Chapter Summaries

Rogue spoke with Xilugaron, a warrior from the War Era whose War Helmet had erased most of her memories, and arranged for her to train his warriors while they helped her recover her past. After leaving her in the Suspended Sun Frost Tower, Rogue entered the next floor to investigate its secrets.

• Rogue introduced himself to Xilugaron and learned that she remembered her title, her home in Fusayavilla, and an important agreement, but little else.
• Xilugaron explained that the War Helmet drove her into uncontrollable slaughter, and Rogue told her he could not completely kill her.
• Rogue proposed that Xilugaron train his warriors while they helped her recover her memories, and she agreed.
• Rogue left Xilugaron and entered the next floor of the Suspended Sun Frost Tower.

Rogue discovered the Unburnt Kindling at the heart of the Suspended Sun Frost Tower and planned to secure the site before advancing his Spirit Candle. Meanwhile, Li Miao spent his rewards to raise his level and prepared to keep progressing ahead of a possible Spirit Candle update.

• Rogue found the Unburnt Kindling, realized it had created the tower space to protect itself, and failed to touch it with Spirit Candle power.
• Rogue concluded that the Lord of Storms had made no progress using the treasure and planned to have Mage Burton and his companions guard the anchored tower base.
• Li Miao collected over a thousand War Contribution and a Spirit Candle's Blessing II, then used saved wax oil to raise his Candle Spirit Physique to level 67.
• Li Miao noted that Prison Players were earning wax oil through exploration, boss drops, and dynamic storyline rewards rather than repetitive farming.
• Li Miao suspected Candlefire had gained a crucial Plot Item and set out to keep leveling before a possible Spirit Candle update.

Clemo learned that Candlefire had dealt the Storm Church a heavy blow while he was away, then hurried to Candlelight Hall. Meanwhile, the Acting God ordered Kem to use Ashes to restrain Candlefire without provoking a conflict.

• Blackface warned Clemo to tell him and Horn if Yagony ever ordered him to die, while Horn waited for a Firewood Collector who might know about the gift he had delivered.
• Yagony summoned Clemo and asked him to pass along his regards to Candlefire, then urged him to return to Candlewood Island.
• Clemo discovered that the players had won a major battle in less than half a day and crippled the Storm Church, then hurried toward Candlelight Hall.
• The Acting God blamed Kem for the failed scheme against the Storm Church and decided to restrain Candlefire through Ashes.
• The Acting God ordered Kem not to provoke Ashes into a conflict, then watched his hand in the blood-red twilight and murmured, “O twilight...”

Rogue returned to Candlewood Island, handled Yagony’s message, and used the Time-Layered Core to advance the Spirit Candle to Spirit Combustion. The Spirit Candle’s power transformed, leaving Rogue with a stronger faction and new advancement requirements.

• Rogue agreed to guard the Storm Church prisoners at the Suspended Sun Frost Tower outpost, then returned to Candlewood Island and anchored the islands the players had explored.
• Rogue interpreted Yagony’s greeting as a reminder of their agreement and a display of the Fire Aspect Temple’s intelligence network, then told Clemo to wait before delivering his reply.
• Rogue examined the Spirit Candle and concluded that the players’ gaming mindset let Candlefire carry out his orders with unusual consistency.
• Rogue fed the Time-Layered Core to the Spirit Candle, which advanced to Spirit Combustion and unlocked upgrades for the Sin Furnace and Candle Spirit Tree.

After the Spirit Candle advanced, Rogue learned how to pursue the next transformation and discovered that it could finally draw information from the Unlit Kindling. He uncovered a connection between the Suspended Sun Frost Tower and the ancient Ocean Epoch, then decided to prioritize investigating it.

• Rogue learned that advancing to Spirit Combustion made someone a Saint of Blazing Fire, but he postponed finding a way for players to reach that realm and focused on upgrading Spirit Candle Buildings.
• At the Suspended Sun Frost Tower, Rogue found Xilugaron sorting fragments of her memories and thanked her after her method gave him an idea.
• Rogue used the Spirit Candle's newly strengthened power on the Unlit Kindling, consuming wax as the Azure Candle Flame spread across the sky.
• Rogue extracted information showing that the Suspended Sun Frost Tower contained an element from the Ocean Epoch and speculated that its blue and platinum colors represented the ocean and the Blazing Sun.
• Rogue resolved to continue investigating the Suspended Sun Frost Tower and sent an avatar to handle other matters.

The Storyteller suspected that Ryan had been taken over by a Yasum remnant soul and traded Leti news of the Storm Church’s defeat for information about the Yasum. Leti revealed their weakness, then realized the Storyteller had tricked him and vanished before he could confront him.

• The Storyteller learned that Ryan had visited his friend after Clemo encountered Yasum and suspected that a Yasum remnant soul had possessed Ryan.
• Leti overheard Prison Players mention Storm Church prisoners and tried to question them, but Candlefire blocked him from hearing their answers.
• The Storyteller offered Leti information about a major event on Candlewood Island in exchange for details about the Shadow Cavern disturbance, but Leti refused.
• The Storyteller asked Leti about Yasum, and Leti explained their shared-soul abilities and began describing their weakness.
• The Storyteller told Leti that Candlewood Island had defeated the Storm Church and captured many prisoners, prompting Leti to reveal that Yasum’s multiple-soul state eventually causes their bodies to divide into new individuals.
• Leti realized the Storyteller had used potentially outdated intelligence to secure the Yasum information, but the Storyteller had already disappeared.

After learning that Ryan faced a dangerous fate, the Storyteller could only worry helplessly. Three days later, Li Miao upgraded his talent to Unyielding Heart, then kept gambling on another promotion and lost more wax oil.

• The Storyteller worried that the souls from Yasum Tomb had entered Ryan and that Ryan was heading toward fragmentation, but he had no way to help.
• Li Miao returned to Candlewood Island, spent wax oil to raise his level, and assigned his attribute points to Constitution and Strength.
• Li Miao promoted Resilient Body into Unyielding Perseverance and then Unyielding Blood, gaining stronger resistance and recovery effects.
• Li Miao failed several promotion attempts before successfully upgrading Unyielding Blood to Unyielding Heart.
• Li Miao tried one more promotion despite saying he would stop, and the attempt failed, costing him more wax oil.

Clemo helped establish an arrangement between Candlefire and the Fire Aspect Temple, then discovered that Horn and Blackface had gone to Withered Beach. There, Horn told him that Ackerman had been killed by a fallen Firewood Collector who hunted Firewood Collectors’ souls.

• Yagony agreed to compensate Candle Spirit Warriors summoned to help the Fire Aspect Temple and explained the arrangement to the Firewood Collectors.
• Clemo received a Scorched Echoing Conch message from Blackface saying that he and Horn had gone to Withered Beach.
• Clemo realized Horn and Blackface had not returned as expected and went to Withered Beach to search for them.
• Clemo found Horn beside Ackerman’s grave, and Horn explained that Ackerman had died after they encountered a fallen Firewood Collector.
• Horn poured wine over Ackerman’s grave, told Clemo to keep his sword ready, and left while Clemo remained by the grave.

Zhang Ming finally received replies from Sekasi and chatted with them, while Parun prepared to build a base against the Storm Church. At sea, Brother Yu used Whale Incense Bait and was suddenly dragged away with his Fishing Rod by a powerful catch.

• Zhang Ming received a stream of short replies from Sekasi and discovered that Sekasi was responding to his messages in real time.
• Zhang Ming tested whether Sekasi was a bot by asking to transfer to a human agent, then chatted with Sekasi for a long time.
• Parun told Tianji that he and his companions would establish a base and gradually weaken the Storm Church's remaining forces.
• Brother Yu cast Whale Incense Bait from the Dark Navigation Spirit Ship, and a massive force yanked his Fishing Rod and dragged him away.

Brother Yu was dragged through a spatial rift into the underwater city of Lanentrick, where the Antlered Dolphin that had taken his bait approached him. Before he could speak, the Eyeball Great Fish killed him, and the Antlered Dolphin revealed that it had lured him there with the scent of his bait.

• Brother Yu was pulled underwater by a mysterious creature, saw a purple-lit spatial rift, and lost his fishing line when it closed.
• Brother Yu cast another bait, shifted into Warfire form when the creature bit, and used Frost Lance’s Frost Pierce to charge through the closing rift.
• Brother Yu arrived in Lanentrick, an underwater city of purple crystal and coral, and regenerated his severed lower body with Replenish Wax Blocks.
• The Antlered Dolphin approached Brother Yu and asked how he had reached Lanentrick, but an enormous fish killed him before he could reply.
• The Eyeball Great Fish scolded the Antlered Dolphin for bringing a land-dwelling outsider to Lanentrick, and the Antlered Dolphin said Brother Yu’s bait had smelled delicious.

Brother Yu mourned the loss of two rare baits, then resolved to tell the others about Lanentrick. At the Suspended Sun Frost Tower, Rogue gained control of its Unburnt Kindling and discovered that its Blazing Sun and Ocean powers were badly unbalanced.

• Brother Yu threatened Little Black into keeping quiet about a dolphin eating both of his Whale Incense Baits, then decided to tell the others about Lanentrick.
• Chaman discussed the Storm Church’s beliefs with Burton, who argued that even the world and its memories could not last forever.
• Rogue used the Spirit Candle to control the Suspended Sun Frost Tower’s Unburnt Kindling, though he could not absorb it completely.
• Rogue determined that the Kindling combined Blazing Sun and Ocean, but its Ocean aspect was too weak for it to burn properly.
• Rogue wondered what had caused the Kindling’s imbalance during the era of the last Primal Kindling.

Rogue discovered that Kindling Shards could greatly enhance players, and planned to use them as rewards in the Saint of Blazing Fire update. He arranged for the Storm Church prisoners to help run a trial and brought Burton to the Suspended Sun Frost Tower to advance with a shard, where Burton began transforming his warfire.

• Rogue decided to turn Kindling Shards into rewards for top players who challenged Xilugaron during its berserk episodes.
• Rogue assigned Chaman and the Storm Church prisoners to help test Candle Spirits at the outpost.
• Rogue asked Burton about his readiness to advance and brought him into the Suspended Sun Frost Tower to use a Kindling Shard.
• Burton gave Rogue his study booklet and asked him to burn it at the Mithrilos Academy altar if the advancement failed.
• Burton began merging with the Kindling Shard as Rogue guarded him, and his warfire started changing color.

Rogue watched Burton advance to the Spirit Combustion ignition point and questioned him about the process. Later, players Li Miao and Landfall read the announcement for the upcoming Saint of Blazing Fire update and learned about its new progression and challenges.

• Rogue observed Burton’s soul, body, and warfire clash as he approached a higher ignition point.
• Burton completed his advancement, took on a mysterious flame form, returned to normal, and thanked Rogue.
• Rogue asked Burton for details about reaching Spirit Combustion and becoming a Saint of Blazing Fire.
• Li Miao and Landfall read the announcement for Spirit Candle’s upcoming Saint of Blazing Fire version during class.
• After class, Li Miao and Landfall reviewed the update details, including the raised ignition-point cap, the Path of Blazing Fire, and the Kindling Trial.

Spirit Candle reopened after an update that introduced the Path of Blazing Fire and the Kindling Trial, while a cinematic teased the Kindling Shard and Xilugaron. Li Miao received a direct qualification for the trial from the Candle Keeper, leaving nearby players envious.

• Prison Players discussed the new Path of Blazing Fire, Saint's Fire Aspect, the Kindling Trial, and the update's other changes.
• Spirit Candle's cinematic showed a fierce battle at Suspended Sun Frost Tower, a glowing Kindling Shard, and Xilugaron introducing herself as the Blade of Fusayavilla.
• Li Miao logged in after the update and refused Landfall's request to borrow candle oil.
• At the Great Spirit Candle, the Candle Keeper appeared and granted Li Miao the chance to undertake the Kindling Trial.
• The Candle Keeper told Li Miao to seek the power of Kindling, then vanished as the other players speculated about his special treatment.

Li Miao began the first stage of the Path of Blazing Fire, which required him to transform his external body by aligning his movements with his Warfire. He realized the Warfire’s instincts could conflict with his own choices and cause his body to stiffen, and the trial continued as he faced the Formless Fire Transformation.

• Li Miao spent wax oil to enter the Path of Blazing Fire and learned that his Fire Transformation would take three stages before he could reach the Spirit Combustion ignition point.
• Li Miao touched his Warfire and found that it clung to his body, which felt stiff because it was only an outline.
• The Formless Fire Transformation appeared and attacked Li Miao with shifting forms and weapons.
• Li Miao summoned a greatsword and shield, but his Warfire tried to block Energy Balls while he tried to dodge, leaving him unable to do either and weakening his Warfire.
• Li Miao understood that he needed to align his actions with the Warfire’s instincts, then blocked the Formless Fire Transformation’s next attack with his sword.

Li Miao completed the first stage of the Path of Blazing Fire by merging his will with Warfire, then wondered what would happen to players who had chosen to submit to their flames. Wang Dao’s rebellious Warfire Will prevented him from advancing, and Wang Dao deliberately failed the transformation rather than submit.

• Li Miao realized that completing the first stage required fusing with Warfire, not defeating the Formless Fire Transformation.
• Li Miao guided Warfire through the battle until their separation vanished, completing the first stage of the Path of Blazing Fire.
• Li Miao found no reward for completing the stage and wondered whether players who submitted to Warfire would face different consequences.
• Wang Dao’s Warfire Will rebelled and disrupted his fight against the Formless Fire Transformation.
• Wang Dao refused to submit, resisted the Warfire Will’s attempts to control him, and let the Formless Fire Transformation defeat them both.
• Wang Dao received the Fire Transformation Loser status but remained satisfied that he had defied the Warfire Will.

Yuanfang and Li Miao completed the three stages of Fire Transformation, while Rogue watched the players’ progress and considered Wang Dao’s refusal to submit to his Warfire. Li Miao reached the final choice of shaping his permanent Saint’s Fire Aspect.

• Yuanfang merged his soul body with the Warfire, completed the second stage, and began the third.
• Rogue observed the players’ progress and explained that their choices during Fire Offering affected Fire Transformation; Wang Dao’s resistance could make his attempts fail.
• Li Miao and Yuanfang completed the third stage by merging their souls, Body Will, and Warfires.
• Li Miao completed Fire Transformation, received the Saint’s Fire Aspect prompt, and prepared to customize its appearance.

Li Miao created his Saint's Fire Aspect, advanced to Spirit Combustion, and joined Yuanfang to test its abilities. Their tests revealed how its immunity, enhanced Fire Offering Power, and suppression of weaker creatures worked, leaving Li Miao eager to use it against mobs.

• Li Miao created a heavy-armored flame knight as his Saint's Fire Aspect and advanced to Spirit Combustion at level 71.
• Li Miao emerged from the Blazing Fire space, met Yuanfang, and agreed to test their new abilities at Candlefire Arena.
• Li Miao transformed into his Saint's Fire Aspect, found that it enhanced his Fire Offering Power and combat skill, and confirmed that ordinary attacks could pass through him.
• Li Miao and Yuanfang tested the Saint's Fire Aspect in arenas and dungeons, discovering that its flame waves strongly suppressed creatures with lower ignition points.
• Li Miao concluded that the suppression could help Prison Players survive swarms of weak monsters, though he planned not to use it carelessly.

Burton explained the Saint of Blazing Fire to the players and said he might be able to help Ryan after examining him. Niuniu succeeded in transforming into fire and shaped his Saint's Fire Aspect into a grotesque form, while Wang Dao left the hall smiling despite failing his transformation.

• Burton showed the players that he had transformed into fire and explained how a Saint's Fire Aspect worked.
• Storyteller asked whether Burton could help Ryan, and Burton said he might find a solution if he could examine Ryan.
• Niuniu succeeded in transforming into fire, while Mushroom and Brother Mangzi failed.
• Niuniu formed a hideous Saint's Fire Aspect that frightened the players, then dismissed it.
• Wang Dao emerged from the Great Spirit Candle smiling despite failing to transform into fire, and hurried away.

Yuanfang entered the Suspended Sun Frost Tower encampment to undertake the Path of Kindling trial and swiftly defeated its opponents. After claiming the rewards, he pressed onward, leaving the trial opponents bewildered.

• Yuanfang entered the encampment and followed the guided path toward the trial battlefield.
• Pelly faced Yuanfang as the first trial opponent, attacked him, and quickly surrendered after being overwhelmed.
• Yuanfang advanced through the trial stages, where challengers fought formidable enemies and earned chests containing Skill Books and Crystal Wax Stones.
• Yuanfang killed a Fire Offering Envoy bishop with a close-range strike, and Candlefire revived the bishop.
• Yuanfang ignored the bishop's scripted words, looted the chest, and continued onward.