Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ming found Difu in Langbi City after the warrior’s intelligence mission ended in arrest, starvation, and destitution. Difu revealed that Gejiefu had been betrayed by his friend, wife, daughters, and King, leaving Zhou Ming to decide whether Gejiefu should ever learn the truth.

• Zhou Ming found the emaciated Difu among beggars and learned that a noble had stolen his money, imprisoned him, and forced him to escape through a gap in his cell door.
• Difu explained that he had completed his investigation into Gejiefu’s family but asked Zhou Ming not to tell Gejiefu what he had uncovered.
• After Zhou Ming fed him, Difu revealed that Jacobbi Earl had been having an affair with Natiya for more than ten years and had helped arrange Gejiefu’s dangerous military posting.
• Difu said Natiya had known of the nobles’ scheme against Gejiefu but stayed silent, and that Gejiefu’s daughters, Sophia and Nikola, were probably Jacobbi Earl’s children.
• Zhou Ming learned that the King had also abandoned Gejiefu and wondered whether the warrior could endure the truth without losing hope.

Zhou Ming tried to keep Gejiefu from learning the truth about his family by telling him they had died, but Gejiefu disappeared after visiting their graves. He found Natiya and Jacobbi together at Moon Lake Castle, where his sudden return left them frozen in shock.

• Difu told Gejiefu that Natiya had died by suicide and Sophia and Nikola had starved to death, and Gejiefu broke down in grief.
• Zhou Ming persuaded Gejiefu to leave for the Yadoud Kingdom and took him to visit the family tombs near his castle.
• Gejiefu agreed to leave the next morning, but Zhou Ming found his room empty that evening as snow fell.
• At Moon Lake Castle, Natiya told Jacobbi she feared Gejiefu would return, and Jacobbi insisted Gejiefu was dead or crippled and that they had done nothing wrong.
• Gejiefu appeared in the doorway as Jacobbi kissed Natiya, startling them both.

After learning the truth about Natiya and Jacobbi from Winston Divine Shepherd, Gejiefu killed them and his daughters, then accepted the Holy See’s call to cleanse the kingdom. Three days later, he led a vast uprising in Langbi City as royal troops moved to suppress it.

• Gejiefu accused Jacobbi Earl of betrayal, severed his arm, and killed him before demanding an explanation from Natiya.
• Natiya begged Gejiefu to spare Sophia and Nikola, but he killed the girls and left her fatally wounded.
• Winston Divine Shepherd revealed the truth behind Gejiefu’s betrayal and urged him to lead a holy uprising against the corrupt kingdom.
• Gejiefu agreed to rebel despite his promise to Mr. Lei Lin to follow him to the Yadoud Kingdom.
• Three days later, Gejiefu gathered retired and active soldiers and hundreds of thousands of famine victims at Langbi City’s grand cathedral as five thousand royal troops charged toward them.

The Light Church helped Gejiefu’s rebellion overthrow the Kadorn Kingdom’s nobles and establish the Kadorn Holy Light Empire, leaving the Church in control and Zhou Ming worried about its expansion. Zhou Ming reunited with Teacher Sears, parted from Gejiefu on friendly terms, and left Kadorn to pursue his plans.

• Gejiefu led the rebels in killing the Old King and slaughtering nobles across Kadorn, with The Light Church providing fighters and healing support.
• A month later, The Light Church’s forces deterred neighboring kingdoms from intervening, and the Kadorn Holy Light Empire was established under the Church’s authority.
• Gejiefu became the Kadorn Territory Guardian, and the Bishop’s Grand Blessing Technique restored his right arm and cured his hidden ailment.
• Zhou Ming realized The Light Church planned to extend its political control across the Azeroth Continent and resolved to accelerate his plans in the Yadoud Kingdom.
• Teacher Sears arrived in Gale No. 2, and Zhou Ming met Gejiefu at the Holy Palace before leaving Kadorn.
• Gejiefu apologized for not joining Zhou Ming and swore he would never become Zhou Ming’s enemy.

Zhou Ming returned to Dilo City and found it under siege by Duke Paris’s rebel army. After King James welcomed him back, Zhou Ming promised to end the rebellion within five days.

• Sears told Zhou Ming that the elves had rewarded him with a breakthrough to Great Magician and gave him Life Water from the elf Queen.
• Gale 2 reached Dilo City, where Zhou Ming saw the capital surrounded by at least two hundred thousand troops, and Sears identified Duke Paris’s banner among the rebels.
• King James celebrated Zhou Ming’s return and summoned him to the Royal Council Meeting.
• Zhou Ming assessed which nobles remained loyal, reassured King James that the royal side could survive, and asked the court to explain the rebellion.
• Zhou Ming promised to break up the rebel army and end the rebellion within five days, prompting disbelief from some nobles.

Zhou Ming broke the siege of Diro City by destroying the rebel army’s supplies and persuading Earl Hill to turn against Duke Paris. Duke Paris was killed, and the remaining 80,000 rebels surrendered.

• Zhou Ming learned that Duke Paris had rebelled to seize the throne and the royal family’s wealth, while his army weakened during its siege of Diro City.
• Zhou Ming led Sears, Princess Sivenis, Nabe, and Campbell on a night raid that burned all twenty-three supply depots, destroyed tents and siege weapons, and killed rebel soldiers and officers.
• After the fires, Zhou Ming entered Earl Hill’s tent and convinced him that Duke Paris’s rebellion would fail and that surrender could protect his family and future.
• Earl Hill told the officers that Duke Paris had manipulated their grievances and stolen their wages and supplies, prompting them to demand his death.
• Earl Hill and his men killed Duke Paris, and the remaining 80,000 rebels surrendered.

After the royal family defeated Duke Paris’s rebellion, King James and the nobles divided the rebels’ lands and agreed to fund the kingdom’s public projects. Zhou Ming was rewarded with an earldom and the pardon of the Lei Lin Family, whose return was expected to reshape the kingdom’s upper ranks.

• King James declared Duke Paris a traitor and ordered his family arrested, while the nobles argued over compensation and the rebels’ vacant fiefs.
• Zhou Ming secured Earl Hill’s pardon and urged him to lead the surrendered rebels back to the border to guard against the Solliu Kingdom.
• Rudolph Duke discussed the rebellion’s consequences with Zhou Ming and recognized that the royal family’s victory would strengthen the crown and weaken the remaining dukes.
• Two months later, the royal family and nobles divided 122 fiefs, designated forty for medicinal-herb cultivation, and agreed to contribute taxes for public projects and a new army.
• King James and the court elevated Zhou Ming to earl, granted him the Black Swamp and other rewards, and pardoned the Lei Lin Family.

After more than two years of hardship in exile, Koen Lei Lin received the King's pardon decree and saw his family's fortunes transformed by Laimoton's success as an Intermediate Pharmacist. Koen welcomed the pardon with pride, convinced his son would lead the Lei Lin Family to lasting greatness.

• The Lei Lin Family endured hunger, illness, and harassment after Koen's decisions led to their exile in the Black Swamp.
• Laimoton became an Intermediate Pharmacist, and the King sent the family protection, supplies, money, and a letter from him.
• The Lei Lin Family prospered in Black River Town as Koen helped the Continental Chamber of Commerce extract and process oil from the Black Swamp.
• A royal messenger delivered the King's decree pardoning the Lei Lin Family, and Koen celebrated Laimoton as the family's finest member.

Zhou Ming arranged for the Lei Lin Family to manage his Black Swamp territory and reflected on why he had saved them, while Princess Sivenis and he helped feed the war's disaster victims. After advancing to Advanced Magician, Zhou Ming rejected addictive methods of raising Soul Frequency and began a risky experiment called Soul Overclocking.

• Zhou Ming decided to entrust oil processing in Black River Town to Koen Lei Lin and let the Lei Lin Family manage the Black Swamp.
• Zhou Ming explained that he had saved the Lei Lin Family because the Lei Lin name represented reform to the common people and because he did not want to abandon his parents for personal gain.
• Princess Sivenis worked to supply food to the disaster victims, and Zhou Ming donated more than a million gold coins to help.
• Zhou Ming cast the Water Ball Spell and advanced to Advanced Magician, though his Soul Frequency remained the main obstacle to further progress.
• Zhou Ming rejected using Manlo Pollen or other dangerous ways to raise Soul Frequency and began the system-approved Soul Overclocking experiment.

Zhou Ming created a Soul Chip that let him overclock his soul, boosting his frequency and mathematical ability while risking severe damage if the chip overheated or collapsed. He used the enhancement to cast an ice spell beyond his rank and considered whether future overclocking could let him learn space magic.

• With the system's help, Zhou Ming compressed 40% of his soul into a Soul Chip after a month of work.
• The Soul Chip raised Zhou Ming's soul frequency by up to 25.5% and greatly increased his mathematical computing ability, but weakened his unactivated baseline and risked destroying part of his soul if it became unstable.
• Zhou Ming used Soul Overclocking to cast an Ice Spike with a temperature below negative one hundred degrees, despite being an Advanced Magician.
• Zhou Ming learned that space magic required a soul frequency beyond his current reach and decided to pursue Legendary Rank before trying to overclock into the domain of space magic.
• Zhou Ming continued meditating and worked on increasing the Soul Chip's frequency.

Zhou Ming prepared an estate for his family’s return to the royal capital, then attended a court meeting where the Solliu Kingdom threatened war unless Princess Sivenis married Prince Jeffrey. King James asked Zhou Ming whether the kingdom should accept the alliance, leaving Zhou Ming poised to give his opinion.

• Koen Lei Lin told Zhou Ming that most of the Lei Lin family, including his mother Verani and grandmother Olena, were returning to the royal capital, and Zhou Ming ordered Difu to prepare an estate for them.
• The Solliu Kingdom’s envoy demanded that Princess Sivenis marry Prince Jeffrey and threatened to invade with five hundred thousand troops if Yadoud refused.
• Yadoud’s nobles and ministers argued over the marriage alliance, with some opposing it and others fearing war after the kingdom’s recent rebellion.
• King James asked Zhou Ming for his view on the alliance, and Zhou Ming began to answer.

Zhou Ming persuaded Yadoud Kingdom’s leaders to reject appeasement and prepare for war with Solliu Kingdom, proposing that twenty million gold coins fund a hundred thousand mercenaries. He revealed that Hercules Transport Aircraft could bring in mercenaries from across the continent, and King James approved the plan while the kingdom prepared to delay Solliu Kingdom’s mobilization.

• Zhou Ming argued that Solliu Kingdom’s ambitions made war unavoidable and that Yadoud Kingdom should prepare rather than accept a marriage alliance.
• Zhou Ming promised a victory with minimal casualties if King James raised twenty million gold coins, then proposed hiring a hundred thousand mercenaries within three months.
• Zhou Ming revealed in a secret meeting that Hercules Transport Aircraft could carry mercenaries from fifty kingdoms, while a fake princess and other delays could buy time.
• King James agreed to pay for the mercenaries, and Yadoud Kingdom’s leaders began preparing to delay Solliu Kingdom and await the hired forces.

The Lei Lin Family returned to Royal Capital Dilo City, where Zhou Ming welcomed them to the estate he had prepared. After receiving his generous gifts and hospitality, his family grew closer to him, and Verani was moved by his care.

• Koen Lei Lin, Roger, and Joan traveled with the family toward the royal capital, and Koen rebuked Joan for speaking disrespectfully about Zhou Ming.
• Olena shared a carriage with Verani and asked her to massage her legs, while Verani responded to Olena with fearful politeness.
• Zhou Ming greeted Koen Lei Lin and the rest of the family at their renovated estate and showed them its facilities, leaving them stunned by its cost of one million gold coins.
• Zhou Ming gave Koen Lei Lin a jeweled sword, Olena a fox fur coat, and Roger, Shirley, and Joan boxes of potions.
• Joan asked Zhou Ming to spar, and Zhou Ming agreed to do so after the family had rested.
• Zhou Ming washed Verani's feet and massaged her, and over the following days his family accepted and welcomed him.

Zhou Ming took charge of preparing Yadoud Kingdom for war, securing authority over recruitment, supplies, and the distribution of spoils while mobilizing his family and the Continental Chamber of Commerce. He also recruited Isha to impersonate Princess Sivenis as part of a plan to delay the enemy, leaving her ready to take on the role.

• King James entrusted Zhou Ming with recruiting 100,000 mercenaries within three months and gave him 20 million gold coins, while Zhou Ming negotiated for control of the spoils of war.
• Zhou Ming obtained a signed Spoils Distribution Agreement, and around thirty noble families began raising money and preparing troops, with Rudolph Duke contributing 8 million gold coins and mobilizing his 5,000 private soldiers.
• Zhou Ming assigned Roger and Joan to army commands, placed Shirley in Princess Sivenis's legion, and sent Cohen to Black River Town to produce fuel for the transport aircraft.
• The Continental Chamber of Commerce sent workers to Yadoud Kingdom to increase Hercules transport aircraft production.
• After Isha refused to impersonate Princess Sivenis when her family was threatened, Zhou Ming freed her family, housed and trained her, and persuaded her to accept the role.

After secretly preparing for war, the Yadoud Kingdom faced an invasion by the Solliu Kingdom. At an eastern border fortress, Captain Klein eagerly led the Flame Mercenary Group toward the approaching battle, hoping to earn enough merit to become a landed noble.

• Queen Yala and King James staged a tearful farewell as Princess Sivenis's convoy left for the Solliu Kingdom, while Zhou Ming urged the Yadoud Kingdom to finish recruiting its forces.
• More than two months later, the Solliu envoy demanded thirteen earldoms as the princess's dowry, and King James ordered him and the rest of his delegation killed.
• The Yadoud Kingdom used the delay to build and train a three-hundred-thousand-strong army, stock supplies, and equip troops with newly developed weapons.
• The Solliu Kingdom declared war, claiming the Yadoud Kingdom had failed to protect its delegation, and began military operations without knowing how prepared its enemy was.
• At an eastern border fortress, Klein calculated how the Flame Mercenary Group could earn merit points and a noble title before an alarm announced the enemy's approach.
• Klein grabbed his greatsword and headed to the stone wall as Solliu formations advanced toward the Yadoud Kingdom's border fortresses.

Zhou Ming’s defensive strategy devastated the Solliu Kingdom’s invading army, and a surprise cavalry attack turned the Yadoud Kingdom’s defense into a sweeping victory. The war ended with the Solliu Kingdom ceding territory and paying reparations, while Zhou Ming faced a difficult struggle over distributing the spoils.

• Zhou Ming deployed mercenaries to defend the Yadoud Kingdom’s fortresses and Guardian Wall, where Klein’s band held Fortress Number 58 for ten days and accumulated enough merit to pursue land and a home.
• Klein rejected calls to retreat, and his remaining men continued fighting until the Solliu Kingdom’s attacks weakened and its army advanced past the first defensive line.
• The Solliu Kingdom suffered nearly one hundred thousand casualties at the Guardian Wall, then Zhou Ming sent a hundred-thousand-strong Yadoud Kingdom legion behind its forces on September 5 and annihilated the Western Border legion.
• The Yadoud Kingdom advanced into Solliu territory as neighboring kingdoms attacked, and King Weber eventually agreed to pay reparations and cede eighteen count territories to end the war.
• Zhou Ming confronted the challenge of distributing the spoils after the Yadoud Kingdom’s victory.

Zhou Ming helped settle the dispute over the war spoils by negotiating a compromise that secured royal recognition of the nobles’ new territories. Later, he granted titles to the surviving members of the Flame Mercenary Group in honor of their fallen commander, leaving Hoddett grieving at Klein’s grave.

• King James and the nobles argued over the spoils until Zhou Ming offered the royal family the return of its ten million gold coins, a five-million-gold dividend, and seventeen exchanged plots of land.
• King James accepted the terms and recognized the nobles’ ownership of the new territories, while requiring the royal family to share in any future war gains.
• Earl Cohen questioned Zhou Ming’s support for the nobles, but Zhou Ming’s arguments about constitutional monarchy and Crown Prince Luther’s conduct left Cohen silent and reflective.
• After most mercenaries departed, Zhou Ming learned that the Flame Mercenary Group had suffered devastating losses while defending its fortress and had killed more than three thousand enemy soldiers.
• Zhou Ming granted Hoddett the title of viscount and the other nine survivors baronies, naming their lands Klein Territory in memory of Commander Klein.
• At Klein’s funeral, Hoddett broke down over the title and land he believed Klein should have received, and Zhou Ming urged him to find Klein’s illegitimate son so the land could pass to him.

Zhou Ming was forced into marriage with Princess Sivenis after refusing the royal family’s arranged match, while Duke Hansen’s attempt to seize medicinal-herb profits led to his downfall and strengthened the crown. As King James fell gravely ill at the start of Winter Season, the kingdom faced uncertainty despite the royal family’s newfound authority.

• King James and Earl Cohen arranged Zhou Ming’s marriage to Princess Sivenis, but Zhou Ming initially refused because he wanted to travel and pursue his goal of becoming a Law God.
• Nabe attacked Zhou Ming, but he subdued her and explained his plans to Princess Sivenis; she insisted on marrying him and traveling with him, and she became pregnant three months after their wedding.
• Duke Hansen demanded half the medicinal-herb profits from noble families in his territory and slaughtered one family for underreporting its income.
• The royal family and court moved against Duke Hansen; after his knights lost two battles, a confidant beheaded him, and his family’s title and fief were reclaimed.
• King James fell ill after a cold wave, and his condition worsened during Winter Season despite treatment, unsettling the kingdom.

After King James died from Gu Poison, his three sons successively seized the throne and were exposed for conspiring against him. Zhou Ming captured the Black Magician behind the plot, while a final interrogation revealed that the Royal Capital Rose had helped Jonad pursue the throne.

• King James died after his soul was destroyed by Gu Poison, and Crown Prince Luther ascended the throne.
• Second Prince Nimm exposed Luther as the poisoner, and Luther was deposed and exiled; Nimm then became King.
• A survivor revealed that Nimm had orchestrated the murder and framed Luther, so palace warriors killed Nimm and Third Prince Jonad became King.
• Zhou Ming captured the Black Magician, whose confession exposed Jonad's role in arranging the plot, and the nobles forced Jonad into exile.
• Zhou Ming interrogated the Royal Capital Rose and learned that she had advised Jonad and manipulated events to help him claim the throne.

Zhou Ming exiled Bei Lian Meng Na after Henry and Lina rejected her, then helped secure Princess Sivenis’s succession as Queen of the Yadoud Kingdom. Sivenis refused the throne despite the kingdom’s support, leaving Zhou Ming to persuade her to accept it.

• Zhou Ming confronted Bei Lian Meng Na in a cell, resisted her attempts to seduce him, and brought her before Henry and Lina to decide her fate.
• Lina condemned Bei Lian Meng Na, and Henry asked Zhou Ming to exile her; Zhou Ming sent her to a remote kingdom aboard a transport aircraft.
• With the Old King dead and no eligible male heir, the succession laws made Princess Sivenis first in line to inherit the throne.
• Zhou Ming won support for Sivenis by promising that her child would bear the Sebert Family name, and Old Fox Roberts also backed her succession.
• The people celebrated Sivenis’s selection as queen, but she refused the throne, so Zhou Ming tried to persuade her.