Chapter Summaries

Ling Yi prepared a large Spirit Gathering Soul Guidance Array to treat Tie Futu, who had awakened but remained gravely ill. He began arranging the treatment at a woodland house, leaving Lou Gao and Yang Shelly to guard outside with new defensive equipment.

• Tie Futu woke and recognized Lou Gao, who asked Ling Yi about his condition.
• Ling Yi brought Tie Futu to a woodland house and set up a Super Large Spirit Gathering Soul Guidance Array with Yang Shelly and Ah Yin.
• Ling Yi told Lou Gao that Tie Futu's condition was less severe than that of another patient he had prepared the array for.
• Ling Yi asked Ah Yin to lend him her Soul Power and sent Lou Gao and Yang Shelly to guard the woods in Azure Wood Battle Armor.
• Ling Yi gave Lou Gao and Yang Shelly Spiritual Metal plates as a precaution, then prepared to begin Tie Futu's treatment with Ah Yin's help.

Ling Yi expanded his simulated Blue Silver Domain through the forest’s soul guidance array and fed Tie Futu the Blood Essence Fruit. As Blue Silver Grass across the forest linked together, three distinct auras emerged, leaving the result of the transformation unclear.

• Ling Yi connected his Martial Soul and Mental Strength to the Blue Silver Grass he had cultivated, taking control of the plants around the wooden house.
• Ling Yi activated the forest’s Super Large Spirit Gathering Soul Guidance Array, expanding his simulated Blue Silver Domain to a radius of a thousand meters.
• Ling Yi fed the Blood Essence Fruit to Tie Futu and used his Soul Power to draw pale blue light from the forest’s Blue Silver Grass.
• Ah Yin sensed the hundreds of linked Blue Silver Grass plants merge into three auras, represented by Sapphire-like original Blue Silver Grass, Light Blue Silver Grass, and Watery Blue Silver Grass.

Ling Yi brought three Blue Silver Grass plants to the peak of their nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year stage and used them to begin a compound healing skill on Tie Futu. As the treatment drained Ling Yi’s power, Ah Yin watched in amazement and recalled witnessing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill long ago.

• Ling Yi controlled the three manifested Blue Silver Grass plants and assigned Soul Rings and healing skills to each one.
• Ling Yi realized he could not sustain Tie Futu’s treatment for the required half hour with his own Soul Power, so he asked Ah Yin to stand beside him and prepare to lend her power.
• Ling Yi activated the compound skills Wood—Ceaseless Growth, Water—Water's Nourishment, and Light—Light Healing, while the Blood Essence Fruit began releasing its life energy inside Tie Futu.
• Ling Yi monitored Tie Futu’s recovery as the treatment rapidly consumed his Mental Strength and Soul Power.
• Ah Yin watched Ling Yi control the three plants and recalled witnessing a human Soul Master battle about thirteen hundred years earlier, where she learned of Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

Ling Yi used Ah Yin’s soul power to sustain his domain and fuse with three transformed Blue Silver Grass plants, while studying how martial soul compatibility depended on matching fluctuations. Their compatibility rose to ninety-five percent as his martial soul rapidly gained origin age, leaving the fusion close to completion.

• Ling Yi reached his soul-power warning line and called for Ah Yin to begin supporting him.
• Ah Yin joined hands with Ling Yi and channeled soul power into him, enabling him to maintain the domain and control the three healing Soul Skills.
• Ling Yi realized Ah Yin’s soul power rivaled that of a half-step Soul King and reflected on how martial soul quality affected power.
• With Ah Yin’s support, Ling Yi’s Blue Silver Grass martial soul gained origin age almost every second, and its compatibility with the three plants rose from eighty to ninety-five percent.
• Ling Yi theorized that Martial Soul Fusion Skills arose from matching fluctuation frequencies, and that Ah Yin’s Blue Silver Emperor status helped the three plants draw closer to him.

Ling Yi and Ah Yin treated Tie Futu until he regained consciousness, with Ah Yin supplying the Soul Power needed after Ling Yi was exhausted. During the treatment, Ah Yin discovered that Ling Yi’s fusion with the Blue Silver Grass plants was gradually washing away her Soul Beast aura, potentially changing the danger she faced as a humanoid Soul Beast.

• Ling Yi used the Blood Essence Fruit, Ah Yin’s Soul Power, and healing Soul Skills to treat Tie Futu for twenty-six minutes.
• Tie Futu regained consciousness, and Ling Yi asked him to check whether any discomfort remained while the treatment continued.
• Ah Yin realized that Ling Yi’s use of her Soul Power was slowly erasing her Soul Beast aura.
• Ah Yin recalled the risks of humanoid transformation and her efforts to avoid powerful Soul Masters while she remained in the Infant Stage.

Ah Yin wrestled with the possibility that Ling Yi could erase her Soul Beast aura and wondered whether he had discovered her secret. In Howling Wind Canyon, Zhang Lei tested the Battle Halberd that had fused with his Hoe martial soul and prepared to obtain his second Soul Ring.

• Ah Yin stayed awake, considering how Ling Yi had removed her Soul Beast aura from Tie Futu and wondering if he could do the same for her.
• Ah Yin worried that Ling Yi might have sensed what she was while controlling her soul power.
• Zhang Lei fought a Stone Armor Earth Dragon with the Battle Halberd Ling Yi had forged, then called Li Zhishu, Zhang Mufeng, and the others to help when he began to tire.
• Zhang Mufeng asked Zhang Lei what he felt after the Battle Halberd entered his soul; the weapon had fused with his Hoe martial soul and helped him break through to level 20.
• Zhang Lei and the others came to Howling Wind Canyon to hunt a Soul Beast for his second Soul Ring.

While Ling Yi resumed cultivation to catch up with Yang Shelly and Ah Yin, his friends fought a Stone Armor Earth Dragon in Howling Wind Canyon. Zhang Lei rejected its soul ring and explained that Ling Yi had recommended specific beetle soul beasts for his second ring.

• Ling Yi felt urgency after learning Yang Shelly and Ah Yin had reached Level 35, so he shifted some effort back to cultivation.
• Zhang Mufeng and Long Yin attacked the Stone Armor Earth Dragon while Qingqiu Xin and Dugu Xin watched the surroundings and Li Zhishu supported the group.
• Li Zhishu asked Zhang Lei whether he wanted to absorb the Stone Armor Earth Dragon's soul ring, but Zhang Lei declined.
• Zhang Lei said Ling Yi had advised him to seek a 600-to-800-year Hercules Beetle or Double Fork Rhinoceros Beetle, with a Silver Star Rhinoceros Beetle as an alternative in the Sea Breeze Rainforest.

In Gengxin City, Arthur Candil learned that Tie Futu had apparently broken through to Soul Douluo and was preparing to travel to the Golden Sands Desert. Lou Gao had already set out to recruit Bishop Qi, while Arthur reacted with shock and interest at the news.

• The Blacksmith Association gained effective control of Gengxin City under Lou Gao, whose influence helped the city’s trade and tax revenue grow.
• Arthur Candil sent his son Kuku Candil to study under Lou Gao and hoped Tie Futu’s possible breakthrough would benefit his family.
• Edgar interrupted Arthur in the garden to report that Tie Futu seemed to have reached Soul Douluo.
• Edgar said Lou Gao had taken one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins and gone to the Spirit Hall Main Hall to invite Bishop Qi to join the expedition to the Golden Sands Desert.
• Arthur questioned the reliability of the news and considered the significance of Bishop Qi’s involvement.

Arthur Candil questioned Kuku Candil and his attendants about Tie Futu’s breakthrough to Level 80, hoping to learn how he could reach Soul Douluo himself. Kuku and Mo Sang described Tie Futu’s forging insight and the association’s purchase of precious metals, leaving Arthur intrigued by the possibility that the materials had enabled the breakthrough.

• Arthur Candil summoned Kuku Candil and demanded to know why Lou Gao had visited the Spirit Hall Main Hall and how Tie Futu had broken through to Level 80.
• Kuku Candil said Lou Gao had gone to discuss hunting an Eighth Soul Ring for Tie Futu, then explained that Tie Futu had gained a forging insight and spent a year grasping it.
• Arthur Candil cursed Kuku for hesitating and smashed a teacup over his head, but Kuku stayed still and continued answering.
• Arthur Candil questioned Mo Sang, who recalled that Lou Gao had gathered precious metal raw materials around September of the previous year.
• Edgar confirmed that the City Lord Manor had raised prices on those materials and profited, while Mo Sang said Lou Gao and Tie Futu had seemed especially pleased during that period.

Bishop Qi weighed Lou Gao’s offer of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to help Tie Futu hunt for an Eighth Soul Ring in the Golden Sands Desert, considering the risks and his impending transfer to Spirit City. Back at the Blacksmith Association, Ling Yi explained why Bishop Qi’s cautious response seemed trustworthy and said he had built detailed character models of influential people in Gengxin City.

• Bishop Qi reflected on the differences between Spirit Hall and the Blacksmith Association after Lou Gao left.
• Bishop Qi considered whether he had enough time to help Tie Futu hunt for an Eighth Soul Ring before reporting to Spirit City, and weighed the reward against the practical concerns.
• Lou Gao returned to the Blacksmith Association headquarters, where Ling Yi and Tie Futu were discussing whether Blood Sacrifice could improve the success rate of Spirit Refinement.
• Ling Yi told Lou Gao that Bishop Qi’s request for three days to decide showed he was cautious and not easily swayed by money.
• Ling Yi explained that he had studied the people and power structures of Gengxin City and could assess Bishop Qi’s character with considerable accuracy.

Ling Yi completed a lifelike Wind Shadow Leopard statue and returned to Gengxin City, where Lou Gao reported that Bishop Qi had agreed to support their operation. Ling Yi prepared to set out for the Golden Sands Desert and arranged to send the statue to auction in Silves Kingdom.

• Ling Yi finished carving the Wind Shadow Leopard statue, while Yang Shelly teased the real Wind Shadow Leopard and praised the sculpture.
• Lou Gao told Ling Yi that Bishop Qi had accepted their commission and received the Thousand Jun Rod as an advance thank-you gift.
• Ling Yi said they should prepare to set out and asked about Tie Futu’s progress controlling his strength after breaking through.
• Lou Gao described their reconnaissance and maps of the Golden Sands Desert, including the unknown core region and the selected Soul Beast targets.
• Ling Yi showed Tie Futu the statue and instructed Lou Gao to arrange its sale in Silves Kingdom, following their agreed bidding plan.

Bishop Qi and the temporary team reached the Golden Sands Desert to hunt Tie Futu’s eighth soul ring, after Qi learned that the Blacksmith Association’s secret Azure Wood Battle Armor helped its younger members keep pace on the journey. The team began fighting an eleven-thousand-year Arid Land Sand Lizard, while Ling Yi, Yang Shelly, and Ah Yin discussed Qi’s lack of staff techniques.

• Tie Futu’s eight-person team traveled to the Golden Sands Desert, with Bishop Qi serving as its practical leader.
• Qi recalled doubting the team’s strength until he saw Ling Yi and the other young members use Azure Wood Battle Armor to keep pace with the Soul Sages.
• Qi rejected the Blacksmith Association’s offer to sell him a set of Azure Wood Battle Armor after finding it ineffective for a Soul Sage.
• Qi struck the eleven-thousand-year Arid Land Sand Lizard repeatedly with the Thousand Jun Rod while Tie Futu and the others guarded the area.
• Ling Yi and Yang Shelly wondered whether Qi knew staff techniques, and Ah Yin considered showing Ling Yi her whip skills.

Qi and his companions continued through the desert after he drove off an Arid Land Sand Lizard, while Ling Yi explained why Soul Masters were expected to avoid killing soul beasts unnecessarily. The group learned that the rule protected soul-beast populations from being depleted by the demand for Soul Rings.

• Qi put away the Thousand Jun Rod, ended his Martial Soul Avatar, and chose not to pursue the fleeing Arid Land Sand Lizard.
• Tie Futu led the group onward toward the desert's depths.
• Ah Yin asked Ling Yi why Qi had spared the lizard when it might have yielded a Soul Bone, and Ling Yi used the Sound-Eating Bat Statue to keep their conversation private.
• Ling Yi reminded Ah Yin and Yang Shelly that Spirit Hall and the Two Great Empires discouraged killing soul beasts unless necessary to preserve their populations.
• Ling Yi explained that unrestricted Soul Ring hunting could drive soul beasts toward extinction, and Ah Yin fell silent when he asked whether a Level 99 Peerless Douluo could be challenged by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast.

Ling Yi explained to Ah Yin and Yang Shelly that humans and soul beasts were bound in a cycle of hunting, then praised Bishop Qi for sparing an Arid Land Sand Lizard despite its considerable value. Ah Yin was horrified by Ling Yi’s account of Soul Masters who tortured soul beasts for profit and vowed to kill such a person if she ever encountered one.

• Ling Yi described the food chain between humans and soul beasts as a matter of survival rather than morality.
• Ling Yi explained that humans protected soul beast populations so future Soul Masters could obtain Soul Rings.
• Ling Yi said Bishop Qi was decent for letting the Arid Land Sand Lizard escape instead of claiming its valuable body and potential Soul Bone.
• Ling Yi told Ah Yin and Yang Shelly that some greedy people slaughtered and tortured high-age soul beasts in hopes of increasing the chance of obtaining Soul Bones.
• Ah Yin was shaken by the revelation and vowed to destroy the person blinded by greed, confident that she could grow strong enough with Ling Yi’s help.

Ling Yi persuaded Tie Futu to seek a fire-attribute Soul Beast in Roaring Volcano for his Eighth Soul Ring, then entered the area with the squad during a downpour. He and Ah Yin scattered Blue Silver Grass seeds to create a stealthy scouting network, which they expected to sprout within half an hour.

• Ling Yi explained that a fire-attribute Soul Ring would best support Tie Futu's Flame Ant Martial Soul and future advancement, and Tie Futu agreed to continue toward Roaring Volcano.
• The squad entered Roaring Volcano's eruption range as torrential rain began, masking their movements and reducing the chance of detection.
• Ling Yi took out a huge crossbow and a chest of seed packets, then used it to scatter Blue Silver Grass seeds across the area.
• Ling Yi told Kui Qi that he and Ah Yin could use Blue Silver Domain to sense the surrounding Blue Silver Grass and scout across more than ten li.
• Ling Yi estimated that the seeds would sprout within half an hour.

Ling Yi led the group away from the dangerous slopes of Roaring Volcano while shaping Kui Qi’s impression of him for future dealings with powerful factions. Two days earlier, Arthur Candil had secretly searched the Blacksmith Association Headquarters for a hidden vault, convinced it held the secret behind Tie Futu’s breakthrough.

• Ling Yi and Ah Yin sensed Blue Silver Grass across the area, but Ling Yi turned the group back before they ventured farther toward Roaring Volcano.
• Kui Qi saw the others trust Ling Yi’s decisions and concluded that Ling Yi held influence even above Lou Gao and Tie Futu in the Blacksmith Association.
• Ling Yi reflected on the reputation he wanted Kui Qi to carry to Spirit Hall and wondered about events unfolding in Gengxin City.
• Arthur Candil sneaked into the Blacksmith Association Headquarters and searched its floors for the entrance to the Secret Vault.
• Arthur Candil found no vault entrance, but he remained convinced that Lou Gao and Tie Futu were hiding something connected to Tie Futu’s Soul Power breakthrough.

Si Long delivered Tie Futu’s invitation to City Lord Manor but learned that Count Arthur Candil had gone into seclusion, while Arthur secretly arranged for Kuku to represent the family. Ling Yi and Lou Gao then discussed a bare patch on the wall of the forging room and the missing Starry Sky Fireworks.

• Si Long brought Tie Futu’s invitation to City Lord Manor, where Edgar politely told him that Count Arthur Candil was in seclusion.
• Edgar entered a hidden passage and reported Si Long’s visit to Arthur, who decided that Kuku would attend the gathering with Edgar.
• Kuku asked when Ron would return and learned that he had been away for ten days in Mist Coffin Canyon near Lost Trace Grand Canyon.
• Edgar and Kuku separately wondered at the timing of Ron’s absence, with Edgar hinting that he had expected the Count not to return ten days earlier.
• At the Blacksmith Association, Ling Yi asked Lou Gao whether he should decorate a bare patch on Number One Forging Room’s wall.
• Lou Gao asked who had touched the Starry Sky Fireworks that Ling Yi had placed in each of the other thirty-six forging rooms.

After investigating signs of a spatial incident at the Blacksmith Association, Ling Yi told Lou Gao and Tie Futu that the culprit remained unknown but would likely pose no immediate threat now that Tie Futu had become a Soul Douluo. Ling Yi outlined a long-term plan to strengthen the association by developing its top blacksmiths first, then spreading their skills and influence through the industry.

• Ling Yi traced a faint blood scent from the fifth floor to a third-floor window, where the trail ended, and considered several possible suspects.
• Ling Yi told Lou Gao and Tie Futu that Tie Futu’s new Soul Douluo strength made the association Gengxin City’s leading power, while warning that the culprit’s identity was still uncertain.
• Lou Gao asked how the association should develop, and Ling Yi proposed starting with an upper-level route that focused on Blacksmith Masters and above.
• Ling Yi described a three-stage, fifteen-year plan to train Spirit Refinement blacksmiths, have skilled practitioners teach others across the Star Luo Empire, and eventually spread the reform across Douluo Continent.
• Ling Yi poured fruit wine for Tie Futu and Lou Gao and remarked, “This is Douluo Continent, after all.”

After Kuku Candil began gaining influence in the Candil Family, Ling Yi studied Tie Futu’s Soul Douluo power and concluded that Mental Strength played a key role in advancement. Tie Futu then asked Ling Yi why he carried the aura of a Soul Beast.

• Kuku Candil represented Arthur Candil at Tie Futu’s banquet and began taking control of the Candil Family with Edgar’s help.
• Ling Yi examined Tie Futu’s Soul Power while Lou Gao listened to their discussion.
• Tie Futu explained that his Mental Strength had merged further with his Martial Soul and Soul Power after advancing to Soul Douluo.
• Ling Yi reasoned that Mental Strength guided the transformations needed to reach Soul Saint and Soul Douluo, then stopped himself from commenting on Lou Gao’s Mental Strength.
• Tie Futu asked Ling Yi why he had the aura of a Soul Beast.

Ling Yi explained to Tie Futu and Lou Gao how he cultivated Blue Silver Grass to obtain his first soul ring and improve his talent, clearing up why he carried a soul beast aura. Tie Futu accepted the explanation but asked whether Ah Yin had done the same.

• Tie Futu revealed that Ling Yi carried a soul beast aura, and privately resolved to protect him even if he was a shapeshifting soul beast.
• Lou Gao misunderstood Tie Futu's warning and offered to hire an expert to kill whoever threatened Ling Yi.
• Ling Yi explained that he had refused help hunting his first soul ring because he feared being given a ten-year ring due to his poor innate talent.
• Ling Yi brought out a giant Blue Silver Grass and revealed that he had cultivated it from seeds until he raised three hundred-year specimens and absorbed one as his first soul ring.
• Ling Yi explained that the Blue Silver Grass ring had strengthened his martial soul and improved his cultivation, then Tie Futu asked if Ah Yin had also absorbed a Blue Silver Grass soul ring.