Chapter Summaries

After Xue Lingyun explained why Dai Huabin could not send another attack, Huo Yuhao reported the ambush to Zhou Yi and the academy. Yan Shaozhe questioned Xue Lingyun, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong about the six attackers, all of whom Xue Lingyun had killed.

• Youyou asked whether Dai Huabin would send more people, and Xue Lingyun said he could not afford to after losing a Spirit Emperor and five Spirit Kings.
• Xue Lingyun told Huo Yuhao to report the previous night's ambush to Zhou Yi, and Huo Yuhao recounted how Xue Lingyun had dealt with all six attackers.
• Zhou Yi grew furious when she learned that six people had hunted Shrek students outside Shrek City and said she would report the incident to the higher-ups.
• Huo Yuhao told Xue Lingyun that Dai Huabin had not come to class, and Xue Lingyun suggested he might have run into a problem.
• Du Weilun informed Yan Shaozhe that the three students were safe and the six attackers were dead, so Yan Shaozhe summoned them for questioning.
• Xue Lingyun, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong described the ambush to Yan Shaozhe, and Xue Lingyun said he had left no survivors because his life had been in danger.

Yan Shaozhe investigated the attack on Xue Lingyun and Dai Huabin’s severe injury but found no proof connecting the incidents, so he ordered a secret investigation. Ma Xiaotao visited Xue Lingyun to check on him and learned he had already dealt with the people behind the attack.

• Yan Shaozhe learned that investigators found no clues about the six attackers and that Xue Lingyun had suffered only a minor wound.
• Yan Shaozhe read that Dai Huabin had been permanently injured in an explosion, and he decided to investigate both incidents secretly.
• Xue Lingyun returned to his dormitory, treated his arm, and prepared to cultivate after hours of questioning.
• Ma Xiaotao rushed into Xue Lingyun’s room, demanded to know who had attacked him, and checked that he was not seriously hurt.
• Xue Lingyun told Ma Xiaotao that he knew who was responsible and had already acted, and she offered to help protect him in the future.

Zhou Yi told the second-year core disciples they would compete in an assessment to select seven reserve members for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, and she insisted that Xue Lingyun make the cut. After three days of routine training and a cultivation session with Ma Xiaotao, Xue Lingyun joined the other core disciples at the Battle Soul Area, where the chapter ended as a swaying figure approached.

• Zhou Yi announced that the under-fifteen core disciples would compete for seven mission spots, then privately told Xue Lingyun he had to be selected.
• Xue Lingyun continued his usual classes, cultivation, and Soul Guidance Department work, where He Caitou said he would also compete.
• Ma Xiaotao cultivated with Xue Lingyun and asked him to promise he would pass the next day's assessment; he agreed.
• Wang Yan led the eleven second-year core disciples to the Battle Soul Area, where students from the other years gathered and discussed Xue Lingyun's strength.
• Dai Huabin arrived looking subdued and hollow, and Xue Lingyun sensed hatred and fear in his brief glance.
• The assembled core disciples waited at the Battle Soul Area as a staggering figure approached.

Xue Lingyun and Huo Yuhao helped He Caitou dominate the Core Disciple Assessment’s collective melee with coordinated artillery, Spiritual Probe, and soul power support. Xuan Zi ended the fight with seven students remaining, including the battered but smiling Beibei.

• Xuan Zi announced a no-rules collective melee in which the final seven students would pass, then started the assessment and disappeared.
• Xue Lingyun moved to He Caitou, replaced his energy core, and had Huo Yuhao share Spiritual Probe with them.
• He Caitou unleashed sustained cannon fire while Xue Lingyun directed his attacks and replenished his soul power, eliminating students across the arena.
• Xu Sanshui tried to advance but was eliminated after He Caitou's repeated shots broke through his tortoiseshell defense.
• Beibei endured the artillery barrage alone, dodging and taking injuries until Xuan Zi stopped the assessment with seven students remaining.

After the free-for-all, Elder Xuan explained the stakes of entering Shrek’s Inner Court and revealed that the seven victors had been selected for the academy’s Reserve Team. The seven were ordered to keep their selection secret and train for the upcoming tournament, though their places could change during the next five years.

• Huo Yuhao helped Beibei to his feet, and He Caitou checked whether his bombardment had injured anyone as the eliminated students remained unharmed.
• Elder Xuan told the twenty-one eliminated students that their defeat was fair, then warned them that Inner Court disciples faced mortal danger and signed a Life-Death Contract.
• Elder Xuan explained how the first Shrek Seven Monsters had made the academy famous and announced that the seven victors would form the Reserve Team and serve as substitutes for the upcoming tournament.
• Elder Xuan ordered the seven to keep their selection secret, train with him weekly, and cultivate alongside the main team for the month before the tournament.
• Xue Lingyun realized the Reserve Team members were not guaranteed places in the next Shrek Seven Monsters and could be replaced during the five-year evaluation period.

After the Reserve Team selection, Xuan Zi questioned Xue Lingyun about his Soul Power transfer and advised him to focus on his martial soul foundation. Xue Lingyun reunited with the other students, who thanked him for helping them qualify, and later returned to his dormitory to sleep.

• Xuan Zi dismissed the group, then kept Xue Lingyun behind and asked how he had safely transferred Soul Power to He Caitou and replenished Huo Yuhao.
• Xuan Zi advised Xue Lingyun to build a solid foundation and not let Soul Tools distract him, but Xue Lingyun left after handing him a flask of wine.
• He Caitou, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan thanked Xue Lingyun for helping them survive the selection, while Xu Sanshi watched Jiang Nannan walk beside him and left without speaking to her.
• The six students ate dinner together, discussed Beibei's injuries, and reflected on how they had qualified for the Reserve Team.
• Jiang Nannan said goodbye to Xue Lingyun, and Xue Lingyun returned to Room 106, bathed, and fell asleep.

Xuan Zi brought the Reserve Team and the Inner Court main team together before the tournament, then divided them into two sides for a friendly match. After both teams planned their tactics and took their positions, Xuan Zi started the battle.

• Xuan Zi introduced the seven Inner Court members, including Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng, to the Reserve Team and warned the reserves that they would have to fight and obey the main team.
• The Reserve Team introduced themselves, and Huo Yuhao reacted with shock when Dai Yaoheng identified himself as the White Tiger Duke’s eldest son.
• Xuan Zi split the students into teams led by Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng; Ma Xiaotao chose Xue Lingyun and Huo Yuhao, while Dai Yaoheng chose Beibei and Jiang Nannan.
• Ma Xiaotao’s team planned to use Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Probe Sharing and He Caitou’s firepower, while Dai Yaoheng assigned his members their roles for an attack.
• Both teams took their starting positions in the Assessment Area, and Xuan Zi announced the start of the friendly match.

Ma Xiaotao’s team fought Dai Yaoheng’s team in an assessment, with Xue Lingyun’s Ice Dragon King Martial Soul overwhelming the opposing ice and slowing or disabling their strongest attackers. Ma Xiaotao defeated Dai Yaoheng, and Xuan Zi declared her team the winner.

• Ma Xiaotao led her team into the fight as Huo Yuhao shared his Spiritual Probe and Gongyang Mo strengthened their abilities with his halos.
• Yao Haoxuan enlarged himself and boosted Dai Yaoheng’s team, while Ling Luochen’s icy current was forced back by Xue Lingyun’s Ice Dragon King aura.
• Chen Zifeng and Beibei attacked Xue Lingyun, but he seized Chen Zifeng’s Soul Chasing Sword and used Extreme Ice to slow and injure both opponents.
• Xue Lingyun’s chill hindered Dai Yaoheng as Ma Xiaotao struck him with Phoenix Flame, and he later suppressed Ling Luochen’s attempt to support him.
• Ma Xiaotao sent Dai Yaoheng flying with another Phoenix Flame attack, and Xuan Zi stopped the match and declared her team the winner.

Xuan Zi declared Ma Xiaotao’s team the winner of the first match, then rearranged the teams for a rematch. Xue Lingyun honored his bet by staying out of direct combat and empowering Ling Luochen with Extreme Ice, leaving Ma Xiaotao to concede.

• Xuan Zi stopped the first match and declared Ma Xiaotao’s team the winner after Xue Lingyun and his allies had suppressed Dai Yaoheng’s side.
• Xuan Zi ordered both teams to rest for an hour, then switched Xue Lingyun and Xiao Xiao to Dai Yaoheng’s side and Beibei and Yao Haoxuan to Ma Xiaotao’s side.
• Xue Lingyun bet Ma Xiaotao that he could win without directly fighting, and Ma Xiaotao accepted.
• When the rematch began, Xue Lingyun infused Ling Luochen with Extreme Ice, transforming her ice elements and strengthening her attack.
• Xue Lingyun also directed Xiao Xiao to slow Ma Xiaotao’s team, and Ling Luochen’s empowered cold overwhelmed Ma Xiaotao’s Phoenix Flame.
• Ma Xiaotao conceded, and Xue Lingyun withdrew his hands from Ling Luochen.

After the Reserve Team’s victory, Xuan Zi recognized Xue Lingyun’s abilities and decided he would be the team’s core for the upcoming tournament in Star Luo City. Xue Lingyun reminded Ma Xiaotao of their bet, but left her promise owed until she became stronger.

• Dai Yaoheng welcomed Xue Lingyun to the Reserve Team after learning he had Twin Martial Souls and Extreme Ice, while Xue Lingyun exchanged a brief, provocative gesture with Ma Xiaotao.
• Xuan Zi assessed the two confrontations, judged Xue Lingyun’s combat and ice-suppression abilities exceptional, and decided his place as the Reserve Team’s core would not be shaken.
• Xuan Zi told the students to gather at the academy gates the next morning for their trip to Star Luo City, and Huo Yuhao reacted with shock at the destination.
• Ma Xiaotao confronted Xue Lingyun about helping Ling Luochen despite saying he would not act, then asked how Ling Luochen’s hand had felt; Xue Lingyun compared its coldness to hers.
• Xue Lingyun reminded Ma Xiaotao about their bet and said he would collect her promise later, when she had become more powerful, before leaving her behind.

Huo Yuhao worried that the trip to Star Luo City might bring him back to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, but Xue Lingyun reassured him that his changed appearance would likely keep him from being recognized. By Sea God Lake, Dai Yaoheng warned Dai Huabin to abandon plans against Xue Lingyun and put family interests first, while Dai Huabin secretly resolved to surpass his older brother.

• Huo Yuhao told Xue Lingyun he feared being recognized by servants at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion during the trip to Star Luo City.
• Xue Lingyun pointed out how much Huo Yuhao's appearance and confidence had changed, easing some of his worry.
• Dai Huabin asked Dai Yaoheng whether there was still a chance to act against Xue Lingyun, and Dai Yaoheng told him to give up because Xue Lingyun was talented and favored by Xuan Zi.
• Dai Yaoheng reprimanded Dai Huabin for his actions and slapped him, warning that their mother had struggled to suppress the matter and that Shrek could not be offended.
• Dai Yaoheng urged Dai Huabin to consider winning Xue Lingyun over for the family's benefit and said he would return home after the tournament to prepare for their mother's plans.
• Dai Huabin left agreeing to obey, but privately vowed to surpass Dai Yaoheng.

Shrek Academy’s main and Reserve Teams received Inspector’s Rings and learned that their mission was to eliminate the Death Messengers bandits in the Mingdou Mountain Range. After Ma Xiaotao and Beibei explained the threat and the Star Luo Empire’s limited support, the group set off at full speed.

• Xue Lingyun walked with the group as Jiang Nannan offered to wash his clothes, prompting Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao to react.
• Xuan Zi explained that Shrek’s Inner Court disciples served as inspectors and intervened when powerful people bullied the weak.
• Wang Yan distributed Inspector’s Rings, and Ma Xiaotao explained their identity-checking and storage functions, along with the masks, cloaks, and Signal Flares inside.
• Ma Xiaotao told the Reserve Team that the mission was to wipe out the Death Messengers, a bandit gang led by an Evil Soul Master in the Mingdou Mountain Range.
• Beibei described the mountain range and the Star Luo Empire’s offer of intelligence and maps, and the group departed at full speed.

On the journey to their mission, Dai Yaoheng tried to reconcile with Xue Lingyun while Huo Yuhao learned about Evil Soul Masters. At a riverside lunch stop, the Inner Court disciples gathered ingredients and prepared a cooking fire for Xue Lingyun, who was expected to cook.

• Dai Yaoheng apologized for Dai Huabin and tried to win Xue Lingyun over, but Xue Lingyun said he had never taken Dai Huabin seriously.
• Huo Yuhao asked Xue Lingyun about Evil Soul Masters, and Xue Lingyun explained their methods and recounted the atrocities of the Title Douluo called Blood Infant.
• Dai Yaoheng joined their conversation and shared stories from past inspection missions, gradually easing Huo Yuhao into talking with him despite his hatred.
• At noon, Xuan Zi called a rest beside a river, and Ma Xiaotao said Xue Lingyun could cook for the group.
• Xue Lingyun had Huo Yuhao build a stone stove while the Inner Court disciples hunted, gathered firewood, lit the fire, and prepared the game; Xuan Zi urged Xue Lingyun to start cooking.

Xue Lingyun cooked a meal for the group during their journey, and Xuan Zi stole the largest chickens before everyone ate. After reaching the border, Dai Yaoheng borrowed military Flight Soul Tools so the group could cross the Mingdou Mountain Range by air.

• Xue Lingyun prepared grilled game and stew, using Extreme Ice to control the meat's moisture as it cooked.
• Xuan Zi seized two wild chickens, then sent Yao Haoxuan flying into a tree after he joked about Xuan Zi's appetite.
• The group ate Xue Lingyun's meal, and Wang Yan distributed medicinal food blocks to the Reserve Team.
• Xuan Zi poured the leftover stew into his Wine Gourd, and the group continued to the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
• Dai Yaoheng returned from the military camp with more than a dozen Flight Soul Tools and explained that they would fly across the Mingdou Mountain Range.

The Reserve Team learned to use Flight Soul Tools and set out through the night with Xuan Zi pulling them at high speed. Xue Lingyun's Soul Guidance Shields helped Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao withstand the fierce wind as the group raced across the sky.

• He Caitou and Xue Lingyun gave Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao Flight Soul Tools and taught them how to use them, while Wang Dong prepared to fly with her own wings.
• Xiao Xiao asked Xue Lingyun to hold her while they flew, but Ma Xiaotao took her aloft and frightened her with a series of erratic turns.
• The Reserve Team practiced until they could fly, then traveled with ropes connecting the weaker flyers to the others.
• Xuan Zi appeared at their rest stop and agreed to carry the group, while Xue Lingyun prepared food and later gave Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao Soul Guidance Shields.
• Xuan Zi launched the group with his twelve-jet Flight Soul Tool, and the three lower-cultivation students used their shields to endure the powerful wind as they sped through the night.

Xuan Zi brought the Shrek group to the western border of the Star Luo Empire, where Dai Yaoheng arranged for them to meet his father, the White Tiger Duke. As the group rested, Huo Yuhao learned his father was nearby and struggled with the prospect of seeing the man he had never met.

• Xuan Zi landed the group after a punishing high-speed flight, leaving most of them nauseated, while Xue Lingyun teased Ma Xiaotao about not lending her a Soul Guidance Shield.
• Xuan Zi told Dai Yaoheng to handle the approaching military and vanished to sleep; Dai Yaoheng signaled the incoming squad, whose leader Du Leisi recognized him and offered to take the group to the White Tiger Duke.
• Dai Yaoheng learned that his father was in the military camp, and Huo Yuhao became overwhelmed at the prospect of seeing the father he had never met.
• Xue Lingyun cooled Huo Yuhao's surging emotions and reminded him that the White Tiger Duke would not recognize him.
• The group rested for an hour to recover from the flight before preparing to continue to the military camp.

The Shrek Academy group arrived at the Star Luo Empire’s Central Legion, where Huo Yuhao saw the White Tiger Duke, his father, for the first time and struggled to control his anger. After receiving intelligence about the Hand of Death Bandit Group, the team entered the Mingdou Mountain Range to hunt them, while Ma Xiaotao questioned Dai Yaoheng about his father’s family.

• Dai Yaoheng explained the Star Luo Empire’s military and the Mingdou Mountain Range as the group flew toward the Central Legion.
• The White Tiger Duke greeted the Shrek Academy group, and Huo Yuhao recognized him as the father who had abandoned his mother; Xue Lingyun cooled Huo Yuhao with a piece of ice before he lost control.
• Dai Yaoheng explained that the Central Legion could not defeat the Hand of Death Bandit Group without risking the bandits’ escape or provoking conflict across the border.
• After resting, the group received intelligence about the bandits and set out on foot into the Mingdou Mountain Range, with Chen Zifeng clearing the way.
• During a break, Ma Xiaotao prompted Xue Lingyun to praise the White Tiger Duke, then asked Dai Yaoheng how many wives his father had; Dai Yaoheng said he had only one.

Huo Yuhao struggled with his hatred of the White Tiger Duke as Xue Lingyun revealed that the duke’s acknowledged son was Dai Luoli, not him. The Shrek Inspectors tracked the Hand of Death to a cave, where they discovered horrific evidence of the bandits’ crimes as fighting raged deeper inside.

• Huo Yuhao’s anger over his mother’s suffering deepened while Dai Yaoheng praised the White Tiger Duke’s self-discipline.
• Xue Lingyun mentioned Dai Luoli, the acknowledged son in the White Tiger Duke’s Mansion, and Huo Yuhao realized that his own identity remained undiscovered.
• Wang Yan inferred from the stolen Wenlan Tree cores that the bandits’ leader was likely an Evil Soul Master and organized a night assault.
• Ma Xiaotao led the official team toward the bandits’ lair while Xue Lingyun guided Wang Yan and the Reserve Team after them.
• The group confirmed the dead bandits belonged to the Hand of Death and entered their cave as battle sounds came from within.
• Jiang Nannan and the others found human skins hanging on the cave walls and an infant’s corpse suspended from the ceiling, then continued through the bloodied cavern toward the fighting.

Wang Yan’s team overwhelmed the bandits, but the Death Messenger detonated their corpses and badly wounded several Inner Court members. As Xuan Zi tried to protect the injured, the Death Messenger attacked Xue Lingyun, who froze him and struck through his abdomen.

• Wang Yan urged the group onward, and the Reserve Team joined the Inner Court members in routing the remaining bandits.
• The Death Messenger caused the corpses to explode, poisoning the cavern and severely injuring Dai Yaoheng, Xixi, Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and Yao Haoxuan.
• Xuan Zi arrived, cleansed the poison, and pulled the Death Messenger from the depths of the cave.
• When more corpses began swelling, Xuan Zi moved to suppress their explosions, and the Death Messenger turned into smoke and lunged at Xue Lingyun.
• Xue Lingyun released an ultimate chill that stopped the Death Messenger’s smoke form, then pierced his abdomen with an ice-scaled arm.

Xue Lingyun killed Death Messenger and reunited with the surviving Shrek students, while Xuan Zi assessed the devastating injuries among the Inner Court team. With the tournament approaching and the main team incapacitated, Xuan Zi appointed Xue Lingyun captain and sent the Reserve Team to compete until the others recovered.

• Xue Lingyun froze and shattered Death Messenger, killing him after rejecting his offers to surrender.
• Ma Xiaotao, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and He Caitou checked on Xue Lingyun, and Huo Yuhao explained that his Soul Skill had disguised Xue Lingyun's Soul Rings.
• Xuan Zi and Wang Yan assessed the wounded and found Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and Yao Haoxuan critically injured, while Xixi also needed urgent treatment.
• Xuan Zi took Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and Xixi back to the academy and ordered Wang Yan to lead the remaining students toward the tournament.
• Xuan Zi appointed Xue Lingyun captain until Ma Xiaotao and the others recovered, and the group prepared to return to the Military Camp before traveling to Star Luo City.