Chapter Summaries

Li Lin recalled how Xia Mi’s talents had tied him to a Dragon-Slaying Binding System that made him seem like a powerful Mixed-Blood, despite his ordinary human origins. With their special 3E Exam and flight to Cassel College approaching, he worried about his bloodline and scholarship as Norma urged them to pack.

• Li Lin joked with Xia Mi that he might descend from Deathwing, then fretted that his bloodline assessment had not arrived before the 3E Exam.
• Li Lin remembered that the Dragon-Slaying Binding System had bound him to Xia Mi in first grade and copied her achievements into his own abilities.
• Li Lin recalled being classified as an unusual Mixed-Blood after his blood test showed only a faint trace of dragon genes, while teachers suspected he might be S-Rank.
• Li Lin worried that the upcoming exam might expose him as human and cost him the scholarship, though Xia Mi would take it alongside him.
• Norma sent a PowerPoint prompt through the internet café computer and told Li Lin to finish his game and pack with Xia Mi for their flight the next day.

Xia Mi and Li Lin walked home through the summer heat, and Xia Mi challenged him to fight after recalling their years of rivalry. She dragged him to a martial arts training center, where they prepared to spar.

• Xia Mi and Li Lin walked together after school as Xia Mi thought about leaving Beijing the next day.
• Li Lin recalled how Xia Mi had competed with him since childhood and how their fights kept them evenly matched.
• Xia Mi challenged Li Lin to fight, and he agreed despite having a flight the next day.
• Xia Mi pulled Li Lin to a training center near the school and led him into the gymnastics room to spar.

Li Lin sparred with Xia Mi as she demonstrated her newly fused Baji Quan and Wing Chun style, pushing him through a brutal half-hour fight. They left the gymnasium bruised but chatting together.

• Li Lin prepared to spar with Xia Mi, who introduced her style as Xia-style Baji Quan.
• Xia Mi launched a Mountain-Leaning Strike, and a system notification improved Li Lin's understanding of Baji and Wing Chun.
• Li Lin deflected Xia Mi's charge with Tai Chi and counterattacked, but she broke free and continued pressing him with close-range strikes.
• Li Lin and Xia Mi fought for half an hour until both were bruised and battered.
• Li Lin and Xia Mi picked up their backpacks and left the gymnasium chatting and laughing.

After walking home with Xia Mi, Li Lin reflected on his loneliness and prepared to leave for Cassel College the next morning. The chapter ended with him planning to invite Xia Mi and her older brother to dinner before his departure.

• Li Lin and Xia Mi headed home after fighting, and she teased him about being in a bad mood.
• Li Lin recalled feeling like an outsider and remembered how Xia Mi had introduced him to the world of Mixed-Bloods.
• Lin Fenglong asked about Li Lin's trip abroad and offered to lend him money, but Li Lin said his scholarship would cover his expenses.
• Li Lin read the Cassel College Admission Guide and learned that he would take the CC1000 Express from Chicago Train Station to the college.
• Li Lin and Xia Mi were set to enter Cassel College early under the cover of a qualification exam, after the principal approved their admission.
• Li Lin checked his ticket and planned to invite Xia Mi and her older brother out for dinner.

Li Lin spent his final night in BJ eating barbecue with Xia Mi and Old Xia, joking with them and learning more about the siblings’ difficult lives. As the meal continued, he reflected on Xia Mi’s distance from others, while she quietly watched him and her brother enjoy their time together.

• Li Lin listened to piano music outside the old apartment building before Xia Mi scolded Old Xia for copying him and mistaking Zhou Xingchi for her boyfriend.
• Li Lin invited Xia Mi and Old Xia to dinner, then comforted Old Xia about their upcoming departure before Xia Mi interrupted him and told him to leave her brother’s arrangements to her.
• Li Lin asked why Old Xia had not been considered for Cassel College, and Xia Mi said he had never shown signs of awakening his bloodline.
• At the barbecue restaurant, Li Lin gave Xia Mi money to pay for the meal and told her to use any remainder to buy Old Xia snacks.
• Li Lin shared food and drinks with Old Xia while Xia Mi watched them from a distance, happy for their closeness but remaining apart from their lively meal.

Li Lin and Xia Mi arrived in Chicago to enroll at Cassel College, where Professor Manstein met them and explained that he would supervise their enrollment. Li Lin began looking forward to school and considered how learning to control his Earthbending might relate to Word Spirits.

• Li Lin dreamed that a girl named Toph defeated him with Earthbending, then woke on the descending plane beside Xia Mi.
• Li Lin wondered whether he could learn to control the earth elements he had sensed and linked his hopes of awakening a powerful Word Spirit to Xia Mi's exam next week.
• Xia Mi read the Enrollment Guide's instructions to contact Professor Manstein, and Li Lin helped carry her suitcase after they landed.
• Li Lin and Xia Mi passed through immigration and waited outside the airport until Professor Manstein arrived to greet them.
• Professor Manstein led the pair toward Cassel College and said he was their mentor, the Disciplinary Committee director, and responsible for supervising their enrollment.

Li Lin and Xia Mi boarded the train to Cassel College, completed their enrollment paperwork, and learned about the school’s Night Watcher Forum. Li Lin found his assigned dormitory and discovered his roommate Caesar bathing and pouring champagne over himself.

• Professor Manstein gave Li Lin and Xia Mi their uniforms and enrollment documents, and Li Lin signed them while asking about dorm fees and his roommate.
• Manstein told the freshmen to register accounts on the Night Watcher Forum before they entered the school.
• Li Lin and Xia Mi parted ways at the station to find their dormitories, and Xia Mi took her suitcase.
• Li Lin found his assignment for Dorm 403 in Area One, where his roommate was listed as Caesar.
• Li Lin opened the dorm room and found an Italian man bathing shirtless and pouring champagne over his head.

Li Lin moved into Dorm 403 and met his extravagant roommate, Caesar Gattuso, who welcomed him enthusiastically and offered to show him around Cassel College. Caesar also invited him to a dinner at Amber Hall the following Monday, where a special 3E Exam and a ballet performance were scheduled.

• Li Lin entered Dorm 403 and found Caesar celebrating in a bathtub filled with champagne.
• Caesar recognized Li Lin, praised his martial arts record, and welcomed him as his new roommate.
• Caesar gave Li Lin the dorm key, prepared desserts, and arranged for food and wine to celebrate his arrival.
• Caesar told Li Lin about the special 3E Exam planned for next Monday and invited him to dinner at Amber Hall, where the White Stockings Ballet Troupe would perform.

Li Lin browsed the Night Watchers Forum and learned that two specially admitted freshmen, including him, were rumored to have bloodlines above A-rank. Fingel arrived at Caesar’s dorm with food, and Caesar offered Li Lin a meal before taking him around campus.

• Li Lin found a sensational forum post claiming this year's freshmen might include several A-ranks or even S-ranks, and read the students’ insults about Fingel.
• Fingel deleted the replies, announced a betting pool about whether the two preparatory freshmen would produce an S-rank in the 3E Exam, and left to run errands for Caesar.
• Fingel brought food to Caesar’s dorm and found Caesar bathing in champagne.
• Caesar told Fingel to change so they could drive Li Lin around campus, and Fingel introduced himself as the News Department head and Caesar’s Student Union subordinate.
• Caesar offered Li Lin steak and roasted pork knuckle, and Li Lin photographed the food and sent it to Xia Mi before eating.

Caesar drove Li Lin and Fingel around Cassel College and tried to recruit Li Lin as Student Union vice president, while Fingel questioned him about possible signs of an awakened Word Spirit. Li Lin recalled that, since a dream on the plane, he could once again sense the earth element he had controlled in his previous life.

• Caesar showed Li Lin the campus facilities, including Odin Square, the principal's office, and the church where the vice principal lived.
• Fingel said Cassel College would soon have another S-Rank, prompting Caesar to suspect Li Lin was the candidate.
• Caesar offered Li Lin the Student Union vice presidency starting the next day, but Li Lin did not commit because he had not taken the 3E Exam.
• The chapter revealed that some faculty feared Li Lin's recessive dragon genes and lack of Word Spirit reactions could make him unstable during the 3E Exam.
• Fingel asked Li Lin about unusual abilities, and Li Lin realized he could sense the earth element again after his dream on the plane.

Li Lin settled into Dorm 403, accepted Caesar’s gifts, and spoke with Xia Mi about choosing their courses. The chapter ended with Xia Mi and Li Lin agreeing to compare their final exam results.

• Caesar had Dorm 403 cleaned and divided into separate living spaces, then gave Li Lin a new laptop through Fingel.
• Li Lin tried to pay Caesar for the laptop, but Caesar refused, citing his aristocratic pride.
• Li Lin called Xia Mi and told her about his day, including Caesar’s expensive gift.
• Xia Mi explained that she and Li Lin could freely choose courses and needed only twelve credits that semester.
• Li Lin challenged Xia Mi to send him her course schedule and teased her about losing their exam contest.

Li Lin and Xia Mi attended Angers's lecture on the King of Earth and Mountains, while Xia Mi teased Li Lin about his connection to Caesar. The chapter ended with the two joking about how the Dragon King might hide in modern society.

• Li Lin and Xia Mi joked about Caesar's gifts and whether he had improper intentions toward Li Lin.
• Li Lin showed Xia Mi information about the Gattuso family, and she asked him to remember her if he rose to power in the Student Union.
• Angers arrived to teach, and Li Lin recognized him as the principal of Cassel College.
• Angers lectured on the King of Earth and Mountains, describing its immortality and its past roles in human societies.
• Li Lin asked Xia Mi whether the Dragon King might disguise itself as a concrete expert, and Xia Mi playfully acted like it would eat him.

After Angers lectured about how First-Generation Species could survive death, Li Lin connected their elemental powers and reincarnation to the Avatar and wondered whether he might be one. He and Xia Mi joked about her possibly being a dragon before Angers called them to discuss the 3E Exam.

• Angers explained that First-Generation Species could be truly killed by destroying their cocoons or cutting off their heads before they formed one.
• Xia Mi stopped Li Lin from leaving because their next class began in fifteen minutes, and he realized their schedules were identical.
• Li Lin read about First-Generation Species controlling the four elements and wondered whether his reincarnation made him this world's first Avatar.
• Li Lin warned Xia Mi not to awaken an overpowered Word Spirit, and she insisted that such abilities belonged only to monarchs.
• Xia Mi cautioned Li Lin against joking about dragons at Cassel College, then Angers returned and summoned both students to discuss the exam.

Angers interviewed Li Lin and Xia Mi about their unusual abilities and the concerns surrounding their upcoming 3E Exam. After having them sign battlefield liability contracts, he remained confident in his judgment of Li Lin and prepared to personally proctor the exam.

• Angers offered Li Lin and Xia Mi expensive coffee and explained that the Board of Trustees had objected to their special qualification exam.
• Angers discussed their exceptional physical abilities and the concern that Li Lin might lose control of his bloodline and become a Dead Servant.
• Angers had Li Lin and Xia Mi sign contracts stating the school would return their bodies home if they died, or send only their ashes if Dragon Blood turned them into Dead Servants.
• Angers said he would personally proctor their 3E Exam because Li Lin had not yet been exposed to many recordings of Word Spirit: Emperor.
• Angers put away the signed contracts and concluded that Xia Mi's bloodline was stable and that Li Lin's unusual talent justified his confidence in him.

Li Lin and Xia Mi sat for a special 3E Exam arranged by Kassel, while Caesar tried once again to recruit Li Lin into the Student Union. The chapter ended with Xia Mi spotting the principal sharpening pencils in their empty examination room.

• Caesar woke after Li Lin's alarm and invited him to join the Student Union, but Li Lin declined.
• Caesar drove Li Lin to the academic building and offered to make him his successor as Student Union president.
• Li Lin warned Caesar that Xia Mi wanted him as her lackey and might fight them, but Caesar said her ambition did not conflict with his recruitment plan.
• Li Lin entered the examination building, where Manstein told him the principal would sharpen their pencils himself.
• Xia Mi arrived, saw the two desks in the empty room and the principal holding a folding knife, and lost her cheerful expression.

During the 3E Exam, Li Lin fell into a dream where he relived a past life as Toph and displayed overwhelming control over earth. He woke after nearly destroying the screening room, leaving Angers and Manstein stunned and Xia Mi frightened.

• As the 3E Exam began, Li Lin failed to hear the dragon language in the music and noticed Xia Mi had disappeared along with Angers and Manstein.
• Li Lin found himself in a dream as Toph, confronting his former blindness and an elderly version of Toph on a cliff.
• Toph buried Li Lin in a wave of stone, but Li Lin effortlessly stopped and reversed it with his newfound mastery of earth.
• Li Lin challenged a giant dragon whose destructive movements reminded him of Xia Mi's Mountain-Leaning Strike, then split the dragon and himself apart.
• Li Lin woke in the screening room after twisting his chair apart and shattering the desk, while Xia Mi hid and Angers and Manstein stared at him in shock.

After Li Lin completed all ten questions during the 3E Exam, Angers confirmed he would become the school's only enrolled S-Rank student, while Xia Mi received A-Rank. The Information Department identified Li Lin's Word Spirit as Rock Flow, and Xia Mi prepared to take him to the Student Union banquet.

• Angers told Li Lin that he had answered all ten exam questions and could become an S-Rank student, while Manstein reassured him that the Spirit Vision damage would not cost him anything.
• Li Lin wondered whether Xia Mi had also reached S-Rank, but she said she had answered eight questions and would receive A-Rank.
• Xia Mi pushed Li Lin away from Manstein and took him to choose formal clothes for the Student Union banquet.
• Li Lin saw Xia Mi in her gown and teased her about padding it, prompting her to mess up his styled hair.
• The Information Department identified Li Lin's Word Spirit as Rock Flow and told him to report for testing before the weekend.

Xia Mi brought Li Lin to the Student Union dinner, hoping to keep the organization from recruiting him, but Caesar offered them leadership of a club and a million-dollar budget. The chapter ended with Xia Mi asking how Li Lin would address Caesar if they joined.

• Xia Mi clung to Li Lin at the dinner, anxious that the Student Union would recruit him after his S-Rank achievement.
• Caesar celebrated Li Lin's new rank by opening an expensive bottle of wine and announcing the toast to the hall.
• Li Lin told Caesar that he and Xia Mi were interested in joining the Student Union, prompting Xia Mi to protest that he could not decide for her.
• Caesar offered Xia Mi a club presidency, Li Lin the vice presidency, and their club a million dollars in funding.
• Xia Mi asked Caesar how Li Lin would address him as a Student Union member, and Caesar answered that Li Lin would call him the same thing as everyone else.

After Li Lin became an S-Rank, Xia Mi took over the Martial Arts Club with him and sparred with him to test how much his newfound strength had changed their balance. She gave up when his enhanced power overcame her technique, then asked him to watch anime with her, leaving them together at the club office.

• Xia Mi spared Caesar from a beating for the sake of the club’s million dollars, and the previous Martial Arts Club president surrendered ownership to her and Li Lin.
• Cassel College and the Night's Watch Forum celebrated Li Lin’s S-Rank status while Caesar and the Student Union prepared for the Day of Freedom.
• Li Lin sparred with Xia Mi, whose technique could no longer fully redirect his stronger punches, and she surrendered.
• Xia Mi invited Li Lin to watch anime at the club office while her roommate Su Qian attended the Lionheart Society’s assessment.
• Li Lin ordered popcorn and cola, and Xia Mi quietly moved closer to him on the sofa.

Li Lin and Xia Mi dismissed rumors that they were dating while discussing his new Student Union role and the upcoming Day of Freedom. After Caesar revealed that wealthy Mixed-Blood families were already interested in Li Lin’s bloodline, Xia Mi glared at him for encouraging Li Lin to pursue an aristocratic life.

• Li Lin invited Xia Mi to join him for a Word Spirit test, and she agreed.
• Su Qian told Xia Mi that students were spreading rumors about her and Li Lin, but Xia Mi insisted they were not dating.
• Xia Mi and Li Lin discussed Caesar’s expensive Day of Freedom plans as they headed out for late-night snacks.
• Outside Amber Hall, Caesar told Li Lin that girls from wealthy Mixed-Blood families had asked for his contact information.
• Caesar suggested Li Lin could use his looks and bloodline to build a family, and Xia Mi glared at him for giving Li Lin improper ideas.