Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiaojun arranged for Xiao Yi to meet Zhuang Mocheng and considered her entry into Chang'an Academy and the Continental Advanced Elite Tournament. He explained to Chen Cong and Chen Menglin how Xiao Yi could conceal her unusual martial soul and soul rings, leaving them to consider a plan centered on an Ice Soul Dreamvine.

• Zhuang Mocheng asked Chen Xiaojun and Xiao Yi about their injuries, and Chen Xiaojun requested leave from his studies while he recovered.
• Chen Xiaojun praised Xiao Yi's zither performance and reflected that Zhuang Mocheng had readily recognized her talent.
• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Cong and Chen Menglin that he wanted Xiao Yi to attend Chang'an Academy and compete in the Continental Advanced Elite Tournament despite the attention it would bring.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Xiao Yi's Void Willow God Vine had wood, life, mental, space, time, and origin attributes, and described its origin liquid.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed that Xiao Yi obtain an Ice Soul Dreamvine soul skill such as Ice Soul Simulation to disguise her soul rings and conceal her abilities.

Chen Xiaojun proposed sending Xiao Yi to the Frozen Forest to obtain an Ice Soul Dreamvine soul ring, then urged Chen Cong and Chen Menglin to help Zhuo Qianren break through to Titled Douluo as a way to strengthen the Chen Clan’s alliance with Chang'an Academy. Chen Cong asked how Chen Xiaojun planned to help, and he outlined a costly gift package for Zhuo Qianren.

• Chen Xiaojun suggested that Xiao Yi hunt an Ice Soul Dreamvine in the Frozen Forest, and Chen Cong approved the plan while assigning Chen Menglin to accompany them.
• Chen Cong and Chen Menglin discussed arranging protection for Chen Xiaojun during the upcoming Advanced Elite Tournament.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed helping Zhuo Qianren, the level 89 Silver Emperor, break through to Titled Douluo, and Chen Cong admitted he had considered it before.
• Chen Xiaojun argued that Zhuo Qianren’s breakthrough would enhance the Chen Clan’s standing and help win over Chang'an Academy’s Commoner Academy Faction.
• Chen Xiaojun planned to give Zhuo Qianren eighth-grade Purple Reishi, Wine Reishi Wine, a Ninth-Grade Treasure Medicine with wind and lightning attributes, and insights into breaking through.

Chen Xiaojun persuaded Chen Cong to support Elder Zhuo and was entrusted with handling affairs in Chang'an City. He revealed that he trusted Xiao Yi when he absorbed a soul ring on the battlefield, then reported meeting Ji Tiantian, a junior student with twin martial souls.

• Chen Cong agreed to provide Elder Zhuo with a precious herb and other supplies, then instructed Chen Xiaojun to invite him over when Old Qiu arrived.
• Chen Menglin said Chen Xiaojun could manage affairs in Chang'an City, and Chen Cong left him in charge while arranging for someone to report to his parents on Sea God Island.
• When Chen Cong reproached him for absorbing a soul ring on the battlefield, Chen Xiaojun said he had trusted Xiao Yi.
• Chen Xiaojun clarified that he had not summoned Xue Chuxin to the Misty Forest or anticipated the Silver Wolf Saint King's arrival, leaving Chen Cong and Chen Menglin wondering why she had gone there.
• Chen Xiaojun reported that he had met Ji Tiantian, a ten-year-old student with twin martial souls and the daughter of Teacher Jixiang.
• Chen Cong recognized Jixiang's Literary Brush Ji Family and asked what Ji Tiantian's other martial soul was.

Chen Xiaojun revealed that Ji Tiantian possessed the Seven Kill Sword, leading Chen Cong and Chen Menglin to uncover a possible family secret involving Xue Shiqiong and Xue Chuxin. With Chen Yu unconscious and the truth threatening to spark conflict among several powerful families, Chen Cong concluded they would have to wait for the elders to return.

• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Cong and Chen Menglin that he had confirmed Ji Tiantian's second martial soul was the Seven Kill Sword using his Yin-Yang Five Elements Eyes.
• Chen Xiaojun shared Ji Tiantian's family information and revealed that her mother, Xue Shiqiong, was Xue Chuxin's adopted daughter.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested Xue Shiqiong might be more than an adopted daughter, and Chen Cong inferred that she was Chen Yu's daughter.
• Chen Cong and Chen Menglin considered how the revelation could pit the Chen Clan, Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Xia Family, and Xue Chuxin's sect against one another.
• Chen Xiaojun said they could not resolve the matter while Chen Yu was unconscious, so they fell silent and waited for the elders to return.

Chen Xiaojun and the elders traced Ji Tiantian’s Seven-Kill Sword Martial Soul to events thirty-nine years earlier, when Chen Xiaojun’s grandfather was gravely injured and rescued by Xue Chuxin. They suspected the families had concealed a personal secret, and Chen Xiaojun concluded that Xue Chuxin was at the heart of the matter.

• Chen Xiaojun calculated that Xue Shiqiong’s age pointed to something happening thirty-nine years earlier, when his grandfather was fifty.
• Chen Cong recalled that Chen Xiaojun’s grandfather had broken through to Soul Douluo, gained an eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring, and returned grievously injured with Xue Chuxin.
• Chen Cong explained that Xue Chuxin had saved Chen Xiaojun’s grandfather after they killed a powerful Soul Beast together.
• Chen Xiaojun said he did not want Ji Tiantian, an innocent child with the Seven-Kill Sword Martial Soul, to be hurt by the adults’ conflict.
• Chen Xiaojun reasoned that Xue Chuxin, Xue Shiqiong, and Ji Tiantian had tried to conceal the truth from both families, and that Xue Chuxin was the likely source of the secret.

Chen Cong and Chen Xiaojun discussed the Apocalypse Society’s families and the history behind its ritual-vessel and sacrificial-vessel factions before Chen Menglin brought the conversation back to Ji Tiantian. They recognized Ji Tiantian’s extraordinary potential and began considering how to handle her twin martial souls before Chen Xiaojun’s relatives returned.

• Chen Menglin set aside Xue Chuxin’s situation and said the Chen Clan could not ignore Ji Tiantian’s Seven-Kill Sword martial soul.
• Chen Cong explained that the Ji Family’s Literary Brush was a top-tier eighth-rank martial soul whose quality rivaled ninth-grade martial souls.
• Chen Cong described the Apocalypse Society’s ritual-vessel and sacrificial-vessel factions and their ancient sect histories.
• Chen Menglin insisted they decide how to handle Ji Tiantian before Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt returned.
• Chen Xiaojun said Ji Tiantian was ten years old and at level 28, leading Chen Cong to estimate she likely had innate full soul power.

Chen Xiaojun, Chen Cong, and Chen Menglin discussed how to recruit Ji Tiantian into the Chen Clan and agreed that Xiaojun should discreetly contact her family. After reconsidering the information, Xiaojun realized Ji Tiantian had moved to Chang'an Academy three years earlier.

• Chen Menglin and Chen Cong agreed Ji Tiantian's talent made her too valuable for the Chen Clan to give up on, while Chen Xiaojun cautioned that they must win her over willingly.
• Chen Xiaojun agreed to approach Ji Tiantian's family discreetly, and told Chen Cong that Chen Mu had gathered the information about her.
• Chen Xiaojun recalled that Ji Tiantian seemed drawn to the Chen Clan, admired him and his brothers, and collected his creative works, suggesting Xue Shiqiong was not opposed to the clan.
• Chen Xiaojun reviewed the information sheet and announced that Ji Tiantian had moved to Chang'an Academy three years earlier.

Chen Xiaojun explained his theory that Xue Chuxin and Xue Shiqiong moved near the Chen Clan so the clan would discover Ji Tiantian’s Seven Kill Sword lineage, while they were too afraid to reveal the truth themselves. Chen Cong entrusted him with the matter, and Chen Xiaojun decided to quietly assess the family’s intentions before telling the clan’s elders.

• Chen Xiaojun argued that Xue Chuxin and Xue Shiqiong had moved near Chang'an Academy hoping the Chen Clan would discover them, despite keeping their intentions unspoken.
• Chen Xiaojun speculated that Ji Tiantian’s awakening of the Seven Kill Sword four years earlier had changed the family’s plans and made them fear revealing Xue Shiqiong’s identity.
• Chen Xiaojun cited the Chen Clan’s gifts to Xue Chuxin and Xue Churan as signs that the clan was friendly and open to drawing closer.
• Chen Cong assigned Chen Xiaojun to handle the matter, and Chen Xiaojun chose to observe the family of three and Xue Chuxin before revealing anything to the elders.

Chen Xiaojun discussed Ma Wencai’s possible future as his follower and explained why the Chen Clan’s recent expenses were manageable. The chapter ended with the elders reporting casualties and injuries from the attack on the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market.

• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Cong and Chen Menglin that Ma Zhibin wanted Ma Wencai to become his follower, and he proposed accepting Ma Wencai provisionally while waiting to see whether his martial soul could evolve.
• Chen Cong and Chen Menglin agreed to leave Ma Wencai’s future in Chen Xiaojun’s hands, while Chen Xiaojun said joining the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Sha would require exceptional talent.
• Chen Menglin warned that compensation, donations, and other costs had consumed the Chen Clan’s surplus, but Chen Xiaojun argued that long-term investments and upcoming product sales would help replenish its funds.
• Chen Menglin reported that two or three hundred craftsmen and over a hundred Brocade Guard had been killed or wounded in the Heavenly Wolf market attack.
• Chen Menglin said Ma Zhaoyang and the Wolf Bandits Lord had both been injured before the bandits withdrew, and Chen Cong said Yunxiao would handle the remaining matters.

After the Wolf Bandits attacked the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market, Chen Xiaojun urged the Chen Clan to improve its defenses and create an Emergency Management Department. Before leaving, he secured Chen Cong’s Five Elements research and Soul Skill notes for Xiao Yi to study.

• Chen Menglin explained that the Moonlight Tribe’s Howling Moon Wolf Bandits, aided by Gale Wolf Bandits, had attacked the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market with a formidable force.
• Chen Xiaojun and the elders agreed to inspect and reinforce the clan’s markets, coordinate with the authorities, and warn other markets to prevent rumors and protect the clan’s partnerships.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed establishing an Emergency Management Department to oversee safety, prepare contingency plans, and organize emergency response and recovery.
• Chen Cong and Chen Menglin approved the proposal, and Chen Cong suggested coordinating the department with the Brocade Guard, Finance Department, and Trade and Supplies Department.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Chen Cong for Five Elements research for Xiao Yi, and Chen Cong directed him to retrieve his notes and Soul Skill concepts from a secret chamber.

Chen Xiaojun visited the courtyard and reunited with Liu Ruyan, Xiao Yi, and little Rourou, the young daughter of Chen Chen and Liu Yueyi. Rourou quickly warmed to Xiao Yi, and the chapter ended with Xiao Yi offering her snacks.

• Chen Xiaojun entered the courtyard and found Liu Ruyan, Xiao Yi, Su Ningxia, Gao Cuilan, and little Rourou chatting together.
• Rourou toddled over to Chen Xiaojun, who picked her up and explained that she was Chen Chen and Liu Yueyi's daughter.
• Rourou told Chen Xiaojun that Xiao Yi was pretty because of her sparkling eyes and sweet scent.
• Xiao Yi held Rourou on her lap and showed her a glimpse of her face beneath her veil.
• Chen Xiaojun teased Rourou by asking who was nicer, and she said both he and Xiao Yi were nice.
• Xiao Yi offered Rourou the snacks she pointed out, and Rourou happily accepted them.

Chen Xiaojun planned publicity to bolster the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market’s reputation and blunt the Crimson Church’s expected rumors. After learning his Sixth Uncle had returned, he arranged to visit him, then joined the others for a meal.

• Liu Ruyan brought new clothing designs for Xiao Yi, and Chen Xiaojun asked her to publicize the market’s victory over the Three Great Wolf Bandits Lord.
• Chen Xiaojun told Liu Ruyan to mix positive and negative reports to prepare for rumors from the Crimson Church and downplay the market’s losses.
• Liu Yueyi arrived to take Xiao Rourou home, and Chen Xiaojun learned that his Sixth Uncle had returned and was drinking with Eleventh Uncle.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Liu Yueyi to tell his Sixth Uncle that he would visit, and she left with Xiao Rourou.
• Zhu Wuneng called everyone to a lavish meal around a round table.

Chen Xiaojun approved Liu Ruyan’s celebrity endorsement proposal but warned her to proceed carefully. Liu Ruyan then described the Academy’s failed counterattack against the Wolf Bandits and the fear spreading after Dean Chen was injured.

• Chen Xiaojun approved the Publicity Division’s plan to recruit prominent figures to endorse Chen Clan products and cautioned Liu Ruyan about the risks.
• Liu Ruyan said Academy staff and students had been furious when the camp was overrun, but most had been prevented from joining the counterattack.
• Liu Ruyan recounted how Elder Zhuo led roughly two hundred people toward the Camp Passage, where thousands of Wolf Bandits and powerful beasts were waiting.
• Elder Zhuo and Elder Wang covered the retreat, and reinforcements helped most of the force escape, though He Qiang and Chen Ze were seriously injured.
• Liu Ruyan said news of Dean Chen’s injury further weakened the Academy’s morale and left everyone anxious.

Liu Ruyan told Chen Xiaojun that his mountain exploits had restored Chang'an Academy’s morale and made him its rising legend. With many senior students injured, the academy looked to Chen Xiaojun and the remaining team members for the upcoming Preliminary Qualifier, while Chang'an’s Golden Generation reflected the close cooperation between the academy and the great houses.

• Liu Ruyan praised Chen Xiaojun for rescuing teachers and students, devastating the Wolf Bandits, and killing the Wolf Bandits Lord, prompting Chen Mu, Chen Shurui, and Chen Bin to joke about sharing the credit and paying them.
• Liu Ruyan said the Preliminary Qualifier began on May 1 and that He Qiang, Chen Ze, Ji Boda, Chu Youwei, and probably Chu Youchu would be unable to compete because of their injuries.
• Liu Ruyan told Chen Xiaojun that she and Gu Wuyan were currently the only other available fighters, and praised Chen Mu’s strength despite his level 48 cultivation.
• Chang'an Academy’s Golden Generation consisted of seven starting members from the Chang'an Ten Great Houses, who received support from both the great houses and the Academy Faction.
• Chang'an Academy’s dangerous location near Chang'an Fortress and the Xieluo Mountains made cooperation between the Academy Faction and the Aristocratic Faction essential, as shown by their joint rescue and counterattack.

The chapter explained the different kinds of advanced academies, their funding and recruitment challenges, and why the Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament mattered to them. It ended by outlining Fasinuo Province’s twenty-one-academy round-robin format and the importance of managing a fifteen-member roster over the long competition.

• The chapter described how directly administered, privately run, and jointly operated academies differed in authority, resources, and culture.
• It explained that high costs and competition for talented students made recruitment a major challenge, especially for commandery-level academies.
• The academies treated the Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament as a chance to prove their strength, protect their reputations, and attract students.
• The directly administered academies favored a knockout format, while other academies pushed for a single round robin so teams would have more chances to compete.
• The chapter established that Fasinuo Province had twenty-one advanced academies, making the round robin last twenty days at one round of matches per day.
• Each team could register fifteen members, and academies had to manage starters and reserves to stay competitive throughout the tournament.

Liu Ruyan learned that Chen Xiaojun had the authority to select Chang'an Academy’s tournament roster, while the group discussed prospective team members. She asked Chen Xiaojun about his team strategy and plans for the preliminary qualifier, leaving the question unanswered.

• Xiao Yi served Liu Ruyan pork tripe chicken soup, and she praised the Duke’s Mansion’s cooks and their distinctive methods.
• Zhu Wuneng counted eleven prospective participants and said the team needed two more to fill the roster.
• Liu Ruyan wondered whether Gao Cuilan and Ma Wencai were strong enough for the advanced tournament, and Chen Mu explained that Ma Wencai had reached level thirty-seven and possessed two soul bones.
• Chen Mu told Liu Ruyan that the academy had given Chen Xiaojun the right to submit the final roster.
• Liu Ruyan asked Chen Xiaojun about his team-building approach and plans for the preliminary qualifier.

Chen Xiaojun explained his plans for the Preliminary Qualifier, aiming to preserve Chang'an Academy’s control-and-rapid-attack style while improving teamwork around Xiao Yi. He considered Ji Bochang for the lineup, then stunned everyone by announcing that Gao Cuilan would be the Primary Controller.

• Chen Xiaojun told Liu Ruyan that the team would use the Preliminary Qualifier to prepare for later rounds and integrate Xiao Yi with the existing lineup.
• Liu Ruyan assessed possible replacements for the rapid attackers and suggested that Ji Bochang could fill Ji Boda’s position.
• Chen Xiaojun agreed to let Ji Bochang train with Xiao Yi and the others to see whether he could adapt to their fighting style.
• Liu Ruyan inferred that Xiao Yi would eventually become the Primary Controller, but Chen Xiaojun said Xiao Yi would not handle control during the Preliminary Qualifier.
• Chen Xiaojun announced that Gao Cuilan would serve as the Primary Controller, leaving her and the others stunned.

Chen Xiaojun warned his team not to underestimate their rivals and proposed concealing their true strength with flexible tactics. He revealed that his brother and Ximen Chuixue possessed a powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill, leaving the team shaken by the competition ahead.

• Chen Xiaojun proposed using deliberate misdirection and adaptable tactics, and Gao Cuilan pledged to contribute her family’s secret techniques despite her lower soul power.
• Chen Xiaojun rebuked the team’s overconfidence, reminding them that their rivals were also growing stronger and that his injured Upper Soul Nest limited his ability to fight prolonged battles.
• Chen Xiaojun listed formidable opponents from Spirit Hall, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Moonlight Academy, Sword Rain Academy, and Soul Fighting Academy, prompting the team to take the competition more seriously.
• Chen Xiaojun revealed that his brother and Ximen Chuixue had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that had reached at least Soul Saint-level strength, and the team fell silent under the pressure.

Chen Xiaojun and his companions responded to news that the Soul Fighting Academy had another Martial Soul Fusion Skill by rallying for the tournament and discussing their lineup. After the feast, Chen Xiaojun sent Gao Cuilan a calling card to arrange a visit to her family in three days.

• Chen Xiaojun revealed that the Soul Fighting Academy knew the Seven Kill Sword well and possessed another Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Baxia, but Xiao Yi's calm and his companions' resolve helped steady the group.
• Liu Ruyan and Wuyan withdrew from the preliminary qualifier lineup so Liu Ruyan could focus on the Publicity Division, and the group discussed finding three replacements.
• Liu Ruyan recommended Severn Neal, a defensive Soul Master from the Academy Faction, and Chen Xiaojun agreed that the team should choose candidates carefully.
• After Liu Ruyan left, Chen Xiaojun asked Zhu Wuneng to fetch a calling card and gave it to Gao Cuilan, asking her to tell her family he would visit her grandfather and father in three days.

Chen Xiaojun and Chen Mu discussed how they learned about Xue Shiqiong and Senior Chuxin’s relationship, then assessed Soul Fighting Academy and the tournament’s other threats. Chen Xiaojun hinted that someone would come to them the next day with information.

• Chen Mu explained that he had sent Uncle Yuqi to eavesdrop on Madam Xue and Senior Chuxin, and Chen Xiaojun confirmed that Uncle Yuqi would keep their secrets.
• Chen Xiaojun reflected on the older students’ pride and discussed Soul Fighting Academy’s rare tournament appearances and its past loss to a Spirit Hall genius.
• Chen Xiaojun admitted that beating Soul Fighting Academy depended on his recovery and Xiao Yi’s performance, and warned that the opposing team’s martial souls and tactics made them formidable.
• Chen Xiaojun said they needed to verify information from many sources and hinted that someone would come to them the next day, leaving Chen Mu curious.