Chapter Summaries

Long Tian studied the light’s map of the underground routes and memorized a final marker before leaving the main hall. He and Yu Jin returned by boat and reached the stone house, where Long Tieshan was heating water.

• Long Tian matched the column of light’s route markers to the path he had traveled and the silk map, then noted a final marker before the image vanished.
• Long Tian left the main hall, passed through the membrane, and surfaced from the whirlpool as the sun slanted westward.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin boarded the boat and sailed back along their incoming route through the pale gray sea.
• Long Tian kept the silk map rolled up as the boat reached shore the following afternoon.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin walked back to the stone house, where Long Tieshan continued heating water by the stove.

Long Tian returned to the vortex after learning the final entrance’s conditions and reactivated the pillar of light with the Origin Return Pearl. A beam rose from the sea as a beacon, leaving the final step unfinished.

• Long Tian recorded the structure and final marker on the map while Long Tieshan and Yu Jin stayed nearby in silence.
• Shen Mo told Long Tian that the completed passage said the Imperial Seal beneath the sea eye was the key and that someone with light and darkness sharing an origin would open it.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin left Longfish Bay and traveled by boat to the vortex, where Long Tian reentered the main hall.
• Long Tian used the Origin Return Pearl, the new core, and the Imperial Seal within him to reactivate the pillar of light.
• Long Tian touched the final marker, causing it to expand and send a steady beam through the sea to the sky.

Long Tian and Yu Jin followed a pillar of light across the sea to a sealed, submerged chamber, where Dragon Shadow illuminated a mark matching the one on its forehead. The Origin Return Pearl, Long Tian’s new core, the Imperial Seal, and the lights from Dragon Shadow and Yu Jin aligned with the mark, completing their final connection.

• Long Tian and the person at the stern steered the boat along the pillar of light across the sea.
• Long Tian swam to a toothed, curved structure and used the Origin Return Pearl to activate its opening.
• Long Tian entered the dry chamber, and Dragon Shadow followed and illuminated its vast circular hall.
• Long Tian saw a mark at the dome’s center that matched Dragon Shadow’s forehead mark as the Origin Return Pearl, his new core, and the Imperial Seal synchronized.
• Yu Jin joined Long Tian beneath the mark, and the lights from Yu Jin and Dragon Shadow formed a continuous band around it.

Long Tian and Yu Jin discovered that the pillar of light concealed a chamber beneath the hall, then opened a passage to a lower circular room containing a relief that absorbed the Origin Return Pearl’s energy. The relief appeared to be the lowest component of the structure’s system, but its purpose remained unknown.

• Long Tian tested the pillar of light and found a hard surface and a deeper chamber beneath it.
• Yu Jin used the dark gray orb to confirm that the space beneath the pillar was hollow.
• Long Tian sensed a chamber with a Dragon Bone Marker Disc-shaped recess and found a seam around the pillar’s base.
• Long Tian traced the seam to release the pillar’s lock, lifted the pillar away, and exposed a square opening.
• Long Tian descended into a circular room and found a toothed relief matching the mark on the dome.
• Long Tian touched the relief with the Origin Return Pearl’s presence, and the relief absorbed the energy without reacting.

Long Tian and Yu Jin opened the relief’s hidden cavity and uncovered a light core. Dragon Shadow drew the core into its chest, and Long Tian surfaced with the core embedded and the underwater light functioning more steadily.

• Long Tian used the Origin Return Pearl to probe the cavity beneath the relief and sensed a warm enclosure inside.
• Yu Jin brought the dark gray orb to the cavity, and Long Tian synchronized the Origin Return Pearl, the new core, and the Imperial Seal to open the flexible partition.
• Long Tian found a fist-sized light core floating inside the cavity and discovered that it absorbed the Origin Return Pearl’s emanation before returning to its original brightness.
• Dragon Shadow connected to the light core and drew it through the opening in its forehead into its chest.
• A new layer of light spread along Dragon Shadow’s spine as the core settled into place, and Long Tian felt the Origin Return Pearl’s transition layer stabilize.
• Yu Jin said the light core was inside, and Long Tian replaced the pillar base, left the underwater chamber, and surfaced beneath the stars.

Long Tian and Yu Jin returned by boat to Longfish Bay after the light core settled steadily into Long Tian. They reached the stone house, where Long Tieshan welcomed them with hot water.

• Long Tian told Yu Jin that the light core had settled without rejection or affecting the Origin Return Pearl's rotation.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin arrived at Longfish Bay at dawn and walked toward the stone house.
• Long Tian noticed Dragon Shadow's scales still held a faint sheen in the morning light.
• Long Tieshan saw them return, poured hot water into two bowls, and sat beside the stove.

Long Tian discovered that Spirit Hall had placed observation posts along the southeast coast routes he had traveled, and Tang San traced the order to the same Elder Hall signatories involved in the Iron Guard files. Long Tian decided to pause sea operations for three months and return inland to avoid being tracked.

• Long Tian practiced with Dragon Shadow for three days until the light core circulated on its own in synchronization with Yu Jin's orb.
• Shen Mo told Long Tian that Spirit Hall had stationed observation posts along key routes between Longfish Bay and the Great Abyss.
• Long Tieshan learned that Spirit Hall's own personnel, rather than local forces, staffed the posts.
• Tang San told Long Tian the redeployment order came from the Elder Hall signatories who had handled the Iron Guard files and that the posts would remain for at least three months.
• Long Tian decided to suspend sea operations until the observation posts began to thin out, then left with Yu Jin and Shen Mo to remain inland.

Long Tian set out with Yu Jin and the man from the stern after learning that the coastal observation posts had withdrawn, then crossed the light-colored band toward the Dragon Shadow. He confirmed the arched bulge remained unchanged and stopped beneath the light core as fluorescence rose from the sea.

• Shen Mo told Long Tian that two coastal observation posts had withdrawn and the remaining three had moved north, leaving a route outside their effective range.
• Long Tian packed the map, tide records and fragment, finished his provisions, and left with Yu Jin while Long Tieshan stayed behind.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin reached Longfish Bay, boarded the man from the stern's boat, and sailed through the light-colored band without encountering observation posts.
• Long Tian inspected the arched bulge at the end of the long wall and confirmed its grooves and surface were unchanged.
• Long Tian guided the boat beneath the light core's projection and felt the warm fluorescence welling up from the deep.

Long Tian examined the Light Core underwater and found that the Origin Return Pearl's pulse had connected with its outer and middle layers, while its innermost core remained independent. He returned to the boat, where Yu Jin said an additional trigger might be needed to complete the connection and would have to be investigated on Long Tian's next dive.

• Long Tian dove beneath the glowing water and found the Light Core in the same position as three months earlier, now shining more brightly.
• Long Tian used the Origin Return Pearl's Qi and Dragon Shadow's light to open the Light Core's shell and connect with its pulse.
• Long Tian observed that the outer layer was connected, the middle layer was more than half penetrated, and the innermost core still operated independently.
• Long Tian surfaced and told Yu Jin what he had found in the Light Core.
• Yu Jin concluded that the final connection needed an additional trigger and said they would investigate it on Long Tian's next dive.

Long Tian synchronized the light core’s inner layer with the Origin Return Pearl, completing the core’s structure and establishing a lasting phase lock. As dawn came, the fluorescence faded, and the boat turned back along its route.

• Yu Jin suggested that Long Tian connect the light core’s outward pulse with a matching external pulse to complete its inner layer.
• Long Tian adjusted the Origin Return Pearl’s pulse and entered the water to direct its Qi toward the light core.
• Long Tian brought the two pulses into phase, causing the light core’s inner and outer layers to merge into one continuous structure.
• Long Tian confirmed that the light core and Origin Return Pearl remained synchronized as he returned to the boat.
• Long Tian described what he had observed, and the person at the stern turned the boat back along their route.

Long Tian formed his seventh Soul Ring and saw the Dragon Shadow transform in step with it. As Spirit Hall’s Elder Hall searched inland for records of abnormal Soul Power, he decided to visit Shrek and town to replace his alias with a complete identity before the patrols reached the mountains.

• Long Tian formed a seventh Soul Ring, and the Dragon Shadow gained a glowing spinal line, wider wings, and synchronized movements.
• Yu Jin waited for Long Tian while Shen Mo reported that Spirit Hall’s Elder Hall was searching inland for records of abnormal Soul Power.
• Long Tian learned the patrol route was tightening toward Shrek Academy and that Shen Qiu had placed observation posts along the mountain passes.
• Long Tian decided to visit Shrek to remove his alias from the student files and create a complete identity in the town’s records.
• Shen Mo asked about the patrols, and Long Tian said he would take Yu Jin because the strongest patrol member had only four rings.

Long Tian and Yu Jin traveled to Bluestone Town to complete Long Tian’s apprentice registration before the Spirit Hall patrol could investigate him. After registering at a tailor’s shop, they learned the patrol was questioning people nearby and left town quickly.

• Tang San told Long Tian that he had erased his alias from the academy records and arranged a tailor’s apprentice identity for him.
• Tang San warned Long Tian that the Spirit Hall patrol was approaching Bluestone Town, so Long Tian and Yu Jin headed there to register before its search reached the eastern villages.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin saw two Spirit Hall patrol members questioning a villager near the town and realized they had less time than expected.
• Long Tian used Tang San’s number to complete his apprentice registration at Zhou’s tailor shop in eastern Bluestone Town.
• The tailor warned Long Tian that Spirit Hall members had been questioning people all afternoon, and Long Tian left town through the alley with his correction letter.

Long Tian and Yu Jin avoided the main roads while returning from Bluestone Town, where Spirit Hall patrols were checking registrations. After the patrol moved north toward Soul Hunting Town, Long Tian prepared to leave the stone house and set off down the slope with Yu Jin.

• Long Tian and Yu Jin took back roads out of Bluestone Town to avoid the Spirit Hall patrol and continued toward the stone house by way of an old hunters' trail.
• Long Tian told Long Tieshan that he had completed his registration in Bluestone Town and seen the patrol enter town.
• Shen Mo reported that the patrol had left Bluestone Town for Soul Hunting Town after finding nothing unusual in the registrations.
• Long Tian adjusted his satchel for travel, and Yu Jin gave him dry herbs to carry in case the change of water and soil upset him.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin left the stone house and disappeared around the bend, with Dragon Shadow hovering behind Long Tian.

Long Tian investigated reports of debris surfacing near Longfish Bay and suspected the underwater structure he had previously explored was breaking apart. After taking a boat out with Yu Jin and the man from the stern, he dove to inspect a widening crack and found fresh fragments around it.

• Long Tian heard that fishermen had been finding broken pottery and pieces of wood in the coastal waters.
• The man from the stern reported seeing squared timber near the eastern shallows, and Yu Jin recalled an uneven crack on the underwater structure’s base.
• Long Tian decided to take the boat out, assess the debris and water conditions, and dive if it was safe.
• Long Tian, Yu Jin, and the man from the stern followed floating debris toward the shallows, where the water had grown murky.
• Long Tian dove to the underwater structure and found the crack wider than before, with fragments still breaking off and fresh powder scattered nearby.

Long Tian investigated fresh fissures in the underwater structures and found evidence of hidden veins in the stone, with a steady vibration coming from beneath the paving. He and the man at the stern were left considering whether the damage and vibration came from a mechanism below.

• Long Tian examined a fresh fissure at the keel's base and found a low-density vein inside the stone where the crack had formed.
• The man at the stern suggested debris might be coming from a larger opening or a cavity within the structure.
• Long Tian marked the fissure on the silk map and traced the drifting debris toward the outer area of the underwater paving.
• Long Tian found a wider fissure in the paving, with branching cracks and freshly shed stone dust.
• Long Tian felt a regular vibration beneath the paving and reported it to the man at the stern, who asked whether it was a current pulse or a solid impact.

Long Tian explored the space beneath the paved surface and discovered a vibrating pipe connected to a network carrying energy through the structure. After he reported his findings, the person at the stern concluded that the flow should be temporarily stopped so they could reinforce the cracked stone.

• Long Tian tied a rope to himself and dived through a crack in the paved surface to search for a way inside.
• He squeezed through an opening into a chamber beneath the paving and found a vertical pipe producing the steady vibration.
• Long Tian sensed that the pipe connected to a branching network whose layout matched the diversion channels above.
• He opened a marked door in the pipe, examined the upward-flowing conduit inside, then closed it and returned to the boat.
• Long Tian described the pipe and its operation, and the person at the stern said they should cut off the energy flow before reinforcing the cracks.

Long Tian shut off the energy flow feeding the dragon bone foundation by turning a clamp inside its conduit, stopping the vibrations and the ongoing flaking. He recorded how to operate the clamp and returned with Yu Jin and the man at the stern to Longfish Bay.

• Long Tian entered the conduit and found a rotatable ring clamp near its bottom.
• Long Tian turned the clamp until the energy flow stopped, then waited for the vibrations to fade and saw that no more flakes fell.
• Long Tian told Yu Jin and the man at the stern how he had stopped the flow and confirmed the clamp could be reopened.
• Long Tian marked the cutoff point and the clamp's directions on the silk map, including how to restore the flow.
• The man at the stern steered the boat back to Longfish Bay, and Long Tian and Yu Jin headed toward the stone house.

Shen Mo told Long Tian that a patrol investigating towns north of Soul Hunting Town had found Zhao Xiaopang’s academy alias on a list connected to Shrek Academy. Long Tian and Yu Jin set out for Bluestone Town to warn Zhao Xiaopang and Mr. Wang before the patrol could return.

• Shen Mo showed Long Tian Tang San’s report that the patrol had found Zhao Xiaopang’s alias among incomplete student records.
• Shen Mo explained that Tang San suspected the patrol was investigating people connected to Shrek Academy under the pretext of coastal defense.
• Long Tian decided to return to Bluestone Town and warn Zhao Xiaopang and Mr. Wang to prepare for the patrol’s return.
• Yu Jin joined Long Tian, and they traveled toward Bluestone Town through the night.

Long Tian and Yu Jin returned to Bluestone Town and learned that the inspection team had obtained a list of aliases tied to the academy. Mr. Wang sent Long Tian to secure an index of old Spirit Hall Branch records before the inspectors could use it to trace those on the list.

• Long Tian and Yu Jin met Zhao Xiaopang at the academy, where he showed them Mr. Wang’s list of aliases and explained that the inspection team had found several names through another source.
• Long Tian asked Zhao Xiaopang where Mr. Wang was and went upstairs to speak with him.
• Mr. Wang gave Long Tian an address and asked him to obtain copies of the academy-related pages from a retired Spirit Hall Branch archivist’s index and temporarily move the original.
• Long Tian and Yu Jin left for the north of town, and Zhao Xiaopang brought them food and promised to watch things with Mr. Wang.

Long Tian and Yu Jin found the old Spirit Hall Branch index and copied academy-related registration entries, including a note locating the original files in the Spirit City storehouse. Long Tian passed the copies to Zhao Xiaopang for Mr. Wang and realized the files were stored in the same area as a hidden compartment Shen Mo had mentioned.

• Long Tian and Yu Jin met the warehouse keeper, who showed them the index of old Soul Master registration records after Long Tian gave his father's name.
• The warehouse keeper helped Long Tian locate and copy the academy-related index entries, including the original files' location: area Wu, shelf seven, box three.
• The keeper told Long Tian that his father had once sought an old file while serving in the Seventh Squad and had not returned after something happened to the squad.
• Long Tian gave Mr. Wang's letter to the keeper and left with Yu Jin, carrying the copied pages.
• Long Tian handed the copies to Zhao Xiaopang to deliver to Mr. Wang and asked him to check whether a patrol team had taken the original files.
• Long Tian realized the files' location matched the area of the hidden compartment Shen Mo had mentioned.