Chapter Summaries

Jiang Lin arrived at Deep Sea City and approached the Merfolk Divine Hall, where he hoped his Spirit Clan identity and Soul Hall connections would help him survive and find a way home. He pushed open the hall’s gate and announced himself as Hun Lin of Soul Hall.

• Jiang Lin learned that the abyssal wall behind Deep Sea City marked the World's Edge and an entrance to the Ancient Sea Trial.
• Kelly led Jiang Lin through Deep Sea City to the living coral palace at its center.
• Kelly and the other merfolk guards left Jiang Lin at the Merfolk Divine Hall’s enormous gate.
• Jiang Lin reasoned that his Spirit Clan identity could help him negotiate with the local Spirit Clan and return to the Dou Qi Continent sooner.
• Jiang Lin pushed open the jade gate and announced, “Soul Hall's Hun Lin, here to pay a visit!”

Jiang Lin forced open the Merfolk Divine Hall’s massive gates with his physical strength, shocking the merfolk gathered outside. He entered without leaving behind blood or Dou Qi and found the hall’s ruler and twenty ancient merfolk guardians, half of whom were dead and the rest barely alive.

• Jiang Lin pushed open the hundred-meter jade gates through repeated bursts of strength, earning the awe of the merfolk warriors.
• Jiang Lin announced himself as Soul Hall’s Soul Spirit and entered without using the gates’ detection mechanism or leaving his blood or Dou Qi behind.
• The Divine Hall’s gates closed behind Jiang Lin as he faced twenty ancient merfolk experts and an elderly merfolk woman seated on a throne.
• Jiang Lin discovered that half of the ancient guardians were dead and the remaining half were barely alive.

Jiang Lin discovered that the Deep Sea Soul Hall was a Spirit Clan array artifact built around enslaved merfolk Dou Zuns, leaving the Merfolk King as its only living, free member. The Merfolk King mistook Jiang Lin for a Soul Clan prodigy with powerful backing and treated him with fearful deference.

• Jiang Lin recognized the Deep Sea Soul Hall’s energy circuits as a Spirit Clan array, and Pei Xuan sensed ten half-dead Dou Zuns and the Nine-star Dou Zun Merfolk King.
• Jiang Lin realized the Spirit Clan had used the merfolk as experimental components and broken the race’s spirit.
• The Merfolk King lowered her head to Jiang Lin and asked whether the Soul Hall Emissary of Other Shore had instructions.
• Jiang Lin told the Merfolk King she did not need to humble herself, but she insisted he was no ordinary Soul Hall member.
• The Merfolk King said Jiang Lin’s Soul Clan cultivation aura was pure, despite his unusual physique.

Jiang Lin asked the Merfolk King about rare materials that could restrain Dou Qi and about Exotic Water, hoping to find new sources for powerful Crystal Cores. The Merfolk King’s reaction suggested she knew something about Exotic Water, but she had not yet answered him.

• The Merfolk King, wary of Jiang Lin’s connection to the Soul Hall, asked how the Merfolk Race could help him.
• Jiang Lin avoided asking how to return to the Dou Qi Continent and instead described a rare material with a strong restraining effect on Dou Qi.
• Jiang Lin asked whether the Merfolk King had seen Exotic Water capable of rivaling Heavenly Flames, prompting wary looks from her and the Merfolk Dou Zuns.
• Jiang Lin considered how exotic species could provide growth-capable Crystal Cores and reduce his future dependence on cores taken from magical beasts.
• Pei Xuan identified the Bodhi Ancient Tree as a likely Exotic Wood and mentioned an Exotic Lightning Jiang Lin could seek once he reached Dou Zun or Dou Saint.
• The Merfolk King murmured about Exotic Water, drawing Jiang Lin’s attention back to her.

Jiang Lin asked the Merfolk King about exotic water, but the king refused after recognizing his interest in the Abyssal Sea Eye. A Soul Clan envoy exposed Jiang Lin’s false identity, and Fuhai Dou Zun struck him down as the envoy intercepted an ancient cauldron.

• The Merfolk King said he knew of exotic water but would not tell Jiang Lin about it, and offered a Sea Heart Flame sapling instead.
• The Merfolk King revealed that Jiang Lin wanted the Abyssal Sea Eye and said he would have yielded it to a Soul Clan member.
• A black-clad girl appeared, and the Merfolk King knelt to greet her as the Soul Envoy and Azure Venerable Lan Xun.
• The girl said she had never heard of Hun Lin and sensed no Soul Clan bloodline in Jiang Lin.
• Jiang Lin tried to retrieve something from his Thunder Pattern Storage Ring, but Fuhai Dou Zun struck him with a water handprint and sent him crashing into the hall doors.
• The Soul Envoy caught an ancient Thunder Pattern cauldron as Jiang Lin’s Mystic Pattern Mask shattered.

Jiang Lin survived Fuhai Dou Zun’s attack, but she moved to gouge out his eyes before a ninth-tier Soul Suppressing Sword intervened. The black-clad Soul Clan girl suppressed and absorbed Fuhai Dou Zun, leaving the other merfolk Dou Zuns under the sword’s threat.

• Jiang Lin’s Mystic Pattern Mask shattered as he glared up at Fuhai Dou Zun.
• Fuhai Dou Zun attacked Jiang Lin, but the black-clad girl froze when she saw his face.
• The Soul Suppressing Sword severed Fuhai Dou Zun’s arm, pierced her forehead, and pinned her to the Soul-Binding Sea Pillar.
• The Soul Suppressing Sword Realm spread across the Merfolk Divine Hall and placed illusory swords above every merfolk Dou Zun.
• The Merfolk King knelt and pleaded with the Soul Envoy to quell her anger.
• The Soul Suppressing Sword shattered Fuhai Dou Zun and absorbed her soul, forming a Merfolk Half-Saint sword spirit.

Jiang Lin survived Fuhai Dou Zun’s attack and recognized the Soul Clan girl Hun Ke’er as a fellow disciple of Hu Lei. After Hun Ke’er acknowledged him as her junior nephew, she let Jiang Lin decide what would happen to the Merfolk Dou Zuns.

• Fuhai Dou Zun’s strike destroyed Jiang Lin’s Thunder Pattern Storage Ring, badly damaged his artifacts, and left him injured, but he quickly recovered.
• Jiang Lin showed Hun Ke’er the Azure Profound Cauldron and told her that his teacher was Hu Lei.
• Hun Ke’er recognized Jiang Lin as Hu Lei’s disciple and told him he could call her Martial Uncle.
• The Merfolk Dou Zuns learned that Hun Ke’er’s master had refined their Half-Saint ancestor into an artifact, and they begged her for mercy.
• Hun Ke’er offered Jiang Lin the choice of whether to kill or spare the Merfolk Dou Zuns, and Jiang Lin asked for compensation instead.

Jiang Lin recovered from his injury after Hun Ke'er subdued the Merfolk Race and accepted their compensation. Hun Ke'er returned his scattered possessions and gave him a Nether God Jade Pendant, leaving Jiang Lin puzzled by her apparent concern for him.

• Jiang Lin refused to punish the Merfolk Dou Zuns for their attack, and Hun Ke'er demanded that the Merfolk Race compensate him for its guilt.
• Hun Ke'er recalled how the Soul Clan and Spirit Clan had dominated the Vast Ancient Sea and turned defeated Half-Saints into Soul Artifact Spirits.
• Hun Ke'er gave Jiang Lin a healing pill, introduced herself as Vessel Venerable's youngest disciple and Hu Lei's junior sister, and asked about his name.
• Jiang Lin confirmed that Hun Lin was an alias he had adopted for protection, while privately suspecting Hun Ke'er was in love with Hu Lei.
• Azure Venerable and the other Merfolk Dou Zuns recovered Jiang Lin's scattered possessions, and Hun Ke'er stored them in her Spatial Treasure Jade.
• Hun Ke'er gave Jiang Lin a Nether God Jade Pendant, which he caught in his hand.

After Hun Ke'er freed Jiang Lin from the Deep Sea Divine Palace, she brought him to the Super Sea Heart Flame and explained the Ancient Sea Trial and the value of body cultivation. She revealed that the heavenly water Jiang Lin sought, the Abyssal Sea Eye, lay inside the flame.

• Jiang Lin accepted a Nether God Jade Pendant from Hun Ke'er, while she demanded compensation from the Merfolk King for releasing Azure Venerable.
• A day later, Hun Ke'er led the recovered Jiang Lin out of the Deep Sea Divine Palace and invited him to compete in the Ancient Sea Trial in two or three years.
• Hun Ke'er explained how human Dou Qi cultivation surpassed the magical beast system and said Jiang Lin's physique could help him advance from Nine-star Dou Zun to Dou Saint.
• Hun Ke'er showed Jiang Lin the Super Sea Heart Flame and revealed that its core contained the heavenly water called the Abyssal Sea Eye.

Jiang Lin discovered that the Super Sea Heart Flame contained the Exotic Water Abyssal Sea Eye, but agreed to wait until after the Ancient Sea Trial to retrieve it. Hun Ke'er then led him away from Deep Sea City, and he asked her to explain how she had ended up there.

• Hun Ke'er explained that the Spirit Clan had fused the Abyssal Sea Eye with Sea Heart Flame to create the Super Sea Heart Flame.
• Hun Ke'er warned Jiang Lin that removing the Exotic Water would damage the flame and weaken the Deep Sea Soul Hall's restraints, so Jiang Lin agreed to wait.
• Jiang Lin considered absorbing some of the flame's energy later and leaving what he could not absorb for Xiao Yan.
• Hun Ke'er said her mission in the Vast Ancient Sea was complete and led Jiang Lin away from Deep Sea City.
• Hun Ke'er emerged from the sea and asked Jiang Lin to tell her how he had ended up there.

Jiang Lin flew with Hun Ke'er across the sea as she told him a Spirit Clan Dou Saint had attacked him and that he should stop using the name Jiang Lin. Hun Ke'er revealed that no one in the Spirit Clan remained to trouble him, then brought him to a Soul Hall teleportation array to return.

• Jiang Lin struggled to keep up with Hun Ke'er using his damaged Feather Sheath Wings Dou Skill.
• Hun Ke'er told Jiang Lin that a Spirit Clan Dou Saint had appeared in the Western Domain and advised him to use his name less often.
• Hun Ke'er said Jiang Lin was protected by his Azure Profound Cauldron and the Vessel Venerable, and that no one in the Spirit Clan remained to cause him trouble.
• Jiang Lin questioned whether he should be glad or grieve, and Hun Ke'er told him the Spirit Clan had been too weak.
• Hun Ke'er led Jiang Lin to a Soul Hall continent-level teleportation array, and several days later a black void flashed across the desolate sea.

Hun Ke'er brought Jiang Lin through the Soul Hall’s teleportation array to its Western Regions branch, where the protectors mistook her for a senior member of the Soul Clan. She dismissed them and explained to Jiang Lin that Hun Ling was her public name, leaving him to realize why his assumed identity had been exposed.

• Lu Protector and Iron Protector waited with the other Soul Hall protectors as the dormant teleportation array activated.
• Hun Ke'er and Jiang Lin arrived, and Lu Protector cautiously asked Hun Ke'er who she was and why she had used the array.
• Hun Ke'er introduced herself as Hun Ling of the Soul Clan, prompting Lu Protector and the other protectors to bow and address her as Master Hun Ling.
• Hun Ke'er dismissed the protectors and led Jiang Lin away, telling him she disliked being called Ke'er but accepted being called Martial Uncle.
• Hun Ke'er explained that Hun Ling was the name she used outside, like her master’s title Soul Craftsman.

Jiang Lin left the Soul Hall with Hun Ke'er, who explained that he could not yet go to Central Continent because his identity might attract dangerous attention. She gave him control of the Western Regions Soul Hall while she sought her master's advice, and Jiang Lin decided to head for Jia Nan Academy to cultivate and test his abilities.

• Jiang Lin stepped out of the Soul Hall and sensed the suffering souls being processed beneath it, while Hun Ke'er reflected on how people were swept along by the tides of the age.
• Jiang Lin explained that he could not bear the Soul Hall's cries, and Hun Ke'er said she had grown accustomed to them after living in that environment since childhood.
• Hun Ke'er told Jiang Lin that she would travel to Central Continent to consult Vessel Venerable and advised him to avoid using the names Jiang Lin and Young Qilin.
• Hun Ke'er identified their location as the Western Domain and placed its Soul Hall under Jiang Lin's control until she returned within half a year.
• Jiang Lin asked to go to Jia Nan Academy to cultivate and prepare to absorb the Sea Heart Flame and Abyss Sea Water, and Hun Ke'er agreed but said he would have to manage the visit himself.
• Hun Ke'er lifted Jiang Lin's broken Mystic Pattern Mask and told him not to wear half-face masks in the future.

After Hun Ke'er left, Jiang Lin planned a trip to Jia Nan Academy to study its Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower and refine materials, while Lu Protector warned that the academy would not admit Soul Hall members. Jiang Lin proposed approaching its leaders as a high-rank Artifact Forger, and stunned Lu Protector and Iron Protector by claiming to be sixth rank.

• Hun Ke'er left Jiang Lin and his group in the Western Regions Soul Hall after instructing Lu Protector, Iron Protector, and the others to protect him.
• Jiang Lin asked Lu Protector for a map, studied the route to Jia Nan Academy, and considered using its Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower to refine the Fire Spirit Colored Lotus and rare materials.
• Jiang Lin asked Lu Protector to accompany him through the Black Corner Region, and Lu Protector warned that Jia Nan Academy would not let Soul Hall members enter directly.
• Jiang Lin proposed contacting Jia Nan Academy's leaders as an Artifact Forger, since high-rank Artifact Forgers were treated as half Soul Hall members.
• Jiang Lin told Lu Protector and Iron Protector that he could forge artifacts at the sixth rank, leaving both Protectors astonished and more respectful.

Jiang Lin explained that he wanted to go to Jia Nan Academy to use the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower and its Fallen Heart Flame for artifact forging. He rejected Lu Protector and Iron Protector’s suggestion to target Han Feng, then planned a guard mission to Black Seal City under the name Spirit Artisan.

• Jiang Lin told Lu Protector and Iron Protector that Soul Hall was too noisy and unsuitable for his artifact forging, and said he wanted to use the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower at Jia Nan Academy.
• Lu Protector and Iron Protector offered to seize Han Feng’s Heavenly Flame for Jiang Lin, but Jiang Lin asked about Han Feng and then refused to cause trouble.
• Lu Protector and Iron Protector accepted Jiang Lin’s decision, though they regretted losing the chance to use his backing to deal with Han Feng.
• Jiang Lin marked Black Seal City on the map and said he wanted a guard mission there to prepare for Jia Nan Academy to invite him in.
• Jiang Lin chose Spirit Artisan as the name he would use.

Jiang Lin adopted Spirit Artisan as his new alias, then arrived in Black Seal City as a mysterious Sixth-rank Artifact Forger. News spread that the Black Seal Auction would offer a Sixth-tier Profound Weapon, and its unusual abilities were explained to an eager crowd.

• Jiang Lin used Hun Ling as an excuse for taking the name Spirit Artisan, and Lu Protector agreed to address him as Master Spirit Artisan.
• Half a month later, Jiang Lin arrived in Black Seal City, where news of a Sixth-tier Profound Weapon at the next Black Seal Auction spread rapidly.
• A black-clothed middle-aged man told an inn crowd that Artifact Forgers distinguished traditional Dou Artifacts from Mysterious Artifacts by their forging methods and special abilities.
• The man explained that Mysterious Artifacts could contain powerful Dou Techniques or enhance their wielders, then announced that the auction weapon was suited for Dou Emperor experts.

Jiang Lin spread word about Sixth-tier Profound Weapons while refining Soul Purifying Beads and forging a weapon with Lu Protector’s help. A passing young Alchemist decided to investigate Jiang Lin’s identity, while Lu Protector proposed stealing the finished weapon and Jiang Lin rejected the idea to protect his reputation as Soul Hall’s wandering Spirit Artisan.

• A young Alchemist reported rumors of a Sixth-tier Profound Weapon Master to the person traveling in his carriage, who chose to ask the Eight Sects about the matter.
• A black-clothed middle-aged man reported to Jiang Lin that Soul Hall had spread news about Sixth-tier Profound Weapons throughout the Black Corner Region.
• Jiang Lin gave the man ten Soul Purifying Beads and explained that swallowing and refining one would purify the user's soul.
• Jiang Lin had Lu Protector charge the Azure Profound Cauldron for three more days to support the forging of a Sixth-tier Profound Weapon.
• Lu Protector suggested stealing the weapon after it was sold, but Jiang Lin refused because Soul Hall's involvement would damage his reputation.

Jiang Lin promised Lu Protector he would attempt to forge him a Seventh-tier Mysterious Artifact if Lu Protector supplied suitable materials, then began forging at the Soul Hall outpost using energy from the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower. His Sixth-tier artifact forging drew Heaven and Earth Energy into spectacular clouds, and Pei Xuan explained that such displays were typical of ancient high-tier forging.

• Jiang Lin offered to try forging a Seventh-tier Mysterious Artifact for Lu Protector, while guaranteeing at least a High-grade Sixth-tier artifact if he failed.
• Jiang Lin told Lu Protector to provide high-grade materials, especially Soul Artifact materials, and explained that he needed the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower's Heavenly Flames energy.
• Lu Protector agreed to follow Jiang Lin's arrangements and continued charging the Azure Profound Cauldron.
• After three days, Jiang Lin began forging at the Soul Hall outpost, drawing Heaven and Earth Energy into clouds that stretched for ten li.
• Pei Xuan told Jiang Lin that ancient high-tier Dou Artifact forging had caused even greater spectacles, while ordinary Artifact Forgers needed to reach Dou Emperor to produce a similar display.

Jiang Lin advanced to Six-star Dou Ling and forged the sixth-tier mid-grade Profound Weapon Autumn Maple. He demonstrated the saber’s power to Lu Protector, unleashing an attack that sent him flying and revealed the Prairie Fire Slash.

• Jiang Lin broke through to Six-star Dou Ling, while his physique reached the late fourth tier.
• Jiang Lin forged Autumn Maple, a two-handed Miao saber and sixth-tier mid-grade Profound Weapon.
• Jiang Lin asked Lu Protector to test Autumn Maple and warned him to fully deploy his Dou Qi shield.
• Jiang Lin used a secret art and a Dou Artifact to raise his power to One-star Dou Emperor.
• Jiang Lin struck Lu Protector with Autumn Maple, sent him flying, and unleashed Prairie Fire Slash.

Jiang Lin tested Autumn Maple against Lu Protector, then prepared to take the saber to Black Seal City to trade with Medicine Emperor Han Feng and explore the Black Corner Region’s resources. He left with Lu Protector, presenting himself as Spirit Artisan, a Sixth-rank Artifact Forger.

• Jiang Lin’s flaming saber strikes damaged Lu Protector’s Dou Qi shield before Jiang Lin dispersed his power and returned Autumn Maple to him.
• Jiang Lin explained that Autumn Maple was a semi-customized Mysterious Artifact he planned to barter with Medicine Emperor Han Feng and use to learn what resources the Black Corner Region’s factions possessed.
• Jiang Lin forged a black-gold sheath for Autumn Maple while Lu Protector waited.
• Jiang Lin and Lu Protector flew toward Black Seal City, with Jiang Lin using subdued Dou Qi Wings to avoid drawing attention.