Chapter Summaries

Gao De gathered Soul Essence Fragments for Liu Ying and began practicing Level 3 Basic Runes in the central stone tower, determined to raise his runesmithing to Tier 4. After an exhausting day of drawing and redrawing the Transformation rune, he stopped, while Liu Ying realized she had been absorbed in watching him for hours.

• Gao De used his improved magic-less adaptation and a spell to clear nearby Withered Soul Servants, gathering nearly a hundred Soul Essence Fragments for himself and Liu Ying.
• Gao De returned to the central stone tower, where Liu Ying had stayed safely inside, and prepared bone powder and a finger bone to practice runes.
• Gao De reviewed the Basic Rune systems and recognized that precise, repeated practice was his main obstacle to mastering the runes required for higher-tier arrays.
• Gao De repeatedly attempted to draw the Level 3 Transformation rune, erasing flawed lines and starting again as Liu Ying watched him with growing fascination.
• Gao De stopped to rest after prolonged practice, and Liu Ying realized that hours had passed although watching him had felt brief.

Gao De’s Magic-less Adaptation reached its threshold, evolving him into a Devil Source Body that let him function freely without external magic and resist Withered Soul erosion. He continued studying runes and using his blood to ease Liu Ying’s soul damage while preparing to gather the resources needed to replicate Guiding Rune Array 21.0.

• Gao De used Goodberry Spell+ to create Jewel Sweetberries for himself and Liu Ying, then conserved his remaining mana in the Silent Desolate Soul Domain.
• After the eighth Withered Soul Wind, Gao De’s Magic-less Adaptation reached 100%, and Adaptive evolved into the Devil Source Body, granting him independence from external magic and powerful resistance to soul damage.
• Liu Ying noticed Gao De’s transformation, and he told her he could now fully mobilize his internal mana.
• Gao De continued feeding Liu Ying his blood to relieve Withered Soul erosion, saving Soul Essence Fragments for his rune studies and the planned replication of Guiding Rune Array 21.0.
• Gao De’s Light Adaptation remained at 99.9%, while the Devil Source Body’s improved mental abilities and recovery accelerated his progress in Runelore.

Gao De successfully inscribed a Soul Rune and evolved into the Primary Yingyou Physique, allowing him to absorb Liu Ying’s Sacred Radiance Energy. Liu Ying revealed that irreversible Light Transformation was consuming her, leaving Gao De determined to replicate the Guiding Array and save her.

• Gao De used a Soul Essence Fragment to inscribe a Composite Energy Conversion Rune that warmed the Central Stone Tower.
• After the twenty-ninth Withered Soul Wind, Gao De advanced his rune studies to Level 4 Basic Runes while continuing to conserve Soul Essence Fragments for Guiding Array 21.0.
• Gao De’s Light Adaptation reached completion through holding Liu Ying’s hand, giving him the Primary Yingyou Physique and the ability to absorb Sacred Radiance Energy and replenish mana.
• Liu Ying revealed the glowing veins spreading beneath her skin and explained that Light Transformation was steadily consuming her body and soul.
• Gao De took Liu Ying’s hand and promised to replicate the Guiding Array quickly so they could escape and stop her condition from worsening.

Gao De used Liu Ying’s Sacred Radiance Energy to accelerate his runelore studies and became a 4th Circle Runemaster. He then calculated and revised Mordecai’s Guiding Array 21.0 design, leaving the story with the array proven valid and ready to be drawn.

• Gao De studied runelore while maintaining close contact with Liu Ying, replenishing his mana and slowing her Light Transformation, though his Light Adaptation progress remained stalled.
• Gao De swept through the Silent Desolate Soul Domain, harvested Withered Soul Servants, and gathered enough Soul Essence Fragments to advance toward becoming a 4th Circle Runemaster.
• After the Withered Soul Wind cycled one hundred and eleven times, Gao De mastered the required runes and completed the second step toward becoming a 4th Circle Runemaster.
• Gao De began calculating Mordecai’s Guiding Array 21.0 design, corrected illegal rune structures, and repeatedly revised the array after its Actual Robustness Value exceeded the theoretical limit.
• Gao De’s calculations finally showed that Guiding Array 21.0 was valid, and he told Liu Ying that only precise construction remained.

Gao De completed the Guiding Array and activated it during the Withered Soul Wind’s Peak Period to gather the storm and direct it toward a weak point in the Plane Barrier. As the tornado raced northwest, Gao De promised Liu Ying he would show her the wider world beyond Mithril City once they escaped.

• Gao De rested after completing the array’s blueprint calculations, then constructed its foundational rune grid and Composite Runes with the help of the Mandora Demon Eye.
• Gao De finished assembling the Rune Array in one attempt and told Liu Ying they would use the Withered Soul Wind to Tear the Plane Barrier.
• Liu Ying said she did not find the Silent Desolate Soul Domain boring, and Gao De realized how confined her life had been before promising to show her the world beyond Mithril City.
• Gao De and Liu Ying recognized the approaching Withered Soul Wind as the storm reached its Peak Period, while the damaged Journey Dial pointed toward the northwest.
• Gao De fed Soul Energy into Guiding Array 21.0, which drew the scattered Withered Soul Winds into a massive tornado and bound it with Rune Chains.
• Gao De used the Journey Dial and Mandora Demon Eye to target the Plane Barrier’s weak point, then sent the tornado charging northwest.

Gao De and Liu Ying broke through the Silent Desolate Soul Domain’s Plane Barrier and returned to the Mage Plane, where Liu Ying’s Sacred Radiance Energy burned Gao De and resisted healing magic. As Liu Ying prepared to return home, Gao De urged her to see the outside world despite the danger her power posed.

• Gao De used Guiding Magic Array 21.0 and his remaining Soul Essence Fragments to break through the Plane Barrier and open a Spatial Rift.
• Gao De and Liu Ying crossed the rift with the Journey Dial’s guidance and returned to the Mage Plane.
• Liu Ying’s unrestricted Sacred Radiance Energy scorched Gao De’s arm, and his Healing Spell+ could not heal the injury.
• Liu Ying’s Light-Concealing Robe suppressed her Sacred Radiance Energy, and she said she would return home because she feared hurting others.
• Gao De realized Liu Ying had stayed secluded out of fear after accidentally harming her wet nurse as a child, then urged her to go see the world.

Gao De took Liu Ying out to see the world after they returned from the Silent Desolate Soul Domain, and they reached Etheran County in the Plantagenet Dynasty. After sharing dinner, he brought her to the coast, where she saw and heard the sea for the first time.

• Gao De invited Liu Ying to explore the world with him, and she took his burned hand despite the pain caused by her Sacred Radiance Energy.
• Gao De used an Ice Butterfly to locate Mithril City and identified their landing place as Etheran County; he learned the date was September 21st, Nolan Calendar 9658.
• Gao De and Liu Ying ate dinner at a local restaurant, where Liu Ying said she had rarely eaten with anyone and endured worsening Light Transformation veins because she was happy.
• Gao De led Liu Ying away from the route to Mithril City and flew with her toward the coast after she had said she wanted to see the sea.
• Gao De and Liu Ying landed beside an abandoned lighthouse, where Liu Ying silently watched the moonlit sea for the first time.

After the Crown Family’s Rune Box revealed that Liu Ying had returned, Richard rushed to bring her home. At the Coast of Light, Liu Ying shared a sunrise and a tender moment with Gao De before Richard appeared, leaving Gao De on guard as she recognized him as her brother.

• Grand Duke Wang Mian saw the Rune Box’s Green Crystal light up and its Red Crystal flicker irregularly, then ordered Richard to bring Liu Ying home quickly.
• Gao De described the wider world to Liu Ying at the Coast of Light and promised to help her see it for herself.
• Liu Ying leaned her head on Gao De’s shoulder as they watched the sunrise, then happily explored the shore and played in the seawater.
• Gao De noticed a powerful, hostile-looking man behind the abandoned lighthouse and stepped in front of Liu Ying.
• Liu Ying joyfully called the man “Brother,” revealing that he was Richard.

Mei Qiang and Mordred discussed the danger of her attempt to eliminate Liu Ying, but the Three-dimensional Map revealed that Liu Ying’s silvery-white radiance had returned and connected Golden Broom to the Northern Territory. Mei Qiang resolved to sever the new link as Mordred warned that the unexpected connection could threaten the Empire.

• Mordred confronted Mei Qiang about endangering the Empire by targeting Crown’s daughter, Liu Ying, and warned that the Plantagenet Dynasty might start a war.
• Mei Qiang defended her actions as a way to weaken Golden Broom, while Mordred admitted he could not safely use Empire Vision to see through her intentions.
• The Three-dimensional Map showed Liu Ying’s silvery-white light reappearing in southern Etheran County after a month and a half.
• A silver thread extended from Golden Broom across the Erwinlaya Mountains and connected to the Northern Territory’s Purple Jade Flower, which brightened as it received the radiance.
• Mei Qiang tried to touch the silver line with purple energy, but an invisible force repelled it, and she recognized the influence of Purple Jade Flower Anivia.
• Mordred warned that the connection could have dangerous consequences for the Empire, and Mei Qiang declared that she would sever it.

Richard Crown reunited with Liu Ying and brought her and Gao De to the Crown Family's castle by Teleportation Array so she could receive treatment. Richard took Liu Ying to the Light-Gathering Magic Array, while Gao De stayed behind as her honored guest after she asked him to wait.

• Liu Ying reunited with her brother Richard Crown, who focused on getting her home quickly to suppress the Sacred Radiance Energy in her body.
• Liu Ying introduced Gao De as her friend and lifesaver, and Richard thanked him with the Silver Dragon Ceremony and offered the Crown Family's support.
• Richard invited Gao De to travel with them, and the three flew to the City of Dawn to use its Teleportation Array.
• The group passed En'er's prohibited-items inspection and teleported from the Mage's Association to the Crown Castle Inner Court Array in Mithril City.
• Liu Ying asked Gao De to wait for her, and Richard told Marcus to treat Gao De as an honored guest before taking Liu Ying to the Light-Gathering Magic Array.

Gao De waited in the Crown Family’s Inner Court, where Golden Flame Flower Tea greatly improved his rune mastery, before meeting the Crown Lady. She spoke about her favorite tea, Pre-Rain Sparrow Tongue, and warned that the Empire’s expansion might soon place its source under imperial control.

• Marcus guided Gao De through the Crown Family’s Inner Court and told him that Madam wished him to wait in a VIP room.
• Gao De drank Golden Flame Flower Tea and found that it clarified his rune knowledge, raising his understanding from novice to proficient.
• After about half an hour, Marcus brought Gao De to meet the Crown Lady, the wife of Grand Duke Wang Mian and mother of Liu Ying and Richard.
• The Crown Lady asked Gao De about his tea, then explained that Pre-Rain Sparrow Tongue came from Wuling Mountain and could become difficult to obtain as the Empire expanded westward.

Gao De recounted the Empire’s role in his and Liu Ying’s disappearance, then refused the Crown Family’s offer of a reward, insisting that he and Liu Ying were friends. After Crown Lady learned that Gao De could absorb Liu Ying’s overflowing Sacred Radiance Energy, she reacted with disbelief.

• Gao De told Crown Lady about the Imperial mage, Mei Qiang’s Thousand Faced Shadow, and their time in the Silent Desolate Soul Domain.
• Crown Lady left Gao De with Marcus, who offered him any reward from the Crown Family for saving Liu Ying.
• Gao De refused the reward, saying he valued Liu Ying as a friend and would not change his decision.
• Crown Lady listened through an Alchemy Machine and accepted Gao De’s choice, while considering whether he was sincere or ambitious.
• Richard told Crown Lady that Liu Ying’s condition had stabilized but remained unresolved, and that Gao De could absorb the Sacred Radiance Energy causing her pain.
• Crown Lady turned in shock when Richard explained that Gao De could suppress Liu Ying’s Light Transformation state by absorbing the energy.

Richard told the Crown Lady that Gao De could absorb some of Liu Ying’s Sacred Radiance Energy, giving her hope that his ability might eventually cure Liu Ying. After returning to the Northern Territory, Gao De learned Flora was about to cultivate a Four-Element Magic Plant and hurried to watch.

• Richard explained that Gao De had absorbed a small amount of Liu Ying’s Sacred Radiance Energy in the Silent Desolate Soul Domain, and the Crown Lady ordered Marcus to invite Gao De back with the highest courtesy.
• Gao De returned to the Silver Feather Inn, reunited with Eevee, and retrieved the travel pack Eevee had guarded while he was away.
• Gao De decided to spend his idle time training in the Northern Territory and booked a two-month stay before using Astral Teleportation to return there.
• Elder Gain told Gao De that Flora’s Forest was cultivating a Four-Element Magic Plant, and Gao De went to the site to watch Flora and Sunaifa work.

Flora and Gao De successfully cultivated the Fu Yuan Tree, a Tier 3 four-element magic plant suited to the Northern Territory, and planned to use its fruit for the Evergreen Longevity Sutra inheritance. Gao De returned to Phoenix with Sunaifa while considering how to scale cultivation without exhausting the spirit grounds.

• Flora chose the Everfrost Oak as the mother plant and directed the Forestry Office staff to graft the earth, wind, and fire magic-tree branches onto it.
• Sunaifa used Nature's Touch to nurture the grafts, and Gao De joined her when she became strained.
• The elemental energies fused, creating a Tier 3 magic tree whose fruit enhanced elemental affinity and resilience and whose cultivation required only one type of elemental creature blood.
• Flora named the new magic plant the Fu Yuan Tree and its fruit the Fu Yuan Fruit after Gao De helped her choose a name.
• Gao De returned to Phoenix with Sunaifa as the Forestry Office prepared to cultivate Fu Yuan Trees, while Gao De planned around the limited spiritual energy in Flora's Forest.