Chen Shadow Guard's rules instead of receiving special treatment.
• Chen Xiaojun said Lin Dong could rise as high as the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches if his ability earned it.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that his proposal to open several Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches slots to the Chen Shadow Guard had already been approved by his father.
• Chen Mu warned that there were too few Di Sha Star slots, and Gu Yuanchao lamented that Zixing would have qualified had he lived.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested creating a different title and system with comparable resources, and Chen Mu proposed several possible names for it.

Chen Xiaojun discussed expanding the Chen Shadow Guard and turning Iron Jaw Fortress’s trafficking network into a source of recruits for the clan. He proposed that rescued captives could ransom themselves or serve in the Brocade-Clad Guards for several years, while the fate of those who refused remained unsettled.

• Gu Yuanchao explained that Meng Wei was temporarily managing the Chen Shadow Guard while Mo Zimo was away seeking a breakthrough, and Chen Xiaojun considered how the clan’s expanding territory would require a larger guard force.
• Chen Mu and Gu Yuanchao praised the Bone Excavation Group’s captive children as recruits, and Chen Mu proposed using the captured black-market channel to find more talents for the Chen Clan.
• Chen Xiaojun learned that Iron Jaw Fortress had separated the women by appearance and had also imprisoned adult male and female soul masters.
• Chen Xiaojun rejected letting the captives leave without compensation and proposed that those who could not pay ransom serve in the Brocade-Clad Guards for several years to redeem themselves.
• Chen Xiaojun said the clan should not resell the women, but suggested finding a pretext to send uncooperative men back into the market.

Mai Zheleng and Xin Shouyi argued over who should mentor Bao Ruoxi, and Chen Xiaojun resolved their dispute by appointing Xin as her master and Mai as her foster father. Bao Ruoxi accepted Mai as family, while Lin Dong remained in the warehouse courtyard registration line.

• Mai Zheleng and Xin Shouyi each argued that he was the best person to take Bao Ruoxi as his disciple.
• Chen Mu and Gu Yuanchao refused to choose between the two chefs, leaving Chen Xiaojun to decide.
• Chen Xiaojun appointed Xin Shouyi to teach Bao Ruoxi Soul Master fundamentals and the culinary path.
• Chen Xiaojun offered for Bao Ruoxi to become Mai Zheleng's goddaughter, and she accepted.
• Mai Zheleng welcomed Bao Ruoxi as his daughter and promised to teach her everything he knew, while Xin Shouyi agreed to help cultivate her.
• Lin Dong shifted slightly in the warehouse courtyard registration line, then returned to stillness.

Bao Ruoxi chose to stay with the other children despite Mai Zheleng offering her a place near the back kitchen. After showing that her Meat Bun Soul Skill could restore stamina and Soul Power and ease injuries, she offered a bun to Lin Dong, who remained silent as Mai Zheleng held back from intervening.

• Xin Shouyi accepted Gu Yuanchao's list of promising children and went to look them over.
• Bao Ruoxi resisted moving to the back kitchen and asked to stay with the girls in the warehouse courtyard.
• Chen Xiaojun supported Bao Ruoxi's choice, and Mai Zheleng agreed to let her stay.
• Bao Ruoxi summoned her Meat Bun Soul Skill and gave buns to Bian Zhu and Xiang Feng, whose stamina, Soul Power, and bruises improved.
• Bao Ruoxi offered a bun to Lin Dong, but he did not respond or take it.
• Chen Xiaojun stopped Mai Zheleng from stepping in, and Mai Zheleng sat down while Bao Ruoxi continued holding out the bun.

Lin Dong accepted a bun from Bao Ruoxi after she reminded him that he had once protected her, and Chen Xiaojun explained his plan to build a loyal Chen Clan chef force that could fight as well as provide support. He left Gu Yuanchao’s concern about his son Zijian’s prospects unanswered, while declaring Warrior Chefs part of the force’s ultimate goal.

• Bao Ruoxi reminded Lin Dong that he had protected her when they were captured and urged him to try her bun.
• Lin Dong accepted the bun and thanked Bao Ruoxi, who ran back to her companions happily.
• Gu Yuanchao asked Chen Xiaojun about allowing Zijian to train as a Warrior Chef.
• Chen Xiaojun described the clan’s Chef Soul Master Academy and the chef soul masters supporting its growing businesses.
• Chen Xiaojun said the Chen Clan needed a loyal chef team that could fight, and named Warrior Chefs as part of its planned force.