Chapter Summaries

After accepting Jerica’s 500-gold sponsorship, Gao De spent 54 gold to acquire nine rare Zero Circle spell formulas from Ceres Academy’s library. He returned to his room to study the spells, leaving his spell collection expanded as he worked toward his goal of learning 45 spells.

• Jerica offered Gao De 500 gold in support, and he accepted her offer.
• Jerica gave Gao De 200 gold immediately and arranged to pay the remaining 300 gold in installments.
• Gao De presented his Identity Badge to the Old Mage, who confirmed he had earned 36 credits.
• Gao De unlocked nine rare Zero Circle spells and bought all of them for 54 gold.
• Gao De returned to his room and read the formulas for his newly acquired spells.

Gao De mastered the construction of rare cantrip Spell Models and learned to draw Composite Runes on Lacquer Jade Paper. Jose Okenly introduced Rune Constructs and their unmatched power, setting the stage for Gao De to learn about the demanding path of becoming a Rune Artificer.

• Gao De examined nine rare cantrips, then constructed their Spell Models and brought his total spell count to forty-one.
• Gao De advanced his Guiding Method and successfully drew his first five-rune Composite Rune on fingernail-sized Lacquer Jade Paper.
• Gao De mastered drawing Composite Runes over the next ten days and returned to the Rune Workshop to tell Jose Okenly.
• Jose Okenly revealed that he was 365 years old and explained that Rune Constructs were interconnected equipment sets made only by Rune Artificers.
• Jose Okenly described Rune Constructs as the most powerful extraordinary equipment and began explaining the harsh requirements for becoming a Rune Artificer.

Jose explained the requirements for becoming a Rune Artificer, including creativity and mastery of Rune Fabrication Technique, and told Gao De that his current skill was already at first-tier level. Gao De said he planned to become a 1st Circle Mage soon, while Jose revealed he had derived Interference Constant C and hoped to verify it himself.

• Jose explained that Rune Artificers needed exceptional Runelore talent, creativity, and the ability to design custom Rune Constructs.
• Jose described Rune Fabrication Technique, its scale numbers, and how Lithography Pens engraved dense runes onto Magic Conducting Materials.
• Jose told Gao De that his ability to draw a five-rune Composite Rune met the first-tier fabrication standard, but he still needed greater Mental Strength or the Interference Constant to progress.
• Gao De told Jose he expected to apply for Spirit Ascension Water next month and attempt to become a 1st Circle Mage.
• Jose revealed that he had derived Interference Constant C as 1.1299, though it still required verification, and asked Gao De to continue the work if he died before completing it.

Gao De began learning Jose’s method for calculating Magic Resistance Rates and grew closer to his teacher through lessons and conversations. Jose revealed that Shell Ian had long opposed his work and warned Gao De that the Rune Workshop might not remain his, while rumors linked Shell to former Dean Gavin’s death.

• Jose gave Gao De a booklet containing the Mechanical Open/Close cantrip and invited him to learn Magic Resistance Rate calculations.
• Gao De returned to the Rune Workshop the next day and studied Jose’s mana-testing method for calculating Magic Resistance Rates.
• Over the following days, Jose taught Gao De while his exhaustion deepened, and the two began sharing personal conversations.
• Jose told Gao De that he had left his birthplace to pursue the Six Fundamental Runes Rules and would give him the Rune Workshop someday.
• Jose warned Gao De to yield if anyone challenged Gavin Hogg’s promise, then explained that Dean Shell Ian had wanted him to focus on producing Rune Constructs.
• Jose said rumors accused Shell Ian of involvement in Gavin Hogg’s fatal accident, but no one had proof and no one wanted to challenge the dean.

After reaching Third-Order Apprentice, Gao De applied for Spirit Ascension Water so he could attempt to advance to First Circle. Councilor Rachel verified his rank and submitted the application, and Gao De left to tell Jose and ask about his experience advancing.

• Gao De reached Third-Order Apprentice after completing the final minor level of the Guiding Method.
• Gao De asked Councilor Rachel to apply for Spirit Ascension Water, but she advised him to remain at Third-Order Apprentice for another year or two.
• Gao De insisted he was ready to advance, and Councilor Rachel took him to test his Mental Strength and mana.
• Gao De passed both tests, and Councilor Rachel submitted his application, expecting it to be approved and issued within a week.
• Gao De headed to Gavin Hall to inform Jose and ask about his experience advancing to First Circle.

Gao De asked Jose for rare cantrips and advice about advancing to First Circle Mage, and Jose explained the process and gave him access to a training chamber. The chapter ended with Gao De noticing that Jose’s age spots were increasing despite his renewed energy.

• Gao De told Jose he planned to advance soon and asked for advancement advice and cantrips not found in the academy library.
• Jose wrote out the formulas for Druid Trick and Seize the Initiative and gave them to Gao De.
• Jose explained the four stages of advancing to First Circle Mage, including blood cleansing, Mana Liquefaction, Mental Strength purification, and expanding the Spell Starsea.
• Jose gave Gao De an application to use a Third-Level Training Chamber and said Spirit Ascension Water could help him advance safely.
• Gao De thanked Jose and noticed that the yellowish-brown spots on Jose’s face were growing more numerous.

Anna paid Gerong Okenly with the compensation her husband received and entrusted him with her son Jose’s research, hoping the Okenly Family would recognize his talent. Gerong dismissed the scroll’s theories as nonsense, unaware that their success could let the Okenly Family rival the Lune Family’s Rune Construct technology.

• Anna stood outside the Hall of Inspiration, troubled that submitting an idea now required money.
• Gerong Okenly demanded payment, and Anna handed over her husband’s compensation crystal card in exchange for submitting Jose’s research.
• Anna urged Gerong to help present Jose’s work to the family, believing it could prove her son was exceptional.
• Gerong entered the Hall of Inspiration and dismissed the scroll’s ideas about rune fundamentals and calculating Magic Arrays as gibberish.
• Gerong recognized that if Jose’s theories worked, the Okenly Family could acquire Rune Construct technology and rival the Lune Family.

A scroll written by Jose Okenly was forgotten in storage until young review director Ron Okenly rediscovered it and sent it for appraisal. After a Rune Workshop master recognized its significance, the scroll reached the Okenly Family’s highest council, 290 years after it was first written.

• Ge Lang stored Jose Okenly’s scroll, where it remained forgotten after the mother who remembered it died in Nolan Calendar 9389.
• In Nolan Calendar 9656, Ron Okenly searched the warehouse, found the scroll, and sent it to the family Rune Workshop for appraisal.
• After the package passed through several approval and transfer procedures, a Rune Workshop employee placed it in Room One.
• Three days later, Master Riken Okenly read the scroll, recognized an incredible discovery, and asked for the family elders to be notified.
• The Okenly Family’s highest council convened around the scroll, which had waited 290 years to reach them.

Gao De collected the delayed Spirit Ascension Water and entered a Third-Level Training Chamber to advance to First Circle. He completed the first three stages smoothly and prepared to open a First Circle star sea.

• Councilor Rachel gave Gao De the Spirit Ascension Water and explained that an alert over suspected Holy Empire activity had delayed its approval.
• Gao De submitted Jose’s application at the Cultivation Hall and was assigned Training Chamber No. 3 on the fourth floor.
• Gao De drank the Spirit Ascension Water, which cleansed his bloodline and increased his vitality.
• Gao De used the potion’s power and the chamber’s dense mana to condense the twenty drops of Liquid Mana needed for advancement.
• Gao De cleansed his Mental Strength, precisely sensed its value as 100, and completed the third stage of advancing a circle.
• Gao De prepared to open a First Circle star sea.

Gao De broke through the barrier separating the Zero Circle Spell Starsea from the First Circle Starsea and became an official mage. He awakened the specialty Adaptive, which was described as allowing him to rapidly adapt to any environment, though he did not yet understand its effects.

• Gao De used the remaining power of the Spirit Ascension Water to drive Starseeds against the light curtain in his Spell Starsea.
• Gao De repeatedly struck the curtain until it shattered, forming a star ring and revealing the First Circle Starsea.
• Gao De completed his advancement and became an official mage.
• A vast will entered Gao De's mind and planted a seed that caused him intense pain and left him unconscious.
• Gao De regained consciousness and learned that his specialty was Adaptive, which let him rapidly adapt to any environment.

Gao De successfully advanced to First Circle at fourteen, though he could not yet discover what his awakened specialty, Adaptive, did. The academy announced his achievement, changing how students and rivals viewed him as he prepared for the next steps in his training.

• Gao De completed his training chamber checkout after advancing to First Circle and made a list of the tasks ahead, including registering with the academy and informing Jose.
• Councilor Rachel registered Gao De's advancement and awarded him seventeen credits, including a reward for advancing at fourteen.
• The academy announced that Gao De had advanced to First Circle, prompting students to reconsider his standing among the three great geniuses.
• Yulan heard the news but reassured himself that his own advancement had greater merit because he had not used Spirit Ascension Water.
• Jerica celebrated Gao De's advancement because she had invested in him before he became a First Circle Mage.
• Gerry Harel took Gao De seriously after seeing the announcement and regretted provoking him without being prepared.

After advancing to First Circle Mage, Gao De visited the academy library to choose a formal cultivation method and learned how methods could be changed or combined. He discovered the rare Evergreen Longevity Sutra, whose requirements and benefits he began weighing as a possible choice.

• Gao De told the old mage he had advanced to First Circle Mage and asked to examine formal cultivation methods.
• The old mage explained that formal mages used one cultivation method, that the best choice depended on a mage’s talents, and that rare methods offered distinctive benefits but often had strict requirements.
• The old mage explained that Gao De could replace a cultivation method without losing cultivated mana, though its granted abilities would disappear, and that cultivating multiple methods slowed progress.
• Gao De examined the rare methods and rejected options whose requirements or restrictions did not suit him.
• Gao De found the Evergreen Longevity Sutra, which increased lifespan, cultivation speed, and Mental Strength but required a plant sacred relic and absorbed plant essence.

The Old Mage explained the origins and drawbacks of the Evergreen Longevity Sutra, a nature-linked Eastern Cultivation Method from the Midgard Continent. Though Gao De was tempted by its benefits, he left without choosing a method and planned to consider his options while buying First Circle Spell formulas.

• Gao De asked why the Evergreen Longevity Sutra differed from other Cultivation Methods, and the Old Mage described the Midgard Continent and its Eastern Cultivation traditions.
• The Old Mage explained that the Equilibrium Monastery spread the sutra because its cultivation encouraged mages to grow plants and create sacred lands.
• Gao De asked why few mages chose the sutra, and the Old Mage explained that its lifespan benefits depended on a consenting sacred plant and offered only a small conversion of its lifespan.
• The Old Mage described the difficulty and expense of cultivating a high-grade magical plant and warned that its destruction would erase the sutra’s benefits.
• Gao De said he would think carefully before choosing a Cultivation Method and decided to buy one or two First Circle Spell formulas first.

Gao De bought three recommended First Circle spell formulas and learned how Spell Elixirs helped form spell models. He successfully mastered and enhanced Summon Familiar, which could now summon any willing First Circle creature.

• Old Mage advised Gao De to prioritize Comprehend Languages, Endure Elements, and Shield Spell, and explained the cost and function of Spell Elixirs.
• Gao De used his credits to buy the three First Circle spell formulas and learned that Spell Elixirs provided a framework for constructing spell models.
• Gao De used the Spell Elixir from his trade with Mage Lahr and successfully constructed the Summon Familiar spell model.
• Gao De spent his Mirage Thorn Centipede essence point to enhance Summon Familiar, allowing it to summon any willing First Circle creature.

Gao De used Summon Familiar+ to call a friendly First Circle creature and successfully summoned a timid flower sprite, who agreed to become his familiar after he promised to help her plant trees. She introduced herself as Lady Flora but could not explain what kind of creature she was.

• Gao De cast Summon Familiar+ and searched for a friendly First Circle creature with the highest potential.
• Gao De found a sleeping flower sprite in a moonlit forest and sent his call to her.
• The startled sprite asked what a familiar was, and Gao De described it as a companion who helped him; she agreed after he promised to help her plant trees.
• Gao De summoned the sprite to Ceres Academy and welcomed her as his first familiar.
• Lady Flora told Gao De her name, but insisted she was simply herself when he asked what she was.

Gao De learned that Flora’s life was bound to a seed called Yggdrasil, which needed vast land and a year of protection before sprouting. He agreed to make it his sacred relic in exchange for a tenth of its lifespan, and decided to find uninhabited land to plant it.

• Gao De asked Flora about her abilities and origins, learning she could plant trees, flowers, and grass and had no mother.
• Flora showed Gao De the Yggdrasil Seed of Life and explained that her life depended on it.
• Flora told Gao De that Yggdrasil could grow in any soil, transform the surrounding land, and protect itself from hostile creatures once mature.
• Flora explained that Yggdrasil needed a very large plot of land, nearby trees to speed its growth, and protection for a year before its sapling emerged.
• Gao De asked to make Yggdrasil his sacred relic and take one-tenth of its lifespan; Flora agreed so he could live longer.
• Gao De connected Yggdrasil to the Evergreen Longevity Sutra and decided to find uninhabited land for planting it.

After advancing to First Circle, Gao De tested how Circle Advancement Casting strengthened his spells and used it to double his daily Create Water+ draw. He obtained four gallons of Water of No Leakage and returned to find Flora studying his Magic Plant Cultivation notes.

• Gao De dismissed and resummoned Flora, who complained that the familiar’s small plane was dark and cramped and vowed to remember the grudge.
• Gao De went to the Spell Testing Grounds and tested his spells, learning that Circle Advancement Casting increased their power or produced other effects at greater mana cost.
• Gao De used Circle Advancement Casting on Create Water+ for his daily draw and received four gallons of Water of No Leakage.
• Gao De brought a cup of Water of No Leakage upstairs, where Flora examined his course notes and asked if humans planted grass that way.

Gao De learned that Flora could sense plants’ needs by touching them, then bought ingredients and prepared elixirs before choosing the Evergreen Longevity Sutra as his Cultivation Method. The old mage warned him about its flaws, but Gao De remained set on his choice and received a copy.

• Flora told Gao De she could learn what any plant needed by touching it, and Gao De offered her a sweet drink.
• Gao De bought ingredients for Spell Elixirs and learned from Us that he could collect a Maiden Mussel himself for less than the shop price.
• Gao De brewed Water of No Leakage fruit drink and prepared the Endure Elements and Shield Spell Elixirs.
• Gao De told the old mage he had chosen the Evergreen Longevity Sutra, explaining that he loved growing plants.
• The old mage warned Gao De about the Cultivation Method’s flaws and showed him the many remaining copies, but Gao De refused to change his mind and received one.

Gao De visited the infirmary after learning that Jose had fallen ill, and Jose entrusted him with the Rune Workshop and his research before dying. When Gao De announced Jose’s death, the Academy Committee Vice-Chairman immediately demanded the Workshop’s secret command, claiming the property belonged to the Academy.

• Gao De learned that Jose had fallen ill and hurried to the Academy infirmary, where Tony Esar berated him for arriving late.
• Jose welcomed Gao De, heard that he had advanced to First Circle, and explained that he had tried to summon him the previous night.
• Jose gave Gao De his will, the Workshop transfer agreement, the formation’s secret command, and a confidential lead to property stored at the Okenly Merchant Guild.
• Jose recounted his life’s work on the Six Fundamental Runes Rules and his regrets about leaving his mother, then died while calling out to her.
• Gao De told the waiting crowd that Jose was dead, and the Vice-Chairman demanded the Workshop’s secret command.
• Gao De refused, explaining that Jose had legally owned the Rune Workshop and left it to him, but the Vice-Chairman claimed it was Academy property.

After Jose died, Gao De challenged the Vice-Chairman’s attempt to enter the Rune Workshop and insisted on handling his teacher’s final arrangements. As he followed Jose’s remains, Gao De realized the Academy was likely pursuing a powerful Rune Construct and might seize Jose’s discoveries, leaving him to protect the Six Fundamental Runes Rules and their rightful author.

• Gao De demanded official Academy documents from the Vice-Chairman and accused him of rushing to open Jose’s Rune Workshop before Jose had been buried.
• The Vice-Chairman said the Academy would handle Jose’s funeral, and Gao De entered the room to pay his respects before following Jose’s remains out.
• Tony Esar mentally warned Gao De that the Academy could open the Rune Workshop even if Gao De withheld its access key.
• Gao De reasoned that the Academy’s sudden interest was likely connected to an extraordinary Rune Construct Jose had created near the end of his life.
• Gao De concluded that the Academy might discover Jose’s work and claim his research, including the Six Fundamental Runes Rules, and recognized that Academy mages were guarding the workshop because he alone had its access key.