Chapter Summaries

Loa fought Olivier in the forest, matching his speed before defeating him with Wind Threads Turn to Dust. Loa took the unconscious Olivier with him and Wangcai as they continued north.

• Olivier attacked Loa with the Ice Dream Sword, but Loa blocked his rapid strikes with Hidden Abyss.
• Olivier unleashed the Phantom Dream Sword, filling the area with millions of sword images, while Loa answered with Wind Threads Turn to Dust.
• Loa's wind erased Olivier's sword images and left him injured and unconscious in a crater.
• Loa picked up Olivier and ordered Wangcai to carry him, and the three headed north through the forest.

After Loa defeated Olivier, he brought the exhausted swordsman to a cabin by a lake, where Olivier recovered and struggled to accept his loss. Loa’s advice helped Olivier begin to reconsider his belief that he was unrivaled below the Saint level.

• Loa waited with Wangcai at the cabin until Olivier woke from a day and night of unconsciousness, then Wangcai claimed credit for carrying him there.
• Olivier thanked Loa for sparing him, bathed in the lake, and explained that he had followed Wangcai because he was curious about the beast’s use of force.
• Olivier learned that Loa was eighteen and born in 9979, while Olivier was forty-two and born in 9955, and he brooded over his crushing defeat.
• Olivier asked Loa the name of his sword technique and learned it was Wind Threads Turn to Dust.
• Loa told Olivier that believing himself unrivaled below the Saint level had been self-deception, and Olivier began reflecting on the advice instead of remaining despondent.

After a week of recovering from his defeat, Olivier understood that he needed to follow his own path and left to pursue a breakthrough to Saint level. Loa and Wangcai continued north, while the first snow fell and a young couple made their relationship official in Fenlai City.

• Olivier laughed after finally accepting that he did not need to compare himself with Loa, and he resolved to pursue his own sword path and reach Saint level.
• Olivier told Loa he would return to O'Brien to enter seclusion, while Loa planned to travel north with Wangcai to see the sea.
• Olivier left Loa's cabin the next morning, promising they would meet again after he reached Saint level.
• Loa and Wangcai set off north, leaving the cabin open for future travelers.
• On November 29, 9997, Loa and Wangcai watched the first snow fall as a young couple made their relationship official in Fenlai City.

Loa watched the sea, sky, wind, and lightning from a reef, then painted as he grasped how they were connected. The storm helped him reach Perfection at the eighth level, and he ended the chapter watching the sunset with Wangcai.

• Loa and Wangcai left the mountains and traveled north to the seashore.
• Loa spent three days observing the wind, sea, and horizon before beginning a painting.
• Loa watched lightning strike the sea and understood how wind and lightning worked together.
• During a torrential downpour, Loa felt the wind and lightning interweave and reached Perfection at the eighth level.
• After the rain stopped, Loa called his painting “Wind and lightning, and also the Two Principles,” then watched the golden-red sea with Wangcai.

Loa traveled east into the O'Brien Empire, where he encountered bandits and killed a group of six ninth-level men who tried to recruit him into their cult. Their identical, unnatural dark-element battle-qi suggested that a powerful figure was manufacturing ninth-level warriors, and Loa set out wondering who was behind it.

• Loa crossed into the O'Brien Empire and Wangcai killed two groups of roadside robbers.
• Loa had Wangcai test Scar, a ninth-level bandit chief, then killed Scar with Hidden Abyss after noticing his unstable strength.
• Six black-clad ninth-level men confronted Loa and offered him a place in their organization, claiming their god could raise believers to Saint level.
• Loa recognized that the six men's battle-qi fluctuations were identical and killed them with six Sword Rays.
• Loa examined the lingering dark-element battle-qi and sensed that it seemed to want to devour his battle-qi.

Loa traveled to Sea Tide Town, where two men tried to drug and abduct him for their high priestess. He followed them to a black-robed woman, recognized her secret battle-qi technique, and accused her of belonging to the Dark Church.

• Loa arrived in Sea Tide Town and sensed two people watching him before settling into an inn with Wangcai.
• Two men entered Loa’s room at night after filling it with a colorless drug, but Loa and Wangcai subdued them.
• Loa forced the men to lead him to their high priestess near the mouth of the Yulan River.
• The black-robed woman drained the men’s battle-qi and vitality, killing them in front of Loa.
• Loa identified her method of cultivating fighters and accused her of being part of the Dark Church, which she denied.

Loa fought and defeated A Luo Liya, a two-winged Fallen Angel who tried to recruit him into the Dark Alliance and then claim his body as a vessel. After sensing that the battle might attract O'Brien Empire Saints, Loa left with Wangcai.

• A Luo Liya offered Loa a place in the Dark Alliance, but he refused and questioned how the Dark Church could operate in O'Brien territory.
• A Luo Liya attacked Loa using Dark Battle-qi and stealth, but he sensed her strike and countered with a powerful elbow.
• A Luo Liya revealed her true form as a Saint-level Fallen Angel and tried to overpower Loa, but his Wind Threads Turn to Dust trapped her.
• A Luo Liya escaped the Wind World with Shadow Transformation, but Loa bound her with the Nine Heavens Execution Platform.
• A Luo Liya used Evil Power against Loa, but it failed to affect his soul, and Loa killed her with Yang Thunder.
• Loa noticed his Battle-qi had grown stronger, then left the area with Wangcai to avoid the Saints alerted by their battle.

Klemerson learned that A Luo Liya had died but ordered her replacement to keep the Dark Alliance’s work and a shipment in O’Brien territory moving. Loa reached Chiyan City with Wangcai, settled into the Dawson Chamber of Commerce mansion, and planned to visit an elder the next day.

• Klemerson heard that A Luo Liya had been killed after taking her Fallen Angel form, dismissed her death, and ordered another agent to take over her work without disrupting the shipment.
• Loa traveled south by boat with Wangcai for two months, avoiding pursuit and reaching Chiyan City.
• Loa presented his guest retainer badge and Myron’s key at the Dawson Chamber of Commerce mansion, where the butler welcomed him and showed him his prepared room.
• Loa told Wangcai they would not disturb Olivier, who was in seclusion, and said they would visit an elder the next day.
• Loa took Wangcai out to sample Chiyan’s food stalls, then returned to the mansion and rested after a hot spring bath.

Loa reached O'Brien Academy to reunite with Grandpa Hiri and visit Wharton Baruch. After finding Wharton training, Loa challenged him to attack with all his strength, leaving their bout about to begin.

• Loa registered at O'Brien Academy and found Grandpa Hiri at his courtyard.
• Loa and Grandpa Hiri reunited, and Hiri welcomed him before asking whether he had found someone he liked.
• Loa diverted Hiri's matchmaking questions by asking to see Wharton, and they went to the training grounds.
• Loa watched Wharton overpower another student, then appeared on the platform and challenged him.
• Wharton accepted the challenge and prepared to attack Loa with everything he had.

Loa sparred with Wharton and coached him in unarmed combat and saberplay, then urged him to explore strength through both force and fluidity. After their training, Loa noticed the headmaster watching him and sensed that the old man was powerful.

• Wharton attacked Loa with fists and close-quarters techniques, but Loa evaded and countered without using battle-qi while correcting Wharton's form.
• Loa sparred with Wharton using wooden weapons and taught him to make his fierce saberplay more flexible and less predictable.
• Loa demonstrated how strength could build gradually and flow between hardness and softness, leaving Wharton pondering the lesson.
• Old Hiri recognized the gray-robed visitor as the headmaster, who watched Loa and Wharton train.
• Loa ended the spar by touching Wharton's wrist with his sword, and Wharton thanked him for his guidance.
• Loa met the headmaster's gaze and sensed that the old man was powerful.

Loa sparred with Wharton at O'Brien Academy, then met its headmaster, Fein, who invited him to become a disciple of the War God. Loa declined and left with Fein's advice about reaching the Saint level, planning to eat and sleep before deciding what to do next.

• Loa sparred with Wharton on the academy grounds, and headmaster Fein praised Loa's skill and recognized him as the man who defeated Marcus.
• Fein invited Loa to his courtyard, where Loa explained that he had come to visit an elder and check on Wharton at Linley's request.
• Fein introduced himself as an unofficial disciple of the War God and offered to make Loa the War God's disciple.
• Loa declined the offer because he wanted to remain free, and Fein compared him to Olivier, who had also refused the War God.
• Fein advised Loa that reaching the Saint level depended more on the heart than on battle-qi, and Loa left the academy with Wangcai.

Loa reunited with Wharton, revealed his identity, and watched him use the Dragonblood Warrior Transformation in a spar. He gave Wharton a painting of the Yulan River and guidance on understanding force and developing a calmer, flowing fighting style.

• Loa reminded Wharton of the wooden sword he had given him as a child, and Wharton recognized him as Big Brother Loa.
• Wharton transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior, rising from Rank 5 to Rank 7, and sparred with Loa for nearly an hour.
• Loa gave Wharton a painting of the Yulan River and advised him to study its flowing power.
• Loa demonstrated the Nine Heavens Wind-Thunder Sword Force, giving Wharton a brief experience of force.
• Loa urged Wharton to temper his fierce fighting style with water's flow and stillness, and Wharton promised to remember his guidance.

Loa spent his time in the O'Brien Empire training, sparring with powerful warriors, and guiding Wharton before breaking through to the ninth level. After nearly two years away, he decided to return to Fenlai City.

• Loa trained and sparred with ninth-level warriors at O'Brien Academy, earning a reputation for strength beyond his eighth-level rank.
• Wangcai accompanied Loa around the city for food, while Wharton studied the painting and improved his fighting style under Loa's guidance.
• On May 10, year 9998 of the Yulan Calendar, Loa's Two Forms Battle-qi transformed and he broke through to the ninth level.
• Loa tested his increased power and reflected that he could now face an early-stage Saint like A Luo Liya more easily, though a peak Saint remained beyond him.
• Wangcai asked whether they could return, and Loa agreed to go back to Fenlai City after almost two years away.

Loa said goodbye to his friends in the O'Brien Empire, then began the journey west through the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Two years later, while Linley waited in vain for Alice in Fenlai City, Loa sensed an unfamiliar creature watching his camp.

• Loa visited Fein, who warned him about the dangers of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and said goodbye to Wharton and old Hiri.
• Loa wrote Olivier that he had reached the ninth level and planned to fight him again once Olivier became a Saint, then sent the letter through the Dawson Chamber of Commerce.
• Loa and Wangcai left Chiyan City and entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, beginning their return journey to the Holy Union.
• Two years later, Linley went to Alice's home in Fenlai City, but she did not return; after waiting until night, he left disappointed.
• That night, Loa woke to find an unfamiliar, non-Saint-level creature watching him and Wangcai from the forest.

Loa found and treated an injured Dark Nightmare Pegasus, then fought it to earn its submission and bound it with a Master-Servant Contract. He named the pegasus Wuzhui, who joined Loa and Wangcai at camp before their journey continued the next day.

• Loa and Wangcai followed a blood scent through the forest and found an unconscious Dark Nightmare Pegasus with a broken wing and other injuries.
• Loa carried the pegasus to camp and treated its wounds; after waking the next night, it acknowledged him but challenged him to a fight before agreeing to follow.
• Loa defeated the Dark Nightmare Pegasus in a fierce battle, and the pegasus knelt before him.
• Loa used a Master-Servant Contract to bind the pegasus, learned it had no name, and named it Wuzhui.
• Wangcai welcomed Wuzhui as his little brother, and Wuzhui gently nuzzled Loa beside the campfire.

Loa returned to Fenlai City with Wuzhui and found Linley devastated after Alice ended their relationship. After sending Wangcai and Wuzhui to help Linley back to the academy, Loa headed toward the hotel where Alice and Kalan were.

• Wuzhui recovered enough to run swiftly and showed Loa how he could merge his wings into shadow.
• Loa returned to snowy Fenlai City on November 29 and saw Linley leave a hotel looking hollow and despondent.
• Linley recalled waiting for Alice, smashed the Memory Crystal Balls he had made for her, and thanked her for the memories of their year together.
• Linley collapsed in the snow and coughed up blood before Yale, Reynolds, and George rushed to support him.
• Wangcai told Loa that Alice had chosen Kalan Debs after keeping Linley waiting for two months.
• Loa sent Wangcai and Wuzhui to take Linley back to the academy, then continued toward the hotel.

Loa avenged Linley by breaking into the Debs Clan estate and crippling Kalan, then threatened to cut the clan off from Dawson Chamber of Commerce business. After hearing what happened, Clayde chose not to intervene, leaving Paterson’s faction exposed as Loa returned to the Ernst Institute.

• Loa followed Kalan home after seeing him escort Alice, then entered the Debs Clan estate by cutting through its gate and wall.
• Loa told Bernard that Kalan had offended Linley, brushed aside the guards, and shattered Kalan’s dantian and half his meridians.
• Loa warned Kalan that the Dawson Chamber of Commerce would no longer give business to the Debs Clan and left after threatening anyone who sided with them.
• Loa returned to the Ernst Institute, where Wangcai, Wuzhui, Bebe, Yale, George, and Reynolds were gathered near Linley, who stood before a boulder.
• Clayde learned of Loa’s attack and ordered his subordinates not to interfere in the Debs Clan’s affairs, viewing the incident as a chance to weaken Paterson’s power.

After ten days of sculpting, Linley emerged from his heartbreak and broke through to seventh-rank spiritual force. Loa revealed that he had crippled Kalan and painted Linley’s struggle, while Linley decided to move forward and left the sculpture with Yale.

• Linley sculpted for ten days in a selfless state, absorbing the surrounding elements as his spiritual force rose to the seventh rank.
• Linley thanked Loa for staying with him, and Doehring Cowart realized Loa possessed eighth-rank spiritual force at only nineteen.
• Loa told Linley that he had crippled Kalan and arranged for the Dawson Chamber of Commerce to cut off the Debs Clan’s business; Linley said his relationship with Alice was over.
• Loa gave Linley a painting that let him relive his sculpting and heartbreak, ending with his words, “The dream is over.”
• Linley asked Yale to keep the sculpture of the five Alices as he prepared to move forward.

After leaving Linley to train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Loa discovered that Bob had set out to travel and improve himself. Meanwhile, Alice learned that Kalan planned to drug her and hand her over to Lord Paterson, and she fled the Debs Clan mansion as a guard chased her.

• Linley departed for the Magical Beast Mountain Range with Bebe, while Loa supported his decision to train.
• Loa found Bob’s letter explaining that he had gone traveling after reaching Level Seven and would send letters through the Dawson Chamber of Commerce.
• The Debs Clan lost its business partners and income after Clayde ordered an investigation and the Dawson Chamber of Commerce ended cooperation.
• Alice visited Kalan and agreed to care for him, unaware that he intended to use her as leverage with Lord Paterson.
• Alice overheard Kalan order a servant to drug her porridge and deliver her to Lord Paterson, then fled the mansion as a deathsworn guard pursued her.

Loa learned from Bob’s letters that Bob had followed a group transporting children and strange metal containers, then received news of a battle at Black Wind Ridge and a bloodied scrap matching Bob’s clothes. Believing Bob might have been taken toward the Dark Alliance, Loa set out through the snow with Wuzhui and Wangcai to find him.

• Loa read Bob’s letters and learned that Bob had followed suspected traffickers carrying children and rune-marked metal containers.
• Loa asked Matthew to investigate the group’s route and discover where Bob had last been seen.
• Loa trained while Wuzhui recovered, and Matthew’s scouts searched along the border.
• Matthew reported that Bob had been seen at Black Wind Ridge, where scouts found signs of a major battle and a bloodied scrap of cloth matching Bob’s clothes.
• Loa learned that a group may have carried living people toward the Dark Alliance, then rode out on Wuzhui with Wangcai to search for Bob.