Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi returned to Skywater Academy as the newly crowned tournament champion and was greeted by a lavish celebration attended by representatives from several academies. After Skywater Academy’s leaders toasted him, Huo Wu relayed her father’s invitation to dinner, which Lin Yi politely left open for the future.

• Lin Yi arrived at Skywater Academy and was surrounded by representatives from Elephant Armor Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, Godwind Academy, and other schools offering congratulations.
• Shui Qinghan welcomed the guests into the banquet hall, where Lin Yi sat with academy leaders and visiting deans and vice deans.
• Huyan Li praised Lin Yi’s strength, while Feng Xiaotian spoke with him about their acquaintance and Godwind Academy’s ties with Skywater Academy.
• Shui Qinghan toasted the guests and credited Lin Yi with helping Skywater Academy win the championship, and Lin Yi credited the whole team.
• Huo Wu congratulated Lin Yi and invited him to dine with her father, but Lin Yi politely deferred the invitation.

After the banquet, Shui Qinghan questioned Lin Yi about his second martial soul and External Soul Bone, then asked what he planned to do next. Lin Yi concealed his intention to travel to the northern border’s ancient battlefield and told her he would enter seclusion to strengthen his foundation.

• Huo Wu's failed attempt to recruit Lin Yi discouraged the other academy representatives from approaching him.
• Shui Qinghan toasted the banquet guests, and they soon departed; Huyan Li again invited Lin Yi to visit the Elephant Armor Sect.
• Shui Qinghan summoned Lin Yi to a side hall and asked when he had gained his second martial soul.
• Lin Yi admitted that the Sun God Spear was his other martial soul but gave Shui Qinghan only a vague explanation for his External Soul Bone.
• Shui Qinghan asked Lin Yi about his plans, and he privately decided to build murderous aura at the northern border’s ancient battlefield before going to Slaughter City.
• Lin Yi told Shui Qinghan he planned to enter seclusion and consolidate his gains from the tournament.

Shui Qinghan and her companions learned that Lin Yi planned to visit the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield and Slaughter City, and agreed they could not stop him but should ask him to send word if he ran into trouble. Lin Yi began arranging a month or two of seclusion, and Shui Qinghan questioned where he planned to go afterward.

• Lin Yi told Shui Qinghan he wanted to consolidate his foundation, while she recognized that he was planning to travel to the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield and Slaughter City.
• Shui Qinghan told Shui Yuexi and Shui Qingyue about Lin Yi’s plans, and they discussed the dangers of both destinations.
• Shui Qinghan agreed not to stop Lin Yi but planned to ask him to send word if he encountered trouble he could not handle.
• Lin Yi decided to enter seclusion and absorb the Spirit Bone he had gained in the tournament before traveling.
• Shui Qinghan gave Lin Yi access to Quiet Room Number Three, Class A, for a month or two of seclusion.
• Shui Qinghan asked Lin Yi where he intended to go after seclusion, and Lin Yi said he was not sure but would probably take a trip somewhere.

Lin Yi told Shui Qinghan he might go home and then used planned seclusion as cover for his journey to the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield and Slaughter City. Xiao Wu and the others questioned him, but he concealed his plans and left them behind, while Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing each decided not to follow because they feared being unable to help him.

• Lin Yi told Shui Qinghan he might visit home, and she arranged for him to use the quiet room on the back mountain for seclusion.
• Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Shui Yue'er confronted Lin Yi about where he planned to go after seclusion.
• Lin Yi claimed he might search for a senior, concealing his plan to travel to the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield and Slaughter City.
• Xiao Wu let Lin Yi leave after telling him to be careful, surprising Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Shui Yue'er.
• Xiao Wu decided she would not follow Lin Yi because she could not help him, and Zhu Zhuqing admitted she also wanted to go but would stay behind.

Lin Yi absorbed the Explosive Burning Spirit Bone in seclusion, reached Soul Power level fifty-five, and set out for the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield under the pretense of going home. Shui Qinghan and the girls realized where he was headed but chose not to follow, leaving them to wait for his return.

• Lin Yi spent fifteen days absorbing the Explosive Burning Spirit Bone and broke through to Soul Power level fifty-five.
• Lin Yi told Shui Qinghan he was going home, and she let him leave while warning him to remember he was from Skywater Academy.
• Shui Qinghan discussed Lin Yi's likely destination with Shui Yuexi and considered following him to the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield.
• Lin Yi left Skywater Academy without saying goodbye to Xiao Wu and the others, while they secretly watched him depart.
• Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Shui Yue'er, and Ning Rongrong decided not to follow Lin Yi because he would later go to Slaughter City, and Shui Qingyue teased them as they watched the road.

Lin Yi traveled north toward the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield while Shui Qingyue and Shui Qinghan followed at a distance to protect him and inspect the area. On the journey, Lin Yi heard that a Dragon Stone might be draining Soul Power near the battlefield, and learned that Soul Masters who entered could lose much of their strength.

• Shui Qingyue refused to let the girls accompany her and left to protect Lin Yi from the shadows.
• Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue watched Lin Yi travel and agreed to escort him to the battlefield’s outer perimeter without solving his challenges for him.
• Lin Yi hired a merchant caravan’s carriage and continued north as the roads grew rougher, colder, and more sparsely populated.
• An old escort told Lin Yi that a mercenary group had found a Dragon Stone after nearly fifty members entered the battlefield and only one returned.
• The old escort warned Lin Yi that Soul Power weakened near the Dragon Stone and could become unusable after Soul Masters left the area.

Lin Yi arrived at Looking North Town and planned to find a guide before entering the Northern Frontier Ancient Battlefield. Meanwhile, Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue scouted the Outer Perimeter, discovered a restriction draining Soul Power, and worried Lin Yi might not notice it.

• Lin Yi reached Looking North Town, heard Rogue Soul Masters discuss deaths and Soul Power suppression in the battlefield, and checked into an inn for the night.
• Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue watched Lin Yi settle in, then entered the Outer Perimeter to scout ahead.
• Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue found ancient bones retaining Soul Power and sensed their own Soul Power being drained farther inside.
• Shui Qinghan concluded that a powerful restriction covered the battlefield's core, and Shui Qingyue worried Lin Yi might enter without detecting the danger.

Lin Yi spent the night under watch in Looking North Town, then listened to Rogue Soul Masters discuss mercenary groups and the Ancient Battlefield. He learned that only two people returned from the previous expedition and that rumors about the Dragon Stone might be a trap.

• Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue returned to the inn and spotted two concealed men watching Lin Yi's room, but waited until they left.
• Shui Qinghan told Shui Qingyue that the men would not attack Lin Yi inside the inn, and the two women withdrew for the night.
• Lin Yi realized he had been watched in the inn but stayed in his room, and the night passed without incident.
• Lin Yi ate breakfast while listening to Rogue Soul Masters compare the Iron Wolf, Blood Hand, and Blackrock mercenary groups, and considered seeking a reliable team.
• A tall, thin man told a bearded man that only two people had returned from the previous expedition and that some had seen the Dragon Stone.
• The bearded man suspected someone was spreading Dragon Stone rumors to lure outsiders into the Ancient Battlefield.

Lin Yi investigated the mercenary groups and dangers surrounding the Ancient Battlefield, learning that local groups were untrustworthy and the Core Area had wiped out nearly an entire expedition. After evading a tail, he went to a reception station to look for a team.

• Lin Yi asked an innkeeper about Iron Wolf, Blood Hand, and Blackrock, and was warned that joining a group could be dangerous.
• Lin Yi paid Old Zhao for information and learned that Iron Wolf had suffered losses, Blood Hand had not returned, and Blackrock had only explored the Outer Perimeter.
• Old Zhao told Lin Yi that the Mad Blade Group had lost forty-nine people in the Core Area, and that the sole survivor died after saying "Dragon Stone."
• Lin Yi bought a detailed map and was advised to enter the Outer Perimeter alone rather than hire guides or join a mercenary group.
• Lin Yi noticed a man in a bamboo hat following him, lost the tail in an alley, and went to the Reception Station, where a square-faced man asked if he was looking for a team.

Lin Yi encountered Wang Sheng, an old acquaintance from Notting Academy who now led the Black Rock Group, while seeking information about the Ancient Battlefield. Wang Sheng offered to take him on a reconnaissance trip into the Outer Perimeter, but Lin Yi had not yet accepted.

• Lin Yi considered how to learn the mercenary groups’ locations and spotted the Black Rock Group returning to Wangbei Town.
• Wang Sheng recognized Lin Yi, dismounted, and greeted him as a former schoolmate from Notting Academy.
• Lin Yi learned that Wang Sheng led the Black Rock Group and told him he was level fifty-five and intended to enter the Ancient Battlefield.
• Wang Sheng warned Lin Yi against going alone and offered him a place on the group’s Outer Perimeter reconnaissance trip the next day.
• The square-faced man called out to Wang Sheng to ask who Lin Yi was.

Lin Yi reunited with Wang Sheng in the Northern Frontier and joined the Blackrock Group’s camp before their planned trip into the Ancient Battlefield. Wang Sheng agreed to take him through the outer perimeter first, while Lin Yi kept his interest in the Dragon Stone to himself.

• Wang Sheng personally brought Lin Yi from the Reception Station to the Blackrock Group’s encampment, where Lin Yi was introduced as his junior martial brother.
• Wang Sheng told Lin Yi how he had left Notting Academy for Heaven Dou City and eventually settled in the Northern Frontier.
• Lin Yi told Wang Sheng that Tang San had attended Shrek Academy and placed in the top three at the Soul Master Tournament, later revealing that Spirit Hall eliminated him.
• Lin Yi said he wanted to enter the Ancient Battlefield, and Wang Sheng warned him about the Mad Blade Group’s losses before offering to guide him through the outer perimeter.
• Wang Sheng asked Lin Yi to retreat if danger arose, then laughed when he learned Spirit Hall had eliminated Tang San’s team.

Lin Yi joined Wang Sheng and the Blackrock Group for a scouting trip through the Ancient Battlefield’s Outer Perimeter, hoping to learn how to reach the Middle Layer. The group reached Deadwood Forest, where Wang Sheng identified the boundary ahead, while Lin Yi considered splitting off to build his killing intent.

• Lin Yi studied his map and planned to ask Wang Sheng about the marked location near Deadwood Forest.
• Shui Qinghan and Shui Qingyue decided to stop following Lin Yi, believing he would be safer with the Blackrock Group.
• Wang Sheng showed Lin Yi the scouting route through Gravelstone Valley, Deadwood Forest, and Blackwater Creek, explaining that the group would not cross into the Middle Layer.
• Lin Yi recognized that the map’s mark might indicate the Middle Layer’s boundary and considered leaving the group at Deadwood Forest.
• Lin Yi and twelve Blackrock Group members rode through Gravelstone Valley and entered Deadwood Forest, where Wang Sheng explained that the forest led into the Middle Layer.

Lin Yi parted ways with Wang Sheng’s group and entered the Ancient Battlefield’s Middle Layer alone to test its soul-power suppression and killing intent. After enduring the pressure, he heard what sounded like someone speaking nearby.

• Lin Yi left Wang Sheng’s group at the dead forest and headed north toward the Middle Layer.
• Lin Yi crossed into the gray wasteland, where his soul power became increasingly suppressed and he found a broken sword still carrying killing intent.
• Lin Yi stopped when his soul power was suppressed by more than fifty percent and exposed himself to the area’s killing intent.
• Lin Yi endured the killing intent and began preparing to retreat, but then heard faint, intermittent voices.

Lin Yi encountered a frightened young woman fleeing the dead forest, who begged him to save her brother before fainting. After hiding her safely, he headed deeper into the forest to investigate.

• Lin Yi retreated to an area where his Soul Power was less suppressed and rested beside an earthen bank.
• A wounded young woman stumbled out of the forest and begged Lin Yi to save her brother, who was still inside.
• The young woman stared at Lin Yi, called him inhuman, and fainted from fear and exhaustion.
• Lin Yi checked that she was alive, concealed her beneath branches and leaves, and decided to investigate the forest.
• Lin Yi continued deeper into the dead forest, encouraged by the fact that the young woman had managed to escape.

Lin Yi found the injured brother of the girl who had asked him for help and learned that an elusive black mist had defeated five Soul Kings. When the mist reappeared, Lin Yi struck it with the Sun God Spear, and it fled, leaving him wondering why.

• Lin Yi found the wounded man beneath a dead tree and confirmed that the man was still alive.
• The man learned that his sister had escaped and told Lin Yi the black mist was immune to soul power and soul skills.
• Lin Yi decided to try saving the man despite the danger, but the black mist appeared nearby.
• Lin Yi summoned the Sun God Spear and thrust it into the black mist.
• The mist shrank and fled after the strike, leaving Lin Yi puzzled by its reaction.

Lin Yi used Starlight Purification to revive Yang Zheng and helped him reunite with Yang Ling. After escorting them out of the dead forest, Lin Yi received a small cloth bundle from Yang Zheng as thanks.

• Lin Yi used Starlight Purification on Yang Zheng, clearing the lingering negative effects and restoring his awareness.
• Yang Zheng introduced himself, summoned his black staff as a crutch, and followed Lin Yi out of the dead forest.
• Lin Yi and Yang Zheng found Yang Ling alive, and Lin Yi carried her until she woke.
• Yang Ling recognized her brother had returned and thanked Lin Yi for saving them.
• Yang Zheng gave Lin Yi a small cloth bundle he had found in the dead forest as a reward.

Lin Yi healed Yang Ling and heard Yang Zheng describe how a black mist attacked his group in the Ancient Battlefield. He learned the mist appeared after Yang Zheng found a strange black stone near some ruins and decided to investigate further.

• Lin Yi examined the black stone Yang Zheng gave him, then used Starlight Purification to help Yang Ling recover.
• Yang Zheng and Yang Ling planned to return to Looking North Town, while Lin Yi said he would stay and go deeper into the Ancient Battlefield.
• Yang Zheng recounted how the black mist attacked his group of eight Soul Kings at a Rocky Outcrop, draining Old Zhou's Soul Power and swallowing Old Zhang and Old Li.
• Yang Zheng explained that the mist spared him after breaking his leg and then went deeper into the battlefield.
• Yang Zheng told Lin Yi he had found the black stone near collapsed ruins shortly before the fog appeared, and Lin Yi suspected the stone was connected to the mist.

Lin Yi entered the Ancient Battlefield’s depths to investigate the black mist and test why it feared his Sun God Spear. As he waited by a collapsed ruin, an unseen presence watched him from a dark hall at the battlefield’s center.

• Yang Zheng and Yang Ling left for Looking North Town, then discussed how they had heard Lin Yi’s thoughts and suspected his strength exceeded that of a Soul King.
• Lin Yi resumed his search, followed the rocky terrain north, and reached Rocky Outcrop, where the smell of blood grew stronger and his Soul Power suppression increased.
• Lin Yi found the collapsed ruin Yang Zheng had described, examined the cold black stone, and spotted a path leading farther north.
• Lin Yi summoned the Sun God Spear and waited for the black mist, but the sky briefly changed and nothing attacked him.
• Dark-red eyes watched Lin Yi from a great hall, where the black mist hovered among rows of motionless figures in black armor.

Lin Yi encountered a black wolf and three coordinated Black Beasts in the ruins, and discovered that they feared his Sun God Spear. After defeating two of the beasts, he was left to wonder whether the attacks were tests as the last one fled.

• In a distant hall, a dark-red-eyed figure sent the black mist to hinder Lin Yi and wondered why his level-fifty-five Soul Power carried the aura of a powerful entity.
• Lin Yi resumed exploring the ruins, where a black wolf burst from a crack and attacked him.
• When Lin Yi summoned the Sun God Spear, the wolf fled, convincing him that the creatures feared it and that something was watching him.
• Three Black Beasts attacked Lin Yi together, knocked him down, and wounded his shoulder.
• Lin Yi used the Sun God Spear to destroy two Black Beasts, and the third fled.

Lin Yi realized the Black Beasts were probing him and used their repeated attacks to temper his resistance to killing intent. After five days, their hidden ruler ordered the Myriad Souls Formation to assault Lin Yi’s mind, and the first eerie voices began to reach him.

• Lin Yi suspected the Black Beasts were testing him when a weaker pack attacked and retreated without pressing their advantage.
• Lin Yi stayed among the ruins, killed each wave of Black Beasts, and gradually strengthened his ability to withstand killing intent.
• After five days, the dark-eyed ruler in the Ancient Battlefield recognized that Lin Yi had turned its probes into training and ordered the Myriad Souls Formation unleashed.
• The black-mist subordinate began using the formation to create illusions and attack Lin Yi’s consciousness.
• As Lin Yi meditated at the ruins, the surrounding aura churned and indistinct voices began whispering from every direction.