Chapter Summaries

The young man in Sea Breeze City verified five marked points on the map and began plotting their positions and connections to chart the underground network. He planned to confirm the remaining points before investigating a node to learn whether it led to other parts of the underground space.

• The young man uncovered the nearest marked point, confirmed the slab matched the map, and restored the site before recording his findings.
• Jin Chen relayed the young man's plan to verify every marked point before deciding which node to investigate.
• Lin Mu tested movement control over a longer distance and reported that the leaf's brightness remained stable; Ling Feng advised him to try changing direction while moving.
• The young man confirmed three marked points, then later verified five and plotted their relative positions and connections in his notebook.
• Jin Chen told Ling Feng, Qian Renxue, and Chen Yuan that the five confirmed points formed a layout consistent with the map, and that the young man would choose a node for deeper investigation after checking the remaining points.

Lin Mu completed his survey of the marked points and investigated Node Three, where he found and copied a detailed map of the underground network. The map revealed a previously unknown route leading southwest, and he began planning his next exploration.

• Lin Mu tested controlling the leaf’s brightness over longer distances while moving, and Tang San reported that Sea Breeze City had confirmed five marked points.
• Lin Mu confirmed the remaining marked points, ranked the nodes by priority, and chose Node Three near the Core Area for his first investigation.
• Lin Mu entered Node Three and found a circular Stone Chamber with a detailed floor map of routes through the underground space.
• Lin Mu returned to Node Three and copied the map, then compared it with earlier maps and discovered a new route leading southwest.
• Jin Chen reported Lin Mu’s discovery to Ling Feng, Qian Renxue, and Chen Yuan as Lin Mu began planning his next exploration.

The young man discovered a new underground route leading to a spacious chamber and a towering stone pillar whose writing described the space’s construction and purpose. After learning from his letter that the pillar bore an ancient signature and date, he returned to copy its inscription, and the Light Patterns flashed briefly when he finished.

• The young man confirmed and recorded the location of a leaf-covered hatch, then returned on a clear morning to open it and descend into a broad passage lined with glowing Light Patterns.
• He followed the passage to a large chamber, where he read a towering pillar that recorded the underground space’s construction, its builders’ signature and date, and its original purpose as an observation facility for divine power flows.
• Jin Chen read the young man’s letter to Ling Feng, Qian Renxue, Chen Yuan, and Tang San, who discussed the site’s age and the importance of preserving the pillar’s records.
• The young man returned the next morning with paper and charcoal pencils and copied the pillar’s writing line by line.
• When he finished copying the final line, the glowing Light Patterns at the pillar’s end flashed once and returned to normal.

A young man completed and verified a timeline of the Observation Station’s records, then reported that it had been built far earlier than any known ancient civilization ruin. Ling Feng and the others considered what its builders had studied and why they had withdrawn, but their reason remained unknown.

• Lin Mu practiced controlling the brightness and direction of his leaf’s light simultaneously while moving, then proposed adding irregular turns.
• The young man organized the copied stone pillar writings into categories and assembled a timeline from the Observation Station’s construction to its abandonment.
• The young man checked his notes against the original stone pillar writing, restored the chamber, and completed his first exploration’s records.
• Jin Chen received the young man’s letter and told Ling Feng, Qian Renxue, Chen Yuan, and Tang San that the station predated Spirit Hall and that its builders had observed ley lines across several seasons.
• Ling Feng concluded that the builders had left in an orderly, planned withdrawal after their final calibration and wondered why they had departed.

The youth studied records about cyclical changes in the earth veins, extracted instructions for observing and operating the space, and verified that its device layout matched the records. He prepared to recalibrate the Core Device, which might restore the space’s original functions.

• The group concluded that the records’ references to cycles and changes might explain why the space’s builders evacuated and that the earth-vein patterns needed on-site verification.
• Lin Mu demonstrated that he could keep the leaf’s brightness and direction steady while changing direction in motion, then planned to try controlling it at greater speed.
• The youth extracted and organized the records’ observation methods and device instructions, noting that he was checking their feasibility against the space’s layout.
• The youth compared the records with the existing device and confirmed that the Core Device and its components matched the described positions and procedures.
• The youth prepared to recalibrate the Core Device after checking the steps once more, and the group said a successful calibration might restore the space’s original functions.

The boy prepared to reactivate the hidden space by completing its calibration, then entered it at dawn and began resetting its components. After he installed three parts, the space started to respond, but the calibration remained unfinished.

• The boy reviewed his verified calibration steps and prepared to enter the space the next morning.
• Before dawn, the boy gathered his lamp and notebook and opened the cover plate to descend into the passage.
• The boy embedded a stone bar into the slots on the first tier.
• On the third tier, the boy fitted a circular stone disk into a ceiling groove, triggering a low sound from the floor.
• The boy placed a metal plate into the top of a stone pillar, and the space’s light grew brighter.

The youth completed the Core Device’s calibration and monitored the sphere until its brightness and rotation remained stable. A hidden stone slab revealed that the device’s monitoring range would expand southeast, and he planned to search that direction for a new entrance.

• The youth placed the stone slab beneath the Light Pattern, completing the recalibration and stabilizing the sphere at a new level.
• The youth monitored the sphere for several days, confirmed its brightness and rotation stayed stable, and recorded that the Core Device’s parameters matched the records.
• Lin Mu demonstrated that he could change direction at high speed and prepared to practice adjusting brightness while moving.
• The youth discovered a movable stone slab on the second level and found a dark slab describing changes expected after calibration.
• The youth learned that the Core Device’s monitoring range would expand southeast and decided to look for a new entrance in that direction.

Ling Feng left the Worship Hall to travel and, in a small town, sensed two young men awakening their powers. After identifying one young man's martial soul as the Radiant Sacred Dragon, he was asked how he knew.

• Lin Mu practiced adjusting the leaf's brightness while moving quickly, then expanded his search for another entrance to the underground space.
• Lin Mu found a movable stone cover beneath shrubs beside a bend in a dry riverbed and recorded its location without opening it.
• Jin Chen relayed Lin Mu's discovery, and the others agreed that he should inspect the entrance before deciding how to continue exploring.
• Ling Feng left the Worship Hall and traveled south on foot while Qian Renxue watched him depart.
• In a small town, Ling Feng sensed an awakening, entered a courtyard, and recognized the light-wielding young man's martial soul as the Radiant Sacred Dragon.

Ling Feng met brothers Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang, recognized their rare Dark Sacred Dragon and Radiant Sacred Dragon martial souls, and offered to teach them to control their powers. He began training them separately and returned to find Zheng Liang's light growing steadier.

• Ling Feng identified Zheng Liang's unstable Radiant Sacred Dragon and learned that Zheng Ming had awakened a Dark Sacred Dragon.
• Ling Feng told the brothers he was from Spirit Hall and offered to teach them until they could control their martial souls.
• Ling Feng guided Zheng Liang in stabilizing the light in his palm and taught Zheng Ming that his Dark Sacred Dragon needed pressure and a quiet training place.
• Ling Feng took Zheng Ming outside town to practice keeping his martial soul stable in different environments.
• Ling Feng returned to the courtyard and found Zheng Liang's ball of light steadier, then asked how many times he had practiced.

Ling Feng guided Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming through separate stages of controlling their martial spirits, then had them practice side by side. Zheng Liang’s light began maintaining itself, and Ling Feng explained that his path required sustained control as Zheng Liang wondered whether he was suited to long-term focus.

• Ling Feng had Zheng Liang practice moving his light martial spirit, which dimmed in motion but recovered when he stopped.
• Ling Feng taught Zheng Ming to steady his Dark Sacred Dragon against palm wind and expand it gradually, noting that it recovered its thickness afterward.
• Ling Feng had Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming maintain their martial spirits at the same time without interfering with each other.
• The old woman invited Ling Feng to eat lunch at her house the next day, and Ling Feng accepted.
• Zheng Liang showed Ling Feng that his light martial spirit could maintain itself, while Zheng Ming went outside town to practice expanding his.
• Ling Feng told Zheng Liang that his martial spirit suited sustained control, and Zheng Liang asked whether he was suited to long-term focus.

Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming gradually mastered their Martial Souls through practice, while Ling Feng guided them toward training independently. After they reached their goals, Ling Feng told them he would leave in two days and suggested they could find him in Martial Soul Capital if they wanted to continue their cultivation.

• Zheng Liang learned to maintain and move the light in his palm without losing its brightness, while Zheng Ming found that riverside practice helped stabilize the Dark Sacred Dragon.
• Ling Feng advised both boys to keep training at their own pace as they became more capable of controlling their Martial Souls.
• Zheng Liang managed to leave the light glowing after walking away, and Zheng Ming expanded the Dark Sacred Dragon's range without its edges fluctuating in the wind.
• Ling Feng told Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming that they had mastered their Martial Souls and should walk the road ahead themselves.
• Ling Feng said he would leave in two days and told the boys they could find him in Martial Soul Capital if they wanted to go farther.

Ling Feng left Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming after helping them find their own paths, then returned to Martial Soul Capital and told Qian Renxue and the others about the brothers’ unusual martial souls. A letter later confirmed that Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming planned to travel to Martial Soul Capital the following spring, while Ling Feng continued guiding Lin Mu.

• Zheng Liang said he wanted to go to Martial Soul Capital but would wait until he and Zheng Ming had adapted to their abilities.
• Ling Feng left the brothers and traveled north, then returned to Martial Soul Capital half a month later.
• Ling Feng told Qian Renxue, Jin Chen, Ning Rongrong, and Tang San about Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming and their Radiant Sacred Dragon and Dark Sacred Dragon martial souls.
• Lin Mu reported smoother directional shifts with the leaf, and Ling Feng told him to practice shifting without looking at it.
• Zheng Ming wrote that he and Zheng Liang had improved their control and planned to set out for Martial Soul Capital the following spring.

Across the winter and spring, Ling Feng and Qian Renxue kept watch on ongoing training and preparations while Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang traveled to Martial Soul Capital. The boys settled into the eastern courtyard and began training in the Martial Arts Arena, leaving Ling Feng confident they were ready to continue along their paths.

• Jin Chen reported that the Core Device and Light Pattern in Sea Breeze City remained stable, and Ling Feng concluded the boy there no longer needed continuous monitoring.
• Tang San brought iron sheets for Qian Renxue's wind-recording cord, and a letter later informed Ling Feng that Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang had set out for Martial Soul Capital.
• Ling Feng welcomed Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang at the city gate, and Jin Chen showed them their prepared room near the Martial Arts Arena.
• Zheng Liang tested the Radiant Sacred Dragon's movement over a greater distance, while Zheng Ming observed the arena and confirmed his dark light remained steady in the new environment.
• Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang said the training environment suited them, and Ling Feng and Qian Renxue agreed the boys needed little guidance beyond confirmation that they were on the right path.

Zheng Ming and Zheng Liang continued adapting to life and training in Martial Soul Capital as Ling Feng and the others guided their progress. Zheng Liang improved his turning control, while Zheng Ming maintained his Dark Sacred Dragon’s stability and waited for the next step.

• On the third day after settling in Martial Soul Capital, Zheng Liang trained in the light while Zheng Ming practiced beneath the wall, and Jin Chen asked how they had learned to control their martial souls.
• Ling Feng had Zheng Liang practice turning the light, and Zheng Liang found that slowing down reduced the dip in its brightness; Zheng Ming kept his Dark Sacred Dragon stable.
• Ning Rongrong recorded their progress, and Qian Renxue and Tang San agreed that both brothers should continue laying their foundations without rushing.
• Lin Mu asked Ling Feng whether Zheng Liang’s pauses during turns were normal, then practiced a full turn with his leaves without looking at them.
• Zheng Liang’s pause shortened as he completed a turning movement, while Ling Feng told Zheng Ming he could begin the next step after maintaining stability for three days without tracking changes in the wind.
• That evening, Zheng Liang said his turning pause had shortened, and Zheng Ming told him his martial soul’s edges had not shifted since the previous day.

Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming tested their martial souls in increasingly varied conditions around Martial Soul Capital, with Ling Feng, Qian Renxue, and Jin Chen guiding their training. Both adapted steadily and planned to continue practicing in challenging environments.

• Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming discussed their training, and Jin Chen proposed testing Zheng Liang's stability while moving nearby.
• Qian Renxue advised Zheng Liang to train in the east wind, while Ling Feng told Zheng Ming to let his Dark Sacred Dragon respond to changing conditions and recover.
• Zheng Liang kept his light steady while Jin Chen moved around him at the Martial Arts Arena, so Jin Chen suggested trying a more complicated setting.
• Zheng Ming trained by the river and controlled the Dark Sacred Dragon's response to changing water sounds without letting its edges shift.
• Zheng Liang trained near the city gate while Zheng Ming observed the wind and later tested himself by the northern wall; both reported that their forms remained stable.
• Ling Feng and Qian Renxue noted that Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming had begun seeking out varied training grounds themselves.

Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming advanced their training by sensing environmental changes without relying on sight, while Ling Feng and Qian Renxue guided them toward greater control. The chapter ended with both men maintaining their powers in darkness, as Zheng Liang learned to accept the light’s presence without consciously controlling it.

• Qian Renxue directed Zheng Liang to maintain his light while moving without looking at it, and advised Zheng Ming to preserve the edges of his power amid the river’s changing flow.
• Zheng Liang kept his light steady without looking at it, while Zheng Ming worked to recognize patterns in the water sounds.
• Ling Feng told Zheng Liang to study the wind at different times and advised Zheng Ming to observe the river’s changing flow before training.
• At the Martial Arts Arena, Zheng Liang adjusted to shifting wind while Zheng Ming maintained the Dark Sacred Dragon’s even thickness despite environmental interference.
• Ling Feng and Qian Renxue inferred that Zheng Liang was learning to sense wind without keeping his light lit, while Zheng Ming tested his stability near the river’s surface.
• That night, Zheng Liang sensed his unlit light in his room, and Zheng Ming maintained the Dark Sacred Dragon in darkness.

Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming refined their martial abilities until their light and dark energy remained stable without deliberate maintenance. As autumn arrived, they discussed their next steps: Zheng Liang would continue practicing in Martial Soul Capital, while Zheng Ming planned to return to town after checking the space in Sea Breeze City.

• Zheng Liang practiced Arc Movement while Qian Renxue watched, and Zheng Ming tested his dark light beside the river.
• Ling Feng observed their practice and confirmed they no longer needed new instructions or tools to maintain their training.
• By autumn, Zheng Liang's light could remain within him without shining, while Zheng Ming found his dark light could adapt to changes in the river's rhythm.
• Zheng Liang planned to stay in Martial Soul Capital to improve Arc Movement, and Zheng Ming planned to check the space in Sea Breeze City before returning to town next spring.
• After dinner, Zheng Liang told Zheng Ming that he had adjusted within a brief gap when the wind changed direction.

Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming completed their work in Martial Soul Capital: Zheng Ming confirmed that the space in Sea Breeze City remained stable, while Zheng Liang finished practicing Arc Movement. They returned to town together, leaving Ling Feng and Qian Renxue to wait for their return next spring.

• Ling Feng and Qian Renxue learned that Zheng Liang planned to keep practicing Arc Movement and Zheng Ming planned to inspect the space in Sea Breeze City.
• Zheng Liang completed a full circuit of Arc Movement without losing brightness, while Zheng Ming tested his dark light by the riverbank.
• Zheng Ming traveled to Sea Breeze City and confirmed that the sphere and Light Pattern in the space remained stable.
• After returning to Martial Soul Capital, Zheng Ming decided to go back to town, and Zheng Liang chose to join him after one final practice.
• Zheng Liang and Zheng Ming left for town together, and Ling Feng and Qian Renxue watched them go.