Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving the Stigma World, Lynn reflects on his failed attempt to make the simulated Lin Chen feel real. Because the figures were created from World Force, they had no souls, emotions, or genuine consciousness, making them seem like lifeless puppets.
• The Stellar Orbit Fragment also remains unresponsive, confirming that the simulation lacks the authenticity needed to influence fate.
• Lynn devises a new approach: populate the simulated world with real souls taken from the Soul Furnace. He plans to give these souls virtual bodies, memories, personalities, and emotional instincts so they can develop naturally.
• He selects a pure soul for Lin Chen, believing it will be best suited to carrying the father-son karmic bond. He then chooses souls for Lin Chen’s family, servants, guards, and other residents of the city.
• Returning to the Stigma World, Lynn creates temporary bodies for the souls using World Force.
• Through Memory Weaving, he implants identities and personal histories, including:
  • Old Gray, a loyal family butler
  • Iron Tooth, a fiercely devoted guard
  • Little Lotus and Little Grain, maids close to Lin Chen
  • Various collateral family members and city residents
• Lynn uses Emotional Soulbinding to strengthen qualities such as loyalty, familial affection, friendship, compassion, courage, and anger.
• Little Lotus awakens, recognizes Lynn as the clan leader, and obediently goes to prepare the kitchen, demonstrating that the experiment is beginning to work.
• Lynn gives the collateral family members weaker, more flexible emotional programming so they can retain room for independent interactions and development.

Character Developments

• Lynn: Becomes more analytical and determined after recognizing the limitations of artificial, soulless constructs. Rather than abandoning the simulation, he innovates by combining real souls with fabricated bodies and implanted memories. He also shows careful attention to social structure, assigning personalities and emotional traits according to each character’s role.
• Lin Chen: Has not yet awakened in the new arrangement, but Lynn specifically selects a pure soul for him and prepares a supporting family environment intended to shape his emotional and karmic development.
• Old Gray: Is created as a mature, responsible butler whose loyalty and concern for Lin Chen are deeply reinforced.
• Iron Tooth: Is shaped into a courageous, protective guard, devoted to the clan leader because of a fabricated history of being rescued.
• Little Lotus and Little Grain: Are given a close sister-like relationship, with Little Lotus portrayed as diligent and Little Grain as somewhat lazy but cared for by her companion.
• Collateral family members and city residents: Receive distinct personalities and varying motivations rather than uniform loyalty, making them capable of more natural social behavior.

Significant Themes

• Artificiality versus genuine life: Lynn discovers that bodies and scripted behavior alone cannot create convincing life; souls, emotions, and personal histories are necessary.
• Creation and control: Lynn acts as a creator who constructs identities, memories, relationships, and emotional responses, raising questions about whether beings shaped through manipulation can still develop authentic selves.
• The importance of emotion and consciousness: The chapter emphasizes that emotional feedback and independent thought are what make interactions meaningful rather than mechanical.
• Nature versus programming: Although Lynn implants memories and amplifies emotions, he deliberately leaves some characters room to evolve, suggesting that individuality may emerge from controlled beginnings.
• Family, loyalty, and social conditioning: The simulated society is designed around filial piety, unity, protection, friendship, and class roles, showing how relationships and moral values can be engineered.

Character Interactions

• Lynn interacts directly with the newly created souls, assigning them roles and emotional priorities through Memory Weaving and Soulbinding.
• He establishes Old Gray’s devotion to the clan leader and his concern for the young master.
• Iron Tooth is programmed to repay the clan leader’s supposed kindness with absolute loyalty and fearless protection.
• Little Lotus and Little Grain are given a sisterly bond, with Little Lotus expected to cover for Little Grain’s laziness.
• Lynn tests Little Lotus by ordering her to inspect the kitchen. She recognizes him as the clan leader, responds respectfully, and carries out the command, confirming the success of his method.
• The collateral family members are designed to hold differing attitudes toward the clan leader, allowing future conflict, cooperation, and emotional development within the simulated city.

Chapter Summary: “Simulating Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lynn completes the simulated world by giving the city’s NPCs basic memories, occupations, personalities, and emotional traits. The once-empty setting becomes a functioning town filled with ordinary activity.
• He places Lin Chen’s soul into the world as a newborn and arranges for Lin Yao and other souls to enter later, according to the simulation’s timeline.
• Before beginning the simulation, Lynn activates Memory Sealing, suppressing his memories of being a powerful wizard and cosmic entity. He retains only the identity of an ordinary One-Ring Wizard, family patriarch, husband, and father.
• The simulation restarts with Lynn as the patriarch of the Grayfeather Family.
• Alia gives birth to their first son, Lin Chen. The child appears unusual, possessing a small horn and star-like eyes, causing the midwives and maids to panic and call him a “monster.”
• Lynn recognizes that the child is healthy and shares his bloodline. He reassures Alia, comforts the infant, and orders the servants to keep the child’s appearance secret.
• Lin Chen grasps Lynn’s finger and stops crying, prompting Lynn to experience genuine familial affection for the first time.

Character Developments

• Lynn: Deliberately limits his immense knowledge and power so he can sincerely experience family life. Initially anxious and helpless during Alia’s labor, he responds protectively when the child is feared and rejected. His emotional bond with Lin Chen begins when the baby holds his finger.
• Lin Chen: Introduced as a physically healthy but mysterious child with a horn and celestial-looking eyes. His unusual appearance suggests a powerful or special innate talent.
• Alia: Exhausted and frightened that her child may truly be monstrous, she relaxes after Lynn accepts and defends the baby. Her tearful smile reflects her relief and joy at seeing her husband embrace their son.
• Old Gray: Remains loyal and observant, supporting Lynn during the birth and wisely avoiding unnecessary questions about the child’s strange appearance.
• The servants: Their fear exposes the danger of Lin Chen’s appearance, but they submit to Lynn’s authority and agree to keep the matter secret.

Significant Themes

• The meaning of family and love: Lynn seeks to determine whether authentic familial affection can arise through lived experience rather than constructed memories. His reaction to Lin Chen suggests that emotional bonds can develop naturally.
• Humanity through limitation: By sealing his memories and powers, Lynn attempts to become emotionally human and experience ordinary concerns such as childbirth, fear, and parental attachment.
• Appearance versus identity: Lin Chen looks abnormal, but Lynn judges him by his health and blood connection rather than by the reactions of frightened servants.
• Creation and simulation: Lynn transforms an artificial world from an empty stage into a living society, then places himself inside it to observe and participate in its development.
• Potential and uncertainty: Lin Chen’s horn and star-filled eyes mark him as extraordinary, but it remains unclear whether his nature will bring glory or danger to the Grayfeather Family.

Character Interactions

• Lynn and Old Gray discuss the difficult birth, with the butler attempting to calm the anxious patriarch.
• The midwives and maids react with terror to Lin Chen’s appearance, while Lynn confronts the situation and commands them to maintain secrecy.
• Lynn reassures Alia that their son is healthy and merely unusual, easing her fears.
• The most important interaction occurs between Lynn and Lin Chen: the infant stops crying after Lynn touches him, grips his finger, and establishes the first emotional connection between them.
• Alia witnesses this bond and quietly shares in the joy, creating the chapter’s first image of the family functioning as a genuine unit.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lynn continues concealing Lin Chen’s unusual abilities, studying magical artifacts that might hide the abnormality in his body. He fears Chen’s talent could attract powerful enemies and endanger the Grayfeather family.
• As Lin Chen grows, he develops a close bond with Lynn:
  • As an infant, he calms whenever Lynn holds him.
  • At six months, he recognizes his father’s return and displays unusual physical strength.
  • At one year, he learns to walk by throwing himself into Lynn’s arms.
• Lin Yao, Lynn’s daughter with Xixi, is born when Lin Chen is slightly over a year old. Lynn is overwhelmed with joy and nervous affection as he holds his first daughter.
• Lin Chen cautiously meets his baby sister, initially frightened when she kicks him, but soon begins accepting his role as her older brother.
• The children bring greater liveliness to the household. Lin Chen becomes protective and affectionate toward Lin Yao, though he also insists on receiving Lynn’s attention.
• At age three, Lin Yao is tested and found to possess medium earth-element talent—excellent by ordinary standards, but much less extraordinary than Lin Chen’s.
• At age five, Lin Chen meditates for the first time and attracts vast amounts of starlight particles, confirming his extraordinary, possibly unprecedented talent.
• Lynn praises Chen and promises that he will one day surpass his father. The chapter ends with father and son quietly watching the stars together.

2. Character Developments

• Lynn: Develops from a cautious, duty-focused patriarch into a deeply affectionate father. Although he remains worried about protecting Lin Chen, family life softens him, and he takes obvious pride in both children.
• Lin Chen: Grows from a clingy infant into a strong, loving, and slightly possessive older brother. He shows remarkable physical strength and later reveals immense magical potential.
• Alia: Acts as a warm, observant mother and gently teases Lynn about his attachment to Chen.
• Xixi: Endures a difficult childbirth and shares Lynn’s happiness over their daughter, while also teasing him about his excessive nervousness.
• Lin Yao: Introduced as a fragile baby and later shown to possess respectable earth-element talent. Her arrival strengthens the family bond.
• Old Gray: Serves as a practical, protective butler, preventing Lynn from entering the delivery room and helping maintain order.

3. Significant Themes

• Family love and emotional transformation: Lynn’s children awaken a tenderness and joy he cannot fully explain, showing how fatherhood changes him.
• Protection versus freedom: Lynn wants Lin Chen to grow safely, but Chen’s extraordinary talent may expose the family to danger.
• Sibling affection: Lin Chen’s jealousy and protectiveness gradually develop into genuine brotherly attachment.
• Pride and anxiety surrounding talent: Lin Chen’s gifts inspire hope but also fear, since extraordinary power can bring unwanted attention and catastrophe.
• Ordinary domestic happiness: Small moments—holding a baby, teaching a child to walk, and watching the stars—are presented as deeply meaningful.

4. Character Interactions

• Lynn and Alia share affectionate domestic moments, with Alia teasing Lynn about Chen’s attachment to him.
• Lynn and Lin Chen bond through physical play, comfort, and encouragement; Lynn patiently supports Chen’s first steps and later his magical awakening.
• Lynn and Xixi exchange teasing remarks after Lin Yao’s birth, highlighting their familiarity and shared parenthood.
• Lynn introduces Lin Chen to his baby sister, guiding him past his initial fear.
• Lin Chen repeatedly seeks Lynn’s attention while also caring for Lin Yao, humorously demanding to be held alongside her.
• The closing scene between Lynn and Chen, watching the stars together, emphasizes their strong father-son bond and hints at Chen’s extraordinary destiny.

Chapter Summary: “Corona Breathing Technique”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Chen grows up in the Grayfeather family’s warm household, spending time with his mother Alia, sister Lin Yao, and father Lynn.
• He demonstrates exceptional intelligence, constantly asking questions and aspiring to one day write a book greater than the family library.
• Lynn begins teaching him Wizardry, including Mental Power organization, energy protection, and Astral Realm Perception. Lin Chen learns rapidly, but the family lacks advanced Astral Department resources.
• Because of Lin Chen’s extraordinary physical abilities, Lynn has Iron Tooth, the guard captain, train him in knightly techniques. Lin Chen enthusiastically practices body tempering and swordsmanship, completing a thousand sword swings daily without tiring.
• Iron Tooth introduces him to the family’s treasured but previously neglected Corona Breathing Technique, which is said to allow its wielder to become like a great sun.
• During his first attempt, Lin Chen resonates with the sun, drawing a powerful golden current into his body and successfully cultivating the technique.
• His progress is remarkably fast. He soon condenses a golden Knight Seed, a feat many aspiring knights never accomplish.
• In a sparring match with Iron Tooth, Lin Chen displays tremendous speed, strength, and battle aura. He uses the technique Great Sun Slash, forcing Iron Tooth to exert real effort to deflect it.
• Lynn praises Lin Chen’s potential but reminds him not to neglect Wizardry, even though Lin Chen currently finds close combat more enjoyable.

Character Development

• Lin Chen: Establishes himself as a prodigy in both Wizardry and knightly cultivation. His curiosity, determination, physical talent, and cheerful confidence become increasingly evident. He is especially drawn to direct combat but accepts the need to continue developing Mental Power.
• Lynn: Acts as a protective and observant father. He recognizes Lin Chen’s unusual gifts, worries about the family’s limited resources, and hopes his son will remain joyful and unburdened as he grows.
• Iron Tooth: Becomes Lin Chen’s stern but supportive martial instructor. Though taciturn, he recognizes Lin Chen as an extraordinary knightly talent and gradually treats him with genuine admiration.
• Alia: Encourages Lin Chen’s intellectual curiosity and playfully reinforces his promises.
• Lin Yao: Shares a close, affectionate relationship with her brother and admires his future ambitions.

Significant Themes

• Extraordinary talent and potential: Lin Chen’s abilities suggest he may become a rare genius in multiple disciplines.
• Nature versus nurture: His innate physical gifts are powerful, but disciplined training and guidance allow those talents to flourish.
• Balance between paths: The chapter contrasts Wizardry’s long-term potential with the immediate appeal and effectiveness of knightly combat.
• Family warmth and support: The Grayfeather household provides a loving environment that helps Lin Chen develop confidently.
• Sunlight and growth: The sun symbolizes Lin Chen’s vitality, optimism, and seemingly unstoppable development.

Important Character Interactions

• Alia and Lin Chen discuss his ambitious desire to write a great book, while Lin Yao promises to read it.
• Lynn quietly observes the affectionate bond between his children and feels warmth toward his family.
• Iron Tooth rigorously trains Lin Chen, praising his stamina and physical aptitude while teaching him discipline.
• During their sparring match, Lin Chen’s rapid improvement earns Iron Tooth’s respect.
• Lynn evaluates Lin Chen’s progress, praises his combat talent, and reminds him that Wizardry remains essential.

Chapter Summary: “Death Threat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lynn gives Lin Chen a forged Wizard Artifact: a silver-gray chain with a rune-engraved bead that conceals his horns and unusual eyes, allowing him to appear like an ordinary child.
• With his father’s permission, Lin Chen takes his younger sister, Lin Yao, outside the Grayfeather family compound for the first time. Lynn secretly assigns Iron Tooth to protect them.
• The siblings explore Graystone City, enjoying street food, shops, and glowing crystals. Lin Chen buys Lin Yao two Glowstones, delighting her.
• Their outing takes a dangerous turn when they find a crowd outside the Grayfeather Apothecary. A group of adventurers claims that medicine sold by the shop killed one of their companions.
• The adventurers refuse to allow the victim’s body to be examined and openly attack the shop, revealing that they likely came prepared to cause trouble rather than seek justice.
• When the city guards attempt to intervene, the adventurer leader—an Earth Knight—kicks the commander aside and orders his companions to destroy the shop.
• The attackers assault the shopkeeper. Lin Chen intervenes, using a fallen guard’s sword and unleashing his Golden Corona Battle Aura.
• Lin Chen fights one of the adventurers, displaying Grand Knight-level strength and impressive swordsmanship, but his lack of combat experience leaves him outmatched by the far stronger Earth Knight.
• The chapter ends with the attacker preparing to kill Lin Chen, while Lin Yao cries out in fear.

Character Developments

• Lin Chen: Gains the freedom to leave home but immediately faces a life-threatening situation. His courage and protective instincts emerge when he risks himself to save the apothecary’s shopkeeper. Although powerful for his age, he recognizes the gap between talent and real combat experience.
• Lin Yao: Reveals her cheerful, curious personality during the city outing. Her dependence on and affection for Lin Chen are evident, and her frightened cry underscores the danger he faces.
• Lynn: Shows both affection and caution as a father. He allows the children to explore but secretly arranges protection through Iron Tooth, demonstrating his awareness of potential threats.
• Iron Tooth: Acts as an unseen guardian, following the children throughout the city, though he has not yet intervened by the chapter’s end.
• The adventurer leader: Presents himself as a grieving brother but behaves like an aggressive instigator, using the alleged death to justify violence and intimidate the shop.
• The shopkeeper: Tries to defend the apothecary’s reputation but is overwhelmed by the attackers and nearly killed.

Significant Themes

• Freedom and danger: Lin Chen’s first taste of freedom outside the family compound quickly exposes him to the dangers of the wider world.
• Courage and protection: Lin Chen acts heroically to defend an innocent man despite being outmatched.
• Appearance and concealment: The artifact allows Lin Chen to hide his supernatural traits, emphasizing the need to conceal his identity and abilities.
• Power versus experience: Lin Chen possesses exceptional strength for his age, but superior experience and cultivation still place him at a disadvantage.
• False accusations and hidden motives: The attackers’ refusal to permit an examination of the body suggests that the medicine accusation may be fabricated or part of a larger scheme against the Grayfeather family.
• Family bonds: The close relationship between Lin Chen and Lin Yao motivates the outing and heightens the emotional stakes when Lin Chen faces death.

Character Interactions

• Lynn and Lin Chen discuss the artifact and the conditions for safely leaving the compound.
• Lin Yao enthusiastically persuades Lin Chen to take her into the city, and the siblings enjoy the outing together.
• The adventurers confront the apothecary’s shopkeeper and clash with the city guards, escalating the incident into violence.
• Lin Chen intervenes between the attackers and the shopkeeper, challenging an Earth Knight despite their overwhelming difference in strength.
• Lin Yao witnesses the fight and cries out as the adventurer prepares to deliver a fatal blow to her brother.

Iron Tooth rescued Lin Chen from the adventurers, but Lin Yao disappeared while he was being saved. Lin Chen, Iron Tooth, and the City Guard searched Graystone City, and the city lord realized the disappearance could bring Lynn’s wrath.

• As a greatsword nearly killed Lin Chen, Iron Tooth intervened and defeated the adventurers before the City Guard arrested them.
• Lin Chen went looking for Lin Yao and discovered she had vanished from the crowd.
• Iron Tooth ordered a search, took to the air, and called out for Lin Yao while Lin Chen searched the streets.
• The City Guard commander summoned the soldiers and sent word to the city lord after learning Lin Yao was missing.
• The city lord heard that Lynn’s daughter had disappeared and feared losing his position if anything happened to her.

Chapter Summary: “Citywide Uproar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Lin Yao disappears, the city lord panics and orders an immediate, citywide search. All City Guards are mobilized, the four gates are sealed, and residents, houses, abandoned buildings, wells, and warehouses are searched.
• Graystone City descends into chaos as shops are closed, civilians are interrogated, and no one is allowed to leave under threat of execution.
• Iron Tooth is unable to find Lin Yao, causing the city lord to become even more desperate.
• News reaches the Grayfeather Family while Lynn is reviewing accounts. Upon learning that Lin Yao vanished near Grayfeather Apothecary, Lynn spreads his Mental Power across the city and quickly locates her.
• Lin Yao is being held in a shack in the slums by two kidnappers. The thugs realize she belongs to the powerful Grayfeather Family but decide to sell her through a secret slave market connected to the Black Fang Family.
• Lynn arrives at the shack with Iron Tooth and Lin Chen, destroying the roof in his fury.
• Lin Chen defeats the kidnappers, frees Lin Yao, and reunites with her. She breaks down in his arms, relieved to see him.

Character Developments

• Lynn: Displays intense paternal fear and rage. His swift use of Mental Power shows both his strength and his deep familiarity with Lin Yao’s soul aura.
• Lin Yao: Experiences terror and helplessness while kidnapped but remains emotionally focused on her family, calling for them in her heart.
• Lin Chen: Blames himself for leaving Lin Yao behind. After rescuing her, he promises never to abandon her again, strengthening his protective resolve.
• The City Lord: Becomes increasingly frantic and ruthless, willing to disrupt the entire city and punish his subordinates severely to recover Lin Yao.
• The Kidnappers: Initially uncertain, they become greedily overconfident after deciding to sell Lin Yao through the Black Fang Family’s slave network.
• Iron Tooth: Feels responsible for failing to protect or locate Lin Yao and apologizes to Lynn.

Significant Themes

• Family protection and loyalty: The frantic search and Lin Chen’s emotional rescue emphasize how deeply Lin Yao’s family values her.
• Power and influence: The disappearance of one child causes an entire city to shut down, demonstrating the Grayfeather Family’s influence and Lynn’s overwhelming strength.
• Fear and vulnerability: Lin Yao’s kidnapping reveals the danger faced by even powerful families, while ordinary citizens suffer under the citywide crackdown.
• Consequences of greed: The kidnappers’ decision to pursue profit rather than release Lin Yao places them directly in the path of the enraged Grayfeather Family.
• Responsibility and guilt: Lin Chen and Iron Tooth both blame themselves for failing Lin Yao, showing their personal sense of duty.

Important Character Interactions

• The city lord commands his guards and servants to search every part of Graystone City and later pressures his commander to continue despite repeated failure.
• A Grayfeather Family member chooses to summon a powerful figure rather than participate in the search, suggesting the family is preparing stronger intervention.
• The kidnappers debate whether to release or sell Lin Yao, revealing their fear of the Grayfeather and Black Fang Families.
• Lynn confronts the kidnappers indirectly through his dramatic arrival, while Lin Chen physically defeats them and rescues Lin Yao.
• Lin Yao and Lin Chen share an emotional reunion, with Lin Chen promising that he will never leave her again.

Chapter Summary: “The Hand Behind It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After rescuing Lin Yao, Lynn returns with her and Lin Chen to the family residence. The two kidnappers are captured by the city guards, but Lynn insists on dealing with them personally.
• Lin Yao is unharmed but deeply shaken, while Lin Chen feels guilty for failing to protect her. Their family members comfort them upon their return.
• Lynn punishes Iron Tooth, the head guard responsible for the children’s safety, by ordering him to reflect on his negligence and docking half a year’s wages.
• Lin Chen vows to train harder so he can protect his sister. Lynn encourages him, emphasizing that strength is necessary to defend those one cares about.
• Suspecting that Lin Yao’s abduction may have been connected to the disturbance at the potion shop, Lynn investigates the kidnappers in the dungeon.
• Using Soul-Searching Technique, Lynn discovers that the thugs acted opportunistically rather than as part of a planned kidnapping. However, one thug’s memories reveal a connection to the Black Fang Family.
• The Black Fang Family, based in neighboring Blackstone City, operates a covert intelligence-gathering shop in Graystone City and has a history of shady dealings.
• Although the kidnapping itself was accidental, Lynn realizes that the existence of the Black Fang Family’s hidden operation may indicate a larger threat against the Grayfeather Family.

Character Developments

• Lynn: His protective anger toward his children is evident, but he remains controlled and methodical. Rather than relying only on the thugs’ testimony, he searches their souls for the truth. His discovery of the Black Fang connection shifts his concern from a random crime to a possible family-wide threat.
• Lin Chen: He feels responsible for Lin Yao’s disappearance and develops a strong determination to become powerful enough to protect her. This marks the beginning of a more serious commitment to cultivation and strength.
• Lin Yao: She is traumatized by the kidnapping but finds safety with her father, brother, and family. Her close bond with Lin Chen is emphasized when she refuses to release his sleeve even while asleep.
• Iron Tooth: He is ashamed of his failure to protect the young miss. His punishment reflects both Lynn’s expectations and the seriousness of the security breach.
• The two thugs: Initially arrogant and opportunistic, they become terrified and submissive after being captured. Their testimony confirms that they kidnapped Lin Yao for profit, though one’s hidden connection to the Black Fang Family proves that the criminals are not entirely insignificant.

Significant Themes

• Family protection and responsibility: The incident reinforces the lengths Lynn and the family will go to protect their children. Lin Chen’s resolve also shows how family bonds inspire personal growth.
• Strength as protection: Lynn teaches Lin Chen that determination alone is insufficient; one must become strong enough to defend others.
• Hidden threats and paranoia: What appears to be a random kidnapping may expose a deeper network of surveillance and hostile interests surrounding the Grayfeather Family.
• Justice and deterrence: Lynn’s harsh response reflects his belief that anyone who attacks the family must suffer consequences, both to punish the offenders and to discourage future enemies.
• Appearance versus truth: The kidnappers claim the abduction was spontaneous, but soul-searching uncovers concealed information they themselves fail to reveal, demonstrating the limits of ordinary testimony.

Character Interactions

• Lynn comforts Lin Yao and Lin Chen after the rescue, showing tenderness beneath his usual composure.
• Lin Chen accepts responsibility, while Lin Yao defends him by insisting that she ran away herself.
• Alia and Xixi anxiously inspect and comfort the children, revealing the family’s shared fear and relief.
• Lynn reprimands Iron Tooth indirectly through his punishment, holding him accountable for the lapse in security.
• In the dungeon, Lynn intimidates and interrogates the kidnappers, ultimately using magic to uncover the hidden link to the Black Fang Family.

Chapter Summary: “Race for Their Lives”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside the dungeon, Lynn tortures the short, stocky man who helped attack his daughter, using soul threads to repeatedly tear apart and repair his soul while keeping him alive and conscious.
• After extracting all available information through Soul Search, Lynn destroys the man’s soul completely, reducing it to ash.
• He performs the same process on the tall, thin accomplice, killing him after confirming that he has no further useful information.
• Lynn declares that anyone who harms his daughter should expect such consequences, then leaves the dungeon.
• He orders the dungeon guard to tell Iron Tooth to collect every adventurer involved in the potion-shop incident and bring them to the dungeon after dawn.
• At daybreak, Iron Tooth and five Grayfeather Family guards go to the City Lord’s Residence to retrieve the prisoners.
• The City Lord, terrified that the Grayfeather Family will blame him for failing to protect Lynn’s daughter, quickly cooperates and orders guards to assist Iron Tooth.
• The dozen or so adventurers are brought out in Anti-Magic Shackles and escorted away by Iron Tooth, the Grayfeather guards, and two squads of City Guard.
• The prisoners gradually realize they are not being released or taken to the city gates. They are being transported east toward the Grayfeather Family stronghold.
• Their burly leader suspects that the family intends to punish them personally and fears that their connection to the Black Fang Family may have been exposed.

Character Developments

• Lynn is shown as extremely ruthless and protective of his daughter. His punishment is deliberate rather than impulsive: he keeps the attackers alive during the torture, confirms their knowledge, and then destroys their souls completely.
• Iron Tooth acts as a reliable enforcer for the Grayfeather Family, carrying out Lynn’s orders with authority and efficiency.
• The City Lord appears nervous and submissive. He recognizes the danger of angering the Grayfeather Family and eagerly assists them to avoid responsibility or retaliation.
• The imprisoned adventurers shift from false confidence to fear as they understand that the Grayfeather Family—not the city authorities—now controls their fate.
• The burly adventurer leader proves more perceptive than his companions, quickly identifying the route and realizing that the group may face severe punishment.

Significant Themes

• Parental protection and vengeance: Lynn’s response is driven by the attackers’ attempt to harm his daughter, making retribution the chapter’s central motivation.
• Power and intimidation: The Grayfeather Family’s influence is so great that the City Lord and his guards immediately comply without resistance.
• Fear as control: Lynn’s torture and the prisoners’ growing panic demonstrate how terror can enforce authority more effectively than legal procedures.
• Justice outside the law: The adventurers are removed from the City Lord’s judicial system and taken into the Grayfeather Family’s custody, suggesting that power determines justice.
• Hidden alliances and political intrigue: The prisoners’ possible connection to the Black Fang Family hints at a larger conflict behind the potion-shop attack.

Character Interactions

• Lynn intimidates and interrogates the two captured attackers, ignoring the thin man’s pleas until he has finished questioning the stocky man.
• Lynn gives the dungeon guard direct orders concerning the remaining adventurers.
• Iron Tooth formally negotiates with the City Lord’s butler and then reassures the City Lord that he is only collecting prisoners.
• The City Lord responds with exaggerated politeness and immediately provides additional guards.
• The imprisoned adventurers speculate among themselves about their destination, while the burly leader silences them and explains that they are being taken to the Grayfeather stronghold.
• The group’s fear intensifies when they realize their possible dealings with the Black Fang Family may have been discovered.

Chapter Summary

A group of adventurers is escorted to the Grayfeather Family residence after being captured. As they approach the imposing gates, fear takes over: Lynn, the family patriarch, is a One-Ring wizard and the ruler of Graystone City, while the adventurers realize that the factions who hired them would abandon them rather than risk conflict with such a powerful family.
The burly leader secretly signals the group to escape. Several adventurers attempt to flee when they are near the city guards, scattering through the streets despite their Anti-Magic Shackles. Their efforts fail quickly. Some are tackled by guards, one is knocked unconscious while climbing a wall, and the young warrior who runs farthest is brought down when Iron Tooth accurately strikes his knee with a kicked stone.
The burly man uses his battle aura to knock aside a guard and charge into the crowd, hoping to escape amid the confusion. However, Iron Tooth—revealed to be a Sky Knight—easily catches him and kicks him into a water vat. After pinning him down, Iron Tooth threatens to break both his legs, adding humor by threatening his “third leg” as well. The defeated Earth Knight immediately submits, his pride and resistance completely crushed.
The adventurers are forced through the Grayfeather gates and taken to the family dungeon. The spellcasters, who had not attempted escape, appear wiser than those who resisted, since the shackles made flight nearly impossible. They are separated into individual cells to prevent cooperation. Iron Tooth then begins interrogating them himself with a salt-soaked whip, apparently trying to compensate for a mistake he made earlier. The chapter ends as he approaches the frightened young adventurer, expressing mock pity for someone so young who has seemingly thrown his life away.

Character Developments and Interactions

• The burly leader: Initially fearful and resigned, he becomes desperate enough to organize an escape. His failed attempt exposes both his courage and the hopelessness of his situation. Iron Tooth’s effortless defeat humiliates him and forces him into total submission.
• Iron Tooth: Demonstrates overwhelming physical ability, precision, and intimidation. He effortlessly stops multiple escape attempts and takes personal control of the interrogation, suggesting a harsh but possibly calculating effort to redeem his earlier failure.
• The young adventurer: Acts first in the escape attempt and shows considerable speed, but is captured and left terrified in the dungeon. His panic contrasts with his earlier boldness.
• The other adventurers: Their reactions range from desperate resistance to passive resignation. Their behavior reveals that they understand themselves to be expendable pawns.
• Iron Tooth and the prisoners: Their relationship is defined by domination and fear. Iron Tooth uses physical force, threats, and psychological pressure to ensure obedience before questioning them.

Significant Themes

• Powerlessness before authority: Ordinary adventurers cannot challenge a wizard family or its forces, especially while shackled.
• Betrayal and expendability: The factions that hired the adventurers are unwilling to risk themselves for them, emphasizing how disposable lower-ranking agents are.
• Fear and submission: The Grayfeather residence functions almost like a predator’s den; entering it means surrendering all independence.
• Pride being crushed: The burly man’s defeat demonstrates how quickly status and strength become meaningless against a superior opponent.
• Cruelty and intimidation: The threatened torture and Iron Tooth’s mocking behavior establish the dungeon as a place where information will be extracted through fear rather than trust.

Summary: “Harsh Interrogation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Iron Tooth interrogates the arrested group responsible for the disturbance at Grayfeather Apothecary.
• He uses brutal torture to pressure them into revealing who ordered them to damage the apothecary’s reputation.
• The younger members claim they were merely following their boss and do not know the identity of the mastermind. Several eventually confess that the boss told them someone had paid them to create trouble.
• The supposed victim of poisoning is examined. Iron Tooth determines that the man did not die from medicine but was strangled after suffering a blunt-force injury to the back of the head. Dirt beneath his fingernails indicates that he struggled against a wall.
• A frail adventurer admits that the group dug the corpse out of a mass grave in the slums and planted it as false evidence. He insists that only their leader knows who arranged the scheme.
• Iron Tooth then interrogates the burly leader, who resists torture and refuses to speak. He believes that remaining silent may allow him to survive until someone comes to rescue him.
• After half a day, Iron Tooth reports to Lynn that the group was hired to frame Grayfeather Apothecary, but the leader has concealed the mastermind’s identity.
• Lynn realizes that a powerful outside force may be targeting the Grayfeather Family. He decides to use his Soul Department abilities, believing that the leader’s soul cannot hide the truth even if his words do.

Character Developments

• Iron Tooth is portrayed as ruthless, methodical, and highly experienced in interrogation. He carefully controls the torture to cause pain without killing the prisoners and demonstrates strong investigative ability by identifying the corpse’s actual cause of death.
• The young adventurer breaks down almost immediately under torture, though he continues insisting that he does not know who issued the orders.
• The short and frail adventurers reveal that the operation was organized through their boss. The frail man’s fear becomes overwhelming when confronted with the corpse, prompting him to confess how it was obtained.
• The burly leader proves unusually resilient and loyal or fearful enough to endure severe torture. His hint that rescuers may be coming suggests he knows the operation is connected to a larger, influential organization.
• Lynn becomes more suspicious and determined. Rather than relying on physical interrogation, he plans to interrogate the leader’s soul directly.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus deception: The conspirators fabricated a poisoning incident using a corpse to damage the apothecary’s reputation.
• Power and coercion: Iron Tooth’s torture demonstrates the brutal methods used to uncover hidden information.
• Loyalty and fear: The underlings betray their leader, while the burly man remains silent because he believes speaking will guarantee his death.
• A larger conspiracy: The group’s actions are revealed to be part of an organized attack against the Grayfeather Family, possibly backed by a powerful external force.
• Limits of physical evidence and testimony: Although the prisoners’ statements provide partial answers, the truth ultimately requires supernatural investigation.

Character Interactions

• Iron Tooth repeatedly questions and tortures the younger members, extracting consistent accounts that their boss organized the attack.
• His examination of the corpse establishes the deception and forces the frail adventurer to confess.
• Iron Tooth confronts the burly leader directly, attempting to persuade him that cooperation would reduce his suffering, but the leader refuses.
• Lynn and Iron Tooth meet in the dungeon entrance. Iron Tooth reports the findings, while Lynn interprets the burly man’s confidence as evidence that someone powerful may attempt a rescue.
• Lynn then proceeds into the dungeon, intending to use soul magic to uncover what the leader refuses to say aloud.

Chapter Summary: “Methods of the Blackstone Family”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lynn interrogates the captured burly adventurer using a Soul-Searching Technique. The man reveals that the Black Fang Family hired the group to cause chaos, destroy Grayfeather Family businesses, kill someone as an example, and then flee.
• Lynn’s soul search confirms that Black Mountain, patriarch of the Black Fang Family and a Peak First-Ring Wizard, is behind the plot. The Black Fang Family intends to discredit the Grayfeather Family by framing their potions for deaths, then seize their shops and Witch Crystal mine.
• Although Lynn could retaliate, he decides not to confront Black Mountain directly because the enemy is stronger and better established. Instead, he chooses to delay and strengthen the family, relying on the growing potential of Lin Chen.
• Lin Chen intensifies his training after the attack and officially reaches the Grand Knight Rank.
• Over the next three years, the Black Fang Family wages a quiet economic campaign against the Grayfeather Family. Its agents open competing shops, undercut prices, offer delivery, pressure tenants to abandon Grayfeather properties, and gradually undermine the family’s influence in Graystone City.
• Lynn refuses to respond aggressively, accepting the temporary loss of shops and rental income to avoid casualties and preserve time for the family’s development.
• The Black Fang Family then targets the Grayfeather Family’s main source of wealth: its Witch Crystal mine. Sabotage, beast attacks, theft, and violence cause deaths and frighten the miners into abandoning the mine.
• Lynn investigates personally, compensates the dead miners’ families generously, raises the survivors’ wages, and orders Iron Tooth and several guards to protect the mine. Their presence eventually restores order.

Character Developments

• Lynn demonstrates the ruthlessness of a Soul Department wizard through torture and soul searching, but also shows strategic restraint. He recognizes that Black Mountain is currently too powerful to fight and prioritizes long-term survival over immediate revenge.
• Iron Tooth remains Lynn’s dependable subordinate, carrying out orders in the dungeon and later taking responsibility for defending the mine.
• Lin Chen becomes more serious and disciplined after the attack. His breakthrough to Grand Knight marks a major step toward becoming a future pillar of the Grayfeather Family.
• Black Mountain is established as the central enemy: a powerful, experienced Dark Wizard and the driving force behind the Black Fang Family’s campaign.
• The captured adventurer, initially defiant, quickly breaks under Lynn’s soul magic and reveals that he was only a disposable tool in the larger scheme.

Significant Themes

• Strategic patience versus revenge: Lynn refuses to fight a stronger opponent prematurely, choosing to endure short-term losses until the Grayfeather Family gains enough strength.
• Family survival and long-term planning: Protecting lives and preserving the family’s future matter more than maintaining every shop or source of income.
• Power and terror: Lynn’s soul magic reveals the frightening authority of wizards and contrasts with the ordinary adventurers’ helplessness.
• Economic warfare: The Black Fang Family attacks through competition, intimidation, sabotage, and reputation-destruction rather than open battle.
• Growth through adversity: Lin Chen’s development and the family’s determination show how external threats can accelerate preparation and ambition.

Important Character Interactions

• Lynn confronts and interrogates the burly adventurer, extracting the truth despite his initial refusal to cooperate.
• Lynn commands Iron Tooth to dispose of the prisoner and investigate the other captives, then later assigns him to protect the mine.
• Lynn observes Lin Chen training and places hope in the boy’s future strength.
• The Grayfeather manager urges Lynn to defend the family’s shops, but Lynn instructs him to withdraw rather than risk lives.
• Lynn personally reassures the miners through compensation and higher wages, while Iron Tooth’s security presence helps restore their confidence.

Chapter Summary: Lin Chen’s Opportunity for Breakthrough

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Fang Family escalates its harassment of the Grayfeather Family’s collateral branches:
  • A young businessman is ambushed and has his leg broken.
  • A woman is publicly humiliated and warned to leave Graystone City.
• Enraged clan members demand retaliation, but Patriarch Lynn warns that the Grayfeather Family is too weak to fight openly. Black Mountain, the Black Fang Family’s leader, is a Peak First-Ring wizard supported by Dark Wizard forces.
• Lynn reveals that Lin Chen is close to breaking through to the One-Ring level. Once Lin Chen becomes a Formal Wizard—or possibly a Legendary Knight—the family will possess enough strength to challenge Black Mountain.
• Lin Chen feels the weight of the family’s expectations and begins training more intensely, practicing meditation and swordsmanship from before dawn until late at night.
• Lynn realizes the Black Fang Family is preparing for full annexation and decides to travel to White Stone Main City. He plans to buy Mental Power-enhancing potions, an Astral Department wizardry technique, and a stronger meditation method to improve Lin Chen’s chances of breaking through.
• Before leaving, Lynn creates a flesh-and-blood puppet clone to impersonate him and instructs Alia and Lin Chen to endure further provocations rather than fall into the enemy’s trap.
• Lynn departs Graystone City alone at night, leaving the family’s immediate future dependent on Lin Chen’s breakthrough and the resources he hopes to obtain.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Chen: Develops from a talented young heir into someone burdened by responsibility. Though only nine, he understands that his breakthrough may determine the Grayfeather Family’s survival. His anger toward the Black Fang Family fuels an even more rigorous training regimen.
• Lynn: Shows himself to be cautious, strategic, and deeply protective of his family. Rather than respond emotionally, he prioritizes survival and secretly seeks outside resources to strengthen Lin Chen’s breakthrough prospects.
• Lin Yao: Remains supportive and optimistic toward Lin Chen. She has reached the Second-Class Apprentice level and tries to encourage him despite sharing his worries.
• Alia: Responds quietly but seriously to Lynn’s plan, recognizing the danger of his journey and the importance of improving the family’s strength.
• Iron Tooth: Acts as a blunt source of motivation, reminding Lin Chen that only a breakthrough—whether through wizardry or knighthood—can change the family’s fate.
• The Grayfeather clan: Shifts from anger and calls for retaliation to uneasy silence after Lynn explains their military disadvantage.

3. Significant Themes

• Responsibility and pressure: Lin Chen’s potential breakthrough has become tied to the fate of the entire family, placing enormous expectations on someone still very young.
• Restraint versus retaliation: The family must endure humiliation because immediate revenge would likely play into Black Mountain’s strategy.
• Family loyalty and sacrifice: Lynn risks traveling alone through dangerous territory, while Lin Chen pushes himself to exhaustion for the family’s sake.
• Strength as protection: The chapter emphasizes that status, dignity, and survival ultimately depend on possessing enough power to deter enemies.
• Hope amid crisis: Although the family is under siege, Lin Chen’s near-breakthrough and Lynn’s search for resources provide a possible path forward.

4. Character Interactions

• During the council meeting, angry clan members demand war, while Lynn counters their emotional responses with practical concerns about their lack of strength.
• Lynn publicly places hope in Lin Chen, increasing the young man’s sense of pressure but also giving the family a reason to remain patient.
• Lin Yao comforts Lin Chen and encourages him to believe in his coming breakthrough, while he tries to shield her from the family’s troubles.
• Iron Tooth gives Lin Chen direct encouragement during training, urging him to break through and alter the family’s fate.
• Lynn and Lin Chen share a quiet farewell before Lynn’s departure. Lynn reassures him that he will return with useful resources, while Lin Chen promises to break through.
• The chapter ends with Lynn leaving Graystone City under cover of darkness, symbolizing the family’s uncertain situation and the fragile hope placed on Lin Chen’s advancement.

Chapter Summary: The Perceptive Gale Wolf

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lynn secretly leaves Graystone City at night, traveling north toward White Stone Main City for the upcoming Wizard Gathering.
• To conserve Witch Power, he uses a low-cost movement technique, keeping his feet slightly above the ground rather than flying continuously.
• On the wilderness road, Lynn is ambushed by a pack of wolves led by a low-level magical beast, a Gale Wolf.
• Using soul-manipulation magic, Lynn effortlessly kills the ordinary wolves by destroying their souls without leaving physical wounds.
• Rather than killing the Gale Wolf, Lynn implants a soul thread into its mind and subdues it, turning it into a mount.
• The Gale Wolf carries Lynn tirelessly for three days and nights. During the journey, Lynn hunts rabbits and reflects on what he should purchase for Lin Chen to improve Lin Chen’s chances of advancing.
• Near dawn, Lynn reaches the enormous White Stone Main City. He orders the Gale Wolf to hide in nearby woods and wait for him.
• At the city gate, Lynn presents his One-Ring wizard Nameplate. The guard immediately recognizes him as a Formal Wizard and becomes extremely fearful and respectful.
• After Lynn enters, the guards discuss the rarity and prestige of Formal Wizards, especially those from smaller settlements. A young recruit becomes fascinated and begins to long for magical power.

Character Developments

• Lynn: Demonstrates his power, caution, and resourcefulness. He carefully manages his Witch Power, uses Mental Power to navigate safely, and defeats the wolves with precise soul magic. His decision to dominate rather than kill the Gale Wolf shows practicality and an interest in exploiting useful opportunities. He also remains concerned with Lin Chen’s advancement, revealing a protective or invested relationship.
• Gale Wolf: Initially appears as a dangerous alpha leading an organized attack, but after Lynn’s soul-thread spell, it loses its independent will and becomes obedient. It serves as a reliable and tireless mount.
• City Guard: His attitude changes instantly upon recognizing Lynn’s status. His fear and exaggerated respect reveal the social authority attached to Formal Wizards.
• Young Recruit: Begins the chapter unfamiliar with the reality of Formal Wizards. Seeing Lynn creates both awe and ambition in him.
• Old Soldier: Provides context, explaining that Formal Wizards are rare even in a major city but are especially dominant figures in smaller regions.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Lynn’s entrance highlights the vast social gap between ordinary people and Formal Wizards. His Nameplate commands immediate submission, even without him displaying magic.
• Practical use of strength: Lynn does not waste energy or resources. He conserves Witch Power, chooses the most efficient travel method, and turns an enemy into a valuable mount.
• Control versus independence: The Gale Wolf’s transformation from a sentient predator into an obedient servant illustrates Lynn’s ability to impose his will through soul magic.
• Awe and aspiration: The guards’ reactions show how legendary Formal Wizards seem to common people, while the recruit’s admiration suggests that witnessing power can inspire ambition.
• Responsibility and preparation: Lynn’s thoughts about helping Lin Chen advance indicate that his journey is not solely for personal gain; he is also preparing to support someone important to him.

Character Interactions

• Lynn confronts the wolf pack and uses soul threads to kill the ordinary wolves and subdue the Gale Wolf.
• He treats the subdued beast almost affectionately, calling it a “good dog” and instructing it to wait safely outside the city.
• At the gate, Lynn’s interaction with the guard is brief but reveals the impact of his status: the guard becomes terrified and submissive after seeing his Nameplate.
• After Lynn leaves, the guard, recruit, and old soldier discuss him, contrasting ordinary citizens’ fear and admiration with the privileged status of Formal Wizards.

Chapter Summary: “The City Lord’s Invitation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• White Stone City is filling with visiting wizards because its semiannual Wizard Gathering is about to begin. The gathering is not merely a marketplace; it allows wizards to trade goods, exchange knowledge, and build connections.
• Lynn arrives in White Stone City intending to rest, gather information, and purchase Astral Department wizardry and advancement potions.
• Soon after entering the city, he is approached by the steward of the City Lord’s Residence and invited to meet City Lord Horne. Although Lynn is wary of how quickly the city learned of his arrival, he accepts, realizing the invitation could help him establish useful connections before the gathering.
• Horne, a powerful Third-Ring Wizard, warmly welcomes Lynn, arranges comfortable lodging for him, and invites him to a banquet with other visiting wizards.
• At the banquet, Lynn meets several potential trading partners and acquaintances: Calvin, Toke, Mira, and Baro. Horne presents Lynn as the young head of the Grayfeather Family and a One-Ring Soul Department Wizard.
• The evening develops into a lively social gathering filled with food, wine, conversation, and toasts. Lynn drinks cautiously and uses Witch Power to dispel the wine’s effects when he begins to feel intoxicated.
• After the banquet, Lynn returns to his room. Though Horne has arranged maids to assist him, Lynn politely refuses their service because he remains cautious in the unfamiliar city.

Character Development

• Lynn: Demonstrates practical caution and political awareness. He recognizes both the potential benefits and risks of Horne’s invitation, accepting because it may provide access to valuable information and trade opportunities. Despite being treated as an honored guest, he remains guarded and avoids becoming overly trusting.
• City Lord Horne: Is established as a powerful yet approachable Third-Ring Wizard. He uses hospitality and social connections to cultivate relationships with visiting wizards, presenting himself as generous, welcoming, and politically influential.
• The visiting wizards: Each is briefly characterized through behavior and appearance:
  • Calvin is an aloof Second-Ring Wind Department Wizard who appears condescending toward Lynn.
  • Toke is friendly, sociable, and eager to discuss Soul Department matters with Lynn.
  • Mira is gentle and courteous but somewhat difficult to read.
  • Baro is quiet, withdrawn, and focused primarily on eating, though he possesses valuable summoned goods.
• The opening guards also reveal the aspirations of ordinary people: the younger guard longs for the power and opportunities associated with wizardry.

Significant Themes

• Power and social hierarchy: Ordinary people admire wizards from afar, while Lynn—though powerful compared with common citizens—is still treated as a junior in the presence of Horne, a Third-Ring Wizard.
• Networking and political influence: The Wizard Gathering emphasizes that wizard society depends not only on commerce but also on relationships, information, and mutual exchange.
• Hospitality as diplomacy: Horne’s invitation, lodging, banquet, and courteous behavior function as a way to build alliances and possibly secure future dealings.
• Caution in unfamiliar environments: Lynn benefits from the city’s hospitality but remains alert, refusing to fully relax or expose himself to strangers.
• Ambition and access to knowledge: The young guard’s desire to become a wizard parallels Lynn’s own pursuit of advancement, rare magical knowledge, and valuable resources.

Character Interactions

• The guards discuss the Wizard Gathering, contrasting ordinary people’s limited access to wizard society with their fascination and longing for magical power.
• The steward respectfully persuades Lynn to accept Horne’s invitation by emphasizing the presence of other visiting wizards and the opportunity to exchange knowledge.
• Horne greets Lynn warmly, emphasizes their shared identity as cultivators, and personally arranges his accommodation.
• At the banquet, Horne introduces Lynn to the other guests and encourages everyone to socialize rather than discuss business immediately.
• Toke shows particular interest in Lynn’s Soul Department expertise and proposes discussing it over drinks.
• Mira speaks with Lynn about Graystone City, while Calvin offers only a restrained acknowledgment and Baro barely interacts with him.
• The guests toast one another and praise Horne’s governance, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie while also establishing Lynn’s position as the newest and youngest member of the group.

Chapter Summary: “Star Beast Organs”

Plot and Events

Lynn spends two days at the City Lord’s Residence, where Horne hosts evening banquets for visiting wizards. Several new guests arrive, including Grey, a practitioner of Undead arts; Salra, a defensive witch; and Pete, an illusionist. As the gatherings become more relaxed, the wizards discuss cultivation problems, rare materials, and business deals. Lynn remains observant, waiting for a useful opportunity rather than acting hastily.
After the banquet on the third evening, Baro, an elderly wizard from the Summoning Department, visits Lynn privately. He offers a dark reddish-purple heart and a black eyeball containing traces of Star Power, claiming they came from a powerful Wizard-level Star Beast summoned and killed by him. Lynn examines the organs and determines that Baro has exaggerated their quality: the heart’s patterns indicate a Peak Apprentice-level Star Beast, not a Wizard-level creature, and much of the eyeball’s Star Power has already dissipated.
Baro initially demands 2,000 Magic Stones, but Lynn firmly bargains him down to 300. Lynn pays with Wizard Crystal Ore Marrow worth more than the agreed price, and Baro accepts the deal. Before leaving, Baro warns Lynn to store the organs in special containers so their remaining Star Power does not continue to fade. Lynn does so immediately.

Character Developments

Lynn demonstrates patience, strong knowledge of Star Beasts, and excellent bargaining skills. He remains skeptical of Baro’s dramatic story and accurately identifies the organs’ true value. Although the materials are weaker than advertised, Lynn decides they may still be useful for himself, Lin Chen, or future alchemical processing.
Baro is revealed as an opportunistic and theatrical merchant who exaggerates his goods to raise their price, but he is ultimately practical enough to accept a much lower offer.

Significant Themes

• Caution and discernment: Lynn does not accept appearances or sales claims without personally examining the evidence.
• Commerce among wizards: The banquet serves not only as a social gathering but also as a marketplace for rare materials and expertise.
• Value versus rarity: Though Star Beast organs are uncommon, their actual usefulness and condition determine their price.
• Preservation of power: The need to store the organs properly highlights the fragile and temporary nature of magical resources.

Character Interactions

The banquets allow Lynn to observe and gradually become acquainted with the visiting wizards. His main interaction is with Baro, whose exaggerated sales pitch clashes with Lynn’s calm analysis and aggressive negotiation. Their exchange establishes a relationship based on wary commerce: Baro recognizes Lynn as knowledgeable and difficult to deceive, while Lynn obtains potentially useful materials at a favorable price.

Lynn bought two mental-power potions from Mira before joining the semiannual Wizard Gathering in White Stone City. The gathering’s trades were underway, and Lynn stepped onto the platform to make his own offer.

• Lynn bought Mira’s two remaining mental-power potions for 150 magic stones, and Mira gave him mistroot grass.
• Horne led the wizards and apprentices to the gathering hall and announced the rules for trading.
• Horne opened the gathering by trading radiant gold ore and other valuable items, while Sara acquired the ore.
• Calvin failed to trade his second-ring wind spell, while Toke, Grey, Pete, Mira, and Sara presented items or traded successfully.
• Lynn took his turn on the platform after Sara.

At the wizard gathering, Lynn traded for rare astral spells and a first-ring soul spell. After Horne stopped Calvin from pressuring an apprentice over a draconic scale, Lynn bought two other objects the apprentice had found in the same ruins.

• Lynn traded wizard crystal ore marrow and cultivation notes to a masked trader for two first-ring Stellar Wizardry spells and five apprentice-grade spells, then traded his remaining goods for Soul Tremor and potions from Mira.
• A Third-Class Apprentice offered a draconic reverse scale in exchange for a breakthrough potion, but Calvin tried to take it before paying.
• Horne invoked the gathering's fair-trade rules and offered the apprentice a breakthrough potion plus fifty magic stones for the scale.
• Lynn asked the apprentice about the ruins and bought a rune-marked stone fragment and silvery-gray powder for thirty magic stones.
• Calvin watched Lynn take the two remaining objects and returned to his seat without further protest.

Chapter Summary: “Wizard Gathering Ends”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the formal transactions end, Horne opens the gathering for free trading. Wizards and apprentices set up stalls throughout the hall.
• Lynn displays his remaining goods, including Soul Department cultivation insights, three Apprentice-Level Soul Wizardry spells, meditation methods, Wizard Crystal Ore Marrow, soul materials, beast souls, and miscellaneous items.
• Most visitors show little interest, but two impoverished apprentices become eager to buy Lynn’s cultivation insights and improved spells.
• The apprentices can afford only 140 Magic Stones, while Lynn initially asks 160. They offer their gathered herbs as partial payment and explain their difficult journey and limited finances.
• Taking pity on them, Lynn allows them to purchase both items for everything they have—154 Magic Stones—and explains that each black stone can be used three times and resold. He also promises to save them a basic soul-form maintenance manual for the next gathering.
• Lynn sells only a few additional items. He then sells his remaining unwanted materials and an unsold copy of the cultivation insights to Horne at a steep discount through Horne’s bulk-buying service.
• Before leaving, Lynn buys several potions from Mira. Outside, he reviews his gains: a Stellar Wizardry scroll, five Apprentice-Level Wizardry scrolls, four Mental Power Potions, and two Star Beast materials. He considers the trip worthwhile.

Character Developments

• Lynn is shown to be practical but compassionate. Although he initially tries to sell his knowledge at a fair market price, he ultimately sacrifices profit to help the struggling apprentices. His willingness to share knowledge and support their future reveals a generous, mentoring side.
• The two apprentices are portrayed as hardworking but poor wandering wizards. Their careful saving, herb-gathering, and strong desire for Soul Department knowledge show determination and ambition despite their limited resources.
• Horne demonstrates his role as an efficient organizer and businessman. He provides a convenient outlet for goods that are difficult to sell, though he buys them at discounted prices.
• Mira remains part of Lynn’s practical trading network, selling him useful potions before his departure.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as a valuable resource: Lynn’s cultivation insights and spells attract more interest than most physical materials, emphasizing that specialized knowledge can be more valuable than ordinary resources.
• The hardships of wizard life: The apprentices’ worn clothing, long journey, and scarce funds highlight how difficult it is for low-level or wandering wizards to survive and advance.
• Generosity and mentorship: Lynn gives the apprentices a favorable deal and promises further guidance, suggesting that experienced wizards can help preserve and advance their discipline by assisting newcomers.
• Practicality versus profit: Lynn accepts a reduced price from Horne because quickly converting unwanted goods into useful resources is more worthwhile than holding onto them.
• Hope and uncertain futures: Lynn watches the apprentices leave, wondering what will become of them, suggesting that their purchase may shape their future but that success remains uncertain.

Character Interactions

• Lynn negotiates with the two apprentices, balancing business with sympathy and ultimately allowing them to buy more than they can normally afford.
• The apprentices encourage and support one another during the negotiation, pooling their savings and herbs to secure the knowledge they need.
• Lynn interacts with Horne in a straightforward bulk sale, trading miscellaneous goods for immediate payment.
• Lynn purchases potions from Mira, completing his final exchange before leaving the gathering.

Chapter Summary: “Oppression from the Blackstone Family”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing his business in White Stone City, Lynn refuses an invitation to another banquet at the City Lord’s Residence because he is anxious about the crisis facing his family and wants to return immediately.
• Outside the city, he finds the Gale Wolf waiting beneath a tree. The wolf has gone three days without proper food or water, growing extremely weak while waiting for Lynn.
• Lynn strengthens his control over the wolf, gives it water and fish, and resumes the journey toward Graystone City. Although weakened, the Gale Wolf remains faster than an ordinary horse.
• Meanwhile, Graystone City receives alarming news: Black Mountain, patriarch of the Black Fang Family, has advanced to the Second Ring of wizardry.
• Black Mountain announces a banquet in Blackstone City and declares that the region’s resources will be renegotiated, specifically naming the Grayfeather Family’s Witch Crystal Mine.
• A Black Fang Family steward delivers the invitation in an arrogant manner, effectively making it clear that the newly empowered family intends to seize or dominate the mine.
• The Grayfeather Family’s members react angrily and fearfully, but the puppet impersonating Lynn says nothing. Alia controls it from upstairs and eventually has it retreat into the house.
• After dismissing the gathered clansmen, Alia collapses in panic. Lynn is still away, and she fears that controlling the lifeless puppet in front of powerful wizards at the banquet will expose the deception and endanger the entire family.

Character Developments

• Lynn: Demonstrates concern for his family by abandoning the City Lord’s social gathering and immediately beginning the return journey. His treatment of the Gale Wolf also shows a practical but unexpectedly caring side.
• Gale Wolf: Despite resenting Lynn’s control, it proves intensely loyal by waiting several days without leaving. Its physical weakness emphasizes the seriousness of its devotion and dependence.
• Alia: Takes responsibility for maintaining Lynn’s identity in his absence, but the pressure overwhelms her. Her fear reveals how dangerous the situation has become and how little control she truly has over events.
• Black Mountain: His promotion to a Second Ring Wizard transforms the balance of power. He becomes confident and openly aggressive, using the banquet as a means of pressuring neighboring families.
• Grayfeather Family members: Their anger toward the Black Fang Family is mixed with helplessness. They recognize that resisting alone may be impossible, while attending the banquet could force them to surrender their mine.

Significant Themes

• Power and oppression: Black Mountain’s advancement allows the Black Fang Family to openly bully weaker families and claim their resources.
• Loyalty and obligation: The Gale Wolf’s suffering underscores its loyalty to Lynn, while Lynn’s hurried return reflects his responsibility as the Grayfeather Family’s protector.
• Deception and vulnerability: The puppet can imitate Lynn physically but cannot reproduce his judgment or personality, making the disguise increasingly dangerous.
• Leadership under crisis: The family expects Lynn to provide direction, but his absence leaves Alia and the others unable to respond decisively.
• Unequal power struggles: The chapter shows how a single breakthrough in magical rank can alter political relationships and force weaker families into impossible choices.

Character Interactions

• Lynn politely but firmly rejects the City Lord’s steward’s invitation, prioritizing his family over political hospitality.
• Lynn interacts with the starving Gale Wolf through a mixture of teasing, control, and care, reinforcing their complicated bond.
• The Black Fang steward addresses the Grayfeather Family with open arrogance, treating Lynn as subordinate and using the mine’s ownership as a threat.
• The family members debate whether to attend the banquet or unite with other families against the Black Fang Family, but the puppet’s silence frustrates and confuses them.
• Alia quietly controls the puppet and later reassures the family, though she privately fears she will be unable to deceive the powerful wizards at the upcoming banquet.