Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Ten minutes earlier, Guardian Douluo Cheng Gang suspected Huo Yuhao was a human-form Ferocious Beast after sensing the Ice Empress’s aura. He restrained and examined Huo Yuhao, but confirmed that Huo Yuhao was human and eventually left.
• Once safe, Huo Yuhao vowed to grow stronger so no one could humiliate or overpower him again. He headed for his daily mental-strength training with Lu Yi, and Wang Dong followed, curious about what they practiced.
• Finding Lu Yi’s room empty, its window open, and no answer at the door, Huo Yuhao suspected trouble and went to alert Teacher Wang.
• Elsewhere, Body Sect members Lang Ya and Yu Tao had captured Ning Tian and the unconscious Lu Yi. They demanded the Soul Beast Embryo and threatened Lu Yi when Ning Tian resisted.
• Lu Yi, who had been pretending to be unconscious, struck Yu Tao with the Cruciatus Curse. After spending all his Credits on mental defense penetration, he had reached 100%, and the curse caused Yu Tao overwhelming pain.
• Lu Yi then attacked Lang Ya, but the Soul Douluo endured the curse and overwhelmed Lu Yi’s Occlumency with his far greater mental strength. Yu Tao recovered, and the two Soul Douluo trapped Lu Yi and Ning Tian—until Electrolux offered to help.

Character development and interactions

• Huo Yuhao turns the humiliation of Cheng Gang’s visit into renewed determination to become stronger. His concern for Lu Yi also shows his growing loyalty to his friend.
• Wang Dong supports Huo Yuhao and is eager to learn about his training, while respecting that he must first get Lu Yi’s permission.
• Lu Yi reveals his nerve and strategic patience: he pretends to be unconscious, then uses his newly maximized mental defense penetration to catch Yu Tao off guard.
• Ning Tian remains defiant despite knowing the captors are unlikely to keep their word. Her resistance prompts Lang Ya to threaten Lu Yi.
• Lang Ya and Yu Tao act as a coordinated pair, using threats and overwhelming Soul Power to control their captives. Lang Ya’s pleasure in pain makes him resistant to Lu Yi’s attack.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Huo Yuhao’s vow and Lu Yi’s predicament both show how easily the weak can be dominated by stronger opponents.
• Growth through hardship: Huo Yuhao’s painful mental training and Lu Yi’s investment in a specialized ability demonstrate different paths to becoming stronger.
• Loyalty and courage: Wang Dong stands by Huo Yuhao, while Ning Tian risks herself to protect Lu Yi.
• Limits of specialized strength: Lu Yi’s powerful curse can disable Yu Tao, but it cannot overcome Lang Ya’s vastly superior cultivation, underscoring the gap between clever tactics and raw power.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Yi is pinned down by Body Sect members Lang Ya and Yu Tao, who intend to kill him and Ning Tian. Electrolux takes control of Lu Yi’s body when Lu Yi can no longer fight.
• Electrolux reveals a gray Soul Ring and a powerful death aura. Lang Ya calls Lu Yi an Evil Soul Master, but his taunt is cut short when Electrolux uses Avada Kedavra, erasing Lang Ya’s soul and killing him instantly.
• Yu Tao is protected by a golden light, but an even more powerful presence crushes him into a mangled heap. Electrolux returns control of Lu Yi’s body, explaining that his attack exhausted all of Lu Yi’s Soul Power.
• Lu Yi collapses and Ning Tian catches him. The system announces that Avada Kedavra has leveled up and can be upgraded.
• Mu En appears, reassures Ning Tian that Lu Yi is only exhausted, and explains that he had followed the intruders. He admits the Academy failed to protect them, since Xuan Zi’s absence left them vulnerable.
• Mu En praises Lu Yi’s extraordinary feat: at Soul Power Level 30, he killed a Soul Douluo without physically harming his body. He then retrieves five Soul Bones and several Storage Soul Tools from the attackers and gives them to Ning Tian and Lu Yi to divide later.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi shows courage and resourcefulness, but ultimately must rely on Electrolux. The battle’s aftermath leaves him unconscious and depleted.
• Electrolux is protective but initially lets Lu Yi test himself. When he intervenes, he displays overwhelming necromantic power and absorbs the soul-corrupting effects of the killing curse himself.
• Ning Tian remains composed under pressure, checks Lu Yi’s condition, and expresses gratitude to his rescuers. Mu En’s teasing suggestion that she should not let Lu Yi “slip away” embarrasses her, but she responds earnestly.
• Mu En shifts from a seemingly ordinary old man to a formidable guardian. He feels responsible for the Academy’s failure and shows both admiration for Lu Yi and anger at the Body Sect’s attack.
• Lang Ya and Yu Tao are exposed as murderous aggressors. Their confidence in their strength—and Lang Ya’s attempt to brand Lu Yi an Evil Soul Master—cannot protect them from Electrolux and Mu En.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and misjudgment: Lu Yi’s apparent weakness conceals Electrolux’s terrifying abilities, while Mu En’s frail appearance hides immense strength.
• Protection and responsibility: Electrolux and Mu En step in to save Lu Yi and Ning Tian, while the attack highlights the Academy’s failure to safeguard them.
• Consequences of violence: The attackers’ attempt to murder and rob others ends in their deaths, and Mu En treats the recovered valuables as compensation for the victims.
• Power’s cost: Electrolux can win the fight, but the spell drains Lu Yi’s Soul Power, leaving him helpless afterward.

Key events

• Ning Tian returns to the Star Emperor Hotel with an unconscious Lu Yi after an attack and kidnapping. Shrek’s teachers and students are relieved they are alive, though furious that they were targeted.
• A Healing-Type Soul Master finds Lu Yi’s body unharmed but his Soul Power nearly exhausted and recovering unusually slowly. Wang Yan arranges for him to rest, while Ning Tian asks to keep watch because she feels responsible for involving him.
• Lu Yi remains unconscious for four days. Wang Yan and Xuan Zi grow concerned, and Xuan Zi considers taking him back to Shrek for treatment.
• Inside Lu Yi’s Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux explains that he used the Gold of Life to repair Lu Yi and refine his Soul Power. The process also transformed Lu Yi’s first two Soul Rings, restoring their potential to grow in age.
• Electrolux reveals that he has altered Lu Yi’s body so that, at the Soul Emperor level, Lu Yi can open a “Soul Aperture”—a version of the Spiritual Aperture from Electrolux’s world. With further advancement, Lu Yi may develop multiple apertures and Soul Cores.
• Electrolux urges Lu Yi to wake, ending the chapter with his friends and teachers still waiting anxiously.

Character developments

• Ning Tian feels indebted to Lu Yi and takes responsibility for staying by his side.
• Wang Yan responds pragmatically to the crisis, prioritizing Lu Yi’s recovery and safety.
• Xuan Zi is unsettled by Lu Yi’s condition and regrets his earlier misjudgment of him after learning of Lu Yi’s strength.
• Lu Yi discovers that his near-fatal ordeal brought lasting benefits, but learns that raising his Soul Rings’ ages would come at the cost of slower cultivation.
• Electrolux reveals the extent of his quiet preparation for Lu Yi’s future, including the creation of a path toward combining the advantages of Soul Apertures and Soul Cores.

Significant themes

• Misfortune and hidden benefit: Lu Yi’s ordeal leaves him vulnerable, yet also advances his abilities.
• Power and its cost: Improving Soul Rings requires substantial Life Force and Soul Power, so gains may slow cultivation.
• Mentorship and trust: Electrolux’s unseen work demonstrates deep investment in Lu Yi’s development.
• Responsibility and loyalty: Ning Tian and Shrek’s companions show concern through their willingness to protect and care for Lu Yi.

Character interactions

• Shrek’s team reacts with anger and relief, while Wang Yan calms them and organizes Lu Yi’s care.
• Ning Tian and Wang Yan gently disagree over who should watch Lu Yi; Wang Yan eventually agrees she may take over if Lu Yi remains unconscious.
• Lu Yi questions Electrolux about his transformed Soul Rings and future cultivation. Electrolux tempers his excitement with practical limits, then explains the larger purpose of the Soul Aperture.

Plot points and events

• Lu Yi wakes after several days unconscious. Though the Gold of Life has restored his vitality, his Soul Power remains depleted, and he is ravenously hungry.
• Xuan Zi welcomes him back with a roast chicken, then leaves the young people alone.
• Ning Tian apologizes for getting Lu Yi caught up in the danger at the auction. She admits that her desperation to obtain the Soul Beast Embryo made her ignore his warning, and explains that two ruthless Body Sect members attacked everyone they thought might be involved.
• After Lu Yi eats, Ning Tian gives him a Storage Soul Tool containing the attackers’ money and spoils—including seven Soul Bones, two rare auctioned Soul Bones, and a God-Sealing Platform. The collection is worth more than 300 million Gold Soul Coins.
• Lu Yi is astonished by the gift, but Ning Tian says she is offering it deliberately. She wants to invest in him and secure his friendship for herself and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
• Lu Yi accepts her intention, telling her that he considered her a friend from the moment she was willing to trade away the Soul Beast Embryo to protect him.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi wakes physically frail but recovers quickly after eating. He is uneasy about accepting such an enormous gift and wonders what to do with the Snow Empress Embryo, but ultimately accepts Ning Tian’s sincerity.
• Ning Tian takes responsibility for her earlier mistake and speaks candidly about her motives. Her offer is both a personal gesture and a strategic attempt to strengthen her sect’s future.
• Xuan Zi shows visible relief at Lu Yi’s recovery, though his attempt to offer him roast chicken is awkwardly rejected.
• Lu Yi and Ning Tian move from a relationship shaped by the auction crisis toward an explicit friendship, sealing it with a handshake.

Significant themes

• Friendship and reciprocity: Ning Tian offers wealth in the hope of gaining Lu Yi’s friendship, while Lu Yi values her earlier willingness to protect him more than her payment.
• Power, wealth, and investment: The gift highlights the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect’s resources, but also its need to cultivate exceptional young talent.
• Responsibility and trust: Ning Tian acknowledges that her decision-making contributed to the danger, then tries to make amends through honesty and action.
• Recovery and practical needs: Lu Yi’s extraordinary vitality cannot substitute for food; his rapid recovery begins only once he eats.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Tian leaves Lu Yi alone to recover after offering an astonishing price for his friendship. Lu Yi confirms he is awake and stores the Snow Empress Embryo safely in the God-Sealing Platform, postponing a decision about what to do with it.
• Lu Yi examines the Killing Curse’s new upgrade options. He chooses to invest in Soul Backlash Reduction, allowing one soul to bear half the curse’s spiritual backlash, while delaying upgrades to the curse’s ability to target multiple people or restore his injuries.
• Shrek easily defeats Zhengtian Academy in the quarterfinals. Dai Yueheng wins three individual matches in a row, sending Shrek through to the semifinals. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Star Luo National Academy, and Di’ao Academy also advance.
• Lu Yi’s recovery continues: he can replenish Soul Power normally, and his first two Soul Rings have slightly increased in age and strength.
• When Lu Yi tries the Cruciatus Curse on Huo Yuhao during mental training, Huo Yuhao can endure it for only a few seconds. Lu Yi recognizes that the curse has become too powerful for routine training.
• At the semifinal draw, Shrek is paired against Star Luo National Academy. The team’s contestants include Princess Xu Jiujiu, whose participation surprises the other academies.

Character developments

• Lu Yi becomes more cautious about the Unforgivable Curses. His growing ease with the Cruciatus Curse—and his fading need to summon malice—troubles him as signs that he is becoming desensitized to others’ suffering. He resolves to avoid using the curses unless necessary.
• Huo Yuhao continues seeking mental-power training, but Lu Yi’s strengthened curse overwhelms him, making him temporarily unsuitable as a training partner.
• Ning Tian shows how highly she values Lu Yi by offering an exceptionally generous reward for his friendship.
• Xu Jiujiu is revealed as a competitor for Star Luo National Academy, adding significance to Shrek’s semifinal opponent.

Significant themes

• The price of power: The Killing Curse offers formidable benefits but carries a spiritual cost that Lu Yi cannot simply erase.
• Corruption and self-control: Lu Yi fears that repeated use of the Unforgivable Curses is changing his character and making cruelty easier.
• Growth and restraint: Lu Yi gains power and recovers from his transformation, yet recognizes that greater strength demands careful limits.

Character interactions

• Ning Tian’s offer leaves Lu Yi astonished and reflective about the value of his friendship.
• Lu Yi’s training with Huo Yuhao demonstrates both the Cruciatus Curse’s increased strength and its danger to its target.
• Shrek’s easy quarterfinal victory contrasts with the more consequential semifinal draw, which sets Lu Yi’s team against Xu Jiujiu and Star Luo National Academy.

Key plot points and events

• For the semifinal match against Star Luo National Academy, Wang Yan selects Lu Yi over Jiang Nannan, valuing Lu Yi’s team-wide Invisibility despite his lower Soul Power. He suspects Xu Jiujiu, making her tournament debut, may be the opponent’s trump card.
• Shrek keeps its hexagonal formation but moves Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng to the front, with Huo Yuhao and Ling Luochen at the rear. Star Luo forms an arrowhead, with Xu Jiujiu protected at the back.
• At the start, Shrek turns invisible. Xu Jiujiu counters with Star Guiding Art, marking each hidden fighter’s position with a ray of light. Star Luo then scatters carbon powder through the air, hoping it will cling to Shrek’s bodies and reveal their outlines.
• The tactic briefly succeeds, but Lu Yi uses Scourgify to remove the powder and Meteolojinx Recanto to stop the wind. Shrek becomes invisible again, and Star Luo’s prepared counter is neutralized.

Character developments

• Wang Yan shows caution: he recognizes Xu Jiujiu as a likely threat and chooses Lu Yi for strategic value rather than raw strength.
• Xu Jiujiu appears confident and well-prepared, revealing that her team has devised a practical response to Invisibility.
• Huo Yuhao spots Xu Jiujiu’s confidence and warns Lu Yi she may have a counter ready.
• Lu Yi remains composed, anticipating that opponents would eventually prepare for his ability. His unusual spells give Shrek an immediate answer.
• Xu Sanshi jokes about using his displacement skill to move Xu Jiujiu, though Lu Yi doubts it will bypass her shields.

Significant themes

• Preparation and countermeasures: Star Luo has studied Shrek’s Invisibility and coordinates its detection and powder tactics.
• Adaptability and resourcefulness: Lu Yi turns seemingly mundane spells into effective battlefield counters.
• Strategy over strength: Wang Yan’s lineup decision favors tactical usefulness over higher Soul Power.
• Escalation in competition: As the tournament advances, previously dominant techniques attract increasingly deliberate counters.

Character interactions

• Huo Yuhao shares his suspicion about Xu Jiujiu with Lu Yi, who accepts the warning without fuss.
• Xu Sanshi jokes with the group about moving the princess, while Lu Yi points out the likely limits of that plan.
• The teams’ opening moves become a contest between Xu Jiujiu’s prepared detection strategy and Lu Yi’s quick spell-based response.

Plot points and events

• Xu Jiujiu’s Star Radiance Technique disrupts Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection and blocks Xu Sanshi’s attempt to displace her. It also strengthens the Star Luo fighters, letting them hold their ground against Shrek’s frontline.
• Xu Jiujiu anticipates Ma Xiaotao’s appearance and traps what she believes is Ma inside a Level Seven Absolute Defense Soul Tool. She then launches Tactic Two: Star’s Protection encloses the Star Luo team and three Shrek fighters, dividing the battlefield.
• The plan fails: the trapped Shrek fighters are Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and the real Ma Xiaotao. Huo Yuhao had used his Soul Bone Skill to impersonate Ma while invisible, drawing the Absolute Defense trap away from her.
• Ma Xiaotao unleashes her Phoenix flames inside Star’s Protection. Because the barrier cannot be dismissed quickly, its sealed space becomes a furnace, incapacitating the Star Luo fighters and badly scorching Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen.
• The referee breaks the barrier before anyone dies. Shrek is declared the winner.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Jiujiu proves herself a composed, tactical support fighter, but her carefully prepared countermeasures are undone by Shrek’s deception.
• Lu Yi’s advance planning and knowledge of Xu Jiujiu’s abilities are central to the victory. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi praise his insight, while Lu Yi enjoys having outmaneuvered their opponent.
• Huo Yuhao takes on the risky role of decoy, using invisibility and disguise to make the trap target him instead of Ma Xiaotao.
• Ma Xiaotao’s strength becomes decisive once she is free to act; Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen must focus on protecting themselves from her heat rather than fighting.

Significant themes

• Deception and adaptability: Shrek wins by anticipating the opponent’s strategy and turning its assumptions against it.
• Strengths becoming weaknesses: Star’s Protection is powerful and durable, but its lengthy activation requirements and slow release make it dangerous when Ma Xiaotao controls the space within.
• Teamwork and preparation: The victory depends on coordinated roles—Huo Yuhao as decoy, Lu Yi as strategist, and Ma Xiaotao as the finisher.

Key plot points and events

• Shrek’s victory over Star Luo confirms Lu Yi’s tactics were essential. Ma Xiaotao discovers that the Absolute Defense Soul Tool could have trapped her for fifteen minutes, and grudgingly acknowledges Lu Yi’s judgment.
• Huo Yuhao is freed after being sealed away. He is battered from imitating Ma Xiaotao’s fire-based Martial Soul and Soul Skill, but proud that his role helped the team win.
• Wang Yan is increasingly struck by Lu Yi’s knowledge and ability to anticipate opponents’ strategies. Star Luo forfeits the individual matches, sending Shrek to the final.
• Xu Sanshi asks Lu Yi for romantic advice about Jiang Nannan, then confidently misreads Lu Yi’s silence as encouragement to persist.
• Shrek stays to watch the Sun Moon Team face Di’ao Academy. Lu Yi predicts that Sun Moon will win in under a minute without losing a member.
• Sun Moon immediately unleashes a coordinated barrage from seven Soul Tool firing positions. Di’ao’s fighters are driven from the platform, and captain Jiang Peng is blasted out in seconds, giving Sun Moon an overwhelming victory.

Character developments and interactions

• Ma Xiaotao shifts from dismissing Lu Yi’s plan to trusting and admiring his strategic judgment, though she still resists admitting it openly.
• Huo Yuhao takes pride in his costly sacrifice and grows more confident in Lu Yi’s leadership.
• Wang Yan becomes suspiciously impressed by Lu Yi’s unusually precise knowledge and predictions.
• Xu Sanshi remains comically self-deluding, treating Lu Yi’s refusal to advise him as meaningful romantic guidance.
• The Shrek team’s shock at Sun Moon’s firepower turns their attention from the bet to the practical problem of how to counter such an attack.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus raw strength: Lu Yi’s planning prevents Ma Xiaotao from being removed from the match and proves more decisive than individual power.
• Sacrifice and teamwork: Huo Yuhao endures serious strain to support the team’s strategy.
• Technological power and overwhelming force: Sun Moon’s synchronized Soul Tool bombardment demonstrates how coordinated technology can dominate even a seemingly balanced contest.
• Growing trust: Lu Yi’s successful predictions gradually earn the respect of teammates and teachers.

Key plot points and events

• With the Finals only days away, Wang Yan explains the format: the team battle, individual matches, and 2-2-3 Formation matches will all happen on one day, and a team must win two events to take the title. The same lineup must compete in both later events.
• Wang Yan warns that the Sun Moon Team’s seven-person Cannon Platform Tactics could overwhelm Shrek with continuous, arena-wide fire. Ning Tian shares her Invincible Shields with the team, giving several fighters a brief but powerful defensive option.
• Though Shrek’s team battle looks grim, Lu Yi argues that they have mistaken the Sun Moon Team’s strength for an unavoidable advantage. He proposes giving the bombardment a visible target rather than relying on Group Invisibility, though the chapter does not reveal the full plan.
• In a separate match, Di’ao Academy loses to the Sun Moon Team. Captain Ma Rulong defeats three opponents in succession; in his duel with Jiang Peng, he uses a Flash Cannon to blind him.
• After the Sun Moon Team qualifies for the Finals, Xiao Hongchen approaches Shrek’s viewing area and declares that he will end its winning streak.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Yan openly relies on Lu Yi’s judgment, showing how much trust Lu Yi’s ingenuity has earned him.
• Ning Tian contributes to the team’s preparations despite her limited participation in the tournament, putting the championship ahead of her own role.
• Lu Yi remains inventive under pressure and emphasizes adapting tactics to one’s strengths rather than charging ahead blindly.
• Wang Dong teases Lu Yi for using underhanded tricks. He flicks her forehead, then uses a Cheering Charm to make her laugh; Huo Yuhao is surprised by the exchange.
• Xiao Hongchen introduces himself with an arrogant challenge, but Wang Dong’s continued laughter unsettles his dramatic entrance.

Significant themes

• Preparation and adaptation: Shrek must respond to the Sun Moon Team’s counter to Invisibility by changing its own approach.
• Teamwork and resourcefulness: Ning Tian’s shields and Lu Yi’s tactical thinking offer different ways to support the group.
• Strength versus strategy: Lu Yi argues that clever tactics are necessary when a team cannot win through superior force alone.
• Confidence and rivalry: Xiao Hongchen’s challenge sets up the looming clash between the two teams.

Key plot points and events

• On Finals day, crowds line the streets of Star Luo City. The Star Luo Emperor announces that the winning team may choose three Soul Bones as the prize. The White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, attends, visibly moving his son Dai Yueheng.
• Shrek’s team selection surprises the Sun Moon Team: Shrek sends Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luocheng from the Main Team, alongside Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, and Lu Yi. Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong are left out.
• The Sun Moon Team opens with a defensive formation intended to block Xu Sanshi’s displacement, while Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen unleash an early volley to stop Shrek from using group invisibility.
• Shrek counters with Dai Yueheng carrying the powerful Indestructible Shield, which absorbs the first barrage. A much heavier barrage then pins back the advancing Shrek fighters and rapidly drains their stored Soul Power.
• Ma Xiaotao breaks away and attacks from above with Phoenix Meteor Shower, forcing the Sun Moon Team to raise multiple protective barriers. Dai Yueheng uses the opening to lead the advance. During the shifting formations, one of Shrek’s fighters—Lu Yi—quietly disappears.

Character developments and interactions

• Dai Yueheng is emotionally stirred by his father’s presence, while Xuan Zi and Wang Yan show confidence in Lu Yi’s unusual abilities and anticipate his contribution.
• The Sun Moon Team has studied Lu Yi’s known skills and expects him to participate, but is caught off guard by Shrek’s lineup and the use of the Indestructible Shield.
• Dai Yueheng takes the frontline role, with Xu Sanshi supporting him physically and Ning Tian’s boosts helping them withstand the barrage. Ma Xiaotao creates the opening that lets the advance continue.
• Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen coordinate their ranged assault, initially treating Shrek’s charge as an easy target; Shrek’s shield and Ma Xiaotao’s aerial attack disrupt that plan.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus adaptation: Both teams have studied each other, but Shrek’s unexpected lineup, shield, and changing formations complicate the Sun Moon Team’s plan.
• The cost of power: Shrek’s defense and advance depend on consuming large amounts of stored Soul Power.
• Hidden tactics and suspense: Lu Yi’s disappearance suggests Shrek has begun a concealed maneuver, leaving the outcome of the opening clash uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• The Sun Moon Team’s opening strategy—prevent Shrek from using Invisibility and keep them at range—falters as Shrek’s Soul Tools and Ning Tian’s speed boost let Ma Xiaotao close in.
• Ma Xiaotao’s Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike forces the Sun Moon members to defend. Lin Xi tries to trap her between two Invincible Shields, but her flames turn the space between them into a furnace. The referee rescues Lin Xi, who is carried off the field.
• Ma Rulong briefly loses focus after Lin Xi’s removal. A red flash then strips him of most of his Soul Tools. Xu Sanshi uses Xuanming Displacement to swap him into Shrek’s formation, where Dai Yueheng’s powerful attack pressures him into relying on an Invincible Shield.
• Xu Sanshi tries to attack Xiao Hongchen, but Xiao’s passive Wall of Resilience blocks the blow. Xiao counters with a barrage of weaponized metal spheres, leaving Xu Sanshi with no safe target for another swap.
• The same red flash destroys Xiao Hongchen’s weapons before he can fire. As the referee moves to remove Xu Sanshi from the match, Xu abruptly insists, “I’m fine!”

Character developments and interactions

• Ma Xiaotao shows how dangerous her flames are in confined spaces, while remaining focused on breaking the enemy formation rather than injuring Lin Xi.
• Ma Rulong is shown to be a capable captain who recognizes Lin Xi’s danger and responds quickly, but the loss of his equipment leaves him exposed and unable to counterattack.
• Xu Sanshi combines tactical use of his displacement ability with comic shamelessness: he curses the Sun Moon Team’s shields, attacks Xiao out of personal irritation, then pretends he is unharmed to stay in the match.
• Xiao Hongchen counters Xu’s attack with a stronger defensive Soul Tool and quickly turns to offense, but his weaponry is disabled before he can use it.
• Dai Yueheng uses his strength efficiently, striking Ma Rulong’s shield once and conserving Soul Power rather than wasting further attacks.

Significant themes

• Soul Tools alter the balance of combat: They give Soul Engineers formidable defenses, but Shrek’s skilled Soul Masters can exploit or overcome them.
• Tactics and timing matter: Ma Xiaotao’s pressure, Xu Sanshi’s displacement, and the red flash’s sudden equipment sabotage repeatedly disrupt the Sun Moon Team’s formation.
• Overconfidence can invite danger: Lin Xi’s shield tactic nearly traps him in lethal heat, while Ma Rulong’s brief distraction creates an opening.
• Humor amid danger: Xu Sanshi’s irreverent reactions contrast with the match’s serious stakes, culminating in his denial that he needs rescuing.

Plot points and events

• Xu Sanshi exploits the rules and the referee’s reluctance to intervene, using Xuanming Displacement to redirect the Sun Moon team’s attacks onto their own members. The referee warns him but does not remove him.
• While Ma Xiaotao keeps the opponents occupied and Dai Yueheng and Jiang Nannan pressure Ma Rulong, Lu Yi secretly strips Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen of their Soul Tools. The Sun Moon team’s tactics collapse.
• Ma Rulong is removed after calling for help. Seeing his team’s poor position, he concedes the team battle to preserve strength for the individual matches.
• Ma Rulong realizes Lu Yi was behind the strange attack and recognizes that Shrek had misled the Sun Moon team throughout the tournament. Several valuable Soul Tools, including Ma Rulong’s Level 7 Prison of Lightning, are missing.
• Ma Xiaotao’s powerful attack nearly causes her Evil Fire to run wild. Huo Yuhao suppresses it with ice-attributed Soul Power. After the match, Xu Sanshi asks Lu Yi about the missing Soul Tools, and Lu Yi insists they “picked all this up off the ground.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Sanshi combines shameless rule-bending with tactical skill, frustrating the Sun Moon team and turning its own attacks against it.
• Lu Yi is revealed as Shrek’s hidden advantage: he concealed his abilities and used the team’s repeated invisibility to misdirect the opposition’s preparations. Ma Rulong now sees him as a formidable future rival.
• Ma Rulong moves from confidence in his team’s superiority to recognizing that they underestimated Shrek and that the match is lost.
• Ma Xiaotao demonstrates how badly she wants victory, but her power comes at the risk of losing control of her Evil Fire. Huo Yuhao helps keep her safe.
• The referee’s restraint toward Xu Sanshi angers both the Sun Moon team and its members, who believe Shrek is being favored. Xu Sanshi and Lu Yi then share a joking, conspiratorial exchange over the stolen equipment.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden capability: Shrek wins through concealed skills and misdirection, not simply greater firepower.
• Rules and sportsmanship: Xu Sanshi’s tactics exploit technicalities, while the referee’s decisions raise suspicions of bias.
• Victory’s cost: Ma Xiaotao’s strength threatens her own control, showing the personal risks behind Shrek’s success.
• Underestimation and adaptation: The Sun Moon team’s assumptions about Shrek—and especially Lu Yi—contribute to its defeat.

Plot points and events

• Shrek’s team victory in the team battle surprises Wang Yan, who recognizes the value of Lu Yi’s tactic: making just one fighter invisible hid his absence in the confusion and let him collect the Sun Moon Team’s Soul Tools.
• Wang Yan submits Shrek’s lineup for the individual matches, prioritizing safety and stamina. Huo Yuhao stays with Ma Xiaotao to suppress her Evil Fire; Lu Yi gets the final roster spot over Wang Dong. The order runs from Bei Bei through Lu Yi, with Ma Xiaotao last.
• Bei Bei opens against the Sun Moon Team’s Li Yan. He avoids Li Yan’s ranged attacks, then uses Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to pull him off balance and into his own falling flame net. Bei Bei finishes him with Thunder Dragon Claw, giving Shrek a 1–0 lead.

Character developments

• Wang Yan shows greater strategic flexibility after Lu Yi’s advice, but still makes cautious choices under pressure.
• Lu Yi’s cleverness and versatility earn him a place in the individual matches; Wang Dong is frustrated at being passed over.
• Ma Xiaotao’s power comes at a cost: her Evil Fire needs Huo Yuhao’s continued suppression.
• Bei Bei demonstrates composure and precise control, defeating a heavily armed opponent without wasting an Invincible Shield.

Themes

• Strategy over brute force: A small tactical adjustment—one invisible fighter—can reshape a battle.
• Preparation and resource management: Wang Yan balances matchups, recovery, and risk across the tournament’s formats.
• Strength and its costs: Ma Xiaotao’s increased power worsens the danger posed by her Evil Fire.
• Soul Masters versus Soul Engineers: Li Yan’s weapons offer explosive power, but Bei Bei exploits their limitations and the user’s dependence on them.

Character interactions

• Lu Yi’s tactical insight influences Wang Yan’s thinking and team selection.
• Huo Yuhao supports Ma Xiaotao, while Wang Yan deliberately keeps him available for that role.
• Bei Bei and Li Yan’s match is a contest of ranged firepower against close-quarters skill; Bei Bei turns Li Yan’s own attack and forward-leaning stance against him.

Plot points and events

• Bei Bei and Sun Moon’s Chen An fight an exhausting, close-range duel. Despite being ten Soul Power levels below Chen An, Bei Bei’s superior Martial Soul, skill, and other advantages let him prevail: he rises after their final collision while Chen An stays down. Shrek leads 2–0 in the individual matches, though Bei Bei is too injured to continue.
• Lu Yi casts a Waterproofing Charm on Shrek’s teammates before Ling Luochen’s match, leaving the rain to strengthen her ice while keeping the team dry. Ling controls and defeats Sun Moon’s Mijia, freezing him into an ice sculpture.
• Meng Hongchen enters next. Her poison proves a dangerous counter to Ling’s ice: the icy mist clears to reveal Ling trapped and unable to move. Before collapsing, Ling warns Huo Yuhao about Meng’s poison.
• Lu Yi realizes his charm may have helped by limiting the poison’s spread through water and ice, though it could not prevent inhalation. Meng’s remark that Ling’s ice was useless against her supports his theory. He warns Jiang Nannan to avoid breathing the mist and to retreat if she cannot win quickly.
• Jiang Nannan, a resourceful Shrek Core Disciple from a poor background, faces Meng, whose privileged upbringing has given her exceptional cultivation resources and Soul Power above level fifty. Their match begins.

Character developments and interactions

• Bei Bei demonstrates grit and endurance, winning through skill and determination despite Chen An’s higher level; his teammates rush to help him afterward.
• Lu Yi applies his knowledge experimentally, using the charm both as protection from rain and as a possible defense against Meng’s poison. He gives Jiang Nannan practical safety advice.
• Ling Luochen uses her ice-control abilities to dominate Mijia, then suffers Meng’s poison but manages to warn her team.
• Meng Hongchen displays both formidable poison abilities and confidence, taunting Shrek after defeating Ling.
• Jiang Nannan accepts Lu Yi’s warning and enters the match despite her understandable unease. Xu Sanshi also urges her to take care.
• The Shrek teammates support one another: they tend Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao catches Ling, and Lu Yi and Xu Sanshi look out for Jiang Nannan.

Significant themes

• Skill and resolve versus raw power: Bei Bei overcomes Chen An’s higher Soul Power through other strengths and determination.
• Preparation and adaptability: Lu Yi turns a protective charm into a tactical experiment against Meng’s poison.
• Unequal opportunity: Jiang Nannan’s rise through effort contrasts with Meng’s privileged access to resources.
• Teamwork and care: Shrek’s members consistently protect, advise, and support one another amid escalating danger.

Key plot points and events

• Meng Hongchen reveals her Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad Martial Soul, transforming dramatically and releasing potent poison. Shrek’s team realizes that most fighters cannot safely face her, and that severe poisoning could leave them unable to compete in later rounds.
• Jiang Nannan attacks while holding her breath. Using Gravity Control to slow Meng Hongchen, she avoids an illusion and uses Instantaneous Movement and a grappling throw to nearly knock her opponent out.
• Meng Hongchen escapes with a Level 7 Teleportation Ring, then equips powerful Soul Tool armor and prepares a poison attack. Jiang Nannan withdraws before the poison can worsen, having forced Meng to reveal several trump cards.
• Jiang Nannan reports what she learned to Dai Yueheng. Wang Yan urges Shrek to forfeit the remaining individual matches because three team members are now unable to fight and the danger is increasing.
• Dai Yueheng refuses. With his father and the emperor watching, he feels he cannot retreat, and he steps into the arena determined to use the knowledge Jiang Nannan gained.

Character developments

• Jiang Nannan proves more capable and strategic than Meng expected. She prioritizes gathering information and protecting her team over pursuing a risky victory, though she has been lightly poisoned.
• Meng Hongchen begins confident that her poison gives her a decisive advantage, but Jiang Nannan’s tactics surprise her and force her to expend her teleportation device and reveal her armor and other abilities.
• Dai Yueheng demonstrates resolve, accepting the danger and the pressure of public scrutiny rather than withdrawing.
• Wang Yan focuses on the team’s survival and tournament prospects, favoring a tactical forfeit over further losses.

Significant themes

• Strategy over brute force: Jiang Nannan wins an advantage through timing, control, and surprise rather than strength.
• The cost of competition: Poison threatens not just the current fighters but Shrek’s ability to continue in the tournament.
• Duty, pride, and reputation: Dai Yueheng’s decision is shaped by family and imperial scrutiny as well as his commitment to the team.
• Information as an advantage: Jiang Nannan’s report gives Dai Yueheng valuable knowledge for his upcoming fight.

Character interactions

• Jiang Nannan and Meng Hongchen engage in a tactical duel, with Jiang’s moves disrupting Meng’s confidence.
• Jiang Nannan quickly briefs Dai Yueheng, ensuring her discoveries can help the next fighter.
• Wang Yan argues with Dai Yueheng over whether to continue; Dai rejects the proposed forfeit and takes the field.

Plot points and events

• Meng Hongchen’s poison proves less effective than expected against Shrek’s fighters, but it still weakens Dai Yueheng. He defeats her with White Tiger Annihilation, only for the referee to intervene before her poison can finish spreading. Already poisoned, Dai leaves the arena when Ma Xiaotao tells him to trust the team.
• The score is tied at four–four. Shrek has only three fighters left, while several of its strongest contestants are injured, drained, or poisoned; continuing into the later team formats would put them at a disadvantage.
• Xu Sanshi enters against Lin Xi, who had recovered much of his Soul Power after using two Invincible Shields in the team battle. Xu’s temporarily awakened Black Tortoise Shield overwhelms Lin’s Soul Tool defense, and Xu wins decisively.
• Xiao Hongchen takes the stage, eager to settle his earlier grudge with Xu. Xu charges while preparing to use Black Tortoise Displacement to pull Xiao close, but Xiao anticipates the move and blocks it with a golden shield.
• Xiao then unleashes a barrage from more than a hundred Soul Cannons. Xu’s Black Tortoise Shield withstands the fire, but the blasts force him to the arena’s edge. Unable to counterattack or escape the lock-on, Xu loses. The score becomes five–five, and Shrek’s sixth fighter, Lu Yi, is called forward.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Hongchen shifts from confidence to alarm as she realizes her poison is not incapacitating Shrek’s fighters as quickly as she expected. Her venom nevertheless changes the match’s balance by leaving several opponents unfit to fight safely.
• Dai Yueheng wants to press his advantage despite being poisoned, but Ma Xiaotao persuades him to withdraw and trust the remaining team. His departure shows the importance of restraint and team judgment over individual ambition.
• Xu Sanshi is furious over Jiang Nannan’s suffering and directs his anger toward Lin Xi, defeating him with a newly empowered shield. Against Xiao, he relies on strategy as well as defense, but Xiao reads his plan and counters it.
• Xiao Hongchen demonstrates patience and tactical awareness by holding his fire until Xu’s displacement attempt fails. His cannon barrage wins the bout, though Xu’s stubborn defense forces him to spend more Soul Power than expected.
• The duel contrasts Xu’s close-range, enduring defense with Xiao’s long-range Soul Tool firepower. Shrek’s side watches anxiously, aware that losing Xu could leave the team with few options.

Significant themes

• No margin for retreat: With the score tied and key fighters weakened, both teams face a decisive stretch of the tournament.
• Team trust and sacrifice: Dai’s withdrawal is a strategic choice that protects him and preserves Shrek’s remaining chances.
• Adaptation and ingenuity: Xu’s awakened Black Tortoise abilities and Xiao’s clever use of shields and Soul Tools show how fighters must adjust to unfamiliar powers.
• Endurance versus overwhelming force: Xu holds out under Xiao’s barrage, but sheer sustained firepower eventually pushes him out of the fight.

Plot and key events

• Xiao Hongchen waits for Lu Yi and assumes his delay means he is afraid. He expects his metal-controlling Martial Soul to let him quickly recover control of his Soul Tools if Lu Yi tries to steal them again.
• Lu Yi had been urged by Wang Yan to forfeit and let Ma Xiaotao fight, but chooses to enter to test his own abilities.
• Xiao taunts Lu Yi about stealing Soul Tools and being too weak to use them. Lu Yi counters by accusing Xiao of relying on drugs to increase his Soul Power, striking at the secret behind Xiao’s celebrated talent.
• The match begins. Xiao opens with a Level 7 Soul Guidance Ray cannon, but Lu Yi deflects its beam with Protego Maxima. The attack pierces the arena’s barrier, alarming Xiao and his team.
• Lu Yi turns invisible with the Disillusionment Charm. Xiao floods the arena with fire from more than a hundred cannon-equipped metal spheres, eventually locating Lu Yi by spotting his translucent defensive shield.
• Xiao concentrates his weapons and powers them up with Gold Boiling and Gold Sacrifice. Sensing the danger, Lu Yi abandons defense, darts aside, and casts Sectumsempra. The chapter ends as the spell is launched.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi shows confidence under pressure and adaptability: he deflects a powerful attack, uses concealment, then decides to counter rather than keep defending. His choice to fight reflects his desire to test himself despite the risk.
• Xiao Hongchen is clever and prepared for Lu Yi’s theft ability, but Lu Yi’s successful defense rattles him. Lu Yi’s accusation about doping provokes a furious, personal reaction.
• Wang Yan takes a cautious approach, recommending that Ma Xiaotao fight instead; Lu Yi rejects the safer option.
• The exchanges between Lu Yi and Xiao are a contest of taunts as well as tactics: Lu Yi’s jab exposes Xiao’s insecurity about how he achieved his reputation.

Significant themes

• Talent, reputation, and hidden costs: Xiao’s public image as a prodigy contrasts with his private reliance on pills.
• Ingenuity versus firepower: Lu Yi counters Xiao’s overwhelming arsenal with timing, magic, and movement.
• Courage and self-testing: Lu Yi chooses a dangerous challenge for the chance to measure his own strength.

Chapter 154 Summary

• Key events: The author reflects on a scene in which Lu Yi, watching from the sidelines, casts an “impervious to water and fire” spell on his teammates. Some readers suspect this gave them an unfair advantage.
• Character development: Lu Yi’s actions are presented as an attempt to protect his teammates from bad weather, but the author acknowledges that the choice was questionable. The author also resolves to be more careful in future chapters.
• Themes: The passage considers fairness, authorial responsibility, and how even well-intentioned choices can appear improper. It also notes that revisions cannot erase the impression an original scene has already made.
• Character interactions: Lu Yi’s spell affects his teammates, though the passage does not describe their reactions. The main exchange is between the author and readers, with the author inviting feedback.
  The author explains that a weather-changing spell seemed too powerful and conspicuous, so they chose a more modest waterproofing spell instead. In hindsight, that still raised concerns, and the author leaves the scene unchanged as a reminder.

Key plot points

• Lu Yi uses Sectumsempra to inflict severe, invisible wounds on Xiao Hongchen. Xiao collapses, and his Soul Cannons fall silent; ordinary healing can only keep him alive temporarily.
• The Referee removes Xiao from the arena, while Shrek’s Wang Yan is pleased that Lu Yi has overcome his overwhelming firepower.
• Ma Rulong learns that only a rare, high-level Healing Soul Master—or Lu Yi himself—may be able to save Xiao. He eventually enters the match after the Sun Moon team delays.
• Lu Yi warns Ma Rulong not to use underhanded tactics and demands that Meng Hongchen cure Shrek’s poisoned teammates. He makes clear that Xiao’s life depends on his cooperation.
• Ma Rulong realizes Lu Yi may also know about the Sun Moon team’s plan to use the Sword of Judgment against Ma Xiaotao. As Xiaotao enters the arena, Ma Rulong must choose between pursuing victory and protecting Xiao’s life.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yi reveals both a powerful new attack and a willingness to use leverage in retaliation for Shrek’s poisoned teammates. Though depleted, he stays composed and strategically pressures Ma Rulong.
• Ma Rulong begins determined to fight without yielding, but news of Xiao’s condition—and Lu Yi’s apparent knowledge of the secret plan—forces him into a moral and tactical dilemma.
• Xiao Hongchen is left critically wounded, making his survival a central concern for the Sun Moon team.
• Ma Xiaotao arrives ready to fight, unaware that Ma Rulong is weighing her match against Xiao’s life.

Significant themes

• Retaliation and reciprocal coercion: Lu Yi turns the Sun Moon team’s poisoning strategy back on them.
• Victory versus responsibility: Ma Rulong must weigh his team’s championship ambitions against the life of its captain’s grandson.
• Hidden power and uncertainty: Lu Yi’s unfamiliar magic leaves the crowd, referee, and opposing team struggling to understand what happened.

Plot and key events

• Lu Yi tells Meng Hongchen that he can save her gravely wounded brother, Xiao Hongchen, but will treat him only as she cures Shrek’s three poisoned teammates. Meng agrees, seeing little hope of winning the ongoing match.
• Xiao Hongchen is brought to Shrek’s area with a deep, life-threatening slash wound. Meng cures Ling Luochеn first, then Dai Yueheng and Jiang Nannan, following the order of severity.
• Lu Yi uses his Wand and the spell “Vulnera Sanentur” to stop Xiao Hongchen’s bleeding, then gradually close the wound. He leaves a scar, jokingly treating scar removal as an extra service.
• Ma Xiaotao defeats Ma Rulong in the final individual match. Shrek wins the match and the tournament, with an overall score of 2–0.
• Xiao Hongchen wakes amid the celebrations, mistakenly assumes his team won, and becomes excited—until Meng tells him Sun Moon came second. He immediately faints again.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Hongchen puts her brother’s survival ahead of competition, accepts Lu Yi’s conditions, and keeps her agreement despite distrusting him.
• Lu Yi remains confident and controlled, demonstrating that his healing promise was genuine. His casual manner contrasts with the severity of Xiao Hongchen’s injury and the tension around him.
• Xu Sanshi initially blocks Meng angrily because she poisoned Jiang Nannan, but recognizes Shrek’s teammates’ need for treatment and backs down.
• Ning Tian interprets Lu Yi’s strength as proof that he has had the match under control all along.
• Xiao Hongchen shifts from apparent recovery and triumph to shock and disappointment when he learns the result.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Meng chooses her brother’s life over her team’s competitive prospects.
• Trust under pressure: She must rely on Lu Yi despite suspicion, while his actions prove his word is reliable.
• Victory and perspective: Shrek’s championship is cause for celebration, but Xiao Hongchen’s mistaken belief that he has won makes the defeat especially painful.
• Humor amid tension: Lu Yi’s remarks about the scar and the final fainting moment lighten an otherwise dramatic chapter.