Chapter Summaries

Zhang Qing joined the Crisis Response Team to discuss Great Xia’s technological and strategic needs in the Mega-City Era. He revealed a source of advanced technological data, but its immense volume immediately threatened to overwhelm the supercomputer.

• Xiao Qian told Zhang Qing that Great Xia faced major problems sustaining its mega-cities and deterring outside forces after changing course.
• Zhang Qing attended the Crisis Response Team meeting and identified the need for rapid technological progress and a strategic deterrent.
• Zhang Qing revealed that he had technological data more advanced than Blue Star’s current technology and offered to show it.
• Great Xia summoned national-treasure-level academicians and brought Zhang Qing to a high-tech experimental site.
• Zhang Qing unfolded the cigarette-pack metal into a cube and connected it to the supercomputer, which began receiving 300 million PB of data.
• The supercomputer operator warned that the system would crash unless they stopped the transfer.

Zhang Qing used his Sequence power to decipher storage cubes containing vast stores of advanced technology, which Great Xia’s academicians began studying. After Zhang Qing told Li Wannian that the technology had already been discarded in the Dark Realm, they agreed Great Xia should gamble on standing independently, and Zhang Qing planned to set up a game when players began logging in.

• Zhang Qing separated a small cube from the storage medium and deciphered its contents, revealing metalworking knowledge from bronze smelting to A1-grade metal.
• Great Xia’s academicians studied the material formulas and other technological information as Zhang Qing spent the night deciphering more cubes.
• At dawn, Zhang Qing told Li Wannian that the technology was tens of thousands of years ahead of Blue Star but had already been eliminated in the Dark Realm.
• Zhang Qing and Li Wannian rejected the idea of attaching Great Xia to others and agreed to gamble everything rather than submit.
• Zhang Qing decided to set up a game before players began logging in and to aim for Sequence Four to strengthen the players’ rise and his own position.

Li Wannian organized Great Xia’s research around controllable nuclear fusion and energy agriculture, then announced the South Heaven Gate Plan at a press conference. He revealed that Great Xia had already overcome controllable fusion and was testing a miniaturized version for the White Emperor aerospace fighter jet, leaving the world stunned by Great Xia’s ambitions in space.

• Xiao Qian told Li Wannian that academicians had joined the research team, and Li ordered them to prioritize controllable nuclear fusion and energy agriculture.
• Xiao Qian reported that Dark Realm’s simulated helmets were open for reservation, and Li directed officials to seek promotional materials, forum permissions, and research into Nutrient Pods.
• Li Wannian announced that he would hold a press conference and reveal the South Heaven Gate Plan.
• Li Wannian declared the South Heaven Gate Plan before a packed press hall, drawing disbelief and commotion from reporters and viewers.
• Li Wannian confirmed that Great Xia had overcome controllable fusion and was testing a miniaturized version for the White Emperor aerospace fighter jet.

Great Xia began mobilizing its industries and resources after announcing the South Heaven Gate Plan, while Li Wannian and Zhang Zhengguo prepared for a struggle without allies. Back in Sheep Emperor City, Zhang Qing asked Yang Man to use her growing influence to send the Tyrant Army to the Sky City Battlefield, hinting at a major new move.

• Li Wannian ended the press conference by declaring that Great Xia would meet the world among the stars, prompting global debate and speculation about the War Propaganda Bureau and War Terror Bureau.
• Great Xia's Crisis Response Team reorganized technology companies, removed foreign capital, and began producing a miniaturized Controllable Nuclear Fusion energy engine from copied blueprints.
• Li Wannian and Zhang Zhengguo concluded that Great Xia might have no allies and decided not to visit the building by the Manhattan River, choosing instead to prepare for struggle.
• Zhang Qing returned from Great Xia looking changed, and Yun Xiaoxi suspected he had found traces of the fourth Waypoint.
• Yang Man returned to Sheep Emperor City with stronger support from its ruling council and visited Zhang Qing, who urged her to use her influence to have the Tyrant Army take turns guarding the Sky City Battlefield.

Zhang Qing told Yang Man he wanted to advance to Sequence Four, but she warned him that fate offered no guarantee of safety and explained the price of protecting Blue Star under Imperial City Authority. The chapter ended with Zhang Qing asking whether Yang Man would help him pursue an independent settlement for his people.

• Zhang Qing asked Yang Man to arrange for the Tyrant Army to rotate into the Sky City Battlefield so he could advance to Sequence Four.
• Yang Man warned Zhang Qing that advancing too soon could jeopardize his future, then explained that he was likely one of the people drawn from a Life Planet by fate.
• Yang Man offered to protect Zhang Qing’s people by settling Blue Star within Sheep Emperor City’s territory, where her second uncle could shield it.
• Zhang Qing asked what that protection would cost, and Yang Man explained that Imperial City Authority would make Blue Star dependent on the city and leave its people vulnerable if his protection ended.
• Zhang Qing asked Yang Man to help him secure an independent settlement for Blue Star, and Yang Man fell silent at the risk and cost.

Zhang Qing refused Yang Man’s safer plans and committed to advancing in the Sky City Battlefield, while Yang Man chose to gamble on his confidence. He then arranged to join Su Yue at Treasure Snatching Mountain in Rat Emperor City three months later.

• Yang Man offered Zhang Qing an army and resources to advance elsewhere, but he insisted on the Sky City Battlefield despite its near-certain death rate.
• Zhang Qing told Yang Man to prepare, recognizing that her own appetite for risk had led her to back him before; when she asked his odds, he raised one finger, and she accepted.
• Zhang Qing assured Yun Xiaoxi that his success was certain and asked her to prepare another cup for Su Yue’s arrival.
• Su Yue told Zhang Qing that Treasure Snatching Mountain would open in Rat Emperor City in three months, and he agreed to take part.
• Zhang Qing learned about Square Crystals and discussed the Imperial City Succession Competition with Su Yue, who stayed for lunch while Yun Xiaoxi grew jealous of his cooking.

Yang Man secured Pan Sanhai’s support for the Tyrant Army to take over the Sky City Battlefield, while Great Xia prepared for its ten-day isolation deadline and developed a powerful new defense for the White Emperor. The chapter left both plans poised for a major shift in power.

• Yang Man told Pan Sanhai that the calm Sky City Battlefield needed to change, and he agreed to withdraw the Pebble Border Army in ten days and leave Pan Tong to assist the Tyrant Army.
• Yang Man gained the Stone Army as another ally in her bid to strengthen her position.
• Great Xia halted visa issuance, arranged citizenship screening for foreigners tied to the country by marriage, and ordered noncitizens to leave within ten days while recalling personnel overseas.
• Li Wannian explained to an Institute of Engineering Sciences leader that the White Emperor would carry a new device rather than weapons.
• Li Wannian revealed that the Academy of Sciences was building a Fusion Posture Constraining Gravitational Wave Device that could suppress fusion and fission reactions within its force field.

Zhang Qing advanced to Meteor Realm Tier One while the Tyrant Army’s arrival drew attention away from him. Fan Adkin suspected Zhang Qing was deliberately keeping the Sixth Floor invested, then wondered whether the Tyrant Army’s deployment signaled an approaching Tidal Phenomenon.

• The Tyrant Army took over the Sky City Battlefield, prompting other forces to rotate in seasoned defenders wary of its past violence.
• Zhang Qing spent 2,019 Attribute Points to advance to Meteor Realm Tier One, then put his remaining points into Intelligence.
• Hu Ben witnessed Zhang Qing’s breakthrough, and word of it soon reached the Sixth Floor.
• Fan Adkin accused Zhang Qing of keeping him on the hook but accepted the investment as worthwhile because Zhang Qing was exceptionally talented.
• Fan Adkin considered Zhang Qing’s next steps and wondered whether the Tyrant Army’s arrival meant a ripple from the River of Destiny and an impending Tidal Phenomenon.

Yang Man and Yan He prepared a costly trap to draw factions to the Sky City Battlefield with a staged Tidal Phenomenon, while news of the supposed eruption triggered a massive gathering. In Great Xia, a ten-day purge ended as the country prepared to launch its first White Emperor Fighter Jet and foreign embassy staff faced their departure.

• Yang Man took twenty Fate Stones from Yan He and explained that their resonance would help him simulate a Tidal Phenomenon to lure factions to the Sky City Battlefield.
• Yang Man insisted the Tyrant Army gamble on her plan, citing Zhang Qing's potential strength and the Sixth Floor's support, and Yan He agreed to create the phenomenon's rhythm over at least a month.
• A secret report that a Tidal Phenomenon might erupt in the Lower District spread, drawing huge numbers of Sequence Users and multiple factions to the Sky City Battlefield.
• Great Xia completed a ten-day purge of traitors as its first White Emperor Fighter Jet prepared for its maiden flight.
• Robes and other embassy staff attended the ceremony before leaving Great Xia, while Robes told foreign representatives he had no inside information about the country's situation.

Li Wannian showed foreign representatives White Emperor’s maiden flight to demonstrate Great Xia’s power and dismiss their warnings about the South Heaven Gate Plan. After pilot Liu An flew the fighter through Subspace Orbit and back to Imperial Capital Airport, Robert accused Great Xia of taking technology from the moon, and Li Wannian ordered the visitors to go home.

• Li Wannian told Robes that Great Xia would not change its position and said White Emperor’s maiden flight was its parting gift.
• Pilot Liu An received control of White Emperor and launched it using its Controllable Nuclear Fusion engine.
• Liu An flew White Emperor into Subspace Orbit at seventy times the speed of sound and reported that it would reach Imperial Capital Airport in forty seconds.
• White Emperor descended before the visitors, leaving Robert and the others stunned by its performance.
• Robert accused Great Xia of digging up technology on the moon, and guards restrained him as Li Wannian told everyone it was time to go home.

Liu An piloted White Emperor into the skies and destroyed a Raptor without using weapons, establishing Great Xia’s dominance and boosting public confidence. With the world turning toward Great Xia, the government prepared to bring its people into Dark Realm, with less than a month until launch.

• Liu An received Li Wannian’s approval to fly higher and show the world White Emperor’s strength.
• Liu An used White Emperor to evade an AIM-120D and severed the Raptor’s neck in a Mach 17 maneuver.
• The Raptor’s defeat silenced the world, while other countries moved closer to Great Xia and Great Xia closed its borders.
• Great Xia announced plans for commercial and civilian controllable nuclear fusion as government credibility and public cohesion grew.
• Dark Realm helmet preorders surpassed six hundred million, and the Think Tank expanded its teams and negotiated permissions with Him.

As rumors of a Tidal Phenomenon at the Blood-Colored Plain drew attention to the Tyrant Army and the Sixth Floor, Zhang Qing returned to An City to assess its condition. He ordered Guan Yutian and Razor to take a break so specters and incoming players could enter the city, then went to see Mo Li for a clearer account of An City’s situation.

• Sequence Users discovered a Fate Stone and later identified the Blood-Colored Plain as the site of an approaching Tidal Phenomenon, drawing attention to the Tyrant Army and the Sixth Floor.
• Fan Adkin became suspicious that someone was manipulating the news and began watching the Blood-Colored Plain.
• Zhang Qing returned to An City and found its streets empty after Guan Yutian and Razor had frightened residents with their patrols and executions.
• Zhang Qing told Guan Yutian to give Razor leave and let An City run freely so specters and incoming players could enter.
• Zhang Qing visited Mo Li to learn more about An City’s current situation.

Zhang Qing prepared An City to identify players and left for the Sky City Battlefield as Yang Man assembled a vast alliance to stage a false Tidal Phenomenon. The Tidal Phenomenon pulses finally settled into rhythm, signaling that the event was about to begin.

• Zhang Qing asked Mo Li to post a couplet in fifteen days and draft anyone who supplied its standard answer into the army.
• On April 20, Zhang Qing went to the Sky City Battlefield, where Yang Man had gathered several Sequence factions and Fantasy System Material Sequence Users for the plan.
• Fan Adkin sent Ares to deliver Zhang Qing a unique booklet on the Extreme Path, committing the Sixth Floor to Yang Man's scheme.
• Ares and Su Changqi joined Rock Venerate in the alternate space to help create the Tidal Phenomenon rhythm.
• On April 24, the pulses on the Blood-Colored Plain fell into an effective rhythm, and everyone expected the Tidal Phenomenon to begin.

As Dark Realm prepared to launch, Great Xia finalized its military plans and defenses, while Zhang Qing set out for the Blood-Colored Plain as the Tidal Phenomenon peaked. He left Yun Xiaoxi behind with a promise to show her Suzhou-Hangzhou’s night views after he returned.

• Great Xia’s Crisis Response Team reviewed its preparations, including plans for two million soldiers to enter Dark Realm and reroll until they spawned in An City.
• Great Xia’s White Emperor stopped a secretly planned mushroom detonation near Kangaroo, frightening the Lighthouse and other countries.
• At Dongfeng Pavilion, Zhang Zhengguo called Dark Realm a war and urged everyone to abandon illusions and prepare for struggle.
• As Fate Stones fell and battles began on the Blood-Colored Plain, Zhang Qing prepared to advance with 70% Sequence progress.
• Yun Xiaoxi urged Zhang Qing to consider other choices, but he said he had reasons he could not lose and promised to take her to see the night views of Suzhou-Hangzhou.
• Zhang Qing told Yun Xiaoxi to celebrate for him, repeated the call to prepare for struggle, and shot toward the Blood-Colored Plain.

The factions gathered on the Blood-Colored Plain and erupted into battle as the Tidal Phenomenon’s entrance neared opening. Zhang Qing arrived to face the Sky City Sequence just as the alternate space began to appear, while the Imperial City Sequence suspected his missing cat signaled a trap.

• The Sky City Sequence User deployed Mechas to control the entrance, but Li Luanxing provoked a clash and then fled, triggering widespread fighting.
• As the space warped and the crowd rushed toward the entrance, a Blood River crashed down and Zhang Qing appeared, demanding that everyone make way.
• The Sky City Sequence User recognized Zhang Qing and prepared to surround and kill him, while the Imperial City Sequence noticed Yun Xiaoxi was absent and chose not to act yet.
• The alternate space began to open, and everyone charged toward the Fate Stones as Zhang Qing spread his arms and welcomed the growing storm.

Zhang Qing endured a four-hour assault by the Sky City Sequence, using the Blood River to keep himself alive until his Sequence progress reached 80%. He evolved his Mecha core into the Mechanical Heart, which shut down the surrounding Mechas and triggered a Supreme Decree ordering his death and the Heart's recovery.

• Zhang Qing's White Shield and armor shattered under the crowd's attacks, but he survived by healing through the Blood River and killing attackers with Predation.
• Li Luanxing avoided the fight and collected loot while a Sky City Sequence User realized Mechas could drain the Blood River without replenishing it.
• The Sky City Sequence surrounded Zhang Qing with Mechas and ground him down for four hours as his Blood River nearly dried up.
• Zhang Qing began evolving his Mecha core, gambling that Star Steel held a hidden power.
• Zhang Qing's core evolved into the Mechanical Heart, and its activation stopped the Sky City Mechas.
• The Supreme Decree commanded the Sky City Sequence User to kill the bearer of the Mechanical Heart and reclaim it.

Zhang Qing survived a Sky City Sequence User’s Ultimate Sublimation strike, killed his opponent, and discovered that the Specter Authority path’s Alternate Body could restore his destroyed body. He ended the battle by challenging the remaining fighters.

• The Sky City Sequence User merged with his armor and chose Ultimate Sublimation rather than face judgment under the Laws of the Starry Sky.
• The Sequence User unleashed his ultimate strike, blasting apart Zhang Qing’s right shoulder, arm, and half his body.
• Zhang Qing survived, seized the attacker by the throat, and snapped his neck before the Blood River healed his injuries.
• Zhang Qing saw the Alternate Body, level 1, panel and used its physical enhancement to restore his missing body parts.
• Zhang Qing pulled the enemy leader’s mechanical spine from his body and roared, “Who else?!”

Zhang Qing tore open the fake Tidal Phenomenon instead of accepting fate’s guidance to crawl inside and claim its supposed rewards. After the audience realized the setup was staged and turned against him, an unseen force tried to change his will, but Sheep Venerable’s Blessing blocked it.

• Sequence Users hesitated to approach Zhang Qing, who had survived the Material Sequence User’s attack, while Fate Stones rolled from a tiny opening.
• A voice urged the crowd to attack, and Zhang Qing saw that his advancement had stalled at 90% as an unseen influence pushed him to crawl into the opening and preserve his future.
• Zhang Qing resisted the guidance and tore the opening wide, allowing Rock Venerate, Ares, and the Ratfolk transcendent to leave through it.
• The audience realized the Tidal Phenomenon was fake and erupted in rage, turning Zhang Qing’s role into a theater riot.
• Fan Adkin recognized that Zhang Qing had rejected fate’s guidance, while an unseen force invaded Zhang Qing’s Sequence Realm and Sheep Venerable’s Blessing blocked it.

Zhang Qing defied the fate that offered him safety in Sheep Emperor City, claimed his past struggles as his fourth Waypoint, and forced his Sequence advancement. As enemies launched a deadly siege, he fought while advancing and sought a way to unleash the second level of Martial Path Extreme.

• Li Wannian prepared for the Dark Realm’s opening, holding the Fate Stone Zhang Qing had given him and reading his letter’s single word: “Sequence.”
• Zhang Qing rejected the choice of submitting to the Imperial Clan and declared that he would fight fate rather than lower his head.
• Zhang Qing gathered his past roles under the essence of struggle, named struggle as his fourth Waypoint, and forcibly summoned the bells of fate despite reaching only 90% Sequence progress.
• The gathered wills shattered Sheep Venerable’s Blessing, restoring Sequence advancement and drawing the Theater back into its dangerous original plot.
• Countless enemies began a battle to kill Zhang Qing before he advanced, and he used Predation—Throat-Sealing to kill a Sequence User and replenish his health and Blood River.
• Zhang Qing realized his existing abilities were not enough to survive the siege and tried to understand the second level of Martial Path Extreme, called Extreme Path.

Zhang Qing awakened Martial Path True Intent, fused it with his other powers to create the Blood Dragon, and advanced to Sequence Four. His Sequence declaration changed as he entered the Imperial City Sequence.

• Zhang Qing discovered that his weapon could resonate with him, awakening Martial Path True Intent and amplifying Brilliant Strike into a devastating thousand-meter slash.
• Fan Adkin recognized Zhang Qing’s breakthrough as the Extreme Path, while Su Yue saw an opportunity to profit from her powerful backer.
• Zhang Qing combined Predation, Blood River, and True Intent to create Predation—Blood Dragon and crush a Sky City Sequence User.
• Zhang Qing entered the Sequence Realm, reached Sequence Four, and changed his declaration from “Survival! Is my only path” to “Survival! Is my only Sequence! I! Have seen! Struggle!”
• Zhang Qing stepped onto the Imperial City Sequence.