Chapter Summaries

Ning Wuque assured Ning Fengxiao that he would leave the Ning Family an heir, while Xiao Hongchen unveiled a radical Soul Tool he had built to challenge Ning Wuque in the next tournament. Xiao Hongchen prepared to demonstrate his creation, called Ascension, as Meng Hongchen went to alert their grandfather and summon Soul Douluo.

• Ning Fengxiao accepted Ning Wuque's plans after asking him to leave the Ning Family an heir.
• Xiao Hongchen showed Meng Hongchen a six-meter metallic humanoid Soul Tool and explained that he had created it for his Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul.
• Xiao Hongchen named the creation Ascension and said metal could let him surpass the limits of his body and defeat Ning Wuque.
• Meng Hongchen worried that Xiao Hongchen's invention was dangerous and offered to fetch Jing Hongchen.
• Xiao Hongchen told Meng Hongchen to bring Jing Hongchen and several Soul Douluo for a demonstration, then disassembled Ascension into six sections and stored them in Soul Tools.

Xiao Hongchen demonstrated a new Soul Tool technique by fusing with metal components and his Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul, becoming a fourteen-meter humanoid mech with Spiritual Metal. He faced two Soul Douluo in a test fight and remained ready as they brought out their strongest attacks.

• Xiao Hongchen told Jing Hongchen that he had created a new kind of Soul Tool compatible with the Hongchen family's Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul.
• Jing Hongchen took Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen to the testing grounds, where two Soul Douluo waited to test Xiao's creation.
• Xiao Hongchen used his soul skills to fuse with six metallic humanoid components, then activated his Martial Soul Avatar to form a fourteen-meter metal body.
• Xiao Hongchen's metal body ascended to Spiritual Metal, and he challenged the two Soul Douluo to fight without holding back.
• The two Soul Douluo activated their Martial Soul Avatars and attacked Xiao Hongchen, whose first exchange withstood their probing blows evenly.
• The Soul Douluo followed with stronger soul skills and Soul Tools as the battle continued.

Xiao Hongchen recalled how Ning Wuque’s unconventional strength had inspired him to seek a path beyond traditional Soul Engineering, and he transformed himself into a metal giant. He demonstrated the power of Soul Tool Metal Ascension in the arena and charged at two Soul Douluo with battle axes.

• Xiao Hongchen spent three years reconsidering his path after Jing Hongchen persuaded him to focus on Soul Engineering.
• Xiao Hongchen realized he could follow an unconventional path by using his Martial Soul to transform his body into metal and absorb its power.
• Xiao Hongchen asked Jing Hongchen for rare metals, research materials, and restricted Soul Tool designs, and Jing Hongchen agreed to help him.
• Xiao Hongchen stood unharmed against two Rank 8 Soul Tool Ray attacks and Rank 7 Soul Tool Cannonballs, using his metal body and Soul Engravings to withstand them.
• Xiao Hongchen transformed his arms into battle axes and charged at the two Soul Douluo.

Xiao Hongchen tested his metal ascension by fighting two Soul Douluo and nearly defeated them, but his transformation left him unnaturally cold and emotionless. Jing Hongchen took him to Mingde Hall for an examination, while Meng Hongchen worried that her brother had changed.

• Jing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen watched Xiao Hongchen fight two Soul Douluo in his Metal Giant form and marveled at his strength.
• After more than ten minutes, one Soul Douluo fell and the other was severely injured, while Xiao Hongchen’s Martial Soul Avatar collapsed from Soul Power exhaustion.
• Jing Hongchen examined the Metal Giant’s composite rare-metal construction, and Xiao Hongchen transformed back into a human.
• Jing Hongchen noticed Xiao Hongchen’s deathly stillness and insisted on taking him for a physical examination; Xiao Hongchen agreed and said he felt clearer and more perfect.
• Meng Hongchen held Xiao Hongchen’s hand and told him he had stopped using their special way of addressing each other, but Xiao Hongchen did not understand why that mattered.

With the Soul Dueling Tournament a month away, Wu Feng reached Level 67 but could not break through to Soul Saint before the competition. Mu En finished guiding Ning Wuque’s foundation and urged him to forge his own path, leaving Wuque with a plan to temper his body through will.

• Wu Feng celebrated reaching Level 67 and begged Ning Wuque to help her reach Soul Saint, but he explained that she could not safely advance further in time for the tournament.
• Ning Tian reminded Wu Feng that Ning Wuque planned a grand gift for her when she reached Level 70.
• Mu En told Ning Wuque that his foundation was fully polished and that he must develop his own approach to will.
• Ning Wuque thanked Mu En and resolved to merge his will with his body, naming his path Overlord’s Intent—With Me, Wuque.
• Mu En gave Ning Wuque Shrek’s tournament roster and told him to review the selected reserve team members.

Ning Wuque met Shrek’s reserve team, explained that the tournament could be deadly, and warned them about powerful opponents. The students remained anxious, though he reassured them that Shrek was still likely to win.

• Ning Wuque introduced himself as captain and told the reserve team he would arrange opportunities for them to compete, while cautioning that he would rarely send them into dangerous later rounds.
• Ning Wuque warned the students that the tournament could cause many deaths and injuries, especially because sect competitors and Sun Moon Empire referees might not show restraint.
• Cao Jinxuan asked about Ning Wuque’s strength, and Ning Wuque confirmed he was close to Soul Douluo while warning that three Soul Saints would compete.
• Lan Susu offered Ning Wuque a box of tea, and he accepted it and encouraged the team by saying Shrek would probably still win.

Shrek's teams departed for Mingdu under Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan, stopping to investigate an Evil Soul Master near the Sun Moon Empire's border. At a devastated village, Bei Bei recognized the mutated Blue Silver Grass as Tang Ya's, while Ning Wuque sensed a connection to his Gu Family.

• Ning Wuque added a match to the teams' training, then he and Ning Tian focused on cultivation as the tournament approached.
• Xuan Zi led the Shrek delegation toward Mingdu, and Bei Bei explained their mission to investigate and eliminate an Evil Soul Master.
• Ning Wuque carried Ning Tian as the fifteen-person team flew across the Star Dou Great Forest and Star Luo Empire for two days.
• The team reached a village where withered plants and shriveled corpses showed that the Evil Soul Master had drained the area of life.
• Zhang Lexuan found bloodstained Dark Blue Silver Grass, and Bei Bei identified it as Tang Ya's mutated Martial Soul.
• Ning Wuque sensed a familiar smell at the village and wondered whether people from his Gu Family were there.

Gu Long sensed possible Bone Dragon and undead Evil Soul Masters but left the search to the group, who traveled to Mingdu for the competition. There, Xiao Hongchen welcomed Ning Wuque and led the Shrek group on a tour of the modern city, promising him a surprising gift.

• Gu Long sensed familiar Bone Dragon and undead martial soul auras and asked Bei Bei to leave the Bone Dragon wielder to him if the wielder's crimes were not too serious.
• Bei Bei put away the bundle of Blue Silver Grass, ended the search, and led the group toward Mingdu.
• The Shrek group arrived in Mingdu, where Xiao Hongchen greeted them and waved them through the city gate.
• Ning Tian clung to Ning Wuque and resisted following Xiao Hongchen, but agreed after the others chose to go along.
• Xiao Hongchen guided the group through Mingdu, described a feast at the Mingde Grand Hotel, and promised Ning Wuque a surprising gift.

Xiao Hongchen showed Ning Wuque and the others around Mingdu, then hosted them at the Mingde Grand Hotel and gave them the revised Soul Dueling Tournament rules. The group began sampling the meal as Bei Bei considered the rules and Zhang Lexuan offered him wine.

• Xiao Hongchen invited Ning Wuque and Ning Tian to bring the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to the Sun Moon Empire, but they said Ning Tian's father would decide.
• Xiao Hongchen led the group to the Mingde Grand Hotel and had a banquet prepared for them.
• Xiao Hongchen gave Ning Wuque the revised tournament rules, which added a Soul Engineer competition and changed the tournament format and restrictions.
• Ning Wuque criticized the rule changes as unfair, passed the rules to Bei Bei, and shared tea and wine with Xiao Hongchen.
• Ning Wuque urged everyone to eat and fed Ning Tian, while the others tried the food; Zhang Lexuan offered Bei Bei a goblet of wine.

Ning Wuque checked the hotel for surveillance before spending the night with Ning Tian, then joined Shrek’s tactical meeting to discuss conserving their strongest abilities for the tournament. When Bei Bei asked whether he would go easy on Wu Feng if they faced her team, Ning Wuque promised to finish the match cleanly after Bei Bei went first.

• Ning Wuque had Xiaoshi search the royal family’s hotel for surveillance devices, and she found none.
• Ning Wuque and Ning Tian agreed to rest and prepare for their tactical meeting and the fight against Long Aotian.
• Bei Bei warned Shrek’s team that the revised flight rules favored Soul Engineers and urged them to conserve their strongest abilities against powerful opponents.
• Bei Bei asked Ning Wuque whether he would go easy on Wu Feng, and Ning Wuque said Bei Bei should face her first before he finished the match.
• Bei Bei doubted Ning Wuque’s promise and began outlining likely matchups and strong teams to watch.

Bei Bei led a detailed strategy meeting to prepare the team for the tournament’s strongest opponents and possible match formats. After the meeting, Ning Wuque and Ning Tian left together to visit Mingdu’s night market and check when Wu Feng would arrive.

• Bei Bei presented the Body Clan, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy as the team’s main threats, and named several other teams that could wear them down.
• Bei Bei outlined strategies for facing the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy in different match formats, while preserving their strength for the Body Clan.
• Bei Bei ended the meeting after speaking from morning until evening and invited the team to dinner at Mingde Grand Hotel.
• Ning Wuque declined the invitation, saying he would take Ning Tian to the night market and visit the clan’s merchant association to ask when Wu Feng would arrive.
• Ning Tian kissed Ning Wuque, and they left hand in hand while the others watched enviously or indignantly.

Ning Wuque and the Shrek and Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan teams arrived in Mingdu to register for the tournament, where they noticed the city's advanced Soul Tool technology. At the registration desk, Bei Bei recognized a group of Evil Soul Masters and murmured Xiao Ya's name before going to confirm who they were.

• Ning Wuque arrived at the registration venue with Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and the Shrek and Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan teams, drawing attention from other contestants and intelligence gatherers.
• Wu Feng noticed the venue was five degrees cooler inside, and Ning Buchu explained that an Air conditioning Soul Tool was responsible.
• Ning Wuque reflected on Mingdu's advanced technology and its plans to broadcast tournament battles to spectators outside the venue.
• Bei Bei stopped after spotting a black-cloaked group registering under a girl in a black gauze hat, and Zhang Lexuan identified them as Evil Soul Masters.
• Bei Bei murmured Xiao Ya's name and asked the others to wait while he went to confirm something, but his companions insisted on joining him.

Bei Bei reunited with Tang Ya at the tournament, but she struck him and left him devastated. Ning Wuque confronted Zhang Peng about the Holy Spirit Cult’s participation, while a hidden Super Douluo’s warning made Zhang Peng cautious.

• Bei Bei recognized Tang Ya and rushed to greet her, but she struck his chest and sent him flying.
• Xu Sanshi caught Bei Bei and angrily challenged Tang Ya, while Ning Wuque warned her to stay and addressed Zhang Peng.
• A hidden Super Douluo exerted pressure on Zhang Peng, and Ning Wuque said the warning came from his great-grandfather.
• Zhang Lexuan took the injured Bei Bei from Xu Sanshi and held him as he struggled to speak to Tang Ya.
• Zhang Peng softened his manner and asked Ning Wuque what he wanted; Ning Wuque questioned why the Holy Spirit Cult had entered the tournament as a group.

Ning Wuque challenged Zhang Peng’s defense of the Holy Spirit Cult, but Tang Ya’s intervention ended the tense encounter. After Shrek Academy and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan registered for the Soul Dueling Tournament, the teams joined the procession to the arena, where Wu Feng boasted about her strength and promised to rely on Ning Wuque if anyone defeated her.

• Zhang Peng claimed that he and the other Evil Soul Masters were pitiful outcasts, but Ning Wuque rejected his argument and pointed to Tang Ya as its flaw.
• Tang Ya approached Bei Bei and claimed not to remember him, while Ning Wuque and Ning Yueming registered the Shrek Academy and Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan teams.
• Tang Ya left without hesitation, and Zhang Lexuan comforted the heartbroken Bei Bei as the group departed.
• The next morning, contestants marched through Mingdu toward the Soul Arena while crowds watched and commented on the teams.
• Wu Feng boasted that she could defeat most competitors, and Ning Wuque warned her not to underestimate anyone before promising to help if she lost.

The Sun Moon Empire opened the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and Xiao Hongchen challenged Ning Wuque’s attention with a display of overwhelming strength. After Xiao Hongchen defeated the Dragon Slaying Sect’s first fighter in one punch, Ning Wuque watched him with fierce battle intent.

• Bei Bei rallied after Xu Sanshi encouraged him to believe he could awaken Tang Ya.
• Wu Feng stayed beside Ning Wuque instead of joining the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan’s team.
• Ju Zi welcomed the guests, announced the tournament’s opening, and introduced the first match between the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy and the Dragon Slaying Sect.
• Xiao Hongchen entered the arena as the Sun Moon Academy’s first fighter and fixed his gaze on Ning Wuque.
• Xiao Hongchen revealed his seven-ring cultivation and used a six-meter metal humanoid to knock the Dragon Slaying Sect’s first fighter into the Soul Tool Shield with one punch.
• Xiao Hongchen looked toward Ning Wuque again and saw Ning Wuque’s surging battle intent.

Xiao Hongchen used his martial soul to fuse with a Soul Tool, forming a Metal Giant that effortlessly defeated two opponents. Ning Wuque explained that Xiao Hongchen had given spirit to the metal through their fusion, and his fourth battle began to make the others reassess his strength.

• Ning Wuque praised Xiao Hongchen's fusion with a Soul Tool, while Wu Feng dismissed the Metal Giant as vulnerable to her flames.
• Xiao Hongchen stood motionless as his second opponent's attacks failed to damage him, then defeated him by outlasting him until he collapsed from exhaustion.
• Bei Bei asked Ning Wuque why Xiao Hongchen had chosen to become a melee fighter, and Ning Wuque explained the difference between sentient and insentient weapons.
• Ning Wuque said Xiao Hongchen was fusing himself with the Soul Tool and bestowing spirit upon it, making him several times stronger than before.
• Xiao Hongchen's fourth battle caught everyone's attention, and Wu Feng rose in embarrassment and irritation before burying her face in Ning Wuque's chest for comfort.

Xiao Hongchen’s metal humanoid Soul Tool overwhelmed the Dragon Slaying Sect’s challengers, absorbing a ranged Soul Tool attack and securing Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy’s victory. The match ended with Soul Engineers recognizing the machine’s potential and the remaining teams facing a daunting new opponent.

• Xiao Hongchen’s fourth challenger fired a Soul Tool Ray Gun at him, but the beam vanished into his metal body without causing damage.
• Ning Wuque, Wu Feng, and He Caitou discussed how Xiao Hongchen’s metal body absorbed Soul Power and could give him an advantage over opponents of the same rank.
• The remaining Dragon Slaying Sect competitors made ineffective attacks before conceding to Xiao Hongchen.
• The referee declared Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy the winner and touched Xiao Hongchen’s metal body, rekindling his interest in Soul Engineering.

Huo Yuhao represented the Body Clan in the tournament’s final match of the afternoon, facing Forging Steel Hall alone. He revealed a powerful Ice Armor form with five white soul rings, astonishing the audience as the duel began.

• Jing Hongchen discussed his grandson’s Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul invention with the emperor, who agreed to invest in the project and visit after the tournament.
• Shrek’s contestants passed the day’s earlier matches by playing chess and relaxing until the Body Clan versus Forging Steel Hall duel was announced.
• Ning Wuque, Bei Bei, and the others went to watch, where they learned the Body Clan had entered only one contestant for the seven-versus-seven match.
• Huo Yuhao introduced himself and faced the start of the duel without looking at Forging Steel Hall’s seven members.
• Huo Yuhao summoned a towering Ice Armor warrior seated on an ice throne, displaying five white soul rings and startling the spectators.

Huo Yuhao stunned the arena with his Armored Martial Body and demonstrated a formidable combination of his Spirit Eyes and Second Spirit Soul. He defeated six charging members of Forging Iron Hall with mental attacks while remaining seated on the Ice Thorn Throne.

• Huo Yuhao entered the arena in frigid armor, prompting an uproar from spectators who admired his appearance and fighting style.
• Ning Wuque explained that Huo Yuhao used his Second Spirit Soul to create the armor, letting him combine Extreme Ice enhancements with his Spirit Eyes abilities.
• Ning Wuque said Huo Yuhao had likely completed the Body Clan’s Second Awakening of the Body Spirit Soul, and Bei Bei volunteered to take the next match.
• The seven members of Forging Iron Hall charged Huo Yuhao after their support soul master enhanced their strongest fighter.
• Huo Yuhao used Mental Shock and Consciousness Supremacy to overwhelm the six attackers’ minds, leaving them unconscious on the stage.

Xiao Hongchen reflected on how his new, highly disciplined habits came from treating himself like a Soul Tool, while Meng Hongchen teased and then punched him. Huo Yuhao led the Heavenly Soul Empire Royal Academy to victory over Forging Iron Hall and left with Weina, while Wang Dong'er watched angrily and the Shrek team departed to eat.

• Xiao Hongchen told Meng Hongchen that repeated examinations showed his health was improving, and explained that he had begun studying himself like a Soul Tool.
• Xiao Hongchen teased Meng Hongchen about Huo Yuhao and Weina, and Meng Hongchen punched him into amnesia.
• Huo Yuhao defeated Forging Iron Hall, thawed his frozen throne, and demonstrated precise control of his Soul Power as he left the stage.
• Weina draped a royal cloak over Huo Yuhao and led him away, while Long Aotian and the others watched and departed.
• Wang Dong'er angrily watched Huo Yuhao and Weina leave, while Zhu Lu sat beside her in fear.
• Zhang Lexuan led the Shrek group out after they chose to eat at the Mingde Grand Hotel.