Chapter Summaries

While absorbing his Second Soul Ring, Su Wen opened his Sea of Consciousness and discovered that he had gained an External Soul Bone, the Illusion Spirit Eye. He tested its effects and examined his new Second Soul Skill, leaving the cave with greatly improved mental power and eyesight.

• Su Wen used the feedback from his Three-Eyed Illusion Spirit Fox Soul Ring to sense and open his Sea of Consciousness.
• Su Wen discovered a crack resembling the Three-Eyed Illusion Spirit Fox's third eye and realized he had gained an External Soul Bone.
• After two and a half hours, Su Wen woke and used his mental power to sense the cave, though its range and detail remained limited.
• Su Wen manifested the Illusion Spirit Eye and found it sharpened both its own vision and his normal eyesight.
• Su Wen concealed the Illusion Spirit Eye and began sensing his Second Soul Skill.

After absorbing his Second Soul Ring, Su Wen refined Monkey Wine and raised his soul power to rank twenty-three before traveling to Heaven Dou City. Unable to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he went to the Martial Soul Holy Hall to register, where a deacon noticed his Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring and decided to report it.

• Su Wen recognized that his Second Soul Ring and the absorption process had transformed his Book Martial Soul, but worried that his Thousand-Year Soul Ring would attract dangerous attention without a powerful backer.
• Su Wen chose to seek Dugu Bo’s protection by trying to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and sent Old Jerry a letter saying he was safe and would stop sending Little Sweet Potatoes for now.
• Su Wen transported the Lucid Ape’s Monkey Wine to town, sent around twenty catties to Old Jerry, and spent two months cultivating until he reached rank twenty-three.
• Su Wen traveled to Heaven Dou City but failed to gain admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy because he lacked noble status and could not reach its leadership.
• Su Wen registered at the Martial Soul Holy Hall, where the deacon saw his one yellow and one purple Soul Ring and decided to report the unusual case up the chain.

Su Wen revealed his Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring to Salas and presented a theory that strengthened meridians could help soul masters absorb higher-age Soul Rings. Salas promised to report the theory to the Pope and asked Su Wen to await further instructions, but Su Wen requested to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

• Salas investigated Su Wen after learning he had a Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring, then summoned him and confirmed the ring himself.
• Su Wen explained how he had absorbed the Illusion Spirit Fox's Soul Ring and argued that individual Soul Ring limits depended on a soul master's meridian strength.
• Su Wen described how Soul Power nourished meridians and how targeted strengthening could let soul masters withstand Soul Rings beyond their usual limits.
• A deacon delivered Su Wen's background records, and Salas praised his theoretical research potential and decided to report his theory to the Pope.
• Salas granted Su Wen access to the Holy Hall's archive room and told him to await instructions, but Su Wen said he wanted to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Su Wen told Salas he wanted to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy to study under Xiao Zhan while pursuing strength through theoretical research. Salas accepted the plan, promised to report it to the Pope, and introduced Su Wen to Bai Yuan before leaving for Spirit City.

• Salas questioned why Su Wen wanted to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Su Wen explained that he wanted to learn from Xiao Zhan and become a battle soul master.
• Salas warned Su Wen not to let Grandmaster influence him and argued that genuine theoretical research could benefit powerful soul masters and their descendants.
• Su Wen assured Salas that he would keep studying theory and turn knowledge into power, easing Salas's concerns.
• Salas agreed to report Su Wen's application to the Pope and introduced him to Bai Yuan and the senior deacon of the library.
• Salas left to arrange Holy Hall affairs and travel to Spirit City, suspecting that Su Wen's Soul Rings were exceptionally compatible with his Martial Soul.

Bibi Dong approved Su Wen’s plan to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Su Wen met Fire Demon Xiao Zhan, who agreed to help him enroll. Xiao Zhan then asked about Su Wen’s first two Soul Skills before deciding whether to teach him.

• Salas reported Su Wen’s Higher-Level Soul Ring Absorption Theory to Bibi Dong, who let him join Heaven Dou Royal Academy and ordered the theory kept secret.
• Salas told Bai Yuan to arrange Su Wen’s academy enrollment and cautioned him not to reveal the theory.
• Su Wen realized his plan to reach Qian Renxue through the academy had succeeded and planned to approach Dugu Bo through Dugu Yan.
• Bai Yuan brought Su Wen to meet Xiao Zhan, who agreed to help him enroll and asked about his Soul Skills before deciding whether to take him under his wing.

Su Wen revealed his Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring and explained his Enhancement and elemental-control Soul Skills to Xiao Zhan and Bai Yuan. Xiao Zhan agreed to teach him at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and he prepared to take Su Wen to meet the academy’s three Education Commissioners.

• Su Wen summoned his book Martial Soul and revealed that his Second Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, startling Xiao Zhan.
• Bai Yuan explained that the Pope had permitted Su Wen to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but his ties to Spirit Hall had to remain secret.
• Su Wen described his First Soul Skill, Enhancement, and his Second Soul Skill, which let him control wind and fire elements.
• Xiao Zhan recognized Su Wen’s aptitude for controlling fire through books and agreed to teach him at the academy.
• Xiao Zhan warned Su Wen to avoid the academy’s spoiled students, then offered to introduce him to the three Education Commissioners.

Su Wen gained admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy after demonstrating his Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring, and the Three Great Education Committees placed him on the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team. Xiao Zhan began preparing to train him, while Su Wen looked forward to developing as a mage despite having a Book Martial Soul.

• Xiao Zhan explained that Su Wen would use a fabricated identity as one of his distant relatives rather than reveal his Spirit Hall background.
• Su Wen showed the Three Great Education Committees his martial soul and soul rings, and they accepted Xiao Zhan's explanation for his Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring.
• The Three Great Education Committees approved Su Wen's enrollment and required him to join Qin Ming's Royal Battle Team as a substitute.
• Xiao Zhan explained that the academy intended to train Su Wen as a future team core, and Su Wen agreed to begin training the next day.

At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Su Wen discussed developing his elemental-control Soul Skill with Xiao Zhan, who demonstrated how he internalized Soul Skills and used them without releasing his martial soul or Soul Rings. The chapter ended with Xiao Zhan explaining that his mastery depended on his Martial Soul Avatar.

• Su Wen considered how his Second Soul Skill and Enhanced Perception might help him develop control over his Sea of Consciousness and the Visualization Method.
• Xiao Zhan tested Su Wen's elemental control and explained that his flames came from external Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, making them harder to control than flames formed from Soul Power.
• Xiao Zhan assigned Su Wen three months of practice to produce greater quantities of hotter, more explosive flames with the same expenditure of power.
• Xiao Zhan demonstrated an internalized technique that let him use Soul Skills without releasing his martial soul or Soul Rings, then explained that the technique relied on his Martial Soul Avatar.

Xiao Zhan explained the Soul Fusion Method, a technique based on increasing the fusion between a Soul Master and their Martial Soul. Su Wen realized his Book Martial Soul’s recording trait might let him attempt the method earlier than Xiao Zhan expected.

• Xiao Zhan described the qualitative changes at key Soul Master stages and how Martial Soul Avatar manifested for Beast and Tool Martial Souls.
• Xiao Zhan explained that he and Bai Yuan had developed the Soul Fusion Method by drawing on Martial Soul Avatar and increasing Martial Soul fusion.
• Su Wen correctly guessed that the technique relied on the degree of fusion between a Martial Soul and its Soul Master.
• Xiao Zhan revealed that his Book Martial Soul’s inclusivity allowed it to record Soul Rings and Soul Skills, forming the basis of the method.
• Su Wen recognized recording as an important trait of his own Book Martial Soul and considered whether his deep perception of his Martial Soul Space meant he could cultivate the Soul Fusion Method early.

Su Wen trained in Xiao Zhan’s Flame Fist, learning to attach, enhance, and compress flames while discovering that his control surpassed Xiao Zhan’s expectations. Xiao Zhan told him that the Royal Team was away for another week, leaving Su Wen to cultivate at the academy library until he could report to Qin Ming.

• Su Wen began learning Xiao Zhan’s Flame Fist and spent the morning practicing how to attach flames to his fist without harming himself.
• Xiao Zhan guided Su Wen in enhancing and compressing flames, and Su Wen displayed unexpectedly strong control over them.
• Xiao Zhan told Su Wen to cultivate that evening in the academy library, which offered a better environment for Book Martial Soul Soul Masters.
• Su Wen asked when he would join the Royal Team, and Xiao Zhan said Qin Ming and the team would return in a week.
• Xiao Zhan described Qin Ming’s achievements and said he would guide Su Wen’s Fire Element Control while Qin Ming handled his Soul Power cultivation.

Su Wen tested the academy’s Nutritional Meal and cultivated in the library, where he discovered that learning and thinking could enhance his Mimicry Cultivation. He began refining the Acting Method and looked for ways to sustain its benefits by reviewing what he had already learned.

• Su Wen compared the academy’s Nutritional Meals with Old Jerry’s Little Sweet Potatoes and estimated that using both would boost his cultivation speed by about thirty percent.
• Su Wen went to the library and chose the Miscellaneous Books section, where his martial soul was most active and his cultivation efficiency was highest.
• While refining the meal’s energy, Su Wen reasoned that only rare Food System soul skills used Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to make food that could assist cultivation.
• Su Wen noticed that thinking and absorbing knowledge in the library strengthened his cultivation, and he identified this as a new part of Mimicry Cultivation called the Acting Method.
• Su Wen found that learning helped more than thinking without learning, but worried that he learned too quickly to rely on new knowledge indefinitely, so he decided to try reviewing.

Su Wen refined his cultivation through review and trained Flame Fist with Xiao Zhan, while learning that Old Jerry had advanced to level 15 with the help of Monkey Wine. Xiao Zhan said Su Wen needed more repetitive practice with flame compression and should also develop his Wind Element Control.

• Su Wen spent three days reviewing the Acting Method while practicing Flame Fist with Xiao Zhan and cultivating Internal Energy.
• Su Wen received Old Jerry's Little Sweet Potatoes and read that Monkey Wine had helped Old Jerry reach level 15 after three months of progress.
• Xiao Zhan told Su Wen he had already taught him all he could and that he needed to repeat his techniques until they became instinctive.
• Su Wen said Flame Fist's power felt insufficient, and Xiao Zhan explained that it depended on compressing flames and drawing out their explosive potential.
• Xiao Zhan urged Su Wen to keep practicing Flame Compression and to develop Wind Element Control alongside his fire abilities.

Su Wen discussed developing his Book Martial Soul with Xiao Zhan, who advised him to improve his wind control and overcome his Martial Soul’s fear of fire. Su Wen chose to pursue his own plan and began testing wind-powered flight, managing to lift off before his control grew unstable.

• Xiao Zhan explained that Su Wen had greater affinity for wind than fire and recommended training Wind Element Control, Flame Compression, and excavation.
• Xiao Zhan suggested using future Soul Rings to overcome the Book Martial Soul’s fear of flames, either by developing fire resistance or transforming the Martial Soul into energy.
• Su Wen reflected on how Soul Rings modify Martial Souls and concluded that his thorough absorption let him gain traits beyond the Soul Skills themselves.
• Su Wen decided to reach rank thirty and find his own way to overcome his Martial Soul’s fire weakness before choosing his Third Soul Ring.
• Su Wen began developing wind-powered flight and successfully lifted his feet off the ground, but his control soon became unstable and he started to sway.

Su Wen joined the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team as a substitute after developing his Wind Element. Qin Ming arranged a practice match to introduce him to his teammates, leaving Shi Mo dreading the damage he expected to absorb.

• Su Wen made rapid progress developing the Wind Element and began practicing flight with Xiao Zhan's protection.
• Xiao Zhan brought Su Wen to meet Qin Ming, who introduced him to the seven members of the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team as their new substitute.
• Xiao Zhan suggested a battle so Su Wen and the team could learn one another's abilities, and Qin Ming split the eight into two groups of four.
• Su Wen told his teammates that his book Martial Soul granted enhancement and control skills, and that he could manipulate wind and fire for ranged attacks.
• Shi Mo realized he would probably have to serve as his team's meat shield and felt miserable.

Su Wen and the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team began their match, and his Thousand-Year second Soul Ring surprised the academy’s students. As Yu Tianheng charged at him in his strongest state, Su Wen prepared a compressed fireball, leaving the result of their clash uncertain.

• Yu Feng, Osler, and Shi Mo were surprised to learn that Su Wen had a Book Martial Soul, then accepted him as a teammate after seeing his Thousand-Year second Soul Ring.
• Qin Ming started the battle, and the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team quickly recovered from their surprise and formed up under Yu Tianheng’s command.
• Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo advanced while Dugu Yan released poison, Osler harassed Shi Mo, and Yu Feng supported the attack from the air.
• Su Wen countered with fireballs, wind blades, and Flame Flying swords, then sent the swords toward Ye Lingling and forced Dugu Yan to turn back to protect her.
• Yu Tianheng activated Thunderous Fury and charged at Su Wen as Su Wen concentrated his Spiritual Power into a massive compressed fireball.

Su Wen used his fireball, wind control, and paper wings to evade Yu Tianheng’s attack and eliminate Ye Lingling, then outlasted the rest of the team by flying beyond reach of Dugu Yan’s poison. The battle ended with Su Wen alone against Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, while Xiao Zhan recognized that Su Wen’s extraordinary Soul Power recovery came from more than his Spiritual Power.

• Su Wen used the blast from his fireball clash with Yu Tianheng to escape the explosion with minimal injuries, then flew toward Ye Lingling as Osler held Yu Tianheng back.
• Yu Feng moved to stop Dugu Yan, while Shi Mo blocked Shi Mo from helping Ye Lingling or interfering with Osler.
• Qin Ming intercepted Su Wen’s wind blades and fireballs, eliminated Ye Lingling, and told Dugu Yan to stop holding back.
• Dugu Yan released her poison, and the remaining members of her team were gradually eliminated until only she and Yu Tianheng faced Su Wen.
• Su Wen stayed aloft inside a toxin-free current of wind, and Xiao Zhan noted that his rapid Soul Power recovery also relied on another use of his Second Soul Skill.

Su Wen used his Second Soul Skill and aerial mobility to outlast Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, and Qin Ming ended their battle in a draw. After assessing the team's performance and welcoming Su Wen, Qin Ming praised Xiao Zhan's teaching, while Xiao Zhan took pride in Su Wen's accomplishments.

• Su Wen explained how his Second Soul Skill helped him recover soul power, and Qin Ming marveled at his endurance against Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.
• Qin Ming stopped the battle, and Su Wen proposed a draw because Dugu Yan's poison was gradually getting through his defenses.
• Qin Ming critiqued Yu Tianheng's burst power, Dugu Yan's reliance on poison, Osler's impulsiveness, Yu Feng's Wind Element control, and Lingling's survival skills.
• Qin Ming welcomed Su Wen to the team, and Su Wen greeted the other members.
• Qin Ming praised Xiao Zhan for guiding Su Wen, and Xiao Zhan concluded that the result proved his teaching had been spot on.

Qin Ming and Xiao Zhan agreed to train Su Wen in Soul Power cultivation and Martial Soul development, while Su Wen explained his abilities and Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring to the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team. The group exchanged cultivation insights and recovered from their injuries with Ye Lingling’s healing.

• Xiao Zhan offered to exchange insights with Qin Ming to help him break through to Soul Emperor, and Qin Ming thanked him.
• Su Wen attributed his rapid Soul Power recovery to his Martial Soul’s traits when Yu Tianheng asked about it.
• Su Wen said he had absorbed a Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring from an Illusion Spirit Fox after misjudging its age, and he credited a Martial Soul Mutation with helping him survive.
• Qin Ming warned the team not to recklessly absorb soul rings beyond their limits, and Su Wen admitted his own attempt had nearly overwhelmed him.
• Yu Feng praised Su Wen’s Wind Element Control, and Su Wen offered to teach him as they discussed exchanging insights.
• Ye Lingling healed the group’s injuries and Su Wen praised the healing power of her Nine Heart Begonia.

Su Wen received combat coaching from Qin Ming and prepared for a team battle against Yu Tianheng’s group. The match began with Su Wen choosing to confront Yu Tianheng directly instead of relying on attrition tactics.

• Yu Feng teased Su Wen for attacking Ye Lingling, and Qin Ming ordered the team to continue training before another match.
• Qin Ming coached Su Wen on combat tactics, emphasizing battlefield awareness and adapting to opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Qin Ming divided the eight Soul Masters into two teams, placing Su Wen opposite Yu Tianheng.
• Dugu Yan planned for Shi Mo to protect Ye Lingling while Su Wen held off Yu Tianheng, and Su Wen agreed to rely on her control and their teammates’ support.
• When the battle began, Su Wen charged at Yu Tianheng under Ye Lingling’s healing light while Shi Mo guarded her from Osler.

Su Wen used a self-created Flame Fist to hold off Yu Tianheng while Dugu Yan’s group defeated the rest of the opposing team, securing victory. While meditating afterward, Su Wen realized that his First Soul Skill might strengthen targets beyond his Martial Soul and began considering how to develop it further.

• Su Wen compressed flames into his Flame Fist and clashed with Yu Tianheng, using Ye Lingling’s healing to endure the strain.
• Dugu Yan, Shi Mo, and Ye Lingling defeated Osler and Yu Feng while Su Wen kept Yu Tianheng occupied.
• After more than ten minutes of fighting, Yu Tianheng conceded when Dugu Yan, Shi Mo, and Su Wen surrounded him.
• Qin Ming praised the team’s performance and sent the eight participants to cultivate.
• Su Wen returned to the library, reflected on combining wind and fire, and realized his First Soul Skill might strengthen targets such as his pages.