Chapter Summaries

Mikael explained that Terra’s powerful factions kept one another in check and that only a Sixth Energy Level being might break the deadlock. Ian realized the starless sky had confined people’s hopes to the world below, then planned his research and territorial development around changing that.

• Mikael told Ian that people who stood atop the world’s power structure lost sight of ordinary lives, and Ian questioned whether anything meaningful lay beyond the mountaintop.
• Ian remembered the empty night sky he had seen in the Golden Plains and understood that Terra’s people had lost the stars and their desire to look beyond their world.
• Mikael believed a being powerful enough to reach the Sixth Energy Level could break the stalemate among Terra’s nations and factions.
• After Mikael left, Ian decided not to confront the Alchemy Group yet and planned to redirect his research, develop his territory, and investigate the Extreme Domain.
• Ian concluded that reaching the Sixth Energy Level was not enough; he also needed to restore people’s yearning for the stars before returning home to farm.

Ian fought off the Blazing Flame Lands navy, killed its captain, and escaped back to the sailboat. Sha Sha then struck the escort ship with a powerful shockwave as Sainan sailed away, leaving the navy unable to pursue them.

• The Blazing Flame Lands captain attacked Ian with an explosive rune staff, but Ian evaded the blow.
• Ethan fired Ian’s water gun and burned through the captain’s arm with its corrosive flame.
• Ian cut down the sailors in his path, then punched through the captain’s defenses and split him in two with his sword.
• Ian leaped into the sea and raced back to the sailboat while the navy was stunned by its captain’s death.
• Sha Sha unleashed a shockwave across the escort ship as Sainan set sail beyond the navy’s reach.

Ian dreamed of futures in which the Heart-Eroding Worm swarm became a world-ending threat, then woke beside Elan and wondered whether the swarm was real. He ended the chapter watching the sea and asking, “So that was... the swarm?”

• Church of Light's Embrace officials identified White Wing as a transformed offspring of the Heart-Eroding Worm swarm and warned that it resembled the dangerous Star-Seeker Swarm.
• The officials observed a giant Ship-Island Whale Shark, a Three-Headed Crystal Dragon, and a vast storm rising over the southern sea as they declared the swarm a Level-One apocalypse disaster.
• Ian's dream showed possible futures in which the swarm returned after defeat, spread across Terra, and threatened to destroy the planet's ecosystem.
• Ian heard a sorrowful voice lamenting that it could not see the stars as the Dream World shattered around the swarm-transformed figure.
• Ian woke from the dream, calmed himself by rescuing Elan's blanket, and looked out at the sea while wondering whether he had dreamed of the swarm.

A High Shaman-Priest recounted how the Children of the Woodlands defended their Sacred Forest and their traditions until Ian Silverpeak’s forces defeated and resettled them. After learning the truth about the Forest and the tribe’s past, the narrator still hated Ian’s arrogance but came to love him as the ruler strong enough to unite the world.

• The narrator recalled that the Children of the Woodlands’ customs required them to protect the Sacred Forest and keep it within the limits set by their ancestors.
• When the Silverpeak Domain demanded control of the tribe and the Sacred Forest, the narrator led the Children of the Woodlands into battle against Miles and his forces.
• Silverpeak troops defeated the tribe in ten minutes, disarmed and relocated them, and the narrator woke in unfamiliar shelter beneath a bright sun.
• The Silverpeak Domain explained that the tribe descended from researchers who had restrained an Alien Spark God, and that their traditions preserved the symbiosis between their people and the Sacred Forest.
• The narrator learned that Ian Silverpeak intended to reclaim the Forest and use it as a biological factory, but concluded that Ian’s power could unite the world and loved him despite hating him.

Ian reflected on his companions’ growth and concluded that he needed to travel and gather resources before he could build a base in Southern Ridge. After bathing and dressing, he left his room to find piano music playing.

• Ian went to sleep after deciding not to explore the Void Realm for now, while Hua An and Isengard settled in for the night.
• The next morning, Ian found Frost Butterfly asleep on his hair and pillow, covered in coffee-scented ice water, and sent her to play while he bathed.
• During his bath, Ian considered how Sha Sha, Frost Butterfly, Azure Tide, Scott, Elan, and Isengard had grown.
• Ian decided that staying in Harrison Port to develop a base would not be enough and that he needed to travel, gain strength, and gather resources first.
• Ian dressed in a new outfit Silverfang had prepared and left his room when he heard someone playing the piano.

Three Sea Beast Kings attacked the Siren, while assassins from the Canaanmore Council, the Azure Heaven Royal Court, and the Spirit Cognition Institute converged on Master Gravi Feiye. An unknown fighter killed the three attackers and knocked Gravi unconscious, leaving the identity and purpose of the rescuer unresolved.

• The Siren sounded an alarm as Captain Alden announced that three Third Energy Level Sea Beast Kings were approaching, and Sheo entered the Void Realm to negotiate with them.
• Spies and assassins realized their separate attempts to create distractions had helped draw the Sea Kings toward the Siren.
• Master Gravi inspected the Silent Silver casket containing the Heavenly Ladder Tree of Life and explained that its life force had attracted the sea beasts.
• A Canaanmore Council assassin attacked Gravi, then an Azure Heaven Royal Court assassin and a Spirit Cognition Institute assassin arrived in the storage compartment.
• An unknown attacker struck down all three assassins with lightning-fast blows and then knocked Master Gravi unconscious with a pale fist.

Ian spent two years training and living quietly with Hilliard and Elan as Harrison Port recovered and prepared for renewed imperial interest. When an imperial inspector was announced, Hilliard remembered his forgotten mission and declared that he was a knight as well as a teacher.

• Harrison Port regained prosperity as trade routes shifted, and Ian trained under Hilliard while joining the Harvest Festival with Elan.
• Ian noticed Hilliard shedding scales, growing visibly older, and avoiding Bishop Lorisen, while Ian hunted a boar and shared its meat with the community.
• Ian and Hilliard helped Elan learn to read, write, and speak, and the three gazed at the dwindling stars in Terra's sky.
• Elder Pude gave Ian a Virtual Origin Seed and began preparing him to learn the Wave-Singer's True Form, while Hilliard confirmed the related potion could suit him.
• Viscount Grant traded salted fish for Alchemical Cannons, and Elder Pude told Ian that an imperial auditor would assess Harrison Port as a logistics hub.
• Hilliard reacted gravely to the news, then later recalled his true mission, sheathed his sword, and declared that he was also a knight.

Ian and Isengard shared a meal with Lady Ellen before Ian headed to the Royal Alchemy Association to take an examination. As Ian considered asking a Fairy about the Lone Mountain Conference, Lady Ellen and a hidden observer speculated that he might be a Chosen One and decided to watch his examination.

• Lady Ellen urged Isengard to eat solid food, thanked Ian for rescuing her son, and asked about Ian’s family and plans.
• Lady Ellen reminded Ian to take the alchemy examination so he could claim his accumulated wages from the Platinum-Iridium Workshop.
• Ian and Isengard joked about Isengard’s first experience chewing food as they rode toward the Alchemy Association.
• Ian wondered whether the Lone Mountain Conference concerned a coming disaster and considered asking Miss Mo Feng about it as a Fairy.
• Lady Ellen and a hidden observer discussed Ian’s unusual soul and undetectable Observational Psionics, suspected he was a Chosen One, and planned to observe his examination.

Ian discovered that Mo Qiu’s room contained preserved human body parts, including recently taken children’s specimens, and learned that Linda had been brought to Baron Layan by mysterious black-robed figures. In Linda’s room, Ian recognized her as a vessel connected to seerhood and set out to find and stop her.

• Ian learned that Mo Qiu’s parents had surrendered him for food before the exiles mutilated him, and that his psionic power affected flesh.
• Ian and Steward Morda entered Mo Qiu’s room and found jars of preserved human organs and limbs, some belonging to recently missing children.
• Ian struggled to contain his anger, while Sister Reflected Light warned him not to damage the wall or harm Steward Morda.
• Steward Morda revealed that black-robed figures had brought Linda to Baron Layan three years earlier, unable to speak or behave like a person.
• Ian found Linda’s note asking who he was and why she could not see him, then concluded that she was a vessel connected to a seer and left to stop her.

Ian and Isengard discussed why the City of Knowledge wanted Isengard and how he could guard against Inaga II’s memories awakening within him. As envoys and scholars gathered for Korizen Quest’s conference, the chapter ended with Ian’s Dragon Body diving toward the continent and the vortex below.

• Isengard contacted Ian, who reasoned that Axel likely wanted the memories and knowledge tied to Inaga II’s Silver Chip rather than to resurrect the emperor through Isengard’s body.
• Ian advised Isengard to attend the City of Knowledge gathering and promised to intervene if the Silver Sky Gate posed a danger; Isengard agreed to meet him there.
• Second Prince Mikael’s Soul Light Body watched Isengard leave the Fairies’ contact point, then returned to the western front as visitors began gathering at the City of Knowledge.
• Elge and Dark speculated that Korizen Quest planned to use the conference to pursue knowledge, reshape humanity’s fate, and gain greater power.
• Romani and Skalai discussed Mahdi, Ian, and the coming assembly, while Romani vowed to witness Korizen’s world-changing undertaking.
• Ian’s Dragon Body departed Dragon Island with new technology and support from Fairyland, diving toward the deepest vortex beneath the continent.

The Light-Embracing Rescue Team rested in the Subspace Labyrinth after two members died under mysterious circumstances, leading Radiant Sword and Redemptive Light to suspect a traitor or mind-altering influence. When an attacker fired a powder-filled bullet at a knight, the powder exposed him as a Flesh Shapeshifter.

• The rescue team recalled how Ireisa vanished and Faf died from poison without anyone noticing either attack.
• Radiant Sword and Redemptive Light agreed through their internal channel that Faf could have been killed only by someone he trusted, while Reflected Light suspected a mysterious subspace beast had beguiled a team member.
• Redemptive Light suddenly warned the team of danger, and the members formed a battle formation as a gunshot rang out.
• An alchemical bullet targeted a human knight, who dodged it in an unnatural posture and was covered in revealing matte powder.
• The knight transformed into a humanoid Flesh Shapeshifter.

Ian questioned Carlos about the First Knight and learned that Carlos had visited Dragon Island and still bore injuries and traces of Void demons. Carlos explained that demons were resentment given power, then described how dreams could create order or unleash chaos.

• Ian asked whether the First Knight had died, and Carlos said Frost Prison Calamity Ash likely had killed him.
• Carlos told Ian that Frost Prison Calamity Ash was an extraordinarily lethal poison and lamented that the Empire had lost the First Knight.
• Carlos asked Ian to inspect him, and Ian detected Void demon traces, lingering injuries, and the auras of several True Dragons.
• Ian guessed that Carlos had visited Dragon Island, and Carlos confirmed that he had met the Dragon King there.
• Carlos revealed his powerful psionic aura and explained that demons were resentment capable of influencing the Void Realm and creating chaos.

Ian exposed a Flesh Shapeshifter inside Nauman City's Governor's Mansion, prompting a citywide psychic investigation that uncovered a hostile psychic's influence over seven key personnel. After discussing the Southern Ridge rebellion with Marquis Barton, Ian was assigned an independent military establishment and the rank of major.

• Ian told Colonel Mayowa that a parasitic Magic Beast was hiding inside the Governor's Mansion and identified the employee Klein as a Flesh Shapeshifter.
• Ian froze and captured the transforming monster, then advised Mayowa to use Nauman City's Psychic High Tower to expose any other infiltrators.
• The citywide investigation found no more Flesh Shapeshifters but revealed seven key personnel whose memories and thoughts had been altered by a powerful psychic.
• Ian explained to Marquis Barton that colonial policies, food shortages, and Blazing Flame Lands agitation had fueled the mountain folk rebellion.
• Marquis Barton offered Ian an independent regiment or battalion, depending on how many troops he could gather, and appointed him a major.

Hilliard examined Ian and explained that his healthy body and intact life Origin Matter made Ascendant training possible, though repairing damaged Origin Matter was difficult and costly. Ian asked to begin training, and Hilliard agreed, believing the boy could endure the arduous path despite his young age.

• Hilliard described the defensive powers of Ascendants and infused Ian with energy while checking his health.
• Hilliard found no mutations or hidden injuries in Ian, but noted that Ian lacked a special bloodline or reinforced bones.
• Hilliard explained how the Calamity of Falling Skies had damaged many people’s life Origin Matter and said Ian could advance to the Third Energy Level.
• Ian asked whether damaged life Origin Matter could be repaired, and Hilliard described costly treatments and rare methods that could restore it.
• Ian asked when he could begin Ascendant training, and Hilliard told him he could start now while warning that training at eight would be especially difficult.
• Hilliard considered Ian’s resolve and believed he could persist, silently recalling the Emperor’s words: “We can always believe.”

Ian removed the Silver Chip from his hand and discovered that it could turn its bearer into a copy of himself, revealing why Inaga II may have refused to share it. He reinstalled it and prepared to attend a banquet before exploring the Xenobiology Research Institute, where he hoped to uncover the truth about Pioneer and the Star Gods.

• Ian unscrewed his right hand and uninstalled the Silver Chip, finding that his sensitivity to Origin Matter and most of his Fairy Bloodline disappeared with it.
• Ian concluded that Pioneer's Silver Chip might have been only the soul-linked portion of the Star God's Gift, while its bodily transformation remained with Pioneer.
• Ian realized that someone absorbing his removed Silver Chip might become an independent copy of him, and that distributing Silver Chips could let him build an army of copies and enslave their bodies.
• Ian praised Inaga II for not using the Silver Chip to turn others into copies of himself and considered the dangers that might await him at the Xenobiology Research Institute.
• Ian reinstalled the Silver Chip after Anfa summoned him, then went with her to join Isengard and Master Gose at the banquet.

Ian realized Anfa was likely connected to the Dragon-Worshiping Cult and that Sister Reflected Light had followed his trail to Layan Territory, where events had accidentally exposed Baron Layan's crimes. After Sheo left to search the mountains for Anfa, Ian considered the hostile pursuer following him and continued toward Twin Tree Town.

• Ian pieced together how Anfa's connection to the Dragon-Worshiping Cult had drawn Sister Reflected Light to Layan Territory and helped bring down Baron Layan.
• Ian suggested Anfa had gone into the mountains while Sheo had come down, prompting Sheo to leave and search for him.
• Sheo warned Ian that another person with hostile intentions was following him, then departed.
• Ian used Frost Butterfly to detect the faint red presence tracking him and concluded a confrontation was inevitable.
• Ian decided to see what opportunity awaited him in Twin Tree Town.

Ian, Isengard, and Master Gose waited for the Crystal Dragon to confront the Brain-Eating Mother Worm, but the dragon that arrived proved to be a powerful mutant with a psychic field and immense Origin Matter. The two colossal creatures clashed near the rift, leaving Ian stunned by the dragon’s true form.

• Ian and his companions waited across the rift, planning to exploit the battle between the Crystal Dragon and the Brain-Eating Mother Worm.
• The Crystal Dragon arrived, and the Mother Worm transformed into a radiant combat form as both creatures released powerful energy and psychic shocks.
• Master Gose recognized that the dragon’s unusual psychic field made it dangerous and ordered Ian and Isengard to retreat.
• The Brain-Eating Mother Worm shielded the parasitic beasts and urged them to drag the dragon egg toward the Brood as the Crystal Dragon charged.
• The Crystal Dragon and the Mother Worm collided, shaking the rift and revealing the dragon’s strange, transparent form.
• Ian felt his Ancient Dragon Core throb and identified the creature as an Aether Crystal Dragon.

Ian led an assault on Layan City in the Cyclops armor, destroying Martin Xuanfeng’s defenses and killing him after defeating the mountain folk leaders. With the rebellion crushed, Ian ordered his forces to purge the city of its remaining enemies.

• Martin Xuanfeng addressed Layan City’s residents, urging mountain folk rule while worrying that three patrol squads had gone silent.
• Ian charged into the city in the Cyclops, smashed through the defenses, and used the Prism Cannon and ice chains to defeat Kari Shankou and kill Xisang Jiangu.
• Ian’s White Folk soldiers destroyed the mountain folk artillery with Charged Rifles, allowing the Cyclops to advance toward Martin.
• Martin tried to negotiate and rally the residents, but Ian’s soldiers and the Cyclops overwhelmed his defenses, and Ian killed him with a full-power Prometheus Prism blast.
• Ian ordered the purge of the remaining rebels and Xuanfeng Tribe members, who were killed as they fled Layan City.

Ian captured a Giant Clam Magic Beast after testing the limits of his defenses, then encountered an Ironclad Shark that seemed unusually friendly toward him. He suspected its affinity came from Sand Armor Apprentice as it followed him through the deep sea.

• Ian blocked the Giant Clam’s water-bullet barrage and dodged its stronger water blade, learning that his defenses could withstand its attacks.
• Ian subdued the Giant Clam and pulled it from the seafloor to take back as research material for his Wave-Singer’s True Form.
• Ian spotted an Ironclad Shark charging toward him, redirected its attack without detecting any hostility, and watched it return calmly.
• Ian spoke to the shark, which obeyed his instructions, and realized it might feel close to him because of Sand Armor Apprentice.

Ian received the Skycoil armor and Steel-Pattern Sword from Marquis Barton’s armory and accepted a sealed box of appointment letters to deliver to the Imperial Capital, suspecting it was bait for a mole. After spotting Magnetic Light Knight Chris at the Governor’s Mansion, Ian recognized the scent of his Origin Matter and identified him as the mole.

• Ian examined and chose Skycoil armor, whose gale inscriptions let him reduce its weight, store cold, and hover through its vents.
• Ian selected the Steel-Pattern Sword as his sidearm and officially received both pieces of equipment.
• Knight Sharp Bone gave Ian Marquis Barton’s sealed box of appointment letters for delivery to the Imperial Capital.
• Ian suspected the ordinary letters concealed a message intended to lure out a mole and wondered whether to kill or capture the target.
• Ian encountered Magnetic Light Knight Chris in the rain, recognized the scent of his electromagnetism- and metal-based Origin Matter, and concluded that he had found the mole.