Chapter Summaries

Xiao Zi built Li Lezi’s reputation and profited by betting on Dai Huabin’s wager, while Huo Yuhao’s twin martial souls sparked a dispute between the academy’s departments. Dai Yueheng confronted Xiao Zi about his role in the wager and questioned his earlier demands of Dai Huabin.

• Yan Shaozhe summoned Huo Yuhao to investigate his second martial soul, and the academy’s departments disputed whether he should become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department or the Martial Soul Department.
• Xiao Zi’s support of Huo Yuhao and his wager against Dai Huabin improved Li Lezi’s reputation, while Xiao Xiao, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo placed bets for him.
• Xiao Zi wondered why the White Tiger Duke’s Mansion had not acted, and Mu En returned to the dormitory and offered to mediate between the classmates.
• Dai Yueheng met Xiao Zi in Dai Huabin’s dormitory and asked why he had encouraged Dai Huabin to raise the wager instead of stopping him.
• Xiao Zi blamed Dai Huabin’s change in behavior on his encounter with Huo Yuhao, and Dai Yueheng then asked why Xiao Zi had demanded a Soul Bone and required Dai Huabin to kneel and kowtow.

Xiao Zi persuaded Dai Yueheng to let him keep Dai Huabin’s lost soul bone and asked him to help prevent Dai Huabin from kneeling to Huo Yuhao. After Dai Yueheng left, Ling Luochеn checked on Xiao Zi, and he gave her the ice-type soul bone to strengthen her before the Soul Master Tournament.

• Xiao Zi admitted responsibility for the wager and offered Dai Yueheng the soul bone, but Dai Yueheng told him to keep it and continue guiding Dai Huabin.
• Xiao Zi urged Dai Yueheng to intervene so Dai Huabin would not kneel to Huo Yuhao and disgrace the Duke's Mansion.
• Ling Luochеn arrived to check whether Dai Yueheng had mistreated Xiao Zi, and Dai Yueheng tactfully left them alone.
• Xiao Zi gave Ling Luochеn the twenty-thousand-year ice-type soul bone, arguing it would improve Shrek Academy's chances in the upcoming tournament.

During the Upgrade Assessment, Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin’s teams competed for the highest score while Xiao Zi prepared a way to keep Dai Huabin from having to kowtow if he lost. Xiao Zi’s turn ended with him devouring a thousand-year-old Golden Lion-Tiger, leaving the arena stunned and Gong Changlong devastated.

• Wang Dong scored 100 after losing her advanced points, Xiao Xiao earned a score near 100, and Huo Yuhao gained the full 150 by defeating a thousand-year-old Flame Lion King with his Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul.
• Dai Huabin scored 145 against a Wind Tiger, and Zhu Lu earned a similar score to Xiao Xiao against a soul beast approaching a thousand years old.
• Xiao Zi’s advice brought Dai Yueheng to the arena, where he asked Yan Shaozhe to look out for Dai Huabin, giving Xiao Zi a backup plan to prevent Dai Huabin from having to kowtow.
• Xiao Zi chose a thousand-year-old Golden Lion-Tiger and released his juvenile Golden Horned Beast martial soul, revealing two purple soul rings and rank-twenty-eight soul power.
• Xiao Zi used his first soul skill, Devour, and the Golden Horned Beast swallowed the Golden Lion-Tiger whole, prompting Gong Changlong to cry out in anguish.

The advancement assessment ended in a tie after Yan Shaozhe adjusted the scores, and Dai Yueheng settled the wager by giving Huo Yuhao’s group a soul bone as an apology. Later, Xiao Zi spotted Ma Xiaotao by Sea God Lake and told Qian Renxue he had a plan involving her.

• Gong Changlong complained after Li Lezi swallowed the thousand-year Golden Lion-Tiger, and Yan Shaozhe deducted most of Li Lezi’s advanced points while giving him full basic marks.
• The teams’ scores tied, preventing Huo Yuhao from forcing Dai Huabin to apologize publicly and fulfill the wager.
• Dai Yueheng reprimanded Dai Huabin and offered a soul bone as an apology, which Xiao Zi accepted and gave to Wang Dong.
• Xiao Zi counted his wealth, noted the upcoming Treasure Appraisal Fair, and learned that everyone in his classroom had passed the advancement assessment.
• Xiao Zi saw Ma Xiaotao near Sea God Lake and told Qian Renxue that he had devised a plan involving her.

Xiao Zi used his Golden Horned Beast to suppress Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire, hoping to gain Shrek Academy’s trust and later negotiate for the Golden Tree’s essence. Ma Xiaotao’s relief left her clinging to him as the scene ended in the Black Room.

• Xiao Zi told Qian Renxue he planned to help Ma Xiaotao purge her Evil Fire and use her as a bridge to Shrek Academy.
• Xiao Zi lured Ma Xiaotao to the lake, where she attacked him during an Evil Fire flare-up and they fell into the water.
• Xiao Zi introduced himself as Li Lezi and claimed he could solve Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire problem.
• Ma Xiaotao brought Xiao Zi to the Black Room, where he used the Golden Horned Beast to devour and suppress her Evil Fire.
• Ma Xiaotao, overwhelmed by relief and warmth, clung to Xiao Zi as Qian Renxue sealed off the Sea of Consciousness.

Xiao Zi absorbed Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire, strengthened his cultivation, and used their encounter to advance his plans. After Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochе fought over him, he met with Yan Shaozhe, who began viewing him as a potential son-in-law, and left the dean’s office only to encounter someone else.

• Ma Xiaotao woke beside Xiao Zi, apologized for leaving him unconscious, and promised to protect him after he pretended to be weak.
• After Ma Xiaotao left to request his leave, Xiao Zi found his soul power had risen to the peak of rank twenty-nine and discussed his plan with Qian Renxue.
• Ling Luochе rushed over to check on Xiao Zi, and Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochе began arguing after she returned.
• Xiao Zi used a visit to Yan Shaozhe as an excuse to escape the quarrel, and Yan Shaozhe privately considered him a potential son-in-law.
• Xiao Zi praised Shrek to Yan Shaozhe, left without receiving a gift, and ran into someone outside the office.

Xiao Zi accepted Wang Dong’s invitation to the Treasure Appraisal Fair and went shopping with her before cultivating toward a breakthrough. At the fair, he clashed with Xu Sanshi over Xu’s pursuit of Jiang Nannan, and Jiang Nannan arrived just as Xu prepared to strike.

• Wang Dong gave Xiao Zi an invitation to the Treasure Appraisal Fair and persuaded him to go into the city with her.
• Xiao Zi returned to his dormitory and cultivated after his Soul Power reached the peak of rank twenty-nine.
• Xiao Zi attended the fair at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion with Dai Huabin and the others, where he looked over the treasures.
• Xu Sanshi mocked Xiao Zi as Dai Huabin’s lackey and asked him to help choose a gift for Jiang Nannan.
• Xiao Zi insulted Xu Sanshi and shoved him back, prompting Xu to prepare to strike.
• Jiang Nannan arrived and called for Xu Sanshi to stop.

Xiao Zi browsed the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, buying valuable items to strengthen himself and securing the Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone. He left the exhibition in high spirits with several useful acquisitions stored in his Soul Tool.

• Bei Bei intervened to calm Xu Sanshi, and Xiao Zi reassured Jiang Nannan that he would help if Xu Sanshi bothered her again.
• Xiao Zi bought ten-thousand-year whale rubber after Qian Renxue identified its value for strengthening his body and meridians.
• Xiao Zi purchased several Soul Ascension Pills to raise his soul power and give some away as gifts.
• Xiao Zi prepared to buy the Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone, but Wang Dong revealed that she wanted it and then yielded it to him because he had given her a Soul Bone before.
• Xiao Zi paid for the Soul Bone with his own savings, stored it in his Soul Tool, and continued browsing the fair.

Xiao Zi sought an ice-attribute herb to help him win the Snow Empress’s trust and found a ten-thousand-year snow lotus at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. Ma Xiaotao used her free selection to buy it for him, then took him back to the secret chamber to soothe him and treat her evil fire.

• Xiao Zi and Qian Renxue decided that a medicinal herb might help restore the weakened Snow Empress and earn her trust.
• Xiao Zi argued with a Treasure Gathering Pavilion staff member to see the ice-attribute herbs before closing.
• Ma Xiaotao intervened and made the staff member bring out a catalog of the herbs.
• Xiao Zi chose a ten-thousand-year snow lotus, and Ma Xiaotao used her yearly free selection to obtain it for him.
• Xiao Zi told Ma Xiaotao a half-true story about how he had earned his money and asked her to keep it secret.
• Ma Xiaotao took Xiao Zi to the secret chamber, comforted him, and dealt with her accumulated evil fire.

Xiao Zi consumed ten-thousand-year whale glue and a Soul Ascension Pill to break through to rank thirty, but their excessive yang energy overwhelmed him. Qian Renxue intervened in his Sea of Consciousness, where their souls fused their divine powers into a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

• Xiao Zi sealed his dorm room, melted the ten-thousand-year whale glue, and swallowed it before taking the Soul Ascension Pill.
• Xiao Zi used Five Hearts Facing the Sky to absorb the two treasures, broke through the rank-thirty bottleneck, and strengthened his body.
• The excess yang energy left Xiao Zi feverish and unable to control himself, while Qian Renxue called to him from the Sea of Consciousness.
• Qian Renxue used Out-of-Body Soul to calm Xiao Zi, and the Sea of Consciousness formed a golden-and-purple ocean that cooled them with angel divine power.
• Qian Renxue guided their souls as Xiao Zi's destruction divine power and her Six-Winged Angel divine power fused completely into a soul-based Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

After reaching soul power level thirty, Xiao Zi declined Babata’s invitation to travel to Swallowed Star and planned to avoid Shrek’s core disciple selection tournament. He arranged for Dai Huabin to take his place while he prepared to visit Star Luo City and seek the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.

• Xiao Zi ignored Babata’s message about traveling to Swallowed Star for an assessment and went to class instead.
• Mu Jin announced that Shrek’s Outer Court core disciple selection tournament would begin in three days and told Xiao Zi that the academy hoped he would reach the top seven.
• Xiao Zi decided to appear at the tournament but get eliminated, freeing himself to pursue his own plans while Shrek focused on the upcoming Soul Master Tournament.
• Xiao Zi planned to visit Star Luo City and buy the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife at the Starlight Auction House.
• Xiao Zi instructed Dai Huabin to take his place in the selection tournament, advising him to contact Xiao Zi or Ma Xiaotao if he ran into trouble.

Shrek’s core disciples began a battle royale assessment in a shifting maze, where the last seven contestants would advance. Xiao Zi avoided fighting directly, provoked Xu Sanshi, and considered how to help Dai Huabin while deciding whether to sabotage Xu Sanshi.

• Mu Jin gathered the core disciples at the Soul Fighting Zone, where Xuan Zi announced a battle royale with only seven winners.
• Xuan Zi started the assessment, and moving walls divided the arena into a shifting maze that forced contestants to form alliances and keep moving.
• Xiao Zi avoided drawing attention while Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu allied with Ning Tian’s group, and He Caitou’s soul tools eliminated Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan.
• Xiao Zi tripped Xu Sanshi to provoke him, then continued searching for allies as the maze separated them again.
• Xiao Zi planned to help Dai Huabin advance and considered sabotaging Xu Sanshi before the assessment ended.

Xiao Zi intervened when Jiang Nannan was close to being eliminated, then fought alongside her in the battle royale. After they defeated their opponents, Xu Sanshi arrived, misunderstood their closeness, and attacked Xiao Zi.

• Xiao Zi entered the battle royale and helped Jiang Nannan defeat a Ghost Sunflower soul master with his Golden Horned Beast martial soul.
• Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo watched Xiao Zi's fight and praised the Golden Horned Beast's abilities.
• Xiao Zi and Jiang Nannan joined forces to defeat She Yunfei and the other students, earning a brief respite.
• Xiao Zi brushed dust from Jiang Nannan's shoulder, and Xu Sanshi mistook the gesture for romantic intimacy.
• Jiang Nannan rebuked Xu Sanshi, who ignored her and attacked Xiao Zi.

Xiao Zi manipulated Xu Sanshi’s jealousy and anger, provoking him into attacking while Jiang Nannan chose to protect Xiao Zi. Xiao Zi lured Xu Sanshi through the maze and left him furious and exhausted, setting up their next confrontation.

• Xu Sanshi confronted Xiao Zi for getting close to Jiang Nannan, but Xiao Zi played the victim and Jiang Nannan ordered Xu Sanshi to leave.
• Xiao Zi provoked Xu Sanshi into using Xuanming Displacement, dodged his attack, and struck him with the Golden Horned Beast’s power.
• Xu Sanshi retaliated with the Mysterious Underworld Shield Formation, sending Xiao Zi flying and prompting Jiang Nannan to rush to help him.
• Xiao Zi kept Xu Sanshi enraged with taunts and deliberately let him chase through the maze, dodging his shields while wearing him down.
• Xiao Zi stopped running after Xu Sanshi challenged him to fight head-on.

Xiao Zi baited Xu Sanshi into a fight while Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu waited to ambush him, then unleashed the Golden Horned Beast’s enhanced power. The battle left Xu Sanshi battered and nearly devoured, while Xiao Zi deliberately kept control of the situation.

• Xiao Zi contacted Dai Huabin through his Soul Imprint and lured Xu Sanshi toward Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu’s hiding place.
• Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu agreed to wait for an opportunity to ambush Xu Sanshi and help Li Lezi.
• Xu Sanshi trapped Xiao Zi with the Mysterious Underworld Shield Formation, but the Golden Horned Beast escaped his attacks.
• Xiao Zi used Devour and Enhancement, allowing the Golden Horned Beast to overpower Xu Sanshi and break his shield formation.
• Xu Sanshi nearly fell into the Golden Horned Beast’s mouth, but Xiao Zi used Xuanming Displacement to switch their positions and prevent him from being eaten.
• Xiao Zi stopped pretending to flee and traded blows with Xu Sanshi while Xuan Zi watched from the stands.

Xiao Zi secretly arranged for Dai Huabin to eliminate Xu Sanshi, then faked his own defeat to help Dai Huabin enter the final circle. Shrek’s senior leadership accepted Dai Huabin as a candidate for the Shrek Seven Devils, leaving Xiao Zi pleased with how his plans had unfolded.

• Xu Sanshi began to unleash Xuanwu's Descent, but Xiao Zi struck him from behind with Rend Heaven and Earth and disrupted the technique.
• Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu attacked the weakened Xu Sanshi, and Dai Huabin eliminated him with White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.
• Xiao Zi pretended to collapse from exhaustion, allowing the Maze to eliminate him while Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu entered the final circle.
• Huo Yuhao reacted with shock and anger when he learned Dai Huabin had eliminated Xu Sanshi.
• Cai Mei'er objected to the battle royale's results, but Xuan Zi dismissed her concerns and backed Dai Huabin for the Shrek Seven Devils.
• Xiao Zi heard Shrek’s senior leadership accept Dai Huabin and secretly celebrated the outcome.

The grand melee ended with Dai Huabin taking the final roster spot after Zhu Lu forfeited, leaving Huo Yuhao and Shrek’s leaders unhappy with the result. Xiao Zi was eliminated but anticipated a stretch of freedom before traveling to Swallowed Star and pursuing his plans.

• Huo Yuhao’s group used Spiritual Detection Sharing, He Caitou’s Soul Guidance Rays, and the Withering in Brilliance, Golden Road fusion skill to eliminate more than half the remaining participants.
• Dai Huabin escaped the Golden Road with his superior spiritual power, then Zhu Lu forfeited after realizing they could not defeat Huo Yuhao’s group.
• Xuan Zi declared the competition over and named Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou, and Dai Huabin as the reserve members and next generation of Shrek Seven Devils.
• Huo Yuhao grew angry at Dai Huabin’s triumph, while Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao congratulated him after noticing Xiao Zi’s pleased reaction.
• Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Jiang Nannan checked on Xiao Zi, who hid his amusement and considered his upcoming travels.

Xiao Zi comforted Jiang Nannan, offered the Lan Sisters a possible path to the Body Sect, and instructed Dai Huabin to provoke Huo Yuhao during the new Shrek Seven Devils’ training. The scheme strained Huo Yuhao’s relationships and drew Wang Dong closer to Li Lezi.

• Xiao Zi reassured Jiang Nannan that Xu Sanshi was to blame for his harassment, while Huo Yuhao promised to train peacefully with Dai Huabin for Xiao Zi’s sake.
• Xiao Zi suggested that Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo seek the Body Sect and promised to look into helping them find it.
• Xiao Zi gave Dai Huabin instructions through their soul imprint before returning to the dorm with the Lan Sisters.
• Xu Sanshi repeatedly disrupted the new Shrek Seven Devils’ training to pursue Jiang Nannan until Ma Xiaotao drove him away.
• Dai Huabin covertly provoked Huo Yuhao during training, eventually leading Huo Yuhao to exclude him from Spiritual Sharing.
• Wang Dong defended Dai Huabin and grew more interested in Li Lezi, while her closeness with Huo Yuhao declined.

After Xuan Zi named Zhu Lu as the sole reserve for the Shrek Seven Devils, Xiao Zi was relieved to avoid the role and asked Mu Jin for leave. Mu Jin approved, despite Zhou Yi and Du Weilun questioning the request and warning that Xuan Zi had plans for Li Lezi.

• Xuan Zi chose Zhu Lu as the only reserve, deciding that Xu Sanshi and Li Lezi might worsen the conflict within the team.
• Xiao Zi rejoiced that he had not been selected and asked Mu Jin for leave to clear his head.
• Mu Jin approved the leave request after Xiao Zi acted dejected about losing the selection trial.
• At the director of studies' office, Zhou Yi challenged Mu Jin about Li Lezi's leave, while Du Weilun said Xuan Zi had an important role planned for him.
• Mu Jin defended the leave as a chance for Li Lezi to recover, and Zhou Yi returned to Class One to prepare for the tournament.

Xiao Zi left Shrek Academy on extended leave, reassuring Ling Luochеn that he would return after obtaining his third Soul Ring. Back at the training grounds, his departure deepened the divisions among the newly formed Shrek Seven Devils.

• Xiao Zi slipped out of Shrek Academy, but Ling Luochеn stopped him and asked whether he was leaving for a long time.
• Xiao Zi told Ling Luochеn he needed time away and planned to obtain his third Soul Ring, then left as she watched.
• The new Shrek Seven Devils learned that Li Lezi had departed, and Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, and others reacted with worry and regret.
• Huo Yuhao blamed Dai Huabin for Li Lezi's departure and urged the others to replace him.
• Dai Huabin fought Huo Yuhao again while Xuan Zi ate and drank without intervening, worsening the group's divisions.