Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei won a damaged Wooden Umbrella at auction after recognizing that its Divine Script described Instant Flash, a movement technique he had long wanted to master. He received the umbrella and planned to test both the technique and its remaining defensive power.

• Qu Jianlei raised his bid to three billion and won the damaged Wooden Umbrella after the other bidder stopped bidding.
• Qu Jianlei told Nutrient Solution that the umbrella contained an all-attribute movement technique called Instant Flash, and Nutrient Solution offered to buy exclusive rights for thirty billion.
• Qu Jianlei declined to sell the technique but offered to teach Nutrient Solution, warning him not to pass it on.
• An attendant and two Supremes delivered the Wooden Umbrella, and Qu Jianlei paid three hundred bundles of banknotes.
• Qu Jianlei examined the umbrella and found detailed instructions for using Instant Flash with it, then decided to test the technique and the umbrella’s defense.

At an auction, Qu Jianlei recognized several relics from his own world but could not afford the Heaven and Earth Treasure or the Sword Pill. Nutrient Solution bid twenty billion for the Sword Pill on Qu Jianlei’s behalf, but Room 169 immediately raised the price, setting up another clash between the bidders.

• Qu Jianlei recognized the Tong Sheng as a familiar reference book and told Nutrient Solution he already had a copy; it sold for forty-seven billion one hundred million.
• Nutrient Solution suggested Qu Jianlei sell Divine Script tomes, but Qu Jianlei said he had no originals and would not sell replicas.
• Qu Jianlei sensed that an unknown A-rank lifeform might be useful to him, but declined to trade for it, and it sold for twenty-six billion.
• Qu Jianlei recognized a sphere in an ancient box as a Sword Pill with instructions for Sword Control and admitted it meant an extraordinary amount to him.
• Nutrient Solution bid twenty billion for the Sword Pill, but Room 169 countered with twenty-one billion, prompting Nutrient Solution to wonder whether they were fixated on competing.

Room 169 outbid Nutrient Solution for the Sword Pill, and the day’s auction ended with the Inheritance Stone Tablet selling for 710 billion. Qu Jianlei then mastered Instant Flash and taught Nutrient Solution, leaving him to practice as dawn approached.

• Room 169 outbid Nutrient Solution through several rounds and won the Sword Pill for 48.5 billion, establishing a grudge between them.
• Five groups competed for the Inheritance Stone Tablet, which sold for 710 billion as the day-long auction concluded.
• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution flew to a desert, where Qu Jianlei mastered Instant Flash and demonstrated its extraordinary range and speed.
• Qu Jianlei taught Nutrient Solution Instant Flash, but Nutrient Solution struggled to use it effectively and practiced through the night.
• Qu Jianlei explained that Instant Flash should be adapted to each practitioner, then accidentally hinted at his connection to the Divine Script inheritance.

Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution escaped a starship crash with Keros and Korona, then learned the crash was part of an organized extortion campaign targeting vessels around the auction. The planetary government grounded all starships as the authorities considered whether the auction had attracted the attackers.

• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution agreed that Keros and Korona could leave with them, then Qu Jianlei sensed danger and carried Korona out of the courtyard as Nutrient Solution grabbed Keros.
• A cargo starship crashed near the courtyard and exploded; the four escaped with Instant Flash, and a second explosion killed at least a dozen people and damaged nearby buildings.
• Qu Jianlei doubted the official claim that an aged power system caused the crash, while Big Head Butterfly reported that the crew said the power system had suddenly accelerated.
• Nutrient Solution learned that the crash had been deliberate: an organized group had sabotaged more than ten starships after demanding two hundred million Unregistered Silver Notes from each.
• The planetary government prohibited starship takeoffs, and the authorities suspected the extortionists' campaign was connected to the auction.

Qu Jianlei and his companions moved to a new residence while investigators traced their escape from the crash site. A powerful man identified Nutrient Solution from checkpoint footage and ordered an investigation, dismissing warnings that he had clashed with Eckberg.

• Qu Jianlei and the others suspected the government or auction organizers might be behind the attacks, then Nutrient Solution decided they should change residences.
• Government investigators spotted Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution moving at extraordinary speed in satellite footage, but could not identify them or investigate the Above Supreme connected to their residence.
• Nutrient Solution showed the group’s auction invitation at a checkpoint, and inspectors let them pass.
• A superior used linked alerts to learn that the people from Room 112 had passed the checkpoint and sent their images to his lord.
• The burly man recognized Nutrient Solution’s image and ordered an investigation, then challenged his subordinate’s warning about Nutrient Solution’s clash with Eckberg.

Qu Jianlei attended the auction with Nutrient Solution, became interested in several magical artifacts, and sensed that someone was watching him after the second auction. On the final day, Nutrient Solution opened the bidding on an ancient bell that Qu Jianlei recognized as a treasure of the Above Supreme, though he doubted the Awakened Ones could use its full power.

• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution moved into an old warehouse near Triumphant Square and returned to the auction, where Qu Jianlei bid on dragon-shaped scissors but watched them sell for sixteen billion.
• After the auction, Qu Jianlei sensed three suspicious people watching him and memorized their auras; Nutrient Solution noticed his emotional shift.
• Nutrient Solution left the warehouse for several hours after receiving a call, and Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Hu to watch him before he returned near dawn.
• On the final day, the auctioneer presented an ancient azure bell that could trap people and unleash sound waves and Mental Attacks, but using its full power carried severe costs.
• Qu Jianlei recognized the bell as a treasure of the Above Supreme, and Nutrient Solution opened the bidding at thirty billion.

Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution left the auction after Room 117 won the Soul Suppressing Bell for ninety-nine billion, then returned to the warehouse amid signs that people were watching for targets to rob. When Qu Jianlei learned that the Tianbing Star team had arrived on Dream Star, he met them and brought Nutrient Solution along to help them evade inspections.

• Room 117 won the Soul Suppressing Bell with a bid of ninety-nine billion after the price climbed steadily from Nutrient Solution’s opening bid of thirty billion.
• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution left the Main Auction House, where suspicious onlookers watched them until two Supremes arrived to pick them up.
• At the warehouse, Qu Jianlei chose to wait until things settled down, then left after Big Head Butterfly told him the Tianbing Star team had arrived.
• Qu Jianlei met Paranoid, Claire, Hua Xiezhi, Zi Jiuxian, Tian Yin, Bentley, and four other Supremes after they teleported to Dream Star from the 3344 Ship.
• Qu Jianlei contacted Nutrient Solution, who arrived by aircraft to help the group travel despite Dream Star’s strict inspections.

Qu Jianlei took the group shopping on Dream Star, where the Keros siblings’ dispute drew attention from Eckberg’s people. He later taught everyone the Instant Flash movement technique, and several members quickly mastered it.

• Nutrient Solution found a guesthouse for the group, while the Keros siblings and Paranoid’s companions spent three days buying cultivation supplies.
• Paranoid’s group nearly fought over resources, and Qu Jianlei traced the incident to Eckberg’s people identifying Korona through her bandages.
• Qu Jianlei learned that the group had been exposed again and told everyone to stay in the next day.
• Qu Jianlei took the group to the hills and taught them the Instant Flash technique he had compiled from his auction gains.
• Hua Xiezhi mastered Instant Flash first, followed shortly by Old Lady Jia and Zi Jiuxian.
• Paranoid forced himself to use Instant Flash and ended up hanging from a tree ten kilometers away.

Qu Jianlei’s group practiced Instant Flash, then planned to extort money from Robbs to fund their treasure hunting on Dream Star. After tracking Robbs to Blue Bay Star, they departed without Nutrient Solution, sharing a starship with several wary groups.

• Qu Jianlei guided Tian Yin through learning Instant Flash and said the technique could be sold for thirty billion, while Old Lady Jia warned everyone not to spread it.
• After several days of unsuccessful shopping, Mu Yu and Paranoid told Qu Jianlei they had found Robbs and wanted to extort four or five billion from him.
• Qu Jianlei had Xiao Hu track Robbs and learned that Robbs planned to travel to Blue Bay Star, so he arranged for the group to follow him there.
• Nutrient Solution arranged their itinerary but stayed behind, telling Qu Jianlei to take Keros and his sister along.
• Qu Jianlei’s twelve-person group boarded a private starship with three other groups, whose members eyed their three Supreme Auras warily.

Qu Jianlei’s group stopped on Seahorse Star for an unexpected five-day layover and practiced Instant Flash in an abandoned mine. Before leaving for Blue Bay Star, Keros and Korona asked to join Qu Jianlei’s team, but he refused, and Keros revealed that Korona was a Poison Attribute B-rank.

• Qu Jianlei’s group landed on Seahorse Star, where the starship announced it would remain for at least five days while another passenger settled business matters.
• After finding little to do on the planet, Qu Jianlei led the group to an abandoned mine to practice Instant Flash while he kept watch nearby with the Keros siblings.
• When the group prepared to leave for Blue Bay Star, Keros and Korona chose to go with them rather than stay on Seahorse Star.
• Keros asked Qu Jianlei to let him and Korona join his team, but Qu Jianlei refused, warning that his group faced serious risks.
• Keros revealed that Korona was a Poison Attribute B-rank and that their family had concealed her ability by presenting her as Wood Attribute.

Qu Jianlei’s group was ambushed by five Supremes using Five Elements coordination while traveling through a rainy region. The attackers’ formation collapsed after Qu Jianlei and his allies disabled their Metal Attribute leader, and the Paranoid moved on to strike the Wood Attribute Supreme.

• Qu Jianlei rejected Keros’s request to accept Korona, explaining that his team only recruited elites and already had B-rank members with Light and Dark Attributes.
• Two nights later, Qu Jianlei’s group left the mine pit in off-road vehicles and was ambushed by five Supremes representing the Five Major Attributes.
• Qu Jianlei ordered his team to attack, while Qinghu and Mu Yu armored themselves and began protecting the others.
• Qu Jianlei blinded the Metal Attribute Supreme, while Bentley struck him with Thunder Dragons and the Paranoid attacked him with a Golden Wheel.
• The Paranoid’s Golden Wheel crippled the Metal Attribute Supreme, collapsing the Five Elements formation, and he immediately attacked the Wood Attribute Supreme while Old Lady Jia targeted the Fire Attribute Supreme.

Qu Jianlei’s team turned the ambush around with Instant Flash, close-range attacks, and coordinated abilities, killing several of the attacking Supremes. A newly arrived Wood Attribute Supreme called for a ceasefire, but the battle had already escalated as Qinghu joined the assault and Old Lady Jia held the Fire Attribute Supreme at bay.

• Paranoid used Instant Flash to shatter the Wood Attribute Supreme’s armor and cut him in two, while Qu Jianlei attacked the Earth Attribute Supreme with a Hand Axe.
• Bentley used Instant Flash and his Serpent Cones to electrocute the Water Attribute Supreme, dodging the Metal Attribute Rank A’s Golden Arrow Arts and striking again.
• Qu Jianlei noticed another Wood Attribute Supreme approaching and used Sight Deprivation against the already-paralyzed Water Attribute Supreme.
• The arriving Wood Attribute Supreme called the fight a misunderstanding and offered compensation, but the battle continued.
• Qinghu used Instant Flash and two longswords to kill the Water Attribute Supreme, while Old Lady Jia requested help through Mental Strength as she suppressed the Fire Attribute Supreme.

Qu Jianlei’s team defeated the ambushers after Qinghu and Old Lady Jia disrupted their coordinated attacks and the Supremes were eliminated. The team survived with several injuries, while the attackers were wiped out and Qu Jianlei regretted that Keros and Korona had been hurt because of him.

• Qinghu recognized the Water Attribute Supreme as a crowd-control threat, then attacked the Fire Attribute Supreme to free Old Lady Jia.
• Old Lady Jia cast an area Freeze spell that slowed both allies and enemies, while Qu Jianlei broke through the Earth Attribute Supreme’s defenses.
• The Wood Attribute Supreme stopped short of the battlefield and offered compensation, but Paranoid blinded him and struck him down.
• Qu Jianlei’s team finished off the remaining ambushers in just over two minutes, with Old Lady Jia’s crowd control and Claire’s Sight Deprivation preventing escape.
• Zi Jiuxian, Tian Yin, Bentley, Keros, and Korona suffered injuries, while Claire emerged unscathed.
• Qu Jianlei regretted that Keros and Korona had been injured after they were caught up in the fight because of him.

After defeating the ambushers, Qu Jianlei’s group interrogated the survivors and searched their belongings for the stolen Sword Pill. Hua Xiezhi found a suspicious safe, and Qu Jianlei discovered it required both a random combination and a genetic fragment to open.

• Paranoid beheaded a Wood Attribute Supreme, while Qu Jianlei ordered the captives questioned and treated the wounded Keros and Korona.
• Keros said Seahorse’s security checks were lax, and the surviving Supremes insisted they were connected to Gan Duo Above Supreme.
• Hua Xiezhi found an auction invitation on the Metal Attribute Supreme, who revealed that Duo Gan Above Supreme was his great-grandmother and refused to identify the Sword Pill’s location.
• Bentley returned with the ambushers’ vehicles, while Hua Xiezhi searched their Item-Storing Talismans for the Sword Pill bought for forty-eight and a half billion.
• Hua Xiezhi discovered a safe among the Energy Blocks, and Qu Jianlei sensed that it had a random combination lock requiring a genetic fragment.

Qu Jianlei and his companions opened the Metal Attribute Supreme’s supposedly secure safe and recovered the Divine Script Treasure inside. After the Supreme demanded death, Qu Jianlei killed him despite his claim that Duo Gan Above Supreme was his great-grandmother.

• Xiao Hu said it could crack the safe from within, and Qu Jianlei asked Paranoid to prepare a precisely aimed needle strike while Old Lady Jia maintained Crowd Control.
• Paranoid pierced the safe with a fine needle, and Qu Jianlei entered the sequence Xiao Hu provided to open it without triggering its self-destruct.
• Qu Jianlei took an ancient-looking box from the safe and handed it to Paranoid, who opened it to reveal a tiny Divine Script sphere.
• Qu Jianlei mocked the injured Metal Attribute Supreme for spending a fortune on the treasure, and the Supreme demanded that Qu Jianlei kill him.
• Qu Jianlei formed a hand seal and killed the Metal Attribute Supreme with a golden needle through the brow.

Qu Jianlei’s group killed the six Supreme ambushers, concealed the evidence, and reached their starship with the injured Keros and Korona. Before liftoff, Old Lady Jia raised the danger that their whereabouts might have been leaked and that Duo Gan, an Above Supreme whose name the attackers had invoked, could be aware of them.

• Old Lady Jia urged the group to kill the remaining Supremes, and Qinghu and Paranoid helped Qu Jianlei eliminate all six attackers while concealing their other attributes.
• Xiao Hu confirmed that the ambushers had sent no messages, though the Wood Attribute Supreme had encrypted messages asking for help, and the group cleaned up before leaving in seized vehicles.
• Qu Jianlei arranged for Keros and Korona to go to Blue Bay aboard Nutrient Solution’s starship, and Korona promised to keep the attack secret.
• The group evaded scrutiny on the way to the spaceport and boarded the starship, where Korona stayed with Keros in a small suite.
• Old Lady Jia asked whether they should leave the starship and transfer to their own ships in case someone was tracking them, but Qu Jianlei worried about what to do with the siblings.
• Paranoid warned that the attackers’ repeated invocation of Duo Gan might have alerted the Above Supreme, making the group’s plans potentially unsafe.

Qu Jianlei's group decided to take a starship to Blue Bay Star despite the risk of pursuit, then treated their injured and studied the spoils they had seized. As the ship neared Blue Bay, six unidentified attack ships emerged from behind a massive meteor and approached.

• Qinghu argued that Duo Gan would likely be unable to catch them before they reached Blue Bay, and the group agreed to take the starship.
• Qu Jianlei's group counted their spoils, including billions in cash, Divine Script Treasures, a Sword Pill, a damaged xun, and a replica Earth Escape Talisman.
• Qu Jianlei arranged treatment for Professor Zi, Tian Yin, and the injured brother and sister before the starship departed Seahorse Star ahead of schedule.
• During the voyage, Paranoid, Jia Shuiqing, and Qinghu asked Qu Jianlei about the xun, the One-Legged Bronze Man, and a treasure they thought might involve Spatial Rules.
• Six small starships emerged from behind a massive meteor as Qu Jianlei's ship passed nearby, and the crew announced that unknown attack ships were approaching.

Qu Jianlei’s starship was blockaded by eighteen attack ships demanding that the passengers surrender. The captain and the other passengers prepared to negotiate, while Hua Xiezhi insisted a battle would eventually come; the attackers then began boarding.

• Qu Jianlei’s group learned that attack ships were approaching, and the attackers fired warning shots at the luxury starship.
• The captain and four passenger representatives met Hua Xiezhi, who said they should fight when the attackers demanded they surrender.
• Twelve more attack ships emerged from behind the Meteor, leaving the starship’s passengers badly outnumbered.
• Hua Xiezhi said they could contact the attackers but that a battle would still follow, then left to consult her companions.
• A Supreme told the representatives to handle the situation without disturbing his group unless the attackers broke into their room.
• The starship maintained its speed and raised its defenses as six attack ships approached to board, while the other twelve guarded the area.

The Water Attribute Supreme and Fire Attribute Supreme faced an ultimatum from the attackers while trying to buy time for Qu Jianlei’s group. Two approaching starships entered the battle, and their ferocious attack destroyed most of the small ships sent to intercept them, forcing the attackers to bring out their reserve squadron.

• Three Supremes revealed themselves outside their attack ships, and the Water Attribute Supreme asked how the attackers would treat the crew if they surrendered.
• The Water Attribute Supreme sought help from Qu Jianlei’s group, but the male Supreme refused to get involved as two starships appeared on the observers’ screen.
• The attackers ordered their ships to charge weapons, and one small attack ship fired on the luxury starship, which evaded without returning fire.
• Twelve attack ships concentrated their assault on the luxury starship while six moved to engage the two newcomers.
• The two starships opened fire on the six interceptors, destroying three and disabling two more before the last fled.
• The attackers sent nine reserve attack ships into the fight and ordered them to intercept the enemy.

The luxury starship joined the fight as two late-arriving starships revealed reinforcements and attacked the Raiders. The battle intensified, leaving the luxury starship’s captain wondering whether the newcomers would destroy the entire Raider force.

• The luxury starship’s captain persuaded the Supremes to return fire so the newcomers would not mistake them for Raider allies.
• Two more starships emerged from behind Meteor, prompting the Raiders to turn back toward them.
• The two rear starships launched small attack ships, and the luxury starship began firing on the Raiders.
• A woman ordered the Raiders to cease fire, but when they threatened the newcomers, she ordered them to open fire.
• The Raiders returned fire as the newcomers’ two large and two small starships coordinated attacks against their ships.
• The luxury starship’s captain watched the newcomers’ skilled maneuvers and wondered if they would wipe out the Raiders.