Chapter Summaries

Gu Changsheng was ambushed in Tiandou City's Old District by assassins using a Soul-Suppressing Bell and God-Bewitching Incense, but Xiao Wu helped him defeat the attackers and escape. After Xiao Wu returned to Shrek, Gu Changsheng recorded clues about the assassins and vowed to uncover Tiandou City's underground forces.

• Gu Changsheng lured his pursuers into an alley, where a Spirit King and three Soul Sects attacked him with a Soul-Suppressing Bell and God-Bewitching Incense.
• Gu Changsheng discovered and destroyed the incense burner, then used his illusion to disarm the bell wielder and defeat the attackers with Xiao Wu's help.
• The Spirit King drove Gu Changsheng and Xiao Wu across the rooftops, but Gu Changsheng's illusions misdirected their pursuer and let them escape to an abandoned clock tower.
• Xiao Wu treated Gu Changsheng's wound and said she had helped him because she wanted to, not to repay her earlier favor.
• Gu Changsheng warned Xiao Wu that the assassins might be watching Shrek, asked her not to tell Tang San about the attack, and vowed to investigate Tiandou City's underground forces.

After Gu Changsheng returned wounded from an attack in Tiandou City, Hu Liena treated him and grew jealous when she learned Xiao Wu had bandaged him. She kept Xiao Wu’s handkerchief and made Gu Changsheng promise not to let anyone else treat his wounds first, while their relationship quietly shifted.

• Gu Changsheng returned to the temporary residence with a shoulder wound from an attack by three Soul Sects and one Spirit King who had used God-Bewitching Incense and a Soul-Suppressing Bell.
• Hu Liena treated Gu Changsheng’s wound and recognized the pink rabbit handkerchief as Xiao Wu’s, then questioned him about their connection.
• Gu Changsheng explained that Xiao Wu owed him a favor and that he cared about her as an unpredictable variable, while promising he would not hold back against her in the arena or let her die outside it.
• Hu Liena agreed not to tell Yue Guan that Xiao Wu had been at the attack scene, but kept the handkerchief and told Gu Changsheng not to let anyone else bandage him first.
• Yan and Xie Yue had secretly watched them, and Hu Liena ordered Yan to double his training the next day.

After Gu Changsheng survived an assassination attempt, he joined Yue Guan and Hu Liena to trace the attackers through Tiandou City's Old District. The investigation exposed a noble's involvement, but the poison that killed their lead left the real instigator hidden as the tournament's turmoil continued.

• Gu Changsheng told Yue Guan, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan about the ambush, and he proposed tracing the God-Bewitching Incense ingredients.
• Gu Changsheng, Yue Guan, and Hu Liena questioned the shopkeeper at Hundred Herb Workshop, who linked the ingredients to Heisuo and revealed his underground hideout.
• Yue Guan and Hu Liena helped Gu Changsheng confront Heisuo, who confessed that Viscount Luxun had hired him and that someone later raised the price for Gu Changsheng's death.
• Before Heisuo could name the person who raised the price, poison killed him, and Yue Guan ordered the Spirit Hall Deacons to seal the underground Soul Arena.
• A deacon reported that Shrek Academy had won again without Tang San revealing new Soul Skills, and Hu Liena asked about Xiao Wu's performance.

Gu Changsheng watched Shrek defeat Canghui Academy’s Seven Asura Illusion, recognizing Tang San’s formidable Mental Power and noticing his own concern for Xiao Wu. As Spirit Hall prepared to leave Tiandou City for Spirit City, Gu Changsheng updated Tang San’s threat profile and anticipated facing Shrek again in the finals.

• Gu Changsheng identified the unusual synchronization of Canghui Academy’s Mental Power and warned Hu Liena that their match would be dangerous.
• Canghui Academy trapped Shrek in the Seven Asura Illusion, but Tang San found its core and broke the seven members’ resonance.
• Shrek defeated Canghui, while Gu Changsheng restrained his instinct to help Xiao Wu and Hu Liena teased him about his concern for her.
• Gu Changsheng updated Tang San’s entry in the Myriad Heaven Book, rating him an extremely high threat because of his tactics and eye-based mental technique.
• Hu Liena told Gu Changsheng that Spirit Hall would return to Spirit City the next day to prepare for the finals, where they expected to face Shrek again.

The tournament finals began, and Shrek Academy defeated its first-round opponent while concealing some of its strength. After a first-round bye, the Spirit Hall Academy Team drew a formidable Star Luo team for its debut, and Gu Changsheng ordered them to follow Tactic One.

• Bibi Dong opened the finals and announced that the champion would receive three Spirit Bones.
• The draw gave Spirit Hall Academy a first-round bye and matched Shrek Academy against a Star Luo Division team.
• Tang San led Shrek to a quick victory while Gu Changsheng observed that the team was holding back to hide its abilities.
• At the Spirit Hall training ground, Gu Changsheng said the team’s first match should make an impression and promised a swift finish against an ordinary academy.
• The second-round draw matched Spirit Hall Academy against Yunluo Senior Spirit Master Academy, whose team consisted entirely of Soul Sects.
• Gu Changsheng told Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan to follow Tactic One as the Spirit Hall Team prepared to compete.

Spirit Hall Academy Team defeated Yunluo Senior Spirit Master Academy in a swift, coordinated match led by Gu Changsheng’s tactical commands. Afterward, Gu Changsheng and Tang San acknowledged each other as future opponents, while Xiao Wu grew jealous of Hu Liena’s closeness with Gu Changsheng.

• Spirit Hall Academy Team faced Yunluo Senior Spirit Master Academy, and Gu Changsheng directed the team as its tactical center.
• Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, and Gu Changsheng dismantled Yunluo’s formation, eliminated its Support and captain, and forced the team to surrender in under half a minute.
• Shrek Academy watched the match, and Tang San concluded that Spirit Hall’s coordination and Gu Changsheng’s command made them dangerous opponents.
• Gu Changsheng and Tang San exchanged respectful words and promised to give their all if their teams met.
• Xiao Wu reacted jealously when Hu Liena called Gu Changsheng affectionately, then insisted that Shrek was not afraid of Spirit Hall.

After Hu Liena returned Xiao Wu’s handkerchief, Gu Changsheng admitted that he was using Xiao Wu to unsettle Tang San, though he still wanted to protect her. Hu Liena demanded to know whether she was merely another pawn, and Gu Changsheng reassured her that she was different; meanwhile, Tang San witnessed their closeness and began to suspect Xiao Wu’s connection to Gu Changsheng.

• Gu Changsheng met Xiao Wu on the path, where she asked for her handkerchief and learned Hu Liena had it.
• Hu Liena returned the washed handkerchief and confronted Xiao Wu about tending to Gu Changsheng’s wounds.
• Xiao Wu asked whether Gu Changsheng considered her a friend or was using her, and he admitted he was using her while still caring whether she was harmed.
• Gu Changsheng warned Xiao Wu to stay near Tang San during the finals because danger in Spirit City might extend beyond the matches.
• Hu Liena asked whether she was a pawn too, and Gu Changsheng told her she was one of his own people before agreeing not to accept other girls’ handkerchiefs.
• Tang San secretly saw Xiao Wu leave and Gu Changsheng standing close to Hu Liena; after he departed, Gu Changsheng said Tang San had taken the bait.

Shrek Academy defeated the Star Luo Empire team, while Gu Changsheng deliberately unsettled Tang San by drawing attention to his closeness with Xiao Wu. After Xiao Wu overheard their private confrontation, she began questioning the distance between herself and Tang San, leaving their relationships increasingly strained.

• Tang San led Shrek Academy to victory and warned Xiao Wu not to leave their residence alone, while Yu Xiaogang recognized that Gu Changsheng's approach to her had disturbed him.
• Gu Changsheng told Hu Liena he was deliberately pressuring Tang San, then admitted that someone using Hu Liena against him could make him lose his composure.
• Tang San confronted Gu Changsheng and demanded that he stay away from Xiao Wu, but Gu Changsheng challenged Tang San's claims of protecting her and accused him of treating her like an accessory.
• Xiao Wu secretly overheard the confrontation and, after Tang San left, felt an unfamiliar distance between herself and him.
• Gu Changsheng reassured Hu Liena that he would not manipulate her, saying he did not need to lie to her.

Spirit Hall Academy defeated Tianshui Academy after Gu Changsheng redirected Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's Ice and Snow Drifting fusion skill against their formation. Afterward, Shui Bing'er asked to seek Gu Changsheng's guidance, while Hu Liena accompanied him and Xiao Wu watched them leave with growing unease.

• Shui Bing'er led Tianshui Academy into its match against Spirit Hall, and both teams released their Martial Souls.
• Shui Bing'er countered Hu Liena's Charm and Gu Changsheng's illusion, then joined Xue Wu to unleash Ice and Snow Drifting after Gu Changsheng let them proceed.
• Gu Changsheng used his mirror image and illusions to misdirect the snow, helping Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan break Tianshui Academy's formation.
• Gu Changsheng restrained Xue Wu, ending the fusion skill, and Shui Bing'er conceded the match to Spirit Hall.
• Shui Bing'er asked Gu Changsheng for guidance after the competition, and Hu Liena insisted she would join them; Gu Changsheng also considered recruiting Shui Bing'er.
• Xiao Wu watched Gu Changsheng leave beside Hu Liena, felt upset, and drew Tang San's attention.

After Shui Bing'er sought Gu Changsheng's advice, Hu Liena confronted her own feelings and asked him not to push her away. At Shrek, Xiao Wu admitted she could not stop thinking about Gu Changsheng, and the next day's draw set Shrek against Blazing Fire Academy while Gu Changsheng and Hu Liena planned to watch.

• Shui Bing'er asked Gu Changsheng how he had disrupted her Ice and Snow Drifting, and he explained that he had misled her and Xue Wu's perception of its direction.
• Shui Bing'er told Gu Changsheng she envied Hu Liena's place at his side, then left when Hu Liena arrived; Gu Changsheng said Shui Bing'er might be recruited.
• Hu Liena warned Gu Changsheng not to treat every feeling as a bargaining chip, and he promised he would not do that to her.
• Xiao Wu told Ning Rongrong that she could not stop thinking about Gu Changsheng and promised she would not betray Third Brother; Tang San overheard her admission and blamed Gu Changsheng.
• The next day's draw paired Shrek Academy with Blazing Fire Academy and gave Spirit Hall Academy a bye; Gu Changsheng and Hu Liena decided to watch Shrek's match.

Shrek Academy defeated Blazing Fire Academy after Tang San’s concern for Xiao Wu disrupted their coordination, while Gu Changsheng analyzed Huo Wu’s tactics and further unsettled the rivalry around him. The chapter left Tang San watching Gu Changsheng and Hu Liena with deepening hostility and deciding that the conflict had to end soon.

• Gu Changsheng predicted that Tang San’s overprotectiveness of Xiao Wu would affect Shrek’s coordination as Shrek faced Blazing Fire Academy.
• Huo Wu targeted Xiao Wu with Radiant Yang of Blazing Fire, but Tang San defended the team, then helped Shrek reverse the fight and win.
• Xiao Wu told Tang San she wanted to contribute as an Agility Attack Spirit Master, leaving their relationship awkward.
• Gu Changsheng told Huo Wu that her attack had lost because its timing was predictable, and she challenged him to face her without illusions.
• Hu Liena reminded Gu Changsheng that she was on his side, while Xiao Wu saw them together and left; Tang San watched them and vowed to end things soon.

Gu Changsheng met Xue Qinghe at the Crown Prince’s invitation and recognized that their polite tea gathering was a test of loyalty and hidden motives. He hinted that he knew Xue Qinghe was disguising herself, and the two ended the meeting wary of each other, ready to continue their probing.

• Hu Liena gave Gu Changsheng Xue Qinghe’s invitation, and Gu Changsheng decided to attend alone despite her concern.
• At the Elegant Pavilion, Xue Qinghe tested whether Gu Changsheng might join the Heaven Dou Empire, and Gu Changsheng said he wanted a larger chessboard.
• Gu Changsheng identified Xue Qinghe’s real purpose as determining whether he was Bibi Dong’s obedient blade, and Xue Qinghe admitted he wanted to understand him.
• Gu Changsheng remarked that Xue Qinghe’s perfect etiquette suggested a disguise and subtly referred to her as a woman, causing Xue Qinghe’s composure to sharpen.
• Xue Qinghe warned Gu Changsheng to watch his words, but Gu Changsheng said he knew she would not attack him and that he knew enough to stay alive.
• Xue Qinghe said their tea gathering had only begun, and Gu Changsheng agreed to continue.

Gu Changsheng met with Xue Qinghe, discussed Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Spirit Hall, and left with an invitation to join Tiandou if Spirit Hall failed to satisfy him. Back at the Spirit Hall residence, he reassured Hu Liena and agreed to watch Star Luo Royal Academy compete the next day and vacation with her after the finals.

• Xue Qinghe questioned Gu Changsheng about Tang San and Xiao Wu, and Gu admitted he might use Xiao Wu’s importance to Tang San to influence him.
• Xue Qinghe offered Gu Changsheng a place in Tiandou if Spirit Hall could not give him what he wanted, while Gu hinted that Xue could seek him out if he wished to cast off his identity.
• After Gu left, Xue Qinghe ordered a man in black to investigate him but forbade him from harming Gu, whom he considered useful and valued by Bibi Dong.
• Hu Liena questioned Gu about his late return and conversation with the Crown Prince, then accepted that he could not tell her everything after he promised not to push her away.
• Gu Changsheng agreed to watch Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun compete for Star Luo Royal Academy and to vacation with Hu Liena after the finals.

Gu Changsheng watched Star Luo Royal Academy defeat its opponent with the Netherworld White Tiger while Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun taunted Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Dai Mubai accepted Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing’s support, and the chapter left the coming clash between Star Luo and Shrek looming.

• Gu Changsheng identified Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun as Star Luo Royal Academy’s core and explained that they could use the Netherworld White Tiger fusion skill.
• Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun taunted Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, reviving the pressure of their families’ brutal rivalry.
• Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun overwhelmed their opponents and used the Netherworld White Tiger to secure Star Luo Royal Academy’s victory.
• Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing told Dai Mubai that he would not face the coming battle alone, and Dai Mubai resolved to meet Dai Davis’s challenge.
• Gu Changsheng anticipated that the inevitable clash between Star Luo and Shrek would force Tang San to reveal more of his abilities.

Shrek Academy defeated Star Luo Royal Academy as Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing overcame their relatives’ Netherworld White Tiger. Gu Changsheng noticed Tang San’s concealed Eight Spider Lances and planned to force him to reveal every trump card before their coming showdown.

• Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun initially overwhelmed Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, but Tang San and Shrek’s coordinated support slowed their attacks.
• Dai Davis and Zhu Zhuyun unleashed the Netherworld White Tiger, and Tang San used Blue Silver Grass and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to pull Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong from its strike while briefly revealing the aura of his Eight Spider Lances.
• Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing formed their own Netherworld White Tiger and, with Shrek’s support, broke their opponents’ fusion and won the match.
• Dai Mubai told Dai Davis that he had not run this time, while Gu Changsheng confirmed Tang San had an External Spirit Bone and resolved to make him use all his trump cards.
• Tang San looked toward the Spirit Hall spectator area, where Gu Changsheng met his gaze as their true showdown drew near.

As Spirit Hall Academy and Shrek Academy prepared for the tournament final, Gu Changsheng planned to make Tang San reveal his hidden abilities, while the Grandmaster advised Shrek to disrupt Gu Changsheng’s control of the match. The teams faced each other in the arena as Bibi Dong arrived to watch.

• Gu Changsheng told Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan that Tang San possessed a likely External Spirit Bone and planned to force him to reveal his hidden cards in the final.
• Spirit Hall Academy advanced easily through its matches, while Shrek struggled through theirs with Tang San coordinating the team.
• The finalists were announced, and the Grandmaster told Shrek to force Gu Changsheng to act and disrupt his rhythm.
• Hu Liena pressed Gu Changsheng about his thoughts and reminded him that he had promised to go out with her after the final.
• Bibi Dong learned of Tang San’s possible External Spirit Bone and decided to observe the final herself.
• The next morning, Bibi Dong arrived at the arena as the two teams entered and Tang San and Gu Changsheng looked across at each other.

The Spirit Hall Academy Team dismantled Shrek Academy’s opening attacks and blocked their Netherworld White Tiger, while Gu Changsheng repeatedly unsettled Tang San. The chapter ended with Tang San revealing his External Spirit Bone and preparing to fight back.

• Yan asked Tang San about his External Spirit Bone, and Gu Changsheng taunted him before the final began.
• Shrek launched a coordinated assault, but Gu Changsheng directed the Spirit Hall Team to counter and break up their formation.
• Tang San used Hidden Weapons and a second plan to target Xie Yue, but Gu Changsheng deflected the weapons and disrupted Tang San with his knowledge of the Tang Sect.
• Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing summoned the Netherworld White Tiger, but Hu Liena and Xie Yue’s Yaomei fusion skill, aided by Gu Changsheng, drove it back.
• Tang San and Xiao Wu attacked Gu Changsheng together, but he evaded their traps and sent Xiao Wu back toward Tang San.
• As Shrek’s fighters were pushed back, Tang San revealed the External Spirit Bone on his back and vowed to defeat Gu Changsheng.

Tang San revealed his Eight Spider Lances and used their speed and poison to push back the Spirit Hall Team, but Gu Changsheng countered his attacks and isolated the poison with the Myriad Heaven Book. As the Spirit Hall Team regained control, Gu Changsheng warned his teammates to retreat because Tang San’s other Martial Soul was about to appear.

• Tang San revealed his Eight Spider Lances and combined them with Blue Silver Grass and Hidden Weapons to attack Gu Changsheng.
• Gu Changsheng directed Yan, Hu Liena, and Xie Yue to isolate Tang San from his teammates and blocked his attacks with the Myriad Heaven Book.
• Tang San spread the Eight Spider Lances’ poison through the Blue Silver Grass, forcing the Spirit Hall Team to retreat until Gu Changsheng created a Purifying Domain that kept the poison out.
• Tang San and the Shrek members regrouped, but the Spirit Hall Team seized the initiative and pressed them into a defensive formation.
• Gu Changsheng noticed Tang San preparing to reveal another Martial Soul and ordered the Spirit Hall Team to fall back.

Shrek’s desperate counterattack forced Tang San to reveal his Clear Sky Hammer, exposing his identity as Tang Hao’s son. Gu Changsheng broke Tang San’s hammer momentum and left him near defeat, while Bibi Dong recognized Xiao Wu as a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast.

• Tang San coordinated Shrek’s remaining strength in a final assault, but Gu Changsheng’s Myriad Heaven Book dismantled their attack.
• With Shrek on the verge of defeat, Tang San summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, revealing his Twin Martial Souls and prompting Bibi Dong to recognize him as Tang Hao’s son.
• Tang San used the Chaos Cloak Hammer Technique to break through Gu Changsheng’s defenses and force him back for the first time.
• Gu Changsheng used Return to One and Momentum Break to deflect Tang San’s accumulated hammer force, leaving Tang San injured and nearly out of Soul Power.
• Xiao Wu rushed toward the injured Tang San, and Bibi Dong recognized her as a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast.

Tang San used the Clear Sky Hammer against Gu Changsheng but lost after Gu broke his momentum and overwhelmed him. When Bibi Dong exposed Xiao Wu as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast and ordered her seized, Tang San defended her until a powerful voice demanded to know who dared touch his son.

• Tang San brought out the Clear Sky Hammer and attacked Gu Changsheng with the Chaos Cloak Hammer Technique, but Gu disrupted his momentum and defeated him.
• Bibi Dong noticed Xiao Wu's unstable aura and revealed that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast in human form.
• Bibi Dong ordered Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to take Xiao Wu, while Tang San shielded her despite his injuries.
• As Chrysanthemum Douluo attacked Tang San, a powerful surge of Soul Power darkened Spirit City and an unseen man demanded, "Who dares touch my son?"