Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Xu Sanshi defeats Shang Yue quickly, giving Shrek Academy another swift victory.
• Wang Yan refuses to let the team stay and watch the other matches, preferring to scout the opponents himself and keep the students from feeling pressured.
• Ning Tian proposes watching from a nearby rooftop instead. Lu Yi disguises the team’s green uniforms as black clothes with a spell, and they fly up to observe discreetly.
• Using Ning Tian’s telescope and Huo Yuhao’s shared Soul Skill, the team watches Zhengtian Academy defeat Qianling Academy. Zhengtian’s three Soul Kings overwhelm Qianling’s formation, and Qianling eventually concedes.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi shows his preference for preparation and improvises a way around Wang Yan’s restriction, while keeping his magical abilities useful—and briefly resisting the temptation to prank Xu Sanshi.
• Ning Tian acts resourcefully, finding a way for the team to observe without returning to the venue.
• Wang Yan’s decision reflects his concern for the team’s morale, though he does not explain his reasoning to them.
• The match unsettles the group: Xu Sanshi is shocked by Zhengtian’s strength, and Wang Dong openly acknowledges the gap between the younger members and stronger opponents.
• Bei Bei, acting as captain, encourages the team by pointing to the potential of Lu Yi and Huo Yuhao’s abilities combined with Ning Tian’s support.

Significant themes

• Preparation and information: Lu Yi believes scouting is essential, even when authority prevents it.
• Morale versus honesty: Wang Yan tries to shield the team from discouragement, while seeing the opponents’ strength gives them a clearer understanding of the challenge.
• Teamwork and uneven strengths: The team may be outmatched in individual bouts and the two-two-three format, but their combined abilities could offer an advantage in team battles.

Key plot points and events

• After the team’s first group matches, they return to the hotel to train. Lu Yi practices with Huo Yuhao and learns how to earn credits by perfectly timing Occlumency against Soul Shock.
• Lu Yi upgrades Legilimency’s thought-reading efficiency and Occlumency’s mental-barrier strength. Better sensitivity to Huo Yuhao’s emotions helps him predict attacks, while faster, stronger defenses make his blocks more reliable.
• Wang Yan announces a team outing. Xu Sanshi assumes it will be a pleasure venue and jokes about his own romantic frustration; Lu Yi teases him before they head downstairs.
• Wang Yan takes the group to the Starlight Auction House to buy suitable Soul Tools for the upcoming matches, with the Academy covering reasonable costs.
• Wang Dong refuses to join, believing that power gained through her Martial Soul is the only power that truly belongs to her. Wang Yan accepts her decision.
• At the auction house, Wang Yan presents his admission card, but Lu Yi produces a black Starlight Auction House card of his own.

Character development and interactions

• Lu Yi becomes more effective at both reading and resisting mental attacks, and is increasingly pleased to have Huo Yuhao as a training partner. His wealth and auction-house access also suggest he is better equipped than the others realize.
• Huo Yuhao serves as Lu Yi’s repeated practice partner, helping him refine his timing and improve his abilities.
• Xu Sanshi is teased by Lu Yi for being more lovesick than he admits. His experience training with Lu Yi has also turned him from a Soul Tool skeptic into a strong advocate of defensive equipment.
• Wang Yan acts as a practical mentor, arguing that Soul Tools can protect the team and arranging for the Academy to pay for them.
• Wang Dong remains resistant to Soul Tools and leaves rather than compromise her beliefs.
• Jiang Nannan says little, but worries about the expense until Wang Yan explains that the Academy will pay.

Significant themes

• Complementary strength: Soul Tools can reinforce a Soul Master’s natural abilities and offer protection, even to those initially reluctant to use them.
• Practice and adaptation: Lu Yi’s progress comes from refining timing and turning mental sensitivity into a defensive advantage.
• Personal conviction versus practical necessity: Wang Dong’s rejection of Soul Tools contrasts with Wang Yan’s and Xu Sanshi’s belief that they can be essential in battle.
• Preparation for competition: The outing is a strategic effort to equip the team before more important matches.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Yi presents a black super-VIP card from the Nine Treasures Pavilion, allowing the group to enter Starlight Auction House. Wang Yan chooses the Level Two Auction, which features Soul Tools from Level 4 upward.
• The group is shown to a private box, where they can observe the stage and submit bids discreetly.
• The first lot is a Level 4 Soul-Breaking Sword from the Sun Moon Empire. Its ability to pierce Soul Power defenses attracts several bids.
• Lu Yi points out that the sword could complement Xu Sanshi’s shield-based fighting style. Wang Yan bids 30,000 Gold Soul Coins and wins it, both for Xu Sanshi’s potential use and for Shrek’s Soul Tool Department to study.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi’s resources and connections continue to surprise Wang Yan. Lu Yi credits Ning Tian for giving him the card, and she responds graciously.
• Wang Yan takes responsibility for the group’s auction choices and sees the sword as a useful investment, even though Xu Sanshi is unsure about learning to use it.
• Lu Yi advises Xu Sanshi to combine a sword with his shield, drawing on his own experience using a weapon alongside a defensive tool.
• Xu Sanshi’s pride—especially in front of Jiang Nannan—turns his hesitation into a boast that he will become a “Sword Saint.” Jiang Nannan punctures his bravado with a teasing insult.
• The group’s reactions establish their contrasting attitudes: Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan are curious about the lavish auction, while Xu Sanshi is distracted by the hostess.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and teamwork: The sword may help Xu Sanshi broaden his defensive fighting style and contribute more offensively.
• Practical learning and innovation: Shrek values acquiring foreign Soul Tool technology as well as equipment for immediate use.
• Pride and teasing: Xu Sanshi’s confidence is both comic and motivating, while Jiang Nannan’s mockery keeps it in check.
• Connections and resources: Lu Yi’s access, enabled by Ning Tian’s earlier help, gives the team opportunities they would otherwise lack.

Plot points and events

• At the auction, Wang Yan bids selectively on Soul Tools, but the early Level 5 items are beyond the practical reach of the lower-level students. Ning Tian shows no interest, since she cannot use the equipment and her family already has plenty.
• Bei Bei is tempted by the Level 5 Skull-Crushing Gauntlets, which suit close-combat Beast Martial Soul users. Wang Yan bids 200,000 Gold Soul Coins—near his spending limit for a Level 5 item—and secures them for the group. Bei Bei offers to pay half, but Wang Yan refuses to raise the already high price.
• The group jokes about the many Sun Moon Empire products at the auction. The mood shifts when five Level 5 Invincible Shields are introduced: each can be activated with little Soul Power and provides Soul Douluo-level defense for three seconds.
• In another private room, Xiao Hongchen recognizes the shields as Virtue Hall technology and angrily suspects that someone inside the empire has leaked or sold its secrets. Meng Hongchen points out that anti-disassembly safeguards make the shields difficult to study and suggests buying them for the empire’s reserves. Xiao agrees and orders Elder Ma to bid; the opening bid of 300,000 Gold Soul Coins is placed.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Sanshi remains oblivious to Jiang Nannan’s clear lack of affection, interpreting any response from her as encouragement. The others are embarrassed by his behavior, while Bei Bei continues to tease him.
• Wang Yan acts as a cautious, responsible purchaser, balancing the students’ needs against the Academy’s budget. Bei Bei shows generosity and commitment by offering to contribute his own money.
• Xiao Hongchen’s fierce loyalty to the Sun Moon Empire—and his quick suspicion of internal betrayal—comes to the fore. Meng Hongchen responds with practical calm, tempering his anger with a measured assessment of the risk.

Significant themes

• Practical value versus cost: Wang Yan weighs usefulness against price, while the Invincible Shields’ steep cost tests how much teams value a brief but exceptional defensive advantage.
• Technology and state secrets: The auction exposes how military technology can circulate beyond its intended owners, raising questions of security, loyalty, and profiteering.
• Contrasting temperaments: Wang Yan and Meng favor restraint and calculation, while Xiao reacts with intense emotion; Xu Sanshi’s self-deception provides a comic counterpoint.

Plot points and events

• Ning Tian joins the bidding for an Invincible Shield, a defensive Soul Tool especially valuable to a support-type Soul Master. Despite Wang Yan’s warning that the price has climbed far beyond its worth, she keeps bidding because her sect prioritizes survival.
• The shield sells to another VIP box for one million Gold Soul Coins. Elder Ma suspects the auction house used a shill to inflate the price, and deliberately stops bidding rather than continue playing along.
• Wang Yan buys several items for study, including a Level 5 Milk Bottle that stores and replenishes Soul Power.
• The auction’s final lot is the Indestructible, presented as a Level 6 defensive shield. Its unusually efficient defense and ability to use energy from a Milk Bottle suggest it is effectively a Level 7 Soul Tool disguised to evade export restrictions.
• Xiao Hongchen suspects the shield was made by Zheng Zhan, the “Unbreakable Douluo,” and criticizes him for profiting from technology leaks. Elder Ma fears the auction is designed to pit the Sun Moon Empire’s factions against one another.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Tian shows confidence and practical judgment: she values dependable protection over saving money, explaining that wealth is useless if she cannot survive.
• Wang Yan initially considers her purchase wasteful, but accepts that her sect’s long-standing survival strategy gives her a sound reason.
• Elder Ma grows increasingly suspicious of the auction and its motives, while Xiao Hongchen openly condemns the suspected leak of sensitive Soul Tool technology.
• The bidding and the final shield sharpen tensions between the auction’s buyers, the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Engineers, and the factions controlling advanced technology.

Significant themes

• Survival versus economy: Ning Tian’s defense-first philosophy contrasts with Wang Yan’s concern about overspending.
• Technology, profit, and control: Soul Tools are both lucrative commodities and strategic assets, making their sale and leakage politically dangerous.
• Deception and rivalry: The inflated bidding and suspicious final lot suggest the auction may be manipulating competition between rival groups.

Plot points and events

• The Starlight Auction House, aware that the Sun Moon Empire’s team was present, added a few items to the auction. Shrek’s group soon became the major bidders.
• A Soul Tool Shield that could be powered by a Level 5 Milk Bottle drew fierce interest. Lu Yi made a modest bid, but Ning Tian abruptly raised the price to two million Gold Soul Coins. When Booth No. 1 countered, she won the shield with a final bid of three million.
• The Shrek group collected its purchases. Ning Tian had also bought five Indestructible Shields and paid four million in total for her defensive equipment.
• Ning Tian lent the expensive shield to Lu Yi. Wang Yan gave him a Level 5 Milk Bottle to power it and planned to acquire more for the team.
• Shrek’s group left to rest before its match the next day, where it would face a team with a Soul King. The Sun Moon Team saw them depart and mocked their costly purchases as evidence of fear.

Character development and interactions

• Ning Tian shows confidence and generosity, spending her own money to secure equipment and lending Lu Yi the shield. Her forceful bidding earns her teasing praise as a “bossy CEO.” She is embarrassed when Lu Yi jokes that she may expect a romantic relationship in return.
• Lu Yi tries to win the shield cheaply, then accepts Ning Tian’s loan with gratitude. He jokes with her and quickly smooths over her mock irritation by flattering Xu Sanshi.
• Xu Sanshi boasts about the shield and his ability to teach Lu Yi how to use it, but immediately grovels when Ning Tian threatens to withhold her support in the team battle.
• Wang Yan recognizes the shield’s technological importance and prioritizes studying new Soul Tools for Shrek. He also helps Lu Yi fit the Milk Bottle and offers to equip the team with more.
• Bei Bei teases Xu Sanshi, while Jiang Nannan responds to his antics with familiar exasperation. The booth’s joking reinforces the team’s camaraderie.
• Xiao Hongchen ridicules Shrek for buying defensive equipment, but his sister points out that the Sun Moon Team has even more. His defensive reply exposes the inconsistency in his taunt.

Significant themes

• Practical preparation and innovation: The shield-and-Milk-Bottle combination broadens who can use powerful defensive equipment, while Wang Yan sees value in studying its technology.
• Generosity and teamwork: Ning Tian’s loan and Wang Yan’s equipment support show the group investing in one another ahead of competition.
• Rivalry and pride: The auction becomes an indirect contest between Shrek and the Sun Moon Team, whose mutual judgments reveal their competitive hostility.

Key plot points and events

• The second-round match between Shrek Academy and Qianling Academy is drawn as a team battle. Both captains—and the spectators—are relieved, expecting a full-team clash.
• Shrek takes an apparently ordinary formation, with Huo Yuhao near the back and Lu Yi, holding a small wooden stick, at the center. Qianling fields four shield-bearing defenders, its Soul King captain Shen Ce, and two controllers specializing in ice and fire.
• Qianling prepares a coordinated assault: An Lengye reinforces the shield wall and chills the arena, while Fei Yuyan adds fire to Shen Ce’s spear and merges her Blazing Tiger with it. Shen Ce believes Shrek has clustered together and that his powered-up strike can defeat the team at once.
• When Qianling’s defenders open their formation to give Shen Ce a clear shot, the arena in front of him is empty. The chapter ends on the question of where Shrek has gone.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ce grows confident as Qianling’s plan comes together, interpreting Shrek’s formation as an opportunity to win with one decisive blow.
• Fei Yuyan and An Lengye demonstrate coordinated teamwork, combining fire and ice support with the defense line.
• Huo Yuhao draws the opposition’s attention simply by being Shrek’s famed prodigy, while Lu Yi is overlooked despite occupying the formation’s center.
• The closing reveal suggests Shrek’s apparent passivity and clustering were a deliberate setup, though their actual move is not yet shown.

Significant themes

• Perception versus reality: Qianling mistakes Shrek’s formation and apparent inaction for vulnerability.
• Teamwork and coordination: Qianling’s attack depends on carefully synchronized roles; Shrek’s own formation hints at a coordinated counter.
• Reputation and visibility: Huo Yuhao’s fame dominates attention, leaving Lu Yi unnoticed—and potentially obscuring Shrek’s real strategy.

Key plot points and events

• Shrek’s seven-member team uses Lu Yi’s wooden staff to make the entire group invisible, leaving Qianling Team unable to see or target them.
• Shen Ce is knocked unconscious by an unseen attack. The Shrek members then move through Qianling’s formation, striking each opponent down in a matter of moments.
• The referee eventually confirms Shrek’s victory. The crowd is stunned by the team’s disappearance and swift attack.
• The Sun Moon Team realizes Shrek’s ability could be a major obstacle, but Elder Ma and captain Ma Rulong steady the team by noting that the fighters remain physically present and that the tournament includes more than team battles. They expect to investigate countermeasures before the Finals.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi enjoys becoming the focus of attention after previously being overlooked; he reflects that turning invisible has made him newly famous.
• Xiao Hongchen is angered and unsettled by Shrek’s strength, especially after realizing he had underestimated Lu Yi. He asks Elder Ma to assess the match.
• Elder Ma recognizes that Shrek’s members are invisible rather than absent, and urges the Sun Moon Team not to lose confidence.
• Ma Rulong supports Elder Ma’s assessment, helping the team regain its composure.
• Xu Sanshi excitedly recalls standing unnoticed before an opponent, but Bei Bei reminds him that Huo Yuhao’s detection ability still worked while the team was invisible. The others confirm they witnessed Xu Sanshi’s embarrassing moment, leaving him awkward.

Significant themes

• Perception and visibility: The match turns on the difference between being unseen and being absent; Shrek’s invisibility makes them frighteningly difficult to fight.
• Composure under pressure: The Sun Moon Team’s recovery shows that keeping perspective and preparing countermeasures matter as much as raw power.
• Recognition and status: Lu Yi’s transformation from unnoticed “wallflower” to the center of attention mirrors the chapter’s focus on how visibility shapes reputation.

Plot and events

• After Shrek’s easy win over Qianling Academy, Wang Yan warns that Zhengtian Academy—the group’s strongest team, with three Soul Kings—will be a far more dangerous opponent. Both sides recognize that Lu Yi’s Group Invisibility could decide a team battle, but the draw produces the two-two-three format instead.
• Zhengtian captain Ye Wuqing taunts Shrek, suggesting they send Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, whom he suspects are not as powerful as they claim. Shrek cannot accept without exposing their secret.
• Wang Yan proposes forfeiting to protect the team, but Bei Bei refuses to retreat without a fight. Given command, he rallies the team and begins choosing lineups strategically.
• Bei Bei sends Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan into the opening two-on-two match. Their opponents are Angel Martial Soul wielder Yu Mengdi, a powerful Soul King, and an agility-type Soul Master.
• Lu Yi recalls that Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan are expected to win despite being outmatched. He also predicts Ye Wuqing will hold back until the final three-on-three match, leaving the Purple Splendor Bow Soul King for the second match—a matchup Lu Yi believes favors his own abilities.

Character development and interactions

• Wang Yan remains cautious despite the team’s previous victory and prioritizes his students’ safety, even proposing a forfeit.
• Bei Bei shows resolve and leadership, taking responsibility for the match and urging his teammates to fight. He also uses strategic reasoning to anticipate Zhengtian’s lineup.
• Xu Sanshi sets aside his usual frivolity and promises Jiang Nannan he will win, reflecting his serious commitment.
• Lu Yi stays pragmatic rather than driven by abstract honor, but respects Bei Bei’s willingness to face a stronger opponent. His knowledge of likely events helps him assess the coming match.
• Ye Wuqing probes Shrek’s weakness with a pointed challenge, while Zhengtian’s restraint and Shrek’s lineup choices create a contest of strategy.

Significant themes

• Honor versus survival: Bei Bei values facing the challenge; Wang Yan favors conserving strength and avoiding unnecessary danger.
• Strategy and uncertainty: The match format, concealed abilities, and opponents’ likely lineups force both teams to plan around incomplete information.
• Courage under pressure: Xu Sanshi and the team commit to fighting despite Zhengtian’s clear advantage in cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Shrek’s team discusses its lineup for the second match. Bei Bei initially plans to have Wang Dong and Ning Tian concede, saving their strengths and pairing Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection with Lu Yi’s Invisibility.
• Lu Yi challenges this cautious approach, arguing that Shrek’s hidden fighters should make the opposition more nervous. He asks Bei Bei to partner with him, and Bei Bei accepts.
• Meanwhile, Xu Sanshi awakens Black Tortoise Power during the first match. His new strength overwhelms the opposing Soul King, and Jiang Nannan knocks her out of the arena. Xu Sanshi then helps eliminate the second opponent, securing Shrek’s victory.
• Xu Sanshi theatrically pretends to collapse after the win, amusing Lu Yi, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao, while Jiang Nannan rushes to support him.
• Zhengtian Academy, shaken by its loss, changes its lineup for the second match. Captain Ye Wuqing enters with Shangguan Can. He believes Shrek has made a mistake by sending Lu Yi and Bei Bei rather than its expected Soul Emperors, and prepares to counter Lu Yi’s Invisibility.

Character developments and interactions

• Bei Bei shifts from cautious strategic planning to trusting Lu Yi’s confidence and judgment.
• Lu Yi shows unusual self-assurance and takes the initiative in shaping the team’s strategy.
• Wang Dong is disappointed at being told to sit out but obeys Bei Bei out of duty and loyalty. Ning Tian accepts the decision calmly.
• Xu Sanshi achieves a major breakthrough by awakening Black Tortoise Power, while his exaggerated “collapse” reveals his playful, theatrical side. Jiang Nannan’s immediate concern shows her care for him.
• Ye Wuqing responds to Zhengtian’s crisis by taking control of the lineup and approaching the second match with confidence, unaware of Lu Yi’s full potential.

Significant themes

• Adaptability and strategy: Both sides revise their plans as the competition’s results alter the stakes.
• Trust and teamwork: Bei Bei must balance tactical caution with faith in his teammates; his trust in Lu Yi changes the plan.
• Hidden strength and misjudgment: Lu Yi’s confidence and Xu Sanshi’s sudden awakening demonstrate that appearances and prior expectations can be misleading.
• Pressure and momentum: Shrek’s first-match victory lifts its morale, while Zhengtian’s defeat forces it into a high-stakes gamble.

Key plot points and events

• In the tournament match between Shrek Academy’s Bei Bei and Lu Yi and Zhengtian Academy’s Ye Wuqing and Shangguan Can, Lu Yi makes himself and Bei Bei invisible with Disillusionment.
• Zhengtian’s fighters respond with a defensive strategy: Ye Wuqing spins explosive Golden Leaves into a wide tornado to keep Bei Bei at a distance, while Shangguan Can uses the Soul-Seizing Bell to disrupt the Shrek pair’s minds.
• Lu Yi judges the bell attack too weak to decide the match and fires binding spells at both opponents. One hits a Golden Leaf and triggers an explosion, prompting Ye Wuqing to identify Lu Yi’s position and bombard him with leaves.
• Protected by his shield and its Soul Power supply, Lu Yi withstands the barrage. Meanwhile, Bei Bei breaks through the thinning leaf barrier and strikes Ye Wuqing, disrupting his control of the tornado.
• Ye Wuqing activates his powerful golden left hand and uses an explosive leaf to halt Bei Bei. As Ye Wuqing prepares to regain control, he suddenly becomes rigid. Lu Yi appears to have caught him with another spell, ending the chapter with “Oppugno!”

Character developments

• Lu Yi remains cautious and tactical: he uses invisibility, ranged spells, and his shield rather than risking a direct approach. His confidence in handling Shangguan Can’s mental attacks contrasts with his careful response to Ye Wuqing’s lethal counterattack.
• Bei Bei shows adaptability and precision. He exploits the brief opening in Ye Wuqing’s leaf defense, using coordinated techniques to break through without triggering the explosive leaves.
• Ye Wuqing proves quick-thinking and formidable, rapidly tracing Lu Yi’s attack and countering it. His control falters only when Bei Bei disrupts his focus.
• Shangguan Can supports the strategy with persistent mental pressure, but the sound attack does not immediately force Shrek out of invisibility.

Significant themes

• Tactics and counter-tactics: Zhengtian’s plan is built around Shrek’s presumed close-combat strength, but Lu Yi and Bei Bei adapt to the layered defense.
• Teamwork under pressure: Lu Yi’s ranged protection and Bei Bei’s opening assault create the conditions for each other’s attacks.
• Perception and misdirection: Invisibility conceals Shrek’s movements, but sound, explosions, and careful observation help Zhengtian infer their positions.
• Power versus control: Ye Wuqing’s strength depends on maintaining control of his leaves; a single well-timed disruption turns his defense into falling debris.

Character interactions

• Lu Yi and Bei Bei coordinate verbally while invisible, with Lu Yi proposing that they target Shangguan Can.
• Ye Wuqing protects Shangguan Can with the Golden Leaf Tornado, while Shangguan Can’s bell pressures Bei Bei and supports Ye Wuqing’s attacks.
• Bei Bei’s strike disrupts Ye Wuqing’s control, indirectly relieving pressure on Lu Yi. Lu Yi then appears to seize the opportunity to immobilize Ye Wuqing with Oppugno.

Summary

• Shrek defeats Zhengtian Academy: Lu Yi turns Ye Wuqing’s Golden Leaf weapons against their creator, using Ye’s own Soul Skill to eliminate him despite the huge gap in strength. While Shangguan Can is distracted, Bei Bei closes in and beats him until Ye regains control and surrenders. Shrek wins the match—and the overall contest—two to zero.
• Shrek’s confidence grows: Bei Bei praises Lu Yi’s quick thinking, and Lu Yi jokes that he was merely returning Ye’s “lost property.” Their good-natured exchange reflects their growing teamwork. Their victory also convinces supervising teacher Wang Yan that the Reserve Team can carry Shrek through the group stage, even without its injured Main Team members.
• The team’s tournament run: Ling Luochен recovers in time to compete and, in her return match against Changning Academy, defeats six opponents in succession. Her opponents surrender before the final bout rather than risk making her a rare seven-opponent victor. The passage also notes that some spectators resent Lu Yi’s invisibility for making matches hard to watch, but officials ignore petitions to restrict him.
• Undefeated advance: Shrek continues training and reaches the Elimination Tournament with seven wins and no losses. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng have also recovered. Shrek’s next opponent is Dou Ling Royal Academy, and the knockout-stage format will span two days, with a team match and an individual match.
• New development: As the team discusses the upcoming contest, a visitor delivers eleven invitations to the Top-Tier Auction.

Character developments and themes

Lu Yi’s tactical ingenuity and extraordinary ability to overcome stronger opponents become increasingly central to Shrek’s success. Bei Bei channels his frustration with Shangguan Can’s bells into a decisive attack, while Wang Yan shifts from fearing defeat to trusting the Reserve Team. Ling Luochен’s return demonstrates Shrek’s depth.
The chapter emphasizes resourcefulness, teamwork, and rising confidence, while also showing how tournament success brings fame—and how spectacular victories can turn opponents into reluctant stepping stones.

Key plot points and events

• Shrek’s team receives invitations to Starlight Auction House’s exclusive top-tier auction, held only once or twice a year. Wang Yan allows everyone to attend, reminding them to behave and keep the event from affecting the next day’s match.
• Lu Yi reflects on the Snow Empress Embryo, whose nearly seven hundred thousand years of cultivation could be lost if she self-destructs without Electrolux’s seal. He has no personal claim to her, but regrets the possible waste.
• The group arrives at the auction house and is escorted through advanced security into a lavish private room in Hall One. The auction is broadcast on a large Light-Guiding Screen, a display technology that fascinates the others and prompts Lu Yi to consider the Sun Moon Empire’s technological lead.
• As the auction begins, the screen reveals Xu Jiujiu, the Star Luo princess and the auction house’s sole Gold Level auctioneer. The first lot is introduced: a rank-eight close-combat Soul Tool, the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong, who avoided the previous Soul Tool auction, is eager to attend because this event is not focused on Soul Tools.
• Lu Yi’s curiosity and concern about the Snow Empress show his interest in the consequences of her fate, despite having no direct stake in it.
• The red-dressed auctioneer respectfully guides the Shrek delegation and chats with Wang Yan. Her poise leaves him bashful, which the students notice but discreetly leave alone.
• The team responds with excitement to the invitation and amazement at the Light-Guiding Screen, while Lu Yi views the technology more critically and compares it with what he knows.

Significant themes

• Technology and unequal progress: The auction’s security and display systems highlight the Sun Moon Empire’s technological advantage.
• Privacy and prestige: The private-room format protects wealthy guests’ identities and underscores the exclusivity of the top-tier auction.
• Power and potential loss: Lu Yi’s thoughts about the Snow Empress raise the possibility that an immense power may be squandered.
• A brief respite from competition: The auction offers the team a chance to relax, though Wang Yan stresses that their tournament responsibilities still come first.

Key plot points and events

• The auction opens with a Level 8 Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade, which contains a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Bone and a fixed Tyrant Blade Slash skill. Its bidding climbs to 1.56 million Gold Soul Coins, and Dai Yueheng wins it.
• The next lot is a set of twelve Level 6 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells. Ning Tian quickly secures them for 800,000 Gold Soul Coins, hoping they can be used for research by her sect.
• Ning Tian then spends nearly twenty million Gold Soul Coins to buy two high-quality Soul Bones, demonstrating how dramatically wealth can shape the auction.
• The chapter ends as the eighth lot appears: a green Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone containing the Ice Explosion skill, which Lu Yi recognizes.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Yueheng reveals that he has saved money through years of work as an inspector and is careful with his bids. Despite his usual frugality, he pushes hard to acquire the blade, which suits his fighting style. He and Ma Xiaotao trade barbs over whether she would borrow it.
• Ma Xiaotao realizes she is far poorer than the others. Unlike Dai, she has taken few inspection missions, partly because of her unstable Evil Fire, and has not used her position to earn extra money.
• Ning Tian emerges as the room’s most powerful bidder, spending freely on equipment and Soul Bones. Her interest in the cannon shells is practical: she considers how they might benefit her sect’s Soul Tool research.
• Lu Yi understands that Ning Tian’s comments about the auction are not boastful; her wealth simply gives her different expectations. Their exchange reveals her concerns about her sect’s limited progress and the risks of letting its members experiment with powerful weapons.
• The auctioneer’s enthusiasm grows as the spending rises, since she earns a commission from the room’s purchases.

Significant themes

• Money as power: At the auction, wealth can outweigh cultivation and combat strength, allowing Ning Tian to dominate the proceedings.
• Different relationships with wealth: Dai’s hard-earned savings contrast with Ning Tian’s vast resources and Ma Xiaotao’s lack of money.
• Practical use versus spectacle: Ning Tian initially considers the cannon shells as research tools, not weapons for casual use, reflecting both her strategic thinking and concern for her sect’s safety.

Key plot points and events

• An Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, more than fifty thousand years old and carrying an Ultimate Ice attribute, is presented at auction. Ling Luochen hopes it will help her pure Ice Martial Soul reach Ultimate Ice.
• Huo Yuhao warns that the bone is unsuitable for ordinary ice-attribute Soul Masters: only someone whose Martial Soul is already Ultimate Ice can absorb it. He demonstrates his own Ice Jade Scorpion marking, and Wang Yan urges the auction house to investigate.
• Xu Jiujiu pauses the lot to protect the auction house’s reputation. Although the Soul Bone is later assigned an absurd thirty-million-coin price, the bidding is effectively the auction house salvaging the lot rather than a genuine sale. Ling Luochen remains disappointed and doubts Huo Yuhao’s warning; Lu Yi recognizes that the bone was meant for Huo Yuhao and could badly harm her.
• Xu Jiujiu then unveils the final lot: the Snow Empress Embryo, a captured, nearly seven-hundred-thousand-year-old beast in human-form cultivation. Its advertised potential—including a Soul Ring, Soul Bone, and possibly a Second Martial Soul—stuns the audience.
• The auction house allows a thirty-minute break before bidding. Ning Tian tells Wang Yan she is stepping out for fresh air.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao speaks with confidence about the Soul Bone’s danger, relying on the Ice Empress’s knowledge and his own connection to the Ice Jade Scorpion.
• Ling Luochen reveals how strongly she wants to advance her Martial Soul, but her disappointment makes her reluctant to accept the warning.
• Wang Yan trusts Huo Yuhao and backs him publicly, while remaining unaware of the private significance Lu Yi sees in the bone.
• Xu Jiujiu balances the auction house’s ambitious financial scheme with the need to preserve its reputation. The warning forces her to suspend her plan and verify the lot.
• Lu Yi understands the Soul Bone is a reserved opportunity for Huo Yuhao and anticipates the consequences if Ling Luochen tries to absorb it. He also wonders whether the Embryo’s promised Second Martial Soul could reproduce what happened with Huo Yuhao.
• Ning Tian quietly leaves the room, setting up an unexplained move ahead of the final auction.

Significant themes

• Power and compatibility: A rare, powerful Soul Bone is not beneficial to everyone; the wrong match can be dangerous.
• Trust and reputation: Huo Yuhao’s warning disrupts the auction’s strategy, while Xu Jiujiu prioritizes the institution’s credibility over an immediate sale.
• Ambition and manipulation: The Star Luo Empire uses the auction—and favorable Soul Tool loans—to pressure the Sun Moon team into spending heavily before the final lot.
• The limits of knowledge and possibility: The Snow Empress Embryo’s claimed potential challenges what even experts believe is possible, prompting Lu Yi to question whether Huo Yuhao’s unusual experience can be repeated.

Key plot points and events

• At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Xiao Hongchen has sold nearly a hundred of his Soul Tools to finance a bid on the upcoming Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo. He regrets missing the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, which would have suited Meng Hongchen, but remains intent on winning the Embryo.
• In Booth No. 7, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei visits the Shrek team. Though he presents the visit as personal, he is seeking to strengthen ties with Shrek in case of conflict with the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Jiawei reveals that he won the Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone. If Shrek takes the tournament championship, the prize will include that Bone as well as the original three Soul Bones—and the team may choose its prizes themselves.
• He openly welcomes Huo Yuhao, a Star Luo subject, and singles out Lu Yi for praise, inviting him to visit the empire.
• Back in Booth No. 1, Xu Jiawei explains to his sister, Xu Jiujiu, why Lu Yi particularly interests him: Shrek’s investigation of other contestants turned up their backgrounds, but Lu Yi’s file is nearly blank, suggesting Shrek has deliberately concealed his origins.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Hongchen sacrifices his stock of Soul Tools for a chance at the Embryo, rationalizing that the exchange may prevent Level 9 technology from leaking. His ambition to become the continent’s greatest young talent outweighs his unease about the cost.
• Meng Hongchen misses a Soul Bone that would have complemented her ice-and-poison abilities.
• Xu Jiawei shifts from friendly host to strategic recruiter, using generous prizes and personal appeals to court Shrek’s strongest members.
• Huo Yuhao is surprised by the emperor’s attention and encouragement.
• Lu Yi becomes the focus of Xu Jiawei’s curiosity because his abilities impress him while his past remains unexplained.
• Xu Jiujiu questions her brother’s interest; he answers by emphasizing both Shrek’s political importance and the mystery surrounding Lu Yi.

Significant themes

• Ambition and sacrifice: Xiao Hongchen gives up valuable resources to pursue power and distinction.
• Political maneuvering: The auction and tournament serve as tools for alliances and influence, not merely competition.
• Secrecy and suspicion: Lu Yi’s obscured identity makes him more valuable—and more concerning—to Xu Jiawei.
• Competition as a fuse: Xu Jiawei sees the Soul Beast Embryo auction as a spark that could ignite tensions among powerful factions.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Jiawei warns his sister, Xu Jiujiu, not to underestimate Lu Yi. Though Lu Yi uses invisibility, Jiawei believes his strength is exceptional. Jiujiu remains skeptical and says she would test him if they met.
• Jiujiu receives a message that the Sun Moon Team has taken the bait.
• At the auction, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo’s price rises rapidly. Xiao Hongchen bids 150 million Gold Soul Coins, outbidding Yu Tao and Lang Ya, who had spent nearly all their resources to secure it.
• Angered, Yu Tao threatens the bidder. Lang Ya uses mental control to send an auctioneer and attendants to identify the buyers. The auction house discreetly reveals that the bidders are in VIP Room Two, where the Sun Moon Team is seated.
• The Sun Moon Team realizes the embryo will be dangerous to transport, even if they win, and plans to use Virtue Hall’s secret routes to return home.
• An anonymous bidder raises the offer to 160 million. Xiao Hongchen, consumed by desperation, pushes it to 170 million despite his team having only 160 million available.
• When warned that they cannot afford more, Xiao proposes selling the Sword of Judgment and the Chapter of Sacrifice—powerful Soul Tools intended for captain Ma Rulong. Meng Hongchen sarcastically suggests selling every Soul Tool and walking home after winning the tournament.

Character developments

• Xu Jiawei shows perceptiveness and confidence in judging Lu Yi’s strength, while Xu Jiujiu is proud and eager to challenge him despite knowing little firsthand.
• Xiao Hongchen becomes increasingly reckless and fixated on winning the embryo, ignoring his companions’ warnings and risking valuable equipment.
• Meng Hongchen tries to restrain her brother, then shifts to sharp, sarcastic humor to expose the absurdity of his plan.
• Elder Ma acts as a practical voice of caution, reminding Xiao that the team has reached its financial limit.
• Yu Tao reacts with open fury to being outbid, while Lang Ya remains calculating and turns to coercion rather than accepting defeat.

Significant themes

• Greed and obsession: Xiao’s determination to win overrides financial limits and sound judgment.
• Power beyond formal rules: The auction is only one stage; afterward, possession may depend on force, as Lang Ya’s plans make clear.
• Political rivalry and trust: The Sun Moon Team cannot rely on credit in Star Luo because of the empires’ hostility.
• Public strength versus hidden ability: Lu Yi’s invisibility leads Jiujiu to doubt him, while Jiawei argues that appearances conceal his true power.

Character interactions

• Jiawei cautions Jiujiu about Lu Yi; she challenges his assessment and expresses a desire to test Lu Yi herself.
• Yu Tao vents his anger at the unknown bidder, while Lang Ya quietly takes action to identify them.
• Meng Hongchen and Elder Ma urge Xiao to stop bidding; Xiao rejects their advice and proposes sacrificing the team’s weapons.
• Meng’s final sarcastic remark underlines the consequences of Xiao’s obsession and the strain it places on the team.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Hongchen pushes Virtue Hall to keep bidding for the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo. Elder Ma sets a hard limit of 170 million Gold Soul Coins and refuses to include the Sword of Judgment; the team pools its money to reach that ceiling.
• Their bid is beaten by Shrek’s VIP Room Seven, whose final offer of 175 million wins the embryo. Xiao collapses in dismay, while the Virtue Hall team quietly retrieves the money and valuables it had assembled.
• Xu Jiujiu regrets letting the bidding continue, since Shrek’s purchase disrupts her and her brother’s plan to place a bounty on the embryo. The auction house still benefits by acquiring Virtue Hall Soul Tools at a discount.
• Ning Tian’s purchase, alongside her earlier lots, brings her spending to nearly 200 million Gold Soul Coins and earns her Gold Level VIP status. After the auction, she receives the embryo in a special storage tool and orders Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect guards to rush it safely back to the sect.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Hongchen remains impulsive and fixated on winning, while Elder Ma is anxious about being held responsible for his behavior. Meng Hongchen acts as the sensible counterweight, helping prevent further trouble.
• Ning Tian reveals both her immense access to the sect’s wealth and her determination to pursue the embryo for the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. She has already summoned reinforcements and swiftly takes charge of securing the prize.
• Lu Yi warns Ning Tian that the embryo is dangerous to possess. He knows her hoped-for method of using it to help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolve cannot work, but cannot explain why.
• Xu Jiujiu is frustrated that the auction’s outcome has spoiled her plans, though the sale still brings the Starlight Auction House a profitable deal.

Significant themes

• Ambition and obsession: The sect’s centuries-long hope of overcoming the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s limits makes Ning Tian willing to pay an enormous price.
• Power, wealth, and responsibility: Virtue Hall has great resources, but its funds are constrained by institutional control; Ning Tian can draw on the concentrated wealth of her clan. Xiao’s recklessness, meanwhile, burdens his elders and teammates.
• Dangerous knowledge and hidden stakes: The embryo is coveted by powerful groups, especially the Body Sect, and Lu Yi’s private knowledge makes him aware that Ning Tian’s plan is both perilous and misguided.

Key plot points and events

• In the round of sixteen, Shrek faces Dou Ling Academy, a formidable team with five Soul Kings. Shrek’s returning Soul Emperors, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, make their first appearances.
• Wang Yan initially considers fielding Lu Yi for his Group Invisibility, but Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng argue that Shrek should demonstrate its strength without relying on concealment. Lu Yi agrees to sit out, and Jiang Nannan takes his place.
• Shrek’s lineup shocks Dou Ling, which had prepared tactics and Soul Tools specifically to counter Lu Yi’s Invisibility. The team is further rattled when Huo Yuhao reveals his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
• Ma Xiaotao charges at once, throwing herself into the fight despite Wang Yan’s warning not to reveal all her abilities. Dou Ling sets up a defensive formation while assembling a powerful Soul Tool, the Thunder Cannon.
• Xu Sanshi uses Xuanming Displacement to swap places with Dou Ling captain Lone Bamboo Sword, who is holding the Cannon’s core. This disrupts the plan before the weapon can be used. Dou Ling fights hard, but Shrek wins.

Character developments and interactions

• Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, usually at odds, agree that Shrek should rely on its strength rather than Lu Yi’s Invisibility. Their return gives Shrek greater tactical flexibility.
• Lu Yi shows he is comfortable stepping aside, while Wang Yan considers both team strategy and the risks of revealing Shrek’s tactics.
• Huo Yuhao’s Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring reasserts his intimidating presence before the crowd.
• Ning Tian recognizes Dou Ling’s strategy as familiar; Lu Yi agrees that its underlying approach is conventional. Wang Dong briefly pretends she understands their exchange.

Significant themes

• Strength versus tactics: Shrek chooses to win openly rather than lean on a tactic opponents are already studying.
• Preparation and adaptability: Dou Ling’s elaborate weapon plan is undone by Xu Sanshi’s timely ability, while Shrek adjusts to its opponents.
• Confidence and restraint: Ma Xiaotao’s eagerness to fight contrasts with Wang Yan’s caution about exposing her full capabilities.
• Reputation and spectacle: The crowd’s excitement over Huo Yuhao’s rare Soul Ring and Shrek’s returning stars underscores the tournament’s public attention.

Key plot points

• Ning Tian visits Lu Yi to ask whether he knew the danger surrounding the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast embryo. She reveals that the Nine Treasures Pavilion was attacked the day after she won it: its Soul Masters were killed, many civilians were left mentally damaged, and the incident is being concealed while the Star Luo Empire investigates.
• Lu Yi suspects the Body Sect or Evil Soul Masters may be responsible but has no proof. Ning Tian has not yet informed Teacher Wang.
• Before Ning Tian can continue, a powerful spiritual attack leaves her and Lu Yi vulnerable. Two masked Body Sect members, Lang Ya and Yu Tao, abduct them.
• The captors take them to a hillside hollow. There, Lang Ya demands the embryo from Ning Tian. Yu Tao reveals the stolen Soul Bones and Fixed Soul Cannon Shells, making clear that they raided the pavilion.
• Ning Tian realizes the attackers killed the pavilion’s defenders and refuses to cooperate. The chapter ends with Yu Tao threatening her to hand over the embryo.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Tian is shaken by the attack and feels responsible, since it followed her auction win and the weakening of the pavilion’s defenses. Despite her fear, she resists the kidnappers and refuses to surrender the embryo.
• Lu Yi remains cautious and observant. He quickly recovers from the initial mental interference through Occlumency, understands that the kidnappers are Body Sect members, and listens for clues while pretending to be unconscious. He also worries that no one can intervene because Xuan Zi may be away confronting Giant Strength Douluo.
• Lang Ya is practical and focused on obtaining the embryo, while trying to justify the kidnapping as a straightforward sect matter. Yu Tao is more blunt and impulsive, dismissing concerns about how the abduction might affect Huo Yuhao’s loyalty.
• Lu Yi tries to comfort Ning Tian and asks whether she has informed Teacher Wang, but the two are interrupted before they can work out what to do.

Significant themes

• Greed and betrayal: The auction prize draws deadly attention, and the attackers have already stolen the other items Ning Tian won.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a prominent young sect leader is helpless when facing stronger opponents and political circumstances leave her without support.
• Trust and loyalty: The Body Sect assumes Huo Yuhao will remain loyal despite its violent methods, exposing a conflict between loyalty to a sect and personal relationships.
• Suspicion without proof: Lu Yi suspects the Body Sect but cannot safely accuse it, underscoring the difficulty of acting amid concealed information and inter-sect tension.