Chapter Summaries

Su Hao demonstrated his strength, speed, and control to Elder Cai and the examiners during his Shrek assessment. Impressed by his abilities, they continued evaluating him after seeing him halt their Soul Skills before they could reach him.

• Su Hao asked Elder Cai to choose abilities for him to demonstrate, and Elder Cai selected strength.
• Su Hao struck Elder Cai with a golden fist and sent him crashing into a wall, showing strength more than twice Tang Wulin's.
• Su Hao demonstrated his speed by arranging rubble into the words "Heavenly Dao" before returning to his original spot unnoticed.
• Elder Cai asked Su Hao to show his control, and Su Hao used Immeasurable Void to stop three examiners' Soul Skills before they touched him.
• The examiners questioned how Su Hao had halted their Soul Skills, and Su Hao explained his control.

Su Hao demonstrated his unusual control over Soul Skills and his Five-Colored Lotus, impressing Cai Yuer and earning top marks alongside Gu Yue and Tang Wulin. The group continued to the Second Profession assessment, where Su Hao surprised Cai Yuer by revealing several Level 4 profession Medals.

• Su Hao explained that he controlled the distance between himself and incoming Soul Skills, and Cai Yuer accepted the technique as a control-type Soul Skill.
• Su Hao formed a self-sustaining Five-Colored Lotus, and Cai Yuer praised it and abandoned her plan to suppress him and the others.
• Cai Yuer gave Su Hao, Gu Yue, and Tang Wulin full marks for the stage and awarded Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan eight points each.
• The group chose to continue the assessment, and Nan Chengnan led them to the Fifth Stage, which tested their Second Professions.
• Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan presented Level 1 Medals, while Tang Wulin and Gu Yue presented Level 4 Medals; Cai Yuer awarded them two and eight points respectively.
• Su Hao presented his Level 4 Blacksmith Medal and then revealed Level 4 Medals for three more professions, startling Cai Yuer.

Su Hao earned full marks in the fifth assessment after revealing Level 4 Medals in all four Second Professions. The group then began the sixth assessment, an endurance test of eating Steamed Buns, where Tang Wulin quickly ate more than anyone else.

• Su Hao showed Cai Yuer and the other examiners his four Level 4 Professional Medals and offered to demonstrate his skills.
• Cai Yuer awarded Su Hao full marks for the fifth stage, and the examiners accepted her decision.
• Nan Chengnan led Su Hao and the others to the sixth stage, where they learned they had to eat Steamed Buns without using Soul Power.
• Tang Wulin asked if he could eat on behalf of others, and Nan Chengnan said he could if he earned full marks himself.
• Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan waited while Su Hao and Gu Yue ate only one bun each, but Tang Wulin quickly ate eight and continued eating.

Tang Wulin stunned Nan Chengnan by eating an enormous number of Steamed Buns in the Sixth Trial, while Su Hao and the others earned their scores. The group then learned the Seventh Trial tested endurance, and they weighed their chances as the final three trials approached.

• Tang Wulin ate 105 Steamed Buns in twenty-two minutes, then finished Gu Yue’s portion and ate fifteen from Su Hao’s plate before time ran out.
• Tang Wulin packed the remaining Steamed Buns into his Storage Ring, and Elder Cai heard that he and the others had scored highly in the food-based Second Profession test.
• Su Hao, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan arrived at the Seventh Trial, which required a ten-thousand-meter run, one thousand weighted squats, and one thousand pull-ups.
• Nan Chengnan explained that examinees needed sixty points across ten trials to pass, and the group calculated how many points each of them still needed.
• Tang Wulin worried that Xu Xiaoyan would struggle with the endurance test because she was not a Strength Type Soul Master and had a large score gap to overcome.

Tang Wulin and his teammates completed the endurance assessments and learned their scores before preparing for the eighth assessment, Comprehensive Combat. Their next challenge would require each of them to choose one of ten Shrek Academy students as an opponent and survive for ten minutes or defeat them for the highest score.

• Tang Wulin assigned Xu Xiaoyan to complete the ten-thousand-meter run and squats, Gu Yue to run, and himself, Su Hao, and Xie Xie to attempt all three endurance assessments.
• Su Hao and Tang Wulin finished the three endurance events in about thirty minutes, Xie Xie completed them in forty-five minutes, and Xu Xiaoyan earned four points from her run and squats.
• Nan Chengnan reported the five scores: Su Hao had sixty-seven, Tang Wulin sixty-five, Gu Yue fifty-seven, Xie Xie fifty-six, and Xu Xiaoyan fifty.
• Nan Chengnan explained that the eighth assessment required each student to face a previous Shrek Academy intake student, with ten minutes of survival counting as a pass and defeating an opponent earning ten points.
• Tang Wulin and the others entered a large circular room and saw ten potential opponents, whom they would need to judge and choose between.

Su Hao and Tang Wulin began their Soul Master matches after the team chose opponents and planned to delay Xu Xiaoyan’s fight until nightfall. Su Hao quickly defeated Number Five, while Tang Wulin’s match against the swift Snow Leopard Martial Soul user ended on a surprising turn.

• Tang Wulin assigned the team’s match order and told Xie Xie and Gu Yue to prolong their fights so Xu Xiaoyan could battle at night.
• Xie Xie chose Number Two, Xu Xiaoyan chose Number Six, Gu Yue chose Number One, Tang Wulin chose Number Ten, and Su Hao chose Number Five.
• Su Hao blocked Number Five’s charge with a punch and won, holding back enough to avoid seriously injuring his opponent.
• Tang Wulin began his match against the fast Number Ten, whose Snow Leopard Martial Soul impressed Xie Xie with its speed.
• Tang Wulin sent out his Blue Silver Grass to ensnare Number Ten, but something unexpected happened.

Tang Wulin endured Student Number Ten’s icy attacks for twenty-five minutes before losing, and Xie Xie was quickly defeated by Contestant Number Two. Gu Yue began her match against Student Number One, whose thousand-year Soul Rings and summoned Lion Mastiff revealed a powerful opponent.

• Student Number Ten used snowflakes and a Snow Leopard to pursue Tang Wulin, who held out for twenty-five minutes before losing.
• Xie Xie fought Contestant Number Two, whose enlarged form overwhelmed his attacks and forced Nan Chengnan to intervene and save him.
• Gu Yue entered the arena to face Student Number One, whom she had chosen earlier.
• Student Number One revealed that all three of his Soul Rings were thousand-year rings and summoned a powerful Lion Mastiff.

Gu Yue defeated Student Number One by combining her elemental attacks, while Xu Xiaoyan used a feigned, improvised attack to trap Student Number Six. The chapter ended with Nan Chengnan stopping Xu Xiaoyan’s hammer just before it struck her immobilized opponent.

• Gu Yue concealed which Soul Ring abilities she was using, then sent wind- and ice-infused cones through Student Number One’s defenses and defeated his Lion Mastiff.
• Nan Chengnan protected Student Number One from the remaining Ice Cones after the summon disappeared.
• Before Xu Xiaoyan’s match, Tang Wulin whispered a suggestion to her, and she entered the arena carrying an ice staff and a heavy Iron Hammer.
• Xu Xiaoyan distracted Student Number Six with an Ice Spear while secretly guiding the hammer above him.
• Student Number Six was caught by Xu Xiaoyan’s Star Wheel Chains, but Nan Chengnan stopped the falling Iron Hammer just above his head and praised Xu Xiaoyan’s act.

After Xu Xiaoyan won her match with a clever hammer trick, the group reviewed their scores and entered the ninth Shrek Academy assessment. Nan Chengnan explained that they would be tested on survival in a Soul Beast trial, leaving Su Hao and the others confident as they prepared to enter.

• Xu Xiaoyan’s feigned struggle with the hammer let her defeat student Number Six, and Nan Chengnan recognized how she had used Tang Wulin’s Deep Silver Ring to set up the tactic.
• Su Hao’s group calculated their scores: Su Hao had seventy-seven, Tang Wulin seventy-five, Gu Yue sixty-seven, Xu Xiaoyan sixty, and Xie Xie fifty-nine.
• Nan Chengnan led the five students into a metal-walled room and considered the strength of their Martial Souls and their training under their expelled senior.
• Nan Chengnan announced that the ninth assessment tested survival against real Soul Beasts and opened the metal drawers that would take them inside.
• Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan trusted Su Hao’s strength and their own Spirit Ascension Platform experience as they prepared for the trial.

Su Hao and the others began Shrek Academy’s ninth assessment, a survival test in a primitive forest, and found no danger during their first two hours. They rested and recovered while wondering what the test was meant to assess.

• Xie Xie learned from Nan Chengnan that all five would take the assessment together, and the group entered separate Metal Drawers.
• After the drawers closed, Elder Cai and a powerful old man arrived, and Nan Chengnan described the students’ performance as beyond imagination.
• The five appeared in a primitive forest, where Tang Wulin urged caution and warned Xu Xiaoyan against trying to absorb a Ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
• Su Hao led the group to a hill to rest while Gu Yue used Wind Birds to scout and Tang Wulin kept watch.
• After two hours without encountering a Soul Beast, Xie Xie asked why the forest was so quiet and suggested exploring, but Tang Wulin looked at the sky and rejected the idea.

Su Hao and the others followed two mysterious roars to a Valley, where Su Hao used his abilities to carry the group above the surging airwaves. They reached the source without being noticed and discovered a sight that left them stunned.

• Tang Wulin rejected Xie Xie's suggestion to set out immediately and had the group wait until dusk.
• A terrifying roar shook the forest, and Su Hao remained unaffected while Tang Wulin and the others reacted with fear.
• Su Hao agreed with Gu Yue to investigate, and Gu Yue's Wind Bird was destroyed by a wave of air near a Valley.
• Su Hao shielded the group with White Light and used his Second Soul Skill to fly them over the airwaves toward the roars.
• Tang Wulin and the others remembered Su Hao's extraordinary Soul Power reserves and recovery as they saw what was happening inside the Valley.

Su Hao and the others discovered a Ten-Thousand-Year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear fighting the Imperial Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, in the Valley. After identifying it, they discussed its legendary history and its sacrifice for the Spirit Ice Douluo.

• Tang Wulin and the others watched two powerful Soul Beasts clash inside the Valley.
• Su Hao recognized the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and identified its opponent as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Imperial Auspicious Beast.
• Xie Xie recalled the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s legend and explained that its presence once accelerated Soul Beast cultivation in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Tang Wulin remembered that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s Soul Ring and Soul Bone had been absorbed by the Spirit Ice Douluo.
• Xie Xie revealed that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had taken human form, fallen in love with the Spirit Ice Douluo, and sacrificed itself for him.
• Gu Yue questioned why the Auspicious Beast had sacrificed itself for a human, and Xie Xie answered that love could make people irrational.

After two powerful beasts left the Valley, Su Hao led Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, and Xie Xie to investigate a cave believed to belong to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Inside, a Golden Figure suddenly attacked them, and Tang Wulin and Gu Yue reacted to defend the group.

• The two giant beasts moved away through the Valley, and Tang Wulin guessed that one had come to challenge the other's territory.
• Su Hao led the group down into the Valley, where they found devastating marks from the beasts' battle and a large cave.
• Xie Xie recognized the cave's dry, musk-scented air as a possible sign that it belonged to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, so the group entered.
• The five followed the cave's gemstones deeper inside, then a Golden Figure lunged at them from the darkness.
• Tang Wulin activated his Golden Dragon Body and swung his Golden Dragon Claw at the attacker while Gu Yue raised a Water Shield.

Su Hao and Tang Wulin’s team captured a juvenile Three-Eyed Golden Lion and debated who should receive its priceless skull Soul Bone. Su Hao, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie gave up their claims, leaving Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan to decide between them.

• Su Hao pinned the juvenile Three-Eyed Golden Lion with Mind Power, and Tang Wulin struck it unconscious without destroying its skull.
• Xie Xie explained the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s rare Soul Ring and skull Soul Bone, and Tang Wulin judged the beast to be only ten years old.
• Su Hao offered Xu Xiaoyan the Soul Ring if she broke through and gave up his claim to the Soul Bone because he had already obtained a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Right Palm Bone.
• Tang Wulin gave up the Soul Bone because he already had a Man Faced Demon Spider Soul Bone, and Xie Xie also declined so Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan could choose.
• Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan faced the difficult choice over who would receive the Soul Bone, which suited both of them.

Su Hao and the others chose not to take the Three-Eyed Golden Lion cub’s Soul Bone, then encountered the cub’s returning mother at the cave exit. They fought back against its attack, and Xie Xie forced the beast out of the air as Tang Wulin began to speak.

• Gu Yue declined the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s Soul Bone and urged Xu Xiaoyan to take it.
• Xu Xiaoyan also refused the Soul Bone, saying she could not bear to kill the peaceful cub, and the group decided to leave it behind.
• Su Hao stopped the group at the cave exit when he sensed danger, but the Three-Eyed Golden Lion appeared and attacked with golden flames.
• Su Hao used his Third Soul Skill to make himself and the others intangible, and Tang Wulin attacked the beast with Blue Silver Grass.
• Su Hao struck the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and endured its claw attack, while Xie Xie used Light Dragon Clone and Light Dragon Storm to knock it out of the air.
• Tang Wulin spoke as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained in the fight.

Su Hao, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and their companions struck at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the Ninth Trial, but the assessment ended before they could kill it. Nan Chengnan explained that the trial tested their character and revealed that the lion and its rewards had only been simulated, while Su Hao privately questioned Shrek’s claims of virtue.

• Tang Wulin trapped the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with Blue Silver Grass as Gu Yue and Su Hao used their space abilities to bring the group within striking distance.
• Before Su Hao and the others could land their attacks, the assessment transported all five back to the metal room, where they watched the lion heal its cub.
• Nan Chengnan praised the group and explained that the Ninth Trial tested patience, courage, and character, especially how a team handled the chance to claim a Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
• Su Hao privately dismissed Nan Chengnan’s claims about Shrek’s fairness and virtue and reflected that he had joined the academy to obtain the Life Core.
• Tang Wulin asked whether the promised Soul Rings and Soul Bones were real, and Nan Chengnan revealed that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and the entire scenario had been simulated.

Nan Chengnan praised Class Zero for choosing to spare the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and announced their scores before leading them to the final Three-Hall Trial. The elders awarded their final points and explained that all successful applicants would enter the Outer Court under new Academy rules, though exceptional students would receive separate arrangements.

• Nan Chengnan explained the conflict between humans and Soul Beasts, praised the students for giving up the hunt, and declared the ninth trial a veto trial.
• Nan Chengnan announced the students’ scores, then led Su Hao, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, and Xie Xie to meet three Academy elders for the tenth trial.
• The white-haired elder gave Su Hao, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue ten points each, Xu Xiaoyan seven points, and Xie Xie six points.
• The white-haired elder said Su Hao, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue had reached eighty points, but Academy reforms meant all passing students would enter the Outer Court, with separate arrangements for exceptional talents.

Zhuo Shi examined Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon King Bloodline and discovered that its golden patterns could absorb his Soul Power. He led Tang Wulin and the others across Shrek City, where they found Wu Changkong kneeling.

• Tang Wulin greeted Zhuo Shi as his martial ancestor and revealed his Golden Dragon King Bloodline Power.
• Zhuo Shi surrounded Tang Wulin with crimson light, which stimulated his golden patterns and helped restore his Blood Essence and Soul Power.
• The golden patterns absorbed Zhuo Shi’s Soul Power, astonishing Nan Chengnan, while Elder Cai and Elder Li departed.
• Zhuo Shi told the five to follow him, and they hurried through Shrek City with Shen Yi waiting outside the Main Teaching Building.
• Tang Wulin and the others saw Wu Changkong kneeling with his back straight, and Tang Wulin ran toward him in alarm.

Wu Changkong reconciled with Zhuo Shi and joined Tang Wulin and the others as they entered Shrek’s Inner Court. Zhuo Shi assigned the five young students to Outer Court work-study study, and they settled in on Sea God Island ahead of enrollment.

• Wu Changkong knelt before Zhuo Shi, and Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan knelt beside him while Su Hao and Gu Yue sat; Zhuo Shi forgave Wu Changkong and kept him as a servant.
• Zhuo Shi and the others bowed before the statues in the Inner Court, and Su Hao bowed toward the Tree of Life instead; after they left, lightning shattered the statues, which Su Hao recognized as the Heavenly Dao’s punishment.
• Zhuo Shi told Su Hao and the others they would study as Outer Court work-study students and could enter the Inner Court only by becoming One-Word Battle Armor Masters before age twenty.
• Zhuo Shi brought the group to a cabin on Sea God Island, where Wu Changkong supported him upstairs; Shen Yi explained that the two had reconciled after a conflict of ideals.
• Shen Yi assigned Su Hao, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie to one room and Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan to another, as the students prepared to rest before enrolling.

Shen Yi brought Su Hao and the others back from Sea God Island, enrolled them as Shrek Work-Study Students, and showed them their run-down dormitory. The group was assigned to clean Spirit Ice Plaza before nightfall, then began planning how to make their shared room livable.

• Shen Yi explained that Work-Study Students paid their tuition by completing tasks assigned by the Academic Affairs Office.
• The Academic Affairs Office enrolled the group in a Freshman Class, gave them uniforms, and ordered them to clean Spirit Ice Plaza before nightfall.
• Shen Yi led them to the dilapidated Work-Study Student dormitory, where they found a dusty room with broken windows and no beds.
• Xu Xiaoyan objected to the boys and girls sharing one room, and Su Hao proposed cleaning it and dividing the space with a wooden partition.