Chapter Summaries

Li Miao decided to ask Brother Yu whether he could use the Breath of the Spirit Caller on his mysterious black sword. In the Volcanic Ashstone Island dungeon, Brother Mangzi tested Ligardel by pretending to be overwhelmed by a lava monster, but Ligardel disappeared, and Brother Mangzi smashed the mechanism platform in frustration.

• Li Miao took Scheming Frog's suggestion and decided to contact Brother Yu about using the Breath of the Spirit Caller on his black sword.
• Brother Mangzi defeated the lava monster guarding a mechanism platform, crossed the lava lake, and looted the ancient building beyond it.
• Brother Mangzi returned to the entrance, brought Ligardel to the lava lake, and pretended that a werewolf had gone into the building across the lake.
• Brother Mangzi feigned defeat against the lava monster and told Ligardel to cross the lake, but Ligardel vanished without helping him.
• Brother Mangzi turned on the lava monster and shattered the mechanism platform with a hammer blow.

Brother Mangzi rescued Ligardel from jumping into a lava lake after the little lion believed the bald human who had helped him was dead. Elsewhere, Li Miao persuaded Brother Yu to let him use Zered's Breath of the Spirit Caller on the Sealed Black Sword, and Brother Yu took out the weapon.

• Ligardel asked Brother Mangzi to save the bald human who had helped him, but Brother Mangzi told him the man was already dead.
• Believing everyone who treated him kindly met with disaster, Ligardel leaped toward the lava lake, and Brother Mangzi caught him with the Parasitic Arm.
• Ligardel fainted and became stiff, so Brother Mangzi carried him toward the Milestone Spirit Candle and called for the Candle keeper.
• Li Miao explained to Brother Yu why he wanted to use Zered's Breath of the Spirit Caller on the Sealed Black Sword, and Brother Yu agreed to let him try.
• Brother Yu took out the Sealed Black Sword after Li Miao put away his Fishing Rod.

Brother Yu saw that the Breath of the Spirit Caller had changed the Sealed Black Longsword’s description, though its effects remained unknown. Nonia knocked Brother Mangzi unconscious while attending to Ligardel, whose memories showed his childhood struggles with the burden of being Gekwell’s future king.

• Brother Yu infused the Sealed Black Longsword with the Breath of the Spirit Caller, and its description indicated that an unknown change was underway.
• Brother Yu speculated that the sword’s hidden effects might be negative, then asked Li Miao to sell him some high-tier bait.
• Nonia told Brother Mangzi that Ligardel was not sick but was about to die, then used Spirit Candle power to knock him unconscious and draw out wax.
• Ligardel’s father explained that Gekwell grew amid prosperity and shrank amid war and death, and told him that protecting the island’s prosperity would be his future responsibility.
• As a cub, Ligardel was frightened by another lion’s roar and hid, while other cubs mocked him and one urged him to control his emotions.

Ligardel relived the loss of his family and the destruction of Gekwell, which had left him consumed by fear and despair. Brother Mangzi recognized the memories behind Ligardel’s hopelessness and offered to teach him how to become a true warrior.

• Ligardel recalled how Theo urged him to become a warrior while they were young.
• During the battle in Gekwell, Theo shielded Ligardel from a monster and died after ordering him to flee.
• Ligardel’s father comforted him, told him he believed Ligardel could become a true warrior, and sent him to the bunker as Gekwell collapsed.
• Brother Mangzi realized Ligardel’s despair came from witnessing his home and loved ones perish, and understood that fear and despair were killing him.
• Brother Mangzi asked Ligardel to take him as his master and promised to teach him how to become a true warrior.

Brother Mangzi recruited Ligardel as his student and accepted a long-term quest to help him become a True Warrior. He brought Ligardel to Candlewood Island and set out to find Storyteller, while Landfall envied his chance encounter with a quest.

• Brother Mangzi apologized to Ligardel, reminded him that his loved ones had believed in him, and promised his friends could help him become a True Warrior.
• Ligardel accepted Brother Mangzi as his teacher, and Brother Mangzi received a long-term quest to train him.
• Brother Mangzi discovered that teleporting Ligardel required extra candle wax and complained about the cost.
• Brother Mangzi teleported with Ligardel to Candlewood Island, where Ligardel nervously greeted a passing Prison Player.
• Brother Mangzi hurried off with Ligardel to find Storyteller, while Landfall lamented in the Prison Players Group that he had not found a quest of his own.

Brother Mangzi brought Ligardel to the Candle Keeper to investigate his fear, and Rogue discovered that its root lay in Ligardel’s mind rather than his bloodline. Rogue could not cure him, but suggested uncovering Gekwell’s secrets to find the answer.

• Storyteller heard Brother Mangzi and Ligardel describe Ligardel’s fear and suspected a problem with his bloodline.
• Storyteller advised Brother Mangzi to take Ligardel to the Candle Keepers and Mage Burton for help.
• Brother Mangzi brought Ligardel to Rogue, who examined him with the Spirit Candle.
• Rogue determined that Ligardel’s fear came from his mind, though it had affected his bloodline, and said he could not solve it.
• Rogue suggested that uncovering Gekwell’s secrets might reveal the answer, leaving Storyteller troubled.

Brother Mangzi struggled to help Ligardel overcome his fear of battle, but Ligardel repeatedly fled when he faced a Law Knight. Tianji suggested identifying the specific causes of Ligardel’s fear, leaving Brother Mangzi ready to speak with him about what he felt.

• Brother Mangzi reassured Ligardel after the Candle Keepers could not solve his condition and promised to make him a True Warrior.
• Brother Mangzi took Ligardel to fight a Law Knight, but Ligardel ran away whenever it attacked and returned in tears.
• Brother Mangzi told Ligardel not to dwell on the failed fight, while Not Deaf noted that encouragement alone was not helping him.
• Brother Mangzi asked the Prison Players group chat for advice, and Tianji suggested investigating the underlying reasons for Ligardel’s fear.
• Storyteller understood Tianji’s suggestion, and Brother Mangzi agreed to ask Ligardel to describe what he felt during battle.

Brother Yu caught an epic Golden Velvet Treasure-Spitting Fish in the Years of Dense Forest and showed it off to the other fishermen on his way to exchange it for points. He left the fish with Laman, whose surprise turned to shock when he recognized Brother Yu.

• Brother Yu killed a Spider-Leg Fish that lunged at him and wondered whether his Soul Maggot could be used to fish elsewhere.
• After hearing a strange voice call him overconfident, Brother Yu hooked and hauled up an epic Golden Velvet Treasure-Spitting Fish.
• The fish spat out golden beads and crystalline ores, and Brother Yu celebrated before catching it as it tried to escape.
• Brother Yu took the fish along a route that let him show it off to other fishermen, who resented his catch and anticipated his bragging.
• Brother Yu slapped the fish onto Laman's table and asked how many points it was worth; Laman reacted with shock when he saw him.

After completing the Fire Offering Ritual, Zhang Ming committed to his Curse Master path, gained the Curse to Blood Transformation power, and learned the Disruption curse. He planned to test the skill in the arena before exploring a new map rumored to be related to Curse Masters.

• Brother Yu returned to his fishing spot, put the Sealed Black Sword away, and struggled to catch anything after his earlier big catch.
• Zhang Ming completed the Fire Offering Ritual and gained the Curse to Blood Transformation power.
• Zhang Ming decided to stay with the Curse Master Bloodline rather than rebuild.
• Zhang Ming bought and learned the Curse Master skill Disruption.
• Zhang Ming planned to test Disruption in the arena before heading to a new map rumored to involve Curse Masters.

Zhang Ming explored Cursed Sealed Sea Valley, where he found signs of curse experiments and encountered Sekasi. She gave him information to deliver to his Candlefire and an anchor for contacting her, then warned him not to fall into Ashes.

• Zhang Ming entered Cursed Sealed Sea Valley, fought Cursed Amalgamations, and collected Cursed Ashes.
• Zhang Ming examined a fused body in a room before Sekasi appeared and accused him of pursuing a sinister curse.
• Zhang Ming explained his visit, and Sekasi gave him Sekasi's Information to deliver to his Candlefire in exchange for one request.
• Zhang Ming asked for a way to contact Sekasi, and she gave him Sekasi's Anchor.
• Sekasi departed after warning Zhang Ming not to fall into Ashes.

Rogue considered the Altar Firewood Collector’s warning about ominous ashes but decided to keep learning about both sides before choosing a stance. Meanwhile, Clemo, Blackface, and Horn survived a fight with two sea serpents, and their campfire conversation turned to Clemo’s courage and Horn’s Warfire.

• Rogue read Sekasi’s intelligence and learned that the Altar Firewood Collector warned Candlefire to beware of ashes that tempted warriors into corruption.
• Rogue suspected the warning concerned Ash Guide Yuanfang but decided not to take sides without more information, then returned to kneading bloodlines.
• Clemo helped Blackface and Horn defeat two sea serpents after a Remnant Fire had lied about how many enemies there were.
• The three Firewood Collectors made camp, where Clemo noticed Horn’s severe wound had already stopped bleeding.
• Horn offered Clemo and Blackface a drink, and Blackface asked Clemo why he had not fled during the battle.
• Clemo said he was not a born warrior and recalled past encounters when fear had made him hesitate or run.

Blackface explained why losing his belief in being chosen had driven him to despair, while Horn revealed that he had stayed at the Fire Aspect Temple to find the killer of his Feral Fire mentor. Clemo agreed to hide the sword’s Candlefire traits, then Brother Mangzi began helping Ligardel confront his fear of combat.

• Blackface drunkenly confessed that he had believed he was destined to save the world, but other Firewood Collectors made him feel ordinary and deceived.
• Horn told Clemo that he remained at the Fire Aspect Temple for information and intended to find the killer who had murdered his Feral Fire mentor.
• Horn warned Clemo not to reveal the Candlefire traits of his sword around other Firewood Collectors, and Clemo agreed.
• Brother Mangzi urged Ligardel to stop putting himself down and remember how it felt to flee from combat.
• Brother Mangzi asked the Black Mountain Imp to use a magic pearl to simulate battle for Ligardel.

The Storyteller and his companions tested Ligardel's fear of monsters and learned that frightening sounds and appearances triggered his instinctive panic, while confidence in a monster's weakness let him think. Tianji proposed reducing those triggers and boosting Ligardel's confidence to strengthen his will, and the group prepared to begin training.

• Ligardel panicked when the Black Mountain Imp summoned a Golden Bull Guard and a Law Knight, and he still struggled to remember his feelings when facing Gulad Soldiers.
• Ligardel paused before a weak zombie and explained that its voice and appearance frightened him, though knowing it was weak helped him think.
• The Storyteller contacted Tianji, who came over and concluded that Ligardel's will needed to overcome his instinctive fear.
• Tianji suggested plugging Ligardel's ears and using potions to increase his confidence and gradually train his will.
• Brother Mangzi rushed to find earplugs, while Ligardel agreed to try and timidly reminded the Black Mountain Imp that he could not hit him.

Brother Mangzi bought Ligardel excellent earplugs to reduce the sounds that frightened him, and the group used them to help Ligardel face a corpse. Ligardel held his ground for nearly half a minute before fleeing, leaving him with a clear path to build the courage to become a True Warrior.

• Brother Mangzi bought Ligardel's Earplugs from Nonia's avatar for 500 candlewax and spiritual materials.
• Ligardel tried the earplugs and found that they nearly silenced the sounds around him.
• Tianji suggested using the earplugs to help Ligardel gradually build his willpower, while Brother Mangzi encouraged him to stand his ground against a corpse.
• Ligardel resisted the urge to flee for nearly half a minute and tried to raise his claw, but ran when the corpse lunged to bite him.
• Brother Mangzi praised Ligardel's progress, and Ligardel thanked Tianji, the Storyteller, and Not Deaf before promising to beat Black Mountain Imp someday.

A Spirit Candle Forum player recounted exploring Wailing Slope, where he fought a Repentant Tusk Orc and uncovered a grave and journal explaining its connection to the Slope Dwellers. The journal revealed that Theodore and Castin had been welcomed by the people of Warm Sun Slope, before the story ended with them living among the Slope Dwellers.

• A player arrived at Wailing Slope by Spirit Fire Sail and fought off Drowned Ghouls while reaching shore.
• Slope Dweller's Grudge Souls attacked the player, then turned on the Repentant Tusk Orc when it emerged and targeted him.
• The player defeated the Repentant Tusk Orc with help from the grudge souls and found that its Monster Blade had been gnawed apart.
• The player searched the graves and discovered a bent gravestone and an old beast-hide book in a massive grave suited to a Tusked Orc.
• The journal revealed that Theodore and Castin had been shipmates caught in a storm, injured, and welcomed by the Slope Dwellers at what was then called Warm Sun Slope.

Theodore and Castin massacred the Slopefolk after Castin was influenced by an evil statue, then learned the truth and repented. Theodore killed Castin when the corruption resurfaced, buried the dead, and prepared to take his own life; the players’ exploration revealed the tragedy behind the Repentant Tusk Orc.

• The Slopefolk accused Castin of killing a child, and Theodore calmed the confrontation while they waited for the investigation.
• After another Slopefolk was killed, Theodore believed Castin and joined him in slaughtering everyone on Warm Sun Slope.
• At dawn, Castin remembered nothing, and Theodore suspected that an evil coral statue had driven him to commit the murders.
• Castin asked Theodore to kill him if the corruption returned, and Theodore agreed to bury him with his gravestone bent toward the Slopefolk.
• That night, Castin tried to eat a Slopefolk corpse, so Theodore killed him, buried the dead, and recorded his sins before preparing to die.

Players argued over who was responsible for the Slope Dwellers’ massacre and suspected the Storm Church was behind the evil statue. In the Years of Dense Forest, Brother Yu finally caught a fish, heard a mysterious voice say, “Pleasure-seeking destroys ambition,” and looked toward the Sealed Black Sword.

• Players debated whether Castin or Theodore was to blame for the massacre, while others said the Slope Dwellers and the two Tusked Orcs were victims.
• A player suggested that the evil coral statue at the storm’s center might be connected to the Storm Church, setting off more forum speculation and jokes.
• Brother Yu grew frustrated after catching only shrimp and crabs, then angrily chopped a Purple Leaf Crab apart with the Sealed Black Sword.
• Brother Yu caught a Green Scale Fish and celebrated, believing his luck had returned.
• Brother Yu heard the voice say, “Pleasure-seeking destroys ambition,” and turned his gaze toward the Sealed Black Sword.

Brother Yu learned that the Sealed Black Sword had awakened under the influence of the Breath of the Spirit Caller and accepted its quest to uncover its sealed past after it mentioned fishing-related rewards. The sword revealed that its trail led to the Great Death Fire, a term Brother Yu recognized from the Mourning King Warrior’s letter at the Serene High Platform.

• The Sealed Black Sword awakened and criticized Brother Yu for his poor fishing results, while he defended his fishing skill.
• The sword offered to help uncover sealed memories, and Brother Yu agreed when it mentioned tools and techniques related to fishing.
• Brother Yu received the Journey of Unsealing quest to explore the Sealed Black Longsword’s secrets.
• The Sealed Black Sword explained that it had been sealed and that its key clue was the Great Death Fire.
• Brother Yu connected the Great Death Fire to the Mourning King Warrior’s handwritten letter stored in the Spirit Candle Space.

Brother Yu accepted the Sealed Black Sword’s quest to find the Great Death Fire but decided to let other players search while he returned to fishing, naming the sword Little Black. Meanwhile, new player Wu Liao investigated Spirit Candle’s environment and discovered that fish appeared naturally around bait before a fisherman’s catch was yanked skyward.

• Brother Yu examined the Mourning King Warrior equipment and notes, but the Sealed Black Sword could offer no further clues about the Great Death Fire.
• Brother Yu decided other players should search for clues while he fished, and he named the conscious sword Little Black.
• Wu Liao explored how materials behaved in Spirit Candle, then bought a Fishing Rod to investigate the fishing system.
• Wu Liao chose the Frogman Bloodline and watched underwater as fish approached a player's bait and one was pulled out of the water.
• Wu Liao grew more curious about Spirit Candle after observing the fishing system and resolved to investigate it further.

Tianji entered a bizarre, storm-wracked region to search for a potential Fragmented Core and found a shipwreck and a strange island. On the island, he unexpectedly reunited with the weathered Parun.

• Rogue sent Tianji to explore a region concealing a potential Fragmented Core, and Tianji set out eager to catch up with Yuanfang.
• Tianji emerged from a portal into a violent sea curling around a spiral of darkness and steadied himself on his Spirit Fire Sail.
• Tianji found Storm Church wreckage and a dead believer but discovered no clues, then sailed along the curved ocean.
• Tianji spotted a strange island with a stranded ship and a bonfire, where he recognized the lone figure as Parun.
• Parun recognized Tianji, and the two exchanged surprised greetings.