Recaps

Qu Jianlei and Old Lady Jia examined Steve after the fight, and she explained the protective talisman and how difficult Supremes were to kill. Their talk turned to Qu Jianlei’s plan to wait for another attacker and to his ideas about cause and effect, leaving Old Lady Jia offering him Steve’s talisman.

• Old Lady Jia found an anchor-shaped protective talisman on Steve and explained that it had given his Water Attribute body extra toughness.
• Qu Jianlei decided to wait for another Supreme rather than investigate the other suspects, then shot Steve to test his durability and ensure he was dead.
• Old Lady Jia explained that Steve could no longer self-destruct after Qu Jianlei destroyed his mind, and she pressed him about his reference to the True Spirit.
• Qu Jianlei told Old Lady Jia about cause and effect and the will of the universe, and she offered him Steve’s protective talisman.

Qu Jianlei and Old Lady Jia went to work after killing Steve and four A-ranks, discussing talismans and the risks of Quantum’s retaliation. While Qu Jianlei inspected his spoils at the library, Quantum’s two agents in Plant City realized their four teammates had disappeared and considered contacting a Supreme.

• Qu Jianlei buried Steve, cleaned up the scene, and drove with Old Lady Jia to the library in her off-road vehicle.
• Qu Jianlei offered Old Lady Jia an Item-Storing Talisman and asked her to explain what she knew about talismans.
• Qu Jianlei told Old Lady Jia he had acted against Quantum because its people had recklessly provoked him, and she warned him not to tell outsiders about his Mental Spell.
• At the library, Qu Jianlei counted his spoils and found a sealed box among Steve’s Energy Blocks, but he postponed opening it.
• In Plant City, Quantum’s two A-ranks failed to reach their four teammates in Greenwater and discussed contacting a Supreme.

The Quantum Group discovered that Steve and four Rank A Warriors had vanished after confronting Black Sky, and its attempts to recover them met fear and refusal. After learning the dispute involved the Electromagnetic Movement Technique, the Teru Consortium agreed to help find the missing people but warned the Quantum Group against starting another fight.

• The Quantum Group learned that Steve and four Rank A Warriors had disappeared, and investigations linked their last known whereabouts to a battle at Looking River Tower.
• The Quantum Group concluded that Black Sky had targeted its members and asked an honorary Supreme expert to investigate, but he refused after hearing the matter might involve the military's forbidden Electromagnetic Movement Technique.
• The Quantum Group offered a reward to recover Steve, but other forces declined to take the job, while the Teru Consortium investigated why the Quantum Group had pursued Black Sky.
• The Nine Lives Cat Fund hinted that Black Sky was suspected of possessing the Electromagnetic Movement Technique, and the Teru Consortium judged that the Quantum Group had been blinded by profit.
• The Teru Consortium offered to help locate the missing people but told the Quantum Group not to provoke another conflict and to negotiate even if Steve had been killed.

After the battle at Three Bridges, Quantum struggled to deal with the loss of its Supreme while its remaining operatives hid in fear. Qu Jianlei tried to conceal his injuries as Sophia, Zi Jiuxian, and Xiang Xue separately brought him news of the incident, and he left with Sophia while Xiang Xue watched.

• The Teru Consortium rejected Quantum's demands, while the authorities refused to help Quantum contact Black Sky and said any Quantum operatives on Second Star would be monitored.
• Four Quantum A-rankers hid in a courtyard in Plant City and asked their group for help escaping the planet.
• Sophia visited Qu Jianlei, noticed his pale complexion, and warned him that the Black Market near Three Bridges had been sealed after a rumored battle between Supremes.
• Zi Jiuxian told Qu Jianlei that a Supreme had gone missing and said she needed to ask someone about it.
• Xiang Xue offered Qu Jianlei a ride and a private discussion, but he chose to leave with Sophia after Xiang Xue tried to intimidate her.

Qu Jianlei recovered from his fight, investigated the sealed box Steve had hidden, and discovered a broken hairpin that Xiao Hu recognized and that repelled his Mental Strength. The discovery left him wondering whether the hairpin came from ancient Shenzhou and what power it had possessed before breaking.

• Xiang Xue warned Qu Jianlei that An Supreme's disappearance and the battle in a busy district would trigger a crackdown, and they agreed to share relevant information while keeping quiet about their cooperation.
• Qu Jianlei rested, gave Old Lady Jia an Item-Storing Talisman, and later opened the sealed box at an abandoned factory without triggering anything.
• Qu Jianlei found an alloy hard hat and a document pouch in the box, then discovered a broken, gourd-tipped rod concealed beneath the hat's lining.
• Xiao Hu reacted strongly to the broken object and showed Qu Jianlei a three-dimensional image identifying it as a hairpin.
• Qu Jianlei sensed that the broken hairpin repelled his Mental Strength and concluded that it was a magical treasure capable of resisting Mental Attacks.

Qu Jianlei let Xiao Hu absorb the energy from the Broken Hairpin, which eased many of his injuries but left the hairpin cracked and powerless. He put the broken pieces and the unopened document pouch away before going to work, where he found Old Lady Jia dozing at the Rare Books Building.

• Qu Jianlei concluded that Steve had likely died without using the Broken Hairpin and considered how the Empire might have damaged it.
• Xiao Hu insisted on taking the Broken Hairpin, and Qu Jianlei used it while meditating in the posture Xiao Hu showed him.
• Qu Jianlei absorbed the hairpin’s cool energy for nearly two hours, easing his headache and healing much of his upper-body soreness and hidden injuries.
• The Broken Hairpin split into two cracked pieces, so Qu Jianlei wrapped them and stored them with the unopened document pouch in his Item-Storing Ring.
• Qu Jianlei went to the library for his cleaning duties and saw Old Lady Jia dozing by the Rare Books Building’s entrance.

Qu Jianlei learned from Old Lady Jia that the Broken Hairpin was a valuable Divine Script artifact from an ancient civilization and that its energy had helped restore him. After leaving the library, he was nearly taken for a thorough investigation, but Old Lady Jia intervened and helped him go free.

• Qu Jianlei showed Old Lady Jia the Broken Hairpin’s remains, and she identified it as a rare defensive artifact worth at least ten Supremes.
• Old Lady Jia explained that the hairpin was connected to Divine Script and that stories also described powerful offensive hairpins.
• After examining the remains, Old Lady Jia asked how Qu Jianlei had damaged them, and he refused to explain.
• Qu Jianlei learned that the hairpin’s energy might have restored him and confirmed that Divine Script belonged to a short-lived civilization.
• City guards and patrol guards began investigating people throughout the Old District, and investigators questioned Qu Jianlei at the library.
• Old Lady Jia called Qu Jianlei to help sort books, and the curator identified her as an A-rank guarding the Rare Books Building, prompting the investigators to let him go.

Qu Jianlei studied Steve’s documents and discovered clues about divine script, Supreme cultivation, and a realm beyond Supreme. He learned that Old Lady Jia had once failed to break through to Above Supreme, then confronted her about it the next day.

• A middle-aged investigative chief warned his team not to provoke Qu Jianlei, explaining that Qu Jianlei had restrained himself despite being powerful enough to defeat Supremes.
• Qu Jianlei reviewed Steve’s documents, confirmed that “Heaven, Profound, Earth, Yellow” was part of divine script, and studied Steve’s cultivation notes.
• Qu Jianlei called for Xiao Hu but received no response, so he stopped studying and turned to Steve’s travel journals and diaries.
• Qu Jianlei found Steve’s diary entry suggesting that a realm beyond Supreme existed and that other Supremes had once denied Steve an opportunity to pursue it.
• Qu Jianlei read that Jia Shuiqing had failed to break through to Above Supreme, then asked Old Lady Jia about her attempt the next day.

Qu Jianlei refused to explain Taoist cultivation concepts to Old Lady Jia, then returned to revising his Defense Array while the Grave Robbers and Greenwater City faced continued scrutiny. Old Lady Jia later warned him that Planet Three's military was seeking him, and the chapter ended with her revealing that a newly advanced Above Supreme from Garbage Star was pressuring Second Star's authorities.

• Qu Jianlei told Old Lady Jia that cultivation required unifying body and mind and condensing Original Self-Awareness, but he refused to explain the concept further.
• Qu Jianlei left the Rare Books Building, and Old Lady Jia decided to seek other methods to learn what she wanted.
• Qu Jianlei completed the third revision of the Defense Array, but he lacked materials to test it and Xiao Hu remained absent.
• Old Lady Jia asked Qu Jianlei whether he had conflicts with Hope Three Star's military and told him Planet Three's military had issued a joint investigation notice seeking him.
• Qu Jianlei connected the military's interest to Pan Yifu's rescue on Zalifu, but Old Lady Jia said an Above Supreme was applying pressure.
• Old Lady Jia revealed that the Above Supreme was newly advanced and supposedly came from Garbage Star.

After learning that military pressure and Kushnier’s interest in Black Sky could threaten his quiet life, Qu Jianlei accepted help arranging a temporary assignment on Fourth Star. He left with Zi Jiuxian, where he encountered Xiang Xue aboard the starship and learned she also seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

• Old Lady Jia warned Qu Jianlei that Second Star’s government was under pressure from the military and Kushnier, then suggested he lie low; she said someone would contact him with arrangements.
• Zi Jiuxian offered to take Qu Jianlei to Fourth Star as a temporary academy assistant on a support mission, and he accepted after learning her great-grandmother had suggested the timing.
• Qu Jianlei completed the temporary employment paperwork, secured two months of leave from Kadani at the library, and boarded a starship with Zi Jiuxian.
• As inspections tightened, Qu Jianlei and Zi Jiuxian used the support mission’s fast lane and entered their room aboard the starship.
• Xiang Xue and her B-rank female guard entered the room; Xiang Xue questioned Qu Jianlei’s trip to Fourth Star and he asked why she was leaving in such a hurry.

Xiang Xue joined Qu Jianlei and Zi Jiuxian’s support mission to the Engineering Academy after leaving Second Star to avoid trouble tied to her father. The group reached Hope Fourth Star and settled in at the academy, where an unexpected arrival upset Zi Jiuxian.

• Xiang Xue volunteered to join the academy support mission as an unpaid teaching assistant, and Zi Jiuxian agreed to try her out for a few days.
• Four days later, Qu Jianlei, Zi Jiuxian, Xiang Xue, and Xiang Xue’s guard arrived at the Engineering Academy in Fengrao and registered their specialties.
• Di Yinyuan welcomed the visitors and offered to arrange a meeting with the Vice Dean, but Zi Jiuxian declined and asked to receive work assignments instead.
• Qu Jianlei and Xiang Xue discussed An Chongfeng, whom Xiang Xue said also liked history, while Zi Jiuxian insisted the academy would deal with him.
• A short-haired man ran up calling out to Zi Jiuxian, who angrily told him to get away from her.

Qu Jianlei began assisting at Engineering Academy’s library, then intervened when students attacked an Awakened student in a grove. He escorted the student away, while Robin Han and the others vowed revenge against him.

• Qu Jianlei met Sally at the library and learned she had awakened after her normal awakening period had passed.
• Qu Jianlei offered Sally suggestions to improve the library, but director Halk did not respond for several days.
• Qu Jianlei heard a student calling for help and entered a grove, where seven or eight students were attacking an Awakened student.
• Qu Jianlei threw the attackers aside and broke Robin Han’s arm, then stopped the student he had rescued from retaliating.
• The rescued student told Qu Jianlei that Robin Han had attacked him over Irina, and the injured students vowed to kill Qu Jianlei.

Qu Jianlei spent a rest day exploring Fourth Star with Xiang Xue, Zi Jiuxian, and the female guard. In a park, two B-rank Ability Warriors ambushed him, and Zi Jiuxian stepped forward to handle the confrontation, saying she had immunity.

• Qu Jianlei reported Irina and Robin Han to the Academy through Zi Jiuxian, but the Academy only warned Robin Han to focus on his studies.
• Xiang Xue invited Qu Jianlei to explore Fourth Star, and Zi Jiuxian joined them to avoid Bella Ni.
• The group visited shops, bought local goods and seasonings, ate at Snack Street, and spent the afternoon in a park.
• A B-rank Fire Attribute user ambushed Qu Jianlei with a gust of wind and drew a Laser Pistol after Qu Jianlei dodged.
• The female guard and Xiang Xue confronted the attacker, then a B-rank Wood Attribute user appeared to back him up.
• Zi Jiuxian arrived, formed Gold Sand Armor, and told the others to leave the matter to her because she had immunity.

Zi Jiuxian, Xiang Xue, Aunt Liu, and Qu Jianlei followed two men outside the city after the men threatened Qu Jianlei over his conflict with Robin Han. When the fight turned against the men, one revealed he was a Patrol Captain, and Xiang Xue used Water Dragon Binding to restrain him.

• Zi Jiuxian refused to fight in the city and followed the two men outside with Xiang Xue, Aunt Liu, and Qu Jianlei.
• The smiling man said they had come because Qu Jianlei had offended someone, and Zi Jiuxian identified Robin Han as the likely reason.
• Aunt Liu attacked Cold Face before he could complete Wood Armor, while Qu Jianlei joined her and cut off half of Cold Face's left fist.
• Zi Jiuxian and Xiang Xue fought the smiling man, and he shouted that he was a Patrol Captain when he saw his companion badly wounded.
• Zi Jiuxian ordered the men to surrender, but Xiang Xue cast Water Dragon Binding and commanded, "No resistance!"

After stopping the fight, Zi Jiuxian confirmed that Smiling Face was patrol captain Gao Telo and questioned him and the assassin he had brought to attack Panda. Qu Jianlei forced the silent assassin, Schleek, to reveal his identity and contract, leaving Schleek alarmed by the power and connections of the people he had targeted.

• Smiling Face identified himself as Gao Telo, and Zi Jiuxian sealed his cultivation and then sealed the Cold Face man's cultivation before allowing Gao Telo to bandage him.
• Zi Jiuxian contacted the academy, which confirmed that Gao Telo was a patrol guard and sent his photo; the group then questioned the two men while waiting for academy personnel.
• Gao Telo said Robin Han's uncle had asked him to teach Panda a lesson, and that he had hired the Cold Face man, though he knew little about him.
• Qu Jianlei reopened the Cold Face man's wound and pressed on it until the assassin agreed to identify himself as Schleek of the Blood Moon Mercenary Group, hired for five Rank B Crystals.
• Schleek explained that he had returned from thirty years of penal service and had only just finished his observation period, while Xiang Xue and Aunt Liu questioned him about Blood Moon's history and leaders.
• Schleek realized that the people he had attacked might be backed by a Supreme and regretted accepting the job.

Engineering Academy and the Patrol disputed who would investigate after Smiling Face’s group attacked the academy’s guests. The footage confirmed that Schleek’s side had started the fight and been decisively defeated, leaving the Patrol unable to contest the evidence.

• Three Hover Cars brought Engineering Academy’s Di Yinyuan and Cheng Qingshan, along with Patrol Deputy Chief Buzzi, to the scene.
• Buzzi kicked Gao Telo and demanded custody of the attackers, but Cheng Qingshan insisted that the academy’s Guard Team handle the investigation.
• Buzzi failed to secure the victims or challenge the investigation, and he sent a female B-rank Patrol officer to attend to Smiling Face.
• The Patrol officer obtained dashcam footage showing Schleek make the first hostile gesture before the academy’s four fighters defeated his group.
• The officer recognized that Panda had the skill to confront a B-rank directly and learned that park surveillance footage had also been recovered.

After the Guard Team ruled that Zi Jiuxian’s group had been targeted, Engineering Academy ordered Robin Han to transfer but avoided harsher action. Qu Jianlei learned that Schleek was tied to a large family on Hope Star, while patrol officers watched footage of the battles and were stunned by the fight involving two unfamiliar combatants.

• The Guard Team concluded that Zi Jiuxian’s group were victims and let them leave after they defended their retaliation.
• Engineering Academy ordered Robin Han to transfer schools, and Zi Jiuxian explained that his family connections had influenced the decision.
• Qu Jianlei asked about Schleek, and Xiang Xue learned that he had turned himself in to protect his large family on Hope Star.
• Green Water Academy’s visiting teachers pressured the authorities to keep Smiling Face and Schleek in custody while patrol officers reviewed battle footage.
• Patrol officers watched footage of the two battles, focused on Schleek’s fight, and wondered what made the two opposing combatants so capable.

Fengrao City's patrol guards reviewed footage of Qu Jianlei fighting Schleek and debated whether his unusual combat style could be learned. Buzzi ordered patrol guards to attend a study session, while one guard reacted strangely to seeing Aunt Liu in the video.

• The patrol guards replayed the footage and noticed Schleek briefly relax during the pincer attack, prompting Buzzi to question what had happened.
• Cripple warned the guards not to record Qu Jianlei's technique and implied that it could be learned through training, startling them.
• Cripple left the decision about sharing the video with more patrol guards to Buzzi, who realized that either choice could offend powerful groups.
• Buzzi ordered patrol guards C-rank and above to come to city headquarters to study the footage, and more than two hundred C-rank and over a dozen B-rank guards arrived that night.
• One C-rank patrol guard changed expression when he saw Aunt Liu in the video.

The patrol guards investigated the attack on Panda, but the academy refused to cooperate, and Qu Jianlei and Zi Jiuxian questioned Smiling Face and Schleek. Cheng Qingshan suspected Schleek knew more than he revealed, while Ye Xiangkong later told Qu Jianlei that Robin Han had arranged retaliation and his father wanted to discuss it.

• The academy refused the patrol guards access to its people, though the guards questioned Smiling Face and Schleek; Schleek said he had sensed things would go badly when Panda attacked him.
• After learning the guards had asked Schleek about the attack, Cheng Qingshan reviewed the vehicle footage and told the Guard Team to watch for Greenwater visitors.
• Qu Jianlei and Zi Jiuxian visited Smiling Face and Schleek, and Schleek said the group had acted with restraint and promised not to cause trouble or reveal what he should not.
• Cheng Qingshan decided not to interrogate Schleek again and told the Guard Team to treat the Greenwater group politely.
• Ye Xiangkong told Qu Jianlei that Robin Han had arranged retaliation and that his father wanted to speak with him.

After learning Robin Han’s family had powerful military and business connections, Qu Jianlei grew disillusioned with the academy’s response and considered leaving. Bella Ni then visited him with a proposal to take down Robin Han’s family, asking whether he could provide five hundred thousand.

• Ye Xiangkong told his family about Robin Han’s attack, and his father offered help after learning Robin Han had hired a Patrol Captain and another Rank B.
• Qu Jianlei declined the Ye Family’s dinner invitation, while Zi Jiuxian and the others learned that Robin Han’s cousin controlled a major military supplier and had powerful connections.
• Sally told Qu Jianlei that curator Halk had shelved his rectification proposals because he thought they caused trouble, prompting Qu Jianlei to consider leaving the academy.
• Bella Ni visited Qu Jianlei and asked whether he could provide five hundred thousand to help take down Robin Han’s family.

Bella Ni persuaded Qu Jianlei to consider funding a plan to bring down the family behind the attack on Green Water Academy, and arranged a meeting with Mosman’s father, Gwendolen. Qu Jianlei met Gwendolen at a faculty tea house, where they began discussing the proposal.

• Bella Ni told Qu Jianlei that five hundred thousand was the upfront cost of a plan backed by a student’s family connected to the Fourth Star’s Second Boss.
• Bella Ni explained that the student had raised the matter after his father heard about the academy’s troubles, and that Zi Jiuxian had declined because she had no money.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to meet the student’s parent before committing, and Bella Ni arranged the meeting.
• Bella Ni brought Qu Jianlei to a faculty tea house, where they met Gwendolen and his Rank C Warrior guard.
• Gwendolen recognized Qu Jianlei as the one who had injured Schleek, and the four sat in a pavilion to talk.

Qu Jianlei and Bella Ni negotiated with Gwendolen, whose powerful family connections made him a potential ally against their enemies. Gwendolen demanded a large fee to ruin the target family’s businesses, and Qu Jianlei proposed turning the job into a showcase for attracting future clients.

• Bella Ni introduced Gwendolen and explained his connection to Guard captain Heltman, a powerful ally of First Deputy Planetary Governor Hoyer.
• Gwendolen explained that political scrutiny prevented him from earning much through his businesses, so he needed money and offered to devastate the target family’s businesses for an initial five hundred thousand and at least two million more afterward.
• Qu Jianlei questioned why Gwendolen had chosen their target, and Gwendolen admitted he wanted to help them while gaining control of the family’s businesses.
• Bella Ni objected to Gwendolen’s fee, while Qu Jianlei agreed that the price was high but said they would pay for useful help.
• Qu Jianlei suggested that Gwendolen treat the job as advertising and use it to attract other people seeking help.

Qu Jianlei and Bella Ni negotiated with Gwendolen to target the people responsible for the trouble with Qu Jianlei, and Gwendolen began taking action against Robinson's family. As Bella Ni returned with news of another incident, Qu Jianlei followed her out of the library to find out what had happened.

• Qu Jianlei and Bella Ni bargained with Gwendolen, agreeing to pay him fifty thousand Silver Coins upfront for his help.
• Gwendolen promised results within two days, and Smiling Face and Schleek were taken away by patrol guards and paid compensation to Zi Jiuxian and the others.
• Bella Ni reported that the Integrity Department had taken Rommel, a civil affairs official and Robinson's relative, into custody; Mosman had said his father was responsible.
• Qu Jianlei asked Bella Ni to confirm Gwendolen's next target, while Xiang Xue and Aunt Liu voiced doubts about Gwendolen's character and offered to help if he betrayed them.
• Bella Ni hurried into the library the next morning, told Qu Jianlei that something had happened, and led him outside.

Qu Jianlei and Bella Ni refused to provide more money to Gwendolen after he demanded another two hundred thousand, and Rommel was soon released from the Integrity Department. The group waited for the Rommel Family’s next move, but Xiang Xue warned that the school might not deter them, and the following morning brought a declaration of war.

• Bella Ni told Qu Jianlei that Gwendolen had demanded another two hundred thousand to keep Rommel detained, and Qu Jianlei refused to pay more.
• Qu Jianlei considered whether to punish Mosman but decided to wait and see what Gwendolen would do next.
• Ye Xiangkong warned Qu Jianlei that Rommel had been released, and Qu Jianlei suspected Gwendolen had allowed it to pressure their group.
• Zi Jiuxian and Qu Jianlei agreed to wait before taking action, while Xiang Xue urged everyone to be cautious.
• The next morning, the group heard the Rommel Family's declaration of war.

After Rommel threatened revenge, he and his allies escalated their pressure against people connected to the Ye Family, including targeting Pollyanna. Zi Jiuxian warned Qu Jianlei that Rommel had become unpredictable, and Qu Jianlei decided that waiting indefinitely was no longer a solution.

• Rommel publicly vowed revenge after leaving the Integrity Department, and Qu Jianlei chose to wait rather than respond immediately.
• Ye Xiangkong warned Qu Jianlei that people who had helped the Ye Family pressure Rommel were being targeted.
• Bella Ni reprimanded Mosman, prompting Gwendolen to confront her and threaten to transfer his child to another school.
• Bella Ni and the others considered whether Rommel's family had Supreme support, and Aunt Liu urged them to wait and see what happened.
• Rommel's allies accused Pollyanna of corruption and challenged her to a Life and Death Stage fight, leading the Ye Family to warn Zi Jiuxian that the retaliation was aimed at them.
• Zi Jiuxian told Qu Jianlei that Rommel's actions were escalating, and Qu Jianlei said that waiting forever was not a solution.