Arc 2The Road to Shrek

Yan Zu builds the Dawn Project, deepens his bonds with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, and brings the group to Shrek Academy. After passing Zhao Wuji’s test, he challenges Shrek’s approach to strength and joins Oscar and Ning Rongrong in their assigned training.

  • Yan Zu and Xiao Wu achieved Preliminary Martial Soul Resonance when his Qilin Martial Soul healed Xiao Wu, and he began publishing Star Dou Night Tales to gather Vow Power.
  • Yan Zu and Xiao Wu hunted Soul Rings, reached complete spiritual compatibility, and agreed to walk together while keeping Xiao Wu’s identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit secret.
  • Ning Rongrong grew close to Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, received Yan Zu’s help with her cultivation, and joined them in a faster shared cultivation routine.
  • Yan Zu and Ning Fengzhi established the Dawn Project to distribute high-yield crops and farming technology, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect agreed to provide resources and protection.
  • Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong left for Shrek Academy, rescued Zhu Zhuqing, and Yan Zu defeated Dai Mubai after Zhu Zhuqing identified him as her fiancé.
  • Yan Zu revealed his and Xiao Wu’s strength to Ning Rongrong, taught her techniques, and welcomed her promise to support them as they traveled to Shrek.
  • The four newcomers passed Zhao Wuji’s test through coordinated attacks and Yan Zu’s support skills, then joined Shrek Academy.
  • Yan Zu challenged Flender’s ideas about strength and training, then helped Oscar and Ning Rongrong complete their twenty laps before Flender announced training would begin in earnest.
Chapters 26–50 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 26The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect

After Xiao Wu sacrificed herself to save Yan Zu, their Martial Souls achieved Preliminary Martial Soul Resonance, and their bond deepened during the year that followed. At age seven, Yan Zu gained a talent for the arts and began creating stories to spread ideas and earn Vow Power, deciding to seek the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s help with publishing and distribution.

  • Xiao Wu shielded Yan Zu from the wolf king’s attack, and Yan Zu’s Qilin Martial Soul healed her as their Martial Souls achieved Preliminary Martial Soul Resonance.
  • Yan Zu visited his family with Xiao Wu, gave Su Qing Soul-Nourishing Tea, and learned that Yan Hu’s caravan-guarding work and Soul-Consolidating Pill had improved his strength.
  • Over the first school year, Yan Zu and Xiao Wu grew closer, and Yan Zu planned to spread culture as a way to gather the Vow Power needed to unseal the Xuanyuan Sword.
  • At age seven, Yan Zu received the Exquisite Literary Heart talent, mastering artistic skills that could imbue works with the power to move people.
  • Yan Zu began writing Star Dou Night Tales, adapting fables about Soul Beasts, and chose the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as his prospective publishing partner.

Ch. 27Preliminary Cooperation

Yan Zu tested his stories and music with Xiao Wu, then arranged for Rongbao Studio to publish his manuscripts under the pen name Wen Yansheng. The chapter left him with a monthly publishing deal and his identity protected.

  • Yan Zu named his manuscript collection Star Dou Night Tales and asked Xiao Wu to test-read a story, which made her laugh.
  • Yan Zu played the Flowing Clouds Harp for Xiao Wu on the hill behind Nuoding Academy, and the music calmed her and listeners throughout the academy.
  • Xiao Wu asked Yan Zu to play the song Flying Insects for her again, and the harp music became a regular secret between them.
  • Three days later, Yan Zu disguised himself and offered ten stories a month to Shopkeeper Chen of Rongbao Studio.
  • Shopkeeper Chen agreed to publish the stories through a revenue-sharing deal, with an initial print run of one hundred copies and confidentiality about the author's identity.

Ch. 28A Single Spark

Yan Zu’s Star Dou Night Tales became a sensation, drawing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s support and helping awaken the Xuanyuan Sword through readers’ recognition of its ideas. As Yan Zu planned to spread more works, Tang San grew jealous of the attention Xiao Wu gave him.

  • After the garrison captain’s son bought a copy, Star Dou Night Tales spread through Nuoding City and all one hundred copies sold out within three days.
  • Ning Fengzhi ordered five thousand more copies distributed through the sect’s trade routes and asked for an investigation into Wen Yansheng.
  • Yan Zu realized that readers’ thoughts and recognition of the stories gathered as Vow Power and strengthened the Xuanyuan Sword.
  • Tang San dismissed the book as useless, then saw Xiao Wu eagerly listening to Yan Zu tell more stories and crushed a teacup in jealousy.
  • Yan Zu planned to adapt The Song of Roland as his next cultural work.

Ch. 29Jade Blessing

On his eighth birthday, Yan Zu received a farming compendium and planned to test its crops at Su Medical Clinic. In the Soul Hunting Forest, he defeated a Jade Spirit Turtle, absorbed its nearly three-thousand-year Soul Ring, and gained the group-support skill Jade Blessing.

  • Yan Zu received high-yield crop seeds and cultivation methods from his annual system reward, and planned to grow them at Su Medical Clinic before spreading them through the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
  • Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, Yan Hu, and Su Qing traveled to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a nearly twenty-eight-hundred-year Jade Spirit Turtle for Yan Zu’s Second Soul Ring.
  • Xiao Wu lured the turtle out, Yan Hu distracted it, and Yan Zu struck a weakness in its shell before killing it with the Xuanyuan Sword’s Sword Qi.
  • Yan Zu absorbed the purple Soul Ring and reached Soul Power level twenty-two.
  • Yan Zu used Jade Blessing, a group shield that protected nearby allies, restored Soul Power and stamina, and could stun an attacker or grant a defense boost.

Ch. 30An Epic for the Ages

Xiao Wu broke through to level twenty-one, while Yan Zu published The Song of Roland and watched it influence nobles and Soul Masters across the Heaven Dou Empire. As Tang San grew more determined to surpass Yan Zu and grew jealous of Xiao Wu’s closeness to him, Yan Zu planned to use improved crops to bring greater change to the continent.

  • Xiao Wu asked Yan Zu to guard her while she advanced, then returned with a second Soul Ring and the Moon Shadow Instant Step skill.
  • Yan Zu gave Shopkeeper Chen The Song of Roland to publish, and its first print run was aimed at Soul Masters, nobles, and people who longed for change.
  • Qian Renxue pondered the book’s ideas, while Ning Rongrong wept over it and asked Ning Fengzhi to help her meet Wen Yansheng.
  • Tang San gained a second Soul Skill from a six-hundred-year-old Ghost Vine, but Yu Xiaogang warned that he still could not defeat Yan Zu; Tang San vowed to surpass him and continued making Hidden Weapons.
  • Yan Zu coached Xiao Wu’s Wind God Legs, and Tang San saw their closeness and felt an icy fear of losing her.
  • Yan Zu considered using hybrid rice and cold-resistant wheat from the Hundred Grains Compendium to end hunger and gather Vow Power.

Ch. 31Tang San's Confession

Tang San confessed to Xiao Wu, but she rejected him and reaffirmed her love for Yan Zu. Tang San blamed Yan Zu for the rejection and left the encounter consumed by hatred and a vow to surpass him.

  • Tang San waited on the back-hill path and confessed his feelings to Xiao Wu, boasting of his strength and promising he could protect her better than Yan Zu.
  • Xiao Wu rejected Tang San and told him that she had loved Yan Zu since childhood.
  • Tang San tried to grab Xiao Wu, but she dodged and condemned his jealousy and secret watching, saying Yan Zu was her family.
  • Tang Hao watched from nearby but chose not to intervene, considering the confrontation a matter for Tang San to learn from.
  • After Xiao Wu left, Tang San refused to accept her rejection and blamed Yan Zu, vowing to surpass him and take everything he had.

Ch. 32Seven Challenges

Yan Zu protected Xiao Wu from Tang San, concealed his strength during their repeated bouts, and received plans for agricultural Soul Tools after his hybrid rice harvest succeeded. The chapter left Tang San resentful after his seventh defeat, while Yan Zu kept his abilities hidden from Tang Hao.

  • Xiao Wu told Yan Zu that Tang San had confessed to her and frightened her, and Yan Zu promised to protect her.
  • By Yan Zu's ninth birthday, his and Xiao Wu's Soul Power neared level thirty, and his sign-in reward provided blueprints for a water purifier, tiller, and harvester.
  • Yan Zu and Su Qing kept the high-yield hybrid rice seed secure after their trial plot produced an exceptional harvest.
  • Tang San challenged Yan Zu for the seventh time and lost, while Yan Zu hid his strength because Tang Hao watched from the shadows.
  • Xiao Wu joined Yan Zu after the bout, and Tang San reached for his Godly Zhuge Crossbow but chose not to attack.

Ch. 33Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Auspicious Jade Rabbit

Yan Zu and Xiao Wu achieved complete compatibility and unlocked the Auspicious Jade Rabbit Martial Soul Fusion Skill. After Xiao Wu revealed her identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit, Yan Zu accepted her and asked her to join his dream of a world where humans and Soul Beasts coexist; Xiao Wu agreed to walk beside him.

  • Yan Zu and Xiao Wu synchronized their spiritual seas, reached 100% compatibility, and unlocked the Auspicious Jade Rabbit fusion skill and Jade Rabbit Treads on Clouds.
  • Xiao Wu transformed into the Auspicious Jade Rabbit, activated Auspicious Domain, and used Jade Rabbit Treads on Clouds before the fusion left her nearly drained of Soul Power.
  • Xiao Wu feared Yan Zu had seen her memories and confessed that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit who had taken human form and initially used him to conceal herself.
  • Yan Zu told Xiao Wu he had known her identity since she came to live with his family and said he wanted to build a world where humans and Soul Beasts could coexist.
  • Yan Zu asked Xiao Wu to be his Dao companion, and Xiao Wu agreed to walk with him while keeping her identity secret until they were strong enough to reveal it.

Ch. 34Rongrong Arrives at Nuoding and Meets Them for the First Time

Yan Zu welcomed the new year with his family, received pendants that could protect bonded companions, and began the fourth academic year alongside Xiao Wu. Ning Rongrong arrived at Nuoding Academy, where she met Yan Zu and Xiao Wu and discovered that Yan Zu shared her interest in Wen Yansheng’s stories.

  • Yan Zu celebrated New Year's Eve with Su Qing, Yan Hu, and Xiao Wu, reflecting on his growing strength and the dangers ahead.
  • On the first day of the fourth academic year, Yan Zu received ten Same-Heart Pendants and bound two to himself and Xiao Wu.
  • Ning Fengzhi brought Ning Rongrong to Nuoding Academy and urged her to study, make friends, and avoid troubling Wen Yansheng.
  • Ning Rongrong noticed Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Little Jade, then eagerly asked Yan Zu about his Martial Soul and Wen Yansheng.
  • Yan Zu explained that he had passed manuscripts for Wen Yansheng and discussed the deeper ideas in the author’s stories, delighting Ning Rongrong and impressing Ning Fengzhi.

Ch. 35Ning Rongrong and Tang San

Ning Rongrong grew curious about Yan Zu after hearing him play the harp, while Tang San, urged by Yu Xiaogang to seek the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s support, tried to approach her with a Hidden Weapon. She rejected Tang San and exposed her distrust of his motives, leaving his attempt to gain her favor in ruins.

  • Ning Rongrong bonded with Yan Zu and Little Jade, while Tang San watched from a window as Yu Xiaogang urged him to win the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s support.
  • Yan Zu played his harp for Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong on the back mountain, and Ning Rongrong became determined to uncover his secrets and hear him play again.
  • Three days later, Tang San approached Ning Rongrong with a Silent Sleeve Arrow and offered his help, invoking Yu Xiaogang’s reputation.
  • Ning Rongrong rejected Tang San’s Hidden Weapon, criticized Yu Xiaogang’s theories and lack of cultivation progress, and accused Tang San of seeking the sect’s resources for himself.

Ch. 36The Iron Triangle's Rapport

Ning Rongrong rejected Tang San’s forced offer of friendship, and Yan Zu stepped in to defuse the confrontation. As Rongrong grew close to Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, Tang San blamed Yan Zu for his resentment and vowed to surpass him.

  • Yu Xiaogang defended Tang San’s attempt to befriend Ning Rongrong, but Rongrong rebuked both him and Tang San for ignoring her wishes.
  • Tang San prepared to fight Ning Rongrong until Yan Zu and Xiao Wu arrived and helped end the confrontation.
  • Tang San left with Yu Xiaogang, then admitted that his anger was directed at Yan Zu and vowed to become stronger than him.
  • During the first week at Nuoding Academy, Ning Rongrong spent more time with Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu grew comfortable with her.
  • Students began calling Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong the “Iron Triangle.”

Ch. 37Glazed Tile Residence

Ning Rongrong visited Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, gave Yan Zu a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Guest Elder Token, and learned about his new story, Battle Through the Heavens. Hoping to improve her cultivation near Yan Zu, she built the Glazed Tile Residence and joined him and Xiao Wu in sharing a bed, where all their Soul Power circulated faster.

  • Ning Rongrong brought candied fruit to Dorm Seven and told Xiao Wu she valued being treated as herself rather than as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's little princess.
  • Ning Rongrong gave Yan Zu a Guest Elder Token from Ning Fengzhi, and Yan Zu asked her to tell the sect master that Wen Yansheng was writing Battle Through the Heavens.
  • Yan Zu reassured Xiao Wu that Ning Rongrong was a friend and that Xiao Wu was special to him.
  • Ning Rongrong proposed building the Glazed Tile Residence so she could cultivate near Yan Zu, and she and Xiao Wu argued over their sleeping arrangements.
  • After moving closer to Yan Zu over several nights, Ning Rongrong joined him and Xiao Wu on their bed, and the three of them and Qilin Little Jade cultivated with their Soul Power circulating three times faster.

Ch. 38Star Unicorn

Yan Zu defeated a six-thousand-year Star Unicorn, absorbed its Soul Ring, and gained a new skill that let him ride Little Jade. After Xiao Wu also gained her third Soul Skill, Yan Zu declined Ning Fengzhi’s job offer and proposed using Soul Tools to improve ordinary people’s lives.

  • Yan Zu led his family and Xiao Wu into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a powerful Soul Beast, where they found a six-thousand-year Star Unicorn.
  • Yan Hu and Su Qing fought the Star Unicorn while Yan Zu and Xiao Wu attacked its flanks; Yan Zu eventually broke its barrier and killed it with the Xuanyuan Sword.
  • Yan Zu absorbed the Star Unicorn’s Soul Ring, advanced to rank thirty-three, and gained Starlight Descent, which enhanced Little Jade and let Yan Zu ride him.
  • Three months later, Xiao Wu broke through to rank thirty and formed a six-thousand-two-hundred-year Soul Ring, gaining Jade Rabbit Clone.
  • Ning Fengzhi invited Yan Zu to become the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s Soul Tool consultant, but Yan Zu declined and proposed sharing technology to help improve people’s livelihoods.

Ch. 39Ning Fengzhi's Visit

Ning Fengzhi visited Yan Zu after reading his proposal to use high-yield crops and Soul Tool farming implements to improve ordinary people’s lives. Impressed by Yan Zu’s rice and designs, he formed the Dawn Project with him and returned to mobilize the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

  • Ning Fengzhi read Yan Zu’s letter and decided to travel to Nuoding City with Chen Xin and Gu Rong.
  • Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluos visited Yan Zu’s home, where they reunited with Ning Rongrong.
  • Yan Zu showed Ning Fengzhi the high-yield rice growing in his experimental field and explained his plans for other crops and Soul Tool farming implements.
  • Yan Zu and Ning Fengzhi agreed to cooperate, with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect providing resources and distribution while keeping the products affordable.
  • Ning Fengzhi named the partnership the Dawn Project, gave Yan Zu a higher-tier Glazed Tile Token, and arranged protection for the Yan family.
  • Ning Fengzhi sent word to mobilize the sect and left to begin the project, telling Ning Rongrong that full results could take a year or two.

Ch. 40Rongrong Astonishes the Seven Treasure Sect

Yan Zu received the Flowing Moonlight Reflection Pendant, which could nurture and stabilize remnant souls, while Ning Rongrong returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect after reaching rank thirty. With Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong protecting her, she obtained a Soul Power amplification skill from her Third Soul Ring and prepared to return to Nuoding Academy.

  • Yan Zu received the Flowing Moonlight Reflection Pendant and recognized that it might help preserve Xiao Wu's mother's soul.
  • Ning Rongrong returned to the sect at rank thirty, and Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong confirmed that her foundation was sound despite her rapid progress.
  • Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluo agreed to accompany Ning Rongrong to hunt for her Third Soul Ring.
  • In the Mist Forest, Ning Rongrong killed a seventeen-hundred-year Spirit Rhinoceros Beast and absorbed its Soul Ring.
  • Ning Rongrong gained the Soul amplification skill, which increased Ning Fengzhi's Soul Power by thirty percent and sped up its recovery.

Ch. 41Five Years of Preparation, Setting Out for Shrek

After five years of preparation, Yan Zu agreed to visit Shrek Academy with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, while his parents stayed in Nuoding City. The trio set off for Suotuo City, with Yan Zu concealing the full extent of their strength.

  • Ning Rongrong returned to Nuoding Academy with a powerful Soul Skill that boosted a chosen ally’s Soul Power and recovery, and Yan Zu praised it.
  • Yu Xiaogang invited Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong to Shrek Academy; Yan Zu agreed to inspect it before deciding whether to stay.
  • Yan Zu told his parents he would graduate early and gave them cultivation supplies and a simplified Nine Yin Manual before they saw him off.
  • Yan Zu recalled gaining a twelve-thousand-year Emerald Swan Soul Ring and reaching level forty-six, while Xiao Wu reached level forty-eight and surpassed him in sparring.
  • Yan Zu gave his parents protective Same-Heart Pendants, then departed with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong on Little Jade for Shrek Academy.

Ch. 42An Ambush on the Road to Star Dou, Zhu Zhuqing Rescued

Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong rescued Zhu Zhuqing from three Soul Masters and discovered she had traveled past Suotuo City because she was lost. As they continued toward Suotuo City, Zhu Zhuqing explained her family’s deadly succession struggle, and Yan Zu encouraged her to rely on her own strength rather than treat Dai Mubai as her only way out.

  • Xiao Wu and Yan Zu drove off the attackers, with Yan Zu disrupting the Soul Ancestor’s snake-shaped Martial Soul and forcing all three Soul Masters to flee.
  • Zhu Zhuqing introduced herself and revealed she was heading to Shrek, but Ning Rongrong realized Zhu Zhuqing had already passed Suotuo City, so Zhu Zhuqing agreed to turn back with them.
  • Yan Zu’s system rewarded him with the Atlas of Mountains and Rivers and an additional cultivation ground invitation capacity after he rescued Zhu Zhuqing.
  • Around the campfire, Zhu Zhuqing told Yan Zu about the Zhu Family’s heir competition, her stronger sister Zhu Zhuyun, and her search for her fiancé Dai Mubai.
  • Yan Zu told Zhu Zhuqing the frog-in-a-well story and urged her to stop treating Dai Mubai as her only way to survive; Zhu Zhuqing thanked him and faintly smiled.

Ch. 43Felling Dai Mubai in One Move

Yan Zu and the others arrived in Suotuo City, where Zhu Zhuqing revealed that Dai Mubai was her fiancé. After Dai Mubai threatened them, Yan Zu defeated him with one move and left him to retreat, warning that he was a student of Shrek Academy.

  • Yan Zu entered Suotuo City with Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, and they checked into the Rose Hotel.
  • Dai Mubai confronted the group and demanded that the three girls drink with him, threatening Yan Zu when he refused.
  • Zhu Zhuqing identified Dai Mubai as her fiancé and condemned him for abandoning the Star Luo Empire's succession struggle.
  • Dai Mubai attacked Yan Zu, but Yan Zu broke his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave and restrained him with a touch and a palm.
  • Dai Mubai admitted defeat, warned Yan Zu that he attended Shrek Academy, and fled with the twins.

Ch. 44An Unexpected Confession

After Zhu Zhuqing gave up on Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong confessed that she wanted to become Yan Zu’s partner, prompting Xiao Wu to confront her. That night, Xiao Wu acknowledged Ning Rongrong’s feelings and led Yan Zu away, leaving the nature of their next conversation unresolved.

  • Yan Zu received the Six Meridian Divine Sword after defeating Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing said she had given up on her fiancé.
  • Ning Rongrong questioned Xiao Wu and Yan Zu’s relationship, and Xiao Wu said she and Yan Zu were partners who would be together forever.
  • Ning Rongrong confessed that she liked Yan Zu and wanted to become his partner, and Xiao Wu dragged her into the master bedroom for a private confrontation.
  • After the girls’ argument turned into laughter, Zhu Zhuqing retired to her room and Yan Zu cultivated on the sofa.
  • Xiao Wu told Yan Zu that Ning Rongrong was asleep, admitted Rongrong genuinely liked him, and took his hand.

Ch. 45Ning Rongrong's Shock

Ning Rongrong worried she would become a burden to Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, so they revealed their hidden Soul Ancestor strength and trained her in powerful techniques. The next morning, newly confident and bonded with them, she set off with the group toward Shrek.

  • Ning Rongrong confessed to Yan Zu and Xiao Wu that she feared she was too weak to keep up with them.
  • Yan Zu brought Ning Rongrong into his Martial Soul Mimicry Training Ground, where he and Xiao Wu revealed their four Soul Rings, including a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring each.
  • Yan Zu and Xiao Wu explained why they had concealed their strength, and Ning Rongrong understood their reasons.
  • Yan Zu taught Ning Rongrong techniques from the Nine Yin Manual and the Six Meridian Divine Sword, while warning her to keep her abilities secret from outsiders.
  • Ning Rongrong embraced Yan Zu and Xiao Wu and promised to become their staunchest support.
  • The next morning, Ning Rongrong joined Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing on their way to Shrek, holding Xiao Wu's hand and linking arms with Yan Zu.

Ch. 46Dai Mubai's Lack of Intelligence

Yan Zu and his companions reached Shrek Academy and passed its entrance screening, but Yan Zu challenged Dai Mubai’s boasts about the academy’s graduates and exposed gaps in his story. Dai Mubai retreated angrily toward the training ground, and the group continued to the test to judge the academy for themselves.

  • Yan Zu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu arrived at Shrek Academy and paid the entrance fee.
  • Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Yan Zu revealed their Martial Souls and Soul Power levels, earning passage directly to the fourth test.
  • Dai Mubai showed the group Shrek’s shabby grounds and defended the academy by describing its strict graduation requirement and a graduate who became a Spirit Hall elder.
  • Yan Zu questioned how that graduate could have reached Titled Douluo strength so young and challenged Shrek’s low graduation rate.
  • Dai Mubai failed to answer Yan Zu’s questions, became angry, and led the group toward the test while Yan Zu and the others decided to see Shrek’s strength for themselves.

Ch. 47Shrek Trial

Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing faced Zhao Wuji in Shrek’s fourth test, working together to endure his attacks for one incense stick. Zhao Wuji declared that they had passed and praised Yan Zu’s tactics, though he warned that their defensive strategy depended on their Soul Power reserves.

  • Zhao Wuji set the four newcomers a test to withstand him together for one incense stick, while Tang San watched and questioned whether Yan Zu belonged at Shrek.
  • Yan Zu directed the team as Ning Rongrong boosted them, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing harassed Zhao Wuji, and Yan Zu used shields, recovery, and precise attacks to counter his skills.
  • Yan Zu activated Starlight Descent, and the team combined his Qilin’s support with Xiao Wu’s clones and Zhu Zhuqing’s attacks to land several blows on Zhao Wuji.
  • The fight continued as Zhao Wuji destroyed Xiao Wu’s clones and injured Zhu Zhuqing, but Yan Zu’s shields and Vitality Corridor repeatedly helped the team recover and keep attacking.
  • After the incense stick burned, Zhao Wuji stopped the fight and declared that the four had passed, praising their coordination and Yan Zu’s tactical use of his Martial Soul.

Ch. 48Dormitory Renovation

Flender welcomed Yan Zu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu to Shrek Academy, and Ning Rongrong arranged to fund a new dormitory. That night, Yan Zu played the Flowing Clouds harp, calming the academy and leaving Zhu Zhuqing quietly captivated.

  • Flender praised the newcomers’ talents and welcomed them to Shrek Academy.
  • Flender showed the group the dilapidated dormitories, and Ning Rongrong offered to pay for a new dormitory to be built.
  • Yan Zu completed his daily check-in and received ten Soul-Tempering Incense.
  • Ning Rongrong asked Yan Zu to play the harp, and he performed “Phoenix-Tail Bamboo Under the Moonlight.”
  • Zhu Zhuqing, Flender, Zhao Wuji, Oscar, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong heard the music and reacted to its calming effect.

Ch. 49A Clash of Ideals

Yan Zu defended Zhu Zhuqing from Dai Mubai and challenged Flender’s belief that students should prove themselves by daring to stir up trouble. The chapter ended with the training ground silent after Yan Zu argued that Shrek should guide students and teach them to stand against injustice, not bully the weak.

  • Ma Hongjun flirted with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, so Zhu Zhuqing attacked him with Ning Rongrong’s boosts and warned him to show respect.
  • Tang San challenged Yan Zu to prove who was strongest and question Yan Zu’s place beside Xiao Wu, but Yan Zu refused to fight.
  • Dai Mubai confronted Zhu Zhuqing and pressured her to reconcile; Yan Zu stepped between them, and Dai Mubai backed down and left.
  • Flender told the students Shrek accepted only monsters and praised daring to stir up trouble, but Yan Zu argued that an academy should develop every student and teach the strong to protect the weak.
  • Flender defended Shrek’s philosophy, while Yan Zu said true fighting spirit meant opposing injustice rather than using strength to bully others, leaving the training ground silent.

Ch. 50The Food God's Reward

Yan Zu challenged Flender’s decision to make Oscar and Ning Rongrong run alone, then helped the group finish twenty laps by teaching them efficient breathing and running techniques. Oscar thanked Yan Zu, and the system rewarded him with mastery of Douluo cooking that could produce meals to aid cultivation and recovery.

  • Flender ordered Oscar and Ning Rongrong to run twenty laps before noon, but Yan Zu argued that the whole team should train together.
  • Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing joined Oscar and Ning Rongrong, while Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun refused to run.
  • Yan Zu coached Ning Rongrong and Oscar in breathing and footwork, using Nine Yin True Qi to help Oscar regulate his breathing and keep running.
  • The five completed the twenty laps by dusk, impressing Flender, who announced that earnest training would begin the next day.
  • Oscar thanked Yan Zu and promised to supply him with sausages, triggering a system reward that granted Yan Zu Culinary Mastery.
Arc 2 of 6
Arc 2 of 6