Chapter Summaries

Zhu Ziyang introduced the Soul Spirit system to Mu En and the Sea God Pavilion Elders, then demonstrated its combat potential through a spar between the Snow Empress and Xuan Zi. The demonstration convinced the Elders that Soul Spirits could fight independently, and they returned to the Sea God Pavilion to discuss the system further.

• Zhu Ziyang showed Mu En the Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Di'er Shuang as his Soul Spirits and explained how Soul Spirits retained some of their former strength while growing with their Soul Masters.
• Mu En agreed to keep the Soul Spirit system secret within the academy, inform the Elders, and test it with trusted students before Zhu Ziyang later promoted it.
• Mu En convened a Sea God Pavilion meeting, where Zhu Ziyang demonstrated the Snow Empress's combat ability against the recently recovered Xuan Zi.
• The Snow Empress overwhelmed Xuan Zi with Emperor's Palm: Great Cold Without Snow and Emperor's Sword, proving the viability of Soul Spirits to the Elders.
• Zhu Ziyang called the Snow Empress back after her attacks nearly drained his Soul Power, and Mu En helped him recover as the group returned to the Sea God Pavilion.

Mu En and the Sea God Pavilion Elders approved launching Shrek Academy’s Soul Spirit system, with Ma Xiaotao chosen to test it by contracting with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. Zhu Ziyang asked to visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and travel beyond the academy, but Mu En remained wary, prompting Zhu Ziyang to reveal that he could contend with a Super Douluo.

• Mu En settled that Shrek Academy would establish and promote Soul Spirits, with Zhu Ziyang leading the effort after taking over his position.
• Cai Meier revealed that Ma Xiaotao had reached Rank 70, and Mu En chose her as the first student to form a Soul Spirit Contract.
• Zhu Ziyang proposed that Ma Xiaotao contract with the Hundred-Thousand-Year Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and Ma Xiaotao eagerly agreed.
• Mu En assigned Xian Liner and Cai Meier to retrieve the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, while Zhu Ziyang argued that he and Ma Xiaotao should go instead.
• Mu En warned Zhu Ziyang not to travel until he was strong enough to face a Titled Douluo or Super Douluo, and Zhu Ziyang claimed he already had means to deal with a Super Douluo.

Zhu Ziyang persuaded Mu En to let him travel to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for his third Death God trial, revealing that he had gained a god’s favor and had Cormac, a powerful Holy Hall Knight, to help protect him. He reached the well with Ma Xiaotao, Xian Liner, and Cai Meier, where the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower confronted them.

• Zhu Ziyang summoned Cormac and told Mu En that he was undertaking the Death God’s divine trials.
• Mu En agreed to let Zhu Ziyang travel with Ma Xiaotao and his two senior sisters, provided he returned to the academy afterward.
• The next morning, Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao, Xian Liner, and Cai Meier left Shrek Academy for Sunset Forest.
• Zhu Ziyang led the group into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where they planned to hunt Ma Xiaotao’s Soul Ring, contract a Soul Spirit, and negotiate with the immortal herbs.
• The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower recognized Zhu Ziyang from his previous visit and objected to his return, while Xian Liner prepared to subdue her.

Zhu Ziyang and the others sought Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as Ma Xiaotao’s seventh Soul Ring, while the plant tried to redirect them to other immortal herbs. Moon Laurel Immortal Tea revealed that the Tang Sect had special permission to take immortal herbs, and the group refocused on Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which had failed to appease Infernal Delicate Apricot.

• Xian Liner threatened Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower until it agreed to hear what Zhu Ziyang wanted.
• Ma Xiaotao told Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower she wanted it as her Soul Ring, and it panicked and recommended other plants, including Infernal Delicate Apricot.
• Infernal Delicate Apricot woke from the Yang Spring and angrily confronted Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower for betraying her; Zhu Ziyang explained that her strength made her too difficult for Ma Xiaotao to control.
• Moon Laurel Immortal Tea questioned why Zhu Ziyang’s group wanted Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, and Zhu Ziyang learned that only people from the Tang Sect could take the recognized immortal herbs.
• Xian Liner, Cai Meier, Ma Xiaotao, and Zhu Ziyang turned back to Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which had wilted after Infernal Delicate Apricot rejected its explanation.

Zhu Ziyang used a Soul Spirit Contract to help Ma Xiaotao absorb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower’s Soul Ring and Soul Bone without killing her. Ma Xiaotao emerged stronger with a new Soul Spirit, and the immortal herbs clamored to undergo the same process.

• Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower agreed to Zhu Ziyang’s offer after Infernal Delicate Apricot encouraged her.
• Zhu Ziyang guided Ma Xiaotao and Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower through the Soul Spirit Contract, and they merged inside a red cocoon.
• Two hours later, Ma Xiaotao emerged with seven Soul Rings, a torso bone, and Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as a flower-fairy Soul Spirit.
• Ma Xiaotao said she felt better than ever, while Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower thanked Zhu Ziyang and kissed his cheek.
• The immortal herbs were astonished that Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower had survived, and Moon Laurel Immortal Tea asked Zhu Ziyang to use the method on her too.

Zhu Ziyang offered the immortal herbs a chance to become Soul Spirits and gain freedom, and Moon Laurel Immortal Tea persuaded Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot to consider it. After his companions left, Zhu Ziyang prepared to begin the Death God's Third Trial in Sunset Forest.

• Zhu Ziyang explained that immortal herbs could become Soul Spirits, keep their memories, and potentially ascend to godhood alongside their soul masters.
• Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot questioned whether Soul Spirits would truly be free and what would happen if their soul masters died.
• Moon Laurel Immortal Tea argued that becoming Soul Spirits offered a chance at godhood, and suggested Ma Xiaotao as a suitable partner for Infernal Delicate Apricot and a soul master with Ultimate Ice for Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
• Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot decided to leave the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as Soul Spirits, while expressing resentment toward Beautiful Silk Tulip.
• Zhu Ziyang sent Xian Liner, Cai Meier, and Ma Xiaotao back to the academy and stayed in Sunset Forest to begin the Death God's Third Trial.

While Zhu Ziyang continued raising the age of his Soul Rings, the Sea God used a strand of Divine Sense to attack Mu En and accused Zhu Ziyang of being an Evil God's heir. A mysterious ripple freed Mu En, but he returned to his body mortally weakened and worried about Zhu Ziyang's future.

• Zhu Ziyang continued working through the Jade Scale Flower fields to raise the age of his Soul Rings.
• Mu En supervised Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao as they practiced King's Descent, while Shrek Academy's exchange with Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Master Academy was underway.
• The Sea God appeared to Mu En in a blue space and claimed Zhu Ziyang was an Evil God's heir who threatened Shrek Academy.
• Mu En rejected the accusation and refused to kill Zhu Ziyang, so the Sea God immobilized him and tried to force a message into his mind.
• A strange ripple broke the Sea God's chains and opened a crack, allowing Mu En's soul to escape as the blue space came under attack.
• Mu En returned to his body with black blood at his mouth and lamented that he would not live much longer, fearing for Zhu Ziyang's future.

After spending six months in Sunset Forest absorbing the Jade Scale Flowers, Zhu Ziyang greatly strengthened his Soul Rings and advanced his Death God inheritance. He learned that his next trial required him to kill five sinful Death Attribute Soul Emperors within five years, and began considering how to find them.

• In the God Realm, Sea God Tang San regretted failing to kill Zhu Ziyang and worried about the tangled fate of the Douluo Continent.
• Zhu Ziyang finished absorbing the Jade Scale Flowers, raising his first five Soul Rings to seventy thousand years, transforming their Soul Skills, and reaching Soul Power rank 68.
• Zhu Ziyang claimed the rewards for the Death God's Third Trial, reached forty percent Divine Position Affinity, and read the requirements for the Four Trials of the God of Death.
• Zhu Ziyang learned he had to kill at least five sinful Death Attribute Soul Emperors within five years, with the Other Shore Flower Mark sensing their sin.
• Electrolux suggested seeking people who had killed their own kin, while Zhu Ziyang and his companions discussed how difficult it would be to find Death Attribute Soul Emperors.

After returning from seclusion, Zhu Ziyang learned that Mu En was close to death and discussed Shrek Academy’s position in the Sun Moon Empire’s bid to unify the continent. He proposed using the Moon Emperor Imperial Seal and Han Lexuan’s heritage to support the Moon Vein remnants, pending her consent.

• Zhu Ziyang met Xian Liner outside Sunset Forest and learned that Mu En’s condition had worsened, while the academy had planned an exchange program with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Master Academy.
• Zhu Ziyang hurried back to Shrek Academy and found Mu En near death; Mu En concealed the cause of his illness but promised to tell Zhu Ziyang before he died.
• Zhu Ziyang asked Mu En which empire was most likely to unify the continent, and they agreed the Sun Moon Empire had the best chance.
• Zhu Ziyang showed Mu En the Moon Emperor Imperial Seal, and Mu En explained that the Moon Vein remnants had once sought Shrek Academy’s help against the Sun Vein emperor.
• Zhu Ziyang proposed sending Han Lexuan, a possible Moon Vein descendant, to lead the remnants, and Mu En said they first needed her consent.

Zhu Ziyang and Mu En planned to rally the Sun Moon Empire’s Moon Vein Remnants and factions against the ruling Sun Vein, with Zhang Lexuan as their intended empress. After Mu En revealed that Lexuan was an imperial princess, she left the Sea God Pavilion uncertain whether to accept their plan.

• Zhu Ziyang proposed contacting the Moon Vein Remnants, building alliances within the Sun Moon Empire, and eventually overthrowing the Sun Vein Imperial Family to put Zhang Lexuan on the throne.
• Mu En agreed the plan would be difficult and told Zhu Ziyang to ask Lexuan whether she would take part.
• Zhu Ziyang reunited with Jiang Nannan at the Inner Court Training Ground, where she told him she had reached level fifty-nine.
• Mu En asked Zhang Lexuan about her family and revealed that she was an Imperial Princess of the Sun Moon Empire.
• Mu En explained his and Zhu Ziyang’s plan and told Lexuan she could refuse, while Zhu Ziyang urged her to take her time.
• Zhang Lexuan left to consider whether she would accept the burden of becoming the Sun Moon Empire’s empress.

Zhu Ziyang began the Four Trials of the God of Death by hunting the Duke of Hell on Yibo Mountain, where he met Qian Lingyi again. After purifying the Duke, he agreed to travel with Qian Lingyi, who planned to visit Shrek Academy with him.

• Zhang Lexuan approved the Empress's Advent plan, and Shrek Academy classified it as a highest-level secret undertaking.
• Zhu Ziyang left the Academy to pursue the Four Trials of the God of Death and traveled to Yibo Mountain to investigate the Duke of Hell.
• Zhu Ziyang found Qian Lingyi fighting the Duke of Hell and used his World-Pacifying Holy Curse Art to purify the Evil Soul Master.
• Qian Lingyi stopped Zhu Ziyang and introduced herself as Ye Guyi, but he revealed that he knew her real name.
• Qian Lingyi recognized Zhu Ziyang from their earlier meeting and asked to travel with him; he agreed to take her to Shrek Academy.

Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi traveled together, trading questions about their Martial Souls and growing closer. In a coastal town, they found and defeated the Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Master known as the Eight-Armed Demon Lord, then prepared to move on.

• Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi agreed to travel together, and he told her he still had three targets to eliminate.
• Qian Lingyi asked about Zhu Ziyang's Martial Soul, learned it was the World-Pacifying Death Scythe with Ultimate Light, and confirmed he had a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
• Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi chatted as they traveled, becoming friends.
• Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi found the Eight-Armed Demon Lord, a Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Master, in a coastal town and attacked him.
• Zhu Ziyang empowered Qian Lingyi, then used fifty-four golden meteors to destroy the Eight-Armed Demon Lord's water barrier and kill him.
• Zhu Ziyang sensed the feedback of light and told Qian Lingyi they should leave.

At a hotel in Coastal Town, Zhu Ziyang explained to Qian Lingyi how his Death Attribute gave his soul rings greater age and why it differed from the corrupted methods of Evil Soul Masters. He said he was still researching whether other soul masters could raise their soul-ring ages, and promised to teach Qian Lingyi if he succeeded.

• Qian Lingyi questioned Zhu Ziyang about his five Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and he teased her by pretending not to know how they had changed.
• Zhu Ziyang told Qian Lingyi that his Death Attribute was connected to his unusually aged soul rings.
• Zhu Ziyang explained that soul rings consisted of Soul Power, Life Force, and Spiritual Power, with Life Force determining their age and form.
• Zhu Ziyang said his Death Attribute deprived Life Force purely, unlike Evil Soul Masters who devoured it and risked contamination and backlash.
• Qian Lingyi asked whether she could raise her own soul-ring ages, and Zhu Ziyang promised to teach her if his research succeeded.

Zhu Ziyang returned to Shrek Academy after learning Mu En was near death, and Mu En gave him the Dragon Core he had spent half his life preparing. Zhu Ziyang broke through to Soul Saint and formed his second, Light-Death Soul Core, but his joy faded when he remembered Mu En was dying.

• Zhu Ziyang abandoned his journey south and rushed back to Shrek Academy with Qian Lingyi following him.
• Xuan Zi brought Zhu Ziyang to the Sea God Pavilion, where Mu En gave him the perfected Dragon Core and urged him to use it to reach level 70 and form a second Soul Core.
• Zhu Ziyang swallowed the Dragon Core, broke through to level 70, and formed his seventh Soul Ring.
• Zhu Ziyang condensed a Light-Death Soul Core in his qi sea and connected it to his Spiritual Destiny Soul Core, greatly improving his Soul Power circulation.
• Zhu Ziyang opened his eyes, delighted by his achievement, but his happiness faded as he remembered Mu En was about to die.

As Mu En neared death, he entrusted Shrek Academy’s leadership to Zhu Ziyang and gave his students final instructions. He issued an order to rename the academy’s Sea God locations, declaring that Shrek Academy was not any god’s church, while his remaining final orders were still to come.

• Zhu Ziyang reached level 73, and Mu En entrusted Shrek Academy to him, naming Xuan Zi acting Pavilion Master until Zhu Ziyang became a Titled Douluo.
• Mu En assigned responsibilities to the Elders and his students, appointed Cai Meier dean of the Martial Soul Department, and urged Xian Liner and Qian Duoduo to lead the Soul Tool Department together.
• Mu En passed golden lightning power to Beibei, blessed his future with Tang Ya, and urged Tang Ya to revive the Tang Sect.
• Mu En issued his first of three final orders: Shrek Academy’s Sea God locations were to be renamed Heavenly Origin, except for Sea God Lake, because the academy was not a god’s church or altar.
• Zhu Ziyang sensed that something was amiss as everyone accepted Mu En’s explanation for the renaming.

Mu En issued his final orders for Shrek Academy, then sacrificed himself to the Golden Ancient Tree, leaving the island bathed in a power that strengthened its inhabitants. Before dying, he warned Zhu Ziyang to beware the Sea God, and Zhu Ziyang concluded that the Sea God stood against him.

• Mu En named Xuan Zi interim Heavenly Origin Pavilion Master until Ziyang became a Titled Douluo, and ordered Shrek Academy to develop its Soul Tool Department with half the Academy-owned enterprises’ revenue.
• Mu En took one last walk through Shrek Academy, said farewell to the kneeling disciples, and entrusted the academy’s future to Zhu Ziyang.
• Mu En transformed into a white dragon and merged with the Golden Ancient Tree, while his final radiance cleansed and strengthened the beings across Heavenly Origin Island.
• A golden-haired young man by the Lake of Life witnessed Mu En’s fall, and a woman’s voice said she had been drawn out by the white dragon’s aura and mocked the false gods.
• Qian Lingyi hurried to Shrek Academy, absorbed some of Mu En’s remaining essence, and began meditating.
• Zhu Ziyang recalled Mu En’s warning to beware the Sea God and concluded that the Sea God stood against him, though he could not understand why.

After Qian Lingyi trespassed into Shrek Academy and received Mu En’s final gift, Xian Liner made her choose between joining the academy and losing her Soul Power; Qian Lingyi chose to enroll. Meanwhile, Zhang Lexuan led a team to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain Soul Rings for five newly advanced disciples.

• Xian Liner brought Zhu Ziyang to identify Qian Lingyi, who had broken into Shrek Academy and advanced to level fifty-nine after receiving Mu En’s gift.
• Xian Liner told Qian Lingyi she must either join Shrek Academy or have her Soul Power crippled, and Qian Lingyi agreed to enroll.
• Zhu Ziyang returned to the Inner Court as Jiang Nannan, Xu Jiujiu, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao prepared to obtain Soul Rings.
• Zhang Lexuan led the seven-person team toward the Star Dou Great Forest, accompanied by Elder Song and Cai Meier.
• Zhang Lexuan assigned the team’s formation and roles at the forest entrance, then led everyone inside.

The Shrek Academy team entered the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts for their soul rings. During the first night, Huo Yuhao obtained a Night Shadow Beast’s soul ring, gaining a powerful single-target control skill.

• The team shared their desired soul beast types, and Huo Yuhao said he wanted a Spirit-type soul ring.
• Zhu Ziyang and Zhang Lexuan took the first watch, and Zhang Lexuan joined Zhu Ziyang after she could not sleep because she was grieving Mu En.
• A ten-thousand-year Night Shadow Beast attacked the camp, and Zhang Lexuan subdued it with her moon-based soul skills.
• Zhang Lexuan brought the nearly defeated beast to Huo Yuhao, who absorbed its soul ring in about half an hour.
• Huo Yuhao gained Soul's Eternal Night, which trapped a target with weaker Spiritual Power in darkness and silence for three seconds.

Zhu Ziyang and the others found Soul Beasts for Beibei, Xu Jiujiu, and Jiang Nannan in the Star Dou Great Forest, and Beibei inherited Mu En’s Dragon Emperor’s Evil-Shattering Cleave. Xu Jiujiu and Jiang Nannan began absorbing their new Soul Rings, and Xu Jiujiu chose to absorb the Heavenly Star Vine Torso Bone as well.

• Beibei absorbed a fifteen-thousand-year Golden Earth Dragon Soul Ring and received Mu En’s inheritance, the Dragon Emperor’s Evil-Shattering Cleave.
• Zhu Ziyang and Zhang Lexuan used Time Stop and Moon’s Restraint to capture a fifty-thousand-year Purple God Aurora Mink while the others defeated a twenty-thousand-year Heavenly Star Vine.
• Jiang Nannan began absorbing the Purple God Aurora Mink’s Soul Ring, and Xu Jiujiu began absorbing the Heavenly Star Vine’s Soul Ring.
• The group found a Torso Bone on the Heavenly Star Vine but no Soul Bone on the Purple God Aurora Mink, and Zhang Lexuan offered the Torso Bone to Xu Jiujiu under Shrek Academy’s rules.
• Xu Jiujiu revealed her Sixth Soul Skill, Chain of Stars, then chose to absorb the Heavenly Star Vine Torso Bone while the others stood guard.

After Jiang Nannan, Xu Jiujiu, and Xu Sanshi gained new soul rings, Zhu Ziyang joined Zhang Lexuan’s Empress Plan expedition to the Moon South Archipelago to contact the Silver Moon Priestess Yin Clan and arrange for Zhang Lexuan to inherit the Moon Vein’s legacy. The group reached Fourth Moon Island, and Zhu Ziyang, Zhang Lexuan, and Elder Song entered the Marquis’s Estate to meet Yin Zhengqi.

• Jiang Nannan absorbed her sixth soul ring, gaining the Silver Moon Aurora Transformation skill and reaching rank 62, while Xu Jiujiu fused with a torso bone and reached rank 63.
• A thirteen-thousand-year Heavy Armored Demonic Rhinoceros charged into the group’s resting place and became Xu Sanshi’s fifth soul ring, ending the four-day soul-hunting expedition.
• After three days of rest at the academy, Zhu Ziyang joined Zhang Lexuan, Elder Song, Elder Zhu, Jiang Nannan, and the other disciples as the Empress Plan began.
• The group traveled through Nanya City to the Moon South Archipelago, where Zhu Ziyang explained that the Yin Clan sheltered Moon Vein Remnants and that Zhang Lexuan was meant to inherit the Moon Vein’s legacy.
• On Fourth Moon Island, Zhu Ziyang sent Elder Zhu and the disciples to gather information, then took Zhang Lexuan and Elder Song to the Marquis’s Estate.
• Elder Song released her Titled Douluo aura at the gates, prompting Yin Zhengqi to come out, welcome the visitors, and invite them inside.