Recaps

Deception persuaded Death to grant a new faith to the Prophet of Destiny, intending to combine Destiny and Death to study the Primordial's power. Death sent the Primordial power in An Mingyu to Fishbone Hall and returned the revived Blind Man to reality, while Deception secretly survived Death's flames and prepared to act.

• Deception asked Death to grant the Prophet of Destiny a new faith so she would no longer suffer under Destiny's scrutiny.
• Deception admitted he wanted to fuse Destiny and Death to extract and study the Primordial's power, despite Death warning that it could corrupt or kill him.
• Death agreed to approve the faith fusion and transferred the conflict between the divine powers inside An Mingyu to Fishbone Hall.
• Deception vanished from Death's sight, and Death returned the revived Blind Man to reality before departing with Fishbone Hall.
• Deception reappeared after Death left, restored his scorched eyes, and said he was ready to get to work.

Cheng Shi, Qin Xin, and the Blind Man went to the shantytown to seek Xilolin and learn more about Aromani. They found the locals difficult to approach, and Qin Xin’s attempt to impress one woman ended with him lifting her into the shack’s thatched roof.

• Cheng Shi led Qin Xin and the Blind Man toward the shantytown after the Blind Man’s divination suggested they would find a clue there.
• The three entered the shantytown and saw its run-down buildings and residents openly indulging in desire.
• The Blind Man said her vision was obscured by desire and asked which of the men would approach someone for information about Xilolin.
• The Blind Man went to greet a woman in a shack, who mistook the group for smugglers and offered to waive their fee if Qin Xin was wild enough.
• Qin Xin grabbed the woman by the collar, lifted her into the air, and asked whether that was wild enough.

Cheng Shi and Qin Xin discovered that the shack girl was Xilolin, the leader of the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire, and Qin Xin subdued her so Cheng Shi could question her. Qin Xin also revealed the sacrifice behind the Fire Keepers’ sound-suppressing tool, while the group prepared to learn more from Xilolin.

• Xilolin revealed her identity after Cheng Shi recognized her, and she tried to seduce Qin Xin while urging the group to abandon the surface and embrace desire.
• Qin Xin suddenly attacked Xilolin, smashed her through the shack floor, and tore off her arm.
• The Blind Man explained that the Fire Keepers combined compassion with force, and Qin Xin asked Cheng Shi to heal Xilolin so they could question her.
• Cheng Shi healed the unconscious Xilolin and learned that the sound-suppressing object was a silent believer’s jawbone.
• Qin Xin explained that the first Fire Keeper he recruited had transformed himself into a silent tool to help protect others, and that those he sheltered were carrying on his final wish.

Cheng Shi and his companions interrogated Xilolin about Aromani, but her answers revealed no suspicious behavior. The Blind Man used a die to confirm that the other “Cencha” was somewhere in the shantytown, then the group began to split up before an abrupt disturbance interrupted them.

• Xilolin offered information in exchange for her life, and Cheng Shi frightened her by threatening to sew her severed arm back on.
• Cheng Shi questioned Xilolin about Aromani, and she explained that beatings were ordinary in the shantytown and regarded as glory by the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire.
• Qin Xin brought Aromani in, and the group reviewed both women's histories without finding any major inconsistencies.
• The Blind Man rolled a seventeen-sided die and declared that the other “Cencha” was in the shantytown.
• The Blind Man proposed that she and Qin Xin search elsewhere while Cheng Shi watched Xilolin, but a sudden noise and impact cut off their conversation.

Cheng Shi searched the outskirts of the shanty district and found two men who were working instead of indulging in the district’s usual activities. They mistook him for Mr. Morabik and eagerly asked when he would serve his regulars, leaving Cheng Shi unsure whether to play along.

• Cheng Shi left the central shanty district after warning the Blind Man and Qin Xin to be careful when the hour struck.
• Cheng Shi explored the district’s outskirts and found that the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire had turned its watchtowers into places of indulgence rather than surveillance.
• Cheng Shi considered retrieving Yadelik from prison if he found no useful clues elsewhere.
• Cheng Shi entered an unusually quiet earthen hut and was mistaken by two burly men for Mr. Morabik, whom they had been waiting for to serve their regulars.

Cheng Shi posed as Morabik’s contact while negotiating with two men from the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire, learning that their deal involved an Abyssal Crystal and extracting divinity. The men identified Morabik’s people as believers of Folly, leaving Cheng Shi alarmed that Folly’s influence had emerged earlier than expected.

• Cheng Shi pretended to be Morabik’s subordinate to avoid revealing himself to the two men waiting for a deal.
• The men said Xilolin expected Morabik to deliver the goods and that the Brotherhood would soon provide an Abyssal Crystal as payment.
• Cheng Shi learned that Xilolin and Arad were at odds, and the men asked whether Morabik’s people could extract divinity from the crystal.
• Cheng Shi claimed they had the expertise but lacked control of the mine, satisfying the men’s questions about why they would trade.
• One man explained that Morabik’s people were believers of Folly, shocking Cheng Shi and making him wonder whether Folly’s influence had already reached the world.

Cheng Shi discovered that Folly’s followers were trading in extracted divinity and left to involve the other Fire Keepers. Qin Xin and An Mingyu found Morabik and Allen Doyle, suspected followers of Folly, and closed in on them.

• Cheng Shi left knockout powder and tracking traps near the two men before rushing to find Qin Xin and the Blind Man.
• Qin Xin carried Xilolin through the shantytown and overheard Morabik and Allen Doyle discussing their plan and their experimental apparatus.
• Qin Xin hid Xilolin in an empty shack and followed the voices, where he encountered An Mingyu approaching the same spot.
• Morabik and Allen Doyle discussed meeting Xilolin and finding an Abyssal Crystal while planning an escape route and warning each other to conceal their apparatus.
• Qin Xin and An Mingyu silently surrounded the unaware men, and a slender sword tip stabbed into the dirt between Morabik and Allen Doyle.

Qin Xin and the Blind Man captured Morabik and Allen Doyle, who claimed to be followers of Folly and revealed their plan to refine divinity from the Abyssal Crystal to attract their god’s attention. Their strange beliefs and experiment left Qin Xin wondering whether they were really scholars from the Tower of Reason.

• Qin Xin knocked Morabik and Allen Doyle down as they tried to flee, and the Blind Man recognized Folly’s aura on them.
• Morabik and Allen Doyle eagerly argued over which of them should explain their purpose, revealing that Morabik mainly wanted to survive while Allen wanted to preach.
• Qin Xin chose Allen Doyle to speak, and Allen explained that they followed Folly and planned to refine distorted divinity from the Abyssal Crystal to earn an audience with their god.
• Allen described a grand plan to attract Folly’s gaze and rise to godhood, leaving Qin Xin and the Blind Man doubtful that their motives matched Folly’s.
• Qin Xin asked whether they were scholars from the Tower of Reason, and Allen Doyle denied it before asking how Qin Xin had guessed.

The Blind Man exposed the Fire Keepers’ ancestors as exiles from the Tower of Reason who had stolen essential experimental equipment, leaving Morabik questioning whether she had been sent to deal with them. Cheng Shi arrived, offered help, and began courting the Fire Keepers so they would assist him in extracting divinity from an Abyssal Crystal.

• The Blind Man deduced that the Fire Keepers’ ancestors had been sentenced to the Sunken Abyss after a failed experiment and had smuggled a crucial tool from the Tower of Reason.
• Morabik asked whether the Blind Man had been sent by the Tower of Reason to deal with the Fire Keepers.
• Cheng Shi arrived and declared that he had come to help the Fire Keepers, startling everyone except Qin Xin.
• Cheng Shi recounted his visit to the contact point, helped Morabik up, and claimed that he and his companions had long wished to join Folly’s faith.
• Cheng Shi ingratiated himself with the Fire Keepers because he wanted them to help extract divinity from the Abyssal Crystal.

Morabik and Allen Doyle's arrival revealed that Cheng Shi's expected meeting might involve a temporal anomaly, but the Blind Man's divination suggested Xilolin was the more likely connection. Cheng Shi and Qin Xin raced to retrieve her, and Qin Xin returned first with Xilolin's corpse.

• Morabik told Cheng Shi that he and Allen Doyle had only just arrived and had never met Xilolin, making Cheng Shi suspect a temporal anomaly.
• Cheng Shi fixated on Morabik's greeting and took offense at being called someone who had yet to be enlightened.
• The Blind Man divined that Morabik and Allen Doyle were probably not connected to time and suggested Xilolin might be the anomaly.
• Cheng Shi and Qin Xin left separately to retrieve Xilolin, while the Blind Man stopped Morabik and Allen Doyle from slipping away.
• Qin Xin returned first and dropped Xilolin's corpse before declaring that he had won the race.

Cheng Shi resurrected Xilolin and brought her together with Morabik and Allen Doyle, uncovering a contradiction between her memories and theirs. The group concluded that Xilolin had crossed through time and might be the future "Cencha," making her the first key to solving the trial’s mystery.

• Cheng Shi brought back Xilolin and Allen Doyle, then resurrected Xilolin and arranged a meeting with Morabik.
• Xilolin recognized Morabik and claimed they had negotiated a trade three days earlier, though Morabik denied ever meeting her.
• Cheng Shi questioned Xilolin about Folly, and she said she had mistaken its followers for believers in a wild god.
• Cheng Shi compared Xilolin’s account with the sages’ and witnesses’ memories, which all contradicted her recollection of the negotiations.
• Cheng Shi, Qin Xin, and the others concluded that Xilolin’s perception was anomalous and that she might be the future "Cencha" who had crossed through time.

Cheng Shi and the others questioned Xilolin about a secret experiment involving a severed finger, and she revealed that she knew details Morabik and Allen Doyle had not shared with her. Xilolin offered to cooperate in exchange for Alad’s death and the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire’s survival, promising the group access to the mines’ earnings and Abyssal Crystals.

• An Jing asked Xilolin what Morabik and Allen Doyle had shown her, and Xilolin identified a severed finger used in their experiment.
• Morabik and Allen Doyle accused each other of leaking their secrets before Xilolin revealed she knew both their names and their roles in the experiment.
• Cheng Shi demanded that the two followers of Folly explain the experiment and told Xilolin she would temporarily lose her freedom.
• Xilolin offered to cooperate personally, and the Blind Man asked what she wanted in return.
• Xilolin asked them to kill Alad and spare the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire, then promised seven days of concealed access to the mines’ earnings and the Brotherhood’s recently mined Abyssal Crystals.

Cheng Shi and the Fire Keepers agreed to cooperate with Morabik and Allen Doyle over the divine-nature extraction experiment. Morabik revealed that the experiment relied on a finger taken from Zainjil, leaving Cheng Shi shocked by the connection to the Dagger of Stars.

• Qin Xin agreed to cooperate with Xilolin and the Fire Keepers to protect the shantytown district.
• Morabik chose to cooperate and showed Cheng Shi, Qin Xin, and the Blind Man the finger used in the divine-nature extraction experiment.
• Allen Doyle protested that Morabik had broken their oath by revealing the experiment's core.
• Morabik explained that their experiment needed a large supply of Abyssal Crystals, which Cheng Shi said the Proxy Hand only held temporarily.
• Morabik revealed that the finger had been taken from Zainjil, the Creation Alchemy leader who presided over the Dagger of Stars, and Cheng Shi was stunned.

The group compared Faith Stone Marrow with Abyssal Crystal to investigate whether the two divinity-bearing materials were related. Morabik used Zainjil’s finger to cut into an Abyssal Crystal, revealing its hidden light and swirling faith power.

• Cheng Shi observed that the Blind Man knew nothing about the trial inside the Dagger of Stars and continued listening to the discussion of Zainjil and the Tower of Reason.
• The Blind Man and Qin Xin identified Faith Stone Marrow as a material that resembled the Abyssal Crystal and wondered whether they were the same thing.
• The Blind Man showed the group a jade plaque carved from Faith Stone Marrow and asked Xilolin to provide Abyssal Crystals for comparison.
• Qin Xin retrieved two large pieces of gray Abyssal Crystal, and Morabik eagerly asked to examine one.
• Cheng Shi held a scalpel to Morabik’s neck and warned him not to attempt anything beyond a demonstration.
• Morabik pressed Zainjil’s finger against the ore, opening a slit and releasing dazzling light, multicolored mist, and visible strands of faith power.

Cheng Shi watched Allen Doyle attempt to extract divinity from an Abyssal Crystal while Morabik explained the Tower of Reason’s decades-long research. Allen’s attempt yielded a fragment he identified as Wild God divinity, but Cheng Shi recognized it as the divinity of Silence, leaving him alarmed by its presence in the ore.

• Morabik explained how the Tower of Reason’s scholars obtained Zainjil’s finger and spent decades learning to extract and store divinity.
• Allen Doyle tried to strip divinity from an Abyssal Crystal but failed after exhausting himself.
• Cheng Shi used Mental Art to restore Allen Doyle’s spirits, then stopped him from trying again until they dealt with Alard and took control of the mine.
• Allen Doyle said he had extracted a small fragment containing Death, Decay, and Order, which he called Wild God divinity.
• Cheng Shi recognized the fragment as the divinity of Silence and wondered how it had been compressed into ore so early in the Civilization Era.

Cheng Shi and the Fire Keepers discovered that Silence’s divinity had appeared far earlier than expected, then prepared to claim the Proxy Hand’s territory. As Qin Xin said that people changed, the Blind Man wondered why the founder of the Fire Keepers had changed despite once insisting Fire Keepers never did.

• Cheng Shi, Qin Xin, and the Blind Man realized Silence’s divinity had been compressed into an Abyssal Crystal during the Civilization Era.
• Cheng Shi asked Xilolin to lead them to Alard and claim the Proxy Hand’s territory.
• Xilolin explained that she suspected Alard had betrayed the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire and joined the Tower of Reason.
• Cheng Shi challenged Xilolin’s understanding of Filth and Decay, then reassured her that killing Alard could still be an expression of desire.
• Qin Xin said people changed, and the Blind Man privately wondered why the founder of the Fire Keepers had changed.

Cheng Shi and his group set out to capture Arad and take over the Proxy Hand’s mine, but learned that Arad had already gone there and changed course. On the way, Allen Doyle explained that the Small Ball Flowers were Abyssal Rainbow Orchids that indicated the temperature and the presence of Abyssal Crystals.

• Cheng Shi led the group toward the earthen hut prison, with Gongyang Jiao guarding the way and Qin Xin burying a shantytown lackey to keep him from revealing their plans.
• The Shrieking Servant reported that Arad had left the prison and headed toward the mine, so Cheng Shi redirected the group there by a shortcut through the residential district.
• Cheng Shi observed the residents and noticed that the Small Ball Flowers differed in color between the city, shantytown, and residential district.
• Blind Man suggested that the flower colors might mark faction territories, but Allen Doyle identified the plants as Abyssal Rainbow Orchids that reflected temperature and helped locate Abyssal Crystals.
• Cheng Shi taunted Allen Doyle about Folly’s lack of new insights, leaving both Wise Men silent as the group continued toward the mine.

Cheng Shi’s group encountered Wang Mou at the mine, where he explained their findings about Yadelik and Aromani. Morabik then revealed that Wang Mou carried the scent of the Abyssal Crystals, leaving Cheng Shi wary as Wang Mou’s motives remained unclear.

• Cheng Shi’s group reached the mine path and found Wang Mou there again, after his scouting had brought him to the same point.
• Wang Mou explained that Yadelik’s history largely checked out, but his recent feelings for Aromani made him an anomaly of the present; he believed Yadelik was the real Cencha.
• Wang Mou said the investigator had taken Yadelik away and had recently begun following him, while he had come to wait for Cheng Shi’s group.
• Qin Xin invited Morabik to share his suspicions about Wang Mou, and Morabik said the scent of Abyssal Crystals clung to the doctor.
• Cheng Shi readied his scalpel and ordered the Shrieking Servant to defend the group, wondering why Wang Mou was seeking the crystals while the investigator followed him.

Wang Mou offered to share the Abyssal Crystals with Cheng Shi’s group in exchange for observing their attempt to recreate the Divinity Sprouting Experiment. Li Wufang then arrived with Yadelik and Alard as captives, and secretly signaled Cheng Shi.

• Wang Mou placed eleven Abyssal Crystals before the group and proposed cooperating with the Folly believers to recreate the experiment.
• Wang Mou said he wanted only to observe a complete experiment and explained that fear of the Inquisitor taking his crystals had led him to seek the group.
• Wang Mou called out Li Wufang, who emerged with Yadelik and Alard bound and in tow.
• Xilolin mocked her captive brother Alard, while Li Wufang winked at Cheng Shi.
• Cheng Shi concealed his puzzlement at Li Wufang’s signal and redirected attention to Wang Mou’s offer.

The players regrouped to share their discoveries and prepared an experiment with Abyssal Crystals to pursue divinity. As the experiment was about to begin, Cheng Shi asked about Morabik’s parentage, and Allen Doyle unexpectedly claimed that Rabio was his father.

• Li Wufang reported that he had tied up the Proxy Hand leader, while Wang Mou insisted that luck was unimportant in finding the Abyssal Crystals.
• The players compared clues from the shed district and the mine, then agreed to focus on pursuing divinity with the crystals.
• The players brought the trial’s NPCs to the mine’s resting place and created a quiet field for Morabik and Allen Doyle’s experiment.
• Wang Mou supplied the Abyssal Crystals, Cheng Shi returned Zainjil’s finger, and Morabik chose a crystal for the experiment.
• Cheng Shi asked whether Rabio was Morabik’s father, but Allen Doyle claimed Rabio was his father; Wang Mou said Allen looked more like Lunzuoer’s descendant.

Morabik revealed that Lunzuoer was his father, while Allen Doyle's family resemblance to another scholar left the players amused at Truth's expense. As the experiment continued, Cheng Shi and Li Wufang left to visit Arad, but an intruder's footsteps behind the prisoner’s house abruptly interrupted them.

• Morabik told Wang Mou that Lunzuoer was his father and suggested the portrait had been mislabeled.
• Cheng Shi stopped the discussion and urged Morabik and Allen Doyle to begin the experiment extracting divinity from the Abyssal Crystal.
• After two hours, Wang Mou stayed to observe while the players arranged shifts; Cheng Shi and Li Wufang left to visit Arad.
• Cheng Shi and Li Wufang heard footsteps behind Arad's house, and Cheng Shi sent Gongyang Jiao to investigate.
• Li Wufang rushed toward the intruder, leaving Cheng Shi puzzled by the Detective's sudden eagerness to cooperate.

Cheng Shi and Li Wufang caught a stowaway named Gels, who explained that he had returned to the underground after seeking a life on the surface. He said he had come to find his miner friend Yadelik, and Cheng Shi and Li Wufang were stunned by the name.

• Li Wufang swiftly captured the stowaway and brought him before Cheng Shi.
• Cheng Shi questioned the terrified man, who identified himself as Gels and said he had come to find someone rather than steal.
• Gels explained that he had gone to Gasmella hoping to gain citizenship, but had fallen back into the underground while prospecting in the Abyssal Volcano.
• Gels said he had returned to ask his friend for help getting another chance to reach the surface.
• Cheng Shi asked whether Gels's friend was Alad, but Gels said the miner's name was Yadelik, astonishing Cheng Shi and Li Wufang.

Cheng Shi brought Gels to face Yadelik, but Gels insisted that the miner was an impostor and described a different man. Yadelik recognized the description as his father, revealing that he had inherited his father’s name.

• Cheng Shi took Gels to the room where Yadelik was being held to compare their stories.
• Gels failed to recognize Yadelik and accused him of stealing the real miner’s identity.
• Cheng Shi realized Gels’s perception might be distorted and questioned him about the Yadelik he remembered.
• Gels described a burly man with a mole, a missing half-ear, and a bloody tattoo, while Yadelik recognized the details as his father’s.
• Yadelik explained that he inherited his father’s name after his death.

Cheng Shi and Li Wufang uncovered how Yadelik’s past connected to a time mismatch involving Abyssal Volcano, while Cheng Shi noticed that Li Wufang’s words and beliefs did not match. As the next hour approached, Cheng Shi attacked Li Wufang, whose response left him horrified.

• Yadelik revealed that his father had once been named Hanks, and Gers recognized the name despite the apparent mismatch in their ages.
• Cheng Shi and Li Wufang suspected Abyssal Volcano connected different times, and Yadelik explained that Xilolin had approached him about stealing Abyssal Crystals.
• Cheng Shi pieced together how Yadelik and his coworker had responded to Xilolin’s offer and why Arad had imprisoned them.
• Li Wufang praised destiny, prompting Cheng Shi to recall that the inspector had previously claimed not to believe in fate and to suspect something was wrong.
• As the next hour approached, Cheng Shi thrust his surgical knife at Li Wufang, who caught its tip and asked whether Cheng Shi was guarding against him.

Cheng Shi realized Li Wufang was not a swindler but a player from another timeline who believed Cheng Shi was his boss. Li Wufang’s mention of Jiang Chi and their shared organization left Cheng Shi questioning how the timelines had become connected.

• Cheng Shi concealed his shock when Li Wufang’s statement proved true, suspecting that Li Wufang had the Master of Deception talent or card.
• Cheng Shi explained that he was being cautious because of the trial’s risks, while Li Wufang complained that the trial was going too smoothly.
• Li Wufang suggested hiding Gels and using the remaining six days to search for Jiang Chi, whom he called an ungrateful traitor.
• Cheng Shi realized Li Wufang believed they were allies from another timeline and that the Cheng Shi there was Li Wufang’s boss.
• Cheng Shi connected Li Wufang’s earlier behavior to his subordinate role and wondered whether the timeline rules or the Covenant had been disrupted.