Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qiubai defeated Wind Shadow and drew attention at the Great Soul Arena, then encountered Ning Rongrong in Suotuo City. After buying medicinal herbs, he found Ning Rongrong waiting at Hundred Herbs Hall and staring at his White Clothes Sword.

• Zhou Qiubai defeated Wind Shadow, winning their match and his seventh straight arena victory.
• Zhao Yan offered Zhou Qiubai endorsement meetings and future higher-reward matches, but Zhou Qiubai declined the meetings.
• Zhou Qiubai noticed Ning Rongrong spending a Gold Soul Coin casually and recognized the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect emblem on her skirt.
• Zhou Qiubai spotted Flender and concealed guards watching Ning Rongrong, then left to buy medicinal herbs.
• The shopkeeper warned Zhou Qiubai that his arena victories could attract envy and cautioned him about his medicinal baths.
• Ning Rongrong appeared at Hundred Herbs Hall and stared at Zhou Qiubai's White Clothes Sword.

Ning Rongrong followed Zhou Qiubai after her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda sensed something extraordinary in his sword. She tried to buy it, but Zhou Qiubai said it was his Martial Soul, leaving her unconvinced.

• Ning Rongrong sensed a powerful resonance from Zhou Qiubai's sword and secretly followed him through the streets.
• Ning Rongrong watched Zhou Qiubai buy herbs at the Hundred Herbs Hall while studying his sword.
• Ning Rongrong confronted Zhou Qiubai and tried to buy his sword, offering up to fifty thousand gold coins.
• Zhou Qiubai refused and explained that the sword was his Martial Soul, but Ning Rongrong scoffed at his claim.

Zhou Qiubai rejected Ning Rongrong’s attempts to buy his sword and hire him, then confronted her about her arrogance and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s cultivation limit. He left Ning Rongrong shaken by the possibility that her family’s indulgence depended on her being their hope for breaking that limit.

• Ning Rongrong offered Zhou Qiubai five thousand gold coins a month to serve her, but he refused and continued walking away.
• Ning Rongrong reached for Zhou Qiubai, and he deflected her hand before pointing out the guards concealed nearby.
• Ning Rongrong bragged about her talent, status, and level twenty-six cultivation, but Zhou Qiubai asked whether she could become a Soul Douluo despite the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s seven-ring limit.
• Zhou Qiubai questioned whether Ning Rongrong’s family spoiled her for her own sake or because they hoped she would break the sect’s limitation, leaving her silent and shaken.

Zhou Qiubai confronted Ning Rongrong’s arrogance with a display of terrifying Sword Intent, leaving her shaken and in tears before he walked away. After the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s agents reported the encounter, Zhou returned to his inn and prepared the ingredients for his third medicinal bath.

• Zhou Qiubai challenged Ning Rongrong’s pride and reminded her that her support-type Martial Soul left her dependent on others for protection.
• Zhou released his Sword Intent, causing Ning Rongrong to collapse in terror, then told her to take the encounter as a lesson and left with his herbs.
• Ning Rongrong cried, then walked toward the outskirts of the city while the hidden agents decided she had needed the lesson.
• The guard captain ordered the agents to report Zhou Qiubai’s appearance and Sword Intent to the sect master without embellishment.
• Zhou Qiubai returned to the Listen to Rain Pavilion, sorted his herbs, and completed the ingredients for his third medicinal bath.

Zhou Qiubai entered the Suotuo Great Soul Arena and accepted a match against Dai Mubai, a level thirty-seven Soul Elder from Shrek Academy. The duel began with the fighters facing each other in the arena, while Ning Rongrong watched anxiously from the stands.

• Zhou Qiubai told Zhao Yan he would fight a Soul Elder and accepted a match against Dai Mubai.
• Zhou Qiubai bet fifty gold on himself and received a number plate for the fight.
• The arena announced the level-twenty-five White-Clothed Guest against level-thirty-seven Dai Mubai, drawing a loud reaction from the audience.
• Shrek Academy students discussed the matchup as Ning Rongrong recognized Zhou Qiubai and worried over who would win.
• Dai Mubai entered the arena expecting an easy fight, then questioned whether Zhou Qiubai was truly a Soul Grandmaster.
• Zhou Qiubai confirmed his level to Dai Mubai as the two stood opposite each other on the fighting platform.

Zhou Qiubai defeated Dai Mubai in a Soul Fighting match using only his soft sword and footwork, never activating a Soul Ring. Dai Mubai conceded after Zhou Qiubai struck a vital energy channel, leaving the spectators stunned by the gap between them.

• Dai Mubai attacked Zhou Qiubai with his White Tiger Body Barrier, but Zhou dodged and cut his throat with a swift sword strike.
• Dai Mubai fired his White Tiger Intense Light Wave, and Zhou redirected it with his soft sword while Tang San analyzed Zhou’s footwork and swordsmanship from the stands.
• Dai Mubai activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation and pressed his attack, but Zhou evaded and countered until Dai’s stamina and Soul Power dwindled.
• Dai Mubai launched a reckless all-out attack, and Zhou stepped inside it to pierce his ribs and disrupt his energy channel.
• Zhou warned Dai Mubai that further Soul Power circulation could damage his foundation, and Dai conceded the match as the referee declared the White-Clothed Guest the winner.

Zhou Qiubai defeated Dai Mubai in the Great Soul Arena, then explained to Ning Rongrong why he had spared him and continued on his way. At midnight, he discovered a covert guard waiting in his room, who identified himself as Shadow Seven.

• Zhou Qiubai defeated Dai Mubai and revealed that he had given himself the name Zhou Qiubai.
• Zhou Qiubai collected his winnings and left the Great Soul Arena after Zhao Yan warned him that Dai Mubai might seek revenge.
• Ning Rongrong asked Zhou Qiubai why he had spared Dai Mubai, and Zhou Qiubai said he would not take a life without cause.
• Ning Rongrong thanked Zhou Qiubai for sparing her and teaching her a lesson, then told him that Ning Fengzhi had urged her to accept it and cultivate properly.
• Zhou Qiubai told Ning Rongrong he would leave Suotuo City and walked away, leaving her to reflect on herself.
• Zhou Qiubai found someone hiding in his room and learned that the intruder was Shadow Seven, commander of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's covert guards.

Zhou Qiubai declined Chen Xin’s offer to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect but accepted a Soul Crystal Card and Sword Talisman as a goodwill gesture. At Shrek Academy, Flender announced a trip to Star Dou Forest to hunt a Soul Ring, while Dai Mubai vowed to overcome his humiliation.

• Shadow Seven offered Zhou Qiubai Chen Xin’s guidance and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s resources if he joined, but Zhou refused to join a sect.
• Shadow Seven gave Zhou Qiubai a Soul Crystal Card containing fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins and a Sword Talisman, explaining that the Sect Master hoped to establish goodwill without restricting him.
• At Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai brooded over his defeat, while Ma Hongjun tried to comfort him and Tang San and Oscar discussed Zhou Qiubai’s strength.
• Flender announced that the group would travel to the outskirts of Star Dou Forest to hunt a Soul Ring and train in three days.
• Dai Mubai accepted Flender’s advice and vowed to settle the score with Zhou Qiubai, while Xiao Wu concealed her reaction to the warning about the forest.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin discussed Ning Rongrong’s growth and investigated the mysterious swordsman Zhou Qiubai. Chen Xin wanted to meet or mentor him, while Ning Fengzhi argued that Zhou valued freedom; the chapter ended with Chen Xin learning Zhou had frightened Rongrong, then reluctantly accepting Ning Fengzhi’s reasoning.

• Ning Fengzhi told Chen Xin that Ning Rongrong needed to face hardship so she could become capable of inheriting the sect.
• Ning Fengzhi gave Chen Xin the Shadow Guards’ dossier on Zhou Qiubai, whose origins were unknown and whose swordsmanship had impressed Chen Xin.
• Chen Xin said he wanted to meet Zhou Qiubai and considered offering to pass on his Sword Dao, but Ning Fengzhi warned that Zhou could not be recruited.
• Ning Fengzhi revealed that Zhou Qiubai had intimidated Ning Rongrong with his Sword Intent in Suotuo City, making Chen Xin’s aura turn cold.
• Ning Fengzhi argued that Zhou had shown restraint and that Rongrong needed to learn from danger, and Chen Xin’s anger gradually faded.

Ning Fengzhi refused Chen Xin’s request to secretly protect Ning Rongrong, while Zhou Qiubai prepared to leave Suotuo City after advancing to level twenty-seven. Before departing, he arranged one final Great Soul Arena match and learned that his opponent was Tang San.

• Chen Xin asked Ning Fengzhi to let him travel to Suotuo City and secretly protect Ning Rongrong, but Ning Fengzhi refused and Chen Xin asked to be told if Zhou Qiubai came to Heaven Dou City.
• Zhou Qiubai bought medicinal herbs, completed another bath, and raised his Soul Power from level twenty-five to level twenty-seven.
• Zhou Qiubai packed his belongings, accepted travel rations from the innkeeper, and paid him extra before leaving the inn.
• Zhou Qiubai visited Zhao Yan at the Great Soul Arena and asked for one final match against a strong opponent before leaving Suotuo City.
• Zhao Yan arranged a match against Tang San, a level-thirty-one Soul Elder and student of Shrek Academy.

Zhou Qiubai faced Tang San in the Soul Battle and countered his Blue Silver Grass attacks with precise swordsmanship and footwork. Tang San revealed his Eight Spider Lances, but Zhou Qiubai still had not shown his Soul Rings as the fight continued.

• Zhou Qiubai and Tang San entered the arena, and Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass and three Soul Rings.
• Tang San's Blue Silver Grass attacks failed to ensnare Zhou Qiubai, whose movement and protective sword qi defeated them.
• Zhou Qiubai drew his sword and dismantled Tang San's Spider Web Restraint with a single precise strike.
• Tang San attacked with Blue Silver Grass hidden weapons, but Zhou Qiubai's flexible sword and footwork deflected every strike.
• Tang San revealed his Eight Spider Lances and demanded that Zhou Qiubai show his Soul Rings, but Zhou Qiubai said it was not yet time.

Zhou Qiubai overwhelmed Tang San with refined swordsmanship and Floating Cloud Nine Palace Steps, then saw through Tang San’s Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and struck him. Tang San staggered back as Zhou Qiubai criticized the flaws in his footwork.

• Zhou Qiubai deflected Tang San’s Eight Spider Lances and used his swordsmanship to suppress him.
• Tang Hao watched from the shadows and judged that Tang San would lose because Zhou Qiubai’s combat realm was superior.
• Zhou Qiubai named his movement technique Floating Cloud Nine Palace Steps after it jolted Tang San back and numbed his spider lances.
• Yu Xiaogang claimed the technique was a Self-Created Soul Skill and described its movements as calculated, though he did not understand it.
• Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to attack Zhou Qiubai with three afterimages, but Zhou Qiubai identified his real body by listening and tapped an acupoint beneath his ribs.
• Zhou Qiubai told Tang San that his footwork relied too much on unpredictability and lacked a steady foundation, leaving Tang San’s face darkened.

Zhou Qiubai defeated Tang San by using Floating Cloud Nine Palace Steps to counter his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, then deflected Tang San’s lethal Sleeve Arrows. Tang San apologized without remorse, still coveting Zhou Qiubai’s martial arts, as Yu Xiaogang rebuked him.

• Tang San unleashed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but Zhou Qiubai used nine steps to anticipate his movements and leave him unable to fight.
• Tang San attacked with his Tang Sect techniques, but Zhou Qiubai’s flexible sword struck three vital points and forced him to admit defeat.
• Tang San fired three Sleeve Arrows at Zhou Qiubai, who deflected them with a circle of sword qi.
• Zhou Qiubai condemned Tang San’s attempt to take his life, and Tang San offered a feigned apology while coveting his techniques.
• Yu Xiaogang rushed onto the arena and scolded Tang San for using hidden weapons in a match.

Zhou Qiubai won his match against Tang San after the referee ruled Tang San’s Hidden Weapons illegal, then left Suotuo City. Tang San and Tang Hao both became determined to obtain Zhou Qiubai’s martial arts, while Zhou Qiubai headed toward a broader world.

• Yu Xiaogang apologized for Tang San’s impulsive attack, and the referee declared Zhou Qiubai the winner because Tang San had used Hidden Weapons.
• Zhou Qiubai thanked Zhao Yan for looking after him, said farewell, and left the Soul Fighting Arena as his stay in Suotuo City ended.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang discussed Zhou Qiubai’s footwork and sword technique and considered whether they came from a reclusive family.
• Flender sent the Shrek students to rest before their trip to the Star Dou Forest, while Tang San vowed to obtain Floating Cloud Nine Palace Steps and Qiuming Eighteen Styles.
• Tang Hao watched from the shadows and recognized Zhou Qiubai’s techniques as a complete martial system, hoping Tang San or the Clear Sky Sect could learn them.

Zhou Qiubai tried to evade Tang Hao, but the Clear Sky Douluo caught up and demanded his martial arts and loyalty to Tang San. Zhou Qiubai refused and insulted Tang Hao, who immobilized him with crushing Soul Power and threatened him.

• Zhou Qiubai sensed a powerful pursuer and used the hilly terrain, forest, and river in an attempt to escape.
• Tang Hao followed Zhou Qiubai across the river and confronted him in the forest.
• Tang Hao asked Zhou Qiubai about his footwork and demanded that he hand over his footwork and sword technique to the Clear Sky Sect.
• Tang Hao offered to help Zhou Qiubai reach the Soul Saint realm before thirty if he swore loyalty to Tang San.
• Zhou Qiubai refused to serve Tang San or surrender his martial arts, then insulted Tang Hao over Ah Yin's death and Tang Hao's father.
• Tang Hao seized Zhou Qiubai with Soul Power and demanded that he comply or face the consequences.

Zhou Qiubai fought to escape Tang Hao, a level 95 Title Douluo, and used his Soul Skills and movement technique to lead the pursuit into a Poison Miasma Land. Tang Hao protected himself with his third Soul Ring and continued after him, but the poisonous zone began to turn the chase against him.

• Zhou Qiubai burst his own Soul Power through his meridians to break Tang Hao's restraint, then dodged Tang Hao's attacks and revealed his thousand-year second Soul Ring.
• Zhou Qiubai used Listen to Rain, Dustless, and the Floating Cloud Nine Palace Steps to flee while Tang Hao pursued him with increasing speed.
• Tang Hao repeatedly attacked Zhou Qiubai, leaving him badly injured as Zhou Qiubai searched for a way to survive.
• Zhou Qiubai steered the chase toward a Poison Miasma Land filled with poisonous insects and dark-red moss.
• Tang Hao activated his third Soul Ring to shield himself from the miasma and entered the zone, where the situation began to worsen for him.

Zhou Qiubai used his Sword Intent to startle Tang Hao and escaped by plunging from a cliff, though Tang Hao’s palm strike left him gravely injured. He survived the fall into the poisonous miasma and struggled to sit up, stranded in the depths below.

• Tang Hao scattered the poisonous miasma and venomous insects with his fifth Soul Ring, then increased his speed to catch Zhou Qiubai.
• Zhou Qiubai turned and unleashed his Sword Intent, briefly unsettling Tang Hao with memories of sorrow.
• Zhou Qiubai ran toward a cliff, took Tang Hao’s palm strike, and used its force to plunge into the abyss.
• Tang Hao found a faint Sword Intent wound on his palm but chose not to pursue Zhou Qiubai into the dangerous miasma.
• Zhou Qiubai survived the fall with severe injuries and, after regaining consciousness, struggled to sit against a rock wall.

After Tang Hao left him gravely wounded at the bottom of Poison Miasma Cliff, Zhou Qiubai treated his injuries and searched for a way to survive. He discovered a secluded valley rich in healing herbs and began recovering, while a powerful Flood Dragon Python guarded a valuable Earth Vein Lingzhi.

• Zhou Qiubai refused to use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Talisman, treated his wounds, and listened for a way out of the poisonous miasma.
• He followed the sound of water to an underground river and found Clear Heart Moss, which helped soothe his injuries and repair his meridians.
• Over three days, Zhou Qiubai healed and explored the valley, discovering rare herbs and an Earth Vein Lingzhi guarded by a thousand-year-old Flood Dragon Python.
• Zhou Qiubai left the lingzhi untouched and concluded that he needed to become stronger to survive the martial world.

Zhou Qiubai recovered further and broke through to Level 28 before stealing the Earth Vein Lingzhi from the cave guarded by two Flood Dragon Pythons. After escaping downriver with the treasure, he decided to leave the secluded valley and refine it somewhere safer.

• Zhou Qiubai used Clear Heart Moss and Red Blood Ginseng to break through to the peak of Level 28, while his injuries healed to eighty percent.
• Zhou Qiubai spent two days observing the Flood Dragon Pythons and preparing herbs to distract them.
• Zhou Qiubai uprooted the Earth Vein Lingzhi, but a second Flood Dragon Python emerged from the cave and attacked him.
• Zhou Qiubai used his White Clothes Sword and Soul-Detaining Finger to evade both Flood Dragon Pythons and escape downstream with the lingzhi.
• Zhou Qiubai stored the Earth Vein Lingzhi without consuming it and decided to leave the valley.

Zhou Qiubai left the hidden valley and absorbed the Earth Vein Lingzhi in a concealed mountain cave, recovering from his injuries and advancing to level thirty. He then entered Star Dou Forest to hunt for his third Soul Ring and left a careless soul-hunting team to face three Shadow Wolves after warning them indirectly.

• Zhou Qiubai found the hidden river passage out of the valley and memorized the concealed entrance.
• Three days later, Zhou Qiubai settled in a secluded cave and absorbed the Earth Vein Lingzhi piece by piece, healing his injuries and advancing to level twenty-nine and then level thirty Soul Elder.
• After consolidating his cultivation, Zhou Qiubai set out for Star Dou Forest to hunt his third Soul Ring.
• At the forest outskirts, Zhou Qiubai watched five Soul Elders recklessly camp without a lookout as three Shadow Wolves approached.
• Zhou Qiubai struck a pot with a pebble to warn the group, then quietly left as the Shadow Wolves attacked.
• The next morning, Zhou Qiubai continued through Star Dou Forest with Listen to Rain half activated.