Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• The Titan Giant Ape appears near the outskirts of the Great Star Dou Forest, its overwhelming presence sending nearby Soul Beasts fleeing.
• Zhao Wuji orders the group to scatter and uses his Martial Soul Avatar to protect them, but the Ape destroys it with one punch and badly injures him.
• The Ape singles out Xiao Wu. Sword Douluo Chen Xin arrives and steps between it and the group, telling the others to escape.
• The Ape unleashes its Gravity Domain, pinning most of the group down. Ning Wen can withstand the pressure and shields Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong; Dugu Yan struggles, while Xiao Wu remains mysteriously unaffected.
• Chen Xin attacks with his Sixth Soul Skill, but his swords only inflict shallow cuts. As the Ape intensifies its gravity, Chen Xin answers with his Eighth Soul Skill, producing a massive sword slash.
• The Titan Giant Ape counters with a devastating torrent of compressed, gravity-charged energy. The chapter ends as the two attacks collide.

Character developments

• Chen Xin demonstrates his resolve and formidable strength by confronting the Ape, though even his powerful techniques have limited effect.
• Ning Wen remains composed under the Gravity Domain and protects Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, revealing his physical resilience and care for them.
• Xiao Wu’s immunity to the Ape’s gravity stands out as a mystery and reinforces her special connection to it.
• Zhao Wuji is swiftly overwhelmed, emphasizing the enormous gap between the group and the Titan Giant Ape.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: The Ape’s strength makes even accomplished fighters appear helpless.
• Protection and sacrifice: Zhao Wuji and Chen Xin risk themselves to defend the younger group, while Ning Wen shields his companions.
• Mystery and hidden connections: Xiao Wu’s reaction to the Ape suggests a bond or secret not shared by the others.
• Bravado versus reality: Ning Wen’s sarcastic inner thoughts contrast with the genuine danger facing everyone.

Character interactions

• Chen Xin prioritizes the group’s safety and tells them to leave while he holds the Ape off; Ning Rongrong recognizes him as “Grandpa Sword.”
• Ning Wen physically protects Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, comforting them amid the crushing pressure.
• The Titan Giant Ape ignores most of the group and focuses on Xiao Wu, while Chen Xin deliberately draws its attention.
• Ning Wen privately mocks an arrogant boast, but does not intervene in the fight.

Plot points

• The Titan Giant Ape seizes Xiao Wu and escapes into the forest. Tang San unexpectedly pursues it, despite believing his feelings for her had faded.
• Ning Wen follows as well, claiming he intends to rescue Xiao Wu. His real goal is to obtain the Eight Spider Lances, an external soul bone he expects Tang San to gain from a Man Faced Demon Spider.
• Ning Wen tracks Tang San while remaining hidden. Tang San encounters a healthy, thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider—uninjured because events differ from the original story.
• The spider attacks. Tang San evades its first strike with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and tries to restrain it with Blue Silver Grass, but the monster’s venom quickly corrodes the vines.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San is baffled by his own fierce anger when Xiao Wu is taken, suggesting his attachment to her may not be as extinguished as he believes. His companions also cannot explain why he risks pursuing her.
• Ning Wen is confident and calculating: he reassures the others, puts on his Asura Armor, and pursues Tang San for the soul bone rather than Xiao Wu. Chen Xin suspects there is more to Xiao Wu’s situation and lets Ning Wen go.
• Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Zhu Zhuqing react with exasperation to Ning Wen’s boastful confidence; Rongrong nevertheless worries about his safety, and Zhu Zhuqing calls after him as he departs.
• Tang San demonstrates quick reflexes and skill, but his usual restraint technique proves ineffective against the spider’s poisonous defenses.

Significant themes

• Hidden motives and mistaken impressions: Ning Wen pretends to be a rescuer, while the others speculate about Tang San’s motives.
• Fate versus altered circumstances: Though Ning Wen’s presence has changed events, Tang San still encounters the spider, reinforcing the story’s “Child of Destiny” idea.
• Unresolved emotion: Tang San’s involuntary reaction to Xiao Wu challenges his belief that he has moved on.
• Danger and adaptation: Tang San’s abilities help him survive the opening attack, but the spider’s venom presents a serious counter to his powers.

Plot points and events

• Ning Wen watches Tang San fight a full-strength Man Faced Demon Spider, expecting Tang to be badly outmatched. He reflects that Tang’s prospects have been undermined: Ning Wen took the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and Tang is unlikely to obtain either the Asura or Sea God inheritance. Ning Wen plans instead to pursue the Sea God inheritance for Shui Bing’er, believing her ice-phoenix martial soul makes her a suitable candidate.
• Tang San uses the Clear Sky Hammer after his Blue Silver Grass proves ineffective. He damages the spider’s carapace, targets its eyes with Dragon Whisker Needles, and unleashes repeated Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer strikes, breaking through its web attack and keeping it on the defensive.
• Just as the battle continues, Ning Wen intervenes in his Asura Armor and kills the spider with a single punch. Its purple soul ring appears, and Ning Wen internally grumbles that needing one punch was embarrassing—then jokingly considers killing Tang San to keep him from telling anyone.
• Watching through her soul perception, Ah Yin accepts that the soul in her son’s body is an outsider. She resolves to destroy the body herself if necessary, but postpones acting until she has regained her human form and full strength.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San demonstrates formidable combat skill and resourcefulness, combining the Clear Sky Hammer, hidden weapons, and a hammer technique to challenge a dangerous opponent despite his low level.
• Ning Wen remains confident and calculating, viewing Tang San’s struggles as ultimately futile. He reveals plans to support Shui Bing’er’s rise toward the Sea God inheritance, then abruptly takes the spider’s soul ring for himself.
• Ah Yin shifts from denial and grief to certainty and murderous resolve after witnessing Tang San’s unfamiliar techniques. Her conclusion places her in direct opposition to the person inhabiting her son’s body.
• Ning Wen’s intervention cuts short Tang San’s fight; his private, comic thoughts contrast with the seriousness of Ah Yin’s anguish and the battle.

Significant themes

• Identity and possession: Ah Yin’s grief centers on the belief that her child’s soul is gone and another soul has taken his body.
• Fate and stolen opportunity: Ning Wen’s actions have redirected the inheritances and resources that once shaped Tang San’s future.
• Power and capability: Tang San’s skill lets him challenge an enemy beyond his apparent level, while Ning Wen’s overwhelming strength ends the fight instantly.
• Tragic resolve amid dark humor: Ah Yin’s determination for justice contrasts sharply with Ning Wen’s irreverent internal commentary.

Key plot points

• Ning Wen spares Tang San, partly to avoid provoking Tang Hao while Ning Wen’s allies are nearby. He thanks Tang San for trying to save Xiao Wu, pointedly reminding him that she is Ning Wen’s fiancée.
• Tang San’s hopes and feelings for Xiao Wu collapse further. He recognizes that he has been clinging to wishful thinking and leaves in a daze.
• Ning Wen uses an Asura Demon Dagger to carefully remove the Man Faced Demon Spider’s external soul bone: the Eight Spider Lances. He claims it as his own and reflects that losing this opportunity, along with others, has seriously weakened Tang San’s future prospects.
• Ning Wen considers the possibility that Tang San may find other paths to divine power, but believes the strongest inheritances—the Asura God’s and Sea God’s—remain beyond his reach.
• Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran arrive. Seeing the spider’s ruined corpse, Meng Yiran angrily confronts Ning Wen.

Character developments

• Ning Wen is increasingly confident and vindictive. He takes satisfaction in disrupting Tang San’s destiny and securing the Eight Spider Lances for himself.
• Tang San grows more emotionally detached from Xiao Wu, realizing that his attachment is no longer reciprocated. His defeat over the lost soul-bone opportunity adds to his disorientation.
• Meng Yiran appears furious and personally resentful toward Ning Wen, setting up a confrontation.

Significant themes

• Destiny and changing fortune: Ning Wen sees himself as overturning Tang San’s former advantages and redirecting his fate.
• Possession and loss: Tang San loses both emotional hope regarding Xiao Wu and the chance to obtain the Eight Spider Lances.
• Power, opportunity, and connections: The discussion of divine inheritances emphasizes that becoming a god requires not just talent, but luck, access, and influential allies.
• Vengeance and rivalry: Ning Wen’s private thoughts reveal that his actions are driven by a desire to make Tang San suffer, not merely to defeat him.

Character interactions

• Ning Wen uses a polite, grateful exchange with Tang San to deliver a pointed reminder about Xiao Wu, while internally mocking him.
• Tang San withdraws rather than responding, turning inward to reassess his feelings.
• Ning Wen’s acquisition of the soul bone is interrupted by Meng Yiran’s arrival and accusation, with her grandparents accompanying her.

Chapter summary

• Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran catch up with Ning Wen after he has killed the Man Faced Demon Spider—the second time he has taken a Soul Beast Meng Yiran wanted. Meng Yiran complains, but Meng Shu restrains her, wary of confronting someone he cannot defeat.
• After Chao Tianxiang whispers to him, Meng Shu recognizes Ning Wen’s exceptional talent and connections to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Hoping to benefit his family, he hints at a match between Ning Wen and Meng Yiran.
• Ning Wen declines, saying he already has a fiancée. Meng Shu assumes he means Ning Rongrong, a support-type member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; Ning Wen lets the misunderstanding stand. Meng Yiran is embarrassed and hurt, though she remains drawn to him.
• The elders warn Ning Wen that the Titan Giant Ape has appeared unusually far into the Great Star Dou Forest, causing Soul Beasts to flee and making the area dangerous. They then leave with Meng Yiran, who looks back at Ning Wen before going.
• The scene shifts to Tang San, exhausted after repeatedly using the Clear Sky Hammer and the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique. Despite running out of Soul Power, he has reached Level 30. He spots a Millennium Lone Bamboo in the forest.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Shu moves from regret over losing the Soul Beast to cautiously seeking an alliance through marriage. His deference to Ning Wen reflects the power imbalance between them.
• Meng Yiran feels wronged and humiliated by the rejection, but her lingering attraction complicates her feelings.
• Ning Wen refuses the match calmly and keeps his actual fiancée’s identity private. He internally dismisses the Voice Pack’s grandiose claims about his beauty, admirers, and disinterest in power.
• Chao Tianxiang advises Ning Wen about the forest’s danger, while the elders’ warning closes their encounter on respectful terms.
• Tang San is physically depleted but has made a major advancement by reaching Level 30; his discovery of the Lone Bamboo hints at his next objective.

Significant themes

• Power and pragmatism: Meng Shu’s conciliatory behavior stems from Ning Wen’s strength, not simply goodwill.
• Pride versus reality: The Voice Pack boasts of Ning Wen’s irresistible charm and indifference to rulership, while Ning Wen privately rejects its exaggerations.
• Ambition and restraint: Meng Shu sees marriage as a way to elevate his family; Ning Wen has no interest in the arrangement or political power.
• Danger and progress: The Titan Giant Ape’s disturbance threatens everyone in the forest, even as Tang San’s exhaustion accompanies an important breakthrough.

Key plot points

• Tang San discovers a Thousand-Year Lone Bamboo and, remembering that bamboo can strengthen Blue Silver Grass, decides to claim its Soul Ring. Though badly injured, he gets up and begins cutting at its roots.
• Xiao Wu returns safely to the camp after being taken by the Titan Giant Ape. She claims a strange bull-like bellow frightened the beast into dropping her and fleeing.
• Ning Wen later returns as well. With no sign of Tang San, the group prepares to leave; Zhao Wuji worries about the missing student, while Ning Wen says he does not know what happened to him.
• Sword Douluo Chen Xin recognizes that Xiao Wu may be connected to the Sky Azure Bull Python, another immense Great Star Dou Forest beast.
• Chen Xin notices Zhu Zhuqing’s remarkable advancement after absorbing her third Soul Ring and infers that Ning Wen gave her an Immortal Herb. He promises that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will protect her from her family and the Dai clan.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San is driven by ambition: despite his injuries, he risks pursuing a powerful Soul Ring for the sake of improving his Blue Silver Grass.
• Xiao Wu conceals the truth about her connection to the forest’s great beasts, giving the group a plausible explanation for her survival.
• Ning Rongrong reacts with relief when Ning Wen returns and clings to his arm. Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi view Ning Wen as a suitable future partner for her and an asset to the sect.
• Zhu Zhuqing shows visible emotion when Chen Xin offers the sect’s protection. His promise gives her a powerful source of support beyond Ning Wen.
• Chen Xin is perceptive about Xiao Wu’s secret and Zhu Zhuqing’s progress, and uses his authority to reassure Zhu Zhuqing.

Significant themes

• Power and protection: The sect’s promise offers Zhu Zhuqing security against family obligations and political pressure.
• Ambition and risk: Tang San’s pursuit of a rare Soul Ring continues despite the danger and his physical condition.
• Secrets and hidden loyalties: Xiao Wu’s survival has an unexplained cause, while Chen Xin suspects her deeper ties to the forest’s beasts.
• Affection and political calculation: Ning Rongrong’s attachment to Ning Wen is framed alongside the sect’s interest in his strength and status.

Ning Wen set out for Skywater Academy to find Shui Bing'er and keep the Sea God's inheritance from going to Tang San. At Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang learned Tang San had taken a Millennium Lone Bamboo Soul Ring and furiously confronted him for abandoning the poison-attribute path.

• Ning Wen decided to visit Skywater Academy, and Chen Xin agreed to seek the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's help in pressuring the Dai and Zhu families to dissolve Zhu Zhuqing's marriage pact.
• Ning Wen, Ning Rongrong, and the others traveled to Skywater City, while Yu Xiaogang arrived at Shrek Academy and heard Tang San had returned as a Level 30 Soul Elder.
• Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San about his third Soul Ring, and Tang San explained that the Millennium Lone Bamboo had made his blue silver grass tougher and increased his cultivation speed.
• Yu Xiaogang slapped Tang San twice and berated him for changing his cultivation path, but Tang San reminded him that Yu Xiaogang had recommended lone bamboo as a good Soul Ring source.

Tang San revealed that his third soul skill, Blue Silver Pole Vault, launched him high into the air, prompting the others to laugh at its apparent uselessness. Yu Xiaogang reframed it as a powerful escape and aerial attack skill, restoring Tang San’s confidence while the others remained unconvinced.

• Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San to demonstrate his third soul skill, and Tang San used Blue Silver Pole Vault to spring dozens of meters into the air.
• Ma Hongjun and the others laughed at Tang San’s awkward midair pose and mocked the skill as impractical.
• Yu Xiaogang told Tang San to come down and saw that the demonstration had left him humiliated and discouraged.
• Tang San asked whether the skill was useless, and Yu Xiaogang argued that it offered a way to escape ground attacks and use hidden weapons from above.
• Tang San accepted Yu Xiaogang’s explanation and praised his foresight, while Zhao Wuji, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dai Mubai privately doubted the skill’s value.

Ning Wen and his companions encountered Shui Bing'er and her team fighting a thousand-year Crystal Wolf, while his inner voice revealed a future in which Tang San forced Shui Bing'er to marry Ma Hongjun and Skywater Academy was destroyed. Ning Wen saved Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er from the wolf and vowed through the voice to help Shui Bing'er prevent that tragedy.

• Ning Wen and his companions heard a battle in Skywater Forest and found Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, and other girls fighting a thousand-year Crystal Wolf.
• Ning Wen's inner voice described a future in which Tang San forced Shui Bing'er to marry Ma Hongjun, destroyed Skywater Academy after she refused, and left Shui Yue'er and Xue Wu to suffer under Ma Hongjun.
• Shui Bing'er froze after hearing the voice's revelations, and the Crystal Wolf lunged at her as Shui Yue'er tried to protect her.
• Ning Wen struck the Crystal Wolf with one hand and sent it crashing into a tree, saving Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.
• Ning Wen's inner voice promised Shui Bing'er strength to protect her family and companions and prevent the tragedy from happening again.

Ning Wen rescued Shui Bing'er and her companions from a Crystal Wolf, and Shui Bing'er tried to recruit him to Skywater Academy after hearing his ominous inner thoughts about her future. Ning Wen declined, while Ning Rongrong suggested they talk in Skywater City.

• Ning Wen defeated the four-thousand-year Crystal Wolf with a single palm strike, and Shui Bing'er realized he was the source of the voice she had heard.
• Shui Bing'er introduced herself and tested Ning Wen, but his inner thoughts revealed only boasts about knowing everything and his lack of interest in Skywater Academy.
• Shui Bing'er offered Ning Wen a Guest Elder position, and Ning Rongrong enthusiastically suggested that the group join the academy together.
• Ning Wen declined to join an academy, so Shui Bing'er asked Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing whether they would join instead.
• Ning Rongrong suggested they continue talking in the city, and the group traveled through Skywater Forest to Skywater City.

Ning Wen and his companions explored Skywater City, where Shui Bing'er invited them to join Skywater Academy. Ning Wen agreed to enroll as an ordinary student on the condition that he could skip daily training, and Shui Bing'er accepted.

• Ning Wen and his companions entered Skywater City and admired its canals, shops, and lakeside scenery.
• Shui Bing'er brought the group to the Mirror Lake Teahouse and urged Ning Rongrong and the others to join Skywater Academy.
• Ning Rongrong proposed joining the academy so they could face Tang San and Ma Hongjun in the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
• Shui Bing'er offered Ning Wen a guest adviser position with flexible hours, but Ning Wen declined and agreed to join as an ordinary student instead.
• Ning Wen said he would not attend daily training because he had his own cultivation methods, and Shui Bing'er accepted the condition.

Ning Wen, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan joined Shui Bing'er on the way to Skywater Academy and began registering. Xue Ling was stunned by the girls’ extraordinary strength and age, then asked who Ning Wen was.

• Ning Wen agreed to accept Shui Bing'er’s guidance, and Shui Yue'er celebrated that Skywater Academy would finally have a boy.
• Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan agreed to join Skywater Academy, with Xiao Wu saying she would follow Ning Wen.
• Shui Bing'er led the group through Skywater Academy to the academic affairs office to register.
• Shui Bing'er introduced Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan, and Xue Ling was shocked by their ages, ranks, and martial souls.
• Xue Ling noticed Ning Wen and asked who he was.

Ning Wen revealed that he was a level sixty-four Soul Emperor with the mysterious Asura Armor martial soul, stunning Shui Bing'er, Xue Ling, and the others. As Shui Bing'er arranged for the group to meet Skywater Academy’s dean for admission approval, Ning Wen looked forward to meeting the dean, whom he had heard was a peerless beauty.

• Shui Bing'er introduced Ning Wen to Xue Ling as a candidate for admission to Skywater Academy.
• Ning Wen declared that his Asura Armor martial soul had reached level sixty-four, leaving Xue Ling, Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er shocked.
• Ning Wen’s thoughts explained that the Asura Armor drew power from righteousness or evil and could grow stronger with its wielder’s will and conviction.
• Xue Ling said the unusual midterm admissions required the dean’s approval and offered to arrange accommodations before taking the group to meet her.
• Shui Bing'er agreed, while Ning Wen anticipated meeting the academy’s peerless-beautiful dean.

Shui Bing'er escorted Ning Wen and the four girls to Skywater Academy's dormitories, then brought Ning Wen to meet headmistress Shui Yanyun. Shui Yanyun probed Ning Wen's Soul Power but could not discern its true extent.

• Xue Ling gave Shui Bing'er the dormitory jade tokens, and Shui Bing'er led Ning Wen, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan from the academic affairs office.
• Shui Bing'er gave the four girls adjacent rooms, while explaining that Ning Wen's unusual admission left his accommodation for the headmistress to decide.
• Shui Bing'er took Ning Wen to Shui Yanyun's secluded bamboo courtyard and went inside to announce him.
• Shui Yanyun examined Ning Wen with her Soul Power, but sensed only an unfathomable presence and could not read his true strength.

Ning Wen joined Skywater Academy as its first male student after Shui Yanyun made an exception for his extraordinary cultivation and talent. Shui Bing'er led him to the private courtyard assigned to him, while Shui Yanyun endured his arrogant inner thoughts.

• Shui Bing'er introduced Ning Wen to Skywater Academy's headmistress, Shui Yanyun, who could hear his thoughts.
• Shui Yanyun tested Ning Wen about the academy's rule against admitting boys, then agreed to make an exception for him.
• Shui Yanyun assigned Ning Wen a private courtyard and allowed him to skip classes and training, while warning him not to harass female students or enter forbidden areas.
• Shui Yanyun asked Shui Bing'er to show Ning Wen around and complete enrollment procedures for the four girls who had arrived with him.
• Shui Bing'er led Ning Wen through the academy at dusk and brought him to his secluded courtyard beside the pond.

Ning Wen settled into his courtyard at Skywater Academy, and Shui Bing'er showed him around before introducing him to the academy's core members. His inner confidence that he could lead the team to victory stirred Shui Bing'er's hopes, and the chapter ended with the students sizing him up.

• Shui Bing'er showed Ning Wen the quiet courtyard where he would stay, and he spent the night cultivating.
• Shui Bing'er came to fetch Ning Wen and offered to show him the academy and introduce its core members.
• Ning Wen privately declared that he could lead Skywater Academy to the tournament championship, and Shui Bing'er overheard him and began to hope he might succeed.
• Shui Bing'er brought Ning Wen to the training ground, where he met the core members and Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan.
• Yu Hairou and Qiu Ruoshui questioned Ning Wen about his strength and special admission, and he replied that he was only average.

Ning Wen faced a challenge from the combined teams of Skywater Academy and his companions, shrugging off their opening attacks with his Asura Armor. He began countering them, effortlessly stopping Zhu Zhuqing’s surprise attack as the sparring match continued.

• Shui Yue'er revealed that Ning Wen was a rank sixty-four Soul Emperor, shocking the Skywater Academy students.
• Dugu Yan proposed a challenge with Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong, and Shui Bing'er joined in with the Skywater team.
• Ning Wen accepted as all nine girls powered up and launched a coordinated attack against him.
• The girls’ attacks failed to injure or move Ning Wen, whose Asura Armor repelled their strikes and dispersed their water and poison.
• Shui Bing'er ordered the girls to spread out and restrict Ning Wen, while Zhu Zhuqing used the water mist to approach from behind.
• Ning Wen appeared beside Zhu Zhuqing and pressed her shoulder with a gentle force, making her lose her footing and fall seated on the ground.

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er used their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ice and Snow Drifting, against Ning Wen, but his Asura Armor withstood their attacks. Ning Wen shattered their fusion and left both sisters injured on the ground, still standing untouched as the arena fell silent.

• Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er activated Ice and Snow Drifting, summoning a massive vortex of ice and snow against Ning Wen.
• Ning Wen raised his second soul ring and blocked the attack with a blood-red barrier.
• Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er transformed the storm into a giant ice phoenix and unleashed its ice feathers and charge against Ning Wen.
• Ning Wen's Asura Armor absorbed the ice phoenix's assault without damage.
• Ning Wen released a powerful vibration through the fusion link, cracking the ice phoenix and injuring both sisters.
• The Martial Soul Fusion Skill broke apart, and Ning Wen remained untouched while Skywater Academy's students watched in stunned silence.