Chapter Summaries

Tian Chen fought Zhang Lei in the Soul Fighting Arena, using his Golden Crocodile King’s strength and defense against Zhang Lei’s speed. After Zhang Lei’s repeated escapes drained his Soul Power, he activated both Soul Rings and launched a desperate attack, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Tian Chen charged Zhang Lei under the boost of his first Soul Skill, while his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul suppressed Zhang Lei’s Gale Demon Wolf.
• Zhang Lei used Demon Wolf Flash to get behind Tian Chen and slash at his back, but his claws could not penetrate Tian Chen’s golden scales.
• Zhang Lei escaped Tian Chen’s sweeping tail with Demon Wolf Flash again, prompting Tian Chen to recognize his lack of a ranged Soul Skill and deactivate his first Soul Skill.
• Tian Chen judged that Zhang Lei’s attacks could not break his defense, while Zhang Lei realized his repeated Soul Skill use had consumed more than half his Soul Power.
• Zhang Lei activated both yellow Soul Rings and transformed into a blue-green blur, appearing in front of Tian Chen for a final desperate strike.

Tian Chen defeated Zhang Lei in the Soul Fighting match by using his Dark Gold Protective Shield, then met Hu Liena outside the arena. The two went home together, growing closer as they walked through the streets.

• Tian Chen's Dark Gold Protective Shield absorbed and reflected Zhang Lei's attack, breaking Zhang Lei's wolf claws and leaving him unable to continue.
• Zhang Lei conceded, and the referee declared Tian Chen the winner of his first Soul Fighting match.
• Tian Chen tested the power of his second Soul Skill and left the arena pleased with its defensive strength.
• Hu Liena waited outside the arena and congratulated Tian Chen on obtaining a thousand-year second Soul Ring.
• Tian Chen invited Hu Liena to go home with him, and she agreed.

After returning to Spirit City, Tian Chen ate a feast of Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear paws and rested at Tian E’s urging. The next morning, he prepared to return to Spirit Hall Academy and compete in the intermediate-class division of its year-end tournament.

• Hu Liena walked with Tian Chen toward the Pope’s Palace and Worship Hall, sulking when he left her to enter the Worship Hall.
• Tian Chen returned to the manor, where Tian E served him two cooked paws from a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
• Tian E told Tian Chen to skip cultivation and sleep, and Tian Chen rested after weeks of intense training and travel.
• Tian Chen woke early and decided to return to Spirit Hall Academy now that he had become a Soul Grandmaster.
• Tian Chen planned to enter the year-end tournament to gain combat experience, competing in the intermediate-class division against Soul Masters ranked twenty to thirty.

Tian Chen accepted Meng Tao’s help getting to Spirit Hall Academy while keeping their relationship transactional, then focused on recruiting Ma Hongjun. At the elementary class, he found Hu Liena had taken his usual seats and sat beside her, leaving Yan visibly angry.

• Meng Tao flew Tian Chen from Spirit City to Spirit Hall Academy and waited until Tian Chen had entered before returning.
• Tian Chen decided he would try to recruit Ma Hongjun, valuing his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, loyalty, and straightforward personality, but ruled out Oscar.
• Tian Chen entered the elementary class and found Hu Liena had cornered Li Kai and taken both of their usual seats.
• Tian Chen reassured Li Kai and sat beside Hu Liena, ignoring Yan’s anger.

Li Yuan announced the voluntary registration for the year-end tournament, and Tian Chen, Yan, and Xie Yue qualified to compete with the intermediate classes. Tian Chen invited Hu Liena to cultivate with him and Li Kai, and she accepted, leaving Yan furious as they departed.

• Hu Liena sulked beside Tian Chen, who ignored her hints while Li Yuan entered the classroom with the tournament registration forms.
• Li Yuan explained that students could volunteer for the year-end tournament and that it would help determine their promotion to the intermediate classes.
• Every student submitted a form, and Li Yuan set aside the forms of Tian Chen, Yan, and Xie Yue because they had reached level twenty and qualified for the intermediate-class tournament.
• After Li Yuan dismissed the class, Tian Chen invited Hu Liena to join him and Li Kai at the Mimicry Training Ground, and she eagerly agreed.
• Hu Liena greeted Xie Yue and followed Tian Chen while ignoring Yan, who pounded his desk in anger after they left.
• Xie Yue watched Yan's outburst and thought Tian Chen was a better match for Hu Liena.

Tian Chen cultivated in the Hundred Beast Training Ground, where his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul subdued the Iron Armored Crocodiles, and he reflected on how a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone had transformed his body. He left to meet Hu Liena and Li Kai for a meal, easing Hu Liena's annoyance before the three ate together.

• Tian Chen and Li Kai went to the Hundred Beast Training Ground, where Li Kai headed for the Thorny Porcupines and Tian Chen went to the Iron Armored Crocodile swamp.
• Tian Chen cultivated among the Iron Armored Crocodiles, whose fear of his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul kept them away from him.
• Tian Chen sensed that his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone had continued improving his body and making his Soul Power circulate more smoothly.
• Tian Chen left the training ground and found Hu Liena and Li Kai waiting at the entrance; Hu Liena was unhappy that he had kept her waiting.
• Tian Chen walked beside Hu Liena and took her and Li Kai to the academy cafeteria, where they shared a meal.

Tian Chen left Spirit Hall Academy during its break and went to Spirit City's Soul Fighting Arena to continue gaining combat experience. After registering for a one-on-one match, he headed to the preparation area to wait for his bout.

• Tian Chen decided to leave the academy and build his foundation through Soul Fighting and battles with Soul Beasts.
• Tian Chen said goodbye to Hu Liena and had Li Kai pay the bill before leaving the dining hall.
• Tian Chen walked out of Spirit Hall Academy and was carried into Spirit City by Meng Tao.
• Tian Chen entered the Soul Fighting Arena through the contestants' passage and showed his Iron Soul Fighter Medal.
• A staff member registered Tian Chen for a one-on-one match in Soul Fighting Sub-Arena Five, scheduled to begin in ten minutes.

Tian Chen entered the Soul Fighting match against Huyan Li, a four-time winner and Diamond Mammoth Soul Master from the Elephant Armor Sect. The match began with Huyan Li revealing his Martial Soul Possession, leaving the fight poised to start.

• Tian Chen rested in his lavish preparation room before a staff member summoned him to Soul Fighting Arena Five.
• Tian Chen entered the arena and heard the announcer introduce Huyan Li as an opponent with four consecutive victories and a Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul.
• Huyan Li and Tian Chen formally introduced themselves as Level twenty-three and Level twenty-one Soul Grandmasters, respectively.
• After the referee started the match, Huyan Li activated Martial Soul Possession, transforming his body and revealing two Yellow Soul Rings.

Tian Chen defeated Huyan Li in a Soul Fighting match, overpowering the Diamond Mammoth disciple while holding back to avoid seriously injuring him. After the match, Tian Chen invited Huyan Li to bring his grandfather, Huyan Zhen, to the Worship Hall, leaving the Elephant Armor Sect’s future relationship with him undecided.

• Tian Chen revealed his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul and a purple second Soul Ring, causing Huyan Li to question his confidence.
• Huyan Li activated his first Soul Skill, but Tian Chen’s Golden Crocodile Body Protection helped him overpower Huyan Li in their first clash.
• Huyan Li used Strength Amplification and attacked again, but Tian Chen still won the contest of strength and crushed the enamel coating on Huyan Li’s hands.
• Tian Chen held back, asked the referee to announce the result, and was declared the winner of the match.
• Huyan Li thanked Tian Chen for sparing him, and Tian Chen invited him to bring Huyan Zhen to the Worship Hall.

Tian Chen inferred that Huyan Zhen had come to Spirit City, where the Celestial Elephant secretly traded Soul Bones with Ghost Leopard Douluo. Huyan Zhen left with a high-quality Head Soul Bone suited to his Martial Soul, while Ghost Leopard Douluo received a different Soul Bone and a million Gold Soul Coins.

• Tian Chen realized Huyan Zhen was likely in Spirit City because Huyan Li had arrived there, and his guess proved correct.
• Huyan Zhen met Ghost Leopard Douluo in a concealed chamber to exchange Soul Bones.
• Huyan Zhen inspected and took a high-quality Head Soul Bone with tusks, while Ghost Leopard Douluo received a translucent azure left leg bone.
• Huyan Zhen paid Ghost Leopard Douluo a million Gold Soul Coins, and the two completed the trade.

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.