Chapter Summaries

Xu Lanqing was summoned by the emperor, while Xu Tianran and Long Xiaoyao discussed the risks of opposing the imperial court. When the emperor offered Xu Lanqing a reward for finding the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, Xu Lanqing asked him to arrange his marriage to Snow Empress, leaving him stunned.

• At dinner, a palace guard summoned Xu Lanqing to see the emperor, and Snow Empress accompanied him but waited outside the bedchamber.
• Xu Tianran and Long Xiaoyao discussed Zheng Zhan's return, the emperor's strength, and the danger of attempting to kill Xu Lanqing; Xu Tianran said they might still act if they planned carefully.
• Long Xiaoyao left after learning that the Holy Spirit Cult's saintess had lost control again.
• The emperor thanked Xu Lanqing for finding the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng and offered him a reward.
• Xu Lanqing asked the emperor to arrange his marriage to Snow Empress, and the emperor stared at him in shock.

Xu Lanqing told the emperor he loved the Snow Empress and intended to marry her, and the emperor welcomed her as family and set their wedding for three months later. The emperor then privately asked Xu Lanqing what he thought about his third brother’s proposal to make the Holy Spirit Cult the state religion.

• The emperor questioned Xu Lanqing about loving the Snow Empress, and Xu Lanqing insisted that their mutual love needed no reason and that he would marry her.
• The emperor invited the Snow Empress inside, where she formally greeted him as Xu Lanqing’s fiancée and he welcomed her into the family.
• Xu Lanqing asked when they would marry, and the emperor proposed holding the wedding three months later so they could prepare a grand celebration.
• After sending out the guard and activating a soundproof barrier, the emperor told Xu Lanqing that his third brother had proposed making the Holy Spirit Cult the state religion and asked for his opinion.

Xu Lanqing warned the emperor that trying to control both his faction and the Holy Spirit Cult could prove fatal, then realized his father wanted the cult's powerful Soul Masters to help restore the Sun Moon Empire's fortunes. He refused to let the cult become the empire's guardian religion and left with Snow Empress, still considering a risky plan.

• Xu Lanqing told the emperor a parable about a fox that ate two poisoned pieces of cheese, warning him that trying to profit from both sides could be deadly.
• The emperor dismissed Xu Lanqing without accepting or rejecting his request about the Holy Spirit Cult, and Snow Empress followed him from the hall.
• While walking back to their quarters, Xu Lanqing concluded that the emperor wanted the Holy Spirit Cult's powerful Soul Masters to make up for the defeat six years earlier.
• Xu Lanqing told Snow Empress he would not allow the Holy Spirit Cult to become the empire's guardian religion and hinted at a risky plan that could rupture relations with both sides.
• Snow Empress pledged to support Xu Lanqing, and he carried her back to the palace.

Ye Guyi arrived at a burning village and killed three Evil Soul Masters who were attacking its survivors. Ma Xiaotao appeared and challenged her, leaving them poised to fight.

• Ye Guyi found a village in flames and rushed toward the screams of its surviving villagers.
• Ye Guyi ambushed three Evil Soul Masters as they devoured the villagers’ life force.
• The three Five-Ring Soul Kings attacked Ye Guyi, but she unleashed her Holy Sword and erased them.
• Ma Xiaotao applauded Ye Guyi and revealed that she had watched the fight without intervening.
• Ma Xiaotao attacked Ye Guyi as a phoenix cried out and the Holy Angel descended.

Long Xiaoyao investigated the burned village and sent Ma Xiaotao to a secret base in Mingdu after her hypnosis was restored. Xu Lanqing visited Ju Zi at the Royal Research Institute, where she recognized him after six years and clung to him in relief.

• Long Xiaoyao found Ma Xiaotao unconscious in the scorched village and learned that she had attacked the Holy Spirit Cult members after breaking through her hypnosis.
• Long Xiaoyao sensed traces of a rare divine attribute and ordered Ma Xiaotao taken to the secret base in Mingdu.
• Xu Lanqing left the Snow Empress sleeping and went to the Royal Research Institute to visit Kong Deming and Ju Zi.
• Xu Lanqing found Ju Zi asleep at a lab table and draped his coat over her.
• Ju Zi woke, recognized Xu Lanqing, and embraced him after he told her he had returned.

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.