Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Tang Wulin unleashes Angry Buddha Lotus, combining the Green Lotus Core Flame with Gu Yue’s flame essence. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear underestimates the small lotus and strikes it, triggering a devastating explosion that vaporizes its right arm and badly burns its body.
• Gu Yue uses her Silver Dragon King powers to compress the spreading blast into a spatial cage, forcing a second explosion around the bear. The attack kills it, leaving a deep crater and a single intact, golden Soul Bone.
• Gu Yue suggests Tang Wulin absorb the bone, but he gives it to Xie Xie instead, judging that Xie Xie needs its offensive power more. Xie Xie absorbs the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear’s Right Arm Soul Bone and gains Dark Gold Riftclaw.
• The new skill stores dark-gold energy in successive claw strikes, increasing their power until it can exceed ten times Xie Xie’s normal strength. The group celebrates the boost and prepares to continue facing tougher challenges.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates immense destructive power but is exhausted by the attack. He also shows sound judgment and generosity by prioritizing the team’s needs over his own potential gain.
• Gu Yue acts quickly to protect Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie, then uses precise spatial control to contain the explosion. She supports Tang Wulin and agrees that Xie Xie is the best recipient of the Soul Bone.
• Xie Xie moves instinctively to safety, then accepts the Soul Bone with determination. The new ability addresses his weakness in raw attack power and gives him confidence that he can contribute more directly in future fights.
• Xu Xiaoyan witnesses the team’s power with awe, agrees with the decision to give Xie Xie the Soul Bone, and encourages him.
• The team’s trust and cooperation are evident: Gu Yue protects her companions, Tang Wulin considers each member’s strengths, and the others support Xie Xie’s growth.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementarity: Victory comes from combining Tang Wulin’s flames with Gu Yue’s spatial control, while the Soul Bone is allocated to strengthen the team’s weakest area.
• Strategic use of power: Gu Yue turns a dangerous, uncontrolled blast into a focused attack, and Tang Wulin evaluates the Soul Bone by how it benefits the group.
• Growth and confidence: Xie Xie’s new skill transforms a personal limitation into a source of future strength, setting up his more active role in coming battles.

Plot and key events

• While sheltering in a cave in the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Wulin and his teammates discover an injured juvenile Three-Eyed Golden Lion, whose Soul Bone would be exceptionally valuable.
• Each teammate considers whether the Soul Bone would benefit them, but all refuse to kill the cub: it does not suit their needs, and Xu Xiaoyan cannot bring herself to harm what she sees as a child.
• Tang Wulin heals the cub’s broken leg with Blue Silver Redemption. The group then discusses the legendary Three-Eyed Golden Lion associated with Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao and their ancestor, Tang Wutong.
• Soon, two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts arrive and clash: the cub’s mother, a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and a fearsome red-and-blue tiger. Their battle’s shock wave injures and scatters the students.
• Realizing the mother is keeping the fight away from her cub, Tang Wulin leads the group in retreat. They escape the virtual forest and return to the Spirit Ascension Platform exit.
• Shen Yi reveals that the encounter was also a hidden character test. Killing the cub for profit would have disqualified them from Shrek Academy’s formal assessment; by sparing it, they pass.

Character development and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows compassion by healing the cub, then takes charge during the crisis, prioritizing escape and recognizing the mother’s protective intent.
• Xu Xiaoyan openly expresses empathy for the cub, making the group’s moral choice especially clear.
• Xie Xie admits the Soul Bone is tempting but agrees it is of limited use to him; later, he lightens the mood by celebrating Shen Yi’s offer of lunch.
• Gu Yue assesses the Soul Bone practically and warns that the approaching powers make teleportation unsafe.
• The four act together, choosing mercy over personal gain and following Tang Wulin’s lead when danger strikes.
• Shen Yi praises their judgment and shares a familiar, teasing rapport with Tang Wulin. His closeness to Tang Wulin prompts Xu Xiaoyan to learn that Tang Wulin grew up at Shrek Academy.

Significant themes

• Compassion over greed: The students reject a rare prize rather than kill a vulnerable creature.
• Character as a measure of worth: Shrek values restraint and kindness alongside strength.
• Courage and responsibility: Tang Wulin protects his companions while recognizing when a battle is beyond their ability.
• Protection and family: The mother’s efforts to draw danger away from her cub echo the students’ concern for the young beast.

Key plot points and events

• During a farewell meal, Shen Yi congratulates Wu Changkong and Long Bing on being together. The conversation turns to Wu’s estrangement from his former master, Zhuo Shi. Shen Yi explains that Zhuo Shi has already forgiven him but is waiting for Wu to admit the hurt caused by his departure.
• Wu Changkong resolves to visit Zhuo Shi at Shrek Academy the next day and explain himself. Long Bing encourages him to make the most of the opportunity to reconcile.
• Shen Yi is privately troubled by Wu’s impending return to Shrek: he is glad the master-disciple relationship may heal, but fears losing the quiet reassurance of having his senior brother nearby.
• Tang Wulin says goodbye to Ouyang Zixin, who realizes she has developed feelings for him. She hides her heartbreak behind a playful offer to support him if Shrek proves difficult. Tang, unaware of her deeper feelings, takes it as friendly affection.
• Gu Yue comes to see Tang Wulin off. The two reaffirm their closeness and their shared future with Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan as a team heading for Shrek. They exchange a tender kiss before parting for the night.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Changkong shows resolve to face his past and repair his relationship with Zhuo Shi; his brief tenderness toward Long Bing reveals a softer side.
• Shen Yi balances happiness for his senior brother with sadness at the distance his return may create. His farewell is restrained but emotionally charged.
• Ouyang Zixin recognizes her unspoken romantic feelings for Tang Wulin but accepts that their paths are diverging. Tang remains oblivious, viewing her as a caring older sister.
• Tang Wulin feels both excitement and reluctance about leaving, but draws confidence from the thought that his friends will face Shrek together.
• Gu Yue expresses affection and commitment, emphasizing that she and Tang are partners who will grow and support one another.

Significant themes

• Farewell and transition: Characters prepare to leave familiar relationships and places for uncertain futures.
• Reconciliation and forgiveness: Wu’s planned apology offers a chance to heal an old teacher-student rift.
• Unspoken feelings and separation: Shen Yi and Ouyang Zixin each struggle with affection complicated by distance and change.
• Companionship and shared ambition: Tang and Gu Yue meet the coming challenges with confidence in their team.

Plot points

• At Shrek Academy’s first assessment, candidates are subjected to the overwhelming spiritual pressure of a portrait of Beast God Di Tian. Most collapse, but Tang Wulin and Gu Yue remain calm; Xie Xie withstands it through sheer resolve and the resilience gained from his Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Soul Bone. Xu Xiaoyan struggles most but forces herself to stay standing.
• The second assessment requires teams of exactly five, formed within ten minutes, and tests teamwork and survival. Tang Wulin’s group—initially four—recruits Wu Siduo, a formidable girl with twin Martial Souls who chose them because of Tang Wulin’s reputation and strength.
• The five enter a sealed arena and face a 3,000-year-old Earth Demon Rhinoceros. Wu Siduo, transformed into her Evil-Eyed White Tiger form, tries to stop its charge but cannot overpower it alone. Tang Wulin joins her and knocks the beast off balance with his Golden Dragon Claw. He urges the team to attack together as the creature begins to rise.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates confidence and leadership, stepping in to support Wu Siduo and directing the others to coordinate rather than relying on his strength alone.
• Gu Yue remains composed under Di Tian’s pressure and recognizes the resolve beneath Wu Siduo’s cold demeanor.
• Xie Xie shows increased toughness after gaining his Soul Bone, while Xu Xiaoyan persists despite fear and draws courage from Tang Wulin’s example.
• Wu Siduo appears proud and dismissive, but her interest in Tang Wulin reflects a desire to test herself alongside a powerful peer. After seeing his strength, she responds with respect and renewed competitive enthusiasm.
• The new team begins with a mix of trust, teasing, and challenge: Tang Wulin welcomes Wu Siduo, Xie Xie jokes with her, and she sets high expectations for the group.

Significant themes

• Resolve under pressure: The first test measures inner strength as much as power.
• Teamwork and mutual support: The five must rely on one another to survive, even when individual strength proves insufficient.
• Ambition and recognition: Wu Siduo seeks worthy opponents and allies, while the assessment brings talented strangers together around shared goals.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Wulin leads his team against a powerful Earth Demon Rhinoceros, assigning Wu Siduo to attack, Xie Xie to assist, Gu Yue to deliver heavy elemental strikes, and Xu Xiaoyan to control the beast.
• Wu Siduo and Xie Xie exploit the rhinoceros’s leg joints, while Gu Yue drives it back with wind and fire. Tang Wulin’s Life Domain lets him read the battlefield and predict the beast’s movements.
• Tang Wulin heals and protects Wu Siduo with Blue Silver Redemption, then gives the team weapons formed by Blue Silver Edge, greatly increasing their attack power.
• He traps the rhinoceros with Entanglement and breaks its skull defense with Golden Dragon Claw. Wu Siduo finishes it with Netherworld Hundred Claws, targeting its exposed throat.
• The team passes through the arena’s bronze doors into a vast white plaza. A mechanical announcement reveals that the Beast Trial has ended, with only 25,000 participants remaining—more than ninety percent have been eliminated.
• The survivors learn that teams needed five members and had to defeat their assigned beasts within the time limit. Ahead, another set of bronze doors marks the entrance to the Third Stage.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates exceptional battlefield leadership, tactical foresight, and powerful support abilities. He coordinates the group’s strengths and delivers the opening that allows Wu Siduo to land the finishing blows.
• Wu Siduo proves her speed and precision with the Hell Spirit Cat. Though she remains proud and reserved, she acknowledges Tang Wulin’s coordination and shows growing respect.
• Xie Xie supports Wu Siduo despite his weaker attacks, while admitting afterward how draining the battle was.
• Gu Yue contributes decisive ranged pressure; Xu Xiaoyan remains ready to control the opponent, rounding out the team’s coordinated approach.
• The team’s brief praise and acknowledgment after the victory reinforce their trust and cooperation.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementary abilities: The beast falls because each fighter contributes a distinct role, guided by Tang Wulin’s command.
• Strategy over brute force: Accurate predictions, targeting weak points, and timing prove as important as raw power.
• Survival and competition: The drastic elimination rate shows the trial’s severity and raises the stakes for the next stage.

Chapter summary

After clearing the beast-combat trial, Tang Wulin’s team is brought before Shrek’s Sea God Pavilion elders for the third round of the academy selection. Elder Cai Yue’er announces a “Talent Assessment”: each team must demonstrate its abilities, and the lowest-scoring team will be eliminated. Before the assessment begins, veteran Shrek ancestor Xu Sanshi emerges and changes the test. The students must show their offense, control or support, and defense against him; bonus points require making him move or immobilizing him.
Tang Wulin volunteers first. He respectfully greets Xu, whom he remembers from his childhood at Shrek, and attacks his Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield with Golden Dragon Claw. The strike fails to move the shield, and its recoil damages Tang Wulin’s arm. Xu nevertheless awards him full marks for strength, recognizing both his immense power and that he held back. Xu recalls having trained Tang when he was young, while Cai Yue’er is impressed by how much he has developed.
The others are intimidated by Xu’s seemingly immovable defense. Gu Yue, however, treats the test as a challenge in strategy rather than brute force and steps forward to use Elemental Control. She unleashes multiple elements at Xu as the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows confidence and respect by volunteering and addressing Xu as an honored mentor. His attack demonstrates how powerful he has become, while his decision to hold back reveals caution and control.
• Xu Sanshi shifts from an overwhelming, mountain-like presence to a warm, mischievous mentor. He clearly remembers caring for Tang and encourages the students while testing them.
• Gu Yue is initially wary of the elders, especially Cai Yue’er, but remains composed. She recognizes that the challenge requires adaptability and takes the initiative after Tang’s turn.
• Xie Xie and the others react with nervousness, especially after seeing Tang’s attack fail, highlighting the disparity between Xu’s defense and their expectations.
• Cai Yue’er maintains her strict examiner role but is privately gratified by Tang’s performance.

Significant themes

• Potential versus performance: The elders judge not just past success but the students’ abilities and prospects.
• Strength and defense: Xu’s test emphasizes that surviving and adapting can matter as much as attacking.
• Mentorship and legacy: Xu’s memories of raising and training Tang connect Shrek’s past to its next generation.
• Teamwork and adaptability: The challenge encourages students to use their distinct skills rather than rely solely on raw force.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yue demonstrates extraordinary elemental control, attacking Xu Sanshi with a rapid mix of wind, earth, fire, water, ice, light, vines, and lightning. She cannot penetrate his shield, but her unpredictable barrage forces him back and earns her full marks.
• Xie Xie displays impressive speed and agility, but his daggers cannot damage Xu Sanshi’s defense. Cai Yue’er tells him that speed is useless without enough power to injure an opponent; he resolves to strengthen his attacks.
• Xu Xiaoyan explains that her Star Wheel Ice Staff reaches its full potential only at night. Since she cannot demonstrate it in the hall, the elders accept her explanation and record its unusual restriction.
• Wu Siduo first attacks with her fast Hell Spirit Cat martial soul, then switches to the powerful Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Her four black, ten-thousand-year soul rings astonish the hall. Her White Tiger Split-Light Wave drives Xu Sanshi back three steps, earning praise from the elders. Though she cannot break his defense, she passes the assessment.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yue performs with calm confidence and shares a warm, affectionate exchange with Tang Wulin afterward. She privately wonders why Cai Yue’er did not offer to take her as a disciple, mistakenly attributing the omission to the academy’s plans for Tang Wulin. In fact, the elders are wary of upsetting Gu Yue and provoking him.
• Tang Wulin openly admires Gu Yue, while Xu Sanshi is struck by how close and composed the young pair are.
• Xie Xie takes Cai Yue’er’s blunt criticism seriously, recognizing that his attacks need more force.
• Xu Xiaoyan shows some nervousness about her limitation but is relieved when the elders treat her fairly.
• Wu Siduo is fiercely competitive with Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. Her formidable display earns her pride and the elders’ recognition of her unusual potential.

Significant themes

• Strength requires more than talent: Xie Xie’s speed is insufficient without stopping power, while Wu Siduo’s combination of agility and force makes her attack more effective.
• Unusual abilities and limitations: Gu Yue’s versatile elemental control, Xu Xiaoyan’s night-dependent power, and Wu Siduo’s dual martial souls each challenge conventional expectations.
• Competition and recognition: The assessment reveals the students’ different strengths while raising the pressure on those who follow Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.
• Personal bonds influence authority: The elders’ caution toward Gu Yue is shaped not only by her talent and her connection to Leng Yaozhu, but also by their concern about Tang Wulin’s reaction.

Key plot points and events

• After a harsh earlier test eliminated many candidates, more than ten thousand students remained. Xie Xie scraped through despite being judged weak in direct offense, relying on his speed and newly acquired right-arm soul bone.
• The next trial was the Guillotine Gate: candidates had to cross a corridor of falling blades, with speed affecting their score. Shrek’s examiners revealed that high scorers might gain access to the academy’s deepest legacy, including secrets of the Divine Realm.
• Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie discussed how to combine speed with strength. Wu Siduo offered to join them, and Tang Wulin accepted.
• In the actual test, the five-person group—Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Wu Siduo—passed through six gates in just fourteen seconds. Tang Wulin used his Golden Dragon Claw to catch and force up the massive blades, sometimes damaging them, allowing the others to follow safely.
• Their performance broke Shrek’s record for incoming students. The candidates who had rushed to go first regretted not following behind Tang Wulin.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates a striking leap in strength and leadership. He calmly takes the dangerous lead and shields his teammates, treating his extraordinary feat as routine.
• Xie Xie remains conscious of his limits but contributes speed and tactical insight; he recognizes that the group needs someone with enough strength to handle the blades.
• Wu Siduo joins the team because she respects Tang Wulin’s power and wants to work alongside him. His display excites her and reflects the kind of strength she admires.
• Gu Yue feels threatened by Wu Siduo, whom she remembers as a potential romantic rival from a previous life. She hides her jealousy behind composure, while Wu Siduo notices the hostility but does not openly challenge her.
• Tang Wulin focuses on the practical problem of passing the test and fails to notice the tension between Gu Yue and Wu Siduo.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming strength versus technique: Tang Wulin succeeds not by finding a clever route through the blades, but by overpowering them outright.
• Teamwork and leadership: His strength creates a safe path for the group, turning an individual advantage into a collective success.
• Competition and opportunity: The test rewards both survival and speed, while high scores may unlock access to Shrek’s hidden history.
• Emerging romantic rivalry: Gu Yue’s insecurity and Wu Siduo’s admiration introduce a personal conflict alongside the physical trial.

Key events

• In the eating trial, students must finish their steamed buns—and may help friends they are on good terms with. Tang Wulin’s extraordinary appetite lets him eat not only his own portion but the unfinished buns of Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Wu Siduo.
• The final trial tests students’ second professions, specifically forging. Elder Cai Yue’er sets a high-stakes condition: if Tang Wulin achieves Spirit Forging, his four teammates pass; if he fails, all five are eliminated.
• Tang Wulin forges a block of heavy silver using precise technique and physical strength, ultimately completing Spirit Forging. His success secures admission for himself and his teammates.
• Cai Yue’er reveals that entrance scores become each student’s initial contribution points, the academy’s currency for resources and privileges. Tang Wulin receives 1,000 points; Gu Yue and Wu Siduo receive 900 each; Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan receive 500 each. The five receive work-study badges.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin demonstrates both his comic, almost limitless appetite and his confidence under pressure. He takes responsibility for his friends, then proves his skill and protects the team’s chance to enter Shrek.
• His teammates rely on him: they hand over their food, worry about the unfair forging challenge, and cheer when he succeeds. Their reactions underscore their trust and growing unity.
• Xie Xie takes his lower score lightly, while Xu Xiaoyan responds with determination to catch up. Gu Yue stays composed, and Wu Siduo is satisfied with her result.
• Elder Cai Yue’er shifts from stern examiner to cautiously approving mentor. Hidden observer Zhen Hua is astonished by Tang Wulin’s forging talent.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and trust: Tang Wulin’s achievement benefits the whole group, and their success is treated as a shared result.
• Effort, ability, and opportunity: Shrek demands more than combat strength, testing practical skills and potential.
• Merit and progression: Contribution points tie performance to access, status, and future cultivation resources.
• Unusual talent and inherited instincts: Tang Wulin’s appetite, physical control, and affinity for metal set him apart.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Yi leads Tang Wulin’s five-person team to their work-study dorm: a tiny, shabby room that requires the boys and girls to share. Tang Wulin divides it with a bedsheet, giving each group some privacy.
• The partition unsettles Gu Yue. Remembering how close she and Tang Wulin were during an earlier trip, she feels jealous and insecure about sharing his attention, especially with Wu Siduo nearby.
• The team leaves the dorm to explore Shrek and ask about work-study rules. At a shopping-street café, Tang Wulin reunites with Yuanen Yehui, now working there in a maid outfit.
• Yuanen advises them to conserve contribution points and earn more through work-study duties or commissions tied to their secondary professions. News of the Devil Islands training—though the freshmen are not yet eligible—foreshadows Shrek’s harsh challenges.
• When a drunken student harasses Wu Siduo, she knocks him down with her power. Yuanen then effortlessly subdues the student’s companions and drives them out, revealing the authority behind her gentle appearance. She warns the team to return before patrols catch them.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows practical foresight by bringing the bedsheet, and remains focused on helping his team adjust. He mentions blacksmithing and alchemy but keeps his greatest secret—the Heavens Void Hall—hidden.
• Gu Yue reveals her emotional dependence on Tang Wulin and growing fear of losing his attention. Her cold, commanding manner toward Wu Siduo reflects that insecurity.
• Wu Siduo responds to harassment with immediate force and confidence, asserting her pride and independence.
• Xie Xie is dazzled by Yuanen’s beauty and impressed by her strength; Xu Xiaoyan teases him and joins the group’s curiosity about academy life.
• Yuanen Yehui welcomes Tang Wulin warmly, offers practical advice, and protects the students in her shop, showing both kindness and formidable power.

Significant themes

• Shrek’s hardships and hierarchy: Even basic housing is austere, while danger and demanding challenges are built into academy life.
• Strength as security: Combat ability, useful professions, and contribution points help students protect themselves and others.
• Trust, privacy, and jealousy: The dorm partition becomes a symbol of Gu Yue’s fear that her relationship with Tang Wulin is changing.
• Hidden identities and capabilities: Yuanen’s contrasting personas and Tang Wulin’s concealed alchemy suggest that appearances reveal only part of a person’s strength.

Plot points and events

• Tang Wulin and his four teammates report for their first work-study assignment: cleaning the enormous Spirit Ice Plaza. The teacher offers a base reward of 200 contribution points, with a possible bonus, and allows them to use their abilities.
• Gu Yue uses her water-element control to wash most of the plaza quickly, while the others help with the remaining cleanup. The effort costs her considerable soul power, so she meditates to recover. The group notices some students in dark green uniforms watching them with contempt, hinting at trouble ahead.
• After finishing the task, the team hurries to the new-student induction ceremony. They spot their teacher, Wu Changkong, with Long Bing.
• A flashback reveals that Wu Changkong and Long Bing had asked his former master, Zhuo Shi, to accept them again. Zhuo Shi forgives them, recognizing their devotion to each other, and tells Wu that he has accepted Tang Wulin—and considers him his grand-disciple.
• The induction ceremony begins, with the group still watching the reunion and anticipating an eventful life at Shrek.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin eagerly accepts the job because he needs contribution points to support his appetite and earn more through forging. He takes initiative during cleanup and quietly cares for Gu Yue by giving her water and taking her tools.
• Gu Yue demonstrates impressive large-scale elemental control and helps the team substantially. Tang Wulin’s praise and concern soften her usually reserved manner, revealing her affection for him.
• Wu Siduo recognizes the strain Gu Yue’s technique imposes and watches her control closely. Seeing Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s tenderness toward each other stirs admiration and envy in her, though she hides it behind her usual cold exterior.
• Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan joke about the workload and Tang Wulin’s appetite, then assist with the cleanup.
• Wu Changkong and Long Bing appear together at Shrek. The flashback shows their loyalty and regret as they seek Zhuo Shi’s forgiveness; Zhuo Shi welcomes them back and reveals his pride in Tang Wulin.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and mutual support: Gu Yue’s abilities speed the work, while the others help finish it; Tang Wulin’s small acts of care reinforce the group’s bonds.
• Devotion and forgiveness: Wu Changkong and Long Bing’s sacrifices for each other are understood and forgiven by Zhuo Shi.
• Strength, effort, and recognition: The chapter contrasts Gu Yue’s power with the cost of using it, while Tang Wulin’s promise earns Zhuo Shi’s esteem.
• Unspoken feelings and belonging: Wu Siduo’s envy highlights her desire for companionship, while the reunion of teacher and students suggests the team is finding its place at Shrek.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Dean Cai Yue’er explains Shrek Academy’s demanding system. Contribution points pay for essentials such as food, housing, cultivation, and tuition; students can earn them through vocational work, assigned duties, and—in the case of work-study students—dangerous soul-beast hunting missions.
• Students who fall into the bottom five of their year’s minor examination are expelled, and a contribution-point balance of negative one thousand also means expulsion. Dean Cai urges the newcomers to take the rules seriously and consider their first missions.
• She introduces class-officer positions, which provide monthly contribution-point stipends and may strengthen students’ prospects in the future Inner Court assessment. The roles will be awarded through competition based on ability.
• Tang Wulin is eager to earn points and sets his sights on the forging committee position. Wu Siduo is similarly interested in leadership roles, while Xie Xie is struck by the stipend.
• The students enter their classroom, where Tang Wulin finds himself seated between Gu Yue and Wu Siduo, with Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie behind him. Wu Changkong introduces the teaching staff, including deputy homeroom teacher Long Bing and theory teacher Shen Yi, and reveals that Dean Cai is a Super Douluo and Sea God Pavilion member. He opens the students’ first lesson with the words “Grow stronger.”
• Meanwhile, Feng Wuyu confronts Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue’er, demanding the chance to take Tang Wulin as his disciple. They refuse: Tang is already the chosen successor of Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, whose standing in forging surpasses Feng’s. Feng reluctantly leaves, though he vows to try again someday.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin responds to the academy’s harsh rules with enthusiasm rather than discouragement and immediately identifies the forging committee role as a goal. His abilities and existing connection to Zhen Hua also make him a coveted student.
• Wu Siduo shows ambition of her own, considering the class presidency or vice presidency.
• Xie Xie jokes about Tang Wulin’s enviable seating arrangement, then unwittingly insults Dean Cai by calling her an “old hag.” Wu Changkong corrects him, and Tang explains the stature of the academy’s elders.
• Wu Changkong establishes himself as the class’s authoritative homeroom teacher, while also conveying pride in Shrek’s exceptional teachers and high standards.
• Feng Wuyu reveals his eagerness to mentor Tang Wulin, but must accept that Zhen Hua’s mastery and prior claim take precedence. Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue’er try to redirect him toward Gu Yue, whose talents they also praise.

Significant themes

• Merit and survival: Shrek rewards ability, effort, and achievement, while punishing failure with expulsion.
• Opportunity and risk: Contribution points and leadership roles offer meaningful rewards, but earning them demands work, competition, or danger.
• Mentorship and legacy: Tang Wulin’s forging talent draws competing interest, while Zhen Hua’s status shapes who can claim to train him.
• Ambition and growth: The students begin setting goals, and Wu Changkong’s first lesson frames the challenge ahead: they must become stronger to belong at Shrek.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Sanshi takes Tang Wulin to Wang Qiu’er’s grave and explains that she was the Star Dou Great Forest’s Emperor Auspicious Beast. She sacrificed herself to protect others, becoming a hero whose actions helped bring peace.
• Tang Wulin pays his respects, promising to protect the land and honor her sacrifice.
• Xu Sanshi suggests that Tang Wulin use his Source of Life ability to revive Qiu’er. Tang refuses at first, explaining that Long Bing’s revival was possible because her soul remained, while Qiu’er’s sacrifice and her soul’s connection to Huo Yuhao make this a far more complicated matter.
• After reflecting, Tang decides to try anyway. He pours an enormous amount of his accumulated life energy into the grave, nearly exhausting his reserves.
• A powerful burst of light brings Qiu’er back—but as an innocent girl of about thirteen, with no memory of her former life. She recognizes Xu Sanshi’s aura, then decides Tang Wulin is her savior and calls herself his “little sidekick.”

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows maturity, discernment, and compassion. He rejects Xu Sanshi’s matchmaking scheme but still chooses to help Qiu’er, accepting the risk and cost.
• Xu Sanshi moves between sincere reverence for Qiu’er and scheming humor. He hopes to arrange a new romance for her and Tang Wulin, but is caught off guard by her childlike, memoryless return.
• Qiu’er begins a new life without recollection of her sacrifice or past relationships. Her immediate trust in Tang Wulin establishes a fresh bond between them.
• Tang and Xu Sanshi share an affectionate, teasing exchange: Xu tries to fool Tang, but Tang sees through him and challenges his plan. After the resurrection, Xu becomes protective and bewildered.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and remembrance: Shrek’s legacy belongs to those who died for their convictions as much as to the living.
• Limits and consequences of power: Tang’s life-giving ability cannot simply undo death; Qiu’er’s return demands a tremendous expenditure and raises questions about fate and divine affairs.
• Renewal and second chances: Qiu’er’s loss of memory leaves her free to begin again, though it also makes her resurrection fundamentally different from restoring her former self.
• Love, loyalty, and interference: Xu’s matchmaking plans contrast with Tang’s respect for the complicated bonds involving Qiu’er, Huo Yuhao, and Tang Wutong.

Plot points and events

• Tang Wutong confronts Xu Sanshi, furious that Wang Qiu’er has returned from the dead and is now constantly attached to her brother, Tang Wulin. Xu explains that Wulin revived Qiu’er with the Source of Life, but her memories and mental age seem to have regressed to about thirteen or fourteen. Reassured by the others that Qiu’er is not a threat, Wutong lets the matter rest—for now.
• At Yuanen Yehui’s restaurant, Wulin explains Qiu’er’s resurrection to Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, and Wu Siduo. Qiu’er refuses to release his arm, insists on protecting him, and even tries to feed him. Her clinginess amuses some of the group and irritates others.
• A pushy blond customer tries to buy the restaurant so he can claim Yuanen as his employee and demand her phone number. Yuanen rejects him and quits on the spot. Wulin follows her outside with Qiu’er, offers help, and then the three return toward the restaurant.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin is compassionate enough to risk using the rare Source of Life to revive Qiu’er, but now struggles to manage her constant attention. He also shows concern for Yuanen after the customer’s harassment.
• Wang Qiu’er returns with a childlike outlook and a strong attachment to Wulin, whom she sees as her savior. She is eager to protect and care for him.
• Tang Wutong is protective of Wulin and suspicious of Qiu’er’s closeness, though she ultimately restrains herself out of respect for Qiu’er’s sacrifice and after her friends’ reassurances.
• Gu Yue feels uneasy about Qiu’er’s presence but reasons that, as the Silver Dragon King, she may be able to guide the girl. Wu Siduo quietly resents being shut out by Qiu’er’s affection, while Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie tease Wulin about his romantic “good fortune.”
• Yuanen Yehui responds firmly to harassment, refusing to be bought or controlled. Wulin’s offer of support reassures her.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and compassion: Qiu’er’s past sacrifice helps motivate Wulin’s choice to revive her.
• Protectiveness and jealousy: Wutong, Gu Yue, and Wu Siduo each react differently to Qiu’er’s attachment to Wulin.
• Autonomy and respect: Yuanen refuses the blond man’s attempt to use wealth and ownership to override her consent.
• Humor amid tension: Qiu’er’s clinginess and the group’s teasing lighten the chapter’s conflicts.

Key plot points and events

• Yuanen Yehui saves a child from falling debris by revealing her dark, fallen-angel wings.
• Yue Zhengyu sees the wings and assumes she is an Evil Soul Master. He threatens to attack her, despite her explanation and Tang Wulin’s warning that she is his friend and a Shrek student.
• Yuanen presents her Shrek Inner Court badge. Tang Wutong arrives, hears what happened, and rebukes Yue Zhengyu for judging Yuanen by her martial soul and acting recklessly.
• Tang Wutong orders Yue to compensate Yuanen for his conduct. He reluctantly gives her 500 contribution points, and the confrontation ends.
• Before the group heads back to Shrek Academy, Tang Wutong speaks privately with Wang Qiu’er. She asks Qiu’er to protect Tang Wulin and promises to help her recover her memories.

Character developments

• Yuanen Yehui acts decisively to save the child, then remains composed despite Yue Zhengyu’s accusations. She asserts her identity and refuses to be intimidated.
• Yue Zhengyu displays pride and prejudice, mistaking an unusual martial soul for proof of evil. Though still resentful, he is forced to acknowledge that he acted impulsively.
• Tang Wulin firmly defends Yuanen and stands between her and Yue, showing loyalty to his friends.
• Tang Wutong demonstrates authority and discernment, distinguishing good intentions from harmful, reckless actions. Her conversation with Qiu’er reveals her concern for both Qiu’er’s lost identity and Wulin’s safety.
• Wang Qiu’er, whose memories and maturity are limited, responds instinctively with loyalty to Wulin and promises to protect him.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus character: A martial soul’s form does not determine whether its bearer is good or evil.
• Prejudice and responsibility: Yue’s stated desire to stop evil does not excuse acting without evidence or endangering others.
• Loyalty and protection: Wulin defends Yuanen, while Qiu’er promises to protect Wulin.
• Memory, identity, and emotional burden: Tang Wutong suggests that Qiu’er’s forgotten past is complicated and painful, but hopes she can eventually recover her true self.

Character interactions

• Yuanen’s rescue of the child sparks Yue’s accusation and a tense standoff, with Wulin and Qiu’er defending her.
• Tang Wutong confronts Yue, corrects his reasoning, and imposes a penalty; Yuanen accepts the contribution points without further argument.
• Tang Wutong then shares a tender, complicated moment with Qiu’er, asking her to look after Wulin while promising to help restore her memories.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Qiu’er joins Wu Changkong’s class and immediately chooses a seat in front of Tang Wulin. Her attention and affection are fixed on him, drawing whispers from their classmates.
• In the Sea God Pavilion, Yun Ming worries that accepting Qiu’er could expose Shrek Academy to political danger because she is a soul beast. Xu Sanshi argues that the academy owes her for sacrificing herself to save Huo Yuhao. Yun Ming agrees to shelter her discreetly, strengthen security, and help her recover her memories.
• Wu Changkong begins the class-monitor election: students enter a virtual world, where the last survivor—or surviving group—will decide who becomes monitor.
• Wu Siduo identifies several formidable competitors, including Yang Nianxia, Zheng Yiran, Luo Guixing, and Xu Yucheng.
• Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Qiu’er enter the simulation together and find themselves in a scorching desert. Qiu’er promises to protect Tang Wulin, and the three resolve to stay together.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Qiu’er is introduced as confident yet emotionally dependent on Tang Wulin while suffering from memory loss. She trusts him completely and offers to protect him.
• Tang Wulin feels awkward about Qiu’er’s devotion but also responsible for guiding and protecting her. He welcomes her into the team.
• Gu Yue observes Qiu’er’s behavior without challenging her, quietly anticipating that she will bring Wulin complications.
• Yun Ming and Xu Sanshi disagree over the risks of accepting Qiu’er, but their shared loyalty to Shrek and gratitude for her sacrifice lead them to agree on a cautious plan.
• Wu Siduo provides Tang Wulin and Gu Yue with useful intelligence about their rivals before the contest begins.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and responsibility: Shrek’s leaders choose to repay Qiu’er for saving Huo Yuhao, despite the risks.
• Protection and trust: Qiu’er’s reliance on Tang Wulin contrasts with the academy’s broader duty to keep her safe.
• Loyalty and cooperation: The election tests whether students can survive alone or work together; Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Qiu’er choose partnership.
• Duty versus danger: Yun Ming must balance compassion toward Qiu’er with protecting the academy from hostile forces.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Wulin appears alone in a virtual forest and soon meets Yang Nianxia, who proposes an alliance. Yang offers Tang the deputy class monitor position, expecting to use his support while taking the lead.
• Tang accepts for practical reasons but stays wary, recognizing Yang’s apparent friendliness as calculated. They agree to conserve strength and travel toward a valley on the route to the exit.
• When soul beasts attack, Tang uses only his first soul skill, Blue Silver Redemption, to bind enemies, block attacks, and provide Yang with protective Blue Silver Armor and healing. Yang’s fighting becomes far more effective, and he grows impressed with Tang’s abilities.
• Yang begins to see Tang as a valuable ally who could help him rise beyond the class monitor contest. Tang, meanwhile, treats the alliance as useful but temporary, concealing nearly all of his real strength.
• Gu Yue contacts Tang through the wind, revealing that she is nearby and that the others have been separated. Tang tells her to find Wang Qiu’er and regroup with their original team before deciding what to do next.
• Tang warns Yang that other classmates may be ahead. Yang remains confident in their partnership, while Gu Yue travels invisibly through the forest to locate Wang Qiu’er.

Character developments

• Tang Wulin remains guarded and strategically minded. He uses a small fraction of his power to support Yang, while quietly arranging to reunite with his true teammates.
• Yang Nianxia presents himself as straightforward, but his offer is self-serving. Impressed by Tang’s support skills, he becomes more enthusiastic about keeping him close and imagines the advantages of Tang’s strength.
• Gu Yue acts as Tang’s discreet scout and follows his plan. Her unexplained sense of affinity toward Wang Qiu’er hints at a deeper connection.

Character interactions

• Tang and Yang maintain a friendly surface alliance, but each has different expectations: Yang sees Tang as a powerful asset, while Tang sees Yang as useful muscle whose motives require watching.
• Tang and Gu Yue communicate secretly through the wind, coordinating the next step without alerting Yang.
• Tang’s support transforms Yang’s combat performance, reinforcing Yang’s admiration and confidence in their apparent partnership.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Yang’s rough honesty masks calculation, while Tang’s mild support role conceals formidable strength.
• Temporary alliances and trust: Cooperation is useful, but neither side fully shares the same agenda.
• Strategy and restraint: Tang conserves his power, gathers allies, and plans ahead rather than revealing his capabilities.
• Teamwork: Tang’s control, defense, and healing combine effectively with Yang’s offense, while the larger group’s eventual reunion remains the priority.

Key plot points and events

• Ordinary freshmen ambush Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia, hoping to eliminate rivals for the class-president position. Yang Nianxia’s Dark Gold Bear overwhelms them, knocking them out of the virtual trial almost immediately.
• Tang Wulin questions Yang Nianxia about his martial soul. He points out that the Dark Gold Bear resembles a weaker Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, but suggests it may have room to evolve. Yang, unsettled by the comparison, asks for advice and agrees to focus on winning the class presidency first.
• The remaining contestants gather in a central clearing, including Luo Guixing, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, Wu Siduo, Gu Yue, Wang Qiu’er, and the aloof Xu Yucheng. Yang proposes settling the contest through combat.
• Tang Wulin stops the impending brawl and suggests challenging the central stone platform, which he believes holds the key to the exit. Xu Yucheng backs the idea, but Luo Guixing uses his fourth soul skill, Two Realms Split, to divide the contestants into separate spaces.
• Tang Wulin is matched against Zheng Yiran. Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor’s poison appears to weaken him, but he reveals that his Golden Dragon King bloodline neutralizes the toxin. He then uses Blue Silver Light to purify the poisonous mist and defeats her with his Golden Dragon Claw.
• Tang Wulin returns to the clearing and challenges Luo Guixing, saying that his spatial technique has not proved very useful.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Wulin shows strategic restraint: he lets Yang handle the ambush, probes Yang’s abilities, and prevents a chaotic group fight by proposing a more decisive route. In battle, he deliberately tests Zheng Yiran’s poison before revealing his resistance and countering it.
• Yang Nianxia displays overwhelming physical strength and confidence, but Tang Wulin’s assessment of his martial soul unsettles him. He shifts from treating Tang as a protected support type to trusting his judgment and seeking his guidance.
• Zheng Yiran fights reluctantly but commits to using her poison and control abilities. Her confidence collapses when Tang Wulin proves immune to her signature tactic.
• Luo Guixing asserts himself through his powerful spatial skill, while Xu Yucheng favors a direct contest for the key. Tang Wulin challenges both the group’s tendency toward infighting and Luo’s attempt to control the field.
• Tang Wulin privately asks Gu Yue and Wang Qiu’er to stay out of the initial confrontation, signaling his wish to handle the situation himself. Xie Xie remains an unwilling participant in Luo’s alliance.

Significant themes

• Strength and strategy: Raw power, as shown by Yang, can swiftly defeat weaker opponents, but Tang’s judgment and adaptability shape the larger contest.
• Hidden potential and vulnerability: Yang’s formidable martial soul may still have limitations, and Tang uses that insecurity to deepen Yang’s reliance on him.
• Competition versus cooperation: The contestants face a choice between fighting one another or pursuing a common objective; Tang argues that infighting could benefit an unseen third party.
• Revealed abilities: Zheng Yiran’s poison seems decisive until Tang unveils his resistance, reinforcing the chapter’s emphasis on concealed strengths and tactical surprises.

Plot points and events

• Tang Wulin’s group corners Luo Guixing after his Two Realms Split brings them together. Gu Yue, now a Soul King, challenges him to a contest of spatial control.
• Luo Guixing uses Two Realms Split, but Gu Yue’s fifth-ring skill, Spatial Law, Crush, overwhelms and ejects him from the virtual battlefield.
• Gu Yue turns to Xu Yucheng. Rather than face her directly, he challenges Tang Wulin to a weapon duel.
• Tang reveals his Golden Dragon Spear and his concealed strength: the aura of a Soul Emperor and six red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
• Tang defeats Xu Yucheng through speed, precision, and spear technique alone, without using a Soul Skill. He disarms him and holds the spear to his throat; Xu admits defeat.

Character developments

• Gu Yue demonstrates her breakthrough to Soul King and her mastery of spatial control, confidently defeating Luo Guixing while asserting the team’s strength.
• Tang Wulin reveals just how much power and skill he has been hiding. His disciplined, effortless spearplay establishes him as a formidable fighter even without Soul Skills.
• Xu Yucheng begins arrogantly, but Tang’s victory forces him to acknowledge defeat. Tang identifies Xu’s conceit—not only his flawed Martial Soul—as his greatest weakness.
• Luo Guixing’s confidence in his spatial abilities collapses when Gu Yue proves his control is far inferior to hers.

Significant themes

• True mastery versus overconfidence: Gu Yue and Tang show that strength depends on deeper understanding and control, not merely confidence in a technique.
• Team unity and hidden strength: Luo Guixing’s tactic inadvertently brings the group together, while their combined presence leaves opponents with no room to act.
• Skill beyond raw power: Tang wins through precise weapon control rather than Soul Skills, and Gu Yue explains that spatial ability is about control, not simply dividing space.
• Pride and self-knowledge: Xu recognizes his Martial Soul’s limitation but has not yet overcome the conceit that prevents him from judging opponents clearly.

Character interactions

• Gu Yue confronts Luo Guixing directly and gives him a chance to prove his spatial control; she then taunts Xu Yucheng into revealing whether he will fight.
• Xu avoids a direct clash with Gu Yue and redirects his challenge to Tang Wulin.
• Tang steps in front of Gu Yue and accepts Xu’s challenge, while the others watch in surprise as he displays his spear mastery. Afterward, Tang criticizes Xu’s conceit, and Xu accepts the rebuke in silence.

Plot points and events

• Supervisors Wu Changkong, Shen Yi, and Long Bing assess the melee. Shen Yi favors Yang Nianxia because Tang Wulin’s group is exhausted, but Wu Changkong argues that Tang’s stamina, resolve, and refusal to yield make him the key contender. Long Bing adds that Tang’s kindness and sense of responsibility mark him as a natural leader.
• Yang Nianxia decides to exploit Wang Qiu’er’s apparent weakness and attack her while Tang Wulin’s side is worn down.
• Wu Siduo intercepts Yang Nianxia, objecting to his attempt to target someone vulnerable. She switches from her Hell Spirit Cat form to her White Tiger form, and the two fight at full strength.
• Wu Siduo combines her martial-soul abilities to get past Yang Nianxia’s defenses and strike him down. The virtual system eliminates him.
• The victory leaves Wu Siduo nearly out of soul power. She denies that she was helping Tang Wulin, then collapses to recover. With both her and Wang Qiu’er weakened and Tang’s group battered, the contest’s outcome remains uncertain.

Character development and interactions

• Tang Wulin is presented through the supervisors’ observations as exceptionally tenacious, compassionate, and suited to leadership; his concern for Gu Yue and Xie Xie reinforces that impression.
• Wu Siduo shows a strong personal code: despite her rivalry with Tang’s group, she refuses to tolerate what she sees as cowardly bullying. Her pride prevents her from admitting any loyalty or concern.
• Yang Nianxia reveals a calculating, opportunistic side by choosing Wang Qiu’er as an easy target, but his plan is derailed by Wu Siduo.
• Wang Qiu’er remains comparatively inactive and vulnerable, yet becomes central to the endgame because others see her as a possible upset factor.
• The supervisors’ discussion frames Tang’s character and leadership potential, while Wu Siduo’s intervention turns the battlefield into a three-sided tension among her, Tang’s group, and the weakened Qiu’er.

Significant themes

• Resolve over raw strength: Tang’s endurance and will may outweigh his depleted resources.
• Leadership through character: Compassion and responsibility are treated as strengths, not weaknesses.
• Fairness and honor: Wu Siduo challenges Yang Nianxia’s opportunism even while remaining Tang’s rival.
• Uncertainty and sacrifice: Wu Siduo wins the duel but exhausts herself, leaving the final result open.