Chapter Summaries

Lin Manshan returned to Sacred Soul Village for the New Year holiday, where he hunted two rabbits and angered Xiao Wu by explaining that villagers caught them to protect crops. Xiao Wu and Tang San returned to the academy early, and Lin Manshan’s relationship with both of them became irreconcilable.

• Lin Manshan traveled home with Tang San and Xiao Wu, carrying his belongings while reflecting on his progress and Tang Hao’s suspicions about his forging.
• Lin Manshan reunited with his family, shared lunch, and paid respects at his parents’ graves.
• Lin Manshan killed two wild rabbits with thrown stones and carried them home for dinner.
• Xiao Wu confronted Lin Manshan over the rabbits, but his explanation about eating them and protecting crops left her in tears.
• Lin Manshan and Xiao Wu repeatedly crossed paths during the holiday, and she eventually returned to the academy with Tang San before he did.
• Lin Manshan returned to the academy to keep track of information gathered by his spiders, while his relationship with Tang San and Xiao Wu remained irreconcilable.

After reaching Level 10 Soul Power, Lin Manshan went to Spirit Hall to request an Order Token so he could hunt a Hundred-year Spirit Beast for his First Soul Ring. Ma Xiunuo questioned his dangerous plan but began processing the request after Lin Manshan explained his choice and produced the required documents.

• Lin Manshan reached Level 10 Soul Power after two years of cultivation and went to Spirit Hall to apply for an Order Token.
• A guard directed Lin Manshan to Ma Xiunuo’s reception room, where Lin Manshan introduced himself and explained that he wanted to hunt a Hundred-year Spirit Beast.
• Ma Xiunuo warned Lin Manshan about the danger after learning he was an orphan with a firewood chopper Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power of Level 3.
• Lin Manshan said Yu Xiaogang had advised him to hunt a hardwood Plant System Soul Beast, and Ma Xiunuo accepted that it could be a safer choice.
• Ma Xiunuo asked for certification documents from three nobles, and Lin Manshan showed him the documents he had brought.

Lin Manshan reached Soul Power level 10, secured leave to obtain his first Soul Ring, and set out for the Soul Hunting Forest. Yu Xiaogang learned that Lin Manshan had not asked him for help and proudly requested leave for Tang San, whose Soul Power had reached level 20.

• Lin Manshan confirmed his level 10 Soul Power at Spirit Hall and received an Order Token from Ma Xiunuo.
• Lin Manshan requested leave from Director Su to travel to the Soul Hunting Forest for his First Soul Ring.
• Yu Xiaogang learned Lin Manshan had arranged his own help, dismissed his chances, and announced that Tang San had reached level 20.
• Lin Manshan collected his packed belongings, hired a carriage for six Silver Soul Coins, and departed Nuoding City toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

Lin Manshan completed the Destiny Artifact Infusion, transforming his Firewood Chopper into the Great Blade Fierce Blade: Defying the Heavens, then traveled to a Spirit Hunting Forest to seek a suitable Spirit Ring. There, he joined Xiao Zizai’s group of Evergreen students, who agreed to use Lin Manshan’s Spirit Beast knowledge to help with the hunt.

• Lin Manshan infused his Soul Power into his Firewood Chopper, awakening it as the Great Blade Fierce Blade: Defying the Heavens.
• The infusion nearly depleted Lin Manshan’s Soul Power, so he recalled his Life Weapon and began cultivating during the journey.
• Lin Manshan arrived at the Spirit Hunting Forest and approached a group of Evergreen students looking for teammates.
• Lin Manshan introduced himself as a Work-Study Student seeking a roughly four-hundred-year Power Type Spirit Beast, preferably a less aggressive Carapace Insect.
• Lin Manshan explained his extensive Spirit Beast knowledge, and Xiao Zizai welcomed him into the group as they entered the forest.

Lin Manshan guided Xiao Ziwang and his companions through the Soul Hunting Forest in search of a suitable defensive Spirit Beast. As the group followed a stream deeper into the forest, Lin Manshan sensed a roughly four-hundred-year-old Spirit Beast ahead but concealed his discovery.

• Xiao Ziwang explained that he needed a defensive Soul Ring, while Xiao Zizai admitted the group had hoped to meet female students who needed help.
• Lin Manshan recommended looking near water for Scaled Beasts or Ironclad Crocodiles and explained how the group could exploit their physical weaknesses.
• Xiao Zizai led the group east toward a stream, and Lin Manshan taught them about Spirit Beasts while practicing his soul-sensing ability.
• The group continued along the stream, passing many Thousand-pound Ants that were too young to be suitable Soul Ring candidates.
• Lin Manshan sensed a Spirit Beast about three hundred meters ahead with soul strength indicating roughly four hundred years of cultivation, but he kept quiet.

Lin Manshan and his companions hunted a Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle so he could obtain its Soul Ring. After the beetle died, Lin Manshan began absorbing the ring.

• Lin Manshan identified the Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle as a suitable target and explained its weaknesses and the hunting plan to his companions.
• Lin Manshan approached the beetle and shot it with his enhanced Silent Sleeve Arrow, knocking it off the tree.
• Brother Stick, Brother Hoe, and Brother Rake struck the beetle's leg joints and flipped it onto its back.
• Lin Manshan pinned the beetle with a stone and pulled out the arrow, killing it and releasing a yellow Soul Ring.
• Lin Manshan summoned his blade-shaped Martial Soul, and the yellow Soul Ring drifted toward him.

Lin Manshan absorbed a Soul Ring and realized that its energy strengthened his Martial Soul and body while soul remnants might sustain soul skills. He feared his cultivated Soul Power would reject those remnants, leaving him unable to gain soul skills, and focused on completing the absorption to find out.

• Xiao Zizai and the others watched Lin Manshan absorb the Soul Ring and noticed that it faded while remaining around his waist.
• Lin Manshan sensed the Soul Ring's energy flowing through his Martial Soul and strengthening both it and his body, while his Martial Soul blocked a faint soul fluctuation.
• Lin Manshan theorized that soul remnants inside Soul Rings stored soul skills and that exploding or transferring Soul Rings affected those remnants.
• Lin Manshan realized his Martial Soul might reject the remnants and prevent him from gaining soul skills, so he focused on absorbing the Soul Ring.

Lin Manshan discovered that absorbing the Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle’s Soul Ring strengthened his Martial Soul and raised him to level thirteen, but gave him no soul skill. He secretly recovered a rare Head Bone from the beast and, while keeping watch at camp, assessed his cultivation limits and decided to focus on Soul Power.

• Lin Manshan summoned his Martial Soul and confirmed that the Soul Ring had disappeared, leaving him with three additional Soul Power levels but no soul skill.
• Lin Manshan and the Xiao brothers’ group returned to a clearing to camp as night fell.
• Lin Manshan secretly took a Head Bone from beneath the stone that had pinned the Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle and decided to hide it until he could sell it safely.
• Lin Manshan volunteered to keep watch while the others slept and tested his cultivation after absorbing the Soul Ring.
• Lin Manshan concluded that his poor talent and lack of a better Meditation Method limited his progress, so he stopped cultivating Soul Power and focused on Soul Power instead.

Lin Manshan joined a group of upperclassmen to obtain his first Spirit Ring, then met the Nuoding Academy Dean, Yu Xiaogang, and Tang San at a post station. After seeing Lin Manshan’s transformed Martial Soul and learning it had gained no Soul Skill, Yu Xiaogang privately considered pushing him out of the academy as the group headed back.

• Lin Manshan and the upperclassmen killed a Hundred-year Scaled Beast, and Xiao Ziwang absorbed its Soul Ring.
• At the post station, Lin Manshan greeted the Dean, Yu Xiaogang, and Tang San, then explained that the upperclassmen had helped him obtain his first Spirit Ring.
• Lin Manshan told the Dean that the four-hundred-year Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle’s Ring had raised his Soul Power by three levels but had produced no Soul Skill.
• Lin Manshan summoned his transformed Great Blade Martial Soul, leaving the Dean, Yu Xiaogang, and Tang San baffled about its change.
• As the group traveled back to the academy, Yu Xiaogang privately considered having Lin Manshan leave because his Martial Soul had no Soul Skill.

Lin Manshan passed his Spirit Master assessment, though his Martial Soul had changed and produced no Soul Ring or Soul Skill. After Ma Xiunuo certified him and offered him work at Spirit Hall, Lin Manshan returned to Nuoding Academy and was summoned to the Dean’s Office.

• Lin Manshan told Ma Xiunuo that he had hunted a mutated Unicorn Beetle with help from senior students.
• Ma Xiunuo measured Lin Manshan’s Soul Power at Level 13 and saw that his Martial Soul had become a Great Blade without a Soul Ring or Soul Skill.
• Ma Xiunuo certified Lin Manshan as a Spirit Master, gave him his badge and subsidy, and offered him a guard job if he could not continue his studies.
• Lin Manshan declined the offer, explaining that he was an apprentice at a city blacksmith shop and could return to his village to work as a blacksmith.
• A gatekeeper told Lin Manshan that the dean wanted to see him, and Lin Manshan headed to the Dean’s Office.

Lin Manshan received an early graduation certificate from Nuoding Academy after the Dean and Yu Xiaogang decided the Academy could no longer guide his Martial Soul. He moved into the Blacksmith Shop, asked Tie Shan to help him find a home, and agreed to pursue Tie Shan’s wish of becoming a Blacksmith Grandmaster, setting his sights even higher on becoming a Divine Craftsman.

• The Dean told Lin Manshan that the Academy had no solution for his Martial Soul and granted him early graduation.
• Lin Manshan packed his belongings and left the dormitory; Xiao Wu mocked him, while Tang San assumed his prospects were limited.
• Lin Manshan went to the Blacksmith Shop and asked Tie Shan to find him a quiet courtyard where he could live and practice forging.
• Tie Shan offered Lin Manshan a place to stay and asked him to seek certification from the Blacksmith Association in Gengxin City.
• Lin Manshan accepted the blacksmiths as his teachers, promised to fulfill Tie Shan’s wish, and declared his ambition to become a Divine Craftsman.

Lin Manshan prepared for months, traveled to the Blue Silver Emperor’s hidden cave, and found the hundred-thousand-year Right Leg Bone. He began absorbing it in the secluded chamber while Tang Hao remained in Nuoding City.

• Lin Manshan bought a remote courtyard in Nuoding City and moved in after completing the ownership transfer.
• After learning Tang Hao had returned to the city, Lin Manshan focused on cultivation until May, when his Soul Power was nearly full and his Forging Room was complete.
• Lin Manshan left Nuoding City on foot and reached the mountain range containing the Blue Silver Emperor’s waterfall after seven days.
• Lin Manshan entered the cave, saw the dormant Blue Silver Emperor, and chose to leave it alive.
• Lin Manshan retrieved the lead box, found the blue-gold Right Leg Bone inside, and pressed it against his right leg to begin absorbing it.

Lin Manshan absorbed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, gained strength and five Soul Power levels but no Soul Bone Skills, and returned to Nuoding City. After several months of secluded cultivation, he revised his training plans and prepared to resume forging, making Hidden Weapons, and studying the spiders’ memories.

• Lin Manshan woke four days after absorbing the soul bone and discovered his Soul Power had risen to level eighteen and his physical strength had more than doubled.
• Lin Manshan realized the soul bone had integrated with him and could grow stronger, though he had not gained its Soul Bone Skills; it also made him grow four centimeters.
• Lin Manshan returned to Nuoding City, sent word to Tie Shan's Family that he would enter seclusion, and devoted himself to cultivation.
• Near September, Lin Manshan emerged from seclusion at one meter sixty-three, still at level eighteen, and found that his body had grown faster than his Soul Power.
• Lin Manshan planned to adjust his routine by continuing blade practice, Soul Power cultivation, forging, Hidden Weapon making, and using the Beast Taming Technique to read the spiders’ memories.

After reaching level 20, Lin Manshan traveled to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable Power Type Spirit Beast for his second Soul Ring. He found the forest far larger and more varied than expected and continued searching without success.

• Lin Manshan visited Tie Shan and the blacksmiths, then cultivated until his Soul Power reached level 20.
• Lin Manshan left Nuoding City by carriage and chose the Star Dou Great Forest because the Primary Spirit Hunting Forest lacked suitable high-quality Power Type Spirit Beasts.
• Lin Manshan arrived at the forest, admired its scale, and followed a river while searching for a Soul Beast.
• Lin Manshan spent several days exploring but found no Thousand-year Power Type Spirit Beast that satisfied him.
• Lin Manshan used Beast Taming Technique on an ant, marked it with True Eye, and began exploring one side of the river.

Lin Manshan discovered a Thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and devised a plan to exploit its weakness and poison it rather than fight head-on. After provoking the bear and striking it with a Willow Leaf Blade, he coated it in several deadly venoms, leaving the enraged beast rolling on the ground with its back turned to him.

• Lin Manshan found a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear that had killed a tiger-type Spirit Beast and recognized it as a suitable candidate for his second spirit ring.
• Lin Manshan prepared mixed poisons, Hidden Weapons, and a route through the forest to avoid fighting the bear directly.
• Lin Manshan threw stones at the bear to provoke it, then fled through the trees as it charged after him.
• Lin Manshan struck the male bear in the groin with a Willow Leaf Blade, making it collapse and roll in pain.
• Lin Manshan shattered poison-filled Porcelain bottles over the bear and made it inhale several mouthfuls of venom.

Lin Manshan poisoned and killed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, then began absorbing its Soul Ring. As the absorption ended, a burning sensation in his palms suggested that his hands were undergoing a change.

• Lin Manshan wore down the poisoned Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and struck its eyes with Black Needles, sending it into a blind rampage.
• After two hours, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear collapsed, and Lin Manshan finished it with repeated Blade Qi attacks.
• Lin Manshan confirmed that nearby Spirit Beasts had fled and began absorbing the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's purple Soul Ring.
• The Soul Ring's violent energy threatened Lin Manshan's meridians, so he used Life Energy from the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone to ease the damage.
• Lin Manshan endured intense burning in his palms for about an hour and a half, then slowly opened his eyes.

Lin Manshan absorbed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear’s Soul Ring and gained a pair of External Palm Bones, then gathered herbs while traveling through the Star Dou Great Forest. At night, he rescued two girls fleeing Spirit Beasts and discovered that they had been poisoned.

• Lin Manshan reached level 24 after absorbing the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear’s Soul Ring and discovered that he had gained a pair of sharp, powerful External Palm Bones.
• Lin Manshan continued through the forest, collecting herbs and making medicinal pills before stopping for the night beside a small spring.
• Lin Manshan sensed two people fleeing a pack of Spirit Beasts and found that they were two injured girls.
• Lin Manshan drove back the leading beasts with Dark Night Fierce Light and carried both girls up into a tree to safety.
• Lin Manshan examined the girls by moonlight and realized that they had been poisoned.

Lin Manshan rescued Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er from poisoned Spirit Beasts, treated their wounds, and prepared a tree hollow for shelter. After carrying Shui Yue'er there, he left to bring Shui Bing'er over while Shui Yue'er blushed and imagined a romance with him.

• Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er introduced themselves, and Lin Manshan identified their plant toxin and gave them medicine he had made.
• Lin Manshan went to carve a shelter into a large tree while Shui Yue'er excitedly talked about her feelings for him.
• Lin Manshan used his Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear External Palm Bone to finish digging the tree hollow and prepared its entrance.
• Lin Manshan carried Shui Yue'er to the hollow, where she blushed and regretted not asking him more about himself.

Lin Manshan carried Shui Bing'er back to the tree hollow, where he and the two girls tried to rest. When he discovered Shui Bing'er had developed a fever from infected wounds, he cleaned and healed her injuries, then returned to his place at the entrance to sleep.

• Lin Manshan carried the blushing Shui Bing'er to the tree hollow and sat at the entrance to cultivate rather than sleep beside her and Shui Yue'er.
• In the middle of the night, Lin Manshan woke Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er from nightmares and found that Shui Bing'er had a fever.
• Lin Manshan explained that Shui Bing'er's wounds had become infected, removed their bandages, and cleaned the wounds while the girls weakly let him help.
• Lin Manshan used the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone's Life Energy to heal Shui Bing'er's wounds, making both girls blush and hide beneath the blankets.
• After Shui Yue'er thanked him, Lin Manshan returned to the entrance and fell asleep while the girls peeked out from beneath their blankets.

Shui Yue'er explained how she and Shui Bing'er became separated from their Mentor and teammates during a Spirit Beast Riot and eventually met Lin Manshan. The chapter ended with Shui Yue'er identifying the direction where the beast tide had begun as northwest of the river.

• Lin Manshan asked Shui Yue'er how she and Shui Bing'er had become separated from their group, and Shui Yue'er explained that a Spirit Beast Riot erupted while she was away from the riverbank.
• Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er escaped the charging Spirit Beasts, used Ice Seal to drive away a Thousand-year Phoenix Tail Cock's Comb Snake, and became lost in the forest.
• Shui Yue'er described how a leopard-type Spirit Beast tracked them to their shelter and chased them through the forest until Lin Manshan found them.
• Lin Manshan asked where the beast tide began, and Shui Yue'er answered that it came from northwest of the river.