Recaps

Xu Lanqing reunited with Ju Zi at the Royal Research Institute and told her he was getting married to the Snow Empress in three months. Ju Zi congratulated him through tears and said she wished she had never met him, leaving their reunion in painful silence.

• Ju Zi embraced Xu Lanqing and asked how he had spent the past six years, while Lin Rou watched unnoticed from a doorway.
• Xu Lanqing recounted his adventures with exaggerated self-praise, and Ju Zi laughed before describing her life at the institute.
• Xu Lanqing apologized that Ju Zi had been confined there, and she explained that Elder Kong and the researchers treated her well.
• Xu Lanqing told Ju Zi he was getting married, and she asked when and to whom.
• Xu Lanqing said he would marry the Snow Empress in three months, and Ju Zi wished she had never met him.

Ju Zi told Xu Lanqing that she wanted to enlist, explaining that she feared being left out of his world and hoped to claim a place of her own. Xu Lanqing offered her the deputy commander position in the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, and Ju Zi agreed to join after attending his wedding.

• Ju Zi confessed that she still loved Xu Lanqing and wanted to enlist, while he admitted he loved her and believed the other woman had agreed to their relationship.
• Ju Zi explained that Xu Lanqing's life made her feel unnecessary, and that she wanted to stay close to him while building a place for herself.
• Xu Lanqing offered Ju Zi a high-ranking military post, but she said she wanted practical experience and worried about causing him trouble.
• Xu Lanqing proposed that Ju Zi become deputy commander of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, and she accepted.
• Ju Zi said she would leave after attending Xu Lanqing's wedding.

After returning to the Royal Research Institute, Xu Lanqing reunited with his teacher Kong Deming and told him about his past six years. Kong Deming revealed that Soul Engineers had built a prototype of a wearable Humanoid Soul Guidance Device, and Xu Lanqing headed to Mingde Hall to see it.

• Kong Deming visited Xu Lanqing and Ju Zi, then spoke privately with Xu Lanqing after Ju Zi left.
• Xu Lanqing recounted his experiences over the past six years, including encountering a deity.
• Kong Deming explained that the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng had helped Sun Yuhuan treat the emperor and helped him break through to Rank 95.
• Kong Deming said he could contend with the person beside Xu Tianran but warned that attacking the Holy Spirit Cult in Mingdu could cause an irreversible disaster.
• Kong Deming told Xu Lanqing that the Soul Engineers had made a prototype wearable Humanoid Soul Guidance Device, and Xu Lanqing asked to see it at Mingde Hall.

Xu Lanqing learned that Kong Deming’s researchers had developed a mass-producible Yellow-Grade Mecha while Battle Armor remained difficult to manufacture. After leaving the palace, Xu Lanqing faced Ju Zi’s teasing about the other women in his life, and she declared that she wanted to be second.

• Kong Deming explained that Battle Armor was still being tested and could not be mass-produced, but the researchers had already made Yellow-Grade Mechas.
• Xu Lanqing asked Electrolux about forging, and Electrolux said his memories were incomplete but promised to organize what he could recall.
• Xu Lanqing told Kong Deming he would return to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy and take two people to register, and Kong Deming offered to go with him.
• Ju Zi teased Xu Lanqing about Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, and the Snow Empress, and Xu Lanqing insisted that she was one of a kind.
• Ju Zi said she wanted to be the second.

Ju Zi met Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, and Snow Empress, and the women gradually warmed to one another despite Tang Ya’s teasing and an awkward first meeting. Xu Lanqing then prepared to take them to enroll at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy, leaving Jiang Nannan’s mother safely in the imperial palace.

• Ju Zi introduced herself to Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya and joked that they would be sisters, making Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan blush.
• Ju Zi greeted Snow Empress, and Xu Lanqing took both women’s hands to ease the tense meeting.
• Snow Empress welcomed Ju Zi, and the two began chatting warmly while Ice Empress joined them.
• Xu Lanqing said he would take everyone to enroll at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy and suggested Jiang Nannan’s mother stay at the imperial palace.
• Jiang Nannan reassured Tang Ya that their lives had improved, and Tang Ya agreed as the group set off with Xu Lanqing.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan enrolled at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy while Xu Lanqing and the others visited Mingde Hall to see its latest Soul Guidance Technology. Xu Lanqing tried a One-Word Battle Armor, and the chapter ended with the Ice Empress stopping his punch with one hand.

• Kong Deming helped Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and the others enroll at the academy, after which Ju Zi took the two girls to explore the campus.
• Xu Lanqing followed Kong Deming to Mingde Hall with the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, while Kong Deming left to attend to other work.
• Jing Hongchen welcomed them and showed them a One-Word Battle Armor that could raise a Soul Master's strength by one rank.
• Xu Lanqing put on the armor, which adjusted to fit him, and felt his strength increase.
• Xu Lanqing punched toward the Ice Empress, who caught his armored fist and held it still.

Xu Lanqing tested Battle Armor at the Mingde Hall and discussed the promise and risks of its technology with Jing Hongchen. After sharing divine forging knowledge with Kong Deming, he left with Ice Empress and Snow Empress, who planned to learn about Soul Tools.

• Ice Empress judged Xu Lanqing's Battle Armor to provide only a modest strength boost, while Jing Hongchen said Three-Word Battle Armor was still far from completion.
• Jing Hongchen offered Xu Lanqing a chance to pilot a prototype Mecha, but Xu Lanqing declined and warned against rushing to supply the technology to the army.
• Xu Lanqing gave Kong Deming divine-level forging knowledge organized by Electrolux, and Jing Hongchen said it could greatly shorten the time needed to develop Three-Word Battle Armor.
• As Xu Lanqing left with Ice Empress and Snow Empress, he suggested that Snow Empress and Ice Empress learn about Soul Tools from Zheng Zhan.

Xu Lanqing explored the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy with Snow Empress and Ice Empress, while Snow Empress urged him to pursue Ice Empress. The chapter ended with Ice Empress noticing their private conversation and growing inexplicably sour after Xu Lanqing brushed off her question.

• Xu Lanqing wandered around the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy with Snow Empress and Ice Empress, who excitedly browsed its sights and bought sweets.
• Snow Empress told Xu Lanqing that Ice Empress considered him one of her closest companions and teased him about his feelings for her.
• Xu Lanqing admitted he liked Ice Empress but worried that pursuing her could hurt Snow Empress or disrupt their relationships.
• Snow Empress encouraged Xu Lanqing to pursue Ice Empress, saying he was overthinking and that Ice Empress needed to recognize her feelings.
• Ice Empress returned with sweets, questioned Xu Lanqing and Snow Empress about their private conversation, and felt her good mood fade after he dismissed her curiosity.

Xu Lanqing and the others watched a white-haired new student defeat challengers at the Soul Fighting Arena, then left without joining the contest. At a secluded entrance, a student stopped Xu Lanqing, saying he looked familiar.

• Xu Lanqing explained the Soul Fighting Arena to Ice Empress as they entered and found Ju Zi, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya watching a match.
• Ju Zi told Xu Lanqing that a new student had defeated twenty challengers and was now inviting anyone to challenge him.
• Xu Lanqing declined Tang Ya and Ju Zi's suggestions that he fight the white-haired boy, while Jiang Nannan recalled his overwhelming strength.
• Ice Empress grew angry at the students staring at the group, so Xu Lanqing suggested they leave and said he had things to give Ju Zi and the others.
• At a secluded arena entrance, a student stopped Xu Lanqing and said he felt he had seen him before.

Xu Lanqing rejected Meng Hongchen’s confession because he was engaged, but she insisted she would pursue him. To make her give up, he challenged her and her brother to fight him together, with her courtship depending on the outcome.

• Tang Ya interrupted Xu Lanqing, and Meng Hongchen asked to speak with him alone while the others waited outside.
• Meng Hongchen confessed that she had fallen in love with Xu Lanqing at first sight, but he rejected her because he had a fiancée.
• Xu Lanqing tried to convince Meng Hongchen that love at first sight was only an attraction to looks, but she insisted she would marry no one else and would accept being his second wife.
• Xu Lanqing warned Meng Hongchen to stop pursuing him, but she declared that she would not give up.
• Xu Lanqing offered to accept her courtship if she beat him, and Meng Hongchen immediately agreed.
• Xu Lanqing added that Meng Hongchen and her brother could fight him together to make the match fair.

Meng Hongchen challenged Xu Lanqing, hoping to keep pursuing him even if she lost, but he defeated her swiftly and decisively. She vowed to challenge him again as Xiao Hongchen helped her up.

• Meng Hongchen refused to let Xiao Hongchen join the duel and asked Xu Lanqing to let her challenge him again if she lost.
• Meng Hongchen declared that she would make Xu Lanqing fall in love with her, then attacked with her Vermilion Clear Ice Toad Martial Soul and Ice Toad Poison.
• Xu Lanqing froze Meng Hongchen's attack, saw through her Ice Refraction, and shattered her sword before striking her down.
• Xu Lanqing told Meng Hongchen to stop fighting and asked Xiao Hongchen to take her for treatment.
• Meng Hongchen vowed to beat Xu Lanqing someday, while Xiao Hongchen helped her up and turned a cold expression toward Xu Lanqing.

Xu Lanqing defeated Meng Hongchen, accepted Xiao Hongchen’s challenge for three years later, and learned that Evil Soul Masters had massacred a village near Mingdu. Suspecting Xu Tianran’s involvement, he went to speak with the emperor, who asked what had brought him there.

• Xiao Hongchen helped Meng Hongchen up and challenged Xu Lanqing to a duel before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament in three years; Xu Lanqing accepted.
• Xu Lanqing left with Snow Empress while Meng Hongchen declared that fighting would make Xu Lanqing fall in love with her.
• Xu Lanqing overheard students say Evil Soul Masters had massacred a village and that the area had been sealed off.
• Xu Lanqing suspected Xu Tianran was protecting the culprits and went to see the emperor after encountering Xu Tianran outside the emperor’s sleeping quarters.
• Xu Lanqing paid his respects to the emperor, who asked what had brought him there.

Xu Lanqing planned to strike against the Holy Spirit Cult and sent Snow Empress to locate its headquarters, while he prepared to meet Xu Guozhong. After the women absorbed their herbs, Tang Ya and Ju Zi grew stronger, and Jiang Nannan discovered that her Martial Soul had mutated.

• Xu Lanqing told the emperor he planned to accompany Snow Empress to the Far North, and the emperor asked him to persuade Xu Tianzhen to abandon her plan to attend Eastsea Academy.
• Xu Lanqing and Snow Empress discussed his plan to eliminate the Holy Spirit Cult, and he asked her to search the Demonic Forest for its headquarters.
• Snow Empress insisted on going alone to protect Xu Lanqing, and he agreed before revealing that he planned to meet Xu Guozhong because of his position overseeing an underground Soul Tool storage facility.
• Tang Ya awoke after absorbing Nine Grade Purple Ganoderma, gained seven Soul Power levels, and saw her Second Soul Ring advance to two hundred thousand years.
• Ju Zi awoke after absorbing the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, gained six Soul Power levels, and reached the level-forty bottleneck; Xu Lanqing promised to help her obtain a Soul Spirit.
• Jiang Nannan awoke after absorbing the Aromatic Silk Beauty and discovered that her Martial Soul had mutated, though neither she nor Xu Lanqing knew what it had become.

Jiang Nannan explained how her mutated Soft Bone Rabbit gained mental abilities, and Xu Lanqing considered how useful they could be. After the group settled in for the night, Xu Lanqing prepared to meet Xu Guozhong while Snow Empress stayed behind to avoid detection.

• Jiang Nannan told Xu Lanqing, Tang Ya, and Ju Zi that her first two Soul Skills could influence opponents' minds, with their range and strength depending on her mental power.
• Xu Lanqing asked Jiang Nannan whether she would use her abilities for the empire even if she objected, and she said she would obey him as his maid.
• Xu Lanqing joked about raising Jiang Nannan's pay and making her sign a lifelong contract, but Tang Ya led Jiang Nannan away before she answered.
• Ju Zi, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya went to rest before their first day of class, while Snow Empress teased Xu Lanqing about enjoying his new maid.
• Snow Empress explained that she would stay behind so Long Xiaoyao and the others would not sense her presence, and Xu Lanqing left to meet Xu Guozhong.

Xu Lanqing’s affectionate remarks unsettled Ice Empress, who struggled with her growing feelings while accompanying him to visit Xu Guozhong. Xu Lanqing met with Xu Guozhong after six years away, but the purpose of their late-night visit remained unrevealed.

• Xu Lanqing called Ice Empress cute and said he liked her, prompting her to shut the door and privately wonder whether she had fallen for him.
• After waiting an hour, Xu Lanqing explained what he and Snow Empress had discussed, and Ice Empress agreed to go with him.
• Xu Lanqing praised Ice Empress as they walked, and she enjoyed his words while teasing him for sweet-talking her despite having Snow Maiden.
• Xu Lanqing and Ice Empress entered Xu Guozhong’s bedroom, where Xu Guozhong recognized them and hurried to show his loyalty.
• Xu Guozhong went to get dressed as Xu Lanqing and Ice Empress waited in the living room, where Ice Empress questioned Xu Guozhong’s usefulness and Xu Lanqing continued flirting with her.

Xu Lanqing brought Xu Guozhong to the Underground Warehouse and revealed that he intended to reach the arsenal beneath Mingde Hall. After Ice Empress pressured Xu Guozhong, Xu Lanqing promised to protect him and his family, then demanded that he choose whether to help.

• Xu Lanqing met Xu Guozhong at night and took Ice Empress with him to the Underground Warehouse.
• Xu Guozhong showed Xu Lanqing the warehouse’s rare metals and advanced Soul Tools, including Level Seven Fixed Soul Tools and Mechas.
• Xu Lanqing asked whether Xu Guozhong’s secret space connected to the Underground Warehouse beneath Mingde Hall, where sixteen Level Nine Fixed Soul Cannonballs were stored.
• Xu Guozhong pleaded with Xu Lanqing not to target Mingde Hall, but Ice Empress used her Domain of Eternal Freeze to force him to listen.
• Xu Lanqing promised that Xu Guozhong and his family would be safe if he cooperated, then asked him to choose between helping and refusing.

Xu Lanqing forced Xu Guozhong to reveal the hidden passage leading to the Underground Warehouse beneath Mingde Hall, where Level Nine Fixed Soul Cannonballs were stored. They reached its heavily defended door but left without entering, planning to return later.

• Xu Guozhong gave in to Xu Lanqing's threat and explained that reaching the Underground Warehouse required a password and key, while the passage contained traps and alarms.
• Xu Guozhong opened a concealed entrance and used an access card to guide Xu Lanqing and Ice Empress through the passage without triggering its alarms.
• At the metal door, Xu Guozhong estimated it was fifteen to twenty meters thick and warned that breaking through could set off alarms or endanger the cannonballs inside.
• Xu Lanqing decided they should leave and return later, while Ice Empress offered to break through the door and blushed as Xu Lanqing teased her.

Xu Lanqing ordered stronger defenses for the Underground Warehouse and asked Xu Guozhong to build a Soul Tool that could preserve a Limit Douluo’s aura for five days. Xu Guozhong then proposed using Ice Empress’s precise ice control to bypass the warehouse’s alarm system.

• Xu Lanqing told Xu Guozhong to strengthen the Underground Warehouse’s defenses and keep the keys himself.
• Xu Lanqing asked Xu Guozhong to make an aura-preserving Soul Tool, and Xu Guozhong estimated it would take half a day.
• Xu Guozhong asked Ice Empress about her ice abilities, and she said she could reach minus two hundred and fifty degrees while Snow Maiden could go even lower.
• Xu Guozhong explained that Ice Empress might freeze the alarm system’s Soul Power before it transmitted and suggested she practice on the similar system in Mingde Hall.

Xu Lanqing and his companions planned to test the Ice Empress’s ability to freeze the Underground Warehouse, then he visited Kong Deming late at night to ask for advice about a difficult choice. The chapter ended with Kong Deming silently considering Xu Lanqing’s crossroads metaphor.

• Xu Guozhong proposed using the Underground Warehouse to test precise freezing, and the Ice Empress said she could lower the temperature to minus 200 degrees.
• Xu Lanqing decided they would begin the test the next morning, and the Ice Empress escorted Xu Guozhong home.
• Xu Lanqing returned to the Imperial Palace with the Ice Empress and went to the Royal Research Institute to meet Kong Deming.
• Xu Lanqing described a lost traveler choosing between a long flower-covered road and a short, thorny road while a wolf pursued him.
• Kong Deming recognized Xu Lanqing’s confusion and fell silent, while the Ice Empress listened with growing pain.

Xu Lanqing sought guidance from Kong Deming about the choices ahead, then declared he would turn back and kill the wolf first. In the elevator, he and the Ice Empress grew closer as he explained he had told his teacher the truth because he trusted her and the others.

• Kong Deming advised Xu Lanqing to follow his heart, learn from experience, and choose his own path.
• Xu Lanqing told Kong Deming he would turn back and kill the wolf first, and Kong Deming encouraged him to do what he wanted.
• The Ice Empress asked Xu Lanqing if he was all right, and he teased her before embracing her in the elevator.
• The Ice Empress realized she had grown to love Xu Lanqing and asked why he had been honest with Kong Deming.
• Xu Lanqing said he would rather tell Kong Deming now than reveal the truth too late, adding that he had the Ice Empress and the others.

Xu Lanqing sought Kong Deming’s advice about his choices, then decided to turn back and kill the wolf after his teacher encouraged him to follow his heart. In the elevator, the Ice Empress comforted him and realized she had begun to like him.

• Kong Deming advised Xu Lanqing to make his own choices, learn from experience, and follow his heart.
• Xu Lanqing told Kong Deming he would turn back and kill the wolf, and Kong Deming encouraged him to do what he wanted.
• The Ice Empress asked Xu Lanqing if he was all right in the elevator, and he teased her until she let him hug her.
• The Ice Empress relaxed in Xu Lanqing’s arms and realized she had begun to like him.
• Xu Lanqing told the Ice Empress he had spoken honestly to Kong Deming because it was better to tell the truth early, and said he still had her and the others.

Xu Lanqing returned to the dorm after school and reunited with the Ice Empress, who had made progress studying the Underground Warehouse alarm system. He told her he would marry her with the Snow Maiden’s blessing, and the Ice Empress admitted she loved him.

• Xu Bei introduced himself as the homeroom teacher and explained that class officers would be chosen by vote and rotation.
• Xu Lanqing left Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya to get dinner and told Meng Hongchen he was returning to the dorm to see his wife.
• The Ice Empress told Xu Lanqing she had nearly figured out the Underground Warehouse alarm system and needed two more days to finish.
• Xu Lanqing said he would marry the Ice Empress with the Snow Maiden’s blessing, and she confessed that she liked him.
• Xu Lanqing and the Ice Empress kissed as night fell and a storm began outside.

Xu Lanqing explained to Ice Empress why he planned to eliminate the threat facing the empire, then updated Snow Empress on his plans. The next morning, he began attending the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy with Ju Zi, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya, where Meng Hongchen joined their class.

• Ice Empress walked with Xu Lanqing to the Royal Research Institute, and he explained that he wanted to prevent more towns from suffering wartime atrocities by striking decisively against the threat.
• Ice Empress returned to her room, while Snow Empress joined Xu Lanqing in bed and asked about his plans and his father’s response.
• The next morning, Xu Lanqing went to register at the academy with Ju Zi, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya; Ice Empress worked on the Underground Warehouse alarm system, and Snow Empress secretly went to the Demonic Forest.
• Xu Lanqing settled into Grade One Class One, where Meng Hongchen arrived and sat beside him, saying she had deliberately arranged to join his class.
• Jiang Nannan laughed at Xu Lanqing and Meng Hongchen’s banter, drawing the classroom’s attention before Xu Lanqing reassured her.

Xu Lanqing watched Gu Yuexi defeat Xiao Hongchen with her Golden Dragon Spear and recognized her connection to the Golden Dragon King. He met her afterward, where she delivered Gu Yuena’s terms for cooperation and warned him that her sister would not help until he proved himself.

• Xu Lanqing noticed Gu Yuexi and felt his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul respond to her.
• Gu Yuexi defeated Xiao Hongchen after her Golden Dragon Spear broke through his defenses and she crossed the arena to threaten him.
• Xu Lanqing followed Gu Yuexi to a grove and introduced himself, but she initially ignored him.
• Gu Yuexi told Xu Lanqing that Gu Yuena was her older sister and relayed that he must demonstrate sufficient strength or potential before Gu Yuena would cooperate.
• Gu Yuexi warned Xu Lanqing that Gu Yuena would not let him die in mortal danger, though the experience might be nearly as bad.

Xu Lanqing accepted two invitations to the Mingyue Hotel auction after noticing who was organizing it, while Meng Hongchen insisted on accompanying him. At the palace, Xu Tianzhen challenged Xu Lanqing to a match, and he agreed to fight her outside.

• Meng Hongchen invited Xu Lanqing to the auction and gave him its invitation and catalog.
• Xu Lanqing recognized the auction organizer, took both invitations, and let Meng Hongchen follow him despite telling her to focus on her studies.
• Xiao Hongchen privately hoped Meng Hongchen would become discouraged by Xu Lanqing’s playboy behavior, while pretending to support her.
• Xu Tianzhen confronted Xu Lanqing, demanded the showdown they had agreed to six years earlier, and proposed that she would stay in Mingdu if he won.
• Xu Lanqing agreed to fight Xu Tianzhen and led the way outside the palace.