Recaps

Lu Cheng forced Zhang Lexuan to relive her parents’ deaths and fight him, strengthening her hatred while defeating her attacks with ease. He left her determined to kill him, then spoke with Wu Yun about his plan and refused to return the Immortal Herb to the Holy Spirit Cult.

• Lu Cheng used an illusion of her parents’ deaths to provoke Zhang Lexuan, who unleashed her soul skills and blood-moon attack against him.
• After Zhang Lexuan mistook a charred illusion for Lu Cheng’s corpse, he struck her and told her to get dressed before continuing their fight.
• Lu Cheng easily shattered Zhang Lexuan’s next blood-moon attack, choked her, and urged her to cultivate and turn her hatred into strength.
• Zhang Lexuan vowed to kill Lu Cheng after he left the cave, while Wu Yun questioned why he was making her hate him.
• Lu Cheng told Wu Yun not to return the Immortal Herb to the Holy Spirit Cult, then opened a bottle containing Zhang Lexuan’s blood.

Lu Cheng prepared to leave the Simulation by adapting his Martial Soul to Zhang Lexuan’s blood, hoping to leave her stronger and able to survive without him. After three months of training her in the cave, he departed without saying goodbye in person, leaving a crow to deliver his message.

• Lu Cheng used Zhang Lexuan’s blood and a secret method to make his Blood Pupils Martial Soul adapt to her, enduring severe pain.
• A crow delivered Ye Xishui’s warning that Lu Cheng should return quickly, and he acknowledged her concern before dismissing the world as simulated.
• Over three months, Zhang Lexuan reached rank eighty-five Soul Douluo and stabilized her strength while training against Lu Cheng and recovering in the hot spring.
• Zhang Lexuan unleashed her eighth Soul Skill, but Lu Cheng’s arrow easily shattered its attack.
• After Zhang Lexuan recovered, a black crow told her Lu Cheng had left and hoped she would become strong enough to fight him; she angrily demanded an explanation from the bird.

Lu Cheng left Zhang Lexuan behind in the valley, where she swore to kill him, and watched the fourth arc’s events unfold. The account ended with Lu Cheng reaching rank ninety-five and deciding that his years of plotting had reached their final stage.

• Zhang Lexuan realized Lu Cheng had left her free and shouted that she would kill him.
• Lu Cheng flew away with Wu Ya and dismissed Zhang Lexuan’s furious threat.
• The account recounted how Lu Cheng’s actions made his name feared across the continent and helped the Holy Spirit Cult grow bolder in the Sun Moon Empire.
• Lu Cheng led Holy Spirit Academy to victory over Shrek at the tournament, then found Ma Xiaotao had joined his team and been appointed Holy Maiden.
• Lu Cheng reached rank ninety-five and recognized that the plan he had spent years building was nearing its conclusion.

Yan Shaozhe secretly went to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to claim its Immortal Herbs, but Youyou lured him into swallowing a poisoned flower. As a black-robed figure appeared, Yan Shaozhe realized he had fallen into a trap.

• Zhang Lexuan received a letter directing her to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and Yan Shaozhe learned that it was the valley where she had met Lu Cheng.
• Yan Shaozhe decided to investigate the valley without consulting Mu En, hoping to keep its Immortal Herbs from other factions.
• Yan Shaozhe reached the valley and befriended Youyou, who told him Lu Cheng was away and offered him a flower said to benefit sacred Martial Souls.
• Yan Shaozhe swallowed the flower, began suffering as it burned inside him, and saw a black-robed figure appear.

Lu Cheng trapped Yan Shaozhe in an illusion and killed him after Yan Shaozhe mistakenly believed he had escaped through Phoenix Nirvana. The chapter ended with Lu Cheng crossing Yan Shaozhe’s name off his death list.

• Yan Shaozhe realized Lu Cheng had manipulated him and concluded that Lu Cheng intended to eliminate threats to Zhang Lexuan, including powerful figures across the continent.
• Lu Cheng told Yan Shaozhe that everyone would have to suffer for Lexuan, but Yan Shaozhe claimed he could escape through another means.
• Yan Shaozhe used Phoenix Nirvana and believed he had escaped to Sunset Forest, while Lu Cheng’s illusion kept him trapped in the valley.
• Lu Cheng’s scarlet arrow struck Yan Shaozhe, and Yan Shaozhe discovered that the flower he had swallowed was a poisonous herb and that he had never escaped the illusion.
• Yan Shaozhe died after telling Lu Cheng he would wait for him in hell, and Lu Cheng crossed Yan Shaozhe’s name off a white notebook containing four names.

Ma Xiaotao mourned Yan Shaozhe with Lu Cheng, then learned from his words and preparations that he expected to die in the coming assault on Shrek Academy. Lu Cheng left her asleep and ordered the Holy Spirit Cult to begin the attack, while Zhang Lexuan worried about Yan Shaozhe and watched Mu En emerge after a meeting of powerful figures.

• Ma Xiaotao mourned Yan Shaozhe at his grave and struggled to reconcile her loyalty to her teacher with her love for Lu Cheng.
• Ma Xiaotao begged Lu Cheng not to leave her, and he admitted through his silence that he expected to die; he promised to give her his Sun-Shooting Bow before he left.
• A crow told Lu Cheng that the Holy Spirit Cult had surrounded Shrek Academy with its elders and forces, ready to attack on his command.
• Lu Cheng used a faint crimson light to keep Ma Xiaotao asleep, laid her on the grass, and ordered the cult to proceed with its attack on Shrek Academy.
• Zhang Lexuan worried that Yan Shaozhe had not returned and considered warning Mu En, then saw Mu En and other powerful figures emerge from the Sea God Pavilion after reaching an agreement.

Lu Cheng led the Holy Spirit Cult in surrounding Shrek Academy, while Mu En and the assembled allies prepared to face the attack. Mu En demanded to know where Shaozhe was, leaving the confrontation poised to begin.

• Zhang Lexuan told Mu En that Yan Shaozhe had gone to Sunset Forest after receiving a note from Lu Cheng and had not returned.
• Gray-black miasma spread toward Shrek Academy as more than twenty Titled Douluos from the Holy Spirit Cult revealed themselves, including Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui.
• Lu Cheng emerged before the gathered forces and proposed that Du Busi might cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult after it destroyed Shrek Academy.
• Du Busi, representatives of the Star Luo Empire and Dou Ling Empire, and other allied experts rose to oppose Lu Cheng and the Holy Spirit Cult.
• Mu En shielded Shrek Academy with the Golden Ancient Tree's light, confronted Lu Cheng, and asked where Yan Shaozhe was.

Lu Cheng led the Holy Spirit Cult’s assault on Shrek Academy as Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui fought its defenders. As Elder Song and Xian Lin'er attacked Lu Cheng, he revealed that he had long since become a Super Douluo and that his Three-Legged Golden Crow was the sun itself.

• Mu En realized Lu Cheng had used Zhang Lexuan and Yan Shaozhe to weaken Shrek Academy before the Holy Spirit Cult’s assault, while Long Xiaoyao charged into battle against Xuan Zi and Du Busi.
• Ye Xishui summoned the Death God's Tower and fired its Death God Ray at Mu En, who drew on the Ancient Golden Tree’s power to destroy the beam with Dragon Emperor Evil-Shattering Rend.
• Mu En refused to abandon Shrek Academy and prepared to fight Ye Xishui to the death.
• Elder Song wounded Lu Cheng in a surprise attack, then joined Xian Lin'er in sealing off his escape.
• Lu Cheng revealed that he had already reached the Super Douluo realm, and Elder Song recognized that his Three-Legged Golden Crow was the sun itself.

Lu Cheng revealed the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s overwhelming power in the battle above Shrek Academy, while Ma Xiaotao awoke transformed and raced back to him. As dawn approached, the exhausted defenders faced Du Busi and Xuan Zi’s desperate self-detonation against Long Xiaoyao.

• Wu Ming and Shrek’s inner court disciples watched Lu Cheng’s Three-Legged Golden Crow and realized how far its power surpassed their understanding of the Golden Crow Martial Soul.
• Elder Song ambushed Lu Cheng, but he countered with three Golden Crow arrows, forcing her to dodge and injuring Xian Lin'er while two fiery birds guarded him.
• Ma Xiaotao awoke in a valley, discovered that her Martial Soul had become a Divine Fire Phoenix and her Soul Power had risen, then flew toward Shrek Academy, afraid Lu Cheng would die.
• After fighting through the night, Mu En and Ye Xishui were both near defeat, while Du Busi, Xuan Zi, and Lu Cheng had suffered grievous injuries.
• Du Busi and Xuan Zi exchanged a glance, enlarged their bodies, and charged Long Xiaoyao with the intent to self-detonate.

Du Busi sacrificed himself to cripple Long Xiaoyao, while Mu En pursued Ye Xishui with his life force and named Zhang Lexuan his successor. In the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Cheng helped Long Xiaoyao kill Xuan Zi, then betrayed Long Xiaoyao for love of Ye Xishui and left him dying.

• Du Busi self-destructed while holding Long Xiaoyao, and Mu En decided to pursue Ye Xishui with his final strength.
• Mu En named Zhang Lexuan the next Sea God Pavilion Master before chasing Ye Xishui, while Lu Cheng also pursued them and Xuan Zi followed Long Xiaoyao.
• In the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Cheng struck Xuan Zi with a fiery arrow and joined Long Xiaoyao in killing him.
• Lu Cheng claimed he would return to support Shrek Academy, then pierced Long Xiaoyao with a crimson arrow and confessed that he loved Ye Xishui.
• Long Xiaoyao understood Lu Cheng's betrayal, asked to be buried with Ye Xishui, and fell toward the ground.

Lu Cheng revealed that his plan had begun after Mu En killed his family and Zhang Lexuan’s, and he confirmed that Xuan Zi and Long Xiaoyao were dead. As his stolen-Martial-Soul technique left him dying, Mu En died after learning the Sun Moon Federation would unite the continent, and Zhang Lexuan confronted Lu Cheng.

• Lu Cheng suppressed the injuries caused by his Martial Soul-stripping technique and hurried toward Mu En.
• Mu En realized Lu Cheng had manipulated the battle, while the Sun Moon Empire’s forces attacked the direction Ye Xishui had fled.
• Lu Cheng told Mu En that he had planned his revenge since the night Mu En killed his family and Lexuan’s, confirmed Xuan Zi and Long Xiaoyao were dead, and said the Sun Moon Federation would rule the continent.
• Mu En apologized to Lu Cheng and died as the Sun Moon Empire ordered its forces to leave the dying Lu Cheng alone.
• Zhang Lexuan found Mu En dead, confronted Lu Cheng, and he taunted her into attacking him.

Zhang Lexuan fought Lu Cheng with her full strength, but his Three-Legged Golden Crow overwhelmed her until his power suddenly began to fail. As Sun Moon Empire reinforcements routed the Holy Spirit Cult, Lu Cheng’s Sun-Shooting Bow dissolved, and Jiaojiao realized he might be dying.

• Zhang Lexuan unleashed her blood moon, but Lu Cheng’s Three-Legged Golden Crow swallowed it, and she followed with her Ninth Soul Skill, Spirit of the Silver Moon.
• Sun Moon Empire reinforcements attacked the Holy Spirit Cult’s fleeing disciples, while Wu Ya escaped and realized Lu Cheng had orchestrated a grand game of chess.
• Lu Cheng declared Zhang Lexuan too weak, and she prepared for what she thought would be his final blow.
• Lu Cheng suddenly weakened, and Zhang Lexuan seized the chance to launch her Eighth Soul Skill at him again.
• Lu Cheng’s Sun-Shooting Bow dissolved after he thanked it, while Jiaojiao appeared in his consciousness and angrily confronted him over his failing body.

Lu Cheng revealed to Jiaojiao that his plan required his death, and she chose to remain with him rather than be transferred to Ma Xiaotao. After Zhang Lexuan found him dying, Jiaojiao disclosed that Mu En had arranged the massacre of her family to manipulate her and Lu Cheng into joining Shrek Academy.

• Lu Cheng told Jiaojiao his death was part of a plan he had set in motion years earlier, and offered to let her survive as Ma Xiaotao’s Soul Spirit.
• Jiaojiao rejected being passed on to someone else and chose to die with Lu Cheng.
• Zhang Lexuan found Lu Cheng gravely wounded beside a stream after the blood moon struck him.
• Lu Cheng admitted that he had killed Mu En and others, then told Zhang Lexuan that Mu En was not the true culprit behind her family’s deaths.
• Jiaojiao explained that Mu En had colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult to target the Lu and Zhang families, intending to force Lu Cheng and Zhang Lexuan into Shrek Academy.

Jiaojiao revealed that Lu Cheng had sacrificed his reputation and safety to protect Zhang Lexuan, who learned the truth as he lay dying. Lu Cheng gave her his Martial Soul before he died, and Zhang Lexuan killed herself rather than live without him.

• Jiaojiao told Zhang Lexuan that Lu Cheng had repeatedly risked everything to protect her and had endured the world's hatred for her sake.
• Zhang Lexuan confronted Lu Cheng, who admitted he had hoped to leave something behind for her and gave her his Martial Soul, which appeared as a crimson eye on her forehead.
• Lu Cheng died in Zhang Lexuan's arms, and Jiaojiao vanished into a blaze of fire that merged into his body.
• When Ruomu and the Shrek Academy elders arrived, Zhang Lexuan said Lu Cheng had overlooked that she could not live without him, then stabbed herself through the heart with her hairpin.
• Ma Xiaotao arrived and showed the elders evidence of the truth, leaving them silent as Ruomu mourned the ill-fated lovers.

Lu Cheng chose the Sun-Shooting Bow and then Blood Pupils as two rewards from his completed simulation, while Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Jiaojiao awakened with memories of their simulated lives. The chapter ended with Zhang Lexuan vowing to find Lu Cheng, as he watched a Black Tortoise Sect steward outside his home before exhaustion overtook him.

• Ma Xiaotao visited Lu Cheng and Zhang Lexuan's graves, reflected on her life, and walked into the flames to reunite with Lu Cheng.
• Lu Cheng selected the Sun-Shooting Bow as his first reward and discovered that the hidden objective gave him a second choice.
• Lu Cheng chose Blood Pupils, detected Chen Ling sleeping outside the courtyard, and watched him leave at dawn before falling asleep.
• Zhang Lexuan realized her memories of Lu Cheng were real and vowed to find him.
• Ma Xiaotao felt her Divine Fire Phoenix Martial Soul evolve and mourned that she would never see Lu Cheng again, while Jiaojiao woke in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with her memories intact.

Xu Jiangliu and Steward Chen discussed plans to secure Jiang Nannan for Xu Sanshi and keep Lu Cheng from interfering. Lu Cheng secretly cultivated to Soul Power rank three and planned to join Shrek Academy before seeking the Body Sect, then resumed practicing the Golden Core Skill.

• Xu Jiangliu told Steward Chen to arrange matters involving Jiang Nannan and Lu Cheng without letting Xu Sanshi discover the plan, and ordered him to sell Mother Jiang a Mystic Water Pill at a plausible discount.
• Jiang Nannan woke Lu Cheng and tried to reassure him about his low Innate Soul Power before joining Mother Jiang and him for lunch.
• Lu Cheng asked when Shrek Academy would enroll students and revealed that his overnight cultivation had raised his Soul Power to rank three.
• Jiang Nannan said Shrek Academy's next enrollment would be in six months, while Lu Cheng decided to cultivate toward rank fifteen and use the academy to attract the Body Sect's attention.
• After Jiang Nannan returned to Shrek Academy, Lu Cheng practiced the Golden Core Skill in his room.

Mother Jiang gave Lu Cheng a precious Mystic Water Pill, and refining it raised his Soul Power by five levels and slightly improved his physique. He tested the Sun-Shooting Bow outside the city and discovered he could already wield formidable strength on his own.

• Mother Jiang gave Lu Cheng a Mystic Water Pill she had obtained through the Black Tortoise Sect, and Lu Cheng realized she and Jiang Nannan had spent a great deal to get it for him.
• Lu Cheng swallowed the pill and spent the night refining its medicinal power, gaining five levels of Soul Power and becoming stronger.
• Lu Cheng left Black Tortoise City to chop firewood and reflected on the benefits the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Tools could bring to ordinary people.
• After confirming no one was nearby in the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Cheng summoned the Sun-Shooting Bow and fired a flaming arrow that snapped a large tree in half.
• Lu Cheng concluded that his new strength could let him contend with a level-fifteen Soul Master and hunt for his first Soul Ring himself.

A year and a half later, ten-year-old Lu Cheng revealed his rank-twenty-three cultivation and asked Jiang Nannan to recommend him to Shrek Academy. He told her the Black Tortoise Sect was targeting their mother to force Jiang Nannan into serving Xu Sanshi, leaving the siblings to confront the threat while their mother’s illness worsened.

• Lu Cheng ignored Steward Chen when the steward tried to recruit him into the Xu family, and Mother Jiang sent Chen away.
• Over the next year and a half, Lu Cheng reached rank twenty-three and waited for Jiang Nannan to return so she could recommend him to Shrek Academy.
• Mother Jiang coughed up blood, and Lu Cheng learned that the apothecary claimed only a Black Tortoise Divine Pill could cure her.
• Jiang Nannan returned home, and Lu Cheng asked her to recommend him to Shrek Academy before revealing his Sun-Shooting Bow and two Soul Rings.
• Lu Cheng told Jiang Nannan that the Black Tortoise Sect had arranged their mother’s illness to pressure her into serving Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan recognized the threat from her own dealings with the Xu family.
• Jiang Nannan asked Lu Cheng what they should do about the Black Tortoise Sect.

Lu Cheng accompanied Jiang Nannan to Shrek Academy, hoping to reveal his talent and gain the power to save Mother Jiang. After reaching the admissions office, he showed Du Weilun the Golden Crow and Sun-Shooting Bow he had mastered, leaving his true abilities to be judged.

• Xu Jiangliu dismissed Chen Nian's concerns about Jiang Nannan taking Lu Cheng away and decided to let Lu Cheng attend Shrek Academy before trying to make him give up on Jiang Nannan.
• Lu Cheng and Jiang Nannan entered Shrek City after arranging for a neighbor to look after Mother Jiang while Lu Cheng cultivated and sought the Academy's support.
• At the admissions office, Jiang Nannan introduced Lu Cheng to the students there as her ten-year-old younger brother with rank twenty-three Soul Power.
• Tang Ya teased Jiang Nannan about Lu Cheng, while Jiang Nannan warned him to stay away from Bei Bei because of his close friendship with Xu Sanshi.
• Jiang Nannan left Lu Cheng outside Du Weilun's office after giving him enrollment advice and fifty Gold Soul Coins.
• Du Weilun asked Lu Cheng to show his Martial Soul, and Lu Cheng revealed the Golden Crow and Sun-Shooting Bow in their fully comprehended form.

Lu Cheng enrolled at Shrek Academy, where his Golden Crow Martial Soul impressed Du Weilun and Mu En sensed an inexplicable familiarity with him. After moving into Dorm 108 and meeting Ning Cong, Lu Cheng was visited by Jiang Nannan, whose affectionate care made their relationship seem ambiguous to Ning Cong.

• Du Weilun recognized the power of Lu Cheng's Golden Crow Martial Soul, approved his enrollment, and hurried to tell Yan Shaozhe about him.
• Mu En assigned Lu Cheng to Dorm 108 and felt that the boy reminded him of an old friend, though he confirmed they had never met.
• Lu Cheng collected his uniform and considered joining the Soul Tool Department, but worried he lacked money to buy the equipment he needed.
• Lu Cheng met his roommate Ning Cong and inferred from the freshman roster that Ning Cong was a level-twenty-two support-system Soul Master from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
• Jiang Nannan visited Lu Cheng, made his bed, and fussed over him; Ning Cong watched their closeness and suspected their relationship was ambiguous.

Lu Cheng advanced to rank twenty-four while cultivating, impressing Ning Cong, who decided to recruit him for the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The two visited a Soul Tool shop, where Ning Cong bought Lu Cheng an expensive Scarlet Fire Carving Knife.

• Lu Cheng meditated on the Golden Core Skill and broke through from rank twenty-three to rank twenty-four.
• Ning Cong marveled at Lu Cheng's cultivation speed and learned that he had awakened his Martial Soul at eight because his family was poor.
• Ning Cong wrote to his sect about recruiting Lu Cheng and considered how Ning Tian might be involved in winning him over.
• Ning Cong treated Lu Cheng to an expensive breakfast, and the two strolled through Shrek City.
• Lu Cheng inspected Carving Knives at a Soul Tool shop but hesitated at the price of the Scarlet Fire Carving Knife.
• Ning Cong used his gold card to buy the Scarlet Fire Carving Knife for Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng rented Soul Tool equipment, made a powerful fire-attribute Soul Guidance Ray on his first attempt, and drew the attention of Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun. Yan Shaozhe decided to observe him through the freshman tournament, while wondering why Lu Cheng provoked such intense hostility in him.

• Ning Cong paid for Lu Cheng to use a Soul Tool Department workstation for three years.
• Lu Cheng carved a core formation and assembled a Soul Guidance Ray while consulting a guide, astonishing Ning Cong with his apparent first attempt.
• Lu Cheng fired the modified ray and pierced an ordinary Level 4 Defensive Soul Tool target, explaining that a fire crystal amplified its power.
• Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun watched Lu Cheng from the training grounds, and Du Weilun urged the dean to recruit him before the Soul Tool Department did.
• Yan Shaozhe chose to wait and see how Lu Cheng performed in the freshman tournament, though he could not explain why the boy made him want to strangle him.

Lu Cheng built a profitable Soul Tool business and prepared to compete in the freshman assessment, while Shrek’s leaders dismissed his potential. Yan Shaozhe sent Ma Xiaotao to watch the assessment after telling her that Lu Cheng would be there.

• Lu Cheng earned nearly two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in three months by selling Soul Tools and reached rank twenty-six.
• Lu Cheng planned to enter the freshman assessment with Ning Cong and Xue Ling'er, aiming to win the championship and its rewards.
• Yan Shaozhe asked Xuan Zi whether to recruit Lu Cheng, but Xuan Zi doubted the usefulness of his eye-based Body Martial Soul, and Yan Shaozhe chose not to act.
• Xuan Zi wondered why his eyes hurt whenever he saw Lu Cheng.
• Yan Shaozhe interrupted Ma Xiaotao's intense training and assigned her to watch the freshman assessment, mentioning that Lu Cheng would be there.

Lu Cheng, Ning Cong, and Xue Ling'er entered the freshman assessment as favorites, and Lu Cheng’s overwhelming first-match victory made the championship look like a contest between their team and Yu Linglong’s. The chapter ended with Jiang Nannan worrying about the burden Lu Cheng carried while he calmly acknowledged Yu Linglong.

• Ning Cong explained the tournament rules and identified Yu Linglong’s Class Two team as their main competition.
• The academy called the freshmen to the assessment area, where Lu Cheng’s team was assigned to Section Seven and faced three Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters.
• Lu Cheng used his Sun-Shooting skill to knock out the Hound Martial Soul student and blast the agility attacker off the platform, leaving only the support Soul Master standing.
• Yu Linglong watched Lu Cheng with a grave expression, and the two briefly met each other’s gaze.
• Tang Ya cheered for Lu Cheng while Jiang Nannan worried about the pressure he bore for the Black Tortoise Sect and her and her mother’s sake.

Lu Cheng and Ning Cong dominated the freshman assessment as the final match drew the Soul Tool Department’s attention and Ma Xiaotao arrived to referee. When Ma Xiaotao saw Lu Cheng in the arena, she recognized him as the young man from her memories.

• Lu Cheng and Ning Cong crushed their opponents throughout the freshman assessment, and the final elimination match began.
• Du Weilun changed the schedule to pit Lu Cheng’s team against Yu Linglong’s team while Fan Yu considered recruiting Lu Cheng for the Soul Tool Department.
• Ma Xiaotao arrived to oversee the finals and asked Du Weilun where she could find Lu Cheng.
• Lu Cheng’s team faced Yu Linglong’s team in Arena seven as Ma Xiaotao watched from the stands.
• Ma Xiaotao spotted Lu Cheng and recognized him as the young man from her memories.