Chapter Summaries

At Nording Junior Soul Master Academy, Xiao Lin rejected Yu Xiaogang’s advice to develop his Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute as a support martial soul and laid out his own plan for an attack-and-control path. He challenged Yu Xiaogang’s credentials and theory, leaving the master shaken and struggling to deny his own limitations.

• Yu Xiaogang urged Xiao Lin to use the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute for support, but Xiao Lin insisted on taking the power attack route.
• Xiao Lin argued that the flute’s phoenix bloodline and wind, fire, and sound attributes suited offensive techniques, and revealed his plans for his hidden Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.
• Xiao Lin recalled his previous life as a musician, his awakening as an orphan with twin martial souls, and his resolve not to follow Xiao Xiao’s path.
• Xiao Lin questioned whether Yu Xiaogang had copied his Ten Core Competencies theory from Spirit Hall records and challenged how he could know the optimal seventh- and eighth-ring ages.
• Xiao Lin pointed out Yu Xiaogang’s level-twenty-nine limit, and Yu Xiaogang was left unable to answer before insisting to himself that his theory was still right.

Xiao Lin rejected Yu Xiaogang’s theories and chose to develop his Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute while keeping his second martial soul secret. Alone beneath the moon, he played a song that brought back memories of his previous life and his old home.

• Tang San defended Yu Xiaogang when Xiao Lin criticized the master's theories, and Xiao Lin warned Tang San not to accept them all.
• Yu Xiaogang ordered Xiao Lin out, and Xiao Lin insulted him before leaving the office.
• Xiao Lin decided to conceal the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron until he was strong enough, but realized he lacked a meditation method to cultivate before classes began.
• Xiao Lin went to a grove, remembered his home and previous life, and played "Prelude to Water Melody" on the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute.

Xiao Lin discovered that playing the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute increased his Soul Power, revealing that performance was the Martial Soul’s cultivation method. As he practiced and befriended Xiao Wu, he prepared to play her another piece beneath the moon.

• Xiao Lin met Xiao Wu in the courtyard after she heard him play the flute, and she asked him to play while she danced.
• Xiao Lin played “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon,” and he noticed his Soul Power increased as the music continued.
• After Xiao Wu left, Xiao Lin concluded that music and his Martial Soul together could cultivate Soul Power without meditation or Soul Rings.
• Over the following days, Xiao Lin practiced nightly and steadily increased his Soul Power while Xiao Wu became a regular listener and friend.
• Xiao Wu asked Xiao Lin to replay “High Mountains and Flowing Water,” but he chose “The General’s Command” for that evening instead.

After Tang San confronted Xiao Lin and Xiao Wu over Xiao Lin’s flute playing, Xiao Lin reached Soul Power level ten and prepared to obtain his first Soul Ring. He discovered that Yu Xiaogang had ordered Nuoding Academy’s teachers not to help him, leaving Xiao Lin determined not to apologize for choosing his own path.

• Tang San came to the grove, criticized Xiao Lin’s flute playing, and tried to persuade Xiao Wu to watch him smith instead.
• Xiao Lin and Xiao Wu challenged Tang San’s complaints, and he left in anger.
• Xiao Lin’s Soul Power broke through to level ten, making him eligible to acquire his first Soul Ring.
• Xiao Lin asked several Nuoding Academy teachers to accompany him to hunt Soul Beasts, but each refused.
• Teacher Li revealed that Yu Xiaogang had forbidden academy staff from helping Xiao Lin, and Xiao Lin rejected the suggestion that he apologize.

Xiao Lin rejected Yu Xiaogang’s offer to become his master and entered the Soul Hunting Forest alone to find a suitable first soul ring for his Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute. After searching without success, he heard a vast swarm buzzing underground and suspected something valuable lay below.

• Yu Xiaogang waited outside the teaching building and demanded that Xiao Lin apologize, acknowledge his mistake, and accept him as a master in exchange for help finding a soul ring.
• Xiao Lin refused Yu Xiaogang, packed supplies at the dormitory, and left Nuoding Academy for the Soul Hunting Forest.
• Xiao Lin searched the forest for a sound-related soul beast but passed over the creatures he encountered as unsuitable or too dangerous.
• As darkness fell, Xiao Lin rested beneath an ancient tree and heard a swarm moving underground, leading him to suspect there was something valuable below.

Xiao Lin killed a Sonic Wave Metal-Eating Insect and absorbed its Soul Ring, raising his Soul Power to level eleven. The dead Insect King’s colony then swarmed him and launched a devastating sonic attack, leaving him surrounded and struggling to stand.

• Xiao Lin unearthed a Sonic Wave Metal-Eating Insect and recognized it as a suitable Soul Beast for his first Soul Ring.
• Xiao Lin crushed the insect with his Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, revealing a yellow Soul Ring.
• Xiao Lin absorbed the Soul Ring through the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute and broke through to level eleven.
• Xiao Lin realized the insect he had killed was the colony’s Insect King as hundreds of Sonic Wave Metal-Eating Insects erupted from the ground.
• The swarm surrounded Xiao Lin and attacked with sound waves that killed nearby Soul Beasts and left him dizzy and barely standing.

Xiao Lin used his first Soul Skill, Guangling Melody, to rout a swarm of Sonic Wave Metal-Eating Insects and gained his first Soul Ring. After returning to Nuoding Academy, he decided to stay and grow stronger before pursuing Tang San’s hidden Soul Bone or the other treasures he wanted.

• Xiao Lin played Guangling Melody, unleashing Sound Blades that killed many Sonic Wave Metal-Eating Insects and drove the survivors underground.
• Xiao Lin left Soul Hunting Forest at dawn, returned to Nuoding Academy, and slept until dusk.
• Xiao Lin decided to remain at Nuoding Academy rather than leave after obtaining his first Soul Ring, since he wanted to settle his score with Yu Xiaogang and prepare for future conflict with Tang San.
• Xiao Lin considered taking the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone from Holy Soul Village but postponed the plan because Tang Hao might catch him.
• Xiao Lin planned to reach level thirty, collect Whale Rubber to absorb a Millennium Soul Ring, and eventually seek the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well once he was strong enough.

Xiao Lin kept his first Soul Ring secret, ignored Yu Xiaogang’s attempts to steer him toward the support path, and spent six years practicing his flute while his Soul Power grew. By the time he was nearing graduation from Nuoding Academy, his morning performances had drawn crowds of women from Notting City.

• Xiao Lin told Yu Xiaogang he had failed to find a suitable Soul Beast, hiding that he had already obtained his first Soul Ring.
• Xiao Lin repeatedly agreed with Yu Xiaogang’s lectures but continued practicing the flute and cultivating as he pleased.
• Xiao Lin practiced nightly beneath the old locust tree as Xiao Wu listened and sometimes danced, and his Soul Power rose from level eleven to level thirteen.
• Six years passed as Xiao Lin’s morning flute performances on a hill outside Notting City attracted a crowd of female listeners.
• After finishing a morning performance, Xiao Lin left quickly to avoid being surrounded by his fans.

Six years after arriving at Nuoding Academy, Xiao Lin faced Tang San, who challenged him and attacked when Xiao Lin accepted. The chapter ended as Xiao Lin played his first soul skill, Guangling Melody, against Tang San’s Blue Silver Entanglement.

• Xiao Lin escaped his admirers and met Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy’s back gate.
• Xiao Wu urged Xiao Lin to attend Shrek Academy with her after graduation.
• Tang San claimed Xiao Lin was unfit for Shrek Academy and challenged him to a fight, demanding that he stay away from Xiao Wu if he lost.
• Xiao Lin accepted Tang San’s challenge and said he had never avoided him out of fear.
• Tang San attacked with Blue Silver Entanglement, and Xiao Lin responded by playing Guangling Melody on his Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute.

Xiao Lin defeated Tang San with the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute’s Sound Blades, then left rather than continue the fight. He parted from Xiao Wu and set off to handle his own business.

• Xiao Lin used Sound Blades to cut through Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass and wound him, then dismissed Tang San’s demand for a rematch.
• Yu Xiaogang confronted Xiao Lin about Guangling Melody, but Xiao Lin defended his skill and left the argument.
• Xiao Wu caught up with Xiao Lin and urged him to attend Shrek Academy, but he asked her to go ahead and promised to find her later.
• After Xiao Wu left, Xiao Lin watched her disappear and turned to his real business.

Xiao Lin went to the valley near Holy Soul Village and stole Tang San’s mother’s Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone and her Blue Silver Emperor sapling. After fleeing for seven days, he reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

• Xiao Lin searched the pool in the hidden valley and found the jade box containing the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
• Xiao Lin discovered Ah Yin’s Blue Silver Emperor sapling growing in a rock crevice and dug it up with its roots and soil.
• Xiao Lin wrapped up the Soul Bone and sapling, then fled the valley to avoid Tang Hao.
• Xiao Lin traveled without stopping for seven days and confirmed that no one was following him.
• Xiao Lin checked his map and realized he had reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Lin entered the Star Dou Great Forest to break through to level thirty and obtain his third soul ring, then played his favorite tune by a stream. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong followed the music and found him, leaving Ning Rongrong behind as they approached.

• Xiao Lin sensed that his Soul Power had nearly broken through level twenty-nine and decided to pursue level thirty in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Xiao Lin found a quiet clearing by a stream and played “A Laugh in the Vast Sea” on the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute.
• The flute music drew nearby animals and helped Xiao Lin’s Soul Power flow smoothly as he became absorbed in the melody.
• Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, secretly guarding Ning Rongrong, heard the music and went to find its player.
• Chen Xin and Gu Rong reached the clearing and saw Xiao Lin sitting on a boulder beside the stream.

Xiao Lin’s flute playing inspired Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong to join him in a musical performance that revived memories of their youth. After learning Xiao Lin was a Nuoding Academy graduate seeking his third soul ring, the two elders watched him leave and agreed they had met a kindred spirit.

• Gu Rong and Chen Xin listened to Xiao Lin play “A Laugh in the Vast Sea” and remembered their days roaming the continent together.
• Xiao Lin, Gu Rong, and Chen Xin performed together as Xiao Lin played the flute, Gu Rong plucked a bone zither, and Chen Xin danced with his sword.
• After the performance, Gu Rong and Chen Xin praised the tune, and Xiao Lin said he had composed it himself.
• Gu Rong introduced himself and Chen Xin as patrons of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Xiao Lin respectfully gave his name.
• Xiao Lin explained that he had graduated from Nuoding Academy and was seeking a Soul Beast for his third soul ring, then took his leave.
• Chen Xin and Gu Rong agreed that Xiao Lin was talented and that they had met a kindred spirit.

Xiao Lin declined Chen Xin and Gu Rong’s invitation to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but accepted their offer of brotherhood. The three set off into the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable third Soul Ring for Xiao Lin.

• Chen Xin and Gu Rong invited Xiao Lin to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but Xiao Lin refused because he wanted to remain free of sect obligations.
• Chen Xin and Gu Rong proposed that they become sworn brothers with Xiao Lin, who accepted their friendship.
• Chen Xin gave Xiao Lin a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect token, and Gu Rong promised to help him if he encountered trouble.
• Gu Rong and Chen Xin offered to accompany Xiao Lin to hunt for his third Soul Ring, and Xiao Lin asked for a control-type Soul Beast related to music, aged between three thousand and seven thousand years.
• Xiao Lin, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong headed deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest to search for a suitable Soul Beast.

Xiao Lin rejected several Soul Beasts before choosing a Man Faced Demon Spider as his third Soul Ring target. He defeated the roughly six-thousand-year-old spider himself, and a purple Soul Ring rose from its corpse.

• Xiao Lin told Gu Rong and Chen Xin that Soul Ring compatibility mattered more than age, then declined several Soul Beasts they found.
• A Man Faced Demon Spider stole and began eating the Netherworld Wolf Gu Rong had caught, and Xiao Lin chose it as his target.
• Xiao Lin asked Gu Rong and Chen Xin to let him fight the spider alone, and they stepped back to guard him.
• Xiao Lin used The General's Command to strengthen himself, then attacked the spider with Guangling Melody and sound waves, severing its legs.
• Xiao Lin dodged the spider's final attack and killed it with his short blade, causing a purple Soul Ring to rise from its corpse.

Xiao Lin absorbed the Man Faced Demon Spider’s Soul Ring, reached level thirty-two, and gained his third Soul Skill, Ambush from Ten Sides. He demonstrated how it trapped and disoriented enemies, then Chen Xin assessed the roles of all three of Xiao Lin’s skills.

• Xiao Lin absorbed the Man Faced Demon Spider’s Soul Ring after enduring its violent energy, breaking through to level thirty-two.
• Xiao Lin revealed Ambush from Ten Sides, which created a sound-wave net that disrupted senses and unleashed attacks on Gu Rong.
• Xiao Lin explained that Ambush from Ten Sides could trap enemies and potentially create illusions, but it consumed a great deal of Soul Power and could be broken by stronger opponents.
• Chen Xin identified Guangling Melody as an offensive skill, The General’s Command as an enhancement skill, and Ambush from Ten Sides as a control skill.

After Chen Xin identified Xiao Lin’s weakness in close combat, Xiao Lin asked him to teach him swordsmanship, arguing that his flute could serve as a sword. Chen Xin agreed and began training him harshly, leaving Xiao Lin facing even more demanding practice the next day.

• Chen Xin warned Xiao Lin that his long-range Soul Skills left him vulnerable to fast or heavily armored enemies and suggested learning close-combat skills.
• Xiao Lin chose swordsmanship and asked Chen Xin to teach him, saying that the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute could be wielded as a sword.
• Chen Xin praised Xiao Lin’s idea and agreed to train him, while Gu Rong called them both lunatics.
• Chen Xin put Xiao Lin through exhausting physical training and assigned him repeated practice with basic sword strikes.
• Xiao Lin completed two thousand sword swings with bleeding, blistered hands, and Chen Xin told him to do three thousand the next day.

After half a year of relentless training, Xiao Lin defeated Chen Xin in a spar and completed his self-created Jade Flute Swordsmanship. Just as Xiao Lin celebrated having overcome his close-combat weakness, Gu Rong and Chen Xin told him they had to leave the next morning.

• Gu Rong worried that Chen Xin's training was too harsh, but Chen Xin explained that Xiao Lin trained far beyond the assigned targets and was developing swordsmanship of his own.
• Half a year later, Xiao Lin fought Chen Xin with wooden swords and disarmed him with a strike combining flute technique and swordsmanship.
• Xiao Lin named his creation Jade Flute Swordsmanship, and Chen Xin praised it as a Self-Created Soul Skill.
• Xiao Lin assessed his abilities at rank thirty-four and felt prepared to fight even a Soul King, but Gu Rong and Chen Xin then told him they had to return to the sect the next morning.

Xiao Lin parted from Chen Xin and Gu Rong, then absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone and gained the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Step. After testing his new abilities, he prepared to travel to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

• Xiao Lin thanked Chen Xin and Gu Rong for their guidance, accepted a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect communication jade pendant, and promised to meet them again.
• The next morning, Xiao Lin watched Chen Xin and Gu Rong leave before returning to the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Xiao Lin sealed himself inside a cave and absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, raising his Soul Power from level thirty-four to level thirty-eight.
• Xiao Lin tested the soul bone's Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Step and discovered its speed, evasion, healing, and sonic effects.
• Xiao Lin decided to head to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Xiao Lin went to Heaven Dou City to find a way to reach Dugu Bo through Dugu Yan, but learned that she was competing at Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena. He registered under the alias Xiao Ding and began his first match against Demon Wolf, whose attack he dodged before countering with his Jade Flute Swordsmanship.

• Xiao Lin decided to go to Heaven Dou City and approach Dugu Bo through his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
• Xiao Lin learned that Dugu Yan had been competing at Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena and went there to draw her attention.
• Xiao Lin registered as a sixteen-year-old level thirty-eight Soul Elder under the alias Xiao Ding.
• Xiao Lin was matched against Demon Wolf, a level thirty-eight Soul Master known for his strength and ruthless fighting.
• Xiao Lin dodged Demon Wolf's claw attack and countered with the first form of Jade Flute Swordsmanship.