Chapter Summaries

• Dai Chengqian secures the emperor’s support for Dugu Bo: Dai explains how he persuaded Dugu Bo to come to Star Luo, while concealing how he learned about poison. He asks the emperor to provide medicinal experts and a Titled Douluo to help draw the poison from Dugu Bo’s body. The emperor agrees, recognizing Dugu Bo’s value in a large-scale war. He also tells Dai that the succession contest is underway: the crown prince will be chosen based on which prince ranks highest in the continental elite soul master tournament.
• Dai grows closer to Zhu Zhuqing: Back at his residence, Dai playfully covers Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes and teases her. She is initially startled, then relaxes when she recognizes him. Though normally composed, she blushes and becomes flustered by his closeness. Dai interprets her affection level as permission for modest intimacy, while acknowledging he must not overstep.
• A new system reward advances Dai’s plans: After Zhu Zhuqing’s affection reaches sixty points, Dai uses the system’s roulette and wins a Basic Soul Tool Workshop, which can produce soul tools up to Level 3. He tests a soul-power milk bottle that stores energy for a few skill uses, as well as a crude flying device that lifts him less than a meter for under fifteen minutes. Though limited, the tools are inexpensive and suggest the possibility of equipping an army in the future.
• Dai plans equipment for his team: Since he lacks both an army and the funds for mass production, he focuses on outfitting his team. He selects the Mixed-Light Ray, a forearm-mounted ranged weapon with power comparable to a Soul Grandmaster’s ranged skill, especially useful for Zhu Zhuqing. He also chooses storage, speed-enhancing, and defensive tools, ordering servants to seek out the materials, some of which are rare.
• The team takes shape: Seven days later, Dugu Yan reports that she has persuaded Ye Lingling to join them, and Meng Yiran has arrived as well. With Zhu Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuyun, Asuya, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Meng Yiran assembled, Dai calls the group together and asks them to choose a team name.
  Character developments and themes: Dai continues to combine charm, political calculation, and technological ambition: he secures imperial backing, cultivates Zhu Zhuqing’s affection, and considers how soul tools could strengthen his future forces. The chapter emphasizes strategic alliances, innovation as a source of power, and the growing formation of a close-knit team.

Key events

• The team settles on the name Black Rose Team, chosen by Dai Chengqian despite the girls’ objections, and registers at Star Luo Royal Academy.
• Dai arranges leave from academy classes because he believes ordinary instruction will not prepare them to win the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament. He plans for Qingyue Douluo and Dugu Bo to help train them.
• After a day’s rest, the team travels toward the Star Dou Great Forest for intensive training. Dai explains the first exercise: members will work in changing groups to complete Soul Hunting commissions, facing increasingly demanding targets and learning to cooperate with one another.
• At the forest’s edge, Dai divides them into three groups: Zhu Zhuyun with Meng Yiran; Asuya, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan; and Dai himself with Ye Lingling.
• Dai and Ye Lingling reach a town and post unusually low prices for hunting Soul Beasts. A group of students from Lufeng Academy mocks them, but a pink-haired girl then approaches and asks to hire them despite having only five Gold Soul Coins.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai takes charge as team leader: he chooses the name, organizes the training, and stresses that the newly formed team lacks familiarity and coordination. He sees difficulty as necessary preparation.
• Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuyun recognize the risks of the commissions, especially for small groups and less powerful members, and urge everyone to be careful.
• Ye Lingling is introduced as a quiet, socially withdrawn support Soul Master. Dai tries to draw her into conversation; she answers briefly but agrees to his instructions, and the two begin to grow more familiar.
• The Lufeng students dismiss Dai and Ye Lingling as inexperienced and accuse them of being foolish or dishonest. The pink-haired girl’s request contrasts with their ridicule and creates the chapter’s closing hook.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and trust: The training is designed to make the new teammates learn one another’s strengths through shared challenges.
• Growth through hardship: Dai insists that demanding work is essential if the team hopes to improve quickly and compete for victory.
• Judgment and appearances: The academy students judge Dai and Ye Lingling by their youth and low prices, while the new client is willing to give them a chance.

Key plot points and events

• At the town entrance, a Lufeng Academy student warns Bai Shuangshuang that Dai Chengqian’s low price and small team are suspicious. Dai offers to do the hunt for just five Gold Soul Coins, promising a full refund if they fail. With little money to spare, Bai accepts.
• On the way to the Star Dou Great Forest, Bai explains that her Sharp-Tailed Swift martial soul requires a compatible speed-type soul beast. Dai realizes she belongs to the Speed Clan, one of the former Clear Sky Sect’s four single-attribute clans.
• Ye Lingling and Bai stay back while Dai scouts and fights. After dispatching an unsuitable eight-hundred-year Crimson Flame Rat, Dai finds a Silver-Winged Flying Leopard of just over thirteen hundred years—an appropriate match for Bai.
• Dai defeats the leopard in seconds using his lightning speed and soul skills. Bai kills it and absorbs its purple soul ring.
• The group returns to town, where the Lufeng students recognize them. The fat student approaches Bai, implying Dai cheated her and offering to help recover her money.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Chengqian wins Bai’s trust with a generous, low-risk offer, then demonstrates that his confidence is justified. He also sees the struggling Speed Clan as a potential future ally, though he keeps that ambition to himself.
• Bai Shuangshuang is wary but financially constrained, so she takes a calculated chance on Dai. His skill leaves her stunned and suggests her gamble paid off.
• Ye Lingling shows practical judgment by keeping herself and Bai out of Dai’s fight while remaining positioned to heal him. She complains that his overwhelming strength leaves her no chance to train.
• The Lufeng students mock Dai as a swindler, while one student’s condescending offer of help sets up a confrontation at the chapter’s end.

Significant themes

• Trust and appearances: Dai is judged as a fraud because of his low price and small team, but his performance contradicts those assumptions.
• Decline and resilience: Bai’s account of the Speed Clan’s poverty contrasts with its former prestige, while Dai offers encouragement and quietly considers its potential.
• Strength and teamwork: Dai’s combat ability secures the soul ring, while Ye and Bai contribute by staying clear, supporting the plan, and completing the final kill.

Plot points and events

• Bai Shuangshuang proves that Dai Chengqian and Ye Lingling are capable Soul Hunt guides by revealing the Soul Rings she gained. Dai shows the skeptical Lufeng Academy group his imperial badge, revealing he is the Star Luo Empire’s Sixth Prince.
• Rather than punish the fat man for calling him a scammer, Dai advises him not to underestimate strangers and asks him to pass the lesson on to his classmates.
• In town, Dai and Bai trade historical anecdotes and gossip. Before she leaves, he asks her to tell the Speed Clan chief that he may have a way to solve the clan’s lack of combat power and earn them a living.
• Dai and Ye quickly complete their remaining Soul Hunt assignments. Over the next month, the training teams rotate until every member has worked with every other member.
• The first phase of training ends. Dai announces that the next phase will pit the group against Titled Douluo; Qingyue Douluo and Poison Douluo appear as their new opponents.

Character developments and interactions

• The Lufeng students’ initial suspicion turns to respect and caution after learning Dai’s identity and hearing his advice. The Fox-Charming Woman concludes that the Sixth Prince is “no ordinary man.”
• Bai and Dai grow more familiar through their conversations. She agrees to deliver his offer to her clan chief, though the proposed solution is not yet revealed.
• Ye Lingling gradually becomes more open and affectionate toward Dai. His Red Luan system identifies her, recording an affection score of 10.
• Dai’s month of training also deepens his connections with the other women in the group: Meng Yiran becomes a Red Luan, several companions’ affection increases, and his connection with Zhu Zhuyun reaches level 18. The team as a whole develops strong rapport.

Significant themes

• Do not judge by appearances: Dai turns the fat man’s insult into a lesson about hidden ability and humility.
• Trust and cooperation: Rotating partners builds familiarity and teamwork through shared challenges.
• Power and responsibility: Dai uses his status not to threaten others, but to offer help to a struggling clan.
• Escalating challenges: The shift from hunting Soul Beasts to facing Titled Douluo marks a major rise in the training’s intensity.

Plot and key events

• Dai Chengqian begins the second phase of training: his seven-person team must survive for one incense stick against either Titled Douluo Bai Qingyue or Dugu Bo, who restrain their strength but do not go easy on them.
• The team is battered daily. After three months, they are also sent each night to the brutal Star Luo Underground Death Soul Fighting Arena, where they face outlaw opponents in fights with few rules. The aim is to build real combat experience and make them confront death at close range.
• At last, the team survives the full incense-stick period against Bai Qingyue, though everyone except Dai Chengqian is knocked down. The team celebrates its first victory.
• With the tournament preliminaries approaching, Dugu Bo urges the members who have reached level 40 to obtain their fourth soul rings. Dai Chengqian then presents each teammate with a set of soul tools.
• He demonstrates a necklace-shaped Soul Power Milk Bottle, which rapidly replenishes soul power. He then introduces a black-box offensive tool, the Soul Light Ray, prompting Ye Lingling’s excited question about its attack function.

Character development and interactions

• Dai Chengqian endures the worst of the training as the team’s central target, but gains the combat experience he previously lacked. His soul power reaches level 40.
• The team’s training pays off: Zhu Zhuqing, Asuya, and Meng Yiran also reach level 40; Zhu Zhuyun reaches level 45, Ye Lingling level 43, and Dugu Yan level 42. Several teammates had already advanced and received soul rings.
• Bai Qingyue and Dugu Bo become the team’s relentless sparring partners. Bai jokes that she will train them thoroughly, while Dugu Bo refuses to spare his granddaughter Dugu Yan, insisting tournament opponents will not go easy on her.
• The teammates’ shared ordeal strengthens their camaraderie. Their joy at finally lasting the full period contrasts with their earlier exhaustion and despair.
• Dai Chengqian’s soul tools address a practical team weakness: Ye Lingling can heal but cannot restore the group’s soul power. The Milk Bottles provide that support, while the newly revealed Soul Light Ray may give the team an offensive option.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: repeated defeat, dangerous arena fights, and perseverance improve the team’s skill and resilience.
• Teamwork and preparation: survival depends on collective practice, and Dai Chengqian’s equipment gives the group tools to cover weaknesses.
• Progress toward competition: the training results and urgency around fourth soul rings set up the approaching tournament.

Key plot points and events

• Dai Chengqian demonstrates his newly made Soul Light Ray by firing it at Dugu Bo’s poison mist. Dugu judges its power comparable to an ordinary Soul Master around level thirty.
• Ye Lingling is delighted that the weapon gives even a support Soul Master a way to attack. Dai has also made each girl a set of four Soul Tools: a Soul Light Ray, Soul Power Milk Bottle, speed-boosting Thrusters, and a storage Bracelet.
• Dai gives Dugu Bo and Bai Qingyue sets as thanks for their training and protection. Dugu assumes the tools came from the Star Luo Empire; Bai knows Dai must have invented them himself.
• As the tournament qualifiers approach, the group returns to the Star Dou Great Forest to find Soul Rings. Within twenty days, Zhu Zhuqing, Asuya, and Meng Yiran each obtain a fourth ring of roughly 4,000–4,500 years.
• Dai, whose third ring is already ten-thousand-year, insists he can handle a fourth ring of around 30,000 years. Dugu Bo warns that even 20,000 years would be exceptionally dangerous; Bai Qingyue recognizes Dai is serious.
• Bai proposes that Dugu escort the other girls back while she accompanies Dai into the forest’s depths. The girls refuse to leave him, showing their loyalty and trust in one another.
• Before Dai can respond, a massive roar and violent Soul Power shock waves erupt from the forest. Bai identifies them as the aftermath of a fight involving a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and orders an immediate evacuation.

Character development and interactions

• Dai Chengqian displays both inventive skill and ambition: he equips his companions with weapons and still pushes toward an unusually powerful Soul Ring despite the risks.
• Ye Lingling gains confidence and excitement at being able to contribute offensively.
• Bai Qingyue becomes more impressed by Dai’s ingenuity, but her duty to protect him makes her cautious about his dangerous plan.
• Dugu Bo is amused by Dai’s creations, then shifts to serious concern over his proposed Soul Ring.
• The girls show deepening camaraderie: Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others choose to remain together and support Dai rather than retreat separately.

Significant themes

• Innovation and self-reliance: Dai’s Soul Tools expand what even support-focused fighters can do.
• Ambition versus survival: Dai’s desire to exceed normal limits conflicts with the danger of entering the forest’s depths.
• Loyalty and teamwork: The girls’ refusal to abandon one another underscores their hard-won trust.
• Escalating danger: The appearance of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast threat abruptly turns the group’s plan into a crisis.

Key plot points and events

• During a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, Dugu Bo senses two immensely powerful beings fighting—one is likely the Titan Giant Ape. Bai Qingyue later reports that Spirit Hall forces have entered the forest and clashed with the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. The group decides it is too dangerous to continue hunting and returns to the Star Luo Empire.
• Dai Chengqian uses five saved roulette rewards, earned through his growing bonds with several companions and Zhu Zhuyun:
  • A Bloodthirsty Berserk Right Leg Bone, whose powerful strike drains the user’s blood energy; he decides it does not suit him.
  • A pair of Voice-Transmitting Conches, which let their bound users communicate over any distance.
  • An Outrage Break Right Leg Bone, with a strong close-range attack that does not require overdrawing blood energy.
  • The Flowing Cloud Bone Wings, an External Soul Bone that he absorbs immediately. Its flight is slow at first but gives him a major mobility advantage and can develop further.
  • A God-Given Soul Ring, his final and most valuable draw.
• After restoring his strength, Dai Chengqian begins absorbing the God-Given Soul Ring. A mysterious golden figure appears in a vision and seems to address him as “the future…” before the Soul Ring’s power overwhelms him and the absorption process begins in earnest.

Character developments

• Dai Chengqian gains a growing collection of powerful resources, especially the potentially evolvable bone wings and the exceptionally rare God-Given Soul Ring. His excitement at the final reward gives way to pain and danger as he begins absorbing it.
• His relationships with Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and Asuya have strengthened enough for him to bind them as Red Luans; his connection with Zhu Zhuyun has also advanced.
• Dugu Bo acts protectively and decisively, evacuating the group from the forest when he senses the battle.
• Bai Qingyue provides reconnaissance and urges caution after discovering Spirit Hall’s presence.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: Dai Chengqian’s rewards offer immense abilities, but some come with costs or dangers, as shown by the blood-draining Soul Bone and the painful Soul Ring absorption.
• Growth and potential: The External Soul Bone can evolve alongside its owner, while the God-Given Soul Ring’s strength depends on Dai Chengqian’s limits and willpower.
• Caution amid ambition: The group abandons its hunt when the forest becomes perilous, even as Dai Chengqian pursues power through the roulette.

Character interactions

• Dugu Bo safely carries Dai Chengqian and the others out of the forest; Dai asks him what happened, and Dugu Bo explains what he sensed.
• Bai Qingyue briefs Dai on Spirit Hall’s presence and the Titan Giant Ape confrontation, convincing the group to postpone Soul hunting.
• Dai’s strengthened connections with his companions are reflected in the rewards he earns, while the chapter ends with him alone facing the ordeal of absorbing the God-Given Soul Ring.

Key plot points and events

• Dai Chengqian spends three days absorbing a God-Given Soul Ring, pushing its age to 50,000 years before finally accepting it.
• The ring gives him Thunder God’s Arrow, a long-range, single-target lightning attack that can strike within ten thousand meters and consumes half his soul power. He also gains three levels, reaching level 43.
• With ten days remaining before the Star Luo regional qualifiers, Dai plans to accelerate his training by sharing immortal herbs with his six Red Luans, whose growth can feed back to him.
• He gathers the women at the Imperial Prince’s Residence and distributes herbs suited to each: Asuya receives the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum; Ye Lingling, the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid; Zhu Zhuqing, Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone; Meng Yiran, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew; Dugu Yan, Nine-Grade Ganoderma; and Zhu Zhuyun, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.
• After several hours of absorption, the women report powerful benefits. Asuya’s soul power rises a level, and she feels her muscles have become stronger.

Character developments

• Dai demonstrates exceptional determination and gains a major combat ability, though his rising level makes ordinary cultivation increasingly slow.
• Asuya becomes physically stronger and gains a soul-power level from her herb.
• The other women begin benefiting from their carefully selected herbs, while Zhu Zhuyun receives the especially demanding Lovesick Heartbreak Red because her affection for Dai is at its maximum.
• Ye Lingling’s attraction to Dai remains discreet: she is flustered by his teasing and wary of Zhu Zhuyun noticing.

Character interactions

• Dugu Yan jokes that Dai has not held the team back; he playfully kicks her, and she theatrically complains to Zhu Zhuyun. Their teasing sets a light, flirtatious tone.
• Zhu Zhuyun privately recalls her more intimate experiences with Dai.
• Dai secretly brushes Ye Lingling’s hand while giving her the herb, prompting her to check whether Zhu Zhuyun noticed.
• After absorbing her herb, Asuya invites Dai to feel her strengthened muscles; Dugu Yan eagerly joins in, and Asuya jokingly warns her to keep her hands in check.

Significant themes

• Willpower and ambition: Dai pushes beyond his limits to obtain an unusually powerful soul ring.
• Preparation and shared growth: His investment in the team’s development is also part of a strategy to strengthen himself before the tournament.
• Intimacy and jealousy: Playful public teasing contrasts with the women’s private awareness of Dai’s relationships and their complicated feelings around Zhu Zhuyun.

Plot and key events

• After the immortal herbs’ effects became clear, the group reported their gains: Zhu Zhuyun reached level 48; Zhu Zhuqing, Asuya, and Ye Lingling reached 42, 42, and 46; Meng Yiran and Dugu Yan reached 41 and 44. Red Luan’s growth raised Dai Chengqian three levels, bringing him to 45—a notable gain because his powerful martial soul makes advancement unusually difficult.
• The Star Dou Great Forest uprising had subsided, but Dai Chengqian revealed he had already absorbed a fifty-thousand-year soul ring. Bai Qingyue and Dugu Bo were astonished, then respected his privacy and did not press him about how he obtained it.
• With the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament three days away, the Star Luo Emperor summoned the princes whose teams would compete in the Star Luo preliminaries. He reaffirmed that the winner would become crown prince and urged them not to hold back.
• The emperor asked why the tournament was held. Dai Weisi called it a contest for prestige among the three great powers. Dai Chengqian argued that its deeper purpose was to identify and recruit talented soul masters from across the continent; the emperor agreed.
• The emperor praised Dai Chengqian’s recent progress and announced that the Star Luo region’s direct berth in the grand finals would be awarded not through a fight, but through the princes’ answers to a question of governance and warfare.
• He posed a dilemma: northeastern barbarians repeatedly raid the frontier, but a distant campaign would drain the treasury and risk domestic trouble, while defensive restraint would allow continued losses and humiliation. The chapter ends before the princes answer.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Chengqian’s power and political standing both rise: his soul power increases, his exceptional soul ring draws attention, and he demonstrates strategic understanding before the emperor.
• Dai Weisi remains ambitious and resentful. He supports the imperial succession system while confident of winning, gives an incomplete answer about the tournament, and privately fumes when Dai Chengqian earns the emperor’s approval.
• Bai Qingyue and Dugu Bo react with shock to Dai Chengqian’s soul ring but show discretion by not demanding the secret behind it.
• The Star Luo Emperor presents himself as both a father and ruler: he encourages rivalry among his sons while testing their judgment beyond combat.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: The princes’ competition for the crown is framed as a ruthless test of strength and capability.
• Merit beyond force: The emperor insists that governing an empire requires more than fighting, and rewards political insight as well as martial ability.
• Talent and statecraft: The tournament is portrayed as a means for powerful factions to discover and recruit gifted individuals.
• The costs of war and peace: The closing dilemma weighs national resources and internal stability against border security, material losses, and imperial dignity.

Key plot points and events

• The Star Luo Emperor asks his princes to decide how the empire should respond to hostile northeastern barbarian tribes. Their answers will determine which team earns a direct berth in the tournament finals.
• The Second and Fifth Princes argue for peace and recovery, while Dai Weisi and the Fourth Prince favor a decisive war.
• Dai Chengqian proposes a middle course: strengthen border defenses and resist raids without launching a distant campaign; encourage trade with peaceful tribes to divide the enemy; then build national strength and wait for a favorable opportunity.
• The Emperor praises Dai Chengqian’s practical strategy and awards his team the direct finals berth, criticizing the war-minded princes for recklessness and the peace-minded ones for excessive weakness.
• Afterward, Dai Weisi warns that an early place in the finals does not guarantee victory. Dai Chengqian needles him and says he plans to visit Heaven Dou with Zhu Zhuyun to learn about their opponents.
• Back at his residence, Dai Chengqian tells the women they can skip the preliminaries and have more time to cultivate. He visits Zhu Zhuyun, but their flirtation turns into an intimate encounter. Afterwards, she suggests he find someone else to share her burden, prompting him to visit Zhu Zhuqing.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Chengqian distinguishes himself as a thoughtful strategist, balancing military caution with diplomacy and preparation. His success also deepens his rivalry with Dai Weisi, whom he deliberately provokes.
• Dai Weisi is outwardly composed but privately resentful and determined to defeat Dai Chengqian in the finals.
• The Star Luo Emperor shows that he values judgment, patience, and concrete planning over either aggression or passivity.
• Zhu Zhuyun is pleased by the team’s direct advancement and hopes to use the extra time for cultivation, though she also shares playful intimacy with Dai Chengqian and teases him afterward.
• Dai Chengqian and Zhu Zhuyun interact affectionately and flirtatiously; the chapter ends with him going to see Zhu Zhuqing.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over extremes: Dai Chengqian’s layered strategy is presented as wiser than either immediate war or simple appeasement.
• Political rivalry and merit: The princes compete for imperial favor, and Dai Chengqian’s unexpected success unsettles Dai Weisi.
• Preparation and opportunity: The chapter emphasizes building strength, gathering information, and waiting until circumstances favor action.

Plot points and events

• Dai Chengqian gives Zhu Zhuqing a powerful Soul Bone. She initially refuses because it is so valuable, but accepts after he insists and absorbs it successfully.
• Zhu Zhuqing’s affection for Dai Chengqian reaches 70, triggering a system reward opportunity. Dai Chengqian hopes to deepen their connection further when her affection reaches 80.
• The next day, Dai Chengqian and his companions travel from Star Luo City to Heaven Dou City. Dugu Bo carries the group while Bai Qingyue protects them from the shadows.
• In Heaven Dou, they mingle with the crowds and buy expensive tickets to the tournament’s opening ceremony. Dai Chengqian says they are there to study opponents, though he also hopes to meet talented female Soul Masters.
• At the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, Dai Chengqian spots Shrek Academy and its unusual green uniforms. Zhu Zhuqing sees Dai Mubai, her former fiancé, and reacts with disgust.
• Dai Chengqian comforts Zhu Zhuqing by taking her hand. Before the ceremony begins, a royal messenger invites him to meet the Heaven Dou Emperor.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Zhuqing becomes more emotionally attached to Dai Chengqian, moved by both his gift and his reassurance when she sees Dai Mubai.
• Dai Chengqian acts generously toward Zhu Zhuqing and attentively supports her, while continuing to pursue his system-related goals.
• Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan joke with Dai Chengqian during the journey, teasing him about using Dugu Bo as transportation and about his popularity.
• Asuya cheerfully persuades Dai Chengqian to buy candied hawthorns, then misunderstands the trip as a sightseeing excursion.
• Zhu Zhuqing’s reaction to Dai Mubai highlights the contrast between his past abandonment and Dai Chengqian’s present care.

Significant themes

• Trust and loyalty: Dai Chengqian’s attention contrasts sharply with Dai Mubai’s earlier abandonment of Zhu Zhuqing.
• Affection and power: The Soul Bone is both a valuable gift and a sign of growing intimacy, with Zhu Zhuqing’s affection tracked by the system.
• Public spectacle and ambition: The tournament brings together competitors and crowds, offering Dai Chengqian both strategic information and opportunities to pursue his personal aims.

Plot points and events

• Dai Chengqian and Dugu Bo accept the Heaven Dou Emperor’s invitation to the tournament’s VIP stand. The Emperor teases Dai Chengqian about recruiting two members of the Imperial Fighting Team; Dai answers smoothly, and the two exchange flattering banter.
• Dugu Bo identifies prominent guests, including Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect leader Ning Fengzhi and a Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop. Below, the Shrek students notice Dai Chengqian. Dai Mubai recognizes him as his sixth brother and considers him a serious rival; Tang San promises Shrek’s support.
• The tournament opens. Shrek draws Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s second team, and Tang San’s ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring astonishes the crowd. His Blue Silver Cage quickly secures Shrek an easy victory. The Emperor leaves angrily, apparently displeased with Prince Xue Xing.
• Dai Chengqian returns to his group, then spots Shrek leaving the arena. Knowing Ning Fengzhi may take Tang San to meet the disguised Xue Qinghe, he decides instead to approach Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong. Outside, Ning Fengzhi introduces him to Shrek, and Dai Mubai greets him with a strained smile.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Chengqian presents himself as confident and tactful before the Emperor, while quietly assessing the tournament and its prominent figures. He intends to use Tang San’s absence to get closer to Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
• Dugu Bo acts as Dai Chengqian’s guide to the political and religious figures at the event, and jokes about the attention Dai’s powerful Soul Rings might attract.
• Dai Mubai’s reaction reveals both resentment and apprehension: he sees Dai Chengqian as a rival comparable to their eldest brother, Dai Weisi. Tang San responds by pledging Shrek’s loyalty to him.
• Xiao Wu is immediately curious about Dai Chengqian’s appearance; Ning Rongrong initially does not recognize him, then recalls the scandal involving his recruitment of Imperial Fighting Team members.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and ambition: Dai Chengqian’s rise unsettles Dai Mubai and draws attention from the Shrek students.
• Power and spectacle: Tang San’s rare Soul Ring impresses the crowd, while Dugu Bo notes Dai Chengqian’s own unusual strength.
• Politics and appearances: The Emperor’s lighthearted exchange masks the importance of status and allegiance, and Qian Renxue’s disguise signals intrigue behind the tournament’s public festivities.

Dai Chengqian gave Soul Power Milk Bottles to the women at Shrek Academy and Ning Fengzhi, impressing Ning Fengzhi with his Soul Tool research. After Ning Fengzhi took Tang San aside for a private discussion, Dai Chengqian caught up with Ning Rongrong and invited her to lunch.

• Dai Chengqian calmly endured Dai Mubai's grip and introduced himself to Tang San.
• Dai Chengqian gave Soul Power Milk Bottle necklaces to Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Jiang Zhu, while Tang San and Oscar reacted with hostility.
• Dai Chengqian gave Ning Fengzhi a Soul Power Milk Bottle and said he was developing offensive Soul Tools, which excited Ning Fengzhi and drew Tang San's skepticism.
• Ning Fengzhi asked Tang San to speak privately, and Dai Chengqian left with the Shrek group.
• Dai Chengqian walked beside Ning Rongrong and asked if she would have lunch with him.

Dai Chengqian invited Ning Rongrong to discuss soul tools, told her about a rumored herb that could evolve her martial soul, and gave her a Voice-Transmitting Conch. After Ning Rongrong gave him a Seven-Colored Glaze pendant in return, his Red Luan Panel identified her as a candidate with 10 affection points, though she could not yet be bonded.

• Dai Chengqian invited Ning Rongrong to talk about soul tools, while Oscar objected and Xiao Wu teased him.
• Ning Rongrong left with Dai Chengqian, and they chatted privately as Oscar watched angrily.
• Dai Chengqian told Ning Rongrong about the rumored Aromatic Silk Beauty, which could evolve her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul into a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
• Dai Chengqian gave Ning Rongrong a Voice-Transmitting Conch, and they bound the pair so they could talk across any distance.
• Ning Rongrong gave Dai Chengqian a Seven-Colored Glaze pendant, and his Red Luan Panel identified her as a candidate with 10 affection points who was temporarily unbondable.

Dai Chengqian grew closer to Ning Rongrong through their private voice transmissions while raising Meng Yiran’s affection during the tournament week. After hearing that Shi Nian had made a move, Dai Chengqian left the Great Soul Arena with Dugu Bo to intervene before Shi Nian was killed.

• Tang San, Oscar, and Dai Mubai warned Ning Rongrong that Dai Chengqian was courting her to gain the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s support, but she rejected their advice.
• Ning Rongrong learned to use the Voice-Transmitting Conch and chatted privately with Dai Chengqian after Xiao Wu and Jiang Zhu left her room.
• The Shrek Team defeated the Elephant Armor Sect Team, and over the following week Dai Chengqian spent time with his Red Luan and increased Meng Yiran’s affection from 55 to 68.
• Dai Chengqian told Ning Rongrong that his subordinates might have found an Aromatic Silk Beauty and said he would send experts to investigate.
• Dugu Bo told Dai Chengqian that Shi Nian had made a move, so Dai Chengqian left the arena with him to reach Shi Nian before he lost his life.

Dai Chengqian, Bai Qingyue, and Dugu Bo rescued Tang San from Shi Nian, and Dai Chengqian claimed Shi Nian’s seven-colored soul bone. Tang San returned to Shrek Academy, where his friends praised Dai Chengqian for saving him, leaving Tang San to conceal his resentment.

• Shi Nian trapped Tang San in an illusion, while Dai Chengqian, Bai Qingyue, and Dugu Bo watched from above.
• Dai Chengqian ordered Bai Qingyue and Dugu Bo to strike, and they killed Shi Nian, leaving a seven-colored skull soul bone behind.
• Dai Chengqian picked up the soul bone and kept it, while Tang San reluctantly thanked him and hid his anger over losing the bone.
• Dai Chengqian told Ning Rongrong that he had rescued Tang San, and Tang San returned to Shrek Academy.
• Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu praised Dai Chengqian for saving Tang San, while Tang San suppressed his resentment and said he would report the incident to his teacher.

Dai Chengqian gave Ye Lingling a mental-attribute Soul Bone, which granted her a team-wide spiritual network and healing abilities. After Shrek defeated Blazing Fire Academy, Dai Chengqian approached Huo Wu and introduced himself, interrupting Feng Xiaotian.

• Dai Chengqian showed the girls a seven-colored Soul Bone and chose Ye Lingling to receive it, explaining that its mental attributes suited her support role.
• Dugu Yan questioned his choice, then apologized after Dai Chengqian explained the Soul Bone’s properties and why Ye Lingling was the best match.
• Ye Lingling absorbed the Soul Bone and gained Illusion-Healing Space, which linked teammates’ thoughts, tracked their condition, and restored mental strength.
• Several days later, Tang San led Shrek to defeat Huo Wu’s Blazing Fire Academy in the preliminary rounds.
• Feng Xiaotian told Huo Wu he would avenge her, and she said she would date him if he defeated Tang San.
• Dai Chengqian interrupted Feng Xiaotian, dismissed his chances against Tang San, and introduced himself to Huo Wu as the Star Luo Empire main team’s captain.

Dai Chengqian wagered with Feng Xiaotian that Feng would give up pursuing Huo Wu if he lost to Tang San, then gave Huo Wu and the Skywater Team soul power Milk Bottle Soul Tools. He introduced himself to Shui Bing'er and left her questioning his generosity and his skill at making Soul Tools.

• Huo Wu agreed to consider dating Dai Chengqian if he defeated Tang San, while Feng Xiaotian promised to beat Tang San in the advancement tournament and asked her to remember her promise.
• Dai Chengqian wagered that Feng Xiaotian would give up pursuing Huo Wu if he lost to Tang San; Feng accepted and left, confident he would win.
• Dai Chengqian gave Huo Wu a soul power Milk Bottle pendant, and she accepted it after learning it was a Soul Tool that restored soul power.
• Dai Chengqian introduced himself to Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er joked about dating him before Shui Bing'er pulled her back.
• Dai Chengqian gave Milk Bottle Soul Tools to the beautiful members of the Skywater Team and demonstrated how they worked, prompting Shui Bing'er to ask whether he had made them and why he was giving away so many.

Dai Chengqian’s team survived a Spirit Hall ambush on the journey to Spirit City, where Dai Chengqian helped the other academies recover and learned that Dai Weisi had won the Star Luo Empire’s qualifying tournament. After arriving, Dai Chengqian received a luxurious room prepared at the Pontiff’s request, leaving him wondering why Bibi Dong had noticed him.

• Dai Chengqian predicted Tang San would defeat Feng Xiaotian, and Tang San won their promotion-tournament duel by revealing his Clear Sky Hammer and using the Random Cloaking Wind Hammer Technique.
• Dai Chengqian traveled with the Heaven Dou delegation toward Spirit City, visiting Skywater Academy and Blazing Fire Academy along the way.
• Dai Chengqian moved his team to the rear of the convoy, and Spirit Hall assassins ambushed the procession in a valley.
• Dai Chengqian’s team defeated the attackers on their side while Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and Bone Douluo drove off Yue Guan and Gui Mei before the assassins could kill Tang San.
• Dai Chengqian and Ye Lingling healed injured students from the academies, and the delegation continued to Spirit City without another attack.
• Dai Chengqian learned that Dai Weisi’s team had qualified first for the finals, then received a lavish room prepared by the Pontiff and wondered whether Bibi Dong had taken an interest in him.

Dai Chengqian explained the grand finals format to his teammates, then stayed behind with Meng Yiran, whose affection increased after they became intimate. He used three roulette rewards, gaining expanded storage, greater charm, and a mysterious Purple Heaven Thunder Crystal.

• Dai Chengqian told the girls that his team had a first-round bye and explained the five rounds of the grand finals.
• After the others left, Meng Yiran returned to Dai Chengqian's room and joined him in the bath.
• Dai Chengqian and Meng Yiran unlocked their Lv1 connection, raising her affection from 68 to 75 and earning him a roulette reward chance.
• Dai Chengqian used a roulette spin to increase his Storage Space tenfold, bringing it to about 100 square meters.
• Dai Chengqian's next spin raised his charm to 20, upgrading it to Heart-Tug, and his final spin yielded a Purple Heaven Thunder Crystal.