Chapter Summaries

Mu En appointed Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan to lead the Martial Soul Department and asked Qian Chen to take Bei Bei as a disciple. Qian Chen agreed while secretly planning to use Bei Bei’s connection to Mu En to gain influence over Shrek Academy, as Bibi Dong arrived to seize Bei Bei.

• Qian Chen learned through Mu En’s thoughts that Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao were Limit Douluos and that Ye Xishui had been Mu En’s great love.
• Mu En appointed Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan to lead the Martial Soul Department and made them Sea God Pavilion Elders with voting rights; both promised to serve Shrek Academy.
• Mu En asked Qian Chen to take Bei Bei as a disciple and help him recover from his dejection, while the elders urged Qian Chen to accept.
• Qian Chen agreed to teach Bei Bei but secretly planned to use him and his connection to Mu En to control Shrek Academy.
• Bibi Dong and the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle arrived at the residence where Bei Bei was under house arrest, and the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle offered Bibi Dong a plan for taking him.

Qian Chen used the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle and Bibi Dong to make Bei Bei appear to have left, then learned the Dragon Core’s location and how to use it from Mu En’s thoughts. After Mu En died, Qian Chen secretly extracted the core, while Yan Shaozhe took charge of the academy and a Sea God Pavilion meeting erupted over Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan’s appointments.

• The Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle proposed hiding Bei Bei from the guard and messenger, and Bibi Dong moved him through their blind spots until they believed he had left.
• The messenger reported Bei Bei missing, and Mu En died before he could pass the Dragon Core’s secret to him; Qian Chen read the secret and its use from Mu En’s thoughts.
• Mu En’s soul was drawn into the Golden Ancient Tree, and Yan Shaozhe became acting Sea God Pavilion Master.
• Yan Shaozhe arranged Mu En’s funeral, while Bei Bei was found still in the courtyard residence and learned he had missed his great-great-grandfather’s final moments.
• During his turn keeping vigil, Qian Chen secretly extracted the Dragon Core from Mu En’s remains.
• At a Sea God Pavilion meeting, Yan Shaozhe read Mu En’s final instructions naming Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan for leadership roles in the Martial Soul Department, and Qian Chen challenged the Elders to state their objections openly.

Du Weilun challenged Qian Chen’s appointment as dean and vice dean, prompting Qian Chen to offer a demonstration of his strength. At the Inner Court’s Soul Fighting Arena, Du Weilun and Gong Changlong revealed their Martial Souls and Soul Rings, and Qian Chen prepared to fight them both alone.

• Du Weilun objected to Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan taking charge of the Martial Soul Department and argued that Gong Changlong was better qualified.
• Qian Chen challenged Du Weilun and Gong Changlong to test him, then invited anyone else who doubted their authority to join the fight.
• Du Weilun backed away from a two-on-two match, but became furious when Qian Chen said he would face both challengers alone.
• Yan Shaozhe led the group to the Inner Court’s Soul Fighting Arena, where Qian Duoduo, Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Yan Shaozhe protected the platform.
• Du Weilun revealed his Vigorous Vajra Martial Soul and eight Soul Rings, while Gong Changlong revealed his Fire Dragon Martial Soul and nine Soul Rings.
• Gong Changlong called on Qian Chen to reveal his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, and Qian Chen agreed.

Qian Chen defeated Du Weilun and Gong Changlong in a fight to establish his authority as dean of the Martial Soul Department, then turned his Seven Kill Sword on Du Weilun while the elder’s wounds continued to resist healing. Du Weilun panicked and asked why Qian Chen still threatened him after he had accepted the appointment.

• Qian Chen revealed his extraordinary Soul Ring configuration, and Du Weilun urged Gong Changlong to concede, but Gong insisted they fight.
• Du Weilun and Gong Changlong attacked Qian Chen, who used his Sword Shadow Clone and Killing Sword Qi to knock Du Weilun off the platform and leave him gravely wounded.
• Elder Zhuang treated Du Weilun, who admitted he accepted Qian Chen as dean, while Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi watched.
• Qian Chen fought Gong Changlong hand to hand, then overwhelmed him with Swords Fall Like Rain and earned his promise to follow orders in the Martial Soul Department.
• Elder Zhuang struggled to heal Du Weilun’s recurring wounds, and Qian Chen asked her to treat Gong Changlong first.
• Qian Chen pointed his Seven Kill Sword at Du Weilun, who cried out that he had already accepted Qian Chen as dean.

Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan took charge of the Martial Soul Department and settled its leadership, while Qian Chen arranged to hunt powerful Evil Soul Masters for the academy. They agreed on their respective dean roles and discussed staffing and Bei Bei’s future before Qian Chen left to teach his class.

• Qian Chen withdrew the harmful Killing Sword Qi from Du Weilun, and Zhang Lexuan offered Du his director of studies post again.
• Yan Shaozhe concluded the meeting after everyone accepted Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan’s succession as deans.
• Qian Chen asked Xuan Zi to assign him Evil Soul Masters of Soul Saint rank or above to hunt, and Xuan Zi agreed.
• Zhang Lexuan proposed becoming dean while Qian Chen served as deputy, and he accepted her arrangement.
• Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan agreed he would leave his homeroom post after the Freshman Tournament and later check on Bei Bei.
• Qian Chen went to teach First Year Class One after Zhang Lexuan reminded him to be mindful of the students.

Qian Chen prepared Class One for the Freshman Tournament and watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong demonstrate their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. After privately hearing Huo Yuhao worry about his growing attraction to Wang Dong, Qian Chen discovered that Huo Yuhao also had feelings for several women and concluded Tang San’s plan might fail.

• Qian Chen instructed Class One to train for the Freshman Tournament and explained its rules and preparations.
• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao stayed behind to speak with Qian Chen, and Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong demonstrated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Withering Amid Brilliance, Golden Road.
• Qian Chen praised the skill’s stasis effect and compared it to the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
• After Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao left, Huo Yuhao told Qian Chen that Wang Dong seemed increasingly attractive to him, though he had tried and failed to like female classmates.
• Qian Chen used the Eye of the Mind and saw Huo Yuhao imagining Wang Dong as a woman, but also saw Qian Guyi, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao in his heart.
• Qian Chen dismissed the class and decided Huo Yuhao’s interest in other women could undermine Tang San’s plan to bind him to Wang Dong.

Qian Chen, Zhang Lexuan, and their disciples shared a barbecue feast on Sea God Island, where Xuan Zi rewarded the students and agreed to help Wang Dong obtain a Soul Ring. Meanwhile, Xian Lin'er grew hungry after smelling the barbecue and set out with Qian Duoduo to find it.

• Qian Chen invited Huo Yuhao to grill fish for him and Zhang Lexuan, and the group gathered supplies to cook beside Sea God Lake.
• Qian Chen used his Seven Kill Sword to catch Silver-Blooded Dragonfish, and Huo Yuhao served the first batch of grilled fish to Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan.
• Xuan Zi arrived and ate a batch meant for Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, then gave Qian Chen three Soul Ascension Pills for his disciples.
• Qian Chen asked Xuan Zi to take Wang Dong Soul Hunting when he needed a third Soul Ring, and Xuan Zi agreed.
• Xian Lin'er complained to Qian Duoduo that Zhang Lexuan had thwarted her plan to poach staff from the Martial Soul Department, then smelled the barbecue and went with him to investigate.

Qian Chen persuaded Shrek Academy’s deans to allow Soul Tools in the Freshman Tournament and devised a plan to promote the Soul Tool Department. After Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er agreed to fund student-made Soul Tools and subsidies for poorer freshmen, Zhang Lexuan questioned Qian Chen’s motives.

• Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er joined Qian Chen, Zhang Lexuan, and the students for a barbecue, and Qian Chen served them Silver-Blooded Dragonfish.
• Qian Duoduo asked to study Qian Chen’s Level 8 Imperial Armor, but Qian Chen refused and explained that his Soul Engineer friend held power in the Sun Moon Empire.
• Qian Duoduo complained that the Martial Soul Department took the best students, prompting Xian Lin'er to ask Zhang Lexuan to let the Soul Tool Department recruit through the Freshman Tournament.
• Qian Chen proposed allowing Soul Tools in the tournament and having the Soul Tool Department’s students make items for freshmen to buy.
• Qian Chen suggested a ten-thousand-Gold-Soul-Coin subsidy for each of about two hundred poor students, and Qian Duoduo agreed to fund it.
• After Qian Duoduo, Xian Lin'er, and Xuan Zi left, Zhang Lexuan asked Qian Chen why he had helped strengthen the Soul Tool Department.

Qian Chen explained his plans for strengthening Shrek Academy through soul tools, upsetting Zhang Lexuan before she accepted his Imperial Armor and came to support his ambition. Ahead of the Freshman Tournament, soul tools sold out quickly, leaving Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao equipped with poor-quality gear while Dai Huabin arrived too late to buy any.

• Qian Chen gave Zhang Lexuan the Level 8 Defensive Soul Tool Imperial Armor and argued that Shrek Academy should teach students to use soul tools, prompting her to ask for two days alone.
• A month later, the Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department announced that freshmen could use Level 1 and Level 2 soul tools in the tournament and offered purchase subsidies to poor students.
• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao asked Qian Chen for suitable soul tools, but he barred them from using the stronger tools he had already given them and sent them to shop at the Soul Tool Department.
• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao spent over twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins on the remaining low-quality soul tools after other students bought up the better stock.
• Huo Yuhao spotted Dai Huabin arriving with Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie after the Soul Tool Department had sold out, and Dai Huabin angrily confronted him for laughing.

Huo Yuhao challenged Dai Huabin to a Freshman Tournament bet, staking his life against Dai Huabin’s fiancée, Zhu Lu, and later began preparing for the tournament. Three days later, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao entered their first match in Arena Thirty-Three.

• Huo Yuhao traded insults with Dai Huabin and challenged him to bet on who would rank higher in the Freshman Tournament.
• Huo Yuhao staked his life against Dai Huabin’s fiancée, Zhu Lu, and Dai Huabin accepted the bet in anger.
• Wang Dong worried about the bet and told Qian Chen, who urged her to focus on competing alongside Huo Yuhao.
• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were assigned to Arena Thirty-Three for the Freshman Tournament.
• Wang Yan called Huo Yuhao’s team and Team Ouyang into the arena for their first match.

Huo Yuhao used Qian Chen’s Level 2 Soul Tool stun baton to defeat Team Ouyang and win the match. After Wang Dong grew upset over the weapon and left, Ning Tian arrived at Competition Area Nineteen with two female students.

• Ouyang Junyi, Chen Junfeng, and Zhao Haochen activated their Martial Souls and charged at Huo Yuhao’s team.
• Huo Yuhao used the stun baton to knock Chen Junfeng unconscious, then punched and kicked Zhao Haochen off the platform.
• Ouyang Junyi grabbed the stun baton’s conductive tip, was shocked unconscious, and left Team Ouyang unable to continue fighting.
• Wang Yan confirmed that the weapon was a Level 2 Soul Tool and declared Huo Yuhao’s team the winner.
• Wang Dong questioned Huo Yuhao about the stun baton, learned Qian Chen had given it to him, and left angrily; Ning Tian then entered the competition area with two female students.

Ning Tian's team defeated Huang Chutian's team by combining their strength with Soul Tools, while Qian Chen and Qian Duoduo discussed the Soul Tool Department. Ning Tian noticed Qian Chen watching her and considered her family's plan to approach him after winning the tournament.

• Qian Chen and Bing Ling discussed Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's hopes of matching them with Qian Chen and Yan Feng.
• Ning Tian's team faced Huang Chutian's team, and Ning Tian warned Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er that the Lan sisters might have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
• Wu Feng attacked Lan Susu while Nanmen Yun'er kept Huang Chutian occupied, and the Lan sisters activated their Heavenly Net fusion skill against Wu Feng.
• Ning Tian used a Soul Guidance Ray to interrupt the fusion skill, then cut through the Lan sisters' hair with a Soul Guidance Sword and kicked Lan Susu off the platform.
• Wu Feng eliminated Lan Luoluo, and Huang Chutian was defeated after joining the battle; Qian Chen and Qian Duoduo discussed the future of Soul Tools and recruiting students.
• Ning Tian saw Qian Chen watching her and recalled her family's plan for her to approach him after winning the Freshman Tournament.

The semifinal draw matched Ning Tian's team against Xie Huanyue's and Huo Yuhao's team against Dai Huabin's. Ning Tian's team wore Xie Huanyue down and advanced to the final, leaving Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin to begin their match.

• Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin exchanged taunts over their wager before drawing the semifinal matchups.
• Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er used Ning Tian's speed boost to evade Xie Huanyue and quickly eliminate Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba.
• Xie Huanyue chased Ning Tian while her team harassed him, preventing him from defending or landing attacks.
• After half an hour of attacks exhausted Xie Huanyue, he collapsed and Ning Tian's team won the semifinal.
• The referee called Huo Yuhao's team and Dai Huabin's team into the arena for their semifinal.

Huo Yuhao used Qian Chen’s Soul Tools and Spiritual Detection to face Dai Huabin in the Freshman Tournament semifinal. After switching from defensive armor to ranged Soul Tools, he slowed Dai Huabin and struck him, while Qian Chen allowed the match to continue despite a cheating complaint.

• Dai Huabin mocked Huo Yuhao’s single white Soul Ring as both teams released their Martial Souls.
• Huo Yuhao activated Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing, then donned a Level 2 defensive Soul Tool as Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao prepared to fight.
• Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin clashed directly, and their punches sent each other staggering before the teams split into their matchups.
• Huo Yuhao switched to acceleration boots and Soul Guidance Rays, dodged Dai Huabin’s White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, and slowed and injured him with successive shots.
• Dai Huabin’s homeroom teacher accused Huo Yuhao of using a prohibited Soul Tool, but Qian Chen confirmed it was Level 2 and ordered the match to continue.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao defeated Dai Huabin's team by interrupting Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill and knocking their opponents from the platform. After the victory, Ning Tian realized that her clan's plan to win Huo Yuhao over had already been thwarted.

• Dai Huabin abandoned his pursuit of Huo Yuhao and called Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie to regroup, while Huo Yuhao urged Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao to eliminate them.
• Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu began fusing their martial souls, but Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong used their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to freeze Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie in place.
• Xiao Xiao struck the frozen opponents with her Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, knocking Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie off the platform and leaving Dai Huabin severely injured near its edge.
• Dai Huabin charged at Huo Yuhao and demanded a one-on-one fight, but Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao attacked together and knocked him unconscious off the platform.
• Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao told Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan they had won, and Ning Tian realized her clan's plan had already been beaten by someone else.
• Ning Tian asked Wu Feng how she could fulfill her clan's task, and Wu Feng comforted her with a promise that she and Brother Yan Feng would stay by her side.

Huo Yuhao’s team faced Ning Tian’s team in the Freshman Tournament finals, despite Qian Chen’s warning that they were unlikely to win. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm secretly struck Ning Tian with a Spiritual Shock, leaving her unconscious as the match continued.

• Zhang Lexuan teased Huo Yuhao about winning Zhu Lu in his bet with Dai Huabin, and Huo Yuhao said he would claim her in name only.
• Qian Chen praised Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao for reaching second place, then warned them that Ning Tian’s team would be difficult to defeat.
• Shrek Academy’s senior figures gathered to watch the finals, and Ning Tian’s team and Huo Yuhao’s team took the Soul Fighting stage.
• Ning Tian buffed her teammates while Wu Feng used a Soul Tool to overpower Huo Yuhao, and Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er held off Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
• The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm secretly sent a Spiritual Shock at Ning Tian, who collapsed after Wang Dong struck her during their fight.

Wu Feng retaliated after Ning Tian was knocked unconscious, severely injuring Wang Dong before Ning Tian explained the misunderstanding and apologized. Bing Ling took Ning Tian to the Inner Court because she remained unconscious for unknown reasons, while Qian Chen reassured Wang Dong as Huo Yuhao faced the consequences of the fight.

• Wu Feng shattered Huo Yuhao's Defensive Soul Tool, threw him from the arena, and then attacked Wang Dong in anger.
• Huo Yuhao surrendered to stop Wu Feng, and Ning Tian asked Wu Feng to bring her over to Wang Dong.
• Ning Tian apologized to Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, explaining that her head had begun hurting before Wang Dong's kick struck her.
• Healing Soul Skills restored Wang Dong, but Ning Tian remained unconscious despite having no apparent injuries.
• Bing Ling took Ning Tian to Elder Zhuang in the Inner Court, while Qian Chen checked on Wang Dong and told her to rest.

Huo Yuhao learned that his spiritual attack had badly injured Ning Tian and was overwhelmed with guilt, while Qian Chen defended him publicly and urged him not to blame Ning Tian or Wu Feng. Elder Zhuang managed to wake Ning Tian, but her damaged Sea of Consciousness remained untreated.

• Huo Yuhao learned from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm that its Spiritual Shock and Wang Dong's kick had severely damaged Ning Tian's Sea of Consciousness.
• Qian Chen told Huo Yuhao that Ning Tian had intended to apologize and take responsibility for Wang Dong's injuries, then warned him not to seek revenge on Ning Tian or Wu Feng.
• Huo Yun'er urged Qian Chen to make Huo Yuhao take responsibility, and Qian Chen promised to guide his disciple's character as well as his cultivation.
• At the Freshman Tournament ceremony, Qian Chen silenced Huo Yuhao's critics by revealing his nine Soul Rings and declaring confidence in his disciple's future.
• Bing Ling brought Ning Tian to Elder Zhuang, who could not repair her spiritual damage but used a healing Soul Skill to wake her.

After Ning Tian suffered damage to her Sea of Consciousness, Elder Zhuang could not cure her, so Bing Ling brought her to Qian Chen for help. Wu Feng also sought Qian Chen out, and he agreed to take her to the Inner Court to find Ning Tian.

• Elder Zhuang told Ning Tian that she would have to recover from her Sea of Consciousness injury on her own, and Bing Ling carried her to Qian Chen's residence.
• Xi Xi saw Bing Ling carrying Ning Tian and alerted Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochеn, who initially feared he had brought home another woman.
• Bing Ling explained Ning Tian's injury to Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochеn, and they stayed with Ning Tian while waiting for Qian Chen.
• Wu Feng stopped Qian Chen, Zhang Lexuan, and his disciples to ask about Ning Tian, after Xiao Xiao angrily confronted her over Wang Dong's injury.
• Qian Chen learned that Wu Feng had come on Yan Feng's advice and agreed to take Yan Feng's future wife to the Inner Court to find Ning Tian.

After Huo Yuhao admitted that his mental attack had injured Ning Tian, he offered to care for her, but she initially rejected him. Ning Tian weighed her uncertain future and Huo Yuhao’s promises, then decided she could only take a gamble on him.

• Qian Chen sent the injured Wang Dong back to Sea God Island with Zhang Lexuan and had Xiao Xiao take her upstairs to rest.
• At Qian Chen’s home, Ning Tian explained that her injured Sea of Consciousness left her dizzy and unable to sit or stand, and Wu Feng wept over her condition.
• Huo Yuhao confessed that his mental attack had injured Ning Tian and offered to take responsibility by staying with and protecting her.
• Ma Xiaotao blamed Huo Yuhao for ruining Ning Tian’s life, but Ling Luochen pulled her away to help Zhang Lexuan.
• Ning Tian rejected Huo Yuhao’s offer at first, saying she did not want pity and wanted a powerful Soul Master as her partner.
• After Huo Yuhao promised to prove his talent and said he admired her, Ning Tian considered her prospects and decided to gamble on him.