Chapter Summaries

After fleeing the battlefield, Zhang Yang traveled with Tonks toward the Sallion Kingdom’s capital and considered how to become the group’s leader. Near the city, they found a murdered girl, and Zhang Yang proposed hunting down the cultists responsible after receiving a suggestion to obtain three Devil’s Hearts.

• Zhang Yang introduced himself to Tonks as Theo, and the two agreed to travel together to the capital.
• Tonks explained his plans to become a mercenary and enter tournaments, while Zhang Yang privately resolved to gain enough money and strength to lead his own group.
• After three days of travel, Zhang Yang and Tonks saw the capital and came upon grieving parents beside their daughter’s mutilated corpse.
• Zhang Yang urged Tonks to find and kill the cultists, and a prompt suggested obtaining three Devil’s Hearts to repair a level-one Wanderer Camp.

Zhang Yang and Tonks reached Sallion and joined a mercenary caravan bound for Singal, while Zhang Yang searched a weapons warehouse for supernatural materials. He enchanted a throwing knife into a Sapphire Rune Throwing Knife, a spiritual weapon with an armor-piercing trait.

• Tonks warned Zhang Yang against confronting the cultists with only the two of them, so they went to Sallion to seek work as mercenaries.
• At the Lionheart Tavern, Tonks exchanged his armor for weapons and arranged a contract escorting a merchant caravan to Singal.
• Zhang Yang found Bloodthirsty Javelins and other discarded weapons in the warehouse and collected 5.3 units of Demon Blood and 1.2 units of Elf Blood.
• After signing the contract, Zhang Yang enchanted his Assassin's Throwing Knives with Demon Blood in his room.
• One knife drank Zhang Yang's blood and transformed into a Sapphire Rune Throwing Knife with 65 stabs of damage and an armor-piercing trait.

Zhang Yang enchanted his chipped longsword with Demon Blood and joined a caravan bound for the dangerous borderlands, where he practiced throwing knives from horseback. After the Wanderer System directed him to a heretic altar, he killed the four heretics, destroyed the altar, and found Demon Gold.

• Zhang Yang fused his remaining Demon Blood into his chipped longsword, turning it into a Sapphire Rune Longsword, and decided to save his Elf Blood.
• Zhang Yang and Tonks joined Lusk's caravan, and Zhang Yang volunteered to scout in exchange for a good horse.
• Zhang Yang practiced throwing knives from horseback as the caravan traveled, then spotted two Heretic Supplicants near camp.
• After the Wanderer System prompted him to find and destroy their altar, Zhang Yang sneaked into the wilderness and attacked the heretics, killing all four.
• Zhang Yang destroyed the altar and found a piece of Demon Gold that could communicate with and summon creatures from other realms.

Zhang Yang used the Demon Gold to contact the Azure Nether Realm and learned that its main body was trapped by outside threats, so he chose to keep building his life in this world. After rescuing Kalli and losing his place with Lucas’s caravan, he and Tonks decided to form their own mercenary company and returned to Salion City with their loot.

• Zhang Yang burned the altar and used the Demon Gold to contact the Azure Nether Realm, whose message warned that it could not bring him back because the realm was under threat.
• Zhang Yang collected the cultists’ equipment and money, then recruited Kalli, whose family had been killed by the cultists, as she asked to join him and learn to fight.
• Zhang Yang returned to camp with Kalli and learned that Lucas had fired him for attacking the heretics; Tonks stayed behind with him as the caravan departed.
• Zhang Yang proposed forming a mercenary team with Tonks, and they agreed to decide who would be captain by competing to kill more enemies.
• Zhang Yang, Tonks, and Kalli reached Salion City, sold most of their surplus loot for 1,200 Silver Denars, and discussed recruiting fighters and hunting bandits.

Zhang Yang spent twenty days recovering with Tonks and training Kalli while cultivating the Soul Nourishing Talisman, then led them to defeat a band of greenwood bandits. After registering the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group in Sallion, the trio officially began their mercenary work.

• Zhang Yang used Elf Blood to visualize the Soul Nourishing Talisman, gained elven knowledge, and increased his Intelligence as he advanced to its second layer.
• Tonks fully recovered while training Kalli, who rose three levels, and Zhang Yang improved his Mounted Archery and prepared the group to set out.
• Zhang Yang, Tonks, and Kalli rode out to hunt greenwood bandits, and Zhang Yang used throwing knives, javelins, and his longsword to kill nineteen of them.
• Tonks and Kalli dealt with the remaining bandits, and the group earned 200 Silver Denars for the mission and 850 Silver Denars from selling spoils.
• Zhang Yang reached Level 12 and registered the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group at the city official’s office in Sallion.

Zhang Yang trained with Tonks and Kalli for a month, then returned to Sallion and recruited twelve young men to build the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group himself. Tonks left in anger, and when five riders attacked the new recruits on the road, Zhang Yang and Kalli killed them all.

• Zhang Yang trained intensely with Tonks and Kalli in weapon skills and horsemanship for a month, improving their abilities before they returned to Sallion.
• Zhang Yang recruited twelve young men instead of hiring experienced mercenaries, prompting Tonks to quit the group in anger.
• Zhang Yang led Kalli and the recruits out of Sallion after buying supplies and taking them to train in the wilderness.
• Five riders caught up with the group and attacked, frightening the recruits.
• Zhang Yang killed four riders with javelins and throwing knives, while Kalli killed another with a crossbow bolt.

Zhang Yang trained his recruits in the wilderness after they killed three wounded riders, and the group grew stronger over two months. As they left camp, they encountered a band of deserters who began to encircle Kalli.

• Zhang Yang ordered Anderson, Tony, and Bob to kill three wounded riders, and the recruits gained levels and received armor.
• Zhang Yang assigned the three recruits paths suited to their strengths, then led the group away from Salion City to train in the wilderness under Kalli's instruction.
• Over two months of training, Zhang Yang improved his Soul Nourishing Talisman, horsemanship, and weapon proficiencies, while Kalli and the recruits also advanced.
• As the group broke camp, a lookout warned Zhang Yang that an army was approaching, but Zhang Yang identified it as a band of deserters.
• The deserters spotted Kalli riding over and spread out to encircle her.

Zhang Yang and Kalli defeated the Sallion deserters blocking the road, using mounted attacks to scatter and capture them. Zhang Yang spared the veteran Assault Swordsman, deciding he could train the recruits in place of Tonks.

• Zhang Yang and Kalli split up and attacked the deserters from horseback, with Zhang Yang blinding the three Sallion Archers using throwing knives.
• Zhang Yang and Kalli killed or wounded several deserters, and the survivors broke ranks and fled.
• Zhang Yang pursued the fleeing deserters, killed several, and ordered Anderson, Thor, Bob, and the other recruits to guard those who surrendered.
• The veteran Assault Swordsman knocked Zhang Yang's longsword away in a clash, but surrendered after Zhang Yang damaged his shield with a barrage of javelins.
• Zhang Yang decided to spare the veteran and use him as an instructor for the recruits.

After defeating deserters, Zhang Yang trained and recruited the prisoners, strengthening the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group. He returned to Salion City with 20 subordinates and accepted a bandit-suppression mission alongside a beer delivery, then set out on the road.

• Zhang Yang’s group defeated the deserters, took prisoners and supplies, and he ordered the captured veteran Robert to train the recruits.
• Zhang Yang kept the recruits and prisoners training with hearty meals and black beer until their favorability improved and the recruits gained levels.
• Anderson, Tony, and Bob reached their initial class-change levels, and Zhang Yang offered the seven prisoners wages to join the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group; they agreed.
• After more than a month of training, Zhang Yang led his 20 subordinates back to Salion City and accepted a mission to eliminate bandits who had robbed a caravan from Olay Town.
• Zhang Yang also accepted a job transporting 12 barrels of black beer to Haringoth Castle, loaded the wagon, and set out with his team.

Zhang Yang’s mercenary group took shelter on a hill when a heretic army attacked a caravan, then fought off two Heretic Super-Strength Warriors. The Black Knight and more heretic troops closed in, leaving Zhang Yang’s battered group and the fleeing mercenaries facing a desperate defense.

• After riders warned him that heretics had looted Olay Town, Zhang Yang led his soldiers and wagon off the road and formed a defensive position on a hill.
• A Heretic Black Knight pursued the caravan’s fleeing riders while two Heretic Super-Strength Warriors charged Zhang Yang’s formation.
• Zhang Yang struck the first Super-Strength Warrior through its helmet with a Heavy Javelin, and an armed infantryman finished it off.
• The second Super-Strength Warrior battered the defenders until Bob knocked it down and killed it with his hammer.
• Zhang Yang treated the wounded, then saw more heretic infantry, worshippers, and crossbowmen approach as the Black Knight returned; the surviving caravan swordsmen joined his group’s defense.

Zhang Yang helped defeat a Heretic force by killing its Black Knight, then seized the caravan’s wagon and goods and escaped before reinforcements arrived. After delivering a separate cargo at Haringoth Castle, he studied the Demon Gold that had empowered the Black Knight and considered using it to wield Abyssal Demonic Tongue.

• Zhang Yang and the caravan’s fighters formed ranks against the Heretic attackers, and Zhang Yang wounded the Black Knight by striking his exposed armpit and disrupting his warhorse.
• The Black Knight erupted with demonic power, killed the caravan leader and several fighters, and charged Zhang Yang until Zhang Yang smashed his helmet and killed him with the Sapphire Rune Throwing Knife.
• Zhang Yang killed four Heretic Worshippers with throwing knives, led a charge that routed the remaining Heretic Infantry, and lost five recruits and three Armored Infantry.
• Zhang Yang claimed the overturned wagon and valuable cargo, silenced the two surviving caravan guards, and left before official reinforcements arrived from Sallion.
• Zhang Yang delivered twelve barrels of dark beer at Haringoth Castle, then traveled to Afendor to avoid returning to Salion City with the stolen goods.
• Zhang Yang examined the Black Knight’s Demon Gold and the red glow on his rune knife, and wondered whether the gold could let him use Abyssal Demonic Tongue.

Zhang Yang advanced his Soul Nourishing Talisman to the fourth level and forged three Imprisonment Spears from Demon Gold. Near Afendor City, his group was stopped by local thugs demanding protection fees, and Zhang Yang chose to rely on his weapons instead of paying.

• Zhang Yang reached the fourth level of the Soul Nourishing Talisman, gained the ability to release Soul Power externally, and raised his Intelligence to 21.
• Zhang Yang spent a day at camp and used Demon Gold and a ritual to forge three Imprisonment Spears.
• Zhang Yang recovered, wrapped the spears as a trump card, and led his group toward Afendor City.
• A group of local thugs demanded 200 Silver Denars from Zhang Yang's group at a crossroads fifty li from Afendor.
• Zhang Yang refused to pay the fat thug and said he trusted his knives.

Zhang Yang defeated a band of Rogue Knights, sold their spoils in Affendore City, and spent heavily on weapons, supplies, and recruits. As he led his expanded group out of the city, Alec warned that Rogue Knights had followed them and laid out the danger.

• Zhang Yang used Imprisonment Spears and a throwing knife to kill four Rogue Knights, forcing the rest to flee.
• Zhang Yang and his companions collected valuable armor, horses, weapons, jewelry, and 500 Silver Denars from the defeated rogues.
• In Affendore City, Zhang Yang sold the illicit goods, bought equipment for Kalli, Anderson, Tony, Bob, and himself, and purchased supplies and a wagon.
• Zhang Yang hired two Khatu Wanderers, five Noble Scions, and the experienced, one-eyed Mercenary Cavalry Commander Alec.
• After the group left Affendore City, Alec reported that Rogue Knights had followed them and warned Zhang Yang that they might need a bribe or stronger mercenaries.

Zhang Yang’s company escaped their pursuers and used Old Alec’s battlefield expertise to ambush and annihilate Rogue Knight Maddy’s Black Spider Squad. The victory left the company unharmed, with morale soaring and Zhang Yang newly impressed by Alec’s command.

• Old Alec discovered that Rogue Knights were following Zhang Yang and estimated that Maddy’s Black Spider Squad and possibly other squads might attack.
• Zhang Yang ordered the infantry into wagons and hurried to a wooded hillock chosen by Old Alec as a favorable battlefield.
• The Black Spider Squad charged the company, and Old Alec and Kalli began attacking as Zhang Yang’s group prepared to fight on foot.
• Zhang Yang killed three core Rogue Knights with Imprisonment Spears, and Old Alec ordered the infantry to counterattack and cavalry to circle around the hill.
• The company wiped out all twenty-seven members of the Black Spider Squad without suffering injuries, greatly boosting morale.

After defeating Maddy’s forces, Zhang Yang promoted his soldiers, equipped the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group, and followed Old Alec’s advice to avoid the Rogue Knights. The group stocked up in Mariansburg and set out across the Gatu Grand Prairie toward the Ravenstone Kingdom.

• Zhang Yang promoted Old Alec to cavalry commander, distributed captured gear, and assigned attribute and skill points to his soldiers as several fighters leveled up.
• Old Alec warned that the Rogue Knights would pursue the group and advised traveling through Mariansburg to the Ravenstone Kingdom by way of the Gatu Grand Prairie.
• Zhang Yang agreed to leave that night, and the group reached Mariansburg on the morning of the third day.
• Zhang Yang sold spoils and six warhorses for 3,000 Silver Denars, then bought bows, supplies, and salt to trade in the Ravenstone Kingdom.
• At Old Alec’s recommendation, Zhang Yang bought a cartload of cheval de frises and twenty thick wooden shields, and the group set out to cross the Gatu Grand Prairie.

Zhang Yang discovered that Nudal Ridge’s suppressive force came from a dragon’s remains and used it to master the first stage of the Dragon Soul Talisman. After gaining strength from Pseudo-Dragon Tears, he decided to pursue the Dragon’s Tear Gem and began considering how to build a powerful army.

• Old Alec led Zhang Yang’s group through a secret valley pass in Nudal Ridge, where Zhang Yang felt an unusual suppressive force.
• Zhang Yang stayed near the ridge and visualized the force, tracing its fluctuations into the shape of a dragon and mastering the Dragon Soul Talisman.
• Zhang Yang condensed and swallowed a Pseudo-Dragon Tear, gaining one point each of Strength and Agility.
• Zhang Yang remained at Nudal Ridge, training and producing Pseudo-Dragon Tears until they no longer improved his body.
• Zhang Yang decided he needed the Dragon’s Tear Gem to advance further and gave Old Alec a Pseudo-Dragon Tear to test whether he could bring him under his control.

Zhang Yang gave Old Alec a Pseudo-Dragon Tear, which restored some of his strength and prompted him to swear allegiance. Alec proposed turning their temporary mountain camp into a permanent base, and Zhang Yang agreed to consider establishing one.

• Zhang Yang compared his attributes with those of the Heretic Black Knights and Salion Imperial Guards, then worried that giving Old Alec a Pseudo-Dragon Tear might be risky.
• Zhang Yang offered Old Alec the tear and promised it could help restore his strength, though he could not guarantee it would let him have children.
• Old Alec swallowed the tear, felt its effects, and swore allegiance to Zhang Yang and his descendants.
• Old Alec suggested making the temporary camp permanent and eventually building a castle, but Zhang Yang agreed only to establish a permanent camp.
• Zhang Yang put Alec in charge of the plan and told him to consider the others' wishes, supplies, and the need to keep the camp secret.

Zhang Yang developed the Valley Pass camp into a fortress and spent a month training and strengthening his soldiers. After deciding to create a new Dragon Soul Warrior profession, he prepared to imprint the Dragon Soul Talisman into Bob, leaving the final ritual about to begin.

• Zhang Yang designed a three-level fortress for the Valley Pass, and the soldiers and refugees completed the initial camp defenses in five days.
• Old Alec began a month of training, while Zhang Yang advanced his talisman study, condensed Pseudo-Dragon Tears, and distributed them among his trusted soldiers.
• Bob advanced quickly to Level 18, and Old Alec told Zhang Yang about the powerful Saxon Dragon Warriors.
• Zhang Yang chose Bob as the first candidate for a Dragon Soul Warrior and raised his Intelligence before giving him Pseudo-Dragon Tears.
• Zhang Yang took Bob to a prepared altar deep in the cave to imprint the Dragon Soul Talisman into his body, with the final step still ahead.

Zhang Yang used a resonant altar to give Bob the Dragon Bloodline, creating a powerful Dragonblood Warrior who had touched the ceiling of the world's rules. He left Bob to guard the camp, then led the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group back to Marions Plain, where they were attacked by Rogue Knights.

• Zhang Yang connected the altar to Nudal Ridge's radiation curves and sent a white dragon phantom into Bob, whose body transformed after a painful half-hour.
• Bob emerged over two meters tall with the Dragon Bloodline and formidable attributes, so Zhang Yang ordered him to guard the camp while the group prepared to depart.
• A day later, Zhang Yang led the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group back to Marions Plain, expecting Rogue Knights to provide money and equipment.
• More than thirty Rogue Knights attacked the group, and Old Alec led a skirmishing force while Robert, Norton, and Ig formed a defensive line.
• Zhang Yang threw three Imprisonment Spears and killed the enemy's three leading riders, allowing Robert and the infantry to charge the disrupted cavalry.

Zhang Yang lured the Rogue Knights into an ambush and used buried cheval de frises, shields, and disciplined troops to defeat their cavalry and withstand a prolonged siege. The rogues eventually retreated, while Zhang Yang’s forces gained valuable experience and prepared to grow stronger.

• Zhang Yang’s forces defeated a Rogue Knight squad, then headed for Mariansburg after clearing the battlefield and replacing damaged equipment.
• Zhang Yang arranged for Old Alec to sweep the scouts from the road, buried cheval de frises near Mariansburg, and entered the city after dark to sell spoils and buy supplies.
• Zhang Yang left Mariansburg the next morning with four wagons and led the Rogue Knights toward a prepared ambush site beyond the city guards’ patrol range.
• Zhang Yang’s troops raised hidden cheval de frises as the Rogue cavalry charged, bringing down many horses and turning the attackers into exposed infantry.
• Robert, Norton, Ig, Old Alec, and the others counterattacked, while Zhang Yang used javelins and the shield wall to protect his troops from the enemy’s archers and crossbowmen.
• After an hour of fighting, Zhang Yang’s forces killed or wounded many attackers and gained several promotions, forcing the Rogue Knights to retreat.