Chapter Summaries

Ove explained how Enlightenment awakened a Bloodline and began the process for Lin Ke, Nix, and John in private. Inside his soul space, Lin Ke discovered six ancient Bloodlines waiting for him to choose, including Power and Luck.

• Ove explained that people could choose or be chosen by a Bloodline in their soul space, and described the Bloodline grades.
• Lin Ke asked Ove to keep the Enlightenment private and hide their Bloodline results from others, and Ove agreed.
• Ove touched Lin Ke, Nix, and John with his staff, then used his mental power to open their soul spaces.
• Lin Ke entered his soul space and saw countless lights rush toward him before six enormous stars drove them away.
• Lin Ke sensed that the six stars were ancient Bloodlines and identified the first two as Power and Luck.

Lin Ke chose the Knowledge, Luck, and Leadership bloodlines and entered his soul space, where he found three newly sprouted bloodline saplings. After Ove learned that Lin Ke’s enlightenment had lasted unusually long and suspected he awakened multiple bloodlines, he warned Lin Ke to keep it secret and prepared to test his talent.

• Lin Ke chose Knowledge, then Luck and Leadership, and discovered all three bloodlines in his soul space.
• Lin Ke left his soul space and woke in the study, where Nix and John remained unconscious.
• Ove said Lin Ke’s bloodline enlightenment had taken one minute and five seconds, far longer than normal, and speculated that he had awakened two bloodlines.
• Ove warned Lin Ke to tell no one except his father and Ove, then brought out a crystal ball to test Lin Ke’s talent.

Lin Ke discovered that his aptitude was Andrew Level, the highest rank, and persuaded Ove to conceal the result. After Ove left, Lin Ke protected Nix and John’s secrets and gathered the castle’s residents to make an announcement.

• Ove tested Lin Ke’s blood, and the crystal ball released a pillar of light that revealed Andrew Level aptitude.
• Lin Ke asked Ove to conceal the result, and Ove agreed to claim the crystal ball had cracked during research.
• Ove tested John and Nix, finding John’s aptitude interesting and Nix’s exceptional, then secretly changed the records in his memory to list safer ranks.
• Lin Ke wondered whether Steward Billy was a Professional and told John and Nix to keep their bloodlines secret.
• Lin Ke led John and Nix outside and gathered his family, Steward Billy, servants, and guards at the castle gates to make an announcement.

Lin Ke announced that he, John, and Nix had awakened excellent bloodlines, but the news overwhelmed Furon and moved the servants to tears. The next morning, Lin Ke prepared a comfortable lesson for the reclusive Ove, beginning his plan to ease Ove’s fear of people and win him over.

• Lin Ke told the people of Azan Castle about the three bloodline awakenings and explained their ranks and the Crystal Ball’s destruction.
• Furon cried with joy and relief, and the servants shared her emotions until Lin Ke escorted her to rest.
• Ove summoned Lin Ke, John, and Nix to the study and hid behind a bookshelf while speaking to them.
• Lin Ke had John bring refreshments, comfortable chairs, and stored ice to make Ove’s lesson more comfortable.

Ove taught Lin Ke, John, and Nix how traits combined to form a class, then agreed to stay until they became [Scholars]. Lin Ke entered his Soul Space and became a [Scholar] in twenty-three minutes, leaving Ove astonished and full of admiration.

• Lin Ke arranged the study for Ove and used the chance to show respect for his teacher, prompting Ove to summon a Servant of Truth to move the furniture and refreshments.
• Ove explained that becoming a [Scholar] required gaining insight into traits such as learning, research, and recording, and said he would stay until the three students formed their classes.
• Lin Ke entered his Soul Space and passed memories from his previous life into the sapling, which grew a branch and gave him the [Scholar] class.
• After Lin Ke returned, John clarified that only twenty-three minutes had passed, and Ove marveled at how quickly Lin Ke had become a [Scholar].
• Lin Ke humbly credited Ove’s guidance, and Ove praised the promise of Lin Ke’s future.

Ove taught Lin Ke and the others about Nathang, the Endless Planes, and the foundations of research, while Lin Ke quickly proved his exceptional talent. The chapter ended with Ove demonstrating his Force Multiplication skill and Lin Ke asking technical questions that left him speechless.

• Ove praised Lin Ke’s talent after Lin Ke became a [Scholar] during the lesson.
• Ove used purple motes to explain that Nathang was round and described the Star Realm, the planar crystal-wall system, and the Space-Time Teleportation Array.
• Lin Ke explained that distant people disappeared below the horizon feet-first, giving evidence that Nathang was round.
• Ove taught Lin Ke and the others about research and demonstrated Force Multiplication by snapping trees with a small ball of electricity.
• Lin Ke asked how angles, wheel size, and wheel material affected the force multiplication, and Ove fell silent.

Lin Ke negotiated a large monthly research budget from Antova and spent several days studying with Ove, while Nix and John became Scholars. As Ove prepared to leave, Lin Ke panicked and planned to provoke him into staying by challenging his materialist beliefs.

• Lin Ke bargained with Antova and secured a monthly research budget of seven hundred and twenty-seven gold coins, five silver coins, and three copper coins.
• Lin Ke began training guards in archery while Ove taught Lin Ke, John, and Nix about magic, science, and their world.
• Nix took up the Scholar profession, and John followed a few days later.
• Ove told Lin Ke he was leaving, and Lin Ke decided to challenge Ove's materialist views to persuade him to stay.

Lin Ke used questions about whether the world existed independently of him to persuade Ove to stay and teach him. Ove instead realized Lin Ke wanted to become his disciple and boldly asked Lin Ke to accept him as a teacher, leaving Lin Ke stunned.

• Lin Ke asked whether the world depended on his belief, and Ove urged him to recognize that the world was material.
• Lin Ke argued that the world might have begun and ended with him, then challenged Ove to prove its existence with knowledge beyond his own.
• Ove froze at Lin Ke's challenge, then became excited at the idea of proving the idealists wrong with unfamiliar theorems and rules.
• Ove realized Lin Ke wanted him to stay and teach him, while Lin Ke nervously wondered whether Ove would accept him as a disciple.
• Ove asked Lin Ke to become his disciple, and Lin Ke froze in surprise.

Lin Ke became Ove’s disciple, then prepared for another trip into town while Ove gave him a powerful summon for protection. On the journey, Lin Ke meditated, absorbed a large clump of wood element, and urged John to work harder at cultivation.

• Ove asked Lin Ke to become his disciple, and Lin Ke accepted.
• Ove declined to accompany Lin Ke into town but promised to summon a level-five Servant of Truth to protect him.
• Lin Ke and Furon traveled north with a larger guard escort, and Lin Ke reassured Furon and Nix about the previous tiger encounter.
• Lin Ke meditated in the cart, found a large clump of wood element, and fed it to his knowledge bloodline.
• Lin Ke found John playing with Furon and encouraged him to cultivate diligently if he wanted to catch up with Nix.

Lin Ke took Furon to Parrot City so she could enjoy herself, and she eagerly explored Chaotic Street with him. Their outing was interrupted when Baron Sandir appeared and greeted her.

• John went off to train while Lin Ke took Furon to Parrot City with Nix and the guards.
• Furon told Lin Ke that migrating parrots passed through the city and recalled watching them with Garros six years earlier.
• The group entered the city, where Furon carried Lin Ke and led him to Chaotic Street.
• Furon excitedly watched street performers and animals while Lin Ke and the guards stayed alert.
• Baron Sandir approached Furon and welcomed her to the city.

Lin Ke led Furon away from Baron Sandir and into Akrik's Shop, hoping his Luck bloodline would reveal a fortunate opportunity. The chapter ended as Furon spotted a trembling young cheetah in a cage.

• Lin Ke stopped Baron Sandir from kissing Furon's hand, ignored his son, and led Furon away to visit Akrik's Shop.
• Lin Ke warned the guard captains to turn Baron Sandir away or risk Viscount Garros learning what he had done.
• Furon hesitated at the shop's foul smell, but Lin Ke persuaded her to enter after his Luck bloodline stirred.
• The shopkeeper welcomed Furon and Lin Ke, and Lin Ke declined an assistant so they could browse on their own.
• Furon found a trembling little cheetah in a cage and called Lin Ke over to see it.

Lin Ke followed his bloodline’s stirring through the magical-beast shop, with Baron Sandir eagerly offering to escort him and Furon upstairs. On the third floor, Lin Ke sensed a treasure among the eggs, though its identity remained unknown.

• Lin Ke told John to buy the cheetah while he and Furon went upstairs, where his bloodline stirred again.
• Baron Sandir invited himself along and bragged that his son Galia had become a [Scholar] after only one year of Enlightenment.
• Sandir led Lin Ke and Furon to the second floor, where Lin Ke learned that a level-three magical snake cost seven hundred gold coins.
• Lin Ke asked to visit the third floor, and Sandir approved the request.
• Lin Ke reached the third floor, found it filled with eggs, and sensed that a treasure was there.

Lin Ke used the baron’s offer to buy eggs for Furon and himself, then grew suspicious when Baron Sandir invited them to dinner and an auction. The group accepted the invitation, leaving Lin Ke alert to the baron’s intentions.

• Baron Sandir explained that the eggs cost a thousand gold coins each and offered to buy two for Furon.
• Lin Ke persuaded Furon to accept the eggs as birthday presents, and Baron Sandir’s son asked for one too.
• Lin Ke tricked Baron Sandir’s son into taking a pretty blue egg, then chose the egg that stirred his Luck bloodline while Furon picked a multicolored one.
• Baron Sandir paid for all three eggs and invited Furon to a lavish dinner and an afternoon auction.
• Furon asked Lin Ke what he thought, and he agreed to attend while remaining wary of Baron Sandir.

Lin Ke sent Nix to warn Teacher Ove that something might be wrong, then accompanied Furon and Puxin to the auction house, where he spotted a business opportunity in timepieces. The auction’s first item left Lin Ke stunned when he recognized what it was.

• Lin Ke entrusted the eggs to two guard captains and sent Nix to fetch Teacher Ove, fearing Puxin was making a move against Furon.
• Lin Ke joined Furon and Puxin at the auction house and noticed Puxin’s expensive watch, inspiring him to consider producing timepieces with industrial methods.
• While waiting for the auction, Lin Ke listened to Puxin speak and noticed that some arriving lords looked at him and Furon strangely.
• The auctioneer unveiled a scorched rock covered in glittering pieces and introduced it as the Fortune Goddess's Legacy, opening the bidding at five hundred gold coins.
• Lin Ke recognized the supposed gemstones and stared at the item in shock.

At an auction, Lin Ke realized his Knowledge and Luck Bloodlines could help him introduce professions and inventions from his former world into the Professional system. The auction then presented a failed Deep Blue Giant Tiger, and Puxin bid on it after Furon admired the cub.

• Lin Ke regretted overlooking Blue Star inventions and imagined creating professions such as Doctor, Engineer, and Film Director by combining familiar ideas with the Professional system.
• Lin Ke realized that the glow of his Knowledge and Luck Bloodlines had helped spark his ideas, and noted that a lord had bought the porcelain shards for eight hundred gold coins.
• The auctioneer introduced a Deep Blue Giant Tiger with fair Bloodline aptitude, a level-two growth limit, and only the skill Intimidating Roar.
• Furon admired the tiger cub, and Puxin instructed his maid to bid two hundred and eleven gold coins, prompting ordinary bidders to withdraw.

Furon accepted the Deep Blue Giant Tiger as a gift to Antova Brando after Lin Ke framed it as goodwill toward the Brando Family. At the auction’s final lot, Sandir Azan and Baron Robert battled over a rare merfolk root, and the bidding remained unresolved.

• Puxin offered Furon the Deep Blue Giant Tiger, and Lin Ke persuaded him to count it as a gift for Antova Brando and the Brando Family.
• The auctioneer unveiled the final item, an ugly, shriveled object, and a lord identified it as merfolk root.
• Sandir Azan bid eleven thousand gold coins and tried to claim the merfolk root before the bidding began.
• Baron Robert raised the bid to fifteen thousand, citing his wife’s family’s wealth, and Sandir and Robert continued competing.
• The bidding climbed past twenty-one thousand gold coins as the crowd and Lin Ke wondered what merfolk root was.

At dinner, Puxin told Furon that Garros might never return from the Minochel Plane, leaving her devastated. Lin Ke challenged Puxin’s claim and learned that Garros was only missing after reporting that he was trapped, so he insisted that his father was not confirmed dead and asked where the messenger [Knight] was.

• At the auction, Puxin threatened Shou Xiao over the merfolk root, and Shou Xiao withdrew his bid.
• Puxin took Furon and Lin Ke to the Baron's Residence, where he arrived at dinner after dealing with the merfolk root.
• Puxin told Furon that Garros might remain on the Minochel Plane forever, and Furon collapsed in grief.
• Lin Ke helped Furon recover and questioned Puxin about how he knew Garros was dead and where his remains and followers were.
• Puxin admitted that Garros had reported being trapped through a [Knight] nearly a month earlier, after which the clan lost contact with him.
• Lin Ke told Furon that Garros was not confirmed dead and demanded to know where the [Knight] was.

Lin Ke exposed Baron Puxin’s attempt to seize Azan Castle and keep Furon captive, then used his Servant of Truth and revealed talent to deter him. Puxin still tried to separate Lin Ke from his mother, but thunder outside signaled that help had arrived.

• Baron Puxin revealed that he had sent Professionals to take over Azan Castle while keeping Lin Ke and Furon at his house.
• Lin Ke summoned a fifth-tier Servant of Truth and told Puxin that his teacher, Mr. Ove, was a level-nineteen Professional.
• Lin Ke disclosed that he had undergone Enlightenment, possessed a Distinguished bloodline, and had become a Scholar, then struck Puxin’s son with a controlled bolt of lightning.
• Puxin summoned guards and tried to send Lin Ke home while keeping Furon behind, but Lin Ke insisted that they would leave together.
• Thunder sounded outside, and Lin Ke smiled, believing that the danger approaching Puxin had arrived.

Lin Ke was cornered by Sandir in the baron's residence until his teacher Ove arrived in a storm of lightning to rescue him. Ove stopped his attack after Lin Ke explained he was safe, leaving Sandir and his family terrified and blaming one another.

• Sandir demanded Lin Ke choose between surrendering and facing his anger while Furon remained helpless beside him.
• Ove threatened to destroy Parrot City unless the captors handed over his disciple, Lin Ke Azan.
• Lin Ke sent the Servant of Truth through the guards and escaped with Furon as Ove descended into the baron's garden.
• Ove unleashed his Thunderstorm skill, but Lin Ke shouted that he was unharmed and that Nix had lied about his danger.
• Ove dismissed the lightning orb, checked on Lin Ke, and offered to kill Sandir and his family.
• Sandir, his wife, and his son blamed and exposed one another as they begged for their lives.

After Lin Ke stopped Ove from violating the Nathang Common Treaty, Ove chose to stay and protect him. Lin Ke discovered a note linking Puxin to Antova’s plans, hurried home with Furon, and realized Ove’s promise had fulfilled his mission.

• Lin Ke reminded Ove of the Nathang Common Treaty and promised to report Baron Puxin to the family council instead of letting Ove kill him.
• Ove decided to remain with Lin Ke until his father returned, and Lin Ke’s mission to keep Ove by his side was marked complete.
• Puxin begged Lin Ke for mercy, but a note from Antova revealed that she had arranged for Lin Ke and Furon to visit Parrot City.
• Lin Ke ordered Ove to gather John and the others, then left for the castle that night with Furon.
• On the journey, Lin Ke realized the mission had completed because Ove had promised to stay until Lin Ke’s father returned.