Chapter Summaries

An Baruch was born as Linley’s twin brother in the Baruch Clan and gained a system that rewarded effort, which he used to build his strength throughout childhood. At age six, he outlasted the other children in Hillman’s training and persuaded Hillman to let him and Linley train with the ten-year-olds.

• An realized he had transmigrated into the Baruch family as Linley’s twin, and Hogg named him An Baruch.
• A diligence system appeared, revealing An’s unawakened Dragonblood Warrior bloodline and rewarding his efforts to grow and exercise.
• Over six years, An trained daily, improved his physical abilities, and raised his bloodline concentration slightly.
• An and Linley joined the children’s morning training, where both endured the Qi Storing Posture for nearly an hour.
• An asked Hillman to move them to the ten-year-old group, and Hillman agreed to start them there the next day.

An trained before dawn, joined Linley in the ten-year-old group, and earned Hillman's training notes through his persistence. Hogg told An that his name meant protection and asked him to protect the Baruch Clan, and An swore he would.

• An jogged before dawn, then held the Qi Storing Posture for 42 minutes while Hillman watched.
• Hillman assigned An and Linley to the ten-year-old training group after An calmly answered a boy who questioned whether they could keep up.
• Hadley introduced himself to An and welcomed him to the group after seeing the boys handle the training.
• An stayed late to practice and told Hillman he wanted to become strong enough to protect everyone he cared about, so Hillman gave him his physical training notes.
• An found Hogg in the ancestral hall, where Hogg explained the Baruch Clan's decline and that An's name meant protection; An swore to protect the family and its glory.

An and Linley underwent the Dragonblood Needle test and learned their bloodline concentrations were too low to awaken as Dragonblood Warriors. An activated a system function to temper his bloodline, while Hogg also told them about the Baruch Clan’s lost heirloom, the Slaughter battle saber, leaving both brothers determined to grow stronger and reclaim it.

• At dinner, Wharton told An, Linley, and Hogg that he had used the same linen cloth to wipe the chamber pot and the bowls, and Hogg corrected him.
• Hogg took An and Linley to the Ancestral Hall and explained the Baruch Clan’s history as Dragonblood Warriors and the decline of its bloodline.
• Hogg tested Linley’s blood with the Dragonblood Needle, which showed that his concentration was insufficient to awaken.
• An’s test revealed a bloodline concentration of 3.2%, and he spent 1000 diligence points to activate the Bloodline Tempering function.
• Hogg told the brothers that the family had lost its Slaughter battle saber, and Linley vowed to bring it back as An silently agreed.
• In the corridor, An reassured Linley that they could become strong through other paths even if they could not awaken as Dragonblood Warriors.

An and Linley witnessed a Velociraptor and its mysterious mage rider annihilate a mercenary squad in Wushan Town, leaving An determined to pursue magic. Hogg promised to take An and Linley to the magus admissions tests in Fenlai City that late autumn.

• A Seventh-Level Velociraptor arrived in Wushan Town with a purple-robed mage, and An and Linley followed Hillman to watch it confront a mercenary squad.
• The mage attacked the squad over the Depelo Shadow Diamond, and the Velociraptor killed Luke and destroyed nearby homes.
• The mage unleashed the eighth-level Dance of the Fire Serpent, killing the mercenaries and their magical beasts, while a lightning bolt struck the fleeing archer.
• An asked Hogg whether Dragonblood Warrior Clan descendants could become maguses, and Hogg agreed to take him and Linley to the late-autumn admissions tests in Fenlai City.
• An questioned Hillman about magic and warriors during training as he anxiously awaited the tests.

An and Linley took the magic admissions test in Fenlai City and both earned admission to Ernst Academy. They left the cathedral with admission letters after demonstrating exceptional affinities and superior spiritual energy.

• An entered the cathedral and watched applicants fail the affinity and spiritual energy tests.
• An revealed exceptional wind affinity, average fire affinity, and spiritual energy twenty times the average for his age.
• The Ernst Academy admissions director gave An an admission letter, and Hillman embraced him excitedly.
• Linley demonstrated exceptional earth and wind affinity and spiritual energy eighteen times the average for his age.
• The Ernst Academy admissions director gave Linley an admission letter, and the brothers smiled at each other.

An and Linley celebrated their admission to Ernst Institute with their family, learned more about the Baruch Clan’s history, and set out to reclaim its former glory. After arriving at the institute and registering, they joined their new roommates Reynolds and Yale Dawson in dormitory 1987.

• Hogg celebrated An and Linley’s admission to Ernst Institute with a feast, then gave them copies of the Dragonblood Codex and urged them to carry the Baruch Clan’s future.
• An studied the Dragonblood Codex and recalled that blue heart grass could make drinking dragon blood safer, while continuing his physical and magical training.
• Hogg, Wharton, and the people of Wushan Town saw An and Linley off, and both brothers promised to recover the clan’s ancestral treasure, Slaughter.
• Hillman escorted An and Linley to Ernst Institute, where Reynolds introduced himself and the brothers registered with exceptional magical results.
• An, Linley, and Reynolds found that they shared dormitory 1987 and met their roommate Yale Dawson.

Six years later, An had become a powerful young mage at Ernst Academy, training alongside Linley and studying under a private instructor. After impressing Vera with his first attempt at Wind Blade Dance, he returned to the dormitory to record the lesson.

• An outran Linley during their morning training and practiced stone carving, using the focused state to temper his spiritual energy.
• An told Linley that he had reached the peak of the sixth rank last winter and was nearing the seventh.
• An and Linley met Yale and Reynolds, and the four friends ate breakfast together before heading to their classes.
• Vera taught An the fifth-rank spell Wind Blade Dance, and An produced forty-two Wind Blades on his first attempt.
• An returned to the dormitory and wrote notes on the spell in his wind magic book.

An and Linley traveled from Ernst Academy to the Magical Beast Mountain Range and began hunting magical beasts on its outskirts. After defeating several beasts with ease, they decided to venture deeper for stronger prey.

• An reached Level Seven Mage and carved a stone leopard before Linley arrived to set out with him.
• An and Linley traveled south, avoiding three people hiding in the woods after An sensed them with Wind of Perception.
• The brothers entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, camped overnight, and continued deeper the next morning.
• Linley killed a third-level Horned Boar, and An extracted its Magic Crystal Core.
• An and Linley defeated a fourth-level Ironback Wolf and a fifth-level Wind Blade Leopard, then continued deeper.

An and Linley continued their training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, first witnessing armed robbers prey on an adventurer and later confronting a Silver-Patterned Shadow Leopard. An killed the seventh-level beast with Wind Roar after it wounded Linley, and the brothers were left beside its corpse.

• An and Linley watched six armed robbers steal a wounded middle-aged adventurer’s Magic Crystal Cores, then chose to continue their journey rather than pursue them.
• On the seventh day in the mountains, An sensed a powerful beast and identified it as a seventh-level Silver-Patterned Shadow Leopard.
• An and Linley attacked the leopard together, using wind and earth magic to slow it and limit its movements.
• The leopard used stealth to ambush Linley, struck him into a tree, and then lunged at him again.
• An cast the seventh-level Wind Roar, struck the fleeing leopard with a huge wind column, and killed it.

An and Linley discovered Blue Heart Grass in the Mist Canyon, but An’s attempt to retrieve it drew the attack of a level-eight Golden-Patterned Python. An escaped and left the grass behind, resolving to return when he was stronger.

• An and Linley spotted Blue Heart Grass growing on a cliff inside the Mist Canyon.
• An used a Flight Spell to descend into the canyon and reached the grass.
• A level-eight Golden-Patterned Python attacked An before he could pluck the Blue Heart Grass.
• An evaded the python’s attacks and escaped the canyon, while the beast withdrew into the mist.
• Linley supported An as he recovered, and An agreed to return for the Blue Heart Grass when he was stronger.

An and Linley discovered a bandit camp in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and defeated its leader and his men, freeing several captives. They escorted Kalan, Alice, and the others to a nearby town, then parted with the Debs Clan’s emblem in hand.

• An and Linley spotted a bandit camp holding several hostages and planned a surprise attack.
• An killed the bandit leader with a second Wind Roar after Linley trapped him with Earth Split, and together they subdued the remaining bandits.
• Linley freed the captives, including Kalan and Alice, while An found ransom letters and valuables among the bandit leader’s possessions.
• An and Linley agreed to escort the rescued group out of the mountains, and Kalan introduced them to his companions from the Debs Clan.
• After reaching a nearby town, An refused Kalan’s reward, and Linley accepted the clan emblem and an invitation to visit Fenlai City.

An and Linley returned to Wushan Town with the Magic Crystal Cores they had gathered and revealed their plans to help Hogg become a Dragonblood Warrior. After visiting the Baruch Clan’s ancestral hall, the brothers left for Ernst Academy, while An vowed to restore the clan’s glory.

• An and Linley traveled from Ernst Academy to Wushan Town with nearly fifty thousand gold coins’ worth of Magic Crystal Cores.
• The brothers presented the cores to Hogg and told him they had found blue heart grass and planned to obtain dragon blood so the family could awaken its Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.
• Hogg was overjoyed to hear An had reached Level Seven Mage at sixteen and celebrated with his sons over dinner.
• An and Linley visited the Baruch Clan’s Ancestral Hall, where An vowed to restore the clan’s glory.
• An and Linley said goodbye to Hogg and rode back toward Ernst Academy.

An, Yale, and Reynolds discovered Alice with Kalan and confronted her about betraying Linley. Alice admitted she no longer had feelings for Linley, and An waited with his brothers while Linley remained at her house, unaware of the truth.

• An saw Alice walking hand in hand with Kalan on Champs-Élysées Avenue and hurried to confront them.
• An and Reynolds challenged Alice and Kalan over Alice repeatedly leaving Linley waiting, while Yale threatened the Debs Clan.
• Alice admitted she and Linley were over and said she no longer had feelings for him.
• An told Alice to explain the breakup to Linley herself, then left with Yale and Reynolds.
• An, Yale, and Reynolds waited late into the night, choosing to let Linley discover the truth for himself.

After seeing Alice with Kalan, Linley drank heavily and grieved over the times he had waited for her, while An, Yale, and Reynolds comforted him. The next morning Linley went alone to the mountain, and An left him with Bebe while Yale went to investigate Alice and Kalan.

• Linley told Yale, Reynolds, and An that he had seen Alice holding hands with Kalan on Champs-Élysées Avenue.
• An admitted he had seen them earlier and explained why he had not told Linley; Linley recalled repeatedly waiting for Alice and the promises she had broken.
• Linley knocked bottles from the table, but An embraced him and Yale and Reynolds reassured him that he still had his brothers.
• Linley drank until he passed out, and Yale arranged for him to be taken back to the academy while An followed behind the carriage.
• Linley left before dawn with his pack and went to the mountain, where An found him standing by a boulder with Bebe.
• An asked Bebe to watch over Linley and returned to the dormitory, where Reynolds told him Yale had gone to Fenlai City to investigate Alice and Kalan.

After learning how the Debs Clan had pressured Alice into leaving Linley, Yale moved to cut off the clan’s business ties. Linley spent eleven days carving five lifelike figures of Alice, then named the sculpture “Dream Awakening” and reunited with his friends over food and wine.

• Yale revealed that the Debs Clan had paid Alice’s father’s gambling debts, and An said Alice should have spoken to Linley instead of betraying him.
• Yale ordered the Dawson Chamber of Commerce to end its partnership with the Debs Clan, and Walter turned away the clan head’s request to meet.
• Linley stayed motionless before a boulder for several days, then carved five figures showing Alice at different points in their relationship while An, Yale, and Reynolds watched from afar.
• On the eleventh day, Linley finished the sculpture, called it “Dream Awakening,” and admitted to An that he was starving.
• Linley declined to sell the sculpture, and he shared a meal and wine with An, Yale, and Reynolds.

Linley and An descended into Mist Canyon to gather Blue Heart Grass, but Bebe’s haul triggered a vast magical-beast pursuit. After escaping, they discovered an injured young Golden Dragon and considered using its blood to awaken the Baruch Clan’s Dragonblood Warrior lineage.

• After Linley reached level seven, An trained for a month and emerged as a level eight mage before joining Linley and Bebe on the journey to Mist Canyon.
• An and Linley found over a hundred stalks of Blue Heart Grass in the canyon basin, and Bebe gathered 160 stalks before a Golden-Patterned Python attacked.
• An and Linley fought off the python and escaped a pursuit by the canyon’s magical beasts, bringing Bebe and the Blue Heart Grass to safety.
• An detected a powerful magical beast in the nearby forest, where Linley and An found an injured level eight Golden Dragon.
• Linley and An considered capturing the Golden Dragon for its blood, hoping it could help awaken the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.

An, Linley, and Bebe coordinated an attack on a wounded Golden Dragon, using spells and Bebe’s speed to exploit its injured foreleg. Their assault failed to bring it down, and the Golden Dragon broke free and prepared another Holy Light Blast as the chapter ended.

• An assigned Linley to trap the Golden Dragon with Earth Split and Bebe to attack its wound while he restrained it with wind magic.
• Linley trapped the Golden Dragon’s hind legs in a fissure, and An bound its wings and neck, but its Holy Light Blast struck Linley and cracked his Earth Guardian Sacred Armor.
• Bebe tore open the Golden Dragon’s foreleg wound before it flung him away, and Linley used Gravity Spell to pin the beast.
• The Golden Dragon cast Holy Light Protection and endured An’s Wind Roar: Ultimate, leaving it injured but still standing.
• An called for Bebe to attack from above and Linley to target the Golden Dragon’s unscaled belly, but the dragon snapped the bindings, took flight, and began charging Holy Light Blast at An and Linley.

An and Linley killed the Golden Dragon and drank its blood after chewing blue heart grass, awakening their Dragonblood Warrior bloodlines and transforming into dragon forms. They learned to fly, gathered the dragon’s valuable remains, and headed for the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

• Bebe distracted the Golden Dragon while An shattered its barrier with Wind Roar: Extreme, and Linley impaled it with an Earth Spike Array.
• Bebe killed the wounded Golden Dragon, and An gave Linley five stalks of blue heart grass before they drank the dragon’s blood.
• An and Linley endured the blood’s violent effects and awakened as Dragonblood Warriors, growing scales, wings, horns, spikes, and tails.
• An and Linley returned to human form, tested their new strength, and flew in dragon form while Bebe complained that he could not fly.
• An gave Linley the Golden Dragon’s Magic Crystal Core, and they collected its scales, tendons, teeth, and meat before flying out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Linley and An graduated as seventeen-year-old seventh-level mages, attracting attention from powerful factions that sought to recruit them. After the Radiant Church protected them from a Dark Church abduction attempt, the brothers recovered the ancestral saber Slaughter from the Lucas Clan to take home to their father.

• Linley demonstrated seventh-level wind and earth magic, and An demonstrated seventh-level wind magic during their graduation tests.
• Envoys from major powers tried to recruit Linley and An, but the brothers postponed their decision until they could consult their father.
• A Dark Church group tried to seize Linley and An, but Radiant Church forces drove them off and escorted the brothers to safety.
• Yale found out that the Lucas Clan possessed Slaughter, and An and Linley visited the clan to ask for the saber's return.
• Jeb Lucas gave Slaughter to An and Linley without charge, and the brothers left with the ancestral saber.

An and Linley returned to Wushan Town as Dragonblood Warriors and reunited with Hogg, who revealed that Duke Paterson had ordered Lina’s abduction. After restoring the clan’s ancestral saber and promising to uncover Lina’s fate, the brothers left to enter the Fenlai Kingdom’s service and investigate.

• An and Linley returned to the Baruch manor, where Hillman and Hiri welcomed them home and Hogg learned they had awakened their Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.
• An gave Hogg Blue Heart Grass, and Linley and An transformed into Dragonblood Warriors, moving Hogg and Hiri to tears.
• Hogg told An and Linley that mysterious men had abducted Lina eleven years earlier and that his investigation had linked the abduction to Duke Paterson.
• An and Linley promised to investigate Paterson and chose to enter the Fenlai Kingdom’s service so they could gain access to Fenlai City’s power circles.
• An presented Slaughter to Hogg, who returned the ancestral saber to the Ancestral Hall and prayed for the Baruch Clan’s restoration.
• An and Linley agreed to build their strength and investigate quietly, then left Wushan Town for Fenlai City the next morning.