Chapter Summaries

Bai Yuan killed a Man Faced Demon Spider and helped Gu Yuena gain a Thousand Year Soul Ring before they returned to the Spirit Pagoda. After he went back to his room, the power of Black Calamity began leaking uncontrollably from his body.

• Bai Yuan cut down the Man Faced Demon Spider while Leng Yaozhu and the Spirit Pagoda staff watched in surprise.
• Bai Yuan urged Gu Yuena to absorb the spider's spiritual energy, and she gained a Thousand Year Soul Ring despite resenting his teasing.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena teleported back to the Spirit Pagoda, where staff examined them and confirmed they were unharmed.
• Leng Yaozhu praised their performance, and Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena left the lounge and went to their respective floors.
• Bai Yuan returned to his room, where Black Calamity spread through his body and began seeping from his hands.

Bai Yuan manifested and tested Black Calamity’s outfit, discovering that it enhanced his abilities and drew power from the night. He ran all the way to Shrek, where he heard academy disciples demanding money from an old shopkeeper.

• Bai Yuan saw Black Calamity’s power spread through his Core Flame and manifested a tangible black robe, gloves, and mask.
• Bai Yuan learned he could summon and dismiss the outfit, then equipped it and found that it made him faster and stronger at night.
• Bai Yuan raced across the countryside and arrived outside Shrek, surprised by how far he had run.
• Bai Yuan heard a Shrek Outer Disciple demand money from a hunched old shopkeeper who said he had already paid Federation taxes.

Bai Yuan witnessed Shrek Outer Disciples extorting and beating an old man, healed him with the Core Flame, then killed the disciples after learning their profits reached Cai Yue'er. He disappeared into the night, leaving his opposition to Shrek's corruption clear.

• Shrek Outer Disciples demanded taxes from the old man, claimed the Federation could not control Shrek, and beat him unconscious.
• Bai Yuan used golden Core Flame energy to heal the old man's wounds before leaving.
• The old man woke, knelt, and kowtowed toward the direction Bai Yuan had gone.
• Bai Yuan overheard Third Brother tell the Outer Disciples that Cai Yue'er received the largest share of their extorted profits.
• Bai Yuan appeared before the Outer Disciples, killed them, and erased their bodies with black flame.

Bai Yuan discovered that the Core Flame preserved pure energy from those consumed by its black fire, then witnessed the Chrysos Heirs and Xiao Bai emerge from his body. Xiao Bai soothed the Core Flame and the Black Calamity Set, leaving Bai Yuan convinced their path was not wrong.

• Bai Yuan examined the Core Flame and found pure energy left behind after the black flames consumed the Shrek disciples, which he cautiously reserved for later.
• Bai Yuan realized the black flames reclaimed and stored energy rather than simply destroying it, but rejected killing innocents to cultivate.
• The Core Flame rose into the air and summoned phantoms of the Chrysos Heirs behind Bai Yuan.
• Xiao Bai appeared among them and reached toward the Core Flame, calming it and easing Bai Yuan's growing dark emotions.
• Bai Yuan thanked Xiao Bai and affirmed that their path was not wrong.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena trained in the True Illusion Realm, where they fought through waves of Soul Beasts. After agreeing to face a pair of Iron-Back Dragons each, Bai Yuan activated his first soul skill and charged forward.

• Bai Yuan outmaneuvered Gu Yuena in a simulated spar, chasing her until he ended the training session.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena entered the True Illusion Realm, where Han Tianyi explained its combat-training safeguards.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena fought a horde of Soul Beasts, with Bai Yuan cutting them down and Gu Yuena attacking with six elemental dragons.
• Six adult Iron-Back Dragons emerged, and Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena agreed to fight two each.
• Bai Yuan activated his first soul skill, Stride to Deliverance, Action Shall Arrive, and charged toward the Iron-Back Dragons.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena defeated the Iron-Back Dragons during training in the True Illusion Realm, then returned to their rooms. Bai Yuan discovered that the Core Flame’s second cycle mark had become more than halfway complete.

• Bai Yuan used Dawnmaker to redirect an Iron-Back Dragon’s attack and fling it to the ground.
• Gu Yuena unleashed her six elemental powers to destroy the remaining Iron-Back Dragons.
• Bai Yuan slew the last Iron-Back Dragon, causing the True Illusion Realm to collapse and the training to end.
• Han Tianyi told Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena to prepare for three simulation rounds the next day.
• Bai Yuan found that the Core Flame’s number 1 was complete and its number 2 mark had begun to form.

Bai Yuan witnessed Xiao Bai's memories of a failed second cycle, including Phainon killing a bloodied version of himself and losing more of his humanity. Back in his room, Bai Yuan saw the Twelve Laws revealed in the Core Flame and reached out to Xiao Bai, who seemed to listen and respond.

• Xiao Bai told Bai Yuan that in the second cycle he had taken every Core Flame, but Aglaea, Tribbie, Mydei, Anaxa, and the others died fighting the Black Tide as mortals.
• A Phainon from that life confronted the numb Black Robe Swordsman for failing to save them, and Phainon killed him with the Black Calamity Sword.
• Phainon watched the other Phainon dissolve into motes of light and realized that killing each version of himself was stripping away his humanity.
• Bai Yuan awoke in his room with the Core Flame burning in his palm and demanded to know why they could not change anything.
• The Core Flame revealed twelve patterns representing the Twelve Laws, and Bai Yuan told Xiao Bai he wanted to help and hear him admit when he was tired.
• The Core Flame paused its flickering and grew warmly in Bai Yuan's hand, calming him as he sensed Xiao Bai listening.

Bai Yuan’s training with Gu Yuena turned into an angry chase as memories of the Core Flame’s tragedies and the Aeons fueled his attacks. After he regained control, they fought properly and Han Tianyi praised their growing strength and coordination, leaving Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena to resume training the next day.

• Bai Yuan overwhelmed Gu Yuena’s defenses with a simple sword strike, startling her with how much stronger he had become.
• Bai Yuan chased Gu Yuena across the Training Ground, venting his rage over the suffering he had witnessed and the Aeons’ power.
• Gu Yuena demanded to know why Bai Yuan was attacking her, and he stopped his sword just short of her face before asking for a rest.
• Bai Yuan calmed himself, then asked Gu Yuena to fight again; they resumed with a proper battle that blended sword strikes and elemental attacks.
• Han Tianyi praised their improvement and seamless coordination after training ended.
• Bai Yuan left after telling Gu Yuena to continue the next day, while she watched him go and wondered how to understand him.

Four years later, Gu Yuena trained with Bai Yuan in the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, where she remained unable to defeat him. After Bai Yuan saved her from a Shadow Leopard, Gu Yuena renewed her resolve to uncover his mysterious origins and beat him.

• Gu Yuena complained that Bai Yuan let her clear the way while he claimed he was giving her combat experience.
• Gu Yuena attacked Bai Yuan, but he dodged her elemental strikes until he spotted a Shadow Leopard pouncing behind her.
• Bai Yuan killed the Shadow Leopard with Dawnmaker, warned Gu Yuena to stay alert, and absorbed spiritual energy from the corpse.
• Gu Yuena recalled how she had investigated Bai Yuan’s unknown background and suspected he might be tied to the God Realm, though she had found no evidence.
• Gu Yuena told Bai Yuan she would beat him one day, and he replied that he would be waiting.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena entered a frozen region of the Star Dou Forest and encountered a three-thousand-year Snow Soul Demon Bear. As the bear attacked, Bai Yuan activated his second soul skill.

• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena crossed into an icy plain and found a snow-covered hill with a cave releasing frigid vapor.
• Gu Yuena became lost in memories of her homeland, and Bai Yuan brought her back to the present.
• A three-thousand-year Snow Soul Demon Bear emerged from the cave and confronted Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena.
• Bai Yuan summoned his Thousand Year Soul Ring and unleashed his second soul skill, Dawn of Creation, Earth Splitting Heaven Opening.

Bai Yuan defeated the three-thousand-year Snow Soul Demon Bear with a more powerful release of his second soul skill and absorbed its spiritual energy. His second Soul Ring changed from purple to black, leaving him with two Ten-Thousand Year Soul Rings.

• Bai Yuan struck the Snow Soul Demon Bear with Dawn of Creation, badly wounding it and breaking its forelimb.
• The Snow Soul Demon Bear unleashed its Ice Crystal Funeral attack, while Bai Yuan revealed he had used less than thirty percent of his second soul skill’s power in his first strike.
• Bai Yuan released fifty percent of Dawn of Creation and destroyed the incoming ice blades and the Snow Soul Demon Bear with one slash.
• Bai Yuan absorbed the Snow Soul Demon Bear’s spiritual energy, causing his second Soul Ring to turn black.
• Two Ten-Thousand Year Soul Rings rose around Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena completed their Spirit Ascension training, and Leng Yaozhu told them she would take them to Eastsea City to learn about the Spirit Pagoda’s promotion system. After returning to his room, Bai Yuan secretly dressed as the Black Robe Swordsman and set out for Shrek City.

• Bai Yuan watched as Gu Yuena defeated a Thousand-Year Soul Beast and absorbed its spiritual energy, turning her purple Soul Ring black.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena returned to the Spirit Pagoda, where Leng Yaozhu praised their progress and invited them to Eastsea City.
• Leng Yaozhu explained the Spirit Pagoda’s councilor and Pagoda Master positions and described the power struggle between the Leng Family and the Qiangu Family.
• Bai Yuan returned to his room, transformed into the Black Robe Swordsman, and slipped out into the night to visit Shrek City.

After returning to Shrek City, Bai Yuan discovered that the gratitude of people he had saved had gathered into Faith Power that strengthened his Core Flame. He resolved to uproot the corruption at Shrek by overturning the system that nurtured it.

• Bai Yuan overheard people in the Shantytown say Shrek's Outer Disciples had restrained their extortion since the Black Armor's attacks four years earlier.
• Outside Shrek City's walls, Bai Yuan saw golden specks of light gather around him and flow into his Core Flame, brightening its Twelve Law Patterns.
• Bai Yuan recognized the lights as Faith Power formed from the gratitude and hope of people he had saved.
• Bai Yuan concluded that Shrek's corrupt system, rather than a few individual disciples, was the source of the oppression.
• Bai Yuan vowed to turn over the land, dig out its rotten roots, and replace the soil as the Core Flame flared and the golden lights followed him into the night.

Bai Yuan learned that Gu Yuena had watched over a hundred episodes of a Tang Sect-produced show glorifying Tang San and the Shrek Seven Devils. After he left, Gu Yuena revealed she had been studying the propaganda behind the series and Tang San’s influence over history and public opinion.

• Bai Yuan reminded Gu Yuena that they would leave for Eastsea City the next morning to learn about the Spirit Pagoda’s promotion system.
• Bai Yuan found Gu Yuena watching a Tang Sect-produced show about Tang San and questioned whether she believed its heroic portrayal.
• Gu Yuena said she watched the show for amusement and admitted she had seen over a hundred episodes.
• Bai Yuan left Gu Yuena to watch, warning her not to stay up late before their trip.
• Gu Yuena turned off the show and privately concluded that Tang San had used propaganda to shape the public’s understanding of history and control human hearts.

Leng Yaozhu took Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena to Eastsea City aboard her Black-Grade Mecha, the Skyfire Phoenix, while Bai Yuan reflected on power, Faith Power, and his need to rise within the Spirit Pagoda. The chapter ended as they entered the city’s airspace and crowds looked up at Leng Yaozhu’s Mecha.

• Leng Yaozhu told Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena to observe and listen carefully before taking them to Eastsea City.
• Leng Yaozhu summoned her Black-Grade Mecha, the Skyfire Phoenix, and piloted Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena into the sky.
• Bai Yuan considered the power of Faith Power and resolved that he needed strength, resources, and authority to advance his goals.
• The Skyfire Phoenix entered Eastsea City’s airspace without obstruction because Leng Yaozhu had high Federation clearance.
• Bai Yuan saw crowds gathered in the central plaza looking up as the Skyfire Phoenix passed overhead.

Leng Yaozhu brought Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena to the East Sea Spirit Pagoda, where Pagoda Master Lu Ming welcomed them and arranged for them to study the branch. While exploring East Sea Market, Bai Yuan sensed a strange response from his Core Flame and met a boy he recognized as Tang Wulin before Shrek.

• Leng Yaozhu arrived at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda and received a formal welcome from Lu Ming and the branch staff.
• Leng Yaozhu introduced Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena as her disciples and asked Lu Ming to arrange rooms and show them how the branch operated.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena went to East Sea Market, where Gu Yuena disappeared from Bai Yuan's side.
• Bai Yuan felt his Core Flame react to an unfamiliar, gentle force and stepped into an alley to investigate it.
• A concerned black-haired boy approached Bai Yuan, whose Core Flame stirred as he recognized the boy as Tang Wulin before Shrek.

Bai Yuan met the young Tang Wulin and recognized him as the inheritor of the Golden Dragon King bloodline and a key part of Tang San’s plan. Gu Yuena tracked Tang Wulin’s aura to the alley, intent on taking his power, then spotted Bai Yuan beside him and worried he would interfere.

• Bai Yuan realized the boy who had helped him was Tang Wulin and introduced himself.
• Bai Yuan considered bringing Tang Wulin into the Leng Family but worried about Tang San’s influence within him.
• Tang Wulin offered to walk Bai Yuan home, and Bai Yuan declined before Gu Yuena arrived.
• Gu Yuena followed the Golden Dragon King’s aura through the streets and found Tang Wulin in the alley.
• Gu Yuena planned to take Tang Wulin’s bloodline power, then noticed Bai Yuan beside him and tried to hide her alarm.

Bai Yuan watched Gu Yuena exchange contact information with Tang Wulin and recognized that both were instinctively drawn to each other’s bloodlines. Gu Yuena and Bai Yuan headed toward the Spirit Pagoda, where her new yellow dress prompted Bai Yuan to blurt out a baffling question about purple and yellow.

• Bai Yuan introduced Gu Yuena to Tang Wulin, and Gu Yuena scanned his communicator code under the pretense of needing a local guide.
• Tang Wulin blushed and developed an intense, confusing attraction to Gu Yuena after she left the alley.
• Bai Yuan warned Tang Wulin to protect himself, then joined Gu Yuena as they headed toward the Spirit Pagoda.
• Bai Yuan questioned whether Gu Yuena had added Tang Wulin’s number to pursue the Golden Dragon King’s bloodline, and she claimed she needed help finding her way around Eastsea City.
• Gu Yuena showed Bai Yuan a yellow dress, and he asked why it was not purple and yellow, leaving her confused.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena toured the East Sea Spirit Ascension Platform Control Center and learned how it generated wealth and strengthened Soul Spirits. When a rare Riot Period began, they went to observe Eastsea Academy students, where Tang Wulin recognized Gu Yuena and excitedly greeted Bai Yuan.

• A staff member explained the Spirit Ascension Platform’s three levels, its role in raising Soul Spirit ages, and Spirit Pagoda’s financial dependence on it.
• Leng Yaozhu led Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena away, and Bai Yuan teased Gu Yuena by offering to make her Vice Pagoda Master when he became Pagoda Master.
• Lu Ming announced that the Spirit Ascension Platform Riot Period had begun, and Leng Yaozhu sent him to take the others to observe it.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena saw Tang Wulin among the Eastsea Academy students, and he recognized Gu Yuena before happily calling out to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena encountered Tang Wulin at the academy’s Spirit Ascension Platform training session before becoming examiners for talented students. Inside the platform, a golden-haired girl confronted them and demanded their Soul Power.

• Tang Wulin greeted Bai Yuan and blushed when he spoke to Gu Yuena, who remained puzzled by his behavior.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena were assigned to examine talented students in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
• Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena connected to the platform and entered its Beginner region.
• A golden-haired girl stepped out from behind a tree and threatened to send Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena out unless they handed over their Soul Power.