Chapter Summaries

Jiang Hai and Chen Yong continued making money by baiting freshmen into fights, then entered Zhou Yi’s class, where she challenged the students to explain their recent fights. Zhou Yi exposed Chen Yong’s role in the clashes, but Jiang Hai defended them as paid sparring and refused to admit wrongdoing.

• Jiang Hai encouraged Chen Yong to challenge more freshmen, and Chen Yong earned another fifty-odd gold coins while improving his combat skills.
• Jiang Hai and Chen Yong went to Class One, where Jiang Hai chose a seat beside a pretty girl and later saw Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrive.
• Zhou Yi introduced herself as the homeroom teacher and ordered everyone who had not fought during registration to run a hundred laps or face expulsion.
• Zhou Yi kept Jiang Hai and Chen Yong behind, then questioned the students who had fought and learned that most had fought Chen Yong after he insulted them.
• Zhou Yi confronted Jiang Hai about challenging senior students and extorting money, but Jiang Hai claimed the encounters were sparring and that the students had willingly paid for guidance.

Zhou Yi expelled the eleven students who had reported Chen Yong and ordered the rest to run a hundred laps within two hours. Jiang Hai helped Huo Yuhao and three other struggling students finish, but Zhou Yi then expelled six more students, including Tai Long.

• Zhou Yi expelled Shangguan Chentian, Li Dan, Zhou Fu, and eight others for seeking revenge through their teachers or parents.
• Zhou Yi sent the remaining students to run a hundred laps and made Jiang Hai wear a hundred-kilogram Iron Garment.
• Jiang Hai paced Huo Yuhao, while Chen Yong ran ahead and overtook other students.
• As the deadline approached, Jiang Hai gathered Sun Yunhai and two other struggling students and led them across the finish line.
• Zhou Yi called out Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao, Tai Long, Zhuge Yun, and Yun Xiaopiao, then told them to leave.

Zhou Yi expelled students who had cheated during the hundred-lap run, then began teaching the remaining class about attack, defense, and soul tools. She praised Jiang Hai’s exceptional physical fitness and announced that the class would spend the next three months training their bodies.

• Zhou Yi expelled seventeen students for failing to complete the hundred laps honestly, while the remaining students returned to class.
• Jiang Hai took Chen Yong, Sun Yunhai, Wang Cheng, and Du Gang to bathe in Sea God Lake, then nearly suffocated because he had jumped in wearing his heavy Iron Garment.
• Zhou Yi asked Huo Yuhao to state his soul power level and explained that he was a specially invited student who would face all future assessments like everyone else.
• Wang Dong and Jiang Hai gave contrasting answers about which soul master systems favored attack or defense, and Zhou Yi criticized both while explaining how soul tools blurred the distinction.
• Zhou Yi praised Jiang Hai’s physical fitness and told the class that physical training would be the focus for the next three months.

After being named Class One's acting monitor, Jiang Hai helped Sun Yunhai, Wang Cheng, and Liu Gang discover promising ways to develop their martial souls. The new group grew more confident in Jiang Hai's guidance as they prepared for their studies and physical conditioning.

• Zhou Yi appointed Jiang Hai acting class monitor, dismissed the class, and told Huo Yuhao to stay behind.
• Sun Yunhai asked Jiang Hai and the others for advice about his cloud martial soul and demonstrated his Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion skill.
• Jiang Hai showed Sun Yunhai how to use the cloud to imitate people and create deceptive shapes and illusions, giving Sun Yunhai new ideas for battle.
• Jiang Hai advised Wang Cheng to build strength and train with his Iron Shuo as a cavalry weapon, then demonstrated its sweeping techniques.
• Jiang Hai encouraged Liu Gang to practice swordsmanship diligently and seek the essence of the sword for himself.

Jiang Hai endured Zhou Yi’s weighted running trial, inspiring his classmates, then broke through to Soul Power rank sixteen while cultivating beneath Sea God Lake. When Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived at the shore, Jiang Hai sensed Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao approaching and warned them to get back.

• Jiang Hai ran laps carrying his Bronze Coffin and iron garment, pushing himself to the limit as the coffins refined Lin Youtian’s corpse.
• Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and several other students persevered until the bell rang, and Zhou Yi announced that no one would be expelled.
• A white-robed Soul Saint used his Tree of Life to heal the exhausted students, who then celebrated Jiang Hai and began to feel a stronger sense of belonging.
• Jiang Hai entered his Bronze Coffin beneath Sea God Lake and cultivated until his Soul Power advanced from rank fifteen to rank sixteen.
• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived at the lakeshore, where Jiang Hai warned them to retreat as Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao approached through the lake.

Jiang Hai used his Bronze Coffin to contain Ma Xiaotao during an outbreak of her evil fire, while protecting Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong from the rampaging Inner Court student. After Zhang Lexuan stopped a teacher from attacking Jiang Hai, Ma Xiaotao recovered and told Yan Shaozhe that Jiang Hai might be able to help resolve her evil fire.

• Ma Xiaotao charged across Sea God Lake in a frenzy, and Jiang Hai struck her with the Bronze Coffin while Huo Yuhao shared his Spiritual Detection with him.
• The Bronze Coffin failed to stop Ma Xiaotao, and Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao were drawn inside as Jiang Hai sealed her in the Golden Coffin and borrowed her strength to suppress her evil fire.
• Teacher Chen attacked the Bronze Coffin, but Zhang Lexuan intervened and identified Jiang Hai as her friend before he emerged with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
• A white-robed elder treated Ma Xiaotao, who woke and thanked Jiang Hai, while Zhang Lexuan healed Jiang Hai with her Tree of Life.
• Ma Xiaotao told Yan Shaozhe that she believed Jiang Hai could help resolve her evil fire, and Yan Shaozhe concluded their abilities might complement each other.

After recovering from Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire, Jiang Hai concealed the secrets of his Golden Coffin from the academy and gained a sharp boost to his cultivation. Ma Xiaotao later proposed a deal: she would protect him in exchange for access to his martial soul so she could cultivate inside it and have him suppress her evil fire.

• The white-robed Soul Saint healed Jiang Hai, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong, then warned them to keep the incident secret and gave them compensation.
• Jiang Hai told Zhang Lexuan that his Golden Coffin had let him borrow Ma Xiaotao’s strength to suppress her evil fire, and she asked him to help Ma Xiaotao and warned him not to be consumed by power.
• Jiang Hai’s soul power rose to level eighteen, and after reflecting on Lin Youtian’s death, he felt his lingering burden lift.
• Jiang Hai threw himself into his theory classes, eager to build his knowledge of martial souls and soul beasts.
• Ma Xiaotao visited Jiang Hai by Sea God Lake, tested the Bronze and Golden Coffins, and confirmed that they suppressed her evil fire while drawing in some of her soul power.
• After Jiang Hai explained that frequent treatments could kill him without Mystic Water Pills, Ma Xiaotao offered to protect him if he let her cultivate inside his martial soul whenever she wished.

During the freshmen’s first three months, Jiang Hai advanced to level 20 while Ma Xiaotao reached level 70, and she offered to take him hunting for his second soul ring after the assessment. Zhou Yi explained the upcoming team-based freshman assessment, which would determine which students could remain at Shrek Academy.

• Ma Xiaotao repeatedly cultivated inside Jiang Hai’s Golden Coffin, helping his soul power rise rapidly as he cultivated on his own.
• After three months, Ma Xiaotao reached level 70 and offered to take Jiang Hai hunting for a soul ring, but Jiang Hai chose to wait until after the freshman assessment.
• Jiang Hai and the other fifty-seven students gathered in Class One, where Zhou Yi praised Jiang Hai and Huo Yuhao and asked everyone to choose a cultivation direction.
• Jiang Hai selected the support system, surprising Chen Yong, who then submitted his own choice.
• Zhou Yi announced that the assessment would use three-person team battles, prohibit teams from having two power attack-system Soul Masters, and advance the top sixty-four teams to an elimination tournament.

Zhou Yi assigned the students to teams for the Freshman Assessment, separating Jiang Hai from Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. She challenged both teams over their unusual specialization choices, then agreed to register Jiang Hai’s team as support soul masters despite his plan to use deception in battle.

• Zhou Yi gave Song Qinghan the option to join the Soul Tool Department and assigned Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong to Team One, while Jiang Hai, Sun Yunhai, and Chen Yong became Team Two.
• Zhou Yi questioned Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao about choosing control specializations, and Xiao Xiao revealed that she had twin martial souls.
• Jiang Hai explained that his team had chosen support specializations to mislead opponents, arguing that surprise could help them win.
• Zhou Yi warned Jiang Hai that the academy would not permit deception in student fights, but agreed to register all three as support soul masters and demanded that their teams place in the top three.

Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai began the freshman assessment and won their first match by using Sun Yunhai’s illusion to trick their opponents. Their deception drew the interest of academic affairs teacher Luo Hong, who decided to keep watching them.

• Chen Yong predicted the trio would win the assessment, while Jiang Hai warned him not to underestimate their opponents and prepared to develop tactics.
• The freshman assessment began with a ten-match round robin, and Jiang Hai’s team was assigned to Section Forty-Nine for its first match.
• Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai used Sun Yunhai’s Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to make Jun Jian and the Huang brothers believe they had been gruesomely killed, then kicked the distracted boys off the arena.
• Jun Jian accused the trio of cheating, but Luo Hong ruled that they had broken no rules and ordered the assessment to continue.
• Luo Hong became curious about the trio’s abilities and decided to observe them before considering whether to report them to the academy.

Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai won all four of their second-day assessment matches through deceptive tactics, extending their record to five straight wins. Ma Xiaotao warned them that their weak area might be dissolved and that they could face stronger teams the next day.

• Ma Xiaotao scolded Jiang Hai and his friends for their dirty tactics, then took Jiang Hai to Sea God Lake to help suppress her evil fire while he cultivated inside the Bronze Coffin.
• Jiang Hai's team won all four matches on the assessment's second day while using tricks and concealing most of their strength.
• Luo Hong watched the team and grew frustrated that she had seen little of Jiang Hai and Chen Yong's abilities.
• Ma Xiaotao told Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai that several freshmen had reached Soul Elder and warned that their area might be dissolved, sending them to face stronger teams.
• Jiang Hai told Sun Yunhai to rest for the next day's matches and insisted that their schemes were tactics.

Jiang Hai’s team challenged the seeded Ning Tian Team in the Ninth District and used Sun Yunhai’s illusion to make their three Support System Soul Masters appear to wield Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas. The trick distracted their opponents long enough for Jiang Hai’s trio to launch a surprise attack, leaving Ning Tian, Nanmen Yun’er, and Wu Feng furious and embarrassed.

• Jiang Hai encouraged Sun Yunhai and Chen Yong to face the seeded team without relying on him, then led them into the arena against Ning Tian, Nanmen Yun’er, and Wu Feng.
• Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai introduced themselves and showed interest in Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun’er, while Ning Tian revealed that she was a Level 31 Support System Tool Soul Elder.
• Jiang Hai’s trio and Ning Tian summoned what appeared to be four Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas, shocking the referee, Mu Jin, and the spectators.
• Sun Yunhai used his Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to make the trio’s pagodas look genuine, and Zhou Yi stopped Mu Jin from warning the opposing team.
• Jiang Hai’s trio used the illusions as cover to kick Ning Tian, Nanmen Yun’er, and Wu Feng into the air, then revealed themselves as the girls confronted them.

Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er fought Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai while Jiang Hai appeared to sit out the match, but the teams’ tactics and Sun Yunhai’s illusions kept the battle uncertain. Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er were eliminated after attacking an illusion of Jiang Hai, and the referee declared Jiang Hai’s team the winner.

• Ning Tian was ruled out after Jiang Hai’s kick had sent her beyond the arena, while Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er attacked Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai.
• Chen Yong’s Black Iron Body let him withstand Wu Feng’s Dragon’s Fire as the two fought to a standstill.
• Sun Yunhai used Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to surround Nanmen Yun'er with duplicates bearing the martial souls of people he knew.
• Wu Feng unleashed Dragon’s Wrath, and Nanmen Yun'er noticed that the heat disrupted Sun Yunhai’s cloud illusions.
• Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er coordinated an attack on Jiang Hai, but their strikes passed through an illusion and a force sent both out of the arena.
• The referee realized the apparent Jiang Hai had been Sun Yunhai’s illusion and announced Jiang Hai’s team as the winner.

Mu Jin analyzed Ning Tian’s team’s loss to Jiang Hai’s team, while Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai finished the round-robin undefeated and earned the nickname Shrek’s Three Shameless Ones. Zhou Yi warned them that several teams, including Huo Yuhao’s, could threaten them in the ranking stage.

• Mu Jin told Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er to learn from their defeat, and Ning Tian identified the illusion that had let Jiang Hai’s team take the initiative.
• Mu Jin explained Sun Yunhai’s record and Jiang Hai and Chen Yong’s strength, then ordered Ning Tian to study Jiang Hai’s matches and prepare countermeasures.
• Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai won their remaining matches, including one in which Sun Yunhai impersonated the referee, and gained the nickname Shrek’s Three Shameless Ones.
• The round-robin stage ended with 150 teams remaining, and 64 set to advance to the ranking stage.
• Zhou Yi praised Jiang Hai’s team but warned that at least three teams could challenge them, including Huo Yuhao’s team, and asked them to give classmates a full-strength battle.

Jiang Hai asked Zhou Yi to help him study soul tools, but she postponed the decision until after the elimination rounds. Ma Xiaotao then put him through grueling combat training, and she was waiting to train him again after class on the eve of his match.

• Zhou Yi offered Jiang Hai, Chen Yong, and Sun Yunhai a reward, and Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai asked her to help Jiang Hai obtain a soul ring.
• Jiang Hai explained that Ma Xiaotao had already promised to take him to the Star Dou Great Forest for his second soul ring, then asked Zhou Yi to let him study soul tools with Fan Yu.
• Zhou Yi advised against studying soul tools and postponed the decision, while Ma Xiaotao angrily insisted that Jiang Hai belonged in the Martial Soul Department.
• Ma Xiaotao took Jiang Hai to the combat training hall and battered him through an intensive training session, impressed by his strength and rapid improvement.
• The next day, Jiang Hai attended Zhou Yi's final class before the students were reassigned, then found Ma Xiaotao waiting to train him again despite his match the following day.

Jiang Hai and his friends entered the Freshman Assessment knockout rounds, where his team drew Liu Gang’s team for its first match. Sun Yunhai’s illusions and Chen Yong’s attack unsettled their opponents, but Liu Gang responded with a swift, dangerous thrust at Chen Yong, leaving the bout unresolved.

• Jiang Hai met Chen Yong, Sun Yunhai, Liu Gang, and Wang Cheng before the knockout rounds, and Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived late and were ordered to sweep the academy grounds.
• Jiang Hai drew Arena One, where his team would face Liu Gang’s team, and told Liu Gang and Wang Cheng he would fight seriously.
• The match began, and Chen Yong charged while Sun Yunhai used Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to confuse Zhao Zhi, Liu Gang, and Wang Cheng.
• Liu Gang used Green Steel Sword Ray and Sword Energy: Eight Directions to reveal Chen Yong’s position and break through the illusions.
• Liu Gang followed with a fast sword thrust that impressed Du Weilun and threatened Chen Yong.

Jiang Hai’s team defeated Liu Gang’s team in the first knockout round, advancing to the top thirty-two after Chen Yong revealed the power of his second Soul Skill. The team stayed to study the other matches, and Jiang Hai agreed to treat them to lunch.

• Chen Yong used Sun Yunhai’s Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to attack Liu Gang, but Wang Cheng’s lance forced him to retreat.
• Liu Gang directed Zhao Zhi to restrain Sun Yunhai, disrupting the illusion and leaving Chen Yong without support.
• Chen Yong unleashed Bear Dominates the World, stunned Liu Gang and Wang Cheng, and knocked Liu Gang off the platform.
• Chen Yong stopped his punch before Wang Cheng’s face, and Wang Cheng conceded; Zhao Zhi then surrendered to Chen Yong.
• The referee announced Jiang Hai’s team had won and advanced to the top thirty-two, and Jiang Hai invited the team to lunch.

Jiang Hai's team advanced through the afternoon match, while Xuan Zi noticed Jiang Hai's concealed soul power and discussed his talent with Ma Xiaotao. The chapter left Jiang Hai competing in the round of sixteen as Xuan Zi showed interest in him.

• Jiang Hai, Huo Yuhao, and their classmates reviewed the morning match while cultivating by Sea God Lake, then Jiang Hai treated them to lunch.
• Jiang Hai's team defeated three Soul Grandmasters in Arena Nine, as Chen Yong attacked through Sun Yunhai's Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion.
• Ma Xiaotao greeted Xuan Zi in the stands, and he recognized that she had reached level seventy after suppressing her evil fire.
• Ma Xiaotao pointed out Jiang Hai competing in Arena Eight, and Xuan Zi sensed that Jiang Hai's actual soul power was approaching level twenty-three.
• Xuan Zi praised Jiang Hai's talent and teased Ma Xiaotao about taking him to obtain his second soul ring, leaving her to protest that she was not unreliable.

Jiang Hai’s team swiftly won its match, and Shrek’s staff debated which students deserved Core Disciple status. Ma Xiaotao encouraged Jiang Hai and his teammates to reach the final four, while Jiang Hai reflected on the responsibilities that came with Core Disciple privileges.

• Xuan Zi stopped a stray blade from striking Xie Huanyue and warned Ma Xiaotao to be careful with Jiang Hai during training.
• Jiang Hai and Sun Yunhai’s team defeated their opponents in about a minute, with Jiang Hai knocking two students off the arena without using his martial soul.
• Du Weilun named five students, including Jiang Hai, as potential Outer Court Core Disciples but excluded Huo Yuhao, prompting Zhou Yi to defend him and Fan Yu to offer him a place in the Soul Tool Department.
• Zhou Yi told Fan Yu that Jiang Hai also wanted to study soul tools, and Fan Yu agreed to raise the possibility despite the academy’s preference for the Martial Soul Department.
• Ma Xiaotao told Jiang Hai’s team to reach the final four and explained that Core Disciples were expected to enter the Inner Court, while Jiang Hai privately considered their added responsibilities.

Jiang Hai’s team faced Huang Chutian and the Lan sisters in the assessment’s top-eight round. After a staged defeat and a deception involving an impersonated referee, Jiang Hai’s team was declared the winner and advanced to the final four.

• Huang Chutian’s team and Jiang Hai’s team introduced themselves, then began fighting as Chen Yong clashed with Huang Chutian and the Lan sisters restrained Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai with their hair.
• Huang Chutian struck Chen Yong, and the referee declared Chen Yong eliminated; the Lan sisters then bound Sun Yunhai while Huang Chutian attacked Jiang Hai.
• The referee declared Jiang Hai and Sun Yunhai eliminated, and Huang Chutian’s team celebrated its apparent victory.
• Huang Chutian realized something was wrong, but a referee look-alike kicked him off the arena, prompting the real referee to announce that Jiang Hai’s team had won.
• Jiang Hai and Sun Yunhai revealed that they had impersonated the referee, and Du Weilun ruled that their tactic did not violate the assessment rules.