Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yun spent a night designing a Chinese-style estate that integrated two powerful formations, then led Imperial Fighting Team Two to the arena, where Skywater Academy withdrew and forfeited. The chapter left him appreciating Shui Bing’er’s thoughtful gesture as his newly acknowledged junior sister.

• Xiao Yun reviewed the estate map and decided to replace the existing buildings with a garden designed for living, cultivation, and defense.
• Xiao Yun drafted the estate’s layout around the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Spirit-Gathering Formation and Four Seasons Four Symbols Guardian Great Array, completing a preliminary plan after working through the night.
• Xiao Yun rested, then led Imperial Fighting Team Two to the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Dueling Arena for their match.
• Xiao Yun learned that Skywater Academy had voluntarily withdrawn, giving his team the victory.
• Xiao Yun realized Shui Bing’er had likely arranged the withdrawal to avoid a fight between fellow disciples and appreciated her consideration.

After Imperial Fighting Team Two won by forfeit, Shui Bing'er introduced her aunt, Skywater Academy team leader Shui Ruoyan, to Xiao Yun. Shui Ruoyan invited Xiao Yun to talk at a nearby café, while Golan and the other team members secretly watched and speculated about his connection to Shui Bing'er.

• Xiao Yun met Shui Bing'er and Shui Ruoyan outside the Soul Dueling Arena after sending Imperial Fighting Team Two back to the academy.
• Shui Bing'er introduced Xiao Yun to her aunt, and Shui Ruoyan expressed surprise at his youth before greeting him respectfully.
• Shui Bing'er suggested they find somewhere quiet to talk, and Shui Ruoyan proposed a nearby café.
• Lin Ye, Tie Niu, Osler, and Golan secretly watched Xiao Yun leave with Shui Bing'er and Shui Ruoyan.
• Golan decided to tell Xi Weiya and Shenghua what she had seen, then urged the team members to return and cultivate.

Xiao Yun met Yao Yuerou, the leader of Plant Academy, and agreed to demonstrate his strength to convince her to join Skywater Academy in serving him. He withstood her attacks in a secluded valley without suffering harm, leaving Yao Yuerou to judge his power.

• Shui Ruoyan introduced Xiao Yun to Yao Yuerou, who questioned whether he was strong enough to protect Plant Academy and Skywater Academy.
• Xiao Yun accepted Yao Yuerou's demand for a test, and they traveled with Shui Ruoyan and Shui Bing'er to a secluded valley outside Heaven Dou City.
• Yao Yuerou used her Crimson Flame Thorn Martial Soul to surround Xiao Yun with a thorn fortress and bind him with thorn whips.
• Xiao Yun summoned a Green Lotus barrier that held the thorns back and blocked Yao Yuerou's Rain of Thorns without rippling.
• Yao Yuerou unleashed her Thorn Fire Dragon, but Xiao Yun remained unharmed behind the still-shining Green Lotus barrier.

Xiao Yun demonstrated his Wood Attribute techniques to Yao Yuerou and the others, overwhelming Yao Yuerou and destroying her thorn fortress. He then summoned a hundred-meter wooden golem, leaving Shui Ruoyan, Shui Bing'er, and Yao Yuerou stunned by its power.

• Yao Yuerou challenged Xiao Yun to demonstrate offensive abilities after her attacks failed to harm him.
• Xiao Yun summoned Wood Dragons that smashed through Yao Yuerou's City of Thorns, and Yao Yuerou admitted defeat.
• Xiao Yun used a Wood Dragon to carry Yao Yuerou to Shui Ruoyan and Shui Bing'er, then explained Wood Attribute abilities could develop in different ways.
• Xiao Yun shaped a vine into a wooden spear and hurled it through a hill and a cloud, shocking the three women.
• Xiao Yun summoned a hundred-meter wooden golem and demonstrated its strength by stamping a crater into the valley floor.

Xiao Yun demonstrated the overwhelming power of his Thousand-Armed Guanyin to Yao Yuerou and the Skywater Academy women, winning Yao Yuerou’s awe. Back in Heaven Dou City, he discussed terms with Yao Yuerou, offering Plant Academy pill support but declining to take one of its disciples as a student for now.

• Xiao Yun used Thousand-Armed Guanyin to flatten a hill, leaving Shui Ruoyan, Shui Bing'er, and Yao Yuerou stunned.
• Xiao Yun sensed powerful auras approaching, dismissed the wooden statue, and urged the women to leave the valley.
• Yao Yuerou agreed to follow Xiao Yun’s arrangements, and the four returned to Heaven Dou City and went to Supreme Water Delicacy.
• At Ice Condensing Pavilion, Yao Yuerou asked Xiao Yun about the terms he had offered Skywater Academy and requested pill support and a chance for a Plant Academy disciple to study under him.
• Xiao Yun offered Plant Academy four bottles of Soul Replenishing Pills, fewer than Skywater Academy received, and said none of its competitors had yet impressed him enough to become his disciple.

Xiao Yun secured Plant Academy’s cooperation by promising to consider future candidates and giving Yao Yuerou Soul Replenishing Pills, while ordering the academy to keep their agreement secret. He also gave her spirit herb seeds to cultivate, laying the groundwork for Plant Academy to support his future alchemy and organization.

• Yao Yuerou asked Xiao Yun to consider worthy Plant Academy students in the future, and he agreed.
• Yao Yuerou described Plant Academy’s decline under Spirit Hall’s suppression and its dwindling resources and personnel.
• After the banquet, Xiao Yun gave Yao Yuerou four bottles of Soul King-grade Soul Replenishing Pills and ordered her and Shui Ruoyan to keep his identity and their agreement secret.
• Xiao Yun rejected Shui Ruoyan’s suggestion to contact Blazing Fire Academy and Godwind Academy, saying he would make plans after the tournament.
• Xiao Yun gave Yao Yuerou seeds for several low-grade spirit herbs and told her to cultivate them as the basis for Plant Academy’s future role in supplying medicinal ingredients.

Xiao Yun entrusted spirit herb seeds to Plant Academy and Skywater Academy, then sent two teams into the Tower of Trials for group training. Afterward, he gathered medicinal herbs to prepare Body Tempering Fluid for the exhausted team members.

• Yao Yuerou accepted spirit herb seeds and pledged to oversee their cultivation at Plant Academy.
• Shui Ruoyan asked for seeds for Skywater Academy, and Xiao Yun agreed to let both academies experiment with growing them.
• Xiao Yun returned to the Inner Court Training Ground and summoned the Tower of Trials for the twenty members of the two teams.
• Xiao Yun assigned Team One to challenge from the fortieth floor toward the fiftieth and Team Two to begin on the thirtieth floor, then warned them to work together and withdraw if necessary.
• After the teams entered the tower, Xiao Yun asked Bai Baoshan for medicinal herbs so he could prepare Body Tempering Fluid for them.

Xiao Yun prepared Body Tempering Fluid for the team and began tempering the bodies of Xi Weiya, Shenghua, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan in his apartment. As the five endured the painful treatment, he monitored them and saw that Shenghua and Ning Rongrong were struggling most.

• Xiao Yun prepared three grades of Body Tempering Fluid and gave the high-grade and ordinary bottles to Bai Baoshan to distribute after the team members' trials.
• Xiao Yun created five bath barrels in his backyard, filled and heated them, then summoned Xi Weiya, Shenghua, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan.
• Xiao Yun placed the five women in the barrels, added top-grade Body Tempering Fluid, and ordered them to circulate their Cultivation Methods and endure the pain.
• Xiao Yun monitored the women with his Spiritual Sense and noted that Zhu Zhuqing had the strongest will, followed by Dugu Yan and Xi Weiya.
• Shenghua and Ning Rongrong struggled most as the body-tempering process continued.

Xiao Yun helped Shenghua, Ning Rongrong, and the other women endure a painful medicinal body-tempering session, then cared for them as they recovered. After they went to sleep, he stayed up studying the estate blueprint and refining its defensive and spirit-gathering arrays.

• Xiao Yun steadied Shenghua and Ning Rongrong with Spiritual Power and encouragement as the five women endured the medicinal treatment.
• The medicinal power was absorbed, and Xiao Yun gave the exhausted women towels before they returned to their rooms to wash and change.
• Xiao Yun prepared a nourishing meal, and Dugu Yan, Xi Weiya, and Shenghua thanked him with affection while he gently discouraged Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong from hugging him.
• The women ate with Xiao Yun, then went to sleep after wishing one another good night.
• Xiao Yun remained awake in his Study Room, studying the estate blueprint and adjusting the Four Seasons Rotation Defense Array and Twenty-Four Solar Terms Spirit Gathering Array.

Xiao Yun completed the formation blueprint for his future manor after two days of calculations, then realized the property was too narrow to fit the planned estate. He went to inspect the manor and was stopped at the gate by a guard who said it already had a new owner.

• Xiao Yun finished the blueprint, connecting the two formations into a harmonious cycle, and stored it away before falling asleep from exhaustion.
• Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and the others checked on Xiao Yun while he slept and left him undisturbed.
• After waking at noon, Xiao Yun calculated that his manor needed to be at least four hundred meters long and two hundred and fifty meters wide, far wider than the property he had obtained.
• Xiao Yun ate lunch with the girls and told them he would be out until that evening.
• Xiao Yun reached the manor in Heaven Dou City's residential district, but an old gatekeeper stopped him and said the manor had a new owner.

Xiao Yun investigated the estates beside his new property in Heaven Dou City and decided to approach the powerful Soul Master who owned the estate on his left. He introduced himself to the gatekeeper, while inside the neighboring estate Liu Erlong awaited the visitor.

• Xiao Yun gave the local gatekeeper fine liquor and learned that the neighboring estates belonged to a powerful Soul Master and a difficult wealthy man.
• Xiao Yun used his Spiritual Sense to inspect both estates and concluded that he would need to acquire them to build his planned residence.
• Xiao Yun chose to approach the Soul Master first, believing they might understand one another and that he could persuade the owner with valuable resources.
• Xiao Yun introduced himself to the Soul Ancestor guarding the estate and asked to meet the master.
• The gatekeeper went inside to announce Xiao Yun to Liu Erlong, who had been living in seclusion after entrusting Blue Tyrant Academy to Flender and the others.

Xiao Yun visited Liu Erlong to introduce himself as her new neighbor, but she recognized his name and challenged him to a fight. He accepted, and they headed to her private Training Ground.

• Liu Erlong learned that her new neighbor was Xiao Yun and ordered Uncle Fu to welcome him.
• Xiao Yun noticed the dragon-and-lightning emblem on the estate and realized Liu Erlong owned it.
• Liu Erlong greeted Xiao Yun with suspicion, while he politely explained that construction on his estate might cause noise and offered her a fruit basket.
• Liu Erlong challenged Xiao Yun to withstand her attacks before she would approve his construction, and he agreed.
• Liu Erlong led Xiao Yun to her private Training Ground.

Liu Erlong challenged Xiao Yun to a sparring match, but his skillful evasions and mysterious footwork left her unable to land a blow even after she used her Martial Soul and Soul Skills. After exhausting herself, she tricked him into offering help and flipped onto his waist.

• Liu Erlong sent Uncle Fu to stand guard and challenged Xiao Yun to spar, while Xiao Yun chose a light training uniform instead of protective gear.
• Liu Erlong attacked with increasing speed and strength, but Xiao Yun evaded and deflected her blows with ease.
• Liu Erlong released her Martial Soul and used her first Spirit Skill, forcing Xiao Yun to rely on Lingbo Weibu to avoid her attacks.
• Liu Erlong continued attacking with Soul Skills until her Soul Power and stamina ran low and she collapsed from exhaustion.
• Xiao Yun offered Liu Erlong a hand, but she seized his wrist, pulled him off balance, and straddled his waist.

Liu Erlong recognized Xiao Yun as the mysterious man from Sunset Forest and attacked him in fury, but he sealed her Martial Soul before she could unleash her strongest skill. The chapter left her confronting Xiao Yun with her anger subdued and a tangled mix of resentment and lingering attachment.

• Liu Erlong recognized the aura escaping from Xiao Yun as that of the man who had taken her innocence in Sunset Forest and attacked him more fiercely.
• Xiao Yun, unaware that Liu Erlong had identified him, seized her wrists and threw her off him before warning her to stop.
• Liu Erlong reacted with renewed fury when Xiao Yun addressed her as Senior and began activating her Martial Soul Avatar.
• Xiao Yun appeared beside Liu Erlong and sealed her Soul Power and connection to the Crimson Dragon Martial Soul.
• Liu Erlong realized Xiao Yun possessed power beyond her understanding and reflected on how she had waited for the mysterious man while living alone.

Xiao Yun and Liu Erlong confronted the aftermath of their encounter in Sunset Forest, and Liu Erlong explained how Yu Xiaogang’s actions had led her to let go of him. Xiao Yun apologized sincerely, easing Liu Erlong’s lingering grievance and uncertainty.

• Liu Erlong recognized Xiao Yun and stopped him from leaving, accusing him of abandoning her after their encounter in Sunset Forest.
• Xiao Yun admitted he had helped Liu Erlong when she was injured but said he had left because of urgent business; Liu Erlong insisted he had taken her first night.
• Liu Erlong asked why Xiao Yun had never sought her out, and he brought up Yu Xiaogang.
• Liu Erlong explained that Yu Xiaogang’s absence, his defeat in the debate, and his disappearance from Shrek had made her lose faith in him.
• Liu Erlong said Xiao Yun had gradually replaced Yu Xiaogang in her heart, and Xiao Yun apologized for leaving her to bear her feelings alone.

Xiao Yun comforted Liu Erlong, told her about his origins and Spiritual Power cultivation, and revealed that his Martial Soul had changed. The chapter ended with Liu Erlong promising to keep his secrets as Xiao Yun considered whether to teach her.

• Xiao Yun embraced Liu Erlong and comforted her until she recovered her usual confidence.
• Xiao Yun told Liu Erlong that he was nineteen, that his parents had died while hunting a soul ring, and that he cultivated Spiritual Power instead of Soul Power.
• At Liu Erlong's insistence, Xiao Yun summoned his Martial Soul, which had transformed into a crystalline sphere filled with colorful origin energies.
• Xiao Yun sensed that the sphere contained several forms of origin energy and that gathering water and earth might transform it further.
• Liu Erlong promised not to share Xiao Yun's knowledge without his permission, and Xiao Yun considered teaching her about Spiritual Power.

Xiao Yun introduced Liu Erlong to his body-focused cultivation system and demonstrated Spiritual Power, leaving her eager to learn more. He then explained that he wanted to buy her estate and the neighboring one, offering Soul Replenishing Pills as payment.

• Xiao Yun explained the Dantian, meridians, and acupoints to Liu Erlong as the foundations of his cultivation system.
• Xiao Yun guided a wisp of Spiritual Power through Liu Erlong's body, and she felt it ease her fatigue and nourish her.
• Liu Erlong eagerly asked Xiao Yun to teach her how to cultivate, but he said he had to return before the Imperial Fighting Team Two's match the next day.
• Liu Erlong teased Xiao Yun about his original reason for visiting, and he admitted that he wanted to buy her estate and the neighboring one for a new residence.
• Xiao Yun offered Soul Replenishing Pills as payment, and Liu Erlong asked if she could try one.

Xiao Yun gave Liu Erlong a Soul Replenishing Pill and explained his plans for a formation-powered cultivation estate, leaving her time to consider selling her property. After returning to the Teacher's Apartment, he faced Dugu Yan's suspicion about another woman's scent, then carried her inside, where Ning Rongrong began tickling her.

• Liu Erlong tested a Soul Replenishing Pill and estimated that fifty pills would be worth roughly as much as her estate.
• Xiao Yun described the energy-gathering, defensive cultivation grounds he planned to build, and Liu Erlong agreed to give him an answer the day after tomorrow.
• Xiao Yun embraced Liu Erlong before leaving her estate and returning to the Teacher's Apartment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Dugu Yan smelled an unfamiliar woman's scent on Xiao Yun and questioned him, but accepted his explanation with lingering suspicion.
• Xiao Yun carried Dugu Yan into the Living Room, where Xi Weiya, Shenghua, and Ning Rongrong were waiting.
• Ning Rongrong tickled Dugu Yan as she clung to Xiao Yun, making her laugh and squirm.

Xiao Yun designed the four core magic tools for the Four Seasons Rotation Defense Array and deduced its ultimate Four Symbols Return to Origin form. After Dugu Yan visited him in the Study Room, they spent the night together, and she was too exhausted to attend morning training the next day.

• After dinner, Xiao Yun returned to the Study Room to design magic tools for the arrays.
• Xiao Yun envisioned the Azure Dragon Mengzhang Seal, Vermilion Bird Lingguang Feather, White Tiger Jianbing Banner, and Black Tortoise Zhiming Lamp as the seasonal tools for the Four Seasons Rotation Defense Array.
• Xiao Yun deduced that the four tools could merge into Four Symbols Return to Origin, turning the surrounding area into an indestructible small world while his Spiritual Power remained.
• Dugu Yan entered the Study Room after bathing and massaged Xiao Yun before he carried her to the bedroom.
• The next morning, Dugu Yan missed morning training and remained in her room because she was exhausted.

Imperial Fighting Team Two faced Godwind Academy, with Golan taking on Feng Xiaotian while the rest of the team fought his teammates. Golan’s strength and defense gave her an edge in close combat, while Tie Shan protected Ning Qing from a focused assault.

• Xiao Yun drew Godwind Academy as Imperial Fighting Team Two’s opponent and told the team how to counter Feng Xiaotian’s speed and self-created technique.
• Golan challenged Feng Xiaotian to a one-on-one fight, and Xiao Yun advised her to keep him from taking flight and building distance.
• Golan and Feng Xiaotian fought hand to hand, and Xiao Yun saw that Golan’s Yazi Martial Soul gave her the advantage in physical combat.
• Feng Xiaotian used Wind Blade Formation, but Golan charged through it and struck him hard in the chest.
• Feng Xiaotian summoned his Swift Wind Wings and began attacking Golan from different angles, while Tie Shan blocked three Godwind Academy fighters from reaching Ning Qing.