Chapter Summaries

Qi Dao awakened a cracked Iron Sword Martial Soul with innate half-level soul power, leaving him and his parents worried about his future. He overcame his despair through a sudden moment of enlightenment, regained his resolve, and promised his parents he would take them to the Divine Realm.

• Su Yuntao announced that Qi Dao had awakened a mutated Iron Sword Martial Soul with innate half-level soul power.
• Qi Dao told his parents, Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou, about his poor awakening, and they tried to comfort him.
• Qi Dao reconsidered his doubts about lacking a golden finger or powerful Martial Soul and resolved to rely on his own will.
• Qi Dao grasped his iron sword and experienced a vision of ascending to the summit of swordsmanship, along with a profound comprehension.
• Qi Dao assured his parents that he was not fragile and repeated his promise to take them to the Divine Realm, while nearby parents reacted strangely to their celebration.

After awakening an Iron Sword Martial Soul with Innate Half-Level Soul Power, Qi Dao committed himself to swordsmanship and discovered that carrying and naming his sword strengthened their connection. Two months later, he arrived at Notting Academy to enroll, where Headmaster Hans saw a chance to introduce him to Grandmaster.

• Qi Dao asked Qi Father for a scabbard so he could carry his summoned Iron Sword Martial Soul, believing it would help him understand the sword and cultivate faster.
• Qi Dao noticed that meditating with the sword helped him cultivate slightly faster, named it Peerless, and heard it hum as a crack in its blade began to heal.
• Qi Father began teaching Qi Dao practical swordsmanship, drawing on his experience fighting in the Great Soul Arena.
• Two months later, Qi Father and Qi Mother took Qi Dao to Notting Academy, where Headmaster Hans reviewed his awakening certificate and pitied his low Soul Power.
• Headmaster Hans thought Grandmaster could teach Qi Dao because of their similar Martial Soul mutations, and Grandmaster entered the office.

Qi Dao and his parents met Yu Xiaogang at the academy, where Yu Xiaogang rejected him as a disciple because of his low innate soul power. Qi Dao left with his parents’ encouragement and vowed to prove himself with his sword.

• Headmaster Hans introduced Yu Xiaogang to Qi Dao and his parents, hoping to recommend Qi Dao as a disciple.
• Yu Xiaogang read Qi Dao’s Martial Soul Awakening certificate and saw that his mutated iron sword had Innate Half-Level Soul Power.
• Yu Xiaogang refused to take Qi Dao as his disciple, leaving Qi Dao’s parents disappointed and Hans embarrassed.
• Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou reassured Qi Dao as they took him to register at the academy.
• Qi Dao pointed to Peerless at his waist and vowed that his sword and he would prove themselves.

Qi Dao entered Notting Academy and clashed with Xiao Chenyu after refusing to become his lackey. The boys agreed to settle their dispute in a duel in a grove behind the academy, where they prepared to fight.

• Director Su welcomed Qi Father and Qi Mother and escorted Qi Dao to the students' dormitory.
• Xiao Chenyu introduced himself as the city lord's son and offered to protect Qi Dao if he joined his group.
• Qi Dao refused to be Xiao Chenyu's lackey and challenged him for the position of boss.
• Qi Dao spoke to his sword, Peerless, and sensed its fighting spirit as the other students watched in bewilderment.
• Xiao Chenyu accepted the challenge, and the boys moved to a grove behind the academy to duel.
• Qi Dao drew the Peerless Sword as he and Xiao Chenyu faced off in the clearing.

Qi Dao defeated Xiao Chenyu in a spar with his Unrivaled Horizontal Sword and became the first-years' boss. After taking Xiao Chenyu to the infirmary, Qi Dao told the teacher he had practiced swordsmanship for a little over two months.

• The students mocked Qi Dao's cracked-looking Peerless Sword, but Qi Dao remained calm as Xiao Chenyu activated his wolf martial soul and charged.
• Qi Dao dodged Xiao Chenyu's punch and slashed his back, drawing blood and frightening the onlookers into silence.
• Xiao Chenyu conceded the match, and the other first-years declined to challenge Qi Dao, who claimed the role of their boss.
• Qi Dao took Xiao Chenyu to the infirmary, where the teacher recognized Qi Dao's restraint and asked about his swordsmanship.
• Qi Dao said he had practiced for a little over two months, surprising the infirmary teacher.

After becoming the first-year dormitory boss, Qi Dao worked to improve his cultivation despite his low Soul Power. Contemplating Peerless unexpectedly strengthened his Spiritual Power and accelerated his cultivation, leaving him close to reaching level one.

• Xiao Chenyu thanked Qi Dao for holding back in their match, accepted him as boss, and promised to challenge him again someday.
• Qi Dao returned to the dormitory, where the first-years hailed him as boss, and he set a rule against noisy behavior indoors.
• Qi Dao considered whether to cultivate steadily or develop a better meditation method, but decided he lacked the knowledge to safely change his Soul Power circulation.
• Qi Dao used his ability to look within himself to study his Soul Power and spent months strengthening his Spiritual Power by picturing Peerless while meditating.
• Qi Dao formed a clear image of Peerless, felt his Spiritual Power recover, and noticed his Soul Power circulate faster; he estimated he could reach level one after another ten days to half a month.

On Opening Day, Xiao Chenyu’s older brother Xiao Haijie mocked Qi Dao and attacked him, prompting Qi Dao to discover a deeper connection with Peerless and a sudden leap in swordsmanship. Qi Dao then prepared to fight Xiao Haijie and test his newly gained insight.

• After the Opening Ceremony, Qi Dao and Xiao Chenyu headed to the cafeteria with Liu Long and Ling Feng, but Xiao Haijie called out to his younger brother.
• Xiao Chenyu told Qi Dao that he and Xiao Haijie were rivals for their father’s inherited title.
• Xiao Haijie belittled Xiao Chenyu for taking Qi Dao as his boss and mocked Qi Dao’s half-rank innate soul power.
• Qi Dao accepted Xiao Haijie’s challenge, but Xiao Haijie struck him in the abdomen before the fight began.
• Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and Ling Feng confronted Xiao Haijie, while Qi Dao drew Peerless and told him that the attack had given him enlightenment.

Qi Dao challenged Xiao Haijie and gravely wounded him with a single sword stroke, then collapsed from exhaustion. Headmaster Hans and Director Su intervened, sending the older students to the director’s office and taking Qi Dao and Xiao Haijie for treatment.

• Xiao Haijie mocked Qi Dao’s challenge and charged at him without using Martial Soul Possession.
• Qi Dao outpaced Xiao Haijie and cut his abdomen with Peerless, leaving him badly wounded and collapsing.
• Qi Dao staggered from exhaustion as Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and Ling Feng hurried to support him.
• Headmaster Hans and Director Su arrived, ordered Xiao Haijie’s companions to the director’s office, and took the younger students’ account of the incident.
• Director Su treated Xiao Haijie and scolded him, while Xiao Haijie silently vowed to repay Qi Dao after he recovered.

At the infirmary, Qi Dao’s defeat of Xiao Haijie drew the headmaster’s praise and earned Xiao Haijie a reprimand. Back in his dormitory, Qi Dao reflected on the Heart Sword State that had briefly amplified his combat power.

• Teacher Wang treated Xiao Haijie’s injuries and restored some of Qi Dao’s Soul Power.
• Director Su rebuked Xiao Haijie for losing to Qi Dao and calling the result luck.
• Headmaster Hans warned Xiao Haijie that he would tell his father about his bullying and praised Qi Dao for his victory.
• Qi Dao returned to his dormitory, answered his classmates’ questions, and replayed his sword strike in his mind.
• Qi Dao recognized that the Heart Sword State had fused his essence, energy, and spirit, greatly boosting his strength, speed, and reactions while straining his body.

Qi Dao recovered from his fight with Xiao Haijie, accepted a thousand Gold Soul Coins from Xiao Chenyu, and heard a plan to make more money by wagering on a rematch. After mistaking reports of Qi Dao’s strength for evidence of an ideal disciple, Yu Xiaogang learned the first-year’s name and realized it was Qi Dao.

• Qi Dao added physical conditioning to his training and ate a large meal to recover from the strain of his sword strike.
• Xiao Chenyu gave Qi Dao a gold card containing a thousand Gold Soul Coins as compensation from his father.
• Xiao Chenyu proposed goading Xiao Haijie into wagering money on a rematch with Qi Dao, and Qi Dao listened with interest.
• Qi Dao left the dining hall without greeting Yu Xiaogang, who decided he would never take the boy as his disciple.
• Yu Xiaogang overheard teachers discussing the first-year who had injured Xiao Haijie and concluded that the student had to be a powerful genius worthy of his tutelage.
• Teacher Li identified the student as Qi Dao, and Yu Xiaogang jumped up in shock, insisting to himself that it must be someone else with the same name.

Yu Xiaogang pressed Hans for answers about Qi Dao’s victory over Xiao Haijie, then demanded to study Qi Dao’s Martial Soul, but Hans refused. Meanwhile, Qi Dao settled into his first day of classes and befriended Wang Sheng.

• Yu Xiaogang asked Hans how Qi Dao had defeated Xiao Haijie, and Hans confirmed Qi Dao’s Innate Half-Level Soul Power report was accurate.
• Yu Xiaogang offered to take Qi Dao as a nominal disciple if Qi Dao cooperated with his research, but Hans refused to let him treat Qi Dao as a test subject.
• Yu Xiaogang warned Hans he would regret refusing, then stormed out of the Dean’s Office.
• Qi Dao helped maintain order during class, and his teacher thanked him and offered to bring him study notes from the library.
• Qi Dao got to know Wang Sheng and told the first-year students to challenge Wang Sheng with their fists if they looked down on him.

Qi Dao rejected Yu Xiaogang’s offer to take him as a nominal disciple and challenged Yu Xiaogang’s assumptions about his Martial Soul. After Yu Xiaogang stormed off, Qi Dao went to train alone in the mountain woods.

• Yu Xiaogang approached Qi Dao and offered to take him as a nominal disciple so he could investigate Qi Dao’s Martial Soul.
• Qi Dao refused, drew Peerless, and showed the gathered students the cracks in his Iron Sword Martial Soul.
• Yu Xiaogang insisted that Qi Dao’s Martial Soul held a hidden secret, but Qi Dao declared himself a genius and said Yu Xiaogang was unfit to teach him.
• Yu Xiaogang insulted Qi Dao and left after Qi Dao refused to reconsider.
• Xiao Chenyu warned Qi Dao about Yu Xiaogang, and Qi Dao invited his friends to train before setting off alone for the mountain woods.

Qi Dao broke through to level one and agreed to a rematch with Xiao Haijie over five thousand Gold Soul Coins. As Xiao Haijie activated his Wolf Martial Soul and attacked, Qi Dao faced him with his sword, leaving the duel poised to begin.

• Qi Dao reached level one after fourteen days of visualization, and Xiao Chenyu congratulated him.
• Xiao Chenyu told Qi Dao that Xiao Haijie had recovered and was boasting about his earlier loss; Qi Dao agreed to a rematch and a seventy-thirty split of the winnings.
• Xiao Chenyu arranged a duel for five thousand Gold Soul Coins, and Xiao Haijie accepted, believing he would win after using Martial Soul Possession and his Soul Skill.
• Headmaster Hans, Director Su, and Yu Xiaogang watched the gathered students; Hans and Director Su backed Qi Dao, while Yu Xiaogang predicted Xiao Haijie would win.
• Xiao Haijie revealed his level-thirteen Wolf Martial Soul and Yellow Soul Ring, while Qi Dao introduced himself as a level-one Soul Scholar and drew his sword.
• Xiao Haijie activated his First Soul Ring and charged at Qi Dao with his wolf claws.

Qi Dao used his Heart Sword State to defeat Xiao Haijie again, wounding him with a controlled sword strike and claiming the gold card. Headmaster Hans and Director Su warned Qi Dao not to use his dangerous move in future academy sparring.

• Xiao Haijie charged with his Hunting Claws Soul Skill, but Qi Dao entered the Heart Sword State and struck faster than Xiao Haijie could react.
• Qi Dao sheathed the Peerless Sword as Xiao Haijie remained standing, leaving the students unsure who had won.
• Headmaster Hans and Director Su recognized that Qi Dao’s sword strike could have killed Xiao Haijie, while Yu Xiaogang privately attributed Qi Dao’s strength to a Self-Created Soul Skill.
• Xiao Haijie found blood on his neck, and Qi Dao declared that he had won; Xiao Haijie admitted defeat and handed over a gold card.
• Director Su warned Qi Dao not to use the dangerous move against classmates again, and Qi Dao agreed to exercise restraint.

Three years after starting a business with Xiao Chenyu, Qi Dao bought three pieces of Whale Rubber and demonstrated his Sword Qi while practicing with Qi Father. Having recently reached level ten, Qi Dao prepared to hunt for his First Soul Ring, which he wanted to be at least five hundred years old.

• Qi Dao bought three pieces of Whale Rubber for nearly five hundred Gold Soul Coins and brought them home to his parents.
• Qi Dao sparred with Qi Father in the courtyard and used Sword Qi to cut his father's sleeve.
• Qi Mother prepared the Whale Rubber, and Qi Dao consumed it while absorbing its medicinal power.
• Qi Father and Qi Mother discussed taking Qi Dao to the Soul Hunting Forest the next day to hunt a Soul Ring.
• Qi Father told Qi Mother that Qi Dao wanted a First Soul Ring at least five hundred years old, and urged her to trust his judgment.

Qi Dao joined his parents and their Soul Hunting team in the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a metal-attribute Soul Beast for his First Soul Ring. He sought a beast at least five hundred years old, and the team began searching the forest’s waters for a suitable Ironclad Turtle.

• Qi Dao's family traveled to the Soul Hunting Forest and met the five other members of his parents' Soul Hunting team.
• The team entered the forest using Qi Father's pass, and Qi Dao asked to hunt a metal-attribute Soul Beast at least five hundred years old for his First Soul Ring.
• The team members worried that a Soul Ring of that age could kill Qi Dao, but Qi Father reassured them that his son was confident he could absorb it.
• Qi Dao used his knowledge of Ironclad Turtles to guide the team toward the forest's waters and explain how to find one with a dominant territory.
• The team found a young Ironclad Turtle, and Qi Dao suggested searching near metal ore for an older one.

Qi Dao and the Soul Hunting team hunted down a six-hundred-year-old Ironclad Turtle so he could use its Soul Ring to strengthen his damaged Peerless Sword. After Qi Dao killed the turtle, he began absorbing its Yellow Soul Ring while his family and the team watched anxiously.

• The Soul Hunting team found a six-hundred-year-old Ironclad Turtle, and Qi Mother and Chen Huan prepared to attack it.
• Chen Huan wounded the turtle with a powerful arrow, and it charged at the team.
• Qi Father and the other Soul Hunting team members coordinated their attacks and subdued the turtle.
• Qi Dao killed the weakened turtle and watched as its Yellow Soul Ring formed.
• Qi Dao sat beside the turtle and began absorbing the Soul Ring as the team watched.

Qi Dao successfully absorbed a six-hundred-year Soul Ring, restoring and evolving his Peerless Sword and granting him his first Soul Skill. After returning to Notting Academy, his classmates realized he had already become a Soul Master.

• Qi Dao absorbed the Ironclad Turtle's Soul Ring without difficulty, and it repaired the Peerless Sword's cracks, turning them into patterns.
• Qi Dao learned that his Soul Power had reached level thirteen and that his First Soul Skill, Peerless Sword Body, briefly boosted his Strength and Soul Power while doubling his defense.
• Qi Dao returned to Notting Academy and encouraged Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and Ling Feng, who had improved their cultivation while following his example.
• After Qi Dao left the dormitory, Xiao Chenyu explained that absorbing a Soul Ring could change a Soul Master's body, and the students realized Qi Dao had already obtained his First Soul Ring.

Qi Dao reached level nineteen after two more years of cultivation, while Yu Xiaogang grew obsessed with the speed he believed Qi Dao could not have achieved with Innate Half-Level Soul Power. At the academy dining hall, Qi Dao met Tang San and Xiao Wu for the first time, and the chapter ended with Wang Sheng learning that Tang San had chosen Yu Xiaogang as his teacher.

• Yu Xiaogang blamed Qi Dao’s rapid cultivation on a hidden talent or secret and refused to believe he had started with Innate Half-Level Soul Power.
• Two years passed, and eleven-year-old Qi Dao reached level nineteen, though the academy believed he was only around level fifteen or sixteen.
• Qi Dao spotted Tang San and Xiao Wu with Wang Sheng at the dining hall, greeted Wang Sheng, and then went upstairs to eat with Xiao Chenyu and the others.
• Wang Sheng told Xiao Wu that Qi Dao was the academy’s strongest student and had helped him earn a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, prompting Xiao Wu to plan to challenge Qi Dao.
• Yu Xiaogang invited Tang San to eat with him, but Tang San stayed with his roommates, and Wang Sheng reacted in disbelief when he learned Tang San had taken Yu Xiaogang as his teacher.

Tang San defended Yu Xiaogang after Wang Sheng criticized him, while Qi Dao considered where to continue his cultivation after junior academy. The chapter left Qi Dao weighing whether to join a faction or academy so he could obtain stronger Soul Rings.

• Tang San rebuked Wang Sheng for insulting Yu Xiaogang and walked away, while Xiao Wu grew curious about Wang Sheng’s powerful boss.
• Yu Xiaogang told Hans he believed Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass could become formidable, though Hans privately recalled Yu Xiaogang’s past disregard for Qi Dao.
• Xiao Chenyu asked Qi Dao to attend an intermediate academy with him, but Qi Dao said he would not go and urged his friends to follow the cultivation paths he had planned for them.
• After dinner, Qi Dao decided that cultivating alone would make it difficult to obtain suitable Soul Rings and began considering which faction or academy to join.