Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xu bought a magic tome for its reusable paper and entered the Black Market for Magic Items with Vivian. After Vivian received Lady May’s warning that the sealed Divine Breath would fall from the sky at dawn, Zhao Xu resolved to pursue it.

• Zhao Xu bargained the old man down to eighty gold coins for a magic tome whose paper could be reused as an incomplete Spellbook.
• The old man recorded Zhao Xu and Vivian’s transaction and planned to resell the tome as used goods.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian met their guide Salaqi at midnight and followed him through a warehouse hatch into an underground Black Market.
• Salaqi explained that the market’s claimed Magic Items had been checked for Magic Aura as he led them through the underground passage.
• Vivian received an oracle from Lady May warning that an Evil ritual would bring the sealed Divine Breath down from the sky shortly after dawn.
• Zhao Xu connected the coming event to an Evil ritual he had previously destroyed and resolved to seek Divine Breath.

Zhao Xu revealed his Mage Emblem and Mithril Shine badge to secure a credit check at the underground magic-item market, hoping to obtain funds before heading to a major crash site. Salaqi then told him he also had a Starfall Town Mining Association revenue-sharing account containing one hundred thousand gold coins.

• Salaqi offered to check Zhao Xu's guaranteed credit limit if he proved he was a Wizard.
• After receiving Lady May's warning about a critical event, Zhao Xu showed his Mage Emblem and Mithril Shine badge.
• Salaqi returned with an unusually deferential attitude and addressed Zhao Xu as Midsummer Mage.
• Salaqi revealed that Zhao Xu had a mining revenue-sharing account in the Northern Alliance.
• Salaqi gave Zhao Xu an account statement showing one hundred thousand gold coins deposited over the past two months.

Zhao Xu used his mithral mine shares to secure a six-hundred-thousand-gold-coin interest-free loan and entered the Black Market’s VIP hall to browse Magic Items. He recognized that the hall’s monk guard had taken the Vow of Poverty and received a catalog listing the items available for purchase.

• Zhao Xu learned that his mithral mine generated fifty thousand gold coins a month and asked how much he could borrow against it.
• Salaqi offered Zhao Xu a six-hundred-thousand-gold-coin loan secured by his mine shares, with monthly repayments and a one-year term.
• Zhao Xu accepted the credit limit and asked Salaqi to take him to the VIP section rather than mortgage the mine for a larger loan.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian entered a dark hall watched by several people and a tattooed Monk, whom Zhao Xu identified as a follower of the Vow of Poverty.
• Salaqi handed Zhao Xu a catalog listing the hall’s Magic Items, including damaged Legendary Items that were not kept there.

Zhao Xu examined a Bead Necklace in the Black Market and realized its beads could greatly enhance his spellcasting and travel abilities. After the Black Market abruptly halved its price, he agreed to buy it and settle the account later.

• Zhao Xu cast Arcane Sight and selected a Bead Necklace for closer examination.
• The Black Market duty manager and an elderly wizard recognized Zhao Xu's Artificer's Goggles and decided to offer him the necklace at cost.
• Zhao Xu identified the necklace's four beads and calculated that they were worth 43,000 gold pieces together.
• Zhao Xu considered how the two Mana Beads and Wind-Walking Bead would improve his spellcasting and travel, while the Summoning Bead could call on his deity.
• Salaqi first quoted 86,000 gold pieces, then cut the price to 43,000 after receiving the elderly wizard's instruction, and Zhao Xu agreed to buy it.

Zhao Xu spent the night at the Black Market buying powerful magic items and scrolls to prepare for the disaster he expected the next day. After he and Vivian returned to the inn and waited for the change, a blazing meteor began falling toward the earth.

• Zhao Xu bought a Wind-Walking Bead necklace at the standard price after Salaqi explained the discount.
• Zhao Xu purchased a greater Storage Ring, Forging Gloves, and a Passage Staff, then bought magic scrolls in large quantities.
• Zhao Xu completed his purchases and loan transactions, emptying his account and committing future monthly payments.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian returned to their inn room, where Zhao Xu sorted his scrolls and Vivian polished her Holy Avenger.
• A massive flaming meteor descended toward the earth, turning the distant sky crimson.

A meteor devastated the hills north of Town Domain City, obliterating a prosperous town and killing players and creatures across a vast area. Zhao Xu and Vivian used Wind Walk to reach the smoking crater first and prepared to descend into the still-burning impact site.

• A Fighter practicing sword strikes saw a meteor with a black head and blazing crimson tail approach, then died in the explosion.
• The blast and its shock waves erased the town at the impact point and killed or injured people and creatures across the surrounding region.
• Zhao Xu watched the destruction from Town Domain City, then told Vivian they should set out as the city’s residents came outside to investigate.
• Zhao Xu activated a Wind-Walking Bead, and he and Vivian flew toward the impact site in cloudlike forms.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian reached the crater, identified it as the site of a destroyed town, and prepared to descend as other teams hurried toward the scorched land.

Forum rumors about a Wizard’s melee power spread through Town Domain City, while Zhao Xu and Vivian descended into the meteor crater to investigate the Divine Breath structure. The structure pulled them into a force-plane maze, where Zhao Xu resolved to find a way out.

• Beiguo’s posts about a Wizard killing Giant Mutant Scorpions gained attention after reports linked the tale to the slaughter of an Alliance official’s descendant and other monster kills.
• Players speculated that melee combat was the future of Mages until a post about someone being vaporized by a meteor ended the discussion.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian flew through the smoke toward the Divine Breath structure, relying on their fire resistance to endure the crater’s heat.
• Vivian found a small opening, and Zhao Xu’s spoon touching the door triggered a force that dragged him and Vivian inside.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian found themselves trapped in a hexahedral force-plane space; Zhao Xu identified it as more than an ordinary Maze Spell and decided they would break out.

Wang Ningwei joined the Final Scroll and learned that its members could become candidates for the God of Magic. President Oss also approved her advancement to Archmage, while warning her to keep the order’s ultimate secret from Midsummer.

• President Oss invited Wang Ningwei to join the Final Scroll, and she accepted.
• Oss gave Wang Ningwei a tome of his leadership experiences and explained that her leadership ability had helped bring her to her position.
• Oss used Jacques to reveal that Legendary Mage members could read the Final Scroll and potentially become the God of Magic if Sisylvina fell.
• Oss warned Wang Ningwei not to tell Midsummer the order’s final secret, and she agreed.
• Oss asked why Wang Ningwei had rejected the Scroll Scholar profession, and she said its background seemed unsuitable for her.
• Oss approved Wang Ningwei’s advancement to Archmage and cautioned her to use her abilities rationally.

Zhao Xu and Vivian escaped a maze-like force enclosure and discovered a mysterious trial plaza called the Palace of Aizhu. Zhao Xu used divination to identify a door likely to lead to a key, leaving them ready to enter it.

• Zhao Xu solved the maze test after Vivian shrank and rode in his pocket, causing the force walls to collapse.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian found a stele with six keyholes and twelve doors, and Zhao Xu recalled that the building might contain trials to obtain Divine Breath.
• Vivian found the name "Palace of Aizhu" on the stele, and her Greater Teleportation revealed nothingness beyond the plaza.
• Zhao Xu asked Vivian to scan for evil and cast divination on two doors; the tree-carved door foretold misfortune, while the door with a coffin relief foretold fortune.

Zhao Xu and Vivian entered an auspicious stone door, which rotated to reveal a cliffside passage over boiling lava. After a summoned owl was struck down by a Lightning Bolt for flying, they crossed the narrow bridge on foot and encountered a Clay Golem.

• Zhao Xu stepped on a dark bluish-green slab, triggering the stone door to rotate and carry him and Vivian inside.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian found a narrow, railing-less bridge above boiling lava and considered how to cross.
• Zhao Xu summoned a Celestial Owl to test the route through the air, but a Lightning Bolt killed it and revealed that flying was forbidden.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian proceeded across the bridge on foot, watching for danger as the far side remained out of sight.
• Vivian spun around to shield Zhao Xu as a Large Clay Golem raised its arm to strike him.

Zhao Xu defeated a Clay Golem on the bridge after it badly wounded Vivian, then collected its core. Meanwhile, a forum leak revealed that Dongcheng Ling's IP address came from a university, leaving Zhang Qi stunned by the possibility that the legendary player was his classmate.

• The Clay Golem used its Haste ability to strike Vivian through her defenses, and Zhao Xu caught her before she could fall into the magma.
• Zhao Xu assessed the golem's defenses, enhanced his staff and attacks, and charged into close combat.
• Zhao Xu used Ghost Strike to nullify the golem's natural armor, landed a second blow, and picked up its core.
• Players discussed a massive explosion near a Northern Alliance city as rumors spread about rare mineral crystals at the impact site.
• Zhang Qi saw a hot forum post claiming Dongcheng Ling's IP address range came from a university and wondered if the legendary master was his classmate.

As players and refugees converged on the blast zone, Zhao Xu healed Vivian and discovered that runes inside a Clay Golem matched those on his Brass Treasure Chest. A divine announcement then revealed the Palace of Aizhu’s closure and Divine Breath activation would occur in six hours, with Zhao Xu and Vivian listed as its only entrants.

• Players across the region discussed Dongcheng Ling’s identity and companies sent her increasingly valuable contract offers.
• A player party treated injured refugees, then fought Lizardfolk who tried to interrogate the village chief.
• Zhao Xu healed Vivian after the Clay Golem’s attack and suspected the golems had been enhanced.
• Zhao Xu found runes in the Clay Golem similar to those on his Brass Treasure Chest, and the runes flowed into a second chest.
• An announcement named the Palace of Aizhu’s six-hour closure countdown and Divine Breath activation, listing Wizard Midsummer and Paladin Vivian as the two entrants.

After the Palace of Aizhu announced that Midsummer had entered the high-grade divine artifact, an Anti-magic Field trapped adventurers within fifty kilometers and gave Zhao Xu a six-hour head start. Zhao Xu and Vivian fought their way across a stone bridge, but an enhanced Iron Golem blocked their path and another sword appeared behind Zhao Xu.

• The Palace of Aizhu announced that Midsummer and another person had entered the center, then imposed a six-hour Anti-magic Field across the fifty-kilometer area.
• Adventurers realized that the field suppressed magic and would make reaching the center on foot nearly impossible, while a group of players discussed Midsummer and the danger of trying to take the divine artifact from him.
• Zhao Xu realized his identity had been exposed but continued with Vivian, smashing waves of Clay Golems and discovering that defeating them no longer added runes to the Brass Treasure Chest.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian reached a hazy exit on the stone bridge, where an Iron Golem attacked them with poisonous breath.
• Zhao Xu blocked the breath with Aegis of the Wing and charged, but a deflection force turned aside his and Vivian's attacks; as Vivian asked for orders, another iron sword pressed against Zhao Xu's back.

Zhao Xu and Vivian survived an ambush by four Iron Golems by using Sanctuary and healing, but a much larger force appeared as the golems prepared their poisonous breath attacks. Zhao Xu cast Energy Protection to guard against their Constitution damage.

• An Iron Golem wounded Zhao Xu with a magic greatsword, and three more joined the attack.
• Zhao Xu used a quickened Sanctuary on himself and another Sanctuary on Vivian, stopping the golems from attacking them.
• Vivian healed Zhao Xu with her Holy Light, restoring the hit points he had lost.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian realized Sanctuary would not protect them from the Iron Golems' poisonous breath attacks.
• More than a dozen Iron Golems charged across the bridge, and Zhao Xu cast Energy Protection to prevent attribute damage.

The Palace of Aizhu crashed into Twilight Forest, drawing adventurers toward Divine Breath while its Anti-magic Field blocked their approach. In Mystra, Antinoa confronted May over the landing, then accepted a notebook to deliver to Midsummer as she planned to enter the palace and retrieve him.

• Adventurers and players rushed toward the blast zone to claim the High-grade Divine Artifact, while the Northern Alliance cavalry’s horses fled from the Anti-magic Field.
• Antinoa confronted May in Mystra, accusing her of helping bring the Palace of Aizhu down despite the danger of releasing Divine Breath.
• May explained that disturbed Brass Treasure Chests had thrown the palace’s spell out of balance and argued that Divine Breath’s arrival might help save the world.
• May said the palace would absorb energy from the earth and rise again if nobody retrieved Divine Breath, and asked Antinoa to rescue Midsummer before that happened.
• May gave Antinoa a black notebook for Midsummer, hoping he would read it and advance to level seven.

Antinoa explained that she had prepared safeguards for Midsummer and questioned May about what she knew, while Zhao Xu faced an advancing army of golems on a bridge above lava. Zhao Xu destroyed the bridge to survive, opened the portal’s four golem seals, and watched the Brass Treasure Chest transform after absorbing golden runes.

• Antinoa told May that Midsummer’s planned abilities and a Death Contract would protect him, then asked May to reveal information she had kept hidden.
• Zhao Xu used Energy Protection and fled across the bridge with Vivian as waves of golems pursued them.
• Zhao Xu discovered that the portal required all four kinds of golem to be defeated and used Shatter Ground to collapse the bridge beneath the pursuing army.
• Zhao Xu clung to the portal frame with Gecko Climb as the golems fell into the lava, causing the four portal symbols to light up.
• Golden runes burst from the lava and filled the Brass Treasure Chest’s patterns, making the chest shine and change shape.

Zhao Xu transformed half of the Brass Treasure Chest into a Mithril Golem Statue and entered another fog-covered Astral Plane with Vivian. Safe Guidance led them toward a safe location, where they encountered a Legendary Adamantine Golem.

• Half of the Brass Treasure Chest transformed into a Mithril Golem Statue, and Zhao Xu used Levitate to keep it from falling into the lava.
• Zhao Xu identified the statue, learned its activation command, and discovered it could transform into a Challenge Rating 21 Mithril Golem.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian passed through the portal into another Astral Plane, where Zhao Xu activated the Mithril Golem and ordered it to defend them.
• Zhao Xu cast Safe Guidance and followed the route it revealed through the fog.
• After about half an hour, the Mithril Golem stopped before a Legendary Adamantine Golem.

Zhao Xu and Vivian faced a Legendary Adamantine Golem, which overwhelmed their Mithril Golem in a direct fight. Zhao Xu used Lesser Chill Touch to drain the Adamantine Golem’s Dexterity and knock it down, then began attacking it himself as the fog returned.

• Zhao Xu recognized the Adamantine Golem’s immense strength and warned Vivian that its attacks could kill them outright.
• Zhao Xu and Vivian watched their Mithril Golem fight the Adamantine Golem and saw that enhanced Damage Reduction was turning the battle against it.
• Zhao Xu used Ghost Hand to deliver an empowered, twinned Lesser Chill Touch, dealing twelve Dexterity damage and leaving the Adamantine Golem helpless.
• Zhao Xu had the Mithril Golem attack the fallen Adamantine Golem and struck it with his +2 Intrepid Staff of Power, but Damage Reduction reduced his damage to zero.

Zhao Xu defeated the Adamantine Golem by enchanting the Mithril Golem’s sword, acquired both Legendary Golems, and activated a hidden pressure plate that revealed the teleportation gate. Elsewhere, adventurers converged on the Palace of Aizhu, but a broadcast announced that Midsummer and Vivian had already lifted its first seal.

• Zhao Xu used Self-Enhancement Weapon to make the Mithril Golem’s greatsword an Adamantine Weapon, allowing it to dismantle the Adamantine Golem.
• Zhao Xu captured the Adamantine Golem’s runes with his Brass Orb, then merged the Adamantine Golem and Mithril Golem statues.
• Vivian found and stepped on a concealed pressure plate, clearing the poisonous fog and revealing a teleportation gate with a marked key.
• Crimson Squad encountered the battered Iron Hand Brotherhood near the crater, and the two groups prepared to fight over supplies.
• Adventurers spotted a man climbing toward the Palace of Aizhu’s entrance, but a broadcast named Midsummer and Vivian as the ones who had lifted the first seal, causing the climber to fall into the magma.

Archbishop Sosi received the archdiocese’s order to keep the church out of the Palace of Aizhu, while Zhao Xu explained the palace’s parallel halls and shared trials to Nan Xiao Wei. The chapter ended with Zhao Xu revealing that he was the player Wizard Midsummer.

• Archbishop Sosi read the archdiocese’s instructions and told the church officials to hold position and take no action.
• Zhao Xu returned to lunch and reflected on the first seal, the twenty-four-hour limit between doors, and the public livestream of the palace.
• Nan Xiao Wei asked Zhao Xu about the forum reports, and he explained that each team entered a separate hall but teams choosing the same trial door could meet.
• Zhao Xu warned Nan Xiao Wei that the palace trials were deadly and promised to visit her town later with a piece of equipment.
• Nan Xiao Wei asked Zhao Xu for his game name, and he revealed that he was Midsummer.