Chapter Summaries

Tian Yin confronted Consair Lord Coning over his failure to help her uncle and pressed him to support her plans against Wanhao. Coning agreed to help, while Tian Yin left him wary of the force and anger she carried.

• Tian Yin challenged Coning for standing by while Wanhao dealt with her uncle, and Coning said he had needed to protect his own family.
• Coning warned Tian Yin that Wanhao could retaliate, but she revealed that her team had not yet used its full strength.
• Tian Yin told Coning she would seek his help after they dealt with Wanhao, including in matters involving the gold mine.
• Coning questioned the terms and whether he would have to act alone, while Tian Yin made clear she expected him to help with others.
• When Coning suggested withdrawing, Tian Yin warned that he knew too much, and he agreed to help, saying he would treat it as a debt to her uncle.

Coning told Tian Yin how her uncle Consair had acquired the gold mine and killed an old friend who had tried to sell him information about its deposits. He explained that Wanhao used the killing and recorded evidence to target Consair, but Tian Yin remained focused on revenge as the conversation ended.

• Coning worried that Tian Yin's resentment could put him in danger, then invited her into his car to discuss her uncle.
• Tian Yin received Qu Jianlei's Mental Strength signal and got into the car, believing he was nearby watching over her.
• Coning explained that Consair's family had gradually expanded its mine, including land that Consair's old friend wanted to buy after learning it held valuable minerals.
• Consair promised his old friend thirty percent of the shares for the mineral information, then killed him when the gold vein was found.
• Coning told Tian Yin that the dead man's recording reached Wanhao, which used it to confront Consair and contributed to his downfall.
• Tian Yin said she understood the account but asked why Coning had told her, while he hoped the story would ease her anger.

Tian Yin left Coning after he revealed that people on Light Gauze Star had helped Wan Hao target her uncle, and Qu Jianlei and Mu Yu met her. After the attack on Wan Hao Group shook the Sirius Star Region, the group traveled to Claw Star, where Thousand Layer Snow’s family and the remaining Wan Hao personnel had taken precautions against further violence.

• Coning told Tian Yin that people and forces on Light Gauze Star had helped Wan Hao deal with her uncle, and Tian Yin left when she sensed Qu Jianlei and Mu Yu nearby.
• Mu Yu asked Tian Yin what she and Coning had discussed after the Supremes met up with her.
• News spread that Wan Hao Group’s base had been attacked, killing three Supremes and Pu Juxiang and leaving many others dead or wounded.
• The Light Gauze Star authorities offered protection to the surviving Wan Hao members, while the Star Domain Government later arrived to oversee the investigation.
• Qu Jianlei, Mu Yu, and Xiao Hu traveled to Claw Star, where Wan Hao’s branch was weakened and Thousand Layer Snow’s family had gathered behind heavy defenses.

Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu struck Thousand Layer Snow’s family and Wan Hao’s people on Claw Star, then escaped as the planetary government banned outbound flights. They left aboard a luxurious passenger starship while the city guards discovered the devastation.

• Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu chose Thousand Layer Snow’s family and Wan Hao’s branch as their next targets after observing their defenses.
• Qu Jianlei used the storm winds to infiltrate Thousand Layer Snow’s family, while Tian Yin joined him and Mu Yu attacked Wan Hao’s employees.
• Qu Jianlei and Tian Yin killed the family’s defenders, then set off the ammunition depot and accelerant, destroying the compound in a fire that killed everyone there.
• Mu Yu killed Wan Hao’s people and escaped, leaving a Modified Warrior and an ordinary person alive at the branch.
• The planetary government suspended all outbound flights after the two attacks, but Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu boarded a passenger starship that took off before the port closed.

Qu Jianlei, Mu Yu, and Tian Yin escaped Claw Star aboard a luxurious starship after using a Near-Earth Jump, then tried to remain unnoticed among the elite passengers. Their quiet journey was interrupted when a drunk Young Master struck up a conversation with Qu Jianlei.

• The starship departed just before an Anomalous Celestial Phenomenon grounded all flights, and Qu Jianlei, Mu Yu, and Tian Yin discussed their escape and the Teleportation Array he had rigged to destroy itself.
• The three stayed in a corner of the hall as the passengers ate, drank, and socialized, using their abilities to avoid drawing attention.
• A drunk fire-attribute A-rank passenger noticed the group and questioned Qu Jianlei, who answered that he and his companions were not interested in socializing.
• The passenger's slightly plump childhood friend approached to check on him, but the Young Master waved him away and explained that he wanted a carefree life.
• Qu Jianlei told the Young Master that they were on different paths because his group still had to strive and work hard.

Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu heard passengers discuss the attack on Wan Hao and the feud with Kong Sai while trying to avoid attention aboard the starship. Qian He later invited them to his room and hinted that the families’ grudge was more complicated than the rumors suggested.

• Young Master challenged Tian Yin’s skepticism and said the descendants of Kong Sai were believed to be behind the attack on Wan Hao.
• Passengers explained that Thousand Layer Snow had died on Light Gauze and that her family had also been wiped out, while Qu Jianlei and his companions moved away from the crowd.
• The Brawny Man noticed the trio, withdrew his spiritual perception after Tian Yin warned him with a glance, and later reviewed the hall’s surveillance footage.
• Qian He apologized to Qu Jianlei and invited him, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu to his room after having it cleaned.
• Tian Yin asked Qian He whether there was a difference between seeking news about Wan Hao and learning about Kong Sai, and he said the families’ grudge was not simple.

Qian He explained how the struggle between the Dumbbell Star System and the Sirius Star Region may have led to Consair Lord’s murder, then offered the group lucrative but dangerous contracts. Qu Jianlei and his companions considered seeking out the force that destroyed Wanhao, but rejected jobs involving Hongjingtian, Ran Bingluan, and the vanished Nebula.

• Young Master told Tian Yin, Qu Jianlei, and the others that Consair Lord had supported keeping the Dumbbell Star System under the Sirius Star Region and may have been killed by separatists seeking to control his gold mine.
• Qian He argued that the Light Veil Star government had likely tolerated Wanhao’s attack and that the star region’s arrival explained why travel restrictions were lifted.
• Qu Jianlei said he wanted to contact the force that attacked Wanhao, and Qian He warned him that even the government feared that force.
• Qu Jianlei asked Qian He to act as an intermediary guarantor for a revenge contract against Wanhao, but Qian He refused.
• Qian He offered the group a bounty to capture Hongjingtian alive, but Qu Jianlei judged the risk too high, and the group rejected further dangerous contracts.

Qu Jianlei, Mu Yu, and Tian Yin rejected Qian He's proposal to pursue the deadly Traveler's Wealth and declined the Divine Script Society project. After they parted, Qian He told the brawny man that the trio seemed powerful and unlikely to cause trouble aboard the ship.

• Qian He described the Traveler Nebula's enormous riches, strange dangers, and history of fatal expeditions, prompting Tian Yin to shut down his suggestion.
• Qu Jianlei said he would rather take a chance in the Maiden Star Region, and Qian He offered to arrange Supreme allies.
• Mu Yu rejected the Divine Script Society's project, while Tian Yin told Qian He to leave his Wristwatch number instead of exchanging theirs.
• Qu Jianlei told Qian He that the trio would stay on Forward Star only briefly, and Qian He offered them his room before leaving.
• Qian He told the brawny man that the trio had an impressive background, would probably not disrupt their journey, and were too direct to hide hostile intentions.

Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu returned from their campaign against Wan Hao, finding its Forward Star members scattered and later learning the group had withdrawn from Paradise Star. Qu Jianlei resumed work on Near-Earth Jump, then hurried back after Ping An’s Energy Stone Mine permit was approved.

• Qu Jianlei, Tian Yin, and Mu Yu found that Wan Hao’s people had fled Forward Star, so Tian Yin chose to return home and postpone pursuing the remaining enemies.
• Qu Jianlei and his companions left Forward Star, and three days later a fire at Wan Hao’s deserted base signaled that Consair Lord’s revenge was not over.
• Qu Jianlei returned to Paradise Star and learned that Wan Hao had withdrawn while a new company continued managing the tourist district, leaving the guesthouse outside its system and struggling with reduced income.
• Qu Jianlei heard from Jia Shuiqing that Zi Hong Star was safe, then left to test Near-Earth Jump; Paranoid stayed behind when Mu Yu refused to let him come.
• After Paranoid summoned him two months later, Qu Jianlei returned and learned that Ping An’s Energy Stone Mine permit had been approved, with Duo Duo advising that several Supremes attend the government’s site inspection.

Qu Jianlei gathered a team to support the mining operation on Zi Hong Star and prepared them for a direct jump from space to the planet. The jump succeeded, and the group arrived safely to meet Tian Yin.

• Qu Jianlei persuaded Paranoid and Mu Yu that the team should show its strength at the abandoned mine, then chose Hua Xiezhi and Tian Yin to accompany them.
• Qu Jianlei gave Bentley access to the Gathering Spirit Array and a revised cultivation method, encouraging him to keep striving for Supreme.
• Qu Jianlei, Paranoid, Mu Yu, Hua Xiezhi, and Tian Yin departed aboard the Unlucky Starship, traveling first to Farwatch and then toward Zi Hong Star.
• After Tian Yin confirmed that the ground was ready, Qu Jianlei activated the Near-Earth Jump despite Mu Yu's concern.
• The four travelers arrived at the foot of a cliff in the rain, where Tian Yin greeted them.

Qu Jianlei and his companions successfully teleported from their starship to Zi Hong Star, then reunited with Ping An Merchant Group ahead of an inspection of the Energy Stone Mine. As Ping An discussed the mine’s proposed shareholders, it welcomed the Energy Block Merchant Alliance’s investment but objected to the other two shareholders receiving Dry Shares.

• Qu Jianlei’s group completed a long-distance teleport to the planet, and Tian Yin reported that the Space Ripple stayed below the intermediate warning threshold despite triggering a high-level alert.
• Qu Jianlei led the group away from the cliff before a drone arrived to investigate the disturbance, then they traveled to Mountain and Water Abode.
• Qu Jianlei’s group reunited with Duo Duo, Qinghu, and Old Lady Jia, and Haier promised to arrange an identity card for the newcomer.
• Qu Jianlei asked about approval for the Energy Stone Mine, and Hua Xiezhi questioned Duo Duo about the proposed shareholders.
• Duo Duo explained that the Energy Block Alliance’s Tianhe Branch would invest for ten percent of the costs and shares, while Ping An objected to the other two shareholders receiving Dry Shares.

Qu Jianlei challenged the excessive dry shares demanded by the Mining Management and Transportation Management departments from Ping An’s Energy Stone Mine venture. He ordered Ping An to notify the transportation department that its fees could not exceed five percent of profits and requested intelligence on mining official Shieler and his enemies.

• Qu Jianlei learned that the two government departments’ dry shares could reduce Ping An’s ownership to forty percent and told Duo Duo he was dissatisfied.
• Ka Ding explained that Ping An had tolerated the demands to build ties with the Supremes, but identified the Mining Management Department as the more greedy party.
• Ka Ding described how a Tianhe official had expanded transportation regulators’ authority over Energy Block shipments eighty years earlier.
• Qu Jianlei ordered Ping An to restore the old transportation rules and notify the department that its fees could not exceed five percent of profits.
• Ka Ding said mining official Shieler had one Supreme backing him and was close to Zi Hong Star’s second-in-command, Zhan Donglai.
• Qu Jianlei asked Ping An to gather information on Shieler and his enemies.

Qu Jianlei's group attended a Ping An Merchant Group banquet as Zhan Donglai assessed their strength, while an Electromagnetic Attribute Supreme killed Shieler and his associates. Zhan Donglai left convinced the group had at least six Supremes and ordered an investigation into the killer's stated motive.

• Ka Ding sent Qu Jianlei information about Shieler's history, enemies, and the risks of retaliating against him.
• Ping An announced a banquet for its Supreme collaborator, drawing six A-ranks and other senior figures before Zhan Donglai arrived uninvited.
• Zhan Donglai spoke with Old Lady Jia and tried to probe the guests, then sensed a Supreme aura that overwhelmed his own.
• Zhan Donglai received word that Shieler had been killed by an Electromagnetic Attribute Supreme and concluded that Qu Jianlei's group had a sixth Supreme operating elsewhere.
• Zhan Donglai learned the killer had also slain two A-ranks and three B-ranks, and he ordered a careful investigation into Qian Qian.

Zhan Donglai concluded that Ping An had killed Shieler and used its banquet as an alibi, but felt unable to challenge the group. Tian Yin was stopped and searched at a checkpoint, while Ping An secured support from the Energy Block Merchant Alliance and an Imperial military team arrived on Zi Hong Star to investigate an Energy Stone Mine.

• Zhan Donglai learned the history of Qian Qian and Shieler, then decided Ping An was responsible for Shieler's murder and had created an alibi with its banquet.
• Tian Yin encountered a hostile city guard at a checkpoint, but a B-rank guard let her leave after learning Supremes had gathered at Ping An Merchant Group.
• The person in charge of the Energy Block Merchant Alliance met with Jierte and offered cooperation and help pressuring the transportation management department.
• A regional military guard unit arrived at the Zi Hong Star Military District with orders to investigate an Energy Stone Mine, prompting the commander to question whether the military should intervene.

After Shieler’s death, Ping An’s expedition reached the tailings planet and began a survey that helped clear the merchant group of suspicion. Just as officials prepared to sign an agreement, three military warships arrived and announced an investigation.

• The Mining Management Department delayed the expedition by one day, but the fleet departed with Ping An’s ships and two government vessels.
• Qu Jianlei and his group settled into the stone grotto they had built, while Zhan Donglai advised most officials to remain aboard the starships.
• Mining officials claimed no records matched the celestial body and suggested its previous mining might implicate Ping An, but Zhan Donglai ordered them to focus on checking for major mineral veins.
• The Energy Block Merchant Alliance’s analysis concluded that a highly organized force had mined the planet, helping establish that Ping An lacked the capacity to be responsible.
• Three military warships arrived as the agreement ceremony was about to begin and announced that they would investigate the celestial body.

The military surveyed the asteroid while keeping the Ping An Merchant Group and its allies under pressure, and Roger ultimately ordered everyone connected to the group to surrender. Jierte asked why, leaving the military’s next move unanswered.

• Roger arrived with a Military Department order, and Zhan Donglai challenged the military’s authority to intervene in local affairs.
• The military deployed more ships, surveyed the asteroid, and ignored Qu Jianlei and the others despite knowing about their Supremes.
• Roger and Zhan Donglai each wondered why Qu Jianlei’s group remained calm as the military tightened its encirclement.
• After the survey, Roger confirmed that the Ping An Merchant Group had discovered the asteroid and ordered everyone connected to it to give up resistance.
• Jierte asked Roger why the group had to surrender.

Roger revealed that the mineral source was likely part of Traveler's Wealth, prompting Paranoid and the other Supremes to challenge the military's claim. An unseen Above Supreme joined the confrontation, and Roger began preparing to use military force as tensions escalated.

• Roger announced that the celestial body was likely part of Traveler's Wealth after Jierte pressed him for an explanation.
• Paranoid mocked the military's expertise, and Roger challenged the Supremes to fight; Mu Yu, Qinghu, Old Lady Jia, and Qu Jianlei released their auras.
• Paranoid released a powerful Coercive Pressure and a Fire Attribute aura, while an unseen voice questioned whether the five Supremes truly represented all five elements.
• Qu Jianlei acknowledged that the voice belonged to an Above Supreme, and the voice noted that Paranoid and Old Lady Jia carried traces of an Above Supreme aura.
• Old Lady Jia warned the Above Supreme to leave, and Paranoid threatened Roger; Roger began considering how to notify the warship and coordinate military action.

Empire Storm and The Latecomer discussed the restrictions and backlash that came with becoming an Above Supreme while Qu Jianlei’s group faced a hidden threat. The Latecomer revealed that he was watching them because three and a half of them were acquaintances.

• As Qu Jianlei urged the hidden Above Supreme to fight, Empire Storm sensed that he had been noticed and spoke with The Latecomer aboard a distant Division Level Battleship.
• Empire Storm explained that the universe restricted Awakened Ones and that Above Supremes suffered Cosmic Backlash when they acted.
• The Latecomer refused to share his advancement theory or his proposed solution, saying he disliked Empire Storm and would stop him from harming Qu Jianlei.
• Empire Storm admitted that he had targeted Qu Jianlei’s group in hopes of finding ideas to overcome his backlash, after learning they might possess a profound legacy.
• The Latecomer explained that he had secretly followed Qu Jianlei for years and said he was watching the group because three and a half of them were acquaintances.

Empire Storm agreed to end the confrontation after The Latecomer warned him about the hidden strength of Qu Jianlei’s group, though he still questioned the Energy Stone Mine. The fleet prepared to leave, while Roger challenged the defenders and was ordered back by a stranger.

• The Latecomer warned Empire Storm that he did not understand his opponents and revealed that the people below did not know he was present.
• Empire Storm decided against testing the defenders and said the matter should end, but he raised the suspicious Energy Stone Mine before The Latecomer vanished.
• Qu Jianlei brought everyone into the stone cavern, strengthened its shield, and activated its weapons while Roger watched.
• Empire Storm announced that his side was leaving, and Roger objected over the Energy Stone Mine.
• Roger challenged Jia Shuiqing and Paranoid to fight him one-on-one, but Paranoid dismissed him and a stranger ordered him to return.

The military abruptly withdrew from the celestial body, allowing Ping'an to complete its contract and return to Mountain and Water Abode without further interference. Qu Jianlei restarted the Computer Group and Gathering Spirit Arrays despite the lingering danger, while a hidden observer watched and wondered how to approach them.

• Qinghu left the stone cave in layered armor to inspect the military's withdrawal, and Zhan Donglai later asked what she had done.
• Zhan Donglai ordered the contract signing to proceed, and the authorities and Merchant Alliance completed the deal half a day later.
• Qu Jianlei and his group stayed three extra days to watch for the military, then returned to Zi Hong Star as officials quietly monitored them.
• The Mining Management Department stopped challenging Ping'an over Dry Shares, and the Energy Stone Mine's development proceeded smoothly.
• Qu Jianlei restarted the Computer Group and set up Gathering Spirit Arrays at Mountain and Water Abode, accepting the risk so they could advance their calculations.
• A hidden observer sensed the spiritual energy and wondered how to meet Qu Jianlei and the others.