Chapter Summaries

Zhongli brought Aserine to Moon Pavilion and gave her millions of Gold Soul Coins to cover his personal expenses. After they proved they could afford the restaurant and ordered an expensive meal, Zhongli waited at their secluded table, commenting on the tea.

• Aserine warned Zhongli that Moon Pavilion's expenses could strain their resources, so he filled her Storage Bracelet with Gold Soul Coins and told her to keep their source secret.
• Zhongli and Aserine reached Moon Pavilion, where Aserine gave each gatekeeper a Gold Soul Coin to prove they could afford to enter.
• Zhongli asked for a secluded first-floor table and let Aserine choose a high-end meal for them.
• The Red-Clothed Maid questioned whether they could pay, and Zhongli told Aserine to settle the bill before she led her to the counter.
• Zhongli sipped the tea while waiting and remarked that it had lost some of its fragrance.

Zhongli waited at Moon Pavilion for the fox who had summoned him, only to discover her teasing message and track her down. Sakura revealed that she had lured him there to keep him away from an attack on his home, leaving Zhongli wondering who had targeted him and why.

• Zhongli waited at Moon Pavilion with Aserine, ate dinner, and found that the fox had not arrived.
• Zhongli read the rest of the pink gauze and discovered that the fox had been teasing him, then used his perception of stone to locate her watching from the second floor.
• Sakura came downstairs, introduced herself as Moon Pavilion's owner, and claimed she had saved Zhongli.
• Zhongli remotely observed eight powerful intruders ransacking his home and realized Sakura's diversion had kept him from facing them.
• Zhongli suspected the attackers were enemies of his parents and questioned Sakura's motives.

Zhongli learned that the people who attacked his home belonged to the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group, a mercenary outfit based in Suotuo City that served as a front for illicit work. He returned to his ruined home with Aserine, resolved to punish both the hired attackers and whoever hired them, and was comforted by Aserine’s embrace.

• Zhongli asked Sakura who the attackers were, and she demanded thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins for the information.
• Zhongli agreed to pay, and Sakura identified the attackers as members of the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group, headquartered in Suotuo City.
• Aserine warned Zhongli that the mercenaries were likely hired thugs, but Zhongli resolved to punish both them and their employer.
• Zhongli and Aserine reached his wrecked home, where he silently mourned the destruction of his parents’ gift.
• Aserine embraced Zhongli because her instructor had told her it might comfort him when he felt down.

Zhongli transformed into his Golden Yellow Divine Dragon form and killed the eight members of the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group who had come to the Soul Beast Forest searching for him. He returned home, considering whether to investigate the group’s employer but deciding to avoid drawing Spirit Hall’s attention.

• Zhongli told Aserine to clean the house and to treat a purple-haired girl well if she visited, then headed toward the Soul Beast Forest.
• Zhongli found six Soul Emperors, a Soul King, and a Soul Saint searching the forest and slaughtering Soul Beasts.
• Zhongli transformed into his Golden Yellow Divine Dragon form, terrifying the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group as he approached.
• The Soul Saint captain ordered the group to prepare for battle, but Zhongli summoned a Rain of Stone Spears that buried all eight members.
• Zhongli returned to his Adult Form and headed home, deciding not to attack the group’s headquarters or pursue its employer for now.

Zhongli tried to help Aserine develop a will of her own by having her light a God's Eye, but she lit it with her desire to become the best Maid in the world and immediately returned to work. As their damaged house continued falling apart, Zhongli grew angrier at the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group and vowed to pursue their employer once he had grown stronger.

• Zhongli ordered the exhausted Aserine to rest, but she chose a corner near the work area so she could remain efficient.
• Zhongli asked Aserine to use her own will to light the God's Eye he had given her.
• Aserine lit the God's Eye by wishing to become the best Maid in the world, and its power strengthened her.
• Aserine resumed cleaning with renewed energy while Zhongli let her work, unsure how to change her outlook.
• The sofa collapsed in two places, and Zhongli blamed the damage on the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group and vowed to find their employer in Suotuo City after growing stronger.

Zhongli and Mo Yuqing arrived at Spirit Hall Academy for their first day and learned they would take talent tests to determine their future paths. After entering, they met Hua Banhao, a Food System Soul Master determined to become a powerful attack-type fighter, whose wish caught Zhongli’s attention.

• Zhongli spent his Skill Points to strengthen Planet Befall before heading to the academy with Mo Yuqing and Aserine.
• Mo Yuqing and Zhongli walked to Spirit Hall Academy, and Zhongli sent Aserine home to cultivate.
• The guards let Mo Yuqing enter after checking her certificate and admitted Zhongli after seeing his unusually powerful yellow Soul Ring.
• Zhongli and Mo Yuqing searched for the talent tests and encountered Hua Banhao, who offered to sell them his Qiao Lezi martial soul.
• Hua Banhao revealed that he was a Food System Soul Master with Innate Soul Power Level 9 and declared that he would become the strongest Power Attack System Soul Master.
• Zhongli sensed Hua Banhao’s strong wish and realized he could grant him a God's Eye.

Zhongli and Mo Yuqing met Hua Banhao, a Food System Soul Master determined to become a Power Attack System Soul Master by fighting with giant Qiao Lezi. Zhongli traded him a temporary Red-Gold Amber God's Eye for a Qiao Lezi, and Hua Banhao ran off before Mo Yuqing could stop the deal.

• Mo Yuqing questioned how Hua Banhao could become a Power Attack System Soul Master with a Food System Martial Soul, and he demonstrated his giant Qiao Lezi First Soul Ring.
• Hua Banhao explained that the Qiao Lezi itself stayed soft while the stick inside provided strong attacks, then pitched it to Zhongli and Mo Yuqing.
• Zhongli encouraged Hua Banhao and offered him a Red-Gold Amber God's Eye in exchange for a Qiao Lezi.
• Hua Banhao snatched the amber, handed Zhongli a Qiao Lezi, and fled while Mo Yuqing chased after him.
• Zhongli told the angry Mo Yuqing that the amber was a temporary fake created through a Soul Skill, and she remained suspicious of his explanation.

At Spirit Hall Academy’s testing grounds, Mo Yuqing and Zhongli collected their forms and astonished the teachers with their Innate Full Soul Power. Zhongli then insisted that his spear Martial Soul made him a Support System Soul Master, leaving a teacher baffled.

• Teachers discussed Hua Banhao’s choice to pursue the Power Attack System despite his Food System Martial Soul.
• Mo Yuqing presented her certificate and received a red form after the teachers discovered she had Innate Full Soul Power.
• Zhongli presented his certificate, and the teachers found that he also had Innate Full Soul Power and gave him a red form.
• Zhongli asked the teachers to classify him as a Support System Soul Master, prompting one teacher to compare his choice to Hua Banhao’s and complain about the students’ unconventional paths.

Zhongli and Mo Yuqing began testing their abilities at Spirit Hall Academy, while Zhongli defended his choice to become a Support System Soul Master. An elderly teacher, secretly Golden Crocodile Douluo, sensed something extraordinary in Zhongli and resolved to deal with the danger he represented.

• Zhongli accepted a special test to compare his support abilities with his combat abilities after the teachers questioned his choice of role.
• Zhongli encouraged a nervous Mo Yuqing and took her to the testing area, where a teacher explained the speed, attack-speed, and attack-power tests.
• Zhongli and Mo Yuqing started the track test together under the watch of an elderly teacher.
• The elderly teacher sensed an unusual aura from Zhongli and experienced a terrifying vision of a Divine Dragon when Zhongli looked back.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo recognized Zhongli as a danger and decided he could not leave him alone.

Golden Crocodile Douluo secretly observed Zhongli and Mo Yuqing as they completed the academy’s tests, and he decided Mo Yuqing would make a suitable disciple. After Mo Yuqing excelled in the speed and wooden-post tests, she and Zhongli reached the final attack-power testing ground.

• Golden Crocodile Douluo watched Zhongli and Mo Yuqing run, giving Mo Yuqing full marks and Zhongli a score of ninety-five.
• Mo Yuqing tested her attack speed by striking every wooden post, cutting them all in two and leaving the teacher to repair them.
• At the final testing ground, the burly teacher told Mo Yuqing and Zhongli to choose a rock and hit it.
• Mo Yuqing encouraged Zhongli to try first and said she would handle the fighting while he supported her with shields.

Zhongli and Mo Yuqing tested their attack power by striking boulders, and both destroyed theirs with overwhelming force. The teacher gave them full marks and warned others not to use students to test their combat abilities.

• Zhongli summoned Vortex Vanquisher and shattered a boulder with one blow.
• The burly teacher gave Zhongli full marks and noted his exceptional Power Attack System strength.
• Mo Yuqing worried that her attack power would pale beside Zhongli's, then threw Flying Thunder Marks at her boulder.
• Mo Yuqing activated the marks and slashed with Mist Splitter Reforged, slicing the boulder into countless pieces.
• The burly teacher gave Mo Yuqing full marks and added repeated warnings against using students for combat testing.

Mo Yuqing and Zhongli received S+ attack evaluations, while Hua Banhao began his own talent tests and unexpectedly awakened Geo power through the Red-Gold Amber. He left the instructor stunned after destroying a boulder with a powerful punch and asked how his attack score looked.

• Mo Yuqing celebrated her perfect attack score, and Zhongli explained that her Soul Ring had greatly increased her strength.
• The middle-aged teacher gave Zhongli and Mo Yuqing S+ rankings in their attack categories and sent them to the support and practical combat tests.
• Hua Banhao presented his Spirit Hall certification, completed the movement test with a score of eighty-nine, and went to test his attack power.
• Hua Banhao enlarged Qiao Lezi with his First Soul Skill and smashed it against a boulder, breaking its stick and awakening Geo power from the Red-Gold Amber.
• Hua Banhao used a Geo-infused punch to destroy the boulder, then asked the astonished instructor to evaluate his attack power.

Zhongli used Hua Banhao’s newly awakened Geo Elemental Power to draw Golden Crocodile Douluo’s attention away from himself, while Spirit Hall began investigating Hua Banhao. At the support testing area, Zhongli claimed his instant shields had almost no cost and lasted about forty minutes, prompting the teacher to doubt their strength.

• Zhongli reflected that he had shattered Hua Banhao’s amber to awaken his God's Eye and make him a shield against Golden Crocodile Douluo’s scrutiny.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo sensed Hua Banhao’s unusual power and ordered someone to investigate his identity.
• Zhongli told Mo Yuqing he regretted that she had not gotten to try the Qiao Lezi he had eaten.
• At the support testing area, Zhongli insisted on testing his support abilities despite his high ratings in other systems, and Mo Yuqing vouched for him.
• Zhongli told the female teacher that his shields were instant, nearly costless, and lasted about forty minutes, so she suspected their strength must be low.

Zhongli let a Soul Elder teacher test his shield as she evaluated whether he belonged in the Support System. After her strongest strike failed to break it, she grew suspicious of his claimed level thirteen Soul Power.

• Zhongli agreed to let the level-thirty-nine teacher test his shield, and she began with a measured staff strike.
• The teacher mistook the shield’s dimming for damage, but Mo Yuqing explained that it always looked that way and was not being broken.
• The teacher struck Zhongli repeatedly and increased her force, while he calmly invited her to continue and demonstrated that he could refresh the shield.
• Zhongli claimed his shield-refreshing ability had a cooldown and limited restoration, concealing its true capabilities.
• The teacher’s full-force attack was knocked back without breaking the shield, so she questioned whether Zhongli was really only level thirteen.

Zhongli explained how Mo Yuqing enhanced his shield and earned an S-Rank Support System evaluation from Ji Linxue. Ji Linxue advised him to pursue the Power Attack System, and Zhongli agreed to consider balancing offense and defense with his future Soul Skills.

• Zhongli told Ji Linxue that Mo Yuqing's presence greatly enhanced his shield, describing their connection as a modified Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Mo Yuqing played along with Zhongli's explanation, and Ji Linxue concluded that the pair's combined support ability exceeded S-Rank.
• Zhongli revealed that his First Soul Skill passively doubled his shield capacity and restored his condition and shield while he stood on the ground.
• Ji Linxue gave Zhongli an S-Rank Support System evaluation and recommended that he train as a Power Attack System Soul Master.
• Zhongli politely agreed to study both systems and choose a future Soul Skill that balanced offense and defense.

Zhongli and Mo Yuqing watched Hua Banhao defeat a young Soul Master with a bizarre barrage of giant Qiao Lezi, then learned they would face teacher Chi Tianxiang in their practical combat test. Their test was about to begin, with Zhongli wary of the level-sixty-seven Soul Emperor.

• Mo Yuqing recognized Hua Banhao, who had previously sold Qiao Lezi to Qiao Lezi, as he began his combat test against a young Black Lion Soul Master.
• Hua Banhao used Gigantification to fling giant Qiao Lezi at the boy, covering him in ice cream and blinding him until his resistance collapsed.
• Hua Banhao won by whipping the boy with wooden sticks from the broken Qiao Lezi, while Mo Yuqing and Zhongli watched from below the stage.
• Mo Yuqing told Zhongli that their examiner was Chi Tianxiang, a level-sixty-seven Power Attack System War Soul Emperor with a Great Horned Bull Martial Soul.
• Zhongli and Mo Yuqing waited for their turn to fight Chi Tianxiang after Hua Banhao finished his match.

Chi Tianxiang arranged three combat tests for Zhongli and Mo Yuqing, pairing Zhongli against Hua Banhao while secretly intending to curb Hua Banhao’s ambitions. Zhongli prepared to rely on his shield, and Mo Yuqing planned to strengthen it from the sidelines before facing her own solo match.

• Chi Tianxiang told Zhongli and Mo Yuqing that he would test them in two solo matches and one team match.
• Chi Tianxiang paired Zhongli against Hua Banhao and assigned Mo Yuqing to fight another student.
• Chi Tianxiang privately expected Zhongli’s shield to counter Hua Banhao and planned to teach both students a lesson about their Soul Master roles.
• Mo Yuqing asked to cheer from below the stage so she could enhance Zhongli’s shield, and Chi Tianxiang allowed it.
• Zhongli accepted Mo Yuqing’s plan but reminded her to take care of herself during her first solo fight.

Zhongli defeated Hua Banhao in the arena by withstanding his attacks behind an unbreakable shield and knocking him out before he could unleash his newly acquired Geo power. After the match, Mo Yuqing realized Zhongli had used her passive bonus when testing his shield and began to suspect he had concealed how strong he was all along.

• Zhongli and Hua Banhao introduced their Martial Souls and Soul Master levels before the match, while Mo Yuqing secretly cheered Zhongli on with her buff.
• Hua Banhao’s first Qiao Lezi strike shattered against Zhongli’s Jade Shield, and his repeated attacks failed to break it.
• Zhongli advanced through Hua Banhao’s assault, then interrupted his attempt to unleash Geo power and kicked him out of the arena.
• Chi Tianxiang declared Zhongli the winner, and Mo Yuqing praised him for defeating Hua Banhao without being hurt.
• When Mo Yuqing confronted Zhongli about using her passive bonus during their shield tests, Zhongli implied he had never hidden the truth, leaving her to suspect his shield had always been exceptionally strong.

Golden Crocodile Douluo investigated Zhongli and concluded that a Divine Dragon was secretly protecting him, while Zhongli prepared Mo Yuqing for her practical combat test. The chapter left Golden Crocodile Douluo planning to approach Zhongli cautiously and Mo Yuqing about to face her opponent.

• Golden Crocodile Douluo read a report linking Zhongli’s attackers, the Rock Spear Forest, and a powerful dragon aura to the strange events around him.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo revised his theory, deciding that a Divine Dragon had attached itself to Zhongli and was protecting him.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo resolved to speak with Zhongli carefully so he would not provoke the dragon.
• Zhongli encouraged Mo Yuqing before her practical combat test and warned her to hold back because her attacks could shatter her opponent’s Martial Soul.

Mo Yuqing fought Li Yongming in an arena match and discovered that Mist Splitter Reforged could cut through even his strongest defenses. Li Yongming surrendered in terror, and Chi Tianxiang declared Mo Yuqing the winner.

• Li Yongming introduced himself as a Level Fourteen Defense System Soul Master and activated his Black Mysterious Turtle Martial Soul Avatar, while Mo Yuqing prepared to fight under Zhongli's instruction to hold back.
• Mo Yuqing threw three Flying Thunder Marks, then tested Li Yongming's defenses with a quick slash that cracked the scales on his arms.
• Mo Yuqing's stronger follow-up cut one-third of Li Yongming's Black Mysterious Shield and nearly reached his arm and face.
• Li Yongming panicked at the close call and surrendered, fearing Mo Yuqing would sever his limbs if the fight continued.
• Chi Tianxiang announced Mo Yuqing as the winner and regretted allowing a student to test her combat ability.