Recaps

Lincon discovered that the Seed of Life had merged with Longwind Fortress and created a domain that purified the territory but consumed Sunlight each day. He then found Li Zhouhai suffering from Mental Pollution, subdued him, and used Purifying Fire to cleanse him, ordering him to come see him after dawn.

• Lincon examined the Seed of Life and learned that its Glimmer Life Sphere covered Longwind Fortress while consuming 50 Sunlight daily.
• Lincon heard a commotion in a nearby house and found Guan Teng and others struggling to restrain Li Zhouhai, who had been infected by Mental Pollution.
• Li Zhouhai broke free and attacked Lincon, but Lincon overpowered him with a punch and sent him crashing into a wall.
• Lincon inscribed the Purification Rune, used Purifying Fire to cleanse Li Zhouhai, and told Guan Teng to have him come see Lincon after dawn.

Lincon investigated Li Zhouhai’s mental pollution, kept him in the fortress while they watched for further cases, and tested his strength in a sparring match. Over the next three days, the fortress was rebuilt with Giant Mushroom houses and new greenery, growth Lincon knew came from the Seed of Life.

• Lincon told Guan Teng to have Li Zhouhai visit after dawn, then used the Seed of Life as it consumed sunlight.
• Li Zhouhai thanked Lincon for easing his mental pollution, and Lincon warned him to report anyone with similar symptoms while holding him accountable for concealing the contamination.
• Lincon kept Li Zhouhai in the fortress until they could check for other cases and made him serve as a sparring partner.
• Li Zhouhai activated his Avatar ability, but Lincon’s boxing overwhelmed him; Lincon said he had only studied ancient martial arts.
• Over three days, the fortress residents cleared the ruins while Lincon cultivated Giant Mushrooms, leaving the fortress filled with mushroom houses and fresh greenery.

Lincon led an expedition to the upper reaches of Longwind Lake to find and purify its polluted water source. The group discovered a poisonous swamp and a giant demonic tree at the heart of it.

• Lincon decided to personally lead a team from Longwind Fortress to investigate Longwind Lake’s water pollution.
• Li Zhouhai led Lincon and more than twenty loyal men toward the forest believed to contain the lake’s source.
• Lincon placed a Purification Shrine beside the foul stream, then continued into the dark forest with the Ancient Maple Guardian clearing their path.
• The Ancient Maple Guardian stopped before a poisonous swamp, where Li Zhouhai spotted rotting plants and animals and a huge demonic tree at its center.

Lincon discovered that the terrifying Demon Ancient Tree had a childlike consciousness and powerful advancement paths, then chose to camp beside it as darkness fell. When a Devouring Worm attacked the group, the tree suddenly emitted light, allowing Lincon to strike the creature with his Shadow Sword.

• Lincon learned that the Demon Ancient Tree feared the swamp, then used his spiritual power to communicate with it and discovered its advancement paths.
• Lincon emerged from his prolonged communion as night approached, and ordered the group to camp rather than attempt the journey back to Longwind Fortress.
• Li Zhouhai and the others formed a defensive line as dark creatures gathered around them and a Devouring Worm crawled out of the darkness.
• Li Zhouhai attacked the Devouring Worm with his glaive, but the darkness prevented him from harming it, so he moved to shield the group.
• The Demon Ancient Tree suddenly blazed with light, and Lincon pierced the Devouring Worm's head with his Shadow Sword.

Lincon defeated the Devouring Worm while the Demon Ancient Tree lit the swamp with its Nightglow Life Circle. As Lincon gathered the glowing plants, Li Zhouhai spotted new Dark Creatures approaching and rallied the group to defend him.

• Lincon used the Shadow Sword to consume the Devouring Worm, then received sunlight and experience for killing the D-Rank Anomaly Calamity.
• Li Zhouhai saw the swamp’s plants and fungi glow and asked Lincon how he had known they would shine at night.
• Lincon thanked the Demon Ancient Tree, learned that it had formed a Nightglow Life Circle, and identified several evolved plants growing within it.
• The Demon Ancient Tree gave Lincon permission to gather plants, and Lincon began collecting them while Guan Teng and two others guarded him.
• Li Zhouhai sensed Dark Creatures approaching and ordered the group to prepare for battle.

Lincon used Living Water Shrines to purify the marsh water feeding Longwind Lake and began to suspect that their arrangement formed a Rune Array. The work was interrupted when Li Zhouhai encountered a powerful Mutant Creature, leaving Lincon intrigued by how animals had adapted to the darkness.

• Lincon received Sunlight rewards while Li Zhouhai and the others hunted dark creatures, and he realized that cultivating ability users to hunt for him could help him gain Sunlight.
• Lincon learned that the Demon Ancient Tree's black resin had polluted Longwind Lake and instructed the tree to discharge future resin in one designated location.
• Lincon used Purification Stones and three Living Water Shrines to filter the marsh water, producing cleaner water as it flowed downstream.
• Guan Teng compared Lincon's Shrine setup to a Spirit Array, prompting Lincon to consider whether he had accidentally formed a Rune Array.
• A wild-bull-like Mutant Creature overpowered Li Zhouhai, and Lincon recognized that it was not a dark creature and wondered how animals had adapted to the darkness.

Lincon subdued the Raging Bull and offered it food, clean water, and a chance to come with him. At dawn, he left the Demon Ancient Tree connected to his territory through three Shrines, while the bull still had to choose whether to join him.

• The Raging Bull attacked the Defense Corps after Li Zhouhai's team struck it, and Lincon learned it had come to eat Nightglow Plants and drink near the Demon Ancient Tree.
• Lincon used the Ancient Maple Guardian and Shadow Sword to stop the Raging Bull, then calmed it by feeding it Nightglow Plants.
• Lincon told the Raging Bull it could leave with him for tastier food and cleaner water or be killed for beef.
• At dawn, the Demon Ancient Tree expelled the resin it had promised to Lincon and asked whether he was leaving.
• Lincon explained that the three Living Water Shrines would connect him to the region and promised to visit, then turned to await the Raging Bull's choice.

Zhang Rui managed Longwind Fortress as visitors from Black Iron City arrived, including the messenger Li Sheng, whom Zhang Rui recognized from his past. The trench-coated ability user killed Li Sheng without warning, leaving Zhang Rui convinced the visitors had come with ill intent.

• Zhang Rui organized Longwind Fortress's workers and continued planning its farms, repairs, and other needs.
• A man reported that ability users from Black Iron City had arrived while Lincon and Li Zhouhai were away, and Zhang Rui went to meet them.
• Zhang Rui recognized the messenger Li Sheng and rejected his attempt to act like an old friend.
• The trench-coated ability user struck Li Sheng's head, killing him in front of Zhang Rui and the gathered residents.
• Zhang Rui concluded that the visitors from Black Iron City had come with ill intent.

Lincon returned to Longwind Fortress just as Zhou Qing, a C-Class Ability User from Black Iron City, attacked Zhang Rui. After Lincon stopped him, Zhou Qing changed his approach and claimed he had come to establish diplomatic relations.

• Zhou Qing introduced himself as a Black Iron City investigator after killing Li Sheng and questioned Zhang Rui about Longwind Fortress's growth.
• Zhang Rui refused to let Zhou Qing enter without the absent lord's permission, then told him Lincon was away on business.
• Zhou Qing grew angry and lunged at Zhang Rui with an ice spike.
• Lincon appeared, seized Zhou Qing's wrist, and stopped the attack as the fortress's subjects rejoiced at his return.
• Zhou Qing dispersed his ice energy and told Lincon he had come on the Black Iron City lord's orders to establish diplomatic relations.

Lincon negotiated diplomatic relations and a potential trade with Zhou Qing of Black Iron City by revealing that Longwind Fortress could produce fresh food in Dead Soil. After Zhou Qing left with a Sunlight Potato and a list of desired materials, Lincon recognized the fortress’s vulnerability and resolved to strengthen it.

• Lincon accepted Zhou Qing’s apology for threatening Zhang Rui and agreed to discuss diplomatic relations and trade instead of escalating the conflict.
• Lincon showed Zhou Qing a Sunlight Potato and explained that he could grow plants in Dead Soil as a Plant Cultivator, prompting Zhou Qing to warn that other cities might try to seize Longwind Fortress.
• Lincon gave Zhou Qing a list of rare materials to trade for Sunlight Potatoes, and Zhou Qing left with one potato to take back to Black Iron City.
• Zhang Rui questioned Lincon’s decision to reveal the potatoes, and Lincon said their secret would be exposed eventually and that he needed to strengthen the fortress.
• Lincon had Li Zhouhai restrain the Raging Bull after it began eating the Sunlight Potato plants, then returned to his courtyard with the Nightglow Plants.

Lincon developed Rune Stones that let ordinary people use rune power, then used them to create a Purification Rune Array for Longwind Fortress. The array improved the courtyard’s air and earned him enough experience to raise his Guardian level to 10.

• Lincon considered the threat posed by other factions and concluded that Longwind Fortress needed stronger defenses of its own.
• After accidentally chipping a Shrine, Lincon realized he could store rune energy in stones and successfully created a Reinforced Rune Stone.
• Lincon used the Rune Stone to reinforce a Shrine, confirming that ordinary people could use its rune power.
• Lincon combined a Reinforcement Rune with a Purification Shrine and recreated a Purification Rune Array.
• The Purification Rune Array cleared the air in Lincon’s courtyard, and Lincon’s Longwind Fortress Guardian reached level 10.

Lincon created Purifying and Weird Candles, then entrusted them to Zhang Rui and planned a Rune Workshop to expand the use of Runes. Zhang Rui proposed recruiting refugees and survivors from the Jiangzhou region, leaving Lincon aware that the world beyond Longwind Fortress was more complex than he had realized.

• Lincon made Purifying Candles that repelled darkness and Weird Candles that attracted dark creatures, though the latter could endanger their users.
• Lincon gave Zhang Rui candles and Rune Stones, explained their uses, and warned him to treat Weird Candles as a last resort.
• Lincon told Zhang Rui to distribute the items and select clever people to help experiment with Runes in a new Rune Workshop.
• Lincon asked Zhang Rui to identify talented people in production, intelligence, and other fields for him to assess.
• Zhang Rui proposed bringing back surviving D-rank ability users from Shangmai City and inviting other people stranded in the darkness to join Longwind Fortress.
• Zhang Rui described exiled ability users, wilderness residents, and surviving villages around the Jiangzhou region, prompting Lincon to recognize how little he knew beyond the fortress.

Lincon advanced two Nightglow Plants into powerful Spirit Plants while considering a counterattack against Dark Creatures and the need to expand Longwind Fortress’s intelligence network. Zhao Mu volunteered to become one of the fortress’s messengers, determined to help build the only place where he had found hope.

• Zhang Rui left after explaining what he knew to Lincon and carrying away a heavy box.
• Lincon classified the gathered Nightglow Plants and used the Seed Mark to advance the Red-veined Berry Bush into an Explosive Berry Thicket and the Golden-Needle Reed into a Reed Assassin.
• Lincon assessed the new plants’ abilities and regretted that his remaining Sunlight was too low to advance more plants.
• As darkness approached, Zhao Mu told his wife he had signed up to become a messenger for Longwind Fortress, despite her fear that the dangerous work could cost him his life.
• Zhao Mu explained that the governor had asked him to join the messenger network and that he would meet the city lord the next day.

Lincon tested the Reed Assassin and Explosive Berry outside Longwind Fortress, then gave Guan Teng three Rune Stones after hearing his wish to become stronger. He left Guan Teng to decide how to use them, hoping they might give him a chance to find new strength.

• Lincon went to the ramparts and told Guan Teng he was there to run an experiment.
• Lincon sent the Reed Assassin into the darkness with an Explosive Berry, and it killed more than a dozen Dark Creatures.
• Guan Teng asked Lincon how an ordinary person could become stronger.
• Lincon gave Guan Teng three Rune Stones and warned him not to hurt himself while using them.
• Lincon left, hoping the Rune Stones would give Guan Teng a seed of hope.

Lincon interviewed a group of specialists and assigned them roles in building Longwind Fortress, choosing Zhao Mu to train messengers for the Letter Bureau. He kept Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing behind to help develop new technology, and Shen asked whether Runes truly existed.

• Zhang Rui brought eighteen candidates to meet Lincon, who reviewed their records and took particular interest in Shen Congzhi and Zhao Mu.
• Lincon chose Zhao Mu to train messengers, appointed Zhang Yaoyang to assist him, and placed them in charge of the Letter Bureau.
• Lincon outlined plans for fortress departments, including Qingrang Academy for researching and cultivating plants and the Light Office for internal affairs.
• Lincon kept Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing behind to help develop new technology.
• Shen Congzhi asked Lincon whether Runes truly existed.

Lincon demonstrated how his Reinforcement Rune strengthened an ordinary carving knife and explained the principles behind runes to Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing. After revealing that he had created the runes and introducing the Purification and Infusion Runes, he left them eager to help develop the Rune System.

• Shen Congzhi showed Lincon the carving knife he had tested and asked whether runes were real.
• Lincon drew a Reinforcement Rune over Shen Congzhi's knife, which then cut through stone with ease.
• Su Yunqing used a Rune Stone to reinforce another knife and examined the unfamiliar rune.
• Lincon explained that runes carried and guided power, and Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing began considering their possibilities.
• Lincon admitted that he had created the runes and showed them Rune Stones for Purification and Infusion.
• Lincon described his plans for the Rune Workshop, while Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing resolved to help develop the Rune System.

Lincon continued developing Longwind Fortress while Zhou Qing brought a Sunlight Potato from the fortress to Chen Siwei in Black Iron City. Chen Siwei learned that a powerful plant-type ability user could grow food in corrupted soil, while Wen Yan began investigating Zhou Qing’s discovery and Hong Qi remained intent on taking the city lord’s position.

• Lincon helped build Longwind Fortress’s industries and led nightly efforts to clear nearby dark creatures as the Seed of Life consumed Sunlight.
• Zhou Qing returned to Black Iron City carrying a Sunlight Potato, and Wen Yan sent a subordinate to investigate what he had brought back.
• Hong Qi dismissed the potential of Longwind Fortress and said he planned to seize power from Chen Siwei when she was injured fighting the Black Tide.
• Zhou Qing presented the Sunlight Potato to Chen Siwei and explained that it could grow in dead soil and that its owner could summon special plants to fight.
• Chen Siwei asked whether Zhou Qing had invited the plant-type ability user to join Black Iron City, and Zhou Qing doubted the man would leave his growing force for an unstable city.

Zhou Qing told Chen Siwei about Lincon and Longwind Fortress, prompting her to arrange a trade for supplies and prepare to confront rivals in Black Iron City. Meanwhile, Lincon strengthened Longwind Fortress and reached level fifteen in both professions, where advancement required completing difficult missions.

• Zhou Qing reported Lincon’s strength and growing following to Chen Siwei, who ordered a search for the items on his exchange list and a study of one of them.
• Chen Siwei summoned Wen Yan and Hong Qi’s group, intending to confront those who had challenged her authority.
• Lincon’s Seed of Life domain accelerated plant growth as the Ancient Maple Guardian finished digging the canal through Longwind Fortress.
• Lincon cultivated defensive plants, including Sunlight Man-Eaters, Hunting Pea Pods, and Tentacle Thorns, to protect the fortress and its fields.
• Lincon reached level fifteen as a Longwind Fortress Guardian and Plant Cultivator, unlocking advancement missions that included hunting a C-Rank Weird Calamity and resisting a C-Rank Black Tide.

Lincon chose the hidden Ecological Architect advancement path, learning that he would face a trial in 48 hours and a C-Rank Black Tide in 15 days. He began planning how to strengthen Longwind Fortress and was summoned to the Rune Workshop after Shen Congzhi made a breakthrough.

• Lincon learned that his dual professions had pushed him to C-Rank and that advancing his Lord's Talent required him to hunt a C-Rank Weird Calamity alone.
• Lincon chose the Ecological Architect path, triggering a Trial Space countdown of 48 hours and a Black Tide countdown of 15 days.
• Lincon resolved to strengthen Longwind Fortress and considered seeking Sunlight by hunting the Pale Wraith or advancing rune research.
• Wang Bo told Lincon that Shen Congzhi had made a breakthrough in rune research and invited him to the Rune Workshop.
• Lincon agreed to let Zhang Rui arrange a new Lord's Manor after the Rune Workshop became a landmark of Longwind Fortress.

Lincon visited the Rune Workshop, where Su Yunqing and Shen Congzhi had developed a Resonance Rune that could link runes and rune arrays. After Lincon confirmed it worked, he told the researchers Longwind Fortress would face a C-Rank Black Tide in fifteen days.

• Su Yunqing explained that the researchers had derived a Resonance Rune to strengthen energy connections and synchronization between objects, but it had not yet been tested.
• Lincon inscribed the Resonance Rune on a stone and confirmed that it worked, envisioning ways to connect Shrines and fortress defenses.
• Lincon warned the workshop that a C-Rank Black Tide would strike Longwind Fortress in fifteen days and that the fortress might not survive.
• Shen Congzhi and Su Yunqing declared they would stay, while the two assistants reacted fearfully to the approaching Black Tide.

Lincon warned Longwind Fortress about an impending S Rank Black Tide and returned to Great Cang Village to investigate a dangerous Weird Child. After the child overpowered the Reed Assassin, Lincon entered the village to fight it himself and train for his advancement.

• Lincon told Zhang Rui that an S Rank Black Tide would strike in fifteen days and let him know residents could leave with Sunlight Potatoes.
• Zhang Rui vowed to remain loyal to Longwind Fortress and stand by Lincon as he spread the warning.
• Lincon left the fortress with the Ancient Maple Guardian and Reed Assassin and sent the Reed Assassin into Great Cang Village to scout.
• The Reed Assassin attacked a pale child that Lincon identified as a D-Rank Weird Calamity, but the child destroyed the Head Ghost and removed the Reed Assassin's head.
• Lincon entered Great Cang Village to fight the Weird Child and hone his skills for his advancement.

Lincon hunted Dark Creatures through the night, killed a D-Rank Weird Calamity, and restored the Reed Assassin. After returning toward Longwind Fortress, he encountered Wang Bo and other residents leaving with their belongings, and let them go without interference.

• Lincon crushed the Weird Child, burned it with Purifying Fire, and killed the D-Rank Weird Calamity.
• Lincon used Accelerated Growth to restore the Reed Assassin, then hunted Dark Creatures until dawn and raised his Sunlight to 570 before the Seed of Life deducted 50.
• Lincon met Wang Bo, who explained he had saved the bundle he carried and was leaving; Lincon let him pass without stopping him.
• On his way back, Lincon saw other residents leaving with packed belongings, while ashamed parents pulled their children away from him.

As the Black Tide approached, Lincon let residents leave Longwind Fortress with supplies and prepared to defend it using advanced plants and rune weapons. After building a purification array and resting, he woke to the announcement that the Ecological Trial had begun.

• Zhang Rui registered departing residents and warned them never to return or reveal the fortress's secrets, while more than four hundred people left on the first day.
• Lincon told Zhang Rui to let anyone leave with a few days of food and water, explaining that the fortress and its former residents owed each other nothing.
• Lincon spent the next day searching for advanced plants and hunting dark creatures while crafting rune weapons.
• Lincon completed a Sunlight Sunflower Stone Sculpture that strengthened the courtyard's purification array, then went to sleep after two days without rest.
• A voice announced that the Ecological Trial had begun and called for Plant Cultivators to prepare.

Lincon spent decades restoring a wasteland during the Ecological Trial, using sand barriers, drought-resistant plants, and scarce water to build a living ecosystem. He died just as rain and foxes arrived, and the trial declared the mission complete.

• Lincon entered the Ecological Trial and found himself alone in a vast, scorching wasteland with the mission to restore its ecology.
• Lincon drew on his mother's wasteland-management methods and spent ten years building Checkerboard Sand Barriers to stabilize the shifting sand.
• Lincon planted drought-resistant species, developed layered vegetation, and diverted water from an underground river over the following decades.
• Near the end of his life, Lincon planted a sunflower, but the trial's progress remained at 87% and he lacked the strength to continue.
• Rain fell, and a fox with its young appeared in the restored landscape as Lincon died beneath a tree.
• The trial panel reached 100% and announced that Lincon had completed the mission.

After completing the Ecological Trial, Lincon learned that only two days had passed in reality and returned to Longwind Fortress. He prepared to inspect Black Iron City’s offerings as representatives from Black Iron City and Flint City gathered in the conference hall, leaving the two factions facing one another under his watch.

• Lincon woke after the trial and discovered that the Ecological Trial had been marked complete despite his belief that he had fallen short.
• Lincon learned from Zhang Rui that Black Iron City had brought goods to trade for Sunlight Potatoes and that Flint City had arrived with plans to attack Longwind Fortress.
• Zhang Rui arranged for the Black Iron City and Flint City groups to stay near each other, restraining Flint City from acting rashly.
• Lincon summoned both groups to the conference hall and prepared to examine the items Black Iron City had brought.
• Zhou Qing presented Black Iron City’s goods as a gesture of friendship, while Lincon shifted his attention to the Flint City delegation.