Chapter Summaries

After returning from a successful mission, Yin Chen subdued the chaos among his classmates and revealed that he had advanced to Soul Ancestor. He left the Soul Fighting Zone with Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi, while Han Ruoruo wondered how much he had changed.

• Cao Jinxuan refused to lend Zhou Sichen money, leaving Zhou Sichen to collapse in despair as Wang Yan admired Yin Chen's authority over the class.
• Han Ruoruo ended the gathering, and Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo helped the shaken Wu Feng leave while Wang Dong carried the unconscious Huo Yuhao to the infirmary with Xiao Xiao.
• Yin Chen told Han Ruoruo and Wang Yan that the mission had gone smoothly and that he had broken through to Soul Ancestor.
• Han Ruoruo noticed Yin Chen's familiar way of addressing Zhang Lexuan but chose not to ask about it.
• Yin Chen left with Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi, and Wang Yan praised his potential while Han Ruoruo reflected on his newly revealed strength and temperament.

Wang Yan envied Han Ruoruo’s easy closeness with her students, but learned that the freshmen ranked him among their three most popular teachers. At Sea God Pavilion, Zhang Lexuan prepared to report on the mission to the Far North.

• Wang Yan told Han Ruoruo he admired her relationship with the students, and she reassured him that they liked him too.
• Han Ruoruo revealed that Wang Yan ranked in the top three on the freshmen’s private list of popular teachers, while Zhou Yi ranked last.
• At Sea God Pavilion, Mu En and the academy’s senior figures gathered for a meeting, with Zhang Lexuan present as an exception because she had led the Far North mission.
• Yan Shaozhe invited Zhang Lexuan to begin her report, and she stood to speak.

Zhang Lexuan reported to the Sea God Pavilion elders about the mission and revealed Yin Chen’s extraordinary fourth Soul Ring. She then disclosed that the group had encountered a dying ferocious beast, leaving the elders stunned as she began to explain the mission’s most serious incident.

• Zhang Lexuan reported that her group had tracked down and eliminated the Nirvana Corpses in Dragon City, with help from the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect.
• Zhang Lexuan praised the Outer Court core disciples’ performance during the mission and affirmed the academy’s policy of having Inner Court disciples lead them.
• Zhang Lexuan told the elders that Yin Chen had reached rank forty before turning twelve and had obtained an Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile Soul Ring exceeding ten thousand years.
• Zhang Lexuan revealed that the group had been drawn into a chaotic situation on their return and encountered a dying ferocious beast, shocking the Sea God Pavilion elders.

Zhang Lexuan told the Sea God Pavilion elders that the dying Ice Jade Empress Scorpion had fused with Yin Chen as his second martial soul. Yan Shaozhe saw hope that Yin Chen's Ultimate Ice could save Ma Xiaotao, while the elders questioned what had nearly killed the Ice Empress.

• Zhang Lexuan revealed that the gravely injured Ice Jade Empress Scorpion had sacrificed herself and fused her nearly four hundred thousand years of cultivation, origin, and soul with Yin Chen, becoming his second martial soul.
• Yan Shaozhe realized that Yin Chen likely possessed the Ultimate Ice attribute and rejoiced that Ma Xiaotao might be saved.
• Mu En calmed the shocked elders and told Zhang Lexuan to continue her report.
• Elder Lin Huiqun asked what had gravely wounded the Ice Empress, and Zhang Lexuan said she could not know because the Ice Empress had fallen into a deep sleep.
• Zhang Lexuan suspected the upheaval in the Extreme North was connected to the Nirvana Corpses, which had been gathering there in large numbers.

The Sea God Pavilion elders learned that Yin Chen possessed Ultimate Ice and had fused with the Ice Empress, and Mu En ordered them to keep the matter secret. Yan Shaozhe argued that Shrek needed to keep Yin Chen at the academy, while the elders considered who could succeed the aging Mu En.

• Mu En ordered the Sea God Pavilion to classify Yin Chen and the Ice Empress's fusion as Shrek's highest-level secret, declaring the Ice Empress part of Yin Chen rather than a Beast King to fear.
• Xuan Zi and the other elders agreed to keep the secret.
• Yan Shaozhe urged Mu En and the elders to find a way to keep Yin Chen at Shrek, noting his ties to the Star Luo Imperial Family and Princess Xu Jiujiu.
• Yan Shaozhe argued that Yin Chen's Ultimate Ice could strengthen Shrek, recalling how past masters with ultimate attributes had led the academy to greatness.
• The elders considered Mu En's failing health and the need for a successor, while recognizing that Xuan Zi's flaws made him an uncertain replacement.

The Sea God Pavilion elders discussed how to keep Yin Chen at Shrek Academy, but Mu En urged them to earn his trust rather than pressure him. After the others left, Zhang Lexuan hesitated over whether to tell Mu En about the greater secret she had concealed about Yin Chen.

• Yan Shaozhe and the other elders agreed that Shrek should cultivate Yin Chen and persuade him to stay.
• Xian Lin'er privately considered recruiting Yin Chen for the Soul Tool Department, while Yan Shaozhe watched her warily.
• Mu En told the elders to give Yin Chen the best resources and instruction, letting him develop a sense of belonging and choose his own future.
• The elders left the Sea God Pavilion, and Mu En asked Zhang Lexuan to recover beneath the Golden Tree from her injuries.
• Zhang Lexuan considered revealing that Yin Chen had shown a power beyond the Ultimate Ice and second martial soul the elders had focused on.

Zhang Lexuan withheld details of Yin Chen’s causality soul skill from Mu En, who recognized her concern for Yin Chen and regretted how his past choices had hurt her. Yan Shaozhe rejected Mu En’s patience, seeing Yin Chen as the hope Shrek Academy could not afford to lose.

• Zhang Lexuan considered the terrifying power and few apparent limits of Yin Chen’s Here and Now soul skill, then chose not to tell Mu En its details.
• Zhang Lexuan bowed to Mu En and left the Sea God Pavilion without revealing what she had been about to say.
• Mu En reflected that Zhang Lexuan seemed unusually concerned about Yin Chen and recalled how his agreement and his plans for Beibei and Tang Ya had caused her pain.
• Mu En regretted hurting Zhang Lexuan and wondered whether her concern for Yin Chen would become a blessing or a curse for her and Shrek.
• Yan Shaozhe heard Mu En’s advice to let events take their course but decided Shrek could not wait, viewing Yin Chen’s twin martial souls and rapid growth as unprecedented hope.

Yan Shaozhe decided to strengthen Shrek’s chances of keeping Yin Chen and saving Ma Xiaotao without openly defying Mu En’s orders. Cai Mei’er stopped him to question his intentions, then let him pursue his plan to bring Xiaotao and Yin Chen closer.

• Yan Shaozhe resolved to find another way to keep Yin Chen at Shrek and use his Ultimate Ice to help Ma Xiaotao.
• Yan Shaozhe planned to encourage a bond between Ma Xiaotao and Yin Chen, reasoning that Xiaotao’s need for his help could bring them closer.
• Cai Mei’er appeared and warned Yan Shaozhe against disobeying Mu En or turning Yin Chen into an enemy.
• Yan Shaozhe assured Cai Mei’er he would not force Yin Chen and explained his plan to use Ma Xiaotao as an incentive.
• Cai Mei’er scolded Yan Shaozhe for scheming over the feelings of an eleven-year-old, then decided not to stop him.

Yan Shaozhe told Ma Xiaotao that he had found a Soul Master with the Ultimate Ice attribute who could help resolve her evil fire. The news gave Ma Xiaotao hope, while Cai Mei'er had already agreed to Yan Shaozhe's plan to bind Yin Chen to Shrek through his connection with Ma Xiaotao.

• Cai Mei'er accepted Yan Shaozhe's plan but warned him not to go too far.
• Yan Shaozhe left Sea God Island and went to visit Ma Xiaotao at her residence.
• Ma Xiaotao struggled to suppress her evil fire, which kept her from daring to break through to rank sixty-nine.
• Yan Shaozhe arrived and saw how badly Ma Xiaotao's evil fire had affected her.
• Yan Shaozhe told Ma Xiaotao that he had found a Soul Master with the Ultimate Ice attribute and a way to solve her evil fire problem.

Ma Xiaotao learned that Yin Chen possessed Ultimate Ice, which could help suppress her Evil Fire, and the news triggered a violent flare-up. After she and Yan Shaozhe brought it under control, she eagerly wanted to find Yin Chen, but Yan Shaozhe stopped her because it was the middle of the night.

• Yan Shaozhe told Ma Xiaotao that someone with Ultimate Ice might help her control her Evil Fire, causing it to erupt violently.
• Yan Shaozhe used his Bright Phoenix Soul Power to help Ma Xiaotao regain control, and she forced the flames back into her body.
• Ma Xiaotao asked where the person with Ultimate Ice was, and Yan Shaozhe revealed that it was Yin Chen, the Outer Court core disciple she knew from their Extreme North mission.
• Ma Xiaotao realized Yin Chen must have Twin Martial Souls, and Yan Shaozhe confirmed that his second Martial Soul was an Ice Jade Scorpion with Ultimate Ice.
• Ma Xiaotao insisted on seeing Yin Chen immediately, but Yan Shaozhe reminded her that it was the middle of the night and he was asleep in the boys' dormitory.

Yan Shaozhe gave Ma Xiaotao ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber to offer Yin Chen in exchange for help with her Evil Fire. He urged her to pursue Yin Chen and suggested intimate contact could eradicate the Evil Fire, leaving Ma Xiaotao flustered as she prepared to meet him the next day.

• Yan Shaozhe told Ma Xiaotao to bring Yin Chen a sincere gift when she asked him for help.
• Yan Shaozhe gave Ma Xiaotao a piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, explaining that it could help Yin Chen and strengthen her appeal.
• Yan Shaozhe joked that Ma Xiaotao and Yin Chen might marry, making her blush and protest that Yin Chen was too young.
• Yan Shaozhe claimed that intimate contact with Yin Chen could eradicate Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire, leaving her confused by thoughts of him.
• Ma Xiaotao pushed Yan Shaozhe out and said she would deal with the matter the next day.

Yan Shaozhe arranged for Ma Xiaotao to personally help Yin Chen refine the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, secretly hoping the treatment would bring them closer. Meanwhile, Yin Chen reflected on the Ice Empress within him, and Zhou Sichen publicly begged him for help after losing all his money.

• Yan Shaozhe told Ma Xiaotao to give Yin Chen the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber and use her Phoenix Flame to soften it, while privately scheming to get them alone together.
• Ma Xiaotao treasured the jade box and eagerly imagined overcoming her Evil Fire and reaching her goals at Shrek.
• During Han Ruoruo's lesson, Yin Chen sensed the Ice Empress's power within his body, while Gu Yuena watched him with growing curiosity.
• After class, Zhou Sichen slid to Yin Chen's desk, clung to his thigh, and pleaded for help because he was bankrupt and could not afford food.
• Gu Yuena watched Zhou Sichen's outburst with amusement, while Ye Guyi stared in confusion.

Zhou Sichen borrowed ten thousand Gold Soul Coins from Yin Chen to cover his betting-pool debt. Ma Xiaotao then arrived in Freshman Class One and dragged Yin Chen away, leaving his classmates shocked and Gu Yuena quietly unsettled.

• Zhou Sichen begged Yin Chen for a loan, and Yin Chen lent him ten thousand Gold Soul Coins on the condition that he repay thirteen thousand.
• Ma Xiaotao entered Freshman Class One and searched until she spotted Yin Chen.
• Ma Xiaotao grabbed Yin Chen by the wrist and insisted that he come with her, then pulled him out of the classroom.
• The students erupted into gossip about Ma Xiaotao and Yin Chen after they left.
• Ye Guyi asked Gu Yuena why Ma Xiaotao had sought out Yin Chen, while Gu Yuena watched the doorway with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

After Ma Xiaotao took Yin Chen away, the class buzzed with gossip while Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong discussed his appeal. Wang Dong told Huo Yuhao about Shrek Academy’s unofficial student rankings, beginning with the Must-Kill-That-Scoundrel Ranking.

• Zhou Sichen praised Yin Chen for winning over Ma Xiaotao, then fell silent when the girls in class glared at him.
• Students spread rumors about Yin Chen and Ma Xiaotao, while Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao stayed apart from the gossip.
• Wang Dong teased Xiao Xiao for staring after Yin Chen, and Xiao Xiao insisted she admired him because he was outstanding.
• Wang Dong called Yin Chen a charm demon and said he topped the academy’s unofficial Must-Kill-That-Scoundrel Ranking.
• Wang Dong explained Shrek Academy’s three unofficial rankings to Huo Yuhao and began describing the Most Popular Teacher Ranking and Peerless Beauty Ranking.

Wang Dong told Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao that Gu Yuena topped the beauty ranking and Yin Chen topped the boys’ list of targets, while he ranked second. In Huo Yuhao’s sea of consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sensed a trace of the Ice Empress and promised to take Huo Yuhao to the Extreme North during break to obtain a second martial soul.

• Wang Dong explained that Gu Yuena had taken first place on the Peerless Beauty Ranking and Yin Chen led the Must-Kill-That-Scoundrel Ranking, with Wang Dong in second place.
• Huo Yuhao reflected on how Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Yin Chen had helped him feel accepted at Shrek Academy.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm told Huo Yuhao that he had sensed a faint aura resembling the Ice Empress, but could not locate its source.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm promised to take Huo Yuhao to the Extreme North during the academy break to help him obtain a second martial soul.
• Huo Yuhao thanked Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and felt hopeful about becoming stronger.

Ma Xiaotao secretly brought Yin Chen into a grove and asked whether his second martial soul was Ultimate Ice. Yin Chen confirmed it and demonstrated the power, which eased her restless Evil Fire and gave her hope.

• Ma Xiaotao pulled Yin Chen away from the lakeside path, drawing attention across the Outer Court to their apparent relationship.
• Ma Xiaotao asked whether Yin Chen was unhappy to be involved with her, but he redirected their conversation to her urgent reason for meeting him.
• Ma Xiaotao confronted Yin Chen about hiding his twin martial souls and asked whether his second martial soul was Ultimate Ice.
• Yin Chen confirmed that it was and formed a crystal-clear ice crystal, whose chill calmed Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire somewhat.

Ma Xiaotao asked Yin Chen to use his Ultimate Ice to suppress the Evil Fire in her martial soul, offering him Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber in return. After accepting it, Yin Chen questioned her plan to refine it for him on the spot because of its potent yang nature.

• Ma Xiaotao pleaded with Yin Chen to help control her Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul before it made her fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master.
• Yin Chen agreed to help and accepted the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber Ma Xiaotao offered as compensation.
• Ma Xiaotao offered to refine the Whale Rubber for Yin Chen with her True Phoenix Fire before asking him to suppress her Evil Fire.
• Yin Chen warned Ma Xiaotao that eating the rigid, yang-natured Whale Rubber directly could affect an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy.

Yin Chen revealed that taking Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber could make him lose control, and Ma Xiaotao realized Yan Shaozhe had arranged for her to help him refine it. Her shame and fury triggered another Evil Fire rampage, leaving her fighting to retain control.

• Yin Chen warned Ma Xiaotao that the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber's yang energy could overwhelm him and suggested she might become his outlet.
• Ma Xiaotao connected Yin Chen's warning to Yan Shaozhe's instructions and realized her teacher had schemed to bring them together.
• Ma Xiaotao erupted in anger, releasing a dark-red heat wave that scorched the grove as Yin Chen retreated.
• Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Flame turned black as Evil Fire overwhelmed her, and she struggled against the destructive thoughts consuming her consciousness.

Ma Xiaotao nearly lost control to her evil fire, but Yin Chen used his Ultimate Ice to suppress it and bring her back to her senses. Once the danger passed, she collapsed into his arms.

• Ma Xiaotao bit her tongue to regain a moment of clarity and begged Yin Chen to help her.
• Yin Chen seized Ma Xiaotao's wrists and summoned the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion martial soul.
• Yin Chen guided Ultimate Ice into Ma Xiaotao's body, where it neutralized and purified her berserk evil fire.
• Ma Xiaotao's pain and fury subsided, and she relaxed so completely that she lost her strength.
• Yin Chen caught Ma Xiaotao as she collapsed against him.

Yin Chen used his Ultimate Ice Soul Power to suppress Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire, freezing the grove around them. Yan Shaozhe watched from Sea God Lake, relieved that Ma Xiaotao had a solution and determined to keep Yin Chen close to her.

• Yin Chen held Ma Xiaotao and sent his Ultimate Ice Soul Power into her to purify her Evil Fire.
• The cold from Yin Chen and the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion froze the surrounding trees and shrubs into a crystal-covered grove.
• Outer Court disciples approached the icy area, but Yan Shaozhe used mental transmission to stop them and send them away.
• Yan Shaozhe watched Yin Chen treat Ma Xiaotao and felt relieved that her Evil Fire could finally be controlled.
• Yan Shaozhe decided that Ma Xiaotao’s dependence on Yin Chen could grow into a lasting bond and resolved not to let Yin Chen fall into someone else’s hands.