Chapter Summaries

Jiang Lin prepared the Sacred Soul Hall for future conflict and discussed the Ancient Sea melee and Tou She Ancient God's purge with Lan Hong. After returning to Jia Nan Academy, he praised Hu Jia's sword talent and learned that someone from the Thunder Clan had taken Xiao Yi Xian.

• Jiang Lin gave Venerable Qing Hai and the Sacred Soul Hall leaders Source Pills and Soul Cultivation Methods, warning them to prepare for major events.
• Lan Hong explained how Tou She Ancient God’s actions and the Ancient Sea melee had shaped the Dou Qi Plane, and she compared Jiang Lin’s prospects with Sage Ling Hu’s failed plan.
• Jiang Lin returned to Jia Nan Academy and met Hu Jia, who had become known as the Azure Profound Sword Emperor.
• Jiang Lin gave Hu Jia pills and promised her a fortunate opportunity if she reached the Dou Zong realm.
• Jiang Lin asked where Xiao Yi Xian was, and Su Qian presented a Thunder Pattern Token, revealing that someone from the Thunder Clan had taken her.

Jiang Lin refined a ninth-tier Wood Element Crystal Core, advanced to the Nine-star Dou Zun realm, and traveled with Lan Hong to the Thunder Realm to find Xiao Yi Xian. The chapter ended with a Thunder Clan patrol surrounding them as Jiang Lin challenged their treatment of his visit.

• Jiang Lin reorganized Jia Nan Academy and the Black Alliance, then taught Yao Tianhuo and selected academy members the Formless Artifact Body method.
• Jiang Lin refined a ninth-tier Wood Element Crystal Core and a ninth-tier Dou Artifact, drawing heavenly lightning that helped him break through to the Nine-star Dou Zun realm.
• Jiang Lin asked Lan Hong whether they could survive a confrontation with the Thunder Clan, and she said she could help him escape but could not defeat a late Eight-star Dou Saint at her current strength.
• Jiang Lin and Lan Hong used the Thunder Pattern Token to open an entrance to the Thunder Realm and passed through its space tunnel.
• A Thunder Clan patrol surrounded Jiang Lin and Lan Hong upon their arrival, and Jiang Lin questioned whether this was how the clan welcomed honored guests.

Jiang Lin entered the Thunder Realm with a Thunder Clan Elder Token and learned from Lei Shan how lightning-rich environments affected the clan’s cultivation. His observations sparked a deduction of the Divine Essence Emperor Art, and Lei Ying arrived to welcome him.

• Lei Shan questioned Jiang Lin about his Elder Token, then recognized it as genuine and escorted Jiang Lin and Lan Hong into the Thunder Realm.
• Jiang Lin commented that the Thunder Clan’s Demon Lightning Stone buildings resembled a lightning prison and asked Lei Shan about the clan’s cultivation and elemental affinities.
• Lei Shan explained that stronger bloodlines and lightning-rich environments increased the likelihood that Thunder Clan children would awaken Lightning Dou Qi.
• Jiang Lin deduced a Five Elements cultivation method called the Divine Essence Emperor Art and considered the unusual realm and qualities of his Divine Essence Spirit Fire.
• Lei Ying arrived, dismissed Lei Shan, praised Jiang Lin’s concealment technique, and greeted him; Jiang Lin jokingly complained that Lei Ying had kept him in the dark.

Jiang Lin met with Lei Ying in the Thunder Realm and learned that the Thunder Clan wanted him to forge a Life Artifact as a betrothal gift for Lei Dong’s proposed marriage to Gu Xun’er. After Jiang Lin revealed that Gu Xun’er was Xiao Xun’er, who loved Xiao Yan, Lei Ying reconsidered the match and Jiang Lin suggested seeking her own attitude with Xiao Yan’s help.

• Lei Ying explained that he had invited Jiang Lin to discuss commissioning a Life Artifact, after using resources and protection to support Xiao Yi Xian’s breakthrough.
• Lei Ying said he wanted a Life Artifact as a special betrothal gift for the Thunder Clan’s proposal to the Gu Clan, and Jiang Lin wondered whether to add spectacle to the ceremony.
• Jiang Lin asked what would happen if the Gu Clan’s young lady refused, then identified her as Gu Xun’er, also known as Xiao Xun’er, who loved Xiao Yan.
• Lei Ying realized Gu Xun’er was connected to the Xiao Clan and became troubled by the prospect of forcing the marriage.
• Jiang Lin suggested that Lei Ying assess Gu Xun’er’s wishes by having Lei Dong appear before the Gu Clan in his strongest state, with Xiao Yan’s help.

Jiang Lin visited the Thunder Clan to discuss forging a Saint-grade Life Artifact for Lei Dong and chose to see Xiao Yi Xian before meeting the young clan leader. After finding Lei Dong, Jiang Lin recognized him as the Thunder Clan prodigy connected to the Fire Origin Crystals and challenged him to use his lightning arts.

• Jiang Lin explained to Lei Ying that Xiao Yan could help forge Lei Dong’s Life Artifact and that the young men should meet before the Thunder Clan pursued a marriage alliance with the Gu Clan.
• Jiang Lin promised to forge Lei Dong a Saint-grade Life Artifact, revealed that he had reached Nine-star Dou Zun, and showed Lei Ying the Formless Artifact Body.
• Jiang Lin declined to meet Lei Dong immediately and went with Lei Ying and Lan Hong to see Xiao Yi Xian meditating in the Thunder Pool, where she was nearing Three-star Dou Zun.
• Jiang Lin inspected the Thunder Clan’s Black Demon Thunder, then followed Lei Ying to the forbidden grounds and met Lei Dong, who doubted that the Spirit Artisan could help him.
• Jiang Lin recognized traces of the Glazed Foundation in Lei Dong and challenged him to test his lightning arts against a Nine-star Dou Zun.

Jiang Lin challenged Lei Dong to a spar in the Thunder Realm, revealing that Lei Dong’s lightning could rapidly charge his unusual physique and raise his cultivation. After Lei Dong unleashed his full power and reached the strength of a Five-star Dou Saint, he attacked Jiang Lin with Thunder Tribulation Palm.

• Jiang Lin insisted on fighting Lei Dong despite Lei Ying’s concerns, and Lei Ying agreed to let them spar after Lan Hong encouraged him.
• Lei Dong struck Jiang Lin with furious thunder, which forced Jiang Lin’s aura down to Dou Wang before charging him back to Dou Zun Peak.
• Jiang Lin revealed his lightning-absorbing physique and temporarily rose to the Dou Saint realm as he fought Lei Dong.
• Lei Dong summoned the World-Destroying Thunder Spear, but Jiang Lin caught it and absorbed its energy while exchanging blows with him.
• Lei Dong awakened his Thunder Pattern and released Black Demon Thunder Dou Qi, raising his strength to Five-star Dou Saint before attacking Jiang Lin with Thunder Tribulation Palm.

Jiang Lin tested his lightning resistance against Lei Dong, then studied the Thunder Clan’s Dragon Scale Thunder Spear and refined its Thunder Dragon Pearl into a Crystal Core. After discussing the Black Demon Thunder and his path to becoming a Dou Saint, Jiang Lin traveled with companions to Ice River Valley, where he said he had come to break off an engagement.

• Jiang Lin endured Lei Dong’s Thunder Tribulation Palm and demonstrated that he could absorb surrounding energy to strengthen himself.
• Lei Dong gave Jiang Lin the Thunder Dragon Pearl, which Jiang Lin studied and refined into a Crystal Core before realizing Lei Dong had intended it as a template for a Life Artifact.
• Jiang Lin deciphered the Dragon Scale Thunder Spear and gave Lei Dong the Heaven-grade Phantom Spirit Artifact Art.
• Lei Dong agreed to let Jiang Lin pursue the Black Demon Thunder as a Life Artifact material, and Jiang Lin explained that his main goal was breaking through to Dou Saint.
• A month later, Jiang Lin and three companions arrived at Ice River Valley, where Jiang Lin said he had come to break off an engagement.

Jiang Lin visited Ice River Valley and offered to perfect Bing He’s Acquired Calamity Poison Body in exchange for information about its Exotic Ice. There, he discovered the Warm Snow Demonic Lotus and learned it, too, was a relic left by an ancient Poison Venerable.

• Jiang Lin teased Lei Dong about his marriage arrangement with Gu Xun'er, then revealed that he was the current Spirit Emperor of the Ancient Sea Secret Realm.
• Jiang Lin and his companions arrived at Ice River Valley, where Bing He welcomed them and accepted Jiang Lin’s offer to help perfect his Acquired Calamity Poison Body.
• Jiang Lin inspected the materials Bing He had gathered, taking several for himself while preparing to devise a treatment from the rest.
• Jiang Lin recognized the Warm Snow Demonic Lotus in Ice River Valley’s hot spring and warned Bing He that its true nature could have brought him danger.
• Bing He explained that the lotus and the Exotic Ice were relics left by an ancient Poison Venerable who had sealed her poison in the land where Ice River Valley now stood.

Jiang Lin forged a powerful Life Artifact from the Warm Snow Demonic Lotus for Ice River Venerate, who gained strength to defend Ice River Valley from an attack. Jiang Lin’s group then learned that Bing He had badly injured Blazing Flame Valley’s Tang Zhen, and Ancestor Huoyun asked Jiang Lin to help the valley.

• Jiang Lin learned about the Calamity Poison Body and decided to use the Warm Snow Demonic Lotus to grant Ice River Venerate a fortuitous opportunity.
• Jiang Lin forged an Eighth Order Peak Life Artifact, enduring its lightning tribulation and advancing to Late Nine-star Dou Zun, while Ice River Venerate cultivated to Five-star Dou Zun.
• After Jiang Lin and his companions left, Ice River Venerate used the black snow to repel factions demanding treasure from Ice River Valley.
• Ancestor Huoyun stopped Jiang Lin’s group and explained that Bing He had severely injured Tang Zhen during the black snow incident.
• Ancestor Huoyun revealed that Tang Huo'er had also damaged her cultivation foundation while refining the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire, and Jiang Lin agreed to visit Blazing Flame Valley.

Jiang Lin brought Xiao Yi Xian to Blazing Flame Valley, where she cured Tang Zhen of the Warm Snow Poison by absorbing some of his cultivation. He then admitted his connection to the Ice River Valley incident and offered Ancestor Huoyun the Theory of Destiny Artifacts, prompting Huoyun to seek the Blazing Flame Ancestor's counsel.

• Jiang Lin accepted Ancestor Huoyun's invitation and followed him with Lei Dong, Lan Hong, and Xiao Yi Xian to Blazing Flame Valley to see the poisoned Tang Zhen.
• Xiao Yi Xian drew out and dissolved the Warm Snow Poison, restoring Tang Zhen's life while absorbing some of his cultivation and leaving him at Four-star Dou Zun.
• Jiang Lin left Tang Huo'er and the elders to care for Tang Zhen, then told Ancestor Huoyun that saving Tang Zhen settled his connection to the trouble at Ice River Valley.
• Ancestor Huoyun learned that the Ice River Valley phenomenon came from Jiang Lin's Dou Artifact rather than a ninth-tier Profound Pill and recognized its connection to Pill Artifacts.
• Jiang Lin gave Ancestor Huoyun the Theory of Destiny Artifacts and urged him to decide soon before Jiang Lin went to the Soul Hall.
• Ancestor Huoyun decided to consult the Blazing Flame Ancestor about Jiang Lin's offer.

Jiang Lin made a deal with the Blazing Flame Ancestor for a future chance to call on him, then led his companions toward the Soul Hall. The Soul Hall weighed its plans for the Ancient Jades while Jiang Lin visited Hun Ke'er at Mo Mansion with Lei Dong and the others.

• The Blazing Flame Ancestor agreed to act once for Jiang Lin in exchange for a fully mature Holy Weapon and gave him Flame Spirit Jade to contact him.
• After leaving Blazing Flame Valley, Lan Hong recognized the Blazing Flame Ancestor's cultivation technique as essentially the same as Emperor Xuan's, and Jiang Lin explained his plan involving a mature Holy Weapon to Lei Dong.
• Hun Miesheng rejected a proposal to capture Lei Dong for the Thunder Clan's Ancient Jade, choosing instead to avoid alerting the other Imperial Clans and deciding to meet Jiang Lin if he reached the Heavenly Hall.
• Jiang Lin bypassed the Soul Hall's Tiangang Hall and went to Mo Mansion, where he greeted Hun Ke'er and claimed Lei Dong had come to admire the Soul Clan's concern for all living beings.

Jiang Lin learned from the Soul Craftsman's message that he should treat Central Continent as home, then began establishing his own lineage through artifact forging. He forged Hun Ke'er's Half-Saint-level soul Life Artifact using a Void Devouring Flame sub-flame, and after four months of work, a vast darkness and a mysterious silhouette appeared above the Mo Mansion.

• Hun Ke'er gave Jiang Lin the Soul Jade Slip and told him the Soul Craftsman had gone to a secret realm.
• Jiang Lin proposed leaving his inheritance in Central Continent and forging Hun Ke'er's Life Artifact, and Hun Ke'er supplied the materials and blueprint.
• Jiang Lin and Hun Ke'er began forging with the Soul Craftsman's imprisoned Void Devouring Flame sub-flame, while Jiang Lin joked that the Soul Craftsman or Hun Tiandi could exterminate his nine clans if they objected.
• Jiang Lin used Xiao Yi Xian's Finality Blood to pierce Nihility Devouring Flame's soul fragment and refine it with Divine Essence Spirit Fire.
• After about four months, a powerful soul pressure darkened the sky above the Mo Mansion, and lightning briefly revealed a terrifying silhouette between heaven and earth.

Jiang Lin helped Hun Ke'er temper her Life Artifact, Susanoo, through a five-colored lightning tribulation, then met Hun Miesheng, who invited him into the Soul Clan and explained its plan to obtain the Ancient Jade and make Hun Tiandi emperor. Jiang Lin revealed that the Nihility Devouring Flame might be secretly controlling the Soul Clan and could betray it, leaving Hun Miesheng to confront the threat and Jiang Lin's offer to become an alternative investment.

• Jiang Lin used his Divine Essence Spirit Body to help Hun Ke'er and Susanoo absorb the five-colored lightning tribulation, and the ordeal raised him to the Late Nine-star Dou Zun stage.
• Hun Miesheng arrived with Soul Hall forces to guard Mo Mansion, rewarded Hun Ke'er with a Supreme Sacred Soul Source, and recognized Jiang Lin as Hun Tianjiang's son, though Jiang Lin asked him to use the name Spirit Artisan.
• Hun Miesheng took Jiang Lin aside and explained that the Soul Clan needed Lei Dong's Ancient Jade and all eight Tuoshe Ancient Jades to reach the Emperor-grade Embryonic Pill and make Hun Tiandi emperor.
• Jiang Lin covered himself and Hun Miesheng with Divine Essence Spirit Fire and revealed that the Nihility Devouring Flame might be using soul control to seize the Soul Clan's bloodlines and betray Hun Tiandi.
• Jiang Lin warned Hun Miesheng that the Nihility Devouring Flame's Emperor-realm soul fragments could kill most of the Soul Clan, then presented himself as a member the clan could invest in outside that plan.

Jiang Lin warned Hun Miesheng that Nihility Devouring Flame was secretly controlling the Soul Clan, then gained control of the Soul Hall and prepared to establish a sect. A month later, Hun Tiandi appeared before Jiang Lin, who revealed the danger, and Hun Tiandi said he already knew.

• Jiang Lin told Hun Miesheng about his Formless Artifact Body cultivation art and proposed that the Soul Clan support him, while Hun Miesheng promised to recommend him to Hun Tiandi.
• Hun Miesheng handed the Soul Hall over to Jiang Lin, who returned to Mo Mansion and began organizing artifact-forging materials for his planned sect.
• Hun Ke'er demonstrated Susanoo's Half-Saint-level defenses, and Jiang Lin dismissed the Soul Hall higher-ups before entering seclusion.
• Over the following month, Lei Dong learned the Phantom Spirit Artifact Art, and Lan Hong joined Hun Ke'er and Lei Dong in a battle using giant energy constructs.
• Hun Tiandi appeared beside Jiang Lin, who explained how he had sensed him and warned that Nihility Devouring Flame had secretly controlled the Soul Clan; Hun Tiandi said he already knew.

Hun Tiandi revealed the Soul Clan’s hidden Ink Soul Lineage contingency and appointed Jiang Lin to preserve it if the clan’s plans failed. He also explained the Soul Clan’s role in protecting and secretly testing the Xiao Clan’s bloodline before departing and directing Jiang Lin to the Spirit Realm.

• Hun Tiandi explained that the Ink Soul Lineage preserved the Soul Clan’s purest bloodline and could survive even if his attempt to become a Dou Di destroyed the rest of the clan.
• Hun Tiandi told Jiang Lin that he had the greatest potential among the Ink Soul Lineage and could inherit its leadership and Imperial Blood if Hun Tiandi fell.
• Hun Tiandi revealed that Hun Tianjiang had both proposed exterminating the Xiao Clan and secretly protected its bloodline, while other clans observed whether its power would recover as its population dwindled.
• Hun Tiandi explained that the Soul Clan’s public hostility toward the Xiao Clan deterred other factions from hunting its survivors directly.
• Hun Tiandi departed after telling Jiang Lin to act as he wished and to return to the Spirit Realm after reaching Dou Saint, where the Spirit Clan had a gift for him.

After Hun Tiandi revealed that the Soul Clan could support him, Jiang Lin decided to found a sect on Ink Soul Plain and teach his artifact-forging method. His announcement drew factions from across the continent, including all the Ancient Eight Clans and a group of Xiao Clan members, leaving Hun Miesheng stunned.

• Hun Tiandi considered Jiang Lin’s Divine-grade Soul Clan bloodline and concluded that Jiang Lin could serve the Soul Clan’s plans.
• Jiang Lin reflected on the Soul Clan’s role in the coming struggle and realized it could become his ally.
• Jiang Lin announced that Spirit Artisan would found a sect in one month and accept disciples regardless of cultivation or Dou Qi attribute.
• The news spread across Central Continent, prompting Tang Zhen, Lei Ying, the Sacred Soul Hall, the Soul Hall, and the Alchemist Tower to send people or prepare candidates.
• Factions from across Central Continent gathered at Ink Soul Plain, including the Yao Clan, Yan Clan, Thunder Clan, Gu Clan, Soul Clan, Spirit Clan, Stone Race, and a group of Xiao Clan members.
• Hun Miesheng was shocked to learn that the Stone Race had sent a group and that the Xiao Clan had also appeared.

As factions gathered on Ink Soul Plain for Spirit Artisan’s promised event, they watched Jiang Lin unleash his Divine Essence Black Hole above Lotus Artifact Mountain. A gigantic Nine-Colored Dou Qi Dharma Image began emerging from within it.

• Lei Dong, Lan Hong, and Soul Hall’s Dou Zuns helped Jiang Lin build Lotus Artifact Mountain and its tiered training platforms.
• Xuan Kongzi spoke with Tang Zhen and Tang Huo'er, suggesting the Alchemist Tower might help treat Tang Huo'er's hidden ailment if she passed Jiang Lin’s assessment.
• Gu Xuan confirmed the visiting delegation was genuinely from the Stone Race and told Gu Xun'er that Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Family were being escorted to Ink Soul Plain; Gu Xun'er decided they could stay with the Gu Clan.
• The Yan and Yao Clans saw the Xiao Family’s weak cultivation and privately judged the Gu Clan for sheltering them so poorly, while the gathered factions formed camps around Lotus Artifact Mountain.
• At sunrise, Jiang Lin opened his Divine Essence Black Hole at full power, drawing Ink Soul Plain’s energy into a vast vortex and unleashing a terrifying Energy Tide.
• A gigantic Nine-Colored Dou Qi Dharma Image slowly emerged from deep within Jiang Lin’s Divine Essence Black Hole.

Jiang Lin announced that he would pass down his comprehensive artifact-forging legacy to those who proved worthy, drawing the attention of hidden Dou Saints and the Imperial Clan leaders. Hun Tiandi recognized that Jiang Lin’s teachings could give him the means to challenge the Soul Clan’s isolation and reconnect the rival clans.

• A Soul Hall executive warned that Jiang Lin could threaten early-stage Dou Saints even at the Dou Zun Peak, then apologized after hidden Dou Saints turned their attention toward him.
• Jiang Lin opened his eyes, saw Hun Tiandi, Hun Miesheng, Lei Ying, the Blazing Flame Ancestor, and other Imperial Clan leaders concealed nearby, and declared that he would pass down his legacy.
• Jiang Lin described the nine trials of Lotus Artifact Mountain and promised to teach the methods of the Artifact Ancestor, while his Emperor-level Spirit Fire and divine radiance intensified the pressure on the crowd.
• The hidden leaders assessed Jiang Lin’s achievement, and Lei Ying praised his independent path while Gu Yuan regretted that the Gu Clan had not aligned with him sooner.
• Hun Tiandi considered how Jiang Lin’s legacy could earn the Imperial Clans’ goodwill and become a bridge between the Soul Clan and its rivals.

Jiang Lin opened Lotus Artifact Mountain as a test of spiritual understanding and artifact knowledge, teaching the Theory of Spiritual Qi and the Theory of Destiny Artifacts while entrants climbed its tiers. Seven people passed the final examination and knelt before him on the highest platform.

• Hun Tiandi and the other clan leaders recognized that Jiang Lin’s distinct values and respect for order could make him a more acceptable figure than the Soul Clan’s usual intermediaries, but they waited to see how he performed.
• Jiang Lin explained that entrants could climb Lotus Artifact Mountain without using Dou Techniques or energy, gain artifact knowledge through the Divine Essence Spirit Fire, and face increasingly difficult assessments for deeper teachings.
• The entrants discovered that the mountain’s domain dulled their senses and stretched its apparent distance, while Shi Tian advanced unusually quickly and Gu Xun’er realized the trials tested comprehension and wisdom.
• Gu Xun’er joined Lan Hong, Hun Ke'er, Lei Dong, and Shi Tian on the mountain, where they faced tests involving the knowledge they had learned during the ascent.
• Jiang Lin taught the Theory of Spiritual Qi for three days and then began teaching the Theory of Destiny Artifacts as the entrants reached different tiers.
• Lan Hong and the others stopped at the ninth tier, while seven people passed the final examination, reached the highest Divine Essence Lotus Platform, and knelt before Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin admitted seven people as his disciples after the Divine Essence Assessment and assigned them their seniority. As the new disciples discussed future cultivation and a dangerous secret realm, Jiang Lin named Nalan Yanran sixth, leaving her uneasy about the title.

• Jiang Lin selected Yao Ling, Shi Tian, Yao Tianhuo, Bing He, Feng Qing'er, Nalan Yanran, and Tang Huo'er as disciples after the assessment.
• Jiang Lin ranked Yao Ling first, Shi Tian second, Yao Tianhuo third, and Bing He fourth, then discussed the disciples’ prospects with them.
• Bing He offered to negotiate compensation for the Half-Saint who had pursued him and proposed exploring a secret realm with the other disciples.
• Yao Ling postponed the secret realm expedition until she reached Half-Saint and offered to help her lower-ranked junior disciples improve their cultivation.
• Jiang Lin named Feng Qing'er fifth, Nalan Yanran sixth, and Tang Huo'er seventh, and Nalan Yanran felt uneasy about being called sixth.