Chapter Summaries

Zhao Linchuan won Lou Gao’s attention by showing him a mechanical pocket watch and a self-propelled cannon blueprint, then claimed the designs came from a guarded ancestral text. Zhu Zhuqing suggested that Lou Gao could help bring its inventions into use, while Yang Wudi began setting conditions for sharing them.

• Zhu Zhuqing clarified that she was Zhao Linchuan’s student, and Yang Wudi apologized for mistaking their relationship.
• Si Long refused Zhao Linchuan’s request to meet Lou Gao, so Zhao Linchuan challenged Lou Gao’s craftsmanship and gave Si Yu a mechanical pocket watch to show him.
• Lou Gao examined the pocket watch, rushed out to meet Zhao Linchuan, and invited him, Zhu Zhuqing, and Yang Wudi into the inner hall.
• Zhao Linchuan showed Lou Gao a self-propelled cannon blueprint, which left Lou Gao astonished, then snatched it back and claimed it belonged to his family’s guarded ancestral text.
• Zhu Zhuqing urged Zhao Linchuan to let Lou Gao help reveal the text’s inventions, while Yang Wudi objected and began laying down conditions.

Zhao Linchuan recruited Lou Gao and the Blacksmith Association with the promise of lost crafting knowledge and supplied them with advanced blueprints. Ye Lingling persuaded her mother, Ye Shiyu, to consider joining the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect, and Ye Shiyu revealed a box of black cards.

• Zhao Linchuan claimed his family possessed the Treatise on Exquisite Crafts, prompting Lou Gao to kneel and pledge the Blacksmith Association's service.
• Zhao Linchuan gave Lou Gao detailed Self-Propelled Cannon plans and other blueprints, and negotiated generous compensation for the association's research.
• Zhao Linchuan warned Lou Gao not to sacrifice himself in his pursuit of forging and left the City of Metal with Zhu Zhuqing and Yang Wudi.
• Ye Lingling admitted to Ye Shiyu that she had confirmed her relationship with Lin Chuan and asked her mother to let the Ye Family join his sect.
• Ye Shiyu handed Ye Lingling a heavy vermilion box containing a stack of black cards.

Ye Shiyu gave Ye Lingling fifty million Gold Soul Coins as a dowry and entrusted the Ye Family’s future to her and Lin Chuan, while explaining her fears of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Days later, Ye Lingling presented the money to Zhao Linchuan and repeated her mother’s demand that one of their future children inherit the Ye family.

• Ye Shiyu warned Ye Lingling that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might kill her if it learned her Nine Heart Begonia had evolved beyond its two-person limit.
• Ye Shiyu gave Ye Lingling fifty Black Cards worth fifty million Gold Soul Coins and asked that a future child bear the Ye surname and inherit the family legacy.
• Ye Lingling teased her mother about finding a stepfather and lending Lin Chuan to her, then fled with the box after promising to have a child who would inherit the Ye family.
• After Ye Lingling left, Ye Shiyu was left alone, embarrassed by her daughter’s teasing and pondering her loneliness.
• Several days later, Ye Lingling presented the Black Cards to Zhao Linchuan as her dowry and told him her mother wanted one of their future children to inherit the Ye family.

Zhao Linchuan hired Niu Gao and the Defense Clan to build a structure from his blueprints, offering generous pay, meals, and daily wages. Niu Gao accepted the job as a one-time business deal, while Zhao Linchuan planned to let the clan grow accustomed to working for him.

• Zhao Linchuan teased Ye Lingling about her mother paying to marry her off, and Ye Lingling chased Dugu Yan across the grass.
• Yang Wudi brought Niu Gao to meet Zhao Linchuan, and Niu Gao angrily objected to Yang Wudi calling Zhao Linchuan his lord.
• Zhao Linchuan offered the Defense Clan ten Gold Soul Coins per worker each day, with meals included and daily payment, prompting Niu Gao to return to the table.
• Niu Gao examined Zhao Linchuan's blueprints and marveled at the unsupported domed structure, then asked whether Zhao Linchuan would hire all the Defense Clan's workers.
• Zhao Linchuan agreed to hire every Defense Clan member, and Niu Gao accepted the job while insisting it was only a one-time business deal.
• After Niu Gao left to gather his clan, Zhao Linchuan told Yang Wudi that he intended to keep the clan gradually through its favorable treatment and work environment.

Zhao Linchuan welcomed the Defense Clan’s families to work on his new sect grounds and arranged jobs and meals for everyone. As construction progressed, he explained that his connections in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace had secured the mountain-and-forest land for almost nothing, and the chapter ended as he and Zhu Zhuqing headed to the cooking area for lunch.

• Niu Gao brought the Defense Clan, including its elderly members and children, to Zhao Linchuan’s camp before dawn.
• Zhao Linchuan assigned light duties to the elders, women, and children, promised four meals a day, and told Niu Gao to begin construction.
• Niu Gao organized the clan members into cooking, supply-buying, and foundation-digging teams, and work began around the camp.
• Dugu Yan woke to the noise, and she and Zhao Linchuan shared an intimate moment in their tent.
• Ye Lingling asked how Zhao Linchuan had acquired the vast property, and he explained that palace connections had made the land nearly free to obtain.
• Zhao Linchuan and Zhu Zhuqing headed to the cooking area, where Niu Gao was calling the workers in for lunch.

Zhao Linchuan discovered that the Defense Clan workers were being fed meager meals and ordered generous meat rations, arranging for livestock to be bought in bulk. As the clan feasted, Niu Gao prepared to address his people.

• Zhao Linchuan criticized the watery vegetables and scant meat served to the Defense Clan workers and ordered Zhu Zhuqing to buy livestock with Yang Wudi.
• Zhao Linchuan set a daily meal allowance of at least one Gold Soul Coin per worker and told Niu Gao to discard the vegetables and prepare meat for lunch.
• Niu Gao ordered his clansmen to stop work and cheered them with news of the coming meat feast.
• Yang Wudi drove dozens of Yellow Oxen to the worksite and told Niu Gao that they had bought out three nearby Big Ranches, with thousands of cattle and sheep to follow.
• The Defense Clan slaughtered livestock and cooked beef and mutton, and Niu Gao called for quiet to speak to the celebrating workers.

Niu Gao worried that the Defense Clan would lose its new prosperity when Zhao Linchuan’s construction project ended, and began considering following him for the long term. Yang Wudi then used praise to encourage Niu Gao to work harder and think favorably of Zhao Linchuan.

• Niu Gao rallied the Defense Clan to work diligently, and Zhao Linchuan distributed their wages in Gold Soul Coins.
• Niu Gao gave a child ten Gold Soul Coins and felt pleased by his clansmen’s happiness, but worried about their future after construction ended.
• Niu Gao began to consider following Zhao Linchuan, as Yang Wudi had, to secure lasting stability for the Defense Clan.
• Zhao Linchuan and Zhu Zhuqing saw Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling off at Heaven Dou Royal Academy the next morning.
• Zhao Linchuan gave Yang Wudi a black card for construction expenses and put him in charge of supervising the project.
• Yang Wudi repeatedly praised the Defense Clan’s craftsmanship and Zhao Linchuan’s generosity, making Niu Gao work even harder.

Zhao Linchuan helped Zhu Zhuqing open her Eight Extraordinary Meridians, greatly improving her Soul Power circulation. Afterward, Zhu Zhuqing made an intimate advance, and Zhao Linchuan sent her away to rest and consolidate her gains.

• Zhu Zhuqing misunderstood Zhao Linchuan's request to remove her top, but he explained that he intended to open her Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
• Zhao Linchuan spent two hours using Soul Power to open Zhu Zhuqing's blocked meridians, more than doubling her circulation speed and improving her understanding of Soul Power.
• Zhu Zhuqing offered to repay Zhao Linchuan by serving him, then kissed him and endured pain from a bite on the back of her left hand.
• Zhao Linchuan told Zhu Zhuqing to rest and stabilize her channels before attempting further treatment, and she agreed.
• After Zhao Linchuan left, Zhu Zhuqing examined the bite mark in the mirror and wondered about his habit of biting people.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong arranged to provoke the Clear Sky Sect against Zhao Linchuan and the clans under his command. As Tang Xiao planned to confront them at their sect’s founding, Qian Renxue emerged from the Angel Secret Realm and reunited with Bibi Dong.

• Gu Rong brought Ning Fengzhi a report that Zhao Linchuan had won over the Breaking Clan and Blacksmith Association, and Ning Fengzhi regretted losing the chance to recruit them.
• Ning Fengzhi persuaded Gu Rong to leak a misleading account of Zhao Linchuan’s ambitions to the Clear Sky Sect, hoping it would attack him.
• Tang Lie demanded that Tang Xiao punish Yang Wudi and Niu Gao for pledging themselves to Zhao Linchuan.
• Tang Xiao decided the Clear Sky Sect would wait until Zhao Linchuan formally founded his sect, then go there and kill him, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao as a public warning.
• Qian Renxue emerged from the Angel Secret Realm with a stronger, more sacred aura, and Bibi Dong greeted her.

Bibi Dong reunited warmly with Qian Renxue and learned how Zhao Linchuan helped her uncover the truth about her past. After hearing that Qian Renxue was secretly engaged to him and had arranged for his other confidantes to become concubines, Bibi Dong asked to meet her future son-in-law, and Qian Renxue agreed after her mother finished Spirit Hall’s affairs.

• Bibi Dong embraced Qian Renxue, congratulated her on completing an Angel God Trial, and asked how she had learned about the past.
• Qian Renxue explained that Zhao Linchuan had guided her to the truth, then admitted that she and Zhao Linchuan were secretly engaged.
• Bibi Dong questioned Qian Renxue about Zhao Linchuan, and Qian Renxue described his character, background, talent, and ambitions.
• Qian Renxue told Bibi Dong about Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling and explained why she planned for Zhao Linchuan to take them as concubines.
• Bibi Dong asked to meet Zhao Linchuan, and Qian Renxue requested that she first finish handling Spirit Hall’s accumulated affairs.

Bibi Dong embraced Qian Renxue and promised to make up for the years they had lost, while Zhao Linchuan put Zhu Zhuqing through harsh training. When Qian Renxue reunited with Zhao Linchuan, Zhu Zhuqing walked in on them kissing, prompting Qian Renxue to question whether the beautiful, sensible girl was his student.

• Bibi Dong carried Qian Renxue to bed and promised to make up for her past neglect.
• Zhao Linchuan ended Zhu Zhuqing's lightning training and ordered her to catch mice around the manor.
• Qian Renxue surprised Zhao Linchuan in his office, and they kissed after he pulled her into his arms.
• Zhu Zhuqing entered with refreshments, saw them kissing, and tried to leave.
• Zhao Linchuan called Zhu Zhuqing back, and Qian Renxue wondered whether she was really his student.

Qian Renxue met Zhu Zhuqing, learned how she had saved Zhao Linchuan, and welcomed her as a fellow disciple after questioning her about her feelings for their teacher. Qian Renxue revealed that she and Bibi Dong had reconciled and that Bibi Dong planned to visit, while Zhao Linchuan remained intent on personally settling his debt with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; that night, he and Qian Renxue fought playfully in bed.

• Qian Renxue teased Zhao Linchuan about taking Zhu Zhuqing as a disciple, then warmly thanked Zhu Zhuqing for saving him from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Qian Renxue privately questioned Zhu Zhuqing about whether she liked Zhao Linchuan and his relationships with other women, then accepted her as a fellow martial sister.
• Qian Renxue told Zhao Linchuan that she and Bibi Dong had reconciled and that Bibi Dong might visit soon.
• Qian Renxuan asked whether Bibi Dong should help deal with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but Zhao Linchuan refused and vowed to kill Gu Rong himself.
• Qian Renxue questioned Zhao Linchuan about his life and cultivation, then spent the night with him and complained about his biting.

Qian Renxue revealed that she was the Angel God's successor and gave Zhao Linchuan a God-Bestowed Soul Ring. Zhu Zhuqing later delivered the Breaking Clan's first Body Tempering medicines and the newly forged Soul Extermination Spear, while reporting that Tai Tan had withdrawn the Strength Clan from the Blacksmith Association.

• Qian Renxue told Zhao Linchuan about her Angel God Divine Examination and gave him a God-Bestowed Soul Ring that had belonged to Qian Daoliu.
• Zhao Linchuan thanked Qian Renxue, and the two shared an affectionate morning before getting ready.
• Zhu Zhuqing brought Zhao Linchuan the Breaking Clan's first batch of Body Tempering Powder and Body Tempering Pills.
• Zhu Zhuqing presented the Soul Extermination Spear, forged under Lou Gao's supervision from Zhao Linchuan's blueprints.
• Zhu Zhuqing reported that Tai Tan had officially withdrawn the Strength Clan from the Blacksmith Association, and Qian Renxue examined the new items.

Zhao Linchuan welcomed Bibi Dong and explained the growing foundation of his Profound Gate Heavenly Sect. He introduced Body Tempering Powder and Body Tempering Pills as a source of the sect’s future income, but had not yet explained their full effects when the chapter ended.

• Qian Renxue learned that Zhao Linchuan had subdued the Breaking Clan and the Blacksmith Association, was founding a sect, and had received a fifty million Gold Soul Coin dowry from Ye Lingling.
• Three days later, Zhao Linchuan, Qian Renxue, and Zhu Zhuqing welcomed Bibi Dong at the manor.
• Bibi Dong warmly examined Zhao Linchuan and asked about his sect and his ability to support Qian Renxue.
• Zhao Linchuan described the Breaking Clan, the Blacksmith Association, the Ye Family, Dugu Bo, and the Defense Clan as the sect’s emerging foundation.
• Zhao Linchuan presented Body Tempering Powder and Body Tempering Pills, and Bibi Dong examined them before asking about their effects.

Zhao Linchuan presented Bibi Dong with Body Tempering remedies and the Soul Extermination Spear, and she advised him on how to profit from the remedies while restricting the weapon’s distribution. The chapter left Bibi Dong considering the spear’s danger and Zhao Linchuan suggesting Zhu Zhuqing could use it to assassinate a Soul Saint.

• Zhao Linchuan explained that his Body Tempering Powder and Pill could raise the limit of years a Soul Master could withstand when absorbing a Soul Ring.
• Bibi Dong urged Zhao Linchuan to raise the powder’s price and sell rare, graded pills through special auctions, while Zhao Linchuan agreed to follow her advice.
• Zhao Linchuan fired the Soul Extermination Spear into thick steel armor, demonstrating that it could pierce the armor without using Soul Power.
• Bibi Dong recognized that the spear could threaten even a Soul Saint and warned that selling it widely could destabilize the continent.
• Zhao Linchuan said he would reserve the spear for core members and suggested Zhu Zhuqing could use it to attack an unprepared Soul Saint.

Zhao Linchuan secured Bibi Dong’s support for the Blacksmith Association, a large Soul Extermination Spear order, and a public campaign for Qian Renxue and him. As Bibi Dong returned to Spirit City, the Rakshasa God changed her ninth trial and ordered her to test Zhao Linchuan in the Secret Chamber within six months or face erasure.

• Bibi Dong acknowledged Zhao Linchuan as Qian Renxue’s partner and promised to purge corruption in Gengxin City while protecting the Blacksmith Association.
• Bibi Dong ordered ten thousand Soul Extermination Spear sets and assigned Qian Renxue to relaunch Douluo Daily.
• Bibi Dong told Zhao Linchuan and Qian Renxue to compete in the Continental Soul Master Tournament and win the championship to make their names famous.
• At lunch, Zhao Linchuan recommended letting the Education Committee Members who sided with Xue Ye sink with the empire, earning Bibi Dong’s approval.
• On her carriage ride home, Bibi Dong received a changed Rakshasa God Trial requiring her to test Zhao Linchuan in the Secret Chamber within six months or be erased.

Zhao Linchuan investigated Xue Beng, confirmed his depraved behavior, and beat him after a night of drunken revelry. Later, Shrek entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where Yu Xiaogang’s proposal to guide the Imperial Dou Team provoked Dugu Yan’s furious objection.

• Qian Renxue showed Zhao Linchuan a report describing Xue Beng’s misconduct, but Zhao decided to investigate for himself.
• After watching Xue Beng’s behavior for seven days, Zhao Linchuan attacked and beat him outside a brothel.
• Shrek earned the team Gold Soul Fighting Badge at Suo Tuo Great Soul Arena and then entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Qin Ming’s recommendation.
• Xue Beng clashed with Shrek at the academy entrance, and Shrek humiliated him without intervention from Dugu Bo, who was in seclusion.
• Tang San defeated Yu Tianheng in a sparring match, prompting Meng Shenji to propose putting the Imperial Dou Team under Yu Xiaogang’s guidance.
• Dugu Yan denounced Shrek and rejected the proposal, accusing them of tarnishing Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s reputation.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling challenged Yu Xiaogang over his theories and Shrek’s conduct, then wagered the team’s place at Heaven Dou Royal Academy on a public debate. Yu Xiaogang accepted, and the Education Committee set the debate for seven days later.

• Dugu Yan mocked Yu Xiaogang’s level and criticized Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai’s conduct toward the women of the Imperial Dou Team.
• Ye Lingling accused Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai of disgraceful behavior and Flender of taking Ma Hongjun to the Brothel District, while Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling condemned Shrek’s morals.
• Dai Mubai shouted that the accusations were false, but the Shrek group could not swear that none of them were true.
• Yu Xiaogang defended his Ten Core Theories, and Flender backed him by citing Tang San’s results.
• Dugu Yan challenged Yu Xiaogang to a public debate and wagered that Shrek would leave the academy if he lost; Yu Xiaogang accepted.
• Meng Shenji agreed that Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin would preside over the debate in the central grand hall seven days later.

At the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect construction site, Yang Wudi nudged Niu Gao into seeking Zhao Linchuan’s favor, and Niu Gao pledged the Defense Clan’s loyalty to him. Zhao Linchuan welcomed him but warned him not to turn against the sect if his former master appeared.

• Zhao Linchuan walked through the sect’s construction site with Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing, while Qian Renxue teased him about the project’s scale and its proximity to Heaven Dou City.
• Yang Wudi told Niu Gao that Zhao Linchuan had a vast future project and suggested that Zhao Linchuan’s confidantes might win it over the Defense Clan.
• Niu Gao rushed to Zhao Linchuan, knelt, and offered to lead the Defense Clan in serving him.
• Zhao Linchuan helped Niu Gao up, welcomed the Defense Clan as family, and promised to share his fortunes with them.
• After Yang Wudi teased Niu Gao for kneeling, Zhao Linchuan warned him to remain loyal and never overturn the sect’s plans for his former master.

Niu Gao swore loyalty to Zhao Linchuan, then challenged Yang Wudi to a duel that Zhao Linchuan turned into a public contest. After teasing between Zhao Linchuan, Qian Renxue, and Zhu Zhuqing, the duel drew both clans together, and two graceful figures arrived as Zhao Linchuan and his companions watched.

• Niu Gao swore that he and the Defense Clan would serve only Zhao Linchuan.
• Yang Wudi and Niu Gao each asked Zhao Linchuan for permission to duel, and Zhao Linchuan ordered work to stop for half a day so the clans could watch.
• Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing teased Zhao Linchuan about his romantic affairs, and Zhu Zhuqing urged him to take care of his health.
• Zhao Linchuan invited Zhu Zhuqing to his room that night to show her a treasure and check her studies, leaving her flustered.
• Yang Wudi and Niu Gao fought for hours in the arena while the Breaking Clan and Defense Clan cheered from opposite sides of the valley.
• As Zhao Linchuan, Qian Renxue, and Zhu Zhuqing watched the duel over grilled meat and tea, two graceful figures drifted over.