Chapter Summaries

Tang San and Xiao Wu returned to Nuoding Academy with their first Soul Rings, while Dong Jian and Li Man remained without them. After Tang San defeated Dong Jian with Blue Silver Entanglement, Li Man showed them how to concentrate force on the vines, leaving Dong Jian determined to reach level ten and obtain his own Soul Ring.

• Tang San returned to Nuoding Academy with a Yellow Soul Ring and demonstrated his First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement, which quickly bound Wang Sheng.
• Dong Jian challenged Tang San and dodged Entanglement twice, but Tang San caught him on the third attempt and won the match.
• Xiao Wu arrived with a Yellow Soul Ring and demonstrated her First Soul Skill, Waist Bow, saying an elder in her family had arranged her Soul Hunting.
• Li Man used the spring of her Green Jade Bamboo to strike a weak point in the vines binding Dong Jian, cracking one strand.
• Dong Jian resolved to reach level ten, obtain his First Soul Ring, and break free of Tang San's Soul Skill himself.

Dong Jian developed the rudiments of Light-Heavy Conversion, used it in sparring with Li Man, and broke through to level-nine Soul Power. The chapter ended as Li Man went to confront Lin Hao, who had insulted her Green Jade Bamboo Martial Soul.

• Dong Jian used Kung Fu Deconstruction and redistributed his Panda Martial Soul's black and white Soul Power to break free of the Blue Silver Grass, forming an unstable Light-Heavy Conversion ability.
• Dong Jian practiced Light-Heavy Conversion against Li Man, who reminded him to combine it with his existing Center of Gravity Perception.
• Dong Jian and Li Man sparred throughout the morning, using his changing limb weight to train both their combat skills.
• Li Man helped Dong Jian keep his black and white Soul Power balanced as he cultivated, and he broke through from level eight to level nine.
• A student told Li Man that Lin Hao had insulted her Green Jade Bamboo and challenged her place in the lower-year combat rankings, so she went to face him alone.

Li Man defeated Lin Hao and a higher-ranked staff-wielding Soul Scholar, then advanced to level nine while Dong Jian stood guard. After receiving a notice for a two-person combat assessment, Li Man and Dong Jian agreed to team up and aim for first place.

• Li Man used her Green Jade Bamboo's flexibility and rebound to defeat Lin Hao, whose fire attacks and attempts to grab her Martial Soul left him vulnerable.
• Li Man explained that Lin Hao's assumption about her protecting the bamboo made his attacks predictable, and the students saw her Martial Soul could attack, block, and aid her movement.
• Li Man challenged a higher-ranked Soul Scholar with a long-staff Martial Soul and won by redirecting his force with the bending bamboo.
• After the two battles, Li Man cultivated in the bamboo grove and advanced to level nine while Dong Jian kept watch.
• The practical combat instructor gave Li Man and Dong Jian notice of a two-person assessment, and they agreed to compete together for first place.

Dong Jian and Li Man won their first three matches through coordinated tactics, then defeated a more experienced team in the final. They received Soul-Concentrating Medicinal Liquid and were told the academy could arrange a Soul Hunt once they reached level ten.

• Dong Jian and Li Man defeated Zhao Hong and Ye Qing in their first match by using Li Man’s Green Jade Bamboo to redirect Dong Jian into Ye Qing, then forcing Zhao Hong to concede.
• Dong Jian and Li Man beat a chain-and-shield team by using the bamboo’s rebound to turn the chain against its wielder and expose the shield fighter.
• Dong Jian and Li Man won their third match by combining Dong Jian’s hearing with Li Man’s ability to sense footsteps through the bamboo.
• Dong Jian and Li Man overcame a sand-and-soil Soul Master and a flying-knife Soul Master when Li Man used the perimeter wall as a pivot to reach the flying-knife fighter from behind.
• Dong Jian and Li Man took first place, received two bottles of Soul-Concentrating Medicinal Liquid, and learned that a teacher could take them Soul Hunting after they reached level ten.

After Xiao Chenyu injured Wang Sheng and challenged Dorm Seven, Dong Jian, Li Man, Tang San, and Xiao Wu defeated the noble students in a series of matches. Xiao Chenyu apologized and paid for Wang Sheng’s medicine, while Dong Jian resolved to reach level ten and obtain his first Soul Ring.

• Wang Sheng returned to Dorm Seven injured and told everyone that Xiao Chenyu had challenged them to fight on the back mountain.
• Dong Jian, Li Man, Tang San, and Xiao Wu went to the back mountain and agreed that the noble students would stop bullying the working students, apologize to Wang Sheng, and pay his medical costs if they lost.
• Li Man defeated Lin Hao by changing her bamboo technique, and Xiao Wu and Tang San each won their matches.
• Dong Jian used his weight-shifting abilities and the muddy ground to defeat Xiao Chenyu despite his level disadvantage.
• Xiao Chenyu apologized to Wang Sheng and paid for his medicine, while Dong Jian decided he needed to reach level ten and obtain his first Soul Ring.

Dong Jian broke through to level ten and qualified to absorb his First Soul Ring, but he chose to wait for Li Man to reach the same level so they could hunt together. Five days into their sparring, they rushed to the medicinal herb garden to rescue students from a Hundred-Year Wind Blade Bamboo Weasel.

• Dong Jian used repeated black-and-white Soul Power cycles under doubled gravity to shatter his level-nine barrier and reach level ten.
• A registration teacher told Dong Jian that the academy could arrange a Soul Hunt soon and that he did not need to wait for Li Man, who was still at level nine.
• Dong Jian told Li Man he would wait, and she agreed to reach level ten within seven days while they sparred.
• Over the next five days, Dong Jian practiced varied attacks while Li Man trained her Green Jade Bamboo control and close-combat distance.
• A Hundred-Year Wind Blade Bamboo Weasel escaped into the academy's medicinal herb garden, trapping lower-year students, and Li Man charged toward it with Dong Jian following.

Li Man fought off a hundred-year Wind Blade Bamboo Weasel in the academy’s medicinal garden and broke through to level ten. Two days later, the Soul Hunting team departed for the forest to find First Soul Rings for Li Man and Dong Jian.

• Li Man drew the Wind Blade Bamboo Weasel away from three trapped students while Dong Jian escorted them out and guarded the garden exit.
• Li Man used vibrations through her Green Jade Bamboo and a falling medicinal rack to outmaneuver and knock the injured Soul Beast back into its cage, where Dong Jian secured the door.
• Li Man’s Soul Power broke through its final barrier, raising her to level ten as her Green Jade Bamboo Martial Soul unfurled a new leaf.
• Two days later, Han Yue led the academy’s Soul Hunting team, and Tang San gave Dong Jian a guide to common Soul Beasts and advice on choosing a compatible First Soul Ring.
• Li Man told Xiao Wu she was considering a Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake for her First Soul Ring, and the team left Nuoding City for the Soul Hunting Forest.

Li Man and Dong Jian hunted a Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake, and Li Man absorbed its Soul Ring to gain her first Soul Skill, Green Bamboo Binding Formation. As they tested her new ability, a roughly 420-year-old Earth Savage Bear appeared, matching the first Soul Beast recommended for Dong Jian.

• Li Man identified a 380-to-400-year-old Green-Jointed Bamboo Snake as a suitable Soul Beast and led the hunt with Dong Jian.
• Li Man and Dong Jian worked together to wound and kill the snake, using bamboo vibrations, misdirection, and the bamboo's rebound force.
• Li Man absorbed the snake's Yellow Soul Ring and overcame its residual will, reaching level eleven.
• Li Man gained Green Bamboo Binding Formation, which could restrain enemies, redirect movement, and launch teammates.
• An Earth Savage Bear appeared, and Han Yue estimated its age at nearly 420 years.

Dong Jian fought and killed a 420-year-old Earth Savage Bear, then absorbed its Soul Ring and reached level eleven with the Bear Astral Energy Body Protection skill. He and Li Man left Iron Bamboo Village as fellow level-eleven Soul Masters, with Tang San and Xiao Wu awaiting their return to the academy.

• Dong Jian chose the Earth Savage Bear near the upper limit for a First Soul Ring, and Han Yue kept a rival team from claiming it.
• Dong Jian and Li Man worked together to topple the bear, exploit its injured hind leg, and kill it before the He Clan team could interfere.
• Dong Jian absorbed the bear's Soul Ring, balanced its power with his black-and-white Soul Power and green life energy, and endured the bear's residual will.
• Dong Jian reached level eleven and gained the First Soul Skill Bear Astral Energy Body Protection.
• Dong Jian and Li Man left Iron Bamboo Village with their First Soul Rings and prepared to reunite with Tang San and Xiao Wu at the academy.

Dong Jian and Li Man tested their new Soul Skills in a two-on-two battle against Tang San and Xiao Wu, ending without a clear winner but revealing how their abilities worked together. The next day, Dong Jian and Li Man signed up to escort a medicinal herb caravan outside Nuoding City for practical combat experience.

• Dong Jian and Li Man returned to Dorm Seven with Yellow Soul Rings, bringing the dormitory’s number of Soul Masters to four.
• Dong Jian and Li Man teamed up against Tang San and Xiao Wu to test their new Soul Skills in a two-on-two battle.
• Li Man used Green Bamboo Binding Formation to redirect movement and create openings, while Dong Jian broke through Tang San’s Blue Silver Entanglement and attacked at close range.
• Yu Xiaogang judged that Dong Jian and Li Man had a slight advantage, but the battle ended without a clear winner.
• The academy assigned students to escort a medicinal herb caravan to an estate north of Nuoding City, and Dong Jian and Li Man signed up.

Dong Jian and Li Man developed Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum and used it to hold Tang San and Xiao Wu to a draw in another sparring match. When they set out on their first real mission, Li Man sensed at least six people ambushing their caravan in a northern canyon.

• Dong Jian and Li Man refined their bamboo-assisted attacks into a coordinated technique they named Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu challenged Dong Jian and Li Man to another two-on-two fight, and the new technique helped the pair counter their opponents throughout the battle.
• The four fighters stopped after both sides secured a near-victory, leaving the match without a clear winner.
• Dong Jian and Li Man joined a teacher and a caravan carrying medicinal herbs for their first real combat mission.
• Li Man detected at least six people lying in wait on both sides of the road in the northern canyon.

Dong Jian and Li Man protected a medicinal herb convoy from an ambush and helped their teacher defeat the attackers. The herbs arrived safely, but a bloodstained cloth bearing clues to a possible connection with the Return to One Society disappeared from the academy infirmary.

• Dong Jian and Li Man fought off the ordinary bandits while keeping the wagons protected, then helped their teacher defeat the Soul Masters.
• Li Man found abnormal black veins on the Black-Backed Dog Soul Master's arm and gave their teacher a bloodstained piece of his clothing for examination.
• The convoy delivered the herbs safely, and the teacher praised Dong Jian and Li Man for coordinating their judgments under pressure.
• Dong Jian's Soul Power moved closer to level twelve, and Li Man found her control over the Green Bamboo Binding Formation had improved.
• The bloodstained cloth disappeared from the academy infirmary the day after it was delivered.

Dong Jian, Li Man, Tang San, and Xiao Wu fought a Mutated Soul Beast linked to the Return to One Society and protected an injured driver by combining their abilities. After the battle, Dong Jian and Li Man grew stronger, and the four agreed to pursue new rivalries at the annual assessment.

• Li Man and Dong Jian decided to postpone investigating the missing blood samples until they were strong enough to catch the culprit.
• During a wilderness course, the students encountered an injured driver and a Mutated Soul Beast with traits from several Soul Beasts.
• Tang San, Xiao Wu, Li Man, and Dong Jian coordinated their attacks to exploit the creature’s unstable strength and protect the driver when it self-destructed.
• Li Man found a metal plaque bearing the Return to One Society’s emblem and handed it to the teacher, who said the academy would turn it over to the Spirit Hall.
• Dong Jian reached level twelve, Li Man reached the peak of level eleven, and Tang San and Xiao Wu arranged future one-on-one matches with them.

Li Man tested Green Bamboo Rebound against Xiao Wu, using a single bamboo shadow and the Green Jade Bamboo as footholds until she broke through to level twelve. With Nuoding Academy’s annual assessment roster announced, she resolved to qualify for the individual top eight and challenge Tang San and Xiao Wu.

• Li Man explained the weaknesses of her Green Bamboo Binding Formation and used one bamboo shadow to develop Green Bamboo Rebound against Xiao Wu.
• Xiao Wu attacked Li Man’s foothold, but Li Man dismissed the bamboo shadow, used the Green Jade Bamboo to create another foothold, and eventually countered Xiao Wu’s Waist Bow; they drew again.
• The intense fight pushed Li Man through the level-eleven barrier, and after half an hour of cultivation she reached level twelve.
• Dong Jian congratulated Li Man and said he had watched the fight without interfering because it was her own battle.
• Li Man told Dong Jian that the annual assessment roster had been announced, with registration open and the draw set for three days later.
• After learning the individual top eight would represent Nuoding Academy in the Nuoding City Junior Academies Joint Combat Tournament, Li Man resolved to qualify through her own strength and challenge Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Dong Jian and Li Man won their first two matches in Nuoding Academy's annual assessment through tactical fighting and advanced to the top eight alongside Tang San and Xiao Wu. The draw matched Dong Jian against Xiao Wu and Li Man against Tang San, setting up the next round.

• Dong Jian defeated Zhou Yan by redirecting his charge and using Mountain-Leaning Collision to send him across the boundary.
• Li Man defeated the Fire Sparrow Soul Master by exploiting the timing of his wing movements and knocking him from the air with her Green Jade Bamboo.
• Dong Jian and Li Man each won their second-round matches against an agility Soul Master and a spear Soul Master, respectively.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu also advanced, and the draw paired Dong Jian with Xiao Wu and Li Man with Tang San.
• Xiao Wu looked forward to settling the score, while Li Man refused to switch opponents with Dong Jian because she also wanted to challenge Tang San.

Li Man lost to Tang San after exposing weaknesses in her bamboo formation, while Xiao Wu defeated Dong Jian in a close match. The semifinal lineup then gave Dong Jian an extra challenge against Tang San, whom he resolved to beat for himself.

• Li Man used Green Bamboo Rebound and Green Bamboo Binding Formation to challenge Tang San, but he trapped her with Blue Silver Grass and won after she admitted defeat.
• Li Man identified how Tang San used Blue Silver Grass seeds to exploit her formation’s fixed nodes and resolved to address the weakness.
• Xiao Wu defeated Dong Jian by using Waist Bow to send him beyond the arena boundary first.
• Dong Jian and Li Man both lost their individual matches, but each recognized weaknesses in their opponents.
• After a student withdrew due to injury, Dong Jian received an additional challenge against Tang San and said he wanted to beat him himself.

Dong Jian defeated Tang San in a solo spar by breaking Blue Silver Entanglement and using a predicted landing point to send Tang San out of bounds. After the academy selected Dong Jian and Li Man for the Nuoding City Junior Two-Soul-Master Tournament, Tang San promised to compete with Dong Jian again.

• Dong Jian dodged Tang San's probing Blue Silver Grass and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track attacks before Tang San trapped him with Blue Silver Entanglement.
• Dong Jian used changing weight, Bear Astral Energy Body Protection, and a brief pause in Soul Power transmission to break the entanglement.
• Dong Jian read Tang San's Hidden Weapons and predicted one of his landing points, then struck him with Mountain-Leaning Collision and forced him out of bounds.
• Tang San accepted his defeat, while Li Man treated Dong Jian's poisoned arms and vowed to defeat Tang San herself next time.
• The academy selected Dong Jian and Li Man for the Nuoding City Junior Two-Soul-Master Tournament, scheduled for three months later.

Li Man defeated Xiao Wu in a rematch by adapting Green Bamboo Rebound to counter Waist Bow and control Xiao Wu’s movements. Afterward, Li Man and Dong Jian prepared for the city’s two-Soul-Master competition, where they could face opponents as high as level fifteen.

• Li Man challenged Xiao Wu to a rematch, and they agreed that whoever fell first or admitted defeat would lose.
• Xiao Wu used Waist Bow and attacked Li Man’s anchor points, but Li Man used her Green Jade Bamboo to create an anchor while airborne and escape the throw.
• Li Man expanded Green Bamboo Binding Formation across the bamboo grove, controlling Xiao Wu’s landing spots as Xiao Wu bent a bamboo vine to charge at her.
• Li Man used a bamboo vine’s rebound force to disrupt Xiao Wu’s balance, then deflected Xiao Wu’s kick and struck her shoulder, leaving her on one knee.
• Xiao Wu accepted the loss but vowed to snatch Li Man’s Martial Soul next time, while Tang San reviewed her final Waist Bow and Dong Jian congratulated Li Man.
• Dong Jian said he and Li Man needed to prepare for the city’s two-Soul-Master competition, where opponents could be as high as level fifteen; Li Man was near level thirteen after the battle.

Dong Jian and Li Man competed in the Nuoding City Junior Academy Joint Combat Tournament and defeated three teams through coordinated tactics. They reached the finals, where the Gale Twins awaited them with a speed-based challenge.

• Dong Jian and Li Man registered as rank-thirteen Soul Masters, while Tang San and Xiao Wu sat out the tournament.
• Dong Jian and Li Man defeated Black Rock Junior Soul Master Academy by disrupting the Gale Eagle’s flight and combining their attacks against the Iron Armored Rhinoceros.
• Dong Jian and Li Man adapted their bamboo formation to beat a pair of water-attribute control Soul Masters in the second round.
• Li Man read the Ice Mirror and Fire Mirror twins’ attacks while Dong Jian broke their energy mirror, sending Nuoding Academy into the finals.
• The Gale Twins challenged Dong Jian and Li Man’s ability to counter their speed, and Li Man promised they would see the result in the final.

Dong Jian and Li Man defeated the Gale Twins to win first place in Nuoding City's junior division two-Soul-Master combat tournament. After Tang San and Xiao Wu congratulated them, Dong Jian and Li Man discovered that both the Divine Dragon Secret Realm and Li Man's Martial Soul pointed toward Dragon Spine Valley, giving them a shared goal for their Second Soul Rings.

• Dong Jian and Li Man used their teamwork, bamboo shadows, and Dong Jian's defensive Soul Skill to defeat the Gale Twins and win the tournament.
• Dong Jian and Li Man received Nuoding Academy's medals and returned to find Tang San and Xiao Wu waiting; Tang San and Xiao Wu had both reached level fourteen.
• Dong Jian entered the Divine Dragon Secret Realm, where the second-stage objective required him to reach level twenty and complete one hundred valid battles; the stele recommended Dragon Spine Valley for his Second Soul Ring.
• Li Man's Green Jade Bamboo revealed a map leading to Dragon Spine Valley, and she brought it to Dong Jian the next morning.
• Dong Jian and Li Man compared their maps and found their routes matched, suggesting Dragon Spine Valley might hold suitable Soul Beasts and something connected to both their Martial Souls.