Chapter Summaries

Gao De tested the new effects of Summon Mount+ by summoning a Spirit Warhorse, storing Northwind in its spirit space, and riding it at high speed. He then took flight with Boeing, while Milo spotted him and grew increasingly afraid of carrying out his mission against the prophesied King of the North.

• Gao De summoned a Spirit Warhorse and chose its form, fey nature, and Common Tongue language.
• Gao De used Equipment Sharing to store Northwind in the Spirit Warhorse’s spirit space and retrieve it again.
• Milo pursued Gao De along the only road from Phoenix toward Valar Bay, where two people waited in ambush.
• Gao De rode the Spirit Warhorse at speeds above 70 km/h after enhancing it with spells, then put it away to test flying.
• Gao De summoned Boeing and used its Possession ability to soar into the sky.
• Milo saw Gao De flying, concluded he was likely a 3rd Circle Mage, and became even more reluctant to attack him.

Milo stopped pursuing Gao De after realizing the new king’s strength, then confessed that Winter's Hammer had recruited him and planned an attack on Gao De. Sunaifa left alone to demand an explanation from Winter's Hammer, while Gao De waited to see what her visit would bring.

• Milo concluded that Gao De was too dangerous to attack, continued to Valar Bay, and later captured two Winter's Hammer spies before confessing his crimes.
• Gao De learned that Milo had served Winter's Hammer for years and had pretended to accept its plan to attack him on the road to Valar Bay.
• Catherine confirmed that Milo had brought two spies to the Public Security Bureau, and Sunaifa insisted that Winter's Hammer must answer for threatening Gao De.
• Gao De agreed that Sunaifa could act, and she left alone to demand an explanation from Winter's Hammer.
• Gao De sent Catherine to take Milo away and began considering how to use the incident against Winter's Hammer.

Sunaifa confronted Winter's Hammer over its agents’ attempted attack on Gao De, demanding Yarna’s life. Master Ram intervened and blocked Sunaifa’s arrow, and the chapter ended as she challenged him to fight.

• Sunaifa flew to Winter's Hammer’s territory and confronted the Grand Elder with portraits of the two agents who had attacked Gao De.
• Sunaifa declared Winter's Hammer responsible and demanded a life for a life, then drew Blizzard when the Grand Elder tried to stall her.
• Master Ram emerged with Yarna and intercepted Sunaifa’s Truefrost Arrow with a fireball.
• Yarna privately portrayed Sunaifa as a warmonger, but Master Ram only urged her to leave and said he would protect Yarna.
• Sunaifa refused to back down, and Master Ram reached for his hammer as she raised Blizzard and prepared to fight.

Sunaifa fought Master Ram over her pursuit of justice for Gao De, but their clash ended when Yarna revealed that the object Master Ram sought might be in the Truefrost Tribe. Master Ram asked Sunaifa to lead him there and explained the mysterious object's growing fluctuations, leaving its identity and the tribe's response unresolved.

• Sunaifa attacked Master Ram and Yarna with Truefrost Arrows, while Master Ram used his hammer and fiery magic to defend them.
• Master Ram and Sunaifa clashed with powerful ice and fire attacks, and Yarna realized Sunaifa had held back during their earlier battle at Phoenix.
• Master Ram recognized Sunaifa's Truefrost Bloodline and urged her to leave, saying he bore her no grudge and did not want to harm the dwindling bloodline.
• Yarna told Master Ram that the object he sought was within the Truefrost Tribe, prompting him to ask Sunaifa to lead him there.
• Sunaifa questioned Master Ram about the object, and he said it had emitted increasingly powerful fluctuations in the Northern Territory thirteen, nine, and five months earlier.

Sunaifa uncovered that Master Ram’s search was for Yggdrasil, while Gao De learned of a powerful ancient Artisan Master connected to the Icekin. After discussing Phoenix’s security, expansion, and plans for Winter’s Hammer and the Frostwolf Clan, Gao De prepared to return to the Plantagenet Dynasty.

• Sunaifa recognized that Master Ram’s three dates matched Yggdrasil’s planting and advancements, but denied that it was in the Truefrost Tribe and exposed Yarna’s accusation as a lie.
• Master Ram revealed that his tribe’s Artisan Master and the Icekin Clan’s guardian had once been friends, then refused to explain further.
• Sunaifa returned to Phoenix and told Gao De that a powerful tribe was seeking Yggdrasil, prompting them to strengthen Flora’s Forest’s secrecy and expansion.
• Gao De and Sunaifa reviewed their plan to make the Frostwolf Clan dependent on Northwest Barley No. 1 and discussed how Winter’s Hammer could support Phoenix’s future Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Finance.
• Gao De told Sunaifa he would return to the Plantagenet Dynasty soon and asked her to manage the Northern Territory until Astral Teleportation finished charging.

Gao De returned from the Northern Territory to the Plantagenet Dynasty with spell formulas, supplies, and Icejade Wutong Leaves from Sunaifa, while checking the growth of Yggdrasil and the Astral Oddity. Back in Dorne, he found two missed banquet invitations and a new invitation from Earl Roland to receive the title of Auckland Honorary Mage.

• Gao De collected three new Second Circle utility spells and five Second Circle spell formulas from the Truefrost Tribe before preparing to leave the Northern Territory.
• Sunaifa gave Gao De supplies and fifty Icejade Wutong Leaves, and Lan Wen escorted him to Valar Bay.
• Gao De checked the Oddity Egg and found that it had converted one-tenth of its Water Elemental coloring into Astral Energy.
• Gao De saw that Yggdrasil had reached 3,248 months of growth progress and a Growth Gain Coefficient of 8.12 after new trees took root in Flora's Forest.
• Gao De used Astral Teleportation to return to Dorne, stocked his shop with Extraordinary Materials, and found two missed banquet invitations and Earl Roland's invitation to receive the Auckland Honorary Mage title.

Gao De accepted Earl Roland’s invitation to his title conferment ceremony and reported his advancement to the Second Circle Mage rank to the Sea Sentinel. After his rank was confirmed, Captain Merrick brought the application to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, who considered whether to promote Gao De to Warrant Officer Mage.

• Gao De accepted Earl Roland’s invitation and set aside the Burns Family and Lord’s Manor invitations, then wrote a formal reply and an application to update his mage rank and benefits.
• Gao De explained that his month away from Dorn City had been spent preparing to advance a circle and that his rapid progress would reinforce his reputation as a mage genius.
• Gao De passed a Magic Platform assessment at the Abyssal White Tower and received a certificate confirming his Second Circle Mage rank.
• Mage Neil was surprised by Gao De’s advancement but accepted his application and promised to submit it for approval.
• Captain Merrick brought Gao De’s salary adjustment application to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, who praised Gao De’s talent and considered promoting him to Warrant Officer Mage.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling reconsidered his promise to promote Gao De to warrant officer after Gao De became a Second Circle Mage at sixteen, fearing the unprecedented promotion would bring scrutiny and pressure. Gao De refused to delay it, so Grayling approved the promotion under the original resolution.

• Lieutenant Colonel Grayling realized that promoting Gao De now would make him the youngest Warrant Officer Mage in Sea Sentinel history and worried about the consequences for both of them.
• Grayling summoned Gao De and explained that he could postpone the promotion until Gao De was nineteen or twenty to spare him public pressure.
• Gao De thanked Grayling but said he did not fear the pressure and did not want the promotion delayed.
• After Gao De left, Grayling decided to follow the original resolution and gave Captain Merrick the signed warrant officer promotion document.
• Captain Merrick speculated that Gao De had likely killed the old mage who had tested medicine on him, and Grayling agreed that Gao De’s past had made him unafraid of pressure.

Gao De used his new Warrant Officer Mage rank to pursue resources, gathered ingredients for Second Circle Spell Elixirs, and released Tuanzi into the marsh to help him grow. With cultivation pressure reduced by the Truefrost Bloodline, he then went to a fencing arena to deliberately develop his Adaptive specialty and combat strength.

• Gao De explained how his historic-level talent and Warrant Officer title could help him gain more resources and influence within the Plantagenet Dynasty.
• Gao De shopped through Vantorenn District, using Sense Emotion+ to bargain down prices and collect ingredients for three of five Second Circle Spell Elixirs.
• Gao De brewed and drank the three completed elixirs, then visited Tuanzi and agreed to let him leave the Azure Wave Enclosure for the marsh.
• Gao De released Tuanzi into the great marsh near Dorne and warned him not to wander too far away.
• Gao De entered an underground fencing arena to actively train his combat strength and develop the Adaptive specialty.

Gao De entered a wet-fencing arena to improve his injury-recovery adaptation and gain real combat experience without using magic. After suffering severe wounds in his first match, he defeated Viper by trading injuries without flinching, and the story leaves him victorious but bloodied in the ring.

• Gao De chose physical injury recovery as his priority adaptation and decided to fight in wet-fencing matches while restricting himself from using magic.
• Gao De watched Silver Throat defeat his opponent, then registered at the arena under the alias Mountain and arranged to fight the next day.
• Gao De faced Viper in his first match and endured repeated sword wounds while using his pain tolerance to keep attacking.
• Gao De cut Viper's arm, disarmed him, and won the match despite suffering severe injuries.

Gao De fought a bloody match at the sword hall to raise Adaptive’s injury recovery, then received an exceptional promotion to Warrant Officer from the Sea Sentinel. The chapter ended with a Southshore Maritime Nexus official leaving to announce an appointment at the Soren County Rockwind Guard for a controversial person.

• Gao De refused treatment after winning his first match and accepted thirty Plantagenet Coins from the fat supervisor.
• Gao De arranged to fight again in two days, then went home to recover without external treatment while cultivating the Evergreen Longevity Sutra and absorbing the Dragon Bird Blood Fungus’s remaining medicinal power.
• The Sea Sentinel summoned Gao De to the Abyssal White Tower, where an official delivered his promotion from Sergeant directly to Warrant Officer.
• Captain Merrick invited the official to a banquet, but the official declined so he could announce an appointment at the Soren County Rockwind Guard for a controversial person.

After Gao De completed the procedures for his promotion to Warrant Officer, he attended Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's dinner and met Grayling's wife Emily Laurent and son Theodore Laurent. A dispute over whether academy mages could match field mages led to Gao De agreeing to spar with Theodore before dinner.

• Captain Merrick invited Gao De to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's banquet after Gao De received his new badge, uniform arrangements, seal, and Warrant Officer pay and allowances.
• Gao De arrived at Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's residence beside the Yadan River and was brought to the study, where Grayling and Captain Merrick were drinking tea with Emily Laurent and Theodore Laurent.
• Lieutenant Colonel Grayling praised Gao De's combat record and compared his field experience favorably with Theodore's academy training, prompting Theodore to object.
• Emily Laurent proposed a magic duel between Gao De and Theodore, and Lieutenant Colonel Grayling encouraged them to spar in his residence's Magic Duel Arena.
• Gao De accepted the match and asked where they could hold it.

Gao De accepted Theodore’s challenge to a mage duel at Lieutenant Colonel Grayling’s estate and quickly defeated him in the Magic Duel Arena. Theodore was left bound and forced to concede, while Gao De showed that his combat strength far exceeded what Theodore expected.

• Lieutenant Colonel Grayling led Gao De, Theodore, Lady Emily, and Captain Merrick to the estate’s Magic Duel Arena and explained that it could withstand their spells.
• Theodore and Gao De took their positions, and Theodore opened with Shield Spell while Gao De charged forward and cast four Magic Missiles.
• Theodore’s Shield Spell blocked the Magic Missiles, but their force knocked him off balance and disrupted his attempt to cast Prismatic Sphere.
• Gao De cast Tidal Net to bind Theodore, then made clear his advantage by throwing a lightning-attacking Witchcraft Arrow onto the arena floor instead of at him.
• Lady Emily declared Theodore defeated, and Theodore stopped struggling and conceded after a duel lasting less than five seconds.

After defeating Theodore in a magic duel, Gao De learned that Lieutenant Colonel Grayling hoped to recommend him for the Sea Sentinel Mages’ entry in the upcoming Military Mage Combat Tournament. Gao De accepted the prospect and left the banquet planning to prepare for it over the next year and a half.

• Gao De’s Magic Missile+ shockwave interrupted Theodore’s spellcasting, and Gao De quickly won the duel.
• Theodore admitted that his skills were inferior, and Lieutenant Colonel Grayling reassured him before the group moved to the banquet hall.
• At dinner, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling asked about Gao De’s age and specialties, then explained how the thirteen Military Mage organizations competed in a tournament that determined their resource allocations.
• Lieutenant Colonel Grayling invited Gao De to prepare for the Second Circle division and offered to recommend him; Gao De said he was interested.
• After the banquet ended, Gao De and Captain Merrick said farewell to Lieutenant Colonel Grayling and left in his family’s carriage.

Lady Emily and Lieutenant Colonel Grayling discussed Gao De’s talent and planned to attend Liu Ying’s coming-of-age banquet in Liuge County. On his ride back, Gao De learned about the Laurent and Crown Families and focused on healing and advancing Adaptive for the upcoming mage combat tournament.

• Lady Emily said she had tested Gao De to assess his abilities and wanted Theodore to learn humility, while Lieutenant Colonel Grayling defended his recommendation and promotion.
• Lady Emily told Lieutenant Colonel Grayling that she would return to Liuge County for Liu Ying’s eighteenth birthday and asked him to bring Theodore along.
• Captain Merrick told Gao De that Lieutenant Colonel Grayling had been born a commoner mage and explained how Lady Emily’s Laurent Family served the powerful Crown Family.
• Captain Merrick recounted how Lieutenant Colonel Grayling met Lady Emily at a mage combat tournament in Liuge County and encouraged Gao De to compete in the next tournament there.
• Captain Merrick described the Crown Family’s young lady as a cherished, princess-like figure, and Gao De wondered why their devotion to one partner sounded familiar.
• On the way back to the Sea Sentinel dormitory, Gao De checked his Adaptive progress, noted that his injuries were healing, and resolved to keep training for the tournament.

Gao De pushed his recovery ability to 100% through repeated fencing matches, then evolved into the Lesser Healing Physique. Before that breakthrough, he used a Hyperthymesia draught to study and copy books for Phoenix and planned his trip to Auckland for the title conferment ceremony.

• Gao De won another bloody fencing match, collected an increased reward, and raised his injury recovery ability to 93.6%.
• He drank a Hyperthymesia draught at the Abyssal White Tower, memorized books, and copied their contents for Phoenix’s library.
• Gao De reached his sixty-first cultivation pattern, counted his savings, and planned to arrive in Auckland by the fourteenth for the ceremony on the fifteenth.
• He used Mage Hand+ to write with two quills at once, then continued visiting the fencing hall and archive room over the following days.
• After his match on the thirteenth, Gao De went to the Walmart Magic Materials Shop and reached 100% injury recovery, evolving into the Lesser Healing Physique with stronger healing, bones, muscles, senses, and blood.

After gaining the Lesser Healing Physique and recovering from his injuries, Gao De traveled to Auckland City for his honorary mage title ceremony. There, noble mages he had rescued from a shipwreck welcomed him into their scholarly circle, and he asked them to look for three elemental magical plants he needed.

• Gao De completed the Lesser Healing Physique, used spells and Jewel Sweetberries to speed his recovery, and constructed the Blindness/Deafness Spell model.
• Gao De traveled to Auckland City by airship in his Sea Sentinel warrant officer uniform and met Adrian Leon and other noble mages who had come to welcome him.
• Gao De accepted Adrian Leon's invitation to a banquet and learned that the gathering was a spell salon where noble mages exchanged research, resources, and cultivation news.
• Adrian Leon introduced the noble mages and their family connections, and the group welcomed Gao De because he had rescued them after their ship capsized.
• Gao De asked the group to watch for Stone Ridge Giant Oak, Azure Feather Sentinel Tree, and Angmar Flame Curse Tree.

Gao De learned that an Azure Feather Sentinel Tree sapling might be auctioned in Black Sail City and received a pouch of Magic Tree Seeds from Adrian. As he considered whether to risk attending the auction, his Body of Pain Tolerance suddenly warned him of danger.

• A noble mage told Gao De that a Black Sail City auction catalog listed an Azure Feather Sentinel Tree sapling, and Adrian warned that the city was perilous.
• Adrian hosted the mages for a banquet featuring Thunderhowl Roast, then offered Gao De accommodations, which Gao De declined.
• Adrian gave Gao De a pouch containing around sixty or seventy Magic Tree Seeds as thanks for saving him, and Gao De accepted the gift.
• Gao De considered asking Phoenix to send High-Ring Mages to accompany him to the Black Sail City auction but worried about the limited time and danger.
• Gao De felt a sudden chill and realized his Body of Pain Tolerance was sensing impending danger.

Gao De escaped a deliberate attack by an early Third Tier Killer Vine in Auckland City, destroying it with Northwind. The city guards investigated the incident, but the hidden attacker remained unidentified, leaving Gao De wary of another strike.

• Gao De sensed danger, jumped from his carriage with the Magic Tree Seeds, and watched a Killer Vine consume the driver and horses.
• Gao De used the Mandora Demon Eye to assess the Killer Vine and summoned Northwind to face its attack.
• Gao De struck the vine with Weight Blade+ and used Northwind's freezing power to shatter the early Third Tier creature.
• Gao De realized someone had deliberately sent the Killer Vine after him and stayed alert while waiting for help.
• A squad of Auckland City guard mages arrived, took the remains as evidence, and promised to investigate the attack.
• Gao De asked the guards to notify the Lionheart Family about the driver's and horse's deaths, then left, concerned that the hidden attacker might strike again.

After Gao De survived an attack by a third-tier Killer Vine, Auckland’s leaders investigated the attempt and considered using Divination to find the mastermind. Gao De prepared for his Auckland Honorary Mage ceremony, which began the next day with a grand public celebration.

• Gao De stopped trying to identify the attacker from his personal enemies, bought materials in Auckland, and brewed two Spell Elixirs before resuming cultivation.
• Earl Roland told Auckland’s leaders that Gao De had killed the early third-tier Killer Vine without suffering serious injuries, shocking the assembled mages.
• Chief Theodore proposed using Divination to find the mastermind and said he knew a mage who had mastered the spell.
• Gao De set the attack aside, and Auckland officials escorted him from his inn to the grand Honorary Mage title ceremony at City Square.