Chapter Summaries

Tang Qi fought Nicholas, the outsider soul controlling a decayed Legendary Knight’s body, and defeated him in a brutal battle at the Sunken Ship Trench. He invited Nicholas to teach the school’s Transcendental Combat Class, while the Gold Mine Devil hauled Nicholas’s treasure ship back to the Lake Island Secret Realm.

• Tang Qi and Eva watched Nicholas train Peggy and the students, until the knight’s body sensed Tang Qi and challenged him.
• Tang Qi learned that Nicholas’s body had belonged to a Legendary Knight and accepted its challenge, while Diana sealed off the battlefield.
• Nicholas fled from his treasure ship before fighting Tang Qi, then unleashed his full strength once he knew his hoard was safe.
• Tang Qi defeated Nicholas after a prolonged sword fight and hand-to-hand battle, and Nicholas regained control of his body.
• Tang Qi invited Nicholas to teach the Transcendental Combat Class and told him to target powerful foes rather than kind strange beings.
• The Gold Mine Devil dragged Nicholas’s King Kong Class warship toward the Lake Island Secret Realm, and Nicholas wondered whether he had joined a pirate crew.

Tang Qi replaced Peggy’s failing heart with the Tanik Stone, but the loss of her old energy source triggered a dangerous mutation. After awakening the mental imprint he had planted in her, he guided Peggy to use the new energy to purge the corruption, leaving her transformed and apparently stabilized.

• Tang Qi brought Eva, Peggy, Noah, and the other students to the Quarantine Zone to replace Peggy’s failing energy source with the Tanik Stone.
• Peggy agreed to the procedure, and Tang Qi removed the silver-white gemstone that had served as her heart.
• Without an energy supply, Peggy’s body rusted and began mutating into a chaotic creature as dangerous black stains spread across her.
• Tang Qi inserted the Tanik Stone, but its steady energy struggled against the contamination spreading through Peggy’s body.
• Tang Qi awakened the mental imprint in Peggy and instructed her to guide the new energy through herself.
• Peggy drew on the Tanik Stone’s power and extinguished the black stains, revealing her dramatically transformed Mechanical Body.

Tang Qi restored Peggy’s abilities, considered whether she still carried hidden flaws, and began arranging treatment for the burned Hannah girls. After a quiet morning at Dragonheart Castle, he contacted McAuley and learned that his subordinate was undercover in a cult.

• Peggy’s seals dissipated, restoring her abilities, and Tang Qi worried that her mysterious modifier might have left hidden defects.
• Tang Qi gave Peggy the Tanik Stone’s instruction plate, then asked Selma to help develop medicine for the Hannah girls’ severe burns.
• Tang Qi returned to Dragonheart Castle and shared breakfast with Gluttony, Night Beast, and the little fairy.
• Tang Qi used the modified One-Way Iron Plate to contact McAuley and offer him the Rubber Man Secret Medicine.
• McAuley told Tang Qi that he was undercover in a cult organization, prompting Tang Qi to judge that he was risking his life.

McAuley led a group of survivors through the Sacred Guidance Cult’s deadly Blood Cave Path while reporting to Tang Qi. They emerged at the final trial, where a mountain of corpses revealed the meaning of the cult’s “Full Meal” stage.

• McAuley told Tang Qi that the Sacred Guidance Cult had abducted more than a hundred vulnerable people and forced them into a deadly trial.
• McAuley explained that he had infiltrated the cult and led survivors against the Bloodthirsters released into the Underground Cave.
• McAuley and five other survivors crawled through a narrow passage toward the trial’s final stage.
• The group emerged and vomited at the stench of a huge pile of mutilated corpses, as other survivors crawled out from nearby passages.
• McAuley told Tang Qi that he understood what the phrase “only after a full meal are you family” meant.

McAuley and the other survivors faced the Sacred Guidance Cult as its Elder transformed into a radiant young man and summoned sweet rain that made Corpse Mountain appear to be food. Tang Qi recognized the danger and told McAuley to hold on for ten breaths while he prepared to intervene.

• Dozens of yellow-robed cultists gathered above the cave, and McAuley recognized several missing people among them.
• The red-robed Elder shed his decayed body and transformed into a flawless young man as the cultists chanted about returning to the Land of Gafaro.
• Sweet-smelling rain and yellow light concealed Corpse Mountain beneath an illusion of food, driving the survivors to rush toward it and eat the remains.
• Tang Qi warned McAuley through the Sun Badge, and McAuley knocked out three survivors before two others escaped toward the mountain.
• When the cultists' chant overwhelmed him with hunger, McAuley stabbed his thigh with a sharp stone to resist it.
• Tang Qi summoned Diana and the Rubber Man Secret Medicine, then told McAuley to hold on for ten breaths; McAuley agreed.

McAuley resisted the Sacred Guidance Cult’s corrupting ritual until Diana froze the scene and Tang Qi sent him the Rubber Man Secret Medicine. After swallowing it, McAuley experienced visions of an ancient monster, leaving his transformation unresolved.

• McAuley fought the cult’s hallucinations with pain as the twelve survivors climbed Corpse Mountain and joined the chanting.
• The Sun Badge shattered, releasing a Golden Flame that cleared some smoke and helped McAuley resist the pollution.
• The cult leader recognized McAuley, recalled having been left for dead in the Bronx, and tried to convert him into a believer.
• The cult leader’s vision overwhelmed McAuley and moved a rotten heart toward his mouth, but Diana appeared and froze the scene.
• Tang Qi gave McAuley the Rubber Man Secret Medicine, which he swallowed before visions of an ancient, ever-changing monster filled his mind.

McAuley transformed and slaughtered the Sacred Guidance Cult’s Corrupted Ones while their leader tried to summon Gafaro through the Ship of Fools. An unseen power seized the boat and froze the ritual, leaving the leader powerless as McAuley emerged from the ruined Underground Cave.

• McAuley fused with the monster and killed the Sacred Guidance Cult’s leader with a single punch.
• The resurrected leader ordered the cultists to attack, and they transformed into Bloodthirsters and Corrupted Ones.
• McAuley unleashed scorching steam and dark golden power, destroying the monsters and the Corpse Mountain as the leader decided to summon Gafaro.
• The leader opened his chest and sent the Ship of Fools along a River of Blood toward a crack in the sky, offering the believers as sacrifices.
• An unknown fair hand took the Ship of Fools and froze the summoning, after which McAuley destroyed the dark cloud.
• The leader’s power faded and his body rotted as McAuley leaped from the Underground Cave.

McAuley defeated the Elder and was promised a new position in Mihuang City, while Tang Qi examined the Ship of Fools and was contacted by the demigod Gafaro. The encounter ended when Tang Qi’s radiant flames drove Gafaro’s influence away.

• McAuley returned to normal after using the Rubber Man Secret Medicine, and Diana relayed Tang Qi’s offer of a new position in Mihuang City.
• The dying Elder begged McAuley to save him, but McAuley rejected his claim that they were alike and left him to die.
• Diana brought the Ship of Fools to Tang Qi, who discovered that the ancient Curio could communicate with and sail through the Mystic.
• Tang Qi examined the Ship of Fools and received a hostile chant from Gafaro, who tried to recruit him.
• Tang Qi’s radiant flames burned Gafaro’s connection, and a Symbolic Mark appeared on the Ship of Fools before fading.

Tang Qi reflected on the school’s progress and chose to advance Ralph Witchcraft by finding a Meditation Method and learning how Ralph created his spells. After studying books on Witch School founders, he was left considering which kind of school Ralph had founded.

• Tang Qi found that Gafaro had severed their connection and left the Ship of Fools ownerless, then put the Curio away.
• Tang Qi assessed the school’s growing strength and lingering problems, including lost organizational contacts and three sleeping Danger Sources.
• Tang Qi rejected the usual Furnace Witch advancement cycle and decided to develop Ralph Witchcraft into a Professional Level Witch School.
• Tang Qi went to the Library Tower to research Witch School founders and search for clues to Ralph’s inspiration and a suitable Meditation Method.
• After reading widely, Tang Qi realized there were dozens or hundreds of ways to create a Witch School and wondered which method Ralph had used.

Tang Qi reviewed how Witch Schools gained their sources of magical power and considered tracing Ralph’s inspiration through his family. After newspapers publicized the Ancient Mayan expedition and reporters sought interviews, Tang Qi limited his exposure by choosing Divine Eagle National Geographic and authorizing Raphael to write a report.

• Tang Qi concluded that every Witch School depended on a source of magical power and considered finding Ralph’s family to investigate his inspiration.
• Jensen, Raphael, Jennifer, Kriyas, and Selma visited Tang Qi in the Library Tower to discuss the expedition news.
• Tang Qi read newspaper accounts of the expedition, which reported the destruction of the Ancient Mayan holy city and Serxi’s role in the Ancient Mayans’ downfall.
• Lei told Tang Qi that more than a dozen newspapers had requested exclusive interviews.
• Tang Qi rejected the interview requests except for Divine Eagle National Geographic and authorized Raphael to write an Ancient Mayan expedition report for reprinting.

Tang Qi recounted the truth of the Ancient Mayan extinction, then returned to his work at the Witch School. After Professor Eva raised the approaching Discovery Day, he decided to hold a school party where students could contact or meet their families.

• Tang Qi showed Selma, Raphael, Jennifer, Jensen, and Kriyas the shattered Eye of Kels after explaining how he had stopped Serxi’s descent.
• Selma and Raphael confirmed Tang Qi’s account, and the expedition’s revelations spread through the Federation, prompting scholars to revise their histories while other groups abandoned their claims.
• Tang Qi continued managing the school, where Hannah’s secret medicine had been completed and the Demonic Rubber Tree had been planted.
• Professor Eva brought Tang Qi cooperation contracts to sign and asked him to decide whether the students should observe Discovery Day.
• Tang Qi refused to give the students a holiday but ordered a party on October 14 where they could contact family and, with approval, invite them to attend.

Tang Qi and Eva celebrated the Witch School’s recovery by preparing a Discovery Day Gala, then interviewed candidates at the Old Tavern for a pilot to fly the Queen Serrana. Philemonos Bonos’s dream of piloting an aircraft remained possible, but his Giant bloodline and a short-lived Shrinking Potion complicated his candidacy.

• Tang Qi and Eva observed students preparing for the Discovery Day Gala before opening a portal to the Old Tavern.
• Tang Qi interviewed Philemonos Bonos, a Giant-blooded aircraft enthusiast whose résumé claimed he had studied supernatural aircraft.
• Philemonos drank a Shrinking Potion to demonstrate that he could fit inside a normal aircraft, but he grew back to Giant size in seconds.
• Tang Qi explained that Philemonos could save for or build a supernatural airplane, then called for the next candidate.

Tang Qi and the others struggled to find a qualified pilot for a Transcendental Aircraft, interviewing an ambitious Giant and a mischievous child before rejecting a string of unsuitable applicants. The latest candidate appeared to be a drunkard, but Tang Qi discovered that he was a legendary former pilot with supernatural abilities.

• Philemonos took Tang Qi's reassurance as inspiration and left to build a Giant-Specific Transcendental Aircraft himself.
• Tang Qi recognized Frank Baxter's dangerous reputation and sent him through a Magic Portal, but the boy's fallen bronze mirror transformed Jensen with Tyros Fiend features.
• Jensen picked up the mirror and announced that he would return Frank to the Baxter family, while Tang Qi called for the next applicant.
• Tang Qi found that the remaining applicants lacked the experience needed to fly and maintain a Transcendental Aircraft.
• A scarred, drunken former pilot entered and fell asleep, but Tang Qi's Information Fragment identified him as a Storm Devotee and a legendary Air Force ace.

Tang Qi recruited Eric Hartman as a pilot and offered him a chance to send a message to his deceased loved ones. Meanwhile, the Head of Decay opened a portal in the Blake Mountains, where John Olesm tried to hold back the coming Magic Tide for ten minutes.

• Tang Qi identified Eric Hartman as a Storm Devotee, refused to resurrect his loved ones, and offered to help him send them a message.
• Tang Qi recruited Eric Hartman as a pilot and used the Body Control Spell to force him to quit drinking.
• Jennifer and Jensen received a warning that a Mysterious Organization had opened a portal to another realm in the Blake Mountains.
• John Olesm and the knights battled the Head of Decay's cultists, but a portal opened and unleashed rotten arms and black-eyed heads.
• John Olesm wielded the Sword of Saint Dossey and ordered the knights to seek aid while he held back the Magic Tide for ten minutes.

Tang Qi learned that Head of Decay had opened an eighth realm entrance in the Blake Mountains, where an unknown race of demonic creatures was being held back by John Olesm. He agreed to serve as reserve combat power while researching the organization’s history, and the chapter left him reading about its past catastrophes.

• Jennifer told Tang Qi that Head of Decay had opened an entrance in the Blake Mountains and that John Olesm was holding back an invading race of demonic creatures.
• Tang Qi agreed to help if the Church and the Manor Bureau could not contain the invasion, while reserving the right to retreat and requiring the military to deploy its weapons if necessary.
• Tang Qi chose not to alarm the students at Dragonheart Castle and waited for the authorities’ response.
• Tang Qi searched the Library Tower’s books on evil organizations and found records describing Head of Decay’s ancient origins and its past attempts to overthrow the world.
• Tang Qi read that the Ninth Corrupt Head had triggered the devastating Battle of Blood Mud before the Pope of the Church of Light killed him, and that another member later unleashed a deadly virus.

Tang Qi read David Finch’s conspiracy-filled history while Raphael and the exhausted survivors reported that the invasion had been stopped at the cost of Knight Captain Olesm’s life. Raphael warned that ancient organizations were appearing worldwide, leaving Tang Qi convinced he needed to accelerate his own preparations and those of his students.

• Tang Qi read David Finch’s claims that secret organizations, including the World Tree and Ancient Mystery Vault, had manipulated major historical events.
• Jensen, Jennifer, Old Colson, Kriyas, and Raphael arrived at the Library Tower after the battle, and Jensen explained they had come to rest and seek food.
• Raphael reported that the response unit and church knights had sealed the polluted realm’s entrance and killed the invading Pablo Eyed Demons, but several dozen agents and knights and Knight Captain Olesm had died.
• Raphael and Tang Qi suspected the Head of Decay’s attack had been only a trigger for a larger plan or had been carried out by an imitator.
• Raphael warned that ancient organizations were appearing across Blue Star and that the truth would eventually reach ordinary people, prompting Tang Qi to decide to prepare himself and his students more quickly.

A mysterious black-robed agent reported that the Mystic Freak Show had taken Target Number Nine, before a terrifying figure ordered him to take it back. The Freak Show arrived in Jupiter Town as Tang Qi prepared a celebration at Dragonheart Castle, where he unexpectedly saw Stana.

• A black-robed man reported that the Mystic Freak Show had taken Target Number Nine, and a rotten-headed gentleman ordered him to take it back before lightning destroyed the tower and its inhabitants.
• The Mystic Freak Show's convoy entered Jupiter Town, enthralled the townspeople with its macabre display, and left them crumbling into dust as it disappeared into the darkness.
• Queen Serrana brought ordinary guests from across the Federation to Dragonheart Castle for a celebration attended by the Witch School students and their families.
• Tang Qi arrived at the transformed castle with Professor Eva and spotted Stana among the guests.

Tang Qi reunited with Stana at a school banquet and learned that the Church of Light would gain some administrative authority so its knights could fight the spreading evil. Stana asked Tang Qi to spar with her, and the guests eagerly watched their reunion turn toward a fight.

• Tang Qi welcomed Stana, and they greeted each other warmly before he introduced her to Eva and the other guests.
• Stana blended into the group, while Tang Qi served his supernatural cuisine and the guests celebrated together.
• Stana told Tang Qi that she had won first place in her Apprentice Knight trial and that the Federation had agreed to grant the Church of Light some administrative authority.
• Raphael and Jennifer confirmed Stana’s claim, and Tang Qi considered why the authorities had made the agreement as the Spirit Tide grew more turbulent.
• Stana challenged Tang Qi to test her training, and Jensen, Kriyas, and the others reacted with excitement.

Tang Qi fought Stana in the Quarantine Zone to test her strength, then returned to Dragonheart Castle as the Church of Light’s war stirred the Mystic Side and his new Mystery Event Database was ready. The chapter ended with Lily seeing the Witch School’s first Mystery Mission appear.

• Stana attacked Tang Qi with her Crimson Rhino and powerful melee techniques while observers watched from the cliff.
• Tang Qi and Stana fought hand-to-hand among the stone pillars, and Tang Qi ultimately won; Stana left for the front lines with a Sun Badge from him.
• The Church of Light declared war on several Mysterious Organizations, including the Head of Decay and the Mystic Freak Show.
• Tang Qi established a Mystery Event Database for the Witch School with help from Black Beech, the Manor Bureau, and other cooperating organizations.
• Eva activated the magic mirror, and Lily saw the first Mystery Mission appear on a blank parchment in a student dormitory.

Tang Qi accelerated the Witch School’s combat training as the Spirit Tide made the world more dangerous, and the students received their first missions. Noah, Peggy, and Hannah accepted a hazardous investigation of a mysterious subway train, while the other missions sent students toward a cannibal and a living teddy bear.

• Tang Qi confirmed that supernatural incidents were growing more serious and decided to train the students faster.
• Luca, Tate, and Charlotte accepted a Level Two mission to hunt a cannibal imitator and left for Mihuang City.
• Lily accepted a Level One mission to retrieve a foul-mouthed living teddy bear from the McFarlane Family.
• Noah chose Peggy and Hannah to join him on a Level Three investigation of a subway train linked to dozens of disappearances.
• Hannah split into ten copies to sign the mission, and the twelve participants received cards for the mysterious train.