Chapter Summaries

Su Li obtained the complete version of his Sword Spirit Root and learned that Saina, Elena, and Elonore had all reached deep bond levels with him. He chose Wading Village as his rebirth anchor, and the three women would retain all their memories in the next life.

• Su Li received the complete Sword Spirit Root, removing its limits on sensing, absorbing, transforming, compressing, and shaping ether.
• Su Li calculated that the improved Spirit Root and his accumulated techniques would let him advance much faster in his next life.
• The panel raised Saina and Elena's bond levels to Through Life and Death and Elonore's to Unforgettable.
• The panel presented four rebirth anchor choices, and Su Li chose Wading Village.
• The panel confirmed the anchor and revealed that Saina, Elena, and Elonore would retain their complete memories of this lifetime.

Su Li and Saina awoke reborn in Wading Village with their memories intact, while Su Li retained the complete Sword Spirit Root and the Family Group. They headed home to start over, and Su Li planned to prioritize having children as he anticipated Elena and Elonore rejoining them.

• Su Li awoke beneath the Old Locust Tree, and Saina rushed over and clung to him, relieved that he was alive.
• Saina confirmed that she remembered their previous lives, and Su Li discovered his body had lost its strength while his complete Sword Spirit Root and the Family Group remained.
• Su Li told Saina they would return home and reorganize their plans instead of immediately going to Silver Crown City.
• As they walked toward Wading Village, Su Li decided that having children would be his first priority and considered that Elena and Elonore also remembered their past lives.
• Saina asked Su Li not to make her wait so long this time, and he promised he would not; he estimated Elena might arrive in three days.

Elena woke up reincarnated as her eighteen-year-old self in Red Leaf Manor and raced toward Wading Village to reach Su Li before Saina could get ahead of her. She left the royal capital on horseback while Saina was already taking Su Li to the blacksmith’s shop.

• Elena recognized that she had returned to the past and realized Su Li and Saina were in Wading Village.
• Elena dressed for riding, ordered Mary to ready the fastest black horse, and refused to attend the tea party Old Ford had arranged.
• Elena persuaded Old Ford to let her leave with two knights and rode south toward Wading Village.
• Elena planned to reach Su Li quickly, join his Family Group, and keep Saina from getting ahead of her again.
• Saina tugged Su Li toward the blacksmith’s shop and felt a sudden chill as Elena raced toward the village.

Elonore woke in the past, back at the Elven Merchant Association, and mourned the loss of the ring Su Li had made for her. Unable to travel to Wading Village, she decided to master first-tier circuits while waiting for Su Li to come to Silver Crown City, while he remained with Saina, unaware of her thoughts.

• Elonore realized she had returned to her early apprenticeship and cried over the missing mithril iron ring Su Li had forged for her.
• Violet urged Elonore to eat breakfast and finish her circuit assignment, and Elonore considered asking for time off to find Su Li in Wading Village.
• Elonore decided she would not wait two years to prepare for Su Li's arrival and set out to perfect first-tier circuits before he reached Silver Crown City.
• Elonore practiced drawing a circuit on refined steel, remembering how Su Li had once guided her hand.
• Su Li ate roasted chicken and soup in Wading Village while Saina questioned him about staring south, then took the soup away when he would not answer.

Su Li went with Saina to her family’s blacksmith shop, where Martha welcomed him as a prospective husband but Old Buck doubted he could provide for Saina. Su Li claimed he knew blacksmithing, and Old Buck challenged him to forge an iron disc from scrap; Su Li approached the forge to prove himself.

• Saina brought Su Li to Martha and Old Buck’s home and declared she wanted to marry him.
• Martha warmly questioned Su Li and approved of his looks, while Old Buck objected that he was too poor and frail to support Saina.
• Su Li told Old Buck he knew blacksmithing, and Old Buck challenged him to hammer scrap iron into a disc.
• Saina urged Su Li to leave rather than risk failing, but Su Li reassured her and walked to the forge.

Su Li demonstrated his blacksmithing skill by forging a short sword from scrap iron, convincing Old Buck that he was no ordinary smith. Old Buck accepted the sword and welcomed Su Li into his home, while Saina hurried to prepare him food.

• Su Li adjusted the forge, selected a small piece of scrap iron, and began working while Old Buck, Saina, and Martha watched.
• Su Li used folded forging to turn the scrap iron into a short sword, striking it steadily despite his fatigue.
• Old Buck tested the sword against his old blade, which chipped while Su Li's sword remained unharmed.
• Old Buck hung Su Li's sword in the place of honor and told Martha to fetch Su Li a jacket and hot water.
• Old Buck questioned Su Li about his background, but Su Li said he was just a blacksmith whose master had died early.
• Su Li asked Saina for food, and she ran to make noodles with the eggs they had left.

Su Li used his complete Sword Spirit Root to cultivate rapidly and broke through to the first rank after only two days. The breakthrough also raised Saina’s strength through the Family Group, leaving her to discover the change while kneading dough.

• Su Li sensed aether with extraordinary clarity and formed a stable circulation loop after an hour of cultivation.
• Su Li worked at Old Buck’s forge, then cultivated through the night and broke through to the first rank without using potions.
• Saina crushed a wooden kneading basin with her increased strength and realized she had advanced alongside Su Li.
• Su Li gave Saina a thumbs-up, and she imagined how much easier her work would be with her new strength.

Su Li’s peaceful days with Saina ended when Elena arrived in Wading Village ahead of schedule. Their reunion sparked a confrontation that left Su Li facing Old Buck and Martha’s accusations.

• Su Li helped Saina and Old Buck with the blacksmith work while planning to reach Rank Two soon.
• Su Li recognized the approaching hoofbeats and realized Elena had arrived earlier than he expected.
• Elena reached the blacksmith shop and challenged Saina over her place in the Family Group.
• Old Buck and Martha saw Elena with Su Li and accused him of courting another woman.
• Old Buck threatened Su Li with a hammer and demanded an explanation while Elena watched.

Su Li introduced Elena to Saina’s parents as an old friend, while Elena proposed that she, Su Li, and Saina move into a village house together. After Elena sent supplies to Saina’s family, Old Buck confronted her and asked her to stop bullying his daughter.

• Su Li told Old Buck that Elena was an old acquaintance visiting on business, and Elena said she and Su Li could discuss marriage later.
• Elena privately gave Su Li fifty Gold Coins and proposed they move with Saina into a stone house in three days.
• Elena told Saina she had lost weight compared with her previous life, then left the smithy courtyard.
• Elena sent flour, salt, pork, and cloth to Saina’s family, and Old Buck went to speak with her.
• Old Buck asked Elena to stop bullying Saina, and Elena stiffened as she considered his place in Saina’s life and as Su Li’s elder.

Elena settled into the village and tried to win the blacksmith family’s acceptance while Saina spent three days reconnecting with her parents. On the third evening, Elena confronted Su Li after noticing his rapid cultivation progress.

• Elena agreed to Old Buck’s condition not to bully anyone, and Old Buck judged her sincere.
• Saina accepted the pork Elena sent and spent the next three days helping Martha with chores and sharing village gossip.
• Su Li assured Old Buck that Saina would not be wronged, while Old Buck warned that he would keep watch.
• Elena rode past the smithy each morning, pretending she was only exercising her horse while watching Su Li.
• Su Li’s aether reached the middle stage of the first tier after three days of cultivation.
• Elena visited Su Li at the well and remarked that he had progressed in three days along a path that took others half a year.

Su Li planned to keep the group in Wading Village until they grew stronger, then travel to Silver Crown City to reunite with Elonore before heading to the royal capital. He told Elena and Saina that he wanted to gather everyone, buy a ship, and explore the seas instead of repeating their struggles from their previous life.

• Elena told Su Li that the Family Group's synchronization effect had raised her to mid first rank, and he predicted he would reach the threshold of second rank within two months.
• Elena and Saina proposed traveling to the royal capital and Silver Crown City, respectively, but Su Li argued that neither destination was safe while they were only mid first rank.
• Su Li proposed staying in Wading Village for two to three months, making weapons with Old Buck, then traveling to Silver Crown City to find Elonore, sell weapons, and gather supplies and information.
• Saina asked Su Li to promise they would find Elonore first in Silver Crown City, and he agreed.
• Elena asked whether Su Li intended to get caught up in the same struggles as before, and he said he wanted to reunite the four of them, buy a ship, and explore the sea.
• Saina imagined growing vegetables aboard the ship, and the three shared a peaceful evening over fruit wine.

Elonore used skills from her previous life to impress Violet with her circuit work while hiding how much experience she already had. After Talia warned Violet that Elonore’s technique seemed too advanced for a beginner, Violet watched her draw and declared her a once-in-a-century genius apprentice.

• Elonore deliberately added a small flaw to her first-tier circuit so her rapid progress would seem less suspicious.
• Violet praised Elonore’s circuit, then told her to perfect its final turn before attempting second-tier circuits.
• Violet showed the plate to Talia, who noticed the experienced rhythm in Elonore’s lines and advised Violet to watch her work.
• Violet called Elonore into the workshop the next morning and observed her draw a circuit plate.
• Elonore’s practiced technique impressed Violet, who declared her a once-in-a-century genius apprentice.
• Elonore resolved to practice first- and second-tier circuits before Su Li arrived.

Su Li rebuilt Old Buck's furnace and used his forging skill to launch Wading Village's ironware business. After the first goods sold out, Saina secured a bulk order at the full price, and Su Li looked ahead to expanding their modest start.

• Su Li inspected Old Buck's damaged furnace and persuaded him to let him modify it, then Elena paid for the necessary supplies while Saina helped prepare for their arrival.
• Su Li rebuilt the furnace with a new clay lining, bellows, and air intake, raising its heat and making the flames burn evenly.
• Su Li forged high-quality hoes and short knives from ordinary pig iron, and Saina sold the first batch for a profit.
• A merchant from another village offered low prices for the ironware, but Saina refused and secured a deposit for twenty bundles at the regular price.

Elena went to Saina to learn how to cook after struggling to feed herself, and their lessons ended with Saina bringing her soup to soften her rock-hard flatbread. Elena decided to keep learning, and the village began to feel less difficult to live in.

• Elena visited Saina at the blacksmith's shop and asked her to teach her how to cook.
• Saina taught Elena to light the stove, knead dough, and roll flatbread, but Elena's first attempt came out hard enough to nearly break Su Li's tooth.
• Elena persisted through several attempts until she made a soft, edible flatbread.
• Saina told Su Li that Elena had not lost her temper as she might have in her previous life, then took Elena a bowl of pork rib soup.
• Saina invited Elena to breakfast the next day, and Elena resolved to learn porridge first and soup afterward.

Su Li and his family grew stronger while preparing to leave Wading Village for Silver Crown City, and Elena began building her own trading connections. The chapter ended with tax collectors arriving early to requisition the village’s grain, while Su Li told Elena to keep her Iris Family insignia hidden until they came to the door.

• Su Li told Saina they would leave Wading Village in half a month, then continued cultivating toward second tier.
• Old Buck discovered Saina’s new strength, questioned Su Li about his breathing technique, and asked Su Li to teach it to him.
• Su Li forged two high-quality short knives and hid them in the woodshed for later sale in Silver Crown City.
• Elena gave Su Li a letter arranging an independent account and explained her plan to build trading connections in the royal capital.
• A tax collector arrived with soldiers and demanded thirty percent of every household’s stored grain, and Su Li told Elena not to reveal her Iris Family insignia yet.

Su Li used an Iris insignia to stop tax collectors from searching the blacksmith shop, and Elena revealed her noble identity to drive them out of Wading Village. Elena promised to place the village under her family’s protection, leaving Su Li’s standing among the villagers greatly strengthened.

• Su Li told Old Buck he would handle the tax collectors, then tried to dissuade two soldiers from searching the blacksmith shop.
• Su Li showed the soldiers an Iris insignia and claimed he served the Iris Family, but the tax collector chief accused him of impersonating a noble and ordered a search.
• Su Li called for Elena, who arrived with two knights and identified herself as the direct daughter of the Iris Family.
• Elena ordered the tax collector chief and his soldiers to kneel, leave Wading Village, and send future grain levy orders to Red Leaf Manor for approval.
• Elena told Su Li she would write to Old Ford to put Wading Village under the family’s protection, while Su Li and Saina celebrated the tax collectors’ retreat.

Elonore passed her first-tier assessment and asked to travel to Wading Village to see Su Li, but Talia required her to pass the second-tier assessment first. With Violet supervising extra practice and Elvin secretly supporting her, Elonore began training for the difficult exam.

• Elonore completed a first-tier defensive circuit without mistakes, and Violet celebrated her success.
• Elonore asked for leave to visit Wading Village and admitted to Talia and Violet that she wanted to see someone important to her.
• Talia agreed to let Elonore travel if she passed the second-tier magic-forging apprentice assessment, while Violet promised to supervise two extra hours of training each day.
• Elvin learned about Elonore's plans, told his aide not to stop her, and ordered an investigation into Wading Village.
• Elonore began practicing second-tier circuits that night, determined to pass within three months and reach Su Li.

Su Li refused Elena’s potions and broke through to the second tier on his own, confirming that his complete Sword Spirit Root could advance without outside help. Saina and Elena also reached the second tier through the Family Group synchronization, while the short knife Su Li forged showed signs of responding to ether.

• Elena brought Su Li two low-tier potions to speed his breakthrough, but he chose to cultivate without them.
• Saina began preparing hot water, clean clothes, and meat soup for Su Li, while Elena set guards to watch the house and village road.
• On the fourth night, Su Li found that ether flowed through the forge patterns of the short knife he had made, revealing that it had been unconsciously enchanted.
• Su Li gathered ether from a twenty-meter radius and shattered the barrier in his dantian, reaching the second tier without a potion.
• Saina and Elena reached the second tier through the Family Group synchronization, and all three stood together in the woodshed.

After Su Li reached Tier Two, the dagger he had forged awakened an owner-recognition circuit that made it light for him and heavy for anyone else. He and Saina prepared to leave for Silver Crown City at dawn, while Saina taught her parents simplified breathing exercises for their health.

• Old Buck found that Su Li’s dagger had gained a silver-gray sheen and become too heavy for him to lift, while Su Li could hold it easily because its circuit recognized his aether frequency.
• Su Li explained the dagger’s unusual behavior to Elena, and they decided to leave for Silver Crown City the next morning by the main road.
• Saina asked to teach her parents simplified breathing exercises, and Su Li approved after confirming they would not include aether guidance.
• Saina taught Old Buck and Martha the exercises, and Old Buck noticed that they eased his aches.
• Su Li packed the master-recognizing dagger for the journey, and Saina left hot water, a towel, and meat soup outside his door on their last night in Wading Village.

A messenger from Lord Ford declared Wading Village under the Iris Family’s protection and delivered Elena a letter and supplies from her father. Su Li accepted the gifts and travel document, while a squabble over what he should call the two women’s fathers left the household bickering before their journey began.

• A messenger announced that Wading Village was under the Iris Family’s temporary protection, barring tax collectors and local forces from entering without permission.
• Elena received a letter from Old Ford, and Su Li took the twenty Purple Gold Coins, knight’s potions, and noble passage document sent with it.
• Su Li called Old Ford his father-in-law, prompting Saina to demand that he also address her father as father-in-law.
• Saina and Elena argued over how Su Li should distinguish between their fathers, and Su Li suggested calling both of them father-in-law.