Chapter Summaries

Ian’s repair plan became the foundation for restoring Storm Spear, and his exceptional alchemical skill earned the Academy’s attention. After three months, the airship was repaired and flying again, and Renard summoned Ian to meet Damian.

• Rolf reviewed the Advanced Alchemists’ repair plans, found Ian’s work remarkably thorough, and used it as the basis for the final plan.
• Ian explained his ideas at a meeting, winning the respect of the other alchemists as Rolf finalized the repairs around Ian’s plan.
• Rolf told Damian that Ian deserved credit for the repair plan, and Damian ordered the repairs to proceed while deciding to assess Ian’s talent firsthand.
• Rolf assigned Ian the critical repairs, and Ian steadily took over the work as the airship’s restoration continued over three months.
• Storm Spear rose into the sky after the repairs were completed, and Renard told Ian that Damian wanted to see him.

After repairing Storm Spear, Ian received a high-ranking warband badge, valuable resources, and a warning that the ongoing war made this the best chance to become a core member. He spent six months preparing, then left Earth Fortress for the Academy to take the preliminary examination.

• Damian awarded Ian a grade-four affiliated alchemist badge and promised him earth mercury, three-aspect crystal, and missing Meditation Method knowledge.
• Damian told Ian that the Academy had lost two Second Ring wizards and urged him to join the current batch of core members before the opportunity passed.
• Ian returned to the Alchemy Department, where the other alchemists honored his achievement, and obtained the promised resources and knowledge through Storm Spear and the Stonewall Warband.
• Ian spent six months improving his mental power, skills, and alchemy before reviewing his progress and deciding he was ready for the preliminary examination.
• Ian said goodbye to Rolf, Renard, and Rockforge, then boarded an airship with Mia and departed Earth Fortress for the Academy.

Ian returned to the Academy, displayed his growing strength, and took control of the Pierce Chamber of Commerce while arranging protection for it. He then joined the core member selection, which began under the supervision of Three Rings Wizard Simon Brooks.

• Ian returned to the Horton Wizard School, where Horton sensed his powerful but incomplete Flesh Domain and discussed promoting the school after Ian became a core member.
• Ian agreed to become the Pierce Chamber of Commerce's largest shareholder, taking fifty-one percent and control as Cassian sought his help against rival chambers.
• Ian secured Flynn's temporary protection for the Chamber of Commerce in exchange for thirty percent of its profits.
• Ian reunited with Kieran's students and prepared for the assessment, while Kieran announced that the preliminary test would begin in a week.
• Ian gathered with hundreds of elite members at the Main Academy, where deputy head Simon Brooks revealed himself as a Three Rings Wizard and began the preliminary test.

Ian ranked fourteenth in the Mental Power pressure test and first in the Domain Fusion Rate test, drawing the Academy’s attention. As the final combat test began, he decided to hold back and protect his overall standing.

• Simon announced that the assessment would test Mental Power endurance, Domain Fusion Rate, and combat, with valuable rewards for top performers.
• Ian endured Simon’s Mental Power pressure until he chose to stop at fourteenth place; Adela ranked eighth, and Wesley Novak placed third.
• Ian told Adela that his improvement came from spending hundreds of thousands of battle-merit Magic Stones, surprising the Wizards around them.
• In the Domain Fusion Rate test, Ian scored ninety-five percent, ranking first in the Academy and raising his overall position to eleventh.
• Simon began the final combat test on a vast plain, where Kieran would oversee waves of elemental creatures; Ian resolved to hold back and maintain his rank.

Kieran began the preliminary assessment by flooding the plain with elemental creatures, and Ian fought through the escalating waves while seeking to improve his ranking. Under mounting pressure, Ian entered resonance, comprehended the Lava Storm domain skill, and finished in sixth place after unleashing a powerful attack.

• Kieran started the assessment, and Ian used his domain and Four Symbols Cycle to kill elemental creatures and climb into the top thirty.
• As the waves intensified and Wizards were eliminated, Ian practiced integrating his combat abilities and sensed a possible fusion of his wind, fire, and earth elements.
• Simon noticed Ian nearing resonance and told Kieran to increase the assessment's intensity, putting even more pressure on the remaining Wizards.
• Ian used Principle Insight to overcome the final obstacle and comprehended the Lava Storm domain skill, merging wind, fire, and earth into a volcanic domain.
• Ian unleashed Lava Storm, destroying the elemental creatures within several hundred meters and rising to sixth place on the ranking board.

Ian finished second in the preliminary trial, earning a place in the retest and drawing attention to his newly comprehended domain skill. Kieran gave him Moonlight Dew and explained that first place in the retest could earn a Heart of Four Symbols, leaving Ian determined to strengthen himself and win.

• Taylor, El, Nicole, and other Wizards watched Ian's domain skill propel him up the rankings while the remaining contestants continued fighting.
• Ian watched Abraham and Wesley display powerful domains, then finished the preliminary trial in eighth place as Abraham placed seventh and West fifth.
• Simon announced that the top hundred would compete in the retest in the middle region of the Sea of Spiritual Resonance one year later, and Ian returned to the Main Academy.
• Abraham invited Ian to a salon, and Ian later met Kieran, who gave him Moonlight Dew to raise his Mental Power.
• Kieran explained that Four Symbols Academy would have two additional core-member slots and that the retest's first-place reward included a Heart of Four Symbols.
• Ian resolved to reach four Mental Power crystals and win first place, while Kieran wondered whether Ian could advance beyond the known limits of the Meditation Method.

Ian’s seventh-place result in the core preliminary examination drew attention from Academy leaders, factions, and businesses, bringing him invitations, a better sponsorship contract, and a possible place in a major Second Ring research project. After meeting with Flynn, Elena, and Gunnar, Ian returned to Earth Fortress to continue preparing for a core position.

• Flynn learned that Ian had ranked seventh and sent him an invitation along with a contract offering a larger share of his profits.
• Elena reviewed Ian’s assessment recording and listed him as a provisional candidate for her Second Ring research project, while Gunnar asked Nicole to invite him to discuss sponsorship.
• Ice Trace ordered Ancient Vine to stop targeting Ian’s Bayers Chamber of Commerce, though he allowed ordinary commercial competition to continue.
• Ian attended Flynn’s salon at Four Symbols Academy, met prominent Wizards, and learned that the front lines might soon need large quantities of potions.
• Elena told Ian that joining her research project depended on him entering the core, and Gunnar offered him quarterly Wind Soul Crystals in exchange for supporting the Edward Family’s proposals if he became a core member.
• Ian accepted Gunnar’s sponsorship, gathered resources in the secret realm, and returned by Airship to Earth Fortress.

After passing the core preliminary trial, Ian returned to Earth Fortress, gained access to better resources, and prepared for the next assessment while rumors questioned his result. His wind Wizardry lesson for battle group recruits was interrupted when infiltrators from the Crimson Eye were discovered, and Ian joined a team sent to eliminate them.

• Ian returned to Earth Fortress, where Rockforge welcomed him and offered him use of an empty Meditation Room while Ian estimated that the purification Furnace would take another six months.
• Rolf freed Ian from less important workshop duties so he could focus on the second trial, and Ian's spiritual power rose to 85/100 over the next half month.
• Renard asked Ian to teach wind Wizardry to battle group members, and Ian agreed to give three paid training sessions while addressing rumors about his trial result.
• Ian delivered a well-received lesson on wind Wizardry, impressing Nolan, Iron Thunder, and the other Wizards watching.
• Archer Weiss announced that Crimson Eye Wizards had infiltrated Earth Fortress and assigned Ian and other advanced First Ring Wizards to help eliminate one group of intruders.

Ian helped defeat and capture Crimson Eye spies in Earth Fortress, earning a medium merit award and receiving the top-tier Water Curtain Tianhua spell from Kieran. After three months of cultivation, Ian perfected his third spiritual power crystal and reached the perfected late stage of the First Ring.

• Archer led the Wizards in an attack on a Castle, and Ian defeated three Crimson Eye Wizards with Lava Storm while Renard stopped their one-armed leader from killing him.
• The battle group captured or killed the remaining spies, uncovered more infiltrators, and spent the day sweeping Earth Fortress and the Academy for sleeper agents.
• Renard credited Ian for helping expose the spy network and told him the Crimson Eye had planned an assassination against him.
• Renard gave Ian a medium merit award, which Kieran had exchanged for a crystal containing the top-tier water spell Water Curtain Tianhua.
• Ian continued training and teaching, then spent three months increasing his spiritual power until his third crystal reached perfection.

After perfecting his three mental power crystals, Ian mastered Water Curtain Tianhua and obtained the Water Soul Crystal needed to practice it fully. He reached the peak of his spiritual force, gathered breakthrough resources from the warband and Kieran, and advanced to become a four-crystal Wizard.

• Ian perfected his three crystals and discovered that Lava Storm had become stronger, faster to cast, and less costly.
• Ian used an experience crystal to learn Water Curtain Tianhua, then asked Rockforge to secure the Water Soul Crystal required to master it.
• Rockforge obtained thirty grams of Water Soul Crystal for Ian, who practiced Water Curtain Tianhua while preparing for advancement.
• After three months, Ian fully digested the spell, reached the peak of his spiritual force, and found a valuable gold crystal ore while practicing.
• Renard gave Ian the breakthrough resources sent by the Academy, and Ian discovered that Kieran had provided three sets of materials.
• Ian entered the warband's Meditation Room and advanced to become a four-crystal Wizard.

Ian advanced to four mental power crystals, tested his improved Four Symbols Domain, and received support from Renard, the Alchemy Department, and the Iron Mountain Family. With his Furnace redesign submitted and resources promised, he prepared to focus on the second examination for core membership.

• Ian advanced to four crystals, gained an outward mental power field, and tested his stronger, more adaptable Four Symbols Domain.
• Archer brought Ian to Renard, who gave him a Soul Condensing Stone to stabilize his Mental Power Space and warned him not to underestimate the second assessment.
• Ian completed a redesign of the purification Furnace and submitted it to Rolf, who approved it and offered him contribution points, an advanced alchemy room, and a top-tier Alchemy technique.
• Rockforge offered the Iron Mountain Family's sponsorship for Ian's bid to become a core member in exchange for three Alchemy creations after his acceptance.
• Rockforge agreed to provide Ian with requested resources in advance, and Ian resolved to prepare for the core-member second examination.

Ian completed the final replenishment for his Four Symbols Resonance Method, returned to the Academy ahead of the second examination, and learned that advancing beyond four crystals required elemental resonance. Renard defeated an attack on their airship and gave Ian a fire elemental crystal as an introduction to the path toward the Second Ring.

• Ian learned Silk Web with the help of blade spider silk and spent the next five months training it, replenishing his Meditation Method, and strengthening his domain.
• Ian completed the final replenishment for his Four Symbols Resonance Method, bringing it to the perfect level, and reached 11,500 talent.
• Ian left the mineral vein for the Academy three weeks before the second examination, while Renard joined him aboard the airship carrying precious resources.
• Renard told Ian that Crimson Eye planned to attack the airship and that Ian was a secondary target because of his four crystals and alchemy products.
• When Wizards attacked the airship, Renard vanished and quickly killed them, then gave Ian a piece of fire elemental crystal.
• Renard explained that raising elemental resonance was necessary before attempting Elementalization and a breakthrough to the Second Ring, and the airship later reached Elemental Mysteries.

After returning to the Academy, Ian dealt with threats to the Bayers Chamber of Commerce and entered the secret realm’s middle layer with White Fang to seek the Four Symbols Legacy. He sensed all four hidden inheritances but found one sealed off by the retest site, then trained in the secret realm before the retest began three weeks later.

• Ian learned from Cassian that the Ancient Vine Chamber of Commerce and the new Anvil Chamber of Commerce had weakened the Bayers Chamber of Commerce, then used Academy contacts to recover stolen goods and have Anvil fined.
• Ian visited Kieran and demonstrated his perfect Four Crystal Domain, earning permission to enter the secret realm early and see White Fang.
• White Fang brought Ian into the Memory Wasteland, where Ian sensed all four parts of the hidden Legacy, astonishing White Fang with the perfection of his Meditation Method.
• Ian discovered that the Academy had sealed the area containing the first inheritance for the retest, then hunted spiritual bodies in the wasteland and gained substantial knowledge.
• Ian returned to the shallow layer, continued training, raised his talent by one hundred points, and reached the Academy retest three weeks later.

Ian entered the Four Symbols Academy assessment area and unexpectedly obtained the Four Symbols Legacy, gaining control of its spiritual lifeforms and their marks. After securing first place and absorbing much of their knowledge, he left with Kieran and met Principal Simon, who asked whether he had obtained the legacy.

• Simon explained that the Wizards would search for spiritual power marks while facing dangerous spiritual lifeforms in the secret realm.
• Ian followed the pull of the Four Symbols Legacy to the central region, where he found a half-elementalized Four Symbols Giant guarding twenty marks.
• The legacy entered Ian and gave him the Four Crystal domain Wizardry Four Elements Rotation, while the Four Symbols Giant submitted to him.
• Ian summoned spiritual lifeforms across the hills, collected fifty-five marks, and absorbed their elemental knowledge after Kieran confirmed he had secured first place.
• Kieran took Ian to meet Principal Simon, who asked whether Ian had obtained the Four Symbols Legacy.

Ian explored the deeper levels of the secret realm with Simon and Kieran, discovering sealed parts of the Four Symbols Legacy and learning the Four Element Turning Wheel. The assessment ended with Ian back in the Main Academy square as Simon prepared to announce the rankings.

• Simon explained that the Four Symbols Legacy came from a former master of the secret realm and that Ian’s first inheritance was a four-crystal domain technique.
• Ian led Simon and Kieran to three deeper inheritances, but their seals required resonance rates and mastery he did not yet possess.
• Ian practiced the Four Element Turning Wheel, mastering it in three days and continuing to improve it with the experience he had gained.
• Ian sensed black lines leading toward the secret realm’s core before he and the others were pulled out as the assessment ended.
• Wesley and other Four Symbols Academy Wizards wondered where many of the marks had gone, while Nolan hoped he had placed third.
• Simon announced that the assessment was over and that the rankings would be revealed.

Ian won first place in Four Symbols Academy’s core assessment, and Simon revealed that Ian had been removed from the secret realm after collecting more than fifty marks in a day. After the assessment ended, Ian received his core rewards and went to meet Kieran, who had summoned him to discuss the Four Symbols Legacy.

• Simon announced the assessment rankings, placing Ian first overall and West second among the Four Symbols Academy participants.
• Simon explained that the top-ranked participants could fill vacant core positions directly, and Noah asked why Ian had won without appearing in the secret realm.
• Simon showed footage of Ian commanding a half-Elementalized lifeform and dozens of Three Crystal lifeforms, explaining that Ian had collected more than fifty marks in one day and was removed to preserve the assessment’s balance.
• Simon declared the assessment complete and announced that the new core ceremony and second-round rewards would take place within a week.
• El apologized to Ian, and Taylor congratulated him after other Wizards crowded around to greet the new core member.
• Ian received a message granting him core status and a treasury reward, then went to Kieran’s Castle after Kieran summoned him to discuss the Four Symbols Legacy.

Kieran told Ian that the Four Symbols Resonance Method could lead to a secret sought by the powerful Four Symbols Wizard, and warned him that the Academy’s war against Crimson Eye would soon become much more dangerous. Ian resolved to reach the Second Ring quickly, exchanged for a Heart of Four Symbols, and began mastering the Four Symbols Cycle; the chapter ended with Elena noticing Ian’s first-place ranking.

• Kieran revealed that the Four Symbols Wizard had been a peak third-ring wizard who founded an Academy while searching for something in the secret realm, and urged Ian to keep pursuing the Four Symbols Resonance Method.
• Kieran explained that the Academy expected to destroy Crimson Eye within ten to fifteen years and that advancing to the Second Ring could let Ian claim valuable resources from the war.
• Ian resolved to advance to the Second Ring within eight years after learning that core members would face greater danger in the coming conflict.
• Ian entered Four Symbols Academy’s secret treasury and exchanged for a top-tier one-ring Heart of Four Symbols.
• Ian practiced the Four Symbols Cycle until he reached Proficient, gaining the ability to drain his meditation energy more quickly.
• Elena reviewed the core results and saw that Ian had placed first at Four Symbols Academy.

Ian’s first-place finish in the second assessment earned him core membership and drew offers of support from the Academy, the Edward Family, and the Iron Mountain Family. At the core ceremony, he received his badge as the Four Symbols Academy’s tenth-seat core disciple, marking the start of a new stage in his life.

• Elena added Ian to the first batch of researchers for her project, while Gunnar upgraded his Edward Family contract and Nigel offered him a Copper Mountain Contract with a chance to advance its tier.
• Darwin and Augustus increased Ian’s support from the Alchemy Department, and Renard learned of Ian’s promotion before leading the battle corps to the front lines.
• Ian prepared for the ceremony, invited Horton, Cassian, Audrey, Vilo, and Chris, and met Flynn and Sophia among the core disciples at the Main Academy.
• Simon announced the fortieth class of core disciples and the Academy’s history, then the chief disciples and core disciples received their badges.
• Kieran awarded Ian his badge as the Four Symbols Academy’s tenth-seat core disciple, and Ian celebrated his new status as the ceremony concluded.

At the core banquet, Ian learned about the core members’ ranks, benefits, and the factional opposition facing Kieran’s disciples. He left with a clearer goal of strengthening his position, while Ice Trace approached him to resolve a dispute between their Chambers of Commerce.

• Flynn and Sophia explained the core rankings, resource benefits, annual tournaments, and the pressure on Kieran’s small faction from rival Lineages.
• Ian learned that he needed to fill his fourth mental force crystal soon and began considering a challenge for a higher seat.
• Ivan Winston confronted Flynn and warned Ian about the fierce competition, while Sophia explained Ivan’s ties to Anton Stanton and the Stanton Family.
• After Ivan’s group left, West vowed to reclaim the tenth seat from Ian at the next ranking tournament.
• Ice Trace approached Ian at the banquet’s end and offered to resolve the misunderstanding between his Chamber of Commerce and the Bayers Chamber of Commerce.

Ian settled into his new life as a core member, gained resources and profits through Academy benefits and business agreements, and profited from the Iron Felt Chamber of Commerce’s confiscated treasury. After learning about elemental resonance, he mastered the Burning Resonance Method and began raising his resonance alongside his spiritual power.

• Ian collected his core-member benefits, chose high-grade magical fields and Water Soul Crystals, and selected Beatrice Burns as his servant at Residence Number Ten.
• Ian agreed to modify Wizard Theo’s Witchcraft Artifact and accepted business terms from Gangna and the Iron Mountain Family.
• Ian joined the Academy’s raid on the Iron Felt Chamber of Commerce and chose Water Soul Crystals, a flame that purified spiritual power, and a Meditation Method concealing a treasure map from its treasury.
• Lachlan Davenport explained elemental resonance, its three stages, and the methods for increasing it, after which Ian tested his resonance and chose the Burning Resonance Method.
• Ian raised his fire resonance to forty percent by studying the Burning Resonance Method and settled into core-student life as half a year passed.