Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing questioned Sister Xiao Wu about how Soul Beasts refined ores and herbs to change their bloodlines. Her account led him to conclude that the process involved controlling radiation, leaving him with a possible explanation for Bu Yi’s Elemental Fox transformation.

• Zhou Qing offered Sister Xiao Wu twenty Gold Soul Coins, and she agreed to explain Soul Beast bloodline refinement.
• Sister Xiao Wu described how young wolves that ate Wind Attribute ore could develop into Gale Wolves, while those that did not became Swift Wolves.
• Sister Xiao Wu explained that Gale Wolves and Swift Wolves were considered different races as adults because they struggled to reproduce together.
• Sister Xiao Wu said her younger brothers sensed a sunlight-like power spreading through Soul Beasts as they refined ores and herbs, and that excessive intensity caused their flesh to rot.
• Zhou Qing concluded that the power was radiation that Soul Beasts controlled with Soul Power, and that it could alter their bloodline factors over time.

Zhou Qing theorized that Bu Yi’s Elemental Fox Martial Soul evolved by refining fire energy from her third Soul Ring, and that further cultivation might allow more evolutions. Bu Yi revealed that her transformed Martial Soul had become difficult to connect with, leaving her cultivation method ineffective and her prospects uncertain.

• Xiao Wu woke Zhou Qing, who explained that Soul Beasts evolved by refining special energies through their bodies over time, while Martial Souls could transform faster because they were energy-like and grew with Soul Power.
• Zhou Qing concluded that Bu Yi’s Elemental Fox absorbed and refined fire energy from her third Soul Ring, transforming into an Elemental Fire Fox.
• Zhou Qing theorized that Bu Yi’s Martial Soul might evolve again at Soul Saint when she gained her seventh Soul Ring, and later reach an ultimate form through further cultivation.
• Bu Yi doubted she could ever reach Soul Saint and said her cultivation had slowed since her Martial Soul transformed.
• Bu Yi explained that she could no longer sense the Soul Power circulation method from her Martial Soul because flames now blocked their connection, making the Martial Soul feel like a tool.

Zhou Qing explained that Bu Yi’s evolved Martial Soul no longer matched her Soul Power circulation system, which caused her cultivation to stagnate after reaching Soul Elder. He proposed that her Martial Soul might have returned to a gestation-like state, leaving Bu Yi with a possible explanation but no confirmed solution.

• Zhou Qing explained how a Soul Master’s bodily energy system and a Martial Soul’s internal system must mesh, and said Bu Yi’s evolved Martial Soul had disrupted their connection.
• Bu Yi asked how she could restore her connection with her Martial Soul, and Zhou Qing chose not to teach her the Mysterious Heaven Skill or his own cultivation method.
• Zhou Qing reasoned that an unknown change during Bu Yi’s Martial Soul transformation might have created the barrier she sensed while meditating.
• Zhou Qing suggested that Bu Yi’s Martial Soul might have reentered a gestation-like state, unable to exchange consciousness with her even though she could still use it.

Zhou Qing proposed two explanations for why Bu Yi’s Elemental Fire Fox martial soul had fallen silent, arguing that it might be undergoing a prolonged gestation or refusing to communicate with her. He left Bu Yi with a possible lead, saying he would take her to Romantina to investigate.

• Zhou Qing explained that Bu Yi could still use her martial soul because it had awakened before reentering a gestation period that might last much longer than six years.
• Zhou Qing compared the martial soul’s gestation to a fetus developing in a hypothetical Soul Palace and warned that using Martial Soul Possession or Soul Skills could force it to work before it was ready.
• Bu Yi considered whether she should stop using her martial soul, but Zhou Qing argued that avoiding its use would be impractical and might not solve the problem.
• Zhou Qing offered a second hypothesis: Bu Yi’s fully evolved martial soul might have gone silent because it disliked her personality or something else about her.
• Zhou Qing said Romantina might help investigate Bu Yi’s martial soul, and Bu Yi asked who he meant.

Romantina reached level twelve while cultivating in the library, and Zhou Qing explained her Brain Martial Soul and its abilities to Bu Yi. Bu Yi learned that Romantina could use Spiritual Impact, Spiritual Detection, and Spiritual Sharing, and was left astonished by how powerful Body Martial Souls could be.

• Romantina broke through to level twelve while cultivating at the library desk.
• Zhou Qing, Xiao Wu, and Bu Yi arrived, and Zhou Qing asked Romantina to help with Bu Yi.
• Zhou Qing explained that Romantina's Brain Martial Soul let her control the power of her Soul Skills.
• Zhou Qing told Bu Yi that Romantina had developed Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing in addition to Spiritual Impact.
• Bu Yi was stunned by how useful Romantina's abilities were and realized that Body Martial Souls could be extraordinarily powerful.

Zhou Qing used Romantina and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s Spiritual Detection to examine Bu Yi’s Martial Soul and learned how Elemental Fox transformations affected their minds. He concluded that Bu Yi’s Elemental Fire Fox had entered a kind of gestation period after transforming, leaving its bond with her impaired.

• Zhou Qing told Bu Yi to meditate and warned her not to resist while Romantina examined her consciousness and Martial Soul.
• The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm used Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing to reveal Bu Yi’s Elemental Fire Fox, though flames obscured its form.
• Sky Dream explained that Elemental Foxes lost much of their intelligence after transforming at the thousand-year stage, then recovered it unusually quickly as they grew.
• Zhou Qing reasoned that Bu Yi’s transformed Martial Soul had reentered a gestation period and could no longer keep growing after awakening.
• Zhou Qing concluded that the Elemental Fox ancestor had refined Silver Dragon Blood and given its race extraordinary potential for intelligence.

Zhou Qing concluded that Bu Yi’s Martial Soul was slowly gestating outside her Soul Palace, explaining why she could not cultivate normally. He offered two possible approaches, but Bu Yi asked whether the gestation could be accelerated within ten years.

• Zhou Qing explained his theory that Bu Yi’s Martial Soul had entered a Gestation Phase, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm praised his intelligence.
• Zhou Qing and Xiao Wu traded insults and playfully fought until Sky Dream Ice Silkworm returned control of the body to Romantina.
• After Bu Yi woke, Zhou Qing explained that her Martial Soul’s slow gestation was preventing her from forming a deep meditative connection and advancing normally.
• Zhou Qing suggested that Bu Yi focus on cultivating Soul Power with a fire-attribute family’s Meditation Method, but Bu Yi worried about obtaining one and helping her sisters with different attributes.
• Zhou Qing explained that a Martial Soul needed to gestate inside a Soul Palace to develop properly, and Bu Yi asked whether its second gestation could be completed within ten years.

Zhou Qing explained three possible ways to accelerate the gestation of Bu Yi's Martial Soul: acquire fire-attributed treasures, investigate the Soul Palace, or seek divine help. He left Bu Yi questioning whether Deities could exist after arguing that they might simply be beings with power beyond human understanding.

• Zhou Qing proposed buying fire-attributed Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but Bu Yi rejected the plan because the herbs were rare, expensive, and dangerous to use without knowledge of their medicinal properties.
• Zhou Qing described examining many children under six with Romantina to locate the Soul Palace and its energy-transmitting structure, which might eventually let them recreate a Martial Soul's gestation as a Soul Skill.
• Zhou Qing suggested that a Soul Palace could be observed and analyzed through Romantina's Brain Martial Soul, allowing its function to be replicated or improved, and teased Romantina about her role.
• Zhou Qing proposed praying to a Deity, but Bu Yi dismissed the idea and asked whether he truly believed Deities existed.
• Zhou Qing said he believed Deities existed but did not worship them, arguing that they could be powerful Soul Masters or other beings and that humans had defined the concept of a Deity.

Bu Yi discussed her limited options for improving her Martial Soul’s growth with Zhou Qing, who planned to investigate his Soul Palace theory further. After Xiao Wu took Bu Yi to spar, Zhou Qing turned to Romantina and asked about her Spiritual Detection ability and Martial Soul Brain.

• Bu Yi asked how she could improve her Soul Power cultivation speed, and Zhou Qing said she could seek a fire-attributed family, hope to buy rare treasures, or wait for his group to investigate children’s Martial Soul gestation.
• Zhou Qing said he would study children under six with Romantina to test his Soul Palace theory and suggested its energy might help Martial Souls grow or evolve.
• Zhou Qing told Bu Yi that a true Soul Master should be well-read, and Xiao Wu took Bu Yi to the training grounds for a spar.
• Romantina teased Zhou Qing with flirtatious remarks, then he asked whether her Spiritual Detection could store information in her Martial Soul Brain.
• Romantina confirmed that her Martial Soul Brain could store detected information and began describing its memory.

Zhou Qing explained how Romantina’s Brain Martial Soul could develop its information-processing and logical-analysis abilities, and urged her to choose future soul skills that enhanced them. Romantina took his advice enthusiastically, then challenged him to attend her family’s opera house, leaving Zhou Qing to pay her one Gold Soul Coin.

• Romantina discovered that her Brain Martial Soul could store and magnify everything detected by Spiritual Detection.
• Zhou Qing explained that the Brain Martial Soul’s soul skills should enhance information processing and logical analysis rather than focus on Spiritual Power alone.
• Romantina imagined using stronger analytical abilities to read opponents during close combat.
• Zhou Qing said he hoped Romantina would share her Martial Soul’s computing power with him, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and their future allies.
• Romantina blushed, shook Zhou Qing, and invited him to her family’s opera house for her solo performance.
• Zhou Qing paid Romantina one Gold Soul Coin, and she complained that she was worth so little.

Tang San and Zhou Qing discussed choosing spirit rings according to a Martial Soul’s talents, then considered how to identify Blue Silver Grass’s abilities and plan Tang San’s Second Spirit Ring. Zhou Qing also explained the circulation talent of his Blood Circulation System Martial Soul and his plans to condense water as his next element.

• Tang San heard Zhou Qing’s theory that spirit rings should develop a Martial Soul’s inherent talents, and accepted that his First Spirit Ring might not have been the most suitable choice for Blue Silver Grass.
• Zhou Qing suggested Tang San compare cultivating among Blue Silver Grass with cultivating among other plants to discover his Martial Soul’s talents, then offered to help plan his Second Spirit Ring.
• Tang San asked about Zhou Qing’s Blood Circulation System Martial Soul, and Zhou Qing explained that its central talent was circulation and that its growth should balance with the Inner World circulation built by his cultivation method.
• Zhou Qing revealed that he planned to condense water next, after earth, and believed the Moo Spring Ox had connected him to the aura of spring.

Zhou Qing explained how he planned to choose varied, offensive Soul Skills to protect his friends while developing the Blood Circulation System Martial Soul through later refinement and evolution. After seven days of study and cultivation, the Star Luo Royal Academy Team prepared to leave, while Yu Tianheng questioned his ability to lead the Heaven Dou substitutes.

• Zhou Qing told Tang San that his Blood Circulation System Martial Soul allowed him to choose varied Soul Rings and focus his early Soul Skills on offense to safeguard their group.
• Tang San felt guilty about Zhou Qing’s willingness to take on that role and resolved to improve the Soul Tool Core Formation and develop stronger hidden weapons for them both.
• Zhou Qing considered combining refined Soul Ring skills through circulation and exploring Martial Soul evolution, then joked with Tang San before they went to the cafeteria.
• Seven days passed as Zhou Qing and Tang San studied, cultivated, and researched.
• The Star Luo Royal Academy Team finished its exchange and prepared to return home after repeatedly defeating the Heaven Dou substitutes, leaving Yu Tianheng doubting his leadership.

Yu Tianheng questioned his ability to lead after his team repeatedly lost to Dai Weisi’s despite their evenly matched individual strength. Qin Ming agreed to train him, and Yu Tianheng asked to compete in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

• Yu Tianheng asked Qin Ming whether he had the talent to be a captain, and Qin Ming reassured him that he was a strong rival to Dai Weisi.
• Qin Ming and Dugu Yan discussed how the Star Luo Royal Academy Team coordinated without visible communication, while Yu Tianheng listened for ways to improve.
• Qin Ming recalled that assigning team members separate tasks had only helped Yu Tianheng’s team last ten minutes against the Star Luo team.
• Yu Tianheng asked Qin Ming to train the team in coordination, and Qin Ming agreed.
• Yu Tianheng regained his composure and asked to participate in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Yu Tianheng sought a way for his team to enter the Continental Elite Tournament three years later, and Xue Qinghe offered to arrange their participation. After Yu Tianheng accepted the favor, Xue Qinghe considered how to use it and ordered Snake Lance to investigate changes in the Star Luo Empire’s royal struggle.

• Yu Tianheng asked Qin Ming whether his team could compete as Team Two, and Qin Ming warned that Team Two consisted of powerful noble heirs.
• Dugu Yan offered to ask Dugu Bo to establish an Advanced Academy, but Yu Tianheng rejected the idea.
• Xue Qinghe approached the group and offered to solve their tournament-entry problem, and Yu Tianheng accepted his help.
• Xue Qinghe privately recognized that Yu Tianheng’s acceptance gave him leverage over the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and questioned reports about the Star Luo princes and Zhu Zhuqing.
• Xue Qinghe ordered Snake Lance to investigate the Star Luo Empire’s royal struggle and send the findings to the Papal Palace.

Dai Weisi reported to Dai Tianran on Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Dai Mubai, and the tactics he had learned from Zhou Qing, while Dai Tianran questioned him about Zhu Zhuqing’s Spirit Ring. The chapter ended with Zhu Zhuqing asking the emperor if she could break off her engagement to Dai Mubai.

• Dai Weisi told Dai Tianran that Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s teams were strong and described his new team tactics, but kept their source secret.
• Dai Weisi reported that Dai Mubai had grown close to Xue Beng, and Dai Tianran suspected the Heaven Dou princes were competing for power.
• Dai Weisi explained that Zhu Zhuqing had chosen a nontraditional First Spirit Ring after hearing rumors that Dai Mubai might flee his responsibilities.
• An attendant announced that Zhu Zhuqing had forced her way into the palace, and Dai Tianran ordered that she be brought in.
• Zhu Zhuqing asked Dai Tianran if she could break off her engagement to Dai Mubai, leaving Dai Weisi and the emperor stunned.

Qingzhu Zhu asked Dai Tianran to cancel her engagement to Dai Mubai and proposed a duel to win her freedom. Dai Tianran made her challenge the Hell White Tiger instead, but let her fight Dai Mubai first, and she opened the battle by slashing his cheek.

• Qingzhu Zhu told Dai Tianran she wanted to escape her engagement and would rather run away than accept a fate chosen for her.
• Qingzhu Zhu challenged Dai Mubai, and Dai Tianran said she could divorce him if she defeated the Hell White Tiger alone.
• Dai Tianran summoned Dai Mubai, who insulted Qingzhu Zhu and was forced to the ground by the emperor's Soul Power.
• Dai Tianran rebuked Dai Mubai and ordered male servants to attend to him from then on.
• Qingzhu Zhu and Dai Mubai entered Martial Soul Possession, and Qingzhu Zhu swiftly slashed open his right cheek.

Qingzhu Zhu defeated Dai Mubai in their arranged match and repudiated their engagement, then told Zhu Zhuyun she wanted to escape the fate imposed on her. The humiliation spread through Star Luo Royal Academy, while Qingzhu Zhu resolved to pursue freedom through her speed.

• Qingzhu Zhu used her speed and a sliding tackle to defeat Dai Mubai, and Dai Tianran declared her the winner.
• Qingzhu Zhu wrote a letter repudiating Dai Mubai and left after handing it to him.
• Dai Mubai tore up the letter and fled after Dai Weisi warned him that he might someday depend on a woman.
• News of Dai Mubai's defeat and repudiation spread through Star Luo Royal Academy, bringing Qingzhu Zhu new admirers.
• Zhu Zhuyun warned Qingzhu Zhu that her fate remained tied to Dai Mubai, but Qingzhu Zhu said she had chosen to seek freedom by escaping.

Xue Qinghe investigated the Star Luo Royal Academy Team’s detour through Nuoding City and learned it might involve a Soul Bone and a border scheme. He also learned Xue Xing had brought Dugu Bo to examine Xue Ye, prompting him to pause the poisoning and consider how Spirit Hall could recruit Dugu Bo.

• Snake Lance Douluo reported that the Star Luo Royal Academy Team had detoured through Nuoding City, where rumors of a Soul Bone and Xiao Lang’s ties to Dales suggested possible unrest at the border.
• Xue Qinghe ordered Snake Lance Douluo to send someone to investigate Nuoding City.
• A middle-aged man told Xue Qinghe that Xue Xing had brought Dugu Bo to examine Xue Ye’s body, and Xue Qinghe ordered that Xue Ye not be poisoned for now.
• Xue Qinghe learned that Dugu Bo was unlikely to identify an antidote to the Breaking Clan’s Seven-Colored Splendor poison.
• Xue Qinghe ordered Porcupine Fish Douluo to contact Chrysanthemum Douluo and ask him to speak with Dugu Bo about joining Spirit Hall.

Zhou Qing organized the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch Library and earned free access for his efforts. He also told Ma Xiunuo that Sisi had died on the night City Lord Xiao was attacked.

• Zhou Qing paid Su Yuntao to enter the Library and began sorting its dusty, disorganized books.
• Ma Xiunuo found Zhou Qing organizing the shelves and waived his reading fee in recognition of his work.
• Ma Xiunuo asked Zhou Qing why Sisi had stopped visiting Spirit Hall, and Zhou Qing said she had attached herself to City Lord Xiao.
• Zhou Qing told Ma Xiunuo that Sisi was dead, then explained that Xiao Wu had learned the details from Xiao Chenyu after beating him up.

Zhou Qing found a book on martial soul origins written by Fallen Ones, whose brutal experiments had left behind fragments of research. The book supported his Soul Palace conjecture, but Zhou Qing resolved to verify it himself by studying young children with Romantina and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s Spiritual Detection.

• Zhou Qing searched the Nuoding Spirit Hall Branch Library and found the handwritten book "Origin of Martial Souls."
• Zhou Qing discovered that a group of Fallen Ones had written the book while conducting cruel experiments on children, pregnant women, and adults whose martial souls had not awakened.
• Zhou Qing found that the surviving notes compared martial soul gestation to a fetus developing in a womb, enclosed by a membrane that could not be replicated.
• Zhou Qing considered the book’s account support for his Soul Palace theory, but warned himself that the Fallen Ones might have been mistaken.
• Zhou Qing decided to investigate the theory himself by bringing Romantina into contact with children under six and using Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s Spiritual Detection to examine them.