Chapter Summaries

Ian returned to Shadowmoon Tower, restored the Silver Sapling and its five children, and sorted through his spoils. Malena and Alivia told him the Tower would grant him core elder status and that Crimson and Blight had placed bounties on him, leaving Ian confident and relieved to be home.

• Ian returned to his residence with Gaga and built an energy array that revived the Silver Sapling and reunited it with its five children.
• Ian examined his spoils from the catacombs, including Void Anchor Stones, potions, equipment, and rare materials.
• Malena and Alivia visited Ian and asked about his victories over Blood Butcher, Samael, and Theodore.
• Ian told them he could face several First-Level Wizards, and Alivia said the Tower Master would grant him core elder authority and access to the Star Vault.
• Malena and Alivia warned Ian that Crimson and Blight had issued bounties for him, while Ian said he would wait for them to come.
• Alivia and Malena left after Malena told Ian she was glad he had returned alive.

After his permissions rose to core elder level, Ian visited the Star Vault, collected materials for the Abyssal Altar, and borrowed books, including Tower Lord Morton's Notes. He learned that advancing beyond Rank Two would require leaving Anoria and was summoned to meet Morton, who appeared as the chapter ended.

• Ian's identity token announced that his permissions had risen to core elder level and granted him access to the Star Vault.
• Old Rod guided Ian through the Star Vault and explained its sections and borrowing rules.
• Ian selected three Flawless Magic Stones and materials for the Abyssal Altar, then borrowed several books on sorcery and other subjects.
• Ian read Tower Lord Morton's Notes and learned that Anoria was only a remote corner of the Wizarding World and that the journey beyond it was dangerous.
• Old Rod told Ian that Morton wanted to see him, and Ian went to the top floor of the Main Tower, where [Eye of the Stars] Morton appeared.

Ian met with Tower Master Morton, who offered protection for Ian’s family and negotiated for potion formulas in exchange for ingredients and access to books. Ian returned home with new work for himself and Gaga, then fed the Silver Sapling and its five fruits.

• Morton praised Ian for killing powerful enemies and warned him that Crimson and Blight had placed bounties on him.
• Morton promised to protect Ian’s family and offered to trade resources and Star Vault access for potion formulas and future potion production.
• Ian agreed to trade the Rock Bear Potion formula and requested materials for a new Bloodline Potion and long-term access to non-core Star Vault books.
• Ian returned home and told Gaga to help feed the Silver Sapling while he refined potions.
• Ian placed Blood Essence and potions beside the Silver Sapling, waking its five fruits to feed.

Ian managed the Magic Potion Shop’s sudden rush of customers while developing a way to use the Abyssal Soul Pact and Phase Soulweaving Art to reach another world. He ended the chapter continuing his research at home, with Gaga eager to accompany him on the dangerous journey he was planning.

• Kenna told Ian that the Magic Potion Shop had sold out of stock amid a flood of customers, and Ian ordered daily limits on Concentration and Rock Bear Potions.
• Ian spent the following month brewing potions, studying the Abyssal Binding Ritual, and refining his understanding of the Abyssal Soul Pact and Phase Soulweaving Art.
• Ian used the Knowledge Status Panel to organize Abyssal knowledge and began drafting altered contract terms for secretly implanting a soul projection in another world.
• After realizing he and Gaga had gone hungry during his research, Ian cooked food and heard Gaga recount how it had subdued the Silver Sapling’s five fruits.
• Ian told Gaga he was making something that could take them to another world, and Gaga insisted it would go along to fight enemies and take their food.

Ian spent two months strengthening his body, refining his potions, and designing a deceptive contract to connect with other worlds. He completed an initial contract framework and planned to build an Abyssal Altar, but still needed to find a suitable target and prepare for the risks of projection.

• Ian practiced the Forge Body Tempering Art and used a medicinal bath to push his physical training past a bottleneck.
• Ian settled into a routine of potion work, spell practice, research, body tempering, and caring for the Silver Sapling and its five fruits.
• Ian drafted a contract that disguised soul projection and the Abyssal Will as helpful, fair terms overseen by the neutral Void Echo.
• Ian considered the dangers of choosing a target, losing the Status Panel, and suffering a failed projection that would trigger a one-year cooldown.
• Ian decided to construct an Abyssal Altar with twenty-eight Void Anchor Stones and continue preparing to visit other worlds.

Ian completed his Mental Power advancement, reaching 74% progress toward crystallization, then absorbed Life Energy from the five fruits to transform his body. After three days, he emerged from a jade cocoon with strength beyond Level One and set his sights on the altar.

• Ian fused the final Crystallized Origin into his Mental Power, strengthening his Crystallized Filament and nearing the First Order limit.
• Ian asked Lucy, Vivian, Amy, Mili, and Dum-Dum to share their stored Life Energy, and the five fruits agreed after the Silver Sapling reassured them.
• The five fruits transferred their Life Energy to Ian, who gave them Life Essence Potion afterward; Gaga also shared his Blood Essence snacks with them.
• Ian absorbed the fruits' essence through the Forge Body Tempering Art and spent three days inside a jade cocoon as his body transformed.
• Ian emerged with greatly increased physical strength, shattered a Blacksteel Testing Stele with one punch, and decided to go to the altar.

Ian built and concealed an Abyssal Altar, then waited for it to connect with a desperate soul from another world. Half a month later, he sent a disguised contract through the altar, bound the supplicant, and opened a phase passage.

• Ian used Gravity Collapse Ball to hollow out a hidden chamber and precisely arranged twenty-eight Void Anchor Stones into an Abyssal Altar.
• Ian reinforced the altar with protective, warning, and concealment runes, then set up Shadow Eye to monitor it remotely.
• Ian kept up his routine for half a month while the altar remained silent.
• Ian sensed a desperate consciousness knocking through the altar and sent his disguised aid agreement into the vortex.
• A supplicant from another world signed the contract, binding their soul to Ian and forming a phase passage.
• Ian went to the altar and declared that he was coming to the other world.

Ian awoke in the body of Li Xing, a badly wounded young man in an Abyss-eroded world, and learned that he had to find Li Xing’s younger brother, Li Yao. He began using the Starfall Core to recover, but ghostly lights appeared beneath the ruins’ archway as something approached.

• Ian awoke among the ruins, recovered Li Xing’s memories, and learned that Li Yao had been lost during a riot in Maple City.
• Ian examined his Status Panel and found that he was severely injured, his Mental Sea was damaged, and Li Xing’s Starcaller bloodline was weakly awakened.
• Ian found the Starfall Core and the Bloodline Secret Codex: Starcalling Chapter, then realized the pendant’s energy resonated with his Mental Power.
• Ian meditated using the Starcalling Form, and the Starfall Core slowly eased his injuries while his Starlight Perception improved.
• Ian heard something crawling closer through the ruins and saw several clusters of ghostly green light beneath the vine-covered archway.

Ian fought off four Aberrants in the observation platform ruins, using the Starfall Core to restore his strength and awaken a new perception of starlight. After killing the monsters, he found a concealed hiding place and turned inward to inspect his Mental Sea.

• Ian drew his sword and killed the first Aberrant with Starstep, but the other three surrounded him.
• Ian poured his Mental Power into his sword, slowing the Aberrants briefly, then activated the Starfall Core when they pressed their attack.
• The Starfall Core flooded Ian with silver energy, repairing his injuries and raising his cultivation from Mid Awakening at 63% to Late Awakening at 67%.
• Ian sensed the surrounding starlight, disrupted the Aberrants’ movements, and killed all three remaining monsters.
• Ian searched the observation platform ruins for shelter and crawled into a concealed space behind vines that recoiled from starlight energy.
• Ian rested against the wall and sank his consciousness into his Mental Sea.

Ian discovered that time passed far faster in the Projection World than in the Wizarding World, where he could spend months developing while only days passed. After recovering in the observatory ruins and finding clues about contaminated Star-vein Nodes, he set out for Maple City to look for his younger brother, Li Yao.

• Ian sensed that time flowed roughly thirty times faster in the Projection World and decided to stabilize the projection while watching for dangers caused by the delay.
• In the observatory ruins, Ian tested how his Mental Power interacted with starlight energy and found that it could produce a faint gravitational effect.
• Ian found a metal plate that glowed with stellar patterns and a Stargazing Log describing expanding Corruption Rifts and contaminated Star-vein Nodes.
• Ian rested through the dangerous night, using the Starfall Core to recover from his injuries and purify the corruption erosion.
• After his strength improved, Ian left the ruins for Maple City to investigate what had happened and search for Li Yao.
• Ian confirmed that about fifteen or sixteen hours in the Projection World had taken less than forty minutes in the Wizarding World, then focused his consciousness on studying the Starcaller Bloodline and Star-Vein Phenomenon.

Ian crossed the corrupted wilderness and entered the ruined Maple City, where he treated a wounded survivor and learned that rebels had let Aberrants into the city. As he headed west to find supplies and survivors, three Fallen Ones spotted him and trapped him in an alley.

• Ian skirted a Corruption Rift and saw an Aberrant nest before reaching Maple City.
• Ian found a wounded woman sheltering with two children, treated her arm, and learned that rebels had opened the gates to Aberrants and that some people had fled west.
• The woman warned Ian that Fallen Ones were active west of the city, and Ian continued in that direction seeking supplies and survivors.
• Ian encountered three Fallen Ones feeding on a corpse, but their sharp senses exposed his hiding place.
• Ian fled through the ruins, but the Fallen Ones cornered him in a narrow alley.

Ian killed three Fallen Ones in an alley, then pushed west despite his injuries and found a group of civilians facing Corrosive Beetles. He rescued a barefoot boy from the beetles, and the boy recognized him as his brother.

• Ian used Starstep and Starlight Perception to kill the tall Fallen One, then used the Starfall Core’s energy to kill the other two.
• Ian escaped the bloody alley, treated his injuries in a woodshed, and continued west in search of supplies or people.
• Ian found about a hundred civilians gathered near a cave, where a scarred leader ordered a barefoot boy to investigate.
• Three Corrosive Beetles chased the boy from the cave, and one bit into his leg as the crowd panicked.
• Ian rushed in and killed all three beetles with his silver-lit sword.
• The boy looked at Ian and recognized him as his brother.

Ian reunited with Li Yao among the refugees fleeing Maple City and used a stargazer’s plate to reveal that a corrupted beast was gestating beneath their camp. The group moved to safety, while Ian remained wary of Chen Scarface and comforted his brother.

• Ian rescued Li Yao from Corrosive Beetles, and Li Yao introduced him as his brother, Li Xing.
• Chen Scarface tested Ian by sending him toward the cave, but Ian insisted they inspect it together.
• Ian used Starlight Perception and an ancient positioning plate to identify a corrupted beast hatchery beneath the camp.
• A white-bearded old man confirmed the underground pulse, and Chen Scarface ordered the refugees to retreat five hundred meters west.
• At the new campsite, Ian shared food with Li Yao and reassured him that they would both stay alive.

Ian discovered that Li Yao’s family plate pointed toward an ancient observatory near Maple City, then returned to his body in the Wizarding World and learned of new threats and an impending expedition to the Endless Sea Ruins. The chapter left him considering how the ruins and the two worlds’ corruption might connect to ancient star knowledge and the Abyss.

• Ian examined Li Yao’s rusted plate, awakened its energy lines, and found references to an observatory, the Starvein Anchor, and a final gate.
• Ian and Li Yao agreed to travel with Chen Scarface’s group to Blue Cavern Mountain before seeking the place in the family ballad.
• Ian returned to his body beneath Shadowmoon Tower and received fragments of Li Yao’s memories through their soul connection.
• Ian learned that a Withering Council liaison had tried to summon him and that the Rock Bear Potion’s rising sales had strained supplies.
• Gaga told Ian that unrest in the Endless Sea had prompted Shadowmoon Tower to prepare a group of higher-Rank wizards for newly emerging ruins.

Ian led the camp’s defense against six Corrupted Burrowing Beasts, killing them with precise sword strikes while organizing the survivors to help. After the beasts fell, a guard who had been splashed with corrupted blood showed signs of infection.

• Ian sensed creatures tunneling toward the camp and warned the sleepers as six Corrupted Burrowing Beasts emerged from the sand.
• The beasts attacked the camp, killing A Jie and scattering the survivors, while Chen Scarface’s machete failed to pierce their armor.
• Ian killed two beasts by striking their weak points, then rallied the survivors and gave Li Yao instructions to attack the creatures’ leg joints.
• Ian maneuvered a wounded beast so its corrupted blood splashed onto the short guard who had bullied Li Yao, and the guard’s face turned bluish-gray.
• Ian and the survivors killed the remaining three beasts, with Li Yao helping break one beast’s hind leg joint.

After Ian killed six Corrupted Burrowing Beasts, he challenged Chen Scarface’s leadership and used Purifying Starlight to slow Li Si’s corruption. The camp’s people faced a choice between following Chen Scarface or Ian as their conflict escalated.

• Ian ordered Chen Scarface’s guards to clear the battlefield, tend the wounded, and move camp, then reassured Li Yao that they would reach Blue Cavern Mountain.
• When Li Si showed spreading corruption, Chen Scarface prepared to kill him, but Ian intervened and used Purifying Starlight to slow the infection.
• Ian confronted Chen Scarface over his treatment of the wounded and his poor leadership, arguing that his approach would cost more lives on the journey.
• Ian challenged the camp to choose whether to follow Chen Scarface or him, while Chen Scarface grew furious but hesitated to draw his weapon.

Ian took control of the refugee group after exposing Chen Scarface’s failures and killing him and his two confidants. He led the group toward Blue Cavern Mountain, taught several young people to fight, executed the corrupted Li Si, and discovered fresh tracks from an organized caravan ahead.

• Ian challenged Chen Scarface over his leadership, and the refugees chose to follow Ian instead.
• Ian killed Chen Scarface and his two confidants, took their supplies and map, and became the group's leader.
• Ian led the group safely past dangerous areas and taught Li Yao and several others how to fight.
• When Li Si became fully corrupted, Ian killed him and ordered the group to report any corrupted blood exposure.
• On the third day, Ian found fresh hoof-shaped tracks leading toward Blue Cavern Mountain and decided to follow the organized group ahead.

Ian traded with the Scarlet Dawn Caravan and obtained a Basic Purification Potion formula in exchange for Essence Crystals. He arranged for his group to travel with the caravan and gain entry to Blue Cavern Mountain, which came into view as they reached their destination.

• Ian led his starving refugees to the Scarlet Dawn Caravan and traded Corrupted Beast parts for food, water, and medicine.
• After learning that the caravan manager, Old Chen, could vouch for them at Blue Cavern Mountain, Ian offered Essence Crystals for potion formulas.
• Old Chen gave Ian a Basic Purification Potion formula and agreed to escort his group and sponsor their entry in exchange for a share of his first month's profits and priority on future potion orders.
• Ian's Status Panel analyzed the formula, and he realized his potion-making expertise would let him master it quickly.
• Ian's group followed the caravan toward Blue Cavern Mountain, which appeared on the horizon as they arrived.

Ian brought the refugees from Maple City into Blue Cavern Mountain, paying their entry tax with his last Standard Crystal and finding them shelter in the outer city. He weighed whether to abandon the weak, but decided to keep the group alive with medicine.

• Ian guided the refugees to Blue Cavern Mountain, where the guards demanded one Dust Crystal per person to enter.
• Ian paid the tax for everyone with his last Standard Crystal, and the group entered the outer city behind the merchant caravan.
• The caravan passed into the inner city, while Ian and the refugees were turned away for lacking status.
• Ian rented a dilapidated house and settled the refugees in its crowded courtyard.
• Ian considered keeping only the strongest refugees, then decided that keeping the entire group alive would cost only a few doses of medicine.

Ian settled the refugees in a courtyard at Blue Cavern Mountain and assigned them work, while explaining to Li Yao that potion brewing could fund their needs. After the group bought food and ate, Ian prepared to pursue potion-making and sensed a faint gravity-affecting power awakening in his Starcaller bloodline.

• Ian arranged for the elderly to care for children, women to mend clothes and process herbs, men to find work, young people to train with Li Yao, and guards to protect the courtyard.
• Ian directed Old Luo to seek work repairing weapons and sent the white-bearded elder to research herb prices and gather information.
• Ian told Li Yao that selling Basic Purification Potions could provide enough profit to support the courtyard, then warned him that kindness required strength and firm rules.
• Ian examined the potion formula and his Status Panel, noted his progress toward completing the Awakening Realm, and felt a faint gravity effect from his Starcaller bloodline.
• Li Yao returned with food and news of the Old Lame Man's Herb Shop, and Ian had the flatbreads distributed among the refugees.
• As night fell, Ian resolved to make money quickly and touched the potion formula in his clothes.