Chapter Summaries

Meng Shenji told Yu Tianheng’s team that their tournament spots had gone to Chiyu and the Innate Sect’s younger generation, prompting the team to accept the academy’s decision and plan a spar to test the newcomers. Meanwhile, Du Bafang held a brutal training session and a tournament-spot brawl for the sect’s young disciples, then discovered two scouts watching them.

• Ye Lingling asked Meng Shenji if he had given their tournament spots to someone else, and he confirmed that Chiyu and the younger generation of the Innate Sect had received them.
• Yu Tianheng and his teammates accepted the academy’s arrangement, then agreed to spar with the Innate Sect’s disciples when they arrived.
• Yu Tianheng’s team left to train and prepare to vent their frustration in a friendly match.
• In the mountains, the Innate Sect’s disciples endured dangerous physical training as scouts watched.
• Du Bafang gathered the disciples under twenty-three and told them to fight for the six tournament spots, igniting a chaotic brawl.
• Du Bafang noticed two black-clad Soul Saint scouts and appeared beside them.

Du Bafang confronted two spies who had been observing the Innate Sect and offered to spare them if they could make him release his Martial Soul. After they revealed their Martial Soul Avatars, he identified them as agents of the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family, then faced their coordinated attack.

• Du Bafang caught two Soul Sage spies gathering information near the Innate Sect and stopped them from fleeing.
• Du Bafang offered to release them if they could force him to release his Martial Soul, warning that failure would mean their deaths.
• The two spies released their Martial Soul Avatars, revealing a Hell Spirit Cat and a wind-attributed battle tiger.
• Du Bafang recognized the Hell Spirit Cat as belonging to the Zhu Family and deduced that the spies served the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family.
• The spies attacked Du Bafang together, and he prepared to meet them head-on with his formidable physical strength.

After Du Bafang killed two Soul Saints without summoning his Martial Soul, the Innate Sect grew dramatically stronger through a year of training and Power of Faith. Du Bafang sent six young disciples, led by his grandson Du Siji, to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where their sharpest member detected hidden scouts.

• A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect scout reported that Du Bafang had beaten two Soul Saints to death with his bare hands, shocking Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong.
• Ning Fengzhi concluded that the Innate Sect's growing strength proved their bet had been correct, and the factions quietly let the scouts' deaths go unclaimed.
• Over the following year, Zhongli guided the Innate Sect, whose members gained strength and whose more than thirty disciples completed their Innate Martial Soul's Second Awakening.
• Du Bafang ordered Du Siji and five other young disciples to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy, continue cultivating, and follow the Saintess Xiaofeilian's arrangements.
• As the six descended the mountain, the disciple with the Brain Martial Soul sensed hidden watchers, and Du Siji identified them as scouts from rival factions.

Tang San went to the Martial Soul Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City to claim his Soul Master subsidy, but Salas humiliated him and then eagerly offered money to the Innate Sect. Tang San left with Spirit Hall refusing to recognize him, while Zhang Hu saw how the Innate Sect’s growing power had made Salas eager to curry favor.

• An elderly official told Tang San that Spirit Hall had not reported him for subsidies and directed him to apply through the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
• Salas arrived, mocked Tang San’s claim, and offered him one Gold Soul Coin as a reward.
• Zhang Hu of the Innate Sect arrived, and Salas learned that he had recently advanced to Soul Douluo.
• Salas ordered Spirit Hall to pay the Innate Sect’s disciples their subsidies and add a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins as a reward.
• Zhang Hu recognized that the Innate Sect’s strength and neutrality had made powerful figures seek its friendship.

Bibi Dong questioned Yu Xiaogang’s reputation after discovering that his theories had been copied from older sources, while Zhongli took Chiyu and his disciples to a pleasure house and reflected on guiding the Innate Sect. The chapter ended when Zhongli sensed that Chiyu and the others had run into trouble.

• Bibi Dong found evidence that Yu Xiaogang’s theoretical knowledge had been copied and tried to reassure herself that she still liked him regardless of his abilities.
• Zhongli took Chiyu, Du Siji, and the others to a pleasure house, where the disciples admired the performances and misread his personal hobby as a lesson in mental discipline.
• Du Siji and the others watched Chiyu eat an enormous meal and became convinced of her strength and talent.
• Zhongli told the disciples to relax outside their cultivation and considered how proper guidance could prevent second-awakened Innate Soul Masters from becoming unstable.
• As Zhongli and Paimon reached Zhongli Manor, Zhongli sensed that Chiyu and the others had encountered trouble.

Hu Yan Li led the Elephant Armored Sect’s disciples to block Chiyu and the others on their way back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, asking to spar with the Innate Sect members. Du Siji accepted Hu Yan Li’s challenge and revealed his astonishing Soul Power level and black Soul Ring before launching his first Soul Skill.

• Hu Yan Li explained that the Elephant Armored Sect wanted to test its strength against the Innate Sect ahead of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Chiyu and the others realized that Hu Yan Li’s group had blocked their road instead of arranging a proper sparring match, but Du Siji stepped forward to fight.
• Hu Yan Li revealed that he was a Level 42 Defense-Type Battle Soul Ancestor with a Diamond Mammoth Elephant Martial Soul.
• Du Siji introduced himself as a Level 49 Assault-Type Battle Soul Ancestor, astonishing Hu Yan Li and his companions.
• Du Siji revealed a black Soul Ring and used his First Soul Skill, Steel Muscles and Bones, as Hu Yan Li tried to respond.

Du Siji overwhelmed Hu Yan Li and the Elephant Armored Sect disciples with his blazing strength and the Eight Extremes techniques Zhongli taught him. After the others surrendered, Zhongli explained that Du Siji’s volatile state came from the side effects of his voluntary second awakening and decided to keep him close.

• Du Siji punched Hu Yan Li hard enough to send him flying and knock out two of his teeth, then challenged the Elephant Armored Sect members to attack together.
• Hu Yan Li and six others activated their Martial Souls and advanced in formation, prompting Du Siji to test the martial techniques Zhongli had taught him.
• Du Siji broke the formation with Single Ram Top and sent another opponent flying with Iron Mountain Lean, forcing the Elephant Armored Sect disciples to surrender.
• Du Siji returned to normal and withdrew his Martial Soul Possession as Chiyu and the others checked on him.
• Zhongli told Du Siji that his condition was a side effect of his voluntary second awakening and asked him to stay with him for the time being.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan received Spirit Hall's highest medal, but Bibi Dong warned them that Xiaofeilian far surpassed them. Qian Daoliu approved three soul bones as the tournament's championship prize and moved the final round to Spirit City; Zhongli, Paimon, and Du Siji arrived at Moonlight Pavilion.

• Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan received praise from Bibi Dong for reaching the Soul King level before twenty-five, but they worried about Xiaofeilian's greater strength.
• Bibi Dong admitted that Xiaofeilian was beyond their individual abilities, though she thought the Martial Soul Team might challenge her in a team battle.
• Bibi Dong revealed that the elders had rejected her request to award three soul bones directly to Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, so she planned to make them the tournament's championship prize.
• Qian Daoliu approved the three soul bones as the prize and declared that the final round would take place in Spirit City.
• Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan vowed to defend Spirit Hall's glory, while Bibi Dong privately remained committed to destroying it.
• Zhongli, Paimon, and Du Siji arrived at Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City.

Zhongli brought Du Siji to Moonlight Pavilion, hoping Tang Yuehua could help him find a lasting way to control his aggression after Martial Soul Possession. Tang Yuehua welcomed them, and the group entered the pavilion to discuss their purpose.

• Zhongli, Paimon, and Du Siji arrived at Moonlight Pavilion, and the guard hurried to alert Tang Yuehua after recognizing Zhongli.
• Zhongli considered Moonlight Pavilion as a local solution for Du Siji's growing arrogance and aggression when he used his Martial Soul.
• Paimon asked Zhongli whether Moonlight Pavilion looked like a noble's residence, and he explained that it taught etiquette, music, and dance.
• Tang Yuehua hurried out to greet Zhongli and welcomed Paimon and Du Siji inside.
• The group examined Moonlight Pavilion's orderly, tranquil interior, which Zhongli judged to show Tang Yuehua's skill.

Zhongli visited Moonlight Pavilion with Tang Yuehua and met its students, including Princess Xue Ke, who asked him to guide them in music and dance. When he treated the young nobles as equals, one young man was moved to tears.

• Zhongli praised Tang Yuehua's skill in establishing Moonlight Pavilion and observed how its students reacted to his arrival.
• Tang Yuehua introduced Zhongli to Princess Xue Ke, who greeted him and spoke of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's admiration for him.
• Xue Ke asked Zhongli to guide the students in song, dance, and music, and he agreed to discuss their arts together.
• The students were astonished by Zhongli's humility, and one young man cried because Zhongli treated him as an equal.

After being moved by memories of the Great Tree King, Zhongli praised Princess Xue Ke and the others’ performance before she asked him to play a genuinely emotional piece. He summoned an amber flute and played a sorrowful melody that overwhelmed the hall, but the flute shattered before the music seemed finished.

• Zhongli recalled his lost friend, the Great Tree King, and the grief of her fading from memory.
• After Paimon brought him back to the present, Zhongli gave Princess Xue Ke and the other performers a perfect score while advising them to put their own emotions into their music and dance.
• Princess Xue Ke asked Zhongli to perform an emotional piece, then bowed deeply to him.
• Zhongli formed an amber flute and began playing a desolate melody that filled the hall with sorrow and brought the listeners to tears.
• The flute burst into starlight, leaving everyone dazed and wondering why the music had not ended.

Zhongli’s sorrowful performance moved the young nobles and reminded them that their dreams were not ridiculous, while Du Siji reconsidered how he would pursue his path. Zhongli then told Tang Yuehua he had come to ask her for a favor, and she led him to the reception hall.

• Zhongli ended his performance after his bamboo flute shattered from absorbing too much negative emotion.
• Xue Ke thanked Zhongli, and he asked the young men why they were crying as they shared the dreams their families had dismissed.
• Zhongli told the youths that their dreams were not ridiculous, prompting them to reflect on their ambitions and thank him.
• Du Siji reconsidered his approach, deciding to show greater restraint while remaining resolute against true enemies.
• Zhongli told Tang Yuehua he had come to ask for a favor, and she escorted him, Du Siji, and Paimon to the reception hall.

Zhongli asked Tang Yuehua to demonstrate her Innate Domain, then had Du Siji enter his Second Awakening state to test whether her domain could suppress its effects. The chapter ended with Tang Yuehua facing the violently impulsive Du Siji, unsure how an unarmed woman could make a move.

• Zhongli asked Tang Yuehua to show him the domain associated with her Martial Soul, and she agreed despite wondering how he knew about it.
• Zhongli stopped Tang Yuehua and ordered Du Siji to release his Martial Soul and enter his Second Awakening state.
• Du Siji activated his Bronze-grade Innate Body Second Awakening, greatly increasing his attributes and filling him with violent impulses.
• Zhongli told Tang Yuehua to make her move, leaving her confused about what she could do against Du Siji.

After the Aristocratic Ring domain failed to resolve Du Siji’s problem, Zhongli’s words helped him break free of the obsession caused by his second Martial Soul awakening. Du Siji advanced to a Silver Rank Second Awakening and reached quasi Soul King rank, while Zhongli realized that studying the sages’ teachings could help prevent similar problems.

• Du Siji worried that he had disappointed Zhongli, but Zhongli reassured him that he had expected the Aristocratic Ring domain to be unable to solve the problem and urged him to believe in himself.
• Zhongli’s words helped Du Siji break free of the mental shackles formed by his second Martial Soul awakening, and Du Siji began advancing from Bronze Rank to Silver Rank.
• Zhongli realized that studying the sages’ teachings and cultivating righteous energy could address the root of the problem, then sent Du Siji energy to sustain his dangerous breakthrough.
• Onlookers gathered in Heaven Dou City as Du Siji’s Martial Soul Possession changed from bronze to silver, and Yu Xiaogang recognized that he was advancing in rank.
• Du Siji’s aura erupted as he broke through to quasi Soul King rank, leaving the gathered crowd stunned and Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin envious of the Innate Sect’s prodigies.

After Du Siji’s Silver Rank Second Awakening, Zhongli took him and Paimon toward Sunset Forest to find the soul ring he needed at level fifty. Meanwhile, the Innate Sect began studying the Analects, which Du Bafang badly misunderstood as a martial manual.

• Du Siji awakened to Silver Rank and gained strength nearing that of a Soul King, then withdrew his martial soul at Zhongli’s request.
• Ma Hongjun worried that Shrek’s revenge had become even less possible, while Ning Rongrong argued her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could help them challenge a Soul King.
• Ning Fengzhi observed the exchange from hiding and judged that Du Siji’s Second Awakening gave him a tremendous, comprehensive boost.
• At dawn, Zhongli, Paimon, and Du Siji left Heaven Dou City for Sunset Forest so Du Siji could hunt a soul ring.
• Zhongli ordered Du Bafang to have the Innate Sect study the Analects, and Du Bafang mistakenly interpreted its teachings as instructions for fighting with authority.

Innate Sect disciples twisted the Sect Master's teachings into approval of their violent ways, while the sect's hunting had left Sunset Forest short of high-grade Soul Beasts. Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji heard roars and cautiously approached a Dark Gold Claw Bear, where they found it facing two and a half humans.

• An Innate Sect disciple interpreted the Analects as a threat to beat someone to death, and Du Bafang praised his insight.
• Other disciples shared similarly violent interpretations, and the one disciple with a brain martial soul joined in rather than challenge the group.
• Dai Mubai complained that Sunset Forest had no high-grade Soul Beasts left for his fourth soul ring, and Zhao Wuji blamed the Innate Sect's hunting.
• Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai heard a powerful bear roar, then approached cautiously after a second roar sounded weaker.
• They found a Dark Gold Claw Bear glaring at two and a half humans.

Du Siji nearly died fighting a Dark Gold Claw Bear, but Zhongli subdued it so Du Siji could claim it as his fifth Soul Ring. As Du Siji absorbed it, the bear’s two claw Soul Bones appeared, while Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai arrived and quickly fled after greeting Zhongli.

• The Dark Gold Claw Bear nearly killed Du Siji with one strike, and Zhongli identified it as a thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast suitable for Du Siji’s fifth Soul Ring.
• Du Siji agreed to follow Zhongli’s recommendation, and Zhongli wounded the bear with an amber spear.
• Du Siji killed the barely living bear and began absorbing its Soul Ring, while its left and right hand bones appeared as Soul Bones for him.
• Zhongli realized Du Siji had gained both of the bear’s claw Soul Bones and praised his extraordinary good fortune.
• Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai arrived, paid their respects to Zhongli, then hurried away when he told them they could go about their business.
• Paimon watched them leave and wondered whether Zhongli was really so frightening.

Zhao Wuji warned Dai Mubai against trying to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring as his fourth, while Du Siji recovered and returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Zhongli visited the Innate Sect and found Du Bafang and the disciples studying the Analects, leaving him puzzled by their confident talk of three thousand disciples.

• Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai fled Sunset Forest, and Zhao Wuji said they would need to travel farther to hunt soul beasts after Innate Sect disciples depleted its stronger beasts.
• Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji realized Du Siji had absorbed a soul ring from a terrifying bear whose age and power exceeded Zhao Wuji's seventh soul ring.
• Dai Mubai said he wanted to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring, but Zhao Wuji warned that two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan descendants had died attempting it as Soul Ancestors.
• Du Siji returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy after recovering and felt strong enough to challenge Chiyu.
• Zhongli visited the Innate Sect and found its disciples reciting the Analects; Du Bafang said three thousand disciples had gained a slight understanding of Zhongli's profound intentions.

Du Bafang led the Innate Sect in interpreting Zhongli’s teachings as instructions for training and building strength. Back at Zhongli Manor, Zhongli fed Paimon and wondered whether her true nature was far more extraordinary than she appeared.

• A disciple explained benevolence, righteousness, the Dao, and virtue as teachings about strength, and Du Bafang praised his interpretation.
• Du Bafang ordered the Innate Sect to train their backs into the shape of the character for virtue, and the disciples began intensive cultivation fueled by soul beast meat and other costly food.
• Zhongli returned to his manor and wondered whether Du Bafang’s disciples truly understood the classical texts, but chose to trust him.
• Paimon asked Zhongli if he had brought breakfast, and he produced a basket of steamed buns for her.
• While watching Paimon eat, Zhongli considered her possible connection to the Sustainers of the Heavenly Principles and Baimon, and wondered whether she concealed power beyond his understanding.

As the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament approached, Skywater Academy and other teams worried about the powerful opponents competing for the five advancement slots. Meanwhile, “Xue Qinghe” walked with Zhongli and Paimon after discussing commoner academies, and stopped to ask her retainer a question.

• Xue Wu warned Skywater Academy’s team that the preliminaries would be harder because Yu Tianheng’s former Imperial Dou First Team was competing for an advancement slot.
• Shui Yue’er worried about facing the Innate Sect after hearing that its members had seriously injured Elephant Armor Academy’s captain and vice-captain in a seven-against-one fight.
• Shui Bing’er steadied the team and proposed sparring with Feng Xiaotian and the others while concealing their full strength.
• Yu Tianxin worried that he might disappoint Yu Luomian when he faced his cousin Yu Tianheng in the preliminaries.
• “Xue Qinghe” walked with Zhongli and Paimon after discussing the growing number of commoner academies, then stopped to ask Zhongli a question.