Chapter Summaries

Yu Xiaogang left Gengxin City alone after passing his Intermediate Blacksmith assessment with an unremarkable Grade B result, troubled by his perceived lack of talent. A Gu respected his choice and reflected on the Blacksmith Association’s open approach to training as Liu Erlong and her mother arrived at a hotel.

• Yu Xiaogang recalled his admiration and resentment toward Ling Yi and felt disappointed that his forged work earned a Grade B.
• After the assessment, Yu Xiaogang left Gengxin City alone, wondering what path suited him.
• Si Long told A Gu that Yu Xiaogang had departed without saying goodbye, and A Gu examined Yu Xiaogang’s assessment knife.
• A Gu explained that Yu Xiaogang had steady forging talent and could become a Blacksmith Master, but said the Association would respect his decision to leave.
• A Gu described the Blacksmith Association’s goal of becoming an open, academy-style organization that trained people from across the continent.
• Liu Erlong and her mother entered a hotel to rest.

Dugu Xin and his companions gathered with Dugu Bo for a meal in Heaven Dou City and learned that Ling Yi and two women were still traveling south after stopping in Snow Moon City. The group was disappointed that Ling Yi would not arrive soon.

• Dugu Xin asked Dugu Bo when Ling Yi and the others would arrive, then invited Nie Rong to join them for dinner.
• Dugu Bo pretended he was not waiting for Dugu Xin, but took the meat Dugu Xin had been about to eat and told everyone to eat.
• Dugu Bo asked Nie Rong to explain when Ling Yi and the two women would arrive.
• Nie Rong said Ling Yi and the two women had reached Snow Moon City seven days earlier and planned to visit Skywater City before heading south to Heaven Dou City.
• Dugu Xin, Long Yin, Qingqiu Xin, and Zhang Mufeng were disappointed that Ling Yi was still some way off.

Dugu Bo took Dugu Xin to Sunset Forest to cultivate at the fog-shrouded mountain, where Dugu Xin alone gained a powerful boost from his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul. As Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin headed out of Heaven Dou City, a wounded creature on the mountain sensed humans and vowed to attack them once it healed.

• Dugu Bo invited Dugu Xin to leave the city with him, while Qingqiu Xin, Long Yin, and Zhang Mufeng stayed behind to cultivate.
• Dugu Bo recalled how he had found that the mountain's fog made his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul and Soul Power unusually active, though he had never investigated the cause.
• Dugu Bo had brought Dugu Xin and his three companions to the mountain regularly, but only Dugu Xin received the special cultivation benefit.
• Qingqiu Xin, Long Yin, and Zhang Mufeng set up their portable miniature Mimetic Cultivation Grounds in their rooms.
• A wounded creature atop the fog-shrouded mountain sensed humans and planned to devour them after recovering.
• Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin followed the crowd out through Heaven Dou City's East City Gate.

Dugu Bo sensed a hidden presence watching him and Dugu Xin near Mist Mountain, sent his son out of Sunset Forest, and returned alone to investigate. He spotted a huge Azure Water Serpent near the mountain as scarlet eyes watched from above.

• Dugu Xin used Bone-Adhering Gangrene to hinder a swarm of Violet Shadow Leopard Cats and left the poisoned area with Dugu Bo.
• Dugu Bo stopped Dugu Xin from approaching a cave on Mist Mountain after sensing a hidden presence watching them.
• Dugu Bo sent Dugu Xin out of Sunset Forest and returned alone to investigate the mountain.
• Dugu Bo hid in a tree and watched a massive Azure Water Serpent slither toward Mist Mountain as scarlet eyes opened on the mountainside.

Ling Yi visited Ninth Prince Xue Xing in Heaven Dou City, using his connection to Count Altimos to secure an audience. Xue Xing welcomed him warmly, while the chapter outlined the prince’s ties to the military and his limited prospects in the imperial succession struggle.

• Ling Yi told Dugu Xin he planned to visit someone and left with him for a residence in Heaven Dou City.
• Ling Yi introduced himself to the guards as a friend of Count Altimos, and Ninth Prince Xue Xing invited him and Dugu Xin inside.
• Ling Yi and Dugu Xin greeted Xue Xing, who said Altimos had praised Ling Yi and welcomed him to talk.
• The narration explained Xue Xing’s connections to the military and the challenges he would face if he sought the throne.

Ling Yi and his companions visited the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, where Ah Yin and Yang Shelly won their matches, and Ling Yi spent several days building connections in Heaven Dou City. Dugu Bo returned from Sunset Forest and met privately with Ling Yi and Dugu Xin, while Ling Yi reflected on how he and Ah Yin concealed her Soul Beast aura.

• Ling Yi and Dugu Xin left Xue Xing's estate and went to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, where Ah Yin and Yang Shelly won their solo and paired spirit fights.
• Ling Yi, Yang Shelly, Ah Yin, and Dugu Xin returned to the Small Courtyard East of the City after registering the women's victory points.
• Over the next five days, Ling Yi used acquaintances including Altimos, Lian Lane, and Long Long to meet influential people in Heaven Dou City.
• On the seventh evening after Ling Yi arrived, Dugu Bo returned from Sunset Forest and sent everyone else away before speaking with Ling Yi and Dugu Xin in private.
• Dugu Bo checked for spies nearby, while Ling Yi sensed that Ah Yin could still hear them through the Blue Silver Grass.
• Ling Yi recalled that he and Ah Yin used their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to reduce her Blue Silver Emperor aura, keeping it concealed for more than half a month at a time.

Dugu Bo asked Ling Yi for help hunting an injured, high-age Flood Dragon Soul Beast on Mist Mountain for his seventh Soul Ring. Ling Yi agreed to inspect the site with him the next day and urged him to stay patient and avoid acting recklessly.

• Dugu Bo revealed that he believed the Flood Dragon Soul Beast on Mist Mountain was injured and admitted he wanted it as his seventh Soul Ring.
• Ling Yi identified the creature as a Flood Dragon and asked when Dugu Bo expected to reach level 70; Dugu Bo estimated a little over three months.
• Dugu Bo explained that the beast was at least forty-five thousand years old and that he feared hired Soul Masters might betray him or claim a Soul Bone.
• Ling Yi agreed to inspect the situation in Sunset Forest with Dugu Bo the next day before offering advice.
• Ling Yi urged Dugu Bo to restrain his desire, stay calm, and wait for the right moment.

Ling Yi, Ah Yin, and Dugu Bo entered Sunset Forest to investigate the mountain where the beast-king-level Flood Dragon was believed to dwell, while Yang Shelly stayed behind and resolved to become strong enough to accompany Ling Yi. They reached the mist-shrouded mountain, and Ling Yi admired it as a treasure mountain.

• Ling Yi left Heaven Dou City with Ah Yin and Dugu Bo, while Yang Shelly watched them go and wondered whether greater strength would let her stay by Ling Yi's side.
• Yang Shelly ordered Long Yin to wake their companions and take them to the Great Spirit Arena.
• Ling Yi, Ah Yin, and Dugu Bo entered Sunset Forest, where Ling Yi carefully studied the terrain and marked Blue Silver Grass with Ah Yin's help.
• The trio followed the sulfur scent to a mountain just over five hundred meters high, whose summit was hidden by clouds and mist.
• Ling Yi praised the mountain as a treasure, while Dugu Bo silently questioned whether its summit held an immortal or a Soul Beast.

Ling Yi and Ah Yin surveyed the forest around Mist Mountain with their amplified Blue Silver Domain, then mapped the Soul Beasts they had found for Dugu Bo. The chapter left them considering their next move with a clearer picture of the dangers surrounding the mountain.

• Ling Yi and Ah Yin expanded their Martial Soul Fusion Skill’s Blue Silver Domain to investigate a radius of nearly twenty li around Mist Mountain.
• Ling Yi and Ah Yin spent the day surveying the forest while Dugu Bo followed to protect them, and the three returned after nightfall.
• Ling Yi built a treehouse in a giant tree and laid out pastries on a table to represent the Soul Beasts they had located.
• Ling Yi identified several Hundred Year and Thousand Year Soul Beasts, including dragonborn species, and indicated that one distant beast was ten thousand years old.
• Ling Yi told Dugu Bo that understanding both themselves and their enemies would help them choose their next move.

Over three months, Ling Yi repeatedly explored Mist Mountain with Ah Yin while Yang Shelly dominated Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena’s Soul Ancestor bouts. Director Lakenas avoided risking bets against her and promoted fights featuring her or Ah Yin, while Ling Yi’s healing made the Arena’s battles more intense.

• Ling Yi visited Sunset Forest with Ah Yin roughly every ten days to investigate Mist Mountain and nearby Soul Beast activity.
• Yang Shelly defeated Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena’s Soul Ancestor opponents and became known as Jade Rakshasa, leaving the Arena unwilling to offer bets on her same-rank matches.
• After learning Yang Shelly belonged to the Breaking Clan’s Yang Clan, Lakenas abandoned any plan to manipulate her and instead promoted her fights against Soul Kings and Ah Yin’s bouts.
• Ling Yi’s healing let Arena fighters battle more fiercely, and Lakenas valued his services as exceptionally cost-effective.
• The chapter compared Ling Yi’s healing work with the influence that powerful Support System Soul Masters such as Altimos could gain.

At the Great Spirit Arena, Yang Shelly and Ah Yin prepared to face the veteran Gold Spirit combination Heavenly Cripple and Earthly Deficiency, while Lakenas worried that their private hostility could disrupt the match. He learned that Ling Yi had gone to the opposing team’s rest area just before the battle began.

• Spectators debated whether to bet on the Kusanagi Combination or Heavenly Cripple and Earthly Deficiency, comparing their ranks, records, and Soul Power levels.
• The chapter outlined the fighters’ credentials and the Arena’s ranking system, while noting that the odds favored Yang Shelly and Ah Yin.
• Lakenas left his VIP box to seek Ling Yi, concerned that Yang Shelly and Ah Yin would quarrel during the match.
• Lakenas found Yang Shelly and Ah Yin seated far apart in their rest area and learned that Ling Yi had gone to Heavenly Cripple and Earthly Deficiency’s rest area.

Ling Yi prepared Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai to fight freely in a spirit battle tied to a wager over Blue Silver Rice, while Lakenas secured the rest area against interference. In Spirit City, Qian Xunji sent Kui Qi to help Salas claim Blue Silver Rice and revealed that Ling Yi had drawn his attention because of the idea of faith.

• Ling Yi told Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai to give their all in the battle and promised to treat any injuries they suffered.
• Lakenas warned Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai that powerful spectators were watching and led Ling Yi away, while Jie Ying She guarded the rest area.
• Ling Yi explained that Third Prince Xue Ye and Red Cardinal Salas had wagered on the match, with Blue Silver Rice distribution rights at stake, and promised Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai they would not be punished for the result.
• Ling Yi reasoned that the Blue Silver Rice dispute had grown from a chain of ordinary decisions and that the rice’s limited seed supply had caused the disagreement over quotas.
• Qian Xunji ordered Kui Qi to go to Heaven Dou City, cooperate with Salas, and ensure Spirit Hall controlled Blue Silver Rice.
• After Kui Qi left, Qian Xunji considered Ling Yi interesting because of the term faith that Qian Daoliu had once mentioned.

Yang Shelly and Ah Yin fought Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai in a two-on-two spirit fight, and Ah Yin’s battlefield-controlling soul skills gave their side the advantage. Ling Yi watched from the VIP box, confident the result was decided, while he waited to learn whether his larger plan would draw in a major target.

• Yang Shelly countered Xi Tai’s attack with a dangerous strike, while Ah Yin’s whip stopped his claws and Cai Wenhao’s sound blade deflected Yang Shelly’s scythe.
• After the opening exchange, both teams gauged their opponents’ strength and teamwork before Cai Wenhao summoned three soldiers with his fourth soul skill and Xi Tai charged again.
• Yang Shelly led the counterattack as Ah Yin activated all four soul-ring skills, causing Blue Silver Grass to spread across the arena and constrain the enemy team.
• Ling Yi told Lakenas that the spirit fight’s outcome was already clear, then reflected that Spirit Hall should have received news of the wager and hoped his plan would attract a major target.

After the Kusanagi Combination defeated Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai, Ling Yi healed the losers and met with Salas, Xue Ye, and Lakenas to discuss their wager and the spread of Blue Silver Rice. He secured Spirit Hall’s role in distributing the seeds across most of the continent and won access to several libraries, while the three power brokers each formed a favorable impression of him.

• The Kusanagi Combination won the battle, and Ling Yi used his Soul Skills and medical skill to heal Cai Wenhao and Xi Tai and clear their accumulated hidden injuries.
• Ling Yi and Lakenas entered the VIP box, where Xue Ye asked them to witness his wager with Salas; Salas accepted his loss gracefully.
• Ling Yi and Lakenas navigated Xue Ye’s effort to test the Menethil Family’s stance, and Lakenas established an initial relationship of trust with Xue Ye.
• Ling Yi promised Salas that Spirit Hall would manage Blue Silver Rice distribution across the continent except in the Waterwood Principality and Xue Ye’s Northern Territory.
• Lakenas, Xue Ye, and Salas agreed to Ling Yi’s requests to borrow Menethil Family classics and enter the libraries of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Holy Temple.

Kui Qi arrived in Heaven Dou City and learned that Ling Yi had entrusted Spirit Hall with spreading Blue Silver Rice across most of the continent. Ling Yi explained why Spirit Hall was best suited to distribute continent-wide benefits, but Dugu Bo interrupted before he could give his third reason, leaving Xue Ye waiting for the answer.

• Kui Qi met Salas and Sa Fande Sa, praised Ling Yi’s judgment, and recounted his earlier connection with him in Gengxin City.
• Long Yin and the others questioned Ling Yi about entrusting Blue Silver Rice’s dissemination to Spirit Hall, and Qingqiu Xin guessed that Ling Yi had planned it from the start.
• Long Yin recalled Ling Yi’s explanation that the Two Great Empires funded soul-master subsidies but relied on Spirit Hall to distribute them across the continent.
• Ling Yi began explaining that Spirit Hall could coordinate across divided nations and was less politically self-interested, while its adjudicators helped prevent funds from being stolen.
• Xue Ye’s guard reported that Dugu Bo had abruptly taken Ling Yi out of the city before he could explain his third reason.

Ling Yi revealed that Spirit Hall’s influence depended on reputation and faith, then prepared to intervene in the affairs of the Demon Dragon Zi Xi near Mist Mountain. He left the group watching Zi Xi in pain as clouds churned overhead, with his plan to force the creature to make a decision underway.

• Sa Fande Sa explained to Kui Qi and Salas that Ling Yi’s unspoken third consideration was reputation and popular support.
• Ling Yi asked Dugu Bo whether his cultivation had stabilized, then agreed to help the creature near Mist Mountain make up its mind.
• Ling Yi brought Dugu Bo, Ah Yin, and Yang Shelly to a high peak and launched three crystal spheres carrying shattered Thousand Year Black Ice and other materials into the clouds.
• Ling Yi gave the others telescopes and showed them the purple flood dragon near Mist Mountain, which trembled and licked its abdomen.
• Ling Yi identified the flood dragon as Demon Dragon Zi Xi.

Ling Yi used artificial rain and the Yuan Magnetic Lightning Guiding Array to expose Demon Dragon Zi Xi on Mist Mountain and weaken it with repeated lightning strikes. As Zi Xi began recovering from its wound, a serpent-bodied woman with a Medusa-like head emerged from the mountain’s foot, and Ah Yin recognized her as the Empress of Serpents.

• Ling Yi confirmed that Dugu Bo had buried all one thousand and eighty metal rods around Mist Mountain, then waited for the storm he had predicted and helped trigger.
• The Yuan Magnetic Lightning Guiding Array guided a bolt of heavenly thunder onto Mist Mountain, scattering its fog as Demon Dragon Zi Xi countered with purple lightning.
• A second lightning strike forced Demon Dragon Zi Xi to use its purple-black orb, after which purple-gold arcs began dissolving the golden energy in its abdominal wound.
• Ling Yi inferred that Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s wound came from a sacred light-attribute attack and connected it to a past battle between Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen.
• A graceful serpent-bodied figure emerged from the forest and climbed Mist Mountain, prompting Dugu Bo to announce its arrival.
• Ah Yin identified the figure as the Empress of Serpents—Medusa, a powerful Soul Beast overlord.

Ling Yi’s plan brought Dugu Bo to Mist Mountain, where Dugu Bo ambushed and killed the weakened Demon Dragon Zi Xi after its battle with Medusa. Dugu Bo began absorbing the beast’s Soul Ring as Ling Yi considered how its remaining treasures could strengthen him as a Dao Protector.

• Ling Yi noticed the heavenly lightning had weakened the sacred energy in the Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s wound, while Medusa climbed Mist Mountain to attack it.
• Medusa ambushed the Demon Dragon Zi Xi, and the two Soul Beasts fought for roughly half an hour until both were gravely injured.
• Ling Yi assembled gliders, and Dugu Bo used them to descend onto Mist Mountain and strike both beasts with his Miao Dao, killing the Demon Dragon Zi Xi and leaving Medusa near death.
• Ling Yi explained that the Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s lightning injuries and the sacred energy in its wound had helped make the ambush succeed.
• Dugu Bo began absorbing the Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s Soul Ring while Yang Shelly and Ah Yin watched for danger.
• Ling Yi considered how to use the Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s Inner Core and head Soul Bone to improve Dugu Bo’s strength.

After absorbing Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s Soul Ring and advancing to level seventy-one, Dugu Bo received the dragon’s Inner Core and Medusa’s Soul Bone from Ling Yi, then helped him harvest the dragon’s remains. The group headed toward the mist-covered mountaintop to investigate a possible volcanic crater, with Dugu Bo scouting ahead.

• Dugu Bo absorbed Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s Soul Ring, broke through to level seventy-one, and found the dragon’s Inner Core and a Green Crystal Soul Bone before him.
• Ling Yi offered Dugu Bo the Inner Core and Soul Bone while preparing to collect Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s corpse, leaving Dugu Bo conflicted about accepting the rare treasure.
• Ling Yi processed and stored Demon Dragon Zi Xi’s body, while explaining that he had sealed Medusa’s Soul Ring and corpse in a Vitality Coffin for research.
• Dugu Bo absorbed Medusa’s ten-thousand-year skull Soul Bone, then tried to help Ling Yi finish dismantling the dragon before stepping aside as Ling Yi completed the work.
• Ling Yi proposed investigating the sulfurous, mist-covered mountaintop for a volcanic crater whose Earth Fire could forge the dragon’s bones and scales.
• Dugu Bo rushed ahead into the persistent white mist to scout, and Ling Yi called after him to be careful.

Ling Yi, Dugu Bo, Ah Yin, and Yang Shelly discovered a strange red-and-white hot spring at the bottom of a misty hollow, surrounded by plants that seemed powerful and potentially dangerous. After Ling Yi sensed an unsettling aura near the pool, he urged the group to descend cautiously and gave everyone Starry Sky Fireworks in case a formidable Soul Beast was hiding below.

• Ling Yi identified the mountaintop hollow as a hot spring formed where an Underground Fire Vein met an Underground Water Vein, then led the others down the cliff.
• Ling Yi used his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to create a vine walkway, and the group spotted an oval pool divided into milky white and vermilion waters.
• Ah Yin sensed more than ten plants with auras comparable to Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts, while Dugu Bo and Yang Shelly recognized the pool's resemblance to Shan Hai Estate's Yin Yang Stone Platform.
• Ling Yi sensed an unsettling aura and a feeling of boiling blood near the pool, so he warned the others to land by the edge and avoid approaching it.
• Ah Yin warned that Soul Beasts might be present, and Ling Yi handed out Starry Sky Fireworks for the group to use if a powerful Soul Beast appeared.