Chapter Summaries

Chen Ming planned experiments to develop an acquired Dragon Spear Martial Soul and demonstrated his Martial Soul’s new staff form to Spirit Hall’s Titled Douluo. As he waited for Spirit Beasts to study, Hu Liena confronted him over his ties to outside sects.

• Chen Ming planned to study Rainbow Dragon bones and bloodlines, then test ways to refine external objects into Martial Souls, potentially making the Dragon Spear his second Martial Soul.
• Chen Ming showed Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others that he could transform his Martial Soul into a Coiling Dragon Staff, astonishing the Titled Douluo.
• Chen Ming asked the High Priests to obtain varied Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts for his research, and Mighty Lion Douluo and Feathered Light Douluo led a group into Star Dou Forest to catch them.
• Chen Ming spent his days cultivating, studying alchemy with Qian Daoliu, reading, and discussing Martial Souls with the High Priests, whose insights improved.
• Hu Liena, accompanied by Yan and Xie Yue, confronted Chen Ming and accused him of favoring outside sects and families over Spirit Hall.

Chen Ming rebuked Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue for challenging his conduct as a Spirit Hall Honorary Elder, then forced them to apologize. When Yan asked to challenge him, Chen Ming eagerly agreed and invited the three to fight him together or one at a time.

• Hu Liena accused Chen Ming of putting his own interests before Spirit Hall, but he argued that he had violated none of the rules binding an Honorary Elder.
• Chen Ming defended his access to the Library and use of resources, saying Golden Crocodile Douluo and the Worship Hall had authorized both.
• Chen Ming confronted Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue and offered to take their complaints to the Worship Hall, making the three back down.
• Chen Ming showed the three Pope Tokens and demanded an apology, which they gave.
• Yan asked to challenge Chen Ming, and Chen Ming agreed, asking whether they would fight him together or one at a time.

Chen Ming brought Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation to an arena so he could spar with them, and Bishop Liu gathered witnesses and healers to oversee the match. Chen Ming and Hu Liena began by summoning their Martial Souls, leaving the fight poised to start.

• Chen Ming brought Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena to a Spirit Hall arena to test his strength and techniques against the Golden Generation.
• Bishop Liu recognized Chen Ming, then gathered eight colleagues to witness the spar and provide support in case anyone was injured.
• Chen Ming challenged the trio to face him, either one at a time or together, and Hu Liena volunteered to go first.
• Chen Ming and Hu Liena took their positions and summoned their Martial Souls after the referee signaled the start.
• Hu Liena’s seductive aura drew attention until Chen Ming’s dragon roar and transformation overwhelmed it, and his three Spirit Rings appeared.

Chen Ming defeated Hu Liena’s Charm with his superior Spiritual Power, then fought Yan using his defensive skills and overwhelming physical strength. Yan’s attacks failed to break Chen Ming’s barrier as their fight continued.

• Hu Liena used Charm on Chen Ming, but his Spiritual Power caused a backlash that forced her from the arena.
• Chen Ming warned Hu Liena against using Charm casually and challenged Yan and Xie Yue.
• Yan entered the arena and attacked Chen Ming with Hell Magma Surge.
• Chen Ming combined three Spirit Skills, charged through Yan’s magma, and struck him hard enough to break several ribs.
• Yan strengthened himself with Granite Rock and attacked Chen Ming’s barrier, but its crack quickly healed.
• Yan unleashed Hellfire and rammed into Chen Ming, but the energy-based attack proved ineffective against Chen Ming’s shield.

Chen Ming defeated Yan by enduring his attacks and then challenged Xie Yue. Xie Yue's Moon Blades could not penetrate Chen Ming's massive Dragon Scale Shield, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Yan changed from Soul Power attacks to physical and mixed attacks, but his magma-coated strike failed to harm Chen Ming and the recoil numbed his arm.
• Chen Ming knocked Yan down, forcing him out of Martial Soul Possession and leaving him unconscious.
• Chen Ming invited Xie Yue to fight, and Xie Yue accepted despite Chen Ming's depleted Soul Power and stamina.
• Chen Ming transformed his scales into a massive Dragon Scale Shield, and Xie Yue's Moon Blade struck it without leaving a mark.
• Xie Yue tried repeated slashes and feints to find an opening, but Chen Ming kept the shield facing him and the recoil numbed Xie Yue's arms.

Chen Ming defeated Xie Yue by predicting and interrupting his attacks, completing his victory over the three Spirit Ancestors. The next day, the Spirit-Hunting Team returned to Spirit City after struggling to capture Spirit Beasts alive.

• Chen Ming interrupted Xie Yue's Moon Blade attacks and pushed him off the arena.
• Chen Ming explained that he predicted Xie Yue's movements by analyzing how the human body exerted force.
• Hu Liena and Xie Yue left with the injured Yan, unable to challenge Chen Ming's victory.
• Chen Ming returned to his routine after speaking with Martial Soul Hall bishops and advising them about their Martial Souls.
• Mighty Lion Douluo and Feathered Light Douluo returned to Spirit City with their team after capturing a variety of Spirit Beasts proved difficult.

Chen Ming experimented on Spirit Beasts brought back to Spirit Hall and discovered how Soul Cores related to Spirit Bone formation. He devised a way to use artificial Soul Core implants to encourage Spirit Beasts to form targeted Spirit Bones, though the method remained a hypothesis.

• Mighty Lion Douluo and Feathered Light Douluo brought fifteen Spirit Beasts to Spirit Hall, including a five-to-six-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and several rare Ten-Thousand-Year specimens.
• Chen Ming obtained Healing-type Spirit Masters as assistants and dissected and studied Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts, killing six over roughly a month while collecting data.
• Chen Ming sacrificed two Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts before observing an embryonic Soul Core and recording its transformation toward a Spirit Bone when a beast died.
• Chen Ming concluded that stronger bloodlines made Soul Cores easier to condense and that more distinct Soul Cores enhanced Spirit Beasts more greatly.
• Chen Ming hypothesized that artificial Soul Core implants could stimulate Spirit Bone formation and potentially direct the resulting Spirit Bone to a chosen body part.

Chen Ming’s experiments with Spirit Beasts yielded new medicines and insight into Soul Cores, but little progress toward helping humans condense them. Studying the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear revealed how its bloodline naturally combines Soul Power and vital energy to strengthen its body, giving Chen Ming a model for improving human physical cultivation.

• Chen Ming developed fire-attribute pills and strengthened the Dragon Wolf’s bloodline, but killed it when it tried to self-destruct, gaining a twenty-thousand-year Spirit Bone.
• After exhausting his other experimental Spirit Beasts, Chen Ming concluded that their low cultivation limited his Soul Core research and decided to study Dugu Bo’s Inner Core or ask Xiao Wu later.
• Chen Ming called Golden Crocodile Douluo to help him control and study the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
• Chen Ming discovered that the bear’s intertwined Soul Power and vital energy formed an innate network that continually strengthened its body.
• Chen Ming understood how the bear’s Dark Gold Terrorclaw accumulated its power over time, but recognized that he could not yet reproduce its immense energy and life force.

Chen Ming failed to extract the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear’s bloodline secrets before Dugu Bo emerged from seclusion with a transformed Jade Phosphor Dragon Martial Soul and a Dragon Core. Dugu Bo’s breakthrough impressed Spirit Hall’s elders and left Golden Crocodile Douluo wondering whether a Dragon Core could help him transform and advance.

• Chen Ming recorded the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear’s body and Soul Power circulation, but his attempts to study its bloodline and produce a Soul Core or palm bone failed.
• Chen Ming treated the bear and left further restraint and research to Spirit Hall’s professional Spirit Masters.
• Dugu Bo emerged from seclusion after the Dragon-Tiger Great Restoration Pill transformed his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor into a Jade Phosphor Dragon and raised his cultivation to Rank 94.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo envied Dugu Bo’s transformation, though his own Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul still lacked an opportunity to become a True Dragon.
• Dugu Bo lent Chen Ming his newly condensed Dragon Core, which Qian Daoliu praised as a rare treasure that could help Dugu Bo reach Rank 98 or perhaps challenge Rank 99.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo suspected that condensing a Dragon Core might be the key to his own dragon transformation and advance toward Limit Douluo.

After studying Dugu Bo’s Dragon Core, Chen Ming reverse-engineered a method for condensing Soul Cores and explained how they contributed to Spirit Beasts’ strength and likelihood of producing Spirit Bones. He concluded that powerful human Spirit Masters could also attempt to condense Soul Cores, though the process required exceptional Soul Power, Spiritual Power, and control.

• Chen Ming studied Dugu Bo’s Dragon Core, worked through calculations, and filled more than ten sheets with a proposed Soul Core structure and method of formation.
• Chen Ming explained that Spirit Beasts developed Soul Cores through bloodline instincts and repeated attempts, and that Soul Cores strengthened them and increased their likelihood of producing Spirit Bones.
• Qian Daoliu misunderstood Chen Ming’s explanation as a way to identify Spirit Beasts for Spirit Bone hunting and then asked whether human Spirit Masters could produce Spirit Bones.
• Chen Ming clarified that human Spirit Masters could not produce Spirit Bones after death, but could condense Soul Cores to improve their own abilities.
• Chen Ming said his design demanded high-quality Soul Power, substantial Spiritual Power, and precise control, so only rank-eighty-nine Soul Douluo and Titled Douluo could currently attempt it.

Chen Ming explained that a Soul Core could help a level eighty-nine Soul Douluo break through to Titled Douluo, and Qian Daoliu found a loyal Angel Legion commander to test the method. After several days of instruction and testing, Chen Ming decided Qian Renfeng was ready to condense a Soul Core.

• The High Priests discussed the risks and potential benefits of testing Soul Core condensation on a level eighty-nine Spirit Master.
• Qian Daoliu visited the Angel Legion and asked its commander, Qian Renfeng, whether he would risk his life to attempt the breakthrough.
• Qian Renfeng agreed, made preparations for the Angel Legion in case he died, and followed Qian Daoliu to the Worship Hall.
• Chen Ming examined Qian Renfeng and found his condition exceptionally suitable for condensing a Soul Core.
• Chen Ming spent several days explaining the Soul Core and testing Qian Renfeng's control and condensation of Soul Power, then determined he was ready to begin.

Qian Renfeng successfully condensed a Soul Core with Chen Ming’s guidance and Qian Daoliu’s support, becoming a Titled Douluo and evolving into a Six-Winged Angel. Qian Daoliu then tasked him with guarding Chen Ming, while keeping his breakthrough secret for the time being.

• Qian Renfeng formed a Soul Core, broke through to Titled Douluo, and evolved into a Six-Winged Angel.
• Qian Daoliu celebrated the return of a Six-Winged Angel to the Angel Lineage and saw the Soul Core method’s potential to help other Spirit Masters break through.
• Qian Renfeng thanked Chen Ming and Qian Daoliu, then agreed to keep his breakthrough secret and accept Qian Daoliu’s arrangement.
• Qian Daoliu assigned Qian Renfeng to obtain his ninth Spirit Ring and then protect Chen Ming alongside two high-ranking Soul Douluo.
• Qian Renfeng vowed to protect Chen Ming even at the cost of his own life.

Qian Renfeng completed his God Trial and became a level ninety-three Soul Master with a Hundred-Thousand-Year ninth Spirit Ring, while Spirit Hall prepared to send Chen Ming back to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Chen Ming departed with Spirit Hall’s backing and a warning to avoid killing unless he had no choice.

• Qian Daoliu selected a ninety-thousand-year Flame Tiger for Qian Renfeng, who absorbed its Right Arm Bone and Spirit Ring and rose to level ninety-two.
• Qian Daoliu initiated Qian Renfeng’s Black Grade Five God Trial, and Qian Renfeng completed it within a month, gaining a Hundred-Thousand-Year ninth Spirit Ring and reaching level ninety-three.
• Dugu Bo questioned how Qian Xunji could have been gravely wounded, and Qian Daoliu admitted that Qian Xunji had died before explaining what happened.
• Qian Daoliu told Chen Ming he could leave for Heaven Dou Imperial Academy with Spirit Hall’s support and instructed him to seek help if trouble arose.
• Chen Ming advised Spirit Hall’s elders to cultivate Soul Cores and promised Golden Crocodile Douluo help if he discovered how to advance his Martial Soul.
• Qian Daoliu urged Chen Ming to avoid making enemies or killing, but to contact Spirit Hall if violence became unavoidable.

Chen Ming and Dugu Bo returned to Heaven Dou City, where Emperor Xue Ye welcomed them warmly and was shocked when Dugu Bo gave Chen Ming the seat of honor. Xue Qinghe failed to arrive for the meeting, while Xue Ye wondered why Chen Ming had named his breakthrough cultivation method the Douluo Mental Method instead of the Heaven Dou Mental Method.

• Chen Ming, Dugu Bo, Qian Renfeng, and two Spirit Hall Soul Douluo left Spirit City, and Chen Ming planned to visit Heaven Dou's capital before returning to develop his expanded territory.
• Qian Renfeng and the two bishops concealed themselves outside Heaven Dou City while Dugu Bo escorted Chen Ming into the palace.
• Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing hurried to greet Dugu Bo and Chen Ming, and Xue Ye personally welcomed them into the palace.
• Dugu Bo yielded the seat of honor on Xue Ye's left to Chen Ming, shocking Xue Ye and Xue Xing with the apparent sign that Dugu Bo considered Chen Ming his superior.
• Xue Ye and Xue Xing noticed Xue Qinghe's absence, and Chen Ming suggested the Crown Prince might have been delayed.
• Xue Ye wondered why Chen Ming had not first offered the Douluo Mental Method to Heaven Dou and why he had not named it the Heaven Dou Mental Method.

Qian Renfeng noticed Qian Renxue’s presence and remained troubled by her use of the Six-Winged Angel’s talent to impersonate the Heaven Dou Crown Prince. At the imperial banquet, Chen Ming and Dugu Bo greeted Xue Ye and Qian Renxue while Qian Renfeng secretly contacted Spirit Hall’s hidden guards.

• Qian Renxue sensed the aura of a Six-Winged Angel but dismissed it as an illusion and continued to the inner hall disguised as Xue Qinghe.
• Qian Renfeng reflected on Qian Renxue’s plot to usurp the throne and resolved to focus on protecting Elder Chen rather than intervening in politics.
• Qian Renfeng approached Snake Lance and Pufferfish, and Spirit Hall’s three Titled Douluo and two Soul Douluo began speaking in secret.
• Qian Renxue entered the main hall, greeted Chen Ming and Dugu Bo, and took her seat beside Prince Xue Xing.
• Xue Ye raised a toast to Chen Ming and Dugu Bo, while Chen Ming recognized that the emperor’s polished congratulations had been prepared and memorized in advance.

Chen Ming explained to Xue Ye why he had released the Douluo Mental Method through Spirit Hall, citing how Heaven Dou’s earlier gifts had quickly leaked to Star Luo. As the banquet ended, Qian Renxue weighed the risks of her long disguise and hoped to win Chen Ming and Dugu Bo’s support, while Xue Qinghe faced the prospect of waiting decades for Xue Ye to relinquish the throne.

• Xue Ye asked Chen Ming why he had named and publicly released the Douluo Mental Method, and Chen Ming said Heaven Dou’s previous gifts had quickly reached Star Luo.
• Xue Ye recognized Heaven Dou’s declining imperial authority and its dependence on Spirit Hall to counter Star Luo’s centralized power.
• Qian Renxue reflected that she could not safely poison Xue Ye and considered gaining Chen Ming, Dugu Bo, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s support.
• Xue Ye confirmed Chen Ming intended to remain in Heaven Dou, then ended the banquet by claiming he could not hold his liquor.
• Xue Ye’s age and unwillingness to surrender power meant Xue Qinghe might have to wait another twenty years to ascend the throne.

Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, spoke privately with Chen Ming and praised his innovations while reflecting on her hidden identity and her desire to prove herself. She ended by asking Chen Ming to guide her, as his achievements had earned recognition across the world.

• After the banquet, Prince Xue Xing took Dugu Bo away, leaving Chen Ming alone with Xue Qinghe.
• Qian Renxue dismissed the guards, tested whether Chen Ming knew her identity, and sat with him while maintaining her disguise.
• Qian Renxue praised Chen Ming’s inventions and improved cultivation method, recalling her envy of the public recognition he had received.
• Qian Renxue reflected on her painful family history, her mission to impersonate Xue Qinghe, and her longing to prove herself.
• Chen Ming modestly attributed his success to thought and creativity, while Qian Renxue explained how much she valued his revised Douluo Mental Method.
• Qian Renxue recalled their earlier time together and asked Chen Ming to guide her, noting that Ning Fengzhi had also praised him.

Chen Ming secured Qian Renxue’s help in developing Holy Soul Village while postponing her recruitment attempts, then returned to Dugu Bo’s residence and met Dugu Yan. He gave her pills to improve her physical condition as a meeting gift.

• Qian Renxue asked Chen Ming to keep his post at the Crown Prince’s Mansion, and he requested craftsmen and officials for Holy Soul Village’s development.
• Qian Renxue warned Chen Ming that the Defense Clan might be unreliable and suggested recruiting construction-skilled families that had suffered under the Strength Clan.
• Chen Ming neither accepted nor rejected Qian Renxue’s recruitment and said they could discuss it another time.
• After leaving the palace, Chen Ming and Dugu Bo visited Ye Renxin’s home and returned to Dugu Bo’s residence, where Dugu Yan greeted her rejuvenated grandfather.
• Dugu Bo introduced Chen Ming as Dugu Yan’s second grandfather, and Chen Ming gave her Muscle-Strengthening and Bone-Fortifying Pills.

After Dugu Yan overdosed on Chen Ming’s medicine, he examined her and decided with Dugu Bo to treat her normally rather than pursue a more ambitious path for her. The next morning, Chen Ming and Dugu Bo traveled to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where an eager group came out to greet them.

• Dugu Bo confronted Chen Ming with Dugu Yan after discovering she had taken more medicine than prescribed and beaten her for it.
• Chen Ming examined Dugu Yan and found that the overdose had caused no major harm, prescribing medicine to clear her internal heat.
• Chen Ming and Dugu Bo decided to cure Dugu Yan normally and not try to train her beyond her abilities.
• The next morning, Chen Ming took Dugu Bo to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and presented his calling card.
• The guards, who had been expecting Chen Ming, sent a prepared group of professionals rushing out to meet him.

Chen Ming and Dugu Bo visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to discuss experiments that could break the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s cultivation limit. Ning Fengzhi agreed to proceed using willing elders, accepting that the experiments might cost lives.

• Chen Ming and Dugu Bo arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect amid a grand procession and were welcomed by Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
• Dugu Bo used his newly acquired Dragon Qi to make Gu Rong recoil, leaving the Sword Bone Douluo astonished by his transformation and newfound strength.
• Ning Fengzhi invited Chen Ming and Dugu Bo into the main hall and asked Chen Ming about advancing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
• Chen Ming warned Ning Fengzhi that experimentation would likely cause casualties and asked whether the sect dared to proceed.
• Ning Fengzhi said several elders who had reached the pagoda’s limit were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sect’s future, since breaking the limit could benefit later generations.