Chapter Summaries

Xu Linjiu interrupted Yu Xiaogang as he tried to persuade Tang San to become his disciple, criticizing his conclusions about Blue Silver Grass and exposing contradictions in his theory. Yu Xiaogang seized on the possibility that Tang San had twin martial souls, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Yu Xiaogang used his research on Blue Silver Grass and full innate soul power to argue that Tang San had another, high-quality martial soul.
• Xu Linjiu arrived and challenged the evidence behind Yu Xiaogang's claims, then revealed his Pokédex martial soul and identified Tang San as a high-potential target for a contract.
• Xu Linjiu used Yu Xiaogang's principle that there were no useless martial souls to point out his hypocrisy and question his treatment of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
• Xu Linjiu criticized Yu Xiaogang's limited sample, lack of environmental research, and failure to account for Blue Silver Grass variants.
• Yu Xiaogang blurted out that Tang San had twin martial souls and insisted this proved his theory.

Xu Linjiu challenged Yu Xiaogang’s twin-martial-soul theory and used a Miracle Seed to reveal that Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass was likely a Blue Silver King or Blue Silver Emperor. Convinced Xu Linjiu could guide him, Tang San knelt and asked to become his disciple.

• Xu Linjiu argued that Yu Xiaogang’s theory of twin martial souls contradicted what was known about inherited martial-soul quality.
• Xu Linjiu asked Tang San to summon his Blue Silver Grass and placed a Miracle Seed on it, strengthening the martial soul and awakening its response to life force.
• Xu Linjiu concluded that Tang San’s martial soul was likely a Blue Silver King or Blue Silver Emperor sealed in an ordinary form.
• Xu Linjiu gave Tang San the Miracle Seed and said it might eventually help his martial soul evolve.
• Tang San bowed three times to Xu Linjiu and asked to take him as his benefactor and teacher.

Tang San accepted Xu Linjiu as his teacher, and Xu humiliated Yu Xiaogang by revealing Wang Sheng’s self-created soul skill. After settling the students into the work-study dormitory, Xu prepared to take Tang San for his first soul ring and confronted the unseen Haotian in the back mountain.

• Yu Xiaogang tried to stop Tang San from accepting Xu Linjiu and insulted Xu, so Tang San struck him and nearly used a hidden sleeve arrow before Xu intervened.
• Xu Linjiu had Wang Sheng demonstrate a soul skill, then revealed Wang Sheng had rank-nine soul power; Yu Xiaogang fainted from the shock.
• Xu Linjiu escorted Tang San to the work-study dormitory, gave him bedding, and warned him to keep his hidden weapons and unusual methods secret.
• Xu Linjiu told Tang San and Wang Sheng to leave with him the next morning to obtain their soul rings once they were ready.
• Xu Linjiu went to the academy’s back mountain and called out to Haotian, who had been following him.

Xu Linjiu faced Tang Hao in the woods and proved his strength and insight, earning Tang Hao’s approval as Tang San’s teacher. Tang Hao entrusted Tang San to him and left, while Xu Linjiu learned that the Skydream Iceworm had concealed Xiao Wu’s soul-beast aura.

• Tang Hao emerged from the woods and demanded to know how Xu Linjiu had discovered his identity.
• Xu Linjiu explained his spiritual martial soul and his deductions about Tang San, then used Misty Terrain, Light Screen, and Reflect to withstand Tang Hao’s test.
• Tang Hao praised Xu Linjiu’s talent, admitted he had misjudged Yu Xiaogang, and recognized the significance of Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass and twin martial souls.
• Tang Hao entrusted Tang San to Xu Linjiu, asked him to keep the Clear Sky Hammer hidden, and left a Martial Soul Hall token behind as he vanished.
• The Skydream Iceworm returned and told Xu Linjiu it had concealed Xiao Wu’s soul-beast aura, which it recognized from the soul beasts that had absorbed its essence.
• Xu Linjiu realized Xiao Wu’s innocence might be because she had been rushed through her development, and the Skydream Iceworm returned to his body to rest.

Xu Linjiu explained the permanent contract’s benefits to Tang San, who agreed to sign and became his Pokémon contract partner. The Pokédex revealed Tang San’s exceptional Grass and Steel attributes, while the system awarded Xu Linjiu items and raised his trainer rank to Novice.

• Xu Linjiu gave Tang San a storage ring and steamed buns before explaining that his Pokédex contracts were permanent and could boost cultivation, grant skills, and improve martial souls.
• Tang San declared that he was willing to sign the contract, and Xu Linjiu created a Poké Ball that bonded to Tang San when he touched it.
• Xu Linjiu checked the Pokédex and found that Tang San had Grass and Steel attributes, four abilities, two skills, and exceptional potential.
• The system rewarded Xu Linjiu with Grass- and Steel-type TM lottery tickets and Experience Candies, then promoted him to Novice trainer rank.

Xu Linjiu taught Tang San Mega Drain and Iron Defense, then took him to Hunting Soul Forest to seek his first soul ring. After a Mandala Snake attacked Tang San, Xu Linjiu restrained and sent it away, and they continued deeper into the forest.

• Xu Linjiu used two lottery tickets to obtain Mega Drain and Iron Defense and taught both skills to Tang San.
• Xu Linjiu drew Rain Dance and equipped it as one of his own skills.
• Xu Linjiu and Tang San rode to Hunting Soul Forest in a carriage pulled by Little Qing, an Azure-Scaled Horse with a temporary contract.
• A Mandala Snake lunged at Tang San, who blocked it with his Mysterious Jade Hand while Xu Linjiu restrained it with Psychic.
• Xu Linjiu judged the Mandala Snake unsuitable for Tang San and sent it away before they continued searching.

Xu Linjiu taught Tang San about soul master roles and urged him to develop Blue Silver Grass in every direction, then guided him through absorbing a six-hundred-year Evergreen Tree soul ring alongside the Miracle Seed and the tree’s life core. Tang San successfully absorbed all three sources of energy and emerged with a more vital martial soul and improved Mysterious Heaven Skill.

• Xu Linjiu explained the five soul master classifications, and Tang San concluded that Blue Silver Grass suited the control path before Xu Linjiu told him to pursue every path.
• Xu Linjiu brought Tang San to a six-hundred-year Evergreen Tree, explaining that Tang San’s improved body and the plant beast’s weak resistance made its soul ring manageable.
• Xu Linjiu restrained the Evergreen Tree while Tang San cut out and severed the veins around its life core, killing the tree and producing a yellow soul ring.
• Xu Linjiu gave Tang San the life core and told him to absorb it and the Miracle Seed together with the soul ring using Super Absorption.
• Tang San circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill to guide the three energies through his body and successfully completed the absorption.

Tang San absorbed his first soul ring, evolving his Blue Silver Grass and gaining the skills Blue Silver Evergreen and Seed Bomb. After Xu Linjiu named the evolved martial soul Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass, they returned to Notting City, where they found a commotion at the work-study dormitory.

• Tang San's body grew stronger as his Blue Silver Grass evolved into a tougher, more destructive form.
• Tang San revealed Blue Silver Evergreen, a stacking boost to his strength and soul power that accumulated faster in sunlight.
• Tang San discovered Seed Bomb, which Xu Linjiu explained came from their contract after Tang San's martial soul evolved.
• Xu Linjiu named Tang San's evolved martial soul Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass and took him to practice in the Hunting Soul Forest.
• A Blue Silver Grass and a distant ancient vine sensed the emergence of new hope for the Blue Silver Grass Clan.
• Xu Linjiu and Tang San returned to Notting City and arrived at the dormitory as a figure was thrown outside and a girl refused to become someone's student.

Xu Linjiu returned to the work-study dormitory and confronted Yu Xiaogang, who had been harassing Xiao Wu in an attempt to make her his disciple. As Yu Xiaogang disparaged Xu Linjiu’s teachings, Xu Linjiu had Tang San reveal his soul ring and disclosed that it was six hundred years old.

• Wang Sheng told Xu Linjiu that Yu Xiaogang had repeatedly approached Xiao Wu and tried to recruit her as a disciple.
• Yu Xiaogang argued with Xu Linjiu, then accused Tang San of being deceived after Tang San refused his tutelage.
• Xiao Wu greeted Tang San warmly and said she had dealt with Yu Xiaogang herself when he came to the dormitory.
• Yu Xiaogang claimed his theories could make a ten-year soul ring stronger than a hundred-year one, and Xiao Wu mocked his weakness.
• Xu Linjiu asked Tang San to show Yu Xiaogang his soul ring, then revealed that the ring was six hundred years old.

Xu Linjiu exposed Yu Xiaogang’s ignorance and challenged his claim that a first soul ring could not exceed 423 years, while Tang San revealed his evolved Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass. Yu Xiaogang attacked Xu Linjiu after being mocked, but his soul skill backfired, and Xu Linjiu revealed he was a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

• Xu Linjiu announced that Tang San’s first soul ring had lasted 600 years, shattering Yu Xiaogang’s belief in his 423-year limit.
• Tang San displayed his evolved Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass, and Xu Linjiu said it had changed after Tang San absorbed a suitable soul ring under his guidance.
• Xu Linjiu questioned whether Yu Xiaogang could even reach rank thirty, and the working students mocked Yu Xiaogang for being stuck at rank twenty-nine.
• Yu Xiaogang accused Xu Linjiu of hiding the evolution method and used Luo Sanpao’s fart skill against him, but an invisible force sent the foul gas back onto Luo Sanpao.
• Xu Linjiu revealed two yellow and two purple soul rings and declared his strength as a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

Xu Linjiu revealed himself as a Soul Ancestor and humiliated Yu Xiaogang, then stopped Tang San from killing him. After discovering Xiao Wu’s legendary Pokémon status and receiving a mission to capture her, Xu Linjiu invited her to join his training with Tang San.

• Xu Linjiu revealed four soul rings and used a foul-smelling balloon soul skill to trap Yu Xiaogang while the work-study students laughed.
• Yu Xiaogang left after threatening Xu Linjiu, and Xu Linjiu stopped Tang San from firing his sleeve arrow, warning him not to provoke powerful figures yet.
• Xu Linjiu scanned Xiao Wu with his Pokédex, which identified her as a high-potential legendary Pokémon, and received a mission to capture her.
• Xiao Wu teased Tang San about his intent to attack Yu Xiaogang, then accepted Xu Linjiu’s invitation to train with them starting the next day.
• Xu Linjiu promised Xiao Wu that her training workload would be greater than Tang San’s.

Tang San and Xiao Wu began Xu Linjiu’s physical training, running ten kilometers under double gravity before he treated their exhaustion and gave them whale glue. After they drank it, Xu Linjiu hinted that it had another use, leaving them unaware of what would happen next.

• Xiao Wu and Tang San met Xu Linjiu and his Azure-Scaled Horse, Little Qing, at the back mountain.
• Xu Linjiu made Tang San and Xiao Wu run ten kilometers under double gravity, and both nearly collapsed when they finished.
• Xu Linjiu used Misty Terrain to ease their exhaustion and gave them potions to restore their strength.
• Xu Linjiu melted ten-year whale glue in a furnace and gave a cooled jar to each of them.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu drank the whale glue, and Xu Linjiu revealed that it had another use besides improving their physiques.

Xu Linjiu had Tang San and Xiao Wu refine whale glue before starting nightly one-on-one training, and the two began a fierce sparring match. Xiao Wu gained the upper hand with her Waist Bow, leaving Tang San struggling against her close-range grappling.

• Xu Linjiu explained that whale glue could improve their physiques and instructed Tang San and Xiao Wu to meditate while refining it.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu finished cultivating with increased strength and soul power, then followed Xu Linjiu to a clearing for nightly one-on-one combat practice.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu argued over who was stronger and asked Xu Linjiu to referee their match.
• Xiao Wu attacked first, but Tang San used Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass to break free of her scorpion braid and throw her aside.
• Xiao Wu activated Waist Bow, evaded Tang San's Seed Bombs, numbed his arm with a powerful kick, and wrapped her legs around his waist to flip him.

Tang San defeated Xiao Wu in their spar by trapping them both with Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass and detonating Seed Bombs, then received advice from Xu Linjiu. Three months later, Tang San and Xiao Wu had grown stronger, and a voice suddenly spoke in Xu Linjiu's mind.

• Xiao Wu pinned Tang San with her grappling techniques, but Tang San used Blue Scale Silver Pattern Grass to bind them together and detonated Seed Bombs, sending her flying.
• Tang San helped Xiao Wu up and explained that he had created the self-destructing move himself; Xu Linjiu corrected both students and ended their training for the day.
• Three months passed as Tang San's soul power reached level fifteen and Xiao Wu's reached level twelve, nearing thirteen.
• Xu Linjiu reflected on Tang San's rapid growth and Gangzi's failure to develop two geniuses before a voice spoke in his mind, saying it had slept comfortably.

Xu Linjiu reunited with Skydream Iceworm, fed it Exp. Candies, and gave it the Never-Melt Ice to help it grow stronger. Skydream Iceworm reaffirmed its promise to become Xu Linjiu’s soul ring, while Xu Linjiu chose to invest the rare item in his first contract partner rather than save it for Shui Bing’er.

• Xu Linjiu left his trainees and met Skydream Iceworm in an uninhabited spot behind the mountain.
• Skydream Iceworm complained that sealing Xiao Wu’s soul beast aura had drained its strength and demanded Exp. Candies.
• Xu Linjiu fed Skydream Iceworm several Exp. Candies, bringing its experience close to the million-year threshold.
• Skydream Iceworm promised to become Xu Linjiu’s soul ring and said it hoped to live another life through him.
• Xu Linjiu gave Skydream Iceworm the Never-Melt Ice, which it swallowed to strengthen itself.

Skydream Iceworm broke through to level one hundred and triggered a lightning tribulation, forcing Xu Linjiu to hurry it away from Notting Academy. Xu Linjiu concealed their aura long enough for Skydream Iceworm to transfer its power and ten golden rings to him, leaving Xu Linjiu with a fifth platinum-white soul ring as the storm dispersed.

• Skydream Iceworm's experience filled after absorbing the Never-Melt Ice, and a lightning tribulation gathered as it approached level one hundred.
• Xu Linjiu carried Skydream Iceworm deep into the back mountain while it suppressed its breakthrough to protect Notting Academy.
• Skydream Iceworm reached level one hundred, formed its tenth golden ring, and drew the tribulation's furious lightning strikes.
• Xu Linjiu used the Pokédex Martial Soul and defensive skills to conceal their aura while Skydream Iceworm transferred its remaining power to him.
• Xu Linjiu reached level fifty, absorbed Skydream Iceworm and its ten rings, and was left with a fifth platinum-white soul ring as the thunderclouds dispersed.

After Skydream Iceworm sacrificed itself, Xu Linjiu broke through to Soul King and gained a million-year soul ring, the Protean ability, and three psychic soul skills. Skydream Iceworm settled into his sea of consciousness, but when it tried to inspect his memories, an invisible barrier stopped it and Xu Linjiu appeared behind it.

• Xu Linjiu reached level fifty-three after Skydream Iceworm’s sacrifice and gained the Protean ability, which changed his attributes according to the moves he used.
• Xu Linjiu examined his million-year soul ring and discovered it granted Psychic Detection, Psychic Sharing, and Psychic Seal.
• Skydream Iceworm emerged in Xu Linjiu’s sea of consciousness and claimed it as its territory.
• Skydream Iceworm tried to examine Xu Linjiu’s memories but could not pass an invisible barrier.
• Xu Linjiu silently appeared behind Skydream Iceworm and asked what it was looking for.

Xu Linjiu discovered that Skydream Iceworm could see his system interface, which crashed when it could not reconcile Skydream Iceworm’s death with its lingering soul and aura. The system recovered by issuing a special reward, an icy blue egg whose powerful ice energy impressed Skydream Iceworm.

• Xu Linjiu blocked Skydream Iceworm from accessing his sealed memories and refused to reveal his secrets.
• Skydream Iceworm spotted the system interface on the Pokédex projection and realized it could see Xu Linjiu’s system.
• The system repeatedly detected Skydream Iceworm as both dead and present, then failed its self-diagnostic and went black.
• The system restarted and activated a compensation protocol for data loss caused by its logic flaw.
• The system generated an icy blue egg as a reward, and Skydream Iceworm tasted its potent ice-element energy.

Xu Linjiu learned that his Ice-type Pokémon Egg needed an enormous amount of energy to take form, so he planned to search for a powerful source of ice energy. After recovering Skydream Iceworm's shed skin, they prepared to seek the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave.

• Xu Linjiu discovered that the Ice Egg was stored as a conceptual entity and that its eventual species and potential depended on the Ice-type energy he supplied.
• Xu Linjiu's Ice Beam added only 0.1 progress, so he considered the Extreme North, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave as possible energy sources.
• Xu Linjiu chose to search the Heaven Dou Empire's northern border for the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave, relying on Skydream Iceworm to sense its Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow.
• Skydream Iceworm reminded Xu Linjiu to retrieve its shed skin, and he found it beneath a boulder and stored it for their journey.

Xu Linjiu told Tang San and Xiao Wu that he had broken through to Soul King and would leave to obtain a new soul ring, then received the dean’s approval to take leave. Two and a half months later, he watched a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan outpost in Coldstone City, where Skydream assured him they had found the right place.

• Xu Linjiu returned to Tang San and Xiao Wu after a strange burst of thunder and revealed that he had reached Soul King and planned to leave for a new soul ring.
• Xu Linjiu gave Tang San and Xiao Wu whale gelatin and asked Tang San to keep training while he was away.
• Xu Linjiu asked the dean of Notting Academy for leave, and the dean approved it after learning of his breakthrough.
• The dean warned Xu Linjiu not to provoke Yu Xiaogang because of his connections to Martial Soul Hall, and Xu Linjiu said he understood.
• Two and a half months later, Xu Linjiu watched the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan outpost in Coldstone City, and Skydream assured him they had found the right place.