Recaps

Jingxing considered paying down his debt by selling paintings and received a Real-Time Star Chart from Asta to help him find inspiration. Screwllum advised him to visit the Galactic Library on Ismael to deepen his artistic knowledge, leaving Jingxing with a new destination in mind.

• Jingxing agreed to use three hundred million Credits from his painting to reduce his debt, and Asta lowered it to twenty-nine billion seven hundred million.
• Jingxing asked for information on places to gather inspiration, and Asta gave him a Real-Time Star Chart as a gift.
• Asta told Jingxing that Screwllum, Genius Society #76, had asked to see him.
• Screwllum examined the Image of Ten Thousand Jun and praised its artistry and its resistance to analysis through the Path of Erudition.
• Screwllum advised Jingxing to visit the Galactic Library on Ismael to learn from the knowledge and artistic ideas of past civilizations.

After leaving Herta Space Station to seek Ismael, Jingxing was stopped mid-jump by Kafka, who urged him to visit Dual-Phase Paradise instead of the Galactic Library. He was left weighing her warning and the place’s connection to Zhenzhu, his late parents’ former superior.

• Jingxing thanked Screwllum for his guidance, and Screwllum advised Herta to strengthen the painting’s security before leaving.
• Jingxing departed Herta Space Station aboard the Chasing the Moon, following the route toward Ismael that Asta had marked on his star chart.
• During the ship’s first jump, the Chasing the Moon abruptly stopped, and Kafka appeared at the hatch with a black cat.
• Kafka told Jingxing that the Stellaron Hunters had helped Robin’s singing reach all of Vesna IV and asked him not to go to the Galactic Library because of the lingering effects of the Genius Society’s school wars.
• Kafka recommended that Jingxing visit Dual-Phase Paradise, then vanished as the ship’s systems restarted.
• Jingxing considered Kafka’s warning and remembered that Zhenzhu managed Dual-Phase Paradise and had once offered to raise him.

After Kafka warned Jingxing away from Ismael and recommended Dual-Phase Paradise, he asked Robin to seek Sunday’s advice before changing course. Sunday learned of the warning and agreed to help, though he privately wanted Jingxing to meet Nanook.

• After Kafka left the Chasing the Moon, Jingxing suspected her black cat was Elio and weighed her advice against Screwllum’s recommendation to visit Ismael.
• Jingxing told Robin that Kafka had warned him not to go to Ismael and had suggested Dual-Phase Paradise instead.
• Robin asked Jingxing to wait while she consulted Sunday about the two destinations.
• Sunday told Gopher Wood about Robin’s request, and Gopher Wood said Elio had likely foreseen a risk at Ismael.
• Sunday agreed to reply to Robin, despite privately wishing Jingxing would go meet Nanook.

Sunday advised Robin that Dual-Phase Paradise was safer for Jingxing than Ismael, and Jingxing decided to travel there after contacting Zhenzhu. Zhenzhu welcomed him and offered him a studio and a chance to study at the World-Painting Academy, while Robin wondered whether humans and Intellitrons could marry.

• Sunday told Robin that Ismael could threaten Jingxing's freedom, while Dual-Phase Paradise was safe for now and offered opportunities for a painter.
• Jingxing read Robin's message, removed Ismael's route from his star chart, and set his destination to Dual-Phase Paradise.
• Jingxing contacted Zhenzhu, who welcomed him and offered to arrange a visit to the World-Painting Academy and a prepared studio.
• Jingxing thanked Zhenzhu and told Robin about her reply, asking her to thank Sunday.
• Robin wondered whether an Intellitron had ever married a human.

Jingxing arrived at the Dual-Phase Paradise and reunited with Zhenzhu, who welcomed him and urged him to settle there under her protection. As they spoke about his travels and painting, Zhenzhu wondered whether an Intellitron could truly have a heart, then sensed the energy of a Path coming from Jingxing.

• Jingxing admired Two-Dimensional City as the Chasing the Moon descended and learned that Chairwoman Zhenzhu was waiting for him at the Pearl Star Building.
• Jingxing met Zhenzhu after more than a decade apart, and she admitted she had worried he blamed her for making him an orphan.
• Zhenzhu invited Jingxing to settle on the Dual-Phase Paradise, but he declined because he still wanted to see more of the world.
• Jingxing told Zhenzhu about his travels and recent painting, including how his work had caught Ms. Herta's eye.
• Jingxing said Zhenzhu had a heart as kind as Wuliangta Huishi's, and Zhenzhu sensed Path energy coming from him.

Jingxing met with Zhenzhu on Dual-Phase Paradise, where she warned him that Yaboli’s research made Ismael dangerous for him. Zhenzhu assured him that he would be safe in her jurisdiction and arranged for Xuzhao to show him around the World-Painting Academy.

• Jingxing told Zhenzhu he had set foot on a Path after graduating from the academy, though it was neither Destruction nor Preservation.
• Jingxing asked Zhenzhu about Ismael, and she warned him that Yaboli was seeking experimental subjects for research into what lies at the end of life.
• Zhenzhu explained that Yaboli’s influence and the corporation’s divided interests meant few employees would challenge her, but promised to protect Jingxing on Dual-Phase Paradise.
• Jingxing asked to see the World-Painting Academy, and Zhenzhu chose the comic artist Xuzhao to guide him.

Jingxing arrived at the World-Painting Academy after Xuzhao drove him there, then entered with help from the blue-haired Sampo, who offered to guide him around. The chapter ended as Jingxing messaged Zhenzhu that Xuzhao had dropped him at the gate and fled.

• Xuzhao drove Jingxing to the World-Painting Academy and explained that Zhenzhu had promised her a day off for getting him there safely.
• Xuzhao left as soon as Jingxing reached the academy gate, leaving him unsure how to enter.
• Sampo approached Jingxing, pretended they were brothers to get him past the guard, and offered to guide him for ten thousand Credits.
• Jingxing exchanged contact details with Sampo and followed him inside while messaging Zhenzhu about Xuzhao leaving him at the gate.

Jingxing toured the World-Painting Academy with Sampo and learned about its Imagenae and dean, Murata Ryusuke. Ryusuke invited Jingxing to his office, then revealed he knew Jingxing was an Idrila’s follower who had been toyed with by Aha.

• Jingxing arranged for Zhenzhu to double Xuzhao's serialization word count, then hid his involvement from Xuzhao.
• Sampo showed Jingxing around the World-Painting Academy and explained how students created Imagenae using Wish Power.
• Jingxing and Sampo met Murata Ryusuke, who invited Jingxing to his office and left Sampo waiting outside.
• Murata Ryusuke asked Jingxing why he had come and identified him as Idrila's follower and someone toyed with by Aha.

Murata Ryusuke revealed that he was an Omen Vanguard whose prophecies showed people who would bring calamity, and warned Jingxing that Jingxing would destroy Dual-Phase Paradise. Jingxing doubted the prophecy but considered leaving and asked what Murata Ryusuke would offer in return.

• Murata Ryusuke told Jingxing that he had seen through his circumstances and identified him as a newly minted Pathstrider of Beauty.
• Jingxing recalled appearing on Vesna IV and wondered whether Aha had intervened; Murata Ryusuke confirmed that Aha had toyed with him but could not explain why.
• Murata Ryusuke explained that he had become an Omen Vanguard and could see people who would bring calamity to a world.
• Murata Ryusuke prophesied that Jingxing would destroy Dual-Phase Paradise and stand among the ruins of the Pearl Star Building with a brush in his hand.
• Jingxing challenged Murata Ryusuke to explain why he did not prevent the disaster, and Murata Ryusuke said intervening would only hasten the ending.
• Jingxing considered leaving Dual-Phase Paradise and asked Murata Ryusuke what he would give him in return.

Jingxing questioned Murata Ryusuke about the Paths and how to become a famous painter, then agreed to leave Dual-Phase Paradise soon. After Jingxing left, Murata Ryusuke revealed himself as Lord Ravager Guiji and resolved to get Jingxing out before he disrupted his plans.

• Jingxing agreed to leave Dual-Phase Paradise after spending a few days looking around, and Murata Ryusuke offered to answer his questions about Pathstriders.
• Murata Ryusuke explained how personal conviction shaped a Path, how Pathstriders could influence an Aeon's direction, and how Emanators held authority bestowed by an Aeon.
• Jingxing asked how to make his name as a painter known across the galaxy, and Murata Ryusuke suggested corporate promotion, involvement in a major event, or support from a prominent art figure.
• Jingxing thanked Murata Ryusuke and left the office, where Sampo offered to take him to a restaurant.
• Murata Ryusuke transformed into Lord Ravager Guiji and said he could not manipulate Jingxing's possibilities, so he needed to get him out before Jingxing spoiled his plans.

Jingxing ate with Sampo after leaving his meeting with Wuliangta, then met Sparkle, who offered to help make him famous by having him paint a poster for the Masked Fools’ Tavern. Jingxing did not accept the offer outright, but asked if he could visit the Tavern, and Sparkle agreed to take him there after the meal.

• Sampo took Jingxing to a small restaurant and tried to cheer him up when he noticed Jingxing was troubled.
• Sparkle joined them, introduced herself as a Masked Fool, and teased Jingxing about being Sampo’s valued client.
• Jingxing admitted he had come on a study tour hoping to make a name for himself.
• Sparkle suggested Jingxing paint a poster for the Tavern so the Masked Fools could spread his name across the galaxy.
• Sparkle teased Jingxing for being a fan of Robin, and Jingxing defended Robin and admitted he liked her.
• Jingxing asked whether he could visit the Tavern, and Sparkle said she would take him after they ate.

Sparkle brought Jingxing into the Masked Fools’ Tavern, where their cruel humor left him questioning whether the Fools—and even Aha—had strayed from the Elation. When Jingxing wondered if Aha could no longer laugh normally and had brought him to Vesna IV for help, a familiar voice agreed.

• Sparkle tricked Jingxing into entering a Tavern entrance with an exploding doll, while Sampo warned him to be careful and stayed outside.
• Jingxing saw the Masked Fools mocking others’ suffering and felt disgusted by their idea of elation.
• Sparkle said she had also grown tired of the Tavern’s company and compared Jingxing’s reaction to that of the Knights of Beauty who had visited before.
• Jingxing considered whether the Fools’ behavior reflected something wrong with Aha, recalling Murata Ryusuke’s words about how Aeons and those who follow their Paths shape one another.
• Jingxing wondered whether Aha could no longer laugh normally and had arranged his transportation to Vesna IV to save herself, and a familiar voice agreed.

Xuzhao revealed to Jingxing that she was Aha and explained that another part of the Aeon had gone mad. She told him he bore responsibility for the Swarm Disaster, leaving him stunned and confused.

• Xuzhao brought Jingxing from outside the Tavern to her room and asked whether he had noticed the Masked Fools’ growing cruelty.
• Jingxing agreed that the Fools seemed to have strayed from the Path of Elation, and Xuzhao said she shared the blame.
• Xuzhao revealed her identity as Aha by taking Jingxing into the Path Interstice and showing him the Aeon’s true form.
• Xuzhao tried to grant Jingxing Emanator certification but failed, then said that Aha had gone mad.
• Xuzhao told Jingxing he bore responsibility for the Swarm Disaster, leaving him wondering why he was being blamed.

Xuzhao revealed how Voracity’s bite contaminated her Path and caused the Fools to change, then asked Jingxing to ease her pain using the Path of Beauty’s Primal Force, Temperance. She taught him how to draw and convert Imaginary Energy, leaving Jingxing to reconsider his powers and learn that she had sent him to Vesna IV.

• Xuzhao explained that Voracity’s bite contaminated her concept of Elation, causing the Fools to change and forcing her to bar Aha and the Mournful Actors from the Tavern.
• Xuzhao said Jingxing could help because he wielded more of the Path of Beauty’s Primal Force, Temperance, than anyone else, and because Temperance could counter her craving for Elation.
• Jingxing said he stored Path energy in his body, so Xuzhao taught him that he could draw on Imaginary Energy and convert it through his authority instead.
• Jingxing asked whether Xuzhao had sent him to Vesna IV, and she admitted she had after noticing Idrila’s scent when he was born and wanting to keep him from following Akivili.
• Xuzhao asked Jingxing to ease her pain, while Jingxing wondered if she could give him thirty billion Credits; she replied that she would have spent such money on the Galactic Lotto.

Xuzhao revealed that Voracity’s shed skin was buried beneath Dual-Phase Paradise and that she used Wish Power to keep it suppressed. She brought Jingxing to the cavern to teach him how to use Temperance against its corruption, but Voracity began tempting him as he worked.

• Xuzhao told Jingxing she had spent her earnings on Wish Power to suppress Voracity’s remains beneath Dual-Phase Paradise.
• Jingxing declined Xuzhao’s offer to connect him with her influential friends until his drawing skills were strong enough to stand on their own.
• Xuzhao led Jingxing through the ruins and showed him the mountain-sized shed skin surrounded by a net of Wish Power.
• Xuzhao instructed Jingxing to use Temperance to control the shed skin’s desires rather than fight it, and he began neutralizing its corruption.
• Voracity’s voice tempted Jingxing to stay and paint forever, and Xuzhao warned him not to listen.

Jingxing used Wish Power and Temperance to suppress Voracity’s beast husk, though Xuzhao said the effect would last only a few Amber Eras. As Jingxing recovered, Xuzhao warned him that Voracity had contaminated people within the company and that the Lord Ravager Guiji was watching her; meanwhile, Murata Ryusuke planned to use Yaboli to bring about Elation’s destruction.

• Jingxing patched the gaps in Voracity’s beast-husk patterns with Path energy and Temperance, silencing the husk at the cost of a nosebleed and exhaustion.
• Xuzhao told Jingxing that he had only delayed Voracity’s influence for a few Amber Eras, then helped him recover and asked him to live longer.
• Xuzhao warned Jingxing that Voracity had contaminated someone in the company, including a mole in the Strategic Investment Department and someone in another department, whom Jingxing identified as Yaboli.
• Xuzhao said the Lord Ravager Guiji was watching her and asked Jingxing to keep their actions secret until Voracity was eradicated.
• Murata Ryusuke realized that Jingxing’s energy had stopped the underground gnawing and urged Yaboli to bring destruction upon Elation.

Jingxing spent the day exploring Dual-Phase Paradise with Sampo after deciding to stay while Zhenzhu was away. In Haiyuan City, he learned how the company had brought the city and its residents out of a painting and saw an Imagenae whale living on Wish Power.

• Jingxing wondered whether Murata Ryusuke knew the secret of Dual-Phase Paradise, but learned that Zhenzhu had left for Thousand Stars City and would be away for several days.
• Jingxing met Sampo, who was relieved to find him unharmed and sensed the Path of Elation on him.
• Sampo took Jingxing to Haiyuan City and explained that the company had fished it out of a painting along with its residents.
• Jingxing saw an Imagenae whale near the viewing platform and learned that Imagenae lived on Wish Power.
• Jingxing reflected on the hardships of the company's workers and Imagenae, and compared them with the peace and care he had received in the Klimt Constitutional Republic.

Jingxing learned that Yaboli’s people had arrived at Dual-Phase Paradise and heard Xuzhao’s suspicions that Yaboli was an Ancient Beast or had been corrupted by one. He began to suspect that the Interastral Peace Corporation possessed part of Voracity’s body and might itself be corrupted, while Xuzhao privately said she missed Akivili.

• Jingxing turned down Sampo’s offer to visit the World-Painting Academy and planned to paint in Haiyuan City instead.
• Xuzhao waited for Jingxing at his hotel and warned him that Yaboli’s people might be looking for him.
• Zhenzhu messaged Jingxing that the Technical Research and Development Department had arrived at Dual-Phase Paradise and advised him not to go anywhere alone.
• Xuzhao told Jingxing to avoid the company’s people, explaining that Yaboli might want to experiment on him because he was Idrila’s devotee who could purify Voracity’s shed remains.
• Xuzhao suggested that Yaboli was an Ancient Beast or had been corrupted by one, and hinted that the company’s possession of Voracity’s body might have corrupted Preservation.
• Jingxing wondered whether Idrila had given him Temperance to confront an Aeon, while Xuzhao privately said she missed Akivili.

Jingxing returned to Haiyuan City to paint and discovered that a local group campaigning to return to a painted world might be affected by Voracity Contamination. He reported the encounter to Zhenzhu and left with Sampo, planning to paint somewhere else the next day.

• Jingxing and Sampo took the first train to Haiyuan City, where Jingxing painted a photorealistic seaside scene with the Cloud-Washing Ink-Tracer.
• A girl from the Haiyuan "Return to the Painting" Federation gave Jingxing a flyer and said the group wanted locals to return to their old lives inside a painting.
• Jingxing smelled Voracity Contamination on the girl and messaged Xuzhao, who advised him to report the encounter to Zhenzhu.
• Jingxing sent Zhenzhu an account of what he had seen and a photo of the flyer, then returned to painting despite his trembling hand.
• Sampo said the Federation had held gatherings in Haiyuan City for years without causing major trouble, and Jingxing left with him after deciding to paint somewhere else the next day.

Zhenzhu learned that Voracity Contamination had appeared among members of a Haiyuan City social organization after Yaboli’s research team entered Dual-Phase Paradise, and Diamond sent her to investigate. Before leaving, she discovered that Jingxing owed Herta thirty billion Credits, leaving her unsure whether his secret deal threatened him or Dual-Phase Paradise.

• Zhenzhu told Diamond and the other Stonehearts that her informant had found traces of Voracity Contamination among members of Haiyuan City’s “Reenter the Painting” Federation, and Diamond ordered her to investigate Yaboli’s activities in Dual-Phase Paradise.
• Zhenzhu recommended Jingxing as a promising painter for early investment, but Topaz revealed that he owed Herta thirty billion Credits.
• Aventurine offered to investigate Jingxing, but Zhenzhu rejected his offer and insisted that Dual-Phase Paradise needed no outside interference.
• Zhenzhu told Jingxing she would arrive in Dual-Phase Paradise that night and asked him to meet her at the Pearl Star Building the next day.
• Zhenzhu ordered a subordinate to investigate the federation, Yaboli’s inspection team and its contacts, and the Chasing the Moon’s previous flight path.

Jingxing explained to Zhenzhu how Herta treated his eyes and revealed that Idrila had blessed him with the beauty of her gaze. Zhenzhu offered to repay his debt to Herta, but Jingxing refused because he did not want to owe the company.

• Jingxing met Zhenzhu at the Pearl Star Building, where she asked about his debt to Herta.
• Jingxing explained that Herta made the Light-Severing Sea contact lenses to suppress the painful effects of his unusual vision, and that he had repaid three hundred million Credits so far.
• Zhenzhu warned Jingxing that his eyes might be cursed by a Path and told him that Murata Ryusuke's wife, daughter, and clan had suffered the Weathering Curse after straying from Nanook.
• Zhenzhu asked Jingxing which Path he followed and why he had strayed, but he said he had never strayed and that his eyes were a blessing from an Aeon.
• Jingxing identified Idrila, the goddess of Beauty, as the Aeon who blessed him, and Zhenzhu offered to repay his thirty-billion-Credit debt to Herta.
• Jingxing refused Zhenzhu's offer, saying he did not want to owe the Strategic Investment Department.

Jingxing told Zhenzhu he wanted to repay his debt through painting, but she warned him to leave Dual-Phase Paradise because Yaboli’s research could put him in danger. He prepared to depart, said goodbye to Sampo, Robin, and Xuzhao, and left his flyer with Zhenzhu to aid her investigation.

• Jingxing told Zhenzhu he wanted to pay off his debt by making a name for himself as a painter, while Zhenzhu confessed she felt responsible for his parents’ deaths.
• Zhenzhu warned Jingxing that Yaboli’s researchers were distributing experimental products and urged him to leave Dual-Phase Paradise before she confronted Yaboli.
• Jingxing recognized that Yaboli was seeking the Beast Molt of Voracity and left Zhenzhu a flyer from the Reenter the Painting Federation to help her investigate.
• Jingxing called Sampo, who said he was also leaving and warned him not to travel at night.
• Jingxing arranged to visit Robin on the set of her new show and promised to bring her a painting.
• Jingxing told Xuzhao he was leaving Dual-Phase Paradise, and Xuzhao urged him to stay safe and finish things in the future.

Jingxing drifted through peaceful star systems, painting the worlds he visited and keeping in touch with his friends. On Priva II, he discovered a large Borisin hunting pack and decided to escape before contacting Yunli about the bounty.

• Jingxing left Dual-Phase Paradise aboard Chasing the Moon and set course through no-conflict zones without following the Star Rail.
• Over the next month, Jingxing visited three planets to paint and exchanged messages with Zhenzhu, Robin, and Yunli.
• Jingxing landed on Priva II, where fresh damage and footprints led him to suspect that humanoid creatures lived there.
• Jingxing used Path energy to conceal himself and followed the traces to a sprawling Borisin camp.
• Jingxing recognized the camp as a sizable Borisin hunting pack and resolved to get away and contact Yunli about its Strale bounty.

Jingxing secretly stopped the Borisin from producing biological weapons, then encountered General Yaoguang while retreating from their camp. Yaoguang explained that she was scouting the hunting pack and asked who Jingxing was and how he knew her.

• Jingxing found a Borisin workshop where craftsmen were growing biological weapons in tanks from looted materials.
• Jingxing used his Path energy through the ground to stop the weapons from growing, and the Borisin camp erupted in alarm.
• The hunting pack's Nestfather arrived, ordered a search of the woods, and failed to find Jingxing as he slipped away.
• Yaoguang unexpectedly tapped Jingxing's shoulder at the edge of the camp, and he recognized her as a general of the Jade Abacus Xianzhou.
• Yaoguang said she was gathering information before the Xianzhou wiped out the Borisin hunting pack, then asked Jingxing who he was and why he knew her.

Jingxing and Yaoguang escaped the Borisin camp and talked aboard Jingxing’s ship, where Yaoguang explained that a divination had brought her to Priva II to investigate an Emanator-level energy signature. Jingxing revealed why he had come to the planet, while Yaoguang remained uncertain about the danger threatening the Jade Abacus Xianzhou.

• Jingxing concealed his knowledge of Yaoguang’s future and claimed he had seen her in a Light Cone recorded by General Tianji.
• When horns sounded at the Borisin camp, Yaoguang led Jingxing into the woods, using talismans to keep their pursuers from finding them.
• After they reached Jingxing’s ship, Yaoguang said a divination had warned that the Jade Abacus Xianzhou would face serious trouble unless she personally came to Priva II.
• Jingxing explained that he had landed for inspiration, discovered the Borisin, and sabotaged their biological weapons before planning to contact Yunli for help.
• Yaoguang recalled that the Divination Commission had detected an Emanator-level energy signature on Priva II and wondered why her visit was necessary to protect the Jade Abacus Xianzhou.