Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Memory Modification

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu compensates the restaurant innkeeper with three storage artifacts for the damage caused during the previous confrontation.
• To prevent witnesses from revealing what happened, Tang Liu uses Illusionary Gaze to place everyone in an illusion and alter their memories. He changes their recollection of his Soul Rings to show two yellow and one purple ring instead of their true appearance.
• Outside, Zhao Wuji stands over the unconscious Ye Zhiqiu after defeating him without using his Martial Soul. Tang Liu modifies Ye Zhiqiu’s memories as well, then jokingly encourages Zhao Wuji to beat him again. Zhao Wuji declines and kicks Ye Zhiqiu away before returning to rest.
• Tang Liu returns to his room, where Tang San shows concern but does not question him closely. The next morning, the two cultivate the Purple Demon Eye before joining the others for breakfast.
• The Shrek group travels to the Star Dou Great Forest, arriving around noon. Zhao Wuji prepares the team by having Oscar make Recovery Sausages and warns everyone to remain within twenty meters of him.
• Inside the forest, Tang Liu and Xiao Wu both display a strong sense of familiarity and happiness, suggesting their special connection to the forest and its creatures. Little Funi also reacts nostalgically.
• After a short rest, the group detects an approaching Soul Beast. Zhu Zhuqing scouts from a tree and identifies it as a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
• Tang San determines from its appearance and size that it is a rare, approximately 1,300–1,800-year-old serpent—an ideal target for Oscar’s third Soul Ring. He explains the creature’s traits and begins speculating about the Soul Skill Oscar may gain.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu: Demonstrates a new and highly effective application of Illusionary Gaze: altering memories rather than merely creating temporary illusions. He acts cleverly and discreetly, protecting the group’s identities and avoiding future complications. His teasing personality is also evident in his interactions with Zhao Wuji.
• Zhao Wuji: Reveals that he enjoyed overpowering Ye Zhiqiu through physical strength alone, showing a rough, straightforward sense of satisfaction. Despite his apparent laziness, he remains alert and competent as the group’s leader in the forest.
• Tang San: Continues to display extensive knowledge of Soul Beasts and tactical awareness. He instinctively protects the support-type members and quickly identifies the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent’s age and suitability for Oscar.
• Xiao Wu: Becomes visibly cheerful and relaxed in the Star Dou Great Forest, behaving as though she has returned home. Her later quietness and closeness to Tang San hint at an emotional reaction to the approaching Soul Beast.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Works efficiently as the team’s scout, providing precise information without unnecessary speech. Her reserved but cooperative relationship with the others continues to develop.
• Oscar: Becomes the focus of the group’s discovery, as the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent appears to be an excellent candidate for his third Soul Ring.

Significant Themes

• Memory and concealment: Tang Liu’s manipulation of witnesses highlights the importance of controlling information and protecting secrets in the dangerous world of Soul Masters.
• Power used with restraint and strategy: Rather than relying only on direct combat, Tang Liu uses his abilities to resolve consequences quietly and prevent further conflict.
• Team cohesion: The previous battle has brought the Shrek students closer together. Their coordinated defensive formation demonstrates growing trust and teamwork.
• Connection to nature and the Soul Beast world: Xiao Wu, Tang Liu, and Funi’s reactions to the forest suggest that they possess a deeper bond with Soul Beasts than ordinary Soul Masters.
• Growth and opportunity: The discovery of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent creates an important advancement opportunity for Oscar and emphasizes the significance of choosing an appropriate Soul Ring.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu respectfully compensates the innkeeper, who responds with gratitude.
• Tang Liu and Zhao Wuji exchange playful remarks about Ye Zhiqiu’s defeat, reflecting their increasingly comfortable relationship.
• Tang San quietly looks after Tang Liu and urges him to rest.
• The Shrek students greet one another more warmly after their shared battle, although Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing remain relatively reserved.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai instinctively protect the support members when danger approaches, while Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun secure the sides.
• Zhao Wuji relies on Zhu Zhuqing’s scouting abilities, and Tang San collaborates with her observations to identify the Soul Beast and assess its age.

Chapter Summary: Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San impresses the group with his extensive knowledge of spirit beasts, crediting his teacher for what he knows. When Zhao Wuji asks how to capture the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, Tang San quickly devises a strategy.
• Zhu Zhuqing spots the Millennium Soul Beast first and attacks it directly. The serpent dodges her strike and releases a colorful mist, but Tang San warns that the mist is harmless and intended only to frighten opponents.
• Dai Mubai rushes to protect Zhu Zhuqing, boosted by Ning Rongrong’s speed-enhancing support ability. Ma Hongjun releases his phoenix martial soul, which frightens the serpent.
• Tang Liu activates his Ethereal Blue Emperor Domain. The domain strengthens the surrounding Blue Silver Grass, greatly enhancing Tang San’s binding ability and preventing the serpent from escaping.
• Zhao Wuji combines Gravity Enhancement, Target Tracking, and Gravity Compression to immobilize the serpent almost instantly.
• Zhao Wuji prepares the creature for Oscar to kill and absorb its spirit ring, which would advance Oscar to the Soul Elder rank.
• Before Oscar can deliver the killing blow, Serpent Granny Chao Tianxiang and her granddaughter Meng Yiran arrive. They claim that they discovered and wounded the serpent first and that it is especially suitable for Meng Yiran’s Serpent Cane martial soul.
• Chao Tianxiang points out wounds on the serpent as proof of her claim. Although Zhao Wuji acknowledges the injuries, he does not immediately agree to surrender the spirit beast.
• Chao Tianxiang introduces herself as the famed Serpent Granny, wife of Dragon Duke Meng Shu. Zhao Wuji reveals his own identity as the renowned Immovable Bright King, establishing that both sides are powerful and respected spirit masters.

Character Developments

• Tang San demonstrates his strategic intelligence and encyclopedic knowledge of spirit beasts, reinforcing his role as the group’s tactician.
• Tang Liu reveals the powerful supportive effect of his innate domain. His connection to Blue Silver Grass significantly amplifies Tang San’s abilities, suggesting the exceptional compatibility between their martial souls.
• Oscar becomes visibly excited and nervous because absorbing the serpent’s spirit ring would allow him to reach the Soul Elder level.
• Zhu Zhuqing displays courage by confronting a Millennium Soul Beast without hesitation.
• Dai Mubai shows concern for Zhu Zhuqing and immediately moves to defend her.
• Ning Rongrong continues developing as a valuable support specialist, enhancing Dai Mubai’s speed at a critical moment.
• Ma Hongjun’s phoenix aura proves useful in intimidating the serpent.
• Xiao Wu reacts with reluctance and unease at the serpent’s impending death, hinting at her deeper sympathy toward spirit beasts. Tang Liu notices her distress but feels unable to openly change the situation.
• Zhao Wuji demonstrates overwhelming combat strength and remains protective of his students’ interests, particularly Oscar’s opportunity to obtain the spirit ring.
• Chao Tianxiang is revealed as a formidable but pragmatic elder who uses diplomacy rather than immediately challenging Zhao Wuji.
• Meng Yiran is established as the intended recipient of the spirit ring because of the compatibility between the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and her Serpent Cane martial soul.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and strategy over brute force: Tang San’s understanding allows the group to exploit the serpent’s weaknesses, while coordinated teamwork quickly defeats it.
• Teamwork and complementary abilities: The group succeeds through the combination of Zhu Zhuqing’s speed, Dai Mubai’s defense, Ning Rongrong’s support, Ma Hongjun’s intimidation, Tang San’s control, Tang Liu’s enhancement, and Zhao Wuji’s power.
• The importance of martial soul compatibility: Both Oscar and Meng Yiran have plausible claims because the spirit ring’s attributes may suit their abilities, highlighting the importance of choosing appropriate spirit beasts.
• Moral conflict over spirit beasts: Xiao Wu’s discomfort contrasts with the others’ excitement and practicality, suggesting a growing tension between human advancement and the lives of spirit beasts.
• Authority and negotiation: The arrival of the Unrivaled Dragon and Snake’s family transforms a straightforward hunt into a dispute governed by reputation, seniority, and competing claims.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Tang San’s knowledge is credited to his teacher, while Meng Yiran’s suitability for the spirit ring is tied to her inherited Serpent Cane martial soul.

Character Interactions

• Tang San earns the admiration of Oscar and the rest of the group through his knowledge.
• Zhao Wuji relies on Tang San’s tactical advice and later supports Oscar’s claim to the spirit ring.
• Zhu Zhuqing’s attack prompts Dai Mubai to intervene protectively, while Ning Rongrong strengthens his response.
• Tang Liu’s domain enhances Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass, creating a powerful cooperative effect between the two.
• Tang Liu silently observes Xiao Wu’s distress, showing his awareness of her feelings and his concern for her.
• Oscar’s anticipation clashes with Chao Tianxiang’s demand that the serpent be given to Meng Yiran.
• Zhao Wuji and Chao Tianxiang maintain outward courtesy while clearly measuring each other’s strength and authority, setting up a potential confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Seizing a Soul Beast”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chao Tianxiang asks Zhao Wuji to surrender a Thousand-Year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, which she and her granddaughter, Meng Yiran, had previously discovered and injured. The Soul Beast is needed for Meng Yiran’s third Soul Ring.
• Zhao Wuji refuses because Oscar has also reached the level-thirty bottleneck and could greatly benefit from the same Soul Beast.
• Tang Liu proposes settling the dispute through a duel: Meng Yiran, a level-thirty Soul Master, will fight one of Shrek’s level-twenty-nine members. The winner’s side will claim the Soul Beast.
• Tang San volunteers to fight Meng Yiran. Chao Tianxiang accepts after Meng Yiran confidently agrees.
• During the battle, Tang San uses his Blue Silver Grass and enhanced Ghost Vine spikes to restrain and injure Meng Yiran. However, Meng Yiran’s poison immunity and Snake Body Soul Skill allow her to escape his bindings.
• The match becomes a contest of endurance and Soul Power. Tang San ultimately gains the advantage and defeats Meng Yiran.
• Afterward, Oscar gives Tang San a Recovery Big Sausage. Tang Liu assists his brother by transferring Soul Power through their related martial souls and using his Ethereal Blue Emperor Domain to accelerate recovery. Chao Tianxiang similarly helps Meng Yiran recover.

Character Developments

• Tang San demonstrates strong tactical ability, adapting his Blue Silver Grass with poisonous Ghost Vine spikes. Despite being one level weaker, he defeats Meng Yiran through skill and persistence.
• Tang Liu emerges as a decisive mediator and supporter. He invents the duel arrangement and later aids Tang San’s recovery with his powerful, compatible Soul Power.
• Oscar is confirmed to be an exceptionally gifted food-type Soul Master, having reached level thirty at only thirteen or fourteen. His support abilities also prove valuable after the battle.
• Meng Yiran displays confidence and combat capability but underestimates Tang San because of his seemingly unimpressive Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Her defeat reveals the danger of judging opponents by appearances.
• Chao Tianxiang is initially assertive but becomes impressed by Oscar’s talent and accepts the duel as a fair way to settle the dispute.
• Zhao Wuji supports the negotiated competition and agrees to act as one of the judges.

Significant Themes

• Talent beyond appearances: Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass appears ordinary, but his mastery makes it highly dangerous. Oscar’s achievements likewise challenge assumptions about food-type Soul Masters.
• Fairness and competition: Rather than relying solely on status or force, both sides agree to decide ownership of the Soul Beast through a controlled contest.
• Teamwork and brotherhood: Tang San’s victory depends on his own abilities, but the Shrek team supports him afterward. Tang Liu’s Soul Power assistance especially emphasizes the brothers’ deep connection.
• Strategy overcoming disparity: Tang San defeats a stronger opponent by combining restraint, poison, timing, and endurance rather than relying on superior Soul Power.
• The value of support abilities: Oscar’s recovery sausage and Tang Liu’s assistance demonstrate that non-combat abilities can be crucial in battle and recovery.

Character Interactions

• Chao Tianxiang and Zhao Wuji negotiate over the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, with both trying to protect their students’ interests.
• Tang Liu interrupts the negotiation and proposes the duel, frustrating Chao Tianxiang but creating a practical solution.
• Tang San respectfully challenges Meng Yiran, while Meng Yiran responds arrogantly after hearing that his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass.
• Oscar offers Tang San recovery aid in a joking manner, and Tang San responds with familiar brotherly irritation.
• Tang Liu silently supports Tang San through direct Soul Power transfer, while Chao Tianxiang provides similar assistance to Meng Yiran, highlighting the parallel concern both elders show for their younger companions.

Chapter Summary: “Advancing to Soul Elder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji claims the Thousand-Year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent after Chao Tianxiang accepts defeat in their bet.
• Oscar kills the serpent and absorbs its Soul Ring while Zhao Wuji remains alert in case Chao Tianxiang attacks.
• Chao Tianxiang leaves with Meng Yiran after issuing another warning to Zhao Wuji. Meng Yiran glares angrily at Tang San and Tang Liu because Tang San defeated her and Tang Liu proposed the duel.
• Oscar successfully absorbs the Soul Ring and reveals his third Soul Skill, “I Have a Mushroom Sausage.”
• His new sausage initially looks ridiculous, causing Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun to laugh. However, Oscar explains that it allows the user to fly at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent’s speed for one minute—roughly two thousand meters.
• Although the skill consumes considerable Soul Power and Oscar can currently create only ten sausages at once, Zhao Wuji recognizes it as a powerful and valuable support ability.
• The group prepares to return to Shrek Academy, but Tang Liu reveals that Tang San has reached level thirty and needs a third Soul Ring.
• Tang San confirms that he is twelve years and seven months old, making him an extraordinarily young Soul Elder-in-training. Tang Liu boasts that, being twenty minutes younger, he is technically the fastest to reach level thirty.
• The chapter ends with the others marveling at the Tang brothers’ extraordinary cultivation speed, while Dai Mubai privately wonders whether their entire family consists of monsters.

Character Developments

• Oscar gains his third Soul Ring and becomes significantly more useful as a support-type Soul Master. His embarrassment over the appearance of his new sausage gives way to pride when its powerful flying ability is revealed.
• Tang San breaks through to level thirty at only twelve years and seven months, further establishing him as one of Shrek Academy’s greatest prodigies.
• Tang Liu also reaches level thirty and takes pride in being slightly younger than Tang San, even though his boast is partly vanity.
• Zhao Wuji shows cautious authority when dealing with Chao Tianxiang and genuine satisfaction with Oscar’s improved abilities. He also recognizes the historic importance of Tang San’s breakthrough.
• Chao Tianxiang accepts her loss but leaves with lingering resentment and a threat toward Zhao Wuji.
• Meng Yiran retains her hostility toward Tang San and Tang Liu after losing the confrontation.
• Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun tease Oscar but quickly reassess his skill once they learn its true effect.
• Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing are visibly impressed by Oscar’s flight ability, though Ning Rongrong’s interest fades somewhat when she learns of its one-minute limit.

Significant Themes

• Growth through danger and competition: The Soul Ring is obtained through a risky confrontation with Chao Tianxiang’s group, demonstrating the dangers surrounding advancement.
• Hidden value beneath appearances: Oscar’s comical-looking sausage initially seems worthless, but its flight ability makes it highly effective. The chapter emphasizes that appearances can conceal exceptional power.
• Extraordinary talent and ambition: Tang San and Tang Liu’s rapid breakthroughs highlight the exceptional standards of the Shrek students and the brothers’ fierce desire to distinguish themselves.
• Pride and rivalry: Meng Yiran’s resentment and Tang Liu’s boastful comparison with Tang San show how cultivation achievements fuel both admiration and competition.
• The importance of support abilities: Oscar’s skill demonstrates that support-type Soul Masters can possess abilities crucial for mobility, escape, and tactical advantage.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji and Chao Tianxiang maintain a tense relationship after their bet, with Chao Tianxiang conceding the serpent but warning that she will remember the incident.
• Meng Yiran’s hostile looks toward Tang San and Tang Liu reinforce the unresolved conflict between the two groups.
• Oscar’s friends mock his third Soul Skill, but their laughter stops when they realize it grants high-speed flight.
• Zhao Wuji acts as both guardian and mentor, protecting Oscar during absorption and evaluating the practical value of his new skill.
• Tang Liu interrupts the group’s plan to leave, and Tang San confirms his breakthrough, shifting the group’s attention from Oscar’s achievement to the brothers’ even more astonishing advancement.
• The others react with shock and admiration to Tang San and Tang Liu’s progress, while Dai Mubai privately feels overwhelmed by their seemingly monstrous talent.

Chapter Summary: “Domain Effects”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji reveals that Tang Hao had already informed the academy that Tang Liu was a Soul Ancestor, explaining the dean’s unusual reaction to Tang Liu’s achievement.
• Tang San congratulates Tang Liu but jokingly criticizes his cultivation speed. Tang Liu remains unconvinced, while the others privately resent what they see as shameless boasting.
• Xiao Wu congratulates Tang San and promises to catch up with him. Tang Liu awkwardly withdraws from their romantic interaction and begins wondering whether he will find a girlfriend in the future.
• Zhao Wuji relocates the group through the Star Dou Great Forest to avoid retaliation from Chao Tianxiang and the Dragon Duke. After two days, they still fail to find a suitable Soul Beast for Tang San.
• Tang Liu reflects on the future development of his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul. He hopes to equip it entirely with hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, while avoiding conflicts with the powerful fierce beasts of the forest.
• That night, the group camps. The students cultivate while Zhao Wuji guards them and reassures Tang San that he should not be anxious about finding a Soul Beast.
• Tang Liu secretly activates the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor Domain’s Connection Effect, using the surrounding Blue Silver Grass as an enormous sensory network.
• Through the grass, Tang Liu detects the approach of the Titan Giant Ape. Its overwhelming presence frightens the vegetation and severs Tang Liu’s spiritual connections.
• Zhao Wuji orders everyone out of the tents. Tang Liu and Xiao Wu move beside Tang San, while Tang Liu discreetly transfers a Hao-Lan Mark to Xiao Wu through indirect physical contact with Tang San.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu continues to display immense confidence and ambition. He considers obtaining hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings for his Clear Sky Hammer and thinks strategically about future power growth. His Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor Domain becomes increasingly versatile, especially as a surveillance and concealment tool.
• Tang San remains supportive of Tang Liu and treats him warmly, teasing him about his cultivation. He is also reassured by Zhao Wuji as he grows impatient about finding his next Soul Ring.
• Xiao Wu expresses affection and emotional closeness toward Tang San, promising to catch up with him in cultivation. However, the Titan Giant Ape’s arrival visibly unsettles her, hinting at her connection to the powerful Soul Beast.
• Zhao Wuji acts cautiously and protectively, moving the group away from danger, guarding them at night, and encouraging Tang San.
• Tang Liu also becomes more proactive and secretive, covertly using the Hao-Lan Mark on Xiao Wu while ensuring the others do not notice.

Significant Themes

• Power and ambition: Tang Liu’s plans for hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings emphasize his extraordinary goals and desire to maximize his potential.
• Hidden abilities and strategic preparation: Rather than openly displaying his powers, Tang Liu uses his domain, concealment, and Hao-Lan Mark in secret.
• The vastness and danger of the world: The Star Dou Great Forest contains beings far beyond the group’s current strength, forcing Tang Liu to consider long-term growth and caution.
• Connection with nature: The Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor Domain allows Tang Liu to merge his awareness with Blue Silver Grass, demonstrating the profound relationship between his martial soul and the natural world.
• Romance and emotional bonds: Xiao Wu and Tang San’s growing intimacy contrasts with Tang Liu’s humorous discomfort and curiosity about his own future relationships.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji and Tang Liu share a knowing moment regarding Tang Hao’s earlier revelation about Tang Liu’s strength.
• Tang San teases Tang Liu, while Tang Liu’s apparent modesty provokes silent frustration from the others.
• Xiao Wu openly shows affection toward Tang San, and Tang Liu deliberately gives them space.
• Zhao Wuji supports Tang San emotionally while taking responsibility for the group’s safety.
• When the Titan Giant Ape appears, Tang Liu positions himself beside Tang San and Xiao Wu, using their physical contact to transfer the Hao-Lan Mark to Xiao Wu without detection.

Chapter Summary:

Titan Giant Ape

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji senses an overwhelming danger and orders the Shrek group to hide behind him. He entrusts Dai Mubai with protecting everyone and tells them to flee if necessary.
• The Titan Giant Ape, the terrifying “King of the Forest,” appears from the darkness. Its immense size, silent movements, and oppressive aura leave the group nearly paralyzed with fear.
• Tang San and Zhao Wuji identify the creature and recognize that it is far beyond their level. Zhao Wuji respectfully asks it to let them leave, but the Titan Giant Ape ignores him.
• Zhao Wuji releases his Martial Soul and attacks alone, ordering the others to escape using Oscar’s Mushroom Sausages. However, Dai Mubai refuses to abandon him and charges into battle.
• Ning Rongrong, breaking her silence of several days, chooses to remain and support Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai with her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
• Tang Liu also joins the fight, using the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor to enhance Zhao Wuji and later strengthen the entire group through the Ethereal Blue Emperor Domain.
• Tang San attempts to restrain the Titan Giant Ape with Blue Silver Grass, while Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai launch coordinated attacks. Oscar remains behind the frontline, producing Mushroom Sausages for the team.
• Zhao Wuji activates his Martial Soul Avatar, Vajra Bear, expanding to the Titan Giant Ape’s height and unleashing his strongest attacks.
• Tang Liu uses Ethereal Stealth to conceal Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, allowing them to approach from opposite sides. The group’s combined assault briefly pressures the beast.
• Enraged, the Titan Giant Ape rises upright, beats its chest, and releases a wave of black energy, signaling a powerful counterattack.

Character Developments

• Zhao Wuji demonstrates his responsibility as a teacher, placing himself between the students and danger. Though aware he may not survive, he is willing to sacrifice himself for them.
• Dai Mubai shows courage and loyalty by refusing to flee while Zhao Wuji fights alone. He embraces his role as the group’s temporary leader and frontline fighter.
• Ning Rongrong undergoes a major emotional shift. After remaining silent for days, she speaks decisively and risks herself to protect her companions, revealing her growing loyalty and resolve.
• Tang Liu proves himself to be an exceptionally valuable support fighter. His abilities enhance allies, weaken the Titan Giant Ape’s pressure, conceal teammates, and amplify Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass.
• Tang San remains calm and tactical, coordinating the group’s movements and attempting to combine his Blue Silver Grass with Tang Liu’s domain.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu display trust in Tang Liu’s abilities by using his concealment skill to launch a surprise attack.
• Ma Hongjun contributes offensive support from the rear, using unconventional attacks to target the Titan Giant Ape’s vulnerable areas.
• Oscar fulfills his support role under extreme pressure by continuously preparing escape and recovery resources.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and solidarity: The group refuses to abandon Zhao Wuji, choosing to face overwhelming danger together.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Zhao Wuji accepts the role of protector, while the students gradually take responsibility for one another.
• Courage in the face of overwhelming power: The Titan Giant Ape is vastly stronger than the group, yet they fight through teamwork rather than surrender.
• Teamwork and coordination: Support, control, concealment, and direct attacks are combined in an attempt to overcome an enemy far beyond any individual member.
• Growth and unity: Ning Rongrong’s decision to fight and the group’s collective response demonstrate their emotional maturation and strengthening bonds.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji gives Dai Mubai command responsibility and instructs the others to escape.
• Tang San identifies the Titan Giant Ape and helps the group understand the seriousness of the threat.
• Dai Mubai openly supports Zhao Wuji, inspiring the teacher to abandon his attempt to fight alone.
• Ning Rongrong supports Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai with her enhancement abilities, while Tang Liu reinforces them with defensive and attribute-boosting skills.
• Tang Liu’s domain strengthens Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass, allowing the two to coordinate their control abilities.
• The entire Shrek group combines their talents in a desperate assault, provoking the Titan Giant Ape into unleashing a powerful black-energy shockwave.

Chapter Summary: Battle Against the Titan Giant Ape

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Shrek group faces the Hundred-Thousand-Year Titan Giant Ape, whose black shockwave is neutralized by Tang Liu’s Third Soul Skill, Ethereal Protection, granting massive damage reduction and temporary immunity to everyone.
• The Titan Giant Ape responds by striking the ground with tremendous force. The resulting shockwave and debris launch the group into the air, overpowering even Zhao Wuji in his Martial Soul Avatar form.
• Tang San uses his Blue Silver Grass to protect the group: he binds nearby companions together, creates a net to block debris, and cushions their falls.
• Dai Mubai shields Zhu Zhuqing with his body and defensive abilities, while Zhao Wuji protects them from additional debris.
• When the Titan Giant Ape leaps toward the group, Tang San uses his Blue Silver Grass to fling several teammates out of danger. Zhao Wuji rescues Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
• Despite their escape from the attack, the group is stunned by the Titan Giant Ape’s landing. During this brief opening, the beast grabs Xiao Wu and rapidly disappears into the forest.
• Tang San is devastated and immediately blames himself for failing to protect Xiao Wu. Zhao Wuji admits that he was powerless to stop the Titan Giant Ape and urges everyone to recover before leaving the area.
• While the others mourn and restore their Soul Power, Tang Liu privately questions whether his Soul Skill development has been misguided. He feels his abilities are less useful to the team than those of Ning Rongrong.
• Tang San secretly asks Tang Liu to use Ethereal Defense and Ethereal Stealth on him. His intention is clearly to leave alone and search for Xiao Wu.
• Oscar begins preparing Mushroom Sausages to support Tang San’s mission, drawing the attention of the others. Tang Liu then applies his defensive and stealth abilities to Tang San.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu demonstrates that Ethereal Protection is highly valuable in group combat, saving everyone from attacks that would otherwise have killed or severely injured them. However, he begins doubting his overall contribution and considers whether he chose the wrong path in developing his Soul Skills.
• Tang San proves himself a capable battlefield leader, using Blue Silver Grass creatively for binding, defense, rescue, and mobility. Xiao Wu’s capture causes intense guilt and grief, but it also strengthens his determination to rescue her.
• Xiao Wu becomes the Titan Giant Ape’s captive, creating the chapter’s central crisis.
• Dai Mubai instinctively protects Zhu Zhuqing, taking the brunt of the debris and impact with his own body.
• Zhu Zhuqing relies on Dai Mubai’s protection during the attack, reinforcing their close bond.
• Zhao Wuji fights at the limit of his strength but is ultimately unable to oppose the Titan Giant Ape. His exhaustion emphasizes the overwhelming power of the beast.
• Oscar quietly supports Tang San by preparing Mushroom Sausages, even though doing so risks revealing Tang San’s intentions.
• Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, and the others endure the attack with the help of their companions and Tang Liu’s protection, but they are left shaken and grieving.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming power of nature and superior strength: Even a powerful Soul Master such as Zhao Wuji is helpless against the Titan Giant Ape, emphasizing the gap between human ability and the might of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
• Teamwork and mutual protection: The group survives through coordinated use of their abilities. Tang Liu protects everyone, Tang San shields and moves them with Blue Silver Grass, and Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji defend their companions directly.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Dai Mubai risks serious injury for Zhu Zhuqing, while Tang San prepares to risk his life by searching for Xiao Wu alone.
• Guilt and responsibility: Tang San blames himself for Xiao Wu’s capture, despite the situation being beyond his control.
• Self-doubt and personal growth: Tang Liu begins reevaluating his Soul Skills and their usefulness to the team, suggesting a future change in his development.
• Hope amid despair: Although the group believes Xiao Wu has been lost, Tang San’s secret rescue plan and the support of Tang Liu and Oscar keep the possibility of saving her alive.

Important Character Interactions

• Tang Liu’s Ethereal Protection allows the entire group to withstand the Titan Giant Ape’s first attack.
• Tang San coordinates with Tang Liu through Sound Threading, secretly instructing him to enhance his defense and concealment.
• Dai Mubai protects Zhu Zhuqing physically, while Zhao Wuji later shields both of them from the remaining debris.
• Zhao Wuji comforts Tang San but acknowledges that neither he nor the others could have prevented Xiao Wu’s capture.
• Oscar understands Tang San’s plan and begins preparing supplies, while Ning Rongrong notices his unusual behavior.
• Tang San and Tang Liu form the core of the rescue plan, with Tang Liu’s abilities enabling Tang San to move unseen into the forest.

Chapter Summary: “Tracking Xiao Wu”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San uses Oscar’s Mushroom Sausage to gain flight and immediately pursues Xiao Wu after she is carried away by the Titan Giant Ape.
• Zhao Wuji attempts to stop him with Gravity Compression, but Tang San’s Ethereal Defense renders the attack ineffective.
• Tang Liu secretly dispels Tang San’s invisibility so Ning Rongrong can enhance his speed. Ning uses her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda’s second ability, Speed, and extends its effect for one minute after Tang San leaves her range.
• Despite Zhao Wuji’s anger, Oscar and Ning Rongrong support Tang San’s decision to rescue Xiao Wu. Zhao Wuji ultimately decides that everyone will pursue Tang San together, even if the group faces death.
• Tang Liu goes ahead alone using Ethereal Stealth. He restores his stamina and Soul Power with Hao-Lan Restoration, then teleports directly to Xiao Wu’s location using Hao-Lan Teleport.
• The Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming, notices Tang Liu but refrains from attacking because Xiao Wu protects him.
• Tang Liu reassures Xiao Wu that he knows about her feelings for Tang San and reveals that he and Tang San possess partial Soul Beast blood through their mother, who was also a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
• He tells Xiao Wu that Tang San’s father, a Title Douluo, does not oppose their relationship. Xiao Wu is secretly delighted but denies having feelings for Tang San.
• Tang Liu informs Xiao Wu that Tang San has risked himself to find her. She becomes worried about him, but Tang Liu assures her that Tang San will survive and obtain his third Soul Ring.
• Xiao Wu begins forming her third Soul Ring while Tang Liu asks Er Ming whether other strength-type Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts live in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Character Developments

• Tang San: Demonstrates intense devotion to Xiao Wu, abandoning the group’s safety to search for her despite the danger. His determination nearly overwhelms his usual judgment.
• Ning Rongrong: Shows significant emotional growth and loyalty by defying Zhao Wuji’s orders to help Tang San. She recognizes Xiao Wu as a close friend and roommate and willingly risks herself to support the rescue.
• Oscar: Accepts responsibility for enabling Tang San’s escape and empathizes with his desperation.
• Zhao Wuji: Initially furious at the group’s disobedience, but ultimately reveals his protective leadership by deciding that all of them will pursue Tang San together.
• Tang Liu: Acts independently and efficiently, using his powerful recovery and teleportation abilities to reach Xiao Wu first. He also deliberately encourages Xiao Wu’s feelings for Tang San and offers her reassurance about Tang San’s safety.
• Xiao Wu: Her emotional attachment to Tang San becomes more apparent despite her verbal denial. She is comforted by Tang Liu’s revelation about their shared Soul Beast heritage and becomes concerned for Tang San’s safety.
• Er Ming/Titan Giant Ape: Shows restraint and loyalty toward Xiao Wu, withholding his aggression toward Tang Liu because she asks him not to attack.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Tang San’s willingness to risk his life for Xiao Wu inspires the others to follow him, turning a personal rescue into a collective commitment.
• Found family and solidarity: The Shrek group accepts the danger as a shared burden, emphasizing that they will live or die together.
• Human–Soul Beast connections: Tang Liu’s mixed heritage reveals a deeper bond between humans and Soul Beasts and helps Xiao Wu feel less isolated.
• Love and emotional denial: Xiao Wu’s refusal to admit her feelings contrasts with her obvious happiness and concern for Tang San.
• Trust and secrecy: Tang Liu shares sensitive information with Xiao Wu but asks her not to reveal it to Tang San yet, creating a private bond between them.

Character Interactions

• Ning Rongrong directly supports Tang San despite Zhao Wuji’s opposition, while Oscar defends Tang San’s choice.
• Zhao Wuji’s anger at the students shifts into a united decision to protect and recover Tang San.
• Tang Liu and Xiao Wu discuss Tang San’s feelings, Tang Liu’s family background, and the possible future relationship between Xiao Wu and Tang San.
• Xiao Wu protects Tang Liu from Er Ming, demonstrating her trust in him.
• Tang Liu reassures Xiao Wu emotionally before encouraging her to complete her third Soul Ring.
• The chapter ends with Tang Liu addressing Er Ming about the existence of other powerful Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, suggesting a new objective.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu meets Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, in the Star Dou Great Forest. Er Ming introduces himself according to Xiao Wu’s manners, and the two quickly establish a friendly relationship.
• Er Ming senses a familiar aura from Tang Liu. Tang Liu releases his Haolan Spell Martial Soul, revealing four blue-black Soul Rings.
• Er Ming concludes that Tang Liu is effectively a Soul Beast, since Tang Liu can cultivate Soul Rings independently and could produce Soul Rings and Soul Bones if killed. Tang Liu reflects on his unusual Third Martial Soul and accepts this possibility without distress.
• Little Funi, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, emerges from Tang Liu’s clothing. Er Ming notices him but largely ignores him, showing that he is more interested in Tang Liu.
• Tang Liu explains that Little Funi follows him because he believes staying with Tang Liu will help him reach two hundred thousand years of cultivation and experience the human world.
• Tang Liu asks Er Ming about other powerful strength-type or Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Er Ming becomes suspicious that Tang Liu may want to hunt one for a Soul Ring, but Tang Liu calmly denies being capable of such a feat and says he cannot yet absorb a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Er Ming tells him there are no others nearby and does not know where another might be found.
• As Tang Liu prepares to leave, he asks Er Ming to protect Xiao Wu and tell her to rejoin Tang San and the others when she awakens.
• Er Ming questions Tang Liu’s earlier reference to Xiao Wu as his “future sister-in-law.” Tang Liu jokingly suggests that Xiao Wu will marry Da Ming, provoking Er Ming’s immediate rejection.
• Tang Liu clarifies that Xiao Wu will instead be with Tang San, his brother. Er Ming becomes jealous and protective, promising to capture and beat Tang San when he arrives in eight to ten years.
• Tang Liu playfully encourages Er Ming, and the Titan Giant Ape declares that they are now friends. Tang Liu accepts the friendship before teleporting directly to Tang San’s side.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu demonstrates composure, honesty, and adaptability. He accepts the strange possibility that he is partly or functionally a Soul Beast and handles Er Ming’s suspicion without fear.
• He also reveals a mischievous side by teasing Er Ming about Xiao Wu’s future relationships and encouraging him to “beat up” Tang San.
• Er Ming is shown to be powerful but emotionally simple, sincere, protective, and easily provoked when Xiao Wu’s future is discussed. His hostility toward possible threats quickly turns into affection once he trusts Tang Liu.
• Little Funi remains timid and respectful around Er Ming, emphasizing the difference between his fear and Tang Liu’s confidence.
• Tang Liu and Er Ming form a genuine friendship, despite their very different sizes, origins, and temperaments.

Significant Themes

• Identity and transformation: Tang Liu questions what it means to be human or a Soul Beast, especially because of his mixed heritage and unusual Third Martial Soul.
• Trust across species: Tang Liu’s calm honesty allows him to gain Er Ming’s trust, showing that humans and Soul Beasts can form bonds despite their usual conflict.
• Family and loyalty: Er Ming’s protectiveness toward Xiao Wu mirrors familial affection, while Tang Liu’s concern for Tang San and Xiao Wu highlights his loyalty to both.
• Humor and misunderstanding: Much of the chapter’s tension is defused through Tang Liu’s teasing, particularly Er Ming’s literal interpretation of “sister-in-law” and his determination to attack Tang San.
• Foreshadowing: Tang Liu’s prediction that Xiao Wu and Tang San will reunite in the future, and Er Ming’s promise to confront Tang San, set up a future comedic and emotional encounter.

Important Character Interactions

• Tang Liu and Er Ming: Their conversation moves from cautious observation to mutual acceptance and friendship.
• Tang Liu and Little Funi: Tang Liu protects and carries Little Funi, while Little Funi remains deferential and frightened before Er Ming.
• Tang Liu and Xiao Wu: Though Xiao Wu is absent and unconscious, Tang Liu worries about her safety and asks Er Ming to guide her back to the group.
• Tang Liu and Tang San: Tang Liu speaks of Tang San as his brother and future partner of Xiao Wu, then teleports to reunite with him.
• Er Ming and Tang San, indirectly: Er Ming becomes determined to capture and beat Tang San, believing he is a threat to Xiao Wu, creating a humorous future conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Man Faced Demon Spider”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu teleports to a concealed position near Tang San, using Ethereal Stealth and the Ethereal Blue Emperor Domain to avoid detection. He restores his depleted Soul Power with Hao-Lan Restoration.
• He finds Tang San engaged in a dangerous battle with a Man Faced Demon Spider. Tang San is preparing to use his Clear Sky Hammer and Godly Zhuge Crossbow.
• Tang Liu secretly assists by activating Ethereal Defense, surrounding Tang San with protective blue vines that shield him from the spider’s sharp, venomous limbs.
• Empowered by the protection, Tang San strikes the Man Faced Demon Spider upward with the Clear Sky Hammer and fires the Godly Zhuge Crossbow into its eyes, killing it.
• Tang Liu then uses Hao-Lan Teleport to bring Tang San safely beside him.
• The two discuss the missing Xiao Wu. Tang Liu encourages Tang San to absorb the spider’s Soul Ring first so they will have a better chance of finding her afterward.
• Before Tang San can begin absorbing the Soul Ring, Meng Yiran, her grandmother Chao Tianxiang, and her grandfather Meng Shu—the Dragon Duke—arrive. They reveal that they had spent an entire day hunting the same Man Faced Demon Spider for Meng Yiran.
• Tang San admits that he killed the spider. Meng Yiran becomes furious and upset, believing Tang San has once again stolen the Soul Ring she intended to obtain.
• Meng Shu questions whether Tang San truly killed the powerful Soul Beast alone. Tang San claims that he did, deliberately concealing Tang Liu’s assistance.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu demonstrates greater strength and tactical maturity. He uses stealth, restoration, defensive support, and teleportation in quick succession to protect Tang San without revealing himself.
• Tang Liu’s feelings toward the Titan Giant Ape deepen after remembering its sincere desire to be his friend. Although he has deceived Tang San about Xiao Wu’s circumstances, he feels guilty and internally blames their father for the situation.
• Tang San displays composure, confidence, and determination. Even after learning that Meng Yiran’s group had been pursuing the spider, he refuses to surrender the Soul Ring because he needs greater strength to search for Xiao Wu.
• Tang San also protects Tang Liu by taking sole credit for the kill, showing his loyalty and willingness to shield his brother from conflict.
• Meng Yiran reacts with intense frustration and hurt because Tang San has once again obtained a Soul Beast she was pursuing.
• Meng Shu is introduced as a powerful eight-ringed Soul Master and becomes suspicious of Tang San’s claim that he defeated the Man Faced Demon Spider alone.

Significant Themes

• Brotherly loyalty and protection: Tang Liu secretly safeguards Tang San, while Tang San later protects Tang Liu by hiding his involvement.
• Guilt and deception: Tang Liu continues concealing the truth about Xiao Wu and the Titan Giant Ape, privately struggling with his guilt.
• The pursuit of strength: Tang San prioritizes absorbing the Soul Ring because he believes becoming stronger is essential to rescuing or finding Xiao Wu.
• Fate and repeated conflict: Tang San’s repeated clashes with Meng Yiran’s group create a sense of coincidence—or destiny—and deepen the tension between them.
• Moral ambiguity: Tang San takes a Soul Beast that another group had hunted for an entire day, yet he justifies it as necessary self-defense and survival.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu silently supports Tang San during the battle, while Tang San realizes almost immediately that the protective vines indicate Tang Liu’s arrival.
• Tang Liu and Tang San share a brief but emotionally significant conversation about their new abilities, the missing companions, and the need to find Xiao Wu.
• Tang San and Meng Yiran confront each other over the Man Faced Demon Spider, reviving their previous rivalry.
• Meng Shu challenges Tang San’s account of the battle, setting up a potential confrontation between Tang San and the powerful Unrivaled Dragon and Snake family.

Chapter Summary: “Threatening the Dragon Duke”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Tang San admits responsibility for killing the Man Faced Demon Spider, the Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, examines the corpse and confirms that Tang San was telling the truth.
• Meng Shu acknowledges that Tang San acted in self-defense but blames him for disrupting Meng Yiran’s attempts to obtain a Soul Ring twice.
• He offers Tang San two choices:
  1. Join the Dragon Snake family and have the conflict forgiven.
  2. Refuse and surrender one arm as compensation.
• Tang Liu intervenes and openly rejects the idea of Tang San joining the family, insulting Meng Shu’s strength and poor Soul Ring configuration.
• Tang San attempts to manipulate the situation by claiming that Xiao Wu was abducted by the ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape. He suggests that if Meng Shu helps rescue her, the brothers might consider joining his family.
• Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang are shocked by the claim, since even a powerful Soul Douluo would struggle against such a terrifying Soul Beast.
• Angered by Tang Liu’s mockery, Meng Shu abandons his original choices and decides to kill both brothers.
• Just before Meng Shu attacks, Zhao Wuji arrives with the Shrek Six Monsters.
• Tang Liu immediately moves Tang San to safety and uses his Third Martial Soul and the Soul Skill Hao-Lan Restoration to heal Zhao Wuji. He then uses another restoration on himself, replenishing the Soul Power he spent.

Character Developments

• Tang San remains calm and strategic despite being exhausted. He continues reloading the Godly Zhuge Crossbow while recovering and uses the Titan Giant Ape’s reputation to pressure Meng Shu.
• Tang Liu acts as Tang San’s aggressive protector. He deliberately provokes Meng Shu, projecting overwhelming confidence even though he is privately worried about the danger and waiting for Zhao Wuji’s arrival.
• Meng Shu, the Dragon Duke, is shown to be proud, calculating, and easily angered. Although he initially presents himself as reasonable, his pride is wounded by Tang Liu’s insults, causing him to escalate from negotiation to murder.
• Meng Yiran remains emotional and resentful, demanding that her grandfather defend her after Tang San disrupted her Soul Ring hunts.
• Chao Tianxiang, the Serpent Granny, supports Meng Shu and explains Tang Liu’s background to him, but reacts with shock to the revelation about the Titan Giant Ape.
• Zhao Wuji arrives at the crucial moment, preventing an immediate fight and giving Tang Liu the opportunity to protect Tang San and restore his strength.

Significant Themes

• Pride versus restraint: Meng Shu begins as a seemingly reasonable elder but allows wounded pride and Tang Liu’s provocations to overcome his judgment.
• Strategic deception: Tang San uses the Titan Giant Ape’s existence to exploit Meng Shu’s desire to recruit talented younger Soul Masters.
• Family loyalty and protection: Tang Liu repeatedly defends Tang San, while Tang San relies on him to manage the confrontation.
• Hidden strength and bluffing: Tang Liu’s confidence conceals his anxiety and limited options, while the threat of Little Funi’s true power remains a closely guarded secret.
• The importance of timing and allies: The brothers survive the confrontation largely because Zhao Wuji and the Shrek group arrive before Meng Shu can attack.

Character Interactions

• Meng Shu negotiates with Tang San but threatens him when he refuses to submit.
• Tang Liu openly challenges Meng Shu, dismisses his strength, and reverses the ultimatum by offering him two choices of his own.
• Tang San and Tang Liu coordinate their deception, presenting the possibility of joining the Dragon Snake family while secretly buying time.
• Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang react with alarm to the mention of the Titan Giant Ape.
• Zhao Wuji’s arrival interrupts the confrontation, after which Tang Liu transfers Tang San to Dai Mubai and secretly restores Zhao Wuji and himself.

Chapter Summary: Sister, How About Considering My Brother?

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji steps forward to negotiate with the Dragon Duke, recognizing that he is the only person in the group capable of challenging the Unrivaled Dragon and Snake couple.
• The Dragon Duke confronts Zhao Wuji over Tang San and Tang Liu, accusing them of stealing Meng Yiran’s Soul Ring twice and threatening him.
• Zhao Wuji avoids a direct conflict by revealing that the brothers are the sons of Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, and implying that Tang Hao is secretly nearby and ready to intervene if they are endangered.
• Concerned about provoking a Title Douluo, the Dragon Duke decides to let the matter go and prepares to leave with Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran.
• Meng Yiran insists on another contest before leaving. Tang San defeats her, discovers that she also uses hidden weapons, and gives her Bone-Piercing Nails and instruction in the Sound-Tracking Technique.
• As part of Oscar’s wager, Meng Yiran kisses Tang San.
• Tang Liu then gives Meng Yiran three storage soul tools and jokingly suggests that she consider becoming Tang San’s partner. His teasing embarrasses both Meng Yiran and Tang San.
• The Unrivaled Dragon and Snake finally depart, while Tang San scolds Tang Liu for using him to provoke Meng Yiran.

Character Developments

• Zhao Wuji demonstrates tact and strategic intelligence, resolving a dangerous confrontation through persuasion rather than combat.
• The Dragon Duke shifts from hostility to caution after learning of Tang San and Tang Liu’s connection to Tang Hao. His fear of provoking a Title Douluo ultimately forces him to retreat.
• Meng Yiran moves from resentment toward the Tang brothers to gratitude and possible romantic interest in Tang San after receiving gifts and encouragement.
• Tang San shows generosity by sharing his hidden-weapon knowledge, but becomes embarrassed and frustrated when Tang Liu openly promotes him as a romantic prospect.
• Tang Liu proves mischievous, socially perceptive, and deliberately matchmaking. He quickly decides Meng Yiran could be a suitable sister-in-law and sweet-talks her into abandoning her resentment.
• Chao Tianxiang is shocked by the revelation of the brothers’ parentage and accepts the Dragon Duke’s decision to withdraw.

Significant Themes

• Diplomacy over violence: Zhao Wuji prevents a potentially disastrous battle by exploiting the Dragon Duke’s fear of Tang Hao.
• The influence of reputation and power: Tang Hao’s identity alone changes the Dragon Duke’s behavior, showing how deeply status affects decisions in the soul-master world.
• Misunderstandings and hidden truths: Zhao Wuji uses partial truths about Tang Hao’s protection to manipulate the situation successfully.
• Friendship and reconciliation: Gifts, shared skills, and respectful treatment help transform Meng Yiran from an enemy into an ally—or potential romantic connection.
• Humor and sibling affection: Tang Liu’s matchmaking creates comic tension and highlights the close, playful relationship between the brothers.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji and the Dragon Duke engage in a tense but controlled negotiation, with Zhao Wuji carefully steering him away from violence.
• The Dragon Duke and Chao Tianxiang privately discuss the threat posed by Tang Hao.
• Tang San and Meng Yiran bond through their shared interest in hidden weapons, culminating in her kiss after their wager.
• Tang Liu openly teases Meng Yiran about Tang San, causing her to blush and Tang San to panic.
• Tang San ultimately restrains and scolds Tang Liu, while the rest of the Shrek students watch with amusement.

Chapter Summary: “Beginning Absorption”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Oscar jokes about Tang San being kissed by a beauty, but Tang San immediately asks for a Recovery Big Sausage so he can begin absorbing the Man Faced Demon Spider’s Soul Ring and rescue Xiao Wu.
• Tang Liu is teased by Dai Mubai for helping Tang San find romantic interests, but Zhao Wuji stops the joking and urges Tang San to begin the dangerous absorption.
• Tang Liu secretly warns Tang San that the spider is actually around two thousand years old—well beyond the normal limit for a third Soul Ring. However, Tang San’s powerful Clear Sky Hammer lineage should allow him to survive the process.
• Tang San begins absorbing the Soul Ring, determined to endure the pain for Xiao Wu’s sake. Blood starts pouring from his pores as the Soul Ring’s violent energy overwhelms him.
• Xiao Wu returns unexpectedly, astonishing and relieving the group. She claims Da Ming helped her escape the Titan Giant Ape and announces that she has reached level thirty and obtained her third Soul Ring.
• Zhao Wuji tells Xiao Wu how Tang San risked himself to search for her, moving her deeply and bringing her to tears.
• The Soul Ring’s energy eventually stabilizes and begins merging with Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass martial soul. However, Tang Liu remains worried because the resentful Man Faced Demon Spider may also leave behind an External Soul Bone.
• Tang San suddenly cries out as eight enormous spider legs burst from his back. His Blue Silver Grass then forms a cocoon around him, leaving the others afraid that he may be transforming into a monster.
• Xiao Wu defends Tang San, insisting that the strange transformation is a mutation caused by the Soul Ring. Tang Liu identifies the phenomenon as an External Soul Bone, an extraordinarily rare treasure highly coveted by Soul Masters.

Character Developments

• Tang San: Demonstrates exceptional determination and endurance by attempting to absorb a Soul Ring far beyond the usual limit. His motivation is strongly tied to saving Xiao Wu, and he appears to gain a rare External Soul Bone from the process.
• Tang Liu: Acts as Tang San’s knowledgeable and protective younger brother. He understands the risks of the absorption and considers using the Hao-Lan Mark to help, though he deliberately refrains so Tang San can strengthen himself through the ordeal.
• Xiao Wu: Returns safely after her abduction and reaches level thirty, gaining her third Soul Ring. Her emotional response to learning about Tang San’s rescue attempt reveals the depth of her feelings for him.
• Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun: Provide comic relief but become increasingly alarmed as Tang San’s absorption takes a dangerous and unfamiliar turn.
• Zhao Wuji: Maintains authority over the group, ensuring everyone stays safe and recognizes the seriousness of Tang San’s absorption.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and devotion: Tang San’s willingness to endure extreme pain is fueled by his desire to save Xiao Wu.
• Growth through hardship: Absorbing an abnormally powerful Soul Ring represents Tang San pushing beyond conventional limits and preparing for greater future achievements.
• Hidden potential and transformation: The emergence of the External Soul Bone shows that dangerous trials can produce rare and powerful rewards.
• Trust and emotional bonds: Xiao Wu’s tears and Tang San’s determination emphasize the strength of their relationship.
• Knowledge versus ignorance: Tang Liu recognizes the significance of the transformation, while the others initially mistake the External Soul Bone for monstrous corruption.

Character Interactions

• Oscar and Dai Mubai tease Tang San and Tang Liu, creating a lighthearted contrast to the dangerous absorption.
• Tang Liu privately encourages Tang San and reminds him to endure “for Sister Xiao Wu.”
• Xiao Wu reunites with the group and emotionally learns how far Tang San went to find her.
• Xiao Wu and Tang Liu defend Tang San when Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun fear he is becoming a spider.
• Tang Liu explains the concept of an External Soul Bone to the entire group, surprising even Zhao Wuji and establishing its rarity and importance.

Chapter Summary: Introduction to Soul Bones

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu explains the six standard soul bones a Soul Master can absorb: the skull, trunk, left and right arms, and left and right legs.
• He introduces External Soul Bones, which are rare, can grow with their owner’s cultivation, and can manifest as weapons or useful appendages.
• Tang Liu identifies Tang San’s spider legs as an External Soul Bone formed from his ribs. The group realizes they could be used for movement across difficult terrain or as powerful spears.
• He explains that External Soul Bones are extraordinarily rare, but claims that a Soul Beast willingly fusing with a human would guarantee one. The others dismiss this as impractical since such voluntary fusion is almost impossible.
• Tang Liu teaches the group that the completeness and compatibility of a soul bone matter more than simply possessing one. Complete bones provide far greater benefits than fragments, though perfectly intact bones are extremely rare.
• Zhao Wuji warns that possessing soul bones too early could make the young Soul Masters targets for murder and theft.
• Tang San completes his absorption of the soul bone at dawn after the group spends the night guarding him.
• Xiao Wu embraces Tang San tearfully upon his awakening, while Tang Liu experiences unexpected jealousy and begins rationalizing that he simply wants a romantic relationship of his own.
• Tang Liu teaches Tang San how to retract his External Soul Bone.
• Tang San demonstrates the destructive power of the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, prompting the others to ask him to make weapons for them.
• The group leaves the Star Dou Great Forest, rests in a nearby town for two days, and returns safely to the academy.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu establishes himself as knowledgeable about soul bones and becomes Tang San’s practical instructor regarding External Soul Bones. His internal reaction to Xiao Wu and Tang San’s intimacy reveals confusion about his feelings and motivates his humorous “Dream-Seeking Journey Plan” to find a girlfriend.
• Tang San successfully absorbs the soul bone, gains greater control over his External Soul Bone, and earns the group’s admiration through his Godly Zhuge Crossbow.
• Xiao Wu openly displays her deep emotional attachment to Tang San by crying and embracing him after his dangerous absorption.
• Oscar and Dai Mubai provide comic skepticism, questioning the usefulness of Tang Liu’s explanation about voluntary Soul Beast fusion and teasing one another about future soul-bone prospects.
• Zhao Wuji acts as the practical authority, reminding everyone that their current strength is insufficient to safely protect valuable soul bones.
• Ma Hongjun reacts with immediate excitement at the prospect of obtaining an External Soul Bone.

Significant Themes

• Rarity and value: Soul bones, especially External Soul Bones, are precious resources whose rarity makes them highly coveted.
• Quality over possession: A complete, compatible soul bone is far more valuable than a fragment or an unsuitable one.
• Danger accompanying power: Valuable abilities can attract enemies, making strength and secrecy essential.
• Knowledge and preparation: Understanding how to use and preserve a soul bone is as important as obtaining one.
• Humor amid danger: The group balances serious discussions about death and power with teasing, banter, and Tang Liu’s absurd romantic self-analysis.
• Emotional bonds: Xiao Wu’s concern for Tang San and Tang Liu’s conflicted reaction highlight the group’s close relationships and underlying romantic tensions.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu educates the group while Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu ask questions or respond with skepticism and excitement.
• Zhao Wuji interrupts the group’s enthusiasm with a warning about the dangers of possessing soul bones prematurely.
• The group protects Tang San throughout his absorption process.
• Xiao Wu’s emotional reunion with Tang San contrasts with Tang Liu’s private jealousy.
• Tang Liu and Tang San share a mentor-like exchange as Tang Liu teaches him to control his External Soul Bone.
• Tang San’s weapon demonstration unites the group in shared excitement, with everyone requesting a Godly Zhuge Crossbow.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the Academy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Shrek students return to the academy at night after their trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. Zhao Wuji goes to report to Flender, while the students are told to rest.
• Ning Rongrong visits Tang San to discuss hidden weapons, causing Oscar and Xiao Wu to feel a subtle jealousy.
• Tang Liu returns to the dormitory, bathes, and goes to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, the system continues displaying messages in his mind while automatically circulating his Soul Power, allowing him to cultivate during sleep.
• The next morning, Tang San wakes Tang Liu and informs him that the students must gather on the training ground. He also reveals that Grandmaster has arrived.
• Flender introduces the academy’s teachers:
  • Li Yusong, a level 63 Soul Emperor with the Dragon-Pattern Staff.
  • Lu Qibin, a level 66 Soul Emperor with the Star Luo Chessboard.
  • Shao Xin, a level 71 food-type Soul Saint with the Sugar Bean Martial Soul.
• Grandmaster announces that the eight students will now receive unified instruction and be trained to become “monsters” exceeding ordinary Soul Masters.
• He ranks the students by age, placing Tang Liu fourth among them. Tang Liu objects because he does not want to disrupt the traditional order of the Shrek Seven Monsters.
• Grandmaster agrees to treat Tang Liu as an additional member instead. Tang Liu happily places himself behind the seven, jokingly declaring that he will create a reserve team.
• After the meeting, Grandmaster privately questions Tang Liu about his father and asks to see his Martial Soul. Tang Liu releases the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor, revealing three Soul Rings: yellow, purple, and black.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu: Shows his laid-back, humorous, and slightly obsessive personality by prioritizing the established order of the Shrek Seven Monsters. His system continues supporting his cultivation even while asleep, highlighting his unusual abilities and rapid development. He also remains protective of his father, privately thinking about finding an Emerald Swan to heal his injuries after obtaining his sixth Soul Ring.
• Tang San: Continues to act as Tang Liu’s caring older brother, waking him, giving him food, and trying to prevent him from offending Grandmaster. His excitement at Grandmaster’s return reflects their father-son-like bond.
• Grandmaster: Establishes himself as the group’s new instructor, emphasizing discipline, unity, equality, and specialized training. He is also curious about Tang Liu’s mysterious background and powerful Martial Soul.
• Flender: Introduces the academy’s teachers and struggles humorously with how to encourage Tang Liu, whose strength already exceeds normal expectations.
• Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Xiao Wu: Their interactions reveal the beginnings of emotional tension, particularly Ning Rongrong’s closeness with Tang San and Oscar and Xiao Wu’s faint jealousy.

Significant Themes

• Unity and teamwork: Grandmaster insists that the students function as one group rather than as separate junior and senior members.
• Exceptional talent: The students are expected to become “monsters,” reinforcing Shrek Academy’s identity as a place for extraordinary Soul Masters.
• Individuality versus tradition: Tang Liu’s request to remain an extra member reflects both his personal quirks and his desire to preserve the original identity of the Shrek Seven Monsters.
• Family and loyalty: Tang San’s affection for Grandmaster and Tang Liu’s concern for his injured father emphasize the importance of familial bonds.
• Growth and cultivation: Tang Liu’s automatic Soul Power circulation and unusual three-ring configuration highlight the continuing theme of rapid, supernatural advancement.

Important Character Interactions

• Tang San and Tang Liu: Their sibling-like relationship is shown through teasing, practical care, and Tang San’s concern that Tang Liu not challenge Grandmaster too openly.
• Ning Rongrong, Tang San, Oscar, and Xiao Wu: Ning Rongrong’s hidden-weapon discussion with Tang San subtly creates jealousy in Oscar and Xiao Wu.
• Grandmaster and the students: Grandmaster establishes authority by ranking the students and demanding obedience, but he accommodates Tang Liu’s unusual request.
• Grandmaster and Tang Liu: Their private conversation focuses on Tang Liu’s father and his extraordinary Martial Soul, ending with Grandmaster witnessing Tang Liu’s yellow, purple, and black Soul Rings.

Chapter Summary: “Control of Mental Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Grandmaster confirms that Tang Liu possesses a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, meaning his mysterious Third Martial Soul already has four Soul Rings. Tang Liu reveals that he is currently Rank 43.
• Tang Liu explains the origins of his second and third Soul Rings:
  • A 2,900-year-old Demon Eye Demon Tree, granting group invisibility.
  • A 15,000-year-old Jade Spirit Fox, granting damage negation and immunity.
• He reveals his Third Martial Soul, the Haolan Spell, which is connected to his Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor and Clear Sky Hammer.
• Tang Liu asks Grandmaster why his first two Soul Skills performed poorly during the battle with the Titan Giant Ape. Grandmaster identifies the main problem as Tang Liu’s inadequate Mental Power control.
• Grandmaster explains that Tang Liu’s invisibility is mentally based. Although Tang Liu’s Mental Power is already comparable to that of a Soul King, he lacks the precision to control it effectively.
• With proper control, Tang Liu could maintain invisibility even while concealed allies attack, potentially hiding both their movements and attacks.
• Grandmaster’s explanation helps Tang Liu understand the hidden limitation of his Ethereal Stealth Soul Skill: attacks normally break stealth depending on the strength of the user’s Mental Power and the attack.
• Tang Liu realizes that he has been using the skill without actively controlling it and becomes excited about improving it.
• Grandmaster tells Tang Liu to rest before beginning brutal training for the group the next day. Tang Liu privately looks forward to seeing his brother and companions suffer through Grandmaster’s methods.
• After returning to the dormitory, Tang Liu learns that Tang San has gone to Nuoding City to find a blacksmith. He decides to begin thinking about ways to train his Mental Power rather than immediately asking Grandmaster or the system for help.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu gains a clearer understanding of the weakness in his Soul Skills. His uncertainty about choosing the wrong Soul Rings is replaced by confidence that better Mental Power control can unlock their true potential.
• He also demonstrates increasing respect for Grandmaster’s insight, recognizing how quickly Grandmaster identified the problem.
• Tang Liu remains cautious about revealing all his secrets, continuing to hide the fact that his third Soul Ring was acquired through Ring Borrowing.
• His playful side appears when he anticipates Grandmaster’s harsh training for Tang San and the others, while also feeling curious—and slightly wary—about his own separate training.
• Grandmaster establishes himself as both a skilled theorist and perceptive mentor. He adapts Tang Liu’s training after learning about the Haolan Spell and provides a practical solution to Tang Liu’s combat weakness.
• Tang San is briefly mentioned as being away in the city searching for a blacksmith, setting up his own parallel activity.

Significant Themes

• Control versus raw power: Possessing immense Mental Power is not enough; true strength requires precision, discipline, and control.
• Unlocking hidden potential: Tang Liu’s Soul Skills are not inherently flawed. Their limitations stem from his incomplete understanding and poor execution.
• Mentorship and knowledge: Grandmaster’s analysis allows Tang Liu to recognize a problem he could not solve alone.
• Self-reliance and caution: Although Tang Liu considers asking the system for assistance, he first tries to solve the problem himself, showing a desire to rely less on external answers.
• Foreshadowing of training: The chapter prepares for the group’s brutal upcoming training and hints that Tang Liu’s individualized training may be unusual or demanding.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu and Grandmaster: Their main interaction centers on Tang Liu revealing his abilities and seeking advice. Grandmaster examines his Martial Souls, diagnoses his Mental Power problem, and guides him toward improving Ethereal Stealth.
• Tang Liu and Tang San: They do not interact directly in the chapter, but Tang Liu thinks about his brother and anticipates his reaction to Grandmaster’s upcoming training.
• Tang Liu and Xiao Wu: Xiao Wu informs Tang Liu that Tang San has gone to Nuoding City, providing the transition to Tang Liu’s independent attempt to develop his Mental Power.

Chapter Summary: “What Is Mental Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu spends the day meditating and trying to discover how to control his Mental Power, but makes no progress.
• Instead, he becomes fixated on a more fundamental question: what exactly is Mental Power?
• Unable to find the answer himself, Tang Liu asks the system for an explanation.
• The system first defines “force” as a form of energy or interaction. It explains that, scientifically, Mental Power may originate from the electrical and magnetic activity produced by the brain’s neurons.
• The system then gives a broader, metaphysical explanation: “force” can also refer to energies such as willpower, Soul Power, internal energy, spiritual qi, and chakra.
• Tang Liu connects this explanation to his own cultivation, realizing that his advancement from Soul Master to Soul Grandmaster was also achieved through a form of “force”—Soul Power.
• The system explains the meanings of essence and spirit:
  • Spirit is connected to the soul, consciousness, emotions, and vitality.
  • Essence refers to vital energy, blood, physical health, and bodily vigor.
• Mental Power is ultimately described as the result of nourishing the spirit with essence and allowing the two to combine into a powerful force.
• Tang Liu experiences a moment of enlightenment and gains a new conceptual understanding of Mental Power.

Character Development

• Tang Liu demonstrates his persistent and analytical nature by spending an entire day wrestling with the nature of Mental Power rather than giving up.
• His past struggles—working part-time, saving money, and relying on financial aid to pursue education—are revealed as the foundation of his strong perseverance and willpower.
• He expands his understanding of cultivation by connecting scientific ideas from his previous life with the metaphysical principles of his current world.
• By the end of the chapter, Tang Liu achieves intellectual clarity, though he still has not yet learned how to practically control Mental Power.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and self-reliance: Tang Liu’s refusal to abandon difficult questions reflects the determination that carried him through his previous life.
• Science and metaphysics: The chapter blends neuroscience and physics with concepts such as the soul, vital energy, and cultivation.
• The relationship between body, mind, and spirit: Mental Power is presented as a product of the interaction between physical vitality, consciousness, emotion, and the soul.
• Understanding before mastery: Tang Liu learns that controlling power requires first understanding its essence and origin.
• Power as energy: The chapter broadens the meaning of “force,” presenting many systems—willpower, Soul Power, chakra, and spiritual energy—as different manifestations of the same fundamental concept.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu’s main interaction is with the system, which guides him through a Socratic-style explanation.
• He questions the system repeatedly, challenging its definitions and relating its answers to his own experiences.
• The system responds with increasing detail, moving from physics to psychology and metaphysics until Tang Liu reaches his moment of insight.
• Their exchange also contains light humor, especially when the system gives a suggestive explanation of “essence,” prompting Tang Liu to silently criticize it for “learning to drive.”

Chapter Summary: “Deep Meditation, Sea of Spirit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Liu unexpectedly achieves enlightenment while meditating, causing his memories—from birth to the present—to merge and dissolve.
• He independently opens his Sea of Spirit, visualized as a vast sea within his mind. Although currently only lake-sized, it greatly improves his ability to control, release, and retract Mental Power.
• The system explains that Tang Liu cannot yet use Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Detection, since he lacks the immense Mental Power needed to gather complete information from his surroundings. He would need to reach the “Boundless Sea” realm.
• The system identifies two additional ways to improve Mental Power control: opening a Second Sea of Spirit and practicing Heart Separation Control. Tang Liu learns that the first exercise involves drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other.
• Tang Liu awakens after spending three months in Deep Meditation, though the experience felt nearly instantaneous to him.
• He suffers from extreme hunger, weakness, stomach pain, and severe weight loss. Little Funi uses its emerald energy to alleviate his pain.
• The system orders him to avoid cultivation for seven days and follow a gradual recovery diet. Full recovery is expected to take at least half a month.
• After Little Funi summons help, Grandmaster and Flender rush to the dormitory to check on Tang Liu.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu makes a major advancement in spiritual cultivation by opening his Sea of Spirit independently, demonstrating unusual talent and progress despite lacking a natural spiritual attribute.
• He remains curious and ambitious, immediately asking whether he can replicate Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Detection, but also shows maturity by accepting the system’s limitations and not forcing progress.
• Tang Liu gains a new understanding of the risks of Deep Meditation: spiritual breakthroughs can consume enormous amounts of time and physical energy.
• Little Funi demonstrates concern and actively protects Tang Liu by easing his stomach pain, then urgently seeking help.
• Grandmaster and Flender are positioned as caretakers and authorities responding to Tang Liu’s dangerous condition.

Significant Themes

• Spiritual growth and enlightenment: Tang Liu’s merging and dissolution of memories symbolize a breakthrough beyond ordinary thought and perception.
• The cost of cultivation: His spiritual progress comes at the expense of three months of time, extreme hunger, physical deterioration, and a lengthy recovery.
• Limits and patience: Tang Liu must recognize that opening the Sea of Spirit does not immediately grant advanced abilities such as Spirit Detection.
• Balance between mind and body: The chapter emphasizes that mental advancement cannot be separated from physical health.
• Humor amid danger: The system’s comparison to accidentally sleeping past “five more minutes,” as well as Tang Liu’s joke about needing an IV drip, lightens the seriousness of his condition.

Character Interactions

• Tang Liu and the system engage in an explanatory discussion about the Sea of Spirit, Mental Power, Spirit Detection, and Heart Separation Control. Their exchange highlights Tang Liu’s curiosity and the system’s role as both guide and safety monitor.
• Tang Liu and Little Funi share a protective relationship. Little Funi notices his condition, heals his pain, and seeks outside assistance.
• Tang Liu’s thoughts about Huo Yuhao, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and “Third Brother” connect his progress to established figures, techniques, and future events in the wider cultivation world.
• The arrival of Grandmaster and Flender sets up their likely involvement in treating or evaluating Tang Liu after his dangerous breakthrough.

Chapter Summary: “Recovery and Recuperation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Grandmaster treats Tang Liu after he awakens from three months of Deep Meditation, giving him medicinal liquid to ease his hunger and stomach pain.
• Tang Liu reveals that he has opened a Sea of Spirit, allowing him to release and retract his Mental Power freely while greatly improving his mental control.
• Grandmaster explains that normally only mental-type Soul Masters, those with extraordinary opportunities, or Soul Masters at the Title Douluo level can develop a Sea of Spirit. Both Grandmaster and Flender are shocked and impressed by Tang Liu’s achievement.
• Because Tang Liu is physically weak, Grandmaster orders him to remain in bed, forbids him from eating, and repeatedly administers medicinal liquid throughout the night.
• Tang San returns from the first stage of special training in similarly terrible condition. Tang Liu realizes that entering Deep Meditation spared him from enduring the same brutal training.
• Grandmaster teaches Tang San how to care for Tang Liu, and Tang San takes over feeding him medicine during the following days.
• Tang Liu gradually recovers: he begins drinking millet porridge on the third day, walks by the sixth day, and can move independently by the seventh.
• The Shrek Seven Monsters begin the second stage of practical combat training at Suotuo City’s Great Soul Arena, while Tang Liu remains at the academy to recuperate.
• Tang San visits Tang Liu almost every day, telling him about the team’s battles and ensuring that he is recovering properly.
• Fifteen days after awakening, Tang Liu fully recovers. After another three days of rest to restore his Soul Power, Grandmaster calls the team back for an internal battle designed to improve coordination with Tang Liu.
• The chapter ends as the eight students divide into two teams and prepare to fight under Grandmaster’s supervision, with Flender and Zhao Wuji standing by to intervene if necessary.

Character Developments

• Tang Liu: Gains a major advancement in Mental Power by creating a Sea of Spirit, despite not increasing his Soul Power. His physical recovery highlights his resilience, while his new mental abilities suggest significant future potential.
• Grandmaster: Demonstrates careful medical judgment and deep insight into Tang Liu’s condition. He recognizes the importance of Tang Liu’s Mental Power development and adapts his training plans accordingly.
• Flender: Reacts with surprise and admiration to Tang Liu’s unusual achievement, calling him a “monster among monsters.”
• Tang San: Shows strong concern and responsibility toward Tang Liu. He helps administer his medicine, visits him frequently, and keeps him informed about the team’s activities.
• The Shrek Seven Monsters: Complete the first stage of Grandmaster’s harsh training and prepare to begin a more practical, team-oriented phase involving Tang Liu.

Significant Themes

• Growth beyond Soul Power: The chapter emphasizes that advancement is not limited to increases in Soul Power; Mental Power and control can be equally significant.
• Rare talent and extraordinary potential: Tang Liu’s Sea of Spirit marks him as exceptionally gifted and possibly capable of reaching heights normally associated with much stronger Soul Masters.
• Recovery and patience: Tang Liu’s gradual return to health shows the importance of rest, proper care, and rebuilding strength after extreme training or meditation.
• Teamwork and adaptation: The upcoming internal battle is intended to integrate Tang Liu into the group and develop cooperation among the eight members.
• Friendship and mutual support: Tang San’s repeated visits and care for Tang Liu demonstrate the growing bonds within the team.

Important Character Interactions

• Grandmaster and Flender discuss Tang Liu’s Sea of Spirit and its implications.
• Grandmaster sternly instructs Tang Liu to rest and obey his recovery regimen.
• Grandmaster teaches Tang San how to care for Tang Liu, strengthening their mentor-student and brotherly relationship.
• Tang San regularly visits Tang Liu, shares news of the team’s battles, and helps him avoid isolation during recovery.
• Grandmaster organizes the internal match, dividing the students into two teams:
  • Team Dai Mubai: Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Tang Liu
  • Team Tang San: Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong
• The battle is set to test Tang Liu’s coordination with the others and marks the beginning of his active return to team training.

Chapter Summary: “Eight-Person Free-for-All”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Grandmaster begins the eight-person battle between Tang San’s team and Dai Mubai’s team. Both sides immediately activate their Martial Souls and attack.
• Tang San’s team has fewer Soul Elders, but Ning Rongrong’s support and the team’s stronger coordination give them an overall advantage.
• Tang San opens with his control strategy, using Blue Silver Grass to bind allies and launch attacks through the Meteor Hammer Tactic. He targets Dai Mubai first, hoping to remove the strongest opponent.
• Tang Liu counters with Ethereal Defense, making Dai Mubai immune to Tang San’s restraint. Tang San quickly changes tactics and throws Xiao Wu toward Ma Hongjun.
• Xiao Wu attempts to immobilize Ma Hongjun with Charm, but Tang Liu uses his abilities to make Ma Hongjun vanish through stealth and defensive protection.
• Tang San responds with Spiderweb Restraint, recognizing that a wide-area attack is the best way to expose or trap the hidden opponents. He orders Xiao Wu to guard Ma Hongjun’s former position and prevent Tang Liu from transferring protection elsewhere.
• Oscar uses a Flying Mushroom Sausage to carry himself and Tang Liu into the air, allowing them to evade the Spiderweb Restraint.
• Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing engages Dai Mubai. Tang San manages to bind Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing prepares to finish him with Hell Stab.
• Tang Liu saves Dai Mubai with Ethereal Protection, reducing the damage of Zhu Zhuqing’s attack and then freeing Dai Mubai from Tang San’s restraints with Ethereal Defense.
• Ma Hongjun recovers from Xiao Wu’s Charm and attacks her with Phoenix Fire Line while using Phoenix Nirvana. Xiao Wu is forced back because of his flames.
• Just as Xiao Wu prepares to Charm Ma Hongjun again, he suddenly disappears along with the flames, leaving Tang San and Xiao Wu shocked and uncertain of his location.

Character Developments

• Tang San demonstrates strong tactical awareness and adaptability. When his initial plan to restrain Dai Mubai fails, he immediately changes targets and uses area attacks to counter Tang Liu’s stealth abilities.
• Tang Liu emerges as the key defensive strategist for Dai Mubai’s side. His Ethereal abilities repeatedly protect allies, negate Tang San’s control techniques, and preserve the team’s formation.
• Xiao Wu follows Tang San’s commands quickly and confidently, using Charm and Instant Transfer to pressure Ma Hongjun and limit Tang Liu’s defensive options.
• Dai Mubai is placed under heavy pressure but survives through Tang Liu’s support. He shows determination by activating White Tiger Vajra Transformation and later counterattacking Zhu Zhuqing.
• Zhu Zhuqing proves capable of exploiting openings and nearly eliminates Dai Mubai, but Tang Liu’s protection prevents her decisive strike.
• Ma Hongjun recovers from Charm and uses his flames and Phoenix abilities to drive Xiao Wu back, though his repeated concealment suggests he is relying heavily on Tang Liu.
• Oscar contributes through rapid production of his Flying Mushroom Sausage, enabling himself and Tang Liu to escape Tang San’s wide-area attack.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork and coordination: The battle is decided less by individual strength than by how effectively each side combines control, support, offense, and defense.
• Strategy versus brute force: Tang San repeatedly analyzes the battlefield and adapts, while Tang Liu counters him by anticipating his intentions.
• The importance of support abilities: Tang Liu and Oscar’s skills are crucial despite their lack of direct offensive power. Their protection, stealth, and mobility repeatedly prevent Dai Mubai’s team from collapsing.
• Adaptability under pressure: Both teams rapidly adjust their tactics when their initial attacks fail.
• Trust and command: Tang San’s clear orders allow Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing to act as extensions of his strategy, while Tang Liu’s immediate defensive decisions keep his allies alive.

Character Interactions

• Tang San and Tang Liu engage in a tactical contest, with Tang San attempting to expose weaknesses and Tang Liu repeatedly neutralizing his attacks.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu work closely together, with Tang San controlling her movement through Blue Silver Grass and directing her attacks.
• Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun clash directly, with Xiao Wu relying on Charm and Instant Transfer while Ma Hongjun uses fire to keep her at a distance.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai fight one another, with Zhu Zhuqing nearly defeating him before Tang Liu intervenes.
• Oscar and Tang Liu cooperate effectively, using the Flying Mushroom Sausage to evade Tang San’s Spiderweb Restraint.
• The chapter ends with Tang San and Xiao Wu surprised by Ma Hongjun’s renewed disappearance, leaving the battle’s next development uncertain.