Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Gu Yue joins Class Five’s morning training and introduces herself to Tang Wulin. She praises his potential, while he admits he relies mostly on strength and speed.
• Xie Xie, still smarting from Gu Yue’s earlier victory, challenges her and argues that her elemental abilities are simply overpowered. Gu Yue counters that Soul Masters should understand and develop their Martial Souls rather than make excuses. Tang Wulin restrains Xie Xie when he tries to attack her again.
• Wu Changkong summons the three students to discuss the class promotion tournament. He sets a single goal: raise Class Five from last place to first in their year.
• Wu announces daily after-school special training focused on endurance, combat, and precise Martial Soul control. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue accept confidently; Xie Xie agrees less enthusiastically but resolves to try.
• The three leave together, planning to eat before training begins.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yue remains composed and confident, displaying deep knowledge of elemental control. Though she hides her strong feelings toward Tang Wulin, she is warmly attentive to him and soon becomes his companion.
• Tang Wulin is friendly and encouraging toward Gu Yue, while also acting as a calming mediator between her and Xie Xie. He embraces Wu Changkong’s challenge with determination.
• Xie Xie is prideful and sore after losing to Gu Yue, but his frustration gradually gives way to competitive resolve. His rivalry with Gu Yue is sharp, while his friendship with Tang Wulin remains evident.
• Wu Changkong is strict and demanding, dismissing complaints and setting an ambitious team goal. His slight satisfaction at the students’ commitment suggests he expects them to rise to the challenge.

Significant themes

• Discipline and perseverance: Wu Changkong insists that success requires training and effort, not excuses.
• Teamwork over individual talent: The tournament will test coordination as well as personal strength.
• Understanding one’s abilities: Gu Yue argues that mastery of a Martial Soul comes from studying its potential, not merely relying on raw power.
• Rivalry as motivation: Xie Xie’s clashes with Gu Yue challenge his pride and help rekindle his determination.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie decide how to specialize for their upcoming training: Tang chooses support, Gu Yue takes assault and control, and Xie Xie focuses on speed and assassination.
• The next day, Wu Changkong tests their teamwork in combat. Tang uses his Life Domain to track Wu’s movements, letting Gu Yue and Xie Xie coordinate attacks; his Blue Silver Redemption heals and protects them.
• Wu praises their coordination but warns Tang that a support must be able to defend himself if an enemy gets past his teammates. He assigns Tang to develop close-range defense and counterattacks.
• Tang then reveals techniques inherited from Xiao Yan: Three Thousand Thunder Movement and Eight-Level Collapse. Combining them with his Golden Dragon King strength, he breaks through Wu’s ice defenses and forces him back.
• Wu ends the fight after Tang pushes through his ultimate ice technique, acknowledges his power, and challenges the trio to win the class promotion tournament decisively.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin embraces support as a strategic role, but proves he is also a powerful close-range fighter. He gains confidence that he can protect his teammates and lead them.
• Gu Yue commits to protecting Tang and shows precise, adaptable control in battle. She is pleased by his growth and studies his fighting style.
• Xie Xie accepts the speed-focused assassin role and is inspired by Tang’s hidden strength, renewing his determination to keep up.
• Wu Changkong moves from testing the students’ fundamentals to recognizing Tang’s potential and raising the stakes for their tournament preparation.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementary roles: Support, control, assault, and speed combine to make the trio more effective.
• Strength beyond appearances: Tang’s gentle demeanor and chosen support role conceal formidable offensive power.
• Support as a foundation, not weakness: A strong support can shape a battle while also defending himself.
• Growth through challenge: Wu’s demanding training pushes the students to reveal their abilities and prepare for greater competition.

Character interactions

• Tang’s casual suggestion that classmates should help one another contrasts with Gu Yue’s intense, personal promise to protect him.
• Xie Xie’s teasing confidence gives way to shock and renewed competitiveness after witnessing Tang’s attack.
• Wu first critiques the trio’s coordination, then challenges Tang directly; their clash earns his respect and a more serious challenge for all three.

Key plot points and events

• After training, Wu Changkong questions Tang Wulin about his powerful techniques, Three Thousand Thunder Movement and Eight-Level Collapse. Tang says they came from an inheritance but keeps its true source secret.
• Wu accepts Tang’s explanation, saying he trusts his character, and promises to adapt his special training to Tang’s new abilities.
• Instead of returning to the dormitory, Tang visits the Eastsea City branch of the Blacksmith Association, as instructed by his senior martial uncle, Zhen Hua.
• President Mu Chen welcomes Tang and agrees to provide him with a top-quality forging room and teach him what he can. He reflects that Tang’s future may exceed what he himself can offer.
• Mu Chen’s daughter, Mu Xi, challenges Tang to a forging contest. Mu Chen stops her and sends Tang away. He later explains that Tang’s exceptional, instinctive talent could make a loss damaging to Mu Xi’s confidence. Mu Xi remains determined to prove herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin protects the secret of his techniques while showing growing confidence and gratitude toward Wu Changkong. He approaches forging with humility and respect for Mu Chen.
• Wu Changkong shifts from suspicion to trust, reassuring Tang that his integrity matters more than knowing every detail of his past. He continues to guide Tang as a teacher.
• Mu Chen balances envy of Zhen Hua’s achievement with genuine care for Tang’s development. He also acts protectively toward his ambitious daughter.
• Mu Xi is proud and competitive, and takes her father’s intervention as an insult. Though his concern tempers her anger, she remains resolved to challenge herself.

Significant themes

• Trust and privacy: Wu allows Tang to keep a personal secret because he believes in his character.
• Mentorship and potential: Both Wu and Mu Chen support Tang while recognizing that his abilities may surpass their expectations.
• Ambition and vulnerability: Mu Xi’s determination is a strength, but Mu Chen fears a crushing defeat could undermine her confidence.
• Paths to mastery: The chapter highlights the difficulty of advancing in forging and the different forms of guidance and power required to reach its highest levels.

Key plot points and events

• On his way back to Eastsea Academy, Tang Wulin is confronted in an alley by Mu Xi and several upper-year students. Mu Xi demands a one-on-one match, still stung by not being allowed to compete with him at the Blacksmith Association.
• Tang Wulin initially tries to avoid a fight, but the seniors surround him and one attacks. Using Three Thousand Thunder Movement and precise strikes, he quickly defeats them all.
• Mu Xi then reveals her three-ring Blazing Sun martial soul. Its heat scorches Tang Wulin’s Blue Silver Grass, suppressing his martial soul and weakening his soul skills. Her pursuing light arrows wound him as he struggles to evade.
• Gu Yue and Xie Xie arrive and turn the fight around: Gu Yue holds an Ice Cone at Mu Xi’s throat, while Xie Xie blocks her escape. Gu Yue’s elemental pressure overwhelms Mu Xi’s martial soul.
• Tang Wulin stops his friends from escalating matters and explains that Mu Xi is Mu Chen’s daughter. Mu Xi says she only wanted to compete with him in forging, though Xie Xie challenges that explanation given her use of a group of seniors.
• Wu Changkong appears and transports the students to Academic Affairs Director Long Hengxu’s office. He asks the academy to punish the seniors and signs Gu Yue’s enrollment papers, citing her decisive teamwork with Tang Wulin.
• Long Hengxu penalizes the upper-year students by halving their classes’ cultivation resources for a month and requiring a 10,000-word self-criticism. Wu Changkong then sends Tang Wulin and Gu Yue back to class.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin shows restraint at first, then decisiveness and remarkable combat skill. Even while injured, he tries to prevent the confrontation from becoming more serious.
• Mu Xi is proud and intensely competitive. Her confidence falters when Gu Yue’s overwhelming power suppresses her Blazing Sun martial soul, forcing her to confront that others may surpass her.
• Gu Yue demonstrates powerful elemental control and a frighteningly protective response toward Tang Wulin. Wu Changkong recognizes her judgment and coordination, and formally accepts her into his class.
• Xie Xie acts quickly to protect Tang Wulin and backs Gu Yue up, though he remains wary even after Tang Wulin calls for a truce.
• Wu Changkong remains cold and authoritative but supports his students, intervenes decisively, and resolves his hesitation about Gu Yue’s enrollment.
• Long Hengxu handles the discipline firmly while privately tolerating Wu Changkong’s blunt, unconventional manner.

Significant themes

• Pride and rivalry: Mu Xi’s competitive drive sparks the confrontation, but her defeat challenges her sense of superiority.
• Power and disadvantage: Tang Wulin’s usual strengths are undermined by the elemental counter of Mu Xi’s Blazing Sun, showing how matchups can matter as much as raw ability.
• Loyalty and teamwork: Gu Yue and Xie Xie immediately defend Tang Wulin, and their coordinated intervention impresses Wu Changkong.
• Restraint and accountability: Tang Wulin prevents retaliation, while the academy imposes consequences on the students who helped provoke the fight.

Character interactions

• Mu Xi’s rivalry with Tang Wulin escalates into a fight, while the upper-year students act as her enforcers.
• Gu Yue and Xie Xie protect Tang Wulin, confronting Mu Xi until he explains who she is and asks them to stop.
• Wu Changkong takes control of the incident and argues to Long Hengxu both for disciplinary action and for Gu Yue’s place in his class.
• Long Hengxu enforces the punishment and approves the resolution, despite his irritation with Wu Changkong’s manner.

Key plot points and events

• Before the promotion tournament, Tang Wulin praises Wu Changkong’s strength and promises to follow his teaching. Wu shows rare warmth, while Gu Yue seeks Tang’s recognition after having helped him earlier.
• Xie Xie notices that Gu Yue’s protectiveness toward Tang seems unusually intense, though he does not understand what it means.
• At the tournament, Class Five is matched against Class Four. Its teacher, Kong Hanwen, taunts Wu Changkong and hints that Class Five’s students may be hurt. Tang senses that Kong’s hostility toward Wu runs deeper than ordinary rivalry.
• In the match, Tang reveals three astonishingly powerful Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings and uses his support abilities to turn the fight decisively. He heals and restores Xie Xie, strengthens his allies with armor and protection, senses opponents’ movements, and drains the enemy control fighter’s Soul Power.
• Class Five defeats Class Four in under a minute. The arena is stunned, and Tang becomes a legend among the first-years. Kong, furious and jealous, recognizes Tang as Zhen Hua’s disciple and vows to remember the defeat.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin moves from eager student and loyal teammate to the match’s decisive force. Despite his extraordinary power, he remains modest, asking Gu Yue and Xie Xie how their coordination was.
• Wu Changkong briefly reveals affection and pride in Tang, while remaining cold and dismissive toward Kong.
• Gu Yue openly seeks Tang’s praise and shows fierce protectiveness toward him. She and Xie Xie adapt quickly to Tang’s support during the battle.
• Xie Xie feels sidelined at first, but Tang’s healing and enhancements restore him to full strength. He recognizes how valuable Tang is to the team.
• Kong Hanwen is established as a hostile rival to Wu, with resentment that appears personal. His anger intensifies after his class’s defeat.
• Tang warns Gu Yue and Xie Xie to be cautious; their trust and coordination help them capitalize on his abilities.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and support: Tang’s abilities make his teammates stronger rather than replacing them, turning their cooperation into an overwhelming advantage.
• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Tang’s gentle, unassuming manner conceals powers far beyond what the arena expects.
• Loyalty and protectiveness: Tang’s commitment to Wu and Gu Yue’s fierce concern for Tang shape the chapter’s relationships.
• Rivalry and resentment: Kong’s hostility toward Wu adds tension beyond the tournament and hints at future conflict.

Chapter summary

• After Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie easily defeat Class Four in a promotion match, Wu Changkong cancels their evening training as a reward. Tang Wulin nevertheless intends to practice for their next match.
• Xie Xie persuades Tang Wulin to come out by offering to treat him to dinner. Tang Wulin’s commitment to training gives way instantly when food is mentioned.
• Gu Yue joins them, and teasing between her and Xie Xie turns into a fight. Tang Wulin’s Life Domain briefly slows Xie Xie, allowing Gu Yue to beat him badly. Xie Xie gives in, and the trio set off together.
• Xie Xie brings them to Eastsea City’s lively Late-Night Snack Street, where he proudly offers to pay. Gu Yue mocks his apparent showmanship, reigniting their argument. As they prepare to fight again, Tang Wulin intervenes by dragging them toward a food stall before they miss out on dinner.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin remains earnest and disciplined, but his appetite readily overrides his plans. He also acts as the practical mediator, trying to keep his companions from fighting.
• Xie Xie shows a more personal, nostalgic side when he initially wants to share a favorite place with Tang Wulin. Once food wins him over, he becomes a generous but boastful host—and a frequent target of Gu Yue’s teasing.
• Gu Yue is playful and confident, quickly turning Xie Xie’s provocations against him. Her sharp, contemptuous remarks at the snack street suggest that their rivalry is as much about pride and personality as it is about fighting.
• The chapter emphasizes the trio’s bickering, competitive friendship: Xie Xie and Gu Yue clash repeatedly, while Tang Wulin bridges the tension with humor and his shared love of food.

Significant themes

• Discipline versus enjoyment: Tang Wulin wants to train, but accepts a break when tempted by a good meal.
• Friendship through conflict: The trio’s quarrels and sparring are framed as part of their lively companionship.
• Pride and perception: Xie Xie’s desire to appear generous is challenged by Gu Yue, who interprets his display of money as showing off.

Plot points and events

• Xie Xie takes Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to a small beef-pot restaurant run by Uncle Li, a longtime family friend. Uncle Li welcomes Xie Xie warmly and treats his friends as guests.
• Tang Wulin and Gu Yue are both astonished by the food and eat several servings. They offer to pay their shares with prize money, while Xie Xie privately worries about the cost.
• After the meal, Tang Wulin’s question about Xie Xie’s unusual name prompts him to explain its painful meaning: his mother named him in gratitude for meeting his father.
• Xie Xie reveals that his father was absent when his mother was gravely ill and returned only after she died, missing her final wish to see him. Xie Xie resents his father and even the name tied to his parents’ meeting.
• Uncle Li confirms that the restaurant reminds Xie Xie of his mother, who used to bring him there. Gu Yue comforts Xie Xie, and the friends encourage him before he regains some of his usual bravado and proposes continuing their food outing.

Character development

• Xie Xie drops his proud, aloof façade and shares his grief and resentment with his friends. The familiar restaurant makes him feel safe enough to be vulnerable; by the end, he is steadier, though still hurting.
• Gu Yue softens noticeably. The shop’s warmth eases her irritation, and she responds to Xie Xie’s grief with gentle reassurance and teasing rather than her usual sharpness.
• Tang Wulin shows his straightforward warmth and generosity, enjoying the meal and offering to contribute money. His attentive presence helps support Xie Xie.
• Uncle Li acts as a caring, almost familial figure, revealing how deeply Xie Xie’s mother and her memory are connected to the restaurant.

Significant themes

• Grief and unresolved family pain: Xie Xie’s anger stems from his father’s absence and his mother’s final disappointment.
• Memory and belonging: The restaurant preserves Xie Xie’s connection to his mother and offers comfort despite the sadness it evokes.
• Friendship through vulnerability: A shared meal becomes the setting for honest disclosure and quiet support.
• Warmth beneath appearances: Gu Yue’s reserve and Xie Xie’s pride give way to compassion and emotional openness.

Character interactions

• Uncle Li greets Xie Xie with affectionate familiarity and welcomes Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.
• Xie Xie proudly introduces his friends and shares the meal with them, while Tang Wulin and Gu Yue show their appreciation by eating enthusiastically and offering money.
• Tang Wulin’s casual question opens the door to Xie Xie’s confession.
• Gu Yue comforts Xie Xie with a gentle pat and light teasing; Tang Wulin offers silent, encouraging support. Uncle Li helps them understand Xie Xie’s history and asks them to look out for him.

Plot points and events

• Xie Xie treats Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to a lavish night of street food, but their enormous appetites quickly drain his money. He complains that he will never make such a promise again, while Gu Yue teases him about his earlier boast.
• On their way back to the academy, the three hear a commotion in an alley and find Uncle Li’s shop wrecked. The gang leader, Light Dragon, has beaten Uncle Li and is demanding protection money, despite being told that Uncle Li needs his remaining funds to pay for his wife’s hospital treatment.
• As Light Dragon prepares to whip Uncle Li, Xie Xie intervenes and demands an apology and compensation. Though briefly unnerved by the gang’s mockery, he stands his ground.
• Tang Wulin and Gu Yue join Xie Xie. Light Dragon recognizes the Xie family name and hesitates, but blusters that no one can defy him on his street. He transforms to fight, and the three students ready their Martial Souls.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Xie shifts from boastful, increasingly distressed host to a courageous defender of Uncle Li. His inexperience shows when the gang intimidates him, but he overcomes his hesitation and acts out of loyalty.
• Tang Wulin is hungry and playful during the feast, but becomes cautious when danger appears, stopping Xie Xie from rushing blindly into the alley. He then stands beside his friend.
• Gu Yue enjoys the meal and teases Xie Xie, but is the first to sense that something is wrong. She joins the others without hesitation.
• Uncle Li is beaten and financially desperate, yet continues pleading for time because his money has gone toward his sick wife’s care.
• Light Dragon uses violence and intimidation to extort shopkeepers. His confidence falters when he suspects Xie Xie belongs to the powerful Xie family, though pride makes him continue the confrontation.
• The meal’s joking camaraderie gives way to a shared resolve: Tang Wulin and Gu Yue back Xie Xie as he faces the gang.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and courage: Xie Xie risks confronting a gang to protect Uncle Li, and his friends support him.
• Exploitation and injustice: Light Dragon’s extortion targets a vulnerable shopkeeper already struggling to care for his wife.
• Privilege and intimidation: The Xie family name briefly checks Light Dragon, highlighting how status can influence power even before a fight begins.

Plot points and events

• Two-ring Soul Grandmaster Light Dragon overpowers Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie in an alley. Gu Yue’s elemental attacks barely affect his iron-scaled defense; Xie Xie is badly injured, and Tang Wulin’s Blue Silver Grass cannot restrain him.
• As Light Dragon prepares to strike Tang Wulin, a surge of golden-red power erupts from Tang’s right hand, transforming it into a golden dragon claw. One blow shatters Light Dragon’s defenses and leaves him motionless.
• The power quickly fades, leaving Tang exhausted and confused. Xie Xie and Gu Yue help him escape. On the way, a mysterious pink glow appears in Tang’s left palm, suggesting another hidden power.
• At the dormitory, Gu Yue gives Tang a solemn goodnight, while he lies awake wondering about his Blue Silver Grass, dragon claw, and the secrets within his body.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shifts from being unable to defend himself to unleashing overwhelming, unfamiliar strength. His brief transformation hints at a powerful bloodline, but its cost and meaning remain unknown.
• Gu Yue fights hard despite her limited Soul Power, then becomes intensely curious about Tang’s abilities. Her reaction to the pink glow suggests she may recognize what it means.
• Xie Xie bravely joins the fight and is seriously wounded. Even afterward, he supports Tang and responds to the dragon claw with awe.
• Light Dragon goes from arrogant and seemingly invincible to terrified and decisively defeated. His defeat reverses the balance of power in the alley.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and power: Tang’s sudden transformation—and the new glow in his left hand—deepens the mystery surrounding his nature.
• Limits and teamwork: The friends’ combined efforts initially cannot overcome Light Dragon, but they protect and support one another through the crisis.
• Power’s cost and uncertainty: Tang’s extraordinary strength saves them, yet leaves him drained, injured, and afraid of what is awakening inside him.

Plot points and events

• After Tang Wulin’s right hand transforms into a powerful Golden Dragon Claw during a fight, he secretly calls his sister, Tang Wutong, for an explanation.
• Wutong warns him that the power comes from seals inside his body. If the seals are not broken before he turns ten, he will die. She urges him to keep the secret from everyone, including Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and the academy staff.
• She gives him three ingredients to obtain— a Hundred-Year Ice Crystal Fruit, a Hundred-Year Crimson Flame Fruit, and ten drops of blood from a hundred-year-old dragon-type soul beast—and tells him to come to Shrek Academy, where she has prepared them.
• The next morning, Guang Biao arrives at Eastsea Academy with armed thugs to retaliate for his son’s injury. Tang Wulin recognizes that the attackers are after him and sends Gu Yue to fetch Wu Changkong.
• Wu Changkong confronts the gang. When Guang Biao refuses to back down, Wu effortlessly disables his weapon, then unleashes a devastating icy sword strike that destroys the armored vehicle and cripples Guang Biao’s left arm. The gang flees.
• Afterward, Wu tells Tang Wulin to come to him in future if he encounters trouble he cannot handle. Tang and Gu Yue recognize that the conflict—and the mysteries surrounding Wu—are not over.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin is shaken by the revelation that his life is in danger, but accepts his sister’s instructions and resolves to act. During the academy attack, he shows confidence in Wu Changkong and takes responsibility for seeking help.
• Tang Wutong reveals deep knowledge of Wulin’s hidden condition and protective concern for him, while withholding the full explanation.
• Wu Changkong displays immense power and a willingness to protect the academy and Tang Wulin despite his injuries. His brief concern for Tang contrasts with his usual aloofness, while his exhaustion and loneliness hint at a hidden burden.
• Gu Yue quietly supports Tang Wulin and notices Wu’s concealed injury, showing her perceptiveness and concern. Xie Xie, by contrast, is frightened and doubts Wu will intervene.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and survival: Wulin’s power is dangerous, and disclosure could bring disaster.
• Hidden identity and fate: The seals, deadline, and required ingredients suggest a larger mystery shaping Wulin’s future.
• Protection and trust: Wutong protects Wulin from afar, while Wulin trusts Wu to defend the academy.
• Power and its cost: Wu’s overwhelming strength saves the students, but his injury and exhaustion show that even great power comes with a price.

Character interactions

• Wutong’s urgent call transforms Wulin’s confusion into fear and determination, while emphasizing their close sibling bond.
• Wulin reassures Xie Xie that Wu will help, then asks Gu Yue to summon him; both friends respond differently, with Xie Xie anxious and Gu Yue composed.
• Wu’s confrontation with Guang Biao turns the gang’s threats into a decisive defeat, and his later warning establishes a more direct protective connection with Tang Wulin.

Key plot points

• Di Tian and Xiong Jun confront the injured Guang Biao, whom they blame for provoking Tang Wulin and Wu Changkong. On Gu Yue’s orders—or in the belief that they serve her aims—they kill Guang Biao and decide to eliminate his entire group and their families without leaving evidence.
• In the Star Dou Great Forest, Bi Ji asks why Gu Yue is taking such personal interest in Tang Wulin. Gu Yue admits that being apart from him was a regret in her previous life, but insists that her feelings and her mission to secure a future for soul beasts can coexist.
• Gu Yue struggles to find a way for humans and soul beasts to live peacefully now that humans no longer need soul rings. She is reluctant to become Tang Wulin’s enemy, but believes neither of them is strong enough to resolve the conflict yet. She orders her subordinates to follow her instructions without question.
• Na’er reports that Shrek Academy is far stronger than expected: several legendary figures from Huo Yuhao’s era are still alive, including rank-99 experts and two Quasi-Gods. Tang Wutong is also there, and Na’er suspects their arrival has altered the world’s timeline.
• Gu Yue revises her plans. She will seek influence within the Spirit Pagoda, while Na’er stays at Shrek Academy to monitor Tang Wulin and its powerful elders. Gu Yue calls Tang Wulin both a “variable” and a “key,” and plans to meet him herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yue reveals a deep personal attachment to Tang Wulin, alongside her unwavering commitment to the soul beasts. Her determination to avoid repeating past tragedy is complicated by the possibility that their goals may eventually place them on opposing sides.
• Di Tian and Xiong Jun show ruthless loyalty to Gu Yue and the soul-beast cause. Di Tian tempers Xiong Jun’s impatience but authorizes a brutal, secretive reprisal.
• Bi Ji and Zi JI defer to Gu Yue, though Bi Ji questions her motives. Zi JI suggests telling Tang Wulin the truth; Gu Yue refuses for now, citing their lack of strength.
• Na’er acts as Gu Yue’s informant and raises the possibility that events have changed the timeline. She accepts the assignment to remain near Tang Wulin, despite her concern about him.

Significant themes

• Love versus duty: Gu Yue’s feelings for Tang Wulin coexist uneasily with her responsibility to protect soul beasts.
• The possibility of coexistence: The central conflict is how humans and soul beasts might share a future when their former interdependence has changed.
• Changed fate and uncertainty: The survival and power of Shrek’s older generation suggest that the world’s history has shifted, forcing Gu Yue to reconsider her plans.
• Power and ruthless protection: The soul-beast leaders justify extreme violence as necessary for their people’s future.

Plot and key events

• In the Eastsea Academy promotion tournament, Tang Wulin’s team faces the flying Gu Brothers, who begin by attacking from high above with wind blades.
• Tang Wulin reveals three blood-red Soul Rings and uses his Blue Silver Emperor abilities to protect and strengthen his teammates. His Life Domain lets him detect the brothers’ weaknesses, allowing Xie Xie to injure one of them.
• Tang Wulin’s vines drain the brothers’ Soul Power, while his healing and cleansing skills restore and empower his own team. He then launches himself into the air, knocks down one opponent, and helps Gu Yue and Xie Xie finish the match.
• After returning to Shrek Academy, Tang Wulin is warmly welcomed by his biological sister Tang Wutong and senior sister Jiang Nannan. They affectionately tease and embrace him, making clear how much they missed him.
• At the Sea God Pavilion, Shrek’s leaders and elders present Tang Wulin with a prepared mixture of Ice Crystal and Scarlet Flame fruits and dragon blood essence. He drinks it to temper his body and begin opening the first Golden Dragon King seal. The chapter ends as he endures the mixture’s extreme pain under the elders’ watch.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates growing confidence and mastery, using his powers strategically rather than relying only on strength. He sees the Blue Silver Emperor’s gift as a means to protect his companions. At Shrek, he is both comforted by his family’s affection and resolute in undertaking a dangerous step toward greater power.
• Xie Xie and Gu Yue trust Tang Wulin’s calls and work effectively with him; his support lets them fight at full strength.
• Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan show open, playful affection, treating Tang Wulin as a cherished younger brother. His reunion with them emphasizes his emotional bond with Shrek.
• Wu Changkong quietly takes pride in Tang Wulin’s victory, while Ye Yingrong is stunned by the defeat and Tang Wulin’s abilities.
• Yun Ming and Shrek’s elders support Tang Wulin’s development by preparing the medicine and standing ready as he undergoes the dangerous process.

Significant themes

• Strength through life and teamwork: Tang Wulin’s abilities protect, heal, and empower his teammates, turning the group’s cooperation into victory.
• Growth through endurance: The medicinal trial is a painful but necessary step toward unlocking Tang Wulin’s hidden power.
• Home, belonging, and support: Shrek provides refuge and family-like bonds, giving Tang Wulin emotional strength alongside his martial growth.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Wulin drinks a powerful medicinal mixture made from dragon blood essence, an ice crystal fruit, and a crimson flame fruit. The opposing forces cause him immense pain and threaten to overwhelm his body.
• The pressure cracks the first Golden Dragon King seal. Dark-gold energy surges through him, transforming his right arm into a scaled Golden Dragon Claw before it retracts beneath his skin.
• After Tang Wulin recovers, the elders recognize his unusually pure and powerful dragon bloodline. Long Yeyue, Zhuo Shi, and Ya Li each argue that they are best suited to train him.
• Tang Wulin mentions that he once saw someone in a cold place who resembled a teacher—and identifies that teacher as Wu Changkong. Zhuo Shi is delighted to learn that Wu Changkong was his former student, making Tang Wulin his grand-disciple.
• With the teaching dispute settled, Long Yeyue agrees to train Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon King bloodline, while Ya Li will guide his Blue Silver Grass and life-force cultivation.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin endures a dangerous breakthrough and gains the Golden Dragon Claw, though its new power leaves him both awed and uneasy. He remains humble and eager to learn.
• Long Yeyue shifts from competing for Tang Wulin as a student to taking responsibility for his bloodline training.
• Zhuo Shi moves from angry rivalry to pride and affection once he discovers Tang Wulin’s connection to Wu Changkong.
• Ya Li demonstrates a calm, nurturing authority and claims the role of guiding Tang Wulin’s life-oriented abilities.
• Tang Wutong is anxious during Tang Wulin’s ordeal, then relieved and amused by the elders’ competition.

Character interactions

• Yun Ming uses his spiritual power to steady Tang Wulin during the transformation, while Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan watch anxiously.
• Long Yeyue and Zhuo Shi clash over who should teach Tang Wulin; Ya Li then asserts that his Blue Silver Grass and life force require her expertise.
• Zhuo Shi warmly welcomes Tang Wulin as family after learning Wu Changkong was his disciple.
• Tang Wulin affectionately calls Long Yeyue and Ya Li “Big Sister,” and both establish a regular training schedule with him.

Significant themes

• Painful growth and hidden potential: Tang Wulin’s breakthrough is physically brutal but unlocks a major new power.
• Mentorship and lineage: His connection to Wu Changkong settles the elders’ rivalry and links him to Zhuo Shi’s teaching lineage.
• Complementary strengths: Tang Wulin’s dragon bloodline and plant-based Martial Soul call for different kinds of guidance, which Long Yeyue and Ya Li agree to provide.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie sweep Class One’s strongest trio in the promotion tournament. Tang Wulin defeats both Power Attack Soul Masters in seconds, while Xie Xie stops their Control System teammate from escaping.
• After the victory, Tang invites Gu Yue out as promised. They share roasted chestnuts and a relaxed, playful walk through the city.
• On campus, Class One’s deputy monitor, Wei Xiaofeng, confronts the trio and boasts that his classmates are all Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters. He dismisses Gu Yue and Xie Xie as weak and assumes Tang’s Blue Silver Grass makes him a support fighter.
• Tang refuses to be provoked, warns Wei not to underestimate them, and leads his friends away.
• That night, all three train intensely. Tang strengthens himself under increased gravity, Gu Yue practices rapid elemental transformations, and Xie Xie pushes his speed and dagger work without relying on his second Soul Skill. They train until dawn, ready to face Class One.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin displays formidable combat ability and calm confidence, but Wei’s challenge also makes him recognize the gap between his team and stronger opponents. He responds by training rather than arguing.
• Gu Yue shows affection beneath her guarded manner during the chestnut outing. After Wei belittles her, she channels her anger into determined practice.
• Xie Xie remains hot-tempered and eager to defend his friends, but he follows Tang’s lead and turns his frustration into disciplined training.
• Wei Xiaofeng is introduced as an arrogant, antagonistic rival who believes Class One’s greater number of Soul Rings guarantees victory.
• Wu Changkong quietly approves of the team’s determination, allowing them to train without interruption.

Character interactions

• Tang’s decisive teamwork with Gu Yue and Xie Xie secures their tournament victory.
• Tang and Gu Yue’s outing reveals their growing ease with one another: he remembers her preferences, while she accepts his care but masks her appreciation with teasing.
• Wei’s taunts provoke the trio, but Tang prevents the confrontation from becoming physical and answers with confidence.
• The chapter closes on a shared, wordless exchange of resolve among the three teammates after their overnight training.

Significant themes

• Preparation over boasting: Tang’s team answers provocation with hard work.
• Teamwork and mutual support: Their strengths complement one another, both in battle and in training.
• Underestimation and hidden potential: Wei judges the team by Soul Rings and apparent roles, while Tang’s performance challenges those assumptions.
• Friendship expressed through small gestures: Tang’s thoughtfulness toward Gu Yue contrasts with their competitive tension and teasing.

Key plot points

• Class One faces Class Zero in the promotion tournament, with Ye Yingluo warning Tang Wulin that his team’s winning streak will end.
• Zhang Yangzi blankets the arena in darkness, while Wang Jinxi holds the front and Wei Xiaofeng uses the cover to attack Gu Yue. Gu Yue blocks him with an Ice Wall.
• Tang Wulin reveals a second Martial Soul, the Soft Bone Rabbit, and channels sacred light from his bloodline to destroy Zhang Yangzi’s darkness. With their opponents exposed, Xie Xie threatens Wei Xiaofeng and Gu Yue pulls Wang Jinxi down, securing Class Zero’s victory.
• After the match, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Dark Eagle Dragon. Wu Changkong intervenes, and they withdraw.
• Wei Xiaofeng transfers to another academy. Dean Long Hengxu persuades Principal Yu Zhen to establish First-Year Class Zero under Wu Changkong, recruiting Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi alongside Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie.
• The new classmates put the rivalry aside and welcome the two former opponents to the team.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin reveals an unexpected power and acts as the first to offer friendship, showing both growing strength and openness to reconciliation.
• Gu Yue and Xie Xie support the team effectively: Gu Yue protects herself and helps defeat Wang Jinxi, while Xie Xie capitalizes on the restored visibility to corner Wei Xiaofeng.
• Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi shift from hostile rivals to prospective teammates, though the threat they pose is demonstrated by their powerful fusion skill.
• Long Hengxu shows strategic confidence, arguing that competition can help gifted students grow. Yu Zhen approves the plan but holds him accountable for its success.
• Wu Changkong protects Class Zero and enforces the rules when the defeated students’ fusion skill threatens the team.

Significant themes

• Strength through adversity: Long Hengxu believes that challenge and friction can develop exceptional students.
• Rivalry becoming cooperation: The chapter turns a tournament conflict into the foundation of a new team.
• Hidden potential and growth: Tang Wulin’s second Martial Soul surprises everyone, while Class Zero is formed to cultivate its members’ abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Following the promotion tournament, former Class Five has become Class Zero. The class now includes the former rivals Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie, alongside Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi; Wei Xiaofeng has transferred schools.
• Xie Xie provokes Zhang Yangzi, and the argument escalates when Wang Jinxi challenges him to fight. Tang Wulin stops the confrontation, using his Golden Dragon King aura to overpower Wang Jinxi’s pressure.
• Homeroom teacher Wu Changkong warns that old grudges must not interfere with teamwork and threatens severe consequences for anyone who undermines training.
• Wu explains that Class Zero’s advantage comes with greater demands: its students will begin advanced subjects, including mecha and battle armor, earlier than other students, but must endure twice the training and pain.
• Zhang Yangzi questions whether the advanced lessons are premature. Wu firmly rebukes him, insisting that Class Zero’s students must meet its higher standards.
• To challenge the students’ lingering confidence, Wu has Xie Xie and Gu Yue attack him together. He effortlessly counters them in seconds, disarming Xie Xie and freezing Gu Yue’s feet to the ground. He then criticizes their flaws and leaves the class humbled.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin acts as a calm leader, restraining Xie Xie and Wang Jinxi before the quarrel becomes a fight.
• Xie Xie remains proud and combative, but Wu’s demonstration exposes the limits of his confidence and technique.
• Gu Yue shows strong coordination with Xie Xie and precise elemental control, but is caught off guard when Wu closes in.
• Wang Jinxi reacts defensively to the tournament loss and resists Tang Wulin’s authority, but ultimately submits to Wu’s greater power.
• Zhang Yangzi begins by appearing resentful and skeptical. Though humiliated for challenging Wu, he listens more seriously afterward and gains a renewed determination to improve.
• Wu Changkong establishes himself as a strict, formidable teacher who expects discipline, teamwork, and hard work.

Significant themes

• Rivalry versus teamwork: Class Zero’s students must set aside past hostility if they are to function as a team.
• Discipline and ambition: Their special status brings demanding training and expectations, not just privileges.
• Skill versus real strength: Wu shows that confidence and clever tactics are not enough when facing a major gap in ability.
• Humility through experience: The students’ assumptions are challenged by a demonstration of how much they still need to learn.

Character interactions

• Xie Xie and Zhang Yangzi trade insults, while Wang Jinxi escalates the conflict with a challenge; Tang Wulin intervenes and asserts control.
• Wu Changkong confronts the class as a whole, especially warning that grudges must not compromise cooperation.
• Zhang Yangzi challenges Wu’s teaching plan and is sharply reprimanded.
• Xie Xie and Gu Yue attack Wu together, but their coordinated effort is swiftly defeated, giving the entire class a sobering lesson.

Key events

Wu Changkong has his five students take spiritual-power and physical-strength tests to assess their foundations.
The spiritual-power scores are modest for Wang Jinxi (103), Zhang Yangzi (111), and Xie Xie (120). Gu Yue’s score reaches 501, placing her in the early Spirit Sea Realm—an extraordinary result for a nine-year-old. Tang Wulin’s reading climbs so rapidly that it overloads and destroys the tester. Wu Changkong estimates his spiritual power at over 6,000, perhaps in the Spirit Abyss Realm or higher.
The strength test produces another surprise. Wang Jinxi leads the other students with a right-fist result of 700 jin, while Gu Yue and Xie Xie also show impressive strength. Tang Wulin’s first punch overwhelms the tester’s limit, displaying 109,000 jin; his second blows the machine apart. Both times, he worries about the cost of the damage.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yue remains composed through both tests, revealing exceptional spiritual power and physical strength. Her results suggest her abilities—and possibly her martial soul—are far beyond what the others expect.
• Tang Wulin appears uncertain and unassuming, but the tests expose overwhelming power. His strength and spiritual power surprise even Wu Changkong, while his sheepish concern about paying for the machines contrasts with the destruction he causes.
• Wang Jinxi initially takes pride in his strength after being outperformed spiritually, but Tang Wulin’s result immediately shatters his confidence.
• Zhang Yangzi tries to save face after his middling spiritual score by mocking Tang Wulin, only for Tang to eclipse everyone.
• Xie Xie boasts after scoring well among the boys, then reacts with amazement to Gu Yue and Tang Wulin.
• Wu Changkong gives blunt criticism and instruction throughout. Though usually cold and controlled, he is visibly astonished by Gu Yue and Tang Wulin.

Significant themes

• Hidden potential and mistaken assumptions: The tests overturn the students’ expectations, especially the belief that Tang Wulin is merely a support-type Soul Master.
• Power as a foundation: Wu Changkong presents spiritual power as a limit on future cultivation and physical strength as the baseline needed to survive and fight.
• Comparison and humility: Each student’s pride is challenged as the tests reveal how unevenly gifted the group is.
• Power beyond measurement: Tang Wulin’s abilities exceed the limits of the academy’s equipment, making clear that conventional rankings and tools cannot adequately measure him.

Key plot points and events

• Before dawn, Tang Wulin runs extra laps to improve his control over his strength after realizing he might hurt classmates during training.
• He accidentally collides with Ouyang Zixin, a teasing second-year student, and repeatedly apologizes. She learns he is in Class Zero and warns him to watch where he is going.
• Ouyang returns and challenges him to a lap race, promising to reveal her name if he wins. Tang holds back at first, then speeds up—but loses by a step when he looks back to check on her. Ouyang admits she had feigned fatigue to exploit his concern. She introduces herself as a student in second-year Mecha Design, and they part on friendly terms.
• Later, Wu Changkong leads the five students to the Spirit Pagoda. Tang is captivated by a mural showing Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao and Dragon Butterfly Douluo Tang Wutong fighting Beast God Di Tian in a historic battle.
• Recognizing Tang Wutong as the sister who cared for him when he was young, Tang reflects on the unusual soul spirit within him—a fusion involving defective Blue Silver Grass and a hundred-thousand-year Nine Heart Begonia. He resolves to help it evolve and to grow stronger than his sister appears in the mural. Wu Changkong then leads the group toward the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows discipline by training to improve his strength control, and kindness by checking whether Ouyang is hurt and later looking back during the race. His defeat gives him a playful new acquaintance, while the mural inspires a stronger ambition.
• Ouyang Zixin is confident, mischievous, and good-natured. She teases Tang Wulin, tricks him in the race, then introduces herself and encourages him to keep training.
• Tang Wulin and Ouyang shift from an awkward accidental collision to playful, friendly rapport.
• Wu Changkong acts as the group’s guide, explaining the mural’s historical significance and moving the students toward their next training experience.

Significant themes

• Self-improvement and discipline: Tang’s extra training reflects his determination to master his abilities.
• Kindness and vulnerability: His instinct to check on Ouyang costs him the race, but reveals his considerate nature.
• Ambition and legacy: Seeing Tang Wutong’s heroic image strengthens Tang’s resolve to surpass his limits.
• Human–soul beast coexistence and possibility: The mural recalls a historic turning point, while Tang’s unusual soul spirit raises questions about evolution beyond normal limits.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Changkong sends five students into the Spirit Ascension Platform for their first trial, advising them to explore cautiously. The platform scatters them across a simulated forest, where each must face challenges alone.
• Tang Wulin enters the forest determined to grow stronger and protect others. Wu Changkong watches his signal closely, concerned that Tang’s power is unstable.
• Zhang Yangzi attacks a giant bird, only to discover it uses a powerful sonic assault. Dazed and in pain, he activates his locator and exits the platform.
• Wang Jinxi is expelled unconscious after a thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider poisons him and traps him in a terrifying hallucination. Staff rush him for emergency treatment; Wu Changkong orders them to save him at any cost.
• Xie Xie encounters a pack of netherwolves. Rather than fight them all, he uses a precise strike to kill their leader, then escapes and absorbs the soul power released by the high-age beast. He later returns safely to the control room.
• Wu Changkong praises Xie Xie’s approach as smart resource management, correcting Zhang Yangzi’s claim that it was cowardly. Only Tang Wulin and Gu Yue remain inside when the chapter ends.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin shows resolve and a protective motive, though his unstable power makes the trial risky.
• Zhang Yangzi begins confidently but is forced to retreat after misjudging his opponent. His near-death experience leaves him shaken.
• Wang Jinxi suffers a severe, potentially fatal attack, revealing how dangerous the supposedly introductory trial can be.
• Xie Xie demonstrates patience, tactical judgment, and a willingness to set aside pride in pursuit of growth.
• Wu Changkong remains controlled but shows genuine concern, especially when students are badly injured; he also recognizes and encourages effective thinking.

Significant themes

• Growth through danger: The trial offers a chance to strengthen soul spirits, but its benefits come with real physical and mental risks.
• Strategy over pride: Xie Xie succeeds by exploiting an enemy’s weakness rather than seeking a direct confrontation.
• Uncertainty and hidden danger: The students encounter unexpected, unusually powerful threats, suggesting the platform may be malfunctioning or more dangerous than intended.
• Responsibility and protection: Tang’s resolve to protect others contrasts with the individual survival tests unfolding around him.

Character interactions

• Wu Changkong guides the students remotely and monitors their progress, especially Tang’s.
• Zhang Yangzi later mocks Xie Xie’s retreat, but Wu Changkong defends Xie’s tactics and explains their purpose.
• Zhang Yangzi’s fear for Wang Jinxi makes the danger personal, while Wu Changkong and the medical team respond urgently to Wang’s condition.

Key plot points and events

• Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Tang Wulin discovers that his heightened connection to life lets him both drain spiritual energy from Soul Beasts and restore life to plants. He easily absorbs a Wind Demon Wolf, then drains a thousand-year Guardian Demon Ape in seconds, revealing how formidable he is within the demiplane.
• Elsewhere, Gu Yue encounters a mutated thousand-year Ice Crystal Bear. Its defenses rival those of far stronger beasts, and its freezing attacks force her to flee.
• Tang Wulin senses Gu Yue in danger and rushes to help. Together they cannot penetrate the bear’s crystal armor. Gu Yue warns that its crystals will explode if it dies.
• Remembering the Angry Buddha Lotus technique, Tang Wulin combines Gu Yue’s fire-based Soul Power with the Green Lotus Core Flame seed inside him. He forms a lotus of energy and detonates it against the bear, triggering the crystals within its body.
• The resulting blast destroys the surrounding valley and engulfs Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. Their survival is left uncertain.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin gains a new understanding of his life-based power: it can take life, nourish it, and potentially sustain injured companions. His confidence grows, but he also shows courage and protectiveness when he shields Gu Yue from the explosion.
• Gu Yue displays precise elemental control and sound tactical judgment, recognizing that the bear cannot be defeated by direct attacks. Though briefly desperate, she trusts Tang Wulin and commits her power to his plan.
• Wu Changkong remains composed while monitoring Tang Wulin’s overwhelming display, but becomes visibly concerned when Gu Yue faces the mutated bear.

Significant themes

• Life, death, and renewal: Tang Wulin’s power embodies both destruction and restoration.
• Trust and cooperation: The decisive attack depends on Gu Yue trusting Tang Wulin and combining their abilities.
• Courage and sacrifice: Tang Wulin charges a vastly stronger opponent and places himself between Gu Yue and danger.
• Power’s risks: The pair’s ingenious attack succeeds against the bear’s defenses but unleashes catastrophic, uncontrollable force.

Character interactions

• Tang Wulin tests and explores his life-domain abilities alone, while Wu Changkong and the staff watch anxiously.
• Gu Yue initially fights the bear alone, then joins Tang Wulin after he arrives. She shares what she knows about its weakness and feeds her flame power into his hands.
• Tang Wulin leads the attack and protects Gu Yue at the moment of impact, leaving both caught in the blast.