Chapter Summaries

Wang Dong warned the expedition team that deeper travel through the Weijing River would bring increasingly dangerous star beasts, and the team fought its way through packs of Level Four and Level Five beasts. Lin Xiaogui then revealed that the Royal Family had a credible clue about where the legendary module Proof of Oath had once appeared, and the expedition was nearing the coordinates they had come to verify.

• Wang Dong used Abyss Eye and Xu Zhenzhi's knowledge to recognize that the expedition had reached a dangerous depth, so he declined Luo Changge's challenge.
• The team faced packs of Level Four star beasts, with Wu Baiyi's Dark Peng and the Defender helping hold the line as Lin Xiaogui ordered the ships to rotate and retreat.
• The Goddess of Dawn killed a pursuing Level Five star beast with its super main cannon, and Wang Dong suggested following its tracks to its lair so the team could rest.
• Wang Dong warned the team that Level Four battles would become routine and that Level Six star beasts might lie farther ahead, explaining why he had refused the contest.
• Lin Xiaogui revealed the Royal Family's clue about the legendary module Proof of Oath and sent the team coordinates for the nearby region they had come to verify.

The expedition reached a dying star’s planetary nebula to search its dark regions for a warship wreck, while Wang Dong’s Dark Peng uncovered four Golden Snapdragon Federation battleships. Wang Dong realized the search had been a carefully laid trap intended to kill Lin Xiaogui.

• Lin Xiaogui sent the expedition’s cruisers into the nebula’s dark regions to search for the wreckage linked to the Proof of Oath, while the Goddess of Dawn stayed outside.
• Wang Dong restored the Dark Peng’s shields and had it explore the assigned regions slowly to avoid drawing attention.
• Gao Luanqin detected a possible warship on the radar, so Wang Dong ordered the Dark Peng to leave the nebula and rush toward the Goddess of Dawn.
• The Abyss Eye identified four battleships, and the Dark Peng confirmed they belonged to the Golden Snapdragon Federation.
• Wang Dong connected the battleships to the Federation’s plan against Lin Xiaogui and concluded that the Proof of Oath lead had been used to lure her into a trap.

The Golden Snapdragon Federation ambushed Lin Xiaogui’s Goddess of Dawn with four battleships and trapped it using the War Shackles. After the Goddess of Dawn’s shields collapsed and enemy troops began boarding, Wang Dong led Zhou Tai and an assault squad to reinforce it.

• The Goddess of Dawn detected four Golden Snapdragon Federation battleships emerging from the nebula and fled deeper inside, but one battleship linked the ships with War Shackles and dragged them together.
• The four battleships concentrated their fire on the Goddess of Dawn until its shields collapsed, then began boarding while turning their fire on the approaching Dark Peng.
• Wang Dong ordered the Dark Peng to close in and chose to lead an assault squad with Zhou Tai to reinforce the Goddess of Dawn, leaving Mada in command.
• Wu Baiyi piloted the Dark Peng through the bombardment and completed a boarding maneuver against the Goddess of Dawn.

Wang Dong and Zhou Tai boarded the Goddess of Dawn as Golden Snapdragon Federation forces attacked, and Wang Dong sent Zhou Tai to strike their ships while he went to protect Lin Xiaogui. With the Eldest Princess’s ship defenses failing and powerful enemies closing on the command center, Wang Dong and Lin Xiaogui prepared to fight together.

• Wang Dong learned that assault teams had breached the Goddess of Dawn and that Lin Xiaogui was their target.
• Wang Dong ordered Zhou Tai to lead the Dark Peng’s assault team against the enemy ships, then accompanied Lin Xiaogui’s attendant to the command center.
• Wang Dong found Lin Xiaogui preparing weapons while her close-protection officer, Ma Qian, fought at the front lines.
• Lin Xiaogui showed Wang Dong footage of Sima Weijin and other advanced Body Forging Technique experts advancing toward the command center.
• Wang Dong urged Lin Xiaogui to listen to him, and she agreed to see what the Tiger of Black Stone could do.

Wang Dong used Saint's Crown's light shield and Gao Luanqin's stamina potions to hold off two groups of invaders aboard the Goddess of Dawn while Ma Qian and Zhou Tai fought elsewhere. Zhou Tai seized two enemy battleships and headed for a third, prompting the Golden Snapdragon Federation's invaders to retreat from the Goddess of Dawn.

• Zhou Tai drove one group of invaders back to their battleship and counter-boarded it while Ma Qian and the Guard Team held off another group.
• Wang Dong joined the Goddess of Dawn's boarding team, killed and wounded several advanced-stage fighters, and used Saint's Crown's light shield to stall the remaining attackers.
• After his stamina began to fade, Wang Dong drank a stamina potion prepared by Gao Luanqin and renewed his assault, repeatedly using more potions to keep two groups of invaders at bay.
• Ma Qian fought Sima Weijin to a draw as Lin Xiaogui's Guard Team gained a slight advantage over its opponents.
• Zhou Tai wiped out resistance aboard two Golden Snapdragon Federation battleships and charged toward a third.
• The Golden Snapdragon Federation's invaders retreated from the Goddess of Dawn after learning that a force led by a monster had swept through two battleships.

After repelling the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s attack, Lin Xiaogui divided the two captured battleships among the expedition team. Wang Dong placed the Pure White Lily under Mada’s temporary command and prepared to use it to strengthen the Viscountcy of Black Stone, while Mada secretly tracked the retreating enemy ships.

• Ma Qian and Wang Dong drove Sima Weijin’s forces back to their ships, and Zhou Tai secured the two battleships they had captured.
• Lin Xiaogui reorganized the Goddess of Dawn’s defenses, continued the nebula exploration, and divided the captured ships so the expedition’s allies would share in the spoils.
• The two captured battleships changed hands after their captains were persuaded to authorize the transfer; one was assigned to the Viscountcy of Black Stone.
• Wang Dong selected Mada to take temporary command of the Pure White Lily and transferred crew from the Dark Peng to operate it.
• Mada planted a Tracking Beacon aboard each retreating battleship, the Fox Tail Lily and the Narcissus Lily.

After the expedition returned from the Weijing River, Wang Dong’s role in saving Lin Xiaogui and the Goddess of Dawn made him a celebrated hero and earned the Viscountcy of Black Stone a battleship. With Lin Xiaogui’s help, he secured royal approval for a major reward: adding the prosperous Phoenix Star System to his territory, easing the financial strain of maintaining his growing fleet.

• The expedition team searched the Weijing River’s dark zones without finding anything and returned safely to North Wind Fortress on July 25.
• News of the ambush spread, and Wang Dong became famous as the Tiger of Black Stone; the Viscountcy of Black Stone received a captured battleship as spoils.
• Lin Xiaogui told Wang Dong that the king would reward him for saving her and protecting the Goddess of Dawn, and she let him choose what to request.
• Wang Dong jokingly asked for Lin Xiaogui’s hand in marriage, but she rejected him and said he would need to become a Grand Duke to qualify.
• Wang Dong and Lin Xiaogui negotiated a reward package, which the king mostly approved, including the Phoenix Star System for the Viscountcy of Black Stone.
• Wang Dong saw the Phoenix Star System as a way to ease the costs of maintaining the territory’s expanding fleet, which had forced most of its warships into mothballs.

Wang Dong reviewed the rewards he received for his military achievements, including the Phoenix Star System, a viscount title, and valuable resources. He ended disappointed that Lin Xiaogui could not provide the Life Crystals needed to upgrade two modules aboard the Dark Peng.

• Wang Dong considered how the Phoenix Star System’s tax revenue and trade could support the Viscountcy of Black Stone, and concluded that its military strength could control the territory and the weakened Phoenix Family.
• Wang Dong learned that his achievements in capturing two battleships had earned him a promotion from baron to viscount, with an inheritable title that could coexist with the Viscountcy of Black Stone’s title.
• Lin Xiaogui explained that the royal family had awarded Wang Dong five High-grade Energy Crystals and one hundred titanium crystals, and that she had contributed some of her own titanium allocation.
• Wang Dong asked Lin Xiaogui for Life Crystals, hoping to upgrade two modules aboard the Dark Peng, but she refused because the crystals were too precious to give away.

Wang Dong waited for the viscount to arrive at North Wind Fortress so he could leave the visiting nobles to him, while considering how his growing influence might improve his birth mother Zhong Poxiao’s circumstances. The viscount then revealed that he had secured a path to take control of the Viscount Highland Territory, leaving him poised to expand the Viscountcy of Black Stone’s power.

• Wang Dong planned to upgrade the Purple Spore Membrane and Abyss Eye once he obtained more Life Crystals, and considered hunting star beasts in the nearby Weijing River.
• Zhong Xiaotong secretly gave Wang Dong photos of Zhong Poxiao and explained that her family had barred Zhong Poxiao from contacting him; Wang Dong agreed to maintain polite ties to help his birth mother.
• Court Aristocrats arrived at North Wind Fortress for the Grand Assessment amid rumors that the King would grant them fiefs to strengthen royal influence and weaken the Northern nobles.
• After the viscount arrived, Wang Dong handed him the task of entertaining the visitors.
• The viscount told Wang Dong that Zhang Qingwen had agreed to make him a sworn brother and first in line to inherit the Viscount Highland Territory in exchange for protection and support for Zhang Jingru.
• The viscount planned to use the arrangement to take over the territory’s administration before Zhang Qingwen died.

Wang Dong told the viscount that the Phoenix Star System would become part of his fief, prompting them to redirect their plans toward taking control of it. At the Grand Appraisal, Wang Dong received the Phoenix Star System, a royal academy opportunity, and the title of viscount as the Northern Star Domain’s upheaval came to an end.

• Wang Dong informed the viscount that the Phoenix Star System had been promised to him, and the viscount abandoned plans to prioritize Viscount Highland Territory.
• The viscount told Wang Dong that Zhong Xiaotong was likely representing the Civilization Party in the Northern Star Domain and might not know his mother’s whereabouts.
• Wang Dong considered capturing the two Golden Snapdragon Federation battleships still roaming the Weijing River and dealing a blow to the Jin Family, but postponed action until after the Grand Appraisal.
• On July 30, the Grand Appraisal granted fiefs to Court Aristocrats, made North Wind Fortress and the surrounding central region Lin Xiaogui’s domain, and designated the Star Gate System and nearby fortress cluster as royal territory.
• Wang Dong was publicly made a viscount, awarded the Phoenix Star System and other rewards, and promised an opportunity to study at the Royal Astronomical Academy.
• As the Northern Star Domain’s upheaval ended, Wang Dong’s reputation as the Tiger of Black Stone spread across the Purple Thorn Kingdom and neighboring nations.

Wang Dong upgraded the Auxiliary System and the Dark Peng, gaining a way to escape Otherworldly Battlefields and a powerful new ship trait. After boosting Source Point acquisition, he turned his attention to the two Tracking Beacons in the Weijing River.

• Wang Dong activated Extended Otherworldly Battlefield Duration, allowing the Dark Peng to return to its universe at any time after spending 24 hours in a battlefield.
• Wang Dong upgraded the Dark Peng’s Epic-grade Hull Structure Module from level 6 to level 15, raising its compatibility to 200%.
• Wang Dong used Module Trait Self-Selection to give the Dark Peng Time Mystery, which halved the charging and buffer times of all its modules.
• The Dark Peng’s combat power rating rose from level 18 to level 23 after Time Mystery formed.
• Wang Dong upgraded the Auxiliary System’s Source Point acquisition function to triple gains, leaving one High-grade Energy Crystal.
• Wang Dong gazed pensively at the two Tracking Beacons in the Weijing River.

Wang Dong followed the Tracking Beacons to a hidden Golden Snapdragon Federation base inside the Weijing River, where two battleships were docked. The chapter revealed that Sima Weijin and Chen Xinyou planned to capture Zhong Xiaotong, while Wang Dong discovered the base was built beneath a large asteroid.

• Sima Weijin told Chen Xinyou that they would target Zhong Xiaotong, whom he believed was a key intermediary between Zhong Shenxiu and his outside supporters.
• Sima Weijin reassured Chen Xinyou that they could gather intelligence in Beidi and act after Lin Xiaogui and her Goddess of Dawn left.
• On August 3, Wang Dong followed the Tracking Beacons aboard the two Golden Snapdragon Federation battleships to their location inside the Weijing River.
• Wang Dong discovered that the Federation had turned an ancient ruin into a temporary base and that its main structure lay beneath a large asteroid.

Wang Dong waited for Sima Weijin and Chen Xinyou to leave the temporary base, then ambushed their battleships with the Dark Peng’s enhanced Scorpio Death Ray Cannon. The Fox Tail Lily’s shields fell to half, and Chen Xinyou called for a retreat.

• Wang Dong studied the temporary base’s energy shield and waited with the Dark Peng for three days.
• Sima Weijin departed the base with Chen Xinyou aboard the Fox Tail Lily, accompanied by the Narcissus Lily, intending to strike Zhong Xiaotong.
• Wang Dong followed the two battleships through the Weijing River and opened fire as they neared its exit.
• The Dark Peng fired three rapid shots that all struck the Fox Tail Lily, cutting its shield durability to half.
• Chen Xinyou urged Sima Weijin to retreat.

Dark Peng overwhelmed the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s two remaining battleships, and Zhou Tai captured Fox Tail Lily while Narcissus Lily surrendered. Wang Dong’s forces secured both ships, raising the Viscountcy of Black Stone’s battleship count to four.

• Dark Peng dodged most of Fox Tail Lily and Narcissus Lily’s fire and rapidly restored the small amount of shield damage it suffered.
• Chen Xinyou and Sima Weijin ordered their ships to retreat, but Dark Peng pursued Fox Tail Lily and broke its shield with a seventh crimson beam.
• Zhou Tai boarded Fox Tail Lily, overcame its resistance, and secured Sima Weijin’s surrender and the ship.
• Dark Peng pursued Narcissus Lily and captured it after Chen Xinyou surrendered when its shield fell.
• Wang Dong gained both battleships, bringing the Viscountcy of Black Stone’s fleet to four battleships, equal to its number of cruisers.

Wang Dong sent the captured battleships and their prisoners back to the Yang Zhong Star System, where Sima Weijin and Chen Xinyou were executed after interrogation. He acquired two gold-quality modules for the Dark Peng and assigned the captured ships to trusted allies.

• Wang Dong returned the two captured battleships and their prisoners to the Yang Zhong Star System, where Sima Weijin and Chen Xinyou were executed after their secrets were extracted.
• Wang Dong took the gold-quality War Shackles from Sima Weijin's flagship and installed it on the Dark Peng.
• Wang Dong acquired the Ancient Caller's Horn, a module that enabled marked targets to communicate with the Dark Peng over long distances despite interference or obstacles.
• Wang Dong installed the Ancient Caller's Horn on the Dark Peng and marked the Fox Tail Lily, whose Captain privileges had been transferred to the viscount traveling to the Yang Zhong Star System.
• Wang Dong granted the Narcissus Lily's Captain privileges to Knight Lin Hui and the Pure White Lily's to Knight Chen Shayi.

After discussing the treatment of lower-class citizens in the Purple Thorn Kingdom and the Golden Snapdragon Federation, Wang Dong led the Dark Peng back to the Federation’s hidden Weijing River base to lure its defenders out. Disguised as the cruiser Ai Luoli, the Dark Peng drew out five warships, setting up its next move against the base.

• Mada explained to Gao Luanqin that the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s enfeoffment system and noble culture could offer commoners more protection than the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s hollow democratic system.
• The Dark Peng left the Yang Zhong Star System and returned to the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s temporary base in the Weijing River on August 10.
• Wang Dong decided to lure the base’s defenders out rather than risk a direct assault that could destroy the valuable supplies inside.
• Wang Dong activated the Mimic trait, disguising the Dark Peng as the LV.33 cruiser Ai Luoli and approaching the base.
• The base ordered its First Defensive Fleet to sortie, and five Fire Seed warships—two cruisers and three destroyers—rose from its protected berths.

Wang Dong and the Dark Peng lured the base’s garrison fleets into a trap, destroyed or captured most of their ships, and revealed the War Shackles. The base commander relied on the energy shield to protect the outpost, while Zhou Tai explained that the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon could wear it down if its damage exceeded its regeneration.

• Wu Baiyi steered the Dark Peng through the asteroids, prompting the base commander to deploy the Second Garrison Fleet.
• Wang Dong told Shi Zunhou to attack, and the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon sank two destroyers before the Dark Peng bound the remaining ships with the War Shackles.
• The Dark Peng sank more destroyers and overwhelmed the garrison cruisers; Zhou Tai captured one captain, two captains scuttled their ships, and another surrendered.
• Wang Dong arranged the two captured cruisers and returned the Dark Peng to the base, where soldiers recognized the War Shackles and panicked.
• The base commander insisted the medium-sized energy shield could withstand a cruiser, while Zhou Tai explained how the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon’s damage per second could drain it.

Wang Dong upgraded the Dark Peng’s Scorpio Death Ray Cannon and used it to destroy the temporary base’s energy shield. He offered the base’s defenders a chance to surrender, but they remained divided over whether to yield or keep fighting.

• Wang Dong learned that the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon’s damage rate was too low to overcome the base shield’s recovery, and rejected Wu Baiyi’s suggestion to use the captured cruisers.
• Wang Dong spent resources to upgrade the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon by five levels, greatly increasing its damage per second.
• After the upgrade took a day and a half, Wang Dong fired on the temporary base and collapsed its shield with five shots.
• Wang Dong transmitted an offer of surrender to the base, promising its occupants fair treatment if they gave up.
• The base’s defenders argued over surrendering or continuing to resist and destroying the supplies.

After the Dark Peng’s Scorpio Death Ray Cannon forced the asteroid base to surrender, Wang Dong took control and assessed its spoils. He gained a miniature planetary engine, a large stock of energy blocks, and a linked set of shipborne modules.

• The Dark Peng fired two Scorpio Death Ray Cannon shots through the asteroid, convincing the base’s occupants to surrender.
• Wang Dong agreed to guarantee their safety, and Zhou Tai led the assault team in taking control of the base and detaining its occupants.
• Wang Dong acquired a purple-quality Impactor Super Main Cannon and stored it in the temporary base’s warehouse.
• Wang Dong claimed a miniature planetary engine that produced one thousand standard energy blocks per hour, planning to install it in the Yang Zhong Star System.
• Wang Dong added 2.3 million standard energy blocks from two warehouses to the Dark Peng’s reserves.
• Wang Dong discovered a six-piece linked shipborne module set worth roughly three thousand Origin Coins.

Wang Dong secured valuable Shipborne Module sets, military supplies, and a detailed military star map before destroying the temporary base. The Viscountcy of Black Stone then took control of the Phoenix Star System and used evidence of the Phoenix Family’s attack on its merchant fleet to purge its leadership and install its own administrators.

• Wang Dong took forty destroyer sets of Shipborne Modules and a dedicated server containing a detailed military star map from the temporary base.
• Wang Dong collected the military supplies, activated the base’s self-destruct sequence, and left with the spoils and prisoners.
• On August 15, the Viscountcy of Black Stone officially took possession of the Phoenix Star System with a large fleet backing it.
• The Viscountcy of Black Stone presented evidence that the Phoenix Family had attacked its merchant fleet and seized its cargo.
• The Viscountcy of Black Stone arrested or purged the Phoenix Family’s direct relatives and trusted officials, then installed its own administrators and accepted the family’s two heirs.