Chapter Summaries

After two years of training under heavy Gold-Splitting Rings, Yan fought four Soul Ancestor instructors without activating his Martial Soul until he was cornered. He unleashed his Flame Overlord Martial Soul and overwhelmed his opponents, leaving the battle still raging.

• Yan fought Shi Yao, Iron Wall, Mu Hua, and Yu Ziyun using only his physical strength and basic Soul Power while Mu Ming maintained the Gold-Splitting Rings.
• Yan blocked Iron Wall’s shield strike, then used Flame Fall: Fierce Kill to drive Shi Yao back with a powerful punch.
• Mu Hua bound Yan’s legs as Iron Wall and Shi Yao closed in, while Yu Ziyun attacked from three angles.
• Yan activated his Flame Overlord Martial Soul and used Earth Flame Lizard Dragon Armor and Burning Flame to break free of the Ghost Vines.
• Yan struck Yu Ziyun with Flame Fall: Sky Piercer, shattering his wind shield and sending him staggering backward with scorched arms.
• Yan crashed into Iron Wall’s shield, forcing him back several meters, though the impact also cracked Yan’s armor.

Yan ended a punishing training session by holding his own against four Soul Ancestors while restrained by the Gold-Splitting Rings. He reflected on two years of rapid growth and his new Apprentice Rank Four strength, leaving him far stronger but still wary of Soul Masters’ unknown abilities.

• Yan used Burning Flame to strengthen his fire armor, then exploded it to fend off Shi Yao, Mu Hua, Iron Wall, and Yu Ziyun’s combined attack.
• Mu Ming ended the practical combat session, and Yan thanked the four Soul Ancestors for training him.
• Shi Yao and the other instructors recalled Yan’s rapid progress over nearly half a year of sparring and changed how they addressed him.
• Mu Ming reflected that two years had passed since Yan first showed his talent at the academy.
• Yan considered reaching Soul Grandmaster ahead of Xie Yue and Hu Liena, gaining Burning Flame, raising his Soul Power to Level Twenty-Three, and advancing to Apprentice Rank Four.
• Yan concluded that his physical strength could overpower many opponents, but unknown Soul Skills could still turn a life-and-death battle against him.

Yan assessed how his Martial Artist strength compared with Soul Masters and continued training to improve his physique and fire techniques. That evening, Xie Yue visited and asked whether Yan planned to study at an Advanced Academy.

• Yan concluded that his current strength, combined with his enhancement Soul Skills, let him face a Soul King without pressure, and he hoped to challenge stronger opponents as he advanced through the Apprentice stages.
• Yan absorbed the medicinal bath’s remaining potency and noted that the baths were becoming less effective as his physique grew stronger, while Whale Rubber remained useful.
• Yan returned to the Fire Mimicry Training Room to cultivate his Martial Soul and practice the Flame Fall Fist Technique, which he hoped would strengthen his combat ability and help him comprehend the Law of Fire.
• Yan left the training room at dusk, said goodbye to Mu Ming, ate dinner, and returned to his dormitory.
• Xie Yue visited Yan and asked whether he was applying to study at an Advanced Academy.

Yan’s application to transfer to Advanced Academy was approved after he reached Soul Grandmaster, and he said goodbye to his friends and mentor at Junior Academy. Xie Yue and Hu Liena planned to catch up with him after advancing their cultivation.

• Yan told Xie Yue that he had reached Soul Grandmaster and wanted to leave Junior Academy for Advanced Academy.
• Xie Yue admitted he felt unable to match Yan, and Yan encouraged him by pointing to his and Hu Liena’s potential Spirit Fusion.
• Yan and Xie Yue discussed their undefeated Junior Academy tournament record and Yan’s reputation for winning matches through physical strength.
• Mu Ming told Yan his transfer had been approved and that he would stay at Junior Academy to train Xie Yue and Hu Liena.
• Yan said farewell to Xie Yue and Hu Liena, and Xie Yue promised that he and Nana would join him at Advanced Academy after breaking through.

Yan arrived at Spirit Hall Advanced Academy and was assigned to its first-year Core Class, where a hostile student challenged his right to be there. The close-cropped boy proposed a three-move test, and Yan stood ready to face him.

• Mu Ming took Yan to the Advanced Academy after breakfast and explained the academy’s history and fiercely competitive Core Classes.
• Yan entered his assigned Core Class, chose an empty seat, and drew the students’ attention as an unfamiliar newcomer.
• A close-cropped boy questioned Yan’s admission and accused him of getting his Core Class spot through connections.
• Yan refused to leave, and the close-cropped boy challenged him to withstand three moves to prove he deserved his seat.
• Yan stood to face the boy, revealing an imposing presence that surprised several perceptive students.

Yan proved his strength to the Advanced Academy Core Class by defeating Jiao Yang with one punch, then confirmed his identity to the class. Zhou You began the lesson and told Yan to meet him in his office afterward.

• Jiao Yang challenged Yan and activated his defensive Martial Soul and first Soul Skill, Rock Armor Protection.
• Yan struck Jiao Yang once without using his Martial Soul or Soul Power, shattering his armor and sending him crashing into the classroom wall.
• Yan asked whether he now qualified to sit in his chosen seat, then returned to it as the class fell silent.
• Students recognized Yan from his reputation at the Lower-Tier Academy, while Jiao Yang's friends took him to seek treatment.
• Zhou You entered, confirmed Yan's identity by addressing him, and told him to come to his office after class before beginning the lesson.

Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena trained at the Advanced Academy and received a mission to master Spirit Hall’s Hidden Soul Ring Secret Technique. Yan succeeded after half a month, and Resak told him the next Soul Master wanted mission could begin.

• Yan’s cultivation rose to level twenty-seven over a year, while Xie Yue and Hu Liena joined him at the Advanced Academy.
• Resak arrived with a joint mission from Spirit Hall: learn the Hidden Soul Ring Secret Technique created by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to conceal their exceptional soul rings.
• Resak offered each student three thousand-year Whale Rubbers if they mastered the technique within a month.
• Yan mastered the technique after half a month, concealing his two soul rings around his wrist, while Xie Yue and Hu Liena continued practicing.
• Resak confirmed Yan had earned the Whale Rubber and said his next mission was a Soul Master wanted mission.

Resak gave Yan a mission to hunt Blood Bat, a powerful Fallen Soul Master, and explained the danger and available intelligence. Yan accepted and left Spirit City with Resak for Grey Stone Town, where the search was expected to begin.

• Resak told Yan that Blood Bat had killed hundreds of people and grown to level thirty-seven by using evil cultivation methods.
• Yan asked about the reward and the mission details, then accepted the assignment to kill Blood Bat within a month.
• Resak gave Yan a dossier describing Blood Bat’s abilities and last confirmed trace near Grey Stone Town, and warned him to avoid drawing attention from the Star Luo authorities.
• Yan gathered clothes and healing medicine, told Xie Yue and Hu Liena about the mission, and left the academy with Resak that afternoon.
• Yan and Resak rode southeast through the Balak Kingdom, and Resak said they would rest in a small town fifty li ahead.

Resak and Yan pursued Blood Bat from Grey Stone Town to Kexola City, where Spirit Hall received a fresh lead identifying the fugitive. The chapter ended as Huo En reported that Morris had entered an abandoned warehouse in the dock district.

• Resak and Yan reached Grey Stone Town and learned that Blood Bat had left the abandoned mine at least half a month earlier.
• A Spirit Hall squad gave Resak a new report placing suspected Blood Bat activity in Kexola City.
• Resak left the squad to watch the mine and rode northeast with Yan toward Kexola City.
• Resak and Yan arrived in Kexola City and met Huo En at the Spirit Hall branch.
• Huo En told Resak and Yan that an informant had identified Blood Bat Morris entering an abandoned dockside warehouse.

Yan rejected Huo En’s plan to wait for more information and went alone to investigate Warehouse 17, where he found a concealed basement. As a blood-red-lit attacker burst from a pile of clutter, Yan was caught in its killing intent.

• Huo En explained that the Water Rats controlled the dock district and that the branch lacked the manpower to search Warehouse 17 safely.
• Yan suspected the Water Rats had warned Morris and decided to search the warehouse alone that night.
• Resak agreed, and Huo En gave Yan the available intelligence and clothing suited to the local dock workers.
• Yan avoided sentries and entered Warehouse 17 through a damaged opening at the rear.
• Yan detected a hidden floor entrance, opened it with an Iron Hook, and slipped into the basement, where he found no sign of Morris.
• A black shadow surged from a clutter pile in the basement, glowing blood-red and locking its killing intent onto Yan.

Yan overpowered Morris in the basement, burned away his Blood Poison Mist, and pursued him through a secret tunnel to the dock slums. Morris finally stopped and asked whether Yan was from Spirit Hall.

• Morris ambushed Yan with his blood claw, but Yan caught his wrist and forced him to retreat and use Martial Soul Possession.
• Morris filled the basement with Blood Poison Mist, but Yan’s Burning Flame purified it and his Flame Fall: Mountain Collapse shattered Morris’s defense.
• Morris escaped through a hidden passage, and Yan chased him with Flowing Fire Burning Shadow to the sewage river and into the dock slums.
• Morris stopped near the center of the slums, threatened to use his third Soul Skill, and asked Yan if he was from Spirit Hall.

Yan killed Morris despite the Fallen Soul Master's threat to poison civilians, then destroyed the poison bomb before it could harm anyone. Resak praised Yan, confirmed the mission was complete, and watched him burn Morris's corpse to ash.

• Morris threatened to detonate a Blood Explosion Poison Bomb in the slums, but Yan refused to let him go and declared that Spirit Hall would act as it pleased.
• Yan used Flowing Fire Burning Shadow and Flame Fall, Red Star to pierce Morris's throat before he could escape or release the poison bomb.
• Yan intercepted the thrown poison bomb with his Dark Gold Flame and vaporized it without letting any poison escape.
• Resak arrived, praised Yan's decisive victory, and confirmed that the mission was complete.
• Yan burned Morris's corpse to ash as Resak watched.

Yan absorbed his third piece of Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber while Xie Yue and Hu Liena earned Gold Soul Fighting Badges in Spirit City. With their phased missions complete, the three returned to cultivation and stayed out of Spirit Hall’s selection for the upcoming Continental Soul Master Tournament, as their intended stage was six years away.

• Yan refined the Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber and absorbed most of its medicinal power.
• Resak took Xie Yue and Hu Liena to the Spirit City Great Soul Arena to earn Gold Soul Fighting Badges.
• Xie Yue and Hu Liena built winning streaks, and Spirit Hall intervened when the arena manager tried to sabotage them.
• Xie Yue and Hu Liena earned their Gold Soul Fighting Badges in less than a month and a half.
• The three completed their phased missions and resumed arduous cultivation as Spirit Hall students competed for tournament team positions.
• Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena remained hidden, with their tournament debut planned for six years later.

At thirteen, Yan had become a level forty-four Soul Ancestor, but his Martial Artist cultivation had stalled at Apprentice Fifth Rank. He used the fire-rich training room and a stockpile of precious materials to force a breakthrough, leaving the result unresolved.

• Yan cultivated in Spirit Hall Advanced Academy’s Fire Mimicry Training Room and gathered fire elements to attack the bottleneck of Apprentice Fifth Rank.
• As the room’s fire-element energy dwindled, Yan used his Ten Directions Soul Tool to retrieve Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber and swallowed it to strengthen his breakthrough attempt.
• Yan consumed a Millennium Fire Ganoderma and a medicinal pellet made by Spirit Hall’s alchemists, turning their energy toward the bottleneck.
• Yan continued swallowing rare fire-attributed treasures, including a Red Flame Fruit and Earth Core Fire Marrow, as he tried to advance to Apprentice Rank Six.

Yan broke through to apprentice rank six and discovered that his fire had reached half-ultimate quality, bringing him closer to evolving the Flame Overlord martial soul. With his new strength, he prepared to pursue the fairy herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, then congratulated Resak on becoming a Soul Douluo.

• Yan consumed his stored treasures and broke through the barrier to apprentice rank six.
• Yan manifested dark red fire that reached half-ultimate quality and considered how to accelerate its evolution into ultimate fire.
• Yan resolved to secure the fairy herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, including the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
• Yan left the Mimicry Training Room and met Resak, who had reached level 82 after advancing to Soul Douluo.

Yan accepted a two-part solo trial mission to hunt a group of Fallen Soul Masters and investigate Viscount Sindis, then traveled to Heaven Dou City. Spirit Hall's outdated intelligence made tracking the group seem difficult, but Yan had not relied on it alone.

• Resak told Yan that his trial mission required him to kill a group of five Fallen Soul Masters alone and gather evidence about Viscount Sindis's possible collusion with them within four months.
• Resak warned Yan to put his life first, and Yan accepted the mission and departed for Heaven Dou City the next morning.
• Yan abandoned his slow carriage and reached Heaven Dou City after traveling on foot for three days.
• Yan met Salas at the Heaven Dou City Spirit Temple, and Salas assigned an archbishop to help him with intelligence.
• Yan found that the Spirit Temple's latest information on the Fallen Soul Masters was already ten days old, but he had another plan.

Yan met Qian Renxue in a forest outside Heaven Dou City, where they exchanged barbs over her cultivation before beginning a fight. Qian Renxue’s first attack drained some of Yan’s Soul Power, and the battle continued from there.

• Yan waited in the forest and caught Qian Renxue’s sudden golden sword strike in his bare hand, crushing it with dark-red flames.
• Qian Renxue appeared and criticized Yan’s strength, while Yan told her that worldly affairs had slowed her cultivation.
• Qian Renxue released her six Soul Rings and challenged Yan, who answered by revealing four unusually powerful Soul Rings.
• Qian Renxue used her Holy Sword skill and charged Yan with Angel Assault.
• Yan shattered Qian Renxue’s golden shield, but her Six-Winged Angel’s purification power drained some of his Soul Power.

Yan used his half-Ultimate Fire to burn away Qian Renxue’s purifying power, then fought her with his armor and soul skills. After activating Crimson Dragon Tyrant Body and Molten Domain, he launched a powerful flaming punch that Qian Renxue met with Holy Sword Judgment.

• Yan burned away the Six-Winged Angel’s purifying power within his body.
• Yan used Earth Flame Lizard Dragon Armor and Burning Flame to withstand Qian Renxue’s attacks and gradually suppress her.
• Yan activated Crimson Dragon Tyrant Body, boosting his physical abilities and resistance to control effects.
• Yan released Molten Domain, turning the ground around him into condensed fire and weakening Qian Renxue’s sacred power.
• Yan charged and struck with a crimson-gold torrent of flames, and Qian Renxue answered with Holy Sword Judgment.

Yan defeated Qian Renxue in their fight, then asked her to help investigate Fallen Soul Masters and Viscount Sindis for his trial mission. Their discussion turned tense when Yan rejected her recruitment and criticized her plan to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire, prompting Qian Renxue to defend her sacrifices and devotion to Spirit Hall.

• Yan shattered Qian Renxue’s Holy Light Sword and forced her to concede defeat.
• Qian Renxue healed her shoulder and acknowledged Yan’s strength, while privately questioning whether her years infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire had been worth it.
• Yan asked Qian Renxue to investigate the Fallen Soul Master squad and Viscount Sindis for his trial mission.
• Qian Renxue offered Yan the forces under her command if he joined her, but Yan refused.
• Yan criticized Qian Renxue’s infiltration plan, and she angrily defended her sacrifices and ambition to secure Spirit Hall’s future.

Yan secured Qian Renxue’s help in tracking Dugu Bo and the Fallen Soul Masters, then entered Sunset Forest to locate the squad. He found them gathered around a Soul Emperor absorbing a nearly fifty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast’s ring.

• Qian Renxue agreed to help Yan in exchange for his future assistance, and promised to provide information about Dugu Bo’s absences from Heaven Dou City.
• Qian Renxue sent Yan intelligence within five days, revealing that the Fallen Soul Master squad was in Sunset Forest and that Dugu Bo visited it irregularly.
• Yan learned that Dugu Bo stayed away from Heaven Dou City for at least a month after returning from Sunset Forest, giving him a possible window to act at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
• Yan left for Sunset Forest and followed the intelligence to a clearing marked by dead Soul Beasts and traces of violent Soul Power.
• Yan spotted Blood Leopard’s squad guarding their leader as he absorbed a black Soul Ring from a nearly fifty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast.