Chapter Summaries

After nearly a year stranded in the Yellow Sand World, Saine explored the sand worms’ underground lair and discovered their eggs and remarkable resilience. When he stole a giant egg, a huge Sand Worm King pursued him, and a powerful voice contacted him in the depths, offering a deal.

• Saine returned to the stable Sand Valley and entered its central underground cave to investigate the sand worms.
• Saine found giant sand worms breeding in a vast sandpit, including two worms that had survived being blown apart by splitting into two.
• Saine collected several eggs and stored a half-meter egg in his Space Ring.
• A sixteen-meter Sand Worm King sensed the stolen egg and chased Saine, cutting off his route back to the surface.
• Saine ran deeper into the underground passages until the pursuing sand worms fell behind, then heard a powerful voice offer to make a deal.

In the Yellow Sand World, Saine met the powerful Sand Worm King, who offered him Level-2 Energy Crystals and help finding the route back to the Wizard World in exchange for contacting the Wizard Civilization on its behalf. Saine agreed to learn what help the Sand Worm King needed, leaving their deal dependent on his reaching a Holy Tower organization.

• Saine followed a powerful Willpower Voice through the underground passage and found a cavern filled with Level-2 Energy Crystals.
• Saine discovered that the voice belonged to a half-bodied Sand Worm King trapped in yellow amber.
• The Sand Worm King explained that it was a Level-4 alien creature exiled to the Broken Plane by the Wizard World's Guardian and wanted to join the Wizard Alliance.
• The Sand Worm King offered Saine the crystals and information about the Space Channel in exchange for conveying its goodwill to the Wizard Civilization.
• Saine asked how he could help, and the Sand Worm King told him to contact a Holy Tower organization and seek a Holy Tower Master's recommendation.

Saine accepted the Sand Worm King’s request to help it join the Wizard Alliance and learned about the Star Realm before leaving the underground cavern. The Sand Worm King then revealed to its offspring that it wanted Saine to distract the Wizard World’s forces while it recovered and planned an escape.

• Saine accepted thirty-one Level-2 Energy Crystals as advance payment and agreed to help the Sand Worm King seek entry into the Wizard Alliance.
• Saine questioned the Sand Worm King about the Star Realm, planes, and the Wizard World, learning that the stars were planes and the Yellow Sand World’s three suns were Fire Element demiplanes.
• Saine left the cavern unharmed, and several giant Sand Worms emerged to question the Sand Worm King about letting him go and discussing the Wizard Alliance.
• The Sand Worm King told the Sand Worms that the Wizard World’s Guardian had nearly killed it after it invaded, and that the Guardian of Summer had sealed the space crack it had hoped to use to escape.
• The Sand Worm King explained that Saine’s journey could muddy the waters and buy time while it recovered, and promised to take its descendants away if they could not join the Wizard Alliance.

After spending more than three years stranded in the Yellow Sand World, Saine used the black handle to return to the Wizard World, despite the uncertain and dangerous spacetime traction. Back in the Underdark, he discovered that his Mental Strength and Magic Power had risen sharply, bringing him within reach of becoming an Advanced Apprentice.

• Saine reflected that the Sand Worm King knew little about the tensions between Black Magicians and ordinary Holy Tower Magicians, and he could not help it find a Holy Tower Master.
• Saine followed the Sand Worm King’s directions across the desert for half a year until the black handle reacted at the buried site of the former Space Channel.
• Saine activated the Element Pearl and endured the harsh spacetime traction, which carried him away from the Yellow Sand World as he wondered whether failure would kill him.
• Saine regained consciousness in the Underdark and recognized the comfort of having returned to his Mother Plane, the Wizard World.
• Saine checked his Crystal Ball and found that his Mental Strength was 52, his Magic Power was 47, and his Constitution was 16, leaving him able to become an Advanced Apprentice once he mastered an advanced spell.

Saine returned from the Yellow Sand World to find Shadow Valley devastated and hurried toward the City of Mozhsuobula, fearing for Mentor, Lina, and the others. Four years after leaving, he reached the city during its desperate defense against Surface Holy Tower forces and was discovered by a knight.

• Saine emerged from the damaged Magic Altar in Shadow Valley and saw ruins left by a devastating battle.
• He set out for the City of Mozhsuobula, hoping Mentor, Lina, and the others had survived.
• After a month of travel, Saine learned four years had passed since he left the city.
• Saine reached the city and saw its walls partly destroyed as Black Magicians resisted the Surface Holy Tower attack.
• Saine witnessed armored knights escorting civilians from the city and noticed their strength as he approached the battle.
• A knight hurled a spear into Saine’s hiding place and demanded to know who was there.

Saine was discovered by the knights outside the City of Mozhsuobula and identified himself as a Black Wizard Apprentice, drawing the attention of the powerful Silver Armor Knight. As a Yellow Armor Knight moved to shackle him and seize his belongings, Saine claimed he had important information from the Yellow Sand World, while civilians gathered to defend him.

• Bakda spotted Saine hiding outside the city, and Saine stepped out to face the knights.
• The Silver Armor Knight questioned Saine, who admitted he was a Black Wizard Apprentice.
• A Yellow Armor Knight approached with magic-suppressing shackles and eyed Saine's staff and Space Ring greedily.
• Saine said he had returned from the Yellow Sand World with important information for the Holy Tower Magicians.
• More than a hundred civilians gathered, knelt, and told the knights Saine had helped them survive through his charity.

After Mozhsuobula’s civilians pleaded for Saine, the Silver Armor Knight Bakda stopped another knight from shackling him and chose to escort him to meet Master Midiqi. Saine followed, reflecting on magic and the value of life, while Bakda invited him to seek him out if he ever became a Formal Magician.

• Mozhsuobula’s civilians gathered to defend Saine, moved by the help he had given them over the years.
• Bakda intervened when a yellow-armored Knight tried to put Magic Restriction Shackles on Saine and explained that some Black Wizard Apprentices were victims rather than corrupted villains.
• Bakda asked Saine why he had helped the civilians, and Saine replied that he saw them as people like himself.
• Bakda laughed, then led Saine toward Master Midiqi to discuss the Yellow Sand World; Saine bowed to the civilians before following.
• Saine wondered whether pursuing magic required disregarding life and wished he could ask his mentor Moxidu for guidance.
• Bakda brought Saine to a stone building in Mozhsuobula’s eastern district, introduced himself, and invited Saine to find him at the Earth Sword Knights’ Hall if Saine became a Formal Magician.

Saine told the White Robe Magician and the Silver Armor Knight about the living Level-4 Sand Worm King in the Yellow Sand World, prompting them to hurry off and report the discovery. Three days later, Saine watched Vice Dean Martin lead Black Magicians and apprentices out of Mozhsuobula as a devastating meteor shower struck the city.

• The White Robe Magician healed Saine and asked what he had discovered in the Yellow Sand World.
• Saine described the Sand Worm King and showed the White Robe Magician and the Silver Armor Knight Sand Worm eggs and specimens.
• The White Robe Magician and the Silver Armor Knight suspected the Sand Worm King planned to flee and left to alert their superiors.
• The White Robe Magician confined Saine in the stone building with a magical restriction, where he remained for three days.
• Saine saw Vice Dean Martin lead Black Magicians and apprentices into the air while unleashing a citywide meteor shower to cover their evacuation.

As Dean Martin’s breakout plunged the City of Mozhsuobula into ruin, Saine escaped a collapsing building and made his way toward the academy. The city remained under attack from falling meteorites and spreading battles, while Saine still had no sign of his mentor Moxidu.

• Dean Martin’s meteor shower devastated the empty City of Mozhsuobula as Surface World knights and magicians counterattacked the escaping Black Magicians.
• Vice Dean Martin and his group fought their way through the aerial encirclement while other Black Magicians began breaking out across the city.
• A meteorite smashed into Saine’s stone building, so Saine used the Magic Conductor Cannon to escape before another meteorite obliterated it.
• Saine crossed the ruins toward the academy, avoiding battle zones and falling stones as the Fluorite Vein’s collapse threatened the city and nearby areas.
• Saine neared the academy without sensing Moxidu’s battle fluctuations and saw that most Black Magicians escaping the academy had been intercepted.

Saine searched the deserted Black Wizard Academy for his mentor and friends, then found a letter from Lina saying she was safe and planning to escape through a secret passage north of the city. He left through White Crow Forest and found the wounded owl Qi.

• Saine entered the academy through a breach in its western wall and found Moxidu’s residence empty, with no sign of his mentor, Senior Brother, or Senior Sister.
• Saine hurried to the Apprentice Dormitory after finding apprentice corpses, including Tian Di, and worrying about Meili and Fatty Baus.
• Saine found Lina’s pink letter saying she was safe and would escape with Feilunna through a hidden passage in the north of the City of Mozhsuobula.
• Saine avoided the approaching Surface World knights and mages by heading into White Crow Forest and climbing toward the academy wall.
• Saine heard a faint sound behind a giant tree and found the bloodied owl Qi still alive.

Saine found the mortally wounded Owl Qi and tried to save it, but the collapsing Fluorite Vein above the City of Mozhsuobula revealed a Magma Sea. Magma fire-rain began engulfing the city, leaving Saine and its inhabitants facing imminent destruction.

• Saine recognized the badly wounded Qi, gave it recovery potions, and learned Qi believed it was dying.
• Qi offered Saine its Magic Crystal as the Fluorite Vein above the City of Mozhsuobula began to collapse.
• Qi explained that a Magma Sea lay above the city and had once concealed its location.
• Magma fire-rain poured through the broken Fluorite Vein, igniting the city and part of the White Crow Forest.
• Saine feared the Dean intended to destroy the city, while Qi warned that the collapse left even powerful magicians at risk of death.

Saine and the injured Owl Qi escaped the destruction of the City of Mozhsuobula by finding a secret passage beneath its northern wall. As the Magma Sea began to pour over the city, Bakda and Midiqi prepared to leave and arrange the evacuation of the Underground Humans.

• Owl Qi urged Saine to save himself, but Saine used one-fifth of a Level-2 Energy Crystal to help Qi suppress his injuries.
• Qi carried Saine toward City North, where Saine believed a secret passage mentioned in Lina's letter would lead to safety.
• Saine used the handle given to him by Moxidu to locate the passage, then he and Qi cleared the rubble and entered it.
• Bakda and Midiqi discussed whether Saine had survived, while Bakda carried Kaisersen's severed head as a spoil of war.
• As the Magma Sea began pouring toward the city, Bakda and Midiqi set off to help arrange the evacuation of the Underground Humans.

Saine and the wounded Owl Qi escaped through an Underground Passage into an unfamiliar Underground Space, where they recovered and searched for a way forward. Saine eventually picked up scattered signals from his mentor and believed they were heading in the right direction.

• Saine directed Qi through a rising passage as they pushed through heat and sulfurous air for half a day.
• Saine and Qi emerged into an unfamiliar Underground Space, where Qi collapsed from exhaustion and Saine could no longer receive signals from his mentor.
• Saine and Qi rested for three days, treating their injuries and recovering with potions, meditation, and Energy Crystals.
• Saine gave Qi a giant sandworm egg to try as food, hoping it would help Qi recover.
• Over the following month, Saine and Qi continued through the Underground Space, and Saine's Mental Strength and Constitution increased.
• Saine told Qi that he had received scattered signals from his mentor a week earlier and confirmed they were traveling in the right direction.

Saine and Qi found Saine’s mentor Moxidu gravely injured in a cave, where Moxidu revealed that he had been poisoned during the fall of the City of Mozhsuobula. Moxidu explained the Black Magicians’ escape routes, but the chapter left Saine still facing uncertainty about his mentor’s recovery and the whereabouts of his senior disciples.

• Saine and Qi entered a dark cave and found Moxidu collapsed behind a boulder.
• Saine helped Moxidu sit up and offered him Recovery Potions, but Moxidu said poison was draining his life force and the potions would not help.
• Moxidu told Saine that Holy Tower Magicians and Level-1 Knights had attacked the City of Mozhsuobula after the battle at Shadow Valley.
• Moxidu revealed that Di'ersi had poisoned him, though he had injured her by detonating Magic Conductors at close range.
• Moxidu explained that the Black Magicians had split into three escape groups, and that he and other Western Islands magicians had taken a secret passage.

Saine reunited with his poisoned mentor Moxidu, cared for him, and fell asleep believing Lina was safe. During the night, Moxidu nearly attacked Saine but stopped after a cry interrupted him, then decided Saine might inherit his mantle.

• Moxidu told Saine that Di'ersi had poisoned and betrayed him after they became separated from the other Black Magicians.
• Saine helped Moxidu settle in the cave and prepared mushroom soup while withholding questions about Feilunna and Lina.
• Moxidu praised Saine's cooking, and Saine went to sleep relieved that Lina was likely safe.
• Moxidu watched Saine through the night, shifting between affection and a sinister gaze.
• Moxidu approached the sleeping Saine and began gathering black magic power, but a cry of "Gugu" interrupted him and triggered magical backlash.
• Moxidu returned to his resting place and decided Saine might inherit his mantle before closing his eyes.

As Saine and Moxidu traveled toward the Surface World, Moxidu taught Saine magic and alchemy while preparing to pass on his legacy. Moxidu gave Saine his resources, alchemical writings, and a device for the owl, warning that Saine needed to leave the Underdark to escape Dawn Holy Tower.

• Moxidu guided Saine upward through the Underground Space and taught him the advanced spell Flame Blade and alchemical techniques.
• Moxidu told Saine that he was the lineage's best hope and urged him to carry it forward.
• A month and a half later, Moxidu's health had deteriorated severely, and he summoned Saine to pass on three items.
• Moxidu gave Saine a Space Bracelet containing his savings and supplies, along with his personal record of alchemical insights.
• Moxidu gave Saine a Short Flute for the owl and warned that Dawn Holy Tower had likely marked it, making escape from the Underdark Saine's safest option.

As Moxidu neared death, he gave Saine guidance, a bloodline-tracing spell, and a final request to return his ashes to his homeland. Moxidu died, and Saine cremated him, grieving for the mentor he would always regard as his own.

• Moxidu told Saine to hide his identity on the Surface World and explained that Saine had likely come from a noble family north of the Underdark, giving him a Bloodline Tracing Magic.
• Moxidu confessed that he had once planned to use necromantic rebirth to take Saine’s body, while Saine kept hidden his thirty Level-2 Energy Crystals from the Yellow Sand World.
• Moxidu asked Saine to bring his ashes to Gezes City on Thousand Leaf Coral Island if he could, and warned him not to travel to the Western Islands before becoming a Formal Magician.
• Moxidu died, and Saine knelt before him and kowtowed before handling his body alone.
• As Moxidu’s body burned, Saine asked Owl Qi whether it could have stopped Moxidu from attacking him and said Moxidu would always be his mentor.

Saine inventoried Mentor Moxidu’s inheritance and continued through the underground passage toward the Surface World. Just as he reached its exit, he encountered Midiqi, a Second-Level Magician from Dawn Holy Tower.

• Saine kept Moxidu’s ashes close and examined the books, Energy Crystals, alchemy equipment, Metal Puppet, and Magic Conductors in the Space Bracelet.
• Saine concluded that Moxidu had likely detonated most of his Metal Discs while fighting Di’ersi, then set aside unfamiliar items to study later.
• Saine followed Moxidu’s route toward the Surface World, and Owl Qi estimated that the journey would take about half a month more.
• Half a month later, Saine reached the light at the end of the underground passage and hurried toward the exit.
• Midiqi appeared at the mouth of the White Passage, recognized Saine, and placed him under pressure.

Midiqi, a Second-Level Holy Tower Magician, encountered Saine and questioned him about what he had found and the jar on his back. After Saine admitted the ashes belonged to his mentor, Midiqi offered to reward him for the information he had provided and chose to overlook his Black Wizard Apprentice identity.

• Midiqi explained that he had returned to the Underdark for the coming battle in the Yellow Sand World, not to intercept Saine.
• Midiqi noticed the short flute and brown jar Saine carried and asked whether Saine had found what he was looking for.
• Saine admitted that the ashes in the jar belonged to his mentor, and Midiqi respected his devotion to his master's inheritance.
• Midiqi offered Saine a reward for the information that had earned him rewards from the academy and the master of Dawn Holy Tower.
• When Saine asked whether Midiqi would pursue him as a Black Wizard Apprentice, Midiqi dismissed the label and chose to overlook the ashes.

Saine declined Midiqi’s offer to join Dawn Holy Tower, choosing to honor his mentor and seek his family instead. After Midiqi gave him a Holy Light Badge and left for Shadow Valley, Saine emerged from the Underground World into the Surface World and began his new life.

• Saine told Midiqi that he wanted to scatter his mentor’s ashes and find his family, but did not wish to join a magic organization yet.
• Midiqi offered to guide Saine at Dawn Holy Tower, but Saine firmly declined, citing his existing mentor and his Black Wizard Academy identity.
• Midiqi gave Saine a Holy Light Badge that contained Light’s Revival and could serve as a recommendation to northern organizations, including Azure Source Holy Tower.
• Midiqi transformed into Elemental Light and departed for Shadow Valley while Saine bowed and then set out toward the Surface World.
• Saine left the cave passage, took in the green plains and winding rivers, and strode forward to welcome his new life.