Chapter Summaries

Wounded and sealed, Xiao Yi fought alongside Wang Baoqiang and the others against Yang Yanlang’s Blood Spear Formation. She stopped its final spear attack with the Jiang Mo Seal, but the ensuing explosion blasted her out of the arena, where Chen Xiaojun caught her as she collapsed after spitting blood.

• Xiao Yi attacked the Blood Spear Formation while Wang Baoqiang harried its defenses, and the formation’s shield began to crack under their combined assault.
• Yang Yanlang and Qin Huameng stabilized the formation with spear techniques and the Thousand Mechanisms Guidance Secret Art, while Xiao Yi’s vines and the Chen Clan’s sword qi challenged the formation’s attacks.
• Yang Yanlang unleashed the Nine Soul-Burying Spears and then Heaven and Earth Share the Same Lifespan, summoning a powerful blood dragon spear toward Xiao Yi.
• Zhu Wuneng shielded Xiao Yi but was knocked down, and Chen Bin and Chen Shurui weakened the spear with their Azure Sea Heavenly Swords.
• Xiao Yi used the Jiang Mo Seal to freeze and seal the blood dragon spear, but Yang Yanlang’s ensuing explosion blasted her out of the arena.
• Chen Xiaojun caught Xiao Yi as she landed outside the arena, and she spat blood before collapsing into his arms.

Chang'an Academy's match schedule was listed alongside academy rankings and the rules for the draw. Chang'an Academy was scheduled to open against Changyu Academy, receive a bye in Match 11, and finish against Canghui Academy in Match 21.

• The academies were divided into ranked tiers of three for the draw.
• The top three academies received fixed positions and designated rounds for facing one another.
• Chang'an Academy was assigned Changyu Academy as its opponent in Match 1.
• Chang'an Academy received a bye in Match 11.
• Chang'an Academy was assigned Canghui Academy as its opponent in Match 21.

Xiao Yi’s hidden parasitic spores incapacitated Qing Lin Academy’s fighters and broke the Blood Spear Formation, giving Chang’an Academy the victory despite her own injuries. The chapter ends with Qin Xihui and Qin Ximing discussing the formation’s flaws and the need for their family to keep advancing.

• Xiao Yi activated the Life Vine spores that drained the Qing Lin Team’s soul power and life force, leaving its fighters incapacitated and breaking the Blood Spear Formation.
• Qin Huameng fainted from the formation’s backlash, while Yang Yanlang admitted that the team had no strength left for another attack.
• Chen Xiaojun tried to carry Xiao Yi to the infirmary, but she refused because people were watching as the referee ended the match.
• Chang’an fans celebrated the victory and praised Xiao Yi’s control, while discussing the strength of both teams and the tournament ahead.
• Qin Xihui reviewed his notes with Qin Ximing, identifying weaknesses in the Blood Spear Formation and discussing its prospects at the National Semifinals.

After Chen Xiao Yi was badly injured in Chang'an Academy’s victory over the Blood Spear Formation, Chen Xiaojun arranged help to speed her recovery and planned the team’s next match against Starfall. The chapter ended with Yang Yanlang apologizing for injuring her and Chen Xiaojun warning him not to do it again.

• Qin Ximing urged Qin Xihui to cultivate harder and promised him priority access to resources from the Main Family.
• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Mu that Chen Xiao Yi would need about ten days to recover from the Blood Spear Formation’s lingering blood-fiend force, while several other teammates were also injured.
• Chen Xiaojun and Chen Mu planned to face Starfall with the available fighters, using control against control.
• Qin Xihui and Yang Tiexin offered to draw the blood-fiend force out of Chen Xiao Yi using their inherited method.
• Chen Xiaojun summoned Shi Yuan and Ru Yan to assist Chen Xiao Yi’s recovery.
• Yang Yanlang apologized for failing to restrain himself in the arena, and Chen Xiaojun accepted the apology while warning him that a repeat offense would bring double punishment.

Chen Xiaojun let the Yang Family's offense go and reviewed the Provincial Tournament's academy rankings as the matches reshaped the competition. Chang'an Academy debuted its TT Soul Skill Chain-Passing Tactic against Starfall Academy and won after a ten-minute battle.

• Chen Xiaojun decided not to pursue severe punishment for Yang Yanlang after the Yang Family apologized and Xiao Yi's recovery was no longer at risk.
• The chapter described Fasno's Three-Seven Phenomenon, the regional strengths of the academies, and how the Zhu siblings' Soul King breakthroughs helped Ping'an Academy rise.
• Qing Lin Academy's Blood Spear Formation impressed its rivals, while Canghui Academy defeated Heavenly Peak Academy and Yellow Emperor Academy beat Heavenly Wolf Academy.
• Ping'an Academy defeated Marseille Academy under Zhu Luoxi's leadership, despite Zhu Mobai sitting out because of his injuries.
• Chen Xiaojun replaced Mei Jibo with Ma Wencai, completing Chang'an Academy's lineup for its match against Starfall Academy.
• Chang'an Academy used chained control skills and Chen Mu's targeted attacks to wear down Starfall Academy and win its longest match of the tournament.

Chang'an Academy defeated Starfall Academy before the tournament’s ninth round ended, while Xiao Yi recovered from her injuries and Chen Mu prepared to face Yuesi Academy. The chapter left Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng ready to fight in the eagerly awaited summit clash.

• Chen Mu used Darkness Without Daylight to break Starfall Academy’s defenses, and Chang'an Academy won after Starfall’s final assault injured Wang Baoqiang.
• Five Mountains Academy defeated Glimmerstone Academy in the ninth round, and most teams conserved their strength for the next round.
• Chen Xiaojun visited the recovering Xiao Yi and insisted that she rest for a week despite her confidence that she would recover sooner.
• Chen Xiaojun teased Chen Mu over wine in the courtyard, and Chen Mu declared that he was ready to prove himself against a formidable opponent.
• Chang'an Academy faced Yuesi Academy in the tenth-round clash, and Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng exchanged courteous challenges before their match.

Chen Mu overwhelmed Yang Yanyu with a rapid series of sword techniques, but Zhong Weifeng intervened as the teams spread into separate clashes across the arena. After Sheng Yingying healed Yang Yanyu, he launched a fierce spear attack at Su Ningxia, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Chen Mu struck Yang Yanyu with a rapid combination of sword and lightning techniques, driving him back and injuring his shoulder.
• Zhong Weifeng hurled his Golden Bell at Chen Mu, who dodged and wounded Yang Yanyu with Light Through the Clouds and Lesser Hidden Sword.
• Zhong Weifeng took over against Chen Mu and told Yang Yanyu to stop Su Ningxia, who was circling toward Sheng Yingying.
• Chen Shurui and Chen Bin fought Yue Pan and Yue Que, while Dugu Fu and Ma Wencai attacked Bai Ye and Gao Cuilan approached Du Qingling.
• Sheng Yingying healed Yang Yanyu, who leapt into the air and unleashed his fourth soul skill, Shatter, against Su Ningxia.

Su Ningxia revealed the Mark during her battle with Yang Yanyu, raising her soul power from level 46 to level 51. Elsewhere in the arena, the teams’ clashes escalated as Du Qingling and Zhong Weifeng created a new combined attack, while a golden and silver dragon-phoenix shield blocked the sound waves.

• Su Ningxia exchanged saber and spear strikes with Yang Yanyu, who used his soul skills to shatter her cloud barrier and press his attack.
• Su Ningxia revealed the Mark, causing her soul power to surge from level 46 to level 51 as Chen Xiaojun allowed the display.
• Su Ningxia and Yang Yanyu fought for several minutes without either gaining the upper hand.
• Sheng Yingying moved forward to extend her healing field, and Dugu Fu charged toward her while Du Qingling trapped him and Gao Cuilan in Ice Prison Corridor.
• Zhong Weifeng combined Dog's Mouth and Golden Bell Shockwave with Du Qingling's ice formation to create Ice-Bell Magic Domain.
• A golden and silver dragon-phoenix shield appeared and blocked the sound waves.

The battle intensified as Gao Cuilan and Du Qingling faced devastating attacks from Zhong Weifeng and Dugu Fu. Chen Mu blunted Zhong Weifeng’s assault, while Ma Wencai and Dugu Fu struck back; the fight ended with both Gao Cuilan and Du Qingling gravely wounded and out of the battle.

• Zhong Weifeng unleashed his Soul Bell Shockwave Explosion, and Gao Cuilan barely held her barrier against the attack while Du Qingling’s formation amplified its force.
• Chen Mu used Great Sound Has No Voice to swallow much of the bell’s sound, then attacked Zhong Weifeng with Darkness Without Daylight, forcing him to defend with Serpent Body.
• Dugu Fu struck the Ice Prison Corridor with his Little Five Elements Tyrannical Poison Palm, damaging the ice pillars and poisoning Du Qingling.
• Sheng Yingying healed Du Qingling and suppressed her poison as Dugu Fu intercepted Bai Ye and Ma Wencai combined his soul-bone powers with Dugu Fu’s poison to attack Du Qingling.
• Du Qingling countered with Frost Blossom Prism and Sheng Yingying’s Sun and Moon in the Pot barrier, but Ma Wencai’s attack shattered her defenses and sent her crashing across the paving, leaving her gravely wounded alongside Gao Cuilan.

The Chen brothers and the Yuesi Academy fighters escalated their battles as Yue Pan and Yue Que revealed a powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The giant Mysterious Water Corrosive-Shell Turtle stunned the spectators and deepened the other academies’ fears of Yuesi Academy.

• Bai Ye struck Ma Wencai from behind after Ma Wencai exhausted most of his soul power with Mountain-Crushing Yue-Shaking Strike, and Ma Wencai collapsed.
• Dugu Fu trapped Bai Ye and his Phantom Shadow Clones in Ice-Jade Cold-Ice Formation, then fought on with regret over Gao Cuilan and Ma Wencai’s injuries.
• Chen Bin and Chen Shurui struggled to break through Yue Pan and Yue Que’s defenses, then combined their soul powers into a light-and-dark sword attack aimed at Yue Que.
• Yue Pan and Yue Que activated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill and transformed into a giant Mysterious Water Corrosive-Shell Turtle, whose domain began dissolving the brothers’ attack.
• The Chen brothers detonated their sword shadow to blast open a gap in the Mysterious Water Barrier, while Wang Wei recognized the turtle and accused Yue Qiansong and Yue Lexing of concealing their connection to the fighters.
• Lian Changzhi and the other academy leaders grew worried about Yuesi Academy’s strength, and Lian Changzhi compared Yueyang Academy to a close blood relative rather than a mere branch.

Yue Qiansong defended Yuesi Academy’s ties to other schools and denied that his family had any connection to the Xuanming Sect, though he admitted the relationship was not friendly. As the academy leaders discussed Yuesi’s hopes of qualifying for the expanded finals, Wang Wei warned that powerful organizations were scouting the tournament and reminded Yue that Royal Heaven Dou Academy had a second team.

• Yue Qiansong acknowledged that Yuesi Academy had helped found Yueyang Academy, then accused other leaders of maintaining similar branch-school networks.
• Zhong Feng pressed Yue Qiansong about his family’s connection to the Xuanming Sect, and Yue denied any connection before admitting the relationship was not friendly.
• Lu Jingcheng accused Yue Qiansong of using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill to raise Yuesi Academy’s profile, while Yue said he hoped to bring honor to the Northern Four Commanderies.
• Wang Wei noted that the expanded finals offered eight qualifying spots, and Zhong Feng and Yang Guisan said their commanderies had never qualified before.
• Lian Changzhi considered fielding two main lineups for Canghui Academy, while Wang Wei warned that scouts from more than a dozen outside organizations were watching the tournament.
• Wang Wei revealed that Royal Heaven Dou Academy had sent scouts connected to the Blackbird Bureau and reminded Yue Qiansong that Team One had a second team, making Yue tighten his grip on his pipe.

The Chen brothers battled Yue Pan and Yue Que’s Mysterious Water Corrosive-Armored Turtle, combining their light and dark powers to break through its defenses. Their final attack destroyed the turtle’s armor, but its rebound wounded them all, leaving both sides unconscious and the battle undecided.

• Yue Pan and Yue Que trapped the Chen brothers inside a rock prison and attacked them with poisonous rain.
• Chen Bin and Chen Shurui formed a Light-Dark Shield Wall that withstood the turtle’s corrosive attacks.
• The Chen brothers unleashed a Light-Dark Sword Vortex, but the turtle’s blood armor and regenerative abilities blunted the strike.
• Chen Shurui and Chen Bin fused their left arm soul bone skills into a black-and-white greatsword that tore through the Mysterious Water Barrier and shattered the turtle’s shell.
• The turtle’s shell rebounded fragments of the attack through the brothers’ damaged shield, and all four men collapsed unconscious, leaving the battle without a winner.

Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng fought fiercely as both teams’ strongest fighters, while the match left several combatants unconscious. Zhong Weifeng unleashed three secret arts to repel Chen Mu, and their decisive clash remained unresolved.

• Su Ningxia and Yang Yanyu wounded each other, but Chen Mu ambushed Yang Yanyu and knocked him unconscious.
• Zhong Weifeng used his Golden Bell attack to defeat Dugu Fu and send him unconscious.
• Chen Mu attacked Zhong Weifeng, but Zhong Weifeng’s Fish Scales shield deflected the Seven Kill Sword and his Eagle Claw forced Chen Mu backward.
• Zhong Weifeng summoned whirling scales around himself as the battle between him and Chen Mu entered its most dangerous stage.

Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng traded fierce attacks as their duel became the deciding fight in the competition. Elsewhere, Su Ningxia battled Bai Ye and Sheng Yingying while the badly injured competitors fought for their lives, and the outcome remained uncertain.

• Zhong Weifeng put away the Primordial Yellow Bell, turned his scales into a storm of azure fish, and then fused them to his arms as shields to attack Chen Mu at close range.
• Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng fought at close quarters, with Chen Mu targeting gaps in Zhong Weifeng’s defenses and Zhong Weifeng pressing his balanced offense and protection.
• Yan Nanfei told Chen Xiaojun that Cui Lan, Wencai, Xiao Fu, Xiao Bin, and Shurui were critically injured and that the healers were struggling to save them.
• Su Ningxia pursued Bai Ye and Sheng Yingying, but Bai Ye’s attacks and Sheng Yingying’s healing and evasive movements kept her from breaking through.
• Su Ningxia ignored her worsening arm injury and engaged Bai Ye at close range, while the battle’s outcome increasingly depended on Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng.

Chen Mu and Zhong Weifeng fought a fierce duel in the arena, each revealing more of their techniques and abilities. Chen Mu’s final wind-and-thunder attack broke Zhong Weifeng’s Golden Bell, but Chen Mu also collapsed, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Chen Mu identified Zhong Weifeng’s Shrimp Eyes secret art and recognized that he had mastered seven of the Nine Primordial Yellow Secrets.
• Zhong Weifeng revealed that he had mastered eight secrets, including Ox Nose, and challenged Chen Mu as his energy waned.
• Chen Mu interrupted Zhong Weifeng’s attempt to use Golden Bell Protection and battered the bell with a rapid series of sword strikes.
• Zhong Weifeng strengthened the bell with Serpent Body and Eagle Claws, while Chen Mu gathered wind and lightning for a final attack.
• Chen Mu’s Wind-Thunder Flashing Dragon Kill shattered Zhong Weifeng’s Golden Bell and knocked him down, but Chen Mu then collapsed as well.

The Chang'an and Yue Si teams fought a devastating match that left all fourteen competitors gravely wounded, with Zhong Weifeng ultimately declared the winner. The chapter ended as Chen Xiaojun's jade pendant shattered and the crowd recognized the battle as the historic "Battle of Bloodied Fasno."

• Chen Mu pushed his body past its limits with Wind-Thunder Flashing Dragon Kill, while Su Ningxia struck down Bai Ye.
• Sheng Yingying completed the Azure Pot Nirvana Secret Art, sacrificing her life force to heal Zhong Weifeng before dying from her wounds.
• Su Ningxia fought Zhong Weifeng despite her exhaustion, inflicted three severe wounds, and collapsed.
• Zhong Weifeng remained standing until the referee announced his victory, then fell into the bloodstained arena.
• Chen Xiaojun's jade pendant cracked as he remembered Chen Mu's words about burying his sword in the wind.
• The crowd applauded as officials and spectators recognized the match as the tournament's most brutal battle, later named the Battle of Bloodied Fasno.

After the brutal match against Yuesi Academy, Chen Xiaojun waited anxiously as Xiao Yi and others went to help the injured. Wang Wei reassured him that his team had fought well, while Chen Xiaojun reflected on Chen Mu’s stubbornness and his own record of restraint.

• The spectators applauded both teams after Yuesi Academy defeated Chang'an, though angry gamblers cursed Chen Xiaojun.
• Xiao Yi arrived at the Infirmary with Ji Shuran and others, insisted that rescuing the injured came first, and went inside despite Chen Xiaojun trying to stop her.
• Chen Xiaojun sat trembling in the corridor, and Wang Wei comforted him, noting that the young team had faced opponents five to ten years older.
• Chen Xiaojun said he had expected to lose only two or three team members, while Wang Wei defended his strategy and blamed the surprise Martial Soul Fusion Skill for the injuries.
• Wang Wei criticized Chen Mu for focusing on Zhong Weifeng instead of attacking the opposing support soul master, and Chen Xiaojun recognized Chen Mu’s obsession as a flaw resembling his own.
• Chen Xiaojun reflected on the three incidents that had drawn criticism from the Chen Clan and concluded that the assassination attempt had resulted from misjudging the threat, not recklessness.

Chen Xiaojun and Wang Wei discussed the tournament and Chen Xiaojun’s plans as Qing Lin Academy defeated Canghui Academy. Later, Chen Xiaojun reflected with Xiao Yi on their team’s injuries and weaknesses, concluding that their tactics depended too heavily on her.

• Wang Wei described how two shield martial souls had fused into the Mysterious Water Corrosive-Shell Turtle, and Chen Xiaojun confirmed that the Chen Clan’s plans for the next day would proceed with adjustments.
• Niel Seven reported that Qing Lin Academy had beaten Canghui Academy, and Chen Xiaojun revealed that he had sent the Yang Family spirit medicines to help Qing Lin recover.
• Wang Wei surmised that Chen Xiaojun was manipulating the increasingly chaotic tournament, and Chen Xiaojun alluded to an unseen plan while Wang Wei approved.
• Xiao Yi joined Chen Xiaojun in the pavilion, and he worried that their harsh training had left the team badly injured and unprepared for opponents at their own level.
• Chen Xiaojun identified low average soul power, ineffective tactics against strong teams, and overreliance on Xiao Yi as the team’s main problems, noting that Ningxia could not replace her as their tactical pillar.

Wang Wei revealed Chang'an Academy’s aggressive plan to recruit students across every commandery, using generous benefits and support from the Chen Clan. He said the academy intended to represent Fasinuo Province against the continent’s top schools and might aim to become the number-one academy.

• Yue Qiansong confronted Wang Wei over Chang'an Academy’s recruitment flyers, which advertised its victory over Yuesi Academy and new admission standards and benefits.
• Wang Wei defended the academy’s expanded recruitment plans and said honorary professors and the Chen Clan could help provide its staff and funding.
• A teacher told Yue Qiansong that Chang'an had sent senior teachers to recruit Yuesi’s prospects, taking seven or eight students with admission letters and provisional IDs.
• Wang Wei declared that Chang'an planned to recruit outstanding talent across the world and represent Fasinuo Province against the continent’s great schools.
• Wang Wei said Chang'an might become the continent’s number-one academy and take the other academies along with it.

Chen Xiaojun negotiated with Yin Duruo to establish warrior academies across Heavenly Spirit Commandery and presented a supermarket chain plan to boost Tianling City’s prosperity. Yin Duruo welcomed the proposals, and Chen left the next steps to his Fourth Uncle, Chen Wu.

• Yin Duruo asked Chen Xiaojun to include Heavenly Spirit Commandery in the first batch of warrior academy sites because of the threat from soul beasts along the northern border.
• Chen Xiaojun agreed after Yin Duruo promised land in Tianling City and its seven medium-sized cities, along with staffing support from the City Lord’s Residence.
• Chen Xiaojun assigned his Fourth Uncle, Chen Wu, to coordinate the academy plans with Yin Duruo.
• Yin Duruo recounted how the operation against the Black Jade Alliance exposed its ties to the Crimson Cultists and led to the capture of Evil Soul Masters and bandits.
• Chen Xiaojun suggested that Yin Duruo emulate Chang'an City's successful governance and handed him a Supermarket Chain Plan for Tianling City to launch in the north.