Chapter Summaries

Lin Manshan guided Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er through the forest while explaining his unusual Martial Soul and sharing his ambitions. Shui Yue'er grew increasingly fond of him as the three continued toward the river, chatting and gathering herbs.

• Lin Manshan and Shui Yue'er agreed that the distant disturbance might have been caused by Ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, and he led her and Shui Bing'er toward the river.
• Shui Yue'er asked about Lin Manshan's background, and he explained that he cultivated alone because his Martial Soul could not retain Soul Rings or produce Soul Skills.
• Lin Manshan described his abilities as a form of Self-Created Soul Skill, prompting Shui Yue'er to praise him and invite him to Skywater City.
• Lin Manshan told the girls that he was an orphan but had loving adoptive parents and elders, then said he wanted to become the strongest person in the world.
• Lin Manshan added that he wished to marry several beautiful wives and have a large family, leaving Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er flustered.
• Shui Yue'er said her father would make any suitor defeat him; Lin Manshan called the Rank 79 Soul Sage a potential sparring partner, and the three continued chatting and gathering herbs.

Lin Manshan reunited with Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and their mentors after helping the two sisters survive the Star Dou Great Forest, then traveled with them toward safety. At the inn where they had stayed before, he sensed poison and recognized a striking purple-haired woman.

• Lin Manshan met Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and their three mentors at the riverbank, where the mentors thanked him for saving the sisters.
• Shui Yue'er recounted how Lin Manshan had rescued them, and the group learned about his background, cultivation, and self-created Soul Skills.
• Shui Yue'er asked when Lin Manshan would visit Skywater City, and he said he planned to attend the Continental Elite Soul Master Competition in two or three years.
• Lin Manshan and the women traveled out of the Star Dou Great Forest and reached the inn where he had stayed before.
• Lin Manshan smelled poison in the inn and noticed a purple-haired woman, who snapped at him for staring.

At an inn, Lin Manshan explained that Dugu Yan was suffering from severe poison after she accused him of staring at her. He left open whether he could treat her, while deciding privately to cure her and Dugu Bo properly and help strengthen his allies.

• Dugu Yan confronted Lin Manshan for staring at her, prompting the Skywater Academy group to demand an explanation.
• Lin Manshan said he had noticed poison in Dugu Yan from her eyes and the odor coming from her body.
• Dugu Yan’s reaction effectively confirmed that she was poisoned, and the people present were shocked.
• Dugu Yan respectfully asked Lin Manshan whether he could treat her, but he said he needed a thorough diagnosis first.
• Lin Manshan decided privately to treat Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo properly, and to give Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er medicine as well.

Lin Manshan agreed to examine Dugu Yan’s poison and explained his needle-based diagnostic method to the gathered students. As he brought a silver needle toward her elbow, Dugu Yan closed her eyes and asked whether it would hurt.

• Dugu Yan politely asked Lin Manshan to examine her and introduced herself as Yanzi.
• Lin Manshan agreed, and Shui Yue'er and both teams joined them in a room upstairs.
• Lin Manshan asked Dugu Yan to expose her elbow and explained that toxins could accumulate there.
• Lin Manshan prepared his silver needles and reflected on how he had adapted Tang San’s hidden-weapon practice into a method for diagnosing poison.
• Dugu Yan watched Lin Manshan bring a needle toward her elbow, shut her eyes, and asked, “Will it hurt?”

Lin Manshan used a silver needle to confirm that Dugu Yan suffered from inherited Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison and temporarily suppressed it. He told her he knew how to cure her but lacked the means to treat her yet.

• Lin Manshan inserted a silver needle into Dugu Yan's elbow and channeled Soul Power into her joints to test whether it could protect her from poison.
• Lin Manshan pulled out the needle, which had turned green, and revealed that Dugu Yan's poison had spread through her body and might prevent her from living past thirty.
• Dugu Yan explained that the poison was inherited through her family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul and had killed her father before he reached forty.
• Dugu Yan noticed Yu Tianheng's hesitation and looked to Lin Manshan with hope, while Yu Tianheng worried about her illness and its implications for his clan.
• Lin Manshan told Dugu Yan that he knew a way to cure her poison completely but did not yet have the means to treat her.

Lin Manshan explained that Dugu Yan’s poison could be temporarily transferred into a Soul Bone, but he believed the lasting cure lay in identifying its source. He proposed that her condition came from incompatible poison in a Soul Ring, leaving Dugu Yan eager to learn how it could be treated permanently.

• Dugu Yan grabbed Lin Manshan’s hand and asked whether he truly had a way to cure her completely.
• Lin Manshan described transferring her poison into a Soul Bone as a temporary measure and warned that it could damage the Soul Bone or leak later.
• Lin Manshan stressed that Dugu Yan’s meridians and bones might already be damaged and would need care after the poison was removed.
• Dugu Yan asked for a permanent cure, and Lin Manshan suggested her poison was Soul Ring Poison rather than poison inherent to her Martial Soul.
• Lin Manshan reasoned that incompatible poison from an ancestor’s Soul Ring had been rejected by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul and transferred into the Spirit Master’s body.

Lin Manshan explained how Dugu Yan’s inherited poison could be isolated and why treating it required rare herbs and outside help. After weighing the gains of visiting Dugu Bo in Heaven Dou City against the risks and lost time, he decided to return to Nuoding City first.

• Lin Manshan explained that the Dugu family’s inherited poison likely came from toxins passed down after their ancestors absorbed Poison Attribute Spirit Beast Soul Rings, and that isolating it in a Soul Bone or Poison Pill could stop its effects.
• Dugu Yan realized her grandfather’s Poison Pill contained his Martial Soul’s poison rather than the toxins in his body, and Lin Manshan warned that treating her condition would require rare herbs and careful assistance.
• Dugu Yan invited Lin Manshan to Heaven Dou City to examine the herbs her grandfather had collected, but Lin Manshan considered the journey, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well’s dangers, and the chance to learn from Tang San.
• Lin Manshan decided that gaining knowledge of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record mattered more than obtaining Immortal Herbs immediately, and said he would return to Nuoding City to retrieve the Soul Bone and inform Old Jack’s family.

Lin Manshan explained that he needed time and medicinal research to develop a treatment for Dugu Yan’s poison, while promising to keep her condition suppressed in the meantime. After Shui Yue’er recounted how he had saved her and Shui Bing’er, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy students admired him, and Dugu Yan offered to involve her grandfather, but Lin Manshan declined.

• Lin Manshan told Dugu Yan that he needed to return home and study medicinal combinations before he could devise a specific treatment, and Shui Yue'er announced that he would someday visit her family to propose marriage.
• Shui Yue'er recounted how Lin Manshan had rescued her and Shui Bing'er during a Spirit Beast Riot, impressing the Heaven Dou Royal Academy students and deepening Dugu Yan's admiration for him.
• Dugu Yan asked Lin Manshan for his address so her grandfather could visit, but Lin Manshan declined and asked about her Soul Power rank.
• Dugu Yan said she was rank 31, and Lin Manshan offered to use acupuncture to suppress the poison's spread and ease its backlash while she continued cultivating.

At dinner, Lin Manshan explained why Dugu Yan’s absorbed poisons had rejected her Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison, and the group then prepared for him to treat her in private. Yu Tianheng objected to them being alone, but Dugu Yan defended her choice, and Qin Ming agreed to guard the door while the others left.

• Dugu Yan asked Lin Manshan why she inherited poisonous traits from Spirit Beast Soul Rings but was poisoned when their original Deadly Poison entered her body, and he explained the difference.
• Shui Yue'er and Lin Manshan encouraged Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er to eat more meat, prompting envious reactions from nearby men.
• Dugu Yan asked everyone except Lin Manshan to leave while he treated her, but Yu Tianheng objected to them being alone.
• Shui Yue'er defended Lin Manshan, and Dugu Yan told Yu Tianheng that her treatment was her own decision.
• Qin Ming persuaded the group to leave and offered to guard the door; Lin Manshan declined help from Ye Lingling, and the Skywater Academy team departed.

Lin Manshan treated Dugu Yan with acupuncture while they chatted about her grandfather, his ambitions, and life beyond noble society. Outside the room, Yu Tianheng grew suspicious and tried to enter, but Shui Yue'er confronted him.

• Lin Manshan began needling Dugu Yan's joints, and she asked whether he knew her grandfather, Dugu Bo.
• Dugu Yan teased Lin Manshan about marrying Shui Yue'er, then asked about his dream; he described becoming the strongest person alive and building a large family.
• Dugu Yan enjoyed Lin Manshan's stories about commoners and reflected that she might prefer a quiet pastoral life once she and Dugu Bo were cured.
• Yu Tianheng, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and a female mentor arrived outside the room, where Qin Ming assured them Dugu Yan and Lin Manshan were only chatting.
• Yu Tianheng tried to push open the door because he doubted Lin Manshan was treating Dugu Yan, and Shui Yue'er challenged his right to interfere.

Lin Manshan treated Dugu Yan with silver needles while she questioned him about his knowledge and preferences. After he explained the body’s fossa, Dugu Yan realized the treatment might not fully stop Deadly Poison’s backlash and asked him about it.

• Yu Tianheng tried to interrupt Dugu Yan’s treatment, but Qin Ming and Shui Yue'er convinced him that she was safe and the others left.
• While Lin Manshan treated her, Dugu Yan wondered whether his needles could protect the areas where Deadly Poison caused pain and asked what kind of girls he liked.
• Lin Manshan described his preferred partner and said he did not mind a woman being older than him.
• Lin Manshan treated Dugu Yan’s neck and explained the Five Human Body Fossa and two additional fossa, saying they affected the body in important ways.
• After the treatment ended, Dugu Yan grabbed Lin Manshan’s wrist and asked whether treating only her limbs could fully block Deadly Poison’s backlash.

Lin Manshan and Dugu Yan discussed why she had confessed her feelings, and she asked him to remain faithful and stand by the women he loved. After Lin Manshan promised he would, Dugu Yan told him to continue treating her, leaving him flustered as he prepared to insert the needles.

• Lin Manshan reassured Dugu Yan that he would still treat her and her grandfather as promised, regardless of whether she repaid him or liked him.
• Dugu Yan explained that she liked Lin Manshan because she trusted him, felt comfortable around him, and had grown attached to him during their first day together.
• Dugu Yan embraced Lin Manshan and said she would accept his other partners, but wanted him to treat all his women well and never abandon them.
• Lin Manshan promised he would never abandon Dugu Yan, and she warned that she would kill him and herself if he did.
• Dugu Yan urged Lin Manshan to resume her treatment, and he turned back to his needles, flustered by her appearance.

Lin Manshan treated Dugu Yan, shared a family keepsake with Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er, and taught them his Startled Swan Steps through the Spirit Communication Technique. After saying goodbye and leaving for his own plans, he left Dugu Yan to travel with the Skywater Academy girls.

• Lin Manshan finished treating Dugu Yan and returned to his room, then visited Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er.
• Shui Yue'er gave Lin Manshan a family cord with sapphires, and Shui Bing'er helped tie it around his neck.
• Lin Manshan used the Spirit Communication Technique to show Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er his Startled Swan Steps and explain how it worked.
• Lin Manshan told the girls he would return in two or three years, called the movement technique a betrothal gift, and left after a tender farewell.
• Lin Manshan treated Dugu Yan again, then declined the girls' Soul Tool and rode away on the horse Dugu Yan had bought.
• Dugu Yan invited Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er to travel with her, and Shui Bing'er agreed.

Lin Manshan traveled to Gengxin City to take a blacksmith assessment, where his exceptional forging talent stunned Master Si Di. The chapter ended with Lou Gao and three other men arriving to watch Lin Manshan after he finished forging the pig iron.

• Lin Manshan returned to Nuoding City and arranged with Tie Shan to travel with the blacksmith procurement caravan to Gengxin City.
• Lin Manshan prepared a mask for his Head Bone, cultivated for nine days, and then traveled to Gengxin City with the caravan led by Uncle Mo.
• Uncle Mo brought Lin Manshan to the Blacksmith General Association, where Master Si Di decided to oversee his assessment.
• Lin Manshan heated and hammered the pig iron with extraordinary skill, prompting Si Di to leave and seek help.
• Lin Manshan hammered the pig iron until it shrank by a third, while Lou Gao and three middle-aged men arrived to watch him.

Lin Manshan impressed Lou Gao with his self-created Blade Art, and Lou Gao eagerly took him as a disciple, promising him a Storage Soul Tool. The chapter ended with Lin Manshan asking whether any Soul Tools could store living creatures, and Lou Gao saying they were exceedingly rare.

• Lou Gao seized Lin Manshan’s hands and asked him to become his disciple, but Lin Manshan explained that ordinary blacksmiths had taught him and that his Blade Art came from his own practice.
• Lin Manshan described his mutated Firewood Chopper martial spirit, which could not retain Soul Rings or soul skills, and Lou Gao praised his Blade Art as comparable to the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.
• Lou Gao offered Lin Manshan his Casting Handbook and a Large Storage Soul Tool if he became his disciple, and Lin Manshan accepted.
• Lou Gao introduced Lin Manshan to his three Direct Disciples as their little junior brother and arranged a thirty percent discount on metal for Si Long’s guest.
• Lou Gao took Lin Manshan to the Auction House’s storage room to choose a Storage Soul Tool, and Lin Manshan asked for one that could store living creatures.

Lin Manshan offered Lou Gao his four-hundred-year Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle Head Bone to sell, and the two agreed to split the proceeds after costs. Lou Gao gave Lin Manshan two Storage Soul Tools and money, then took him to continue his blacksmith assessment; Lin Manshan later left to hunt for treasures while Lou Gao’s disciples wondered why he favored him so much.

• Lin Manshan showed Lou Gao his Golden Armored Rhinoceros Beetle Head Bone and explained that he wanted to sell it to buy Soul Tools and rare metals.
• Lou Gao warned that Miles might try to seize the Soul Bone and recommended selling it at the Star Luo Empire’s Imperial Capital Auction House.
• Lin Manshan and Lou Gao agreed that Lou Gao would pay him one million Gold Soul Coins and split any remaining proceeds after the cost of a Soul Tool.
• Lou Gao gave Lin Manshan a large storage belt and defensive storage wristguards, then led him to the Forging Room for his assessment.
• Lin Manshan accepted a Gold Card and went downstairs to search for treasures while Lou Gao’s disciples asked why he was so attentive to him.

Lou Gao speculated that Lin Manshan’s martial soul absorbed Soul Ring energy, strengthening his body, and believed he could become a powerful blacksmith and Spirit Master. After several days of training in Gengxin City, Lin Manshan left with his companions for the Heaven Dou Empire.

• Lou Gao told his disciples that Lin Manshan’s unusual strength suggested his body and martial soul absorbed Soul Ring energy, and he guessed Lin Manshan was already a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.
• Si Long praised the potential of Lin Manshan’s forging technique, while Lou Gao shared Lin Manshan’s kindness toward commoner blacksmiths and asked the disciples to keep their discussion secret.
• Lin Manshan haggled for unusual ores on the Blacksmith Association’s first floor, then gave Si Long a purchase order for metal to take back for himself and Tie Shan.
• Lou Gao tried to persuade Lin Manshan to stay, but Lin Manshan explained his ties to Old Jack’s family and his plans to go to Heaven Dou City; he then treated Lou Gao and his senior brothers with acupuncture.
• Lou Gao gave Lin Manshan intensive instruction in his casting techniques over the next three days, and Lin Manshan departed Gengxin City with his companions on the fourth morning.

After spending the New Year in Sacred Soul Village, Lin Manshan returned to Nuoding City with new forging knowledge and a supply of rare metals, intending to make hidden weapons for his own use. Meanwhile, Tang San completed two hidden weapons and began planning how to manufacture more.

• Lin Manshan visited Tie Shan and Sacred Soul Village, shared the news that Lou Gao had accepted him as a student, and celebrated the New Year with his family.
• Tang San finished the parts for the Back-Mounted Flower Crossbow, assembled it alongside Hidden Sand Shooting, and decided to draw blueprints for mechanical hidden weapons.
• Lin Manshan reviewed Lou Gao's forging handbook and considered making hidden weapons, but decided not to teach the methods to Lou Gao until he had the strength to protect them.
• After the New Year, Lin Manshan returned to Nuoding City and resumed cultivation and forging.

Lin Manshan forged more Hidden Weapons, reached Soul Power level 27, and began his plan to study Tang San’s Mysterious Heaven Skill by secretly lending him Soul Power. After sensing Tang San’s meridians and memorizing the route of his cultivation, Lin Manshan withdrew the power and returned home to cultivate.

• Lin Manshan finished a Black Needle and reflected on his progress forging Hidden Weapons, including the Peacock Plume Twelve Divine Needles.
• Lin Manshan recalled planting Mysterious Iron ore in Tang San’s Forging Room, which had led Tang San to make the Peacock Plume needles and reveal their manufacturing process.
• Near New Year, Lin Manshan visited Tie Shan’s Family and Ma Xiunuo, returned to Sacred Soul Village, and scouted the Back Mountain before Tang San came home.
• After Tang San returned, Lin Manshan used the Reincarnation Technique to transfer Soul Power into him while he slept, allowing Lin Manshan to sense his meridians and Mysterious Heaven Skill circulation.
• Lin Manshan canceled the technique after learning the meridian route, returned home, and began cultivating to replenish his Soul Power.

Tang San woke to a sudden increase in strength and speed, then cultivated the Purple Demon Eye while Lin Manshan secretly observed his technique. Tang San remained uncertain about the green glow in his meridians, while Lin Manshan realized how to adapt the Mysterious Heaven Skill for his own cultivation.

• Lin Manshan went to the Back Mountain and hid near Tang San's route to observe him.
• Tang San found that his strength and speed had more than doubled, then reached the summit and cracked a boulder with a punch.
• Tang San sat facing east to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye while Lin Manshan sensed his breathing and Soul Power circulation.
• Lin Manshan understood the Mysterious Heaven Skill's meridian routes and decided to use what he learned to cultivate the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
• Tang San examined his body and found a faint green glow around his meridians, which he suspected had caused his sudden physical changes.