Chapter Summaries

Gu Xingyue emerged from a week of deep meditation having reached rank thirty-one, and Mu En warned him to cultivate steadily rather than chase quick gains. Mu En told him he had become the Sea God Pavilion master’s successor, then arranged for him to attend the outer court and join its class with the highest advancement rate.

• Mu En found Gu Xingyue in deep meditation and stood guard until he woke.
• Gu Xingyue announced that his soul power had reached rank thirty-one, and Mu En cautioned him against arrogance and shortcuts.
• Mu En told Gu Xingyue that his friend had refused to move into the inner court and was excelling in the outer court’s Soul Tool Department.
• Mu En reminded Gu Xingyue that he was the successor to the Sea God Pavilion master and said he should work hard for Shrek Academy.
• Gu Xingyue asked to attend outer-court classes, and Mu En assigned him to the class with the highest advancement rate, which he suspected was Zhou Yi’s class.
• Gu Xingyue left in a hurry, while Mu En noted that he had gone without eating.

Gu Xingyue persuaded Yan Shaozhe to use her authority to improve the Outer Court cafeteria and dormitories. Their conversation was interrupted by her disciple Ma Xiaotao, whose growing resentment toward her and surging evil fire left his future uncertain.

• Yan Shaozhe questioned why Gu Xingyue wanted to go to the Outer Court, and he mocked her after she claimed to be wise.
• Yan Shaozhe offered Gu Xingyue special treatment and boasted that she could handle anything in the Outer Court or Soul Guidance Department.
• Gu Xingyue asked Yan Shaozhe to add cafeteria benches, expand the dormitories, and improve the food, charging the expenses to her department.
• Ma Xiaotao arrived, and Yan Shaozhe warned him that his worsening evil fire could make him lose control and that she would cripple him if he killed someone.
• Ma Xiaotao hid his hatred of Yan Shaozhe, resolved to wait until he was strong enough to take revenge, and left after seeing her with Gu Xingyue.

After finishing his cultivation, Gu Xingyue sought out Huo Yutong at the outer court library. Her affection triggered his Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill reward, and he left with her to get food.

• Gu Xingyue learned that Huo Yutong was studying soul tool theory in the outer court library and went to find her.
• Gu Xingyue reminded Huo Yutong to call him Xingyue, then told her she was the first person he came to see after his cultivation.
• The system announced that Huo Yutong's affection had reached seventy points, unlocking Gu Xingyue's Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill comprehension and raising his martial soul compatibility to ninety percent.
• Gu Xingyue called Huo Yutong his lucky star and closed her book to invite her to eat.
• Huo Yutong agreed to go with Gu Xingyue to the cafeteria, where she offered to buy ingredients and cook grilled fish.

Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong took silver fish from the cafeteria using Yan Shaozhe’s token and grilled them in a grove. Inspired by Gu Xingyue’s praise and wanting to support herself, Huo Yutong decided to sell grilled fish at the Outer Court, and he agreed to help her get a stall.

• Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong went to the cafeteria and used Yan Shaozhe’s token to take its best silver fish without paying.
• Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong cooked the fish in a grove, and Gu Xingyue praised Huo Yutong’s grilling.
• Huo Yutong considered the cost of her studies and decided to sell grilled fish near the Outer Court cafeteria after evening classes.
• Gu Xingyue offered to secure a stall for Huo Yutong as an investment, and she promised to grill him fish whenever he wanted.

Gu Xingyue moved into the Outer Court dormitory and challenged his new roommate, Wang Dong, after Wang Dong tried to impose rules on him. Gu Xingyue defeated Wang Dong in a fight, leaving him to reconsider the gap between their strength.

• Huo Yutong told Gu Xingyue she had been studying with Fan Yu instead of attending Class 1, and they parted for the evening.
• Gu Xingyue entered his dorm room and met Wang Dong, who demanded that he follow rules about where he could keep his belongings.
• Gu Xingyue challenged Wang Dong to prove his strength, and the two went outside to fight before a crowd of students.
• Wang Dong revealed his rank-thirty-seven strength and attacked with Bluesilver Emperor vines, but Gu Xingyue cut them apart with a lightning blade and repelled them with lightning armor.
• Wang Dong used the Chaotic Wind Hammer Method, but Gu Xingyue's Ball Lightning paralyzed him and forced him to one knee.
• Gu Xingyue directed Wang Dong to the infirmary and left, while Wang Dong stood and watched him go, unwilling to accept his defeat.

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.