Chapter Summaries

Valen persuaded Mrs. Allen to enter the Bloodline Altar after promising not to force Ron to sign a Soul Contract with the Crystal Spire. Ron sent Trish, Holt, and Dail away, then attacked a transforming Golden Chrysalis with Time Stasis and Phoenix Breath, leaving the Crystal Platform devastated and the chrysalis’s fate uncertain.

• Valen asked Mrs. Allen to enter the Bloodline Altar and help protect Ron and the others from the out-of-control Replica.
• Mrs. Allen agreed on the condition that Valen would not force Ron to sign a Soul Contract, and Valen gave his word.
• Ron warned Trish and Holt away from the dangerous energy ahead, and they used their Emblems to leave; he then sent Dail into the Space Pouch.
• Ron found a huge Golden Chrysalis that accelerated its transformation when it sensed him approaching.
• Ron froze the chrysalis with Time Stasis and struck it with Mentor Yuni’s Phoenix Breath, triggering a massive explosion that devastated the Crystal Platform.
• Ron survived behind Flowing Barrier and found no trace of the chrysalis or its energy, but remained uncertain whether his attack had succeeded.

Ron defeated the weakened Replica with the Surrogate Puppet and absorbed its power, increasing the puppet's Charge Progress to 38%. The Bloodline Altar then began channeling energy into Ron to enhance his bloodline.

• The Replica survived Ron's Phoenix Breath, but emerged badly injured as the Abyss's energy slowly restored him.
• Ron sent the Surrogate Puppet to fight, and his stronger Starry Babble reflected the Replica's sonic attack before the puppet wounded him with its three weapons.
• Ron explained that the Replica shared the Surrogate Puppet's origin, and the puppet killed and dismembered him.
• The Surrogate Puppet absorbed the Replica's energy, gained a fourth arm, and increased its Charge Progress from 8% to 38%.
• The Crystal Platform's red patterns converged into an energy sphere that enveloped Ron and began seeping into his body.

Ron completed the Bloodline Altar trial and gained major improvements to his Chimera and Crimson Blood Wyvern bloodlines. Mrs. Allen confronted the Abyss Eye intruder Mr. Holy Disc, learned that Ron was meant to be a sacrifice for Lord Megs, and then warned Ron about the Crystal Spire’s interest in binding him with a Soul Contract.

• Ron’s Crimson Blood Wyvern bloodline became purer and capable of self-purification, while his Chimera bloodline gained stronger assimilation and memory of fused traits.
• Mrs. Allen found Mr. Holy Disc performing a ritual and used a potion to learn that the Abyss Eye wanted Ron as a natural seed for Lord Megs, the Void Spider.
• Mr. Holy Disc resisted revealing more about the Abyss Eye and self-destructed, but Mrs. Allen survived the blast behind her Protective Barrier.
• Mrs. Allen sensed that Ron had completed his trial, met him at the Crystal Platform, and explained that the altar was becoming unstable.
• Mrs. Allen warned Ron that Valen and the Crystal Spire might seek to bind him with a Soul Contract, though Valen had agreed not to force him to sign one.

Ron left the Bloodline Altar with Mrs. Allen, learned that two weeks had passed outside, and returned to the workshop, where Lillia and Ailan welcomed him and Dail back. After sharing their gains and experiences over dinner, Ron faced a new choice about advancing as a Wizard and avoiding the Crystal Spire’s constraints.

• Mrs. Allen offered Ron an alternative path to becoming an official Wizard and suggested his Dual Soul might let him benefit from a Soul Contract without being fully bound.
• Valen learned that Mr. Holy Disc, an Abyss Eye member and the mastermind behind Oliver, had destroyed himself, and he offered Ron Crystal Spire mentors and an invitation to study in the Central Land.
• Elliott gave Ron a communication Emblem, and Mrs. Allen told him that two weeks had passed outside the Bloodline Altar and asked him to visit her after Valen left.
• Ron and Dail hurried back to the workshop, where Lillia and Ailan greeted them with relief after weeks of fearing they had been lost in the altar.
• Ron told Lillia and Ailan about the altar’s regions, Replicas, and their gains, while Dail revealed that she had become a Pure-blood Siren.

Ron absorbed four abyssal materials into the Surrogate Puppet, strengthening its traits and raising its Charge Progress to 43%. Meanwhile, Ailan and Dail noticed Lillia had fallen asleep in the bath after exhausting herself worrying about Ron and Dail’s disappearance.

• Ron examined the Abyss Vine Seeds, Swamp Stitcher Tissue, Bone Worm materials, and their risks in his laboratory.
• Ron guided the Surrogate Puppet through absorbing the bone fragment, molted skin, seed extract, and Swamp Stitcher extract, successfully fusing all four abyssal traits.
• Ron checked the puppet’s improved stability, defenses, regeneration, and adaptability, and saw its Charge Progress reach 43%.
• Ailan noticed Dail’s body had begun developing after her bloodline breakthrough, and Dail excitedly spotted a small bud on her chest.
• Ailan and Dail found Lillia asleep in the bath, and Ailan explained that Lillia had been exhausted from worrying and researching the Bloodline Altar while Ron and Dail were missing.

Ron weighed his route to becoming an official wizard while training his spells and considering how to refine them. After Ailan told him that Trish had arrived, he found Trish surprised by Ailan’s changed appearance.

• Ron concluded that he could not wait two years for the school’s Key Potion and planned to ask Mrs. Allen about an alternative path to becoming an official wizard before traveling to Central Land.
• Ron decided that Dail and Ailan would accompany him, while he considered whether Lillia could eventually leave the Black Fog School.
• Ron practiced Ring of Radiance, Flowing Barrier, and Sonic Oscillation, improving their control and imagining a future fusion of erosive sound waves and Abyss Echo.
• Ron ended training when Ailan told him that Trish had arrived, then went to the reception room.
• Trish stared in surprise at Ailan and asked whether she was the Tree Spirit.

Ron met with Trish before her departure for the Crystal Spire, where they discussed its resources and the powerful Crown Clan. They agreed to a wager over who would become an official wizard first, and Ron offered Trish a nature-enhancing staff as a farewell gift, which she hesitated to accept.

• Trish marveled at Ailan's successful Bloodline Modulation, while Ron observed that Trish's Forest Elf bloodline had grown stronger.
• Trish told Ron she would leave with Corinna for the Crystal Spire in two days because the Abyss Eye's infiltration made the Black Fog School unsafe; she had also been freed from her School service Contract.
• Trish described the Crystal Spire's Life Library, Enchanting Studies department, and Crown Clan, whose ancestors included a Wizard King.
• Trish and Ron bet that whoever became an official wizard first could impose one condition on the other, and they used paired Magic Resonance Orbs to verify the result.
• Ron gave Trish a Short Staff made with Ailan's Life Leaf and vines, but Trish hesitated to accept the valuable gift.

Ron gave Trish a bloodline-compatible staff and collected Li Yue’s blood for his experiments before Trish left for the Crystal Spire. Back in his workshop, he began developing a stronger liquid spell and considered using Dail’s evolved secretions as a casting medium.

• Ron gave Trish a staff made for her Forest Elf bloodline and asked instead for more of Li Yue’s blood for his research.
• Li Yue let Ron draw several vials of her blood and described how fusing with Manticore Venom had improved her abilities.
• Trish left for the Crystal Spire after exchanging farewells with Ron, who resolved to strengthen himself and pursue his plans.
• Ron modified Slime Splash into a faster, more corrosive liquid spell, but found its corrosive effect weaker than he wanted.
• After reading about biological secretions as casting mediums, Ron went to find Dail and considered using her strengthened corrosive fluid to improve the spell.

Ron used Dail’s corrosive secretion to develop three powerful variants of Slime Splash, then brought Lillia to Mrs. Allen’s Herb Shop for a private discussion. Mrs. Allen revealed her youthful appearance to Lillia and, after sending her away, praised her talent to Ron.

• Ron collected Dail’s strong-acid secretion and used it to create the Acid Orb, Acid Rain, and Acid Mist forms of Slime Splash.
• Ron completed his research and later invited Lillia to accompany him to Mrs. Allen’s Herb Shop.
• Mrs. Allen led Ron and Lillia into a private room, raised an Energy Barrier, and revealed her youthful pink-haired appearance, shocking Lillia.
• Mrs. Allen sent Lillia to tend the herb field so she could speak privately with Ron.
• Mrs. Allen told Ron that Lillia likely had a growth-type Special Talent and praised her progress under his guidance.

Mrs. Allen explained the dangerous Path of Essence and gave Ron Stardust Dawn, an auxiliary potion that could help him advance without a Key Potion by connecting directly with the Devourer. After hearing accounts of both its extraordinary rewards and terrible costs, Ron remained determined and asked for precise breakthrough instructions.

• Mrs. Allen assessed the purity and endurance of Ron's companion's Grace, then revealed an ancient tome describing the Path of Essence and explained how it differed from advancement using a Key Potion.
• Mrs. Allen explained the ranks of meditation methods, identified the Devourer as the being visualized by Whispers of the Star Eater, and said the Path of Essence offered stronger traits but carried a high risk of death or spiritual corruption.
• Mrs. Allen gave Ron Stardust Dawn, estimating that his talent and compatibility gave him roughly a fifty percent chance of success when he reached the critical point in his spiritual power.
• Mrs. Allen recounted how Glimm Oster succeeded through the Path of Essence, Eleanor Hull failed and became a monster, and Victor Reinhardt gained the Thread of Fate but suffered recurring madness.
• Ron accepted the risks and asked Mrs. Allen about the required mental-power threshold, other ways to improve his odds, and the meditation procedure and signs of success.

Mrs. Allen explained how special talents affected the success and risks of advancing through the Path of Essence, and Ron realized his accumulated traits might improve his own chances. After learning the Wizard (Three-Star) requirements and the breakthrough method, Ron decided he had enough reason to attempt it.

• Mrs. Allen told Ron that special talents could raise the Path of Essence breakthrough success rate and reduce contamination, then described how Victor Reinhardt, Selna, and Calix had fared.
• Mrs. Allen recounted theories that special talents came from primordial talents or served as anchors for Magic Gods, while Ron considered whether his panel and acquired traits worked like special talents.
• The panel displayed the Wizard (Three-Star) advancement requirements and assessed Ron's breakthrough success rate at 74.3% if he used Stardust Dawn and fully purified his mental contamination.
• Ron concluded that his talents and traits gave him sufficient reason to attempt the Path of Essence, and Mrs. Allen explained how to meditate on The Devourer while holding firm against illusions and voices.
• Mrs. Allen warned Ron to clear all mental contamination before advancing, and he concealed his surprise that she knew he could do so.

Mrs. Allen explained that Ron should attempt the Path of Essence during the Star Ring Conjunction in ninety-seven days and warned that failure could destroy him completely. Ron arranged for Lillia to stay with Mrs. Allen, then resumed training and found a new approach to improving Sonic Oscillation by studying Dail's Charm Song.

• Mrs. Allen told Ron that the next Star Ring Conjunction would be the best time to attempt the Path of Essence, but warned that death in its advancement environment would end his existence.
• Ron asked Mrs. Allen to guide Lillia while he went to the Crystal Spire, and Mrs. Allen agreed to keep her at the Herb Shop.
• Lillia accepted that staying with Mrs. Allen was best for her, but vowed to grow strong enough to catch up with Ron.
• Ron trained intensively to master Sonic Oscillation, but its progress stalled just short of a breakthrough.
• Ron realized that resonance could improve the spell and asked Dail to demonstrate her Charm Song on a stone.
• After observing the stone's vibrations, Ron began reconstructing the Sonic Oscillation Spell Model around resonance.

Ron advanced Sonic Oscillation to Mastery, creating a devastating composite spell that could threaten a Morning Star Rank Wizard, then processed Abyssal materials with Li Yue’s Monarch Bloodline to upgrade the Surrogate Puppet. The puppet reached 50% Charge Progress and Active Form, unlocking Dual Interconnection and allowing Ron to begin preparing for the Witch Hunter class change.

• Ron added an echo circuit to Sonic Oscillation, advanced it to Mastery with the Synchronized Ripple trait, and destroyed a Wooden Dummy from within.
• Ron combined Sonic Oscillation with Erosion Movement to create Sonic Oscillation Corrosion State, which dissolved another Wooden Dummy but consumed significant spiritual power and caused mental contamination when repeated.
• Ron decided to master Ring of Radiance next and set a minimum 85% success rate before attempting the Path of Essence.
• Ron extracted and stabilized energy from four Abyssal materials, then mixed the essences with Li Yue’s Monarch Bloodline.
• Ron infused the mixed essences into the Surrogate Puppet, raising its Charge Progress to 50%, evolving it into Active Form, and unlocking Dual Interconnection.

Ron used the Surrogate Puppet to complete the Witch Hunter class change, then fused it with his Bloodline Knight class to become a Demon Hunter Knight. After testing the new Flesh Awakening skill and suppressing the puppet’s rebellious consciousness, he learned that the puppet needed to reach 100% charge to unlock its Calamity Incarnation form.

• Ron discovered that the Surrogate Puppet’s abyssal substances had already formed compatible stitched organs, so he used it as the medium for his Witch Hunter class-change Ritual.
• Ron became a Two-Star Witch Hunter and gained Abnormal Status Resistance, Enhanced Perception, and the Hunt Evil skill.
• Ron fused his Bloodline Knight and Witch Hunter classes into a Two-and-a-Half-Star Demon Hunter Knight, gaining Flesh Awakening and enhanced attributes.
• Ron activated Flesh Awakening in the Surrogate Puppet and recorded its greatly increased combat power, but the puppet broke free briefly as its abyssal consciousness rebelled.
• Ron suppressed the puppet’s consciousness and ended its awakened state, noting that the resulting aberrations remained and that future uses could make them worse.
• Ron learned that the Surrogate Puppet needed 100% charge to unlock Glorious Legacy—Calamity Incarnation, which could fuse it with his body while isolating distortion and contamination.

Ron discovered that his Incarnation Stance enhanced his senses and spell control without visibly deforming him, though its new Energy Node held dangerous unstable power. Meanwhile, Hayek, Solon, and Yuni discussed Ron’s planned Path of Essence attempt and prepared to protect it under the Wizard King's Decree, leaving his advancement attempt set for the Star Ring Conjunction in three months.

• Ron tested his enhanced senses and spells, finding that his perception, magical power, and precision had improved while his appearance remained almost unchanged.
• Ron sensed bloodline power and magical power circulating together around a new dark-purple Energy Node, whose unstable fluctuations warned of danger.
• Hayek, Solon, and Yuni discussed Allen’s decision to tell Ron about the Path of Essence and recalled the risks and cost of Allen’s own attempt.
• Solon explained that the Wizard King's Decree barred them from interfering with Ron’s choice and required them to protect his advancement ritual.
• Hayek learned that Ron’s Grace had purified Solon and Yuni, substantially reducing their mental Contamination and improving their condition.
• Yuni, Solon, and Hayek assigned themselves protective duties, including monitoring the area, strengthening the school’s Energy Barrier, and securing the Bloodline Altar ahead of the Star Ring Conjunction.

Ron visited Hayek to learn advanced applications of Flowing Barrier, then learned that the School had promoted him to first place in the Candidate Wizard Sequence. Hayek revealed how Abyssal Substance could make the barrier semi-living, leaving Ron with rare materials and several recorded spell variants to explore.

• Ron asked Hayek for guidance, and Hayek demonstrated Flowing Barrier techniques involving multiple mediums, layered defenses, counterattacks, spatial distortion, and sensory extension.
• Hayek explained the advanced theory behind Flowing Barrier and told Ron that the School had officially raised him to first place in the Candidate Wizard Sequence, with Holt accepting the decision.
• Hayek gave Ron rare practice materials for two Magic Stones and demonstrated how Abyssal Substance could turn Flowing Barrier into an autonomous, semi-living defense.
• Hayek revealed that he had explored the Abyss with Warren, and Ron listened as Hayek described its power and dangers.
• After Ron left, Hayek sensed the purifying effect of Ron's Grace and hoped Ron's path to becoming a Primal Wizard would avoid past tragedy.
• Ron realized Phantom of Thousand Changes had recorded the first three demonstrated variants: Multi-medium Combination, Structural Differentiation, and Active Counterattack.

Ron experimented with combining multiple mediums to improve Flowing Barrier, studied the coming Star Ring Conjunction, and used insights from Hayek and Yuni to advance Ring of Radiance to Master level. He ended with plans to develop a Flowing Barrier that could compress absorbed attacks and reflect them.

• Ron mixed Iridium Powder, Starlight Crystal, and Psychic Sand to create a stronger, more efficient Flowing Barrier and recorded the best proportions.
• Ron observed the stars and found signs that the Star Ring Conjunction would be unusually strong and long, but that the Annihilation Star Cluster might bring greater spiritual Contamination.
• Ron replayed Hayek's Flowing Barrier and Yuni's Phoenix Breath spell records, then used Phoenix Breath's shaping techniques to refine Ring of Radiance into a Light Bird.
• Ron compressed energy in layers and detonated the Light Bird on impact, vaporizing a target and advancing Ring of Radiance to Master level with the Compression Blast trait.
• Ron realized he could combine Flowing Barrier's energy-guiding network with Compression Blast to build a defensive barrier that absorbed and reflected attacks, and decided to develop it further.

Ron’s meditation on Whispers of the Star Eater deepened his spiritual power but intensified the Contamination, which Lillia’s Grace helped purify as he taught her. As the Star Ring Conjunction approached, Ron received Andre’s first formal letter, reporting that he had secured a third of the capital’s military forces and gained his grandfather’s support.

• Ron felt the Living Stars draw closer during meditation, heard increasingly clear whispers, and sensed hungry eyes watching him.
• Ron taught Lillia about purifying Jade Droplet, and her sincere gratitude eased the Contamination clouding his mind.
• Ron increased his meditation and lessons with Lillia while preparing to become an official wizard at the approaching Star Ring Conjunction.
• Ron received Andre’s letter describing his return to the kingdom, where he defeated two Knights sent by his eldest brother and displayed their heads in the capital.
• Andre reported that he had reorganized his royal father’s guard and taken control of a third of the capital’s military forces, while his grandfather welcomed Ron’s support and potential.

Ron read Andre’s account of his royal duel and wrote back with advice as he prepared to become an official Wizard. In the Abyss, the surviving Mr. Holy Disc was summoned before Megs and the other Supreme Apostles, who had a new task for him.

• Ron read Andre’s letter describing how he defeated his eldest brother in a Royal Duel and began consolidating power in the kingdom.
• Ron replied to Andre, sharing his plans to advance to an official Wizard and advising him to pursue the throne patiently and beware the risks of the Corona Breathing Technique.
• Ron ate breakfast with Lillia, inspected the workshop, cautioned Ailan to monitor the unusual plants, and reviewed Dail’s water-control training.
• Mr. Holy Disc recovered in the Domain of Labyrinths after Mrs. Allen destroyed his avatar and tried to find a way back to the Surface World.
• Megs, Isabella, and Nas appeared before Mr. Holy Disc, and Megs told him that his failure had not stopped the plan and that they had an important task for him.

The Supreme Apostles sent the transformed Mr. Holy Disc to the Surface World with the Seed of the Throne for Ron Ralph, whose fate Megs could not see. As the Abyss stirred, the Apostles wondered whether Ron might become the Fourteenth Throne’s successor and break their imprisonment.

• Megs gave Mr. Holy Disc the Seed of the Throne and empowered him to cross the planar barrier and return to the Surface World.
• The Supreme Apostles debated investing in Ron Ralph, and Megs revealed that his ability could not trace Ron’s fate.
• Megs, Isabella, and Nas discussed how the Great Abyss was awakening and how it lured powerful geniuses into becoming its servants.
• The three Supreme Apostles left the Domain of Labyrinths, anticipating what Ron might do as a possible successor to the Fourteenth Throne.
• On the Seventh Floor, Apostles seated on the thrones discussed the awakening Abyss and watched the Gray Vortex fluctuate.