Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After the confrontation with Du Busi, Xuan Zi returns to the Sea God Pavilion feeling defeated. Elder Mu reassures him that Du Busi’s unusual martial soul and powerful soul rings make the loss understandable, but reminds Xuan Zi that Shrek will one day depend on him.
• Elder Mu formally takes Huo Yuhao as his disciple. He tells Yuhao that Shrek is his home and that, as Mu En’s student, he will be protected from Du Busi’s interest.
• Elder Mu also assigns Xiao Xiao to study under Xuan Zi and offers Wang Dong’er a nominal discipleship because of her affinity with light.
• Jing Hongchen, head of the Sun Moon Empire’s Virtue Hall, arrives. He asks to examine Ma Xiaotao, who remains unconscious on a Cold Jade Bed while black flames burn across her body.
• Jing Hongchen says he cannot help: a power already within Xiaotao was triggered by the Sword of Judgment, and she may not wake without something capable of calming the flames. Since she remains incapacitated, Elder Mu refuses to return the sword.
• Elder Mu and Jing Hongchen discuss whether Shrek’s elite Soul Masters or Virtue Hall’s soul tools have the advantage. Jing Hongchen credits Shrek in individual strength and soul tools in large-scale combat; Elder Mu argues that powerful soul tools still depend on powerful users.
• Jing Hongchen reveals that he also came to restart discussions about the student exchange that had been put on hold.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao becomes Elder Mu’s disciple, gaining protection and access to Shrek’s support. He accepts the position gratefully.
• Elder Mu shows warmth toward Yuhao and concern for Shrek’s future, while asserting authority over both Du Busi and Jing Hongchen.
• Xuan Zi is reminded that he must eventually protect Shrek, and is assigned Xiao Xiao as a student.
• Wang Dong’er accepts nominal discipleship but cares more about Yuhao’s advancement than her own status. She suspects Jing Hongchen may have secretly tampered with Ma Xiaotao, though she has no proof.
• Jing Hongchen behaves respectfully in Shrek’s territory, offers his assessment of Xiaotao, and pursues both the Sword of Judgment and the stalled exchange negotiations.

Significant themes

• Mentorship and belonging: Yuhao’s discipleship reinforces Shrek as his home and gives him powerful protection.
• Power and responsibility: Elder Mu warns Xuan Zi that strength must be used to safeguard the academy.
• Tradition versus technology: The debate over Soul Masters and soul tools highlights uncertainty about the future balance of power.
• Suspicion and concealed motives: Wang Dong’er’s doubts about Jing Hongchen suggest that his visit may have involved more than a medical examination.
• Political maneuvering: The sword dispute and renewed student-exchange talks show Shrek and Virtue Hall navigating rivalry through negotiation as well as force.

Key plot points and events

• Shrek and the Sun Moon Royal Academy agree to a student exchange beginning in two years and lasting three years, timed to coincide with the next All-Continent Soul Master Tournament. Students will study under equal conditions at the host academy.
• Before leaving the Sea God Pavilion, Jing Hongchen is pressured by Mu En into surrendering his Level 9 defensive soul tool, Red Dust Protection, as an “admission fee.” It can automatically defend its wearer—even a low-level soul master—from extremely powerful attacks.
• Jing Hongchen departs having failed to recover the Sword of Judgment and lost the soul tool, but considers the exchange agreement a useful outcome. He hints that he has a “gift” prepared for Shrek.
• As the students prepare to obtain soul rings in the Star Dou Great Forest, Wang Dong’er asks Huo Yuhao to teach her soul-tool making so she can qualify for the future exchange. He agrees, and she begins with three introductory books.
• Xuan Zi arrives late and tells the students to find suitable soul beasts themselves, promising only to follow them and deducting assessment points if he has to intervene. Distrusting his supervision, Wang Dong’er sends a message to request help from Tang De.

Character developments

• Jing Hongchen shows pragmatism: despite his humiliating loss, he secures the exchange and leaves with a retaliatory plan in mind.
• Wang Dong’er reveals ambition and initiative. She is willing to learn a subject she once disliked to pursue a place in the Sun Moon Academy program, and she takes precautions against Xuan Zi’s negligence.
• Huo Yuhao is supportive of Dong’er’s goals and continues balancing his own soul-tool studies with helping her.
• Xuan Zi again proves unreliable, abandoning much of his responsibility for the students’ safety.

Significant themes

• Mutual benefit and rivalry: The exchange promises shared learning, but both academies also want to close gaps in their own expertise.
• Power and coercion: Mu En uses his authority to extract a valuable soul tool from Jing Hongchen.
• Preparation versus recklessness: Dong’er seeks to build skills and arrange reliable backup, contrasting with Xuan Zi’s casual approach to danger.
• Affection and encouragement: Dong’er’s playful kiss and Huo Yuhao’s willingness to teach her show their growing closeness.

Character interactions

• Mu En and Jing Hongchen negotiate the exchange, then clash over the “admission fee.”
• Wang Dong’er playfully persuades Huo Yuhao to teach her; he responds patiently, while her kiss embarrasses him.
• Dong’er challenges Xuan Zi’s lateness and poor judgment, then decides to seek protection elsewhere.
• Dong’er, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao set out for the forest together, with Dong’er arranging for Tang De to join them.

Plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Xiao Xiao enter the Star Dou Great Forest to seek suitable soul rings. Tang De has arrived separately and is not accompanying them.
• Xiao Xiao is open to several types of soul beasts for her third ring and considers developing her second martial soul, Nine Phoenix. Wang Dong’er wants an offensive soul skill—ideally one from a light-attribute beast—while Huo Yuhao needs a rare spiritual-type beast.
• A hundred-year Wind Baboon attacks. Huo Yuhao tests Ice Explosion, freezing it and then blasting it apart with force comparable to a Soul Ancestor’s full-strength attack.
• Using Spiritual Detection and Simulation, Huo Yuhao guides the group through the forest and scares off unsuitable beasts. They decline a thousand-year Tiger Demon Cat, choosing not to kill it or settle for an ill-suited ring.
• Near the boundary of the inner region, the group encounters a dangerous, exceptionally fast soul beast. Huo Yuhao warns Wang Dong’er and Xiao Xiao, but it reaches them almost immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Xiao weighs the benefits of adding a ring to her second martial soul against waiting to absorb a stronger one later. Wang Dong’er remains cautious about using Tang San’s god-bestowed power, hoping to avoid complications when separating Tang Wutong’s soul.
• Huo Yuhao demonstrates the strength of his Ice Explosion and his growing skill in sensing and managing threats. He also shows restraint by letting the Tiger Demon Cat escape.
• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao share a light moment over her request for grilled fish, while the group cooperates in choosing where to hunt and which beasts to avoid.

Significant themes

• Patience and suitability: The group prioritizes finding soul rings that truly fit, rather than accepting whatever appears first.
• Power and restraint: Huo Yuhao’s strength is formidable, but he avoids needless violence.
• Ecological concern: The forest’s soul-beast population is declining as human numbers and demand for soul rings grow.
• Responsibility and independence: Wang Dong’er’s caution about Tang San’s power reflects the need to handle her own spiritual and martial-soul challenges carefully.
  The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as the rapidly approaching beast closes in on Wang Dong’er and Xiao Xiao.

Key plot points and events

• A seemingly ten-thousand-year Tiger Demon Cat attacks the group, apparently drawn by their earlier encounter with one of its kind. Though outmatched on paper, Wang Dong’er, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao coordinate to wound and freeze it.
• The group prepares to flee before the Tiger Demon Cat can escape, but Huo Yuhao senses another soul beast approaching. Following the usual rule of keeping soul power in reserve, they avoid a direct fight and hide in a tree.
• The newcomer is a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, powerful enough to rival a ten-thousand-year beast. It attacks the frozen Tiger Demon Cat, triggering an Ice Explosion Huo Yuhao had secretly planted in the ice.
• The blast badly wounds the bear, though its remarkable defenses leave it alive. Xuan Zi arrives and confirms its approximate age of two thousand years, recommending that one of the group absorb its soul ring.
• Wang Dong’er turns down the bear for herself and suggests that Xiao Xiao take its soul ring instead.

Character development and interactions

• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao demonstrate strong teamwork: her attacks and follow-up freeze combine effectively with his ice techniques. They celebrate their success together.
• Xiao Xiao is briefly stranded in a tree, then experiments with using her cauldron as a flying seat. She complains about Huo Yuhao’s intense cold and later becomes Wang Dong’er’s choice to receive the bear’s soul ring.
• Huo Yuhao shows tactical caution as well as ingenuity: he advises retreat rather than risking a second fight, then uses Ice Explosion to turn the frozen Tiger Demon Cat into a trap.
• Wang Dong’er recognizes the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear from events in her previous life. The apparent repetition makes her uneasy, though she does not explain her concern to the others.
• Xuan Zi’s arrival provides expert guidance, but the chapter ends before Xiao Xiao’s decision or the soul-ring absorption.

Significant themes

• Teamwork over individual strength: coordinated attacks let the group manage a formidable enemy.
• Caution and resourcefulness: conserving energy and using the environment are safer than fighting every threat head-on.
• Power and resilience: the bear’s survival highlights the extraordinary strength and defenses of rare soul beasts.
• Repetition and foreknowledge: Wang Dong’er’s memories of her previous life suggest that familiar events may be recurring.

• Key events: Xiao Xiao kills the nearly defeated Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and begins absorbing its Soul Ring. Huo Yuhao finds an extremely rare external Soul Bone in the bear’s right palm. After Wang Dong’er explains its value, Huo Yuhao suggests giving it to Xiao Xiao because she absorbed the bear’s ring—without first considering Dong’er. Dong’er feels slighted and withdraws. Yuhao tries to apologize with roasted bear meat, easing the tension. Xiao Xiao successfully absorbs the Soul Ring, but when she attempts the Soul Bone, it rejects her and violently damages her arm. Wang Dong’er intervenes, using her light power to suppress the Soul Bone’s energy.
• Character developments: Huo Yuhao’s thoughtlessness in matters of affection becomes clear, though he recognizes he has upset Dong’er and tries to make amends. Wang Dong’er is hurt by being overlooked but remains generous toward Xiao Xiao, later warning her about the danger of absorption. Xiao Xiao gains a Soul Ring and shows enthusiasm, but the Soul Bone proves incompatible. Xuan Zi is initially confident he can oversee the process, then is caught off guard by the backlash.
• Character interactions: Dong’er and Yuhao’s awkward, unspoken romantic feelings drive a brief quarrel; her teasing and Xiao Xiao’s matchmaking joke soften the mood. Xiao Xiao playfully points out their mutual attraction. Dong’er’s final intervention shows her concern for Xiao Xiao despite the earlier disagreement.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts rare power and opportunity with the risks of ambition: a valuable Soul Bone can be dangerous when incompatible. It also highlights emotional attentiveness, unspoken affection, and the care friends show through both warnings and decisive action.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Xiao nearly dies when she cannot withstand the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Soul Bone’s power. Wang Dong’er transfers the power from Xiao Xiao’s hand and absorbs it herself, aided by the Snow Empress and her power of light.
• Afterward, Wang Dong’er heals Xiao Xiao with her Moonlight Sacred Healing skill. The group rests overnight and resumes its search for suitable Soul Beasts.
• Xiao Xiao demonstrates her new third Soul Skill, Cauldron’s Might, which strengthens her Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and boosts her other abilities. Wang Dong’er tests the Soul Bone’s dark-gold claws against it, leaving deep marks; Xiao Xiao jokingly demands compensation for her damaged cauldron.
• The group searches for several days without finding suitable light- or mental-attribute Soul Beasts. Xiao Xiao finds a Soul Ring for her second martial soul and reaches Soul Power rank 32.
• With no suitable beasts nearby, the group ventures deeper into the forest, where they defeat several dangerous Soul Beasts. Huo Yuhao then detects eight Soul Masters from an academy, including a powerful teacher. Wang Dong’er decides they should avoid them and continue their search.

Character development

• Wang Dong’er shows decisive leadership and gains control of a powerful Soul Bone. She took it because she believes she needs strength urgently, though she privately feels guilty about taking what had been intended for Huo Yuhao.
• Huo Yuhao accepts that the Soul Bone suits Wang Dong’er’s assault-oriented role better than his own control-oriented one. His practical response disappoints her emotionally.
• Xuan Zi recognizes that he misjudged Xiao Xiao’s ability to absorb the Soul Bone and reflects that the younger generation is advancing beyond the old one.
• Xiao Xiao recovers, grows stronger, and displays both her new skill and her affectionate, playful attachment to her cauldron.

Significant themes

• Changing generations: Xuan Zi’s experience proves insufficient, and he acknowledges that the new generation of Soul Masters is surpassing its predecessors.
• Power and responsibility: Wang Dong’er takes the Soul Bone for her own urgent need for strength, accepting the personal cost of depriving Huo Yuhao.
• Care and emotional distance: The group protects and supports one another, but Wang Dong’er longs for a more personal response from Huo Yuhao than his rational assessment provides.
• Caution and teamwork: Their progress depends on cooperation, and Wang Dong’er chooses to avoid unnecessary conflict with the other Soul Masters.

Key plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao leads Wang Dong’er and Xiao Xiao around a group of people they had encountered in Wang Dong’er’s previous life. She is relieved that this meeting—and perhaps the future—can be changed.
• Huo Yuhao senses two powerful soul beasts fighting. He admits they are both ten-thousand-year beasts, and claims the Tang Sect has a secret technique that will let him absorb an unusually powerful soul ring.
• The group encounters a Twin Cyclops, a mutated cyclops with light and dark attributes. Huo Yuhao says it would suit Wang Dong’er better than him.
• A Three-Eyed Golden Lion appears. Huo Yuhao believes she is an ideal match for him and chases her, but the Ice Empress stops him and explains that the beast is too important and dangerous to harm.
• The Three-Eyed Golden Lion flees into a confrontation involving Xuan Zi, a three-headed mastiff, and Tang De. Tang De captures her, thinking her radiant aura would make her a suitable soul ring for Wang Dong’er.
• Wang Dong’er insists that Tang De release the beast and pursue the Twin Cyclops instead. The Scarlet King challenges the humans, but Wang Dong’er defuses the tension by approaching the Three-Eyed Golden Lion as a friend.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er is encouraged by evidence that events can change. She protects the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and uses warmth and humor to calm the Scarlet King.
• Huo Yuhao is eager to secure a fitting soul ring, but his pursuit shows that he does not understand the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s significance. He also improvises an explanation for his ability to absorb powerful soul rings, briefly fooling Xiao Xiao.
• Xiao Xiao questions Huo Yuhao’s claim, pointing out that she is also in the Tang Sect and has never heard of the supposed secret method.
• The Ice Empress acts as a warning voice, stopping Huo Yuhao from pursuing a dangerous course. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm admits that it recommended the Three-Eyed Golden Lion without knowing her true identity.
• The Three-Eyed Golden Lion is frustrated that events have again brought her into contact with Huo Yuhao. Despite the danger, she accepts Wang Dong’er’s friendly gesture—first licking her face, then learning to shake hands.
• Tang De misunderstands the situation and captures the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, but releases her when Wang Dong’er corrects him. The Scarlet King remains suspicious because this is not the first time humans have threatened the beast.

Significant themes

• Fate versus change: Wang Dong’er hopes that familiar events can be altered, and the chapter repeatedly tests whether past patterns will recur.
• Misunderstanding and trust: Confusion over the Golden Lion’s identity and intentions nearly causes conflict, while Wang Dong’er’s friendly approach helps restore calm.
• Friendship across boundaries: A humorous handshake between Wang Dong’er and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion turns a tense encounter between humans and soul beasts into a moment of connection.

Plot and key events

• Wang Dong’er coerces the Scarlet King into finding her a suitable soul beast, threatening the Three-Eyed Golden Lion if he refuses. The Scarlet King agrees, and Wang Dong’er’s group waits without harming the lion.
• Wang Dong’er absorbs a ten-thousand-year Twin Cyclops as her fourth soul ring. It grants Light-Dark Blast Strike, combining light and darkness in a powerful explosive attack.
• The Scarlet King returns with a ten-thousand-year Purple Spirit Civet for Huo Yuhao. He and the others note that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion is too important to the Star Dou Great Forest to risk harming.
• Huo Yuhao absorbs the civet’s soul ring, reaching level 32 and gaining Mass Weakening, which reduces the speed and abilities of everyone in range; its effect depends on the difference in spiritual power.
• With the group’s soul-ring mission complete, they return to Shrek Academy. At the Sea God Pavilion, they find Mu En gravely weakened. He explains that he fought off an attack by more than ten Evil Soul Masters, including a Super Douluo, killing several enemies at great cost to his lifespan. During the chaos, Ma Xiaotao fully transformed into a Dark Phoenix and escaped.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er shows care for Huo Yuhao by arranging for the Scarlet King to find his soul beast. Her new skill also raises questions about how her light-aligned martial soul can wield darkness.
• Huo Yuhao benefits from a powerful soul ring and reveals a rare, group-targeting weakening ability.
• The Scarlet King protects the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and cooperates under pressure, while warning Wang Dong’er to stay away from him.
• Xuan Zi helps keep the Scarlet King in line and acknowledges the danger of provoking a beast tide.
• Mu En sacrifices his vitality to defend the academy, while Ma Xiaotao’s escape leaves Shrek with a serious unresolved threat.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and protection: Mu En’s defense of Shrek and Wang Dong’er’s efforts to help Huo Yuhao both involve accepting risk for others.
• Power and restraint: The group uses threats to secure the soul beast but avoids harming the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, mindful of the consequences.
• Change and continuity: Wang Dong’er recognizes the Purple Spirit Civet from her previous life, suggesting that some events persist despite changes elsewhere.
• Escalating danger: The academy’s repeated attacks, Mu En’s decline, and Ma Xiaotao’s transformation signal worsening threats for Shrek.

Key events

• Mu En tells Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Xiao Xiao to grow into leaders of Shrek Academy. He singles out Yuhao as both the bearer of an ultimate martial soul and the Soul Tool Department’s future hope, and plans to send him to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in two years.
• Grieving Mu En’s imminent death, Yuhao turns to teaching Wang Dong’er soul-tool crafting. She decides to learn so she can accompany him to the Sun Moon Academy rather than be separated from him.
• The two train intensively for over a year: soul-tool study in the mornings and evenings, combat practice in the afternoons, and joint cultivation at night. Wang Dong’er reaches Level 2 Soul Engineer and level 46 in soul power; Yuhao becomes a Level 5 Soul Engineer before age fifteen and reaches level 38.
• Mu En’s life finally comes to an end. Before dying, he assigns Xuan Zi to succeed him as Pavilion Master and asks Wang Dong’er and Yuhao to help protect Shrek. He charges Yuhao with restoring the Tang Sect, preventing the Sun Moon Empire from conquering the continent, and eventually becoming Sea God Pavilion Master.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er shifts from disliking soul tools to embracing them for Yuhao’s sake. Her devotion is clear, and Mu En’s request leads her to pledge that Shrek will not fall.
• Huo Yuhao responds to Dong’er’s commitment by promising to help her and comes to regard her as family. His skill and cultivation advance rapidly even while he teaches her.
• Mu En faces death calmly and affectionately, arranging the academy’s future and expressing pride in Yuhao as his disciple. Yuhao kneels beside him and promises to honor his final wishes; Xuan Zi is overcome with grief as he accepts the succession.
• Yuhao and Dong’er grow closer through shared study, training, cultivation, and their stated desire not to be apart.

Significant themes

• Legacy and duty: Mu En entrusts the academy, the Tang Sect, and the continent’s future to the next generation.
• Devotion and companionship: Dong’er’s choice to study soul tools is motivated by her desire to remain with Yuhao.
• Perseverance and growth: Their sustained effort produces substantial advances in skill and cultivation.
• Mortality and acceptance: Mu En meets death without fear, finding comfort in the students who will carry on his work.

Key plot points and events

• At the moment of his death, Mu En returns to his youthful form, becomes a radiant sacred dragon, and disperses into motes of light that envelop Shrek Academy. The light strengthens those present and enters the Golden Ancient Tree, giving the academy one final act of protection.
• Shrek mourns Mu En, but its students respond by working harder at cultivation, knowing they can no longer rely on his protection.
• Three months later, Shrek prepares for its student exchange with Sun Moon Academy. Xuan Zi explains that the students must learn as much as possible about Soul Tools and bring back any unfamiliar knowledge. The exchange will take place in border city Mapleleaf City, with a teacher escorting the group there.
• Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, Wang Dong’er, and other students prepare to leave for more than two years. Wang Dong’er is included as a Level 2 Soul Engineer, despite others’ doubts about her qualifications.
• Before departing, the group shares a farewell meal with Bei Bei and the others. They toast to meeting again in two years and discuss the risks of the trip and the Tang Sect’s future.
• The next morning, Yan Shaozhe leads the students to Mapleleaf City. On the eve of their entry into the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao worries about being unable to protect Wang Dong’er if danger arises. She proposes asking her uncle, Tang De, a Titled Douluo, to go to Mingdu and provide backup.

Character developments

• Mu En makes a final, selfless sacrifice, continuing to safeguard Shrek even after death.
• Huo Yuhao accepts the exchange assignment but feels responsible for Wang Dong’er’s safety; his concern drives him to consider seeking powerful outside help.
• Wang Dong’er is determined to accompany Huo Yuhao, unapologetic about joining through family influence, and practical about arranging support for the journey.
• Bei Bei remains responsible for the Tang Sect while grieving Tang Ya’s disappearance and warns the students to stay cautious.
• Shrek’s students become more motivated to strengthen themselves after losing Mu En’s protection.

Significant themes

• Legacy and sacrifice: Mu En’s final gift embodies his lasting devotion to Shrek.
• Responsibility and resilience: The academy must grow stronger and carry on without its protector.
• Learning amid political tension: The exchange is framed as education but also involves gathering intelligence on Soul Tools.
• Loyalty and protection: Huo Yuhao’s concern for Wang Dong’er and the group’s farewells emphasize their bonds.

Character interactions

• Xuan Zi briefs the students on the exchange’s purpose and cautions them to record what they learn.
• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao share a close, playful domestic moment while packing and agree to room together.
• Xiao Xiao jokes about the couple returning as three, while the others understand the implication and Huo Yuhao misses it.
• Bei Bei entrusts the students with a warning about the dangers ahead; Huo Yuhao, in turn, asks him to look after the Tang Sect.
• In Mapleleaf City, Wang Dong’er reassures Huo Yuhao and suggests asking Tang De for help.

Key events

• Wang Dong’er’s group meets the Sun Moon Academy delegation, led personally by Jing Hongchen. His inclusion of Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen among the exchange students gives Shrek some leverage and suggests that he is taking the exchange seriously.
• After the students are exchanged, the Shrek delegation flies across the Sun Moon Mountains to Mingdu, the vast and prosperous capital of the Sun Moon Empire. Jing Hongchen shows them the imperial palace and brings them to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
• Director of Studies Lin Jiayi welcomes the visitors, offers them access to Virtue Hall and its examination, and gives them regulations, dormitory keys, and maps. His generous offer also serves as an attempt to recruit Shrek’s talented students.
• The group begins mandatory physical testing using advanced equipment unfamiliar to Shrek. The machines record detailed physical and spiritual measurements. He Caitou tests first; Wang Dong’er volunteers next.

Character developments and interactions

• Jing Hongchen presents himself as a sincere host, while also probing Shrek’s strength and intentions. His personal involvement underscores the importance he places on the exchange.
• Yan Shaozhe carefully avoids revealing anything about Shrek’s condition or vulnerabilities.
• Huo Yuhao studies the academy map and memorizes it instantly with his Spirit Eyes, already thinking strategically about the unfamiliar surroundings. He becomes anxious that the testing equipment may reveal the Ice Empress’s Soul Bone.
• Wang Dong’er notices Huo Yuhao’s worry and reassures him, offering to contact Tang De and fight their way out if necessary. She trusts Huo Yuhao enough not to study the map herself, relying on him to guide her.
• He Caitou’s imposing size is noted as well suited to carrying numerous Soul Tools.

Significant themes

• Diplomacy and mutual leverage: The exchange is framed as cooperation, but both academies remain alert to the other’s intentions.
• Technological disparity: Mingdu’s scale, prosperity, and advanced Soul Tools demonstrate the Sun Moon Empire’s growing advantage.
• Trust and caution: The visitors are welcomed and offered opportunities, yet Huo Yuhao remains wary of what the academy’s testing may uncover.
• Strategic observation: Huo Yuhao’s careful study of the campus reflects the group’s need to adapt and stay prepared in unfamiliar territory.

Plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao undergo physical assessments. Both have unusually high attributes and multiple soul bones, but the testing instrument malfunctions for each of them, scrambling their readings.
• In a strength test, He Caitou scores an impressive 70 after briefly using a strength-enhancing cigar, while Wang Dong’er scores 58 and Huo Yuhao 55. Wang Dong’er suspects Huo Yuhao is concealing his real ability.
• During the reaction-speed test, Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao both hit six targets before being eliminated. Huo Yuhao deliberately holds back so the academy will underestimate him and not interfere with his objective.
• The students are assigned individual dorm rooms. Wang Dong’er asks whether she can share with Huo Yuhao, and the staff leave sleeping arrangements to them.
• After unpacking, Huo Yuhao visits Wang Dong’er. He notices she brought women’s clothes and admits he would like to see her wear them, but she refuses.

Character developments

• Wang Dong’er demonstrates strong physical ability and competitive enthusiasm. She is comfortable expressing her wish to share a room with Huo Yuhao, but remains coy about wearing women’s clothing.
• Huo Yuhao continues to disguise his true strength, deliberately performing below his capabilities to avoid drawing attention. His concern for Wang Dong’er’s privacy also shows a possessive, protective streak.
• He Caitou displays remarkable strength for a support-type Soul Master, though the testing rules prevent him from using his cigar’s full enhancement.

Significant themes

• Concealed ability and deception: Huo Yuhao hides his capabilities to pursue his plans without attracting the academy’s notice.
• The limits of measurement: The instruments cannot reliably assess the extraordinary students, especially those with powerful soul bones.
• Affection and playful intimacy: Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao’s teasing, familiarity, and interest in sharing a room underscore their close relationship.

Character interactions

• Wang Dong’er recognizes that Huo Yuhao’s strength score does not reflect his real ability and quietly calls him out for pretending to be weak.
• She asks to share a dorm room with him; he later urges her to lock the door, revealing his concern about others entering.
• Huo Yuhao shows interest in Wang Dong’er’s women’s clothes, but she playfully refuses to model them for him.

Key plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao checks their room for surveillance, then begins tutoring Wang Dong’er in soul-tool crafting. He secretly works at Level 5 ability despite wearing a Level 3 badge; Wang Dong’er struggles with a complicated core formation, so he teaches her a simpler Level 3 one.
• Their joking during cultivation turns into playful tickling and wrestling. A passing student misinterprets the noises, starting rumors that the pair are romantically involved.
• At breakfast, He Caitou repeats the gossip and warns Wang Dong’er that people still believe she is a boy. Wang Dong’er openly claims that she and Huo Yuhao are dating, taking his hand; Huo Yuhao denies the rumor but does not challenge her further.
• At Sun Moon Academy, Lin Jiayi explains the study rules, including that students will be assigned teachers and need an assessment to gain access to Virtue Hall. Wang Dong’er asks to study alongside Huo Yuhao, and Xuan Ziwen agrees to let her accompany him.
• In the laboratory, Xuan Ziwen tests Huo Yuhao’s skill and creativity, asking him to make a Level 3 core formation with original ideas.

Character developments

• Huo Yuhao uses modest credentials to conceal his advanced skill and takes responsibility for helping Wang Dong’er catch up. He remains focused on training, though their playful closeness fuels gossip.
• Wang Dong’er is affectionate and teasing, and openly presents them as a couple. Her main priority at the academy is staying close to Huo Yuhao; she has little interest in becoming a top Soul Engineer.
• He Caitou acts as a concerned friend, passing along the rumors and cautioning Wang Dong’er about the risks of public misunderstandings.
• Xuan Ziwen is blunt and results-oriented. He initially dismisses Wang Dong’er but gives Huo Yuhao a practical test designed to reveal independent thinking.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus ability: Huo Yuhao’s low-looking badge conceals a much higher level of expertise, while Wang Dong’er’s Level 2 badge draws skepticism.
• Affection and gossip: Their intimate but innocent teasing is quickly misread, showing how rumors can arise from appearances rather than facts.
• Learning and ambition: Huo Yuhao values skill-building and creative problem-solving; Wang Dong’er is more interested in supporting him than pursuing the same ambition.
• Trust and companionship: Wang Dong’er insists on remaining by Huo Yuhao’s side, reflecting both their closeness and her concern about possible threats at the academy.

Key plot points and events

• Xuan Ziwen challenges Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er to create something original rather than simply copy an existing soul-tool formation.
• Huo Yuhao quickly engraves a core formation, then assembles it into an unremarkable iron box. Testing reveals it is a powerful Level 4 fixed soul tool—one that can be fired without the user spending soul power.
• Xuan Ziwen immediately recognizes the invention’s potential: it could let ordinary people use soul tools and transform military power. He offers to buy the design, but Huo Yuhao refuses, concerned that the technology could strengthen the Sun Moon Empire and provoke war.
• Huo Yuhao demonstrates his Spiritual Detection and Shared Vision. Xuan Ziwen realizes these abilities make ordinary detection tools unnecessary for Huo Yuhao and asks whether he will join Sun Moon Academy as his disciple.
• Huo Yuhao firmly declines, remaining loyal to Shrek Academy. Xuan Ziwen says he will teach him, though not the most essential knowledge. Huo Yuhao then turns the conversation around and asks whether Xuan Ziwen has ever considered leaving the academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao proves himself both a creative engineer and a strategic thinker. He protects dangerous technology, demonstrates confidence in his ability to defend himself, and tries to recruit Xuan Ziwen after refusing Xuan’s offer.
• Xuan Ziwen shifts from skeptical examiner to enthusiastic admirer. His excitement over Huo Yuhao’s invention and abilities leads him to offer mentorship and immediate entry to the Virtue Hall.
• Wang Dong’er considers the challenge and comes up with an idea of her own, though Xuan Ziwen’s attention remains fixed on Huo Yuhao.

Significant themes

• Innovation and accessibility: A soul tool that requires no soul power could extend advanced technology to ordinary people.
• Science and warfare: Huo Yuhao weighs the invention’s benefits against the risk of strengthening an enemy military and igniting conflict.
• Loyalty and recruitment: Both men attempt to bring the other onto their side, but Huo Yuhao’s commitment to Shrek remains firm.
• Talent and mentorship: Xuan Ziwen sees Huo Yuhao’s unusual combination of engineering creativity and mental abilities as exceptional potential.

Key plot points and events

• Xuan Ziwen rejects Huo Yuhao’s invitation to work for Shrek, citing its weak Soul Tool resources. Huo Yuhao instead asks him to join the Tang Sect, promising it will regain strength within ten years.
• Xuan Ziwen is unimpressed by the Tang Sect’s current state but agrees to join if Huo Yuhao can create ten Soul Tool inventions he has never seen before. Huo Yuhao accepts the challenge.
• Wang Dong’er finishes her Core Formation engraving: a portrait of Huo Yuhao. Xuan Ziwen mocks its practicality, but Huo Yuhao treasures it.
• Xuan Ziwen teaches Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er advanced Soul Tool theory, emphasizing clear instruction and experimentation. He gives them a key card so they can use the laboratory independently.
• Ju Zi arrives, drawing Huo Yuhao’s attention. Wang Dong’er senses a threat, and later becomes jealous when Huo Yuhao admires Ju Zi’s skill.
• When Wang Dong’er calls herself Huo Yuhao’s girlfriend, he is surprised and embarrassed, having not realized she saw their relationship that way.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao shows ambition and confidence in the Tang Sect’s future, while accepting a demanding test from Xuan Ziwen. He is also openly delighted by Wang Dong’er’s portrait and focuses enthusiastically on learning from Ju Zi.
• Wang Dong’er expresses affection through her carving, but her confidence gives way to jealousy when Huo Yuhao praises Ju Zi. She directly claims the status of his girlfriend.
• Xuan Ziwen proves discerning and innovation-minded: he challenges Huo Yuhao to demonstrate his ability, teaches flexibly, and gives the students freedom to explore.
• Ju Zi is introduced as a talented Soul Tool maker whose arrival immediately unsettles Wang Dong’er. She shows little interest in the new students at first.

Significant themes

• Innovation and independent thought: Xuan Ziwen values experimentation, and his teaching encourages students to discover things for themselves.
• Ambition and rebuilding: Huo Yuhao’s promise to revive the Tang Sect contrasts with its present decline.
• Romance and jealousy: Wang Dong’er’s affectionate gift and her reaction to Ju Zi reveal her feelings, while Huo Yuhao remains unaware of their romantic implications.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Dong’er admits she is jealous of Ju Zi and tells Huo Yuhao to avoid her except when working on Soul Tools. He agrees, pleased by her jealousy.
• Over three days, Huo Yuhao continues studying under Xuan Ziwen, while Wang Dong’er also makes progress with Soul Tools. They observe that Sun Moon Academy prioritizes Soul Tool training over cultivation, often relying on treasures and secret methods to raise students’ strength.
• Ju Zi returns to the laboratory with Keke and two male students. Keke rudely rejects Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er, orders them out, and threatens to beat them if they enter again.
• After Keke locks them out, Wang Dong’er cuts through the laboratory door with her Dark Gold Dreadclaw. When the group confronts them, one boy attacks with a Soul Guidance Ray. Huo Yuhao blocks it, then uses Spiritual Shock to knock him unconscious.
• The second boy attacks, but Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er combine their Haodong Power. Wang Dong’er’s Light-Breaking Demon sends him flying.
• Xuan Ziwen arrives to find the two male students unconscious. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er then pretend to be injured.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er’s jealousy of Ju Zi is explicit, but it comes with affection and playful intimacy. She also shows a quick temper when Huo Yuhao is insulted or she is barred from the lab.
• Huo Yuhao tries to keep the peace, advises Wang Dong’er to avoid drawing attention at Sun Moon Academy, and physically shields her during the confrontation. They coordinate effectively in combat.
• Keke is openly hostile, while the two male students escalate the dispute into violence. Ju Zi is present but does not take the lead in the confrontation.
• Xuan Ziwen remains a helpful, if not fully forthcoming, teacher to Huo Yuhao and occasionally offers Wang Dong’er guidance.

Significant themes

• Jealousy and affection: Wang Dong’er’s possessiveness contrasts with Huo Yuhao’s cheerful acceptance.
• Pride and provocation: Keke’s hostility and Wang Dong’er’s temper turn a petty exclusion into a fight.
• Different kinds of strength: The academy’s reliance on Soul Tools and artificially enhanced cultivation contrasts with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s spiritual ability and teamwork.
• Teamwork and loyalty: The couple protect one another and combine their powers effectively under pressure.

Plot points and events

• Xuan Ziwen learns that Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and their companions fought with several senior students who had tried to exclude them from the laboratory. He recognizes that the seniors provoked the conflict, but initially proposes settling it by calling things even.
• Wang Dong’er rejects that offer and threatens to bring the matter to Dean Jing Hongchen, turning a student altercation into a potential dispute between Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Academy.
• Director Lin Yijia argues that Yuhao and Dong’er should have reported the incident rather than breaking the door and fighting. Wang Dong’er counters by having Yuhao pretend to be dizzy and mentally unwell, invoking his importance as the Sea God Pavilion Master’s disciple.
• Wang Yan and He Caitou arrive. Wang Yan demands an explanation, while He Caitou prepares to fight in Yuhao’s defense.
• Wang Dong’er demands Soul Tool blueprints and large quantities of metals as compensation. After bargaining, she refuses to accept less than one Level 8 blueprint, three blueprints each for Levels 1–7, two thousand jin of common metals, and three hundred jin of rare metals. Lin Yijia must refer the compensation request to the dean.
• Lin agrees to arrange a separate laboratory for Yuhao and Dong’er. Dong’er is pleased, since this will keep Yuhao from interacting with Ju Zi.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Dong’er takes control of the confrontation, acting injured and aggrieved to pressure the Sun Moon Academy staff into concessions. She is strategic and opportunistic, rather than simply seeking an apology.
• Huo Yuhao initially expects punishment and nearly accepts Xuan Ziwen’s compromise, but follows Dong’er’s lead by feigning illness.
• Xuan Ziwen sees through the students’ excuses and recognizes the provocation, yet struggles to manage the increasingly political dispute.
• Lin Yijia tries to defend the academy’s position but yields on the laboratory arrangement and seeks higher approval for compensation.
• Wang Yan backs his students and escalates the matter by demanding an explanation; He Caitou reacts protectively and aggressively.
• Ju Zi and Keke are left bewildered as the dispute shifts from a fight to a negotiation.

Significant themes

• The chapter highlights how institutional rivalry can turn a minor confrontation into a diplomatic crisis.
• It also explores power and leverage: Shrek’s status and Yuhao’s importance let the students pressure Sun Moon Academy, while Dong’er uses theatrics and negotiation to secure practical advantages.
• Beneath the stated concern for fairness, personal motives shape the outcome—especially Dong’er’s desire to separate Yuhao from Ju Zi.

Key events

• After Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s clash with Sun Moon Academy students, Wang Dong’er demands compensation and formal action. Lin Yijia consults Dean Jing Hongchen, who accepts the academy’s responsibility and grants the exchange students their requested compensation, including access to Laboratory Nine, blueprints, and rare metals. The students involved in starting the fight are also warned.
• Jing Hongchen is concerned because Huo Yuhao injured Wang Shaojie, a student with ties to the imperial family. Wang Shaojie remains comatose after a Spiritual Shock, but Jing promises to handle any imperial-family complaints himself.
• Ju Zi and Keke leave resentful, while Wang Dong’er celebrates the outcome—and her success in putting distance between Ju Zi and Huo Yuhao.
• The next day, Huo Yuhao and his companions begin using their new laboratory. Since Huo Yuhao has reached rank forty and needs a soul ring, Xuan Ziwen advises him to leave temporarily, both to hunt and to avoid possible retaliation. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er travel alone to the Jingyang Mountain Range, declining offers of a teacher or He Caitou as an escort.

Character developments and interactions

• Jing Hongchen prioritizes the academy’s reputation and political caution, choosing to compensate the exchange students rather than let the dispute escalate.
• Wang Dong’er is assertive in defending her group and playful and affectionate with Huo Yuhao. She encourages his ideas and enjoys using their trip to strengthen their closeness.
• Huo Yuhao remains confident in handling danger and shows his inventive curiosity when Wang Dong’er suggests adding Milk Bottles to Flying Soul Tools. He responds especially warmly to her praise, revealing an unmet need for encouragement and affection.
• Ju Zi and Keke feel unfairly punished and leave with their hostility toward Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er intensified. Xuan Ziwen warns Huo Yuhao about the political risk but respects his decision to travel without an escort.

Significant themes

• Responsibility, reputation, and power: Jing Hongchen’s response is shaped by the academy’s culpability, public image, and Huo Yuhao’s connections.
• Innovation and practical problem-solving: Wang Dong’er’s suggestion about improving Flying Soul Tools sparks a possible new engineering project.
• Affection and emotional vulnerability: Huo Yuhao’s eagerness for Wang Dong’er’s approval reflects how strongly kindness and encouragement affect him.
• Independence and risk: The pair choose to manage the soul-ring hunt themselves, balancing confidence with the danger of traveling and facing powerful soul beasts.

Key plot points and events

• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er reach the Jingyang Mountain Range after flying most of the day. They stop to eat, sharing barbecued meat and fruit in a playful, affectionate exchange.
• The range is shaped like a giant spider, with its strongest Soul Beasts said to live in a protected central region. The pair plan to hunt only for a suitable Soul Beast several tens of thousands of years old, and need not enter the core.
• Huo Yuhao uses Spiritual Detection to watch their surroundings. A huge but only hundred-year-old Striped Tiger approaches; he scares it away by imitating the aura of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.
• They continue deeper into the mountains but find no suitable Soul Beast, since creatures with a Mental Attribute are rare.
• At their campsite, a wolf-like Soul Beast with metallic-looking silver fur appears while they are preparing dinner. Neither recognizes it, so Wang Dong’er consults a field guide.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er show comfortable intimacy through their meal: she teases him repeatedly by pretending to feed him fruit, and he happily plays along.
• Wang Dong’er notices that continuously using Spiritual Detection may tire Yuhao and suggests developing portable Detection Soul Tools with Teacher Xuan. Yuhao agrees.
• Yuhao privately doubts Wang Dong’er’s aptitude as a Soul Engineer and thinks she would do better focusing on her Martial Soul, but he avoids telling her for fear of discouraging her. Wang Dong’er, meanwhile, knows her limitations and wants to study Soul Tools mainly to accompany him, imagining a partnership in which she contributes ideas and he builds them.
• They work cooperatively at camp: Wang Dong’er prepares the tent and bedding while Yuhao cooks, until the approaching Soul Beast interrupts their meal.

Significant themes

• Affection through everyday gestures: Food, teasing, and shared routines reveal the couple’s closeness.
• Complementary partnership: Their strengths differ, but Wang Dong’er sees their contrasting abilities as a way to work together.
• Preparation and adaptation: They manage risk through Yuhao’s detection and aura simulation, while Wang Dong’er brings reference material to identify unfamiliar creatures.
• The difficulty of the search: Their desired Mental-Attribute Soul Beast is rare, making the hunt uncertain.

Plot points and events

• While searching the Jingyang Mountain Range for a suitable mental-attribute soul beast for Huo Yuhao, the pair encounter a rare three-thousand-year-old Silver Wolf.
• The wolf’s silver attacks shift unpredictably between fire and wind. Wang Dong’er identifies it as a creature capable of using six basic elements, with a unique additional attribute possible once it reaches ten thousand years.
• Huo Yuhao closes in despite the wolf’s ranged attacks, stops it with Spiritual Shock, and kills it with Ice Empress’s Pincer. He keeps the body for its possible metallic materials but has no use for its purple soul ring.
• The search continues. The weaker soul beasts on the mountain’s outskirts offer no suitable soul ring, so Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er head deeper into the range.
• Huo Yuhao observes that many local beasts have metal attributes and suspects the mountains contain rich metal deposits. Wang Dong’er points out that mining would likely have begun already if it were practical. Huo Yuhao reasons that the Sun Moon Empire may be preserving the habitat, as its soul-beast population is already dwindling and the empire is investing in soul tools as an alternative to soul rings.
• At night, after seeing a rabbit knock itself unconscious against a tree, the pair kill it for dinner.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao shows tactical adaptability in battle, using his spiritual ability to create an opening when the Silver Wolf’s changing attacks prevent an easy approach. He also displays curiosity about the region’s mineral resources and concern for the long-term scarcity of soul beasts.
• Wang Dong’er contributes her knowledge of Silver Wolves and keeps the expedition’s mood light with her enthusiasm for food. During the night, she moves around in her sleep and ends up sprawled over Huo Yuhao; he nervously slips out of the tent and sleeps outside rather than disturb or touch her. She wakes unaware of what happened.
• Their companionship grows through shared meals, cultivation, travel, and teasingly domestic moments. Wang Dong’er says she could almost imagine staying with Huo Yuhao forever, though she dismisses it as only a dream.

Significant themes

• Changing technology and tradition: The Sun Moon Empire’s development of soul tools may reduce reliance on soul rings, challenging the old relationship between soul masters and soul beasts.
• Environmental limits: The declining number of soul beasts raises the question of whether natural habitats should be protected rather than exploited for resources.
• Intimacy and restraint: Huo Yuhao’s attraction to Wang Dong’er is clear, but he remains cautious and respectful, while their easy domestic closeness hints at deeper affection.