Chapter Summaries

Chen Chuan received appointments as Jibei Province Security Defense Office chief and member of the Central City Security Decision Group, along with the authority of Infinite Defense. After leaving the ceremony, he reviewed the office’s records and planned to reshape its leadership and build a force loyal to him.

• Chen Chuan arrived at the Government Affairs Hall ceremony, where Specialist Cheng announced his promotion and presented him with a Staff Sword and appointment letter.
• Specialist Cheng gave Chen Chuan a certificate granting him the authority of Infinite Defense, effective immediately.
• Chen Chuan accepted congratulations from Qi Weizhao, Director Wei, Specialist Liang, and other officials, then declined the banquet and left.
• Chen Chuan reviewed the Security Defense Office’s files and concluded that the office had been sidelined under its former Director Bei.
• Chen Chuan planned to transfer Deputy Director Lu and establish an armed force within the office that answered directly to him.

Chairman Quan advised the Municipal Council to wait rather than confront Chen Chuan, while Deputy Director Lu Gao learned that Chen Chuan would replace Director Bei and feared losing his lucrative position. After Lu Miao’s car crashed while charging at Chen Chuan’s convoy, Lu Gao accepted an offer to save his son in exchange for planting an object at a designated place.

• Chairman Quan told a worried councilor that Chen Chuan would have little time for Central City and urged the council to wait for others to act.
• Lu Gao learned Chen Chuan had been appointed Defense Department Chief, and Director Bei advised him to accept his transfer with dignity.
• Bao Yun told Lu Gao that Lu Miao had gone to confront Chen Chuan, and Lu Gao rushed to stop him.
• An Shield detected Lu Miao’s modified car charging at Chen Chuan’s convoy, whose escort destroyed it with gunfire.
• At the crash site, a middle-aged man offered Lu Gao a way to save Lu Miao through the Origin Company in exchange for planting a sealed object.
• Lu Gao agreed to the deal after the man promised to save his son.

Chen Chuan took over as Defense Department Chief and uncovered a mental amalgam planted in his office, leading him to arrest Deputy Director Lu. Lu Gao admitted he had been forced to cooperate with Chen Chuan’s enemies and offered evidence in exchange for justice for his son.

• Chen Chuan received a report that Lu Miao’s drug use and Implant Body may have contributed to his attack, while Lu Gao arranged treatment for him.
• Chen Chuan received an invitation from the Wan Song Entrusted Agency Company, then tested the new underground training ground.
• Chen Chuan arrived at the Defense Department as its new Chief and found a transparent mental amalgam in his office that could track its carrier.
• Chen Chuan ordered Lu Gao’s arrest after discovering he had erased records of entering the office.
• Lu Gao admitted that unknown powerful people had ordered him to plant something in Chen Chuan’s office and gave Chen Chuan an implanted tissue recording of their conversations.
• Lu Gao promised to cooperate with Chen Chuan and demanded that the people who harmed Lu Miao be punished.

Chen Chuan used Deputy Director Lu’s evidence to trace the man who had been tracking him, and Xu Chan captured the disguised intermediary. The trail pointed to a powerful backer whose identity remained unknown.

• Chen Chuan reviewed the recording from the Mutated Tissue and decided to use Deputy Director Lu’s clue to find the man rather than lure his unknown enemy into a Convergence Zone.
• Chen Chuan secretly tasked Xu Chan with tracking the suspect while his team raided an abandoned factory and arrested the hired personnel there.
• Chen Chuan learned that the factory crew were decoys and waited as Xu Chan followed Deputy Director Lu’s recorded Bio-Field to the real suspect.
• Xu Chan confronted the suspect, who changed his appearance with biological remodeling technology and attacked using High-Energy Nutrients and a Biofluid Blade.
• Xu Chan defeated the suspect despite his rapid regeneration and Biomimetic Membrane, then told Chen Chuan he had captured him.

After interrogating the captured operative, Chen Chuan traced clues toward the Origin Company and the secrets surrounding his parents, but found no evidence to strike at anyone directly. He brought Xu Chan to the Purity Faction’s branch, where they discussed an investigation in the Lower District and arranged Xu Chan’s assessment for pure essence.

• Chen Chuan learned from the interrogation that the operative had been recruited and trained by an unknown organization, while his implanted components pointed to the Origin Company and possibly other factions.
• Chen Chuan suspected the plot might relate to his parents and his death, and decided to seek out the person they may have intended to become his teacher.
• Chen Chuan asked Xu Chan about his current assignments, then gave him contacts in the Lower District to support his investigation into Green Source Ecology Company.
• Chen Chuan took Xu Chan to the Purity Faction branch in Hongsheng District, where Chang Dong and Gao Yanjun welcomed him and introduced the new peripheral members.
• Chen Chuan showed Xu Chan headquarters’ response to his application for pure essence, and Xu Chan agreed to undergo an assessment.

Chen Chuan learned where Fang Zhuoying lived and arranged to travel to the Besa Khanate to ask her about his mother’s past. Before he left, Commissioner Cao asked him to retrieve a stranded state shipment, and Chen Chuan agreed.

• After receiving Old Lady Ni’s telegram, Chen Chuan learned that Fang Zhuoying taught at a school in Barktu Central City and decided to visit her in person.
• Chen Chuan applied to the Government Affairs Hall for permission to travel to the Besa Khanate, and his trip was approved that afternoon.
• Commissioner Cao met Chen Chuan and asked him to bring back a state shipment stranded in the Besa Khanate; Chen Chuan agreed.
• Commissioner Cao arranged an Airship and high-energy nutrients for Chen Chuan’s trip, then reported his agreement to the higher authorities.
• Chen Chuan returned home, packed for the journey, and had Fu Mu coordinate the department’s affairs while he was away.

Chen Chuan traveled from Central City to Barktu Central City in the Besa Khanate to visit Fang Zhuoying and carry out an assignment. He reached the Red Cloud Bowl Tent and entered its Fighting Hall, where his presence stopped the trainees in their tracks.

• Chen Chuan left Central City aboard a Fighter Council airship, while Mr. Chi reported his departure to an associate and said the company would wait for his return.
• The airship crossed Great Shun's Western Lands and Locking Realm Mountain before reaching the Besa Khanate and landing in Barktu Central City.
• Chen Chuan joined a Council-hired Security Team and traveled through the city's crowded outer ring toward the Red Cloud Bowl Tent.
• Chen Chuan left Zhao Ming with the convoy and entered the Fighting Hall, where he recognized the trainees' grappling practice as a method of conditioning mutated tissue.
• Chen Chuan's invisible pressure caused the fighters around him to stop training and stare as he walked farther inside.

Chen Chuan visited Fang Zhuoying to ask about his mother Yu Zhen’s past and learned the names of two former fellow disciples who might have been his intended fighting teacher. After Fang Zhuoying gave him Yu Zhen’s old notebook, Chen Chuan assessed her faction’s training and said its core technique was still lacking something.

• Fang Zhuoying sensed Chen Chuan’s strength and received him with the respect due to a Fighter.
• Chen Chuan asked about Yu Zhen’s disappearance, and Fang Zhuoying said Yu Zhen had vanished while escorting an unidentified important person.
• Fang Zhuoying named He Ruihai and He Zhilan as Yu Zhen’s close fellow disciples and possible candidates for the teacher who had been hired to train Chen Chuan.
• Fang Zhuoying gave Chen Chuan the notebook Yu Zhen had left with her when they parted.
• Chen Chuan identified the No Gap Faction’s core principle as eliminating gaps between fighting techniques and spiritual cultivation, then said the method was still lacking something.

Chen Chuan taught Fang Zhuoying an Inner Observation Breathing Method that completed a key part of the No Gap Faction’s cultivation theory, then learned that a Besa Khanate Fighter had detained the Nine Unifications Jade Tablet fragment. After locating the item, Chen Chuan decided to retrieve it immediately.

• Chen Chuan explained to Fang Zhuoying that correcting one flaw could create another, then gave her an Inner Observation Breathing Method for examining the effects of cultivation changes.
• Fang Zhuoying recognized that Chen Chuan’s method completed a missing link in the No Gap Faction’s theories and asked him to stay longer, but Chen Chuan said he would leave soon.
• A craft carrying the Besa Khanate’s guardian Fighter passed over Balkhtu, and Chen Chuan learned that the Fighter’s appearance acknowledged his arrival.
• Chen Chuan contacted his government liaison, who explained that a localist Fighter had detained a jade tablet fragment intended for return to Great Shun.
• Chen Chuan identified the fragment as the Nine Unifications Jade Tablet and decided to retrieve it from the Fighter in Shahe Land.

Chen Chuan crossed a sandstorm to reach Shahe Land and confronted Altamur, the Besa Khanate’s Fighter, to recover a jade fragment belonging to Great Shun. Altamur refused to return it without a trade, setting the stage for their confrontation.

• Chen Chuan left his vehicle during an approaching sandstorm and raced ahead toward Shahe Land while Zhao Ming sought shelter.
• Chen Chuan reached the lightly fortified stronghold, put on a red-marked mask, and advanced through the guards’ gunfire unharmed.
• Chen Chuan leapt onto the cliff platform and incapacitated the guards as he made his way through the sandstone structure.
• A fleeing leader reached Mo Li Tian’s domed hall, where Chen Chuan soon confronted Altamur.
• Chen Chuan asked Altamur to return Great Shun’s jade fragment, but Altamur embedded it in his chair and demanded something in exchange.

Chen Chuan defeated Tamur and retrieved the jade fragment after Tamur refused to negotiate. When another figure arrived to exploit Tamur’s corruption by his Variant Appearance, Chen Chuan returned and stopped him with a shot of light.

• Tamur rejected Chen Chuan’s attempt to negotiate and transformed into his Great Heavenly King Mo Li Appearance.
• Chen Chuan struck Tamur with a powerful Spiritual Light Orb, destroying much of the hall and severely injuring him.
• Tamur tried to transform further, but Chen Chuan knocked him unconscious with a kick and chose not to kill him.
• Chen Chuan retrieved the jade fragment from the rubble and left the hall.
• A tall, slender figure arrived and prepared to use Tamur’s power, but Chen Chuan returned and fired a streak of light past his forehead.

Chen Chuan fought Sayibayar, the Besa Khanate Fighter who had tried to kill Tamur and shift the political balance, and defeated him through precise timing and relentless attacks. Sayibayar lamented that Great Shun had won again, while Chen Chuan questioned whether Sayibayar would have gained anything by trading Great Shun’s control for Norland’s.

• Chen Chuan returned and confronted Sayibayar, recognizing him as the Besa Khanate Fighter who leaned toward Norland and had tried to kill Tamur.
• Sayibayar transformed into the Biro Celestial Maiden and attacked Chen Chuan with smoke, sounds, and a silver ring.
• Chen Chuan repelled Sayibayar’s assault with the Great Bright Light Style, then disrupted his rhythm with an elbow strike and a rapid barrage of punches.
• Chen Chuan struck Sayibayar’s unprotected throat and kicked him into a crater, where Sayibayar’s Variant Appearance collapsed.
• Sayibayar admitted that Great Shun had won again and despaired of freeing his country from its control.
• Chen Chuan asked Sayibayar whether success would only have replaced Great Shun’s control with Norland’s.

Chen Chuan brought Sayibayar and Tamur to Barktu and handed them over to Master Zhen Guan, declining to decide the Besa Khanate’s internal struggle for them. Zhen Guan freed Sayibayar afterward, revealing that he wanted Great Shun to support him and that the Besa Khanate would wait for a greater upheaval before seeking change.

• Sayibayar explained that the Three Aspects could unite into Shi Yi if two of their bearers were sacrificed, and said Zhen Guan would otherwise take their power.
• Chen Chuan refused to kill Sayibayar and Tamur or take them back, choosing instead to bring them to Barktu and leave their fate to the Besa people.
• Chen Chuan met Master Zhen Guan near Barktu, handed over the two captives, and promised to relay Zhen Guan’s words to Great Shun.
• After Chen Chuan departed, Zhen Guan freed Sayibayar and said he needed Sayibayar to remain outside so Great Shun would support him.
• Sayibayar revealed that another party had offered him cultivation resources, while Zhen Guan warned that the Besa Khanate could not safely manipulate Great Shun or Norland.

Chen Chuan returned from the Besa Khanate with gifts from Zhen Guan and the promised mission supplies, then resumed overseeing the Defense Department in Jibei Province. The chapter left him preparing to attend a provincial decision-making meeting later in the month.

• Chen Chuan boarded the airship home with Zhen Guan’s gifts, including Honey Dew and a grade-four Lost Object that improved his chances and efficiency while undertaking tasks.
• Chen Chuan reviewed his battles, judged his opponents inexperienced against Fighters of their own level, and planned to train his squad members with Fu Mu’s Domain Field data.
• At Longyou Road Repair Station, Chen Chuan handed the jade fragments to state personnel and waited for his mission allowance before continuing home.
• Chen Chuan returned to Jibei Province Central City, prompting concern among Municipal Council members and leading Mr. Chi to tell his contact to monitor Chen Chuan’s movements.
• Chen Chuan checked the Defense Department’s staffing changes and received Fu Mu’s reminder to attend the Jibei Province decision-making group meeting later in the month.

Chen Chuan arranged City Patrol positions for Geng Zheng, Tai Dongwei, and Deng Fu, then asked Commissioner Cao to investigate the He Brothers and Sisters. After learning they were on Red Crown Island, he prepared to travel overseas after a decision-making group meeting and received visitors from two companies who raised the Skyline Project.

• Chen Chuan confirmed with a City Patrol supervisor that Geng Zheng, Tai Dongwei, and Deng Fu were performing well and let them remain in the department.
• Chen Chuan asked Commissioner Cao to locate He Ruihai and He Zhilan, then contacted Wansong Entrusted Company but declined to speak with its unnamed client.
• Chen Chuan received General Affairs Bureau records showing that He Ruihai and He Zhilan had reached Red Crown Island two months earlier, and he planned to travel there after a decision-making group meeting.
• Chen Chuan agreed to meet Gu Haiting and Song Yuan, who visited on behalf of Canglong Company and Far Ocean Development Group.
• Gu Haiting told Chen Chuan that the companies wanted to discuss a mutually beneficial matter and asked whether he had heard of the Skyline Project.

Chen Chuan agreed to support the Skyline Project, which would link the Outer Ocean’s new Central City on Kaiyang Island with mainland Central Cities. At the decision-making group’s meeting, he was appointed to cast Principal Yao’s vote, leaving the project’s fate to the upcoming deliberations.

• Song Yuan and Gu Haiting showed Chen Chuan plans to establish a Central City on Kaiyang Island and connect its information network to mainland Central Cities.
• Song Yuan and Gu Haiting explained that the Linax Federation was temporarily distracted and that Jibei Province offered the strongest chance to advance the Skyline Project.
• Chen Chuan openly supported the project and promised to promote it at the decision-making group’s meeting.
• Chen Chuan planned to visit the Outer Ocean after the meeting and received notice that the group would convene on the morning of the twenty-first.
• At the meeting, Qi Weizhao announced that Principal Yao had delegated his vote to Chen Chuan because he had to remain in the Convergence Zone.

Chen Chuan supported the Security Decision Group’s plans for urban defense, a raid on the New Light Sect, resistance-group security, and an information exchange network. After the meeting, he received approval to travel overseas, where his transformation after breaking through the Fourth Limit completed and he became ready to practice the Great Azure Void Style.

• Qi Weizhao proposed assigning the combat airship unit to the Security Defense Office, and the meeting approved the assignment.
• Chen Chuan offered an elite Tactical Squad to help the Inspection Bureau raid the New Light Sect’s base once its location was confirmed.
• Chen Chuan promised to prepare a security deployment plan against Resistance Organizations, and the members supported Qi Weizhao’s information exchange network proposal.
• Chen Chuan submitted his overseas travel plans, arranged the bureau’s affairs, and boarded an airship on the twenty-third.
• Chen Chuan sensed that his post-Fourth Limit transformation had completed, allowing him to contain his Bio-Field and mind power and begin practicing the Great Azure Void Style.

Chen Chuan traveled to Red Crown Island to find the He Brothers and Sisters after learning about them from Senior Fang. He met He Ruihai and He Zhilan at their Fighting Hall, where they questioned how he had found them and why he had come.

• Chen Chuan practiced the Great Azure Void Style aboard the airship and considered how to secure enough energy and supplies for his training.
• Chen Chuan arrived at Red Crown Island and walked alone toward the mountain village where the He Brothers and Sisters lived.
• Chen Chuan observed the island's developing infrastructure and shared sweets with children in a village along the way.
• Chen Chuan reached the He Brothers and Sisters' Fighting Hall and watched He Ruihai and He Zhilan teach their students.
• Chen Chuan told He Ruihai and He Zhilan that Senior Fang had told him about them, prompting He Zhilan to ask about her teacher while He Ruihai demanded to know how Chen Chuan had found them.

Chen Chuan proved to He Zhilan and He Ruihai that he was the son of their former senior apprentice, Zhen, and explained that he was investigating his parents’ disappearance and an attempt on his life. He revealed that he was a National-Level Fighter, and the He siblings returned a box left by Zhen, which contained a vial of blue liquid that Chen Chuan suspected was another Memory Potion.

• Chen Chuan showed He Zhilan Zhen’s notebook and family photographs, convincing her and He Ruihai of his identity.
• Chen Chuan explained that his parents had disappeared and that he had been attacked as a child, then said he intended to uncover the truth.
• He Ruihai warned Chen Chuan that investigating the past could put him and his aunt and uncle in danger.
• Chen Chuan released part of his Domain Field and revealed that he was a National-Level Fighter with several senior positions in Jibei Province Central City.
• He Ruihai told He Zhilan to return what Zhen had left for Chen Chuan, and He Zhilan brought him a locked box.
• Chen Chuan opened the box and found a vial of blue liquid that he suspected was another Memory Potion.

After absorbing the Memory Potion, Chen Chuan learned that his parents’ disappearance was tied to the Origin Company and Gao Yuling, and he decided to investigate without acting rashly. Meanwhile, Mr. Gao and Mr. Xiang arranged for the assassin Calvino Noche to target Chen Chuan when he went to the Convergence Zone.

• Chen Chuan absorbed the Memory Potion and learned that his parents’ disappearance had been connected to the Origin Company through Gao Yuling.
• He Zhilan and He Ruihai explained how they had kept the box and Yu Zhen’s letter safe, and why they had been unable to return to teach Chen Chuan.
• Chen Chuan reassured the siblings that he did not blame them, declined to make them leave their students, and agreed to stay a few days and tell He Zhilan how Teacher Fang was doing.
• A man aboard a cruise ship studied Chen Chuan’s photograph and told Mr. Xiang that a bloodline like his could not be allowed to remain in the world.
• Mr. Xiang said he had hired the assassin Calvino Noche to kill Chen Chuan in the Convergence Zone, with help from other collaborators, and Mr. Gao insisted that the plan remain secret.