Chapter Summaries

Two months after the Harsh Winter, Shen Xi settled into life as a free adventurer in Longwind City and accepted an invitation to the Adventurers' Night. At Explosive Tavern, she encountered wandering merchants, a new profession born from trade between Longwind City and surviving camps.

• Shen Xi, a former slave who had awakened as an ability user, joined the Gray Feather Squad as a free adventurer and became known for her precognition and combat skills.
• Bai Ge invited Shen Xi to Explosive Tavern for the Adventurers' Night, and Shen Xi agreed to go with her.
• Shen Xi and Bai Ge walked through Longwind City's brightly lit streets and entered the crowded tavern.
• Shen Xi saw adventurers, Garrison Guard members, and wandering merchants gathered at Explosive Tavern.
• Ability-user messengers had begun trading Longwind City supplies with camps across the Jiangzhou region, and others had copied the venture to profit from selling goods and bringing back rare materials.

Night Owl warned the Gray Feather Squad against reckless trading and revealing sensitive information as the members gathered in a tavern. A wandering merchant, Wang Hainian, then approached with his daughter Wang Xiaoyu and proposed doing business with the squad, leaving them curious about his offer.

• Night Owl told the Gray Feather Squad to enjoy the tavern but avoid drunken trouble and keep their abilities and future movements private.
• Bai Ge suggested becoming wandering merchants, but Night Owl warned him about the dangers and reminded the squad why they had chosen freedom and adventure.
• Wang Hainian introduced himself as a wandering merchant recently returned from a survivor camp, while his daughter Wang Xiaoyu proudly introduced herself as one too.
• Wang Xiaoyu traded playful insults with Bai Ge, who threatened to steal her teddy bear before Night Owl stopped the argument.
• Wang Hainian told Night Owl that he wanted to do business with the Gray Feather Squad, and the squad wondered what he had in mind.

Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu offered the Gray Feather Squad a deal involving an Iron Tree being eroded by Meat Fields, whose fallen leaves could heal themselves. Night Owl asked Wang Hainian to reveal the danger at the site before deciding whether to cooperate.

• Wang Hainian asked Night Owl to discuss a private business deal, and the Gray Feather Squad moved to a soundproof room with him and Wang Xiaoyu.
• Wang Hainian showed the squad a hand-drawn map and explained that he had found a strange purple-lit valley containing an Iron Tree being eroded by Meat Fields.
• Wang Hainian produced a leaf-shaped fragment from the Iron Tree, and Bluebird found that it had an unusually complex structure that seemed almost alive.
• Wang Xiaoyu claimed the fragment could heal its own damage, and Shen Xi sensed an unusual vitality within it.
• Wang Hainian proposed that the Iron Tree and the Meat Fields might together produce the self-repairing effect and invited the Gray Feather Squad to investigate with him.
• Night Owl demanded a full account of the dangers after Wang Xiaoyu claimed the site was safe.

Wang Hainian’s discovery of an Iron Tree and Meat Fields guarded by a powerful Mutant Creature led the Gray Feather Squad to involve Longwind City’s authorities instead of risking a direct assault. Lincon examined a self-repairing metal leaf and approved Zhou Qing’s plans to investigate, assigning Four Dimensions to follow the team and handle the B-Rank threat.

• Wang Hainian described the dangerous Meat Fields and Iron Tree, and Night Owl refused to take the Gray Feather Squad into a mission that could mean facing a B-Rank Mutant Creature.
• Bluebird suggested reporting the discovery to Longwind City’s authorities, and Wang Hainian agreed to seek their help and offer his guidance.
• Night Owl passed the matter and the metal leaf to Zhou Qing, who reported the discovery to Lincon.
• Lincon crushed the metal leaf and watched its sealed vitality restore its shape, then judged the Iron Tree and Meat Fields worth investigating.
• Zhou Qing said he had arranged additional personnel, and Lincon approved the plan and assigned Four Dimensions to follow the team in case of the B-Rank Mutant Creature.

Longwind City prepared its first expedition beyond its borders after Wang Hainian’s report prompted Lord Lincon to mobilize the city’s forces. As the gathered teams set out, Wang Xiaoyu’s strength drew Lincon’s attention, while the Gray Feather Squad saw how far the city’s official fighters surpassed them.

• Lincon ordered Zhou Qing to bring Jiang Li along, and Zhou Qing mobilized Longwind City’s departments for an expedition.
• Wang Hainian brought his daughter Wang Xiaoyu to the Outer City gathering, where she nervously watched the Garrison Guard and the other assembled forces.
• Jiang Li relayed Lincon’s assessment that Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu were strong, especially the little girl.
• Bai Ge admired the red-clad captain of the Light Office’s First Guard Squad, while Bluebird warned him that she was close to B-Rank.
• Shen Xi sensed that several gathered officials could kill her instantly and realized the Gray Feather Squad was outmatched by Longwind City’s official forces.
• Longwind City’s assembled personnel received the order to move out, and the Gray Feather Squad and Wang Hainian’s party followed.

Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu led Longwind City's convoy into the wasteland toward Longwind City, where Luo Qian chose to blast a path through Death Swamp instead of taking a detour. After a massive explosion cleared the way, Luo Qian radioed Wang Hainian to continue leading the convoy.

• Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu led five armored vehicles and more than a dozen Tree Spirit Guards out of Longwind Territory toward Longwind City.
• On the journey, Wang Hainian reflected on how Longwind City reminded him of the Old Era, while Wang Xiaoyu chatted excitedly about the convoy and the wasteland.
• At the edge of Death Swamp, Wang Hainian warned Luo Qian that the swamp's quicksand, mud, and Swamp Crocodiles made crossing dangerous.
• Luo Qian rejected Wang Hainian's suggestion to detour and led a group toward the swamp, intending to clear the route.
• Half an hour later, a huge blast sent a black slash and smoke above Death Swamp, and Luo Qian radioed Wang Hainian that the road was clear.

Luo Qian’s convoy crossed the dried-up Death Swamp and reached the mist-shrouded valley where a suspected B-Rank Mutant Creature lurked. As Jiang Li and the others entered to investigate, Lincon promised backup and told them to fight without restraint, leaving Jiang Li eager for the Trial Temple.

• Wang Hainian and the Gray Feather Squad found Death Swamp dried out, its Swamp Crocodiles trapped in a central mud pool, and watched the convoy cross after researchers collected samples.
• The convoy reached the valley, where Xu Qing identified the mist as mildly poisonous and distributed Thornbloom seeds to protect the group from its hallucinations.
• Wang Hainian revealed his self-replication ability, and Luo Qian sent his replica ahead to scout as the group entered the valley.
• A white-haired Rune Workshop researcher left the convoy to deal with an approaching C-Class dark creature, while Jiang Li sensed the danger deeper in the valley.
• Lincon told Jiang Li that Chen Siwei was following as backup and instructed the group to fight without restraint, promising to open the Trial Temple according to their performance.

The team reached the Meat Fields and the towering Iron Tree, where they encountered a B-Rank Eight-Headed Snake and fought to survive its attacks. Wang Xiaoyu awakened her stuffed bear to stop the snake’s tail from crushing her and Wang Hainian, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Luo Qian led the team through Wraiths and other Weird Calamities, letting the Garrison Guard fight them to build its combat experience.
• Wang Hainian’s duplicate found the Meat Fields and the Iron Tree, while Lincon observed the valley through the Void-Nesting Bird.
• An enormous Eight-Headed Snake attacked the team, and Luo Qian, Xu Qing, the Garrison Guard, and the Gray Feather Squad fought back.
• The snake’s tail swept toward Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu, and Wang Hainian used his duplicates to slow it down.
• Wang Xiaoyu threw her stuffed bear and infused it with energy, transforming it into a giant bear that pinned the snake’s tail.

Luo Qian and Longwind City's fighters battled a B-Rank Eight-Headed Snake, but its regeneration and overwhelming strength turned the fight against them. Lincon monitored the clash for the Trial Temple before Chen Siwei arrived to face the creature.

• Wang Xiaoyu's giant bear pinned the snake's tail, giving Luo Qian an opening to cut off one of its heads with the Ghostshadow Sword Orchid.
• Jiang Li and Xia Xun attacked with flames and Rune-powered lightning, but the snake rapidly regrew its head and resisted their abilities.
• The Eight-Headed Snake neutralized Jiang Li's flames and tore through Xu Qing's vine barrier and Wang Xiaoyu's giant bear as the group struggled to hold it back.
• Lincon recorded the fighters' abilities for the Trial Temple and told the Void-Nesting Bird to call Chen Siwei into the battle.
• Chen Siwei descended between the snake and the exhausted fighters, blasting the creature backward and praising Longwind City's three professional paths.

Chen Siwei subdued the Eight-Headed Snake and forced it to agree to come to Longwind City, while Luo Qian's team packed up the Meat Fields and Iron Tree for transport. The convoy left the valley, followed by Chen Siwei escorting the chained Eight-Headed Snake toward Longwind City.

• Chen Siwei invited the Eight-Headed Snake to Longwind City, but when it attacked, she restrained it with her Magnetic Field Domain and threatened to cut off all eight heads.
• The Eight-Headed Snake lowered its heads and submitted after Chen Siwei began counting down.
• Luo Qian led the team to investigate the Meat Fields and Iron Tree, then packed the Iron Tree and samples of the Meat Fields for transport.
• Wang Hainian drove Wang Xiaoyu with the convoy as it left the valley carrying the gathered resources.
• Chen Siwei freed the Eight-Headed Snake from the stone pillars, bound it in stone chains, and led it after the convoy toward Longwind City's territory.

Lincon learned that the Ant Queen had recovered enough to begin producing larvae, but a powerful Abyssal race was approaching through the expanding spatial rift. He planned to speed up Longwind City’s development and prepare to take control of any invaders.

• Lincon asked the Ant Guard about the Ant Queen and learned that her first batch of over a hundred larvae was about to hatch, though only around three hundred ants had been produced in two months.
• Lincon asked about activity in the Abyssal World, and the Ant Guard reported that an unknown being similar in strength to the B+ rank Ant Queen was approaching the spatial rift.
• The Ant Guard explained that the rift’s energy was weakening but the rift itself was expanding, which could eventually make it easier for Abyssal races to cross over.
• Lincon told the Ant Guard to remain in Longwind City in case he needed its help, then considered how the city’s new resources could support its development.
• Lincon resolved to strengthen his territory and take in any Abyssal invaders who came through the rift.

Luo Qian and the others returned to Longwind Territory with the Dark Iron Birch and its attached Meat Fields, which reacted positively to the territory’s abundant life energy. Lincon inspected the tree and discovered that it could evolve into a Spirit Source Iron Tree by fusing with the Meat Fields.

• Luo Qian’s convoy stopped outside Longwind City, where Xu Qing’s team unloaded the Dark Iron Birch and the Meat Fields into a vessel.
• Xu Qing observed that the Meat Fields were adapting to Longwind Territory’s rich life energy, and Chen Siwei saw the Eight-Headed Snake respond with renewed comfort and faster healing.
• Zhou Qing informed Lincon of the convoy’s return, and Lincon and Longwind City’s senior officials teleported outside the city using Void Dandelion seeds.
• Lincon greeted Luo Qian and the returning team, then used his Plant Affinity to sense the Dark Iron Birch’s fear and calm it.
• Lincon’s Sub-Profession Panel revealed three advancement routes for the Dark Iron Birch, including the hidden Spirit Source Iron Tree route requiring the Spirit-Fusion Organism Cluster.

Lincon settled the Dark Iron Birch, Spirit-Fusion Organism Cluster, and Eight-Headed Snake in a secluded valley, then Longwind City rewarded the mission’s contributors with equipment and currency. At the Forging Department, Gray Feather Squad and the Wang family chose from rare weapons, and Wang Xiaoyu singled out a silver-white handgun.

• Lincon realized the Spirit-Fusion Organism Cluster might develop different attributes in different environments and ordered it and the Dark Iron Birch settled in a secluded valley.
• Chen Siwei brought the Eight-Headed Snake to Lincon, and it submitted to him and was assigned to guard the valley alongside the other finds.
• Lincon’s officials selected six core members from the Garrison Guard, Rune Workshop, and Qingrang Academy for the Trial Temple, while Gray Feather Squad and the Wang family received equipment-selection privileges and currency.
• The External Affairs Office sent Gray Feather Squad and the Wang family to the Forging Department, where Gongshu Qi explained they could each choose one displayed item.
• Wang Xiaoyu chose a silver-white handgun, and Gongshu Qi recognized that she had picked an especially fortunate item.

Wang Xiaoyu chose Gongshu Qi’s rune-powered handgun, Red Beauty, while Wang Hainian selected the powerful shotgun-like Demonbreaker. A Gray Feather Squad member also received the repeating rifle Sandveil, and the group left with their new equipment.

• Wang Xiaoyu picked Red Beauty because she thought it looked nice, and Gongshu Qi explained that it fired energy bullets capable of harming powerful enemies.
• Gongshu Qi gave Wang Xiaoyu Red Beauty and warned her not to fire it at her allies; she thanked him with a piece of fruit candy.
• Wang Hainian chose the rune firearm Demonbreaker after learning about Red Beauty and considering how the weapons could suit his ability.
• Gongshu Qi warned Wang Hainian about Demonbreaker’s powerful recoil and promised weapon manuals for him and Wang Xiaoyu.
• A Gray Feather Squad member asked for a fast-firing rune firearm, and Gongshu Qi selected Sandveil for him.

The Gray Feather Squad left the Forging Department with top-quality equipment and renewed resolve to grow stronger in Longwind City. Meanwhile, Lincon gained the Dark Iron Birch’s consent to become his subject and evolved it into a B-Plus Rank Spirit Source Iron Tree.

• Bai Ge and the Gray Feather Squad chose powerful equipment, and Night Owl urged the team to train and take on new missions.
• Night Owl and Wang Hainian promised to support each other after their successful collaboration.
• Gongshu Qi revealed that the Lord had ordered him to guide the group toward the best equipment.
• Lincon offered the Dark Iron Birch the choice to remain as it was or become his subject and escape the Spirit-Fusion Organisms’ erosion.
• The Dark Iron Birch chose to become Lincon’s subject, and he evolved it into a B-Plus Rank Spirit Source Iron Tree.

Lincon discovered the Spirit Source Iron Tree’s strategic abilities and arranged for the displaced Eight-Headed Snake to move to Misty Forest. By testing Spirit-Fusion Organisms with different energy crystals, he confirmed they could develop elemental attributes, and he left with a clearer vision of building Longwind City into a system that gathered resources for him.

• Lincon assessed the Spirit Source Iron Tree’s abilities, recognized the danger its expanding Gengjin Domain posed to the Eight-Headed Snake, and promised to relocate it to Misty Forest.
• Lincon instructed the Spirit Source Iron Tree to cooperate with Longwind City officials collecting its branches, leaves, and spirit liquid.
• Lincon exposed Spirit-Fusion Organism samples to Fire Source Essences, Dark Matter Crystals, and Ash Snow Crystals, causing them to develop distinct fire, dark, and ice traits.
• Lincon concluded that attribute-specific Spirit-Fusion Organisms could symbiose with matching Spirit Plants and produce new varieties of special plants.
• Lincon reflected that Longwind City’s growth could supply materials for his future goals and clarified his plans to build an orderly system that gathered resources for him.

Lincon prepared the Trial Temple to open and assigned the Eight-Headed Snake to serve as a gatekeeper for its trials. After learning the Temple’s rules from the Ant Guard, the snake looked forward to facing the coming trial participants.

• Lincon sent the newly born Spirit-Fusion Organism Cluster samples to the Mutated Creature Research Center, then rode the Eight-Headed Snake to the Trial Temple.
• Lincon told the Eight-Headed Snake to spar with Longwind City’s elite warriors and instructed it to hold back without making the trials easy.
• The Ant Guard took the Eight-Headed Snake into the Temple and explained that it would guard the deepest part of the Purgatory Layer, allowing participants to advance if they lasted fifteen minutes.
• The Ant Guard guided the Eight-Headed Snake through the Temple and defeated it repeatedly in training fights, teaching it how death and revival worked inside.
• News that the Trial Temple would soon open spread throughout the Inner City.

Longwind City’s six chosen trial participants learned the Trial Temple’s rules, then entered its Purgatory Layer under Lincon’s guidance. They received a mission to clear the layer and cautiously advanced through its eerie landscape.

• Zhang Rui announced the Trial Temple’s rules, warned that the trial would test participants in life-or-death combat, and explained that rankings would be based on their individual evaluations.
• Three days later, Luo Qian, Xu Qing, Xia Xun, Zhou Wei, Liang Fengyi, and Jian Xiujie met Lincon at the Temple gates and entered through the archway.
• The six arrived in a strange realm and received a mission to clear the Purgatory Layer, with a C-Rank Clearance Token, reward points, and an Abyss Layer Invitation as rewards.
• Luo Qian drew his Ghostshadow Sword Orchid, took command, and led the others into the dangerous landscape.

Luo Qian and the other five trial-takers fought through the Purgatory Layer before confronting the B-Rank Eight-Headed Snake, which killed all but Luo Qian. After Luo Qian’s wraith power helped him defeat it, he cleared the layer and entered the Abyss Layer.

• Luo Qian and the others survived the Temple’s opening hazards and defeated Treant Guards before fighting through waves of dark creatures.
• The exhausted group encountered the Eight-Headed Snake, and Lincon watched from outside as it overwhelmed them.
• Liang Fengyi, Jian Xiujie, Zhou Wei, and the others died, while Luo Qian’s Wraith Hand transformed him and Xia Xun and Xu Qing restrained the snake.
• Luo Qian used his wraithified arm to slash the Eight-Headed Snake, and the creature allowed the black mist to consume it.
• The trial recognized Luo Qian as the sole survivor, awarded him an A rating and an Abyss Layer invitation, and he entered the black vortex.

Xia Xun and the others awoke in the Trial Temple after dying in the Purgatory Layer, where Lincon explained that the Temple’s laws had restored them. They reviewed their defeat and learned that Luo Qian had reached the Abyss Layer but died to the Abyss Ant Guard; Lincon left the Temple planning to prepare for the arrival of other Abyss races.

• Xia Xun awoke in the Trial Temple, saw his failed mission evaluation, and asked Lincon how he had returned from death.
• Xu Qing, Zhou Wei, Liang Fengyi, and Jian Xiujie woke, and Lincon explained that the Temple revived them after their deaths and restored their bodies.
• Xia Xun explained that the team had earned Reward Points based on their contributions but failed to clear the Purgatory Layer.
• Luo Qian awoke and recounted reaching the Abyss Layer, where the Abyss Ant Guard defeated him before he could make a move.
• Lincon told the six trial-takers to learn from the experience and announced that the Temple would open three days each month.
• Lincon praised the Eight-Headed Snake and the Ant Guard, then said he would take them to the Abyss to prepare for the other Abyss races.