Chapter Summaries

After Mingdu remained calm following Xu Tianran’s appointment as crown prince, Xu Tianming cultivated with Zhang Lexuan and made an agreement to accelerate his growth in exchange for supplying her with Moon-Matrix Power. Half a month later, Xu Tianming reached level forty-four and began filling Zhang Lexuan with the power again, which she felt might help her break through.

• Meng Hongchen told Xu Tianming that Jing Hongchen had deliberately let her pass along news of the imperial family’s dispute.
• Mingdu continued its ordinary routines after Xu Tianran became crown prince, while Xu Tianming kept a low profile in Prince Yan’s Palace and cultivated with Zhang Lexuan.
• Zhang Lexuan proposed that their resonating martial souls could help them cultivate, and she and Xu Tianming agreed that she would assist his cultivation in exchange for at least two Moon-Matrix Power sessions each month.
• With Zhang Lexuan’s help, Xu Tianming’s soul power advanced three times faster than usual, and he reached level forty-four after half a month.
• Xu Tianming transferred Moon-Matrix Power into Zhang Lexuan again, and she sensed that her soul power was close to breaking through.

Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao argued while searching Mingdu for evil soul masters and clues to Zhang Lexuan’s disappearance, then split up. Meanwhile, Xu Tianming planned a shopping trip with four women from Prince Yan’s Palace, but as they left, he remembered he had not invited Meng Hongchen.

• Dai Yueheng warned Ma Xiaotao to focus on their mission, and she mocked him until he walked away to search for Zhang Lexuan alone.
• The chapter explained that Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao had been assigned to hunt evil soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire and secretly look for Zhang Lexuan.
• Xu Tianming invited Ye Guyi, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan to go shopping, then used their contract to persuade Zhang Lexuan to join them.
• Xu Tianming left the palace with the four women and suddenly remembered Meng Hongchen.

Xu Tianming took Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Zhang Lexuan, Ye Guyi, and Meng Hongchen sightseeing around Mingdu, while Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan discussed their worries and the freedom to shape their own fates. On the way home, a young man named Dai Yueheng recognized Zhang Lexuan, though she did not recognize him.

• Xu Tianming led the group through Mingdu while Jiang Nannan followed behind, unable to find a way to get close to him.
• Jiang Nannan asked Zhang Lexuan what was on her mind, and they spoke about innocence, powerlessness, and controlling one's fate.
• Zhang Lexuan said she would prefer a carefree life if someone could protect her, prompting Mavuika to tease Xu Tianming that Zhang Lexuan was hinting at something.
• Xu Tianming's group visited a scenic attraction, watched a comedy at a soul tool cinema, ate at the Mingdu Grand Hotel, and watched duels at a soul fighting arena.
• Dai Yueheng stopped the group and greeted Zhang Lexuan, but Zhang Lexuan did not recognize him; Dai Yueheng took comfort in having found her in the Sun Moon Empire.

Dai Yueheng found Zhang Lexuan in Mingdu and assumed she had been coerced, then publicly threatened the Sun Moon Empire on Shrek Academy’s behalf. Zhang Lexuan refused to leave with him and told him to stop damaging the Academy’s reputation.

• Dai Yueheng ignored the chance to contact his teammates and confronted Zhang Lexuan in public, expecting her to welcome his help.
• Zhang Lexuan asked Dai Yueheng to tell Elder Mu that she would return to the Academy after handling her affairs.
• Dai Yueheng accused Xu Tianming and his family of coercing Zhang Lexuan and threatened them with Shrek Academy’s power.
• Xu Tianming offered to let Zhang Lexuan leave if she wished, and Dai Yueheng urged her to return with him.
• Zhang Lexuan told Dai Yueheng she was staying of her own accord and warned him to stop making trouble.

Dai Yueheng mistook Zhang Lexuan’s public rebuke for an attempt to protect him and challenged Xu Tianming, convinced he could take her away. Xu Tianming refused to fight personally and ordered Zhang Lexuan to suppress Dai Yueheng, warning her that his hidden guards would act if she did not.

• Dai Yueheng decided Zhang Lexuan had rebuked him only to shield him and promised he would take her away from the Sun Moon Empire.
• Meng Hongchen, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, and Ye Guyi showed their impatience with Dai Yueheng, but Xu Tianming stopped Ye Guyi from drawing her sword.
• Dai Yueheng insulted Xu Tianming and the Sun Moon Empire, and Xu Tianming answered by mocking him for acting like a mad dog after Zhang Lexuan refused to leave with him.
• Dai Yueheng summoned his Evil-Eyed White Tiger martial soul and revealed five soul rings, while Xu Tianming declined to fight him himself.
• Xu Tianming ordered Zhang Lexuan to suppress Dai Yueheng and secretly warned her that his guards would intervene if she did not act within five seconds.

Xu Tianming forced Zhang Lexuan to suppress Dai Yueheng, seal his soul power, and lead him away in shackles and a dog collar. Afterward, Ma Xiaotao stayed behind and began planning a covert rescue to prevent Dai Yueheng’s capture from causing trouble for Shrek Academy.

• Dai Yueheng laughed at Xu Tianming’s threat, but Zhang Lexuan’s soul power pinned him in place.
• Xu Tianming ordered Zhang Lexuan to suppress Dai Yueheng more forcefully, and she drove his Martial Soul back into his body and forced him to his knees.
• Zhang Lexuan sealed Dai Yueheng’s soul power and put him in shackles at Xu Tianming’s command.
• Xu Tianming ordered Zhang Lexuan to lead Dai Yueheng back to the Princely Manor with a collar and chain.
• Ma Xiaotao remained behind after the crowd dispersed and began considering how to rescue Dai Yueheng in secret.

Xu Tianran visited Xu Tianming to request Dai Yueheng for use in negotiations with Shrek Academy, but Xu Tianming persuaded him to wait while he kept the prisoner for a few days. That night, Xu Tianming let Dai Yueheng speak again, then pulled Zhang Lexuan into his embrace, startling her.

• Xu Tianming had Zhang Lexuan chain Dai Yueheng outside his bedroom and seal his senses while he considered how to deal with Shrek Academy and the Star Luo Empire.
• Xu Tianran visited Prince Yan's Palace and asked Xu Tianming to hand Dai Yueheng over so he could extract concessions from Shrek Academy.
• Xu Tianming convinced Xu Tianran to let Dai Yueheng remain detained for a few days, and Xu Tianran warned him not to kill the prisoner.
• After dinner, Xu Tianming had Zhang Lexuan remove Dai Yueheng's gag and earplugs, and Dai Yueheng cursed and threatened him.
• Xu Tianming pulled Zhang Lexuan into his embrace, startling her.

Xu Tianming taunted Dai Yueheng while holding Zhang Lexuan, then demanded Dai Yueheng identify himself. Dai Yueheng stayed silent and misread Zhang Lexuan’s ignorance of his name as proof that she was secretly protecting him.

• Dai Yueheng heard Xu Tianming and Zhang Lexuan’s suggestive exchange and angrily demanded that Xu Tianming leave her alone.
• Xu Tianming teased the helpless Dai Yueheng and questioned him about his identity.
• Dai Yueheng refused to answer, believing Shrek Academy’s experts would eventually rescue him.
• Xu Tianming asked Zhang Lexuan for Dai Yueheng’s name, but she admitted that she did not know it.
• Dai Yueheng took Zhang Lexuan’s ignorance as evidence that she was hiding his identity, and Xu Tianming decided to teach him a lesson about being a simp.

Xu Tianming questioned Zhang Lexuan about Dai Yueheng and used her to provoke him, while Zhang Lexuan denied knowing the junior student. The chapter left Dai Yueheng furious as Zhang Lexuan cried out for mercy under Xu Tianming’s pressure.

• Xu Tianming asked Zhang Lexuan whether she knew Dai Yueheng, and she insisted she did not.
• Xu Tianming told Zhang Lexuan to get acquainted with Dai Yueheng, who felt conflicted about meeting her this way.
• Dai Yueheng defended Shrek Academy’s honor, but Xu Tianming mocked his claims and slapped Zhang Lexuan again.
• Dai Yueheng demanded that Xu Tianming hit him instead of Zhang Lexuan, and Xu Tianming threatened to punish her further.
• Xu Tianming whispered to Zhang Lexuan, who chose to pretend to cry for mercy rather than be struck in front of the others.

Xu Tianming forced Dai Yueheng to reveal his identity and used his remarks to pressure him, while Zhang Lexuan helped maintain the interrogation. Outside Prince Yan's Palace, Ma Xiaotao devised a plan to enter disguised as a maid and rescue Dai Yueheng.

• Xu Tianming had Zhang Lexuan pretend to be hurt until Dai Yueheng surrendered and revealed that he was the White Tiger Duke's legitimate eldest son from the Star Luo Empire.
• Xu Tianming accused Dai Yueheng's actions of reflecting the intentions of the Star Luo Empire or Shrek Academy, but Dai Yueheng insisted he had acted alone and spoken impulsively.
• Xu Tianming had Zhang Lexuan gag Dai Yueheng and cover his ears, then invited her to cultivate with him.
• Ma Xiaotao watched Prince Yan's Palace and concluded that she could not rescue Dai Yueheng by force without alerting anyone.
• Ma Xiaotao decided to knock out some departing maids and enter the palace as a replacement maid.

Ma Xiaotao captured six maids while preparing to infiltrate Prince Yan's Palace, but struggled with what to do with them and chose to keep them hidden with food. After Zhang Lexuan helped Xu Tianming cultivate, he learned that six palace maids had disappeared and ordered a secret investigation.

• Ma Xiaotao knocked out the palace maids, moved them to a hideout, and questioned one of them for information.
• Ma Xiaotao decided to keep the maids restrained and leave them enough food rather than release or kill them.
• Xu Tianming restored Zhang Lexuan's spent soul power with Moon-Matrix Power, and she reflected on how serving him had become a habit.
• Butler Zhao reported that six maids had vanished after going out to buy supplies the previous night.
• Xu Tianming ordered Butler Zhao to have the authorities search for the maids discreetly and to post a notice recruiting replacements.

Xu Tianming learned that Ma Xiaotao was in Mingdu and prepared to draw her out while protecting the Sun Moon Empire’s standing. After discussing his plan with Xu Tianran, he left with a promise to grow strong enough to help the empire.

• Xu Tianming learned from Dai Yueheng that Ma Xiaotao, a powerful teammate with the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, had come to Mingdu on the mission.
• Xu Tianming suspected Ma Xiaotao was behind the maidservant disappearances and hoped she would use his recruitment drive to infiltrate Prince Yan’s Palace.
• Xu Tianming asked Xu Tianran to tighten Mingdu’s defenses and limit high-level soul masters’ movements, while warning that openly using Dai Yueheng as a hostage could provoke Shrek Academy.
• Xu Tianran agreed to Xu Tianming’s approach and assigned the Evil Lord Soul Engineer Corps to take over the city’s defenses.
• Xu Tianran explained that the Sun Moon Empire had not produced a Super Douluo for centuries, and Xu Tianming vowed to become a pillar of the empire.

Ma Xiaotao and Holy Ghost Cult operative Nana joined the public maid recruitment at Prince Yan's Palace, where Xu Tianming set strict conditions to narrow the applicants. As Xu Tianming prepared to interview the twelve remaining girls, Meng Hongchen arrived intending to help choose them and keep potential rivals away from him.

• Ma Xiaotao planned to use her knowledge of palace-maid duties to secure a place in Prince Yan's Palace.
• The Holy Ghost Cult sent Nana to infiltrate the palace and investigate Xu Tianming, holding her parents' souls hostage to ensure her obedience.
• Steward Zhao announced Xu Tianming's age, height, and soul-power requirements, reducing the crowd of applicants to twelve, including Ma Xiaotao and Nana.
• Meng Hongchen arrived at the palace to help Xu Tianming vet the applicants and hurried inside before Steward Zhao could announce her.

Ma Xiaotao infiltrated the Prince's Palace in disguise, but Xu Tianming recognized her and let the hiring test continue to learn what she intended to do. He ordered her to massage his shoulders, leaving her to endure the humiliating task to protect her cover.

• Ma Xiaotao introduced herself as a fifteen-year-old with level twenty soul power and gave the rehearsed answers she had learned from the maids.
• Xu Tianming identified her as Shrek Inner Court student Ma Xiaotao after Mavuika sensed her powerful fire aura and Columbina detected her human-skin mask.
• Meng Hongchen warned Xu Tianming that Ma Xiaotao seemed suspicious, but he reassured her and let the interview proceed.
• Xu Tianming told Ma Xiaotao to demonstrate her practical skills by massaging his shoulders.
• Ma Xiaotao suppressed her anger, accepted the order, and began massaging Xu Tianming.

Xu Tianming discovered that Nana, a student controlled by the Holy Ghost Cult, had tried to enter his palace as a maid and decided to keep her as a potential double agent. As Nana fled, Ma Xiaotao mistook the situation for Xu Tianming abusing an innocent girl, and Butler Zhao moved to stop her.

• Columbina sensed an evil soul master in the palace, and Xu Tianming realized the Holy Ghost Cult had planted a spy in his household.
• Meng Hongchen recognized Nana as a Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy elite student and questioned why she had applied to be a maid.
• Nana panicked when she feared her identity had been exposed and fled the palace, while Xu Tianming decided to keep her and try to turn her into a double agent.
• Ma Xiaotao saw Nana running away and wrongly assumed Xu Tianming had mistreated her, then restrained herself from confronting him.
• Butler Zhao appeared in front of Nana and declared that leaving without Xu Tianming's permission was disrespectful and punishable.

Ma Xiaotao intervened to stop Steward Zhao from taking Nana, then tried to seize Xu Tianming as a hostage. Xu Tianming evaded her and chose to fight her himself, while the estate sealed off the area to hide his abilities.

• Ma Xiaotao struggled with whether to help Nana, then shouted for Steward Zhao to stop.
• Ma Xiaotao attacked Steward Zhao with a teapot and charged at Xu Tianming, hoping to take him hostage before the estate's experts could react.
• Xu Tianming dodged Ma Xiaotao and sent Meng Hongchen to Uncle Zhao for protection.
• Uncle Zhao activated the estate's defensive formation while Ye Guyi stepped aside to watch.
• Xu Tianming announced that he would test his strength against Ma Xiaotao, who angrily accepted the challenge.

Xu Tianming used his Judgment Sword and heavenly fire to interrupt Ma Xiaotao’s attack and injure her, overcoming her confidence in her superior soul power. After Ma Xiaotao blocked a second blast, she mistakenly believed she had stopped his strongest technique and could not lose.

• Xu Tianming readied his Judgment Sword as Ma Xiaotao prepared to attack, though the weapon made her uneasy.
• Ma Xiaotao enhanced herself with her Phoenix soul skills and charged up Phoenix Sky-Roaring Strike.
• Xu Tianming activated Night Soul Domain, boosted his soul power, and used heavenly fire to strike Ma Xiaotao from above, interrupting her attack and knocking her from the air.
• Ma Xiaotao accused Xu Tianming of a sneak attack, and he mocked her before pressing his advantage with another heavenly fire strike.
• Ma Xiaotao blocked the second strike with a soul-power barrier, while Xu Tianming stopped using the costly technique and Ma Xiaotao assumed she was invincible.

Xu Tianming easily shattered Ma Xiaotao’s strongest attack, driving her to unleash the evil fire in her martial soul and reach Soul Emperor-level power. As the frenzied Ma Xiaotao charged, Xu Tianming completed his Sinking Sun Slash and swung his greatsword at her.

• Ma Xiaotao rose into the air and launched her fifth soul skill, a flaming phoenix, at Xu Tianming.
• Xu Tianming split the phoenix apart with a single swing, leaving Ma Xiaotao stunned by the defeat of her full-powered attack.
• Ma Xiaotao abandoned her suppression of the evil fire, lost most of her reason, and surged to level sixty.
• As hidden experts prepared to intervene, Xu Tianming finished charging his attack and swung his greatsword at Ma Xiaotao, declaring, “Hear the Sun’s Roar!”

Xu Tianming nearly killed Ma Xiaotao before Mu En appeared and stopped his attack. Mu En tried to recruit Xu Tianming to Shrek Academy, but Xu Tianming refused and told him to leave the Sun Moon Empire.

• Xu Tianming unleashed a powerful Sinking Sun Slash that nearly struck down Ma Xiaotao, whose fear briefly cleared her mind.
• Mu En appeared, erased Xu Tianming's flames, and put the exhausted Ma Xiaotao to sleep while suppressing her evil fire.
• Xu Tianming challenged Mu En's presence in the Sun Moon Empire, and Mu En praised his strength and composure.
• Mu En invited Xu Tianming to study at Shrek Academy, but Xu Tianming refused and urged him to leave.
• Mu En warned Xu Tianming that he could kill him for his disrespect.

Mu En tried to take Xu Tianming to Shrek Academy, but Xu Tianming defied him and warned that his death would bring down most of the academy. Kong Deming arrived just in time to stop Mu En from taking the Fourth Prince, after Columbina alerted him.

• Mu En threatened Xu Tianming, but Xu Tianming remained defiant and warned that at least ninety percent of Shrek Academy would be buried with him if he died.
• Mu En released Xu Tianming from his soul power pressure and decided to take him to Shrek Academy to teach him and build a connection with the future powerhouse.
• Mu En appeared beside Xu Tianming and prepared to take him away while Meng Hongchen, Ye Guyi, and Steward Zhao were unable to intervene.
• Kong Deming arrived and demanded that Mu En release the Fourth Prince, warning that the Sun Moon Empire would fight Shrek Academy to the death.
• Columbina had alerted Kong Deming through his Silver Moon Martial Soul, prompting him to leave seclusion and rush to Prince Yan's Palace.