Chapter Summaries

Tang Shan and Su Yuntao pledged their service to Xue Qinghe, who promised them generous cultivation support and arranged to assess Tang Shan’s soul-ring limits. After they left, Xue Qinghe asked two hidden Titled Douluo for their opinion of the pair.

• Snake Lance Douluo tried to reassure Porcupinefish Douluo about Grandmaster’s theories while Xue Qinghe worried about her own potential.
• Xue Qinghe offered Tang Shan resources, soul bones, and help hunting a hundred-thousand-year soul beast if he eventually reached his ninth ring; Tang Shan accepted her patronage, and Su Yuntao followed.
• Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan to focus on cultivation and invited him to return the next day so her guards could test his physical abilities and maximum soul-ring age.
• Tang Shan requested a strength-focused soul beast with possible mental attributes for his second ring, while Su Yuntao asked for sparring opponents; Xue Qinghe agreed to arrange both kinds of support.
• Xue Qinghe sent Tang Shan and Su Yuntao back to their inn in her carriage, then asked two Titled Douluo what they thought of them.

Tang Shan and Su Yuntao secured Xue Qinghe’s support and discussed what serving her might mean for their ties to Spirit Hall. While cultivating the next morning, Tang Shan tempered his organs, expelled stagnant blood, and devised a new combat trick.

• Xue Qinghe wrote to inform her grandfather about the day’s events and share her thoughts on Martial Soul Fusion and Beast Soul True Body.
• Su Yuntao and Tang Shan returned to the Inn, where Tang Shan told Su Haichao that he had met Xue Qinghe and entered her service.
• Su Haichao discussed the uncertainty of Xue Qinghe’s succession prospects with Tang Shan and Su Yuntao.
• Tang Shan cultivated overnight, then practiced his Soul Skill and used Qi and Blood to strengthen his bones and organs.
• Tang Shan coughed up black blood as his organ tempering reached a threshold, then reassured Su Yuntao that the expelled blood was waste.
• Tang Shan told Su Yuntao he had figured out a new combat trick based on his strengthened organs.

Tang Shan demonstrated his powerful roar to Su Yuntao, then taught him how to use the technique as they traveled to Xue Qinghe’s residence. There, Snake Lance Douluo began testing Tang Shan’s physical strength, and the pressure had just reached Level 31.

• Tang Shan’s roar overwhelmed Su Yuntao, and the noise woke angry guests at the Inn, forcing the brothers to flee before Su Haichao could confront them.
• Tang Shan explained the roar technique and its uses to Su Yuntao on their way to Xue Qinghe’s residence.
• Xue Qinghe assigned Snake Lance Douluo to test Tang Shan and Porcupinefish Douluo to test Su Yuntao.
• Snake Lance Douluo summoned his lance and increased his Soul Power pressure while Tang Shan endured it with steady breathing and flowing Soul Power.
• Xue Qinghe announced that the pressure had reached Level 31 as Tang Shan’s real test began.

Tang Shan endured Snake Lance Douluo’s escalating Soul Power pressure, relying on his unusually active Qi and Blood until his meridians opened and eased the strain. He stopped before reaching his absolute limit, leaving his Soul Ring choice for his next breakthrough.

• Tang Shan’s Qi and Blood became active under pressure, and Porcupinefish Douluo explained their unusual vitality to Xue Qinghe and Su Yuntao.
• Su Yuntao demonstrated Bright Force, prompting Porcupinefish Douluo to recognize it as a technique the Second Worship had once used.
• Tang Shan endured Snake Lance Douluo’s pressure up to Level 39, circulating both Qi and Blood and Soul Power to withstand it.
• When Snake Lance Douluo raised the pressure to Level 40, Tang Shan’s Soul Power forced open two new meridians, easing the pressure without raising his Soul Power Level.
• Tang Shan declined to continue, chose a prudent limit for his future Soul Ring, and collapsed from exhaustion after Snake Lance Douluo withdrew the pressure.

Tang Shan recovered from training and sparred with Snake Lance Douluo, using his strength, adaptability, and unusual Soul Skill to challenge the veteran's Spear Techniques. The chapter ended as Tang Shan launched a powerful overhead strike at Snake Lance Douluo.

• Tang Shan recovered his Soul Power and discovered that the earlier pressure had opened two meridians, bringing him closer to Level 20.
• Su Yuntao lost his spar with Porcupinefish Douluo, who was shaken by Su Yuntao's combat abilities and Martial Soul Fusion potential.
• Tang Shan began sparring with Snake Lance Douluo, dodging his lance and using his enhanced body to press the attack.
• Tang Shan seized Snake Lance Douluo's lance and disrupted his timing with a strange force, then landed a coordinated fist-and-leg attack that made him retreat.
• Tang Shan unleashed a barrage of punches, then gathered his remaining Soul Power and Qi and Blood into a heavy strike aimed at Snake Lance Douluo's head.

Tang Shan fought Snake Lance Douluo in a test of skill, showcasing his precise control and a powerful self-created attack before conceding. After the group returned to the hall, Xue Qinghe received unexpected news and said she would ask Tang Shan and Su Yuntao for help after lunch.

• Tang Shan and Snake Lance Douluo exchanged attacks, and Tang Shan used his control over his body to withstand a strike and counter.
• Porcupinefish Douluo explained to Xue Qinghe that Titled Douluo relied on Soul Power, Martial Soul mastery, and self-created techniques rather than weaker Soul Skills.
• Tang Shan unleashed a compressed-air sound attack that shook Snake Lance Douluo's barrier, shattered windows, and damaged the Training Ground before Tang Shan conceded.
• Snake Lance Douluo praised Tang Shan's power and control, while he and Porcupinefish Douluo discussed the boy's extraordinary Qi and Blood and the Grandmaster's achievement.
• After a servant whispered news to Xue Qinghe, she left to handle an unexpected matter and told Tang Shan and Su Yuntao she would ask them for help later.

Qian Daoliu read Qian Renxue’s letter about Tang Shan’s theories and sought Golden Crocodile Douluo’s insight into the Beast Soul True Body. Golden Crocodile Douluo’s explanation convinced him that the theory could give Beast Soul Titled Douluo the combat abilities of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

• Qian Jun Douluo delivered Qian Renxue’s letter to Qian Daoliu, who grew suspicious of Tang Shan and his Master as he read it.
• Qian Daoliu studied Tang Shan’s theories about Martial Soul Fusion and the Beast Soul True Body, then reconsidered them after realizing the Angel Martial Soul might have once been a Beast Martial Soul.
• Qian Daoliu flew to Death Canyon, while the woman in the Papal Hall watched him go and vowed to destroy Spirit Hall and the Angel Clan’s legacy.
• Qian Daoliu asked Golden Crocodile Douluo whether a Beast Soul Master’s instincts and ability to seize openings improved when using the Beast Soul True Body.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo explained that the Beast Soul True Body was a brief transformation into a Soul Beast and that gaining a beast’s honed combat skills could make a Beast Soul Titled Douluo as powerful as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Golden Crocodile Douluo learned from Qian Renxue’s letter that martial soul combat instincts could help him break through his cultivation limit, and he entered Death Canyon to investigate a mysterious soul beast. Meanwhile, Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan and Su Yuntao that someone connected to General Hong Zhen had come to harass her, and Tang Shan recognized the incident as deliberate provocation.

• Qian Daoliu gave Golden Crocodile Douluo Qian Renxue’s letter describing theories about Beast Soul True Body and martial soul fusion.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo concluded that martial soul instincts and combat experience could provide a foundation for reaching the cultivation limit, though he still believed qi and blood might offer another path.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo asked to leave the Worship Hall, then transformed into a giant golden crocodile and entered Death Canyon to seek the mysterious soul beast.
• Qian Daoliu arranged for Qian Jun and Jiang Mo to guard Death Canyon while Spirit Hall personnel warned young visitors to avoid the area.
• Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan and Su Yuntao that a subordinate connected to General Hong Zhen had threatened to make her pay for damage to her residence.
• Su Yuntao offered to pay for the repairs, but Tang Shan pointed out that the visit was deliberate harassment of Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe explained how the Second Prince had gained the army’s favor in Ironwall City and asked Tang Shan and Su Yuntao to challenge its soul masters. Tang Shan proposed preparing a different plan, while Xue Qinghe considered Tang Shan a promising ally; Tang Shan began devising a strategy to break the political deadlock.

• Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan that the Second Prince had won the support of Ironwall City’s army and that Emperor Xue Ye seemed to favor him.
• Xue Qinghe asked Tang Shan and Su Yuntao to challenge the army’s Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters to weaken the Second Prince’s influence.
• Tang Shan questioned Xue Qinghe about the princes and the emperor, then asked to postpone the challenges while he prepared an alternative plan.
• Xue Qinghe agreed to give Tang Shan until that afternoon to present his plan, and he arranged lodgings for Tang Shan and Su Yuntao.
• Porcupinefish Douluo questioned Xue Qinghe about how much he had revealed, and Xue Qinghe said he was testing whether Tang Shan and Su Yuntao would work for him.
• Tang Shan began planning how to strengthen Xue Qinghe’s existing reputation and break the deadlock in Ironwall City.

Tang Shan trained with Porcupinefish Douluo before Xue Qinghe summoned him and revealed a plan to impress Ironwall City's soldiers by having him challenge their junior officers. Meanwhile, Hong Zhen confronted his subordinates over rumors favoring the Second Prince and suspected the First Prince was behind them.

• Tang Shan fought Porcupinefish Douluo, deflected a venomous spine, and suffered a brief burn from the poison.
• A servant summoned Tang Shan and Porcupinefish Douluo to Xue Qinghe, who dismissed the Douluos to speak with Tang Shan privately.
• Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan her plan was ready: he would challenge the army's junior officers to make an impression, while aiming to win their loyalty rather than merely defeat them.
• Tang Shan and Xue Qinghe traveled by carriage to the military camp under Imperial Guard escort.
• Hong Zhen demanded to know who had spread rumors that the Second Prince was the best heir, but his subordinates denied responsibility.
• A subordinate suggested the First Prince had spread the rumors to retaliate, and Hong Zhen angrily questioned how he could have organized it across the entire city.

Xue Qinghe confronted General Hong Zhen over the unrest in Ironwall City and used his report to the emperor as leverage. He asked Hong Zhen to let Tang Shan spar with the army’s Soul Masters, making the outcome a test of whether the dispute could be settled.

• Hong Zhen dismissed his officers’ theories about who had stirred up Ironwall City and ordered them to welcome Xue Qinghe.
• Hong Zhen greeted Xue Qinghe and led him and Tang Shan into the barracks reception room.
• Hong Zhen blamed Star Luo Empire spies for the rumors, but Tang Shan judged that the general had mishandled the situation.
• Xue Qinghe warned Hong Zhen that he would report everything to Xue Ye, then offered to adjust his report in exchange for a favor.
• Xue Qinghe introduced Tang Shan as a level 19 Soul Master and asked Hong Zhen to have him spar with the army’s Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters.

Xue Qinghe arranged for Tang Shan to challenge every one- and two-ring Soul Master in the Rampart Army, offering a thousand Gold Soul Coins to each victor. The soldiers gathered to watch, and Tang Shan faced his first opponent, Captain Wang, as the chapter ended before their fight began.

• Hong Zhen agreed that Tang Shan could recover his Soul Power fully between fights and expected his soldiers to wear him down through repeated battles.
• Xue Qinghe persuaded Hong Zhen to let the soldiers watch, then addressed them and announced a thousand-Gold-Soul-Coin prize for every Soul Master who defeated Tang Shan.
• The soldiers filled the Training Ground, and Xue Qinghe bowed to them on behalf of the empire, winning their attention with her speech and generous offer.
• Tang Shan entered the fighting area and asked who would go first, and Captain Wang stepped forward.
• Tang Shan listened to the soldiers describe Captain Wang's Long Spear Martial Soul and Hundred-Year Soul Ring while assessing his opponent.

Tang Shan defeated a series of Fortress City soldiers while advising them on their fighting, impressing Xue Qinghe and Hong Zhen. He then faced the powerful Zhang San, and their first exchange ended with both attacks colliding as Zhang San followed up with a kick.

• Tang Shan defeated Wang Shuang, explained the flaws in his two-spear technique, and gave him advice on mastering one spear first.
• Tang Shan quickly beat the soldiers who challenged him, while Xue Qinghe praised his fighting and told Hong Zhen that Tang Shan had a Body Martial Soul.
• Hong Zhen wondered whether Tang Shan's Body Martial Soul was like his own.
• Zhang San introduced himself as the strongest One-Ring Soul Master in the army and said a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster would challenge Tang Shan if he won.
• Tang Shan and Zhang San activated their strength-enhancing abilities and exchanged a powerful punch, after which Zhang San swung in close and aimed a kick at Tang Shan's chest.

Tang Shan defeated Zhang San in a brutal contest of strength without using a Soul Skill, then challenged the Rampart Army to send another fighter. Gang Lie answered, and Tang Shan began testing the tracking effect of his charge as the fight started.

• Tang Shan evaded Zhang San's kick, battered him with a series of attacks, and knocked him unconscious after overpowering his Frenzy-enhanced strength.
• The soldiers realized Tang Shan had won without using a Soul Skill, while Hong Zhen worried that the army might lose and arranged for more challengers.
• Tang Shan taunted the silent soldiers until Gang Lie stepped forward and insulted him, prompting Tang Shan to decide to make an example of him.
• Gang Lie activated his Bristled Wild Boar Martial Soul and used his first Soul Skill, Collision, to charge at Tang Shan.
• Tang Shan dodged, noticed Gang Lie's charge tracked his movements, and began darting around the arena to test how far the tracking could reach.

Tang Shan ended his fight with Gang Lie by revealing his Thousand-Year First Soul Ring and using his Soul Skill to inflict severe injuries. Xue Qinghe defended Tang Shan against Hong Zhen’s complaint, while Hong Zhen began to suspect the prince had powerful protection.

• Gang Lie announced his Earth Spike Technique and tried to pin Tang Shan down while charging under the protection of his first Soul Skill.
• Tang Shan revealed his single Purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, stunning Hong Zhen and the watching soldiers.
• Tang Shan activated Self-Control, threw Gang Lie into the air, and battered him until he suffered multiple fractures and could no longer move.
• Hong Zhen called for a healer, then accused Tang Shan of being too ruthless and unconsciously directed his Soul Saint pressure at Xue Qinghe.
• An unseen expert’s warning snort weakened Hong Zhen, who withdrew his pressure and apologized to Xue Qinghe.
• Xue Qinghe argued that Gang Lie’s insults and temperament had provoked Tang Shan, asking Hong Zhen how Gang Lie would have treated Tang Shan if he had won.

Tang Shan won the army’s arena challenge, earning the soldiers’ respect while advancing his Soul Power and Martial Arts. Xue Qinghe settled the fallout with Hong Zhen, and Su Yuntao attracted the attention of a mysterious observer who wanted to teach him the Killing Dao.

• Xue Qinghe explained to Hong Zhen that Tang Shan had been justified in fighting back, and Hong Zhen realized the wager had been a test of the camp’s behavior.
• Tang Shan won fight after fight, opened the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, and sensed a possible path beyond Transformed Force toward Embracing the Elixir.
• Tang Shan completed the challenge, and Xue Qinghe helped him into a chair when exhaustion overcame him.
• Xue Qinghe promised to arrange treatment for Gang Lie and report the soldiers’ conduct while sparing the Rampart Army from harsher punishment.
• Su Yuntao defeated another opponent at the Great Soul Arena, and a scar-faced man watched him before disappearing, intending to make him his disciple.

Chen Zhan abducted Su Yuntao and sought to make him his disciple, but Xue Qinghe confronted him after Snake Lance Douluo detected a resemblance between Chen Zhan’s aura and Sword Douluo Chen Xin’s. Xue Qinghe rejected Chen Zhan’s request, leaving the scar-faced Soul Emperor under scrutiny.

• Chen Zhan used his blade to trap Su Yuntao in a blood-soaked battlefield illusion and carried him away unconscious.
• Tang Shan woke at Xue Qinghe’s lodging, shared breakfast with him, and discussed their plan and the path to imperial power.
• Snake Lance Douluo warned Xue Qinghe that Chen Zhan’s aura resembled Sword Douluo Chen Xin’s and that Su Yuntao was with him.
• Chen Zhan asked Xue Qinghe’s permission to take Su Yuntao as his disciple, then quickly withdrew his threat when Snake Lance Douluo’s lance intent restrained him.
• Xue Qinghe questioned Chen Zhan about his past in the Rampart Army and his connection to Chen Xin, then refused his request because Su Yuntao already had a master.

Chen Zhan explained his family’s connection to Chen Xin and revealed the Slaughter Sword Technique he hoped to teach Su Yuntao. After Xue Qinghe confirmed Chen Zhan held no grudge against Spirit Hall, Tang Shan agreed that Su Yuntao could consider the inheritance, and Chen Zhan recounted why the Rampart Army had expelled him.

• Chen Zhan admitted that Chen Xin was his martial uncle and began explaining their shared family history to Tang Shan and Xue Qinghe.
• Chen Zhan described how his great-grandfather developed the Slaughter Sword Technique and Seven Kill Sword Technique, which led their descendants down different paths.
• Chen Zhan explained that his father discovered the Slaughter Sword Technique depended on combat instincts and battlefield experience, making Su Yuntao an ideal successor.
• Xue Qinghe questioned whether Chen Zhan resented Spirit Hall, and Chen Zhan said his doubts had disappeared after Chen Xin’s father proved both techniques could reach level 98.
• Tang Shan agreed not to prevent Su Yuntao from accepting Chen Zhan’s legacy if he chose to do so.
• Chen Zhan revealed that the Rampart Army expelled him after he entered a state of enlightenment and slaughtered a Star Luo Empire unit of five hundred soldiers.

Chen Zhan pledged loyalty to Xue Qinghe and received an introduction to the nature of intent from Snake Lance Douluo. Tang Shan learned how will could shape attacks and experienced Spear Intent firsthand, then Xue Qinghe encouraged him to treat him as a friend.

• Chen Zhan asked Xue Qinghe for guidance on Blade Intent and pledged loyalty in exchange for Snake Lance Douluo's instruction.
• Snake Lance Douluo explained that intent came from a clear, unwavering purpose and drove technique rather than resulting from perfected technique.
• Tang Shan asked how intent awakened and learned that will differed from Mental Power and could be strengthened by acting on a firm goal.
• Snake Lance Douluo demonstrated his Spear Intent, pinning Tang Shan in place with its force before releasing him.
• Snake Lance Douluo offered to answer Tang Shan's future cultivation questions after praising his talent and contribution to Xue Qinghe.
• Xue Qinghe told Tang Shan to treat him as a friend, and Tang Shan agreed to focus on growing stronger.

Xue Qinghe invited Tang Shan to explore Ironwall City, while Su Yuntao considered whether Chen Zhan’s cultivation method suited him. The chapter left Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan sharing a lively night out, with Snake Lance Douluo noticing that Tang Shan had brought warmth back into Xue Qinghe’s life.

• Tang Shan agreed to explore Ironwall City with Xue Qinghe after Su Yuntao woke and heard how Chen Zhan had tried to take him as a disciple.
• Su Yuntao decided to learn more about Chen Zhan before choosing whether to become his disciple, and Xue Qinghe asked Tang Shan about his body-training method.
• Su Haichao let Su Yuntao decide for himself and gave him a token to present at Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City.
• Su Haichao declined to travel with Xue Qinghe’s convoy, explaining that he had personal business and old friends in Ironwall City.
• Xue Qinghe, Tang Shan, and Snake Lance Douluo rode through Ironwall City at night, and Tang Shan paid for meat patties when Xue Qinghe had no small coins.
• Snake Lance Douluo reflected that Tang Shan had made Xue Qinghe more lively and helped him show genuine warmth.