Chapter Summaries

After months of physical training, Li Si received the God of Wisdom’s gift and learned to cast a simple Light Spell. He realized the gift was a rune array that used Faith Power to channel spell power, and resolved to study its secrets.

• Li Si devoted himself to body training until Priest Kelly judged him ready to receive the God of Wisdom’s gift.
• Kelly guided Li Si through a prayer, and multicolored light formed an orb that merged into the center of Li Si’s brow.
• Li Si felt the strain of bearing power beyond his rank, and Kelly explained that the gift enabled divine arts while stronger arts demanded greater endurance.
• Kelly taught Li Si to cast Light Spell, then sent him home to rest.
• On his way home, Li Si recognized the orb as a complex magic rune array that used Faith Power to channel the God of Wisdom’s spell power.

Li Si continued training in his dream, mastering divine arts and growing powerful enough to hunt a Snow Leopard. The chapter ended with the hunters stunned by his strength as he left them to take the beast back to town.

• Li Si trained his body by day and studied the magic rune array by night.
• After mastering all low-level divine arts, Li Si trained in the Luo Xue Mountain Range with Priest Kelly, then later entered the mountains alone after mastering the intermediate arts.
• Six months after mastering divine arts, Rogge and his hunting party encountered an injured Snow Leopard near Xue Ling Town.
• Li Si ambushed the Snow Leopard, killed it, and asked Rogge and the hunters to take its body back and divide it among themselves.
• The hunting party marveled at Miles’s strength, while Li Si estimated that he had reached the high-tier Bronze rank.

Li Si mastered Dragon Strength Art but realized the second trial required him to decipher the magical rune array, so he spent years studying it. He finally reproduced the array, passed the trial, and learned that Priest Kelly was Sphinx, who offered him an additional reward.

• Li Si mastered Dragon Strength Art and realized that learning every Wisdom divine spell would not let him pass the second trial.
• Li Si focused on studying the magical rune array between his brows, gradually deciphering its runes over ten years.
• Li Si gathered Magical Elements into a multicolored orb and reproduced the magical rune array.
• Li Si returned to his own body as the dream world faded, and Sphinx revealed that he had passed the second trial.
• Sphinx congratulated Li Si and offered him a small additional reward in exchange for a question.

After passing the second trial, Li Si spoke with Sphinx’s lingering consciousness and learned that the ruins held a dangerous legacy connected to the authority of the gods. The black cat revealed it was Sphinx’s Magic Intelligent Life and asked to leave with Li Si, who agreed as the third trial began.

• Sphinx told Li Si that the dream’s memories would fade but that he had preserved the knowledge Li Si gained, including the magic rune array.
• Sphinx explained that he had created the ruins to preserve his life’s work and warned Li Si not to draw the gods’ attention to the legacy.
• Li Si awoke in the Black Temple, where the black cat congratulated him on passing the second trial and revealed its identity as the God of Wisdom.
• The black cat admitted it was the Magic Intelligent Life of Sphinx’s Mage Tower and asked to leave the ruins with Li Si.
• Li Si agreed to take the black cat with him and asked about the third trial, prompting the ruins to rumble.

Li Si began the third trial, which required him to climb a five-colored stairway to claim Sphinx’s inheritance. On the first step, he learned about the Sphinx Ascension to Godhood Art, an attempt to use arcane arts and the four Foundation Stone Laws to imitate divine power.

• The black cat told Li Si that each stair granted part of Sphinx’s inheritance and that anyone who failed would forget what they had seen in the temple.
• Li Si stepped onto the first stair and received an introduction to Sphinx’s inheritance.
• Li Si learned that the Sphinx Ascension to Godhood Art simulated the path to godhood through arcane arts rather than abandoning the arcane path.
• Li Si learned that Sphinx used the four Foundation Stone Laws to create a Virtual Divinity that gathered Faith Power and refined it into Elemental Divine Power.
• Li Si discovered that Sphinx had left the later stages of apotheosis and the creation of a God Kingdom for future Arcanists to explore.

Li Si discovered that the third trial required him to memorize Sphinx’s complete Apotheosis Art while enduring mounting pressure on his soul. He continued climbing the stairs, reaching the section on constructing a Virtual Divinity, where each step took him three days to barely memorize.

• Li Si received the Sphinx Apotheosis Art’s teachings on gathering Faith Power and understood how its virtual faith core granted priests divine spells.
• Li Si realized the third trial tested whether he could memorize the entire Apotheosis Art and withstand the soul pressure it exerted.
• Li Si resolved to continue despite the danger and climbed the third stair to receive more of Sphinx’s inheritance.
• Li Si memorized the first twenty stairs’ teachings on faith cores and Faith Power in about one day.
• Li Si began the inheritance from the twenty-first to sixtieth stairs on constructing a Virtual Divinity, needing three days to barely memorize each stair.

Li Si endured the soul-crushing pressure of Sphinx’s inheritance, using the Sphinx God Forging Art to strengthen his will and memorize the Apotheosis Art. He reached the hundredth step, sat on the divine throne, and was acclaimed by the Black Temple as its new master.

• Li Si resisted the pressure on the staircase as the black cat watched him reach the seventieth step, farther than any previous trial-taker.
• Li Si learned Sphinx’s God Forging Art and used it to temper his soul and will, allowing him to continue receiving the inheritance.
• After a year in the third trial, Li Si struggled through the final steps and memorized Sphinx’s research on divine authorities and God Kingdoms.
• Li Si reached the hundredth step, where the soul pressure vanished and he saw the divine throne before him.
• Li Si sat on the divine throne, and multicolored light filled the Black Temple as it welcomed its new master.

Li Si completed Sphinx’s trial and received the Legendary Arcanist’s crown, Wisdom of Sphinx, as his inheritance. Sphinx’s final consciousness vanished, and Li Si woke to learn from Antilysia that the crown was the core of the inheritance.

• Sphinx greeted Antilysia and watched over the sleeping Li Si, telling the black cat he would leave everything to it once Li Si woke.
• Sphinx’s remaining consciousness faded away, leaving a silver-white crown that settled onto Li Si’s head and completed the trial.
• Antilysia curled up on Li Si’s thigh, and the temple returned to stillness as Li Si slept.
• Li Si woke, found the crown, and asked Antilysia whether he had passed the trials and where Sphinx had gone.
• Antilysia explained that Sphinx had dispersed his consciousness and helped Li Si master the treasure, named Wisdom of Sphinx.

Li Si received Wisdom of Sphinx, a Legendary accessory containing Lord Sphinx’s knowledge and legacy, and learned that its power was sealed until he grew stronger. After examining the rewards from the trial, he realized he had inherited a Legendary Arcanist’s legacy, though he remained cautious about its secrets.

• The black cat explained that Wisdom of Sphinx was a Legendary accessory that would aid Li Si’s Arcane Research and gradually unlock as his strength increased.
• Li Si transformed the crown into an earring, noticed its four gemstones were Elemental Source Gems, and put it on.
• The black cat warned Li Si that Lord Sphinx had restricted him from revealing or sharing the legacy’s knowledge until he reached Legendary-level.
• Li Si examined the trial rewards and found he had gained new specialties, Lucid Dream, the Sphinx God Forging Art, Wisdom of Sphinx, and the Soul Guardian status.
• Li Si recognized that Wisdom of Sphinx held the full knowledge and legacy of a Legendary Arcanist.

Li Si examined the Wisdom of Sphinx and discovered its vast knowledge vault, powerful Arcane Research enhancements, and sealed attribute and affinity boosts. He also received several dream-, faith-, will-, and soul-related rewards, then found Sphinx Dream Building Art, an inheritance he hoped to learn and use to access memories through dreams.

• Li Si inspected the Wisdom of Sphinx and found that it contained Sphinx's knowledge and enhanced divergent, insightful, and creative thinking during Arcane Research.
• Li Si noted the accessory's partially sealed attribute and elemental affinity boosts, along with additional sealed effects he could not yet inspect.
• Li Si reviewed his rewards, including Dream Power, Advanced Faith Power Affinity, Resilient Will, Soul Ascension, Lucid Dream, and the Secrecy Controller milestone.
• Li Si searched the knowledge vault and found Sphinx Dream Building Art, the technique Sphinx had used to construct the Dream World.
• Li Si judged that Dream Power and Lucid Dream could help him learn Sphinx Dream Building Art and use dreams to bypass bodily restrictions to obtain memories stored in a soul.

Li Si completed the temple trials, gained powerful improvements, and bound the black cat to himself, naming it Xiao Mi. He returned to the inn after only one night had passed and prepared to pursue the monk class specialty Proof of Nature.

• Li Si reflected on his gains from the trials, including stronger will and soul, and resolved to aim beyond Legend with the Sphinx Ascension to Godhood Art.
• Li Si invited the black cat to leave the temple, and it formed a soul connection with him and became his familiar.
• Li Si struggled to name the black cat before settling on Xiao Mi, then stored the throne in his Space Ring and tried to take the Divine Statue.
• Li Si and Xiao Mi left the temple, which closed behind them and became inaccessible to others.
• Li Si awoke in the inn after only one night had passed and turned his attention to the monk specialty Proof of Nature.

After recovering in Xue Ling Town from Sphinx’s trials, Li Si planned to travel in search of the Proof of Nature specialty and use his knowledge of future events to earn a noble territory. He set his sights on Dan'erluo Port and the surrounding land, a future strategic site tied to the Phillips Crystal and Azera Floating City.

• Li Si rested for a day at an inn in Xue Ling Town while Xiao Mi returned to the outside world and explored the rooftops.
• Li Si planned to pursue the monk specialty Proof of Nature, which required a long journey in nature and a Soul Relieving Gem.
• Li Si decided to travel through the Dillon Kingdom and witness the destruction of the Bertich Kingdom, using his knowledge of future events to earn merit.
• Li Si planned to seek Dan'erluo Port and its surrounding duchy-sized territory from the Fies Kingdom.

Li Si prepared to leave Xue Ling Town for Dillon Kingdom, where he planned to explore the snowfields and interfere in an upcoming event. Before departing, he gave Todd another Gold Coin and discovered that the boy’s prayers to the God of Wisdom were reaching him.

• Li Si planned to secure Dan'erluo Port through military merit and set out for Dillon Kingdom to master the Proof of Nature and stir trouble in Ice Peak City.
• Li Si summoned the black cat back with his contract mark and carried it out of Xue Ling Town.
• Todd told Li Si that his mother had taken the Gold Coin he had given him, leaving him unable to keep his promise to share food with Jess and the others.
• Li Si claimed to be a divine envoy of the God of Wisdom and gave Todd another Gold Coin in exchange for continuing to pray.
• Li Si sensed Faith Power from Todd’s prayer and noticed that Xue Ling Town’s square resembled the site of the Black Temple’s second trial.

Clint Abbas oversaw the hurried construction of Wester Castle, a secret Dillon Kingdom fortress in the Luo Xue Mountain Range, despite the severe winter and mounting casualties among his soldiers. Nearby, Li Si watched the castle in stealth after following a lead from Sylvester Ludwig.

• Frank told Clint Abbas that the latest building materials had arrived and that eighty percent of Wester Castle's main framework was complete.
• Abbas ordered construction to proceed so Tote could begin reinforcing the castle with enchantments.
• Frank reported that the cold had caused frostbite among sixty percent of the soldiers, left ten percent collapsed, and killed three, but Abbas told them to endure until the initial enchantment was finished.
• Abbas sensed danger approaching and wondered if the Fies army was coming.
• Li Si watched Wester Castle from a nearby pine forest while concealed by Greater Stealth.

Li Si inspected Wester Castle, recognizing it as a strategic pass Dillon Kingdom was preparing for an invasion of Fies Kingdom. He decided to launch a surprise attack before its walls were enchanted and spent 40 million experience to raise his level to 70.

• Li Si traveled to Wester Valley and examined the unfinished Wester Castle, which Dillon Kingdom was building as a transit point for a future invasion of Fies Kingdom.
• Li Si used Spirit Vision to confirm that the castle walls had not yet been enchanted and considered attacking before the garrison could react.
• Li Si reviewed his accumulated experience and noted that quests and players had supplied most of it.
• Li Si spent 40 million unallocated experience, raising his level from 50 to 70 and increasing his attributes.
• Li Si endured the pain of his growth and began adapting to his new strength.

Frank welcomed Max and the Magic Rune Masters to Wester Castle so they could begin enchanting its Gray Obsidian walls. Before work began, Li Si launched his newly created Six Ring Arcane at the castle, and Frank recognized the incoming spell as a Gold-level threat.

• Frank greeted Max and brought him to inspect Wester Castle before the enchanter would meet Abbas.
• Max examined the Gray Obsidian walls, requested one-third of Frank's men and the materials he needed, and prepared to begin the enchantments.
• A squad leader spotted a ghostly blue meteor falling toward the castle, and Frank raised the alarm.
• Li Si watched from the air as his Blue Flame Nova descended, a new Arcane whose speed and power could exceed Gold-level strength.

Li Si attacked Wester Castle from the sky, forcing Abbas to defend it while he discovered the castle’s protections were unfinished. Li Si destroyed the magic array core tower and committed to the Fies Kingdom’s mission to demolish the fortress.

• Abbas shattered Li Si’s first Fire Meteor and ordered Frank to evacuate the castle, protect Lord Max and the Magic Rune Master team, and request reinforcements from General Austin.
• Li Si recognized Abbas as the Gold-level Snow Wolf Sword Saint and continued attacking from above, probing the castle’s defenses with more Fire Meteors.
• Li Si received missions to defeat Abbas and destroy Wester Castle, skipped the challenge to defeat Abbas, and chose to pursue the castle-destruction mission.
• Abbas destroyed four of Li Si’s five scattered Fire Meteors, but the last one struck and brought down the castle’s magic array core tower.
• Abbas glared at Li Si with murderous intent after the tower collapsed.

Li Si, disguised as Moriarty of the Death Cult, attacked Wester Castle and used his magic and teleportation to keep Abbas from stopping him. The castle was crumbling under Li Si’s Thunder Domain as Abbas rushed back too late to intervene.

• Li Si taunted Abbas while sending blue fireballs toward Wester Castle, and Abbas destroyed them with sword energy.
• Li Si identified himself as Moriarty of the Death Cult and cast Li Si's Styx Domain, spreading death-tainted rain over the castle.
• Abbas charged Li Si in midair, but Li Si used Stephens' Teleportation Ring to reappear above Wester Castle.
• Li Si cast Li Si's Thunder Domain, and lightning shattered the castle’s gray obsidian walls as Abbas rushed back from a distant mountain ridge.

Li Si destroyed Wester Castle and then attacked the Snow Wolf Legion as it fled, killing several Magic Rune Masters and soldiers before escaping. Abbas learned of the losses and went to meet General Austin, vowing to find Li Si, while Li Si received his quest rewards.

• Li Si destroyed Wester Castle with his Thunder Domain and Styx Domain, completed his faction mission, and escaped Abbas by teleporting away.
• Li Si spotted the Snow Wolf Legion leaving Wester Valley and struck its column with another Thunder Domain before teleporting away again.
• Frank ordered the legion to scatter, while Max used a crystal gem to create a barrier that protected those near him from Li Si's attack.
• Frank reported to Abbas that four low-level Magic Rune Masters had been killed, forty soldiers had died, and one hundred had been seriously injured.
• Abbas learned that General Austin had arrived and went to meet him, promising to find Li Si.
• Li Si received 100,000 Fies Kingdom Contribution, increased main quest rewards, and the Siege Master expertise after leaving combat.

Li Si headed for Ice Peak City, eager to stir up conflict in the Dillon Kingdom, while King Lukar learned that a secret castle project had been destroyed and ordered an investigation into Duke Ward. The chapter left Strand Ward and Bella Milne discussing how to respond to the king’s plotting.

• Li Si collected 100,000 Fies Kingdom contribution points and set off toward Ice Peak City, intending to add fuel to the coming conflict.
• Minister Anna Xifu brought Lukar reports from Austin and Abbas confirming that the castle under construction in Wester Valley had been destroyed and its site contaminated.
• Anna reassured Lukar that the loss would not significantly affect the kingdom’s plans, while Lukar ordered the Ice Lurkers to keep investigating Duke Ward.
• At his residence, Strand Ward told Bella Milne that King Lukar had been plotting again and that they needed to act.