Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao’s Clones carry the injured Qingzhu away while Jiang Hao prepares to flee. Fatty Liu, however, emerges from the haze transformed: his blue-gold light turns silver, signaling a Silver Rank Awakening. His increased power lets him hurl the Eight-Ring Elder through a wall.
• Fatty Liu believes he has advanced from Soul Elder to Soul King after decades of accumulated strength, then uses his Body Expansion skill to charge into the Black Water engulfing the Wooden House. Lang Ya rescues him before the water overwhelms him.
• Lang Ya demonstrates a more advanced use of Body Sect techniques: rather than merely hardening the body, a fighter can stretch, soften, and reshape their limbs to attack. He uses this method to defeat the Xuanming Sect elder.
• Jiang Hao realizes his mother belonged to the Body Sect and that the manual he has been using teaches the Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul. Lang Ya also recognizes Jiang Hao and Xiao Xiao’s power-sharing as a Martial Soul Fusion, and sends word to the Sect Master.
• Lang Ya brings the group into the Northern Snow Trading House. He treats Fatty Liu’s rigid, blood-engorged muscles and tells Jiang Hao, “I’m here to take you home.”

Character developments and interactions

• Fatty Liu undergoes a major awakening, gaining silver-ranked power and discovering a new level of strength. His impulsive charge into danger leaves him incapacitated, but Lang Ya explains how he might develop his abilities further.
• Jiang Hao learns more about his mother’s connection to the Body Sect and recognizes that his own techniques come from its tradition. Though badly injured, he tries to keep fighting and remains determined not to collapse.
• Lang Ya proves both formidable and knowledgeable, defeating the elder while teaching Jiang Hao how Body Martial Soul techniques can be used creatively. He also appears to know Jiang Hao’s origins and offers to take him home.
• Xiao Xiao supports Jiang Hao by channeling her power into him. Lang Ya interprets their cooperation as Martial Soul Fusion and playfully teases her about their relationship.
• The chapter’s interactions shift from combat and rescue to instruction, discovery, and an unexpected offer of belonging from Lang Ya.

Significant themes

• Growth through awakening: Fatty Liu’s long-stalled potential finally manifests, showing how stored experience and power can lead to a breakthrough.
• Skill over brute force: Lang Ya’s lesson emphasizes adapting and shaping one’s abilities rather than relying only on greater strength or toughness.
• Hidden identity and belonging: Jiang Hao uncovers his mother’s ties to the Body Sect, while Lang Ya’s promise to take him home hints at a deeper connection to his past.
• Mutual support: Xiao Xiao’s aid helps Jiang Hao recover, underscoring the value of cooperation amid danger.

Key plot points and events

• Lang Ya, a Body Sect member, invites Jiang Hao to go home with him. He gives Xiaoxiao a healing ointment and mischievously sends her upstairs to apply it to Jiang Hao.
• While Jiang Hao rests, the Xuanming Sect arrives to cause trouble at the Northern Snow Trading House. Lang Ya and other Body Sect Soul Masters repel them, and the two groups settle into a guarded standoff.
• Jiang Hao orders Owl Bro to investigate the Xuanming Sect, declaring that he intends to destroy it within three years. He admits he is not yet strong enough to challenge its top fighters.
• Xiaoxiao urges Jiang Hao to leave the city and return to the safety of Shrek City. He reassures her that he will stay with her and that he has allies.
• As he heals, Jiang Hao discovers that injured and repaired parts of his body develop altered meridians that carry Soul Power more efficiently. He deliberately breaks his arm, heals it, and uses the process to expand and branch his meridians.
• Jiang Hao begins compressing gaseous Soul Power into liquid form. He produces one drop, but cannot form a second because the first keeps disrupting the process as it circulates.
• At dawn, his Clone bursts into the room naked, dancing and tumbling wildly, giving Jiang Hao an absurd end to a tense night.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao recognizes the gap between his current strength and the Xuanming Sect’s power, but turns the discovery of his body’s adaptation into a new path for growth. He becomes determined to forge his body into a weapon and willingly endures serious pain to advance.
• Xiaoxiao shows deep concern for Jiang Hao and prioritizes his safety, offering to arrange his escape. Her tenderness and innocence are emphasized during the intimate healing scene.
• Lang Ya comes across as both dependable and teasing: he supports Jiang Hao against the Xuanming Sect while deliberately engineering an awkward moment with Xiaoxiao.
• The Clone is revealed to have a wildly unpredictable, comic personality.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: Jiang Hao’s injuries trigger physical adaptation and more efficient Soul Power circulation.
• Self-forging and ambition: Jiang Hao resolves to make his own body the foundation of his strength rather than rely only on conventional advancement.
• Power and patience: He wants to confront the Xuanming Sect, but understands that his present limitations demand preparation.
• Protection and loyalty: Xiaoxiao worries for Jiang Hao, while the Body Sect’s intervention gives him support against a stronger enemy.
• Humor amid danger: Lang Ya’s teasing and the Clone’s antics punctuate the chapter’s violence and intense training.

Character interactions

• Lang Ya welcomes Jiang Hao and jokes at his expense by having Xiaoxiao apply the ointment.
• Xiaoxiao treats Jiang Hao’s injuries and urges him to flee, while he comforts her and promises to accompany her home.
• The Body Sect clashes with the Xuanming Sect, establishing the former as Jiang Hao’s immediate protection and the latter as his declared future target.
• Jiang Hao reacts to his Clone’s naked, manic performance with exasperation.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao decides to awaken a dozen Clones who have been waiting in his Spiritual Sea. When they fight over who goes first, he restores order by threatening to assign the troublemakers to the Self-Destruction Squad.
• The awakenings produce a string of unusual Martial Souls: Blue Silver Grass, sand and earth, a holy Wooden Fish that leaves its user bald, a Frying Pan, and a shattered sword held together by violet energy.
• The standout is a mutated Fire Dragon Martial Soul. Its Clone grows taller, gains crimson scales and armor, and demonstrates impressive power. Jiang Hao tests the form himself and judges it stronger than Ice Sword Bro.
• Sixth Bro, who had hoped to awaken something more dramatic, instead manifests an ordinary water element that gathers into a stream. He is furious and threatens to become an Evil Soul Master and dye the water red. Jiang Hao stops him before he can make a scene.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains practical and in control, using humor, threats, and his Clones’ abilities to manage the chaotic awakenings. He is pleased by the Fire Dragon’s strength but wary of the strange results after his Soul Power passed level twenty.
• Fire Dragon Bro is boastful and theatrical, but his Martial Soul appears to be the most powerful of the new batch.
• Sixth Bro reveals a taste for blood-soaked villainy and elaborate dramatic poses. His disappointment at receiving water rather than a spectacular Martial Soul fuels his antics.

Character interactions

• The Clones brawl over their place in line, then quickly obey Jiang Hao’s birth-date rule when he threatens punishment.
• Jiang Hao tests Fire Dragon Bro’s flames by reflecting them with Mirror Bro’s ability, then uses the dragon form himself to assess its strength.
• He dismisses most of the new Martial Souls as impractical, while teasing Sixth Bro about his ambitions.

Significant themes

• Power and unpredictability: Crossing level twenty seems to have changed the quality or nature of the awakenings, making Jiang Hao suspect that something may be affecting his fate.
• Individuality within the group: Though the Clones share a bond and Soul Power, their Martial Souls and personalities differ sharply.
• Humor through anticlimax: The Clones’ grand expectations repeatedly collide with bizarre or disappointing results, especially Sixth Bro’s reaction to awakening water.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao decides he must avoid being recruited or controlled by the Body Sect, whose interest in him could expose his secret ability to use clones. He takes Xiaoxiao home as a chance to slip away.
• On the journey, he notices more than twenty Body Sect and Xuanming Sect figures following them. A Body Sect Soul King silently defeats an Xuanming Sect pursuer, showing the Body Sect’s strength.
• At the Xiao Mansion, Xiaoxiao is welcomed home. Her mother, Madam Xiao, initially confronts her for disappearing, then tests Jiang Hao’s physical strength. Impressed, she accepts him as Xiaoxiao’s friend and takes the food and liquor he offers.
• Jiang Hao tells Xiaoxiao he needs her help escaping the Body Sect. He disguises himself with tree resin and leaves through the back gate in a hay cart.
• Meanwhile, he orders the Thirty-Person Group to abandon its camp near the Star Dou Great Forest, since the Xuanming Sect may retaliate against the group and its trading operations.
• Jiang Hao reunites with the group in the woods and chooses to lead them north to the Far North, where the Xuanming Sect has less reach and the group may rebuild. They set out for Dragon City.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains cautious and independent, prioritizing secrecy over the protection or influence the Body Sect could offer. He shows courtesy and quick thinking at the Xiao Mansion, while quietly assessing Madam Xiao and planning his escape.
• Xiaoxiao is relieved to be home but fears her mother’s anger. She trusts Jiang Hao and helps him flee, though she is disappointed they cannot stay together or test their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Madam Xiao shifts from anger and suspicion to approval after seeing Jiang Hao’s bearing and strength. Her welcome suggests she considers him a suitable friend for Xiaoxiao.
• The Thirty-Person Group, including the recovered Qingzhu, follows Jiang Hao’s decision to abandon its established base and move north.
• Jiang Hao’s encounter with the Body Sect’s protection of Xiaoxiao and its defeat of the Xuanming pursuers highlights his complicated position: he appreciates the sect’s help but does not want to become entangled with it.

Significant themes

• Independence versus protection: Jiang Hao refuses to trade freedom and secrecy for the safety of a powerful sect.
• Trust and loyalty: He risks using Xiaoxiao’s hospitality to escape, while promising to stay in contact; he also treats the Thirty-Person Group’s safety as his responsibility.
• Power and political danger: Sect rivalries make even a small trading group vulnerable, forcing Jiang Hao to relocate rather than risk open conflict.
• Adaptability and opportunity: Disguise, planning, and choosing a new base allow Jiang Hao to respond to threats while seeking future opportunities in the Far North.

Key plot points

• A month after leaving Heaven Dou City, Jiang Hao’s group reaches the snowy outskirts of Dragon City. The caravan’s horses have frozen, so the group helps Captain Xiao’s party move its cargo through the snow.
• Jiang Hao learns that the Xuanming Sect and Body Sect both searched the group’s abandoned camp but found no clues. Two flying Soul Masters remain behind and are expected to catch up in about a week.
• Owl Bro reports that the Xuanming Sect has extensive businesses and more than ten thousand members, including powerful Soul Masters and at least one Titled Douluo. Jiang Hao concludes that confronting the sect would require either a decisive strike or avoiding a fight: once alerted, its strongest members could threaten the clones.
• The Dou Ling Empire has issued warrants for the Thirty-Person Group and the Fatui after the Xuanming Sect appealed to the imperial family.
• A Body Sect Titled Douluo recently attacked the Xuanming Sect, killing one Soul Douluo, injuring another, and destroying part of its headquarters. The Xuanming Sect is now searching for the Body Sect.
• Owl Bro reveals he invited the Earth Dragon Sect to meet because Master’s Bro has made a research breakthrough. Jiang Hao accesses Master’s Bro’s memories—but notices an unsettling anomaly: he seems able to see Master’s Bro within those memories.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains cautious and strategic, weighing the danger posed by the Xuanming Sect’s powerful fighters. He also helps keep the group moving through the storm.
• Owl Bro proves an effective intelligence-gatherer, sharing details about the sect, the warrants, and the Body Sect attack.
• Sixth Bro brings comic relief, boasting that the Xuanming Sect will be in trouble once he becomes a Titled Douluo. Jiang Hao breaks up his exchange with Owl Bro.
• Qingzhu remains confused by the group’s unusual coordination and shared knowledge, while the clones’ conversation hints at their deeper connection: they are not truly separate individuals and must discover their abilities without guidance from their Martial Soul awakenings.
• The closing discovery suggests Jiang Hao’s connection to Master’s Bro’s memories may be changing or behaving in an unexpected way.

Significant themes

• Caution and survival: The group must avoid exposing itself while pursued by powerful organizations.
• Shared identity and individuality: The clones’ common nature is underscored by their linked thoughts and the strange lack of independent insight into their abilities.
• Power and political consequences: The Body Sect’s attack shows how conflicts between major factions can trigger wider retaliation and searches.
• Humor amid danger: Sixth Bro’s bravado and the group’s banter lighten an otherwise tense situation.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao reviews the Clones’ research. Master’s Bro has developed a Stamina Enhancer that temporarily boosts Soul Power circulation, physical strength, and stamina recovery. A Mental Surge Reagent still needs more testing, while a Soul Ring Factor Catalyst—made from mutagenic factors associated with Blue Silver Grass Soul Beasts—is still being refined.
• The group agrees that the reagents, especially those intended for people, need extensive testing before use.
• After waiting out a blizzard, the convoy sets out for Dragon City. Jiang Hao considers using the Clones’ scientific knowledge to develop Soul Tools, including cold-weather equipment and potentially solar-powered heaters.
• At Dragon City’s gate, the group finds that the Fatui and the Thirty-Person Group have been jointly branded a suspected Evil Soul Master gang and put on a wanted notice. Jiang Hao dismisses the danger, insisting that their Soul Hall’s legitimate business is separate from the wanted groups.
• The convoy enters the city without being stopped or searched.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao shows a growing interest in combining modern science with Soul Tool technology and remains confident—even cheeky—when the group faces official suspicion.
• Master’s Bro is portrayed as a productive, ambitious researcher, though his projects remain at different stages of development.
• Owl Bro clarifies that he handles planning and finances because his Martial Soul is poorly suited to combat.
• Qingzhu admits that Jiang Hao’s reckless charge against a Soul Douluo in Heaven Dou City left her shaken.
• A Clone’s complaint about being cold highlights the inconvenience of Jiang Hao’s ability to recall Clones at sunrise.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and the others discuss the safety and testing standards for the experimental reagents.
• Jiang Hao jokes that the wanted notice has nothing to do with their Soul Hall, then leads the convoy onward.
• Qingzhu questions why Jiang Hao seems to lead the Thirty-Person Group while Owl Bro acts as its accountant. Owl Bro explains their respective roles, and they laugh over Sixth Bro’s unfortunate name, “Old Six.”

Significant themes

• Scientific curiosity and innovation: The Clones experiment with Soul-related substances and consider applying science to Soul Tool development.
• Ethics and caution: The group recognizes that promising reagents require careful, repeated testing before human use.
• Identity and appearance: The wanted notice links organizations the group considers distinct, while Jiang Hao uses the separation between their public business and alleged affiliations to proceed.
• Humor amid danger: Cold-weather complaints and teasing about roles and names lighten the tension surrounding the wanted notice.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao’s group buys a large, relatively affordable residence in the city to serve as Soul Hall’s base. He also plans to establish a defended camp near the Far North for the Clones.
• He formally reorganizes the group as Soul Hall, abandoning the Fatui name because of its notoriety and avoiding the Thirty-Person Group name while the Xuanming Sect hunts them.
• Jiang Hao sets the organization’s priorities: develop Soul Tools and medicine, especially Master's Bro’s stamina-enhancing potion, which he hopes to sell in quantity.
• He assigns work for the planned Far North camp and its economy:
  • Flame Bro and Fire Dragon Bro will lead construction and defenses.
  • Banner Bro will train promising fighters and assess candidates.
  • Hoe Bro’s people will grow vegetables in greenhouses and mine ore.
  • Master's Bro asks to borrow Banner Bro and Training Bro occasionally to help capture Soul Beasts for experiments.
• Pot Bro and other Food-type Soul Masters point out that they have few ways to cultivate while waiting for the camp. Their suggestion prompts Jiang Hao to realize they could open a buffet using food produced by their Martial Souls. He immediately decides to rent a storefront.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao acts as organizer and strategist, balancing the group’s need for income, research, defense, and work for otherwise idle Clones. He also shows concern when Master's Bro requests Banner Bro, but agrees to a limited arrangement.
• Owl Bro remains head of Soul Hall. Jiang Hao assigns him responsibility for coordinating fighters and joins him and Pot Bro in planning the restaurant.
• Master's Bro’s scientific ambitions remain central to the organization’s finances, but his request exposes competition for Banner Bro’s time and skills.
• Banner Bro is given a major role in training combat-ready Soul Masters, including the newcomers Blade-Pointing Bro and Wooden Fish Bro. Wooden Fish Bro’s holy attribute makes him especially suited to fighting Evil Soul Masters; Blade-Pointing Bro can control the fragments of shattered blades.
• The Food-type Clones speak up for their needs rather than passively waiting for assignments, and their proposal gives the organization a new potential business.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and resourcefulness: Jiang Hao turns the group’s abilities and regional shortages into plans for income and survival.
• Collective organization: The Clones’ skills are divided among research, defense, farming, mining, and commerce.
• Adaptation and opportunity: High vegetable prices in the north and Food-type Martial Souls inspire the buffet idea.
• Tension between priorities: Soul Hall must balance profitable research with training, infrastructure, and the needs of its members.

Key events

• At a remote site in the Far North, Master’s Bro begins experiments on several kinds of Soft Bone Rabbits. He injects them with a pale-pink medicine and compares different pairings, including control groups. Swift Bro helps capture the rabbits, while Fire Dragon Bro digs out a cabin and complains about the experiment.
• Banner Bro leaves the camp to meet Jiang Hao. Meanwhile, Jiang Hao and his Clones prepare their new Dragon City storefront, Wanmin Hall, for its opening.
• Banner Bro brings Jiang Hao and the others to the Far North construction site. They discuss the difficulty of building in the extreme cold and plan to assemble a wooden structure first, improving it gradually.
• Jiang Hao learns that Master’s Bro is occupied with rabbit breeding rather than developing Soul Tools or a solar heating system. He decides to delegate those responsibilities elsewhere.
• Seeking a Clone with strong Spiritual Power, Jiang Hao orders Golden Fox Beard Bro to attend a Junior Soul Master Academy. Beard Bro protests being sent to school, and Jiang Hao suggests sending companions with him. Cannon Bro objects when he suspects he may be assigned research work.

Character developments and interactions

• Master’s Bro shows his fascination with experimentation and natural selection, pursuing his rabbit project away from Jiang Hao’s oversight. His unusual methods amuse and unsettle the others.
• Fire Dragon Bro grumbles about the rabbits’ breeding experiment but continues helping, motivated by Master’s Bro’s promise of future rewards.
• Swift Bro assists Master’s Bro by capturing the rabbits, while Banner Bro serves as the link between the isolated camp and Jiang Hao.
• Jiang Hao adapts his plans when Master’s Bro proves unreliable, delegating work and assigning Beard Bro to school. Beard Bro’s resistance and Cannon Bro’s protest underline how little control the Clones have over their assignments.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and natural selection: Master’s Bro studies how rabbit populations change to survive in different environments.
• Delegation and unintended consequences: Jiang Hao’s plans depend on his Clones, whose separate interests and personalities often disrupt his expectations.
• Ambition and reward: Fire Dragon Bro tolerates strange work because he hopes to benefit from its results, while the others resist duties they dislike.
• Building and survival in harsh conditions: The group’s plans for the Far North must account for its cold, storms, and difficult construction conditions.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao orders Banner Bro to keep beating Cannon Bro until he stops confessing. Cannon Bro finally agrees to study Soul Tools, and Jiang Hao presents the punishment as a misunderstanding before taking him inside.
• Jiang Hao enrolls Cannon Bro, Beard Bro, and Four Wood Bro at Dragon City’s Junior Soul Master Academy. Owl Bro says the Earth Dragon Sect has arranged their admission.
• At the school gate, a wealthy, rank-seven-Soul-Power boy bullies a poorer classmate with rank-three Soul Power, knocking him down and demanding that he kneel.
• Cannon Bro asks Jiang Hao for permission to intervene, then attacks the bully. He announces that Nan Qiuqiu of the Earth Dragon Sect will protect the academy’s commoner students. The bully backs down when he hears the sect’s name.
• Cannon Bro then tries to impress Nan Qiuqiu by deducing that her Martial Soul has the rare Annihilation attribute. She confirms his cleverness but is too curious to keep her own secret, and Cannon Bro nearly reveals it too.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains wry and controlling, using harsh punishment to make his subordinates obey, then steering them toward education.
• Cannon Bro is impulsive and bold: he accepts his assignment, stands up to a bully, and immediately tries to show off his powers of observation.
• Nan Qiuqiu is confident and protective, using her Earth Dragon Sect status to defend weaker students. Her curiosity, however, makes her careless with a secret.
• The bullied boy is timid and poor, hoping for acceptance but unable to resist the bully.
• The yellow-haired boy relies on wealth and status to intimidate others, but retreats as soon as he realizes his target belongs to a powerful sect.

Significant themes

• Education and opportunity: Jiang Hao recognizes his followers’ ignorance and sends them to school to broaden their knowledge.
• Class prejudice and protection: The bully demeans a poorer student for his low Soul Power, while Nan Qiuqiu insists that commoner students deserve protection.
• Power and status: The bully uses privilege to dominate, but the Earth Dragon Sect’s influence quickly reverses the balance.
• Comedy and overconfidence: Cannon Bro’s dramatic “Grandmaster” pose and Nan Qiuqiu’s easy-to-provoke curiosity turn a serious confrontation into a comic exchange.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao and Banner Bro treat Cannon Bro’s punishment with dry humor, while Jiang Hao ultimately gives him a schoolbag and sends him to class.
• Cannon Bro seeks Jiang Hao’s approval before intervening, then protects the bullied student and confronts the wealthy boy.
• Nan Qiuqiu first establishes her authority by defending the student, then engages Cannon Bro when he claims to have identified her unusual attribute.

Key plot points

• Nan Qiuqiu assumes Cannon Bro, Four Wood Bro, and Beard Bro are poor new students and appoints herself their protector. The three accept their new “boss” with some unease.
• Cannon Bro secures the group a comfortable four-person dormitory with a bribe. The Clones then head to the library to study, after Jiang Hao catches them boasting and orders them to work.
• The Academy offers only theoretical Soul Tool lessons, but its practical books help fill gaps in Jiang Hao’s knowledge. He passes what he learns on to Master’s Bro.
• Jiang Hao has put Baozi Bro in charge of Wanmin Hall, which is already earning substantial profits. Pot Bro proposes expanding the business to Shrek City.
• With Dragon City’s operations stable and Owl Bro gathering intelligence on the Xuanming Sect, Jiang Hao plans to return to Shrek soon. He wants to spread his Clones across several organizations to make them harder to detect.
• Jiang Hao decides which Clones to take with him, including Fire Dragon Bro, Sand Bro, and Blade-Pointing Bro, whose newly acquired Soul Skills make them especially capable. As he prepares to leave, Sixth appears and insists on coming too.

Character developments and interactions

• Nan Qiuqiu takes a confident, protective role toward the three newcomers, while they privately joke about the unexpected arrangement.
• The Clones are learning to contribute through study and work: Four Wood Bro studies Soul Tool theory, and Pot Bro’s demanding cooking work has strengthened his Soul Power.
• Jiang Hao acts as both mentor and strategist—directing the Clones’ education, managing the growing business network, and planning how to protect it from scrutiny.
• The chapter highlights the Clones’ varied abilities and growing independence, while their shared bond with Jiang Hao remains clear: they respond quickly to his instructions and seek to accompany him.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and preparation: Study is essential to the Clones’ usefulness and future survival.
• Cooperation and shared growth: The Clones support one another through business, training, and the exchange of knowledge.
• Caution and concealment: Jiang Hao builds multiple organizations so his people and resources are less exposed.
• Ambition and potential: Several Clones sense that their current training is not enough and are eager to develop further.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao discovers that Brother Liuzi has been missing from his awareness since the team returned from hunting his first Soul Ring; the clone’s memories have a long blank stretch.
• Brother Liuzi reappears covered in foul black mud. He explains that his Dark Rat Soul Ring granted him a defensive skill that links people so they share damage—not the power he wanted for becoming an Evil Soul Master.
• During cultivation, Liuzi says he was somehow trapped in a strange, mud-filled place that drained his Soul Power until he “starved to death.” Jiang Hao cannot explain the event, but accepts that something unusual happened.
• Jiang Hao orders Liuzi cleaned and fed, then prepares to leave for Shrek Academy, hoping to study soul tools.
• Before departing Dragon City, Jiang Hao meets Nan Qiuqiu and her companions. She asks if she can keep eating at his restaurant after he leaves, and he assures her she can.
• The chapter reveals Jiang Hao’s growing influence in Dragon City: hundreds of clones have entered its defenses, while two have joined the Earth Dragon and Heavenly Dragon Sects.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao remains practical and confident, though Liuzi’s strange experience leaves him with an unresolved mystery. He continues building his network and plans to pursue soul-tool study.
• Brother Liuzi is frustrated that his first Soul Skill differs from his ambitions, but it may make him valuable as a team defender. His apparent journey into a deathly, Soul-Power-draining realm suggests his Martial Soul may be evolving.
• Nan Qiuqiu has become a regular at Jiang Hao’s restaurant and a devoted eater, showing how their friendship has grown.

Significant themes

• Unexpected growth and power: Liuzi’s unwanted Soul Skill may have significant tactical value, while his strange ordeal hints at a deeper transformation.
• Ambition and rivalry: Jiang Hao dreams of producing a clone with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul and boasts that having two Soul Rings at six would make someone a novel’s protagonist.
• Networks and preparation: Jiang Hao uses his clones to build influence across Dragon City and its factions.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao questions Liuzi’s account and reassures him that his damage-linking skill is useful; Brother Shazi dismisses Liuzi’s story as unbelievable.
• Jiang Hao shares a warm, teasing meal with Nan Qiuqiu, whose attachment to the restaurant reflects their growing bond.
• Jiang Hao’s clone network connects him indirectly to Dragon City’s military and sects, setting up future opportunities.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao returns to Shrek City after three months away, traveling quickly in a carriage driven by his clones and pulled by tamed Soul Beasts.
• At his house, he finds it unusually clean but discovers smoke and the smell of burnt food. Ma Xiaotao emerges from the kitchen, and an explosion soon confirms that she has wrecked it.
• Ma explains that she beat up Zhou Yi, was reprimanded by her teacher, and lost her allowance. Angry, she moved out, later ran out of money, and tried to feed herself by hunting and cooking.
• Jiang Hao points out that, as a four-ring Soul Master, she could earn money through Soul Hunting work. Ma realizes she has more options than she thought.
• Over a meal prepared by Jiang Hao’s cook, Ma praises the food and suggests he open a restaurant. Jiang Hao reveals that this is exactly his plan.

Character developments

• Jiang Hao returns more confident and resourceful, already thinking about Soul Tool technology and a business venture. He also responds to Ma’s crisis with practical advice rather than simply judging her.
• Ma Xiaotao is shown as hot-tempered and impulsive, but also inexperienced in life beyond the academy. Having always been provided for, she has never had to manage money or find food herself. Her hunger and frustration make her grateful for the meal, while Jiang Hao’s advice reminds her of her own abilities.
• The clones and companions provide comic support: they mourn Jiang Hao’s departure melodramatically, then help guard and serve him on his return.

Character interactions

• The clones’ farewell to Jiang Hao is affectionate but absurd, prompting him to hurry away.
• Jiang Hao and Ma initially question each other’s presence at the house. He confronts her about occupying it and causing the damage, while she is embarrassed by her ash-covered appearance.
• Ma recounts her dispute with Zhou Yi and her teacher; Jiang Hao listens, pieces together how she ended up there, and offers a practical way for her to support herself.
• Ma meets Jiang Hao’s companions, Brother Pot and Brother Sand, mistaking them for new underlings. She quickly shifts her attention to the food, bonding with the group over the meal.

Significant themes

• Independence and practical competence: Ma’s sheltered academy life leaves her unprepared for everyday hardship, while the episode nudges her toward using her skills to support herself.
• Found family and support: Jiang Hao’s companions and household offer Ma a place to eat and a chance to regroup, even as they tease and accommodate her.
• Food as comfort and opportunity: The meal eases Ma’s immediate distress and sparks Jiang Hao’s restaurant plan, turning a domestic mishap into a possible business venture.
• Comic contrast: Ma is a powerful Soul Master yet struggles with basic cooking, while Jiang Hao’s odd collection of clones and companions treats everyday events with exaggerated seriousness.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao tells Ma Xiaotao he plans to open a shop in Shrek City. He explains that, unlike her, he cannot rely on a powerful mentor to secure his future: although Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin’er have cared for him since his parents’ deaths, he sees their support as kindness, not an obligation. He offers Ma Xiaotao a job and a place to stay if she needs one.
• That night, Jiang Hao continues his painful Soul Power training, deliberately injuring and healing an uninjured part of his body to improve how quickly Soul Power circulates.
• Ma Xiaotao, unsettled by Jiang Hao’s remarks, wonders whether she has become a burden to her teacher, Yan Shaozhe. She stands in the rain until she is soaked, then goes to Jiang Hao’s room. He dries her with his fire ability and puts her to bed when she collapses from exhaustion.
• The next morning, Ma Xiaotao sees Jiang Hao training. His body gains silver markings, signaling a Silver-Tier Body Awakening.
• Jiang Hao discovers he can reshape his Body Martial Soul into weapons and reproduce a clone’s Martial Soul and skill through it. He forms a hammer, then turns his forearm into a sword and performs Ice Sword Bro’s second Soul Skill, freezing and shattering the pond’s surface. He suspects this is a kind of Martial Soul fusion.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao is ambitious and self-reliant, but he recognizes the help he has received and is determined to manage his own affairs rather than presume on others’ kindness.
• Ma Xiaotao’s confidence falters as she considers whether her impulsiveness and past troublemaking have strained her bond with Yan Shaozhe. Jiang Hao’s practical offer gives her somewhere to turn, even if she is not yet ready to discuss her feelings.
• Jiang Hao shows care beneath his bluntness: he criticizes Ma Xiaotao for standing in the rain, but immediately warms her, puts her to bed, and makes sure she is comfortable.
• Their relationship is marked by teasing and an emerging trust. Ma Xiaotao’s next-morning praise of Jiang Hao’s technique closes the chapter on an admiring, curious note.

Significant themes

• Independence and gratitude: Jiang Hao values the care he has received while insisting that he must take responsibility for his own life.
• Mentorship and emotional dependence: Ma Xiaotao worries that relying on her teacher has made her a burden, highlighting the tension between affection and obligation.
• Pain, discipline, and growth: Jiang Hao’s harsh training and breakthrough suggest that progress often comes through deliberate effort and experimentation.
• Innovation and self-discovery: His novel use of the Body Martial Soul opens a new possibility: combining his own body-based abilities with the powers of his clones.

Key plot points and events

• Ma Xiaotao catches Jiang Hao practicing a Self-Created Soul Skill without a Soul Ring and is impressed. He ends the display and scolds her for sneaking up on him.
• Xiaotao plans to find work with a Soul Hunting team, wanting to support herself rather than rely on her teacher. Jiang Hao offers her a job at his shop, including pay, food, and lodging.
• They bargain over her share of the profits: Xiaotao asks for half, but settles for ten percent and agrees to act as a bodyguard.
• At the shop, Pot Brother prepares food while Xiaotao helps carry the heavy stove using Martial Soul Possession. Jiang Hao draws customers with free samples and a sign advertising a ten-Gold-Soul-Coin, two-hour buffet.
• Customers enjoy the Soul-Power-infused food, and the shop quickly fills up. Xiaotao helps serve, collect payment, and clean tables, finding the work unexpectedly enjoyable.
• Jiang Hao prepares to launch another part of the business using three specially made barrels, setting up the next development.

Character developments

• Ma Xiaotao shifts from scrambling for money—and admitting she has tried robbery—to choosing honest work and independence. Though initially embarrassed and proud, she adapts enthusiastically to the shop.
• Jiang Hao demonstrates ingenuity and business sense, combining his cooking operation, free samples, and a fixed-price buffet to attract customers.
• Pot Brother contributes as the food preparer, using his food-type abilities to help make the restaurant’s opening successful.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and honest work: Xiaotao wants to earn her own resources rather than depend on others.
• Cooperation and practical compromise: Jiang Hao and Xiaotao negotiate a workable employment arrangement.
• Food as both nourishment and attraction: Soul-Power-infused dishes satisfy Soul Masters and become the foundation of the business.
• Ambition and entrepreneurship: The successful opening shows Jiang Hao turning culinary skill and planning into a venture.

Character interactions

• Jiang Hao teases and reproaches Xiaotao, while she responds with pride and a willingness to prove herself.
• Their tense but humorous profit negotiation establishes a new working partnership.
• Jiang Hao assigns Xiaotao and Pot Brother distinct tasks; Xiaotao becomes the public face of the shop, then helps manage customers.
• A brief joke connects Xiaotao’s earlier robbery to Jiang Hao’s recent dealings with a limping Xuanming Sect youth, suggesting they may have targeted the same unlucky person.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao’s Coffee Martial Soul prepares two drinks using its first and second Soul Skills. The first sharpens the drinker’s mind and senses but tastes bitter; the second provides strong mental defense. Jiang Hao sweetens the first and makes mung bean soup for the third bucket.
• The food stall stays packed through the night. By dawn, Jiang Hao and Ma Xiaotao are exhausted, while Pot Bro shows signs of a Soul Power breakthrough. The day’s takings approach a thousand Gold Soul Coins, prompting Jiang Hao to consider raising prices and hiring workers.
• Back at the mansion, Jiang Hao continues training. He has condensed three drops of liquid Soul Power—about 130% of his former total—and estimates that his next breakthrough is near.
• Jiang Hao begins another round of Martial Soul awakenings for his clones. The results include Blue Silver Grass, a Bracelet Bell with mental abilities, a wolf transformation, pure Ice Element, Dimensional Summoning that produces a sheep, a wind-and-crane power, and an eight-armed jiangshi form.
• The last clone, Mad Demon Bro, is recruited to help with the food stall’s skewers. He worries that his appearance will make people mistake him for an Evil Soul Master, but Jiang Hao insists and threatens to cut off his arms when he resists.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao is growing stronger through relentless cultivation and practical experimentation. He also shows his entrepreneurial side by assessing the stall’s profits and planning to expand its staff.
• Ma Xiaotao works hard but is completely worn out by the night’s rush. Pot Bro fares better and seems close to advancing.
• The clones’ unusual new abilities add comic surprises. Forgetful Bro’s impressive-sounding Dimensional Summoning produces a sheep that eats Jiang Hao’s plants, while the wolf clone has to be silenced before he can howl in the city.
• Jiang Hao manages the clones with a mix of teasing, authority, and coercion. Mad Demon Bro jokes that eight arms do not mean eight legs, but ultimately agrees to work.

Significant themes

• Growth through effort: Jiang Hao’s training steadily increases his Soul Power, while Pot Bro may also be nearing a breakthrough.
• Power and practicality: The clones’ abilities are judged by how useful they are in everyday life, not just by how impressive they sound.
• Humor and camaraderie: The awakenings and Jiang Hao’s banter with his clones turn potentially powerful abilities into comic complications.
• Ambition and commerce: The stall’s success leads Jiang Hao to consider higher prices, more staff, and further expansion.

Plot points and events

• Ma Xiaotao meets Jiang Hao’s new employee, an eight-armed flying jiangshi, and initially mistakes him for a monster. Jiang Hao explains his Martial Soul and jokes that Xiaotao will have to tend the stove if she scares him off.
• The group eats together, with the jiangshi’s many arms making it easy for him to handle several dishes at once. Xiaotao responds by guarding the remaining chicken legs.
• On the way to their shop, they encounter Jiang Nannan, who has been fired from her job at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion after a blond classmate’s harassment caused trouble there.
• Jiang Nannan explains that the Pavilion has repeatedly delayed paying her wages. She urgently needs the money because her living expenses are nearly gone and her mother is ill.
• Xiaotao angrily offers to confront the Pavilion, but Jiang Hao directs her and Sand Bro to take Jiang Nannan to the Wanmin Hall branch. He promises to arrange for a doctor to see her mother.
• Jiang Hao returns to meet with his Clones. They discuss how the Pavilion has treated Jiang Nannan and decide that, rather than risk another public exposé, they will take unlawful action. Jiang Hao announces that the Clones will join him in a major operation that night.

Character developments and interactions

• Ma Xiaotao moves from startled amusement to fierce protectiveness. She is eager to defend Jiang Nannan, though her impulse to act precedes knowing where the girl works.
• Jiang Nannan appears exhausted and distressed but opens up about her circumstances. Her reunion with Jiang Hao and Xiaotao offers her immediate support.
• Jiang Hao takes charge pragmatically: he arranges help for Jiang Nannan and her mother while separately preparing to retaliate against the Pavilion.
• The chapter also introduces the eight-armed jiangshi as a capable new worker, and shows the household’s relaxed, teasing camaraderie over breakfast.

Significant themes

• Exploitation and injustice: Jiang Nannan’s employer withholds wages from a vulnerable worker, while a classmate’s harassment contributes to her losing her job.
• Protection and solidarity: Xiaotao and Jiang Hao step in to support Jiang Nannan when she has little recourse.
• Justice versus lawful means: Jiang Hao doubts that public exposure will be enough and prepares to pursue a more covert, illegal form of justice.
• Institutional disillusionment: Xiaotao begins questioning whether Shrek’s business operations reflect badly on the people and institution she once trusted.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Hao infiltrates the Treasure Gathering Pavilion after its staff and customers leave. Using his shadow, invisibility, and scouting abilities, he surveys the guards and enters through the basement.
• He steals the pavilion’s useful ores, Soul Tools, valuables, whale glue, and an estimated four or five million Gold Soul Coins. He leaves timed bombs behind.
• On the first floor, Jiang Hao incapacitates the guards with his Serpent Cane’s Hypnotic White Poison and continues looting. Before he can inspect the second floor, Ma Xiaotao’s break-in triggers an explosion, and she is thrown downstairs.
• Recognizing her Evil Fire, Jiang Hao pulls Ma Xiaotao into the shadows and helps her escape. A Five-Ring Soul King pursues them, using a tracking skill to mark Jiang Hao.
• Jiang Hao draws the Soul King away while his companions—Fire Dragon Bro, Blade-Pointing Bro, and Sand Bro—ambush and kill the pursuing Soul Masters. They erase the evidence and escape.
• Jiang Hao detonates the bombs. The Treasure Gathering Pavilion explodes and collapses.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao acts boldly and methodically, combining reconnaissance, stealth, theft, and combat planning. He sees Ma Xiaotao as a kindred spirit because she is also robbing the pavilion.
• Ma Xiaotao resents being dragged into Jiang Hao’s shadow, but cooperates once they are both being hunted. She uses fire attacks to hinder their pursuer.
• Jiang Hao’s companions demonstrate the lethal teamwork and combat skills they developed in the Far North.

Significant themes

• Cunning and preparation: Jiang Hao relies on scouting, stealth, and carefully placed bombs rather than confronting the pavilion openly.
• Pragmatic survival: The escapees prioritize getting away and eliminate threats quickly when cornered.
• Unexpected alliance: Shared danger turns two independent burglars into temporary partners.

• The escape and confrontation: After robbing the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, Jiang Hao flees Shrek City with Ma Xiaotao hidden in his shadow. They evade pursuit until a Five-Ring Soul King catches up in a wooded valley. Jiang Hao appears to retreat, but uses a Clone and Blue Silver Grass to trap the Soul King, then sends undead creatures to attack. Poison weakens the pursuer before a six-ring undead kills him.
• The banner’s transformation: During the fight, Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire is drawn out of her and absorbed by Jiang Hao’s Soul-Refining Banner. The fire reveals the weapon’s true form and upgrades it into the Myriad Souls Banner. Jiang Hao is surprised by the change, while Banner Bro—whose power Jiang Hao is using—accepts the upgrade enthusiastically after being promised a Soul Bone.
• Ma Xiaotao’s response: Jiang Hao claims to be the Banner Protector of Soul Hall, a group for people with Evil Martial Souls, and advises Ma Xiaotao to leave Shrek before her condition gets her killed. He invites her to seek him in Dragon City if she has nowhere else to go. Ma Xiaotao is astonished that he can clear away the Evil Fire that has troubled her for so long, and she remembers both his invitation and the name Soul Hall.
• Keeping up appearances: Jiang Hao quickly returns home, worried that Jiang Nannan might notice his absence. Ma Xiaotao also rushes back to avoid arousing suspicion. She finds the courtyard still lit and brings in beer, acting as though she has just returned from an ordinary outing. A Jiang Hao Clone greets her and resumes drinking with her, while the real Jiang Hao discovers a closet full of his drunken Clones.
  Character and interaction notes: Jiang Hao is resourceful, confident, and mischievous, using deception as readily as combat. His teasing exchange with Banner Bro reveals their familiar, transactional bond. Ma Xiaotao remains wary of Jiang Hao but is drawn to him by his ability to relieve her Evil Fire; his offer gives her a possible alternative to life at Shrek. The pair’s secret identities and the drunken Clone diversion create a comic contrast with the deadly fight.

Themes include secrecy and performance, the danger and stigma of Evil powers, and the possibility of solidarity among those who possess them.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Hao’s Clone returns after helping stage an all-night gathering. The party and its guests create an alibi for Jiang Hao in case anyone investigates the Treasure Gathering Pavilion robbery. Jiang Hao recalls his Clones and spends the evening drinking with Ma Xiaotao.
• After the guests leave, Jiang Hao takes the unconscious Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan to Ma’s room. The next morning, he finds Jiang Nannan clutching a quilt and Ma Xiaotao sprawled on the floor. He hastily covers Ma and puts her back in bed, then leaves while the two women dress.
• Ma Xiaotao assumes Jiang Hao may have taken advantage of her, but he explains that she spent the night with Jiang Nannan instead. The revelation embarrasses both women; Ma also notices her swollen eye and wonders who hit her.
• Elder Shi arrives with Soul Masters and orders Jiang Nannan arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion theft. Jiang Hao and Ma Xiaotao block them, while Pot Bro stands guard with iron woks. When Elder Shi reaches for Jiang Nannan, Ma burns his arm with a Phoenix Fire Line, provoking his fury.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao remains calculating: he uses Clones to secure an alibi, then protects Jiang Nannan from arrest. His attempts to manage the awkward morning only make the situation more embarrassing.
• Ma Xiaotao is confused and mortified about the night’s events, but quickly shifts into defending Jiang Nannan. Her attack shows her willingness to oppose authority when someone is threatened.
• Jiang Nannan is deeply embarrassed by the night’s aftermath, then visibly frightened when Elder Shi singles her out. Jiang Hao and Ma stand between her and the arresting party.
• Elder Shi presents the arrest as a routine investigation, but privately wants to hand someone over to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s aggrieved owner and restore order in Shrek City. His self-image as a benevolent official clashes with his willingness to seize a weak suspect on limited evidence.
• Pot Bro backs Jiang Hao with comic bravado, while the assembled group’s resistance turns the attempted arrest into a confrontation.

Significant themes

• Deception and alibis: Jiang Hao’s elaborate Clone-based cover-up contrasts with the authorities’ uncertain investigation.
• Loyalty and protection: Jiang Hao, Ma Xiaotao, and Pot Bro unite to shield Jiang Nannan.
• Power and justice: Elder Shi’s authority—and his questionable motives—raises doubts about whether the arrest is truly about finding the truth.
• Comic misunderstanding: The awkward aftermath of the drinking session provides humor before the scene shifts into a serious conflict.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Elder Shi’s Titled Douluo pressure overwhelms the group: Sand Bro collapses into sand, Mad Demon Bro’s seven arms break, and Jiang Hao struggles to stay upright.
• Jiang Hao’s surging Soul Power intensifies Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire until she loses control. Her phoenix turns completely black with fire, and its cry alerts Yan Shaozhe at the Sea God Pavilion.
• Jiang Hao activates Against the Current, forcing himself to stand and confront Elder Shi. Before Elder Shi can strike him, Du Busi, a Super Douluo of the Body Sect, arrives and knocks Elder Shi away.
• Du Busi mistakes Mad Demon Bro for a Body Sect member with a Body Martial Soul and insists on taking him back. Mad Demon Bro protests, but Du Busi is convinced by his many arms and carries him off.
• Yan Shaozhe arrives and challenges Du Busi, claiming Mad Demon Bro as a Shrek student. Du Busi dismisses him, knocks him down, and escapes with Mad Demon Bro.
• Jiang Hao realizes that his clone Sixth Bro is possessing him. By distributing the pressure among the clones, Against the Current let Jiang Hao resist—but may also have concealed his own Body Martial Soul from Du Busi.
• As Jiang Hao watches Mad Demon Bro disappear, the out-of-control Ma Xiaotao suddenly drives a black phoenix claw through his stomach.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Hao shows determination under extreme pressure and uses Against the Current to keep standing, but his effort leaves him vulnerable to Ma Xiaotao’s attack.
• Mad Demon Bro is confused by Du Busi’s mistaken identification and is carried away despite his protests. His parting message to Jiang Hao is affectionate and comic.
• Du Busi acts decisively to save the person he believes is a Body Sect child. He clashes with Yan Shaozhe, whom he accuses of mistreating that child.
• Yan Shaozhe responds to Ma Xiaotao’s distress and tries to protect Mad Demon Bro, but Du Busi defeats him.
• Ma Xiaotao loses control completely, shifting from a dangerous but contained condition to a violent, sinister state.

Significant themes

• Mistaken identity and hidden abilities: Du Busi misreads which boy has the Body Martial Soul, while Jiang Hao’s possession and technique conceal his own.
• Power and helplessness: Even skilled characters are overwhelmed by the enormous gap between their strength and that of powerful Douluo.
• Loyalty and rescue: Du Busi and Yan Shaozhe both act to claim or protect Mad Demon Bro, though they misunderstand one another’s intentions.
• Uncontrolled power and its consequences: Jiang Hao’s Soul Power worsens Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire, turning her into a threat to everyone nearby.