Chapter Summaries

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.

Oden advised Lu Yuan to establish an organization and prepare for threats connected to Visarion, the Eerie assault, and smuggling. Lu Yuan agreed to pursue his own goals and went with Oden to Abundance Tower to choose materials for making powerful Eerie items, where Oden urged him to buy Frostberries because he liked their taste.

• Oden warned Lu Yuan that the Eerie assault and smuggling might be connected to Visarion or heretics, and advised him to establish an organization built around his abilities.
• Lu Yuan considered his skills and agreed that an organization could help gather information and support his future advancement.
• Oden offered to help Lu Yuan select materials for destructive Eerie items, and Lu Yuan headed to Abundance Tower with his Knight Tokens.
• Lu Yuan entered the tower's material storeroom and browsed a booklet describing the available supplies and their prices.
• When Lu Yuan found Frostberries in the booklet, Oden told him they were delicious and urged him to buy some.

Lu Yuan toured the Knight Academy’s material storage and learned from Oden that Mandrake Root was a rare, valuable material worth cultivating. The discovery of Dragonblood Resin excited Oden even more, and Lu Yuan was left wondering what made it so significant.

• Lu Yuan chose Frostberry, Knight’s Grass, and Fire Pepper from the first-floor supplies, then noticed the storage lockers and engraving materials.
• Lu Yuan explored the warm, dry second floor and read about its rare materials, including Frost Marrow, Silk-Silver Sand, Mute Thunderstone, and Frost-Chiming Bone.
• Oden recognized Mandrake Root as a rare material and explained that a master herbalist might be able to cultivate it from scraps of root.
• Lu Yuan saw that Mandrake Root cost fifteen Knight Tokens and turned the page because he could not afford it.
• Oden became intensely excited when Lu Yuan found Dragonblood Resin and urged him to buy it for a special potion.

Lu Yuan learned from Oden how Dragonblood Resin and a powerful potion made from it had been used to strengthen Flesh Transcendents and alter their Pathways. Oden began explaining the many branches of the Flesh Transcendent Pathway, leaving Lu Yuan with a new understanding of how it could develop.

• Lu Yuan asked Oden about Dragonblood Resin, and Oden explained that few people remembered the prescription for using it.
• Oden described how Dragonblood Trees originated, produced resin, and became the prize of fierce conflicts between factions.
• Oden recounted how his group seized a branch tree, but later sold it after its resin became too slow and scarce to be useful.
• Oden explained that his brother used Forbidden Studies and tens of thousands of materials to simulate a potion that maximized Dragonblood Resin's effects.
• Oden said the potion could greatly enhance the body and alter a user's Pathway, then described the many branches of the Flesh Transcendent Pathway.

Oden explained how Dragonblood Potion could evolve a Flesh Transcendent and enhance others’ physical fitness, prompting Lu Yuan to consider making a powerful potion. As Lu Yuan reviewed the materials and their prices, he realized he needed to earn more Knight Tokens before he could buy what he wanted.

• Oden described Full-Body Enhancement, Eerification, and the effects of Dragonblood Potion on Flesh Transcendents and ordinary people.
• Lu Yuan learned that the potion required nine herbs, including Dragonblood Resin, Frozen Blood Amber, Bone Eerie bone powder, and Human-Armor Beast scales.
• Lu Yuan estimated the costs of the materials and decided to prioritize Dragonblood Resin and Frozen Blood Amber while postponing the expensive Meteorite Sand.
• Oden recommended that Lu Yuan buy Blind Fish Oil to improve his ability to detect Eerie and Contamination, and offered a matching cultivation method.
• Lu Yuan felt tempted by the available materials and manuals but recognized that he needed to complete missions for Knight Tokens.

Lu Yuan visited Abundance Tower to look for supplies, bought several ingredients, and discovered an underground hall where students posted and accepted commissions for Knight Tokens. He learned how the academy’s stamped bounty system worked and surveyed its purchase orders and private skill offers.

• Lu Yuan browsed the potion catalogs but bought no potions, then spent twenty-one Knight Tokens on medicinal ingredients and kept eleven.
• Lu Yuan noticed a side entrance behind Abundance Tower and followed its stairs down to a large underground hall.
• Lu Yuan asked the senior student on duty about the hall and learned that students could post paid tasks, which became valid once stamped with the Academy Crest.
• Lu Yuan examined the academy’s bulk purchase orders and private requests, along with commissions for potion-making and Eerie-material processing.

Lu Yuan learned how academy skill certification worked and registered for Pharmacology and Inscription Studies, hoping to earn Knight Tokens and meet String Knight, who might help him with Ancient Music Theory. As he left, Oden noticed that many familiar medicinal ingredients had become rare or disappeared, and wondered whether something had happened.

• Lu Yuan spotted the academy's skill certification notice and asked the registration clerk about its rules and subjects.
• The senior student explained that String Knight oversaw certification in Pharmacology, Inscription Studies, and Alchemical Arts, with exams held at the end of each month.
• Lu Yuan learned that certification had low, intermediate, and high levels, and that first-time candidates could attempt at most the intermediate exam.
• Lu Yuan paid two Knight Tokens and registered for Pharmacology and Inscription Studies, leaving nine Knight Tokens in his badge.
• As Lu Yuan and Oden climbed the stairs, Oden said many medicinal ingredients common in his era seemed to have vanished, and asked whether something had happened.