Chapter Summaries

An Yang read Boer’s guide to becoming a mage and learned how spell control arrays worked and why initiates needed them. He realized he might already be capable of building one, but the chapter left him considering the requirements and challenges of doing so.

• The students settled into rooms aboard the Silent Tower’s ship, with An Yang and Boer taking two of the top-level rooms.
• An Yang read the book Boer had lent him while the ship sailed through a violent storm.
• An Yang learned that mages used spell control arrays to manage energy, strengthen spells, and provide abilities such as evolution, augmentation, attached effects, and fixation.
• An Yang learned that initiates often struggled to become mages because of physical and spiritual limits, and that activating an array usually required help from an organization or a powerful mage.
• An Yang concluded that spell control arrays were understandable and that he might already be able to establish one.

An Yang delayed choosing a spell-control array and spent a day learning about the mystic path and the Silent Tower from Natalie. After reaching the Silent Tower, he completed registration and tested at the very peak of First-class talent, leaving him to await further arrangements.

• An Yang decided not to establish a spell-control array yet because he lacked knowledge, had only two Tier 1 spells, and had not chosen a defensive spell.
• An Yang questioned Natalie about becoming a mystic and life at the Silent Tower, and she patiently explained what she could.
• After the ship reached Gloomy Valley, An Yang thanked Natalie and learned that she was the tower's finest spatial scholar.
• An Yang followed Boer to the Silent Tower and registered with Alva under the name Ayn Kofinori.
• Alva tested An Yang's talent with a crystal ball, which revealed that he had the very peak of First-class talent, then gave him a medallion and an energy mark.

An Yang and the others completed registration at the Silent Tower, where two second-tier Scholars argued over recruiting them as apprentices. After receiving temporary rooms, the newcomers were told to gather that evening to learn how to survive in the tower.

• An Yang, Danyou, Martin, Sheryl, Lydia, and Nick passed the registration tests and received badges and marks recording their information.
• Liander and Edie introduced themselves as potential mentors and clashed over who had better resources, while Boer reminded them that students had to choose their own mentors.
• Boer advised the newcomers not to make promises before seeing the mentors' information the next day, and Nick asked whether Liander and Edie would make good mentors.
• After the tests finished, Alva assigned temporary rooms in a tower and instructed everyone to gather in the auditorium when the bell rang for an explanation of life in the tower.

An Yang and the other newcomers learned how the Silent Tower’s mentor system, courses, resources, and magic-stone economy worked. The chapter ended with a fifth-class talent student asking who would teach her and being told she might have to study independently until a mentor accepted her.

• Sheryl, Danyou, and Martin tidied their room, while Alva and Boer explained the tower’s mentor-and-course system to the newcomers.
• Boer handed out mentor profiles, and An Yang quickly read them, noting the strict requirements for most mentors and the benefits offered by the Tier 3 scholars.
• Alva explained that students could take free or paid courses, purchase books, earn money through tower projects, and trade using magic stones rather than federal gold coins.
• A newcomer asked when mentor selection would begin, and Alva said they would wait until everyone had arrived.
• A fifth-class talent female asked which mentor would accept her, and Alva said she could study independently or wait for a mentor to take her in.

An Yang learned from Boer how vulnerable low-talented students could be in the Silent Tower and paid him to explain the dangers hidden in mentor contracts. Boer then analyzed potential mentors for An Yang’s group, leaving them better prepared to choose.

• Liss accepted a commoner boy’s offer of shelter and followed him upstairs, while Boer explained that talented but impoverished women often had few ways to survive in the tower.
• An Yang and Lydia discussed Liss’s predicament as Boer described the exploitation and dangers faced by students without protection.
• An Yang invited Boer upstairs and offered him Tier 0 spell models in exchange for confidential advice about choosing mentors.
• Boer warned that seemingly generous mentor contracts could contain traps, including forced cooperation, torture, or experiments on students.
• Boer spent more than two hours explaining three Tier 3 Scholars and over ten Tier 2 Scholars to An Yang’s group.

An Yang compared his abilities with the Silent Tower’s Tier 3 Scholars and chose Lou Luo for his generous access to resources and combat expertise. After meeting Lou Luo and receiving a book on spell-control formations, An Yang watched the second group of students arrive and found that Lou Luo’s reputation deterred other mentors from approaching him.

• An Yang learned about Ayrila, Lou Luo, and Jakap’s strengths and terms, then decided to seek Lou Luo as his mentor.
• An Yang gave Boer improved Tier 0 spell models, practiced more spells overnight, and planned to visit Lou Luo the next morning.
• An Yang and his companions set out to meet prospective mentors, where they encountered Boer leaving Nick’s room.
• An Yang met Lou Luo, who accepted him as a student and gave him a book on spell-control formations.
• More than eighty students from the second group arrived, and Tier 2 Scholars and veteran students began approaching the newcomers.
• Other mentors barely spoke to An Yang after hearing he had chosen Lou Luo.

An Yang chose the feared Lou Luo as his mentor at the Silent Tower and studied spell control arrays using books Lou Luo provided. After being admitted, An Yang began his studies and, a month later, exchanged several optimized Tier 0 spells for substantial resources.

• Nearly two hundred students reached the Silent Tower, including seven first-class talent holders, and An Yang's five-person circle drew attention.
• An Yang signed a contract choosing Lou Luo as his mentor, ignoring warnings that Lou Luo's students had all died.
• Lou Luo accepted An Yang and gave him two books on spell control arrays, while explaining that more authoritative knowledge required payment under tower regulations.
• Three days later, An Yang and his companions learned they had been admitted by their chosen mentors, and An Yang continued studying spell control arrays.
• A month later, An Yang contributed several optimized Tier 0 spells to the tower in exchange for magic stones and resources, claiming he had obtained them by chance.

An Yang studied spell control arrays while Lou Luo secured additional compensation for his valuable spell contributions. As An Yang searched for stronger Tier 1 spells, the worsening conflict between the Silent Tower and Smeel Manor presented him with an excellent opportunity.

• An Yang finished studying books on spell control arrays, and Lou Luo gave him another book while urging him to prepare for the Scholar threshold.
• Lou Luo promised to seek fair compensation for An Yang’s spell contribution, and the tower later sent An Yang three Tier 1 spells and three books.
• An Yang built a spell control array analysis model in his Biological Assistance Chip, which estimated that its work would take twenty-nine days.
• An Yang judged the three compensated spells too weak for his talent and continued attending classes and searching for better spells.
• An Yang discovered that the conflict between the Silent Tower and Smeel Manor had intensified, creating an opportunity to obtain a powerful spell.

As the Silent Tower’s conflict with Smeel Manor escalated into open warfare, An Yang studied bloodline and spatial scholarship before volunteering for a dangerous battlefield mission. He prepared to leave despite his companions’ protests, while Lou Luo reluctantly let him go and left An Yang questioning his urgency about An Yang becoming a scholar.

• The Silent Tower escalated its conflict with Smeel Manor and began recruiting initiates for war missions.
• An Yang attended Jakap’s lecture on bloodline scholars and impressed him by explaining the purposes of two potions.
• An Yang studied spatial stagnation with Natalie and reflected on a formula for calculating time differences between worlds.
• An Yang accepted a war mission against Smeel Manor and was told to report to Kadiao Plaza four days later.
• Sheryl, Danyou, Martin, and Lydia urged An Yang not to go, but he refused to change his decision and told them they were too weak to join him.
• An Yang informed Lou Luo that he had accepted the mission, and Lou Luo angrily but ultimately allowed him to leave.

An Yang narrowed 1,286 chip-generated spell control arrays down to five candidates while preparing for a mission against Smeel Manor’s reinforcements. After learning Gale would be among them, An Yang left the camp alone that night to confront him before he landed.

• An Yang reviewed 1,286 spell control arrays, filtered them by stability, energy controllability, and consumption, and selected five candidates.
• Liyado told An Yang that Smeel Manor’s reinforcements were approaching and that Gale was among them.
• An Yang joined Lord Earth Fierce Beast’s group, which planned to ambush the reinforcements and assigned Lord Jason and Lord Earth Fierce Beast to hold off Gale.
• The group reached the island’s south beach and prepared for the reinforcements’ arrival the following day.
• An Yang put on his armor and secretly departed into the night so Gale would not reach the island first.

An Yang intercepted Smeel Manor’s transport ship and forced Gale to surrender the spell model for his defensive spell. After agreeing to optimize two of Gale’s spells, An Yang secured a second deal to meet another scholar with a powerful ancient offensive spell.

• An Yang used river-water giants to stop and damage Smeel Manor’s ship, then fired missiles to show that Gale and the apprentices could not escape.
• An Yang captured Gale and took him to an uninhabited island, where he demanded to see Gale’s innate spells.
• An Yang demanded Gale’s defensive spell, and Gale agreed to provide the Purple Red Tassels model in exchange for An Yang optimizing two spells.
• An Yang and Gale contracted to meet again in half a month so Gale could bring the spell model for optimization.
• Gale offered to introduce a scholar from Duo Ya Hut who possessed a powerful ancient offensive spell, and he and An Yang made another contract.

An Yang optimized Purple Red Tassel, fought for the Silent Tower against Smeel Manor, and later met Gale on a secluded island. Gale brought Senlu under false pretenses and revealed that An Yang, a Tier 3 Warlock, was the real reason for the meeting.

• An Yang used the bio-chip to optimize Purple Red Tassel and decided to postpone building his spell control array until he had chosen three spells.
• Liyado informed An Yang that Smeel Manor's forces had arrived, and the Silent Tower ambushed them after they landed without Gale.
• The Silent Tower defeated Smeel Manor's forces, and An Yang distinguished himself in the battle before staying on the island for another mission.
• As the war intensified, An Yang pretended to be injured, slipped away, and flew to the island where he had arranged to meet Gale.
• Gale introduced Senlu as a scholar from Yadu Hut and admitted that he had deceived Senlu about exploring ruins, saying An Yang was the real purpose of the meeting.

An Yang acquired Ancient Summon from Senlu and Illusory Strike from Deman, then optimized the spells while deciding how to configure his spell control array. During the war, he was wounded on the battlefield, and a Scholar promised to report his contributions for a reward.

• Gale persuaded Senlu to exchange Ancient Summon for the same reward An Yang had given Gale for Purple Red Tassel.
• An Yang began optimizing Ancient Summon and examined its summoning abilities while weighing which spell to choose for his final slot.
• After returning the optimized spells to Gale and Senlu, An Yang abducted Deman from Smeel Manor's base and negotiated for Illusory Strike.
• An Yang obtained Deman's spell model, chose enhancement for Illusory Strike, and used it to select his spell control array.
• A trainee's arrow pierced An Yang during the war, and a battlefield-observing Scholar treated his wound and promised to report his contributions.

An Yang secretly completed a spell control array and accumulated enough energy to activate it, becoming a Scholar while returning from the battlefield. Back at the Silent Tower, he reassured Lydia that his battlefield injuries were faked and told Lou Luo that Mentor Natalie had activated his array.

• An Yang pretended to be seriously wounded so he could secretly build a spell control array containing three spell formulas.
• After returning to the Silent Tower by ship, An Yang used the energy he had accumulated over a month to activate the array and become a Scholar.
• An Yang demonstrated his optimized Purple Red Tassel and compared it with Gale's version.
• Lydia worried that An Yang had been injured, and he explained that he had faked his wounds to conceal his advancement.
• Lou Luo questioned An Yang about becoming a Scholar, and An Yang said Mentor Natalie had activated his spell control array.

An Yang studied spell control arrays and exchanged ideas with Natalie about spatial distance, time, and the connections between worlds. Their discussion left him considering whether powerful figures could alter the relationships between worlds, while a nearby listener watched them with growing respect.

• An Yang used his mission rewards and Lou Luo’s support to continue his studies while preparing to advance from Tier 1 scholar to Tier 2 scholar.
• An Yang read about expanding spell control arrays and studied a detailed book Lou Luo had recommended.
• An Yang met Natalie in the library, and they discussed how worlds were connected and how their mutual influence could affect traversal and time.
• Natalie speculated that someone powerful enough to overcome the influence between worlds might alter their generalized distance.
• An unnamed listener overheard An Yang and Natalie’s discussion and grew increasingly respectful of them.

An Yang advanced to Tier 2 Scholar in just one month, despite Natalie’s warning that his rapid promotion could leave gaps in his knowledge. As the Silent Tower’s war with Smeel Manor intensified, Lou Luo urged him to fulfill his duties, and An Yang chose a high-reward mission to hunt down the wounded Tier 2 Warlock Dona.

• Natalie warned An Yang that rapid advancement could leave his other knowledge and abilities underdeveloped, and he thanked her before returning to the tower.
• Lou Luo’s focused instruction and resources helped An Yang become a Tier 2 Scholar in one month, astonishing Lou Luo.
• As the war with Smeel Manor spread, Lou Luo told An Yang that the tower needed him to take part in missions, and An Yang accepted that he would have to contribute.
• The tower updated An Yang’s identity markers and badge to show his new rank, shocking its upper echelons.
• An Yang reviewed the most difficult missions and selected the hunt for Dona, a wounded fugitive Tier 2 Warlock, for its generous reward.

An Yang accepted the quest to hunt down Dona, drawn by its valuable rewards, and left the tower to track him across a tropical jungle. The directional disk showed that Dona was fleeing faster than An Yang could close the distance, and An Yang camped on a mountainside as night fell.

• An Yang chose the quest to hunt down Dona and registered it as a Tier 2 Scholar.
• The quest office gave An Yang detailed information about Dona, a directional tracking disk, and an item to verify Dona’s identity.
• An Yang left the tower by boat and rode a fast warhorse into the jungle, following the disk’s signal north.
• After two days of pursuit, An Yang found that Dona’s distance had grown, suggesting Dona sensed the tracking and was fleeing cautiously.
• An Yang made camp on a mountainside, watched the lights of human settlements below, and read by the fire as the night wind rose.

During the Spring Celebration, An Yang confronted his mentor Lou Luo, whom he had suspected of killing students to gain power. An Yang revealed an array of hidden abilities and fought back, leaving Lou Luo demanding to know who he really was.

• An Yang watched the Spring Celebration fireworks from a mountain and reflected on his separation from the real world.
• Lou Luo ambushed An Yang, but An Yang recognized his spell from Smeel Manor and accused him of sacrificing students to strengthen himself.
• Lou Luo admitted that he had raised An Yang as a source of nourishment and attacked him with black Qi.
• An Yang injured Lou Luo with Cosmos Borrow Law and Illusory Strike, then defended himself with the Arcane Barrier, Heavenly Great Luo Body Protection Technique, Lightning Barrier, and Lag Barrier.
• Lou Luo realized An Yang was neither from Smeel Manor nor a Tier 2 Scholar and demanded to know his identity and purpose at the Silent Tower.

An Yang and Lou Luo fought a prolonged battle as An Yang tested his spells, puppets, and constructs against the Tier 3 Scholar’s defenses and soul-draining magic. An Yang eventually used Illusory Strike to wound Lou Luo and gained the advantage, then prepared to finish the fight with a laser cannon mounted on a revived stone giant.

• Lou Luo trapped An Yang in a storm of black fog, fierce winds, boulders, trees, and shadow beasts, but An Yang’s barriers and attacks held them back.
• An Yang summoned a fire dragon, soldier puppets, and stone giants to battle Lou Luo’s shadow beasts and magma giants, while Lou Luo’s Life Drain destroyed the temporary souls behind several of An Yang’s forces.
• An Yang unleashed tens of thousands of sword beams, but Lou Luo’s defenses blocked them, and the two fighters remained unable to overcome each other for about half an hour.
• An Yang combined Illusory Strike with his sword beams, piercing Lou Luo’s defenses and leaving him bloodied until Lou Luo fell into a disadvantageous position.
• An Yang expanded the Lightning Barrier and revived a stone giant, then mounted the laser cannon from the Holy Light Mecha on its shoulder.

An Yang defeated Lou Luo, but Lou Luo’s final act drew the Land of Origin’s World Will’s attention, prompting the system to warn that outside powers would be sealed in one day. An Yang then caught and killed Dona to complete his mission, and prepared to return to the tower.

• An Yang trapped Lou Luo inside the lightning barrier and wore him down with flames, wind, and other spells after Lou Luo used a Rainbow Bridge Potion to escape as black smoke.
• Lou Luo asked An Yang’s name, then exploded and drew the World Will’s attention, triggering a system warning that outside powers would be sealed in one day.
• An Yang erased the battlefield’s traces and flew away, reflecting on the strength and resilience of scholars and the limits of his forces.
• An Yang pursued the fleeing Dona and killed the injured Smeil warlock near dawn, completing his mission.