Chapter Summaries

Lu Cheng faced the Three Zhongli Brothers after they came to kill him, first piercing their Netherworld Black Panther with a flaming arrow. When the brothers unleashed hundreds of wronged souls, Lu Cheng summoned a gigantic Bone Dragon, leaving Zhongli Wu stunned by its size.

• Zhongli Wu ordered Zhongli Tian, Zhongli Di, and Zhongli Ren to kill Lu Cheng before the Auspicious Beast emerged.
• Lu Cheng and Electrolux prepared to use the newly developed Ice Bone Explosion against the three Soul Douluos.
• Zhongli Ren sent a Netherworld Black Panther spirit to attack Lu Cheng, but Lu Cheng pinned it to a tree with a flaming arrow.
• Zhongli Tian ordered his brothers to attack at full strength, and the three released hundreds of wronged souls toward Lu Cheng.
• Lu Cheng summoned a gigantic Bone Dragon, whose appearance shocked Zhongli Wu.

Lu Cheng detonated a Frost Bone Dragon against the Holy Spirit Cult, killing many of its followers before the cult turned back to capturing the Auspicious Beast. He replenished his Soul Power and approached the Scarlet King, who was badly wounded and trapped inside the cult’s spatial formation.

• Lu Cheng fled the Holy Spirit Cult’s formation and detonated the Frost Bone Dragon, killing more than twenty cult members while Zhongli Wu and the other Super Douluos survived.
• Zhongli Wu abandoned the pursuit of Lu Cheng when the Auspicious Beast arrived, and the cult resumed its attack on the Scarlet King.
• Lu Cheng watched the Scarlet King battle the Holy Spirit Cult and decided to help save the Auspicious Beast, while Electrolux estimated that breaking the formation would take about an hour.
• Lu Cheng used his Level 9 Soul Tool to replenish his Soul Power, then approached the battle after recovering.
• The wounded Scarlet King told the Holy Spirit Cult that it was despicable, while Zhongli Wu revealed that the spatial formation trapped him and the Auspicious Beast inside.

Lu Cheng hid the injured Auspicious Beast from Zhang Peng and shared memories of the human world with her while Electrolux prepared to break the formation. The Scarlet King self-destructed to hold off Zhongli Wu and the others, and Electrolux then tore open their prison to reveal the original Star Dou Great Forest.

• Lu Cheng concealed the Auspicious Beast from Zhang Peng and gave her a wisp of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s origin power.
• Lu Cheng offered to show the Auspicious Beast the human world, and they exchanged memories as Electrolux finished breaking the seal.
• The Scarlet King self-destructed to attack Zhongli Wu and the other Holy Spirit Cult members, who escaped the flames and retreated.
• Electrolux tore apart the false world with his spell, revealing the original Star Dou Great Forest and freeing Lu Cheng and the Auspicious Beast.

Lu Cheng rescued the Auspicious Beast from the Holy Spirit Cult and earned Di Tian’s permission to take a Golden Hawksbill Turtle. After returning to Elder Chen and the others, they left the Star Dou Great Forest, still without a lead on Tang Ya’s fifth Soul Ring.

• Zhongli Wu and the surviving Holy Spirit Cult members fled as Di Tian pursued them, but Long Xiaoyao intervened and persuaded Di Tian to let them go.
• The Auspicious Beast thanked Lu Cheng and said she wanted to see the human world for herself; a remnant of the Scarlet King’s consciousness entered Lu Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness.
• Di Tian questioned Lu Cheng about saving the Auspicious Beast, and Bi Ji stopped the Auspicious Beast from offering him more than he requested.
• Lu Cheng asked for a Golden Hawksbill Turtle near death, and Di Tian sent the Myriad Demon King to bring him one.
• The Golden Hawksbill Turtle agreed to sacrifice himself to Lu Cheng, who returned with him to Elder Chen, Wang Dong'er, and the others.
• The group left the Star Dou Great Forest, while Tang Ya’s fifth Soul Ring remained unresolved.

Lu Cheng guided Tang Ya through the Golden Hawksbill Turtle’s sacrifice, then absorbed the Scarlet King’s remnant soul and gained its sacrifice. The Scarlet King survived in Lu Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness, where it discovered several powerful beings already living there and faced the furious Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

• Lu Cheng revealed that the Golden Hawksbill Turtle’s life gold was draining its vitality, and the turtle agreed to sacrifice itself to Tang Ya in a way that would preserve its soul.
• Tang Ya absorbed the Golden Hawksbill Turtle’s sacrifice, gained a blood-red Soul Ring, and advanced to Rank fifty-three.
• Lu Cheng began absorbing the Scarlet King, endured its furious Soul Shock, and calmed it by revealing that he had saved the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
• The Scarlet King agreed to sacrifice itself to Lu Cheng, and Du Busi guarded the area while the sacrifice caused a pillar of light to rise.
• The Scarlet King found that it had survived inside Lu Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness and discovered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Electrolux, the immortal herb, and the Snow Empress there.
• Sky Dream confronted the Scarlet King over its share of the origin power, and the Scarlet King begged for mercy before being attacked.

Lu Cheng reached level sixty-five and left the Body Sect for the Sun Moon Empire to recruit Soul Tool specialists. Meanwhile, Shrek Academy elders learned he had taken the Immortal Herbs from Sunset Forest and plotted to capture him for the remaining herbs.

• Lu Cheng reached level sixty-five, reassured Lang Ya he would take over the Soul Tool Department later, and departed alone for the Sun Moon Empire.
• Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen spoke wistfully about meeting Lu Cheng again and expected him to attend the next tournament.
• Yan Shaozhe announced Shrek Academy’s exchange with the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, while Xian Lin'er challenged him over the Martial Soul Department’s absence.
• Yan Shaozhe told the Sea God Pavilion elders that Lu Cheng had taken the Immortal Herbs from Sunset Forest, and Mu En warned them of the danger if Lu Cheng shared them with the Body Sect.
• Yan Shaozhe proposed placing spies in Heaven Dou City and capturing Lu Cheng, promising the elders they could divide the Immortal Herbs after the divine child kept her own.

Lu Cheng entered the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy under the fabricated identity of Cheng Lu and passed the Illustrious Virtue Hall assessment by making a Level 7 Stationary Soul Cannon. Meng Hongchen escorted him to the dormitory, where he planned to meet Xuan Ziwen and recruit other talent the next day.

• Lu Cheng arrived in Mingdu and used a forged recommendation and fabricated background to enroll as Cheng Lu, an eighteen-year-old Level 7 Soul Engineer.
• Meng Hongchen recognized a resemblance between Cheng Lu and her little martial uncle but did not uncover his identity, then took him to the assessment area.
• Lu Cheng engraved a Soul Tool formation core and built a flawless Level 7 Stationary Soul Cannon, impressing the examiners.
• Lin Jiayi passed Lu Cheng without requiring the dangerous combat assessment, and Meng Hongchen escorted him to the dormitory.
• Lu Cheng settled into room 302 and planned to recruit Xuan Ziwen, hoping to entice him with Tang Sect Hidden Weapon or Battle Armor blueprints.

Lu Cheng chose Xuan Ziwen as his mentor to pursue research into spiritual operating systems and advanced humanoid mechas. After impressing Xuan Ziwen and meeting the laboratory’s other students, he left with Ke Ke, Ju Zi, and Zi Mu, while Wang Shaojie vowed to challenge him.

• At Illustrious Virtue Hall’s mentor selection, Lu Cheng chose Xuan Ziwen, who was astonished that a Level 7 Soul Engineer had joined his poorly regarded laboratory.
• Lu Cheng told Xuan Ziwen he was interested in the abandoned neural operating system project and hoped to develop advanced mechas for powerful Soul Masters; Xuan Ziwen agreed to request that the research resume.
• After Xuan Ziwen showed him the laboratory, Lu Cheng began crafting two Level 6 Defensive Soul Tools from heavy silver.
• Ke Ke, Wang Shaojie, Zi Mu, and Ju Zi arrived and found Lu Cheng working; after noticing his Level 7 badge, they greeted him as their senior.
• Lu Cheng invited Ke Ke, Ju Zi, and Zi Mu out and gave Ke Ke and Ju Zi defensive rings, while Wang Shaojie felt slighted and vowed to expose him the next day.
• As Lu Cheng chatted with the others, he considered Ju Zi’s connection to Xu Tianran and whether he could make use of her.

Lu Cheng studied the confidential Spiritual Operating System files and discussed the project's technical and financial challenges with Xuan Ziwen. Xuan Ziwen gave Lu Cheng his fortune to fund the research, leaving them ready to begin their work together.

• Lu Cheng treated the laboratory members to an expensive meal, where Ke Ke teased Ju Zi about him and Xuan Ziwen reprimanded Ke Ke for her coursework.
• Lu Cheng explained that Xuan Ziwen had given him confidential files on the Spiritual Operating System, while Ju Zi and the others declined to read them.
• Ju Zi warned Ke Ke to stay away from Wang Shaojie and wondered whether Lu Cheng might be someone she could rely on instead of the crown prince.
• The next day, Xuan Ziwen scolded Ke Ke while Lu Cheng studied the files and considered how a high-level humanoid mecha could harness his Spiritual Power.
• Lu Cheng and Xuan Ziwen discussed the costs and metal requirements of the project, and Xuan Ziwen handed him a black card containing more than four million Gold Soul Coins for purchases.

Lu Cheng and Xuan Ziwen invested heavily in the Spiritual Operating System research, and Lu Cheng grew into a trusted central figure in the laboratory. The chapter ended when Meng Hongchen greeted Lu Cheng in the cafeteria and Xiao Hongchen eyed him with suspicion.

• Xuan Ziwen gave Lu Cheng more than four million Gold Soul Coins to spend on rare metals for the research project.
• Ju Zi accompanied Lu Cheng to the Ten Thousand Gold Pavilion, where he bought rare metals with the funds.
• Lu Cheng told Ju Zi that the Spiritual Operating System could eventually make a Level 9 humanoid mecha possible, leaving her intimidated by the project's difficulty.
• Over the next two months, Xuan Ziwen and the other laboratory members increasingly trusted Lu Cheng and recognized his abilities.
• Meng Hongchen greeted Lu Cheng in the cafeteria, while Xiao Hongchen came over and assessed him with hostility.

Lu Cheng watched the Royal Soul Engineering Academy face a visiting challenge from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, while considering how to approach Meng Hongchen and the powerful Jing Hongchen. The matches reached a turning point when the visiting academy sent out a nearly twenty-year-old Soul Saint, and Nana entered the arena to face him.

• Lu Cheng observed Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, resolved to approach them and Jing Hongchen gradually, and reflected on his plans against the Sun Moon Empire’s imperial family.
• Meng Hongchen told Xiao Hongchen that he was on the exchange list for Shrek Academy, while she had not been selected; she also named Bei Bei and Tang Wutong as Shrek’s participants.
• Ke Ke told Lu Cheng and Ju Zi that Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy had arrived demanding an arena competition, with a formidable Level 7 Soul Engineer among its students.
• At the Royal Soul Engineering Academy’s testing grounds, Xu Tianzhen defeated several opponents before retreating to replenish her Soul Power.
• Mingdu’s white-haired elder sent out a disciple only days short of his twentieth birthday, whom Jing Hongchen recognized as a Soul Saint and at least a Level 7 Soul Engineer.
• The announcer introduced Illustrious Virtue Hall disciple Nana, who entered the arena with two Soul Tool daggers to face the visiting ace.

Xu Song from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy defeated a succession of Illustrious Virtue Hall disciples, leaving Jing Hongchen with few options until Lu Cheng was called to fight. Lu Cheng faced Xu Song’s hidden close-combat Soul Tool and forced him to withstand a tracking Soul Cannon blast, but the match remained unresolved.

• Xu Song overwhelmed Ghost Nana with a barrage of Level 6 Soul Guidance Rays, then continued defeating Illustrious Virtue Hall disciples in the arena.
• Jing Hongchen prepared to leave in frustration until Lin Jiayi reminded him of another fighter, and the match announcer called Cheng Lu to the arena.
• Lu Cheng realized he had forgotten that he was an Illustrious Virtue Hall disciple, then agreed to fight as Ju Zi, Ke Ke, and the others cheered him on.
• Xu Song introduced himself and brought out a Level 7 close-combat Soul Tool shaped like a giant sword instead of his usual fortress defenses.
• Lu Cheng fired an ordinary-looking Level 7 Soul Cannon whose blast tracked Xu Song; Xu Song blocked it with his sword but was driven several meters backward.

Lu Cheng defeated Xu Song in the exchange match by overwhelming him with precise cannon fire and a vast array of Soul Tool Turrets, impressing the spectators and Jing Hongchen. Meng Hongchen recognized him despite his forged identity, while Xu Tianzhen tried to recruit him and Jing Hongchen intervened; Lu Cheng was invited to the Illustrious Virtue Hall for a reward.

• Lu Cheng repeatedly shot down Xu Song’s attacks, then revealed a huge array of Soul Tool Turrets and blasted him out of the arena.
• Ji Juechen praised Lu Cheng’s strength and vowed to challenge him, while a wounded girl from the Royal Soul Engineering Academy watched him with interest.
• Jing Hongchen taunted Elder Nian after the victory, and Meng Hongchen recognized Lu Cheng as someone familiar despite his changed identity.
• Lu Cheng left with Ju Zi, Ke Ke, and Zi Mu, but Xu Tianzhen confronted him and demanded that he serve under her.
• Jing Hongchen stopped Xu Tianzhen from recruiting Lu Cheng and invited him to the Illustrious Virtue Hall the next day for a reward.

Lu Cheng continued his research at the Illustrious Virtue Hall while managing his secret alliance with the Body Sect and his relationship with Meng Hongchen. He left with Ju Zi and Ke Ke to test the laboratory’s All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool.

• Ke Ke and Ju Zi complained about Wang Shaojie’s cheating, while Xuan Ziwen warned Lu Cheng that a prince had shown displeasure toward him.
• Meng Hongchen brought Lu Cheng to meet Jing Hongchen, who rewarded him with rare metals; afterward, Lu Cheng revealed to Meng Hongchen that he had joined the Body Sect to recruit soul-tool talent.
• Lu Cheng explained that he had chosen to work with Xuan Ziwen because approaching the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s inner circle risked exposing his identity, and he slipped away when Xiao Hongchen approached.
• Lu Cheng reviewed the laboratory’s progress on the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool and learned that Ju Zi, Ke Ke, and Zi Mu had been assigned different parts of its development.
• Lu Cheng arranged a field test of the self-propelled soul-tool detector with Ju Zi and Ke Ke, while Zi Mu took leave to handle a family matter.

Lu Cheng confronted Ju Zi about her hidden ambitions and her relationship with Xu Tianran during their scouting trip in Jingyang Forest. Ju Zi offered herself and promised that the future emperor of the Sun Moon Empire would carry Lu Cheng’s blood, but the chapter ended before he responded.

• Lu Cheng took Ju Zi and Ke Ke to Jingyang Forest to test an all-terrain scouting soul tool, where Ju Zi revealed her parents had died during the Star Luo Empire’s invasion.
• Lu Cheng saw through Ju Zi’s attempt to enlist his help for revenge and directly accused her of wanting him as a powerful backer.
• The group traveled deeper into the forest, encountered increasingly powerful soul beasts, and set up camp for the night.
• Lu Cheng told Ju Zi he knew about her connection to Crown Prince Xu Tianran and criticized her for using schemes instead of sincerity.
• Ju Zi embraced Lu Cheng from behind and offered herself, promising to support him and ensure that the Sun Moon Empire’s future emperor carried his blood.

Lu Cheng led Ju Zi and Ke Ke through a Golden Qilin Armor clan’s ambush, but their Soul Tool was destroyed by the clan’s king. Ju Zi recognized that her eldest senior brother was Lu Cheng after he revealed his overwhelming power, then pretended to be unconscious as he defeated the king.

• Ju Zi offered Lu Cheng her loyalty and even her body, but he warned her that a migrating Golden Qilin Armor clan was approaching.
• Lu Cheng sent Ju Zi to wake Ke Ke and get inside the All-Terrain Self-Propelled Soul Tool Turret while he prepared to escape without revealing his identity.
• Lu Cheng drove the Soul Tool west through the encirclement, evading the charging Golden Qilin Armors as Ke Ke and Ju Zi clung to their seats.
• Ke Ke unbuckled after thinking the danger had passed, and a huge Golden Qilin Armor King burst from underground, tore open the Soul Tool, and knocked her unconscious.
• Lu Cheng revealed his true power and defeated the sixty-thousand-year Golden Qilin Armor King, while Ju Zi recognized him and pretended to be asleep.

Lu Cheng spared the Golden Qilin Armor King, then confronted Ju Zi after realizing she had witnessed his strength. Ju Zi offered her loyalty and herself in exchange for his help taking revenge on the White Tiger Duke, and the chapter left Ke Ke waking amid the wreckage, unaware of what had happened.

• Lu Cheng recognized that the Golden Qilin Armor King had been defending its territory, but released it because its Soul Ring would not benefit him.
• Lu Cheng returned to Ju Zi, realized she was awake, and confronted her about witnessing his true strength.
• Ju Zi offered to serve Lu Cheng and help him control the Sun Moon Empire if he helped her avenge her parents by killing the White Tiger Duke.
• Ju Zi recorded an intimate encounter with Lu Cheng inside a tent.
• Ke Ke woke in the devastated forest and wondered what had happened.

After Lu Cheng returned from the Golden Qilin Armor King’s attack, he grew closer to Ju Zi and Meng Hongchen while helping Xuan Ziwen repair the damaged Soul Tool. Xiao Hongchen left for three years after entrusting Meng Hongchen to Lu Cheng, and the chapter ended with Wang Dong'er arriving as a Shrek Academy exchange student.

• Ke Ke found the wrecked all-terrain self-propelled Soul Tool, and Lu Cheng explained that he had forced the Golden Qilin Armor King to retreat with Level 7 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells.
• Lu Cheng brought Ju Zi and Ke Ke back to Mingdu, then told Xuan Ziwen that the beast had destroyed the Soul Tool and that Ju Zi and Ke Ke needed time to recover.
• Ju Zi asked whether Lu Cheng knew Meng Hongchen, and he urged her to stop visiting Xu Tianran and promised to help avenge her parents.
• Meng Hongchen invited Lu Cheng to join the exchange trip to Shrek Academy, but he refused and later agreed to spend the night with her.
• After a month passed, Xiao Hongchen left for at least three years and asked Lu Cheng to look after Meng Hongchen, who was going to be in Mingdu without him.
• Shrek Academy's exchange students arrived in Mingdu, and Lu Cheng found Wang Dong'er causing a commotion in the laboratory.

Lu Cheng humiliated Tang Wutong and offered Xuan Ziwen immense resources to recruit him away from the Sun Moon Empire, and Xuan Ziwen agreed to leave with him. Meanwhile, Nana went to visit her parents’ souls and found a white-clad young man waiting among the slaughtered members of a Holy Spirit Cult branch.

• Tang Wutong insulted Lu Cheng and the Sun Moon Empire, so Lu Cheng kicked her into a wall and ordered Ju Zi to put away the damaged equipment.
• Xuan Ziwen confronted Lu Cheng about his supply of ice extreme divine crystal, then wavered when Lu Cheng offered research funding, materials, and assistants.
• Xuan Ziwen accepted Lu Cheng’s offer and began planning to leave, while Lu Cheng said they would stay until he met a few old friends.
• Nana entered a Holy Spirit Cult branch to visit her parents’ souls and sensed danger in the dark corridor.
• Nana and the disciple discovered nearly half the branch members, including three Holy Spirits, dead at the altar, where a white-clad young man said he had been waiting for Nana.

Lu Cheng spared Nana after she helped him destroy a Holy Spirit Cult altar, recruited her as his shadow, and raised her Soul Power. He then gathered Du Busi, Zhang Lexuan, and the Body Sect’s strongest fighters in Mingdu to force Jing Hongchen into their ranks and strike the Illustrious Virtue Hall.

• Lu Cheng asked Nana whether the Holy Spirit Cult deserved to die, and she vented her hatred on the dead cult members before pleading to free her parents’ imprisoned souls.
• After Nana released her parents, Lu Cheng stopped her from killing herself and invited her to become his shadow; she accepted and swallowed a flower that raised her Soul Power from Rank 54 to Rank 60.
• Lu Cheng took Nana to the Evil Demon Forest, where he killed a hundred-thousand-year Evil Eye Tyrant and gained his seventh Soul Ring, advancing to Soul Saint.
• Lu Cheng decided to implicate Jing Hongchen in treason with Meng Hongchen’s help so the Body Sect could recruit the Illustrious Virtue Hall master before Lu Cheng left the Sun Moon Empire.
• Du Busi, Zhang Lexuan, and six Body Sect elders joined Lu Cheng outside the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, and Du Busi asked when they would launch their surprise attack on the Illustrious Virtue Hall.