Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xian Lin'er, the Dean's daughter, abruptly leaves after delivering a message, leaving Yan Shaozhe bewildered.
• Li Qingming, despite being injured, remains calm and unperturbed.
• The Fallen Clone, Li Qingming's other self, returns from the Extreme Northern Snowfield with vast resources and a pill formula for the Spirit-Shedding Pill, a malicious and poisonous pill that can degenerate a martial soul's bloodline.

Character Developments

• Xian Lin'er shows a sudden change in attitude, hinting at a deeper understanding or involvement in the academy's recent events.
• Li Qingming demonstrates his resilience and calmness, even after being injured, suggesting a strong will and determination.
• The Fallen Clone showcases his resourcefulness and strategic thinking, acquiring valuable resources and a dangerous pill formula.

Significant Themes

• The decline of Shrek Academy's once-friendly and benevolent atmosphere, suggesting a power struggle or internal conflict.
• The theme of duality or multiple selves, as seen in Li Qingming's Fallen Clone, which acts independently and has its own plans.
• The exploration of power and ambition, as Li Qingming seeks to increase his strength and confront Tang San.

Character Interactions

• Xian Lin'er and Yan Shaozhe: Xian Lin'er's sudden departure leaves Yan Shaozhe confused and bewildered, hinting at a lack of communication or understanding between them.
• Li Qingming and Mu En (implied): The tension between Li Qingming and Mu En is evident, with both parties aware of the other's intentions and neither fully trusting the other.
• The Fallen Clone and Little White/A-Tai: The Fallen Clone's promises to Little White and A-Tai show a level of trust and loyalty between them, despite their shared goal of becoming gods.

Chapter Summary: The Return of the Fallen Clone

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming begins creating an extraordinarily powerful pill using more than fifteen Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs, fifty Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs, and over a hundred Hundred-Year Spirit Herbs.
• Rather than combining the herbs normally, he extracts and condenses their most potent medicinal essences. This wastes most of their potential but produces a pill capable of:
  • Greatly benefiting even an Ultimate Douluo
  • Extending the user’s lifespan
  • Helping someone near death
  • Potentially allowing further cultivation advancement
• The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger assists Li Qingming with the refining process. His knowledge has increased after receiving remnants of divine inheritance following his escape from his original fate.
• The pill is designed as a trap for Mu En. Li Qingming plans to disguise himself as a merchant from the Extreme Northern Snowfield and distribute the pill cheaply alongside other Far North medicines.
• He intends for the pill to spread naturally until it reaches Mu En, believing Mu En will trust something obtained through his own investigation more than a gift delivered directly by Li Qingming.
• Seven days later, the three-year exchange program officially begins. Li Qingming’s Fallen Clone returns with the Shrek Academy delegation to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
• The academy holds a grand welcoming ceremony because of Li Qingming’s recent achievements. During his previous activities, nearly everyone who came to the area—including enemies, potential allies, and even Sun Moon Empire and academy personnel—was killed.
• A Holy Spirit Cult elder-level Titled Douluo also died there, but the circumstances remain mysterious. Because the Fallen Clone acted under Li Qingming’s identity, neither the Holy Spirit Cult nor others understand why the elder went there or how he was killed.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming is shown to be increasingly calculating and ruthless. He accepts the enormous waste of precious resources in order to create an undetectable long-term scheme against Mu En.
• His strategic thinking develops beyond direct confrontation. He plans to manipulate Mu En’s sense of security by ensuring the pill appears to be acquired independently.
• The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger becomes a more active collaborator. His knowledge of herbs and divine inheritance helps compensate for Li Qingming’s limited alchemy skill, while his sadistic enthusiasm reveals how much he enjoys the planned destruction of Mu En’s martial soul.
• The Fallen Clone continues operating successfully under Li Qingming’s identity, creating confusion among the Sun Moon Empire and Holy Spirit Cult and allowing Li Qingming to conceal the truth behind recent killings.
• Mu En, though not present, becomes the central target of Li Qingming’s plan. His advanced age and apparent vulnerability to a life-extending pill make him especially susceptible.

Significant Themes

• Deception and indirect manipulation: Li Qingming avoids giving Mu En the pill himself, recognizing that suspicion is less likely if Mu En believes he obtained it through his own efforts.
• The weaponization of healing and medicine: A pill with life-extending and cultivation-enhancing properties is turned into a tool for sabotage rather than benevolence.
• Waste for greater strategic gain: Li Qingming deliberately sacrifices vast quantities of rare herbs because the pill’s real value lies in its effects and its ability to reach the intended target.
• Fate and altered destiny: The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger’s survival and acquisition of divine knowledge suggest that previous events and deaths have been disrupted, creating new possibilities.
• Identity and uncertainty: The Fallen Clone’s use of Li Qingming’s identity makes it impossible for enemies and allies to distinguish the real person from the duplicate, deepening the political and personal intrigue.
• Cruelty disguised as opportunity: The pill will appear to be a rare but legitimate treasure, while secretly serving as a means to destroy Mu En’s martial soul.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger cooperate closely during the pill’s refinement. The tiger provides technical knowledge and eagerly encourages the scheme, while Li Qingming remains focused and methodical.
• Little White supports the operation by spreading an icy field that freezes the surrounding environment and prevents interference while the pill is refined.
• Li Qingming’s Fallen Clone interacts indirectly with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and the Shrek delegation through its public return, receiving a lavish welcome based on achievements attributed to Li Qingming.
• The deaths of the Sun Moon Empire’s personnel and the Holy Spirit Cult elder create confusion among multiple factions, none of whom understand the Fallen Clone’s true role or the reason behind the elder’s presence.

Chapter Summary: “Laying It All Bare”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming returns safely to the academy after his long absence in the Extreme Northern Snowfield. His power and mysterious background remain subjects of speculation, while the Sun Moon Empire openly supports and seeks to cultivate him.
• Meng Hongchen, overwhelmed with relief, runs to embrace him in front of the entire academy. She bites his neck in anger over his disappearance, then accepts his apology when he admits he neglected her feelings.
• Their affectionate behavior publicly confirms rumors that they are romantically involved. Xiao Hongchen reacts with helpless resignation, while the surrounding students begin openly discussing the relationship.
• Li Qingming and Meng Hongchen privately discuss his time in the Extreme Northern Snowfield. Meng Hongchen explains how deeply worried she had been and asks him to tell her what truly happened.
• Recognizing that continuing to conceal the truth would be unfair, Li Qingming reveals nearly everything: the events in the snowfield, the existence of his clone, the distinction between his original body and clone, and Wang Dong’er’s role in his life.
• He withholds only his deepest abilities and potential path to godhood, treating them as personal trump cards.
• Meng Hongchen’s feelings shift from curiosity to shock, confusion, anger, and finally resignation. Though hurt by Li Qingming’s deception and by Wang Dong’er’s existence, she decides not to abandon him.
• She accepts that Li Qingming may eventually have multiple partners and says she will wait for his original body—and possibly Wang Dong’er—to come to the academy in the future.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming: Returns more restrained and formidable, but demonstrates emotional growth by acknowledging Meng Hongchen’s pain and choosing honesty over continued deception. He remains secretive about his ultimate powers, showing that trust has limits.
• Meng Hongchen: Reveals the intensity of her attachment through her emotional reunion, jealousy, and anger. Despite feeling betrayed, she proves remarkably accepting and emotionally strong, choosing to remain with Li Qingming rather than reject him.
• Xiao Hongchen: Serves as an observer of the relationship, reacting with familiar helplessness toward his sister’s openly affectionate behavior.
• Wang Dong’er: Does not appear directly, but her existence becomes central to the conversation and creates emotional tension between Li Qingming and Meng Hongchen.

Significant Themes

• Honesty and deception: Li Qingming realizes that concealing Wang Dong’er and the truth about his identity would be unfair to Meng Hongchen, prompting his unusually complete confession.
• Love and acceptance: Meng Hongchen’s willingness to accept Li Qingming despite his deception and complicated relationships demonstrates the depth of her feelings.
• Jealousy and emotional vulnerability: Her anger reflects both her fear of losing him and the pain caused by discovering that she is not his only emotional attachment.
• Power and isolation: Li Qingming’s extraordinary talent and hidden potential separate him from ordinary people, complicating his relationships and making secrecy seem necessary.
• Public versus private relationships: Their public reunion confirms the rumors surrounding them, while their private conversation reveals the much more complicated emotional reality beneath their outward affection.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming comforts Meng Hongchen after she embraces and bites him, apologizing for making her worry.
• The pair openly display affection by holding hands and walking into the academy together.
• In private, Meng Hongchen confronts Li Qingming about his disappearance and touches his face while seeking reassurance.
• Li Qingming gently holds her face, rests his forehead against hers, and tells her the truth.
• Meng Hongchen reacts painfully to the revelation of Wang Dong’er but ultimately states that she does not hate either of them and will continue waiting for Li Qingming.

Chapter Summary: “Revealing His Talent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming confesses his feelings and complicated romantic situation to Meng Hongchen. He assures her that, despite loving Wang Dong’er as well, Meng will always be one of his principal wives and that he will never abandon her.
• Meng Hongchen reluctantly accepts the situation because of how deeply she loves him, though she remains hurt. She bites his wrist as an expression of her resentment before leaving.
• Li Qingming feels relieved that Meng has not rejected him, while the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger mockingly criticizes his hesitation over having multiple wives.
• Over the next year, Li Qingming’s status and abilities rise dramatically:
  • He becomes a Level Six Soul Engineer.
  • He joins the Hall of Illustrious Virtue as a specially appointed member and receives his own office.
  • He advances to the peak of the Soul Emperor realm, then breaks through to Soul Sage.
  • He travels to the Evil Demon Forest, kills a ten-thousand-year Evil Eye Tyrant Lord, and uses its soul ring for his Seventh Ring.
  • He later becomes a Level Seven Soul Engineer.
• Li Qingming and Meng Hongchen formally agree to an engagement, although no ceremony is held because of their age.
• His achievements attract national attention. Crown Prince Xu Tianran and the Third Prince personally attend his breakthrough and present him with valuable gifts.
• By the end of the chapter, Li Qingming is no longer viewed merely as a promising prodigy. With both Seventh Ring cultivation and Level Seven Soul Engineer abilities, he is recognized as a genuine powerhouse and one of the most important future figures in the Sun Moon Empire.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming: Becomes more honest and emotionally responsible by openly acknowledging his relationships, though he continues to feel guilty about them. His cultivation, soul-engineering skill, political influence, and public reputation all grow at an extraordinary pace.
• Meng Hongchen: Shows both emotional vulnerability and determination. Although she feels wronged by Li Qingming’s divided affections, she chooses to remain with him and accepts their relationship, demonstrating the depth of her love and commitment.
• Dark Demon Evil God Tiger: Provides cynical comic relief, viewing romance as insignificant compared with power and future godhood. He believes Li Qingming’s potential is nearly limitless because of the powerful beings hidden within him.
• Wang Dong’er: Though she does not appear directly, Li Qingming confirms that he loves her equally and regards both girls as his principal wives.
• Xu Tianran and the Third Prince: Their attendance at Li Qingming’s breakthrough signals the empire’s recognition of his importance and the political value of gaining his loyalty.

Significant Themes

• Love versus social expectations: The chapter explores the emotional difficulty of polygamy despite its acceptance in society. Li Qingming’s guilt and Meng Hongchen’s pain show that cultural acceptance does not eliminate jealousy or insecurity.
• Responsibility and commitment: Li Qingming attempts to reassure Meng that his affection is genuine and that he will protect and support her, even though his relationships are complicated.
• Extraordinary talent and destiny: His rapid progress suggests that he is destined for a position of enormous power, potentially even godhood.
• Power and political influence: Li Qingming’s achievements elevate him beyond the status of a student, making him valuable to the Hall of Illustrious Virtue, the academy, and the imperial court.
• Reputation and mythmaking: His victories and breakthroughs are exaggerated into legends, causing the public to view him as almost divine.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingming and Meng Hongchen share a serious emotional exchange in which he promises not to abandon her. She accepts him but bites his wrist to express her lingering hurt.
• The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger internally mocks Li Qingming’s romantic anxiety and emphasizes the enormous power contained within him.
• Li Qingming’s achievements bring him into the attention of senior figures in the Hall of Illustrious Virtue and the imperial family, reflecting his growing influence.

Chapter Summary: “A ‘Gift’ for Shrek Academy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming has become an extraordinary fourteen-year-old Seventh Ring Soul Sage and Level Seven Soul Engineer after only two years. His rapid advancement has caused widespread fear, especially among the three great empires, which have repeatedly attempted to assassinate him.
• Because Li Qingming’s main body and clones share one consciousness and cultivation base, his apparent confinement at Shrek Academy has not prevented his growth. His Ice-Snow and Fallen Clones have continued cultivating and gathering resources elsewhere.
• At Shrek Academy, Li Qingming is officially restricted and denied access to important resources and areas. However, his Level Seven Soul Engineer abilities allow him to evade the academy’s surveillance and defenses.
• Over six months, he has secretly produced more than forty Seventh-Level Fixed Soul Guidance Shells and two Pseudo-Eighth-Level shells, planting them throughout Shrek Academy.
• Before leaving, Li Qingming assembles one final shell and prepares to unleash the weapons as a retaliatory “gift.” He plans to attribute the attack to his Fallen Clone, strengthening the clone’s reputation while concealing his true involvement.
• His goal is not merely destruction but the complete humiliation of Shrek Academy, weakening one of Tang San’s major supports and avenging the academy’s treatment of him.
• Li Qingming also reflects on Huo Yuhao, whose mental wounds have likely healed after two years. Huo Yuhao’s earlier accusation marked the beginning of Li Qingming’s personal revenge.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming: Has progressed from Soul Emperor to Seventh Ring Soul Sage and become a Level Seven Soul Engineer. His imprisonment has made him more calculating, patient, and vengeful. Rather than reacting impulsively, he has spent two years preparing a devastating counterattack.
• Li Qingming’s clones: The Fallen Clone has become a celebrated figure at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, while the Ice-Snow Clone and Fallen Clone have enabled the main body’s hidden cultivation and preparations.
• Ma Xiaotao: Despite advancing several ranks to approximately Rank 74–76, she feels discouraged when compared with Li Qingming’s extraordinary progress. His achievements have diminished her standing as Shrek’s leading young genius.
• Mu En: Once vigilant toward Li Qingming, Mu En has gradually stopped monitoring him closely, partly because his remaining lifespan is only two or three years. His declining attention creates the opportunity for Li Qingming’s preparations.
• Huo Yuhao: Implied to have recovered from his psychological trauma and to be preparing for his own future actions with Electrolux’s assistance.

Significant Themes

• Fear of overwhelming talent: Li Qingming’s unprecedented growth has destabilized political powers and created fear of what he may become.
• Revenge and humiliation: Li Qingming seeks not just to defeat Shrek but to destroy its dignity and expose its vulnerability.
• Hidden strength and deception: His apparent weakness and confinement conceal rapid cultivation, technological expertise, and extensive preparations.
• Institutional decline: Shrek Academy’s once-unquestioned supremacy is threatened by the rise of the Sun Moon Empire and Li Qingming’s achievements.
• Ambition and destiny: Li Qingming views his revenge as part of his climb toward the peak, using the destruction of Shrek as one step toward his ultimate power.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming’s conflict with Shrek Academy remains the central relationship. The academy has restricted and targeted him, while he secretly prepares to retaliate.
• His success indirectly affects Ma Xiaotao, whose achievements appear insignificant beside his own and whose confidence begins to suffer.
• His plans are shaped by the actions of Huo Yuhao, whose accusation transformed their relationship into a deeply personal conflict.
• Mu En’s absence of vigilance allows Li Qingming to move freely within the academy and execute his plan.
• By crediting the attack to his Fallen Clone, Li Qingming intends to manipulate public perception and intensify the growing rivalry between Shrek and the Sun Moon Empire.

Chapter Summary: “Huo Yuhao Awakens”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After being unconscious for two years, Huo Yuhao awakens in Sea God’s Pavilion. Mu En explains that Soul Bones from Shrek Academy’s treasury have nourished his body and spiritual power during his coma.
• Huo Yuhao discovers that his spiritual power has undergone a tremendous transformation, largely because Electrolux sacrificed part of his own origin to rebuild it.
• Electrolux reveals that his remaining spiritual fragment is fading. He confirms that he has completely passed down the power of the Holy Necromancer God, Huo Yuhao’s third martial soul.
• Electrolux reminds Huo Yuhao that Sky Dream Iceworm sacrificed himself to protect him, taking the fatal attack that would have destroyed Huo Yuhao’s soul. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion also remains severely weakened after losing a hundred thousand years of cultivation.
• Huo Yuhao blames Li Qingming entirely for Sky Dream’s death and the suffering of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. His grief transforms into a fierce desire for revenge and a determination to kill Li Qingming and seize everything he possesses.
• Huo Yuhao tells Mu En what happened. Xuan Zi, hearing the account, immediately condemns Li Qingming and declares that he will capture and cripple him. Huo Yuhao secretly takes satisfaction in this reaction.
• Meanwhile, Wang Dong’er continues visiting Li Qingming, who has spent the past two years imprisoned and ostracized. Though Li Qingming has lost an arm and his cultivation has slowed, he remains gentle and reassuring toward her.
• Wang Dong’er knows that Li Qingming still possesses a clone and therefore believes he cannot truly die. Nevertheless, she feels guilty for keeping him at Shrek Academy and apologizes for delaying his cultivation and future prospects.

Character Developments

• Huo Yuhao: Awakens with vastly enhanced spiritual power and receives the Holy Necromancer God inheritance. His grief over Sky Dream’s sacrifice hardens into hatred and a focused thirst for revenge against Li Qingming. He also shows manipulative awareness by concealing his pleasure at Xuan Zi’s anger.
• Electrolux: His role as Huo Yuhao’s protector nears its end. Having sacrificed his origin to save and strengthen Huo Yuhao, he prepares to disappear after passing down his remaining power.
• Sky Dream Iceworm: Though dead, his sacrifice becomes a central emotional force shaping Huo Yuhao’s actions and motivations.
• Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion: Remains physically and spiritually damaged after sacrificing a hundred thousand years of cultivation, emphasizing the lasting cost of the conflict.
• Xuan Zi: His former favorable opinion of Li Qingming has deteriorated. He reacts emotionally and uncritically to Huo Yuhao’s account, immediately taking Huo Yuhao’s side.
• Wang Dong’er: Becomes quieter, more mature, and increasingly burdened by guilt. Despite her helplessness, she remains loyal to Li Qingming and trusts his hidden plans.
• Li Qingming: Continues enduring imprisonment, public rejection, and physical disability with patience. His continued gentleness toward Wang Dong’er contrasts with the hostility directed at him by the academy.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and inheritance: Sky Dream and Electrolux both give up their lives or origins to preserve and strengthen Huo Yuhao, passing their power and responsibilities to him.
• Grief turning into vengeance: Huo Yuhao’s sorrow is overshadowed by rage, showing how loss can distort judgment and create a desire for absolute retribution.
• Manipulation and partial truth: Huo Yuhao presents events in a way that reinforces Li Qingming’s guilt, while Mu En and Xuan Zi accept his version without examining the broader circumstances.
• Loyalty amid isolation: Wang Dong’er continues supporting Li Qingming even as Shrek Academy abandons him, highlighting the strength of personal trust against collective condemnation.
• The cost of conflict: Physical injuries, lost cultivation, spiritual exhaustion, and death demonstrate the lasting consequences of the struggle between the characters.

Important Character Interactions

• Huo Yuhao and Mu En: Mu En welcomes Huo Yuhao’s awakening and explains his recovery. Huo Yuhao expresses gratitude and confides his account of Li Qingming’s actions.
• Huo Yuhao and Electrolux: Electrolux says farewell in spirit, credits Sky Dream for saving Huo Yuhao, and entrusts him with the Holy Necromancer God’s power.
• Huo Yuhao and Xuan Zi: Xuan Zi reacts violently to Huo Yuhao’s accusations and promises to punish Li Qingming, while Huo Yuhao silently welcomes the escalation.
• Wang Dong’er and Li Qingming: Wang Dong’er visits and cultivates with Li Qingming despite his injuries and disgrace. She apologizes for holding him back, while he continues to comfort her rather than blame her.

Chapter Summary: “Judgment and Inheritance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Dong’er realizes that Shrek Academy’s noble reputation conceals serious wrongdoing. Her faith in the academy begins to collapse as she forms her own judgment rather than blindly following her parents or others.
• Li Qingming, anticipating Xuan Zi’s arrival, gives Wang Dong’er detailed instructions:
  • Do not interfere when he is arrested.
  • Do not formally withdraw from Shrek Academy.
  • Leave through a task and travel to the Sun Moon Empire.
  • If necessary, go first to the Extreme Northern Snowfield, where her ring will summon someone to escort her safely.
• Xuan Zi breaks into the room and violently knocks Wang Dong’er aside before arresting Li Qingming. He condemns Li for placing Huo Yuhao into a coma and concealing it, insisting that Li deserves death because Huo Yuhao is Mu En’s disciple.
• Wang Dong’er, despite her injury and desire to help Li, follows his instructions. She goes directly to the Task Hall to begin her escape from Shrek Academy.
• Li Qingming is taken to Sea God’s Pavilion, where Mu En and Xian Lin’er confront him. Rather than defend himself, Li remains calm and seems almost satisfied, believing his long-term plan is reaching its final stage.
• Mu En invokes his Ultimate Light power and brutally removes Li Qingming’s remaining Soul Bones. He declares Li guilty of betraying the academy and injuring a fellow student.
• Mu En orders Li thrown into the water prison to await a public trial. He views Li’s defeat as essential to securing Shrek Academy’s future leadership and ensuring its continued dominance.
• Xuan Zi carries Li’s limp body away, while Mu En returns the confiscated Soul Bones to the collection of God Bones.

Character Developments

• Wang Dong’er: Experiences a major shift from unquestioning faith in Shrek Academy to independent judgment. Though frightened and deeply concerned for Li, she demonstrates resolve by obeying his escape plan instead of impulsively confronting Xuan Zi.
• Li Qingming: Reveals himself as calculating, strategic, and willing to betray Shrek to achieve his larger goal of opposing Tang San’s influence across the Douluo World. He remains composed during his arrest and torture, convinced that the academy’s hostility justifies his actions.
• Xuan Zi: Appears as an unquestioning enforcer of Shrek’s authority. His immediate violence toward Wang Dong’er and Li reflects his anger, prejudice, and unquestioning belief in Huo Yuhao’s position.
• Mu En: Abandons his former benevolent image and acts with cold authority. His removal of Li’s Soul Bones demonstrates both his ruthlessness and his determination to preserve Shrek’s succession and institutional power.
• Huo Yuhao: Though largely unconscious or offstage, his status as Mu En’s favored disciple motivates Li’s arrest and the academy’s judgment against him.

Significant Themes

• Independent judgment versus blind loyalty: Wang Dong’er’s changing view of Shrek contrasts with the elders’ unquestioning defense of the academy and Huo Yuhao.
• Institutional hypocrisy: Shrek’s public image as a righteous academy conflicts with its violence, favoritism, and willingness to torture and condemn Li without a fair investigation.
• Betrayal and justification: Li acknowledges that he is betraying Shrek, but convinces himself that the academy’s mistreatment and hidden motives make his actions justified.
• Power and inheritance: Mu En’s decision is driven not only by punishment but by his desire to protect Shrek’s line of succession and place its future in the hands of figures such as Yan Shaozhe and Huo Yuhao.
• Sacrifice and protection: Li accepts personal suffering while arranging Wang Dong’er’s escape, demonstrating that his love for her is expressed through preparation and protection rather than possession.
• Manipulation and truth: Both Li and Shrek’s leaders manipulate others to secure their goals, while Wang Dong’er begins to recognize the truth behind the competing narratives.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming and Wang Dong’er: Share a serious, intimate farewell in which Li entrusts her with his survival plan. His calm guidance gives her courage, while her obedience proves her growing maturity and trust.
• Xuan Zi and Wang Dong’er: Xuan Zi treats her as an obstacle rather than as a student or fellow member of the academy, injuring her without restraint.
• Xuan Zi and Li Qingming: Their encounter is openly hostile. Xuan Zi condemns Li as a traitor, while Li silently mocks his lack of judgment and refuses to justify himself.
• Li Qingming, Mu En, and Xian Lin’er: The elders confront Li as a condemned criminal. Li’s composure and faint mockery intensify their hostility, leading Mu En to strip away his Soul Bones.
• Mu En and Shrek’s future: Mu En’s judgment is shaped by his desire to preserve the academy’s authority and ensure a stable succession, making Li’s punishment part of a broader political strategy rather than merely a response to his alleged crimes.

Chapter Summary: “Joining Forces to Scheme”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads through Shrek Academy that Li Qingming has been captured after three years of decline, though many students no longer pay much attention to him.
• Wang Dong’er, secretly waiting outside the Academy, reacts with intense anger upon hearing that Li Qingming may be judged or executed. She has disguised herself in a black robe and left the Academy under the pretext of accepting a mission.
• In the Sun Moon Empire, Li Qingming meets Zhongli Wu, leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, in a secluded courtyard.
• Li Qingming agrees to join the Holy Spirit Cult as its first Holy Son, but only if Zhongli Wu helps him carry out a specific scheme.
• The plan involves using a special pill against Mu En. According to Li Qingming’s instructions, the first pill will be given to someone else, after which a secret technique will temporarily restore Mu En’s youth, causing him to take the second pill.
• Zhongli Wu accepts the arrangement and promises to complete it within five days. The two formally seal their cooperation, though both clearly view the alliance as a transaction.
• Li Qingming realizes that Zhongli Wu knows about the conflict between Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao, and Mu En, and suspects that Zhongli Wu may be willing to undermine his own mother, Ye Xishui, in order to gain control of the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Li Qingming departs in black mist, while his Ice-Snow Clone uses an Angel Clan inheritance ring to locate another silver ring and travels toward Shrek Academy with A-Tai.
• At the Academy’s gates, an elderly driver named Old Xu delivers grain, medicinal herbs, and spirit grasses. His humble appearance and suspiciously convenient access suggest that he may be part of a larger infiltration or scheme.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming becomes more calculating and ruthless. Rather than acting emotionally after his capture, he uses the situation to negotiate with the Holy Spirit Cult and further his revenge against Shrek Academy and Mu En.
• Wang Dong’er demonstrates unwavering loyalty and love toward Li Qingming. Beneath her controlled exterior, she is furious and deeply distressed by the threat to his life.
• Zhongli Wu is presented as composed, politically shrewd, and ambitious. His willingness to help Li Qingming suggests a desire to consolidate power within the Holy Spirit Cult, possibly at the expense of Ye Xishui.
• A-Tai initially hesitates but ultimately supports Li Qingming’s movements, shrinking himself and accompanying the Ice-Snow Clone.
• Mu En does not appear directly, but he becomes the central target of Li Qingming and Zhongli Wu’s plot.
• Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao remain offstage but are increasingly implicated in the internal power struggles surrounding the Holy Spirit Cult.

Significant Themes

• Alliance through mutual exploitation: Li Qingming and Zhongli Wu cooperate despite likely future hostility because their immediate goals temporarily align.
• Revenge and manipulation: Li Qingming plans to damage Shrek Academy’s reputation and eliminate Mu En through deception rather than direct confrontation.
• Power struggles and betrayal: Zhongli Wu’s cooperation hints at conflict within the Holy Spirit Cult and a possible challenge to Ye Xishui’s authority.
• Appearances versus reality: Wang Dong’er’s disguise, Li Qingming’s transformation into black mist, the masked Zhongli Wu, and Old Xu’s humble identity all emphasize concealment and hidden motives.
• Loyalty under pressure: Wang Dong’er’s reaction and A-Tai’s decision to accompany Li Qingming show how personal loyalty drives characters into dangerous actions.

Character Interactions

• Wang Dong’er and Li Qingming: They do not meet directly, but her emotional reaction reveals her devotion to him and her determination to respond to the threat against him.
• Li Qingming and Zhongli Wu: Their meeting is a tense but respectful negotiation. Li Qingming sets the conditions, while Zhongli Wu evaluates the plan before accepting it. Their handshake symbolizes a temporary alliance built on ambition and suspicion.
• Li Qingming and A-Tai: A-Tai briefly hesitates before choosing to follow the Ice-Snow Clone, indicating trust and loyalty.
• Old Xu and the logistics manager: Their seemingly ordinary exchange at the Academy gates masks the possibility that Old Xu’s delivery is connected to the broader conspiracy unfolding around Shrek Academy.

Chapter Summary: “Divine Elixir! Divine Elixir?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An elderly man delivers baskets of rice to Shrek Academy while the logistics manager lazily watches. A bear cub secretly emerges from the grain and hides nearby. The old man notices it and gives the manager a concealed, murderous look, hinting at an undisclosed plot.
• News spreads that a rare Divine Elixir has been discovered in the Extreme Northern Snowfield. Made from numerous precious Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs, the pill reportedly extends lifespan.
• A Soul Emperor steals one pill from a Titled Douluo and consumes it publicly, visibly becoming younger and gaining nearly ten additional years of life. A second pill is secretly secured by the Star Luo Empire’s royal family.
• When the location of the second elixir is leaked, Shrek Academy sends Xuan Zi, Xian Lin’er, and numerous elders to seize it. They battle the Star Luo Empire’s forces in the imperial capital, including the White Tiger Duke, royal offerings, and Emperor Xu Jiawei.
• Despite severe resistance, Shrek’s forces successfully take the elixir. Their actions cause outrage across the continent because the academy, long regarded as neutral and righteous, has openly attacked another empire and plundered its royal treasure.
• The academy’s desperation is revealed: Mu En has less than half a year to live, while many elders are nearing the ends of their lifespans. If Mu En survives another decade, Xuan Zi believes he can break through to the Ultimate Douluo realm and preserve Shrek’s dominance.
• The recovered elixir is delivered to Mu En. Despite Xuan Zi’s injuries, he expresses confidence that the pill can extend Mu En’s life by at least twelve years.
• Mu En, unable to wait for further proof because his martial soul is rapidly deteriorating, swallows the pill. Its medicinal power immediately begins rejuvenating his body: his hair darkens and his aged features grow younger.

Character Developments

• Mu En: His desperation and declining health are emphasized. Although normally cautious, his imminent death forces him to gamble on the elixir. He is also shown to be proud and resentful toward the Star Luo Empire, already imagining confronting them after recovering.
• Xuan Zi: Demonstrates fierce loyalty to Mu En and Shrek Academy by personally leading the raid despite the danger. His injuries show the cost of the battle, while his confidence about reaching the Ultimate Douluo realm reveals his ambition and sense of responsibility toward the academy’s future.
• Li Qingming: Although absent from the immediate action, he is revealed as the mastermind behind the elixir incident. Using his knowledge of the future, he deliberately timed the deception so that Mu En would be unable to wait for confirmation of the pill’s true effects.
• The elderly rice carrier: His hidden killing intent toward the logistics manager suggests that he is connected to a covert operation, likely involving the bear cub and a broader conspiracy.
• The logistics manager: His laziness and dismissive attitude make him appear vulnerable, while the old man’s hostile glance suggests he may be a target.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and moral compromise: Shrek Academy abandons its public neutrality and attacks an empire because of its fear of decline and death.
• The price of survival: The elixir represents hope for continued life and power, but obtaining it requires violence, political betrayal, and damaged legitimacy.
• Manipulation through timing and information: Li Qingming’s plan succeeds because he understands exactly when Shrek will be too desperate to investigate the elixir properly.
• Appearance versus reality: The pill appears to be a miraculous treasure, but its true nature is hidden. Likewise, Shrek’s image as a righteous neutral institution contrasts sharply with its ruthless actions.
• Aging, legacy, and succession: Mu En’s possible survival and Xuan Zi’s hoped-for breakthrough are tied to whether Shrek’s influence will continue into the next generation.

Character Interactions

• The old man silently observes the logistics manager while unloading rice, and their interaction is marked by an apparent power imbalance and concealed hostility.
• The bear cub’s movement is noticed by the old man, suggesting they may be cooperating or connected.
• Xuan Zi and Mu En share a deeply loyal friendship. Mu En thanks Xuan Zi for risking his life, while Xuan Zi frames the raid as necessary to preserve Shrek Academy.
• Shrek’s forces clash directly with the Star Luo Empire’s leadership, turning a dispute over the elixir into a major international confrontation.
• Mu En’s final interaction is with the elixir itself: driven by fear of death and hope for renewal, he chooses to trust it without knowing that Li Qingming has orchestrated the entire situation.

Chapter Summary: “The Plan Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu En takes a pill that temporarily restores his aging body to youthful vitality. His Light Holy Dragon Martial Soul erupts with overwhelming power, and his aura spreads throughout Sea God’s Pavilion and Shrek Academy.
• Xuan Zi witnesses Mu En’s apparent recovery and becomes hopeful. He believes that if Mu En can survive for several more years, Xuan Zi will have time to break through to the Ultimate Douluo level, allowing Shrek Academy to endure its current crisis and possibly achieve greater glory.
• However, Li Qingming reveals that the pill is a trap. It burns away Mu En’s bloodline and unleashes all of his remaining potential at once. Once the bloodline is exhausted, Mu En’s Martial Soul and cultivation will rapidly deteriorate, leaving him far weaker than an Ultimate Douluo.
• Imprisoned beneath the Outer Court, Li Qingming begins executing his plan. Little White breaks through the prison bars and cuts his restraints, allowing him to escape.
• Li Qingming confirms that his six Soul Bones remain inside Sea God’s Pavilion, but since they are not currently attached to him, he cannot summon them. This does not concern him because his immediate objective is to kill Mu En.
• Using his Fallen Angel Martial Soul and the weakened awareness of Shrek’s experts, Li Qingming infiltrates Sea God’s Pavilion. Mu En’s overwhelming aura suppresses the ability of other experts to detect the changes occurring around them.
• Outside Shrek City, Li Qingming’s Fallen Clone prepares a remote controller linked to Soul Tool explosives secretly planted throughout the academy. These bombs are powerful enough to cause catastrophic damage if detonated.
• Li Qingming intends to use the explosives as leverage after killing Mu En. Shrek’s powerful figures will be forced to choose between pursuing him and protecting the academy’s students and foundation.

Character Developments

• Mu En: Experiences a dramatic but deceptive rejuvenation. His restored strength appears to offer Shrek a new chance at survival, but it is actually consuming his bloodline and shortening his remaining future.
• Xuan Zi: Becomes optimistic and ambitious after seeing Mu En’s restored power. He imagines himself as Shrek’s future leader and hopes to inherit responsibility for the academy, though his confidence is based on a misunderstanding of Mu En’s condition.
• Li Qingming: Demonstrates patience, strategic intelligence, and a willingness to exploit Shrek Academy’s weaknesses. Rather than attacking directly, he constructs a multi-layered plan involving Mu En’s decline, infiltration, clones, and hidden explosives.
• Little White: Acts as Li Qingming’s calm and reliable ally, effortlessly freeing him from prison and helping him begin the operation.
• The Fallen Clone and Ice-Snow Clone: Expand Li Qingming’s reach, with one preparing the explosives outside Shrek City and another approaching Wang Dong’er.

Significant Themes

• Strength masking weakness: Mu En’s spectacular power is revealed to be the outward sign of his destruction rather than genuine recovery.
• Strategic warfare versus brute force: Li Qingming avoids a direct assault on Shrek and instead exploits its defenses, internal priorities, and emotional attachment to its students.
• The burden of leadership: Shrek’s greatest strength—its duty to protect future generations—is also identified as its greatest vulnerability.
• Revenge and moral justification: Li Qingming frames his actions as retaliation for Mu En’s betrayal, attempts to seize his Soul Bones, and desire for his bloodline. He accepts that his revenge may be ruthless but believes Mu En has no right to condemn him for striking back.
• Illusion and hidden danger: Both Mu En’s apparent revival and Li Qingming’s quiet infiltration emphasize how appearances can conceal fatal developments.

Important Character Interactions

• Mu En and Xuan Zi: Their relationship is indirectly shaped by Mu En’s apparent recovery. Xuan Zi views Mu En as the foundation of Shrek’s future and begins imagining his own rise as successor.
• Li Qingming and Mu En: They are positioned for a final confrontation rooted in betrayal, greed, and revenge. Li Qingming intends to personally kill Mu En while the latter is unknowingly being destroyed by the pill.
• Li Qingming and Little White: Little White responds to Li Qingming’s signal, breaks him out of prison, and helps restore his freedom without hesitation.
• Li Qingming and Shrek Academy: Their conflict becomes a psychological and strategic battle. Li Qingming plans to force Shrek’s protectors to prioritize its students over revenge, turning the academy’s principles against it.
• Li Qingming and Wang Dong’er: Although they do not meet directly in this chapter, the Ice-Snow Clone’s approach to Wang Dong’er indicates that she will play a role in the broader operation.

Chapter Summary:

Mu En’s Despair

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming infiltrates Sea God’s Pavilion while Shrek Academy’s strongest elders remain absent or incapacitated after the earlier raid on the Star Luo Empire.
• Exploiting the academy’s false sense of security—created by Mu En’s apparent return to peak condition—Li Qingming moves through the Inner Court undetected.
• He reaches the location of the Golden Ancient Tree but ignores Shrek’s treasures and resources, focusing instead on recovering the six Soul Bones connected to him.
• Using the remnant soul of Qian Renxue and the power of the Angel God, Li Qingming recalls and absorbs the six Soul Bones, restoring his damaged body and strengthening himself.
• At the same time, his Fallen Clone manifests a corresponding set of six Fallen God Bones, reinforcing Li Qingming’s dual power system.
• Li Qingming avoids Shrek’s treasure vault and other resource areas, recognizing that powerful Super Douluos may be guarding them.
• He reaches the highest floor of Sea God’s Pavilion, where Mu En is undergoing a terrifying transformation.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming: Becomes physically restored and more powerful after reclaiming the Soul Bones. His confidence and strategic intelligence are emphasized as he takes advantage of Shrek’s mistaken belief that Mu En is invincible.
• Mu En: Realizes that his apparent rejuvenation is a trap. Although his body has returned to its peak state, his Light Holy Dragon bloodline, talent, and potential are being consumed. He understands that his death is approaching and that Li Qingming orchestrated the entire scheme.
• Qian Renxue: Though not physically present, her remnant soul assists Li Qingming by activating the Angel God’s power and helping retrieve the Soul Bones.

Significant Themes

• Deception and misdirection: Li Qingming succeeds because Shrek’s confidence in Mu En’s strength causes everyone to abandon normal defenses.
• Strategic manipulation: Li Qingming has anticipated Mu En’s choices, condition, and lifespan, turning Mu En’s own power into a weakness.
• The decline of power: Mu En’s rejuvenation is revealed to be hollow, as his physical recovery comes at the cost of his bloodline and future potential.
• Overconfidence and vulnerability: Shrek Academy’s belief that no one would dare challenge Mu En leaves it dangerously exposed.
• Transformation and duality: Li Qingming’s restored Soul Bones and the Fallen Clone’s matching Fallen God Bones highlight the opposing but connected forces within his power.

Character Interactions

• The central confrontation begins when Mu En sees Li Qingming enter the upper level of Sea God’s Pavilion.
• Mu En reacts with intense rage, accusing Li Qingming of plotting against both him and Shrek Academy.
• Li Qingming’s arrival confirms Mu En’s fears: he has been completely outmaneuvered and may no longer possess the strength to resist.
• Despite his despair, Mu En considers making a final desperate struggle while his Light Holy Dragon bloodline still remains.

Chapter Summary: “Slaying Mu En”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu En unleashes his killing intent against Li Qingming, but Li remains calm and completely suppresses him.
• Li Qingming begins extracting and absorbing the origin of Mu En’s Light Holy Dragon martial soul. As its power is drained, the once-mighty super martial soul rapidly degenerates.
• The Light Holy Dragon shrinks, loses its dragon horns and wings, and ultimately devolves into the weak, pig-like martial soul Luo Sanpao.
• Li gathers the remaining dragon bloodline and light power, forming two powerful entities behind him: a Light Angel and a terrifying Dragon Blood Angel with dragon-like wings, horns, and pupils.
• Mu En is immobilized, ages rapidly, and loses the strength he accumulated as a level-ninety-nine Ultimate Douluo.
• Li pierces Mu En’s chest and tears out his heart, seizing the enormous energy stored within it.
• The Light Angel and Dragon Blood Angel merge into a new, strange angelic form. From Mu En’s heart, Li also creates a nearly perfect Light Clone that looks identical to himself.
• Mu En realizes that his attempt to destroy Li has instead provided Li with even greater power. Completely broken in body and spirit, he watches his soul rings and cultivation disappear.
• Li forms a blood-and-light dragon sword and decapitates Mu En, ending the former Dragon God Douluo’s life.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming demonstrates overwhelming control, emotional detachment, and ruthless efficiency. He evolves by absorbing Mu En’s martial-soul origin, dragon bloodline, heart energy, and light power.
• Li’s abilities expand through the creation of the Light Angel, Dragon Blood Angel, fused angel, and Light Clone, suggesting the growth of both his strength and his strategic potential.
• Mu En undergoes a complete fall from power. He changes from an imposing level-ninety-nine Ultimate Douluo into an aged, helpless prisoner whose martial soul, cultivation, bloodline, and dignity are all stripped away.
• Mu En’s hatred and confidence turn into shock, despair, and resignation when he understands that his own power has become the foundation of Li Qingming’s advancement.

Significant Themes

• Power reversal and retribution: Mu En intended to eliminate Li Qingming, but instead becomes the source of Li’s increased strength.
• Devolution and loss of identity: The Light Holy Dragon’s transformation into Luo Sanpao symbolizes the destruction of Mu En’s pride, status, and legacy.
• Predation and inheritance: Li does not merely defeat Mu En; he appropriates his bloodline, martial-soul origin, accumulated power, and even creates a clone from his heart.
• Cruel irony: Mu En once scorned Luo Sanpao’s weak and mutated bloodline, only to have his own supreme martial soul degenerate into it.
• Absolute domination: Li’s calmness contrasts with Mu En’s rage and terror, emphasizing the total imbalance between them.

Character Interactions

• Mu En repeatedly attempts to resist and confront Li, but Li ignores his anger and proceeds with the extraction.
• Mu En verbally expresses his original intention to destroy Li’s future and erase his bloodline, admitting that this plan has catastrophically failed.
• Li responds not through debate or emotion, but through direct physical and spiritual domination, ultimately killing Mu En without showing hesitation.
• The interaction between Mu En and the newly created Light Clone intensifies his despair, as he witnesses the emergence of a figure nearly identical to Li from his own stolen power.

Summary: “Facing Xuan Zi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The terrifying light aura associated with Mu En abruptly vanishes, alerting Shrek Academy’s powerful elders. Xuan Zi senses that something has gone wrong and rushes toward Sea God’s Pavilion.
• Inside the pavilion, Li Qingming calmly retrieves Mu En’s azure storage ring, which contains the resources controlled by the master of Sea God’s Pavilion.
• The chapter explains that Li Qingming was only able to kill Mu En because of several extraordinary advantages: Mu En had taken the Spirit-Shedding Pill, suffered severe martial soul regression, been poisoned and controlled, and was already nearly powerless.
• Li Qingming’s Light Clone escapes through a portal created by the Fallen Clone’s Sin Domain Gate. Before leaving, Li Qingming carves a humiliating message into Sea God’s Pavilion: “The Sun Moon Empire’s Li Qingming was here.”
• Xuan Zi arrives too late, sees the insult, and realizes that Li Qingming has infiltrated Shrek Academy. Enraged, he pursues the fleeing Light Clone.
• The Light Clone deliberately slows down and stops outside Shrek City, where he reunites with the Fallen Clone. Li Qingming’s true body then emerges from the demonic portal.
• Li Qingming absorbs both clones into himself, gathers the powers of his various angelic forms, and even summons the Ice-Snow Angel. He prepares to face Xuan Zi in his complete form.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming demonstrates extreme cunning and composure. He not only kills Mu En under carefully prepared conditions but also steals the Sea God’s Pavilion’s resources and openly mocks Shrek Academy.
• He reveals that his clones are powerful and expendable. The Light Clone, created from Mu En’s heart and soul origin, can be revived even if destroyed, making it an ideal decoy against Xuan Zi.
• Li Qingming’s preparation escalates significantly: he merges the Light and Fallen Clones, incorporates the Ice-Snow Angel, and forcibly combines multiple incompatible powers to maximize his strength.
• Xuan Zi is shown as furious, shocked, and humiliated. Although immensely powerful as a rank-ninety-eight Super Douluo, he is initially unable to understand how Li Qingming infiltrated the academy or killed Mu En.
• Mu En, though already dead, remains central to the chapter. His enormous strength, authority, and resources emphasize the magnitude of Li Qingming’s victory.

Significant Themes

• Deception and strategic preparation: Li Qingming succeeds not through raw strength alone, but by exploiting Mu En’s weakened condition and using clones, poisons, and soul techniques.
• Humiliation and psychological warfare: The message carved into Sea God’s Pavilion is a deliberate insult intended to provoke Shrek Academy and intensify Xuan Zi’s anger.
• Power versus vulnerability: Even an Ultimate Douluo can be defeated when weakened, manipulated, and deprived of his normal abilities.
• Identity and self-duplication: Li Qingming’s clones embody different aspects of his power, and their reunion represents his transformation into a more complete and formidable combatant.
• Conflict between major powers: Li Qingming’s declaration links the Sun Moon Empire directly to Shrek Academy’s internal crisis.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming interacts with Mu En’s body only long enough to take his storage ring, treating the former master of Sea God’s Pavilion as a defeated source of power and resources.
• His Light Clone confronts Xuan Zi indirectly, serving as bait and drawing him away from the academy.
• Xuan Zi reacts to Li Qingming’s written insult with disbelief and rage, interpreting the attack as both a personal betrayal and a direct challenge to Shrek Academy.
• The Light Clone and Fallen Clone reunite outside the city, after which Li Qingming absorbs them and prepares for the imminent battle with Xuan Zi.

Chapter Summary: “Xuan Zi’s Fear”

Key plot points and events

Li Qingming, having endured imprisonment and the loss of his Soul Bones, remains calm while gathering the immense power of his various angelic abilities. The Fallen Angel and Six-Winged Angel fuse, allowing the Judgment Angel to draw upon the powers of the Destruction, Life, Light, Dragon Blood, Ice-Snow, and Evil Angels. Although coordinating these forces is difficult, Li Qingming uses the Judgment Angel as the core of his power system and strengthens it with the other angelic abilities.
Xuan Zi attacks with the overwhelming might of a ninety-eighth-level Super Douluo. Li Qingming counters with his sixth soul skill, using the Judgment Angel to blow an ancient horn infused with Ultimate destructive power. The blast halts Xuan Zi’s charge, breaks through his defensive devouring power, and wounds his palm.
Li Qingming then activates his most powerful state. His six Soul Bones fuse, the Angel God’s God Bone descends, and dark-gold armor imbued with Judgment authority forms around him. He enters a Martial Soul Avatar state while merging the Judgment Angel directly into his body. His six wings release countless dark-gold feathers of light, combining light, destruction, evil, fallen, and divine powers. The attack pierces Xuan Zi’s defenses and inflicts serious wounds.
Xuan Zi is forced to recognize that Li Qingming’s power quality surpasses his own despite Li Qingming possessing far less Soul Power. Determined to kill him before he can mature and return to the Sun Moon Empire, Xuan Zi unleashes his seventh and ninth soul skills, transforming into a gigantic divine Taotie Bull and preparing a devastating counterattack.

Character developments

• Li Qingming demonstrates extraordinary composure and control despite his imprisonment and loss of his Soul Bones. He continues evolving his complicated angelic power system and reveals that his strength already exceeds what should be possible for a Seventh Ring Soul Sage. His ability to merge the Judgment Angel into his own body highlights his exceptional talent and growing mastery.
• Xuan Zi shifts from confidence to shock, disbelief, and genuine fear. Though his Soul Power and accumulated cultivation remain vastly superior, he realizes that Li Qingming’s individual powers possess greater quality and even carry the force of laws or divine order. His fear of Li Qingming’s future potential turns into an obsession with killing him immediately.

Significant themes

• Overcoming conventional limits: Li Qingming’s performance defies the normal gap between a Soul Sage and a Super Douluo.
• Quality versus quantity: Xuan Zi has overwhelmingly greater Soul Power, but Li Qingming’s refined, Ultimate-level abilities are far more potent individually.
• Fear of future potential: Xuan Zi is frightened not only by Li Qingming’s current strength but by what he may become after reaching higher cultivation levels.
• Power and control: Li Qingming’s many angelic forces create both immense potential and a serious challenge in maintaining unity and control.
• Judgment and destruction: The Judgment Angel and its armor symbolize Li Qingming’s increasingly dominant authority and destructive power.

Character interactions

Li Qingming and Xuan Zi engage in a direct battle of escalating attacks. Xuan Zi charges with Super Douluo-level force, but Li Qingming stops him with the Judgment Angel’s horn and then overwhelms him with the six-winged feather assault. Xuan Zi’s wounds and astonishment expose the dramatic reversal in their expected power relationship. Convinced that Li Qingming could one day threaten Shrek Academy and the three great empires, Xuan Zi abandons restraint and prepares his most powerful transformation to eliminate him.

Chapter Summary: “Reunion”

Key plot points and events

Xuan Zi attacks Li Qingming with the full force of his ninth soul skill, using the Godly Taotie Bull’s tremendous power. Although Li cannot directly withstand the attack, his Martial Soul Avatar survives the blow, even after his armor is destroyed. Rather than continue fighting, Li opens the Sin Domain Gate and escapes through it. Xuan Zi shatters the gate but is too late to stop him.
Xuan Zi is left furious and humiliated that a Seventh Ring Soul Sage has survived his attack. He concludes that Li Qingming possesses several exceptionally powerful foundations and Ultimate Powers, making him a potentially devastating future enemy of Shrek Academy. He resolves to kill Li at any cost, even if it requires invading the Sun Moon Empire. Shrek’s other experts arrive, but Xuan Zi offers no explanation and returns silently to the academy.
The chapter also reveals the broader consequences of the battle: Mu En, an Ultimate Douluo, has died, his head has been taken, and Shrek Academy faces immense humiliation and political repercussions because Li Qingming helped kill him while severely weakened.

Character developments

Li Qingming demonstrates extraordinary resilience, tactical intelligence, and composure. Knowing he cannot defeat Xuan Zi through strength, he relies on preparation and his Ice-Snow Clone and Sin Domain Gate to survive. His escape confirms him as a serious threat despite having only seven rings.
Xuan Zi’s confidence is shaken. His inability to kill Li causes anger, disbelief, and fear about Li’s future potential. His focus shifts from merely defeating Li to eliminating him before he can grow stronger.
Wang Dong’er is shown to be emotionally exhausted and deeply worried after several days without proper rest. Her immediate tears and embrace reveal the depth of her attachment to Li and her relief at finding evidence that he may still be alive. Li, in turn, displays unusual tenderness toward her.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the vast gap between the highest levels of power, particularly the difference between a level-ninety-eight Super Douluo like Xuan Zi and a level-ninety-nine Ultimate Douluo like Mu En. It also highlights the danger of underestimating a weaker opponent who possesses superior preparation, abilities, and strategy.
Reputation and political consequences are equally important: Mu En’s death and the loss of his head represent a major blow to Shrek Academy’s prestige. The chapter also contrasts public conflict and vengeance with private affection, ending on themes of survival, reunion, emotional relief, and loyalty.

Character interactions

Li and Xuan Zi clash directly, with Li evading Xuan Zi rather than attempting an impossible victory. Xuan Zi later faces the silent, questioning presence of Shrek’s senior experts but refuses to explain his failure.
In the final scene, Wang Dong’er reunites with Li Qingming’s Ice-Snow Clone. She embraces him while crying, aware that it is only a clone but comforted that he appears to be alive. Li responds gently, holding her tightly as they remain together in an emotional, wordless reunion.

Chapter Summary: “Renewed Provocation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Outside the city, Li Qingming reveals that he survived and uses his sixth soul skill, Sin Prison Gate, to divide himself into his true body, an Ice-Snow Clone, a Fallen Clone, and a Light Clone.
• The Ice-Snow Clone departs for the Far North, while the Fallen Clone merges back into Li Qingming. The Light Clone combines the Light Angel with the Dragon Blood Angel and rushes toward Shrek Academy.
• Li Qingming asks Wang Dong’er to accompany him to the Sun Moon Empire, promising to explain everything honestly and protect her there. She agrees and travels with him.
• The Light Clone carries the detonator linked to the soul-tool shells previously planted at Shrek Academy. Li Qingming had deliberately postponed the detonation until Shrek’s strongest experts returned, believing the resulting destruction and chaos would have greater political impact.
• Li Qingming intends to use Mu En’s death and the destruction of Shrek as leverage, helping provoke the long-anticipated war between the Sun Moon Empire and the three great empires.
• Within Shrek Academy, the elders mourn Mu En, whose corpse has left the academy without its greatest protector. His death severely weakens Shrek, especially because Xuan Zi has not yet reached the Ultimate Douluo level.
• The Light Clone arrives at Shrek’s entrance, unleashes his Martial Soul Avatar, and destroys the academy gates with a powerful Light Slash.
• As the academy’s Titled Douluo-level experts rush toward the disturbance, the Light Clone throws down the detonator and flees, leaving the imminent explosion as a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming demonstrates greater strategic ruthlessness. Rather than simply escaping, he coordinates multiple clones, manipulates the timing of the attack, and uses Mu En’s death to influence the political balance of the continent.
• He also shows a more sincere and emotionally open side with Wang Dong’er, offering her protection and promising to reveal the truth.
• Wang Dong’er moves from fear and uncertainty to trust, accepting Li Qingming’s invitation and choosing to remain at his side.
• The Light Clone acts independently and confidently, carrying out the provocation at Shrek while relying on speed and composure rather than direct confrontation.
• Shrek’s elders are shown as emotionally devastated by Mu En’s death. Their view of him contrasts sharply with Li Qingming’s hatred: to them, Mu En was the academy’s irreplaceable guardian and spiritual pillar.

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and warfare: Li Qingming treats Mu En’s death and the soul-tool attack as instruments for triggering a larger war.
• The collapse of established power: With Mu En gone, Shrek’s authority and defensive strength are immediately endangered.
• Contrasting perspectives on morality: Mu En is portrayed by Li Qingming as a ruthless fanatic, while Shrek’s elders regard him as a heroic protector.
• Trust and emotional vulnerability: Li Qingming’s promise to tell Wang Dong’er the truth marks a rare moment of openness amid his deception and plotting.
• Escalation and provocation: The destruction of the gates is not the true attack but a deliberate challenge designed to draw Shrek’s strongest fighters out before the detonator is activated.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming and Wang Dong’er: He reassures her, asks her to accompany him, and offers complete honesty; she silently accepts and clings to him, showing renewed trust.
• Li Qingming and his clones: The clones function as coordinated extensions of his will, each pursuing a different objective—travel, preparation, or attack.
• The Light Clone and Shrek Academy: He deliberately destroys the gates to provoke the academy’s strongest experts, then abandons the detonator and escapes.
• Shrek’s elders and Mu En: Their grief reveals their deep dependence on Mu En and emphasizes how profoundly his death has destabilized the academy.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the Academy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Zi rapidly returns to Shrek Academy after sensing the mysterious disc Soul Tool that has landed near the entrance.
• The disc initially appears harmless, but it suddenly triggers a massive explosion, destroying the Soul Guidance Department and killing hundreds of students.
• Hidden seventh- and eighth-rank Soul Tools detonate throughout the academy grounds. Xuan Zi manages to disable many of the weaker devices, but several powerful Soul Tools still explode.
• The Inner Court’s main gate is destroyed by an eighth-rank Soul Tool, symbolically damaging Shrek Academy’s prestige as well as its physical defenses.
• Shrek’s powerful elders and teachers divide into rescue teams, prioritizing the survival of the students over pursuing the attacker, Li Qingming.
• A mysterious silver-haired woman with purple slit pupils observes the destruction from afar. She is impressed by Li Qingming’s ability to manipulate and devastate humanity’s strongest organization, then disappears.
• Two days later, Li Qingming returns to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy with Wang Dong’er and reveals the truth about his identity: the Li Qingming who had previously interacted with the academy was merely his clone.
• Jing Hongchen agrees to accept Wang Dong’er as a student and arranges for her to live at the academy.
• Meng Hongchen meets Wang Dong’er. Though their relationship is awkward because both care for Li Qingming, neither blames the other for his divided affections.
• Meng Hongchen escorts Wang Dong’er to a dormitory beside her own, partly to care for her and partly to prevent Li Qingming from secretly visiting her.
• After the girls leave, Li Qingming gives Jing Hongchen a wooden box containing a familiar but unidentified head, ending the chapter on a sinister cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Xuan Zi: Demonstrates enormous strength and quick judgment by suppressing many hidden Soul Tools, but even he cannot prevent all the high-rank detonations.
• Li Qingming: Is established as a calculating and dangerous strategist capable of manipulating Shrek Academy from the shadows. He remains composed while revealing his clone’s identity and appears to have complete control over the complicated situation involving both girls.
• Wang Dong’er: Learns that Li Qingming’s former identity was a clone and enters the Sun Moon Academy under his protection. She is uncomfortable but not hostile toward Meng Hongchen.
• Meng Hongchen: Shows maturity and restraint by welcoming Wang Dong’er despite her complicated feelings. Her decision to keep Wang Dong’er nearby reveals both care and jealousy.
• Jing Hongchen: Is shocked by Li Qingming’s deception but accepts Wang Dong’er because of Li’s status and influence. His serious reaction to the wooden box suggests that its contents are highly significant.
• The mysterious silver-haired woman: Emerges as a powerful, enigmatic observer who views Li Qingming’s actions with amusement and interest rather than concern.

Significant Themes

• Destruction of institutions and reputation: The attack damages not only Shrek Academy’s buildings and students but also its symbolic prestige, especially through the destruction of the Inner Court’s main gate.
• Manipulation and strategic superiority: Li Qingming’s ability to plant traps and control events from a distance emphasizes his intelligence and willingness to treat powerful organizations as pieces in a larger game.
• Identity and deception: The revelation that the previous Li Qingming was a clone raises questions about authenticity, trust, and the extent of his hidden plans.
• Jealousy, acceptance, and unconventional relationships: Meng Hongchen and Wang Dong’er must confront their shared affection for Li Qingming. Though awkward, they choose cooperation rather than hostility.
• Powerful observers and escalating danger: The silver-haired woman’s detached interest suggests that Li Qingming’s actions have attracted the attention of an even greater force.

Important Character Interactions

• Xuan Zi and the other Shrek powerhouses coordinate rescue efforts after the explosions, prioritizing students over revenge.
• Jing Hongchen confronts Li Qingming about the clone and accepts Wang Dong’er into the academy.
• Meng Hongchen and Wang Dong’er meet awkwardly but respectfully, beginning a relationship framed as sisterhood despite their romantic rivalry.
• Meng Hongchen subtly asserts control by arranging Wang Dong’er’s dormitory beside her own.
• Li Qingming presents Jing Hongchen with the mysterious wooden box, creating the chapter’s final suspenseful revelation.

Chapter Summary: “Ascension? Rebellion?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming presents Jing Hongchen with the severed head of Mu En, the legendary Ultimate Douluo and longtime pillar of Shrek Academy.
• Jing Hongchen is horrified because Mu En had previously taken several valuable Level Nine Soul Tools from him, including Hongchen’s Blessing. He never expected to see Mu En reduced to a head—or to learn that Li Qingming was connected to his death.
• Li Qingming refuses to explain how Mu En was killed. Instead, he says the head is a gift for the crown prince’s impending ascension.
• Jing Hongchen realizes that Li Qingming may be suggesting the assassination of the seriously ill emperor so the crown prince can take the throne early.
• Shocked, Jing warns that rebellion or harm against the emperor would be an enormous crime. Although the emperor is near death, he still commands the loyalty of the empire’s powerful soul engineers.
• Li Qingming leaves without clarifying his plan, carrying Mu En’s head to present to the crown prince.
• Jing Hongchen remains behind to weigh the proposal. He recognizes that an early succession could prevent years of political conflict between the crown prince and the Third Prince, which would otherwise weaken the Sun Moon Empire.
• The chapter ends by emphasizing that Li Qingming’s apparent ability to kill an Ultimate Douluo gives him unusual leverage. His strength and talent make it possible for him to consider actions that others would never dare propose.

Character Development

• Li Qingming: Demonstrates extreme confidence, composure, and ambition. He is no longer acting merely as a talented junior but as someone capable of influencing imperial succession. His willingness to consider assassinating the emperor shows his pragmatic and ruthless determination to accelerate the empire’s rise.
• Jing Hongchen: His attitude toward Li Qingming changes dramatically. He initially views him as a junior, but Mu En’s head forces him to regard Li Qingming as an equal—or at least as someone backed by power equal to the highest level. Jing also reveals his cautious, calculating nature as he begins considering the political advantages of Li’s proposal.
• The Crown Prince/Xu Tianran: Though not directly present, he becomes central to the chapter. The possibility is raised that he may secretly welcome an early removal of the emperor and the chance to eliminate the political instability caused by the succession struggle.
• Mu En: Even in death, Mu En’s reputation remains immense. His death serves as proof of Li Qingming’s terrifying power and changes the balance of political and military calculations.

Significant Themes

• Power and legitimacy: The chapter questions whether political authority should be preserved through tradition and loyalty or seized through decisive action.
• Political pragmatism: Li Qingming views the emperor’s delayed death and the succession conflict as preventable sources of national weakness. He is willing to commit an extreme act if it will strengthen the empire.
• Fear versus ambition: Jing Hongchen represents caution and fear of the consequences, while Li Qingming represents bold ambition and willingness to gamble everything.
• The burden of extraordinary strength: By potentially killing an Ultimate Douluo, Li Qingming gains the ability to challenge established political limits. His power makes forbidden plans seem achievable.
• National strength versus morality: The proposed assassination is presented not as personal revenge but as a way to prevent the Sun Moon Empire from losing military and political power during a prolonged succession crisis.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming and Jing Hongchen: Their meeting is tense and transformative. Jing questions Li about Mu En’s death, but Li remains deliberately vague and controlled. By casually discussing the crown prince’s ascension, Li forces Jing to confront the possibility of rebellion.
• Jing Hongchen and the emperor: Though the emperor does not appear, Jing’s reaction shows his loyalty to him. He believes the emperor’s authority remains absolute despite his illness and fears the consequences of violating that loyalty.
• Li Qingming and the crown prince: Their relationship is implied rather than shown. Li intends to offer Mu En’s head as a gift and may be positioning himself as the person capable of making the crown prince’s early accession possible.
• The crown prince and the Third Prince: Their escalating rivalry forms the political background. The conflict threatens to drain the empire’s resources and provides Li Qingming with justification for drastic intervention.

Chapter Summary: “Xu Tianran’s Shock”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming immediately returns to Xu Tianran’s laboratory. The black-robed guard, recognizing him, silently allows him inside.
• Xu Tianran is resting on a sofa, visibly exhausted and emotionally burdened despite his normally composed royal demeanor.
• He offers Li Qingming imperial wine and asks directly what assistance Li Qingming needs.
• Xu Tianran reflects on Li Qingming’s extraordinary talent. At only fourteen, Li Qingming already possesses Soul Sage-level combat strength and may eventually become an Ultimate Douluo with an Ultimate Dark Martial Soul.
• Xu Tianran values Li Qingming because the young man seeks resources and strength rather than political power, meaning their ambitions do not conflict. Although Li Qingming has never formally pledged allegiance to him, Xu Tianran continues providing him with the empire’s finest resources and medicinal pills.
• Li Qingming gives Xu Tianran an ordinary wooden box. Inside is a severed head.
• He then reveals his true golden-haired, golden-eyed appearance, identifying himself as the Shrek Academy genius Xu Tianran knows.
• By infusing the head with light power, Li Qingming exposes the terrifying aura of its former owner: an Ultimate Douluo.
• Xu Tianran recognizes the head as belonging to Dragon God Douluo Mu En, Shrek Academy’s secret and most powerful pillar.
• Xu Tianran is horrified and shaken, unable to understand how Li Qingming could have killed Mu En or why he brought the head to him.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming: Displays extreme calm, confidence, and decisiveness. His presentation of Mu En’s head reveals that his power and influence are far greater than Xu Tianran may have realized. He also demonstrates control over his appearance and the ability to preserve or activate the head’s former aura.
• Xu Tianran: Initially appears exhausted and helpless, briefly allowing his royal composure to slip. After sensing Mu En’s Ultimate Douluo aura, his confidence collapses into fear and uncertainty. His perception of Li Qingming changes dramatically.
• The black-robed guard: Shows respect for Li Qingming by allowing him to pass without question, suggesting Li Qingming has earned considerable status within Xu Tianran’s circle.

Significant Themes

• Power and political influence: Xu Tianran seeks Li Qingming’s loyalty because immense personal strength can determine the balance of power more than formal political allegiance.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Li Qingming conceals his true appearance, while Mu En’s existence has been known only to the highest-level figures on the continent.
• Ambition without political interest: Li Qingming’s desire for strength and resources makes him attractive to Xu Tianran, whose ambitions center on authority and rule.
• The fragility of confidence: Xu Tianran is a Titled Douluo and crown prince, yet the revelation of Mu En’s death instantly destroys his sense of security.
• The shock of the impossible: Mu En was believed to be an untouchable guardian of Shrek Academy. His severed head symbolizes a major disruption to the continent’s established power structure.

Important Character Interactions

• Xu Tianran treats Li Qingming with unusual sincerity, offering him wine and acknowledging his extraordinary potential.
• Li Qingming responds with minimal words, emphasizing his direct and mysterious personality.
• Their relationship, previously based on mutual benefit and Xu Tianran’s attempts to win Li Qingming over, becomes far more uncertain when Li Qingming reveals Mu En’s head.
• Xu Tianran’s fear shows that he now regards Li Qingming not merely as a talented young ally but as someone capable of overturning the continent’s greatest powers.

Chapter Summary: A Sparked Ambition

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingming meets Crown Prince Xu Tianran and calmly reveals his overwhelming power, reversing the balance of authority between them.
• He attacks and drives away a black-clad youth who had been secretly eavesdropping. Li Qingming pierces the youth’s shoulder and overwhelms him with spiritual power, warning that he will kill him if he listens in again.
• Li Qingming announces that he wants to cooperate with Xu Tianran and become the Sun Moon Empire’s state preceptor.
• More shockingly, he urges Xu Tianran to ascend the throne immediately and offers to assassinate the current emperor, Xu Tianran’s gravely ill father.
• Xu Tianran initially treats the idea as an absurd joke, explaining that the emperor remains a powerful Titled Douluo surrounded by elite guards.
• Li Qingming calmly insists that he will personally carry out the assassination and guarantee Xu Tianran’s succession.
• He explains that his continued identity as a student of Shrek Academy could provide a convincing cover: the assassination could be attributed to “Li Qingming of Shrek,” while the body would supposedly be killed by an enemy from the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Tianran begins seriously considering the proposal, recognizing that the emperor’s early death would secure his position and prevent the Third Prince from gaining further influence.

Character Developments

• Li Qingming demonstrates immense confidence, strategic intelligence, and ruthless decisiveness. His ability to defeat an Ultimate Douluo and overpower a powerful spy establishes him as a major political and military force.
• He shifts from being a potential subordinate or ally to someone who can dictate terms to Xu Tianran. His calm demeanor and direct speech show that he believes he holds the stronger position.
• Xu Tianran changes from skepticism and superiority to surprise, caution, and temptation. He recognizes that Li Qingming’s proposal may be genuinely feasible.
• Xu Tianran’s ambition becomes more explicit. Although he has been waiting for his father to die naturally, the opportunity to seize the throne early—and secure it against the Third Prince—appeals strongly to him.
• Xu Tianran’s reference to his father as “the old man” suggests resentment and a degree of intimacy with Li Qingming, while also revealing his careful political caution.

Significant Themes

• Power and political leverage: Li Qingming’s overwhelming strength allows him to reverse the expected hierarchy and negotiate from a position of dominance.
• Ambition and succession: The chapter focuses on Xu Tianran’s desire to become emperor and the political threat posed by the Third Prince.
• Manipulation and conspiracy: Li Qingming proposes assassination, false attribution, and the exploitation of his Shrek identity to reshape the empire’s succession.
• Trust and dangerous alliances: Xu Tianran must decide whether to trust Li Qingming, whose help could secure the throne but whose power and independence make him potentially dangerous.
• The relationship between strength and authority: Li Qingming’s martial power directly translates into political influence, allowing him to offer a solution that even the imperial heir cannot accomplish alone.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingming dominates his encounter with Xu Tianran through calm speech and displays of force.
• His treatment of the black-clad spy reinforces his warning to Xu Tianran: he will not tolerate surveillance or opposition.
• Xu Tianran responds cautiously, first dismissing Li Qingming’s words, then recognizing their seriousness after seeing his confidence and proven strength.
• Their conversation evolves from a negotiation over cooperation into a potentially transformative political pact: Li Qingming offers to make Xu Tianran emperor, while expecting the position of state preceptor in return.