Chapter Summaries

Su Li recounted meeting an elf at the black market and realized he needed to learn runes to improve his weapon forging. At the Elven Merchant Association, Talia became determined to teach him after examining his impossible knife, while Violet arrived boasting about her gifted apprentice.

• Su Li told Saina and Elena about the elf who tested his knife, and Elena identified her as someone from the Elven Merchant Association investigating him.
• Su Li considered how rune knowledge could help him combine his Sword Spirit Root with his forging and decided to seek rune books.
• Talia examined the pierced armor and concluded that Su Li had infused ordinary scrap iron with extraordinary aether without using runes.
• Talia began drawing rune diagrams excitedly, imagining the weapons Su Li could forge if she taught him.
• Violet showed Talia her silver-haired apprentice's dagger and bragged about the apprentice's exceptional progress, but Talia barely reacted.

Talia discovered that a mysterious black-market seller’s plain scrap-iron knife had pierced her rune-enhanced armor and decided to search for him so she could take him as an apprentice. The next morning, Su Li’s attempt to carve a rune into refined steel failed, and he took Saina and Elena to the East District market to look for ingredients and cheap magic ore.

• Talia showed Violet the cut in her armor and explained that a rune-free scrap-iron knife had pierced it.
• Talia decided to wait at the black market the next day and find the unidentified person who had made the knife.
• Su Li tried carving a rune into refined steel, but his aether ran wild and ruined the two-Gold-Coin piece.
• Saina lamented the wasted steel while she and Elena resumed their usual argument.
• Su Li called off forging for the day and invited Saina and Elena to shop for ingredients and magic ore in the East District market.

Talia waited all day in the East District Black Market for the mysterious blacksmith, but left empty-handed. On her way back, she sensed the same overwhelming aether that had marked Su Li’s enchanted dagger, found him at the market with Saina and Elena, and approached him.

• Talia paid a half-goblin for information about the mysterious blacksmith, but learned he came and went unpredictably and that no one knew where he lived.
• Talia waited beside the broken crate until afternoon, then left the black market without finding the blacksmith.
• Su Li carried groceries while Saina haggled for black pepper and argued with Elena in the open-air market.
• Talia sensed an immense, devouring aether fluctuation and recognized it as the same power she had detected on Su Li’s scrap-metal dagger.
• Talia spotted Su Li with Saina and Elena, removed her hood, and strode toward him as Elena noticed her pointed ears.

Talia approached Su Li after seeing his unusual knife and asked to take him as her disciple, provoking Saina and Elena with her proposal and boasts. Su Li accepted because learning runes could help him make more valuable weapons, though Saina remained suspicious of Talia’s intentions.

• Talia invited Su Li to an elven teahouse and questioned him about his background and the knife he had forged.
• Talia declared that she wanted to take Su Li as her disciple, and Saina and Elena accused her of having ulterior motives and mocked her status.
• Talia explained that Su Li’s knife contained tyrannical residual aether and claimed he could forge divine artifacts if he learned runes.
• Su Li realized that studying runes could improve his weapons and help him earn more money, so he agreed to learn from Talia.
• Saina grabbed Su Li’s sleeve and warned him that Talia might be trying to take advantage of him.

Su Li agreed to learn rune inscription from Talia, who questioned him about his background and abilities. When he revealed he was a third-tier knight, Talia was left stunned as he headed home with Saina and Elena.

• Su Li agreed to begin rune lessons with Talia at her private workshop the next morning.
• Talia questioned Su Li about his blacksmithing experience and how he infused aether into metal, and he explained that he hammered the aether into submission.
• Talia assumed Su Li was a low-tier knight and asked whether he had reached the second tier.
• Su Li casually revealed that he was a stable third-tier knight, leaving Talia speechless.
• Su Li picked up the sacks of cabbage and ribs and left with Saina and Elena, while Talia realized his strength could shake Silver Crown City.

Su Li arrived at the Elven Merchant Association to learn blacksmithing and stunned Violet and Elonore with his appearance. Talia arrived late and began explaining that rune carving required spiritual control, not merely abundant aether.

• Saina urged Su Li to eat well before visiting the elves, while Elena asked him to bring back materials for her bathtub’s Aether-gathering array.
• The guards escorted Su Li to the association’s workshop, where Violet and Elonore mistook him for elven royalty because of his looks.
• Su Li clarified that he was human and had come to learn blacksmithing, and Violet eagerly offered to teach him after showing him her apprentice’s rune-carved dagger.
• Talia arrived, sent Violet and Elonore back to work, and told Su Li that his high knight rank did not guarantee the spiritual control needed to carve perfect runes.

Talia taught Su Li to control aether with a guide needle, but his first attempt violently destroyed the needle and steel plate. After recalling how his aether control had grown crude as his power increased, Su Li asked for another needle and prepared to try again with a lighter grip.

• Talia demonstrated how to guide aether through a needle to carve a steady line into refined steel and told Su Li to imitate her.
• Su Li poured out too much aether, shattering the guide needle and blasting a crater into the steel plate.
• Talia blamed Su Li's uncontrolled aether, while Violet mocked his chances of learning runes and Elonore comforted him.
• Su Li recalled that when he had less aether, he could sense and guide each wisp, but later relied on pouring power into materials without precision.
• Su Li asked Talia for a fresh guide needle, promised it would not explode, and held it lightly between three fingers.

Su Li learned to control his aether while practicing rune linework under Talia, making steady progress despite his crooked lines. He returned home to Elena and Saina, where their argument over wine and bathwater ended in a crash from the kitchen.

• Su Li carefully released a tiny amount of aether through a guiding needle and drew a crooked line on refined steel without letting the aether escape.
• Talia praised Su Li's instinctive control and had him practice drawing parallel lines on more steel plates.
• After two hours, Su Li had filled seven plates without causing an explosion, and Talia ended the lesson for the day.
• Su Li asked Talia about the constant-temperature runes in his bathtub, then went home and told Elena and Saina he had learned to draw rune lines.
• Elena and Saina argued over wine and who would heat the bathwater, before an iron basin crashed in the kitchen and Saina cried out about her ribs.

After a kitchen mishap sparked an argument between Saina and Elena, Su Li cleaned up and joined them in the bath. He studied the bathtub’s rune circuits, trying to trace their paths with his power.

• Silver stole a rib and fled after knocking over the basin of soup in the kitchen.
• Saina and Elena blamed each other for the mess and their ruined clothes, while Su Li stopped their argument and offered to clean up.
• Su Li washed the ribs, restarted the soup, and then went upstairs to the bathroom.
• Su Li found Saina and Elena bathing in the expensive heated tub and studied its rune circuits, mentally tracing them with his power.

Su Li learned rune engraving from Talia at the Elven Merchant Association and successfully activated his first-tier defensive rune on his first attempt. He left before he could be made to practice more, prioritizing his trip to the market, and returned home with meat and spices for Saina and Elena.

• Su Li gave up trying to understand the bathtub’s aether lines and decided to learn from a professional while Saina and Elena argued over the expensive tub.
• Su Li spent five days practicing rune engraving under Talia, while Violet encouraged him and Talia criticized his shaky lines.
• Su Li steadied his hand enough to draw a passing line, and Talia assigned him a first-tier defensive rune circuit on black iron.
• Su Li forced the aether back onto the correct path and activated the defensive rune on his first attempt, astonishing Talia, Violet, and Elonore.
• Su Li refused Talia’s demand to carve the rune one hundred times because he needed to reach the pork stalls before they closed, then left with pastries for the cat.
• Su Li returned to Ginkgo Alley with meat and spices, told Elena he would earn back the bathtub’s cost, and heard Saina defend his earning his living through his skills.

After five years of hiding in the Free City-State, Su Li had become a renowned Magic Forger and neared the fourth rank while Elena trained Saina for their planned voyage. Their quiet day was interrupted when Elonore arrived to see Su Li.

• Elena corrected Saina's sword technique during their daily training, while Su Li watched from the courtyard.
• Su Li reflected on the five years of war and prosperity, his success as a Magic Forger, and his progress toward the fourth rank.
• Su Li ended the lesson and told Saina and Elena to wash and change before dinner.
• Elonore cautiously opened the gate and came to visit Su Li, drawing Saina's displeased attention.

Elonore brought Su Li a fourth-rank Ice Soul ore, which he accepted in exchange for a favor to the Elven Merchant Association and a promise to repair its high-level magic artifacts. As Su Li prepared to use the ore to break through to the fourth tier, Elonore told Violet that her plan to win his favor had worked.

• Elonore delivered the Ice Soul ore to Su Li, claiming it came from Talia, while Saina and Elena teased and confronted her.
• Su Li accepted the ore, promised the Grand Elder a favor, and offered to repair the association’s high-level magic artifacts.
• Saina grew angry that Su Li accepted Elonore’s gift, but Su Li soothed her with flirtation before she went to prepare dinner.
• Su Li used the ore’s chill to ease the heat in his meridians and planned to use it as a spark to break through to the fourth tier.
• Elonore returned to the Elven Merchant Association and told Violet that Su Li had accepted the ore and offered his help.
• Violet praised her plan and pointed to Su Li’s extraordinary achievements as reasons Elonore should keep pursuing his favor.

Violet persuaded Elonore to pursue Su Li by treating their relationship as a long-term investment, then revealed that Elonore had given him fourth-tier Frostsoul ore in exchange for his promise to help the Elven Merchant Association. That night, Su Li soaked in his bathtub with the ore as Saina and Elena entered the bathroom.

• Violet argued that Elonore should accept being Su Li's lesser wife and outlive his other partners.
• Grand Elder Elvin burst into the workshop, furious that the Frostsoul ore had disappeared from his private vault.
• Violet told Elvin that Elonore had given the ore to Su Li and that he had promised to repair the association's high-tier magical artifacts.
• Elvin accepted the bargain and told Elonore to bring Su Li two boxes of fine elven flower tea.
• Su Li held the Frostsoul ore in his bathtub while Saina and Elena entered the bathroom.

Su Li forged a Tier 3 Sharpness Circuit weapon and returned home during the Star Festival, where Elonore invited him to a VIP party promising rare iron ore. Saina and Elena objected, leaving Su Li to decide whether the materials were worth missing dinner.

• Su Li used the Ice Soul Ore and ether circulation to ease the pain in his meridians and considered the barrier to peak Tier 3.
• Su Li forged a Tier 3 long blade from Deepsea Cold Iron, completing its Sharpness Circuit despite Talia's doubts.
• Su Li returned home on the Star Festival to find Elonore delivering flower tea and inviting him to the eastern district party.
• Elonore offered VIP tickets and mentioned premium dwarf iron ore, including fire-attributed meteoric iron.
• Saina and Elena confronted Elonore, and Saina objected when Su Li asked about the ore because she wanted him home for braised pork.

Su Li went to the Star Festival with Saina and Elena, where he spotted a powerful flame ore that could help him reach the fourth tier. A goblin named Barlow offered him the ore in exchange for carving a fourth-tier Explosion Rune onto a cannon blueprint, leaving Su Li to weigh the deal after the room was locked.

• Elena and Saina fought over Elonore’s two Star Festival tickets, but Su Li took charge and decided they would all go.
• Su Li recognized that Elonore’s master had coached her to approach him, and he told Elonore to ask her master to focus on forging iron.
• At the Star Festival, Su Li sensed a powerful ore called the Heart of the Flame Demon and saw it revealed on the auction platform.
• A gray-robed goblin invited Su Li to meet Barlow, offering the Heart of the Flame Demon as a gift for hearing his proposal.
• Barlow showed Su Li a blueprint for the Baris Empire’s newest cannon and asked him to carve a fourth-tier Explosion Rune onto it.
• Someone shut the private room door while Su Li considered Barlow’s offer.

Su Li refused Barlow’s request to inscribe a cannon blueprint and used his aether pressure to force the goblin to back down. He rejoined Saina, Elena, and Elonore at the Star Festival and continued with them toward the ore exhibition.

• Su Li refused Barlow’s offer to inscribe fourth-rank explosive runes on a cannon blueprint.
• Barlow threatened Su Li, but Su Li released his aether pressure and forced Barlow and the four guards outside to their knees.
• Su Li told Barlow to bring the Heart of the Flame Demon to Ginkgo Alley and warned him to keep the blueprint from the Elven Merchant Association.
• Barlow sent a report through a mechanical bug and burned the blueprint after Su Li left.
• Su Li bought Saina a self-heating pot, then headed with Saina, Elena, and Elonore toward the iron ore exhibition.

At the Star Festival exhibition, Su Li browsed rare ores while Elena persuaded Talia and Saina to visit an elven beauty salon. He then followed Elonore into the VIP passage to inspect a prized piece of crimson meteorite iron, where his Sword Spirit Root resonated with its fire energy.

• Su Li examined a wind-element floating stone and told Elonore he would buy it himself.
• Saina argued with Elena over a self-heating iron bowl, while Talia confronted Su Li about a rough sword interface he needed to polish.
• Elena led Talia and Saina toward the Elven Dew beauty salon, and Su Li gave Saina a hundred gold coins for the outing.
• Su Li asked Elonore to show him the meteorite iron and followed her into the exhibition's VIP passage.
• Su Li examined the crimson meteorite iron, and his Sword Spirit Root began resonating with the fire energy inside it.

Su Li turned down Elonore’s hesitant confession and went to stop Saina from fighting at Elven Dew. After he paid for the damage, his aether briefly exposed Saina’s third-rank strength, and the group left the salon.

• Su Li asked Elonore whether she liked him by her own choice, then thanked her for the gifts and sent her home.
• Elena told Su Li that Saina had damaged a salon after arguing with an elven beautician, so he hurried to Elven Dew.
• Su Li found Saina accused of breaking an essential-oil bottle and the salon’s treatment table after the beautician insulted her skin.
• Su Li offered fifty Gold Coins to cover the damage, but the beautician also demanded that Saina never return.
• Su Li triggered Saina’s stored aether, briefly revealing her third-rank aura and forcing the beautician to buckle under its pressure.

Su Li and his companions left Elven Dew after Saina accidentally smashed an essential oil bottle, and the shop manager later apologized at their home. Back in Ginkgo Alley, Su Li considered the Star Festival’s discoveries and felt the fourth-rank threshold within reach as he went to help with dinner.

• Su Li pulled Saina out of Elven Dew, where Elena warned the technician to watch her words and Talia followed them out.
• As they walked along South Street, Saina explained how the technician’s remark had made her grip the bottle too hard, and Su Li gave her a cloth to clean her hands.
• Talia left for the chamber of commerce after noticing Su Li’s precise aether control, and the others headed home without negotiating for the fire-aspected meteoric iron.
• At Ginkgo Alley, Elven Dew’s manager apologized to Su Li and Saina, said the technician had been dismissed, and left a box of skincare oils.
• Saina worried that the technician had lost her job, but Elena told her to stop breaking things, and Su Li gave her the gift box.
• Su Li used the ice-soul ore to cool himself and sensed that the fourth-rank threshold was close before Saina called him to bring the ribs from his Space Ring.

Su Li recounted how he had forced Barlow to promise him the Heart of the Flame Demon, then shared a garlic-rib dinner with Saina and Elena. As the women prepared his bath, the chapter ended with Saina and Elena bickering in the tub while Su Li entered.

• Saina cooked garlic pork ribs while Su Li checked the Ice Soul Ore to restrain the aether surging through his meridians.
• Elena asked Su Li what had happened with Barlow, and Su Li said Barlow had promised to deliver the Heart of the Flame Demon the next day after Su Li pinned him down.
• Saina, Elena, and Su Li ate the ribs together, and Elena joined in despite complaining about the garlic.
• Su Li said he would take a bath, and Saina and Elena hurried to heat the water and prepare the bathhouse.
• Su Li entered the bathhouse and found Saina and Elena in the tub, where they started arguing and shoving each other.