Chapter Summaries

Li Zhixian arrived at the Spirit Master Competition and accepted the Imperial Dou Team's battle flag as its captain, restoring the team's confidence. As the teams entered the arena, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe saw Li Zhixian and declared that he had more confidence in the Imperial Dou Team than ever.

• Yu Tianheng and the Imperial Dou Team despaired over their crushing defeat by Spirit Hall, while other teams wondered why Li Zhixian was absent.
• Li Zhixian appeared at the arena entrance, and the Imperial Dou Team's spirits surged as its members welcomed him.
• Yu Tianheng presented the Imperial Dou Battle Flag to Li Zhixian, who accepted it and became the team's captain for the competition.
• Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Xue Qinghe, and Salas discussed the Imperial Dou Team's prospects as the teams entered the arena.
• Xue Qinghe spotted Li Zhixian leading the Imperial Dou Team and told Salas that the team had more of his confidence than ever.

Li Zhixian led the Imperial Dou Team into the tournament as spectators and officials discussed his reputation and the Shrek Seven Devils’ strength. Shrek faced Imperial Dou Team Two in the opening match, and Tang San called for a quick victory as Ning Rongrong prepared to prove herself to Banished Immortal.

• Li Zhixian entered the arena as captain of the Imperial Dou Team, drawing cheers from the Heaven Dou City crowd and recognition from a storyteller who had long praised him.
• Xue Qinghe backed the Imperial Dou Team, while Ning Fengzhi also praised Shrek Academy and recalled his dealings with Tang San.
• Salas drew the opening match, pairing Shrek Team against Imperial Dou Team Two.
• Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan watched with interest as the Shrek team took the stage, hoping to see how strong their old rivals had become.
• Tang San ordered Shrek into its usual formation and urged the team to defeat its opponents within one minute.
• Ning Rongrong prepared to demonstrate the power of her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda for Banished Immortal.

Shrek defeated Imperial Dou Team Two in seconds, impressing the spectators and rival teams. Tang San then used the Purple Demon Eye against Li Zhixian, who countered with the Aura of Utmost Sharpness, leaving their clash unresolved.

• Dai Mubai and the other Shrek members revealed their spirit rings and launched a coordinated attack under Tang San's command.
• Tang San restrained Imperial Dou Team Two's fighters with Spider Web Restraint while Dai Mubai, Bai Chenxiang, and Xiao Wu struck, defeating the team in about a dozen seconds.
• Shrek's victory impressed Ning Fengzhi, unsettled Xue Ye and Salas, and made the watching teams take them seriously.
• Tang San noticed Li Zhixian watching from the crowd and fired the Purple Demon Eye at him.
• Li Zhixian summoned transparent air swords with the Aura of Utmost Sharpness to meet Tang San's purple beam.

Li Zhixian’s swordsmanship shattered Tang San’s Purple Demon Eye and left him badly injured, igniting a confrontation between Shrek and Li Zhixian’s teammates. The referee stopped the teams from fighting, and Tang San left vowing to face Li Zhixian again in the arena.

• Li Zhixian’s Qi swords pierced Tang San’s eyes, overwhelming his Purple Demon Eye and forcing him to kneel in pain.
• Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and Oscar rushed to Tang San, while Dai Mubai accused Sword Wine of a despicable sneak attack.
• Xue Ye and Salas were impressed by Li Zhixian’s strength, while Ning Fengzhi said Li Zhixian’s swordsmanship had likely countered Tang San’s Pupil Technique.
• Dai Mubai confronted Li Zhixian, and Li Zhixian’s teammates, including Dugu Yan, Yu Tianheng, and Yufeng, stepped forward to defend him as the Wind Sword Sect tried to join the fray.
• The referee and arena staff halted the brewing fight and escorted Shrek away from the arena.
• Tang San turned back to tell Li Zhixian that he had not truly won and challenged him to meet again in the arena.

After the preliminaries, Li Zhixian prepared to travel to Spirit City, but Tang Hao confronted him in a secluded alley over the Strength Clan and his son. Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen appeared to protect Li Zhixian as the standoff began.

• Backstage, Tang San refused to discuss Li Zhixian’s sword after it shattered his Purple Demon Eye’s Mustard Seed Realm, while the other Shrek members kept their thoughts to themselves.
• The preliminaries ended with Skywater Team, Godwind Team, Blazing Fire Team, Thunder Team, and Shrek Team advancing; Shrek had conceded against the strongest teams but defeated the others, and Tang San revealed his Twin Martial Souls against the Elephant Armor Team.
• Li Zhixian arranged to meet Feng Buyu and the others that night, accepted a sugar figurine from an old man, and secretly left a Gold Soul Coin for the man’s grandson.
• In a secluded alley, Tang Hao confronted Li Zhixian over the destruction of the Strength Clan and the humiliation of his son.
• Li Zhixian moved back as Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen appeared on either side of him.

Li Zhixian survived Tang Hao’s threat with Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen guarding him, while Tang San refused Xiao Wu’s plea to stop opposing Sword Wine. Ning Rongrong visited Li Zhixian alone, and he immediately asked where Zhu Zhuqing was.

• Tang Hao confronted Li Zhixian, but Yu Yuanzhen broke his pressure with lightning and warned him away; Tang Hao withdrew.
• Li Zhixian thanked Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen for protecting him and prepared to rely on them during his trip to Spirit City.
• Xiao Wu asked Tang San to stop opposing Sword Wine, but Tang San insisted their enmity was irreconcilable.
• Xiao Wu asked not to go to Spirit City, but Tang San dismissed her request; Zhu Zhuqing comforted her and promised to remain her friend.
• Ning Rongrong arrived at Li Zhixian’s courtyard alone, and Li Zhixian looked past her and asked where Zhu Zhuqing was.

Ning Rongrong visited Li Zhixian to apologize, but he rejected her attempt to renew their relationship and told her they no longer needed to be involved with each other. After Ning Rongrong left, Li Zhixian headed to meet his friends, while Zhu Zhuqing prepared to go out after calming Xiao Wu.

• Ning Rongrong arrived alone at Li Zhixian's courtyard and tried to speak with him, but he initially refused to let her inside.
• Li Zhixian rushed away to shoo birds from the plums, and Ning Rongrong entered the courtyard and tried to eat one of his fruits.
• Ning Rongrong bit into a sour plum and protested that Li Zhixian had gone too far before beginning to apologize for her choice two years earlier.
• Li Zhixian stopped her and said there was no need to apologize, but that he wanted nothing more to do with her; Ning Rongrong ran out crying.
• Li Zhixian locked the gate and went to Shanxiang Restaurant to drink with his friends.
• After Xiao Wu's emotions settled, Zhu Zhuqing told her she was going out, and Xiao Wu asked to come along.

Zhu Zhuqing went to Shanxiang Restaurant to meet Li Zhixian, while Tang San gathered the Shrek group and followed after him. Li Zhixian reunited with his friends at the restaurant, and the Shrek group arrived as the gathering continued.

• Zhu Zhuqing left for Shanxiang Restaurant, and Dai Mubai told Tang San that she was meeting Li Zhixian there alone.
• Ning Rongrong returned to the inn upset and snapped at Oscar, while Tang San gathered the group to go meet Li Zhixian.
• Xiao Wu worried that Shrek might gang up on Li Zhixian, but Dai Mubai insisted they could still go to Shanxiang Restaurant, and Ning Rongrong joined them.
• Li Zhixian arrived at Shanxiang Restaurant, where the waiter and diners welcomed him warmly and praised his fame.
• Li Zhixian joined Huo Wu, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and his other friends in a private room, where they toasted and welcomed one another.
• Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Bai Chenxiang, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu arrived at Shanxiang Restaurant.

Tang San and the Shrek Team waited at Shanxiang Restaurant to confront Li Zhixian, who was drinking upstairs. After Dai Mubai threatened to expel Zhu Zhuqing from Shrek, Li Zhixian attacked him and pierced his palm with a chopstick.

• Tang San and the others entered Shanxiang Restaurant, where the diners and staff treated them warily because of their feud with Li Zhixian.
• The Shrek Team waited downstairs while Li Zhixian drank with Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, Yu Tianheng, and Hu Yanli upstairs.
• Li Zhixian came down drunk and ignored Dai Mubai before rejecting Tang San's invitation to share a drink.
• Dai Mubai threatened to throw Zhu Zhuqing out of Shrek, prompting Li Zhixian to take a seat beside him.
• Li Zhixian grabbed Dai Mubai's wrist, slammed his hand onto the table, and pierced his palm with a bamboo chopstick.

Li Zhixian brutally defeated Dai Mubai in Shanxiang Restaurant, forcing him to kneel and warning him not to move. When Tang San challenged Li Zhixian and sent Bai Chenxiang to attack, a raging fireball fell in front of him.

• Li Zhixian pierced Dai Mubai's hands and palm with chopstick and sword qi, then threw him down and broke his knees.
• Li Zhixian stomped Dai Mubai's head into the floor and threatened to kill him if he moved.
• The diners praised Li Zhixian's strength while Tang San, Oscar, Bai Chenxiang, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong reacted to Dai Mubai's defeat.
• Tang San accused Li Zhixian of attacking too viciously and threatened to rally the others against him.
• Tang San signaled Bai Chenxiang to test Li Zhixian, and she rushed at him using her speed-boosting soul skills.
• A blazing fireball suddenly fell in front of Li Zhixian as Bai Chenxiang closed in.

Li Zhixian’s allies drove Tang San’s group from Shanxiang Restaurant after stopping their attempt to gang up on him. Two days later, Feng Buyu departed with news from the Wind Sword Sect, and Li Zhixian learned that the sect master had earned the title of Wind Sword.

• Huo Wu kicked Bai Chenxiang away and summoned the Imperial Dou Team and other tournament geniuses to defend Li Zhixian.
• Feng Buyu and the others attacked Tang San’s group until Yu Xiaogang, Flender, Liu Erlong, and the Imperial Dou Academy Committee Members intervened.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai apologized under pressure, and Li Zhixian challenged them to meet him in the arena.
• Xue Qinghe arrived to check on Li Zhixian, who put an arm around her and asked her to settle the restaurant bill.
• Two days later, Li Zhixian and his companions saw Feng Buyu off as he left on an urgent order from the Wind Sword Sect.
• Feng Buyu gave Li Zhixian a bamboo tube from the sect master, whose message announced that he had earned the title of Wind Sword thanks to Li Zhixian’s Roaming Spirit Wind Essence.

The Heaven Dou Empire’s teams set out for Spirit City, where the finals of the Spirit Master Competition would be held, while Li Zhixian and Xue Qinghe discussed Qian Renxue and the dangers of the journey. The chapter ended with the Golden Generation kneeling before the veiled figure on the Pope’s throne.

• Crown Prince Xue Qinghe led the Heaven Dou Empire’s five teams and their royal escort toward Spirit City, a journey expected to take about twenty days.
• Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan’s team recalled the Golden Generation’s past defeat of them and looked to Li Zhixian as their hope for victory.
• Li Zhixian boarded Xue Qinghe’s carriage, where Xue Qinghe said Qian Renxue wanted to know whether he would meet her if she returned for the finals; he agreed and fell asleep beside Xue Qinghe.
• Xue Qinghe feared that a deadly attack would target Li Zhixian during the journey and vowed not to let anything happen to him.
• In the Papal Palace, three members of the Golden Generation knelt before the figure seated on the Pope’s throne.

In the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong rejected Yu Xiaogang’s request to learn how she overcame the flaw of Twin Martial Souls and vowed to destroy those close to Sword Wine. Meanwhile, Li Zhixian’s convoy was ambushed in a mountain pass by powerful Spirit Hall forces, leaving Xue Qinghe rushing toward him.

• Bibi Dong ordered the Golden Generation to secure the Spirit Master Competition championship, and Hu Liena promised to cripple Li Zhixian if he reached Spirit City.
• Yu Xiaogang asked Bibi Dong how she overcame the Twin Martial Souls flaw, but she refused and threatened him and Tang San.
• After hearing that Sword Wine had grown close to His Highness, Bibi Dong crushed the Pope’s Scepter and vowed that Sword Wine would never share in her happiness.
• On the journey to Spirit City, Li Zhixian teased Feng Xiaotian with sword qi while the companions rode beside the convoy.
• The convoy entered a narrow mountain pass, where a Titled Douluo and another mysterious figure led an ambush against them.
• Xue Qinghe charged through the panicking crowd toward Li Zhixian as the ambushers appeared.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo ambushed the delegation and demanded Li Zhixian, but Xue Qinghe and several teachers and students stood up to protect him. Just as the two Titled Douluo prepared to attack, two black-robed figures struck them with a surprise attack, leaving their identities and the confrontation unresolved.

• Xue Qinghe, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and others moved to shield Li Zhixian as the delegation formed a defensive line.
• Bai Baoshan asked the two Titled Douluo to let the delegation pass, but they announced that they had come only for Li Zhixian.
• Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian, Yu Tianxin, and teachers from several academies stepped forward to plead for Li Zhixian.
• Xue Qinghe declared that the two Titled Douluo would not touch Li Zhixian, but Chrysanthemum Douluo said they would carry out their orders regardless.
• Two black-robed figures ambushed the Titled Douluo and smashed them into the mountainside.

Li Zhixian’s party was rescued from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo by two mysterious Titled Douluo, whose arrival revealed that nine Titled Douluo were nearby. After traveling cautiously toward Spirit City, Li Zhixian asked Xue Qinghe to tell Qian Renxue that he missed her, and the delegation finally reached the city.

• Two black-robed experts buried Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo beneath the ruins, then drove them off when they attacked again.
• Yu Yuanzhen sensed three more Titled Douluo nearby and warned Dugu Bo that they could be in serious trouble.
• The black-robed experts thanked Li Zhixian with a hard pat on the shoulder, leaving him numb, before vanishing.
• The groups traveled more cautiously, and Li Zhixian asked Xue Qinghe to tell Qian Renxue that he missed her.
• Several days later, Li Zhixian and the Heaven Dou Empire delegation arrived at Spirit City.

Li Zhixian and Xue Qinghe explored Spirit City, where they saw the Papal Palace and the teams’ rankings before the tournament finals. As the teams gathered at the arena, Li Zhixian vowed to return Spirit Hall’s hostility, while the Imperial Dou Team struggled with nerves.

• The Heaven Dou Empire delegation arrived in Spirit City, and Li Zhixian observed the city’s Spirit Master population and Angel’s Feather symbols before seeing the Papal Palace.
• Li Zhixian and Xue Qinghe strolled through Spirit City while the other competitors cultivated, then found the team support rankings, with Spirit Hall first and Shrek second.
• Spirit City Spirit Masters doubted the Imperial Dou Team and Sword Wine, and Xue Qinghe became upset until Li Zhixian urged her to answer them with strength.
• Li Zhixian recalled Spirit Hall’s assassination attempts and the Golden Generation’s humiliation of his teammates, then resolved to return the favor.
• At dawn, the teams gathered at the finals arena, where Li Zhixian noticed Yufeng, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others were nervous.

Li Zhixian and Imperial Dou Team watched the first round of the finals, then bet their savings on their own team after it fell to seventh in the rankings. The next round paired Imperial Dou Team against Spirit Hall Second Team, and Li Zhixian welcomed the challenge as Spirit Hall's teams sized him up.

• Bai Baoshan and the others reviewed the tournament format, and the first round began with Thunder Team losing to a Star Luo team while Divine Wind, Blazing Fire Team, and Shrek Team won.
• Li Zhixian encountered Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue, and he warned Yan that he wanted his hand after Yan provoked him.
• Li Zhixian bet his borrowed gold coins on Imperial Dou Team, and Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, their teammates, Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, and Feng Xiaotian followed his wager.
• Bai Baoshan drew lots for the second round, pairing Imperial Dou Team against Spirit Hall Second Team.
• Yu Xiaogang warned that the match would be perilous, while Hu Liena cautioned Yan and Xie Yue not to underestimate Li Zhixian.

Li Zhixian let the Imperial Dou Team fight the Spirit Hall Second Team until they were overwhelmed, then defeated all seven opponents with a single sword strike. He stood victorious and turned his challenge toward Tang San, Mubai, and the Golden Generation.

• Li Zhixian led the Imperial Dou Team onto the arena while the Spirit Hall Second Team revealed its wolf-based formation and mocked him.
• Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Yufeng, the Shi Brothers, and Ye Lingling fought the seven Spirit Hall opponents, but Yu Tianheng was injured as their team began to lose ground.
• Li Zhixian used a gentle breeze to pull his teammates out of danger and stopped the Second Team captain's claw with invisible sword shadows.
• Li Zhixian summoned the Azure Lotus Sword and used Three Sword Splendor and Shaking Light to knock all seven Spirit Hall Second Team members off the arena.
• Li Zhixian kept his sword raised and fixed his gaze on Tang San, Mubai, and the Golden Generation.

Li Zhixian swept away Spirit Hall Second Team with one sword, then intimidated Dai Mubai and the Golden Generation into avoiding his gaze. After celebrating with the Imperial Dou Team, he exchanged a fond look with Zhu Zhuqing, who recalled how they met before Shrek prepared to fight.

• Li Zhixian defeated Spirit Hall Second Team with a single sword and aimed his sword qi toward Shrek Academy and Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
• Dai Mubai was wounded when he struck Li Zhixian's sword qi, while Tang San pulled him away; Hu Liena also led the Golden Generation out of the preparation area.
• The audience cheered for Li Zhixian as he returned to the Imperial Dou Team, where his teammates celebrated their victory.
• Li Zhixian exchanged a warm smile with Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong felt hurt when he did not look at her.
• Zhu Zhuqing told Ning Rongrong about meeting Li Zhixian and praised his carefree ideals, leaving Ning Rongrong shaken but newly resolute.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu left for Shrek's upcoming match while Ning Rongrong remained behind, clutching the object she wore close to her chest.

After Imperial Dou, Spirit Hall, and Shrek secured the top three, Li Zhixian celebrated, broke through to forty Soul Power, and planned to hunt another soul ring before the final battles. Xue Qinghe visited him that night, and he asked her to find Qian Renxue to help with the hunt.

• Imperial Dou Team defeated Star Luo Team, Spirit Hall Team eliminated Skywater Team, and Shrek Team narrowly overcame Godwind Academy to reach the top three.
• Li Zhixian collected his betting winnings, accepted Shui Bing'er's request to defeat Spirit Hall and humiliate Hu Liena, and joined his friends for a celebratory feast.
• After returning to his room, Li Zhixian used the Clear Spring Wine Gourd and broke through to forty Soul Power.
• Xue Qinghe visited Li Zhixian and asked whether he no longer wanted her to pay for his drinks; he reassured her that he had only spoken casually.
• Li Zhixian asked Xue Qinghe to find Qian Renxue the next day so she could help him hunt a soul ring.