Arc 7A New Soul Core and Gengxin

Huo Yuhao navigated Heaven Dou City's political interest in him, strengthened his bonds and powers at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and helped Zhu Zhuqing confront her past. The two reached Gengxin City to seek out its Blacksmith Association, where Huo Yuhao faced a troublesome stranger.

  • Huo Yuhao met Xue Ke and later encountered Xue Qinghe, whose hidden identity as Qian Renxue he discovered before they agreed to keep each other's secrets.
  • Huo Yuhao traded Soul Tools to Dugu Bo for Black Cards, while rumors about his connection to Xue Qinghe stirred Heaven Dou City's factions and marriage maneuvering.
  • Huo Yuhao reached rank fifty, contracted with Li Ya and Xiao Xue Lotus, and gained new Soul Rings and abilities.
  • Huo Yuhao studied his powers with Elder Yi and condensed his first ice-attribute Soul Core, raising his Soul Power to rank fifty-eight.
  • Huo Yuhao confronted his regrets and then contracted with Octagonal and Sea Princess, reaching level sixty-two.
  • Zhu Zhuqing emerged from Deep Meditation as a Soul Ancestor, and Huo Yuhao offered her disguised Soul Rings and invited her to travel with him.
  • Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing crossed the border and entered Gengxin City, where Huo Yuhao found its smithies disappointing and headed for the Blacksmith Association.
  • A troublemaker demanded a refund at the Blacksmith Association and called Huo Yuhao a little sister, so Huo Yuhao secretly forced him to his knees.
Chapters 153–177 Vol. 2 Read

Ch. 153An encounter in Heaven Dou City · III

Huo Yuhao reflected on the Divine Realm and the exploitation in the world while sharing tea with Xue Ke, then left her carriage and resumed walking through Heaven Dou City. As several powerful factions learned of his return and moved to meet him, he continued to question how he could change the world.

  • Huo Yuhao asked Xue Ke whether she believed in gods, and their conversation led him to compare the Divine Realm's indifference with the suffering in the world below.
  • Xue Ke explained that tea farmers and ordinary people were exploited while nobles and powerful groups traded the finest tea to curry favor, leaving Huo Yuhao troubled by how little killing the culprits would change.
  • Huo Yuhao gave Xue Ke a level-four Soul Tool Shield and warned her to keep it hidden, while Xue Ke gave him a small rose-gold badge in return.
  • Huo Yuhao jumped from Xue Ke's moving carriage and resumed strolling through Heaven Dou City as spies reported his presence to the city's major powers.
  • Salas, Xue Qinghe, and Ning Fengzhi each set out toward Heaven Dou City after learning that Huo Yuhao had appeared there.
  • Huo Yuhao studied the Cosmos Hundred Treasure Pouch Dugu Bo had given him and continued walking, unable to find an answer to why the world had become so unjust.

Ch. 154Weak and Easy to Bully

Huo Yuhao acted frightened when Crown Prince Xue Qinghe stopped him, hoping to make Xue Qinghe doubt his assumptions about the faction protecting him. Xue Qinghe was instead captivated by Huo Yuhao’s appearance, leaving the crown prince and his attendants with unexpected impressions of him.

  • Xue Qinghe stopped Huo Yuhao and invited him into his carriage, while an attendant reprimanded Huo Yuhao for failing to salute the crown prince.
  • Huo Yuhao apologized and remained kneeling, deliberately acting timid to mislead Xue Qinghe about the faction behind him.
  • Xue Qinghe ordered Huo Yuhao to rise and helped him up, intending to apologize.
  • Xue Qinghe froze when he saw Huo Yuhao’s tearful, frightened expression, and his attendants and hidden guards guessed that their young master was taken with him.
  • Huo Yuhao continued his act, unaware that everyone watching found his performance captivating.

Ch. 155The Crown Prince

Xue Qinghe rescued Huo Yuhao after he fell, invited him into her carriage, and tried to assess whether his fear was genuine while planning to uncover his secrets. In the Sea of Consciousness, Elder Yi explained that Huo Yuhao sensed the Crown Prince’s powerful light aura because he himself had an affinity for light, and Huo Yuhao returned to the carriage conversation still pretending to be unsettled.

  • Xue Qinghe helped Huo Yuhao up, apologized, and invited him into her carriage after noticing his frightened behavior.
  • Huo Yuhao accepted the invitation after glancing at an attendant, while Xue Qinghe dismissed the other attendants and resolved to control him and investigate his secrets.
  • Huo Yuhao and Elder Yi discussed the intense light aura they had sensed from Xue Qinghe and considered how it related to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family’s swan Martial Soul.
  • Elder Yi explained that Huo Yuhao’s light affinity had allowed him to host Elder Yi’s remnant soul and had been strengthened by later gifts and sacrifices.
  • Huo Yuhao returned his attention to Xue Qinghe and continued acting uneasy as he dealt with the Crown Prince.

Ch. 156Giving the Game Away

Xue Qinghe took Huo Yuhao to the Crown Prince's Residence, testing whether Huo Yuhao's allies would react while Huo Yuhao hid his own strength behind a timid persona. As several factions headed to the residence, Huo Yuhao noticed signs that Xue Qinghe's disguise was imperfect.

  • Xue Qinghe brought Huo Yuhao to the Crown Prince's Residence, claiming he wanted to replace Huo Yuhao's dirty clothes while secretly testing Huo Yuhao's faction.
  • Pufferfish and Snake Lance watched from the shadows as spies spread news of the incident to Ning Fengzhi, Prince Xue Xing, Xue Ye, and other factions.
  • Ning Fengzhi went to the Crown Prince's Residence, while Prince Xue Xing's faction prepared to accuse Xue Qinghe of abducting a respectable woman.
  • Xue Ye ordered a spy to investigate Huo Yuhao's martial soul, cultivation, and family background, and Salas also headed to the residence to maintain appearances for Spirit Hall.
  • After changing clothes, Huo Yuhao had tea with Xue Qinghe and noticed stiffness in the Crown Prince's expressions, suspecting that Xue Qinghe was inexperienced at disguise.

Ch. 157Suppression

Huo Yuhao uncovered Xue Qinghe’s disguise and used an unknown power to suppress her, revealing that the Crown Prince was actually Qian Renxue. After Salas took Huo Yuhao to Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi realized he had arrived too late and set out to retrieve him.

  • Huo Yuhao noticed Xue Qinghe’s feminine gestures and suspected the Crown Prince was a woman in disguise.
  • Ning Fengzhi arrived at the Crown Prince’s Residence, learned that the little girl had left, and discovered that Salas had already taken Huo Yuhao away.
  • Ning Fengzhi went to Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City to try to take Huo Yuhao back.
  • Qian Renxue, alone with Huo Yuhao, watched the groups outside the residence while he waited for a chance to act.
  • Huo Yuhao grabbed Xue Qinghe’s hand, confirmed that she was a woman, and threatened to expose her secret.
  • Qian Renxue tried to fight Huo Yuhao, but an unknown power suppressed her Six-Winged Angel, and she saw the gray Vertical Pupil on his forehead.

Ch. 158Secrets

Huo Yuhao used Elder Yi’s guidance to suppress Qian Renxue, force a pact to keep their secrets, and escape the crown prince’s residence in disguise. After Ning Fengzhi’s fruitless search, Qian Renxue returned to her private room and reflected on her jealousy of Huo Yuhao and her resentment toward the woman who gave her orders.

  • Huo Yuhao suppressed Qian Renxue with light-attribute power and persuaded her to keep their secrets from each other.
  • Huo Yuhao disguised his face and clothes with nearby materials, then left while Qian Renxue remained immobilized.
  • Qian Renxue regained her mobility and told Snake Lance to send Salas away while she handled Ning Fengzhi herself.
  • Ning Fengzhi arrived after Huo Yuhao had vanished, mistakenly suspected Spirit Hall had taken him, and left without finding him.
  • Qian Renxue returned to her original appearance in her candlelit bedroom and considered her jealousy of Huo Yuhao and her feelings toward that woman.

Ch. 159The Turmoil Gradually Subsided

After failing to find rare metals in Heaven Dou City, Huo Yuhao returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to wait for Dugu Bo and seek money by offering him soul tools. Dugu Bo realized Huo Yuhao was short on funds, but had not yet decided whether to buy anything.

  • Huo Yuhao escaped the Crown Prince's residence in disguise and searched Heaven Dou City's shops for rare metals, but found none.
  • Huo Yuhao returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where Zhu Zhuqing trained with A-Jin, and waited for Dugu Bo's expected visit.
  • Dugu Bo arrived, and Huo Yuhao gave him Detoxification Pills before leading him to a quiet spot to show him soul tools.
  • Huo Yuhao demonstrated his soul tools and explained why he wanted Dugu Bo to consider buying one or two.
  • Dugu Bo asked whether Huo Yuhao was short of money, and Huo Yuhao gave an awkward smile.

Ch. 160Everyone knew

Huo Yuhao accepted Dugu Bo’s financial help and discussed rumors about the Heaven Dou Crown Prince as well as the future of Soul Tools. Dugu Bo’s views on the continent’s factions left Huo Yuhao thinking he needed allies, and he returned to meditation.

  • Dugu Bo gave Huo Yuhao Black Cards containing at least a million Gold Soul Coins, and Huo Yuhao gave him the Soul Tools he had examined in exchange.
  • Dugu Bo told Huo Yuhao that Dugu Yan had often asked about him and had become a Soul King.
  • Dugu Bo asked whether Huo Yuhao and the Heaven Dou Crown Prince had taken a fancy to each other, and Huo Yuhao denied it.
  • Dugu Bo explained that people were spreading stories about the Crown Prince’s interest in a white-haired girl, while powerful figures suspected a political marriage alliance.
  • Huo Yuhao asked Dugu Bo about the Soul Tools’ potential buyers and the continent’s factions, then concluded he needed to understand the factions and find allies.
  • After Dugu Bo left, Huo Yuhao resumed meditating to increase his strength.

Ch. 161A Court Brimming with Worthies

Rumors that Huo Yuhao had spent the night with Xue Qinghe led Heaven Dou’s factions to maneuver around a presumed alliance. Xue Ye let the court argue over marrying off the crown prince while he planned to speak with Xue Qinghe himself.

  • Rumors spread that Huo Yuhao was staying with Xue Qinghe, and Ning Fengzhi and Prince Xue Xing concluded that the crown prince might be forming an alliance with her faction.
  • Xue Ye learned about the Mystic Water Pill and the factions’ moves, then sent Xue Qinghe tonics that included whale rubber while Qian Renxue continued recovering in seclusion.
  • Prince Xue Xing proposed that Xue Qinghe marry soon, and Ning Fengzhi and the crown prince’s supporters backed the idea while each promoted their own candidates.
  • Xue Ye watched the factions argue over the crown princess and decided to let them wear one another down before choosing a position.
  • Xue Ye ended the court assembly without a decision, citing Xue Qinghe’s meditation, and resolved to speak with him privately.

Ch. 162The Most Similar Strangers

Xue Ke enjoyed a quiet afternoon while Qian Renxue reflected on how childhood wounds shaped her and Huo Yuhao’s choices. After resuming her Xue Qinghe disguise, she learned that Heaven Dou’s powerful factions were turning their attention to Huo Yuhao and prepared to receive Xue Ye’s secret visit.

  • Xue Ke calmly drank tea and considered the court’s turmoil over the crown prince and Huo Yuhao.
  • Qian Renxue meditated on how her childhood shaped her drive to surpass her mother and reconsidered her rivalry with Huo Yuhao.
  • Qian Renxue connected Huo Yuhao’s rescue of Tian Meng to his own memories of being trapped and losing his mother.
  • Qian Renxue changed into Xue Qinghe and heard Snake Lance Douluo report Xue Ye’s gifts and rumors about Huo Yuhao’s influence.
  • Xue Qinghe realized Spirit Hall needed to contact Huo Yuhao before other powers and learn what had suppressed the Six-Winged Angel.
  • Porcupinefish Douluo reported that Xue Ye was approaching secretly, and Xue Qinghe arranged to appear as though he had just learned of the visit.

Ch. 163A loving "father," a filial "son"

Xue Ye tested Xue Qinghe about Huo Yuhao and the factions at court while warning him to keep control in his own hands. After Xue Qinghe rejected marriage proposals, he resolved to find Huo Yuhao and bring her faction into Spirit Hall's camp, while Xue Ke kept the Mystic Water Pill Huo Yuhao had given her.

  • Xue Ye visited Xue Qinghe's residence and questioned him about Huo Yuhao, the court, and marriage.
  • Xue Qinghe told Xue Ye that Huo Yuhao had visited but had already left, and agreed that he was not ready to marry.
  • Xue Ye warned Xue Qinghe to keep control firmly in his hands before leaving for the palace.
  • At court, Xue Qinghe rejected proposals to select a consort, and the factions each believed they had gained an advantage.
  • Xue Qinghe decided he needed to find Huo Yuhao and bring her faction into Spirit Hall's camp.
  • Xue Ke kept the Mystic Water Pill Huo Yuhao had given her in a box beside her bed.

Ch. 164Had she really escaped?

Zhu Zhuqing struggled with doubts about whether she had truly escaped her old dependence or merely entered Huo Yuhao’s orbit, and she buried herself in cultivation rather than asking for help. Huo Yuhao recognized her distress but chose to wait for her to confront it herself, while Elder Yi watched them with concern.

  • Zhu Zhuqing repeatedly heard inner voices questioning whether she was truly free after leaving Dai Mubai and the Star Luo Empire.
  • Zhu Zhuqing considered asking Huo Yuhao for help but resisted, feeling that doing so would repeat her habit of depending on others.
  • Zhu Zhuqing questioned whether Huo Yuhao’s support had created a new attachment, despite knowing he had asked for her consent and had helped her without expecting repayment.
  • Zhu Zhuqing devoted herself to cultivation to escape her troubling thoughts, and Huo Yuhao recognized that she was concealing an inner struggle.
  • Huo Yuhao chose to remain by Zhu Zhuqing’s side without interfering, while Elder Yi sighed over the state of both of them.

Ch. 165The Snow Lotus Takes Human Form · Part One

Huo Yuhao reached rank fifty while cultivating at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus suddenly took human form as Xiao Xue Lotus. After the Snow Empress lost her temper over being called “Auntie,” Huo Yuhao learned that Xiao Xue Lotus’s transformation lacked an apparent explanation or heavenly tribulation.

  • Huo Yuhao reached rank fifty after four days of intensified cultivation at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
  • Huo Yuhao discovered Xiao Xue Lotus, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, eating breakfast in human form, and she called him “Sister Huo” before asking for more food.
  • Xiao Xue Lotus called the Snow Empress “Auntie,” prompting the Snow Empress to attack her before the Evil Lord pulled Xiao Xue Lotus out of danger.
  • The Snow Empress chased the Evil Lord into the sky and fought him until her anger subsided, while Xiao Xue Lotus hid behind the Sea Princess.
  • Huo Yuhao questioned Xiao Xue Lotus and realized that she had transformed without taking human form to cultivate anew or undergoing a heavenly tribulation.

Ch. 166Snow Lotus Takes Human Form · Part Two

Huo Yuhao learned how Xiao Xue Lotus took human form and discovered that Octagonal had taught her, prompting Snow Empress to punish Octagonal with a cultivation deadline. He then planned his next steps toward establishing the Spirit Pagoda, leaving his search for a god's inheritance until later.

  • Huo Yuhao learned from Xiao Xue Lotus that Octagonal had told her how to avoid heavenly tribulation and take human form.
  • Snow Empress confronted Octagonal, who admitted teaching Xiao Xue Lotus, and ordered it to cultivate until it could take human form within a month.
  • Snow Empress reflected to Huo Yuhao that soul beasts had little choice but to cultivate under the threat of heavenly tribulations, while Huo Yuhao felt a strange sense of familiarity about their emotions.
  • Huo Yuhao decided to sign a contract with Xiao Xue Lotus at rank fifty and said he would visit Gengxin City and Spirit City before pursuing a god's inheritance.

Ch. 167The Fifth Soul Ring

After breakfast, Huo Yuhao reflected on his failures toward Yun Han before signing soul spirit contracts with Li Ya and Xiao Xue Lotus. The new rings advanced his cultivation, and the chapter ended with the others examining him after he learned Xiao Xue Lotus’s abilities.

  • The Snow Empress tried to make peace with Xiao Xue Lotus by offering her breakfast, but Xiao Xue Lotus remained wary before quickly letting go of her resentment.
  • Huo Yuhao remembered Yun Han and regretted returning him to Ju Zi instead of fulfilling Du Busi’s dying wish to protect him.
  • Li Ya signed a soul spirit contract with Huo Yuhao, granting him a red ring, Soul King cultivation, and the skills Mermaid's Blessing and Tranquilizing Melody.
  • Xiao Xue Lotus agreed to sign a contract with Huo Yuhao’s Snow Maiden martial soul, giving him five red rings and rank fifty-two cultivation.
  • Huo Yuhao learned Xiao Xue Lotus’s skills, Cold Lotus Ice Court and Cold Lotus Ring, then noticed the Ice Empress, the Sea Princess, and the others studying him.

Ch. 168Reflection · Part One

After absorbing Xiao Xue Lotus’s Soul Ring, Huo Yuhao discovered that his body and meridians had improved, then reflected with Elder Yi on his lack of understanding of his own abilities. He began examining the many powers within himself, recognizing that he had only mechanically used Necromancy and other inherited abilities.

  • Huo Yuhao noticed his skin had become fairer and his Soul Power circulated faster after absorbing Xiao Xue Lotus’s Soul Ring, while A Ling and the others admitted they had been admiring his new complexion.
  • Snow Empress explained that absorbing a snow lotus’s power naturally improved Huo Yuhao’s body and meridians, and Elder Yi confirmed his cultivation would benefit.
  • Huo Yuhao continued meditating at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while Zhu Zhuqing remained in Deep Meditation.
  • Huo Yuhao told Elder Yi that his strength had come too easily and that he lacked talent, comprehension, creativity, and control over his emotions.
  • Elder Yi urged Huo Yuhao to understand himself and his power, so Huo Yuhao examined the different attributes within his body and realized they were mixed and poorly understood.
  • Huo Yuhao recognized that he had only patched Elder Yi’s Soul Spirit Contract and used Necromancy mechanically without understanding their foundations.

Ch. 169Reflection · II

Huo Yuhao reflected on the nature and limits of the powers he had encountered, from spiritual power and vitality to Ultimate Ice and fate. As his contemplation ended without a new insight, Elder Yi began to guide him by asking how light and darkness existed in the world.

  • Huo Yuhao distinguished pure darkness as an attribute from the resentment and negative emotions associated with Evil Soul Masters.
  • Huo Yuhao considered the abilities of the gold of life in his bones and admitted he knew almost nothing about its chaos power.
  • Huo Yuhao recalled the Evil Lord’s explanation that the Light of Time and Space used vitality to push spiritual power beyond its limits and accelerate changes in a target’s structure.
  • Huo Yuhao reflected on the control of spiritual power, the Snow Empress’s teachings about Ultimate Ice, and the fate power he had returned to the Auspicious Beast.
  • Elder Yi watched Huo Yuhao finish contemplating, then asked him how light and darkness existed in the world.

Ch. 170Condensing a Soul Core

Huo Yuhao learned from Elder Yi that opposing attributes could transform into one another, then used his new insight to condense his first Soul Core from the Cold Spring’s extreme cold. He succeeded despite the danger to his body, while Snow Empress and the others stood guard.

  • Huo Yuhao realized that ice and fire, like light and darkness, could transform under certain conditions, and Elder Yi explained that all attributes depended on and affected one another.
  • Elder Yi demonstrated the cooperation of multiple elements by forming a small birdlike skeleton, but his attempt to create life ended in an explosion.
  • Huo Yuhao gained new insight into elemental powers, then began absorbing the Cold Spring’s energy and directing it toward his dantian to condense a Soul Core.
  • Xiao Bai and A-Tai alerted Snow Empress and the others when Huo Yuhao’s body became encased in ice, and they stood guard rather than interrupting him.
  • Huo Yuhao manipulated the cold within his meridians by altering its temperature while compressing the energy in his dantian, with Elder Yi’s light helping him through the critical moment.
  • Huo Yuhao successfully condensed his first Soul Core, which rotated in his dantian with the power of ultimate ice.

Ch. 171Improved Soul Core

Huo Yuhao condensed an Ultimate Ice soul core in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, gaining six Soul Power ranks and reaching rank fifty-eight. After reuniting with everyone, he learned from Elder Yi how soul cores could convert Soul Power between gaseous, liquid, and solid states, and began studying the process.

  • Huo Yuhao completed his soul core and thanked Elder Yi, who told him to rest before cultivating again.
  • Huo Yuhao emerged from the ice after five days, and Xiao Xue Lotus fed him Snow Lotus petals while the Sea Princess lent him clothes.
  • Huo Yuhao told everyone that his ice-attribute soul core had raised his Soul Power to rank fifty-eight, then agreed to cook for Xiao Xue Lotus.
  • After dinner, Huo Yuhao noticed his soul core breaking down liquid Soul Power into tiny particles and asked the Evil Lord and Elder Yi about it.
  • Elder Yi explained that Spiritual Power could control Soul Power's concentration and demonstrated how to change its state between gas, liquid, and solid.
  • Huo Yuhao sat down to sense his soul core's automatic conversions and realized he still had much to learn.

Ch. 172Lovesick Heartbreak

Qian Renxue struggled to focus while secretly searching for Huo Yuhao, whose martial soul had unsettled her. At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Huo Yuhao confronted his painful memories and admitted the selfish reasons behind his past actions before Elder Yi urged him to move forward.

  • Qian Renxue secretly searched for Huo Yuhao with Salas and resolved to return to Spirit City after reaching rank sixty.
  • Huo Yuhao continued cultivating beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while Zhu Zhuqing remained in Deep Meditation.
  • Huo Yuhao stopped before Lovesick Heartbreak Red and reflected on how fear of loneliness, rather than romantic love, had shaped his relationship with Dong'er and his decision to pick the flower.
  • Huo Yuhao remembered the friends and teachers he had deceived or abandoned and condemned himself for breaking promises and neglecting his responsibilities.
  • Elder Yi struck Huo Yuhao and told him to stop dwelling on the past; Huo Yuhao resolved to keep moving forward and leave Lovesick Heartbreak Red undisturbed.

Ch. 173The sixth Soul Ring

Huo Yuhao reached level 60, signed Soul Spirit Contracts with Octagonal and Sea Princess, and learned why Sea Princess’s Soul Ring was orange-gold. The group then returned to life at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while Huo Yuhao consolidated his cultivation.

  • Huo Yuhao broke through to level 60 and signed a Soul Spirit Contract with Octagonal, gaining six red Soul Rings and reaching level 61.
  • Huo Yuhao gained Octagonal Mysterious Ice Spikes and Mysterious Ice Amplification from Octagonal’s Soul Ring.
  • Sea Princess volunteered to become Huo Yuhao’s next Soul Spirit, and she scolded Li Ya for teasing her before signing the contract.
  • Huo Yuhao gained an orange-golden Soul Ring and the skills Illusory Bubbles and Heart of the Ocean from Sea Princess, reaching level 62.
  • Huo Yuhao explained that Soul Rings from Soul Spirits with at least 500,000 years of cultivation could become orange-gold under the improved contract.
  • Huo Yuhao stopped actively cultivating Soul Power and focused on consolidating his cultivation at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Ch. 174Zhu Zhuqing

Zhu Zhuqing relived her lonely childhood, her desperate escape from the Star Luo Empire, and her disillusionment with Dai Mubai as the White Tiger consumed her. In Deep Meditation, an ethereal voice offered her a way to escape the cage and control her fate, and she emerged with Soul Ancestor cultivation.

  • Zhu Zhuqing remembered how her engagement to the third prince and the Star Luo succession struggle left her isolated and in danger.
  • Zhu Zhuqing fled through the Star Dou Great Forest to find Dai Mubai, but saw him at Suotuo City with two girls and left without confronting him.
  • Zhu Zhuqing enrolled at the academy with nowhere else to go while the White Tiger continued to consume her and deepen her despair.
  • A familiar woman helped Zhu Zhuqing and urged her to control her fate, but the White Tiger reappeared and trapped her in a cage.
  • An ethereal voice offered Zhu Zhuqing escape if she accepted it, and she spat blood in Deep Meditation as a fourth Soul Ring appeared, making her a Soul Ancestor.

Ch. 175Deceiving Himself and Others

Zhu Zhuqing awakened from deep meditation as a Soul Ancestor, while Huo Yuhao concealed the truth about his Soul Rings and struggled to answer her question about his connection to the Star Luo Dai Family. Their reunion ended with both keeping their thoughts to themselves, as Huo Yuhao prepared to move on to Gengxin City.

  • Zhu Zhuqing awakened with four Soul Rings and a changed outlook, and Huo Yuhao congratulated her on becoming a Soul Ancestor.
  • Huo Yuhao showed Zhu Zhuqing six simulated black Soul Rings and gave her a Soul Tool that could disguise her Soul Ring colors.
  • Zhu Zhuqing asked Huo Yuhao to swear he had no connection to the Star Luo Dai Family, but he could not answer as he confronted his painful memories and doubts.
  • Zhu Zhuqing changed the subject and went to eat, while Huo Yuhao prepared a meal and introduced her to Xiao Xue Lotus and Octagonal.
  • Huo Yuhao studied the map marking Gengxin City and prepared to begin his next course of action.

Ch. 176Setting Out Again

Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing set out for Gengxin City, crossing from the Heaven Dou Empire into the Star Luo Empire. As they continued toward their destination, three figures watched them from the sky.

  • Huo Yuhao asked Zhu Zhuqing whether she would travel with him, and she agreed despite her lingering fear of facing the Star Luo Empire.
  • Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and traveled by carriage toward the border, while Huo Yuhao reflected on Mingdu and the stagnation of the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms.
  • Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing left the carriage at the border and paid tolls to pass through both empires' outposts.
  • Zhu Zhuqing grew more resolute as she and Huo Yuhao continued walking toward Gengxin City.
  • Three figures watched Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing from the distant sky.

Ch. 177Gengxin City · Part One

Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing explored Gengxin City and went to the Blacksmith Association to seek Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao. As a troublemaker harassed Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao secretly forced him to kneel.

  • Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing entered Gengxin City, where Huo Yuhao was disappointed by the poor quality of its smithies and metals.
  • Zhu Zhuqing urged Huo Yuhao to visit the Blacksmith Association, and the pair headed there while Huo Yuhao sensed hostile gazes around them.
  • A vendor praised Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao and warned Huo Yuhao and Zhu Zhuqing that Spirit Hall members made the city unsafe for women.
  • The Blacksmith Association receptionist said Lou Gao rarely received visitors, but Huo Yuhao could post a forging commission.
  • A man causing trouble at the association demanded a huge refund, then approached Huo Yuhao and called him a little sister.
  • Huo Yuhao secretly made the troublemaker fall to his knees, leaving the onlookers bewildered and Zhu Zhuqing aware of what he had done.
Arc 7 of 41