Chapter Summaries

Xu Tianran apologized to Chen Ming, Jing Hongchen, and the Hongchen siblings by giving them carefully chosen treasures. The meteorite iron he gave Xiao Hongchen stirred an unexpected reaction in Chen Ming, leaving its significance unexplained.

• Xu Tianran considered the Vajra Dragon Elephant Martial Soul's history and strength while observing Chen Ming.
• Xu Tianran apologized for the Fourth Prince's actions and presented gifts to the three guests.
• Xu Tianran gave Meng Hongchen a Ten Thousand Year White Jade Toad Inner Core to help suppress the dangers of her Jade Clear Ice Toad Martial Soul.
• Xu Tianran gave Xiao Hongchen a rare, unusable metal filled with pure Gold Attribute energy, hoping to gain his goodwill.
• Chen Ming's expression stiffened and his Martial Soul trembled when the metal appeared, but Xu Tianran did not notice.

Xu Tianran presented Chen Ming with a Seven-Rank Purple Ganoderma and offered Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen another treasure, while Chen Ming focused on the metal that had resonated with his Martial Soul and bloodline. The three accepted the gifts, and Xu Tianran privately considered how he might later draw the younger generation into his circle.

• Chen Li sensed something outside the palace but could not identify it and continued pleading his case to Xu Tianran.
• Xu Tianran gave Xiao Hongchen a piece of metal and presented Chen Ming with a jade box containing a Seven-Rank Purple Ganoderma.
• Chen Ming recognized the herb’s rarity and medicinal value, then accepted it while pushing the two treasures before Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen toward them.
• Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exchanged a glance and accepted the treasures.
• Xu Tianran privately judged Chen Ming immature and planned to cultivate the younger generation as future confidants.

Xu Tianran’s attempt to discuss plans with Chen Ming was interrupted when Xu Tianzhen arrived and drew Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen away to play. After Chen Ming learned more about the Fourth Prince, the emperor’s decree punished both men, though the heavier penalties fell on the Fourth Prince.

• Xu Tianzhen ran into the pavilion, played with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, and left Xu Tianran chatting alone with Chen Ming.
• Xu Tianran told Chen Ming that the Fourth Prince’s cultivation was boosted by a method linked to his maternal family, which seemed to worsen his judgment and emotional control.
• A palace guard delivered the emperor’s decree, confining Chen Ming for three months and barring him from the Soul Engineer rank certification examination.
• The decree confined the Fourth Prince for three months, stripped him of his title as King Lu, imposed another three months of confinement, and ordered him to compensate the Dragon Elephant Sect and the Hongchen Family.
• Chen Ming recognized that the punishment against him was largely perfunctory and suspected the decree was meant to give the emperor’s family a way to manage the Fourth Prince’s connections.

Jing Hongchen confronted Qian Hongchen for betraying the Hongchen Family and extorting favors, forcing him to confess to taking a bribe from the faction supporting the Fourth Prince. Qian Hongchen revealed that the bribe included an immortal grass, which Jing Hongchen found inside his hidden storage compartment.

• Chen Li stopped Qian Hongchen from kneeling outside Jing Hongchen's residence and dragged him into a secret chamber.
• Jing Hongchen accused Qian Hongchen of abusing his position and selling information, then demanded that he confess.
• Qian Hongchen admitted that the Fourth Prince's faction had offered him ten million Gold Soul Coins and a Treasure Herb to help bring the Hongchen Family into its faction.
• Qian Hongchen revealed that the Treasure Herb was an immortal grass hidden in his Storage Soul Tool.
• Jing Hongchen opened the purple-red jade box and found a ginseng plant resembling dark crimson crystal.

Jing Hongchen examined a supposed Crystal Dragon Blood Ginseng, but Chen Li exposed it as Blood Medicine made by Evil Soul Masters and stopped its influence with a holy solution. Chen Li began explaining how Blood Medicine was created, leaving the Hongchen family confronting the danger of the tainted substance.

• Qian Hongchen presented the ginseng as a precious Immortal Herb, while its scent left Qian Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen entranced.
• Chen Li warned Jing Hongchen that the ginseng was Blood Medicine and used a pale golden solution to weaken its intoxicating vapor.
• Jing Hongchen recognized the ginseng's marks as bloody fingerprints, sealed it away, and used a Level 8 Soul Tool to clear and analyze the room's air.
• Jing Hongchen thanked Chen Li and noticed that the solution carried an unusually potent holy aura.
• Chen Li explained that Blood Medicine was an evil substance made by Evil Soul Masters through secret techniques.

Chen Li explained how Blood Medicine corrupted Soul Masters and identified signs of its use in Qian Hongchen and Kong Jie. He suggested that the emperor and the Fourth Prince’s maternal clan were connected to Evil Soul Masters, leaving Jing Hongchen alarmed by the possibility that the court itself was compromised.

• Chen Li explained that Blood Medicine hid evil energy within medicinal herbs and gradually corrupted the bodies, Martial Souls, and minds of those who used it.
• Chen Li restrained the frenzied Qian Hongchen and listed the symptoms of Blood Medicine, concluding that Qian Hongchen had used it repeatedly.
• Jing Hongchen connected Qian Hongchen’s behavior to the Fourth Prince and suspected a large Evil Soul Master organization was operating within the court.
• Chen Li argued that Kong Jie’s frailty despite being a Titled Douluo indicated that he had used Blood Medicine.
• Chen Li speculated that the emperor had also used Blood Medicine and that the Fourth Prince’s maternal clan and Kong Jie were tied to Evil Soul Masters.

Chen Li argued that the Sun Moon Empire’s emperor had enabled the Evil Soul Masters and used Blood Medicine to control its victims, while Jing Hongchen questioned how Chen Li knew so much. Chen Li traced his knowledge to his sect’s past encounter with an Evil Soul Master, and Chen Ming recognized the significance of the Zhongli name.

• Chen Li accused the emperor of using a prolonged war to provide the Evil Soul Masters with blood, lives, resentment, and souls, and Jing Hongchen warned him to watch his words.
• Chen Li explained that the spread of Blood Medicine pointed to an organized Evil Soul Master group and that its hidden evil power could let them curse, drain, or control those who consumed it.
• Chen Li concluded that the emperor had fallen out with the Evil Soul Masters and had been attacked through the Blood Medicine’s connection.
• Jing Hongchen asked Chen Li how he knew so much about Evil Soul Master methods and Blood Medicine.
• Chen Li recounted how the Dragon Elephant Sect’s old Sect Master pursued an Evil Soul Master named Zhongli after discovering stolen corpses and extracted blood essence.
• Chen Ming realized that the Zhongli surname connected the dead Soul Douluo to the Evil Soul Master family tied to the Holy Spirit Cult.

Jing Chenli and Chen Li discussed the Evil Soul Masters’ plot against the Hongchen family and the Sun Moon Empire. Jing Chenli decided he could no longer trust the imperial family and began planning how to protect his family from further infiltration and attacks.

• Chen Ming explained that Ye Xishui may have allowed the Zhongli family to be wiped out without interference from the Holy Spirit Cult, and Jing Chenli accepted his explanation.
• Jing Chenli sealed the injured Qian Hongchen in a soul tool that halted his consciousness while preserving his enraged state.
• Jing Chenli reassured Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen as they struggled to process the revelations about the Fourth Prince, their grand-uncle, and the Evil Soul Masters.
• Jing Chenli concluded that the Evil Soul Masters had targeted his family and might have sought to turn him or his grandchildren into members or agents.
• Jing Chenli declared that he would no longer trust the imperial family or the people close to the emperor, and he and Chen Li discussed defenses against the Evil Soul Masters.

Chen Li reassured Jing Hongchen that the Dragon Elephant Sect could detect and resist Evil Soul Masters, then helped inspect the gifts Xu Tianran had given Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Chen Ming. The Purple Ganoderma and White Jade Toad Inner Core proved genuine, but the Meteorite Iron stirred powerful and conflicting reactions in Chen Li and Chen Ming.

• Chen Li described the Dragon Elephant Sect's protections against Evil Soul Masters and gave Jing Hongchen blueprints for a Soul Tool that detected their aura.
• Jing Hongchen asked what had happened after Xu Tianran took Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Chen Ming away, and Chen Ming explained why they had accepted his gifts.
• Chen Li and Jing Hongchen inspected Chen Ming's Seven-Rank Purple Ganoderma and Meng Hongchen's White Jade Toad Inner Core, confirming both were genuine treasures.
• When Xiao Hongchen brought out the Meteorite Iron, Chen Li's Golden Bloodline stirred, while Chen Ming felt both a connection to it and an instinctive fear and disgust.
• Chen Ming entered Martial Soul Possession as the metal's aura affected him, and Jing Hongchen watched in silence while Xiao Hongchen felt unsettled by the two men's reactions.

Chen Li tested the strange metal with his Golden Bloodline Soul Power, and Jing Hongchen discovered that it selectively accepted the elephant aspect of his Dragon Elephant Martial Soul while rejecting its dragon aspect. As Chen Li entered deep meditation, Chen Ming tried to understand the metal’s connection to the Diamond Mammoth bloodline and smeared blood from a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear’s corpse over himself.

• Chen Li channeled his Golden Bloodline Soul Power into the metal, which absorbed his Diamond Mammoth-derived elephant power and rejected his White Armored Earth Dragon-derived dragon power.
• Jing Hongchen sensed the metal’s selective absorption and was astonished that an inanimate object could distinguish between components of unified Soul Power.
• Chen Ming realized his Vajra Dragon Elephant Martial Soul’s stronger dragon aspect might explain why the metal had rejected him after Martial Soul Possession.
• Chen Li entered deep meditation while Chen Ming endured the metal’s instinctive rejection and tried to sense its nature.
• Chen Ming removed a months-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear corpse from his Soul Tool and smeared its blood over his Dragon Transformation-covered hand.

Chen Ming used Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and Diamond Mammoth blood to suppress his dragon aspect and awaken a new form of Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul Possession. After testing the form, he found that it greatly strengthened his defense and healing, though it reduced his unarmed attack power.

• Chen Ming smeared Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear blood and Diamond Mammoth blood over himself and the metal, causing the Dragon Transformation to recede.
• Chen Ming’s appearance changed as his Diamond Mammoth traits emerged, and his body swelled as Soul Power merged with fat to form a defensive layer.
• Chen Ming tested his new defense with his carving knife, finding that his skin resisted the blade and his wound healed rapidly.
• Chen Ming estimated that his defense had increased by at least Fifty Percent, while his unarmed attack power had fallen by at least thirty percent.
• Jing Hongchen tested Chen Ming with Xiao Hongchen’s ice-attributed Soul Guide Ray Gun, and the frigid ray barely cooled him before its ice element collapsed against his skin.

Chen Ming’s experiment revealed an exceptionally pure elemental resistance and signs of a Golden Bloodline, but his Martial Soul suffered backlash and forced him out of possession. Chen Li and Jing Hongchen treated him, while Chen Ming recognized that the Diamond Mammoth and Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear both descended from the Behemoth.

• Jing Hongchen discovered that Chen Ming’s innate elemental resistance could repel even pervasive ice elements more effectively than Dragon Scales.
• Chen Li recognized Chen Ming and suspected that his Golden Bloodline had awakened, though the Vajra Dragon Elephant Martial Soul was not known to permit it.
• As the metal’s aura faded, Chen Ming’s suppressed dragon blood surged back, destabilizing his Soul Power and forcing him to release his Martial Soul Possession.
• Jing Hongchen and Chen Li sent Soul Power into Chen Ming, and Jing Hongchen warned him to avoid using his Soul Power or Martial Soul while he recovered.
• After examining the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear’s corpse and Chen Ming’s bloodstains, Chen Li wondered whether the bear and the Diamond Mammoth shared an ancestor.
• Chen Ming realized that both the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and the Diamond Mammoth descended from Behemoths, with each inheriting different traits.

Chen Ming traded a Seven-Rank Purple Ganoderma for Xiao Hongchen’s rare metal, while Chen Li and Jing Hongchen uncovered the enormous fortune Qian Hongchen had embezzled. Jing Hongchen began investigating his estate for corruption and leaks as shadowy figures moved through the Fourth Prince’s residence.

• Chen Ming exchanged the Seven-Rank Purple Ganoderma for the metal Xiao Hongchen held, and Jing Hongchen agreed to compensate him with other items.
• Chen Li and Jing Hongchen sorted Qian Hongchen’s possessions and found valuable Soul Tools, rare materials, and a fortune worth around eighty million Gold Soul Coins.
• Jing Hongchen feared Qian Hongchen had sold Soul Tool secrets or information to the Three Douluo Kingdoms and decided to investigate his dealings.
• Chen Li and Jing Hongchen warned the three children to keep quiet, then Chen Li stayed with them while Jing Hongchen questioned people in the estate.
• Shadowy figures moved through the Fourth Prince’s family residence in Mingdu.

After Chen Li left Mingdu, Chen Ming set goals for cultivation, Soul Tool study, self-protection, and understanding his bloodlines while waiting out his confinement. Jing Hongchen uncovered that steward Qian Hongchen had been extorting the mansion’s spies, then arranged for Chen Ming to study alongside Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen under his guidance.

• Chen Li gave Chen Ming a modified Level 9 Soul Cannon Shell, warned him about the dangers ahead, and departed for the Dragon Elephant Sect.
• Chen Ming set goals that included reaching Rank 20 before age eight, studying Soul Tools, guarding against Evil Soul Masters, investigating his bloodlines, and eventually approaching Huo Yuhao.
• Chen Ming remained confined in his room, where he practiced Soul Tool engraving after his Martial Soul backlash made cultivation difficult.
• Jing Hongchen discovered that Qian Hongchen had extorted the spies in Hongchen Mansion and sold them private information, while the spies had also watched one another.
• Jing Hongchen arranged for Chen Ming to live with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen and receive daily instruction from the Rank 9 Soul Engineer.

During his three-month confinement at Hongchen Mansion, Chen Ming trained alongside Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen under Jing Hongchen’s supervision, and all three made progress. After confinement ended, Jing Hongchen enrolled them in the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy, where Chen Ming found Class One’s students much weaker than he had expected.

• Jing Hongchen kept Chen Ming confined for three months and made Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen cultivate alongside him.
• Meng Hongchen reached Level 15, while Xiao Hongchen reached Level 17 and became more composed.
• Chen Ming rose from Level 15 to Level 16 and improved his body, Soul Tool skills, combat experience, and theoretical knowledge.
• Jing Hongchen enrolled the three in Class One at the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy and assigned them rooms in his academy villa.
• After attending classes, Chen Ming found that the other students were mostly unimpressive and had surprisingly low Soul Power levels.

Chen Ming and the Hongchen siblings learned that the academy’s new team knockout tournament would let the top students visit Mingde Hall, and all three became eager to compete. After the tournament was announced, their classmates crowded around them, hoping to recruit the talented trio for their teams.

• Chen Ming kept his distance from his classmates, and Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen followed his example.
• Jing Hongchen told Chen Ming and the siblings that the top three students in each grade could visit Mingde Hall after a team knockout tournament.
• Chen Ming, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen eagerly looked forward to visiting Mingde Hall, which the siblings had never entered.
• The teacher announced the new policy and tournament to class one, exciting the students with the chance to visit Mingde Hall.
• After class, students crowded around Chen Ming, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen to recruit them for their teams.

Chen Ming, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen swept through the first-year tournament, while Chen Ming noticed the unusually talented Ji Juechen in the third-year matches. The chapter left Ji Juechen emerging as a formidable swordsman alongside his teammates, Jing Ziyan and a support-type Soul Master.

• Chen Ming pulled Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen away from classmates vying to team up with them.
• Chen Ming found the academy’s first-year Soul Master training superficial and unsuited to his traditional approach.
• Chen Ming teamed up with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, and they won more than a dozen first-year tournament battles.
• Chen Ming observed that the first-year students were unusually weak, a consequence of the political turmoil following his earlier conflict with the Prince.
• During the third-year tournament, Chen Ming spotted Ji Juechen fighting with an ordinary-looking iron sword alongside Jing Ziyan and a Meat Bun support-type Soul Master.
• Ji Juechen rapidly improved, crushing teams with his sword and defeating a fully equipped Soul Ancestor-level opponent.

After the awards ceremony, Chen Ming approached Ji Juechen and invited him to spar, then walked with him away from the others. Jing Ziyan teamed up with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen to secretly follow them, while Chen Ming and Ji Juechen noticed their strange behavior.

• Jing Hongchen awarded the winning teams and promised them the resources their performances had earned.
• Chen Ming approached Ji Juechen, who was counting Gold Soul Coins, and asked him to spar.
• Ji Juechen accepted, and he and Chen Ming walked away together.
• Jing Ziyan noticed them leaving and quietly followed, then found Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen tracking Chen Ming too.
• Jing Ziyan joined forces with the siblings, while Chen Ming and Ji Juechen exchanged confused questions about their teammates following them.

Chen Ming and Ji Juechen began a spar at the Training Ground under Teacher Yang Xun’s supervision, while three of Chen Ming’s companions watched. Their opening clashes revealed that Chen Ming’s strength and defense were formidable, while Ji Juechen’s Sword Intent could pierce his scales; the fight continued as Chen Ming activated his First Soul Skill, Ancient Strength.

• Chen Ming and Ji Juechen entered the Training Ground and told Teacher Yang Xun they intended to spar despite their differences in age and cultivation.
• Yang Xun transformed into his minotaur form to supervise the spar and invited Chen Ming’s three companions to watch from the stands.
• Chen Ming and Ji Juechen introduced themselves, took their positions, and began fighting after Yang Xun gave the signal.
• Chen Ming charged and clashed with Ji Juechen’s sword, while Ji Juechen’s Sword Intent cut shallow wounds through Chen Ming’s Dragon Scales and Chen Ming’s counterforce numbed Ji Juechen’s arm.
• Ji Juechen unleashed his Sword Intent and attacked with quick, precise strikes, and Chen Ming activated his First Soul Skill, Ancient Strength.

Chen Ming fought Ji Juechen, who unleashed his unusual Soul Power-boosting skills and gained the upper hand. Chen Ming ended the chapter firing his Soul Cannon at point-blank range, drawing both fighters into the blast’s maximum-power area.

• Chen Ming used his enhanced arms and Soul Cannon as a hammer to force Ji Juechen to retreat, and Ji Juechen warned him that all his soul skills boosted Soul Power.
• Ji Juechen activated his three Soul Rings, strengthening himself until he could match Chen Ming and overwhelm him with sword strikes.
• As their weapons clashed, Ji Juechen wounded Chen Ming and damaged the Soul Cannon frame.
• Chen Ming fired a sustained beam from the warped cannon, then charged Soul Power for a stronger blast.
• Chen Ming advanced instead of retreating, placing himself and Ji Juechen inside the blast’s maximum-power area.