Chapter Summaries

Cheng Xiao befriended an old man and his shy granddaughter by showing them around Heaven Dou City and catering to the girl’s tastes. Their lunch was interrupted when the unruly Ning Rongrong caused a scene, and a commanding man arrived to stop her escape.

• Cheng Xiao tried to befriend the old man, who agreed to let him accompany his granddaughter around Heaven Dou City after she tugged his sleeve.
• Cheng Xiao entertained the girl with a tour of the city and jokes, earning a better impression from both her and the old man.
• Cheng Xiao took the pair to a restaurant and ordered dishes suited to the girl’s preferences, while the old man refused his offer to lead him to his friend’s home.
• Ning Rongrong smashed a table of food, insulted the restaurant, and claimed her household dogs ate soul beast meat every day.
• The head chef ordered his men to seize Ning Rongrong, but an armored squad and a handsome man entered; the man told her the windows were blocked as she tried to flee.

Cheng Xiao discovered that the old man he had befriended was Ye Renxin, the renowned Nine Heart Begonia healing Soul Master, and began plotting to get closer to him through Ye Lingling. Xue Qinghe invited Ye Renxin to examine the Emperor, but Ye Renxin declined and continued on his way to visit an old friend.

• Xue Qinghe arrived to retrieve Ning Rongrong, apologized for her disturbance, and offered to pay the diners’ expenses.
• Xue Qinghe recognized Ye Renxin as Sacred Hand Benevolent Heart and invited him to his residence.
• Cheng Xiao realized Ye Renxin’s identity and considered pursuing a connection with him through Ye Lingling, who blushed when she noticed Cheng Xiao staring.
• Cheng Xiao introduced Xue Qinghe as the Crown Prince and Ning Fengzhi’s disciple, prompting Ye Renxin to ask after the Emperor’s health.
• Xue Qinghe requested that Ye Renxin examine the Emperor, but Ye Renxin refused because he planned to visit an old friend.

Cheng Xiao considered his options for aligning with powerful factions and left a crowded restaurant with Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling. Meanwhile, Qian Renxue learned that Ye Renxin had arrived in Heaven Dou City, raising fears that he could disrupt her plan against Xue Ye.

• Cheng Xiao decided to approach potential allies cautiously, keeping Moonlight Pavilion, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Spirit Hall, and Ye Renxin among his options.
• Cheng Xiao suggested that Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling leave the crowded restaurant with him, then took Ye Lingling by the hand and led them away.
• Xue Qinghe explained Ye Renxin's identity to Ning Rongrong, brought her safely back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and later returned to the Crown Prince's Mansion.
• After revealing herself as Qian Renxue, she told two attendants that Ye Renxin had come to Heaven Dou, and one proposed killing him before he could interfere with their plan.

Qian Renxue postponed the plan to poison Xue Ye while her allies investigated Ye Renxin. Cheng Xiao explained acupuncture and Acupoints to Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling, then offered to prove his claims by taking Ye Renxin's pulse.

• Stingray Douluo proposed killing Ye Renxin, but Snake Lance Douluo warned that doing so in Heaven Dou City could expose Qian Renxue.
• Qian Renxue ordered them to set the plan aside and investigate Ye Renxin before taking further action.
• Cheng Xiao walked through the streets with Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling, teasing Ye Lingling and chatting with Ye Renxin.
• Cheng Xiao described Acupoints, meridians, and acupuncture, engrossing Ye Renxin and impressing Ye Lingling.
• Cheng Xiao offered to feel Ye Renxin's pulse so he could demonstrate his medical knowledge.

Cheng Xiao discovered that Ye Renxin’s pulse suggested he was close to death, though Ye Renxin remained energetic and told him to keep the warning from Ye Lingling. Ye Renxin then invited Cheng Xiao to a secluded residence in Heaven Dou City, where a mysterious green figure appeared.

• Cheng Xiao examined Ye Renxin’s pulse and found it weak and strange, despite Ye Renxin’s healthy appearance.
• Cheng Xiao privately told Ye Renxin that, based on his knowledge, he was about to die, and Ye Renxin ordered him not to tell Ye Lingling.
• Ye Renxin and Cheng Xiao kept the diagnosis from Ye Lingling and continued sightseeing until dusk.
• Ye Renxin invited Cheng Xiao to dine at an old friend’s secluded residence in Heaven Dou City, and Cheng Xiao accepted.
• A green figure rushed out when Ye Renxin called to his friend, and Cheng Xiao’s expression changed upon seeing them.

Cheng Xiao met Dugu Bo at his estate and recognized that the Titled Douluo was suffering from self-inflicted poison. After Ye Renxin arranged for Cheng Xiao to examine him, the chapter ended with Ye Renxin proposing an experiment involving acupoints and Dugu Bo.

• Dugu Bo welcomed Ye Renxin, Ye Lingling, and Cheng Xiao to his estate, where they also met his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
• Ye Renxin asked Cheng Xiao to stay behind and feel Dugu Bo's pulse, but Cheng Xiao declared that Dugu Bo had been poisoned.
• Dugu Bo tested Cheng Xiao with his aura, and Cheng Xiao withstood the pressure while explaining that Dugu Bo's own poison was the cause.
• Ye Renxin stopped Dugu Bo and revealed that Cheng Xiao had been brought to help treat him.
• Ye Renxin proposed testing how acupoints could affect the body, and Cheng Xiao eagerly looked forward to working with Dugu Bo.

Cheng Xiao examined Dugu Bo and showed Ye Renxin that his meridian theory could identify the elder's poison symptoms. Ye Renxin began using Soul Power needles to treat Dugu Bo, who recoiled from the pain as the acupuncture started.

• Ye Renxin explained that the Nine Heart Begonia's inheritance was limited to two living inheritors and said he hoped Cheng Xiao's meridian theory could help it gain amplification abilities.
• Cheng Xiao took Dugu Bo's pulse and described the pain he suffered at the Baihui acupoint and the soles of his feet, confirming that he was poisoned.
• Cheng Xiao diagnosed Dugu Bo's chaotic pulse and deficient qi and blood as signs that toxins were trapped in his body.
• Ye Renxin released his Nine Heart Begonia and, following Cheng Xiao's instructions, formed Soul Power into needles and inserted them into Dugu Bo's Acupoints.
• Dugu Bo shuddered and complained that the Soul Needles hurt, while Cheng Xiao grinned at his discomfort.

Ye Renxin treated Dugu Bo with Soul Power needles, clearing the toxins from his body and allowing his Soul Power to rise slightly. Ye Renxin then considered using acupuncture and the Nine Heart Begonia to prolong Cheng Xiao’s life, leaving Cheng Xiao imagining more powerful applications of the technique.

• Cheng Xiao reassured Dugu Bo that the painful acupuncture was necessary, and Ye Renxin continued treating him with Soul Power needles.
• Dugu Bo spat out a mouthful of highly toxic black blood, alarming Dugu Yan, but assured her that he was all right.
• Dugu Bo sensed that the toxins were gone and his Soul Power had increased slightly, while Ye Renxin warned that the toxins could build up again.
• Ye Renxin wondered whether the Nine Heart Begonia could stimulate life-sustaining acupoints to extend a person’s lifespan.
• Cheng Xiao realized Ye Renxin might use the method to prolong his life and imagined other ways it could enhance Soul Power and combat abilities.

At dinner, Dugu Bo revealed the strange spring where he cultivated to suppress his toxins, and Cheng Xiao recognized it as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Cheng Xiao asked to see it, and the chapter ended with Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin seriously waiting for him to explain what he knew.

• Ye Renxin discussed the possibility of developing the Nine Heart Begonia into an amplification-type martial soul, while Cheng Xiao admitted he did not know whether acupuncture could affect Soul Power.
• Dugu Bo led the group to dinner, where Dugu Yan probed Cheng Xiao about his Soul Power and martial soul, but he deflected her questions and focused on Ye Lingling.
• Ye Renxin asked Dugu Bo how he had managed his toxins, and Dugu Bo described a spring with scorching and freezing halves surrounded by herbs that suppressed them.
• Cheng Xiao recognized the spring as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and asked Dugu Bo to take him there.
• Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin realized Cheng Xiao might know more than he let on and asked him to explain.

Cheng Xiao persuaded Dugu Bo to take the group to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well by telling a story about its origins, then tried to convince him that gods existed. He left Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin stunned by revealing that Spirit Hall’s Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul could have Innate Level-Twenty Full Soul Power.

• Cheng Xiao asked Dugu Bo to take him to the spring, and Dugu Bo agreed while Ye Renxin offered to witness the promise.
• Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan asked to join the trip, and Ye Renxin agreed to let them come.
• Cheng Xiao claimed his ancestor had seen murals describing how the fallen Dragon Kings formed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
• Dugu Bo dismissed the account as an unconvincing story and challenged Cheng Xiao’s claim that gods existed.
• Cheng Xiao cited the Angel God, the Sea God, and the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul’s supposed Innate Level-Twenty Full Soul Power, startling Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin.

Cheng Xiao convinced Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin that gods existed and could bestow Martial Souls, explaining how Innate Level Twenty Full Soul Power was possible. Dugu Bo remained too stunned to respond, so Ye Renxin promised to take Cheng Xiao to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well the next day.

• Cheng Xiao attributed his knowledge of Spirit Hall’s secrets to Yu Xiaogang, and Ye Renxin recognized Yu Xiaogang as the theorist tied to rumors of stolen secrets from Spirit Hall.
• Cheng Xiao described Sea Soul Masters’ stories of the Sea God and suggested that gods could bestow Martial Souls, which he called God-bestowed Martial Souls.
• Ye Renxin accepted Cheng Xiao’s explanation, while Dugu Bo realized that gods stood beyond even a Rank Ninety-Nine Titled Douluo.
• Cheng Xiao asked Dugu Bo to take him to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but Dugu Bo stayed silent, so Ye Renxin promised to take him there another day.
• Cheng Xiao went to his guest room with Dugu Yan, and Ye Renxin asked Dugu Bo what he thought of the boy.

Ye Renxin told Dugu Bo that he had only three months to live, though Cheng Xiao’s unique art might offer another way. The next morning, Dugu Yan challenged Cheng Xiao’s Tai Chi and offered to teach him something.

• Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin discussed Cheng Xiao’s concealed strength, unusual knowledge, and possible reasons for seeking their protection.
• Ye Renxin revealed that his vitality was fading and that he had at most three months left; he hinted that Cheng Xiao’s unique art might help him.
• Dugu Bo reacted with grief and considered what he could do after Ye Renxin left for his guest room.
• Cheng Xiao practiced Tai Chi in the courtyard the next morning, and Dugu Yan watched and dismissed the boxing as useless.
• Dugu Yan changed clothes, approached Cheng Xiao, and offered to teach him something because he had treated her grandfather.

Cheng Xiao fought Dugu Yan after she tried to teach him a lesson, using Tai Chi to counter her attacks and poison. He sent her flying toward the courtyard wall, where Ye intercepted her at the last moment.

• Dugu Yan ambushed Cheng Xiao with a long-range kick, but he used Tai Chi to pull her off balance and force her into a split.
• Dugu Yan released her Martial Soul and attacked Cheng Xiao at close range, but his strange force turned aside every strike.
• Dugu Yan unleashed her Jade Phosphor Violet Poison, and Cheng Xiao gathered and dispersed the poisonous mist with his palms.
• Cheng Xiao pulled Dugu Yan toward him and struck her abdomen, sending her flying toward the courtyard wall.
• Ye appeared and caught Dugu Yan just before she hit the wall.

Cheng Xiao defeated Dugu Yan with a Self-Created Soul Skill, impressing Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin, before the elders summoned him to discuss a reward for helping with Dugu Bo’s treatment. The chapter left Dugu Bo offering Cheng Xiao two choices.

• Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin watched Cheng Xiao control Dugu Yan with Soul Power and recognized his technique as a Self-Created Soul Skill.
• Cheng Xiao dispersed Dugu Yan’s Jade Phosphor Violet Poison, then sent her flying toward the courtyard wall.
• Dugu Bo caught Dugu Yan and explained that Cheng Xiao had held back, while Ye Renxin confirmed that neither junior was seriously injured.
• Dugu Yan accepted her defeat after seeing the hole in the wall, and Dugu Bo told Cheng Xiao to arrange its repair.
• Ye Renxin led Cheng Xiao to a guest room, where Dugu Bo offered him two choices as thanks for helping with his treatment.

Dugu Bo offered Cheng Xiao either a favor or discipleship in exchange for teaching Ye Renxin the meridian art, but Cheng Xiao refused to become his disciple. He chose the favor while remaining committed to helping Ye Renxin, wary that Dugu Bo could not adequately protect him or his secrets.

• Dugu Bo offered Cheng Xiao a favor or the chance to become his disciple, with the condition that he teach Ye Renxin the meridian art and prolong his life.
• Ye Renxin objected to Dugu Bo using him as an excuse and urged Cheng Xiao to make his own choice.
• Cheng Xiao assured Ye Renxin that he had already decided to teach him the art, and Ye Renxin struggled with accepting the gift.
• Dugu Bo joked that Ye Renxin should marry his granddaughter to Cheng Xiao, but Cheng Xiao chose Dugu Bo's offer of a favor instead of discipleship.
• Cheng Xiao considered his need to conceal his second Thousand-Year Soul Ring and concluded that Dugu Bo lacked the strength, influence, and trustworthiness to be a suitable master.

Cheng Xiao refused Dugu Bo’s offer to become his disciple, then accepted Ye Renxin’s invitation to live with him and his granddaughter, Ye Lingling. Ye Renxin welcomed him as family and hoped he would keep Lingling company after his death.

• Cheng Xiao weighed his plans for protection and connections against the risk of offending Dugu Bo by becoming Ye Renxin’s disciple.
• Dugu Bo grew furious at Cheng Xiao’s refusal, stormed out, and warned him not to come begging later.
• Ye Renxin thanked Cheng Xiao for his help, and Cheng Xiao declined any material reward so Ye Renxin would remain indebted to him.
• Ye Renxin invited Cheng Xiao to call him Grandpa Ye, move into his home, and look after Ye Lingling; Cheng Xiao immediately agreed.
• Ye Renxin told Cheng Xiao to prepare for school and move in the next day, then hoped he would help protect and support Lingling after Ye Renxin died.

Harris investigated the Zhu Family’s claim that Cheng Xiao had killed a Soul Ancestor squad and a Soul Emperor, then forwarded the case to Salas and Spirit City. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe arrived at Moonlight Pavilion’s opening ceremony, where the nobles had gathered hoping to meet him.

• A subordinate brought Harris a suspected Fallen One murder case based on Zhu Mo’s testimony that a child had killed a Soul Ancestor squad and a Soul Emperor.
• Harris reviewed Cheng Xiao’s file and learned that the squad’s final mission had been posted by Cheng Xiao, who had since left Nuoding City for Heaven Dou City.
• Harris ordered the documents sent to Salas and copied for Spirit City, avoiding a direct confrontation with the Zhu Family and leaving Salas responsible for handling the case.
• Nobles gathered at Moonlight Pavilion’s opening ceremony, hoping to see Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who was expected to accompany Princess Xue Ke.
• Xue Qinghe arrived at the ceremony beside Xue Ke and greeted the crowd.

At Moonlight Pavilion’s opening ceremony, Cheng Xiao tried to draw Xue Qinghe’s attention by boldly approaching the Crown Prince. His Shadow King aura stopped the crowd, and Xue Qinghe began to recognize him while sensing a strange reaction from his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

• Xue Ke delivered the freshmen’s speech, and Xue Qinghe gave the parents’ speech before the opening ball began.
• Cheng Xiao took a glass of wine and walked toward Xue Qinghe, drawing shocked attention from the nobles and timid commoners.
• A burly young noble blocked Cheng Xiao, but Cheng Xiao shoved him aside and called him a dog.
• Cheng Xiao released the Shadow King’s chilling aura, silencing the crowd and extinguishing their anger.
• Xue Qinghe felt his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul react to Cheng Xiao and studied him, thinking his face seemed familiar.

Cheng Xiao used Xue Ke to draw Xue Qinghe’s attention and tried to establish himself as a potential political partner, but neither he nor Xue Qinghe yielded the initiative during the banquet. After the gathering, Xue Qinghe summoned Cheng Xiao to a teahouse and asked what value he could offer.

• Cheng Xiao intimidated the nobles at Moonlight Pavilion and invited Xue Ke to dance, prompting Xue Qinghe to recognize him.
• During the dance, Cheng Xiao told Xue Ke he was using her to reach Xue Qinghe and explained that he expected a mutually beneficial arrangement.
• After the dance, Xue Ke repeated their conversation to Xue Qinghe, who grew more interested in Cheng Xiao, but neither contacted the other before the banquet ended.
• Cheng Xiao left Moonlight Pavilion intending to move to Ye Residence and visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for immortal herbs.
• Two men summoned Cheng Xiao on Xue Qinghe’s behalf, and Cheng Xiao met him at a nearby teahouse.
• Xue Qinghe asked what Cheng Xiao wanted and challenged him to prove his value.

Cheng Xiao resisted Xue Qinghe’s attempt to recruit and control him, while revealing that he would soon live with Ye Renxin. Xue Qinghe offered him three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones and a personal token, but Cheng Xiao left both untouched and ended with a cryptic remark that unsettled him.

• Cheng Xiao told Xue Qinghe a selective account of meeting Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin, claiming that Ye Renxin wanted him as a disciple.
• Cheng Xiao revealed that he would move in with Ye Renxin, prompting Xue Qinghe to consider using him to monitor Ye Renxin.
• Xue Qinghe offered Cheng Xiao three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones and his personal token in an effort to secure his cooperation.
• Cheng Xiao refused to take the token, challenged Xue Qinghe’s sincerity, and prepared to leave.
• Cheng Xiao remarked that something incomparably poisonous could make countless people willingly die for it, leaving Xue Qinghe wondering if he had guessed his secret.