Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Establishing the Holy Spirit Cult and Founding the Spirit Pagoda

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xia Mu gathers his allies, including Yue Guan, Gui Mei, Ye Renxin, Dugu Bo, the four Single-Attribute Clans, and several powerful Douluo.
• The gathering reveals the immense strength of Xia Mu’s faction: two Peerless Douluo, six Super Douluo, numerous Titled Douluo, and other elite Soul Masters.
• Xia Mu formally establishes the Holy Spirit Cult, using the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well as its foundation. He explains that creating the cult is necessary because his many enemies make remaining independent impossible.
• The cult’s hierarchy is organized:
  • Xia Mu becomes Cult Master.
  • Xia Feng and Liu Yuer become Supreme Elders.
  • Yue Guan and Gui Mei become Heavenly Kings.
  • Ye Renxin and Dugu Bo become Grand Priests of medicine and poison.
  • Tuoba Xuanfeng becomes Left Protector.
  • Xia Mu’s seven wives become Vice Cult Masters.
  • Super Douluo serve as Inner Elders, while Titled Douluo become Outer Elders.
• Xia Mu introduces the Spirit Pagoda, the cult’s grassroots institution, with one pagoda planned for every province.
• Each Spirit Pagoda will awaken Martial Souls, operate primary through advanced academies, manage a Great Soul Arena, run a Soul Master Guild, and distribute rare resources through the Holy Spirit Chamber of Commerce.
• The Soul Master Guild will organize missions, guarantee contracts, facilitate Soul Beast hunting teams, and connect mission rewards to Great Soul Arena rankings.
• Xia Mu establishes the Holy Spirit Top Ten, a biennial or five-yearly talent-selection system for Soul Masters under twenty-five. The strongest contestants will receive rare medicines and Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bones and may eventually become Spirit Pagoda Masters.
• Bibi Dong recognizes the system’s potential and considers adapting it for Spirit Hall as the “Spirit Hall Golden Generation.”
• The chapter ends when Gui Mei returns from battle with a living two-hundred-thousand-year Nine-Section Fish Dragon Emperor, astonishing everyone present.

Character Developments

• Xia Mu transitions from a powerful individual into a faction leader and institution-builder. His emphasis shifts from personal strength to administration, recruitment, education, commerce, and long-term talent cultivation.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei are revealed to have advanced into exceptionally powerful Super Douluo, with Gui Mei demonstrating his strength by capturing the enormous Nine-Section Fish Dragon Emperor.
• Tai Tan is formally recognized as Xia Mu’s loyal follower, a ninety-second-rank Titled Douluo, and patriarch of the Strength Clan.
• The four Single-Attribute Clans—Strength, Breaking, Defense, and Speed—officially become subordinate forces of Xia Mu.
• Bibi Dong becomes increasingly impressed by Xia Mu’s organizational strategy and begins imagining how similar methods could strengthen Spirit Hall.
• Gui Mei earns renewed respect from the gathered elites through his successful capture of a beast equivalent to a high-level Super Douluo.

Significant Themes

• Institutional power versus individual strength: The chapter emphasizes that even a powerful Soul Master needs an organized force to survive political and military threats.
• Talent cultivation and recruitment: The Spirit Pagoda system creates a pipeline from commoner Martial Soul awakenings to elite Soul Master leadership.
• Centralized control and social influence: Through academies, arenas, guilds, commerce, and provincial organizations, the Holy Spirit Cult seeks influence over nearly every aspect of Soul Master society.
• Rewards as motivation: Xia Mu understands that loyalty requires tangible benefits, using immortal herbs, rare medicines, Soul Bones, and advancement opportunities to attract and retain talent.
• Ambition and competition: The Holy Spirit Cult is designed to rival Spirit Hall, while Bibi Dong’s reaction suggests that the two organizations may eventually compete through parallel systems.
• Transformation of ordinary people: The Spirit Pagodas are presented as a way to discover commoner talent and elevate individuals who would otherwise lack access to Soul Master opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Xia Mu respectfully presents his plans to his allies, and the gathered members unanimously pledge their service.
• He personally introduces the newly affiliated Douluo and clan leaders, reinforcing their place within the new organization.
• Yue Guan questions the unfamiliar Spirit Pagoda system, prompting Xia Mu to explain its purpose and structure.
• Ge Long challenges Xia Mu on how Spirit Pagoda Masters will be selected, leading to the creation of the Holy Spirit Top Ten.
• Bibi Dong listens closely and reacts enthusiastically, mentally adapting Xia Mu’s ideas for Spirit Hall.
• Gui Mei interrupts the planning meeting with his dramatic return, and the group reacts with shock and admiration upon learning that he captured a two-hundred-thousand-year sea Soul Beast alive.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Mu recognizes the Ninth-Level Soul Tool Gui Mei presents: the God-Sealing Platform, a rare device from Bo Saixi’s collection that can contain Soul Beasts.
• Inside is a two-hundred-thousand-year Nine-Section Fish Dragon Emperor, which Xia Mu sees as an ideal match for Nan Boer’s dragon- and annihilation-based abilities.
• Nan Boer kills it with her eighth Soul Skill, Annihilating Dragon Breath. It yields an unusually powerful Soul Ring and a Trunk Bone, which she absorbs.
• The Soul Bone raises Nan Boer to Level 90. After absorbing the Soul Ring, she gains two ninth Soul Skills, Frost Heaven Blazing Torrent Roar and Dual Heavens of Ice and Fire, along with defensive and domain Soul Bone abilities.
• Completing her Red-Level Seven Trial further rewards her: all nine Soul Rings gain ten thousand years of age, her Soul Power rises three levels, and she receives three God-Bestowed Soul Rings. She reaches Level 95, becoming a Super Douluo capable of contending with a Level 98 Peak Super Douluo.
• Nan Boer gives the three unused God-Bestowed Soul Rings to Bibi Dong, who accepts them after Nan Boer suggests she repay the favor with several ten-thousand-year Soul Bones someday.

Character developments and interactions

• Nan Boer grows dramatically stronger, gaining a rare Soul Ring, a powerful Soul Bone, new ice-and-fire abilities, and the status of a Level 95 Super Douluo. She also shows generosity by offering Bibi Dong her spare rings.
• Ye Ziyi is frustrated that Nan Boer has surpassed her, attributing the gap to her own missing ninth skill and Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone.
• Bibi Dong appreciates the convenience of God-Bestowed Soul Rings, though Xia Mu argues that natural Soul Rings are stronger at equal ages because they provide two skills rather than one. She initially refuses Nan Boer’s gift out of concern for its value, then accepts on agreed repayment.
• Xia Mu identifies the Soul Tool and Soul Beast’s potential, while his casual confidence about obtaining more Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts draws Bibi Dong’s exasperated response.

Significant themes

• Power through rare resources: Soul Rings, Soul Bones, and Soul Skills determine status and combat strength.
• Natural versus divine/artificial power: God-Bestowed Soul Rings are convenient, but natural Soul Rings offer greater power and more skills at equal ages.
• Relationships and reciprocity: Nan Boer’s gift strengthens her bond with Bibi Dong, who accepts it in exchange for a future favor.
• Privilege and access: The Holy Spirit Cult’s ability to obtain exceptionally rare Soul Beasts contrasts with what ordinary Soul Masters—and even major powers—can manage.

Chapter Summary: “Super Divine Beast, the Great Sun Golden Crow!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the volcanic core of Sunset Forest, Xia Mu and his companions hunt a 98,000-year-old Blazing Sun Golden Crow Emperor, an aerial soul beast with Ultimate Fire and traces of the ancient Three-Legged Golden Crow bloodline.
• Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Two Extremes Forbidden Domain, to immobilize the beast. Dugu Bo then severely wounds it with his Ninth Soul Skill.
• Rather than kill it immediately, Dugu Bo feeds the Golden Crow several eighth-grade Cinnabar Lotuses, while Ye Renxin uses his healing ability to restore it and increase its age.
• The beast breaks through to 100,000 years and transforms into the legendary Great Sun Golden Crow, a Super Divine Beast whose power nearly rivals that of a Ferocious Beast.
• Despite its transformation, the Golden Crow is overwhelmed by Xia Mu’s powerful allies. Xia Mu orders Ling Yuan to deliver the final blow.
• Ling Yuan kills the Great Sun Golden Crow and obtains its golden Soul Ring. After several days of absorption, she awakens powerful Sun-related abilities.
• Xia Mu discovers a 100,000-year Golden Crow trunk bone and gives it to Ling Yuan. After refining it, she completes her Sea God trial and receives three God-Bestowed Soul Rings, a three-level Soul Power increase, and a ten-thousand-year increase to every Soul Ring.

Character Developments

• Ling Yuan undergoes a dramatic transformation. Her Soul Power rises first to level 93 through the trunk bone and then to level 96 after completing her God Trial.
• Her Soul Ring configuration becomes six black, two red, and one gold, and she gains four Rule-Class Soul Skills connected to sunlight and solar authority.
• Ling Yuan’s new abilities allow her to condense sunlight into devastating attacks, including a miniature black hole, a solar storm sword, offensive solar flares, and defensive corona light. Her combat strength approaches that of a level-98 Titled Douluo.
• Xia Mu demonstrates strategic insight by recognizing the Golden Crow’s exceptional bloodline and realizing that its Soul Ring may possess God-Grade potential.
• Dugu Bo, Ghost Douluo, and Yue Guan display overwhelming teamwork and combat power, successfully restraining and defeating a Super Divine Beast.
• Ye Renxin plays a crucial supporting role by healing the Golden Crow and enabling its evolution into the Great Sun Golden Crow.
• The chapter also explains how Sea God trials have improved the group’s Soul Ring configurations, especially elevating the Titled Douluo to powerful black-and-red combinations.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through opportunity and destiny: Ling Yuan’s advancement results from an extraordinarily rare encounter with a divine-bloodline soul beast.
• Transformation and evolution: The Golden Crow evolves from a 98,000-year soul beast into a legendary Super Divine Beast, while Ling Yuan similarly evolves into a far stronger cultivator.
• Ancient bloodlines and divine inheritance: The Three-Legged Golden Crow lineage grants the beast extraordinary potential and gives Ling Yuan access to the Sun Authority.
• Teamwork and preparation: Even a creature comparable to a Ferocious Beast can be defeated through the coordinated efforts of several elite warriors.
• Rule-level power: Ling Yuan’s new abilities transcend ordinary Soul Skills and begin to touch the laws and origins of the world.

Character Interactions

• Xia Mu advises the group on the Golden Crow’s value and later instructs Ling Yuan to finish the weakened beast.
• Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan cooperate to trap the Golden Crow with the Two Extremes Forbidden Domain.
• Dugu Bo weakens the beast, while Ye Renxin heals and strengthens it so it can break through to the 100,000-year level.
• Ling Yuan receives Xia Mu’s trust and the Golden Crow’s remains, including its valuable trunk bone.
• After her breakthrough, Ling Yuan explains her new Soul Skills to Xia Mu, who recognizes that she has inherited the Sun Star’s divine authority.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Bear and Ghost Leopard Douluo ask Xia Mu for chances to grow stronger. He explains that Sea God Island now bars outsiders from its trials, but promises to reward them if they make major contributions.
• Xia Mu assigns the cult’s members new missions and roles: Bibi Dong will hunt a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor with Demon Bear and Ghost Leopard; Zhu Qingyue will pursue a rare tiger Soul Beast with support; and the clans are tasked with building Spirit Pagodas, scouting, and expanding the Holy Spirit Chamber of Commerce.
• Over the following six months, Bibi Dong kills the Death Spider Emperor, gains a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and two arm Soul Bones, and reaches Titled Douluo at rank 94.
• Zhu Qingyue and her allies defeat a 190,000-year Dark-Gold White-Eyed Tiger King. She gains its Soul Ring and skull Soul Bone, becomes a Titled Douluo, and reaches rank 96 after receiving her God Trial rewards.
• Bibi Dong obtains six more God-Bestowed Soul Rings and uses them to complete the set of nine on her second Martial Soul. Her Soul Power rises to rank 99, making her a Peerless Douluo, but she cannot progress further.
• Xia Mu reveals the Soul Core cultivation method to the women at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He explains its role in advancing beyond rank 99 and distinguishes between the easier Isotopic Resonance method and the more powerful but dangerous Yin-Yang-Complementary method. He plans to teach the public a basic version while giving the women the complete method.

Character developments and interactions

• Bibi Dong completes a major breakthrough, but her progress stalls at the Peerless Douluo bottleneck. Xia Mu’s revelation gives her a possible path forward.
• Zhu Qingyue proves her strength by defeating an exceptionally ancient Soul Beast and rises to rank 96.
• Demon Bear and Ghost Leopard show their ambition and loyalty, accepting Xia Mu’s promise of advancement through service.
• Xia Mu directs the cult’s military, commercial, and organizational expansion while using rewards and powerful cultivation knowledge to attract talent.
• The group of women responds with surprise to the unfamiliar Soul Core system; Bibi Dong is especially eager because it addresses the obstacle she has been struggling with.

Significant themes

• Power gained through achievement and reward: Advancement depends on dangerous hunts, trials, and contributions to the cult.
• Knowledge as influence: The Soul Core method could transform high-level cultivation and help the Holy Spirit Cult recruit Soul Masters.
• Ambition and institutional growth: The cult is expanding not only through combat strength but also through commerce, intelligence, and infrastructure.
• The limits of power: Even reaching rank 99 does not guarantee further progress; the next stage requires new knowledge and a perilous method.

Key plot points

• Xia Mu explains that his yin–yang complementary soul cores came about through rare, unconventional circumstances, so they are not a practical model for others.
• He asks Bibi Dong to develop the Isotopic Resonance Soul Core Method, believing her spiritual strength and twin martial souls make her ideally suited to create a new cultivation path. She accepts.
• The other six women are advised to start with basic natal soul cores and eventually follow Bibi Dong’s method. After consuming Spirit-Rhyme Sea Urchins, all seven successfully condense natal cores over two months.
• Bibi Dong advances further, forming ultimate death and ultimate evil soul cores. Xia Mu advises her to make her third core mental-attribute rather than devouring-attribute, arguing that it is a more balanced route and less likely to lead her toward evil. She agrees.
• News arrives that Elder Demon Bear has found a hundred-thousand-year Golden Sword Lion King well suited to Ge Long. Xia Mu sends Tuoba Xuanfeng to assist with the hunt.
• Xia Mu rewards Yue Guan with a fifty-thousand-year Azure Sea Spirit Ape right-arm bone and entrusts him with the seed of a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor, which could be cultivated at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
• Xia Mu then considers how to improve his mother Liu Yuer’s soul-bone set, especially replacing her comparatively weak thirty-thousand-year left-arm bone so it will not hinder her chances of godhood.

Character developments and interactions

• Bibi Dong accepts the challenge of becoming the pioneer of isotopic-resonance cultivation. Her choice of a mental-attribute third core reflects her current reluctance to embrace an evil path.
• Xia Mu acts as mentor and strategist, guiding the women’s cultivation while also managing sect affairs, rewarding loyal subordinates, and planning for his mother’s advancement.
• Yue Guan gratefully accepts both the soul bone and the Blue Silver Emperor seed, treating the latter as a valuable responsibility.
• The other six women follow Xia Mu’s guidance and successfully establish their foundations through natal soul cores.
• Ge Long, Demon Bear, and Tuoba Xuanfeng are set on a potentially dangerous hunt, with Tuoba assigned to support the effort.

Significant themes

• Innovation and legacy: Bibi Dong is offered the chance to establish a cultivation method that future soul masters may follow.
• Power balanced by choice: Xia Mu’s counsel frames cultivation as a moral decision, contrasting devouring power with a more harmonious mental path.
• Preparation for transcendence: Soul cores, rare spirit treasures, and complete soul-bone sets are treated as essential foundations for reaching godhood.
• Loyalty and reward: Xia Mu recognizes Yue Guan’s service with gifts suited to his abilities, while also entrusting him with a rare seed for cultivation.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xia Mu asks Bibi Dong about her next Sea God trial. She has completed the Seventh Trial and absorbed nine god-bestowed Soul Rings. Her Eighth Trial requires her to survive three hours against Bo Saixi and all Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo. Bibi Dong doubts she can prevail, since Bo Saixi’s Sea God powers counter her Spider God abilities.
• Before Bibi Dong can leave, the Seven Great Priests of Spirit Hall arrive at the Holy Spirit Cult. Led by Qian Daoliu, they accuse the cult of being an Evil Soul Master organization and launch an attack to avenge Spirit Hall.
• The cult’s powerful Titled Douluo emerge, surprising Qian Daoliu with the organization’s strength: one Peerless Douluo and five level-ninety-eight Super Douluo among them.
• Qian Daoliu opens with his Angel Domain and a lethal divine attack. Xia Mu counters with the Light-Hiding Sword’s sword spirit, the Radiant Sacred Dragon, and protects himself with his Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Shield.
• Xia Mu reveals his extraordinary Soul Rings and unleashes Firefly-Flame Dance, a god-level skill. Qian Daoliu’s attempt to defend himself with the Angel God’s power fails; Xia Mu damages the Angel God Statue and wounds him.
• Recognizing that he cannot win, Qian Daoliu orders the priests to retreat. Xia Feng blocks their escape, leaving the Seven Great Priests facing another formidable opponent.

Character developments

• Bibi Dong is nearing the most dangerous stage of her Sea God trials. Though greatly strengthened, she recognizes the strategic disadvantage Bo Saixi’s powers pose.
• Xia Mu demonstrates the scale of his power and his ability to shift between two forms of Martial Soul Avatar. He also challenges Qian Daoliu’s moral certainty, not merely his strength.
• Qian Daoliu arrives believing the Holy Spirit Cult will be an easy target. His confidence collapses when he encounters Xia Mu’s divine-level power and realizes he acted on faulty judgment.
• Xia Feng steps forward as a powerful ally and the priests’ barrier to escape, escalating the confrontation.

Significant themes

• Power and misjudgment: Spirit Hall’s leaders underestimate the Holy Spirit Cult and suffer the consequences.
• Faith versus moral judgment: Xia Mu questions whether Qian Daoliu deserves to serve the Angel God when he attacks without discerning right from wrong.
• Preparation and countering: Bibi Dong’s concern about Bo Saixi highlights how matchups and elemental or spiritual counters can outweigh raw strength.
• Escalating conflict: A punitive raid quickly becomes a potentially catastrophic battle between elite forces.

Character interactions

• Xia Mu checks on Bibi Dong’s plans and presses her about the risks of her next trial.
• Bibi Dong explains why Bo Saixi is such a dangerous opponent, revealing both her confidence in her own strength and her awareness of its limits.
• Qian Daoliu confronts Xia Mu and the Holy Spirit Cult; Xia Mu answers his attack with overwhelming force and condemns his judgment.
• When Qian Daoliu orders a retreat, Xia Feng intercepts the priests, turning their withdrawal into a standoff.

Plot points

• Xia Feng, a previously unknown Level 99 Peerless Douluo, is revealed as a decisive threat to Spirit Hall’s six Enshrined. Qian Daoliu is the only one who can plausibly hold him off.
• Qian Jun and Jiang Mo step in to protect their elder brother, Qian Daoliu, and challenge Xia Feng’s allies, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
• The twin enforcers unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, One Staff to Rule the Realm, combining their Coiling Dragon Staffs into the Heavenly Awakening Sacred Golden Dragon.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei answer with Two Extremes Forbidden Domain, a fusion domain that freezes time and space. It dissolves the twins’ attack and leaves them unable to move.
• Once the domain ends, the two sides fight without their fusion skills. Qian Jun and Jiang Mo launch powerful Ninth Soul Skills, but Yue Guan and Gui Mei counter with their own Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Skills and begin to gain the upper hand.
• As the brothers face defeat, Golden Crocodile Douluo enters the battle, threatening to turn the tide.

Character developments and interactions

• Qian Jun and Jiang Mo display fierce loyalty and coordination, willing to sacrifice themselves so Qian Daoliu can escape. Their confidence in their fusion skill collapses when Yue Guan and Gui Mei nullify it.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei reveal the depth of their resentment toward Spirit Hall. They explain that Qian Xunji denied them advancement and treated them as expendable; their loyalty now belongs to the lord who gave them a new chance.
• Xia Mu watches and comments on the fighters’ abilities rather than intervening, confident that Yue Guan and Gui Mei can handle the twins.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo responds to the twins’ danger by stepping in to save them.
• The chapter emphasizes the contrast between the twins’ brotherly unity and the bitter loyalty Yue Guan and Gui Mei have redirected away from Spirit Hall.

Significant themes

• Power and surprise: Xia Feng’s sudden appearance exposes how little Spirit Hall knows about its opponents.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Yue Guan and Gui Mei’s defection is presented as the consequence of Spirit Hall’s abuse, while Qian Jun and Jiang Mo remain devoted to their family and institution.
• Limits of strength: Even an impressive fusion skill can be rendered useless by a superior ability—in this case, the time-and-space control of the Two Extremes Forbidden Domain.
• Sacrifice and solidarity: The twins’ willingness to fight to the death underscores their bond and their determination to protect Qian Daoliu.

Plot points and events

• Spirit Hall’s enshrined launch a surprise attack, but the Holy Spirit Cult’s fighters meet them head-on. Xia Feng blocks Golden Crocodile Douluo, while Liu Yuer and Dugu Bo take on Light Feather and Mighty Lion Douluo.
• Light Feather’s attempt to ambush Xia Feng fails when Xia Feng’s defensive soul skill stops the strike. Liu Yuer captures Light Feather, and Dugu Bo overpowers Mighty Lion.
• The Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo defeat and capture Qian Jun and Jiang Mo. Xia Feng also defeats Golden Crocodile, leaving Spirit Hall badly outmatched.
• Qian Daoliu recognizes the defeat and asks to negotiate, but Xia Mu refuses, ordering Spirit Hall’s enshrined killed for their attack. Golden Crocodile, Mighty Lion, Light Feather, Qian Jun, and Jiang Mo die.
• Desperate to protect Qian Daoliu, Azure Luan Douluo burns his Martial Soul Origin and unleashes his powerful Ninth Soul Skill. Xia Mu blocks the attack, while Qian Daoliu escapes.
• Xia Mu refuses to pursue Qian Daoliu, warning that Spirit Hall’s Angel Divine Power would make its home ground too dangerous. The victors then discover several valuable Soul Bones, including a hundred-thousand-year-old Golden Crocodile King skull.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Feng displays overwhelming strength, defeating Golden Crocodile while protecting himself from Light Feather’s ambush.
• Liu Yuer reacts fiercely to the attempted assassination and captures Light Feather.
• Dugu Bo proves to be a formidable opponent, using his superior level and soul-ring configuration to overpower Mighty Lion.
• Qian Daoliu shifts from confidence to regret and desperation as Spirit Hall’s defeat becomes inevitable; he escapes rather than face the Holy Spirit Cult at full strength.
• Azure Luan Douluo shows loyalty and resolve by sacrificing himself to give Qian Daoliu time to flee.
• Xia Mu takes a hard line against Spirit Hall’s attack but remains tactically cautious, choosing not to chase Qian Daoliu onto hostile ground.

Significant themes

• The cost of aggression: Spirit Hall’s attack turns a potential coexistence into a devastating defeat.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Azure Luan Douluo gives his life to protect his leader.
• Power and changing fortunes: The Holy Spirit Cult’s strength overturns Spirit Hall’s expectations.
• Prudence after victory: Xia Mu’s refusal to pursue Qian Daoliu recognizes that advantage can disappear on an enemy’s home ground.

Plot points and events

• Xia Mu rewards the Holy Spirit Cult for repelling Spirit Hall, taking several ten-thousand-year Soul Bones into the Cult’s treasury and teaching its Titled Douluo a Soul Core cultivation method.
• He explains that Dugu Bo’s Destiny Divine Core Pearl is an embryonic Soul Core. A properly formed Soul Core requires strength in soul power, mental strength, and physical constitution; high-ranking Soul Douluo can begin forming one. The method offers a path beyond the usual limits of cultivation.
• Xia Mu orders the Cult to exploit Spirit Hall’s weakened state by rapidly establishing Spirit Pagoda branches across the two empires.
• Ye Ziyi absorbs two hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones and advances from level 94 to level 96.
• Qian Daoliu returns to Spirit Hall badly injured and learns that all six other priests were killed in the battle against the Holy Spirit Cult. He blames Qian Xunji for provoking both the Holy Spirit Cult and Sea God Island, then slaps him in anger.
• Hoping to improve their chances against the Cult, Qian Daoliu takes Qian Xunji to the Angel Temple to begin a God Trial. Qian Xunji receives only a Black-Level Four Trial. Qian Daoliu discovers that his son has a ninety-thousand-year ninth Soul Ring and six ten-thousand-year Soul Bones, which compromised his prospects for a higher trial and the Angel Set.
• Convinced Qian Xunji’s own future is ruined, Qian Daoliu orders him to marry and produce an heir to continue the Qian Clan line.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Mu acts as both strategist and benefactor: he strengthens the Cult’s long-term cultivation prospects while directing its expansion.
• Dugu Bo learns that the pearl inside him is a Soul Core in embryonic form, clarifying the source of its value.
• Ye Ziyi regains parity with her peers after a major increase in power.
• Qian Daoliu shifts from grief over his fellow priests to fury at his son, then focuses on preserving the Qian bloodline.
• Qian Xunji faces the consequences of his earlier decisions. He is initially pleased with his trial rank, but Qian Daoliu’s questioning exposes the sacrifices that limited his potential.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as legacy: The Soul Core method is presented as a lasting inheritance, more valuable than individual Soul Rings or Soul Bones.
• Preparation and consequence: A strong foundation is essential for advancement, while Qian Xunji’s choices have damaged both his prospects and Spirit Hall’s position.
• Legacy and survival: The Holy Spirit Cult builds for future strength, while Spirit Hall’s leader turns to the next generation as his remaining hope.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Daoliu pressures his son, Qian Xunji, to marry and produce an heir. Qian Xunji initially refuses, claiming that becoming Supreme Pontiff and reforming Spirit Hall are his priorities.
• Qian Daoliu exposes Qian Xunji’s feelings for Bibi Dong and warns that her future role as Sea God Island’s High Priestess makes their relationship impossible. He also emphasizes the impropriety of Qian Xunji’s feelings toward his disciple.
• To secure Spirit Hall’s future, Qian Daoliu proposes that Qian Xunji marry the daughter of the Fourth Priest’s family, a woman with the powerful Blazing Sun Lion martial soul. The marriage would help unite the surviving families of the Six Great Priests and strengthen Qian Xunji’s political control. Qian Xunji reluctantly agrees.
• At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Gu Rong breaks through to level 90 and enters the Titled Douluo realm, becoming a Quasi-Titled Douluo until he obtains his ninth soul ring. His breakthrough gives the sect a powerful protector before the upcoming Three Upper Sects Competition.
• Ning Fengzhi is overjoyed, since the Clear Sky Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan already possess Titled Douluo-level experts. Gu Rong’s advancement finally gives the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect comparable status.
• The Clear Sky Sect is revealed to be much weaker than it appears. Its seven elders were killed when they attempted to attack the Four Single-Attribute Clans, after Tai Tan broke through during the battle and became a Titled Douluo.
• In response, Tang Zhen consolidates control over the Clear Sky Sect, promotes new disciples, and suppresses rival branches. He reflects bitterly on how the sect has declined from its former dominance.
• At the Holy Spirit Cult, Xia Mu announces his plan to return to Slaughter City to hunt the nearly two-hundred-thousand-year-old Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King. The beast’s fire attribute and blood-manipulation abilities are especially compatible with his body-based martial soul.
• Xia Mu also intends to absorb the beast’s soul ring to evolve his Dark Gold Bat Wings and potentially enable flesh regeneration for his skeletal martial soul. Secretly, he plans to seize Tang Chen’s Asura Nine Trials and prevent his enemy from obtaining the Asura God’s inheritance.

Character Developments

• Qian Xunji shifts from resisting marriage to accepting it for political and strategic reasons. His ambition to control Spirit Hall and the Six Great Priest families outweighs his personal desires.
• Qian Daoliu is shown as both a stern father and a calculating political strategist. He prioritizes Spirit Hall’s stability and attempts to force Qian Xunji onto a path that will strengthen the organization.
• Gu Rong achieves a major breakthrough after relying on accumulated foundations from multiple Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. His defense, space abilities, and Bone Dragon martial soul make him a formidable future Titled Douluo.
• Ning Fengzhi gains confidence and relief, realizing that his investment in Gu Rong has secured the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s position among the Three Upper Sects.
• Tang Zhen takes firm control of the weakened Clear Sky Sect but is increasingly troubled by its decline and the rapidly changing balance of power on the continent.
• Tai Tan is established as a newly emerged Titled Douluo whose strength saved the Four Single-Attribute Clans and destroyed the Clear Sky Sect’s offensive force.
• Xia Mu reveals greater ambition. His goal is not merely to obtain a powerful soul ring but also to transform his martial soul, acquire a possible route to godhood, and prevent his rival from gaining divine power.

Significant Themes

• Political marriage and strategic alliances: Qian Xunji’s marriage is treated as a tool for consolidating power rather than a personal relationship.
• The rise and fall of factions: The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect rises with Gu Rong’s breakthrough, while the Clear Sky Sect struggles after catastrophic losses.
• Power gained through sacrifice and preparation: Gu Rong’s breakthrough results from long-term accumulation, whereas Tai Tan’s advancement occurs in the midst of battle.
• Shifting continental power structures: Spirit Hall, the Holy Spirit Cult, the Three Upper Sects, and the Four Single-Attribute Clans are all competing for influence in an increasingly unstable era.
• Pursuit of transformation and immortality: Xia Mu seeks not only strength but bodily regeneration and access to divine inheritance.
• Control over divine legacies: The Asura God’s inheritance becomes a strategic prize, with Xia Mu determined to keep it away from his enemy.

Important Character Interactions

• Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji: Their argument centers on marriage, Bibi Dong, morality, and Spirit Hall’s political future. Qian Daoliu ultimately persuades Qian Xunji through ambition and pragmatism.
• Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi: Gu Rong credits Ning Fengzhi’s support for his breakthrough and promises to protect him, while Ning Fengzhi views Gu Rong’s advancement as essential to the sect’s survival.
• Tang Zhen and the Clear Sky Sect: Tang Zhen addresses the sect’s losses and reorganizes its leadership, demonstrating his determination to preserve the Clear Sky legacy despite its decline.
• Xia Mu, Liu Yuer, and Xia Feng: Liu Yuer worries about Xia Mu’s dangerous journey, while Xia Feng questions the connection between the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King and Xia Mu’s existing bat-related abilities. Xia Mu explains the enormous benefits of the hunt but conceals his full plan to seize the Asura inheritance.

Plot and key events

• Xia Mu decides to enter Slaughter City alone to hunt the two-hundred-thousand-year-old Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King. Liu Yuer and her husband remain behind: they must manage the newly established Spirit Pagodas, recruit talent for the Holy Spirit Cult, and guard the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in case Qian Daoliu returns.
• Returning to Slaughter City, Xia Mu uses his Slaughter Domain to establish his authority and enters freely as a Divine Slaughter. He immediately asks to see the King of Slaughter.
• The King accuses Xia Mu of killing the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King, whom he calls Slaughter City’s Auspicious Beast and had intended as his successor.
• Xia Mu attacks with the Holy Spirit Sword Technique and his formidable Holy Spirit Sword Intent. The King counters with a blood-red Clear Sky Hammer and the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes. Their opening clash shows them to be evenly matched.
• Xia Mu recognizes that the King’s hammer has been transformed by the Slaughter Domain and exposes his real identity: the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King has possessed Tang Chen. Enraged, the King reveals his killing intent, and Xia Mu launches another attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Mu is more powerful and confident than when he first visited Slaughter City. He relies on his Slaughter Domain, Flawless Sword Heart, and self-created sword technique, and confronts the King without hesitation.
• Liu Yuer and her husband accept Xia Mu’s decision and take responsibility for strengthening and protecting the Holy Spirit Cult at home.
• The King of Slaughter is revealed to be a calculating, possessive figure who has been searching for the killer of his intended successor. Once Xia Mu identifies him as the bat king possessing Tang Chen, his composure breaks.
• Xia Mu and the King’s encounter shifts from accusation to a direct battle, with each testing the other’s strength before Xia Mu reveals the truth.

Significant themes

• Preparation and institution-building: A lasting faction needs capable successors and a system for cultivating talent, not just powerful leaders.
• Confronting hidden identities: Xia Mu sees through the King’s title and appearance to the creature controlling Tang Chen.
• Power and self-mastery: Xia Mu’s disciplined swordsmanship and clear sword heart stand against the King’s force and murderous aura.
• Risk and responsibility: Xia Mu undertakes the dangerous hunt alone while his allies stay behind to protect their organization and its resources.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The King of Slaughter, possessed by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, detonates Tang Chen’s nine soul rings and launches a devastating Clear Sky Hammer attack. Xia Mu blocks it with the Water Dragon King’s rule-type soul bone skill.
• Unable to injure Xia Mu, the Bat King abandons Tang Chen’s dying body and tries to possess Xia Mu. Instead, it enters Xia Mu’s vast Sea of Consciousness, where Xia Mu destroys it with Holy Spirit Sword Intent.
• Freed from the Bat King, Tang Chen briefly regains control. He gives Xia Mu the Asura Demon Sword and asks him to carry the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and Great Sumeru Hammer back to the Clear Sky Sect before dying.
• Xia Mu absorbs the Bat King’s soul ring, gaining the domain skill Yellow Springs Blood Sea and the burst skill Blood Demon Fist. His skeleton martial soul also transforms, growing flesh, blood, and organs and producing a powerful qi-blood beacon. His physical strength rises dramatically.
• Xia Mu finds the Bat King’s 200,000-year-old left arm bone and plans to give it to his mother, Liu Yuer, to replace her weaker arm bone.

Character developments

• Xia Mu proves both his overwhelming physical and spiritual power, revealing that the Bat King badly underestimated him. He gains new abilities and undergoes a near-qualitative bodily transformation.
• Tang Chen dies after a brief return to himself. Despite his life ending in failure to complete the Asura trials, he entrusts Xia Mu with his divine inheritance and sect techniques.
• The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King’s arrogance and inability to recognize Xia Mu’s true strength lead directly to its death.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and misjudgment: The Bat King’s confidence blinds it to Xia Mu’s strength.
• Inheritance and legacy: Tang Chen’s final concern is preserving his divine inheritance and the Clear Sky Sect’s techniques.
• Power and transformation: Xia Mu’s new soul abilities and regenerated body mark a major leap in strength.
• Conflict despite respect: Xia Mu recognizes Tang Chen’s talent and devotion, yet maintains that they were enemies and intends to destroy the Clear Sky Sect.

Character interactions

• Xia Mu counters the King of Slaughter’s ring detonation and turns the attempted possession into a trap.
• Tang Chen thanks Xia Mu, gives him his inheritance and techniques, and asks him to protect his legacy.
• Xia Mu accepts Tang Chen’s gifts but intends to preserve the sect’s techniques while still opposing the Clear Sky Sect.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Mu absorbs the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King’s remains, elevating his Dark Gold Bat Wings to the hundred-thousand-year level and gaining two soul-bone skills: one that tears through space and one that summons a destructive blood moon.
• By taking up the Asura Demon Sword, Xia Mu inherits Tang Chen’s unfinished Asura trial. Completing Hell Road and evolving Divine Slaughter’s Domain into Slaughter Domain are required to claim the Asura God’s position. The Asura God suggests Xia Mu may eventually attain dual godhood.
• Xia Mu considers appointing Chen Xin to oversee Slaughter City and notes that the city also contains the God of Slaughter’s inheritance.
• While preparing Tang Chen’s remains for burial, Xia Mu discovers and collects six powerful soul bones, including a two-hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape trunk bone. He then buries Tang Chen and leaves Slaughter City.
• Back at the Holy Spirit Cult, Liu Yuer cuts off her weakened right arm so she can replace its soul bone. With Ye Renxin’s healing support, she absorbs a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right arm bone and a two-hundred-thousand-year Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King left arm bone. The new bones restore her arm and form a soul-bone armor set, helping her break through to rank ninety-nine.

Character developments

• Xia Mu gains a major power boost and becomes an Asura God candidate, while also taking responsibility for Slaughter City’s future and honoring Tang Chen with a burial.
• Liu Yuer shows remarkable resolve in sacrificing her arm, then recovers it through the new soul bones and reaches the peak rank of Peerless Douluo.
• Xia Feng moves from worry to joy as Liu Yuer’s treatment succeeds.
• Tang Chen, though dead, is revealed to have possessed an extraordinary soul-bone legacy and an unfinished path toward godhood.

Significant themes

• Legacy and succession: Xia Mu inherits Tang Chen’s trial and considers how to preserve order in Slaughter City.
• Sacrifice and renewal: Liu Yuer’s deliberate amputation leads to restoration and a dramatic rise in strength.
• Ambition and destiny: The possibility of dual godhood broadens Xia Mu’s prospects beyond the Asura inheritance.
• Power’s cost: Tang Chen’s immense strength and godhood pursuit contrast with his death before completing the trial.

Character interactions

• The Asura God explains the inheritance conditions to Xia Mu and hints at his extraordinary potential.
• Xia Mu reflects on Tang Chen’s fate, then buries him and salvages his soul bones.
• Xia Mu reassures Xia Feng and coordinates with Ye Renxin to help Liu Yuer recover.
• Liu Yuer acts decisively on Xia Mu’s instruction, while Ye Renxin’s healing skill supports her soul-bone fusion.

Plot points and events

• Liu Yuer reveals her newly awakened Bone Armor True Body, formed from her powerful soul bones and Ironfeather Sword Wings. Xia Mu recognizes her as nearly equal in strength to Xia Feng.
• Xia Mu asks Liu Yuer to go to Slaughter City and stabilize it, since it contains three divine inheritances and has been troubled by Evil Soul Masters. He suggests she might earn a god’s inheritance by winning one hundred arena matches and completing Hell Road.
• Xia Feng is eager to pursue godhood himself, but Xia Mu explains he has already received the Asura God’s inheritance and is taking Liu Yuer to test her chances.
• Xia Mu explains the hierarchy of gods and the powers associated with the Slaughter God, Rakshasa God, and Asura God.
• At the altar beyond Hell Road, Liu Yuer’s exceptional talent attracts both the Rakshasa God and the Slaughter God. The Rakshasa God withdraws rather than challenge the Asura God’s side.
• The Slaughter God chooses Liu Yuer as his successor and grants her Slaughter God’s Nine Trials. She passes the first trial—obtaining the Divine Slaughter’s Domain—and receives ten percent god-affinity. Her second trial is to master the Seven Kill Sword Technique.
• Realizing that mastering the technique requires proving the Dao through slaughter, Liu Yuer decides to train in Slaughter City, where she can fight without being branded an Evil Soul Master.

Character developments

• Liu Yuer moves from newly empowered Supreme Elder to a potential divine successor. Her sword lineage gains new meaning when she learns that Seven Kill Sword Soul Masters descend from the Slaughter God.
• Xia Mu acts as guide and protector, sharing what he knows about divine ranks and arranging the opportunity for Liu Yuer to claim an inheritance.
• Xia Feng reveals his own ambition to become a god, but accepts that Xia Mu is taking Liu Yuer to pursue her opportunity.
• The Rakshasa God shows eagerness to claim a powerful successor, but retreats when the Slaughter God invokes Liu Yuer’s connection to the future Asura God.

Significant themes

• Power and divine ambition: Strength opens the path to godhood, but divine inheritances are rare, consequential, and fiercely contested.
• Legacy and lineage: Liu Yuer’s sword heritage is revealed to have a divine origin.
• Violence as a path to mastery: Her next trial demands slaughter, raising the tension between disciplined cultivation and the brutality of Slaughter City.
• Protection and responsibility: Xia Mu seeks both to safeguard Slaughter City and to give his mother a chance at greater power.

Character interactions

• Xia Mu congratulates Liu Yuer on her transformation, then persuades her to accompany him to Slaughter City by pointing out the possibility of a divine trial.
• Xia Feng responds with excitement and envy at the prospect of godhood, while Xia Mu clarifies that Liu Yuer is being given an opportunity, not a guarantee.
• At the altar, the Rakshasa God and Slaughter God compete for Liu Yuer, with the Slaughter God claiming her as an ally through her son’s Asura inheritance.
• After receiving the trial, Liu Yuer explains her plan to Xia Mu: she will return to Slaughter City and pursue the sword technique through combat.

Plot points and events

• Xia Mu leaves Slaughter City after telling his mother, Liu Yuer, to govern and train there, and heads back to the Heaven Dou Empire.
• Heaven Dou City prepares to host the continent-wide reselection of the Seven Great Sects, a competition held every twenty years. Numerous sects and Soul Masters gather for the event.
• Emperor Xue Ye hopes to secure the Holy Spirit Cult’s support against the Star Luo Empire. He is wary of the cult’s growing strength but believes his prior dealings with its leader may help win it over. He dismisses the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as an unreliable ally.
• The contest promises fifteen Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones: five for first place, three for second, two for third, and one for each of the Lower Four Sects. The stakes attract many powerful contenders.
• Several prominent sects are expected to compete for the Three Upper Sects and Lower Four positions. The Seven Kill Sword Sect’s participation is particularly surprising, as its reclusive master, Chen Jianjun, has emerged.
• Tang Zhen, Yu Yuanzhen, and Xu Lingxing each prepare to compete for the top title, recognizing Chen Jianjun as a formidable threat.

Character developments

• Xue Ye reveals himself as a pragmatic ruler focused on protecting Heaven Dou and strengthening it against Star Luo. He is prepared to seek an alliance with a powerful, potentially dangerous new force.
• Elder You Ye has grown much stronger, reaching level eighty-six, and serves as Xue Ye’s adviser.
• Tang Zhen acknowledges that he is outmatched in Soul Power by Chen Jianjun, but believes the Great Sumeru Hammer can close the gap.
• Yu Yuanzhen relies on his Dragon Transformation technique, while Xu Lingxing can draw on the stars to reach combat strength comparable to Chen Jianjun’s.

Significant themes

• Power and political survival: The sects and empires seek alliances and influence to protect themselves and gain advantage.
• Ambition and competition: The valuable Soul Bone rewards make the sect reselection a fierce contest for prestige and status.
• Fate and missed opportunity: Xia Mu reflects that the Seven Kill Sword lineage may have overlooked a rare chance connected to the God of Slaughter’s trials.
• Strength beyond rank: Secret techniques and special abilities may help challengers overcome differences in Soul Power.

Character interactions

• Xia Mu parts from Liu Yuer, urging her to remain in Slaughter City and continue her training.
• Xue Ye consults You Ye about the tournament and the possibility of approaching the Holy Spirit Cult; You Ye cautions him about the cult’s conflict with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Tang Zhen, Yu Yuanzhen, and Xu Lingxing each assess the competition and prepare their own means of challenging Chen Jianjun.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Holy Spirit Cult learns that the reselection of the Seven Great Sects will award fourteen Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. Xia Mu explains that the real prize is the cultivation resources and prestige at stake, not the bones themselves.
• Several Cult members volunteer to enter the tournament, including Demon Bear Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, and Yue Guan. Yue Guan wants to compete partly because he still lacks two Soul Bones, unlike the others with complete sets.
• Xia Mu gives Yue Guan and himself permission to attend, presenting a rare, over-twenty-thousand-year Acacia Ape Trunk Bone as a tournament prize and a gesture of goodwill to Emperor Xue Ye.
• Xia Mu reveals that the bone’s unusual skill can let its bearer increase Soul Power through dual cultivation, regardless of their current level—even if they have zero Innate Soul Power. Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin note that this could attract Tang Yuehua and Yu Xiaogang’s families, since both have members unable to cultivate normally.
• In Heaven Dou City, Xia Mu uses the public ceremony to promote the Holy Spirit Cult’s mission: creating a path for ordinary Soul Masters to cultivate. Tang Zhen and Yu Yuanzhen are both immediately eager to obtain the bone.
• Emperor Xue Ye opens the tournament, which uses individual arena matches across seven arenas. Sect rankings—and the announced Soul Bone rewards—will be decided by successful arena defenders.

Character developments and interactions

• Xia Mu shows confidence in the Cult’s resources and uses the tournament both to demonstrate its generosity and publicize its ideals. He chooses Yue Guan as his representative.
• Yue Guan is candid about wanting the Soul Bones he lacks, and trades playful barbs with Dugu Bo before agreeing to attend.
• Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin recognize the bone’s potential to stir competition between the Clear Sky and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clans.
• Tang Zhen and Yu Yuanzhen shift from assessing the Cult’s wealth to competing mentally for the bone once they learn its effect.
• Xue Ye receives Xia Mu’s gift and formally inaugurates the event.

Significant themes

• Power, resources, and ambition: The tournament is framed as a high-stakes wager in which prestige and cultivation resources matter more than individual prizes.
• Cultivation and opportunity: The Trunk Bone represents a possible route to power for those excluded by weak or unsuitable Martial Souls.
• Public influence and persuasion: Xia Mu turns a ceremonial gift into a platform for spreading the Holy Spirit Cult’s message.
• Scarcity and rivalry: A single extraordinary prize quickly creates tension between powerful sect leaders.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Mu explains the Seven Great Sects’ competition: the sects vie every twenty years for status and a share of the wealth from Soul Hunting Forests and Soul Bone auctions. Each entrant must stake a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, while challengers face strict limits.
• Gu Rong represents the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect on its platform. Though newly promoted to Titled Douluo, he has reached level 93 after absorbing five Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
• Xu Lingxing, the level-95 leader of the Star Crown Sect, challenges him. Xu uses the versatile Star Crown Martial Soul to summon and direct starlight, while Gu Rong evades attacks with his Bone Dragon’s spatial abilities and formidable defense.
• The battle ends with both fighters unleashing their Ninth Soul Skills: Xu’s Star River Surge and Gu Rong’s Bone Transformation Divine Dragon. Their attacks collide spectacularly, and the round is declared a draw. Chen Jianjun judges that Xu effectively lost, since Gu Rong successfully defended his platform despite facing a stronger opponent.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Rong displays newfound confidence after his rapid rise in strength. His defensive skill, mobility, and composure prove that his apparent inexperience is not a weakness.
• Xu Lingxing demonstrates the Star Crown Martial Soul’s broad capabilities and immense potential, but his attacks cannot overcome Gu Rong’s evasiveness and defense.
• Ning Fengzhi encourages Gu Rong before the match, showing the sect’s reliance on him to preserve its standing among the Three Upper Sects.
• Xia Mu recognizes the potential of both fighters and reflects that many Titled Douluo may be held back by the world’s immature cultivation system.
• The crowd and other observers react with surprise and admiration as the duel escalates.

Significant themes

• Fame, fortune, and power: The sect competition is driven not only by prestige but by control over lucrative resources.
• Defense versus offense: Gu Rong’s ability to survive and protect his platform counters Xu Lingxing’s superior level and formidable attacks.
• Potential constrained by circumstance: Xia Mu sees that powerful cultivators may be capable of greater heights if their cultivation system were more developed.
• Winning through the objective: Though the duel is formally a draw, Gu Rong achieves the practical goal of defending his platform.

Gu Rong drew with Xu Lingxing, forcing the Star Crown Sect master to withdraw from the contest for a place among the Three Upper Sects. The Seven Kill Sword Sect then sent Chen Xin to face the next challenge, hoping to establish the young Titled Douluo’s reputation.

• Xia Mu explained that Xu Lingxing’s mixed support and control abilities limited his combat strength against the battle-focused Gu Rong.
• Xu Lingxing admitted defeat and withdrew, while Gu Rong praised his strength and said he had only been defending himself.
• The crowd discussed the Seven Kill Sword Sect’s history and the destruction that had left Chen Xin orphaned and homeless.
• Chen Xin entered the competition on behalf of the Seven Kill Sword Sect and introduced himself as a Level 93 Titled Douluo.
• The Seven Kill Sword Sect revealed that it had sent Chen Xin to build his reputation so Chen Jianjun could eventually step down and pursue the sword.

Chen Xin challenged Gu Rong at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect tournament, and Xia Mu predicted that Chen Xin’s lack of soul bones would decide the match. Gu Rong’s rare Diamond Mammoth Skull let him survive Chen Xin’s attacks, and Chen Xin unleashed his ninth soul skill as the fight continued.

• Chen Xin challenged Gu Rong, who asked for time to recover before accepting the match.
• Xia Mu explained that Gu Rong’s soul bones and their skills gave him an advantage over Chen Xin.
• Chen Xin blocked Gu Rong’s Bone Dragon’s Thorn and struck back with Myriad Swords Returning to the Sect.
• Gu Rong used Bone Dragon True Body, then avoided Chen Xin’s attacks until his Diamond Mammoth Skull absorbed a powerful strike.
• Chen Xin activated his ninth soul skill, Sword Dao-Chen Xin.

Gu Rong defeated Chen Xin and retained his arena title before Yu Yuanzhen challenged Tang Zhen for the valuable Trunk Bone. As their battle escalated, Yu Yuanzhen activated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and revealed the near-complete power of True Dragon Nine Crowns.

• Gu Rong endured Chen Xin's powerful sword strike, won the bout, and defended the arena as champion.
• Yu Yuanzhen challenged Tang Zhen, and both accepted the fight to win the twenty-thousand-year Trunk Bone for their mutated children, Yu Xiaogang and Tang Yuehua.
• Yu Yuanzhen transformed with the Dragon Transformation Secret Art while Tang Zhen fought him with Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
• Yu Yuanzhen activated True Dragon Nine Crowns, boosting his seventh, eighth, and ninth soul rings to ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years.
• Yu Yuanzhen unleashed his ninth soul skill, True Dragon's Wrath, Thunderous Across the Nine Heavens, as Xia Mu explained the secret art's temporary power and limits.