Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Zhuqing reassures Xiao Wu that Tang San’s earlier disruption was not intentional and says she now has a better impression of Jiang Yi. She respects that he treats the women around him equally rather than abandoning some of them.
• Zhu Zhuqing invites Xiao Wu to return with her to Star Luo City to visit the Zhu Family. Xiao Wu agrees, and the two leave together, deliberately avoiding Tang San so he can reflect on his mistakes.
• Inside the room, Tang Wutong playfully examines Jiang Yi while he apologizes for being unable to choose between the girls. Wutong rejects the idea that he should choose only one, arguing that abandoning the others would make him seem untrustworthy.
• Jiang Yi and Tang Wutong reconcile affectionately, while Ning Rongrong watches them. She interrupts their kissing and claims she remains to “watch over” things for Ning Tian, though her real motives are clearly more personal and mischievous.
• Jiang Yi realizes that Ning Rongrong is connected to Tang Wutong’s family and confirms that the man who appeared earlier was Tang San, the legendary Sea God.
• Jiang Yi pretends to fear Tang San but then declares that he will not abandon the girls, even if Tang San opposes their relationship. His dramatic resolve further moves and angers Tang Wutong.
• Determined to counter Tang San, Tang Wutong searches through her storage ring for help from the God Realm. After discarding numerous objects—including several private belongings belonging to the women—she finds a branch containing the divine presence of “Auntie Lu.”
• Wutong realizes that the God Realm can communicate with the lower realm again and decides to report Tang San to Uncle Zi, asking him to “lock up” her father.

Character Developments

• Zhu Zhuqing becomes more accepting of Jiang Yi’s relationships. Although she initially viewed him only neutrally, his refusal to abandon any of the girls earns her respect.
• Xiao Wu also develops a favorable impression of Jiang Yi and supports Zhu Zhuqing’s freedom to make her own choice. She is frustrated with Tang San and intentionally leaves him alone to reconsider his behavior.
• Tang Wutong shows that, despite her jealousy and pride, she values Jiang Yi’s honesty and consistency. She would rather accept his openly complicated relationships than have him betray or discard the other girls.
• Jiang Yi presents himself as self-sacrificing and loyal, though his exaggerated emotional speeches are partly manipulative. He deliberately encourages Wutong’s anger toward Tang San so she will defend their relationship.
• Ning Rongrong continues to act as a playful, shameless elder figure. She enjoys teasing Jiang Yi and Wutong while also approving of Wutong’s willingness to stand up for herself.
• Tang San remains physically absent from most of the chapter but becomes the central opposing force, viewed by Wutong and the others as an overbearing father interfering in her personal affairs.

Major Themes

• Love versus control: The chapter contrasts Jiang Yi and Wutong’s unconventional relationship with Tang San’s attempt to regulate his daughter’s choices.
• Acceptance and loyalty: Wutong believes that genuine affection is shown by refusing to abandon people, even when relationships are complicated.
• Family conflict across generations: Wutong’s determination to defy her father highlights the tension between parental authority and personal independence.
• Comedy and irreverence: Divine figures, family secrets, and serious relationship conflicts are treated humorously, especially through Jiang Yi’s exaggerated speeches and Wutong’s chaotic search through her storage ring.
• Female agency: Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Tang Wutong make independent decisions rather than passively accepting the men’s choices or authority.

Character Interactions

• Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu share a supportive conversation about Jiang Yi and Tang San before leaving together for Star Luo City.
• Tang Wutong and Jiang Yi reconcile through teasing, affection, and mutual reassurance.
• Ning Rongrong interrupts their intimacy, exchanges jokes with them, and exposes her close connection to Wutong’s family.
• Jiang Yi manipulates the situation by presenting himself as willing to suffer for the girls, prompting Wutong to become fiercely protective.
• Wutong turns to the God Realm for assistance, ending the chapter by plotting to report her father to Uncle Zi.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• In the God Realm’s Forest of Life, the God of Destruction complains that the Sea God, Tang San, has repeatedly neglected his duties by visiting Douluo Continent. He suspects Tang San is abusing his position to interfere in the lower realm, though he lacks a formal excuse to punish him.
• Tang Wutong suddenly appears before the God of Destruction and the Life Goddess, pretending to be deeply upset. She claims that Tang San bullied her by sending her and Ning Rongrong to the lower realm and keeping her there for more than ten years.
• The God of Destruction eagerly seizes this opportunity to “seek justice” against Tang San and leaves to confront him. The Life Goddess recognizes that Tang Wutong is exaggerating, but also agrees that Tang San’s actions were excessive.
• Tang Wutong secretly celebrates because she hopes her complaint will finally restrain her father’s activities in the lower realm.
• At the Sea God Pavilion, Tang Wutong waits while an emerald branch from the Tree of Life amplifies her aura. Ning Rongrong explains to Jiang Yi that Wutong has gone to summon powerful support from the God Realm.
• Ning Rongrong and Jiang Yi privately flirt and resume their intimate relationship, confident that Tang Wutong will be away for some time.
• Meanwhile, inside the Golden Tree, Tang San senses that something is wrong when he sneezes. He then respectfully announces the arrival of “Xiao San’s mother,” as Blue Silver Grass spreads through the space and a beautiful woman descends.

2. Character Developments

• Tang Wutong displays her mischievous and manipulative side. Though she genuinely feels neglected, she deliberately dramatizes her grievances to exploit the long-standing conflict between the God of Destruction and Tang San.
• The God of Destruction remains openly hostile toward Tang San. He is eager to find a legitimate reason to discipline him and views Wutong’s complaint as the perfect opportunity.
• The Life Goddess is affectionate and protective toward Wutong. She acts as a calmer, more forgiving presence and recognizes both Wutong’s exaggeration and the questionable nature of Tang San’s behavior.
• Ning Rongrong is shown as bold, teasing, and unconcerned with maintaining her former dignified image around Jiang Yi. Their shared experience in the Valley of Love Inquiry has made their relationship much more direct.
• Jiang Yi pretends to be embarrassed and determined to become stronger, but his behavior reveals his playful and indulgent personality.
• Tang San remains unaware of the trouble approaching him and is shown preparing to receive an important visitor connected to his past.

3. Significant Themes

• Abuse of authority and responsibility: Tang San’s repeated journeys to the lower realm raise concerns about whether gods are improperly interfering with mortal affairs.
• Family conflict and favoritism: Tang Wutong’s complaint is rooted in her complicated relationship with her father, while the God of Destruction’s reaction is intensified by his personal affection for her.
• Manipulation through affection: Wutong uses her status as a beloved goddaughter to turn the God of Destruction against Tang San.
• Tension between order and personal desire: The God of Destruction emphasizes divine rules, while Tang San repeatedly prioritizes personal and family matters.
• Romantic and comedic relief: Ning Rongrong and Jiang Yi’s flirtation contrasts with the political conflict and adds a playful tone to the chapter.
• Foreshadowing: The mysterious woman arriving in the Golden Tree suggests that Tang San’s situation is about to become more complicated.

4. Character Interactions

• The God of Destruction and the Life Goddess discuss Tang San’s behavior, revealing their differing attitudes: he is suspicious and resentful, while she is more tolerant.
• Tang Wutong appeals to both gods, especially the God of Destruction, by acting vulnerable and accusing Tang San of mistreatment.
• The Life Goddess comforts Wutong like a beloved niece and offers her the Water of Life.
• Ning Rongrong explains Wutong’s plan to Jiang Yi, then teases and seduces him while they are alone.
• Tang San formally acknowledges the arrival of a powerful woman, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San returns to Douluo Star and finds his mother, Ah Yin, overwhelmed by the collective faith and life energy flowing through the Core of Life. Her consciousness has become confused after connecting with all living beings on the continent.
• Using the Sea God’s Light, Tang San restores Ah Yin’s clarity and checks her condition. Although she is nearing the threshold of true-god cultivation through her understanding of the Law of Life, he worries about the danger and offers her the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud for protection.
• Tang San reveals that he has acquired the Abyss Plane and intends to merge its energy into Douluo Star. He plans for Ah Yin to use the Core of Life to direct some of the resulting fortune toward rebuilding and strengthening the Tang Sect.
• The God of Destruction arrives unexpectedly and catches Tang San concealing the Abyss Plane. He also suspects that Tang San’s repeated visits to the lower realm and the presence of several gods on Douluo Star indicate misconduct.
• The God of Destruction accuses Tang San of neglecting his duties and orders him to spend three days in the Divine Forbidden Land. Tang San reluctantly accepts rather than risk a formal God Realm assembly, recognizing that the evidence could damage his reputation and political position.
• After Tang San leaves, the God of Destruction enters the Abyss Plane. He destroys the Abyssal Kings and the Abyssal Sage King with overwhelming God King power, claiming the Heavenly Saint Abyss-Splitting Halberd as a super divine artifact.
• He directs most of the collapsing Abyss Plane’s energy into Douluo Star, while sending the remainder into the halberd as a gift for his daughter, Xiao Qi.
• The sudden influx of energy nearly overwhelms Douluo Star and places Ah Yin in extreme danger. Trapped inside the Core of Life and unable to contact Tang San because of his protective seal, she creates and sends out a Blue Silver Seed as a potential message or means of assistance before losing consciousness.

Character Developments

• Tang San: Shows strong filial devotion and concern for Ah Yin, while continuing to pursue the Tang Sect’s restoration and the advancement of Douluo Star. However, his secretive lower-realm activities and rule-breaking leave him vulnerable to political attacks. He demonstrates pragmatism by accepting punishment rather than exposing himself to a formal investigation.
• Ah Yin: Develops from a supportive mother into a figure closely linked with the entire plane’s life force. Her connection to all living beings deepens her comprehension of the Law of Life, but also threatens her consciousness. Despite her weakened state, she remains determined to help Tang San and sacrifices part of her strength to create the Blue Silver Seed.
• God of Destruction: Takes pleasure in finally gaining leverage over Tang San, whom he believes has previously used moral authority against him. He acts decisively and ruthlessly against the Abyss Plane, while also using its resources to benefit his daughter.
• Abyssal Sage King: His confidence in the Abyss Plane’s imminent ascension collapses when the God of Destruction appears. He is killed before he can resist, emphasizing the enormous power gap between a God King and lower-level divine beings.

Significant Themes

• Family loyalty and mutual sacrifice: Tang San protects Ah Yin, while Ah Yin insists on helping him despite the danger and ultimately sacrifices her own strength.
• Power and political rivalry: The confrontation between Tang San and the God of Destruction reflects their ongoing struggle for influence within the God Realm. Punishment becomes a political weapon rather than merely a matter of justice.
• The dangers of unchecked power: Ah Yin’s attempt to channel the faith and energy of an entire world shows that even benevolent power can overwhelm the person wielding it.
• Growth through catastrophe: The Abyss Plane’s destruction brings enormous energy and potential advancement to Douluo Star, but also creates immediate instability and danger.
• Fate, control, and sacrifice: Tang San’s seals protect Ah Yin but also isolate her, forcing her to act independently when the crisis begins.

Character Interactions

• Tang San and Ah Yin: Their reunion is affectionate and emotional. Tang San treats her with respect and concern, while Ah Yin reassures him and remains committed to supporting his goals.
• Tang San and the God of Destruction: Their exchange is tense and sarcastic. The God of Destruction exploits Tang San’s rule violation, while Tang San suppresses his anger and yields to avoid greater political consequences.
• God of Destruction and the Abyssal Kings: The encounter is entirely one-sided. He annihilates them without negotiation, viewing the Abyss as a dangerous parasite on the cosmos.
• Ah Yin and Tang San’s legacy: Even after being sealed away and overwhelmed by energy, Ah Yin acts according to the promise she made to her son, sending out the Blue Silver Seed before falling into slumber.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After spending the night together, Ning Rongrong supports Jiang Yi with her divine power, leaving him exhausted but revitalized. Tang Wutong awakens and unknowingly gives him a mouthful of the Life Goddess’s Life Water.
• The Life Water causes Jiang Yi’s soul power to surge from level 89 to level 90, marking his breakthrough to Titled Douluo. The excess life energy spreads across Sea God Island, causing vegetation to grow explosively.
• The disturbance attracts the attention of Shrek’s powerful figures, including Xuan Zi, Zhang Lexuan, and others. They recognize Jiang Yi’s breakthrough but cannot see through the spiritual barrier protecting the room.
• Jiang Yi’s life energy becomes dangerously unstable. The God of Destruction appears and stabilizes him by introducing destructive power, allowing the opposing forces of life and destruction to balance.
• While unconscious, Jiang Yi experiences visions of the universe’s cycle—from the birth of life to its destruction—potentially gaining insight into divine principles.
• The God of Destruction tells Tang Wutong that Tang San has been confined for three days as punishment. He also grants Wutong a purple halberd mark and departs to handle matters related to expanding the God Realm.
• Ning Rongrong is ordered to return to the God Realm, though the God of Destruction no longer intends to punish her because Tang San has accepted responsibility.
• In the Star Luo City Zhu Family, Zhu Lu openly rejects her arranged marriage to Dai Huabin after learning of his preference for men. Her family insists she marry him anyway for political and bloodline reasons.
• Feeling betrayed and treated as a disposable political tool, Zhu Lu tears off her clan emblem and leaves the family. She vows to make her own way without the White Tiger Duke’s support.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu observe Zhu Lu’s defiance. Zhu Zhuqing sympathizes with her because the situation recalls her own past and decides to help her.
• When Zhu Lu breaks down crying in her room, Zhu Zhuqing comforts her and unexpectedly asks Zhu Lu to accept her as her master.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi reaches level 90 and becomes a Titled Douluo. His body and consciousness are exposed to the complementary forces of life and destruction, hinting at future divine potential.
• Ning Rongrong remains bold and affectionate toward Jiang Yi, but becomes alarmed when Tang Wutong’s Life Water nearly overwhelms him. Her reaction also reveals her awareness of the danger of being discovered.
• Tang Wutong unintentionally causes Jiang Yi’s breakthrough by sharing Life Water. She shows genuine concern when his condition becomes unstable and celebrates when Tang San is punished.
• The God of Destruction displays both overwhelming authority and an unexpectedly playful, protective side. He helps Jiang Yi, punishes Tang San on Wutong’s behalf, and gives Wutong a powerful inheritance or mark.
• Zhu Lu undergoes a major emotional turning point. She moves from dutiful acceptance of family obligations to open rebellion, choosing dignity and independence over political marriage.
• Zhu Zhuqing confronts memories of her own past compromises. Seeing Zhu Lu’s courage inspires her to intervene and offer mentorship.
• Xiao Wu supports Zhu Zhuqing and admires Zhu Lu’s determination.

Significant Themes

• Life and destruction as complementary forces: Jiang Yi’s breakthrough is stabilized through the interaction of life energy and destructive power. His vision suggests that creation and annihilation are parts of one cosmic cycle.
• Personal agency versus family duty: Zhu Lu rejects the idea that she exists merely to serve her clan’s political interests, even though doing so means severing ties with her family.
• The abuse of women in political alliances: Zhu Lu’s family treats her marriage and potential childbearing as tools for preserving bloodlines and power, emphasizing the dehumanizing nature of the arrangement.
• Mentorship and second chances: Zhu Zhuqing sees Zhu Lu as a reflection of her younger self and offers her the support she once lacked.
• Power, privilege, and connections: Tang Wutong’s relationship with the God of Destruction shows the advantages of divine family connections, while Zhu Lu must build strength without her clan’s support.
• Rebellion and self-determination: The chapter’s central declaration—“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river”—captures Zhu Lu’s refusal to remain underestimated or powerless.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Ning Rongrong: Their intimate relationship continues, with Ning Rongrong both teasing and caring for him.
• Jiang Yi and Tang Wutong: Wutong unintentionally gives him Life Water, causing his advancement, and later worries about the consequences.
• Tang Wutong and the God of Destruction: Their affectionate, familiar relationship is shown through her requests for help and delight at Tang San’s punishment.
• Ning Rongrong and the God of Destruction: He orders her to return to the God Realm, but the exchange is lenient because Tang San has taken responsibility.
• Zhu Lu and her family: Their confrontation exposes the family’s cold pragmatism and Zhu Lu’s growing refusal to submit.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Lu: Zhu Zhuqing empathizes with Zhu Lu’s situation and offers her guidance, ending the chapter with a request to become Zhu Lu’s master.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Lu discovers an unknown woman trespassing in the Zhu Family estate and immediately attacks, using a table as a distraction before attempting to escape through a window.
• The intruder effortlessly catches Zhu Lu in midair, demonstrating overwhelming strength and speed. She then reveals herself as a member of the Zhu Family by manifesting the Hell Spirit Cat martial soul.
• The woman is revealed to be Zhu Zhuqing, who explains that she left the family years ago for personal reasons. She praises Zhu Lu’s talent and invites her to meet in the forest east of the city at midnight if she wishes to become her disciple.
• Zhu Zhuqing disappears mysteriously, leaving Zhu Lu convinced that she is a powerful, possibly Titled Douluo-level senior.
• Zhu Lu speculates that Zhu Zhuqing may also have rejected or broken off a family-arranged engagement. Feeling an immediate sense of kinship, she decides to accept the opportunity and prepares to leave the Zhu estate.
• The Zhu Family elders do not stop Zhu Lu, expecting her to fail without family protection and eventually return.
• Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu watch Zhu Lu from a rooftop. Zhu Zhuqing explains that she imitated the dramatic disciple-recruitment methods commonly found in novels.
• Ning Rongrong arrives with news that the Destruction God King has ordered the goddesses back to the God Realm, and that Tang San has already returned.
• Concerned about abandoning Zhu Lu after promising to meet her, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu discuss what to do. Ning Rongrong proposes that they remain connected to the mortal world by becoming “goddesses searching for successors”—effectively acting as ring grannies or inheritance guides.
• The plan would allow Ning Rongrong to leave behind a strand of divine sense and personally guide Ning Tian. Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu enthusiastically agree.

Character Developments

• Zhu Lu: Demonstrates quick thinking, caution, courage, and considerable agility. Her broken engagement has alienated her from the Zhu Family, making her eager for a new path and a powerful mentor. She quickly develops admiration and emotional identification with Zhu Zhuqing.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Reveals a playful and mischievous side beneath her usual cool demeanor. She enjoys pretending to be a mysterious senior and is genuinely interested in taking Zhu Lu under her guidance.
• Xiao Wu: Acts as Zhu Zhuqing’s amused companion and shares her enthusiasm for the plan. Her curiosity and easygoing nature are emphasized through her reaction to the novel-inspired scheme.
• Ning Rongrong: Shows her characteristic cleverness and scheming ability. She transforms a potential problem—the order to return to the God Realm—into an opportunity to leave behind divine guidance for Ning Tian.
• The Zhu Family elders: Their indifference exposes their harsh, transactional attitude toward family members who reject arranged expectations.

Significant Themes

• Breaking free from family control: Zhu Lu’s departure reflects resistance against the Zhu Family’s tradition of using women in marriage alliances.
• Found family and shared experience: Zhu Lu immediately feels connected to Zhu Zhuqing because she believes they have both escaped similar circumstances.
• Mentorship and inheritance: The chapter introduces the idea of gods leaving successors or divine remnants behind to guide mortals.
• Comedy through dramatic imitation: Zhu Zhuqing’s behavior parodies cultivation and fantasy novels, while the powerful goddesses treat the fictional “ring granny” trope as a real-world strategy.
• Divine beings enjoying mortal life: The goddesses’ reading, scheming, and rooftop conversations show their playful attachment to the lower realm despite their elevated status.

Character Interactions

• Zhu Lu and Zhu Zhuqing begin with a tense confrontation, but the encounter changes when Zhu Zhuqing reveals her Hell Spirit Cat and offers mentorship.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu tease and question one another over the unnecessary theatrics of recruiting Zhu Lu.
• Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing bond over the novels they are reading, contrasting their godly identities with their enthusiasm for ordinary pulp fiction.
• Ning Rongrong interrupts their discussion and proposes the successor-searching plan, drawing both women into a shared scheme.
• The three goddesses ultimately unite around the idea of becoming mortal-world mentors, while Tang San’s return to the God Realm establishes the external pressure behind their decision.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Lu waits in the forest for the mysterious senior she met earlier, growing convinced that the meeting may have been a family trick. Zhu Zhuqing then projects her Divine Sense through Zhu Lu’s storage ring, appearing as an illusory figure and successfully deceiving her.
• At Shrek Academy, Zhu Zhuqing confirms to Ning Rongrong that her plan worked. The two intend to recruit or guide more disciples through Divine Sense vessels, and they wait for Xiao Wu to do the same.
• Xiao Wu chooses Jiang Nannan as her potential disciple, partly because Jiang Nannan resembles her and is connected to her son-in-law, Jiang Yi. Xiao Wu appears in Jiang Nannan’s mind and offers to take her as a disciple.
• In the God Realm, Tang San cultivates the Asura Godhood in the Divine Forbidden Land. Although he dislikes its violent, baleful nature, he believes it is the fastest way to gain enough power to oppose the God of Destruction. A mysterious ancient chieftain awakens and begins tempting Tang San with forbidden power.
• Jiang Yi reflects on the nature of life, death, and Godhood. He realizes that simply controlling living beings through his Master Ball would not create a sufficiently powerful divine law.
• Inspired by the concept of Pokémon evolution, Jiang Yi decides that his true path should be the evolution and creation of life. He begins forming Soul Cores based on the complementary powers of life and destruction, placing destruction in his upper dantian and life in his lower dantian.
• During the condensation process, a mysterious blue seed enters Jiang Yi’s body and settles near his life-energy vortex. Before Jiang Yi can attack it, the seed speaks and claims that it can help him.

Character Developments

• Zhu Zhuqing becomes more confident in acting as a mentor and successfully establishes contact with Zhu Lu despite the awkwardness of using Divine Sense.
• Ning Rongrong continues to act as an experienced intermediary, helping Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu find suitable disciples while maintaining a relaxed, playful attitude.
• Xiao Wu demonstrates her protective and investigative nature by selecting Jiang Nannan partly to observe her and determine whether she is suitable for Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Nannan remains hardworking and competitive. Jiang Yi’s rapid advancement motivates her to train more intensely, though Xiao Wu’s sudden appearance may redirect her cultivation path.
• Tang San shows his willingness to sacrifice personal preference for power, choosing the Asura Godhood despite disliking its murderous aura. His ambition to surpass the God of Destruction remains strong.
• Jiang Yi experiences a major breakthrough in understanding his own path. He moves beyond merely controlling creatures and identifies “Creation” or the evolution of life as the foundation of his future Godhood.

Significant Themes

• Mentorship and inheritance: The older generation seeks to guide promising successors through Divine Sense, continuing their influence even from afar.
• Power versus personal nature: Tang San chooses a path that conflicts with his preferred Sea God identity, highlighting the compromises required to gain strength.
• Creation, evolution, and balance: Jiang Yi’s insight comes from recognizing the relationship between life and death. His intended law combines creation, destruction, and evolution rather than simple domination.
• Ambition and divine advancement: Both Tang San and Jiang Yi are pursuing higher forms of power, but their methods differ—Tang San relies on a dangerous existing Godhood, while Jiang Yi attempts to create an entirely new one.
• Hidden threats and unexpected allies: The awakening chieftain and the mysterious blue seed introduce new forces whose intentions are not yet clear.

Character Interactions

• Zhu Lu and Zhu Zhuqing: Zhu Lu mistakes Zhu Zhuqing’s Divine Sense projection for a mysterious senior, while Zhu Zhuqing deliberately maintains the deception.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong: Ning Rongrong questions Zhu Zhuqing about the success of the plan and helps coordinate the recruitment of disciples.
• Xiao Wu and Jiang Nannan: Xiao Wu appears directly in Jiang Nannan’s mind and offers to accept her as a disciple.
• Tang San and the mysterious chieftain: Though they have not yet directly conversed, the chieftain awakens and begins tempting Tang San while he cultivates the Asura Godhood.
• Jiang Yi and the blue seed: Jiang Yi treats the seed as an intruder, but it unexpectedly speaks and offers assistance, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• A Blue Silver Seed pleads to remain with Jiang Yi, offering to help him understand the Laws of Life and communicate with the plane’s Core of Life, a vast record of living things.
• Jiang Yi suspects the seed is connected to Ah Yin, the former Blue Silver Emperor. The seed has no memories of its origin or main body; it only knows it was separated to help the Tang Sect and is determined to fulfill that mission.
• Jiang Yi persuades the seed that he is closely connected to the Tang Sect and gets it to agree to a contract. It takes root in his lower dantian and grows into a small blue-green sapling.
• Meanwhile, Tang Wutong wakes from her cocoon as a Soul Sage, having gained her seventh soul ring and the Heavenly Saint Abyss-Splitting Halberd.
• Jiang Yi’s power surges as his ninth soul ring forms. He vanishes from his room and appears above the Golden Tree, where he begins condensing two Soul Cores at once. After seven days, the process succeeds: one core embodies life, the other destruction.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yi gains a potentially powerful bond with Ah Yin’s seed and a path toward understanding life through the plane. His confidence and scheming humor show as he uses his Tang Sect connection to win her trust.
• Ah Yin’s seed is amnesiac and mission-focused. She chooses Jiang Yi because of his talent and connection to the Tang Sect, then willingly accepts the contract.
• Tang Wutong awakens stronger and delights in her new weapon. Watching Jiang Yi’s soul-beast phantoms, she romantically imagines that a Goddess of Light resembling her reflects his feelings for her.
• Xuan Zi reassures Wutong that Jiang Yi is safe, citing his powerful soul-beast protectors, and waits with her through his breakthrough.

Significant themes

• Memory and identity: Ah Yin’s seed lacks knowledge of its past, yet retains a strong sense of purpose.
• Power through bonds: Jiang Yi’s growth comes alongside new alliances and the support of his soul beasts.
• Life and destruction: The paired Soul Cores establish these opposing forces as central to Jiang Yi’s cultivation.
• Affection and projection: Wutong’s playful fantasies reveal her growing romantic attachment to Jiang Yi.

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yi awakens after completing his cultivation breakthrough, reaching Rank 96. Although his Soul Power has increased, his greater achievement is his refined control and integration of his abilities through his comprehension of the Path of Life.
• Xuan Zi challenges Jiang Yi to test his strength. Xuan Zi uses his Taotie martial soul, nine soul rings—including a red hundred-thousand-year ring—and unleashes the power of a Rank 98 Super Douluo.
• Jiang Yi effortlessly evades Xuan Zi’s initial attack, revealing an extraordinary soul-ring configuration of eight red rings and one blue ninth ring.
• Jiang Yi summons Xiao Lan, whose ordinary cyan-bird form initially proves insufficient against Xuan Zi. Xuan Zi easily disperses her tornado attacks.
• Combining the powers of life and destruction, Jiang Yi temporarily elevates Xiao Lan’s bloodline, transforming her into a powerful cyan phoenix with spatial attributes.
• Xiao Lan’s upgraded attack creates enormous cyan blades capable of tearing through space. Xuan Zi counters with his full strength, but Jiang Yi and Xiao Lan defeat him.
• Embarrassed by losing, Xuan Zi excuses himself and flees, while Jiang Yi returns to Sea God Pavilion.
• Tang Wutong enthusiastically celebrates Jiang Yi’s victory and kisses him in front of the elders.
• After the others leave, Gu Yuena visits Jiang Yi and congratulates him on the success of “their” plan. Jiang Yi angrily rejects her claim, pointing out that she abandoned him at the crucial moment and intends to settle the matter with her.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Yi grows from a powerful cultivator into a calm, confident leader. His sharpness has softened, and he now possesses greater mastery over his abilities, especially the fusion of life and destruction.
• His ability to alter and strengthen Soul Beast bloodlines demonstrates his expanding knowledge and control. He can now temporarily transform Xiao Lan into a phoenix with spatial power.
• Xuan Zi recognizes Jiang Yi as a genuine threat rather than merely someone with future potential. His defeat humbles him, though he reacts with humor and embarrassment.
• Xiao Lan receives a major power upgrade, evolving from a cyan bird into a spatially empowered cyan phoenix.
• Tang Wutong openly displays her affection and excitement, becoming increasingly bold and possessive toward Jiang Yi.
• Gu Yuena attempts to share credit for the plan, but Jiang Yi’s resentment reveals tension between them over her earlier absence.

3. Significant Themes

• Growth and mastery: True advancement is shown not only through higher cultivation but through complete control and understanding of one’s powers.
• Creation through balance: The fusion of life and destruction produces the power to create and enhance life, suggesting that opposing forces can generate something greater when harmonized.
• Legacy and succession: Xuan Zi implies that Jiang Yi may eventually make the older generation unnecessary, reinforcing his rise as a future leader of the academy.
• Pride and recognition: Xuan Zi’s defeat and Jiang Yi’s insistence on receiving proper credit highlight the importance of acknowledgment and personal achievement.
• Affection and rivalry: Tang Wutong’s open affection contrasts with the playful hostility between Jiang Yi and Gu Yuena.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Tang Wutong reunite affectionately, with her greeting him through a kiss and later celebrating his victory publicly.
• Jiang Yi and Xuan Zi engage in a respectful but intense sparring match. Xuan Zi initially treats Jiang Yi as a junior, but Jiang Yi’s victory forces him to acknowledge Jiang Yi’s superior combat potential.
• Jiang Yi and Xiao Lan demonstrate strong cooperation, with Jiang Yi empowering her evolution and directing her decisive attack.
• The Sea God Pavilion elders witness Jiang Yi’s breakthrough and victory, strengthening his prestige within the academy.
• Jiang Yi and Gu Yuena end the chapter in a tense, teasing confrontation: she claims shared success, while he pointedly accuses her of abandoning him and declares that he will settle the score.

Summary

Jiang Yi confronts Gu Yuena for failing to support him when the Sea God targeted him. He argues that their cooperation cannot be one-sided: she cannot stay safely in the background while he bears the risk. Gu Yuena admits she could not openly challenge the Sea God, but she is determined to keep Jiang Yi involved in her plan to deceive the gods.
As compensation, Gu Yuena summons Zi Ji and orders her to undress, apparently offering her to Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi immediately tells Zi Ji to get dressed, while Gu Yuena keeps ordering her to strip. The two leaders issue contradictory commands, leaving Zi Ji awkwardly caught between them. Gu Yuena eventually relents and promises to help Jiang Yi in the future, but he says he does not trust her. He sees her low favorability as evidence that her actions do not match her words, and he uses the moment to press for greater concessions.
Gu Yuena asks what he wants, recognizing that abandoning him would ruin her plans and expose the Dragon Clan to danger. Jiang Yi demands three agreements. The first is for Di Tian to represent the Star Dou Great Forest in cooperating with Shrek to promote Soul Beast Contracts. Gu Yuena agrees at once. Jiang Yi then reveals the second demand: Gu Yuena’s Reverse Scale. The chapter ends before she responds, leaving the final agreement and the consequences of his demand unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yi takes a firmer, more strategic stance, insisting that Gu Yuena share the risks and pay for his cooperation. He treats their relationship as a negotiation and aims to secure leverage for his future.
• Gu Yuena shifts from trying to placate him with Zi Ji to conceding that he has legitimate grounds for dissatisfaction. Though proud, she feels she has little choice but to keep negotiating.
• Zi Ji is reduced to an unwilling intermediary in their power struggle. She obeys both leaders’ conflicting commands, adding comic relief to the confrontation.
• Jiang Yi and Gu Yuena display a mix of distrust, bargaining, and reluctant dependence: both need the other, but neither fully trusts the other’s intentions.

Significant themes

The chapter explores trust and reciprocity, showing that cooperation requires both sides to accept costs and risks. It also emphasizes power and leverage: Jiang Yi uses Gu Yuena’s dependence on him to negotiate, while her need to preserve the Dragon Clan keeps her from walking away. The comedic scene with Zi Ji contrasts sharply with the serious political stakes behind their agreement.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yi pressures Gu Yuena into giving him one of her highly private and symbolic Reverse Scales. He argues that the scale will serve as proof of her commitment and help prevent another betrayal or conflict between them.
• Gu Yuena initially refuses, but Jiang Yi uses his connection to Tang Wutong—and indirectly Tang San—to remind her that she cannot afford to fight him openly. Realizing that preserving the Dragon Clan matters more than protecting one scale, she reluctantly gives it to him.
• When Gu Yuena asks for the final favor owed to her, Jiang Yi avoids answering, saying he will decide later. Before she leaves, he reminds her to report to the Tang Sect and prepare to represent it at the upcoming Soul Master Tournament in Bright City.
• To demonstrate his own “sincerity” and reassure Gu Yuena about their partnership, Jiang Yi publicly shows affection toward Zi Ji. Gu Yuena interprets this as Jiang Yi revealing one of his weaknesses, while Jiang Yi privately notes that her favorability toward him has risen to fifty.
• Zi Ji is briefly teased and flirted with by Jiang Yi, only to be told that if she wants his attention, she must “get in line.”
• Later that night, Tang Wutong secretly sneaks into Jiang Yi’s lakeside villa intending to launch a surprise night raid.
• Inside, Jiang Yi is performing his unusual “Jiang-style ear cleaning” on Wu Feng while Ning Tian helps hold her steady. The painful but oddly effective treatment eventually puts Wu Feng to sleep.
• Jiang Yi places Wu Feng beside Ning Tian and Jiang Nannan, then senses Tang Wutong’s presence and realizes she has come to him voluntarily.
• At the same time, Xiao Wu’s divine sense manifests inside Jiang Nannan’s body. She discovers the chaotic situation in Jiang Yi’s bedroom, covers the sleeping women, and becomes embarrassed and exasperated by her son-in-law’s behavior.
• Xiao Wu then goes to observe Tang Wutong, suspecting that the girl’s secret nighttime visit has romantic intentions.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi becomes increasingly confident and manipulative in his dealings with Gu Yuena. He uses pressure rather than tenderness to gain her submission, viewing the Reverse Scale less as a practical restraint than as a symbol that places them on equal footing.
• Gu Yuena is forced to surrender some of her pride and independence. Though humiliated and angry, she recognizes that cooperation with Jiang Yi is necessary and begins showing increased emotional investment in him.
• Zi Ji remains timid and inexperienced in romantic matters. She is embarrassed by Jiang Yi’s attention and intimidated by the situation, especially because Bi Ji has never taught her how to respond.
• Tang Wutong takes initiative by secretly entering Jiang Yi’s home, indicating growing boldness and romantic interest.
• Xiao Wu shifts into an embarrassed but watchful maternal role. She is shocked by Jiang Yi’s amorous household and feels protective of the younger women, while also judging Tang Wutong’s intentions.
• Wu Feng is portrayed as fiery but vulnerable, enduring Jiang Yi’s bizarre ear-cleaning technique until it unexpectedly relaxes her enough to fall asleep.
• Ning Tian acts as support for Wu Feng during the treatment and is part of Jiang Yi’s increasingly intimate domestic circle.

Significant Themes

• Power and submission: Jiang Yi uses political leverage and emotional pressure to force Gu Yuena to compromise, emphasizing the unequal but evolving power dynamic between them.
• Trust and vulnerability: The Reverse Scale symbolizes Gu Yuena exposing a private and essential part of herself. Jiang Yi’s display of affection toward Zi Ji similarly serves as a calculated act of vulnerability.
• Romantic competition and possessiveness: Several women are drawn toward Jiang Yi, while his interactions suggest a growing hierarchy and rivalry among them.
• Humor through absurdity: The chapter mixes serious supernatural politics with exaggerated romantic comedy, particularly through Zi Ji’s shyness, Jiang Yi’s “ear cleaning,” and Xiao Wu’s horrified reaction.
• Blurring family and romance: Xiao Wu’s discovery of Jiang Yi’s bedroom places her in the uncomfortable position of observing her son-in-law’s complicated romantic life.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Gu Yuena: Their confrontation combines coercion, bargaining, pride, and reluctant attraction. Gu Yuena leaves angry but somewhat reassured by Jiang Yi’s actions.
• Jiang Yi and Zi Ji: Their interaction is teasing and flirtatious, with Zi Ji’s nervousness contrasting with Jiang Yi’s deliberate provocation.
• Jiang Yi, Wu Feng, and Ning Tian: Jiang Yi provides Wu Feng with an eccentric treatment while Ning Tian assists, creating a comedic yet intimate scene.
• Tang Wutong and Jiang Yi: Though they do not directly interact yet, her covert arrival strongly suggests an imminent romantic confrontation.
• Xiao Wu and Jiang Nannan: Xiao Wu temporarily controls Jiang Nannan’s body through divine sense, using it to inspect the situation and protect the sleeping women.
• Xiao Wu and Tang Wutong: Xiao Wu observes Tang Wutong with a mixture of suspicion, embarrassment, and maternal concern.

Chapter Summary

• Plot and events: Tang Wutong secretly listens outside Jiang Yi’s room, expecting to overhear something romantic or intimate. When the room falls silent, she mocks Jiang Yi for supposedly lasting only a few minutes. Jiang Yi then appears behind her, revealing that he knew she was spying. He teases her about being the real “pervert,” especially since she was the one visiting him in the middle of the night.
• Jiang Yi pins Wutong against the wall and playfully challenges her boasts about being able to last for days. Embarrassment turns into competitiveness, and Wutong impulsively kisses him, determined to prove herself. Their flirtation quickly becomes intimate, and Jiang Yi carries her toward the bedroom.
• Meanwhile, Xiao Wu witnesses the situation and decides to leave rather than intrude. However, she encounters “Ning Tian,” who is actually part of the group’s secret nighttime arrangement. Ning Tian cheerfully suggests that Wutong has finally joined them, leaving Xiao Wu horrified.
• As Jiang Yi and Wutong approach the bedroom, Ning Rongrong appears and encourages Xiao Wu to accept the situation, arguing that shared participation makes everyone feel less guilty. Xiao Wu is trapped between the people inside and those approaching from behind, desperately wondering whether she can escape without exposing herself or Jiang Nannan’s condition.

Character Development

• Tang Wutong: Her curiosity and boastfulness lead her into spying on Jiang Yi. Although initially shy and embarrassed, she becomes bold when challenged, revealing a strong competitive streak. Her actions show that she is attracted to Jiang Yi but struggles to express her feelings directly.
• Jiang Yi: He remains confident, playful, and teasing. By catching Wutong spying, he turns the situation around and uses her own boasts to provoke her into revealing her feelings.
• Xiao Wu: She acts as a reluctant observer and becomes increasingly embarrassed as the situation spirals beyond her control. Her desire to avoid interfering contrasts with the others’ mischievous enthusiasm.
• Ning Rongrong and “Ning Tian”: They are portrayed as conspiratorial and playful, treating the intimate situation as something best shared among friends. Ning Rongrong’s intervention heightens the comedic chaos.
• Jiang Nannan: Though largely offscreen, her hidden or altered condition remains a source of tension, since Xiao Wu fears exposing it.

Significant Themes

• Teasing and competitive romance: Wutong’s relationship with Jiang Yi is driven less by direct confession than by dares, pride, and playful provocation.
• Embarrassment versus desire: Characters repeatedly hide behind jokes and bravado while revealing their attraction through impulsive actions.
• Voyeurism and privacy: The chapter revolves around spying, being caught, and the awkward consequences of observing others’ private relationships.
• Group complicity: The title’s idea that experiences are “better shared” is reflected in the characters’ attempts to involve or reassure one another, turning a private encounter into a chaotic group situation.
• Comedic misunderstandings: The tension comes primarily from mistaken identities, secret arrangements, and Xiao Wu’s increasingly desperate attempts to avoid being discovered.

Key Character Interactions

• Wutong and Jiang Yi: Their flirtatious confrontation shifts from mockery to physical affection, with Jiang Yi teasing Wutong until her pride overcomes her shyness.
• Xiao Wu and “Ning Tian”: Xiao Wu tries to leave quietly, but Ning Tian recognizes what is happening and mischievously prevents her from escaping.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong: Ning Rongrong treats Xiao Wu as a nervous companion who simply needs to become accustomed to the group’s unconventional behavior, worsening Xiao Wu’s embarrassment.

Chapter Summary: “A Day in Heaven, a Year on Earth!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the God Realm’s Sea God Hall, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing use their divine senses to observe events in the lower realm.
• Xiao Wu secretly watches her disciple Xiao Qi’s intimate encounter with Jiang Yi. Because time passes at dramatically different rates—one day in the God Realm equals roughly a year on Earth—she is forced to endure the experience for what feels like an extremely long time.
• Xiao Wu becomes visibly flustered and attempts to hide what she is witnessing. Ning Rongrong notices her embarrassment and teases her, while secretly enjoying her own connection to Ning Tian.
• Zhu Zhuqing remains absorbed in helping Zhu Lu advance through military campaigns in the lower realm. She takes great pride in Zhu Lu’s admiration and is determined to prepare her for a future national-war expansion.
• The following morning, Tang Wutong awakens after a physically exhausting night with Jiang Yi and Jiang Nannan. Though sore and embarrassed, she is happy and grateful, especially toward Jiang Nannan, whose gentle treatment reminds her of her mother.
• Tang Wutong leaves, unaware that Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian were already awake. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong realize they have both remained connected longer than intended and use hypnosis to make the two women fall back asleep, preserving their secret involvement.
• Jiang Yi returns to his public duties after seeing off God King Tang. He works diligently on Shrek City’s construction, earning widespread admiration from its citizens, who voluntarily celebrate him and erect numerous statues in his honor.
• The chapter ends with a sudden crisis: a huge shadow and a thunderous dragon roar appear over Shrek City, signaling the arrival of the Beast God and suggesting that another city may soon be attacked or destroyed.

Character Developments

• Xiao Wu becomes increasingly embarrassed and conflicted as she continues observing Xiao Qi’s private experience. Her humorous “Rabbit Law” rationalizes keeping the incident secret, while her inability to disconnect reveals how invested she is.
• Ning Rongrong displays a mischievous and teasing side, taking pleasure in Xiao Wu’s discomfort. She also shows growing confidence in managing her own secret emotional connection with Ning Tian.
• Zhu Zhuqing is shown embracing her role as Zhu Lu’s mentor and becoming deeply invested in the lower realm’s game-like military progression. Her old attachment to Dai Mubai appears completely displaced by her pride in Zhu Lu.
• Tang Wutong awakens with greater confidence and satisfaction after her experience with Jiang Yi and Jiang Nannan. She feels especially close to Jiang Nannan and begins imagining the possibility of having a child.
• Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian are revealed to be more aware of the previous night than Tang Wutong realizes, though both pretend to remain asleep to avoid an awkward confrontation.
• Jiang Yi continues transforming Shrek City through practical improvements and public works, gaining the status of a beloved civic leader or near-cult figure.

Significant Themes

• Distorted time and perspective: The huge difference between divine and mortal time magnifies seemingly brief events, creating both comedic and dramatic consequences.
• Secrecy and emotional infidelity: The women rationalize their hidden observations and relationships, drawing playful distinctions between physical betrayal, emotional betrayal, and “not being caught.”
• Female camaraderie and mutual protection: Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong cover for one another, while the women in the lower realm also support and protect Tang Wutong.
• Power and indulgence: Divine abilities allow the characters to observe, manipulate, and even hypnotize others, blending godlike power with trivial personal concerns.
• Public devotion and hero worship: Jiang Yi’s generosity and work for Shrek City inspire voluntary celebrations and statues, showing how quickly practical leadership can develop into widespread adoration.
• Comedy before danger: The chapter moves from playful romantic and voyeuristic humor to an ominous cliffhanger involving the Beast God.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong tease each other while secretly monitoring their respective companions in the lower realm.
• Zhu Zhuqing remains separate from their romantic concerns, focused on Zhu Lu’s advancement and enjoying her role as a respected mentor.
• Tang Wutong thanks Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian, unaware that both women were conscious and aware of the previous night.
• Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian share an awkward morning encounter before jointly pretending to sleep again.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong cooperate to conceal the situation by hypnotizing the two women.
• Jiang Yi’s relationship with Shrek City’s residents is presented as one of mutual affection: he improves their lives, and they respond with celebrations and statues.
• The chapter closes by shifting attention toward the threatening arrival of the Beast God, setting up a major conflict for the next chapter.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beast God Di Tian arrives over Shrek City in his true Golden-Eyed Black Dragon form, causing widespread panic and speculation that another beast tide may be imminent.
• The Golden Tree neutralizes his dragon might and Pavilion Master Jiang permits him to enter Shrek Academy.
• Di Tian is escorted through the Sea God Pavilion by Zi Ji, who now works as Jiang Yi’s personal secretary. Her professional behavior and uniform surprise Di Tian, though he interprets her position as one of Jiang’s trusted attendants.
• Jiang Yi meets Di Tian to discuss the alliance between Shrek Academy and the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Di Tian asks to see Jiang Yi’s Martial Soul. Jiang demonstrates its ability by releasing Bi Ji from a jade-green Master Ball.
• Bi Ji has advanced rapidly to nearly seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, apparently without suffering Heavenly Tribulation, convincing Di Tian that Jiang Yi’s power is genuinely beneficial to Soul Beasts.
• Jiang presents a Soul Beast Contract device resembling a Poké Ball and promises to demonstrate the full process at the Lake of Life with Shrek’s students.
• The proposed alliance is intended to protect Soul Beasts, help Jiang Yi reach godhood, and provide Gu Yuena and other divine beasts with a legitimate route to ascend to the God Realm.

Character Developments

• Di Tian: Remains fiercely loyal to Gu Yuena and deeply concerned about the survival of Soul Beasts. Though initially skeptical, he becomes increasingly convinced of Jiang Yi’s value after witnessing Bi Ji’s growth and learning about the Soul Beast Contract.
• Jiang Yi: Presents himself as calm, capable, and pragmatic. He seeks to formalize cooperation between Shrek and the Star Dou Great Forest while subtly keeping alternative plans open in case of future conflict with Tang San.
• Zi Ji: Has adapted fully to life at Shrek, behaving like a professional secretary despite once being one of Di Tian’s fellow powerful Soul Beasts. Her new role demonstrates how thoroughly Jiang Yi’s influence has reshaped the Star Dou faction.
• Bi Ji: Has emotionally moved on from Di Tian and now serves Jiang Yi obediently as a maid. Her extraordinary cultivation progress provides powerful evidence of Jiang Yi’s Martial Soul’s potential.
• Gu Yuena: Though absent, her influence drives the entire meeting. She has convinced Di Tian that Jiang Yi can solve the Soul Beast crisis and help her achieve divine status.

Significant Themes

• Human–Soul Beast cooperation: The alliance represents a possible new relationship between humanity and Soul Beasts, replacing generations of hostility with contracts and mutual benefit.
• Survival and adaptation: The Soul Beasts are gradually recognizing their decline, making Jiang Yi’s Martial Soul and Soul Beast Contract a potential means of preserving their species.
• Power and legitimacy: The alliance is not only practical but political, giving Gu Yuena and other beasts a lawful path toward godhood.
• Loyalty and trust: Di Tian’s willingness to accept Jiang Yi depends heavily on Gu Yuena’s judgment and Bi Ji’s visible success.
• Comedic role reversal: Formerly terrifying beasts such as Zi Ji and Bi Ji now work in secretary or maid-like positions, contrasting their ancient status with Jiang Yi’s unconventional management style.

Character Interactions

• Zi Ji guides Di Tian through Shrek while insisting that he use workplace titles, creating humorous tension between his former authority and her new professional role.
• Jiang Yi and Di Tian carefully assess one another during their first meeting, with Di Tian evaluating Jiang’s worth and Jiang recognizing Di Tian’s importance and tragic loyalty.
• Bi Ji respectfully addresses Jiang Yi as her master and greets Di Tian formally, revealing both her changed allegiance and her emotional distance from him.
• Jiang persuades Di Tian through demonstration rather than argument, using Bi Ji’s advancement and the Soul Beast Contract to strengthen the proposed alliance.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yi proposes creating a Contract Forest, a protected area where humans and Soul Beasts can interact safely and form Soul Beast Contracts without killing.
• Di Tian initially supports a gradual expansion of the system, but Jiang Yi goes further, asking him to forbid all Soul Master hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Jiang Yi frames the proposal as consistent with Shrek’s defense of nature and the Sea God’s will, arguing that humans who slaughter Soul Beasts are no better than evil beasts.
• Di Tian agrees, interpreting Jiang Yi’s bold plan as part of a greater strategy connected to his mysterious “lord.”
• The Soul Beast Contract proves attractive to Soul Beasts because it offers protection, cultivation resources, food, lodging, and possible avoidance of Heavenly Tribulations.
• Jiang Yi establishes Shrek Academy’s third academy, the Beast Taming Department, and organizes experiments with selected students.
• Di Tian helps by providing powerful Soul Beasts for contracts. Jiang Nannan contracts with a ten-thousand-year Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, and both sides benefit.
• Di Tian publicly announces that all hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest is forbidden, threatening to kill anyone who disobeys.
• The announcement causes widespread outrage across the Three Douluo Kingdoms, but most factions are too frightened to directly challenge Di Tian.
• Members of the Body Sect attempt to hunt Soul Beasts and are killed by Xiong Jun. Enraged but aware that the Body Sect cannot defeat Di Tian, Du Busi decides to confront Shrek Academy instead.
• Major powers begin moving toward Shrek, hoping the academy will take responsibility or lead humanity against the Beast God.
• Jiang Yi refuses their invitations and orders Shrek to publicly declare that it will follow the Sea God’s Edict and stop actively hunting Soul Beasts.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Yi reveals himself as highly ambitious, strategic, and willing to provoke the entire human Soul Master world to secure control over high-level Soul Beasts. His moral rhetoric about protecting nature masks a broader plan to make Shrek and the Contract Forest indispensable.
• Di Tian becomes increasingly impressed by Jiang Yi and assumes that the plan is connected to the deeper schemes of his lord. Though initially cautious, he ultimately accepts the bold policy and personally enforces it.
• Jiang Nannan becomes one of the first students to demonstrate the practical benefits of the Soul Beast Contract through her bond with the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.
• Du Busi shows anger and pride as Body Sect members are killed, but his strategic judgment prevents him from rashly attacking Di Tian. He instead seeks to pressure Shrek.
• Zhang Lexuan is visibly uneasy about Jiang Yi’s increasingly confrontational policies, suggesting concern that Shrek may provoke a massive backlash.
• The Soul Beasts are portrayed as pragmatic rather than uniformly hostile: many accept contracts when they offer better living conditions, resources, and protection.

3. Significant Themes

• Human–beast reconciliation: The Soul Beast Contract offers an alternative to the traditional system of hunting beasts for soul rings.
• Power through reform: Jiang Yi uses an apparently humane reform to gain control over a crucial resource—the continent’s strongest Soul Beasts.
• Moral hypocrisy and political maneuvering: Jiang Yi presents his policy as righteous and aligned with the Sea God, while also using it to strengthen Shrek’s influence.
• Fear versus bravado: Human factions loudly condemn Di Tian, but few are willing to confront him directly. Their anger is largely performative until real danger appears.
• Economic and strategic dependence: By making the Contract Forest the safest source of high-age Soul Beasts, Jiang Yi forces powerful Soul Masters and sects to depend on Shrek.
• Gradual integration: The Contract Forest is intended to become a bridge between humans and beasts, allowing cooperation to expand over time.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Di Tian negotiate the terms of the Contract Forest, with Jiang Yi pushing for a much broader protection policy than Di Tian initially expects.
• Jiang Yi presents his proposal to Di Tian as a moral obligation, while privately viewing it as a way to secure future power and resources.
• Di Tian cooperates with Shrek by selecting powerful Soul Beasts for contracts, including Jiang Nannan’s Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.
• Di Tian’s public edict directly challenges all human Soul Masters and triggers conflict with sects such as the Body Sect.
• Du Busi and the Body Sect elders demand revenge, but Du Busi recognizes their inferiority to Di Tian and turns to Shrek for answers.
• Jiang Yi dismisses the factions’ appeals, while Zhang Lexuan and the unseen speaker beneath the table worry that Shrek’s stance may lead to retaliation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yi learns that several sects are investigating Shrek’s connection with the Star Dou Great Forest after Di Tian’s appearance in Shrek City.
• Xixi secretly hides beneath Jiang Yi’s desk while gathering intelligence, pretending she is “catching mice.” Zhang Lexuan discovers her but leaves after teasingly reprimanding them.
• Xixi warns Jiang Yi that other sects may isolate the remaining Soul Beast Forests, potentially making Soul Rings inaccessible to commoner Soul Masters.
• Jiang Yi reveals his counterstrategy: if the powerful sects monopolize Soul Beast resources, Shrek will distribute Soul Beast Contract access for free. This would allow Soul Masters to obtain Soul Rings without hunting beasts.
• He also plans for the Tang Sect to provide new recruits with Poké Balls, using the free contracts to attract a huge number of commoner Soul Masters.
• Shrek announces that it will stop hunting Soul Beasts and begins recruiting for its new Beast Taming Department. The news causes a major uproar throughout the Soul Master world.
• Du Busi and the Body Sect react furiously, interpreting Shrek’s policy as proof that it has allied with Soul Beasts. Du Busi uses the deaths of ten Body Sect disciples in Star Dou to rally his elders against Shrek and position the Body Sect as the defender of humanity.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi is shown to be calm, calculating, and politically ambitious. He views the controversy as an opportunity to control both the upper-class Soul Master world through Shrek and commoner Soul Masters through the Tang Sect.
• Xixi acts as Jiang Yi’s spy and adviser. Although initially worried about Shrek’s reputation and the consequences for ordinary Soul Masters, she quickly understands and admires his strategic plan.
• Zhang Lexuan continues to serve as a practical, responsible senior figure, balancing her work with amused awareness of Jiang Yi and Xixi’s antics.
• Du Busi becomes increasingly radical and self-righteous. He publicly presents himself as a champion of humanity while privately treating the crisis as a chance to overthrow Shrek’s dominance and make the Body Sect the leading power.

Significant Themes

• Control through generosity: Jiang Yi plans to gain power by giving Soul Beast Contracts away for free, turning a seemingly charitable act into a method of political and institutional domination.
• Class inequality: The chapter emphasizes how nobles and powerful sects control resources while commoner Soul Masters struggle to obtain Soul Rings.
• Propaganda and public perception: Both Shrek and the Body Sect attempt to shape the narrative. Jiang Yi intends to appear benevolent, while Du Busi brands Shrek as traitorous.
• Human–Soul Beast relations: The Soul Beast Contract challenges the traditional belief that Soul Beasts must be hunted, creating a fundamental conflict within the Soul Master world.
• Ambition and power politics: The dispute is not only about morality or resources; both sides are maneuvering to control the future of the continent.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi playfully restrains Xixi beneath his desk while she gathers intelligence, creating a flirtatious and comedic exchange.
• Zhang Lexuan catches on to Xixi’s deception and reprimands her, while also recognizing Jiang Yi’s involvement.
• Xixi questions Jiang Yi’s seemingly reckless plan, prompting him to explain how Shrek and the Tang Sect can use free Soul Beast Contracts to recruit commoners.
• Jiang Yi and Xixi engage in affectionate teasing after their strategic discussion.
• Du Busi addresses the Body Sect elders with an emotional speech, portraying Shrek as humanity’s enemy and encouraging the sect to oppose it.

Chapter Summary: “The Body Sect Attacks? What Is Justice!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Du Busi leads nearly the entire Body Sect—including more than a dozen powerful elders, most of them Titled Douluo—to attack Shrek City.
• He publicly claims to be seeking justice for Soul Masters everywhere, but his real objective is to destroy Shrek’s reputation and punish Jiang Yi for Shrek’s alliance with Soul Beasts.
• The conflict alarms the Soul Master world. Shrek’s victory could trigger a struggle among factions for control of the remaining Soul Beast Forests, while a Body Sect victory would severely damage Shrek’s authority.
• Upon reaching Shrek City, Du Busi attacks the city wall with a massive palm strike, endangering over a hundred ordinary guards.
• Zhang Lexuan blocks the attack with her moon-based power and confronts Du Busi. Her strength surprises him, especially because she possesses two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
• More Shrek experts arrive, including Ma Xiaotao and Xian Lin’er. Ma Xiaotao aggressively trades insults with the Body Sect elders, turning the confrontation into a heated verbal battle.
• Du Busi ends the exchange and delivers a self-righteous declaration, accusing Shrek of betraying humanity by associating with Soul Beasts.
• The Golden Tree responds, dispelling Du Busi’s poisonous green domain. Jiang Yi then descends from the sky as the Sea God Pavilion Master and Tang Sect Master.
• Jiang Yi immediately kills the elder who insulted Zhang Lexuan with a single sword strike, dismissing Du Busi’s claim that he represents the world’s Soul Masters.

Character Developments

• Du Busi is revealed as both overwhelmingly powerful and politically calculating. Although he claims to seek justice, he deliberately attacks civilians and uses the incident to undermine Shrek’s moral standing.
• Zhang Lexuan demonstrates composure, courage, and exceptional strength by protecting the city guards and confronting the Body Sect despite being mocked as a “little girl.”
• Ma Xiaotao displays her fiery and fearless personality, verbally overwhelming the Body Sect elders and defending Shrek with aggressive confidence.
• Jiang Yi makes a dramatic entrance that reinforces his authority and power. His effortless killing of the insulting elder shows that he will not tolerate threats or disrespect toward Shrek’s people.
• The Shrek defenders are shown to possess greater depth and strength than Du Busi expected, disproving his assumption that Jiang Yi is Shrek’s only major powerhouse.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus hypocrisy: Du Busi frames the attack as a campaign for justice, but his assault on civilians exposes the self-serving and hypocritical nature of his cause.
• Power and legitimacy: The confrontation is not merely a physical battle; both sides are competing to control public opinion and define who has the moral authority to speak for Soul Masters.
• Humanity and Soul Beasts: Du Busi uses racial division to condemn Shrek’s cooperation with Soul Beasts, while Shrek’s actions suggest a broader and more inclusive view of coexistence.
• The vulnerability of ordinary people: The terrified city guards emphasize how helpless civilians are when elite Soul Masters wage political and ideological battles.
• Strength behind appearances: Du Busi expects Shrek to be defenseless, but Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Jiang Yi reveal that Shrek’s true power is much greater than outsiders realize.

Important Character Interactions

• Du Busi and Zhang Lexuan: Du Busi belittles Zhang Lexuan and challenges Shrek’s leadership, while she calmly blocks his attack and protects the city.
• Ma Xiaotao and the Body Sect elders: Their exchange becomes a comedic but hostile insult battle, with Ma Xiaotao fiercely defending Shrek and humiliating the elders verbally.
• Du Busi and Shrek: Du Busi attempts to publicly condemn Shrek as traitorous, presenting himself as the voice of the Soul Master world.
• Jiang Yi and the Body Sect: Jiang Yi ends the confrontation’s rhetorical phase by killing one of the elders and directly rejecting the Body Sect’s presumed authority.
• Jiang Yi and the Golden Tree: The Golden Tree’s response coincides with Jiang Yi’s arrival, symbolizing Shrek’s overwhelming support and the restoration of order against Du Busi’s oppressive domain.

Chapter Summary: “Still the Old Guard’s Tactics! Wholesale Hat-Throwing!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Body Sect confronts Shrek, accusing it of colluding with the Beast God, Di Tian, after Body Sect disciples were killed in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• During the confrontation, Body Sect elder Jin Biao insults Shrek and is killed in a single exchange by Jiang Yi, shocking both sides.
• Enraged, Sect Master Du Busi activates his Gold-grade Second Awakening, while the remaining elders use their Silver-grade Second Awakenings to threaten Shrek.
• Du Busi and his elders loudly accuse Shrek of betraying humanity and endangering Soul Masters by cooperating with Soul Beasts. They attempt to manipulate public opinion by portraying Shrek as traitors.
• Jiang Yi allows them to finish speaking, then uses an improved Voice-Transmitting Soul Tool, supplied by Ma Xiaotao, to broadcast his response across the entire city.
• Rather than defend Shrek emotionally, Jiang Yi challenges Du Busi with three questions:
  1. Who sealed the Star Dou Great Forest?
  2. Did Shrek send the Body Sect disciples there?
  3. Did Shrek kill them?
• Du Busi is forced to admit that Shrek was not directly responsible and that the disciples entered the forest on their own and were killed by its Ferocious Beasts.
• Jiang Yi turns the accusation back on the Body Sect, suggesting that Du Busi is using Shrek to gain political prestige because he is unwilling to confront Di Tian directly.
• Shrek’s citizens, initially uncertain, rally behind Jiang Yi and condemn the Body Sect as bullies who fear the strong but intimidate their fellow humans.
• Realizing that continuing the conflict would damage the Body Sect’s reputation and political alliances, Du Busi orders a retreat despite the death of Elder Jin.
• One elder protests that Jin Biao cannot have died for nothing, but Du Busi insists on leaving, prioritizing the sect’s long-term political interests over revenge.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi demonstrates composure, strategic intelligence, and powerful rhetorical skill. He immediately treats Jin Biao’s death as a warning to anyone threatening Shrek, but avoids unnecessary escalation afterward.
• Jiang Yi also shows political maturity by refusing to argue on the Body Sect’s terms. He shifts the burden of proof onto Du Busi and exposes the weakness of the accusations.
• Du Busi is shown to be both aggressive and calculating. He initially tries to intimidate Shrek through overwhelming power and public accusations, but retreats once he realizes the Body Sect lacks evidence and risks losing its political standing.
• His decision to withdraw reflects restraint and a willingness to endure humiliation for the sect’s future.
• Ma Xiaotao supports Jiang Yi by providing the improved communication Soul Tool, helping him reach the entire city and magnify the effect of his counterargument.
• Shrek’s citizens undergo a rapid change from anxiety and uncertainty to confidence and anger, illustrating how effectively public opinion can be shaped by clear arguments and persuasive leadership.
• The unnamed Body Sect elders reveal the sect’s divided instincts: some want immediate revenge, while Du Busi understands the larger strategic consequences.

Significant Themes

• Burden of proof and political manipulation: The Body Sect relies on accusations and emotionally charged labels rather than evidence. Jiang Yi exposes this by forcing them to establish Shrek’s direct responsibility.
• Propaganda and control of public opinion: Both sides attempt to define the narrative, but Shrek’s superior communication technology allows Jiang Yi to reach the public more effectively.
• Strength versus strategy: Although the Body Sect possesses formidable martial power, Jiang Yi defeats them politically and rhetorically without needing to fight the entire group.
• Reputation and legitimacy: The Body Sect wants to become a respected champion of humanity, but its bullying behavior threatens that goal. Du Busi retreats because continuing would confirm the image of cowardice and factionalism.
• Political pragmatism: Du Busi sacrifices immediate revenge to preserve the Body Sect’s alliance with the Heaven Soul Imperial Family and its future role in the coming conflict.
• Unity against external threats: Jiang Yi argues that internal conflict only benefits the Sun Moon Empire, emphasizing the need for human factions to avoid destroying one another while facing larger enemies.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Du Busi: Their confrontation shifts from a potential physical battle to a contest of logic, authority, and public influence. Jiang Yi repeatedly forces Du Busi into admissions that undermine his accusations.
• Jiang Yi and the Shrek citizens: Through the Voice-Transmitting Soul Tool, Jiang Yi directly addresses and reassures the city, transforming public fear into support for Shrek.
• Jiang Yi and Ma Xiaotao: Ma Xiaotao acts as an enthusiastic assistant, supplying the technology that enables Jiang Yi’s citywide rebuttal.
• Du Busi and his elders: Du Busi commands the elders to retreat despite their desire for revenge, revealing his authority and strategic priorities.
• The Body Sect and Shrek: Their confrontation exposes a broader political struggle over responsibility for the Star Dou Great Forest, the treatment of Soul Beasts, and the future alignment of humanity’s major powers.

Chapter Summary: Jiang Xiaoyi Repays Kindness! Du Busi Captured!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yi verbally outmaneuvers the Body Sect, using their disrespect toward Shrek and Elder Jin’s death as justification to punish them.
• When Sect Master Du Busi refuses to leave peacefully, Jiang Yi attacks him in front of Shrek and the watching factions in Shrek City.
• Du Busi activates his Martial Soul Avatar and launches a powerful punch, but Jiang Yi effortlessly counters with the Golden Tree’s power.
• Jiang Yi manifests a massive golden hand that completely overwhelms and seals Du Busi, despite Du Busi being a Rank 98 Titled Douluo capable of challenging Limit Douluo-level opponents.
• Eight Body Sect elders attempt to rescue their leader but are instantly defeated and forced into the ground. Jiang Yi deliberately spares the final elder.
• Du Busi is rendered unconscious and taken into Shrek Academy, where he is to remain for three days and serve as a symbolic “street sweeper.”
• A witness records the battle and sends the footage to his sect, causing many factions to reassess Shrek’s strength and Jiang Yi’s frightening talent.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, defeating Du Busi and the Body Sect elders without serious effort. More importantly, he proves himself politically astute: he uses the confrontation to strengthen Shrek’s reputation while preventing the conflict from escalating.
• Jiang Yi reveals that the surviving Body Sect elder, the Arms Elder, awakened his Martial Soul when he was six years old in Zhenxin Town. This establishes that Jiang Yi remembers and values even a small act of kindness.
• Jiang Yi balances personal gratitude with his duties as Sea God Pavilion Master. Although he cannot overlook the Body Sect’s attack, he releases the elders, assures them Du Busi will not be harmed, and gives the Arms Elder a spiritual herb.
• The Arms Elder is shocked to discover that the child whose Martial Soul he once awakened has become the eighteen-year-old Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion. He initially refuses Jiang Yi’s gift out of humility but accepts it after Jiang Yi frames it as a gesture of future cooperation.
• The Body Sect elders move from anger and confidence to fear, regret, and reluctant respect. They realize that their sect lost the chance to recruit Jiang Yi years earlier.
• Du Busi suffers a humiliating defeat and is captured almost instantly, largely because of his impulsiveness and refusal to recognize Jiang Yi’s authority.
• Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe observe the aftermath. Xuan Zi praises Jiang Yi’s mature handling of the crisis, though he also gleefully looks forward to mocking Du Busi.
• Ma Xiaotao admires Jiang Yi’s intimidating rhetoric, while the disguised cat-like observer records the scene as one of Jiang Yi’s legendary moments.

Significant Themes

• Repaying kindness: Jiang Yi remembers the Arms Elder’s role in awakening his Martial Soul and repays that favor despite the elder belonging to an opposing faction.
• Strength combined with diplomacy: Jiang Yi does not rely solely on overwhelming power. He first establishes authority, then offers mercy and a path toward reconciliation.
• Justice versus personal loyalty: Jiang Yi insists that Elder Jin’s death was justified and that the Body Sect must be punished, but he does not allow his personal gratitude to erase his public responsibilities.
• The importance of reputation and political influence: Jiang Yi intentionally defeats the Body Sect in a highly visible manner, demonstrating Shrek’s power to the continent’s observing factions. His later generosity ensures that the incident enhances rather than damages Shrek’s alliances.
• Missed opportunities and talent: The Body Sect elders regret failing to recognize Jiang Yi’s potential when he was a child. His rise from an ordinary boy with innate Rank 6 talent to Sea God Pavilion Master highlights the unpredictability of genius.
• Humiliation and reversal: The Body Sect arrives intending to intimidate Shrek but instead loses its leader, is defeated publicly, and must leave with its pride shattered.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi confronts Du Busi with calm mockery, provoking him into attacking and then defeating him effortlessly.
• Xian Lin’er and the other Shrek members support Jiang Yi by blocking the Body Sect’s retreat.
• The Body Sect elders attempt to rescue Du Busi but are repelled by Jiang Yi and then released after he reconciles with the Arms Elder.
• Jiang Yi respectfully salutes the Arms Elder, stunning everyone and revealing their shared history.
• Jiang Yi gives the Arms Elder a spiritual herb and proposes that Shrek and the Body Sect cooperate against the Sun Moon Empire.
• Afterward, the Body Sect elders blame the Arms Elder for not recruiting Jiang Yi years earlier, realizing how valuable their missed opportunity was.
• Xuan Zi praises Jiang Yi’s handling of the incident and jokingly celebrates his victory in a game of “Gomoku,” which Yan Shaozhe only realizes was not chess after Xuan Zi leaves to mock Du Busi.

Chapter Summary: “Rising Fame!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three days after his defeat, Body Sect leader Du Busi is forced to sweep the section of Shrek City he damaged during his battle with Jiang Yi.
• Xuan Zi repeatedly mocks Du Busi while enjoying food and wine, but escapes before Du Busi can retaliate. He informs Du Busi that his punishment is over and that Heaven Soul has come to collect him.
• At the Sea God Pavilion, Jiang Yi speaks with Princess Vina of the Heaven Soul Empire. Jiang’s victory over Du Busi has spread throughout the continent, accompanied by exaggerated praise and stories portraying him as a magnanimous, almost legendary figure.
• Du Busi arrives and asks whether the three-day punishment has ended. Jiang Yi removes the seal suppressing his strength, restoring Du Busi’s Soul Power.
• Though Du Busi remains proud and somewhat resentful, he accepts that he was defeated fairly and leaves without further conflict. Vina accompanies him.
• Rather than immediately returning to Heaven Dou City, Vina takes Du Busi to the Tang Sect.
• She explains that Shrek Academy has publicly released the Soul Beast Contract method and is allowing Soul Masters to enter Contract Forests freely.
• Du Busi initially believes this is an extraordinarily generous act, but discovers that the Tang Sect is selling the necessary contract devices at extremely high prices—around thirty thousand gold soul coins each—with no guarantee of success.
• He is shocked by the commercial nature of Shrek’s supposedly charitable policy, especially because the Body Sect has limited finances.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yi: His reputation has transformed from a controversial figure into a respected and celebrated powerhouse after defeating Du Busi with overwhelming ease. He maintains a calm, benevolent public persona while also thinking strategically about how to use strong but stubborn figures like Du Busi.
• Du Busi: His pride has been humbled. Although he still dislikes Jiang Yi and Xuan Zi, he recognizes his defeat and fulfills his punishment without openly resisting. His restored strength renews his confidence, but his surprise at the Tang Sect’s prices reveals the Body Sect’s financial difficulties.
• Xuan Zi: He continues his mischievous, antagonistic behavior toward Du Busi, taking pleasure in humiliating his old rival while avoiding any real confrontation.
• Vina: She acts respectfully toward Jiang Yi and shows political intelligence. She understands both the diplomatic value of Shrek’s actions and the commercial reality behind the Soul Beast Contract system. Her relationship with Du Busi resembles that of a trusted younger relative and elder.
• The Body Sect: Its defeat and lack of funds expose its weaker position compared with wealthier organizations such as Shrek Academy and the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and propaganda: Jiang Yi’s single victory rapidly reshapes public opinion, with Tang Sect stories turning him into a heroic and almost divine figure.
• Power and deterrence: Jiang Yi’s overwhelming strength discourages other sects from challenging Shrek openly and reinforces Shrek’s authority across the continent.
• Punishment and reconciliation: Du Busi’s forced labor serves as both humiliation and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, allowing him to leave without further bloodshed.
• Idealism versus commerce: Shrek presents the Soul Beast Contract as a public benefit, but the expensive contract devices reveal that the policy also creates a profitable business opportunity.
• Economic inequality: Powerful sects can exploit resources such as soul beast forests, while ordinary Soul Masters and poorer sects struggle to afford new opportunities.
• Strategic benevolence: Jiang Yi’s kindness is genuine enough to maintain peace, but it also strengthens his influence and benefits his organization.

Character Interactions

• Xuan Zi and Du Busi: Their long-standing rivalry is expressed through teasing and provocation. Xuan Zi enjoys Du Busi’s punishment, while Du Busi struggles to contain his anger.
• Jiang Yi and Vina: Their conversation is polite and mutually flattering. Vina praises Jiang’s character, while Jiang maintains his modest public image.
• Jiang Yi and Du Busi: Their relationship has shifted from open conflict to reluctant respect. Jiang treats Du Busi fairly, and Du Busi accepts Jiang’s authority after recognizing the difference in their strength.
• Vina and Du Busi: Vina respectfully calls him Sect Master and guides him through the Tang Sect’s business operations, while Du Busi treats her with unusual warmth because of her connection to his sect.
• Shrek and the wider continent: Shrek’s public release of the Soul Beast Contract method affects academies, sects, civilian Soul Masters, and political powers, expanding both its influence and its commercial reach.

Chapter Summary: The Abyssal Holy Lord’s Second Run! The Second Tournament!

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Tang Sect continues selling basic Poké Balls, which can contract soul beasts of up to one hundred years. To expand its influence, it offers a free ball to anyone who joins the Tang Sect Outer Court.
• Princess Vina observes that the Tang Sect is using these tools to attract ordinary soul masters, while Du Busi dismisses the offer. Despite her doubts, Vina buys ten Poké Balls so the imperial soul engineers can study them.
• Tang Ya worries that the Tang Sect’s soul-beast contracts are priced too high at thirty thousand, especially since the production cost is relatively low. Jiang Yi explains that the high initial price is deliberate: once the price is lowered, customers will perceive the product as an extraordinary bargain.
• At the Holy Spirit Cult, Ye Xishui learns that Jiang Yi defeated the Body Douluo despite being only eighteen. She examines the soul-beast contract and a Poké Ball, recognizing the contract as legitimate but finding the Poké Ball’s internal design too advanced to decipher.
• Ye Xishui orders Zhongli Wu to monitor Xu Tianran more closely. Her cold attitude toward Zhongli Wu deepens his resentment and emotional instability.
• Zhongli Wu retreats to a secret chamber, where the remnant soul of the Abyssal Sage King appears in his Spirit Sea. The Abyssal Sage King exploits Zhongli Wu’s feelings of rejection, offering him greater power in exchange for surrendering his soul and hinting at his own eventual revival.
• At Shrek City’s West Gate, the students prepare to leave for Bright City and the Soul Master Tournament. Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, and Dai Huabin are assigned to the Shrek team, while Jiang Nannan and others compete under the Tang Sect team.
• Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin continue their strange, combative relationship, while Bei Bei struggles to keep them under control. Nan Shuishui warns Nan Qiuqiu not to imitate their behavior, leading to a humorous exchange about Nan Shuishui’s youthful appearance.

Character Development

• Jiang Yi is portrayed as calculating and commercially savvy. He deliberately uses pricing psychology to build demand for the Tang Sect’s soul-beast contracts and remains confident that their value will eventually be recognized.
• Tang Ya shows a more compassionate and practical nature, worrying that expensive contracts will prevent ordinary soul masters from benefiting. Her closeness and attraction to Jiang Yi also continue to grow.
• Princess Vina becomes increasingly interested in the Tang Sect’s technology, purchasing Poké Balls for research despite remaining skeptical of the organization’s expansion strategy.
• Ye Xishui recognizes Jiang Yi as a serious and unusually powerful threat. Her lack of affection for Zhongli Wu becomes more apparent, emphasizing her emotional distance and preference for her descendants connected to Shrek.
• Zhongli Wu reaches a psychological breaking point. His lifelong desire for maternal recognition turns into rage, making him vulnerable to the Abyssal Sage King’s manipulation.
• The Abyssal Sage King reveals that he survived and begins preparing his return by tempting Zhongli Wu with forbidden power.
• Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin maintain their antagonistic but unusually intimate dynamic, while Bei Bei takes on the role of mediator and stabilizing force.

Significant Themes

• Power and influence through technology: The Tang Sect uses affordable or strategically distributed soul tools to attract a broad base of soul masters and expand its institutional influence.
• Commercial manipulation and perceived value: Jiang Yi’s pricing strategy highlights how scarcity and later discounts can make customers feel they are receiving an exceptional opportunity.
• Technological competition: The Holy Spirit Cult and the empire seek to study Tang Sect inventions, suggesting that the Poké Balls and soul-beast contracts may shift the balance of power.
• Parental neglect and emotional vulnerability: Zhongli Wu’s pain comes from being denied genuine affection by Ye Xishui, leaving him susceptible to demonic promises.
• Hidden threats and looming catastrophe: The Abyssal Sage King’s survival establishes a major future danger, particularly because he is now influencing a powerful and resentful figure.
• Humor amid political tension: The eccentric behavior of Xu Sanshi, Dai Huabin, and the other Shrek characters provides comic relief as the tournament begins.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yi and Tang Ya: Their intimate relationship combines affection, physical desire, and disagreement over the Tang Sect’s pricing tactics.
• Princess Vina and Du Busi: Vina carefully analyzes the Tang Sect’s strategy, while Du Busi remains dismissive of its promotional offer.
• Ye Xishui and Zhongli Wu: Their formal, emotionally cold interaction exposes the lack of a genuine mother-son bond.
• Zhongli Wu and the Abyssal Sage King: The Sage King manipulates Zhongli Wu’s anger by presenting himself as the answer to Zhongli Wu’s need for strength and recognition.
• Xu Sanshi, Dai Huabin, and Bei Bei: Their bickering creates a chaotic team dynamic, with Bei Bei acting as the only one capable of restraining the other two.
• Nan Shuishui and Nan Qiuqiu: Their playful mother-daughter conversation adds humor and shows their affectionate relationship in contrast to Ye Xishui and Zhongli Wu’s dysfunction.