Recaps

After bathing and waiting in his manor, Tian Chen prepared to discuss his plans with Tian E, expecting Huyan Li and Huyan Zhen to visit that evening. Tian E arrived, and Tian Chen began to explain why he had summoned him.

• Tian Chen returned to the manor, sent word to Tian E, and took his usual medicinal bath.
• Tian Chen considered Huyan Zhen’s ambition to raise the Elephant Armor Sect into the Upper Three Sects and planned to use it to win him over.
• Tian Chen finished bathing, let Lulu and Lele help him dress, and waited on the castle’s rooftop courtyard.
• Tian E appeared nearby and asked Tian Chen why he had called him over.
• Tian Chen invited Tian E to sit and said he would explain.

Tian Chen asked Tian E to put Huyan Zhen in his place when the Elephant Armor Sect leader arrived at the estate. Tian E overwhelmed Huyan Zhen with his power, and Huyan Zhen tried to explain that Tian Chen had summoned him.

• Tian E questioned Tian Chen about his plans to win over the Elephant Armor Sect, then agreed not to pry as long as Tian Chen did not harm Spirit Hall.
• Tian E shared cultivation advice with Tian Chen before sensing Huyan Zhen approaching the estate.
• Tian Chen said Huyan Zhen needed to be put in his place, and Tian E rose into the sky and released his Soul Rings.
• Tian E's shout injured Huyan Zhen, who had entered with his grandson Huyan Li, though Huyan Li remained unharmed.
• Tian E pressured Huyan Zhen and asked why he had come; Huyan Zhen said Tian Chen had invited him, then quickly praised the size of Tian E's estate.

Tian Chen offered Huyan Zhen a path to make the Elephant Armor Sect one of the Upper Three Sects in exchange for twenty years of unconditional service. Huyan Zhen accepted, pledging the sect’s 1,549 Soul Masters to Tian Chen.

• Tian E brought Huyan Zhen and Huyan Li to meet Tian Chen in the castle courtyard.
• Tian Chen asked Huyan Zhen whether he wanted the Elephant Armor Sect to become one of the Upper Three Sects, and Huyan Zhen asked whether the offer came from Tian Chen or Tian E.
• Tian Chen said the offer came from Tian E and demanded twenty years of unconditional service in return for the sect’s rise.
• Huyan Zhen accepted the terms and brought Huyan Li forward as he pledged all 1,549 Soul Masters of the Elephant Armor Sect to Tian Chen.

Tian Chen arranged for Huyan Li to stay and study at Spirit Hall Academy, keeping him in Spirit City while Huyan Zhen returned to his sect. Tian Chen welcomed Huyan Li to his estate, where the boy followed him through the castle.

• Tian Chen proposed that Huyan Li remain at Spirit Hall Academy with cultivation resources equal to those at the Elephant Armor Sect.
• Huyan Zhen accepted the arrangement and told Huyan Li to stay in Spirit City and study.
• Huyan Zhen left the estate, intending to return to his sect while keeping his Soul Bone safe.
• Tian Chen saw Huyan Zhen out and reassured Huyan Li that he could treat the estate as home.
• Huyan Li followed Tian Chen to the castle's main hall, taking in the estate's grandeur.

Tian Chen took Huyan Li under his wing and brought him to the Spirit City Great Soul Arena to form a two-on-two team. They registered as the Golden Diamond Team and waited for a match, while Tian Chen remained just short of a Soul Power breakthrough.

• Tian Chen showed Huyan Li his room and treated him as a prospective subordinate, then cultivated through the night without breaking through rank twenty-one.
• Tian Chen invited Huyan Li to compete with him in two-on-two Soul Fighting after breakfast.
• Tian Chen and Huyan Li registered at the Great Soul Arena and named their team the Golden Diamond Team.
• Tian Chen led Huyan Li to the contestant lounge to wait for a match.

Tian Chen and Huyan Li fought the veteran Earth Bear Soul Masters Xiong Li and Xiong Qiang in the central main Soul Fighting Arena. Tian Chen overwhelmed the brothers with his strength and speed, and his claws pierced their defenses as the match began.

• Qiuqiu introduced the Golden Diamond Team and the Mad Bear Duo to the VIP audience.
• Xiong Li and Xiong Qiang released their Earth Bear Martial Souls and charged at Tian Chen and Huyan Li.
• Tian Chen and Huyan Li released their Martial Souls, and the Xiong brothers saw that Tian Chen had a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his second ring.
• Tian Chen activated Golden Crocodile Body Protection and launched himself at the brothers before they could react.
• The Xiong brothers raised their arms to defend themselves, but Tian Chen's claws tore through their hides.

Tian Chen and Huyan Li defeated the Xiong brothers in a two-on-two Soul Fighting match, forcing them to surrender before Tian Chen could strike a lethal blow. Qiuqiu announced the Golden Diamond Team’s victory and tried to attract Tian Chen’s attention, but he left the arena with Huyan Li.

• The Xiong brothers activated their First Soul Skills and attacked Tian Chen with furious blows, but Huyan Li blocked them with his Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul.
• Huyan Li used Strength Amplification and charged into the Xiong brothers, knocking them several meters back.
• Tian Chen leaped over Huyan Li and aimed his crocodile claws at the brothers’ throats, prompting them to surrender.
• Tian Chen stopped his attack, and Qiuqiu announced the Golden Diamond Team as the winners.
• Qiuqiu flirted with Tian Chen after the match, but he ignored her advances and left with Huyan Li.

Tian Chen and Huyan Li built their combat records at the Spirit City Great Soul Arena, while Tian Chen prepared to win the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull at Spirit Hall Academy’s year-end tournament. Tian Chen went to bed determined to claim the Soul Bone, which he believed would help him absorb a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring.

• Tian Chen won his third consecutive one-on-one match against a Soul Master with a Qian Jun Ant Martial Soul, while Huyan Li ended his losing streak.
• Over the next month, Tian Chen and Huyan Li fought daily, and Tian Chen reached rank twenty-two and Gold Soul Fighting after thirty consecutive wins in both individual and two-on-two matches.
• After their matches, Tian Chen told Huyan Li to return to the manor because the year-end tournament was the next day.
• Tian E told Tian Chen that Bibi Dong had made the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull the intermediate class tournament prize, conditional on Tian Chen winning.
• Tian Chen reassured Tian E that he would win the Soul Bone and went to bed, thinking about how it could help him withstand the spiritual shock of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.

Tian Chen arrived at Spirit Hall Academy with Tian E for the intermediate class’s year-end tournament, where he would compete against sixty-three other students. After Tian E assured him he would handle the aftermath if he won, Tian Chen headed toward the contestants’ area to prepare.

• Dignitaries and locals gathered in Spirit City to watch Spirit Hall Academy’s year-end tournament and scout its talented students.
• Tian Chen traveled to the academy with Tian E in a carriage pulled by two thousand-year Diamond Tigers.
• Li Yuan welcomed Tian E and Tian Chen and explained that the tournament would use one-on-one elimination matches among sixty-four contestants.
• Tian Chen told Tian E he would head to the contestants’ area, and Tian E reminded him that he would handle the rest if Tian Chen won.

Tian Chen realized Bibi Dong had come to watch the tournament, where he intended to win the Soul Bone she had kept from Hu Liena. When Chrysanthemum Douluo tried to force Tian Chen to kneel, Tian E attacked him and smashed him into the arena floor.

• Tian Chen spotted his grandfather, Tian E, in the VIP section and guessed that the empty seat beside him was reserved for Bibi Dong.
• Bibi Dong arrived with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, and the spectators knelt to greet her.
• Tian Chen remained standing, so Chrysanthemum Douluo rebuked him and used his Soul Power to pin him down.
• Tian E dispelled Chrysanthemum Douluo's pressure, summoned his nine Soul Rings, and launched a powerful attack at him.
• Tian E's attack slammed Chrysanthemum Douluo into the marble floor as Bibi Dong protested, leaving the spectators stunned.

Tian E wounded Chrysanthemum Douluo and forced Bibi Dong to end the confrontation before the year-end tournament began. Tian Chen drew number three and faced a Spirit Hall Academy student with an Ice Armor White Bear Martial Soul, whose Frost Armor formed as their fight started.

• Tian E withdrew his Martial Soul after Chrysanthemum Douluo apologized, and Bibi Dong ordered Gui Mei to take Yue Guan for treatment.
• Bibi Dong allowed the crowd to rise and ordered the repaired Soul Fighting platform’s year-end tournament to begin.
• The students drew numbered tokens, and Tian Chen drew number three and entered one of the arenas.
• Tian Chen’s opponent revealed his Ice Armor White Bear Martial Soul, and the two rushed at each other after the referee began the match.
• The opponent activated his Second Soul Skill, Frost Armor, covering his body in ice crystals before Tian Chen’s crocodile claw struck.

Tian Chen defeated a Spirit Hall Academy student, prompting Bibi Dong to concede her wager with Tian E and hand over the soul bone. After forfeiting the rest of the tournament, Tian Chen left the arena and waited for his grandfather.

• Tian Chen pierced through the Ice Armor White Bear student's defenses, and the student surrendered.
• Bibi Dong conceded her wager and gave Tian E the concealed soul bone.
• After Tian E sent him a message, Tian Chen forfeited the remaining matches and left Soul Fighting Platform One.
• Tian Chen fed dried soul-beast meat to the two Diamond Tigers and rested on their bellies while waiting for Tian E.

Tian Chen returned to the castle with the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull and fused it under Tian E’s watch. The fusion strengthened his mental power and granted him a soul skill, but his soul power remained at level 22.

• Tian E gave Tian Chen the leather pouch containing the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull, and Tian Chen considered his plans to obtain immortal herbs and strengthen his position.
• Tian Chen and Tian E went to a secret chamber beneath the castle so Tian Chen could fuse with the soul bone.
• Tian Chen discovered that the Wisdom Skull contained mental power and began absorbing it, gaining a growing ability to perceive and control mental power.
• Tian E urged Tian Chen to focus when his expanding mental power distracted him, then kept watch as the fusion continued for a day and a night.
• Tian Chen awoke with heightened perception and told Tian E that the soul bone had given him a good soul skill, though his soul power remained at level 22.

Four years later, Tian Chen had reached Soul Elder and become a top-ranked fighter in Spirit City's Great Soul Arena. After Meng Tao located a village, Tian Chen planned to leave with him, then confronted his grandfather Tian E about his matchmaking efforts.

• At eleven, Tian Chen had reached Level 35 and won an unbroken streak of fights to earn the Great Soul Arena's Diamond Soul Fighting title.
• Tian Chen dismissed his maids when he sensed Meng Tao arrive with a file confirming he had located the village.
• Tian Chen praised Meng Tao and told him to prepare to accompany him the next day.
• Tian E reviewed Spirit Hall Academy students as potential partners for Tian Chen and decided only a girl from the Pope's Palace was suitable.
• Tian Chen complained that Tian E should stop worrying about his marriage, and Tian E challenged him to explain why he had come.

Tian Chen received Tian E’s permission to travel to Nuoding City and arranged for Huyan Zhen to accompany him. After inviting Huyan Zhen to meet him the next morning, Tian Chen returned to his room and continued cultivating.

• Tian Chen told Tian E he wanted to leave Spirit City, and Tian E approved the trip and suggested he bring Huyan Zhen.
• Tian Chen learned that Ma Hongjun’s birthplace fell under Nuoding City’s jurisdiction and looked forward to visiting.
• Tian Chen asked Huyan Zhen to accompany him to Nuoding City, and Huyan Zhen agreed.
• Huyan Li asked Tian Chen to go to the Soul Fighting Arena, but Tian Chen declined and left.
• Tian Chen returned to his room and cultivated his Soul Power.

Tian Chen left Spirit City with Huyan Zhen and Meng Tao and traveled to Nuoding City. At the city gate, Meng Tao identified the group as Spirit Hall officials and ordered the guards to let them pass.

• Tian Chen said goodbye to Tian E, and Huyan Zhen followed him out of the estate.
• Tian Chen introduced Huyan Zhen to Meng Tao, and the three boarded a carriage pulled by Diamond Tigers.
• Tian Chen cultivated during the journey while Huyan Zhen and Meng Tao watched over him.
• As the carriage reached Nuoding City's gate, frightened civilians and city guards gathered around it.
• Tian Chen sent Meng Tao to handle the guards, and Meng Tao showed his Spirit Hall token and ordered them to clear the way.

Tian Chen arrived at Nuoding City's Spirit Hall Branch and summoned Sisi and Su Yuntao. He met the pair and mocked Su Yuntao as “Blind Douluo,” while planning to have him awaken the little fatty's Martial Soul.

• Tian Chen entered Nuoding City and had Meng Tao show the Spirit Hall guards his token.
• Zhu Kuo, the branch hall master, came out to greet Tian Chen and his companions.
• Tian Chen asked who would handle the Martial Soul Awakening in Grass Chicken Village and learned it was Sisi.
• Tian Chen ordered Zhu Kuo to summon Sisi and Su Yuntao, intending for Su Yuntao to awaken the little fatty's Martial Soul.
• Su Yuntao and Sisi entered Zhu Kuo's office, and Tian Chen called Su Yuntao “Blind Douluo.”

Tian Chen ordered Su Yuntao to accompany him to Grass Chicken Village to awaken the village children’s Martial Souls, but rejected Sisi when she tried to join them. After Meng Tao intimidated Sisi and Zhu Kuo, Tian Chen decided the group would stay overnight at the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch and ordered Sisi removed.

• Zhu Kuo prompted Su Yuntao and Sisi to pay their respects to Tian Chen and his companions, and both deacons introduced themselves with humble bows.
• Tian Chen ordered Su Yuntao to accompany him to Grass Chicken Village the next day to awaken the children’s Martial Souls, and Su Yuntao agreed.
• Sisi asked to accompany them, but Tian Chen rebuked her for trying to influence his decision.
• Meng Tao released his Martial Soul and pressured Sisi and Zhu Kuo, who scolded Sisi and defended himself with his own Martial Soul.
• Tian Chen asked Zhu Kuo whether the group could stay overnight, then ordered him to arrange a welcoming feast and have Sisi removed.

Tian Chen sent Meng Tao to hunt two specific Soul Beasts before attending a banquet at the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch. After Meng Tao brought them back, Tian Chen offered them as an extra dish and left with him.

• Tian Chen dismissed Huyan Zhen and privately ordered Meng Tao to hunt a four-hundred-year Mandala Snake and a Ghost Vine with over six hundred years of cultivation.
• Meng Tao left for the Soul Hunting Forest northeast of Nuoding City to find and kill the two Soul Beasts.
• Zhu Kuo escorted Tian Chen and Huyan Zhen to a banquet attended by Nuoding City's Spirit Hall deacons.
• Tian Chen sampled the banquet food, found it unimpressive, and declined Zhu Kuo's offer to prepare other dishes.
• Meng Tao arrived with the Soul Beasts' bodies, and the deacons recognized them with surprise.
• Tian Chen checked the Soul Beasts, offered them as an extra dish, and left with Meng Tao.

Tian Chen traveled from Nuoding City to Grass Chicken Village to observe Ma Hongjun’s Martial Soul awakening. The chapter ended as Ma Hongjun awakened a powerful phoenix Martial Soul, satisfying Tian Chen that his trip had been worthwhile.

• Tian Chen left Nuoding City with Meng Tao, Huyan Zhen, and Su Yuntao, then ordered Su Yuntao to speak with the villagers at Grass Chicken Village.
• Su Yuntao brought the village chief to Tian Chen, who asked him to follow the usual Martial Soul awakening procedure while Tian Chen watched.
• At the village’s Spirit Hall, Tian Chen spotted the red-haired, chubby Ma Hongjun among seven children and told Su Yuntao to awaken him first.
• Ma Hongjun held out his right hand, and a dark red phantom phoenix appeared behind him, startling Su Yuntao and delighting Tian Chen.

Tian Chen discovered that Ma Hongjun had a powerful Phoenix Martial Soul and innate level nine Soul Power, then offered to take him to Spirit City for cultivation. The village chief agreed, and Tian Chen left with Ma Hongjun.

• Tian Chen gave Ma Hongjun a blue crystal ball to test his Martial Soul, and the ball lit up with dazzling blue light.
• Su Yuntao identified Ma Hongjun's innate Soul Power as level nine and recognized the strength of his mutated Martial Soul.
• Tian Chen told Ma Hongjun he could become a powerful Soul Master and asked Su Yuntao to finish awakening the other children's Martial Souls.
• Tian Chen asked the village chief for permission to take Ma Hongjun to Spirit City, and the village chief agreed after packing his luggage.
• Tian Chen placed a hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder and left with him.

Tian Chen brought the newly awakened little fatty, whom he called Hongjun, back to Spirit City and began treating him as a potential friend rather than a subordinate. They arrived at Tian Chen’s family manor after nightfall.

• Tian Chen offered to carry the little fatty’s bundle, stored it in his Soul Tool, and asked him to call him Brother Chen.
• The little fatty tentatively accepted Tian Chen’s offer, and Tian Chen began calling him Hongjun.
• Tian Chen showed Hongjun his bracelet-shaped Soul Tool and explained how it stored belongings.
• Tian Chen, Hongjun, Huyan Zhen, and Meng Tao rode toward Spirit City while Tian Chen cultivated in the carriage.
• The city guards recognized Tian Chen’s carriage and opened the gates, and the group reached the entrance to his family manor.

Tian Chen went to the Elder Hall after Qian Daoliu summoned him and learned that Qian Renxue was the reason for the meeting. His grandfather said the matter had to do with her, leaving Tian Chen wondering what Qian Daoliu intended.

• Tian Chen taught Ma Hongjun how to circulate Soul Power, then left him to visit the Elder Hall.
• Tian Chen hurried to the Elder Hall and worried that Qian Daoliu might have watched him growing up.
• Tian Chen entered the Worship Hall and found Qian Daoliu speaking with his grandfather, Tian E.
• Qian Daoliu praised Tian Chen's talent, and Tian E said he could not compare with Qian Renxue.
• Tian E explained that Qian Renxue was Qian Daoliu's granddaughter and that the summons concerned her.

Tian Chen learned that Tian E and Qian Daoliu wanted him to assist Qian Renxue’s plan at Heaven Dou Royal Academy by delivering poison and using his Soul Bone skill. He agreed to go after turning twelve, leaving him a year to prepare.

• Tian E told Tian Chen he would study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy and help Xiao Xue carry out her plan.
• Tian E gave Tian Chen two bottles of compound poison and warned him not to touch it.
• Tian E said Tian Chen would leave after turning twelve and should spend the year mastering his Soul Bone skill.
• Qian Daoliu confirmed that the choice was Tian Chen’s, and Tian Chen agreed to serve Spirit Hall.
• Tian Chen told Tian E about Little Fatty on their way back to the estate, surprising and delighting his grandfather.

Tian Chen returned to the castle and practiced using the Simulation Soul Skill from his Wisdom Skull, which let him change the appearance of his Soul Rings and surroundings. He considered sending Ma Hongjun to Spirit Hall Academy and continued preparing for his future undercover mission at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

• Tian E told Tian Chen he would gather Titled Douluo to help him obtain a hundred-thousand-year Ninth Soul Ring, and advised him to master his Wisdom Skull skill instead of returning to Spirit Hall Academy.
• Tian Chen reflected that his Wisdom Skull skill was Simulation, a support ability that used almost no Soul Power and could disguise his Soul Rings and surroundings.
• Tian Chen saw Ma Hongjun cultivating and considered sending him to Spirit Hall Academy because he would soon leave to go undercover at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Tian Chen released his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul and practiced changing his Soul Ring colors, but the effort left his mind drained.
• Tian Chen decided he still had time to practice and thought he could ask Little Fox for help before resuming cultivation.