Chapter Summaries

Zhao Tieshan joined the Blacksmith Association’s investigation and suspected the assassination was connected to outsiders seeking his position as Gengxin City Lord. Su Ming warned Zhao that Spirit Hall might send a Titled Douluo to investigate, leaving Zhao realizing he had to help find the killer or risk being made a scapegoat.

• Zhao Tieshan arrived at the forging room, greeted Chen Xin, and proposed joining the search for Miles’s killer.
• Zhao Tieshan explained that the auctioned Spiritual Metal might have drawn outside forces seeking control of Gengxin City and his position.
• Silong reasoned that the Star Luo royal family could benefit from replacing Zhao and taking control of the Blacksmith Association.
• Zhu Jiuyang proposed identifying and capturing the Titled Douluo before Spirit Hall’s envoy arrived, while Zhao considered easing the city blockade.
• Su Ming urged Zhao to search with the City Guard and Martial Soul Main Hall, warning that Spirit Hall might send a Titled Douluo Elder within two days.
• Zhao Tieshan realized that Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire could make him take the blame if he failed to uncover the murderer.

Su Ming used the tensions surrounding Miles’s death to push Zhao Tieshan into mobilizing the City Guard and coordinating with the Martial Soul Main Hall. As Tang Hao waited outside the Blacksmith Association and considered his next move, Su Ming outlined his plans for gaining Spirit Hall’s support and remained uncertain whether the Star Luo Royal Family had arranged the killing.

• Su Ming reminded Zhao Tieshan that the Martial Soul Main Hall would have to cooperate, prompting Zhao to understand the implications and leave to mobilize the City Guard.
• Tang Hao grew impatient beneath the Blacksmith Association, corrupted the Spiritual Metal in his grasp, and considered grabbing someone to learn why no one had acted against the Association.
• Chen Xin suspected Su Ming knew the incoming Spirit Hall envoys would be Titled Douluo, while Su Ming reasoned that Bibi Dong would send Ju and Gui to investigate the forging techniques.
• Su Ming planned to reveal Fusion Forging in stages and use Spirit Hall’s support to expand the Blacksmith Association without exposing Spiritual Forging.
• Su Ming told Zhu Jiuyang that the Star Luo Royal Family’s alleged involvement in Miles’s death seemed too decisive and would offend too many people.

Tang Hao interrogated Zhao Tieshan and two Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples about the Blacksmith Association’s reforms and Spiritual Metal. When Ning Tianya’s Heart Protection Mirror signaled danger, Chen Xin arrived and confronted Tang Hao.

• Tang Hao confronted Zhao Tieshan, learned about the Blacksmith Association’s recertification and its partnership with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then knocked Zhao unconscious to stop him from reporting their meeting.
• Tang Hao ambushed Ning Tianya and another Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple outside Chen Xin’s sensing range and demanded to know how Thousand Forgings with Spirit worked.
• Ning Tianya explained that the process involved a Soul Spirit, Spirit Infusion, and a thousand rounds of forging, then activated his Heart Protection Mirror to summon help.
• Chen Xin sensed the spreading Divine Slaughter’s Domain, rushed to the alley, and cut through part of the domain to confront Tang Hao.

Tang Hao escaped after confronting Chen Xin, and Su Ming feared Tang Hao’s killing intent had been aimed at him. After hearing Ning Tianya’s account, Chen Xin and Zhu Jiuyang agreed to report Tang Hao for killing Miles rather than protect him.

• Tang Hao threw Ning Tianya and another Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple to Chen Xin, then fled the city with the Spiritual Metal equipment he had taken.
• Chen Xin rescued the two disciples and found Zhao Tieshan unconscious in an alley.
• Su Ming worried Tang Hao’s killing intent had targeted him, while Chen Xin said Miles was most likely killed by Tang Hao.
• Ning Tianya explained that Tang Hao had questioned them about the forging system and taken their equipment made from Spiritual Metal.
• Zhu Jiuyang said the group would not cover up Tang Hao’s actions, and Chen Xin agreed to report him despite Ning Yuan’s hesitation.

Chen Xin supported the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s decision to report Tang Hao’s actions to Spirit Hall and avoid taking the blame for him again. Zhu Jiuyang then outlined a plan for the Blacksmith Association to preserve its independence while expanding, beginning with a branch in Suotuo City.

• Chen Xin concluded that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should not be implicated in Tang Hao’s troubles again and agreed to tell Spirit Hall everything that had happened.
• Zhu Jiuyang finalized the Blacksmith Association’s response to Miles’s death and began discussing cooperation with Spirit Hall.
• Zhu Jiuyang proposed keeping the association’s base in Gengxin City while opening branches in other cities, and Lou Gao accepted the idea of branches.
• Zhu Jiuyang identified Suotuo City as the first branch location because its trade routes and position opposite Spirit City could help balance Spirit Hall’s influence.
• Zhu Jiuyang proposed later establishing branches in both imperial capitals, and Ning Yuan questioned whether Spirit Hall would still cooperate if it saw the association’s strategy.

Zhu Jiuyang defended his confidence in the Blacksmith Association’s plans, while Yue Guan and Gui Mei investigated Tang Hao’s visit and inferred he had taken Spiritual Metal to help heal his damaged meridians. The chapter ended as Yue Guan began negotiations with Zhu Jiuyang and Su Ming, asking who Su Ming was.

• Zhu Jiuyang dismissed Ning Yuan’s doubts, and Lou Gao approved the association’s plans for steady expansion.
• Yue Guan questioned a Soul King about Tang Hao’s appearance in the city, while Gui Mei confirmed Zhao Tieshan’s account of the encounter.
• Yue Guan deduced that Tang Hao had come for Spiritual Metal, likely to route Soul Power around his damaged meridians, and guessed he had taken it from two Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei met Zhu Jiuyang and Su Ming at the Blacksmith Association to negotiate cooperation.
• Yue Guan recognized Zhu Jiuyang and asked him to introduce Su Ming.

Su Ming and Zhu Jiuyang negotiated cooperation between the Blacksmith Association and Spirit Hall, while Su Ming demonstrated a Spiritual Alloy that impressed Yue Guan. The Star Luo Empire later agreed to a resource-sharing deal, and Chen Xin remained with the association to protect Su Ming as he prepared for his next research.

• Zhu Jiuyang introduced Su Ming to Yue Guan and Gui Mei as the founder of the new forging system, and Su Ming explained that Spiritual Forging remained unrealized.
• Su Ming showed Yue Guan Thousand Forgings Jade Silver, which merged into Yue Guan’s hand and convinced him of the alloy’s value.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei agreed to cooperate with the Blacksmith Association and left Gengxin City, while Yue Guan explained Spirit Hall’s reasons for supporting the association.
• Zhu Jiuyang told Su Ming that Ning Tianya had achieved Thousand Forgings with ordinary metal, and Su Ming arranged for Little Gold to teach him Spirit Infusion techniques.
• Three days later, the Star Luo Royal Family agreed to help locate Rare Metal Veins, with the Blacksmith Association receiving half the metals and the remaining share divided among the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Su Ming accepted Chen Xin’s request to stay at the association for protection and secured ten percent of the metals mined for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Dai Bantian learned that the Star Luo Empire had no meaningful Rare Metal supplies and begrudgingly accepted the Blacksmith Association’s terms. Su Ming turned to improving Zhu Jiuyang’s strength so his teacher could protect him from Tang Hao.

• Dai Bantian questioned Star Cloud Douluo about Rare Metal and learned Star Luo’s mines had none of the listed metals and produced only about one kilogram of Fine Gold a year.
• Star Cloud Douluo explained that the Blacksmith Association had already used much of Gengxin City’s Rare Metal and that Spirit Hall’s certification and appraisal role secured it a twenty-percent share.
• Dai Bantian stopped blaming Spirit Hall after learning its share had come from the Blacksmith Association’s original seventy-percent allocation, then cursed the association instead.
• Su Ming anticipated the Star Luo Royal Family’s anger, considered asking Ning to approach the Heaven Dou Royal Family, and began planning how to strengthen Zhu Jiuyang against Tang Hao.
• Su Ming decided that a low-spec Two-word Battle Armor could help Zhu Jiuyang, an eight-ring Soul Douluo, reach combat strength comparable to a Titled Douluo.

Su Ming designed a crude two-word Battle Armor to help Zhu Jiuyang stand against Tang Hao, then learned that Ning Tianya had mastered Spirit Infusion in only five days. Ning Tianya challenged Su Ming over who would be the senior martial brother, and Su Ming proposed that Little Gold fight him instead.

• Su Ming designed Battle Armor focused on compressing and circulating Soul Power, concluding that Zhu Jiuyang would also need flight to evade Tang Hao’s Exploding Ring.
• Zhu Jiuyang brought Ning Tianya to the forging room and announced that he planned to take him as a disciple because Ning Tianya had learned Spirit Infusion.
• Zhu Jiuyang explained that Ning Tianya’s Metal Affinity and matching Martial Soul and Soul Spirit gave him unusual intuition for Spirit Infusion.
• Ning Tianya insisted that his age made him Su Ming’s senior martial brother, while Zhu Jiuyang said Ning Tianya believed strength could decide their seniority.
• Su Ming suggested Little Gold compete with Ning Tianya, and Ning Tianya objected to fighting Duan Jin instead.

Zhu Jiuyang brought Ning Tianya to face Little Gold after Ning Tianya demanded to become Su Ming’s martial brother. Little Gold’s bloodline aura and claw strike overwhelmed Ning Tianya, leaving Zhu Jiuyang to ask whether he still wanted the position.

• Zhu Jiuyang explained that Ning Tianya could become the martial brother if he defeated Su Ming’s Soul Spirit, Little Gold.
• Zhu Jiuyang took Ning Tianya and Little Gold to an open space, where Ning Tianya activated his Exploding Gold Bear Martial Soul.
• Little Gold released his concealed bloodline aura, terrifying Ning Tianya and freezing him in place.
• Little Gold swung a claw that carved five deep furrows into the ground, and Zhu Jiuyang intervened to save Ning Tianya.
• Zhu Jiuyang revealed that Little Gold was Su Ming’s Soul Spirit and asked Ning Tianya whether he still wanted to be the martial brother.

Su Ming helped Ning Tianya accept his place in the forging system, while Zhu Jiuyang organized the Blacksmith Association around Su Ming’s expertise. A month later, the Heaven Dou Royal Family proposed cooperation and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe planned to negotiate in Gengxin City.

• Zhu Jiuyang told Ning Tianya that Su Ming had developed every new forging technique since Spirit Infusion, and Ning Tianya apologized to Su Ming.
• Su Ming learned that Ning Tianya had succeeded at Spirit Infusion after five attempts and promised Little Gold would guide him once he completed his first Thousand Forgings with Spirit.
• Zhu Jiuyang began teaching Ning Tianya Thousand Forgings with Spirit, while Duan Jin taught foundational techniques and the association resumed its operations.
• Zhu Jiuyang told Su Ming that the Heaven Dou Royal Family wanted to cooperate with the association and had tentatively approved a second branch in Suotuo City.
• Zhu Jiuyang said Xue Qinghe would come to Gengxin City to negotiate, and Su Ming wondered whether the crown prince feared an ambush from the Star Luo Empire.

Su Ming negotiated the Blacksmith Association’s cooperation with Xue Qinghe and arranged for its Heaven Dou and Star Luo factions to establish branches in opposing empires. He planned to use the resulting conflicts to secure a city exclusively for the Association, while Zhu Jiuyang would remain in Gengxin City.

• Su Ming learned that Xue Qinghe would arrive in three days with the Suotuo City Lord, and dismissed the Heaven Dou Royal Family’s apparent concession as a consequence of its weakened control over Balak Kingdom.
• Xue Qinghe arrived in Gengxin City after a bandit attack delayed his journey and, after lengthy negotiations, agreed that the Heaven Dou Empire would retain only twenty percent of its mined Rare Metals.
• Xue Qinghe offered to have the Heaven Dou Royal Family handle any obstruction from Balak Kingdom, and Su Ming accepted because the Association lacked enough powerful members to deal with it itself.
• Su Ming assigned Dai Weisi to oversee the Suotuo City branch, sent Star Luo’s Soul Masters there, and arranged for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s disciples and Heaven Dou’s incoming Soul Masters to remain in Gengxin City.
• Su Ming planned to exploit tensions involving Dai Weisi, Dai Mu Bai, and Balak Kingdom to demand a border city for the Blacksmith Association and eventually unite its branches there.

The Blacksmith Association forced Star Luo representatives to relocate to Suotuo City after the royal family’s ambush of Xue Qinghe, while Tang Hao hoped the new branch could help Tang San learn Thousand Forgings with Spirit. Xue Qinghe found that the incoming pioneers included no third-rank blacksmiths.

• The Blacksmith Association announced that nearly half its personnel would move to Suotuo City, dismissed twenty percent of the Star Luo faction’s personnel, and reduced the remaining members’ terms after resistance.
• Silong told Dai Weisi that the Star Luo Royal Family’s ambush of Xue Qinghe violated its agreement, and said Dai Weisi would have to travel to Suotuo City under the association’s arrangements.
• Zhu Jiuyang praised the plan, noting that he, Su Ming, and Little Gold would remain in Gengxin City to guard the association’s core technology.
• Tang Hao heard that the association was opening a Suotuo City branch and hoped Tang San could join it to learn Thousand Forgings with Spirit.
• Xue Qinghe investigated the arriving pioneers and discovered that none of them were third-rank blacksmiths.

Su Ming and the Blacksmith Association faced pressure from the Heaven Dou and Star Luo royal families to return their people, while Zhu Jiuyang kept negotiations at a stalemate. Su Ming identified Suotuo City as a possible flashpoint and continued designing low-end Two-word Battle Armor.

• Xue Qinghe drafted a list of Heaven Dou nobles and Soul Masters to send to the Blacksmith Association, including Xue Beng, and planned to seek Emperor Xue Ye's approval.
• Dai Bantian rejected the idea of retrieving Dai Weisi and instead ordered a Soul Emperor from the Sun Family to protect his son in Suotuo City.
• A month later, Zhu Jiuyang resisted demands from both royal families to transfer their people back, citing Spirit Hall's protection and proposing that the Blacksmith Association control the route between Gengxin City and Suotuo City.
• Xue Xing warned Zhu Jiuyang that Poison Douluo would retaliate if he died, and Zhu Jiuyang later shut his doors to visitors as pressure from both sides continued.
• Su Ming thanked Zhu Jiuyang for handling Association affairs and told him to watch Suotuo City, report any conflict to Xue Qinghe, and encourage him to move against Balak.
• Su Ming returned to designing low-end Two-word Battle Armor and complained that Titled Douluo were too rare in the Dou Yi era.

Su Ming persuaded Su Yun that the Trinity could let him safely attempt a ten-thousand-year Third Soul Ring, and Su Yun agreed to support the gamble. Meanwhile, Dou Yi Su Ming considered studying Evil Soul Master methods to speed up his teacher’s cultivation and planned to investigate the Holy Spirit Cult.

• Dou Yi Su Ming accepted Dou Er Su Ming’s terms and considered using Evil Soul Master methods to accelerate his teacher’s cultivation.
• Su Ming told Su Yun that he intended to absorb a ten-thousand-year Silver Moon Wolf King as his Third Soul Ring and explained how the Trinity could strengthen him during absorption.
• Su Ming demonstrated the Trinity to Su Yun, who tested his resilience and confirmed that his Spiritual Power was strong enough to resist Soul Shock.
• Su Ming explained that he could maintain a reduced boost for up to three hours and argued that the Trinity would help his body adapt to the Soul Ring’s pressure.
• Su Yun agreed to take the risk with Su Ming, while Su Ming considered enrolling at Sun Moon Royal Academy to approach a student with a Ghost Spirit and infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult.

Su Yun and Su Ming hunted a Ten Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King, and Su Ming killed it and began absorbing its Soul Ring. As the Wolf King’s resentment attacked Su Ming’s Sea of Consciousness, the Sea repaired itself, and an Elder Phantom emerged from Su Ming’s jade-green Engraving Knife.

• Su Yun used his Soul Cannons to scatter the Golden Wolves and cripple the Silver Moon Wolf King, which wielded the Space Element.
• Su Yun carried the wounded Wolf King and Su Ming away from the fleeing pack, and Su Ming killed the Wolf King with his Spirit Blade.
• Su Ming began absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and Trinity merged two forces into his body as the purple ring formed at his brow shattered.
• The Wolf King’s resentment battered Su Ming’s Sea of Consciousness, but the cracks quickly closed before all of its Remnant Soul could enter.
• The Wolf King noticed the jade-green Engraving Knife in Su Ming’s spiritual body, and Gray Airflow from the knife formed an Elder Phantom.

Su Ming absorbed the Silver Moon Wolf King's Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring with Electrolux's help and broke through to a new Soul Power Level. He discovered his Third Soul Skill was called Domain of Chaos, but its effects remained unknown.

• Electrolux proposed combining the Silver Moon Wolf King's Chaos Attribute with its Elemental Affinity talent to craft a Soul Skill suited to Su Ming.
• Electrolux explained that his homeland's Mage system drew on Heaven and Earth but risked assimilation, and he believed Chaos could help Su Ming avoid that danger.
• Su Ming endured the Soul Ring's impact after his borrowed power ended, while his Life energy rapidly repaired his injuries.
• The black Soul Ring merged into Su Ming's Soul Power, and he successfully absorbed the Ten Thousand Year third ring and broke through.
• Su Ming sensed that his Third Soul Skill was Domain of Chaos, and Su Yun asked him what it did.

Su Ming developed his Third Soul Skill, Domain of Chaos, which disrupted Heaven and Earth Power and might let him borrow strength from it. He enrolled at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, where his Soul Engineer ability drew attention and news reached Xiao Hongchen that Su Ming had matched his Rank 4 record.

• Su Ming realized Domain of Chaos could throw outside Heaven and Earth Power into disorder and began considering how to borrow strength from it.
• Su Yun urged Su Ming to enroll at the academy and warned him not to reveal his Body Sect techniques or Spiritual Metal.
• Su Yun brought Su Ming to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, where his ability to craft Rank 4 Soul Tools at eleven attracted the attention of its upper echelon.
• Meng Hongchen told Xiao Hongchen that an eleven-year-old had crafted three Fourth-level Soul Tools in a row, and Xiao Hongchen reacted with disbelief.

After Xiao Hongchen learned that Su Ming had broken his Soul Engineer record, he dismissed the news while privately fretting over his own appearance. Su Ming settled into his academy dormitory, then refused Jing Hongchen’s offer to become his master.

• Meng Hongchen told Xiao Hongchen that eleven-and-a-half-year-old Su Ming had crafted three top-grade Fourth-level Soul Tools and registered Soul Power as his Martial Soul.
• Xiao Hongchen refused to seek Su Ming out, pushed Meng Hongchen from his research room, and decided to rest after admiring his haggard reflection.
• Su Ming settled into his luxurious dormitory and realized his Soul Power had surged to rank thirty-seven after absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King's Soul Ring.
• The dean of studies summoned Su Ming to Jing Hongchen’s office the next morning.
• Jing Hongchen offered to take Su Ming as his master, and Su Ming refused.

Su Ming was welcomed into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy’s team and given the opportunity to apply directly to Mingde Hall, while Jing Hongchen hoped he would push Xiao Hongchen to improve. The chapter ended with Su Ming meeting the team members at their training grounds.

• Jing Hongchen accepted Su Ming’s refusal to become his disciple and offered him a direct path to apply for Mingde Hall as a Rank 4 Soul Engineer.
• Jing Hongchen asked Su Ming to perform well in the upcoming training camp and put pressure on Xiao Hongchen.
• Director Gao explained that the team would receive Mingde Hall-level training and resources, while official membership would unlock research projects and funding.
• Director Gao brought Su Ming to the team’s training grounds, where Ma Rulong introduced the members, including Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.