Chapter Summaries

Tang Yuehua learned that the Clear Sky Sect’s attack on Lin Xiao had brought disaster on Moonlight Pavilion, and she finally quit serving the sect. Dugu Bo retaliated by poisoning the Clear Sky Sect and leaving a threat signed by himself and Chen Xin.

• Tang Yuehua discovered that Tang Feng and several Moonlight Pavilion experts had likely died in the Star Dou Great Forest, then learned the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had cut off her supplies and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had revoked the pavilion’s etiquette-teaching rights.
• Tang Yuehua told the Elder Council to clean up its own mess and declared she was done serving the Clear Sky Sect before collapsing amid reports of attacks on Moonlight Pavilion.
• Dugu Bo followed a man from Moonlight Pavilion to the Clear Sky Sect, secretly poisoning him and planting Poison Cores in his robe.
• Dugu Bo set a Poison Array outside the Clear Sky Sect’s mountain gate and left as poisonous gas engulfed much of the sect, causing widespread panic and suffering.
• Tang Qingqing found the rotting corpse and a note in which Dugu Bo threatened to slaughter the Clear Sky Sect and its six Title Douluo if they offended him again, signing it alongside Chen Xin.

The Clear Sky Sect learned that Dugu Bo and Sword Douluo had retaliated after Tang Fangrui attacked Lin Xiao, but Tang Xiao still resented Dugu Bo’s warning. Lin Xiao then gave Qian Renxue information about the sect’s poisoned mountain pass and recent strength, hoping Spirit Hall would keep it contained while he planned to confront it himself.

• Tang Qingqing and the other Elders discovered a threatening message signed by Dugu Bo and Sword Douluo, and Tang Fangrui admitted he had attacked Lin Xiao without consulting Yuehua.
• Tang Xiao acknowledged Dugu Bo’s strength and the danger to the Clear Sky Sect, but vowed to remember the grudge.
• Lin Xiao thanked Qian Renxue for helping abolish Moonlight Pavilion’s imperial etiquette instruction and told her the Clear Sky Sect had targeted him.
• Lin Xiao gave Qian Renxue a blueprint of Dugu Bo’s Poison Array and said the Clear Sky Sect had gained five Titled Douluo while secluded.
• Qian Renxue realized Spirit Hall could exploit the Clear Sky Sect’s predicament, and Lin Xiao left, intending to use Spirit Hall’s pressure to prevent the sect from retaliating.

After waking from her coma, Tang Yuehua learned that Moonlight Pavilion had been devastated and the Clear Sky Sect was surrounded by Spirit Hall and cut off from aid. She concluded that Lin Xiao was behind the coordinated pressure, and was left fearing the power he wielded.

• Tang Yuehua ordered her maid to seek the sect’s help and make peace with Lin Xiao, but the maid told her that messengers had been killed and the Clear Sky Sect was isolated behind a Poison Array and Spirit Hall’s blockade.
• Tang Yuehua realized the sect was being slowly starved and feared it would be annihilated.
• Tang Yuehua traced the crisis to the sect’s decision to target Lin Xiao and recognized that Ye Qingxian, Dugu Bo, Ning Fengzhi, and Spirit Hall had acted together on his behalf.
• Tang Yuehua suspected Lin Xiao was the unseen force behind the alliance and regretted not winning him over when they first met.
• Tang Yuehua thought of Ye Qingxian with envy and dug her nails into her palm until blood flowed.

After helping settle the Clear Sky Sect conflict, Lin Xiao explained how he had aligned Spirit Hall’s interests with theirs and recognized Dugu Bo’s poison as potentially overwhelming. The group left the Clear Sky Sect intact, while Lin Xiao reflected on the limits of borrowed power and worried he had nearly destroyed Tang San’s family before Tang San inherited the Young Master position.

• Lin Xiao explained to Ye Qingxian and Dugu Bo that he had coordinated with Spirit Hall by advancing their shared interests against the Clear Sky Sect.
• Lin Xiao praised Dugu Bo’s poison and argued it could defeat even large numbers of ordinary Titled Douluo, prompting Dugu Bo to regret not poisoning the Clear Sky Sect.
• Lin Xiao, Dugu Bo, and Ye Qingxian discussed the hidden strengths and restrictions of their Martial Souls, including the Nine Hearted Begonia’s healing and the Jade Phosphorous Begonia Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Lin Xiao realized Dugu Bo had repeatedly used him to test new toxins, and Dugu Bo defended himself by pointing out that Lin Xiao had survived.
• Lin Xiao urged Dugu Bo not to risk attacking the Clear Sky Sect, noting that leaving it standing would keep Spirit Hall occupied, then reminded himself that borrowed strength was not his own.
• Lin Xiao worried that he had nearly wiped out Tang San’s family before Tang San inherited the Young Master position and wondered whether God King Tang would forgive him.

Lin Xiao reunited with the Burning Maple Battle Team, reviewed its members’ progress, and announced that he would not fight in ordinary matches. He urged the team to train together and aim beyond winning the Soul Master Competition, leaving them fired up for the challenges ahead.

• Dugu Yan reported the Burning Maple Battle Team’s levels and tactics to Lin Xiao, including the team’s two Martial Soul Fusion Skills.
• Lin Xiao revealed that he had reached Level 55, shocking Ning Rongrong and Yan Song.
• Lin Xiao praised Dugu Yan for managing the team and joked that she would make a virtuous wife, easing the team’s serious mood.
• Lin Xiao explained that the team would skip the preliminary rounds and focus on improving its members and teamwork before the Finals.
• Lin Xiao told the team he would sit out ordinary battles and challenged its members to become strong enough to suppress the contemporary Soul Master World.

Before the Soul Master Competition, Lin Xiao urged the Burning Maple Battle Team to shine together and reflected on how Feng Yu had given him confidence. As the opening ceremony approached, Ning Rongrong reached Soul Ancestor, Yan Song continued training, and Shui Bing'er came to Lin Xiao to resume dual cultivation.

• Lin Xiao encouraged the Burning Maple Battle Team to show their abilities instead of letting the competition become his personal showcase.
• Lin Xiao told Feng Yu that meeting her had given him the confidence to take risks, and Feng Yu said they would have met regardless of how she came to him.
• Lin Xiao assessed the team’s strengths and practiced coordinating with its members while Ning Rongrong and Yan Song continued cultivating.
• After two months, Ning Rongrong reached Level 40 and obtained her fourth soul ring with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s help, while Lin Xiao’s Medicinal Cuisine helped Yan Song progress toward Soul Ancestor.
• On the eve of the competition’s opening ceremony, Shui Bing'er visited Lin Xiao to resume dual cultivation, while Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan joked together in the next room.

As the Soul Master Competition began, Yu Xiaogang urged Tang San to lead Shrek to a top-three finish, even allowing him to prioritize making an impression over his teammates. At the opening ceremony, Dugu Bo joined the VIPs while Lin Xiao and Ye Qingxian watched from the stands, and Zhu Zhuqing searched for Lin Xiao from Shrek’s corner.

• Yu Xiaogang told the Shrek Seven Devils to prove themselves and privately instructed Tang San to use his Hidden Weapons and stand out if victory seemed impossible.
• Shrek Academy arrived at Heaven Dou Soul Arena, where Xue Ye, a Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop, and Ning Fengzhi took their places on the VIP platform.
• Dugu Bo made a dramatic entrance on a Flood Dragon, then accepted the VIPs’ invitation to join them.
• Lin Xiao teased Dugu Bo’s flashy arrival to Ye Qingxian, whose smile caught the attention of a watching Tang Yuehua.
• Shamed by their unusual uniforms, the Shrek Team hid in a corner while Zhu Zhuqing looked for Lin Xiao and worried that he had stopped contacting her because of Dai Mubai.

Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu searched for Lin Xiao while struggling with their fears and suspicions about him. Lin Xiao went to find Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, briefly met Huo Wu, and left after she took offense at his polite rejection.

• Zhu Zhuqing ignored Dai Mubai's jealous anger and looked for Lin Xiao, while Dai Mubai stayed quiet because he feared Lin Xiao.
• Xiao Wu worried that Lin Xiao might harm her and that Tang Hao was keeping her captive, and she avoided Tang San when he tried to check on her.
• Lin Xiao noticed that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had not returned and left to look for them.
• Huo Wu introduced herself to Lin Xiao, but he politely said he was looking for his friends and walked away.
• Huo Wu complained that Lin Xiao had rejected her, while Lin Xiao continued on without responding.

Lin Xiao ignored Huo Wu, then learned that she had discovered he was captain of Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s guaranteed-entry Burning Maple Battle Team. He later found Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling chatting with other girls, and was pleased to see Ye Lingling becoming more sociable.

• Lin Xiao left Huo Wu without entertaining her, and she fumed as her admirers insulted him.
• Feng Xiaotian offered to punish Lin Xiao for Huo Wu, but a Blazing Fire Team member revealed Lin Xiao was captain of the Burning Maple Battle Team.
• Huo Wu reacted with shock and vowed to reach the final round and make Lin Xiao regret ignoring her.
• Feng Xiaotian returned to his seat after Huo Wu dismissed his attempt to comfort her.
• Lin Xiao found Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling chatting with several girls and felt happy that Ye Lingling seemed less socially anxious.

Lin Xiao met the Skywater Team at the Soul Master Competition and later summoned Xiao Wu, who had come to the Heaven Dou Soul Arena despite the danger posed by a Titled Douluo. After warning her that she could have been killed, he faced her plea for help and decided he needed to take control of her.

• Lin Xiao greeted Xue Wu and met the Skywater Team, while he and Ye Lingling bickered during their conversation.
• The Preliminary Tournament began, and Lin Xiao left the matches to consider Xiao Wu’s presence and prepare for Tang Hao’s possible appearance.
• Lin Xiao asked Feng Yu to send Xiao Wu a message telling her to meet him on Road 12.
• Xiao Wu left the Soul Arena and met Lin Xiao, who warned her that entering the venue with a Titled Douluo present had put her life at risk.
• Xiao Wu begged Lin Xiao for help, and he complained about her foolishness and resolved to control her.

Lin Xiao had Feng Yu conceal Xiao Wu’s Spirit Beast aura before the Soul Master Competition and gave her instructions to report on Tang Hao, stay close to Tang San, and answer his summons. He let her return to Zhu Zhuqing, while privately considering whether Xiao Wu might become a vessel for divine power.

• Lin Xiao warned Xiao Wu that Emperor Xue Ye, a Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop, and Ning Fengzhi would attend the competition, and she panicked about being exposed.
• Lin Xiao lent Feng Yu his blood so she could create a rune that concealed Xiao Wu’s aura from Titled Douluo below Level 99.
• Lin Xiao ordered Xiao Wu to tell him about Tang Hao, maintain her relationship with Tang San, and come whenever he needed her.
• Lin Xiao and Feng Yu speculated that Xiao Wu might be used as a vessel for a god’s power and agreed they should seize that power if given the chance.
• Zhu Zhuqing searched for Xiao Wu at the Heaven Dou Soul Arena, and Lin Xiao sent Xiao Wu back to her teammate.

Lin Xiao learned that Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Dugu Bo, and Salas had wagered soul bones on whether his team would win the Soul Master Competition, and he confidently accepted the challenge. As Shrek Academy worried about facing Burning Maple, Lin Xiao received word that Tang Hao had finally appeared.

• Xiao Wu concluded that Lin Xiao was trying to win her heart, while Zhu Zhuqing questioned her strange remark.
• Lin Xiao learned that a red-haired girl had left a challenge for him, hoping to meet him in the Finals.
• Emperor Xue Ye promised Lin Xiao a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone if Burning Maple won, while Ning Fengzhi and Salas wagered another soul bone on the championship.
• Lin Xiao encountered Shrek Academy, whose members reacted with resentment and fear, while Yu Xiaogang told them to rely on Tang San in the competition.
• Feng Yu informed Lin Xiao that Tang Hao had finally appeared, and Lin Xiao wondered whether he knew the Clear Sky Sect was nearly finished.

As the Soul Master Competition Finals began in Spirit City, Burning Maple Battle Team drew Star Luo Royal Academy Team for its first match. The teams entered the arena amid rivalries and sidelong glances, while Tang Hao watched from hiding and wondered why he could no longer sense Xiao Wu’s true nature.

• Tang Hao returned to watch the competition and was puzzled that he could no longer detect Xiao Wu as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
• Shrek Team advanced to the Finals, while Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian merged their academies’ teams into Wind God Blazing Fire Team and gained approval to enter.
• Yan Song obtained a Millennium Soul Bone, broke through to Soul Ancestor, and gained the defensive Fourth Soul Skill Thousand Rock Array.
• Burning Maple Battle Team drew Star Luo Royal Academy Team in the first round and met them in the square before Pope’s Palace.
• Dugu Yan and Shui Bing’er agreed to stick to their battle plan but hit Dai Weisi harder in passing after he leered at the team.
• Both teams entered the Soul Arena as Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Mubai watched Lin Xiao and the coming match.

Dai Mubai failed to persuade Zhu Zhuqing to reconcile and use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, while Dai Weisi provoked Lin Xiao and the Burning Maple Battle Team at the competition. Lin Xiao revealed an astonishing Soul Ring configuration, leaving the Star Luo team fearful and the Martial Soul Academy team wary.

• Dai Mubai urged Zhu Zhuqing to practice their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but she rejected him and said she could not accept him.
• Dai Mubai insulted Zhu Zhuqing and stormed away after she refused to make up with him.
• Dai Weisi taunted the women on the Burning Maple Battle Team, prompting Lin Xiao to tell his team not to hold back.
• The Star Luo Royal Academy Team released its martial souls, then the Burning Maple Battle Team revealed that all its members were above Soul Ancestor level and that Lin Xiao was a Soul King with one yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings.
• Bibi Dong and the Martial Soul Academy team grew wary of Lin Xiao, while Dai Weisi urged his frightened teammates to fight with everything they had.

Lin Xiao let his teammates take the lead against the Star Luo Royal Academy Team, but intervened when Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun attacked him and threatened his companions. He marked Zhu Zhuyun with a Soul Bone Skill, leaving her in painful fits as she fought Shui Yue'er.

• Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun launched a coordinated assault on Lin Xiao, while Dugu Yan spread poisonous miasma to block their approach.
• Dai Weisi charged through the poison and became delirious, while Zhu Zhuyun circled behind Lin Xiao and attacked with her clones.
• Lin Xiao used Phoenix Breaks the Nine Heavens to evade Zhu Zhuyun, then kicked her down and lifted her by the throat after hearing Dai Weisi threaten his teammates.
• Lin Xiao marked Zhu Zhuyun with Nine Nether Flame Hell and ordered Shui Yue'er to fight her.
• Zhu Zhuyun repeatedly suffered burning and freezing pain during the fight, and Shui Yue'er asked whether she had a serious illness.

Lin Xiao and Shui Bing'er teamed up against the remaining Star Luo Royal Academy fighters while Dugu Yan's poison left Dai Weisi helpless in the miasma. The match continued with Zhu Zhuyun forced to spar with Shui Yue'er and the four Soul Ancestors overwhelmed by the pair's coordinated ice-and-fire attacks.

• Shui Yue'er grew more skilled as Zhu Zhuyun secretly fed her openings while concealing the pain Lin Xiao could inflict through her lower abdomen.
• Dai Weisi became trapped in Dugu Yan's poisonous miasma, and Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Yue Guan recognized Dugu Bo's poison as a threat even to powerful enemies.
• The four remaining Soul Ancestors charged to rescue Dai Weisi, but Shui Bing'er froze the area with her Second Soul Skill and formed armor with her Third Soul Skill.
• Lin Xiao joined Shui Bing'er and used his first two Soul Skills, then advised her during their fight against the four Soul Ancestors.
• Shui Bing'er formed an Ice Treasure Sword resembling Lin Xiao's Crimson Sky Sword, and the pair coordinated their ice and fire as they fought the Star Luo fighters.

Zhu Zhuyun entered Dugu Yan’s toxic miasma to save Dai Weisi, and the two unleashed the Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Lin Xiao then withdrew himself and Shui Bing’er, leaving Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to face it as spectators wondered what the Burning Maple Battle Team was planning.

• The Star Luo Royal Academy’s four Soul Ancestors urged Zhu Zhuyun to rescue Dai Weisi and help him use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill before the team lost too badly.
• Zhu Zhuyun broke away from Shui Yue’er and charged into the toxic miasma, which parted to let her reach Dai Weisi.
• Dai Weisi recovered enough to join Zhu Zhuyun in summoning the Hell White Tiger, which blew away the toxic miasma and fixed its attention on Dugu Yan.
• Lin Xiao told Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to handle the Hell White Tiger while pretending to collapse after winning, then withdrew with Shui Bing’er.
• The Shrek Team and the Spirit Hall Team watched Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling take the front, unsure what Lin Xiao was planning.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling revealed the Jade Phosphorous Begonia fusion skill and defeated the Star Luo Royal Academy Team with its devastating jade light. Lin Xiao helped them keep up the appearance of exhaustion, while Ye Lingling persuaded him to carry her.

• Bibi Dong asked Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo what the Burning Maple Battle Team was doing, and Dugu Bo told her to keep watching.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling joined hands and summoned the Jadeite Begonia as the Hell White Tiger and four Soul Ancestors moved to attack them.
• Ning Rongrong revealed her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, prompting astonishment from the audience and smug pride from Ning Fengzhi.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling unleashed the Jade Phosphorous Divine Light, corroding the Hell White Tiger and incapacitating Dai Weisi, Zhu Zhuyun, and the four Soul Ancestors.
• Lin Xiao reminded Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to pretend they had exhausted their Soul Power, then helped them up and had Ye Lingling heal Zhu Zhuyun.
• Ye Lingling pretended she could not stand and insisted Lin Xiao carry her, so he reluctantly picked her up.

After defeating the Star Luo Royal Academy Team, Lin Xiao used the Fire Lotus Mark on Zhu Zhuyun to force her to meet him in the Southern Woods. He planned to turn her into an informant and use her access to the Star Luo Empire to help Feng Yu reach a Living Volcano and search for Feng Yu’s remains.

• Lin Xiao carried the injured Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to the lounge, then met Zhu Zhuyun after the match.
• Zhu Zhuyun confronted Lin Xiao about the Fire Lotus Mark on her lower abdomen, and he threatened to make her suffer again unless she met him that night in the Southern Woods.
• Zhu Zhuqing asked Zhu Zhuyun what she had discussed with Lin Xiao, but Zhu Zhuyun warned her to stay away from him.
• Zhu Zhuyun returned to her residence, feared the consequences of refusing Lin Xiao, and prepared to meet him.
• Lin Xiao told Feng Yu he intended to use Zhu Zhuyun as an informant, and Feng Yu suggested she could help him reach a Living Volcano and search for his remains.

Lin Xiao summoned Zhu Zhuyun to the grove, rejected her attempt to seduce him, and ordered her to watch Dai Weisi and assist him later. After Dai Weisi woke from his injuries and vowed revenge, Lin Xiao met Zhu Zhuqing outside the team dormitory, where she spoke of her lonely life and fear that she might die young.

• Zhu Zhuyun arrived at the grove dressed in black and tried to seduce Lin Xiao, but he told her he wanted her to spy on Dai Weisi.
• Zhu Zhuyun attacked Lin Xiao in anger after realizing he had not summoned her for an affair, and Lin Xiao threatened to expose their secret unless she watched Dai Weisi and helped him later.
• Dai Weisi woke from his injuries, learned he might be left with extensive scars, and vowed to investigate the Burning Maple Battle Team and take revenge after returning to Star Luo.
• Lin Xiao found Zhu Zhuqing waiting outside the Burning Maple Battle Team dormitory, where she thanked him for helping her and confessed that she feared she might die at twenty-five.