Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiaojun proposed more specialized academies and expanded suppliers to meet the Brocade Guard’s growing needs. Zhu Yanfeng agreed to work with the Gao Family on an Animal Husbandry Academy, while the Yang Family committed people to the Brocade Guard.

• Chen Xiaojun proposed a Forging Academy to secure the Brocade Guard’s supply of weapons and armor, and Ling Yunxiao said the Forging Alliance had reacted calmly to the attack on the Wolf Forging Market.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Zhu Yanfeng whether the Zhu and Gao Families could supply enough soul beast meat, and Zhu Yanfeng admitted their current production was insufficient.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed that the Zhu Family and Gao Family establish an Animal Husbandry Academy with the Animal Husbandry Association, and Zhu Yanfeng agreed to discuss it with Old Gao.
• The Chen Clan spoke with the Yang Family about supporting the Brocade Guard, and the Yang Family decided to commit a considerable number of people to it.

Chen Xiaojun outlined plans for specialized academies and a university city near Chang'an, adding a Scout Academy to the proposal. The discussion ended with Zhu Yanfeng arguing that the Animal Husbandry Academy should also be built at Zhongnan Mountain.

• Chen Xiaojun urged Yang Bu'er and the Dugu Family to cooperate on poison warfare and establish a Poison Master Academy, with a Poison Master Research Institute as an alternative.
• Chen Xiaojun said a Poison Master Academy could recruit poison masters for the Brocade Guard, and Yang Bu'er pledged the Yang Family's support.
• Cheng Nanxing proposed a Scout Academy, and Chen Xiaojun agreed to ask Xue Chuxin to help establish it or build it himself.
• Chen Xiaojun planned to place several academies beside Chang'an Academy and develop a satellite University City near Zhongnan Mountain for safety, learning, and revenue.
• Zhu Yanfeng insisted the Animal Husbandry Academy should be built at Zhongnan Mountain, citing its plateaus and rivers as suitable land.

Chen Xiaojun proposed creating an Organization Department to manage recruitment, while Chen Xun recommended appointing Chen Hua to lead it and moving the Brocade Guard’s northern training base to Glazed Tile City. Chen Zixiu then questioned Chen Xiaojun about his values and approach to leadership, leaving the clan with his vision of Confucian duty.

• Chen Xiaojun urged the clan to establish an Organization Department, and Chen Zixiu put large-scale recruitment and the four academies in his hands.
• Chen Xun recommended that Chen Hua lead the Organization Department and that Chen Qingrui replace him as Coordination Envoy in Soul Fighting City.
• Chen Xun proposed building the Brocade Guard’s northern training base in Glazed Tile City, and Chen Zixiu approved the arrangement.
• Chen Zixiu asked Chen Xiaojun about his identity, leadership, work, and view of the world, and Chen Xiaojun answered with principles of virtue, teamwork, perseverance, and composure.
• Chen Xiaojun described Confucianism as cultivating oneself, ordering the household, governing the clan, and bringing peace to the world.

Chen Zixiu praised Chen Xiaojun’s insights and appointed Chen Xun acting Deputy Clan Chief, naming him heir to the Sword Hero title. He also assigned leadership roles across the Chen clan’s departments, leaving its restructuring underway.

• Chen Zixiu praised Chen Xiaojun’s character, ambitions, and answers before the gathered clan members.
• Chen Zixiu appointed Chen Xun acting Deputy Clan Chief and designated him to inherit the Sword Hero title after the Clan Assembly’s confirmation.
• Chen Zixiu elevated Chen Xiaojun to Young Master, gave him authority equal to the Deputy Clan Chief, and appointed him Economic Management Department Minister.
• Chen Zixiu assigned Mu Lingyun, Chen Hua, Ling Yunxiao, Chen Chen, and Chen Cong to lead or continue work in their respective departments.
• Chen Zixiu ordered Chen Qiujun to bring Chenghui back to head Sword Rain Academy and oversee the academy and southern Branch Lines.
• Chen Zixiu assigned leaders for the External Relations, Education, Intelligence, Medical, and Internal Affairs departments, and placed Xiao Rong in charge of the Clan School.

Chen Zixiu finalized Chen Xun’s succession arrangements and directed the family to begin the Sunset Glow Plan’s final step. As the family prepared to return to the Village, Bo Xian'er insisted on retaliation against the Crimson Stronghold, and they learned that Qingyun’s return had been delayed by the Crimson Church.

• Chen Zixiu assigned Chen Hong to oversee the transition and clan departments, named Yu Jinghan to lead the Cultural Records Department, and ordered Chen Menglin to replace Hong at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and reassure the Northern Branch Lines.
• The elders unanimously accepted Chen Zixiu’s arrangements, and he approved the final step of the Sunset Glow Plan, ordering Chen Qiujun to bring Feng Tonglong back to the Village while guarding the Wind Sword Sect.
• Chen Zixiu told Chen Xun and his grandmother to return to the Village, while he planned to visit someone first; he also told Chen Xiaojun not to rely on Titled Douluo protection and promised to send help if the Crimson Stronghold was found.
• Bo Xian'er volunteered to lead an attack on the Crimson Stronghold to avenge Chen Yu, but Chen Zixiu promised to handle retaliation himself.
• Cheng Nanxing told Bo Xian'er that Qingyun had been informed of Chen Yu’s condition, but the Crimson Church’s trouble had delayed her planned return.

Chen Xiaojun learned that the Heaven-Knowing Tower had released special editions of the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking and an illustrated album of the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins. The album and posters had become an overnight sensation, while the story left the rankings’ subjects being celebrated across Tianshi City.

• Zhu Wuneng brought Chen Xiaojun the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking Secondary List and the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins album.
• Zhu Wuneng described the principal hairpins, and Chen Xiaojun learned that Zhu Wuxin and Su Ningxia appeared among the secondary hairpins.
• The chapter explained that all twelve principal hairpins ranked in the top fifty, while Zhu Wuxin ranked fifty-third and Ling Xinyao ranked forty-ninth.
• Gao Cuilan admired Su Ningxia’s portrait, and Zhu Wuneng praised the album’s depiction of Xiao Yi.
• Zhu Wuneng reported that Tianshi City had also released group and individual posters, which were selling rapidly.

Chen Xiaojun examined the luxury album and saw that Xiao Yi had only one solo portrait, while artists had made her a light-and-shadow silhouette in the group portrait of the twelve Principal Hairpins. The image, titled “Eyes That Looked Down Upon All Living Beings,” became a sensation and intensified excitement for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

• Chen Xiaojun leafed through the album and noted how the number and style of portraits varied among the ranked beauties.
• The artists had struggled to depict Xiao Yi because Tianshi City had provided only a brief description and Chen Xiaojun had requested an emphasis on artistic conception.
• Artists placed Xiao Yi above the twelve Principal Hairpins as a light-and-shadow silhouette with star-bright eyes in the group portrait.
• After their discussions failed to resolve how to portray Xiao Yi, the artists adopted a minimalist design proposed by a person of considerable standing.
• Over the following months, the portrait became widely discussed, fueled speculation about Xiao Yi's identity, and heightened anticipation for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
• Tianshi City preserved the original group portrait, which later became a world-renowned masterpiece.

Chen Xiaojun reflected on how the Chen Clan’s resources and training had helped its members dominate the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking. He focused on Yue Qingsi, the Chrysanthemum-Picking Girl of the Yue Family, and considered how her family’s chrysanthemum heritage might connect to Yue Guan.

• Chen Xiaojun’s influence on the Chen Clan’s rise was credited with helping six women reach the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking and strengthening the family’s influence.
• Gao Cuilan and Su Ningxia admired the serene bearing of the Chrysanthemum-Picking Girl, whom Chen Xiaojun identified as Yue Qingsi.
• Chen Xiaojun reviewed Yue Qingsi’s background as a talented Yue Family cultivator whose rare Reaching for the Moon from the Ninth Heaven Chrysanthemum Martial Soul led her to Moonlight Academy and the Moon Palace.
• Chen Xiaojun suspected that Yue Guan came from a collateral branch of the Yue Family and that its inherited knowledge had helped him transform his Martial Soul after consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

The group reviewed the supplementary Heavenly Prodigy Ranking, and Chen Xiaojun reassured Gao Cuilan after she felt hurt that her name was missing. Dugu Fu and Xiao Yi returned, and Chen Xiaojun warmly embraced Xiao Yi.

• Zhu Wuneng pointed out that Chen Ze and Chu Youwei had made the supplementary ranking, and Chen Xiaojun noted that many Soul Kings appeared on it.
• Chen Xiaojun noticed Gao Cuilan’s subdued mood and explained that her recent rise to level forty-two had not yet reached the ranking’s compilers.
• Zhu Wuneng praised Gao Cuilan and their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but his words deepened her hurt; she resolved to prove herself in the provincial tournament.
• Dugu Fu arrived and tussled playfully with Zhu Wuneng before Chen Xiaojun spotted Xiao Yi.
• Chen Xiaojun embraced Xiao Yi, relieved that she had returned after being away for several days.

Chen Xiaojun and his companions discussed the Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family joining the clan before Zhu Wuneng showed them Tianshi City's portraits of the Twelve Golden Hairpins. Xiao Yi accepted her first-place ranking with confidence, while Chen Xiaojun worried that the portrait might draw unwanted attention and hoped to keep her identity secret.

• Chen Xiaojun explained that Third Granduncle and Dugu Fu's grandfather were meeting privately about the Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family joining the clan.
• Zhu Wuneng showed the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins art book, and Dugu Fu fixated on Ma Yin Qi's portrait and joked about pursuing her.
• Su Ningxia warned Xiao Yi that her first-place portrait could attract resentment and trouble, and Xiao Yi replied that they should simply crush anyone who came after her.
• Xiao Yi said Chen Yanwu and their own people were exceptions, prompting Chen Xiaojun to wonder whether her words hinted at something about Xixi.
• Chen Xiaojun admitted that his drawing advice may have led the artists to depict Xiao Yi so prominently, and he said they would keep her ranking secret as long as possible.

Chen Xiaojun and his companions discussed keeping Xiao Yi’s abilities secret during the Elite Tournament, then learned more about her Simulation skill and branching martial souls. The chapter ended with Dugu Fu realizing that Xiao Yi might be able to reveal six martial souls at once.

• Chen Xiaojun said the team would hide Xiao Yi’s identity through the first two tournament rounds to limit opponents’ chances to prepare countermeasures.
• Dugu Fu worried that Ice Douluo Bo Dongchen might have seen through Xiao Yi in Ice Seal City, but Chen Xiaojun said they would handle any trouble if it arose.
• Xiao Yi confirmed that her trip went smoothly and demonstrated her level 51 soul power and changed soul-ring colors, showing that she had inherited the Ice Soul Dream Vine’s Simulation ability.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that the Falling Star Vine was one of Xiao Yi’s branching vines and that Simulation concealed the aura of her Immortal Evergreen Vine.
• Xiao Yi said she was learning to use her branching martial souls together, though the technique required control and consumed enormous soul power.
• Dugu Fu realized that Xiao Yi might be able to release her main body and all five branching martial souls, potentially revealing six martial souls.

Chen Xiaojun realized Xiao Yi could benefit from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s Heart Separation Control and planned to ask the Ning family to teach her. After hearing Dugu Fu recount their trip to Ice Seal City, Chen Xiaojun suspected the cave held a vein of profound ice marrow and that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was already exceptionally powerful, so he resolved to investigate.

• Chen Xiaojun proposed asking the Ning family to teach Xiao Yi Heart Separation Control and considered learning it himself to control his six divine swords.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Dugu Fu to describe the group’s experiences in Ice Seal City, and Dugu Fu recounted them.
• Chen Xiaojun connected the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s history with the profound ice marrow ore and suspected a mineral vein lay near the cave Xiao Yi had visited.
• Chen Xiaojun reasoned that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm might already have surpassed a hundred thousand years of cultivation and could become a powerful Soul Ring.
• Chen Xiaojun decided to investigate the cave and the surrounding area himself.

Chen Xiaojun warned his companions not to underestimate the Ice Palace’s geniuses, especially Bo Huaiyu and Ji Bingyan. He left them alert to the Ice Palace’s hidden strength and its powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

• Xiao Yi said Zhan Ruoxi had become more flexible in combat and was increasingly resistant to her soul art, and Chen Xiaojun noted that Zhan Ruoxi was learning from defeat.
• Chen Xiaojun cautioned Zhu Wuneng that Zhan Ruoxi’s rapid improvement made her more dangerous than he assumed.
• Chen Xiaojun pointed out that Dugu Fu had not defeated Ji Bingyan and asked whether she had used inherited skills; Dugu Fu admitted she had not.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Bo Huaiyu’s Bo Family wielded the powerful Ice Yi Sword, and warned that Bo Huaiyu’s strength could rival the Heavenly Prodigy Main Ranking.
• Chen Xiaojun warned that the Ice Palace had many formidable martial souls and possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, which he planned to investigate.

Chen Xiaojun gave Dugu Fu the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen, a Ninth-Grade Treasure Medicine meant to strengthen his cold poison and soul skills. The chapter ended with Chen Xiaojun warning Dugu Fu to absorb it carefully under his grandfather’s supervision.

• Dugu Fu reminded Chen Xiaojun of his promise to give him the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen after he obtained his fourth soul ring.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Dugu Fu had absorbed the Flame-Heart Apricot-Jiao Spirit three years earlier and was now ready for the complementary treasure medicine.
• Chen Xiaojun gave Dugu Fu the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen, and Dugu Fu thanked him.
• Dugu Fu and Zhu Wuneng discussed how the herb might affect Dugu Fu’s soul skills and teased each other about their strength.
• Chen Xiaojun told Dugu Fu to absorb the herb in the cultivation room after dinner with his grandfather standing guard, and Dugu Fu agreed to be careful.

After Zhu Wuneng fled Dugu Fu’s teasing, Gao Cuilan confronted him and confessed how deeply she loved him after waiting for three years. She demanded to know whether he hated her, while Zhu Wuneng remained silent and their friends watched helplessly.

• Dugu Fu teased Zhu Wuneng about his relationship with Gao Cuilan, and Zhu Wuneng angrily ran outside with Gao Cuilan chasing after him.
• Chen Xiaojun and Su Ningxia suggested Zhu Wuneng might be troubled by private worries, and Dugu Fu resolved to apologize once he had calmed down.
• Gao Cuilan stopped Zhu Wuneng at the gate and listed the many things she had come to love about him, including his warmth and his devotion to protecting others.
• Gao Cuilan tearfully told Zhu Wuneng that her feelings were real and demanded that he say outright if he hated her.
• Dugu Fu, Chen Xiaojun, and Su Ningxia watched with guilt and distress as Zhu Wuneng stayed silent, while Xiao Yi remained calm.

Zhu Wuneng confronted his insecurity about Gao Cuilan’s devotion, then learned she had secretly intercepted his love letters to keep other girls away. Just as the couple reconciled, Xiao Yi approached Gao Cuilan with an unexpected offer.

• Zhu Wuneng told Gao Cuilan he feared he was unworthy of her, but she declared that she had chosen him for life.
• Chen Mu and the others encouraged Zhu Wuneng to accept Gao Cuilan’s feelings and stop dwelling on his flaws.
• Su Ningxia revealed that Gao Cuilan had intercepted Zhu Wuneng’s love letters, and Gao admitted she had kept them from girls who might rival her.
• Zhu Wuneng realized he had misunderstood the situation, thanked Gao Cuilan, and placed his hand over hers with Chen Mu’s help.
• Xiao Yi released her powerful aura, then asked Gao Cuilan whether she would be willing to become her Follower.

Xiao Yi accepted Gao Cuilan as her follower, and Dugu Fu used the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen to transform his martial soul. The chapter ended with his Jade-Scaled Snake advancing to an eighth-rank martial soul.

• Xiao Yi offered Gao Cuilan a place among her followers, and Gao Cuilan eagerly accepted.
• Chen Xiaojun welcomed Gao Cuilan into the group and said they would hold a ceremony after she informed her family.
• Dugu Fu consumed the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen and used his poison cultivation art to absorb its cold poison alongside the Flame-Heart Apricot-Jiao Spirit's fire poison.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that the combined poisons were driving a transformation of Dugu Fu's martial soul through a five-elements cycle.
• Dugu Fu's Jade-Scaled Snake emerged from the mist with five colored lines and reached eighth rank.

After taking the Ice-Crystal Star-Anise Stamen, Dugu Fu’s martial soul evolved to eighth grade, his resistance to poison improved, and his innate soul power reached level 9.2. Chen Xiaojun explained that Dugu Fu still needed wood- and fire-attribute poisonous beasts to complete his Five Elements Poison Technique, but he might eventually advance to a ninth-grade or even king martial soul.

• Dugu Lin recognized that Dugu Fu’s martial soul had become eighth grade and that his constitution better resisted its toxicity.
• Chen Xiaojun had Dugu Fu test his innate soul power, revealing a level of 9.2.
• Dugu Lin thanked Chen Xiaojun, delighted by Dugu Fu’s improved prospects and the Dugu Family’s chance to gain a Titled Douluo.
• Chen Xiaojun warned that Dugu Fu’s Five Elements Poison Technique remained incomplete because his wood and fire poison lacked supporting soul skills.
• Dugu Fu agreed he needed wood- and fire-attribute poisonous beasts, and Chen Xiaojun said completing the technique could raise his martial soul to ninth grade or possibly king grade.

Dugu Fu named his evolved Martial Soul the Xiu Snake and tested his improved strength against Zhu Wuneng in a hand-to-hand spar that ended in a draw. Chen Xiaojun then recommended new martial skills for both of them.

• Dugu Fu asked for a new name for his five-colored Martial Soul, and Chen Xiaojun suggested the Xiu Snake, which Dugu Fu accepted.
• Dugu Fu and Zhu Wuneng sparred at the No. 5 Small Practice Ground using only fists and feet, and their match ended in a draw.
• Dugu Lin and Yang Bu'er remarked on Dugu Fu's improved strength and fighting skill after his ice-and-fire body tempering.
• Chen Xiaojun recommended the Fire-Cloud Cold-Ice Palm and Fierce-Yang Wind-Snow Saber for Dugu Fu, with their costs deducted from his personal points.
• Chen Xiaojun advised Zhu Wuneng to learn the Nine Yang Thunderclap Divine Palm while continuing to practice the Heart-Shattering Palm.

Chen Xiaojun advised Yang Bu'er on cultivation techniques and martial skills suited to the Yang Family's Soul Breaking Spear and its offensive style. He recommended several options, including defensive and healing techniques, leaving Yang Bu'er to weigh how to spend the family's selection allowance.

• Yang Bu'er asked Chen Xiaojun to recommend cultivation techniques and martial skills for the Yang Family.
• Chen Xiaojun recommended the Stars Formless Canon, Flame Breathing Technique, and Bone-Marrow Refining Chapter, explaining their benefits for the clan.
• Chen Xiaojun urged Yang Bu'er to consider the Golden Bell Shield for defense and survival, since the Yang Family lacked strong defensive skills.
• Chen Xiaojun also suggested the Healing Chapter to treat hidden injuries and Five-String Plucking to improve the finger dexterity needed to wield the Soul Breaking Spear.