Chapter Summaries

Under the stars, Chen Hong showed Ye Lingling his self-created Soul Skill, Sage's Finger, which sharpened her thoughts and changed her demeanor. Ye Lingling pinned him down and declared that she would protect her useless Brother Hong.

• Chen Hong and Ye Lingling gazed at the stars and discussed her Soul Rings and martial soul.
• Chen Hong used Sage's Finger on Ye Lingling, explaining that it altered the activation conditions of his Sage Time skill.
• Ye Lingling's thoughts cleared, and she pinned Chen Hong to the grass with one hand.
• Ye Lingling teased Chen Hong for being weak and said she would protect him while he supported her.

Chen Hong struggled with his slow cultivation while Ye Lingling left for Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and his family’s Technology Guild prospered from Soul-Powered Motorcycles. After a year, Chen Hong set out with Ning Lu for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to loot Grandpa’s gold.

• Chen Hong rode Ye Lingling back to Suotuo City, then let her nourish his meridians with her Nine Heart Begonia Soul Power.
• Ye Lingling said she had received an invitation to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Chen Hong gave her a Clear Heart Bracelet before she departed.
• Over the next year, Chen Hong reached Level 16 Soul Power, while his family gathered wealth and connections through the Technology Guild’s growing business.
• Chen Hong advanced his Soul Ring analysis and learned to project his Sage Inscription as a Mental Beam.
• Chen Hong loaded detection equipment into a Soul-Powered Truck, and he and Ning Lu headed toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Lu’s convoy traveled toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect while Chen Hong joked with his mother about meeting his grandparents. A group of sinister black-robed figures learned of Chen Hong’s mind-clearing Soul Tool and set their sights on him, while he sensed an eerie malice drawing near.

• Ning Lu told Chen Hong to behave and cultivate as they traveled toward her parents’ home with valuable cargo and mercenary guards.
• Chen Hong joked that Ning Lu might level an alternate account and wish for a daughter, prompting her to threaten him with a beating.
• A black-robed leader interrogated Zhang Zhong about Chen Hong’s ability to clear a person’s mind, then crushed him and ordered the group to kill Chen Hong.
• Chen Hong sensed strange malice approaching, lowered the Sage Degree of the [Sage]'s Ring, and saw an eerie crimson presence drawing closer in his mental space.

Chen Hong sensed an attack on the Technology Guild convoy, where the mercenaries fought Venerable Thousand Tongues and his Blood Puppets. Qian Yu found Chen Hong and dragged him away after sealing his Soul Power and Mental Power, leaving Ning Lu unable to stop him.

• Chen Hong warned Ning Lu that malice was approaching as the convoy traveled through the night.
• The Silver Wolf and Sword Dragon mercenaries formed a defense when black-robed Evil Soul Masters attacked the convoy.
• The Silver Wolf Leader identified Venerable Thousand Tongues, and Qian Yu sent nearly twenty Blood Puppets against the mercenaries.
• Chen Hong heard the Evil Soul Master's voices and realized Qian Yu had found him.
• Qian Yu smashed through the truck, seized Chen Hong, and sealed his Soul Power and Mental Power as Ning Lu cried out for him.

Evil Soul Emperor Qian Yu ambushed Chen Hong and Ning Lu, but Chen Hong’s First Soul Ring broke the mental interference and Ning Lu shielded her son. Ning Lu fought Qian Yu and his Blood Puppets with a series of wine-enhanced Soul Skills, leaving the battle ongoing as she kicked the Silver Wolf Soul Emperor away to keep him from reaching Chen Hong.

• Chen Hong’s First Soul Ring activated Sage Time, and Ning Lu pulled him out of Qian Yu’s attack, taking the blow herself.
• Qian Yu emerged with his Blood Puppets and accused Chen Hong of hiding his Soul Tool; Chen Hong warned the others about Qian Yu’s mental attacks.
• Ning Lu healed with her Seven-Colored Wine Gourd and charged Qian Yu, while Qian Yu’s Soul Emperor-level Blood Puppets engaged the Silver Wolf Soul Emperor and Sword Dragon Soul Emperor.
• Ning Lu used Blazing Flame Wine to expose Qian Yu and Defense Wine to fend off surrounding Blood Puppets, then caught a dagger with her bare hand.
• Ning Lu activated Agility Wine, shattered the shadow holding the dagger, and kicked the Silver Wolf Soul Emperor away as he tried to retreat toward Chen Hong.

Ning Lu entered a berserk state to protect Chen Hong, healing and empowering herself as Qian Yu’s controlled puppets attacked. Qian Yu revealed that he had targeted the Technology Guild convoy to find a way to restore his unstable mind, and prepared to press the assault when he found no such Soul Tool.

• Ning Lu kicked the Silver Wolf Soul Emperor out of his Martial Soul Possession and shielded Chen Hong from the fighters.
• Ning Lu’s Seven-Colored Divine Gourd poured Soul Power over her, rapidly healing her wounds and boosting her combat abilities.
• Qian Yu emerged and explained that his mental interference had triggered Ning Lu’s berserk state, though her instinct to protect Chen Hong resisted his control.
• Qian Yu revealed that he had ambushed the Technology Guild convoy to find a person or Soul Tool that could restore his sanity.
• After finding no suitable Soul Tool in the convoy, Qian Yu ordered the attack to continue.

Chen Hong used Sage's Finger to restore Ning Lu's clarity, and she fought Qian Yu while he sought to capture Chen Hong. As Ning Lu's power began to fade and Qian Yu threatened them, a sword-wielding figure descended from the starry sky.

• Chen Hong used Sage's Finger to break Ning Lu out of her enraged state and restore her rationality.
• Ning Lu battered the Soul Emperor Puppets and attacked Qian Yu, whose mental skills could no longer affect her.
• Qian Yu used his Head Soul Bone to replace himself near the Sword Dragon Soul Emperor and attacked him, leaving the Sword Dragon Soul Emperor gravely wounded while he protected Chen Hong.
• Ning Lu stabilized the Sword Dragon Soul Emperor with Life Nectar and refused Qian Yu's demand to hand over Chen Hong.
• As Ning Lu's strength waned and Qian Yu threatened to kill them, an unidentified figure descended in a streak of sword light and asked if Qian Yu was bullying his nephew.

Ning Quan arrived on the battlefield and used the Seven Star Sword Array to kill Evil Soul Emperor Qian Yu. Afterward, Ning Lu fainted from exhaustion, while Chen Hong said he was suffering from a mental attack.

• Ning Quan confronted Qian Yu and prevented him from retreating after Qian Yu attacked the Ning Clan.
• Ning Quan formed a Starfall Shroud and laid down the Seven Star Sword Array across the battlefield.
• Ning Quan struck Qian Yu with the array’s successive sword attacks, killing his puppets and then piercing Qian Yu’s heart and beheading him.
• Ning Quan’s temporary power faded, and he worriedly called for Ning Lu to check on Chen Hong.
• Ning Lu fainted from exhaustion, and Chen Hong knelt down and explained that Qian Yu had struck him with a mental attack.

Chen Hong recovered in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and confronted Qian Yu, whose failed possession had left him trapped in Chen Hong’s mind. By combining [Sage]'s Ring with Sage Time, Chen Hong began trying to convert Qian Yu, but Qian Yu remained determined to possess him.

• Chen Hong reflected on his weakness after the battle and admitted to himself that devouring people could make him stronger.
• Qian Yu threatened Chen Hong, but Chen Hong deduced that Qian Yu was hiding and gathering strength after failing to possess him.
• Chen Hong’s resilient soul and [Sage]'s Ring prevented Qian Yu from completing his possession and began eroding the corrupted soul fragments within him.
• Chen Hong activated Sage Time alongside [Sage]'s Ring, overwhelming Qian Yu with accusations and memories.
• Qian Yu reaffirmed his faith in possessing Chen Hong, while Chen Hong declared that he would dismantle Qian Yu’s reason for existing through conversion.

Chen Hong used [Sage]'s Ring to make Qian Yu confront the memories and reasoning behind his desire for revenge, leaving the split soul in a Downtime State. After cultivating, Chen Hong heard Qian Yu say that he had understood, just as the Ning family sought help examining Chen Hong.

• Chen Hong analyzed the memory bubbles falling from Qian Yu's soul and questioned him about the woman he had killed and his desire for revenge.
• Qian Yu admitted he wanted revenge, but Chen Hong argued that Qian Yu should seek revenge on himself for killing his beloved.
• Chen Hong challenged Qian Yu's identity and asked whether he wanted to kill the self who had killed him, causing Qian Yu to enter a Downtime State.
• Chen Hong stopped questioning Qian Yu and cultivated, while suspecting that Qian Yu's other soul half was hidden in the Head Soul Bone.
• The Ning family invited Ning Fengzhi and a Douluo Enshrinement to examine Chen Hong, who woke and heard Qian Yu say, "Grandmaster... I've understood."

Chen Hong subdued the remnant soul of Evil Soul Emperor Qian Yu and began questioning the nature of gods and Evil Soul Masters. He then explained his near-possession to his concerned relatives, while suspecting that his absent father Chen Lin might be involved.

• Qian Yu admitted that he had eaten the person he loved, and Chen Hong used the [Sage]'s Ring to capture his soul in a chaotic state.
• Chen Hong wondered whether gods had evolved by eating people and began considering whether Evil Soul Masters were the ones most likely to become gods.
• Ning Lu, Ning Quan, Ning Fengzhi, Jian Chenxin, and Ning Ji and Wife entered Chen Hong's room after Ning Lu feared he was possessed.
• Jian Chenxin mistook Chen Hong's emotionless expression for a sign that he was a fiend, but Ning Lu explained that his soul skill had stabilized his emotions.
• Chen Hong dismissed his soul rings, told his relatives that he had nearly been possessed, and withheld some details about Qian Yu.
• Chen Hong considered his fortunate family background and suspected that his absent father, Chen Lin, might be involved in the attempt against him.

Chen Hong explained how Qian Yu’s divided soul and hidden Head Soul Bone had nearly let the Evil Soul Master possess an unsuspecting victim. After Jian Chenxin confirmed Chen Hong was safe and exposed the Soul Bone’s danger, Ye Jie examined Chen Hong as he recovered.

• Chen Hong described how Qian Yu had divided his soul and hidden another part within his Blood Jade Head Soul Bone.
• Jian Chenxin examined Chen Hong’s mind, found a remnant soul and a strange Thought Domain, and confirmed Chen Hong had resisted possession.
• Jian Chenxin revealed that the Blood Jade Skull Bone carried the same soul aura as Qian Yu’s remnant soul and could have caused disaster if absorbed.
• Ning Fengzhi admitted he had planned to trade for the Soul Bone and save it for Ning Rongrong, while Chen Hong reassured everyone that Qian Yu would likely have been exposed soon.
• After Ning Fengzhi and Jian Chenxin left, Ye Jie examined Chen Hong and said that he was recovering well.

Chen Hong reunited with the Ning family and asked to keep Qian Yu’s Soul Bone so he could study it, promising not to absorb it. He explained that the Sage’s Ring made him speak unusually and demonstrated Sage’s Finger, a Self-Amplifying Soul Skill he had changed into an externally released skill.

• Chen Hong greeted Ye Jie, Ning Ji, and the others, then asked whether the Technology Guild convoy’s casualties and mercenary groups had received compensation.
• Chen Hong asked Ning Ji and Ning Quan to let him keep Qian Yu’s Soul Bone, and Ning Ji said the family had intended to give it to him anyway.
• Ning Ji asked why Chen Hong wanted the sinister Soul Bone, and Chen Hong said he wanted to study it, would not absorb it, and might damage it.
• Chen Hong explained that activating the Sage’s Ring to seal the remnant soul affected how he spoke, then demonstrated a Soul Ring and golden patterns spreading along his finger.
• Chen Hong revealed that he had changed a Self-Amplifying Soul Skill into an externally released Soul Skill called Sage’s Finger.

Chen Hong impressed Ning Ji with his technique for changing how Soul Ring skills were released, and his maternal family welcomed and supported him. At dinner, Chen Hong explained that he would not devour the Evil Soul Emperor’s soul and might seek help in Spirit City, though doing so could cost him the soul bone.

• Ning Ji recognized the potential of Chen Hong’s technique and promised to support him.
• Ye Jie explained that Ning Ji’s sour expression came from his own temper, and the family shared lunch together.
• Chen Hong realized Ning Ji had built formidable combat strength despite being unable to advance beyond level seventy-nine.
• Ning Ji asked Chen Hong how he planned to handle the Evil Soul Emperor’s soul in his mind.
• Chen Hong rejected the Evil Secret Method of Devouring Others' Souls and said he might seek a solution in Spirit City, even though he could lose the soul bone.

Chen Hong decided to preserve Qian Yu’s Head Soul Bone so he could study whether souls existed within Soul Bones and Soul Rings. With a rare soul-containing metal and the Soul Bone in hand, he wrote down his Three Souls Hypothesis, which he believed could overturn the world’s cultivation system.

• Chen Hong told Ning Ji he had ties to Hu Liena but preferred not to use her influence or let Qian Yu’s death go to waste.
• Ning Quan retrieved Qian Yu’s Head Soul Bone for Chen Hong after Ning Fengzhi warned him not to absorb it.
• Chen Hong examined the Soul Bone and Deep Sea Secret Soul Gold that Ning Fengzhi had given him in a Spatial Ring.
• Chen Hong wrote the Three Souls Hypothesis, proposing that Soul Power, Soul Rings, and Soul Bones were different forms of rules and outlining three related hypotheses.
• A later thesis by Fan Yu claimed the Three Souls Hypothesis’s author had encountered a time-traveling transmigrator, and its advisor dismissed the thesis as a pile of shit.

Chen Hong reflected on the dangers of researching Soul Power Science before meeting Ning Rongrong, who climbed over his wall to challenge his intelligence and strength. Their teasing exchange ended with Ning Rongrong accepting his claim that she was gentle, while hidden listeners reacted in the dark.

• Chen Hong wondered why the Soul Guidance Era had vanished and decided that researching weapons or godhood was dangerous for the weak.
• Ning Rongrong climbed over Chen Hong’s wall and revealed that she had come to judge the clever poor relative her father had mentioned.
• Ning Rongrong boasted that her Level 21 Soul Power made her stronger than Chen Hong and insisted violence could solve everything.
• Chen Hong’s comments about vulnerable places embarrassed Ning Rongrong, who accused him of being a pervert.
• Chen Hong praised Ning Rongrong as gentle, and she happily agreed while people hidden nearby twitched at their exchange.

Ning Rongrong’s nighttime visit ended with Chen Hong cleverly persuading her to go home, while Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluo Enshrinements discussed Chen Hong’s intelligence and his role in the Technology Guild. The elders recognized that Chen Hong was already a Soul Engineer, but Ning Fengzhi left the younger generation to handle their own affairs.

• Chen Hong flattered Ning Rongrong into believing she had climbed his wall to admire the moon, then urged her to return home safely.
• Ning Rongrong jumped down from the wall, hurt her foot, and limped back to her room without crying out.
• Ning Fengzhi, Jian Chenxin, and Gu Rong watched Ning Rongrong leave and discussed how easily Chen Hong had outsmarted her.
• Gu Rong explained that Chen Hong, not Chen Lin, was the Technology Guild’s true Soul Engineer and had created two genuine Soul Tools.
• Ning Fengzhi wondered whether Chen Hong could create powerful Soul Tools, but Gu Rong said his abilities were uncertain and his low Soul Power limited his prospects.
• Ning Fengzhi concluded that the younger generation should handle their own affairs.

Chen Hong headed down the mountain with Ning Quan to visit the Technology Guild and retrieve research materials, hoping to find a way to remove the Evil Soul Master's soul from his mind. Ning Rongrong caught up with them and insisted on joining him to see the Guild's Soul Tools.

• Ning Fengzhi arranged for Ning Quan to accompany Chen Hong to Treasure Sword City, while Ning Lu stayed behind with her family.
• Chen Hong and Ning Quan descended the mountain and discussed how the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had earned a good reputation despite the strength-driven world.
• Ning Rongrong emerged from the bushes and accused Chen Hong of leaving without inviting her to play.
• Chen Hong asked why Ning Rongrong would not spend time with someone else, and she said she wanted to visit the Technology Guild and see its novel Soul Tools.

Ning Rongrong joined Chen Hong and Ning Quan on their trip down the mountain after Ning Quan accepted that she needed to undergo the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect heir’s Worldly Training. In Treasure Sword City, Chen Hong compensated the injured convoy guards and proposed hiring the surviving mercenaries to form a Technology Guild Security Department.

• Ning Rongrong asked to travel with Chen Hong, and Ning Quan agreed after Jian Chenxin conveyed that she should go out for Worldly Training.
• Chen Hong accepted Ning Rongrong’s company, and the three traveled down the mountain to Treasure Sword City.
• Chen Hong met the Technology Guild convoy staff and the two Soul Master Mercenary Groups at their inn.
• Chen Hong apologized for the casualties and promised healing, triple severance pay, and additional compensation for the families.
• Chen Hong offered the surviving mercenaries generous salaries to join the Technology Guild.

Chen Hong brought two Soul Master Mercenary Groups into the Technology Guild and began examining Deep Sea Secret Soul Gold in his workshop. While he focused on his experiment, Ning Rongrong discussed where she wanted to travel, leaving the group preparing for her journey down the mountain.

• Wang Bu and Li Bei pledged their mercenary groups to Chen Hong, who handed them over to Ning Shan.
• Chen Hong moved Soul Tool equipment into a wooden house and inspected the Deep Sea Secret Soul Gold with his Martial Soul and Mental Power.
• Chen Hong cut a tiny shaving from the metal and placed it in a glass vial for closer observation.
• Ning Quan led Ning Rongrong out of the workshop so Chen Hong could work undisturbed.
• Ning Rongrong told Ning Quan she wanted to visit a big city while keeping her trip within limits that would not cause trouble for the sect.