Chapter Summaries

Su Yuntao learned that his unconventional Martial Soul Avatar state granted improved combat instincts and a faster, Soul Power-compressing cultivation method, then practiced fighting with Tang Shan. Tang Shan praised Tie Zhong’s forging breakthrough and agreed to let him share the method before preparing to leave Star City, where he learned Tie Zhong’s senior brother was Iron Dragon, owner of the rival Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop.

• Tang Shan explained the benefits of Su Yuntao’s unconventional Martial Soul Avatar state, and Su Yuntao tested its cultivation route, finding that it accelerated cultivation while compressing his Soul Power.
• Su Yuntao asked Tang Shan how to develop the ability, and Tang Shan advised him to practice entering the state until he could activate it at will.
• Tang Shan and Su Yuntao transformed and fought at full strength to test Su Yuntao’s improved combat instincts and experience.
• Tie Zhong completed another advance in metal purification, and Tang Shan praised his progress and talent for forging.
• Tang Shan told Tie Zhong he planned to leave Star City the next day, then gave permission for Tie Zhong to share the forging method with his senior brother in exchange for future research insights.
• Tie Zhong revealed that his senior brother was Iron Dragon, owner of the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop, and Tang Shan recalled the shop’s reputation and rivalry with the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop.

Tang Shan learned how the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop gained powerful backing before leaving with Su Haichao for Su Yuntao’s final Soul Fighting match in Star City. Su Yuntao faced the Soul Elder Feng Lang, and their fight began with Feng Lang using cautious tactics to hinder him.

• Tie Zhong explained that he and Iron Dragon had staged a price war, which led powerful factions to support the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop and curb the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop’s price gouging.
• Tang Shan discussed forging with Tie Zhong, then left the shop and prepared to travel with Su Haichao.
• Tang Shan recalled Su Yuntao’s recent losses to a twin pair’s Martial Soul Fusion Skill and a string of opponents with Yellow Soul Rings.
• Tang Shan and Su Haichao arrived at the Great Soul Arena, where the host announced Su Yuntao’s match against a Soul Elder.
• Su Yuntao activated Martial Soul Fusion and clashed with Feng Lang, who used his Wind Blade defensively to disrupt Su Yuntao’s attacks.
• Feng Lang relied on patience and harassment, but Su Yuntao stayed calm and circled him while searching for an opening.

Su Yuntao defeated Feng Lang with a newly improvised claw attack, then entered Deep Meditation during the journey. Tang Shan reflected on his brother’s exceptional talent while continuing to advance his own martial arts.

• Su Yuntao dodged Feng Lang’s Wind Blade and used a powerful claw-shadow strike to knock him off the platform, winning the match.
• Tang Shan and Su Haichao recognized Su Yuntao’s finishing move as a likely Self-Created Soul Skill, and Su Yuntao began cultivating in Deep Meditation.
• During the carriage ride, Tang Shan wondered whether Su Yuntao was the story’s true protagonist and reassured Su Haichao that the meditation was safe.
• Su Haichao asked whether Su Yuntao could become a Titled Douluo, and Tang Shan said he had a strong chance.
• At a midday rest stop, Tang Shan practiced his martial arts, demonstrated Hidden Force, and planned to refine his inner body after completing his current tempering.

After Su Yuntao finished Deep Meditation and strengthened his cultivation and Self-Created Soul Skill, the group found a pile of dried-out Wolf Bandit corpses and suspected an Evil Soul Master was nearby. As they tried to leave, Tang Shan heard someone calling for help and stepped out to investigate, with the others ready to strike.

• Su Yuntao awoke from Deep Meditation, reported mastering his cultivation method, and advanced from Soul Power Level twenty-three to twenty-four.
• Su Yuntao demonstrated a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill that Su Haichao judged stronger than his second Soul Skill.
• The group found at least a dozen desiccated Wolf Bandit corpses, and Tang Shan learned from the driver that previous Wolf Bandits had been muscular and well-preserved.
• Tang Shan suspected an Evil Soul Master had drained the corpses, so Su Haichao ordered the group to avoid the area and prepared them to flee.
• Tang Shan heard a cry for help after the carriage had passed the corpses, and the three secretly agreed to attack if the caller seemed dangerous.
• Tang Shan activated Martial Soul Possession without revealing it and stepped out of the carriage to investigate.

Dela tried to use a carriage for escape and prey, but Tang Shan, Su Yuntao, and Su Haichao ambushed and killed him. Spirit Hall's Judgment Squad arrived after the fight and recognized Dela's corpse, leaving the squad on alert for possible ambushers.

• Dela fled through the forest with three Wolf Bandits behind him while Spirit Hall's Judgment Squad pursued them.
• Dela pleaded with Su Haichao for a ride, and the carriage group pretended to let him approach while preparing an attack.
• Tang Shan struck Dela with a series of blows, Su Haichao slowed him with Wolf Howl, and Su Yuntao and Su Haichao delivered the final attacks that killed him.
• A burst of sacred light sent the three Wolf Bandits flying beside Dela's body, and Su Haichao stopped the carriage.
• The Judgment Squad emerged from the forest, identified Dela's corpse, and its captain ordered everyone to stay alert.

Su Haichao and Tang Shan met Spirit Hall’s Judgment Squad after Su Haichao killed an Evil Soul Master, and Tang Shan learned about the squad’s methods and the brutal skills used by Evil Soul Masters. After Qian Lei gave Su Haichao a reward token and led his squad away, Tang Shan reflected on the Angel Clan’s legacy.

• Su Haichao identified himself to Qian Lei’s Judgment Squad and confirmed that he had killed the Evil Soul Master they were pursuing.
• White Armor and Qian Ying carefully inspected the corpse before Qian Lei stored it in a Storage Soul Tool.
• Qian Lei explained the ten most brutal Evil Soul Master skills, including the Soul Explosion Technique, and described the Judgment Squad’s three-step hunting procedure.
• Qian Lei said the squad’s work was a family promise and handed Su Haichao a reward token before leading the squad away.
• Tang Shan watched the squad depart and thought their dedication offered a glimpse of the first Angel God’s legacy.

Tang Shan learned how Spirit Hall's merit tokens were awarded and continued honing his combat skills through sparring with Su Yuntao. The group planned to resupply in Ironwall City before heading to Heaven Dou City, while Su Yuntao eagerly anticipated another Great Soul Arena.

• Su Haichao explained that Evil Soul Master merit tokens came in bronze, silver, and gold grades, with a gold token exchangeable for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
• Tang Shan reviewed the group's fight against the Evil Soul Master and recognized that his close-range role had carried the greatest risk from the Blood Explosion Technique.
• Tang Shan used Hidden Force to strike Su Yuntao's thigh during sparring and explained that Hidden Force and Soul Power could not yet be combined.
• Tang Shan realized that battle-induced changes in his Qi and Blood had helped him finish tempering his Sinew, then sparred with Su Yuntao to improve their skills.
• Su Yuntao used Bright Force to defend and counter Tang Shan's attacks before fatigue forced him to stop.
• Su Haichao said the group would reach Ironwall City before Heaven Dou City, and Su Yuntao eagerly asked whether it had a Great Soul Arena.

Xue Ye sent three of his princes to inspect major cities as a test of their potential, while Xue Beng chose to remain at the palace. Later, Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi discussed Spirit Hall’s new Pope and wondered why she favored Yu Xiaogang.

• Xue Ye ordered Xue Qinghe, Xue Shanxing, and Xue Linsen to visit different cities and report what they learned, while Xue Beng declined to participate.
• Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi discussed the princes’ strengths and the reasoning behind their assigned destinations.
• Xue Ye asked Ning Fengzhi about Spirit Hall’s new Pope, and Ning Fengzhi described her as ruthless but not especially threatening.
• Ning Fengzhi revealed that the Pope had once loved Yu Xiaogang, prompting Xue Ye to question how the low-level, controversial researcher had earned her affection.

Xue Qinghe learned of the Pope’s plan to use Yu Xiaogang as a false Grandmaster to draw out the real one, and chose to oppose the plan and support recruiting the real Grandmaster. Qian Daoliu left the final decision to Qian Renxue, hoping she would choose a path free of attachments.

• Salas told Xue Qinghe that the Pope planned to announce a substitute Grandmaster and use the title to draw out the real Grandmaster.
• Xue Qinghe erupted in anger when Salas explained that the Pope would recruit the real Grandmaster if he cooperated and kill him if he refused.
• Xue Qinghe declared that she supported the Grandmaster and would consult the Worship Hall about stopping the Pope’s approach.
• Salas revealed that Yu Xiaogang would be the substitute, then hurried away without explaining his connection to the Pope.
• Qian Daoliu told Qian Jun and Jiang Mo Douluo that Qian Renxue would decide whether to stop the plan, and he would support her choice.

Tang Shan explained to Su Haichao why he needed a major power’s resources and why the Heaven Dou Empire suited him better than Spirit Hall or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He settled on serving Xue Qinghe, the Heaven Dou Empire’s First Prince, as the best way to secure protection and support.

• Tang Shan trained at dawn by using hidden force to temper his bones, while Su Yuntao practiced nearby.
• Su Haichao asked whether Tang Shan planned to train in Heaven Dou City, and Tang Shan said he needed greater resources to advance and eventually hunt stronger soul beasts.
• Tang Shan explained that Spirit Hall’s leadership struggle made it dangerous for him, while the Heaven Dou Empire could connect him to both imperial resources and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Tang Shan told Su Haichao that joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect alone would offer fewer advantages than serving the Heaven Dou imperial family.
• Tang Shan decided that Xue Qinghe was the most suitable patron because the prince could provide protection through his powerful allies and ties to Spirit Hall’s Worship Hall.

Su Haichao, Su Yuntao, and Tang Shan arrived at Iron Arm City and headed toward an inn and its Soul Fighting Arena. Meanwhile, Qian Renxue contacted Qian Daoliu, convinced him to stop Bibi Dong’s plan against Grandmaster, and proposed luring Grandmaster to Spirit Hall while using Yu Xiaogang as a pawn or scapegoat.

• Su Haichao brought Su Yuntao and Tang Shan through Iron Arm City’s formidable gates and drove them toward an inn before their planned visit to the Soul Fighting Arena.
• Qian Renxue shed her disguise and used the Angel Pendant to contact Qian Daoliu.
• Qian Renxue told Qian Daoliu that Grandmaster’s theories had greatly aided her cultivation and argued that protecting him would benefit her God Trial.
• Qian Daoliu agreed to stop Bibi Dong’s plan and have the Worshippers stand with Grandmaster.
• Qian Renxue suggested inviting Grandmaster to Spirit Hall as her teacher and proposed sacrificing Yu Xiaogang if Grandmaster refused.

Qian Daoliu told Qian Renxue that Yu Xiaogang had once been the Pope’s lover, and she calmly reinterpreted the Pope’s plans in light of that revelation. She canceled the recruitment scheme and said she would find the Grandmaster herself, while Qian Daoliu tried to persuade her to return.

• Qian Renxue proposed recruiting the Grandmaster with a Soul Bone and suggested the Pope should give up Yu Xiaogang to win his loyalty.
• Qian Daoliu tried to cancel the plan, but Qian Renxue noticed his evasions and asked about Yu Xiaogang’s relationship with the Pope.
• Qian Daoliu revealed that Yu Xiaogang and the Pope had planned to elope before Qian Renxue’s father separated them.
• Qian Renxue condemned the Pope’s past and concluded that her recruitment plan was meant to preserve Yu Xiaogang’s claim to the title of Grandmaster.
• Qian Renxue canceled the plan and said she would find the Grandmaster herself, while Qian Daoliu urged her to return and keep cultivating.

Qian Renxue reaffirmed her plan to take Spirit Hall from the Pope and ruin Yu Xiaogang, then briefly met Tang Shan’s eyes as her carriage passed through Ironwall City. Tang Shan and Su Yuntao discussed their travels, while Su Haichao considered whether the Heaven Dou royal might become a useful ally for Tang Shan.

• Qian Renxue told Qian Daoliu she would continue her plan and make the Heaven Dou Empire eclipse Spirit Hall, and Qian Daoliu agreed not to stop her.
• Qian Renxue vowed to expose Yu Xiaogang’s deeds and disgrace him before the Soul Master World, then disguised herself as Xue Qinghe upon reaching Ironwall City.
• Tang Shan, Su Yuntao, and Su Haichao watched a Heaven Dou royal carriage pass through Ironwall City, and Tang Shan unexpectedly met Xue Qinghe’s eyes.
• Su Haichao wondered whether the royal could be an ally for Tang Shan, while Tang Shan reflected that his lack of reverence came from his values and knowledge of the original story.
• Su Yuntao said he wanted a travel token from Bishop Salas so he could visit Soul Fighting Arenas, and Tang Shan warned him to stay alive, use a disguise, and keep their family out of trouble.

Su Yuntao fought in Ironwall City's arena while Tang Shan trained his body and forging skills in a smithy. Tang Shan opened his sixth meridian and reached Level 19, leaving him one level short of his Second Soul Ring as he planned to contact Xue Qinghe.

• Su Yuntao registered at the arena, refused a scarred attendant's invitation to join the army, and defeated his two-ring opponent with his thousand-year Second Soul Ring on display.
• A spectator noticed Su Yuntao's talent and decided to report him to the First Prince, while Tang Shan left the arena to pursue his own training.
• Tang Shan rented a forge room, tested his progress with Martial Soul Possession, and began forging with a heavier hammer technique modeled on the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.
• Tang Shan's strikes briefly resonated with the metal, but the material shattered before he could control the force and refine it further.
• After replenishing his Qi and Blood with Soul Beast meat, Tang Shan opened the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, his sixth of the Twelve Regular Meridians.
• Tang Shan reached Level 19 and decided he needed to contact Xue Qinghe soon so he could find a Soul Beast and temper his body before absorbing his Second Soul Ring.

Xue Qinghe visited Ironwall City and found that its officers favored the Second Prince, prompting her to consider eliminating rivals to secure the Crown Prince position. She then learned of a Soul Master with a thousand-year Second Soul Ring and a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill, and decided to investigate him at the Great Soul Arena.

• Tang Shan resumed cultivating Soul Power and continued forging after deciding to harmonize Hidden Force with his body before condensing his Second Soul Ring.
• Xue Qinghe visited General Hong Zhen in Ironwall City, where Hong Zhen restrained his officers from taking sides in the succession struggle.
• Hong Zhen privately concluded that he would serve whoever became Crown Prince and warned his officers against challenging the emperor's authority.
• Xue Qinghe recognized that Ironwall City's officers supported Xue Shan and began considering a plan to eliminate rivals so Xue Ye would have no alternative but to choose her.
• Snake Lance Douluo told Xue Qinghe about an eighteen-year-old Wolf Beast Soul Master with a thousand-year Second Soul Ring and a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill, and she decided to visit him at the Great Soul Arena.

Xue Qinghe watched Su Yuntao fight two Soul Grandmasters and decided to recruit him after witnessing his unusual self-created soul skill. At the Great Soul Arena, Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan recognized each other and began their first formal conversation.

• Xue Qinghe learned that Su Yuntao, known as Lone Wolf, could challenge opponents at the arena whenever he wished, then sent Jili to test his strength.
• Su Yuntao defeated Ape and Venomous Tongue in a two-on-one match using his enhancement skills and a distinctive combat state.
• Xue Qinghe suspected Su Yuntao had used a self-created soul skill and decided to recruit him personally.
• Tang Shan arrived, recognized Xue Qinghe, and worried that the prince might try to recruit his big brother.
• Tang Shan greeted Xue Qinghe, who asked how he had identified him as a prince.

Tang Shan met Xue Qinghe in Ironwall City, where she tried to recruit him and uncovered his extraordinary age, soul power, and body martial soul. Believing he might be the Grandmaster’s Disciple, Xue Qinghe sent Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo to search carefully for the Grandmaster nearby.

• Xue Qinghe introduced herself as the First Prince, and Tang Shan greeted her respectfully while hoping to secure her support.
• Xue Qinghe questioned Tang Shan about his older brother, father, and the brother’s abilities, but Tang Shan’s answers left her doubtful.
• Tang Shan said his father belonged to Spirit Hall, so Xue Qinghe abandoned her recruitment attempt and asked about Tang Shan’s age and soul power.
• Tang Shan revealed he was seven years old with level 19 soul power, astonishing Xue Qinghe and the two hidden Titled Douluos.
• After Tang Shan identified his martial soul as his own body, Xue Qinghe suspected he was the Grandmaster’s Disciple and asked Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo to search for the Grandmaster.

Tang Shan and Su Yuntao drew Xue Qinghe into recruiting them, while Tang Shan revealed his Self-Deity Martial Soul and Thousand-Year First Ring. Xue Qinghe accepted that he was seven and grew more convinced that the brothers were connected to the mysterious Grandmaster.

• Tang Shan named his full-body Body Martial Soul the Self-Deity Martial Soul and told Xue Qinghe he was seven with Innate Full Soul Power.
• Xue Qinghe’s hidden Titled Douluo guards found no sign of the Grandmaster, and she ordered them to continue the plan rather than withdraw.
• Tang Shan and Su Yuntao met Xue Qinghe, then accepted her invitation to continue their conversation at her residence in Ironwall City.
• In the carriage, Xue Qinghe examined Tang Shan’s bones and confirmed that he really was seven.
• Tang Shan revealed his Thousand-Year First Ring, astonishing Xue Qinghe and the hidden guards and strengthening their belief that he was connected to the Grandmaster.

Tang Shan explained his master's theory that cultivating a martial soul was like raising a person, and that a Martial Soul Avatar reflected how well it had been nurtured. Xue Qinghe recognized how the idea connected to Titled Douluo cultivation, while Tang Shan kept his more dangerous theories secret.

• Xue Qinghe questioned Tang Shan about his master, and Tang Shan said the master had entered closed-door cultivation after teaching him and his older brother.
• Xue Qinghe asked Tang Shan to explain his master's martial soul research, and Tang Shan proposed discussing the Martial Soul Avatar.
• Tang Shan described soul power as a martial soul's ordinary nourishment, soul rings as premium nourishment, and compatibility as a form of exercise.
• Xue Qinghe realized that a Martial Soul Avatar's strength could depend on how the martial soul had been cultivated before the seventh soul ring.
• Xue Qinghe connected Tang Shan's explanation to Qian Daoliu's teachings about developing a martial soul's limits and improving soul power quality for Titled Douluo cultivation.

Tang Shan explained the Grandmaster’s theory that most beast Soul Masters’ Martial Soul Avatars were incomplete and that they could awaken their martial souls’ dormant instincts through Martial Soul Fusion. Xue Qinghe and Porcupinefish Douluo recognized the theory’s implications, while Xue Qinghe wondered whether it also applied to the powerful beast-martial-soul users in the Worship Hall.

• Xue Qinghe reflected on whether attunement to a martial soul was necessary before a Soul Master could understand it, then praised the Grandmaster’s research to Tang Shan.
• Tang Shan warned Xue Qinghe that the Grandmaster’s research on beast soul true bodies was unconventional and said most beast Soul Masters’ Martial Soul Avatars were incomplete.
• Tang Shan explained that Su Yuntao had entered a special state in which his fighting instincts and timing resembled those of a soul beast, and Xue Qinghe realized Su Yuntao had potential to achieve it.
• Porcupinefish Douluo told Xue Qinghe that he had recognized Su Yuntao’s exceptional combat state and believed mastering his own martial soul’s instincts could let him challenge a rank ninety-three Titled Douluo.
• Xue Qinghe asked Tang Shan for a way to develop the state, and Tang Shan said Soul Masters could imitate their martial souls’ corresponding soul beasts and fuse their forms, combat experience, and instincts through Martial Soul Fusion.