Chapter Summaries

Ning Ge explained why Huo Yuhao’s work on reusing Soul Bones through the Nesting Method addressed a long-neglected gap in Soul Tool technology. After reading their first draft and confirming that a removed Soul Bone could be reused, Qian Duoduo excitedly summoned his wife and Teacher Fan Yu, convinced the invention could transform the market.

• Ning Ge explained that Huo Yuhao had chosen a promising Technical Path because the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Bone scarcity had left Soul Bone-type Melee Soul Tool technology unoptimized.
• Ning Ge and Huo Yuhao waited in Qian Duoduo’s testing area while Qian Duoduo worked on his own research.
• Huo Yuhao gave Qian Duoduo the first draft of their paper on the Nesting Method.
• Qian Duoduo read the paper, asked to see the removed Soul Bone, and examined the bone that Huo Yuhao had recovered from the Soul Tool.
• Qian Duoduo called his wife and Teacher Fan Yu to the testing area and predicted that the invention could disrupt the Sun Moon Empire’s Melee Soul Tool market.

Huo Yuhao’s Soul Bone technology led Shrek’s leaders to plan a major challenge to the Sun Moon Empire’s low- and mid-end melee soul tool market. Qian Duoduo arranged to shield Huo Yuhao’s identity at an upcoming four-nation conference while preparing him and Ning Ge to attend.

• Xian Lin Er and Fan Yu reviewed Huo Yuhao’s research, and Qian Duoduo ordered feasibility tests and purchases of hundred-year Soul Bones.
• Qian Duoduo planned to work with other institutions and use the four-nation conference to challenge the Sun Moon Empire’s market dominance.
• Huo Yuhao learned he would receive a share of the profits and agreed to organize the technical document and paper.
• Qian Duoduo said the paper would list himself as its public author, while academy records would name Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge as first authors.
• Qian Duoduo invited Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge to the conference, advised Huo Yuhao to keep a low profile, and said the paper could qualify them to enter the Inner Court after completing thirty Supervisory Missions.

Huo Yuhao’s Modular Nesting design made Soul Bone-type Melee Soul Tools easier to modify and more practical, while Xian Lin Er and Teacher Fan Yu began producing them. He then followed Old I’s instructions and pressed the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife to his brow, where it released a powerful life force into his body.

• Xian Lin Er and Teacher Fan Yu produced Level Four to Level Six Melee Soul Tools using Huo Yuhao’s Modular Nesting design.
• The new module allowed Soul Masters to replace or remove Soul Bones without damaging the Soul Tool or the Soul Bone.
• Huo Yuhao changed his Laboratory status to prevent disturbances as he prepared to experiment with the engraving knife.
• Old I explained that Huo Yuhao needed to connect with the Gold of Life and pierce his brow with the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife to subdue it.
• Huo Yuhao pressed the knife to his brow, and Azure Light flared as a rich life force flowed into his body.

The Soul Devouring Engraving Knife bathed Huo Yuhao in the Gold of Life, cleansing his body and improving his cultivation aptitude before stabbing into his forehead. Its life force flooded his Sea of Spirit and nourished the three spirits within, while the knife dissolved into his head and struck his Illusory Eye.

• Huo Yuhao absorbed the Gold of Life’s azure light, which expelled impurities and raised his cultivation aptitude without increasing his cultivation.
• The Soul Devouring Engraving Knife left Huo Yuhao’s brow, stabbed into his skull, and sent a surge of life force into his Sea of Spirit.
• Huo Yuhao’s Sea of Spirit expanded into an emerald sea, nourishing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Qian Daoliu, and Electrolux as they protected his Mental Origin.
• Electrolux thanked Qian Daoliu, stabilized his Divine Sense with the life force, and left through an azure door of light.
• The Soul Devouring Engraving Knife softened into azure-green liquid and flowed into Huo Yuhao’s head, then crossed into his Illusory Eye and stabbed it.

Huo Yuhao endured the Gold of Life’s painful fusion, which restored and expanded his Mental Origin and transformed his Sea of Spirit. Electrolux explained the changes and urged him to cultivate in seclusion after settling his current affairs.

• Huo Yuhao asked Qian Daoliu whether everyone had to endure such agony to become stronger, and Qian Daoliu answered uncertainly.
• The Gold of Life enveloped Huo Yuhao’s shattered Mental Origin, while his Illusory Eye turned gold and a pale-gray vertical pupil appeared on his forehead.
• Huo Yuhao’s Sea of Spirit transformed into a vast milky-white world with a life-filled lake and a glowing green bead.
• Electrolux explained that the Gold of Life had greatly strengthened Huo Yuhao’s Mental Power, evolved his Spirit Eye into the Eye of True Sight, and improved his body.
• Electrolux told Huo Yuhao to cultivate in seclusion after handling nearby matters, then withdrew to fuse with the Eye of Life and restore his Divine Sense.
• Huo Yuhao returned to awareness at the experiment table after the world spun around him.

After absorbing the Gold of Life, Huo Yuhao discovered that his body and Martial Soul had evolved, while his Soul Power now circulated and improved without deliberate meditation. He began cultivating and entered Deep Meditation at the peak of Level 25.

• Huo Yuhao tested his newly flexible body and found that his Soul Power circulated automatically with each breath.
• Qian Daoliu explained that the Gold of Life had fused with Huo Yuhao’s body, stimulated his Martial Soul’s first evolution, and would make his Mental Power grow at least three times faster.
• Huo Yuhao reviewed his upcoming academy duties and planned to visit the Far North Land during vacation to help Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s endangered lover.
• Huo Yuhao sat down to cultivate after absorbing the Gold of Life and soon entered Deep Meditation.

After absorbing the Gold of Life, Huo Yuhao emerged from Deep Meditation having advanced to Rank 26, though he learned he had wasted its chance to improve his soul tool research. Ning Ge and He Caitou then told him that Teacher Fan Yu and Dean Xian had finished testing soul tools made with lower-ranked soul bones and asked whether he wanted to try a Melee Soul Tool made from a ten-thousand-year soul bone.

• Huo Yuhao awoke from Deep Meditation and discovered that his Soul Power had broken through to Rank 26.
• Ning Ge and He Caitou visited Huo Yuhao and explained that Deep Meditation could greatly improve a Soul Tool Master's comprehension.
• Huo Yuhao realized he had spent his Deep Meditation enjoying the effects of the Gold of Life rather than contemplating his research.
• Ning Ge and He Caitou reminded Huo Yuhao of the Nodachi planning sketch he had given Teacher Fan Yu for a weapon made from the Flying Mantis soul bone.
• Ning Ge reported that Teacher Fan Yu and Dean Xian had tested soul tools made from hundred-year and thousand-year soul bones, and He Caitou offered Huo Yuhao a chance to try a Melee Soul Tool made from a ten-thousand-year soul bone.

Huo Yuhao and the others visited Fan Yu as he rapidly engraved Soul Guidance Core Arrays for the academy’s new Melee Soul Tools. Hoping to test a high-level Soul Tool before Qian Duoduo returned with donated Soul Bones, Huo Yuhao offered his own Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone for the experiment.

• Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and Ning Ge arrived at the testing area and watched Fan Yu swiftly engrave a level 4 Soul Guidance Core Array.
• Fan Yu told them that Qian Duoduo had gone to the Martial Soul Department to ask for Soul Bone donations.
• Huo Yuhao realized that the donated Soul Bones would leave him no chance to try a high-level Soul Tool first, so he offered his academy-rewarded Right Arm Bone.
• Fan Yu cautioned Huo Yuhao that the test could damage his exceptional Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, while recognizing that Huo Yuhao wanted to earn a high-level Soul Tool.

Huo Yuhao helped Fan Yu choose a Soul Tool to receive a Soul Bone, settling on a costly Great Katana. He believed his new Technical Path could help Shrek's Soul Tool Department compete with the Sun Moon Empire.

• Fan Yu included He Caitou in the Soul Bone project after Huo Yuhao had understood his earlier hint.
• Fan Yu absorbed the Soul Bone into a universal Soul Bone Plugin Module and asked Huo Yuhao which weapon should receive it.
• Huo Yuhao considered the Oni Metal Club but chose a massive Great Katana from the weapon rack.
• Huo Yuhao examined the katana and judged that it had cost at least three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins before the Soul Bone was installed.
• Huo Yuhao reflected that high-end Soul Tools were draining Shrek's finances and believed his Technical Path could help the department stand tall for a hundred years.

Huo Yuhao examined and tested the Level 7 Soul Tool Nodachi Wind Mantis Giant Shadow Cut, discovering that his Martial Soul had evolved into the Eye of True Sight. Xian Lin Er and Qian Duoduo arrived before he could test the weapon’s full power.

• Huo Yuhao inspected the Nodachi and told Fan Yu that his Martial Soul had evolved into the Eye of True Sight, which could reveal details about objects without Soul Power.
• Fan Yu installed the Ten Thousand Year Flying Mantis Soul Bone into the Nodachi and named the Level 7 Soul Tool Wind Mantis Giant Shadow Cut.
• Huo Yuhao drew the Nodachi and tested a few swings, while the Eye of True Sight revealed the weapon’s properties and Gale Sword Technique.
• Xian Lin Er and Qian Duoduo arrived at the testing area, so Huo Yuhao sheathed the Nodachi before trying its full power.

Huo Yuhao completed the Soul Tool tests and received the Nodachi, while Qian Duoduo and the others planned to collect Soul Bones without drawing attention. The chapter ended with Du Busi proposing that Long Aotian steal Huo Yuhao from Shrek Academy.

• Huo Yuhao found that the Nodachi consumed too much Soul Power for him to wield effectively, and Qian Duoduo tested it in his place.
• Qian Duoduo used more than a dozen Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones in the tests, surprising Fan Yu and the others.
• Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge received Soul Tool rewards, including the Nodachi for Huo Yuhao and the Oni Metal Club for Ning Ge.
• Qian Duoduo, Xian Lin Er, and Fan Yu discussed expanding their Soul Bone collection while keeping their purchasing plans secret.
• Du Busi reminded Long Aotian that they had met Huo Yuhao in the Star Dou Great Forest and suggested stealing him from Shrek Academy.

Long Aotian and Du Busi plotted to abduct Huo Yuhao for the Body Sect while discussing the sect’s role in Star Luo’s scheme against the Sun Moon Empire. They planned to steal the God Conferring Platform after it was auctioned and track where the Sun Moon Empire stored it.

• Long Aotian urged Du Busi to steal Huo Yuhao, praising his talent, and Du Busi wondered how they would persuade him to join the Body Sect.
• Long Aotian suggested digging a tunnel to reach Huo Yuhao, but Du Busi rejected the idea because the sect was already digging one beneath the Sun Moon Empire.
• Du Busi revealed that Star Luo had hired the Body Sect to dig toward Illustrious Virtue Hall and steal a treasure after the Sun Moon Empire bought it at auction.
• Du Busi explained that the Sun Moon Empire would pursue the God Conferring Platform because a Rank Nine Soul Tool Master had secretly sold it to Star Luo amid instability in the empire.

Du Busi and Long Aotian planned to watch Shrek City for a chance to bring Huo Yuhao to the Body Sect, while Huo Yuhao learned that Dai Hua Bin was taking leave from school. Huo Yuhao suspected Dai Hua Bin still harbored murderous resentment, and the chapter left their conflict unresolved.

• Du Busi admitted he had no reliable way to take Huo Yuhao from Shrek while Mu En guarded the academy, so he ordered Left Hand and Right Hand to return and monitor Shrek City.
• Huo Yuhao returned to the dormitory after reaching Level 26 through Deep Meditation, prompting Wang Dong to intensify her cultivation to catch up.
• Xiao Xiao told Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong that Dai Hua Bin was taking leave from school and that Zhu Lu might take a year off with him.
• Huo Yuhao recalled sensing Dai Hua Bin's resentment outside his dormitory the previous night and seeing him leave without acting, while a danger sign appeared above Huo Yuhao's head.
• Huo Yuhao questioned whether the academy allowed students to take leave, and Xiao Xiao said Dai Hua Bin was going home to recuperate from Soul Detachment Syndrome.

Huo Yuhao reflected on Dai Hua Bin’s threat and decided he would retaliate if Dai continued to target him and Wang Dong. Months later, Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge accompanied Qian Duoduo to an academic presentation aboard a luxurious airship, and Huo Yuhao nervously looked down at Shrek City from high above.

• Huo Yuhao suspected Wang Dong’s soul was damaged and considered studying the Divine Power in Wang Dong’s body again.
• Huo Yuhao decided he would kill Dai Hua Bin if Dai continued using underhanded methods against him and Wang Dong.
• Dai Hua Bin’s suspension quickly faded from the students’ attention as time passed.
• Months later, Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge went with Qian Duoduo to attend an academic presentation.
• Huo Yuhao recognized the airship as belonging to Old Song and boarded it with Qian Duoduo and Ning Ge.
• Huo Yuhao looked down through a porthole, saw Shrek City far below, and grew nervous at the airship’s height.

Huo Yuhao traveled by airship with Ning Ge toward Xilu Town for the Four Nations Soul Tool Technology Exchange and Research Conference, learning about the frontier region and its Soul Engineer culture. After Huo Yuhao reported that his Mental Power had increased, Ning Ge saw a chance to resume his stalled experiment at the academy.

• Huo Yuhao worried about the airship’s height until Ning Ge offered him tea and explained that it was flying high to avoid Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest.
• Ning Ge told Huo Yuhao that the conference would take place in Xilu Town near Icathia, describing how Icathia became a military city while Xilu Town prospered as a smuggling hub and conference venue.
• Huo Yuhao told Ning Ge that his Mental Power seemed to have advanced, and Ning Ge was pleased because the change might let him resume his suspended experiment.
• Ning Ge recalled that Qian Duoduo had persuaded him to return to the academy and guide Huo Yuhao, whose Spirit System abilities might help with the research project.
• The chapter described Xilu Town as a peaceful but inconvenient destination where Soul Engineers gathered to present and review work, compete with rivals, and judge their students.

Huo Yuhao arrived in Xilu Town for an academic conference and learned why the small town catered so lavishly to wealthy Soul Tool Masters. He also saw Jing Hongchen arrive with his grandchildren, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, and was reminded that he would soon have to measure himself against their talent.

• Ning Ge explained to Huo Yuhao that airships were expensive status symbols for powerful Soul Masters, and Huo Yuhao saw another large airship dock.
• Huo Yuhao watched Meng Hongchen leap from the airship and activate her Zhu Qing Ice Toad Martial Soul, which Sky Dream Ice Silkworm identified as an Ice Attribute Soul Beast with Fire Attribute eyes.
• Xiao Hongchen and Jing Hongchen disembarked, and Ning Ge recognized Jing Hongchen as the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy's dean and the master of Illustrious Virtue Hall.
• Ning Ge introduced Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen as gifted young Soul Tool Masters and challenged Huo Yuhao to keep up with them.
• Huo Yuhao, Ning Ge, and Qian Duoduo checked into Xilu Town's luxurious hotel, where Ning Ge explained that conferences and wealthy Soul Tool Masters supported the town's businesses.

Huo Yuhao explored the hotel before studying Si Tu Yu’s Fortress Tactics at the Soul Tool testing area. He recognized its immense firepower and battlefield value, then considered how his own lighter, more precise Soul Guidance Mechanical Tentacles could offer a cheaper alternative.

• Qian Duoduo sent Ning Ge to show Huo Yuhao around the hotel and encourage him to relax.
• Huo Yuhao visited the Public Reading Room, then went to the Soul Tool testing area.
• Huo Yuhao watched Si Tu Yu deploy Fortress Tactics, surrounding himself with heavy armor and numerous Soul Tools.
• Huo Yuhao analyzed Fortress Tactics as powerful but slow, costly, and highly demanding of Soul Power.
• Huo Yuhao considered using Mental Power-controlled Soul Guidance Mechanical Tentacles to attack accurately while staying mobile.

Huo Yuhao considered future improvements to his Soul Guidance Mechanical Arms before Qian Duoduo and Jing Hongchen exchanged veiled threats over Shrek’s new Soul Bone-type Melee Soul Tools. As the rivalry between Shrek and the Sun Moon Empire sharpened, Meng Hongchen challenged Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge to spar with her and Xiao Hongchen.

• Huo Yuhao imagined combining his mechanical arms with ninja tools, though he planned to wait until at least his second year to build them.
• Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge observed different Soul Tool Masters’ experiments before joining Qian Duoduo to return for rest.
• Jing Hongchen arrived with Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, and he and Qian Duoduo exchanged polite greetings while concealing their hostility.
• Jing Hongchen recognized that Shrek’s new Soul Bone-type Melee Soul Tools threatened the Sun Moon Empire’s dominance and market income.
• Jing Hongchen warned Qian Duoduo about the dangers of rising against strong winds, and Qian Duoduo replied that Shrek would keep climbing.
• Meng Hongchen challenged Huo Yuhao and Ning Ge to spar against her and Xiao Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen reprimanded Meng Hongchen for nearly exposing her and Xiao Hongchen’s Martial Soul talents to Shrek, while Xiao Hongchen showed he understood the political stakes. At the academic conference, Huo Yuhao and Qian Duoduo struggled to follow a Rank Nine Soul Tool Master’s advanced theories, which the Sun Moon Empire had presented to demonstrate its advantage.

• Jing Hongchen sharply rebuked Meng Hongchen for letting anger risk revealing the siblings’ hidden talents to Shrek.
• Meng Hongchen ran off in tears, and Xiao Hongchen apologized to Qian Duoduo before leaving to comfort her.
• Qian Duoduo praised Xiao Hongchen as a worthy successor to Illustrious Virtue Hall, though he worried about what that meant for Shrek.
• Huo Yuhao attended a Rank Nine Soul Tool Master’s presentation on energy-based defenses and speculative Spatial Polarization Defense Soul Tools.
• Huo Yuhao and Qian Duoduo found the advanced spatial theories difficult to understand, while the Sun Moon Empire’s presentation left many soul tool masters from the Three Great Empires baffled.

A Sun Moon Empire Rank Nine Soul Tool Master stunned the audience with an advanced presentation on spatial theory, leaving Shrek and the other kingdoms unable to understand or challenge it. Huo Yuhao halted the presenter and questioned a key assumption in his Spatial Polarization Defense Technology, making Old Kong’s contempt give way to surprise.

• Old Kong presented spatial theory and Spatial Polarization Defense Technology, then began to leave without holding a question-and-answer session.
• Ning Ge and the audience struggled to understand the presentation, while Qian Duoduo recognized the technological gap between the Sun Moon Empire and Shrek.
• Huo Yuhao stood up and challenged Old Kong for skipping the question-and-answer session.
• Old Kong agreed to take questions, and Huo Yuhao argued that space’s self-repairing nature was not immutable.
• Old Kong’s pupils contracted as Huo Yuhao identified a flaw in the theory behind the defense technology.