Recaps

Loa hunted in the middle region for nearly two months, consolidating his Rank 5 strength and collecting several Fifth-Level Magic Crystal Cores. As he prepared to return home, he heard something approaching through the forest near the lake.

• Loa defeated a Ragehorn Lightning Sheep by evading its lightning and charges, then struck its forehead and took its Fifth-Level Magic Crystal Core.
• Loa continued hunting and surviving in the middle region, gathering several Fifth-Level Magic Crystal Cores and improving his strength.
• Nearly two months after entering the mountains, Loa swam in a lakeside pool and prepared to head home as promised to Uncle Bob.
• As Loa sat down to eat roasted bird beside the lake, he heard deliberate rustling from the nearby forest and watched for the approaching presence.

Loa encountered three Rank 5 adventurers by the lake and used a fabricated mercenary-regiment story to conceal his strength and wealth. He pretended to accept their offer of protection and led them down a false route, with both sides preparing to exploit the other.

• Loa spotted a mage and two warriors approaching and judged that none of them had Rank 6 strength.
• The shield-bearing third brother demanded Loa's roast chicken, while the mage leader questioned him and eyed his leather pouch.
• Loa claimed he belonged to the nearby Grayrock Mercenary Regiment and was scouting for a hunt, then pretended to be heading back to camp.
• The mage leader proposed that they travel together, and Loa accepted while making the group believe he was leading them toward his camp.
• Loa took a false woodland path toward Fenlai City as the three men followed, positioning themselves to watch or attack him.

Loa used a laxative to distract Lan and his brothers, then killed all three when they lowered their guard. After looting their equipment and a large haul of Magic Crystal Cores, he fled the Magical Beast Mountain Range and continued toward Fenlai City.

• Third Brother suffered severe diarrhea after eating the roast chicken, distracting Lan and drawing his attention away from Loa.
• Loa ambushed Second Brother with Wind-Thunder Shock and killed him with a sword strike through the heart.
• Lan attacked Loa with wind magic, but Loa evaded his spells and killed him.
• Third Brother charged Loa in grief and anger, but Loa dodged and killed him with a sword thrust to the throat.
• Loa looted the three men, found more than forty Rank 3, nearly twenty Rank 4, and five Rank 5 Magic Crystal Cores, then fled toward the outer region.
• After resting in a concealed rock crevice, Loa resumed his journey toward Fenlai City.

Loa returned to Fenlai City after two months in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and reunited with Bob at the forge. As his wounds healed and he learned to control his murderous aura, he considered how to sell the Magic Crystal Cores and other spoils he had brought back.

• Loa left the Magical Beast Mountain Range and traveled toward Fenlai City, where people avoided him because of his murderous aura.
• Loa returned to Cast Iron Alley and reunited with Bob, who scolded him but welcomed him into the shop.
• Loa recovered from his injuries over several days and practiced drawing his murderous aura inward so he would not frighten customers.
• Loa found that his Battle-qi had grown purer and that he was advancing toward the middle stage of Rank 5.
• Loa considered selling his Magic Crystal Cores and other spoils, but postponed deciding until he could ask around.

Loa assessed his spoils from the Magical Beast Mountain Range and sold the Magic Crystal Cores and equipment through Bob’s contact at the Golden Grain Chamber of Commerce. With a fortune secured on a Magic Crystal Card, he began planning how to invest in his cultivation and develop his Wind-Thunder Battle-qi system.

• Loa compared trading-house and black-market sales, then calculated that his Magic Crystal Cores and equipment could bring in more than ten thousand gold coins.
• Loa asked Bob for a discreet buyer, and Bob arranged a meeting with Manager Li of the Golden Grain Chamber of Commerce.
• Manager Li bought Loa’s Magic Crystal Cores and equipment for 13,250 gold; after the commission and card-issuance fee, Loa received a Magic Crystal Card holding 11,825 gold.
• Loa considered buying cultivation resources and a better weapon, and resolved to develop his Wind-Thunder Battle-qi system into a distinctive path.

Loa bought the Saint-level Storm and Ten Thousand Jun Battle Qi Manuals, mastered both, and advanced to Rank 5 Mid Stage. His first attempt to fuse their battle-qi injured him, but after recovering, he resolved to strengthen his meridians and continue researching his Wind-Thunder method.

• Loa spent 8,300 gold coins on the Storm and Ten Thousand Jun manuals despite the Hall of Wisdom attendant’s warning.
• Loa studied the manuals and learned to circulate both forms of Saint-level battle-qi, then advanced to Rank 5 Mid Stage.
• Loa planned a Wind-Thunder fusion method and injured his meridians when the two battle-qi currents clashed inside him.
• Bob examined Loa, found his foundations intact, and scolded him before tending to him during his three-day recovery.
• Loa concluded that his meridians needed strengthening before another attempt and continued studying rather than trying the fusion again.

Loa advanced his cultivation by developing the Wind-Thunder Meridian-Expansion Method, strengthening his meridians and reaching late rank five while continuing to forge a thousand-fold steel sword. His work was interrupted by the arrival of Linley and Bebe, whom he happily welcomed into his courtyard.

• Loa recalled abandoning the costly Century-Old Stone Milk and devised a method to temper his meridians by coordinating Storm and Ten Thousand Jun battle-qi.
• After three months of experiments, Loa increased his meridians’ carrying capacity and named his technique the Wind-Thunder Meridian-Expansion Method, while planning a more ambitious Wind-Thunder Two Forms Transformation Scripture for rank seven.
• Loa rewarded Bob for his help with a lavish visit to Bishui Paradise and later broke through to late rank five.
• Loa continued forging a thousand-fold steel sword, aiming to make it heavier and stronger than his previous weapon.
• Linley visited Loa with Bebe, and Loa welcomed them warmly and invited Linley to share fruit wine.

Linley reunited with Loa, learned how rapidly his friend had advanced as a warrior, and heard that Loa planned to train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Hillman then brought news that Wharton had enough Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration, and Linley gave the family nearly all the money he had won from Land to help pay for Wharton's training at the O'Brien Academy.

• Linley met Loa at a tavern, where they discussed their progress, Linley's family finances, and Loa's plan to create a Battle Qi Manual.
• Doehring Cowart revealed that Loa was a late-stage Rank 5 Warrior, and Loa said he might soon train deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• George recognized Loa as the gifted boy who had chosen the warrior's path, and Linley returned to the Ernst Institute with Yale and Reynolds.
• Hillman told Linley that Wharton's Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration had reached the required threshold, but the family could barely afford the O'Brien Academy's tuition.
• Linley withdrew 9,900 gold coins from his Magic Crystal Card and gave the money to Hillman for Wharton's education, resolving to keep cultivating and learn stone sculpting.

Linley felt discouraged after hearing of Dixie's fourth-rank breakthrough, but Doehring encouraged him and promised to teach him a secret technique. Meanwhile, Loa completed a masterwork sword, surpassed his limits to strengthen his meridians to the sixth-rank level, and prepared for a future expedition.

• Linley heard that Dixie had become a fourth-rank magus and compared his progress unfavorably with Dixie's and Loa's.
• Doehring reassured Linley that Dixie had begun with extraordinary Spiritual Force and promised to teach him a secret technique.
• Loa showed Bob the longsword he had forged through thousandfold folding, and Bob declared that Loa had completed his apprenticeship.
• Loa continued training and practicing the Wind-Thunder Meridian-Expansion Method through the changing seasons, eventually challenging his Great Circulation limit.
• Loa completed eighty-one circuits and broke through to sixth-rank meridian strength, increasing his Battle-qi growth and preparing to set out once his rank stabilized.

Loa gathered intelligence on possible Earth Vein Lizard habitats, prepared for a long expedition, and left Fenlai City for the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He departed hopeful that the dangers and battles ahead would help him overcome his cultivation bottleneck.

• Loa received four leads from Old Dao and chose a route that would investigate them before reaching Blackstone Canyon, his primary target.
• Loa spent half a month training and preparing weapons, armor, medicine, food, and a jade bottle for storing the Earth Vein Lizard's spinal fluid.
• Bob shared a meal with Loa, warned him about the dangers of the mountains, and gave him Ghost-Fright Incense before wishing him a safe return.
• Loa visited Linley at the Ernst Institute, gave Bebe roasted rock sheep leg and Linley a thousand-fold steel short blade, and told them he would be gone for at least half a year.
• Loa left Fenlai City and headed toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range, believing the expedition might help him break through to the sixth level.

Loa reached the Sulfur Hot Spring Zone and used its harsh conditions to train while cautiously testing his self-created Wind-Thunder Two Forms Battle-qi. After finding Fire-Iron Ore, he discovered a fresh trail bearing earth-element traces and began following it in hopes of finding an Earth Vein Lizard.

• Loa entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, avoided most beasts, and killed two Ironback Boars and a Windblade Mantis for their materials.
• Loa reached the Sulfur Hot Spring Zone, avoided Fire-Poison Pythons, and established a concealed temporary base after surveying the area.
• Loa safely projected a tiny wisp of Wind-Thunder Two Forms Battle-qi, piercing a volcanic rock and confirming the fusion's powerful effects.
• Loa made the hot springs part of his training routine, tempering his body while searching for signs of an Earth Vein Lizard.
• Loa found Fire-Iron Ore beneath a hot spring and considered whether it might attract Earth Vein Lizards.
• Loa discovered a fresh, large lizard-like trail with faint earth-element traces and a metallic tang, then began following it.

Loa waited near a hot spring for an Earth Vein Lizard, but encountered a family of Redflame Fire Lizards and attacked them to force a breakthrough. He reached Rank 6 while surviving the female’s self-detonated Redflame Spray, but ended the chapter burned and facing the surviving male, whose life-burning rage had raised him to late Rank 6.

• Loa tracked the lizard-like beast to a hot spring and watched the area for three days without finding it.
• Three Redflame Fire Lizards surfaced, and Loa recognized the family as a chance to fight his way through his Rank 5 bottleneck.
• Loa killed the young lizard with a surprise sword strike, enraging its parents, then dodged the male’s fireballs and claw attack before striking him with Crushing Thunder.
• Loa charged the female as she prepared Redflame Spray, but she detonated the unstable magic inside her mouth, killing herself and badly burning Loa.
• Loa’s defensive Battle-qi barriers helped him survive the blast, and the pressure of the crisis pushed him through to Rank 6 Warrior.
• The male burned his life force to reach late Rank 6, while Loa cauterized his wounds with lightning and prepared to face him.

Loa fought the grief-maddened Redflame Fire Lizard as it switched between close combat and relentless fireball attacks. He risked using his incomplete Wind-Thunder Two Forms Battle-qi to kill the beast with one decisive strike, but was left severely injured.

• Loa deflected the Redflame Fire Lizard's charge and wounded it with precise sword strikes to its weak points.
• The Redflame Fire Lizard unleashed an expanding ring of fire, then kept Loa at a distance with a barrage of fireballs.
• Loa feigned retreat to lure the Redflame Fire Lizard into pursuing him, then fused his battle-qi into Wind-Thunder Two Forms Battle-qi.
• Loa used Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder Fury to pierce the Redflame Fire Lizard and carve a massive scar into the rock wall behind it.
• The Redflame Fire Lizard died, and Loa collapsed to one knee with severe injuries, knowing he had won.

After defeating the Fire Lizards, Loa escaped the sulfur belt with their valuable Magic Crystal Cores and Redflame Gems, then recovered in hiding from severe injuries. By early September, his wounds had mostly healed, and he left for the Coniferous Forest Swamp.

• Loa cut three Magic Crystal Cores and three Redflame Gems from the Fire Lizard corpses and fled the battlefield despite his damaged meridians.
• Loa found a concealed stone hollow, scattered beast-repelling powder, treated his burns, and used gentle battle-qi to stabilize his injuries.
• Loa appraised the Redflame Gems at a total of at least eighteen thousand gold coins, not counting the Magic Crystal Cores.
• Loa spent the following days in seclusion as his burns healed, his meridians strengthened, and his early Rank 6 cultivation stabilized.
• In early September, Loa packed his belongings and set out northeast toward the Coniferous Forest Swamp.

Loa crossed the damp coniferous forest and reached the Coniferous Forest Swamp, where he saw how dangerous its waters were and concluded that finding an Earth Vein Lizard was unlikely. He decided to rest, scout the outskirts, and hunt water-attribute magical beasts before continuing his journey.

• Loa used Listening to the Wind to detect a Green Poison Python ambush and killed it with his short blade, then collected its Magic Crystal Core and some meat.
• Loa traveled deeper into the forest and reached the edge of the vast, fog-shrouded Coniferous Forest Swamp.
• Loa watched a Swamp Forest Giant Crocodile leap from the water and swallow a Wind Bird.
• Loa assessed the swamp's hazards and realized its wet, water-rich environment made finding an Earth Vein Lizard unlikely.
• Loa planned to rest for a few days, survey the swamp's outskirts, and hunt water-attribute magical beasts for their Magic Crystal Cores.

Loa recovered in the Coniferous Forest Swamp, restoring his meridians and stabilizing his Rank 6 cultivation while gathering magical cores. As he prepared to resume his journey toward Blackstone Canyon, he began planning a thunder-element body-tempering method inspired by tigers and leopards.

• Loa built a defensible camp and spent weeks training, cultivating, fishing, and hunting nearby magical beasts as he recovered.
• By late September, Loa's injuries had healed, his meridians had strengthened to the late sixth-level standard, and his early-stage Rank 6 cultivation had stabilized.
• Loa collected three fifth-level water-element Magical Cores and one sixth-level water-element Magical Core during his recuperation.
• Loa considered improvements to his Wind-Thunder Meridian-Expansion Method and decided he needed a systematic way to temper his body.
• Loa began considering a body-tempering technique based on thunder-element battle-qi and the movements of tigers and leopards before preparing for his evening training.

Loa crossed the dangerous middle reaches toward Blackstone Canyon, surviving encounters with powerful magical beasts before two Wind Wolves found his camp. After one wolf raised an alarm, Loa fled as a pack of at least thirty closed in.

• Loa traveled cautiously through the middle reaches, escaping a Six-Armed Water Ape and a flock of Iron-Beaked Vultures while collecting several Magical Cores.
• Loa camped in a forest clearing and detected two Wind Wolves approaching under cover of darkness.
• Loa ambushed the wolves, killing one with Startling Thunder and striking the other with Crushing Thunder.
• The wounded Wind Wolf feigned death, then howled twice to alert its pack before dying.
• Loa abandoned the wolves' Magic Crystal Cores and fled southwest as answering howls revealed that at least thirty Wind Wolves were converging.

Loa fought through a Wind Wolf pack and killed three wolves, but a half-step seventh-rank Wind Wolf King emerged to lead the remaining beasts. With his battle-qi strains merging and only three minutes of safe use, Loa faced the wolf king and its pack, determined to fight.

• Loa dodged the Wind Wolves’ coordinated ambush and used their missed attacks to wound them, then fought while retreating southwest.
• Loa unleashed Wild Wind and Sudden Rain Sword and killed two Wind Wolves with Gale Thrust and Startling Thunder.
• A powerful wind blade from behind nearly struck Loa, but it split a third wolf in half; Loa survived the blade’s scattered aftermath with his battle-qi barrier.
• The Wind Wolf King appeared, and Loa judged it to be at the peak of the sixth rank, nearing the seventh.
• Loa merged his Storm, Ten Thousand Jun, and Weapon Strike battle-qi, determined to face the wolf king and its pack despite being able to sustain the transformation for only three minutes.

Loa fought the Wind Wolf King while badly injured and, at the brink of defeat, awakened an embryonic Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder sword force. His devastating slash grievously wounded the wolf king, allowing him to escape into the forest while the pack hesitated to pursue.

• Loa used fused movement techniques and Startling Thunder to wound the Wind Wolf King, but the wolf king counterattacked and injured Loa’s left leg.
• The enraged Wind Wolf King sent a wall of enormous wind blades at Loa and charged behind it, leaving him with no clear means of escape.
• Under extreme pressure, Loa awakened an embryonic sword force and unleashed a powerful Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder slash.
• Loa’s slash shattered the wolf king’s Wind Shields and tore away its right ear, eye, and part of its skull, leaving it near death.
• Loa suppressed his presence and escaped into the dark forest while the wounded wolf king’s frightened pack delayed its pursuit.

Loa escaped the wolf pack by reaching a waterfall and hiding in a small cave he carved into the rock. After waking, he treated his wounds and began restoring his battle-qi, but he still did not know where he had ended up.

• Loa followed the sound of a waterfall to evade the pursuing beasts and collapsed near a hidden hollow beside the pool.
• Loa woke in the cave he had carved with his Wind-Thunder Two Forms Battle-qi and found no signs that the wolves had followed him.
• Loa examined his depleted battle-qi and discovered his meridians had survived, though a wolf bite had badly wounded his flank and his left knee was likely cracked.
• Loa used medicinal herbs to bandage his injuries, then cultivated to restore some battle-qi and aid his healing.
• Loa spotted Tundra Reindeer drinking by the pool and realized the unfamiliar forest left him unsure of his location, so he stayed in the cave to recover.

While recovering in a cave, Loa regained his strength and explored the sword force he had awakened, then began developing new movement and body-tempering methods. He successfully tested a faint vibration on his tailbone and left his recovery continuing as he cautiously pursued the Wind-Thunder Heavenly Pillar Method.

• Loa recovered from his injuries by circulating the Wind-Thunder Meridian-Expansion Method and hunting nearby magical beasts for food.
• Loa used Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder Sword Force to frighten a group of low-level Rodent Rabbits, discovering that it could suppress beasts through instinctive terror.
• Loa planned a new movement technique combining the evasiveness of Gentle Breeze Brushes the Willow with the explosive speed of Startling Thunder, tentatively naming it Unpredictable Thunder Shadow Step.
• Loa conceived the Wind-Thunder Heavenly Pillar Method, a dangerous body-tempering practice that would use controlled vibrations to strengthen the spine vertebra by vertebra.
• Loa carefully sent a faint, low-frequency vibration of wind-thunder battle-qi into his tailbone and felt a tingling response, then stopped to avoid rushing the experiment.

After recovering from his injuries, Loa resumed training and traveled toward Blackstone Canyon, where he hoped to find Earth Vein Lizards and a way to break through the limits of his meridians. He reached the canyon and settled into a concealed position to scout and wait for the right opportunity.

• Loa completed his recovery, refined his Wind-Thunder techniques, and left the waterfall cave to resume his journey.
• At the site of his battle with the Wind Wolf King, Loa found the battlefield stripped of bodies and concluded the wolf king had survived.
• Loa tested the Unpredictable Thunder Shadow Step against several sixth-rank magical beasts while traveling, collecting their Magical Cores and preserving their meat.
• Loa reached Blackstone Canyon, whose iron-rich rocks and terrain matched reports of possible Earth Vein Lizard sightings.
• Loa took shelter behind a large boulder and prepared to reconnoiter the canyon patiently.

Loa searched Blackstone Canyon for Earth Vein Lizards while cultivating his understanding of wind, then faced the first snowfall of the year with thoughts of Old Jack. He left his shelter to keep exploring and cultivating through the storm.

• Loa studied the canyon’s shifting winds from a cliff after finding no Earth Vein Lizards in the shallow tunnels.
• Loa recalled killing a Stone-Armored Berserk Bear and making its cave into a shelter with preserved meat for winter.
• Loa caught snow in a wooden cup and poured the melted water onto the ground in remembrance of Grandpa Jack.
• Loa returned to the cliff despite the worsening storm, hoping the snowfall might change the Earth Vein Lizards’ behavior and deepen his cultivation.
• Loa sat in the snow and sharpened his control of Battle-qi while watching the dark canyon.

Loa completed the initial tempering of his tailbone with the Wind-Thunder Heavenly Pillar Method and sensed that his Battle-qi was close to breaking through to mid-stage Rank 6. After the snowfall stopped, he found fresh tracks leading to a concealed cave and quietly approached what might be the Earth Vein Lizard’s lair.

• Loa spent the heavy snowfall maintaining his training and searching the canyon for signs of the hidden creature.
• Loa completed the initial tempering of his tailbone and felt his balance and physical control improve.
• Loa sensed that his Battle-qi was nearing a breakthrough to mid-stage Rank 6.
• After the snow stopped, Loa spotted fresh crawling tracks crossing the canyon toward a sheltered area.
• Loa traced the tracks to a concealed cave beneath piled boulders and stealthily approached it.

Loa discovered that the Earth Vein Lizard was a powerful seventh-level magical beast, far stronger than he had expected. After observing its routine and advancing to middle sixth rank, he began devising special methods to hunt it.

• Loa waited near the cave and watched the Earth Vein Lizard return, realizing it was a well-established seventh-level beast.
• Loa observed the lizard over several days and learned that it regularly fed on Iron-Eating Ants before returning to its cave.
• Loa continued training and broke through from early to middle sixth rank.
• Loa judged that he might be able to fight the lizard, but decided that brute force would not be enough and began planning special methods.