Chapter Summaries

Huo Yuhao fought Xu Sanshi in the Soul Fighting Zone, using spiritual attacks, evasive movement, and Tian Meng's Soul Power to wear him down. Xu Sanshi ran out of Soul Power and surrendered, but Xian Lin'er stopped the referee from intervening as Huo Yuhao continued beating him.

• Huo Yuhao revealed two Thousand-Year Soul Rings and charged Xu Sanshi, then stunned him with Spirit Shock and landed a punch.
• Xu Sanshi used Xuanming Quake and Xuanming Power, but Huo Yuhao evaded his attacks and repeatedly struck him while retreating.
• Tian Meng supplied Huo Yuhao with Soul Power as he led Xu Sanshi around the arena and exhausted him.
• Xu Sanshi spent his remaining Soul Power on a final charge, but Huo Yuhao met it and remained standing while Xu Sanshi fell to one knee.
• Xu Sanshi tried to make peace and surrendered, but Xian Lin'er stopped the referee from stepping in as Huo Yuhao continued to beat him.

Huo Yuhao defeated Xu Sanshi, drawing attention from the crowd and Shrek Academy’s instructors. After receiving a Mystic Water Pill from Bei Bei and giving it to Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao left while Wang Yan went to report his suspicions about Huo Yuhao’s martial soul to Xuan Zi.

• Huo Yuhao beat Xu Sanshi, and the referee declared him the winner as the spectators erupted.
• Tang Ya revealed that Huo Yuhao was the Tang Sect’s prospective head chef, while Jiang Nannan hugged him in relief and Wang Dong felt unexpectedly awkward.
• Wang Yan suspected Huo Yuhao had a Body Martial Soul connected to his eyes, but Xian Lin'er told him Huo Yuhao had already joined the Soul Tool Department.
• Bei Bei gave Huo Yuhao a Mystic Water Pill he had won from Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao passed it to Wang Dong because he had used one before.
• Wang Yan found Xuan Zi by Sea God Lake and told him about Huo Yuhao’s victory, but Xuan Zi said Wang Yan was still wrong.

Wang Yan learned that Xuan Zi believed Huo Yuhao’s Martial Soul was tied to his eyes and brain, while Yan Shaozhe persuaded Xuan Zi to return to his post at Shrek. At the dormitory, Wang Dong took a Mystic Water Pill and sent Huo Yuhao out, while the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm planned to find books to help shape his worldview.

• Xuan Zi told Wang Yan that Huo Yuhao’s Martial Soul likely involved his eyes and brain and that part of it had awakened, explaining his thousand-year First Soul Ring.
• Yan Shaozhe urged Xuan Zi to stop blaming himself for the operation’s losses, invoking Shrek’s needs and showing him an image-recording Soul Tool of surviving students.
• Xuan Zi agreed to resume his post and continue working for Shrek’s glory.
• Wang Dong told Huo Yuhao to leave while she used the Mystic Water Pill, and pushed him out after he joked that he could endure the smell of the impurities.
• The Ice Empress warned the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm about his comments on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, and he decided to take Huo Yuhao to a bookstore to find books about life and values.

Huo Yuhao proposed dividing Soul Tool production among specialists and developing tools tailored to Martial Souls, prompting the Soul Tool Department to reconsider its approach. When he returned to Wang Dong, he found a petite girl with dark green twin ponytails beside her, and she greeted him as an old acquaintance.

• Wang Dong struggled with array engraving, and Xian Lin'er reminded her that forging was only one step in making a Soul Tool.
• Xian Lin'er introduced Huo Yuhao to Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu, who explained their Ultimate Soldier Plan.
• Huo Yuhao questioned the need for the Ultimate Soldier Plan and proposed pairing Soul Masters with Soul Tools, including tools tailored to Martial Souls.
• Huo Yuhao credited Xian Lin'er's advice about dividing tasks for his idea to split Soul Tool production among specialists, and Fan Yu praised the manufacturing theory.
• The Soul Tool Department kept the Ultimate Soldier Plan while beginning research into Huo Yuhao's production idea.
• Huo Yuhao returned to Wang Dong and found a girl with dark green twin ponytails beside her, who greeted him with, "Long time no see!"

Xiao Xiao tested Wang Dong’s feelings for Huo Yuhao, then joined Huo Yuhao in a musical duet that left Wang Dong feeling excluded. Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe dismissed the idea of competing for Huo Yuhao and chose to direct the academy’s resources toward other promising students.

• Xiao Xiao invited Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao to eat, then asked Wang Dong whether she liked Huo Yuhao, making Wang Dong blush and deny it.
• Huo Yuhao teased Wang Dong about sulking in their dorm, and Xiao Xiao felt reassured that they were only roommates.
• Xiao Xiao summoned her Nine-Phoenix Comes-to-Instrument Flute, and Huo Yuhao accompanied her with his Ancient Guqin while Wang Dong watched jealously.
• Du Weilun showed Yan Shaozhe the Experimental Class student files and raised Huo Yuhao’s strength and potential.
• Yan Shaozhe judged that Huo Yuhao’s victory over Xu Sanshi depended on their styles matching and decided to prioritize resources for Ning Tian, Xie Huanyue, and other students.

Tian Meng took over Huo Yuhao’s body to buy him a stack of books, including several questionable adult titles, while Huo Yuhao cultivated with the Ice Empress in his Sea of Consciousness. After the Ice Empress kissed him, Huo Yuhao returned to find Wang Dong inspecting the books and blushing over their contents.

• Tian Meng took over Huo Yuhao’s body and bought a pile of books, including titles from the adults-only section.
• Huo Yuhao and the Ice Empress cultivated together, and the Ice Empress kissed him before Tian Meng returned.
• Tian Meng noticed the blushing Ice Empress and teased her, prompting the Ice Empress to turn away and sting her.
• Huo Yuhao returned to his body, told Wang Dong he had gone to the bookstore, and left to find his teacher in the Soul Tool Department.
• Wang Dong examined the books Huo Yuhao left behind, blushed at the illustrations, and found a booklet titled “Eighteen Uses for a Grape Trellis.”

Wang Dong discovered a book about unusual uses for a grape trellis and secretly put it and another book into her storage space. Ling Luochеn took Huo Yuhao for a walk, but Ma Xiaotao interrupted them and Zhang Lexuan later took Huo Yuhao away, leaving Ling Luochеn frustrated.

• Wang Dong read about the grape trellis’s eighteen uses and hid the books in her storage space.
• Ling Luochеn met Huo Yuhao outside the Soul Tool Department and invited him to walk with her by Sea God Lake.
• Ma Xiaotao appeared, teased Ling Luochеn about her feelings for Huo Yuhao, and playfully ruffled his hair before flying away.
• Ling Luochеn took Huo Yuhao back to her courtyard, intending to cultivate with him.
• Zhang Lexuan was waiting outside the courtyard and took Huo Yuhao with her, leaving Ling Luochеn watching them go.

After refining her hundred-thousand-year soul ring, Zhang Lexuan sought Huo Yuhao’s company and found comfort in his advice to keep a clear conscience. Mu En later urged her to release herself from the old agreement that bound her to Shrek, leaving her to question her feelings for Huo Yuhao.

• Zhang Lexuan finished refining her hundred-thousand-year soul ring and took Huo Yuhao with her after learning the Inspection Corps had resumed work.
• Zhang Lexuan asked Huo Yuhao to grill fish, and he told her Ling Luochеn’s advice was to stop worrying about others and keep her conscience clear.
• After Huo Yuhao left, Mu En joined Zhang Lexuan by the campfire, praised Huo Yuhao’s abilities, and told her not to become like Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi.
• Mu En said the conditions Zhang Lexuan had agreed to long ago no longer mattered and that she should not let them shackle her life.
• Alone beneath the moon, Zhang Lexuan wondered whether she wanted more than to protect Huo Yuhao, then took the last grilled fish back to her courtyard.

Huo Yuhao spent the night at Ling Luochеn’s villa, then returned to the dorm exhausted and fell asleep while Wang Dong hid the book she had been reading. At combat practice, Ling Luochеn’s unexpectedly powerful Ice-Cold Nether Mist made Ma Xiaotao realize something was wrong.

• Huo Yuhao went to Ling Luochеn’s villa, where she welcomed him and persuaded him to stay the night.
• Ling Luochеn clung to Huo Yuhao all night, leaving him unable to sleep; he made breakfast for her before returning to the dorm.
• Huo Yuhao caught Wang Dong reading a hidden book, but went straight to bed without questioning her further.
• Xuan Zi announced training matches for the Shrek Seven Devils, and Ling Luochеn faced Ma Xiaotao.
• Ling Luochеn used Ice-Cold Nether Mist, and Ma Xiaotao found that it suppressed her far more strongly than before.

Ling Luochеn’s improved ice power made Ma Xiaotao suspect that Huo Yuhao had an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul. Ma Xiaotao tracked him down at the Outer Court plaza and carried him away to question him.

• Ling Luochеn used her Ice Radiance Ring against Ma Xiaotao, and Xuan Zi called their match a draw after interrupting the clash.
• Ma Xiaotao questioned Ling Luochеn and guessed that Huo Yuhao had an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, but Ling Luochеn denied it.
• Ma Xiaotao asked Xu Sanshi about the new students and described Huo Yuhao’s appearance.
• Ma Xiaotao approached Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao at the plaza, then pulled Huo Yuhao into her arms and took him away.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao told Xian Lin'er that Ma Xiaotao had carried Huo Yuhao away, while Ma Xiaotao questioned him about his Martial Soul in her courtyard. Zhang Lexuan arrived unexpectedly, forcing Ma Xiaotao to hide Huo Yuhao in her wardrobe, and asked for advice about her growing feelings for a younger boy.

• Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao reported to Xian Lin'er that Ma Xiaotao had flown off with Huo Yuhao, and Xian Lin'er reassured them before going to check on him.
• Ma Xiaotao brought Huo Yuhao to her courtyard and asked whether he had an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul.
• Huo Yuhao demonstrated Shared Vision, and Ma Xiaotao concluded that his Spirit Eyes seemed unrelated to ice.
• Zhang Lexuan knocked at the door, so Ma Xiaotao hid Huo Yuhao in her wardrobe before letting her inside.
• Zhang Lexuan described her friend's feelings for a younger boy, and Ma Xiaotao advised her to pursue the man she liked.

Ma Xiaotao hid Huo Yuhao in her wardrobe when Zhang Lexuan visited, but Zhang Lexuan found him and learned why Ma Xiaotao had brought him to her courtyard. Huo Yuhao confirmed that his ultimate ice could suppress Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire and agreed to help her, leaving Ma Xiaotao overwhelmed and hugging him.

• Ma Xiaotao hid Huo Yuhao in her wardrobe after Zhang Lexuan arrived, but Xian Lin'er’s visit led Zhang Lexuan to search the bedroom and find him.
• Zhang Lexuan questioned Ma Xiaotao, and Huo Yuhao said she had not mistreated him.
• Ma Xiaotao explained that she suspected Huo Yuhao’s Martial Soul had improved Ling Luochеn’s Martial Soul and wanted to ask whether it was ultimate ice.
• Zhang Lexuan privately explained that Huo Yuhao’s ultimate ice could suppress Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire, though their Soul Power gap made helping her risky.
• Huo Yuhao agreed to help Ma Xiaotao, who embraced him in gratitude.

Ma Xiaotao gave Huo Yuhao several precious items and a VIP card, then tested whether his Ultimate Ice could suppress her evil fire. After Wang Dong misread his late return and the Soul Ascension Pill he gave her, Huo Yuhao discovered the book she had been reading and called out to Sister Tian Meng.

• Ma Xiaotao offered Huo Yuhao her stored medicines and a Red-Level VIP Card, and Zhang Lexuan told him to accept them.
• Huo Yuhao touched Ma Xiaotao's hand with a wisp of Ultimate Ice, soothing her evil fire until Zhang Lexuan stopped the trial.
• Zhang Lexuan warned Ma Xiaotao not to visit Huo Yuhao alone because his soul power was still too low.
• Wang Dong worried that Ma Xiaotao had kept Huo Yuhao late, then accepted a Soul Ascension Pill and vowed to take him away from her.
• Huo Yuhao found the book Wang Dong had been reading, saw that it was titled "Spring and Autumn," and blushed before calling out to Sister Tian Meng.

Huo Yuhao used his spiritual power and forging skills to create a precise Level 2 detection-type Soul Tool, impressing Xian Lin'er and giving her his first finished tool. He also made tools for Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong, whose matching gifts dispelled Xiao Xiao's hope that Huo Yuhao had singled her out.

• Wang Dong taught Huo Yuhao the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, and he quickly mastered thirty-six strikes.
• Huo Yuhao forged and engraved a detection-type Soul Tool, then demonstrated its steady blue light to Xian Lin'er.
• Xian Lin'er praised Huo Yuhao's work, accepted his first Level 2 Soul Tool as a gift, and promised to seek more alloy materials for him.
• Huo Yuhao gave Xiao Xiao a detection-type Soul Tool and told her he had become a Level 2 Soul Engineer.
• Xiao Xiao showed off her gift to Wang Dong, who revealed that Huo Yuhao had given her two identical Soul Tools.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong sparred in the Soul Tool Department, where Wang Dong revealed her Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul and Huo Yuhao tested a new spiritual-power whip. The whip’s unusual effect left Wang Dong flushed and strangely eager for him to continue.

• Xiao Xiao argued with Wang Dong over how many gifts Huo Yuhao had given them, while Wang Dong smugly pointed out that she had more.
• Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong agreed to duel, with the loser having to clean for a week.
• Wang Dong revealed her Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul and attacked Huo Yuhao with Butterfly God's Light, but he dodged her strikes.
• Huo Yuhao formed a whip from stored spiritual power and used it to scatter Wang Dong’s beam and strike her with spiritual attacks.
• Wang Dong felt a strange tingling pleasure from the whip’s attacks and, despite her embarrassment, asked Huo Yuhao to hit her again.

After Wang Dong collapsed from the golden spiritual whip, Huo Yuhao carried her back while Xiao Xiao decided to take the initiative and seek his help with training. Huo Yuhao used Spiritual Detection Sharing to improve Xiao Xiao’s control of her Martial Soul, then proposed a spiritual attack for her second Martial Soul, leaving them without a way to train her spiritual power.

• Wang Dong collapsed after the golden whip’s final lash, and Huo Yuhao caught her and carried her back to the lounge.
• Xiao Xiao watched Huo Yuhao leave with Wang Dong and resolved to get closer to him by asking for training advice.
• Huo Yuhao took Xiao Xiao to a secluded clearing, shared his Spiritual Detection with her, and helped her use the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron with greater precision.
• Xiao Xiao asked Huo Yuhao to promise he would keep helping her, and he agreed.
• At Tian Meng’s suggestion, Huo Yuhao proposed using sound waves to launch spiritual attacks with Xiao Xiao’s Nine-Phoenix Comes-to-Instrument Flute.
• Huo Yuhao realized they had no method for cultivating spiritual power and told Xiao Xiao to sit down.

Huo Yuhao taught Xiao Xiao to sense and absorb spiritual power, then Ma Xiaotao took him away to suppress her Evil Fire while Zhang Lexuan was absent. The treatment intensified beyond their plan, leaving Ma Xiaotao clinging to Huo Yuhao as his Ultimate Ice filled the room.

• Huo Yuhao guided Xiao Xiao through sensing spiritual power, and she quickly began absorbing it.
• Xiao Xiao asked Huo Yuhao whether he liked anyone, and he said he did not think so; before she could continue, Ma Xiaotao arrived and carried him away.
• Ma Xiaotao learned Zhang Lexuan was away on a mission and sought Huo Yuhao because she could no longer stand waiting to suppress her Evil Fire.
• Ma Xiaotao pleaded until Huo Yuhao agreed to suppress her Evil Fire a little without Zhang Lexuan present.
• As Ma Xiaotao absorbed Huo Yuhao's Soul Power, she lost control and hugged him tightly, so he released a surge of Ultimate Ice that filled the room and helped her regain some clarity.

Ma Xiaotao invited Huo Yuhao to stay, cooked an inedible dinner, and then ate the meal he made. After the Ice Empress subdued her during their cultivation, the Ice Empress grew jealous and began privately pressing Huo Yuhao for intimacy in the Sea of Consciousness.

• Ma Xiaotao recovered from losing control and invited Huo Yuhao to stay the night.
• Ma Xiaotao's cooking failed, so Huo Yuhao prepared dinner, which she devoured.
• Ma Xiaotao asked Huo Yuhao to cultivate with her again, but he initially refused because she had lost control earlier.
• The Ice Empress took over and delivered ultimate ice, leaving Ma Xiaotao unconscious but unharmed.
• The Ice Empress kissed Huo Yuhao and suggested giving him a private spiritual lesson while Tian Meng slept.

After spending the night with Ma Xiaotao, Huo Yuhao returned to the academy, where Ling Luochеn confronted Ma Xiaotao after learning she had been seeing him. Zhang Lexuan explained how Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao had grown close, then ordered Ling Luochеn to keep watch over Ma Xiaotao.

• Huo Yuhao woke, checked that the previous night's events had left no trace in his Sea of Consciousness, and went to Ma Xiaotao's room before returning to the academy.
• Ling Luochеn grew frustrated as Ma Xiaotao's cultivation surged, and Ma Xiaotao teased her by saying Huo Yuhao was slick.
• Ling Luochеn attacked Ma Xiaotao with her ice Soul Power, and Ma Xiaotao defended herself with her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.
• Ma Xiaotao told Ling Luochеn that Zhang Lexuan had told her about Huo Yuhao, so the two women went to ask Zhang Lexuan what had happened.
• Zhang Lexuan explained the circumstances that led Huo Yuhao to help Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, then ordered Ling Luochеn to keep an eye on Ma Xiaotao.

As Huo Yuhao reviewed the Freshman Assessment assignments, he spotted Dai Huabin, whom he blamed for his mother's death, and resolved to enter the assessment. He told Wang Dong about his past with the White Tiger Duke's household, leaving her grief-stricken.

• Xian Lin'er explained the Freshman Assessment and let Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao review the group assignments.
• Huo Yuhao saw Dai Huabin's name among the participants and immediately registered for the assessment.
• Xian Lin'er told the students that high-ranking teams could become Outer Court Core Disciples and that the champions could win a Thousand-Year Soul Bone, while reassuring Huo Yuhao she would find him a better reward.
• Wang Dong noticed Huo Yuhao's anger and asked what was wrong, and he told her that Dai Huabin was his enemy.
• Huo Yuhao explained that his mother had been a servant of the White Tiger Duke and that his father had died long ago, and Wang Dong grew tearful as she heard his story.