Recaps

Bai Jinhan and Qu Jianlei carried out their escape from the starship while the Anti-Smuggling Department launched warships to intercept them. Bai Jinhan attacked one warship as Qu Jianlei dodged capture nets and gunfire while carrying the Rank B man and the Escape Pod toward the ground.

• The Anti-Smuggling Department launched three warships and a transport ship, then fired warning shots to stop the starship from landing.
• Bai Jinhan, Qu Jianlei, the Rank B man, and the Rank C woman left through an emergency hatch, with the woman inside an Escape Pod and Qu Jianlei carrying the others.
• Bai Jinhan attacked a warship's power system while Qu Jianlei dodged a capture net and kept descending with the Rank B man and Escape Pod.
• The Anti-Smuggling Department ordered the warship to use Paralysis Bullets, and Qu Jianlei swerved through the machine-gun fire toward the ground.

Qu Jianlei, Bai Siwen, and Bai Siwen’s niece survived a fierce descent under fire from the Anti-Smuggling Team while Bai Jinhan attacked its warships. After they landed and fled into a thicket, a wave of Coercive Pressure announced that a Supreme had arrived to settle the matter.

• Bai Siwen dragged the Escape Pod as Qu Jianlei dodged fire, while the Anti-Smuggling Team targeted them with Paralysis Bullets and Bai Jinhan damaged two warships.
• Qu Jianlei fired an Autocannon at the approaching warships, accidentally striking a machine gun and triggering an explosion that spread anesthetic through the air.
• Qu Jianlei slowed their fall through a cloud layer, then landed with Bai Siwen and his niece in a thicket.
• Bai Siwen put away the Escape Pod and carried his sick niece away as he discussed how his Supreme grandfather could shield them from the consequences of illegal border crossing.
• Qu Jianlei asked whether Bai Jinhan could take responsibility if he attacked Anti-Smuggling Team members, and Bai Siwen explained that his grandfather would have to acknowledge the deed.
• A wave of Coercive Pressure descended, and an unseen speaker ordered uninvolved people to move aside while a Supreme handled business.

Qu Jianlei led Bai Siwen and his niece to an abandoned quarry, where they hid in a concealed chamber while he erased their tracks. Meanwhile, Bai Jinhan confronted Tianrui’s Guardian Supreme Qingtian over the Anti-Smuggling Department’s actions, then quietly asked whether Qingtian knew Cripple.

• Qu Jianlei used the rain to sense a route to an abandoned quarry as Bai Jinhan drew Qingtian away from the fleeing group.
• Qu Jianlei helped Bai Siwen and his niece hide in a secret chamber, then concealed the entrance and erased their tracks before vanishing into the rain.
• Bai Jinhan continued attacking the warships until Qingtian ordered him to stop and warned him not to cause further trouble.
• Bai Jinhan accused the Anti-Smuggling Department of inviting a Supreme to target him, but Qingtian demanded proof and threatened to turn against him for making baseless claims.
• Bai Jinhan reconsidered challenging Qingtian and asked him through Mental Strength whether he knew Cripple.

Bai Jinhan persuaded Qingtian to investigate the suspected plot against him and the Anti-Smuggling Department’s role in delaying his starship. Qingtian promised Tianrui Star’s government would stop pursuing Bai Jinhan’s earlier actions, but demanded evidence before he would uphold justice.

• Qingtian agreed Bai Jinhan’s feud with Cripple was credible, then questioned where Bai Jinhan had learned of the alleged plot.
• Bai Jinhan accused the Anti-Smuggling Department of involvement, and Qingtian said he would interfere if Bai Jinhan tried to kill another Supreme.
• Qingtian and Bai Jinhan descended to the ground as the ships landed, while the Anti-Smuggling Department detained the flight attendants and stowaways.
• Bai Jinhan questioned the Anti-Smuggling Department about the starship’s delay and the warships’ warning shots, but the department blamed a Duty Chief who had fled.
• Bai Jinhan pressed Qingtian to explain why the starship had been held in low orbit, and Qingtian promised Tianrui Star would no longer pursue Bai Jinhan’s previous actions while asking him to produce evidence.

Bai Jinhan obtained evidence of corruption in Tianrui Star’s Anti-Smuggling Department from Qu Jianlei and pressed Qingtian to act, despite pressure to spare the department’s reputation. Qu Jianlei retrieved his hidden sachet in Panshi, then learned that Tianrui’s crackdown on stowaways would last a year, leaving him uneasy about the consequences.

• Bai Jinhan left Qingtian after the Guardian Supreme demanded evidence, then contacted his old friends on Tianrui Star for help.
• Nelson picked up Bai Jinhan and arranged for Bai Siwen and his companion to join them, while Qu Jianlei confirmed over the Handheld Transceiver that his task was complete.
• Qu Jianlei gave Bai Jinhan evidence detailing years of stowaway cases handled by Tianrui’s Anti-Smuggling Department, and Bai Jinhan decided to pursue the matter despite Nelson’s request for restraint.
• Bai Jinhan and Nelson held a welcoming dinner, while Bai Siwen quietly messaged his niece about whether they should be wary of Nelson.
• Qu Jianlei traveled to Panshi City, retrieved the sachet he had buried, and learned that Qingtian and the authorities had arrested nearly all senior officials in Tianrui’s Anti-Smuggling Department.
• Qu Jianlei then heard that Tianrui would crack down harshly on stowaway activity for an initial period of one year, and he felt uneasy.

Qu Jianlei asked Bai Jinhan to help him leave Tianrui Star amid the Anti-Smuggling Department’s crackdown, and they departed together aboard a private starship for Tianbing. During the journey, Bai Jinhan discussed his research and friends who studied Pill Refining, and Qu Jianlei asked about the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.

• Qu Jianlei learned that Tianrui Star’s intensified inspections made it risky to use false identities or ask the Luo Family for help, so he contacted Bai Siwen and called in a favor from Bai Jinhan.
• Bai Jinhan agreed to help Qu Jianlei leave, but the backlash from his clash with the Anti-Smuggling Department prevented him from arranging an immediate departure.
• Three days later, Qu Jianlei, Bai Jinhan, and Bai Siwen boarded a private starship bound for Tianbing, the Central Star of the Skyhook Star Region.
• Bai Jinhan explained that Tianbing was a safer destination and invited Qu Jianlei to meet his friends there, but Qu Jianlei declined.
• Bai Jinhan mentioned friends who researched Pill Refining, and Qu Jianlei asked whether Bai Jinhan was interested in the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.

Qu Jianlei exchanged thoughts with Bai Jinhan about Original Ability Warriors and cultivation, then offered advice that prompted Bai Jinhan to reconsider his path toward Above Supreme. As the starship neared Tianbing Star, Bai Jinhan sought another conversation, but Qu Jianlei simply thanked him for his care.

• Qu Jianlei and Bai Jinhan discussed the Maiden Star Region, Divine Script, and theories about Original Ability Warriors.
• Qu Jianlei told Bai Jinhan that challenging Above Supreme required resolve and that cultivation should be suited to the individual.
• Bai Jinhan praised Qu Jianlei’s words and spent a day and night drinking with him.
• Bai Jinhan told Bai Siwen that Qu Jianlei’s insight deserved serious consideration and warned that he might be dangerous.
• After the jump ended, Qu Jianlei avoided Bai Jinhan, who eventually visited his room near Tianbing Star and found that Qu Jianlei only thanked him.

Qu Jianlei returned to Celestial Hook Star and met Yuanyuan to inspect a Qi Gathering Array and find a secluded place to use it. Yuanyuan brought him to Half-Star Island, where they prepared to begin.

• Qu Jianlei left Bai Jinhan and stowed away on a starship from Tianbing Star to Celestial Hook Star.
• After hearing about new stowaway inspections, Qu Jianlei asked Ford whether his identity could pass scrutiny, then told Yuanyuan he had returned.
• Qu Jianlei gave Yuanyuan the sachet containing the Qi Gathering Array, and she questioned whether the array was rudimentary.
• Yuanyuan arranged to use Half-Star Island at Lone Leaf Lake, and she and Qu Jianlei discussed how to handle possible identity inspections.
• Yuanyuan drove Qu Jianlei to Half-Star Island with Spirit Beast Meat, Ability Rice, and Energy Blocks, then told the elderly caretakers they could stop guarding the site.

Qu Jianlei upgraded Half-Star Island’s defenses, installed a Qi Gathering Array, and tested its energy costs with Yuanyuan. As they prepared to begin cultivation, an intruder climbed into the property, and Qu Jianlei asked Yuanyuan whether she could handle a murder.

• Yuanyuan brought Qu Jianlei into the kitchen, and he cooked for her, Old Kate, and Old Kate’s wife before the elderly couple left the next morning.
• Qu Jianlei spent nearly twelve days improving Half-Star Island’s defenses, while Yuanyuan bought the materials in Tianxin City.
• Qu Jianlei installed several layers of Defense Arrays and set up the Qi Gathering Array, which he and Yuanyuan tested for its cultivation effects and energy consumption.
• Qu Jianlei decided to exchange ten million worth of Energy Blocks, and he and Yuanyuan spent two days arranging the exchanges and transportation.
• After the pair rested and prepared to begin cultivating, an unknown visitor climbed over the gate and railing, prompting Qu Jianlei to ask Yuanyuan if she could handle a murder.

Qu Jianlei faced Yuanyuan’s grandmother and an unremarkable Supreme, who arrived to investigate their relationship. After probing Half-Star Island, the Supreme discovered that Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan really were cultivating and regretted coming.

• Yuanyuan recognized the A-rank woman as her grandmother, who demanded to meet Qu Jianlei and accused him of living with Yuanyuan.
• Qu Jianlei appeared and challenged the grandmother’s confidence in the Supreme accompanying her, then suggested that the woman’s sand ability was not merely a Metal Attribute mutation.
• The Supreme revealed her aura and probed Half-Star Island’s Defense Array while Grandma sent her four other companions back to the shore.
• The Supreme sensed the Qi Gathering Array and told Grandma that Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan really were cultivating.
• The Supreme said she should not have come to Celestial Hook Star.

Qu Jianlei confronted Yuanyuan’s grandmother and Supreme Qinghu after they discovered the Qi Gathering Array on Half-Star Island. The group tried to settle the matter without conflict, but Qinghu learned that Supreme Nelson had told Qu Jianlei she was in seclusion.

• Ordinary Woman directed Qu Jianlei to Half-Star Island, but Yuanyuan warned that entering would bring trouble; Qu Jianlei asked the visiting Supreme for her name, and she refused.
• Qu Jianlei recognized Supreme Qinghu, dropped his demand for an explanation, and said he would take the equipment away; Yuanyuan’s grandmother tried to negotiate and apologized.
• Yuanyuan revealed that Qu Jianlei had been hired to help Luo Hanshuang and that the island held a Qi Gathering Array used only by her and Qu Jianlei.
• Yuanyuan urged Qinghu and Qu Jianlei to keep the discovery secret, while her grandmother asked to pretend the visit had never happened; Qinghu warned she might still be held accountable.
• Qinghu asked who had claimed she was in seclusion, and Qu Jianlei named Supreme Nelson; Qinghu accepted the explanation and let the matter go.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with Qinghu and Grandma over the Qi Gathering Array, Half-Star Island, and his work for the Luo Family. After inviting them inside, he showed them the added Defense Array built by Ran Bingluan.

• Qinghu questioned Qu Jianlei about choosing Yuanyuan for the Qi Gathering Array, and he said her Ion Armor suited his ideas.
• Grandma asked about the Luo Family's Mystic Mansion test and Qu Jianlei's fee, while Qu Jianlei refused to discuss the test and defended his work.
• Qinghu revealed that she owned Half-Star Island and asked to look around, but Yuanyuan said she would first ask Brother Bingluan whether he wanted the Qi Gathering Array taken back.
• Qu Jianlei invited Qinghu, Grandma, and Yuanyuan into Half-Star Island after Grandma arranged for the others to guard the entrance.
• Grandma was surprised to find a second Defense Array, and Yuanyuan explained that Ran Bingluan had built it himself.

Qu Jianlei and Supreme Qinghu spent the afternoon and evening exchanging technical and cultivation knowledge, discussing arrays, armor, and elemental compatibility. The next morning, Qinghu asked whether he and Yuanyuan had built the Qi Gathering Array to advance to Supreme, and Qu Jianlei admitted that was their plan, though now he was unsure.

• Qu Jianlei and Qinghu exchanged knowledge about the Qi Gathering Array and Ion Purification Armor, while Yuanyuan and her Grandma struggled to follow their discussion.
• Qinghu noticed the Defense Arrays protecting the third layer, and Qu Jianlei explained that he had derived them from a fragmentary diagram but declined her offer to publish and patent his work.
• Qu Jianlei asked about Qinghu’s Sand and Earth attributes, and she explained her efforts to become compatible with other attributes after advancing to Supreme.
• Qu Jianlei cooked dinner, and he and Qinghu continued discussing cultivation late into the night.
• The next morning, Qinghu asked Qu Jianlei whether he and Yuanyuan had set up the Qi Gathering Array to advance to Supreme, and he said the plan had become uncertain.

Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan prepared Half-Star Island for a secluded attempt to reach supreme level, accepting Qinghu’s advice and arranging hidden guards. After three months of cultivation, energy surged into Qu Jianlei’s room, signaling that his breakthrough had begun.

• Qinghu advised Qu Jianlei to keep the island’s location, defenses, and guards in mind, and proposed using a Five Elements Array to aid his breakthrough.
• Qu Jianlei declined to use the array before advancing, while Qinghu promised not to expose his secret and arranged to send an array diagram.
• Qinghu and Grandma left Half-Star Island, leaving four trusted guards behind, and Grandma planned to send more hidden sentries to protect Yuanyuan.
• Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan activated the Qi Gathering Array after a day of rest, then began formal cultivation once its energy stabilized.
• Over three months, Ran Bingluan cultivated far more relentlessly than Yuanyuan, who settled into a pace that suited her.
• Yuanyuan sensed energy pouring into Qu Jianlei’s cultivation room and realized that his breakthrough had begun.

Qu Jianlei successfully advanced to the Supreme after more than six days of seclusion, releasing a Coercive Pressure that stunned Yuanyuan. Dark clouds and violent winds then gathered over Half-Star Island, and Qu Jianlei warned Yuanyuan to move away because lightning was about to strike.

• Yuanyuan maintained the Qi Gathering Array and watched Qu Jianlei's breakthrough while its Energy Block consumption climbed sharply.
• After more than six days, Qu Jianlei released an immense Coercive Pressure, confirming that he had successfully advanced to the Supreme.
• Yuanyuan sensed that Qu Jianlei's new aura might already surpass Qinghu's and noticed that the clear sky had suddenly darkened.
• Dark clouds and rising waves unsettled Yuanyuan and the guardians outside Half-Star Island.
• Qu Jianlei warned Yuanyuan to move away from his room because lightning would strike, realizing that his advancement had brought a tribulation he could not keep hidden.

Qu Jianlei underwent a violent lightning tribulation while advancing his cultivation, and Yuanyuan fled the area after being hurt by nearby bolts. He survived and appeared the next morning, having succeeded in his advancement, though the cultivation site and Qi Gathering Array were destroyed.

• Qu Jianlei warned Yuanyuan to leave the Qi Gathering Array as lightning began striking the cultivation room, and she retreated while the bolts repeatedly overwhelmed the island’s protections.
• Yuanyuan waited through the storm, worried that Ran Bingluan had been killed, until his voice told her he was safe but needed a day to recover.
• Yuanyuan refused to reveal details to a concerned B-rank guard, then tried to cook a meal with the seasonings Ran Bingluan used.
• The next morning, Yuanyuan found the cultivation site blasted apart and the Qi Gathering Array ruined, then Qu Jianlei appeared in good condition.
• Qu Jianlei said he had succeeded by luck and credited another fortunate encounter with helping him survive the tribulation.

After surviving seven tribulation lightning bolts with the help of Stone Milk, Qu Jianlei recovered and tried to keep the incident quiet. He and Yuanyuan assessed the damage and began arranging repairs, but the next day she woke him because people from the authorities had arrived.

• Qu Jianlei recovered from the tribulation lightning and explained that he had endured it by using his reserve of Stone Milk.
• Yuanyuan questioned Qu Jianlei about the lightning, and he told her to ignore it and avoid discussing it with the guards.
• Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan inspected the damage to the Defense Arrays, the Qi Gathering Array, and other equipment.
• Yuanyuan arranged for the guards to procure replacement components and materials while Qu Jianlei began making sensitive parts by hand.
• Qu Jianlei slept while Yuanyuan took the night watch, then woke near noon when she shouted that people from the authorities had arrived.

Qu Jianlei faced an investigation by the Abnormal Affairs Management Department over the strange thunderstorm, while he and Yuanyuan hid evidence on Half-Star Island. He bought time to erase traces and conceal their procurement as the investigators decided to summon a Supreme.

• Yuanyuan told Qu Jianlei that the Abnormal Affairs Management Department had arrived to investigate the thunderstorm and had given her five minutes before entering.
• Qu Jianlei injured an A-rank investigator who probed the island with his spiritual senses, then refused to cooperate with the department’s demands.
• An investigator threatened to call in battleships, but Qu Jianlei accepted the threat, and the investigators instead decided to bring a Supreme to the island.
• Qu Jianlei used the delay to erase traces and told Yuanyuan to stop the procurement, while she said she had already halted it using Secret Code.
• Qu Jianlei decided not to summon Xiao Hu, whose evolution and core data could be exposed to the mysterious department.

Qu Jianlei let the Department of Anomalous Affairs inspect Half-Star Island after Driver invoked its authority, while Yuanyuan insisted they follow procedure and refused to answer most of their questions. The investigators uncovered signs of the unusual lightning, and Qu Jianlei privately acknowledged that their advanced technology had detected the tribulation energy.

• Driver arrived at Qinghu's gate and challenged Qu Jianlei, but backed down after Qu Jianlei warned him and the Department of Anomalous Affairs claimed authority to inspect.
• Qu Jianlei asked Yuanyuan whether the Department had the right to investigate, then withdrew while she verified the investigators' identities and paperwork.
• The investigators explained that instruments had detected an unknown, intense energy in the lightning over Half-Star Island, and Yuanyuan accompanied them as they began their inspection.
• Yuanyuan summoned trusted guards to prevent evidence from being planted and gave the investigators evasive answers about the lightning, defenses, and the island's occupants.
• Yuanyuan left the investigators and asked Qu Jianlei what he thought of their questions, and he recognized that their technology had detected the tribulation lightning's abnormal energy.

After the Department of Anomalous Affairs investigated Half-Star Island, Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan kept the Qi Gathering Array out of use and prepared to repair the Defense Array while staying put. When Qu Jianlei spotted government drones and satellites surveilling the island, Yuanyuan took up a mounted machine gun to shoot the drones down.

• Driver questioned Qu Jianlei about erased aura traces, but Qu Jianlei refused to answer, and Yuanyuan and the Half-Star Island Supreme stopped investigators from sealing the site or taking part of the Defense Array.
• Qinghu told Yuanyuan that she had warned the Celestial Hook Star Government not to meddle with her friends, and Qu Jianlei decided to remain on Half-Star Island while keeping a low profile.
• Qu Jianlei postponed use of the Qi Gathering Array and began repairing the Defense Array after Yuanyuan arranged for components to be purchased.
• Qinghu contacted Yuanyuan again, saying she planned to return soon and hoped Qu Jianlei would stay.
• Qu Jianlei noticed drones and satellites monitoring Half-Star Island, and Yuanyuan flew to a rooftop and fired a mounted machine gun at the drones.

Yuanyuan and Qu Jianlei resisted surveillance on Half-Star Island while Qu Jianlei repaired its Defense Arrays and tested his new Supreme abilities. Qinghu returned to Sky Hook and refused to visit the Department of Anomalous Affairs, telling them to come to her home instead.

• Yuanyuan shot down the drones and confronted a City Garrison figure who objected, saying the island had an owner.
• Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan used the Defense Arrays and Water Mist to block surveillance while Qu repaired both arrays at night.
• Qu Jianlei tested his Supreme abilities after rain fell, as observers discussed the classified abnormal energy readings and Qinghu's impending return.
• Qinghu arrived at the starship passageway, where officials from the Department of Anomalous Affairs asked her to come in.
• Qinghu told the officials to find her on Half-Star Island and said they could keep coming after already breaking into her home.

Qinghu visited Qu Jianlei on Half-Star Island, examined the lingering Exotic Energy, and questioned him about his lightning-struck advancement to Supreme. When Chiyang and Driver confronted her from the gate, Qu Jianlei used a sonic attack to interrupt Chiyang and weaken him.

• Qinghu arrived at Half-Star Island, recognized Qu Jianlei as a newly advanced Supreme, and investigated the lightning damage left at his cultivation site.
• Qinghu detected lingering Exotic Energy, and Qu Jianlei gave her a capsule containing liquid Exotic Energy for her to study.
• Qinghu questioned Qu Jianlei about the lightning strike and suggested that his attempt to unify the Electromagnetic Attribute might have caused it, while he concealed his abilities.
• Chiyang and Driver arrived with representatives of the Department of Anomalous Affairs, and Chiyang challenged Qinghu for turning them away.
• Qu Jianlei intervened with a strange sonic attack that stopped Chiyang mid-sentence and left him dizzy and struggling to steady his Inner Breath.

Chiyang confronted Qinghu and Qu Jianlei on Half-Star Island, but Qu Jianlei’s targeted attack and their dismissive treatment undermined his authority. After the Department of Anomalous Affairs questioned Qu Jianlei’s abilities, he demonstrated lightning, and Chiyang left without answers.

• Chiyang realized Qu Jianlei’s attack could threaten him, and Driver confirmed it had been targeted.
• Qinghu let Chiyang enter Half-Star Island but ordered Driver to stay outside, then told Chiyang to explain his purpose.
• An A-rank agent said the Department of Anomalous Affairs had detected unusual energies and invited Qinghu to review confidential records, but she refused.
• The younger A-rank questioned how Qu Jianlei could produce electromagnetic attacks as a Metal Attribute Supreme, so Qu Jianlei demonstrated a bolt of lightning.
• Yuanyuan explained Attribute Unification and pointed out her own A-rank abilities, and Chiyang left in frustration.

The Department of Anomalous Affairs left after Qu Jianlei’s display was explained as an attempt to unify the Electromagnetic Attribute. Qinghu pieced together his hidden identity and past, but mistakenly believed he was concealing that he had unified the attribute while still Rank A, and revealed that she had left the Divine Script Society.

• The two Rank As reported they would inform their superiors, while Qinghu told them to send a Supreme if they returned; Guardian Supreme then departed with them.
• Qu Jianlei explained to Qinghu that sound, electromagnetism, and Mental Strength were all waves, prompting her to reflect on her research.
• Qinghu examined the damaged Qi Gathering Array and confronted Qu Jianlei with footage and clues linking him to the strange man Bai Jinhan had encountered.
• Qinghu connected Qu Jianlei’s movements between Hope Star and Tianrui Star to the strange man and accused him of killing Cohen and Arindell.
• Qinghu guessed Qu Jianlei was hiding his Rank A unification of the Electromagnetic Attribute and said she would not reveal it.
• Qinghu said the Divine Script Society’s trouble began with greed and revealed that she had left the society because she could not stand its atmosphere.

Qinghu joined Qu Jianlei and Yuanyuan at Half-Star Island, helped them plan to repair the Qi Gathering Array, and drove away the authorities' surveillance. After the island's defenses were restored, Qu Jianlei repaired the array with Qinghu watching.

• Qinghu told Qu Jianlei that she no longer cared about the Divine Script Society and agreed that people should bear responsibility for their choices.
• Qinghu proposed repairing the Qi Gathering Array and said she would buy its components while they made the rest by hand.
• Qinghu gave Qu Jianlei a fragmentary diagram for an aura-concealing array, and he promised to share a copy if he deciphered it.
• Qinghu brought attendants and guards to Half-Star Island and destroyed surveillance equipment and aircraft that approached Lone Leaf Lake.
• Qu Jianlei and Qinghu restored three independent Defense Arrays, then repaired the Qi Gathering Array three days later.