Chapter Summaries

Li Yue advised Ma Hongjun to seek a high-year fire-attributed plant Soul Beast, especially a Fire Wutong, for his first soul ring. When Xiao Wu learned they planned to visit the Star Dou Forest, she asked to accompany them and guide them to the Soul Beasts they needed.

• Li Yue agreed that a plant Soul Beast would suit Ma Hongjun and explained why a powerful beast-type Soul Beast would be dangerous to hunt and absorb.
• Li Yue rejected the poisonous sun flower and suggested several fire-attributed plants, naming the Fire Wutong as the best match for Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix martial soul.
• Ma Hongjun worried that a four-hundred-year Fire Wutong would be hard to find, but Li Yue said they were plentiful in the Star Dou Forest.
• Xiao Wu heard that Li Yue and Ma Hongjun planned to visit the Star Dou Forest and considered returning to see her family there.
• Xiao Wu asked Li Yue to let her join them, offering to help locate the Soul Beasts they sought.

Xiao Wu asked to join Li Yue and the others on their trip to the Star Dou Forest, where she could help them find soul beasts. After learning she knew of a Fire Wutong patch and a thousand-year Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Yu Xiaogang supported her coming, and Li Yue agreed.

• Xiao Wu pleaded with Li Yue to let her accompany the group to the Star Dou Forest so she could introduce him to Da Ming and Er Ming.
• Li Yue worried that Xiao Wu’s presence might draw the Titan Giant Ape, while Yu Xiaogang initially objected because the forest was dangerous.
• Xiao Wu said she knew where to find Fire Wutong and had seen a lone thousand-year Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, exciting Ma Hongjun and Yu Xiaogang.
• Yu Xiaogang changed his mind and encouraged Li Yue to let Xiao Wu come, saying Flender would protect them.
• Li Yue agreed to take Xiao Wu, and she kissed his cheek happily.

Li Yue, Xiao Wu, Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Ma Hongjun traveled to the Star Dou Forest, where Flender learned that Li Yue’s published theories had made him wealthy. The chapter ended with an explanation of how nobles hoarded the book and how its cultivation methods meant far more to commoner Soul Masters than to nobles.

• Li Yue and the others prepared for their journey and spent several days traveling to the Star Dou Forest by carriage.
• Li Yue hired a luxurious, shock-absorbing carriage for himself and Xiao Wu, while Flender chose the cheapest carriage and complained about Li Yue’s spending.
• Yu Xiaogang told Flender that Li Yue had earned immense royalties from the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls.
• Flender recalled that Soul Masters across the continent valued Li Yue’s book for its theories and cultivation techniques.
• Nobles bought up copies of the book to keep commoner Soul Masters from accessing its methods, while Li Yue earned royalties and karmic connections from their hoarding.

Yu Xiaogang and Flender discussed the wealth Li Yue had gained from the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls, whose scarcity and soaring black-market prices came from noble monopolies. Flender planned to persuade Li Yue to fund Shrek Academy and recruit him as a student.

• Yu Xiaogang explained that nobles bought up Spirit Hall’s copies of the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls and resold them at inflated prices, keeping ordinary Soul Masters from obtaining the book.
• Flender recalled paying 120 Gold Soul Coins for a copy and admitted he had also earned money selling transcribed copies with Ma Hongjun.
• Flender asked Yu Xiaogang whether Li Yue might invest in Shrek Academy, and Yu Xiaogang told him to approach Li Yue directly.
• Flender imagined using Li Yue’s wealth and fame to attract students and donations, then argued that Li Yue was a perfect fit for Shrek Academy.

Flender tried to flatter Li Yue into supporting and joining Shrek Academy, while Li Yue considered using his Gold Soul Coins to improve the school. Flender explained that Shrek Academy accepted only extraordinary students, and Li Yue recognized the meaning behind its name.

• Flender fawned over Li Yue and praised his wealth, talent, and appearance while sounding him out about Shrek Academy.
• Li Yue saw through Flender's attempt to win his money and recruit him, but considered giving the academy Gold Soul Coins to improve its facilities.
• Flender insisted that ordinary academies were unworthy of Li Yue and introduced the academy he had founded, Shrek Academy.
• Li Yue described the Shrek soul beast as a strange monster, and Flender agreed that he had understood the name's meaning.
• Flender explained that he had named Shrek Academy because he intended it to accept monsters rather than ordinary people.

Flender invited Li Yue to join Shrek Academy, offering him special treatment, and Li Yue accepted while arranging admission for Xiao Wu and Tang San. The system then informed Li Yue that Flender owed him a great karmic debt.

• Flender praised Shrek Academy and offered Li Yue immediate admission with personal training from experienced teachers.
• Xiao Wu warned Li Yue about Flender, while Yu Xiaogang acknowledged Shrek's teachers' strength and left the choice to his disciple.
• Li Yue accepted Flender's invitation and asked him to admit Xiao Wu, who had Innate Full Soul Power.
• Flender waived Xiao Wu's entrance test, and Li Yue also secured admission for Tang San by mentioning his Innate Full Soul Power.
• The system told Li Yue that bringing Xiao Wu and Tang San into Shrek Academy had left Flender owing a great karmic debt.

Li Yue agreed to fund Shrek Academy after Flender pretended wealthy merchants were already investing in renovations. The chapter ended with Flender ecstatic over the million Gold Soul Coins Li Yue gave him and willing to do anything to repay him.

• Flender complained to Li Yue that Shrek Academy needed renovations and claimed wealthy merchants were competing to invest.
• Li Yue offered to cover the academy's funding shortfall, first suggesting one hundred thousand and then one million Gold Soul Coins.
• Flender, Ma Hongjun, Yu Xiaogang, and Xiao Wu reacted with astonishment to Li Yue's offer.
• Li Yue handed Flender an anonymous Black Gold Card holding one million Gold Soul Coins and said he had more cards if needed.
• Flender accepted the card in trembling excitement and wondered how he could repay Li Yue, even offering to eat shit for him.

Li Yue gave Flender one million Gold Soul Coins to fund Shrek Academy's renovation, and Ma Hongjun eagerly offered to become Li Yue's lackey. Li Yue tried to treat Ma Hongjun as an equal brother, but Ma Hongjun insisted that he wanted to be Li Yue's dog.

• Li Yue asked Flender to renovate Shrek Academy before he enrolled, and Flender promised to transform it.
• Ma Hongjun offered to serve Li Yue as a lackey and dropped to his knees to bark like a dog.
• Li Yue helped Ma Hongjun up and asked him to be brothers instead of acting like a dog.
• Ma Hongjun refused and said he wanted to be Li Yue's dog because he admired Li Yue and credited him with helping remove his martial soul defect.

Li Yue tried to dissuade Ma Hongjun from becoming his dog, but Flender convinced Ma Hongjun to cultivate until he was worthy, giving him a new goal. After several days of travel, Li Yue's group entered the Star Dou Forest, where Xiao Wu returned home with Li Yue.

• Li Yue urged Ma Hongjun to be his classmate or brother instead of his dog, but Ma Hongjun insisted he wanted to serve Li Yue alone.
• Flender rebuked Ma Hongjun for thinking himself worthy before gaining strength, and Ma Hongjun accepted that he needed to cultivate first.
• Flender encouraged Ma Hongjun to practice the Great Sun Netherworld Meditation and strive to earn the qualifications to become Li Yue's dog, and Ma Hongjun resolved to do so.
• After several days of travel, Li Yue's group entered the Star Dou Forest, and Xiao Wu happily returned to her home with Li Yue.

In the Star Dou Forest, Li Yue awakened the Blue Silver Domain, which let the forest’s Blue Silver Grass supply him with energy. After learning how rare domains were, Ma Hongjun resolved to train harder so he might one day serve Li Yue.

• Li Yue entered the Star Dou Forest and connected with its Blue Silver Grass, awakening the Blue Silver Domain.
• Xiao Wu sensed Li Yue’s bond with the forest, and he explained how the Blue Silver Grass enhanced his cultivation and restored his Soul Power.
• Flender and Yu Xiaogang recognized the rarity of Li Yue’s innate domain, and Flender explained domains to Ma Hongjun.
• Ma Hongjun realized how far he was from Li Yue and resolved to devote himself to cultivating the Great Sun Netherworld Meditation.

Xiao Wu led Li Yue and the others through the Star Dou Forest to find a Fire Wutong for Ma Hongjun’s first soul ring. When they reached the tree, Li Yue stopped Ma Hongjun from rushing toward it and spotted an unusual Mandala Snake coiled among its branches.

• Xiao Wu guided the group through the forest, while Ma Hongjun grew tired from the long walk.
• Li Yue spotted the Fire Wutong in the distance, and Ma Hongjun hurried onward after seeing it.
• Ma Hongjun excitedly ran toward the tree, but Li Yue grabbed him and warned him about the Mandala Snake.
• Li Yue examined the snake and noticed that the seven-meter creature had pink scales despite being mostly dark green, suggesting it had unusual traits for its age.

Li Yue explained that a seven-hundred-year Mandala Snake had gained thousand-year traits by tempering its body in the Fire Wutong’s flames. After Xiao Wu’s attack failed to hurt it, she asked Li Yue to teach it a lesson, and he prepared to fight.

• Li Yue inferred that the Mandala Snake had used the Fire Wutong’s flames to strengthen its body, giving it thousand-year traits despite having only seven hundred years of cultivation.
• Ma Hongjun asked to absorb the Mandala Snake’s soul ring, but Li Yue warned that its age and poison made it incompatible and dangerous for him.
• Li Yue sent Xiao Wu to practice her Vortex Cannon against the Mandala Snake.
• Xiao Wu’s Vortex Cannon blasted a crater into the Fire Wutong, but the Mandala Snake remained unharmed and looked disdainfully at her.
• Xiao Wu complained to Li Yue and asked him to teach the Mandala Snake a lesson, while Li Yue admired its composure and prepared to defeat it.

Li Yue defeated a talented Mandala Snake with his Spiral Cannon, but before he could drain its Soul Power, Meng Shu arrived and asked him to spare it. Meng Shu had identified the snake as a suitable second soul ring for his granddaughter.

• Li Yue fired a Spiral Cannon at the Mandala Snake, blasting it into a crater in the Fire Wutong and severely damaging both.
• Ma Hongjun worried that Li Yue might kill the Fire Wutong before he could obtain its soul ring, but Li Yue said the tree would survive.
• Xiao Wu praised Li Yue and kissed him, while Li Yue cautioned her not to underestimate the Mandala Snake.
• Li Yue prepared to lift the still-living snake with his Blue Silver Spear and drain its Soul Power.
• Meng Shu arrived with an old woman and a young girl, recognized the snake's unusual talent, and asked Li Yue to spare it for his granddaughter's second soul ring.

Li Yue gave Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang the seven-hundred-year Mandala Snake for their granddaughter, Meng Yiran, and warned them that absorbing its Soul Ring could be dangerous. His gift and his advice improved the Peerless Dragon Snake couple’s attitude toward him, while the system revealed that all three now owed him a karmic debt.

• Li Yue recognized Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran, and Flender identified the elderly couple as the Peerless Dragon Snake.
• Meng Shu asked Li Yue to give Meng Yiran the Mandala Snake, and Li Yue agreed in exchange for Meng Shu’s promise of help.
• The system told Li Yue that Meng Yiran, Meng Shu, and Chao Tianxiang owed him a karmic debt for the gift.
• Li Yue warned Meng Shu that the Mandala Snake’s age and unusual traits could make its Soul Ring dangerous for Meng Yiran to absorb.
• Meng Shu thanked Li Yue and explained that he had already taught Meng Yiran methods from the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls to help her refine the Soul Ring.

Meng Yiran recognized Li Yue as her idol, Master Li Yue, and her family confirmed his identity. After Meng Yiran excitedly showed her support, Li Yue reminded her that the Mandala Snake was dying, and she killed it and began absorbing its soul ring.

• Meng Yiran recognized Li Yue from the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls and his Blue Silver Spear, then told Meng Shu who he was.
• Meng Shu confirmed Li Yue's identity, apologized for his earlier discourtesy, and praised the cultivation method that had helped him advance.
• Meng Yiran nervously introduced herself to Li Yue and showed him the commemorative coins she had collected.
• Li Yue thanked Meng Yiran for her support and warned her that the Mandala Snake was about to die.
• Meng Yiran killed the Mandala Snake and began absorbing its soul ring using the method from the Nine Great Theories of Martial Souls.

Meng Yiran used Li Yue's soul ring refinement method to absorb a seven-hundred-year Mandala Snake soul ring despite its violent Soul Power. She succeeded and rejoiced with her grandparents, leaving them grateful to Li Yue and hopeful for her future.

• Meng Yiran endured the Mandala Snake soul ring's violent Soul Power while Li Yue watched and reflected on her past misfortune and the soul ring's suitability.
• Chao Tianxiang worried that Meng Yiran might not withstand the seven-hundred-year soul ring, while Meng Shu urged her to trust Li Yue's method and their granddaughter.
• Meng Yiran's expression eased as she refined the soul ring, and her grandparents grew more confident that she would survive the process.
• Meng Yiran opened her eyes, summoned her Snake Head Crutch, and announced that she had successfully absorbed the Mandala Snake soul ring.
• Chao Tianxiang and Meng Shu expressed relief and gratitude to Li Yue, while Meng Yiran thanked him for helping her gain the soul ring.

After absorbing a Mandala Snake soul ring and gaining the second skill Snake Body, Meng Yiran thanked Li Yue and kissed his cheek. Xiao Wu, Li Yue’s girlfriend, confronted her furiously and shoved her away.

• Meng Yiran used Snake Body, her new defensive and agility-enhancing soul skill, after reaching level twenty-three.
• Meng Yiran thanked Li Yue for yielding the soul ring and teaching her refinement techniques, while privately admiring him.
• Li Yue told Meng Yiran that her soul skill was powerful and could be developed further, as Xiao Wu began to suspect Meng Yiran had feelings for him.
• Meng Yiran moved quickly to Li Yue and kissed his cheek.
• Xiao Wu shoved Meng Yiran away and warned her not to kiss Li Yue again.

After Meng Yiran kissed Li Yue’s cheek, Xiao Wu declared that she was his girlfriend, leaving Meng Yiran devastated and jealous. Meng Yiran apologized rather than risk Li Yue disliking her, while Flender tried to calm the confrontation.

• Meng Yiran remained lovestruck after kissing Li Yue, while Xiao Wu angrily told her that she was Li Yue’s girlfriend.
• Meng Yiran learned that Xiao Wu was Li Yue’s romantic partner and felt shocked, bitter, and jealous.
• Meng Yiran apologized to Xiao Wu, forcing down her anger because she feared losing Li Yue’s favor.
• Meng Shu was astonished that his proud granddaughter backed down, and Flender urged Xiao Wu not to blame Meng Yiran for not knowing about the relationship.

Xiao Wu wiped away Meng Yiran’s kiss from Li Yue’s cheek, leaving Meng Yiran bitter and determined to win him over. Flender shifted attention to Ma Hongjun’s unfinished soul ring, and Ma Hongjun absorbed a Fire Wutong ring that gave him a defensive skill that restored Soul Power and strengthened his flames when broken.

• Xiao Wu forgave Meng Yiran, then carefully wiped her kiss from Li Yue’s cheek, while Meng Yiran secretly vowed to take Li Yue from her.
• Flender diverted attention from the girls’ quarrel and led Ma Hongjun to obtain the Fire Wutong as his soul ring.
• Ma Hongjun absorbed the four-hundred-year Fire Wutong soul ring with ease and reached Soul Power level thirteen.
• Ma Hongjun revealed his first soul skill, Phoenix Perching on Wutong, which formed a protective nest that restored Soul Power and increased his phoenix flames by thirty percent if shattered.
• Li Yue praised the skill’s compatibility with Ma Hongjun’s Fire Phoenix martial soul and imagined him becoming a powerful ranged fighter.

After Ma Hongjun gained the soul skill Phoenix Perching on Wutong, his devotion to Li Yue spiraled into an insistence that he become Li Yue’s dog. Li Yue recoiled at Ma Hongjun’s behavior and worried that Meng Yiran was developing the same fixation.

• Ma Hongjun demonstrated Phoenix Perching on Wutong, his first soul skill from the Fire Wutong soul ring, and grew even more devoted to Li Yue.
• Ma Hongjun barked and begged Li Yue to let him be his dog, leaving Li Yue embarrassed and baffled by his behavior.
• Li Yue suspected Ma Hongjun’s mental state had changed after his practice of the Great Sun Netherworld Meditation and worried that he might be attracted to men.
• Flender laughed at Ma Hongjun, while Meng Yiran privately imagined becoming Li Yue’s dog herself.
• Li Yue assumed Meng Yiran’s excitement came from her new soul ring and her admiration for him, unaware of her fantasies.