Chapter Summaries

Tang Ya won her practical combat match using Blue Silver Grass and the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. At dinner, Yu Beibei learned that Zhu Ziyang was the Soul Elder freshman, and the group decided to stroll by Sea God Lake.

• Tang Ya defeated Yang Linmu after evading his attacks with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and binding him with Blue Silver Grass.
• Xia Yu ended class, and Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and Zhu Ziyang headed to the cafeteria.
• Yu Beibei joined them, and Tang Ya teased him about the Soul Elder freshman in her class.
• Tang Ya revealed that Zhu Ziyang was the Soul Elder freshman, surprising Yu Beibei and prompting him to resolve to work harder.
• Tang Ya suggested a stroll by Sea God Lake, and everyone agreed.

Zhu Ziyang and Yu Beibei encountered Zhang Lexuan, Beibei’s beloved older sister who had raised him, during a walk by Sea God Lake. Tang Ya grew uneasy about their closeness and left with Jiang Nannan, while Zhang Lexuan was left heartbroken as Beibei hurried after Tang Ya.

• Zhu Ziyang, Yu Beibei, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya walked along Sea God Lake and encountered Zhang Lexuan, an Inner Court student who knew Beibei.
• Yu Beibei greeted Zhang Lexuan happily and introduced his companions, explaining that she had raised him from childhood.
• Tang Ya became uncomfortable with Zhang Lexuan’s closeness to Beibei and left with Jiang Nannan.
• Yu Beibei cut his conversation with Zhang Lexuan short and chased after Tang Ya, leaving Zhang Lexuan in tears.
• Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan returned to the Dormitory, followed later by Zhu Ziyang and Yu Beibei.

Zhu Ziyang spent the evening with Jiang Nannan before cultivating and noticing that the mutation in his right eye was steadily developing. The next day, he attended classes and practiced his scythe techniques, making progress while remaining limited in several of them.

• Zhu Ziyang read about Mu En before Jiang Nannan visited his dormitory, collected his changed uniform, and left.
• Zhu Ziyang cultivated and sensed that the connection between his right eye and Spiritual Sea was continuing to grow, with completion expected in one to two months.
• The next morning, Zhu Ziyang met Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, and Yu Beibei before splitting up with them for their usual morning routines.
• Zhu Ziyang attended Soul Master theory class, then rented a practice field to train with his Golden Sickle.
• Zhu Ziyang practiced all five scythe techniques, improving the Four-Directional Union Style while remaining unable to fuse light and death or advance several other techniques.

Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan attended the Treasure Appreciation Fair in Shrek City, where they found rare soul bones and expensive pills. The pill display gave Zhu Ziyang an idea for making money.

• Zhu Ziyang and his classmates attended a lesson on the history of soul tools before Beibei invited them to the Treasure Appreciation Fair.
• Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Beibei, and Tang Ya visited the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and split up to browse the fair.
• Zhu Ziyang spotted a seven-thousand-year Ethereal Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone that suited Jiang Nannan, but its million Gold Soul Coin price put it out of reach.
• Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan examined the pill display and were shocked by the high prices.
• Zhu Ziyang came up with a way to make money while looking at the pills.

Zhu Ziyang began studying alchemy to profit from lost pill formulas, then discovered that his mutated Silver Right Eye had gained the power to stop time. Tang Ya broke through and prepared to obtain a Ghost Vine Soul Ring with Yu Beibei, while Zhu Ziyang’s new ability and the old man Mu En’s interest in him left the story poised for further developments.

• After the Treasure Appreciation Fair, Zhu Ziyang decided to study alchemy and make money by refining pills, then began reading Foundations of Alchemy.
• The next morning, Zhu Ziyang studied alchemy while waiting for Jiang Nannan, and Mu En recognized him as an interesting young man.
• After a month, Zhu Ziyang’s right-eye mutation finished, granting his Silver Right Eye the ability to stop a target’s time for one second.
• Tang Ya announced that she had broken through, and Yu Beibei offered to help her obtain a Ghost Vine Soul Ring.
• Zhu Ziyang congratulated Tang Ya, and the group headed toward Sea God Lake.

Zhu Ziyang warned Tang Ya that imitating Tang San’s Soul Ring configuration was hindering her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul because Tang San had possessed the Blue Silver Emperor. Tang Ya left to reconsider her path, and Mu En confirmed Zhu Ziyang’s advice to Yu Beibei.

• After their run, Zhu Ziyang told Tang Ya that the Soul Ring configurations of past Tang Sect leaders were unsuitable for her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
• Zhu Ziyang explained that Tang San had possessed the Blue Silver Emperor, a top-tier Martial Soul, and advised Tang Ya to choose powerful plant-type Soul Beasts for future Soul Rings.
• Tang Ya realized her Man-faced Demon Spider first Soul Ring could be a problem and left, while Yu Beibei thanked Zhu Ziyang and followed her.
• Jiang Nannan worried that Tang Ya might not heed the advice, and Zhu Ziyang said her path depended on her own choice.
• Yu Beibei reported Zhu Ziyang’s advice to Mu En, who agreed and suggested finding Heavenly Star Vine in Yunhe Grand Canyon for Tang Ya’s second Soul Ring.

Zhu Ziyang received permission for Tang Ya to miss practical combat lessons and got the Soul Guidance Ring and alchemy supplies from Xia Yu. Back in his dormitory, he discovered Xia Yu had provided far more valuable ingredients than he had requested, and prepared to refine his first pills.

• Xia Yu gave Zhu Ziyang the new monthly grouping list, told him to remove Tang Ya's name, and lent him a Soul Guidance Ring.
• Jiang Nannan asked Zhu Ziyang whether Xia Yu had blamed Tang Ya, and Zhu Ziyang assured her he had not.
• Zhu Ziyang returned to his dormitory and unpacked the alchemy ingredients Xia Yu had supplied through the Flowing Cloud Merchant Association.
• Zhu Ziyang found that Xia Yu had provided ingredients worth far more than the materials he had originally requested.
• Zhu Ziyang turned to the alchemy furnace and began preparing to refine pills.

Zhu Ziyang began refining an Essence Gathering Pill while Tang Ya chose to absorb a second Soul Ring, and a mysterious blue-haired man worried that the World Will had noticed his plans. The pill was still being condensed when the chapter shifted to the man preparing to wait for his scheme to unfold.

• Zhu Ziyang purified the Essence Gathering Flower and Sacred Origin Fruit, combined them with the supporting ingredients, and spent two hours fusion refining the mixture.
• Zhu Ziyang began carefully controlling the furnace flames to condense the medicinal liquid into pills.
• Yu Beibei asked Tang Ya whether she was certain about absorbing her second Soul Ring, and Tang Ya reaffirmed her decision to follow a new path for the Tang Sect.
• Tang Ya began absorbing the yellow Soul Ring above the uprooted vine as Yu Beibei and the elderly man watched.
• A blue-haired man wondered whether the World Will had interfered after his connection to the Tang Sect weakened, then decided to lie low while awaiting his plans' results.
• The blue-haired man revealed a pale-blue orb containing a little girl and said his daughter's coming-of-age gift depended on a beast taking the bait.

Zhu Ziyang refined Essence Gathering Pills, tested one to break through to Rank 36, and shared some with Jiang Nannan. After producing 137 pills, he brought them to Xia Yu, who offered to buy them for 50,000 Gold Soul Coins each on behalf of the Flowing Cloud Merchant Association.

• Zhu Ziyang completed his first batch of Essence Gathering Pills, swallowed one, and broke through to Rank 36.
• Jiang Nannan brought Zhu Ziyang lunch, and he gave her five pills to use one per week.
• Over the following week, Zhu Ziyang refined 137 Essence Gathering Pills and set aside pills for his parents, cultivation, and Xia Yu.
• Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan visited Xia Yu, who identified the pills as low-grade and estimated their market value at at least 30,000 Gold Soul Coins each.
• Xia Yu offered to purchase the batch for 50,000 Gold Soul Coins per pill as an investment, then reacted with astonishment at the number of pills Zhu Ziyang produced.

Zhu Ziyang sold Essence Gathering Pills to Xia Yu for five million Gold Soul Coins, then reunited with Tang Ya after she returned from obtaining her Second Soul Ring. Tang Ya explained how she followed Zhu Ziyang’s advice and gained a powerful Heavenly Star Vine ring, leaving her stronger and deeply grateful to him.

• Zhu Ziyang persuaded Xia Yu to buy one hundred Essence Gathering Pills for five million Gold Soul Coins, and Xia Yu gave him a card to collect the money.
• Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan collected the payment, enjoyed a lavish meal, and sent Essence Gathering Pills, a letter, and two million Gold Soul Coins to Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying.
• Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan ran into Tang Ya and Yu Beibei after the pair returned from obtaining Tang Ya’s Second Soul Ring.
• Tang Ya told Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan that she had followed his advice and chosen a six-hundred-year Heavenly Star Vine for her ring.
• Tang Ya’s Soul Power rose to rank 22, her First Soul Skill evolved into Blue Silver Net, and she gained the Blue Silver Star Chain skill.

Tang Ya learned that her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had begun transforming, while Shrek Academy freshmen prepared for an assessment that would eliminate half of them. Class Four teacher Xia Yu explained the team battle rules and began arranging teams.

• Zhu Ziyang told Tang Ya that her Blue Silver Grass might evolve further with suitable Soul Rings or treasures, and Yu Beibei cited Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul evolution as an example.
• Tang Ya set a goal of evolving her Blue Silver Grass into the Blue Silver Emperor, and Mu En decided to help her.
• Three months after enrollment, the Freshman Assessment approached after Shrek Academy had already eliminated many students, and another half of the freshmen were expected to leave.
• Xia Yu told Class Four that the assessment would consist of three-person team battles, with each team limited to one Assault System Soul Master and three different development paths.
• Xia Yu said dormmates would be grouped first and students could choose a third teammate before he assigned any remaining teams by lot.

Xia Yu explained the Freshman Assessment and assigned Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya to one team. As the assessment approached, Zhu Ziyang reassured Jiang Nannan that they could stay together by winning the championship, while their different levels of preparation became clear.

• Xia Yu announced that the assessment would begin with a ten-battle points ranking, eliminate the bottom one hundred teams, and send the top sixty-four into a knockout tournament with rewards for the top four.
• Xia Yu assigned Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya to Group One, and named Yan Ziyue, Luo Luo, and Shangguan Jie to Group Twenty-Seven.
• After class, Yu Beibei told Tang Ya that she was grouped with Xu Sanshi and another girl, then teased Tang Ya about her strength.
• Jiang Nannan worried that the team might be split into different classes after the assessment, and Zhu Ziyang said Brother Yu had told him the championship team could remain together.
• Zhu Ziyang had reached Soul Power level 36 after cultivating and refining pills, while Jiang Nannan had reached level 27 and improved greatly in combat; Tang Ya had only reached the peak of level 22.

Zhu Ziyang revealed his Martial Soul and Soul Rings while sparring with Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan to prepare their team for the Freshman Assessment. After defeating them, he pointed out their poor tactics, and the three looked ahead to the assessment beginning that afternoon.

• Tang Ya asked Zhu Ziyang to explain his Martial Soul and Soul Skills, and he described his scythe and its abilities.
• Xia Yu announced that the Points Ranking Match would begin that afternoon and urged Class Four to fight seriously.
• Zhu Ziyang suggested a spar in the woods, where Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan teamed up against him.
• Tang Ya's Blue Silver Net briefly restrained Zhu Ziyang, prompting him to reveal his yellow and two purple Soul Rings and break free with Light Blessing.
• Zhu Ziyang feinted past Jiang Nannan and pressed his scythe to Tang Ya's neck, ending the match.
• Zhu Ziyang criticized Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan's tactics, and Tang Ya agreed to let him decide their strategy.

Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya entered the Freshman Assessment and began their first match against Class 3's team of Soul Grand Masters. The battle started with Zhu Ziyang directing his teammates to target the opposing support and agility fighters, and both teams launched their first attacks.

• The freshmen gathered at the Assessment Zone as the Freshman Assessment's first-stage round-robin matches began.
• Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya arrived at Examination Ground No. 12 and faced Lu Shaoyou, Du Shaofu, and Wang Shaowei of Freshman Class 3.
• Liu Xue started the match, and Zhu Ziyang summoned the World-Pacifying Death Scythe without displaying any Soul Rings, surprising her.
• Lu Shaoyou and Du Shaofu took red beans from Wang Shaowei and charged Zhu Ziyang, while Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya followed Zhu Ziyang's orders to attack their opponents.
• Tang Ya cast a Blue Silver Net at Du Shaofu as he swooped down from above.

Zhu Ziyang’s team won two freshman assessment matches at the twelfth arena and finished the day with the arena’s best record. After Tang Ya led them to scout Beibei’s team, Dean Yan Shaozhe arrived to review their results.

• Zhu Ziyang defeated Lu Shaoyou, Tang Ya forced Du Shaofu to struggle against her net and hidden weapons, and Jiang Nannan made Wang Shaowei surrender, earning Class Four the first match victory.
• Zhu Ziyang’s team won their fourth match in under five minutes and ended the day with two wins and no losses.
• Tang Ya persuaded Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan to go to the third arena to assess Beibei’s teammates.
• Liu Xue submitted the twelfth arena’s results to the head teachers and reported that Zhu Ziyang’s team had won both matches.
• Yan Shaozhe arrived with Du Weilun and asked Liu Xue to show him the match records.

Yan Shaozhe learned about Zhu Ziyang’s exceptional talent and decided to recruit him as a disciple. After his team’s assessment matches, Zhu Ziyang met Yu Beibei’s teammates, including Xu Sanshi and Xue Weiwei, and they discussed the possibility of facing each other later.

• Yan Shaozhe learned that Zhu Ziyang was an eleven-year-old Rank 35 Soul Elder with a Light Attribute mutated Martial Soul, and became interested in taking him as a disciple.
• Du Weilun told Yan Shaozhe about Jiang Nannan’s Moon Bloodline and Tang Ya’s status as the Tang Sect’s sect master.
• Yan Shaozhe left the assessment area after observing the match records and discussing the students’ abilities with the teachers.
• Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya met Yu Beibei and his teammates after the matches in the third examination area ended.
• Yu Beibei introduced Xu Sanshi and Xue Weiwei, and the students joked together and talked about possibly meeting in the Knockout Tournament.

Zhu Ziyang’s team completed the Points Ranking Match with a ninth consecutive victory, defeating Gao Hongyue, Qiu Ning, and Jiang Yutong while Zhu Ziyang stayed out of the fight. The team celebrated finishing the assessment, though Zhu Ziyang reminded Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya that the Knockout Tournament was still ahead.

• Yu Beibei confirmed he had reached Rank 28, while Tang Ya lamented that she was still at Rank 22.
• Zhu Ziyang reassured Jiang Nannan that a top-three finish would let her ask Shrek Academy to obtain a Silver Moon Golden Armored Beast for her soul ring.
• Zhu Ziyang’s team won its matches on the second and third days, reaching eight wins and zero losses before the final day.
• Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya defeated Gao Hongyue, Qiu Ning, and Jiang Yutong in the team’s final ranking match while Zhu Ziyang watched from the edge of the field.
• Liu Xue announced Zhu Ziyang’s team as the winner, and Zhu Ziyang praised Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya before reminding them that the Knockout Tournament remained.

After Zhu Ziyang's team finished the ranking matches undefeated, they prepared for the Freshman Assessment Knockout Tournament. Xia Yu encouraged them to pursue the championship and gave them information on the other top teams, and Zhu Ziyang decided they should rest before the competition.

• Zhu Ziyang's team won all nine matches and qualified as the seeded team from Examination Arena Twelve, while students who failed the assessment left Shrek Academy.
• Zhu Ziyang told Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan that leaving the academy could spare weaker students the pressure of competing with gifted classmates.
• Xia Yu urged Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya to win the championship and told them the academy had prepared its most generous champion's reward in fifty years.
• Xia Yu gave Zhu Ziyang information about the top sixty-four teams, and Zhu Ziyang identified Xue Weiwei's Yellow Crystal Mysterious Deer as a potential threat to watch.
• Zhu Ziyang told Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya to rest instead of training, and the two girls playfully chased each other back toward the dormitory.

Zhu Ziyang continued strengthening his Spiritual Power and advanced with his team through the first knockout match. Afterward, he watched Yu Beibei and Xu Sanshi win their match, but Xue Weiwei did not reveal her Martial Soul.

• Zhu Ziyang observed that a silver vortex was refining his Spiritual Power and continued cultivating his Soul Power.
• Du Weilun called roll, and the sixty-four teams drew their first knockout-round matchups.
• Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya defeated Lu Shaoyou's team from Class 3 in Arena Twelve.
• Zhu Ziyang's team watched Yu Beibei and Xu Sanshi defeat their opponents, while Xue Weiwei never summoned her Martial Soul.

Zhu Ziyang's team advanced easily through the knockout rounds and prepared to face Zhou Tianhe's team in the quarterfinals. The match began with academy officials watching, but the chapter ended before either side made a move.

• Beibei and Xu Sanshi defeated their opponents quickly, and both teams expected to meet in the finals.
• Zhu Ziyang's team returned to class, where their classmates praised him as the only first-year Soul Elder.
• Zhu Ziyang's team advanced through the round of thirty-two and the round of sixteen after defeating teams from their own class.
• Zhu Ziyang's team reached the quarterfinals, where they faced Zhou Tianhe, Su Li, and Yang Yumeng from Freshman Class 1.
• The examiner announced the quarterfinal match between the two teams and ordered them to begin.