Recaps

Xu Shi secured ties with Silver Pine Island and the Hualan Empire while preparing for a campaign against the Sea God. The expedition’s Fish Tide battle led to the Sea God’s appearance, and the allied forces began fighting for their lives.

• Xu Shi rescued Pan Cheng and the survivors from a sea monster attack, then agreed to take them to Silver Pine Island and build a signal base there.
• Xu Shi refused the Bronze Knights’ demand to surrender his fleet, and Yu Xingchuan broke their formation before Luo Yu apologized and allowed Xu Shi to remain on the island.
• Xu Shi brought Pan Feng and Pan Ling to the Imperial Main City, where Pan Feng killed Fan Shigui in a combat test and Xu Shi secured trade talks with Empress Dongfang Xiao and Cheng Gujian.
• Luo Yu confronted the Pan sisters at Xu Shi’s inn, and Shen Qin was badly wounded when she blocked him before Xie Qingyan sealed her ability and treated her.
• Xu Shi trained the Royal Knights and joined the Hualan Empire and Church expedition, while Xia Wuyou received a Sublimation II injection and new combat equipment.
• Xu Shi’s fleet encountered a Fish Tide, and Pan Ling helped him bait the fish toward the royal and Church forces before Xu Shi stopped the tactic and located the Sea God’s hidden approach.
• The Sea God rose in an enormous tsunami and attacked the fleets, while Xia Wuyou, Shen Qin, Xu Shi, Yu Xingchuan, and Xie Qingyan defended their ships and Cheng Gujian charged at the monster.

Xu Shi survived the Sea God, reconciled with Xie Qingyan and Shen Qin, and turned Sea God Stones into a financial weapon against the royal family and Church. The market collapsed as he reached the Imperial Main City, where he began negotiating with Dongfang Xiao while Xie Qingyan suffered strange mental corruption.

• Xie Qingyan pushed Xu Shi clear of the Sea God, but they both fell into its mouth, where Shen Qin joined them and they reconciled.
• Xu Shi persuaded Shen Qin to let go of her forgotten hatred, and the three recovered inside the Sea God before Shen Qin shattered its heart and it exploded.
• Xu Shi awakened, advanced Malice Entropy to S-rank, reconciled with Xie Qingyan, and prepared to challenge the royal family and Church.
• Shen Qin regained her memories and accepted Xu Shi as her big brother, while Xie Qingyan showed signs of an unexplained ability effect.
• Xu Shi used Sea God Stones to build a speculative market, and the royal family and Church followed his trades before prices crashed and ruined buyers.
• Xu Shi arrived in the Imperial Main City amid public hostility, confronted Cheng Gujian, and asked to meet Dongfang Xiao privately.
• Xie Qingyan revealed that whispers had been attacking her consciousness, and Xu Shi suspected lingering Sea God corruption but refused to use Malice Entropy on her.
• Dongfang Xiao offered to buy Xu Shi’s holdings, but he refused and said he would help her only if she accepted his conditions.

Xu Shi secured Dongfang Xiao’s support, established the Sacred Fire Cat Cult as the Empire’s state religion, and expanded his alliances and preparations. As his conflict with the Church intensified and his relationship with Xie Qingyan strained, the Church plotted to exploit their rift as grounds for an attack.

• Dongfang Xiao accepted Xu Shi’s conditions, including becoming his slave, and Xu Shi began using their arrangement to secure royal support and establish a new faith.
• Xu Shi rejected the Church’s offer of cooperation, then revealed that Xia Ke'an would lead the Sacred Fire Cat Cult, which quickly drew crowds with her apparent prophecies and charity.
• Dongfang Xiao publicly appointed Xu Shi Imperial Tutor and leader of the state religion, while the royal family organized compensation for people harmed by the Sea God Stone trade.
• The Cat Cult spread through the main city as the Church expanded its relief efforts and Lu Baiyan considered Xu Shi’s invitation to change sides.
• Xia Ke'an revealed her adult identity as Xia Yuanqi, and Xia Wuyou accepted her relationship with Xu Shi and joined them in an intimate family arrangement.
• Xu Shi inspected Silver Pine Island’s growing factories and weapons production, introduced Jiang Chengcheng to Dongfang Xiao, and arranged treatment for Xie Qingyan’s Sea God corruption.
• Lu Baiyan sought a meeting with Xu Shi, but Pan Ling challenged his hope of reconciling the Church and Xu Shi, and Xu Shi later explained that Lu Baiyan’s Time Rewind ability might help eliminate Rust Fog.
• Xie Qingyan argued with Xu Shi over his refusal to let her help while she recovered, and the Church decided to worsen their rift and use it to launch an attack on Xu Shi and the royal family.

Xu Shi defeated the Church’s Saintess and uncovered the Heavenly Principle’s judgment, then helped Dongfang Xiao reclaim the Hualan Empire from Cheng Gujian’s rebellion. The arc ended with Xu Shi’s household taking in the amnesiac Saintess as Xu Ying and Qin Yiyan as a maid.

• Xu Shi’s forces fought off the Church’s attacks on the docks and the Cat Cult, then marched on the Grand Cathedral and exposed the Saintess as an Observer controlling the Church.
• The Saintess seized control of Qin Yiyan and the Church’s followers, but Xu Shi’s allies defeated them while Su Lin helped Xu Shi confront the Saintess in Liminal Space.
• The Saintess revealed that the Heavenly Principle ran test regions and had begun a Level Two Judgment Process, then announced that Region 0754 had passed its Abandonment Judgment before self-destructing.
• Cheng Gujian rebelled against Dongfang Xiao, but Wen Shengkui defeated him and Xu Shi explained that Cheng had staged the rebellion to strengthen the Empress’s rule, and Dongfang Xiao spared him.
• Xu Shi and Tang Shuang negotiated cooperation between Night Sin City and the Hualan Empire, while Xu Shi took the title of Regent Prince and helped Dongfang Xiao govern.
• Xu Shi learned that the Saintess had lost her memories and named her Xu Ying, then Qin Yiyan escaped and took Gu Yi hostage before agreeing to stay and care for Xu Ying.
• Xu Shi made Qin Yiyan his maid, assigning her household duties and care of Xu Ying, while Xie Qingyan invited him to their room.