Chapter Summaries

Hu Fangyuan joined Tang Wulin and his companions in confronting Guang Long after the Soul Master bullied Uncle Li. When Guang Long revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and charged, Hu Fangyuan revealed his own two Soul Rings and Azure Cicada Soul Spirit.

• Tang Wulin confronted Guang Long for attacking Uncle Li, and Xie Xie helped the middle-aged man up.
• Tang Wulin exchanged blows with Guang Long, then Hu Fangyuan intervened and forced Guang Long back with a punch.
• Hu Fangyuan activated Copper Bone Gu and held his ground against Guang Long, who revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and two Soul Rings.
• Gu Yue used elemental attacks to hinder Guang Long, but his scales resisted them and he kept charging at Hu Fangyuan.
• Hu Fangyuan revealed his two Soul Rings and Azure Cicada Soul Spirit as Guang Long approached.

Hu Fangyuan used water and fire skills, with help from Gu Yue, to evade and wear down Guang Long during their fight. Guang Long was wounded and unable to land a hit, and he realized the prolonged battle was putting him at a disadvantage.

• Hu Fangyuan struck Guang Long with a fire-enhanced punch, then used water and fire attacks to exploit openings and burn him through his scales.
• Hu Fangyuan escaped Guang Long’s attempted grab with a water wall and hit him with a broad curtain of boiling water.
• Guang Long charged with his Ironclad Charge, but Hu Fangyuan broke his momentum with seven water curtains before dodging aside and binding his ankles with Water Threads.
• Gu Yue joined Hu Fangyuan’s attack, striking Guang Long with Ice Spikes and a Wind Blade that cut his knee and dropped him to one knee.
• Guang Long used Earth Dragon Turnover to raise Earth Spikes beneath Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue, but both dodged and he struggled back to his feet, wounded.
• Guang Long demanded that Hu Fangyuan stop dodging, but Hu Fangyuan mocked his demand, and Guang Long recognized that the drawn-out fight favored his opponent.

Hu Fangyuan defeated Guang Long with his newly devised Water Hammer Piercing and left after Tang Wulin and Xie Xie thanked him. He told Gu Yue that he wanted to learn how strong Wu Changkong was, and she realized he expected Guang Long’s backers to provoke Wu Changkong into revealing his strength.

• Guang Long activated Ironclad Dragon Scales and charged Hu Fangyuan, who pierced his arm with Water Hammer Piercing.
• Guang Long admitted defeat and left with his two lackeys, while Hu Fangyuan declined to pursue them.
• Tang Wulin thanked Hu Fangyuan, and Xie Xie reluctantly praised him before Hu Fangyuan walked away with Gu Yue following.
• Gu Yue asked why Hu Fangyuan had intervened, and he said he wanted to find out how strong Wu Changkong was.
• Gu Yue reasoned that Guang Long would seek help from his backers, who might force Wu Changkong to reveal his strength.

Hu Fangyuan attempted to refine three Gu worms overnight but succeeded in making only two, leaving him exhausted and irritated. At the academy, he and First-Year Class Five arrived for the second day of the Class Promotion Tournament, where they faced Class Three’s triplets and their support teammate.

• Hu Fangyuan used the Heaven Refining Furnace Soul Spirit and Scarlet Sun True Fire to refine three Gu worms, but only two were successful.
• Hu Fangyuan arrived at the academy exhausted after spending much of the night refining Gu worms and worrying about the cost of replacement materials.
• Students gathered to watch the tournament after hearing that Hu Fangyuan had defeated four opponents on the previous day.
• First-Year Class Three assembled around Ye Yingrong, including the identical Gu Tianri, Gu Tianyue, and Gu Tianming, along with support student Su Xiaoyu.
• Wu Changkong arrived with First-Year Class Five, and Ye Yingrong reminded her students to put friendship before competition.

In the Class Promotion Tournament match between First-Year Class Five and First-Year Class Three, both teams’ support students boosted their fighters and left the arena, leaving Hu Fangyuan alone against the Gu Brothers. Hu Fangyuan used steam pressure to fly and attacked them with boiling-water whips, striking Gu Tianri as the brothers tried to escape.

• Wu Changkong sent Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue onto the arena, while Ye Yingrong brought out the Gu Brothers and Su Xiaoyu.
• Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue jumped off the arena, and Su Xiaoyu cast Wind Movement Technique on the Gu Brothers before leaving too.
• The Gu Brothers spread their wings and flew above Hu Fangyuan, planning to wear him down from the air.
• Hu Fangyuan used steam blasting from beneath his feet to rise into the air and meet the Gu Brothers at their height.
• Hu Fangyuan attacked with boiling-water whips, and Gu Tianri was struck across the shoulder and scalded.

Hu Fangyuan defeated First-Year Class Three by scalding the Gu Brothers with boiling-water whips until their class conceded. Afterward, Gu Yue reminded him that he owed her Moonlight Dew, leaving him planning to refine more Gu and find additional customers.

• Hu Fangyuan knocked Gu Tianri out of the match by striking him with boiling water and slamming him onto the arena.
• Hu Fangyuan kept Gu Tianyue and Gu Tianming airborne and scalded them until Ye Yingluo conceded for First-Year Class Three.
• Long Hengxu declared First-Year Class Five the winner, and Wu Changkong warned Hu Fangyuan that he had gone too far.
• Gu Yue asked Hu Fangyuan about the Moonlight Dew he owed her, and he persuaded her to give him two more days.
• Hu Fangyuan planned to refine Silver Tendon Gu, produce more Moonlight Dew, and seek other customers.

Guang Biao brought armed men to Eastsea Academy and demanded that Hu Fangyuan be handed over for injuring his brother, Guang Long. Long Hengxu refused, and Guang Biao stepped forward as the standoff threatened to turn violent.

• Guang Biao surrounded the academy entrance with his men, displaying Guang Long on a stretcher and accusing Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue of attacking him.
• Long Hengxu arrived with teachers and students, recognized Guang Biao as the commander of Eastsea City's Mecha Brigade, and tried to negotiate.
• Guang Biao demanded that Hu Fangyuan be taken to his premises for an investigation and threatened to enter the academy if Long Hengxu refused.
• Long Hengxu refused to hand Hu Fangyuan over and rallied the students to defend the academy.
• Hu Fangyuan hid behind the crowd and asked Gu Yue whether Teacher Wu would intervene as Guang Biao strode forward, declaring that he only believed in strength.

Wu Changkong confronted Guang Biao when the Six-Ring Soul Emperor tried to take Eastsea Academy’s students by force. Wu revealed his Heavenly Frost Sword and two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, then stopped Guang Biao’s attack with a precise flick of his sword.

• Guang Biao threatened Long Hengxu and the Eastsea Academy students, insisting he would take away the culprits who had hurt his younger brother.
• Wu Changkong appeared and told Guang Biao to defeat him before continuing.
• Guang Biao revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and six Soul Rings, while Wu Changkong drew the Heavenly Frost Sword and displayed two black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
• Guang Biao charged Wu Changkong with his Ironclad Dragon Body, and Tang Wulin shouted a warning.
• Wu Changkong drew his six Soul Rings inward and tapped Guang Biao’s fist with the sword, making him halt and retreat as scales fell away.

Wu Changkong defeated Guang Biao at Eastsea Academy, and Gu Yue and Hu Fangyuan returned to their own plans. Hu Fangyuan headed to the East Sea Trading Company to refine two Gu worms and complete the materials needed for Four-Image Combined Refinement.

• Wu Changkong broke through Guang Biao’s defenses with precise strikes and froze him into submission.
• Guang Biao recognized Wu Changkong as someone from a place that had driven him out, and Wu Changkong warned him to stay away.
• Gu Yue decided the academy was safer with Wu Changkong there and returned to the dormitory, while Hu Fangyuan assured Long Hengxu he would be more careful.
• Hu Fangyuan left the academy for the East Sea Trading Company, intending to refine the Iron Skin Gu and Brute Flesh Gu.
• Hu Fangyuan planned to combine those Gu worms with his Copper Bone Gu and Silver Tendon Gu to attempt refining the rank-three Four Symbols Iron Body Gu.

Sui ventured into the darkness to find a way for humanity to live beyond its caves and discovered Flame Gu when lightning ignited an ancient tree. He brought the fire back to humanity and shared it among the tribes, becoming known to later generations as Suirenshi.

• Sui left his cave despite his father's, mother's, and wife's pleas, determined to explore the darkness for humanity and their children.
• Sui crossed valleys and mountain ridges until lightning struck a withered tree and kindled a fire that illuminated the night.
• Flame Gu formed from the fire and told Sui that his determination to dispel humanity's fear had hatched it.
• Sui asked Flame Gu to help humanity overcome the darkness, and Flame Gu declared that humanity had its own flames before settling into Sui's palm.
• Sui returned to his tribe and shared kindling among settlements, where people gathered around fires instead of trembling in darkness.
• Later generations revered Sui as Suirenshi.

Hu Fangyuan successfully refined the Iron Skin Gu and Brute Flesh Gu, completing his set of four rank-one Gu for skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. After recovering with Moonlight Dew, he prepared to implant the three newly refined Gu in his body.

• Hu Fangyuan used the Heaven Refining Furnace to refine a three-hundred-year-old Iron Armor Beetle shell into a rank-one Iron Skin Gu.
• Hu Fangyuan refined Brute Bull blood essence into a rank-one Brute Flesh Gu, using a drop of his own blood essence to guide it.
• Hu Fangyuan gathered the Iron Skin Gu and Brute Flesh Gu with the Copper Bone Gu and Silver Tendon Gu, completing his four-GU set.
• Hu Fangyuan drank Moonlight Dew to ease his exhaustion and summoned the Silver Tendon Gu as he prepared to implant the three new Gu in his body.

Hu Fangyuan endured the violent pain as Copper Bone, Silver Tendon, Iron Skin, and Brute Flesh settled into his body, then lost consciousness. The Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus emerged from the Heaven Refining Furnace and soothed his injuries, leaving him breathing steadily as it returned to the furnace.

• Hu Fangyuan cut his wrist and let the Silver Tendon Gu, Iron Skin Gu, and Brute Flesh enter his body.
• Hu Fangyuan endured the forces colliding within him until he lost consciousness.
• The Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus emerged from the Heaven Refining Furnace and showered Hu Fangyuan with primeval essence.
• The primeval essence eased Hu Fangyuan's pain and helped the four forces settle into their proper places.
• The Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus returned to the Heaven Refining Furnace as Hu Fangyuan's breathing steadied.

Hu Fangyuan missed the promotion tournament while adapting to four newly implanted strength-path Gu, and Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie defeated Class Two to set up a match against Class One. Gu Yue visited Hu Fangyuan with Wu Changkong’s message, collected the Moonlight Dew, and saw how much his body had changed.

• Hu Fangyuan took leave, and Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie defeated Class Two in under two minutes, completing three consecutive tournament victories.
• Class Five became the academy’s dark horse, and attention turned to its upcoming match against first-year Class One.
• Hu Fangyuan spent two days adjusting to the Iron Skin Gu, Brute Flesh Gu, Silver Tendon Gu, and Copper Bone Gu, which strengthened and enlarged his physique.
• Gu Yue visited Hu Fangyuan to check on him for Wu Changkong and warn him to avoid Guang Biao outside the academy.
• Hu Fangyuan gave Gu Yue three bottles of Moonlight Dew and said he was ready to compete against Class One.
• Gu Yue noticed Hu Fangyuan’s metallic-sounding wrist and chose not to question his secrets.

Gu Yue invited Hu Fangyuan to the East Sea Trading Company, where he learned that a valuable shipment from the Xu Family’s fleet had arrived. After hearing it included thousand-year whale rubber, Hu Fangyuan wanted to buy some, and Gu Yue asked if he wanted it.

• Gu Yue invited Hu Fangyuan to visit the East Sea Trading Company, and he agreed, hoping to improve his access to refining materials.
• Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue reached the trading company and went to its freight entrance to inspect a newly arrived shipment.
• Hu Fangyuan learned from a driver that the shipment had been delayed after cargo ships were seized by terrorists in the Star Luo Empire.
• The driver said the cargo included rare materials and several pieces of thousand-year whale rubber, a valuable substance that Hu Fangyuan urgently wanted.
• Gu Yue confirmed that the shipment belonged to the Xu Family’s fleet and asked Hu Fangyuan whether he wanted some; he admitted that he did but did not know if he could buy it.

Gu Yue offered to help Hu Fangyuan obtain Thousand-Year Whale Rubber in exchange for his secret body-strengthening medicine, and they agreed on a monthly deal. They entered the East Sea Trading Company's shopping complex, where Hu Fangyuan inspected the merchandise.

• Gu Yue offered to help Hu Fangyuan get Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, but he insisted they make a trade.
• Gu Yue considered Hu Fangyuan a valuable source of human techniques for helping soul beasts survive, though she rejected the idea of taking what she wanted by force.
• Gu Yue asked Hu Fangyuan for his secret body-strengthening medicine, and he quoted one and a half million per dose.
• Gu Yue negotiated five doses a month at one million two hundred thousand each, with delivery alongside the Moonlight Dew, and Hu Fangyuan accepted.
• Gu Yue and Hu Fangyuan entered the shopping complex, where Hu Fangyuan examined the clothing shops and dismissed the ice silkworm brocade as flashy and impractical.

Hu Fangyuan browsed the East Sea Trading Company with Gu Yue, secured a business deal, and received a silver hairpin as a gift for her. Returning to his courtyard, he focused on strengthening himself and preparing his four Gu for Four-Image Combined Refinement.

• Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue browsed the trading company, where guards admitted them to the Soul Master floor after seeing Gu Yue's black card.
• Hu Fangyuan bought Gu Yue a silver hairpin as thanks for helping him obtain whale rubber, and she accepted it.
• Gu Yue arranged to deliver the thousand-year whale rubber and reminded Hu Fangyuan to prepare the Moonlight Dew and Strength Path Secret Medicine for their deal.
• On his way back, Hu Fangyuan resolved to refine the four symbols iron body Gu because his current strength could not match powerful Soul Masters.
• Hu Fangyuan examined the four Gu merged into his body and determined they needed feeding before he could attempt Four-Image Combined Refinement.

Hu Fangyuan cut open his arm and fed his four Gu so they would be stronger when he attempted to refine them together into the Rank-three Four Symbols Iron Body Gu. The next day, a typhoon struck Eastsea City, halting classes and the promotion tournament for seven days.

• Hu Fangyuan cut a deep wound in his arm and let the Copper Bone Gu, Silver Tendon Gu, Iron Skin Gu, and Brute Flesh Gu crawl out.
• Hu Fangyuan fed the four Gu their respective materials until they grew larger, then had them return to their places in his body.
• Hu Fangyuan bandaged his arm and reflected on enduring hardship to pursue the joint refinement of the Four Symbols.
• A fierce typhoon struck Eastsea City, flooding streets, damaging buildings, and disrupting the harbor.
• The storm kept Eastsea City in upheaval for seven days, forcing Eastsea Academy to suspend classes and halt the class promotion tournament.

After the typhoon, classes resumed, but Tang Wulin did not return or answer his communicator, worrying Xie Xie before the Class Promotion Tournament. Wu Changkong decided Xie Xie, Gu Yue, and Hu Fangyuan would compete without him, while the others made no progress in finding Tang Wulin.

• During seven days of quiet, Hu Fangyuan strengthened his four Gu worms and memorized the steps of Four-Image Combined Refinement.
• When classes resumed, Xie Xie worried that Tang Wulin was absent and unreachable before their match against First-Year Class One.
• Hu Fangyuan dismissed Tang Wulin as unnecessary, and Xie Xie angrily insisted that Tang Wulin was their companion.
• Gu Yue suggested looking for Tang Wulin at the Blacksmith Association, but Hu Fangyuan explained that it would not disclose a blacksmith's workshop address.
• Xie Xie went to Wu Changkong, who told him that the three present students would fight in the tournament without Tang Wulin.

Wu Changkong sent Class Five into its promotion match against Class One with only Hu Fangyuan, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie, while Xie Xie and Gu Yue failed to find Tang Wulin. The two classes gathered at the arena, where Wei Xiaofeng provoked Xie Xie and Hu Fangyuan learned why he was angry.

• Wu Changkong decided Class Five would compete with three students and did not reach Tang Wulin by communicator.
• Xie Xie and Gu Yue asked the Blacksmith Association for Tang Wulin's studio address, but the staff refused to give it to them.
• Hu Fangyuan skipped the search, ate, and prepared to test his gu worms in the match.
• Students and teachers gathered to watch Class Five face the highly regarded Class One.
• Wei Xiaofeng taunted Xie Xie, and Xie Xie told Hu Fangyuan that Wei had previously looked down on Class Five.

First-Year Class Five faced First Grade Class One in the fourth Class Promotion Tournament match, and Tang Wulin arrived just before Wu Changkong named the team. As both teams entered the arena and introduced themselves, Hu Fangyuan provoked Class One by calling them a bunch of guys destined to lose.

• Hu Fangyuan and Xie Xie traded barbs as Class Five met Class One, while Zhang Yangzi, Wei Xiaofeng, and Ye Yingluo showed their contempt for their opponents.
• Ye Yingluo told Yangzi to teach Class Five a hard lesson, and Long Hengxu began the tournament proceedings.
• Tang Wulin arrived looking exhausted and told Wu Changkong he could compete; Wu Changkong then fielded four students.
• Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue entered the arena against Zhang Yangzi, Wei Xiaofeng, Wang Jinxi, and Su Xiao.
• Wei Xiaofeng provoked Xie Xie, but Tang Wulin held him back as the students introduced themselves.
• Hu Fangyuan mocked Class One as destined to lose, and Wei Xiaofeng angrily stepped forward.