Recaps

After two years of disciplined cultivation and mercenary work, Lin Qin broke through to become a sixth-level warrior and began exploring fourth-level Earth Element magic. He told Aileen about his breakthrough and encouraged her to advance at her own pace.

• Lin Qin continued his cultivation routine, grew closer to Aileen, and advanced his Earth Element magic and Battle Qi.
• Lin Qin took mercenary jobs in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, gained combat experience, and upgraded his badge from Bronze to silver.
• Lin Qin used meditation after a simulated battle to break through the barrier to the sixth level.
• Lin Qin stabilized his new level, practiced with his greatsword, and began exploring fourth-level Earth Element magic.
• Lin Qin told Aileen about his breakthrough, and she congratulated him while resolving to keep progressing.

Lin Qin continued his training and daily life with Aileen after reaching the sixth rank as a warrior. As the Ernst Institute Elite Tournament approached, he decided to compete, and Aileen promised to watch.

• Lin Qin attended magic class with Aileen, while Linley, Yale, Reynolds, and George joined them for lunch.
• Yale noticed Lin Qin had reached the sixth warrior rank, and Linley congratulated him on his progress.
• Lin Qin trained with Barker and began incorporating his understanding of force and Earth Element mysteries into his swordsmanship.
• Lin Qin spent his free time with Aileen as students discussed the grade tournament and the Ernst Institute Elite Tournament.
• Lin Qin agreed to enter the Elite Tournament, and Aileen said she would watch.

Lin Qin defeated the well-known fourth-level Fire Element mage Dell in the elite tournament’s first round by blocking his spells and closing the distance with a sudden burst of speed. After his easy win, Lin Qin watched the other arenas, where Linley was also dominating his opponent.

• Lin Qin faced Dell in the tournament’s first round, and Dell tried to keep him at a distance with fire spells.
• Lin Qin blocked Dell’s Fireball Technique and Fire Wave Technique with fast, reinforced earth walls.
• Lin Qin interrupted Dell’s attempt to cast Flame Slash, broke through his Fire Ring Technique, and stopped his greatsword at Dell’s throat.
• The referee declared Lin Qin the winner, and Lin Qin left the arena to meet Aileen.
• Lin Qin watched Linley effortlessly toy with his opponent using Wind Element magic.

Lin Qin faced Linley in the semifinals and was defeated after Linley overwhelmed his defenses with powerful wind and earth magic. Lin Qin left the tournament as Linley advanced to the final.

• Linley opened the match with wind blades, but Lin Qin blocked them with Battle Qi and advanced.
• Lin Qin broke through Linley's Earth Prison Technique, but Linley kept him at a distance with wind magic and Gravity Technique.
• Linley unleashed Meteor Fall and concealed wind blades, forcing Lin Qin to defend behind a massive stone wall.
• Linley struck the wall with Destruction Storm, shattering it and sending Lin Qin to the edge of the platform.
• The referee declared Linley the winner, and Lin Qin congratulated him before Aileen helped him leave the platform.

After their tournament battle, Lin Qin and Linley discussed ways to improve their fighting and grew closer through memories of their shared hometown. At the dining hall, they spoke about their plans after graduation, and Lin Qin offered to help Linley if he needed it.

• Linley pointed out that Lin Qin's defenses left him vulnerable to attacks from beneath and from blind spots, and Lin Qin acknowledged the weakness.
• Linley and Lin Qin exchanged insights about magic, combat judgment, and their childhood in Wushan Town, then agreed to spar again.
• Lin Qin adjusted his training to improve his defensive stance and awareness of his surroundings.
• Yale invited Lin Qin to eat with Linley, Reynolds, and George, and Lin Qin sensed that Linley was troubled by matters beyond the academy.
• Lin Qin said he planned to keep training and might enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range, while Linley said he might leave the academy to travel.
• Lin Qin offered to help Linley if he needed it, and Linley solemnly accepted.

After graduating from Ernst Institute, Lin Qin rejected offers from major powers and set out alone for the Magic Beast Mountain Range, while Aileen took a research post in Fenlai City and Linley prepared for his own journey. A month of dangerous battles brought Lin Qin to Mist Canyon, where he joined several wary groups waiting to enter.

• Lin Qin passed the graduation assessment and declined offers from major powers, while Aileen accepted a research position at the Magic Guild in Fenlai City.
• Lin Qin and Aileen parted after exchanging farewells and a talisman, and Lin Qin later said goodbye to Linley.
• Lin Qin accepted an A-rank mission to investigate abnormal energy fluctuations in Mist Canyon and bought supplies for the expedition.
• Lin Qin fought dangerous magical beasts on his way through the mountain range, sharpening his combat skills and combining Earth Battle Qi with Earth magic.
• After a month, Lin Qin reached Mist Canyon and found three other groups gathered at its entrance, so he rested apart from them and watched both the canyon and his potential companions.

Lin Qin entered Mist Canyon, survived its hazards, and joined Herbert and the other mages to kill a pursuing Crimson Flame Fierce Ape. A far greater earth-element presence awakened in the canyon’s depths, and Lin Qin led the others toward it despite the danger.

• Lin Qin entered Mist Canyon last and killed a sixth-level Mist-Hidden Poison Lizard before continuing through the fog and its dangers.
• After a day in the canyon, Lin Qin encountered Herbert and two other mages fleeing a level-eight Crimson Flame Fierce Ape.
• Lin Qin distracted the ape and blocked its attack with a stone wall, giving Herbert time to wound it with Flame Heaven-Burning Spear.
• Lin Qin killed the wounded ape with a thrust through its mouth, and Herbert proposed sharing the valuable spoils.
• An immense pressure carrying earth-element laws surged from the canyon’s core, and Lin Qin sensed that his cultivation bottleneck was loosening.
• Lin Qin headed toward the source of the pressure, and Herbert led his companions after him.

Lin Qin discovered a Saint Realm Elemental Lifeform guarding an Earth Origin Light Orb and broke through during its attack, gaining an initial understanding of the Earth Element Profound Mysteries. He urged the other groups to hold the creature back while he raced toward the orb.

• Lin Qin and the others reached an underground cavern where a Saint Realm Elemental Lifeform guarded an Earth Origin Light Orb in a lake of liquid Earth Element essence.
• Lin Qin began cultivating beside the lake, and the awakened creature attacked everyone with quicksand and stone spears.
• Lin Qin used his first understanding of the Earth Element Profound Mysteries to withstand the attack and break through to Eighth-level Warrior and peak fourth-level Mage.
• Lin Qin called on the others to distract the creature while he claimed the core treasure, then raced toward the orb as the creature launched another attack.

Lin Qin absorbed the Earth Element Heart and broke through to the Saint Realm, then suppressed and destroyed the Saint Realm Elemental Lifeform. After rewarding the others with the lake’s remaining essence, he left Mist Canyon and set his sights on the O’Brien Empire.

• Herbert and the others combined their attacks to delay the Elemental Lifeform as Lin Qin reached the Earth Element Heart.
• Lin Qin absorbed the Earth Element Heart, transformed his body and soul, and broke through to the Saint Realm.
• Lin Qin used the Laws of Earth to bind and annihilate the Elemental Lifeform.
• Lin Qin let Herbert and the others collect the remaining liquid Earth Element essence as a reward for their help.
• Lin Qin left Mist Canyon and headed north toward the O’Brien Empire.

Lin Qin reached Red Flame City, gathered news about the Empire, and accepted a mercenary mission to hunt a Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle in the Black Wind Mountain Range. After attracting the notice of the city’s Saint Realm figures, he left the next day to begin the mission.

• Lin Qin entered Red Flame City and heard reports of a Saint Realm battle at Gale Canyon and trouble involving the Baruch Clan in the Kingdom of Fenlai.
• Lin Qin registered at the Mercenary Guild and accepted an A-rank mission to hunt a Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle in the Black Wind Mountain Range.
• Baruch, deputy commander of the Imperial Household Guards, greeted Lin Qin, asked about his origins, and warned him to follow Red Flame City’s rules.
• Lin Qin sensed other Saint Realm powerhouses noticing him and looked toward War God Mountain, aspiring to reach God-level power.
• Lin Qin left Red Flame City the next day and headed for the Black Wind Mountain Range.

Lin Qin consolidated his Saint Realm power in seclusion, then traveled to Iron Rock City in the O'Brien Empire. After Young Master Kevin of the Basil Clan tried to seize his Black Jade Stone, Lin Qin subdued Kevin's guards and left, prompting Kevin to report the incident to his clan.

• Lin Qin spent a month in a secluded valley mastering his Saint Power, Earth Element techniques, and flight.
• Lin Qin entered the O'Brien Empire and arrived in Iron Rock City, where he went to a weapon shop to find materials for his greatsword.
• Young Master Kevin demanded the Black Jade Stone Lin Qin was examining and ordered his guards to attack when Lin Qin refused to yield it.
• Lin Qin's Saint Realm pressure knocked the guards unconscious and frightened Kevin into silence, after which Lin Qin bought the stone and left.
• Kevin ordered a surviving guard to tell the Basil Clan that a Saint Realm expert had come to Iron Rock City and made an enemy of them.
• Lin Qin settled at an inn and planned to travel to Red Flame City the next day to seek information about Linley and continue cultivating.

Lin Qin completed his mission in the Black Wind Mountain Range and killed two Saint Realm experts who tried to take his prize, using the encounter to test his Earth Element abilities. After turning in the mission in Red Flame City, he noticed growing tension and rumors about the movements of Saint Realm experts.

• Lin Qin found and killed the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle, then collected its mission materials.
• A gray-robed Sword Saint and a blue-robed Saint Magus demanded the eagle's Magic Crystal Core, and Lin Qin refused.
• The Sword Saint and Saint Magus attacked Lin Qin, who killed them with his Earth Element abilities and took the Saint Magus's belongings.
• Lin Qin left the mountain range, completed his mission in Red Flame City, and exchanged unwanted magical items for gold and rare ores.
• Lin Qin noticed that Red Flame City was tense and that people were discussing the movements of several Saint Realm experts.

Lin Qin met the Rock Sword Saint Hederson at Red Flame City's training ground and sparred with him, gaining valuable insight into the Earth Element Profound Mysteries. After Hederson warned that a storm was coming, Lin Qin returned to seclusion as news of his strength began spreading among the Empire's powerful experts.

• Lin Qin visited Red Flame City's public training ground and watched two warriors spar before Hederson's arrival silenced the crowd.
• Hederson recognized Lin Qin as a young Saint Realm expert and invited him to trade moves, which Lin Qin eagerly accepted.
• Lin Qin adapted to Hederson's earth-law attacks and endured his Momentum Slash by creating the prototype of his Thick Earth Seal.
• Hederson praised Lin Qin's potential, warned that the Empire might soon face a storm, and left the training ground.
• Lin Qin returned to the inn to refine his Thick Earth Seal, while word of his spar with Hederson began circulating among Red Flame City's upper circles.

After drawing attention for his battle with Hederson, Lin Qin rejected Prince Kasa’s offer to serve the O’Brien Empire and accepted a mission investigating abnormal Black Storms in the Death Desert. He reached Devil Rock, where strange energy and a gathering storm suggested the mission concealed a larger mystery.

• Lin Qin improved his Thick Earth Seal while cultivating, then accepted an imperial invitation to a banquet and an A+ mission investigating the Black Storms.
• Lin Qin prepared for the Death Desert by buying maps and supplies, then attended the imperial banquet, where Prince Kasa tried and failed to recruit him.
• Lin Qin left Red Flame City the next morning and flew toward Devil Rock, finding wreckage and human remains along the desert’s northern edge.
• Lin Qin sensed chaotic energy near Devil Rock and spotted black clouds with dark-red lightning gathering, then raced toward the storm.

Lin Qin investigated the Black Storm terrorizing a village near Devil Rock, then destroyed the creature at its center. He found a crystal formed from resentful souls and dark energy and continued deeper into Devil Rock to seek the source.

• Lin Qin found a frightened village near Devil Rock and learned that a demon in the Black Storm had been attacking travelers and livestock for two months.
• When the Black Storm surged toward the village, Lin Qin used the Laws of the Earth to disperse it and wounded the shadow inside.
• The shadow fled into Devil Rock, and Lin Qin pursued it while the villagers watched and hoped he would destroy the demon.
• Lin Qin caught the shadow and annihilated it with the Thick Earth Seal, leaving behind a black crystal.
• Lin Qin recognized the crystal as the product of a failed evil ritual and continued investigating the deeper reaches of Devil Rock.

Lin Qin discovered and destroyed a Dark Church Soul Gathering Array deep in Devil Rock, then returned to the village and flew toward Red Flame City to report the threat. The Dark Church’s larger plans remained unknown.

• Lin Qin followed the evil energy into an underground cavern and found two Dark Church members inspecting a Soul Gathering Array.
• Carl and her companion attacked Lin Qin with dark magic, but he dispelled their spells and restrained them with earth magic.
• Lin Qin searched the frightened cultist’s memories, learned they had used the Grudge Devourer to gather souls, and killed both cultists.
• Lin Qin destroyed the Soul Gathering Array, purifying its blood pool and ending the evil activity in the cavern.
• Lin Qin returned to the village, told the villagers the monster and array were gone, and gave them gold coins.
• Lin Qin flew toward Red Flame City to turn in the mission and alert the Mercenary Guild and the Empire about the Dark Church.

Lin Qin returned to Red Flame City and reported the Dark Church’s soul-gathering scheme to the Mercenary Guild and Emperor Joanne. He refused the emperor’s offer to join the Empire, then received a letter from Aileen warning that Fenlai City was also unsettled as he resumed cultivation.

• Lin Qin submitted the Black Crystal and his intelligence about the Dark Church and Soul Gathering Array to the Mercenary Guild, which promised to report it to the Empire and reward him.
• A royal guard summoned Lin Qin to Emperor Joanne’s study, where Ralph and Hederson heard his account of the Dark Church’s plan to feed a sealed being with collected souls.
• Emperor Joanne offered Lin Qin the position of Saint Protector of the Kingdom, but Lin Qin declined to join the Empire and promised to oppose threats to the continent’s peace.
• Hederson warned Lin Qin that the Dark Church might target him, and Lin Qin acknowledged that his Thick Earth Seal had improved.
• Lin Qin returned to the inn, decided to stay in Red Flame City to gather information and cultivate, and received Aileen’s letter saying Fenlai City was unsettled.

Lin Qin reunited with Linley while traveling near the Magic Beast Mountain Range and watched him defeat a Level Nine Wind-Thunder Rhino. They shared news of their pursuits before parting, with Linley planning to follow leads about his mother's death and train in the Arctic Ice Plains.

• Lin Qin heard fighting in a valley and found Linley battling a Level Nine Wind-Thunder Rhino.
• Linley refused Lin Qin's offer of help and killed the beast with a decisive strike into its neck wound.
• Linley told Lin Qin that he was investigating his mother's death but wanted to handle the matter himself.
• Lin Qin revealed that he had recently entered the Saint Realm, and Linley congratulated him.
• Linley said he would continue following leads and then train in the Arctic Ice Plains, and the two friends parted the next morning.

Lin Qin investigated a mine near a small town after black water and monsters threatened its residents. He destroyed the tainted source beneath the mine, then left to continue his journey, convinced that dangerous experiments were spreading across the Yulan Continent.

• Lin Qin heard adventurers complain that people entering the mine had vanished or gone mad, then learned that black water and monsters were advancing toward town.
• Lin Qin raced to the mine and destroyed the mud monsters outside before entering the tunnels.
• Lin Qin found a corrupted shadow above a black-water spring and used the Thick Earth Seal to cleanse and seal its source.
• Lin Qin returned to town and told the old hunter that the mine was safe, then replenished his water and departed.

After months of cultivation in the O'Brien Empire and the Arctic Ice Plains, Lin Qin returned to find Fenlai City destroyed and hurried to the Magic Guild’s refuge to find Aileen. After reuniting, they learned more about the catastrophe and agreed to travel together, leaving the temporary base to face an increasingly dangerous continent.

• Lin Qin returned from the Arctic Ice Plains, heard that Fenlai City had been destroyed, and rushed to search its ruins for Aileen.
• Lin Qin found Aileen at the Magic Guild’s temporary base, where she told him the Guild had survived the disaster behind a barrier while many people died.
• Lin Qin told Aileen he had reached the Saint Realm, and she explained that the Magic Guild was considering relocating its headquarters.
• Aileen admitted she had feared never seeing Lin Qin again and insisted on accompanying him wherever he went; Lin Qin agreed.
• Lin Qin stayed at the base for several days, learned that a terrifying expert from the Plane Prison had appeared during the battle, and left with Aileen after she took leave from the Guild.

Lin Qin and Aileen traveled toward the Yulan Empire, where Lin Qin rescued a merchant caravan from bandits without revealing himself. They resumed their journey after Aileen reflected on the need to grow stronger.

• Lin Qin and Aileen headed toward the Chaos Territory while discussing Aileen's magical training and progress.
• Lin Qin sensed blood and energy nearby while they camped, and Aileen set up a warning barrier as he went to investigate.
• Lin Qin found bandits attacking a Violet Merchant Guild caravan and broke Scarface's wrist with a ranged strike.
• Lin Qin's spiritual pressure sent Scarface and the other bandits fleeing, and he told the surviving caravan members to leave quickly.
• Lin Qin returned to camp, where Aileen resumed meditating and resolved to become strong enough to face future dangers beside him.

Lin Qin and Aileen entered the Yulan Empire and discovered that the Dark Church was secretly corrupting towns’ water supplies to weaken residents and collect their souls. After capturing a cult operative, Lin Qin learned the church was preparing a large-scale ritual, and the pair set out for the southwestern Empire near the Dark Forest.

• Lin Qin and Aileen crossed into the Yulan Empire and heard reports of the Dark Church fighting the Purple Flame Legion in the Withered Bone Hills.
• In Blue Water Town, Aileen healed a boy suffering from dark corruption, and she and Lin Qin traced the contamination to black rune-carved stones in the river.
• Lin Qin taught Aileen to detect and cleanse dark corruption as they traveled, and they found another town whose residents had been poisoned through its water supply.
• Lin Qin caught a Dark Church operative preparing to contaminate a town’s water and searched his memories to learn that the church was gathering weakened souls for a large-scale ritual.
• Lin Qin and Aileen decided to investigate the Dark Church’s activity near the Dark Forest in the southwestern part of the Empire.

Lin Qin and Aileen traced the darkened water sources to Silent Valley, where they discovered a vast soul ritual and hundreds of captive sacrifices. Facing three Saint Realm leaders, they prepared to sabotage the altar before the ritual began.

• Lin Qin and Aileen investigated illness and tainted water in Graystone Town, where a mercenary named Hans reported seeing bound people taken toward Silent Valley.
• Lin Qin and Aileen traveled secretly to Silent Valley and evaded the guards at its entrance to enter the valley.
• Lin Qin used his mental strength to scout the valley's center, where they found a huge altar, a Soul Vortex, and hundreds of weakened captives gathered as sacrifices.
• Lin Qin and Aileen saw three Saint Realm figures overseeing the ritual: a dark magic practitioner, a Necromancer, and a Shadow Assassin.
• Lin Qin planned to draw the ritual leaders' attention while Aileen used water magic to erode the Bone Pillars, then began channeling Saint Power toward the ritual's presiding figure.

Lin Qin and Aileen disrupted the Soul Vortex ritual by keeping the Dark Saint Realm experts occupied and destroying the Bone Pillars. When the possessed officiant struck at Aileen, Lin Qin took the beam of darkness for her and confronted him while wounded.

• Lin Qin attacked the officiant and fought off the Necromancer and Shadow Assassin on the altar.
• While Lin Qin drew the enemies’ attention, Aileen sabotaged the Bone Pillars with Water Element magic.
• Lin Qin opened his Thick Earth Domain to pin down the three Dark Saint Realm experts as Aileen destroyed more pillars.
• The Soul Vortex collapsed, freeing its bound souls and restoring a faint glimmer of awareness to the sacrifices.
• The officiant’s black gem unleashed an ancient darkness, and Lin Qin intercepted its beam before it struck Aileen.
• Wounded by the beam, Lin Qin shielded Aileen and told the officiant that he had made him angry.

Lin Qin and Aileen attacked the altar to disrupt the ritual planned for the next full moon, with Lin Qin drawing the Saint Realm defenders away while Aileen damaged the Bone Pillars. The Shadow Assassin returned as Lin Qin fought the High Priest and Necromancer, while Aileen prepared another strike.

• Lin Qin and Aileen learned that the ritual would begin the next night and decided to attack the altar that night.
• Aileen began preparing Deep Water Touch against the altar’s eastern Bone Pillars while Lin Qin watched the guards and waited for an opening.
• When the Shadow Assassin left and the Necromancer checked the sacrifices, Lin Qin attacked the Necromancer to draw the High Priest’s attention.
• Aileen’s spell cracked the Bone Pillars and disrupted the altar’s energy as Lin Qin broke free of the High Priest’s binding magic.
• Lin Qin kept the High Priest and Necromancer occupied while Aileen moved to safety and prepared to target another set of Bone Pillars.
• The Shadow Assassin raced back as the battle spread across Silent Valley.