Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Final Exam? Making a Big Fuss Right Away”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shrek Academy officially begins its final examinations. Zhuo Shi announces the start, while teachers—including Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi—organize the students.
• Shen Yi explains that the exam will involve actual combat, following the academy’s usual rules.
• Teachers confiscate students’ supplies and Storage Soul Tools to prevent them from relying on outside resources.
• Li Moxun’s concealed Storage Ring avoids detection, despite the unusually thorough inspection prompted by Cai Yue’er’s interest in him.
• Li Moxun’s classmates—Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, Xu Lizhi, and Ye Xinglan—meet with him. They understand his conflict with Cai Yue’er but acknowledge that they are not strong enough to help him directly.
• The group separates to carry out the exam:
  • Gu Yue and Ye Xinglan leave together and prepare to establish an arena.
  • Xu Lizhi supports them with his steamed-bun soul skills.
  • Tang Wulin and Xie Xie head out together.
• Cai Yue’er confronts Li Moxun from above, openly displaying murderous intent. Zhuo Shi observes but refuses to intervene because of his friendship with Cai Yue’er and lingering dissatisfaction with Li Moxun.
• Rather than follow the usual examination route, Li Moxun decides to create a major disturbance. He flies directly to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
• Upon arriving, he lands forcefully, damages the concrete ground, and publicly announces that he is a first-year Shrek student challenging Qiangu Zhangting of the Qiangu Family.

Character Developments

• Li Moxun: Demonstrates confidence, resourcefulness, and defiance. He successfully hides his Storage Ring and deliberately chooses an aggressive strategy intended to disrupt both Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda.
• Cai Yue’er: Her hostility toward Li Moxun becomes unmistakable. She is determined to win and appears willing to use any means necessary.
• Zhuo Shi: Remains neutral in the conflict, revealing that his personal friendship with Cai Yue’er outweighs any sense of responsibility toward Li Moxun.
• Shen Yi: Has advanced significantly in cultivation, reaching roughly the mid-stage of the Soul Sage realm after being strongly motivated—or pressured—by recent events.
• Wu Zhangkong: Continues to progress and is nearing the Eight-Ring Soul Douluo stage, emphasizing his exceptional talent.
• Li Moxun’s classmates: Show loyalty by offering their support, but they recognize their limitations and allow Li Moxun to handle Cai Yue’er independently.

Significant Themes

• Defiance against authority: Li Moxun refuses to follow the academy’s expected exam structure and chooses to challenge a powerful external faction publicly.
• Power and personal conflict: The examination becomes secondary to the unresolved hostility between Li Moxun and Cai Yue’er.
• Loyalty and independence: Li Moxun’s friends are willing to help, but he insists on handling the central conflict himself.
• Hidden strength and preparation: The confiscation of resources highlights the importance of concealed abilities and preparation, especially Li Moxun’s secret Storage Ring.
• Institutional rivalry: Li Moxun’s challenge to Qiangu Zhangting brings Shrek Academy’s student conflict into direct contact with the Spirit Pagoda and the Qiangu Family.

Character Interactions

• Zhuo Shi formally announces the exam and later watches silently as Cai Yue’er and Li Moxun confront one another.
• Shen Yi instructs the students to prepare for combat training.
• Teachers search Li Moxun but fail to discover his Storage Ring.
• Li Moxun exchanges a brief acknowledgment with his classmates before they divide into separate groups.
• Cai Yue’er and Li Moxun lock gazes, communicating their mutual hostility without directly speaking.
• Li Moxun publicly addresses the Spirit Pagoda, challenging Qiangu Zhangting and ensuring that the entire headquarters hears his declaration.

Chapter Summary: “Provocation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Gu Dongfeng is working at Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, brooding over his recent defeat and humiliation at Yun Ming’s hands.
• Li Moxun publicly appears outside the Spirit Pagoda and loudly challenges Qiangu Zhangting, deliberately provoking the hidden heir of the Qiangu Family.
• His challenge attracts the attention of pedestrians, residents, Spirit Pagoda personnel, and the media, turning the confrontation into a public spectacle.
• Enraged, Qian Gu Dongfeng emerges from the headquarters and releases the overwhelming aura of a Limit Douluo. His power destroys the top floor of the building as he confronts Li Moxun.
• Yun Ming senses the conflict from Shrek Academy and releases his own spear intent to counterbalance Qian Gu Dongfeng’s pressure.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng demands to know whether Li Moxun’s actions represent Shrek Academy’s intentions or are merely personal. Yun Ming refuses to accept responsibility directly, instead arguing that since Li Moxun has issued a challenge, the Qiangu Family should respond.
• Yun Ming specifically urges Qian Gu Dongfeng to bring out Qiangu Zhangting, praising the young man’s extraordinary talent and challenging him to reveal his strength.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng summons Qiangu Zhangting through spiritual communication. Zhangting ends his secluded cultivation and flies toward the Spirit Pagoda entrance to face Li Moxun.
• Li Moxun remains calm and confident, revealing that the confrontation is part of a larger plan. He intends to force Qiangu Zhangting into battle, making Yun Ming and Shrek Academy difficult to separate from the consequences if Zhangting is injured or killed.

Character Developments

• Qian Gu Dongfeng: His resentment toward Yun Ming deepens after being humiliated and defeated. Although furious at Li Moxun’s provocation, he restrains himself because he knows he is still no match for Yun Ming and cannot afford a direct conflict.
• Yun Ming: Demonstrates his authority and composure by intervening on behalf of Shrek Academy. Rather than denying involvement, he subtly turns the confrontation into a test of Qiangu Zhangting, showing confidence in Shrek’s position.
• Li Moxun: Reveals himself as calculating, fearless, and politically astute. His public challenge is not simply reckless provocation; it is a carefully planned move designed to draw out Qiangu Zhangting and implicate Yun Ming in the resulting conflict.
• Qiangu Zhangting: Introduced as the secretive, highly talented heir of the Qiangu Family. He is proud, cold, and easily angered by Shrek’s challenge, viewing Li Moxun as an insult to both himself and his family.

Significant Themes

• Provocation as strategy: Li Moxun uses a seemingly impulsive challenge to manipulate the Qiangu Family into revealing its hidden successor.
• Power and political restraint: Despite their immense strength, Yun Ming and Qian Gu Dongfeng avoid an outright clash because of the broader consequences between Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda.
• Hidden heirs and controlled appearances: Qiangu Zhangting has been deliberately concealed until he is strong enough to make a dramatic debut, emphasizing the importance of reputation and timing.
• Public spectacle and reputation: Because the confrontation occurs before crowds and cameras, both organizations must consider not only combat but also how their actions will affect their standing.
• Manipulation and responsibility: Li Moxun aims to create a situation in which any harm to Zhangting can be attributed to Yun Ming and Shrek, even if they do not directly initiate the fight.

Character Interactions

• Li Moxun and Qian Gu Dongfeng: Li Moxun openly challenges the Qiangu Family, while Qian Gu Dongfeng responds with anger and overwhelming pressure.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng and Yun Ming: Their hostility is clear, but Qian Gu Dongfeng remains cautious because Yun Ming has already defeated him and currently holds the advantage.
• Yun Ming and Li Moxun: Yun Ming recognizes Li Moxun as a Shrek student and chooses to support the challenge indirectly, encouraging Qian Gu Dongfeng to bring out Zhangting.
• Li Moxun and Qiangu Zhangting: Though they have not yet fought, Li Moxun’s insults provoke Zhangting into abandoning his secluded cultivation and confronting him personally.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng and Qiangu Zhangting: Qian Gu Dongfeng summons his grandson, effectively allowing the young heir to make his public debut under highly contentious circumstances.

Key plot points and events

• Qiangu Zhangting, a Soul Emperor several years older than Li Moxun, confronts him with the Coiling Dragon Staff, initially dismissing him as an Outer Court student.
• Li Moxun’s Golden Pupils briefly make Zhangting hesitate. He then blocks the staff with his dragon-scaled arm, remaining unharmed despite the impact shattering the marble floor beneath him.
• Zhangting presses the attack, but Li Moxun transforms into his White Dragon form and meets him at close range without relying on soul skills. Their fierce exchange draws a crowd, who are astonished that such a young student can match a Soul Emperor.
• Zhangting uses his family’s staff techniques and summons the Break Evil Dragon, but Li Moxun’s exceptional defense and strength prevent him from gaining an advantage.
• Watching from above, Spirit Pagoda leader Qian Gu Dongfeng grows increasingly troubled by Shrek Academy’s growing power. As the crowd watches Zhangting lose control of the fight, he announces that he will use the Qiangu Family’s inherited killing move.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun remains composed throughout, criticizing Zhangting for holding back and confidently matching his attacks with his own physical power. His calm contrasts with his opponent’s growing anxiety.
• Qiangu Zhangting begins arrogant and dismissive, but becomes increasingly frustrated as his traditional techniques and special attack fail to turn the fight in his favor. He responds by escalating to a more dangerous move.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng shifts from hostility toward Shrek to apprehension, recognizing that its powerful elders and gifted students could threaten the Qiangu Family’s future.
• The crowd’s comments and recording of the duel intensify the public pressure on Zhangting, while Dongfeng silently watches and focuses his attention on Yun Ming.

Significant themes

• Youth and exceptional talent: Li Moxun’s ability to stand against an older Soul Emperor challenges assumptions based on age and rank.
• Composure versus pride: Li Moxun’s controlled confidence contrasts with Zhangting’s worsening frustration.
• Rivalry and political anxiety: The fight reflects the broader conflict between Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda, with Shrek’s rise unsettling the Qiangu Family.
• Strength beyond tradition: Zhangting’s inherited techniques prove insufficient against Li Moxun’s unusual physical resilience and power.

Key plot points and events

• Qiangu Zhangting escalates his duel with Li Moxun by summoning the Qiangu Family’s powerful staff technique, Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering.
• Li Moxun reveals the White King’s overwhelming spiritual power, absorbs Zhangting’s attack, then destroys the Coiling Dragon Staff and devastates Zhangting’s spiritual sea with a precise barrage of spiritual threads. Zhangting collapses, apparently fatally injured.
• Li explains through his actions that he chose this moment to eliminate a future threat to Gu Yue: Zhangting had begun targeting her after Leng Yaozhu’s death and might later use his family’s influence to pressure her.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng and Qiangu Dieting unleash their formidable auras in response. Yun Ming nevertheless dismisses Li, saying Zhangting initiated the lethal escalation and that Li should continue his assessment task.
• Cai Yue’er, recognizing Li’s growing power and recalling her hatred of him, secretly sets out to intercept and kill him.
• Feng Wuyu tries to pursue and protect Li, but Zhuo Shi blocks him, arguing that Cai may only intend to teach Li a lesson. Feng rejects this and attacks Zhuo Shi. Their clash begins as Yun Ming faces the two Qiangu elders.
• Meanwhile, Cai Yue’er closes in on Li as he reaches the gates of Heaven Dou City.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun displays exceptional strength, restraint, and calculation: he prolongs the duel to prevent Qian Gu Dongfeng from intervening, then strikes decisively. His concern for Gu Yue motivates his decision to remove Zhangting as a threat.
• Qiangu Zhangting is utterly outmatched despite unleashing his strongest technique; his ambitions toward Gu Yue make him the target of Li’s intervention.
• Yun Ming openly supports Li and shows little concern for the Qiangu family’s anger, confident in his own power and Shrek’s position.
• Cai Yue’er shifts from observing Li’s strength to plotting his death, driven by their deep-seated enmity.
• Feng Wuyu and Zhuo Shi, once close friends, become adversaries over whether to protect Li. Zhuo’s decision appears influenced by Cai’s promises of advancement, while Feng refuses to stand aside.
• Qian Gu Dongfeng and Qiangu Dieting react to Zhangting’s defeat with overwhelming force, setting up a confrontation with Yun Ming.

Significant themes

• Protection and preemptive action: Li acts to shield Gu Yue from a threat he believes will grow.
• Power and political influence: The Qiangu family’s status, Shrek’s strength, and promises of advancement shape both conflict and loyalty.
• Escalation and moral ambiguity: A duel becomes a potentially fatal political crisis, while characters disagree over whether Li’s response was justified.
• Loyalty under pressure: Feng and Zhuo’s friendship fractures when their priorities and interests diverge.

Key plot points and events

• Li Moxun enters Heaven Dou City with a plan to draw Cai Yue’er away while avoiding consequences for his friends.
• He creates two apparent selves and uses spiritual power and a hidden space to misdirect her. Cai Yue’er pursues a decoy toward the outskirts, where it dissolves after Li Moxun slips into a secret realm.
• Inside the realm, Li Moxun merges into the Strangulation Formation. Chu Zi’ang waits there with the blade Envy, prepared to face Cai Yue’er.
• Cai Yue’er enters the formation despite its spatial changes and powerful strangling force. She and Chu Zi’ang begin a full-force battle.
• Elsewhere, Li Moxun briefly attacks a Soul Emperor at the Spirit Pagoda entrance, then visits the Blacksmith Association. A double uses his credentials to rent a forging station under surveillance, creating an alibi while Li Moxun’s true body flies back toward the formation.

Character developments

• Li Moxun shows careful planning and composure, relying on doubles, spatial abilities, and an alibi to protect his true objective and his friends.
• Cai Yue’er is confident her strength gives her control, but Li Moxun’s disappearance unsettles her. Her frustration turns into open aggression as she enters the trap.
• Chu Zi’ang remains calm and focused, but his readiness and gathering killing intent reveal his resolve to fight Cai Yue’er.

Significant themes

• Strategy versus raw power: Li Moxun counters Cai Yue’er’s overwhelming strength with deception and preparation.
• Loyalty and protection: Li Moxun takes precautions because Cai Yue’er has threatened his friends.
• Identity and misdirection: Doubles, hidden spaces, and staged movements make appearances unreliable.
• Escalating conflict: Cai Yue’er’s threats and the impending battle turn a carefully laid plan into a direct confrontation.

Character interactions

• Cai Yue’er threatens Li Moxun and his friends, expecting him to surrender; he answers with silence and escapes into the secret realm.
• Li Moxun meets Chu Zi’ang, then entrusts the confrontation to the formation in which Chu waits.
• Li Moxun’s double interacts with the Blacksmith Association staff, presenting credentials and entering a monitored forging station to support his alibi.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Cai Yue’er overwhelms Chu Zi’ang with her moon-based power and Three-Word Battle Armor, fighting at a level comparable to a Limit Douluo. She demands that he reveal Li Moxun’s location.
• Chu Zi’ang refuses to back down despite being badly injured. He activates increasingly dangerous stages of Blood Rage, allowing his power to rise while his body and mind deteriorate.
• Even after losing an arm and suffering a devastating chest wound, Chu Zi’ang lands a blow that damages Cai Yue’er’s armor. She retaliates by summoning a massive moonlike wheel to crush him.
• Li Moxun waits outside the formation, intending to trigger a spatial killing array once Chu Zi’ang dies, trapping Cai Yue’er inside and destroying the area.
• As Chu Zi’ang is being torn apart, he completes an obscure chant and unleashes Spirit Word: Lain. The force stops Cai Yue’er’s attack, shatters her Martial Soul’s moon, and annihilates the formation and surrounding space.

Character developments

• Chu Zi’ang displays absolute resolve, accepting death and continuing to fight even as his body collapses. He knows Li Moxun’s promises are empty, but believes he can be summoned again. His final incantation reveals a devastating power beyond what Cai Yue’er expected.
• Cai Yue’er is shown as a highly experienced and ruthless fighter, driven by bitter hatred of Li Moxun. Her confidence in her overwhelming strength gives way to shock when Chu Zi’ang’s final technique destroys her advantage.
• Li Moxun remains detached and strategic, treating Chu Zi’ang’s expected death as part of a plan to eliminate Cai Yue’er and destroy the teleportation point. The outcome disrupts those plans.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and resolve: Chu Zi’ang keeps fighting despite knowing he is likely to die.
• Power and its cost: Blood Rage grants him strength but steadily destroys his body and control.
• Revenge and obsession: Cai Yue’er’s hatred of Li Moxun shapes her actions and judgment.
• The limits of apparent superiority: Cai Yue’er’s overwhelming power is overturned by Chu Zi’ang’s concealed final ability.

Character interactions

• Cai Yue’er repeatedly pressures Chu Zi’ang for Li Moxun’s location and attacks him with lethal force; he answers with defiance rather than cooperation.
• Chu Zi’ang’s stubborn resistance briefly wounds Cai Yue’er, intensifying her anger and prompting her final assault.
• Li Moxun watches the confrontation from outside the formation, planning to use Chu Zi’ang’s death to trap and kill Cai Yue’er—but Chu Zi’ang’s last move instead destroys the space around them.

Key plot points and events

• Li Moxun’s Spatial Annihilation Formation explodes, devastating the area and leaving Cai Yue’er gravely wounded. Her Martial Soul is fractured, her body cracked, and she is coughing up pieces of her organs.
• Li approaches with Pride, his Eight Directions Ancient Sword, intending to kill and devour her. He expects her power to advance his spiritual cultivation and Soul Power.
• Cai Yue’er burns her blood essence, lifespan, and remaining strength to recover and fight back. She admits Li’s attack was powerful but insists he has underestimated a Super Douluo.
• Cai transforms into a giant full moon and unleashes a barrage of attacks. Li’s Three-Word Battle Armor is destroyed, but he keeps advancing, carving deep scars into the moon with his sword.
• Cai knows she cannot sustain her enhanced power for long. She hopes Heaven Dou City’s powerful fighters will investigate and intervene, exposing Li’s murder of a Shrek Academy elder.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun remains calm and calculating, openly acknowledging that Di Tian—not he alone—was chiefly responsible for Leng Yaozhu’s death. He sees Cai as both an opponent and a source of power.
• Cai Yue’er shifts from helplessly wounded to desperate defiance, sacrificing her life to keep fighting. She confronts Li over his methods and links him to Leng Yaozhu’s injuries.
• Their exchange is marked by mutual contempt: Cai calls Li vicious and underhanded, while Li dismisses her strength as inferior to Leng Yaozhu’s.

Significant themes

• Power gained through sacrifice: Cai trades her lifespan and vitality for a brief surge of strength.
• Predation and ambition: Li intends to absorb his opponent’s power to advance himself.
• Reputation and accountability: Cai’s hope of outside intervention rests on the consequences of Li murdering a prominent Shrek elder.
• Desperation versus control: Cai fights against a rapidly worsening condition, while Li remains composed and focused on his goal.

Li Moxun wore down Cai Yue'er before trapping her in a Spatial Annihilation Formation and escaping with her to a location outside Heaven Dou City. There, he revealed his Seven-Ring Soul Sage strength and had the White King swallow Cai Yue'er.

• Li Moxun used Void God Flash to repeatedly strike Cai Yue'er, weakening her despite suffering wounds from her powerful attacks.
• Four powerful figures approached Heaven Dou City as Cai Yue'er taunted Li Moxun and threatened his friends and companions.
• Li Moxun activated a Spatial Annihilation Formation, then persuaded Cai Yue'er to follow him through its teleportation array rather than stay behind for the approaching Federation Super Douluos.
• The formation destroyed the surrounding district, while Li Moxun and Cai Yue'er reappeared more than twenty li from Heaven Dou City.
• Li Moxun revealed his Seven-Ring Soul Sage Martial Soul Avatar, shattered Cai Yue'er's Full Moon, and had the White King swallow her.

Key plot points and events

• Li Moxun drains Cai Yue’er’s mental and Soul Power with the White King’s help, leaving her body to disintegrate into ash.
• The influx of mental energy pushes Li Moxun into the Spirit Domain Realm and awakens his own mental domain.
• He discovers that his new ability makes him intangible: both physical blows and A-Tai’s elemental ice attack pass through him.
• Li Moxun leaves the ruined site using Flash Step. Investigators later find traces of Soul Power but no bodies or clear evidence of what happened.
• In Heaven Dou City, Li Moxun sells two Spirit-Forged metals and sets off for other cities to complete his final assessments.
• An ordinary-looking young man rents a villa in the city’s suburbs for a month; the excerpt does not identify him.

Character developments

• Li Moxun becomes stronger and gains a new defensive ability, while remaining emotionally detached as he consumes Cai Yue’er’s power.
• Cai Yue’er, once a powerful and dignified Super Douluo, is reduced to helplessness and furious curses as her defenses collapse.
• A-Tai assists Li Moxun in testing his new ability, attacking at his request.

Significant themes

• Power gained through destruction: Li Moxun’s breakthrough comes from consuming another person’s power.
• The cost of vulnerability: Cai Yue’er’s strength cannot protect her once her mental defenses are compromised.
• Uncertainty and concealment: The investigators cannot reconstruct the battle, leaving its outcome mysterious.
• Transformation: Li Moxun’s mental power changes not just in strength but in kind, granting a distinct new ability.

Character interactions

• Li Moxun ignores Cai Yue’er’s curses while her power is being consumed.
• He summons A-Tai and has him test whether elemental attacks can harm him; the experiment confirms they cannot.
• The four investigators discuss the unexplained spatial disturbance and destruction but can only agree to report their findings.

Plot points and events

• Li Moxun settles temporarily in a luxurious villa near Heaven Dou City while a disguised clone continues his remaining assessments at Shrek Academy, aided by A-Tai.
• He spends a quiet evening with Erii, who enjoys watching cartoons.
• Li Moxun uses his greatly increased spiritual power to resurrect Chu Zihang and Xia Mi.
• He tells them he is close to becoming an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo and has reached the Spirit Domain realm, giving him a chance to escape even powerful opponents.
• Planning to establish an organization, he appoints Chu Zihang and Xia Mi as its first members and early fighting force. He promises to restore their bodies and grant them immortality once he has recovered his power and found enough dragon corpses.
• He sends them to observe Shrek Academy for a month, especially the fallout from Cai Yue’er’s death and any efforts to track down his clone. He gives them 200 million Federal Coins to fund the assignment.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun’s growing strength eases his fear and caution; he feels he has finally gained the basic ability to protect himself.
• Chu Zihang is surprised by his rapid resurrection, but quickly resumes his composed, formal demeanor. Xia Mi appears curious about her surroundings.
• Both companions reaffirm their loyalty by kneeling to Li Moxun and accept their mission without protest.
• Erii remains close to Li Moxun, quietly enjoying cartoons and sharing a rare smile with him.

Significant themes

• Power and security: Greater strength brings Li Moxun confidence and emotional relief.
• Loyalty and authority: Li Moxun’s companions are wholly devoted to him, and he directs their roles and resources.
• Life and restoration: The promise of restored bodies and immortality gives Chu Zihang and Xia Mi hope for fuller lives.
• Care amid ambition: Li Moxun balances plans for an organization and surveillance with gentle, intimate time with Erii.

Plot points and events

• Yun Ming senses Cai Yue’er’s death through the Life Ancient Tree and summons the senior elders and elders to an urgent Sea God Pavilion Meeting.
• In the Secret Realm, Long Yeyue is left severely weakened after taking the supposed Treasure Medicine: her soul power has fallen to the fourth ring, most of her spiritual power is gone, and nearly all her spirit rings and skills have collapsed.
• Long Yeyue realizes the person she killed was not the real mastermind behind the scheme. She suspects a powerful organization is targeting Shrek Academy.
• Yun Ming’s overwhelming spiritual power reaches Long Yeyue and injures her. To hide her condition, she uses a jade pendant that masks her cultivation from most observers. She decides not to attend the meeting and plans to explain everything to Yun Ming privately.
• At the meeting, Yun Ming announces that Cai Yue’er is truly dead and asks the elders to determine what she was doing and how she died. He also raises the Spirit Pagoda as a concern, though Cai Yue’er’s death takes priority.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Ming responds to Cai Yue’er’s death with urgency and grave determination, calling the council together and taking charge of the investigation.
• Long Yeyue shifts from prideful confidence to fearful secrecy after discovering how badly she has been crippled. She intends to conceal her weakness for now, while recognizing that Yun Ming’s power exceeds that of ordinary Limit Douluos.
• Long Yeyue and Yun Ming do not meet directly in this chapter, but his spiritual summons exposes how vulnerable she is. She avoids the meeting because she fears others will discover her condition.
• Long Yeyue and Old Bei are linked through the jade pendant he gave her, which becomes her main means of hiding her weakened cultivation.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and hidden enemies: Long Yeyue’s poisoning points to a broader conspiracy, while Cai Yue’er’s death raises further questions about threats within or around Shrek.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a once-mighty Limit Douluo can be reduced to near helplessness, while Yun Ming’s exceptional spiritual strength underscores the hierarchy of power.
• Pride versus survival: Long Yeyue, who once saw concealment as beneath her, must now rely on secrecy to protect herself.
• Duty and crisis: Yun Ming sets aside other concerns, including the Spirit Pagoda conflict, to focus first on investigating Cai Yue’er’s death.

Plot points

• At the Sea God Pavilion meeting, Yun Ming investigates Cai Yue’er’s death. Feng Wuyu says she may have gone looking for Li Moxun, who had reason to be her target.
• Ya Li and Feng Wuyu argue that Li could not have killed her: despite his strength, he is only a six-ring Soul Emperor, while Cai Yue’er was a level-96 Super Douluo with Three-Word Battle Armor.
• Feng suggests Cai may have been ambushed while pursuing Li. Yun Ming orders the elders to search her likely route and nearby cities, using records of Li’s assessments to guide them.
• As the search party departs, Chu Zi’ang and Xia Mi notice the commotion and alert Li through their mental link.
• Li, meanwhile, is enjoying a night out with Erii in Heaven Dou City. His clone is completing the final stages of a city-by-city assessment, accompanied by A-Tai.
• Li expects the investigators to find no link to him: records place him at the Blacksmith Association when Cai died, and nobody knows he can make a clone. He believes the clues will lead elsewhere and the evidence will be gone—leaving him confident he has committed the “perfect crime.”

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Ming takes charge, treating Cai’s death as a serious threat to the Academy rather than simply a personal loss.
• Ya Li openly defends Li, using the vast gap in their strength to challenge the suspicion against him.
• Feng Wuyu initially reveals Li’s possible connection to Cai’s pursuit, then supports the argument that Li could not have killed her. He quietly disapproves of Zhuo Shi for staying silent about his grand-disciple.
• Zhuo Shi avoids speaking, apparently unwilling to defend Li despite their connection.
• Li Moxun remains calm and confident, separating his public whereabouts from his clone’s actions. His leisurely outing with Erii contrasts with the Academy’s frantic investigation.
• A-Tai feels like an unwanted third wheel after being assigned to accompany the clone, but accepts the arrangement.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: The Academy’s evidence points away from Li, while the reader knows he is orchestrating events through a clone.
• Power and vulnerability: Cai’s death alarms the elders because even a formidable Super Douluo can be killed.
• Loyalty and silence: Ya Li and Feng speak up for Li, while Zhuo Shi’s silence strains expectations of a grandmaster’s duty.
• Confidence and impunity: Li believes careful misdirection and the limits of what others know will let him escape suspicion.

Plot points and events

• Seven days after leaving their previous stop, Li Moxun and Erii reach Skysea City. Li has secretly used the time to break through to Soul Douluo, gaining an eighth Spirit Ring and the ability to begin Soul Forging for his own Three-Word Battle Armor.
• He removes and hides his Silver Dragon Armor, anticipating that Shrek Academy will investigate Cai Yue’er’s death. He expects Yun Ming’s spiritual power could expose his secret Minor Secret Realm, valuable ring, and rare medicines.
• Li reassures Erii that Cai Yue’er is dead and Long Yeyue has been crippled, calling them Shrek’s two greatest threats. He plans to reach the Star Luo Empire and enter Dragon Valley, where he intends to obtain dragon bones to restore Erii, Chu Zi’ang, and the others to real bodies.
• Erii shows Li a Battle Armor component she made after only five or six days of study. Her White Dragon power and photographic memory have helped her rapidly reach the level needed to manufacture one-word Battle Armor.
• Li gives Erii the Minor Secret Realm and Inheritance Ring, arranging for her to remain behind while he faces Shrek’s investigation. He leaves reluctantly, then detects Shrek’s search party and teleports to meet them.
• Zhuo Shi arrives with a white-robed peak Super Douluo, while at least three more powerful figures wait nearby. Li remains composed, prepared to let them investigate—and confident enough to threaten that anyone who uncovers too much may be consumed by him.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun grows stronger and begins planning his own Three-Word Battle Armor. Though outwardly confident about Shrek’s investigation, he recognizes the danger of Yun Ming discovering his hidden resources. His farewell to Erii reveals genuine affection and reluctance to part.
• Erii demonstrates exceptional technical talent and seeks Li’s approval. Her attachment is quiet but absolute: she watches him leave without looking away, and accepts his plans and gifts without question.
• Their closeness is emphasized through gentle gestures—Li stroking Erii’s head, holding her hand, and embracing her—as well as his wish that she protect him rather than be left vulnerable to him.
• Shrek Academy’s forces, led by Zhuo Shi, approach cautiously with several powerful allies, reflecting the seriousness of Cai Yue’er’s death and Li’s connection to her.

Significant themes

• Trust and devotion: Erii’s pure, unwavering love contrasts with the suspicion and political danger surrounding Li.
• Power and concealment: Li’s advancement strengthens him, but his greatest concern is keeping his hidden world and resources from Yun Ming.
• Ambition and exploitation: Li views Dragon Valley’s bones as resources to claim, feeling no obligation to preserve them.
• Parting and vulnerability: Li’s confidence masks his sadness at ending his travels with Erii and his awareness that he cannot safely resist a Limit Douluo.

Key plot points and events

• Zhuo Shi and a white-robed elder bring Li Moxun back to Shrek Academy for urgent questioning. The elder advises him to answer only what he is asked.
• Li has prepared for the possibility that Shrek might try to blame him: Xia Mi and Chu Zi’ang are ready to intervene, while Gu Yue has arranged for Di Tian and Xiong Jun to be nearby if violence breaks out.
• In the Sea God Pavilion, Yun Ming questions Li about his conflict with Cai Yue’er. He uses his overwhelming spiritual pressure to make it difficult for Li to lie.
• Li says Cai Yue’er wanted him as her nominal disciple, threatened him and Gu Yue when he refused, and attacked him. He claims a treasure he carried retaliated, injuring her and damaging her cultivation—an account that is mostly true, though he conceals the source of his power.
• Yun Ming asks to inspect the supposed treasure. Li reluctantly produces a gleaming golden scale.

Character developments

• Li Moxun appears frightened and vulnerable, but his fear is partly a performance. He has planned contingencies and carefully prepared a truthful-sounding account that conceals key details.
• Yun Ming is stern and suspicious, but his attitude softens somewhat when Li explains Cai Yue’er’s earlier hostility.
• Zhuo Shi maintains a controlled, authoritative manner despite his personal connection to Li, offering him little reassurance.
• Xia Mi, Chu Zi’ang, and Gu Yue show their loyalty to Li through coordinated plans to protect him.

Significant themes

• Truth and concealment: Li avoids outright lies while withholding the crucial explanation behind his power.
• Power and vulnerability: Yun Ming’s spiritual pressure dominates the questioning, while Li relies on preparation and allies to offset his disadvantage.
• Institutional responsibility and reputation: Shrek Academy’s leaders must investigate Cai Yue’er’s death, while the wider city watches the academy’s recent controversies.
• Trust and loyalty: Li’s friends’ readiness to risk a major conflict contrasts with the academy’s suspicion of him.

Character interactions

• Zhuo Shi escorts Li under the white-robed elder’s direction, keeping their personal bond in the background.
• Yun Ming confronts Li as a suspect rather than a student, pressing him to explain Cai Yue’er’s attack and requesting evidence.
• Li presents his version of events cautiously, and Yun Ming’s response shifts from outright suspicion toward cautious consideration.
• Outside the questioning, Li’s allies remain poised to rescue him if the meeting turns into an attempt to scapegoat him.

Plot points

• Yun Ming examines Li Moxun’s golden scale, senses divinity within it, and abruptly decides to keep it for study. He claims he wants to learn how it withstood a Super Douluo’s attack, promising to return it later.
• Yun Ming bars Li Moxun from leaving Shrek Academy while the incident is investigated, but otherwise imposes no restrictions. He offers a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Herb as compensation.
• Ya Li appears to recognize the unfairness of the arrangement and quietly gives Li Moxun a wooden box before leaving.
• Zhuo Shi questions Li Moxun about why he hid the scale. Li Moxun responds with a cold stare and walks away; Feng Wuyu accompanies him to the Outer Court.
• Feng Wuyu tries to reassure Li Moxun that Yun Ming may offer further compensation, but Li Moxun doubts he will easily get the scale back. He privately reflects that it is the Golden Dragon King’s reverse scale and explains nothing of his larger plans.
• Li Moxun asks to try Soul Forging again, saying he has gained new insights. Feng Wuyu agrees and takes him to his forge, where Li may choose any metal for the attempt.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Ming reveals intense interest in the scale, prioritizing his study of it over returning it or treating Li Moxun fairly.
• Li Moxun remains controlled and guarded despite the loss. His thoughts reveal calculated motives: he had anticipated Yun Ming’s reaction and wanted Long Yeyue weakened so Shrek would not gain a True God, which could obstruct his future goals.
• Ya Li shows quiet sympathy for Li Moxun through her gesture with the wooden box.
• Zhuo Shi is tempted by the scale and regrets not seeing it, but his accusatory approach only deepens Li Moxun’s distrust.
• Feng Wuyu offers practical comfort and supports Li Moxun’s ambition to advance as a blacksmith.

Significant themes

• Power and possession: A rare, potentially God-Rank relic draws even the world’s strongest figures, and its significance exceeds its immediate use.
• Institutional loyalty and fairness: Shrek’s treatment of one of its own seems unjust, highlighting the gap between official authority and personal allegiance.
• Secrecy and strategic manipulation: Li Moxun conceals both the scale’s full importance and the motives behind his actions.
• Ambition and growth: Despite the political tension, Li Moxun remains focused on mastering Soul Forging at an exceptionally young age.

Key events

• Li Moxun chooses ordinary Dark Iron, explaining that simpler metal suits his intended forging technique and the properties he wants to imbue.
• He begins forging with two alloy hammers, using the power of his Titan Snow Demon King Martial Soul to control the metal’s temperature. In half an hour, he advances it through the standard stages to Spirit Forging with remarkable ease.
• When he reaches the difficult Soul Forging stage, Li Moxun reveals spiritual power beyond Feng Wuyu’s—and apparently at the Spirit Domain Realm. He then manifests his full eight-ring Soul Douluo cultivation, meeting the usual requirement for Soul Forging.
• Through precise, rhythmic hammering, Li Moxun gives the Dark Iron a rudimentary soul and adds properties drawn from the Titan Snow Demon King: greater toughness, spiritual defense, and a calming effect that clears the wearer’s mind.
• Li Moxun completes the Soul-Forged Metal. He realizes that armor made from metal forged by its maker carries a special bond and provides that maker with an additional benefit.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moxun demonstrates that his true cultivation, physical strength, and spiritual power far exceed what he had previously shown. His success confirms his extraordinary skill and confidence as a young blacksmith; at twelve, he is already a Level Seven Grandmaster capable of Soul Forging.
• Feng Wuyu, initially doubtful, is shaken by Li Moxun’s forging skill and concealed power. He watches in silence, first astonished by the boy’s Spirit Forging, then alarmed by his spiritual might, and finally left almost unable to believe the completed result.
• Their interaction is largely wordless during the forging, reflecting the seriousness of the craft. Li Moxun briefly smiles at Feng Wuyu after revealing his power, while Feng Wuyu’s changing reactions underline the gulf between his expectations and the boy’s achievement.

Significant themes

• Hidden potential and surpassing expectations: Li Moxun’s apparent limits conceal abilities far beyond his displayed rank.
• Craftsmanship and mastery: Soul Forging requires not just strength, but precise control, spiritual power, and a deep understanding of the metal.
• Creation and personal bonds: Soul-Forged Metal gains a measure of life, and the maker’s connection to it gives armor made from it special value.
• Power used to serve others: Li Moxun chooses the Titan Snow Demon King’s useful, broadly applicable properties over the more personally advantageous enhancements of his White King Martial Soul, anticipating future armor for people he trains.

Li Moxun admitted to Feng Wuyu that he had killed Cai Yue'er, and Feng accepted his explanation while urging him to keep taking Shrek Academy missions. Alone afterward, Li Moxun prepared for his planned journey to the Star Luo Empire, where he intended to seize the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.

• Feng Wuyu deduced that Li Moxun had killed Cai Yue'er, and Li Moxun confirmed it was self-defense.
• Feng Wuyu accepted that Cai Yue'er had tried to kill Li Moxun and encouraged him to earn mission points before leaving Shrek Academy.
• Li Moxun bowed to Feng Wuyu, moved by the older man's sincere support, and left without explaining his feelings.
• Li Moxun contemplated Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King Bloodline and planned to strip it from him after they reached the Star Luo Empire.
• Li Moxun considered how to enter the Dragon Valley Secret Realm, anticipating a confrontation with Zang Xin and planning to claim the entire realm.

After reuniting with Erii, Li Moxun planned to establish Cassell College as a rival to Shrek Academy and created two new clones to help him. The chapter ended as the figures of Zero and Angers began to take shape.

• Erii emerged from the Secret Realm and hugged Li Moxun, who reassured her and resolved to reclaim the scale Yun Ming had taken.
• Li Moxun planned to establish Cassell College in another city and recruit strong instructors to compete with Shrek Academy.
• Erii agreed to join Li Moxun and teach at Cassell College, and he replenished her power before entering the Small World.
• Li Moxun decided to create Zero as his assistant and Angers as a shrewd adviser.
• Li Moxun used his spiritual power to form two permanent clones, and two figures began to appear.

Li Moxun assigned Angers to establish Cassell College and had Zero help organize his materials. After half a month of cultivation and forging, he began planning how to obtain Mu Chen’s Divine Forging notes, while Xu Lizhi arrived at the dormitory with bags of snacks.

• Li Moxun gave Angers three hundred million and tasked him with finding a site and building connections for a new Cassell College that could rival Shrek Academy.
• Zero volunteered to stay in the Secret Realm and help Li Moxun organize and study his materials.
• Li Moxun left the Secret Realm and found the cafeteria deserted, so he planned to ask Ya Li for permission to eat at the Inner Court cafeteria.
• Over the following half-month, Li Moxun cultivated, forged soul-forged metal, and spent his contribution points on manuscripts from the Shrek Treasury.
• Li Moxun decided that Angers should help him obtain Mu Chen’s Divine Forging notes, then Xu Lizhi entered the dormitory carrying bags full of snacks.

Li Moxun learned that Shrek Academy would send seven students to the Star Luo Empire after a selection match between the first and second years and the third year. He planned to use the trip to reach the Dragon Valley Secret Realm and leave safely, confident that he would be chosen regardless of the match’s outcome.

• Xu Lizhi told Li Moxun that the Star Luo Empire had sent an early invitation for Shrek Academy to visit and compete in its Soul Master Tournament.
• Li Moxun learned that the academy would hold a match between the first and second years together and the third year to decide which group would travel.
• Li Moxun considered how the trip could help him reach the Star Luo Empire and pursue his plans in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.
• Wu Zhangkong announced to the students that a seven-person team would be selected, and that the winning students would become reserve Shrek Seven Monsters.
• Li Moxun remained confident that he would be chosen no matter which group won.