Chapter Summaries

Qian Bing convinced Tang San that his Innate Full Spirit Power came from a powerful second Spirit, then revealed his own Twin Spirits and recruited Tang San as a future teammate. He began sharing another piece of his research after Tang San asked why his cultivation seemed unable to break through a Soul Power rank.

• Qian Bing explained that Blue Silver Grass could not account for Tang San's Innate Full Spirit Power and described how Mutated Spirits could arise from a parent's Spirits.
• Tang San put away the concealed weapon he had been using to guard against Qian Bing and asked why Qian Bing had exposed his secret.
• Qian Bing displayed his Twin Spirits and yellow soul ring, then explained that he wanted Tang San as a future combat partner.
• Tang San accepted Qian Bing's offer and called him Boss, while Qian Bing promised to help him, including with Xiao Wu.
• Tang San asked whether continuing to cultivate had any meaning when his Soul Power seemed unable to advance, and Qian Bing said he would share research that contradicted public knowledge.

Qian Bing reassured Tang San that cultivation at a soul-power bottleneck still accumulated strength and promised to help him find a first soul ring. He then continued his academy routine and searched Viridian Forest for the mysterious current, planning to give up if he found no clues.

• Qian Bing explained that soul power could accumulate beyond a bottleneck and suggested it might prevent Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill from advancing.
• Tang San asked for help obtaining his first soul ring, and Qian Bing promised to take him to hunt in Soul Hunting Forest after learning the academy's schedule.
• Qian Bing spent the next two days attending Notting Academy classes and training his Pokemon, especially Pidgeotto.
• Qian Bing captured two Elite Grade Kakuna but remained unable to find Viridian Forest's Mysterious Current.
• After nearly two hours of searching, Qian Bing decided to feed his Pokemon, deliver the Kakuna to Nurse Joy, and abandon the mission if he found no clues that day.

Qian Bing discovered that a wild Pikachu had stolen Pidgeotto’s Energy Cubes and tried to capture it after learning it was unusually valuable. Pikachu escaped into the forest using Double Team, and Qian Bing pursued it with his Pokémon.

• Qian Bing fed Bulbasaur and left a larger portion of Energy Cubes for Pidgeotto, explaining that Pidgeotto needed more food because it was bigger.
• Pidgeotto spotted something in the forest and pursued it after half its Energy Cubes disappeared.
• Qian Bing recognized the thief as a Pikachu after it struck Pidgeotto with Thunderbolt, then checked its details and found it was a high-quality Pokémon holding an Electric Orb.
• Qian Bing ordered Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip and Pidgeotto to use Gust, but Pikachu dropped most of the stolen Energy Cubes and escaped with Double Team.
• Qian Bing urged Pidgeotto to track Pikachu and chased after it into the forest.

Qian Bing pursued the valuable Pikachu and found it battling a high-grade Butterfree in Viridian Forest. As the two exhausted Pokemon exchanged their final attacks, Qian Bing watched from hiding, ready to seize the chance to catch them.

• Qian Bing continued chasing Pikachu with Bulbasaur after calculating how much its Electric Orb and rare qualities were worth.
• Pidgeotto located Pikachu's trail, and Qian Bing followed it to a forest clearing where a battle was underway.
• Qian Bing inhaled Butterfree's Sleep Powder, retreated, and identified Butterfree as a Quasi-King Grade Pokemon carrying a Focus Band.
• Qian Bing hid near the battlefield as Pikachu, still drowsy from Sleep Powder, and the injured Butterfree fought toward a decisive finish.
• Butterfree struck Pikachu with Confusion, and Pikachu endured the attack to hit Butterfree with Thunderbolt.

Qian Bing ambushed and captured the badly injured Pikachu and Butterfree after Pidgeotto defeated Butterfree, but his Spirit Ball Spirit failed to capture Pikachu. He rushed the injured Pokémon to Viridian City Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy treated them and reported that Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur had already recovered while Pikachu and Butterfree were still receiving care.

• Qian Bing had Bulbasaur bind Pikachu and strike Butterfree, then ordered Pidgeotto to knock Butterfree out with Gust.
• Qian Bing failed to capture Pikachu with his Spirit Ball Spirit, so he used an ordinary Poké Ball to capture it instead.
• Qian Bing captured Butterfree after Pidgeotto defeated it and hurried back to Viridian City to get both injured Pokémon treated.
• Nurse Joy took four Poké Balls to the treatment room and had Chansey use Sing and Life Dew to treat Pikachu.
• Nurse Joy returned with two Spirit Balls and told Qian Bing that Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur had recovered, while Pikachu and Butterfree were still being treated.

Qian Bing learned Pikachu and Butterfree would recover, paid for their treatment, and used his Spirit Illustrated Handbook to receive a small discount. He submitted two Kakuna for Adventure Mission rewards, but only one qualified, leaving him to discover that the other was the wrong gender.

• Nurse Joy assured Qian Bing that Pikachu and Butterfree would recover after several days of rest.
• Nurse Joy charged Qian Bing 10,000 Alliance Coins for their injuries, then reduced the bill to 9,500 after confirming his Apprentice Trainer registration in the Spirit Illustrated Handbook.
• Qian Bing paid the treatment fee and gave Nurse Joy two Spirit Balls containing Elite Grade Kakuna to verify for his Adventure Missions.
• Nurse Joy checked the Kakuna in the Appraisal Room and accepted only one of them for the mission.
• Nurse Joy explained that the rejected Kakuna did not meet the requirement for a female Elite Grade Kakuna, and Qian Bing regretted missing out on 20,000 Alliance Coins.

Nurse Joy explained that the Pokémon Care Center would offer Qian Bing either two million Alliance Coins or a chance to choose a Spirit Egg from its A-Grade Warehouse for a high-quality Butterfree. After learning that Butterfree and Pikachu might be difficult for him to control, Qian Bing agreed to trade Butterfree for the egg opportunity and asked Joy to negotiate clearing his loan too.

• Nurse Joy told Qian Bing that the Care Center would increase the Butterfree mission reward to two million Alliance Coins or offer access to the A-Grade Spirit Egg Warehouse.
• Joy explained the warehouse’s entry requirements and the potential quality of its Spirit Eggs.
• Joy warned Qian Bing that, as an Apprentice Trainer without Gym Badges, he might not control the wild Pikachu and Butterfree.
• Qian Bing accepted Joy’s suggestion to trade Butterfree for the chance to choose a Spirit Egg and asked her to negotiate clearing his loan.
• Joy went to the Appraisal Room to speak with the Pokémon Care Center on Qian Bing’s behalf.

After trading Butterfree and his mission commission for access to the A-Rank Warehouse, Qian Bing returned to Notting Academy and went to Spirit Hall for a Soul Power assessment. He entered the grand hall and was led toward Great Soul Master Mashuno on the second floor.

• Nurse Joy submitted Qian Bing’s sudden mission for review, added his Adventurer Points, and returned his Pikachu with instructions not to battle for a week.
• Qian Bing reached 2,000 Adventurer Points and became an Intermediate Adventurer, but he still needed a Gym Badge before accepting A-Rank Missions.
• Qian Bing returned to reality, hurried to class, and later asked his teacher for leave to take an advancement assessment at Spirit Hall.
• The guards let Qian Bing into the Notting City Spirit Hall after he explained that his teacher had sent him to have his Soul Power assessed.
• Qian Bing asked a cleaning woman where to find Great Soul Master Mashuno, and she offered to take him to the second floor.

Qian Bing visited Spirit Hall for a rank advancement appraisal and astonished Mashuno with his unusual Spirit Ball Spirit and Hundred-Year Soul Ring. The appraisal revealed that Qian Bing had reached spirit power level fourteen, leaving Mashuno eager to learn how he obtained his soul ring.

• A slightly plump woman led Qian Bing to Mashuno's office, where he requested a Soul Master rank advancement appraisal.
• Mashuno recognized Qian Bing as one of the children Su Yuntao had mentioned and led him to Spirit Hall's advancement appraisal laboratory.
• Mashuno explained Spirit Hall's hierarchy as Qian Bing noticed the appraisal room's stones and floor emblem.
• Qian Bing summoned his Spirit Ball Spirit and released his yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring, shocking Mashuno.
• Qian Bing poured spirit power into a crystal ball, and Mashuno discovered he was at level fourteen instead of the expected level eleven.
• Mashuno asked Qian Bing what spirit beast he had hunted for the soul ring, and Qian Bing was stumped.

Qian Bing earned his Soul Master badge and monthly subsidy, then learned the Work-Study Students were facing Boss Xiao in a duel. He summoned a gigantic Pidgeotto to fly to the back mountain, arriving as Xiao Wu and the Work-Study Students confronted Boss Xiao’s group.

• Qian Bing told Mashuno how he had obtained his first soul ring, and Mashuno invited him to join Spirit Hall.
• Qian Bing declined Spirit Hall’s invitation because he had already enrolled at Notting Academy, then received his Soul Master badge and one Gold Soul Coin.
• Qian Bing learned that Xiao Wu and the Work-Study Students had challenged Boss Xiao, and he hurried toward the back mountain to support them.
• Qian Bing summoned Pidgeotto, was shocked by its enormous size, and rode it toward the duel.
• Xiao Wu and the Work-Study Students faced Boss Xiao and more than twenty upper-year students, and Boss Xiao taunted Xiao Wu about her rabbit martial spirit.

Xiao Wu accepted Xiao Chenyu’s proposed wheel battle, but Qian Bing arrived before Wang Sheng could fight and revealed his Spirit Ball Spirit and Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Qian Bing defeated Liu Long with a quick series of strikes, leaving Xiao Chenyu’s side stunned.

• Xiao Wu agreed to Xiao Chenyu’s plan for the two groups to send fighters into the ring in succession.
• Wang Sheng prepared to face Liu Long, but Qian Bing arrived on Pidgeotto and took the place between Xiao Wu and Xiao Chenyu.
• Xiao Chenyu challenged Qian Bing to fight without relying on Pidgeotto, and Qian Bing revealed his One-Ring Soul Master status and recalled the bird into his Spirit Ball.
• Liu Long stepped forward with his Golden Iron Rod Spirit and attacked Qian Bing with his staff.
• Qian Bing dodged Liu Long’s swing, struck him from behind, and kicked him face-first into the dirt, defeating him.

Qian Bing and Pidgeotto overwhelmed Xiao Chenyu’s upperclassmen in their challenge, leaving Xiao Chenyu to face them alone. As Xiao Chenyu prepared to fight, he suspected Qian Bing came from a powerful family, but Qian Bing urged him to attack.

• Qian Bing mocked Xiao Chenyu after Liu Long was defeated, and Xiao Chenyu conceded the first round before sending Ling Feng to fight.
• Ling Feng attacked Qian Bing from the air, but Pidgeotto struck him with Quick Attack and sent him crashing into the woods unconscious.
• Terrified by Ling Feng’s defeat, many of Xiao Chenyu’s subordinates fled, leaving fewer than twenty behind.
• Xiao Chenyu introduced himself as a level eleven One-Ring Soul Master with a Wolf spirit and warned a subordinate to stop provoking Qian Bing.
• Xiao Chenyu wondered which great family backed Qian Bing, while Qian Bing told him to make his move.

Qian Bing used Quick Attack to overpower Xiao Chenyu in a head-on clash, then ordered Pidgeotto to unleash Gust. Xiao Chenyu and his classmates survived when the wind blade missed them, but it sliced through the treetops behind them.

• Xiao Chenyu charged Qian Bing with his Wolf Claw, expecting to take him down before Pidgeotto could attack.
• Qian Bing used Quick Attack to dodge Xiao Chenyu's claw and crash into him, sending him staggering backward.
• Qian Bing ordered Pidgeotto to use Gust, and Xiao Chenyu tried to block the wind blade with two streaks of green light.
• The wind blade swept past Xiao Chenyu and his classmates, then sliced the crowns off several trees behind them.
• Xiao Chenyu realized how terrifying Pidgeotto's attack was and felt fortunate that everyone had survived.

Qian Bing defeated Xiao Chenyu’s group and established Xiao Wu as the academy’s big sister before taking Tang San toward the Soul Hunting Forest. On the way, he explained soul beasts and soul rings as they headed out to find Tang San a first ring.

• Qian Bing accepted Xiao Chenyu’s surrender and told him that Xiao Wu, not Qian Bing, would be the head of Seven Dorm.
• Xiao Wu revealed that she was a level-twelve Soul Master with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, and Xiao Chenyu admitted defeat and named her the academy’s big sister.
• Qian Bing summoned Pidgeotto and took Tang San aboard, following a map toward the Soul Hunting Forest.
• Qian Bing told Tang San that he had obtained a permit from Master Mashuno and planned to help him hunt for a soul ring over the weekend.
• Qian Bing explained the Soul Hunting Forest, soul beast age categories, ring colors, and how stronger soul rings granted greater enhancements.

Qian Bing explained the rules and limits of absorbing soul rings to Tang San, who grew more confident in his boss’s judgment. They reached the Soul Hunting Forest, where Qian Bing described how ordinary Soul Masters formed hunting teams, and Tang San left grateful for his help.

• Qian Bing explained that a Soul Master had to personally kill a soul beast and absorb its soul ring within an hour, while the ring’s age and compatibility had to suit the Soul Master’s abilities.
• Tang San listened to Qian Bing’s advice against relying on shortcuts and recognized that their values were similar.
• Qian Bing and Tang San arrived at the Soul Hunting Forest the next day on Pidgeotto, and Tang San found a bustling marketplace outside the forest.
• Qian Bing explained how ordinary Soul Masters formed groups and took turns hunting soul beasts, and Tang San thanked him for helping him avoid a random match.
• Qian Bing told Tang San that a suitable team could help each member hunt a soul beast, provided each Soul Master delivered the final blow.

Qian Bing explained Soul Hunting Forest parties and entry rules as he led Tang San into the forest with a valid warrant. They began searching for a Soul Beast, and Qian Bing identified a nearby ten-year Mottled Cat before they continued onward.

• Qian Bing explained the five roles of a complete Soul-hunting party and warned that teammates needed years of coordination and complete trust.
• Qian Bing explained that Spirit Hall warrants and noble guarantees were required to enter the state-run Soul Hunting Forest, then showed Tang San a token bearing the Clear Sky Hammer symbol.
• The soldiers let Qian Bing and Tang San enter after inspecting the warrant, and Qian Bing gave Tang San a short sword for delivering a Soul Beast’s final blow.
• Qian Bing summoned Pidgeotto to patrol above them as they headed deeper into the forest.
• Pidgeotto warned them about a cat-like Soul Beast, and Qian Bing identified it as a harmless ten-year Mottled Cat before explaining its traits to Tang San.

Qian Bing taught Tang San how to judge soul beasts and choose Soul Rings, then prepared a campsite and explained the importance of early cultivation. Their lesson was interrupted when six Netherworld Wolves surrounded them, and Qian Bing ordered Pidgeotto to attack with Gust.

• Qian Bing explained how a soul beast’s size and Soul Power color indicated its age and strength, and said he had chosen a suitable first Soul Ring for Tang San.
• Qian Bing and Tang San continued through the forest while Pidgeotto spotted hidden soul beasts, and Qian Bing introduced Tang San to several of them.
• As night fell, Qian Bing chose a sheltered campsite and gave Tang San pungent powder to scatter around the area.
• Qian Bing told Tang San that reaching level thirty before age twenty could determine a Soul Master’s future, and promised they would support each other.
• Pidgeotto warned them of approaching Netherworld Wolves, and six wolves surrounded Qian Bing and Tang San.
• Qian Bing told Tang San to retreat, then ordered Pidgeotto to use Gust against the wolves.

Qian Bing’s Spirit Ball Spirit absorbed a wounded Netherworld Wolf, and he discovered that his Soul Power was increasing on its own. Before he and Tang San could finish dealing with the wolves, a Mandala Snake appeared nearby, leaving them facing a new threat.

• Pidgeotto’s Gust killed three Netherworld Wolves, fatally wounded two more, and drove the last one into the forest.
• Qian Bing’s Spirit Ball Spirit captured one injured wolf, but it did not respond when he tried to summon it.
• Qian Bing felt his Soul Power growing while Tang San dealt with the wolves and realized the Spirit Ball Spirit had transferred the wolf’s energy to him.
• Pidgeotto alerted Qian Bing and Tang San to a nearby threat, and they detected poison and heard movement in the bushes.
• Tang San lit a fire starter, revealing a Mandala Snake that hissed at Pidgeotto but held back from the Realgar Powder.

Qian Bing identified the Mandala Snake as a highly dangerous, nearly four-hundred-year soul beast and used his First Soul Ring Skill to shrink and strengthen Pidgeotto. The skill left Qian Bing too weak to fight, while Pidgeotto battled the snake and began suffering damage from its venom.

• Qian Bing warned Tang San about the Mandala Snake's poison, defenses, and aggression, then ordered Pidgeotto to attack its hiding place with Gust.
• Pidgeotto's Gust threw the Mandala Snake into the air, and Qian Bing estimated that it was close to four hundred years old and suitable as Tang San's first soul ring.
• Qian Bing used Soul Power Body Tempering and All Stars Ring Extreme to shrink Pidgeotto and boost its physical strength, energy, and skill-casting speed.
• Qian Bing explained the skill's effects to Tang San, then retreated after nearly exhausting his soul power.
• Pidgeotto fought the Mandala Snake with talons, beak, and wind blades, but the snake's scales resisted its attacks and its venom corroded Pidgeotto's body.

Qian Bing watched Pidgeotto badly wounded as it severed part of the Mandala Snake’s body with a powerful Gust. The enraged snake charged Qian Bing and Tang San, and Tang San stepped in to fend it off as Pidgeotto’s Soul Ring Possession began to fade.

• The Mandala Snake bit Pidgeotto’s chest, and its venom spread as Pidgeotto struggled to shake it loose in the air.
• Pidgeotto ignored Qian Bing’s warning and condensed a Gust that severed the rear quarter of the Mandala Snake’s body.
• The wounded Mandala Snake emerged from the forest and rushed at Qian Bing and Tang San while Pidgeotto’s power began to falter.
• Qian Bing warned Tang San that Pidgeotto could only maintain its Soul Ring Possession for another minute or two.
• Tang San moved in front of Qian Bing and used pebbles and the Flinging Hand Arrow technique to stall the Mandala Snake, then ran out of stones.