Chapter Summaries

Lu Yu and Huo Wu fought a Blazing Shadow Leopard, and Lu Yu defeated it with a self-created Soul Skill, astonishing Huo Zhengyang. He then asked Huo Zhengyang about Ring Fusion and offered to teach Huo Wu two Self-Created Soul Skills in exchange for its secrets.

• As the group traveled through the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Zhengyang tested Lu Yu with questions about Martial Soul Theory and Lu Yu asked about innate talent.
• Huo Zhengyang sent Huo Wu and Lu Yu to fight a seven-hundred-year-old Blazing Shadow Leopard while he watched.
• Huo Wu's Flame Whip missed, but Lu Yu used Nitrogen Acceleration and Proud Dragon Repents to defeat the leopard in moments.
• Huo Zhengyang recognized Lu Yu's attack as a Self-Created Soul Skill and praised him, while Huo Wu began absorbing the leopard's Soul Ring.
• Lu Yu asked Huo Zhengyang about Ring Fusion, learned that Huo Wu possessed the innate talent, and offered to teach her two Self-Created Soul Skills in exchange for an explanation.

Lu Yu learned how Ring Fusion let Huo Wu use multiple Soul Rings together, then sparred with her to observe the talent. After Lu Yu outmaneuvered her, Huo Wu insisted the fight was not over and began to demonstrate her full strength.

• Lu Yu offered to teach Huo Wu two Self-Created Soul Skills in exchange for an explanation of Ring Fusion, and Huo Zhengyang described how it combined Soul Power from several Soul Rings to strengthen one Soul Skill.
• Huo Wu woke after breaking through to level 21 and challenged Lu Yu, who accepted so he could study her Soul Skills.
• Lu Yu used Spirit Enhancement as Huo Wu combined Flame Whip and Hokage Clone to attack him from behind through a place swap.
• Lu Yu used Nitrogen Acceleration to close in, forced Huo Wu back with a kick, and struck beside her with Proud Dragon Repents, snapping a tree and declaring her defeated.
• Huo Wu protested that she had not used her full strength, then activated both Soul Rings as her second ring began to show signs of breaking apart.

Lu Yu watched Huo Wu use Ring Fusion and fought her to see the power it granted her, then offered to teach her a Self-Created Soul Skill in exchange for learning about the fusion. Huo Wu could not explain how Ring Fusion worked and ended up angry again, leaving Lu Yu confused.

• Huo Wu fused her two Soul Rings, turning her first ring purple and greatly strengthening her Flame Whip.
• Lu Yu recalled Great Sage to boost his Soul Power, then used Nitrogen Acceleration to dodge Huo Wu’s attacks.
• Lu Yu defeated Huo Wu by striking the ground behind her with Flying Dragon in the Heavens, avoiding injuring her.
• Lu Yu apologized and offered Huo Wu and Huo Zhengyang a meal, then explained that his attack was a Self-Created Soul Skill.
• Lu Yu offered to teach Huo Wu a Self-Created Soul Skill if she told him about Ring Fusion, but she said she did not know its principle and grew irritated.

Lu Yu returned from Soul Hunting with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and began teaching Huo Wu Self-Created Soul Skills in exchange for seeing her Ring Fusion. Huo Wu struggled to follow his cultivation methods and ended the session exhausted, while Huo Zhengyang watched over her.

• At a restaurant, Lu Yu questioned Huo Wu about Ring Fusion, and Huo Zhengyang explained that it came from an innate lack of barriers between her Soul Rings.
• Lu Yu arranged rooms at an inn for Huo Zhengyang and Huo Wu, then returned to his courtyard and showed Lu Fei and Lin Tian his four Soul Rings, including a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
• Lu Yu told Lu Fei and Lin Tian he would be away for several days to discuss cultivation with a senior, then returned to the inn and offered to teach Huo Wu two Self-Created Soul Skills in exchange for more Ring Fusion demonstrations.
• Huo Wu struggled to circulate Soul Power along Lu Yu's prescribed routes, so he told her to adapt the circulation while keeping its general direction and warned her to stop if she felt discomfort.
• Huo Wu tried the adjusted method several times but became exhausted and gave up, while Huo Zhengyang monitored her closely.

Lu Yu observed Huo Wu's Ring Fusion and noticed that her Soul Rings vibrated before merging. Back in his room, he wondered whether reproducing that vibration could let him fuse Soul Rings and increase their age.

• Huo Wu struggled to practice Lu Yu's Self-Created Soul Skill, while Huo Zhengyang explained why few Soul Masters studied such skills.
• Lu Yu asked Huo Wu to demonstrate Ring Fusion, and he watched her Soul Rings tremble before her first ring merged into her second.
• Huo Wu used her Hokage Clone to escape, leaving Lu Yu to depart without learning more about Ring Fusion.
• Lu Yu returned to his room, released Great Sage, and calmed the monkey with a banana.
• Lu Yu reflected on Huo Wu's vibrating Soul Rings and theorized that making his own rings vibrate might allow him to fuse them and raise their age.

Lu Yu stayed up all night trying to make his Soul Ring vibrate as a first step toward learning Ring Fusion, then fainted from exhaustion. After waking, he learned Huo Wu and Huo Zhengyang would return to the academy the next day, but Huo Zhengyang gave him a chance to watch Ring Fusion again before they left.

• Lu Yu spent the night making his third Soul Ring vibrate and brought breakfast to Huo Wu and Huo Zhengyang, claiming he had found a clue to Ring Fusion.
• Huo Wu doubted Lu Yu could learn Ring Fusion, but Huo Zhengyang knocked him unconscious so he could rest.
• Huo Wu suggested returning to Blazing Academy, and Huo Zhengyang decided they would leave the next day after she showed Lu Yu Ring Fusion again.
• Lu Yu woke near sunset, learned of their departure, and accepted Huo Zhengyang's offer to watch Ring Fusion before they left.

Lu Yu discovered that Ring Fusion could not combine Soul Rings with conflicting Soul Power attributes, but successfully fused his Ten-Year Soul Ring into Great Sage’s Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. Afterward, the Ten-Year Soul Ring failed to return to him, leaving Lu Yu with an apparent way to increase Soul Ring age by repeatedly fusing rings from Sky-Flying Centipedes.

• Lu Yu learned that different Soul Power attributes clashed during Ring Fusion, causing him to spit blood when he tried combining his Second and Third Soul Rings.
• Lu Yu realized that his Second Soul Ring and Great Sage’s Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring both came from Sky-Flying Centipedes and might share compatible attributes.
• Lu Yu and Great Sage fused Lu Yu’s Ten-Year Soul Ring into Great Sage’s Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring without causing Lu Yu pain, and Lu Yu noticed the Somersault Cloud had grown slightly.
• When the fusion ended, Lu Yu’s Ten-Year Soul Ring did not return, and he recalled Great Sage to find that his own rings now appeared white, white, and black.
• Lu Yu concluded that he could use Ring Fusion to raise his Soul Rings’ ages by finding more Sky-Flying Centipedes.

Lu Yu found Sky-Flying Centipedes fighting Man Faced Demon Spiders in the Star Dou Great Forest and had Great Sage knock them out so he could absorb their Soul Rings. After absorbing all seven centipedes’ rings, Lu Yu reached level 50 and Somersault Cloud grew to sixty-four thousand years old, leaving him flying among the clouds.

• Lu Yu sent Great Sage to search the forest and followed him to a clearing where seven Sky-Flying Centipedes were attacking three Man Faced Demon Spiders.
• The Sky-Flying Centipedes killed all three spiders, leaving behind purple and black Soul Rings.
• Lu Yu sent Great Sage on Somersault Cloud to knock out the seven Sky-Flying Centipedes, then killed the youngest one and absorbed its Soul Ring.
• Lu Yu and Great Sage used Ring Fusion to merge the new purple Soul Ring into Somersault Cloud’s black Soul Ring, increasing its age and size.
• Lu Yu killed and absorbed the remaining six Sky-Flying Centipedes’ Soul Rings, reaching level 50 and raising Somersault Cloud to sixty-four thousand years old.
• Lu Yu enjoyed the enlarged Somersault Cloud and flew up into the sea of clouds.

Lu Yu continued strengthening Great Sage’s Somersault Cloud and hunting Soul Beasts, while Destruction God King stopped restricting his cultivation after mistaking him for Asura’s intended successor. After reaching level 34 and raising the cloud’s age to 69,000 years, Lu Yu decided to seek a Mirror Shadow Beast to unlock Seventy-Two Transformations.

• Destruction God King and Life God King watched Lu Yu, and Destruction explained that he had restricted Lu Yu’s cultivation because he believed Asura was preparing him to inherit a godhood.
• Destruction God King lifted the restriction, while Asura secretly watched the conversation and fumed over the couple’s plans to pass on their godhoods together.
• Lu Yu absorbed a Great Strength Gorilla’s Soul Ring and a Sky-Flying Centipede’s Soul Ring, reaching level 34 and then breaking through level 50 before adding another ring to Great Sage.
• Lu Yu used Ring Fusion to raise the Somersault Cloud’s age to 69,000 years, but he found no more Sky-Flying Centipedes before nightfall.
• Lu Yu reviewed his notes on Great Sage’s abilities and chose to hunt for a Mirror Shadow Beast so he could unlock Seventy-Two Transformations.

Lu Yu took Lu Fei and Lin Tian on a cloudborne barbecue and agreed to bring them to the Frozen Forest to seek a Mirror Shadow Beast. Before leaving Suotuo City, he told Oscar about the beast’s copying ability, but Flender forbade Oscar from going and sent Dai Mubai to confront Lu Yu, who knocked him down before departing north with his companions.

• Lu Yu returned to the courtyard on the Somersault Cloud, gave Lu Fei and Lin Tian a ride, and shared a barbecue with them above the clouds.
• Lu Yu told Lu Fei and Lin Tian he planned to seek a Mirror Shadow Beast in the Frozen Forest, and they persuaded him to let them come along.
• Lu Yu visited Shrek Academy and told Oscar that a Mirror Shadow Beast Soul Ring could let Oscar copy other people’s Martial Souls and Soul Skills.
• Oscar rushed to tell Flender, but Flender dismissed the claim, confined Oscar, and ordered Dai Mubai to confront Lu Yu.
• Dai Mubai attacked Lu Yu at the academy gates, but Lu Yu defeated him with two punches and left.
• Lu Yu returned to Lu Fei and Lin Tian, and the three flew north on the Somersault Cloud.

Lu Yu traveled with Lu Fei and Lin Tian to Snow Drifting City to prepare for a search for the rare Mirror Shadow Beast. After finding no useful information from several Soul Hunting teams, he met Haote, who had encountered one before and offered his team’s services.

• Lu Yu guided the Somersault Cloud to Snow Drifting City after the cold of the Frozen Forest proved too harsh for the group.
• Lu Yu rented a courtyard where Lu Fei and Lin Tian rested, and he decided they would spend three days preparing before entering the forest.
• After they gathered cold-weather supplies, Lu Yu went alone to ask the city’s Soul Hunting teams about Mirror Shadow Beasts.
• Several teams claimed they had never heard of the beast, but Haote said his Wind and Snow Soul Hunting Team had once seen one transform into an Ice Spirit Bird.
• Haote introduced himself as a rank fifty-four Soul King and offered to help Lu Yu find a Mirror Shadow Beast.

Lu Yu hired Haote’s Wind and Snow Soul Hunting Team and five other teams to locate the Mirror Shadow Beast in the Frozen Forest, but a year of searching found no trace of it. As most teams withdrew, Lu Yu began to suspect the beast would appear only for Oscar, while Haote vowed to keep searching.

• Lu Yu recognized Haote as the honorable captain Oscar had met in the original story and commissioned his team to find the Mirror Shadow Beast for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.
• Lu Yu hired five more Soul Hunting teams and searched the Frozen Forest himself, but a year of investigations yielded no sign of the beast.
• Lu Yu wondered whether the Mirror Shadow Beast was a unique opportunity destined for Oscar and would remain hidden until Oscar entered the forest.
• Four of the five later-hired teams withdrew, while Haote’s Wind and Snow Soul Hunting Team and one local team continued searching.
• Haote returned to Lu Yu’s rented courtyard with another fruitless report and promised that his team would not abandon the commission.

After two years of searching without finding the Mirror Shadow Beast, Lu Yu ended the hunt and left Snow Drifting City with Lin Tian and Lu Fei. At the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Yu began taking Lu Fei through the dangers of the forest as they searched for Lu Fei’s third Soul Ring.

• Lu Yu reflected on the failed search and told Lin Tian he no longer wanted to keep looking for the Mirror Shadow Beast.
• Lu Fei announced that he had reached level 30, and Lu Yu tested his strength with Soul Power pressure up to level 45.
• Lu Yu told Haote and the Soul Hunting Masters to stop searching, paid Haote one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and thanked the team for its efforts.
• Lu Yu left Snow Drifting City with Lin Tian and Lu Fei, traveling by Somersault Cloud to the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Lin Tian stayed at an inn while Lu Yu took Lu Fei into the forest to hunt for his third Soul Ring, leaving the dangers along the way to Lu Fei.

Lu Yu and Lu Fei searched the Star Dou Great Forest for Lu Fei’s Third Soul Ring, and Lu Yu chose a six-thousand-year Ghost Fire despite its dangerous soul-burning flames. Lu Yu sent Great Sage to subdue it and left Lu Fei behind as he pursued the creature on the Somersault Cloud.

• Lu Yu warned Lu Fei not to risk his life by seeking a Soul Ring beyond his strength, then watched him defeat a 2,200-year-old Ironback Pig.
• Lu Yu found a Ghost Fire and explained that its flames burned souls and could only be resisted with spiritual power.
• Lu Yu proposed that Lu Fei absorb the Ghost Fire’s Soul Ring for a spiritual attack, and Lu Fei agreed to try despite its spiritual power being comparable to that of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.
• Lu Yu summoned Great Sage and ordered him to strike the Ghost Fire with the Ruyi Staff, sending it flying.
• Lu Yu told Lu Fei to wait, then rode the Somersault Cloud with Great Sage to pursue the Ghost Fire.

Lu Yu helped Lu Fei kill Ghost Fire so Lu Fei could obtain its Soul Ring, and Lu Fei gained a soul-burning flame that Lu Yu identified as an External Soul Bone. The brothers named the power Nether Fire and its Soul Skill Ten Soul-Burning Blazes before leaving together.

• Lu Yu captured Ghost Fire, imprisoned it in a cave, and told Lu Fei to kill it after three days.
• Lu Fei pierced Ghost Fire with a spear and gained a Soul Ring, reaching level 34 with a Soul Skill that summoned ten fireballs that ignored defenses and struck souls.
• Lu Fei revealed black flames connected to a gray figure resembling himself, and Lu Yu suspected they were an External Soul Bone attached to his soul.
• Lu Yu had Lu Fei test the flames on a Soft Bone Rabbit, which died without visible injuries after the fire burned its soul.
• Lu Yu identified the flames as an External Soul Bone, named them Nether Fire, and called Lu Fei’s third Soul Skill Ten Soul-Burning Blazes.

After Oscar found Lu Yu, he learned that Lu Yu had never abandoned him and had spent two years searching for the Mirror Shadow Beast. Flender realized Lu Yu had returned and lured him to the woods west of Suotuo City, threatening his companions if he refused.

• Oscar visited Lu Yu’s courtyard and tearfully explained that Flender had confined him and claimed Lu Yu had abandoned him.
• Lu Yu and Lin Tian told Oscar they had spent two years searching for the Mirror Shadow Beast in the Far North and assured him they had never lied to him.
• Oscar returned to Shrek Academy in high spirits, and Ma Hongjun reported his changed mood to Flender.
• Flender concluded that Lu Yu had returned and ordered Ma Hongjun away when he offered to confront him.
• Flender flew to Lu Yu’s courtyard, confirmed Lu Yu was there, and summoned him to the woods west of the city while threatening his companions.

Lu Yu met Flender in the woods after Flender threatened his companions, and used his speed and Somersault Cloud to intimidate him. Flender abandoned his suspicions and tried to leave, but Lu Yu demanded compensation and left with five thousand Gold Soul Coins.

• Lu Yu sensed Flender approaching and went to meet him after Flender threatened Lu Fei and Lin Tian.
• Lu Yu arrived ahead of Flender on the Somersault Cloud, startling Flender with his speed and strange Soul Skill.
• Flender said he had come to check whether Oscar had been fooled and invited Lu Yu to visit Shrek Academy.
• Lu Yu blocked Flender from leaving and demanded a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins for the late-night summons.
• Flender protested and offered five thousand Gold Soul Coins, which Lu Yu accepted.

Lu Yu traveled to the Star Luo Empire to approach Zhu Zhuqing, hoping to gain her trust by saving her life. After reaching the Zhu Family mansion, he sent Great Sage to scout the rear courtyard.

• Lu Yu gave Flender five thousand Gold Soul Coins and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain, where he told Lu Fei and Lin Tian he planned to go to the Star Luo Empire.
• Lu Yu left the next day and traveled for three days to Falling Goose City, where he bribed a guard to enter.
• Lu Yu bought a crude map from a beggar, then flew toward Star Luo Imperial City and arrived three days later.
• Lu Yu surveyed the Zhu Family mansion and decided to create an opportunity to save Zhu Zhuqing.
• Lu Yu hid in the Zhu Family's rear courtyard at night and ordered Great Sage to scout the nearby houses.

Lu Yu infiltrated the Zhu Family residence and staged a bloody collapse outside Zhu Zhuqing’s courtyard to get her to help him. Zhu Zhuqing approached only after a long wait, but she remained wary and threatened to summon the guards.

• Lu Yu and Great Sage found five servants in the Zhu Family’s rear courtyard, and Lu Yu knocked them unconscious before forcing a maid to reveal where Zhu Zhuqing lived.
• Lu Yu sent Great Sage away, wounded himself, covered his clothes with Soul Beast blood, and stumbled into the Green Bamboo Courtyard.
• Zhu Zhuqing watched Lu Yu from her doorway for twenty minutes before approaching him with her saber ready.
• Zhu Zhuqing questioned Lu Yu about who was chasing him and why he had come, but he stayed silent and she threatened to call the guards.

Lu Yu pretended to be gravely wounded so Zhu Zhuqing would rescue him and let him hide in her room. After Zhu Zhuqing allowed him to stay for a few days, Lu Yu began planning how to grow closer to her.

• Zhu Zhuqing checked Lu Yu's pulse, then carried him into her room and cleaned up the blood he had left behind.
• Lu Yu lost consciousness from blood loss and woke later to find Zhu Zhuqing gone.
• Zhu Zhuqing returned with water and healing ointment, and Lu Yu apologized and asked to hide in the Zhu Family estate.
• Zhu Zhuqing agreed to let Lu Yu stay in the room for a few days, warned him not to go outside, and told him her name.
• After Zhu Zhuqing left, Lu Yu considered how to approach her and admitted he had no experience pursuing girls.