Chapter Summaries

Loa took stock of the treasures and progress he had gained during his journey, then settled back into a peaceful routine at home with Wangcai. The chapter ended with Loa enjoying breakfast and the familiar calm of the courtyard.

• Loa reviewed his Space Ring’s contents and gave the Thunder Source Essence to Wangcai, who began licking it before falling asleep.
• Loa inspected the Thunder Prison Sword Saint’s legacy, the Saint-level greatsword, and his Magic Crystal Cores, tallying six Level Seven cores and more than two million gold coins in value.
• Loa reflected on his advancement to Level Seven, his improved techniques and weapons, and the mysterious power of Wangcai before going to sleep beside him.
• Loa woke to find Wangcai on his chest, fed him, and continued his morning training.
• Loa drew water and ate breakfast with Bob while Wangcai devoured pieces of meat and chased butterflies in the courtyard.

After Wangcai grew larger from absorbing the lightning source essence, Loa took him to visit Linley and his friends at the Ernst Institute. Their reunion ended with Loa stopping Bebe’s sudden attack, leaving the two magical beasts face to face.

• Wangcai woke after sleeping for a day and night, having grown to more than a meter long, and asked Loa about his parents.
• Loa told Wangcai he did not know whether Bai'erluosi was its mother, then promised they would look for traces of her.
• Loa visited the Ernst Institute with Wangcai, reunited with Yale, and let him pet the friendly magical beast.
• George and Reynolds returned to the 1987 Dormitory, where Loa chatted with them about Wangcai.
• Bebe charged into the courtyard, but Loa slowed him with the Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder Sword Force and tossed him onto a roast beef leg as Linley hurried over.

Loa reunited with Linley and their friends, gave them valuable crystal cores, and secretly offered Linley a Magic Crystal Card to ease his family’s financial burdens. After the friends spent the night together in Fenlai City, Linley learned the card held one million gold coins and silently thanked Loa.

• Loa returned to the institute with Wangcai, and Bebe befriended the purple magical beast while the group exchanged stories and gifts.
• Doehring Cowart told Linley that Loa had reached the seventh rank and possessed a Space Ring, stirring Linley’s determination to become stronger.
• Bebe and Wangcai raced through the institute’s hills, then joined the group for an evening at Bishui Paradise in Fenlai City.
• Loa gave Linley a Magic Crystal Card to help his family, and Linley promised to repay him double.
• The friends said goodbye the next morning, and Linley visited the Four Kingdoms Gold Bank, where he learned the card contained one million gold coins.

Loa prepared to travel to the Sunset Mountain Range to obtain a fire-element draconic magical beast’s heart and Magical Core for Wot Lucas. He arranged to join a Dawson Chamber of Commerce caravan through the Dark Alliance, then left home for the commerce compound to begin his journey to the Black Lion Kingdom.

• Loa visited Wot Lucas and Old Dao, promising to retrieve the draconic beast’s heart and Magical Core and learning that adventuring parties had recently vanished in the Sunset Mountain Range.
• Loa asked Yale Dawson to arrange a place for him as a caravan guard, and Yale agreed after learning Loa was a Rank 7 Warrior.
• Yale sent Loa a letter confirming a guard position on a caravan bound for the Black Lion Kingdom in early July.
• Loa continued his daily training, then told Bob and Wangcai he was leaving and set out for the Dawson Chamber of Commerce compound.
• Loa entered the Dawson Chamber of Commerce compound to report for the caravan journey.

Loa met Myron Dawson and agreed to help escort the Dawson Chamber of Commerce’s caravan to the Black Lion Kingdom. The caravan departed south toward the Black Lion Kingdom, with the Sunset Mountain Range and Fire Dragon Valley still ahead.

• Loa presented Yale’s letter at the Dawson Chamber of Commerce and was welcomed by Myron Dawson, who asked him to escort a shipment to the Black Lion Kingdom.
• Myron introduced his guard captain, Cass, who tested Loa’s strength in a prolonged handshake and was surprised when Loa outmatched him.
• Myron invited Loa to ride in his carriage, and Loa joined the caravan as its eleven wagons and escort prepared to leave.
• The caravan departed the city heading south, with griffins taking flight to scout above the company.

Loa traveled with Myron’s caravan toward the Black Lion Kingdom, balancing card games and caravan duties with his cultivation. At the Dark Alliance border, he scouted the final town before settling in to temper his fifth thoracic vertebra.

• Myron invited Loa to play cards, and Loa quickly learned the game and began beating him.
• Loa continued cultivating during the journey, finishing his fourth thoracic vertebra and beginning work on his fifth in early September.
• On September 9, the caravan reached the last town on the border, twenty li from the Dark Alliance.
• Loa scouted the town while Myron visited a club, then bought grilled meat for the hungry Wangcai.
• Loa returned to camp and resumed tempering his fifth thoracic vertebra while Wangcai slept beside him.

Myron’s convoy crossed into the Dark Alliance and traveled on to the Crimson Blood Royal Capital before continuing south. A week later, masked attackers ambushed the camp, and Loa realized the cavalry and the men fighting Cass were diversions as a second assault targeted Myron.

• Myron’s convoy crossed the Holy Union border and entered the Dark Alliance, where Cass’s knights changed into dark armor.
• The group reached the Crimson Blood Royal Capital, traded goods, and departed after three days.
• A week later, Bloodthirsty Demon Bats attacked the camp, bringing down the Azure-Eyed Thunder Eagle as masked heavy cavalry approached.
• Three Eighth-level Warriors engaged Cass while Loa went to protect Myron, who had taken cover behind a carriage.
• Loa recognized that the cavalry and Cass’s attackers were diversions when a carriage exploded and black-clad assailants charged toward Myron.
• Loa called for Myron’s protection and drew Hidden Abyss as a huge fireball followed the attackers.

Loa destroyed the three mages preparing a Meteor Firestorm, then raced back to help defend the camp from a heavy cavalry charge. With Cass and the camp’s crossbowmen fighting back, Loa tore through the cavalry formation and began turning the battle.

• Loa defeated the nine black-clad attackers and killed the three mages with Nine Heavens Execution Platform, stopping their Meteor Firestorm.
• The cavalry commander learned the mages were dead and ordered his more than one hundred heavy cavalrymen to charge the camp.
• Cass fought the three eighth-level assassins, killed one, and urged his men to resist the attack.
• Loa returned to the camp and used nine afterimages to strike the charging cavalry, while Cass’s crossbowmen shot down their horses.
• Loa plunged into the cavalry formation and cut a path through it, shifting the tide of battle.

Loa killed the cavalry commander and helped end the attack, while Tolkien saved Myron from a poisoned assassin. After the survivors secured the camp, Loa patrolled with Wangcai, who felt useless and resolved to become stronger.

• Loa cut through the cavalry and killed its Eighth-level commander, while Cass rallied the guards to defend the camp.
• Cass left Myron's side to join the fighting, and a hidden assassin attacked Myron from behind.
• Tolkien blocked the assassin's blade, suffered a poisoned wound, and drove the attacker away before Loa and Cass could catch him.
• Loa treated Tolkien's wound, and Myron ordered Cass to count casualties and prepare the group to leave.
• Loa patrolled with Wangcai, reassured the dispirited dog, and noticed it had become more diligent.

After the attack, Myron hurried the Dawson caravan to Black Lion City, where Loa agreed to stay through the approaching Yulan Festival. Wangcai worried about his weakness, while Loa resumed training and continued tempering his thoracic vertebrae.

• The caravan traveled day and night after its battle losses, and the knights treated Loa with new respect for his role in defeating the enemy.
• Myron considered introducing Loa to his eight-year-old niece, Vivian, then dismissed the idea.
• On December 28, 9994, the Dawson caravan arrived in Black Lion City, and Myron invited Loa to stay for the Yulan Festival.
• Loa found Wangcai brooding over his inability to help during the attack and encouraged him to grow stronger patiently.
• Loa returned to his room and trained, having reached the threshold of late rank 7 and begun tempering his sixth thoracic vertebra.

Loa attended the Dark Church’s Yulan Festival Mass and experienced the soothing power of its ceremony, which nearly drew him into its influence. Afterward, he told Myron he disliked being spiritually affected by the churches and resolved to grow stronger.

• Myron led Loa to the Dark Temple, where hundreds of thousands gathered silently for the Yulan Festival Mass.
• The Dark Pope extinguished every flame with a ripple of dark power, enveloping the city in a peaceful darkness.
• The pope invoked divine might and led the crowd through prayers and chanting that influenced Loa and the faithful.
• Loa used his sword force to maintain some clarity while the Mass continued until midnight.
• As they left the square, Loa told Myron he disliked the churches’ influence, and Myron warned him to keep such remarks quiet.
• Loa walked away from the temple and resolved to become stronger.

Loa received intelligence revealing that the Fire Dragon King had left Fire Dragon Valley, giving him a chance to obtain a rank eight fire dragon’s heart and magical core. After preparing, Loa and Wangcai left Black Lion City to travel to the valley.

• Cass delivered the Dawson Chamber of Commerce’s intelligence to Loa and warned him about the danger of hunting a fire dragon.
• Loa learned that the Fire Dragon King had pursued a water Saint Magus toward the South Sea and had not returned to Fire Dragon Valley.
• Loa decided to seize the opportunity, studied the route and escape paths, and packed supplies for the journey.
• Loa left a letter for Myron and Cass, then set out with Wangcai toward the Sunset Mountain Range.

Loa and Wangcai traveled south through the Sunset Mountain Range toward Fire Dragon Valley, where Loa killed a Level Eight saber-toothed tiger with an improved sword technique. After teasing Wangcai and collecting the beast’s remains, they continued toward their destination, still several days away.

• Loa and Wangcai crossed the Sunset Mountain Range and turned south toward Fire Dragon Valley.
• A Level Eight saber-toothed tiger ambushed Loa, but he defeated it with Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder Sword Force and an improved Wind Threads Turn to Dust.
• Loa collected the saber-toothed tiger’s magic crystal and bones while Wangcai cultivated nearby.
• Loa startled Wangcai with a sword thread, then promised to roast him magical beast meat and gathered the tiger’s bones for liquor.
• Loa checked the map and estimated that Fire Dragon Valley was three or four days farther south, then continued over the mountain with Wangcai.

Loa watched Fire Dragon Valley and planned to steal the hearts and Magical Cores of two Level Eight Fire Dragons while avoiding the rest. Before he could act, the Green Dragon King arrived with a large group of Green Dragons and headed for the absent Fire Dragon King's lair.

• Loa surveyed the valley, counted its adult Fire Dragons, and weighed how to kill two Level Eight dragons without being surrounded.
• Loa sensed a Saint approaching from the east and hid in a crevice with Wangcai.
• The Green Dragon King led a host of Green Dragons across the eastern cliff into Fire Dragon Valley.
• The Fire Dragons reacted warily as the Green Dragon King flew to the Fire Dragon King's lair and found it empty.

Loa hid as the Green Dragon King attacked the Fire Dragon Valley, then silently killed two gravely wounded Level Nine fire dragons and took their hearts and Magic Crystal Cores. He escaped with Wangcai while the Green Dragon King and Fire Dragon King resumed their battle.

• The Green Dragon King led dozens of green dragons in an assault on the Fire Dragon Valley while the Fire Dragon King was away.
• The Fire Dragon King returned and fought the Green Dragon King in the sky above the valley.
• Loa descended the cliff and used Yin Thunder Soul Severing to kill two wounded Level Nine fire dragons.
• Loa cut out the dragons' hearts and Magic Crystal Cores, then climbed back to Wangcai.
• The Green Dragon King threw the Fire Dragon King into the Magma Lake, but the Fire Dragon King counterattacked with a barrage of fireballs.
• Loa and Wangcai fled into the mountain forest as the two kings continued fighting.

As the Hellfire Phoenix and Ephilos attacked Hogniaki, the Fire Dragon King called on Putos and submitted, prompting Putos to wound the Phoenix and claim Hogniaki’s affairs as his own. Fifty kilometers away, Loa and Wangcai kept fleeing while the Saints faced off and the dragons were caught in the conflict.

• The Hellfire Phoenix and Ephilos launched forbidden spells at Hogniaki, who called out to Putos and declared that he was willing to submit.
• Putos appeared and slashed the Hellfire Phoenix, sending her crashing into a cliff before she rejoined Ephilos in the sky.
• Putos said Hogniaki’s affairs were now his business, while Hogniaki stayed silent and Ephilos’s scheme fell apart.
• Loa and Wangcai raced away from Fire Dragon Valley, with Loa deciding not to return until he had become a Saint.
• Ephilos continued to gamble against the other Saints, and the fire dragons and green dragons were caught in the ensuing conflict.

After fleeing the Sunset Mountain Range, Loa and Wangcai entered the Yulan Empire and stopped in Stonebridge Town to rest and replenish their strength. Loa settled in for the night, leaving their journey north toward home to continue later.

• Loa and Wangcai ran for three days and nights from the Sunset Mountain Range before stopping to rest at its northern edge.
• Loa recovered from the strain of using soul attacks, while Wangcai's aura steadied, and they planned to enter the Yulan Empire and travel north through the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• Loa and Wangcai arrived in Stonebridge Town, where the locals treated them as passing travelers and Loa bought Wangcai a dog-shaped candy.
• Loa ate at the inn, noticed traveling merchants whispering about water jade smuggling in the north, and learned the town's history dated back to Yulan Calendar 8088.
• Loa washed and went to bed in the inn while Wangcai slept nearby.

Loa prepared to return to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, restocked his supplies, and sent Cass word that he had safely left the mountains. He and Wangcai headed north along the range’s Central Axis, planning to train on the way home before the end of the year.

• Loa stored the two Fire Dragon Hearts and their Magic Crystal Cores in Jade Boxes, planning to have Wot refine them and hoping to help Bob advance to seventh rank.
• Loa and Wangcai ate breakfast, then bought spices, medicines, paints, paper, and brushes in town.
• Loa mailed Cass a letter through the Dawson Chamber of Commerce, telling her he was safe and asking her to reassure Uncle Bob.
• After leaving town, Loa transferred the supplies into his Space Ring and entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range with Wangcai.
• Loa told Wangcai they would travel north along the range’s Central Axis, training as they went and trying to reach home before the end of the year.

Loa spent months cultivating and traveling through the Magical Beast Mountain Range, deepening his swordsmanship, exploring his powers, and watching Wangcai grow stronger. By July 9995, they had crossed a little over half their route and expected to reach home before the New Year.

• Loa practiced shifting seamlessly between slow and fast sword strikes while Wangcai learned to defeat sixth-rank magical beasts on his own.
• Loa pondered the deeper meaning of Two Forms Annihilation Division but could not yet understand what its annihilation truly meant.
• During the first spring thunderstorm, Loa sensed the wind and rain and painted the scenery, strengthening his Spiritual Force through his work.
• Loa suspected that his unusual soul and ability to use two elements at once came from his soul not belonging to this universe, but he set the question aside.
• By July, Loa and Wangcai had covered a little over half their journey through the mountain range, and Wangcai told Loa that home was wherever he was.

After a year of training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Loa decided to head west with Wangcai toward Fenlai, hoping to reach home for the Yulan Festival. On their way out, they encountered three armed men, avoided a fight, and continued through the falling snow.

• Loa left his cliffside training spot with Wangcai after snow began to fall.
• Loa told Wangcai they would leave the core region and head west toward Fenlai.
• While traveling through the snowy middle region, Loa estimated they would reach the edge of the mountains in about a week.
• Three armed men emerged from the bushes, but Loa declined to engage and walked on with Wangcai.
• After Loa and Wangcai had gone, the leader scolded Second Brother and ordered Third Brother to beat him.