Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Jiang Hao releases numerous veiled Clones to stage a roadside robbery and attract Ning Tian’s attention. Two Clones pose as brothers: Ice Sword Bro, with a Sword Martial Soul, and Pagoda Bro, with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
• Wu Feng fights the staged bandits, while Ning Tian boosts the two “brothers” with her support ability. Ice Sword Bro drives off the attackers, then injures a guard who charges him.
• Ning Tian apologizes and recruits the pair, intrigued by Pagoda Bro’s rare Martial Soul. Ice Sword Bro claims they were rejected by Shrek Academy and need help getting admitted; Ning Tian offers to assist. The two leave with her, while Jiang Hao savors his reward and thinks, “A million! A million!”
• Afterward, Jiang Hao and his Clones eat meat-filled flatbreads. The Clones beg to be let out more often for food, but Jiang Hao refuses.
• A second carriage party, belonging to the Xuanming Sect, knocks over a handcart and traps an old man. His young granddaughter begs for help. The Clones urge Jiang Hao to rob the party; he reframes it as “taking from the rich to help the poor.”

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shows himself to be a clever, manipulative planner, using staged danger and his Clones’ abilities to steer Ning Tian into recruiting them. He is also stingy with food and quick to justify a likely confrontation as justice.
• Ning Tian is observant and eager to recruit the brothers, especially because of Pagoda Bro’s coveted Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. She apologizes when her guard acts rashly.
• Ice Sword Bro and Pagoda Bro play their roles convincingly: one performs wary ambition, while the other acts like an excited younger brother. Their staged encounter nearly turns dangerous when Ning Tian’s guard attacks.
• Wu Feng eagerly charges into battle, but the cold from Ice Sword Bro overwhelms her until Ning Tian supports her.
• Jiang Hao’s Clones display distinct personalities: they enjoy food, bargain for more chances to eat, and are eager to intervene against the Xuanming Sect.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Jiang Hao manufactures a crisis to create an opportunity, and the Clones act out convincing identities.
• Power and recruitment: Rare abilities draw Ning Tian’s interest and offer a route into Shrek Academy.
• Justice versus self-interest: The chapter ends by blurring the line between helping vulnerable people and seeking an excuse to rob powerful travelers.
• Comedic camaraderie: The Clones’ appetites and arguments with Jiang Hao provide a light contrast to the staged violence and the emerging moral dilemma.

Plot and events

• A convoy’s guards prepare to kill an old man and abduct his granddaughter. A sudden fog obscures the clearing, and both disappear before anyone can stop them.
• A band of Clones, led by Baozi Bro and Brother Tree, then ambushes the convoy. Their theatrical entrance gives way to a coordinated attack: poison, vines, and Hawkeye’s enemy-marking skill help them locate and restrain their opponents.
• The convoy’s young master reveals himself as the Xuanming Sect’s heir—recognized by Jiang Hao as Xu Sanshi. The Clones turn their attention to him, overpower him, and leave him badly injured. The chapter ends with the defeated convoy members still bound and poisoned.

Character developments

• Xu Sanshi shifts from arrogant and threatening to frightened and helpless once his guards cannot protect him.
• The Clones come across as chaotic and comic in manner, but they fight with teamwork and specialized abilities. Their hostility toward the Xuanming Sect is personal and immediate.
• Jiang Hao observes the battle from a distance, commenting on the Clones’ tactics while eating flatbread.

Character interactions

• Xu Sanshi orders Uncle Fu and the guards to attack, then threatens them when the situation deteriorates.
• The Clones coordinate closely: Hawkeye shares enemy positions, Blue Silver Grass users restrain targets, and other fighters provide support.
• Several Clones mock Xu Sanshi and argue over how to deal with him, while the captured Soul King struggles to reach his young master.

Themes

The chapter mixes slapstick and theatrical humor with sudden violence. It also emphasizes coordinated combat, the collapse of privilege under pressure, and the Clones’ contempt for the Xuanming Sect.

Key events

• Jiang Hao sneaks into his newly acquired courtyard at night, but senses a hostile presence inside. He overpowers a gaunt intruder carrying a deadly poisoned dagger.
• The intruder initially pleads innocence, then confesses that the Xuanming Sect’s Third Elder wanted the property and hired him to kill its former occupants. Jiang Hao’s scorpion-tail poison kills him, and Jiang Hao secretly buries the body beneath the courtyard.
• Jiang Hao and his Clones restore the courtyard, reconnect its Soul Tools, and prepare a feast.
• He inventories the Soul Tools taken from Xu Sanshi and the other Soul Masters. Xu Sanshi’s Ring contains about 50,000–60,000 Gold Soul Coins and three Mystic Water Pills worth 100,000 each; the other men’s possessions are comparatively modest. Jiang Hao gives Shadow Bro a Ring for purchasing supplies and tells him to sell the lesser Soul Tools.
• Jiang Hao examines the inheritance Ring his parents left him. Its outer shell breaks away, revealing a sealed silver-white Ring that appears to have belonged to his mother. Opening it releases three Soul Bones.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shows alertness and ruthless decisiveness when facing the intruder, while remaining relaxed and playful once the danger passes. He also treats his Clones as trusted companions, sharing resources and joking with them.
• The intruder’s cowardly begging contrasts with the serious nature of his crime; his confession exposes the Xuanming Sect’s role in the courtyard’s past violence.
• Shadow Bro accepts responsibility for managing supplies and errands, while Jiang Hao entrusts him with money and equipment.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Jiang Hao relies on layered abilities and quick judgment to overcome an ambush.
• Corruption and revenge: The Xuanming Sect’s attempt to seize property links Jiang Hao’s new home to a history of murder and conflict.
• Inheritance and discovery: The chapter’s major reveal—three Soul Bones—suggests that Jiang Hao’s parents left behind a valuable and possibly significant legacy.
• Camaraderie and shared wealth: Jiang Hao’s Clones function as a close-knit team, pooling effort and resources.

Chapter Summary: “Red Light Go, Green Light Stop”

Key plot points and events

• While examining the Soul Tool left by his parents, Jiang Hao discovers three Soul Bones: two roughly ten thousand years old and one just over a thousand. He also finds an old book titled Body Tempering Method, apparently preserved among his parents’ keepsakes.
• Jiang Hao practices the method, which combines punches, palm strikes, kicks, and controlled breathing. It rapidly strengthens his body: his muscles become dense and metallic, his skin takes on a bronze-gold sheen, and his Soul Power rises from level sixteen after one night of training.
• He continues training nightly while cultivating Soul Power by day. Meanwhile, he gives three Mystic Water Pills to Soul Masters with better-quality Martial Souls rather than taking them himself. Scalpel Bro is among the recipients.
• Two more Clones awaken Martial Souls: one gains a lightning spear, while another gets a comically ordinary Traffic Light Martial Soul.
• Banner Bro announces that he has reached level twenty. Jiang Hao decides to meet him and plans to travel toward the Star Dou Great Forest, where he can gather supplies for the Thirty-Person Group.
• Jiang Hao buys provisions and goods in Shrek City—including food, seeds, medicines, hunting equipment, and trade supplies—intending to resell them at higher prices near the forest.
• He arrives unexpectedly at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, controlled by Lin Huiqun. Though reluctant to enter because of his past resentment toward Lin, Jiang Hao is persuaded by Shadow Bro’s suggestion that the pavilion may have a bargain—specifically, ten-thousand-year Whale Glue.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao gains a major boost in both physical durability and Soul Power, and becomes more confident in the value of his parents’ legacy. He also shows practical leadership by distributing pills, planning work for idle Clones, and preparing a supply-trading venture.
• Jiang Hao’s parents are characterized through the Soul Tool’s contents: they treasured even broken gifts from friends, suggesting they were thoughtful and sentimental. The Body Tempering Method may have been his mother’s cultivation technique.
• The Clones remain lively and supportive. They marvel at Jiang Hao’s new strength, tease him, and covet the method; their varied Martial Souls provide comic relief.
• Banner Bro makes a significant advance by reaching level twenty, prompting Jiang Hao to arrange a reunion.
• Shadow Bro nudges Jiang Hao toward entering the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, despite Jiang Hao’s distrust of its owner.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and memory: The Soul Tool and old manual connect Jiang Hao to parents he never knew, while their preserved belongings reveal their values.
• Hard work and growth: Jiang Hao’s breakthrough comes through sustained, disciplined practice rather than a sudden gift.
• Resourcefulness and leadership: He turns the Clones’ different abilities and the price differences between locations into opportunities for growth and trade.
• Humor amid cultivation: The Traffic Light Martial Soul and the Clones’ banter undercut the chapter’s dramatic power gains with absurd comedy.

Chapter summary

• Jiang Hao remembers that the Treasure Gathering Pavilion has a weathered-looking piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue whose valuable core remains intact. He enters the pavilion with Shadow Bro, intending to find it.
• The sales staff judge Jiang Hao by his plain clothes and unremarkable-looking Soul Tools. Most avoid serving him, assuming he cannot afford anything.
• Jiang Nannan, a hardworking but financially strained employee, is sent to assist him. Jiang Hao has overheard the staff mocking her and notices how tired she is, so he decides to give her an opportunity to earn a commission.
• He asks to see Whale Rubber. Jiang Nannan is embarrassed by the request, mistakenly associating it with its less respectable popular use, but Jiang Hao explains that he wants it for cultivation.
• At the display, Jiang Hao examines the century-old stock and asks whether the pavilion has any thousand-year Whale Rubber, since he needs something more effective. The other saleswomen, realizing the potential commission, immediately take interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains composed and observant. His enhanced senses let him hear the staff’s private remarks, and he uses his purchase to help Jiang Nannan rather than dismissing her.
• Jiang Nannan is introduced as diligent and considerate despite exhaustion and financial pressure. She is initially flustered by Jiang Hao’s request, then focuses on serving him.
• The other saleswomen, especially the boastful Jiaojiao, are shown to be competitive and condescending. They look down on Jiang Nannan and assume Jiang Hao is a poor customer, then change their attitude when they hear the requested item’s value.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Jiang Hao’s plain clothes conceal his wealth and abilities, while the weathered Whale Glue conceals its valuable core.
• Class prejudice and workplace rivalry: Staff judge customers by appearance and compete over commissions, while Jiang Nannan bears the burden of being underestimated.
• Kindness and opportunity: Jiang Hao’s decision to shop through Jiang Nannan offers support to someone struggling to make ends meet.

• Jiang Hao shops for Whale Glue: Using Owl Beans’s “Weakness Analysis,” Jiang Hao identifies unusually energy-rich pieces of Thousand-Year Whale Glue and buys three, intending to use one himself and give others to Flame Bro and Banner Bro. His choices show that he is strategic about cultivation resources rather than spending carelessly.
• Jiang Nannan earns a major commission: Jiang Nannan guides him through the shop and is thrilled as his purchases add up to a large sum—far more commission than she has earned in weeks. Seeing Jiang Hao invest heavily in cultivation materials, she revises her impression of him and respects his discipline. Other sales assistants, especially Jiaojiao, resent her good fortune and assume Jiang Hao cannot afford the purchases.
• Jiang Hao spots a hidden treasure: In a neglected corner, he finds a weathered, unmarked piece of Whale Glue. Although his analysis cannot reveal its contents, he recognizes it as a valuable Ten-Thousand-Year piece and asks its price. Jiang Nannan honestly warns him that it is supposedly useless, but he remains convinced it contains a treasure.
• Lin Huiqun intervenes: Elder Lin appears and offers to sell the discarded piece for 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. She hopes the inexpensive gesture will help win Jiang Hao’s favor and recruit his loyalty. She then invites him to sit and talk; he accepts politely, while privately noting that her new friendliness is a change from before.
  Themes and interactions: The chapter contrasts genuine helpfulness with self-interested scheming: Jiang Nannan gives honest advice, while Jiaojiao judges Jiang Hao by appearances and Lin Huiqun uses a gift to influence him. It also emphasizes hidden value—both in the overlooked Whale Glue and in Jiang Hao’s ability to recognize its potential—and shows money, cultivation, and personal loyalty shaping relationships.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao meets Lin Huiqun at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. She compliments his talent and brings up his recent fight with an Outer Court teacher, whose punishment was relatively mild. Jiang Hao downplays his victory and criticizes the teacher’s arrogance.
• While reviewing the paperwork for his expensive purchase, Jiang Hao notices that the contract lists Gold Salesperson Jiao Caihua—not Jiang Nannan, who actually handled the sale.
• Jiao Caihua tries to take over the transaction, offering a larger discount and personal delivery. Jiang Hao refuses to sign her paperwork and waits for Jiang Nannan, recognizing that Jiao is trying to take credit for her work.
• When Jiang Nannan returns, Jiang Hao signs the correct contract and makes a show of dismissing Jiao Caihua’s paperwork. Jiang Nannan later sees that the purchase is worth 183,000 Gold Soul Coins and realizes she will earn a substantial commission.
• Jiang Hao leaves using a disguise and a clone to avoid being followed, then travels to Small Town. There, he finds his Clones running a coordinated Soul-Hunting service and operating ordinary-looking businesses. He eats at Flatbread Bro’s stall while Hammer Bro works and Flame Bro cultivates nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains shrewd and self-assured. He understands Lin Huiqun’s new warmth as an attempt to recruit him because of his growing talent, and he deliberately protects Jiang Nannan from being cheated out of her commission.
• Lin Huiqun treats Jiang Hao with increased friendliness after noticing his rapid cultivation progress, though Jiang Hao suspects her motives.
• Jiang Nannan is anxious about the manager’s interference but is deeply moved when Jiang Hao ensures she receives credit for the sale.
• Jiao Caihua tries to appropriate the transaction and entice Jiang Hao with extra benefits, but her scheme fails.
• Jiang Hao’s Clones have developed convincing roles as merchants and workers, forming an inconspicuous network across Small Town. Their organization suggests a growing operation.

Significant themes

• Fairness and credit: Jiang Hao opposes someone profiting from another person’s labor.
• Talent and opportunism: Jiang Hao recognizes that people’s treatment of him changes as his potential becomes apparent.
• Disguise and hidden power: The Clones’ ordinary public roles conceal a unified force.
• Practical ambition: Jiang Hao’s seemingly casual movements and purchases are part of a larger, carefully managed plan.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao eats at a soup stall when Xiaoxiao, a green-haired girl, admires his meal but worries that hiring Soul Hunters will leave her too little money to hunt a Soul Beast.
• Xiaozi Bro, one of Jiang Hao’s Clones and manager of the Thirty-Person Group, offers the team’s services. He buys Xiaoxiao soup, introduces himself, and promises the group will charge nothing if they fail to find her target.
• Xiaoxiao enjoys unfamiliar lamb offal and asks whether the food is the stallkeeper’s Martial Soul. The stallkeeper, playing the part of a country boy, says his Martial Soul is flatbread.
• Xiaozi Bro pitches the team’s unusual offer: thirty hunters for ten Gold Soul Coins. Xiaoxiao is astonished by its size and low price.
• After Xiaoxiao is taken to the group’s base, Owl Bro gives Jiang Hao a financial report and asks for a larger Soul Tool. Jiang Hao supplies one and orders a major expansion: he plans to send a thousand more Clones and turn the market into an independent town, using the nearby Star Dou Great Forest as protection.
• Jiang Hao tours the headquarters, where Xiaoxiao is struggling to choose hunters from a list. She spots Owl Bro and eagerly calls to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao is cautious with her money but curious, easily won over by the team’s offer and the delicious food. Her sheltered background is evident in her unfamiliarity with lamb offal and Soul Hunting teams.
• Xiaozi Bro/Owl Bro is theatrical and persuasive, using generosity and confident salesmanship to recruit Xiaoxiao. Jiang Hao recognizes his Clone’s flair for performance and entrusts him with managing the expanding settlement.
• Jiang Hao shifts from observing the team’s business to making a bold strategic decision: the market will grow into a town beyond the control of the empires and Shrek Academy.
• Jiang Hao and Owl Bro briefly exchange a silent, knowing glance about whether a Soul Skill was activated; Owl Bro replies that he never turned it off. Their private coordination contrasts with Xiaoxiao’s uncertainty about the pause.

Significant themes

• Expansion and independence: Jiang Hao aims to build a self-governing settlement protected by its location and the forest’s dangers.
• Enterprise and community-building: The group’s income comes from commerce, agriculture, and Soul Hunting, while the headquarters serves hunters and ordinary herb gatherers.
• Performance and deception: Owl Bro’s exaggerated salesmanship and the stallkeeper’s rustic persona show how the Clones adopt roles to achieve their aims.
• Unexpected hospitality: Food and a generous offer help Xiaoxiao feel welcome, even as the team works to recruit her.

Key plot points and events

• Xiaoxiao asks Jiang Hao to choose Soul Masters for her forest expedition. Xiaozi Bro assembles a balanced team of sixty-person-group Clones, including attackers, controllers, defenders, and healers. They plan to leave the next morning to find a suitable Soul Ring for Xiaoxiao.
• Jiang Hao admires the group’s well-run market and lodging operation, then arranges for Roll-Up Bro to escort someone back while the rest prepare for the trip.
• In Jiang Hao’s Spiritual Sea, the Clones bicker over who gets to join the expedition. Jiang Hao ignores them and goes to sleep.
• Training Bro finds the Gem Lanternfish nearly dead after weeks of being drained. It crumbles away before he can tame it.
• Zhang Lexuan secretly witnesses Training Bro emerge near Jiang Hao’s room. Her earlier satisfaction at finding the group turns to suspicion: she wonders how Jiang Hao knows so many Soul Masters and what else he may be concealing. She stays undercover to investigate.
• Jiang Hao wakes to a newly arrived Clone, handles his usual onboarding, and then encounters Xiaoxiao waiting alone downstairs. He asks why someone who seems wealthy has come to hunt a Soul Beast by herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains practical and composed, managing his Clones, business, and expedition preparations while treating their constant arguing as routine.
• Xiaoxiao appears increasingly anxious when Jiang Hao questions her background. She fears he will send her home.
• Zhang Lexuan shifts from quiet optimism to wary suspicion and chooses to keep watching Jiang Hao.
• Training Bro is disappointed when the Gem Lanternfish dies before he can make it a mount.
• The Clones’ playful squabbling highlights their competitive personalities and close, chaotic bond with Jiang Hao.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and suspicion: Zhang Lexuan’s surveillance and Jiang Hao’s hidden network suggest that appearances conceal more than they reveal.
• Independence versus family expectations: Xiaoxiao wants to cultivate her Flute Martial Soul, while her family insists she focus on her Cauldron Martial Soul.
• Found family and comic chaos: Jiang Hao’s Clones function as an eccentric, quarrelsome community that he nevertheless manages and protects.
• Clichés and genre awareness: Jiang Hao suspects Xiaoxiao’s situation may fit a familiar trope, even as her secret begins to emerge.

Key plot points and events

• Xiaoxiao explains that she is traveling to gain experience and make friends, though this is only a pretext. Jiang Hao has joined her soul-hunting party as an extra defensive escort.
• When an over-age anaconda attacks, Jiang Hao kills it with a single punch. The group continues searching for a suitable plant-type defensive soul beast for Xiaoxiao.
• During their day in the forest, Jiang Hao considers Xiaoxiao’s Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and suggests it could be used for pill refining. Xiaoxiao rejects the idea, reflecting widespread distrust of pills and soul-tool alchemy.
• Jiang Hao receives an urgent warning from Banner Bro: a powerful, unknown pursuer is tracking him. Jiang Hao leaves the group to help.
• Banner Bro hides with his Soul Banner, but the pursuer finds him and threatens him. Even the banner’s undead occupants are terrified.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiao is curious about Jiang Hao, admires his strength, and shows a cautious, conventional attitude toward pill refining because of warnings from her family.
• Jiang Hao acts as Xiaoxiao’s protector and mentor, while privately recognizing the potential of her cauldron martial soul. He leaves her party when Banner Bro is in danger.
• Banner Bro shifts from joking bravado to genuine fear when confronted by a formidable enemy. He tries to reassure himself and the spirits in his banner.
• Jiang Hao and Xiaoxiao bond through their journey and campfire conversation, while Jiang Hao’s strength impresses her.

Significant themes

• Experience and friendship: Xiaoxiao’s stated reason for traveling contrasts with her private motives, while the expedition offers opportunities for connection.
• Tradition versus innovation: Xiaoxiao’s fear of pill refining illustrates entrenched suspicion of new soul-tool practices.
• Protection and danger: Jiang Hao’s escort role gives way to a more urgent rescue, while the forest’s threats escalate from a beast attack to a powerful pursuer.

Plot and events

• Banner Bro, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, flees the Five-Ring Soul King Mud Old Ghost and heads toward Jiang Hao, but turns to fight when the old man corners him.
• Banner Bro and Jiang Hao spring an ambush using Blue Silver Grass Clones. Mud Old Ghost breaks free and unleashes his Ten Thousand Year Fifth Soul Skill, Endless Mire, sinking several Clones into the earth.
• The Clones coordinate their different abilities—Blue Silver Grass entanglement and rescue, Mirror Bro’s attack-deflecting skill, Bamboo Bro’s makeshift transport, and several disabling techniques—to exhaust and distract Mud Old Ghost.
• Scorpion Bro lands a poisoned strike that paralyzes Mud Old Ghost and knocks him unconscious. The group frees the Clones trapped in the mire.
• Banner Bro uses his Second Soul Skill, Nether King’s Servant, to brand Mud Old Ghost, strip away his soul, and bind him as an Undead servant. Jiang Hao also mentions a future plan to take Electrolux from Huo Gua for Banner Bro.

Character developments and interactions

• Banner Bro shifts from hunted prey to confident hunter. He relies on Jiang Hao’s trap and then proves his value through his Undead Arts, while revealing an ability that can turn living enemies into powerful, loyal Undead.
• Jiang Hao protects Banner Bro, directs the ambush, and treats the captured Soul King as both a test subject and a potential asset.
• The Clones demonstrate how their varied skills work together: they protect one another, adapt to the mire, and overcome an opponent no single Clone could defeat.
• Mud Old Ghost underestimates the group, viewing Banner Bro and his Undead as material to exploit. His confidence collapses as the Clones repeatedly interrupt and counter him.
• Scorpion Bro gets a decisive victory but recognizes the limits of his current skill, already hoping for a more lethal attack.

Significant themes

• Cooperation over individual strength: coordinated abilities let weaker fighters defeat a much stronger enemy.
• Resourcefulness and preparation: the ambush, rescue tactics, and improvised transport turn Mud Old Ghost’s terrain-based attack against him.
• Power and exploitation: Mud Old Ghost intends to refine Banner Bro and the Undead for his own gain; Banner Bro’s new skill reverses that relationship by making the old man his servant.
• The expanding Undead army: the capture advances Banner Bro’s growth and foreshadows the group’s ambition to acquire Electrolux.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Banner Bro explains that Occlumency completely seals a person’s Spiritual Sea, making them a puppet. It cannot be undone without forcibly breaching the defenses with Soul Power and Spiritual Power—an act that would leave the victim mentally ruined. He has used it on the poisoned Mud Old Ghost, creating his first living puppet.
• Banner Bro merges with Jiang Hao, raising Jiang Hao’s Soul Power to its peak. Jiang Hao easily suppresses Banner Bro’s spiritual corruption, then releases him again. The nearby Soul Masters also experience a breakthrough.
• Jiang Hao leads the group into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts for their Second Soul Rings. Their large-scale hunting of beasts on the outskirts triggers a mass migration of stronger, thousand-year and Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
• Jiang Hao orders distant Clones to retreat toward the forest edge and regroup at the Thirty-Person Group’s Stronghold, while those nearby gather around him. As the beast tide arrives, he fights a thousand-year Spotted Tiger while Banner Bro uses Mud Old Ghost’s abilities and the Soul Banner to battle the surrounding Wind Roar Monkeys and other beasts.
• The group is gradually overwhelmed, but Banner Bro refines the corpses into Undead and sends them into the beasts like explosive bombs, relieving pressure. When Red Light Bro finishes absorbing his Soul Ring, Jiang Hao gathers the nearby Clones into his Spiritual Sea and races for the forest’s edge.
• At the Thirty-Person Group’s Market, residents build a defensive wall facing the forest. While other Soul Hunters flee, the group prepares to defend the town and its merchants and farmers.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao demonstrates greater strength and control: Banner Bro’s corruption barely affects him, his physical abilities rival those of a powerful Soul Elder, and his seemingly inexhaustible Soul Power lets him wield a Soul Tool at enormous weight.
• Banner Bro shifts from supporting Jiang Hao to taking command in battle. He forcibly controls the still-unconscious Mud Old Ghost, then relies on mass-produced Undead when the fight intensifies.
• Mud Old Ghost is reduced to a puppet, used to cast Soul Skills for Banner Bro.
• Red Light Bro successfully absorbs his Second Soul Ring and signals the group to retreat.
• Wild Boar Bro reveals the Thirty-Person Group’s strong sense of responsibility, choosing to defend the town rather than abandon its residents.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Occlumency and forced mind-breaching offer control, but at the price of the victim’s autonomy or sanity; even refining Undead is described as having a cost.
• Collective responsibility: The group’s mission expands beyond hunting Soul Beasts to protecting the people and livelihoods of the town.
• Adaptation under pressure: Jiang Hao and Banner Bro change tactics as the hunt turns into a desperate fight for survival.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Banner Bro share a close, playful rapport, with Banner Bro merging into him on request and Jiang Hao casually dismissing the corruption he feels.
• During the battle, Jiang Hao assigns Banner Bro the monkeys while he confronts the tiger; Banner Bro uses Mud Old Ghost as a weapon and later supports the Clones with Undead explosives.
• Wild Boar Bro explains the decision to stay to Xiaoxiao, urging her to leave because the group may not be able to protect her once the fighting begins.

Key events

• Jiang Hao returns to the camp as a massive beast tide advances. His Clones and the Thirty-Person Group defend the town without waiting for Shrek City, using successive lines of archers, traps, elemental Soul Skills, and close-combat fighters.
• Xiao Xiao joins the defense, wielding her three cauldrons with a newly changed, fire-based First Soul Skill. Jiang Hao recognizes that his influence has altered events.
• Baozi Bro supplies Jiang Hao with buns that restore Soul Power and temporarily double his damage. Jiang Hao and his Clones fight at the front while wounded Clones are withdrawn and treated.
• A burrowing rat-like Soul Beast nearly kills Jiang Hao. He realizes the so-called “Cannon Fodder Group” are risking their lives for him, and vows to destroy the beasts. Banner Bro enters the battle, using the Soul Banner to turn corpses into explosive attacks.
• Banner Bro overexerts himself absorbing impure Soul Power. His power stalls at level twenty-seven, but he sacrifices a reserve Soul to destroy a Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Spirit, badly injuring nearby beasts. Jiang Hao sends him to the treatment camp.
• With many Clones badly wounded and the camp overwhelmed, Soul Masters who had been hiding in an inn decide to join the defense. A burly three-ring Soul Elder charges into battle and crushes two Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shifts from treating his Clones as expendable numbers to recognizing their courage and sacrifice. The battle exposes his limitations, prompting him to plan to arm his forces with Soul Tools.
• Xiao Xiao demonstrates determination and growing combat power through her altered cauldron skill.
• Banner Bro fights with reckless resolve, accepting lasting harm to stop the stronger beasts; Jiang Hao protects him by sending him for treatment.
• Baozi Bro supports Jiang Hao with restorative and offensive Soul Skills.
• The previously hesitant Soul Masters are moved by the defenders’ bravery and choose solidarity over escape.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and loyalty: The Clones risk their lives for Jiang Hao, changing how he sees them.
• Courage and conscience: Even people who planned to flee ultimately join the fight.
• Consequences of change: Jiang Hao recognizes that his presence has altered established events.
• Teamwork and preparedness: Layered defenses and specialized abilities help the group resist overwhelming numbers, while the casualties reveal the need for better equipment and planning.

Key plot points and events

• As the beast tide presses against the camp, Eagle-Eye Bro shares the enemies’ locations with every Soul Master, while other fighters and support users hold the defensive line.
• Owl Bro realizes there is no leader among the beasts at the front: the true source of the tide is hiding in the forest. Using Beans’s vision, he and Jiang Hao locate a roughly 35,000-year-old Bloodthirsty Demon Spider and call for a decapitation strike.
• Jiang Hao leads the assault with help from a Fire Dragon Soul Master and a Short Sword Soul Master. Red Light Bro immobilizes the spider, allowing the attackers to wound it and finish it with sword strikes and fire.
• The stronger beasts retreat once their leader is defeated. Owl Bro orders the fighters to eliminate the remaining beasts, and the group clears the battlefield without letting any escape.
• Afterward, the Clones disperse to avoid drawing attention to their numbers. Owl Bro thanks the assisting Soul Masters with chests of Gold Soul Coins.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains protective of his Clones, sending injured ones away and carrying guilt over an earlier Clone’s ambush. Killing the spider gives him some satisfaction, though he ends the battle still nursing a grudge.
• Owl Bro proves a perceptive battlefield tactician, identifying the hidden leader and coordinating the decisive attack.
• Red Light Bro risks himself to restrain the spider, creating the opening the others need.
• The three-ring Soul Elder, Fatty Liu, is comically eager to fight despite being physically vulnerable; he refuses payment afterward and introduces himself as an outer disciple and trading-house heir.
• Qingzhu and Nan Heng accept the reward and introduce themselves, establishing new connections with the Thirty-Person Group.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementary abilities: intelligence-sharing, restraint, healing, boosts, and direct attacks combine to overcome a powerful enemy.
• Resourcefulness and leadership: identifying the true source of the threat matters more than simply fighting the beasts at the front.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Jiang Hao’s concern for his Clones reflects his sense of responsibility toward them.
• Practical secrecy and gratitude: the Clones quietly disperse after the battle, while the group rewards those who helped.

Character interactions

• Owl Bro relies on Beans and coordinates closely with Jiang Hao to find and attack the spider.
• Jiang Hao rallies the stronger Soul Masters; the Fire Dragon Soul Master drives the spider from the forest, Qingzhu joins the charge, and Red Light Bro restrains it at a crucial moment.
• Fatty Liu’s impulsive leap onto the spider adds both danger and comic relief.
• Owl Bro presents gifts to Qingzhu, Nan Heng, and Fatty Liu, prompting introductions and polite exchanges.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Qing, impressed by the group’s apparent heroism, asks to join the Thirty-Person Group. Jiang Hao tells Owl Bro to accept her, and she is made captain of its First Brigade.
• After the beast tide, Jiang Hao checks on the wounded Banner Bro and gives him a Black Tortoise Divine Pill stolen from the Xuanming Sect, hoping it will aid his recovery.
• At the camp, Master’s Bro explains that his new Soul Skill, Dissection Understanding, lets him learn about creatures—and even infer what Soul Skill a Soul Ring might grant—by dissecting them. He proposes researching ways to use Soul Power-infused meat, or injections, to strengthen people.
• Jiang Hao approves the project and allocates half the group’s resources to Master’s Bro’s research, with Owl Bro handling the funds. The attack has highlighted how vulnerable the group’s weaker Clones are, prompting Jiang Hao to seek better ways to protect them.
• The group celebrates around a bonfire. Fatty Liu and an Earth Dragon Sect elder praise Owl Bro’s potent liquor and discuss buying it. Zhu Qing drinks too much and is helped to a guest room.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shows trust in his recruits’ initiative: he supports Master’s Bro’s ambitious research and balances it against the need to equip the group with Soul Tools.
• Owl Bro welcomes Zhu Qing despite his initial worry about exposing the group’s secrets, and acts as host during the celebration.
• Zhu Qing joins out of admiration for the group’s chivalry, but her drinking quickly gets the better of her.
• Master’s Bro shifts from dissection toward a potentially profitable research program, combining his Soul Skill’s creature analysis with plans for Soul Power delivery.
• Banner Bro’s near-collapse underscores the risks the fighters have taken in defending the headquarters.
• The celebrants’ camaraderie—and their practical talk of trade—shows the group building relationships as well as its organization.

Significant themes

• Protection and preparedness: The beast tide exposes the danger facing weaker Clones, pushing Jiang Hao to improve their defenses.
• Experimentation and innovation: The group turns Soul Beast biology and Soul Power into possible medical and commercial applications.
• Pragmatism mixed with comedy: Serious plans for research, security, and recovery sit alongside jokes about virility, liquor, and stolen medicine.
• Community-building: Recruitment, shared work, celebration, and business partnerships help transform the group into a broader network.

Key plot points and events

• Xiaoxiao wakes Jiang Hao to show off her new Soul Skill, which gives her Martial Soul an elemental attribute: it can attack souls and produce powerful flames. She also tells him Commander Xiao wants to see him.
• At the group’s base, Owl Bro introduces Jiang Hao to Fatty Liu, who proposes a partnership to transport rare goods to Heaven Dou City. Jiang Hao agrees, seeing the arrangement as a low-risk way to expand his business.
• Xiaoxiao volunteers to travel with Jiang Hao, partly because Heaven Dou City is her home. Jiang Hao accidentally reveals that he is from Shrek, surprising her and the others.
• Owl Bro assigns Qingzhu and a small escort squad to accompany the trip. The group begins loading supplies into horse-drawn wagons.
• Xiaoxiao returns from shopping with a large bundle of treats for her mother. She is surprised by how warmly and generously the small-town merchants treat her; Owl Bro explains that they are grateful for her role in defending the market.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao is pragmatic and entrepreneurial, readily agreeing to the trade venture because it serves his larger business plans. He also lets his guard down and reveals his Shrek origins.
• Xiaoxiao is excited by her new Soul Skill and newly energized about cultivation. Her successful Soul Hunting trip has changed her view of training from a chore into something full of possibilities.
• Owl Bro acts as organizer and mediator, recommending Jiang Hao for the trade mission and smoothing over the group’s reaction to his background.
• Fatty Liu becomes more deferential after learning Jiang Hao is from Shrek, though Jiang Hao senses that the revelation has slightly altered their relationship.
• Qingzhu joins the travel party as an escort, while Xiaoxiao grows impressed by Jiang Hao and considers making him her teacher.

Significant themes

• Ambition and commerce: Jiang Hao sees cooperation as a way to build his business before competing more aggressively later.
• Growth through experience: Xiaoxiao’s new Soul Skill makes cultivation exciting and expands her sense of what her Martial Soul can become.
• Reputation and gratitude: The merchants’ generosity reflects the stories surrounding Xiaoxiao’s defense of the market, showing how public perception can shape relationships.
• Social status and distance: Jiang Hao’s Shrek background earns him greater respect but also creates a subtle emotional distance with Fatty Liu.

Character interactions

• Xiaoxiao playfully scolds Jiang Hao for sleeping late, then eagerly recruits him for the trip.
• Owl Bro publicly praises Jiang Hao’s combat ability and authority, while also steering the trade discussion and easing the tension caused by Jiang Hao’s disclosure.
• Xiaoxiao’s excitement about traveling and learning from Jiang Hao contrasts with Jiang Hao’s practical focus on profit.
• The merchants’ unusually warm treatment of Xiaoxiao surprises her; Owl Bro links it to her supposed heroism during the market’s defense.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao and Xiaoxiao travel north toward Heaven Dou City with Fatty Liu’s slow-moving caravan. While riding, Jiang Hao trains by compressing Soul Power and circulating it through his body to strengthen himself, hoping to withstand stacking the power of more Clones.
• He considers absorbing the Soul Bones he carries to improve his physique, but rejects the shortcut: he has promised the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to Ice Sword Bro, and wants to save the other bones for suitable Martial Soul Clones.
• Xiaoxiao wonders whether Qingzhu could join the Thirty-Person Group and whether she might see Brother Xiao again. She resolves to cultivate hard enough to reach Soul Grandmaster and join.
• Xiaoxiao’s cultivation draws in the Soul Power Jiang Hao has been shedding. Their Martial Souls resonate: Jiang Hao’s Body Martial Soul appears, and Xiaoxiao’s Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron emerges. The furnace flames intensify and a thread of fire wraps around Jiang Hao.
• Jiang Hao’s Soul Power turns to fire, while Xiaoxiao’s power rises sharply; she breaks through to level thirteen. The fire accidentally sets the carriage alight. Jiang Hao carries Xiaoxiao to safety, and the Clone guards extinguish the blaze.
• Jiang Hao discovers a new Martial Soul trait, which names itself “Fire Gazing.” The fire-attribute Soul Power settles near his heart and burns away the Evil Soul Master aura left in him from contact with Banner Bro. His spiritual world’s blazing sun grows stronger, leading him to suspect his Spiritual Sea forms a Five-Elements Cycle.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao continues prioritizing physical resilience and disciplined training over immediate gains from Soul Bones. The unexpected awakening leaves him curious about his Martial Soul’s evolution and possible elemental states.
• Xiaoxiao turns her longing to reunite with Brother Xiao into a concrete goal: train harder and earn a place in the Thirty-Person Group. Her breakthrough demonstrates her rapid progress.

Significant themes

• Discipline and restraint: Jiang Hao refuses a tempting shortcut and pursues gradual bodily strengthening.
• Ambition and reunion: Xiaoxiao’s desire to see Brother Xiao motivates her cultivation.
• Discovery and transformation: The Martial Soul resonance brings a new ability and suggests deeper mysteries in Jiang Hao’s spiritual world.
• Fire as purification: The newly awakened fire not only changes Jiang Hao’s Soul Power but also eradicates the lingering evil aura.

Character interactions

• Xiaoxiao watches Jiang Hao train and tries to draw him into conversation; his focus initially leaves her feeling ignored.
• Her determination to reunite with Brother Xiao prompts her to begin cultivating beside Jiang Hao.
• Their Martial Souls react to one another’s Soul Power, triggering the fire event. Jiang Hao acts quickly to rescue Xiaoxiao, while the Clone guards help contain the resulting fire.

Plot and events

• After Xiaoxiao accidentally destroys a carriage while testing Soul Power, Jiang Hao reassures the nervous merchant Liu. The group continues toward Heaven Dou City, with Jiang Hao and Xiaoxiao sharing Liu’s larger carriage.
• Liu explains that his “Fat Martial Soul” and low innate Soul Power led him to abandon cultivation and focus on earning money to support his more talented siblings.
• Jiang Hao uses a Soul Skill to examine Liu and discovers that, beneath his fat, Liu has an unusually muscular body. He suggests that Liu’s fat is stored energy and that, as a Body Martial Soul user, Liu might become stronger by burning it away rather than treating it as the Martial Soul’s foundation.
• Inspired by Jiang Hao’s insight, Liu gives him a personal Northern Snow Trading House token and offers him lifelong help. Jiang Hao accepts the token but says he must consult his teacher before deciding what to do.
• During the journey, Xiaoxiao watches Jiang Hao temper his body with Soul Power, believing their abilities may form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Frustrated that he does not seem to notice, she thinks he is an idiot for expecting her to make the first move.
• The convoy reaches Heaven Dou City safely. Jiang Hao’s Soul Power has progressed from gas toward mist and liquid, though fully liquefying it may take years.
• Xiaoxiao asks Jiang Hao to visit her home, but he postpones the visit until he completes a task for Xiao’s Thirty-Person Group. She insists on accompanying him, partly because she fears her family will discover her unauthorized Soul Skill and punish or confine her if she returns alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shows insight into Body Martial Souls and earns Liu’s admiration, but remains focused on his training and assigned task—oblivious to Xiaoxiao’s romantic interest and her hopes about their possible fusion skill.
• Fatty Liu reveals himself as a diligent, self-sacrificing merchant rather than merely a spoiled rich young man. Jiang Hao’s advice rekindles his interest in cultivation, and he responds with gratitude and a strong offer of support.
• Xiaoxiao grows more emotionally attached to Jiang Hao and increasingly hopeful about their potential as a pair. Her reluctance to go home alone also reflects anxiety about her family’s reaction to her choices.
• Red Light Bro and the Clones trade jokes in Jiang Hao’s Spiritual Sea, teasing Red Light Bro about his failed attempt to court a girl and reinforcing their playful group dynamic.

Significant themes

• Rethinking limitations: Jiang Hao challenges Liu’s assumption that his fat is a weakness or the essence of his Martial Soul.
• Effort and responsibility: Liu has sacrificed personal cultivation to support his siblings, while Jiang Hao remains disciplined despite slow progress.
• Romance and miscommunication: Xiaoxiao hopes Jiang Hao will recognize their special connection, but he remains unaware of her feelings.
• Family expectations and independence: Xiaoxiao fears the consequences of her family discovering that she has acted outside their traditions.

Key plot points

• Jiang Hao and Xiaoxiao arrive at the Northern Snow Trading House with Fatty Liu, who goes upstairs to speak with his father. While waiting, Xiaoxiao compares the shop’s food unfavorably with the Thirty-Person Group’s products.
• Jiang Hao hints that the town’s young, able-bodied residents are likely Soul Masters, and Xiaoxiao realizes that the Thirty-Person Group’s food production may be powered by a large number of Food-Type Soul Masters.
• Xu Sanshi arrives and begins taking merchandise, including the group’s newly delivered goods. When the shopkeeper offers him wine for free, Xu interprets the gesture as an insult and smashes a bottle.
• Jiang Hao notices that Xu’s Martial Soul has changed: his Xuanming Shield has awakened and evolved into the Xuanming Turtle. Xu’s injury cannot be healed, and the resulting fear and resentment appear to have contributed to the awakening.
• Xu orders the Northern Snow Trading House’s wine shipment destroyed and assaults Uncle Wang. When Qingzhu intervenes, an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo blocks her attack and injures her.
• Xu escalates the situation, ordering the group’s men beaten and threatening to abduct Qingzhu. The chapter ends as Qingzhu stands her ground against him.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains observant and cautious. He recognizes the Thirty-Person Group’s hidden strength and Xu Sanshi’s transformation, but hesitates to intervene after seeing the powerful Soul Douluo.
• Xiaoxiao is playful and candid, but quickly understands Jiang Hao’s warning and keeps the group’s secret.
• Xu Sanshi has become bitter, arrogant, and violent after learning his injury is irreversible. His awakened Xuanming Turtle gives him new power, which he uses to intimidate others.
• Qingzhu shows courage by challenging Xu despite the danger and her injuries.
• Uncle Wang is deferential toward Xu and tries to placate him, but his offer of free wine is twisted into a pretext for violence.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Xu uses his status and a formidable ally to bully the trading house and its staff.
• Misfortune and transformation: Xu’s permanent injury and emotional distress coincide with the evolution of his Martial Soul—an apparent blessing emerging from disaster.
• Hidden strength and perception: Jiang Hao recognizes that ordinary-looking food production may conceal a powerful network of Soul Masters.
• Courage versus caution: Qingzhu confronts Xu, while Jiang Hao weighs the danger of acting against an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao gently teases Xiaoxiao and quietly guides her toward recognizing the town’s secret.
• Fatty Liu treats Jiang Hao as an honored guest and entrusts the shop staff with looking after the group.
• Uncle Wang tries to appease Xu, but Xu responds with insults, violence, and threats.
• Qingzhu attacks Xu to protect the trading house; his Soul Douluo ally blocks her, leaving her injured as Xu’s threats intensify.

Key plot points and events

• Fatty Liu welcomes Lord Lang Ya, a fellow Body Martial Soul user, and describes Jiang Hao’s unusually complete Body Martial Soul. Their conversation turns to Liu’s realization that he may have been underusing his fat-based Martial Soul, treating it only as defense rather than as a source of energy.
• Their discussion is interrupted by a fight downstairs. Xu Sanshi, consumed by rage and negative emotions, urges his uncle to kill Jiang Hao.
• Jiang Hao confronts Xu Sanshi’s uncle, an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo from the Xuanming Sect. He recognizes the man’s chilling, corrupted power and concludes that the sect has embraced Evil Soul Master methods involving the cultivation of human suffering and slaughter.
• Though Jiang Hao is far less experienced, he boosts himself with support abilities and attacks with a greatsword. His technique and immense strength briefly stagger the Soul Douluo, but the enemy’s punch breaks Jiang Hao’s one-use defensive Soul Tool.
• Xiao Xiao’s power reaches Jiang Hao through their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Their combined strength gives him control of her three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons, and he unleashes the Blazing Sun Five-Finger Soul-Suppressing Fist.
• The Soul Douluo evades by teleporting himself and Xu Sanshi, even using an innocent attendant as a decoy. Jiang Hao redirects his attack, badly injuring his own arm in the process. The enemy counters with his Martial Soul Avatar and a swarm of tormented souls, but Jiang Hao’s blazing aura burns them away.
• Exhausted and bleeding, Jiang Hao considers fleeing. A black shield suddenly flies out of the smoke toward him, and Fatty Liu dives in to stop the potentially fatal attack.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao shows courage, tactical ingenuity, and a strong sense of responsibility: he decides that because his earlier ideas helped the Xuanming Sect uncover chilling power, he must oppose their misuse of it. His power is formidable, but the battle also reveals its physical cost.
• Fatty Liu begins reconsidering his own Martial Soul. Jiang Hao’s insight has prompted him to see his fat not merely as defensive bulk, but as energy he might use in new ways.
• Xu Sanshi appears increasingly unstable and consumed by negative emotion, seemingly indifferent to the consequences of his actions.
• Xiao Xiao supports Jiang Hao through their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, allowing him to unleash a much stronger combined technique.
• Lord Lang Ya is eager to meet Jiang Hao and help bring him to the Body Sect, though the fight interrupts their plans.

Significant themes

• Responsibility for unintended consequences: Jiang Hao feels accountable for the Xuanming Sect’s discovery of a power that it has turned toward evil.
• Power and its use: Fatty Liu’s reflection and the Xuanming Sect’s corruption both emphasize that a Martial Soul’s potential depends on how its wielder chooses to use it.
• Courage against overwhelming odds: Jiang Hao faces a vastly stronger opponent, relying on skill, support, and resolve rather than matching the enemy’s rank.
• The cost of power: Jiang Hao’s strongest attack damages his body, underscoring the risks of pushing beyond his limits.
• Corruption and suffering: The Soul Douluo’s use of tormented souls contrasts sharply with Jiang Hao’s purifying solar flames.

Character interactions

• Fatty Liu and Lang Ya share an affectionate, collegial bond rooted in their rare Body Martial Souls; Lang Ya is excited to meet Jiang Hao and take him to the sect.
• Jiang Hao confronts Xu Sanshi and his uncle, rejecting their violence and the uncle’s corrupted methods.
• Xiao Xiao’s fusion with Jiang Hao demonstrates their trust and cooperation in battle.
• Fatty Liu’s abrupt intervention places him between Jiang Hao and the incoming attack, setting up a direct confrontation at the chapter’s end.