Chapter Summaries

Lu Yu and Luoshen ate in Suotuo City while listening to Soul Masters discuss the mysterious lightning and the rumored Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Sunset Great Forest. Lu Yu concealed his involvement as a waiter began explaining why the beast was said to be extraordinary, leaving the explanation unfinished.

• Luoshen ordered eight or nine dishes, and the waiter agreed to send the order to the kitchen.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen overheard Niu Lao Er and the others discuss the lightning, Spirit Hall’s forces, and whether the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had been captured.
• Lu Yu joined the conversation and claimed that he and Luoshen had left the Sunset Great Forest before the incident, while Luoshen stayed silent.
• The waiter explained that rumors said the beast was nearing its first transformation into human form and could yield a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone if captured.
• The waiter insisted the beast was more formidable than other hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, but the Soul Masters repeatedly interrupted him before he revealed why.

At an inn, Lu Yu and the other Soul Masters heard a waiter claim that an extinct divine beast had appeared as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in the Sunset Great Forest, explaining why many factions were joining the search. Niu Lao Er paid the waiter to continue, and the group waited for details about the beast and the source of the news.

• The waiter told the inn’s diners that the hundred-thousand-year soul beast was a divine beast believed to have gone extinct.
• When Soul Masters questioned him, the waiter argued that the immense rewards explained why clans and independent cultivators were entering the Sunset Great Forest despite Spirit Hall’s power.
• Lu Yu praised the waiter’s knowledge, while the waiter replied cautiously and avoided boasting.
• Niu Lao Er startled the room by demanding to know whether the divine-beast report was true, then reassured the innkeeper that there was no dispute.
• Niu Lao Er and the others kept the waiter at their table by ordering more dishes, and Niu Lao Er slipped him a silver Soul Coin.
• Niu Lao Er asked the waiter for the source and details of the information as Lu Yu, Luoshen, and the other diners listened.

Niu Lao Er and the other unbacked Soul Masters learned from a waiter that the rumors about a Hundred-Thousand-Year Divine Beast in the Sunset Great Forest were true, and that powerful clans and Spirit Hall had begun gathering in Suotuo City. Lu Yu suspected the young Soul Masters who first spread the news had been part of a deliberate scheme, but he and Luoshen still lacked the full explanation.

• Niu Lao Er regretted staying in Suotuo City after the waiter confirmed that a Divine Beast had appeared in the Sunset Great Forest.
• Zhao Qian interrupted the waiter’s account of the restaurant, but Niu Lao Er urged him to listen as the waiter explained how he gathered information from customers.
• The waiter said he overheard young Soul Masters discussing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and an extinct Divine Beast with a lightning-related ability.
• Lu Yu recalled meeting finely dressed young Soul Masters who had mentioned the forest’s strange changes and wondered who had sent them to spread the news.
• The waiter reported that outsiders and members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Heavenly Dou Empire had arrived in Suotuo City.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen concluded that someone was manipulating events, while Lu Yu continued serving Luoshen food as they listened.

Lu Yu and Luoshen heard Soul Masters discuss a suspected Divine Beast in the Sunset Great Forest and learned that Spirit Hall had been investigating it. As the diners concluded they were fortunate not to have joined the hunt, Luoshen worried about Elder Sade, whose fate remained unknown.

• A waiter told Lu Yu, Luoshen, and the diners that Spirit Hall elders had identified the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast as a Divine Beast wielding the Power of Thunder.
• Lu Yu connected the violet lightning from the previous night to the Divine Beast’s abilities, and the waiter confirmed that Spirit Hall hoped to obtain its Heavenly Thunder power.
• Niu Lao Er complained that major powers controlled Soul Master resources, while the Soul Master in blue warned him that criticizing them could bring trouble.
• Niu Lao Er and Zhao Qian reasoned that the hunters might have been killed by the Divine Beast and that staying away had likely saved their lives.
• Lu Yu continued eating with Luoshen, who expressed worry about Elder Sade and hoped he was safe.

Lu Yu reassured Luoshen about the search for Elder Sade, then met Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu, who thanked him for warning them away from danger in the Sunset Great Forest. He concealed his connection to the Kui Ox while probing for news, and the chapter left the academy elders' fate unknown.

• Lu Yu reasoned that Hong Feng had spread rumors about the Kui Ox to lure Soul Masters into hunting it, and resolved to investigate Hong Feng after learning more about the Sunset Great Forest.
• Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu caught up with Lu Yu and explained that they had reported the danger through a Skywater Academy office rather than returning to the academy.
• Shui Wu thanked Lu Yu for warning the sisters away from the forest, and Lu Yu accepted their offer of help from Skywater Academy.
• Lu Yu told Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu that he and Luoshen had left the forest early, while hiding his role in the Kui Ox's death and the inheritance he had gained.
• Lu Yu asked about the academy elders, and Shui Bing'er said they had not returned from searching the Sunset Great Forest.

Lu Yu accepted Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu’s invitation, and the group spent the day shopping in Suotuo City before he headed back to Wangkelai Hotel. On his way to meet them for dinner, he noticed a pursuer, lured the black-clad man into an alley, and began fighting him with the Heavenly Emperor Sword.

• Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu insisted on treating Lu Yu and Luoshen to a meal, and Lu Yu agreed to stroll through Suotuo City with them first.
• The three women shopped together while Lu Yu carried their purchases, then they set off for Xiang Tianxia Restaurant as he returned to Wangkelai Hotel to store the goods.
• Lu Yu sensed someone following him and turned into an alley rather than risk leading the pursuer to Shui Bing'er, Shui Wu, and Luoshen.
• Lu Yu drew the Heavenly Emperor Sword in an open area and attacked the black-clad man, who dodged his strikes and forced Lu Yu to recognize his skill.

Lu Yu faced a masked assassin who attacked him with an ice sword and a five-ring Soul King’s overwhelming Soul Power. After Yang Five Thunders wounded the assassin, Lu Yu endured the man’s pressure as the fight escalated, leaving them poised for another clash.

• Lu Yu demanded to know who had sent the man in black, but the assassin refused to answer and revealed his five soul rings.
• The man in black declared that Lu Yu would die, and Lu Yu decided to fight back rather than surrender.
• Lu Yu released his soul rings as the assassin summoned the ice sword Extreme Cold Blade and mocked Lu Yu for not showing his martial soul.
• Lu Yu used Yang Five Thunders to strike the water-attributed assassin, scorching his arm and blasting a smoking pit into the ground.
• The man in black advanced under intense Soul Power pressure and slashed at Lu Yu with Extreme Cold Blade, sending freezing air toward him.

Lu Yu used talismans and Heavenly Thunder-infused Yin Five Thunders to overcome a stronger black-clad assassin, then deduced the man came from Skywater Academy. The wounded assassin refused to reveal who sent him, leaving Lu Yu certain of the academy’s involvement but without confirmation of the mastermind.

• Lu Yu layered himself with Six Ding Heavenly Armor Talisman barriers and threw sealing and flame talismans at the black-clad man while preparing Yin Five Thunders.
• The black-clad man’s freezing attacks broke through Lu Yu’s defenses and slowed his movements as an icy storm formed around him.
• Lu Yu struck the black-clad man with Heavenly Thunder-infused Yin Five Thunders, then pierced his shoulder with the Heavenly Emperor Sword and knocked him down.
• Lu Yu questioned the wounded assassin, who refused to reveal who had sent him.
• Lu Yu accused Skywater Academy of arranging the assassination and explained that the man’s mutated ice martial soul pointed to the academy.

Lu Yu discovered that Skywater Academy had ordered his assassination because its elders feared he would distract Shui Bing'er from cultivation. Though the stronger man in black nearly killed him, Lu Yu exploited his hesitation to defeat him, leaving Skywater Academy's conflict with Lu Yu unresolved.

• Lu Yu deduced that the man in black had come to kill him because Skywater Academy feared his influence on Shui Bing'er.
• The man in black confirmed that the academy's elders saw Lu Yu as a threat to Shui Bing'er's cultivation and attacked him again.
• The man in black overpowered Lu Yu and knocked him down, believing he was about to finish the mission.
• Lu Yu made the man in black hesitate by warning that Shui Bing'er could identify his ice martial soul and trace the assassination to Skywater Academy.
• Lu Yu struck the man in black with the Heaven-Defying Seal, then cut his throat with the Heavenly Emperor Sword and killed him.
• Exhausted, Lu Yu used the Heavenly Emperor Sword for support and began recovering his strength.

After surviving an assassination attempt ordered by Skywater Academy’s elders, Lu Yu took a spatial Soul Tool from his attacker and decided to return to Nuoding Academy with Luoshen. He concealed the fight during dinner with Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu, then told Luoshen what had happened, leaving her to suspect Shui Bing'er had feelings for him.

• Lu Yu reflected on the black-clothed man's attack, resolved to strengthen himself, and found a ruby-ring spatial Soul Tool on the corpse.
• Lu Yu cleaned his Heavenly Emperor Sword and decided to return to Nuoding Academy with Luoshen before Skywater Academy's elders learned what had happened.
• At dinner, Shui Bing'er complained about Lu Yu's lateness while Luoshen noticed signs of a fight and eased the tension by ordering his favorite dishes.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen left soon after eating, and Shui Wu teased Shui Bing'er about acting cold toward him before the two friends began playfully tussling.
• Back at their room, Lu Yu told Luoshen about the assassination, and she suggested Shui Bing'er might have developed feelings for him; Lu Yu rejected the idea in alarm.

Lu Yu and Luoshen left Suotuo City to avoid trouble with Shui Bing'er, traveling toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy while cultivating on the road. When Lu Yu learned they were near Holy Soul Village, where the village chief had raised him, he decided to visit before continuing.

• Lu Yu explained to Luoshen why they should leave quickly, gave her a spatial Soul Tool ring, and the two spent the night together.
• Lu Yu sold their Sunset Great Forest goods for over seven thousand Gold Soul Coins, bought food and a carriage, and left Suotuo City with Luoshen the next morning.
• Shui Bing'er and Shui Wu arrived at Wangkelai Hotel that afternoon and learned Lu Yu and Luoshen had already departed, angering Shui Bing'er.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen ate snacks and discussed the lack of news from Sunset Great Forest as they traveled southwest toward Nuoding.
• After a traveler told Lu Yu they were in Kangba Village, near Holy Soul Village, Lu Yu decided to visit the village chief who had cared for him.

Lu Yu and Luoshen returned to Holy Soul Village so Lu Yu could visit the people who had raised him, and he explained why the village was known as Holy Soul Village. On the way, Lu Yu saved a mother bird and her chicks from a snake, then planned to cook the snake with Luoshen.

• Lu Yu told Luoshen he wanted to return to Holy Soul Village, and she agreed to go with him.
• Lu Yu described Holy Soul Village and explained that it was named for a legendary Soul Sage from the village.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen reached the village and paused to watch a mother bird feed her chicks.
• Lu Yu stopped a snake from attacking the birds and caught it before it could escape.
• The snake bit Lu Yu, but his first soul ring made his body hard enough to withstand it.
• Lu Yu proposed grilling half the snake and making soup with the rest, and Luoshen eagerly agreed.

Lu Yu and Luoshen traveled to Holy Soul Village after he defeated a great snake and cooked it for them to eat. At the village chief’s home, Lu Yu revealed his identity and reunited with the delighted old man.

• The great snake bit Lu Yu, but its fangs broke against his strengthened body, and Lu Yu explained how he had cultivated Reverse Birth Triple to its Second Layer.
• Lu Yu prepared grilled snake skewers and snake soup by the river, and he and Luoshen ate together before continuing to Holy Soul Village.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen arrived at the village, where the village chief worried about giving local children more opportunities to study martial souls.
• Lu Yu knocked on the village chief’s door, identified himself, and was welcomed inside by the shocked and joyful old man.

Lu Yu returned to Holy Soul Village with Luoshen, reunited with the village chief and villagers, and learned how deeply the village chief worried about the village’s future. After noticing troubling conditions as he toured the village, Lu Yu ended the day back at the village chief’s home, preparing to address what he had seen.

• Lu Yu introduced Luoshen to the village chief and revealed that he had reached Soul Grandmaster rank with two soul rings.
• The village chief shared his worries about Holy Soul Village’s poverty and the disadvantages faced by talented children who had to work while cultivating.
• Lu Yu and Luoshen spoke with the village chief, then went out to greet the villagers despite his offer to call them over.
• The villagers gathered to welcome Lu Yu, and the village chief stopped them from treating him like a spectacle.
• As Lu Yu walked through the village and fields, he grew increasingly concerned about the conditions, but did not explain why to Luoshen or the villagers.

Lu Yu proposed developing Holy Soul Village through tourism by promoting its name and inventing a legend about a boy who became a Soul Sage. He urged the village chief to consider the plan as a way to give villagers more work and help local children afford Soul Master academies.

• Lu Yu told the village chief that Holy Soul Village had barely changed and that villagers’ income remained too low to support children’s education.
• The village chief explained that he had struggled to find a business that could benefit the whole village without causing disputes over money and work.
• Lu Yu suggested using Holy Soul Village’s name to attract visitors and creating a tourist destination around a legend about a mistreated boy called Gray Boy who became a Soul Sage.
• Lu Yu proposed adding fabricated landmarks and story details, including handprints left by Gray Boy, while presenting the tale as a legend passed down by the village.
• The village chief worried that visitors would discover there was no evidence for the story, but Lu Yu argued that a few traces and the claim of an inherited legend would make it difficult to disprove.
• Lu Yu reminded the village chief that the village’s current income was still insufficient to send children to Soul Master academies.

Lu Yu proposed turning Holy Soul Village into a visitor destination and training center to improve its income and give its children a chance to become Soul Masters. The village chief persuaded the villagers to support the plan, and he prepared to call a meeting to decide whether to begin.

• Lu Yu explained how Holy Soul Village could attract visitors with the Soul Saint’s former residence, local food, activities, and Soul Master instruction for village children.
• The village chief praised Lu Yu’s idea and left, while Luoshen said it could earn him respect from other village chiefs.
• The next morning, the village chief told nearby villagers about Lu Yu’s plan and described the possible benefits to the village and its children.
• Li Erniu urged the villagers to work without pay on the project, and others agreed that the chance to improve their children’s futures was worth the effort.
• The village chief agreed to ring the square bell after lunch and hold a meeting about starting the project.

Lu Yu helped the village chief win unanimous support for turning Holy Soul Village into a destination for visitors, and they began planning its development. He stressed that the villagers had to treat guests honestly if they wanted the village to thrive over time.

• The village chief gathered Holy Soul Village’s residents in the square and presented the plan to attract visitors.
• Lu Yu answered the villagers’ concerns and explained how honest service, affordable goods, and recreational activities could bring visitors back and spread the village’s reputation.
• The villagers unanimously approved the plan, and the village chief announced that he and Lu Yu would draw up construction plans and organize work shifts.
• Back at the village chief’s home, Lu Yu insisted that villagers must not cheat visitors, warning that dishonest treatment would ruin the village’s reputation and future prospects.

Lu Yu planned how Holy Soul Village could develop its visitor experience and earn money through food, games, and souvenirs. The village chief and Luoshen embraced his proposals, and the village chief prepared to organize the villagers to put them into action.

• Lu Yu advised the village chief to offer generous snacks and friendly service, and proposed dividing village repairs into rotating shifts so villagers could tend their fields and rest.
• Lu Yu and the village chief reviewed Journey to the West Fan Village, chose places to leave story clues, and planned interactive activities for visitors.
• Lu Yu proposed kitchen-themed contests and hidden-object games, with snacks and handmade crafts as prizes that could also promote village products.
• Lu Yu suggested additional games, a shop selling Holy Soul Village and Gray Boy souvenirs, and personalized carvings; the village chief and Luoshen praised the plan.
• The village chief's wife went to prepare a meal for Lu Yu, and the village chief held another meeting the next day to explain the plans and rules to the villagers.

Lu Yu organized Holy Soul Village into a tourist attraction with paved roads, flower gardens, games, and a story-filled entrance designed to entice visitors. The village finished its renovations and prepared to attract tourists by promoting only half of its invented Soul Saint legend.

• The village chief warned villagers to treat visitors honestly and protect Holy Soul Village's reputation as they worked to improve it.
• Lu Yu directed villagers to pave the roads, plant flowers, build a pond and visitor facilities, and create game areas that would rotate every three months.
• Lu Yu had a battered pillar and a monument built to tell part of the legend behind Holy Soul Village's name, encouraging visitors to come learn the rest.
• Lu Yu advised the village chief to postpone building a resort until tourism demand grew, so the village could begin attracting visitors sooner and protect its reputation.
• After more than half a month, the renovations were complete, and Xiao Qing trained selected villagers to promote the village and recite the legend's first half.
• Lu Yu explained that withholding the end of the story was a marketing strategy meant to make people curious and draw them to Holy Soul Village.

Lu Yu prepared Holy Soul Village to attract tourists with Gray Boy’s unfinished story, games, snacks, and attentive service. The village held a successful trial opening, and the visitors left delighted and eager to return.

• Lu Yu organized Holy Soul Village’s renovations, snack vendors, games, and staff training while Luoshen focused on cultivating.
• When nearly twenty visitors arrived, Lu Yu decided to open the village for a trial and sent its residents to their posts.
• Lu Yu guided the tourists to the entrance monument and told them Gray Boy’s story, stopping at a cliffhanger to draw them inside.
• The tourists explored the village, enjoyed its games and snacks, and bought souvenirs before praising Holy Soul Village and promising to return.
• Lu Yu praised the villagers at the evening review for their service and encouraged them to prepare for more visitors.