Chapter Summaries

Wu Ling defeated Ghost Sword inside his Workshop and absorbed its forty-thousand-year Spirit Ring. Afterward, he found strange relics in the deserted settlement and carried a pair of embroidered shoes with him as he left.

• Ghost Sword recalled its Blood Men, launched itself at Wu Ling, and was trapped inside his Workshop.
• Wu Ling bound Ghost Sword with Magic Circles, but a blue-haired figure touched it with Soul Breaker and left it unconscious.
• Wu Ling defeated Ghost Sword and absorbed its forty-thousand-year Spirit Ring.
• Wu Ling found a straw doll that crumbled after thanking him, then discovered that the settlement's other relics turned to ash.
• Wu Ling found a pair of embroidered shoes in Ali's house and said he would take them to see the outside world.

Wu Ling left the strange forest and reported his experience to Bibi Dong, Gui Mei, and Qian Daoliu, but the mysterious space had already closed. He trained with his new Berserker Lancelot Spirit Skill for half a month before returning to Spirit City, where his butler told him a Miss Qian was waiting.

• Wu Ling told Bibi Dong, Gui Mei, and Qian Daoliu about the powerful existence and strange events inside the forest.
• Qian Daoliu found faint traces of unusual energy, but Wu Ling could no longer enter the space.
• Bibi Dong discovered that Wu Ling had reached Soul Power Level forty-three after absorbing the forty-thousand-year Weapon Spirit Beast.
• Wu Ling summoned Berserker Lancelot and used a fourth clone to bear the madness enhancement while he trained with a clear mind.
• After half a month of training, Wu Ling returned to Spirit City and learned that a Miss Qian was waiting to see him.

Wu Ling met Qian Renxue, who had returned to Spirit City after trouble arose for a Heaven Dou prince. After learning that Wu Ling could enhance himself despite having a support-system Martial Soul, Qian Renxue challenged him to a spar.

• Wu Ling learned from Steward Li that a Heaven Dou prince had encountered trouble and suspected Qian Renxue was involved.
• Wu Ling entered the house and met Qian Renxue, who was visiting him in her true appearance.
• Qian Renxue questioned Wu Ling about his fourth Spirit Ring and his Martial Soul.
• Wu Ling explained that his support-system Martial Soul could enhance his own abilities, surprising Qian Renxue.
• Qian Renxue asked Wu Ling whether he would spar with her.

Wu Ling agreed to spar with Qian Renxue and demonstrated how his formations could suppress her before they fought. He defeated her decisively, leaving her stunned by the gap between their strength.

• Wu Ling agreed to fight Qian Renxue and suggested they use the arena, but then revealed formations covering his home and courtyard.
• Wu Ling explained that his formations weakened Qian Renxue and could make escape nearly impossible, but she insisted on fighting him at full strength.
• Qian Renxue revealed her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and level forty-nine Soul Ancestor rank, while Wu Ling showed his Heroic Spirit Disk and four Spirit Rings: yellow, purple, black, black.
• Qian Renxue attacked with Angel Assault and Holy Fire, but Wu Ling's formations, Soul Power shells, and sword strikes overwhelmed her.
• Wu Ling pinned Qian Renxue with his formations, and she lamented the enormous gap between them as he drank tea.

Wu Ling tried to make Qian Renxue stop spacing out so he could get back to testing his abilities, but she eventually asked if they had met before. The chapter ended with Qian Renxue insisting that they had.

• Wu Ling asked Butler Old Li to bring two servings of tea snacks, admitting that he had eaten Qian Renxue's portion.
• Wu Ling teased Qian Renxue with her last tea snack to prompt her to speak, then Old Li returned with fresh snacks and left after misreading the awkward scene.
• Qian Renxue finally addressed Wu Ling and asked whether they had met before.
• Wu Ling denied knowing her, but Qian Renxue firmly insisted that they had met.

Qian Renxue confronted Wu Ling about his familiarity with her and learned that he had deduced her identity as Xue Qinghe. After Wu Ling persuaded her that he had noticed similarities in their Soul Power auras, she left to discuss the matter with Qian Daoliu, while Wu Ling named his fourth clone Xiao Hei.

• Qian Renxue questioned Wu Ling about his familiarity with her, and he revealed that he knew she was disguised as Xue Qinghe.
• Qian Renxue demanded to know who had exposed her identity, but Wu Ling claimed he had figured it out from her Soul Power aura.
• Wu Ling explained that Qian Renxue's aura resembled both Qian Daoliu's and Xue Qinghe's, and she accepted his explanation before leaving for Worship Hall.
• Qian Renxue told Qian Daoliu what Wu Ling had said, and he agreed that Soul Power auras could reveal clues and encouraged her to build a good relationship with Wu Ling.
• Wu Ling inspected his fourth clone with the other Clones and named him Xiao Hei because he wore black.

Wu Ling tested Xiao Hei’s Knight of Owner ability and learned it could seize control of Tool Martial Souls, especially when paired with Rule Breaker. He and Xiao Fen discussed whether research into Martial Soul genes could eventually make it possible to strip and transfer Martial Souls.

• Wu Ling gave Xiao Hei two cleavers and used Knight of Owner to enchant one, letting it cut through the other without damage.
• Xiao Fen explained that Knight of Owner could control weapons, including Tool Martial Souls, but that another Spirit Master could resist its control.
• Xiao Fen said Rule Breaker could cut a Martial Soul off from its original control and energy supply, allowing Wu Ling to power and control it instead.
• Xiao Fen proposed a device that could preserve Knight of Owner’s effect and draw in ambient Soul Power, reducing the need for someone to keep touching the Martial Soul.
• Wu Ling and Xiao Fen considered whether studying genes might eventually allow them to extract a person’s Martial Soul, though transferring it or awakening another one remained uncertain.
• Wu Ling told Xiao Fen to prioritize researching Arms Mastery and Aroundight.

Wu Ling tested Arms Mastery and Aroundight by having Xiao Lan fight Xiao Hei, whose combat skills improved as the battle progressed. Xiao Hei revealed Aroundight and blocked Xiao Lan’s Swallow Reversal, suffering wounds to his arm and thigh but no serious damage.

• With Wu Ling’s permission, Xiao Lan possessed Sasaki Kojiro and began fighting Xiao Hei, who smashed a crater into the reinforced ground.
• Wu Ling arranged a new blade for each fighter, and Xiao Fen reinforced Xiao Lan before the battle resumed.
• Xiao Hei’s Arms Mastery let him learn sword techniques by instinct, and Wu Ling explained the skill while watching the clash.
• Xiao Lan drew Xiao Hei toward a Swallow Reversal, but Xiao Hei discarded his blade, revealed his face, and summoned Aroundight.
• Xiao Hei used Aroundight to block the strike aimed at his neck, while the other two slashes wounded his arm and thigh.

After Xiao Lan and Xiao Hei tested their combat skills, Wu Ling discussed Xiao Hei’s versatility and the limits of restoring Aroundight before turning to dinner. Oscar visited Wu Ling after a long absence and shared his cultivation progress and plans for his second Spirit Ring.

• Xiao Lan and Xiao Hei fought for nearly half an hour until Wu Ling stopped them, and Xiao Lan praised Xiao Hei’s adaptable swordsmanship while noting his own blade was badly chipped.
• Wu Ling asked Xiao Fen whether Aroundight could be purified back into a holy sword, but she explained that changing it would require altering the Spirit Ring that summoned it.
• Wu Ling learned from Old Li that Oscar had come to visit, changed into casual clothes, and greeted Oscar at dinner.
• Wu Ling asked about Oscar’s cultivation, and Oscar said he had reached Soul Power Level eighteen and expected to reach level twenty that year.
• Oscar told Wu Ling that his teacher had planned a second Spirit Ring with an ability to remove negative effects.

Wu Ling reflected on Oscar’s improved cultivation under his guidance, then rested for a day before preparing to cultivate again. Qian Renxue returned to apologize and asked to watch Wu Ling cultivate, but she was startled by the unusual figures waiting in his courtyard.

• Wu Ling praised Oscar’s progress and predicted that he could reach level thirty by age twelve with proper training.
• Wu Ling spent the evening telling Oscar adapted ghost stories, then arranged four daily meals for himself and took a day off from cultivation.
• The next morning, Old Li told Wu Ling that Qian Renxue had come to visit again, interrupting his plans to cultivate.
• Wu Ling greeted Qian Renxue, who noticed his insincere smile and asked to join his cultivation after apologizing for her rudeness the previous day.
• Wu Ling led Qian Renxue into the courtyard, where she saw two men resembling him and a figure in black armor standing in a strange pose.

Qian Renxue met Wu Ling’s Clones and toured Xiao Fen’s dangerous research room before spending the day training with Wu Ling. After learning how quickly he cultivated, she asked him what he thought about power and strength.

• Xiao Hong, Xiao Lan, and Xiao Hei greeted Qian Renxue with an embarrassing pose, and Wu Ling explained that they were Clones made by his second Spirit Ring.
• Wu Ling brought Qian Renxue to meet Xiao Fen, where she saw strange inventions, including a transformation potion, a volatile Soul Power Block, a telephone, and a red embroidered shoe tied to Wu Ling’s past.
• Qian Renxue trained with Wu Ling under the barrier and honed her techniques against Xiao Lan and Xiao Hei.
• Qian Renxue asked why Wu Ling had not cultivated that day, and he explained how his Clones, custom method, and medicinal pills made his cultivation unusually efficient.
• Qian Renxue asked Wu Ling for his personal views on power and strength.

Qian Renxue reconsidered Wu Ling’s advice about strength, power, and the gods’ rules while continuing to visit him for half a month. She returned to her duties as Xue Qinghe, and a month later the annual Martial Soul Awakening began again.

• Qian Renxue disagreed that strength alone could replace authority and explained that she wanted to take over Heaven Dou without bloodshed.
• Wu Ling argued that absolute strength, especially the power of gods, could overcome most limits, and urged Qian Renxue to question her ancestors’ rules.
• Qian Renxue left Wu Ling’s home saying she would think about his ideas, while Wu Ling decided not to rush her.
• Qian Renxue visited Wu Ling daily for half a month to cultivate and talk, then gave him Xue Qinghe’s token before returning to her duties.
• A month after Qian Renxue left, the annual Martial Soul Awakening began again.

Cao Silang discovered that Tang San had awakened Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power, then reported the result to the Martial Soul Branch Hall master. Unsure whether the Martial Soul had mutated, the two prepared to report the discovery using a telephone invented by the previous Innate Full Soul Power child.

• Cao Silang recalled how discovering an Innate Full Soul Power child six years earlier had led to his reassignment to Nuoding City.
• Cao Silang conducted the awakening ceremony in Holy Soul Village and found that Tang San had Blue Silver Grass and Innate Full Soul Power.
• Cao Silang rushed to tell the Martial Soul Branch Hall master about Tang San's awakening.
• The hall master considered whether Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had mutated and decided the discovery should be reported.
• The hall master took a telephone from his desk, explaining that the previous Innate Full Soul Power child had invented it.

Bibi Dong learned that Tang San had awakened with Innate Full Soul Power and a Clear Sky Hammer, but left him alone as Wu Ling continued his own plans. At Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang found a Sharp-Scaled Snake he considered suitable for Tang San’s first Spirit Ring.

• Bibi Dong received Salas’s report about Tang San and ordered Spirit Hall not to interfere, while Salas arranged a reward for the reporting deacon.
• Wu Ling learned that Tang San had appeared but showed little interest and resumed training with Xiao Hei.
• Tang San entered Nuoding Academy, became Yu Xiaogang’s disciple, and revealed his Clear Sky Hammer, astonishing Yu Xiaogang.
• Yu Xiaogang took Tang San to Soul Hunting Forest and confidently calculated that he needed a 423-year Spirit Beast.
• Yu Xiaogang stopped at a 399-year-old Sharp-Scaled Snake and told Tang San it was a suitable candidate for his first Spirit Ring.

Tang San followed Yu Xiaogang’s plan to hunt a Sharp-Scaled Snake for his first Spirit Ring, then absorbed it and gained a Blue Silver Grass skill that formed a Flying Knife. The chapter left Tang San excited by his new ability and convinced that his Mysterious Heaven Skill would help him grow stronger, though he sensed his Blue Silver Grass was missing something.

• Yu Xiaogang explained why the Sharp-Scaled Snake could strengthen Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass, and Tang San agreed to take the risk.
• Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao fought the snake, but Yu Xiaogang misjudged its speed and was wounded while shielding Tang San.
• Tang San defeated the Sharp-Scaled Snake with a Sleeve Arrow, then woke Yu Xiaogang and claimed he had killed it by swinging his sword randomly.
• Tang San absorbed the snake’s Spirit Ring with the Mysterious Heaven Skill and gained the Blue Silver Flying Knife, which pierced a bird from thirty meters away.
• Tang San celebrated his first Spirit Skill but felt that something was missing from his Blue Silver Grass.

Wu Ling launched the Soul Martial Shop in Spirit City, using Xiao Fen’s inventions and a wide range of goods to draw in Spirit Masters and establish a commerce association. He discussed their research and plans with Xiao Fen, then said he would leave soon to pursue martial techniques further and needed her to develop equipment for his next destination.

• The Soul Martial Shop opened in Spirit City, and Spirit Masters from prestigious clans and noble families crowded inside to buy its goods.
• Old Li reported that the families and elders Wu Ling had contacted sent people to purchase nearly everything in the shop.
• Wu Ling explained that his identity and the shop’s exclusive goods had driven the demand, then asked Xiao Fen about her research.
• Xiao Fen reported progress on Soul Power Arrays, assembly-line equipment, and Soul Power Blocks, while Wu Ling decided not to use the Automatic Absorption Array.
• Wu Ling said he would leave once his martial techniques reached a plateau and asked Xiao Fen to develop things needed for his next destination.
• Xiao Fen demanded cake as payment, and Wu Ling agreed to make her more.

Wu Ling prepared weapons, supplies, and safeguards before setting out for Slaughter City, while his clones trained to maintain themselves in his absence. At Pope Palace, Bibi Dong confirmed the danger of the journey and asked whether he still intended to go.

• Wu Ling checked his swords, clothes, and food, including a solidified Aroundight and portable ration pills, for his trip to Slaughter City.
• Xiao Fen explained that she had added Automatic Absorption Arrays to the clones so they could sustain themselves while Wu Ling was away.
• Wu Ling warned the clones to cultivate enough to raise his Soul Power Level, and they hurried off to train after he left.
• Wu Ling went unnoticed through the city and suggested speed limits after Spirit Masters raced past on Spirit Motor Vehicles.
• Wu Ling reached Pope Palace, discussed speed limits with Bibi Dong, and confirmed he was ready to enter Slaughter City.
• Bibi Dong asked Wu Ling whether he still insisted on going despite the risk of death.

Wu Ling entered the town leading to Slaughter City and forced his way past the tavern’s Bloody Mary test. After he jumped into the hidden entrance, Bibi Dong’s Soul Power reached the city, startling the King of Slaughter.

• Bibi Dong and Gui Mei escorted Wu Ling to the town, where Bibi Dong killed several men who tried to harass her before telling Wu Ling to continue alone.
• Wu Ling went to the tavern entrance and demanded that the bartender open the way to Slaughter City instead of making him drink Bloody Mary.
• A burly patron attacked Wu Ling, who killed him with a single flash of his blade.
• Wu Ling beat the bartender and threw him among Bloody Mary drinkers, who fell on the bartender and corpse in a frenzy.
• Wu Ling broke through the concealed floor and leaped into Slaughter City, where he sensed Bibi Dong’s Soul Power and the King of Slaughter declared that a God of Slaughter had arrived.

Wu Ling entered Slaughter City, where the King of Slaughter watched his arrival and found that he had no hatred for the city’s illusion to exploit. After defeating the Black Armored Knight at the gate, Wu Ling entered with the Black-Veiled Woman as his guide and learned how the city operated.

• The King of Slaughter sensed Bibi Dong’s aura and watched Wu Ling travel through the tunnel toward Slaughter City.
• Wu Ling passed the illusion outside the city gates because nothing he hated appeared before him, surprising the King of Slaughter.
• The Black Armored Knight challenged Wu Ling for entering without Bloody Mary or outside approval, and Wu Ling wounded him in a single exchange.
• The knight recognized Wu Ling’s victory, gave him token 1314, and let him enter Slaughter City.
• The Black-Veiled Woman greeted Wu Ling, offered to guide and explain the city for twelve Tohsaka Tokiomi, and told him that strength ruled where there were no rules.

Wu Ling entered Slaughter City’s Inner City and headed straight for the Hell Slaughter Arena, refusing the Black-Veiled Woman’s offers and protection. After killing a man for his Bloody Mary, he registered as the tenth fighter in the next match.

• Wu Ling insisted that the Black-Veiled Woman take him to the Hell Slaughter Arena, passing through Slaughter City’s chaotic Inner City.
• The Black-Veiled Woman explained that each arena entrant had to provide a cup of Bloody Mary and that ten people would fight until only one survived.
• A burly man killed someone to steal their Bloody Mary, and Wu Ling killed him with one sword strike and took the cup.
• Wu Ling used the stolen Bloody Mary to register, and the attendant assigned him number 1314 for the next match.