Chapter Summaries

Xu Tianran visited Kong Deming to secure the Worship Hall’s support for his planned war against the Douluo Three Kingdoms after ascending the throne. Kong rejected his appeals to legacy, insisting his achievements were already assured, and left Xu’s request unanswered.

• Kong Deming formally welcomed Xu Tianran and Ju Zi, then led Xu into a private reception room.
• Xu Tianran asked why Kong seemed hostile toward him, and Kong said Xu’s false smiles and conduct displeased him.
• Xu Tianran predicted that his gravely ill father would not survive the year and declared himself the rightful successor to the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Tianran revealed his plan to unite the continent by conquering the Star Luo Empire, Heavenly Soul, and Dou Ling, and asked the Worship Hall to support the war.
• Kong Deming replied that his name was already destined for history as the empire’s first Level 10 Soul Engineer, regardless of who ruled or whether the continent was unified.

Kong Deming refused to support Xu Tianran’s planned war while confirming that the Worship Hall would stay neutral in the imperial succession. Six months later, Xu Tianran had taken the throne and Kong Xuan’s Spirit Pagoda preparations were nearly complete, but the Worship Hall’s Three-Word Battle Armor research remained stalled by difficulties in Soul Forging.

• Xu Tianran bluntly asked Kong Deming whether the Worship Hall would support his war of unification, and Kong Deming said it would neither stop nor assist him.
• Xu Tianran realized the Worship Hall would not oppose his succession, accepted its position, and left with Ju Zi.
• Six months later, the old emperor died and Xu Tianran formally ascended the throne.
• Xu Tianran opened the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament to sects and renamed it the Continental Youth Advanced Soul Master Soul Fighting Tournament.
• Kong Xuan spent the half-year organizing the Spirit Pagoda and coordinating with the Star Dou Great Forest, while the Worship Hall’s Three-Word Battle Armor project stalled over Soul Forging.

As Mu En neared death, he appointed Xuan Zi as his successor and told Shrek’s tournament team to put their safety above victory. At Mingdu, Shrek’s competitors struggled under the academy’s tarnished reputation and learned that Kong Xuan would captain the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, leaving them overwhelmed by the challenge ahead.

• Mu En told Xuan Zi to succeed him as Sea God Pavilion Master and warned him against rash decisions.
• Mu En instructed Cai Mei'er to lead the tournament team and prioritize the competitors’ safety over honors.
• Five days later, Cai Mei'er and Wang Yan brought Shrek’s seven competitors to Mingdu, where the team’s morale was weighed down by Shrek’s past defeat and subsequent scandals.
• Wang Yan reported that Kong Xuan would captain the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy alongside the returning reserve lineup and siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.
• Cai Mei'er urged Shrek’s students not to measure themselves against Kong Xuan and to focus on showing their own abilities.

Kong Xuan warned the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team not to underestimate Shrek as they reviewed the altered tournament lineup and the absence of several sects. The tournament opened in Mingdu, where Xu Tianran declared the competition underway and the defending champions prepared to stage the first match.

• Ren Jun briefed the Sun Moon team on Shrek Academy's competitors, and Kong Xuan warned his teammates against becoming careless.
• Kong Xuan recalled that the Tang Sect, Holy Spirit Sect, and Snow Demon Sect were absent after events he had set in motion changed the tournament lineup.
• Two days later, the Continental Advanced Young Soul Master Soul Fighting Tournament opened at a newly built stadium on Mingdu's eastern outskirts.
• Kong Xuan noticed a black-robed figure beside Xu Tianran and suspected the person belonged to the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Xu Tianran formally opened the tournament, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the previous champion, was set to take the first match.

Kong Xuan sent Shui Ling and Xu Wei to face all seven members of the Heavenly Sword Sect, confident that the pair could win despite their numerical disadvantage. The match began with both sides summoning their Martial Souls, and the crowd learned that Shui Ling and Xu Wei were both Soul Emperors.

• Kong Xuan chose Shui Ling and Xu Wei to fight the Heavenly Sword Sect's seven-person team, and he told them to finish the battle quickly.
• Kong Ling questioned the decision to field only two fighters, and Kong Xuan explained that respecting opponents did not mean underestimating his own team's strength.
• Shui Ling and Xu Wei entered the platform alone, shocking the crowd and prompting Xu Tianran to ask the State Preceptor about their chances.
• The State Preceptor predicted that the two Soul Emperors would defeat the Heavenly Sword Sect's seven members, whose strongest fighter was a Soul King.
• The referee began the match, and Shui Ling and Xu Wei revealed six Soul Rings each, astonishing the spectators.

Shui Ling and Xu Wei defeated the Heavenly Sword Sect's seven contestants almost instantly, revealing how far the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's team had grown. Their victory left the Shrek Team wondering whether Kong Xuan had already become a Soul Saint.

• Shui Ling trapped the Heavenly Sword Sect's seven contestants in her Thousand Thread Cage as Xu Wei struck them with Lightning Flash.
• The referee declared the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy the winner, and Xu Wei revealed that he had cut each opponent's neck while sparing their lives.
• Shui Ling released the seven contestants, and she and Xu Wei returned to their teammates as the next match began.
• The Shrek Team fell silent as Wang Dong recalled Shui Ling and Xu Wei's former weakness and Bei Bei suggested the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's team might be entirely Soul Emperors.
• Xu Sanshi reminded the Shrek Team that Kong Xuan had been a Soul Emperor when he left and suggested he might now be a Soul Saint.

Kong Xuan’s team finished the knockout stage and prepared for the round-robin matches, where Kong Xuan encountered Yu Tianlong of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Yu Tianlong challenged him to a duel, but Kong Xuan’s overwhelming presence made him step aside, and the team continued to the soul elevator.

• Kong Xuan judged the other sects during the knockout stage and suspected the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had entered to reveal Ning Tian’s evolved Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
• The knockout stage ended, and the surviving teams prepared to compete in four round-robin groups, with only the top two in each group advancing.
• Yu Tianlong challenged Kong Xuan to a one-on-one fight, while Kong Ling told him he would have to get past her first.
• Kong Xuan told Yu Tianlong to wait until he could truly stand before him, then released a brief, crushing presence that forced Yu Tianlong to move aside.
• Xu Wei mocked Yu Tianlong’s challenge, but Kong Xuan warned him that Yu Tianlong’s Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul made him a dangerous opponent.

Ren Jun and Kong Xuan prepared the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy for its match against the Earth Dragon Sect, and Qiangu Fuliu insisted on taking the first individual fight. When the draw confirmed an individual battle, Qiangu Fuliu entered the arena, where Shrek Academy's Cai Mei'er recognized his considerable strength.

• Ren Jun told the team that the Earth Dragon Sect had three Soul Kings and discussed the match lineup with Kong Xuan.
• Kong Xuan named seven competitors for a team battle and said they would field a full lineup against every opponent.
• Qiangu Fuliu asked to fight first if the match was an individual battle, and Kong Xuan agreed.
• Kong Xuan drew the individual-battle format, and Qiangu Fuliu waited while Shrek Academy won its team match.
• Qiangu Fuliu entered the arena to face the Earth Dragon Sect as spectators watched the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's next match.
• Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi discussed Qiangu Fuliu, and Cai Mei'er said his strength was considerable.

Qiangu Fuliu made his tournament debut for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, revealing peak level sixty-nine cultivation and overwhelming the Earth Dragon Sect's Xu Shenshu. The referee intervened to protect Xu Shenshu when Qiangu Fuliu's staff shattered the arena's shield, leaving the duel unresolved.

• Cai Mei'er sensed that Qiangu Fuliu had reached the peak of level sixty-nine, shocking the Shrek Team.
• Qiangu Fuliu introduced himself as a level sixty-nine Tool Soul Emperor, while Xu Shenshu declared himself a level fifty-four Battle Soul King.
• After the referee began the match, Xu Shenshu charged with his Martial Soul Possession and Soul Rings activated.
• Qiangu Fuliu summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff and struck Xu Shenshu with a colossal blow without using a Soul Skill.
• The referee's protective shield shattered under the strike, so he rushed to Xu Shenshu and blocked the staff with his own shield.

Qiangu Fuliu defeated Xu Shenshu with a single staff strike, revealing the power of his Coiling Dragon Staff and prompting Shrek Academy to learn of its Spirit Hall origins. As the Earth Dragon Sect faced the prospect of conceding, captain Nan Qiuqiu stepped forward and declared she would concede the individual competition if she lost.

• Qiangu Fuliu shattered the referee’s Class 7 Soul Tool Shield with one staff strike, and the referee declared him the winner over Xu Shenshu.
• Shrek Academy’s Bei Bei identified Qiangu Fuliu’s strike as a Self-Created Soul Skill, while Cai Mei’er explained that the Coiling Dragon Staff had belonged to Spirit Hall Revered Elders ten thousand years earlier.
• Cai Mei’er revealed that a dragon soul was sealed inside the Coiling Dragon Staff, giving it traits of both tool and beast martial souls.
• Dai Huabin voiced hostility toward the Sun Moon Empire after learning of the martial soul’s Spirit Hall heritage.
• Nan Qiuqiu introduced herself as the Earth Dragon Sect’s captain and said her sect would concede the individual competition if she lost to Qiangu Fuliu.

Qiangu Fuliu faced Nan Qiuqiu’s Annihilation attacks and overcame them with his fighting will and Coiling Dragon Staff. He struck at Nan Qiuqiu with a devastating blow, which the referee’s Class 8 barrier absorbed.

• Nan Qiuqiu revealed her Rouge Dragon Martial Soul and fired Annihilation rays that nearly pierced the arena’s Class 8 Soul Tool Shield.
• Nan Qiuqiu launched her Third Soul Skill, Annihilation Chain Explosion, but Qiangu Fuliu pierced the orb with his Coiling Dragon Staff and dissipated its energy.
• Kong Xuan recognized that Qiangu Fuliu’s fighting spirit was nearing a domain and explained that his will had overcome Nan Qiuqiu’s Annihilation attribute.
• Qiangu Fuliu summoned three Divine Dragon Clones to evade Nan Qiuqiu’s attacks while closing the distance.
• Qiangu Fuliu brought down a massive staff shadow, and the referee protected Nan Qiuqiu with a Class 8 defensive barrier that withstood the strike.

Qiangu Fuliu defeated Nan Qiuqiu and led the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to another individual victory over the Earth Dragon Sect. The next round-robin match set his team against Shrek Academy, whose members confronted their slim chances of winning as Dai Huabin demanded that they defend Shrek’s glory.

• Nan Qiuqiu conceded her individual battle after Qiangu Fuliu overwhelmed her with his immense strength.
• Qiangu Fuliu returned to his teammates and expressed his eagerness to face Shrek Academy.
• Cai Mei'er told Shrek Academy that their next opponent was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, while Ren Jun gave the same news to his team.
• Wang Dong judged Shrek Academy’s chances of victory to be slim, and Xu Sanshi said they should not worry about losing.
• Dai Huabin rebuked Xu Sanshi and asked whether they had forgotten Shrek's glory.

Xu Sanshi challenged Shrek Academy’s lost reputation, and Bei Bei persuaded the team to concede its match against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to conserve strength and protect their chances of placing second. Just as Cai Mei'er approved the plan, Wang Yan arrived with news about Dean Yan.

• Xu Sanshi mocked Shrek’s fading glory, and Bei Bei reproached him for speaking against the academy.
• Jiang Nannan asked how the team should handle the next day’s match, and Bei Bei proposed conceding.
• Dai Huabin and the others objected, but Bei Bei argued that conserving strength and hiding their trump cards would protect their chances in later matches.
• Cai Mei'er accepted Bei Bei’s strategy and announced that the team would concede.
• Wang Yan rushed into the conference room and told everyone he had received news of Dean Yan.

Cai Mei'er learned that Yan Shaozhe was in Sun Moon after Wang Yan received a black Soul Tool containing Yan Shaozhe's blood. The lead raised hopes that Yan Shaozhe had been imprisoned rather than guilty of colluding with Evil Soul Masters, and Cai Mei'er left to seek help from Xuan Zi and the Sea God Pavilion, entrusting the team to Bei Bei.

• Wang Yan told the meeting that an unidentified, powerful messenger had given him a black Soul Tool and said Dean Yan was involved.
• Cai Mei'er opened the box and recognized the floating drop of blood as Yan Shaozhe's.
• Wang Yan reported that Yan Shaozhe was in Sun Moon and that the messenger would contact him again.
• Wang Yan suggested Yan Shaozhe might have been controlled and imprisoned, prompting the group to consider that he could be innocent.
• Cai Mei'er told Wang Yan to stay alert for another message and decided to return to the academy for help from Xuan Zi and the Sea God Pavilion, leaving Bei Bei in charge.

Cai Mei'er urged Bei Bei to seek Kong Xuan if Shrek Academy faced an unmanageable crisis, then the long-awaited match between Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy began. Zhongli Wu manipulated Xu Tianran’s fears about Kong Xuan and his allies, persuading the emperor to approve a secret plan that he claimed could trap even a Limit Douluo.

• Cai Mei'er promised Bei Bei that he could turn to Kong Xuan if Shrek Academy encountered a crisis, and Bei Bei agreed to remember her advice.
• A huge crowd gathered in Mingdu to watch Shrek Academy face Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the tournament.
• Xu Tianran asked Zhongli Wu who would win, and Zhongli Wu predicted that Sun Moon would claim the championship.
• Zhongli Wu warned Xu Tianran that Kong Xuan and the talented students around him might oppose the emperor’s plans for conquest.
• Xu Tianran asked whether Zhongli Wu’s plan could overcome Kong Deming, and Zhongli Wu assured him that even a Limit Douluo could not escape.
• Xu Tianran approved the plan and pledged to provide Zhongli Wu with whatever resources and personnel he needed.

Bei Bei forfeited Shrek Academy’s team battle against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, drawing public anger and leaving the victorious team disappointed. Meanwhile, Cai Mei'er returned to Shrek Academy and learned that she should go see Mu En one last time.

• Bei Bei entered the arena alone and announced that Shrek Academy was forfeiting the team battle.
• Zheng Zhan declared the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy the winner, while spectators erupted in anger and disappointment.
• Bei Bei endured the crowd’s insults as he returned to Shrek Academy’s preparation area.
• Cai Mei'er arrived at Shrek Academy and sensed that many powerful figures had gathered on Sea God Island.
• Qian Duoduo told Cai Mei'er that Xuan Zi and the others were at the Sea God Pavilion and urged her to see Mu En one last time.

Cai Mei'er returned to Shrek Academy with evidence that Yan Shaozhe was alive, and Mu En ordered an investigation before his life faded. He left the academy’s future in the hands of its elders.

• Cai Mei'er returned to the Sea God Pavilion and told the ailing Mu En that she had received a sealed drop of blood in Mingdu that she identified as Yan Shaozhe’s.
• Cai Mei'er asked the elders for help finding Yan Shaozhe and uncovering the truth behind the scandal damaging Shrek Academy’s reputation.
• Mu En agreed that the matter needed investigation and ordered Xuan Zi to accompany Cai Mei'er to Mingdu.
• Mu En instructed Xuan Zi to share the evidence with Kong Deming, arguing that Kong Deming might help them find Yan Shaozhe.
• Mu En suffered a violent coughing fit, weakened, and told the elders that the academy would depend on them from then on.

Meng Hongchen revealed that she had passed three Ice God trials and reached Level 84, while Kong Xuan promised to seek divine inheritances and directed Huo Yuhao to the Far North after the tournament. Meanwhile, Wang Yan reported that Yan Shaozhe would appear at West Mountain, and Xuan Zi decided to investigate alone despite Cai Mei’er's concerns.

• Meng Hongchen announced her progress in the Ice God trials and her breakthrough to Level 84, prompting Xiao Hongchen to ask Kong Xuan for a godhood inheritance.
• Kong Xuan promised to tell everyone if he found new divine traces and instructed Huo Yuhao to go with Meng to the Far North after the tournament.
• Wang Yan told Cai Mei'er and Xuan Zi that a mysterious messenger said Yan Shaozhe would appear at West Mountain the next day.
• Cai Mei'er suggested informing Kong Deming and proceeding together, but Xuan Zi refused and resolved to search West Mountain alone.

Mu En died after turning his life’s cultivation into a golden rain that blessed Shrek Academy, and Xuan Zi and Cai Mei'er returned to Mingdu while keeping his death from the students. Xuan Zi encouraged the team ahead of the final-eight matches, then refused Cai Mei'er's suggestion to tell Kong Deming about Yan Shaozhe, despite Mu En's prior arrangement.

• Mu En transformed into a sacred white dragon and dissolved into a golden rain that blessed Shrek Academy before he died.
• Xuan Zi entrusted the academy’s affairs to Lin Huiqun and left for Mingdu with Cai Mei'er to search for Yan Shaozhe and uncover the truth.
• Xuan Zi and Cai Mei'er returned to Shrek's team in Mingdu, where Xuan Zi urged the students to put their voluntary concession behind them and focus on the matches ahead.
• Xuan Zi kept Mu En's death from the students until after the tournament and told Cai Mei'er not to inform Kong Deming about Yan Shaozhe yet.

Xuan Zi refused to inform Kong Deming about the lead to Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Mei'er reluctantly agreed to wait for further contact. As the tournament final between Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Shrek Academy approached, Kong Xuan continued cultivating and focused on the strength he would gain from future Root Natures.

• Xuan Zi argued that Shrek should gather more information before approaching Kong Deming, citing his past humiliation and the limits of the available lead to Yan Shaozhe.
• Cai Mei'er agreed to follow Xuan Zi's plan and quietly await the mysterious person's next contact, though she remained worried about his judgment.
• Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy defeated Star Luo Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy and then a secluded sect, while Yu Tianlong's Heavenly Dragon Sect met Shrek Academy before he could challenge Kong Xuan.
• Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy advanced to the final, and Shrek's team resolved to fight to the end despite public doubts after its earlier forfeit.
• Kong Xuan cultivated in Mingdu, recognized that God King Tang was his true opponent, and anticipated fusing with the Body of Suffering Root Nature upon reaching godhood.