Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “A Loving Family”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Chen assesses Ling’er’s innate soul power at roughly rank five or six and asks her to activate her Martial Soul. Her feline traits become more pronounced, revealing a cute cat-like form.
• Xiao Wu enthusiastically plays with Ling’er’s ears, accidentally making her purr and embarrassing her. Xiao Wu then realizes why Su Chen enjoys touching her rabbit ears, prompting Su Chen to flick her forehead.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong comfort Ling’er and help her adjust, while Xiao Wu becomes jealous of the attention Su Chen gives the new cat girl.
• The scene shifts to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, where Xue Qinghe learns that Xue Beng’s apparent incompetence is an act. He secretly maintains military connections and recruits Soul Masters.
• She Long proposes killing Xue Beng, but Xue Qinghe refuses, fearing that his suspicious death would expose their long-term plans. She orders continued surveillance instead.
• Xue Qinghe realizes Su Chen’s warning helped uncover the threat. Although grateful, she becomes flustered and angry when thinking about his inappropriate behavior toward her.
• Back at the Blue Tyrant Academy villa, Su Chen gives Ling’er rare cultivation resources, including Whale Rubber and a Foundation-Nourishing Immortal Herb, then provides her with a Divine Bestowed Spirit Ring.
• Ling’er endures immense pressure while forming the ring. Motivated by memories of her captivity and auction-house abuse, she surpasses the normal limit and creates a thousand-year first Soul Ring—the first of its kind.
• Overwhelmed by Su Chen’s kindness, Ling’er kneels and declares lifelong loyalty to him. Su Chen rejects the “Master” title and tells her to call him “Brother Chen,” assuring her that she is now part of their family.
• Ling’er breaks down emotionally upon hearing that she belongs to a loving family. After recovering, she activates her first Soul Skill, Cat Shadow Doppelganger, creating four identical copies of herself.

Character Developments

• Ling’er: Gains confidence and hope after receiving powerful cultivation support. Her determination, rooted in traumatic memories of slavery and exploitation, allows her to achieve an extraordinary thousand-year first ring. She begins emotionally accepting Su Chen and the others as family.
• Su Chen: Acts as Ling’er’s benefactor and protector, providing resources and emotional reassurance. Despite his teasing and mischievous personality, he shows genuine care and treats Ling’er as an equal member of the household.
• Xiao Wu: Remains playful and impulsive, teasing others and revealing embarrassing truths. She becomes openly jealous of Ling’er receiving Su Chen’s attention, though she also helps comfort and welcome the newcomer.
• Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing: Take on nurturing roles, helping Ling’er with her appearance, comforting her after embarrassment, and supporting her emotionally after her breakthrough.
• Xue Qinghe/Qian Renxue: Becomes more alert to Xue Beng’s hidden ambitions. Her gratitude toward Su Chen conflicts with her irritation at his lecherous behavior, revealing concealed affection and emotional vulnerability.
• Xue Beng: Is revealed to be strategically disguising himself as a useless pleasure-seeking prince while secretly building military and Soul Master support.

Significant Themes

• Found family: Ling’er’s transformation from auctioned property to accepted family member is the emotional core of the chapter.
• Healing from trauma: Her memories of captivity fuel her strength, while the group’s affection begins to repair her sense of worth and security.
• Power through perseverance: Ling’er’s thousand-year first ring demonstrates the strength gained from determination and survival instinct.
• Protection versus manipulation: Xue Qinghe’s political storyline emphasizes the need for patience and secrecy, contrasting with She Long’s direct approach.
• Jealousy and affection: Xiao Wu’s jealousy and Xue Qinghe’s conflicted feelings toward Su Chen add romantic and comedic tension.
• Humor and warmth: Physical comedy, teasing, and misunderstandings balance the darker themes of slavery, political conspiracy, and past suffering.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu handles Ling’er’s ears, embarrassing her but also creating an affectionate bond.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong shield and comfort Ling’er, reinforcing the group’s sisterly welcome.
• Su Chen and Xiao Wu continue their familiar pattern of teasing and forehead flicks.
• Xue Qinghe and She Long discuss how to monitor Xue Beng without exposing their larger plan.
• Su Chen reassures Ling’er that she is family, while Zhu Zhuqing comforts her as she cries.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong compare their weaker first Soul Rings with Ling’er’s unprecedented thousand-year ring.
• Ling’er’s new Soul Skill impresses Su Chen, especially because it produces four identical cat-girl clones.

Chapter Summary: “I Can’t Catch My Breath”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ling’er demonstrates her new soul skill, creating four tangible clones that can move independently under her mental control. The clones can temporarily fool enemies and currently possess about 30% of Ling’er’s strength each.
• The clones consume Soul Power, limiting their duration, but their strength will increase by 5% with every additional Soul Ring. By the time Ling’er reaches Titled Douluo level, each clone could possess 70% of her original strength.
• Xiao Wu becomes dizzy trying to identify the real Ling’er among the five identical figures, leading to playful teasing and a quarrel with Ning Rongrong.
• Ling’er reflects emotionally on her new life with Su Chen and the girls, contrasting their kindness and protection with the abuse she suffered at the auction house.
• Xiao Wu apparently receives punishment from Su Chen after spending the day causing trouble around the villa. Ling’er misunderstands the sounds and worries that Su Chen is beating her.
• The next morning, Liu Erlong arrives to summon everyone to the training field. She warmly embraces Ling’er after learning about her past, though her enthusiastic welcome nearly leaves Ling’er unable to breathe.
• At Blue Tyrant Academy, Liu Erlong announces preparations for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Flender declares that the team should aim for the championship and proposes renaming Blue Tyrant Academy as Shrek Academy to capitalize on Shrek’s reputation.
• Liu Erlong firmly rejects the proposal, asserting ownership over the academy and refusing to let Flender take advantage of her.
• Tang San attempts to pressure Liu Erlong by claiming that competing under the Blue Tyrant name would insult Shrek’s glory and threatening to withdraw. Su Chen dismisses the threat, telling Tang San to leave if he does not want to participate.
• Xiao Wu supports Su Chen and insults Tang San and Dai Mubai, provoking both men into furious anger.

Character Developments

• Ling’er: Gains confidence in her powerful clone ability and begins to recognize her own value. She also becomes increasingly comfortable with her new family, experiencing warmth and security for the first time.
• Su Chen: Encourages Ling’er and praises her abilities, while continuing to mock and openly challenge Tang San and the Shrek group.
• Ning Rongrong: Shows strong interest in Ling’er’s tactical potential and quickly calculates how overwhelming the clone ability could become.
• Xiao Wu: Provides comic relief through her inability to identify the real Ling’er, her constant mischief, and her aggressive loyalty to Su Chen.
• Liu Erlong: Appears more confident and independent after breaking free from her former emotional attachment to Yu Xiaogang. She prioritizes her academy’s interests and protects Ling’er maternally.
• Flender: Remains ambitious and opportunistic, hoping to use the tournament and Su Chen’s strength to restore Shrek’s prestige.
• Yu Xiaogang: Is visibly humiliated when Liu Erlong ignores him, revealing resentment and wounded pride.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai: Become increasingly hostile toward Su Chen. Their confidence is undermined when Su Chen and Xiao Wu publicly dismiss their importance to the tournament.

Significant Themes

• Found family and healing: Ling’er’s transition from abused captive to protected companion is central. Her happiness shows the emotional impact of belonging and being treated with kindness.
• Power and potential: Ling’er’s clones establish her as an unusually dangerous future combatant, especially as her Soul Power and Soul Rings increase.
• Independence and ownership: Liu Erlong’s refusal to rename the academy represents her rejection of being controlled or exploited by Flender and her determination to claim authority over her own achievements.
• Pride and humiliation: Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Yu Xiaogang struggle with wounded pride when their influence is challenged or ignored.
• Comedy amid conflict: The chapter balances serious emotional recovery and tournament politics with slapstick humor, teasing, and escalating verbal clashes.

Character Interactions

• Su Chen reassures Ling’er after she worries about her Soul Power limitations, while Zhu Zhuqing also encourages her.
• Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu trade insults while testing Ling’er’s clones.
• Liu Erlong embraces Ling’er protectively, unintentionally overwhelming her and causing the chapter’s title situation.
• Liu Erlong rejects Flender’s attempt to rename the academy, creating a direct conflict over authority.
• Tang San confronts Liu Erlong over the Shrek name, but Su Chen immediately undermines his ultimatum.
• Xiao Wu backs Su Chen and provokes Tang San and Dai Mubai, intensifying the rivalry between the two groups.

Chapter Summary: “Quack Quack Quack!!!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tensions rise during the selection of Blue Tyrant Academy’s tournament team. Flender attempts to prevent the former Shrek members and Xiao Wu’s group from fighting.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong firmly refuse to compete alongside Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others, openly insulting them and rejecting Yu Xiaogang’s emphasis on teamwork.
• Yu Xiaogang gives a lecture about coordination, trust, and the importance of team tactics in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Ning Rongrong mocks his authority and humiliates him by referring to his impotence, then declares that everyone in Tang San’s group is “trash.” She compares them to useless ducks that can only “quack.”
• Tang San and Dai Mubai become furious. Tang San nearly considers attacking Ning Rongrong with a hidden weapon, while Dai Mubai struggles to restrain himself.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong insist that they can form a stronger team without Tang San’s group. They suggest recruiting other academy members—or even random outsiders—rather than cooperating with them.
• Liu Erlong ends Yu Xiaogang’s lecture and allows Su Chen to decide the team arrangement.
• Yu Xiaogang objects to Ling’er taking a team position because she appears to be under ten years old and has only one Soul Ring.
• Ling’er proves him wrong by revealing that her first Soul Ring is purple—a thousand-year Soul Ring. The entire academy is shocked.
• Yu Xiaogang insists that Ling’er is still too weak because she is only a One-Ring Soul Master. Xiao Wu counters by pointing out that Ma Hongjun is only level twenty-eight and is not even a Soul Elder, exposing the flaw in Yu Xiaogang’s argument.
• Humiliated and unable to respond, Yu Xiaogang seeks Flender’s help. Flender cautiously asks Liu Erlong to reconsider the team lineup, appealing to the academy’s honor and the need to set aside personal prejudices.

Character Developments

• Ning Rongrong becomes the most aggressive defender of Xiao Wu’s group. She displays exceptional confidence, verbal sharpness, and hostility toward Yu Xiaogang and Tang San’s faction.
• Xiao Wu openly rejects Tang San and Dai Mubai and strongly supports Ning Rongrong. She is fearless, sarcastic, and quick to exploit weaknesses in her opponents’ arguments.
• Yu Xiaogang suffers repeated public humiliations. His confidence in his theories and authority is badly shaken when Ling’er’s Soul Ring contradicts his established knowledge.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai reveal intense resentment toward Xiao Wu’s group. Their anger escalates, though both restrain themselves from direct violence.
• Ling’er is initially timid and looks to Su Chen for encouragement, but she gains confidence and demonstrates extraordinary talent by revealing her millennium Soul Ring.
• Ma Hongjun and Oscar are unwillingly dragged into Ning Rongrong’s insults. Ma Hongjun becomes cautious and chooses not to argue after Xiao Wu exposes his low cultivation.
• Flender remains caught between his friendship with Yu Xiaogang and his loyalty to Liu Erlong. He tries to preserve Yu Xiaogang’s dignity while avoiding further conflict.
• Liu Erlong asserts control over the situation, refusing to let Yu Xiaogang dominate the team-selection process and deferring to Su Chen’s judgment.
• Su Chen is established as the person Liu Erlong trusts to make the final lineup decision.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork versus personal trust: Yu Xiaogang argues that cooperation is essential, but the chapter suggests that forced teamwork is meaningless when members deeply distrust and hate one another.
• Theory versus reality: Yu Xiaogang’s rigid theories are challenged by Ling’er’s unprecedented first Soul Ring, showing that experience and established doctrine do not explain every individual’s potential.
• Pride and humiliation: Much of the confrontation centers on damaged reputations, especially Yu Xiaogang’s inability to maintain authority after being mocked and contradicted.
• Hidden talent and prejudice: Ling’er is dismissed because of her age and appearance, only to shock everyone with extraordinary ability.
• Power struggles and autonomy: Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong reject the authority of Yu Xiaogang and Tang San’s group, insisting on choosing their own allies and proving their own strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong: Act as close allies, encouraging and amplifying each other’s insults against Yu Xiaogang’s faction.
• Ning Rongrong and Yu Xiaogang: Engage in the central verbal clash, with Ning Rongrong systematically destroying Yu Xiaogang’s dignity and credibility.
• Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun: Xiao Wu uses Ma Hongjun’s level-twenty-eight cultivation to refute Yu Xiaogang’s claim that all tournament participants are Three-Ring Soul Elders.
• Yu Xiaogang and Flender: Yu Xiaogang silently asks Flender to rescue him from humiliation, revealing that despite their recent estrangement, he still relies on their old friendship.
• Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang: Liu Erlong sharply limits Yu Xiaogang’s influence, making clear that the team selection is not an opportunity for him to lecture or control others.
• Su Chen and Ling’er: Su Chen encourages Ling’er to reveal her strength, helping her overcome her hesitation.
• The academy members: Jing Ling, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu watch the confrontation with astonishment, recognizing that Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong’s group is dangerous to provoke.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Erlong resolves the dispute over Blue Tyrant Academy’s tournament lineup by proposing a seven-on-seven Soul Battle. The winning side will become the official team for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, while the losers become substitutes.
• Flander tries to persuade Su Chen to give two positions to Tang San’s group, arguing that Tang San’s control abilities and Dai Mubai’s offensive strength would improve the team’s chances. Su Chen humorously pretends that he has no authority because Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong oppose the idea.
• Jiang Zhu, a level-thirty-four healing-type Soul Master, asks to join Su Chen’s side. Ning Rongrong accepts her immediately.
• Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan attempt to join Su Chen’s team, hoping to benefit from its powerful members. Ning Rongrong rejects them because the group is an “all-girls squad,” except for Su Chen. When they insist, she jokingly tells them they must castrate themselves to qualify, frightening them into retreat.
• Jiang Zhu recommends her friend Liu Ruyan, a shy fifteen- or sixteen-year-old level-twenty-nine Assault-Type Battle Soul Grandmaster with the Willow Whip Martial Soul. Since Liu Ruyan is female, Xiao Wu readily accepts her, even though she is weaker and is only expected to fill the seventh slot.
• With Su Chen’s team complete, Yu Xiaogang recruits Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan for Tang San’s side. Their lineup consists mainly of combatants, giving Yu Xiaogang confidence despite the opposing team’s superior Soul Ring configurations.
• The two teams finalize their members and tactics. Yu Xiaogang places Tang San and Dai Mubai at the front and instructs them to rely on their practiced formations and controlled attacks.
• Liu Erlong establishes the rules: a fighter is eliminated if knocked down and unable to rise, and lethal attacks are forbidden.
• The chapter ends just as the battle is about to begin, with Xiao Wu confidently declaring she can defeat the entire opposing team and Ning Rongrong preparing to support her with the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

2. Character Developments

• Su Chen continues to act as the relaxed mediator, using humor and feigned helplessness to avoid directly confronting Flander while clearly supporting Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong’s decisions.
• Xiao Wu displays her aggressive, competitive personality and eagerness to fight. She also takes a protective and welcoming attitude toward the female recruits.
• Ning Rongrong shows strong leadership, loyalty to her friends, and a mischievous sense of humor. Her insistence on maintaining an all-girls team reveals both her distrust of Tang San’s group and her desire to control the team’s composition.
• Jiang Zhu gains confidence by approaching Ning Rongrong and successfully joining Su Chen’s group. She also helps recruit Liu Ruyan.
• Liu Ruyan is introduced as timid, gentle, and inexperienced compared with the main fighters, but she is accepted because of her gender and potential usefulness as the team’s seventh member.
• Flander becomes increasingly anxious about preserving the status and reputation of his former students.
• Yu Xiaogang reveals how personally important the tournament is to him. He sees Tang San’s success as a chance to prove that his years of theoretical research are valuable and that he is not a failure.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai accept the challenge and prepare to lead their side, while Ma Hongjun is visibly afraid of fighting Xiao Wu’s powerful team but follows Dai Mubai’s orders.
• Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan reluctantly join Tang San’s side after realizing they have no chance of entering the official team otherwise.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength over persuasion: Liu Erlong’s decision reflects the Soul Master world’s belief that actual power, rather than arguments or status, determines who deserves recognition.
• Loyalty and group identity: Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong prioritize their close-knit circle and refuse to compromise for Tang San’s benefit.
• Ambition and reputation: Yu Xiaogang and Flander are deeply concerned with what the tournament results will say about their teaching and leadership.
• Gender-based exclusion and team unity: The humorous “all-girls squad” rule emphasizes the emotional divide between Su Chen’s group and the former Shrek members.
• The gap between talent and experience: Su Chen’s team contains extraordinary fighters but also weaker support members such as Liu Ruyan, while Tang San’s team relies on a more conventionally balanced combat lineup.
• Comedy amid rivalry: Much of the tension is undercut by exaggerated jokes, especially Su Chen’s “kept man” act and Ning Rongrong’s threat of castration.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Erlong imposes the duel after both sides refuse to compromise.
• Flander appeals directly to Su Chen, but Su Chen deflects responsibility onto Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong cooperate with Su Chen’s act, reinforcing their control over the team.
• Ning Rongrong warmly welcomes Jiang Zhu and promises to protect her.
• Ning Rongrong humiliates Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan with her outrageous condition for joining the team, while Su Chen mocks their desperation.
• Xiao Wu accepts Liu Ruyan solely because she is female, and Jiang Zhu successfully brings her into the group.
• Yu Xiaogang recruits the rejected trio and then entrusts Tang San with leading the battle.
• Dai Mubai dismisses Ma Hongjun’s suggestion of retreat, while Yu Xiaogang gives tactical instructions to Tang San and Dai Mubai.
• The chapter closes with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong joking confidently about overwhelming Tang San’s team before the Soul Battle begins.

Chapter Summary: Emperor Ruyan’s Transformation

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Wu’s team and Tang San’s team begin a training battle, summoning their Martial Souls and revealing their Soul Rings.
• Liu Ruyan’s unusual Martial Soul mutation is introduced: while normally shy and gentle, holding her whip transforms her into an aggressive, sadistic fighter.
• Ruyan immediately charges Ma Hongjun without waiting for Xiao Wu’s orders. Ma Hongjun underestimates her because of her weak-looking white and yellow Soul Rings.
• Ruyan’s first Soul Skill weakens an opponent’s physical and Soul Power defenses by forty percent. Her whip severely injures Ma Hongjun, who is forced to flee while she pursues and repeatedly lashes him.
• Ma Hongjun uses his Phoenix abilities and flames to drive Ruyan back temporarily, then relies on Oscar’s healing sausages.
• Xiao Wu launches the main assault. With Ning Rongrong’s Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda buffs, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing overwhelm Tang San’s team.
• Xiao Wu defeats or restrains Tang San, Dai Mubai, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan, easily breaking through Tang San’s Blue Silver Grass and countering Dai Mubai’s attacks.
• Zhu Zhuqing quickly defeats Jing Ling and prevents Oscar from supporting the team.
• Tai Long and Huang Yuan surrender once they recognize the hopeless situation. Dai Mubai and Tang San stubbornly continue fighting but are eventually knocked down.
• Tang San attempts to rely on hidden weapons, but Xiao Wu teleports in and defeats him before he can use them effectively.
• Ma Hongjun finally surrenders after being relentlessly whipped. Ruyan nearly strikes him again before realizing the match is over.
• Once she recalls her Martial Soul, Ruyan returns to her timid, gentle personality and innocently wonders whether she hit Ma Hongjun too hard.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Ruyan: Her dramatic dual personality becomes the chapter’s central focus. She changes from a shy, delicate girl into a merciless and gleeful whip fighter when using her Martial Soul. Afterward, she is embarrassed and genuinely concerned about Ma Hongjun’s injuries.
• Ma Hongjun: His arrogance and lecherous attitude lead him to underestimate Ruyan. He is humiliated, badly beaten, and reduced to begging for mercy before surrendering.
• Xiao Wu: She demonstrates her authority as team leader and overwhelming combat ability, defeating several opponents alone. Her playful taunts toward Tang San show her confidence and dominance.
• Tang San: He underestimates Ruyan and grows increasingly frustrated as his team collapses. His pride prevents him from surrendering, and his reliance on hidden weapons fails against Xiao Wu’s speed and teleportation.
• Dai Mubai: Despite his physical strength, he is quickly overwhelmed by Xiao Wu and suffers several humiliating defeats.
• Zhu Zhuqing: She displays exceptional speed and efficiency, immediately targeting the opposing team’s weaker support members.
• Ning Rongrong: She actively supports her teammates with powerful boosts, though she becomes briefly distracted by Ruyan’s unusual fighting style.
• Ling’er: She wants to participate but is held back by Su Chen, prompting her to resolve to become stronger.
• Su Chen: He observes the battle with amusement and recognizes the entertaining contrast between Ruyan’s two personalities.

3. Significant Themes

• The contrast between appearance and ability: Ruyan looks timid and harmless, but her whip transforms her into a terrifying combatant. Ma Hongjun’s assumptions about her weakness directly cause his defeat.
• The importance of Martial Soul mutations: Ruyan’s mutation affects not only her combat style but also her personality and behavior, making her both powerful and unpredictable.
• Teamwork and battlefield roles: Ning Rongrong’s buffs, Zhu Zhuqing’s speed, Xiao Wu’s offense, and the others’ coordination allow Xiao Wu’s team to dominate.
• Overconfidence and humiliation: Tang San and Ma Hongjun underestimate their opponents. Their arrogance is punished through defeat, ridicule, and—in Ma Hongjun’s case—repeated whipping.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes the absurd difference between Ruyan’s vicious battle persona and her innocent, apologetic personality afterward.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu and Ruyan establish a team dynamic in which Ruyan acts impulsively, charging before receiving orders, while Xiao Wu adapts to the situation.
• Jiang Zhu explains Ruyan’s mutation to Ning Rongrong, clarifying why the shy girl becomes violent when holding her whip.
• Ma Hongjun’s vulgar teasing provokes Ruyan, who turns his words against him while chasing and beating him.
• Ning Rongrong watches Ruyan with admiration and supports her with enhancements, though she initially forgets to buff her.
• Su Chen restrains Ling’er from entering the fight and encourages her to grow stronger first.
• Xiao Wu taunts Tang San during their fight, turning their battle into both a physical and emotional defeat for him.
• Ruyan’s final interaction with Ma Hongjun highlights her restored innocence: after terrifying him throughout the match, she timidly worries that she may have gone too far.

Chapter Summary: “What a Wonderful Thing”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The spirit battle ends decisively in Su Chen’s team’s favor. Xiao Wu overwhelms multiple opponents, Zhu Zhuqing quickly defeats the opposing back line, and Liu Ruyan chases Ma Hongjun around the field while whipping him.
• Ning Rongrong humorously reveals that she counted Liu Ruyan’s successful lashes on Ma Hongjun—twelve to the buttocks, nine to the back, and five to the arms—embarrassing him further.
• Jiang Zhu uses her Treatment Scepter to heal the injured participants after the match.
• Liu Erlong officially announces that Su Chen, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ling’er, Jiang Zhu, and Liu Ruyan will form Blue Tyrant Academy’s official team. Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling are relegated to substitute status.
• Yu Xiaogang objects, insisting that Tang San and Dai Mubai should be official members because the team needs a control-system Soul Master and a power-attack Soul Master. Liu Erlong rejects his argument, pointing out that his chosen team lost badly.
• Feeling humiliated, Yu Xiaogang threatens to leave the academy unless Tang San and Dai Mubai are given official positions. He expects Liu Erlong to panic and beg him to stay, but she calmly accepts his decision and tells him to leave.
• Tang San declares that he will follow Yu Xiaogang, and Dai Mubai says he will leave as well. Oscar and Ma Hongjun remain silent, unwilling to give up the academy’s shelter and resources.
• Flender tries to dissuade Yu Xiaogang, warning him about the consequences for the students’ training and tournament eligibility.
• Su Chen and Xiao Wu mock Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun for their defeat and arrogance. Enraged and humiliated, Yu Xiaogang spits blood.
• The chapter ends with Yu Xiaogang demanding to know whether Flender will leave with him.

2. Character Developments

• Su Chen: Demonstrates confidence and dominance after his team’s victory. He openly mocks the defeated group and refuses to tolerate Yu Xiaogang’s arrogance.
• Xiao Wu: Shows pride in defeating Tang San’s side and enthusiastically celebrates with Ning Rongrong. She joins Su Chen in ridiculing the opposing team.
• Ning Rongrong: Displays a playful, mischievous personality by keeping track of Ma Hongjun’s lashes and openly enjoying the victory. Her affectionate closeness to Su Chen is also emphasized.
• Liu Ruyan: Reveals that holding the whip triggered an uncontrollable excitement, suggesting a dangerous or unusual impulse. She remains apologetic afterward but unintentionally frightens Ma Hongjun further.
• Liu Erlong: Shows major emotional growth and independence. Unlike in the past, she no longer indulges Yu Xiaogang or allows him to manipulate her through emotional threats. She firmly upholds the rules and dismisses his ultimatum.
• Yu Xiaogang: His pride and sense of control collapse. He assumes Liu Erlong still depends on him emotionally, but her indifference exposes how mistaken he is. His humiliation turns into rage and finally physical distress.
• Tang San: Remains loyal to Yu Xiaogang and immediately takes his teacher’s side, even threatening to leave the academy. His response also reveals his resentment toward Liu Erlong and Su Chen.
• Dai Mubai: Follows Tang San’s lead and declares that he will leave as well, largely out of wounded pride.
• Oscar and Ma Hongjun: Hesitate to commit to leaving. Their reluctance reveals that practical concerns—food, shelter, and continued training—matter more to them than openly supporting Yu Xiaogang.
• Flender: Acts as the voice of reason, recognizing that Yu Xiaogang’s impulsive decision will harm the students’ future.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength versus theory: The battle demonstrates that overwhelming strength can render elaborate tactical theories ineffective.
• Consequences of pride: Yu Xiaogang’s refusal to accept defeat leads him to make an impulsive ultimatum that backfires spectacularly.
• Emotional independence: Liu Erlong’s reaction shows that she has broken free from her former emotional dependence on Yu Xiaogang.
• Humiliation and reversal of power: Characters who previously held authority—especially Yu Xiaogang—are publicly exposed as weak, arrogant, or dependent.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Tang San and Dai Mubai prioritize loyalty to Yu Xiaogang, while Oscar and Ma Hongjun hesitate because leaving would threaten their own stability.
• Mockery and social dominance: Su Chen, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong use ridicule to strip Yu Xiaogang and his team of their remaining authority.

4. Character Interactions

• Ma Hongjun and Liu Ruyan: Their exchange is awkward and comedic. Liu Ruyan apologizes for enjoying the whipping, while Ma Hongjun becomes increasingly frightened by her explanation.
• Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu: They celebrate the victory together, laughing at the defeated team and reinforcing their close friendship.
• Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central interaction. Yu Xiaogang attempts to manipulate her with a threat to leave, but Liu Erlong refuses to react emotionally and instead grants his request.
• Yu Xiaogang and Tang San: Tang San immediately supports his teacher, giving Yu Xiaogang a brief sense of reassurance after Liu Erlong rejects him.
• Flender and Yu Xiaogang: Flender tries to prevent Yu Xiaogang from making a disastrous decision, but Yu Xiaogang interprets disagreement as betrayal.
• Su Chen and the defeated team: Su Chen verbally dismantles their pride by pointing out each person’s weakness and poor performance.
• Su Chen and Xiao Wu: They work together to ridicule Yu Xiaogang and his students, intensifying the confrontation and pushing Yu Xiaogang into an emotional collapse.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Erlong forces Flender to choose between remaining at Blue Tyrant Academy with her or leaving with Yu Xiaogang.
• Flender agonizes over the decision, but ultimately chooses Yu Xiaogang, claiming that Xiaogang needs him and cannot be left alone.
• Liu Erlong accepts his decision without argument and tells him that the academy will still welcome him if he ever needs help.
• Ma Hongjun and Oscar reluctantly decide to leave with Flender and Yu Xiaogang, despite preferring the academy’s comfortable life and good food.
• Yu Xiaogang mistakenly believes Liu Erlong has called them back because she regrets letting him leave. He arrogantly demands that she apologize publicly and restore Tang San and the others’ competition positions.
• Liu Erlong reveals that she only stopped them because Yu Xiaogang’s blood had dirtied the training grounds and orders him to clean it.
• Humiliated and enraged, Yu Xiaogang collapses unconscious.
• Tang San and Flender panic over Xiaogang’s condition, but Tang San determines that he has merely fainted from anger and is not in danger.
• Liu Erlong still insists that the blood be cleaned before they leave. Dai Mubai avoids doing it himself and orders Oscar to handle the task.
• Once Oscar cleans the ground, Liu Erlong allows the group to leave. They depart with Yu Xiaogang unconscious and Flender emotionally defeated.

2. Character Developments

• Flender: His loyalty to Yu Xiaogang is shown to be stronger than his love for Liu Erlong, despite decades of waiting and affection from her. His decision leaves him bitter, exhausted, and seemingly trapped by misplaced brotherhood.
• Liu Erlong: She demonstrates emotional control, independence, and firm authority. Rather than begging Flender to stay or reacting emotionally to Yu Xiaogang’s insults, she calmly accepts Flender’s choice and humiliates Xiaogang through blunt practicality.
• Yu Xiaogang: His self-importance and entitlement become increasingly obvious. He assumes Liu Erlong cannot let him go, expects an apology, and views her academy and affection as things he deserves. Her rejection overwhelms him, causing him to faint from rage.
• Tang San: He remains fiercely protective of Yu Xiaogang and openly blames Liu Erlong for his teacher’s condition. His resentment toward Su Chen’s group and Liu Erlong intensifies.
• Ma Hongjun and Oscar: Both reluctantly follow Flender and Yu Xiaogang, mainly out of loyalty and obligation. Their regret over leaving the academy’s food and comfortable facilities adds comic relief. Oscar ultimately becomes the one forced to clean the blood.
• Dai Mubai: Though unwilling to oppose Liu Erlong directly, he avoids responsibility by pushing the unpleasant task onto Oscar.
• Su Chen, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong: They observe and mock the conflict. Su Chen correctly predicts Flender’s choice, while Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong provide sarcastic commentary on Flender’s misplaced loyalty and Yu Xiaogang’s humiliation.

3. Significant Themes

• Misplaced loyalty: Flender’s devotion to Yu Xiaogang overrides his love for Liu Erlong, illustrating how loyalty can become foolish when directed toward someone undeserving.
• Emotional manipulation and entitlement: Yu Xiaogang repeatedly invokes decades of friendship to control Flender and assumes Liu Erlong will always forgive him or remain attached.
• Independence and self-respect: Liu Erlong refuses to be manipulated by either man and accepts their departure without compromising her dignity or authority.
• Consequences of arrogance: Yu Xiaogang’s belief that Liu Erlong secretly wants him to stay is immediately shattered, making his humiliation both comic and deserved.
• Power dynamics in relationships: The chapter contrasts Liu Erlong’s calm authority with Flender’s indecision and Yu Xiaogang’s dependence on others for emotional and material support.
• Comedy amid conflict: Sarcastic observations, exaggerated reactions, and the trivial demand to clean the blood undercut the characters’ dramatic self-importance.

4. Character Interactions

• Flender and Liu Erlong: Their painful confrontation centers on Flender choosing Yu Xiaogang over Liu Erlong. Liu Erlong responds with restraint, allowing him to leave while making clear that the choice is his responsibility.
• Flender and Yu Xiaogang: Yu Xiaogang pressures Flender by appealing to their shared past, while Flender accepts the role of caretaker despite the emotional cost.
• Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong: Their exchange exposes the gulf between Xiaogang’s imagined importance and Liu Erlong’s actual feelings. His demand for an apology is met with her dismissive order to clean the floor.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang: Tang San acts as Xiaogang’s devoted disciple, supporting him physically and defending him verbally after his collapse.
• Dai Mubai and Oscar: Dai Mubai shifts the humiliating cleanup task to Oscar, who complies resentfully.
• Su Chen’s group and the departing party: Su Chen, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong treat the scene as entertainment, mocking Flender’s loyalty and openly laughing at Yu Xiaogang’s failed attempt to regain control.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Liu Erlong humiliates Yu Xiaogang and forces him to clean up the blood before leaving, the victory celebration at Blue Tyrant Academy ends.
• Xiao Wu enthusiastically praises Liu Erlong, while Ning Rongrong proudly defends the insults she hurled at Yu Xiaogang. Liu Erlong jokingly scolds both girls, especially Ning Rongrong.
• Liu Erlong tells Su Chen to take the team away for training rather than wait around for a celebratory meal. Su Chen agrees, impressed by her ruthless handling of Yu Xiaogang.
• Su Chen leads Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ling'er, Zhu, and Liu Ruyan away. Ning Rongrong clings happily to Su Chen, while Zhu Zhuqing and Ling'er follow more quietly. Zhu and Liu Ruyan remain uncertain about whether to join them or cultivate separately.
• At a hotel, Yu Xiaogang finally regains consciousness after fainting from rage. Tang San has watched over him all afternoon and is deeply relieved when he awakens.
• Yu Xiaogang remembers the insults and humiliation inflicted on him by Ning Rongrong, Su Chen, and Liu Erlong, causing his anger and physical distress to return. Tang San helps calm him while Flender brings food.
• Because the group has limited money after leaving Blue Tyrant Academy, Flender can only provide plain rice porridge. Yu Xiaogang dislikes the meal and barely eats, further emphasizing their difficult circumstances.
• Yu Xiaogang asks about the rest of the team and learns that Dai Mubai and the others are resting nearby. He then declares that he plans to take the group to Heaven Dou Royal Academy so they can display their abilities and secure opportunities in the tournament.
• Flender reacts with alarm, reminding Yu Xiaogang that they were previously expelled from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Character Developments

• Liu Erlong is shown as both fierce and humorous. Her decisive humiliation of Yu Xiaogang earns Su Chen’s respect and reveals a harsher, more formidable side of her personality.
• Xiao Wu remains playful and openly supportive of Liu Erlong, using exaggerated gestures and teasing to lighten the mood.
• Ning Rongrong displays growing confidence and shameless boldness. She is proud of her verbal attack on Yu Xiaogang and shows increasing closeness to Su Chen.
• Su Chen acts as the team’s leader and accepts responsibility for moving everyone forward. His admiration for Liu Erlong suggests that her actions have changed his impression of her.
• Zhu Zhuqing remains reserved and responsible, quietly accompanying Ling’er while observing the group’s dynamics.
• Yu Xiaogang is physically weakened and emotionally humiliated, but his anger quickly transforms into determination and a desire for retaliation or renewed recognition.
• Tang San demonstrates absolute loyalty and devotion to Yu Xiaogang, treating him with extreme care and immediately accepting his plans without question.
• Flender remains protective of Yu Xiaogang but is more practical and cautious. He worries about both their financial situation and the danger of returning to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Significant Themes

• Humiliation and wounded pride: Yu Xiaogang’s collapse shows how deeply the public insults and defeat affect him, while his desire to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy reflects his need to restore his reputation.
• Loyalty and dependence: Tang San’s unquestioning faith in Yu Xiaogang contrasts with Flender’s more realistic concerns.
• Power and social control: Liu Erlong’s ability to dictate the situation and expel Yu Xiaogang highlights her authority, while Su Chen’s team benefits from remaining under her protection.
• Financial hardship: The plain porridge symbolizes the group’s weakened position after leaving Blue Tyrant Academy, where they had previously received food and support.
• Team alignment and changing relationships: Su Chen’s group appears unified and relaxed, while Yu Xiaogang’s faction is physically separated, financially strained, and forced to reconsider its future.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Erlong playfully reprimands Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong for their insults while clearly appreciating their spirited personalities.
• Ning Rongrong openly flatters and jokes with Liu Erlong, then affectionately links arms with Su Chen.
• Su Chen acknowledges Liu Erlong’s clever and ruthless treatment of Yu Xiaogang, gaining greater respect for her.
• Tang San cares for the unconscious Yu Xiaogang and reassures him of his unwavering belief.
• Flender comforts Yu Xiaogang, brings him food, and tries to address practical concerns about their next destination.
• Yu Xiaogang rallies Tang San around a new plan: taking the team to Heaven Dou Royal Academy despite their previous rejection.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Xiaogang reassures Flender that their next attempt to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy will be different. Rather than begging for acceptance, he claims the academy will invite them because of Tang San’s father.
• Flender suspects Yu Xiaogang has gained the support of an imperial noble, but Yu Xiaogang reveals that they intend to rely on Tang San’s father instead.
• Tang San is confused and insists that his father is merely an ordinary blacksmith from Holy Soul Village. Yu Xiaogang then reveals that Tang San’s father has concealed his true identity.
• Yu Xiaogang announces that Tang San’s father is actually Tang Hao, the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, a powerful Titled Douluo and former genius of the Clear Sky Sect.
• He further reveals that Tang San’s second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer, regarded as the strongest Tool Martial Soul.
• Tang San reacts with shock, excitement, disbelief, and long-suppressed resentment over his father’s absence. He asks why Tang Hao abandoned him and where he is now.
• Yu Xiaogang dramatically calls out to Tang Hao, who is secretly nearby, asking him to appear and help them after Tang San has been mistreated.
• Tang Hao does not reveal himself, becoming furious at Yu Xiaogang for shamelessly forcing him into the situation and using Tang San’s plight to pressure him.

Character Developments

• Tang San: Learns the truth about his lineage and discovers that he possesses the Clear Sky Hammer as his second Martial Soul. His image of his father changes from that of an insignificant blacksmith to a legendary powerhouse, though this revelation also revives his hurt over being neglected.
• Yu Xiaogang: Shows confidence and strategic boldness, believing Tang Hao’s reputation can secure the group’s entry into Heaven Dou Royal Academy. His solemn revelation is undercut by his willingness to manipulate the situation and publicly summon Tang Hao.
• Flender: Remains skeptical of Yu Xiaogang’s plan but confirms Tang Hao’s identity, helping Tang San accept the truth.
• Tang Hao: Revealed to be secretly observing Tang San. Though protective of his son, he is annoyed and embarrassed by Yu Xiaogang’s blatant attempt to make him intervene.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and inheritance: Tang San discovers that his ordinary upbringing concealed a powerful heritage and a prestigious Martial Soul.
• Parental absence and emotional wounds: The revelation of Tang Hao’s identity does not erase Tang San’s pain over his father’s disappearance; instead, it intensifies his questions and sense of abandonment.
• Reliance on power and reputation: Yu Xiaogang plans to use Tang Hao’s fame to overcome the group’s disadvantage, highlighting how status and strength influence the cultivation world.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter contrasts Yu Xiaogang’s grand, dramatic speech with Tang San’s blunt skepticism and Tang Hao’s silent irritation, creating a humorous scene despite the serious revelations.
• Truth versus manipulation: Although Yu Xiaogang tells Tang San the truth, he reveals it partly because the group needs Tang Hao’s support, making the disclosure both sincere and opportunistic.

Character Interactions

• Yu Xiaogang and Flender: Debate whether Heaven Dou Royal Academy will accept them again, with Flender doubting Yu Xiaogang’s unexplained confidence.
• Yu Xiaogang and Tang San: Yu Xiaogang reveals Tang San’s true heritage, while Tang San initially treats his teacher’s claims as irrational and even checks whether he has a fever.
• Flender and Tang San: Flender solemnly confirms Yu Xiaogang’s claims, giving Tang San the reassurance needed to believe them.
• Tang San and his absent father: Tang San’s questions reveal deep longing and resentment toward Tang Hao.
• Yu Xiaogang and Tang Hao: Yu Xiaogang attempts to publicly summon Tang Hao and guilt him into helping, while Tang Hao silently fumes at being manipulated.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Hao appears before Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Tang San wearing the same hooded black disguise he had previously used when he brutally attacked Tang San.
• Tang San immediately recognizes him as the mysterious man who once dragged him from his dormitory and broke several of his bones. The revelation creates an awkward father-son encounter.
• Tang Hao orders Flender and Yu Xiaogang to leave so he can speak privately with Tang San. Yu Xiaogang feels insulted, believing himself to be Tang San’s “spiritual father,” but obeys.
• Tang Hao reveals his identity as the Clear Sky Douluo and confirms that Tang San’s second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer.
• Father and son reconcile emotionally. Tang San cries over Tang Hao’s long absence, while Tang Hao admits that Tang San has suffered and comforts him despite maintaining a stern exterior.
• Tang San confronts Tang Hao about the earlier beating. Tang Hao explains that he attacked him because he sensed the aura of a Soul Beast and suspected that Tang San had been replaced or was not truly his son.
• Tang Hao recounts the family’s tragic past: he loved Ah Yin, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast; Spirit Hall, led by Qian Xunji, hunted her; and Ah Yin sacrificed herself to protect Tang Hao and Tang San.
• Enraged by his mother’s death, Tang San swears to destroy Spirit Hall and avenge Ah Yin. Tang Hao encourages his hatred and urges him to cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer.
• Tang Hao leaves and returns with a stalk of Blue Silver Grass. Tang San mistakenly assumes it is Ah Yin’s true form, kneels, cries, and repeatedly kowtows to it.
• Tang Hao finally reveals that it is not Ah Yin, but merely grass pulled from the site of her grave. Tang San is left humiliated and dumbfounded after his emotional overreaction.

2. Character Developments

• Tang San: Learns that Tang Hao is his father and that he possesses the Clear Sky Hammer. He experiences grief, longing, shock, and intense hatred toward Spirit Hall. His emotional reaction to the grass also highlights his deep desire for a connection with his deceased mother, though it becomes comic when he realizes his mistake.
• Tang Hao: Reveals his true identity and past to Tang San. Despite his harsh, emotionally distant manner, he shows genuine affection and guilt over abandoning his son and brutally attacking him. However, he also deliberately fuels Tang San’s hatred of Spirit Hall to motivate him toward revenge.
• Yu Xiaogang: Feels displaced and resentful when Tang Hao sends him away, believing that his role as Tang San’s mentor gives him a paternal claim. He nevertheless lacks the courage to challenge Tang Hao.
• Flender: Acts as the practical mediator, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation and escorting Yu Xiaogang out without creating further conflict.

3. Significant Themes

• Family reunion and absent parenthood: The chapter explores Tang San’s years of longing for his missing father and Tang Hao’s regret over failing to raise him.
• Inherited identity and legacy: Tang San learns about his powerful bloodline, his Clear Sky Hammer, and his mother’s nonhuman origins, forcing him to confront complicated questions about who he is.
• Grief and vengeance: Ah Yin’s death becomes the emotional foundation for Tang San’s hatred of Spirit Hall and his vow to seek revenge.
• Truth and misunderstanding: Tang Hao’s explanation resolves the mystery of the earlier assault, while the Blue Silver Grass incident creates a humorous misunderstanding about Tang San’s mother.
• Mentorship versus biological family: Yu Xiaogang’s resentment emphasizes the contrast between the father who raised or guided Tang San spiritually and the biological father who was absent but shares his bloodline.

4. Character Interactions

• Tang San and Tang Hao’s first private conversation shifts from awkward recognition to emotional reconciliation.
• Tang San challenges Tang Hao over the beating, forcing Tang Hao to justify his actions and reveal painful family history.
• Tang Hao comforts Tang San physically while simultaneously encouraging him to transform grief into strength and revenge.
• Yu Xiaogang’s silent resentment toward Tang Hao provides comic tension, as he believes his relationship with Tang San should grant him equal paternal importance.
• The chapter ends with a comic reversal: Tang San treats ordinary graveyard grass as his mother’s reincarnated form, while Tang Hao struggles to explain the mistake without worsening his son’s embarrassment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San mistakenly treats a Blue Silver Grass plant growing on his mother Ah Yin’s grave as his mother’s incarnation. Rather than admitting embarrassment, he constructs an elaborate justification: because the grass absorbed Ah Yin’s aura, it has become a vessel for her will and therefore a form of his mother.
• He repeatedly kowtows to the grass, declares, “Where the grass lives, I live; where the grass dies, I die,” and places it in a jade box for safekeeping. He vows to one day house it in a large white-jade flowerpot.
• Tang Hao is horrified by Tang San’s extreme filial devotion but cannot contradict him without exposing that he initially allowed the misunderstanding. He reluctantly validates Tang San’s interpretation.
• The discussion turns to Tang San’s future after his humiliation and expulsion from Blue Tyrant Academy. Yu Xiaogang proposes transferring Tang San and the others to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where Tang San could access better resources and compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Yu Xiaogang suggests using Tang Hao’s reputation as the Clear Sky Douluo. Tang Hao would secretly meet Prince Xue Xing and reveal Tang San’s identity as his son, forcing Heaven Dou Royal Academy to accept them because of the academy’s rivalry with Spirit Hall.
• Tang San enthusiastically supports the plan, determined to win the tournament and prove Blue Tyrant Academy wrong.
• Tang Hao agrees to approach Prince Xue Xing that night but warns Tang San that he must learn to resolve problems independently. He also orders Tang San never to reveal his Clear Sky Hammer before gaining sufficient strength, especially in Spirit Hall’s territory.
• Tang Hao ultimately leaves Tang San in Yu Xiaogang’s care because of the dangers associated with adding soul rings to his second martial soul. He hopes Yu Xiaogang can eventually obtain information from Bibi Dong about overcoming those dangers.

Character Developments

• Tang San: Reveals an exaggerated, obsessive form of filial devotion. He transforms an ordinary blade of grass into a sacred emotional relic and uses his grief over his mother to fuel his ambition. His humiliation at Blue Tyrant Academy hardens into a determination to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy and win the tournament.
• Tang Hao: Remains protective of Tang San but becomes increasingly exasperated by his son’s distorted logic and dramatic behavior. Despite recognizing the absurdity of the situation, he indulges Tang San and agrees to use his dangerous reputation to secure his son’s future.
• Yu Xiaogang: Demonstrates opportunism and strategic manipulation. He presents the move to Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a practical educational step while intending to exploit Tang Hao’s identity for access to resources and protection. His confidence returns once Tang Hao agrees to help.
• Flender: Says little but shares an unspoken understanding with Tang San about the true seriousness of their past conflict with Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Ah Yin: Though absent, she becomes central to Tang San’s emotional state through the symbolic Blue Silver Grass.

Significant Themes

• Grief and emotional projection: Tang San redirects his longing for his deceased mother onto a physical object, showing how grief can create intense personal symbolism.
• Filial devotion versus absurdity: The chapter comically exaggerates traditional reverence for parents, presenting Tang San’s devotion as sincere but irrational.
• Ambition and revenge: Tang San’s desire to succeed is motivated not only by personal growth but also by the wish to make Blue Tyrant Academy regret rejecting him.
• Power and political leverage: Yu Xiaogang’s plan relies on Tang Hao’s reputation and the political conflict between Heaven Dou’s imperial family and Spirit Hall.
• Parental protection and independence: Tang Hao wants to protect Tang San but recognizes that his son must eventually survive without constant intervention.
• Dangerous martial-soul potential: The risks of Tang San’s Twin Martial Souls remain an unresolved threat, creating a future need to consult Bibi Dong.

Important Character Interactions

• Tang San and Tang Hao: Their exchange combines genuine father-son affection with comedic frustration. Tang San repeatedly interrupts Tang Hao’s attempts to correct him, while Tang Hao reluctantly supports the “Mother Grass” interpretation.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang: Tang San trusts his teacher completely and treats his plans as authoritative. His faith helps Yu Xiaogang maintain influence over him.
• Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang: Tang Hao distrusts and dislikes Yu Xiaogang but recognizes that he may be useful. Yu Xiaogang carefully flatters Tang Hao while trying to exploit his status.
• Tang San and Flender: Their brief interaction hints at a shared understanding of the concealed conflict with Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Tang Hao and Tang San: Their final exchange establishes Tang Hao’s warning about concealing the Clear Sky Hammer and foreshadows Tang San’s need to become self-reliant.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Hao secretly infiltrates Prince Xue Xing’s residence in Heaven Dou City, sealing the room so the guards cannot hear anything.
• Xue Xing initially assumes Tang Hao is an assassin and tries to intimidate him with his status as a prince. He even refuses to help Shrek Academy return to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Tang Hao reveals his Clear Sky Hammer and nine Soul Rings, including a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Xue Xing immediately realizes that the intruder is the famous Clear Sky Douluo.
• Tang Hao explains that Tang San is his son and demands that Xue Xing arrange for Tang San, Shrek Academy’s leaders, and their companions to enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Terrified, Xue Xing reverses his position and promises unconditional admission, the best cultivation resources, lodging, and access to the Mimicry Training Grounds.
• Xue Xing also promises to keep Tang Hao’s visit secret because Spirit Hall is watching him. Tang Hao warns that Tang San must not suffer any mistreatment.
• After Tang Hao leaves, Xue Xing realizes that helping Tang San could earn him Tang Hao’s favor and strengthen his position in the imperial family’s political struggles.
• Tang Hao returns to the hotel and informs Yu Xiaogang and Tang San that the matter is settled. They prepare to enter the academy the next day and regain the status and resources they previously lost.

Character Developments

• Tang Hao: Displays overwhelming authority and intimidation rather than lengthy negotiation. He is protective of Tang San and uses his reputation to secure his son’s future while warning Tang San to remain discreet and handle problems independently.
• Prince Xue Xing: Shifts rapidly from arrogant resistance to terrified submission after learning Tang Hao’s identity. His political instincts then emerge as he recognizes Tang San as a possible connection to the powerful Clear Sky Douluo.
• Tang San: Admired his father’s strength and influence. His motivation becomes increasingly competitive, as he looks forward to using the academy’s resources to surpass and humiliate the people associated with Blue Tyrant Academy.
• Yu Xiaogang: Becomes excited and self-satisfied over Tang Hao’s intervention, interpreting it as proof of the absolute power behind Tang San and anticipating revenge for their earlier humiliation.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Tang Hao’s strength makes formal authority, status, and previous decisions meaningless. Xue Xing’s resistance collapses the moment he sees the Clear Sky Hammer and Soul Rings.
• Political maneuvering: Xue Xing views Tang San’s admission not merely as a favor but as an opportunity to gain Tang Hao’s protection and improve his position against rivals such as Xue Qinghe.
• Parental protection and privilege: Tang Hao uses his identity and power to secure special treatment for Tang San, granting Shrek access to resources that ordinary students could not obtain.
• Reputation and hidden identity: Tang Hao must keep his involvement secret because of Spirit Hall’s attention, while Tang San’s unrecognized background suddenly becomes a source of immense influence.
• Revenge and wounded pride: Tang San and Yu Xiaogang frame their return to the academy as a chance to recover from past humiliation and prove their superiority.

Character Interactions

• Tang Hao and Xue Xing: Their exchange begins with Xue Xing attempting to assert authority, but Tang Hao’s display of power reverses the hierarchy. Xue Xing becomes obsequious and promises to personally arrange everything.
• Tang Hao and Tang San: Though brief, their interaction emphasizes Tang Hao’s protective but stern attitude. He helps Tang San gain access to the academy but orders him to keep a low profile and solve future problems himself.
• Xue Xing and Tang Hao’s identity: Xue Xing’s attitude changes completely after discovering that Tang San is Tang Hao’s son. His earlier insults toward Shrek become a source of panic and embarrassment.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang: They celebrate Tang Hao’s success together, treating the academy’s acceptance as both a strategic victory and an opportunity to retaliate against those who looked down on them.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Xue Xing arrives at the hotel with Royal Knights to bring Shrek Academy back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He apologizes for expelling them previously and personally invites them to return.
• Yu Xiaogang takes advantage of Prince Xue Xing’s need to appease Tang San’s powerful background, sarcastically reminding him of his earlier disrespect. Xue Xing suppresses his anger and admits that he mishandled the situation.
• Xue Xing warmly welcomes Tang San, though he hilariously misinterprets the bruise on Tang San’s forehead. Tang San explains that it came from kowtowing, but Xue Xing assumes it is part of an impressive “Iron Head Technique,” causing Tang San intense internal frustration.
• At the Education Committee, Xue Xing formally reinstates Shrek. Flender receives a Heaven Dou-level teaching position, while a special position is created for Yu Xiaogang despite his low cultivation level. Tang San also demands that Yu Xiaogang retain complete authority over teaching their group.
• Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar are assigned temporarily to the Imperial Fighting Team. Their right to remain on the official team will depend on their strength and whether they can win the team’s respect.
• At the Imperial Fighting Team’s training grounds, the existing members are introduced. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling display an unusually intimate closeness, while Yu Tianheng unsuccessfully attempts to gain Dugu Yan’s attention with tea and exaggerated concern.
• The arrival of Tang San’s group receives no welcome. The Imperial Fighting Team members openly mock them for previously relying on powerful female teammates at the Great Soul Arena.
• Ma Hongjun angrily responds to the insults, especially when Yufeng calls his Evil Fire Phoenix a “grass chicken.” Dai Mubai restrains him to prevent a fight, while Tang San silently vows revenge against those who insulted him and his companions.

Character Developments

• Prince Xue Xing: Shifts from arrogant expeller to excessively polite host because he fears the power behind Tang San’s group. Although he apologizes publicly, he remains resentful and curses Yu Xiaogang internally.
• Yu Xiaogang: Becomes more arrogant and domineering when backed by Tang San’s hidden status. He humiliates Xue Xing with sarcastic remarks and secures an unusually powerful teaching position for himself.
• Tang San: Is outwardly respectful but internally furious over Xue Xing’s misunderstanding of his forehead injury and the insults from the Imperial Fighting Team. His pride and sense of superiority intensify, particularly because of his identity as the Clear Sky Douluo’s son and a Twin Martial Soul genius.
• Flender: Acts more diplomatically than Yu Xiaogang and tries to prevent unnecessary conflict, though he benefits from Shrek’s improved political standing.
• Dai Mubai: Shows restraint and practical judgment by stopping Ma Hongjun from starting a fight, despite being personally offended by the insults.
• Ma Hongjun: Remains hot-tempered and proud of his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, reacting explosively when mocked.
• Yu Tianheng: Has become a desperate and humiliating “simp” toward Dugu Yan after losing face within his clan and jeopardizing his position as heir. His efforts are rejected, and Dugu Yan openly expresses disgust.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: Their friendship has grown unusually intimate, causing the others to speculate about their closeness. Both clearly reject Yu Tianheng’s attempts to approach them.
• Ye Lingling: Is now highly valued by the academy after her Martial Soul evolved into the Sacred Heart Begonia and her cultivation surpassed level forty. She remains aloof and refuses to engage with Yu Tianheng or reveal the source of her breakthrough.
• Imperial Fighting Team: Regards Shrek’s members as weak parasites who previously depended on stronger women. Their hostility establishes an immediate rivalry.

Significant Themes

• Power and political submission: Xue Xing’s reversal demonstrates how status and hidden strength force powerful figures to abandon pride and apologize.
• Humiliation and loss of dignity: Yu Xiaogang humiliates Xue Xing, while Yu Tianheng suffers repeated public rejection. Tang San and Ma Hongjun also react strongly to perceived insults.
• Pride and entitlement: Tang San believes his lineage and talents place him above others, making the team’s mockery especially offensive to him.
• Favoritism and nepotism: Yu Xiaogang receives a position far beyond what his cultivation warrants because of his connection to Tang San, while Tang San’s group is inserted into the Imperial Fighting Team through political pressure.
• Social reputation: Yu Tianheng’s failed courtship damages his standing, while Shrek’s reputation as weak outsiders follows them into the academy.
• Conflict between appearance and reality: Xue Xing’s exaggerated politeness hides resentment; Tang San’s outward courtesy masks murderous anger; and the academy’s formal welcome conceals the Imperial Fighting Team’s hostility.

Character Interactions

• Xue Xing and Yu Xiaogang: Their polite conversation is filled with concealed resentment. Yu Xiaogang repeatedly reminds Xue Xing of his past behavior, while Xue Xing endures it because he fears Tang San’s backing.
• Xue Xing and Tang San: Xue Xing tries to flatter Tang San, but his mistaken praise of the “Iron Head Technique” embarrasses and enrages Tang San.
• Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling: Yu Tianheng repeatedly seeks Dugu Yan’s attention, first with tea and then with emotional appeals. Dugu Yan rejects him harshly, while Ye Lingling silently supports Dugu Yan by remaining close to her.
• Shrek and the Imperial Fighting Team: The meeting immediately becomes confrontational. Osler and Yufeng ridicule Shrek’s past dependence on stronger women, Ma Hongjun retaliates verbally, and Dai Mubai prevents the dispute from becoming physical.
• Tang San and the Imperial Fighting Team: Their relationship begins with mutual contempt. The team sees Tang San and his companions as unworthy intruders, while Tang San privately considers their insults unforgivable and begins harboring murderous intentions.

Chapter Summary: “This Is So Hard”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Yan openly objects to the Shrek students joining the Imperial Fighting Team, insulting them as “trash” and challenging their right to remain.
• Sun Buyu explains that the Education Committee and Prince Xue Xing have approved their admission, but Dugu Yan insists that their continued place on the first team should depend on their strength.
• Tang San accepts Dugu Yan’s challenge, eager to vent the anger he has been carrying since Blue Tyrant Academy expelled him and after his previous humiliation involving A Jie.
• Dugu Yan reveals that she has advanced to the Soul Ancestor level, possessing four Soul Rings. Tang San is surprised but remains confident because he believes the Tang Sect’s knowledge of poison will counter her abilities.
• Dugu Yan releases a massive cloud of poisonous mist. Tang San uses Realgar Powder and has Ma Hongjun ignite it with Phoenix Fireline, technically turning the battle into a two-person effort.
• The method briefly clears part of the poison, but Dugu Yan’s evolved Jade Phosphor Serpent poison overwhelms the Realgar Powder almost immediately.
• Tang San is forced to flee around the training ground while Dugu Yan controls the poisonous mist, herding him from one side of the field to another. The Imperial Fighting Team ridicules him for his poor performance and for relying on Ma Hongjun.
• Sun Buyu rushes to notify the Education Committee before Tang San is seriously injured. Prince Xue Xing, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin hurry to the training ground.
• Bai Baoshan intervenes with Soul Douluo-level pressure, dispersing the poison mist and ending the fight. Tang San collapses from exhaustion.
• Dugu Yan argues that Tang San initiated the battle and that she deliberately held back. She points out that using her fourth Soul Skill might have left him unable to stand.
• Prince Xue Xing, terrified of offending either Tang San’s father, Tang Hao, or Dugu Yan’s grandfather, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, avoids taking sides. He gives exaggerated praise to both combatants, even complimenting Tang San’s desperate running as impressive footwork.
• Dugu Yan leaves with Ye Lingling after dismissing Tang San and the others as “trash.” Tang San silently vows to remember the humiliation, while Xue Xing laments his impossible situation.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Tang San: His confidence and pride are badly damaged. He begins the fight convinced that his anti-poison knowledge gives him an advantage, but Dugu Yan’s upgraded poison renders his preparations useless. His anger toward A Jie and resentment over past humiliations intensify, and he leaves the battle humiliated but determined to retaliate.
• Dugu Yan: She becomes even more assertive and domineering, openly challenging Tang San and treating him with contempt. Her advancement to Soul Ancestor and the evolution of her poison demonstrate her growing strength. Despite her harsh attitude, she shows restraint by not using her most powerful Soul Skill.
• Ye Lingling: She remains quiet and loyal to Dugu Yan, gently commenting on the severity of the fight and following her away afterward.
• Ma Hongjun: He assists Tang San by igniting the Realgar Powder, but becomes embarrassed when the Imperial Fighting Team accuses them of violating the one-on-one nature of the duel.
• Yu Tianheng: He tries to defend Dugu Yan and volunteer to fight in her place, but she dismisses him with “Get lost,” further emphasizing her unwillingness to indulge his concern or affection.
• Sun Buyu: He acts as the responsible mediator, recognizing that the confrontation is becoming dangerous and rushing to obtain help.
• Prince Xue Xing: He is portrayed as anxious, cowardly, and trapped between two powerful factions. His desperate attempt to praise both sides reflects his fear of Tang Hao and Dugu Bo.
• The Imperial Fighting Team: Their contempt for Shrek deepens as they mock Tang San’s tactics and apparent weakness. Their insults reinforce the hostile atmosphere between the two groups.

Significant Themes

• Pride and humiliation: Tang San’s confidence collapses when his supposedly superior anti-poison methods fail, turning the duel into a public embarrassment.
• Strength as authority: Dugu Yan insists that admission to the team must be earned through actual ability, not political approval or personal guarantees.
• Adaptation versus fairness: Tang San views Ma Hongjun’s assistance as clever tactical adaptation, while the Imperial Fighting Team sees it as shamelessly breaking the rules.
• Political pressure and impossible choices: Prince Xue Xing’s dilemma highlights how powerful families and influential soul masters control the situation. He cannot safely offend either Tang Hao’s son or Dugu Bo’s granddaughter.
• Mockery and social conflict: Repeated insults such as “trash” and “Little Scumbag” turn the sparring match into a personal confrontation rather than a simple test of ability.
• Hidden power and changing strength: Dugu Yan’s rapid advancement and stronger poison show that previous assessments of an opponent can quickly become outdated.

Overall Significance

The chapter establishes an openly hostile relationship between Shrek and the Imperial Fighting Team. Tang San expects his poison knowledge and combat experience to secure an easy victory, but Dugu Yan decisively humiliates him instead. Her victory strengthens her authority within the team, while Tang San’s resentment and desire for revenge continue to grow. Meanwhile, Prince Xue Xing’s comic panic emphasizes the political danger of managing rival powerful figures.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Yan takes Ye Lingling to Blue Tyrant Academy after learning that Tang San and his companions have unexpectedly joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Dugu Yan suspects something is wrong, since the same academy that previously expelled Su Chen’s group has suddenly welcomed Tang San’s group.
• At Blue Tyrant Academy, Su Chen and his companions are supposed to be training for the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, but Su Chen, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Ling’er are mostly relaxing while Zhu Zhuqing trains seriously.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling arrive, and the group immediately falls into a tense but comedic argument over Ye Lingling’s previous impulsive kiss with Su Chen.
• Su Chen jokingly claims that he was “frightened” by the kiss but has generously forgiven Ye Lingling, provoking Dugu Yan’s anger and embarrassing Ye Lingling.
• Dugu Yan explains that Yu Xiaogang and Tang San’s group were expelled from Blue Tyrant Academy after attempting to morally pressure and manipulate Liu Erlong and the academy.
• Su Chen deduces that Tang Hao likely intervened and helped Tang San’s group enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Disgusted by the Imperial Fighting Team and unwilling to remain around Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, Dugu Yan decides that she and Ye Lingling should leave Heaven Dou Royal Academy and join Blue Tyrant Academy.
• Ye Lingling reluctantly agrees, largely distracted by her feelings for Su Chen.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling leave to seek Liu Erlong’s approval, while Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong become jealous and worry about the newcomers taking their positions.
• Su Chen insists that welcoming them will strengthen the team, though Xiao Wu accuses him of simply enjoying having more beautiful girls around him.

2. Character Developments

• Dugu Yan: Becomes increasingly disgusted with the Imperial Fighting Team and its members, especially Yu Tianheng, Tang San, and Yu Xiaogang. She acts decisively, choosing to leave the academy and protect Ye Lingling from an unpleasant environment.
• Ye Lingling: Her shy affection for Su Chen becomes obvious. She is easily embarrassed by any mention of the kiss and is so distracted by Su Chen that she initially agrees to leave without realizing what Dugu Yan asked.
• Su Chen: Continues to behave lazily and provocatively, using humor to tease Ye Lingling and irritate the other girls. He also shows strategic awareness by correctly guessing how Tang San’s group obtained admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong: Reveal their possessive and competitive sides. They treat Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan as rivals intruding on their relationship with Su Chen and fear losing their importance within the team.
• Jiang Zhu and Liu Ruyan: Begin to worry that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling’s arrival will push them out of the main lineup because of the newcomers’ greater strength and talent.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling’s friendship: Dugu Yan acts as a blunt, protective, and teasing friend, while Ye Lingling remains shy and easily flustered.

3. Significant Themes

• Romantic rivalry and jealousy: Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling are caught in a playful rivalry surrounding Su Chen.
• Loyalty and choosing one’s environment: Dugu Yan rejects the Imperial Fighting Team after deciding that remaining there would mean associating with people she despises.
• Power and influence: Dugu Yan relies on her grandfather, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, to deter the academy from preventing their departure, showing how family status affects institutional decisions.
• Comedy through social conflict: Much of the chapter’s humor comes from misunderstandings, flirtation, jealousy, and exaggerated accusations.
• Team building and competition: The possible arrival of two powerful members raises concerns about team hierarchy, core positions, and the balance between strength and personal relationships.
• Public image versus reality: Su Chen’s supposed “training” session is actually a relaxed gathering, while the academy’s changing attitude toward Tang San’s group hints at hidden political or personal forces.

4. Character Interactions

• Dugu Yan teases Ye Lingling about her feelings for Su Chen and repeatedly embarrasses her by mentioning the kiss.
• Ye Lingling and Su Chen exchange shy glances, revealing mutual awareness and her continuing attraction to him.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong confront Dugu Yan over her accusation that Su Chen took advantage of Ye Lingling, defending Su Chen and insisting Ye Lingling was the aggressor.
• Su Chen deliberately worsens the situation by claiming he generously forgave Ye Lingling for kissing him.
• Dugu Yan clashes verbally with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong while openly evaluating the group’s many female members.
• Dugu Yan persuades Ye Lingling to leave Heaven Dou Royal Academy and join Blue Tyrant Academy.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong react possessively when Su Chen welcomes the possibility, while Jiang Zhu and Liu Ruyan quietly fear being displaced in the team.

Chapter Summary: “Two Girls Having Babies”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After Flender leaves Blue Tyrant Academy with Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong resumes full control of the academy. Freed from her previous emotional fixation, she becomes decisive and strict in handling academy affairs.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling visit Liu Erlong to announce their intention to withdraw from Heaven Dou Royal Academy and transfer to Blue Tyrant Academy. Liu Erlong readily accepts them but tells them to complete the withdrawal process themselves.
• The girls return to Dugu Manor to seek Dugu Bo’s help, since Dugu Yan’s withdrawal from a royal institution requires his authority.
• Dugu Bo enthusiastically supports their decision and personally goes to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to handle the matter. He refuses to negotiate with the Education Committee, using the pressure of his Titled Douluo cultivation to silence their objections.
• Their departure severely weakens the Imperial Fighting Team, since Dugu Yan is its main control-type fighter and Ye Lingling its indispensable healer. The Education Committee worries about how the team will compete in the upcoming tournament and decides to inform Crown Prince Xue Xing.
• Meanwhile, Tang San recovers after being overwhelmed by Dugu Yan’s poison during their spar. Yu Xiaogang dismisses the loss as insignificant and promises Tang San better resources and specialized training at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• When Dugu Bo returns home, he discovers Dugu Yan behaving unusually affectionately with Ye Lingling—touching, tickling, and teasing her in a flirtatious manner.
• This causes Dugu Bo to suspect that Dugu Yan may be attracted to women rather than men. After confirming that she has no interest in Yu Tianheng, he directly asks whether she likes men or women.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Erlong: Regains her former strength, authority, and efficiency after moving beyond her hopeless love. She becomes a strict but capable academy leader.
• Dugu Yan: Demonstrates independence by choosing to leave Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but remains playful and mischievous with Ye Lingling. Her hostility toward Yu Tianheng is made clear, while her closeness with Ye Lingling raises questions about her romantic preferences.
• Ye Lingling: Quietly follows Dugu Yan’s decision and transfers with her. She is more reserved and easily embarrassed by Dugu Yan’s teasing.
• Dugu Bo: Shows deep affection for his granddaughter and aggressively protects her interests. He initially acts as a matchmaking grandfather determined to pair her with Su Chen, but his confidence collapses when he suspects she may prefer women.
• Tang San: Suffers a humiliating defeat against Dugu Yan and remains resentful, though Yu Xiaogang’s reassurance restores some of his confidence.
• Yu Xiaogang: Continues to defend Tang San and rationalize his defeat, emphasizing Tang San’s supposed greater talent while promising him stronger training and resources.
• Liu Erlong, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang: Their changing roles at Blue Tyrant Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy reinforce the division between the two institutions.

3. Significant Themes

• Personal choice versus institutional control: Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling leave a prestigious royal academy to pursue an environment they prefer, while Dugu Bo uses his power to ensure their decision cannot be blocked.
• Family protection and interference: Dugu Bo deeply cares for Dugu Yan, but his overenthusiastic matchmaking and meddling create comic tension.
• Romantic expectations and misunderstanding: Dugu Bo assumes Dugu Yan must want a husband and focuses on Su Chen as an ideal son-in-law. Her behavior with Ye Lingling challenges those assumptions.
• Power and authority: Dugu Bo’s status as a Titled Douluo allows him to override the academy’s objections, highlighting the influence of personal strength in the political structure.
• Humor through generational misunderstanding: Dugu Bo interprets Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling’s intimacy as possible romantic attraction, leading to exaggerated worries about marriage, heirs, and the continuation of the Dugu family.
• Pride and rationalization: Yu Xiaogang reframes Tang San’s defeat as a minor setback caused by poison rather than acknowledging Dugu Yan’s superior performance.

4. Character Interactions

• Dugu Yan and Liu Erlong: Dugu Yan confidently requests a transfer, while Liu Erlong welcomes both girls to Blue Tyrant Academy.
• Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo: Their affectionate grandfather-granddaughter relationship is prominent. Dugu Yan acts spoiled and playful, while Dugu Bo eagerly protects her and repeatedly encourages her to pursue Su Chen.
• Dugu Bo and the Education Committee: Dugu Bo refuses their request to reconsider the withdrawal and intimidates them through his overwhelming Soul Power.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang: Yu Xiaogang comforts Tang San after the defeat, reinforcing Tang San’s belief in his own superiority and promising him enhanced training.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: Their unusually intimate friendship forms the chapter’s central comic mystery. Dugu Yan openly teases and touches Ye Lingling, while Ye Lingling reacts with embarrassment and tries to restrain her.
• Dugu Bo and the two girls: Dugu Bo observes their behavior, becomes suspicious, and ultimately confronts Dugu Yan by asking whether she is attracted to men or women.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Bo mistakenly suspects that his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, has romantic feelings for Ye Lingling because of their physical closeness and affectionate behavior.
• Dugu Yan angrily denies the accusation and threatens to destroy Dugu Bo’s medicinal garden and beard if he continues.
• Dugu Bo quickly backs down, then reveals that his real concern is finding Dugu Yan a suitable man—particularly Su Chen, whom he praises as handsome, powerful, and surrounded by women who get along well.
• Ye Lingling initially confirms that she and Dugu Yan are only best friends, but after reflecting on Dugu Yan’s habit of hugging, pinching, and teasing her, she admits that Dugu Bo’s suspicion may not be entirely unreasonable.
• Embarrassed and furious, Dugu Yan chases Ye Lingling through the manor. Dugu Bo is reassured that Ye Lingling already likes someone else and concludes that his plan to have grandchildren remains possible.
• The scene shifts to the Heaven Dou Empire’s Eastern Palace, where Education Committee Member Meng Shenji reports to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling have withdrawn from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
• Their withdrawal occurred after Prince Xue Xing brought Flender, Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and several others into the academy and attempted to place them on the Imperial Fighting Team.
• Dugu Yan challenged Tang San after rejecting the newcomers. She defeated him, insulted the group, and then left the academy with Ye Lingling. Dugu Bo later arrived and made clear that he was taking them away, refusing to entertain any objections.
• Xue Qinghe publicly accepts the decision and promises to replace the two missing team members, while claiming he will impeach Prince Xue Xing for weakening the empire’s elite team just before the tournament.
• Privately, Xue Qinghe is delighted. He sees the incident as an opportunity to attack Xue Xing politically and expand his own authority before Spirit Hall’s larger plans begin. He immediately prepares to appeal to the emperor.

2. Character Developments

• Dugu Yan: Becomes increasingly embarrassed and enraged by her grandfather’s insinuations. Her fierce defense of her friendship with Ye Lingling contrasts with her possessive and physically affectionate behavior, which unintentionally fuels the misunderstanding.
• Ye Lingling: Initially denies any romantic connection with Dugu Yan, but begins to question whether Yan’s behavior is more suggestive than she realized. She also reveals that she already has someone she likes.
• Dugu Bo: Acts comically overprotective and preoccupied with securing the Dugu family’s future. Beneath his outrageous accusations, he is genuinely concerned about Dugu Yan’s marriage prospects, though he also hopes to connect her with Su Chen.
• Xue Qinghe: Displays a public image of calmness, generosity, and concern for the academy, while privately revealing himself as calculating and politically ambitious. He turns Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling’s departure into a weapon against Prince Xue Xing.
• Meng Shenji: Appears anxious and politically cautious. He reports the academy’s crisis honestly and is relieved when Xue Qinghe takes responsibility for addressing it.
• Prince Xue Xing: Though absent from the chapter, he is portrayed as reckless and self-serving for forcing Tang San’s group into the academy and provoking the departure of two elite students.

3. Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and comedic embarrassment: Dugu Bo misreads the closeness between Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, creating a farcical conflict that briefly causes Ye Lingling to reconsider their relationship.
• Friendship and emotional intimacy: The chapter plays with the boundary between close friendship and romantic affection, especially through Dugu Yan’s overly affectionate behavior toward Ye Lingling.
• Family concern and generational expectations: Dugu Bo’s intrusive matchmaking reflects his desire to preserve the Dugu family line and see his granddaughter marry and have children.
• Political opportunism: Xue Qinghe demonstrates how personal rivalries and institutional failures can be exploited for political gain.
• Consequences of arrogance and favoritism: Xue Xing’s attempt to impose Tang San’s group on the academy drives away two of its strongest members and gives Xue Qinghe ammunition against him.
• Public image versus private motives: Xue Qinghe presents himself as a benevolent crown prince while privately celebrating the crisis because it advances his political goals.

4. Character Interactions

• Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo: Their exchange is confrontational but affectionate. Yan threatens him dramatically, while Bo immediately becomes submissive when his medicine garden and beard are endangered.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: Their playful physical closeness becomes the source of the misunderstanding. Ye Lingling’s sudden wariness humiliates Yan, leading to a comedic chase through the backyard.
• Dugu Bo and Ye Lingling: Bo questions Lingling about her relationship with Yan, while Lingling tries to reassure him and inadvertently strengthens his suspicions before ultimately stating that she loves someone else.
• Xue Qinghe and Meng Shenji: Xue Qinghe treats Meng Shenji respectfully, encourages him to speak freely, and presents himself as a supportive ruler. He then uses the information to justify taking action against Xue Xing.
• Dugu Yan and Tang San: Their confrontation is brief but significant: Yan defeats Tang San decisively, insults his group, and leaves rather than accept the academy’s forced restructuring.
• Xue Qinghe and Prince Xue Xing: Their conflict is indirect but central. Xue Qinghe views Xue Xing’s mistake as a political gift and intends to use it to weaken his uncle’s position before the emperor.

Chapter Summary: “I Was Pretending, I Was Pretending!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Crown Prince Xue Qinghe reports the Imperial Fighting Team crisis to Emperor Xue Ye: Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling have withdrawn from the academy after Prince Xue Xing forcibly added expelled students, including Tang San and his companions, to the team.
• Xue Ye angrily confronts Xue Xing and blames him for damaging the team’s chances in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Xue Xing defends the new recruits as exceptional talents and makes a military pledge that they will achieve results no worse than previous teams.
• Xue Ye accepts the pledge but threatens to strip Xue Xing of his authority and transfer his responsibilities to Xue Qinghe if the team performs poorly.
• Xue Qinghe and Xue Xing exchange veiled threats after leaving the palace, revealing their growing political hostility and rivalry.
• Furious, Xue Xing summons his nephew, Fourth Prince Xue Beng, from a brothel. Xue Beng is dragged back publicly by guards, humiliating him in front of onlookers.
• After sobering Xue Beng with cold water, Xue Xing expresses exhaustion and disappointment. He questions whether Xue Beng is still pretending to be a wastrel or has genuinely become one.
• Xue Xing gives Xue Beng a final opportunity: accomplish something meaningful and inherit his uncle’s support, resources, and political network—or abandon the struggle for the throne entirely.
• Realizing that Xue Xing may truly give up on him, Xue Beng slaps himself twice, admits that his disguise gradually became genuine indolence, and vows to fight for the throne.
• His renewed determination convinces Xue Xing that Xue Beng may still possess the ruthlessness and potential needed for political struggle.

Character Developments

• Xue Qinghe appears calm, diplomatic, and harmless, but demonstrates effective intelligence-gathering and political manipulation. He uses the academy crisis to weaken Xue Xing’s influence.
• Xue Xing is revealed as politically ambitious but increasingly exhausted. Though enraged by Xue Qinghe and Tang San’s impact on his position, he remains protective of Xue Beng and willing to support him if he proves himself.
• Xue Beng undergoes the chapter’s major transformation. His carefree, drunken persona is exposed as an act originally intended to survive palace intrigue, but he admits that comfort made him genuinely negligent. His self-inflicted slaps mark his rejection of complacency and his return to ambition.
• Xue Ye acts decisively as emperor, punishing Xue Xing politically while allowing him one final chance to justify his controversial decisions.

Significant Themes

• Pretence versus reality: Xue Beng’s false identity has gradually shaped his real behavior, raising the question of whether a long-maintained disguise can consume the person behind it.
• Political rivalry and power: Xue Qinghe and Xue Xing maneuver against one another, using reports, appointments, and the tournament as weapons in their struggle for influence.
• Responsibility and consequences: Xue Xing’s military pledge forces him to personally bear the consequences of his decisions, while Xue Beng is forced to confront the damage caused by his irresponsibility.
• Ambition and renewal: Xue Beng regains his desire for the throne only when faced with the possibility of losing his uncle’s support and abandoning his ambitions.
• Family loyalty amid manipulation: Despite their harsh exchanges, Xue Xing and Xue Beng remain connected by mutual dependence and a shared claim to the imperial succession.

Character Interactions

• Xue Ye and Xue Xing: Their confrontation establishes Xue Xing’s precarious political position and culminates in the loss of authority if the tournament goes poorly.
• Xue Qinghe and Xue Xing: Their polite but hostile exchange exposes their deep mutual distrust and competition.
• Xue Xing and Xue Beng: Their final conversation shifts from anger and disappointment to a decisive test of loyalty and resolve. Xue Xing challenges Xue Beng to prove that his wastrel persona was only an act, while Xue Beng responds by recommitting himself to the succession struggle.

Chapter Summary: “The Bigger the Storm, the Pricier the Fish”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After slapping Xue Beng twice, Prince Xue Xing brings him into a secret chamber and reveals the truth about Tang San: he is the son of Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo.
• Xue Xing explains that Tang San and his companions have been given exceptional treatment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He orders Xue Beng to befriend Tang San, provide whatever resources he needs, and persuade him to represent the academy in the Continental Advanced Elite Soul Master Tournament.
• Xue Xing’s real objective is political: Tang San’s victory over the Star Luo Empire’s team would strengthen Heaven Dou, protect Xue Xing’s influence, and prevent power from passing to Xue Qinghe.
• Xue Beng initially fears that associating with Tang Hao could provoke Spirit Hall and make him a scapegoat. However, he ultimately decides the potential rewards outweigh the danger and accepts the task.
• On his way to the academy, Xue Beng considers how to win Tang San’s favor, even contemplating giving him a Soul Bone despite the personal cost.
• Meanwhile, Xue Xing visits Dugu Manor with expensive gifts to repair relations after Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling leave the academy.
• Dugu Bo refuses to let the girls return and announces that he is withdrawing from the Prince’s political affairs. He acknowledges his life-saving debt to Xue Xing but offers to repay it only once more—if Xue Xing’s life is ever in danger.
• Xue Xing leaves deeply shaken, realizing that Dugu Bo can no longer serve as his political foundation. He resolves to rely instead on Tang San, Tang Hao, and “Rat Douluo.”

Character Developments

• Xue Beng: Moves from fear and self-preservation toward calculated ambition. Though terrified of Spirit Hall’s possible retaliation, he chooses to risk himself for a chance at the throne. His crude, exaggerated promise to serve Tang San also highlights his desperation and lack of sophistication.
• Xue Xing: Reveals himself as politically shrewd but increasingly insecure. He is willing to exploit Xue Beng and spend heavily to preserve his influence, yet Dugu Bo’s withdrawal exposes how dependent his power has become on outside allies.
• Dugu Bo: Becomes more assertive and independent. After years of repaying Xue Xing’s life-saving favor, he finally establishes firm boundaries and prioritizes his family and peaceful life over royal politics.
• Tang San: Does not appear directly, but his identity and potential influence become central to the chapter. He is presented as a valuable political and military asset because of his connection to Tang Hao.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: Their playful interaction shows their continued closeness, while their departure from the academy demonstrates their independence from royal authority.

Significant Themes

• Political risk and ambition: Advancement requires dangerous alliances, and Xue Beng must gamble his safety for a chance at power.
• Debts and obligations: The chapter examines the limits of gratitude. Dugu Bo accepts that he owes Xue Xing a life, but rejects the idea that he owes him lifelong political service.
• Manipulation and personal relationships: Xue Xing treats friendship with Tang San as a political strategy, while Xue Beng must turn a history of hostility into an alliance.
• Loss of power and shifting alliances: Dugu Bo’s withdrawal significantly weakens Xue Xing and forces him to seek new sources of influence.
• Appearance versus reality: Xue Beng appears weak and foolish after leaving the mansion, but privately makes a serious political decision. Likewise, Xue Xing’s polite dealings conceal anxiety over his declining position.

Character Interactions

• Xue Xing and Xue Beng: Their secret conversation is a mixture of intimidation, political instruction, and manipulation. Xue Xing tests Xue Beng’s courage, while Xue Beng tries to prove his worth through exaggerated loyalty.
• Xue Xing and Dugu Bo: Their polite meeting masks a decisive break. Dugu Bo respectfully acknowledges their past friendship but firmly refuses further involvement in Xue Xing’s political struggles.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: Their playful chasing and tickling scene provides a lighter contrast to the political tension and reinforces their friendship.
• Xue Beng and his attendant: Xue Beng continues to act domineeringly in public, kicking and ordering his attendant, but privately worries about his injuries and how to approach Tang San.
• Xue Xing and his servants: After Dugu Bo rejects his gifts, the servants silently follow Xue Xing, sensing his anger and disappointment as his authority begins to weaken.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Bo visits Blue Tyrant Academy to formally arrange for his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling to transfer into the academy and join the Blue Tyrant Team.
• Liu Erlong escorts them to Su Chen’s villa, where they overhear what sounds like scandalous arguments between Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong. The dispute is actually about playing cards, specifically using the “little joker” and “big joker.”
• Liu Erlong reprimands the group for treating card games as training, but Su Chen argues that the game develops strategy, psychological pressure, and teamwork.
• Dugu Bo reveals his close relationship with Su Chen and jokingly encourages Su Chen to pursue Dugu Yan, embarrassing her greatly.
• Liu Erlong officially announces that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling are now starting members of the Blue Tyrant Team and urges everyone to improve their coordination before the upcoming tournament.
• Su Chen reveals that Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing have reached level 40 and need their fourth Soul Rings, while Ling’er is close to level 20 and needs her second.
• Liu Erlong initially offers to lead the group to obtain their Soul Rings, but Su Chen decides Dugu Bo should escort them instead.
• The group plans to travel to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest, where they can obtain Soul Rings and benefit from the location’s cultivation effects.

2. Character Developments

• Su Chen remains calm, confident, and humorous. He easily deflects Liu Erlong’s criticism and demonstrates authority within the team. He also shows foresight by planning both Soul Ring acquisition and accelerated cultivation.
• Dugu Bo displays an unexpectedly friendly and mischievous side around Su Chen. He is eager to support the team, particularly because he hopes to create opportunities for Dugu Yan and Su Chen to grow closer.
• Dugu Yan is embarrassed by her grandfather’s suggestive remarks but formally becomes part of the team. Her addition raises expectations that she must work hard to keep up with the exceptionally talented members.
• Ye Lingling quietly joins the team and remains reserved, though her presence strengthens the team’s support capabilities.
• Liu Erlong shifts from irritation at the team’s apparent laziness to amazement and pride after learning that Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing have already reached level 40. She becomes highly invested in ensuring their Soul Rings are properly chosen.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong continue their playful rivalry, arguing over cards while revealing their competitive personalities.
• Zhu Zhuqing remains focused on becoming stronger and readily accepts the training journey.

3. Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and comic contrast: The overheard card-game argument sounds scandalous until its harmless explanation is revealed.
• Talent and rapid growth: The team’s extraordinary cultivation speed, especially the twelve-year-old Soul Ancestors, shocks even experienced figures such as Liu Erlong and Dugu Bo.
• Teamwork and preparation: Despite their relaxed behavior, the group is preparing strategically for the upcoming tournament through games, team coordination, Soul Ring upgrades, and specialized cultivation.
• Mentorship and protection: Dugu Bo and Liu Erlong both take responsibility for guiding and protecting the younger Soul Masters, though Dugu Bo’s approach is mischievous and matchmaking-oriented.
• Balancing relaxation with cultivation: Su Chen emphasizes that rest and entertainment can also contribute to battle readiness, provided they are balanced with serious training.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Erlong remains suspicious of Dugu Bo’s overly polite behavior, but Dugu Bo reassures her and agrees to escort the team.
• Su Chen and Dugu Bo interact like old acquaintances, with Su Chen openly calling him “Old Poison” and Dugu Bo responding warmly rather than angrily.
• Dugu Bo embarrasses Dugu Yan by openly encouraging Su Chen to pursue her, prompting her to drag him away.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong clash competitively during the card game, with Su Chen siding with Xiao Wu and further irritating Ning Rongrong.
• Liu Erlong acts as the stern dean, criticizing the team’s apparent lack of seriousness before recognizing that their cultivation progress is exceptional.
• The team members accept the trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, combining Soul Ring acquisition with intensive cultivation before the tournament.