Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Tang San’s attempted assassination of Jiang Hao fails when Jiang Hao catches his hidden weapon between two fingers. Tang San retreats into the woods.
• The encounter triggers a reward for Jiang Hao: complete Soul Tool schematics and forging techniques from ten thousand years in the future, including knowledge of Soul Cannons and Battle Armor.
• Jiang Hao uses metal salvaged from the Star Dou Great Forest and the Thousand-Hammer Tempering Method to forge a storage Soul Tool. He engraves it with a level-two Soul-Gathering Array, creating a ring with a roughly fifteen-cubic-meter space that can hold living things and gather Soul Power to aid cultivation.
• Jiang Hao keeps the ring and decides to sell the extra Soul Tool rather than give it to Xiao Wu, reasoning that the money will help him acquire more metal.
• Before dawn, Tang San prepares to leave with Yu Xiaogang. He asks whether he can cultivate both martial souls, then whether he can switch to cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer. Yu Xiaogang warns him against both: simultaneous cultivation is said to be fatal, while revealing the hammer could attract danger from Spirit Hall.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao grows more confident in his new abilities and turns his technical knowledge into a powerful practical advantage. He also shows a shrewd, profit-minded streak in choosing to sell the spare Soul Tool.
• Tang San becomes more wary of Jiang Hao and more determined to surpass him. After his hidden weapon fails, he recognizes how little he knows about Jiang Hao and privately decides he must eliminate him before he grows stronger.
• Yu Xiaogang acts as a cautious mentor, urging Tang San to avoid dangerous experiments and keep the Clear Sky Hammer secret.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Tang San’s brief confrontation deepens their hostility: Jiang Hao treats Tang San as a source of good fortune, while Tang San sees him as a threat.
• Yu Xiaogang reassures Tang San after the failed attempt and explains the risks surrounding his Twin Martial Souls.
• Tang San accepts Yu Xiaogang’s warning about the Clear Sky Hammer, suspecting his father’s silence has a reason, but leaves with a vow to challenge Jiang Hao again.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and technological advantage: Jiang Hao’s future-era expertise lets him surpass the weapons and tools of his time.
• Power, risk, and secrecy: Tang San’s growth is constrained by the dangers of cultivating his second martial soul and revealing its identity.
• Rivalry and ambition: Jiang Hao’s success intensifies Tang San’s determination to catch up, setting up an ongoing contest between them.

Plot points and events

• In Suotuo City, Jiang Hao learns that Tang San and Yu Xiaogang have left by carriage. He suspects Yu Xiaogang’s wounded pride may have prompted their departure and wonders whether Tang San is avoiding another confrontation.
• Xiao Wu returns from her travels, proudly showing off her first Soul Ring: a powerful 920-year-old yellow ring. Jiang Hao counters by revealing his own thousand-year purple ring, which leaves her stunned and briefly discouraged.
• Six years later, Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu arrive at Heaven Dou City. Jiang Hao says they will join Shrek Academy, though he hints that he has a hidden motive.
• They enter a shabby shop marked with a distinctive circular emblem. Jiang Hao asks the shopkeeper to show him all the metal in stock; the man takes him for a wealthy, spoiled young heir.

Character developments

• Xiao Wu has grown taller and more mature, and has become a soul master. She remains proud and competitive, but her reaction to Jiang Hao’s stronger Soul Ring reveals some insecurity.
• Jiang Hao has also grown into a tall young man. He is confident, secretive, and focused on pursuing opportunities connected to Tang San.
• Tang San and Yu Xiaogang are absent, but their departure and Jiang Hao’s plans suggest they will remain central to the conflict.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and ambition: Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu compare their strength, while Jiang Hao prepares to pursue Tang San’s opportunities.
• Hidden motives and foreknowledge: Jiang Hao keeps his real reason for going to Shrek Academy—and his interest in the shop—to himself.
• Growth and changing relationships: The six-year time jump emphasizes the characters’ physical and spiritual maturation, while Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu’s teasing familiarity continues.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu trade competitive banter over their Soul Rings, then resume their familiar teasing as they travel together.
• Xiao Wu clings to Jiang Hao and asks him to carry her; he refuses, joking about her powerful legs.
• At the shop, Jiang Hao acts decisively while Xiao Wu questions why they have stopped, and the shopkeeper silently sizes him up as a rich, spoiled customer.

Plot points and events

• Flender welcomes Jiang Hao enthusiastically after realizing he may make a sale, then brings out three dusty crates of rare metals.
• Jiang Hao inspects the contents, including valuable Black Gold-Patterned Steel, and agrees to buy everything.
• Flender asks for 30,000 Gold Soul Coins, prompting Xiao Wu to object. Jiang Hao recognizes the price as inflated and summons Bai Qian for help.
• Bai Qian arrives, and Flender recognizes him as the man who once acquired a valuable item from him for a single Silver Soul Coin.
• Intimidated by Bai Qian’s presence, Flender rapidly lowers his price—from 30,000 to 10,000, then 8,000, 5,000, and finally 3,000 Gold Soul Coins. He also includes a piece of Jade Flame Jade for free.
• Jiang Hao accepts the bargain, pays, and has Xiao Wu pack the goods. As they leave, he tells Flender to save future rare finds for him.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains composed and shrewd, using Bai Qian’s reputation to turn an exploitative offer into an exceptionally favorable deal.
• Xiao Wu is outspoken and protective of Jiang Hao’s interests, openly challenging Flender’s excessive price.
• Flender shifts from eager salesman to nervous negotiator once he recognizes Bai Qian. His fear of another disastrous encounter overwhelms his desire to profit.
• Bai Qian demonstrates a quiet but formidable influence: he barely needs to speak to make Flender slash his price.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Bai Qian’s past dealings give him leverage without requiring threats or negotiation.
• Greed versus caution: Flender’s attempt to overcharge backfires, costing him far more than a fair bargain would have.
• Strategic negotiation: Jiang Hao uses patience, composure, and an ally’s reputation to secure valuable goods cheaply.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu share dry humor about Flender’s sudden change in attitude.
• Xiao Wu challenges Flender directly, while Jiang Hao lets the negotiation unfold.
• Bai Qian’s calm presence unsettles Flender, who interprets his silence and glance at the Silver Soul Coin as a warning.
• Jiang Hao closes the exchange on friendly-sounding terms, but his parting remark makes clear that Flender should expect future visits.

Key plot points and events

• After selling materials to Jiang Hao for 3,000 Gold Soul Coins, Flender privately vows to remember the slight and avoid Jiang Hao in the future.
• Jiang Hao takes Xiao Wu to the Yuelai Inn, where he rents a large, well-soundproofed room to work with the metals he acquired.
• He uses silver-white flames, mental power, and the Thousand-Hammer Tempering Method to forge Black Gold-Patterned Steel into a short barrel.
• Jiang Hao inscribes a level-four Explosive Array and an Energy-Gathering Array, completing a Soul Cannon that can compress Soul Power into a projectile. He estimates that a fully powered shot could pierce three city walls.
• Xiao Wu senses the weapon’s danger when she touches it. Jiang Hao teases her that a direct hit would leave her with nothing, and she worries that the cannon gives him an even greater advantage in a fight.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao reveals his technical skill and ambition: he can forge and inscribe a powerful Soul Tool, and he treats the work with intense concentration. His confidence is matched by a teasing, provocative manner.
• Xiao Wu is curious and impressed by Jiang Hao’s craft, but the cannon’s intimidating power makes her genuinely wary. Her competitive streak surfaces when she wonders whether she can still defeat him.
• Flender leaves the scene resentful, though he keeps that anger to himself.

Significant themes

• Innovation and power: Soul Tools can turn specialized craft into formidable weapons, potentially challenging the strength of powerful Soul Masters.
• Skill and preparation: Jiang Hao’s planning and technical expertise transform raw materials into a weapon suited for battle.
• Playful rivalry: The exchange between Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu mixes trust, teasing, and competition.

Character interactions

• Flender outwardly accepts the deal with Jiang Hao while inwardly holding a grudge.
• Xiao Wu follows Jiang Hao to the inn, questions his secretive project, and watches him forge without interrupting once she sees his focus.
• After the cannon is completed, she examines it, recoils from its sense of danger, and argues with Jiang Hao when he jokes about its ability to overwhelm her.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Wu admits she still cannot match Jiang Hao in sparring, despite being a three-ring Soul Elder; he has powerful, unusual equipment that could even kill a Soul King.
• The next day, Jiang Hao brings Xiao Wu to the shabby Shrek Academy in Suotuo City. Though skeptical at first, she notices prospective students lining up and agrees to stay.
• Xiao Wu recognizes Tang San among the academy’s staff-side group. Jiang Hao explains that Tang San likely came on Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang’s recommendation and says they are there “to have some fun.”
• Shrek’s stern examiner, Li Yusong, rejects a boy whose iron-sword martial soul has only one hundred-year Soul Ring, establishing the academy’s exceptionally demanding standard: it accepts only “monsters.”
• Dai Mubai notices Xiao Wu and another striking girl in the line, then teases Tang San about Xiao Wu. Tang San recognizes her and reacts with anger at seeing her arm linked with Jiang Hao’s.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains confident in his strength and equipment, and appears to have a specific, mischievous interest in meeting Tang San again.
• Xiao Wu is still competitive but acknowledges Jiang Hao’s clear advantage. She is wary of the shabby academy, then becomes intrigued by its strict standards.
• Tang San has grown stronger during the six years away, but seeing Xiao Wu with Jiang Hao immediately revives his resentment.
• Dai Mubai is introduced as a bored Shrek senior who is quick to judge newcomers by their appearance and to tease Tang San.
• Li Yusong is shown as a no-nonsense examiner enforcing Shrek’s high admissions bar.

Significant themes

• Strength and exceptional standards: Shrek’s “monsters only” admissions policy frames talent as something far beyond ordinary ability.
• Rivalry and unresolved resentment: Jiang Hao and Tang San’s past conflict remains emotionally charged, especially where Xiao Wu is concerned.
• Power and confidence: Jiang Hao’s advantage over Xiao Wu highlights the gap between apparent rank and practical fighting ability.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Xiao Wu trade teasing remarks about his mysterious equipment and travel together to Shrek.
• Xiao Wu recognizes Tang San, while Jiang Hao speculates about why he enrolled and hints at wanting to provoke him.
• Dai Mubai comments on Xiao Wu’s looks to Tang San, inadvertently exposing Tang San’s recognition and anger.

Plot points and events

• Tang San denies knowing the beautiful woman Jiang Hao is with, though his anger gives him away. Dai Mubai mistakes his hostility for romantic interest and offers to help him deal with Jiang Hao.
• Tang San accepts the offer while secretly viewing Dai Mubai as a useful tool. He believes Shrek’s powerful instructors can handle Jiang Hao, then leaves on an unspecified errand.
• Dai Mubai takes over the queue as Li Yusong continues testing applicants, rejecting many with little patience.
• Ning Rongrong reveals her Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. Recognizing its significance, Li Yusong immediately admits her without further testing. Dai Mubai tries to charm her, but she responds coolly.
• Zhu Zhuqing displays a Hell Spirit Cat martial soul and two hundred-year Soul Rings, earning a place at the academy. Dai Mubai recognizes her name, though he cannot recall why.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang San conceals his murderous resentment toward Jiang Hao and manipulates Dai Mubai’s willingness to help, while remaining wary of Jiang Hao’s strength.
• Dai Mubai misreads Tang San’s motives and boasts that he can overpower Jiang Hao. He is also attracted to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, interpreting their reserve as a challenge.
• Ning Rongrong appears proud and self-possessed, showing little interest in Dai Mubai’s advances.
• Zhu Zhuqing is quiet, distant, and emotionally unreadable; she passes through testing without engaging with others.
• Li Yusong is strict with ordinary applicants but immediately respectful of Ning Rongrong’s prestigious martial soul.

Significant themes

• Deception and misreading: Tang San hides his true motives, while Dai Mubai repeatedly mistakes hostility and aloofness for romantic interest.
• Status and privilege: Ning Rongrong’s powerful lineage and martial soul earn her automatic admission.
• Power and overconfidence: Dai Mubai underestimates Jiang Hao, while Tang San recognizes the danger but trusts Shrek’s strength to compensate.
• Attraction and control: Dai Mubai views the young women’s independence as something to conquer, contrasting with their indifference to him.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Wu reveals a thousand-year second Soul Ring, astonishing the examiner, Li Yusong, and impressing Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
• As Jiang Hao prepares to be tested for admission, Zhao Wuji arrives with Tang San and accuses him of injuring a teacher and humiliating a classmate. Zhao declares Jiang Hao unfit for Shrek and orders him to leave.
• Jiang Hao challenges Zhao, a Soul Sage, to prove his strength. Zhao displays his seven Soul Rings and offers to let Jiang Hao strike him three times, but Jiang Hao insists Zhao attack first.
• Zhao charges with a powerful, bear-backed punch. Jiang Hao activates his Fire Spirit Body and Five Elements Auspiciousness Domain, strengthening allies and weakening enemies. The chapter ends before the punch’s impact is resolved.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains calm and defiant under Zhao’s pressure, showing confidence in his abilities.
• Xiao Wu openly defends Jiang Hao and, despite her worry about Zhao’s power, trusts him enough to step aside.
• Zhao Wuji is quick to judge Jiang Hao based on accusations and becomes angry at his challenge.
• Tang San watches with resentment, privately believing Jiang Hao deserves the confrontation.
• Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing are struck by Xiao Wu’s exceptional Soul Ring, though Zhu Zhuqing keeps her thoughts to herself.

Significant themes

• Prejudice and judgment: Zhao rejects Jiang Hao based on one-sided claims before investigating what happened.
• Confidence and power: Jiang Hao’s challenge pits youthful self-assurance against Zhao’s overwhelming rank and strength.
• Trust and loyalty: Xiao Wu stands up for Jiang Hao and ultimately trusts his judgment.
• Talent and exceptionalism: Xiao Wu’s rare Soul Ring marks her as an extraordinary young cultivator.

Character interactions

• Xiao Wu’s unusual Soul Ring prompts Ning Rongrong’s questions and Zhu Zhuqing’s close scrutiny.
• Zhao confronts and condemns Jiang Hao; Jiang Hao answers with a direct challenge rather than a defense.
• Xiao Wu intervenes on Jiang Hao’s behalf, while he calms her and assures her he can handle Zhao.
• Tang San silently supports Zhao’s hostility, and Dai Mubai dismisses Jiang Hao’s challenge as reckless.

Plot points and events

• Zhao Wuji’s gravity field slows Jiang Hao, but Jiang avoids Zhao’s initial punch by becoming intangible with Fire Spirit Body. Jiang then uses Golden Spirit Mountain-Splitting Charge, his third Soul Skill, to hurl Zhao through Shrek Academy’s gate.
• Enraged and embarrassed, Zhao claims he had held back. The two trade boasts before Zhao attacks with Mighty Vajra Roar. Jiang’s Fire Spirit Body lets the sound wave pass through him, and he counters with a blast of Silver-White Flame that forces Zhao back.
• Zhao uses Gravity Enhancement to pin Jiang down, then combines Gravity Burst with a barrage of punches. The shock waves nearly disrupt Jiang’s intangibility, demonstrating that the ability does not make him invulnerable.
• Jiang withdraws and activates his second Soul Skill, restoring his injuries and Soul Power to full. With his confidence shaken, Zhao decides to stop holding back and activates his seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao displays a formidable mix of strength, intangibility, fire attacks, and recovery. He remains composed and taunting under pressure, but Zhao’s gravity-based attacks reveal a limit to his defenses.
• Zhao Wuji shifts from amused confidence to anger and alarm as Jiang repeatedly counters him. His pride is wounded by being outmaneuvered by a twelve-year-old, prompting him to escalate the fight.
• The onlookers are stunned by Jiang’s power. Tang San is especially shaken, while Zhu Zhuqing shows a rare flicker of emotion.

Themes

• Power and expectation: Jiang’s exceptional abilities challenge the assumed gap between a child and a Soul Saint.
• Adaptation and counterplay: Jiang’s abilities answer Zhao’s attacks, but Zhao finds a way to exploit the limits of Fire Spirit Body.
• Pride and escalation: Zhao’s humiliation drives him to use increasingly powerful skills.

Character interactions

• Jiang and Zhao trade taunts throughout the duel, each challenging the other’s claims about their strength.
• Xiao Wu anxiously warns Jiang, while Li Yusong, Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San watch in disbelief.
• Zhao’s final decision to use his Martial Soul Avatar raises the stakes, leaving the outcome of the fight unresolved.

Plot and events

• Zhao Wuji activates his Martial Soul Avatar, growing into a towering, fur-covered form and releasing a crushing aura. The onlookers fear Jiang Hao is outmatched.
• Jiang Hao counters with a Soul Cannon, charging it with fire and metal energy. He calls the shot “Dimensional Strike” and blasts Zhao Wuji through walls, badly burning him and nearly breaking his Avatar.
• Jiang Hao explains that the weapon is a Soul Tool. Dai Mubai is astonished, while Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing immediately recognize its potential—and danger.
• Xiao Wu checks on Jiang Hao, but Zhao Wuji rises in a rage, dismisses Li Yusong’s attempt to intervene, and attacks again at greater speed.
• Jiang Hao fires a second shot, but Zhao Wuji dodges it and closes in. He anticipates Jiang Hao’s Fire Spirit Body and uses Gravity Burst to disrupt it. The chapter ends with Zhao Wuji poised to strike.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains confident under pressure and reveals that his Soul Cannon can seriously injure a Soul Sage, though Zhao Wuji adapts once he understands its capabilities.
• Zhao Wuji shifts from dismissive confidence to shock, then to furious retaliation after being wounded. His determination to overpower Jiang Hao overrides Li Yusong’s efforts to stop him.
• Xiao Wu is openly worried and tries to protect Jiang Hao, who pushes her aside to face the attack himself.
• Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing assess the Soul Cannon from different angles: Ning sees its value to her sect, while Zhu recognizes it as a threat to agile fighters.
• Tang San’s satisfaction at Jiang Hao’s apparent danger turns to frustration when the cannon overwhelms Zhao Wuji.
• Dai Mubai is impressed by Jiang Hao’s strength and surprised by the weapon’s extraordinary power.

Significant themes

• Innovation versus conventional strength: Jiang Hao’s weapon challenges the assumed superiority of a powerful soul master.
• Adaptation and escalating conflict: Zhao Wuji learns from the first shot, dodges the second, and counters Jiang Hao’s defensive technique.
• Power and its wider implications: The Soul Cannon’s potential to be reproduced could reshape combat and upset existing balances of strength.