Recaps

Lu Yuan reviewed the Knight Academy’s tailored course recommendations and planned his studies around strengthening his body, managing his sanity, and advancing his knowledge and potion-making skills. The recommendations revealed that Rock Grand Knight Commander controlled Time Bestower, leaving Lu Yuan intent on seeking his guidance while he settled on his course priorities.

• Blue Knight distributed course lists jointly prepared by the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander and three knights, and explained the course-point system.
• Lu Yuan read recommendations identifying his Eerie Knowledge Transcendent abilities, praising his abundant sanity, and advising him to study Knight Body Arts Fundamentals, Eerie Ecology, and Pathway Stabilization and Convergence.
• Lu Yuan learned that Rock Grand Knight Commander controlled Time Bestower and considered asking him how the item might develop further.
• Lu Yuan checked his Sanity and Guard progress, noting that Guard II was approaching its limit while Sanity IV had not advanced for a long time.
• Lu Yuan decided to prioritize Knight Body Arts Fundamentals, Sanity Management and Restraint, ancient languages, alchemy and Pharmacology, and Eerie Ecology, while considering Inscription Fundamentals and sitting in on other courses.

Lu Yuan weighed his Academy plans against the need to use the Stonefire Bug Hide before its preservation failed, while Oden urged him to investigate Blanca's Horn. The chapter left Lu Yuan preparing to turn the hide into something useful within two days.

• Lu Yuan declined Dean's invitation to explore the Academy so he could deal with the Stonefire Bug Hide, which would spoil once its Fire-veined Stone ran out.
• Oden told Lu Yuan that Blanca's Horn carried an aura of Immortality and traces of a Horn he remembered, and asked him to get closer to Blanca and see the original.
• Oden explained that the Horn might have a hidden backdoor and advised Lu Yuan to learn the Four Knights Society's Knight Body Technique.
• Lu Yuan recalled seeing a complete Silver Combat Studies entry and wondered whether the Silver Empire's inheritance still existed.
• Lu Yuan opened the sealed box, saw that the Fire-veined Stone was nearly spent, and laid out his heat-related materials to work on the hide.

Lu Yuan planned to turn Stonefire Bug Hide into heat-proof pouches, but Oden warned that cutting it could trigger an explosion and taught him how to prepare a Fire-Suppressing Potion. After the Blue Knight reported that Eli had been chosen by the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, Oden recommended that Lu Yuan first use half the hide to make a powerful Fire Talisman.

• Lu Yuan decided to use Stonefire Bug Hide to make storage pouches and asked Oden for advice before cutting it.
• Oden warned that breaking the hide’s surface would release its stored fire and could destroy Lu Yuan’s house, then listed ingredients for a Fire-Suppressing Potion.
• Lu Yuan requested the ingredients from the Blue Knight, who delivered them and reported that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had chosen Eli alone.
• Lu Yuan summoned the Worm of Knowledge to watch the materials while Oden passed along instructions for brewing the potion and carving inscriptions.
• Oden advised Lu Yuan to refine half the hide into an Eerie material and make a Fire Talisman that could attack, help him escape, or delay powerful opponents.

Lu Yuan followed Oden’s instructions to make Fire-Suppressing Potion and prepare Stonefire Bug Hide for Fire Talismans. After successfully coating the hide, he began learning the engraving process, leaving the crucial cutting work still ahead.

• Oden advised Lu Yuan to use the remaining hide to make a glove and logged off.
• Lu Yuan used the Worm of Knowledge’s guidance to compound Fire-Suppressing Potion, gaining Pharmacology experience.
• Lu Yuan evenly coated the Stonefire Bug Hide with the salve to suppress its fire nature before cutting it.
• Lu Yuan reviewed the three Fire Talisman techniques and prepared to make two talismans, beginning with Pattern Setting and Line Tracing.

Lu Yuan crafted four Fire Talismans from Stonefire Bug Hide, including three of Excellent quality, and gained progress in Eerie Inscription Studies. He showed the results to Oden and asked for help turning the remaining hide into gloves.

• Lu Yuan used the Worm of Knowledge and the Gray-White Text to set patterns on the hide, then ruined several pieces while learning to trace the inscriptions.
• Lu Yuan completed four Fire Talismans, one Ordinary and three Excellent, and raised his Eerie Inscription Studies progress to 47/50.
• Lu Yuan showed the talismans to Oden, who was surprised by his success rate and praised his talent.
• Lu Yuan told Oden he wanted to make gloves from the remaining hide but did not know how to proceed.

Lu Yuan crafted an excellent Stonefire Gauntlet and pouch, advancing his Eerie Inscription Studies. At the tavern, Eli announced that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had accepted him as a student.

• Oden taught Lu Yuan how to make a gauntlet by setting patterns into Stonefire Bug Hide and stabilizing its fire elements.
• Lu Yuan chose a wrist guard-style template and used the Worm of Knowledge to set forty-seven patterns into the hide.
• Lu Yuan crafted an excellent Stonefire Gauntlet and an excellent pouch for storing fire-element materials, bringing his Eerie Inscription Studies to 48/50.
• Lu Yuan went to a tavern, where Dean brought him to join Eli, Harvey, Leon, Lia, and Blanca.
• Eli announced that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had accepted him as a student, and everyone congratulated him.

At dinner, Lu Yuan and the others discussed their plans for the Knight Academy’s courses, and Blanca became drunk after showing interest in his Eerie Inscription work. After returning to his cottage, Lu Yuan resolved to gain more experience so he could survive in this world and perhaps find a way home.

• Blanca congratulated Eli and suggested he seek guidance from the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, then the group discussed the courses they planned to take.
• Lu Yuan said he wanted to study martial arts and Sanity Management and Restraint, and showed Dean the Stonefire Gauntlets he had made.
• Blanca recognized the gauntlet as an Eerie Inscription item and asked Lu Yuan to make things for her from materials she owned; he agreed to take a look.
• After the group left the tavern, Lia helped the heavily drunk Blanca home while the others parted ways.
• Lu Yuan returned to his cottage, tidied his Inscription tools, and decided he needed to gain more experience to survive and preserve the possibility of going home.

Lu Yuan and Dean found the Knight Body Technique rooms, where Lu Yuan joined Dean, Harvey, and Leon for class. The Morning Bell Knight introduced himself as their instructor and began with a basic affinity test, explaining the value and origins of the Knight Body Technique.

• Lu Yuan woke after recovering 15 Sanity and learned from Dean where the body arts class was held.
• Lu Yuan and Dean reached the training grounds, where Lu Yuan saw old students practicing and learned that returning beginners could attend the course too.
• Harvey and Leon joined Lu Yuan and Dean at the training grounds.
• The Morning Bell Knight arrived and introduced himself as the instructor for the next three months of Knight Body Arts Fundamentals.
• The Morning Bell Knight announced a basic affinity test and explained that mastering the Knight Body Technique could ease progress along a Pathway up to the Fourth Order.

The Morning Bell Knight explained how Knight Body Techniques helped Transcendents resist calamities and stabilize their Pathways, then tested the students’ affinities for four Advanced Body Technique directions. Lu Yuan’s test ended with high affinity for Peace, Abundance, and Life, while Health showed no lasting result.

• The Morning Bell Knight explained that body techniques strengthened the body against curses, contamination, disease, and Pathway instability, and said affinity only modestly affected cultivation speed.
• Harvey’s test showed six beads for Peace, three for Abundance, two for Life, and one for Health, and the Morning Bell Knight recommended Peace Breathing Technique.
• Dean’s test showed six beads for Abundance, five for Health, and two each for Peace and Life.
• Leon’s test showed six beads for Peace and one for Abundance, with none for Life or Health, and the Morning Bell Knight advised him to take a course on Pathway restraint and stabilization.
• Lu Yuan’s test showed six beads for Peace and five each for Abundance and Life, while the Health statue’s beads flickered before going dark.

Lu Yuan received the Knight Fundamentals Manual and learned how beginners cultivated Peace Breath through vows and controlled breathing. As the Morning Bell Knight activated the training ground’s interference inscription, Lu Yuan remained unaffected by its disturbing sensations and focused on his breath.

• Lu Yuan completed the affinity assessment, where an older student unexpectedly lit all seven beads on two statues.
• The Morning Bell Knight distributed the Knight Fundamentals Manual and explained that all beginners had to start with Peace Breath.
• The Morning Bell Knight demonstrated the Peace Breath stance and showed how a dense white mist marked its successful cultivation.
• The Morning Bell Knight struck a Copper bell to activate the interference inscription, which filled the training ground with disturbing sounds and a bloody stench.
• Lu Yuan felt the bell’s echo sharpen his awareness of his breath, while the interference passed around him without affecting him.

Lu Yuan learned the first stage of the Knight Body Technique and met Caesar, another beginner whose believer pathway made the technique less useful to him. After class, Lu Yuan spoke with 10, who planned to study astrology under the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander.

• Lu Yuan repeated the Knight Body Technique’s initiation until he condensed the Peace Breath and advanced his technique progress to 0.3/10.
• The Morning Bell Knight announced that lessons would begin the next day, ordered students to use the medicated bathhouse, and invited Lu Yuan and Caesar to seek private guidance if they mastered all four breaths within a month.
• Lu Yuan’s text identified Caesar as a Believer Transcendent devoted to the Sky Spirit, and Caesar introduced himself as a member of the Aquila Family.
• Caesar told Lu Yuan that his pathway made the Knight Body Technique less useful to him, then departed.
• Lu Yuan met 10, who said she was studying other subjects before taking the Knight Body Technique class and might later learn astrology from the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander.

Blanca asked Lu Yuan to craft an Eerie Transcendence item that would clean her and preserve the scent of Ice Musk, and he agreed in exchange for Knight Tokens. She explained how the tokens worked and how students could use them to access the Knight Academy Library.

• Blanca visited Lu Yuan and asked him to make an Eerie Transcendence item from Snow Boiling Stone, Ice Musk, and Ice Musk Ghost hide.
• Blanca explained that her Pathway prevented her from learning other skills and that other cleaning items could not remain on her for long.
• Lu Yuan agreed to make the item and asked Blanca to pay him in Knight Tokens; she offered to obtain some from her family members at the academy.
• Blanca explained that Knight Tokens could be earned through missions and rankings, exchanged for Transcendence items and knowledge, and used to register for Library access.

Lu Yuan received materials from Blanca and made a Dust-Cleansing Sachet using Snow Boiling Stone, Ice Musk, and Ice Musk Ghost hide. After keeping his first, ugly attempt, he crafted a neater sachet for Blanca and awaited his academy badge, which would contain three Knight Tokens.

• Blanca promised Lu Yuan three Knight Tokens and said his academy badge should arrive that night; Lu Yuan agreed to give her an answer about the materials within three days.
• A young man delivered five pieces of Snow Boiling Stone, five portions of Ice Musk, and Ice Musk Ghost hide from Blanca, and told Lu Yuan the Knight Tokens were ready.
• Lu Yuan used the Worm of Knowledge to grind the Snow Boiling Stone, blend it with Ice Musk, and shape the hide into sachets using Pattern Setting techniques.
• Lu Yuan successfully infused his first Dust-Cleansing Sachet, but decided its appearance was too ugly to give Blanca and kept it for himself.
• Lu Yuan made a second Dust-Cleansing Sachet with careful patterns and a clean finish.

Lu Yuan gained Eerie Inscription Affinity after improving his Eerie Inscription Studies, then encountered a student whose Pathway had gone out of control and was unleashing Eerie snow. Dean identified the student’s Pathway as a Frost Embracer as the pair reached the snow-filled dormitory.

• Lu Yuan used his Dust-Cleansing Sachet, checked the Snow Boiling Stone inside, and gained Eerie Inscription Affinity.
• Lu Yuan met Dean on the way to their introductory Knight Body Technique class, and Dean said he expected to learn Peace Breath soon.
• When strange snow began falling, Lu Yuan detected a Source of Pollution and Dean recognized that someone’s Pathway had gone out of control.
• Lu Yuan and Dean followed the snow to a dormitory, where they found a badly wounded student emitting snow from a Rift in his chest and abdomen.
• Dean identified the out-of-control student as a Frost Embracer and warned Lu Yuan that the Eerie preyed on living things.

Lu Yuan and Dean confronted a senior undergoing a Pathway Rampage that filled the dormitory with snow. Lu Yuan used fire and a burst of speed to knock the senior unconscious, temporarily calming the rampage as Dean joined him.

• Dean warned Lu Yuan that the rampaging senior was powerful in the snow, but the snowstorm separated them and left Lu Yuan closer to its source.
• Lu Yuan used the Stonefire Gauntlet and incendiary rounds to melt the snow, then activated Time Bestower and charged toward the senior.
• The Knight Academy's ground patterns lit up, suppressing the snowstorm as Lu Yuan reached the senior and slapped him into a wall.
• When the senior's rampage continued, Lu Yuan pulled him free and punched him twice, knocking him unconscious and calming his Pathway.
• Dean cleared away the remaining snow and approached Lu Yuan, who explained that the rampage had been temporarily restrained.

Lu Yuan and Dean dealt with a senior student's Pathway Rampage, but the Morning Bell Knight's response and a conversation in the cafeteria revealed that such incidents were more common at the Knight Academy than Lu Yuan expected. Lu Yuan decided to focus on developing Pathway-stabilizing Potions as he learned more about the danger.

• Lu Yuan told Dean that his Eerie Flame was made from Stonefire Bug Hide and offered to make one in exchange for two intact pieces.
• The Morning Bell Knight examined the unconscious senior student, told Lu Yuan and Dean to notify the others, and carried the student away.
• Lu Yuan realized that the academy's students faced serious risks from Pathway backlash and Contamination, and set himself the goal of making more Potions related to Pathway stabilization.
• Lu Yuan and Dean went to the Cafeteria, where they heard students discussing another Pathway Rampage.
• A senior student told Lu Yuan that the morning's incident was the third Pathway Rampage that year, blaming students' impatience to rank up and their frequent missions for Knight Tokens.

Lu Yuan and Dean trained in the Four Breaths under the Morning Bell Knight, both reaching the beginner stage, and Lu Yuan discovered the bell had increased his Sanity IV. After training, Lu Yuan entered the academy’s medicated bath and used his Pharmacology to identify its ingredients and restorative properties.

• At breakfast, Lu Yuan learned that a student who mutated into an Eerie had been killed by the Stillwater Knight, and two other students had died in the same incident.
• Lu Yuan and Dean practiced the Four Breaths while waiting for the Morning Bell Knight, and several students made progress.
• The Morning Bell Knight warned students to seek help for problems with their Pathways and said those who lost control might have to be killed.
• During bell-assisted cultivation, Lu Yuan gained Knight Body Technique experience and saw his Sanity IV increase by one.
• Dean told Lu Yuan he had reached the beginner stage, and Lu Yuan revealed he had reached it first.
• The Morning Bell Knight brought the students to the Medicated Bathhouse, where Lu Yuan identified the restorative ingredients in the body-tempering medicinal liquid.

Lu Yuan took a restorative medicinal bath, then attended the Sanity Management and Restraint class after Dean gave him a map. The Lantern Knight began explaining how sanity relates to a person’s progress along the Path of Transcendence.

• Lu Yuan used Gray-White Text to identify the medicinal ingredients and proportions, then soaked in the bath until the treatment ended.
• Lu Yuan met Dean at the bathhouse, and Dean gave him a map so he could find his afternoon class.
• Lu Yuan arrived at the lecture hall for Sanity Management and Restraint and took a seat among the many students.
• The Lantern Knight entered and told the class that another rampage incident had occurred that morning.
• The Lantern Knight explained that sanity forms a person’s foundation and potential along the Path of Transcendence, but cannot be qualitatively transformed through effort or cultivation.

The Lantern Knight explained the dangers of Sanity instability and taught students how to manage and strengthen their Sanity. Lu Yuan wondered why Sanity surges were dangerous, since he had observed that they could increase Sanity afterward.

• A student asked whether Transcendents could raise their Sanity further, and the Lantern Knight said most would eventually face limits as missions damaged their Sanity.
• The Lantern Knight explained that Sanity could recover gradually from ordinary damage, but a sudden plunge required outside help and could lead to aberration.
• In response to another student's question, the Lantern Knight said known skills could improve Sanity resilience and Contamination resistance but could not reliably prevent a Pathway from going berserk.
• The Lantern Knight warned that Sanity surges or plunges could cause severe hallucinations and trigger a berserk Pathway, prompting Lu Yuan to question why surges were dangerous.
• The Lantern Knight advised students to restrain themselves after contaminated missions, carry Sanity-restoring Potions, rest under safe conditions, and cultivate skills such as the Knight Body Technique.
• Lu Yuan recalled his own near-depletion of Sanity and decided to ask Oden later about his experience that Sanity surges could increase it.

Lu Yuan learned how sanity was measured and heard about the dangerous Bounty Order Squad, whose members had dangerously low readings. After class, he asked Oden why a sudden increase in sanity could be harmful, and Oden warned that it could damage or even burn out the brain.

• Lu Yuan measured his sanity as pale yellow while Lia's crystal showed pure green and several students' readings showed red.
• The Lantern Knight warned students with readings between yellow and red to avoid Eerie Ecology and directed those already turning red to the Academy Recovery Area.
• A senior student told Lu Yuan that the Bounty Order Squad comprised three veteran students who took dangerous missions, and one had reached the Fourth Order.
• The Lantern Knight ended the lesson and kept the Bounty Order Squad and Lia behind while Lu Yuan left with the other students.
• Oden explained to Lu Yuan that sharp increases in sanity could damage a person's original sanity or burn out their brain.

Lu Yuan received his Knight Academy badge and learned that the Blue Knight was leaving for an assignment in Watch City, where serious incidents had occurred. With his badge, he entered the Library for the first time.

• Oden explained that a sudden, enormous surge in sanity could be fatal and offered to teach Lu Yuan about the Sea of Knowledge and alchemy.
• The Blue Knight delivered Lu Yuan’s badge, which contained thirty Knight Tokens, and warned him that students might be sent on assignments as Watch City faced serious incidents.
• The Blue Knight left for Watch City, and Lu Yuan worried that trouble in the Northern Territory might make it unsafe.
• Lu Yuan used his badge to open the Library doors and entered the tower.

Lu Yuan explored the academy Library and studied a map to understand the Northern Territory’s cities, routes, and defenses. After returning to the reading hall to look for local customs and unusual accounts, he found Eli sitting across from him.

• Lu Yuan registered for Library access by spending one Knight Token and toured the public reading hall.
• Lu Yuan inspected a sealed chamber containing books about the Eerie, Pathways, and Contamination, then left it alone because access was costly.
• Lu Yuan studied an atlas and located Cold Crow City, Watch City, Snow Owl City, Withered City, and the Northern Territory Tribal Alliance.
• Lu Yuan returned the atlas and began reading a volume of Northern Territory miscellany.
• Eli sat across from Lu Yuan with a book, and Lu Yuan greeted him with surprise.

Lu Yuan read a star-observation book Eli had borrowed from the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander and gained the Stargazer passive. Before leaving the Library, he asked Eli about recent trouble in Watch City, and Eli promised to find out more.

• Eli showed Lu Yuan a book about constellations and star systems that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had assigned him to study.
• Lu Yuan examined the star chart and gained the Stargazer passive, while distant colorful radiance began to emerge in a vast darkness.
• Lu Yuan asked Eli about knights being transferred from the academy and whether freshmen would be involved in events in Watch City.
• Eli promised to ask the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander what had happened and tell Lu Yuan the next day.
• After Lu Yuan left the Library, Eli recalled the Grand Knight Commander's warning that Lu Yuan carried a secret and hope.

Lu Yuan continued his training and learned that the Four Breaths would soon become harder to master. At the Library, Eli told him that Withered City had suffered a major Eerie riot and that the Empire’s attempt to help had initially worked but later faltered.

• Lu Yuan gained progress in Knight Body Technique Basics and Sanity IV during the Morning Bell Knight’s training.
• The Morning Bell Knight announced that he would begin teaching the remaining Three Breaths the next day, and the trainees took medicinal baths.
• Lu Yuan skipped the afternoon class and went to the Library to investigate the Blue Knight and Withered City.
• Eli told Lu Yuan that refugees from the northeast had been sent to Cold Crow City and Watch City as Snow Owl City could not house them all.
• Eli reported that a severe Eerie riot had struck Withered City, possibly with involvement from other Empires, and that the Empire’s deployed knowledge had worked well at first before its effects deteriorated.

Eli told Lu Yuan that the Withered Land crisis and activity from the Visarion Empire could lead to friction, while the academy’s field assignment would likely concern smuggling in the Northern Territory. Lu Yuan planned to strengthen himself before getting involved, and Oden warned that conflict between empires would attract Eerie entities, Contamination, and heretics.

• Eli told Lu Yuan that the Visarion Empire lay beyond the snowy mountains and that its past advance squad had led the Empire to establish the Withered Land and Withered City.
• Eli said an Eerie riot had put Withered City under attack, the Visarion Empire was becoming active, and the academy’s mobilization was mainly to investigate suspected smuggling in the Northern Territory.
• Lu Yuan reasoned that the refugees and unrest could enable smugglers, so he needed to increase his strength by crafting Eerie items with Oden’s help.
• Lu Yuan left the Library and called Oden, then explained the crisis and asked for his advice.
• Oden warned Lu Yuan that conflict between empires caused mass deaths and attracted Eerie entities, Contamination, and active heretics.