Chapter Summaries

Dugu Yan asked Zhao Linchuan to help her prepare for a public Martial Soul theory debate with Yu Xiaogang, and he agreed. After Zhao Linchuan saved the crowd from falling rocks, Dugu Yan arranged for him to spar against Yang Wudi and Niu Gao before the assembled disciples.

• Dugu Yan told Qian Renxue about her wager with Yu Xiaogang and asked Zhao Linchuan to help her win the debate.
• Zhao Linchuan sliced falling boulders into fragments as the damaged arena collapsed, preventing further injuries.
• Qian Renxue and Ye Lingling treated the injured disciples while Yang Wudi and Niu Gao thanked them.
• Dugu Yan rallied the disciples and announced that Zhao Linchuan would spar against Yang Wudi and Niu Gao.
• Yang Wudi and Niu Gao agreed to fight Zhao Linchuan and discreetly planned to help him win without making it seem too easy.

Zhao Linchuan fought Yang Wudi and Niu Gao together to demonstrate his strength, holding his own against their coordinated attacks. As Yang Wudi launched a powerful spear strike at him in midair, Zhao Linchuan summoned the thunderous power of heaven and earth through his sword.

• Zhao Linchuan told the spectators to retreat before facing Yang Wudi and Niu Gao, while Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and Qian Renxue watched.
• Yang Wudi attacked with his Soul Breaking Spear, but Zhao Linchuan parried his strikes and countered with lightning.
• Niu Gao charged Zhao Linchuan and crashed into a rock wall; Zhao Linchuan followed with Thunder Tyrant Nine Transformations—Dragon Snake Landing, striking Niu Gao inside the cave.
• Yang Wudi attacked Zhao Linchuan from behind, but Zhao Linchuan deflected his spear and hit him with a lightning sphere before flying into the air.
• Niu Gao hurled Yang Wudi upward, and Yang Wudi used his Fifth Soul Ring to launch a spiraling spear attack at Zhao Linchuan.
• Zhao Linchuan touched the Thunder Tyrant Prison Breaking Sword, causing dark clouds to gather as lightning and thunder answered its power.

Zhao Linchuan defeated Yang Wudi and Niu Gao in successive clashes with his lightning techniques, then healed Niu Gao. Niu Gao accepted Zhao Linchuan as his lord and pledged the Defense Clan’s loyalty, while Yang Wudi also bowed to him.

• Zhao Linchuan overpowered Yang Wudi’s Martial Soul Avatar with his Thunder Dragon Surges from the Sea strike, leaving Yang Wudi badly injured.
• Zhao Linchuan unleashed Nine Heavens—Dragon's Roar, and Yang Wudi moved aside while urging Niu Gao to withstand the attack.
• Niu Gao transformed into his Armored Giant Rhinoceros True Body and took the Lightning Dragon head-on, devastating the valley and leaving himself unconscious and charred.
• Zhao Linchuan used Spring Returns to the Earth to heal Niu Gao, who woke and rebuked Yang Wudi for tricking him.
• Niu Gao pledged that he and the Defense Clan would follow Zhao Linchuan, and Yang Wudi knelt and praised his divine might.

Zhu Zhuqing absorbed a fifteen-thousand-year Phantom Hell Leopard as her fourth Soul Ring and gained the powerful Nether Three Stage Flash. Zhao Linchuan’s group then arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for the public Martial Soul theory debate, where someone shouted his name as they entered the plaza.

• Dugu Yan interrupted Zhu Zhuqing as she approached Zhao Linchuan’s tent, then entered and spent the night with him.
• Zhao Linchuan asked Zhu Zhuqing if she was ready to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and she said her Soul Forging Art and Spiritual Power gave her confidence.
• Zhao Linchuan and his companions found a fifteen-thousand-year Phantom Hell Leopard in Sunset Forest, and Zhu Zhuqing successfully absorbed its Soul Ring.
• Zhu Zhuqing gained the Soul Skill Nether Three Stage Flash, which let her teleport around a target for stronger attacks or make consecutive jumps to evade danger.
• Zhao Linchuan’s group arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for the public debate, and a voice shouted his name at the plaza entrance.

Zhao Linchuan challenged Yu Xiaogang’s claim that his theory made Tang San successful by questioning the choice of Tang San’s first Soul Ring. His argument turned the audience against Yu Xiaogang, while Tang San began to doubt him.

• Zhao Linchuan arrived with Zhu Zhuqing, took her hand in front of Dai Mubai, and provoked the Shrek group’s fury.
• Yu Xiaogang presented his Ten Core Competencies and credited his theory with Tang San’s success using Blue Silver Grass.
• Zhao Linchuan asked Yu Xiaogang about Tang San’s first Soul Ring, and Yu Xiaogang said it came from a four-hundred-year Mandala Snake.
• Zhao Linchuan pointed out that Tang San’s Entanglement skill was a basic capability of vine-type Martial Souls and asked Zhi Lin to confirm it.
• The audience questioned Yu Xiaogang’s Soul Ring choice, and Tang San showed doubt in his eyes.

Zhao Linchuan challenged Yu Xiaogang’s theories by arguing that his guidance put Tang San at unnecessary risk and that Tang San’s unusual talent did not prove the theories worked. Yu Xiaogang refused to answer, and Zhao Linchuan began to examine his claims about Twin Martial Souls.

• Zhao Linchuan argued that Yu Xiaogang had risked Tang San’s life by choosing a potentially incompatible four-hundred-year Soul Ring instead of seeking a safer, better-matched one.
• Zhao Linchuan mocked Yu Xiaogang’s Martial Soul Mimicry Theory and explained that Soul Rings should be chosen for compatible attributes rather than similar appearances.
• Zhao Linchuan asked whether Yu Xiaogang had trained any Blue Silver Grass Soul Master other than Tang San to break through level ten Soul Power, and Yu Xiaogang could not answer.
• Zhao Linchuan argued that Tang San’s Innate Full Soul Power meant his Blue Silver Grass was not ordinary, suggesting Tang San’s hidden advantages—not Yu Xiaogang’s theory—accounted for his success.
• Yu Xiaogang refused to answer Zhao Linchuan’s questions, so Zhao Linchuan moved on to examine his theory of Twin Martial Souls.

Zhao Linchuan exposed contradictions in Yu Xiaogang’s Martial Soul theories and forced Tang San and Flender to kneel in his place and honor the wager. He then accused Yu Xiaogang of plagiarizing precise Soul Ring age-limit records and pressured him to acknowledge that Tang San possessed Twin Martial Souls, while Gu Rong’s Soul Power forced Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass to appear.

• Zhao Linchuan argued that Yu Xiaogang’s theory implied Tang San, with Blue Silver Grass and Innate Full Soul Power, possessed a powerful second Martial Soul.
• When Yu Xiaogang could not answer, Zhao Linchuan condemned the academy’s judgment and demanded that Yu Xiaogang and Flender honor the wager.
• Tang San knelt for his Teacher, and Dugu Bo’s intimidation forced Flender to kneel as well.
• Zhao Linchuan questioned whether Yu Xiaogang had stolen his precise Soul Ring age-limit records and challenged him to apply his own theory to Tang San.
• After Zhao Linchuan left the platform, Gu Rong’s pressure forced Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to manifest.

Tang San revealed his Clear Sky Hammer and Twin Martial Souls, setting off a commotion as Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect moved to protect him. Yu Xiaogang tried to use a Spirit Hall Papal Edict to avoid fulfilling his wager, but a blue flash interrupted him.

• Tang San revealed the Clear Sky Hammer in his left palm, exposing his Twin Martial Souls to the audience.
• Ning Fengzhi told Gu Rong not to take Tang San by force and ordered him to protect Tang San and arrange an invitation to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin shielded Tang San and insisted that Heaven Dou Royal Academy would protect its student.
• Ning Fengzhi explained that Gu Rong had acted to protect Tang San, while Zhao Linchuan warned that the academy would be mocked and demanded Yu Xiaogang honor his wager.
• Flender urged Yu Xiaogang to present the Spirit Hall Papal Edict, and Yu Xiaogang raised it before a blue flash rushed past.

Zhao Linchuan challenged Yu Xiaogang over the Papal Edict and exposed Ning Fengzhi’s apparent attempt to manipulate the dispute. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling withdrew from Heaven Dou Royal Academy, while Ning Fengzhi’s group seized Tang San and Yu Xiaogang and escaped; Zhao Linchuan then departed with his allies.

• Zhao Linchuan took the Papal Edict from Yu Xiaogang and questioned where he had obtained it.
• Zhao Linchuan rebuked Ning Fengzhi for defending the edict and suggested the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was secretly aligning with Spirit Hall.
• Zhao Linchuan pressed Meng Shenji and the other Education Committee Members about their ties to Spirit Hall.
• Dugu Yan announced that she and Ye Lingling were withdrawing from Heaven Dou Royal Academy, then left with her hand in Ye Lingling’s.
• Gu Rong seized Tang San and Yu Xiaogang while Chen Xin carried Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong away to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Zhao Linchuan left with Dugu Bo and the others, leaving the Education Committee Members amid the wreckage and public disgrace.

Ning Fengzhi questioned Ning Rongrong about Tang San and his hidden weapons, then brought Tang San and Yu Xiaogang in and urged Yu Xiaogang to explain Tang San’s origins. Yu Xiaogang revealed that Tang San’s second martial soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, inherited by the Clear Sky Sect.

• Ning Rongrong told Ning Fengzhi about Tang San’s abilities and showed him the Silent Sleeve Arrow and Zhuge Crossbow, explaining their price and self-destruct mechanisms.
• Ning Rongrong insisted she would never like Tang San and said he could not compare with Zhao Linchuan.
• Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong discussed the hidden weapons’ usefulness, their inflated price, and Tang San’s exclusive control of their core technology.
• Ning Fengzhi invited Tang San and Yu Xiaogang to join them, warmly addressing Tang San as Little San while Gu Rong challenged him about the risks of bringing him out of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San that his second martial soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, the inherited martial soul of the Clear Sky Sect.

Yu Xiaogang and Ning Fengzhi revealed that Tang San was Tang Hao’s son and warned that Spirit Hall might target him, prompting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to offer protection in exchange for his hidden-weapon expertise. Tang San accepted a deal to make weapons for the sect, earning the chance to build his first fortune while Ning Fengzhi planned to bind him to the sect gradually.

• Yu Xiaogang and Ning Fengzhi told Tang San about Tang Hao’s history as the Clear Sky Douluo and warned that Spirit Hall might hunt him because his Twin Martial Souls had been exposed.
• Yu Xiaogang asked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to protect Tang San, while Gu Rong demanded that Tang San offer the sect a compelling reason to take the risk.
• Tang San demonstrated his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and proposed making five hundred sets in exchange for temporary protection.
• Ning Fengzhi offered Tang San one thousand Gold Soul Coins for each qualified set and ordered an initial batch of two thousand sets, which Tang San accepted.
• Ning Fengzhi agreed to let Yu Xiaogang inform Flender and the others, then explained to Gu Rong that he intended to secure Tang San’s loyalty through benefits and protection rather than force him to surrender his secrets.

Ning Rongrong regretted driving Zhao Linchuan away and vowed to save a Soul Bone for him, while Zhao Linchuan’s allies learned that he had killed Tang Hao. The chapter left them stunned by his vague confirmation as they prepared to hear more about the killing.

• Ning Rongrong awoke from a nightmare in which Zhao Linchuan rejected her and vowed to save a Soul Bone for him.
• Ning Rongrong lit a candle from her childhood with Zhao Linchuan and admitted her pride had cost her the chance to stand beside him.
• Dugu Bo warned Zhao Linchuan that sparing Tang Hao’s son at Heaven Dou Royal Academy could create a powerful future enemy.
• Dugu Bo revealed that Zhao Linchuan had killed Tang Hao, shocking Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao.
• Zhao Linchuan calmly replied that he had more or less killed Tang Hao, leaving everyone confused.

Zhao Linchuan revealed that Tang Hao had died and showed that he also possessed Twin Martial Souls, while warning his allies to keep both secrets. Qian Renxue offered to find her family’s methods for cultivating Twin Martial Souls, and the chapter ended with her and Zhao Linchuan spending the night together.

• Zhao Linchuan explained how Tang Hao had died and warned that Clear Sky Sect would eventually become his enemy, though they still had time to prepare.
• Zhao Linchuan said he had spared Tang San because he still had a use for him, then revealed his own Twin Martial Souls and ordered everyone to keep the secret.
• Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, Qian Renxue, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao reacted with shock and relief, while concerns about the dangers of Twin Martial Soul cultivation remained.
• Qian Renxue said her Wu family might possess methods for resolving Twin Martial Soul conflicts and promised to search their materials for Zhao Linchuan.
• Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao left after the gathering, and Zhao Linchuan stayed in Qian Renxue’s tent, where they shared an intimate night.

Tang San questioned Yu Xiaogang’s teachings after finding that his first two Blue Silver Grass Soul Skills could be reproduced through practice. Yu Xiaogang tried to restore Tang San’s trust by claiming he had guided Bibi Dong’s Twin Martial Souls, then revealed that they had once been deeply in love.

• Tang San tested Blue Silver Grass and found he could imitate Binding and Parasitism through control and practice.
• Tang San spent the night torn between Zhao Linchuan’s doubts and his loyalty to Yu Xiaogang.
• Yu Xiaogang returned and told Tang San that Xiao Wu, Mubai, and Hongjun were safe at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Yu Xiaogang revealed that Spirit Hall had taken Zhao Wuji away over an old case.
• Yu Xiaogang claimed Bibi Dong was the second person in history to possess Twin Martial Souls and that his guidance had helped her cultivate them.
• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San that he and Bibi Dong had once been deeply in love before Qian Xunji separated them.

Tang San regained faith in Yu Xiaogang after hearing his account, while news of Tang San’s Clear Sky Hammer stirred the Clear Sky Sect and the Strength Clan. On the road to Qingshan Town, Zhao Linchuan taught Ye Lingling about medicinal herbs, and she seduced him in a rain shelter.

• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San about his past and claimed Tang Hao had entrusted Tang San to his guidance, easing Tang San’s doubts.
• Tang Yuehua reported Tang San’s identity to the Clear Sky Sect, and Tang Xiao ordered her to observe him without acknowledging him yet.
• Tai Tan rushed to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, confirmed Tang San’s identity, and pledged the Strength Clan’s loyalty to him.
• Zhao Linchuan explained medicinal herbs to Ye Lingling as they walked toward Qingshan Town, and she listened after teasing him into repeating the lesson.
• Zhao Linchuan and Ye Lingling took shelter from the rain in a cave, where Ye Lingling undressed and drew him into an intimate encounter.

Zhao Linchuan and Ye Lingling left a mountain cave after the rain and arrived in Qingshan Town to collect its first harvest of medicinal materials. After trusting the town chief's carefully prepared goods, Zhao Linchuan revealed that the materials were not intended for their sect, leaving Ye Lingling wondering who would use them.

• Ye Lingling urged Zhao Linchuan to eat well and cultivate responsibly, then teased him about the aged fine wine before the two dressed and left the cave.
• Zhao Linchuan and Ye Lingling descended to Qingshan Town, where Fa Keyou welcomed them and described how the medicinal-material trade had improved the town's prospects.
• Fa Keyou showed Zhao Linchuan the sorted first harvest in the town warehouse, and Zhao Linchuan said he trusted the town chief without inspecting it.
• Ye Lingling asked why Zhao Linchuan had bought so many ordinary medicinal materials, and he told her they were not for their sect.

Zhao Linchuan explained how helping ordinary families with medicinal materials could build the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect’s reputation and attract future recruits. Months later, the sect’s construction was nearly finished, and Niu Gao said its opening ceremony could be held after seven more days of work.

• Zhao Linchuan convinced Ye Lingling that giving medicinal materials to poor families could earn the sect gratitude and bring in promising disciples.
• Zhao Linchuan and Ye Lingling attended a banquet in Qingshan Town, then found A Miao mourning the female dog killed in an accident.
• The next morning, Ye Lingling saw A Miao courting another female dog and angrily called him a dog thing before Zhao Linchuan led her away.
• Several months later, Zhao Linchuan asked Niu Gao when the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect could hold its opening ceremony.
• Niu Gao reported that the remaining construction work could be completed in as little as seven days.

Zhao Linchuan prepared the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect’s founding ceremony and planned to promote the Body Tempering Pill, while news of the sect’s rise unsettled forces across the region. When Tang San heard the sect’s name, he feared that its founder might share a connection to his former world.

• Zhao Linchuan set the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect’s founding ceremony for ten days later and ordered Yang Wudi to demonstrate the Body Tempering Pill’s effects.
• Zhao Linchuan told Niu Gao to prepare construction on the sect’s back mountain after the ceremony.
• News of the ceremony and the Body Tempering Pill spread, while rumors that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect planned to execute Zhao Linchuan left smaller forces torn over whether to attend.
• Tai Tan raged when he learned Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Lou Gao had joined Zhao Linchuan, while Tang San grew pale and distracted at the news.
• Tang San lay awake that night, fearing that the name Profound Gate Heavenly Sect meant its founder came from his former world.

The Profound Gate Heavenly Sect held its opening ceremony despite the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s rumors keeping many invited factions away. Zhao Linchuan began welcoming the guests, but Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong abruptly appeared and challenged his rules.

• Qian Renxue told Zhao Linchuan that only about forty percent of the expected guests had arrived because of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s rumors.
• Ye Lingling assured Zhao Linchuan that Ye Shiyu’s preparations outside the mountain gate were ready.
• Ye Shiyu, Dugu Bo, and three hundred disciples performed a solemn procession and welcomed the guests into the sect.
• The guests followed the disciples to the Hall of All Heavens, where Zhao Linchuan appeared with Ye Shiyu, Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao.
• Zhao Linchuan announced the sect’s establishment and began stating its three rules before Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong appeared uninvited and interrupted him.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong insulted Zhao Linchuan at the Profound Gate Heavenly Sect’s opening ceremony, while the Clear Sky Sect launched an attack outside. Qian Renxue arranged a contest in which Zhao Linchuan would face Chen Xin for one hundred moves, with Chen Xin’s title at stake, and both fighters left the hall as the outside battle erupted.

• Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong arrived uninvited, and Gu Rong mocked Zhao Linchuan for founding a sect as a Soul Emperor.
• Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Dugu Bo confronted Gu Rong, but a Clear Sky Sect attacker then struck at the Hall of All Heavens with a massive hammer.
• Zhao Linchuan ordered Ye Shiyu and Yang Wudi to help Niu Gao fight the Clear Sky Sect invaders.
• Chen Xin stepped forward to challenge Zhao Linchuan, and Qian Renxue proposed that Zhao win by surviving one hundred moves.
• Qian Renxue demanded that Chen Xin leave behind his title if Zhao withstood the hundred moves, and Chen Xin accepted.
• Chen Xin and Zhao Linchuan flew out to begin their duel as Niu Gao, Ye Shiyu, and Yang Wudi battled the Clear Sky Sect; Qian Renxue called for Ci Xue.