Chapter Summaries

Jiang Wang chose to enter Dubhe to compete for a place in Seven Star Valley’s rankings and seek the secret of the Outer Tower. On the Floating Continent, the Qinghuo Tribe’s desperate ritual to summon an outsider ended with a sudden blaze on its altar.

• Jiang Wang flew toward Dubhe after deciding to test his strength against Seven Star Valley’s leading contenders.
• Qinghuo Qiming continued the Qinghuo Tribe’s costly Star General ritual, fearing the tribe would punish him if it failed.
• Qinghuo Qiming’s thoughts explained how outsiders from beyond the Azure Sky could enter the Life and Death Chess and help tribes compete for victory.
• A kneeling tribesman shouted that fire had appeared, and Qinghuo Gaochi ordered him to be silent.
• Qinghuo Qiming looked up and saw a blaze leap from the yellow-earth altar.

Jiang Wang arrived on the Floating Continent and was tricked into signing the Qinghuo Tribe’s Covenant of Kingship as its Chess Master for the Life and Death Chess. He learned that the tribe was among the weakest of the thirty-six Fire Tribe groups, leaving him facing a poor starting position.

• Jiang Wang emerged from Dubhe amid flames, extinguished them, and met the Qinghuo Tribe gathered around him.
• Qinghuo Qiming and Qinghuo Gaochi explained the Star General and Life and Death Chess, then urged Jiang Wang to join their tribe.
• Jiang Wang signed the Covenant of Kingship using the name Zhang Linchuan, binding himself to represent the Qinghuo Tribe.
• Qinghuo Qiming admitted that the tribe hoped merely to place somewhere around the bottom of the Life and Death Chess rankings.
• Jiang Wang learned that the Qinghuo Tribe ranked around thirtieth among the thirty-six tribes of the Fire Tribe.

Jiang Wang learned that the Qinghuo Tribe ranked near the bottom and had not prepared his chess forces, so Qinghuo Qiming took him to the Fire Shrine to receive Totem Power. As Qinghuo Qiming began tattooing the Fire Totem on Jiang Wang’s back, he noticed the White Bone Lotus at the base of Jiang Wang’s neck.

• Jiang Wang learned that the Qinghuo Tribe ranked thirtieth among the thirty-six Fire Tribe clans and that Qinghuo Qiming hoped he could raise their standing in Life and Death Chess.
• Jiang Wang demanded to meet his Chess Knights, Chess Ministers, and Chess Pawns, but Qinghuo Qiming instead proposed taking him to the Fire Shrine for a tattoo.
• Qinghuo Qiming explained that a Shaman could remove a totem and angrily clarified that the Qinghuo Tribe worshipped fire, not a Fire God.
• Jiang Wang apologized, chose to have the Fire Totem tattooed on his back, and considered the Floating Continent’s unusual world and power system.
• Qinghuo Qiming returned with his tattooing tools, and when Jiang Wang bared his back, he noticed the White Bone Lotus near Jiang Wang’s neck.

Qinghuo Qiming carved a Fire Totem over the White Bone Lotus on Jiang Wang’s back, hoping to suppress its danger, then led him to the Totem Pool for the next step. The chapter ended with Jiang Wang being told to squat by the pool and put in his hand because there was not enough to let him soak.

• Jiang Wang asked whether the White Bone Lotus could be removed, and Qinghuo Qiming said he could not safely experiment on a mark left by an Evil God.
• Qinghuo Qiming offered to carve a Fire Totem beneath the lotus to suppress it, and Jiang Wang agreed.
• Qinghuo Qiming used the Sacrificial Fire Blade to carve Jiang Wang’s Divine Soul while Jiang Wang endured the pain without moving.
• Qinghuo Qiming wiped Jiang Wang’s back with a gray cloth, ending the pain, and Jiang Wang saw the crimson flame and White Bone Lotus pattern together.
• Jiang Wang and Qinghuo Qiming discussed gods, and Qinghuo Qiming said the Floating Continent believed true gods did not exist.
• Qinghuo Qiming led Jiang Wang underground to the Totem Pool, then told him to squat by its edge and put in his hand instead of soaking.

Jiang Wang confronted Qinghuo Gaochi over the tribe's meager Totem Power and elderly fighters, then challenged him to prove the Qinghuo Tribe could compete. Their duel revealed that Gaochi could turn his fist into fire and interfere with Jiang Wang's control of fire, leaving Jiang Wang's Flame Meteors pulled back toward the ground.

• Jiang Wang received only a trace of Totem Power from the Totem Pool, and Qinghuo Qiming explained that Qinghuo Gaochi controlled its supply.
• Qinghuo Gaochi presented sixteen elderly warriors for the Life and Death Chess Game, and Jiang Wang accused him of using them to fill slots while sparing the tribe's young.
• Jiang Wang claimed he could lead the Qinghuo Tribe to a top-five finish, and he challenged Qinghuo Gaochi to test his strength.
• Qinghuo Gaochi punched Jiang Wang, who drew his sword and discovered that Gaochi's fist had transformed into fire.
• Qinghuo Gaochi disrupted Jiang Wang's Flame Flower and pulled his scattered Flame Meteors out of the air.

Jiang Wang tested his strength against Qinghuo Gaochi and learned how masterfully the clan leader controlled fire. After choosing to inspect the Earth Cave, Jiang Wang followed Qinghuo Qiming toward the passage connecting it to the Nether Heaven.

• Jiang Wang used fire and sound Daoist Arts against Qinghuo Gaochi, then clashed with him in a direct sword fight.
• Qinghuo Gaochi praised Jiang Wang's strength and agreed to let him choose warriors from the Qinghuo Tribe for the Life and Death Chess Game.
• Jiang Wang asked to visit the Earth Cave, and Qinghuo Gaochi ordered Qinghuo Qiming to guide him there.
• Qinghuo Qiming warned that the Earth Cave connected to the dangerous Nether Heaven passageway, but Jiang Wang insisted on going.
• Qinghuo Qiming led Jiang Wang behind the Fire Shrine while Qinghuo Gaochi stayed behind with the old soldiers.

Jiang Wang accompanied Qinghuo Qiming to Wuzhi Earth Cave to learn about the Star Beasts threatening the Floating Continent. After waiting at the sealed entrance, they saw a one-armed young man open the door, revealing a winding trail of firelight in the darkness beyond.

• Jiang Wang learned from Qinghuo Qiming about Earth Caves, Star Beasts, and the tribes represented by the other Azure Heaven Comers.
• Qinghuo Qiming warned Jiang Wang that entering another tribe's territory to seek Li Fengyao would get him killed, so Jiang Wang abandoned the plan.
• Jiang Wang and the reluctant Qinghuo Qiming entered the fortress guarding Wuzhi Earth Cave, and its stone gate closed behind them.
• At the black metal door, Qinghuo Qiming explained that Star Beasts appeared in cycles and that their numbers rose as the Life and Death Chess Game approached.
• After nearly an hour, a one-armed young man opened the metal door, revealing pinpricks of firelight coiling through the Long Night.

Jiang Wang entered the Wuzhi Earth Cave to choose warriors for the Life and Death Chess Game and asked to witness a battle before making his selection. Qinghuo Qiming overcame his fear enough to remain with him, then revealed that he had wanted to visit the Earth Cave since childhood.

• Qinghuo Qiming explained that the warriors in the Earth Cave used their totem-source flames to recover from the fierce battle.
• The Bushy-Bearded Man objected to losing warriors for the Life and Death Chess Game, but relented after hearing the chief aimed for the top five and top three.
• Jiang Wang asked to see the warriors fight so he could choose his team, and insisted that he could face the danger himself.
• Qinghuo Yuanchen mocked Qinghuo Qiming, who refused to leave the Earth Cave despite his fear of Nether Heaven.
• Jiang Wang chose to stay beside Qinghuo Qiming and learned that anything covering the Earth Cave's opening would disappear into it.
• Qinghuo Qiming looked toward the Earth Cave and said that he had wanted to come there since he was very young.

Qinghuo Qiming told Jiang Wang how his father, grandfather, and adoptive father died in the Earth Cave, leaving him terrified of facing the same fate. As Jiang Wang listened without judging him, Star Beasts approached Wuzhi Earth Cave.

• Jiang Wang told Qinghuo Qiming that his world held both cruelty and light, and that people could choose what they saw.
• Qinghuo Qiming described how his father fled his duty, destroyed his totem, and was killed by Qinghuo Qiming's grandfather.
• Qinghuo Qiming explained that his grandfather and adoptive father died in the Earth Cave, and that he became too frightened to enter it himself.
• Qinghuo Qiming admitted that his tribe was losing patience with him and that he had considered fleeing, but Jiang Wang listened without condemning him.
• Warriors shouted that Star Beasts were approaching Wuzhi Earth Cave.

Jiang Wang watched the Qinghuo Tribe defend Wuzhi Earth Cave from a Star Beast attack, studying the warriors and their enemies before joining the fight. As the Star Beasts grew stronger, he drew Longing and killed a fox-shaped beast.

• Jiang Wang went to the opening connected to Nether Heaven, where Qinghuo Yuanchen and the Qinghuo Tribe warriors prepared to meet the Star Beasts.
• Qinghuo Yuanchen told Jiang Wang to stand behind him and explained that the Star Beasts grew stronger with more specks of light.
• The first Star Beasts emerged, and Qinghuo Yuanchen killed a crow-shaped one with a flaming saber strike.
• Jiang Wang observed the fighting and assessed the warriors and Star Beasts while the Qinghuo Tribe held the opening.
• By the third round, the Star Beasts had grown stronger, and Bushy-Bearded Man sent more warriors forward to reinforce the line.
• Jiang Wang pulled the weary Qinghuo Yuanchen back, drew Longing, and beheaded a fox-shaped Star Beast.

Jiang Wang held back the Star Beasts at Nether Heaven and discovered that killing them filled his Fire Totem with a new force he named Star Power. He suspected it could become a powerful advantage in the Life and Death Chess Game, and prepared to face the next wave alone.

• Jiang Wang pulled Qinghuo Yuanchen out of danger and wiped out a wave of Star Beasts with the Eight-Sound Flame Sparrow.
• The Qinghuo Tribe warriors mistook Jiang Wang for a new Shaman until Bushy-Bearded Man identified him as the Azure Heaven Comer and the tribe’s Chess Master.
• Jiang Wang unleashed the Eight-Sound Flame Sparrow again and noticed that killing groups of Star Beasts increased a new power within his Fire Totem.
• Jiang Wang named the force Star Power and considered how it might serve as a temporary reserve of strength and a weapon in the Life and Death Chess Game.
• As another wave of Star Beasts approached, Jiang Wang told everyone to stand back and declared that he would hold Nether Heaven alone.

Jiang Wang held back the Star Beasts at Wuzhi Earth Cave with repeated Eight-Sound Flame Sparrows, but the unusually long wave exhausted his Dao Essence Stones. As he prepared to fight with his sword, Qinghuo Qiming walked toward the hole, saying a voice was calling him and that he was no longer afraid.

• Jiang Wang used his Eight-Sound Flame Sparrow to clear Star Beasts for the Qinghuo Tribe, unleashing it eighteen times before resting and replenishing his strength.
• Jiang Wang gave Bushy-Bearded Man several spent Dao Essence Stones to study, then resumed fighting as the Star Beasts grew stronger.
• Jiang Wang and the Qinghuo warriors realized the wave had lasted nearly two hundred surges, far longer than usual, and Bushy-Bearded Man ordered the warriors to prepare for battle.
• Jiang Wang told Bushy-Bearded Man that his Dao Essence Stones were nearly gone and that he would have to fight with his sword.
• Qinghuo Qiming ignored the warriors' scolding, walked toward the hole, and told Jiang Wang that a voice was calling him and that he was no longer afraid.

Qinghuo Qiming leapt into Nether Heaven, and a vast Star Beast appeared before vanishing without attacking. Qinghuo Gaochi arrived and took over the defense of Wuzhi Earth Cave, assigning Jiang Wang sixteen warriors to train for the Life and Death Chess Game.

• Qinghuo Qiming outran Jiang Wang and leapt into Nether Heaven after warning him not to follow.
• Bushy-Bearded Man and the warriors resumed fighting Star Beasts, while Jiang Wang helped them hold the line.
• Thousands of star points appeared in Nether Heaven, then vanished along with the howling wind before the immense Star Beast attacked.
• Qinghuo Yuanchen wondered whether Qiming's leap had caused the Star Beast to leave.
• Qinghuo Gaochi arrived, thanked Jiang Wang, and ordered him to choose sixteen warriors for Life and Death Chess Game training.
• Qinghuo Gaochi named Qinghuo Heng acting chief and declared that he would personally guard Wuzhi Earth Cave.

Jiang Wang remained at Wuzhi Earth Cave as Qinghuo Gaochi revealed the Qinghuo Tribe’s history of experimenting with the Nether Totem and explained Qinghuo Qiming’s fate. Jiang Wang challenged Gaochi’s decision to revive the project, and Gaochi admitted he was afraid and intended to bear responsibility for whatever happened.

• Jiang Wang chose to stay at Wuzhi Earth Cave to hone his swordsmanship against Star Beasts, and Qinghuo Gaochi assigned Qinghuo Yuanchen to protect him.
• Qinghuo Gaochi asked Jiang Wang about the Nether Heaven and whether Qinghuo Qiming had intended to leap into it; Jiang Wang said Qiming seemed to have been bewitched.
• Qinghuo Gaochi recounted how generations of Shamans pursued the Nether Totem, using test subjects and eventually marking Qinghuo Qiming for the experiment.
• Qinghuo Gaochi explained that Shaman Qinghuo Zhushu rejected the Nether Totem project before leaping into the Nether Heaven, leaving the words, “A source totem cannot be made by human hands.”
• Jiang Wang challenged Qinghuo Gaochi for allowing Qinghuo Qiming to be mistreated and asked why Gaochi dared to continue a plan that Qinghuo Zhushu had abandoned.
• Qinghuo Gaochi admitted he was terrified and said he had chosen to guard the Earth Cave himself, taking responsibility for whatever happened.

Jiang Wang waited in Wuzhi Earth Cave while the Life and Death Chess unfolded, using the time to gather Star Power and fight Star Beasts. After the Fire Totem reached its limit, he finally set out to join the game.

• Jiang Wang refused to enter the Life and Death Chess while the Qinghuo Tribe’s messengers reported the other tribes’ progress and defeats.
• Jiang Wang and Qinghuo Gaochi defended Wuzhi Earth Cave from repeated Star Beast attacks as the Swift Fire Tribe and Red Thunder Tribe advanced.
• Jiang Wang learned that Jiang Wuxie’s Swift Fire Tribe had been defeated by the Red Thunder Tribe and sent back one hundred Chess Positions.
• Jiang Wang waited through the second day, despite the Red Thunder Tribe reaching three hundred and seventy Chess Positions.
• Jiang Wang noticed that the last Star Beasts had not increased his Star Power, realized the Fire Totem had reached its limit, and left to enter the Life and Death Chess.

Jiang Wang led Qinghuo Yuanchen and fifteen Qinghuo warriors from Wuzhi Earth Cave to enter the Life and Death Chess Game. They entered with only half an hour before nightfall and arrived at the starting point, where a stone road disappeared into mist.

• Jiang Wang refused to choose warriors, but Qinghuo Gaochi assigned Qinghuo Yuanchen to accompany him, and Yuanchen selected fifteen warriors.
• Jiang Wang and the warriors traveled to the Fire Shrine, where the new Shaman guided them to the entrance prepared by Qinghuo Heng.
• At the Stone Tablet Chess Record, Jiang Wang and Qinghuo Yuanchen confirmed their roles as Chess Master and Chess Knight.
• Though Qinghuo Yuanchen warned that only half an hour remained before dark, Jiang Wang ordered the group to enter immediately.
• The Stone Gate stripped away their Totem Power, but Jiang Wang's stored Star Power remained intact.
• Jiang Wang and the warriors reached the starting area and saw a road of stone Chess Positions stretching into the mist.

Jiang Wang explained the Life and Death Chess Game’s Rule Vision and led the Qinghuo Tribe forward in a cautious formation. After Xiang Lu spotted a Life Point, Jiang Wang moved to assess the route ahead and ordered the team to prepare for battle.

• Jiang Wang used the Covenant of Kingship to reveal the competitors’ positions, locating the Qinghuo Tribe near the edge of the board and the Red Thunder Tribe near the center.
• Jiang Wang arranged the team according to each role’s Rule Vision and had the Knights and Ministers report what they could see every three positions.
• Knight Two spotted a squad of Spear-Wielding Stone Soldiers, but Jiang Wang ordered the team to ignore them and continue forward.
• Xiang Lu spotted a Life Point four leaps away, and Jiang Wang ordered the team to prepare for battle.
• Jiang Wang moved right to a position four leaps from the Life Point to inspect the seven positions ahead.

Jiang Wang led Qinghuo Yuanchen and the others to a Life Point, then used the Covenant of Kingship to assess rival tribes and plan their next moves. He challenged Yuanchen to aim for first place and revealed that Qinghuo Gaochi had brought him along to build support as a future successor.

• Jiang Wang charged ahead and killed ten Stone Cavalry with one sword before clearing the Life Point for his group.
• After night fell, Jiang Wang and Qinghuo Yuanchen studied the Covenant of Kingship and assessed the tribes’ positions.
• Jiang Wang estimated that the Red Thunder Tribe had fallen back and warned that the Plague Tribe, Original Earth Tribe, and Iron Wood Tribe might act against it.
• Qinghuo Yuanchen suggested focusing on nearby teams, but Jiang Wang insisted they should fight for first place.
• Jiang Wang told Qinghuo Yuanchen that Qinghuo Gaochi intended him to succeed as leader and criticized his inability to unite allies.

Jiang Wang led the Qinghuo Tribe through the Life and Death Chess Game, eliminating a rival team and clearing a Stone Wolf challenge as he pushed toward first place. By midday, he saw that the Red Thunder Tribe had surged ahead while the Plague Tribe and Iron Wood Tribe had vanished from the standings.

• Jiang Wang’s team encountered a rival Aquatic Race tribe, and he forced them to withdraw from the game.
• Jiang Wang led the Qinghuo Tribe into a Stone Prison and killed its hundred Stone Wolves within moments.
• Jiang Wang chose to clear the next fifty positions, allowing his team to advance without obstacles.
• Jiang Wang checked the Covenant of Kingship and saw the Red Thunder Tribe far ahead, while the Plague Tribe and Iron Wood Tribe had disappeared.

Jiang Wang drove the Qinghuo Tribe forward through the Life and Death Chess Game, overcoming a forced retreat and eliminating the team that had delayed them. Meanwhile, Qinghuo Heng waited anxiously for news from the Wuzhi Earth Cave as the tribe’s progress there remained uncertain.

• Jiang Wang saw that the Red Thunder Tribe had broken through its encirclement and advanced rapidly, while Li Fengyao’s Pure Water Tribe was also far ahead.
• Jiang Wang pushed the Qinghuo Tribe to run at full speed, explaining why the whole team had to advance together and keep pace in Rulesight.
• A team forced Jiang Wang back twenty Chess Positions, but he cleared the obstacles again, returned to the Qinghuo Tribe, and ordered the warriors to locate the delaying team.
• Jiang Wang found the Thunder Tribe’s team and killed them, then the Qinghuo Tribe found a Life Point and continued onward.
• Qinghuo Heng learned that the Wuzhi Earth Cave had still not opened and ordered a warrior to keep waiting for news.