Chapter Summaries

After testing the power of his metamagic, Zhao Xu performed a Dream Ritual on Earth to reach Zheng Xinyun, using the full moon and ritual materials to send himself into sleep. The ritual appeared to succeed, and a mysterious signal briefly reached a man's shortwave radio.

• Zhao Xu calculated that his boosted Lesser Acid Orb had dealt 80 damage and considered the greater damage he could inflict with stronger Orb spells.
• Zhao Xu returned to his room, contacted Ludo through the Legendary Library, and found the Dream Ritual before logging off.
• Back on Earth, Zhao Xu prepared ritual materials and began the Dream Ritual on his moonlit balcony to reach Zheng Xinyun.
• Zhao Xu completed the ritual, melted his gold pendant over the candle, and fell asleep as the candle burned away.
• A sleepless man heard a strong beeping signal on his shortwave radio, which vanished before he could record it.
• The radio produced a faint sound that seemed to call someone's name.

Zheng Xinyun realized that a dream about a god had foretold real news and began praying to Zhao Xu, who sensed her devotion and planned to build a hidden sect. He posted a guide to race transformation, but players misunderstood it as an exploit for changing races and missed its most important implication.

• Zheng Xinyun saw that the plane-wreckage news matched what the god in her dream had told her, then knelt and recited a prayer to the Lord above the heavenly kingdom.
• Zhao Xu sensed Zheng Xinyun's prayer and decided to raise her levels before guiding her to found a secret sect sheltered by Lux.
• Zhao Xu edited a post about race transformation, explaining methods including Wish Spells, rituals, Reincarnation Spell, and Final Breath.
• Players misread Dongcheng Ling's post as a way to transform into other races and debated its methods on the forum.
• Zhao Xu watched the replies and realized that players had missed the crucial point of his post.

Zhao Xu oversaw the start of the Mage Association headquarters construction in Starfall Town, recruiting Rota to lead the work and working with designer Sanders. When the crew found an enormous, unbreakable boulder blocking the site, Zhao Xu stepped in and cast Stone Softening.

• Zhao Xu promised Rota a magic-apprentice recommendation if he helped build the headquarters, and Rota brought his elite crew to Starfall Town.
• Sanders arrived to oversee the design, while Wang Ningwei studied the blueprints and asked him questions about the central tower.
• Zhao Xu explained that magical buildings required the Arcane Geometry Feat and offered Wang Ningwei a book about it.
• Rota reported that demolition should finish in about three days and that an enchantment team could be called once the framework was built.
• A worker reported that the crew could not damage a massive natural boulder hidden beneath an artificial rockery, and Rota proposed using stronger explosives.
• Zhao Xu stopped the crew from blasting the boulder, touched it, and cast Stone Softening.

Zhao Xu freed three gargoyles from a boulder at the construction site and defeated them as they attacked and fled. He left the players stunned after rescuing Zhang Qi and smashing the last gargoyle into pieces.

• Zhao Xu softened a massive boulder with Stone Softening and accidentally freed three imprisoned gargoyles.
• The gargoyles attacked Zhao Xu, but he crushed the first with a staff and immobilized the second with Lesser Chill Touch.
• Zhao Xu flew after the last gargoyle as it fled toward Zhang Qi and a group of players.
• Zhao Xu used Misty Step to intercept the gargoyle, caught it by the wrist, and smashed it into the ground.
• Zhang Qi asked Zhao Xu how many points of Strength he had, while the players stared in shock.

Zhao Xu revealed that his Strength was 43, then invited Zhang Qi, Cui Lu, and the others to Deep Blue Song to build ties with trusted local players. As he began questioning them about local conditions, an angry player outside challenged him to a fight.

• Zhao Xu told Zhang Qi and the others that his Strength was 43, greater than that of an Ancient Dragon.
• Zhao Xu invited Zhang Qi, Feng Ge, Fang Xiyue, Cui Lu, and the others to rest at Deep Blue Song, and they accepted.
• Zhao Xu considered how to establish his authority in Starfall Town and recruit trustworthy subordinates amid the town officials' scrutiny.
• At Deep Blue Song, Cui Lu asked why Zhao Xu had invited them, and he said he wanted to learn about local Arthur players.
• An enraged player shouted from outside, challenging Zhao Xu to come out and fight.

Zhao Xu accepted a public challenge from the Rogue player Zhuikong despite his companions’ warnings about repeated challengers and depleted Spell Slots. As Zhuikong charged, Zhao Xu prepared to use Soul Bind with a bone staff.

• Cui Lu, Zhang Qi, and Fang Xiyue warned Zhao Xu that accepting the challenge could invite more challengers and exhaust his Spell Slots.
• Zhao Xu went down to the fountain plaza and agreed to Zhuikong’s challenge, declaring that they could all attack him together.
• Zhuikong demanded Zhao Xu’s method for leveling quickly if he won, then began the fight with a sudden charge.
• Zhao Xu drew a staff made from finger bones and cast Soul Bind.

Zhao Xu used the Legendary Necromancy Staff to kill Zhuikong and bind his soul, then faced a Rogue-led mob in the fountain square. He left the attackers unconscious with Mass Suffocation as the crowd watched in terror.

• Zhao Xu secretly killed Zhuikong with an empowered Vampiric Touch and imprisoned his soul with Soul Bind.
• When Zhuikong's companions demanded revenge, Zhao Xu reminded them that each challenger had accepted the risk of death.
• The Rogue leader ordered his group and other players to attack Zhao Xu, while Zhang Qi tried to rally classmates to stop them.
• Zhao Xu cast Greater Mirror Image and Blink, making the attackers struggle to land hits as his images regenerated.
• Zhao Xu cast Empowered Mass Suffocation, dealing nonlethal damage that knocked all the attackers unconscious.

After Zhao Xu dealt with the players who attacked him, he investigated a mysterious stone tablet found at the construction site. With Lux’s help, he deciphered its cipher and uncovered a prophecy about meteor rain, a breached barrier, and a savior from Earth.

• Rumors spread through Starfall Town that Zhao Xu had imprisoned an attacker’s soul, destroying the player’s account.
• Construction workers recovered a mysterious stone tablet from the boulder Zhao Xu had melted open and set it aside for him.
• Wang Ningwei and Zhao Xu failed to identify the tablet’s tadpole-like symbols using magic or knowledge checks.
• Lux recognized the symbols as a cipher, and Zhao Xu copied the inscription before using a gargoyle pattern to decode it.
• Zhao Xu and Wang Ningwei discovered that the tablet contained one of the Seven Great Prophecies, foretelling fiery meteors, a pierced crystal wall, and a new savior from Earth.

Zhao Xu and Wang Ningwei considered the prophecy’s implications and the Mysterious Stone Tablet, then secured their temporary room and its valuable documents with layered magical traps. By the time Zhao Xu finished, the room had become the most dangerous place around Winter City.

• Wang Ningwei warned Zhao Xu to protect the Mysterious Stone Tablet because it might be part of the prophecy, and they agreed to decipher the remaining script over time.
• Wang Ningwei pointed out that everyone had seen the tablet moved into the prefab house, so Zhao Xu decided to protect the room and its stored blueprints.
• Zhao Xu sealed the cabinet’s inner door with Seal Emblem, creating a trap that could deal up to 80 damage if anyone opened it without his permission.
• Zhao Xu placed a Serpent Sigil on a warning note inside the cabinet, which could trap anyone who read it in amber for days or weeks.
• Zhao Xu continued casting spells around the temporary room while Wang Ningwei watched, leaving it as the most dangerous place near Winter City.

Zhao Xu, disguised in Starfall Town, discovered a group selling fake potions and challenged them after they staged a scam to make him look dishonest. He exposed their trick and demanded an explanation from the sellers and the patrolman involved.

• Zhao Xu quietly left his tower in disguise and explored the bustling market in Starfall Town.
• Zhao Xu identified several supposedly ancient potions as ineffective and used Mind Reading to confirm that the vendor was deliberately selling fakes.
• Zhao Xu accused the old man of selling fake potions, but the old man and his accomplices staged a trick that made a patrolman believe a fake Bull's Strength potion worked.
• Zhao Xu paid 300 gold coins for the potion, then claimed he had transformed it into an explosive and dropped it, startling the crowd when it did not explode.
• Zhao Xu confronted the old man and the patrolman, demanding an explanation for their attempted scam.

Zhao Xu exposed a potion swindler in Starfall Town, but the patrol captain sided with the scammers and tried to arrest him. After Zhao Xu revealed his authority over the town, Sheriff Ketch recognized him as his lord.

• The old swindler and his accomplices tried to threaten Zhao Xu and flee, but Zhao Xu bent a dagger with Force Armor and broke one attacker’s arm.
• Patrol Captain Jeff arrived, accepted an embellished account from his subordinate, and tried to dismiss Zhao Xu’s fraud complaint despite the three-hundred-gold-piece voucher.
• Zhao Xu insisted the patrol follow proper procedures, but Jeff ordered his men to arrest him and attack if he resisted.
• Zhao Xu ignited Jeff’s signal flare with a ray and avoided the patrolmen’s attacks while reinforcements rushed to the scene.
• Sheriff Ketch dismounted, bowed to Zhao Xu, and greeted him as his lord.

Zhao Xu asserted control over Starfall Town by moving to replace Sheriff Keqi and the town’s enforcement force, then restrained Keqi’s armed followers with Black Tentacles. After a white dragon bowed to him, Zhao Xu met the elderly Itel Matthews, who revealed that he was the founding monarch of the Itel Dynasty.

• Zhao Xu announced that he would convene a town joint meeting to reconsider Keqi’s position as sheriff, prompting Keqi to offer his resignation.
• Keqi’s loyal followers drew their weapons in protest, and Zhao Xu realized he intended to replace the entire enforcement force.
• Zhao Xu cast Black Tentacles, seizing and suspending the officers and Keqi’s followers as he ordered Keqi to notify the town’s management about the meeting.
• A white dragon descended amid its fear effect and bowed humbly to Zhao Xu.
• Zhao Xu returned to his cabin, where Antinoa and an elderly man were waiting; the man identified himself as Itel Matthews, the founding monarch of the Itel Dynasty.

Zhao Xu learned that Matthews was the long-lived founder of the Itel Dynasty, whose aging came from a divine curse imposed on future kings after Ernest restrained the gods. Antinoa revealed she planned to enter the Nine Hells with the divine artifact Pale Justice to question a soul that had become a devil about whether her birth had been designed.

• Matthews explained that the gods had cursed future rulers to age and told Zhao Xu how Ernest ended the gods’ brutal domination of Arthur.
• Matthews praised Zhao Xu’s rapid progress and asked him to persuade Antinoa not to travel to the Nine Hells.
• Antinoa insisted she would go to the Nine Hells, despite Matthews warning that Asmodeus was beyond their understanding.
• Matthews revealed that Antinoa had taken Pale Justice from the vault, an artifact capable of piercing conceptual defenses.
• Antinoa said she wanted to ask a devilish soul whether her birth had been designed from the start.

After a Chimera attack left Officer Luqi and several militiamen missing, Zhao Xu took charge of the response and promised to find them. He set out to search for the Chimera nest, believing the monsters had carried the militiamen there alive as food.

• Zhao Xu continued studying magic after reorganizing Starfall Town's security force under his command.
• A city-breach alarm summoned Zhao Xu to the gate, where a surviving militia youth reported that Chimeras had attacked the group and carried off his companions.
• Zhao Xu used Calm Emotions to quiet the gathered officials and families, then learned that Luqi and several instructors had been knocked unconscious and were missing.
• Zhao Xu ordered Kaqi to search for other survivors and concluded that the Chimeras had taken the missing militiamen to their nest alive.
• Zhao Xu mounted his Phantom Steed and promised the families he would personally search for the nest and bring the militiamen back.

Zhao Xu offered a valuable ability manual to whoever found the Chimera nest, then secretly flew to its location himself. Zheng Xinyun arrived by chance and identified the nest, and Zhao Xu prepared to protect her before they entered.

• Zhao Xu announced a reward for the first player to locate the Chimera nest, prompting players from nearby towns to head for Starfall Town.
• Zhao Xu and Cerus flew to a cluster of caves, where Cerus noticed Zheng Xinyun hiding nearby.
• Zheng Xinyun explained that a believer had called to her, and she pointed out the cave she suspected was the nest.
• Zhao Xu awarded Zheng Xinyun the right to choose a +5 ability manual, which she initially refused because the nest had not been verified.
• Zhao Xu used Arcane Eye to scout the cave and confirmed the hostages were safe for now.
• Zhao Xu decided to cast protective spells on Zheng Xinyun before they entered the nest.

Zhao Xu protected Zheng Xinyun with several spells before they entered a cave and defeated a Chimera with Lesser Chill Touch. After the townspeople saw undead Chimeras carrying the missing militiamen back to Starfall Town, Matthews offered Zhao Xu the secret art of War Magic.

• Zhao Xu cast Stoneskin and several other protective spells on Zheng Xinyun before entering the cave with her and Cerus.
• Inside the cave, Zhao Xu described Chimeras to Zheng Xinyun and incapacitated one that ambushed them with Lesser Chill Touch.
• Cerus called Zhao Xu's method a cheat-code and struck the helpless Chimera.
• That evening, players in Starfall Town saw skeletal undead Chimeras carrying the missing militiamen back beneath the setting sun.
• Matthews appeared in Zhao Xu's room and offered to teach him the secret art of War Magic.

Old Matthews offered Zhao Xu access to War Magic in exchange for a promise, and Zhao Xu agreed despite his wariness about oaths. Matthews then revealed that Antinoa had hesitated to involve him in the world’s conflict and urged him not to blame her when the time came.

• Zhao Xu questioned Matthews about the price of learning War Magic after hearing how its large-scale spells could support humanity.
• Matthews explained that War Magic required the Study War Spell Feat and described its powerful effects, casting limitations, and costly materials.
• Zhao Xu agreed to promise that he would not give up and would retain an innocent heart.
• Matthews told Zhao Xu that Antinoa had hesitated to involve him in the conflict before he arrived in Mystra, and asked him not to blame her when necessity came.

After building his authority and cultivating his followers, Zhao Xu spent two months at Level 8 while players worried that he had lost his drive. As he relaxed on Falling Star Lake with Zheng Xinyun, a tour group recognized him and mocked him as the lost top player.

• Zhao Xu posted decrees rewarding Priest Yun'er for finding the Chimera nest and paying adventurers for reports of other unregistered nests.
• Players advanced toward Level 8, while Zhao Xu remained Level 8 and spent his time overseeing construction, visiting the lake and mining district, and occasionally hunting monsters.
• Zhao Xu explained to Zheng Xinyun that gods relied on valuable followers, while she credited her rapid rise to Level 3 to her preaching.
• Zheng Xinyun questioned Zhao Xu's purchase of a costly three-masted ship, and he described its capabilities while hiding his plans to use it for transport and supplies.
• A Spring Outing Group of armed adventurers and tourists spotted Zhao Xu and Zheng Xinyun on the lake, and one man called Zhao Xu the lost top player.

Zhao Xu unexpectedly reached Level 9 as a pillar of divine light appeared over Falling Star Lake, prompting believers and clergy across the Northern Lands to pray. Goddess of Magic Sislvina descended, spoke with Zhao Xu and Zheng Xinyun, and asked Zhao Xu whether he still wanted to level up.

• A bard identified Midsummer as Zhao Xu and warned the tour group that he held great authority in Starfall Town.
• A huge pillar of light surrounded Zhao Xu at the center of Falling Star Lake, and he realized he had reached Level 9.
• Believers, guards, and Clerics across the Northern Lands and Mystra knelt and prayed as church bells rang without wind.
• Goddess of Magic Sislvina appeared before Zhao Xu and Zheng Xinyun, offered Zheng Xinyun a senior church position and Level 15 Cleric power, and heard her refuse.
• Sislvina asked Zhao Xu how Level 9 felt and whether he still wanted to level up.

Zhao Xu learned that Goddess Sislvina had come to sponsor and personally assess him for the Spell Guard, the Advanced Profession he had chosen. When she offered several dangerous trials, he chose to travel through time and meet her former self, and Sislvina declared that he had passed before transporting him and Zheng Xinyun to her Divine Kingdom.

• Zheng Xinyun realized that Zhao Xu had reached ninth level while reading Mystra's Spell Guard: A Secret History, A Song of Blood and Fire.
• Sislvina revealed that she had founded the Spell Guard and offered to sponsor Zhao Xu and assess him herself.
• Zhao Xu confirmed that he was the current generation's Secret Keeper of Final Scroll, as Sislvina was its Secret Keeper.
• Sislvina proposed several possible assessments, including hunting godspawn, repairing Arthur's boundary line, and stopping a plague.
• Zhao Xu chose to travel through time and meet Sislvina's former self, so she declared him passed and brought him and Zheng Xinyun to her Divine Kingdom.