Chapter Summaries

After dying in a tomb collapse, Ning Buhui was reborn into a poor branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and lost his parents after his father was accused of stealing secret techniques. At six, he traveled alone to Nuoding City to awaken his Martial Soul, where entering the Spirit Hall stirred a faint burning sensation in his chest.

• Archaeologist Ning Buhui died in a tomb collapse after saving his adviser, Chen Shouzheng, and glimpsed a black-and-white spire beneath the boulder.
• Ning Buhui was reborn as a baby to Ning Yuanshan and Lady Lin, a poor family in a peripheral branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• When Ning Buhui was four, the main branch accused Ning Yuanshan of keeping secret techniques, and Ning Yuanshan disappeared after leaving home with his blueprints.
• Men attacked Lady Lin searching for Ning Yuanshan's blueprints, and she pushed Ning Buhui out a window so he could escape to Bluestone Town.
• At six, Ning Buhui persuaded Ning Laosan to take him toward the city, then reached Nuoding City and asked the Spirit Hall to awaken his Martial Soul.
• An older deacon admitted Ning Buhui to the Spirit Hall, where he felt a faint burning in his chest.

Ning Buhui awakened a powerful Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power and joined Spirit Hall. After learning that Spirit Hall had reported his case to Pope City, he settled into a dormitory in Nuoding City and finally slept safely.

• Ning Buhui awakened a nine-story pagoda surrounded by yin-yang fish, and the formation beneath him became a taiji diagram.
• Ning Buhui tested at Innate Full Soul Power, told the deacon that he was six, orphaned, and from Bluestone Town, and agreed to join Spirit Hall.
• The deacon reported Ning Buhui's Martial Soul and circumstances to Pope City, while Ning Buhui identified the pagoda as the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda and discovered it came with a Heart Separation Control cultivation method.
• The deacon gave Ning Buhui clean clothes and hot porridge, then showed him to a Spirit Hall dormitory while explaining that a reply from Pope City would take at least two days.
• Ning Buhui noticed Pope Bibi Dong's portrait, entered his new room, remembered his escape from Bluestone Town, and fell asleep after murmuring that he had survived.

Ning Buhui waited at the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City while Qian Buyi treated him dismissively and moved him into the servants' courtyard. When Qian Buyi dismissed a village boy’s Slime Martial Soul as useless, Ning Buhui pushed for a Soul Power test and discovered the boy had Innate Soul Power level five.

• Ning Buhui spent several days in the Spirit Hall, observing its Soul Masters and helping the servants while awaiting a reply from Pope City.
• Qian Buyi told Ning Buhui to move from the visitor’s room to the servants’ courtyard, where Ning Buhui quietly settled in and helped with chores.
• Qian Buyi dismissed a village boy’s Slime Martial Soul as trash and refused to test the boy’s Soul Power.
• Ning Buhui challenged Qian Buyi to test the boy, arguing that the Slime’s core and adaptability might indicate potential.
• The Soul Power orb revealed that the boy had Innate Soul Power level five, and Ning Buhui encouraged him to seek him out at the Spirit Hall.
• Qian Buyi left angrily, while Ning Buhui returned to the servants’ courtyard and resolved to understand the world’s rules more quickly.

Ning Buhui befriended the mute old man who swept the west courtyard and learned to heed his advice to wait. As Ning Buhui left Nuoding City for Spirit Hall, the old man secretly gave his Soul Power a mysterious stirring gift.

• The mute old man drew a crooked circle and pointed toward Spirit Hall, leaving Ning Buhui wondering about its meaning.
• Ning Buhui shared a bun and his loneliness with the old man, who wrote "Wait" in the rain-soaked ground.
• Qian Buyi sent word that someone from Pope City would take Ning Buhui away the next day.
• The mute old man tapped the back of Ning Buhui's hand, causing the Soul Power in his body to quicken.
• Ning Buhui left the west courtyard at dawn, while the old man watched from the shadows and drew a circle in the air.

Ning Buhui arrived in Spirit City and revealed his unusual nine-story pagoda Martial Soul during an identity verification. After the old man recorded it as a mutation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda lineage pending Pope Hall’s judgment, Ning Buhui spent the night awaiting his summons.

• Ning Buhui traveled toward Spirit City with Deacon Zheng and saw a dangerous Soul Beast forest along the way.
• Ning Buhui arrived in Spirit City and was taken to a side hall to verify his identity.
• Ning Buhui released his Martial Soul, revealing a nine-story black-and-white pagoda surrounded by yin-and-yang fish and a taiji diagram.
• The old man questioned Ning Buhui about his connection to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and recorded his Martial Soul as a mutation pending Pope Hall’s judgment.
• Ning Buhui received a room in the guest quarters, reflected on his past and Shitou, and went to sleep after hearing a distant bell.

Ning Buhui met Pope Bibi Dong, who made him her disciple and gave him a protective jade token. After moving into his new quarters, he met Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue, and secretly resisted Hu Liena’s charm.

• A young deacon escorted Ning Buhui to the Pope Hall, where Bibi Dong questioned him about his family and Martial Soul.
• When Bibi Dong asked whom he wanted to follow, Ning Buhui said he would follow whoever made him stronger, and she declared him her disciple.
• Bibi Dong gave Ning Buhui a jade token and warned that anyone who mistreated him would be offending her.
• Ning Buhui moved into private quarters near the Pope Hall and met Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue, who introduced themselves as his seniors.
• Hu Liena tested Ning Buhui with her charm, but his Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda silently repelled it, and he pretended not to notice.
• Ning Buhui unpacked his few belongings and kept his deeper knowledge of his Martial Soul secret.

Ning Buhui pieced together the inherited memories of his Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, learning about its combat abilities, hidden cultivation space, and Nine Orifices Heart Control method. He entered the pagoda’s first floor and began cultivating in its denser Soul Power.

• Ning Buhui learned that the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda could provide support and control, protect his spirit from mental attacks, and grow stronger as he obtained Soul Rings.
• Ning Buhui discovered that the pagoda contained nine hidden realms and that its newly opened first floor let him cultivate at three times his normal speed.
• Ning Buhui learned the seven stages of Nine Orifices Heart Control and how the method could help him assign Soul Skills to multiple targets.
• Ning Buhui reviewed fragments about the pagoda strengthening his physique and increasing its benefits as he unlocked more floors.
• Ning Buhui summoned the pagoda, entered its first floor, and began cultivating in the gray, misty space.

Ning Buhui cultivated overnight in the tower and decided to seek Whale Rubber to strengthen his body before absorbing his First Soul Ring. He persuaded Bibi Dong to help find it and gained access to Spirit Hall's library to study Soul Beasts.

• Ning Buhui absorbed Soul Power in the tower overnight and woke refreshed, planning to improve his physique before choosing his First Soul Ring.
• Ning Buhui asked Bibi Dong for the oldest Whale Rubber available and claimed he had learned of its ability to strengthen a Soul Master's physique from a scroll in a cave.
• Bibi Dong agreed to search for Whale Rubber over the next two days.
• Ning Buhui asked to study Soul Beasts and theory, and Bibi Dong told him his jade token gave him access to Spirit Hall's library.
• Ning Buhui left for the library, deciding to keep his secrets from Bibi Dong and build up her trust while preparing to absorb his First Soul Ring.

Ning Buhui studied Soul Beasts and Soul Ring compatibility in Spirit Hall's library while waiting for the Whale Rubber to arrive. He refined his plans for choosing a First Soul Ring and continued training his spiritual control, ending the chapter determined to remain patient.

• Ning Buhui used his jade token to enter Spirit Hall's library and studied its books on Soul Beasts, Soul Ring ages, and Martial Soul compatibility.
• Ning Buhui identified the dual light-and-dark Netherlight Butterfly as a possible Soul Beast for his Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda.
• Ning Buhui spent several days mapping Soul Beast habitats and discovered an annotated passage arguing that affinity mattered more than age when choosing Soul Rings of comparable ages.
• Ning Buhui learned that Heart Separation Control required spiritual strength and concentration, and that he would need his first Soul Ring before he could begin its first stage.
• Ning Buhui received no news about the Whale Rubber by the tenth day, so he continued studying and meditating while waiting for it.

Ning Buhui tested ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber in secret under Bibi Dong’s supervision and found that his Martial Soul helped him endure its powerful medicinal effects. He left with the remaining portions, planning to keep the method quiet until after he obtained his First Soul Ring.

• Bibi Dong gave Ning Buhui ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber and let him test it privately in the side hall.
• Ning Buhui explained how to heat and take the Whale Rubber in portions, then softened it over a Soul Power lamp.
• Ning Buhui swallowed the first portion and used Soul Power to guide its medicinal power through his body as his Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda balanced the heat.
• Bibi Dong advised Ning Buhui to take only three portions, and he confirmed that the Whale Rubber worked despite its intense effects.
• Ning Buhui asked Bibi Dong to keep the method secret until after he absorbed his First Soul Ring, and she ordered him to return the next day for another portion.
• Bibi Dong watched Ning Buhui leave and considered how the method could change the Soul Master landscape.

Ning Buhui completed three doses of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue under Bibi Dong’s supervision, strengthening his body enough to raise his safe first Soul Ring limit to about 2,000 years. Bibi Dong told him to rest and stabilize his foundation before she took him to hunt for his First Soul Ring.

• Ning Buhui took his second dose of Whale Rubber, guided its medicinal power through his bones, and learned from Bibi Dong that his body could safely absorb a Soul Ring between 1,800 and 2,000 years old.
• Ning Buhui reviewed his bodily changes, watched Xie Yue train, and studied the Netherlight Butterfly in the library while preparing for his third dose.
• Ning Buhui swallowed the remaining Whale Rubber and endured its fierce medicinal power until he had completely refined the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.
• Bibi Dong tested Ning Buhui’s strengthened constitution, estimated his limit at 2,300 years, and recommended a safer Soul Ring of around 2,000 years.
• Bibi Dong ordered Ning Buhui to rest for two days before she personally took him to hunt for his First Soul Ring.

Ning Buhui chose a dual-attribute Netherlight Butterfly as the target for his First Soul Ring, and Bibi Dong agreed to take him to Hundred Mist Valley. The Soul Hunting Operation began at dawn, with Ning Buhui unsure whether they would find a suitable beast.

• Ning Buhui told Bibi Dong that his Martial Soul might have yin and yang attributes and argued that a dual-attribute Soul Beast would suit it best.
• Ning Buhui proposed hunting a Netherlight Butterfly from Hundred Mist Valley, and Bibi Dong agreed to search there before considering alternatives.
• Ning Buhui packed his supplies and cultivated in the Soul Suppressing Pagoda before leaving the next morning.
• Ning Buhui boarded Bibi Dong's carriage with two guards, and they set out on the Soul Hunting Operation.

Ning Buhui and Bibi Dong’s party entered Hundred Mist Valley to find Netherlight Butterflies and discovered a swarm with a butterfly of the desired age. When a roughly 2,200-year-old Great Strength Ape appeared nearby, Bibi Dong looked to Ning Buhui to choose what to do next.

• Ning Buhui traveled with Bibi Dong, Zhou Qing, and Wu Tie to Hundred Mist Valley and camped near its entrance.
• The group entered the foggy valley and followed Nightglow Moss uphill, finding signs that Netherlight Butterflies had recently been nearby.
• They discovered a swarm of Netherlight Butterflies in a sinkhole, and Ning Buhui spotted one with markings suggesting it was around two thousand years old.
• A Great Strength Ape of about 2,200 years roared from the forest, and Bibi Dong glanced at Ning Buhui as the group faced a choice.

Ning Buhui chose a Netherlight Butterfly over a Great Strength Ape for his first Soul Ring and successfully absorbed its 2,026-year-old ring. He revealed a powerful support skill, kept a second control skill secret from the others, and headed back with Bibi Dong and her guards.

• Ning Buhui rejected the Great Strength Ape and chose the dual-attribute Netherlight Butterfly for his mutated Martial Soul.
• Bibi Dong captured the butterfly while Zhou Qing and Wu Tie drove away the Great Strength Ape, and Ning Buhui killed the weakened beast.
• Ning Buhui absorbed the butterfly’s 2,026-year-old Soul Ring despite its painful energy and resisted its lingering will with the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda.
• Ning Buhui’s Soul Power rose to level 15, and he demonstrated Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance, which boosted attributes, Soul Power recovery, and Soul Skill frequency.
• Ning Buhui explained his first skill’s effects to Bibi Dong but kept Yin · Butterfly Suppresses Nether Spring secret, then returned with the group.

Ning Buhui returned to Spirit City and revealed to Bibi Dong that his First Soul Ring granted both support and control skills, prompting her to keep the secret and give him a Storage Soul Tool. He then presented his Whale Rubber method to Spirit Hall’s elders, who agreed to restrict its use to core members, and left the meeting with Qian Daoliu’s token and a reward he could claim later.

• Ning Buhui returned to Spirit City, and Bibi Dong told him to rest before meeting her the following evening.
• Ning Buhui revealed that his First Soul Ring had a second, yin-based control skill, and Bibi Dong ordered him to keep it secret from outsiders.
• Bibi Dong gave Ning Buhui a Storage Soul Tool and discussed limiting knowledge of Whale Rubber to Spirit Hall’s core members.
• Ning Buhui presented the Whale Rubber instructions to Spirit Hall’s elders, and Bibi Dong established rules for its use and centralized allocation.
• Qian Daoliu invited Ning Buhui to join the Worship Hall, gave him an angel-emblem token, and Ning Buhui declined Bibi Dong’s offer of an immediate reward.

After obtaining his First Soul Ring, Ning Buhui intensified his physical and spiritual cultivation while Bibi Dong taught him about Deep Meditation. He mastered the threshold of Three-Aperture Control Heart and, thinking of Tang San’s recent awakening, resolved to keep growing stronger before their paths crossed.

• Ning Buhui trained daily and advanced quickly as the tower’s concentrated Soul Power accelerated his cultivation to level fifteen.
• Bibi Dong explained Deep Meditation and advised Ning Buhui to master ordinary meditation without trying to force the deeper state.
• Ning Buhui adjusted his meditation practice to focus on stillness and began training Heart Separation Control through increasingly complex simultaneous tasks.
• After weeks of practice, Ning Buhui achieved Three-Aperture Control Heart and used three streams of spiritual power at once during cultivation.
• Ning Buhui recalled that Tang San had likely awakened his Twin Martial Souls and decided to seize every opportunity to grow stronger before they met.

Shitou struggled to train his Slime Martial Soul despite poverty, ridicule, and a humiliating defeat by Sanwa. After Shitou asked Ning Buhui whether he should give up, Ning Buhui urged him to continue and promised to teach him more in Spirit City.

• Shitou trained daily and discovered that his Slime could absorb water, become sticky and tough, and cling to branches and stones.
• Shitou challenged Sanwa but was badly beaten, then realized he had been too impatient and stopped fighting back when Sanwa and the other children mocked him.
• Deacon Sun visited Shitou, encouraged him with dried meat, and offered to pass messages to Ning Buhui.
• After Shitou's father injured his back and his mother urged him to learn carpentry, Shitou wrote Ning Buhui about his doubts and his family's hardship.
• Ning Buhui replied that Shitou had not taken the wrong path, told him to keep training, promised to teach him in Spirit City, and sent ten Gold Soul Coins.

After seven months of relentless cultivation in Spirit Hall, Ning Buhui broke through to level twenty and began planning for his Second Soul Ring. He favored a roughly six-to-seven-thousand-year Soul-Binding Vine and ended the chapter by returning to cultivation, with his seventh birthday still two months away.

• Ning Buhui spent seven months training and studying, raising his Soul Power to level nineteen before reaching a bottleneck.
• Ning Buhui drew in the final strand of Soul Power in the pagoda and broke through to level twenty.
• Ning Buhui reviewed candidate Soul Beasts and chose the Soul-Binding Vine as his favored Second Soul Ring.
• Ning Buhui planned to ask his teacher about the vine's age and location, then returned to cultivating in the pagoda.

After Ning Buhui reached level twenty, he discussed his Second Soul Ring options with Bibi Dong and persuaded her that his Martial Soul could protect him from the remnant Soul Beast’s mental attack. Bibi Dong located Soul-Binding Vines at Rotten Wood Marsh, and they set out together to find one of the right age.

• Ning Buhui told Bibi Dong he had broken through to level twenty and presented his researched candidates for a Second Soul Ring, prioritizing the Soul-Binding Vine.
• Ning Buhui explained that the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda could defend his soul from mental attacks, so Bibi Dong agreed he could attempt to absorb a Soul Ring aged six to seven thousand years.
• Bibi Dong arranged to investigate the listed Soul Beasts and remarked that Ning Buhui reminded her of someone from years ago, whom he suspected was Yu Xiaogang.
• Seven days later, Bibi Dong showed Ning Buhui a map marking Rotten Wood Marsh and said they would leave the next morning to seek a suitable Soul-Binding Vine.
• Ning Buhui packed his supplies, and he and Bibi Dong departed Spirit City by carriage for Rotten Wood Marsh.

Ning Buhui and Bibi Dong searched Rotten Wood Marsh for a suitable Soul-Binding Vine, then found one nearly eight thousand years old fighting a Void Mantis. Ning Buhui chose to absorb its Soul Ring despite the danger, and the chapter left him enduring its violent energy while Bibi Dong watched.

• Ning Buhui and Bibi Dong spent several days searching Rotten Wood Marsh and found only unsuitable Soul Beasts, including a seven-thousand-year Black-Patterned Snake as a backup.
• Ning Buhui asked Bibi Dong to lead them farther north toward an old root ground where Soul-Binding Vines might gather.
• Ning Buhui and Bibi Dong discovered a nearly eight-thousand-year Soul-Binding Vine fighting a Void Mantis over ten thousand years old.
• Bibi Dong killed the Void Mantis with her Eternal Wound Soul Skill and restrained the wounded Soul-Binding Vine.
• Ning Buhui chose the Soul-Binding Vine over the safer backup, killed it, and began absorbing its Soul Ring despite Bibi Dong's warning.
• Ning Buhui struggled through severe pain as the Soul Ring's energy overwhelmed him, while Bibi Dong watched in silence.