Chapter Summaries

Lin Xi brought Huo Yutong to the Soul Tool Department, where He Caitou witnessed the power of her Spiritual Detection Sharing and welcomed the new students. Fan Yu arrived and prepared to teach them Soul Tool fundamentals, unaware Lin Xi was about to surprise him again.

• Lin Xi and Huo Yutong visited the Soul Tool Department, and a staff member led them to He Caitou at Fan Yu's request.
• Huo Yutong demonstrated Spiritual Detection Sharing, impressing He Caitou and the staff member with its range and potential to grow.
• He Caitou tested his abilities with Huo Yutong's Soul Skill while Lin Xi asked the staff member about materials for beginners.
• Fan Yu arrived, heard Lin Xi praise the department, and warned him not to clash with Zhou Yi again.
• Lin Xi asked Fan Yu to teach them Soul Tool fundamentals, and Fan Yu agreed to begin the lesson.

Lin Xi and Huo Yutong advanced their Soul Tool studies while Lin Xi tried to build a connection with He Caitou. Two days before classes began, Lin Xi found Wang Dong in his dormitory and exposed her identity, then pressured her to leave or accept the risks of sharing a room with him.

• Huo Yutong made rapid progress in Soul Tool Technology, while Lin Xi focused on learning the basics and befriending He Caitou.
• Bei Bei and Tang Ya refused Lin Xi's proposal to work with the Tang Sect because they would not share the Hidden Weapon Hundred Separations with outsiders.
• Xu Sanshi questioned Bei Bei's decision, then apologized to Lin Xi, who left the offer open and accepted a meal from him.
• Lin Xi returned to the dormitory and found Wang Dong, whom he identified as Wang Dong'er from the Clear Sky Sect with twin Martial Souls and a thousand-year second Soul Skill.
• Lin Xi warned Wang Dong to change rooms or accept the consequences of sharing a dormitory with a man, then left her to consider his ultimatum.

Lin Xi challenged Wang Dong to a fight over their shared dormitory and defeated her without using his Martial Soul. Wang Dong decided to stay with him because she trusted his restraint, but Lin Xi chose to move out, prompting her to offer him something in return if he would remain.

• Wang Dong demanded to know how Lin Xi had discovered her identity, then challenged him to decide who would control the room.
• Lin Xi grabbed Wang Dong and threw her onto the bed, winning their fight without using his Martial Soul.
• Wang Dong realized Lin Xi had no intention of taking advantage of her and decided she would rather share a room with him than risk another boy discovering her secret.
• Lin Xi said he would move out instead, and Wang Dong blocked his way and offered him something in return for staying.
• Lin Xi asked whether she was sure, and Wang Dong agreed as long as his request was not too much.

Lin Xi and Wang Dong signed a roommate treaty that secured money for Unlimited Blade Works, and Lin Xi warned Huo Yutong to keep her distance from Wang Dong. On Shrek’s first day of class, Zhou Yi ordered nearly the entire class to run a hundred laps, then asked Lin Xi whether he had injured Wang Dong.

• Lin Xi and Wang Dong agreed to the First Edition of the Lin-Wang Roommate Treaty, including a payment of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins each semester and a promise that Clear Sky Sect would not interfere with Unlimited Blade Works.
• Lin Xi told Huo Yutong that interacting with Wang Dong could make her future unfortunate, and Huo Yutong promised to keep her distance.
• Lin Xi and Huo Yutong arrived early for their first class, where Wang Dong joined them and Zhou Yi introduced herself as their homeroom teacher.
• Zhou Yi ordered every student except Lin Xi and Wang Dong to run a hundred laps around Shrek Square or be expelled, using her Soul Power to force them out.
• After the students left, Zhou Yi approached Lin Xi and Wang Dong and hesitantly asked Lin Xi whether he had injured Wang Dong.

Lin Xi challenged Zhou Yi’s authority and defeated her with help from Artoria and Melusine. After Zhou Yi ordered him out, Fan Yu persuaded her to accept Lin Xi’s demands so the Soul Tool Department could keep him.

• Fan Yu brought Lin Xi to Zhou Yi and asked her to assign him to her class, but Lin Xi insisted she could not interfere with what he did.
• Zhou Yi argued that strength and Shrek’s rules governed her class, so Lin Xi challenged her to attack him and prove who was stronger.
• Zhou Yi attacked Lin Xi with her six Soul Rings, but Artoria blocked her and Melusine swiftly held a spear to her throat.
• Lin Xi asked Zhou Yi to listen to him now that he was stronger, and Zhou Yi angrily ordered him out of the room.
• Fan Yu explained what he knew about Lin Xi, and Zhou Yi agreed to his demands if he promised not to interfere actively with her teaching.

After Zhou Yi dismissed Lin Xi from running, he took Huo Yutong to the field to resume swordsmanship training with Artoria. Wang Dong and Zhou Yi watched the extraordinary sparring, leaving Wang Dong shaken and Zhou Yi astonished by the swordsmen’s skill.

• Lin Xi assured Zhou Yi that he had held back against Wang Dong, and Zhou Yi ordered Wang Dong to join the students’ run while letting Lin Xi leave.
• Lin Xi met Huo Yutong on the field, reassured her, and led her away from the runners to train.
• Lin Xi summoned Artoria and began a two-against-one sword fight with Huo Yutong, while Melusine reminded him about their missed dates.
• Wang Dong watched the sparring in shock, and Zhou Yi urged her to stop being complacent and go run.
• Zhou Yi judged Lin Xi’s swordsmanship nearly impossible to counter and believed Artoria could defeat her instantly.

Lin Xi and Huo Yutong used Spiritual Detection Sharing to improve their training against Artoria, while Zhou Yi expelled nine students for cutting corners on their run. Lin Xi then asked Melusine to follow the expelled students, and Wang Dong’s encounter with him left her more convinced of the gap between their strength.

• Lin Xi and Huo Yutong trained with Artoria, and Huo Yutong’s Spiritual Detection Sharing helped them last much longer against her.
• Zhou Yi dismissed Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao, Shangguan Chentian, Lin Zeyu, Zhuge Yun, Tai Long, Tang Ling, and Yun Xiaopiao for failing to complete the hundred laps.
• When Tai Long protested that Lin Xi had not run either, Zhou Yi revealed Lin Xi was a rank thirty-seven Soul Elder and said his training entitled him to privileges.
• Lin Xi asked Melusine to follow the dismissed students because he wanted to speak with them later.
• Wang Dong met Lin Xi outside their dorm and, after seeing his strength in practice, realized she likely could not last half a second against him.

Lin Xi challenged Zhou Yi’s lesson on Soul Master attack and defense, exposing that her conclusion matched Wang Dong’s answer. After class, Huo Yutong grew jealous of Wang Dong’s closeness to Lin Xi, who said they needed to meet some people before lunch.

• Zhou Yi began class by asking Wang Dong which Soul Master systems favored attack and which favored defense, then called her answer foolish.
• Lin Xi gave the same answer and pointed out that Zhou Yi’s intended lesson about Soul Tools still led to the same conclusion, leaving Zhou Yi unable to refute him.
• Zhou Yi announced that the next three months would focus on physical training and dismissed the class before leaving in embarrassment.
• Wang Dong thanked Lin Xi for standing up for her, while Huo Yutong introduced herself to Wang Dong and felt jealous of her being Lin Xi’s roommate.
• Lin Xi told Huo Yutong they needed to meet a few people before deciding what to have for lunch.

After confirming that Zhou Yi had expelled them, Tai Long and the others accepted Lin Xi’s offer to join Unlimited Blade Works, where a Mystic Water Pill could be earned as a benefit for core members. Lin Xi then checked Huo Yutong’s progress in sensing emotions and walked with her to lunch.

• Tai Long and the other expelled students confronted Lin Xi, who offered them a place at Unlimited Blade Works.
• Yun Xiaopiao explained the merchant association’s rise, and Tai Long asked what benefits Lin Xi could provide.
• Lin Xi revealed a Mystic Water Pill and said core members could earn one after working diligently for at least six months.
• Yun Xiaopiao, Tai Long, and the others agreed to join Unlimited Blade Works, and Lin Xi promised to discuss whether Yun Xiaopiao’s family could join too.
• Lin Xi met Huo Yutong in the shade and learned that she had sensed genuine happiness in the students.
• Lin Xi praised Huo Yutong’s progress and walked with her into the sun after she asked him to make lunch.

Zhou Yi made Lin Xi class monitor and forced Freshman Class One to run in weighted iron vests, expelling twenty students. Lin Xi welcomed the expulsions as a chance to recruit students into Unlimited Blade Works, and Wang Dong was startled to see his offer included Mystic Water Pills.

• Zhou Yi named Lin Xi class monitor and ordered the students to run laps in iron vests or face expulsion.
• Lin Xi criticized Zhou Yi's training policies inwardly, then trained with Huo Yutong and Artoria.
• When class ended, Zhou Yi expelled twenty students who had lasted the shortest time.
• Wang Dong confronted Lin Xi about his cheerful mood, and he explained that the expelled students could join Unlimited Blade Works.
• Wang Dong read Lin Xi's draft recruitment notice and cried out in surprise when she saw it offered Mystic Water Pills.

Lin Xi and Artoria stopped Ma Xiaotao after she attacked outer court students, leaving her gravely injured but alive. When Shrek’s elders arrived, Lin Xi demonstrated Artoria’s power and refused a Titled Douluo’s offer to become his disciple.

• Lin Xi sent Melusine to rescue the injured students and ordered Artoria to stop Ma Xiaotao.
• Artoria defeated Ma Xiaotao with Excalibur, leaving her unconscious in a crater by Sea God Lake.
• A white-clad elder questioned Lin Xi, who had Artoria demonstrate her abilities and reveal his three black Soul Rings.
• The elders learned Lin Xi was a first-year student and the white-clad elder offered to take him as his disciple.
• Lin Xi declined the elder’s offer.

Lin Xi rejected the Sea God Pavilion elder’s recruitment and condemned Shrek’s officials for caring more about Ma Xiaotao than the students she injured. He admitted his anger came from his own carelessness, asked Huo Yutong to keep him in check, and Yan Shaozhe soon set out to recruit him for the Martial Soul Department.

• Lin Xi mocked the elder’s assumptions about his talent and questioned the officials’ response to Ma Xiaotao’s attack, noting that injured students had already been taken to the infirmary.
• After an elder accused him of acting without permission, Lin Xi left with Huo Yutong, convinced Shrek’s officials had prioritized Ma Xiaotao over her victims.
• Lin Xi told Huo Yutong he was angry at himself for forgetting Ma Xiaotao would go berserk and asked her to warn him if success made him careless again.
• Huo Yutong resolved to grow stronger so she could help carry Lin Xi’s burden.
• Within two hours, Lin Xi’s information reached Yan Shaozhe, who headed to the Soul Tool Department determined to bring Lin Xi into the Martial Soul Department.

After learning that Lin Xi had defeated Ma Xiaotao, Yan Shaozhe tried to claim him for the Martial Soul Department, but Qian Duoduo refused to give up the Soul Tool Department’s new core disciple. The dispute left the two deans preparing to fight over Lin Xi at a hastily convened Sea God Pavilion Meeting.

• Yan Shaozhe learned that Lin Xi had defeated Ma Xiaotao and rushed to confront Qian Duoduo about recruiting him.
• Qian Duoduo said Lin Xi had chosen the Soul Tool Department himself and denied offering him benefits.
• Yan Shaozhe argued that the Martial Soul Department could provide Lin Xi with far greater resources, including hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
• Qian Duoduo refused to transfer Lin Xi, and Yan Shaozhe announced that they would settle the matter at a Sea God Pavilion Meeting.
• A Sea God Pavilion Meeting was convened on the semester’s second day to decide which department would claim Lin Xi.

Yan Shaozhe convened a Sea God Pavilion Meeting after freshman Lin Xi stopped Ma Xiaotao from going berserk, revealing that Lin Xi had Soul Saint-level offensive power and had already become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. The elders debated which department should teach him, and Xuan Zi began to raise a point they had overlooked.

• Yan Shaozhe told the elders that Ma Xiaotao had lost control and injured two students, but freshman Lin Xi had stopped her.
• Elder Zhang confirmed that Lin Xi's offensive power was at the Soul Saint level and that he had suppressed Ma Xiaotao.
• Yan Shaozhe revealed that the Soul Tool Department had already made Lin Xi a core disciple, prompting a dispute over whether that violated academy rules.
• Qian Duoduo argued that Lin Xi belonged in the Soul Tool Department because it could strengthen his personal combat ability as a summoner.
• Yan Shaozhe countered that the Soul Tool Department might waste Lin Xi's time if he lacked talent for Soul Tools.
• Xuan Zi said both deans had overlooked an important point, but had not yet explained what it was.

At the Sea God Pavilion meeting, the Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department argued over who should train Lin Xi. Mu En settled the dispute by allowing Lin Xi to study with both departments, while Huo Yutong and He Caitou remained with the Soul Tool Department.

• Yan Shaozhe offered to help Lin Xi obtain Soul Rings and a full set of Soul Bones, including one hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone.
• Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er proposed using Lin Xi for the Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan and pledged the Soul Tool Department's full support.
• Xuan Zi disparaged the Soul Tool Department, and Mu En ordered him to apologize to Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo.
• Mu En warned the elders that Soul Tools had advanced enough to threaten even him and urged them to stop dismissing the Soul Tool Department.
• Mu En proposed that Lin Xi study with both departments, and Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er agreed that Huo Yutong and He Caitou would stay with the Soul Tool Department.

Lin Xi was summoned by Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe, who explained that Shrek had made him a dual core disciple of both the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department. Lin Xi accepted the decision politely while privately judging the academy’s offer insufficient, leaving his future allegiance unresolved.

• Wang Dong peppered Lin Xi with questions about his trading company and its recruitment, while Huo Yutong grew annoyed at her attention toward him.
• Lin Xi sensed that a powerful visitor had come for him, and Director of Studies Du Weilun escorted him and Huo Yutong to the Martial Soul Department office.
• Yan Shaozhe met Lin Xi, and Lin Xi accurately deduced how his defeat of Ma Xiaotao had led to a Sea God Pavilion Meeting and the academy’s decision.
• Yan Shaozhe announced that Lin Xi would become a dual core disciple with core-disciple benefits and resources equal to those of inner court disciples.
• Lin Xi thanked Yan Shaozhe aloud but privately considered the offer petty and insufficient.

Over three months, Lin Xi grew stronger while Huo Yutong made remarkable advances in cultivation and Soul Tool knowledge. As the freshman assessment approached, Zhou Yi assigned Lin Xi, Huo Yutong, and Wang Dong to the same group and asked the three to stay behind.

• Lin Xi's Soul Power rose to level 38, his Soul Rings grew stronger, and his relationships with He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and others improved.
• Lin Xi supplied Huo Yutong with Mystic Water Pills, helping her rise from Soul Power level 16 to level 20 and approach the threshold of a Level 2 Soul Engineer.
• Fewer than a third of Zhou Yi's Freshman Class One students remained by the assessment, including Wang Dong, who had become the class's third-strongest student.
• Zhou Yi explained the freshman assessment and told Lin Xi to distribute papers about students' future cultivation directions.
• Zhou Yi assigned Lin Xi, Huo Yutong, and Wang Dong to one group, then dismissed the other students and told the three to remain.

Lin Xi, Huo Yutong, and Wang Dong discussed their cultivation preferences with Zhou Yi, who asked Lin Xi not to dominate the freshman assessment. Back in the dorm, Lin Xi confronted Wang Dong about whether she liked him, and her flustered denials left him convinced she had feelings for him.

• Zhou Yi discovered that Lin Xi, Huo Yutong, and Wang Dong had all chosen the control system, and Lin Xi made Wang Dong change her choice to power attack.
• Huo Yutong explained that she preferred the control system because she wanted to fight alongside Lin Xi, and Zhou Yi approved her choice.
• Zhou Yi told Lin Xi to help win the freshman assessment without stealing the spotlight, and Lin Xi agreed to let Huo Yutong gain experience.
• Lin Xi asked Wang Dong in their dorm whether she had chosen control to stay near him and whether she had a crush on him.
• Wang Dong denied liking Lin Xi, but her reactions made him suspect that she had developed feelings for him.

Wang Dong struggled with her doubts about Shrek and her fear of Zhou Yi’s tests until Lin Xi arranged a sparring match that showed her how Huo Yutong’s emotion-based Soul Skills could overcome a gap in rank. Encouraged by Lin Xi’s advice, Wang Dong left to cultivate with renewed confidence.

• Wang Dong found Lin Xi training with Huo Yutong and asked whether their daily practice had made them so strong.
• Lin Xi told Wang Dong that talent could not always be overcome through hard work, then asked Huo Yutong to fight her.
• Huo Yutong used Spiritual Sharing and Mental Interference to disrupt Wang Dong’s emotions and defeat her in the sparring match.
• Lin Xi explained that effort could still help Wang Dong improve and said he was trying to keep Zhou Yi from expelling her.
• Wang Dong asked Huo Yutong to inspire her through emotion interference, then ran off to cultivate with renewed confidence.

Lin Xi, Wang Dong, and Huo Yutong crushed their first freshman assessment match, with Huo Yutong’s Soul Shock and Wang Dong’s attacks securing an easy victory. Lin Xi noticed a pair of twins who would pose a tougher challenge, while he remained more concerned with matters beyond the competition.

• Lin Xi, Wang Dong, and Huo Yutong entered the arena to face Wang Ke, Li Pan, and Zhang Xiaoya in the first match of the assessment.
• Wang Dong flew forward with Huo Yutong’s Spiritual Detection Sharing guiding her, while Huo Yutong used Soul Shock to knock out Li Pan.
• Wang Dong defeated the other two opponents with her Butterfly Wing Guillotine in under ten seconds, winning the match for her team.
• Wang Dong praised Huo Yutong’s support, and Lin Xi praised Huo Yutong’s timing before she smiled happily.
• Lin Xi identified two twin girls in the stands and told Huo Yutong their hair-based Martial Souls could combine into the binding skill Heavenly Net.
• Lin Xi led Wang Dong and Huo Yutong away, saying he had something else to do.