Chapter Summaries

Quan Yi tested new applications of Rhino's Mark, developing a close-range shotgun attack and improving his marked-stone throwing accuracy. He then focused on strengthening his own ranged attacks and fired a condensed Flame Bullet into the sky.

• Quan Yi used Rhino's Mark to detonate a stone in his hand, firing fragments forward in a wide, short-range attack he named Shotgun Mode.
• Quan Yi assessed Shotgun Mode's recoil and limitations, and decided that iron balls could increase its lethality.
• Quan Yi practiced throwing marked stones at a target, using his sense of the marks to improve his aim until he hit eight or nine times out of ten.
• Quan Yi added throwing and Soul Skill development to his training while deciding to prioritize improving attacks that did not rely on external objects.
• Quan Yi concentrated his flame into a dense fireball, named it Flame Bullet, and shot it upward, where it exploded into blazing fire.

Quan Yi imitated Huo Wu’s First Soul Skill by creating and launching a Flame Bullet, then began training his fire control before running out of Soul Power. Meanwhile, Bai Yan reported their progress to Principal Xue Yuan, who entrusted her with overseeing their training.

• Quan Yi used the Blazing Sun Gauntlets to create a Flame Bullet and found a new way to train his control over fire.
• Quan Yi’s Soul Power ran low, so he sat down to meditate.
• Bai Yan told Xue Yuan that Quan Yi and Huo Wu had performed far better than expected in Combat Training.
• Bai Yan assessed Quan Yi as an exceptional, composed talent and described Huo Wu’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Bai Yan recommended continuing one Combat Training session each day so the two could focus on cultivating Soul Power.
• Xue Yuan agreed with Bai Yan’s reasoning and gave her full authority over Quan Yi and Huo Wu’s teaching arrangements.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu reflected on their weaknesses in combat training, and Quan Yi recognized that Bai Yan’s First Soul Skill was weak despite how difficult it had been to face. Bai Yan agreed with him, leaving Huo Wu confused about what made the skill weak.

• Quan Yi read during Bai Yan’s morning lesson while secretly listening and practicing Dual-Mindedness, then joined Huo Wu for their scheduled training.
• Bai Yan announced that Combat Training would take place five days a week and asked Quan Yi and Huo Wu to reflect on their previous battle.
• Huo Wu identified her lack of close-combat methods as her main weakness, while Quan Yi described his strong close combat and limited long-range ability and speed.
• Bai Yan advised Quan Yi to strengthen his Power Attack System advantages rather than compensate for weaknesses, then asked whether they had noticed anything unusual about her First Soul Skill.
• Quan Yi bluntly called Bai Yan’s First Soul Skill weak, and Bai Yan laughed and agreed, leaving Huo Wu baffled.

Quan Yi analyzed Bai Yan’s Flame Feather Assault and helped Huo Wu devise a new battle plan. Their Combined Soul Skill shattered Bai Yan’s attack, but she identified its instability and judged that it could not threaten her.

• Quan Yi explained that Bai Yan’s Flame Feather Assault was poorly suited to her Agility Attack role and warned that choosing Soul Rings to compensate for weaknesses could be wasteful.
• Huo Wu worried Bai Yan would counter their ranged attacks, but Quan Yi proposed a plan that focused on her instead.
• Quan Yi and Huo Wu wrapped stones around themselves before the rematch, and Bai Yan immediately flew toward Huo Wu.
• Bai Yan fired six Flame Feather Assault arrows at Huo Wu, whose Flame Bullet struck them and triggered an explosion.
• Quan Yi detonated Rhino’s Mark alongside the blast, creating a powerful Combined Soul Skill that destroyed the arrows.
• Bai Yan concluded that the Combined Soul Skill was unstable and that one Flame Feather Assault could drain both Quan Yi’s and Huo Wu’s Soul Power.

Huo Wu and Quan Yi used decoy stones and a final paired attack to pressure Bai Yan, who tried to outmaneuver them with her combat experience. After Bai Yan dodged Huo Wu’s two Flame Bullets, Quan Yi revealed a prepared imitation Flame Bullet and struck her at close range.

• Quan Yi told Huo Wu to follow their plan, and Huo Wu used a fake stone to mislead Bai Yan.
• Bai Yan kept her distance and attacked cautiously as Huo Wu’s Soul Power and stones dwindled.
• Quan Yi noticed Huo Wu had enough Soul Power for only two more shots and prepared their final strike.
• Huo Wu fired two Flame Bullets while Quan Yi detonated the Rhino’s Mark, but Bai Yan used the flash to evade them.
• Bai Yan turned toward Huo Wu and found Quan Yi waiting with an imitation Flame Bullet, which Quan Yi fired at close range.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu passed Bai Yan's assessment with a coordinated attack, and Bai Yan praised their strength and talent. As Quan Yi carried Huo Wu back, he explained how his strategy had forced Bai Yan into the final trap.

• Quan Yi combined Rhino's Mark with his Flame Bullet, and Bai Yan emerged from the explosion and declared that Quan Yi and Huo Wu had passed.
• Bai Yan asked Quan Yi about his Self-Created Soul Skill, and he said he had created it in one afternoon by imitating Huo Wu's Flame Bullet.
• Bai Yan praised Quan Yi's talent and Huo Wu's Dual Hand Control and perseverance before telling them to rest and return the next day.
• Huo Wu asked Quan Yi to carry her on his back, and he took her back toward the dormitory.
• Huo Wu asked how Quan Yi had predicted Bai Yan's movement, and he explained that their sustained attacks had distracted her and guided her toward his position.

Quan Yi encouraged Huo Wu by treating her as a true rival, reigniting her determination to catch up with him. After she returned to her dormitory, Quan Yi trained his fire control and considered how his family’s Steel and Sharpness technique strengthened it.

• Huo Wu asked whether Quan Yi had devised his battle tactics in fifteen minutes, and he explained that he had analyzed how to defeat Teacher Bai Yan since the previous day.
• Huo Wu doubted she could catch up to Quan Yi, but he told her he would not wait for her because he regarded her as an opponent.
• Huo Wu recovered her resolve, vowed to keep chasing Quan Yi, and thanked him before entering her dormitory.
• Quan Yi went to the sports field and practiced his Flame Bullet, Rhino's Mark, and Double Ejection.
• Quan Yi realized that training Steel and Sharpness had improved his fire control and wondered about his grandfather, the founder of the Quan Family Fist Technique.

Quan Yi analyzed his weaknesses and decided to develop a Self-Created Soul Skill to improve his mobility. By concentrating the flames from his Blazing Sun Gauntlets into a powerful jet, he managed to lift himself briefly above the Training Ground.

• Quan Yi concluded that he needed a way to improve his mobility and chose to create a Self-Created Soul Skill.
• Quan Yi reasoned that his strength and Fire-attribute requirements for soul rings made it difficult to acquire a speed-focused soul skill.
• Quan Yi directed his soul power through the Blazing Sun Gauntlets and compressed the flames at the centers of his palms.
• Quan Yi used the concentrated flame jets to lift his feet a few centimeters above the ground.
• Quan Yi lowered himself safely, stopped the jets, and celebrated his success.

Quan Yi discovered that compressing flames from his gauntlets could propel him into the air, then explored ways to use that force despite the technique’s high costs and difficulty. He began training a new Propulsion Mode, convinced he could eventually master it.

• Quan Yi used compressed flames to hover a few centimeters above the ground, though he could not yet control the propulsion well enough for combat.
• Quan Yi rejected using propulsion to accelerate his running because it took too long to prepare and consumed too much Soul Power.
• Quan Yi realized he could apply propulsion to his attacks by directing flames from his gauntlets to strengthen and speed up his punches.
• Quan Yi recovered his Soul Power and tested Propulsion Mode, finding that balanced flame jets required difficult, precise control and substantial Heart Power.
• Quan Yi committed to developing Propulsion Mode, believing that mastering it would also train him.

Quan Yi spent the afternoon practicing Propulsion Mode, gradually improving the balance of its forces in his punches. As he prepared for the next day's Combat Training, he remained troubled by Teacher Bai Yan's apparent confidence in facing Rhino's Mark.

• Quan Yi tested Propulsion Mode with two Flame Tails, then repeatedly practiced punches to make their propulsive forces work in unison.
• Quan Yi trained through the afternoon, switching arms and meditating to recover Soul Power, until he could make straight punches with a barely steady balance of force.
• Quan Yi ate dried meat and reflected on his gradual gains in physical strength and Soul Power, then considered how Teacher Bai Yan might approach tomorrow's Combat Training.
• Quan Yi believed Propulsion Mode could help him strike Teacher Bai Yan, but worried that she had a definite way to counter Rhino's Mark.

Quan Yi considered how Teacher Bai Yan could counter his First Soul Skill but found no perfect solution, so he focused on strengthening his Soul Power control and training. Afterward, he shared dinner with Huo Wu, who noticed he was unusually tired and urged him to take care of himself.

• Quan Yi reasoned that Teacher Bai Yan lacked Fire Immunity and could be defeated if he touched her, but he could not find a reliable way for her to counter his skill.
• Quan Yi resumed practicing the Quan Family Fist Technique, rapidly switching between Steel and Sharpness to improve his Soul Power control.
• Quan Yi completed his nightly workout and went to the Dining Hall, where he found Huo Wu already eating.
• Huo Wu noticed Quan Yi's fatigue and worried that his intense training and Combat Training might overwhelm him; Quan Yi thanked her and cautioned her to adapt gradually.
• People in the Dining Hall discussed Quan Yi's reputation and learned that Sun Jie had applied for early graduation and left for the Intermediate Academy after their fight.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu prepared for their third combat training battle against Teacher Bai Yan, with Huo Wu planning to wear her down so Quan Yi could continue fighting. After reviewing the previous battle, Quan Yi pointed out that their victories came from being stronger than Bai Yan had realized, prompting her to raise the difficulty of their training.

• Quan Yi asked Huo Wu where Huo Wushuang had been, and Huo Wu said he was training at the Soul Fight Arena.
• Huo Wu told Quan Yi she would try to drain Teacher Bai Yan's Soul Power in their next battle, and Quan Yi promised to fight his hardest.
• At the Training Ground, Huo Wu analyzed the previous battle and praised Quan Yi's tactics while explaining what she had learned.
• Quan Yi argued that their earlier victories were mainly due to their greater strength, not their tactics, and urged Bai Yan to recognize the gap.
• Bai Yan admitted that she had underestimated Quan Yi and Huo Wu and announced that she would hold them to a higher standard.

Teacher Bai Yan challenged Quan Yi and Huo Wu to face her at Rank Twenty-Five with her Second Soul Skill, Blazing Flames Engulfing Body. They accepted, then prepared to go all out in the coming battle, with Huo Wu set to attack first and Quan Yi taking over afterward.

• Bai Yan explained that her Second Soul Skill increased flame power by ten percent and speed by twenty percent, then offered to use it against Quan Yi and Huo Wu.
• Quan Yi and Huo Wu accepted Bai Yan's challenge after sharing a determined look.
• Huo Wu planned to launch a full-force attack first to probe Bai Yan's abilities and give Quan Yi time to adapt.
• Quan Yi gave Huo Wu several dozen Rhino's Marks, the Hand Grenades he had prepared in advance, and asked her to use them from the start.
• Quan Yi and Huo Wu bumped fists, then sat down to regulate their breathing before the battle.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu opened their Combat Training against Bai Yan with coordinated long-range attacks, but Bai Yan evaded them with her overwhelming speed. Huo Wu exhausted her Soul Power and left the battlefield, leaving Quan Yi alone to face Bai Yan as she prepared to see his full strength.

• Bai Yan began the third Combat Training by activating her flame-enhanced speed, while Huo Wu and Quan Yi launched a coordinated attack with Flame Bullet and Rhino's Mark stones.
• Quan Yi detonated Rhino's Mark stones to interrupt Bai Yan's Flame Feather Assault, but Bai Yan dodged both attacks without injury.
• Huo Wu continued firing Flame Bullets to keep Bai Yan occupied, then used up her Soul Power and withdrew from the battle.
• Bai Yan waited for Huo Wu to leave, then faced Quan Yi and said she could finally see his full strength.

Bai Yan tested Quan Yi in a spar, then demonstrated how to counter his Rhino's Mark by cutting away the marked flesh. She urged him to stay humble and left the Training Ground, leaving Quan Yi deeply moved by her final lesson.

• Bai Yan used her speed to test Quan Yi before rushing into his attack range, where he struck her with his Blazing Sun Gauntlets and branded her left arm with Rhino's Mark.
• Bai Yan pursued Quan Yi despite the mark, caught him by the collar, and prevented him from escaping.
• Bai Yan cut the marked flesh from her arm and burned it, explaining that Rhino's Mark could be countered by removing the marked area and could not be detonated at close range.
• Bai Yan told Quan Yi to remain humble and recognize that every powerful force had weaknesses, and Quan Yi bowed and promised to remember her teaching.
• Bai Yan told Quan Yi and Huo Wu to rest, then left the Training Ground while Quan Yi watched her go.

After a year of disciplined training, Quan Yi and Huo Wu grew stronger and closer, but Huo Wu left for vacation while Quan Yi stayed at the academy. Quan Yi broke through to Soul Power Level twenty during his first night of seclusion, bringing him closer to hunting for his Second Soul Ring.

• After their early defeat, Quan Yi and Huo Wu trained hard, and Quan Yi adjusted his routine to include regular sleep and rest.
• Quan Yi’s meditation in the Simulated Environment Training Ground raised his Soul Power Level to nineteen, while Huo Wu reached level seventeen.
• On the final evening of the semester, Huo Wu said goodbye to Quan Yi and left for home.
• Quan Yi went to the academy’s Cultivation Room and meditated through the night, breaking through to level twenty on the first day of vacation.

After reaching rank twenty, Quan Yi arranged to obtain his Second Soul Ring and visited the Yuan Family Blacksmith Shop to propose acquiring it. The chapter ended with Quan Yi explaining that his family would fund the shop so Master Yuan could focus on forging.

• Quan Yi drank water after finishing twenty hours of training in the academy’s Simulated Environment Training Ground and broke through to rank twenty.
• Quan Yi received leave from Bai Yan and arranged to meet his parents at a Soul Beast Forest one week later to seek his Second Soul Ring.
• Quan Yi traveled to the Yuan Family Blacksmith Shop and told Master Yuan he wanted to acquire the shop and employ him as a blacksmith.
• Master Yuan objected to selling his ancestral shop, and Quan Yi explained that his family would take over its management and support his forging.

Quan Yi recruited Yuan Xing and Yuan Fei for an Ironware Research Institute, offering to buy their shop and fund their work. After discussing the proposal, they accepted, and Quan Yi looked around the shop while Quan Ying handled the arrangements.

• Quan Yi explained that he wanted to establish an Ironware Research Institute and recruit Yuan Xing to develop stronger ironware.
• Quan Yi introduced himself as the young master of the Quan Family Boutique and offered to buy the shop at market price while keeping Yuan Xing on staff.
• Quan Ying presented Yuan Xing with a Limited VIP Card from the Quan Family Boutique.
• Yuan Xing asked to discuss the proposal with his son, Yuan Fei, and the two later agreed to join Quan Yi's institute.
• Quan Ying began handling the contract, shop transfer, and recruitment terms while Quan Yi explored the Blacksmith Shop.

Quan Yi inspected the Yuan Family Blacksmith Shop, signed a contract with Yuan Xing, and witnessed Blacksmith Yuan’s extraordinary forging skill. After spending a week working there, Quan Yi left with a shotgun modeled on a weapon from his previous life and imagined expanding his firearms research.

• Quan Yi examined the shop’s iron goods and concluded that Blacksmith Yuan’s skill was excellent, though his low prices and rivals’ suppression had harmed the family business.
• Yuan Xing signed a contract with Quan Yi and led him to the Forging Room, where Blacksmith Yuan demonstrated his skill by forging a perfect sphere from an irregular iron block.
• Quan Yi tested the sphere as a shotgun bullet in an iron pipe and praised Blacksmith Yuan’s craftsmanship.
• Quan Yi spent the following week at the shop while Blacksmith Yuan forged parts for a shotgun, then assembled a gun with a handle, stock, and simple magazine.
• Yuan Xing questioned the strange weapon’s purpose, and Quan Yi said it would show its true effect in his hands.

Quan Yi tested the firearm forged by Yuan Xing and Yuan Fei, then reunited with his parents near Blaze Forest. The next day, he found a Dark Flame Elephant and chose it as the target for his Second Soul Ring.

• Quan Yi explained that he had founded the Research Institute to develop firearms and strengthen the Quan Family.
• Quan Yi test-fired his new gun at a stone block, impressing Yuan Xing and Yuan Fei, and promised to reward them for their work.
• Quan Yi asked Yuan Xing and Yuan Fei to keep forging the weapon while he was away.
• Quan Yi reunited with Su Ling'er and Quan Yue at a village outside Blaze Forest after a year apart.
• Quan Yi, Quan Yue, and Su Ling'er entered Blaze Forest and spotted a Dark Flame Elephant that Quan Yi selected for his Second Soul Ring.