Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Sect Master Du Busi discovers that his young heir, Chen Mo, has slipped away to attend school, leaving a note behind. Furious, he vows to bring him back.
• In the Star Dou Great Forest, the million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm begins sacrificing itself to the unconscious Huo Yuhao.
• Chen Mo watches nearby. A nine-year-old transmigrator and Body Sect heir, he has twin martial souls, level-ten innate soul power, and is already a level-twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster. His body martial soul is the ultimate mental-type Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils; his other is Dimo, an ultimate-light beast.
• Chen Mo’s system mission is to seize one of Huo Yuhao’s opportunities by capturing Electrolux’s remnant soul. When Electrolux appears and Sky Dream mistakes him for a rival, Chen Mo uses his second soul skill, Spatial Interference, to redirect Electrolux into his own body. He also takes Sky Dream’s shed husk.
• Chen Mo seals Electrolux inside his Sea of Consciousness, where Dimo initially confronts the newcomer. Chen Mo reassures Dimo, and Electrolux agrees to rest and restore himself there.
• The system declares the mission complete and awards a special achievement for taking the husk as well. Chen Mo postpones settlement after sensing two auras approaching.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mo is shown as strategic, confident, and opportunistic: he has planned to intercept Electrolux and succeeds through a surprise use of his spatial ability. He also reassures Dimo and recognizes Electrolux’s future value.
• Du Busi is an overprotective, volatile mentor whose anger at Chen Mo’s escape underscores their strained, affectionate-guardian dynamic.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm is thrilled to find a suitable host in Huo Yuhao, but misreads Electrolux’s arrival and is swiftly overpowered.
• Electrolux, weakened and with little awareness, ends up in Chen Mo rather than Huo Yuhao. He responds calmly to Dimo’s suspicion and expresses admiration for Dimo’s pure light.
• Dimo is protective of Chen Mo and wary of Electrolux, but accepts Chen Mo’s reassurance.

Significant themes

• Seizing fate and opportunity: Chen Mo deliberately diverts a pivotal event from Huo Yuhao’s story for his own advancement.
• Power, preparation, and surprise: Chen Mo’s success depends on anticipating Electrolux’s arrival and striking before the spirit can defend himself.
• Trust and protection: Chen Mo mediates between Dimo and Electrolux, balancing caution with the promise of future cooperation.

Plot points and events

• In the Star Dou Great Forest, Chen Mo encounters Bei Bei and Tang Ya just after a strange surge of spiritual power. They find Huo Yuhao unconscious and bleeding, and Tang Ya suspects Chen Mo hurt him.
• Bei Bei tries to keep Chen Mo nearby until Huo Yuhao wakes, disguising his suspicion as concern for Chen Mo’s safety. Chen Mo recognizes the ploy and prepares to resist.
• Huo Yuhao wakes and explains that a Wind Baboon injured him. Its nearby corpse confirms his story, embarrassing Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
• Bei Bei asks about the unusual disturbance, but Huo Yuhao—warned by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm not to reveal its existence—claims he knows nothing.
• Chen Mo leaves abruptly. Tang Ya then recruits Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect, offering its secret arts and an exemption route to Shrek Academy. Huo Yuhao accepts, despite failing to find the Ice Silkworm’s shed husk.
• In seclusion, Chen Mo collects his mission rewards: increased physique and spiritual power, plus a Prism Ball that guarantees safe contracts with any soul beast and can heal the contracted beast.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mo stays guarded and independent, quickly sees through Bei Bei’s pretext, and departs once the misunderstanding is cleared. His reaction to Huo Yuhao suggests he may know more about him than he admits.
• Bei Bei is courteous on the surface but suspicious and ready to use force; he relaxes once Huo Yuhao explains what happened.
• Tang Ya is protective of Huo Yuhao, apologizes to Chen Mo after learning the truth, then shifts her attention to recruiting Huo Yuhao for the struggling Tang Sect.
• Huo Yuhao is touched by Bei Bei and Tang Ya’s concern and nearly reveals his secret, but obeys the Ice Silkworm’s warning. He joins the Tang Sect, while concealing that he has not found the shed husk.
• The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm remains wary of exposure and is alarmed by Huo Yuhao’s careless approach to its plans.

Significant themes

• Trust and secrecy: Huo Yuhao’s gratitude nearly leads him to reveal a dangerous secret, while Chen Mo and Bei Bei both keep their intentions guarded.
• Misjudgment and appearances: Tang Ya and Bei Bei wrongly suspect Chen Mo, then must confront their oversight of the Wind Baboon’s corpse.
• Recruitment and renewal: Tang Ya’s invitation reflects the Tang Sect’s decline and its hope of rebuilding through new members.

Key plot points and events

• In the Divine Realm, Tang San laments the decline of the Tang Sect and reveals a long-running plan to recruit the Douluo Continent’s “Child of Destiny” as a loyal subordinate. He intends to send his daughter Xiao Qi to meet the boy and considers using the destiny of a newly born auspicious beast to secure his plan.
• Tang San suddenly senses that part of the rising star’s destiny has vanished. Furious at the unknown interference, he vows to kill whoever caused it, then turns to Xiao Wu for help.
• On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Chen Mo eats and examines a system reward: a Prism Ball that can guarantee a contract with a captured beast, though he initially doubts its usefulness in a world where soul beasts and martial souls are the norm.
• A thousand-year Mandala Snake ambushes Chen Mo. He evades it, activates his Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils, and kills it instantly with his self-created mental attack, Soul Burst. He ignores its thousand-year soul ring, since his own second ring is already ten-thousand-year level.
• Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao arrive, explaining that they were tracking the snake. Impressed by Chen Mo’s strength, Tang Ya tries to recruit him into the Tang Sect, but he responds dismissively.

Character developments

• Tang San is shown as possessive and controlling about the Tang Sect’s future. His comic, exaggerated loyalty gives way to genuine fury when he senses the destiny loss.
• Chen Mo displays strong confidence in his abilities, particularly his mental combat skill, while remaining uninterested in ordinary soul rings. His uncertainty about the Prism Ball hints at a possible future use.
• Tang Ya is eager to rebuild the Tang Sect and recruit talent, while Bei Bei is cautious and alert around Chen Mo.
• Huo Yuhao has already been persuaded by Tang Ya to join the Tang Sect.

Significant themes

• Ambition and control: Tang San seeks to shape the Child of Destiny and manipulate fate to restore his sect.
• Decline and renewal: The Tang Sect’s weakened state drives Tang San’s plans and Tang Ya’s recruitment efforts.
• Power and confidence: Chen Mo’s effortless victory demonstrates the gap between his abilities and those of typical soul beasts or fighters.
• Fate and interference: The unexplained loss of destiny threatens Tang San’s carefully laid plans.

Character interactions

• Xiao Wu comforts Tang San, though his response reveals that his devotion to the Tang Sect outweighs his willingness to accept its decline.
• Chen Mo faces the Mandala Snake alone and dispatches it before Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao arrive.
• Bei Bei remains wary of Chen Mo’s strength, while Tang Ya approaches him with a Tang Sect invitation. Chen Mo brushes off her inquiry, setting up a potential conflict or recruitment attempt.

Plot points and events

• Tang Ya invites Chen Mo to join the Tang Sect, praising its illustrious history. Chen Mo refuses, pointing out that the sect is now weak and declining, and argues that old institutions must adapt or be replaced.
• His blunt criticism devastates Tang Ya. Bei Bei comforts her, while Huo Yuhao, angered on her behalf, asks the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to locate Chen Mo.
• The Sky Dream warns that Huo Yuhao is no match for Chen Mo, who recently killed a thousand-year soul beast. Huo Yuhao ignores the warning and pursues him to demand an apology.
• A system mission appears for Chen Mo: defeat Huo Yuhao. When Huo Yuhao attacks with his first soul skill, Soul Impact, Chen Mo effortlessly repels it. Huo Yuhao suffers a severe backlash because Chen Mo’s spiritual power is stronger.

Character developments

• Chen Mo is self-assured and dismissive of the Tang Sect’s former glory, judging it by its present condition. He remains composed when Huo Yuhao confronts him.
• Tang Ya is emotionally vulnerable about the Tang Sect’s decline and takes Chen Mo’s criticism deeply to heart.
• Huo Yuhao is loyal to Tang Ya and Bei Bei, but his eagerness to defend them overrides caution and judgment.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shows practical concern for Huo Yuhao and recognizes that Chen Mo is an unusually powerful opponent.

Character interactions

• Chen Mo’s frank exchange with Tang Ya exposes the gap between the Tang Sect’s glorious past and its impoverished present; Bei Bei responds by comforting her.
• Huo Yuhao vows to avenge Tang Ya’s hurt feelings despite Bei Bei’s attempt to stop him.
• During the confrontation, Huo Yuhao demands an apology, but Chen Mo dismisses his grievance and provokes him. Sky Dream tries to warn Huo Yuhao, but the attack is already underway.

Significant themes

• Decline and change: Past greatness cannot guarantee present strength; institutions that fail to adapt may be overtaken.
• Loyalty versus judgment: Huo Yuhao’s devotion is sincere, but it leads him to act recklessly.
• Power and humility: Huo Yuhao’s confidence in his ability is quickly challenged by the disparity between his strength and Chen Mo’s.

Key plot points

• The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm warns Huo Yuhao not to challenge Chen Mo, but Yuhao attacks in a rage. Chen Mo disarms him, recognizes him as the illegitimate son of White Tiger Duke Dai Hao and Huo Yun’er, then knocks him unconscious with a mental attack.
• Chen Mo’s system declares the mission complete and rewards him with stronger mental power and stamina, plus a million-year Light Dragon King soul ring. Though the ring suits his second martial soul, Dimo, Chen Mo decides not to absorb it yet: his body may not withstand it, and its power could attract the powerful beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Chen Mo considers killing Yuhao to prevent future trouble, but the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm takes control of Yuhao and escapes. A system warning reveals that God King Tang San has noticed the disturbance and will investigate, so Chen Mo flees as well.
• The Sky Dream tells Yuhao an embellished version of the escape, claiming he drove Chen Mo away. Yuhao apologizes and promises not to act so rashly again.
• Bei Bei and Tang Ya reunite with Yuhao. The group kills a thousand-year lone bamboo for Tang Ya’s third soul ring, then heads toward Shrek Academy.
• Chen Mo leaves the forest, joins a merchant caravan bound for the Sun Moon Empire, and plans to enroll there.

Character developments and interactions

• Huo Yuhao acts impulsively out of anger, is swiftly overwhelmed, and learns—at least temporarily—to heed warnings.
• Chen Mo demonstrates a large gap in strength and gains a powerful reward, but shows restraint by postponing absorption and avoiding a confrontation with Tang San. He remains wary of Yuhao becoming a future threat.
• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm is too weakened to help at first, but risks himself to save Yuhao. He then conceals his vulnerability by claiming credit and resolves to train Yuhao more carefully.
• Bei Bei and Tang Ya provide a reassuring reunion with Yuhao and continue their journey together.

Significant themes

• Recklessness versus restraint: Yuhao’s anger leads to defeat, while Chen Mo’s caution keeps him from taking dangerous risks.
• Power and preparation: Even a remarkable soul ring is useless—or fatal—without the strength to absorb it safely.
• Destiny and surveillance: The system’s “Child of Destiny” mission and Tang San’s intervention suggest that Yuhao’s fate draws powerful forces into events.
• Deception and self-preservation: Sky Dream embellishes his role, while Chen Mo disguises his identity and changes course to protect himself and pursue his ambitions.

Plot and events

• Nine-year-old Chen Mo crosses from the Heaven Dou Empire into the Sun Moon Empire with a merchant caravan, using the group to avoid suspicion at the border.
• After five days of travel, he arrives in Mingdu, the vast, technologically advanced capital. Though it has no city walls, sophisticated soul-tool defenses protect it.
• Chen Mo admires Mingdu’s orderly streets, tall buildings, and flying vehicles, contrasting the Sun Moon Empire’s rapid technological progress with the other kingdoms’ stagnation.
• He explains why he chose the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy over Shrek Academy: he values technological development, distrusts Shrek’s institutional flaws, and can rely on the Body Sect’s leader, Du Busi, to guide his martial-soul training.
• With admissions ending in three days, Chen Mo leaves the caravan, checks into a hotel near the academy, and plans to explore Mingdu before registering the next morning.

Character development

• Chen Mo comes across as practical and self-reliant, carefully planning his journey and education.
• His choice of academy reflects his forward-looking attitude and confidence that he can develop his abilities without relying on Shrek.

Themes

• Progress versus complacency: The Sun Moon Empire’s technological advancement is contrasted with the other kingdoms’ attachment to old methods.
• Pragmatism and ambition: Chen Mo weighs the advantages and flaws of each academy before committing to the path he believes best suits his future.
• Institutions and accountability: His criticism of Shrek highlights concerns about hypocrisy, poor judgment, and resistance to innovation.

Character interactions

• Chen Mo travels with the caravan and parts from its members on reaching Mingdu.
• He has no significant direct interactions with other named characters in this chapter; much of the chapter presents his observations and reasoning.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mo explores Mingdu’s lively nighttime streets, admiring the city’s lights and browsing soul-tool stalls. With little money, he buys food and several books on soul-tool theory instead.
• The next morning, a system mission appears: enroll at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and become a teacher’s student. The higher the teacher’s position, the greater the reward, so Chen Mo decides he may need to show off his talent to attract the dean, Jing Hongchen.
• Chen Mo registers honestly and begins the academy’s entrance assessment. The process is relatively accessible: it tests soul-engineering aptitude and basic physical abilities, without using the physical test to eliminate applicants or assessing combat skills.
• His examiner, Teacher Tang Shan, introduces himself. Chen Mo mistakes his name for “Tang San” and panics, then relaxes once he learns it is “Shan,” meaning mountain.
• Tang Shan starts Chen Mo’s physical assessment. Meanwhile, the director of studies, discouraged by the lack of outstanding applicants, receives Chen Mo’s file, reacts with astonishment, and rushes to tell Dean Jing Hongchen that the academy has found a “treasure.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mo shifts from casual sightseeing to determined pursuit of the system mission. Though he prefers staying low-profile, he recognizes that attracting a high-ranking mentor may require revealing his ability. His comic fear of Tang Shan’s similar-sounding name provides a brief, humorous moment.
• Tang Shan is patient and reassuring, explaining the assessment clearly and guiding Chen Mo through it.
• The director of studies goes from pessimism about the new-student pool to sudden excitement after seeing Chen Mo’s information. His reaction signals that Chen Mo’s credentials are exceptional.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus modesty: Chen Mo would rather keep his abilities hidden, but the mission rewards him for impressing an important teacher.
• Talent and opportunity: The academy is eager for exceptional students, and Chen Mo’s application may offer the breakthrough it has been missing.
• Contrast in educational access: The chapter contrasts the Sun Moon academy’s comparatively straightforward admissions with Shrek’s demanding requirements and high fees, which favor the privileged.

Plot points and events

• Nine-year-old Chen Mo undergoes the academy’s entrance tests. His height, strength, resilience, and soul power are exceptional—the strongest results Tang Shan has seen from any new student.
• The mental-power test triggers an alarm and displays question marks. Xuan Ziwen, a high-ranking Level 8 soul engineer, identifies the cause: the basic instrument cannot measure above 100. Chen Mo’s mental power exceeds that limit.
• Xuan learns that Chen Mo’s martial soul is the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils, a rare mental-attribute body martial soul. He asks Chen Mo to demonstrate his abilities.
• Chen Mo reveals two soul rings—purple and black—and demonstrates his second skill, Spatial Interference, which manipulates space to relocate objects or affect opponents across considerable distances.
• Xuan is initially excited by Chen Mo’s rare potential, hoping his abilities will suit soul-tool research, but becomes disappointed when the demonstrated skill appears combat-oriented.
• Before the test can continue, a short, stout man bursts in, calling for Chen Mo and asking whether he is the new student with Level 10 innate soul power and a mental-attribute body martial soul.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Mo remains candid and composed despite the alarming machine failure. His unusual strength and powerful spatial skill establish him as a formidable, highly gifted newcomer.
• Tang Shan moves from routine testing to disbelief and embarrassment when he realizes the instrument is functioning correctly and Chen Mo’s mental power is beyond its range.
• Xuan Ziwen shifts rapidly from curiosity to intense interest, then to disappointment when Chen Mo’s skill seems less useful for soul-engineering research. He interacts with Chen Mo as a potential student and asks directly about his martial soul and abilities.
• The newcomer’s urgent arrival suggests Chen Mo’s exceptional reputation has already spread beyond the testing room.

Significant themes

• Exceptional talent and institutional attention: Chen Mo’s extraordinary measurements immediately attract the notice of influential academy figures.
• The value and limits of measurement: The instrument’s failure is not a defect but evidence that Chen Mo exceeds the standards used to assess ordinary students.
• Potential versus expectations: Xuan judges Chen Mo’s usefulness partly by whether his abilities fit soul-tool research, revealing the tension between a person’s broader capabilities and others’ specialized ambitions.

Key plot points and events

• Jing Hongchen, the academy dean, complains about the declining quality of new students. The Director of Education bursts into his office with news of a remarkable nine-year-old applicant, Chen Mo, but Jing initially assumes the report is a fantasy.
• After checking Chen Mo’s application and test results, Jing rushes to the teaching building. There, he learns Chen has spiritual power above 100 and sees that he is already a Level 27 Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, with an unusual purple-and-black soul-ring combination.
• Jing questions Chen’s spatial soul skill, which returns a released bird to his hand. After asking Tang Shan to leave, he correctly identifies Chen as a member of the Body Sect.
• Chen says he has come to study and learn soul-tool technology, not to spy. Jing accepts this explanation, admits him without the remaining tests, and invites him to study soul tools as his student.
• Jing makes formal mentorship conditional on Chen earning a Level 2 Soul Engineer badge within a year. Chen agrees. Jing then arranges his enrollment and quietly orders an investigation into Chen’s background.

Character developments

• Jing Hongchen moves from disbelief to enthusiastic recruitment, while remaining cautious: he accepts Chen but privately investigates his origins.
• Chen Mo openly acknowledges his Body Sect connection and commits to the academy and the one-year qualification challenge.
• Xuan Ziwen briefly appears after hearing an alarm, but leaves once he sees Jing, suggesting he may have had an interest in Chen.
• The Director of Education risks Jing’s anger to deliver the admission news and proves his report is genuine.

Significant themes

• Talent and institutional ambition: Jing sees Chen as a rare chance to strengthen the academy and compete with Shrek.
• Trust versus suspicion: Chen’s extraordinary abilities and apparent background make Jing wary, even as he chooses to accept him.
• Merit and challenge: Chen receives an exemption from entrance tests but must earn mentorship through a demanding soul-engineering goal.

Character interactions

• Jing’s comic threats toward the Director give way to astonishment when he verifies Chen’s abilities.
• Xuan Ziwen’s guarded exchange with Jing hints at possible competition over Chen.
• Jing and Chen negotiate their relationship directly: Chen explains his purpose, Jing offers admission and mentorship, and the two agree on the Level 2 badge condition.

Chapter summary

• Chen Mo enrolls at Sun Moon Royal Academy. Dean Jing Hongchen waives all of his assessments and classifies him as a special talent. A senior shows him the large campus, including its teaching, dormitory, and testing areas, and takes him to his assigned private room.
• Chen Mo settles in. He experiences the academy’s Soul Guidance elevator, then spends the morning cleaning his dusty dormitory, which includes a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and cultivation room.
• A new challenge emerges. Chen Mo recalls that Jing Hongchen’s condition for taking him on is earning a Level 2 Soul Engineer badge within a year. Though unfamiliar with Soul Tools, he resolves to work hard, using Huo Yuhao’s rapid progress as inspiration. The system immediately raises the target: he must pass the Level 3 assessment within a year, with better rewards for finishing sooner. Chen Mo is dismayed but decides to begin studying after getting something to eat.
• Teachers compete for him. Two nights later, after freshman assessments conclude, teachers crowd into the director of studies’ office to claim Chen Mo as their student. They flatter the director, boast about their Soul Engineer ranks, and insult one another in a chaotic contest for the promising newcomer.

Character developments and interactions

Chen Mo is practical and self-motivated, but his confidence is tested when the system unexpectedly increases his goal. His familiarity with the original story gives him a benchmark in Huo Yuhao, though he recognizes that Huo Yuhao had advantages he lacks. The senior treats him warmly during his campus tour. Meanwhile, the teachers’ intense rivalry shows how highly the academy values Chen Mo’s talent—and sets up competition over who will mentor him.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes ambition and escalating expectations, as Chen Mo’s manageable-seeming goal becomes much harder; talent and mentorship, shown by the teachers’ scramble to teach him; and the academy’s advanced technology and resources, which shape both student life and training.

Key plot points and events

• Several teachers crowd the dean of students’ office, arguing over who will teach Chen Mo. Their dispute nearly turns into a fight, with some drawing soul cannons.
• Dean Zhang stops the quarrel and explains that Chen Mo’s placement is not his decision: Principal Jing Hongchen has already claimed him.
• Jing arrives and reveals that he intends to personally take charge of a class of new students. The teachers quickly realize he is doing so to teach Chen Mo.
• Jing openly declares that Chen Mo will be his student and refuses to yield, even challenging anyone who objects to a match. The other teachers give up and leave.
• Jing retrieves Chen Mo’s file, assigns him to a class, and appoints himself homeroom teacher. Meanwhile, Chen Mo remains unaware of the contest and studies soul-tool theory in his dorm.

Character developments and interactions

• Jing Hongchen has reconsidered Chen Mo’s foreign origins and doubts about his motives. He decides Chen’s exceptional talent and choice to attend the academy are convincing signs of sincerity. Jing is determined to mentor him—and would still take him on even if he fails the Level 2 Soul Engineer examination within a year.
• Dean Zhang is overwhelmed by the teachers’ behavior and relieved when Jing arrives, though he is left uneasy about the principal personally serving as a homeroom teacher.
• Elder Yi, a powerful Soul Douluo and Level 8 Soul Engineer, tries to persuade Jing to relinquish Chen Mo but backs down when Jing makes his position unmistakable.
• Chen Mo is absent from the dispute; his diligence contrasts with the teachers’ scramble to claim him.

Significant themes

• Talent attracts competition: Chen Mo’s abilities make him highly sought after by the academy’s senior teachers.
• Origins versus potential: Jing chooses to judge Chen by his character and promise rather than his nationality or affiliation with the Body Sect.
• Mentorship and ambition: Jing’s eagerness to personally guide Chen shows both genuine belief in him and fierce possessiveness over his future.
• Comedic institutional disorder: The teachers’ near-brawl and Jing’s dramatic intervention turn a student-placement decision into a mock battle for ownership.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mo arrives at the academy exhausted after spending three nights studying Soul Engineering alongside his usual cultivation and chores. He has learned the basics of Soul Tool technology from textbooks.
• He joins his first-year Class One, which has just seventeen students. His classmates gather around to introduce themselves; their names happen to resemble famous webnovel protagonists, prompting Chen Mo to joke privately about being on the “Protagonist Continent.”
• The class hears a rumor that the dean will teach one of their courses, though Chen Mo doubts it.
• Their homeroom teacher arrives late: a handsome man wearing a Level 7 Soul Engineer badge. Chen Mo recognizes him as Jing Hongchen, the academy dean, disguised under the name “Golden Toad.” Jing is using a different appearance to hide his identity and move quickly to secure Chen Mo as a student.
• Jing introduces himself as a Level 7 Soul Engineer and Soul Saint, warns the students that his courses will be demanding, and threatens expulsion for anyone who fails—though the threat is only a bluff to establish authority and protect his class’s standing.
• Jing asks what a Soul Tool is. While the other students hesitate, Chen Mo answers with the slogan: “When poor, strike with precision; when rich, bomb the hell out of them!”

Character developments

• Chen Mo is driven and academically ambitious, willingly sacrificing sleep to advance his Soul Engineering studies and earn better rewards. He is also confident, quick-witted, and eager to stand out.
• Jing Hongchen is strategic and somewhat anxious to recruit Chen Mo before another mentor can persuade him. As “Golden Toad,” he adopts a stern teaching persona and hides both his identity and greater strength.
• The classmates begin as cautious and curious about Chen Mo, then grow intimidated by their strict teacher.

Significant themes

• Ambition and hard work: Chen Mo’s intense self-study reflects his determination to progress quickly.
• Appearances and concealed motives: Jing disguises himself and gives a false account of his strength and intentions.
• Authority and pressure: Jing uses exaggerated threats to command respect and motivate—or intimidate—the class.
• Soul Tools as practical weapons: Chen Mo’s answer frames their use in terms of efficiency when resources are scarce and overwhelming firepower when they are abundant.

Character interactions

• Chen Mo’s classmates introduce themselves and share rumors, giving him an early sense of the class’s personalities and the academy’s gossip.
• Jing singles Chen Mo out to answer the opening question, while Chen uses the opportunity to make a bold, memorable impression on his teacher and classmates.

Key plot points and events

• In his first lesson with Jing Hongchen, Chen Mo sums up soul-weapon strategy as: “When you're poor, strike with precision. When you're rich, blast the bastards!” The class is startled, but Jing Hongchen recognizes the practical logic behind it.
• Jing reveals that participation counts for half the final grade and awards the lesson’s marks to Chen, the only student who answered. When another student objects that this grading system breaks school rules, Jing dismisses the complaint and declares that his rules govern his class.
• Jing rejects the outdated textbooks and promises to teach advanced soul-tool knowledge. Chen finds his explanations exceptionally clear and helpful.
• In practical class, students must engrave a formation core with three inscription lines deviating by less than one millimeter. The class complains, but Chen gets started immediately. After struggling with crooked lines, he remembers to use his martial soul to help control the engraving.
• Chen completes his first formation core near the end of class. It exceeds Jing’s expectations: eight lines meet the accuracy standard, an impressive result for a beginner. Jing concludes that Chen has real talent.
• Over the next three months, Chen settles into a routine of study, practice, and cultivation. His skills advance quickly: by the second month he can make a decent formation core and assemble a Level 1 soul-tool model; by the third, he can reliably produce usable Level 1 cores.

Character development

• Chen Mo shows confidence, initiative, and a practical sense of humor. Though he initially struggles with precision, he adapts by using his martial soul and improves rapidly through disciplined practice.
• Jing Hongchen emerges as a demanding but capable teacher. He is impressed by Chen’s originality and work ethic, and his clear instruction helps Chen progress.
• The other students are more hesitant and frustrated by Jing’s strict standards; their complaints contrast with Chen’s willingness to begin the assignment.

Character interactions

• Chen’s blunt classroom answer surprises both his classmates and Jing, who acknowledges its sound reasoning.
• Jing’s confrontation with the rule-challenging student establishes his authority and uncompromising teaching style.
• Jing guides the class through difficult hands-on work, while his praise of Chen’s completed core signals growing confidence in the student’s potential.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and practicality: Chen’s answer frames engineering choices around available resources.
• Discipline and mastery: Chen’s steady practice turns early difficulty into rapid improvement.
• Merit and high standards: Jing rewards participation and insists on precision, even when students find his expectations unreasonable.
• Talent developed through instruction: Chen’s aptitude matters, but strong teaching and sustained effort accelerate his progress.

Plot points and events

• After three months of intensive study, nine-year-old Chen Mo reaches level 30 in soul power and prepares for the Level 1 Soul Engineer assessment.
• Passing the assessment would exempt him from his first-year final, earn full marks, and let him begin vacation early.
• Under a six-hour limit, Chen Mo builds an Energy-Gathering Soul Guidance Ray Gun. He completes its casings and main array core, then spends time carving two additional miniature cores despite running short on time.
• He assembles the weapon in the final minute. Testing confirms it passes with an excellent rating, including a perfect array core.
• Chen Mo reveals that he modified the blueprint: improved heat dissipation and added two energy-gathering arrays, allowing faster, repeated shots with less recoil and no overheating. A demonstration confirms the gun can fire rapidly.
• Impressed, Jing Hongchen asks Chen Mo to become his student.

Character developments

• Chen Mo demonstrates not only exceptional talent and hard work, but also confidence, technical creativity, and the nerve to make a last-minute design change under pressure.
• Jing Hongchen shifts from being an interested observer and informal mentor to openly seeking Chen Mo as a student. His excitement reflects how extraordinary Chen Mo’s achievement is.
• The assessment teacher moves from concern about Chen Mo’s dwindling time to surprise at the quality of the finished weapon.

Character interactions

• Chen Mo and Jing Hongchen banter familiarly: Chen teases him about supposedly sleeping through the assessment, while Jing warns him not to fail.
• During the test, Jing intervenes to stop the supervising teacher from distracting Chen Mo, choosing to see what his unusual extra work will produce.
• After the successful test, Jing presses Chen Mo to explain his modifications; Chen demonstrates the weapon rather than relying on an explanation, prompting Jing’s offer of mentorship.

Significant themes

• Talent reinforced by effort: Chen Mo’s rare aptitude is matched by three months of sustained practice.
• Innovation and initiative: He improves on the blueprint instead of merely meeting the assessment requirements.
• Confidence under pressure: His willingness to pursue the modifications nearly to the deadline shows both boldness and belief in his abilities.
• Recognition and opportunity: Chen Mo’s achievement turns an assessment into a chance for a closer relationship with Jing Hongchen.

Plot points and events

• Jing Hongchen, still disguised as “Golden Toad,” is so impressed by Chen Mo’s record-breaking qualification as a Level 1 Soul Engineer that he urgently offers to take him as a student.
• Chen Mo pretends the offer comes too late, citing an earlier bet with Headmaster Jing Hongchen: if Chen Mo becomes a Level 2 Soul Engineer within a year, Jing promised to teach him. Jing claims he and the headmaster are fellow disciples and says he will handle the matter, so Chen Mo accepts.
• Chen Mo asks for a customary student-acceptance gift. Though caught unprepared, Jing gives him Red Dust Protection, a powerful Level 9 defensive soul tool that Chen recognizes as an opportunity Huo Yuhao was meant to receive in the future.
• With Jing’s help, Chen obtains his Level 1 Soul Engineer badge. The system declares his enrollment mission complete and rewards him for taking Huo Yuhao’s opportunity: improved spiritual power, physical strength, and stamina; a “Unique King Ball”; the Soul-Nurturing Art; and a ten-minute Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils Enlightenment Card.
• Chen discovers that the cultivation art’s formula is encoded in Tadpole Script inside a jade slip. By feeding the slip soul power, he makes the script readable, then draws the golden characters into his Sea of Consciousness. Their arrival stirs the sleeping Electrolux.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mo is clever and opportunistic: he uses Jing’s mistaken belief about the bet to secure both a prestigious teacher and a valuable gift, while concealing that he knows Jing’s true identity. He and Jing each silently recognize the other’s act but continue playing along.
• Jing Hongchen moves from admiration to anxious urgency, then tries to maintain his disguise and authority. He gives Chen a major treasure despite having made the offer impulsively.
• Chen’s actions directly affect Huo Yuhao, as Red Dust Protection is diverted from its expected future owner.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and competition: Chen’s talent attracts powerful mentors, while quick action determines who benefits.
• Deception and dramatic irony: Both Chen and Jing understand more than they admit, producing a mutually sustained act.
• Power and advancement: Chen’s new badge, rewards, and cultivation art mark a rapid rise in soul-engineering and spiritual cultivation.
• Changing destiny: Chen’s acquisition of Red Dust Protection alters an opportunity associated with Huo Yuhao.

Key plot points and events

• News spreads across the academy that freshman Chen Mo passed the Level 1 Soul Engineer assessment after only three months. Teachers regret not teaching him, while older students are astonished by the achievement.
• Dean Jing Hongchen admits he publicized the news so he could show off his new prodigy.
• Jing Hongchen’s grandchildren, fourth-years Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, argue over whether the news is true. Xiao dismisses it as possible exaggeration, while Meng confirms it and teases him that Chen Mo has surpassed his record.
• Xiao insists Chen Mo cannot beat his more advanced Soul Engineer records. The siblings wager on whether Chen Mo will break his Level 2 record: if he does, Xiao owes Meng a month’s allowance; if he doesn’t, she owes him a week’s.
• Separately, Chen Mo finishes cultivating the Soul-Nurturing Art. He learns it purifies impure Soul Power to boost cultivation speed by 80%, improves bodily recovery, and generates “spirit” energy that strengthens the soul.
• Chen Mo then uses a ten-minute enlightenment card for the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils. After witnessing a green-clad woman use the technique in battle, he awakens a new ability: Three-Flower Pupils: Illusion Break.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Hongchen is proud, boastful, and dismissive of the possibility that anyone could surpass his records; his confidence leads him to accept the wager.
• Meng Hongchen is perceptive and playful, using the news to provoke her brother. She also accidentally reveals that her allowance is far larger than his.
• Jing Hongchen is portrayed as vain and fond of boasting, proudly publicizing Chen Mo’s achievement.
• Chen Mo continues advancing both his Soul Engineer career and cultivation, gaining a powerful technique and a new ocular ability.

Significant themes

• Talent and rivalry: Chen Mo’s rapid progress disrupts the academy’s expectations and challenges Xiao’s sense of superiority.
• Pride and family resemblance: Meng recognizes that Xiao’s bragging mirrors their grandfather’s.
• Progress through cultivation and opportunity: Chen Mo’s abilities grow through disciplined practice and the special enlightenment card.

Key plot points and events

• After observing a fight, Chen Mo comprehends a new soul skill for his Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils: Illusion-Breaking Void: Origin Sight. It dispels illusions and disguises, reveals the flow of soul power, and makes an opponent’s openings easier to see.
• Chen Mo realizes his soul power has reached the peak of rank thirty and begins considering what soul beast to hunt for his third ring.
• Having passed the Level 1 Soul Engineer assessment, he earns full marks for the semester and is free from regular classes. Rather than rest, he asks Jing Hongchen to teach him Level 2 and Level 3 soul tools. Jing is impressed by his diligence and agrees to tutor him personally.
• Chen Mo visits the academy library for advanced soul-tool materials and books on soul beasts. The academy’s martial-soul collection is tiny compared with its soul-tool resources, highlighting the Sun Moon Empire’s imbalance between the two fields.
• A rule prevents first-year students from borrowing advanced materials without a lengthy approval process. Meng Hongchen intervenes by lending them under her own token.
• The two talk as they leave. Chen Mo gives Jing Hongchen the alias “Golden Toad” when describing his teacher. Meng is puzzled by the supposed Level 7 engineer but decides to ask her grandfather about him later.
• As they part, Meng remarks that her chances of winning seem good, hinting at a competition or contest not yet explained.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mo is shown to be intensely ambitious and self-directed: after succeeding at Level 1, he immediately pursues higher-level study and plans his third soul ring. He is also discreet about Jing Hongchen’s identity.
• Jing Hongchen is proud of Chen Mo’s talent and work ethic, and demonstrates his support by giving him personal instruction—even at the expense of time meant for other students.
• Meng Hongchen proves helpful and approachable by bypassing the library’s bureaucratic obstacle. Her curiosity about Chen Mo and her closing comment suggest she has her own interest in the situation.

Significant themes

• Relentless learning and ambition: Chen Mo treats each achievement as a starting point for the next challenge.
• Mentorship and recognition: Jing’s confidence in Chen Mo grows as he sees the boy’s discipline and ability.
• Institutional priorities and imbalance: The library’s vastly greater focus on soul tools than martial souls reflects the Sun Moon Empire’s neglect of martial-soul cultivation.
• Bureaucracy versus personal connections: A simple borrowing request becomes complicated by regulations, but Meng’s help resolves it quickly.

Plot points and events

• Meng Hongchen returns to her family’s manor and finds her grandfather, Jing Hongchen, studying the Level 1 Concentrated Ray Gun Chen Mo made for his assessment. Jing is impressed by Chen Mo’s small design changes, which inspire ideas for improving Soul Cannons.
• Meng tells Jing that Xiao Hongchen has gone into seclusion to prepare for the Level 5 Soul Engineer assessment. Chen Mo’s rapid progress has made Xiao fear being overtaken.
• Meng mentions Chen Mo’s teacher, “Golden Toad,” claiming to be Jing’s junior fellow disciple. Jing initially denies having any fellow disciples, then awkwardly confirms Golden Toad exists to cover up his own secret identity.
• That evening, Chen Mo senses someone tracking him. Using his Three-Flower Eyes: Truth-Piercing, he spots traces of soul power following his path, though no pursuers are visible. He hurries to his dorm and alerts Jing Hongchen.
• Before Jing can arrive, several black-robed figures enter Chen Mo’s room with a man who introduces himself as Park Guk-chang, dean of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy. Park says he has come to recruit Chen Mo.

Character development and interactions

• Jing’s interest in Chen Mo grows: he values both the student’s ingenuity and the new possibilities it suggests for Soul Tool design.
• Meng is impressed by Chen Mo’s looks, talent, diligence, and humility, and trusts him enough to defend his honesty. Jing notices her warm feelings toward him and begins considering the implications.
• Xiao’s ambition is rekindled by Chen Mo’s rapid advancement, prompting him to push for the next assessment.
• Chen Mo remains alert and resourceful, detecting the surveillance and seeking help, but is caught off guard by the brazen recruitment attempt.

Significant themes

• Talent and competition: Chen Mo’s progress motivates rivals and attracts outside academies.
• Innovation: Small refinements to a basic Soul Tool may lead to major advances in weapon design.
• Secrecy and deception: Jing’s concealed identity as Golden Toad leads to an awkward chain of lies.
• Trust and loyalty: Meng’s faith in Chen contrasts with Jing’s efforts to hide the truth.

Plot points and events

• Park Guk-chang, dean of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, sneaks into Chen Mo’s dorm and offers him an extravagant recruitment deal: core-disciple status, inner-academy access, and personal tutoring. When Chen Mo refuses, Park openly threatens to abduct him.
• Park explains that his academy’s Signal Scrambler defeated the security systems and claims Chen has no way to call for help. Chen stalls while hoping Jing Hongchen will arrive.
• Jing has not seen Chen’s warning because he left his communicator outside his laboratory. Meng Hongchen discovers the message and brings it to him; Jing rushes out.
• Park’s men move to seize Chen. Chen uses his Soul Skills to incapacitate several attackers briefly, then teleports out of the dorm.
• Chen runs toward a crowd and calls for help, but Park’s group catches up and orders him killed to avoid leaving evidence. Jing’s Level 9 Soul Tool, Hongchen’s Protection, automatically shields Chen from their attacks.
• Jing arrives furious, confronting Park with powerful Soul Tools. Park pretends he was merely trying to swat a “fly.” Chen recounts the threats and attack, prompting Jing to aim another Soul Cannon at Park and his men.

Character developments

• Chen Mo stays composed under pressure, buying time, fighting back, escaping, and making effective use of both his Soul Skills and Jing’s protective gift.
• Park Guk-chang reveals himself as coercive and ruthless: his recruitment offer quickly becomes an attempted kidnapping and murder. He then lies openly to evade responsibility.
• Jing Hongchen shifts from distracted research to fierce protectiveness and anger when he learns his prized student is in danger.
• Meng Hongchen helps trigger the rescue by noticing Chen’s unread message and bringing it to Jing.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus coercion: Park disguises a forced abduction as recruitment.
• Technology and power: Soul Tools enable both the intrusion and Chen’s protection, while Jing’s resources give him the advantage in the confrontation.
• Loyalty and protection: Jing’s earlier gift proves crucial, and his response underscores his commitment to Chen.
• Deception and accountability: Park tries to rewrite an unmistakable attack as harmless, but Chen’s account exposes his conduct.

Character interactions

• Park pressures Chen with promises, threats, and displays of force; Chen resists and exploits the time to escape.
• Meng alerts Jing to Chen’s message, enabling Jing to intervene.
• Chen and Jing turn the confrontation back on Park: Chen supplies the account, and Jing challenges Park’s denial with weapons ready.

Key plot points

• Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy dean Park Guk-chang arrives at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy at night with others to take Chen Mo by force. Jing Hongchen confronts them with three Level 9 Soul Tools.
• Park claims he came in good faith and invokes his imperial appointment. Jing counters that Park’s group trespassed and threatened his student, then lists the Sun Moon academy’s many advantages over Park’s.
• Park insists that Princess Xu Tianzhen ordered him to bring Chen Mo back alive. Jing doubts the claim but recognizes its political weight.
• Chen points out that Park’s men just tried to kill him. He uses the law against Park: killing a royal academy student is a capital offense, and killing a gifted student is treason.
• Chen then corners Park with a deliberately narrow choice: either the princess ordered the killing, making her a traitor, or Park disobeyed her and committed treason himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Jing Hongchen shifts from furious protector to cautious political actor when Park invokes the princess. He is willing to use lethal force, but Chen’s argument gives him a way to turn the confrontation back on Park.
• Park Guk-chang begins smug and confident, relying on his imperial connections and the princess’s supposed decree. Jing’s comparison of the academies unsettles him, and Chen’s accusations leave him exposed and speechless.
• Chen Mo shows quick thinking and a sharp, mischievous talent for exploiting an opponent’s words. He defends himself by converting Park’s claim of royal authority into a legal trap.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: Both deans invoke institutional prestige and imperial connections, while the encounter reveals how political authority can be used as leverage.
• Law as a weapon: Chen turns the law and Park’s own stated justification against him.
• Loyalty and protection: Jing’s defense of Chen reflects his commitment to his student and academy.
• Rivalry and reputation: The exchange over the schools’ relative merits reflects broader competition over which academy deserves imperial favor.