Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Xue Beng prepares meticulously to meet Tang San, determined to endure humiliation and win Tang San’s support in his bid for the throne.
• At the Imperial Fighting Team’s training grounds, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar face hostility from Yu Tianheng’s teammates over the previous day’s defeat.
• Sun Buyu announces that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling have withdrawn from Heaven Dou Royal Academy and will no longer participate in the Imperial Fighting Team.
• Their departures create two vacant positions, which Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar are allowed to compete for.
• Yu Tianheng reacts hysterically to Dugu Yan’s withdrawal, collapsing and crying. However, his distress is driven largely by fear of losing his position as heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, since he had promised to win over Dugu Yan and her grandfather, Dugu Bo.
• Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai mock Yu Tianheng, though Dai Mubai stops when he realizes his own romantic failures make the insult applicable to him.
• Tang San privately celebrates the vacancies, believing Dugu Yan’s departure gives him an excellent chance to claim the team’s control-system position and eventually lead the team.
• Oscar also sees an opportunity: with Ye Lingling gone, he hopes his healing sausages will earn him a permanent place on the team.
• Meanwhile, Su Chen’s group prepares for several months of special training at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Xiao Wu packs an enormous supply of carrots, while Ning Rongrong fills her storage tool with clothes, snacks, and miscellaneous belongings.
• Dugu Bo arranges for Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to join the training expedition, officially to improve team coordination. The group of eight then prepares to travel to Sunset Forest.
• Dugu Bo plans to use the long carriage journey to create romantic opportunities between Dugu Yan and Su Chen.

Character Development

• Xue Beng shows determination and political ambition, willing to suppress his pride and tolerate humiliation to gain Tang San’s allegiance.
• Tang San becomes increasingly calculating and vengeful. He views the team vacancies as a crucial opportunity to gain status, resources, and revenge against those who have humiliated him.
• Yu Tianheng is exposed as emotionally unstable and politically self-interested. His apparent grief over Dugu Yan is tied more to his threatened succession and failed clan promises than genuine heartbreak.
• Ma Hongjun remains openly mocking and aggressive, taking pleasure in Yu Tianheng’s collapse.
• Dai Mubai initially joins the ridicule but is forced to confront his own romantic embarrassment involving Zhu Zhuqing.
• Oscar demonstrates strategic ambition, planning to use his healing sausages to make the Imperial Fighting Team dependent on him.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling formally leave the academy and join Su Chen’s group, marking a major shift in their affiliations and future training.
• Dugu Bo acts as a scheming, overprotective grandfather who openly tries to engineer a relationship between Dugu Yan and Su Chen.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong display their contrasting but equally excessive approaches to preparing for travel.

Significant Themes

• Political ambition and opportunism: Xue Beng and Tang San are both willing to endure discomfort and manipulate circumstances for greater power.
• The difference between genuine emotion and self-interest: Yu Tianheng’s breakdown reveals that his “love” for Dugu Yan is closely tied to his clan ambitions.
• Rivalry and revenge: Tang San’s desire to rise within the team is fueled by resentment toward those who mocked or defeated him.
• Power vacuums and competition: Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling’s departure immediately creates opportunities for Tang San and Oscar to advance.
• Teamwork and usefulness: The chapter emphasizes that team positions depend not only on strength but also on coordination and indispensable abilities.
• Romantic matchmaking and comic manipulation: Dugu Bo attempts to manufacture closeness between Su Chen and Dugu Yan through forced proximity during the journey.

Character Interactions

• Tang San restrains Dai Mubai from responding to Osler’s provocations, masking his own anger while plotting revenge.
• Yu Tianheng confronts Sun Buyu over Dugu Yan’s departure, then collapses emotionally when the news is confirmed.
• Ma Hongjun ridicules Yu Tianheng, while Dai Mubai supports him before stopping short because of his own comparable romantic disgrace.
• Tang San silently judges Yu Tianheng and imagines replacing him as the team’s true leader.
• Dugu Bo persuades Su Chen to include Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling in the special training, while secretly trying to bring Dugu Yan and Su Chen closer.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong banter over their excessive luggage, providing comic relief before the group begins its journey.

Chapter Summary: “This Grass Looks Just Like a Bull”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Bo prepares to travel to Sunset Forest by carriage, intending to create romantic opportunities for his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and Su Chen. Su Chen reveals that the group can instead use Flying Soul Guidance Devices.
• Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing already possess the devices, while Zhu Zhuqing carries the young Ling’er. Su Chen gives additional devices to Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling after Dugu Bo argues that everyone on the team should be treated equally.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling learn to fly, initially nervously but soon with growing confidence. Xiao Wu challenges Ning Rongrong to an aerial race, turning the journey into a playful midair competition.
• The group reaches Dugu Bo’s herb garden, protected by a powerful poisonous formation. Dugu Yan realizes that the garden is located at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Su Chen previously mentioned.
• Dugu Bo proudly offers antidotes and warns everyone not to enter the poison formation without protection. Su Chen refuses the ugly-looking pill and instead uses his golden, poison-negating soul skill while dramatically playing music. His barrier completely neutralizes the poison formation, humiliating Dugu Bo.
• Inside the garden, the group sees the beautiful Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the rare medicinal herbs surrounding it. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong begin examining the plants, but Xiao Wu starts uprooting them, mistaking one for grass shaped like a small cow.
• Dugu Bo panics at the destruction of his precious herbs and begs the girls to stop.

Character Developments

• Su Chen remains confident, powerful, and deliberately theatrical. He casually provides advanced Soul Guidance Devices, ignores Dugu Bo’s poison formation, and enjoys teasing him.
• Dugu Bo is shown as scheming but affectionate toward Dugu Yan. His plans to bring everyone by carriage fail, and he becomes increasingly frustrated by Su Chen’s overwhelming abilities. Despite his pride, he is deeply protective of his herb garden.
• Dugu Yan grows curious about Su Chen’s technology and gains confidence as she learns to fly. Seeing his soul skill and power firsthand convinces her that he truly is an extraordinary “monster,” making comparisons with other academy students seem pointless.
• Ye Lingling is quiet and gentle, but she is visibly impressed by the Flying Soul Guidance Device and Su Chen’s dramatic power. She becomes slightly flustered after accidentally touching his hand.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong display their competitive, playful personalities through their aerial race and teasing. Xiao Wu remains impulsive, especially when she begins pulling up rare herbs without understanding their value.
• Zhu Zhuqing acts responsibly, carrying and protecting Ling’er during the journey.
• Ling’er is portrayed as an excited, obedient child who enjoys flying and observing the poisonous mist.

Significant Themes

• Technological advancement and superiority: The Flying Soul Guidance Devices demonstrate how Su Chen’s resources surpass the group’s expectations and make traditional methods, such as carriages, obsolete.
• Power and pride: Dugu Bo’s confidence in his poison formation is undermined when Su Chen effortlessly bypasses it, reinforcing the gap between them.
• Comedic contrast: Dugu Bo’s serious schemes and pride repeatedly collide with Su Chen’s casual, exaggerated behavior and the girls’ playful reactions.
• Friendship and team unity: Providing wings to Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling emphasizes that they are now included as equal members of the group.
• Wonder and discovery: The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and its rare herbs inspire awe, though Xiao Wu’s curiosity also creates a humorous threat to the garden.
• Romantic matchmaking: Dugu Bo continues attempting to create opportunities for Dugu Yan and Su Chen, though his plans are repeatedly disrupted.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Chen and Dugu Bo: Their relationship is defined by teasing, rivalry, and reluctant admiration. Su Chen mocks Dugu Bo’s carriage and poison formation, while Dugu Bo grudgingly acknowledges his strength.
• Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan: They argue over Dugu Bo’s “little chick” remark, establishing their hot-tempered but potentially familial relationship.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong: Their friendly rivalry appears during the flying race and continues through mutual teasing.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling: They share the excitement of learning to fly and react together to Su Chen’s overwhelming abilities.
• Dugu Bo and the girls: He tries to protect Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling with antidotes, but must ultimately rush to stop Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong from damaging his precious medicinal herbs.

Plot points and events

• In Dugu Bo’s herb garden, Xiao Wu accidentally pulls up a medicinal plant and replants it upside down. When Dugu Bo catches her, she and Ning Rongrong claim the wind knocked it over and that Xiao Wu was only helping. Dugu Bo is furious but prioritizes saving the herb.
• Su Chen visits Ah Yin, Tang San’s mother, whose cultivation has recovered to several hundred years in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. She is lonely and bored, though she enjoys seeing Xiao Wu and Su Chen again. Dugu Yan nearly tries to have Ah Yin cooked as a medicinal soup before Ah Yin scares her off.
• Su Chen produces a portable villa for the group’s stay. Dugu Bo initially tries to claim a room, but Su Chen sends him back to his hut. Dugu Bo then decides this is convenient: living together may give Dugu Yan more chances to spend time with Su Chen.
• At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Tang San, Oscar, and Dai Mubai secure places in the team’s starting or rotation lineup. Ma Hongjun is left out and resents being the only one excluded. Yu Tianheng, devastated by Dugu Yan’s absence, withdraws from practice.
• Yu Xiaogang approaches Yu Tianheng, hoping to guide him as a supportive uncle. Yu Tianheng fails to recognize him and walks past, forcing Yu Xiaogang to call after him. The chapter ends as Yu Xiaogang finally identifies himself as Tianheng’s uncle.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong show quick-witted but shameless teamwork in covering up the damaged herb; Dugu Bo’s anger is tempered by his concern for the plant and his connection to Tang San.
• Ah Yin’s playful hostility toward Su Chen and Xiao Wu contrasts with her loneliness. She remains wary of Dugu Yan, who treats her as a potential ingredient.
• Dugu Bo’s apparent gruffness gives way to matchmaking hopes as he sees the villa as an opportunity for Dugu Yan and Su Chen to grow closer.
• Tang San’s standing improves as his Blue Silver Grass proves useful for restraint and coordination. Oscar’s support abilities and Dai Mubai’s strength also earn them team roles, while Ma Hongjun’s insecurity and resentment deepen.
• Yu Tianheng’s heartbreak leaves him unable to participate, and Yu Xiaogang’s carefully planned sentimental approach misfires because Tianheng barely recognizes him.

Significant themes

• Comedy and deception: Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong’s absurd excuse, Dugu Bo’s thwarted attempt to claim a room, and Yu Xiaogang’s awkward reunion drive the chapter’s humor.
• Belonging and loneliness: Ah Yin longs for company, while Yu Tianheng’s grief isolates him from his teammates.
• Competition and exclusion: The academy’s lineup decisions reward Tang San and his allies but leave Ma Hongjun feeling overlooked.
• Family and recognition: Yu Xiaogang expects familial affection, but years apart have made him nearly a stranger to Yu Tianheng.

Plot points and events

• Yu Xiaogang reveals himself to his nephew, Yu Tianheng, after many years away. Tianheng recognizes him, but initially suspects he has come to borrow money.
• Once Xiaogang denies wanting money, Tianheng’s distress about problems within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan returns, and he breaks down in his uncle’s arms.
• Xiaogang tries to comfort him by promising that following his “Invincible Theory” will help him excel in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament and earn the clan’s respect.
• Tianheng notices a foul smell on Xiaogang’s clothes and bluntly asks whether he has wet himself. Xiaogang angrily denies it, while Tianheng misreads his embarrassment and unusual voice as evidence of hardship.
• Tianheng apologizes repeatedly and offers to let Xiaogang hit him. Xiaogang suppresses his anger and insists Tianheng has misunderstood, ending the chapter without resolving the awkward exchange.

Character developments

• Yu Tianheng is emotionally vulnerable over his family and clan troubles, but his bluntness and tendency to jump to conclusions create comic misunderstandings. He also shows strong affection and sympathy for his uncle.
• Yu Xiaogang hopes to use the reunion to gain Tianheng’s help for Tang San and promote his training theory. His embarrassment over a private physical ailment clashes with his desire to appear dignified and authoritative.

Significant themes

• Family bonds and estrangement: The reunion brings genuine affection, despite years of separation and the family’s history of rejecting Xiaogang.
• Pride versus vulnerability: Xiaogang tries to present himself as a wise, successful elder while hiding his hardship; Tianheng’s emotional need and awkward compassion expose how fragile that image is.
• Comic miscommunication: Both men repeatedly interpret each other incorrectly, turning a serious family conversation into escalating farce.

Character interactions

• Tianheng moves from suspicion to relief, then to an emotional embrace with Xiaogang.
• Xiaogang comforts Tianheng and tries to steer him toward his tournament plan, partly for his own purposes.
• Tianheng’s accidental insult and clumsy attempts to make amends intensify Xiaogang’s humiliation, while Xiaogang chooses to endure rather than risk making the misunderstanding worse.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Yu Xiaogang reunites with Yu Tianheng and invites him to speak privately. Tianheng confides in him about his humiliation, Dugu Yan’s departure, pressure from the clan, and his weakening claim to the position of heir.
• When Tianheng mentions Su Chen, Xiaogang reveals that he also bears a grudge against him, though he keeps the embarrassing details of their history to himself. The two bond over their shared resentment.
• Tianheng asks why Xiaogang never acknowledged him in Suotuo City. Xiaogang invents a self-sacrificing explanation: he claims he stayed away to protect Tianheng’s reputation from his own disgrace. Tianheng believes him and is moved.
• Xiaogang encourages Tianheng to restore the clan’s confidence by performing well in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. He promises that his theories and training plans could help the Imperial Fighting Team challenge Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation.
• Reassured, Tianheng agrees to follow Xiaogang’s guidance. Xiaogang proposes introducing him to his student, Tang San, so the two can coordinate as key members of the team.
• Elsewhere, Xue Beng visits the training grounds on Prince Xue Xing’s instructions, openly seeking to recruit Tang San rather than hiding behind his usual wastrel persona.
• Xue Beng clashes briefly with Sun Buyu, asserting his authority as a prince at the royal academy. He then approaches Tang San with an unexpectedly humble apology, calling him “Brother San” and inviting him to tea.
• Tang San and the others are stunned by Xue Beng’s sudden change. Tang San initially refuses, but Xue Beng explains that his royal uncle reprimanded him. Tang San realizes that Xue Xing is behind the approach.

Character developments

• Yu Tianheng is emotionally vulnerable after his personal and political setbacks, but Xiaogang’s encouragement revives his hope. He becomes eager to prove himself and trusts Xiaogang’s judgment.
• Yu Xiaogang presents himself as a caring mentor and uncle, but manipulates Tianheng with a fabricated story and promises of success. His hatred of Su Chen is intense, though his own humiliating experiences remain unspoken.
• Xue Beng suppresses his pride and adopts a deferential manner to advance his political ambitions. His apology is strategic rather than sincere, motivated by Xue Xing’s plan and his desire to gain Tang San’s support.
• Tang San remains wary and composed. He refuses to accept Xue Beng’s sudden friendliness at face value and quickly identifies the likely political influence behind it.
• Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Sun Buyu react with hostility or disbelief to Xue Beng’s appearance and behavior.

Significant themes

• Manipulation disguised as care: Xiaogang wins Tianheng’s trust through a moving but invented explanation, while Xue Beng presents political maneuvering as personal remorse.
• Ambition and status: Tianheng’s heirship depends on tournament performance, while Xue Beng’s approach to Tang San is part of a broader struggle for the throne.
• Pride versus pragmatism: Xue Beng willingly humiliates himself because he believes the political reward is worth the loss of face.
• Resentment and rivalry: Xiaogang and Tianheng strengthen their bond through shared anger at Su Chen, while the academy group’s old hostility toward Xue Beng shapes their response to him.

Character interactions

• Xiaogang comforts Tianheng, listens to his grievances, then uses his authority as “Master of Theory” to inspire him and secure his cooperation.
• Tianheng responds with affection and trust, interpreting Xiaogang’s absence as a sacrifice made for his sake.
• Xiaogang plans to connect Tianheng with Tang San, positioning them as the team’s central figures.
• Xue Beng’s exchange with Sun Buyu establishes his royal authority, but his conciliatory approach to Tang San sharply contrasts with his earlier arrogance.
• Tang San refuses Xue Beng’s invitation at first; Xue Beng’s mention of his royal uncle gives Tang San the clue that the apology is part of Prince Xue Xing’s political strategy.

Key plot points and events

• Prince Xue Beng approaches Tang San to apologize for previously mistreating him and offers access to the academy’s resources and help with any problems.
• When Tang San’s teacher, Yu Xiaogang, arrives with Yu Tianheng, Xue Beng quickly tries to ingratiate himself with Yu Xiaogang as well.
• Yu Xiaogang sees a chance to gain influence and practical support at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and offers to make Xue Beng a nominal disciple, provided Tang San does not object.
• Tang San dislikes the idea but stays silent after Yu Xiaogang signals that accepting Xue Beng could be useful. Xue Beng treats the silence as approval and formally bows to Yu Xiaogang.
• Xue Beng presents Yu Xiaogang with a thousand-year soul bone as an apprenticeship gift. Yu Xiaogang claims it is improper to give gifts, then accepts it and says he will keep it safe until Xue Beng is ready to use it.
• The soul bone draws everyone’s attention, including Tang San’s. It reminds him of the bizarre, painful “pig-tail” soul bone he obtained in the Star Dou Great Forest, briefly reviving his unpleasant memories.

Character developments and interactions

• Xue Beng shifts from arrogant bully to eager flatterer, using promises, a teacher-disciple connection, and a valuable gift to get closer to Tang San and his father’s influence. His deference is calculated rather than sincere.
• Tang San enjoys seeing Xue Beng forced to apologize, but remains resentful and suspicious. He objects when Xue Beng calls Yu Xiaogang “Teacher,” then restrains his opposition for Yu Xiaogang’s sake and for the potential benefits.
• Yu Xiaogang presents himself as dignified and reluctant, but quickly recognizes the advantages of having a prince as a nominal pupil. His delight at receiving the soul bone exposes his greed beneath the grandmasterly performance.
• Sun Buyu distrusts Xue Beng’s sudden change of behavior and plans to report it to Meng Shenji, who can pass the information to Xue Qinghe.
• Yu Tianheng, Yufeng, Osler, and Ma Hongjun witness the exchange. They are surprised by Xue Beng’s shameless flattery and fascinated by the rare soul bone; Yu Tianheng also feels he has nothing comparable to offer his uncle.

Significant themes

• Power and influence: Xue Beng seeks access to Tang San and the influence of Tang Hao, while Yu Xiaogang sees the prince’s status as a source of resources and protection.
• Calculated relationships: The apparent apology and teacher-disciple bond are driven more by mutual advantage than genuine affection or respect.
• Pride and hypocrisy: Tang San struggles to swallow his resentment, while Yu Xiaogang disguises his eagerness for the soul bone with a show of modesty.
• Status and valuable gifts: The soul bone demonstrates how wealth and rare resources can rapidly reshape people’s attitudes and relationships.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Xiaogang accepts a Soul Bone from Xue Beng, whose outward deference masks deep contempt. Tang San is disgusted by their apparent show of “master-disciple” affection.
• Yu Xiaogang takes Tang San and Yu Tianheng aside and announces that he will personally direct the Imperial Fighting Team’s tactics and training.
• He reveals that Yu Tianheng is his nephew. Tang San is briefly alarmed that family loyalty may cost him the captaincy, but Yu Xiaogang then names Tang San acting captain.
• Yu Xiaogang argues that Yu Tianheng’s heartbreak over Dugu Yan has impaired his judgment and says he must step down. Yu Tianheng reluctantly agrees, hoping to protect his more important position as clan heir.
• Tang San eagerly accepts the role and vows to win the tournament. Yu Xiaogang praises his ambition.
• Xue Beng politely declines Yu Xiaogang’s offer to join training, then leaves to report back to Prince Xue Xing.
• Yu Xiaogang takes over training from Sun Buyu, who accepts the change without resistance and departs. The chapter ends with the Shrek students gathering around Yu Xiaogang while the Imperial Fighting Team’s original members watch them warily.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San swings from suspicion and resentment to elation when Yu Xiaogang gives him the captaincy. His crooked grin repeatedly betrays his emotions, making him look more comical than intimidating.
• Yu Tianheng is wounded by being removed as captain, but accepts the decision rather than challenge his uncle. He remains focused on preserving his standing as the clan heir.
• Yu Xiaogang asserts control over both the team’s training and leadership, presenting his decision as a matter of tactical necessity while clearly favoring Tang San.
• Xue Beng maintains an ingratiating façade toward Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, though privately he despises them and is relieved to leave.
• Sun Buyu steps aside calmly, while the Shrek students show Yu Xiaogang respect and the original team members remain distant and suspicious.

Significant themes

• Ambition and power: Tang San gains authority, while Yu Tianheng sacrifices a title to protect his larger ambitions.
• Favoritism and loyalty: Yu Xiaogang’s decision tests the meaning of family ties, but Tang San ultimately interprets it as proof that he is the teacher’s favored disciple.
• Public masks versus private feelings: Xue Beng’s politeness, Tang San’s forced composure, and Yu Tianheng’s subdued acceptance conceal resentment, anxiety, and disappointment.
• Leadership and emotional control: Yu Xiaogang frames the captaincy change around Yu Tianheng’s inability to keep personal grief from affecting team decisions.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Xiaogang announces that Yu Tianheng is stepping down as captain of the Imperial Fighting Team and names his disciple, Tang San, as the replacement.
• The team reacts furiously. Yufeng and Osler challenge Yu Xiaogang’s authority, while Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun defend him. Yu Tianheng surprises everyone by backing his uncle and saying he chose to step down for the team’s benefit.
• Yu Xiaogang invokes the approval of Prince Xue Xing and the Education Committee, leaving the dissenting members with little choice but to stay.
• Tang San offers to settle the captaincy dispute through a soul-fighting match. The two sides agree to a four-on-four team fight: Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar against Osler, Yufeng, and the Shi Mo brothers.
• In a separate scene at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Su Chen gives Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong small balls that produce Soul Rings, which rapidly grow from ten-year to thousand-year strength. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling are stunned; Xiao Wu dismisses the feat as ordinary “Divine Bestowed Spirit Rings,” enjoying the chance to impress them.

Character developments and interactions

• Yu Tianheng willingly yields the captaincy and publicly supports Yu Xiaogang, despite his teammates’ disbelief and mockery.
• Yu Xiaogang tries to establish control through his official backing and his reputation as a theoretical authority, then appoints Tang San captain.
• Tang San shifts from accepting the appointment with smug confidence to demanding a fight when the team refuses to recognize his authority. He intends to win their obedience through force.
• Yufeng, Osler, and the Shi Mo brothers openly reject the new leadership, but remain on the team because leaving would harm their families’ standing.
• Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun defend Yu Xiaogang and prepare to fight alongside Tang San; Ma Hongjun also privately hopes the upheaval might create a place for him on the first squad.
• Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling are baffled by the apparently effortless creation and growth of Soul Rings, while Xiao Wu confidently explains the phenomenon and takes pleasure in their amazement.

Significant themes

• Authority versus earned respect: Yu Xiaogang can impose appointments through institutional power, but the team’s resistance shows that formal authority does not guarantee loyalty.
• Leadership and merit: Tang San must prove himself in combat after the team rejects his appointment; Yu Tianheng frames his own resignation as a sacrifice for the team.
• Knowledge, reputation, and arrogance: Yu Xiaogang’s claims to theoretical expertise are mocked, while his confidence in Tang San’s ability contrasts with the team’s skepticism.
• A world of unequal knowledge and power: The miraculous Soul Rings expose how extraordinary Su Chen’s group’s abilities are, leaving outsiders like Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling feeling inexperienced and out of their depth.

Key events

• Xiao Wu tells Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling that Su Chen can produce as many Divine Bestowed Spirit Rings as he wants. They watch Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong’s rings darken into ten-thousand-year black rings without the women hunting Soul Beasts, leaving them stunned.
• At the Imperial Fighting Team’s training ground, Yu Xiaogang has Tang San challenge the team members who oppose his appointment as captain. The fight goes badly for Tang San at first: Yufeng attacks from the air, Osler targets Oscar, and the Shi brothers’ defenses hold off Dai Mubai.
• Tang San turns the fight with concealed Sleeve Arrows, injuring Yufeng and Osler, then restraining them with Blue Silver Grass. With the opponents’ advantages neutralized, his team defeats all four challengers.
• Yufeng and Osler condemn Tang San’s hidden-weapon tactics as dishonorable. Tang San defends them as part of his strength, while Yu Xiaogang praises his ruthlessness and declares that the team will follow his training from the next day.
• Ma Hongjun celebrates the victory and insults the defeated fighters, offending Yu Tianheng, whose former teammates they are. Dai Mubai and Oscar try to stop Ma Hongjun before he makes things worse.
• In private, Yu Xiaogang warns Tang San that the Imperial Fighting Team is unlikely to beat Su Chen’s group through tactics or training alone; the gap in raw strength is too great.
• Tang San considers teaching his teammates the Tang Sect’s Mysterious Heaven Skill to accelerate their growth, but hesitates because the sect’s rules forbid sharing its secret arts with outsiders.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San secures the captaincy through a ruthless victory, showing little remorse for using concealed weapons. His hatred of Su Chen remains intense, but Yu Xiaogang’s admission that Su Chen is beyond their current strength forces him to consider a drastic shortcut.
• Yu Xiaogang supports Tang San’s tactics and uses the result to assert authority over the team. In private, however, he admits that his theories cannot overcome the strength gap with Su Chen’s group.
• Yu Tianheng continues to defend his uncle despite growing doubts about Yu Xiaogang’s motives. The mockery of his former teammates makes him visibly uncomfortable.
• Yufeng, Osler, and the Shi brothers lose the challenge but remain resentful, viewing Tang San’s win as a dishonorable ambush rather than proof of leadership.
• Ma Hongjun’s celebration aggravates Yu Tianheng; Dai Mubai and Oscar try unsuccessfully to get him to stop talking.
• Xiao Wu’s boast about Su Chen reinforces the contrast between his group’s extraordinary resources and the Imperial Fighting Team’s struggle.

Significant themes

• Power versus honor: Tang San treats hidden weapons as legitimate tools, while his opponents see their use in a sparring match as shameful.
• Leadership and coercion: Tang San wins the captaincy by force, and Yu Xiaogang turns that victory into a demand for obedience.
• Loyalty versus ambition: Tang San’s plan to share a forbidden technique pits his desire to strengthen his team against his lifelong oath to the Tang Sect.
• Unequal power and opportunity: Su Chen’s seemingly effortless Spirit Rings underscore the gulf between the two groups and the difficulty of catching up through ordinary means.

Key plot points and events

• Tang San debates himself over whether teaching the Mysterious Heaven Skill to others violates the Tang Sect’s rules. His ruthless, victory-focused side defeats his rule-bound conscience, convincing him that defeating Su Chen matters more.
• Yu Xiaogang proposes finding a way to help Dai Mubai and the others catch up in cultivation. Tang San offers the Mysterious Heaven Skill, claiming he modified Yu Xiaogang’s meditation method and made it dramatically more effective.
• Yu Xiaogang doubts Tang San invented it, privately deciding Tang Hao must have taught him a secret Clear Sky Sect technique. He nevertheless approves of sharing it.
• Tang San makes learning the skill conditional on joining a Tang Sect he plans to establish and swearing not to reveal its secrets. Yu Xiaogang fetches Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar; Tang San then presents the conditions to them.
• The chapter ends before the three agree or refuse.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San abandons his lingering loyalty to his former life’s sect rules, rationalizing that he must pass on the technique to defeat Su Chen. He disguises this breach as a way to revive the Tang Sect and begins positioning himself as a future sect master.
• Yu Xiaogang remains proud of Tang San and supportive of his ambitions, but misreads the origin of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, assuming Tang Hao supplied it.
• Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar are summoned to hear Tang San’s proposal. Ma Hongjun complains about being interrupted while planning a trip to a brothel with Dai Mubai; Dai Mubai tries to present his own intentions as more virtuous, and Ma Hongjun mocks him. Tang San privately regards all three as flawed but useful allies.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus principle: Tang San knowingly compromises his inherited rules because he is consumed by the need to defeat Su Chen.
• Self-justification and hypocrisy: He frames breaking the rules as preserving the Tang Sect’s legacy, while his real motive is revenge and victory.
• Power, loyalty, and control: Tang San uses access to a powerful cultivation method to recruit followers and secure secrecy, laying the groundwork for his sect.

Tang San recruited Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Yu Xiaogang into the Tang Sect and taught them the Mysterious Heaven Skill, while Xue Qinghe heard about Xue Beng’s attempt to win Tang San over. At Sunset Forest, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing completed their fourth Soul Rings at ten thousand years and celebrated with Su Chen.

• Tang San asked Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar to join the Tang Sect and swear not to reveal the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and all three agreed.
• Yu Xiaogang insisted on swearing too, invoking Luo Sanpao in a gruesome oath before joining the others in learning the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
• Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar felt their soul power circulate faster after practicing the technique, while Tang San kept the Tang Sect’s core arts secret.
• She Long told Xue Qinghe that Xue Beng had tried to recruit Tang San and become Yu Xiaogang’s disciple by offering a thousand-year Soul Bone.
• Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing completed their fourth Soul Rings at ten thousand years, and Ning Rongrong enthusiastically kissed Su Chen while Xiao Wu protested.
• Zhu Zhuqing thanked Su Chen with a kiss, while Ling'er peeked at them through her fingers.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing revealed the unusual effects of their fourth Soul Skills, while Ning Rongrong’s teasing hint led to an intimate night with Su Chen. The next morning, Dugu Bo learned that Su Chen had already given the girls Spirit Rings, ruining his plan to take them hunting and arrange time alone for Dugu Yan and Su Chen.

• Ning Rongrong refused to explain the extra effect of her fourth Soul Skill, while Zhu Zhuqing described how her Netherworld Hidden Doppelganger created seven attackers she could swap places with.
• Xiao Wu teased Ning Rongrong about her secret, and the two chased each other around Su Chen as Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling watched.
• Ning Rongrong spent the night with Su Chen, and he discovered the intimate meaning behind her hint that the waters ran deep.
• Dugu Bo announced that he would take the girls into Sunset Forest to hunt for Soul Beasts and hoped to create an opportunity for Dugu Yan and Su Chen.
• Dugu Yan told Dugu Bo that Su Chen had already given Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing Divine Bestowed Spirit Rings, leaving him dejected as he abandoned his plan and went to the vegetable garden.

Su Chen and Ning Rongrong sneaked away to a cave for a private encounter, but Xiao Wu exposed them when they returned. At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Yu Xiaogang’s Gravity Room running appeared to help Tang San’s group advance, though the real cause was the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and Yu Tianheng grew even more impressed with his uncle.

• Dugu Bo settled into a routine between the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and Heaven Dou City, and he told Ning Fengzhi that Ning Rongrong had gained a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring.
• Ning Rongrong led Su Chen to a hidden cave, where they spent over an hour together before returning to the villa.
• Xiao Wu caught the pair by the scent on Ning Rongrong and teased her in front of the others, while Su Chen calmly led her away.
• At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Yufeng, Osler, and the Shi Mo brothers kept running in the Gravity Room without improving, while Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, and Oscar gained Soul Power levels.
• Yu Tianheng praised Yu Xiaogang’s training, unaware that Tang San’s Mysterious Heaven Skill was responsible for the breakthroughs.

After months of cultivation at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Su Chen and the others returned to Blue Tyrant Academy as the Soul Master Tournament approached. Liu Erlong ordered the team to prepare tactics, while Su Chen defended his lack of training with an elaborate claim that he had been planning strategies in his head.

• Yu Xiaogang urged Yu Tianheng to train in the Gravity Room while privately resenting his own stalled cultivation.
• Dugu Bo asked Su Chen when the group would return, and Su Chen agreed to leave the next morning.
• Dugu Bo persuaded Su Chen to leave the villa at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and Xiao Wu and Ling'er said goodbye to Ah Yin before the group flew to Heaven Dou City.
• At Blue Tyrant Academy, Qin Ming directed Su Chen and the others to report to Liu Erlong, who had been anxious about their absence before the tournament.
• Liu Erlong told the team to rest and meet the next morning to discuss tournament tactics, but Dugu Yan revealed that Su Chen had barely trained.
• Su Chen claimed he had spent his time devising thousands of tactical combinations, insisting that his mental work had carried the team.

Su Chen brought his team back to Blue Tyrant Academy, where Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling discovered they had no dorms and moved into his villa. The next morning, Liu Erlong recorded the team’s Soul Power Levels and named the seven starters and four reserves for the tournament.

• Liu Erlong dismissed Su Chen and the girls after their joking conversation, then sent them to rest before training the next day.
• Xiao Wu realized Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had followed them to the villa despite having no dorms, and Su Chen invited them to stay there.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong agreed to stand together against the new arrivals, while Zhu Zhuqing watched them helplessly.
• At the field, Su Chen and the girls reported Soul Power Levels that stunned the reserves, including Ling’er’s level twenty-six despite her age.
• Liu Erlong recorded the reserves’ levels and named Su Chen, Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and Ling’er as starters, with Jiang Zhu, Liu Ruyan, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling as reserves.

Liu Erlong announced Blue Tyrant Team’s tournament roster, warned the students about the rules, and revealed that Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation reportedly consisted of three rank-fifty Soul Kings. The team remained confident and eager to compete, then left to prepare after Liu Erlong finished explaining the tournament format.

• Liu Erlong named the starting roster, told Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, and Liu Ruyan to train as substitutes, and warned the team that nobody could be killed in a match.
• Su Chen proposed repeatedly healing opponents after nearly killing them to exploit the no-death rule, and Liu Erlong angrily forbade the tactic.
• Liu Erlong announced that the championship prize was three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones and reported that Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation had three rank-fifty Soul Kings.
• Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan confidently declared that they would challenge the Golden Generation, while Liu Erlong encouraged the team and explained the preliminaries and advancement round.
• Liu Erlong caught Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Su Chen paying little attention, then dismissed the team to prepare for the tournament beginning the day after tomorrow.
• Xiao Wu celebrated being free from the rules lecture and hurried away with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to eat.

Su Chen and the Blue Tyrant Academy team traveled to Heaven Dou City's Great Soul Arena for the Soul Master Tournament, where Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Xue Qinghe came to greet them. Su Chen greeted Xue Qinghe with an unexpectedly forceful hug and left him flustered, while Xue Qinghe tried to maintain his public composure.

• Su Chen and the Blue Tyrant Academy team set out for the tournament, drawing attention as they passed through Heaven Dou City's crowds.
• Liu Erlong led the team into the Great Soul Arena and went to confirm their registration.
• Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin visited the competitors' lounge, where Ning Rongrong proudly told them she had grown stronger.
• Xue Qinghe arrived to see Ning Fengzhi and greet Su Chen and the others.
• Su Chen grabbed Xue Qinghe in a hug and teased him about being frail, alarming Xue Qinghe and his guards.
• Ning Fengzhi urged Su Chen to show restraint in public, and Su Chen let Xue Qinghe go while insisting they shared a close bond.

Su Chen used the Linker and Myriad Poisons Fart King Pill to sabotage Tang San during the opening ceremony. Tang San unleashed a poisonous, explosive bout of diarrhea in the arena, leaving his teammates, Imperial Fighting Team Two, and nearby spectators retching.

• Dugu Bo arrived at the lounge and joined Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Xue Qinghe before they left for the VIP Seats.
• Liu Erlong led the Blue Tyrant Academy team to prepare for the opening ceremony as the teams entered the arena.
• Su Chen linked himself to Tang San and swallowed poison pills after Tang San began his procession.
• As Imperial Fighting Team One and Imperial Fighting Team Two gathered in the arena, Tang San's stomach pain worsened until the Myriad Poisons Fart King Pill took effect.
• Tang San's trousers burst as poisonous gas and filth blasted into Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and nearby competitors, triggering widespread vomiting.

Tang San’s catastrophic accident at the tournament opening disgraced the Heaven Dou Empire, while Su Chen’s team later entered to a mix of ridicule and admiration. The chapter left Su Chen facing scrutiny from a girl leading the Blazing Fire Academy, with Xiao Wu stepping in to confront her.

• Tang San’s explosive accident covered him and his teammates in filth, drawing outrage from Xue Ye, mockery from Salas, and demands that Xue Xing explain the disgrace.
• Yu Xiaogang rushed to rescue Tang San but vomited on him repeatedly, including into his mouth, before staff carried them out and cleaned the arena.
• Su Chen gained abstract value from Tang San’s humiliation and Yu Xiaogang’s vomiting, then led Xiao Wu and the others back to the rest area.
• After workers spent two hours cleaning and airing out the arena, the ceremony resumed and the Blue Tyrant Team entered with its championship slogan.
• Su Chen’s team drew attention for its striking members and powerful backing, then took its place beside the Blazing Fire Academy.
• A girl leading the Blazing Fire Academy sized up Su Chen, and Xiao Wu stepped between them and challenged her.

At the tournament opening ceremony, Blue Tyrant Academy drew the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team for the first match, and Su Chen approved a lineup that included Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. The match began with Blue Tyrant Academy deliberately showcasing a ten-year Soul Ring, drawing the audience’s ridicule as Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong prepared to surprise them.

• Huo Wu provoked Xiao Wu by looking past her to flirt with Su Chen, who jokingly blamed his own charm.
• Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas gave speeches before the tournament draw, while Salas mocked Imperial Fighting Team One over its earlier disgrace.
• The draw paired Blue Tyrant Academy against the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team in the opening match.
• Su Chen let Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, and Liu Ruyan join Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing in the lineup.
• Blue Tyrant Academy entered the arena, and Liu Ruyan’s ten-year Soul Ring made the spectators laugh while Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong anticipated their surprise.