Chapter Summaries

Zeng Mu returned to Sand City with O'Connor as a prisoner and a Thousand-Mile Horse, then met Lord Viscount Soxia, who promoted him to First-Rank Knight and ennobled him as a Baron. He received a golden decree, formal clothes, and a Fish-Scale Sword, while the chapter left the identity of the Black-and-White Fruit unresolved.

• Zeng Mu told Aikimu and Ma Linya that O'Connor was a White-Pattern Leader he had brought back as a bargaining chip, and Aikimu recognized the horse as a Thousand-Mile Horse.
• Zeng Mu asked Ma Linya to identify the Black-and-White Fruit, but she could not and suggested consulting Uncle Bert when he woke.
• Ma Linya returned the Emerald Bead to Zeng Mu and explained that the Knight Commander had given it to him as a gift marking his new status.
• Zeng Mu and Kanni entered the stone house and met Lord Viscount Soxia, an envoy sent by the Holy Temple.
• Soxia read a decree promoting Zeng Mu to First-Rank Knight and ennobling him as a Baron, then presented him with formal clothes and a Fish-Scale Sword.

Zeng Mu presented the captured Viking and bandits to Yetos and Soxia as the city braced for an imminent Seven Kingdoms Coalition attack. After Zeng Mu predicted the enemy would strike the southern gate, the three men rode out to prepare a gift for the attackers.

• Zeng Mu admired the Fish-Scale Sword as Soxia explained that the Hundred-Year War had begun and the enemy might attack Sand City that night or by dawn.
• Yetos said the city had been sealed to prevent its spy from reporting that the water supply problem was fixed, while he and Soxia worried Idiveer might join the attack under pressure from the Viking Tribes.
• Zeng Mu revealed a captured Viking White-Pattern Leader whose identity might deter Idiveer, along with five bandits led by Bright, whom Yetos arranged to have tested for battlefield or logistical service.
• Yetos ordered Kanni to rest, then rode out with Soxia and Zeng Mu after Xibizete arrived to take charge of the prisoners.
• Zeng Mu predicted the coalition would use Black Iron Slope to approach Sand City's vulnerable southern gate, and Yetos said they had ridden out to prepare a gift for the enemy.

At Black Iron Slope, Yetos and Soxia prepared a trap for the enemy and asked Zeng Mu how elemental power could be used. After recalling his first lesson at the Element Academy, Zeng Mu explained the principles of elemental mastery, and the three joined hands to combine their elements as the ground began to tremble.

• Yetos and Soxia chose Black Iron Slope as a blind spot and defensive position for a trap against the enemy.
• Zeng Mu recalled Yue Yuxin's first lesson at the Element Academy, where he had explained that elemental proficiency could let Elementalists exceed their realm's limits and combine elements.
• Zeng Mu told Yetos that elemental applications depended on an Elementalist's realm and element, and Yetos added that attacks could be overt or covert.
• Yetos said the trap would reveal itself only after the enemy had experienced it, then asked Zeng Mu to lend his element.
• Zeng Mu, Yetos, and Soxia clasped hands and combined their brown, green, and gold elemental lights as the ground began to shake.

Zeng Mu helped Yetos and Soxia create a concealed elemental trap outside Sand City, then joined the city’s tense overnight watch. As dawn approached, Qin Zihui led his army toward the city and ordered his troops to prepare for a night raid.

• Yetos, Soxia, and Zeng Mu combined three elements to hide a trap beneath the ground, and Zeng Mu endured the strain without fainting.
• Yetos and Soxia explained that the trap would react when prey stepped inside, then returned with Zeng Mu to wait for the enemy.
• Zeng Mu watched the city walls through the night as extra soldiers stood ready, and Yetos joined him to watch for the approaching army.
• Qin Sui reported that Qin Zihui’s army was nearing the slope overlooking Sand City.
• Qin Zihui ordered his troops to pick up the pace and prepare for a night raid.

The Seven Kingdoms Coalition began its assault on Sand City, but an elemental trap devastated its front ranks before they reached the city. Despite his injuries and the destruction, Qin Zihui ordered the surviving soldiers to attack.

• Qin Zihui led the Coalition toward Sand City through the cold rain, while Han Ling tried to ease his unease with talk of the city’s women.
• An elemental trap erupted beneath the Coalition’s front ranks, destroying soldiers, horses, armor, and war machines.
• Qin Zihui used his wind element mark to shield himself and Han Ling as the ground heaved and the trap killed hundreds.
• Qin Zihui collapsed after the trap subsided, and Han Ling caught him.
• Qin Zihui ordered the surviving troops to attack, and the soldiers sounded their horns and charged toward Sand City.

The Seven Kingdoms Coalition attacked Sand City before dawn, while Yetos ordered the outnumbered defenders to hold the walls and repel the assault with sustained volleys of arrows. The coalition regrouped as the arrow supply dwindled and charged again, leaving Kanni, Zeng Mu, and the defenders braced for the approaching battle.

• Kanni woke at the alarm bell and rode to the vulnerable eastern gate as Sand City's knights mobilized to defend the city.
• Yetos ordered the defenders to hold their positions and fire arrows at the advancing Seven Kingdoms Coalition.
• The arrows broke through the coalition's shields and inflicted heavy casualties, forcing the troops to halt and falter.
• Qin Zihui refused Han Ling's suggestion to withdraw and insisted that the coalition still outnumbered Sand City's forces.
• The arrow volleys weakened, and the coalition sounded its charging horn and resumed its advance.
• Kanni reached the eastern gate, where Zeng Mu and Yetos prepared with the defenders as the enemy approached.

As the Seven Kingdoms Coalition began its assault on Sand City, Cobert sought shelter in White’s iron smithy and offered news about White’s nephew. Qin Zihui’s archers pinned the defenders beneath a relentless arrow barrage while Yetos warned Zeng Mu to conceal his strength and wait for the right moment.

• Cobert fled the Herbal Medicine Shop and persuaded White to let him into the supposedly indestructible iron smithy.
• White ordered Martin to throw Cobert out, but Cobert changed White’s expression by mentioning news about his nephew.
• After the wind shifted, Qin Zihui ordered the Qin archers to loose a powerful volley from their Windrider Bows.
• The defenders crouched behind shields as arrows battered the walls and gate, while Yetos and Zeng Mu stood protected by green barriers.
• Yetos warned Zeng Mu not to reveal his strength until the right moment as the coalition troops reached the moat and began their siege.

The Seven Kingdoms’ army besieged Sand City, but Yetos turned the tide by unleashing his elemental power against the attackers. Qin Zihui finally confronted him, setting up a clash between the two commanders.

• The Seven Kingdoms’ soldiers crossed the poisoned moat and attacked Sand City’s walls, while the defenders cut ropes and hurled weapons at them.
• Zeng Mu struggled to control his urge to join the fighting, and Yetos reminded him to stay rational before launching his attack.
• Yetos appeared beneath the wall and used green elemental power to slaughter the attackers, lifting the defenders’ morale and forcing the siege to falter.
• Han Ling and the other generals urged Qin Zihui to intervene, and Qin ordered six generals to lead a full assault while he confronted Yetos.
• Qin Zihui descended through the storm, and he and Yetos traded taunts before preparing to fight.

Qin Zihui revealed a Second-Tier Wind Elemental Artifact and fought Yetos amid the siege. Yetos weakened as the battle dragged on, and Qin Zihui prepared to finish him just as a streak of golden light shot toward him.

• Qin Zihui activated his Wind Elemental Artifact, and its blast forced Yetos to defend himself with his greatsword.
• Qin Zihui revealed that his Wind Elemental Artifact was Second-Tier, then charged Yetos as the siege continued around them.
• Qin Zihui and Yetos exchanged sword strikes and elemental attacks, drawing their fight away from the city wall.
• Qin Zihui wore Yetos down until he could block the older man's attack without moving his feet.
• As Qin Zihui prepared to kill Yetos, a streak of golden light shot toward him.

Zeng Mu, calling himself Nameless, ambushed Qin Zihui but was forced to face the enemy’s full-strength attack as the battle for Sand City intensified. The eastern gate and drawbridge fell, and the fighting continued into the dawn beneath a purple-red mist.

• Zeng Mu struck Qin Zihui with the Fish-Scale Sword, while Yetos warned that Qin Zihui’s Wind Elemental Artifact helped him recover rapidly.
• Qin Zihui charged at Zeng Mu with a powerful sword attack, and Zeng Mu met him with the Fish-Scale Sword as Yetos tried to intervene.
• The coalition soldiers broke through the eastern gate, and Kanni fought through the slaughter before joining Ma Linya, who asked where Nameless was.
• The Seven Kingdoms Coalition destroyed the suspension ropes and dropped Sand City’s drawbridge, allowing its cavalry to charge through the gate.
• Xibizete arrived with cavalry after defeating the western-gate diversionary force, checking the coalition’s advantage as dawn light colored the mist purple and red.

Zeng Mu and Yetos fought Qin Zihui, whose Second-Tier Wind Elemental Artifact initially gave him the advantage. Yetos destroyed his own artifact to unleash its power, defeating Qin Zihui and leaving Zeng Mu fascinated by the artifact’s strength.

• Zeng Mu endured Qin Zihui’s attack and concealed the blood from his mouth while Qin demanded to know who he was.
• Qin used his Second-Tier Wind Elemental Artifact to overpower Yetos, while Zeng Mu struggled to approach through the pressure of their attacks.
• Yetos revealed his damaged first-tier Wind Elemental Artifact and destroyed it, releasing a tremendous surge of elemental power.
• Yetos’s cyan energy overwhelmed Qin’s white light, and his greatsword knocked Qin’s sword down and wounded him.
• Qin fell to one knee, and Zeng Mu stared at the Wind Elemental Artifact with intense desire.

Ma Linya and Kanni fought through the fog as Ma Linya struggled with exhaustion and recalled the tragedy that had driven her to the battlefield. Qin Zihui’s strength finally failed against Yetos and Zeng Mu, and Zeng Mu’s Fish-Scale Sword pierced his side.

• Ma Linya continued fighting in the purplish-red fog while Kanni protected her and urged her to steady her breathing.
• Ma Linya reflected on her parents’ deaths and the two years she had spent saving people and killing enemies.
• Qin Zihui, badly wounded, insisted that Yetos could not defeat him as Yetos and Zeng Mu pressed their attack.
• Qin Zihui briefly unleashed his remaining strength and forced Yetos back, then fought both opponents as his elemental power dwindled.
• Qin Zihui lost his grip on his sword, and Zeng Mu pierced his flank with the Fish-Scale Sword.

Han Ling rescued the mortally wounded Qin Zihui from Yetos and Zeng Mu as the Seven Kingdoms Coalition was routed from Sand City. The surviving soldiers withdrew into Ten Thousand Forests, unaware that a concealed figure was waiting ahead.

• Han Ling emerged from hiding and blocked Yetos's attack on Qin Zihui, then fought off Zeng Mu while Qin urged him to escape.
• Soldiers rushed in to protect Qin Zihui, but Yetos shattered their weapons and killed them with a burst of green light.
• Qin Zihui and Han Ling disappeared during the confusion, and Yetos and Zeng Mu turned back toward the city gates.
• The Seven Kingdoms Coalition's retreat horn sounded, and its soldiers fled as the knights routed them from Sand City.
• Qin Zihui and Han Ling traveled with the remaining soldiers into Ten Thousand Forests, where an unknown figure waited in the treetops ahead.

Soxia ambushed Qin Zihui’s retreating army, killing its soldiers while Qin Zihui and Han Ling escaped with a Wind Elemental Artifact. At a meeting in Sand City, Yetos’s allies assessed the threat of the Vikings, and Soxia arrived to confirm that their approach meant negotiation.

• Soxia attacked Qin Zihui’s carriage, severed his arm, and killed the remnant army while Qin Zihui and Han Ling escaped using a Wind Elemental Artifact.
• After the battle, Yetos and his allies met in Sand City and learned that their forces had dwindled to eight hundred.
• Geju, Aikimu, and William warned that Idiveer’s two thousand Vikings might attack Sand City that afternoon.
• Zeng Mu said the Viking Legion’s arrival could be prevented and, after Yetos mentioned the stone token found on their captive, described the encounter as a negotiation.
• Soxia entered the meeting with blood on his fingers and agreed that the Vikings’ arrival meant negotiation.

After Sand City’s leaders discussed their need for more people and food and the need to root out spies, Ma Linya treated Zeng Mu’s wounds and he urged her to stay out of danger. They were interrupted by Cobert and White, who walked in on them together and left Zeng Mu embarrassed and furious.

• Soxia joined Yetos and the others as they discussed Sand City’s defenses, concluding that they needed more people, more food, and to find the spies.
• Zeng Mu noticed the damage to Ma Linya’s armor, and she took him to her house to treat his wounds while Kanni hurried away without explaining why.
• As Ma Linya applied hot medicine to Zeng Mu, he asked her not to rush into battle again, but she said fighting was what she aspired to do.
• Zeng Mu offered to treat Ma Linya’s shoulder, and she loosened her clothes so he could apply the remaining medicine.
• Cobert and White entered the house and found Ma Linya and Zeng Mu on the bed, leaving Ma Linya flustered and Zeng Mu nearly undressed and resentful.

Zeng Mu reunited Bright with White and Bright’s four brothers, who celebrated their long-awaited family reunion. White thanked Ma Linya with a rare medicinal herb and offered Zeng Mu a gift from his shop, leaving Zeng Mu eager to see what he could choose.

• Zeng Mu used the Wood Elemental Artifact bead to bring Bright and the four brothers out, and Bright joyfully embraced White.
• White and Bright exchanged memories and tears before Bright and the four brothers reunited with White.
• Ma Linya credited Zeng Mu for bringing Bright back, while Zeng Mu and Cobert said Kanni had devised the plan.
• White gave Ma Linya a purple butterfly spirit herb, which she accepted after initially refusing.
• White offered Zeng Mu a gift from his shop, and Cobert hurriedly led him toward the door to collect it.

White showed Zeng Mu, Ma Linya, and the five brothers his smithy and its exceptional weapons, then gave Cobert a rare Pupil Spirit Stone as his promised gift. The group followed White toward a side room to see his finest forged treasures.

• White welcomed Zeng Mu and the others into his smithy and showed them racks of high-grade weapons.
• White recalled his late lover Betsy Rosalind urging him to follow his own desires.
• White brought out a Pupil Spirit Stone that Martin had left at Yenaier's door, and Cobert claimed it as his thank-you gift.
• Bright explained that the rare stone formed when a Night River Beaver's spirit attached itself to a Salei Flame Stone.
• Cobert dismissed the weapons as an inadequate gift for Nameless, so White led everyone into the side room to see his finest work.

Zeng Mu chose White’s Blue Marsh Armor as a gift for Ma Linya, and the group discovered he was an Elementalist. When Martin arrived, Zeng Mu noticed signs that tied him to the granary and suspected he was hiding something.

• White opened the locked annex and offered Zeng Mu one of its fourteen exceptional weapons and pieces of equipment.
• Zeng Mu chose the Blue Marsh Armor and gave it to Ma Linya, who accepted it after the others encouraged her.
• Bright and the other four realized Zeng Mu was an Elementalist and felt relieved that he had spared them earlier.
• Martin arrived at White’s shop, and Zeng Mu noticed his nervousness and pale gray wood ash grass on his shoe, linking him to the granary.

Zeng Mu and Yetos agreed to test a suspected spy before Idiveer’s forces arrived, while Martin left a drunken gathering and watched the guarded granary. An arrow bearing a message landed near Martin, suggesting that the sender—and the woman he longed for—was close by.

• Zeng Mu noticed Martin secretly wiping wood-ash grass from his foot and grew more suspicious of him.
• Ma Linya tried on the Blueze Inner Armor, and Cobert left after recalling someone named Sobeka Amanda.
• Zeng Mu and Yetos agreed to act against the suspected spy as Idiveer’s forces were expected to arrive within hours.
• White, Bright, and the others got drunk at dinner, and Martin went out to buy cigarettes for them.
• Martin passed the granary and considered how to sabotage the army’s provisions.
• An arrow landed near Martin with a message attached, and he realized its sender might be nearby.

Martin received a message promising him Yenaier if he burned Sand City's granary, and he waited for the guards to leave before approaching it. His memories of his mother's abuse and death revealed the revenge that had shaped him, as he stood poised to seize the opportunity.

• Martin read a letter promising him a thousand gold and Yenaier if he burned the granary, and he remembered falling in love with her after seeing her in the army camp.
• Martin watched the granary until Yetos led its guards away and figures followed them from the roof.
• Martin rushed toward the apparently empty granary, believing the opportunity could transform his life.
• Martin remembered his mother's decline and death, then recalled discovering that his stepfather Swenburne Tunny had abused her.
• Martin carried his mother's body back to the house and watched it burn, with Swenburne Tunny's severed body lying at her feet.