Chapter Summaries

After six years of rigorous training, Ma Hongjun attended his Martial Soul awakening ceremony in Grass Chicken Village, where Flender presided. The other children awakened ordinary farming-tool Martial Souls, and Ma Hongjun waited to take his turn.

• Ma Hongjun reflected on his physical training and his plan to use Light Element Soul Rings to cleanse the Evil Fire Phoenix’s evil nature.
• Ma Hongjun’s mother took him to the awakening ceremony in Grass Chicken Village.
• Flender arrived to conduct the ceremony, and Ma Hongjun recognized him as the dean of Shrek Academy.
• Flender awakened the children’s Martial Souls one by one, but they all received ordinary farming tools.
• Ma Hongjun remained last in line, watching Flender as his own awakening approached.

Ma Hongjun awakened a rare mutated Martial Soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix, but immediately suffered its dangerous Evil Fire backlash. Flender recognized the power and its cost, leaving Ma Hongjun struggling to keep control as Flender celebrated his discovery.

• Ma Hongjun stepped up as the last child to undergo awakening, and Flender noticed his unusual composure.
• Flender activated the awakening array, and the Awakening Stone blazed with brilliant light and red streaks.
• Ma Hongjun released dark crimson flames that formed the shape of a bird resembling a turkey.
• The newly awakened Evil Fire surged through Ma Hongjun, filling him with uncontrollable desire and threatening his reason.
• Flender identified Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul as the Evil Fire Phoenix and recognized that its power came with a dangerous backlash.

Flender suppressed Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire Phoenix backlash and explained that he could only manage its effects for now. He then tested Ma Hongjun’s Soul Power, whose result remained to be revealed.

• Flender saw Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire overwhelm him and used his soul skills to suppress the flames.
• Ma Hongjun recovered, and Flender identified his Martial Soul as the Evil Fire Phoenix.
• Flender warned Ma Hongjun that the backlash would return and admitted he had no cure, though he could help control it.
• Ma Hongjun asked Flender to test his Soul Power and placed his hand on the crystal ball.
• Ma Hongjun channeled his Soul Power, and the crystal ball lit up.

Ma Hongjun revealed Innate Full Soul Power, and Flender accepted him as his disciple and took him to Shrek Academy. On the way, Ma Hongjun suggested using Light Element soul rings to cleanse the Evil Fire Phoenix’s corruption, leaving Flender to consider whether the idea could work.

• Ma Hongjun’s Soul Power nearly shattered the crystal ball, and Flender confirmed he had Innate Full Soul Power.
• Ma Hongjun accepted Flender’s offer to become his disciple and kowtowed to him.
• Flender told Ma Hongjun’s parents that the Evil Fire Phoenix could kill him before age twenty, but promised to seek a solution and waived his tuition.
• Ma Hongjun said goodbye to his parents, then left the village with Flender for Shrek Academy.
• Ma Hongjun told Flender that images of bright light had appeared during his awakening and proposed using Light Element soul rings to suppress the Evil Fire’s impurities.
• Flender considered Ma Hongjun’s theory that pure Light Element soul rings could gradually cleanse the Evil Fire Phoenix.

Ma Hongjun persuaded Flender to pursue a Light Element soul beast for his first soul ring, hoping it would help purify his Evil Fire. They headed for the Soul Hunting Forest, where Ma Hongjun considered which Light Element soul beast would suit him best.

• Flender agreed that a Light Element soul ring was theoretically feasible but warned that suitable soul beasts were rare and dangerous.
• Flender decided to take Ma Hongjun to the Soul Hunting Forest, with a Fire Element soul beast as a backup if they could not find a Light Element one.
• Flender and Ma Hongjun set out from Grass Chicken Village on foot, and Ma Hongjun thanked his teacher for helping him.
• On the way, Flender explained that Ma Hongjun's first soul ring could come from a soul beast no older than four hundred and twenty-three years.
• Flender described Light Butterflies, Holy Light Sparrows, Radiance Deer, and Sun-Day Foxes, and Ma Hongjun weighed their traits against his need to suppress his Evil Fire.

Ma Hongjun and Flender traveled to the Soul Hunting Forest to find a Light Element soul beast for Ma Hongjun’s first soul ring and to help control his Evil Fire. They entered the forest and made camp for the night, leaving the search to begin the next morning.

• Flender named the Holy Light Sparrow as their first choice for Ma Hongjun’s soul ring, with other Light Element soul beasts as alternatives.
• Flender explained that a Light Element soul ring might evolve Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire Phoenix toward a Light Phoenix and resolve the Evil Fire problem.
• Flender and Ma Hongjun reached the Soul Hunting Forest and entered after the guards checked Flender’s identification.
• Flender set up camp in the outer forest and warned Ma Hongjun not to approach any soul beast without his order.
• Ma Hongjun stayed awake by the campfire, thinking about the search for a Holy Light Sparrow the next day.

Ma Hongjun and Flender found a four-hundred-year Holy Light Sparrow, and Ma Hongjun began absorbing its Soul Ring despite its Light Element clashing with his Evil Fire. The chapter left Ma Hongjun enduring the painful absorption while struggling to stay conscious.

• Ma Hongjun dreamed of a golden phoenix and woke early to search the Soul Hunting Forest with Flender.
• After searching for hours, Ma Hongjun spotted a Holy Light Sparrow in an oak tree, and Flender confirmed it was near Ma Hongjun's absorption limit.
• Flender captured the Holy Light Sparrow, and Ma Hongjun delivered the final blow to kill it.
• Ma Hongjun drew in the Holy Light Sparrow's Soul Ring, whose warm Light Element energy clashed with his Evil Fire.
• Ma Hongjun fought through the burning pain and guarded his fading consciousness as Flender watched anxiously.

Ma Hongjun absorbed a Light Element soul ring, which partially suppressed his Evil Fire and gave him a new flight ability. He learned that his first soul skill, Wings of Light, could enhance his flames and allow only brief, low-altitude flight.

• Ma Hongjun merged the Holy Light Sparrow’s soul ring into his martial soul, changing the appearance of his flames and partially calming his Evil Fire.
• Flender confirmed that the soul ring had been absorbed successfully and said they would need to seek out more Light Element soul beasts to gradually suppress the Evil Fire.
• Ma Hongjun sensed that his first soul skill was Wings of Light, which produced Light Wings and granted him short-distance flight.
• Ma Hongjun told Flender that Wings of Light increased his flame power by about thirty percent but allowed flight for only around a minute and limited his altitude.

Ma Hongjun tested his new Wings of Light, discovering that they enabled brief flight and eased the backlash from his Evil Fire. Flender brought him back to the rundown Shrek Academy, where Ma Hongjun saw Oscar and met Teacher Zhao.

• Ma Hongjun unfolded his Wings of Light and flew, but the skill drained his Soul Power and lasted only about forty seconds.
• Ma Hongjun discovered that the Light Wings also suppressed his Evil Fire, and Flender explained that their flight potential would grow with his Soul Power.
• Flender led Ma Hongjun from the Soul Hunting Forest to Shrek Academy, a poor village compound outside Suotuo City.
• Ma Hongjun saw Oscar training in the courtyard, and Flender introduced him to Zhao Wuji, the academy's vice headmaster.

Ma Hongjun joined Shrek Academy and met Oscar, Zhao Wuji, Flender, and the other teachers. After learning that Oscar was the academy’s only other student, Ma Hongjun believed Flender’s determination to keep Shrek open.

• Zhao Wuji welcomed Ma Hongjun and learned that his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul had Innate Full Soul Power.
• Oscar introduced himself as an eight-year-old Food System Soul Master at level eighteen and offered to help ease Ma Hongjun’s Evil Fire.
• Flender introduced Ma Hongjun to Li Yusong, Lu Qibin, Shao Xin, and the academy’s other teachers.
• Flender revealed that Oscar was Shrek Academy’s only student before Ma Hongjun arrived and vowed to keep the academy operating.
• Ma Hongjun told Flender that he believed in him.

Ma Hongjun settled into Shrek Academy and began his first training day alongside Oscar. When Oscar demonstrated his sausage Soul Skill, Ma Hongjun calmly ate it, leaving Oscar, Flender, and Zhao Wuji astonished.

• Oscar showed Ma Hongjun the rundown dormitory, and Ma Hongjun accepted the conditions without complaint.
• Ma Hongjun reflected on the future Shrek Seven Devils and resolved to become the righteous Light Phoenix.
• The next morning, Oscar and Ma Hongjun met Flender and Zhao Wuji for Ma Hongjun's first official training session.
• Oscar summoned his sausage Martial Soul and chanted the embarrassing incantation, "Daddy Has a Big Sausage!"
• Ma Hongjun took a huge bite of Oscar's sausage and praised its taste, startling Oscar, Flender, and Zhao Wuji.

Ma Hongjun accepted Oscar’s sausage and reassured him that its embarrassing Soul Incantation did not make the food unworthy, forging a bond between them. After Oscar finished his warm-up, Ma Hongjun began practical sparring with Li Yusong, whose first easy dodge showed the gap between them.

• Ma Hongjun ate Oscar’s sausage and told him that the incantation was Oscar’s concern, not a reason to reject the food.
• Oscar thanked Ma Hongjun and promised to make him more Sausages, while Ma Hongjun warned him not to exhaust himself.
• Zhao Wuji sent Oscar to run ten laps, and Oscar completed them before returning to the courtyard.
• Zhao Wuji asked Li Yusong to assess Ma Hongjun’s combat ability in a sparring match.
• Ma Hongjun activated Martial Soul Possession and charged Li Yusong, but his first punch missed as Li Yusong barely moved.

Ma Hongjun sparred with Li Yusong, who praised his combat awareness but identified his lack of experience and predictable attacks. Oscar envied Ma Hongjun’s ability to fight but resolved to become the strongest Food-Type Soul Master, while Ma Hongjun ended the day exhausted from training and ate a large dinner prepared by Shao Xin.

• Ma Hongjun attacked Li Yusong with punches, kicks, and flames until he spotted an opening and landed a powerful blow against Li Yusong’s staff.
• Li Yusong ended the sparring session, praised Ma Hongjun’s reactions and awareness, and told him to work on his combat experience and attack patterns.
• Oscar watched Ma Hongjun fight and admitted to Flender that he envied him and wished he could become a Battle Soul Master.
• Flender told Oscar that a high-level Food-Type Soul Master could fight using stacked buffs, and Oscar resolved to become the strongest Food-Type Soul Master.
• Ma Hongjun endured Zhao Wuji’s physical training until Flender intervened, then ate three bowls of Shao Xin’s dinner as Oscar recalled the training that followed his own large meals.

After their exhausting training, Ma Hongjun proposed that Oscar could use his food-type Martial Soul to become an all-round fighter by consuming his own buff-granting sausages. Oscar agreed to take the gamble, but Flender interrupted before Ma Hongjun could explain the plan, leaving their discussion for the next day.

• Ma Hongjun and Oscar returned to their dormitory exhausted after training, and Ma Hongjun reflected on Oscar's envy of Battle Soul Masters.
• Ma Hongjun reasoned that Oscar might gain combat abilities by eating his own sausages and receiving their soul-skill effects.
• Ma Hongjun asked Oscar if he wanted to become an all-round fighter and offered to test his bold idea with him.
• Oscar agreed to take the risk, eager for the chance to fight on the front lines.
• Flender told them to sleep before their next day's training, so Ma Hongjun postponed explaining the idea.

Flender taught Ma Hongjun and Oscar an Advanced Soul Power Guidance Method, and after three months of training they improved their Soul Power. The group left Shrek Academy for the Star Dou Great Forest so Oscar could obtain his second Soul Ring, while Ma Hongjun looked forward to putting his own plan into action.

• Flender explained the Advanced Soul Power Guidance Method and taught Ma Hongjun and Oscar its incantation and circulation route.
• After three months, Oscar reached rank twenty and Ma Hongjun reached rank sixteen.
• Flender decided that Oscar would hunt for his second Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Flender, Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar set out from Shrek Academy and traveled toward the forest.

At an inn near the Star Dou Great Forest, Oscar decided to pursue a path beyond being a pure support soul master, inspired by Ma Hongjun’s idea that he could use his own Sausages to gain combat abilities. Flender agreed to help him try, and Oscar and Ma Hongjun took responsibility for the plan as the group prepared to begin at the forest the next day.

• Flender asked Oscar what he wanted from his second Soul Ring, and Oscar said he wanted to become a well-rounded soul master who could fight alongside his companions.
• Ma Hongjun explained that Oscar could eat his own Sausages to gain attack, defense, speed, and other abilities, with each Soul Ring potentially adding another combat method.
• Zhao Wuji and Shao Xin considered Ma Hongjun’s idea, while Flender warned Oscar that no one knew whether the untested path would succeed.
• Oscar said he wanted to try despite the risks, because he had always dreamed of becoming a warrior and would regret not attempting it.
• Flender approved the plan, ordered Zhao Wuji to double Oscar’s physical training and Li Yusong to teach him fighting techniques, and told Ma Hongjun to help plan Oscar’s growth.
• Oscar and Ma Hongjun accepted responsibility for the plan as the group prepared to begin their work at the Star Dou Great Forest the next day.

Ma Hongjun and the teachers escorted Oscar into the Star Dou Great Forest to find a second Soul Ring for him. They chose a six- or seven-hundred-year-old Vajra Bear as the target and reached a suitable clearing, where they planned to wait for one to appear.

• Oscar and Ma Hongjun ate breakfast with Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Shao Xin before the group set out for the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Flender arranged the teachers around Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Shao Xin as they entered the forest and warned them about concealed soul beasts.
• Flender asked Oscar what kind of soul beast he wanted for his second Soul Ring, and Ma Hongjun recommended an offensive target with strong power and explosive force.
• Zhao Wuji proposed a Vajra Bear, and Flender set the target age at around six or seven hundred years, with a maximum of seven hundred and sixty.
• Zhao Wuji led the group to a sunlit clearing near a stream, where Flender decided they would wait for a Vajra Bear.

Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the other teachers subdued a roughly 750-year-old Vajra Bear so Oscar could claim its Soul Ring. Oscar began absorbing it, and the group watched anxiously as the powerful ring threatened to exceed his limits.

• After waiting half a day, Zhao Wuji sensed a Vajra Bear entering the clearing and judged it to be over seven hundred years old.
• Flender, Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and Lu Qibin surrounded and subdued the bear with their Martial Souls.
• At Flender’s command, Oscar killed the weakened Vajra Bear with a dagger, and a dark-yellow Soul Ring rose from its corpse.
• Oscar sat down and began absorbing the Soul Ring, while the teachers and Ma Hongjun stood guard and watched for signs of danger.

Oscar endured the absorption of a seven-hundred-and-fifty-year Vajra Bear Soul Ring and successfully gained his second soul skill. Just as he celebrated, his right hand transformed into a huge, fur-covered bear paw with golden claws.

• Oscar struggled as the Vajra Bear Soul Ring's power rampaged through his body, while Flender prepared to intervene.
• Ma Hongjun stopped Flender and urged him to give Oscar more time, trusting that Oscar could endure the absorption.
• After hours of suffering, Oscar's pain subsided and the Soul Ring fully fused with him.
• Oscar summoned his two Soul Rings and created a second sausage, confirming that his new soul skill had succeeded.
• Oscar's right hand suddenly changed into a huge bear paw, leaving him and the others alarmed.

Oscar discovered that the golden bear paw he gained from the Vajra Bear was an External Soul Bone, giving him a growing combat ability and hope of becoming a Battle Soul Master. Flender warned him to keep it secret, as its rarity could make Oscar a target for capture or worse.

• Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the other teachers recognized the golden bear paw on Oscar as an External Soul Bone.
• Ma Hongjun realized that Oscar’s choice of the Vajra Bear, prompted by his advice, had changed the story’s course.
• Flender explained that External Soul Bones could grow with their owners and could not be taken after fusion, and Oscar celebrated his chance to fight as a Battle Soul Master.
• Oscar thanked Ma Hongjun for showing him a path toward becoming a Battle Soul Master, and Ma Hongjun reflected on Oscar choosing his own future.
• Flender warned Oscar to hide the External Soul Bone because others might attack or capture him to control its power.