Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Renxue arrives expecting Chen Ling to notice and court her, but he deliberately ignores her, frustrating her and exposing her tsundere expectations.
• Chen Ling appears with women on both arms, reinforcing his reputation for being promiscuous. He secretly finds Qian Renxue’s jealousy amusing and believes he can eventually “tame” her.
• The Ice Empress confronts Chen Ling about when they will leave. Her presence initially goes unnoticed because of her small size.
• Xiao Wu tries to touch the Ice Empress’s hair, but Chen Ling stops her and reveals through telepathy that the Ice Empress is a four-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast. Xiao Wu immediately becomes frightened and hides against Chen Ling.
• Ya Li arrives, radiating a sacred aura and possessing extraordinary beauty. Qian Renxue is stunned because Ya Li’s presence reminds her of her mother and resembles the aura of an Angel martial soul.
• Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and the others warmly greet Ya Li, viewing her as a motherly figure because of the care she has shown them.
• Chen Ling brings Ya Li and the Ice Empress onto the arena, where they are scheduled to spar against Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
• To maximize the spectacle and attract attention, Chen Ling creates a powerful barrier around the arena using countless Qingming Swords.
• Chen Ling reveals his terrifying nine-ring configuration: four black rings followed by five red rings, with golden patterns on the final two.
• Ya Li summons an Angel phantom and displays the same overwhelming Soul Ring configuration as Chen Ling, though her aura is gentle and sacred rather than sharp.
• Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo realize they may be facing another monster-level Super Douluo and become deeply alarmed, especially after seeing Ya Li’s Angel martial soul.

Character Developments

• Qian Renxue: Shows jealousy, pride, and insecurity after Chen Ling ignores her. She is also emotionally affected by Ya Li, whose presence reminds her of her estranged mother.
• Chen Ling: Continues manipulating situations for his own purposes, enjoying Qian Renxue’s frustration and deliberately making the arena battle as dramatic as possible. His immense power and confidence are emphasized.
• Ice Empress: Remains resentful of Chen Ling’s relationships but accepts his closeness and protection. Her true identity as a four-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast is revealed.
• Xiao Wu: Her normally carefree behavior gives way to immediate fear once she learns the Ice Empress’s true strength. She becomes noticeably dependent on Chen Ling for protection.
• Ya Li: Establishes herself as a powerful, compassionate, motherly presence. Her Angel-like aura and matching Soul Ring configuration reveal that she is far stronger than she appears.
• Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo: Shift from confidence to anxiety as they recognize the overwhelming strength of Chen Ling and Ya Li.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: The chapter emphasizes the enormous gap between Chen Ling’s group and ordinary high-level soul masters.
• Family and maternal bonds: Ya Li’s nurturing role contrasts with Qian Renxue’s painful relationship with her own mother. The title’s concern about whether the “family” will survive also foreshadows the danger of the upcoming battle.
• Jealousy and romantic rivalry: Qian Renxue’s irritation and the Ice Empress’s resentment reveal tension surrounding Chen Ling’s many relationships.
• Hidden identities and appearances: The seemingly young and harmless Ice Empress is actually an ancient Ferocious Beast, while Ya Li’s youthful appearance conceals overwhelming power.
• Spectacle and strategy: Chen Ling intentionally stages the battle dramatically, hoping the commotion will attract powerful figures and advance his larger plans.

Character Interactions

• Chen Ling deliberately ignores Qian Renxue, provoking her jealousy while privately enjoying her reaction.
• The Ice Empress criticizes Chen Ling’s apparent promiscuity, while he casually treats her affectionately by rubbing her head.
• Xiao Wu innocently approaches the Ice Empress, but Chen Ling prevents her from touching her and warns her of the danger.
• Qian Renxue watches Ya Li closely, sensing a resemblance to her mother and becoming emotionally unsettled.
• Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and the others treat Ya Li warmly as a surrogate mother.
• Chen Ling publicly pairs with Ya Li and the Ice Empress for the arena match, while Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo realize they may be hopelessly outmatched.

Key plot points and events

• In the viewing gallery, Qian Renxue is struck by Ya Li’s warm, maternal presence and briefly wonders whether Ya Li could be her mother. She dismisses the idea after recognizing that she and Bibi Dong share the same appearance, then starts entertaining complicated thoughts about Ya Li’s husband, Chen Ling.
• In the arena, the Ice Empress faces Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. She reveals her immense Ice Jade Scorpion phantom and nine soul rings—six black and three red—overwhelming the two with her aura and extreme cold.
• The Ice Empress freezes Ghost Douluo’s ground-based attacks and breaks apart Chrysanthemum Douluo’s golden blades with a vortex of Ultimate Ice. Their eighth-ring attacks combine, but Chen Ling intervenes before the clash can cause further damage.
• Ya Li heals the two Douluo, who concede defeat. The Ice Empress wins decisively, aided by a cold-field effect that converts some of their soul power and leaves them drained. Chen Ling’s goal was to establish her reputation, not seriously injure her opponents.

Character developments

• Qian Renxue reveals her unmet need for maternal affection, despite her resentment toward Bibi Dong, and her mischievous imagination quickly takes over.
• The Ice Empress demonstrates confidence and overwhelming power, but her eagerness to attack makes the exhibition look more like a genuine attempt to kill than a sparring match.
• Chen Ling shows control over the event, stepping in to prevent escalation and ensuring the Ice Empress achieves a clear victory without lasting harm.
• Ya Li is established as a powerful healing-type Super Douluo, capable of restoring even formidable fighters.

Significant themes

• Longing for family and affection: Qian Renxue’s reaction to Ya Li highlights the emotional consequences of her strained relationship with Bibi Dong and her father’s early death.
• Power and reputation: The match is staged to introduce the Ice Empress’s strength and make her known.
• Restraint amid overwhelming force: Though the Ice Empress could have continued attacking, Chen Ling keeps the victory from becoming a massacre.
• The limits of knowledge: The Douluo-era opponents cannot identify the Ice Empress’s Far North origins or fully understand her unusual abilities.

Character interactions

• Qian Renxue silently connects Ya Li’s maternal warmth and Chen Ling’s role as her husband to her own family history.
• Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo coordinate smoothly, using complementary attacks, but their teamwork cannot overcome the Ice Empress’s cold domain and power.
• Chen Ling halts the battle and signals Ya Li to heal the defeated pair; the Douluo thank her and formally concede.

Plot points and events

• After the fight, Chen Ling announces the founding of the Azure Nether Sect. With Dugu Bo’s support and the Heaven Dou Empire’s cooperation, numerous local families and factions join.
• Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo depart after Chen Ling sends a pointed greeting to Pope Bibi Dong. He privately hopes she will confront him, since he sees her as a potential source of powerful rewards.
• Days later, the system recognizes the Azure Nether Sect as sufficiently established and grants Chen Ling a random character card.
• Chen Ling draws the card and summons Wang Dong’er, whose appearance resembles Xiao Wu’s. The system supplies her with memories of a life in the Illusion Realm, where Chen Ling was her childhood companion and later saved her from Tang San.

Character developments

• Chen Ling consolidates his power by establishing the sect, while remaining confident—and even eager—about possible conflict with Bibi Dong.
• Wang Dong’er arrives as a distinct person with her own personality and experiences, despite her connection to Tang Wutong. Chen Ling is relieved that the card produced Wang Dong’er rather than Tang Wutong.
• Xiao Wu leaves after spending time with Chen Ling, privately hoping she may be pregnant.
• Chen Ling reflects uneasily on Wang Dong’er’s divine ancestry and on the tangled identities and relationships involved.

Themes and interactions

• Power and political accommodation: The Heaven Dou Empire cooperates with Chen Ling because it cannot effectively oppose the growing sect and expects indirect benefits.
• Identity and personhood: Chen Ling rejects the idea that Wang Dong’er and Tang Wutong are interchangeable, emphasizing that Wang Dong’er has independent memories and feelings. He also questions whether the original story’s “restored” Tang Wutong was truly one person or a composite of several.
• Ambition and system rewards: Chen Ling views the sect and its powerful members as routes to future rewards, including stronger soul rings and divine trials.
• Key interactions: The Ice Empress angrily protests Chen Ling’s conduct; Xiao Wu shares an intimate, playful scene with him; and the departing Spirit Hall envoys receive his deliberately suggestive message to Bibi Dong.

Plot points and events

• Chen Ling reunites with Wang Dong’er. She notices another woman’s scent on him, twists his waist in reproach, then embraces him and asks him to take her along next time. They reconcile affectionately.
• In Pope Hall, Bibi Dong admits she deliberately withheld news from Qian Daoliu about Ya Li, an Angel-martial-soul Super Douluo in Heaven Dou City. Qian Daoliu angrily asserts his authority; Bibi Dong remains defiant and privately plans to destroy the Qian family after inheriting the Rakshasa position. He then flies toward Heaven Dou City.
• The Snow Empress reaches Skywater City and, after hearing a storyteller recount the Ice Empress’s battle, resolves to rescue Bing’er.
• Xiao Wu teaches the reluctant Ice Empress to ride a bicycle. Later, at Cloudcrag Academy’s training ground, the team spars. Wang Dong’er easily outmaneuvers Qian Renxue, who attacks her under her publicly known Snow Goose identity.
• Chen Ling stops the practice and prepares to strengthen the team, believing its members are not yet powerful enough to dominate the upcoming academy competition.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er is affectionate and understanding toward Chen Ling, though she is hurt and jealous when she detects another woman’s scent. Their playful confrontation ends in reconciliation.
• Bibi Dong’s rivalry with Qian Daoliu is openly hostile. She uses her control of intelligence to provoke him and believes future power will let her eliminate his family.
• The Snow Empress’s determination to save Bing’er signals that she is closing in on the Ice Empress.
• Xiao Wu takes on a playful, encouraging role as the Ice Empress’s instructor.
• Wang Dong’er acts as both a formidable fighter and a generous sparring partner, allowing Qian Renxue to practice despite their enormous power gap. Chen Ling recognizes the team’s potential but sees a need for further training.

Significant themes

• Affection, jealousy, and compromise: Wang Dong’er’s hurt is balanced by her willingness to forgive and her request to be included.
• Power and political rivalry: Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu struggle over authority within Spirit Hall.
• Rescue and loyalty: The Snow Empress is driven by her resolve to free Bing’er.
• Preparation and teamwork: The chapter shifts toward strengthening Cloudcrag’s team for the coming competition.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er returns after the fight with Qian Renxue. She avoids Chen Ling’s attempted embrace and hugs Xiao Wu instead, clearly resentful that he left her behind.
• Chen Ling assigns training to his team. He sends Shui Bing’er and Shui Yue’er to train with the Ice Empress, providing them with ten-thousand-year ice marrow and a rare twin ice-lantern lotus to strengthen their elemental control and martial-soul fusion.
• Ye Lingling is sent to study healing with Ya Li, while Dugu Yan stays with Chen Ling. Chen Ling has already arranged an immortal herb for Ye Lingling.
• Ning Rongrong clings affectionately to Chen Ling, while Zhu Zhuqing stays shyly nearby. Qian Renxue is left without an assignment and, feeling overlooked, decides to follow the group and look for a chance to get closer to Chen Ling.
• At the Academy’s simulated training grounds, Chen Ling considers future business plans, including selling hidden weapons, importing soul-tool technology, and marketing new treats.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er shows her fondness for Chen Ling through playful jealousy and stubborn affection, while forming an unexpectedly intimate bond with Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu senses a powerful, almost maternal connection to Dong’er but cannot explain it.
• Chen Ling takes a strategic approach to developing his team, matching each student with a mentor or resource suited to her abilities. His teasing inner thoughts also reveal his attraction to several of the girls.
• Qian Renxue feels excluded but remains determined to pursue Chen Ling, recognizing that she must compete for his attention.
• The Ice Empress accepts her role as mentor and shows interest in the storage ring Chen Ling gives her.

Significant themes

• Tailored growth and mentorship: Chen Ling seeks to improve each student through specialized guidance and resources rather than relying on powerful items alone.
• Affection, jealousy, and belonging: The group’s playful romantic tensions contrast with Qian Renxue’s discomfort at being left out.
• Ambition and entrepreneurship: Chen Ling looks beyond training toward building a business and introducing new products to the world.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Ling brings Ning Rongrong and two others into a secluded chamber to distribute immortal herbs and improve their abilities.
• Left outside with Xiao Wu and Wang Dong’er, Qian Renxue schemes to get them away so she can enter a neighboring room, which connects to Chen Ling’s chamber through a hidden passage.
• She arranges for Wang Dong’er and Xiao Wu to leave by having an academy staff member summon Wang Dong’er to meet visitors from Spirit Hall. Once alone, Qian Renxue enters the room and prepares for a private encounter, changing into several sets of Angel God Armor.
• Chen Ling has been watching from the shadows. When Qian Renxue notices him, she tries to play the helpless victim. He recognizes her act, briefly teases her, and tells her to show him her “real” self next time before leaving.
• Elsewhere, Snow Empress confronts Qian Daoliu outside Heaven Dou City. Believing Ice Empress may have been taken from the Far North, she questions the powerful Spirit Hall elder, hoping he knows what happened.

Character developments and interactions

• Qian Renxue is bold and determined to pursue Chen Ling, but still relies on elaborate schemes and practiced acting. Chen Ling sees through her performance and encourages her to be genuine.
• Chen Ling remains perceptive and teasing, aware of Qian Renxue’s plan and of the two powerful figures watching nearby.
• Snow Empress shows concern for Ice Empress and, unfamiliar with human factions, acts on limited information by confronting Qian Daoliu.
• Wang Dong’er and Xiao Wu are briefly diverted from the academy, unwittingly enabling Qian Renxue’s plan.

Significant themes

• Schemes versus sincerity: Qian Renxue’s elaborate plan and false helplessness contrast with Chen Ling’s request that she show her true self.
• Romantic rivalry and initiative: Qian Renxue’s fear that someone else may win Chen Ling drives her to act first.
• Misunderstanding across worlds: Snow Empress’s lack of knowledge about human society leads her to suspect that Ice Empress was forcibly taken.

Key plot points and events

• Qian Daoliu encounters the Snow Empress near Heaven Dou City. When he says he comes from Spirit Hall, she assumes the organization is holding the Ice Empress and attacks him.
• The Snow Empress’s Emperor Sword, Glacial Ultimate clashes with Qian Daoliu’s Angel True Body and divine Angel Holy Sword, producing a devastating shock wave.
• Snow Empress unleashes her ice-and-snow domain, but Qian Daoliu counters with Angel Domain, exposing her position. They continue fighting at close quarters, with her greater swordsmanship matched by his divine weapon and angelic power.
• Their battle threatens Heaven Dou City. As residents panic, Chen Ling arrives with a pink-and-blue-haired woman and three others. The crowd recognizes him as Azure Nether and hopes he will save them.
• Chen Ling also notices Snake Lance and Pufferfish Douluo on the city wall. The two bow nervously, apparently caught in trouble over their young master’s mission.

Character developments and interactions

• Snow Empress shifts from quiet, seemingly vacant curiosity to immediate hostility when she connects Spirit Hall to the Ice Empress’s capture. Her fierce protectiveness drives the fight.
• Qian Daoliu is frustrated by a string of recent complications but responds to Snow Empress’s attack with caution and formidable force.
• Chen Ling arrives as a powerful, reassuring presence to the citizens, while his amused scrutiny unsettles Snake Lance and Pufferfish Douluo.
• Oscar remains distraught over Ning Rongrong’s absence and tries to persuade Xue Beng to return with him to the Spring Night Pavilion. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun can only watch helplessly.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and escalation: Snow Empress’s mistaken conclusion turns a question into a catastrophic battle.
• Power and its consequences: A duel between two Limit Douluos endangers ordinary people far beyond the battlefield.
• Comic contrast: The absurd, panicked reactions of the crowd—and Oscar’s priorities—offset the clash’s immense danger.
• Reputation and reliance: The citizens’ hope rests on Chen Ling’s status and perceived strength.

Plot points and events

• Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo arrive at Cloudcrag Academy on Qian Renxue’s orders, but Chen Ling has already recognized them. He chooses not to expose or challenge them.
• Wang Dong’er notices the purity of Qian Renxue’s light aura. The Ice Empress, who has accepted that she loves Chen Ling rather than Xue’er, reacts with mixed feelings and guilt.
• The Snow Empress arrives after sensing that something has happened to the Ice Empress. She is already fighting Qian Daoliu, who is at a disadvantage because he cannot draw on the Angel God’s power away from the Worship Hall and insists on meeting her attacks head-on.
• As the Snow Empress prepares to strike Qian Daoliu again, Chen Ling appears between them. She redirects her attack toward him, but stops when the Ice Empress calls out and rushes into her arms.
• The Snow Empress recognizes the Ice Empress’s familiar aura, yet is bewildered by how different it feels.

Character developments

• The Ice Empress has accepted her feelings for Chen Ling and moved on from her former attachment to the Snow Empress, though Xue’er’s presence still troubles her.
• Chen Ling remains composed and observant, protecting those nearby from the battle’s stray force and intervening when the confrontation escalates.
• Qian Daoliu’s straightforward, force-against-force style leaves him vulnerable to the Snow Empress’s superior strength and endurance.
• The Snow Empress is fierce and confident in combat, but her confidence gives way to confusion when she encounters the transformed Ice Empress.

Themes

• Changed identity and recognition: The Ice Empress’s new human form and Chen Ling’s influence have altered her aura, complicating recognition even for someone close to her.
• Love and emotional change: The Ice Empress’s feelings have shifted, bringing acceptance alongside lingering guilt.
• Strength versus strategy: Qian Daoliu’s raw power cannot compensate for poor tactical choices against a stronger, more durable opponent.
• Hidden loyalties and restraint: Chen Ling knows the Spirit Hall envoys’ secret but allows them to remain, while the Snow Empress misreads the group’s relationships.

Character interactions

• Chen Ling and the Spirit Hall Douluo maintain a cautious, uneasy understanding; he declines to expose them.
• Ya Li analyzes Qian Daoliu’s mistakes, and Chen Ling agrees with her assessment.
• The Ice Empress’s heartfelt reunion with the Snow Empress interrupts the fight. The Snow Empress embraces her, but cannot reconcile the familiar scent with the strange aura and appearance.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Ling intervenes to stop the Snow Empress from fighting Qian Daoliu. Ya Li heals the injured elder, impressing him with her extraordinary strength at such a young age.
• Qian Daoliu abandons his plan to take Ya Li by force. Intrigued by Chen Ling’s unusual, near-divine power, he agrees to return to Cloudcrag Academy and speak with him.
• In the headmaster’s office, they find Qian Renxue—disguised as the student Xue’er—wearing a maid outfit and cleaning. She has decided to pursue Chen Ling openly after realizing he saw through her disguise.
• Chen Ling pretends not to recognize her, then exposes her identity and spy mission in front of Qian Daoliu. Qian Renxue is mortified, while her grandfather is shocked and hurt.
• Chen Ling sets aside his teasing and says he has a request, intending to use the moment to win Qian Renxue over and strengthen his position ahead of a possible clash with Bibi Dong. The chapter ends before he explains what he wants.

Character developments

• Chen Ling shows restraint and diplomacy toward Qian Daoliu, while continuing to tease Qian Renxue. He also reveals a strategic motive: gaining strength before confronting Bibi Dong.
• Qian Renxue shifts from covertly pursuing Chen Ling to boldly trying to win him over, though she remains embarrassed and conflicted about her deception.
• Qian Daoliu reassesses Chen Ling and his faction after witnessing their power, but is dismayed to discover his granddaughter’s feelings and secret identity.
• Ya Li demonstrates impressive healing ability and earns Qian Daoliu’s respect.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Chen Ling prevents a needless fight and uses strength selectively.
• Deception and exposure: Qian Renxue’s spy identity and romantic intentions are laid bare, leaving her caught between strategy and embarrassment.
• Ambition and relationships: Personal attraction, political maneuvering, and the pursuit of greater power overlap—especially in Chen Ling’s plans.

Character interactions

• Chen Ling protects Qian Daoliu and has Ya Li heal him, establishing a cordial but watchful relationship.
• Qian Renxue tries to present herself as an ordinary maid, but Chen Ling’s teasing exposes her identity before her grandfather.
• Qian Daoliu confronts Chen Ling indirectly with suspicion and watches his granddaughter’s awkward behavior with dismay.

Key plot points and events

• The Snow Empress confronts the Ice Empress, pleading with her to return with her. The Ice Empress admits she will stay with Chen Ling, whom she can no longer bear to leave.
• The Snow Empress is hurt and bewildered by the change in her closest companion. The Ice Empress falls silent, unable to explain how her feelings have shifted.
• Elsewhere, Chen Ling and Qian Daoliu fly beyond Heaven Dou City to spar. The system warns that Chen Ling has only a 1% chance of winning, but grants him a powerful boost: demigod-level cultivation, a Qingming Sword Case that matches Qian’s Angel Holy Sword, and access to a random God King’s divine power.
• Chen Ling and Qian agree to decide the match with one strike. Qian unleashes his ninth soul skill, Angel’s Breath, while Chen Ling draws on his sword case, which resonates with his Spirit Bones and hints at a possible Divine Armor.
• Reflecting on reincarnation and his own abilities, Chen Ling achieves the fourth stage of sword intent: Reincarnation Returns to Emptiness. Countless swords converge into a single silver-white slash that cuts through the void. The chapter ends as the attack is unleashed, before its outcome is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Ice Empress has moved beyond her former attachment to the Snow Empress and is now devoted to Chen Ling. She recognizes that she cannot return to their old relationship.
• Snow Empress is emotionally shaken by the apparent loss of her sisterly bond with Bing’er. She considers confronting Chen Ling but holds back to avoid upsetting the Ice Empress.
• Chen Ling gains a major breakthrough, turning his sword techniques into a new stage grounded in his own understanding rather than a system-granted insight.
• Qian Daoliu is eager to test Chen Ling, but his instincts make him uneasy about the possibility of a normal fight. Despite his frustration over Chen Ling’s relationship with his granddaughter, he respects him as a prospective grandson-in-law.

Significant themes

• Changing bonds and emotional loss: The Ice and Snow Empresses’ long-standing closeness is disrupted as the Ice Empress’s desires change.
• Power, risk, and adaptation: Chen Ling faces an overwhelming opponent but uses the system’s sudden aid and his own insight to meet the challenge.
• Reincarnation and transformation: Chen Ling’s new sword stage reflects a journey beyond his former limits, while the sisters’ relationship also undergoes an irreversible change.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Ling’s duel with Qian Daoliu ends when Chen Ling reveals a newly mastered fourth level of Sword Intent, Reincarnation Returns to Emptiness. The technique traps opponents in an illusion of repeated lives, desires, and regrets; if they cannot resist, their sense of self may be erased. Chen Ling stops short of seriously harming Qian Daoliu.
• Qian Daoliu recognizes Chen Ling’s breakthrough, warns him not to let Qian Renxue down, and leaves.
• The Snow Empress, who had secretly watched the duel, accepts that she has lost Bing’er and cannot give the Ice Empress what she wants. Concerned for her, she follows Chen Ling to Heaven Dou City.
• Back at the Academy, the Ice Empress and Qian Renxue are waiting. The Ice Empress is upset about the Snow Empress’s departure and clings to Chen Ling; Qian Renxue, now open about her feelings, is eager to be close to him.
• Chen Ling draws both women into an intimate encounter, shielding the room with mental energy. Outside, the Snow Empress hears them, cries, and wishes Bing’er happiness.

Character developments

• Chen Ling independently reaches the fourth level of Sword Intent, marking a major advance in his power and understanding. He remains confident, playful, and affectionate toward those close to him.
• Qian Daoliu sets aside pride after seeing Chen Ling’s strength and offers a final warning rather than trying to control the situation.
• The Ice Empress shows how deeply she depends on Chen Ling for comfort, while her separation from the Snow Empress leaves her visibly unhappy.
• Qian Renxue stops concealing her desire for Chen Ling and acts on the opening created by her revealed identity and her grandfather’s acceptance.
• The Snow Empress moves from jealousy and regret toward reluctant acceptance, choosing to watch over Bing’er from a distance and ultimately wishing her well.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Chen Ling’s new ability is potentially devastating, but he shows control by sparing Qian Daoliu.
• Regret, loss, and acceptance: The Snow Empress realizes too late what she has lost and must accept that Bing’er has chosen another path.
• Happiness and personal needs: The chapter contrasts what the Snow Empress can offer with what the Ice Empress wants, ending on the Snow Empress’s hope that Bing’er finds happiness.
• Desire and attachment: Chen Ling’s relationships with the Ice Empress and Qian Renxue highlight the chapter’s focus on romantic and physical closeness.

Character interactions

• Chen Ling and Qian Daoliu: A dangerous duel becomes mutual recognition, ending with Qian Daoliu’s warning about Qian Renxue.
• Chen Ling and the Ice Empress: Her frustration over the Snow Empress’s departure turns into clingy, playful aggression, met with Chen Ling’s affection.
• Chen Ling and Qian Renxue: She approaches him with renewed confidence, and he draws her into the encounter with the Ice Empress.
• The Snow Empress and Bing’er: Though absent from the room, the Snow Empress’s concern and grief frame the scene; she ultimately lets Bing’er go with a wish for her happiness.

Plot points and events

• Chen Ling’s life continues much as before, while the Snow Empress watches him secretly from outside his window.
• Half a month later, Chen Ling travels through the Star Dou Great Forest with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, searching for a rare plant. The girls have already obtained their Soul Rings.
• The chapter outlines Cloudcrag Academy’s strength and the other characters’ activities: most instructors are away training students, while the Ice Empress takes Shui Bing’er and Shui Yue’er to the Far North. Shui Bing’er’s Martial Soul has evolved into an Ice Phoenix, and the Ice Empress gives the sisters Spirit Bones.
• Chen Ling considers how best to help Dugu Yan evolve. He wants an herb that will let her serpent Martial Soul become a dragon without losing its poison attribute.
• A distant lightning strike leads Chen Ling to the target of his search: the Thunderclap Hell Prison Vine, a huge, lightning-wreathed plant surrounded by a scorched wasteland.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Rongrong grows more openly infatuated with Chen Ling and frets that others have gotten closer to him before she has. She clings to him during the journey and is disappointed when they stop their intimate moment to investigate the lightning.
• Zhu Zhuqing feels deeply grateful to Chen Ling for her Immortal Herb and personal help, but also struggles with insecurity. Her cat ears and tail appear involuntarily; she blushes at Chen Ling’s playful attention but does not resist it.
• Chen Ling is attentive to both girls, comforting Rongrong and teasing Zhu Zhuqing, while remaining focused on finding the plant.
• The Ice Empress continues her close relationship with Chen Ling, accepting Shui Bing’er as a disciple and sharing her Spirit Bone collection.

Significant themes

• Growth through guidance and resources: Chen Ling and the Ice Empress help younger Soul Masters develop their abilities.
• Identity and transformation: Dugu Yan’s possible evolution raises the question of how to grow stronger without losing what makes her unique.
• Affection, insecurity, and rivalry: Rongrong’s impatience and Zhu Zhuqing’s gratitude and self-doubt shape their differing relationships with Chen Ling.
• Power and danger in nature: The lightning-scarred terrain and formidable vine introduce the risks surrounding Chen Ling’s search.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Ling kills the seventy-thousand-year-old Thunderclap Hell Prison Vine with a single sword strike, then prepares to absorb its black Soul Ring.
• His Falling Star Locust Martial Soul activates on its own, absorbing the vine’s lightning and life energy. The Chaos Vortex transforms the tribulation-tempered lightning, producing a pink energy associated with creation through destruction and rebirth.
• Ning Rongrong spots a purple-glowing leg Spirit Bone beneath the vine. Chen Ling stores it, considering how his growing collection of Spirit Bones might benefit his allies.
• Back at the Academy, Xiao Wu and Chen Ling’s playful nighttime encounter ends with them exhausted. Chen Ling then proposes helping her grow stronger and names his supposed secret art the “Great Fortune Technique,” also called “Death by Truck.”

Character developments

• Chen Ling shows confidence in his cultivation and experiments with the unusual life and destruction energies within him. He also begins thinking about how to strengthen his students and Xiao Wu.
• Ning Rongrong remains excited and observant, discovering the Spirit Bone, though she is left resentful when Chen Ling ignores her gaze.
• Xiao Wu reveals her determination to become stronger, despite feeling more settled in human society. Her closeness to Chen Ling and Wang Dong’er has given her a sense of family, but she has not abandoned her original purpose.

Significant themes

• Destruction and renewal: Chen Ling’s transformed lightning suggests a form of creation that emerges only after destruction.
• Power and responsibility: Chen Ling considers using Spirit Bones to support others rather than himself.
• Belonging and ambition: Xiao Wu finds warmth and companionship among humans while still pursuing strength and holding on to her deeper goals.
• Comic tonal contrast: The chapter shifts from cultivation and powerful energies to playful intimacy and Chen Ling’s exaggeratedly dramatic “secret art” reveal.

Character interactions

• Ning Rongrong alerts Chen Ling to the Spirit Bone, sharing in his discovery.
• Chen Ling’s warm, teasing closeness with Xiao Wu leads into a more serious conversation about her ambition.
• Xiao Wu’s eagerness contrasts with Chen Ling’s attempts to keep the discussion focused, ending on the humorous cliffhanger of his “Death by Truck” technique.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Ling reminds Xiao Wu of the Spirit Bones left by Tang Hao and gives her a Golden-Scaled Grass containing Golden Dragon bloodline power. Though Xiao Wu initially feels unworthy of such precious gifts, Chen Ling insists, and she accepts his help to refine it.
• Chen Ling also gives her three strength-focused Spirit Bones. Together, the herb and bones greatly increase her physical power.
• During training, Xiao Wu fights Qian Renxue. Her unfamiliar strength makes her attacks far more forceful, and she surprises Qian Renxue by appearing above her and knocking her from the air with a stomp.
• Ya Li heals Qian Renxue, who recovers quickly and asks Xiao Wu how she managed to stay overhead.

Character developments

• Xiao Wu grows much stronger but is still adjusting to her upgraded power. Her reluctance to accept the gifts reflects her insecurity about her place beside Chen Ling; his firm reassurance leads her to accept them.
• Chen Ling takes a controlling but supportive role in Xiao Wu’s development, choosing resources suited to her and directing how she trains.
• Qian Renxue remains a proud, competitive fighter, but her defeat reveals a more playful, vulnerable side. She is also receptive to Ya Li’s warmth and healing.

Character interactions

• Chen Ling teases Xiao Wu before discussing her growth, then insists she accept the rare materials. She responds with shy obedience.
• Ning Rongrong watches Xiao Wu’s new fighting style with alarm, while Chen Ling is pleased with the results.
• Xiao Wu and Qian Renxue spar; Xiao Wu checks on her after the blow, and Ya Li heals her.
• Qian Renxue’s closeness with Ya Li mirrors Xiao Wu’s natural affinity with Wang Dong’er.

Significant themes

• Strength through support: Xiao Wu’s power increases through Chen Ling’s gifts and guidance.
• Trust and dependence: Xiao Wu’s hesitation shows her uncertainty about receiving care, while Chen Ling’s insistence reinforces their bond.
• Power and adaptation: Her new abilities are impressive but require practice and restraint.
• Affectionate rivalry: The sparring remains competitive but is tempered by concern, healing, and friendly teasing.

Chen Ling agreed to fight the Snow Empress after she wagered that, if she lost, she would serve him for life. He had deliberately maneuvered her into accepting the bet, leaving their confrontation imminent.

• Xiao Wu revealed that her Spirit Bone Skill was flight, and Chen Ling suddenly vanished from the Academy gathering.
• Chen Ling found the Snow Empress waiting at the rear-mountain pavilion and asked why she had come.
• The Snow Empress challenged Chen Ling to a fight and demanded that Bing'er leave him if he lost.
• Chen Ling refused her initial wager of Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Bones and asked what she would offer if she lost.
• The Snow Empress offered to become Chen Ling's slave and servant for life if defeated, and he accepted.

Chen Ling defeated the Snow Empress with his spiritual sword technique and entered her Reincarnation Illusion Realm to experience it firsthand. There, he encountered Electrolux and saw a memoryless, chibi version of the Snow Empress become his soul spirit.

• The Snow Empress challenged Chen Ling, who opened a Space Passage and took her away from the city.
• Chen Ling's Reincarnation Returns to Emptiness overwhelmed the Snow Empress's weak spiritual power and ended the battle immediately.
• Chen Ling entered the Snow Empress's Reincarnation Illusion Realm while the Qingming Sword Case formed a protective circle around them.
• Chen Ling awakened in the illusion as a younger version of himself and met Electrolux, who guided him in summoning a soul spirit.
• Chen Ling summoned the Snow Empress as a memoryless little girl, and she called him Daddy before cuddling in his arms.
• Chen Ling explored the illusion and discovered that he could not access knowledge he had never possessed, such as knowledge of soul tools.

Chen Ling lived through an illusion in which he repeatedly reincarnated alongside the Snow Empress, whose memories and attachment to him grew with each cycle. After he released her from the illusion, he held her close and teased her, leaving their relationship unresolved.

• Chen Ling enjoyed his life in the illusion, while the Snow Empress recovered her memories and struggled against the little snow maiden’s protective consciousness.
• Chen Ling reached the Divine Realm at eighteen, struck God King Tang after Tang attacked him, and began another reincarnation with the Snow Empress.
• Across repeated lives, the Snow Empress tried different ways to avoid Chen Ling but always became his Soul Spirit, and her memories of him accumulated.
• Chen Ling stopped the reincarnations before they could fully overwrite the Snow Empress’s sense of self and released her from the illusion.
• Chen Ling held the Snow Empress around the waist as she struggled and teased her by asking whether that was any way to talk to Daddy.

Chen Ling teased Snow Empress after their reincarnation experience, while she struggled with the emptiness left by its end. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo arrived at Cloudcrag Academy to deliver Bibi Dong’s invitation to the Title Conferment Ceremony and were escorted to the dean.

• Chen Ling made Snow Empress admit that he had won their fight and call him “Daddy,” then left her behind in frustration.
• Snow Empress stayed beside Chen Ling in reality but felt a hollow longing for the time they had spent together in the reincarnation.
• Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo arrived at Cloudcrag Academy to deliver Bibi Dong’s invitation, wary after hearing of Qian Daoliu’s defeat by Chen Ling.
• Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo observed Cloudcrag Academy’s unusually disciplined atmosphere and its students’ extensive training and benefits.
• Wang Dong'er appeared before the two Spirit Hall envoys without being noticed and led them to the waiting dean.

Chen Ling reviewed Spirit Hall’s investiture ceremony plans but found no excuse to disrupt the event. At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Yu Xiaogang trained the diminished Imperial Fighting Team and urged Tang San to wait before cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer until he secured a twin martial soul cultivation method.

• Chrysanthemum Douluo presented Chen Ling with the ceremony plans, and Chen Ling found Spirit Hall had left no opening for a dispute.
• The Imperial Fighting Team dwindled after several members joined the Azure Nether Sect, leaving Yu Tianheng and the four Shrek members at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Yu Xiaogang made Tang San and the others train with iron weights, while Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun ignored his instructions.
• Tang San questioned whether to keep cultivating blue silver grass and considered focusing on the Clear Sky Hammer instead.
• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San to wait until he secured a twin martial soul cultivation method before cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer.

Yu Xiaogang planned to take Tang San to Spirit City to seek Bibi Dong’s help with cultivating his twin martial souls. Meanwhile, Chen Ling chose the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as his next target, disguising a challenge for its Upper Three Sects position as a family visit with Ning Rongrong.

• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San that Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall pope and his old acquaintance, also possessed twin martial souls and could advise him on cultivating his own.
• Yu Xiaogang began arranging a trip to Spirit City to meet Bibi Dong.
• Chen Ling assessed his allies’ strength against Spirit Hall, then decided to challenge other factions first to test his mechanism and earn a reward.
• Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo learned that the Azure Nether Sect had challenged the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for its place among the Upper Three Sects.
• Ning Fengzhi saw the challenge as a chance to publicly link the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to Chen Ling through Ning Rongrong and began writing him a letter.