Chapter Summaries

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yan Zu stopped Ma Hongjun from bullying Cuihua, defeated him, and received a Martial Soul Resonance reward linked to Ning Rongrong. Flender punished Ma Hongjun and led the students to the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City to gain combat experience.

• Ma Hongjun grabbed Cuihua and refused to accept their breakup, then insulted Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong when they intervened.
• Ma Hongjun attacked Yan Zu with Phoenix Fire Line, but Yan Zu extinguished it with Nine Yin True Qi and knocked Ma Hongjun down with one punch.
• Cuihua left safely, and Yan Zu received the Glazed Tile Compatibility resonance with Ning Rongrong, whose amplification on him grew stronger.
• Flender heard the dispute, scolded Ma Hongjun, and ordered him to run laps without food after he returned.
• Flender took the students to the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City and explained the Soul Fighting rules as Zhu Zhuqing prepared to prove herself.

Yan Zu, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the others registered for matches at Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena. Zhu Zhuqing lost her first match to Wind Leopard after his paralysis skill left her vulnerable and he kicked her off the platform.

• The group registered their individual matches and formed teams, including Auspicious Glazed Tile, Phantom Netherworld, White Tiger Phoenix, and Blue Silver Sausage.
• Zhu Zhuqing headed to platform five to fight Wind Leopard, a level thirty-five agility attack Soul Master.
• Yan Zu noticed Wind Leopard was drawing Zhu Zhuqing into a close-range trap, but she was paralyzed and clawed across the shoulder before she could react.
• Zhu Zhuqing adjusted her tactics and tried to wear Wind Leopard down, but her injured shoulder and dwindling Soul Power left her unable to evade his next Leopard Assault.
• Wind Leopard paralyzed Zhu Zhuqing again and kicked her off the platform, giving her a defeat in her first match.

Yan Zu, Xiao Wu, and their teammates fought several matches at the Great Soul Arena, winning through speed, tactics, and coordinated attacks. Zhu Zhuqing’s victories and defeat left her determined to improve, while Yan Zu offered advice to opponents he had beaten.

• Zhu Zhuqing lost to Wind Leopard, and Yan Zu explained how she could use footwork and patience against similar opponents.
• Yan Zu defeated Iron Arm by evading his attacks and disrupting his Soul Power, then gave him advice about protecting his weaknesses.
• Xiao Wu defeated a Spirit Cat Soul Master with Moon Shadow Instant Step and Waist Bow, while Zhu Zhuqing resolved to get stronger.
• Yan Zu and Ning Rongrong defeated a Great Strength Bear and Ivy pair, and Yan Zu advised them on improving their coordination.
• Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing won their match against two Defense System Soul Masters, though Zhu Zhuqing grew impatient and remained dissatisfied with her performance.

Yan Zu and Ning Rongrong discovered that their Martial Souls could trigger a stronger support effect, then continued winning matches at the Great Soul Arena. After five days of training, Yan Zu received a rare system reward: the Calming Tea Recipe.

• Yan Zu and Ning Rongrong discussed their Glazed Tile Resonance and agreed to train together to explore it further.
• Yan Zu and Ning Rongrong won four more matches, while Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing won three as Zhu Zhuqing grew more composed.
• Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun fought brutally, while Tang San used Blue Silver Grass and secretly ambushed an opponent with a Hidden Weapon.
• Flender reviewed the students' Soul Fighting results, and Zhu Zhuqing thanked Yan Zu for helping her improve.
• Yan Zu practiced the Nine Yin Manual and received the Calming Tea Recipe from the system.

Yan Zu rejected Yu Xiaogang’s renewed offer of discipleship, challenging his theories and accusing him of wanting to study the Qilin Martial Soul for his own benefit. Yan Zu returned to the new dormitory and joined Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing as they prepared to move in and eat breakfast.

• Yu Xiaogang praised Yan Zu’s Qilin Martial Soul and again offered to guide him as a disciple.
• Yan Zu questioned whether Yu Xiaogang had developed and tested original theories, including ways to improve Martial Soul mutations or innate foundations.
• Yu Xiaogang dismissed Yan Zu’s ideas, and Yan Zu pointed out that Yu Xiaogang had not solved his own mutation or low Soul Power; Yu Xiaogang angrily left after Yan Zu refused his offer.
• Yan Zu returned to the new dormitory, where Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong discussed moving in and Ning Rongrong asked whether he had accepted Yu Xiaogang’s offer.
• Yan Zu said he would follow his own path, and Zhu Zhuqing brought out breakfast and invited everyone to eat.

Yan Zu persuaded Zhu Zhuqing to move into Ning Rongrong’s new dormitory and shared Tranquil Heart Tea that could refine spiritual power. After Xiao Wu accidentally revealed that Yan Zu was the author Wen Yansheng, Zhu Zhuqing recognized him as the writer whose books had comforted her and quietly developed feelings for him.

• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong convinced Zhu Zhuqing that moving in with them would be safer, and Yan Zu welcomed her as a teammate.
• Yan Zu served Tranquil Heart Tea to Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, explaining how it could calm Soul Power and strengthen spiritual power.
• The four packed their belongings and moved into Ning Rongrong’s furnished dormitory, where Zhu Zhuqing chose the room next to the main house.
• Xiao Wu accidentally revealed Yan Zu’s identity as Wen Yansheng, and Zhu Zhuqing thanked him for the books that had given her hope during difficult times.
• Yan Zu began telling the group his new story, Battle Through the Heavens, while Zhu Zhuqing listened and concealed her growing affection for him.
• Yan Zu stopped the story at its climax, and Zhu Zhuqing lay awake in the adjoining room thinking about him as her spiritual power slowly gathered.

Yan Zu used his Grandmaster of Culinary Arts skill to prepare restorative cultivation dishes for Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. At Shrek Academy’s combat assessment, he defeated Dai Mubai with Jade Blessing’s backlash and a flying kick.

• Yan Zu cooked dishes from Soul Beast ingredients that replenished Soul Power and nourished the girls’ bodies and meridians.
• Ning Rongrong asked Yan Zu to cook for them daily, and the assembly bell summoned everyone to the training ground.
• Flender introduced Yu Xiaogang as the teacher taking charge of training, and Yu Xiaogang chose Dai Mubai to fight Yan Zu.
• Dai Mubai attacked Yan Zu with his White Tiger Martial Soul, but Yan Zu’s Jade Blessing shield withstood his blows.
• After Dai Mubai broke the shield, its backlash briefly stunned him, allowing Yan Zu to kick him to the edge of the field.

Yan Zu and Xiao Wu defeated Dai Mubai and Tang San in sparring matches, frustrating Yu Xiaogang's plans to criticize Yan Zu and showcase Tang San. When Yu Xiaogang ordered the students to run weighted laps, Yan Zu objected that the training could stunt their growth and challenged him by asking how tall Tang San was.

• Flender declared Yan Zu the winner, and Yu Xiaogang criticized Yan Zu's reliance on his shield and Dai Mubai's failure to take the match seriously.
• Yu Xiaogang sent Tang San to spar with Xiao Wu, who used Moon Shadow Instant Step and Jade Rabbit Clone to overwhelm him while avoiding serious injury.
• Yu Xiaogang rebuked Xiao Wu for hitting too hard, but she and Ning Rongrong argued that she had shown respect by going all out; Tang San said Xiao Wu had held back.
• Yu Xiaogang abandoned further matches and ordered everyone to run twenty laps carrying twenty jin of stones each morning.
• Yan Zu objected that the weighted training could damage the students' joints and stunt their growth, then challenged Yu Xiaogang by asking how tall Tang San was.

Yan Zu rejected Yu Xiaogang’s weighted running regimen as potentially harmful to the young students’ growth, and Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong joined him in refusing it. Afterward, Yan Zu and his companions trained at the Glazed Tile Residence, where their playful, peaceful routine reinforced his resolve to protect the people around him.

• Yan Zu challenged Yu Xiaogang to justify weighted training and warned that it could damage the students’ developing bodies; Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong backed him, and Zhu Zhuqing silently decided not to participate.
• Yan Zu bowed to Flender and left with Xiao Wu and the others, while Flender hesitated to intervene because Ning Rongrong’s safety was at stake.
• Tang San continued training uneasily, Ma Hongjun secretly reduced his basket’s weight, and Dai Mubai slipped away from the training ground.
• Yan Zu and the others practiced at the Glazed Tile Residence, where Ning Rongrong dozed during cultivation, Xiao Wu was flung into Yan Zu’s arms by Little Jade, and Zhu Zhuqing watched them warmly.
• After training, Yan Zu promised to cook Xiao Wu three-hundred-year-old Gale Rabbit meat, and Zhu Zhuqing served everyone Tranquil Heart Tea.
• Late at night, Yan Zu tucked in the sleeping Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu, then went to the courtyard and resolved to protect the warmth of his life at the Glazed Tile Residence.

Oscar broke through to rank thirty, so Shrek Academy set out for the Star Dou Great Forest to find him a Third Soul Ring. After stopping for the night in a town near the forest, Yan Zu and Xiao Wu rushed downstairs when a commotion and a woman's cry came from the inn.

• Oscar broke through his Soul Power bottleneck and reached rank thirty, prompting Flender to organize a trip for his Third Soul Ring.
• Yan Zu reassured Xiao Wu about the hunt and helped lead the students as they set out with Zhao Wuji for the Star Dou Great Forest.
• The group reached a town near the forest, took rooms at an inn, and met a party from Canghui Academy.
• Ma Hongjun drank while eyeing a Canghui female student, despite Yan Zu warning him to take it easy before their journey.
• Yan Zu and Xiao Wu heard a commotion and a woman's startled cry from downstairs, then hurried to investigate.