Chapter Summaries

Gu Yu entered the arena to challenge Huo Yuhao and revealed an unprecedented six-ring configuration, shocking both academies. Huo Yuhao answered with four simulated red rings, which Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy students dismissed as fake.

• Gu Yu stepped forward to face Huo Yuhao, drawing cheers from Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy students.
• Huo Yuhao used Spiritual Detection on Gu Yu but could not read his power, and Gu Yu said Huo Yuhao’s winning streak would end there.
• Gu Yu revealed four black and two red Spirit Rings, stunning the arena and making Jing Hongchen resolve to take him as a disciple.
• Huo Yuhao felt overwhelmed by Gu Yu’s pressure and summoned four red Spirit Rings to confront him.
• Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy students realized Huo Yuhao’s red Spirit Rings were simulated and resumed cheering for Gu Yu.

Gu Yu overwhelmed Huo Yuhao with the Dragon Slaying Blade, breaking through his Ultimate Ice defenses and badly injuring him. As Huo Yuhao sought help in his Sea of Consciousness, he found Tian Meng doing something so shocking that it nearly shattered his composure.

• Gu Yu summoned the Dragon Slaying Blade and unleashed the Seven-Colored Divine Dragon's overwhelming pressure across the arena.
• Huo Yuhao activated his Ice Emperor Bodyguard and flew backward, but Gu Yu appeared above him and struck with a seven-colored blade light.
• Gu Yu's attack cut through Huo Yuhao's Ice Extreme Rays, ice python, and Ultimate Ice Armor, sending him crashing into the arena floor and leaving him severely wounded.
• Huo Yuhao rose, praised Gu Yu's Martial Soul, and tried to call on Tian Meng for help, but received no answer.
• Huo Yuhao entered his Sea of Consciousness and saw Tian Meng doing something that nearly shattered his composure.

Huo Yuhao launched a Soul Shock at Gu Yu, but Gu Yu’s spiritual defenses countered it and his Dragon God Slash overwhelmed Huo Yuhao. Gu Yu stopped the finishing strike and accepted Huo Yuhao’s surrender, leaving the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy celebrating his victory.

• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fussed over Wang Xia'er, and Huo Yuhao pulled her away from him before returning his attention to the arena.
• Huo Yuhao struck Gu Yu with Soul Shock, but Gu Yu’s Ultimate Light dissolved the attack and its backlash injured Huo Yuhao.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm recognized that Gu Yu was too strong and urged Huo Yuhao to admit defeat.
• Gu Yu used his self-created soul skill, Dragon God Slash, piercing Huo Yuhao’s defenses with a seven-colored spark.
• Gu Yu stopped the attack just before it struck Huo Yuhao, and Huo Yuhao admitted defeat as the stands erupted in celebration.

Gu Yu defeated Huo Yuhao, who accepted the loss and prepared to flee after his earlier matches had already embarrassed Sun Moon Academy. Meanwhile, Xu Tianran learned about Gu Yu’s public accusations and took interest in the Holy Angel wielder, while Kong Deming worried that Gu Yu might neglect his Soul Master path.

• Gu Yu defeated Huo Yuhao with Dragon God Slash, and Huo Yuhao bowed to him and accepted the loss.
• Gu Yu and the Auspicious Beast collected their bets, with Holy Little Angel following them, while Huo Yuhao decided the moment was right to run away.
• Xu Tianran questioned Ju Zi about Gu Yu’s accusations, learned that the Angel Martial Soul wielder’s identity had stayed secret, and planned to recruit her.
• Xu Tianran ordered Ju Zi to accompany him to the Worship Hall to meet Kong Deming.
• Kong Deming heard of Gu Yu’s strength and resolved to keep his disciple from taking the wrong path.

Xu Tianran sought Kong Deming’s help in punishing Gu Yu, but Kong Deming revealed that he had already taken Gu Yu as his personal disciple and refused to let the Crown Prince harm him. Xu Tianran then defended his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult, and Kong Deming challenged whether he understood the cult’s true power.

• Xu Tianran asked Kong Deming to punish Gu Yu for executing an infiltrating Evil Soul Master and accusing the Crown Prince of colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Kong Deming said Gu Yu had acted to protect civilians, questioned whether Xu Tianran’s dealings with the cult were baselessly accused, and declared Gu Yu his personal disciple.
• Kong Deming defended Gu Yu’s actions as meritorious and warned Xu Tianran to be careful when bargaining with a tiger.
• Xu Tianran accepted Kong Deming’s rebuke and admitted that his cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult was meant to manage the threat it posed to the empire.
• Kong Deming agreed that the Holy Spirit Cult had become the empire’s greatest hidden danger, then sternly asked whether Xu Tianran knew its true foundation.

Xu Tianran explained his plan to use the Holy Spirit Cult’s recognition as the Sun Moon Empire’s State Protecting Divine Sect to provoke a war with Shrek Academy. He intended to let both powers exhaust themselves before the empire destroyed them, leaving Kong Deming wary of the risks.

• Kong Deming warned Xu Tianran and Ju Zi that Ye Xishui was a Rank 99 Limit Douluo and a Level 9 Soul Engineer approaching Level 10.
• Kong Deming argued that the Holy Spirit Cult would exploit the empire and that cooperating with it could threaten the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Tianran said he wanted to bring the Holy Spirit Cult into the open by granting it official status and benefits.
• Xu Tianran explained that Shrek Academy would inevitably fight the Holy Spirit Cult, allowing both sides to weaken each other.
• Xu Tianran planned to send the empire’s Soul Tool legions against the survivors and then brand the Holy Spirit Cult as traitors before destroying it.

Xu Tianran sought Kong Deming’s support for a dangerous plan to destroy the Holy Spirit Cult, then secretly visited Ye Xishui to apologize for Gu Yu’s killing of an Evil Soul Master. Ye Xishui challenged his explanation, and Xu Tianran insisted the Empire had not ordered the killing.

• Xu Tianran urged Kong Deming to help trap and eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult, but Kong Deming said the risks were too great and asked for time to consider.
• Xu Tianran decided to appease Ye Xishui himself and secretly traveled to a Holy Spirit Cult stronghold with two Soul Engineer offerings.
• Ye Xishui confronted Xu Tianran over Gu Yu killing one of her cult’s members and demanded an explanation.
• Xu Tianran claimed Gu Yu had acted impulsively while rescuing a wounded Holy Angel Martial Soul bearer and denied that the Empire had ordered the attack.

Xu Tianran tried to appease Ye Xishui after Gu Yu rescued Ye Guyi, offering to make the Holy Spirit Cult the Sun Moon Empire’s State Protecting Divine Sect in exchange for its help unifying the continent. To bind their interests more firmly, he knelt before Ye Xishui and begged her to accept him as her adopted son, leaving the hall stunned.

• Xu Tianran blamed Gu Yu’s rescue of Ye Guyi on his personal actions and insisted that the Sun Moon Empire remained loyal to the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Xu Tianran promised to name the Holy Spirit Cult the Sun Moon Empire’s State Protecting Divine Sect once he became emperor.
• Xu Tianran demanded that the Holy Spirit Cult help his empire overcome its enemies, especially Shrek Academy, and promised it resources and support for Soul Tool research.
• Xu Tianran left his wheelchair, knelt before Ye Xishui, and begged her to accept him as her adopted son.
• Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao, and the Holy Spirit Cult’s hidden experts were stunned by Xu Tianran’s plea.

Xu Tianran tried to secure the Holy Spirit Cult’s support by offering its leaders wealth, resources, and secret Soul Tool research, but Ye Xishui rejected his attempt to call her his adoptive mother. Zhongli Wu saw an opportunity to gain legitimacy for the cult and embraced Xu Tianran as his sworn younger brother, leaving the hall stunned and Ye Xishui furious.

• Xu Tianran knelt before Ye Xishui and begged her to accept him as her adoptive son, but she angrily refused.
• The Holy Spirit Cult’s leaders held back their reactions as Xu Tianran’s offer of imperial resources stirred their interest.
• Zhongli Wu knelt beside Xu Tianran and called Ye Xishui “Mother,” then addressed Xu Tianran as “Brother Tianran.”
• Zhongli Wu decided that an alliance with the future emperor could let the Holy Spirit Cult operate openly as the empire’s state religion.
• Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu enthusiastically called each other “Big Brother” and “Little Brother” until Ye Xishui ordered everyone out.

Ye Xishui blasted Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu out of the hall, but they quickly allied to decide the State Protecting Divine Sect’s affairs themselves. Gu Yu then pressured Wang Dong to steal Huo Yuhao’s sapphire ring, claiming it contained Jing Hongchen’s stolen treasure, and threatened to expose Huo Yuhao if she refused.

• Ye Xishui sent Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu flying from the hall, and their Soul Engineers hurriedly took Xu Tianran outside.
• Zhongli Wu told Xu Tianran that Ye Xishui would not interfere in the sect’s mundane affairs, and the two men clasped hands in alliance.
• Wang Dong met Gu Yu in a grove at night wearing a pale blue dress, and Gu Yu asked her to take something from Huo Yuhao.
• Gu Yu claimed Huo Yuhao had hidden Jing Hongchen’s stolen treasure inside his crystal sapphire Storage Soul Tool ring.
• Wang Dong resisted stealing from Huo Yuhao, so Gu Yu threatened to tell Jing Hongchen what Huo Yuhao had done.

As Huo Yuhao and He Caitou prepared to leave the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy early, a final inspection alarm sounded when Wang Dong’s storage ring was scanned. Wang Dong accused Huo Yuhao of hiding something, but his ring showed no abnormality, leaving suspicion focused on hers.

• Wang Dong realized Gu Yu’s suspicions about Huo Yuhao’s plans to leave early were correct and decided to protect him from being caught.
• Huo Yuhao and He Caitou agreed to return to Shrek Academy before the exchange program ended.
• During the final inspection, the Soul Tool alarm sounded when Wang Dong’s storage ring was scanned.
• Wang Dong accused Huo Yuhao of having asked her to hold something for him and urged the inspectors to search his ring.
• Huo Yuhao’s ring passed inspection without an abnormal reading, and Captain Mo Zha ordered Wang Dong to hand over hers.

Wang Dong shifted the stolen Metal Man Core into He Caitou’s storage ring, and Mo Zha’s inspection led to He Caitou’s arrest. At Gongfeng Hall, Jing Hongchen lamented the gap between Sun Moon Empire and Shrek’s young talents, while Kong Deming revealed that Gu Yu had already become his disciple.

• Mo Zha scanned Wang Dong’s ring, found traces of the Metal Man Core but not the Core itself, and ordered He Caitou to be inspected.
• The detection Soul Tool identified the stolen Core in He Caitou’s ring, and Mo Zha ordered him arrested.
• Huo Yuhao realized Wang Dong had transferred the Core into He Caitou’s ring, and Wang Dong admitted she had done it to save Yuhao because they had been discovered.
• He Caitou protested that he had been framed and accused Wang Dong, but Mo Zha had him taken to the Supreme Disciplinary Bureau.
• Jing Hongchen told Kong Deming that he feared the Sun Moon Empire could not match Shrek’s talented students, and Kong Deming said Gu Yu had already insisted on becoming his disciple.

After the Metal Man was found in He Caitou’s ring, Jing Hongchen and the Sun Moon Empire accused him of theft and conspiracy with Shrek Academy. He Caitou denied the charges as Jing ordered the interrogators to force him to talk.

• A messenger reported that the Metal Man had been found in a Shrek exchange student’s ring, and Jing Hongchen rushed back to the academy in anger.
• Gu Yu revealed information that made He Caitou’s situation delicate, while Xu Tianran learned that He Caitou was the former crown prince Xu He and suspected Shrek Academy of harboring him.
• The academy locked He Caitou in a solitary cell and suppressed his Soul Power with soul tool restraints.
• Jing Hongchen confronted He Caitou, accused him of stealing the Metal Man and conspiring with Shrek, and dismissed his claim that Wang Dong had framed him.
• Jing ordered two interrogators to pry the truth from He Caitou and uncover any accomplices or stolen secrets.

He Caitou endured brutal torture while Jing Hongchen and Xu Mo pressed him for information about the Metal Man and Shrek Academy. Huo Yuhao was threatened with harm to Wang Qiu'er, leaving him poised to choose between protecting her and maintaining his silence.

• Jing Hongchen ordered He Caitou shocked and tortured for answers about his identity, the Metal Man, and Shrek Academy's role.
• Huo Yuhao refused to answer the interrogator, privately panicking over Wang Dong's actions and the stolen ring.
• The interrogator threatened Wang Qiu'er, who cried out from the next room, to pressure Huo Yuhao into confessing.
• Huo Yuhao warned that Wang Qiu'er was the Clear Sky Sect's Young Sect Master, but the interrogator dismissed the threat and demanded he implicate Shrek Academy and explain the theft.
• Huo Yuhao heard Qiu'er crying and thought, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother!"

Huo Yuhao confessed to the Sun Moon Empire’s interrogator after hearing Wang Qiu’er cry for help, hoping to protect her from torture. He blamed He Caitou for stealing the Metal Man’s secrets, and the interrogator pressed him to reveal Shrek Academy’s role.

• The interrogator threatened Wang Qiu’er with torture to force Huo Yuhao to talk.
• Huo Yuhao heard Wang Qiu’er scream for help and gave in, begging the interrogator to spare her.
• The interrogator provided Huo Yuhao with files and a recording pen and asked about the Metal Man’s blueprints and theft.
• Huo Yuhao blamed He Caitou for planning the operation and claimed he did not know where the Metal Man was hidden.
• The interrogator asked Huo Yuhao what role Shrek Academy played in the operation.

Huo Yuhao was coerced into accepting fabricated accusations that implicated Shrek Academy and the Three Great Empires in a conspiracy against the Sun Moon Empire. Meanwhile, Wang Qiu'er revealed that her frightened cries were an act, leaving Huo Yuhao unaware that the threat to her was staged.

• The interrogator threatened Huo Yuhao with Wang Qiu'er's safety until he admitted that Shrek's leaders had tacitly approved the theft and that Fan Yu had helped him obtain Sun Moon Empire Soul Tool technology.
• The interrogator presented Huo Yuhao with a confession naming Shrek figures, Sun Moon officials, suspected foreign spies, and the emperors of the Three Great Empires as conspirators.
• Huo Yuhao protested that he did not know the listed people, but the interrogator pressured him to confirm the accusations and pointed to Wang Qiu'er as leverage.
• Huo Yuhao accepted that he had no choice but to confess, believing He Caitou was already doomed and Shrek Academy had been framed.
• Wang Qiu'er admitted to Wang Chun'er that her cries were exaggerated for Huo Yuhao's benefit and joked that scaring the Sun Moon soul masters had been enjoyable.

Di Tian, posing as Long Tian of the Divine Dragon Sect, tried to persuade Ning Feng to use the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s trade network to obtain Soul Tools from the Sun Moon Empire. He offered rare spirit-beast materials as proof of the deal’s value, leaving Ning Feng stunned by the first offering.

• Ning Feng questioned Long Tian about the danger of helping the Divine Dragon Sect acquire Soul Tools in bulk.
• Di Tian pointed to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s decline and argued that clinging to the status quo was also risky.
• Di Tian explained that his isolated sect needed Soul Tools and wanted to use the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s identity and merchant routes.
• Ning Feng warned that large-scale Soul Tool smuggling could provoke severe consequences from the Sun Moon Empire and others.
• Di Tian had Wan Yao Wang present three jade boxes and opened the first, revealing the pelt of a hundred-thousand-year Red Flame Golden Lion Beast.

Di Tian offered Ning Feng rare Soul Beast treasures as a deposit for a Soul Tool partnership, urging the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to develop its own Soul Engineers. Despite fearing that the trade could expose the sect to ruin, Ning Feng accepted the gifts and agreed to cooperate with the Divine Dragon Sect.

• Di Tian opened three jade boxes and showed Ning Feng Red Flame Golden Lion Beast hide, a hundred-thousand-year Life Crystal, and a high-quality Spirit Bone.
• Ning Feng and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Elders were stunned by the treasures' value and potential benefits to the sect.
• Di Tian explained that the Star Dou Great Forest had abundant resources and promised more special products if the partnership succeeded.
• Di Tian urged Ning Feng to use Soul Tools to train the sect's own Soul Engineers and reduce its dependence on battle soul masters.
• Ning Feng weighed the promise of restoring the sect against the danger of smuggling Soul Tools, then accepted the gifts and agreed to cooperate.

Di Tian explained to Wan Yao Wang that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would serve as a covert channel for Star Dou to acquire Soul Tools and as a buffer against human retaliation. He left Wan Yao Wang with plans to exploit divisions among human powers and introduce a new class across Star Dou.

• Di Tian left the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with Wan Yao Wang after concluding their talks.
• Wan Yao Wang questioned why Di Tian was cooperating with a human sect, and Di Tian explained that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could disguise their Soul Tool purchases through its reputation and merchant caravans.
• Di Tian revealed that the sect’s hunger for resources would bind it to them and leave it bearing the blame if their dealings were exposed.
• Di Tian explained that he intended to use the sect to study divisions and technological developments among human powers, and said Star Dou would begin a Wisdom Opening class.

Di Tian tried to disrupt Qian Renxue’s Heaven Dou infiltration, but she interpreted his interference as an Angel God trial and grew more resolute. As her plan advanced, Tang San’s rise drew her attention and vigilance.

• Di Tian watched Qian Renxue prepare to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire as Xue Qinghe and urged her to abandon the disguise and pursue godhood.
• Qian Renxue dismissed Di Tian’s warnings about Bibi Dong as an evil temptation and treated his interference as a trial that strengthened her resolve.
• Di Tian repeatedly tried to distract Qian Renxue during her cultivation and political work, but she remained steadfast and gained the Heaven Dou court’s trust.
• Qian Renxue’s plan advanced until Tang San’s growing power, Twin Martial Souls, and identity as Clear Sky Douluo’s son made her wary.
• Qian Renxue proactively extended an olive branch to Tang San, leaving Di Tian confused.