Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Spirit Bifulong

Plot Points and Events

• In Mushroom Village of Farunos Province, six-year-old orphan Lan Yu participates in the spirit-awakening ceremony.
• His spirit manifests as an unfamiliar mushroom, which turns out to be the Sage Lord of Fungi, Bifulong, a demon god from Teyvat.
• Lan Yu tests at Rank 2 innate spirit power—the only child in the village to awaken any innate power.
• Su Yuntao issues him a Spirit Hall certificate and invites him to join, but Lan Yu refuses to avoid attention and premature involvement.
• After returning home, Lan Yu successfully awakens Bifulong’s consciousness and explains that they are now in the world of Douluo Continent, where Bifulong has become his spirit.
• Bifulong initially behaves arrogantly, claiming Lan Yu as his follower and proposing to spread mushroom avatars to regain power.
• Lan Yu takes control of the partnership, criticizing Bifulong’s poor judgment and explaining the importance of establishing a mycelium network rather than relying only on edible mushroom bodies.
• Bifulong spreads his mycelium underground over roughly twenty meters before becoming exhausted.
• The network begins feeding energy back to Lan Yu, allowing his spirit power to increase passively even while he sleeps.

Character Development

• Lan Yu: Demonstrates caution, intelligence, scientific knowledge, and strategic thinking. Rather than chasing immediate opportunities, he chooses to conceal his unusual spirit and develop gradually. He quickly establishes himself as the practical decision-maker in his partnership with Bifulong.
• Bifulong: Awakens confused and boastful but remains comically incompetent and forgetful. He accepts Lan Yu’s leadership after realizing that the human has better judgment, while still retaining immense long-term potential.
• Su Yuntao: Performs the awakening ceremony, shows mild disappointment at Lan Yu’s low rank, and offers him a place in Spirit Hall before departing.
• Village Chief Jerry: Encourages Lan Yu to remember the village if he becomes a powerful Soul Master, though Lan Yu feels little emotional attachment to the community.

Significant Themes

• Strategic patience: Lan Yu understands that Bifulong is a late-game spirit and chooses to remain inconspicuous rather than attract danger.
• Intelligence versus raw power: The partnership emphasizes Lan Yu’s planning and Bifulong’s strength, with Lan Yu compensating for Bifulong’s lack of wisdom.
• Adaptation and reincarnation: Bifulong must adjust to becoming a spirit in an unfamiliar world, while Lan Yu adapts his knowledge of Teyvat’s demon god to the rules of Douluo Continent.
• Growth through networks: The mycelium network symbolizes gradual expansion, collective strength, and an alternative path to cultivation.
• Comedy through contrast: Bifulong’s grandiose self-image clashes with his foolishness, poor memory, and former vulnerability to being eaten by humans.

Character Interactions

• Lan Yu and Su Yuntao interact formally during the awakening ceremony, with Lan Yu concealing his true knowledge of Bifulong.
• Lan Yu dismisses the village chief’s attempt to create a sense of obligation between him and the village.
• His first conversation with Bifulong establishes their dynamic: Bifulong is arrogant and impulsive, while Lan Yu is skeptical, sarcastic, and firmly in control.
• Their argument over Bifulong’s intelligence and mushroom biology leads to a practical division of roles: Lan Yu handles planning, while Bifulong supplies the power and executes his strategies.

Chapter Summary: Enrolling at Notting College

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Yu wakes feeling energized after expanding the Mycelium Network and continues developing it toward the western mountains.
• He and Bifulong use mushrooms to influence wild animals, allowing Lan Yu to hunt rabbits, pheasants, and other creatures for income. This gives him enough money to support himself while attending school.
• Before leaving for Notting College, Lan Yu eats a rare roasted mushroom prepared by Bifulong. The mushroom permanently strengthens him, though it causes him to fall asleep afterward.
• Upon arriving in Notting City, Lan Yu witnesses the familiar confrontation involving Tang San, Old Jack, the college guards, and Yu Xiaogang. He avoids provoking Yu Xiaogang and discreetly shows his Spirit Hall certificate.
• Lan Yu enrolls and moves into Room Seven, where he sees Xiao Wu defeating Wang Sheng for leadership of the dormitory.
• Xiao Wu challenges Lan Yu, but he avoids fighting by explaining that he is a Food-System Soul Master with a mushroom spirit.
• Lan Yu gives the students mushrooms to eat and realizes he can potentially earn money by selling them. Xiao Wu is the only one who genuinely enjoys the mushrooms, but she is disappointed when Lan Yu says she must pay for them.
• Tang San arrives and misunderstands the situation, believing the others are bullying Xiao Wu. After revealing that he possesses innate full Spirit Power and a Blue Silver Grass spirit, he is challenged by Xiao Wu.
• Bifulong senses that Xiao Wu is unusually compatible with his mental influence after eating the mushroom and wants to cultivate her as a potential believer. Lan Yu refuses to interfere, preferring to remain cautious and avoid attracting attention.

Character Developments

• Lan Yu: Becomes more energetic and financially self-sufficient through the Mycelium Network and hunting. He demonstrates caution and strategic thinking by avoiding conflicts with Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu. He also begins using his Food System abilities commercially.
• Bifulong: Reveals more about the nature of his mushroom-based powers, including controlling animals and establishing mental connections through mushrooms. He becomes interested in Xiao Wu as a possible believer but remains impulsive and eager for action.
• Xiao Wu: Establishes herself as Room Seven’s leader through combat. She shows an unusual fondness for Lan Yu’s mushrooms and becomes interested in him because of them.
• Tang San: Makes his entrance at the college, displaying his innate full Spirit Power and instinctive protectiveness toward Xiao Wu. His murderous intent during the earlier guard confrontation makes Lan Yu wary of him.
• Yu Xiaogang: Continues to act with unwarranted authority despite not being a Notting College teacher. He dismisses Lan Yu because of his low innate Spirit Power.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus recklessness: Lan Yu repeatedly chooses to avoid unnecessary conflict, while Bifulong urges him to act more aggressively.
• Self-reliance and survival: Lan Yu must earn money to support his education, emphasizing the practical burdens of life even for a Spirit Master.
• Power and influence: Bifulong’s mushrooms are not merely food; they can enhance strength, control animals, and potentially create mental or spiritual connections.
• Adaptation of the original storyline: Lan Yu enters events familiar from the original plot but changes the circumstances through his presence, such as arriving before Tang San and interacting with Xiao Wu.
• Trust and manipulation: Lan Yu is careful about revealing his abilities, while Bifulong considers using mushrooms to influence others.

Character Interactions

• Lan Yu and Bifulong maintain a humorous but argumentative partnership: Bifulong is proud and impulsive, while Lan Yu is practical and restrained.
• Lan Yu avoids direct confrontation with Yu Xiaogang despite recognizing his arrogance.
• Lan Yu forms an initial connection with Xiao Wu through his mushrooms, though he also sees her as potentially troublesome.
• Tang San immediately becomes involved with Xiao Wu and misunderstands her interaction with the other students.
• Bifulong views Xiao Wu as a promising believer, but Lan Yu insists that they should remain inconspicuous and focus on gradual development.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Wu beats Tang San in a fight, but he remains infatuated with her. She takes his quilt, forcing him to ask Yu Xiaogang for another.
• Classes begin at Notting College, where instruction is basic. Lan Yu spreads his Mycelium Network across the dormitory area and notices that it speeds up his cultivation.
• Lan Yu opens a grilled-mushroom stall. Xiao Wu loves the food, while Tang San is less impressed; Yu Xiaogang criticizes Lan Yu’s low Soul Power and takes Tang San and Xiao Wu away after paying.
• Lan Yu realizes that memorable, delicious mushrooms can inspire faith in Bifulong. He plans to seek devotees among both the powerful and ordinary people.
• When Tang San leaves to hunt for a Soul Ring, Xiao Wu says she enjoys the temporary break from his constant attention.
• That night, Bifulong appears to Xiao Wu in a dream and tells her that Tang San’s father has discovered her identity as a transformed hundred-thousand-year-old Soul Beast. Fearing for her safety, Xiao Wu agrees to become Bifulong’s devotee.

Character developments and interactions

• Lan Yu expands his network, earns money through his stall, and begins using food to attract devotees. He also hopes Xiao Wu’s connection to Bifulong could eventually benefit his plans.
• Xiao Wu remains lively and fond of Lan Yu’s mushrooms, but the dream reveals her fear and vulnerability. She accepts Bifulong’s protection and is instructed to keep up her relationship with Tang San while concealing her allegiance.
• Tang San remains devoted to Xiao Wu and suspicious of Lan Yu, though he is absent on a Soul Ring hunt near the chapter’s end.
• Yu Xiaogang openly looks down on Lan Yu because of his low Innate Soul Power, prompting Lan Yu to privately note the hypocrisy of the insult.

Significant themes

• Faith as a resource: Lan Yu sees food and memorable experiences as ways to build belief in Bifulong.
• Power and vulnerability: Xiao Wu’s secret identity leaves her exposed to Tang San’s father, pushing her to seek protection.
• Prejudice and hypocrisy: Yu Xiaogang’s contempt for Lan Yu’s low Soul Power is ironic given his own limited ability.
• Affection and suspicion: Tang San’s attachment to Xiao Wu contrasts with his hostility toward Lan Yu, while Xiao Wu finds Tang San’s attention tiresome.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Wu wakes from a dream in which Bifulong identified Lan Yu as another believer of the Fungal deity. Lan Yu, worried that Xiao Wu’s interest could attract Tang San and Tang Hao’s attention, tells Bifulong to keep her away from him.
• Lan Yu expands the Mycelium Network around Notting College and tests whether Bifulong’s mushroom copies can become Spirit Beasts. They can: the copies possess Soul Power, but they are linked to Bifulong and cannot be killed independently.
• A Green Mushroom copy says Spirit Beasts can sacrifice themselves. Lan Yu realizes the mushrooms might grow older if the Network’s gathered Soul Power is concentrated in one of them, so he redirects the energy to strengthen Bifulong’s true body rather than making more copies.
• Lan Yu spends several days cultivating mushrooms and training. After Tang San returns from Soul Hunting with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, Xiao Wu and Dorm Seven win their dispute with Boss Xiao, freeing the students from work-study duties. Lan Yu is invited to make grilled mushrooms for the group.
• Tang San warns Lan Yu not to pursue Xiao Wu. Later, Bifulong visits Xiao Wu in a dream and warns her to avoid Lan Yu for his safety. When she asks whether her dead mother, Ah Rou, can be revived, Bifulong offers uncertain hope that it might be possible if some of her soul remains.
• Xiao Wu begins training more seriously, though she and Lan Yu otherwise keep their distance. She continues associating with Tang San while privately resenting his intentions toward her.

Character developments

• Lan Yu remains cautious about attracting attention and shifts his plan toward strengthening himself and Bifulong. He also dismisses Tang San’s possessive warning with irritation.
• Bifulong is loud and self-important, but his copies’ connection to him and his vulnerability shape Lan Yu’s plans.
• Xiao Wu gains hope of possibly restoring her mother and starts taking training more seriously. Her stated desire for revenge still seems at odds with her previously casual approach to training.
• Tang San returns with a new Soul Ring and acts jealously toward Lan Yu, while Xiao Wu’s outward closeness to him conceals her private dislike.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and risk: Lan Yu tries to keep his powers and relationships hidden from people who could threaten his growth.
• Power, sacrifice, and dependence: The mushrooms’ strength comes from the Mycelium Network, and their survival is tied to Bifulong.
• Hope and grief: Xiao Wu’s question about resurrection reveals her continuing sorrow over her mother and gives her a reason to train harder.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao Wu’s relationship with Tang San looks friendly, but her private feelings are hostile.

Character interactions

• Lan Yu argues with Bifulong over revealing his identity to Xiao Wu and later over how to allocate the Network’s Soul Power.
• Lan Yu questions the mushroom copies about their nature and discovers their Spirit Beast status and shared consciousness.
• Tang San warns Lan Yu away from Xiao Wu; Lan Yu finds the warning childish.
• Bifulong speaks to Xiao Wu through dreams, urging her to avoid Lan Yu and giving her hope about Ah Rou.

Plot points and events

• During the holiday, Lan Yu meets Xiao Lu, whose strength has grown to the equivalent of a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast after absorbing Soul Power through the Mycelium Network, now spread across Notting City. Xiao Lu sacrifices herself to Lan Yu, granting him a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring with Hypnotic Spore and Restorative Mushroom, plus a Left Arm Bone with Strength Amplification and Decomposition. The latter lets him unravel Soul-Power-based attacks. Lan Yu’s Soul Power rises to about level eighteen; Xiao Lu’s consciousness is merely asleep.
• Lan Yu then travels through impoverished regions with Bifulong, spreading mushrooms that can feed people and connect them to Bifulong. Through those connections, Bifulong teaches villagers how to cultivate mushrooms, while presenting himself as a divine benefactor. Their scheme helps the villagers and restores Bifulong’s strength and following.
• Lan Yu leaves Notting College permanently. When he fails to return, Xiao Wu grows worried, but a red Fungus Beast tells her he is safe. She rebukes the intrusive Tang San, who continues pursuing her.
• Five years later, twelve-year-old Lan Yu has traveled widely, helping people secure food and strengthening Bifulong. In the Star Dou Great Forest, a large mushroom colony supports his cultivation. After another sacrifice, he reaches Soul Power level fifty-five and gains his fifth Soul Ring. He now has Spirit Bones for his limbs and head, but not his torso.

Character developments and interactions

• Lan Yu becomes more powerful and independent, choosing to leave formal schooling to pursue his own path. His mushroom-growing efforts improve villagers’ livelihoods, though he believes people should work for further advancement rather than expect everything from a god.
• Bifulong embraces the role of the boastful “Sage Lord of Fungi,” building a following and regaining strength. He clashes playfully with Lan Yu and later complains that people want more than food.
• Xiao Wu is distressed by Lan Yu’s disappearance because she considers him a fellow follower of the Sage Lord. Learning he is safe comforts her, and she asserts her independence from Tang San.
• Tang San reacts with jealousy to Xiao Wu’s concern for Lan Yu and sees Lan Yu’s absence as an opportunity to monopolize her attention.
• Xiao Lu sacrifices herself to empower Lan Yu, but remains alive in a dormant state.

Significant themes

• Mutual aid and practical survival: Mushrooms provide food and the knowledge to grow more, easing poverty.
• Faith and influence: Bifulong uses a divine persona to attract followers, while the story links belief to his recovering power.
• Growth and responsibility: Lan Yu’s strength increases alongside his commitment to helping others, but he rejects entitlement and emphasizes personal effort.
• Companionship and autonomy: Xiao Wu’s bond with Lan Yu reassures her, while her interactions with Tang San highlight her desire for privacy and independence.

Key plot points

• Zhu Zhuqing, fleeing her older sister Zhu Zhuyun and two Soul Masters, stumbles into Lan Yu’s Mushroom Realm. Its spores knock all four unconscious.
• Lan Yu binds them in fungal cocoons and reviews his powerful Spirit and Spirit Bone abilities, deciding he has grown strong enough to be less cautious.
• When the sisters wake, Zhu Zhuyun threatens Lan Yu. He tightens the fungal threads, draining her life force and Soul Power, until she panics and offers Zhu Zhuqing in exchange for her own safety. Zhu Zhuqing mocks her.
• Lan Yu sends both sisters into Bifulong’s Illusion Space. Bifulong introduces himself as the Sage Lord of Fungi and offers them power and a chance to escape their fates.
• Zhu Zhuqing readily becomes his believer. Zhu Zhuyun hesitates over whether she can serve Lan Yu, but accepts belief after Bifulong assures her that arrangements can be made.

Character developments and interactions

• Lan Yu grows more confident, believing his many abilities let him face greater risks. He uses his fungal powers to capture and intimidate the sisters, then lets Bifulong handle their conversion.
• Bifulong remains grandiose but generous, offering the sisters strength and freedom through belief.
• Zhu Zhuqing shows composure in captivity and sees worshipping Bifulong as a better route to strength and independence than seeking Dai Mubai.
• Zhu Zhuyun shifts from arrogant threats to fear and self-preservation, even trying to bargain away her sister. Her betrayal draws Zhu Zhuqing’s scorn.
• The sisters’ contrasting reactions—Zhu Zhuqing’s quick commitment and Zhu Zhuyun’s wary negotiation—shape their first encounter with Bifulong.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: The sisters seek strength to escape the fates imposed on them.
• Betrayal and sisterhood: Zhu Zhuyun’s willingness to sacrifice Zhu Zhuqing exposes the strain in their relationship.
• Faith as a bargain: Bifulong presents belief as a route to power and freedom, rather than focusing on devotion alone.
• Growing confidence: Lan Yu’s expanding abilities mark a shift from cautious survival toward broader ambitions.

Chapter Summary: Joining the Fun in Soto City

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing are released by Lan Yu after their confrontation. The two Soul Masters accompanying Zhu Zhuyun remain under Lan Yu’s control.
• Lan Yu feeds the sisters enchanted roasted mushrooms blessed by the Sage Lord of Fungi. The mushrooms greatly enhance their physical strength, allowing Zhu Zhuqing to believe she could defeat a Soul Zun through strength alone.
• Lan Yu assigns Zhu Zhuyun the rank of priest and orders her to return home, spread the faith of the Sage Lord of Fungi, and cultivate mushrooms. She accepts despite initially finding the task undignified.
• Zhu Zhuqing is ordered to remain with Lan Yu rather than return with her sister. Lan Yu warns both sisters that believers must not fight one another.
• Lan Yu reveals his name and instructs Zhu Zhuyun to call him “Lan Yu” in public.
• The next day, Zhu Zhuyun departs, while Lan Yu and Zhu Zhuqing travel toward Soto City. Lan Yu uses his Spirit Bone Skill, Dance with the Wind, to fly there while carrying Zhu Zhuqing.
• In Soto City, Lan Yu establishes a Mycelium Network and locates Flender’s general store. He finds a valuable Crystal containing the Dragon Whisker Needle but refuses to pay Flender’s high price. Before leaving, he secretly infects the Crystal with mycelium so that it may cause trouble if Tang San obtains it.
• Zhu Zhuqing encounters Dai Mubai entering the Rose Hotel with a pair of twins. She abandons Lan Yu’s lodging instructions to wait for him and investigate.
• Lan Yu finds her at the hotel and criticizes her for neglecting her assigned task. Zhu Zhuqing books a room, but only one remains available.
• Dai Mubai later comes downstairs, sees Zhu Zhuqing without recognizing her, and leaves with the twins. Lan Yu rebukes Zhu Zhuqing, warning her against divided loyalties and emotional indecision.

Character Developments

• Zhu Zhuqing gains a major physical boost from the enchanted mushrooms and becomes more closely tied to Lan Yu. Although she is relieved not to return with Zhu Zhuyun, she remains emotionally conflicted about Dai Mubai.
• Zhu Zhuyun shifts from Lan Yu’s captive to a willing subordinate and priest. Her survival instincts and pragmatism lead her to accept mushroom cultivation and religious service.
• Lan Yu expands his influence beyond the Star Dou Great Forest, beginning a missionary operation in Soto City. He also demonstrates greater manipulation and foresight by sabotaging the Crystal intended for Tang San.
• Dai Mubai is portrayed as continuing his irresponsible and womanizing behavior, entering the hotel with twins and failing to recognize Zhu Zhuqing.
• Flender remains miserly and indifferent, refusing to negotiate over the Crystal while unknowingly allowing Lan Yu to tamper with it.

Significant Themes

• Faith and power: Lan Yu builds a religious hierarchy, granting Zhu Zhuyun priestly status and using supernatural blessings to inspire devotion.
• Obedience and submission: Both sisters accept Lan Yu’s authority, though Zhu Zhuyun does so pragmatically while Zhu Zhuqing’s relationship with him remains more complicated.
• Loyalty versus betrayal: Zhu Zhuqing’s fixation on Dai Mubai reflects her unresolved attachment and raises questions about whether she can commit herself to one path.
• Manipulation and strategic control: Lan Yu controls people, spreads his network, and alters important objects to influence future events.
• Consequences of irresponsibility: Dai Mubai’s infidelity and Zhu Zhuqing’s continued concern over him are contrasted with Lan Yu’s stern insistence on discipline and decisiveness.

Character Interactions

• Lan Yu treats Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing as new followers, rewarding them with enhanced strength while demanding obedience.
• Zhu Zhuyun teases Zhu Zhuqing about remaining beside Lan Yu, while Zhu Zhuqing responds with irritation and embarrassment.
• Lan Yu and Flender clash over the Crystal, with Lan Yu refusing to be exploited by Flender’s pricing.
• Zhu Zhuqing’s encounter with Dai Mubai exposes her lingering feelings and jealousy, while Dai Mubai’s failure to recognize her emphasizes the distance between them.
• Lan Yu takes on a stern, almost instructive role toward Zhu Zhuqing, warning that she cannot pursue multiple loyalties or neglect her responsibilities.

Plot and key events

• Lan Yu confronts Zhu Zhuqing about her wavering loyalty to the Sage Lord. He agrees to give her another chance on the condition that she beat Dai Mubai whenever she encounters him in Suotuo City.
• While spreading the Mycelium Network, Lan Yu learns that rumors about Shrek Academy’s supposed achievements are misleading prospective students. Flender has also paid off the local Spirit Hall officials, whose silence makes the claims seem credible.
• At the Rose Hotel, Dai Mubai argues with Tang San over a room. Zhu Zhuqing intervenes and attacks Dai Mubai, overpowering him despite his stronger rank. She leaves him unconscious and warns him to stay away from her.
• Lan Yu praises Zhu Zhuqing and takes her upstairs. Tang San and Xiao Wu check into the hotel separately.
• Lan Yu tracks Tang San and his father through the Mycelium Network. Tang San opens the Crystal Flender gave him, but its Dragon Whisker Needles unexpectedly spring out and injure him. He concludes that the material may not behave as it did in his original world.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Zhuqing shifts from pleading for forgiveness to acting decisively against Dai Mubai. Defeating him eases some of her resentment, though she recognizes that her unusual strength comes from the Sage Lord’s power.
• Lan Yu reinforces his control over Zhu Zhuqing while directing her anger toward Dai Mubai. He also quietly gathers information on Shrek and the newcomers.
• Dai Mubai is shocked by Zhu Zhuqing’s identity and strength, then badly beaten. His attempt to defend himself fails.
• Tang San is wary of Lan Yu and puzzled by the Crystal’s unexpected behavior. Xiao Wu recognizes Lan Yu, though Tang San does not.
• Zhu Zhuqing’s attack frightens the twins accompanying Dai Mubai, while Tang San and Xiao Wu observe the fight from the sidelines.

Significant themes

• Power and loyalty: Zhu Zhuqing’s access to strength is tied to her loyalty to the Sage Lord.
• Revenge and resentment: Her beating of Dai Mubai gives her a measure of emotional relief.
• Deception and reputation: Shrek’s inflated claims and Flender’s bribery expose the gap between public image and truth.
• Uncertainty between worlds: Tang San’s injury suggests that familiar materials and techniques may not work the same way in this world.

Chapter 9 Summary: “Li Yusong Who Was Asking for a Beating”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San remains puzzled by the ruined “hair-gold” items, realizing that objects resembling things from his previous life may function differently on the Douluo Continent and deciding to remain cautious.
• Xiao Wu uses the red and green mushrooms to contact Bifulong in an illusion. She recognizes that Lan Yu is still alive and has become handsome, but decides to suppress her desire to reunite with him while Tang San and his father continue watching her.
• Bifulong—following Lan Yu’s plan—tells Xiao Wu to continue accompanying Tang San until he reaches level 30 and goes to the Star Dou Great Forest for a spirit ring. Xiao Wu intends to use Da Ming and Er Ming to drive away Tang San and his father, allowing her to return to the forest and help Lan Yu plant mushrooms in its core region.
• At Shrek Academy, Flender treats the severely beaten Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai refuses to reveal that his fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing, was responsible, unwilling to suffer further humiliation.
• Lan Yu and Zhu Zhuqing arrive at Shrek’s entrance examination. Lan Yu observes that many applicants and their families know the academy may be fraudulent but gamble on it being a hidden elite institution.
• Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong all pass the initial test. Lan Yu refuses to let Zhu Zhuqing proceed without first observing the academy’s remaining examinations, arguing that choosing a school should be a mutual decision.
• Li Yusong becomes angry when Lan Yu criticizes Shrek Academy and attacks him with his Dragon Crest Staff martial soul. Lan Yu catches the attack with one hand and defeats the six-ring Soul Emperor using only physical strength, slamming him into the ground.
• Zhao Wuji arrives with Oscar after Oscar reports the incident. Lan Yu condemns Shrek as a fraudulent and shameless academy, while Tang San defends it because Yu Xiaogang recommended the school.

Character Developments

• Lan Yu: Displays overwhelming physical power and increasing confidence. He openly challenges Shrek Academy’s legitimacy and refuses to accept its authority without investigation. His disregard for Tang San deepens Tang San’s resentment.
• Xiao Wu: Reveals her continuing emotional attachment to Lan Yu and her desire to escape Tang San and his father. She accepts the plan to return to the Star Dou Great Forest when the opportunity arises.
• Bifulong/Lan Yu’s plan: Bifulong acts as an intermediary for Lan Yu, manipulating Xiao Wu’s movements so she can eventually return to the forest and assist with mushroom cultivation.
• Tang San: Is shocked by Lan Yu’s ability to defeat a Soul Emperor without soul power. His sense of superiority is damaged, and jealousy and hostility toward Lan Yu intensify.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Successfully passes the entrance test and remains aligned with Lan Yu, showing concern when Li Yusong attacks him.
• Ning Rongrong: Becomes increasingly impressed and interested in Lan Yu, treating the conflict with amusement rather than fear.
• Dai Mubai: Protects his pride by concealing that Zhu Zhuqing beat him, despite being seriously injured.
• Li Yusong: His arrogance and aggressive defense of Shrek lead directly to his humiliating defeat.
• Flender and Shrek Academy: Are portrayed as exploiting applicants’ hopes and gambling mentality through questionable registration practices.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Shrek presents itself as an elite academy, but its poor facilities, questionable practices, and aggressive staff suggest fraud and hypocrisy.
• Pride and humiliation: Dai Mubai hides his defeat, while Li Yusong’s attempt to assert authority ends in public humiliation.
• Talent and superiority: Lan Yu’s physical strength challenges Tang San’s belief that his twin martial souls and innate full soul power make him uniquely gifted.
• Manipulation and strategy: Lan Yu uses Bifulong to guide Xiao Wu’s actions and prepare for her eventual return to the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Mutual choice and skepticism: Lan Yu insists that students and academies should evaluate one another, rejecting blind trust in institutions.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu confides in Bifulong about Lan Yu and seeks advice on escaping Tang San and his father.
• Lan Yu confronts Li Yusong over Shrek’s questionable reputation, leading to a one-sided battle.
• Zhu Zhuqing attempts to protect Lan Yu but is stopped by him.
• Tang San defends Shrek Academy, while Lan Yu deliberately ignores him, worsening their mutual hostility.
• Ning Rongrong watches Lan Yu’s victory with admiration, increasing her interest in him.
• Zhao Wuji and Oscar intervene after Li Yusong’s defeat, setting up a larger confrontation with Lan Yu.

Summary: “Zhao Wuji’s Embarrassing Defeat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wuji confronts Lan Yu over Lan Yu’s earlier attack on Li Yusong and demands that he join Shrek Academy or remain and fight.
• Zhao Wuji reveals his powerful Vajra Gigantic Bear martial soul and seven Soul Rings, identifying himself as a level-76 Battle Soul Sage.
• Lan Yu responds by displaying five red, hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, shocking everyone present and causing them to question the true nature of his power.
• Lan Yu activates Mycelial Carpet, spreading a strange fungal field across the ground. Tang San recognizes the danger and moves into a tree, while the others remain on the carpet without immediate harm.
• When Zhao Wuji mocks Lan Yu’s mushroom-based martial soul, Lan Yu summons countless mushrooms and unleashes spores with multiple effects: poison, weakness, hallucination, hypnosis, and forced excitement.
• Zhao Wuji is rapidly incapacitated. Under the effects of hallucination, he behaves absurdly by doing push-ups before collapsing unconscious.
• Mushrooms grow over Zhao Wuji’s body, draining his Spirit Power and life force. Lan Yu warns Shrek Academy not to confront him again and leaves with Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong follows them.
• Oscar and Tang San attempt to help Zhao Wuji. Tang San warns Oscar not to remove the mushrooms, fearing further injury.
• After Zhao Wuji awakens, his anger causes him to lose control of his Spirit Power. The mushrooms detach, transform into Fungus Beasts, and retreat underground, leaving Zhao Wuji severely emaciated.

Character Developments

• Lan Yu demonstrates overwhelming and highly unusual strength, revealing five red Soul Rings and defeating Zhao Wuji through strategy rather than direct force. His fungal abilities are shown to involve complex, dangerous status effects and a connected underground Mycelium Network.
• Zhao Wuji suffers a humiliating defeat despite his much higher cultivation level. His arrogance and dismissal of Lan Yu’s abilities contribute directly to his downfall.
• Tang San is deeply shaken by Lan Yu’s appearance. He believed Lan Yu had died five years earlier and struggles with self-doubt when comparing Lan Yu’s advancement to his own.
• Xiao Wu appears outwardly unmoved by Lan Yu’s return, but her hidden expression suggests she may still remember or care about him. Tang San misinterprets her silence as forgetfulness.
• Zhu Zhuqing shows concern for Lan Yu and leaves with him, implying growing trust or allegiance.
• Ning Rongrong becomes curious about Lan Yu and chooses to follow him, while Oscar’s attempts to approach her continue to fail.
• Dai Mubai reacts bitterly after Tang San implies that Zhu Zhuqing now has a powerful protector, revealing his resentment and wounded pride.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance versus true power: Zhao Wuji assumes Lan Yu’s abilities are inferior because they involve mushrooms, only to be defeated almost instantly.
• Unconventional strength: Lan Yu’s victory shows that control, preparation, and status effects can overcome a superior opponent’s raw strength.
• Identity and disbelief: The characters struggle to understand Lan Yu’s five red Soul Rings, while Tang San questions whether conventional ideas about talent and martial souls are reliable.
• Humiliation and reversal of power: The supposedly dominant Zhao Wuji becomes helpless and physically diminished, while the outsider Lan Yu controls the entire encounter.
• Hidden emotions and mistaken assumptions: Tang San believes Xiao Wu has forgotten Lan Yu, but her expression suggests otherwise, emphasizing the gap between outward behavior and inner feelings.
• Consequences of contempt: Zhao Wuji’s ridicule of Lan Yu’s mushrooms leads directly to his defeat, reinforcing the danger of underestimating unfamiliar abilities.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Wuji attempts to intimidate and recruit Lan Yu, but Lan Yu rejects him and turns the confrontation into a public demonstration of superiority.
• Oscar boasts about Zhao Wuji to Ning Rongrong, but she avoids him and approaches Xiao Wu instead.
• Tang San protects Xiao Wu by urging her to move to higher ground, then later prevents Oscar from touching the mushrooms covering Zhao Wuji.
• Lan Yu and Bifulong discuss Zhao Wuji’s underestimation of mushrooms, revealing their confidence in the Mycelial Carpet’s hidden effects.
• Lan Yu departs alongside Zhu Zhuqing, with Ning Rongrong choosing to follow, while Tang San watches Xiao Wu anxiously.
• Back at Shrek Academy, Oscar reports the incident, Tang San emphasizes Lan Yu and Zhu Zhuqing’s connection, and Zhao Wuji reacts with furious embarrassment upon learning that he was left as a warning.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Wuji is left severely weakened and aged after his encounter with Lan Yu. Flender returns, promises revenge, then lets Tang San and Xiao Wu enroll at Shrek without the entrance exam; they must still pay the tuition.
• Lan Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong head to Suotuo City. Lan Yu recognizes that Tang Hao is secretly following them, apparently drawn by Lan Yu’s Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
• Ning Rongrong insists on accompanying Lan Yu and Zhu Zhuqing. Lan Yu warns her that her presence could bring danger, but she refuses to be deterred. The three stay at the Rose Hotel, where Ning Rongrong tries unsuccessfully to get information from Zhu Zhuqing.
• Tang Hao summons Lan Yu outside the city and demands the secret of his Soul Ring, his loyalty to Tang San, and that he take the girls to Shrek to apologize. Lan Yu mocks him and refuses.
• Tang Hao attacks with the Clear Sky Hammer. Lan Yu evades the strike, boosts his abilities, and summons a vast Jadeplume Terrorshroom formed from the Mycelial Network. Mistaking it for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Tang Hao faces Lan Yu atop the creature.
• The Terrorshroom charges and attacks while Lan Yu’s Mycelium Swamp traps and slows Tang Hao, leaving their fight unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Wuji is physically diminished and regrets provoking Lan Yu. Flender comforts him and vows retaliation, though Xiao Wu privately doubts his bluster.
• Lan Yu shows confidence and careful preparation: he anticipated Tang Hao’s interest and has a countermeasure ready.
• Ning Rongrong is proud, persistent, and curious about Lan Yu’s secrets. Lan Yu openly treats her as a potential liability, while Zhu Zhuqing remains guarded.
• Tang Hao tries to intimidate and recruit Lan Yu, but Lan Yu exposes and taunts him, turning their meeting into a direct confrontation.
• Xiao Wu continues acting concerned about Zhao Wuji while privately observing the unusual power behind Lan Yu’s transformation.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Zhao Wuji’s sudden decline contrasts with Lan Yu’s formidable new abilities.
• Secrecy and suspicion: Tang Hao, Ning Rongrong, and others are drawn toward Lan Yu’s hidden powers and motives.
• Control versus defiance: Tang Hao’s demands fail against Lan Yu’s refusal to submit.
• Loyalty and obligation: Tang Hao attempts to bind Lan Yu to Tang San, while Lan Yu rejects the demand outright.

Plot and key events

• Tang Hao attacks Lan Yu and the Jadeplume Terrorshroom, but the beast’s ability to absorb lightning turns his Clear Sky Hammer’s lightning against him by driving it into an aggravated state.
• Lan Yu’s strategy of attrition proves effective: the spores weaken Tang Hao, while the Terrorshroom’s rapid attacks and Grass Element Missiles wound him. Lan Yu secretly sends fungal threads into the wounds to drain Tang Hao’s vitality and soul power.
• Tang Hao breaks free with a powerful hammer strike and flees. Lan Yu does not pursue because the Terrorshroom collapses from exhaustion after its aggravated state, and Tang Hao may still have dangerous techniques in reserve.
• Injured, Tang Hao concludes that Lan Yu must not be allowed to grow stronger, since he could endanger both Tang Hao and Xiao San.
• The next morning, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong ask Lan Yu about the previous night’s disturbance. He says he defeated a Titled Douluo; Ning Rongrong doubts him, while Zhu Zhuqing believes him.
• Lan Yu takes Zhu Zhuqing to the Great Soul Arena to build her fighting experience. He arranges two-on-two matches for her and Ning Rongrong, as well as an individual match for Zhu Zhuqing, and reveals his Gold Soul Emblem.
• At Shrek Academy, mushrooms have overrun the school grounds but not the neighboring village. Flender makes the students clear them. Ma Hongjun tries to burn them, and their aroma tempts Oscar—just as spores begin bursting in the flames.

Character developments and interactions

• Lan Yu demonstrates patience and tactical restraint: he wins by exploiting the Terrorshroom’s strengths and the spores’ cumulative effect, then avoids risking a confrontation with Tang Hao’s remaining trump cards. He also takes an active mentoring role with Zhu Zhuqing.
• Tang Hao is forced to retreat and recognizes Lan Yu as a growing threat. His anger and concern for Xiao San make him resolve to stop Lan Yu’s progress.
• Zhu Zhuqing is eager to test herself in the arena and trusts Lan Yu’s account of his fight.
• Ning Rongrong is skeptical of Lan Yu’s claim but agrees to partner with Zhu Zhuqing.
• At Shrek, Xiao Wu’s mention of Lan Yu irritates Tang San. Oscar’s curiosity about the mushrooms and Ma Hongjun’s attempt to burn them set up the chapter’s closing mishap.

Significant themes

• Strength and vulnerability: Even a powerful Titled Douluo can be worn down by an opponent’s strategy and environmental hazards.
• Restraint and risk: Lan Yu chooses not to chase Tang Hao, recognizing that victory does not justify gambling against unknown powers.
• Training and growth: Lan Yu emphasizes practical combat experience while keeping cultivation as Zhu Zhuqing’s priority.
• Consequences of rivalry: Tang Hao’s defeat deepens his determination to suppress Lan Yu, while the mushrooms left behind bring the conflict directly to Shrek Academy.

Chapter Summary: Shrek Academy Destroyed by Mushrooms

Key Plot Points and Events

• The mushrooms engulf Shrek Academy after Ma Hongjun attempts to burn them. Contrary to expectations, the mushrooms resist the flames and rapidly regrow throughout the academy.
• Fungal threads hollow out the wooden buildings, causing the entire academy to collapse. Zhao Wuji is buried in the rubble but is rescued by Dai Mubai.
• Local villagers speculate that Shrek has angered the “God of Fungi,” a suspicion Xiao Wu privately believes is accurate.
• With the academy destroyed, Flender relocates the students to Suotuo City, where he announces that their next phase of training will take place at the Soto Great Soul Arena. He requires them to earn Silver Soul Emblems before graduation.
• At the arena, the Shrek group witnesses Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing winning a two-person Soul Fighting match. Ning Rongrong provides support while Zhu Zhuqing defeats opponents above her apparent level.
• Dai Mubai becomes enraged at Zhu Zhuqing and insults her after the match. Lan Yu retaliates by striking Dai Mubai and warning him that Zhu Zhuqing is protected as a follower of the Sage Lord of Fungi.
• Flender later cautions Dai Mubai that provoking a god could bring disaster, comparing the Sage Lord of Fungi’s influence to the Angel God’s backing of Spirit Hall.
• Back at their lodging, Ning Rongrong questions Lan Yu about whether their connection to a god is genuine. She considers joining them if divine power could evolve her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the legendary Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

Character Developments

• Flender: Forced to abandon Shrek Academy, he remains furious but acts pragmatically, moving the group to Suotuo City and arranging a new training program.
• Zhao Wuji: Suffers further misfortune when the collapsing academy buries him while he is recovering from injuries.
• Dai Mubai: His resentment and humiliation regarding Zhu Zhuqing intensify. He is motivated by jealousy and pride, but also becomes interested in the physical-enhancement method that may have strengthened her.
• Tang San: Notices that Zhu Zhuqing’s physical strength is unusually high and deduces that Lan Yu may possess a method for enhancing the body.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Demonstrates major combat ability and appears increasingly independent from Dai Mubai, now openly aligned with Lan Yu and the Sage Lord of Fungi.
• Lan Yu: Protects Zhu Zhuqing decisively and uses the supposed authority of a god to deter Shrek from retaliating. He also warns Ning Rongrong that divine allegiance requires absolute loyalty.
• Ning Rongrong: Begins seriously considering becoming a follower of the Sage Lord of Fungi, primarily because divine power might transform her Martial Soul into the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
• Xiao Wu: Recognizes the destruction of Shrek as possible divine punishment and remains perceptive about Lan Yu’s movements and intentions.

Significant Themes

• Divine authority and political power: The threat of divine backing carries enormous weight, discouraging mortals and even powerful institutions from acting recklessly.
• Consequences of arrogance and interference: Shrek’s destruction is presented as a possible punishment for offending the God of Fungi.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Lan Yu emphasizes that serving a god is irreversible; betrayal constitutes blasphemy and invites heavenly punishment.
• Power and ambition: Dai Mubai seeks the secret behind Zhu Zhuqing’s strength for political purposes, while Ning Rongrong considers faith as a path to improving her Martial Soul and helping her family.
• Humor amid destruction: The academy’s catastrophic collapse, villagers’ superstition, and the casual discussion of cooking mushrooms provide comic contrast to the characters’ serious conflicts.

Character Interactions

• Dai Mubai rescues Zhao Wuji from the wreckage, showing practical cooperation despite the crisis.
• Tang San and Dai Mubai discuss Zhu Zhuqing’s abnormal physical strength, revealing Dai Mubai’s greed and ambition.
• Lan Yu and Bifulong jokingly discuss using powerful flames to enhance the mushrooms, treating the academy’s destruction as an amusing success.
• Lan Yu confronts and humiliates Dai Mubai after he insults Zhu Zhuqing, while Zhu Zhuqing openly rejects Dai Mubai’s authority.
• Flender counsels Dai Mubai afterward, urging caution and explaining the danger of challenging divine powers.
• Ning Rongrong presses Lan Yu about divine allegiance and directly asks whether the god can evolve her Martial Soul, ending the chapter on a significant decision point.

Key plot points and events

• Lan Yu promises Ning Rongrong that devotion to the Sage Lord of Fungi can help her break through the level-79 Soul Power barrier, though he cannot guarantee her Martial Soul will evolve into the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
• While Zhu Zhuqing meditates, Lan Yu uses Fungal Threads to permanently fuse a Wind-attribute fungus with her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul.
• Zhu Zhuqing discovers she can sense and control wind through the new fusion. She creates a powerful Wind Blade, leaving a deep mark in the wall.
• Impressed by Zhu Zhuqing’s transformation, Ning Rongrong agrees to become a believer. She eats a Green Mushroom, gains physical strength, and meets Bifulong—the Sage Lord of Fungi—in a dream.
• Bifulong confirms that Lan Yu is his representative and promises to help with Ning Rongrong’s cultivation if she remains faithful.
• Lan Yu establishes a routine for both women: morning sparring, afternoon Soul Fighting at the Soto Grand Soul Arena, and nighttime cultivation. They follow it for several days.
• Oscar finally reaches Soul Power level 30, so Flender leads the Shrek Academy group to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring. After learning this through Bifulong and Xiao Wu, Lan Yu announces that he and the women will also go to the forest.

Character developments

• Zhu Zhuqing gains a permanent Wind attribute for her Martial Soul and learns to use it, demonstrating increased control and the beginnings of a self-created skill.
• Ning Rongrong moves from skepticism to belief after witnessing Zhu Zhuqing’s change. She gains strength from the mushroom and accepts Lan Yu’s training plan, hoping to overcome her cultivation ceiling.
• Lan Yu reveals his ability to alter Martial Souls through fungal fusion and continues acting as Bifulong’s intermediary.
• Bifulong is presented as a god who offers food and strength, while relying on Lan Yu to manage and report on believers.

Significant themes

• Faith and practical results: Zhu Zhuqing’s transformation convinces Ning Rongrong more than promises alone.
• Transformation through symbiosis: Fungal life can fuse with Martial Souls, adding new abilities and attributes.
• Power, class, and hunger: Bifulong’s followers are chiefly those who know scarcity; nobles have largely been outside his notice.
• Trust and influence: Lan Yu uses Bifulong’s authority to attract believers, while Bifulong depends on Lan Yu to act in the world.

Character interactions

• Lan Yu guides Zhu Zhuqing’s meditation and asks her to test her changed Martial Soul; Ning Rongrong watches and questions her about the result.
• Lan Yu offers Ning Rongrong a choice without pressuring her to decide immediately. Once she commits, he explains the mushroom ritual and later directs her training.
• Ning Rongrong negotiates with Bifulong in her dream, asking for help with her Martial Soul and learning that Lan Yu will oversee her.
• Xiao Wu’s communication with the mushrooms enables Bifulong—and then Lan Yu—to learn of the Shrek group’s trip, setting up the chapter’s next development.

Plot points and events

• Lan Yu takes Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong to the Star Dou Great Forest and tells them to cultivate until they reach Soul Power Level 30. While they train, he searches for the Man Faced Demon Spider to keep its Eight Spider Lances from falling into Tang San’s hands.
• The Shrek group enters the forest to hunt for Soul Rings. The unusually quiet Periphery unsettles Flender; Xiao Wu knows the Spirit Beasts have fled because they sense the Titan Giant Ape.
• Lan Yu finds and refines the Man Faced Demon Spider’s Eight Spider Lances, planning to reshape them into wings. When he senses the Titan Giant Ape, he follows to watch events unfold.
• The Titan Giant Ape takes Xiao Wu into the forest. Tang San tries to pursue, but Dai Mubai restrains him. Tang Hao arrives, reveals himself as Haotian Douluo, and goes after them.
• At Xiao Wu’s request, the Titan Giant Ape attacks Tang Hao. Their domains clash, and Tang Hao is wounded. When he tries to escape, Lan Yu’s Mycelium Swamp traps him, while Lan Yu’s Jadeplume Terrorshroom joins the fight.
• Tang Hao struggles against both opponents, but uses the Terrorshroom’s momentary distraction to activate Ring Detonation, sacrificing his first six Soul Rings to empower his hammer. The chapter ends before the outcome is shown.

Character developments and interactions

• Lan Yu acts covertly and strategically: he secures the Eight Spider Lances and intervenes in the fight without revealing himself directly. He also enables Xiao Wu’s plan with the Mycelium Swamp.
• Xiao Wu is anxious while traveling with Tang San, but once reunited with the Titan Giant Ape, she takes control and directs him to attack Tang Hao. She reveals that she has been pretending not to know Tang Hao’s intentions.
• Tang Hao is exposed and forced into a desperate battle. Despite his formidable power, his old injuries leave him vulnerable, and he responds to the threat by detonating his Soul Rings.
• Tang San reacts impulsively to Xiao Wu’s abduction, while Dai Mubai tries to stop him from charging into danger. Flender recognizes Tang Hao and agrees to watch over Tang San.
• The Titan Giant Ape obeys Xiao Wu and attacks Tang Hao, but the unfamiliar Jadeplume Terrorshroom briefly distracts him.

Significant themes

• Hidden loyalties and deception: Xiao Wu has been concealing her intentions, while Lan Yu acts from the shadows.
• Power and sacrifice: Tang Hao’s Ring Detonation shows the extreme cost he is willing to pay to survive or prevail.
• The consequences of changing events: Lan Yu’s actions alter the expected course of events, including who gains the Eight Spider Lances.
• Nature’s balance and fear: The forest’s sudden silence reflects the Spirit Beasts’ terror of the Titan Giant Ape.

Chapter Summary: “Only a Fool Wouldn’t Run”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Hao detonates six soul rings and prepares to unleash the enormous Great Clear Sky Hammer against the Titan Giant Ape, Erming.
• Bifulong warns Xiao Wu that the attack is slow and avoidable. Xiao Wu orders Erming to flee, and he escapes the hammer’s effective range before it lands.
• Tang Hao redirects the attack toward the Jadeplume Terrorshroom. The hammer crushes the beast and creates a massive crater, but its lightning energy catalyzes the underground Mycelium Network instead of killing the Terrorshroom.
• The revived Catalyzed Jadeplume Terrorshroom overwhelms Tang Hao, who is already weakened from Ring Detonation. It injures him severely, charges into him, and bites off his left leg.
• Just as the beast is about to kill him, a blood-red light rescues Tang Hao, confirming Lan Yu’s suspicion that Tang Hao is protected because he serves as Tang San’s divinely appointed guardian.
• Lan Yu retrieves Tang Hao’s severed leg, discovering a valuable Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
• Erming returns with Xiao Wu, who is thrilled that Tang Hao has been defeated and believes she is finally free. Lan Yu warns her to remain in the Star Dou Great Forest until she reaches sufficient strength.
• Xiao Wu explains that transformed Spirit Beasts normally need to enter the human world to advance their cultivation. Lan Yu reveals that faith in the Sage Lord of Fungi may provide another path.
• Daming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, arrives and distrusts Lan Yu’s proposal, fearing that the supposed deity is merely another human threat. Lan Yu offers to let Daming and Erming meet the Sage Lord of Fungi directly.

Character Developments

• Tang Hao: Despite his overwhelming destructive power, he is shown to be tactically careless. His inability to account for the hammer’s slow activation and the Terrorshroom’s catalytic properties leaves him gravely wounded, weakened, and missing a leg. His survival also reinforces his importance to the divine forces supporting Tang San.
• Lan Yu: He demonstrates superior tactical awareness by recognizing the Great Clear Sky Hammer’s limitations and understanding the Terrorshroom’s reaction to lightning. He remains cautious even when Tang Hao appears helpless and takes advantage of the battle by claiming the Soul Bone.
• Xiao Wu: She becomes more confident and openly celebrates Tang Hao’s defeat. She also acts as a mediator between Lan Yu and the two great apes, defending her new faith and encouraging them to trust him.
• Titan Giant Ape Erming: Although naturally stubborn and eager to test his strength, he obeys Xiao Wu and avoids a potentially devastating attack. His hostility toward Lan Yu begins to soften, though he remains suspicious.
• Daming: He is introduced as protective and distrustful of humans. His concern for Xiao Wu makes him resist the Sage Lord’s influence, but he is willing to investigate if the deity can be shown to him directly.
• Bifulong: He continues providing strategic advice while humorously defending his own strength and status as Lan Yu’s backing.

Significant Themes

• Tactical intelligence versus brute force: Tang Hao’s immense power is undermined by poor judgment, while Lan Yu and Xiao Wu succeed through awareness and timely decisions.
• The danger of stubbornness: The Great Clear Sky Hammer is effective against opponents who foolishly stand and endure it. Erming’s willingness to flee contrasts with the stubborn behavior that previously allowed the technique to gain its reputation.
• Faith as protection and power: The Sage Lord of Fungi offers Xiao Wu a possible alternative to traditional cultivation, while the chapter raises questions about whether divine backing can alter the fate of Spirit Beasts.
• Human–Spirit Beast distrust: Daming and Erming associate humans with the exploitation of Spirit Beasts for Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Their suspicion creates a major obstacle to Lan Yu’s attempt to spread the Sage Lord’s faith.
• Divine intervention and favoritism: Tang Hao’s miraculous rescue suggests that powerful divine connections can prevent even severe defeats from becoming fatal.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Wu and Bifulong coordinate to save Erming from Tang Hao’s hammer.
• Lan Yu and Tang Hao clash indirectly through the Jadeplume Terrorshroom, with Lan Yu exploiting Tang Hao’s weakened condition.
• Xiao Wu celebrates with Lan Yu after Tang Hao’s defeat and discusses her future cultivation.
• Lan Yu asks Xiao Wu to restrain Erming’s hostility, showing that cooperation depends on her influence.
• Daming challenges Lan Yu’s claims, while Xiao Wu defends him and insists that the Sage Lord of Fungi is trustworthy.
• The chapter ends with a tentative agreement: if Lan Yu can reveal the Sage Lord of Fungi, Daming and Erming may consider placing their faith in it.

Chapter Summary: “Two More Believers”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Yu persuades Daming and Erming to eat Green Mushrooms so they can meet the Sage Lord of Fungi.
• Daming enters Bifulong’s Illusion Space, where Bifulong presents himself as the Sage Lord of Fungi and accepts Daming as a believer. Erming follows after Daming awakens.
• With Xiao Wu already converted, Lan Yu now has all three major residents of the Star Dou Great Forest’s Core Area as believers. He plans to turn the forest into a vast mushroom plantation and eventually create a symbiotic ecosystem between mushrooms and Spirit Beasts.
• Daming and Erming are instructed to cultivate mushrooms and prevent humans or Spirit Beasts from destroying them. Lan Yu transforms their territory with Mycelial Carpet, which greatly improves Xiao Wu’s cultivation.
• Lan Yu modifies his Eight Spider Lances with mycelium membranes, turning them into Eight Spider Wings. Combined with his spirit-bone ability, Dance with the Wind, this greatly increases his flying speed.
• Meanwhile, Flender becomes worried when Tang Hao fails to return. He leads Tang San and Oscar out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Tang San reaches Level 30 and obtains a Millennium Man Faced Demon Spider’s spirit ring, gaining Spider Web Restraint. Oscar obtains a Millennium spirit ring that grants the Power Big Sausage ability.
• Tang Hao eventually awakens badly injured, with a broken leg and strength reduced to roughly the Spirit Douluo level. He does not know who rescued him and begins searching for Tang San. The hidden Asura God angrily insults him.
• Lan Yu leaves the Core Area to reunite with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong has reached Level 30, while Zhu Zhuqing is preparing to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Gale Wolf for her third spirit ring.

Character Developments

• Daming and Erming: Become believers of the Sage Lord of Fungi and willingly accept responsibility for spreading and protecting mushrooms in the forest.
• Xiao Wu: Gains major cultivation benefits from the Mycelial Carpet and promises to train until she can conceal her Spirit Beast aura before seeking Lan Yu.
• Lan Yu: Expands his influence through the fungal faith, improves the Star Dou Forest’s ecosystem, upgrades his mobility with the Eight Spider Wings, and takes on a more commanding role over his followers.
• Tang San: Reaches Level 30 despite worrying about Tang Hao and receives another spider-related spirit ability.
• Oscar: Obtains a strength-enhancing spirit skill, giving him greater combat utility.
• Tang Hao: Suffers severe physical and spiritual setbacks, falling from his former strength to the level of a Spirit Douluo.
• Ning Rongrong: Reaches Level 30 and becomes more openly comfortable complaining and joking with Lan Yu.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Continues training diligently and prepares to challenge the usual limits by absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year spirit ring as her third ring.

Significant Themes

• Expansion of faith and influence: Lan Yu’s power grows as more powerful Spirit Beasts become believers of the Sage Lord of Fungi.
• Symbiosis and transformation: Mushrooms are presented not merely as food but as the foundation of a mutually beneficial relationship between Spirit Beasts and the fungal network.
• Cultivation beyond conventional limits: The believers’ connection to the Spiritual Network and their enhanced bodies allow them to absorb spirit rings far beyond ordinary age restrictions.
• Decline and uncertainty: Tang Hao’s injuries and the group’s inability to locate him contrast with Lan Yu’s rapidly increasing strength and organization.
• Trust and obedience: Daming and Erming accept Lan Yu’s instructions after experiencing the Sage Lord’s power, while his relationships with Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing mix authority with personal familiarity.

Character Interactions

• Lan Yu reassures and directs Daming and Erming while presenting Bifulong as the divine authority behind the mushroom faith.
• Daming protects Xiao Wu’s safety during the mushroom ritual, and Erming reacts violently when Daming initially collapses.
• Lan Yu encourages Xiao Wu to cultivate patiently, though she clearly wants to reunite with him sooner.
• Flender persuades Tang San to abandon the search for Tang Hao temporarily for the sake of safety.
• Lan Yu teases Ning Rongrong about her cultivation progress and threatens to leave her behind if she fails to reach Level 30.
• Lan Yu explains to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing why their strengthened bodies and spiritual connection make Zhuqing’s Ten-Thousand-Year third spirit ring possible.

Chapter Summary: “Three-Ring Ten-Thousand-Year”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Zhuqing battles an injured Ten-Thousand-Year Gale Wolf while Ning Rongrong supports her with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
• Lan Yu observes that Zhu Zhuqing lacks practical combat experience and explains that Agility Attack Soul Masters should strike decisively and retreat rather than engage in prolonged combat.
• Ning Rongrong unexpectedly joins the fight and injures the wolf with a punch, allowing Zhu Zhuqing to land a fatal attack. When the wolf attempts to flee, it is stopped by Lan Yu’s Hypnotic Spores.
• Zhu Zhuqing absorbs the wolf’s Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring successfully despite being only Level 30. She gains Gale Claw, which surrounds her hands with wind energy and greatly enhances her attacks.
• Encouraged by Zhu Zhuqing’s success, Ning Rongrong learns that she too will be able to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring once she reaches Level 30.
• In Suotuo City, Yu Xiaogang reunites with the Shrek Academy group. Tang San blames Lan Yu for the destruction of their former academy, which has been transformed into a mushroom plantation.
• Flender explains that Lan Yu has become a Five-Ring Soul King with five hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, supposedly through divine favor. Yu Xiaogang doubts the claim and decides to search for Lan Yu at the Soto Grand Soul Arena.
• Yu Xiaogang trains Tang San and the others there for over half a month, but Lan Yu never appears. The group begins to suspect that he has left Suotuo City.
• Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong reaches Level 30 through the Mycelium Network. Lan Yu helps her acquire a suitable Ten-Thousand-Year Colorful Feather Chicken Soul Ring after Zhu Zhuqing disables the beast’s wings.
• Ning Rongrong successfully absorbs the ring, though the Ten-Thousand-Year quality provides only a limited increase because of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda’s inherent restrictions.

Character Developments

• Zhu Zhuqing gains valuable practical combat experience and learns to apply the assassin-like tactics appropriate for an Agility Attack Soul Master. Her successful absorption of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring establishes her growing strength and confidence.
• Ning Rongrong becomes more physically capable and courageous, directly assisting Zhu Zhuqing in battle despite her limited combat experience. She reaches Level 30 and obtains her own Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, fulfilling an important milestone.
• Lan Yu continues acting as a powerful mentor. He provides tactical instruction, arranges safe hunts, and uses the Mycelium Network and spores to control the battlefield.
• Tang San grows increasingly resentful toward Lan Yu, blaming him for the loss of the academy and other recent frustrations.
• Yu Xiaogang becomes suspicious of Lan Yu’s supposed divine backing and intends to investigate him, while his past willingness to exploit Spirit Hall secrets reveals his arrogance and questionable judgment.
• Flender is cautious about confronting Lan Yu because of the possibility that a god supports him.

Significant Themes

• Combat experience versus raw power: Zhu Zhuqing’s initial disadvantage demonstrates that strength and speed are insufficient without proper tactics and practical experience.
• Breaking conventional limits: Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong’s successful absorption of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings at Level 30 challenges established assumptions about cultivation and physical limits.
• Mentorship and controlled growth: Lan Yu allows the girls to fight and develop independently while secretly ensuring their safety.
• Jealousy, resentment, and misunderstanding: Tang San’s hostility toward Lan Yu contrasts with Lan Yu’s constructive treatment of Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
• Power and divine authority: The possibility that Lan Yu possesses divine support causes others to hesitate, illustrating how rumors of overwhelming power can influence political and personal decisions.
• Ambition and arrogance: Yu Xiaogang’s confidence in challenging Lan Yu reflects his tendency to underestimate danger and overestimate his own insight.

Character Interactions

• Lan Yu critiques Zhu Zhuqing’s fighting style while guiding her toward more effective assassin tactics.
• Ning Rongrong proves her loyalty and courage by entering the fight to protect Zhu Zhuqing.
• Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong form a cooperative battle partnership, with Zhu Zhuqing delivering the finishing strike after Ning Rongrong creates an opening.
• Ning Rongrong eagerly discusses her future Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring with Lan Yu, showing her trust and admiration for him.
• Tang San, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang discuss Lan Yu’s rise and his possible divine backing, with Tang San expressing the greatest resentment.
• Lan Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong work together to obtain Ning Rongrong’s Colorful Feather Chicken Soul Ring, reinforcing their teamwork and Lan Yu’s role as their protector and guide.

Chapter Summary: “Yu Xiaogang’s Shock”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning to Suotuo City, Lan Yu begins planning a visit to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, intending to claim its fire spring and potentially encounter Dugu Bo.
• He senses that the Shrek Academy group remains in the city, though Tang Hao is still absent. Yu Xiaogang has arrived, giving Lan Yu the opportunity to provoke him with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong’s achievements.
• At the Soto Grand Soul Arena, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong’s team is matched against Dai Mubai and Oscar.
• The match immediately becomes personal. Dai Mubai threatens Zhu Zhuqing over her decision to leave him, while Zhu Zhuqing declares that neither the Zhu nor Dai families can control her anymore.
• When Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong reveal their Soul Rings—Two Yellow and One Ten-Thousand-Year Black ring—the audience is stunned. Yu Xiaogang is especially shaken because the result contradicts his established theory that a Level 30 Soul Master cannot absorb a ring exceeding roughly fourteen hundred years.
• Flender suggests that Lan Yu’s supposed divine backing may be real, while Yu Xiaogang struggles to accept the possibility.
• Zhu Zhuqing targets Oscar, the opposing support Soul Master, and quickly overwhelms him despite Yu Xiaogang’s special training.
• Dai Mubai abandons Oscar and attacks Ning Rongrong, expecting the support-type Soul Master to be helpless without protection.
• Ning Rongrong uses her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to strengthen herself with strength, speed, and spiritual power buffs. She then physically overpowers Dai Mubai, breaks his White Tiger Barrier, and proves that she can fight directly despite being a support Soul Master.
• Zhu Zhuqing defeats Oscar, leaving him with several bloody wounds. Flender condemns her ruthlessness, displaying a clear double standard compared with his previous tolerance of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun’s violence.
• Tang San asks Yu Xiaogang how Ning Rongrong can possess such strength. Yu Xiaogang dismisses the divine explanation and speculates that she and Zhu Zhuqing may have consumed rare heavenly treasures, causing Tang San to recall the Immortal Herbs from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

Character Developments

• Lan Yu: Shows confidence and vindictiveness, taking pleasure in Yu Xiaogang and Tang San’s shock. He remains focused on acquiring the treasures of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
• Zhu Zhuqing: Demonstrates her independence by rejecting Dai Mubai and the authority of both their clans. In battle, she displays the speed and decisiveness expected of an Agility Attack Soul Master.
• Ning Rongrong: Experiences a major transformation from a protected support Soul Master into a powerful combatant. Her self-buffs allow her to overpower Dai Mubai directly, and she proudly challenges the assumption that support Soul Masters must hide behind allies.
• Dai Mubai: Reveals continued arrogance and contempt toward Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong. He underestimates both women, particularly Ning Rongrong, and is humiliated when she defeats him physically.
• Oscar: Although Yu Xiaogang’s training has improved his physical abilities, he remains unable to escape Zhu Zhuqing and is injured and knocked from the stage.
• Yu Xiaogang: Suffers a severe ideological shock when reality contradicts his Soul Ring theories. Rather than accept the divine explanation, he searches for another possibility.
• Tang San: Becomes increasingly resentful of Lan Yu and recognizes that Immortal Herbs may explain the girls’ abnormal Soul Rings and strength.
• Flender: Defends Yu Xiaogang’s interpretation but exposes hypocrisy by condemning Zhu Zhuqing for injuries similar to those Shrek’s own students have inflicted on others.

Significant Themes

• The limits of established knowledge: Yu Xiaogang’s theories are challenged by Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong’s Ten-Thousand-Year third Soul Rings.
• Power beyond traditional roles: Ning Rongrong overturns the stereotype that support Soul Masters cannot fight directly.
• Independence from family control: Zhu Zhuqing rejects the political and familial restraints imposed by the Dai and Zhu clans.
• Pride and underestimation: Dai Mubai’s arrogance causes him to misjudge both opponents, leading to his embarrassment.
• Hypocrisy and double standards: Flender condemns the opposing team’s violence while overlooking similar behavior from Shrek’s students.
• Resentment and revenge: Lan Yu deliberately enjoys the distress of Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, remembering their past mockery and treating their humiliation as deserved.

Chapter Summary: “Bu Le Trio”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang San reflects on the powerful immortal herbs recorded in the Xuantian Treasure Record and wonders whether Lan Yu might possess information about them. He considers that Tang Hao could potentially capture and interrogate Lan Yu, though Lan Yu’s true strength remains unclear.
• The narration explains that most of Lan Yu/Bifulong’s power is distributed through the Mycelium Network. If concentrated, it could summon a massive legion of hundred-thousand-year-level Jadeplume Terrorshrooms.
• In the Great Soul Arena, Zhu Zhuqing defeats Oscar and immediately turns on Dai Mubai. Even after Dai Mubai activates his powerful White Tiger Vajra Transformation, Zhu Zhuqing overwhelms him with her Netherworld Hundred Claws.
• Dai Mubai is severely wounded and eventually forced to surrender. Yu Xiaogang attempts to forfeit on his behalf, but the referee ignores him because only the fighter on stage can surrender.
• After the match, Lan Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong encounter Yu Xiaogang and Tang San. Lan Yu deliberately ignores them and walks away, humiliating Yu Xiaogang.
• Zhu Zhuqing detects that three notorious criminals—Bu Le, E Kao, and Tian Ya—are following them. Lan Yu leads the group into an alley and allows the men to reveal their intentions.
• The criminals attempt to intimidate and prey upon the two girls, but Lan Yu has already arranged an ambush. A Winged Cryo Shroom, Floating Hydro Shroom, and Floating Geo Shroom combine their attacks to freeze and then shatter the three men, leaving them barely alive.
• Lan Yu tells Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong that the creatures are Fungus Beasts serving the Sage Lord of Fungi. He challenges the girls to decide whether they are willing to kill the criminals, since neither has personally taken a life before.

Character Developments

• Lan Yu remains calm, confident, and openly dismissive of influential figures such as Yu Xiaogang. He demonstrates both his control over the Fungus Beasts and his willingness to let others confront the moral consequences of violence.
• Zhu Zhuqing displays overwhelming combat ability, decisively defeating Dai Mubai and showing no emotional concern for his suffering. Her coldness and independence are emphasized.
• Ning Rongrong supports Zhu Zhuqing during the arena fight and joins her in mocking Dai Mubai. She is curious about Lan Yu’s enemies but has little experience dealing with serious violence.
• Dai Mubai is badly injured and humiliated. Despite his pride and anger, he surrenders to preserve his life, revealing the limits of his bravado.
• Yu Xiaogang is portrayed as arrogant and self-centered. His attempt to intervene in the match fails, and Lan Yu’s complete disregard for him deeply wounds his pride.
• Tang San tries to speak on Yu Xiaogang’s behalf and urges Dai Mubai to surrender, but he is also ignored by Lan Yu.
• Bu Le, E Kao, and Tian Ya are established as predatory criminals who underestimate Lan Yu and the girls because of their age and appearance. Their confidence collapses once the Fungus Beasts attack.

Significant Themes

• Humiliation and wounded pride: Dai Mubai and Yu Xiaogang both suffer public humiliation, but their reactions differ—Dai Mubai is forced to submit, while Yu Xiaogang cannot tolerate being ignored.
• Power hidden beneath appearances: The criminals assume Lan Yu and the girls are weak, while Lan Yu’s true strength lies partly in the vast Mycelium Network and his Fungus Beast servants.
• Moral responsibility: Lan Yu places the decision to kill the criminals before Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, forcing them to confront the difference between defeating an enemy and taking a life.
• Disregard for reputation and authority: Lan Yu refuses to respect Yu Xiaogang’s claimed status or the prestige of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, emphasizing that power and character matter more than titles.
• Retribution against villains: The criminals’ cruelty and predatory behavior make them targets of Lan Yu’s punishment, continuing his pattern of eliminating people who obstruct his plans or harm others.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhu Zhuqing vs. Dai Mubai: Zhu Zhuqing dominates Dai Mubai in battle, while Ning Rongrong encourages her and mocks him after his surrender.
• Lan Yu vs. Yu Xiaogang and Tang San: Lan Yu refuses to acknowledge either of them, causing Yu Xiaogang particular anger and embarrassment.
• Lan Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong: Lan Yu acts as their protector and guide, explaining the identities of his Fungus Beasts and testing the girls’ willingness to kill.
• Lan Yu vs. the Bu Le Trio: He calmly manipulates the encounter, allowing the criminals to enter an alley before his Fungus Beasts ambush and nearly defeat them.