Chapter Summaries

Rydal confronted Fenris and the Black Collar Tribe after they began building a watchtower near Gray Soil Village, claiming the land as their own. Rydal defeated Fenris, captured his men, and sent word to Luo Ning while preparing for a possible retaliation.

• Juwitt told Rydal that the Black Collar Tribe was building a watchtower near Gray Soil Village and that Tom and Bablin had gone to stop them.
• Fenris claimed the land belonged to the Black Collar Tribe and threatened Rydal when he demanded that they retreat.
• Rydal destroyed the watchtower base with Battle Qi and defeated Fenris in a fight, prompting both groups to clash.
• Rydal ordered the Black Collar Tribe members bound and held, then sent an unbound craftsman to demand a ransom from their leader within three days.
• Rydal ordered stronger patrols and sent Tom to Mountain Forest Town to inform Luo Ning and request instructions.

Luo Ning organized Mountain Forest Town’s craftsmen and asked Master Craftsman Darn to develop a more efficient loom for weaving silk. He also tasked Mrs. Lia with making a silk scarf for Marquis Lulance’s birthday, leaving Darn determined to study and build the loom.

• Luo Ning assigned the town’s craftsmen to forge tools, build workshops and houses, and allowed residents to gather wood freely for winter.
• Luo Ning brought Master Craftsman Darn to Mrs. Lia’s tailor shop, where she showed them the silk thread she had produced from the cocoons.
• Luo Ning explained his design for a pedal-operated loom and gave Darn his rough drawing to study and develop.
• Darn agreed to learn how a Backstrap Loom worked and pursue the new loom, hoping to earn recognition as a Grand Craftsman.
• Luo Ning asked Mrs. Lia to weave a silk scarf for Marquis Lulance’s birthday at the end of the following month.

After the Black Collar Tribe encroached on Gray Soil Village, Luo Ning prepared to reinforce the village and confront the dispute. Resen also decided to lead a party to the Black Collar Tribe, setting up a direct clash with Luo Ning.

• Luo Ning arranged for Jim to begin preparing porcelain and helped Aileen plan lessons for the village children.
• Tom returned from Gray Soil Village and told Luo Ning that the Black Collar Tribe had encroached on their territory and that Rydal had captured Fenris.
• Luo Ning praised Rydal’s response and decided to travel to Gray Soil Village the next morning, transferring several knights, Elrond, and Mage Jenny there.
• In Sain Territory, Joffrey reported Fenris’s capture to Resen, who discussed Rydal’s strength with Philiton and Joffrey.
• Resen ordered Philiton to prepare the men and declared that he would go to the Black Collar Tribe himself.

Luo Ning traveled to Gray Soil Village to negotiate with Baron Leysen over the Black Collar Tribe’s provocation and the captured knight. He met Leysen’s formidable force in the field, where Leysen challenged him to approach and speak.

• Luo Ning inspected Green Bamboo Village, appointed Celest as its village chief, and continued on to Purple Fruit Village.
• Luo Ning agreed to let Horn join Jenny at Gray Soil Village after Horn arranged the village’s affairs and mulberry fields.
• Rydal reported that the Black Collar Tribe had made no unusual moves, and Luo Ning explained that he wanted a non-aggression agreement and ransom rather than a fight with Leysen.
• A scout reported that a large force was approaching, so Luo Ning led his men out of Gray Soil Village to meet it.
• Luo Ning saw Baron Leysen’s Knight Squad and exchanged greetings with him before Leysen challenged him to come closer.

Luo Ning negotiated with Baron Leysen over their territorial dispute and agreed to settle it through a three-round duel. Leysen accepted an added condition that would make Sain Territory concede if Rydal defeated him, leaving the first match about to begin.

• Luo Ning met Leysen between their forces and demanded one hundred gold coins to release Leysen's captured men, including Knight Fenris.
• Leysen threatened Luo Ning, but Luo Ning countered that he would ask Wushan Castle to establish territorial boundaries and proposed a border between Gray Soil Village and the Black Collar Tribe.
• Leysen rejected settling the dispute through words and challenged Luo Ning's side to a best-of-three duel, with the winner's terms binding the loser.
• Leysen chose Rydal as his opponent for the first match, and Luo Ning decided to risk the duel rather than reveal his own strength.
• Luo Ning stipulated that if Rydal defeated Leysen, Sain Territory would concede without the remaining matches, and Leysen agreed.

Rydal fought Baron Leysen's knight, Resen, in a duel across ranks and gradually overcame his greater strength with superior swordsmanship and speed. Rydal defeated Resen and held a blade to his throat as Philiton's forces rushed in to demand his surrender.

• Luo Ning and Resen signed agreements before beginning the duel, and Luo Ning told Rydal to surrender if he could not win.
• Rydal and Resen clashed with their Battle Qi, and Rydal kicked Resen from his horse before pressing him with fast swordplay.
• Resen repeatedly used Flame Cyclone to knock Rydal away, but Rydal recovered and returned to the attack while Elrond prepared a Light Binding Spell in case the duel turned dangerous.
• Rydal disarmed Resen, wounded his shoulder, punched him into a tree, and held a blade to his throat after declaring that he had lost.
• Philiton charged forward with his Knight Squad and cavalry and shouted for Rydal to spare Baron Leysen, but Rydal pressed his blade closer.

Rydal defeated Baron Leysen in their duel, forcing Sain Territory to accept Luo Ning’s terms. Leysen left with his wound treated, while Rydal’s victory strengthened his reputation in Mountain Forest Town and the conflict with Sain Territory remained unresolved.

• Philiton and Joffrey led Sain Territory’s knights and cavalry to intervene after Rydal defeated Leysen, and Luo Ning’s forces charged to protect him.
• Luo Ning stopped Rydal from killing Leysen and offered him Elrond’s Healing Spells for payment.
• Elrond treated Leysen’s wound, and Leysen agreed to keep his men away from the boundary and pay one hundred gold coins to ransom Fenris and the others, plus three hundred for the treatments.
• Leysen departed with his people, and Luo Ning’s side celebrated Rydal’s victory.
• Rydal revealed that his injuries would keep him from fighting for several days, while Luo Ning recognized that the victory was only the beginning of his conflict with Sain Territory.

After his victory over Sain Territory, Luo Ning focused on strengthening Mountain Forest Town’s forces by planning regular training, tournaments, and a standard Knight Squad. The chapter left the recruits set to begin training while Luo Ning prepared to obtain the warhorses the new squad required.

• Luo Ning praised Rydal’s performance but warned that Mountain Forest Town still lagged behind Sain Territory in combat readiness.
• Rydal agreed to train the Professional Knights and guards, and Luo Ning announced twice-yearly tournaments with gold rewards for the top competitors.
• Luo Ning ordered Rydal and Macken to form a Knight Squad with thirty-six cavalrymen, sixty infantrymen, and ten archers, recruiting replacements from Mountain Forest Town as needed.
• Macken pointed out that Luo Ning lacked enough warhorses, so Luo Ning planned to buy more from Viscount Marvin during his next trip to Wushan Castle.
• Luo Ning urged his Intermediate and Advanced Rank retainers to improve their abilities and promised that Mountain Forest Town would eventually have multiple Knight Squads.

Luo Ning inspected Gray Soil Village’s kaolin clay vein, arranged for the prisoners’ release, and prepared to return to Mountain Forest Town. In Swamp Town, Resen plotted to recruit Rydal and sent a letter to Viscount Tainy as he planned his next move against Luo Ning.

• Luo Ning inspected the kaolin clay vein and reviewed plans for preparing a kiln and supplies for porcelain production.
• Luo Ning ordered Elrond to receive Phileton, release the prisoners after the ransom was paid, and have Macken and Rydal finish recruiting guards before returning to Mountain Forest Town.
• Resen brooded over his defeat and injury, then told Philiton that Joffrey was trying to persuade Rydal to defect with promises of wealth and status.
• Resen gave Philiton a letter for Viscount Tainy of Purple Lightning Territory and ordered him to deliver it and return quickly.
• Resen vowed not to spare Luo Ning, even if Luo Ning handed over the operating rights to the three savage tribes.

Luo Ning prepared Mountain Forest Town for winter while advancing kiln and ironmaking projects, and Rydal defeated Joffrey during a border duel. Joffrey’s attempt to recruit Rydal for Baron Leysen ended with Rydal inviting Joffrey to join Luo Ning instead, though Joffrey rejected the idea.

• Luo Ning returned to Mountain Forest Town with Macken, left Rydal in charge of Gray Soil Village’s defenses, and arranged for Wilson and Macken to select sixty-four soldiers for a Knight Squad.
• Luo Ning inspected Jim’s completed sealed kiln and the new blacksmith shop, while residents gathered firewood under his open tree-cutting policy to prepare for winter.
• Wilson reported that Green Bamboo Village, Purple Fruit Village, and Gray Soil Village had enough firewood and grain for winter, and the first snow began falling as Luo Ning took his workers back to the castle.
• Rydal defeated Joffrey in a border duel after Joffrey spent days provoking his sentries and scouts.
• Joffrey offered Rydal rewards for joining Baron Leysen, but Rydal countered by offering to recommend Joffrey to Luo Ning; Joffrey dismissed the offer and refused.

After a day of heavy snow, Luo Ning enjoyed a snowball fight with Aileen before responding to a collapsed house in Dedication Village and disciplining the officials responsible for neglected inspections. He ordered further checks and preparations as he planned to travel to Wushan Castle, but the chapter ended with a new crisis approaching.

• Luo Ning and Aileen began a snowball fight on the castle tower, then stopped when Wilson arrived with news of a collapsed house.
• Wilson told Luo Ning that a farmer's home in Dedication Village had collapsed because the responsible Group Leader had failed to inspect every household.
• Luo Ning promised the four homeless residents that their house would be repaired and ordered village chief Haen to arrange shelter for them.
• Luo Ning dismissed the negligent Group Leader, warned Haen, and inspected nearby villages and buildings with Wilson for further damage.
• Luo Ning told Wilson to train his Assistants, convene the Village Chiefs and Group Leaders, distribute the promised annual rewards, and continue inspections of unsafe buildings.
• Luo Ning returned to town knowing he needed to travel to Wushan Castle for Rulans's birthday, while a new crisis quietly drew near.

Luo Ning trained Black Tiger and prepared gifts for his trip to Wushan Castle while waiting for Lia to finish a silk scarf. A black-clothed attacker ambushed him in his study, and the chapter ended with Luo Ning thrown against a wall as the attacker raised his sword to kill him.

• Luo Ning trained Black Tiger to obey him and stop guarding its food, then asked Chahar to have Aileen continue training it while he was away.
• Luo Ning said he planned to leave for Wushan Castle around the fifteenth, once Lia finished weaving a scarf, and asked Chahar to pack a Storm Direwolf-hide coat as a gift for Rulans.
• Luo Ning visited Aileen's reading lesson and watched the guards and cavalry train before returning to his study to draw porcelain designs.
• Black Tiger sensed an unseen intruder in the study and barked, prompting Luo Ning to use Wind of Detection and dodge the attacker's dagger.
• The black-clothed man attacked Luo Ning with a longsword, and their clash sent Black Tiger flying and knocked Luo Ning into a wall.
• The black-clothed man advanced on Luo Ning and raised his longsword to strike at his head.

Luo Ning fought off an assassin who had infiltrated his castle, revealing his strength as an Advanced Peak Knight and overcoming the assassin’s invisibility. As the battle intensified, Luo Ning cast Haste and charged at his opponent, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Luo Ning used Rulans’s Guardian Armor Spell Scroll to survive the assassin’s opening strike, then fought back and revealed himself as an Advanced Peak Knight.
• The assassin fled through a window and tried to hide using invisibility, but Luo Ning detected him and struck with Fire Fist Bombardment.
• Gallon raised the alarm, prompting David, Walton, Dandy, and other castle guards to rush toward Luo Ning while Aileen ran to find Macken.
• The assassin unleashed Embrace of the Serpent, and Luo Ning countered with Cloud of Fire as their attacks damaged his protective armor.
• Luo Ning ordered David, Walton, and Dandy to stay back, cast Haste on himself, and charged at the startled assassin.

Luo Ning fought off a black-clad assassin with the help of Swiftness Magic and Macken, then discovered the attacker belonged to the Skull Society. He ordered Macken to keep the assassin alive for interrogation, hoping to learn who had arranged the attack.

• Luo Ning used Swiftness Magic and his Flowing Flame Sword to battle the assassin, gaining the upper hand as the fight continued.
• Macken charged into the fight and knocked the assassin into a flower bed, giving Luo Ning an opening to press him for answers.
• The assassin questioned how Luo Ning had detected him and remarked on Luo Ning's strength, but he did not reveal his identity or employer.
• Luo Ning renewed his Swiftness spell, defeated the injured assassin, and crippled his ankle before ordering Macken to confiscate his weapons.
• Luo Ning spotted the Skull Society emblem on the assassin and ordered Macken to search him thoroughly and keep him alive for interrogation, providing Healing Spell scrolls in case he tried to kill himself.

After surviving an assassin’s attack, Luo Ning learned that the killer belonged to the Skull Society, an organization serving the Black Gold Brotherhood. He left the captured assassin to contemplate an ant-based torture threat overnight, hoping to force him to reveal more.

• Luo Ning assured his worried household and the townspeople that he was safe after the assassination attempt.
• Macken told Luo Ning that the captured assassin, codenamed Shadow, was a member of the Skull Society, which targeted Wushan Territory’s nobles for the Black Gold Brotherhood.
• Shadow refused to reveal the Skull Society’s size or base, despite being interrogated and whipped.
• Luo Ning visited Shadow in the temporary prison and threatened to pour sweet water over his wounds and cover him with ants the next day.
• Shadow panicked as Luo Ning left him to think about the threat overnight.

After Black Tiger helped foil an assassination attempt, Luo Ning used the threat of ants to make the captured assassin Shadow confess. Shadow implicated Baron Leysen and revealed a connection between Leysen and an earlier plot against Marina and Malik, while Luo Ning ordered the confession recorded and witnesses summoned.

• Luo Ning learned that the damaged house's main structure was safe and praised Black Tiger for warning him about the assassination.
• The guards threatened Shadow with a basket of ants, and he agreed to confess.
• Shadow said the Skull Society's masked President had ordered the assassination and directed him to collect a thousand gold coins from Baron Leysen in Sain Territory.
• Shadow identified Leysen as the one who had hired the Skull Society to target Marina and Malik of the Green Family.
• Luo Ning told Shadow he would be kept alive but not released, ordered Macken to record his confession, and sent Walton to fetch Rydal and Tom.

Luo Ning planned to use the failed assassination to accuse Baron Leysen at Rulans's birthday banquet and seize the Black Collar Tribe. After discussing workshop production and ways to detect invisible attackers, he gathered his knights to begin planning the operation.

• Luo Ning decided to reserve his accusation of Baron Leysen for Rulans's birthday banquet and keep Shadow under guard at Mountain Forest Castle.
• Luo Ning told William that Ironwood Workshop's completed weapons and armor would go to his own forces, so the workshop had to produce the castle's order again within five months.
• Luo Ning promised Aileen he would bring her books and take her traveling when she was older, stronger, and better at riding.
• Rydal returned from Gray Soil Village with Tom and urged Macken to improve Luo Ning's security after the assassination attempt.
• Macken proposed noisy gravel and floor coverings to detect invisible intruders, but Luo Ning recommended a beaded curtain and relying on Black Tiger's perception.
• Luo Ning ended the security discussion and called the knights to plan the operation against the Black Collar Tribe.

Luo Ning planned a surprise attack on the Black Collar Tribe during the Year Celebration and prepared to take Baron Leysen’s crimes to Wushan Castle. He hoped to recruit Joffrey, unaware that Leysen had already reassigned Joffrey to serve as his guard.

• Luo Ning told Rydal, Macken, and Tom that Leysen had twice nearly killed him and set January 1 as the date for attacking the Black Collar Tribe.
• Luo Ning ordered Macken and Tom to accompany him to Wushan Castle, where Tom would testify against Leysen and could reclaim his former name, Malt.
• Luo Ning instructed the knights and guards to hold their Year Celebration and martial arts tournament early, and to keep the planned attack secret.
• Rydal revealed that Joffrey had tried to recruit him for Leysen, and suggested that Joffrey might be persuaded to join Luo Ning instead.
• Luo Ning told Rydal to build contact with Joffrey and recruit him if possible, but Joffrey had already been sent to Wushan Castle as Leysen’s guard after Unai reported Rydal’s remarks.

Luo Ning inspected Lia’s first silk fabric and oversaw the first porcelain firing, which produced bowls that were mostly underfired. He left Jim responsible for improving the kiln and continuing the experiments before Luo Ning departed for Wushan Castle.

• Lia finished her first piece of pale blue silk fabric, and Luo Ning judged it light, soft, and breathable.
• Tom told Lia he would travel with Luo Ning and Macken to Wushan Castle for Marquis Lulance’s birthday celebration.
• Luo Ning and Jim opened the kiln after firing porcelain for more than ten hours and cooling it overnight.
• Luo Ning found that the bowls were underfired and proposed building a brick kiln with better insulation and airflow.
• Luo Ning entrusted Jim with improving the kiln and continuing to fire porcelain, telling him not to spare the materials.

Luo Ning used the Attribute Points from his monthly gift to advance to Bronze Knight and Great Mage, gaining stronger physical defenses and a larger Mana Space. His breakthrough also strengthened Rydal and unlocked fragments of Rydal’s memories, including an enemy called Nightmare Fiend.

• Resen wondered why he had heard no news about the Skull Society’s promised assassination of Luo Ning, then returned his attention to his mistress.
• Luo Ning claimed his second Heartwarming Gift Package and spent 20 Attribute Points to advance to Bronze Knight and Great Mage.
• Luo Ning tested his improved defenses, sensed his expanded Mana Space, and considered how to distribute future Attribute Points.
• Rydal felt bronze light surround him in Gray Soil Village and realized Luo Ning had broken through.
• Rydal gained strength and new memories of a Battle Qi Manual, battle skills, and the Nightmare Fiend before beginning to cultivate.