Chapter Summaries

After the auction, Zhou Qiubai accepted Ning Fengzhi’s invitation to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, while Tang Hao secretly plotted to steal the Spirit Bone and kill Zhou Qiubai, Yang Guyun, and possibly Ning Fengzhi. Shui Bing'er chose to wait until she was strong and famous enough before meeting Zhou Qiubai again.

• Shui Bing'er left the auction with Shui Yue'er and resolved to meet Zhou Qiubai in the arena, while the Canghui Academy captain accepted that his team could not reclaim the Spirit Bone and vowed to remember Zhou Qiubai.
• Ning Fengzhi thanked Zhou Qiubai for helping secure the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone and promised to pay him, then invited him to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and meet Chen Xin.
• Zhou Qiubai agreed to visit the sect, and he and Yang Guyun left the Auction House with Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong.
• Yang Guyun told Zhou Qiubai that someone had watched him from the purple section, and Zhou Qiubai guessed it might have been someone he wanted to see.
• Tang Hao watched Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun leave and planned to ambush them and Ning Fengzhi after Ning Fengzhi left the city, seeking the Spirit Bone and their lives.
• Shui Bing'er admitted to Shui Yue'er that she would meet Zhou Qiubai only after she became strong and famous, then went back to training.

Zhou Qiubai traveled with Ning Fengzhi and Yang Guyun toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where they planned to meet Chen Xin. Their journey was interrupted when Tang Hao appeared on the road, revealing a 100,000-year Soul Ring.

• Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong, Zhou Qiubai, and Yang Guyun set out by carriage for Seven Treasure City.
• Ning Fengzhi told Zhou Qiubai that Chen Xin was in seclusion, nearing a breakthrough to level ninety-seven.
• Zhou Qiubai spoke about carving out his own path of the sword, impressing Ning Fengzhi.
• Gu Rong sensed an ambush and confronted someone hiding in the woods.
• Tang Hao emerged with a Clear Sky Hammer and a 100,000-year Soul Ring, and Zhou Qiubai identified him.

Tang Hao confronted Zhou Qiubai and the others, demanding the Spirit Bone and Yang Guyun’s return to the Clear Sky Sect. Ning Fengzhi used his knowledge of Xiao Wu’s identity to prevent a fight, leaving Tang Hao to weigh whether he could still afford to let Zhou Qiubai go.

• Tang Hao recognized Zhou Qiubai, who taunted him about his father and wife, and then ordered Yang Guyun to make the Breaking Clan pledge loyalty to Tang San.
• Yang Guyun raised his spear against Tang Hao, prompting Gu Rong to intervene and Ning Fengzhi to ask why Tang Hao had blocked their path.
• Tang Hao demanded the Spirit Bone and Zhou Qiubai, but Ning Fengzhi hesitated to resist because he feared the Clear Sky Sect’s power.
• Ning Fengzhi revealed that he knew Xiao Wu was a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and proposed that both sides leave each other alone.
• Tang Hao considered the missed chance to kill Zhou Qiubai, wondering whether he would get another opportunity before Zhou Qiubai grew stronger.

Tang Hao threatened to kill Zhou Qiubai and seize the Spirit Bone, but Dugu Bo and Gu Rong confronted him before he could attack. Dugu Bo challenged Tang Hao to consider the consequences if his gamble failed, leaving the standoff unresolved.

• Tang Hao demanded the Spirit Bone and Zhou Qiubai, dismissing Ning Fengzhi's warning that Chen Xin would come to their aid.
• Dugu Bo arrived and taunted Tang Hao before warning him not to harm his Little Monster, Zhou Qiubai.
• Tang Hao and Dugu Bo clashed their auras, and Gu Rong stepped forward with his Bone Dragon Martial Soul to defend the group.
• Gu Rong warned that reinforcements from Heaven Dou City could arrive soon, but Tang Hao said he had no reason to run.
• Dugu Bo asked Tang Hao to consider what would happen if he failed to kill them and take the Spirit Bone.

Dugu Bo forced Tang Hao to abandon his attack by threatening Tang Yuehua, the Clear Sky Sect, and Tang San, then admitted he had been bluffing. Afterward, Ning Fengzhi thanked Dugu Bo and Zhou Qiubai, and the group prepared to leave before Tang Hao could return.

• Dugu Bo threatened to harm Tang Yuehua, poison the Clear Sky Sect, and kill Tang San to make Tang Hao back down.
• Tang Hao weighed the risks of fighting Dugu Bo, Gu Rong, and Ning Fengzhi, then withdrew his Clear Sky Hammer and left.
• Dugu Bo admitted to Gu Rong that he had only been scaring Tang Hao and said he had no intention of harming innocents.
• Ning Fengzhi thanked Dugu Bo for his help, while Dugu Bo explained that he had come to deliver medicine to Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun.
• Dugu Bo urged the group to return quickly in case Tang Hao came back, and Ning Fengzhi apologized to Zhou Qiubai for involving him in the trouble.

After Tang Hao backed down, Dugu Bo escorted Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun to Heaven Dou City and warned them that Tang Hao would remain a threat. Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun resolved to keep training, while Dugu Bo secretly sent them medicinal herbs and hoped Zhou Qiubai would survive to reveal his potential.

• Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong departed after Gu Rong asked Zhou Qiubai to show him his swordsmanship another time.
• Dugu Bo admitted he had bluffed Tang Hao and discussed why Tang Hao wanted to kill Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun.
• Dugu Bo warned Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun to be careful because Tang Hao would remember their defiance.
• At Dugu Manor, Dugu Bo learned Zhou Qiubai had sold a Spirit Bone for seventy million, then sent medicine to Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun set off to resume their training, while Dugu Bo privately hoped Zhou Qiubai would survive.

Zhou Qiubai returned to Wanjin Pavilion, where Second Master treated him to gambling and told him Spirit Hall had come looking for the young man who killed one of its Soul Saints. Meanwhile, Yang Guyun struggled to shape the third move of his spear technique, No Return, and reconsidered what true resolve required.

• Zhou Qiubai met Second Master at Wanjin Pavilion, and Second Master offered to cover his gambling expenses.
• Second Master told Zhou Qiubai that Spirit Hall had lost over three million while investigating the Soul Saint's killer, whose background made Spirit Hall hesitate to act.
• Zhou Qiubai said Yang Guyun was practicing with his spear while Second Master prepared a game of dice.
• Yang Guyun attempted to form the third spear move, No Return, but rejected his strike as too forceful and crude.
• Yang Guyun recalled Zhou Qiubai's advice that the highest realm of spear technique was being just right.

Yang Guyun refined his understanding of the spear move "No Return," while Zhou Qiubai discussed choices and regret with Second Master at Wanjin Pavilion. Yang Guyun reached a new clarity about his resolve, and Zhou Qiubai left the gambling house with his winnings.

• Yang Guyun realized his spear strike was meant to send himself forward, then continued training to understand its purpose.
• Zhou Qiubai won a dice game at Wanjin Pavilion while thinking about Yang Guyun’s relentless pursuit of a new spear technique.
• Second Master explained that he had never regretted choosing the gambling business, and Zhou Qiubai said he did not regret his own difficult path.
• Yang Guyun recognized that "No Return" meant calmly choosing to advance despite certain death, not recklessly discarding his life.
• Zhou Qiubai quit while ahead, returned his chips, and left Wanjin Pavilion with a hundred thousand gold in winnings.
• Second Master watched Zhou Qiubai disappear into the crowd and thought he would become extraordinary.

Zhou Qiubai returned from gambling and spent quiet days with Yang Guyun and Chen Xuan as they prepared for the Soul Master Tournament finals. At the tournament, Xie Ru met with Xue Ye and Xue Qinghe, whose hidden identity as Qian Renxue made her wary of the Confucian Sage’s perceptive gaze.

• Second Master remembered his years as a swordsman before retiring to run the gambling house.
• Zhou Qiubai returned to the inn, where Yang Guyun said he still lacked an answer for his No Return spear technique and Chen Xuan deduced that Zhou had been gambling.
• That night, Zhou Qiubai cultivated beneath the moon with Silent Moon Invitation while Yang Guyun pondered his third spear form.
• As Heaven Dou Team 1 waited for the finals, Zhou Qiubai, Yang Guyun, and Chen Xuan watched the tournament matches with little interest.
• Xue Ye brought Xue Qinghe to meet Xie Ru, hoping to prepare her to rule, while Qian Renxue privately recognized the political purpose of the meeting.
• Xie Ru advised Xue Qinghe about cultivation, and she grew more wary of his sharp, seemingly penetrating gaze.

Xue Qinghe attended the tournament with Xie Ru and Xue Ye as Prince Xue Xing worried that Xue Beng had lost his chance at the throne. As the competition continued and Shrek arrived to watch, news broke that the champions would receive three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, leaving Zhou Qiubai surprised.

• Xue Qinghe spoke with Xie Ru about her cultivation while remaining wary of his sharp gaze, and Xue Ye praised her modesty.
• Prince Xue Xing watched Xue Ye and Xie Ru support Xue Qinghe and concluded that Xue Beng was unlikely to compete for the throne.
• Heaven Dou Second Team won its match, while Yu Tianheng had successfully achieved multiple stages of Dragon Transformation as a Soul Ancestor.
• Flender led Shrek to the stands, where Tang San spotted Zhou Qiubai and recalled his defeat, while Xiao Wu shrank back upon noticing Xie Ru.
• Ning Rongrong watched the teams and kept her misgivings about her companions to herself.
• The crowd learned that Spirit Hall had announced three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones as the tournament's champion prize, and Zhou Qiubai reacted with surprise.

Spirit Hall announced three Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bones as rewards, intensifying the rivalry among the tournament’s strongest teams. Shrek’s contenders coveted the prizes while Tang Hao considered how to seize one, and Zhou Qiubai noticed Tang San’s hostile look.

• Spirit Hall announced three Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bones as tournament rewards, and Xie Ru explained to Xue Ye that the offer would display Spirit Hall’s strength and generosity.
• Ma Hongjun claimed the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone was meant for him, while Tang San focused on winning the Wisdom Skull and Xiao Wu encouraged him.
• Flender warned Shrek that Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation and Heaven Dou Team 1 posed serious threats, while Yu Xiaogang considered how Shrek might distribute the Wisdom Skull.
• Ning Rongrong assessed the strength of Heaven Dou Team 1 and Spirit Hall, concluding that their teams were likely championship contenders.
• Tang Hao considered helping Tang San reach Soul King level or stealing a Spirit Bone, and he resolved to watch the tournament before acting.
• Zhou Qiubai noticed Tang San looking at him coldly, and Yang Guyun and Chen Xuan urged Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun to speak less.

After Heaven Dou Second Team won another match, Zhou Qiubai, Yang Guyun, and Chen Xuan left the arena and shared a meal while the tournament’s champion reward and rival teams became the topic of discussion. Zhou Qiubai planned to keep watching the matches, though his own team had advanced straight to the finals and would not compete until then.

• Xue Ye, Xue Qinghe, and Xue Xing left the stands after the match, and Xue Xing wondered whether Xue Beng still had a chance.
• Zhou Qiubai, Yang Guyun, and Chen Xuan left the arena and went to a restaurant, where Zhou Qiubai insisted on treating them.
• The three overheard diners discussing the three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones offered as the champion’s reward and praising Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun for killing a Soul Saint.
• The diners questioned whether Chen Xuan could fight, and Chen Xuan said that being considered harmless saved him trouble.
• After dinner, Zhou Qiubai said he would keep watching the tournament matches the next day.

Tang Hao watched Zhou Qiubai and decided to kill him, while Tang San struggled with his defeat and doubted he could ever surpass him. Tang Hao found Tang San and suggested a path involving his Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer, leaving Tang San stunned by the possibility.

• Zhou Qiubai sensed something in an alley, and Tang Hao watched him and Yang Guyun from the shadows.
• Tang Hao recalled his history with Ah Yin and Tang San, then decided Zhou Qiubai had to die.
• Tang San brooded in the Back Mountain over Zhou Qiubai's strength and wondered whether he could ever defeat him.
• Tang Hao confronted Tang San and challenged him to stop feeling sorry for himself.
• Tang Hao asked Tang San to consider reaching the Titled Douluo level with Blue Silver Grass before adding Soul Rings to his Clear Sky Hammer, and Tang San realized what he meant.

Tang Hao encouraged Tang San by explaining his plan for strengthening the Clear Sky Hammer and then began training him in the valley behind Shrek Academy. Tang San endured repeated blows as his father taught him to rely on overwhelming strength, leaving their training underway.

• Tang Hao told Tang San that he could eventually strengthen his body enough to give the Clear Sky Hammer extremely powerful Soul Rings, and urged him to first cultivate Blue Silver Grass to the Title Douluo level.
• Tang Hao revealed that he had killed Spirit Hall's Pope but could not save Ah Yin, and told Tang San that strength was necessary to protect those he loved.
• Tang Hao ordered Tang San to have Flender close off Shrek Academy's Back Mountain so he could begin teaching him.
• Tang Hao told Tang San that the Clear Sky Hammer demanded direct, overwhelming strength rather than the control and efficiency he had learned with Blue Silver Grass.
• Tang San trained by striking against Tang Hao, repeatedly being sent flying until his palms were bloody.

Tang San endured a brutal training session with Tang Hao and resolved to defeat Zhou Qiubai in the finals, while Yu Xiaogang decided to seek Bibi Dong’s help for Tang San despite Liu Erlong’s jealousy and fears. Yu Xiaogang left Liu Erlong reassured that he would return, though he privately admitted that he loved only himself.

• Tang Hao ended Tang San’s training when his body reached its limit, then pointed out that Zhou Qiubai’s isolation was both a strength and a weakness.
• Tang San accepted Tang Hao’s advice and vowed to win the final victory by growing stronger, believing Zhou Qiubai’s power belonged only to the present.
• Tang San washed his wounds and passed Flender’s room, thinking that he would not lose to Zhou Qiubai again.
• Yu Xiaogang told Liu Erlong he planned to visit Bibi Dong for help with Tang San’s Twin Martial Souls, and Liu Erlong reacted with jealousy and concern.
• Yu Xiaogang urged Liu Erlong to travel with Flender’s group for safety, reassured her that he would return, and privately reflected that he loved only himself.

Yu Xiaogang reflected on his past with Liu Erlong and his hopes for Bibi Dong, while Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun discussed why Tang Hao had held back. In Spirit City, Bibi Dong questioned Yue Guan about Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun, whose origins he began to report.

• Yu Xiaogang recalled that he had known Liu Erlong’s clan ancestry, but he left her after Yu Luomian intervened and he feared damage to his reputation and his prospects with Bibi Dong.
• Zhou Qiubai asked Yang Guyun why Tang Hao had not acted, and Yang Guyun explained that Tang Hao feared provoking Xie Ru and making the Clear Sky Sect’s return harder.
• Zhou Qiubai realized Chen Xuan was helping because of someone he cared about, and he and Yang Guyun continued drinking tea as night fell.
• In the Pope Palace, Bibi Dong asked Yue Guan about Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun.
• Yue Guan reported that Zhou Qiubai was an unaffiliated Rogue Cultivator and that Yang Guyun was Yang Wudi’s grandson from the Breaking Clan.

Bibi Dong ordered Yue Guan to warn Chen Xuan and the two young men when they reached Spirit City, hoping to recruit them and secure the Spirit Bones while threatening them if they refused. Qian Daoliu learned of the plan and told Golden Crocodile to have Xiao Xue intervene if Bibi Dong provoked Xie Ru, leaving Spirit Hall's reputation at the center of the looming conflict.

• Bibi Dong told Yue Guan to approach Chen Xuan and the two young men in Spirit City, recruit them, and make clear the consequences of refusing.
• Yue Guan warned Bibi Dong that Chen Xuan had Xie Ru's protection and noted that Zhou Qiubai had killed no innocent people before leaving the hall.
• Yue Guan reflected on Zhou Qiubai and wondered whether he might have become like him if he had chosen a different path.
• Golden Crocodile warned Qian Daoliu that the two young men could become threats, but Qian Daoliu dismissed the danger and cautioned against provoking Xie Ru.
• Qian Daoliu ordered Golden Crocodile to alert Xiao Xue to watch Bibi Dong and placate Xie Ru if necessary, even by revealing her identity.

After Shrek Academy placed fifth in the Promotion Tournament, its members struggled to accept their defeat while Tang San resolved to grow stronger in the future. At the award ceremony, Xue Ye considered Zhou Qiubai’s value to the empire, and Shui Bing’er watched him from across the crowd.

• Shrek Academy’s members blamed Heaven Dou Second Team’s victory for their fifth-place finish, while Tang San recalled his earlier promises and resolved to wait for the right time to become stronger.
• Flender watched the disappointed students and recognized that Shrek’s boast of gathering monsters had shaped their expectations, while Yu Xiaogang remained determined not to lose his wager on Tang San.
• After the award ceremony, Xue Ye told Xue Ke that Zhou Qiubai was powerful enough to make Spirit Hall wary and considered his potential value to the imperial family.
• Shui Bing’er watched Zhou Qiubai from Skywater Team’s ranks, and Shui Yue’er teased her before Shui Bing’er told her to say less.

As Zhou Qiubai and Shui Bing'er shared a silent moment before the tournament, their companions weighed their chances and prepared for what lay ahead. At the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong questioned whether Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan could truly win.

• Shui Bing'er and Zhou Qiubai exchanged smiles across the crowded square, and Shui Bing'er told Shui Yue'er that Zhou Qiubai would not stop for anyone.
• Yang Guyun joined Zhou Qiubai for wine, assured him they would win, and said they could lose—but not now.
• Chen Xuan found a line about establishing the root in an ancient text and reflected on it beneath the moonlight.
• Hu Liena and Xie Yue pledged themselves to Spirit Hall's victory, while Yan boasted that he would face Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun first.
• Bibi Dong cut Yan off and asked the three kneeling competitors whether they thought they could win.

Bibi Dong warned the Golden Generation that Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun outmatched them and told them to fight hard without expecting victory. Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan left determined to grow stronger, while Bibi Dong and Yue Guan reflected on truth, loss, and the chances still open to the young.

• Bibi Dong told Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan that Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun had killed a Soul Saint and that the Golden Generation should prepare to lose without shame.
• Bibi Dong explained that Zhou Qiubai's sword relied on his own skill rather than Soul Rings, soul skills, or his Martial Soul, and challenged the three to consider what they could do without their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Hu Liena asked whether they could still make people remember them, and Bibi Dong said they could, though not by winning.
• Hu Liena told Yan that Bibi Dong had called them in to make them see their weaknesses, and Xie Yue urged her to become strong enough to defeat Zhou Qiubai in the future.
• Yue Guan and Ghost discussed whether Yue Guan envied the young generation's chance to lose and recover, and Bibi Dong postponed the next day's council meeting by an hour.