Chapter Summaries

While recovering from his injuries, Fang Ling joined Zhu Zhuqing and her party for dinner, where she wrestled with the danger of their possible Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Fang Ling revealed his unusually low Innate Soul Power, leaving the group astonished and Zhu Zhuqing newly suspicious of his rapid cultivation.

• Zhu Zhuqing reflected on her possible Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Fang Ling and decided that revealing it could get him killed amid the Star Luo succession struggle.
• Zhu Zhuqing joined her party for a cautious dinner, and Fang Ling was invited to eat with them.
• The group questioned Fang Ling about his background, age, and martial spirit, and he explained that a Beast Tide had separated him from his academy team.
• When the Black-Clad Man asked about his Innate Soul Power, Fang Ling said it was Level One and showed Su Yuntao's certificate as proof.
• The Black-Clad Man examined the genuine certificate, while Zhu Zhuqing wondered how Fang Ling could have advanced so quickly with such poor talent.

Fang Ling convinced the Black Cat Soul Saint and the others that his strength came from surviving Life and Death Battles, then traveled with their group to the Star Luo Empire before returning to Soul Hunting Town. He reunited with Lin Tianyang, who planned to take him back to the Academy, and began explaining the dangers he had faced.

• Fang Ling showed the Black Cat Soul Saint his Silver Soul Fighter Badge and explained that he had become a Soul Grandmaster through more than thirty Life and Death Battles.
• Fang Ling's resolve impressed Zhu Zhuqing and the soul-hunting team, while the Black Cat Soul Saint abandoned his plan to recruit him.
• The soul-hunting team kept Fang Ling with them until their hunt ended three days later, then brought him to the Star Luo Empire without leaking news of their operation.
• Fang Ling traveled by the official route and detoured back to Soul Hunting Town, where he found Lin Tianyang waiting for him.
• Lin Tianyang embraced Fang Ling and said his father planned to use the family's connections to send him to a suitable Academy.
• Fang Ling began telling Lin Tianyang about the dangers he had encountered, starting with a Thousand-Year One-Eyed Giant Horn Antelope.

Fang Ling recounted how the Spirit Cat Duke's Mansion hunting party rescued him, then trained with the dean to master his upgraded Long-Handled Battle Scythe and second soul skill. After discovering his Scythe Technique talent had persisted through his martial soul's evolution, he began considering a risky plan involving soul bones.

• Fang Ling told the dean and Lin Tianyang how the hunting party led by the Spirit Cat Duke's Mansion's second young lady had saved him, while concealing his deliberate spirit-beast killings and the One-Eyed Giant Horned Goat Right Leg Bone.
• Fang Ling said he had refused any recruitment and believed the hunting party had only wanted to form a good connection with him.
• The dean examined Fang Ling's Cursed Blade soul skill and began testing his Long-Handled Battle Scythe before teaching him combat techniques.
• Over three days, Fang Ling quickly learned to wield the Great Scythe, and he realized that his Scythe Technique Lv3 talent had survived his martial soul's evolution.
• Fang Ling wondered whether losing a soul bone would leave its Body Talent intact and began considering ways to exploit that possibility.

Fang Ling received a recommendation to seek admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where he would need to earn the Education Committee’s recognition. He arrived at the academy with the principal, ready to begin the assessment.

• Fang Ling reflected on his Great Soul Arena record and continued training with his new scythe while waiting to leave for Heaven Dou City.
• Lin Tianyang brought Fang Ling to the principal, who explained that his old brother, a Count, had helped secure a chance to apply to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• The principal told Fang Ling that he had to earn the recognition of the three Soul Douluo-level Education Committee members to enroll.
• The principal advised Fang Ling to befriend Ye Lingling, the academy’s future team healer, because Fang Ling would need her healing support.
• A month later, Fang Ling and the principal arrived by carriage at the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Fang Ling and Lin Yuehua reached Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where committee member Bai Baoshan assessed Fang Ling’s cultivation, evolved Martial Soul, and determination. Bai Baoshan began a final test by pressing Fang Ling with Soul Power.

• Lin Yuehua used a recommendation letter and proof from Shigong’s brother to bring Fang Ling into Heaven Dou Royal Academy without interference.
• Lin Yuehua introduced Fang Ling to Bai Baoshan, who questioned him about his rapid cultivation and examined his War Sickle and Silver Soul Fighter Badge.
• Fang Ling declared that he would overcome his Innate Level One Soul Power and become the strongest Soul Master.
• Bai Baoshan told Fang Ling he could enroll if he passed the final test, then subjected him to overwhelming Soul Power pressure.

Fang Ling endured Bai Baoshan’s Soul Power test and earned admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. After an emotional farewell with Lin Yuehua, Fang Ling was invited to join the academy’s Battle Team Reserve.

• Bai Baoshan increased the Soul Power pressure on Fang Ling, who endured it with help from his sickle until reaching his limit at Level Thirty-three.
• Bai Baoshan praised Fang Ling’s will and endurance, declared him qualified for Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and promised to arrange his enrollment.
• Lin Yuehua warned Fang Ling to be cautious in Heaven Dou City, offered his elder brother’s help, and embraced him before leaving.
• Lin Yuehua reminded Fang Ling that steadfast will could overcome a lack of talent, and Fang Ling tearfully committed the school motto to memory.
• Bai Baoshan asked Fang Ling to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Battle Team Reserve, and Fang Ling accepted.

Fang Ling joined the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Battle Team Reserve after Qin Ming learned about his humble origins, rapid cultivation, and combat record. Qin Ming arranged his accommodations and meals, then warned him that he would need to earn the reserve team's recognition the next day.

• Bai Baoshan introduced Fang Ling to Qin Ming and explained that he had reached Level 23 at age ten.
• Fang Ling described his beggar origins, Innate Level One talent, and experience in more than thirty Life and Death Battles, then showed Qin Ming his Silver Soul Fighter Badge.
• Qin Ming accepted Fang Ling into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Battle Team Reserve and took him to his accommodations.
• Qin Ming explained the academy's free tuition and the protection offered by its student status, while Fang Ling requested larger meals to support his growth.
• Qin Ming told Fang Ling he would meet his possible teammates the next morning and would have to earn their recognition.

Fang Ling arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s reserve team training field and challenged Yu Tianheng to a fight to earn the team’s recognition. He left the others intrigued by his record in Life and Death Battles as the confrontation was about to begin.

• Fang Ling eagerly met Qin Ming and promised to hold back during his assessment.
• Qin Ming brought Fang Ling to the reserve team’s training field, where Fang Ling recognized Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling among the students.
• Fang Ling introduced himself as a Level 23 Great Spirit Master and revealed his Silver Soul Fighter Badge for Life and Death Battles.
• Yu Tianheng questioned Fang Ling about how many people he had killed, and Fang Ling estimated at least thirty or forty.
• Fang Ling summoned his battle scythe and challenged Yu Tianheng to fight for the reserve team’s recognition.

Yu Tianheng and Fang Ling sparred to test Fang Ling’s strength and soul skills, while Qin Ming stood ready to intervene. The fight left Yu Tianheng wary of Fang Ling’s Cursed Blade and considering how to exploit Fang Ling’s vulnerability to lightning.

• Yu Tianheng activated his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit and challenged Fang Ling, while Qin Ming prepared to stop the spar if needed.
• Fang Ling activated Star Mole Transformation and attacked Yu Tianheng with his Long-Handled Battle Scythe.
• Yu Tianheng met Fang Ling’s strike with his Dragon Claw, but Fang Ling’s Cursed Blade shattered its scales and left a deep wound.
• Fang Ling recovered from the lightning-induced numbness and launched another slash, forcing Yu Tianheng to retreat.
• Yu Tianheng and Fang Ling disclosed their soul skills, and Yu Tianheng resolved to guard against Cursed Blade or use long-range attacks.

Fang Ling and Yu Tianheng fought a sparring match, with Fang Ling using his speed and tactical insight to overcome Yu Tianheng’s attacks. Qin Ming stopped the fight just before Fang Ling’s sickle could seriously injure Yu Tianheng, and Fang Ling was left paralyzed in his arms.

• Fang Ling pressed his early advantage with rapid sickle strikes, forcing Yu Tianheng to retreat and use Thunder Dragon Claw from range.
• Fang Ling dodged Thunder Dragon Claw, then charged through Yu Tianheng’s wide-area Thunderous Might attack despite being badly shocked and paralyzed.
• Fang Ling used Weakness Detection to spot the weakened flow of Soul Power in Yu Tianheng’s injured palm and baited him into a direct clash.
• Yu Tianheng met Fang Ling’s final attack head-on, but Fang Ling’s sickle pierced his Dragon Scales and cut into his palm.
• Qin Ming intervened and caught Fang Ling as he retracted his sickle before it could sever Yu Tianheng’s hand.

After Fang Ling’s battle with Yu Tianheng was stopped, the team welcomed Fang Ling into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy first team. Fang Ling explained that instinct had guided his decisive strike, leaving the others curious about how he had found Yu Tianheng’s weak point.

• Ye Lingling healed Yu Tianheng and Fang Ling after the battle, while the crowd considered how close Fang Ling had come to cutting off Yu Tianheng’s hand.
• Dugu Yan teased Yu Tianheng about nearly losing to Fang Ling, and Fang Ling insisted Yu Tianheng would have won if he had used his third soul skill.
• Yu Tianheng welcomed Fang Ling to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy reserve team and asked everyone to introduce themselves.
• Dugu Yan, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, Osler, and Ye Lingling introduced their martial souls and levels.
• Qin Ming asked how Fang Ling had broken through Yu Tianheng’s Dragon Scales, and Fang Ling said instinct led him to target a weak point and gamble on Yu Tianheng’s response.

Fang Ling explained his combat instincts and rapid soul-skill use to Qin Ming and the first team, sharing advice drawn from Life and Death Battles. His account helped him fit into the group, though his evolved Great Scythe left Qin Ming understanding why his fighting style had changed.

• Fang Ling told Qin Ming and the others that his intuition and Life and Death Battles taught him to unleash his full strength immediately and seize the initiative.
• Fang Ling used his duel with Yu Tianheng to explain how controlling an opponent's rhythm could prevent them from using soul skills, and Yu Tianheng thanked him for the guidance.
• Fang Ling said his Star Mole Transformation increased his nerve reflexes by twenty percent and attributed his quick reactions to his natural instincts.
• Yu Feng tested Fang Ling with a sudden punch, and Fang Ling blocked it in time.
• Qin Ming concluded that Fang Ling's Martial Soul Evolution from a Small Agricultural Scythe into a Great Scythe had shifted his combat style toward broad, forceful attacks.

Fang Ling explained how quickly he adapted to his evolved scythe martial soul, and Yu Tianheng recognized his value to the team. Qin Ming settled the team’s recruitment tensions and began cross-country training, leaving Fang Ling newly motivated to strengthen his willpower.

• Fang Ling told Qin Ming that his martial soul had evolved two months earlier, and Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng praised how quickly he had adapted to it.
• Yu Tianheng considered how Fang Ling’s reflexes and powerful attacks could help the team break through opponents’ defenses.
• Qin Ming ended the tense discussion by deciding that recruitment would be competitive and weaker members would become substitutes.
• Fang Ling questioned the team’s simple running routine, and Qin Ming explained that it built willpower without risking the students’ physical development or overriding their family training.
• Fang Ling recognized how willpower could affect cultivation, then joined the team as Ye Lingling led them on a cross-country run through the academy.

Fang Ling trained with the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team, while Ye Lingling pushed herself through an exhausting run despite reaching her limit. Qin Ming recognized that her stubbornness came from her distress over the Nine Heart Begonia’s grim legacy and considered asking Fang Ling to help her.

• Qin Ming led the academy team on a long run, and Fang Ling was ranked near the front despite his prosthetic leg and low cultivation.
• After the group had run more than sixty kilometers, Ye Lingling staggered but refused Fang Ling’s advice to stop.
• Yu Tianheng challenged Fang Ling to race, and Fang Ling accelerated to keep up while hiding his strength.
• Dugu Yan disapproved of Yu Tianheng’s behavior, while Ye Lingling fell behind and continued running under Qin Ming’s watch.
• Qin Ming reflected on Ye Lingling’s loneliness and the Nine Heart Begonia’s rule that only two relatives could live as its spirit masters at once, then considered asking Fang Ling to help her.

Fang Ling’s tactics made Dugu Yan look down on Yu Tianheng, while his determined words impressed her and the others. Qin Ming then asked Fang Ling to help Ye Lingling, whose grief over the burden of the Nine Heart Begonia lineage had grown increasingly severe.

• Fang Ling deliberately let Dugu Yan’s group catch up and described Yu Tianheng as too fast for him, then vowed to surpass the world’s strongest soul masters.
• Dugu Yan ignored Yu Tianheng when the group returned to the Training Field, leaving him confused about why she was angry.
• After morning training, a teacher told Fang Ling that Qin Ming urgently wanted to see him.
• Fang Ling found Ye Lingling alone in the woods, kneeling and sobbing, while Qin Ming and another teacher explained their concern for her.
• Qin Ming asked Fang Ling to try helping Ye Lingling because counseling and efforts to encourage her to socialize had not eased her sorrow, and Fang Ling agreed.

Fang Ling comforted Ye Lingling by cooking for her after she ran away to cry, then told her about his life as a beggar with a broken leg. Ye Lingling stopped crying and learned that Fang Ling had endured his injury alone.

• Fang Ling agreed with Qin Ming that his lonely past made him the right person to comfort Ye Lingling.
• Fang Ling set up a cooking fire near Ye Lingling and prepared a meal while she cried.
• Ye Lingling resisted Fang Ling’s offer of food, but the aroma and his enjoyment of the meal persuaded her to eat.
• Ye Lingling praised Fang Ling’s cooking, removed her veil, and finished the meal without crying.
• Ye Lingling asked why the teachers had sent Fang Ling, and he explained that he had once been a beggar who endured a broken leg alone.

Fang Ling encouraged Ye Lingling to look beyond her painful past and find purpose, then asked her to accompany him to Heaven Dou City. Ye Lingling agreed to be his friend and go with him, though she suspected he mainly wanted her healing.

• Fang Ling told Ye Lingling that he focused on becoming stronger rather than dwelling on his past, and his words helped lift her spirits.
• Ye Lingling used her Martial Soul to heal Fang Ling, while Qin Ming and another teacher quietly left the forest.
• Fang Ling asked Ye Lingling to accompany him to Heaven Dou City and see the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
• Ye Lingling teased Fang Ling about courting her, and he explained that he wanted to be her friend and help her find a goal.
• Ye Lingling agreed to accompany Fang Ling, while noting that he probably wanted to freeload on her healing.

Dugu Yan visited Dugu Bo and told him about Fang Ling and her dislike of Yu Tianheng, while Dugu Bo considered how to protect her future. Over the next three months, Fang Ling advanced through deadly arena matches to level twenty-six, but found that improving his martial soul remained far beyond his means.

• Dugu Yan returned home and told Dugu Bo about Fang Ling's rapid progress, insisting that he was hardworking rather than a Fallen Spirit Master.
• Dugu Yan asked Dugu Bo to help drive away Yu Tianheng, and Dugu Bo considered easing her dislike because he saw the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan as a potential protector for her.
• Fang Ling went sightseeing with Ye Lingling, though he privately wanted to visit the Great Soul Arena.
• Over three months, Fang Ling reached level twenty-six by fighting Life and Death Battles and won four one-on-one matches and three two-on-two matches.
• Fang Ling gained twenty Points from his arena victories, but learned that raising his Lv4 War Sickle to level 5 required 160 Points.

Fang Ling trained his scythe skills and helped Ye Lingling become a Silver Soul Fighter through two-versus-two battles. After an awkward embrace and some teasing, they spotted Dugu Yan taking a pill, and Fang Ling suspected it was suppressing her toxins.

• Fang Ling advanced to Silver Soul Fighter in Gambit Battles while refining his scythe technique and using Cursed Blade with Nerve Reflex to defeat opponents.
• Fang Ling and Ye Lingling won another two-versus-two match as the Lingling Combination, earning Ye Lingling enough points to claim her Silver Soul Fighter Badge.
• Ye Lingling excitedly hugged Fang Ling, then let go in embarrassment when he said he could not breathe.
• Fang Ling and Ye Lingling teased each other about their inexperience and recalled how he had comforted her three months earlier.
• Ye Lingling spotted Dugu Yan wandering alone, and Fang Ling noticed her swallow a pill that he suspected Dugu Bo had given her to suppress her toxins.

Ye Lingling showed Dugu Yan her new Silver Soul Fighter Badge, but Dugu Yan remained focused on Fang Ling’s strange looks toward her. Uneasy, she told Dugu Bo, who agreed to test Fang Ling that night to find out whether he was a Fallen Spirit Master.

• Ye Lingling showed Dugu Yan her Silver Soul Fighter Badge, and Dugu Yan credited Fang Ling with being the stronger one.
• Dugu Yan questioned Fang Ling about his strange expression, while Ye Lingling revealed that he had an unrequited crush; Fang Ling and Ye Lingling bickered before running off together.
• Dugu Yan, unsettled by Fang Ling’s gaze, returned to Dugu Manor and told Dugu Bo she had noticed it several times.
• Dugu Bo suspected Fang Ling might be a Fallen Spirit Master and prepared to confront him, but Dugu Yan persuaded him to investigate rather than attack.
• Dugu Bo agreed to test Fang Ling that night.