Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan gathered the rare ingredients and worked with Oden to brew a Dragon Blood Potion, using Oden’s control of the fire salamander embers and his own skill to purify the diluted dragonblood resin. The potion succeeded, and Oden urged Lu Yuan to drink it before its effects dissipated.

• Frey recorded Lu Yuan’s potion formula and explained that the Academy and the Lantern Knight would jointly assess his Knight Token reward.
• Lu Yuan returned to his quarters, collected the Lantern Knight’s promised ingredients, and gathered the remaining materials needed for the Dragon Blood Potion.
• Lu Yuan chose a protected potion room so Gregory would not learn what he was brewing, and Oden warned him that the formula was untested and the dragonblood resin was diluted.
• Oden took control of Lu Yuan’s left hand to manage the fire salamander embers while Lu Yuan purified the dragonblood resin and prepared the other ingredients.
• Lu Yuan successfully brewed an excellent but diluted Dragon Blood Potion, and Oden told him to drink it before it dissipated.

Lu Yuan drank the Dragon Blood Potion, which strengthened his body and improved his Knight Body Technique and Sanity, though its effects were weaker than Oden had hoped. He noticed a new entry begin to appear and vanish, then resolved to keep taking the potion despite its cost.

• Lu Yuan endured the Dragon Blood Potion's burning pain as it strengthened his body and improved his control over it.
• Gray-White Text showed gains in Knight Body Technique Basics and Sanity, while a new entry appeared briefly and vanished before Lu Yuan could read it.
• Lu Yuan examined himself and found no abnormal changes, while Oden inspected him and judged the potion's effects disappointing.
• Lu Yuan estimated his physical fitness had improved by about thirty percent and kept the estimate to himself.
• Oden explained that the potion would continue working and could be taken repeatedly, but Lu Yuan would need four or five more bottles to approach the original potion's effects.
• Lu Yuan considered the cost and decided to buy more potion gradually using the Knight Tokens from his daily attendance.

Lu Yuan planned how to obtain the materials for a Dragon Blood Potion and cleaned the Potion Room before Gregory returned. In the Northern Territory, Brunkel and the nuns were surrounded while trying to protect the unconscious, increasingly contaminated Blue Knight, but stars suddenly appeared in the daytime sky.

• Lu Yuan agreed to gather potion ingredients through the Pharmacy Group, Knight Tokens, and a collaboration with Gregory, then cleaned and restored the Potion Room.
• The nuns used a Pure White Feather to awaken the Blue Knight and expose their hiding place, drawing Tribal Alliance rebels and Withered Glory Society heretics toward them.
• Brunkel carried the unconscious Blue Knight out of the cave and led the nuns through two days of flight and fighting as the Blue Knight's contamination worsened and their supplies ran out.
• Fourth Order heretics and dozens of pursuers surrounded Brunkel and the nuns in a narrow cave, and Brunkel prepared to fight them.
• Stars began flickering across the daytime sky and descended from the heavens with a dazzling radiance.

The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander and Eli arrived at Snow Mountain and instantly killed the heretics pursuing Brunkel and the unconscious Blue Knight. He reached the cave and found the Blue Knight’s body, consciousness, and Pathway severely corrupted, then began channeling his power into her.

• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander’s starlight hanged the dozens of heretics outside the cave, including their Fourth Order leader.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander and Eli reached the mountainside, and Eli asked whether his teacher’s methods came from his Pathway or the Astrology Society.
• Brunkel and the nun saw the heretics’ bodies suspended in a stellar pattern, and Brunkel took a defensive stance toward the approaching figures.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander entered the cave, and Brunkel recognized his armor and lowered her Execution Longsword.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander examined the unconscious Blue Knight, recognized that her Pathway was nearing irreversible mutation, and channeled his Fifth Order stellar power into her.

The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander temporarily sealed the Blue Knight’s contamination and learned that a mysterious influence had compelled Brunkel to bring her to the Knight Academy. Brunkel reported that the Northern Territory Tribal Alliance had rebelled and allied with the Withered Glory Society, and the group set out for the Academy’s North Campus.

• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander sealed the Blue Knight’s mutation and stabilized her life force, though he could not remove the contamination.
• Brunkel told the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander that an unknown voice had stopped her from killing the Blue Knight and urged her to take her to the Knight Academy.
• Brunkel reported that the Tribal Alliance’s Third Elder had ambushed her and the Blue Knight with a large force and reactivated a heretical sacrificial formation.
• Brunkel concluded that the Northern Territory Tribal Alliance had rebelled and colluded with the Withered Glory Society, while Eli connected the crisis to the Calamity Dark Star.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander decided to escort the Blue Knight, Brunkel, and the nuns to the Knight Academy’s North Campus before taking Eli to the Northern Territory Astrology Society.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander lifted the unconscious Blue Knight with starlight, and the group traveled through the snow toward the North Campus.

Lu Yuan analyzed the Heretics’ Person-Finding Inscription and reverse-engineered two designs for Gregory’s layered bomb. He explained the second design, which detected nearby living people after the core landed and detonated when someone entered its range.

• After returning to Gregory’s laboratory, Lu Yuan used the Worm of Knowledge and Oden’s advice to understand how the inscription pulled nearby people toward its center.
• Lu Yuan drew a Reverse-Attraction Scheme that would steer the bomb’s core toward living people, but warned Gregory that its weight and high reason consumption would limit its range.
• Lu Yuan presented a Landing-Point Detection Exclusion-Zone Scheme with two interlaced rings of inscription lines.
• Lu Yuan explained that the outer ring would detect nearby people and the inner ring would detonate the core when someone entered the detection circle.

Lu Yuan completed his reverse-engineered Person-Finding Inscription design for Gregory and arranged to buy ingredients for future Dragon Blood Potion batches. He then joined Frey and the Lantern Knight in testing his Deceased's Wailing Crystal, which reacted to Plague Water and confirmed that the detection method worked.

• Lu Yuan showed Gregory how the Inscription’s threshold slots would filter out beasts with weak sanity fluctuations, and Gregory praised the revised design as easier to engrave.
• Lu Yuan and Gregory settled their earlier bounty transaction, and Lu Yuan offered thirty Knight Tokens for Bone Eerie Bone Powder and Human-Armor Beast Scales rather than taking them for free.
• Gregory accepted the tokens and promised to sell Lu Yuan his family’s stock at cost, and they arranged a time for Lu Yuan to collect it.
• Lu Yuan completed his daily check-in and went to the Pharmacy Group’s Plague Water room to continue testing his detection method.
• Frey presented Lu Yuan’s crystal and test records to the Lantern Knight, who applied undiluted Plague Water to the crystal and watched fine cracks appear.

Lu Yuan presented a crystal-based method for detecting people infected during the incubation period, and the Lantern Knight promised to report it to the Academy. Blue Knight returned from the Northern Territory critically injured and deeply contaminated, leaving the Academy knights searching for a way to save her.

• The Lantern Knight approved Lu Yuan's plague-detection method and said he would submit it to the Academy leadership for a reward.
• The Lantern Knight told Lu Yuan that Blue Knight's group had encountered danger but that rescuers had been sent to meet them.
• A messenger reported that Blue Knight had returned in critical condition, and Lu Yuan accompanied the Lantern Knight to the infirmary while Frey stayed behind.
• Lu Yuan found Blue Knight unconscious and gravely wounded, with Brunkel and the accompanying nuns also injured.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander contained Blue Knight's contamination with a Stellar Sealing Formation, while String Knight warned that the contamination had entwined with her Pathway and could not be forcibly removed without making her lose control.

The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander revealed that the Northern Territory Tribal Alliance had rebelled and joined the Withered Glory Society, then departed with Eli and Brunkel to respond to the crisis. As the String Knight and Lantern Knight prepared to treat the Blue Knight, Oden warned Lu Yuan that their plan would not save her in time and urged him to examine her condition.

• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander told the assembled knights that the Northern Territory Tribal Alliance had allied with the Withered Glory Society and sacrificed refugees to create a massive formation.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander assigned the Blue Knight’s care and the Academy’s defenses to the String Knight and Lantern Knight, then took Brunkel and the sisters north with Eli.
• Eli told Lu Yuan that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had rescued the Blue Knight and Brunkel from dozens of Heretics at Snow Mountain, including a Fourth Order leader.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, Eli, Brunkel, and the sisters left the Knight Academy, while the other knights cleared the infirmary.
• Oden warned Lu Yuan that freezing the Blue Knight while preparing medicine would let the contamination destroy her reason, and urged him to use his ability to assess her condition.

Lu Yuan used Forbidden Studies-Deep Study to assess Blue Knight’s condition and found a treatment with a 91% chance of success, though it required the Sea of Knowledge and no outsiders. He stopped String Knight from freezing her and asked him and Lantern Knight to prepare medicinal ingredients, leaving them uncertain whether to trust his claim.

• Lu Yuan examined Blue Knight and learned that contamination had penetrated her Pathway and threatened her sanity.
• Lu Yuan compared three treatment plans and chose to refine a Leaf of Hope with the Sea of Knowledge before making a potion and removing the contamination.
• Lu Yuan realized that freezing Blue Knight would only slow her decline and offered to treat her instead.
• String Knight and Lantern Knight stopped their preparations and hesitated at Lu Yuan’s claim that he could save Blue Knight.

Lu Yuan told String Knight and Lantern Knight that his Pathway gave him an eighty percent chance of treating Blue Knight’s worsening contamination. After warning him that he would be held responsible if anything went wrong, the two senior knights decided to trust him because they had no better option.

• String Knight challenged Lu Yuan’s claim that he could save Blue Knight and warned that he would bear full responsibility if she died.
• Lu Yuan explained that String Knight’s freezing methods could preserve Blue Knight but would not stop her Pathway contamination from worsening.
• Lu Yuan claimed that his Pathway abilities were mainly related to treatment and said he had at least an eighty percent chance of saving Blue Knight.
• String Knight and Lantern Knight recalled Lu Yuan’s unusual records, then warned him that the Knight Academy would hold him accountable if Blue Knight’s treatment went wrong.
• Lu Yuan assured them he would not treat Blue Knight’s life lightly, and String Knight decided to trust him because they had no better option.

String Knight and Lantern Knight agreed to let Lu Yuan attempt to treat Blue Knight, whose sanity and Pathway were deteriorating from deep mutation. Lu Yuan presented an extensive supply list that included treatment materials and personal stockpiles for future plans.

• String Knight accepted Lu Yuan’s proposal, and Lantern Knight offered to provide the required materials.
• Oden warned Lu Yuan that Blue Knight’s Pathway contamination was nearly incurable, but Lu Yuan reassured him that he knew what he was doing.
• Oden asked Lu Yuan to request deep sea nightmare grass, insect-attracting flower, and void fluorescent powder for the coming Rising Tide salvage.
• Lu Yuan added three portions of each Dragon Blood Potion ingredient and high-grade crystal preservation bottles to his list.
• Lu Yuan included additional Sea of Knowledge-related materials for building a future power base and escape routes in the Northern Territory.
• Lu Yuan recited his full list of treatment ingredients, salvage supplies, potion materials, preservation bottles, and special materials to String Knight and Lantern Knight.

Lu Yuan gathered the Academy’s supplies and began treating the Blue Knight, first stabilizing her condition with a potion. He then cautiously used the Sea of Knowledge to purify a Leaf of Hope, preparing for the critical next stage of her treatment.

• The String Knight approved Lu Yuan’s supply list and had the ingredients and advanced potion-making equipment delivered to the Infirmary.
• After the String Knight and Lantern Knight left him alone, Lu Yuan checked the room and stored the materials he and Oden had requested in his Storage Box.
• Lu Yuan prepared and administered a stabilizing potion, easing the Blue Knight’s symptoms and calming her mutated Pathway.
• Lu Yuan opened a tiny rift to the Sea of Knowledge and used its seawater of colorful characters to cleanse the Leaf of Hope of the imprints left by the survivors of the Land of the Dead Silence.

Lu Yuan used a purified Leaf of Hope and the Sea of Knowledge’s power to remove the contamination from the Blue Knight’s Fourth Order Pathway and stabilize her condition. The Blue Knight began recovering, while the String Knight and Lantern Knight were astonished by Lu Yuan’s success.

• Oden marveled at Lu Yuan’s use of seawater from the Sea of Knowledge to purify the Leaf of Hope.
• Lu Yuan brewed a Refined Hope Potion and gave the entire flask to the Blue Knight.
• Lu Yuan invoked Helvian’s true name and used the Sea of Knowledge’s power to remove the contamination rooted in her Pathway.
• Lu Yuan received gains in Pharmacology and Advanced Medicine, while losing five points of Sanity.
• Lu Yuan found that the Blue Knight’s breathing had steadied and her Pathway had stabilized, though she had not yet awakened.
• The String Knight and Lantern Knight examined the Blue Knight, and the String Knight questioned why Lu Yuan still needed to study Potion Fundamentals.

The String Knight recognized that Lu Yuan’s ability to heal a Fourth Order Pathway surpassed what he could teach and decided the Academy should increase its covert protection of him. As Lu Yuan gained benefits from the Dragon Blood Potion and the digested Holy Sovereign flesh, Blanca gathered the group to see Dean off and discuss the coming battlefield assignments.

• The String Knight told Lu Yuan he could not be his teacher and resolved to let him develop freely while strengthening the Academy’s protection of him.
• Lu Yuan spent three days checking on the Blue Knight and practicing [Guard], then discovered the Dragon Blood Potion had increased his daily sanity recovery by one point.
• The Sea of Knowledge finished digesting the Holy Sovereign flesh, raising Lu Yuan’s Forbidden Studies-Scholar progress by 0.3 to 2.5/5.
• Blanca, Leon, Harvey, and Dean gathered to see Dean off as he prepared to leave for Cold Crow City.
• Blanca said the Northern Territory was heading into chaos and warned that the Academy’s field assignments would be moved up.

As the Northern Territory descended toward emergency lockdown, Lu Yuan and his friends prepared for deployment, and Dean left for Cold Crow City. After earning a large payment and a continuing share for his purified Wailing Crystal method, Lu Yuan brewed three stable Dragon Blood Potions.

• Dean warned Lu Yuan, Blanca, Leon, and Harvey that emergency deployment was imminent and urged them to prepare supplies and contacts.
• Harvey confirmed he had contacted his family's informants, while Leon and Lu Yuan agreed to prepare for their assignments.
• Lu Yuan, Blanca, Leon, and Harvey saw Dean off as he departed through the snow for Cold Crow City.
• The Academy approved the Lantern Knight's proposal, and Lu Yuan gave him his purification method for the Deceased's Wailing Crystal in exchange for one hundred Knight Tokens and a long-term share of production proceeds.
• Lu Yuan bought dragonblood resin and frozen blood amber, collected the remaining ingredients from Gregory's Research Room, and returned to brew potions.
• With Oden and his awakened coat assisting, Lu Yuan made three Dragon Blood Potions and sealed them successfully in specialized bottles.

The Blue Knight awoke after Lu Yuan saved her from the Contamination of the Land of the Dead Silence, and his Knight Academy progress advanced. As they spoke privately about what had happened, the Academy’s monitoring Formation revealed that it had detected a fleeting Taboo-level aura when Lu Yuan used his Authority.

• Oden warned Lu Yuan that the first Dragon Blood Potion was still being absorbed and advised him to wait three to five days before drinking another.
• The Blue Knight opened her eyes on the third morning, and Lu Yuan’s Knight Academy progress changed to +1...2/?.
• The Blue Knight told Lu Yuan that she remembered their journey and killing the Fourth Order High Singer, but had lost consciousness before the events that followed.
• The Blue Knight recognized that Lu Yuan had saved her, but neither questioned him about his methods nor mentioned the Sea of Knowledge.
• Lu Yuan explained how the Land of the Dead Silence collapsed and how the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander rescued her, then left her to rest under the medical knights’ care.
• The Knight Academy’s monitoring Formation had detected a fleeting trace of Taboo-level aura when Lu Yuan invoked his Authority, triggering an alarm and an investigation.

The Academy’s formation detected a fluctuation from the Forbidden Land · Sea of Knowledge near the North Campus Infirmary, where Lu Yuan had treated the Blue Knight. The Rock Grand Knight Commander ordered the alarm reported through official channels but kept classified as safe, while Lu Yuan returned home and prepared to discuss crafting a salvaging tool with Oden.

• The Main Control Room’s Formation Disk identified the fluctuation as coming from the Forbidden Land · Sea of Knowledge and pinpointed the North Campus Infirmary.
• A duty Deacon reported the alarm to the Rock Grand Knight Commander, who learned Lu Yuan was treating the Blue Knight.
• The Rock Grand Knight Commander ordered the report sent through proper channels but forbade alerting anyone at the Academy and classified the fluctuation as safe.
• Lu Yuan returned to his cottage with deep sea nightmare grass, insect-attracting flower, and void fluorescent powder.
• Lu Yuan told Oden he would not open a breach into the Sea of Knowledge while inside the Academy, and Oden offered him the recipe for a salvaging tool to prepare in advance.

Lu Yuan learned that the Knight Academy might have detected his connection to the Sea of Knowledge, but decided his true authority remained concealed. The Rock Grand Knight Commander visited to thank him for saving the Blue Knight and began discussing the Empire’s classified records on Time Bestower.

• Oden warned Lu Yuan that a monitoring formation might have detected him opening a rift to the Sea of Knowledge at the Infirmary.
• Lu Yuan reasoned that the Academy might know he had a connection to the Sea of Knowledge, but could not discover his authority over it.
• Oden began explaining a formula for salvaging in the Deep Zone, but a visitor knocked before he could continue.
• Lu Yuan welcomed the Rock Grand Knight Commander, who thanked him for saving the Blue Knight, his personal student.
• The Rock Grand Knight Commander said he had searched the Empire’s classified archives to investigate Time Bestower, and Lu Yuan listened attentively.

The Rock Grand Knight Commander explained Time Bestower’s ancient origins and why it was considered impractical by most practitioners. Lu Yuan learned that its sanity cost increased with the user’s pathway level, while the weapon’s narrow usefulness explained how it ended up in his hands.

• The Rock Grand Knight Commander told Lu Yuan that Time Bestower was an ancient weapon inherited from the Former Empire, with only four surviving examples recorded in the imperial archives.
• The Rock Grand Knight Commander explained that practitioners below the Fourth Order could not afford Time Bestower’s extreme sanity drain.
• The Rock Grand Knight Commander said Time Bestower had little effect on Fifth-Order practitioners and consumed more sanity as the user’s pathway level rose, confirming Lu Yuan’s suspicion.
• The Rock Grand Knight Commander explained that knowledge transcendent practitioners generally lacked the physical strength or combat role to benefit from Time Bestower.
• Lu Yuan understood that Time Bestower had gathered dust because it was unsuitable for most practitioners, but its close-combat utility and his high sanity made it useful to him.