Chapter Summaries

Lincon used Higher-Dimensional Manipulation to deploy plants against the advancing Black Tide and reduce its numbers before it reached Longwind Fortress. His defenses earned him Sunlight, but a dangerous aberration emerged from the tide and drew the Reed Assassins’ golden needles toward itself.

• Lincon detected the C-Rank Black Tide approaching Longwind Fortress and planned defenses along its route.
• He used Higher-Dimensional Manipulation to place Hunting Pea Pods in the Black Tide’s path, where they killed low-rank Dark Creatures before being destroyed or corroded.
• As the Black Tide passed Shrines and reached the Longwind Lake area, Lincon sent Reed Assassins armed with Explosive Berries to attack it.
• The Reed Assassins’ explosions and golden needles killed many Dark Creatures, raising Lincon’s Sunlight to 500 and continuing to increase it.
• An aberration with a flower-like head emerged from the Black Tide and drew the Reed Assassins’ golden needles onto its petals.

Lincon identified a C-Rank Mimic Anomaly Calamity and prepared Longwind Fortress for the approaching C-Rank Black Tide. The Sunlight Sunflowers awakened and countered the Black Tide’s oppressive influence as the battle began.

• Lincon learned that the Mimic Anomaly Calamity copied traits and abilities by devouring its opponents, then recalled the Reed Assassins.
• Lincon told Zhang Rui and Li Zhouhai that the Black Tide had reached Longwind Lake, and Li Zhouhai warned everyone in the fortress.
• The Black Tide overwhelmed the Faint Light Domain, formed an abyssal shape, and afflicted people with demonic whispers and frightening illusions.
• The Solar Sunflower awakened the Sunlight Sunflowers through Life Resonance, and their Purifying Fire dispelled the whispers and illusions.
• Lincon fired an arrow to open the battle, while the Ancient Maple Guardian and the fortress’s combat plants attacked the Black Tide.
• The Sunlight Sunflowers’ light turned Black Insects entering their domain to gray smoke as light and darkness clashed.

Lincon faced the C-Rank Black Tide at Longwind Fortress, where the fortress’s defenses slowed the Dark Creatures but could not stop their advance. He evolved the Ancient Maple Guardian into a Twisted Treant to battle the Nest-Nursing Jellyfish, while the Black Tide pushed toward the fortress walls.

• Lincon’s plants and Rule Edict weakened the Black Tide’s assault, but D-rank and C-Rank Anomaly Calamities appeared outside the light zone.
• The Nest-Nursing Jellyfish entered the light zone, damaged the Ancient Maple Guardian, and began destroying the plants’ Rune Arrays.
• Li Zhouhai warned Lincon that the Nest-Nursing Jellyfish’s weakness was on top of its head.
• Lincon used a C-Rank Dark Matter Crystal and sunlight to advance the Ancient Maple Guardian into a Twisted Treant.
• The Twisted Treant grabbed the Nest-Nursing Jellyfish and smashed its head, even as the Black Tide advanced into Longwind Fortress and neared the second line of defense.

Lincon evolved a Wild Rose into the Fallen Sun Thorncrown, whose powerful light beams turned the battle against the Black Tide in Longwind Fortress’s favor. As the defenders fought off creatures that reached the walls, a peculiar shadow slipped into the fortress.

• Lincon assessed the remaining Dark Creatures and chose to evolve a Wild Rose into the Fallen Sun Thorncrown rather than grow a Stasis Albizia Tree.
• The Fallen Sun Thorncrown absorbed light from the Solar Sunflower and pierced a Mimic Anomaly Calamity with scorching beams.
• The Fallen Sun Thorncrown began destroying Dark Creatures, shifting the battle in Longwind Fortress’s favor while placing greater strain on the Solar Sunflower.
• Li Zhouhai rallied the wall defenders, and Su Yunqing used heated Rune Stones to unleash a Purifying Firestorm against nearby Dark Creatures.
• Li Zhouhai jumped from the wall and cut down several low-tier Dark Creatures as a peculiar shadow slipped into the fortress.

Guan Teng fought a Shadow Fiend that controlled his companions and threatened the people sheltering in the Mushroom House. As he lay dying, his Enhancement Rune Stone absorbed the creature’s power, and Lincon saw Guan Teng awaken an ability.

• Guan Teng’s companion attacked and killed another team member, while the Shadow Fiend controlled him and Liu Yu to attack Guan Teng.
• Guan Teng left the Purification Shrine’s protection and found the Shadow Fiend, then fought it while trying to keep it from reaching the people inside the Mushroom House.
• The Shadow Fiend switched its control from Liu Yu to Guan Teng, but Guan Teng resisted and struck it with a Purification Rune Stone.
• The Shadow Fiend controlled Wang Jie to stab Guan Teng through the chest, but Guan Teng held onto the creature and pierced it with a Purification Rune saber.
• Guan Teng’s Enhancement Rune Stone absorbed the Shadow Fiend’s power, and Lincon saw Guan Teng’s ability change to Awakening.

Lincon and Longwind Fortress survived the Black Tide’s final assault, destroying the remaining Anomaly Calamities as dawn broke. The chapter ended with the completed missions unlocking Lincon’s hidden class advancement for Ecological Architect.

• The Solar Sunflower spent its final energy while Longwind Fortress’s defenses and Spirit Plants weakened the Black Tide and eliminated most of its forces.
• Lincon fought Demon Armor, overcame its gravity ability with qi and Xingyi Fist, and helped Fallen Sun Thorncrown finish it.
• The last Dark Creature was destroyed, ending the night-long battle at Longwind Fortress.
• Li Zhouhai celebrated the victory and remembered how Shangmai City had fallen while Longwind Fortress endured.
• Lincon received notifications that Resist the Black Tide and Ecological Trial were completed and that he had fulfilled the hidden advancement mission for Ecological Architect.

After the Black Tide ended, Lincon rested before learning that Guan Teng was unconscious and nearing death. He discovered a Dark Creature’s energy was merging with Guan Teng, leaving open whether it would transform him or trigger his awakening.

• Lincon considered the three abilities offered by the hidden class Ecological Architect, then postponed choosing and ordered the fortress to gather Dark Matter Crystals, count casualties, investigate an unusual incident, and rest.
• Lincon slept until the third day after the Black Tide and woke to Luo Qian waiting anxiously outside his door.
• Zhang Rui reprimanded Luo Qian for breaking the rules, then explained that Guan Teng remained unconscious and was still awakening.
• Lincon went to the Mushroom House and found Guan Teng covered in black markings with a severe chest wound.
• Lincon sensed Guan Teng’s heart was still beating while Dark Creature energy merged with his body and began to overpower his life energy.

Lincon saved Guan Teng by strengthening his life energy until it suppressed the Dark Energy, triggering Guan Teng’s awakening as a Shadow Fiend. After Guan Teng recovered, Li Zhouhai asked to leave Longwind Fortress to recruit talented ability users and help the fortress grow.

• Lincon realized Guan Teng was losing control of his body to a Dark Creature and used his qi to strengthen Guan Teng’s life energy, sacrificing twenty years of Guan Teng’s lifespan.
• Guan Teng awakened, recovered consciousness, and discovered he had gained the D-rank Shadow Fiend ability.
• Lincon told Guan Teng to explore his new abilities while he recovered, then left him with Luo Qian and the others.
• Li Zhouhai told Lincon that Longwind Fortress lacked people and capable ability users, and asked permission to seek out talented survivors who had left Shangmai City.

After the Black Tide, Lincon considered Longwind Fortress’s staffing and security needs, then chose Symbiotic Evolution as his secondary profession ability. With the fortress’s resources replenished, he planned to test the ability on the sunflowers.

• Lincon agreed to Li Zhouhai’s request, and Zhang Rui explained that the fortress was understaffed and at risk of being blockaded by Flint City.
• Lincon surveyed the cleaned battlefield and learned that Longwind Fortress had gained eleven C-Rank Crystals, fifty-four D-Rank Crystals, and many E-Rank Crystals.
• Lincon redistributed his plants, moving the oversized Twisted Treant to guard Longwind Lake and finding new places for the wilted Spore Shooter Mushrooms and Explosive Berry Thicket.
• Lincon chose Symbiotic Evolution over Fusion Reconfiguration and Ecological Domain to develop cooperation between people and spirit plants.
• Lincon saw that his sunlight balance had risen to 5,800 and decided to test Symbiotic Evolution on the sunlight sunflowers.

Lincon used Symbiotic Evolution to synchronize with a Sunlight Sunflower, transforming it into a Sunlight Elf that could gather sunlight for him. After several days of testing, he had three Sunlight Elves and a Solar Sunflower that could become powerful protective armor.

• Lincon chose himself as the first target for cooperative resonance and synchronized his life frequency with a spiritually gifted Sunlight Sunflower.
• The Sunlight Sunflower evolved into a tiny elf, while Lincon received only a small return of life energy.
• The Sunlight Elf gathered sunlight from a flower and increased the sunlight stored in Lincon's Seed Mark.
• After several days of testing, Lincon formed cooperative symbiosis with three Sunlight Elves and the Solar Sunflower.
• The Solar Sunflower remained unchanged in form but could merge with Lincon as armor strong enough to withstand a C-Rank Anomaly Calamity and restrain mental attacks.

Lincon prepared Li Zhouhai to leave Longwind Fortress by giving him supplies and initiating Cooperative Symbiosis between him and the Reed Assassin. The chapter ended as the people watching sensed a strange fluctuation connecting the two.

• Lincon gave Li Zhouhai candles and Rune Stones, and Zhang Rui reminded him to recruit reliable people for Longwind Fortress.
• Lincon summoned three Sunlight Elves, stunning the crowd and revealing the creatures he had cultivated.
• Lincon explained that he would initiate symbiosis to help Li Zhouhai survive the dangers of his journey.
• The Reed Assassin touched Li Zhouhai with a golden needle as Lincon began Cooperative Symbiosis.
• Luo Qian and Guan Teng discussed the strange fluctuation between Li Zhouhai and the Reed Assassin, and Guan Teng recalled how he had gained his power from a Shadow Fiend.

Lincon revealed that people who contributed to Longwind Fortress could form symbiotic contracts with plants and gain extraordinary abilities, then sent Li Zhouhai out with his new Reed Assassin companion. As Li Zhouhai departed, he looked back at the fortress and hoped it would one day drive away the darkness.

• Li Zhouhai formed a symbiotic contract with the Reed Assassin, which attached itself to the back of his hand as a golden puffball.
• Lincon explained that the contract allowed Li Zhouhai and the Reed Assassin to grow together and share traits, and Li Zhouhai demonstrated its thorny, needle-firing form.
• Lincon announced that ordinary people and ability users alike could earn Ecological Contracts by contributing to Longwind Fortress.
• Zhang Rui felt gratified that Lincon was displaying his authority and generosity to the fortress residents.
• Li Zhouhai left Longwind Fortress with the dormant Reed Assassin, looking back at the flourishing fortress and speaking to it as Little Left.

Zhang Rui worked on a contribution-point system while Lincon approved field training for the Letter Bureau messengers to map shelters around Longwind Fortress. Lincon then used his upgraded Seed Mark Talent to implant Growth Protocols into plants, while unresolved tensions with Flint City remained.

• Zhang Rui personally oversaw a contribution-point system after residents asked how fortress work would earn contract rewards.
• Zhao Mu asked Lincon to let the messengers train in the field, and Lincon instructed them to locate nearby shelters while avoiding conflict.
• Lincon warned the messengers that people could be as dangerous as Dark Creatures and promised to select plant contracts for those who returned.
• Lincon set aside plans to evolve the Demon Ancient Tree because its rare unlock materials were more important than Sunlight.
• Lincon used his Level 2 Seed Mark Talent to implant Growth Protocols that could shape a plant's form and adjust its defenses.

After Carrion Rats destroyed the Sunlight Potato fields and injured Liu Qing, Lincon traced them to their nest and decided the mutated rats could become a food source for Longwind Fortress. He summoned the Twisted Treant near the nest as the group prepared to deal with the rats.

• Han Qu told Lincon that Carrion Rats had destroyed nearly half the potato fields, and Lincon found Liu Qing injured beside the ruined crops.
• Liu Qing explained that a swarm of giant rats had attacked before dawn, and Guan Teng reported that their burrows were too deep to enter safely.
• Lincon ordered two Carrion Rat corpses butchered and roasted, explaining that the meat was edible and could provide protein.
• Lincon led more than a hundred men to the Carrion Rats' nest, where he summoned the Twisted Treant while pretending to cast a spell.

Lincon led a group to capture Carrion Rats, and Guan Teng killed the D-rank Rot Rat King with his newly awakened Shadow Fiend ability. Back at the fortress, Lincon asked Zhang Rui to find people who could try raising the rats as livestock.

• Lincon used the Twisted Treant to drag Carrion Rats from their cave, provoking the Rot Rat King and its swarm to charge out.
• Lincon assigned Guan Teng to fight the D-rank Rot Rat King while the Twisted Treant restrained the other rats.
• Guan Teng wounded the Rot Rat King with his spear, seized control of its mind, and made it smash its skull against a boulder until it died.
• Lincon's group returned to the fortress with dozens of Carrion Rats after the swarm lost its leader.
• Lincon asked Zhang Rui to find people skilled in animal husbandry to experiment with taming Carrion Rats as livestock, and Zhang Rui was stunned by the idea.

Longwind Fortress expanded its food production and construction projects, and Lincon helped create a fantastical Lord’s Manor after Zhang Rui’s plans proved impossible to build. Meanwhile, Li Zhouhai continued searching for Jiang Li and her companions, whose fate remained unknown.

• Zhang Rui appointed a former pet-dog seller to raise giant carrion rats for Longwind Fortress’s meat supply.
• Zhang Rui halted construction of the Lord’s Manor when Old Jiang explained that his designs could not be built as planned.
• Lincon joined the project and used the Growth Protocol and Cooperative Symbiosis to shape the manor from giant banyan roots and Starlight Crystal Orchid Giant Trees.
• Zhang Rui praised the manor as Longwind Fortress’s new landmark, while Lincon avoided his repeated insistence that he stand above the residents.
• Li Zhouhai followed clues from ruined Shangmai City toward New River City, hoping to find Jiang Li and the others.

Li Zhouhai survived an attempted murder in the urban ruins and learned that Jiang Li and her companions had formed a camp there. He found Twin Camp before nightfall, where a resident recognized him as Captain Li.

• Li Zhouhai sheltered in a ruined supermarket, where a Sound Suppression Ability User tried to stab him but was struck down by the Reed Assassin.
• Li Zhouhai interrogated the attacker, learned that his shelter killed people for food, then killed him and discovered Jiang Li’s group had built a faction in the ruins.
• Li Zhouhai followed the attacker’s directions and found Twin Camp, which was filled with starving, exhausted residents.
• A camp resident tried to steal Li Zhouhai’s pack, but Li Zhouhai punched him away, drawing the attention of the others.
• One resident recognized Li Zhouhai and called him Captain Li.

Li Zhouhai reunited with Jiang Li and Jiang Wei at Twin Camp and tried to recruit them to Longwind Fortress. They agreed to go after rescuing their captured core members, while Jiang Li revealed her suspicions that Yin Yanzhi was betraying the camp; Li Zhouhai warned them not to light his Weird Candle unless absolutely necessary.

• Li Zhouhai met Lu Linfeng and learned that Twin Camp was struggling with hungry refugees and pressure from the Wolf Gang.
• Jiang Li and Jiang Wei returned from a failed negotiation, and Li Zhouhai invited them to join Longwind Fortress despite their doubts about his claims.
• The sisters agreed to accompany Li Zhouhai after rescuing Twin Camp's captured core members.
• Jiang Li told Li Zhouhai that she suspected Yin Yanzhi was leaking information to the Wolf Gang, and Jiang Wei struggled to accept the possibility.
• Li Zhouhai showed the sisters a black and a white candle, then blew out Jiang Li's flame and warned them never to light a Weird Candle unless it was absolutely necessary.

Jiang Li destroyed the Wolf Gang with Li Zhouhai’s help, captured the traitor Yin Yanzhi, and led 763 people out of Tong City toward Longwind Fortress. As the group traveled, Li Zhouhai described the fortress and its food, while Lincon completed the fortress’s Life Royal Court.

• Jiang Li and Li Zhouhai led a small team to rescue Twin Camp members and attack the Wolf Gang, while Jiang Wei trapped Yin Yanzhi and his spies at camp.
• Jiang Li lit an Intermediate Weird Candle in the Wolf Gang’s camp, drawing Dark Creatures that killed all but Lei Wanshan.
• Jiang Li and Li Zhouhai fought Lei Wanshan as he fled, and they killed him together.
• The rescued survivors maimed and hung Yin Yanzhi, and Jiang Li decided to leave Tong City for Longwind Fortress with 763 people.
• On the journey, Li Zhouhai described Longwind Fortress and showed Jiang Wei golden Sunlight Potatoes, which she admired.
• Lincon completed the Life Royal Court at the heart of Longwind Fortress.

Lincon named his newly completed, plant-filled manor the Sacred Court after Zhang Rui and Old Jiang misheard his choice of Forest Court and praised the grander name. A bell announced the arrival of a Black Iron City convoy, and Zhang Rui went to meet Zhou Qing at the fortress gate.

• Lincon settled the argument between Zhang Rui and Old Jiang by explaining that the Jade Wallvine would not damage the manor's walls.
• Lincon called the manor the Forest Court, but Zhang Rui and Old Jiang heard Sacred Court and enthusiastically praised the name, which Lincon tacitly accepted.
• Lincon surveyed Longwind Fortress from the manor tower, seeing the Light Office and the still-under-construction Qingrang Academy.
• A great bell rang to announce an arriving guest, and Zhang Rui guessed that Black Iron City had come to collect grain.
• Zhang Rui met Zhou Qing, who arrived with a convoy and more than a dozen ability users, at the fortress gate.