Chapter Summaries

Li Long, a transmigrator born more than two hundred years before the familiar Douluo era, broke through to level ten after years of diligent cultivation and applied to hunt his first soul ring. Fanolan approved the request and offered to take him to the Soul Hunting Forest himself.

• Li Long reached level ten after three and a half years of cultivation with his ordinary Iron Rod martial soul and rank-three Innate Soul Power.
• Li Long reflected that he had arrived roughly two hundred years before the first installment and planned to use his knowledge of Whale Rubber and the Icefire Yin-Yang Well to improve his future prospects.
• Li Long left his dormitory and told Fanolan he had reached level ten and wanted help hunting his first soul ring.
• Fanolan tested Li Long's Soul Power, confirmed it was level ten, approved the hunt, and volunteered to accompany him to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Li Long sought a five-hundred-year Mighty Vajra for his first soul ring, and Fanolan discovered that Li Long’s physical strength was already comparable to a two-ring Great Soul Master. Fanolan agreed to let him attempt the dangerous absorption and charged at the Mighty Vajra to begin the hunt.

• Fanolan advised Li Long to balance strength with speed or defense, while Li Long explained his plan to focus on strength and pursue a Mighty Vajra soul ring.
• The two found a roughly five-hundred-year-old Mighty Vajra, but Fanolan warned that its age exceeded the accepted first-ring limit of four hundred and twenty-three years.
• Li Long argued that strong physical conditioning could let him absorb a higher-year soul ring and asked Fanolan to examine his body.
• Fanolan discovered that Li Long’s physical strength matched that of a two-ring Great Soul Master and agreed to let him try, warning that failure could kill him or damage his foundation.
• Fanolan released his four soul rings, summoned his golden longsword, and charged toward the Mighty Vajra.

Li Long absorbed a five-hundred-year Mighty Vajra soul ring, reaching rank thirteen and gaining a powerful strength-enhancing first soul skill. Fanolan witnessed Li Long break through his defenses and planned to report him to Spirit Hall’s higher-ups.

• Fanolan weakened a five-hundred-year Mighty Vajra, and Li Long delivered the killing blow and began absorbing its soul ring.
• Li Long endured the absorption and completed it, gaining a yellow first soul ring and reaching rank thirteen.
• Li Long revealed that Mighty Vajra Staff increased his strength and defense by two hundred percent, and Fanolan asked him to demonstrate it.
• Li Long’s strike tore through Fanolan’s Sword Qi Body Protection, astonishing Fanolan and convincing him the higher-ups would value Li Long.
• Li Long collected valuable parts from the Mighty Vajra’s corpse, and he and Fanolan returned to the branch hall.

Li Long registered as a formal Soul Master, secured a monthly salary of twelve Gold Soul Coins, and trained while awaiting a response from Spirit City. A special envoy arrived at the Notting branch to retest his unusually powerful first soul ring and skill.

• Li Long signed his registration form, received his bronze badge, and learned that his monthly pay would be twelve Gold Soul Coins.
• Li Long trained and sparred at the branch, recognizing that his speed was a weakness he needed to address.
• Li Long joined a patrol mission near Soul Hunting Forest and discovered that his strengthened body gave him powerful short-distance bursts.
• Li Long sensed that he was nearing Level Fourteen but chose to keep strengthening his foundation instead of rushing to break through.
• Special Envoy Ling Su arrived from Spirit City to retest Li Long and asked him to place his hand on a soul-testing orb.

Li Long tested his strength for Ling Su and chose to join the probationary deacon ranks rather than attend Spirit City Intermediate Soul Master Academy. After registering, he selected an escort mission to Soto City and headed to a familiar herbal shop before setting out.

• Li Long demonstrated that his first soul skill could crack Ling Su’s protective soul power, and Ling Su offered him academy training or the probationary deacon path while recommending the competition in half a year.
• Li Long weighed the academy’s structure against the deacons’ freedom, mission points, and access to resources, then chose the probationary deacon ranks.
• Li Long signed the registration papers, received the mission manual, and learned he had to complete three basic missions within three months.
• Li Long selected an escort mission to Soto City, and Fanolan told him to accept it at the counter and leave that afternoon.
• Li Long left the branch hall and hurried to the herbal shop run by the retired farmer surnamed Zhou.

Li Long bought eight-hundred-year whale glue, tempered his body, and advanced to peak rank fourteen. After writing to Fanolan about handling future registrations, he accepted a mission to clear Gale Wolves from the western outskirts and began fighting the pack.

• Li Long bought the eight-hundred-year whale glue from Old Zhou for forty-five gold soul coins.
• Li Long completed an escort mission to Soto City and returned to Notting City with ten mission points.
• Li Long consumed the whale glue overnight, greatly strengthened his body, and reached peak rank fourteen.
• Li Long wrote Fanolan a letter asking him to handle future branch hall registrations if he left Notting City.
• Li Long accepted a mission to clear the Gale Wolves and prepared torches and resinous pine branches for the nighttime hunt.
• Li Long ambushed the seven-wolf pack near the village and knocked down several wolves with his iron staff.

After completing a wolf extermination mission, Li Long escorted a merchant carriage to town and earned a hundred gold soul coins. He returned to Notting City with twenty-five mission points, bought herbs for a medicinal bath, and planned to keep pursuing missions and cultivation.

• Li Long defeated seven ten-year soul beasts, collected proof from their corpses, and accepted two silver soul coins from the village chief.
• A merchant driver asked Li Long to escort his wounded passengers after a fast, wolf-like beast had overwhelmed the guards, including a Rank 23 Grand Soul Master.
• Li Long escorted the carriage safely to town, where the driver paid him one hundred gold soul coins.
• Li Long submitted his extermination proof at the branch hall, bringing his total to twenty-five points, and learned that fifty points would unlock Spirit Hall's discounted purchasing channel.
• Li Long bought three doses of herbs for his medicinal bath formula and headed toward the branch hall dormitories.

Li Long accepted a C-rank mission to hunt a hundred-year Berserk Boar and killed it in Soul Hunting Forest. The battle pushed his soul power from level fourteen to level fifteen, and he returned with the boar’s core and tusks as proof.

• Li Long chose the C-rank mission to hunt a Berserk Boar despite being a one-ring soul master, and the clerk approved it after checking his record.
• Li Long tracked the Berserk Boar to a stream in Area Three and lured it into a clearing.
• Li Long evaded and blocked the boar’s charges, then used Mighty Vajra Staff to shatter its tusk and kill it.
• Li Long broke through from level fourteen to level fifteen after the battle.
• Li Long took the boar’s beast core and tusks and headed back to Notting City.

Li Long formally became a probationary deacon after completing his basic missions, then used Spirit Hall points to order better medicinal bath ingredients and focused on training. He noticed headquarters deacons investigating disturbances in Sunset Forest but decided to prioritize reaching level twenty.

• Li Long returned to the branch hall, completed his third mission, and received official probationary deacon status with a monthly stipend of twenty-two Gold Soul Coins.
• Li Long used a medicinal bath to recover from his missions and breakthrough, then assessed how his level-fifteen soul power had strengthened his combat ability.
• Li Long spent fifty mission points applying for higher-quality medicinal bath ingredients through Spirit Hall's internal procurement channel.
• Li Long overheard two headquarters deacons discussing repeated disturbances in Sunset Forest, but set the matter aside to focus on cultivation.
• Li Long spent the next two days training at the branch hall, practicing iron-rod strikes and improving his reactions against moving wooden targets.

Li Long trained, improved his soul-power circulation through a medicinal bath, and planned to advance from official reserve deacon while seeking faster cultivation. Far away, Pope Qian Shengyuan reviewed reports of Li Long absorbing a five-hundred-year soul ring and considered the significance of the feat.

• Li Long sparred with a two-ring Grand Soul Master, whose short sword could not pierce Li Long's defenses.
• Li Long received better-quality medicinal ingredients and found that his soul-power circulation had become about ten percent faster after a medicinal bath.
• Li Long reviewed Spirit Hall's deacon ranks and planned to complete six C-rank missions and earn one hundred contribution points to become an ordinary deacon.
• Li Long concluded that reaching level twenty would require more than medicinal baths and whale glue, and considered seeking a speed boost alongside strength.
• Ling Su reported to Pope Qian Shengyuan that Li Long had absorbed a five-hundred-year soul ring without losing control or suffering hidden injuries.
• Qian Shengyuan reviewed Li Long's records and said that raising the soul-ring limit from four hundred and twenty-three years to five hundred years mattered more than the boy himself.

Pope Qian Shengyuan reviewed Li Long’s exceptional five-hundred-year first soul ring but judged his Iron Rod martial soul and low innate soul power too weak to justify special investment. He ordered Li Long to receive no preferential treatment and to prove his worth at the competition in half a year.

• Qian Shengyuan heard Ling Su report that Li Long chose to become a probationary deacon rather than attend the academy and planned to compete in half a year.
• Qian Shengyuan ordered that Li Long receive ordinary missions and resources, with his results at the grand competition determining whether Spirit Hall reconsidered his potential.
• Qian Shengyuan privately reflected that Li Long’s innate level three and Iron Rod gave him little chance of rising far, and an elder in the shadows agreed that reaching Soul Ancestor would be exceptional.
• Qian Shengyuan set Li Long’s documents aside and concluded that they would discuss him again in half a year.

After reaching level twenty and completing six C-rank missions, Li Long left Notting City for Spirit City to enter the tournament. He arrived on the final day of registration, ready to face the gifted youths gathered there.

• Li Long reviewed his six months of training, his completed missions, and the whale glue that had strengthened his body and helped raise his soul power to level twenty.
• Fanolan gave Li Long a letter for Lin Xiuyuan at Spirit Hall headquarters and sent him off to compete in the tournament.
• Li Long rode toward Spirit City, determined to fight his way through the tournament without first obtaining his second soul ring.
• After six days on the road, Li Long reached Spirit City on the final day of registration and saw the grand city and its central palace.

Li Long arrived in Spirit City and completed his registration for the Spirit Hall Youth Soul Master Tournament before the noon deadline. After reviewing the rules and preparing for the next morning’s matches, he resolved to prove himself despite competing with only one soul ring.

• Li Long entered Spirit City, stored his horse, and asked a stall owner where to register for the tournament.
• Li Long registered as a ten-year-old contestant from Notting City Branch Hall with level-twenty soul power and an iron rod martial soul.
• An old man verified Li Long’s soul power, and the clerk gave him the tournament schedule and rules.
• Li Long checked into an inn, studied the elimination, group, and ranking rounds, and meditated.
• Li Long considered his advantages against opponents with more soul rings and vowed to make Spirit City notice him.

Qian Shengyuan reviewed the failed attempts by major powers to reproduce Li Long’s five-hundred-year first soul ring and learned that Li Long had registered for the tournament. He studied Li Long’s rapid growth and kept his plans to watch him compete the next day.

• Qian Shengyuan read reports showing that experiments to absorb five-hundred-year first soul rings had failed across Spirit Hall, the empires, and among independent soul masters.
• Qian Shengyuan explained that Spirit Hall had secretly kept the official first soul ring limit at four hundred and twenty-three years rather than risk encouraging dangerous attempts.
• A servant told Qian Shengyuan that ten-year-old Li Long had registered for the one-ring division with rank-twenty soul power and no second soul ring.
• Qian Shengyuan learned that Li Long had risen from rank thirteen to rank twenty in six months and wondered whether he was a late bloomer or had gained some outside aid.
• Qian Shengyuan examined Li Long’s dossier, decided to watch him fight the next day, and returned the file to his drawer.
• That night, Li Long meditated while young soul masters across Spirit City prepared for the tournament.

Li Long dominated the one-ring division matches at the Spirit City tournament without revealing his soul rings or using a soul skill. After winning five times, he rested as the two-ring division was about to begin, hoping to face a stronger opponent.

• Qian Shengyuan attended the tournament and watched Li Long face Zhao Yan, whom Li Long defeated with a single strike.
• Li Long won his next two matches against a whip wielder and a shield wielder without using a soul skill.
• Li Long defeated a war hammer wielder by meeting his attack head-on, then swept him to the ground.
• Li Long stopped chasing an opponent with twin hooks, waited for him to attack, and knocked him down to claim his fifth victory.
• During the intermission, Qian Shengyuan remarked that no one in the one-ring division was worthy of Li Long, and the two-ring matches were announced to begin.

Li Long and the other fifteen One-Ring Division finalists volunteered to challenge the Two-Ring Division, where they faced opponents with stronger soul power and an extra soul skill. After several challengers lost, Li Long walked out to face a level-twenty-two spear wielder in his first match.

• Chen Shu announced that the One-Ring Division finalists would receive no further matches unless they volunteered to challenge a higher division.
• All sixteen finalists, including Li Long, registered to compete in the Two-Ring Division.
• Qian Shengyuan learned that Li Long had signed up and anticipated how his combat skills would fare against two-ring opponents.
• Li Long checked the updated schedule and learned his first opponent was a level-twenty-two Great Soul Master with the Iron Spine Spear martial soul.
• Three One-Ring Division challengers lost in the first two rounds, and Li Long then entered the arena for his match.

Li Long defeated the two-ring Zhou Ke in the arena by using his first spirit skill, Mighty Vajra Staff, to counter Zhou Ke’s Swift Wind Thrust. The stunned spectators watched as Qian Shengyuan recognized the exceptional strength of Li Long’s five-hundred-year spirit ring.

• The presiding deacon introduced Li Long of Notting City and Zhou Ke of the Star Luo Border before their match began.
• Li Long blocked Zhou Ke’s repeated spear attacks with his iron staff, holding his own without using a spirit skill.
• Zhou Ke activated his first spirit skill, Swift Wind Thrust, and charged at Li Long.
• Li Long activated Mighty Vajra Staff and struck Zhou Ke’s spear head-on, sending Zhou Ke flying and leaving him unable to stand.
• The arena erupted in shock when spectators realized that one-ring Li Long had defeated a two-ring opponent.
• Qian Shengyuan assessed Li Long’s five-hundred-year first spirit ring and its two-hundred-percent strength boost.

Li Long shattered Zhou Ke’s Iron Wall Spear Formation with one strike, forcing him to concede and drawing attention from tournament officials and talent scouts. After recovering in the rest area, Li Long prepared to keep fighting so those above him would notice his strength.

• Zhou Ke summoned his Iron Wall Spear Formation, but Li Long broke all three spear phantoms with a concentrated strike from his Iron Rod.
• Zhou Ke conceded and collapsed to one knee as the crowd erupted in applause and Qian Shengyuan remarked on the one-ring attack breaking a two-ring defense.
• Li Long examined his injuries in the rest area and told Gao Cheng that he had trained with five hundred daily swings for half a year.
• Other challengers, deacons, and talent scouts discussed Li Long’s performance and recorded his name and abilities.
• Qian Shengyuan wrote that Li Long should keep fighting so he could see where Li Long’s limit lay.

Li Long won five consecutive matches in the two-ring group, drawing growing attention for defeating every opponent with only his first soul skill. Eight contestants remained undefeated, including three-ring Soul Elders, and Qian Shengyuan wondered how Li Long would fare against one.

• Li Long recovered his soul power and defeated a strength-type axe wielder by meeting his attacks head-on.
• Li Long beat a speed-type dagger user by waiting defensively and pushing him out of the arena.
• Li Long won his fourth and fifth matches, using evasive footwork to defeat a poison-type opponent.
• The other fifteen one-ring contestants who had advanced beyond their rank were eliminated, leaving Li Long as the only one still in the winners' bracket.
• Qian Shengyuan learned that eight contestants remained undefeated, including Li Long and three lower-level Soul Elders, and remarked that a one-ring Soul Master facing a three-ring Soul Elder would be interesting.

Li Long faced Qin Tian, a level-thirty-one Three-Ring Soul Elder, in the sixth-round winners' bracket and struggled to keep up with his stronger opponent. Qin Tian's third soul skill drove Li Long to the edge of the field, with a third light blade closing in.

• Li Long drew Qin Tian of the Heaven Dou City branch and prepared to exploit any gap in the older Soul Elder's skill transitions.
• Qin Tian revealed two yellow soul rings and a thousand-year purple ring before the match began.
• Qin Tian attacked with speed and a heated green blade, forcing Li Long to block and retreat through more than ten exchanges.
• Qin Tian unleashed his third soul skill, splitting his blade into three pursuing light blades that sealed off Li Long's escape routes.
• Li Long smashed the first light blade and blocked the second, but staggered onto the boundary line as the third blade flew toward him.