Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei sought a True Venerable capable of turning his rare Chaos Mother Tree wood into divination tools while he carefully managed the aura of Creation entering him. Wen Xian found the artifact refiner True Venerable Zhu, who recognized the material and agreed to make the tools’ blanks.

• Violent Obsession advised Qu Jianlei to shape and refine his divination tray as a Turtle Shell, and warned him not to let the aura of Creation push him toward Assimilation into the Dao.
• Qu Jianlei contacted True Venerable Wen Xian for help finding an expert who could work with the wood, and Wen Xian recommended seeking an artifact-refining True Venerable.
• Wen Xian arranged a meeting with True Venerable Zhu, a grandmaster artifact refiner and ancestor of a rogue cultivator clan.
• True Venerable Zhu recognized the wood as coming from a Chaos Mother Tree, and Wen Xian instructed him to make one Turtle Shell and nine chess-piece blanks for Qu Jianlei to finish himself.

Qu Jianlei and Wen Xian arranged for True Venerable Zhu to refine a divination tool from the rare material, and Zhu revealed that he recognized its connection to Chaos and Creation. The chapter ended with Qu Jianlei impressed by Zhu’s expertise and ambition to advance beyond grandmaster artifact refining.

• True Venerable Zhu agreed to refine the divination tool, estimating a sixty percent chance of success but less than twenty percent odds of perfection.
• Qu Jianlei offered Zhu the material scraps as payment, and Zhu insisted that the material was fated with him and offered to swear secrecy.
• True Venerable Zhu identified the material’s connection to Chaos and Creation, explaining that it carried the charm and aura of creation.
• Zhu said he wanted to study creation to surpass the realm of grandmaster artifact refiner, rather than attempt the Soul-Splitting Realm.
• Wen Xian disputed Zhu’s claim that artifact refining was especially close to creation, while Qu Jianlei reflected on Zhu’s unexpected insight and resolve.

Qu Jianlei received newly forged divination tools and gave Han Li two pieces of Chaos Wood root for his Divination Sticks. Han Li reported that Houde had agreed to let Outer-Domain Cultivators jointly develop the other worlds, while Qu Jianlei learned Han Li had wounded the Sword Cultivator who had provoked him; the chapter ended with Qu Jianlei doubting that visiting True Venerables would truly refrain from competing for opportunities.

• True Venerable Zhu forged a Turtle Shell and nine chess pieces from the Chaos Wood, and Wen Xian inscribed a formation to improve their divination.
• Qu Jianlei commissioned more sets, and Wen Xian later brought back two sets, one of which the Heroic Spirits judged nearly perfect.
• Han Li returned, asked Qu Jianlei for two pieces of tree root to re-refine his Divination Sticks, and accepted them.
• Han Li told Qu Jianlei and Wen Xian that Houde had agreed to joint development by Outer-Domain Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm, while barring their True Venerables from pursuing opportunities.
• Han Li revealed that he had wounded the Sword Cultivator who had previously provoked Qu Jianlei, though he had not killed him.
• Han Li said visiting True Venerables would only manage and coordinate the development, but Qu Jianlei questioned whether they could be restrained from seeking opportunities.

As Outer-Domain Cultivators arrived in Houde, they recruited the Federation and tried to use the Empire’s supposed cultivator relics to pressure Qu Jianlei. Qu Jianlei left the dispute to Lingyun Sect, whose disciples warned the cultivators to back down.

• Large numbers of Outer-Domain and Houde Cultivators arrived, keeping the True Venerables busy as Qingkong helped Qu Jianlei guard his Star Cluster.
• Outer-Domain Cultivators recruited the Federation’s ships, soldiers, and Energy Blocks, then went to the Empire demanding cultivator treasures they claimed belonged to cultivators.
• The Empire refused to hand over anything and told the Outer-Domain Cultivators to contact Digital Phantom, while alerting passing Cultivators about the dispute.
• Qianhuan informed Qu Jianlei, who dismissed the matter and asked Qingkong and Lingyun Sect to handle it.
• A month later, Lingyun Sect’s Nascent Soul law-enforcement disciples warned the Outer-Domain Cultivators that Qu Jianlei would be angered if they refused to back down.

Qu Jianlei and other True Venerables discovered that an Insect Race spider threatened Azure Dragon’s breakthrough, then gathered a force to confront the dangerous creature on its home planet. After assessing its spatial and illusion abilities, they agreed they had to attack before it became an even greater danger.

• The Empire sought Digital Phantom’s support for unifying the Three Nations, but Qu Jianlei ignored the request until he learned Outer-Domain Cultivators had entered the Maiden Star Region.
• Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and Qingkong divined that an Insect Race threat was lowering Azure Dragon’s chances of breakthrough, then traced the ill omen to a powerful spider and estimated its attack would come in three months.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li recruited six other True Venerables, including Xiwu, and the group traveled to the spider’s home planet and cleared nearby cultivators from the area.
• The eight True Venerables learned that invisible spider silk, spatial weak points, and illusion arts made the spider exceptionally hard to attack or prevent from escaping.
• Qingkong declared that their group had to fight the spider, since waiting for a Grand Lord or leaving it alive could allow its remnant souls to become a future threat.

The True Venerables failed to find a safe, economical way to defeat the Spider, so Qu Jianlei prepared to use twenty-seven Flawed Portable Abodes despite the danger to Azure Dragon and the world. Before they could act, the Spider found Qu Jianlei’s hidden abode, forcing the group into a direct confrontation.

• Wen Xian and Qu Jianlei considered a grand array spanning more than fifteen billion kilometers, but divination showed it still could not guarantee the Spider’s death.
• Han Li went to the Asura World to seek help from a suspected Great Monarch, while Qu Jianlei stayed behind and divined another plan.
• Qu Jianlei learned that his plan required detonating twenty-seven Flawed Portable Abodes, and Min Ning warned that the resulting karma could jeopardize Azure Dragon’s advancement.
• The Spider appeared outside Qu Jianlei’s hidden Portable Abode and began handling the meteorite concealing it.
• Qu Jianlei released Spirit Mountain, and the True Venerables prepared to face the Spider as Xiwu summoned illusions and unleashed a soul-stirring sound.

Qu Jianlei and the other True Venerables confronted Spider, but discovered that it did not want to fight and sought information about Creation instead. A mysterious Great Expert pulled Spider away, declared the area forbidden, and left the group wondering about the Heavenly Secret Shuttle it had carried.

• Qu Jianlei and the others prepared to attack Spider, but Spider resisted their music and Stagnation Field and asked whether they intended to kill it.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Spider would not kill humans and that it had come to negotiate, offering an Out-of-Body Realm magical treasure for information about Creation.
• A powerful divine sense ordered Spider to leave and declared the area a forbidden zone, and Spider struggled before vanishing with a flash of an object in its forelimb.
• Han Li appeared and asked whether he had returned, then Qu Jianlei invited everyone into his Abode.
• Wen Xian identified Spider's object as the Heavenly Secret Shuttle and said it belonged to the category of Spirit Treasures.

After the Spider’s connection to a Great Expert drove the cultivators to flee, divination confirmed that Azure Dragon’s tribulation had been lifted. Han Li later revealed that he had falsely claimed a Grand Lord tacitly permitted their actions, and Wen Xian left to cross into the Asura World after Qingkong asked what had happened there.

• The cultivators realized the Spider was a True Venerable weaver connected to a Great Expert and returned to the Star Cluster, wary of provoking it.
• After everyone emerged from seclusion, the diviners found that Azure Dragon’s great tribulation had been eliminated and her chance of reaching the Out-of-Body Realm had improved.
• Qingkong took Song Yue'er and another witness to formally designate the area a restricted zone, while Jin Ge and Min Ning departed.
• Han Li told Qu Jianlei and Wen Xian that he had waited a day near the Grand Lord, then claimed the Grand Lord tacitly allowed their actions before trying to leave.
• Qingning thanked the others for protecting Azure Dragon, and Wen Xian warned that Qing'er should wait until she advanced two more ranks before claiming she had offended no one.
• As Wen Xian headed toward the Asura World, Qingkong stopped him to ask what had happened to Han Li there.

Qu Jianlei returned to Jiuyou Island, reunited with his companions, and found renewed purpose in their affection and support. As he embraced the present and let go of anxiety about the future, he suddenly entered a state of sudden enlightenment.

• Azure Dragon chose to enter Death Seclusion to attempt a breakthrough, and Qingning arranged for Lingyun Sect disciples to guard the area.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li left together for Houde Realm, where resentment among Outer-Domain Cultivators remained high over travel quotas.
• Qu Jianlei visited Jiuyou Island, gave Jing Yuexin and Duo Gan small pieces of tree-root core, and warned them to use them cautiously.
• Duo Gan told Qu Jianlei that Xiang Xue had condensed her Nascent Soul and teased Jing Yuexin about missing him.
• Qu Jianlei reflected on his companions' loyalty and decided to cherish the present, then suddenly entered meditation as the two women recognized his sudden enlightenment.

Qu Jianlei spent two months in Sudden Enlightenment, gaining insight that brought Creation into his body, before announcing a Nascent Soul condensation ceremony in Cangwu. After the ceremony drew attention from across Houde, True Venerable Qianhuan came to Jiuyou Island seeking his help with complications involving a Tier 5 Spirit Vein.

• Jing Yuexin and Duo Gan sealed Jiuyou Island and protected Qu Jianlei while he remained in Sudden Enlightenment; Han Li arrived and added protective measures against divination.
• After two months, Qu Jianlei awoke with Creation entering his body, discussed You You's cultivation prospects, and learned that a True Venerable from Wanwu Realm wanted to spar with him using the Years Divine Ability.
• Qu Jianlei decided to hold a Nascent Soul condensation ceremony in Cangwu, where three cultivators and Fourth Boss, who had condensed a False Core, were celebrated.
• Cultivators from across Houde attended the month-long ceremony, while Qu Jianlei and Han Li advised two visiting True Venerables but declined long-term cooperation in the other world.
• After returning to Jiuyou Island, Qu Jianlei received a visit from True Venerable Qianhuan, who sought help because the Baiyou Merchant Alliance's plans for a Houde branch had complicated the Tier 5 Spirit Vein arrangement.

Qu Jianlei responded to Qianhuan’s complaint about the rising price of a Tier 5 Spirit Vein by refusing to cover for his greed and urging him to bid with strength and money. Qianhuan’s fourfold offer drove the Jinlan Association to withdraw, leaving the Baiyou Merchant Alliance unsure how to continue its attempt to acquire the vein.

• Qianhuan told Qu Jianlei the spirit vein’s price had climbed to nearly three times its former value and asked for help.
• Qu Jianlei divined the situation, recognized that his side had left room for the deal to change, and told Qianhuan to keep bidding rather than expect him to cover the cost.
• Qu Jianlei explained that Han Li had forced Min Ning to stop bidding through his strength and influence, then gave Qianhuan his Extreme Spirit Stones to use in the auction.
• Qianhuan raised the spirit vein’s price to four times its original value and declared that he was ready to keep competing.
• The Jinlan Association backed away from the bidding, while the Baiyou Merchant Alliance grew anxious because it had relied on the association as its front.

The Baiyou Merchant Alliance tried to negotiate over the spirit vein purchase, but True Venerable Qianhuan rejected its compensation and Qu Jianlei refused a meeting. With its reputation and standing at stake, the alliance raised the bid to four and a half times the original price, leaving Qianhuan to ask Qu Jianlei whether he should keep bidding.

• The Baiyou Merchant Alliance persuaded the Jinlan Association to continue bidding, then offered True Venerable Qianhuan compensation and an even higher price for the spirit vein.
• True Venerable Qianhuan rejected the offer, accused the alliance of trying to make a name by challenging True Venerable Qu, and refused to accept its goodwill.
• The Baiyou Merchant Alliance sought a face-to-face meeting with Qu Jianlei, but he refused to meet or negotiate with them.
• Unable to retreat without appearing weak, the Baiyou Merchant Alliance raised its bid to four and a half times the original price.
• True Venerable Qianhuan worried that he could not afford to keep bidding and went to ask Qu Jianlei what he should do.

Qu Jianlei withdrew from the spirit vein dispute but quietly left Houde Realm with Han Li, while Baiyou Merchant Alliance and the Jinlan Association maneuvered around the expected fallout. After returning to the other world, Qu Jianlei and his companions sensed Heavenly Secrets concealing Azure Dragon’s approaching breakthrough and decided to hunt the Insect Race’s remaining Half-Step Soul Division beings.

• Qu Jianlei gave Baiyou Merchant Alliance thirty years to find another spirit vein and ordered Qianhuan to identify the True Venerables behind the dispute.
• Han Li visited Qu Jianlei, and the Jinlan Association delayed payment and spirit vein collection as families questioned their alliance with Baiyou Merchant Alliance.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li secretly left for the other world, where Min Ning offered to help stage an ambush if Qu Jianlei retaliated.
• After returning to Star Cluster, Qu Jianlei and Han Li sensed Heavenly Secrets shielding themselves as Azure Dragon’s breakthrough drew closer.
• Qu Jianlei told Qingning that Azure Dragon had to rely on herself, and the group stopped divining to avoid further harm.
• Qu Jianlei and the other True Venerables decided to hunt the Insect Race’s three remaining Half-Step Soul Division beings.

The True Venerables spent two years defeating a Half-Step Soul Division Mantis, then learned that six True Venerables from the Wanwu Realm wanted to explore the Maiden Star Region. Qu Jianlei agreed to meet them and discovered they wanted Imperial warships, leaving their request entangled with the Empire’s hostility toward Outer-Domain Cultivators.

• Song Yue'er joined the hunt after Han Li warned that she would receive no share of the spoils, and the Grand Protector later joined the group near the Mantis Mother Planet.
• Seven True Venerables and nearby Cultivator teams fought the Half-Step Soul Division Mantis for three days, then spent two years tracking down and destroying its many avatars, gaining barely enough treasure to break even.
• After Qingkong received a reverse divination from Baiqiao, Baiqiao reported that six True Venerables from the Wanwu Realm wanted to enter the Maiden Star Region, and Qu Jianlei agreed to meet them.
• The six Wanwu True Venerables asked to explore the Maiden Star Region aboard warships because its lack of spiritual energy and dangers could trap them for decades.
• Qu Jianlei learned that the visitors needed Imperial military permission to obtain warships, while the Empire strongly distrusted Outer-Domain Cultivators who had previously supported the Federation and Alliance.

Qu Jianlei, Bai Qiao, and the Wanwu Realm True Venerables negotiated over rescuing five missing True Venerables in the Maiden Star Region. Qu Jianlei refused to provide battleships or disturb the mortal realm, while Ke Lin offered him a Tier 5 Spirit Vein to secure his help.

• Qu Jianlei rejected the Wanwu Realm’s demand for battleships, and Bai Qiao extended restrictions on True Venerables’ exploration to the mortal realm.
• Ke Lin revealed that five True Venerables had gone missing in the Maiden Star Region after Yueran invited them to explore, and swore a Dao oath that his account was true.
• Bai Qiao agreed that the missing True Venerables should be rescued, but said the Wanwu Realm would have to pay for the help.
• Qu Jianlei refused to name a price or provide battleships, saying the Wanwu Realm could rescue its people as long as it did not disturb the secular world.
• Ke Lin offered Qu Jianlei a Tier 5 Spirit Vein in the Wanwu Realm if he obtained the battleships and joined the rescue.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with True Venerable Ke Lin and Baiqiao over joining a mission to rescue five Wanwu Realm True Venerables in the Maiden Star Region. The parties agreed on a search lasting at most one and a half years, with Qu Jianlei providing warships and the Wanwu cultivators paying substantial fees; rescue costs remained to be negotiated.

• Baiqiao and True Venerable Ke Lin argued over whether Ke Lin’s offer to recruit Qu Jianlei was sincere, but agreed that the five Wanwu Realm True Venerables had to be rescued.
• Baiqiao warned Qu Jianlei that the Empire could face consequences if the five True Venerables died, and Qu Jianlei agreed to consider helping rather than leave his former homeland exposed.
• Song Yue'er, True Venerable Qingkong, Han Li, and the others joined Qu Jianlei’s proposed mission and demanded access to the five True Venerables’ Abodes and a share of any opportunities.
• Qu Jianlei refused to negotiate with the Empire, limited the search to one and a half years, and offered his own warships and supplies for the expedition.
• The parties agreed that the Wanwu True Venerables would pay three sets of Five Elements Source, one Time Rule, and a future Creation Rule, while further fees would apply if the team had to carry out a rescue.

Qu Jianlei led the True Venerables into the Maiden Star Region to rescue five missing cultivators, while Ke Lin guided their course through dangerous, shifting space. After repeated warship losses raised suspicions, the group demanded evidence for Ke Lin’s directions, and he produced an old implement linked to Han Wei for Qingkong to use in divination.

• Ke Lin refused to negotiate further over rescue costs, so the parties agreed that the five missing True Venerables would cover the expenses with goods, wealth, or gains from the Maiden Star Region.
• Qu Jianlei showed the group his warships, then chose one Battalion-Class Ship to enter the region, where the garrison honored him for his Digital Phantom insignia.
• The True Venerables began exchanging with one another during the journey, and after two days Ke Lin directed Qu Jianlei toward a stretch of especially chaotic energy.
• Ke Lin changed their course repeatedly, forcing Qu Jianlei to replace three damaged Battalion-Class Ships and prompting Song Yue'er and Jin Ge to question his guidance.
• Ke Lin explained that spatial distortion made navigation unpredictable, but refused to reveal his secret art; Qingkong then asked him for an aura connected to one of the missing cultivators.
• Ke Lin handed Qingkong an implement once used by Han Wei, and the Grand Protector revealed a powerful butterfly treasure as he prepared to investigate it.

Ke Lin and the True Venerables continued through the dangerous Maiden Star Region, using divination to choose their route and collecting treasures along the way. The discovery of Stone Marrow Ice sparked a dispute over its use, and Qu Jianlei pressed Ke Lin about whether one of the five trapped True Venerables was especially important.

• Qingkong examined the aura, and Han Li used his Divination Sticks to confirm four possible Causality Lines, with Ke Lin’s direction slightly stronger.
• Xiao Hu spotted an unusual chunk of ice, and Qu Jianlei adjusted the warship’s course so the Mechanical Arm could retrieve it.
• The ice froze the Mechanical Arm, and the True Venerables identified it as Stone Marrow Ice; Han Li claimed it for Houde’s public treasury because it could improve his combat power.
• Song Yue’er asked Han Li for the Stone Marrow Ice to preserve key materials, but Han Li refused for the moment after Jin Ge pointed out its ability to resist rules and time.
• The True Venerables collected several more treasures as they traveled deeper into the star region.
• Qu Jianlei asked Ke Lin whether one of the five trapped True Venerables was a major figure, and Ke Lin told them to ask the captives themselves when they found them.

Qu Jianlei settled disputes over the warship’s course through divination as the search of the Maiden Star Region continued. Jin Ge sensed and claimed a huge Gold Essence core, and Ke Lin later acknowledged that Qu Jianlei’s course corrections were accurate.

• Song Yue'er warned Social Butterfly not to gossip about Great Monarchs as the group noted that ten months of searching had passed and only eight months remained.
• Han Li and Ke Lin disagreed over the warship’s direction, and Qu Jianlei used divination to support Han Li while Qingkong challenged Ke Lin’s faith in the Zhuyou Blood Curse.
• After five more days, Jin Ge sensed an opportunity and led the warship to a massive Gold Essence core, which everyone agreed rightfully belonged to him.
• Ke Lin admitted three days later that the warship’s course had shifted as Qu Jianlei directed.
• A month later, Qu Jianlei used divination to make a slight correction to Han Li’s chosen direction, and Ke Lin accepted it.
• Six days later, Ke Lin sensed another shift and praised Qu Jianlei’s methods.

Qu Jianlei explained that Han Li’s divination had been right but that his own faint sense of luck helped the group avoid danger. As the Houde True Venerables prepared to return, they left the Wanwu team with the warships and learned to operate them without Xiao Hu, while Ke Lin sought to learn how an artifact spirit could control a ship.

• Qu Jianlei told Ke Lin that Han Li’s direction was correct but riskier, and said he had guided the group around danger.
• Ke Lin tried to learn why the Houde True Venerables were eager to return, but Qingkong refused to reveal their reason.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to leave the warships with the Wanwu True Venerables, provided they operated them themselves and did not take Xiao Hu.
• The True Venerables studied warship operation, practiced for ten days, and replaced Xiao Hu’s system with the Empire’s data system.
• Ke Lin complained that operating a warship without an artifact spirit took too much effort and tried to learn how to integrate one, but Qu Jianlei said he would charge a fee.