Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After the previous night’s unexpected intimacy, Huo Yuhao tries to leave, but Wang Dong’er stops him and asks him to take responsibility. He promises that he will marry her when they are grown.
• Wang Dong’er explains that her family had her disguise herself as a boy for safety. She gives Huo Yuhao her real name and allows him to call her “Dong’er” in private, while asking him to keep using “Wang Dong” in public.
• Huo Yuhao apologizes for what happened and realizes he had already fallen for Wang Dong’er, though he had not recognized her feelings or identity.
• At class, Dai Huabin is shocked and frustrated to see Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong alive after his failed attack. Xiao Xiao senses that the pair seem different, and later notices them holding hands.
• Teacher Wang Yan announces a selection tournament in three days. Seven outer-court core disciples under fifteen will be chosen for an important activity, though he does not know what it is.
• After class, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao wonder what the seven-person selection is for. Xiao Xiao suggests it may be connected to the Shrek Seven Devils.

Character developments

• Huo Yuhao makes a heartfelt promise to marry Wang Dong’er and resolves to become someone worthy of her. He also recognizes that his love for her developed long before he understood she was a girl.
• Wang Dong’er openly claims her relationship with Huo Yuhao while preserving her male disguise in public.
• Dai Huabin reveals his anger and disappointment that the attempted attack failed.
• Xiao Xiao demonstrates sharp perception, noticing both the couple’s changed closeness and their secret hand-holding.

Significant themes

• Commitment and responsibility: Huo Yuhao’s promise marks a serious emotional turning point for the pair.
• Identity and secrecy: Wang Dong’er’s disguise shapes how she navigates safety and her relationship.
• Affection becoming visible: Their private feelings begin to show through small gestures, despite their effort to conceal them.
• Ambition and uncertainty: The upcoming selection offers a possible opportunity, but its purpose remains unknown.

Character interactions

• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er move from awkwardness to mutual affection, exchanging private names and a marriage promise.
• Wang Dong’er teases Huo Yuhao about the previous night, while he responds with sincere apologies and reassurance.
• Xiao Xiao questions their changed behavior and quietly suspects they are together.
• Dai Huabin silently reacts with hostility to their survival.
• Wang Yan briefs the students on the tournament, prompting speculation among Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Xiao catches Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er being affectionate, teases them about dating, and reveals she already knows Wang Dong’er is a girl.
• The group discusses the selection of the next Shrek Seven Devils. Xiao Xiao explains that seven students are chosen from the academy’s core disciples every five years.
• Wang Dong’er says the selection will be a large free-for-all, with the last seven contestants remaining on the platform advancing. She suggests teaming up with powerful older students, including Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou.
• The three prepare for the competition. Huo Yuhao obtains soul tools, while Wang Dong’er begins absorbing the eighty-thousand-year Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone.
• Wang Dong’er absorbs it successfully. Its “Golden Radiance” ability strengthens her light-based soul skills, increasing their power while reducing their soul-power cost. It also enhances the Haodong Power she shares with Huo Yuhao, improving their joint cultivation.

Character developments

• Huo Yuhao is surprised that Xiao Xiao knows Wang Dong’er’s identity, and remains shy about their relationship, though he becomes increasingly affectionate after learning the truth.
• Wang Dong’er shows confidence and strategic thinking by proposing a way to survive the selection. She also gains a major boost from the soul bone.
• Xiao Xiao is perceptive and teasing, and helps the group understand the competition’s selection format.

Significant themes

• Trust and intimacy: Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s growing closeness is reflected in their affection and shared cultivation.
• Teamwork and strategy: The younger students hope to offset their disadvantage against older competitors by forming alliances.
• Growth through resources and cooperation: Wang Dong’er’s soul bone strengthens her abilities, while its effect on Haodong Power makes cultivation together more effective.

Character interactions

• Xiao Xiao playfully confronts the couple, exposing how much she has noticed about them.
• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao discuss the selection and plan to cooperate with senior students.
• Huo Yuhao watches over Wang Dong’er as she absorbs the soul bone; afterward, they test its abilities together and end the chapter cultivating while embracing.

Key events

• Wang Yan brings the Core Disciples to a selection assessment overseen by senior academy figures, including Xuan Zi. The rules are a free-for-all: anyone who surrenders or leaves the arena is out, and the last seven standing win.
• Wang Dong’er, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao team up with Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan. Huo Yuhao and He Caitou use Soul Tools to help protect their group, while Yuhao’s Soul Detection lets the team track the chaotic fight.
• As the field thins, the remaining students target Wang Dong’er’s team. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu attack with their Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill, hoping to defeat Wang Dong’er and Yuhao.
• Wang Dong’er and Yuhao combine their powers to summon the Goddess of Light. Her Gaze of the Goddess of Light breaks the Hell White Tiger and knocks out the opponents en masse. The pair are left exhausted, but their group wins.
• Xuan Zi reveals that the seven survivors—Wang Dong’er, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan—have been selected as this generation’s Shrek Seven Devils. They will also accompany the academy’s team to the upcoming continental tournament as reserves, with the possibility of becoming the next tournament’s main team.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er shows leadership by following her prepared plan and bringing the strongest students together. She and Yuhao demonstrate the power of their partnership, but the battle’s cost leaves both physically spent.
• Yuhao’s Soul Detection proves invaluable to the team, while his and Wang Dong’er’s combined attack decisively turns the tide.
• Dai Huabin’s attempt to avenge his earlier defeat fails badly, deepening his frustration and disbelief.
• The seven winners begin to form a close-knit group, supporting one another during the fight; Xiao Xiao and Bei Bei catch the exhausted Wang Dong’er and Yuhao afterward.

Significant themes

• Teamwork over individual strength: Students organize into groups to survive, and the winning team relies on coordination and mutual support.
• Power and its price: Wang Dong’er and Yuhao’s extraordinary technique wins the assessment, but drains them completely.
• Recognition and responsibility: Selection as the Shrek Seven Devils is a major honor, but Xuan Zi emphasizes that more trials—and a demanding tournament role—lie ahead.

Plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er worries that the coming tournament may repeat a dangerous mission from her previous life, in which the main team suffered severe injuries and deaths. She debates warning them: it could save lives, but might deprive the reserve team of valuable combat experience.
• Xuan Zi tells the newly named reserve members to keep their status secret, train hard, and remember that their places are not guaranteed. He schedules weekly combat training alongside the main team.
• The group celebrates becoming the next Shrek Seven Devils and compares their ages. He Caitou is the second oldest, while Wang Dong’er is the youngest.
• Wang Dong’er remains uneasy about the tournament, but Huo Yuhao reassures her that the seniors will likely handle the fighting. The two then cultivate together, as the reserve team intensifies its training.
• At their final training session before the tournament, the reserve team meets the main team. Xuan Zi stresses that the reserves may have to compete and must learn to cooperate with the main members. Their introductions surprise the main team, especially when they learn that Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao are only in their twenties in soul power.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er is torn between protecting others and preserving the reserve team’s chance to grow through battle. She also feels jealous and protective when she realizes Ma Xiaotao may seek Huo Yuyao’s help with her evil fire.
• Huo Yuhao is excited about the team’s selection and eager to cultivate with Wang Dong’er. He notices her forced smile and tries to comfort her.
• Ma Xiaotao hopes to meet the Ultimate Ice soul master supporting Huo Yuhao, since her rising cultivation makes her evil fire harder to control.
• Dai Yueheng still resents Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er because his younger brother nearly died at their hands, but he has been warned not to harm Wang Dong’er.
• The new team’s friendly celebration contrasts with the tension between Wang Dong’er and the main members. Their relationships differ from those in her previous life, potentially affecting the team’s tournament cohesion.

Significant themes

• Foreknowledge and moral responsibility: Wang Dong’er must weigh preventing future harm against letting others gain experience.
• Growth through risk: The reserve members’ training emphasizes that real combat can strengthen both ability and teamwork.
• Changed timelines and consequences: Wang Dong’er’s actions have already altered relationships, raising uncertainty about whether past events will unfold the same way.
• Teamwork under pressure: The reserves may be called upon unexpectedly, making cooperation with the main team essential.

Plot points and events

• The Inner Court disciples introduce themselves, revealing an exceptionally powerful group: two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings.
• Xuan Zi organizes a team battle. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng choose their teams, with Ma Xiaotao unexpectedly selecting Huo Yuhao, then Wang Dong’er.
• Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection and shared vision give Ma Xiaotao’s team a major advantage. He and Wang Dong’er use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to create an opening, and Ma Xiaotao’s Phoenix Meteor Shower finishes off most of the opposing team.
• Dai Yueheng’s team loses and must shout, “I’m a pig!” The students are then told to leave for Star Luo City the next morning.
• Afterward, Wang Dong’er asks Huo Yuhao whether they should warn the Inner Court disciples if they are about to face mortal danger. He insists they must, even if doing so costs them a chance to compete.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao demonstrates the tactical value of his support abilities while continuing to conceal his Ultimate Ice Martial Soul. Ma Xiaotao chooses him partly to investigate the mysterious Ultimate Ice power she suspects is behind him.
• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao show growing closeness: they tease each other during the team preparations, and she comforts him when the mention of Star Luo City makes him uneasy.
• Huo Yuhao’s response to Wang Dong’er’s dilemma establishes his sense of responsibility: he will not allow fellow students to be harmed for his own advantage. Wang Dong’er agrees, having expected his answer.
• Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng lead their teams in battle; Dai Yueheng is surprised by the strength of Ma Xiaotao’s side, while Xuan Zi notes that Huo Yuhao has still not revealed his ultimate Martial Soul.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and hidden strengths: Huo Yuhao’s support skill transforms the team’s coordination, showing that battlefield value is not measured by Soul Power alone.
• Integrity over ambition: Huo Yuhao rejects the opportunity to benefit from others’ injuries, prioritizing their safety over his tournament prospects.
• Trust and emotional support: Wang Dong’er helps Huo Yuhao face his painful connection to Star Luo City, and he relies on her presence.
• Foreshadowing and concealed danger: The impending journey is not truly to Star Luo City but to the Sun Moon Mountains, where Wang Dong’er expects danger—and possibly death.

Plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er arrive with their classmates to begin the journey to Star Luo City for the tournament.
• Xuan Zi explains why the Inner Court has so few graduates: many disciples die confronting evil soul masters as members of the Shrek Inspection Corps.
• He asks the group to join. Bei Bei and the others agree immediately; Wang Dong’er questions the Corps’ authority and refuses in principle, but then claims she was joking and agrees so she can accompany Huo Yuhao to Star Luo City.
• The students receive Inspection Rings, which identify them and contain inspection equipment, including emergency signal flares.
• Their first assignment is to eliminate bandits near the Sun Moon Mountains. The bandits’ leader, the powerful evil soul master known as the Death Messenger, makes the mission dangerous. The Corps orders them to leave no survivors.
• The group sets out using Flying Soul Tools. Wang Dong’er arranges for Wang Yan to carry Huo Yuhao, while Ling Luochеn takes Xiao Xiao.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er privately questions whether the Inspection Corps is simply imposing its will through force. Though she joins outwardly, her choice is driven mainly by loyalty to Huo Yuhao and a desire to reach Star Luo City; she also wonders whether he would have refused if she had.
• Huo Yuhao is relieved when Wang Dong’er agrees, and trusts her judgment. He eagerly seeks opportunities to cultivate with her.
• Xuan Zi presents the Corps’ dangerous duties and notices Wang Dong’er’s reluctance, but lets her join.
• The Outer Court students are unsettled by the prospect of killing, while Ma Xiaotao reassures them that the stronger Inner Court students will handle most of the fighting.
• Wang Dong’er’s polite requests to Wang Yan and Ma Xiaotao show her taking charge of Huo Yuhao’s travel arrangements.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: The Inspection Corps protects others at the cost of its members’ lives, without material reward.
• Justice and power: Wang Dong’er questions whether a group that judges and kills alleged wrongdoers may itself be using strength to oppress others.
• Loyalty and personal choice: She joins despite her doubts largely to stay with Huo Yuhao, highlighting the tension between her convictions and her attachment to him.
• The cost of fighting evil: The mission’s lethal orders force the young students to confront the reality of violence.

Plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er and the Shrek students travel by Flying Soul Tools to the Sun Moon Mountains, stopping repeatedly to recover soul power.
• They enter the White Tiger Duke’s military camp. Huo Yuhao learns his father, Dai Hao, is there and feels both fear and hope about meeting him.
• Dai Hao warmly greets his son Dai Yueheng, but does not realize Huo Yuhao is also his son. Huo Yuhao is visibly shaken, and Wang Dong’er comforts him.
• The students receive limited intelligence about a bandit group: over 300 members, including about 30 Soul Masters, led by a powerful Soul Master. They set out to find them.
• Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection helps the group navigate the mountains. Wang Yan identifies signs of Evil Soul Masters near a Wenlan Tree and the students follow footprints toward a likely cave.
• Wang Yan assigns the Inner Court students to lead the assault and the Outer Court students to support them. Ma Xiaotao raises the possibility of notifying Xuan Zi, but the group decides to proceed without him.
• Wang Dong’er warns them that Evil Soul Masters may make corpses explode. The others largely dismiss the warning.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao struggles with the prospect of facing Dai Hao, revealing a mix of resentment, fear, and lingering hope. He leans on Wang Dong’er and gradually regains his composure.
• Wang Dong’er offers Huo Yuhao practical and emotional support, then shows caution and concern for the team’s safety. Her own thoughts reveal pain and uncertainty about her unknown biological parents.
• Dai Hao is affectionate toward Dai Yueheng, praising his growth, while remaining unaware of Huo Yuhao’s presence as his son.
• Dai Yueheng is confident in the group’s ability and dismisses the need to wait for Xuan Zi. Ma Xiaotao is more cautious, though she trusts the Inner Court students’ strength.
• Wang Yan leads the mission using the available clues and Huo Yuhao’s detection skills, but the team’s confidence leaves Wang Dong’er’s warning unheeded.

Significant themes

• Family and identity: Huo Yuhao’s complicated feelings toward his father contrast with Wang Dong’er’s uncertainty about her own origins.
• Trust and support: Wang Dong’er’s care helps steady Huo Yuhao during an emotionally charged encounter.
• Overconfidence versus caution: The students’ confidence in their combat ability conflicts with Wang Dong’er’s warning about the Evil Soul Masters’ dangerous tactics.

Plot points and events

• Wang Yan sends the Inner Court students into the bandits’ cave while warning them to retreat if anything goes wrong; he and the Outer Court students follow at a distance.
• Inside, the group finds signs of horrific violence, including flayed skins and numerous corpses. They reach the deepest chamber just as Ma Xiaotao’s team finishes off the ordinary bandits.
• The Evil Soul Master leader triggers a trap: the corpses swell and explode, spraying the cave with blood and corrosive poison. Wang Dong’er’s warning and protection help keep the Outer Court group safe, but the Inner Court students are badly injured.
• The leader tries to escape and grab a hostage. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Goddess of Light, whose power overwhelms the Evil Soul Master. Xuan Zi arrives and kills him.
• Wang Dong’er then offers to heal the injured. With Huo Yuhao lending her his Soul Power, her healing skill unexpectedly transforms into a new fusion skill: Redemption of the Goddess of Light. It rapidly heals the students, but leaves both Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao completely drained.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er demonstrates foresight by warning the group about the danger, protects Huo Yuhao during the explosions, and steps forward to heal the injured. Her healing ability unexpectedly grows into a second fusion skill with him.
• Huo Yuhao supports Wang Dong’er in battle and lends her his Soul Power to sustain the mass healing.
• Ma Xiaotao and the Inner Court team are confident and capable, but the corpse trap catches them off guard and leaves them seriously hurt.
• Xuan Zi feels guilty for underestimating the danger, having expected the students to handle a threat he believed was only Soul King-level. He helps end the fight and agrees to Wang Dong’er’s treatment.
• Wang Yan remains cautious and prioritizes the students’ safety, urging the group to avoid the toxic residue.

Significant themes

• Caution and responsibility: The mission’s danger exceeds expectations, showing the cost of underestimating an enemy.
• Protection and teamwork: Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao defend one another, while the group rallies to rescue the injured.
• Light overcoming corruption: The Goddess of Light’s power directly suppresses the Evil Soul Master’s sinister abilities.
• Unexpected growth and sacrifice: Wang Dong’er’s healing evolves into a new power, but using it exhausts both partners.

Plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao use an unexpected second Martial Soul Fusion Skill to heal the injured Shrek team, astonishing Xuan Zi and Wang Yan. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng recover especially well; the more seriously injured members still need time.
• The team returns to the military camp, where Dai Hao welcomes them. They rest for several days, then travel to Star Luo City and register for the tournament just in time.
• With the opening matches beginning the next day, Wang Yan proposes that the healthier Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng lead the team early on, while the regular members continue recovering and keep their abilities hidden. Ma Xiaotao is chosen to lead the first match, and He Caitou will sit out.
• That night, Huo Yuhao slips into Wang Dong’er’s room so they can cultivate together. The next morning, their teammates tease them for sharing a room; they claim they were cultivating, and Wang Yan redirects everyone to breakfast and the match.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao’s unusual healing and second fusion skill deepen the team’s reliance on them, though neither can explain exactly how the power worked.
• Xuan Zi accepts responsibility for exposing the students to danger, while Ma Xiaotao apologizes to Wang Dong’er for ignoring her warning and thanks her and Yuhao for saving everyone.
• Ma Xiaotao shows leadership by agreeing to Wang Yan’s cautious tournament plan. Huo Yuhao tries to reassure a nervous Wang Dong’er, and their closeness is evident in their shared cultivation and comfort with one another.
• Xu Sanshi teases the pair, while Wang Yan keeps the group focused on preparation.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and responsibility: The team survives through cooperation, and both leaders and fighters acknowledge their part in what happened.
• Recovery and strategic restraint: The injured group must balance immediate competition with protecting their strength for later rounds.
• Trust and intimacy: Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er rely on each other emotionally and in cultivation, even as their teammates notice their growing closeness.

Plot and events

• The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament opens in Star Luo City. As the previous champion, Shrek Academy is required to fight first, facing Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy.
• Shrek sends out its Reserve Team. Seeing mostly young competitors opposite them, Tianling’s students regain hope, but Shrek’s unusual formation—Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er in front, Ma Xiaotao behind them, and the others sitting back—leaves them confused.
• At the start, Huo Yuhao displays ten seemingly hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings. Their overwhelming aura makes Tianling’s team collapse, and Ma Xiaotao finishes the match with a Phoenix Meteor Shower, defeating all seven opponents.
• Huo Yuhao’s rings are an illusion devised to discourage anyone from coveting his abilities and causing trouble during the tournament. Shrek wins decisively, and the crowd’s doubts about its Reserve Team give way to confidence that Shrek will win the competition again.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er recalls how hard Shrek’s previous tournament was and hopes this team will fare better. She stays composed while Huo Yuhao is nervous; holding her hand steadies him.
• Wang Dong’er suggests simulating ten Soul Rings rather than showing only a few, helping Huo Yuhao make the illusion so implausible that people recognize it as fake.
• Ma Xiaotao leads the attack but restrains her strength to avoid seriously harming the opposing team. She calls for the referee to announce the result after the match.
• Tianling’s initial despair briefly turns to hope when they see Shrek’s young lineup, only to be overwhelmed by the display.

Significant themes

• Reputation and expectation: Shrek’s legacy draws cheers but also places pressure on its competitors.
• Power and perception: The apparent Soul Rings demonstrate how spectacle can intimidate, while the deliberate illusion serves as protection.
• Restraint and responsibility: Ma Xiaotao wins efficiently without using full force, mindful of her opponents’ safety.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shrek celebrates its opening-match victory. Huo Yuhao admits his display—simulating ten hundred-thousand-year soul rings—was a one-time tactic and left him exhausted.
• Back at the hotel, Huo Yuhao collapses. Wang Dong’er lies beside him, and their Haodong Power circulates automatically to restore them.
• Wang Dong’er dreams of a crystal containing Tang Wutong, who looks like her. The crystal begins to crack, and Wang Dong’er fears that its shattering will let Tang Wutong awaken and take over her body. She wakes in terror, accidentally squeezing Huo Yuhao’s hand hard enough to hurt him.
• Over the next three days, Wang Yan studies the other schools while the team cultivates. He explains the round-robin format: teams are split into groups, and only the top two advance, allowing little room for defeat.
• Shrek’s first round-robin opponent is Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy. The draw selects a one-on-one elimination match, a favorable format for Shrek. Wang Yan sends Xu Sanshi first because defensive soul masters are effective against soul engineers.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao’s impressive performance conceals how much it costs him; Wang Dong’er notices his weakness and supports him. Their close bond is reinforced when their shared power restores them as they sleep.
• Wang Dong’er’s dream reveals growing fear and urgency about Tang Wutong’s possible return. Though she tells Huo Yuhao she is fine, she resolves to find a way to deal with the threat.
• Xu Sanshi is frustrated that Huo Yuhao’s opening-match trick denied the team a proper fight, but he is eager to compete in the next match. His teasing about Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er prompts Bei Bei to reprimand him.
• Wang Yan takes charge of preparation and chooses Xu Sanshi over Bei Bei for the opening bout, matching the team’s abilities to the opponent.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Huo Yuhao’s overwhelming display masks both his low soul-master rank and his physical exhaustion.
• Identity and fear of losing oneself: Wang Dong’er’s nightmare frames Tang Wutong’s return as a threat to her body and identity.
• Teamwork and preparation: Shrek’s victory depends not only on strength but also on tactics, recovery, and Wang Yan’s study of their opponents.

Key plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er sit out the match to recover and watch Xu Sanshi compete. They bet on how many Yunluo Academy opponents he will defeat: Wang Dong’er predicts exactly three. The prize is a private kiss from the loser.
• Xu Sanshi wins his first bout by leaping off the platform and using his fourth Soul Skill, Xuanming Displacement, to swap places with his opponent, who is eliminated.
• He defeats Shang Yue by pretending to be exhausted and retreating until she angrily overcommits. A small sidestep sends her off the platform.
• Yunluo’s captain, Situ Yu, then takes the field. Unlike the earlier opponents, he ignores Xu Sanshi’s taunts and attacks methodically as a heavily armed Soul Tool Turret. Xu Sanshi withstands the barrage behind his shield, and the chapter ends before the bout’s outcome is revealed.

Character developments

• Xu Sanshi displays cunning and composure, relying on misdirection and his defensive abilities rather than brute force. His tactics also conserve his soul power.
• Wang Dong’er playfully teases Huo Yuhao, clearly enjoying his bashfulness and the prospect of their promised kiss.
• Huo Yuhao is flustered by the bet, especially as Xu Sanshi’s two quick victories make Wang Dong’er’s prediction seem likely.

Significant themes

• Strategy over strength: Xu Sanshi wins by exploiting opponents’ assumptions and emotions.
• Defense as a counter: His shield and endurance prove especially effective against a soul engineer’s ranged assault.
• Playful affection: The bet gives Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao a lighthearted, increasingly intimate moment amid the competition.

Character interactions

• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao trade teasing remarks and negotiate the bet’s stakes, with Huo Yuyao embarrassed by either possible outcome.
• Xu Sanshi taunts Shang Yue to provoke her into reckless attacks, then turns her aggression against her.
• Situ Yu refuses to be drawn into Xu Sanshi’s psychological games, making their ongoing fight a more direct contest of defense and firepower.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Sanshi defeats Situ Yu of Yunluo Academy in the third match. Situ’s stationary Soul Tool Turret unleashes a heavy barrage, but Xu’s Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield withstands it. Xu then uses smaller shields to block attacks from multiple directions and angles his slick, darkened shield to deflect Situ’s powerful cannon blast. He charges in, topples the turret, and knocks Situ off the platform.
• Yunluo Academy concedes, recognizing that its remaining fighters cannot overcome Xu—and that beating him would still leave Shrek’s other team members to face.
• Back at the hotel, Wang Dong’er reminds Huo Yuhao that he promised to kiss her cheek if Xu won. HuoYuhao nervously gives her a brief kiss; she responds with a much longer one, leaving him flustered. He escapes to the bathroom to cool off, then hides in his room when the others question his behavior.
• Wang Yan returns and reassures the team about its prospects, while noting that stronger opponents and team coordination may pose real challenges. He begins to share important information, but notices Huo Yuhao is missing.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Sanshi reveals the full strength of his defensive abilities, overcoming Situ’s firepower through resilience, timing, and clever use of his shield. His victory also makes him boastful afterward.
• Huo Yuhao is inexperienced and embarrassed by romantic affection. His awkwardness contrasts with Wang Dong’er’s confidence, and he struggles to compose himself after their kiss.
• Wang Dong’er playfully takes the lead, teasing Huo Yuhao and gently trying to help him become more comfortable with affection. She hides the true reason for his behavior from the others.
• Situ Yu is confident in his turret’s firepower but is shocked when Xu’s defense defeats it. His loss prompts his academy to concede.
• Wang Yan encourages the team but remains realistic about the difficulty of upcoming matches.

Significant themes

• Defense and ingenuity: Xu wins not by matching the turret’s firepower, but by enduring, adapting, and exploiting its immobility.
• Confidence versus experience: Shrek’s reserve fighters prove stronger than spectators expected, while Huo Yuhao’s personal shyness shows that confidence in one area does not mean confidence in every part of life.
• Playful affection and embarrassment: Wang Dong’er’s teasing and Huo Yuhao’s flustered responses bring a light romantic subplot alongside the tournament action.
• Teamwork and looming challenges: Individual victories matter, but Wang Yan emphasizes that coordination will be essential against stronger opponents.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Yan warns the team that soul tools are now widely used in the tournament and can substantially increase a team’s strength. He argues that relying only on traditional soul-master abilities is becoming outdated.
• To prepare the team, Wang Yan takes them to a soul-tool auction, where he plans to buy equipment they can quickly learn to use. Wang Dong’er supports the plan, partly because the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife—important to Huo Yuhao—is expected to be auctioned.
• At the Starry Sky Auction House, the group wears masks to hide their identities. The auction focuses on soul tools below Level 6, suitable for soul masters below Soul King rank.
• Huo Yuhao studies the items with his Spirit Eyes. Wang Yan buys more than a dozen useful soul tools, telling the team to choose equipment that suits them. The others select tools, while Wang Dong’er declines because extra weight would hinder her speed and flight.
• After the first items sell well, auctioneer Qing Ya grows uneasy about the next item, which she expects may fail to sell.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Yan demonstrates practical leadership: despite the team’s reservations, he adapts to the changing role of soul tools and invests in equipment to keep them competitive.
• Xu Sanshi voices the traditional view that soul masters should depend on their own strength, while Wang Yan counters that this attitude is becoming outdated.
• Wang Dong’er openly supports using soul tools and helps Huo Yuhao by prompting him to promise to make her one. Huo Yuhao gladly agrees to create the best he can once he reaches Level 3 Soul Engineer.
• Huo Yuhao remains focused on learning: he examines the auction’s first soul tool and admits he can currently make only Level 2 tools.
• The Inner Court students are more reluctant than the Outer Court students to rely on equipment, reflecting their pride in their own abilities.

Significant themes

• Tradition versus technological change: Soul tools are transforming combat, and old assumptions about how soul masters should fight may leave academies behind.
• Adaptation and preparation: Wang Yan’s decision to equip the team shows that competitiveness depends on responding to new realities.
• Personal care and trust: Wang Dong’er’s request for a handmade soul tool becomes a small, affectionate exchange between her and Huo Yuhao.

Key plot points

• The auction’s final item is the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, a ranked tool essential for engraving Soul Tool cores. It ranks ninety-ninth, but its history of cursed owners—including several who became Evil Soul Masters—has made it widely feared.
• The curse deters the audience, and no one bids until Huo Yuhao offers 100,000 Gold Soul Coins, the starting price. He says he is confident he can remove the curse.
• Yuhao pays with his own funds and wins the knife. Wang Dong’er tests it with her light-imbued Soul Power, which suppresses the sinister energy, but Electrolux says her power is not yet strong enough to cleanse it. He offers to handle the curse himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao shows keen interest in the knife and acts decisively, trusting Electrolux’s advice. He also insists on paying himself rather than relying on Teacher Wang Yan’s money.
• Wang Dong’er recognizes Yuhao’s interest and supports his purchase. Her power of light proves effective against the knife’s evil energy, though not sufficient to remove the curse.
• Wang Yan worries that Yuhao is being impulsive, but backs down when Yuhao reassures him that he has a plan and is using his own money.
• He Caitou recognizes the knife’s infamous reputation and confirms the danger it poses.
• Electrolux identifies Wang Dong’er’s unusually pure light power and takes responsibility for cleansing the knife.

Significant themes

• Risk and opportunity: The knife’s curse makes others avoid it, but Yuhao sees potential in a valuable tool others consider too dangerous.
• Trust and independence: Yuhao trusts Electrolux’s guidance while asserting financial independence, and Wang Dong’er supports his choice.
• Light against corruption: Dong’er’s light power naturally repels the knife’s sinister energy, foreshadowing the effort to overcome its curse.

Plot points and events

• After the auction, Huo Yuhao secretly places the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife inside his body, where Electrolux can suppress its evil energy.
• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er wander through Star Luo City, sampling street food and buying souvenirs. They return laden with purchases, share food with the others, then cultivate together in Huo Yuhao’s room.
• Xu Sanshi jokes that the pair might someday emerge with a baby. Bei Bei dismisses the idea because they are both boys, while Xiao Xiao privately knows Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao’s circumstances make it possible.
• The next day, Shrek faces Qianling Academy in the round-robin tournament. Xu Sanshi is barred from competing after dominating the previous match.
• The draw selects a team battle. All the reserve-team members except Xu Sanshi take the stage, with Dai Yueheng positioned behind them to intervene only if necessary.
• Qianling Academy fields four Spirit Rhinoceros Shield users as a defensive front, supported by captain Shen Ce’s powerful long-range Thousand Mechanism Spear and a pair of fire- and ice-aligned fighters.
• Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection reveals the opponents’ movements through their shield formation. Bei Bei and Wang Dong’er test the defense, while Xiao Xiao blocks Shen Ce’s spear, though its force pushes her cauldron back.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao quietly relies on Electrolux to contain the carving knife, while showing his affection for Wang Dong’er by readily paying for her food and sharing the evening outing.
• Wang Dong’er is playful and comfortable with Huo Yuhao: she shops enthusiastically, shares snacks, and cultivates with him. Her purchases prompt the others’ teasing about their closeness.
• Xiao Xiao knows the truth behind the others’ “baby” joke but keeps it to herself.
• Wang Yan’s careful scouting gives Shrek useful intelligence about Qianling Academy; Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection further counters the opponents’ concealment tactics.
• Dai Yueheng takes a supporting role, giving the reserve team room to fight while remaining ready to step in.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and preparation: Shrek combines scouting, coordination, and Huo Yuhao’s battlefield awareness against a tightly organized formation.
• Affection and camaraderie: The street outing and shared cultivation show Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s intimacy, while the team’s banter creates a warm group dynamic.
• Hidden danger and restraint: The carving knife remains a threat, but Electrolux’s power keeps it under control.
• Competition and opportunity: Xu Sanshi’s earlier dominance leaves others eager for a chance to prove themselves in the tournament.

Plot points and events

• Shrek’s team defeats Qianling Academy through coordinated attacks. Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Shock disrupts Shen Ce, Xiao Xiao’s Cauldron Tremor breaks the defensive formation, and He Caitou’s barrage of 64 Soul Tools overwhelms the team.
• With Qianling’s fighters scattered and injured, Shrek finishes the match. Dai Yueheng defeats Shen Ce, and the remaining opponents are quickly subdued. Shrek wins to cheers from the arena.
• Coach Wang Yan announces that Shrek’s next opponent is the formidable Zhengtian Academy. Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao will join the lineup, while Wang Dong’er and Bei Bei sit out.
• Wang Dong’er encourages a worried Huo Yuhao, but declines his suggestion that they ask to compete together. She promises him a reward if Shrek wins the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Shrek’s victory showcases the team’s growing coordination: Huo Yuhao supports his teammates with precise spiritual attacks, while He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, and the front-line fighters combine their abilities effectively.
• Huo Yuhao remains anxious about facing a stronger opponent and especially uneasy when Wang Dong’er is absent. He wants to fight beside her and rely on their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Wang Dong’er supports him but insists they must learn to fight independently. Her thought that they may someday have to part reflects her concern about the threat of Tang Wutong within her.
• Huo Yuhao ends the chapter distracted by curiosity about Wang Dong’er’s promised reward, even dreaming about possible gifts.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and tactical coordination: Shrek wins by disrupting Qianling’s formation and exploiting openings rather than relying on strength alone.
• Independence and separation: Wang Dong’er cautions against depending entirely on their bond and fusion skill, hinting at an uncertain future for the pair.
• Pressure and reassurance: Huo Yuhao’s nerves contrast with Wang Dong’er’s calm encouragement as Shrek prepares for a tougher challenge.

Plot points

• Shrek drew the two-two-three format against Zhengtian Academy. Wang Yan paired Xu Sanshi with He Caitou for the first bout.
• Xu Sanshi absorbed the opponents’ attacks and used Xuanming Displacement to disrupt them while He Caitou assembled his soul tools. Once ready, He Caitou’s concentrated barrage overwhelmed Zhengtian’s pair, earning Shrek the first win.
• Dai Yueheng and Xiao Xiao won the second bout through Dai’s overwhelming Soul Emperor strength and Xiao Xiao’s support, securing the match for Shrek.
• Zhengtian nevertheless requested a third bout so its captain could compete. Despite Wang Yan’s concern about conserving strength, Huo Yuhao volunteered for the experience. He, Ma Xiaotao, and Jiang Nannan faced the remaining opponents; Ma Xiaotao defeated all three with Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection assisting her. Jiang Nannan did not need to fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Sanshi and He Caitou work effectively as a team: Xu’s defense protects He while he prepares his weapons, and He’s firepower finishes the fight. Their victory celebration is briefly interrupted when an accidental shot blasts Xu’s hair into an afro.
• Dai Yueheng demonstrates the decisive impact of his Soul Emperor cultivation, while Xiao Xiao complements him by supporting from the rear and covering weaknesses.
• Huo Yuhao shows a desire to gain experience against stronger opponents. Wang Yan permits the extra bout but warns the team to prioritize safety.
• Ma Xiaotao is confident and proves it, defeating Zhengtian’s captain and teammates with ease. Wang Dong’er watches and compares the match with a previous version in which Shrek’s victories came at serious cost.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementary abilities: Defense, support, perception, and firepower combine to overcome stronger opponents.
• The gulf in power: A Soul Emperor can transform a difficult contest into a one-sided victory.
• Experience versus caution: Huo Yuhao values challenging fights, while Wang Yan worries about injuries and the demands of future matches.
• Changed outcomes: Wang Dong’er’s recollection of an earlier, more brutal match emphasizes how the presence of powerful Soul Emperors reshapes events.

Key plot points and events

• After Shrek defeats Zhengtian Academy, Huo Yuhao eagerly expects a private reward from Wang Dong’er. She delays joining him, instead celebrating with the team, leaving him waiting and frustrated.
• Wang Dong’er finally visits his room and gives him an apple, not the reward he imagined. When he tries to get even by tickling her, she accidentally kicks him in the groin. She then kisses his cheek and leaves, while he is too sore to enjoy the gesture.
• At the team meeting, Wang Yan says Shrek has beaten its strongest group opponents and plans to rest veterans Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao in upcoming matches, giving reserves more tournament experience.
• In Shrek’s fourth round-robin match against the relatively weak Changning Academy, the reserve team is selected for a team battle. Wang Dong’er participates, but Wang Yan does not pair her with Huo Yuhao.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao shifts from triumphant anticipation to irritation when Wang Dong’er keeps him waiting, then to playful retaliation. His embarrassment and injury undercut his hopes for a romantic reward.
• Wang Dong’er teases Huo Yuhao by delaying his “reward,” offering an apple, and later giving him a cheek kiss. Their joking turns into a tickling match that ends with her accidental kick.
• Wang Yan shows confidence in the team’s prospects and deliberately manages the lineup to conserve veteran strength while developing the reserves.
• Xiao Xiao recognizes that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er are teasing each other, though the rest of the team does not understand Huo Yuhao’s mood.

Significant themes

• Playful romance and miscommunication: Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s affectionate relationship is expressed through teasing, mismatched expectations, and physical horseplay.
• Team strategy and development: Shrek balances tournament success with giving reserve members valuable experience, while withholding its strongest fighters’ abilities for later rounds.

Plot points and events

• Shrek Academy defeats its opponent and then wins its next three round-robin matches, finishing first in its group and advancing to the elimination tournament.
• Wang Yan announces that Shrek’s next opponent is the powerful Dou Ling Royal Academy. He plans to mix reserve and regular members in the individual, paired, and team events, with the veterans supporting the newcomers.
• Auctioneer Qing Ya delivers an invitation to a top-tier auction. The team agrees to attend, but Wang Yan insists that everyone return promptly afterward to rest for the next day’s match.
• Wang Dong’er remembers that the auction may feature the Snow Empress Embryo, an item Huo Yuhao once obtained and one she considers vital to his future. Worried that the academy’s available funds may not be enough, she secretly seeks extra money from Clear Sky Castle.
• Clear Sky Castle’s shopkeeper Tang Wu manages to raise 60 million Gold Soul Coins. Wang Dong’er takes the funds and says only that she intends to bid on a treasure.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Yan balances competitive ambition with caution: he gives reserve students chances while keeping the recovered regular team members as the core, and makes rest after the auction non-negotiable.
• Wang Dong’er shows determination and protectiveness toward Huo Yuhao. She acts independently, uses her Clear Sky Castle connections, and is willing to mobilize a large sum to secure the embryo.
• Huo Yuhao is consulted about the academy’s remaining funds, but Wang Dong’er keeps her plan—and the reason for it—largely to herself.
• Tang Wu responds respectfully and efficiently to Wang Dong’er’s authority, raising the money without questioning her motives, though she asks that the expenditure be reported.
• Xu Sanshi teases Wang Yan about his manner toward Qing Ya, adding a brief moment of humor to the planning meeting.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and trust: Shrek’s victories reflect coordinated fighting, while the team’s willingness to rely on both veterans and reserves supports its growing strength.
• Preparation and responsibility: Wang Yan plans carefully for a tougher opponent and protects the team’s readiness for the next match.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Wang Dong’er’s urgent fundraising shows how far she is willing to go to protect Huo Yuhao’s prospects.
• Fate and uncertainty: Wang Dong’er’s memories of another life give her a possible advantage, but she fears that events may change and the embryo may not reach Huo Yuhao.