Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei and the others entered the Mystic Mansion and learned that its more than six hundred arrays were consuming Energy Blocks beyond capacity, threatening the funds needed for First One’s Nascent Soul formation. After exploring the cultivation environment, they debated ways to raise money while Qu Jianlei insisted that they avoid needless risks; the group left with Jing Yuexin offering to earn the money if he would not suspend the arrays.

• Qu Jianlei told the group that more than six hundred Mystic Mansion arrays were running over capacity, and the others worried that the expense could endanger First One’s breakthrough.
• Qinghu suggested selling an Asura Nascent Soul corpse, but Qu Jianlei declined to settle the funding issue before they had explored the mansion.
• Qu Jianlei explained that Identification Badges allowed unrestricted entry and exit, and Hua Xiezhi stayed behind to guard the mine with Claire, Sunset Glow, and Yi He.
• Inside the mansion, Old Lady Jia confirmed that the arrays could be shut down during a critical stage of Qu Jianlei’s breakthrough, though restarting them might be difficult.
• Paranoid and Old Lady Jia sensed the mansion’s exceptional cultivation environment and volunteered to hunt bounties or Other-dimensional Creatures for money, but Qu Jianlei warned that they were not ready for direct combat.
• Jing Yuexin offered to earn money herself if Qu Jianlei would not suspend the arrays, and he replied that he had never said they could not be stopped.

As the group struggled to gather enough Energy Blocks to sustain First One’s cultivation, Fourth Boss, Bentley, and Yuanyuan went to Zihong to stop an attempted buyout of their mine. They secured six billion Energy Blocks and left the rival group wary, while the shortage and demands back at Sky Hook continued.

• Over two months, the group raised twenty billion Energy Blocks, but their reserves and the Pearl Star Region mine’s growing output still fell short of the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion’s enormous consumption.
• Jing Yuexin’s people reported that someone had offered the Ping An Merchant Group thirty billion to take over the Zihong tailings mine, whose Energy Blocks were already reserved for the group.
• After their warning was ignored, Fourth Boss, Bentley, and Yuanyuan traveled to Zihong, where Bentley’s Thunder Method and Yuanyuan’s Soul Refining Cover intimidated the opposing Supremes.
• Yuanyuan demanded thirty billion Energy Blocks to release the trapped Supreme, and the other party paid six billion to settle the dispute.
• Yuanyuan refused to reveal who stood behind them and warned that another attempt to interfere with the mine would cost even more, prompting the rival group to investigate the mine’s backers.
• On the return trip, Yuanyuan complained that six billion was too little, while Fourth Boss wondered how to deal with her unusual connection to First One and Jing Yuexin.

After city guards searched the Sky Hook residence for Yuanyuan, Hua Xiezhi discovered an official investigation into people connected to Ran Bingluan and Digital Phantom. Fourth Boss, Yuanyuan, and Hua Xiezhi retaliated by infiltrating a data center, and their raid exposed the search to investigators as involving Digital Phantom.

• City guards searched Jing Yuexin's residence for Yuanyuan, but her people refused to hand her over without proper documentation.
• Hua Xiezhi traced the search to an official investigation prompted by Yuanyuan's tribulation and the earlier Ran Bingluan identity.
• Xiao Hu's avatar infiltrated the network and found appearance templates for Yuanyuan, Ran Bingluan, Zhenshan Fort, and others connected to the investigation.
• Yuanyuan urged retaliation, and Fourth Boss and Hua Xiezhi agreed that the search gave them an excuse to act.
• Fourth Boss, Yuanyuan, and Hua Xiezhi infiltrated a data center on Celestial Hook Star, killed four people, and downloaded records from its Computer Group.
• Investigators reviewing the downloaded materials recognized that the search involved Digital Phantom, making the connection impossible to hide.

After Yuanyuan retaliated against Sky Hook officials and city guards who targeted her, Digital Phantom forced the Department of Anomalous Affairs to pay a huge settlement. Meanwhile, the team’s unlicensed Energy Stone Mine was discovered, and a Mining Management Department enforcement ship arrived at the Mineral Star, leaving the miners facing a rapidly worsening standoff.

• After an A-rank official who had pushed for searching the estate was killed, Yuanyuan killed city guards who had damaged the estate’s property, and the government eventually obtained apologies and substantial gifts from those responsible.
• Digital Phantom’s Battalion-Class Ship arrived at Celestial Hook Star, where Fourth Boss demanded fifty billion Energy Blocks from the Department of Anomalous Affairs; Purple Sun mediated a settlement of twenty billion.
• The Mining Management Department investigated the unlicensed Energy Stone Mine in the Pearl Star Region, and the Nine-Man Team decided to ignore the inquiry while the Mineral Star remained undiscovered.
• An enforcement starship unexpectedly reached the Mineral Star, and the Supreme guarding it refused inspection and drove off its attempted landing with warning fire.
• The miners reported that the situation was rapidly deteriorating, prompting the First One and the Nine-Man Team to consider how to respond.

Jia Shuiqing learned how the Mining Management Department had tracked the Mine and arranged for the team to resist briefly before surrendering and demand compensation. As she helped defend the Abandoned Mine, Yi He warned that Da Vinci, an acquaintance of hers, had arrived and was looking for her.

• Hua Xiezhi explained that the Mining Management Department had tracked the Mine through electromagnetic waves emitted by sabotaged equipment, and Jia Shuiqing told the team to stage a brief resistance before surrendering and demanding a heavy price.
• Tian Yin warned the messengers not to send further reports unless something major happened, and Jia Shuiqing began setting up a Defense Array near the Abandoned Mine.
• Hua Xiezhi drove off a suspicious group of intruders with a barrage of fire, and Jia Shuiqing and Hua Xiezhi suspected the group had been probing on someone else's behalf.
• Yi He revealed that Da Vinci had arrived, was an acquaintance of Jia Shuiqing, and had come to find her.

Da Vinci explained to Old Lady Jia how his investigation had led him to conclude that Digital Phantom was connected to Ran Bingluan and the tribulation lightning on Tianfeng. He suspected the team had returned to study the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion, and the chapter left him facing Old Lady Jia with that theory.

• Da Vinci encountered Old Lady Jia in the wilderness and said he wanted to join Digital Phantom because he had little time left to adopt the Divine Script System.
• Old Lady Jia decided to spare Da Vinci, but warned him that he might not survive if the others found out he was there.
• Da Vinci explained that he traced Digital Phantom’s involvement through Paradise Star, Kabus, Ironhide Snake, and the guesthouse connected to Paranoid and Xiang Xue.
• Da Vinci linked Xiang Xue to Ran Bingluan, Qinghu, Jing Yuexin, and Yuanyuan, and concluded that Ran Bingluan was likely part of Digital Phantom.
• Da Vinci reasoned that Digital Phantom had mastered tribulation techniques and had likely returned to Tianfeng to secretly research the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.

Jia Shuiqing negotiated with Da Vinci after he uncovered Digital Phantom’s secrets, keeping him under supervision until their operation was finished. Da Vinci agreed to raise a large supply of Energy Blocks, and Jia Shuiqing returned to take him with her.

• Jia Shuiqing decided not to kill Da Vinci because a fight between Above Supremes could endanger First One’s Nascent Soul breakthrough.
• Da Vinci agreed to stay under supervision and restrictions for up to two years while Digital Phantom completed its operation.
• Jia Shuiqing asked Da Vinci to gather one hundred billion Energy Blocks and keep the arrangement confidential.
• Da Vinci promised to send twenty or thirty billion Energy Blocks within two months and began contacting his people.
• Jia Shuiqing returned half a day later and told Da Vinci to go with her.

Da Vinci arrived at the Abandoned Mine and discovered that Digital Phantom was gathering several Above Supremes for an unexplained event. As they waited for the First One to undergo tribulation, Jia Shuiqing revealed her identity, leaving Da Vinci surprised because he believed she had failed to reach Above Supreme.

• Old Lady Jia brought Da Vinci to the Abandoned Mine, where he saw Hua Xiezhi and Bentley guarding three unusual Qi Gathering Arrays.
• Jing Yuexin and Duo Gan arrived, discussed Da Vinci's offer to help find Energy Blocks and private mines, then left soon afterward.
• Da Vinci stayed at the mine for more than ten days, met Yuanyuan, and learned that his family's Energy Blocks were about to be shipped.
• Jing Yuexin told everyone to prepare, and Da Vinci sensed powerful Coercive Pressure before waiting more than a day for the event to begin.
• Jia Shuiqing told Da Vinci he was lucky to witness what was coming and revealed her name after asking him to keep it secret.
• Da Vinci recognized Jia Shuiqing and asked how she had survived after apparently failing to advance to Above Supreme.

Da Vinci accompanied Jia Shuiqing to witness Ran Bingluan’s advancement to Above Supreme and learned that Ran Bingluan was the Digital Phantom First One. The first tribulation lightning struck as the assembled observers watched from a cautious distance.

• Jia Shuiqing brought Da Vinci to Area 5 after Jing Yuexin announced that the tribulation was approaching.
• Da Vinci learned that the person advancing was the First One, one of whose identities was Ran Bingluan, who had reached Supreme only about thirty years earlier.
• Jia Shuiqing warned Da Vinci that observing the tribulation could bring danger through karma, and he recognized that the risk might involve it.
• Storm clouds and golden threads formed a vast cage over Tianfeng Star as the First One’s tribulation began.
• A golden bolt struck the First One, overwhelming Da Vinci with its force and fleeting insights into profound rules, while Hua Xiezhi and Bentley endured the thunder from farther away.

Da Vinci seized the chance to study the laws echoed by the tribulation lightning as Ran Bingluan underwent her tribulation, but military warships arrived before the fifth strike. He rose to drive them away, destroying a Company-level Warship and refusing to let the military approach, even after they threatened to summon reinforcements.

• Da Vinci began sensing the laws in the golden Electric Arcs while Hua Xiezhi and Bentley stayed nearby, and Jia Shuiqing urged him to value the lingering echoes.
• As the second, third, and fourth bolts fell, Da Vinci stopped forcing his comprehension and found that letting insights come naturally improved his clarity.
• Jia Shuiqing announced that warships were approaching, and Da Vinci offered to drive them off before rising into the air.
• Da Vinci warned the military ships to leave and fired golden rays that pierced a Company-level Warship, forcing its crew to eject.
• Da Vinci told the remaining ships that he was protecting a friend rather than acting for Digital Phantom, and the Battalion-Class Ship said a Division Level Ship was on its way.

Da Vinci warned the military that interfering with the tribulation would bring disaster, and the warships held back as the tribulation reached its ninth strike. A saboteur breached the perimeter to worsen the tribulation, but after he was struck down, the ninth lightning engulfed both him and First One in an immense storm.

• Da Vinci warned the military that anyone entering the tribulation zone would be punished, and the military chose to keep its warships back.
• The military confirmed that interfering with a tribulation could increase its difficulty and endanger the helper, while other factions gathered outside the guarded perimeter.
• As the eighth strike injured the tribulation transcender despite his defensive talismans, the military suspected the ninth strike would be the last.
• An A-rank Awakened One suddenly rose to Supreme, changed his attribute from fire to wind, and charged toward the tribulation transcender with defensive talismans.
• Bentley attacked the intruder with a Thunder Dragon, and a Golden Ray pierced the man before he could activate his talismans.
• The ninth strike engulfed the tribulation transcender and saboteur in golden lightning for a minute and a half, forcing observers to retreat.

As Qu Jianlei endured his Nascent Soul tribulation, his companions held their positions while Tianfeng Military investigated the assassin who had disrupted the process. The thunder ended without anyone knowing whether Qu Jianlei survived, and the chapter left the group facing powerful Exotic Energy gathering above the clouds.

• Mu Yu used her Little Golden Shuttle to kill the assassin who had charged at Qu Jianlei during his tribulation.
• Jing Yuexin and Duo Gan stayed back beneath the Invisibility Cloak, trusting Qu Jianlei’s plan and refusing to interfere.
• After the thunder faded, Da Vinci warned everyone to stay put while Tianfeng Military demanded his identity and threatened to take the suspect away.
• Da Vinci deferred to Old Lady Jia, who demanded an explanation from Tianfeng Military for the Above Supreme who had attacked Qu Jianlei.
• Old Lady Jia and Jing Yuexin insisted that Qu Jianlei’s fate was up to him, while the group maintained its protective perimeter and waited for spiritual-energy feedback.
• Old Lady Jia spotted powerful Exotic Energy gathering above the dark clouds, with a quality seemingly finer than spiritual energy.

Qu Jianlei survived his Nascent Soul tribulation and the strange Ascension Column that enveloped him, while Jia Shuiqing used Digital Phantom’s name to keep the military at a distance. After the pillar faded, Hua Xiezhi reached Qu Jianlei and found him badly battered but alive.

• The military detained the Awakened Ones and demanded proof when Jia Shuiqing claimed she belonged to Digital Phantom, while Duo Gan told Jing Yuexin to stick to the plan unless Jia Shuiqing gave a signal.
• More than two thousand kilometers away, the Ruler and Jiaotan identified the phenomenon as an Ascension Column and discussed how unusual it was for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• The Ascension Column persisted for three days and nights, and Old Lady Jia told the military that Qu Jianlei needed more time to recover and stabilize his realm.
• The military said an investigation team including Da Vinci was coming, and Old Lady Jia dismissed the threat while maintaining her Digital Phantom bluff.
• With the First One’s approval, Hua Xiezhi entered the fading pillar and found Qu Jianlei shrunk to seventy or eighty centimeters and recovering from the damage caused by the tribulation lightning.

Qu Jianlei and his companions stalled the military while First One recovered inside the pillar of light. Fourth Boss unleashed energy turbulence that swept the warships away, and when the military returned, the group had vanished, leaving the weakened pillar empty.

• Qu Jianlei told Hua Xiezhi that the group had to leave soon and insisted they conceal the secret of Near-Earth Jump.
• Hua Xiezhi entered the pillar of light, then sent messages to the team after emerging; the military monitored their communications while both sides delayed.
• Fourth Boss entered the pillar with his Plantain Fan and unleashed energy turbulence that swept the nearby warships millions of kilometers away.
• A second, stronger turbulence damaged ground observation equipment, while clouds and rain further disrupted the military's efforts to watch the pillar.
• Reinforcements arrived and reported that Qu Jianlei's group had disappeared; they detected mutated spiritual energy inside the pillar but found no one there.

Qu Jianlei’s group escaped the military search on Tianfeng Star and hid in the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion and aboard their starship, while the military failed to find them and uncovered an Alliance plot. Qu Jianlei continued cultivating, but after ten days he reduced his Energy Block consumption because the supply was running low.

• Qu Jianlei’s group used the energy turbulence to escape, leaving Xiao Moshan, Xiao Qin, and Yi He True Monarch at the mine while Old Lady Jia took the others to the starship.
• Da Vinci learned that Fourth Boss’s power came from a magic artifact, agreed to keep the information secret, and asked for a room to review what he had learned.
• Four days later, a fleet arrived at Tianfeng Star, but its search found none of the mysterious team and only caught ordinary fugitives.
• The military determined that the Death Warrior had been bought by the Alliance and had used a forced, temporary Above Supreme cultivation to cause destruction.
• Qu Jianlei cultivated inside the Mystic Mansion, then had Xiao Hu halve the Energy Block consumption when the supply dwindled.

After recovering from his tribulation, Qu Jianlei emerged from seclusion with his aura concealed and negotiated with the Artifact Spirit over the Abode’s renovation costs as its deterioration worsened. He then visited Xiao Moshan and Xiao Qin to discuss the Energy Blocks and the military’s investigation, but still lacked details about the person who had harmed him.

• Qu Jianlei completed two months of recovery, and the Artifact Spirit recognized his state as close to the Natural Dao.
• Qu Jianlei disputed the Artifact Spirit’s claim that the karma of forming his Nascent Soul should offset the Abode’s immense renovation costs, while Jing Yuexin noted that his aura remained unstable.
• The Artifact Spirit warned that the Abode’s deterioration was worsening, and Qu Jianlei promised to investigate and arrange the Energy Blocks.
• Qu Jianlei tested his concealment while moving across Tianfeng, then reached the mine without Xiao Moshan or Xiao Qin detecting him.
• Xiao Moshan reported that over two billion Energy Blocks had been prepared and that an Above Supreme had recently arrived, while Qu Jianlei asked whether the person who had harmed him had been identified.

Qu Jianlei emerged from seclusion after advancing beyond Supreme, received congratulations from Yi He and Da Vinci, and learned more about ascension and the Ascension Column. He reunited with his team and accepted Da Vinci’s fifty billion Energy Blocks as a loan, while Da Vinci prepared to discuss joining them.

• Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Moshan about the missing leads and confirmed that the item he had asked about was in the military’s warehouse.
• Yi He congratulated Qu Jianlei on ascending to immortality and explained that true ascension required an Ascension Column.
• Qu Jianlei checked on the miners, explored the military district, and teleported to the starship near Tianfeng.
• Qu Jianlei rendezvoused with the Battalion-Class Ship in the Blade Star Region, where Da Vinci offered him fifty billion Energy Blocks as a congratulatory gift.
• Qu Jianlei credited the pillar of light to the will of heaven and earth, then asked to treat Da Vinci’s gift as a loan.

Qu Jianlei accepted Da Vinci’s request to join the Digital Phantom Team after he promised to keep its secrets and contribute his wealth. The team traveled to Tianfeng to investigate the Thunder Tribulation under military supervision, then met military officials to discuss the war with the Alliance and Federation.

• Da Vinci offered to affiliate with the team, then revealed that he wanted to join it; Qu Jianlei agreed pending the other members’ approval and a greater financial contribution.
• Da Vinci promised to provide several hundred billion in assets and use his connections and combat skills to help the team.
• The Battalion-Class Ship and Experimental Platform traveled to Tianfeng, where the military allowed Digital Phantom to investigate the Thunder Tribulation under supervision.
• Digital Phantom collected data with a Small Ship while keeping its members aboard and refusing visits from other forces.
• On the fifth day, the military district’s Top Leader and military headquarters personnel met with Fourth Boss and two Above Supremes to discuss the war and possible changes to the Empire’s decision-making.

Digital Phantom discussed the Empire’s military strategy with military officials, while Da Vinci met Sunset Glow and joined the team’s inner circle. The team prepared to leave after waiting ten days for a response that never came.

• A Military Department Above Supreme asked Fourth Boss for Digital Phantom’s view on the Empire’s military direction, and Fourth Boss said the team trusted the military’s judgment but warned against repeating what happened on Tianfeng.
• Duo Gan reprimanded the Above Supreme for interrupting cultivation and reminded him that he still owed Zhenshan Fort an explanation.
• Jing Yuexin introduced Da Vinci to the team, and Sunset Glow appeared and demanded spirit stones as punishment for Da Vinci mistaking it for an Artifact Spirit.
• Qu Jianlei reduced Sunset Glow’s demand from one hundred and thirty spirit stones to fifty, and Da Vinci accepted the team’s strange and powerful members with growing enthusiasm.
• After another ten days without a response from the Above Supreme, the team prepared to leave aboard the Battalion-Class Ship.

After spending more than a month cultivating aboard the Battalion-Class Ship, Da Vinci joined Sunset Glow, First One, and Fourth Boss on a covert return to Tianfeng to collect his Energy Blocks and retaliate against the military for disrupting First One’s tribulation. They discovered the military’s huge reserves and decided to raid two major warehouses, leaving the rest in case the reserves were needed for war.

• Da Vinci struggled to adapt to spiritual-energy cultivation, and Sunset Glow arranged a Qi Gathering Array to help him recover between sessions.
• Sunset Glow asked Da Vinci to accompany it to Tianfeng to press for his Energy Blocks and raid military stores in retaliation for the military disrupting First One’s tribulation and disrespecting Fourth Boss.
• Da Vinci, Sunset Glow, First One, and Fourth Boss approached the military district at night, where Sunset Glow spotted Pute, a once-famous military Above Supreme whom Fourth Boss hoped they would spare if possible.
• Sunset Glow located the military’s Energy Block warehouses, and Da Vinci warned that the enormous reserves might be intended for defense or transit supplies.
• Qu Jianlei decided they would take Energy Blocks from two major warehouses rather than all three, and the group prepared to bypass the guarded checkpoints without implicating Digital Phantom.