Chapter Summaries

Tie Li attended the White Whale Auction and bought a piece of two-thousand-year Whale Rubber, then went to Count Daisi’s residence to seek older Whale Rubber. He entered the estate and found Soul Masters gathering and fighting outside the main hall, where Count Daisi watched from a chair.

• Tie Li passed the White Whale Chamber of Commerce’s Soul Power test and took a seat in the ordinary area of the auction hall.
• Auctioneer Youya presented the auction items, and Tie Li waited until the seventh item to bid on two-thousand-year Whale Rubber.
• Tie Li won the Whale Rubber for two thousand seven hundred Gold Soul Coins and collected it backstage.
• Tie Li left the auction and went to Count Daisi’s residence to ask about obtaining three-thousand-year Whale Rubber.
• The steward directed Tie Li to the main hall, where Soul Masters were gathering and fighting while Count Daisi watched.

Tie Li challenged the Sea Soul Masters at Count Daisi’s estate to earn three-thousand-year Whale Rubber. He defeated Haixiao in the Soul Fighting Pool with his lightning and chains, and Count Daisi invited another challenger to step forward.

• Tie Li agreed to fight for a chance to win two pieces of three-thousand-year Whale Rubber despite being a Land Soul Master.
• Count Daisi selected Haixiao, a Sea Soul Master, to face Tie Li in the Soul Fighting Pool.
• Tie Li entered the pool with the White Fish Pearl and unleashed lightning that shocked nearby Soul Masters and burned the protecting Soul King’s palm.
• Tie Li used his Thunder Hammer and chains to restrain Haixiao and smash him out of the water.
• Tie Li climbed out of the pool, and Count Daisi asked whether anyone else wanted to challenge him.

Tie Li defeated the Soul Masters Count Daisi had selected and earned a chance to fight for Whale Rubber at the Great Soul Arena. He faced the notorious Sea Ghost Kaike in an underwater Soul Battle, and their clash began.

• The six Soul Elders backed down after Tie Li displayed his chains, and Count Daisi told him he still had to defeat another opponent to earn Whale Rubber.
• Count Daisi gave Tie Li a pouch of one thousand Gold Soul Coins and arranged for him to fight the strongest Soul Elder he had recruited at the Great Soul Arena.
• That evening, Tie Li learned that defeating his opponent would earn him three-thousand-year Whale Rubber, with another piece promised if he helped Count Daisi win the Soul Battle.
• The audience recognized Tie Li's opponent as Sea Ghost Kaike, a level-thirty-eight Sea Soul Master known for his underwater speed.
• Tie Li and Kaike entered the fighting pool, where Tie Li charged his chains with purple lightning and Kaike used his first Soul Skill to rush toward him.

Tie Li defeated Kaike in a soul battle by using his lightning, forged chains, and Thunder Hammer. Count Daisi rewarded Tie Li with three-thousand-year Whale Rubber and arranged for him to stay at the count's residence until the next match.

• Kaike attacked Tie Li with his Water Beast Form, but Tie Li shattered it with his lightning-charged Thunder Hammer and wounded him.
• Kaike pursued Tie Li toward the surface, where Tie Li paralyzed him with his third soul skill and bound him with six Thunder Gold Ore chains.
• Tie Li pulled Kaike in and struck him with the Thunder Hammer, and the referee declared Tie Li the winner.
• Count Daisi praised Tie Li's performance and gave the three victorious soul masters advance rewards before scheduling another match for the day after tomorrow.
• Tie Li accepted the three-thousand-year Whale Rubber and agreed to stay at Count Daisi's residence, intending to return to White Mud Mountain after obtaining the next piece.

Tie Li fought for Count Daisi in a wager against Count Bell, with Wolf Bandit cubs and Whale Rubber at stake. After winning the third match, Tie Li accepted a risky challenge against Count Bell’s injured Soul Ancestor for five-thousand-year Whale Rubber.

• Tie Li accompanied Count Daisi to the Great Soul Arena, where the Wolf Bandit cubs were handed over as wager stakes and Count Bell’s party awaited them.
• Count Bell’s side won the one-ring and two-ring matches, putting Count Daisi behind by two points.
• Tie Li defeated the Heavy Fish Soul Master with purple lightning and chains, earning Count Daisi a point.
• Count Bell’s Soul Ancestor defeated Count Daisi’s Soul Ancestor in the fourth match, leaving Count Bell poised to win.
• Count Daisi offered Tie Li five-thousand-year Whale Rubber to challenge Count Bell’s badly injured Soul Ancestor, and Tie Li agreed.

Tie Li defeated an injured four-ring Soul Ancestor, then used his opponent’s underestimation to beat a two-ring Soul Grandmaster and tie the score for Count Daisi. Polno won the deciding Soul King battle, and Tie Li returned to the estate to collect the promised Whale Rubber.

• Tie Li endured the four-ring Soul Ancestor’s water tornado attack, then defeated him after the Soul Ancestor ran out of Soul Power.
• Count Bell sent a two-ring Soul Grandmaster to challenge Tie Li before he could rest, but Tie Li suddenly struck him down with his lightning hammer.
• Count Daisi celebrated as the score became three to three, leaving the final Soul King battle to decide the contest.
• Polno defeated Count Bell’s Soul King, allowing Count Daisi to claim the mermaid.
• After receiving treatment, Tie Li returned to Count Daisi’s estate, where the butler escorted him to the treasury to collect the promised Whale Rubber.

Tie Li gathered dried-out Whale Rubber to nourish the lightning-attribute plant Soul Beasts, then returned to White Mud Mountain and meditated among them. As their bond strengthened, the plants sent special energy toward him.

• Tie Li accepted the dried-out Whale Rubber from Count Daisi’s vault and realized he could buy more cheaply from merchants.
• Count Daisi freed a female mermaid near Vast Sea City and gave her a shell necklace carrying Soul Power.
• Tie Li bought more than a hundred pieces of dried-out Whale Rubber and left Vast Sea City after recovering from his injuries.
• Tie Li scattered the Whale Rubber at White Mud Mountain, where the lightning-attribute plant Soul Beasts absorbed it.
• The plant Soul Beasts guided Tie Li to an open patch and, as he meditated, sent energy toward him while their lightning resonated with his.

Tie Li’s Forging Hammer martial soul evolved into the Purple Thunder Hammer after he absorbed the vital essence of White Ground’s plant-type soul beasts and received their lightning. He then used more Whale Rubber to strengthen his body and began cultivating near White Ground’s inner circle.

• Tie Li’s meditation connected him with the plant-type soul beasts, whose vital essence and lightning helped his Forging Hammer evolve into the Purple Thunder Hammer.
• Tie Li awakened with his Soul Power Level increased from thirty-six to thirty-eight, while the plant-type soul beasts gained greater affinity with him and improved their prospects of reaching thousand-year cultivation.
• Tie Li left White Ground, ate a five-thousand-year piece of Whale Rubber, and returned to cultivate, finding that the outer circle had become less effective after his martial soul’s evolution.
• Tie Li moved to the boundary of White Ground’s inner and outer circles, where the lightning and Whale Rubber fragrance drew nearby plant-type soul beasts and helped him refine the rubber.
• After refining the Whale Rubber, Tie Li rested and meditated before absorbing a weaker three-thousand-year piece, intending to use the remaining Whale Rubber to further improve his physique.

After reaching level thirty-nine, Tie Li met his old friend Zhang Yang in White Ground and learned what had happened to his family and the Great Soul Arena. Zhang Yang offered Tie Li a recommendation to Heaven Dou Royal Academy as he prepared to enlist at the border.

• Tie Li ended his cultivation, sensed someone approaching, and recognized Zhang Yang when they met.
• Zhang Yang told Tie Li that Tie Wu had joined Spirit Hall as a senior bishop’s disciple and had demanded answers from the Great Soul Arena after Tie Li was presumed dead.
• Tie Li showed Zhang Yang his new Soul Master Handbook and imperial identification, and Zhang Yang revealed that he had left the Great Soul Arena and was now wanted by it.
• Zhang Yang warned Tie Li that Dolangbu had become a five-ring Soul King and said he was joining the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to escape the Great Soul Arena’s pursuit.
• Zhang Yang offered Tie Li his recommendation quota for Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Tie Li considered the academy’s value for his future family alongside the risks of conflicts with noble students.

After receiving Zhang Yang’s letter of recommendation, Tie Li decided to head to Heaven Dou City before reaching Soul Power Level forty. He traveled north and, in the Soul Beast Forest, recognized Tie Wu among a group of Soul Masters in danger.

• Zhang Yang gave Tie Li a letter of recommendation for Heaven Dou City, and Tie Li decided to use it before breaking through to level forty.
• Tie Li returned to Fikes City, had new protective gear forged, and bought a Hornscale Horse in the black market.
• Tie Li traveled from Fasno Province into Northern Province toward Heaven Dou City.
• In the Soul Beast Forest, Tie Li sensed Soul Masters fighting and recognized Tie Wu as he told Xiong Fu to split up and run.

Tie Li rescued Tie Wu, Mu Lin, and Xiong Fu from Withered Wood and his Soul Master puppets, defeating the fallen Soul Elder after resisting his mind-control skill. Tie Wu felt an inexplicable closeness to Tie Li, but suppressed his emotions while Tie Li kept his identity secret.

• Tie Li sensed that the Soul Masters pursuing Tie Wu, Mu Lin, and Xiong Fu were puppets and shot several of them with his Tungsten Gold Bow.
• Withered Wood blocked Tie Li's next arrow and sent four remaining puppets to attack him while Tie Wu and the others fought Withered Wood.
• Withered Wood empowered his puppets, but Tie Li struck one so hard that the impact and lightning broke Withered Wood's control and injured him through mental backlash.
• Withered Wood tried to control Tie Li, but Tie Li resisted and killed him with the Purple Thunder Hammer.
• Tie Wu felt a powerful sense of familiarity with Tie Li, then hid his reaction as Mu Lin and Xiong Fu thanked Tie Li for saving them.

Tie Li reunited with Tie Wu and learned that his family was well, though Tie Wen had left Manno City. He reached Heaven Dou Royal Academy, intimidated a group of students, and followed a teacher inside for admission tests.

• Tie Li learned from Tie Wu that their parents were well and that Tie Wen had left Manno City without saying where he was going.
• Tie Li parted from Tie Wu and the others in Northland City, then traveled for more than a month toward Heaven Dou City.
• Tie Li sold his Hornscale Horse near Heaven Dou City and used directions to find Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Ten academy students blocked Tie Li on the mountain, but he released his soul rings and level thirty-nine Soul Power, frightening them away.
• Tie Li showed his letter of recommendation to two teachers, and one teacher took him to be tested before assigning him to a class.

Tie Li enrolled at Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a Heaven Dou Grade Student after proving he was twenty years old and level thirty-nine. After Teacher Li confirmed his documents, he began showing Tie Li around the academy as a core student.

• Tie Li registered at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, tested at level thirty-nine, and received a private dormitory as a Heaven Dou Grade Student.
• Teacher Li reported Tie Li’s age, Soul Power, and Imperial Certification to Meng Shenji, who ordered an investigation and approved his Heaven Dou Grade status.
• Tie Li went to the cafeteria, where Bai Xu tried to overpower him in a handshake but Tie Li crushed his grip and deterred the other students from provoking him.
• Teacher Li confirmed Tie Li’s Imperial Certification and Soul Master Handbook, then came to show him around the academy and its Mimicry Environments.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s Education Committee planned to build a second team around three gifted students, and Tie Li began studying at the academy while attracting the teachers’ attention. Qin Ming reviewed the student files and proposed candidates, leaving the remaining selections to be decided after he assessed their abilities.

• Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin decided to build the second team around three gifted students and asked Qin Ming to help select its members.
• Teacher Li showed Tie Li around the academy, and Tie Li joined the Heaven Dou-level class, where he recognized Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Yu Feng, and Osler.
• Teacher Zhao taught a lesson on combat coordination between assault-type and control-type soul masters, and Tie Li absorbed the material intently.
• Qin Ming reviewed the student files, found Tie Li’s rank-thirty-nine Soul Power and talent promising, and agreed to help select the second team.
• Qin Ming recommended Tuo Yu for the control-type position and said he needed to assess students before choosing the defense-type soul master and the final two members.
• Teacher Zhao offered to arrange sparring so Qin Ming could judge the candidates’ abilities.

Tie Li was summoned to the Soul Arena, where he fought Gu Qi in a match watched by Qin Ming and Zhi Lin. Tie Li defeated Gu Qi’s attack and impressed Qin Ming with his strength and physique.

• Teacher Li took Tie Li to the Soul Arena, where Tie Li encountered Ning Ning and Gu Qi.
• Qin Ming and Zhi Lin reviewed the students’ records and discussed Gu Qi’s apparent advantages over Tie Li.
• Teacher Zhao refereed as Tie Li and Gu Qi summoned their Martial Souls and began fighting.
• Tie Li used Thunder Hammer to force Gu Qi to dodge, then resisted Gu Qi’s flaming wing strike with Thunder Armor.
• Tie Li struck Gu Qi with Thunderclap Break, and Teacher Zhao caught the flying Gu Qi before the blow could cause further harm.
• Qin Ming praised Tie Li’s formidable physique and judged him an exceptionally outstanding assault-type Soul Master.

Teacher Zhao tested Tie Li and Tuo Yu as Qin Ming considered candidates for Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s second team. Tie Li accepted the offer after hearing its benefits, then began a spirit battle against Tuo Yu and was trapped by his summoned soul-beast projections.

• Teacher Zhao arranged spirit battles to assess Tie Li and Tuo Yu, and Qin Ming described Tuo Yu’s control abilities and rare Shadow Mirror Martial Soul.
• Teacher Zhao offered Tie Li academy resources and help obtaining his fourth soul ring if he joined the second team, and Tie Li agreed.
• Tuo Yu summoned shadow projections of a Vajra Bear, Ghost Vine, and Crimson Fire Thorn to attack Tie Li.
• Tie Li boosted his strength and struck the Vajra Bear, but the Ghost Vine and Crimson Fire Thorn formed a web that trapped him.

Tie Li proved his strength in soul battles, then cultivated at the academy’s Thunderstone Grounds. The next day, Bai Xu confronted him over his place on the second team, while Yu Feng revealed that the team was still selecting three members.

• Tie Li broke free of Tuo Yu’s vines with his lightning and forced Tuo Yu to admit defeat.
• Teacher Yu healed the students, and Gu Qi lost to Tuo Yu in another soul battle.
• Tie Li cultivated overnight at the Thunderstone Grounds and returned to class the next day.
• Bai Xu demanded that Tie Li withdraw from the second team, but Tie Li dismissed him and returned to his seat.
• Yu Feng told Dugu Yan, Osler, and the others that Tuo Yu had joined the second team and that three more members would be selected.

Tie Li and his companions faced pressure from Bai Xu’s group over the academy’s second-team slots, so Teacher Zhao settled the dispute with a Soul Fight. Tie Li’s side gained the upper hand, and Tie Li demonstrated the devastating strength of his hammer and right leg as the battle continued.

• Bai Xu and his group tried to force Tie Li to give up his second-team slot, but Tuo Yu restrained them with Ghost Vine and Tie Li knocked them down.
• Teacher Zhao heard Tie Li’s account and offered the two sides a Soul Fight to decide who would keep the second-team positions.
• Tie Li, Tuo Yu, Gu Qi, and Ning Ning faced Bai Xu’s seven-member group in the academy’s Soul Fighting Pool.
• Ning Ning boosted Tie Li and Gu Qi while Tuo Yu controlled the opposing team, and Tie Li’s Thunder Hammer sent Bai Xu and another power attack Soul Elder flying.
• Gu Qi knocked Wu You out, and Tie Li severely injured Bai Xu when Bai Xu tried to block another hammer strike.
• Tie Li used his right leg bone to deliver a powerful kick at the remaining opponent, continuing the fight.

Tie Li’s team defeated Bai Xu’s team, then met three Heaven-Supreme Grade students who would join the Second Team. Teacher Zhao began testing the newly assembled group with weighted vests, and Tie Li’s exceptional strength surprised him.

• Tie Li used consecutive kicks to defeat his opponent, and Bai Xu’s team surrendered after three Soul Elders were eliminated.
• Tie Li, Tuo Yu, Gu Qi, and Ning Ning ate lunch together, and Tuo Yu began treating Tie Li as their boss.
• Tie Li’s group met Zhang Xiaohe, Jue Dun, and Mu Wei, and the students introduced their ages, Soul Power Levels, and Martial Souls to Qin Ming and Zhao Tianhe.
• Qin Ming left to attend to the First Team, and Zhao Tianhe assigned weighted vests before arranging a three-versus-four Soul Fight.
• Tie Li easily bore a vest weighing over four hundred jin, giving Zhao Tianhe a clearer sense of Tie Li’s physical strength.

Zhao Tianhe put the seven Soul Masters through a weighted Soul Fighting match, where Tie Li’s strength helped his team win despite the restrictions. After a day of exhausting battles and recovery, the team received Deep Blue Oysters to improve their physical constitution.

• Zhao Tianhe gave Tie Li a new Weighted Vest and arranged a three-against-four match with the Third Soul Skill forbidden.
• Tie Li knocked back the Diamond Bear and Gu Qi, while Tuo Yu restrained Zhang Xiaohe and Mu Wei faced Jue Dun.
• Zhao Tianhe stopped the match and adjusted the weights, after which Mu Wei’s charge into Gu Qi helped Tie Li’s team secure victory.
• Zhao Tianhe increased Tie Li’s burden and held repeated matches until all seven were exhausted by nightfall.
• Teacher Yu helped ease their fatigue, and Zhao Tianhe served the team Deep Blue Oysters brought from Vast Sea City.
• Tuo Yu swallowed a Deep Blue Oyster and teased Tie Li about being afraid to eat one.