Chapter Summaries

Chen Hong erased the Sage Divine Mark from Ning Rongrong after defeating her with his Mental Soul Master abilities, then went to find his uncle Ning Quan. Back at the dormitory, Ma Hongjun explained Chen Hong’s soul skill to the others, and Tang San asked which came first, the chicken or the egg.

• Chen Hong removed the Sage Divine Mark from Ning Rongrong, who collapsed unconscious from exhaustion, and reassured the others that she would recover after sleeping.
• Dai Mubai led the group to the dormitories, where Chen Hong handed Ning Rongrong to Zhu Zhuqing before leaving to look for Ning Quan.
• Dai Mubai noticed a Mysterious Pattern on Ma Hongjun’s forehead, and Ma Hongjun defended Chen Hong while acting in an unusually enlightened manner.
• Ma Hongjun explained that Chen Hong’s soul skill focused the mind and had led Ning Rongrong to exhaust herself pondering an unanswerable question.
• Tang San asked, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Chen Hong and Ning Quan discussed Spirit Master cultivation after Ning Quan identified Tang Hao as the attacker beating the Immovable King in the forest. Chen Hong wondered whether Soul Saint might already be the end of the Seven Star Ning Clan’s path.

• Chen Hong’s explanation of Sage Time described how it could trap people in circular logical questions.
• A battle in the forest startled birds, while Oscar sensed Ma Hongjun staring at him and lost focus during meditation.
• Ning Quan identified the fight as Tang Hao pressuring the Immovable King with the Clear Sky Hammer.
• Chen Hong asked whether the Seven Star Ning Clan could reach Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo, and Ning Quan explained the limits of its Seven Star Sword Martial Soul.
• Chen Hong questioned what soul rings and cultivation realms meant, then asked whether Soul Saint might already be the end.

Chen Hong argued that Soul Masters could surpass traditional rank limits by refining Soul Power and skills, prompting Ning Quan to rethink the Seven Star Sword’s potential. Ning Quan reached Sword Heart Clarity and advanced to Level 62, while Chen Hong suddenly remembered that Ma Hongjun was in danger.

• Chen Hong warned Ning Quan not to act recklessly as he explained his theory that Soul Power quality and self-created skills could matter more than soul rings and ranks.
• Ning Quan realized Seven Star Sword Masters were not bound by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s rank-79 limit and reconsidered how Ning Ji had defeated a stronger Soul Douluo.
• Ning Quan attained Sword Heart Clarity, unleashed a new Sword Momentum, and advanced from Level 61 to Level 62 Soul Emperor.
• Chen Hong was stunned by Ning Quan’s breakthrough, then realized Ma Hongjun’s Sage Divine Mark had lasted unusually long.
• Chen Hong urged Ning Quan to hurry to the men’s dormitory because someone was about to face an inescapable disaster.

Flender and the teachers watched Zhao Wuji’s beating and Ning Quan’s display of Sword Intent, while Ma Hongjun’s out-of-control Evil Fire caused chaos in the men’s dormitory. Oscar fled naked from Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai and Tang San came outside to witness the chase.

• Flender and the teachers observed Sword Intent from Ning Quan and worried over Zhao Wuji’s situation.
• Ma Hongjun lured Oscar beneath a blanket, then attacked him while his Evil Fire controlled him.
• Oscar kicked Ma Hongjun away and ran from the dormitory, shouting for help.
• Ma Hongjun chased Oscar through the hallway and out onto the grass.
• Dai Mubai and Tang San saw the two naked men running, and Dai Mubai wondered aloud if they were playing wildly.

Tang San and the others discovered Ma Hongjun in the grip of an Evil Fire outbreak after he chased Oscar while naked. Chen Hong explained that Ma Hongjun’s Clear Mind Necklace had prolonged his Soul Skill’s Sage State and triggered the backlash, leaving the group to deal with the aftermath.

• Tang Hao rushed toward the source of the disturbance while Zhao Wuji ran to the men's dormitory for help.
• Dai Mubai rescued Oscar from Ma Hongjun, covered Oscar with his shirt, and pinned Ma Hongjun to the ground when he lunged at him.
• Flender and the others arrived, and Dai Mubai and Tang San explained that Dai Mubai had been trying to stop Ma Hongjun from chasing Oscar.
• Flender covered Ma Hongjun and asked Chen Hong to investigate his Evil Fire outbreak.
• Chen Hong found a Clear Mind Soul Tool necklace on Ma Hongjun and explained that it had extended his Sage State until accumulated distracting thoughts triggered the outbreak.

After the Bare Butt Incident, Chen Hong gathered the exhausted Shrek Seven Devils and discussed Shrek Academy’s planned Soul Guidance Device Department. He then demonstrated a new Soul Tool, the Spirit Infusion Rod.

• Oscar moved into his own room after the Bare Butt Incident, while Chen Hong felt partly responsible for what had happened to Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
• Chen Hong confronted Ning Rongrong about running off to Suotuo City, and she called him her cousin before he told her not to claim relatives at random.
• Chen Hong told the Shrek Seven Devils that Shrek Academy might establish a Soul Guidance Device Department and invited them to learn the basics of Soul Tools.
• Chen Hong explained that he had made a new Soul Tool and showed the group a patterned metal rod that glowed when he infused it with Soul Power.

Chen Hong demonstrated his Spirit Infusion Rod to the Shrek Seven Devils by testing its two mental effects on Ma Hongjun. Ma Hongjun returned to normal after a brief bout of intense self-awareness.

• Chen Hong explained that the Spirit Infusion Rod could either scatter or concentrate a target’s attention, then chose Ma Hongjun for a demonstration.
• Dai Mubai and Oscar pushed a reluctant Ma Hongjun in front of Chen Hong as the others watched.
• Chen Hong used the rod’s muggle mode, leaving Ma Hongjun dazed with a vacant smile.
• Chen Hong switched modes and struck Ma Hongjun again, prompting him to regret his choices and vow to cultivate properly.
• Ma Hongjun spoke with unusual clarity and eloquence for a few minutes before returning to his usual self.

Chen Hong gave Oscar a Spirit Infusion Rod that could interrupt mental control, and Oscar tested it by breaking Xiao Wu’s Charm on Ma Hongjun. As Chen Hong watched his friends laugh, Ning Quan met him with medicinal wine intended to help raise his Soul Power over the coming months.

• Chen Hong gave Oscar the Spirit Infusion Rod and explained that it could briefly disrupt mental skills such as Charm.
• Oscar and the others chose Ma Hongjun to test the rod, and Xiao Wu used Charm on him.
• Oscar struck Ma Hongjun with the rod, broke the Charm, and angered him by shouting, “Turn into Pig!”
• Chen Hong heard the group laughing and looked back at them as Ning Quan arrived with Soul Wine from Ning Lu.
• Ning Quan told Chen Hong the wine could help raise his Soul Power, then urged him not to smile after seeing his unsettling expression.

Chen Hong developed the Technology Guild’s training and production at Shrek Academy while cultivating with Ning Lu’s medicinal wine, reaching Level 20. After studying Deep Sea Secret Soul Gold, he deciphered its Soul Power flow and used it to improve [Sage]’s Ring, leaving his Soul Tool work at a new stage.

• Ning Quan told Chen Hong that craftsmen from the Armament Department would arrive soon, and Chen Hong explained that he was expanding the Technology Guild’s work at Shrek Academy while keeping his core Soul Tool knowledge private.
• Over two months, Chen Hong’s medicinal wine helped him advance from Level 18 to the Level 20 bottleneck, while Ning Quan’s Soul Power grew more solid.
• Chen Hong established the Shrek Academy Soul Guidance Device Academy and trained Technology Guild craftsmen, while the Guild’s Spirit Masters trained at the Martial Soul Academy.
• Chen Hong studied Deep Sea Secret Soul Gold until he understood its Soul Power flow logic and identified it as a second Secret Soul Divine Mark he could fully decipher.
• With Ning Quan supervising, Chen Hong pressed a Soul-Containing Crystal marked with Secret Soul Divine Marks against [Sage]’s Ring, believing he had finally addressed a major problem in his Soul Tool work.

Chen Hong transferred Qian Yu's remnant soul into a Soul-Containing Crystal and revealed the power of his Secret Soul Divine Runes to Ning Quan. He left Ning Quan stunned by the implications of Chen Hong's research, while Chen Hong contemplated building a vast Mental Power Computing Network.

• Chen Hong used the Soul-Containing Crystal and Sage Time to move Qian Yu's remnant soul out of his mind and into the crystal.
• Chen Hong examined the pale red mist trapped inside the crystal and celebrated its potential as a data-processing core, unnerving Ning Quan with his stiff smile.
• Ning Quan tested the crystal and warned that Chen Hong's Divine Runes and research could transform the Douluo Continent's understanding of materials and Soul Tools.
• Chen Hong reassured Ning Quan that Secret Soul Divine Marks could not easily harvest high-level Spirit Masters' souls.
• Chen Hong privately imagined using entertainment and convenient services to build a large Mental Power Computing Network, then told himself he only wanted to give everyone stable, long-term work.

Chen Hong gave Ning Quan a Soul Guidance Windbreaker woven from Ice Silkworm Silk and rare materials, and used it to explain how Soul Tools differed from the Way. Ning Quan discovered the garment’s unusual effects, while Chen Hong left him to reflect on the meaning of his words.

• Chen Hong intercepted the Ice Silkworm Silk bestowed on the Technology Guild and spent two days making Ning Quan a blue-and-white Ice Gold Windbreaker.
• Chen Hong teased Ning Quan about dressing well and finding a wife while Ning Quan admired the windbreaker.
• Ning Quan put on the windbreaker and found that it calmed his mind, sharpened his focus and senses, and weakened his Spiritual Perception.
• Chen Hong pointed out that people understood Soul Tools only as tools, then told Ning Quan, “What is above form is called the Way; what is below form is called a tool.”
• Chen Hong explained that the windbreaker concealed Ning Quan’s aura, enhanced his hearing, and made it harder for him to sense others with Spiritual Perception.

Chen Hong tested the Soul Guidance Secret Soul Windbreaker on Ning Quan and explained how it blocked Spirit Masters’ spiritual perception. Ning Quan thanked him for the gift, then reported that Chen Lin’s people had found a mineral vein containing metal that could store Soul Power.

• Chen Hong explained that the Soul Guidance Secret Soul Windbreaker devoured mental turbulence, making Ning Quan difficult to detect through spiritual perception.
• Chen Hong said he might develop the windbreaker into a full-body combat suit for selected Technology Guild forces, while Ning Quan understood why the gift suited him better than Chen Hong.
• Ning Quan reflected on how Chen Hong, Ning Lu, and Chen Lin quietly supported one another and the Technology Guild.
• Chen Hong considered his plans to study Oscar’s Soul Power Big Sausage, the Soul-Containing Crystal, and several Divine Runes and soul skills.
• Ning Quan told Chen Hong that Chen Lin’s people had discovered a mineral vein in the Precious Sword Mountain Range containing metal capable of storing Soul Power.

Chen Hong learned that Chen Lin was smelting metal capable of storing Soul Power and had invited Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Family to inspect it. At Shrek Academy, Bajie ambushed the Shrek Seven Devils during training, revealing that the wild boar had become a soul beast.

• Ning Quan told Chen Hong that Chen Lin was refining Soul Power Metal and had invited three major factions to inspect the results.
• Chen Hong praised Chen Lin’s plan to share the benefits of the mineral vein and asked to receive metal for research.
• Ning Quan offered to teach Chen Hong combat techniques, but Chen Hong sent Bajie to sneak up on the Shrek Seven Devils instead.
• Bajie charged Ning Rongrong, and Oscar shoved her aside before being struck and sent flying.
• Chen Hong watched Bajie fight alongside Technology Guild members, while Ning Quan realized the wild boar had become a soul beast.

Chen Hong considered whether soul beasts advanced through wisdom rather than merely accumulating Soul Power, then prepared to continue researching his Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. The next morning, Chen Hong joined the Shrek group on a Soul Hunting Operation to the Star Dou Great Forest, where four people needed soul rings.

• Chen Hong theorized that soul beasts cultivated their minds by gaining wisdom, while [Sage]'s Ring might help creatures develop awareness and absorb Soul Power.
• Chen Hong entrusted Ning Quan to watch Bajie, then returned to the Soul Guidance Device Academy and sealed away his Ten Thousand Year Head Soul Bone, naming its Clone Replacement ability Castling.
• Chen Hong meditated overnight as Oscar's breakthrough to Rank 30 prompted Shrek Academy to organize a Soul Hunting Operation.
• Chen Hong, Ning Quan, Zhao Wuji, and the Shrek Seven Devils assembled with ten Technology Guild Soul-Powered Motorcycles and set out for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Chen Hong arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest with the Shrek group and turned the sale of their motorcycles into an opportunity to buy Soul Beast corpses for research. Xiao Wu reacted with fear when she learned he planned to study Soul Beasts, and Chen Hong began considering ways to make even Plant Soul Beasts cooperate.

• The Shrek group reached Soul Hunting Town, where Chen Hong auctioned off their ten Soul-Powered Motorcycles and bought Soul Beast corpses from local Spirit Masters.
• Chen Hong stored the corpses at a Seven Treasures Merchant Association outpost and asked them to keep collecting more for him.
• Xiao Wu asked Chen Hong why he was collecting Soul Beast corpses, and he explained that he wanted to research their uses.
• Xiao Wu grew pale at Chen Hong's plans, prompting him to suggest studying and cultivating Plant-type Soul Beasts as well.
• Chen Hong considered using the Sage Divine Mark to suppress a Plant Soul Beast's mind so he could conduct research without its refusal.

Chen Hong defended the Technology Guild’s plans to buy Soul Beast and fallen Spirit Master corpses after Azure Green Academy students accused him of being an Evil Soul Master. The argument escalated into a brawl, while Chen Hong stayed seated and watched the Shrek group fight.

• Xiao Wu and Tang San objected to Chen Hong buying Soul Beast corpses, and Chen Hong said he would also collect fallen Spirit Masters.
• When Azure Green Academy students called Chen Hong an Evil Soul Master, he publicly explained the Technology Guild’s corpse-collection policy and won the inn’s support.
• The Azure Green Academy students rejected Chen Hong’s explanation and argued that he was still at fault for discussing the matter publicly.
• Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu confronted the students, and the two groups began fighting.
• Tang San led the Shrek Seven Devils into the brawl while Ning Quan, Zhao Wuji, and Chen Hong remained seated.

Chen Hong and the Shrek group traveled through the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, where they discovered a Withered and Flourishing Vine. Zhao Wuji judged it too young for Tang San, leaving the group to continue without claiming it.

• Zhao Wuji asked Chen Hong to make him a Soul Tool garment like Ning Quan's Ice Gold Windbreaker, and Chen Hong agreed if he had the materials and time.
• Chen Hong detected movement in a large tree, and the group cautiously approached it.
• Tang San identified the creature as a Withered and Flourishing Vine over nine hundred years old and explained its life-releasing bloom and hidden Core Root.
• Zhao Wuji said the vine would have suited Tang San if it had reached a thousand years, but Tang San had no interest in it.

Chen Hong challenged the basis of the Soul Ring Limit Theory while trying to connect with the Withered and Flourishing Vine. He explained that its famous First Soul Ring limit came from a record of the best known result more than three thousand years ago, leaving Tang San to consider that the limit might not be absolute.

• Chen Hong touched the Withered and Flourishing Vine and dismissed the Soul Ring Limit Theory as half-baked, prompting Tang San to defend Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Ning Rongrong to caution Chen Hong against absorbing the vine.
• Chen Hong clarified that he expected more from the theory than its current form, and Tang San apologized before asking what Chen Hong thought it should become.
• As the forest breeze stirred the vines, Ning Quan noticed the dense forest ahead seemed to be moving.
• Chen Hong asked Tang San how the First Soul Ring limit of four hundred and twenty-three years had been established, and Tang San admitted he did not know beyond its historical record.
• Chen Hong explained that the figure came from a genius who had survived absorbing a four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year Soul Ring over three thousand years ago, while later attempts to exceed it ended in death or mental collapse.
• Chen Hong argued that four hundred and twenty-three years represented the limit of that era’s most gifted Spirit Masters, not necessarily an eternal limit.

Chen Hong explained the distinction between the Way and the vessel, prompting Ning Quan to reach the Human-Sword Unity Realm. He then demonstrated the Withered and Flourishing Vine’s Life’s Elegy and challenged the Shrek group to use their brains if they wanted to learn it.

• Chen Hong’s words helped Ning Quan realize that the Soul Ring Limit Theory had become a stagnant vessel, and Ning Quan broke through to the Human-Sword Unity Realm.
• Chen Hong declined to explain his teaching more plainly and told the Shrek group to reach their own understanding.
• Chen Hong touched a withered vine, restoring life to the vines nearby before making them bloom into white flowers and wither again in a Life’s Elegy.
• Chen Hong summoned the Withered and Flourishing Vine’s Core Root and asked whether the others wanted to learn his technique.
• After several students eagerly volunteered, Chen Hong kicked Ma Hongjun aside and said they would have to solve problems with their brains.

Chen Hong used his Sage Divine Mark to awaken the Withered and Flourishing Vine’s intelligence and persuaded it to abandon its vines so he could take its roots along. After a day searching the Star Dou Great Forest, the Shrek group captured a Berserk Baboon, and Chen Hong placed his Sage’s Ring over its head.

• Chen Hong offered the Withered and Flourishing Vine a choice between lucid awareness and instinctive ignorance, and it chose to live more lucidly.
• The Withered and Flourishing Vine abandoned its vine body and exposed its vital roots so Chen Hong could carry it with him.
• Chen Hong explained the result to the Shrek group, then dispelled his skill and watched the vine return to its ignorant state.
• Chen Hong reflected on Yu Xiaogang’s Soul Ring theories and love life, then told the curious Shrek group that he had thought of giving Yu Xiaogang a Sage’s Light.
• The Shrek group searched the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest for a day and captured a Berserk Baboon with more than eight hundred years of cultivation.
• Chen Hong placed his pale-gold Sage’s Ring over the head of the Berserk Baboon, which Tang San had bound with Blue Silver Grass.