Chapter Summaries

After the Empire investigated the destroyed Company-level Warship, Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution learned that their team was becoming a stronger focus of suspicion. Qu Jianlei chose to wait before interrupting Old Lady Jia’s advancement, while Nutrient Solution arranged two untraceable new starships.

• The Empire identified the destroyed Company-level Warship’s production batch and narrowed the missing ships to a little over a hundred, including the two once taken by Above Supreme Si Xi.
• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution discussed how the Empire had traced the wreckage and how Nutrient Solution had questioned Department of Anomalous Affairs personnel.
• Qu Jianlei weighed the growing risk of investigation against Old Lady Jia’s delicate chance to advance and decided to wait until she came out again before telling her about the situation.
• Nutrient Solution told Qu Jianlei that she had ordered two starships through an anonymous auction, and he welcomed their delivery as a chance to fly brand-new ships.

Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution considered how to divert the Empire’s attention while studying the Invisibility Cloak, but a sudden meteor swarm forced them and the Gustin Family’s allies to prepare for impact. The chapter left them in formation to confront five meteors, including two large enough to devastate Qingyuan Star.

• Nutrient Solution proposed attacking Qingyuan Star’s Space Wave Point as a distraction, but Qu Jianlei questioned the risks while she prioritized studying the Other-dimensional Creature’s corpse.
• Xiang Xue received the Gustin Family steward’s warning that five meteors had appeared suddenly and were descending toward the territory, and she alerted Qu Jianlei that someone was provoking them.
• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution had been discussing the Invisibility Cloak’s Sacrificial Refining when Xiang Xue’s warning brought them and Paranoid, Mu Yu, Qinghu, Lao Ben, Bentley, and Mu Guang into action.
• Qu Jianlei quickly placed the group in the Five Elements Battle Array, assigning Qinghu to defense and Lao Ben to watch for long-range threats.
• Hua Xiezhi reported that the five meteors ranged from a small one to a final meteor more than thirty kilometers wide, and Paranoid joked that they could flee rather than face them.

Qu Jianlei led the Five Elements Battle Array in destroying the first three meteors while Supremes and observers watched the Gustin Family fief. As a massive fourth meteor approached Qingyuan Star, officials at a nearby military camp waited to see whether the array could stop it.

• Qu Jianlei ordered the group to build power and use the Five Elements Battle Array to handle the meteors one at a time.
• The array’s Yellow Light pulverized the first three meteors, including one five hundred meters in diameter.
• The meteor strikes drew widespread attention, and seven Supreme-level streams of Mental Strength surrounded the Gustin Family fief.
• Four Supremes at a Military Camp discussed the array’s performance and prepared for the approaching fourth meteor, which was over ten kilometers in diameter.
• The Supreme from the Department of Anomalous Affairs hoped the fourth meteor would cause damage before the military intercepted the fifth.

The Yellow Lights redirected the fourth and fifth meteors instead of destroying them, sending them toward the Governor’s Residence and Qingyuan Military Region headquarters. The Supremes scrambled to intercept the impacts, and the military Supreme asked the Supreme of the Department of Anomalous Affairs whether he could make the fifth meteor dissipate.

• The fourth Yellow Light changed the meteor’s course toward the Governor’s Residence without slowing it, and the Supremes ordered an interception and an emergency warning.
• The female Supreme warned that the Governor had powerful backing, while the military Supreme said the nearby squads lacked suitable firing parameters and ordered two squads to attack.
• The fifth meteor arrived, and its Yellow Light redirected it toward Qingyuan Military Region headquarters while barely reducing its speed.
• The military Supreme ordered headquarters to use all available firepower, requested activation of planetary defense weapons, and asked the Supreme of the Department of Anomalous Affairs to make the meteor dissipate.

The Department of Anomalous Affairs and Military Department Supremes realized that a meteor strike threatened the planet’s concentrated government center, while the Governor and Garrison Army hurried to organize a defense. At the Qingyuan Military Region headquarters, soldiers prepared for the meteors’ impact and its aftermath, unable to intervene in time to save those in the strike zone.

• The Department of Anomalous Affairs' Supreme realized that the meteor aimed at the Governor's Residence could devastate Clear Source's upper administrative circle, while the Military Department's Supreme pointed out the danger of intercepting it from behind.
• The female Supreme explained that the Governor's Residence had few nearby heavy weapons, and that the Garrison Army's response would depend on how quickly it adapted.
• The Garrison Army attacked the meteor, and the Governor's Residence urged residents to bring out their strongest weapons, promising pardons and contribution points for those who helped resist.
• Residents across the area brought out heavy firepower as the meteor approached, amid shouts warning that everyone would die if they failed to fight back.
• At the Qingyuan Military Region headquarters, observers detected the meteor swarm and raised the alarm, prompting the military to mobilize personnel and prepare for the consequences of impact.

The military scrambled to defend its headquarters as a massive meteor changed course toward it, while Supremes suspected that a group connected to the Gustin Family was reinforcing and micro-controlling the rock. The meteor had been weakened and the fourth meteor had broken apart, but the headquarters remained in immediate danger.

• The military noticed the fourth meteor veer toward the Executive Governor’s residence and warned the Garrison Army, then watched the fifth meteor turn toward military headquarters.
• The military rushed its weapons into action and bombarded the enormous meteor, slightly reducing its kinetic energy while trying to buy time for the railgun.
• The Military Intelligence Department Supreme sensed that an Earth Attribute Supreme was micro-controlling the meteor and suspected the attackers were reinforcing it.
• The Military Intelligence Department Supreme estimated that three to five people were controlling the meteor and said the Gustin Family group numbered about fifteen to seventeen.
• The fourth meteor broke apart, filling the administrative district with fragments, while the Supremes turned their attention back to the still-intact meteor threatening military headquarters.

The fifth meteorite threatened the military headquarters, but a nearby garrison’s Railgun shattered it before impact, saving Qingyuan Star from catastrophic destruction. Afterward, the Military Intelligence Department’s Supreme revealed that the unknown force withdrew its fine control when the Railgun struck, and the Supremes decided to keep that information secret.

• The Supremes discussed the meteorite’s danger and worried about people fleeing as the military prepared warships to stop unauthorized departures.
• Qingyuan Star announced temporary military control, barring starships from taking off without government and military authorization.
• A nearby garrison fired its Railgun at the fifth meteorite, breaking it into fragments and preventing it from destroying the military headquarters.
• The military Supreme acknowledged that the garrison had acted outside standard procedures but would not face substantial punishment because its intervention saved the headquarters.
• The Military Intelligence Department’s Supreme reported that the unknown force withdrew its fine control when the Railgun hit, and the Department of Anomalous Affairs’ Supreme urged the others to keep the information secret.

After the attack on Gustin Family territory, Qu Jianlei pushed to issue a public bounty for the meteor attackers before the authorities could set the narrative. The steward agreed to arrange it, then was startled to learn the top reward was the Five Elements Battle Array.

• The Department of Anomalous Affairs Supreme argued with the military Supreme, who accused him of misleading the military and dismissed him.
• Qu Jianlei and the other Supremes drove away the outsiders’ Mental Strength, while Nutrient Solution identified one departing Supreme as an ally.
• Qu Jianlei ordered a bounty for information about the meteor attackers, offering the introductory version of the Five Elements Battle Array as its top reward.
• Mu Guang asked for priority in obtaining the reward and said the departing Supreme from his association seemed to know about the attackers.
• Qu Jianlei told Xiang Xue to contact the steward and arrange the bounty, and the steward approved before reacting with surprise to the reward.

After the Gustin Family announced a reward that included the entry-level Five Elements Battle Array, public opinion largely favored them, and Qingyuan Star’s government faced growing criticism. The Governor decided to temporarily abandon efforts to hold them responsible, while the Noble Management Committee’s Supreme warned that the noble circles were demanding an explanation.

• Xiang Xue warned the steward not to make unreasonable demands, but he still notified the Gustin Family and its allies about the reward.
• Qu Jianlei noticed the steward’s favoritism, and Nutrient Solution objected before Qu Jianlei dismissed the concern.
• The Gustin Family’s reward spread across Qingyuan Star, and most people sympathized with the family while criticizing the government’s martial law.
• The Governor’s assistant told the Department of Anomalous Affairs Supreme that First One’s children had been injured, including one receiving a Modified Potion injection.
• The assistant explained that the Governor was paying disaster expenses himself and intended to stop pursuing the Gustin Family’s responsibility for now.
• The Noble Management Committee’s Supreme demanded to see the Governor and said the noble circles wanted the Empire to explain what had happened.

After the authorities and military failed to investigate the attack, Qu Jianlei learned from Nafi that the meteor had been launched by a rare, heavily restricted Talisman Treasure. Nafi’s information pointed suspicion toward the Department of Anomalous Affairs, and Nutrient Solution took over the investigation.

• Jia Shuiqing asked Qu Jianlei what had happened, and he explained the meteor attack and asked her to focus on her cultivation.
• Mu Guang told Qu Jianlei that he had leads but that the next few days were inconvenient, while Qu Jianlei waited for more information about the authorities’ response.
• Nutrient Solution confirmed that the authorities were concentrating on preventing the disaster from spreading, and Nafi came to share what he knew about the meteor.
• Nafi identified the weapon as a charged artifact that required years of uninterrupted charging by an Earth Attribute Supreme and could only be used effectively by its charger.
• Nafi revealed that the artifact had belonged to a client who died while assisting the Department of Anomalous Affairs, and Nutrient Solution recognized him as Old Black Head.
• Nutrient Solution told Qu Jianlei she would handle the remaining investigation and said they now had a target.

After the meteor disaster was brought under control, the Gustin Family worked to build ties with Qu Jianlei’s group, leaving twelve descendants to serve and protect them. A possible eruption at Milai Volcano threatened Jia Shuiqing’s secluded cultivation, and the authorities announced plans to trigger it early.

• Qu Jianlei observed the authorities contain the disaster’s spread, and a month after the incident they announced it was under control and lifted martial law two days later.
• Members of the Gustin Family returned and sought to learn about the Five Elements Battle Array, so Nutrient Solution took over negotiations and twelve descendants stayed at the fief.
• Nutrient Solution warned Qu Jianlei that Milai Volcano might erupt and produce volcanic ash that could disturb Jia Shuiqing’s cultivation, but Jia Shuiqing said there was no need to move.
• The authorities announced that they planned to send a demolition team to trigger Milai Volcano’s eruption ahead of schedule.

Qu Jianlei’s group helped the Gustin Family repair and activate its Defense Array before the government detonated Milai Volcano, bringing ash and cold to the fief. As the fief managed nearby refugees under strict limits, Jia Shuiqing’s aura began to fluctuate in seclusion, signaling that her breakthrough was about to begin.

• The Gustin Family consulted Qu Jianlei about repairing its damaged grand Defense Array, and he advised them to keep it at basic operation while his group agreed to pay half the costs.
• After the government detonated Milai Volcano, Nutrient Solution reported that the eruption was tilted toward the fief, and Qu Jianlei suspected the government had observed their array tests.
• Volcanic ash and falling temperatures reached the fief, whose activated Defense Array kept its grounds green despite heavy energy costs.
• When nearby residents sought refuge, Xiang Xue followed First One’s guidance and arranged aid and centralized shelter for those with no alternatives, while warning them not to wander.
• After more than ten days, Qu Jianlei sensed Jia Shuiqing’s aura fluctuating in seclusion, and Nutrient Solution, Paranoid, and the others gathered as her breakthrough appeared to begin.

Jia Shuiqing’s long, stable breakthrough to Above Supreme reached a dangerous new stage as strange snow and growing cloud cover gathered over the fief. Concerned that outside interference could disrupt her formation of a Nascent Soul, Qu Jianlei sought a way to distract the authorities, and Nutrient Solution offered to arrange the chaos.

• Mu Guang approached Jia Shuiqing’s secluded breakthrough to observe it, while Nutrient Solution warned him to keep his aura under control.
• After Jia Shuiqing’s aura neared Supreme, Qu Jianlei activated Defense Arrays, and the aura later rose past the Supreme peak and began fluctuating.
• Xiang Xue ordered the Gustin Family descendants to seal off the area, while Tian Yin and Claire helped patrol as Jia Shuiqing’s breakthrough continued.
• Snow fell over the fief for three days and nights as Qu Jianlei and the others sensed a growing pressure in the sky, but the authorities dismissed the anomaly amid Qingyuan Star’s other disasters.
• Qu Jianlei worried that attention from the authorities could disrupt Jia Shuiqing’s breakthrough and considered sending Bentley or Qinghu to create a distraction.
• Bentley and Qinghu volunteered, but Nutrient Solution offered to send her own people instead, and Qu Jianlei agreed to cover the expenses.

Qu Jianlei and his allies retaliated against supporters of the attack on the Gustin Fief, then staged a prolonged fight to mask Old Lady Jia’s rising aura as she prepared to break through. As her aura surged and a lightning tribulation seemed increasingly likely, Qu Jianlei sensed the clouds overhead and abruptly reacted to something unexpected.

• Nutrient Solution assigned targets, and her allies carried out more than a dozen killings over three days, mostly against high-ranking Awakened Ones who had supported the attack on the Gustin Fief.
• The government suspected people from the Gustin Fief but delayed action after its informants and observation devices suggested the honored guests had not left the fief.
• Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution discussed staging a fight, and Qu Jianlei instead fought Paranoid for four days and three nights to draw attention away from Old Lady Jia’s rising aura.
• The government contacted the Gustin Family’s steward about the commotion, and he assured them the fight would not affect anything outside the fief.
• Old Lady Jia’s aura surged, so Qu Jianlei and Paranoid stopped fighting and watched her breakthrough while Qu Jianlei sensed an unknown aura forming in the clouds.
• Qu Jianlei estimated there was a ninety-nine percent chance of a lightning tribulation, warned the Gustin Family descendants not to be tainted by the aura, and then reacted with alarm.

Qu Jianlei and his companions tried to conceal the rising energy fluctuations from the military and authorities while Jia Shuiqing advanced, but a satellite eventually detected an anomaly near the Gustin Fief. As the authorities dismissed their investigation, strange winds and active elemental particles appeared, and Bentley wondered whether they were electromagnetic forces.

• Qu Jianlei and the others decided to keep blocking alarms and delay outside attention as Old Lady Jia's aura intensified.
• A military satellite detected persistent energy fluctuations near the Gustin Fief, prompting military personnel to investigate and notify the authorities.
• The authorities found no equipment alerts and dismissed the anomaly, while Xiao Hu discovered their investigation and reported it to Qu Jianlei.
• Hua Xiezhi noticed that strong winds had begun blowing over the fief, and Qu Jianlei recognized that they were not natural winds.
• Elemental particles became active, Bentley asked whether the phenomenon was electromagnetic force, and an unseen voice said that everything humanity observed was expressed through electromagnetic forms.

As Jia Shuiqing cultivated in seclusion, a mysterious energy and powerful aura emerged, leading Qu Jianlei to suspect that she was nearing the Nascent Soul Realm. The resulting spiritual-energy surge drew the authorities’ attention, leaving the team facing the prospect of discovery.

• A new, peaceful energy arose from Jia Shuiqing’s courtyard, and Qu Jianlei called it the joy of the universe while explaining that the team might be following the correct path.
• Great-Grandmother’s aura erupted, forcing Zi Jiuxian, Hua Xiezhi, Xiang Xue, and others to their knees as a misty figure entered the courtyard.
• The Gustin Family’s four A-rankers witnessed the phenomenon from a distance and received a warning not to speak about it.
• Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Hu to activate another Gathering Spirit Array when the courtyard’s vortex showed that Jia Shuiqing needed more spiritual energy.
• Spiritual energy began gathering from the surrounding area despite the array, and Mu Yu worried that the authorities would notice.
• An authority official detected the abnormal energy near the Gustin Family’s territory.

Jia Shuiqing completed her Nascent Soul and awaited the final tribulation lightning as the authorities detected abnormal energy and the military focused elsewhere. Qu Jianlei’s group withdrew from the estate, while Mu Guang accepted that his old life was over; the first bolt then struck toward the courtyard.

• Big Head Butterfly told Qu Jianlei that observers had detected abnormal energy, and he ordered Xiao Hu to conceal the disturbance without revealing more of its capabilities.
• Qu Jianlei sent Lao Ben and the others away from Jia Shuiqing as she confirmed that she had condensed her Nascent Soul and was waiting for the final tribulation lightning.
• Big Head Butterfly reported that trouble at the Space Wave Point had drawn the military’s attention away from the estate.
• As spiritual energy gathered into the clouds and electric arcs appeared, Qu Jianlei ordered everyone to leave the estate.
• Mu Guang acknowledged that his former life was gone and asked Qu Jianlei to guide him, just as yellow lightning struck toward the courtyard.

Qu Jianlei and the others watched Jia Shuiqing face increasingly powerful tribulation lightning while trying to keep the authorities from discovering its source. The chapter ended as a military reconnaissance satellite detected abnormal energy over the Gustin Family territory and requested an orbital descent to investigate.

• The first bolt of tribulation lightning struck, and Qu Jianlei reassured Zi Jiuxian that Jia Shuiqing was still safe while Xiao Hu reported that it had cut off the Alarm Systems.
• After the second and third bolts, a Gustin Family A-rank recognized the possible connection to an Electrocution Room and ordered the family to keep everyone from leaving.
• As the Fourth Path ended, Nutrient Solution questioned Qu Jianlei about how many bolts Jia Shuiqing might face, and he guessed there could be forty-nine.
• Xiao Hu warned that a high-precision military reconnaissance satellite was approaching, and Qu Jianlei rejected taking over its permissions because it could expose Xiao Hu.
• The satellite detected abnormal energy and clouds over the territory, then requested an orbital descent for inspection.

The military suspected that spiritual energy was present on the Gustin Family's fief, but hesitated to investigate because of the danger of provoking its occupants. Qu Jianlei destroyed an approaching military satellite while tribulation lightning continued to strike Jia Shuiqing, and a patrol crew began investigating an unexplained energy fluctuation near Qingyuan Star.

• A military observer reported suspected Exotic Energy at coordinates inside the Gustin Family's fief, and his superior ordered cautious observation rather than an obvious show of force.
• Qu Jianlei's group destroyed the approaching military satellite with a missile, and Qu Jianlei told Xiao Hu to keep watching the satellites overhead.
• The eighth tribulation lightning bolt struck as Nutrient Solution, Bentley, and Paranoid watched Jia Shuiqing's ordeal.
• A patrol crew more than ten million kilometers from Qingyuan Star detected a faint energy fluctuation and applied for computational power to investigate it.
• The military district received further reports of unusual activity on the Gustin Family's fief and reconsidered the suspected Exotic Energy.

As Old Lady Jia Shuiqing endured the ninth heavenly lightning bolt and began advancing, Heaven and Earth sent spiritual energy and the Grand Dao Sound to aid her. With satellites approaching and her transformation still unfinished, Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Hu to warn off anyone spying on the territory.

• The ninth lightning bolt struck the Gustin Family’s territory, and Mu Guang identified the Wither-Bloom Aura as Old Lady Jia Shuiqing’s faint aura emerged.
• The planet seemed to breathe, then a pillar of spiritual energy descended on the courtyard and the Grand Dao Sound filled the air as Old Lady Jia Shuiqing’s aura rose.
• Bentley recognized the spiritual energy as Heaven and Earth Feedback, while Qu Jianlei warned that Old Lady Jia Shuiqing needed to remain until it ended to protect her origin and future Dao Path.
• Qu Jianlei noticed seven or eight satellites changing trajectory toward the territory, including two non-military satellites, and concluded the authorities had noticed them.
• Qu Jianlei told Xiao Hu to send out the Noble Warning Sign to warn off any forces spying on the territory.