Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• On the day of his Martial Soul Awakening, Gao Ren expects little: both his late parents were food-type Soul Masters, so he assumes he’ll inherit a non-combat Martial Soul.
• His uncle, Gao Wei, tells him he won’t be awakened at the city lord’s residence. Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi has returned to do it himself.
• Xuan Zi jokes that Gao Ren should inherit his parents’ abilities—or awaken Twin Martial Souls so Xuan Zi can have more food and wine. Gao Ren privately dismisses the old man’s selfishness, while still respecting him for having saved his life after his parents were killed by Evil Soul Masters.
• Xuan Zi awakens Gao Ren’s Martial Soul. Gao Ren manifests a large, tangible chicken leg, accompanied by the aroma of chicken and wine.
• Xuan Zi’s Martial Soul instinctively takes over and snatches the food. Gao Ren then produces a second leg, which Xuan Zi also grabs.
• Xuan Zi discovers that Gao Ren’s food is exceptionally delicious and appears to strengthen vital energy, blood, and physical strength. He concludes that Gao Ren’s Martial Soul is a major improvement on an ordinary chicken-leg Martial Soul and needs a new name.

Character developments

• Gao Ren begins the chapter anxious but hopeful for an exceptional awakening. His Martial Soul proves far more remarkable than he expected, though its full potential remains unknown.
• Xuan Zi shows both his familiar gluttony and genuine personal concern: he rushed back specifically for Gao Ren’s awakening. His appetite quickly overtakes his good intentions.
• Gao Wei is surprised that Gao Ren can create real food without a Soul Ring, recognizing this as unusual for a food-type Soul Master.

Themes and interactions

• Inheritance versus transformation: Gao Ren expects his parents’ food-based abilities to limit him, but his awakening suggests a striking evolution rather than a simple inheritance.
• Unexpected potential: His apparently humble food Martial Soul may have valuable physical-enhancement effects.
• Affection expressed through comedy: Gao Ren respects Xuan Zi because of their shared history, even as Xuan Zi’s jokes and eagerness to eat test his patience. Xuan Zi, Gao Ren, and Gao Wei’s reactions turn the awakening into a mix of heartfelt concern, astonishment, and slapstick.

Key plot points and events

• Gao Ren names his Food-type Martial Soul Overlord Drumstick, prompting Xuan Zi to claim him as a disciple. Gao Ren negotiates a condition: Xuan Zi must heed him when he says not to do something. Xuan Zi agrees, asking only for Gao Ren’s drumsticks in return, and Gao Ren accepts the apprenticeship.
• Xuan Zi realizes Gao Ren has a second Martial Soul, a wine jar. When Gao Ren summons it without a Soul Skill, it manifests as a huge wine vat, but drains all his Soul Power.
• Gao Wei notes that the vat’s apparent weightlessness to Gao Ren could make it a useful weapon against unsuspecting opponents.
• Xuan Zi tastes the wine and discovers it increases spiritual power. He concludes that the drumsticks strengthen the body and the wine strengthens the mind, making Gao Ren a Treasure-type Soul Master, not merely a Food-type one.
• Xuan Zi takes Gao Ren to obtain his First Soul Ring, briefly returning to collect the vat and leaving Gao Wei without a taste.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren shows a practical, independent streak by negotiating with a powerful prospective master rather than accepting automatically. He also recognizes that his second Martial Soul may offer a way to fight despite his Food-type abilities.
• Xuan Zi is boastful, impulsive, and driven by food and drink, but he is surprisingly accommodating when Gao Ren sets terms. His enthusiasm for Gao Ren grows after tasting the wine.
• Gao Wei supports Gao Ren’s apprenticeship and helps assess the wine vat’s combat potential, while also becoming curious to taste it himself.
• The three share a humorous dynamic: Xuan Zi’s appetite shapes the apprenticeship, Gao Ren tries to rein in his master, and Gao Wei is left pleading for a bowl.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Gao Ren’s bargain hints that a powerful master may need restraint as much as guidance.
• Unexpected potential: Abilities that seem like simple food-based Martial Souls reveal both combat uses and unusual benefits.
• Humor and appetite: Xuan Zi’s hunger—and Gao Wei’s growing interest in the wine—drives much of the chapter’s comedy.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xuan Zi carries Gao Ren from Shrek Academy toward the Star Dou Great Forest. Gao Ren is secretly nervous about traveling with him, but Xuan Zi mistakes his trembling for fear of flying too fast.
• On the way, they discuss which of Gao Ren’s two Food-type Martial Souls to cultivate first. Gao Ren chooses the Overlord Chicken Leg, reasoning that food will be more useful than wine to Xuan Zi, whose behavior improves when he is well fed.
• Xuan Zi takes Gao Ren directly into the forest’s dangerous mixed region, seeking a stronger first Soul Ring. He finds a roughly five-hundred-year-old Tireless Ostrich, whose endurance and recovery traits might suit the chicken-leg Martial Soul.
• Xuan Zi restrains the ostrich so Gao Ren can kill it himself. Though troubled by taking a life, Gao Ren does so and absorbs its Soul Ring.
• Gao Ren’s first Soul Skill is Overlord’s Belly-Filling Leg. Eating it provides up to ten days of fullness and a second reserve of Soul Power, equal in capacity to the eater’s normal supply. Xuan Zi, who has struggled to feel full for centuries, eagerly asks Gao Ren to make one.

Character development and interactions

• Gao Ren shows both caution and practical judgment: he fears Xuan Zi’s recklessness, chooses the Martial Soul most likely to keep him manageable, and overcomes his discomfort to complete his first hunt.
• Xuan Zi is decisive and powerful, but his priorities are comically shaped by food. He treats taste and nourishment as central to a Food-type Martial Soul’s usefulness.
• Their teacher-student relationship is affectionate and teasing. Xuan Zi looks after Gao Ren, while Gao Ren carefully avoids telling him what he is truly afraid of.
• Xuan Zi’s excitement at the new skill reveals how deeply his own Martial Soul affects him: despite his strength, he has not felt properly full for more than two hundred years.

Significant themes

• Growth through difficult first steps: Gao Ren must confront the emotional cost of becoming a Soul Master.
• Power and practical usefulness: A Soul Skill’s value lies not only in its strength but in how well it serves its user.
• Food, appetite, and character: Food is both a source of power and a recurring source of humor, especially in Xuan Zi’s case.
• Risk and recklessness: Xuan Zi’s choice to enter a dangerous region contrasts with Gao Ren’s understandable caution.
  The chapter ends as Gao Ren prepares to summon his new skill, with its unusual incantation yet to be revealed.

Plot points

• Gao Ren summons an Overlord’s Belly-Filling Leg, which restores soul power and keeps its eater full for ten days. Xuan Zi tastes it and, after more than two centuries, finally feels full.
• Overcome with gratitude, Xuan Zi celebrates by eating drumsticks. Gao Ren tactfully persuades him to save the wine for later, since the boy cannot drink with him.
• The two enjoy a picnic in the Star Dou Great Forest’s mixed zone. Xuan Zi eats around 150 Overlord Drumsticks; Gao Ren’s Soul Power is now level thirteen, and he can produce roughly 70–80 drumsticks.
• After they leave, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and her guardian, the Scarlet King, arrive, drawn by the lingering smell. The Golden Lion wants to try the discarded bones, but the Scarlet King warns her away from the supposedly dangerous human leftovers.
• Once she leaves to pursue a light-attribute Soul Beast, the Scarlet King eats the bones himself—and enjoys them—then justifies his deception as protecting her.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren shows practical resourcefulness and tact: he uses the special leg to help his teacher, then redirects Xuan Zi’s celebration without openly challenging him.
• Xuan Zi becomes deeply emotional at experiencing fullness again and expresses how much he depends on Gao Ren. His appetite remains enormous, even after feeling full.
• The Three-Eyed Golden Lion reveals curiosity and a willingness to try unfamiliar food, despite her usual diet.
• The Scarlet King is protective and cautious around humans, but his appetite overcomes his warnings. He lies to the Golden Lion, then rationalizes the choice as safeguarding her.

Themes

• Food as comfort and connection: Gao Ren’s creation restores a long-lost pleasure for Xuan Zi and brings the two closer.
• Care expressed through deception: Gao Ren and the Scarlet King both steer others indirectly—Gao Ren to prevent trouble, and the Scarlet King to keep the Golden Lion from eating the bones.
• Humor and appetite: The chapter contrasts the solemn reputation of powerful characters with their comic enthusiasm for food.

Plot points and events

• After returning from the Star Dou Great Forest, Xuan Zi tells Gao Wei how Gao Ren’s First Soul Skill resolved a problem that had troubled him for years. Both elders praise Gao Ren, leaving him embarrassed.
• Gao Wei reveals that Sea God Island sent word: Xuan Zi is expected at a Sea God Pavilion Meeting that afternoon. Xuan Zi dismisses the concern and insists on celebrating with wine.
• Xuan Zi treats Gao Ren’s first batch of wine as an apprenticeship gift, then he and Gao Wei begin drinking at Gao Ren’s home. Gao Ren’s second vat contains more than a thousand jin of wine.
• By lunchtime, Gao Wei has passed out, and Xuan Zi is heavily intoxicated. His Soul Power—normally enough to clear alcohol from his body—cannot sober him, and he collapses.
• Gao Ren’s aunt, Lu Xiaoxiao, finds the two men and arranges for them to be taken to the Infirmary. Teacher Li cannot wake them, so he summons his teacher, Elder Zhuang. Zhuang also fails to treat them and goes to seek Mu En’s help.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren shows modesty when Xuan Zi and Gao Wei praise his ability, and practical judgment in recognizing that Xuan Zi’s drinking could become a problem. He also realizes his wine is powerful enough to defeat even a Super Douluo’s usual resistance.
• Xuan Zi is delighted by Gao Ren’s Soul Skill and enjoys teasing him, but his confidence in his drinking capacity proves misplaced. His fondness for Gao Ren is clear, though he jokingly claims his inheritance will be the apprentice’s reward.
• Gao Wei is supportive and proud of his nephew, while also trying to remind Xuan Zi about the meeting. He ends up the first to succumb to the wine.
• Lu Xiaoxiao responds with amused exasperation and takes charge of getting help. Teacher Li and Elder Zhuang are left baffled by the wine’s effects.

Significant themes

• Gao Ren’s growing value: His Soul Skill and homemade wine both have unexpectedly powerful effects, reinforcing his unusual potential.
• Comic overconfidence: Xuan Zi boasts that he cannot get drunk, only to be incapacitated by Gao Ren’s wine.
• Family and mentorship: The drinking gathering highlights Gao Ren’s ties to his uncle and aunt, as well as his teasing but affectionate relationship with Xuan Zi.

Key events

• Elder Zhuang brings Mu En, Shrek Academy’s Sea God Pavilion Master and a Level 99 Limit Douluo, to see Xuan Zi, who has passed out after drinking a whole vat of Gao Ren’s potent wine.
• Mu En speaks with Gao Ren, samples the wine, and confirms that even Soul Power cannot dispel its effects. He also tries Gao Ren’s food-producing Soul Skill and praises its quality.
• Impressed by Gao Ren’s Twin Food-Type Martial Souls and abilities, Mu En promises that Shrek’s resources will support him. He believes Gao Ren could become a vital pillar of the Academy, helping its students grow stronger.
• Since Xuan Zi remains unconscious, Gao Ren attends the annual Sea God Pavilion meeting in his teacher’s place. Mu En’s stated reason is to cover Xuan Zi’s absence, but he also wants Gao Ren to meet the Pavilion members. The elders’ interest turns the meeting into an intense round of attention for the young newcomer.
• The next day, Gao Ren tells Xuan Zi that he slept through the meeting and has been unconscious for a full day and night. Xuan Zi panics when he learns Mu En noticed his absence and appears angry.
• Gao Ren teases Xuan Zi for being afraid of Mu En. Xuan Zi denies it just as Mu En arrives at the doorway and answers him, setting up a confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren gains recognition and institutional support from Mu En, while showing respect without excessive deference. He also begins to tease his usually formidable teacher.
• Mu En sees Gao Ren not just as a gifted child but as a future strategic asset for Shrek. He takes a personal interest in him and brings him into the Pavilion’s circle.
• Xuan Zi is humbled by the effects of Gao Ren’s wine and becomes visibly anxious about having missed the meeting. His denial of fearing Mu En contrasts comically with his obvious nervousness.
• Mu En and Gao Ren bond through discussion and tasting Gao Ren’s creations; Gao Ren and Xuan Zi shift into a more playful teacher-disciple dynamic after the hangover.

Significant themes

• Talent and responsibility: Gao Ren’s rare abilities earn him resources and raise expectations about his future role.
• Food as power: His Food-Type Martial Souls may strengthen cultivation by supporting both physical and mental growth.
• Mentorship and institutional investment: Mu En recognizes Gao Ren’s potential and wants Shrek to help him develop.
• Humor and hierarchy: Xuan Zi’s drunken collapse and fear of Mu En puncture his imposing reputation, while the final interruption hints that consequences may follow.

Key plot points and events

• Mu En catches Xuan Zi speaking disrespectfully about him. Gao Ren struggles not to laugh, and Mu En reassures him that he can. After warning Xuan Zi not to mistreat his disciple, Mu En privately takes him away.
• Gao Ren later learns that Mu En has imposed a drinking ban: Xuan Zi may not drink Gao Ren’s wine during missions and may only drink enough to become mildly tipsy at the academy. The wine is named Immortal’s Drunk, potent enough that Soul Power cannot sober someone up.
• Gao Ren is not yet enrolled at Shrek Academy. Although he meets the age requirement, his Soul Power is below the usual admission threshold. The Sea God Pavilion plans for him to enroll at twelve, when his Innate Full Soul Power should make him a strong candidate to lead his year.
• Xuan Zi has Gao Ren practice cooking in the Outer Court cafeteria as a mimicry cultivation environment for his Food-type Martial Soul. Gao Ren fries Overlord Drumsticks, both to train his cooking and to satisfy Xuan Zi’s appetite.
• Xuan Zi praises the drumsticks and estimates they can sell for twenty-six Gold Soul Coins each. Gao Wei offers to sell them through the cafeteria, keeping ten coins per drumstick; Gao Ren accepts, and the food is scheduled to go on sale at noon.
• After morning classes, students enter the cafeteria and greet Xuan Zi before buying food, setting up the chapter’s closing question: why are they all approaching him?

Character developments and interactions

• Mu En shows a protective, indulgent side toward Gao Ren, while maintaining authority over Xuan Zi by disciplining him with the drinking ban.
• Xuan Zi is both a formidable teacher and a comic glutton. He praises Gao Ren’s cooking but also turns the training session into an opportunity to get a new meal.
• Gao Ren is considerate toward Xuan Zi, sparing him further embarrassment, and practical about the drumstick business. He begins turning his cooking skill into a potential source of income.
• Gao Wei acts as Gao Ren’s business partner, negotiating a cafeteria arrangement and explaining the economics of selling the drumsticks.

Significant themes

• Mentorship and protection: Mu En looks after Gao Ren and holds Xuan Zi accountable for how he treats his disciple.
• Training through practical work: Gao Ren’s cooking serves both as cultivation practice and skill development.
• Privilege and expectations: Gao Ren’s future admission and leadership prospects are shaped by his connection to Xuan Zi and the Sea God Pavilion, as well as his anticipated Soul Power.
• The value of food and talent: Gao Ren’s Food-type abilities and cooking have both cultivation and commercial value.

Plot points

• Gao Ren’s cooking brings Xuan Zi to the Outer Court cafeteria regularly. Xuan Zi notices that students must eat standing up because the cafeteria has no tables or chairs and forbids taking food out.
• After Gao Ren calls the arrangement “stupid,” Xuan Zi confronts Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe and Soul Tool Department Vice Dean Qian Duoduo. Yan appeals to tradition; Qian mainly worries about the expense. Xuan Zi rebukes them for making students stand while teachers sit, and the cafeterias are changed so students can sit and eat.
• News of Xuan Zi’s protest spreads, making him hugely popular with the Outer Court students, who thank him and even offer to carry food for him.
• Bei Bei and Tang Ya arrive at the cafeteria. Tang Ya is delighted to see Xuan Zi enjoying the newly improved arrangements and asks where he got his fragrant drumstick.
• They learn that Gao Ren sells the Overlord Drumstick for 25 Gold Soul Coins, with an extra coin for frying. Bei Bei reasons that the expensive dish must have something special about it, so they order two.
• Gao Ren brings out the drumsticks, and Tang Ya mistakes him for a child being forced to work, prompting the chapter’s closing joke.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren indirectly inspires the cafeteria reform by voicing his complaint to Xuan Zi. He continues working in the kitchen and begins serving his signature dish.
• Xuan Zi turns his loyalty to Gao Ren into a stand for students’ welfare. His blunt, confrontational approach wins him the students’ gratitude.
• Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo resist change for different reasons—tradition and cost—but Xuan Zi’s pressure overcomes their objections.
• Tang Ya is enthusiastic, food-loving, and financially strapped as the Tang Sect’s penniless master; the drumstick’s price briefly shocks her.
• Bei Bei is courteous and quick-thinking. He stops Tang Ya from insulting Xuan Zi and guides her to the expensive serving window, where his core-disciple status lets them eat without paying.

Significant themes

• Student welfare versus tradition: An established custom is not necessarily sensible or fair.
• Advocacy and gratitude: Xuan Zi uses his influence to improve students’ daily lives, earning their sincere appreciation.
• Humor through contrast: A grand reform begins with a complaint about cafeteria seating, while the costly drumstick and Tang Ya’s misunderstanding provide comic turns.

Key plot points and events

• Gao Ren, a young Shrek Academy student and Xuan Zi’s disciple, sells his Martial Soul-made Overlord Drumsticks in the cafeteria. His uncle, Gao Wei, grumbles about the academy taking a cut of each sale, but backs down when told to sell elsewhere.
• Bei Bei and Tang Ya learn that Gao Ren made the drumsticks. They try one and are astonished by the taste. Bei Bei also notices that the food seems to strengthen his blood and vitality.
• Tang Ya suggests quietly recruiting Gao Ren into the Tang Sect so they can get unlimited drumsticks. Xuan Zi overhears and is displeased, particularly because he knows how weak the Tang Sect currently is.
• Ma Xiaotao arrives, asks about the drumsticks, and orders one from Gao Wei. She and Gao Ren recognize each other; she teases him, while he responds politely but without enthusiasm.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren is revealed as a capable young cook whose drumsticks have unusual restorative effects. He also keeps track of key figures in the story and knows Ma Xiaotao’s volatile reputation.
• Bei Bei is observant and tactful: he recognizes the drumsticks’ benefits and tries to keep Tang Ya from speaking recklessly.
• Tang Ya is enthusiastic about the food and opportunistic in imagining how Gao Ren could benefit the Tang Sect.
• Xuan Zi silently guards his disciple’s interests and reacts sharply to the prospect of Tang Ya recruiting him.
• Ma Xiaotao is familiar with Gao Wei and Gao Ren, and her playful teasing contrasts with Gao Ren’s wary attitude toward her.

Significant themes

• Food as power and attraction: The drumsticks are delicious and provide a tangible physical benefit, making them valuable beyond ordinary food.
• Institutional self-interest: The academy’s sales cut and Tang Ya’s recruitment scheme show how people compete to profit from Gao Ren’s talent.
• Foreshadowing and danger: Gao Ren views Xuan Zi and Ma Xiaotao as unpredictable hazards, setting up tension around the powerful figures who surround him.

Plot points and events

• Gao Ren runs the cafeteria stall selling fried Overlord Drumsticks. Ma Xiaotao, whose Evil Fire Phoenix can make her lose control when its backlash becomes too strong, visits and buys twenty drumsticks. Gao Ren worries about being alone with her but gives in to her teasing and their supposed martial-sibling connection; the order earns him a large profit.
• Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao’s cool, ice-aligned classmate, also tries a drumstick and loves it. She has been consulting a horoscope that predicts five-star love luck, so she considers whether Gao Ren might be her destined partner—but dismisses the idea because he is only six and much too young.
• With recommendations from three core disciples, Gao Ren makes 3,000 Gold Soul Coins in net profit on his first day. After settling accounts and collecting his wages, he heads to Sea God Lake to exercise.
• Xuan Zi has given Gao Ren little formal training beyond cooking, basic Soul Beast knowledge, and Shrek’s traditional practice of running. Gao Ren chooses to train on his own, but soon regrets it when Ma Xiaotao appears nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren is wary of Ma Xiaotao because he knows how dangerous her loss of control could be, yet he is practical enough to tolerate her demands for the money. He also shows initiative by training without supervision.
• Ma Xiaotao is playful and assertive with Gao Ren, using their academy connections to persuade him to serve her more food. Her volatile Martial Soul remains a source of danger.
• Ling Luochen is aloof and quietly self-conscious when comparing herself with Ma Xiaotao. Her horoscope prompts her to look for romance, but she recognizes the absurdity of pursuing a child.
• Xuan Zi gives Gao Ren broad guidance but leaves responsibility for his cultivation to him.

Significant themes

• The contrast between fire and ice is reflected in Ma Xiaotao’s fiery temperament and Ling Luochen’s cool reserve.
• The chapter mixes danger and comedy, especially in Gao Ren’s nervous dealings with Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen’s fanciful romantic speculation.
• It emphasizes self-reliance and practical survival: Gao Ren trains because he chooses to, and running is presented as useful for escaping trouble.

Key plot points and events

• Gao Ren goes running beside Sea God Lake and unexpectedly meets Ma Xiaotao, whose Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul is beginning to flare.
• Ma Xiaotao insists on running alongside him, while Gao Ren grows increasingly anxious about being alone with her during a possible outbreak.
• Before Gao Ren can leave, Xuan Zi appears and kicks Ma Xiaotao into the lake. The shock and cold water restore her senses.
• Xuan Zi explains that he detected the first signs of her Evil Fire turning against her and acted quickly to prevent her from losing control and possibly hurting Gao Ren.
• Ma Xiaotao returns dripping wet, complains that Xuan Zi hurt her waist, and is told to change before bringing Yan Shaozhe to the lake.
• Xuan Zi asks Gao Ren to conjure a vat of Immortal’s Drunk, clarifying that it is for Ma Xiaotao rather than himself.

Character developments

• Gao Ren is wary and quick-thinking, trying to keep his distance from Ma Xiaotao once he suspects trouble. His inner commentary adds much of the chapter’s humor.
• Ma Xiaotao is playful and openly affectionate toward Gao Ren, but her potential loss of control is a serious danger. Even while recovering, she says she would rather be hurt than let Gao Ren be harmed.
• Xuan Zi shows a fiercely protective side, keeping watch over Gao Ren and intervening immediately when Ma Xiaotao’s condition changes. His blunt, forceful approach also causes some friction.

Significant themes

• Protection and loyalty: Xuan Zi prioritizes Gao Ren’s safety, while Ma Xiaotao is also willing to suffer to protect him.
• The danger of power without control: Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire grows more threatening as her cultivation rises.
• Comedy amid danger: Gao Ren’s anxious thoughts and the characters’ bickering undercut an otherwise serious crisis.

Character interactions

• Gao Ren tries unsuccessfully to discourage Ma Xiaotao from joining his run; she misreads his concern as personal worry.
• Xuan Zi explains his intervention to Gao Ren and jokes about watching over him constantly, embarrassing him.
• Ma Xiaotao challenges Xuan Zi over the painful kick, but ultimately accepts his reasoning and affirms her concern for Gao Ren.

• Plot: Xuan Zi asks Gao Ren to serve Ma Xiaotao Immortal’s Drunk with Overlord Drumsticks. The wine strengthens spiritual power, which should help Xiaotao stay in control longer when her Evil Fire flares. Yan Shaozhe joins them but drinks only one bowl; Xiaotao drinks until she falls asleep. Xuan Zi also sees the wine as a way to keep her from secretly cultivating, since cultivation worsens her Evil Fire.
• Developments over six months: Gao Ren’s Soul Power rises from Level 13 to nearly 20, and his Overlord Drumsticks become famous at Shrek Academy. Xiaotao becomes a habitual drinker, but her stronger spiritual power improves her control over fire and stabilizes her Evil Fire. Yan Shaozhe’s priorities are clear: he would rather Xiaotao stay healthy than pursue rapid cultivation.
• New danger: Xuan Zi tells Gao Ren he will soon lead Inner Court disciples to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Rings, then become Sea God Pavilion Master. Gao Ren recognizes this as the expedition where Xuan Zi will be separated from twelve disciples and eight will die to a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. He hides his alarm and says he is tired.
• Interactions and themes: Xuan Zi combines concern for Xiaotao with a practical, somewhat sly plan, while his appetite and blunt manner remain comic. Yan Shaozhe is deferential to Xuan Zi but deeply protective of his student. The chapter highlights the value of unconventional support—food and drink strengthening spiritual control—and shifts from lighthearted academy life toward foreboding, as Gao Ren realizes he may know of a coming tragedy.

Key plot points and events

• Gao Ren decides to join the inner-court expedition to the Star Dou Great Forest. Worried that the trip may repeat the original story’s deadly outcome, he hopes his presence can help change events.
• He spends the next several days cultivating and reaches level twenty just before the expedition leaves.
• Xuan Zi agrees to take him, but first checks with Mu En because Gao Ren is especially valued by the academy. Mu En approves.
• At the academy gates, Gao Ren meets the twelve inner-court students accompanying Xuan Zi. He introduces himself as a food-type Soul Master seeking his second Soul Ring.
• The students are stunned to learn he reached level twenty only six months after awakening his Martial Soul. Xuan Zi proudly confirms the timeline.
• After introductions, the group prepares to depart, and Xuan Zi produces an unexpected item from his Storage Soul Tool.

Character developments

• Gao Ren shows determination and urgency: he pushes himself through several days of cultivation so he can take part in the expedition and potentially prevent casualties.
• Xuan Zi is protective and more cautious about Gao Ren than usual, seeking Mu En’s approval before bringing him along. He is also openly proud of his disciple.
• Mu En supports Gao Ren’s participation, reasoning that Xuan Zi will be especially careful while responsible for him.
• The inner-court students move from surprise at seeing a small child to astonishment at Gao Ren’s rapid progress.

Significant themes

• Changing fate: Gao Ren hopes his intervention can alter the expedition’s expected tragedy.
• Growth through effort: His breakthrough comes from sustained, demanding cultivation.
• Protection and responsibility: Gao Ren’s value to the academy makes his safety a concern, shaping Xuan Zi’s decision-making.
• Talent and reputation: Gao Ren’s extraordinary progress has made him widely known, drawing admiration and scrutiny.

Character interactions

• Gao Ren directly asks Xuan Zi to take him on the expedition; Xuan Zi agrees after consulting Mu En.
• Mu En’s approval reflects his trust in Xuan Zi’s concern for Gao Ren.
• Gao Ren formally meets the expedition team, including the highly regarded Zhang Lexuan and several senior students, while keeping his second Martial Soul secret.
• Xuan Zi teases the students for their astonishment, even as he clearly enjoys showing off Gao Ren’s achievement.

Plot points and events

• Xuan Zi uses an eighth-level Flying Soul Tool to rush Gao Ren and the twelve inner court students straight to the Star Dou Great Forest’s core zone, prioritizing speed over the usual gradual training.
• He locates suitable Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts with his spiritual perception, immobilizes them, and has students kill and absorb them. The trip becomes a swift, almost effortless Soul Ring expedition.
• Zhang Lexuan is the last student without a Soul Ring. Xuan Zi finds a suitable Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and knocks it unconscious before it can fight. Zhang absorbs its Soul Ring successfully while in peak condition.
• With the beast’s aura keeping other Soul Beasts away, the group pauses for a picnic. Xuan Zi explains why he thinks the spot is safe—but stops when he senses approaching figures.
• The arrivals are the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Emperor Auspicious Beast, and the Scarlet King, a powerful Ferocious Beast. The Scarlet King is furious to find a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast dead, but he holds back because Xuan Zi is stronger and the Auspicious Beast is present.
• Xuan Zi tells Zhang Lexuan to take Gao Ren and the others away, then activates his Martial Soul Avatar. The chapter ends as the nervous Scarlet King realizes Xuan Zi may be preparing to fight despite his not having challenged him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuan Zi is revealed as comically overprotective of Gao Ren and impatient with the demands of supervising the entire group. His concern drives him to abandon the normal training approach and handle nearly every danger himself.
• The students are astonished and somewhat unsettled by how thoroughly Xuan Zi takes over their Soul Beast hunts.
• Zhang Lexuan shows confidence in attempting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Her successful absorption, aided by Xuan Zi’s intervention, contrasts with the much harsher outcome she faced in the original story.
• The Scarlet King’s intimidating status is undercut by his inability to confront Xuan Zi and his alarm when Xuan Zi powers up. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s presence also complicates the standoff.

Significant themes

• Protection versus experience: Xuan Zi’s caution keeps Gao Ren safe but deprives the students of the combat challenges the expedition was meant to provide.
• Power and absurdity: The group’s effortless passage through the core zone turns a dangerous hunt into a picnic, playing up the gap between Xuan Zi’s strength and everyone else’s expectations.
• Fate and foreshadowing: Gao Ren suspects that the strange rules associated with his teacher may be drawing them into an encounter with the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Plot points and events

• Xuan Zi transforms into his powerful Godly Taotie Bull form to shield Gao Ren and the Shrek students from the Scarlet King, but he avoids escalating the confrontation.
• The Scarlet King explains that he is angry because humans killed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. With the humans caught at the scene, Xuan Zi acknowledges their position is difficult to defend.
• The Auspicious Beast interrupts the standoff to ask what the humans were eating. Gao Ren produces an Overlord Drumstick, whose smell she recognizes from the bones she found in the forest.
• Xuan Zi promotes Gao Ren’s food and proposes that sharing drumsticks settle the dispute. The Scarlet King objects that food cannot compensate for the dead beast, but the Auspicious Beast argues that the beast is already dead and the food is delicious.
• Remembering how good the leftover bones were, the Scarlet King gives in. Gao Ren conjures a huge supply of drumsticks, and the two beasts feast, ending the confrontation peacefully.

Character developments

• Xuan Zi shows strength and restraint: he prepares to protect the students but prefers negotiation, cleverly using the food as a peace offering.
• Gao Ren moves from anxious observer to active peacemaker by offering the drumsticks that defuse the situation.
• The Scarlet King begins furious and intent on demanding an explanation, but his appetite eventually overcomes his desire for vengeance.
• The Auspicious Beast displays an unusually blunt, food-focused outlook, treating the dead beast’s fate with startling pragmatism.

Character interactions

• Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King argue over the humans’ responsibility, but neither commits to a fight.
• The Auspicious Beast’s innocent question about food breaks the tension and surprises both sides.
• Xuan Zi and Gao Ren work together to turn the drumsticks into a settlement; the Scarlet King’s reluctance contrasts with the Auspicious Beast’s enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• Humor through contrast: A potentially deadly dispute is resolved by the beasts’ appetite.
• Pragmatism and compromise: The characters accept that the dead cannot be restored and choose a workable alternative.
• Food as a bridge: Gao Ren’s cooking becomes a tool for connection and conflict resolution.

Plot and events

• Gao Ren’s Soul Power is nearly exhausted after preparing more than a thousand Overlord Drumsticks for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and the Scarlet King. Xuan Zi helps him recover enough to finish serving them.
• When the Auspicious Beast approaches Gao Ren, Xuan Zi and the Scarlet King both move to protect him, briefly reviving their earlier tension. She explains that she only wants to meet the human who made the food.
• The Scarlet King reveals that she is the Emperor Auspicious Beast, a unique creature revered by Soul Beasts. Her presence doubles their growth and improves powerful beasts’ chances of breaking through bottlenecks. He warns Shrek that harming her could provoke the entire Star Dou Great Forest—even a Beast Tide against Shrek City.
• Grateful for the meal, the Auspicious Beast offers Gao Ren a Soul Beast as a return gift. Despite the Scarlet King’s objections, Gao Ren accepts and asks for a thousand-year Soul Beast able to cleanse negative conditions.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren remains generous despite his exhaustion and accepts the gift only after the Auspicious Beast insists.
• The Auspicious Beast is curious, self-assured, and earnest; she considers Gao Ren a good person and believes humans and Soul Beasts can be friends.
• Xuan Zi protects Gao Ren and argues that accepting a gift is natural between friends, while also acknowledging the danger of the Scarlet King’s warning.
• The Scarlet King is fiercely protective and distrustful of humans. His discomfort at the Auspicious Beast’s friendly view of them hints that his protection may have sheltered her from human cruelty.
• The group’s initial standoff gives way to a tentative bond, though the Scarlet King remains wary.

Significant themes

• Friendship across opposing groups: Xuan Zi and the Auspicious Beast challenge the assumption that humans and Soul Beasts cannot be friends.
• Reciprocity and generosity: The feast leads naturally to the Auspicious Beast’s offer of a gift.
• Protection versus understanding: The Scarlet King’s devotion keeps the Auspicious Beast safe, but may also limit her understanding of the world.
• The weight of power: The Beast Tide warning shows how one act against the Auspicious Beast could endanger far more than an individual.

Plot points and events

• Gao Ren reveals why he chose a Second Soul Ring that can cleanse negative conditions: he hopes it might ease Mu En’s lingering torment from the Dragon Core’s hidden baleful energy, and it could also help Ma Xiaotao with her Evil Fire.
• The Three-Eyed Golden Lion recognizes that a Purifying Water Swan fits his request and leaves with the Scarlet King to find one.
• While they wait, Shrek’s inner-courtyard students worry the Soul Beasts might return with reinforcements. Xuan Zi reassures them that the Auspicious Beast will keep her promise to repay Gao Ren.
• The Auspicious Beast proposes bringing Gao Ren a ten-thousand-year Purifying Water Swan—not for him to absorb, but to offer its life in Sacrifice, which would rapidly increase his Soul Power.
• She explains that advancing Gao Ren to level thirty sooner would bring him back to the forest sooner for his Third Soul Ring—and, crucially, more Overlord Drumsticks.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren’s choice shows his concern for Mu En and Ma Xiaotao, as well as his practical understanding of his Martial Soul’s potential.
• The Auspicious Beast is revealed as both generous and calculating: her repayment to Gao Ren is motivated partly by her craving for Overlord Drumsticks.
• The Scarlet King is startled by her plan, initially mistaking it for an attempt to kill Gao Ren. He is then caught between loyalty to her and his own appetite for the drumsticks.
• Xuan Zi calmly defends the Auspicious Beast’s sincerity, while the students remain wary of a possible Beast Tide.

Significant themes

• Compassion and repayment: Gao Ren seeks a Soul Ring that may ease others’ suffering, and the Auspicious Beast follows through on her promise to help him.
• Unexpected motives and humor: A seemingly grand act of generosity is also a scheme to secure more food.
• Cooperation across boundaries: Soul Beasts and humans find common ground through trust, mutual benefit, and shared appetites.

Key events

• The Auspicious Beast returns with a ten-thousand-year Purifying Water Swan, despite Gao Ren having asked for a thousand-year Soul Beast.
• Gao Ren cannot safely absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring at his current level. The Auspicious Beast proposes that the swan sacrifice itself, allowing him to absorb the ring safely.
• The swan agrees in exchange for permission for its flock to settle under the Auspicious Beast’s protection. It sacrifices its life and cultivation, leaving Gao Ren with a black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
• The ring’s power raises Gao Ren’s Soul Power from level twenty to level twenty-eight.
• At Xuan Zi’s request, Gao Ren uses his second Soul Skill to create “Pure World Overlord’s Legs.” The group, including the Auspicious Beast and Scarlet King, eagerly shares the food and enjoys its taste.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren is thrilled by his unexpected Soul Ring and rapid advancement. He readily promises to make more drumsticks to keep the Auspicious Beast happy.
• The Auspicious Beast shows practical generosity toward Gao Ren and the swan’s flock, while also making clear that her interest in helping is partly motivated by her appetite for Gao Ren’s cooking.
• The Purifying Water Swan willingly gives its life for Gao Ren, gaining protection and a home for its flock in return.
• The Scarlet King disapproves of the Auspicious Beast aiding humans, but is tempted by the Overlord Drumsticks and ultimately participates in the meal.
• Xuan Zi is delighted by the gift, praises its flavor, and encourages Gao Ren to make more.
• Shrek’s students, led by Zhang Lexuan, watch eagerly as Gao Ren distributes the food.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and mutual benefit: The swan’s self-sacrifice helps Gao Ren while securing safety for its flock.
• Cooperation across factions: The Auspicious Beast arranges an alliance of sorts between Soul Beasts and Shrek Academy.
• Power and responsibility: Gao Ren receives exceptional strength through another being’s sacrifice, while the chapter treats the event with both wonder and lightheartedness.
• Comedy through contrast: Serious matters—death, power, and inter-faction tensions—are repeatedly undercut by the characters’ enthusiastic focus on food.

Plot points and events

• Gao Ren and his companions part from the Auspicious Beast and Scarlet King after he produces more than 50,000 Overlord Drumsticks. The effort leaves him utterly exhausted.
• Xuan Zi gives the Soul Beasts a Storage Soul Tool to keep the food fresh. The gift is also a practical investment: the beasts may help Gao Ren obtain future Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
• Xuan Zi carries Gao Ren back at a steady pace. Gao Ren falls asleep and later wakes in bed with Ma Xiaotao beside him.
• Still too weak to sit up on his own, Gao Ren is helped and fed by Ma Xiaotao. She has made him steamed egg custard with minced Overlord Drumstick and eggs from a Five-Colored Pheasant.
• Gao Ren then tests his second Soul Skill, Pure World Overlord’s Leg, on Ma Xiaotao. As she eats it, the persistent heat from her Evil Fire disappears, and its sinister quality is purified.

Character developments and interactions

• Gao Ren has overtaxed himself far beyond what his current Soul Power should allow, showing both his generosity and his tendency to neglect his own limits. He remains eager to help Ma Xiaotao even while recovering.
• Ma Xiaotao reveals a caring, nurturing side beneath her fiery reputation. She worries about Gao Ren, personally feeds him, and scolds him for pushing himself too hard.
• Xuan Zi supports Gao Ren during the return journey and makes a useful sacrifice by giving up his Storage Soul Tool.
• Gao Ren and Ma Xiaotao’s warm, teasing exchange deepens their closeness. The Auspicious Beast, meanwhile, affectionately says it will miss Gao Ren—and his drumsticks.

Significant themes

• Self-sacrifice and its cost: Gao Ren’s desire to provide for others nearly exhausts him.
• Care expressed through practical acts: Xuan Zi’s gift and Ma Xiaotao’s meal show concern through concrete help.
• Power used to heal: Gao Ren’s new Soul Skill offers hope of relieving Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire, not merely strengthening him.
• Humor amid danger and hardship: The chapter balances Gao Ren’s extreme overwork with playful banter and food-centered jokes.

Chapter summary

• Gao Ren’s Pure World Overlord’s Leg eases Ma Xiaotao’s condition. After eating it, Xiaotao feels healthier than she has in years and joyfully scoops Gao Ren up, kisses his cheek, and leaves a large mark. Gao Ren is overwhelmed by her exuberance.
• Xuan Zi notices the cure is incomplete. He senses that the dish purified the Evil Fire in Xiaotao’s body but only suppressed the fire in her Evil Fire Phoenix. He reasons that her Evil Fire also grants her greater strength, making it a dangerous double-edged power: when it overwhelms her, she loses control.
• The visitors tease Xiaotao. Xuan Zi pulls Gao Ren out of her arms, warning that she is tossing him around too roughly. Gao Wei and Lu Xiaoxiao notice the kiss mark and joke about the “greedy cat” who left it. Embarrassed, Xiaotao claims she needs to cultivate and flies away; the others laugh.
• Gao Ren and Xuan Zi visit Mu En the next morning. Gao Ren asks the elder to try the Pure World Overlord’s Leg, hoping it might help his disability. Mu En doubts it can affect the problem, explaining that Du Bisou’s poison is no longer the real cause. His spine was damaged by the Dragon Core’s violent energy, and it is now so badly set—and Mu En so old—that repairing it could be fatal.
• Mu En eats the dish, then suddenly goes rigid. The chapter ends on this alarming reaction, leaving the result of Gao Ren’s attempt unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Ma Xiaotao is exhilarated by her improvement and openly affectionate toward Gao Ren, but her playful confidence gives way to embarrassment when the others see the kiss mark. Her power remains linked to the same Evil Fire that threatens her self-control.
• Gao Ren is pleased to help Xiaotao and determined to test his ability on Mu En, though he is also the unwilling target of Xiaotao’s enthusiastic affection.
• Xuan Zi acts protectively toward Gao Ren and demonstrates his perceptiveness by sensing the limits of the treatment. He later joins in the teasing.
• Gao Wei and Lu Xiaoxiao provide comic relief, joking about the kiss mark and Xiaotao’s preference for Gao Ren’s cooking.
• Mu En is candid about the severity and true cause of his disability. Despite his skepticism, he agrees to give Gao Ren’s dish a chance.

Significant themes

• Healing has limits: Xiaotao’s symptoms improve, but the underlying danger in her Martial Soul remains; Mu En’s condition may be even harder to treat.
• Power comes with a cost: Xiaotao’s Evil Fire strengthens her while threatening her reason and control.
• Hope versus hard-earned caution: Gao Ren is willing to try, while Mu En understands that age and irreversible damage make recovery uncertain.
• Affection and humor amid serious stakes: The teasing over Xiaotao’s kiss contrasts with the grave risks surrounding both Xiaotao’s condition and Mu En’s disability.