Recaps

Gu Xingyue challenged Zhou Yi’s teaching methods after the new homeroom teacher ordered most of the class to run a hundred laps. When Zhou Yi tried to expel him, Gu Xingyue revealed his twin martial souls and began a self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, prompting Zhou Yi to attack before it could be completed.

• Gu Xingyue arrived in class and sat among the girls before Zhou Yi entered and introduced himself as the class’s strict homeroom teacher.
• Zhou Yi demanded an explanation for Wang Dong’s bandages, and Gu Xingyue admitted that he had fought Wang Dong the day before.
• Zhou Yi ordered everyone except Gu Xingyue and Wang Dong to run a hundred laps, then used his Soul Emperor aura to force the protesting students out.
• Gu Xingyue challenged Zhou Yi’s training methods and argued that support-type soul masters should learn to use soul tools rather than imitate beast martial soul masters.
• Zhou Yi tried to expel Gu Xingyue, but Gu Xingyue summoned the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine and Evergreen Life Vine and began fusing them; Zhou Yi recognized the Martial Soul Fusion Skill and lunged to stop it.

Gu Xingyue defeated Zhou Yi with the Life-Death Wheel, but Zhou Yi tried to shoot him with a soul tool before Yan Shaozhe killed Zhou Yi with the Great Brightness Palm Seal. Yan Shaozhe declared Zhou Yi a traitor to Shrek Academy, and Fan Yu accepted the academy as her sole devotion.

• Gu Xingyue used the Life-Death Wheel to age and weaken Zhou Yi, winning their fight.
• Zhou Yi fired a mobile hand cannon at Gu Xingyue, but Gu Xingyue recovered with Withered Wood Reborn and struck Zhou Yi with the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine.
• Yan Shaozhe arrived and killed Zhou Yi with the Great Brightness Palm Seal.
• Yan Shaozhe told the students that Zhou Yi had conspired with evil soul masters and ordered them to disperse while the academy handled the matter.
• Fan Yu pleaded for Zhou Yi, but Yan Shaozhe told her to devote herself to Shrek Academy, and Fan Yu accepted.

Wang Yan became the freshmen's homeroom teacher and appointed Gu Xingyue class monitor. After classes, Gu Xingyue headed to meet Huo Yutong and make grilled fish, while Wang Dong followed him and declared him his boss.

• Wang Yan introduced herself as the new homeroom teacher and appointed Gu Xingyue class monitor after the class unanimously accepted him.
• Zhao Dazhu introduced himself to Gu Xingyue and offered to help him.
• Wang Yan taught soul master theory throughout the day and dismissed the class when the bell rang.
• Gu Xingyue used Divine Speed to leave for the Soul Guidance Department and meet Huo Yutong about making grilled fish.
• Gu Xingyue noticed Wang Dong following him and asked what he was doing.
• Wang Dong said he acknowledged Gu Xingyue as his boss, and Gu Xingyue ignored him and continued on his way.

Gu Xingyue visited the Soul Guidance Department to meet Huo Yutong and found her training with soul-guided cannons. After she demonstrated her exceptional accuracy, he met her senior sister He Caicai and learned that Huo Yutong had reached Quasi-Level 3 Soul Engineer skill.

• Gu Xingyue went to the Soul Guidance Department’s live-combat training grounds, hoping to find Huo Yutong.
• He watched Huo Yutong and He Caicai use soul-guided cannons to destroy nearly every moving target with remarkable accuracy.
• Huo Yutong spotted Gu Xingyue after finishing her training and greeted him, while He Caicai joined them.
• Huo Yutong introduced He Caicai to Gu Xingyue, and He Caicai explained that Huo Yutong had passed the Level 3 theory assessment but had not yet completed a Level 3 soul tool.
• Gu Xingyue praised Huo Yutong’s skill, and He Caicai agreed that Shrek Academy would have lost a powerful talent if Huo Yutong had not joined it.

Huo Yutong stocked up on supplies and opened her grilled fish stall, which quickly drew a crowd. When Xu Shanshi arrived after the fish had sold out, Gu Xingyue fought her attendant and challenged her to a duel for a Xuanwu Pill.

• He Caicai left after reminding Huo Yutong that she owed her a grilled fish dinner.
• Huo Yutong and Gu Xingyue bought seasonings and silverfrost charcoal, and Huo Yutong decided to make a freshness-preserving box.
• Huo Yutong opened Little Huo's Grilled Fish, and students flocked to buy her fish until the remaining portions were reserved.
• Xu Shanshi's attendant berated Huo Yutong for selling out, and Gu Xingyue struck him with five lashes from his Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine martial soul.
• Xu Shanshi reproached Gu Xingyue for using too much force, but he challenged her to a duel, demanding a Xuanwu Pill if she lost.
• Xu Shanshi accepted and proposed settling the dispute in the soul dueling arena.

Gu Xingyue challenged Xu Shanshi in the Soul Arena and defeated her Netherworld Shield with a rapid series of lightning attacks. Xu Shanshi promised to give him the Black Tortoise Divine Pill the next day, and Gu Xingyue left with Huo Yutong, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya.

• Xu Shanshi headed to the Soul Arena, and Gu Xingyue followed after asking Huo Yutong to pack up the stall.
• Xu Shanshi and Gu Xingyue introduced themselves before invoking their martial souls in front of the gathered spectators.
• Gu Xingyue attacked Xu Shanshi with lightning, overwhelming her defenses and shattering the Netherworld Shield.
• Jiang Nan watched from the crowd as Xu Shanshi lost decisively to Gu Xingyue.
• Xu Shanshi promised to give Gu Xingyue the Black Tortoise Divine Pill the next day, and he left with Huo Yutong, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya.

Gu Xingyue gave Huo Yutong a Black Tortoise Divine Pill and revealed that his Evergreen Life Vine could improve her martial soul aptitude, offering her a chance to become a top-tier soul master. Before she could accept, the mysterious presence in her mind warned that consuming the vine might help it recover and told her to choose for herself.

• Three days after defeating Xu Shanshi, Gu Xingyue accepted the Black Tortoise Divine Pill she had promised him.
• Gu Xingyue brought the pill to Huo Yutong and persuaded her to take it so she could improve her chances of passing the freshman assessment.
• Gu Xingyue revealed his second martial soul, the Evergreen Life Vine, and said it could raise Huo Yutong's aptitude when used with the pill.
• As Huo Yutong was about to reach for the vine, a mysterious voice summoned her into her mental space and said consuming it might help the voice recover.
• Tianmeng accused the gray mist of being a demon and mocked its claim to godhood, but the voice dismissed her and told Huo Yutong to choose for herself.

Huo Yutong absorbed the Black Tortoise Divine Pill and Evergreen Life Vine, strengthening her body while the remnant soul in her mind began recovering. As she and Gu Xingyue learned that the Freshmen Assessment would use unfamiliar, department-based rules, Gu Xingyue lost his confidence in knowing the plot but welcomed the challenge.

• Huo Yutong agreed to refine the Evergreen Life Vine so the remnant soul could use its Life Origin to recover and teach her magic.
• Gu Xingyue took Huo Yutong to a secured workshop and stood guard while she swallowed the Black Tortoise Divine Pill and refined the vine.
• After a night of cultivation, Huo Yutong awoke feeling much stronger and thanked Gu Xingyue, who reminded her of her promise to build him a Gundam.
• Huo Yutong explained that the Freshmen Assessment would divide students by department and allow soul guidance devices, leaving Gu Xingyue surprised that the rules differed from the plot he knew.
• Gu Xingyue accepted the unfamiliar assessment as a welcome challenge, and Huo Yutong ran off after noticing the impurities covering her body.

Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao prepared for the Freshmen Assessment after Wang Yan warned them about the strongest rival teams. When Yan Shaozhe announced three soul bones as the prize and Du Weiya explained the rules, the team entered the woodland grounds in the seventh slot, with Gu Xingyue sensing the area around them.

• Wang Yan told Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao to aim for the championship and warned them about a possible martial soul fusion skill from the White Tiger and Netherworld Spirit Cat combination.
• Gu Xingyue dismissed the need for teamwork practice, calling their opponents speed bumps.
• Yan Shaozhe opened the Freshmen Assessment and announced that three soul bones were the prizes.
• Du Weiya explained the team, point, elimination, and soul bone rules for the eight-hour assessment.
• Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao entered the woodland as the seventh team, and Gu Xingyue used his perception to survey the area.

Gu Xingyue’s team ran into Xie Huanyue and her two teammates in the woods, where he demonstrated a powerful fusion of lightning and life energy. After a teacher intervened to protect Xie Huanyue from the attack, Gu Xingyue struck the group with lightning and continued deeper into the woods with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.

• Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao encountered Xie Huanyue and her two muscular teammates, who plotted to use a honey trap to make them find soul bones.
• Gu Xingyue combined purple lightning and green life energy into a lotus-shaped attack and sent it toward Xie Huanyue as she charged at him.
• A concealed teacher blocked the lotus, was blasted backward, and suffered burns.
• Gu Xingyue summoned lightning that struck Xie Huanyue and her teammates, leaving them incapacitated before the teacher dragged them off the field.
• Wang Dong asked what Gu Xingyue called the attack, and Gu Xingyue named it Angry Buddha Lotus Flame before the team continued through the woods.

Gu Xingyue led Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong through the forest, ambushing opponents to climb the rankings while Wang Dong objected to their tactics. Their latest attack trapped a familiar figure, and Gu Xingyue realized it was their classmate Huo Yutong.

• Gu Xingyue guided Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong through the forest, using hidden ambushes to defeat opponents and collect points.
• Wang Dong complained that sneak attacks were dishonorable, but Gu Xingyue defended his efficient approach to winning.
• Gu Xingyue sensed someone approaching and directed Xiao Xiao to place and split his Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron to trap them.
• Wang Dong hurled his Blue Silver Overlord Spear at the trapped opponents as Gu Xingyue moved in to finish them.
• Gu Xingyue saw Huo Yutong among the figures caught in the attack and froze in surprise.

Gu Xingyue reunited with Huo Yutong in the forest, and their teams formed an alliance to find the assessment objectives. After Gu Xingyue easily defeated an Ironclad Crocodile guarding a metal box in the swamp, the group prepared to open it.

• Gu Xingyue recognized Huo Yutong after their teams clashed, and they called off the fight and reunited.
• Gu Xingyue proposed that their teams ally, and Huo Yutong agreed; they exchanged information about their abilities.
• Tuoba Jun and Bai Lingling were astonished to learn that Gu Xingyue and Wang Dong were Soul Elders, and they continued deeper into the forest with the group.
• Huo Yutong spotted a sealed metal box near the swamp, and Gu Xingyue hurried toward it after they suspected it held an assessment soul bone.
• Huo Yutong warned Gu Xingyue about movement beneath the swamp, but he defeated the Ironclad Crocodile that leaped out and then prepared to open the box.

After Gu Xingyue’s squad claimed the soul bone and became the target of the final showdown, Dai Huabing’s group set out to confront them. Dai Huabing instead clashed with Ning Tian and Wu Feng, overpowering Wu Feng and preparing to eliminate the group before seeking out Gu Xingyue.

• Gu Xingyue’s squad opened the safe, took the flame-shaped soul bone, and triggered the final showdown when their location was announced.
• Dai Huabing said she wanted a worthy opponent and started toward Gu Xingyue’s location.
• Ning Tian approached Dai Huabing to propose an alliance, but she mocked him and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
• Ning Tian summoned his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, while Dai Huabing revealed her White Tiger martial soul and challenged the group.
• Wu Feng attacked Dai Huabing with his Flame Lion martial soul, but she tore through his flames and blasted him backward with White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.
• Ning Tian boosted Wu Feng with three pagoda lights as Dai Huabing taunted them and announced she would eliminate all three before going after Gu Xingyue.

Gu Xingyue stepped in when Dai Huabing attacked Ning Tian and swiftly defeated her, leaving Huo Yutong reassured and the others stunned. He then had Dai Huabing dragged away and paralyzed her teammates with electricity.

• Dai Huabing abandoned Ning Tian and challenged Gu Xingyue, while Gu Xingyue told Huo Yutong to stay calm.
• Dai Huabing attacked with White Tiger Splitting Light Wave, but Gu Xingyue dodged and struck her with a rapid barrage of blows.
• Gu Xingyue knocked Dai Huabing unconscious in seconds, shocking Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Huo Yutong.
• Gu Xingyue asked Ning Tian to carry Dai Huabing out, but a hidden teacher dragged her away instead.
• Zhu Lu and Dai Huabing’s other teammate lamented losing before using their martial soul fusion skill, and Gu Xingyue paralyzed them with electric currents.

Gu Xingyue rejected Ning Tian’s offer to team up, then faced a coalition of students who planned to wear his team down. He unleashed Infernal Thunder Prison to attack the gathered opponents, leaving them fleeing as lightning struck them down.

• Ning Tian offered to join forces with Gu Xingyue, but Gu Xingyue refused and walked away.
• As the arena shrank, students agreed to unite and eliminate Gu Xingyue’s team before turning on one another.
• The coalition gathered near Gu Xingyue but hesitated to attack first.
• Gu Xingyue sent Huo Yutong farther away and activated his Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine’s innate domain, Infernal Thunder Prison.
• The students panicked and tried to flee, but Gu Xingyue struck them with lightning and raced after them.

Gu Xingyue overwhelmed the other freshmen and led Group Seven to victory in the Freshmen Assessment, earning Core Disciple places for himself and his teammates. After the results were announced, Huo Yutong invited Gu Xingyue to celebrate with grilled fish.

• Gu Xingyue defeated the burly student and stood as the only student left on the battlefield, securing all three soul bones for Group Seven.
• Gu Xingyue and the others left the woodland, and Du Weiya announced Group Seven as the championship team.
• Yan Shaozhe awarded Martial Soul Department Core Disciple places to Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao, and a Soul Guidance Department Core Disciple place to Huo Yutong.
• Gu Xingyue pulled Huo Yutong away from the crowd and caught up with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao as they left the square.
• Huo Yutong celebrated becoming a Core Disciple by offering to cook grilled fish for Gu Xingyue.

As the semester ended, Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong shared a quiet moment by Sea God Lake before she revealed she had become a Grand Soul Master and needed to travel to the Extreme North for a soul ring. Gu Xingyue offered to accompany her as a bodyguard, but she declined, leaving them to part for a while.

• Wang Yan told the class that another exam would take place at the start of the next semester, then dismissed the students for vacation.
• Gu Xingyue met Huo Yutong outside the Soul Guidance Department laboratory, and they walked hand in hand beside Sea God Lake.
• Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong embraced by the lake, and he kissed her forehead as they spoke about wanting to stay together.
• Huo Yutong told Gu Xingyue she had become a Grand Soul Master and would leave to obtain a soul ring in the Extreme North.
• Gu Xingyue offered to go with Huo Yutong as her bodyguard, but she declined, and they faced their coming separation.

After Huo Yutong left Gu Xingyue a note promising to return, he resumed his routine until he learned Shrek Academy was launching an extensive cooperation with the Sun Moon Empire. He joined Yan Shaozhe and Zhang Lexuan to welcome Jin Hongchen and her delegation, whose mission included securing access to the Golden Tree for young soul engineers.

• Huo Yutong left Gu Xingyue a note telling him not to look for her and to wait for her return.
• Gu Xingyue returned to Shrek after the semester break and learned that Jin Hongchen was coming from the Sun Moon Empire to deepen cooperation with the academy.
• Yan Shaozhe explained to Gu Xingyue that the cooperation would include exchange students, soul tool research, cultivation methods, and Golden Tree access for the Sun Moon Empire's younger generation.
• Yan Shaozhe and Gu Xingyue joined Zhang Lexuan to welcome Jin Hongchen and her delegation outside Sea God Pavilion.
• Jin Hongchen privately considered her emperor's orders to win Shrek's support and obtain Golden Tree access as her group entered Sea God Pavilion and met Xian Lin and Qian Duoduo.

Shrek Academy and Jin Hongchen finalized a student exchange agreement between their Soul Guidance departments. Jin Hongchen then requested a sparring session between her students and Shrek students, and Yan Shaozhe agreed to arrange one at the training grounds.

• Jin Hongchen met Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin, and Qian Duoduo to discuss cooperation between the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Research Institute and Shrek Academy.
• Xian Lin and Qian Duoduo questioned Jin Hongchen about her proposal for an initial exchange of thirty students, and both sides signed the agreement after half a day of negotiations.
• Jin Hongchen asked Yan Shaozhe to let her students spar with Shrek students so they could broaden their horizons.
• Yan Shaozhe agreed, summoned Shrek students of upper-middle strength, and asked Gu Xingyue to observe as the exchange coordinator.
• Jin Hongchen briefed her students, and Yan Shaozhe led the group toward the training grounds.

At a spar between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Empire, Ji Xueyi defeated Xi Xi with precise swordsmanship and an early grasp of sword intent. Ji Xueyi then awaited another opponent as Yan Shaozhe praised her potential and Jin Hongchen watched.

• Xi Xi and Ji Xueyi introduced themselves and began their match on the combat grounds.
• Ji Xueyi repeatedly anticipated Xi Xi’s attacks and forced her back with controlled sword strikes.
• Xi Xi used Phantom Assault, but Ji Xueyi identified the real Xi Xi and countered her with swordsmanship.
• Ji Xueyi stopped Xi Xi’s final attack with her sword at Xi Xi’s throat, and Xi Xi admitted defeat.
• Yan Shaozhe told Gu Xingyue that Ji Xueyi was close to reaching the threshold of sword intent, while Jin Hongchen watched her victory.

Ji Xueyi defeated Chen Zixuan in a hard-fought sword spar, and Yan Shaozhe signaled Gu Xingyue to take the stage. As Gu Xingyue stepped forward, Ji Xueyi sensed he was different from her previous opponents.

• Jin Hongchen told Yan Shaozhe that Ji Xueyi had rank-three innate soul power, while Yan acknowledged how far she had advanced through effort.
• Chen Zixuan challenged Ji Xueyi with his rank-fifty-five Soul-Chasing Sword, and Gu Xingyue recalled that Chen had died in the original story.
• Chen Zixuan's tracking sword strikes pressured Ji Xueyi, but she defended herself through nearly a hundred exchanges and eventually touched his wrist with her blade.
• Chen Zixuan admitted defeat and left the platform, while Ji Xueyi revealed a cut on her shoulder from the fight.
• Yan Shaozhe gave Gu Xingyue a meaningful look, and he stepped forward as Ji Xueyi watched him with growing caution.

Gu Xingyue faced the wounded Ji Xueyi and overwhelmed her with a colossal Thunderclap Greatblade after she gained a flash of insight into her sword. Ji Xueyi remained conscious but was defeated, and Jin Hongchen called Gu Xingyue unfathomable.

• Gu Xingyue introduced himself as a Rank 31 Power Attack Soul Elder, and Ji Xueyi took an attacking stance despite her injuries.
• Ji Xueyi struck first, but Gu Xingyue blocked her sword with a blade formed from lightning.
• Ji Xueyi gathered her sword energy and delivered a thrust that carried a trace of King's Presence, impressing Yan Shaozhe.
• Gu Xingyue enlarged his Thunder Blade into a massive Thunderclap Greatblade and brought it down on Ji Xueyi.
• Ji Xueyi withstood part of the blow before being hurled to the arena's edge, and the referee shielded her from the remaining blade radiance.
• Jin Hongchen called Gu Xingyue unfathomable as he calmly withdrew his blade.

After defeating Ji Xueyi, Gu Xingyue challenged the visiting students and easily beat Tang Gang, whose pole-vaulting martial soul and soul tools failed to overcome his lightning attacks. Jin Hongchen prepared to end the exchange by praising Dean Yan’s students.

• Gu Xingyue called for another opponent after defeating Ji Xueyi, but the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineering Academy students hesitated to step forward.
• Tang Gang challenged Gu Xingyue, introduced his Lone Bamboo King martial soul and rank-four-seventh Soul Ancestor status, and attacked with soul tools while using Pole Vault.
• Gu Xingyue countered Tang Gang’s aerial attacks with lightning-powered elbow strikes and climbed lightning steps to reach him.
• Tang Gang’s defensive soul tool failed, and he crashed into the platform; he conceded defeat after Gu Xingyue asked whether he wanted to continue.
• The visiting students wondered how Gu Xingyue had defeated Tang Gang so easily, while Jin Hongchen prepared to praise Dean Yan and end the exchange.

After Gu Xingyue defeated the Sun Moon Empire students, he rejected Yan Shaozhe’s offer to cultivate at the Golden Tree and returned to the Outer Court to stay near Huo Yutong. He agreed to become Ji Xueyi’s sparring partner, and Mu En watched their training from afar, amused by how devotedly he kept her company.

• Jin Hongchen ended the sparring exchange and took the Sun Moon Empire students back to their guest quarters, while Ji Xueyi briefly acknowledged Gu Xingyue as she left.
• Yan Shaozhe suggested Gu Xingyue cultivate at the Golden Tree, but he returned to the Outer Court because he wanted to stay near Huo Yutong for system rewards.
• After class, Ji Xueyi challenged Gu Xingyue, apologized for her blunt request, and persuaded him to spar with her so she could improve her swordsmanship.
• Gu Xingyue spent the next several days sparring with Ji Xueyi, patiently answering her repeated requests for another match and different attacks.
• Mu En watched Gu Xingyue and Ji Xueyi train from a pavilion and remarked that his company would eventually satisfy the girl.

Huo Yutong returned to Shrek Academy with new power and reunited with Gu Xingyue, only to feel unsettled when she found him sparring with Ji Xueyi. After Gu Xingyue reassured her, he and Huo Yutong left together for a celebratory meal while Ji Xueyi watched from the shadows.

• Huo Yutong returned to Shrek Academy and told Fan Yu that her soul-ring hunt had delayed her; Fan Yu welcomed her back and invited her to study Sun Moon Empire blueprints.
• Huo Yutong went to the training ground and saw Gu Xingyue sparring with Ji Xueyi, which made her feel a cold pang of jealousy.
• Gu Xingyue introduced Ji Xueyi as an exchange student and explained that they were friends who sparred over swordsmanship.
• Ji Xueyi left after saying she would return to spar with Gu Xingyue the next day, while Huo Yutong admitted she had felt he looked happy fighting her.
• Gu Xingyue reassured Huo Yutong that he was glad she had returned, then invited her to a meal; Ji Xueyi secretly watched them leave before walking away.