Chapter Summaries

Xia Ming discovered letters proving the Renault Family had secretly collaborated with Ghostfire Tower, a black mage organization, and left Reno Manor with evidence and a plan to involve the Sacred Council. News of his destruction of the Reno Family spread across the three continents, making his name known to countless powers.

• A Jade Rhinoceros found a hidden chamber in Reno Manor, where Xia Ming discovered letters written by Ock.
• Xia Ming learned from the letters that the Renault Family had long dealt with Ghostfire Tower and planned to use the correspondence as proof of their collusion.
• Xia Ming put away the letters, recalled the Jade Rhinoceroses, and left Reno Manor with the little cat as onlookers and garrison guards watched fearfully.
• The next day, news of Xia Ming's destruction of the Reno Family spread throughout the three continents and reached the Izumo Kingdom's emperor and other major powers.
• Xia Ming's name shook the three continents.

The Sacred Council decided to summon Xia Ming to Thousand Moon Lake, while Xia Ming returned to Rhine City and used the Reno Family’s wealth to accelerate the territory’s growth. As Rhine City prospered and Xia Ming weighed how to confront black mage organizations, Angel arrived with a serious matter about the city’s future.

• At Thousand Moon Lake, Anger agreed to have Bluebeard bring Xia Ming to the Sacred Council’s camp so he might contend with Augustine.
• Xia Ming returned safely to Rhine City, where Su Weiwei, Angel, and the others welcomed him, and Lone Wolf pledged his life to him for destroying the Reno Family.
• Xia Ming gave Angel the Reno Family’s gold and treasures and told her to use them to speed up the Rhine Territory’s development.
• News of Xia Ming’s victory drew more merchants to Rhine City and frightened bandits away, while Angel introduced policies that helped the territory prosper.
• Xia Ming considered using his Sacred Council connections against the Evil Spirit Tower and Ghostfire Tower, then Angel came to discuss Rhine City’s future development.

Angel discussed how to secure Rhine City’s future by building a powerful force, and Xia Ming entrusted her and Lone Wolf with expanding its population and army. He also agreed to recruit powerful followers, while the evening ended with Xia Ming and Su Weiwei retiring together.

• Angel warned Xia Ming that Rhine City’s prosperity could attract powerful rivals and leave his fief vulnerable if he lacked the strength to protect it.
• Angel proposed expanding Rhine Territory or building a force that could stand above the continent’s nations, and Xia Ming rejected pursuing conquest.
• Angel identified Rhine City’s need for more residents and a fifty-thousand-strong elite army, and Xia Ming assigned those tasks to her and Lone Wolf.
• Xia Ming agreed to let Angel announce the recruitment of followers, and she left after he told her not to overwork herself.
• Xia Ming joined Su Weiwei for the night after Angel departed.

Xia Ming hit a cultivation bottleneck at the middle stage of Level Ten and asked Anthony for guidance. Anthony explained that mages advanced by fusing with the elements, leaving Xia Ming eager to begin his path toward Level Eleven.

• Xia Ming cultivated in the Tower of Hope, but his mana stopped progressing despite the Life Tree absorbing his magic beast crystal cores and strengthening him.
• Anthony arrived to complain that Xia Ming had not provided the Blazing Sun Finegold he had promised.
• Xia Ming told Anthony about his bottleneck, and Anthony was astonished to learn he had already reached the middle stage of Level Ten.
• Anthony explained that mages at this stage had to fuse with elements, starting with their strongest element, and that fusing with two elements allowed them to reach Level Eleven.

Anthony explained the difficulty of elemental fusion and urged Xia Ming to attempt fusing with fire, his most familiar element. After consulting Sea King Notes, Xia Ming fused with the fire element when the Life Tree’s light helped him cross the final threshold.

• Anthony told Xia Ming that he had fused with the water, fire, wind, and earth elements and explained how elemental fusion strengthened mages.
• Anthony warned Xia Ming that elemental fusion was difficult and told him to see how long it took to fuse with fire.
• Xia Ming read Sea King Notes and began meditating on the fire element in the magic tower.
• Xia Ming came close to fusing with fire but struggled to take the final step.
• The Life Tree released life light into Xia Ming, allowing him to fuse completely with the fire element.

Xia Ming initially fused with the fire element, then broke through to peak level ten with the Life Tree’s help. Anthony was shocked by his disciple’s rapid progress, and Xia Ming later met Angel, who said someone wanted to discuss a big deal with him.

• Xia Ming fused with the fire element, aided by the Life Tree, and sensed the immense abundance of fire elements around him.
• Xia Ming’s magic power broke through to peak level ten, bringing him onto the path toward becoming a Magic God.
• Anthony sensed Xia Ming’s elemental fusion, called his progress monstrous, and shut himself away to cultivate.
• Xia Ming noticed Xerxes cultivating in the magic tower before he met Angel downstairs.
• Angel told Xia Ming that someone wanted to discuss a big deal with him.

Xia Ming met with Viscount Jonker, who offered to mine Rhine Territory’s water spirit stone vein on generous terms and presented him with Blazing Sun Finegold. Xia Ming accepted the partnership, and Anthony was thrilled to learn the metal could produce around forty magic crystal cannons.

• Angel told Xia Ming that Viscount Jonker had come to discuss a major deal.
• Jonker asked for the mining rights to Rhine Territory’s water spirit stone vein and offered to let Xia Ming keep any associated gemstones while taking only thirty percent of the profits.
• Jonker presented Xia Ming with a large supply of Blazing Sun Finegold, which Xia Ming had been seeking.
• Xia Ming accepted Jonker’s offer and arranged for Angel to handle the partnership details.
• Xia Ming told Anthony about the metal, and Anthony estimated it could produce around forty magic crystal cannons.

Xia Ming arranged for Anthony to make more magic crystal cannons while he continued cultivating his fire-element powers. That night, two level-ten assassins attacked him, but Xia Ming overwhelmed them with his magic.

• Anthony promised to make forty more magic crystal cannons within a month and said he would try to improve their design.
• Xia Ming returned to the Tower of Hope to cultivate fire-element fusion, but made little progress.
• Xia Ming left the Tower of Hope to visit Su Weiwei and sensed a concealed killing intent outside the City Lord's Manor.
• Xia Ming wounded the first assassin with Thunderfire Eye and trapped him with Hundredfold Gravity.
• A second assassin attacked Xia Ming, but his Lightning Shield blocked the strike, and the two assassins tried to retreat.
• Xia Ming unleashed his mutated Ice Flame and engulfed both assassins.

Xia Ming captured two assassins who tried to kill him and forced them to reveal that the Ghostfire Tower had sent them. He learned that the organization had dozens of powerful assassins, then ordered the two captives killed and marked the Ghostfire Tower as an enemy.

• Xia Ming stopped the two assassins from taking poison and used the Water of Life to save them from the deadly toxin.
• Xia Ming took the weakened assassins to the City Lord's Mansion and assigned Lone Wolf to make them confess.
• After Lone Wolf tortured them, the assassins revealed that the Ghostfire Tower had ordered the attack.
• Xia Ming learned that the Ghostfire Tower had dozens of assassins but gained no information about its Tower Master.
• Xia Ming ordered Lone Wolf to give the assassins a quick death and resolved to kill the Ghostfire Tower's forces.

Xia Ming learned from Bluebeard why the Sacred Council and Holy Temple were facing off at Thousand Moon Lake: both sought leadership of the Human Alliance amid reports of vampires and black mage organizations. Bluebeard said the Sacred Council might have to rely on Xia Ming, leaving his role in the conflict unresolved.

• Xia Ming ordered Lone Wolf to deal with the captured assassins, then returned to the manor and worried about how Rhine Territory could stand against Ghostfire Tower.
• Angel told Xia Ming that Bluebeard had arrived, and Xia Ming warmly greeted the Sacred Councilor at the City Lord's Manor.
• Bluebeard explained that vampires had appeared in Twilight Moon City three months earlier and were colluding with black mage organizations.
• Bluebeard revealed that the Holy Temple had used the vampire threat as a pretext to challenge the Sacred Council's leadership of the Human Alliance.
• Bluebeard told Xia Ming that the Sacred Council might have to rely on him.

Bluebeard asked Xia Ming to represent the Sacred Council against Augustine in the Pact of Three Battles, and Xia Ming agreed to travel to Thousand Moon Lake after securing help against Ghostfire Tower. Xia Ming left Rhine City under the protection of ten Dark Hall deacons and set out to face Augustine.

• Bluebeard explained that Augustine had defeated three Sacred Council mages and asked Xia Ming to fight him in the first battle of the Pact of Three Battles.
• Xia Ming revealed that he had reached peak level ten and fused with the fire element, surprising Bluebeard with his rapid advancement.
• Xia Ming showed Bluebeard evidence that the Reno Family had colluded with Ghostfire Tower and said Ghostfire Tower had sent two assassins to kill him.
• Bluebeard agreed to have ten Dark Hall deacons guard Rhine City and told Xia Ming to bring the evidence to the Grand Speaker at Thousand Moon Lake.
• Xia Ming assigned Angel to handle internal affairs and Lone Wolf to handle external matters, then left for Thousand Moon Lake with Bluebeard and the little cat.

Xia Ming arrived at Thousand Moon Lake with Bluebeard as the Sacred Council and Holy Temple gathered forces for their contest. After reuniting with Arthur and Mofite, he discovered that someone had wrecked the tent prepared for him.

• Bluebeard told Xia Ming that many powerful factions had gathered at Thousand Moon Lake and that the Sacred Council faced a difficult contest against the Holy Temple.
• Bluebeard brought Xia Ming and the little cat to Thousand Moon Lake, where onlookers questioned Xia Ming’s strength and rumors about the Reno Family.
• Members of the Sacred Council’s younger generation welcomed Xia Ming and Bluebeard, and Bluebeard went to park the drake carriage.
• Xia Ming reunited with Arthur and Mofite, who were both near the peak of Level Eight, and they offered to show him to his residence.
• Arthur and Xia Ming found that someone had wrecked the tent prepared for Xia Ming, while several young men nearby grinned at them.

Xia Ming confronted Crystal Tower mages Rolai and Gawain after they deliberately destroyed his tent. He destroyed Rolai’s tent in retaliation, then challenged the group to attack him together.

• Arthur recognized Rolai and Gawain as powerful young mages from the Crystal Tower, and Mofite explained their faction’s ties to the Holy Temple.
• Rolai claimed his group had accidentally destroyed Xia Ming’s tent while practicing magic, but Xia Ming and Mofite recognized the provocation.
• The little kitten insulted Rolai, who threatened to attack it, and Xia Ming stepped forward to calm the exchange.
• Xia Ming blasted Rolai’s tent with a fireball and repeated Rolai’s excuse that he had accidentally destroyed it while practicing magic.
• Rolai and the other Crystal Tower mages prepared to fight, while Arthur and Mofite’s group rallied behind Xia Ming.
• Xia Ming told Rolai he was too weak and challenged all of them to attack him together.

Xia Ming challenged the seven Crystal Tower mages and defeated Rolai with one spell, revealing his overwhelming strength. As the others surrounded him, led by the more formidable Gawain, Xia Ming unleashed an even greater aura and prepared to fight them all.

• Xia Ming told Rolai and the six other Crystal Tower mages to attack him together, angering Rolai into launching a tenth-level fire spell.
• Xia Ming countered Rolai’s Hellfire with Ice Flame and defeated him in one exchange, leaving him vomiting blood.
• Xia Ming explained that the Crystal Tower mages had provoked him and destroyed his tent, then repeated his challenge to fight them all at once.
• The Crystal Tower mages closed in around Xia Ming, with Gawain leading them and restoring their confidence.
• Xia Ming released a powerful aura and fire element as Arthur and Mofite realized he might not have used his full strength against Rolai.

Xia Ming defeated the Crystal Tower group after they attacked him together, then forced them to apologize for damaging his tent. Bluebeard arrived and agreed to take Xia Ming to see the Grand Speaker.

• Gawain ordered Rolai and the other Crystal Tower mages to attack Xia Ming together, and Xia Ming's small world overwhelmed them.
• Xia Ming used fire magic to defeat the five peak level-nine mages in a single strike.
• Gawain and Rolai combined Frost Orb and Hellfire, but Xia Ming countered with Fire God's Wrath and knocked both level-ten mages down.
• Xia Ming demanded an apology for his damaged tent, and Rolai and the other Crystal Tower members apologized before leaving.
• Arthur and the Sacred Council members praised Xia Ming, while Bluebeard revealed he had watched the fight and offered to take him to see the Grand Speaker.

Xia Ming arrived at Thousand Moon Lake with Bluebeard to meet the Sacred Council’s leaders and discuss having him fight Augustine. Andor questioned Xia Ming’s ability, but Bluebeard revealed that Xia Ming had just defeated seven Crystal Tower mages with only two spells.

• Bluebeard told Xia Ming that the Sacred Council and Holy Temple forces were gathered on Thousand Moon Lake’s central island and warned him that some councilors doubted his strength.
• Bluebeard explained that Andor led the faction opposing Xia Ming’s selection to fight for the Sacred Council.
• Bluebeard brought Xia Ming into the Sacred Council’s camp, where Xia Ming met Grand Speaker Anger and the councilors.
• Grand Speaker Anger said Xia Ming was qualified to represent the Sacred Council, but Andor objected that his strength was unproven against Augustine.
• Bluebeard told the councilors that Xia Ming had defeated Rolai, Gawain, and five other Crystal Tower mages with just two spells, startling everyone.

Xia Ming revealed that he had reached peak level ten and agreed to fight Augustine on behalf of the Sacred Council. He also exposed Ghostfire Tower’s collusion with the Reno Family, and the Grand Speaker ordered Bluebeard to help eliminate the organization before sending Xia Ming to the Earthfire Cavern to prepare for the duel.

• Xia Ming demonstrated his peak level-ten strength and initial fusion with the fire element, impressing the gathered Sacred Council leaders.
• The Grand Speaker asked Xia Ming to fight Augustine, and Xia Ming accepted; Bluebeard announced the battle would take place in three days.
• Xia Ming showed the Grand Speaker secret letters linking Ghostfire Tower to the Reno Family and reported that Ghostfire Tower had attacked him.
• The Grand Speaker ordered Bluebeard to help the Rhine Territory uproot Ghostfire Tower and spare none of its dark mages.
• The Grand Speaker told Bluebeard to take Xia Ming to the Earthfire Cavern, leaving Xia Ming puzzled and Bluebeard astonished.

The Grand Speaker sent Xia Ming to the Earthfire Cavern to improve his fire-element fusion before he faced Augustine. After entering the cavern and adapting to its overwhelming fire elements, Xia Ming encountered a woman he recognized as one of the Twelve Councilors.

• The Grand Speaker told Xia Ming that Augustine had inherited the Holy Temple Pope's teachings and urged him to use the Earthfire Cavern to strengthen himself.
• Bluebeard explained that the cavern beneath Thousand Moon Lake held rare fire essence and that Xia Ming had one of the Sacred Council's five entry slots.
• Bluebeard led Xia Ming underwater to the cavern and revealed that Augustine had entered a few days earlier and had defeated three level-ten Sacred Council experts with mental illusions.
• Xia Ming resolved to defeat Augustine rather than settle for a draw, then entered the Earthfire Cavern.
• Xia Ming struggled against the cavern's vast, chaotic fire elements until he adapted, then met the female councilor he had seen in the Grand Speaker's tent.

Xia Ming learned that the Earthfire Cavern’s Crimson Fire Bloodflowers were swept out by periodic violent winds, then ventured deeper to wait for them. When the storm arrived, he used the little kitty’s perception to claim a flower while the other experts fought over the rest.

• Liya explained that Crimson Fire Bloodflowers grew in the cavern’s dangerous depths and were carried out by violent winds when mature.
• Xia Ming pressed deeper into the Earthfire Cavern until the fire elements forced him to stop beside two waiting experts.
• A powerful storm swept through the cavern, carrying Crimson Fire Bloodflowers into the waiting experts’ reach.
• Xia Ming asked the little kitty to locate the other flowers, then seized one it sensed to his front left.

Xia Ming collected two Crimson Fire Bloodflowers in the Earthfire Cave with the little cat’s guidance, then used them in his tent to completely fuse with the fire element. He left the cave before drawing further trouble and emerged with his fire magic strengthened.

• Xia Ming sensed that the Crimson Fire Bloodflower held refined fire-element energy and quietly collected one while the old man and middle-aged man fought over another.
• The little cat guided Xia Ming to a second Crimson Fire Bloodflower during another gale, attracting attention from the experts and Liya.
• Xia Ming stopped gathering flowers and calmly left the Earthfire Cave after deciding that continuing would risk provoking the other mages.
• Back at his tent at Thousand Moon Lake, Xia Ming used the two Crimson Fire Bloodflowers to absorb fire-element energy and deepen his understanding.
• Xia Ming broke through his internal barrier and completely fused with the fire element.