Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei’s group secured the prisoners and studied the Federation’s talismans while waiting on the isolated planet. After two months without visitors, the Big Head Butterfly detected an approaching starship.

• Tangpulin explained what she knew about talismans, and Qu Jianlei decided to experiment with the giant octopus’s skin while using three recovered armor talismans as samples.
• The cooperative Wood Attribute Supreme shared information about Federation talismans, received a Limb Regeneration device, and arranged for a confidant to liaise with Xiao Qin.
• Qu Jianlei’s group detained the prisoners in the caves, provided basic supplies and care, and refused to recruit Tangpulin before deciding to hand the three Federation members to the military.
• After a riot among the prisoners was suppressed, another two months passed without anyone arriving, and Qu Jianlei continued planning talisman experiments.
• The Big Head Butterfly detected a starship approaching from two million kilometers away.

Qu Jianlei’s group escaped the planet before an unknown starship arrived, then honored their promise to Tangpulin by releasing the three Federation people near Planet Three. After spending three months touring Tianbing Star, they considered recruiting Korona and investigating the stolen longsword before deciding whether to travel to Celestial Hook Star.

• Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Hu whether it had deciphered the Smart Lock data, and Xiao Hu said it had finished long ago.
• Qu Jianlei’s group departed in two Cargo Starships, released the three Federation people in Escape Pods near Planet Three, and fled toward the Skyhook Star Region.
• Qu Jianlei’s group landed on Tianbing Star under prepared identities and spent more than a month touring while exotic beasts were delivered at a cost exceeding three hundred million.
• Qu Jianlei considered going to Tianrui Star to seek information about the stolen longsword, but Nutrient Solution noted that the Luo Family’s main branch was on Tianbing Star and suggested watching Korona as a possible recruit.
• Nutrient Solution said she was investigating who had arranged the longsword’s theft, and Qu Jianlei agreed to let her handle it.
• Nutrient Solution proposed traveling to Celestial Hook Star, and Qu Jianlei reacted uneasily before she argued that the place was no longer sensitive.

Nearly twenty years after his previous visit, Qu Jianlei returned to Celestial Hook Star with his team and settled into a purchased estate, where they began pursuing their own cultivation research. After a string of early successes among his teammates left him unsettled, Qu Jianlei discovered spirit stones in the Item-Storing Ring and distributed them to the team.

• Qu Jianlei's team moved into an estate on declining Celestial Hook Star, sealed a hidden Secret Passage, and established a Gathering Spirit Array.
• Qu Jianlei assigned team members research projects, including Bentley's weapon experiments, Qinghu's Spirit Rice cultivation, Paranoid's octopus meat tests, and Mu Yu's study of pills.
• Qinghu's Spirit Rice showed signs of vitality, Bentley found ore with high electromagnetic affinity, and Paranoid developed a way to dilute the energy in octopus meat.
• Qu Jianlei grew impatient after his own talisman experiments failed, then searched the Item-Storing Ring and found boxes of talismans and a hundred spirit stones.
• Qu Jianlei gave ten spirit stones to each teammate, and Bentley asked whether the Space Ring contained any magic artifacts.

Qu Jianlei examined the talismans in the Item-Storing Ring and continued his research while his teammates advanced their own projects. After making a major discovery in private, he began planning computational power and found a cultivation technique that revealed the realm system of the ring’s owner’s world.

• Claire and the other teammates collected spirit stones from Qu Jianlei, who then sorted the talismans and decided to save them for emergencies.
• Qu Jianlei limited his talisman-making research to calm his agitation, while Qinghu’s second batch of spirit rice produced eighteen sprouts.
• Qu Jianlei entered his room, activated the Defense Array, and emerged half an hour later smiling after gaining something from the Item-Storing Ring.
• Nutrient Solution asked Qu Jianlei to secretly appraise a pair of scissors rumored to be a magical artifact, and he agreed to plan for an appraisal.
• Qu Jianlei told Nutrient Solution he needed to plan computational power, then discovered the Evergreen Skill, a cultivation technique covering realms up to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Qu Jianlei studied the Evergreen Skill and two cultivation journals, uncovering flaws in cultivation methods and finding a clearer path toward forming a Nascent Soul. He told Nutrient Solution he could help improve her method, then discovered that his doppelganger Silver Fir had disappeared and planned to make a replacement.

• Qu Jianlei deduced that the Item-Storing Ring's owner had been preparing to form a Nascent Soul and used the Evergreen Skill and journals to refine his understanding of cultivation.
• Qu Jianlei found serious flaws in his own cultivation method and a clearer reference for developing his path toward forming a Nascent Soul.
• Qu Jianlei told Nutrient Solution that his work had made progress on a method that might help her, and she agreed to wait while he perfected it.
• Qu Jianlei sensed that Silver Fir had disappeared, but believed the doppelganger had self-destructed without exposing information.
• Qu Jianlei revealed that the Space Ring contained some obsidian and planned to make another doppelganger; Nutrient Solution and Paranoid asked for one too.
• Qu Jianlei said he could help Nutrient Solution but warned that Paranoid's hidden bodily problems made refining a doppelganger too risky.

Qu Jianlei oversaw the creation of clone bodies for Qinghu and the Nutrient Solution, while Paranoid perfected a way to prepare the Other-dimensional Creature’s meat. The chapter leaves Qu Jianlei wondering why the meat improved Paranoid’s body when it had shown no clear benefit for anyone else.

• Paranoid asked Qu Jianlei about his condition, and Qu Jianlei said he had leads on a solution but that it would take time.
• Qinghu requested a clone body and agreed to postpone any breakthrough attempt until Qu Jianlei had further perfected the technique.
• The Nutrient Solution and Qinghu spent nineteen and twenty-two days making realistic clone bodies named Xiaoyue and Xiaoxing.
• Paranoid perfected a method for preparing the octopus meat, and the team ate some despite the difficulty of converting its energy.
• The next day, Paranoid told Qu Jianlei that the meat had improved his body, and Qu Jianlei examined him and wondered whether his physique was unusual.

Paranoid asked Qu Jianlei to help him make an avatar from a living body so he could feed it octopus meat and investigate his hidden danger. After Nutrient Solution revealed that Duo Gan was behind the theft of Luo Hanshuang's treasured sword, the group prepared to confront her and learned that her whereabouts had been found.

• Paranoid asked Qu Jianlei to guide him in making an avatar from a living body, explaining that he wanted it to eat octopus meat and help resolve his hidden danger.
• Qu Jianlei warned Paranoid about the risks of experimenting on a living person, and Paranoid said he would try only once and use the body as an avatar.
• Nutrient Solution reported that Duo Gan was the mastermind behind the theft of Luo Hanshuang's treasured sword, which had been stolen to curry favor with her.
• Paranoid and Old Lady Jia urged the group to confront Duo Gan, an Above Supreme.
• Nutrient Solution said he had found where Duo Gan was staying.

Qu Jianlei and his companions traveled to Strathford Star to confront Duo Gan Above Supreme over the stolen longsword. They decided to approach openly and claim they were standing up for the Luo Family, then began accelerating toward her base.

• Nutrient Solution found Duo Gan in the Sirius Star Region, and Qu Jianlei chose Paranoid, Old Lady Jia, and Nutrient Solution to accompany him while the others stayed behind.
• The four arrived in the Smile Star System and identified Strathford Star as Duo Gan’s base, where she owned most of the shares and maintained an Empire-authorized Super Qi Gathering Array.
• Paranoid asked whether anyone had died when the longsword was stolen, and Nutrient Solution said Luo Hanshuang was safe but that the theft had involved a show of force.
• Paranoid suggested sneaking in, but Nutrient Solution proposed openly confronting Duo Gan and invoking the Luo Family so Qu Jianlei could act without owing Luo Hanshuang a private favor.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to act openly, and the Unlucky Starship began accelerating toward Strathford Star.

The Unlucky Starship approached Strathford Star to confront Duo Gan, and Qu Jianlei’s group forced patrol and military ships to clear their path. After they challenged Duo Gan over her own territory, someone on Strathford Star ordered the defenses to open fire.

• Qu Jianlei’s group modified the Unlucky Starship with camouflage panels and headed for Strathford Star to settle accounts with Duo Gan.
• A patrol Small Ship intercepted them, but Jia Shuiqing warned its crew not to provoke them, and the patrol ship ultimately cleared the Shipping Lane.
• A Company-level Warship and two Small Attack Ships tried to stop the Unlucky Starship, but it crippled one Attack Ship and forced the formation to withdraw.
• The Unlucky Starship reached Strathford Star and passed over its artificial bases, whose shields and weapons were activated but did not fire.
• A woman on the Unlucky Starship called Duo Gan out, and someone on Strathford Star ordered the defenses to open fire.

The Unlucky Starship dodged Strathford Star’s defenses while the bases opened fire to protect Lord Duogan’s reputation. After it destroyed several fortresses with precise shots, the defense system began failing, leaving the military commander and base leaders facing an escalating crisis.

• The person in charge ordered six bases to fire on the Unlucky Starship after its pilot insulted Lord Duogan, while his superior refused to summon her.
• The Unlucky Starship evaded the coordinated barrage, and the bases increased their firepower until some shots began hitting it.
• A woman aboard the Unlucky Starship warned Duogan that she had given her a chance to save face, then destroyed a fortress with one shot.
• The Unlucky Starship destroyed another fortress, and liaison personnel from Duogan’s faction borrowed the military base’s weapons to join the attack.
• The starship continued dodging as more fortresses were destroyed, and alarms revealed that the control system had failed and the defense system was beginning to collapse.

Qu Jianlei’s starship disabled Strathford’s defenses and fire-control system, then three fighters descended to take control of the base. Paranoid cut down a Wood Attribute Supreme and demonstrated his strength, leaving the base stunned as the military watched nearby.

• The person in charge realized that Xiao Hu had breached Strathford’s control system and saw six fortresses destroyed before the fire-control system began failing.
• The person in charge weighed surrendering as the starship opened its hatch and three fighters descended, ordering Strathford’s people to put down their weapons.
• A Wood Attribute Supreme attacked with Entangle, but Paranoid struck him down with a Golden Wheel before his spell could form.
• Paranoid slashed the Golden Wheel through more than twenty sturdy buildings before stopping near the ecological sphere’s trees, and the base’s people wondered whether he was an Above Supreme pretending to be weak.

Paranoid, Qu Jianlei, and the Above Supreme confronted Duo Gan’s people at Strathford, crushing their resistance and demanding Duo Gan’s whereabouts. The chapter ended with the Above Supreme threatening to kill one person for every answer the Water Attribute Supreme withheld.

• Paranoid slashed through more than twenty houses, intimidated the Supremes and A-ranks, and descended toward the planet.
• The Above Supreme threatened to kill Duo Gan’s people unless Duo Gan appeared, prompting the person in charge to order everyone to stop fighting and surrender.
• Qu Jianlei struck a government A-rank with lightning after he mocked Duo Gan’s people, and the government personnel stayed silent as a doctor tried to save him.
• Paranoid killed an Earth Attribute A-rank who tried to treat the Wood Attribute Supreme, saying the man should have asked permission first.
• The Water Attribute Supreme said Duo Gan was not in Strathford, but the Above Supreme demanded to know where she was and killed his A-rank assistant when he refused to answer.

Jia Shuiqing forced Kefu to reveal that Duogan was nearby in seclusion, while making clear that her pursuit concerned a grudge involving Primal Warriors. Kefu agreed to lead her to Duogan after giving up on stalling for reinforcements.

• Jia Shuiqing threatened the people on Strathford Star and told the Water Attribute Supreme that her conflict with Duogan involved Primal Warriors.
• Kefu asked to speak with Jia Shuiqing privately and revealed that Duogan was in seclusion nearby.
• Jia Shuiqing rejected Kefu's request to mediate and warned him when she suspected he was stalling for Duogan.
• Kefu admitted he had been waiting for other security forces to arrive, then agreed to take Jia Shuiqing to Duogan.

Kefu led Qu Jianlei’s group toward Duo Gan while Jia Shuiqing and Qu Jianlei prepared contingencies in case the journey was a trap. After two days, they reached the dangerous Energy Turbulence Zone at the edge of the Smiling Face Star Cluster, where Kefu and Tang Lide confirmed Duo Gan was located.

• Qu Jianlei told Paranoid that he had planted hidden Logic Bombs on Strathford Star in case the group was trapped or betrayed.
• Tang Lide joined Kefu’s starship, and Jia Shuiqing allowed him to move about freely; Tang Lide and Kefu realized their hosts were confident they could control the situation.
• Nutrient Solution told Kefu and Tang Lide that Duo Gan was not qualified to be called an Exalted One, prompting them to ask about Primal Warrior inheritance and a stable path to Above Supreme.
• Qu Jianlei warned Kefu and Tang Lide that they could be spared if they did not attack, while Kefu admitted he expected to die for failing Lord Duogan.
• After two days and two nights, the starship reached the Energy Turbulence Zone, and Kefu and Tang Lide confirmed Duo Gan was inside.

Qu Jianlei and the others entered the Energy Turbulence Zone to reach the celestial body where Duo Gan was cultivating. They discovered its strange conditions could refine the bond between body and spirit, then entered its Star Corona to investigate further.

• Qu Jianlei confirmed there were no spatial anomalies, and the Unlucky Starship carried the group into the Energy Turbulence Zone.
• Kefu identified a black, high-temperature celestial body as Duo Gan’s secluded cultivation site, and the starship approached as far as its shields allowed.
• Qu Jianlei, Old Lady Jia, Nutrient Solution, and Paranoid left the starship and approached the celestial body while Kefu and Tang Lide stayed behind.
• The four discovered that the celestial body could refine the integration of body and spirit, which affected their control of their bodies after the Body Seizure.
• The four entered the Star Corona, where the Chaotic Energy pressure eased despite the higher temperature, and Qu Jianlei identified the celestial body as mostly gaseous with little solid matter and no liquid.

Qu Jianlei and his companions explored a scorching, turbulent celestial body whose electromagnetic forces disrupted their perception and powers. They breached a barrier into a lightning-filled space and began widening the opening so they could enter safely.

• Qu Jianlei led Old Lady Jia, Nutrient Solution, and Paranoid deeper into the celestial body after they found that its core damaged Mental Strength.
• The group endured chaotic currents, flying stones, rising heat, and electromagnetic interference as they advanced.
• Qu Jianlei discovered an elastic barrier ahead, and Paranoid's Golden Wheel bounced off it.
• Nutrient Solution's spear tore open the barrier, revealing a space filled with lightning, while Qu Jianlei sent a Thunder Dragon through the opening.
• Qu Jianlei formed stone shields into a doorway as Paranoid blocked the leaking lightning and Old Lady Jia and Nutrient Solution guarded him.

Qu Jianlei and his companions entered a lightning-filled barrier and searched for Duo Gan, discovering a powerful figure near the center. Nutrient Solution confronted her, but the figure revealed overwhelming Mental Strength and attacked before confirming her identity.

• Qu Jianlei entered the barrier alone, tested its dangers, then signaled Old Lady Jia, Paranoid, and Nutrient Solution to follow.
• Qu Jianlei proposed recording the lightning’s aura for an Array Plate that could distinguish friend from foe, and the group continued toward the core.
• Nutrient Solution sensed a humanoid figure with Fire Element laws beyond the Supreme level near the center, and Paranoid’s lightning attack barely affected it.
• Nutrient Solution pierced a false figure with her Fire Crystal dagger, waking a more solid figure who released the Coercive Pressure of an Above Supreme.
• The figure spread Mental Strength that carried electromagnetic force, dismissed Qu Jianlei and his companions as little ants, and formed a Big Hand to attack Nutrient Solution.

Nutrient Solution used the Soul Suppressing Bell to weaken the figure, then retreated so Jia Shuiqing and First One could confront her. The figure discovered that both women were powerful Above Supremes and realized she had provoked a formidable group, but she prepared to fight back.

• The figure attacked Nutrient Solution with a giant hand infused with fire and electromagnetic energy, but Nutrient Solution blocked it with the Soul Suppressing Bell.
• Nutrient Solution rang the bell twice, collapsing the giant hand and leaving the figure dizzy and disoriented.
• Old Lady Jia sent Nutrient Solution a message from First One to retreat, and Nutrient Solution flashed more than forty kilometers away.
• Jia Shuiqing appeared with a Wooden Umbrella, and the figure tried to flee by merging into the lightning.
• Jia Shuiqing used Ice Seal to trap the figure, who realized Jia Shuiqing was at least half a realm above Above Supreme.
• The figure noticed Nutrient Solution speaking with the man beside her and, believing he might also be Above Supreme, resolved to fight with everything she had.

Qu Jianlei and his companions captured Duo Gan after Jia Shuiqing froze her, then confronted her over attacks on the Luo Family and an ambush. Duo Gan offered compensation and denied ordering the attacks, while Paranoid realized she had mistaken him for someone else.

• Qu Jianlei decided to kill the captured figure whether or not she was Duo Gan, and Jia Shuiqing loosened the Ice Seal enough for her to speak.
• Duo Gan identified herself and offered a complete artifact as compensation for trying to take Nutrient Solution’s artifact.
• Qu Jianlei accused Duo Gan’s people of raiding the Luo Family, and she denied ordering it but accepted responsibility for failing to control her subordinates.
• Paranoid accused Duo Gan’s descendants of ambushing them with the Five Elements Battle Array, and Duo Gan mistook him for Chaoyun.
• Paranoid admitted that Duo Gan had mistaken him for someone else.

Paranoid recognized Duo Gan as Senior Gao, a former pursuer he had believed dead, and asked Qu Jianlei to spare her. After she was released, Qu Jianlei confronted her about her relative’s ambush on the team, and Duo Gan acknowledged that the offense still demanded a price.

• Old Lady Jia and Nutrient Solution teased Paranoid about Duo Gan until she revealed her face and Old Lady Jia recognized her as Senior Gao.
• Paranoid recalled his long history of fighting and fleeing from Duo Gan, then learned she had only wanted to know whether he was alive and wished him well with Mu Yu.
• Paranoid asked Qu Jianlei to spare Duo Gan, and Old Lady Jia released her from the cold energy trapping her.
• Nutrient Solution and Duo Gan discovered that both could use Nascent Soul Realm techniques, while Nutrient Solution reflected that they had both taken the wrong path.
• Qu Jianlei told Duo Gan that her elder brother’s descendant had ambushed the team with an Above Supreme Five Elements Battle Array, and Duo Gan accepted that the offender had to pay for it.