Chapter Summaries

Xu Cheng tested Wang Qiu’er’s new armor and watched her spar with Nana while planning to showcase his faction at the Academy Tournament. After hearing Wang Qiu’er describe Shrek Academy’s history of hunting soul beasts, he faced her question about whether soul spirits could extend a soul beast’s life.

• Xu Cheng showed Wang Qiu’er her new armor, and she tested it in a spar against Nana, defeating her after Nana’s stealth tactics failed.
• Xu Cheng told Nana that the Holy Spirit Cult would enter the Academy Tournament and said his faction, including members of the Mingyu Sect, would take part openly.
• Xu Cheng asked Wang Qiu’er how the Star Dou Great Forest viewed Shrek Academy, and she said it had killed many hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
• Wang Qiu’er asked Xu Cheng whether soul spirits could extend a soul beast’s life.

Mu En reappeared at Shrek Academy and fought Ye Xishui, leaving both sides badly wounded. Xu Cheng saw the battle as an opportunity to consolidate power in the Sun Moon Empire, while Dai Huabin met Tang San, who proposed forming a new Shrek Seven Devils.

• Mu En emerged in full strength at Shrek Academy and drove back the Holy Spirit Cult's forces.
• Ye Xishui summoned the Death God Tower and attacked Mu En, and their battle left both of them severely injured while Consecrator Crow returned unharmed.
• Xu Cheng learned of the losses and decided to summon the Provincial Dukes to Mingdu, strip them of military authority, and centralize power.
• Dai Huabin collapsed after a week of extreme training and mourned his dead family while Zhu Lu comforted him.
• Zhu Lu's brother arrived to speak with her, leaving Dai Huabin feeling abandoned.
• Tang San approached Dai Huabin and proposed forming the true Shrek Seven Devils.

Tang San recruited Dai Huabin to help rebuild the Shrek Seven Devils and planned to travel to the Sun Moon Empire to find the other candidates. Xu Cheng explained Soul Spirits to Wang Qiu'er, then tried to form a partnership contract with her, but the spell unexpectedly contracted the Silver Dragon King instead.

• Tang San defeated Dai Huabin in a fight, persuaded him to join his plan, and named the students he wanted for the rebuilt Shrek Seven Devils.
• Tang San proposed traveling to the Sun Moon Empire to find the missing candidates, while Dai Huabin vowed to kill his younger brother and Ju Zi.
• Xu Cheng told Wang Qiu'er that Soul Spirits could spare Soul Beasts from being hunted but might leave them exploited by humans.
• Wang Qiu'er asked to become Xu Cheng's Soul Spirit, but he offered her an equal partnership contract that would let them share cultivation and locate each other.
• Xu Cheng began casting the contract spell, but a dragon scale blocked its light, and the Silver Dragon King awoke in the Lake of Life, confused that someone had contracted with her.

Xu Cheng brought the Silver Dragon King to inspect the artificial soul ring project after she accepted their accidental contract and decided not to dissolve it. The researchers had produced a transparent soul ring that was only twenty minutes old, and the Silver Dragon King pledged five times the promised resources to advance the work.

• Electrolux explained that the Silver Dragon King could cancel her contract with Xu Cheng, but she chose to keep it for the time being after learning about his unusual allies and achievements.
• The Silver Dragon King inspected Di Tian's black scale, suppressed the annihilating power inside it, and asked Xu Cheng to take her to the Laboratory.
• Electrolux explained that Wang Qiu'er could also form a contract with Xu Cheng because the Silver Dragon King counted as a god rather than a soul beast.
• Elder Cheng showed the group the artificial soul ring machine and explained that it had produced a transparent ring with an age of twenty minutes.
• The Silver Dragon King apologized for her prejudice against humans and promised to increase the Star Dou Great Forest's research resources fivefold.

Zhao Yang persuaded Grand Duke Huihuang to consider rebellion, while the Heaven Soul emperor planned to unite the Dou Ling Empire and strengthen ties with the Body Sect. Xu Cheng arranged for Ye Cheng to protect Ye Guyi after discovering her angel martial soul, then selected her for the upcoming competition, leaving her alarmed to learn he was the Holy Spirit Cult’s Holy Son.

• Zhao Yang convinced Grand Duke Huihuang to use the secret carrier pigeons to contact the other grand dukes and pursue rebellion.
• The Heaven Soul emperor told Mu Xue that Heaven Dou would seek to unite with the Dou Ling Empire and recruit talent for the Body Sect through free martial soul awakenings.
• Shangguan Wei'er brought Ye Guyi before Xu Cheng, who asked her to reveal her martial soul and confirmed that she possessed an angel martial soul.
• Ye Cheng revealed his fallen angel martial soul and explained that he and Ye Guyi shared an angel bloodline, then pledged to protect and train her.
• Shangguan Wei'er presented the competition rules, and Xu Cheng agreed to them and chose Ye Guyi to compete after four years of training with Ye Cheng.
• Ye Cheng introduced Xu Cheng as the Holy Spirit Cult’s Holy Son, and Ye Guyi feared she had escaped one dangerous situation only to enter another.

Xu Cheng learned that the Sun Moon Empire's treasury had run dry and planned to seize wealth from the Provincial Dukes to fund his ambitions. Elder Kong recognized his leadership and gave him his personal collection of soul tools, before leaving Xu Cheng to face two identical women who were angry with him.

• Ye Cheng warned Ye Guyi to show Xu Cheng respect and stay out of trouble as they traveled through Mingdu.
• Xu Zhen told Xu Cheng that the treasury was empty after years of military and scientific spending, and Xu Cheng explained his plans to extract wealth from the Provincial Dukes.
• Xu Cheng said that squeezing the dukes would only fund a few years of work and that he also wanted resources from the Original Continent's Three Kingdoms.
• Elder Kong gave Xu Cheng a storage soul tool containing his personal collection, including more than a dozen Level 9 Soul Tools, as a sign of his trust.
• Elder Kong opened his office door, revealing two identical blue-haired women glaring indignantly at Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng introduced Wang Dong'er and Wang Qiu'er as sisters who shared an origin and encouraged their rivalry, while Wang Qiu'er stunned the arena by defeating a powerful Shrek student. He offered Ning Tian a dangerous chance to evolve her Martial Soul, and the chapter ended with former Shrek student Chen Zifeng declaring that he and his old classmates would be enemies next time they met.

• Xu Cheng explained to Wang Dong'er and Wang Qiu'er that they shared a soul-derived origin and that Tang San had plotted against them, prompting both girls to vow to surpass or kill him.
• Wang Qiu'er crushed a peak Soul Emperor from Shrek Inner Court in the dueling arena, then fought a Shrek Soul Saint to a draw.
• Xu Cheng comforted Wang Dong'er and offered Ning Tian a chance to evolve her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda; Ning Tian accepted despite the danger.
• Chen Zifeng argued with Shrek students over his move to Sun Moon Imperial Academy, invoked Xuan Zi to silence them, and warned that they would be enemies when they met again.
• Ma Xiaotao watched Chen Zifeng's confrontation from the arena while Xu Cheng noticed her in the crowd.

Xu Cheng watched Chen Zifeng leave Shrek, then dealt with a drunken Ma Xiaotao and visited Shangguan Wei'er's underground territory in Mingdu. The other underground factions wondered who her honored guest was, while Shangguan Wei'er presented Xu Cheng with three dragon maidens.

• Xu Cheng dismissed doubts about Chen Zifeng's defection and planned to use him as a weapon against Shrek.
• Ma Xiaotao got drunk on orange juice cocktails, revealed herself to Shrek disciples, and asked Xu Cheng to help with her evil fire.
• Xu Cheng and Ma Xiaotao were intimate as her Evil Fire Phoenix power flared and then subsided.
• Shangguan Wei'er led Xu Cheng through Mingdu's underground world to the Ordinary Alliance's heavily guarded district.
• Nangong Wan and another faction leader speculated about the identity and influence of Shangguan Wei'er's honored guest.
• Shangguan Wei'er presented three dragon maidens to Xu Cheng, who rejected the idea of using dragon blood to improve his martial soul.

Xu Cheng investigated the dragon maidens and presented Jing Hongchen with a plan to develop spatial folding technology, arguing that the Sun Moon Empire should first strengthen its foundations and prepare for future conflicts with gods. He left Jing Hongchen with a broader goal in mind: securing resources from the Three Kingdoms of the Original Continent to accelerate development.

• Xu Cheng examined the dragon maidens with his blood-red gaze, then ordered Shangguan Wei'er to send them away and warned her not to act on her own again.
• Electrolux told Xu Cheng that the dragon maidens’ dragon bloodlines seemed unnaturally precise, as though they had been artificially manufactured.
• Xu Cheng showed Jing Hongchen a feasibility study for a spatial folding Soul Guidance array, and Jing Hongchen realized it could potentially transport people as well as shells.
• Xu Cheng argued that spatial folding was too difficult to prioritize immediately, but insisted it had to be developed eventually because their future enemies would be gods.
• Xu Cheng told Jing Hongchen that they first needed to control resources and improve efficiency, then resolved to obtain resources from the Three Kingdoms of the Original Continent by other means.

Xu Cheng explained plans to use currency and Soul Power Condensation Blocks to harvest resources from the Original Three Kingdoms, then introduced the Starlink Railway Plan. He offered Wang Dong'er the rare Spirit Forging Master path, leaving her to consider a profession that might lead to divine ranks or a lifetime of fruitless work.

• Xu Cheng proposed anchoring Sun Moon Coins to standardized Soul Power Condensation Blocks and controlling their supply to draw rare metals from the Original Three Kingdoms.
• Xu Cheng outlined other schemes involving counterfeit coins, Artificial Soul Rings, and market manipulation, while Jing Hongchen agreed to improve the soul-power condensing technology.
• Elder Kong explained the Starlink Railway Plan to Wang Dong'er, describing a network of underground routes and stations intended to improve transport across the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Cheng visited Wang Dong'er, noted her cultivation progress, and offered her the chance to become a Spirit Forging Master.
• Xu Cheng told Wang Dong'er that Spirit Forging could produce artifacts rivaling high-level Soul Tools and might eventually lead her to the ranks of the gods.

Xu Cheng ordered Ju Zi to lead the Fire Phoenix Corps in crushing the rebellious dukes while he prepared to expand the Sun Moon Empire’s infrastructure. Nana also revealed that the dukes had neglected children’s education, leaving Xu Cheng to confront the empire’s entrenched inequality.

• Nana reported that seventeen dukes had come to Mingdu, while others had openly rebelled, delayed, or appeared to have joined the rebellion.
• Xu Cheng ordered Aunt Qing to deploy troops and appointed Ju Zi to lead the Fire Phoenix Corps against the rebels, with Wang Yiheng guarding the Mingdou Mountain Range.
• Xu Cheng discussed testing Ju Zi’s leadership and described plans for the Starlink Railway, including underground construction in Mingdu and eventual expansion across the empire and into the Deep Sea.
• Nana told Xu Cheng that children’s spirit awakening rates were only twenty percent in the ducal provinces she had investigated.
• Xu Cheng frowned at the dukes’ neglect of education and the stark gap between Mingdu’s advanced transport and the provinces’ reliance on horse-drawn carriages.

Ju Zi chose to launch a surprise assault on the rebel forces rather than risk a slow battle of attrition, determined to prove herself as a capable commander. As the attack began, a conscripted soul master spotted the unmanned soul tools overhead and shouted a warning.

• Ju Zi and her confidantes surveyed the rebel army and discussed its strength and the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Corps’ advantages.
• Biling urged Ju Zi to take the initiative, and Ju Zi decided to strike first with a full assault in half an hour.
• Soul masters in the bamboo forest mocked Mingdu’s forces and boasted about their chances against them.
• An elderly Soul Grandmaster heard the drones, recognized their weapons, and shouted that the enemy was attacking.

Ju Zi’s forces used unmanned soul tools and mechas to crush Grand Duke Huihuang’s army in a devastating assault. Grand Duke Huihuang fled with Zhao Yang, but Zhao Yang was shot down by mechas in the bamboo forest.

• Grand Duke Huihuang’s camp was devastated by a barrage from silver unmanned soul tools, and his soldiers struggled to identify the attackers.
• Linglong ordered the drones to shield themselves, lock onto targets, and detonate, killing three Soul Saints and nearly all the Soul Emperors caught in the blasts.
• Ju Zi’s crimson mechas attacked Grand Duke Huihuang and routed his army, while two dukes died and two were captured.
• Zhao Yang fled through the bamboo forest carrying his wounded father, Grand Duke Huihuang, after losing an arm and seeing their forces collapse.
• A mecha shot Zhao Yang through the chest, and he fell beneath the bamboo as the machines emerged from the shadows.

Ju Zi returned from a crushing victory, and Xu Cheng rewarded her before using the defeat of the rebellion to bring the grand dukes under his control. Meanwhile, Tang San and Dai Huabin arrived in Mingdu, where Tang San approached Ning Tian.

• Ju Zi reported that her forces had defeated the rebels and Xu Cheng praised her, then she asked him for a child.
• Nana guarded Xu Cheng and Ju Zi while they were together, as the grand dukes waited several days for Xu Cheng to receive them.
• Xu Cheng presented the heads of five executed rebel dukes and had Nana explain how Ju Zi's corps had defeated the rebel army.
• Xu Cheng told the grand dukes they could not return home and offered them a life of privilege in Mingdu without political authority; they agreed.
• Tang San and Dai Huabin arrived in Mingdu, spotted Ning Tian, and Tang San hurried over to introduce himself.

Ju Zi returned from the front to serve as Xu Cheng’s secretary, while Nana agreed to manage the Holy Spirit Cult as Ju Zi took charge of the Sun Moon Empire’s affairs. Meanwhile, Tang San tried and failed to recruit Ning Tian into the Shrek Seven Devils after she learned what Ning Rongrong had done ten thousand years earlier.

• Huo Qing urged Ju Zi to return to Xu Cheng and take over the Sun Moon Empire’s government work, while Nana managed the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Ju Zi returned to Xu Cheng, and he welcomed her back as his secretary and assigned her control of his forces within the empire.
• Nana welcomed Ju Zi as a sister and agreed to handle the Holy Spirit Cult while Ju Zi took charge of the empire’s forces and institutions.
• Xu Cheng, Ju Zi, and Nana reunited intimately in his room.
• Tang San invited Ning Tian to join the Shrek Seven Devils, but she rejected him after Dai Huabin explained that Ning Rongrong had refused to resurrect two members of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Xu Cheng used the Ultron Commerce Association to launch a fraudulent investment program that drew money from nobles across the Three Kingdoms. Shrek Academy invested two hundred million Gold Soul Coins, and Xu Cheng planned to draw it further into the scheme.

• The Silver Dragon King defended her decision to contract with Xu Cheng and said she would accompany him to Shrek Academy to protect him.
• Xu Cheng reassured Sun Moon Empire officials about its finances and ordered them to move quickly with an investment scheme targeting those who had money.
• Rumors of the Ultron Commerce Association's promise of fifty-percent returns in five days spread through the Heaven Soul Empire and attracted noble investors.
• Mu En approved Shrek Academy's investment of two hundred million Gold Soul Coins despite his doubts about the program.
• Xu Cheng learned Shrek had invested and decided to let it sink deeper into the scheme.

Xu Jiujiu investigated the sudden campaign blaming Tang San for the Three Kingdoms’ decline and recognized how the Sun Moon Empire’s growing power was reshaping public opinion. Meanwhile, Xu Cheng and Tang Ya entered Heaven Soul City, where Tang Ya was enraged by claims that Tang Sect Hidden Weapons used infant souls, and Xu Cheng planned to visit her ancestors and Shrek Academy.

• Xu Jiawei lamented Star Luo’s collapse and planned to raise funds by borrowing money and selling treasures so the empire could prepare for the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Jiujiu read the Star Luo Empire Royal Family Weekly’s accusations against Tang San, then requested newspapers from Shrek, Heaven Dou, and Dou Ling to investigate the broader shift in public opinion.
• Xu Jiujiu found that newspapers across the Three Kingdoms blamed Tang San for their troubles, while some writers praised the Sun Moon Empire and argued that Soul Tools would replace Martial Souls.
• Xu Cheng arrived in Heaven Dou City with Tang Ya, who flew into a rage after reading a newspaper claim that Tang Sect Hidden Weapons required infant souls.
• Xu Cheng explained that most people had not seen the movie exposing Tang San’s theft of Tang Sect techniques, then agreed to accompany Tang Ya to pay respects to her ancestors and visit Xiao at Shrek Academy.

Xu Cheng rejected Rong Nianbing’s renewed offer of godhood, then asked Gu Yuena to accompany him and Tang Ya to Shrek Academy. There, Gu Yuena detected a hidden demigod with a soul-beast aura, leading Xu Cheng to suspect that Ah Yin had awakened early.

• Tang San decided to seek cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult, hoping to find Ma Xiaotao and use Shrek’s reputation to turn the factions against one another.
• Xu Cheng and Tang Ya visited the ruined Tang Sect courtyard in Heaven Soul City, where Tang Ya cleaned the hall and paid respects at her parents’ graves.
• Rong Nianbing again urged Xu Cheng to inherit his godhood, but Xu Cheng questioned the limits and costs of divine immortality until Rong Nianbing vanished.
• Xu Cheng summoned the Silver Dragon King, who appeared as Gu Yuena and agreed to protect him and Tang Ya on their visit to Shrek Academy.
• Near Shrek Academy, Gu Yuena sensed a concealed demigod with a soul-beast aura, and Xu Cheng concluded that it was likely Ah Yin.

Tang San tried to recruit the Holy Spirit Cult and Shrek’s former students into a new Seven Devils team, but his plans met suspicion and rejection. Meanwhile, Xu Cheng revealed to Xiao Hongchen that he had orchestrated the investment frenzy that left Shrek Academy preparing to sell its treasures, and he planned to use his immense wealth to buy them.

• Tang San and Dai Huabin proposed an alliance against the Sun Moon Empire to the Holy Spirit Cult, and Nana ordered the cult to track their movements after they left.
• Tang San learned that Fan Yu had disappeared and that Shrek Academy had told Mo Xuan to hold steady, then tried to recruit Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan for his recreated Shrek Seven Devils.
• Jiang Nannan rejected the idea of playing Xiao Wu and threatened to kill Xu Sanshi if he bothered her again, while Tang San misread her feelings toward him.
• Mu En approved selling Shrek Academy’s treasures at auction after the academy recovered three hundred million Gold Soul Coins from its investment and prepared to raise more funds.
• Xu Cheng met Xiao Hongchen in Shrek City and disclosed that he had engineered the investment scheme, intending to spend his profits on Shrek’s treasures.

Xu Cheng met Xiao Hongchen in Shrek City, where they discussed the Sun Moon Empire and Xiao’s sister Meng Hongchen. Meanwhile, Wang Qiu’er dominated a competition match, Xu Tianzhen reunited with Huo Yuhao, and Xu Cheng received reports about Tang San’s scheming and the two younger students’ apparent romance.

• Xu Cheng and Xiao Hongchen joked over the restaurant’s Tang San-themed dishes before Xiao accused Xu Cheng of getting together with Meng Hongchen.
• Wang Qiu’er nearly killed Wei An after he flirted with her, but an elder intervened and stopped her attack.
• Xu Tianzhen faced Huo Yuhao in the next match, recognized him despite his changed appearance, and eagerly touched his face.
• Xu Cheng arrived in Shrek City with Tang Ya and Gu Yuena, took adjoining hotel rooms, and listened as An Ying reported Tang San’s attempts to recruit allies against the Sun Moon Empire.
• An Ying reported that Xu Tianzhen and Huo Yuhao seemed to have something going on, prompting Xu Cheng to demand more details.