Episode 36
Dai Wei Shi’s attack on Dai Mu Bai isn’t a permanent disfigurement of his claws or permanent damage to his Martial Soul. However, with Dai Mu Bai believing he’s lost against his brother and that his power is no match for him despite having finally caught up to the same Quadruple Soul Rings level as his brother, he believes his Martial Soul is forever destroyed.
When Yu Xiao Gang returns from Martial Soul Hall, he comes up with an idea to help push Dai Mu Bai to overcome this state of his. Until then, Dai Mu Bai remains dispirited in his room, only letting Zhu Zhu Qing to stay with him.
Tang San’s search through Martial Soul Hall records on the chase of his parents and the death of his mother sees him learn only an extra clue, but still a lead nonetheless. Their encounter with the Martial Soul Hall officer had helped Tang San and Yu Xiao Gang find and gain full access to the school’s huge, multi-room library. Tang San had also been led to find the exact book documenting the siege after someone a few isles away dash off. However, when Tang San looks through the book, he finds pages missing.
The person who he heard dash away appears to have torn the pages from the book, taking away all the pages detailing everything after Martial Soul Hall had elite forces dispatched to the Island of the God of Sea right up to the point before the death of Qian Xun Ji. This one detail about elite forces being sent to the Island of the God of Sea is a detail Tang San hadn’t learned before and it gets Yu Xiao Gang thinking maybe this relates to Tang San’s mother.
In Episode 32, Titan had mentioned Tang Hao having sent him and his tribe away in search of Island of the God of Sea to have them as far away as the battle between Tang Hao and Martial Soul Hall. The Island of God of Sea was believed to be a myth. With the discovery that elite forces were sent to this place, it leads Yu Xiao Gang wonder why almost no one knows who Tang San’s mother is. Questions such as where she came from and how Tang San’s father met her is what makes Yu Xiao Gang suspect maybe the deployment to The Island of God of Sea had something to do with Tang San’s mother.
Keeping with this chain of thought, Yu Xiao Gang flips through the pages of the book to try find out whether Tang San’s father was on the team deployed to the place. He discovers that not only was Tang San’s father on the team, but he was the leader.
Somewhere in Martial Soul City, Du Gu Bo and Ning Feng Zhi get their mission after their arrival in the city. Both brought to a room, they learn through a letter that this mission is to assassinate Bi Bi Dong.
The mission is revealed to Tang San once he returns to Shi Lan Ke School from his trip to Martial Soul City’s library. Du Gu Bo tells him that five or six Grand Soul Land Masters have been secretly summoned for this assassination which will take place at Martial Soul City. It’s a mission which Tang San believes won’t succeed. The reason he believes this is firstly Martial Soul City is the headquarters of Martial Soul Hall. Second, the many Grand Soul Land Masters in Martial Soul Hall.
This problem of Martial Soul Hall teeming with Grand Soul Land Masters is being seen to with a situation at Star Forest where the two Beast Kings of the Forest (the Azure Bull Python and the Giant Titan Ape) have apparently commanded Soul Beasts to head straight for Martial Soul City to carry out an attack. Bi Bi Dong receiving a report of this situation sees her agree to sending out most of the Grand Soul Land Masters to Star Forest to chase the Soul Beasts back to the forest.
Only the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master remains with Bi Bi Dong. Bi Bi Dong had originally ordered the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master and the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master to stay at Martial Soul Hall to referee the Soul Master School Contest, but the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master had managed to convince the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master that he intends to join the task of chasing back the Soul Beasts to Star Forest, reasoning that anyone can referee the contest. This makes the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master come off suspiciously like he is the black smoke figure.
News that most of Martial Soul Hall’s Grand Soul Land Masters will be sent out to Star Forest to open Martial Soul Hall up for attack sees Tang San quite worried that the assassination might succeed. He believes Martial Soul Hall is guilty of what they’ve done to his parents in the past, but Bi Bi Dong had told him she wasn’t part of the chase of his parents some decade ago. There is also people in Martial Soul Hall who knows nothing about it and will get caught in this assassination attempt. He’s worried that innocent people will get punished for matters they weren’t involved in.
With the mission revealed and the letter mentioning the offer of an antidote for Du Gu Bo and mutation of the Martial Soul for Qibao Amber Clan as rewards for completing the mission, it once again point to the possibility that Tang Hao is behind this call to assassinate Bi Bi Dong. Remembering the words of Tang San’s mother to protect his father and not let him fall into an abyss of hatred and revenge, Tang San decides he needs to see Ye Zhi Qiu to try see his father before the assassination takes place, right after helping Dai Mu Bai win his battle against his brother.
The plan to return Dai Mu Bai’s fighting spirit is one involving Zhu Zhu Qing going up against Dai Wei Shi and declaring her support for Dai Mu Bai as heir to the Xing Luo Empire throne. This is the idea Yu Xiao Gang had come up with following his return to Shi Lan Ke School. He had hoped that the threat to Zhu Zhu Qing’s life would get Dai Mu Bai up and fighting Dai Wei Shi in order to save her.
Fei Lan De wasn’t too sure of Yu Xiao Gang’s method, but Zhu Zhu Qing was willing to do anything to help Dai Mu Bai recover. And it worked. Hearing that Zhu Zhu Qing had gone off to confront Dai Wei Shi saw Dai Mu Bai going after her, worried she was going to get killed.
Zhu Zhu Qing’s attempts to attack Dai Wei Shi doesn’t get her killed, but it does get her in danger of getting her legs broken. After launching a few times to try land a strike and failing, she finds herself propelled to the ground by Dai Wei Shi’s force with nowhere to go. While she lay there, injured and unable to move, two energy waves pass by her as she manages to roll left and then right to avoid being hit. The third energy wave was set to hit her until Dai Mu Bai swoops in to block.
Dai Wei Shi’s determined to break Zhu Zhu Qing’s leg, ignoring Dai Mu Bai’s demand he leaves Zhu Zhu Qing out of their fight. Dai Mu Bai not about to let Dai Wei Shi hurt Zhu Zhu Qing, he brings out his claws to block Dai Wei Shi’s. As Dai Mu Bai does this, his claws slowly grow back, indicating the recovery of Dai Mu Bai’s fighting spirit and his Martial Soul that was never really destroyed. With a determined grunt, Dai Mu Bai forces Dai Wei Shi back to his side, giving Dai Mu Bai his first minor win in a battle of strength against his brother.
Dai Wei Shi isn’t threatened by Dai Mu Bai’s small win. In his eyes, a weakling is always a weakling no matter how hard they try. The tough talk and intimidation doesn’t work on Dai Mu Bai. Now that his confidence and fighting spirit back, Dai Mu Bai just tells his brother he will see him in the arena after the private battle is stopped by the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master: he had shown up to warn that private duels aren’t permitted.
Taking it to the arena is what Dai Mu Bai does. With Zhu Zhu Qing by his side, they work on the Martial Soul Fusion Skill which the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master had suggested as a way to increase their power drastically for a short time and allow Dai Mu Bai to defeat Dai Wei Shi. When the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master had made this suggestion, he thought the progress could be challenging for the two. Although Dai Mu Bai had already met the condition of having consumed the Rare Powerful Chrysanthemum, it required Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing to be in perfect sync with each other. The Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master seems to have thought Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing have yet to develop such a deep trust and synchronisation with each other. But is seen showing disbelief when Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing achieve it on the first try. The skill which involves the fusion of their Martial Souls was already achieved.
At the arena and receive the announcement that the battle was to be a five-versus-five group battle, Dai Mu Bai requests Tang San to allow him and Zhu Zhu Qing to take on Dai Wei Shi and Zhu Zhu Qing’s sister in a two-versus-two battle (which Dai Mu Bai had requested the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master to change to, a request which was granted, and a request which Dai Wei Shi accepted).
Dai Wei Shi had originally wanted to fight Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing alone. He believed he alive was enough to take both of them on. However, with both sides already agreeing to a two-versus-two battle, it was required for Dai Wei Shi to bring in a second team member. And so Zhu Zhu Qing’s sister was brought in. She’s told to stand still and not make any attacks, though, seemingly believing she won’t be needed to take down Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing.
The battle officially announced to begin, Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing reveal the fusion of their Martial Souls. It’s a sight which sees Dai Wei Shi initially not recognise, but taking a longer look he soon recognises the white tiger before him had fused with Zhu Zhu Qing’s Martial Soul.
With Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing both Quadruple Soul Rings Soul Masters and having achieved this Martial Soul Fusion Skill which increases their power even more, Dai Wei Shi might find his own power and strength seriously challenged and fighting alone might not be enough.
Episode 37
The combination of power and speed finally gets Dai Mu Bai that victory he’s been after. Dai Wei Shi’s attacks of electric spheres and strikes saw them all dodged by Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing’s fused Martial Soul that’s represented by Dai Mu Bai’s White Tiger. Zhu Zhu Qing’s sister had offered her help seeing Dai Wei Shi unable to land an attack. However, being too proud, he insisted on crushing Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing alone with another attempt to propel his electric sphere at them (which was blocked) before launching into the air to try again. But it’s not Dai Wei Shi doing the crushing. It’s Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing.
Commanding the white tiger to pounce high into the air, it forces Dai Wei Shi back to the ground. It claws repeatedly at him as Dai Wei Shi slides on his back. He manages to come out from under the tiger to attempt another attack at Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing, but the combined power of Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing is just too strong. The electric sphere Dai Wei Shi throws at Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing is cancelled out by Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing’s electric sphere, its shockwave sending Dai Wei Shi crashing to the ground in pain.
Zhu Zhu Qing’s sister tries to step in to help once again, but she’s swatted aside with his energy wave, insisting on beating them alone. It’s over for him, though. His attempt to stand up to carry on sees him collapse back to the ground moments later, heavily injured and defeated.
Dai Mu Bai’s victory is one which he knows wouldn’t have been possible without Zhu Zhu Qing as well as the support of his teammates (as Dai Mu Bai later tells them all). Alone, he admits that his brother is stronger. However, having someone who he trusts by his side, someone like Zhu Zhu Qing who will live and die with him, he’s finally managed to beat his brother for the first time. Dai Wei Shi on the other hand lost because (as Dai Mu Bai points out to Zhu Zhu Qing’s sister) only had himself and the reason he lost.
Xing Luo Empire Battle Team defeated, Shi Lan Ke School gets a bit of a rest with Tian Dou Imperial School’s Team One and Martial Soul Hall’s match up next. It’s a match which Shi Lan Ke School decide to stay and watch as Dai Mu Bai didn’t want to miss such a battle since only two of the seeded battle teams were left.
It’s a six against two match, with Martial Soul Hall’s Battle Team Captain, Xie Yu, telling Tian Dou Imperial School’s Team One that in fact only he will suffice for the match. However, the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master insisted on two versus Tian Dou Imperial’s six. So, bringing in his teammate who has flames as his Soul Skills (and leaving Hu Lie Na, the third team member of the team, spectating), the battle begins.
The team member with the flames powers up and shoots his beams of flames as well as his fireballs at the Tian Dou Imperial Team. It’s responded with Yu Tian Heng blocking with his wall of electric currents. Everyone behind Yu Tian Heng protected, Du Gu Yan launches at Xie Yue with Flying Snakes which sees her release a thick cloud of green smoke at the two Martial Soul Hall Soul Masters. The cloud of smoke is easily blocked by a beam of flames.
Yu Tian Heng continuing to use his wall of electric currents, he manages to keep his four other team members protected from the barrage of flame attacks, but against Xie Yu’s flying Moon Blade, it’s no match. All four of his men get taken out, reducing Yu Tian Heng’s Tang to just him and Du Gu Yan; and it’s a losing battle from this point as Yu Tian Heng’s strongest attack (which appears to be the electric currents) serves nothing to stop that crescent from circling around Yu Tian Heng’s neck. With one command, Xie Yu could have Yu Tian Heng’s neck sliced. However, as the killing was not allowed, it was simply a matter of a surrender from Yu Tian Heng.
It’s a call Yu Tian Heng gives. He also has Du Gu Yan surrender. Against Martial Soul Hall’s second teammate, she’s holding his fire beam off with her green cloud of smoke, but it’s looking to be a struggle. With Xie Yu free to focus on her, chances of her winning was likely nil. And so, Du Gu Yan surrenders.
Du Gu Yan’s surrender seemed not enough for her more emotional and fiery opponent, though. He wanted to knock Du Gu Yan out; and went to do it. Fortunately, Hu Lie Na moves to block the attack, telling him the battle was over.
Hu Lie Na moves to offer Yu Tian Heng and Du Gu Yan a chance to join Martial Soul Hall with the reward of becoming stronger. It’s not unusual for her to offer such an opportunity. She’s tried inviting Ou Si Ke to Martial Soul Hall after discovering his Martial Soul was from the Food Branch. What’s behind her offers—if there is anything behind it other than ensuring Martial Soul Hall has the strongest and most powerful Soul Masters—isn’t known.
Yu Tian Heng and Du Gu Yan don’t offer a response to her offer.
Just how strong Xie Yu is looks to be a question to be answered. After victory was called for Martial Soul Hall, Dai Mu Bai had noticed that Xie Yu had defeated Tian Dou Imperial School without using any of his Soul Skills. Rhetorically asking Ou Si Ke and Zhu Zhu Qing about whether they saw the number of Soul Rings the three members of Martial Soul Hall Battle Team had, Ou Si Ke answers and was able to provide that the Soul Master with the flames had Quadruple Soul Rings as did Hu Lie Na, but struggled to say what Xie Yu had. The reason Ou Si Ke couldn’t provide an answer is because Xie Yu never reveals his Soul Rings, a fact which Dai Mu Bai pointed out after Ou Si Ke answered him.
The strength of Martial Soul Hall’s power is suggested to be much beyond the main Tian Dou Imperial Team. Yu Tian Heng is considered quite strong for a Soul Sect with Quadruple Soul Rings, but he and his team had no response to Xie Yu’s attacks. The suggestion is Xie Yu is much stronger than Quadruple Soul Rings.
With Tang San not needed in either of the battles that just went, he and Xiao Wu had snuck away to meet Ye Zhi Qiu. The Cang Hui School Captain had wanted to let Tang San know about the latest task Shi Nian wanted him to carry out (which was in one of the last couple scenes in Episide 36). It involved meeting an officer at Martial Soul Hall who would recognise Ye Zhi Qiu through his possession of golden arrowhead Shi Nian had extracted from one of Ye Zhi Qiu’s team. (This golden arrowhead is actually the team member’s Martial Soul.)
Ye Zhi Qiu’s intention appears to have been simply to tell Tang San of the next task Shi Nian had for him since they were working together before carrying it out himself. However, it’s Tang San who ends up carrying out the task. Tang San had put up his hand to do it despite Ye Zhi Qiu telling him it could be dangerous. The fact that it’s dangerous is the reason Tang San offered to do it.
So, arrowheads in his hand, Tang San makes the decision to go on his own. Xiao Wu is told to wait for him, worried about the danger they could face. He tries to convince her to listen to him by expressing his concerns that this person he’s about to meet could be a very powerful person with quite a lot of authority. The reason why he believes this is that if this person wasn’t such, the person wouldn’t have been able to play tricks right under the nose of Chief of Martial Soul Hall—such as hiding Grand Soul Land Masters such as Du Gu Bo and the mentioned five or so others within Martial Soul City without them being found out. This person wouldn’t have been able to enter the library where Tang San and Yu Xiao Gang had required Hu Lie Na’s Martial Soul Hall token to get into.
Tang San’s never been able to convince Xiao Wu to leave his side in anything, especially not when he’s wanting to do something which endangers his life. This time is no different. She ends up convincing Tang San that no matter how dangerous it is, they won’t meet a Grand Soul Land Master with Nine Soul Rings since they’re all not in Martial Soul City because of the situation at Star Forest. These words along with the above later helps Tang San zone in on who he believes is the person in Martial Soul Hall that’s trying to assassinate Bi Bi Dong.
Agreeing to go together, they meet just a normal Martial Soul Officer. He’s not the mastermind or a Grand Soul Land Master. He’s just someone with only Triple Soul Ring tasked to lead Tang San to a room below the Main Hall where Tang San had met Bi Bi Dong and have Tang San deliver and integrate the golden arrowhead into one of two Soul Bones inside.
Brought before the two Soul Bones which serve as the prize for the winner of the Soul Master School Contest, Tang San’s gaze focuses on a circular Soul Bone which have a lot of spikes around it. He remarks how it’s the same as the spider legs on his back. This is the one the Martial Soul Officer instructs Tang San to place the arrowhead into and have it integrate with.
With the task completed, Tang San and Xiao Wu are led out of the Main Hall. Tang San had worried that there was going to be a threat to their lives next and had told Xiao Wu to prepare to attack; but, that’s not what happens. Instead, the Martial Soul Officer takes his own life to (presumably) avoid being questioned and jeapardise the main mission. With a dagger, he kills himself. As he falls, Gold Soul Coins spill out from his clothes.
The spilling of the Gold Soul Coins is deliberate as the plan was to provide a reason for having sent away all the guards that led to the Main Hall. (The entire way the halls were completely empty, allowing Tang San and Xiao Wu to to be led without obstruction.) The sight would give an explanation to the officers who later discovered the dead Martial Soul Officer a reason why the guards had all been sent away. However, what the sight doesn’t explain away is why the Martial Soul Hall Officer would go as far as killing himself over stealing some Gold Soul Coins.
This question is one which Bi Bi Dong had asked the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master when he was before her. (He was there when the officers discovered the body.) He had told the officers who discovered the body to keep the death from being known to the public and that he’d do the investigating himself in secret. His explanation for giving such a command is that he didn’t want to tarnish the image of Martial Soul Hall with the Soul Masters School Contest in progress. It’s an explanation which Bi Bi Dong accepts despite appearing to find the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s decision to secretly investigate curious.
Last episode, the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master is made to appear to be the black smoke figure working with the Hao Tian Soul Master behind Cang Hui. This episode, it’s the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master suspected to be the black smoke figure. It’s not Bi Bi Dong who suspects him, but Tang San. After the Martial Soul Officer had killed himself, Tang San had arrived at this conclusion based on the authority and power one would’ve needed to discover and make a deal with the rarely seen Azure Bull Python in Star Forest.
Hardly anyone knew what the second Beast King was let alone seen him. In Episode 14, only Xiao Wu could say exactly what kind of beast the second Beast King was. The best mind in Douluo Continent, Yu Xiao Gang, didn’t even know what it was. He even thought the second Beast King was a rumour since no one had actually seen it before seeing the Azure Bull Python being approached by the black smoke figure.
Tang San concluded that in order for the black smoke figure to learn about the Azure Bull Python as well as its approximate location, this person needed to have access to the library which housed The Secret of Star, the book which had this information. To get into the library, this required a Martial Soul Token which last episode established had the authority equivalent to a Grand Soul Land Master. And as always mentioned, in order to be able to play tricks under Bi Bi Dong, they also must have quite a lot of authority.
At first, Tang San thought several people fit the above criteria. However, the words Xiao Wu used to convince Tang San to let her go with him on that task Tang San took over from Ye Zhi Qiu (the ones where she said no matter how dangerous it is, they won’t meet a Grand Soul Land Master with Nine Soul Rings since they’re all not in Martial Soul City because of the situation at Star Forest) had Tang San believe the black smoke figure should be the only Martial Soul Hall Grand Soul Land Master left in Martial Soul City. This narrows it to only one person and that’s the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master. He’s the spy in Martial Soul Hall and the black smoke figure who’s working with the suspected to be Hao Tian Soul Master and the one who’s trying to kill Bi Bi Dong.
To confirm his suspicions, Tang San had returned to Martial Soul Hall library to looking through records of who checked out The Secrets of Star. Tang San found Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s name on the list.
Believing the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master to be the spy, Tang San and Xiao Wu report back this conclusion as well as the integrating of the golden arrowhead into the Soul Bone to Ye Zhi Qiu. Wanting to find out why the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master is working with the Hao Tian Soul Land Master and how a Cang Hui Soul Sect with Quadruple Soul Rings and his golden arrowhead impacts Bi Bi Dong, Tang San expresses his plans to capture the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master to find out. He hasn’t thought about how he’d do it, but (as he tells Ye Zhi Qiu), he’ll figure it out. For the time being, he requests Ye Zhi Qiu to keep Shi Nian from finding out anything before asking he report any news he might have about the Hao Tian Soul Master.
Although, it appears Bi Bi Dong is unaware of what’s happening around her, she gives off the impression that she could know more than what her enemies believes she knows. A report from the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master regarding a matter involving a force behind three schools having possibly been set up to test a path to developing the ultimate Martial Soul sees Bi Bi Dong not at all surprised.
The Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master had only expressed that he found it curious how the three schools, Chi Huo School (which is the school which saw Shi Lan Ke School underestimate and lose against), Shen Feng School and Lei Ting School had been established at around the same time with similar policies. The fact they were set up to test the above mentioned goal was not a fact Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master had provided Bi Bi Dong but a fact which Bi Bi Dong had provided Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master; and it was a fact which had shocked Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master when she revealed her knowledge of this fact. He was also surprised that she was aware there were other forces out there besides Martial Soul Hall and the two empires (presumably she’s taking about Tian Dou Empire and Xing Luo Empire).
She then has the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master thinking about the origins of Soul Masters, why Soul Beasts are needed to advance the Martial Soul and what the connection is between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts. Her suggestion is that Soul Beasts aren’t natural. For them to happen to be perfect for Soul Masters to advance, she expresses how much of a coincidence it is as is the existence of Douluo Continent that is just for Soul Masters.
Back in Episode 14, Yu Xiao Gang had once remarked how inheriting Martial Souls was a lie as is the belief that remains of Soul Beasts can exist and there being ancient weapons. The suggestion that everything relating to Soul Beasts and Soul Masters isn’t natural might be what Yu Xiao Gang was referring to.
But how much and whether she knows anything about an attempt on her life is in the works is yet to be revealed.
Tang San and Xiao Wu make it back to their team, in time for their next match against Chi Huo School. It’s a match they’ve since learned not to underestimate, and one which they successfully redeem themselves after their loss during their first encounter with Chi Huo School.
After a barrage of fireballs and beams of fire being thrown at Shi Lan Ke School—attacks which Ma Hong Jun attempted to absorb and have surrender to him—Shi Lan Ke School land themselves in a similar situation. Dai Mu Bai was forced to erect his Blue Silver Cage to protect everyone from metres-high flames Chi Huo School captain, Huo Wu, and her team fanned after Ma Hong Jun failed to dominate over Chi Huo School’s flames. What was believed to be Soul Masters with Martial Soul from the Flame Branch is discovered to be from the Wind Branch.
Although Shi Lan Ke School appears to be trapped and looking to repeat the result of their last encounter with Chi Huo School, they are deliberately standing still to allow time for Tang San’s Blue Silver Plant to rise above the ground, restrict their opponents, and allow the Seven Devils of Shi Lan Ke (who received a boost of strength and speed from Ning Rong Rong moments before making their attack) to charge at them to send everyone out of the arena save Huo Wu who surrendered.
Chi Huo School’s defeat sees Huo Wu approach Tang San (who was accompanied by Xiao Wu and Dai Mu Bai) regarding her belief that she and her team is likely to disappear soon. Her reason for believing this is because Shen Feng School and Lei Ting School have gone missing following their defeats. Dai Mu Bai remarked that they probably just went back home, but Huo Wu is sure this isn’t the case as they would never leave without saying goodbye since the schools are their allies.
Trusting only Shi Lan Ke School (because they aren’t affiliated with Martial Soul Hall or the two empires she believes could be behind the disappearance), she transfers a flame to Tang San’s palm. The flame isn’t hot to the touch and will keep burning as long as she is alive. She hopes that when she and her team disappears, Shi Lan Ke School would look into the matter, find the truth and save them. With that, she takes her leave.
As Huo Wu had believed, not long after they all had spoken, not only does Huo Wu and her team go missing, but when Tang San, Dai Mu Bai and Xiao Wu go to check on the places where Tian Dou Imperial School and Xing Luo Empire are staying, they’re nowhere to be found as well. Dai Mu Bai had wondered if it was just a coincidence and that maybe they all just went home. Tang San doesn’t believe it to be the case. He tells Dai Mu Bai that Du Gu Bo is still in Martial Soul City and Du Gu Yan wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
The mention of Du Gu Bo sees Dai Mu Bai briefly focus on the matter, wondering whether Tang San was hiding things from him. Tang San doesn’t denies it, telling Dai Mu Bai he didn’t want to worry him and that he’ll talk whilst they make their way to check on Chi Huo School.
The whole place was empty. The team was missing and so were all the teachers. Huo Wu is still alive, though, as her flame was still burning when Tang San opens his palm to check.
With large numbers of people disappearing in such a manner, Huo Wu had suggested the one behind is could be beyond the power of a Grand Soul Land Master with Nine Soul Rings. Dai Mu Bai seems to suspect the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, though. His personal experience of witnessing everyone at Shi Lan Ke School—his teammates as well as Fei Lan De, Yu Xiao Gang and Liu Er Long—all knocked out back in Episode 34 looks to be behind why he suspects the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master.
Episode 38
Both Tang San and Dai Mu Bai believing the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master could be behind the disappearance of the eliminated teams, they seek Hu Lie Na to try have her convince Bi Bi Dong to capture the Grand Soul Land Master. Tang San explaining his reasons for suspecting the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, Hu Lie Na is initially not so convinced he was a traitor. Hu Lie Na accepts Cang Hui was plotting something when she was told about the golden arrowhead being implanted into the Soul Bone. However it didn’t prove that the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master and Cang Hui were working together.
Tang San had tried to get Hu Lie Na to see his conclusion by the fact that the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master is the only one left in Martial Soul Hall. Hu Lie Na wasn’t quite convinced still. Tang San then brought up the fact that only the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master could have the ability to make all the eliminated teams disappear. This had her start to question the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master. Like Tang San and Dai Mu Bai had reacted, she wondered why the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master would make them all disappear.
Although Hu Lie Na is now starting to see the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master as suspicious, it’s not enough for her to go to Bi Bi Dong. Before this happens, she must verify Tang San’s claims herself.
Leaving Tang San and the others for a moment, she sees the teammate with the flames (known as Yan) to ask him for the favour of distracting the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master. Yan agreeing, she heads towards the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s place (which is set up in a basement) with Tang San, Dai Mu Bai and Xiao Wu following to see if they could find anything incriminating.
A glance around, Hu Lie Na discovers the match schedule having been altered so that Cang Hui didn’t face Martial Soul Hall in the divisional round and be eliminated before reaching the final. Meanwhile at the back of the room, Xiao Wu and Tang San gets transported to an interspace created by Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master.
They try to get out again with Tang San touching a pink bunch of chrysanthemums in the interspace (touching a similar bunch outside the interspace is how Xiao Wu had gotten them transported in). However, nothing happens.
Stuck, they gaze around to discover prison cells containing skeletons which look like human, but (as Xiao Wu reveals) are actually the corpse of Century Millennium Soul Beasts that were close to changing into their human form.
Unaware of Xiao Wu’s distress and sadness (her back is to him so he can’t see the streaming tears running down her cheeks while on the ground next to a Soul Beast corpse), Tang San wonders whether the corpses were the result of experiments which saw them killed and abandoned. Century Millennium Soul Beasts lived for at least 100,000 years. Tang San seems to have thought that since they lived so long, whoever killed them for whatever experiment they were trying to conduct had left them in this interspace to decompose.
Xiao Wu tells Tang San that it’s the result of an attempt to seal the power back into the Soul Beast’s body after killing them and not absorbing their Soul Rings. How she knows this is suspiciously pointing to a personal understanding rather than knowledge she learned in a book.
The suggestion Xiao Wu was originally a Soul Beast, that she could be one of those Century Millennium Soul Beast who successfully transformed into human form is once again suggested here. A stronger suggestion of this fact is seen when she asks whether Soul Beasts and humans could ever live peacefully and whether Century Millennium Soul Beast could be considered a human when it turns into human form. As she asks the first question, she’s looking at her own hands. With her second question, she is seen looking at herself in a mirror near her.
His answer is one which is based on what his father had told him: they are no different from humans. It doesn’t say much about Tang San’s own opinion about the subject and how he might react if he discovered Xiao Wu was a Century Millennium Soul Beast. Although, it’s not clear how he will regard Xiao Wu if she turned out to be a Century Millennium Soul Beast, he does express sympathy towards them. Xiao Wu’s question had him thinking how their existence must have been a tough one. Before transforming, they had to avoid being killed by Soul Masters. After transforming, they have to leave their native environments and train all over again in the society of Soul Masters.
While Tang San and Xiao Wu are in the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s interspace, Hu Lie Na and Dai Mu Bai head to see Bi Bi Dong about Tang San and Xiao Wu’s disappearance to try get Bi Bi Dong to look at questioning the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master about his scheme to assassinate her. Bi Bi Dong is told about Tang San’s disappearance in the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s room and how they had found a changed schedule in the divisional battles which supports Tang San’s suspicions that the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master is working with Cang Hui to kill her.
It’s not enough for Bi Bi Dong to investigate, though. They were all speculations and she couldn’t see how a change in the match fixture enabled the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master to kill her.
The response sees Hu Lie Na view it as yet another instance of her mother not listening to her recommendations, not trusting her judgement or acknowledging her abilities.
Requesting Dai Mu Bai to let her speak to Bi Bi Dong privately, Hu Lie Na tries to convince Bi Bi Dong again. She tells her she knows Tang San well and he won’t talk nonsense when he says that only the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master could make the everyone in the schools eliminated from the contest disappear. She urges Bi Bi Dong to at least speak to the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master about it.
Bi Bi Dong dismisses Hu Lie Na’s recommendation, telling her to focus on the contest and not get involved in these matters. Bi Bi Dong gives Hu Lie Na a similar response when Hu Lie Na again brings up her efforts with taking control of Tian Dou Empire. Hu Lie Na tells Bi Bi Dong that her plan was a plan which proved to be successful, but it was all dismissed, causing her to carry it out on her own in the end. This only got Hu Lie Na criticism as Bi Bi Dong expresses not seeing the plan working forever. People won’t be deceived forever by her act as Xue Qing He and that she should concentrate on getting to the final and winning it she has told Hu Lie Na.
Bi Bi Dong appears to be looking down on Hu Lie Na, that her own mother doesn’t trust her own daughter in matters relating to Martial Soul Hall, but if the pained expression she gives when Hu Lie Na shows her frustration with the address of “mother” instead of the agreed “master”, it might be because of something else. When Hu Lie Na expressed not understanding the reason why she can’t reveal her true identity and relationship to her, Bi Bi Dong had her head turned to the side, eyes shut as if she was trying hard to avoid seeing the hurt in her daughter. Maybe Bi Bi Dong is keeping this distance between them and not letting her get involved in Martial Soul Hall matters to keep Hu Lie Na safe. The actual reason remains unclear, though.
Hu Lie Na lets up at this point. In a quiet and defeated voice, Hu Lie Na tells her mother one last time that she thinks she should still speak to the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master about the suspicions Tang San have about the Grand Soul Land Master before leaving.
Meeting back up with Dai Mu Bai, the two make their way back to the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s room to (presumably) try figure out where Tang San and Xiao Wu had gone. Only Hu Lie Na ends up going back into the room. Dai Mu Bai had separated from Hu Lie Na to try lead Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master away after he had returned from the distraction Hu Lie Na had Yan help her with.
Dai Mu Bai’s distraction (which involved having Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master walk around before ending in a room to reject the Grand Soul Land Master’s offer to become his disciple) gave Hu Lie Na the time to be brought into the Grand Soul Land Master’s interspace and see what Tang San and Xiao Wu saw.
After making it back into the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s room, Xiao Wu had come out of the interspace by touching the pink bunch of chrysanthemums which Tang San had tried multiple times with nothing happening. Hu Lie Na had tried the same after seeing Xiao Wu head back in through the pink bunch of chrysanthemums in the room but again nothing happened. As Xiao Wu illustrates, only she is able to enter and exit the interspace: with Xiao Wu holding Tang San’s wrist, he was brought out; and with Xiao Wu holding both Tang San and Hu Lie Na, they were brought back in to have Hu Lie Na see what Tang San and Xiao Wu had discovered.
Despite the evidence being quite suspicious, Hu Lie Na still thinks Bi Bi Dong won’t listen to her. She believes it’s still better for her and Tang San to come up with a way to capture the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master themselves. Tang San has Hu Lie Na tell him Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s schedule with the plan to have Du Gu Bo, Ning Feng Zhi and the Sword Grand Soul Land Master intercept and capture Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master on route back to Martial Soul Hall from the arena. Du Gu Bo had questioned Tang San about why he would get involved in the matter, why he would help Martial Soul Hall and try stop the assassination attempt. He worried Tang San had some kind of relationship with Martial Soul Hall.
Tang San gives him a few reasons. He mentions the creation of Martial Souls, poisoning people such as Du Gu Bo and Du Gu Yan, and using Spirit Control on Cang Hui students. He believed that if Shi Nian/Cang Hui (who Tang San tells Du Gu Bo the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master is working with) got into power it’d be more frightening, more catastrophic for Douluo Continent than Martial Soul Hall. This is the first reason. It’s one which doesn’t move Du Gu Bo too much.
Tang San moves to make sure Du Gu Bo is calm before giving him the second reason: all the eliminated schools have disappeared. This means Du Gu Yan is missing as well. Tang San also adds his own personal reason of wanting to learn where the Hao Tian Soul Master is from Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, but the fact Du Gu Yan was missing had Du Gu Bo already decided he was going to capture the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master. It was a mission Du Gu Bo assures would be successful with Ning Feng Zhi and the Sword Grand Soul Land Master cooperating.
Over at Cang Hui, Shi Nian reveals to Ye Zhi Qiu his plans to end things with Shi Lan Ke School. Following Ye Zhi Qiu’s report of having completed his mission, Shi Nian reveals his intention to kick Shi Lan Ke School out of the contest so Cang Hui can enter the final and take out the championship. Taking out Martial Soul Hall is suggested to be the least of Shi Nian’s concerns when Ye Zhi Qiu points out that the chances of defeating Martial Soul Hall Battle Team is nil. Shi Nian is confident and has it handled. The only problem is Shi Lan Ke School because it requires Tang San to agree to throw the match.
It’s a request Shi Nian makes when he shows up at Shi Lan Ke School to have Tang San meet up with him, and one which Tang San is not happy to agree to do. But he hopes that the meeting with the Hao Tian Soul Master changes his mind because he’s apparently waiting inside the school grounds for Tang San.
Episode 39
Face to face Tang San finally meets his father, only it’s just an illusion Shi Nian created with his Broken Dreams Martial Soul. From the moment Tang San had caught sight of Shi Nian, he was trapped in this nightmare of a dream.
But thinking that before him really is his father, Tang San listens to him talk about wanting to kill Bi Bi Dong because of his desire to seek revenge, wanting to sacrifice the Cang Hui students in order to achieve it and wanting Tang San to help him achieve that by throwing the match between Shi Lan Ke School and Cang Hui. Once Cang Hui makes it to the finals, the contest is Cang Hui’s to win it seem. How the outcome is achieved, Tang San’s father doesn’t expand on, but he does tell Tang San how the golden arrowhead being integrated with the Soul Bone and how a Cang Hui Quadruple Soul Rings achieves the assassination of Bi Bi Dong.
The golden arrowhead inside the Soul Bone acts as a guide, a target for the Soul Skill called Blank Space to release its power on. The effect will cause Bi Bi Dong to lose control of her Soul Power and Martial Soul (revealed to be Twin Martial Souls Death Araneae and Soul-draining Araneae in Episode 36) once this Cang Hui student unleashes his Blank Space Soul Skill on her.
To ensure all external help is blocked while this mission is being carried out, the Mutant Soul Space Isolation erects a dome to prevent people coming in, but the black voids, Returning Mirror, allows the Grand Soul Land Master he’s gathered to enter through to attack Bi Bi Dong successively and kill her.
Hearing this plan and the plan to kill all the Cang Hui students after the mission is completed, Tang San refuses to take part. He believes it to be wrong to sacrifice so many lives just to kill Bi Bi Dong.
Tang San’s father won’t accept Tang San’s response and attempt to force him. In comes Dai Mu Bai, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhu Qing, Ou Si Ke, Ma Hong Jun and Ning Rong Rong who arrives to stand up to Tang San’s father and try protect Tang San. They all get pummeled with the Hao Tian Hammer despite Tang San’s attempt to stop either side from fighting. Tang San’s father offers to spare Xiao Wu and not kill her if he obeys and agrees to throw the match.
The threat to kill Xiao Wu doesn’t work on Tang San because by this point Tang San’s awaken from the powers of Shi Nian’s Broken Dreams. In Tang San’s efforts to appeal to this supposed father of his to stop, to return to Village of Soul and live together, Shi Nian had made the mistake of swiping away the wind chime which Tang San brought out. The wind chime is the symbol of his father’s love for Tang San, and as Tang San tells Shi Nian, his father would never destroy that love like that.
Shi Nian’s powers is limited to creating images, knowing information only when his targets mentions it. Shi Nian couldn’t actually access their memories. The whole time Tang San was the one asking the questions which Shi Nian avoided being exposed by answering questions with questions to learn more and giving answers that were very general and can’t be discovered as suspicious.
Before Tang San spoke, he didn’t know Tang San’s relationship to the Hao Tian Soul Master. Only when he called Shi Nian “Dad” did he realise the relationship. Shi Nian also showed carefulness in his answers when Tang San asked whether Shi Nian/Tang San’s father was the mastermind behind everything. Shi Nian’s answer was to ask him why Tang San was so shocked in order to gauge how much he knew and answer accordingly. From there, Shi Nian only confirm as much as Tang San knew and kept his answers short.
Shi Nian attempts to force Tang San to submit yet again by grabbing his neck, threaten to kill him repeatedly in his dreams and torture him to the point of losing all hope, at which point, Shi Nian would then control him. However, Shi Nian fails yet again as a hidden power left inside Tang San’s heart enables Tang San’s Blue Silver Plant to bound Shi Nian and break his Martial Soul.
The power was the last bit of power Tang San’s mother had left inside him. It was at the level of a Grand Soul Land Master which is why Shi Nian couldn’t break free.
Falling to his knees, Shi Nian loses consciousness and awareness. Tang San is released from the nightmare of a dream Shi Nian put him in. The students of Cang Hui who are seen in the Martial Soul Hall arena all wake as well, with their last memory being of the time they first came to Cang Hui.
Ye Zhi Qiu and Cang Hui make their exits upon being freed from the control of Shi Nian. Brought before Shi Nian, Ye Zhi Qiu tells Tang San that he and his team plan to leave Martial Soul City together. He has no intention of continuing on in the Soul Master School Contest and intends to bring Shi Nian with him to ensure he doesn’t wake up. He then leaves Tang San, Xiao Wu and Dai Mu Bai (plus Hu Lie Na) expressing his gratitude and offer his help should Tang San find himself needing it.
The plan to ambush Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master on-route back to Martial Soul Hall is underway. Du Gu Bo decides on a corner within the halls where they presumably leave the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master unable to escape without getting pass them first. Before they encounter the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, the Sword Grand Soul Land Master makes a suggestion that Ning Feng Zhi think about standing back and observing the situation before attacking. The Sword Grand Soul Land Master is seemingly worried about getting involved with a matter concerning Martial Soul Hall and wants to be sure about what they’re doing.
Settled, the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master show up before them not long after. Ning Feng Zhi make sure they’ve got the right person by asking whether he is the mastermind behind everything. The Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s response is highly suspicious as he doesn’t confirm, but his actions make him appear to say he is.
Making some chrysanthemum petal appear, it forms into a whip which he uses to attack Du Gu Bo. “You know too much,” the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master had said when Ning Feng Zhi had asked his question. A battle ensues with Du Gu Bo shooting his beam of poisonous gas at the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master and the Sword Grand Soul Land Master receiving speed boosts from Ning Feng Zhi’s Qibao Amber Pagoda so that the Sword Grand Soul Land Master’s reactions and control of his sword attacks is faster.
It’s a battle which Tang San ends up stopping after discovering that his speculation that the mastermind is the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master was wrong. He had realised this when Hu Lie Na had gone to him to get her Martial Soul Hall token back and discovered that lending records in the library noted down the owner of the token that was used and not the person who used the token.
Hu Lie Na had called Tang San up on having lied to her about the information he was looking up in the library after someone had gone to see her about why she was looking up the information. This saw Tang San learn the above fact, leading him to realise that the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master may not be the spy. In fact, it made more sense that it wasn’t him as the spy wouldn’t use their own token to investigate. They’d use someone else’s either through stealing the token or borrowing it.
Hu Lie Na rejects the idea the token was stolen. It was impossible according to her. As for someone borrowing it, she can only see that happening between people who are close (does that mean she considers Tang San close since she lent hers to Tang San??). Tang San asking Hu Lie Na who that might be for Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, she tell him that it’d be the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master.
And so we’re back to the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master as the spy and the one wanting to assassinate Bi Bi Dong.
Tang San rushing over to the ambushing of Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, he and the others learn that the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master isn’t the mastermind behind the assassination plans, that Bi Bi Dong actually is aware of the assassination plans and it’s the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master who’s behind it. As Dai Mu Bai had speculated back in Episode 38, the disappearance of the student of the eliminated schools was to frame Bi Bi Dong for wanting to harm them and convince more people into joining the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master in his cause.
Standing before Bi Bi Dong in the Main Hall, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mu Bai and Hu Lie Na also learn that Bi Bi Dong is in support of the cruel killings and experiments on the Century Millennium Soul Beasts. It is part of Martial Soul Hall’s research on the Nature of Soul Beasts to advance Martial Soul Hall.
The mention of the interspace and the experiments on the Soul Beasts sees Bi Bi Dong focus her attention on Xiao Wu momentarily. The reason is she seems to suspect Xiao Wu to be a Soul Beast because she was able to enter the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master’s interspace. She tells them all that the only people who can access the interspace is herself, the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master and Soul Beasts, suggesting that she had to be a Soul Beast. Otherwise, she shouldn’t be able to enter the interspace.
Bi BI Dong doesn’t question Xiao Wu and put her on the spot in front of Tang San, Dai Mu Bai and Hu Lie Na. Instead she tells them all they will discuss everything after the final as she didn’t want to affect the final. They are then permitted to leave.
Exiting the Martial Soul Hall’s Main Hall, Tang San apologises to Hu Lie Na for being a busybody. Hu Lie Na seems to express her own failing when she notes how Bi Bi Dong knew everything and was only pretending not to know anything. She seems to also show a bit of sadness in her tone as she discovers yet another instance of her possibly being just a pawn in her mother’s heart.
Hu Lie Na moves to change the subject to suggest Shi Lan Ke School surrender. She tells Tang San that Xie Yu really is that strong. With him being already quite dissatisfied with Tang San as well, she seems to think that Shi Lan Ke School was going to have real trouble beating him. It’s a suggestion which Tang San doesn’t take. Neither does Xiao Wu. She points out that backing away from an opponent just because they’re too strong would defeat the point of becoming a Soul Master in the first place.
It’s something which Dai Mu Bai agrees with and something Tang San agrees with as well. Not only will Tang San not back away from the challenge, but he plans on winning the final and have Shi Lan Ke School become the champion: “I’m sorry,” he says to Hu Lie Na. “Only Shi Lan Ke School can be the champion.”
With that, Tang San, Xiao Wu and Dai Mu Bai head back to Shi Lan Ke School to join the rest in listening to Yu Xiao Gang encouraging them to do their best. He doesn’t require them to win the final. He just wants them to leave no regrets as the final looks to be the last battle they fight together before they all head on in their own separate paths.
Fei Lan De is seen declaring them all graduates of Shi Lan Ke School following Yu Xiao Gang’s words of encouragement. He expresses how proud he is of everyone. He recalls how they were when they first arrived at Shi Lan Ke School and how they’ve changed and overcame their shortcomings, the pain and the hatred following their time at Shi Lan Ke School.
Fei Lan De mentions having worried about Dai Mu Bai’s ability to communicate but he’s since learned how to even take care of his teammates making him a qualified captain.
He mentions Ning Rong Rong’s team spirit and respect for others which she lacked when she arrived.
He recalls Zhu Zhu Qing’s dissatisfaction and the hatred in her heart when she first came to Shi Lan Ke School looking to challenge Dai Mu Bai. But now, all he can see is friendship and memories left in her heart.
Fei Lan De had also worried about Ma Hong Jun and the pain distorting him (because of what happened with his father), leaving only hatred in his heart. He’s happy to see him smiling and becoming a part of this team.
With Ou Si Ke, Fei Lan De seems to suggest being happy to support him in whatever decision he makes regarding his future. With Ou Si Ke intending to stay at Shi Lan Ke School after everyone goes off on their own paths, Fei Lan De tells Ou Si Ke that once he’s figured it out what he wants, he’ll be happy to send him away.
As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, Fei Lan De recalls how they had entered Shi Lan Ke School with only one Gold Soul Coin (plus a bit of loose change). It was the least amount of all who entered had paid. He has Tang San tell him whether Shi Lan Ke School was worth that one Gold Soul Coin. Tang San tells Fei Lan De that the Gold Soul Coin is the most precious Gold Soul Coin (in other words, yes, it was more than worth it). It had changed his life Tang San tells Fei Lan De.
Fei Lan De then has Tang San and Xiao Wu know that they have been the most special students in the school because they paid the least fees; and because of that, Fei Lan De thinks he will never forget about them. (Fei Lan De sounds serious about his words, but we’re thinking he also does mean they’re quite special in the sense of Soul Masters.)
With all this talk focusing on goodbyes and leaving Shi Lan Ke School, Liu Er Long thought the topic a bit depressing, especially when they’re about to fight in the final. She suggested Fei Lan De stop making the students depressed. This saw Fei Lan De switch topics and have them talk about what plans they had for the future.
Dai Mu Bai tells Fei Lan De that he’ll be returning to Xing Luo to face his brother, his father and his fate. Zhu Zhu Qing tells them that she will be going with Dai Mu Bai. She tries to explain it’s because Xing Luo is also her home, but everyone knows it’s because Dai Mu Bai’s going back.
Ning Rong Rong tells everyone she’ll be going back to the Qibao Amber Clan. Ou Si Ke tells everyone again that he’ll be staying at Shi Lan Ke School for the time being to help with the next intake of students. However, intends to go looking for Ning Rong Rong after that. Ning Rong Rong seems to pretend to not know why he’d go looking for her.
Ou Si Ke doesn’t say it’s because he’s interested Ning Rong Rong as he only tells her that they were from the same school and it was not unreasonable for him to look for her. But there were five others in the school he could say he will look for, but he doesn’t. Ou Si Ke’s plans to look for Ning Rong Rong is obliviously because of Ning Rong Rong and only Ning Rong Rong. He likes her.
As for Ma Hong Jun, he tells everyone that he intends to travel around Douluo Continent to try help out those with Mutant Souls. It’s a goal which Ou Si Ke praises.
Finally, Tang San and Xiao Wu, they intend to travel together. Tang San tells them he plans to continue looking for his father. Xiao Wu predictably follows with telling everyone that wherever Tang San goes Xiao Wu goes.
All that’s left to do before they set foot on their next stages of their lives is (as Fei Lan De says to them) complete this final battle and overcome themselves.
Episode 40
Entering the arena, Shi Lan Ke School face off against Martial Soul Hall in the final of the Soul Master School Contest. With it being a seven-versus-seven-person battle, Shi Lan Ke School faces off an extra four opponents in the Martial Soul Hall’s Battle Team. They are only in the team to make up the numbers and pose no challenge to Shi Lan Ke School. All four get knocked out in seconds by explosions of a combined attack from Dai Mu Bai’s White Tiger Intense Light Wave, Tang San’s Constraint of Spider Web and Ma Hong Jun’s Phoenix Firing Line.
With the four out, as Xie Yu tells them, the battle really begins. Ning Rong Rong starts off with her boosts to her team, sending them all Speed and Strength Boosts before Xiao Wu, Dai Mu Bai, Zhu Zhu Qing and Ma Hong Jun go off to take on Yan and Hu Lie Na.
Meanwhile, Tang San is left to take on Xie Yu all on his own. Revealed to be a Soul Master with Five Soul Rings, Xie Yu is confirmed to be a very strong opponent. He has no Soul Skills. It’s just the crescent-shaped weapon, the Moon Blade, he has; but, it’s fast, sharp and there can be many of them, big and small. With every Soul Ring that gets activated Xie Yu’s Moon Blades get faster, sharper and more powerful.
Determined to beat Tang San with only the power of Double Soul Rings, Xie Yu proceeds to fling two Moon Blades at Tang San then three. With his Purple Demon Eyes and the use of his tough Blue Silver Plant, Tang San manages to block and avoid being sliced or caught in them. Six Moon Blades are thrown and through dodging, leaping, flipping and bending, Tang San still manages to keep up and avoid.
Tang San does sustain a scrape across his neck, but he’s already showing amazing speed against a weapon that stronger than normal Soul Masters like Yu Tian Heng failed to beat. Tang San shows he’s even able to control and change the trajectory of the Moon Blade. Although Tang San is able to stand up to Xie Yu’s Moon Blades, he’s breathing hard.
Ou Si Ke, Ning Rong Rong and Ma Hong Jun come in to carry out an attack with hope it’d have some kind of impact on Xie Yu. Xie Yu’s reactions is fast, though. The tactic to smoke the area around them (using Ou Si Ke’s iron rod) and exploding Ning Rong Rong’s firecrackers around Xie Yu (using the flames of Ma Hong Jun) sees Xie Yu come out unscathed. Xie Yu had somehow blocked all the firecrackers from injuring him with his Moon Blades.
In another part of the arena, Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing hold down Yan with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Meanwhile, Ma Hong Jun return to take on Hu Lie Na with Xiao Wu. Through the use of Phoenix Firing Line, Ma Hong Jun sends beams of flames at Hu Lie Na who defends against them well. Hu Lie Na firing back with balls of energy which are shot from her Demon Fox Tail, Xiao Wu and Ma Hong Jun also do well to defend. The energy balls are kicked away and avoided with leaps, flips and twists.
Xiao Wu makes the move to approach and carry out what appears to be the plan to take out Yan first. Hu Lie Na now set into firing repeated shots of her energy balls as a way to take them out, Xiao Wu launches high into the air, leading her to take aim at her. Overhead and right at the moment just before Hu Lie Na’s energy ball hits, Xiao Wu teleports over to where Yan is busy fighting Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing’s White Tiger.
The surprise attack leaves Yan no time to react to Xiao Wu’s sudden appearance. Lifting herself up onto Yan’s shoulders, she wraps her feet around his neck before spinning around to get a grip of his shoulders from the back. With a powerful lift, she flips him right over her before kicking him out of the arena.
Yan manages to keep himself in the battle by staying in the air with a flame levitation. However, Ma Hong Jun’s Phoenix Firing Line extinguishes Yan’s flames, sending him falling to the ground and out of the arena. Yan attempts to get back into the arena, but he’s stopped by the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master.
Yan’s loss sees Fei Lan De, Yu Xiao Gang and Liu Er Long pleased. Liu Er Long shows her glee my wrapping an arm around Yu Xiao Gang. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Bi Bi Dong.
It’s now six-on-one with the plan seemingly to be to take out Hu Lie Na next. As Tang San continue to hang on against Xie Yu and his Moon Blades alone, Dai Mu Bai, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhu Qing, Ma Hong Jun attack Hu Lie Na from every angle and side: Xiao Wu disappears out of the way as Dai Mu Bai goes in with his White Tiger Intense Light Wave; Hu Lie Na side-steps to dodge the attack to narrowly miss a hand strike from Xiao Wu before Dai Mu Bai comes around to attempt another strike with his claws; Hu Lie Na spins and again manages to miss being struck. With Zhu Zhu Qing immediately following with her Nether Claws, Hu Lie Na reveals her nine Demon Fox Tails to wrap them around her entire body to form a protective shield. The shield successfully blocks Zhu Zhu Qing’s attack before it blocks Dai Mu Bai’s attempt to attack on her right.
Xiao Wu comes in next with a flying kick from behind. Hu Lie Na manages to bend over backwards to avoid being struck. Just as she recovers, Ma Hong Jun comes in with his Phoenix Firing Line. Hu Lie Na’s nine-tail shield stands up to the hot flames well. After withstanding the flames for a time, she propels a force from her shield to send Ma Hong Jun flying backwards and onto the ground. It doesn’t take much longer before Ma Hong Jun is down and out as he is knocked out by (what looks like) a hit of Hu Lie Na’s detached tails.
Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill on Hu Lie Na next, leaping and launching simultaneously at her with their claws at close range. The approach sees Dai Mu Bai knocked back while Zhu Zhu Qing is knocked out by the strong blast of Hu Lie Na’s energy ball.
Xiao Wu comes in to attack with another kick through the air. Had it not been for Xie Yu’s Moon Blade which had come flying at Xiao Wu, Hu Lie Na would have been hit by Xiao Wu’s powerful kick and sent out of the arena. But a warning from Tang San to teleport, Xiao Wu had retreated, leaving Hu Lie Na still standing in the arena.
It’s help which Hu Lie Na doesn’t accept, especially with how arrogant Xie Yu was about having helped her. “With me here, you won’t lose,” he had told her. Xie Yu had said once that he could beat his opponents all on his own and don’t need the others. He had said it to Yu Tian Heng during Martial Soul Hall’s match against Tian Dou Imperial School. Against Shi Lan Ke School, he doesn’t say it at this point. However, he does says it after Hu Lie Na voluntarily steps out of the battle stage and declaring defeat herself: “I was originally the only one on Martial Soul Hall Battle Team,” he says. “They are only here to make up the numbers.”
Xie Yu at least does admit that it’s been a while someone his age has lit up his Third Soul Ring. With that, he brings out a large Moon Blade which moves through the remaining Shi Lan Ke School team. It has Dai Mu Bai flung backwards in his attempt to block. Ou Si Ke’s attempt to swing at the Moon Blade sees his iron rod shatter. Ning Rong Rong luckily only has her Jiubao Amber Pagoda hit as it moves past. Xiao Wu manages to flip out of the way when it moves past her.
The increased risk of being killed sees Tang San command Ou Si Ke and Ning Rong Rong to get off the battle stage. Ou Si Ke insists they can still fight, but decides to obey after Dai Mu Bai also tells them to leave the battle stage.
The Support Branch out, Xie Yu threatens to cut off the arms of Dai Mu Bai and Xiao Wu next. Running fast, Tang San reveals his soul bone (the eight legs belonging to the Human Faced Demon Spider he absorbed). Using one of his front arachnid legs, Tang San swipes away the Moon Blade.
Xie Yu flings half a dozen more Moon Blades at Tang San, all of which Tang San manages to kick away as he tumbled around whilst on his arachnid legs. With Xie Yu continuing his assault with the Moon Blades, Xiao Wu helps out with blocking and kicking them away.
Meanwhile, Dai Mu Bai think to try coming from the side before coming around to try attacking Xie Yu at close range with a White Tiger Intense Light. Managing to get up right in front of Xie Yu, Dai Mu Bai fires his electric sphere at him, but Xie Yu is quick. He ducks and attacks with a couple Moon Blades at Dai Mu Bai. The first one Dai Mu Bai blocks with his arm, but the second one looks to have knocked him in the abdomen and had sent him flying back. Dai Mu Bai is still conscious, but he appears to be down and out.
Xie Yu aim to end the battle here, thinking it’s a sure victory for him. Sending a couple Moon Blades at Tang San, a blade slices through an arachnid leg before it goes around to cut down the rest of them. It sees Tang San scream in pain before he falls to his knees.
Xiao Wu teleports to try attack Xie Yu with a kick, but she’s blocked from connecting by a Moon Blade.
Xie Yu moves to send his Moon Blade again at Tang San, forcing Tang San to bring out his Hao Tian Hammer to successfully block the powerful, fast spinning and sharp weapon.
Bi Bi Dong is seen revealing a smirk at the sight of Tang San revealing this second Martial Soul of his. Whether she is happy or amused that Tang San hadn’t heeded the warning she gave Tang San in Episode 35 is unclear. However, Yu Xiao Gang remark that Tang San’s decision to reveal the Hao Tian Hammer will see Tang San unable to live in peace ever again.
The final is only moments away from being decided and it’s to be Shi Lan Ke School’s victory. The victory isn’t because of the strength of the Hao Tian Hammer or the fact that Tang San was a Soul Master prodigy possessing Twin Martial Souls. Xie Yu was still much stronger than Tang San. To beat him, it still relied on a sneak attack.
As Xie Yu moved to command his Moon Blade towards Tang San after it was blocked by Tang San’s Hao Tian Hammer, Xie Yu is made stop in his tracks momentarily. While Xie Yu was busy focusing his attention on firing another Moon Blade, Tang San had discreetly commanded one of the severed bones of his arachnid legs to rise and point at Xie Yu’s neck. It’s at this point Xie Yu realises that everything that’s happened—the severing of Tang San’s soul bone; possibly also Dai Mu Bai moving around to try a direct, close-range attack; and bringing out his Hao Tian Hammer to block—were all part of the plan to distract, defend and make Xie Yu fail to take note of Xiao Wu’s disappearance and sudden reappearance. By the time he realises all of this, he’s been sent flying out of the battle stage by a powerful kick to the face.
Shi Lan Ke School is declared the winner.
Bi Bi Dong stepping down from her throne and into the arena, she brings out the Soul Bone which was shown to have had the golden arrowhead integrated. With Cang Hui no longer in the competition and Shi Nian broken down and under Ye Zhi Qiu’s watch, there’s no attempt to approach and cause Bi Bi Dong to lose control of her Martial Soul before the gathered Grand Soul Land Masters leap to surround and kill her. However, the plan to assassinate Bi Bi Dong hasn’t been cancelled.
Hiding in the body of water which surround the battle stage, the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master is discovered, revealing he is in fact the one behind the assassination plot. He had tried to hide from her using his Martial Soul’s space-folding ability (what exactly that is isn’t elaborated on), but it failed to hide from Bi Bi Dong’s senses. She reveals to the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master that she had known all along that he’d been there.
It didn’t matter to the Grand Soul Land Master that he had been discovered. Seemingly believing that the eight Grand Soul Land Masters he gathered is more than enough to take down Bi Bi Dong, he instructs them to show themselves and kill her.
With her arms spread, palms open, Bi Bi Dong stops them all in their tracks, though. The Grand Soul Land Master attempts to recruit the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master into his assassination plot, citing the reason for wanting to kill Bi Bi Dong is because she is behind the death of Qian Xun Ji. Tang Hao had injured the late and former Chief of Martial Soul Hall, but it was her who killed him. He wanted to avenge his death because he owes him becoming a Soul Master to Qian Xun Ji.
The Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master isn’t interested. He’s only interest is in the person who is currently in charge of Martial Soul Hall—that’s Bi Bi Bi Dong—and the future they will have under her command. Put another way, he’s only interested in the present and the future and has no interest in concerning himself with the past.
The Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master moves to reveal to the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master that this matter regarding Bi Bi Dong being behind Qian Xun Ji’s death is actually something he already knows about. He also reveals to the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master that he and Bi Bi Dong were both aware of the assassination plot which Grand Soul Land Master is the mastermind.
Bi Bi Dong adds that not only did she know about the assassination plot, but she knew about the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master being behind the death of Su Yun Tao and that it was the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master who was at Star Forest talking to the Azure Bull Python, trying to make a deal to have it assist with the assassination.
The confirmation that the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master is behind everything and the discovery that Martial Soul Hall have been experimenting on Century Millennium Soul Beasts therefore clears up what the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master meant when he told the Azure Bull Python about how joining him will prevent the Azure Bull Python’s own extinction.
(Before this was all cleared up, the meeting with the Azure Bull Python in Episode 15 was one of the first scenes which attempted to suggest Tang Hao could be the Black Smoke Figure and the one behind the assassination plot. Tang Hao and his wife’s pursuit of an alternative power and means of training for Soul Masters plus Tang Hao’s grievances with Martial Soul Hall was yet another incident which made Tang Hao an extremely possible suspect.)
Moving to let the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master know why she didn’t take action despite knowing about his scheme early on, Bi Bi Dong has him know it’s because she wanted to find out who wanted to kill her and finish them all off in one go.
The Ghost Grand Soul Land Master isn’t afraid. Because his Martial Soul has no physical form, he thinks that she can’t catch him. He confidently boasts that he can take her down any time because of this reason. What he doesn’t know is her ability to control Martial Souls, even ones like the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master’s. When he attempts to use his Martial Soul, he finds himself unable to use it. (This is like the time when Bi Bi Dong forced Tang San to reveal his Twin Martial Souls and controlled it completely in Episode 35.)
Bi Bi Dong moves to take care of them all in one go next. With her arms raised and hands and palms open, she flips them over before lowering them. That one motion sees all the Grand Soul Land Masters who were held and suspended in mid air fall back towards the water surrounding the battle stage and disintegrate, all killed in one go, thwarting the assassination plot and any future attempts.
Back to the award ceremony, Bi Bi Dong uses it to expose the secret of another person standing before her, confirming what has been hinted and suggested ever since Episode 4, possibly even as early as Episode 2 when she took a liking to Tang San because he released the caged rabbits at Nouding School: Xiao Wu is a Century Millennium Soul Beast.
Bi Bi Dong firstly reassures Shi Lan Ke School that they are still the champion of the Soul Master School Contest. Then, instructing the Chrysanthemum Grand Soul Land Master, she tells him to reward everyone except Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu is pulled forward by Bi Bi Dong’s powers. Tang San run forward to attempt to get to Xiao Wu. So do the others as well as Fei Lan De, Yu Xiao Gang and Liu Er Long. However, they’re all stopped in place with just the raise of her hand.
Xiao Wu and Tang San both lifted into the air, Bi Bi Dong begins to expose Xiao Wu as a Century Millennium Soul Beast whose original form is the Flexible Bunny. The Soul Master School Contest is for Soul Masters and only Soul Masters are qualified to join Bi Bi Dong says. It leads Tang San to tell her that Xiao Wu is a Soul Master, an answer which Bi Bi Dong no doubt wanted to be started so she could say: “She’s not a Soul Master. She’s not even human.”
With a tap of her index finger in the air, Bi Bi Dong has Xiao Wu’s true form pop out: a little grey bunny rabbit floats next to her.
Tang San’s gaze freeze on the bunny and the fact that she’s not human.
Turning to face Tang San, Xiao Wu apologises for not telling him. She explains having left Star Forest after transforming into human form and wanting to find a way for humans and Soul Beasts to exist peacefully together. (This is why she didn’t like watching Soul Beasts being killed and why she wanted to find a way so that Soul Masters didn’t have to hunt Soul Beasts to advance.)
Tang San’s response to her is an ever so subtle shake of his head. He’s not angry she hid her real form from her. In fact, when Bi Bi Dong moves to let them know her desire to make Xiao Wu a part of her collection of Century Millennium Soul Beasts (she’s never had a Century Millennium Soul Beast in human form she says), Tang San stands by her. He even confesses that not only is Xiao Wu his sister but someone he loves dearly. And true to the words he said back at Star Town (Episode 14), he also tells Bi Bi Dong that it’d be over his dead body before he’ll let anyone hurt Xiao Wu. She’s someone he’ll never abandon.
Hurting Xiao Wu over Tang San’s dead body is what Bi Bi Dong attempts to do. With a hand, she slowly crushes him from the inside. Tang San, in excruciating pain, barely manages to shake his head when Xiao Wu begs Bi Bi Dong to release him in exchange for her own life.
Bi Bi Dong refuses to let go. Fortunately for them both, they’re saved by the appearance of Tang Hao who is preceded by Tang Hao’s Hao Tian Hammer. Bi Bi Dong’s air grip on Tang San is knocked away, the hammer sending her stumbling back and Tang San and Xiao Wu are released to fall back to the battle stage.
“No one can touch my son,” Tang Hao tells her. He moves to express his surprise over Bi Bi Dong being the one behind Qian Xun Ji’s death before he warns her that if he could wound Qian Xun Ji back then he can wound her as well. Bi Bi Dong retorts that she has become much more powerful since, a fact which Tang Hao later vouches after fighting her. However, Tang Hao shows that he’s still strong enough to at least fend off Bi Bi Dong and get Tang San and Xiao Wu away from Bi Bi Dong and Martial Soul Hall.
Making it to safety somewhere in the hills, Tang San (who’s looking extremely pale and injured) eventually loses consciousness in Xiao Wu’s arms, right after expressing how glad he is that Xiao Wu is fine. Tang San will be fine once he wakes and gets treated Tang Hao tells Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu uses this time to thank Tang Hao. Presumably it’s for helping and saving her from Bi Bi Dong and not wanting to capture her. Tang Hao tells Xiao Wu that from the perspective of a Soul Master, he probably should capture her as she’d be really useful in the future. He thinks Tang San could need her one day. (Tang Hao looks to be talking about using her to advance.) Xiao Wu tells Tang Hao that she is willing to accept this fate if it will help him.
Xiao Wu’s response leads Tang Hao to reveal just who Tang San’s mother is. Telling Xiao Wu how much she resembled Tang San’s mother, Tang Hao reveals that Tang San’s mother was a Soul Beast as well. So, not only is Xiao Wu similar in temperament but also what she is. He tells Xiao Wu that it’s because she is a Soul Beast just like Tang San’s mother was that he saved her. He also has her know that once a Century Millennium Soul Beast turns into human form, it’s no longer be a Soul Beast but a human. So, to explain whether Tang San is the child of human and Soul Beast, Tang Hao clarifies Tang San is the son of a normal (human) couple.
Tang Hao moves to suggest Xiao Wu leaves Tang San, at least until she becomes so strong and powerful that she can be fearless. Tang Hao and his wife having travelled this road before, he didn’t want Xiao Wu and Tang San to suffer the same fate as they suffered.
Xiao Wu understands and tells Tang Hao that she will leave. She moves to wrap her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. A montage of their first meeting and their sacrifices and promises to save one another play: their first meeting at Nouding School (Episode 2), him risking destroying his Martial Soul for her (Episode 5), Xiao Wu hinting her true form at Star Town and wanting him to forget her when everyone is chasing after her (Episode 14), Tang San declaring that he will protect her no matter what (Episode 14), Xiao Wu sacrificing all of her Soul Power to ensure he doesn’t die trying to save Du Gu Yan (Episode 27), Xiao Wu absorbing excess Soul Power in order to save Tang San from the control of the Human Faced Demon Spider (Episode 16).
Back to the present, Xiao Wu moves to kiss Tang San. Cupping his face in both her hands while he remained unconscious, she leans in to kiss his lips. A tear roll down each of their cheeks. The scene transitioning Xiao Wu and Tang San to a space which looks similar to the interspace created by Tang San’s mother, another tear roll down Xiao Wu’s face after she guides Tang San (who is also seen with another tear rolling down his cheek) to rest his head on her chest.
Xiao Wu’s tear roll down to hit the watery sand below where a Blue Silver Plant begin to sprout. The voice of Tang San’s mother is heard once again: “Have you really awoken? What is reality? What is one self? Wake up, Tang San.”
Final Comments
And that’s the last episode of Douluo Continent! We had this feeling Xiao Wu was a Century Millennium Soul Beast early on, but wasn’t too sure. Tang San’s comment about Xiao Wu having a child-like mind in Episode 3 and her unique ability to transfer and absorb Soul Power plus her access to Star Forest and knowing so much about Soul Beasts and calling them by name were all big clues.
We couldn’t guess that Tang San’s mother could have been a Century Millennium Soul Beast as well, though. The first super subtle clue was in Episode 1 when Tang San’s father was telling Tang San about there being good Soul Beasts as well as bad ones and how some can transform into human form after living more than 100,000 years. The second super subtle clue was Tang San’s parents wanting to find an alternative power and training to hunting Soul Beasts and advancing that way because Tang San’s mother was a Soul Beast, just like Xiao Wu.
But we can’t believe Douluo Continent ended it off the way it did. It leaves us hanging for a second season which may or may not be made. Searching around, we see articles, posts and rather suspect-looking trailers discussing the possibility of a second season, but they either don’t have a release date, or as mentioned already, they look a bit suspect and unofficial.
There really is a lot which the drama has started, but really haven’t concluded. An obvious arc is the story with Tang San, Xuan Tian Records, Xuan Tian Strike and whether it really is possible for these basic techniques Tang San learned since childhood can become more than just a supportive Soul Skill like Tang San had worried in Episode 31. Can Tang San make Xuan Tian Records the alternative type of power and training that can replace the need to hunt Soul Beasts and bring down the influence and power of Bi Bi Dong and Martial Soul Hall?
Tang San’s Hao Tian Hammer and not letting it show is another part to the story which has been mentioned a few times, but haven’t really gone into developing why Tang San shouldn’t show it and what makes the Hao Tian Hammer so powerful. Tang Hao appears to have suggested the Hao Tian Hammer having a different form when he brought it out to use on Bi Bi Dong in his rescue of Tang San and Xiao Wu after the final. He had told Tang San to watch carefully as what he held or was about to do with it is the Hao Tian Hammer’s true form, but once again we weren’t shown just what Tang Hao was talking about as the scene only showed a Hao Tian Hammer (which looked no different to Tang San’s) being flung and hitting Bi Bi Dong before the scene cut to Tang San and Xiao Wu being brought out to the safety, and traveling along a path in the hills.
We’re a little disappointed we didn’t get to see Tang Hao’s fight with Bi Bi Dong. We would’ve loved to see it because it looks like Tang Hao’s power and strength is quite immense. When the Ghost Grand Soul Land Master and his group of eight Grand Soul Land Masters tried to make an attack on Bi Bi Dong, they failed miserably. She was able to control their movements and restrict their use of their Martial Soul. With Tang Hao, it’s clear Bi Bi Dong couldn’t do the same to him. Had she been able to Tang Hao wouldn’t have been able to get Tang San and Xiao Wu out of Bi Bi Dong’s grips!
Hu Lie Na and her control of Tian Dou Empire, pretending to be Xue Qing He and imprisoning Xue Xing, this is yet another unfinished arc. She was also seen walking out of the arena after learning her mother was behind her father’s death.
With all these unresolved arcs, the end of Douluo Continent doesn’t feel like the end or even the middle of the story, but the very beginning of the story. There’s so much mystery and unfinished arcs. The end scene where Xiao Wu’s tear causes a Blue Silver Plant to sprout in the water sand on the ground in what looks like the interspace Tang San’s mother created is another mystery that’s only beginning! Add this plus the above plus the questions about what will happen to Xiao Wu now that she’s been exposed as a Century Millennium Soul Beast, there’s still a lot of story which Douluo Continent set up, but have yet to even begin to resolve.
It makes us tempted to head over to Soul Land to see what it can reveal. Soul Land is the animated version of the novel Douluo Dalu which Douluo Continent is based on. We hear Douluo Continent is a bit different, so we are wondering whether it would be worth it to give the animated version a go.
Soul Land is actually the first version of Douluo Dalu that we came across and had clicked in to watch before hearing about Douluo Continent. We didn’t get far because of a shallow reason: we didn’t like the animation art style. Having watched Douluo Continent now, like or no like for the art style, we’re a little comforted that there is an animated version to fall back on if Douluo Continent never ends up getting a second season made. But we hope Douluo Continent does get a second season because it’d be great to see Xiao Zhan (’cos we came in to Douluo Continent for Xiao Zhan and it just isn’t the same without Xiao Zhan as Tang San!), Wu Xuan Yi, Calvin Chen and the rest of the cast reprise their roles, continue the story and give us a live-action version.
As a whole Douluo Continent is a pretty good drama to watch. It’s a slow start at the beginning, there’s a lot of details to absorb, but once Tang San and Xiao Wu leave Nouding School and enter Shi Lan Ke School around Episode 8, the story starts picking up. Episode 15 is when things get interesting with Episode 16 being the episode that seriously had us glued to the screen as we watch Tang San overtaken by the nature of the Human Faced Demon Spider.
As we mentioned in the first post to the recap, the most exciting parts of the drama is definitely the battles, especially when pretty much every opponent Shi Lan Ke School was facing were all much stronger and not expected win with power alone. Just waiting to see just what kind of tactics Tang San and his team will use to defeat these much stronger opponents keeps us pretty glued to the screen, too. Shi Lan Ke School’s battle against Dai Wei Shi in Episode 20 and the one against the Fiend Battle Team in Episode 27 were two such battles.
The battle against Dai Wei Shi, we just couldn’t wait to see what kind of tactics Tang San had practiced with Ou Si Ke, Ning Rong Rong, Ma Hong Jun and Xiao Wu that could defeat Dai Wei Shi. The smoking of the arena and the explosions of the firecrackers to force Dai Wei Shi back and ultimately out of the arena turned to be a bit underwhelming and anticlimactic in the end, but it was still pretty cool seeing the Support Branch enter the battle stage and defeating a Quadruple Soul Rings Dai Wei Shi.
This battle also had Dai Mu Bai grow and see that strength and power doesn’t mean battles will be won each and every time. It was great to see him realise this and move to hand over the command of battle strategy to Tang San. When Tang San took over, Dai Mu Bai wasn’t pushed to the back. He still managed to come off as the leader, the team captain which was good.
The battle against the Fiend Battle Team in Episode 23 and Episode 24 is also another one which was great to watch. They were probably the most antagonistic team in the drama with how they blackmailed Soul Masters to battle and then when they lose are hung out to die in the sun in the desert outside Xi Si City. As with the battle against Dai Wei Shi, we couldn’t wait to see how Shi Lan Ke School was going to win against such a strong team. It turned out to be quite a battle. This battle was more exciting and more spectacular than the final battle in the last episode.
Other parts of the drama that had us on the edge of our seats are the couple episodes (Episode 27 and Episode 39) which had Tang San appear to be led to see his father at Cang Hui only to discover it’s not his father. With Episode 26, there was a feeling it wouldn’t be Tang San’s father just simply based on the point at which the drama was trying to make us think it could be Tang San’s father. Had it been Tang San’s father, it would mean the mystery which seems to be quite a central to keeping the audience guessing would be taken out of the drama. The second time Tang San was brought to meet his father did have us surprised to see that it was Tang San’s father before him, but quickly it dawned on us that the person before Tang San might not be his father as we recalled that Shi Nian’s Martial Soul is the Broken Dream and he has the power to trap people in dreams and make them believe it’s reality.
Xiao Wu losing her Soul Rings and Soul Power in Episode 27 had us super worried and so did Tang San falling into a trance in the same episode. Luckily Xiao Wu got her Soul Rings and Soul Power back the next episode and Tang San broke out of his trance thanks to his mother’s voice. Although we were relieved Xiao Wu got her Soul Rings and Soul Power back, the speed at which Xiao Wu got her powers back made the recovery felt anticlimactic. It could be that the story intends to do something with it by having Xiao Wu regain her Soul Power by absorbing the Soul Power of Tang San’s mother through that Lovesick Heartbroken Scarlet flower further down the story in possible future seasons, but not knowing whether that is the case, it had us thinking whether there was a point other than making us all worried for a development that turned out was going to be all back to as it was the next episode.
The drama have a couple more occasions which come off anticlimactic. The first is the above with Xiao Wu losing her Soul Rings and Soul Power. The second is Shi Nian catching Tang San’s gaze during a scene which saw Tang San, Xiao Wu and Yu Xiao Gang in the spectator stands watching the battle between Ye Zhi Qiu and Tai Long in Episode 27. It had us worried Tang San was either under Shi Nian’s control again or was never free from Shi Nian’s control. Perhaps the point was to show that Tang San can still be put into a trance or maybe how the control can be broken with as little as Xiao Wu stuffing a bit of food into his mouth, but nothing developed from it.
Tang San absorbing the Decade Millennium Soul Ring of the Pit Demon Spider was a pretty cool development in Episode 27, but it was a tiny bit anticlimactic again when we were shown that Hu Lie Na can also absorb a Decade Millennium Soul Ring in Episode 35. Episode 27 had made it sound like it was risky, dangerous and impossible had it not been for a spring so rare it was only heard in legends. But then we see Hu Lie Na do the same with presumingly less struggle thanks to Bi Bi Dong.
As we mentioned in Episode 35 recap, the point of Hu Lie Na advancing in exactly the same manner as Tang San could be to show just how capable and powerful Bi Bi Dong is, maybe also suggest that Bi Bi Dong had access to very unique resources or powers like Tang San’s mother, but the ability to absorb the black Decade Century Millennium Soul Ring was meant to be an exception afforded only to Tang San by his mother, but that was undone very quickly.
We have a sneaking suspicion that maybe there’s something between Bi Bi Dong and Tang San’s mother, like a rivalry maybe? The way she advanced Hu Lie Na right after learning Tang San advanced with the Decade Millennium Soul Ring as the fourth Soul Ring makes it come off that way.>
Finally, one final comment about the drama, the tiny inserts of the Tang San and Xiao Wu love-line. There are not a lot of these. Minus the kiss at the end of Episode 40, only one episode (Episode 29) featured it with a couple small inserts here and there like Tang San mesmerised by Xiao Wu’s pink glowing eyes (Episode 17) and Tang San showing his disapproval over Xiao Wu acting in Ou Si Ke’s play which involved a kiss scene between them as a way to pay off Lanba School’s debt (Episode 26). These inserts were tiny inserts for the romance arc, but they were still quite satisfying to see! : oD : oD.
If anyone has yet to watch Douluo Continent, give it a go. We’ll leave you off with Xiao Zhan’s very cool OST contribution to Douluo Continent! <3 <3 Hope you enjoyed our Douluo Continent recap!
Youth on Horseback sung by Xiao Zhan
ADVERTISEMENT