Chapter Summaries

Ling Yi learned from Zhang Lei’s account of cultivating the Basic Meditation Method that he had misread one of its instructions and followed the wrong route. He realized his confidence had trapped him in an Obstruction of Knowledge and Views, leaving him to regret the mistake in private.

• Ling Yi asked Zhang Lei how his cultivation was going, and Zhang Lei described circulating soul power and drawing in green and yellow specks of light.
• Ling Yi became troubled by Zhang Lei’s detailed account, then asked him to explain more about his meditation and reminded him not to overexert himself.
• Ling Yi reflected that Zhang Lei had developed level-two soul power through physical training, occasional hypnosis-assisted deep sleep, and nourishing food.
• After Zhang Lei left, Ling Yi realized he had misunderstood “the outer side of the end of the little finger” in the Basic Meditation Method and had confidently followed the wrong interpretation.

After overcoming a mistaken assumption about his knowledge and views, Ling Yi tested how Deep Sleep restored his mind and meridians after cultivation. He realized the method could let him cultivate for far longer each day and planned to use it to advance alongside Zhang Lei.

• Ling Yi reflected on breaking through the Obstruction of Knowledge and Views and recognized that his Mental Strength was unusually strong for his age.
• Ling Yi entered Deep Sleep, during which his body absorbed spiritual energy and restored his mind and Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian.
• Ling Yi woke after an hour and found his mind fully recovered and his meridian more resilient than before cultivation.
• Ling Yi realized he could alternate cultivation with Deep Sleep to extend his daily cultivation time beyond that of many naturally gifted Soul Masters.
• Ling Yi resolved to use his self-made cultivation advantage to progress together with Zhang Lei.

Ling Yi and Zhang Lei ventured into Old Forest to find a branch from the Iron Birch Tree, while Ling Yi used his heightened senses and careful technique to navigate the woods. Ling Yi cut down a branch for Zhang Lei and reflected that his precise method still took too long to use in a fight.

• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei entered Old Forest with A'Huang and Meow Meow, carrying supplies and weapons.
• Ling Yi sensed the surrounding insects, animals, and plants through his advanced Mental Strength while guiding Zhang Lei toward the Iron Birch Tree.
• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei reached the clearing where the Iron Birch Tree stood, and Zhang Lei found a branch of a suitable size.
• Ling Yi climbed the tree and used his Mental Strength and sickle to cut off the branch for Zhang Lei.
• Ling Yi considered how his technique could cut materials cleanly but took too long to use in combat.

Ling Yi and Zhang Lei finished building a trap pit in the Old Forest and shared a meal of Beggar’s Chicken, roasted rabbit and fish, and snake soup with Meow Meow and A'Huang. They cleaned up the area and headed home, leaving the trap ready for its target.

• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei worked together to finish a deep trap pit and plant sharpened wooden spikes at its bottom.
• They covered the pit with thin poles and turf, then collected A'Huang and went to wash at a nearby stream.
• Ling Yi filled a hidden water pit while Zhang Lei dug Beggar’s Chicken out of the coals.
• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei fed Meow Meow and A'Huang, roasted rabbit and grass carp, and cooked snake soup.
• After eating, Ling Yi and Zhang Lei buried the animals’ waste around the trap pit and set off for home.

Ling Yi and Zhang Lei ambushed a wild boar herd at Chaotic Stone Beach, using Meow Meow and A'Huang to draw off its strongest members before they subdued the rest. They left the captured young boars and adult carcasses behind and followed the trail to check whether the seven pursuing boars had reached the Trap Pit.

• Ling Yi sent Meow Meow and A'Huang to attack two adult male wild boars, then had them lure the herd's leader and six adults away.
• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei attacked the remaining herd, shooting down three adult wild boars and all twenty-two young wild boars.
• Ling Yi fed the young boars a homemade sleeping drug while Zhang Lei covered the adult boars' wounds to slow the spread of their scent.
• Ling Yi and Zhang Lei followed the trail of the seven pursuing wild boars to see whether Meow Meow and A'Huang had led them to the Trap Pit.

A year after his Martial Soul Awakening, Ling Yi displayed exceptional blacksmithing skill while preparing to attend an academy in Mu Zhi City. Master Jiang arranged a letter for him to deliver to a Master Craftsman there, and Ling Yi continued training as his departure approached.

• Ling Bai praised Ling Yi's forging, and Master Jiang judged his sickle-sharpening skill better than his own.
• Master Jiang learned that Ling Yi would leave for Mu Zhi City in three days to enroll as a Work-study Student.
• Master Jiang asked Ling Yi to visit the shop before leaving and promised him a letter for the Master Craftsman Vajra Old Man Jin at Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop.
• Ling Yi accepted the request, asked Master Jiang for forging advice, and returned to work alongside Ling Bai.
• Ling Yi reflected on his growth over the past year, including his Soul Power reaching level 3 and his expanding skills and methods.

After more than a year of training, Ling Yi said goodbye to Master Huang before leaving North River Mouth Town for Mu Zhi City and Martial Soul Academy. He then headed to the Spirit Hall to bid farewell to Yan Bin.

• Ling Yi reflected on his gains in Soul Power, physical training, weapon skills, and hypnosis over the past year.
• Ling Yi visited Master Huang and said he was leaving for Martial Soul Academy.
• Master Huang encouraged Ling Yi to study and cultivate at the academy, praising his progress with four weapons.
• Ling Yi explained that the young master of the Ison Family had offered him a ride to Mu Zhi City.
• Ling Yi left the Huang Residence and went to the Spirit Hall to say goodbye to Yan Bin.

Ling Yi left North River Mouth Town for Mu Zhi City to enroll at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy, bidding farewell to his family and friends. As the carriage headed west, he reflected on Master Jiang’s revelation about his master and the unknown future ahead.

• Ling Yi said goodbye to his parents, siblings, relatives, Zhang Lei, A'Huang, and Meow Meow, asking them to look after one another while he was away.
• Ling Yi told Master Jiang he would remember the letter and learned that Vajra Old Man Jin was a Blacksmith Master and one of the Waterwood Principality’s Three Great Masters.
• Ethan Parker urged Ling Yi to board the carriage and asked him to call him senior once Ling Yi enrolled.
• Ling Yi traveled toward Mu Zhi City with Ethan Parker and his two younger cousins, who felt awkward about having taken the town’s Work-study Student slots the previous year.
• Ling Yi considered Master Jiang’s words as the carriage carried him away from home toward an uncertain future.

Ling Yi reflected on the value of his blacksmith identity and the connections Master Jiang, Yan Bin, and others could provide as he traveled toward Mu Zhi City. He planned to use Master Jiang’s letter to meet Old Master Jin and establish himself at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy, where he would soon arrive.

• Ling Yi considered how skilled blacksmiths could support powerful soul masters and concluded that his blacksmith status was worth maintaining.
• He connected Master Jiang, Master Jin, and Yan Bin to potential contacts in the blacksmith community, the military, and Spirit Hall.
• As the carriage traveled through unfamiliar scenery, Ling Yi studied the Ison family and inferred that Ethan Parker, Ethan Lillian, and Ethan Anno had struggled at the academy.
• Ling Yi decided he needed a presentable identity among his new classmates and planned to use Master Jiang’s letter to secure a meeting with Old Master Jin.
• Ling Yi recalled that he had reached Intermediate Blacksmith level after only one year of forging, matching Master Jiang’s rank after nearly forty years of practice.

Ling Yi arrived at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy in Mu Zhi City and was admitted as a work-study student. After learning about the dormitory arrangements and tensions between work-study and fee-paying students, he settled in for the night before completing enrollment the next morning.

• Ling Yi and the Parker family entered Mu Zhi City and stopped near Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy.
• Ling Yi presented his martial soul and work-study certificates to the gatekeeper and gained admission to the academy.
• Ethan Parker showed Ling Yi the work-study dormitory and warned him to avoid the fee-paying students' dormitories.
• Ling Yi received his room key and reached Room 304, while Ethan Parker explained that he still had to register with the Admissions Office in the morning.

Ling Yi settled into Room 304 at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy and met his new roommate, Mo Yuan, and Mo Yuan’s childhood sweetheart, Yun Lan. After spending the evening with them, he woke the next morning concerned that the dormitory was slowing his Soul Power cultivation and planned to grow Blue Silver Grass near his bed.

• Ling Yi checked Room 304 and confirmed that Mo Yuan had opened its window, then entered and began arranging his bedding.
• Mo Yuan arrived with Yun Lan, and Ling Yi helped Mo Yuan make his bed before learning about their martial souls, Soul Power ranks, and hometown.
• Ling Yi, Mo Yuan, and Yun Lan shared their food and grew more familiar, then Mo Yuan escorted Yun Lan back to Room 301.
• Ling Yi washed up, reviewed the day's events, and went to sleep after saying goodnight to Mo Yuan.
• Ling Yi woke early and decided to grow Blue Silver Grass near his bed after registering at the Admissions Office.

Ling Yi enrolled at the academy, where teachers learned that cultivating near abundant Blue Silver Grass had helped his soul power rise from half a level to over Level 3 in a year. He was allowed to plant Blue Silver Grass in his dormitory, while the teachers debated how his unusual advantage might affect his chances of becoming a Soul Master.

• Ling Yi tested his soul power with a crystal ball, which glowed blue to about a third of its capacity before a teacher returned the absorbed soul power to him.
• The admissions teacher noticed Ling Yi's Martial Soul certificate listed only half a level of Innate Soul Power and asked about his rapid progress.
• Ling Yi explained that Deacon Yan Bin believed the Blue Silver Grass around his village had created a Mimetic Cultivation Environment that sped up his cultivation.
• Ling Yi asked to grow Blue Silver Grass in his dormitory, and the teacher agreed as long as it caused no trouble for other students.
• After Ling Yi left, the teachers discussed his cultivation advantage and concluded that his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul could benefit from its natural environment.

Ling Yi learned about Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy and reflected on the advantages noble students received as he cultivated Blue Silver Grass with his Soul Power. He discovered that most of his seedlings had reached their growth limits, while 204 could still develop, and realized he had been away from Shan Hai Village for four days.

• Ling Yi explored Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy and learned about its staff, classes, and subjects from the teachers.
• Ling Yi compared the academy's instruction with Yu Xiaogang's knowledge and considered how nobles benefited from better bloodlines, nutrition, and education.
• Ling Yi infused his Soul Power into Blue Silver Grass seedlings and watered them, pleased that their growth was accelerating.
• Ling Yi recalled that 2,796 of the 3,000 seedlings had stopped growing after reaching their vitality limits, while the remaining 204 could still absorb Soul Power.
• Ling Yi realized he had been away from Shan Hai Village for four days and that he needed to tend to the seedlings regularly.

A city lord dismissed reports that Ling Yi’s Blue Silver Grass environment had accelerated his cultivation, deciding the idea was not worth the investment. Meanwhile, Ling Yi visited Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop to deliver Master Jiang’s letter to Old Master Jin and waited while a young blacksmith went to ask his senior brother about Jiang Kai.

• An attendant reported that Ling Yi’s unusually fast soul-power growth had been verified as likely caused by a Blue Silver Grass mimetic cultivation environment.
• The city lord ended the investigation, judging that cultivating Blue Silver Grass soul masters would cost more than it was worth.
• Ling Yi compared his modest circumstances with the duchy’s powerful families and concluded that they might invest in him later if he showed enough potential.
• Ling Yi entered Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop with Master Jiang’s letter and told a young blacksmith that he had come to deliver it to Old Master Jin on Jiang Kai’s behalf.
• The young blacksmith seated Ling Yi with tea and went to ask his senior brother whether he knew Jiang Kai.

Ling Yi brought Jiang Kai’s letter to Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop and persuaded Ninth Senior Brother He to consider introducing him to Old Master Jin. After reading the letter and hearing Ling Yi’s modest account of his forging ability, He grew more interested in bringing the talented young soul master before his teacher.

• A Qiang brought Ling Yi to meet the blacksmith shop’s owner, Ninth Senior Brother He, who asked to see Jiang Kai’s letter.
• Ling Yi hesitated before handing over the letter, while privately considering how to repay Master Jiang and help his family.
• He read Jiang Kai’s account of Ling Yi’s forging talent and recalled that Jiang had once studied under Old Master Jin.
• He asked Ling Yi whether he truly had Intermediate Blacksmith skills, and Ling Yi modestly claimed his strength and technique still needed work.
• He took Ling Yi’s potential as a soul master and blacksmith as a reason to introduce him to Old Master Jin.

Ling Yi had assessed the academy’s social dynamics and planned how to handle student life at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy. A rumor then spread that a new student had become Grandmaster Jin’s disciple, prompting classmates to debate the value of blacksmithing.

• Ling Yi learned about the tensions between self-funded students and Work-study Students and prepared response plans for academy life.
• A boy with prominent ears told classmates that a new student had entered Grandmaster Jin’s tutelage.
• Zhan Mu questioned whether Grandmaster Jin’s aging disciple could teach the new student to become a skilled blacksmith.
• A tall, sturdy boy defended blacksmithing and cited the weapon Grandmaster Jin’s disciple had forged for Zhan Mu’s father.
• The students discussed how blacksmiths were looked down on despite the profession’s importance and the advantages Soul Power offered in forging.

Ling Yi used his reputation as Grandmaster Jin's disciple and his approachable manner to connect with the first-year students at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy. He offered to share his class notes, leaving the class united around him as their shared “Brother Yi.”

• Ling Yi focused on the lesson, taking detailed notes while classmates and others discussed his apprenticeship and limited prospects as a blacksmith.
• After class, Mo Yuan and Yun Lan praised Ling Yi for recording the teacher's lecture, and he offered Mo Yuan his notes to copy.
• Ling Yi invited all thirty-six classmates to copy the notes and study together, describing their shared years at the academy as a rare stroke of luck.
• The first-year students warmed to Ling Yi, who became their common “Brother Yi” through his social efforts, abilities, and standing as Grandmaster Jin's new disciple.

Ling Yi went to Silver Xin Blacksmith Shop on his day off to begin learning from Wang Meng, Old Master Jin’s fifth disciple. Wang Meng praised Ling Yi’s advanced technique but explained that his strong imitation had also caused him to absorb bad forging habits, leaving him ready to correct them.

• Ling Yi woke before dawn and left Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy to travel to Silver Xin Blacksmith Shop for forging lessons.
• Wang Meng welcomed Ling Yi and invited him to eat breakfast with his family before they began working.
• Ling Yi ate with Wang Meng’s family, then joined Wang Meng’s four sons at the forging stations.
• Wang Meng told Ling Yi that his technique approached the Advanced Blacksmith level, but his age and strength limited him.
• Wang Meng explained that Ling Yi’s bad habits came both from copying Jiang Kai’s flawed methods and from learning everything he observed too effectively.

Wang Meng taught Ling Yi the principles behind Gengxin City’s blacksmithing tradition, and Ling Yi quickly corrected his forging movements before beginning strenuous practice. After explaining that his sons handled most of the shop’s ordinary orders, Wang Meng returned to ask Ling Yi and Wang Yao whether any of their movements felt awkward.

• Wang Meng demonstrated standard forging movements and explained how apprentices should adapt them to their own bodies without losing the core principles.
• Ling Yi copied the standard movements after one attempt and gained a deeper understanding of the blacksmithing tradition taught in Gengxin City.
• Wang Meng assigned Ling Yi the task of hammering an iron ingot until it was one-third its original size, and Ling Yi forged for more than half an hour before resting with Wang Yao.
• Wang Meng directed a customer’s urgent order for fifty-fold-forged long sabers to Gao Qiang’s shop because his own orders were already backed up.
• Wang Meng told the customer that his eldest and second sons were Intermediate Blacksmiths who handled most orders below eighty-fold forging, then asked Ling Yi and Wang Yao whether any forging movements had felt awkward.

After recovering from his morning forging practice, Ling Yi visited the Spirit Hall Main Hall in Mu Zhi City to meet Deacon Lu Yi, carrying a message from Deacon Yan Bin. He entered the hall and began studying the many Spirit forms painted across its dome.

• Ling Yi ate lunch, bathed, and took a deep nap that restored him to his peak condition.
• Ling Yi traveled to the city center to visit Deacon Lu Yi at the Spirit Hall Main Hall.
• Ling Yi politely told the guards that Deacon Yan Bin had sent him, and they directed him to the reception hall.
• Ling Yi entered the grand hall, overheard the guards discuss Lu Yi, and examined the Spirit forms painted on the dome.