Chapter Summaries

The Imperial Fighting Team faced Mist Rock Academy, whose strategy depended on waiting out Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo’s presumed eight-breath duration. Dong Jian and Li Man ended their fusion early and helped turn the counterattack into a victory, while the public record remained focused on the eighth breath.

• Qin Ming warned the Imperial Fighting Team not to alter their usual tactics just to counter Mist Rock Academy’s expectations.
• Mist Rock Academy retreated and pressured Li Man and Dong Jian to fuse, then circled the team while counting the breaths of Sealed Spine Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo.
• On the sixth breath, Li Man called for the fusion to end, disrupting Mist Rock’s plan to launch its full attack on the ninth breath.
• Mist Rock attacked early, but Dong Jian, Li Man, and their teammates countered and separated the opponents into groups.
• The Imperial Fighting Team defeated Mist Rock Academy, and Spirit Hall’s public record noted that the fusion could end early while retaining its warning about the eighth breath.

The Imperial Fighting Team faced opponents who timed their attacks for the moment Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo ended, exposing Dong Jian’s brief physical delay. The team exploited backup formation routes to counterattack, and Li Man resolved to preserve those routes before future fusions.

• Yu Feng posted an opposing report that identified Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo’s duration and early cancellation, while Li Man and Qin Ming noted Dong Jian’s sluggishness afterward.
• Qin Ming selected the lineup and warned the team not to let their opponents dictate when Dong Jian and Li Man separated.
• The Cloud Mist Province team attacked aggressively, then waited until Dong Jian and Li Man ended their fusion before striking during Dong Jian’s delay.
• Li Man’s unmerged backup routes let Yu Tianheng launch a counterattack instead of retreating to protect Dong Jian, and the Imperial Fighting Team won the match.
• Ye Lingling assessed Dong Jian’s recovery, while Yu Tianheng declared he would attack through the vulnerable moment if opponents targeted it.
• Li Man read the updated scouting report and decided to keep at least two formation routes outside Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo before every fusion.

Qin Ming’s team decided to use Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo: Sealed Spine according to match conditions instead of staging a predictable public performance. As technical recorders were assigned to the next round, Dong Jian’s back began adapting to the hidden Dark Gold Spine Armor, leaving the team to balance concealment with safe, natural use.

• Yu Feng proposed varying the fusion’s duration, but Li Man and Qin Ming warned that a repeated pattern would reveal they were hiding something, so the team agreed to use the public version only as needed.
• Ye Lingling found that Soul Power was automatically following the nine routes associated with Dong Jian’s Dark Gold Spine Armor, and advised against suppressing those pathways because it could cause injuries.
• Li Man said she could reduce the fusion’s outer layer before Dong Jian reached the Sealed Spine’s limit, while Dong Jian urged her not to conceal her own strain until the last moment.
• The tournament office announced that technical recorders would observe several key matches from seats close to the arena, and Li Man decided the team would still use the fusion normally if the match required it.
• Qin Ming had Li Man and Dong Jian practice choosing when to separate or reposition based on battlefield conditions, teaching them to focus on the fight rather than the fusion’s duration.

Dong Jian’s unringed combat techniques drew detailed attention from Spirit Hall’s recorders during the Imperial Fighting Team’s victory. The next opponents’ notes singled out Dong Jian, Yu Tianheng, and Li Man as targets, signaling a tougher match ahead.

• Dong Jian used Short Tremor, footwork, and redirected momentum without activating his Soul Rings, prompting Spirit Hall’s recorders to document his methods.
• Yu Xiaogang and Tang San identified Dong Jian’s linked movements as a self-created combat method rather than a conventional Soul Skill.
• Dong Jian disrupted opponents’ attacks and altered their positions, while the recorders noted that Soul Ring activity alone could not reveal danger or tactical intent.
• The Imperial Fighting Team defeated its opponents without using Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo, with Yu Tianheng leading the final assault.
• Dong Jian told a recorder that he had trained the techniques himself, and the recorder classified them as a self-created combat system.
• Li Man showed Yu Feng the next opponents’ tactical notes, which named Yu Tianheng, Dong Jian, and Li Man as targets; Qin Ming said the coming match looked like the finals.

The Imperial Fighting Team defeated opponents who disrupted Soul Skill activation by relying on flexible teamwork and techniques that did not depend on Soul Rings. Afterward, Spirit Hall revised Dong Jian and Li Man’s combat records, while the next opponent, Mystic Edge Academy, prepared to break apart their connected roles.

• Qin Ming told the Imperial Fighting Team to avoid relying on Soul Skills, and Yu Tianheng led the opening attack while Dong Jian fought without activating his Soul Rings.
• When the opponents slowed Soul Power circulation, Dong Jian avoided his Fourth Soul Skill, Li Man built formation routes manually, and Yu Tianheng fought with the power he could still summon.
• Dong Jian helped create an opening for Yu Tianheng, and the team kept its formation intact until the opposing Control System Soul Masters began to tire.
• Yu Feng and Yu Tianheng pressured one Control System Soul Master into withdrawing, after which Li Man restored her formation routes and the Imperial Fighting Team won.
• A Spirit Hall recorder said Dong Jian and Li Man would receive revised combat classifications for their Soul Skill-independent fighting methods.
• Yu Feng read that Mystic Edge Academy had identified Yu Tianheng, Dong Jian, and Li Man as connected roles to separate in their next match.

Mystic Edge Academy used coordinated pressure to sever the Imperial Fighting Team’s three lines, isolating Yu Tianheng, Dong Jian, and Li Man. The Imperial Fighting Team formed smaller local groups instead of reconnecting immediately, but Mystic Edge began its next attack with the team still divided.

• Qin Ming explained that Mystic Edge planned to separate the team and told the members to stay capable of fighting even if cut off.
• At the start of the match, the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros engaged Yu Tianheng while two Agility Attack fighters blocked Dong Jian’s routes and Mystic Edge’s Control System fighters forced Li Man away from her formation positions.
• Li Man shifted her formation toward Dugu Yan, then cut away outer nodes and kept a smaller network connecting nearby teammates.
• Dong Jian maneuvered between the two Agility Attack fighters and briefly opened a gap, but Mystic Edge’s control skill raised walls and closed his route back to the center.
• Yu Tianheng drew the remaining Imperial Fighting Team members into a compact local formation, while Li Man retained local connections and Dong Jian continued fighting the Agility Attack fighters.
• Mystic Edge’s captain signaled a renewed attack, sending the Agility Attack fighters after Dong Jian, a Control System fighter toward Li Man, and the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros at Yu Tianheng while the three remained separated.

The Imperial Fighting Team adapted to Mystic Edge Academy’s second-phase pressure by building short, shifting connections instead of trying to restore its original formation. As Mystic Edge launched a second cut, Dong Jian and his teammates prepared to make sure it struck a different formation than before.

• Dong Jian resisted the two agility attackers’ pressure, drew them away from their Control System teammates, and returned to a short formation path near Dugu Yan after Li Man safely connected it.
• Yu Tianheng changed from trying to break through to holding the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros in place, while Shi Mo blocked a passage and Li Man attached a mobile formation eye to him.
• Dong Jian warned Shi Mo to stop before a ground-cutting Soul Skill reached the formation eye, then drew the agility attackers toward the arena edge and escaped when their paths overlapped.
• Dong Jian returned near Shi Mo as the team adjusted its poison zone and formation routes; Yu Tianheng also moved closer to his teammates, bringing the separated parts of the formation toward one another.
• Mystic Edge’s captain ordered the second cut as both Control System fighters activated their rings and the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros charged, while the Imperial Fighting Team prepared to meet it in a changed formation.

The Imperial Fighting Team changed its positions and defeated Mystic Edge Academy after Dong Jian and Li Man used the Sealed Spine fusion to cross a control barrier. Dong Jian’s back showed signs of abnormal Soul Power conduction, and a technical recorder noted the possibility of simultaneous diversion at multiple points.

• Mystic Edge Academy’s second attack missed its original targets because Yu Tianheng, Dong Jian, and Li Man had changed positions.
• Yu Tianheng attacked from the right while Dong Jian maneuvered around Shi Mo and reunited with Li Man near Dugu Yan.
• Li Man and Dong Jian formed the Sealed Spine version of Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo to cross Mystic Edge’s control barrier and reach Yu Tianheng.
• Dong Jian felt Soul Power rising at nine spots on his back, suppressed it, and released the fusion after Yu Tianheng disrupted Mystic Edge’s control fighter.
• The Imperial Fighting Team used poison, defensive blocks, and Yu Tianheng’s attack to force Mystic Edge’s last Control System fighter beyond the arena’s safety line and win.
• A technical recorder noted abnormal Soul Power conduction in Dong Jian’s back and suspected simultaneous diversion at multiple points.

After the match against Mysterious Edge, Ye Lingling found that heavy pressure increasingly activated the nine pathways in Dong Jian’s back, while Li Man suspected someone at the recorders’ table was watching him. As the team prepared to face Holy Radiance Academy, Qin Ming began discussing what mattered most if Dong Jian could no longer keep his secret hidden.

• Ye Lingling examined Dong Jian and found stronger residue along the sixth pathway, concluding that heavy pressure was making all nine pathways conduct Soul Power together even without the Dark Gold Spine Armor appearing.
• Li Man reported that someone at the recorders’ table had repeatedly watched Dong Jian after he took heavy loads, but she and Dong Jian agreed not to connect that observer with Xue Qinghe without evidence.
• Xue Qinghe spoke with the Imperial Fighting Team about the match and warned them that strong teams would study their weaknesses, but he did not ask about Dong Jian’s back.
• Qin Ming revealed that the Imperial Fighting Team’s next opponent was Holy Radiance Academy, whose strategy was to attack powerful abilities head-on until their opponents could no longer sustain them.
• During training, Li Man stopped Dong Jian from forcing pressure into his legs to suppress his back’s natural pathways, and Dong Jian resumed using his body’s natural load-bearing movements.
• The Divine Dragon Secret Realm advised Dong Jian against changing his basic movements for secrecy, while Qin Ming’s team prepared to decide what mattered most if Dong Jian’s secret could not be kept.

Qin Ming and the Imperial Fighting Team prepared for Holy Radiance Academy by agreeing to prioritize safety over hiding their trump cards and setting clear commands to stop or retreat. The match began with Holy Radiance attacking immediately, forcing the team to decide whether to reveal the true strength of their fusion.

• Qin Ming told the team to expose the Dark Gold Spine Armor or use the full twelve breaths if necessary to protect a teammate, and Yu Tianheng would judge when the team should retreat.
• The team analyzed Holy Radiance Academy's relentless tactics and agreed not to force the Sealed Spine version to bear excessive strain if the fusion needed to be separated or fully activated.
• Dong Jian and Li Man promised not to push past their limits, while Qin Ming established the commands “break,” “retreat,” and “continue”; Ye Lingling would call a stop if she saw danger they could not perceive.
• Holy Radiance's captain told Dong Jian that his team would not wait for the fusion to end, then both teams released their Martial Souls and the match began.
• Holy Radiance attacked the Imperial Fighting Team's formation from the first exchange, and its captain ordered his team to suppress the fusion and smash through.

Dong Jian and the Imperial Fighting Team struggled to withstand Holy Radiance Academy’s coordinated advance, which targeted Li Man’s formation nodes and forced the team to give ground. After Li Man was nearly exposed, Yu Tianheng called for a brief fusion to break through Holy Radiance’s line, and both teams prepared for the clash.

• Holy Radiance’s shield formation pressed forward while Dong Jian and Shi Mo diverted its charges, and Dugu Yan narrowed her poison bands to slow an attacker.
• Holy Radiance used ground shocks and scorching light to force Li Man to abandon formation nodes as Yu Tianheng attacked around the shield.
• Dong Jian activated Yin-Yang Mountain Domain to steady Shi Mo against a ground shock, but Holy Radiance shattered another node and nearly reached Li Man.
• Yu Tianheng pulled the front line back so the Shi Brothers could shield the center, and Ye Lingling healed Li Man’s injured wrist.
• Dong Jian and Li Man agreed to fuse only long enough to cross Holy Radiance’s formation, and Yu Tianheng ordered the team to separate immediately afterward.
• The Green Jade Dragon Bamboo and Yin-Yang Iron-Eating Beast began fusing as Holy Radiance prepared its heaviest attack for the space in front of them.

Dong Jian and Li Man’s Sealed Spine fusion broke apart after three breaths under Holy Radiance’s coordinated attacks, leaving the Imperial Fighting Team to defend without it. As Holy Radiance pressed the center, Yu Tianheng stayed on the right and finally attacked its exposed Control System fighter.

• Holy Radiance’s shield, scorching light, and ground shockwave struck together, and Dong Jian felt heat flare through the nine points in his back.
• Li Man and Dong Jian ended the fusion in the third breath; Ye Lingling treated their injuries while Shi Mo covered Dong Jian from Holy Radiance’s pursuit.
• Li Man set short formation routes through Dugu Yan to give Yu Tianheng room to pressure Holy Radiance’s right side.
• Holy Radiance shifted its attacks toward the center, while Dong Jian and Shi Mo protected Ye Lingling and held the line.
• Yu Tianheng advanced deeper along Holy Radiance’s right flank and activated Thunder Dragon Body against its Control System fighter.

Imperial Fighting Team gained ground when Yu Tianheng broke Holy Radiance’s control patterns and forced its shield bearer to shift, but Holy Radiance redirected its attacks toward Ye Lingling and split the back line. Yu Tianheng turned back to break the new control line, and Shi Mo charged into the shield bearer’s attack to protect him.

• Yu Tianheng used Thunder Dragon Body to pressure Holy Radiance’s Control System fighter, while Shi Mo and Dong Jian held the front and Dugu Yan and Li Man maintained routes for their teammates.
• Yu Tianheng shattered a thin junction in the control patterns, and Shi Mo sealed the Control System fighter’s retreat so Yu Tianheng could drive him from his safe position.
• Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo attacked the shield bearer together, forcing him to move, but Holy Radiance’s captain reset his shield and ordered light attacks against Ye Lingling and the back line.
• Dugu Yan guided Ye Lingling back as Shi Mo blocked one scorching beam and Li Man abandoned a formation node to stop another from reaching the healer.
• Holy Radiance’s Control System fighter sent a new pattern toward Ye Lingling, so Yu Tianheng turned back to break it while Shi Mo held the shield bearer’s attack at bay.

The Imperial Fighting Team endured Holy Radiance’s repeated combined assaults without letting Dong Jian expose the Dark Gold Spine Armor hidden in his back. After retreating to recover and change tactics, Yu Tianheng began a move toward Holy Radiance’s control zone, leaving the outcome of the counterattack unresolved.

• Dong Jian and the Shi Brothers intercepted Holy Radiance’s assault fighters while Li Man kept escape routes open, and Dong Jian’s Dark Gold Spine Armor did not appear.
• Li Man severed the formation route between the Shi Brothers, making Holy Radiance’s heavy shield strike the ground instead of the team’s center.
• Yu Tianheng and Li Man ordered the team to retreat and change tactics as Ye Lingling treated the injured fighters.
• Yu Tianheng planned a counterattack, while Dugu Yan said she could block Holy Radiance’s approach once more.
• Yu Tianheng dodged sideways as Holy Radiance’s assault fighters advanced and headed for the control zone behind their shield-bearer.

The Imperial Fighting Team defeated Holy Radiance through coordinated movement and Yu Tianheng’s final attack, without relying on the rumored eighth breath. Shrek also advanced, setting up a new match between the teams as both sides prepared to face each other with fresh tactics.

• Li Man opened a brief path through Holy Radiance’s formation, allowing Yu Tianheng to injure its Control System fighter and lead the Imperial Fighting Team’s advance.
• Dong Jian protected Ye Lingling while managing his injured back, and the team shifted right to exploit gaps in Holy Radiance’s formation.
• Yu Tianheng broke the support behind Holy Radiance’s captain, then struck the captain’s breastplate with Shi Mo’s help and forced him out of position.
• Holy Radiance’s teacher surrendered, and the referee declared the Imperial Fighting Team the winner; Qin Ming confirmed they had not used the complete fusion technique.
• The Imperial Fighting Team learned that Shrek had advanced and would be their next opponent, while Ye Lingling ordered recovery instead of extra training.
• Tang San received the same matchup, turned to a blank page in his battle notes, and said Shrek would first see how the Imperial Fighting Team fought now.

Shrek faced the Imperial Fighting Team, and Tang San targeted the links behind Yu Tianheng’s vanguard rather than attacking Dong Jian directly. After Shrek disrupted several support routes, both teams adjusted their formations, leaving the match poised for a more dangerous second phase.

• Before the match, Dong Jian received a second examination from Ye Lingling, while both teams reviewed their lineups and tactics.
• Tang San told Shrek to sever the support link between Yu Tianheng and the rear line, using Blue Silver Grass to obstruct retreat routes and force the Imperial Fighting Team to adjust.
• As Dai Mubai fought Yu Tianheng, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu pressured the flanks, while Ma Hongjun’s flames forced Dugu Yan and Li Man to alter their tactics.
• Tang San’s grass delayed Dong Jian and blocked support routes, leaving Yu Tianheng farther from Ye Lingling and disrupting Li Man’s formation network.
• Tang San called for Shrek’s second phase, and Dong Jian withdrew toward Shi Mo as Li Man shifted her main formation node toward Dugu Yan.
• Yu Tianheng said he could return on his own as Tang San recognized that further disruption would require putting more of his teammates in danger.

Li Man and Tang San repeatedly altered the routes made by their control-type Martial Souls as the two teams contested the platform. Zhu Zhuqing reached Ye Lingling but withdrew before crossing Dugu Yan’s poison belt, leaving both sides to adjust for their next exchange.

• Tang San used Blue Silver Grass to reshape the platform while Li Man placed and withdrew Green Jade Dragon Bamboo formation nodes, and their teammates continued fighting across the narrow routes.
• Li Man cut off a bamboo segment threatened by Ma Hongjun’s fire, preventing the damage from spreading, while Tang San used her withdrawal to claim open ground.
• Li Man withdrew a route just before Tang San’s vine could bind Osler, then redirected him toward Shi Mo’s side.
• Tang San and Ma Hongjun pressured the Imperial Fighting Team’s routes, and Li Man withdrew nodes to keep Osler and Dong Jian from being trapped.
• Zhu Zhuqing slipped past Shi Mo and approached Ye Lingling, but retreated when Dugu Yan’s poison fog blocked her attack.
• Li Man told Dong Jian to watch Tang San’s grass next time while she guarded the rear, as both teams studied each other’s choices.

Tang San used his Eight Spider Lances and Blue Silver Grass to keep Dong Jian away from the Imperial Fighting Team’s center while Shrek attacked several positions at once. Li Man changed her formation to protect Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, and Dong Jian stayed back to watch for Tang San’s next move.

• Tang San revealed his Eight Spider Lances and forced Dong Jian to avoid their poisonous tips while Xiao Wu attacked from the flank.
• Xiao Wu struck Dong Jian’s shoulder after Tang San’s vines and Spider Lances left him no safe way to yield, and Ye Lingling’s healing was delayed by Ma Hongjun’s flames.
• Dong Jian tried to return to the center by going behind Shi Mo, but Tang San anticipated the route and blocked it with Blue Silver Grass.
• Tang San split the Imperial Fighting Team’s defenses, threatening Li Man, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng at once as Li Man’s bamboo routes came under pressure.
• Li Man told Dong Jian to stay off her main route and connected Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling herself, while Shi Mo moved his shell to defend Ye Lingling.
• Dong Jian stopped short of rushing to Ye Lingling and told Shi Mo to guard her while he watched for the next attack from Tang San’s grass.

Dong Jian guarded the Imperial Fighting Team’s back line while Shrek and the Imperial Fighting Team exhausted one another in a tactical match. As both sides neared their limits, Tang San and Yu Tianheng prepared to attack across the last open patch of ground.

• Dong Jian stayed near Ye Lingling and Shi Mo instead of joining Yu Tianheng, while Xiao Wu and Dai Mubai pressured Yu Tianheng from different angles.
• Dugu Yan and Li Man maintained a few safe formation paths as Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass and Ma Hongjun’s fire repeatedly forced them to give up or restore positions.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Osler traded short movements around Shi Mo’s tortoise shell, and Dong Jian took shallow claw wounds while protecting the back line.
• Dugu Yan sealed Yu Tianheng’s retreat route, and Yu Tianheng used his momentum to escape Tang San’s grass vine and find a new angle against Dai Mubai.
• Shrek attacked the Imperial Fighting Team’s positions at once, but Yu Tianheng, Li Man, Shi Mo, Osler, and Dong Jian each handled their own openings without waiting for Dong Jian to direct them.
• Tang San called for one more round as both teams neared exhaustion, and he and Yu Tianheng prepared their next attacks across the arena’s remaining open ground.

The Imperial Fighting Team defeated Shrek after Yu Tianheng knocked Dai Mubai out of bounds and Tang San chose to concede rather than risk further injuries. The teams recovered from the match as the Imperial Fighting Team turned its attention to its next opponent, Spirit Hall Academy.

• Tang San's attacks failed to break Li Man's formation, and Yu Tianheng struck Dai Mubai hard enough to send him out of bounds.
• The Imperial Fighting Team tightened its formation while both teams' stamina and Soul Power dwindled.
• Tang San conceded, and the referee declared the Imperial Fighting Team the winner.
• Tang San recorded the Imperial Fighting Team's final tactics, while Grandmaster praised the team for knowing when to stop.
• Qin Ming showed the team its next matchup against Spirit Hall Academy, and Yu Tianheng ordered everyone to treat their injuries first.