Chapter Summaries

After earning money from selling hamburgers, Li Qing learned that his blade-shaped Spirit Bone could fuse with his Martial Soul and began absorbing it under Master and Tang San’s guard. He defeated the Great Saber Mantis’s remnant soul, upgraded his scythe, and finished testing his improved abilities as Master proposed a spar with Tang San.

• Li Qing served Xiao Wu fruit salad, sold nearly six hundred hamburgers, and earned nine hundred Copper Soul Coins.
• After eating Li Qing’s hamburgers, Master remembered that Li Qing’s Spirit Bone was a rare Martial Soul Bone that could upgrade his Martial Soul and grant an additional skill.
• Li Qing absorbed the Spirit Bone and fought the Great Saber Mantis’s remnant soul in his Spirit Sea, activating his Sharingan to defeat it.
• By sunrise, Li Qing had become level thirteen, gained the Severing Scythe and Soul Grandmaster-level mental power, and explained his Sharingan’s abilities to Master.
• Master confirmed Li Qing’s advanced mental power, then suggested that Li Qing and Tang San spar at the Back Mountain.

Li Qing and his companions prepared to travel to the Soul Hunting Forest so he could obtain his second Soul Ring after reaching level twenty. With Master’s approval and instructions, Li Qing, Tang San, and Ling Ren set out together and arrived at the forest around lunchtime.

• After Ling Ren destroyed the latrine, Li Qing vomited at the mess and avoided rice and the toilet for days.
• More than a year later, Li Qing reached level twenty and unlocked the fourth gate, while Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Ling Ren had also reached level twenty.
• Master rejected Li Qing’s plan to hunt a thousand-year Spirit Beast alone, but agreed to let Li Qing, Tang San, and Ling Ren travel together after seeing Li Qing’s strength.
• Li Qing memorized Master’s instructions, and the three friends bought supplies and received Spirit Hall identification tokens.
• The next morning, Li Qing, Tang San, and Ling Ren rode by carriage to the Soul Hunting Forest and arrived around lunchtime.

Li Qing and Xu Yu entered the Spirit City Douluo Arena for the final examinations, but the arena did not assign them one-on-one opponents. They teamed up instead, defeated Yan and Feng Ting and several other pairs, while Li Qing remained unable to get his solo matches.

• Li Qing learned that Yan and Xu Yu had Silver Douluo badges because students had been required to earn them to advance.
• The arena staff took Li Qing and Yan's information into a small room, and neither was assigned a one-on-one match while Xu Yu and Feng Ting competed and returned.
• Li Qing suggested entering two-person matches with Xu Yu, and they registered as the Qingyu Combination.
• The Qingyu Combination was matched against Yan and Feng Ting's Feng Huo Combination, and Li Qing and Xu Yu defeated them in under three minutes.
• Li Qing and Xu Yu won five more two-person matches, but Li Qing still could not find opponents for one-on-one battles.

Li Qing was imprisoned after Xue Ye collapsed from Mysterious Nether Absolute Powder poisoning, while Wan Tianlin and Xue Qinghe investigated the attack. As Xue Qinghe’s group prepared to pressure Li Qing for an antidote, Li Qing claimed he could cure the poison despite insisting he was innocent.

• Li Qing recalled being arrested after Xue Ye collapsed and waited in the dungeon, trusting that Wan Tianlin would uncover the truth.
• Imperial Physician Wang diagnosed Xue Ye with Mysterious Nether Absolute Powder and warned that he would die within three days without an antidote.
• A guard reported that poison residue had been found on the popcorn bucket, and Xue Qinghe ordered the captured suspect to be questioned.
• Xue Qinghe confronted Li Qing in the dungeon and demanded the antidote, while Wan Tianlin objected to torturing him.
• Li Qing asked Ling Wu about the poison, learned that Ling Wu had invented it, and told Xue Qinghe he could cure it.

Li Qing defeated Du Ruyi, then faced Feng Mingye and used his healing skill and Replication Eye to adapt to the senior’s attacks. After the morning’s fights, Li Qing and Xu Yu entered afternoon two-person matches, where Xie Yue requested a match against Li Qing’s group and was refused by Yu Shaofei.

• Li Qing survived Du Ruyi’s Ruyi Jadeite Sabers and won, learning that she was his senior and that the upperclassmen had been ordered to test him.
• Du Ruyi urged Li Qing to defeat the other upperclassmen so they might all avoid their month of devilish training, and Li Qing healed his wounds with Meditation.
• Feng Mingye used invisible Wind Blades and strong close-combat skills to injure Li Qing, who activated the Replication Eye to learn his techniques before healing himself and reactivating the Sharingan.
• Li Qing, Yan, and the other two rested after their morning battles, then returned to the Spirit City Douluo Arena for two-person matches.
• Xie Yue asked Yu Shaofei to let his and Nana’s groups fight Li Qing’s group together, but Yu Shaofei refused, leaving Li Qing concerned.

Li Qing recognized Xiao Xue as the disguised youth he had once competed against for an incomplete formation diagram after they both reached for the last iron plate squid. Xiao Xue snatched it with astonishing speed, leaving Li Qing stunned.

• Li Qing noticed the beautiful Xiao Xue behind him and laughed, then asked if they had met before when her face seemed familiar.
• Li Qing and Xiao Xue waited in line for iron plate squid, each silently wondering where they had seen the other.
• When Xiao Xue reached for the last portion, Li Qing grabbed her wrist and remembered meeting her disguised as a boy at the Nuo Lan City night market.
• Xiao Xue knocked Li Qing's hand away with Soul Power and threatened him, while the vendor and onlookers watched calmly.
• Li Qing challenged Xiao Xue over the squid, but she moved in a flash and took it before he could react.

Ling Qing accepted Ling Wu’s offer to merge the Golden Tree branch and Ling Wu’s remnant soul with his scythe martial soul. After the fusion, Ling Qing broke through and his Scythe of Severance evolved into the Scythe of Judgment.

• Ling Wu explained that his remnant soul could not survive apart from the weakening Golden Tree branch, and proposed fusing the branch with Ling Qing’s scythe and becoming its spirit.
• Ling Qing accepted Ling Wu’s offer after seeing his pleading expression.
• Ling Qing summoned the Scythe of Severance as Ling Wu used the Book of the Dead to fuse it with the Golden Tree branch.
• The fusion’s warm energy flowed through Ling Qing, and he cultivated until he successfully broke through.
• Ling Wu became a white light that enveloped the scythe, and the weapon evolved into the Scythe of Judgment.

Li Qing explored the Scythe of Judgment’s new abilities after Ling Wu fused with it, then helped Liu Lin clear Black Rock from the Tumbled Stone Forest. He tested the scythe against a stone pillar, but his strike only left a white mark, and he resolved to keep trying.

• Ling Wu told Li Qing that he needed to rest after overexerting himself during the fusion, and Liu Lin began clearing the Tumbled Stone Forest.
• Li Qing discovered a hidden button on the Scythe of Judgment that released golden chains, then checked the weapon’s attributes and learned its Severance ability had evolved into Judgment.
• Li Qing helped Liu Lin move stones while secretly storing pieces of Black Rock in his Storage Soul Tool.
• Li Qing struck a Black Rock pillar with his scythe, but the blow only left a white mark, and Liu Lin returned to moving stones.

Ling Qing fought alone against more than thirty Soul Masters from the Brute Bear Mercenary Group and unleashed the full power of his Scythe of Severance. After slaughtering the attackers, he stood in the rain with the bloodlust still in his heart.

• Ling Qing used an attacking Soul Master as a weapon to knock down nearby mercenaries, while support-type Soul Masters slowed and healed the fighters.
• Ling Qing wielded a broadsword and wounded several power-attack-type Soul Masters, causing the others to hesitate.
• Xiong San offered five hundred Gold Soul Coins to whoever killed Ling Qing, and the mercenaries charged at him in a frenzy.
• Ling Qing summoned the Scythe of Severance and used Slaughter All Sides, cutting down the charging mercenaries and those who tried to flee.
• Ling Qing stopped amid the bodies as heavy rain fell, unable to wash away the blood or his bloodlust.

Ling Qing discovered that repeated use of his first spirit skill let him cut through objects with a single powerful slash, then planned to train his physique and cultivate both Chakra and Soul Power. After Tang San forged ten heavy iron bars for him, Ling Qing began his strength training.

• Ling Qing showed Master and Tang San that his first soul ring had grown to four hundred years old, and Master recovered from doubting his knowledge of martial souls.
• Master advised Ling Qing to develop his scythe as a Battle Soul Master balancing speed and strength.
• Ling Qing tested his first spirit skill and learned that repeatedly striking an object with it allowed him to cut through it in one final slash.
• Ling Qing planned to strengthen his physique and cultivate Chakra alongside Soul Power, then received a mission to obtain the Eight Inner Gates method once his physique reached a certain level.
• Ling Qing asked Tang San to forge ten iron bars weighing ten kilograms each, and began training with them after dinner.

Ling Qing fought a white-clad youth over a set of formation diagrams, first losing despite refusing to use his martial soul. He opened the Eight Inner Gates to turn the fight around, but the youth unleashed overwhelming Soul Power and knocked him down, then conceded the match.

• Ling Qing clashed with the white-clad youth over the formation diagrams and agreed to settle the dispute with a fight.
• The youth outpaced Ling Qing and knocked him to the ground, prompting Ling Qing to open the Gate of Rest and continue fighting.
• Ling Qing used the Gate of Life to boost his speed and power, then kicked the youth flying and attacked him from behind.
• The youth released a powerful Soul Power shield that sent Ling Qing flying and made him spit blood.
• The white-clad youth declared that Ling Qing had won.

Li Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu swore themselves siblings over wine, then woke up in a cemetery with Tang San and Xiao Wu missing. Following blood trails to a tombstone, Li Qing moved it and uncovered a hidden entrance.

• Li Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu cut their fingers, swore by their martial souls to become sworn siblings, and drank until they fell asleep in the cemetery.
• Li Qing woke beside a tombstone, realized he was in a cemetery, and found Tang San and Xiao Wu gone.
• Li Qing searched the clearing and spotted bloodstains leading deeper into the cemetery.
• Li Qing followed two blood trails to a tombstone and noticed scrape marks at its base.
• Li Qing summoned the Scythe of Severance, shifted the tombstone, and revealed a pitch-black opening.

Li Qing and the others examined the Spirit Bone recovered from Zhang San and learned that it carried an undetectable special energy. Li Qing and Xiao Wu warned against absorbing it, so Tang San put it away for now.

• Li Qing read that the wanted poster offered one thousand Gold Soul Coins for capturing or killing Zhang San and regretted accepting Brand's supposed compensation.
• Tang San produced the bloodied cloth bundle containing the Spirit Bone, and Ling Ren washed it before the group examined it.
• Tang San identified the object as a rare head Spirit Bone that might have come from an ape-type Spirit Beast.
• Li Qing's system warned that absorbing the Spirit Bone would cause irreversible side effects, though Ling Ren's Book of the Dead could detect nothing unusual.
• Xiao Wu also said the Spirit Bone should not be absorbed, and Tang San put it away after agreeing to trust her and Li Qing.

Ling Qing spoke with Ling Ren about his fear of going bald and persuaded him to focus on training and his goal of becoming the greatest Mourner. Ling Ren’s worries eased, though Ling Qing suspected the Bald Youth Rescue Plan might not be over.

• Xiao Wu surprised Ling Ren by admiring his abs, then joined him and Ling Qing for the plan’s final step.
• Ling Qing coaxed Ling Ren into admitting that he feared he was going bald after losing a tenth of his hair in twenty days.
• Ling Qing reassured Ling Ren that hair loss was common and that his improved strength and meditation mattered more.
• Ling Ren remembered his father’s unfulfilled wish and decided that hair loss was trivial compared with becoming the greatest Mourner.
• Ling Qing suggested that Ling Ren could wear a hat or headscarf, and Ling Ren’s spirits lifted.
• Ling Qing sensed that the Bald Youth Rescue Plan might not be over yet.

Li Qing, Tang San, and Ling Ren discovered that Zheng Shuo had been following them through the forest and chased him after he escaped their ambush. Little White tracked Zheng Shuo to a battle with a Spirit Beast, leaving the group approaching the fight.

• Li Qing stopped the group for the night after sensing something might be following them, and Ling Ren reported that Little White had detected resentment behind them.
• Zheng Shuo crept within five meters of the group, but Li Qing and Tang San attacked him together; Zheng Shuo used his spirit skill to escape.
• Li Qing recognized Zheng Shuo as a Soul Elder from his revealed spirit rings and ordered the others to chase him.
• Little White tracked Zheng Shuo through the forest after Li Qing's mental power and Tang San's Purple Demon Eye lost him.
• The group sensed Zheng Shuo fighting a Spirit Beast and cautiously approached, while Tang San smiled.

Brand, a Spirit Hall law enforcer, visited Li Qing to investigate Zhang San’s death, and Li Qing gave him a heavily embellished account of the attack. Brand accepted the story and offered medicine and compensation, leaving Li Qing relieved that he had no designs on him.

• Old Jack brought Brand and Spirit Hall soldiers to Li Qing’s house, where Tang San and the others greeted them.
• Brand explained that he had been assigned to capture Zhang San and asked Li Qing what had happened; Li Qing insisted Zhang San had self-destructed.
• After Tang San fed him water, Li Qing told Brand a dramatic, embellished story about a terrifying bat attacking him and claimed he had not seen how Zhang San died.
• Brand accepted Li Qing’s account, and Li Qing asked him to seek justice for his injuries.
• Brand offered medicinal herbs and Gold Soul Coins as compensation, and Li Qing relaxed when he realized Brand was not interested in his body.

Li Qing attended the Spirit City auction with Yan and Hu Liena, where the first item was a rare invisibility Soul Tool called the Shadow Cloak. After Will revealed that Soul Masters could still sense its wearer’s aura, Li Qing realized the cloak would work perfectly with his Unknowable Eye.

• Li Qing met Yan and Hu Liena at the Spirit Hall Academy entrance, and the three traveled to the Spirit City Auction House.
• Li Qing, Yan, and Hu Liena took seats in the ordinary white section as the packed auction began.
• Host Will introduced the Shadow Cloak, a Soul Tool that could make its wearer invisible, with a starting price of twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins.
• Lin Qianxin asked whether the cloak had a drawback, and Will admitted that Soul Masters could still sense its wearer’s aura.
• Li Qing recognized that his Unknowable Eye could overcome the cloak’s flaw.

Li Qing purified a powerful shield Soul Tool and returned it, then cooked a feast for Hu Liena and Yan. He visited Mo Yu and learned the story of Mo Yu’s friend Kong Yuan, who had died.

• Li Qing used the Scythe of Judgment to purify the shield, then analyzed its seventh-rank defensive formation through the night.
• Yan brought Li Qing to return the shield to Hu Liena, and the three shared a meal Li Qing cooked.
• Li Qing found Mo Yu distressed at the Myriad Weapons Domain and gave him liquor to encourage him to talk.
• Mo Yu told Li Qing the story of his friendship with Kong Yuan and revealed that Kong Yuan had died.

Li Qing sold popcorn to Xiao Xue, realized she might be Spirit Hall’s Qian Renxue, and fled to avoid being drawn into her plans. The next day, the cooking competition began another round, with Chen Zhi facing his fellow disciple Pan Long.

• Xiao Xue bought popcorn from Li Qing, and he gave her extra portions after she paid with a Silver Spirit Coin.
• Li Qing gave Xiao Xue the false name Qin Li, and they questioned each other about why they were in Kus City.
• Li Qing suspected Xiao Xue was Qian Renxue, the Spirit Hall Saintess, and hurried away to avoid getting involved in Spirit Hall’s scheme.
• Li Qing decided to leave Kus City after the competition ended the following day.
• The next round of the cooking competition began, and Chen Zhi prepared to face his senior brother Pan Long by making Crystal Poison Sting Fish.

Li Qing battled Feng Mingye in the Douluo Arena, surviving his opponent’s boosted attacks and using Meditation to recover just as Feng Mingye thought he had won. The chapter then shifted to Li Qing greeting Bibi Dong, who mistook his salute as an implication that she was old.

• Li Qing shattered Feng Mingye’s tornado, then kicked him toward the arena’s edge, but Feng Mingye used Wings of Wind to recover.
• Feng Mingye fired a tracking Wind Arrow, which Li Qing split with his scythe before escaping his aerial assault with Instant Hell Shadowless Slash.
• Feng Mingye’s Wings of Wind boosted his speed, strength, attack power, and Soul Power, allowing him to batter Li Qing and cut him with Wind Blades.
• After Feng Mingye’s wings vanished and he approached to finish the fight, Li Qing used Meditation to heal his wounds, surprising him with his remaining Soul Power.
• Li Qing greeted Bibi Dong with a salute, and she asked whether he meant to call her old.