Chapter Summaries

Zhou Sichen faced Chen Zifeng in the Soul Arena and revealed that he had reached level 40 with three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. The academy named him the Soul Arena’s First Referee and Trainer, leaving the other students to wonder how anyone could defeat him for the promised rewards.

• Dugu Xianmeng told Zhou Sichen about Han Ruoruo, while Zhou Sichen reflected on what he remembered of her.
• The Soul Tool broadcast matched Zhou Sichen against Chen Zifeng, an Inner Court Soul King who accepted the duel as a chance to test himself.
• Zhou Sichen introduced himself as a level 40 Battle Soul Elder and revealed three black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, stunning Chen Zifeng and the audience.
• Qian Duoduo announced that Zhou Sichen would become the Soul Arena’s First Referee and Trainer, and that anyone who defeated him would receive a Red Rank badge and a special reward.
• Zhou Sichen wondered when the academy had made the decision and considered how the new title might raise his standing at Shrek.

Zhou Sichen agreed to let his Contracted Soul Beasts train Shrek’s Inner Court students and help tame the Beast Arena’s Soul Beasts. In return, the academy granted him unrestricted cultivation beneath the Golden Tree once a week, a reward that delighted him.

• Qian Duoduo summoned Zhou Sichen from the Soul Dueling Platform to discuss using his Contracted Soul Beasts to train Inner Court students.
• Qian Duoduo promised compensation and asked Zhou Sichen to leave one Contracted Soul Beast in the Soul Dueling Arena each month, and Zhou Sichen agreed.
• Qian Duoduo asked Zhou Sichen to help tame the Soul Beasts in the Beast Arena, explaining that Old Gong wanted his assistance.
• Qian Duoduo revealed that Mu En had granted Zhou Sichen unrestricted cultivation beneath the Golden Tree once a week, and Zhou Sichen enthusiastically accepted the arrangement.

Zhou Sichen received a Platinum Rank Soul Arena Badge and the status of a practical combat instructor, while explaining how his Martial Soul helped contracted Soul Beasts grow. The academy then required Inner Court students to face his Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear in weekly combat training, and Zhou Sichen left with Qian Duoduo for the Beast Arena.

• Qian Duoduo gave Zhou Sichen a Platinum Rank Soul Arena Badge, academy resources, and the benefits of an Inner Court Special Grade Teacher.
• Zhou Sichen explained to Teacher Zhou that his Martial Soul formed master-servant contracts with Soul Beasts and let them grow alongside his Soul Power.
• Qian Duoduo invited Zhou Sichen to the Beast Arena to meet Old Gong, and Zhou Sichen agreed to go.
• News spread that Zhou Sichen would instruct practical combat training and leave his Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear at the Soul Dueling Arena.
• The academy ordered every Inner Court student to fight a Soul Beast once a week or face expulsion, while Dugu Xianmeng and Han Ruoruo reacted to the new training challenge.

Zhou Sichen brought Ah Da to Gong Changlong’s Beast Arena to help him communicate with and tame the Soul Beasts there. Ah Da said he could subdue them all, leaving Gong Changlong delighted and eager to see him begin.

• Qian Duoduo introduced Zhou Sichen to Gong Changlong, who asked him to help understand the Soul Beasts in the Beast Arena.
• Gong Changlong led Zhou Sichen through the arena, where dozens of caged Soul Beasts trembled at the Beastmaster’s presence.
• Zhou Sichen summoned his Book of Contracts, revealing three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings and astonishing Gong Changlong.
• Zhou Sichen summoned Ah Da, the Ice Jade Scorpion, whose presence frightened the caged Soul Beasts.
• Ah Da told Zhou Sichen he could subdue the Soul Beasts using his venom, and Zhou Sichen relayed the promise to Gong Changlong.

Zhou Sichen helped Ah Da subdue the Soul Beasts in Old Man Gong’s Beast Arena and accepted a gift for his assistance. He then visited his childhood friends Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue at the new student dormitory, where Mu En watched him arrive.

• Ah Da reported the Soul Beasts’ complaints about Old Man Gong, and Zhou Sichen proposed that they use a good-cop-and-bad-cop approach to make the beasts obedient.
• Ah Da subdued every Soul Beast in the arena by evening, and Old Man Gong gave Zhou Sichen a Storage Soul Tool filled with resources and beast materials.
• Zhou Sichen remembered his childhood friends Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue and went to visit them at the new student dormitory.
• Zhou Sichen greeted Mu En, then gave a new student a Gold Soul Coin to fetch Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue.
• Mu En watched the students admire Zhou Sichen and thought that he was even more charming than Mu En had been in his youth.

Zhou Sichen met Huo Yuhao and his roommate Wang Dong at Shrek Academy, then gave them Profound Water Pills and encouraged Huo Yuhao to keep cultivating. Huo Yuhao accepted Zhou Sichen’s offer of future guidance, while Wang Dong accepted her pill after Zhou Sichen explained it would help Huo Yuhao.

• Huo Yuhao recognized Zhou Sichen and introduced him to his roommate, Wang Dong.
• Zhou Sichen asked Huo Yuhao how he was doing and asked Wang Dong to look after him.
• Zhou Sichen gave Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong a Profound Water Pill each.
• Huo Yuhao initially refused his pill, but accepted it after Zhou Sichen reminded him of their agreement and promised to teach him how to cultivate his Martial Soul.
• Wang Dong hesitated to accept her pill, then took it after Zhou Sichen said it would make Huo Yuhao feel less embarrassed.

Zhou Sichen reunited with Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue, his talented younger brothers, and caught up with their lives at Shrek Academy. After giving them Soul Nourishing Pills and sharing a meal, he parted from them as they resolved to keep working hard and grow strong beside him.

• Zhou Sichen introduced Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong before taking them around Shrek Academy.
• Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue told Zhou Sichen about their lives as rank-32 and rank-31 Soul Elders, and he was reassured by their progress.
• Zhou Sichen gave Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue a Soul Nourishing Pill each, explaining that Dean Yan had given him the pills.
• Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue asked Zhou Sichen about Ye Guyi, and he said she was away on business and might not return for a month or two.
• After they ate together, Zhou Sichen parted from Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue, who resolved to become stronger so they would not hold him back.

After visiting Beibei and Tang Ya, Zhou Sichen returned to Ye Guyi's villa and found Dugu Xianmeng and Ma Xiaotao waiting outside. The three shared a late-night meal in the courtyard, where Dugu Xianmeng and Ma Xiaotao competed for Zhou Sichen's attention.

• Zhou Sichen visited Beibei and Tang Ya, who praised his talent and welcomed his help.
• On his way back, Zhou Sichen saw Dugu Xianmeng and Ma Xiaotao waiting outside Ye Guyi's villa.
• Dugu Xianmeng clung to Zhou Sichen and offered him a late-night snack, then provoked Ma Xiaotao by suggesting she eat it.
• Zhou Sichen invited both women inside to share the food in the courtyard, and Dugu Xianmeng and Ma Xiaotao traded jealous looks as they ate.
• Zhou Sichen asked Ma Xiaotao why she had come, and she said she could visit even without an important reason; Dugu Xianmeng accused her of trying to rob the cradle.

Dugu Xianmeng visited Zhou Sichen with a late-night snack and tried to secure special treatment from his Contracted Soul Beasts, but their teasing turned into a sincere moment about her suffering from Jade Scale Snake Poison. Zhou Sichen promised to go easier on her and offered to help find a cure, leaving Dugu Xianmeng with a glimmer of hope.

• Ma Xiaotao left after seeing Dugu Xianmeng holding Zhou Sichen's hand and said she would visit him again the next morning.
• Dugu Xianmeng teased Zhou Sichen and revealed she had brought him food because she wanted to discuss how his Contracted Soul Beasts would train her.
• Dugu Xianmeng admitted she genuinely liked Zhou Sichen and asked him to take pity on her, but he refused to promise special treatment at first.
• Dugu Xianmeng declared herself Zhou Sichen's Second Sister and ordered him to listen to her, prompting him to agree to have his Contracted Soul Beasts go easier on her.
• Dugu Xianmeng explained that she had endured severe torment from Jade Scale Snake Poison while cultivating the Jade Phosphorus Five Poisons to pursue a chance at reaching Level 90 before she turned thirty.
• Zhou Sichen comforted Dugu Xianmeng and promised to help search for a way to cure her poison.

Zhou Sichen considered ways to suppress Dugu Xianmeng’s Jade Phosphorus Five Poisons and confirmed that she truly loved him, leaving her hopeful that their relationship might grow. The next morning, she visited him with food and continued teasing him as his plans to seek the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well remained ahead.

• Zhou Sichen considered asking Du Busi for help with Dugu Xianmeng’s poison, then planned to seek the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well after obtaining his Fourth Soul Ring.
• Dugu Xianmeng admitted that she loved Zhou Sichen, and he told her that time would show whether they suited each other rather than rejecting her.
• Dugu Xianmeng left Zhou Sichen’s courtyard, and he privately planned to deepen her affection for him.
• Zhou Sichen cultivated overnight in the villa’s meditation chamber and reflected on his progress at Shrek.
• Dugu Xianmeng arrived the next morning with packaged food and teased Zhou Sichen by telling him to give himself to her.

Zhou Sichen explored Sea God Island with Dugu Xianmeng, used his Special Grade Teacher privileges to dine at the Red Rank Restaurant, and brought her food before visiting the Soul Arena. There, the Inner Court students addressed him as Teacher Zhou, and he reassured them that outside the arena he was still their junior.

• Dugu Xianmeng guided Zhou Sichen around Sea God Island, and they visited the Library Pavilion before continuing their tour.
• Zhou Sichen ate at the Red Rank Restaurant and packed a meal for Dugu Xianmeng, who accepted it happily.
• Ma Xiaotao visited Zhou Sichen’s villa, found him away with Dugu Xianmeng, and left to attend to her own plans.
• Dugu Xianmeng brought Zhou Sichen to the Soul Arena, where Li Runrun greeted her and awkwardly addressed Zhou Sichen as Teacher Zhou.
• Zhou Sichen explained to the Inner Court students that he was their training teacher in the arena but remained their junior outside it.

Zhou Sichen visited Big Bear at the Soul Dueling Arena, then arranged the duel with Chen Zifeng that had been postponed. After Zhou Sichen fused with Big Bear, his overwhelming presence shattered Chen Zifeng’s confidence, though Chen Zifeng resolved to face him honorably.

• Dugu Xianmeng registered for a soul duel while Zhou Sichen went to visit Big Bear, his Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear Contracted Soul Beast.
• Zhou Sichen considered ways to conserve Soul Power by cycling between his Contracted Soul Beasts during prolonged fights.
• Zhou Sichen spotted Chen Zifeng and challenged him to make up for their duel that had not taken place the day before.
• Chen Zifeng introduced himself as a Level 54 Soul King with the Soul Chasing Sword Martial Soul and took his place on the platform.
• Zhou Sichen fused with Big Bear, transforming into a dark-gold armored figure whose pressure overwhelmed Chen Zifeng.
• Chen Zifeng’s confidence collapsed, but he resolved to face Zhou Sichen rather than flee.

Zhou Sichen easily defeated Chen Zifeng, then accepted Han Ruoruo’s challenge. Han Ruoruo trapped him in her Golden Prison, leaving Chen Zifeng astonished at how quickly Zhou Sichen had been restrained.

• Chen Zifeng used all five soul skills to attack Zhou Sichen, but Zhou Sichen’s dark-golden blades overwhelmed him and sent him off the platform.
• Chen Zifeng admitted he would train harder, and Zhou Sichen asked whether anyone else wanted to challenge him.
• Han Ruoruo arrived and challenged Zhou Sichen, introducing her Shaking Gold Rope and Soul Saint strength.
• Han Ruoruo dodged Zhou Sichen’s attacks, wrapped him in the Shaking Gold Rope, and formed a Golden Prison around him.
• Chen Zifeng returned to watch the duel and was shocked to see Zhou Sichen restrained.

Zhou Sichen defeated Han Ruoruo in a Soul Dueling Platform match by combining the powers of the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear and Hellfire Phoenix. He caught her after knocking her from the air, and the Inner Court students accepted his strength as their instructor before the soul duels continued.

• Zhou Sichen tore free of Han Ruoruo’s Shaking Gold Rope and used the Book of Contracts to fuse with Hellfire, gaining Phoenix Wings and greater power.
• Han Ruoruo activated her Martial Soul Avatar, but Zhou Sichen evaded her attacks and severed several strands of her Golden Shaking Rope Avatar.
• Zhou Sichen pierced Han Ruoruo’s defenses with Darkgold Penetration and struck her with a fist, defeating her and sending her falling.
• Zhou Sichen caught Han Ruoruo before she hit the ground and set her down on the Soul Dueling Platform, where she acknowledged her loss and vowed to catch up to him.
• The Inner Court students declined to challenge Zhou Sichen, and he returned Hellfire and Big Bear to the Book of Contracts before the soul duels continued.

After Dugu Xianmeng won her Soul Dueling Platform match, Zhou Sichen gave her a Soul Nourishing Pill and explained that he wanted her to grow strong enough to help him. He promised she could count the gift toward her betrothal gifts if she kept up with him, leaving Dugu Xianmeng determined to earn his promise.

• Dugu Xianmeng defeated a Level 52 Soul King with her Jade Phosphorus Five Poisons and left the Soul Dueling Arena with Zhou Sichen.
• Han Ruoruo asked Zhou Sichen when he would return to the arena, thanked him for holding back during their spar, and then left to recover.
• Zhou Sichen gave Dugu Xianmeng a Soul Nourishing Pill, but she initially refused because it was too valuable.
• Zhou Sichen told Dugu Xianmeng he wanted her to become stronger and said she could deduct the pill from her betrothal gifts if she could keep up with him.
• Dugu Xianmeng accepted the pill and promised to work hard, while Zhou Sichen agreed to keep his word.

Ma Xiaotao visited Zhou Sichen and confessed that her teachers had encouraged her to win him over so he could help suppress her evil fire. She rejected pretending to be coy, and the two agreed to start as friends and keep up the appearance of a relationship when Dean Yan was around.

• Dugu Xianmeng took the Soul Nourishing Pill and returned to cultivate, determined to catch up to Zhou Sichen.
• Ma Xiaotao came to Zhou Sichen's villa after Dugu Xianmeng left and asked why he had gone out without telling her.
• Ma Xiaotao admitted that her teachers wanted her to use her charm to win Zhou Sichen's affection so he would help suppress her evil fire.
• Zhou Sichen agreed that Ma Xiaotao should be herself and said they could start as friends instead of using a honey trap.
• Ma Xiaotao and Zhou Sichen agreed to pretend something was going on between them whenever Dean Yan was around.

After becoming closer to Ma Xiaotao, Zhou Sichen returned to his villa to begin preparing his first Natal Soul Tool. He planned to engrave Tian Meng's Exuviae with Soul Tool arrays, and the chapter left him beginning work in the Secret Chamber.

• Ma Xiaotao told Zhou Sichen about the Evil Fire that had tormented her since her Martial Soul awakened, and she thanked him for using his Extreme Ice to help suppress it.
• Zhou Sichen explained the Book of Contracts Martial Soul to Ma Xiaotao, and the two chatted until sunset before she left, offering to help him in the future.
• Zhou Sichen ordered a Red Rank Delicacy and went to the Secret Chamber, where he prepared to craft his first Natal Soul Tool from Tian Meng's Exuviae.
• Zhou Sichen planned to engrave Peak Level 4 Core Arrays onto the Exuviae before attempting Fifth-Rank arrays, which could make him a Fifth-Rank Soul Engineer.
• Zhou Sichen took out his engraving knife, activated Spiritual Detection, and began preparing to engrave the arrays.

Zhou Sichen continued engraving a Core Soul Tool Array onto Tian Meng’s Exuviae, then met Ma Xiaotao, who brought him lunch and asked for another duel. He declined for now and went to find Qian Duoduo to borrow a Ranked Engraving Knife.

• Zhou Sichen engraved one-fifth of the Core Soul Tool Array onto the Exuviae overnight, then rested and recovered his mental strength.
• Ma Xiaotao arrived with lunch after failing to find Zhou Sichen earlier and explained that she had wanted to challenge him to another duel.
• Ma Xiaotao invited Zhou Sichen to tour the Inner Court, but he said he already knew it well and had other plans.
• Zhou Sichen told Ma Xiaotao he would be busy for the next few days but agreed to meet her at the Soul Dueling Arena that weekend.
• Zhou Sichen went to Qian Duoduo’s office to ask to borrow his Ranked Engraving Knife.

Zhou Sichen met Fan Yu in Qian Duoduo's office and arranged to learn Soul Tool crafting from him. Fan Yu agreed to take Zhou Sichen to his laboratory and let him try Qian Duoduo's Ranked Engraving Knife.

• Fan Yu recognized Zhou Sichen outside Qian Duoduo's office and said he and Qian Duoduo had been discussing him.
• Qian Duoduo introduced Fan Yu as the Soul Tool Department's director and praised his talent as a Soul Engineer.
• Zhou Sichen said he had come to discuss Soul Tool crafting and asked to borrow Qian Duoduo's Ranked Engraving Knife.
• Fan Yu explained that the knife required great mental exertion but agreed to let Zhou Sichen try it with his guidance.
• Qian Duoduo sent Fan Yu and Zhou Sichen to the laboratory, while he stayed behind worrying about his engraving knife.

Zhou Sichen went to Fan Yu’s laboratory to attempt a Level 5 Core Soul Tool Array and ask for blueprints and guidance. There, he impressed Fan Yu and He Caitou with his Soul Tool expertise, while considering recruiting He Caitou.

• Zhou Sichen told Fan Yu he planned to create a Level 5 Core Soul Tool Array and asked her for blueprints and guidance.
• Fan Yu brought Zhou Sichen to her laboratory and agreed to provide resources and instruction.
• He Caitou showed Fan Yu a Level 3 defensive shield he had made, and Fan Yu introduced him to Zhou Sichen.
• Zhou Sichen examined He Caitou’s shield, praised its strengths, and explained how He Caitou could improve its core array inscription.
• He Caitou thanked Zhou Sichen and left to refine the shield further.