Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiaojun demonstrated the evolved Hanguang Sword and gave the clan copies of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manuals. The clan classified the manuals as top secret while the village families requested exchanges for several martial techniques.

• Chen Xiaojun tested his evolved Chengying Sword on Chen Cong, revealing the invisible Hanguang Sword and its child sword.
• Chen Cong agreed that the immortal herbs had likely helped evolve Chen Xiaojun’s Sword God Pearls and Soul Skills.
• Chen Xiaojun gave Chen Zixiu and the elders copies of the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manuals, explaining their potential to heal injuries and strengthen health.
• Chen Zixiu ordered Chen Cong to classify the manuals as top secret and set their merit-point exchange costs.
• Zhu Hongzhen and Zhu Yanfeng requested exchanges for the Heart-Shattering Palm and Golden Bell Shield, while the Cheng, Ma, and Ding Families requested exchanges for other techniques.

Chen Xiaojun discussed how the Nine Yin Manual could strengthen the Chen Clan before Zhu Wuneng revealed his unusual first soul skill, Wind-Calling Ears. The skill let him hear at great distances and fly, while his wood attribute remained only partially awakened.

• Chen Xiaojun asked Chen Cong to study whether the Big Dipper Heavenly Dipper Formation could be combined with the Seven Kill Sword Formation.
• Chen Menglin and Chen Qiujun argued about the Xuan Ye Pavilion's hidden strength until Chen Wenchao stopped them.
• Zhu Wuneng showed Ye Xiuxin and the others his Wind-Calling Ears, which enlarged his ears and let him hear distant sounds.
• Zhu Wuneng used his soul power to make his ears flap and carry him through the air, demonstrating the skill's flight and sensory abilities.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Zhu Wuneng had not awakened the wood attribute yet, but further wood-attribute soul beasts might help him integrate it.

Three years after awakening his Martial Soul, Dugu Fu accompanied his grandfather into the Sunset Forest to hunt a second Soul Ring. Their attempt to claim an Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix was disputed by Zhu Wuneng, and Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi arrived to weigh in.

• Dugu Fu’s grandfather explained that the Dugu Jade Phosphor Snake lineage relied on poison and brought him to the Sunset Forest to find a suitable Soul Beast for his second Soul Ring.
• Dugu Fu’s grandfather spotted a roughly seven-hundred-year-old Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix and used his Fourth Soul Skill, Shadow Snake Hands, to surround it.
• Zhu Wuneng flew in and claimed the Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix, pointing out wounds from his rake and saying he needed it for his Soul Ring.
• Dugu Fu’s grandfather argued that Zhu Wuneng had lost his chance by letting the Soul Beast escape.
• Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi appeared nearby, and Chen Xiaojun challenged the old man’s claim that the escape meant Zhu Wuneng was not fated to catch it.

Chen Xiaojun, Xiao Yi, and Zhu Wuneng faced Dugu Lin’s challenge to prove they were strong enough to claim the Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix. After they defeated his Fourth Soul Skill, Dugu Lin honored his wager, then called out someone hidden nearby.

• Chen Xiaojun argued that his group had discovered and hunted the Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix first, and Dugu Lin challenged them to take one attack from him.
• Chen Xiaojun gave the name Xiao Hongchen, while Xiao Yi and Zhu Wuneng joined him in facing Dugu Lin’s Fourth Soul Skill, Shadow Snake Hands.
• The three children combined their Soul Skills and destroyed Dugu Lin’s energy snakes, astonishing him and Dugu Fu with their strength.
• Dugu Lin demonstrated the gulf between their abilities by appearing behind the children, then agreed to give them the Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix.
• Dugu Lin addressed someone who had been watching from a massive tree and told them to come out.

Dugu Lin reunited with his old classmate Zhu Yanfeng and met Chen Cong and Chen Xiaojun in Sunset Forest. After learning that Chen Xiaojun knew of a soul beast suited to his grandson, Dugu Lin heard the name of the Netherworld Green Snake.

• Dugu Lin recognized Zhu Yanfeng, his former Exotic Beast Academy classmate, as Zhu Yanfeng and Chen Cong emerged from behind a tree.
• Dugu Lin greeted Chen Cong and learned that he was the Heaven and Earth Swordsman, a Titled Douluo of the Chen Clan.
• Zhu Yanfeng revealed that Zhu Wuneng was his grandnephew, and Dugu Lin congratulated him on Zhu Wuneng's beneficial martial soul mutation.
• Chen Xiaojun apologized to Dugu Lin for concealing his real name and explained that he was Chen Cong's elder brother's youngest grandson.
• Chen Xiaojun offered to guide Dugu Lin to a seventh-grade snake-type soul beast compatible with the Jade-Scaled Snake martial soul.
• Chen Xiaojun identified the soul beast as the Netherworld Green Snake, delighting Dugu Lin.

Dugu Fu absorbed a Netherworld Green Snake Soul Ring and demonstrated his new second Soul Skill, Netherworld Poison Shadow. Dugu Lin and Zhu Yanfeng praised its power and discussed the boys’ promising prospects.

• Chen Xiaojun offered to lead Dugu Lin and Dugu Fu to Netherworld Green Snakes after explaining their value to the Dugu Family.
• Dugu Fu absorbed a Netherworld Green Snake Soul Ring and gained the Soul Skill Netherworld Poison Shadow.
• Dugu Fu demonstrated how Netherworld Poison Shadow created toxic mist, obscured his movements, and left hindering snake shadows on a target.
• Zhu Yanfeng praised Dugu Fu’s Soul Skill, and Dugu Lin explained that it complemented the Jade-Scaled Snake Martial Soul.
• Dugu Lin and Zhu Yanfeng compared Dugu Fu’s aptitude with Zhu Wuneng’s, noting their young ages and potential.

Zhu Wuneng demonstrated his mutated second soul skill, the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, which destroyed a massive tree with five elemental forces. Chen Xiaojun concluded that the skill awakened Zhu Wuneng’s wood attribute and multiplied the power of the five elements, leaving the group impressed by his strength.

• Zhu Wuneng revealed that absorbing a seven-hundred-year Emerald Cloud Luan Phoenix soul ring had raised him to level twenty-two and granted him a strange second soul skill.
• Zhu Wuneng fired five-colored divine light from his eyes and pierced through a massive tree, astonishing Chen Xiaojun, Dugu Fu, Dugu Lin, and Zhu Yanfeng.
• Chen Xiaojun examined the five elemental marks left on the tree and named the skill the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light.
• Zhu Wuneng explained that the Divine Wood Heart had activated during his absorption, flooding him with wood-, water-, and fire-attribute soul power before shattering.
• Chen Xiaojun concluded that the soul ring had awakened Zhu Wuneng’s wood attribute and formed a five-elements cycle that multiplied its destructive power severalfold.

Chen Xiaojun had Zhu Wuneng test his second soul ring with different elemental soul powers, revealing that wood-attribute soul power activated Zhu Wuneng’s true soul skill: an illusion that disoriented those around him. The chapter ended with Zhu Wuneng learning that only wood-attribute soul power and five elements destruction power could activate his mutated eyes.

• Chen Xiaojun explained to Chen Cong that five elements overcoming had greater destructive power than Xiao Yi’s five elements generating, and recalled how Xiao Yi had absorbed the two immortal herbs and awakened water and fire attributes.
• Chen Xiaojun told Zhu Wuneng to channel soul power of different attributes through his second soul ring and into his eyes.
• Zhu Wuneng used metal-attribute soul power, but his eyes showed no change beyond their usual green ripples and peach-blossom shape.
• Zhu Wuneng used wood-attribute soul power, and his eyes released an illusion that left those watching dizzy and disoriented.
• Chen Cong recognized the illusion as Zhu Wuneng’s actual second soul skill, and Chen Xiaojun explained that the earlier Divine Light was an inherited ability produced by his mutated eyes.
• Zhu Wuneng tested other attributes and found that only wood-attribute soul power and five elements destruction power activated his eyes.

After Zhu Wuneng gained a second Soul Skill that included the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, Chen Xiaojun helped name his abilities and explained how they worked. Dugu Lin learned that nine-year-old Chen Xiaojun had a three-thousand-year Soul Ring and invited him to attend the Exotic Beast Academy.

• Chen Xiaojun explained that Zhu Wuneng could use the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light as a powerful trump card that could grow with his cultivation.
• Chen Xiaojun named Zhu Wuneng's regular Second Soul Skill Phoenix Eyes, and Zhu Wuneng accepted the name despite the teasing.
• Dugu Fu and Dugu Lin congratulated Zhu Wuneng, who resolved to keep cultivating so he could master his two Soul Skills.
• Dugu Lin asked about Chen Xiaojun's level and learned that he was level thirty, had a mutated Martial Soul, and had absorbed a three-thousand-year Soul Ring for his Second Soul Skill.
• Dugu Lin invited Chen Xiaojun to attend the Exotic Beast Academy, hoping his grandson would benefit from being around him.

Dugu Lin invited Chen Xiaojun to study at the Exotic Beast Academy and offered to give Zhu Yanfeng his vice dean position, but Chen Xiaojun declined to decide immediately. The chapter ended with Dugu Fu eager to have Chen Xiaojun as his boss, while Chen Xiaojun insisted they were friends.

• Zhu Yanfeng mocked Dugu Lin for approaching Chen Xiaojun about the Exotic Beast Academy after the Soul Fighting Academy had already sought him for years.
• Chen Cong explained that Chen Xiaojun had an agreement to attend the Soul Fighting Academy, and Zhu Yanfeng noted that the academy had repeatedly pursued him.
• Dugu Lin argued that the Exotic Beast Academy could provide Chen Xiaojun with excellent resources and offered to step down as vice dean if Zhu Yanfeng joined him.
• Chen Xiaojun thanked Dugu Lin and said he would seriously consider the invitation rather than decide immediately.
• Dugu Fu declared that Chen Xiaojun would make a fine boss, but Chen Xiaojun called them friends, and Dugu Lin cautioned his grandson not to make wild promises.

Chen Xiaojun explained ways to suppress the Dugu clan’s deadly poison backlash, including hot springs and venomous Soul Bones. Dugu Lin judged the ideas feasible and pledged the clan’s gratitude, while Dugu Fu declared Chen Xiaojun his big brother.

• Dugu Fu told Chen Xiaojun that he admired his strength, then described the severe poison backlash afflicting his second uncle and the Dugu clan.
• Chen Xiaojun compared the Dugu clan’s poison backlash to the Chen Clan’s former Seven Kill Sword problem and said the Dugu clan’s poison could also be treated.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested using extreme heat or cold to purge the poison, including prolonged hot-spring treatments and a large facility for the clan.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed using Soul Bones from venomous Soul Beasts, such as Medusa or the Netherworld Green Snake, to store excess poison and extend the clan members’ lives.
• Dugu Lin agreed the methods could work, bowed to Chen Xiaojun on behalf of the Dugu clan, and promised the clan would repay him.
• Dugu Fu excitedly called Chen Xiaojun his big brother.

Chen Xiaojun proposed three ways to address the Dugu clan’s thousand-year-old poison problem, and Dugu Lin pledged that the clan would follow Chen Xiaojun’s lead if he could solve it. Dugu Lin and Dugu Fu considered the risky but promising methods, leaving the clan with new hope but no solution yet.

• Dugu Lin offered to place the Dugu clan under Chen Xiaojun’s command if he resolved their hidden danger.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed forming a poisonous Inner Core to store more poisonous Soul Power.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested modifying the Meditation Method to use the lower soul nest as another storage space.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed using the five poisons to suppress the Jade-Scaled Snake’s venom, warning that the method could be fatal.

Chen Xiaojun gave Dugu Fu a Divine Wood Heart and strengthened his friendship with the Dugu family before they parted in Sunset City. Dugu Fu then decided to pursue the Five Poisons for his Soul Rings, hoping to gain the power of the Five Elements Poison Technique.

• After traveling together to Sunset City, Chen Xiaojun gave Dugu Fu a Divine Wood Heart that could suppress his snake venom and aid plant growth.
• Dugu Fu accepted the gift with gratitude, and Dugu Lin encouraged him to receive Chen Xiaojun's gesture of friendship.
• After parting from Chen Xiaojun, Dugu Fu and Dugu Lin discussed Chen Xiaojun's interest in their family and the value of his proposed methods for treating their venom.
• Dugu Fu told Dugu Lin he wanted to choose the five poisons for his Soul Rings so he would not fall behind Wuneng and Xiao Yi.
• Dugu Lin praised the Chen Clan's Five Elements theory, and Dugu Fu resolved to take the lead despite the danger.

Chen Xiaojun explained why the Chen Clan needed to recruit small and medium-sized clans, beginning with the Dugu Family and considering the Yang Family as another target. He left the Yang Family’s recruitment plan unresolved, noting that they would need an opening to persuade them to join.

• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Cong and Zhu Yanfeng that he planned to recruit the Dugu Family and had offered Dugu and his grandson help to demonstrate the Chen Clan’s value.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that the Chen Clan needed more people to offset losses and prepare for future upheaval, while its longstanding seclusion made recruiting entire clans safer than recruiting individuals.
• Chen Xiaojun said the Dugu Family’s poison skills would strengthen the Chen Clan in large-scale warfare, and Chen Cong recognized that the family’s weakness could make them receptive to recruitment.
• Chen Xiaojun named the Yang Family of the Soul Breaking Spear as another target, citing their combat skills, medicine-making, losses, and the attractions of the Chen Clan’s resources.
• Chen Xiaojun noted that the Yang Family had long dealt with the Chen Clan as equals, so they would need an opening before they could be persuaded to join.

Chen Xiaojun explained why the Dugu Family and Yang Family could be persuaded to join the Chen Clan and discussed how their arrival might affect Chenlin Village. The chapter ended with Chen Cong, Zhu Yanfeng, and Chen Xiaojun planning how to win over the families and prepare for future upheavals.

• Chen Xiaojun shared his knowledge of the Yang Family and argued that their loyalty and needs made them possible allies.
• Chen Xiaojun described the Dugu Family's loyalty, unity, and traditions as reasons they could integrate into the clan.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that the two families would mainly affect the balance of interests among the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu.
• Zhu Yanfeng supported Chen Xiaojun's plan and agreed to speak with the other families to prepare for the Dugu Family's arrival.
• Chen Cong realized Chen Xiaojun had been sounding them out so they would help persuade the elders, and the three planned how to approach both families.

Chen Xiaojun entered his first soul fighting match under the name “Grand Arbiter of Fate” and faced the veteran Fang Yongsheng. He defeated Fang Yongsheng with his swordplay and Chun Jun Sword, winning his debut match.

• Chen Xiaojun registered for his first match as “Grand Arbiter of Fate” Xiao Hongchen and faced the four-win veteran Fang Yongsheng.
• Chen Xiaojun used nimble footwork and precise sword attacks to overcome Fang Yongsheng’s Ironclad Possession and Iron Sand Palm.
• Fang Yongsheng unleashed his Air Heavy Cannon, but Chen Xiaojun evaded it with Spiral Nine Shadows and counterattacked.
• Chen Xiaojun wore down Fang Yongsheng, then charged the Chun Jun Sword’s innate skill to break his defenses and send him flying.
• Chen Xiaojun pointed his sword at Fang Yongsheng and declared that he had lost.

Chen Xiaojun won his debut Soul Fighting Arena match without using a Soul Skill, while his Eighth Uncle Chen Qingrui oversaw Sunset City's arena and the Chen Clan's defenses around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The group waited for Chen Shihua to return so Chen Xiaojun could continue seeking a Soul Beast for his third ring.

• Chen Xiaojun defeated Fang Yongsheng in the Soul Fighting Arena without using a Soul Skill and entered the private box to meet Chen Qingrui.
• Chen Qingrui praised Chen Xiaojun, and the chapter explained how Chen Qingrui had become Sunset City's chief steward and helped protect the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
• Chen Xiaojun asked when Chen Shihua would return, and Chen Qingrui said she was expected back soon with instructions from Chen Cong.
• Xiao Yi and Zhu Wuneng returned after winning their own matches, and Zhu Wuneng asked Chen Xiaojun about their arena names.
• Chen Xiaojun explained the names Great Siming and Lesser Siming, prompting Zhu Wuneng to ask if they were a couple and Xiao Yi to blush.

Chen Xiaojun and Zhu Wuneng watched as the Great Soul Arena began a deathmatch between two Soul Kings: a Three-Eyed Demon Sheep fighter and a Thunder Wolf fighter. The battle left off with the Thunder Wolf Soul Master appearing behind his opponent after escaping Dark Miasma with Lightning Flash.

• Chen Qingrui announced that the arena’s grand finale would be a fight to the death between Soul Kings, thrilling the spectators.
• The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master and Thunder Wolf Soul Master activated their Martial Soul Possession and faced each other in the arena.
• Chen Xiaojun recognized the Three-Eyed Demon Sheep, and Chen Qingrui explained that its wielder was a fighter affiliated with the Great Soul Arena.
• The two Soul Masters charged at each other, trading attacks in an evenly matched battle.
• The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master unleashed his Third Soul Skill, Dark Miasma, but the Thunder Wolf Soul Master used his Fourth Soul Skill, Lightning Flash, to emerge behind him.

The Thunder Wolf Soul Master fought the Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master in a fierce death match, but an illusion and Demon Sheep Divine Light turned the battle in the Demon Sheep Soul Master's favor. The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master defeated his opponent and celebrated his victory.

• The Thunder Wolf Soul Master and the Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master clashed with their Frenzied Thunderstorm Sword and Dark Demon Horn soul skills.
• The Thunder Wolf Soul Master appeared to kill the Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master with a surprise sword thrust, but the defeated figure was an illusion created by Demonic Shadows.
• The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master unleashed Demon Sheep Divine Light, which froze the Thunder Wolf Soul Master with fear and left him unable to move.
• The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master controlled the rest of the fight, knocked the Thunder Wolf Soul Master down, and stopped when he could no longer fight.
• The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master raised his hands and celebrated as the spectators cheered his victory.

Chen Xiaojun traveled down the Heaven Dou Yangtze River with his companions and considered how old a Soul Ring to seek for his third pearl. He left the decision unresolved after Chen Cong advised him to weigh his strength and the possible risks.

• Chen Xiaojun, Xiao Yi, Zhu Wuneng, Chen Cong, and Zhu Yanfeng admired the river scenery and joked together aboard their boat.
• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Cong that his first two Sword God Pearls had raised their Soul Ring ages by one thousand and two thousand years, and that his third pearl could add four thousand years.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that his constitution could withstand a five- or six-thousand-year third Soul Ring, potentially letting him absorb one aged ten thousand years.
• Chen Cong said a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring could improve Chen Xiaojun's strength if he was confident, but advised caution if his strength was unstable or he feared adverse effects.
• Chen Xiaojun considered Chen Cong's advice but had not yet decided what Soul Ring to pursue.