Chapter Summaries

The Royal Knights staged the arrest of Xu Shi and his group so Dongfang Xiao could publicly appoint him Imperial Tutor and make the Sacred Fire Cat Cult the state religion. After court, Dongfang Xiao privately knelt before Xu Shi and asked whether he was satisfied with her performance.

• Captain Chen and the Royal Knights raided the Sacred Fire Cat Cult gathering, and Xu Shi agreed to accompany them while Xia Ke'an reassured the detained followers.
• In the carriage, Captain Chen revealed the arrest was arranged by the Grand Duke and Dongfang Xiao, while Xia Ke'an asked Pan Ling for food.
• The convoy brought Xu Shi's group to the Imperial Palace, where Xia Ke'an received cake and Xu Shi was taken for questioning.
• Dongfang Xiao convened a grand court assembly and decreed that Xu Shi would become Imperial Tutor, receive a Count title, and lead the newly established state religion.
• Xu Shi entered the court, and Dongfang Xiao publicly knelt to greet him as her teacher before ordering the royal family to cover the people's losses through the cult.
• After court, Dongfang Xiao brought Xu Shi to the Imperial Study, changed clothes inside his Liminal Space, and knelt to ask whether he was satisfied with her performance.

After the Sacred Fire Cat Cult became the Hualan Empire’s state religion, Xu Shi and the royal family compensated people for losses from the Sea God Stone trade and prepared to expand the cult. The chapter ended with Xia Ke’an leading a crowd of new believers in the cult’s cat-themed doctrine.

• The royal family declared the Sacred Fire Cat Cult the state religion and arranged compensation for people harmed by the Sea God Stone trade.
• Xu Shi explained to Pan Ling that the cult’s aid was funded by profits from the trade, while Xia Ke’an objected to its cat-themed slogan and gestures.
• Xu Shi made Pan Ling rehearse the cult’s gestures and doctrine with Xia Ke’an before they appeared in front of the crowd.
• Captain Chen organized supply distribution and used Xu Shi’s detailed trader records to help verify claims and manage compensation.
• Xia Ke’an welcomed people who wished to join the cult, and the crowd repeated, “All who join my cult, meow meow meow meow!”

The Sacred Fire Cat Cult spread rapidly through the main city by distributing compensation and supplies, restoring public confidence and gaining the royal family's support. As the Church struggled with its lost status, its leaders argued over how to respond, while Lu Baiyan recalled Xu Shi's invitation to join him.

• The Sacred Fire Cat Cult gained followers across the main city, and the royal family hurried to build new churches.
• The city defense forces punished Sea God Stone speculators as Cat Cult compensation and public support spread.
• Steward Chen worried that Cheng Gujian's influence was weakening, but Cheng ordered him to watch the Church instead.
• Ji Bochang, Piao Guochang, and Qin Yiyan argued over Xu Shi and proposed attacking his people, while Lu Baiyan warned that the royal family was the greater obstacle.
• Lu Baiyan reflected on Xu Shi's invitation to join him and wondered whether he should change sides.

Lu Baiyan proposed that the church restore public support through expanded relief and efforts to win over nobles, while the Pope approved the plan and warned that force remained an option. Xu Shi reviewed the church’s response and joked with Xia Ke'an until Xia Wuyou arrived and found them in a collapsed recliner.

• Lu Baiyan urged the church to improve its relief stations and court nobles whose families had longstanding ties to the church, then suggested negotiating with Xu Shi if possible.
• The Pope endorsed Lu Baiyan’s proposals, ordered the church’s relief benefits to exceed the royal family’s, and warned the knights not to rule out force.
• Xu Shi received intelligence about the church’s plans and told Xia Ke'an that Lu Baiyan was likely behind them.
• Xu Shi handed Xia Ke'an prepared cult-leader lines, saying they could let the Sacred Fire Cat Cult’s branches operate without their constant involvement.
• Xu Shi and Xia Ke'an teased each other and tumbled into a playful tussle that broke the recliner.
• Xia Wuyou arrived after Xu Shi had promised her a surprise and angrily questioned what she saw in the courtyard.

Xia Wuyou discovered Xia Ke'an had returned to her adult form and realized she and Xu Shi were considering a relationship. She accepted the idea, easing Xia Ke'an’s guilt, then teased her aunt by demanding they switch terms of address.

• Xia Wuyou arrived and found Xia Ke'an sprawled atop Xu Shi beside a crushed lounge chair, leaving her stunned and Xia Ke'an flustered.
• Xu Shi explained that Xia Ke'an had returned to her adult form, and Xia Wuyou noticed her aunt seemed no older than before.
• Xia Wuyou asked whether Xia Ke'an intended to be with Xu Shi, and Xia Ke'an nervously admitted it while offering to return to her child form if Xia Wuyou objected.
• Xia Wuyou told Xia Ke'an she did not mind and said she had never blamed her for the hardships they had endured together.
• Xia Wuyou guessed Xu Shi had known about Xia Ke'an’s transformation earlier, and Xu Shi admitted it with a grin.
• Xia Wuyou told Xia Ke'an to call her “Mom” while she would keep calling her “Aunt,” making Xia Ke'an angrily accuse her of starting a rebellion.

After Xia Wuyou reunited with Xia Ke'an, she and Xu Shi drew the older woman into an intimate encounter that helped settle their complicated feelings. The next morning, Xia Wuyou confirmed that Silver Pine Island’s materials and pilot products were ready for developing the Hualan Empire, then left with Xia Ke'an to go shopping.

• Xia Wuyou thanked Xu Shi for helping her and Xia Ke'an, then kissed him while Xia Ke'an watched.
• Xia Wuyou pulled Xia Ke'an into the room with her and Xu Shi, and Xia Ke'an eventually stopped resisting and relaxed into their intimacy.
• The next morning, Xia Ke'an worried about what she had said while muddled, and Xia Wuyou teased her about calling Xu Shi Daddy.
• Xu Shi asked whether Xia Wuyou had handled his request, and she said the materials had been transported and Silver Pine Island’s renovations were progressing smoothly.
• Xia Wuyou said Sister Chengcheng had built pilot factories and brought finished tools and weapons, then left with Xia Ke'an to go shopping without Xu Shi.
• The author noted that Xia Ke'an’s character card was complete only for her younger form and would appear in a bonus chapter.

Xu Shi inspected the supplies and industrial progress Jiang Chengcheng had arranged for Silver Pine Island, then thanked her for supporting him while he was away. Xie Qingyan grew jealous of their closeness, and Xu Shi prepared to take her to the Imperial Palace for treatment as Jiang Chengcheng asked to come along.

• Xu Shi found Xia Wuyou and Pan Ling had gone out together, then joined Jiang Chengcheng and Xie Qingyan after they teased him for arriving late.
• Xu Shi and Jiang Chengcheng inspected Silver Pine Island’s expanded shipments, upgraded factories, improved communications network, and newly produced weapons.
• Xu Shi praised and embraced Jiang Chengcheng for her work, while Xie Qingyan felt overlooked and left the warehouse in a sulk.
• Xu Shi told Xie Qingyan they would go to the Imperial Palace to treat her illness, and Jiang Chengcheng asked to accompany them.

Jiang Chengcheng accompanied Xu Shi to the Imperial Palace, where she agreed to teach Dongfang Xiao about mechanical engineering and electrical circuits while urging Xu Shi to show Xie Qingyan more care. After Xie Qingyan's treatment, Jiang Chengcheng pushed Xu Shi to continue teaching Dongfang Xiao, leaving the little empress apprehensive about his lessons.

• Jiang Chengcheng encouraged Xu Shi to take the initiative in comforting Xie Qingyan, whose Sea God's corruption had affected her personality.
• Jiang Chengcheng and Xu Shi discussed making clothes for Ke'an from treated Rust Fog animal hides.
• Xu Shi introduced Jiang Chengcheng to Dongfang Xiao as his wife and as the mechanical engineering expert who would explain the promised inventions.
• Dongfang Xiao asked Jiang Chengcheng to teach her privately before instructing the people at her new institution, and Jiang Chengcheng agreed.
• Xu Shi, Jiang Chengcheng, and Dongfang Xiao treated Xie Qingyan, after which Jiang Chengcheng sent Xu Shi to teach Dongfang Xiao.

Pan Ling confronted Lu Baiyan over the Church’s lack of sincerity and urged him to reconsider his loyalty, while recognizing his desire to be Xu Shi’s friend. After Lu Baiyan left, Xu Shi praised Pan Ling for how she handled him.

• Lu Baiyan waited for Xu Shi, then met Pan Ling and Pan Feng when they returned home and asked them to pass on his request to speak with their master.
• Pan Ling warned Lu Baiyan that Xu Shi would not abandon his conflict with the Church and said the Church had shown no sincerity in meeting Xu Shi’s conditions.
• Pan Ling said she hated the Church and royal family for her father’s death, and supported Xu Shi despite his intent to kill Luo Yu.
• Pan Ling recognized that Lu Baiyan wanted to reconcile the two sides but challenged his naive hope and suggested he leave the Church and return to his royal ties.
• Lu Baiyan left without answering Pan Ling’s questions, and Pan Feng praised her for her confidence and eloquence.
• Xu Shi revealed he had been listening and told Pan Ling that she had done well.

Pan Ling earned Xu Shi’s praise for using her mind-reading ability to pressure Lu Baiyan and plant doubts among the Church’s watchers, though Xu Shi teased her over an absurdly low score. Pan Feng’s careless question about whether Xu Shi still liked men drew Xia Wuyou’s anger, and she was punished with copying the sect rules.

• Xu Shi praised Pan Ling for confronting Lu Baiyan, and she explained that she had hoped to influence both him and the Church officials monitoring him.
• Pan Ling admitted that she had read Lu Baiyan’s mind to guide her words, and Xu Shi approved of her using her ability on others.
• Xu Shi gave Pan Ling ninety-eight points out of a thousand, claiming he had deducted most of them because she had called him “my venerable master.”
• Xie Qingyan and Jiang Chengcheng scolded Xu Shi for teasing Pan Ling, and he jokingly postponed her spanking.
• Pan Feng asked whether Xu Shi still liked men, and Xia Wuyou punished her with copying the sect rules one hundred times.

Xu Shi explained to Xia Wuyou that he wanted to recruit Lu Baiyan for his rare Time Rewind ability, hoping to develop it into a way to eliminate Rust Fog. They also discussed the still-hidden Heavenly Principle observer and plans against the church, but their conversation was interrupted when Xie Qingyan asked to speak with Xu Shi alone.

• Xu Shi teased Xia Wuyou, then explained how Pan Ling had improved and might eventually take over his position in Night Sin City.
• Xia Wuyou realized Xu Shi wanted Lu Baiyan because his Time Rewind ability might help eliminate Rust Fog, and Xu Shi said Night Sin City's technology could help develop it.
• Xu Shi admitted he still had no way to identify the Heavenly Principle's observer in the Hualan Empire, so they would keep probing until the observer or the Heavenly Principle reacted.
• Xu Shi suggested they might deliberately expose a flaw to take down the church, but he had not worked out how to do it.
• Xie Qingyan knocked and asked to speak with Xu Shi alone.

Xie Qingyan confronted Xu Shi about their strained relationship, asking for more time together and a chance to contribute, but they argued and she left. Xia Wuyou told Xia Ke'an what happened, while Xu Shi postponed their Church plans and the conflict remained unresolved.

• Xie Qingyan asked Xu Shi to spend more private time with her, consider her feelings, and let her help with the group's work.
• Xu Shi insisted that Xie Qingyan rest until the Sea God's corruption was under control, and they argued over whether he understood her concerns.
• Xie Qingyan left in anger, and Xu Shi refused to stop her before returning to the postponed discussion of their plans against the Church.
• Xu Shi asked Xia Wuyou to keep the argument private, but she later told Xia Ke'an about it.
• Xia Ke'an advised waiting until Xie Qingyan's condition improved before trying to resolve the conflict.

Xu Shi and Xie Qingyan continued their cold war, worrying their disciples and Dongfang Xiao as Xu Shi focused on the Cat Cult and Imperial Palace reforms. Lu Baiyan remained torn over whether to support Xu Shi until he sensed someone watching him and demanded they stop.

• Pan Feng and Pan Ling discussed Xu Shi and Xie Qingyan's strained relationship, but Pan Ling chose not to intervene yet.
• Dongfang Xiao warned Xie Qingyan that her troubled state of mind could worsen the Sea God's corrosion, while Xu Shi ignored the tension and asked about the Imperial Palace renovations.
• Dongfang Xiao reported that the palace's electrical system and new weapons were in use, and Xu Shi said more supplies would arrive from Night Sin City.
• Xu Shi met Cheng Gujian, who warned that the Church was still plotting against him, but Xu Shi remained confident and hinted at a wider plan.
• Lu Baiyan weighed Pan Ling's advice to support Xu Shi, then noticed someone watching him and demanded to know how long they would keep doing so.

Lu Baiyan discovered that the Church had ordered Han Jingchuan to spy on him, then attended a grand meeting where the Pope announced a plan to exploit a rift in Xu Shi’s group and wage war against the Cat Cult and the royal family. The Church’s leaders rallied behind the Pope’s call to purge heretics and restore its power.

• Lu Baiyan confronted Han Jingchuan, who admitted he had been assigned to monitor him by the Church.
• Han Jingchuan told Lu Baiyan that the Pope had summoned everyone to a major meeting in the main cathedral.
• The Pope gathered the Church’s Templar Knights and regional leaders, who complained that Xu Shi’s Cat Cult had threatened their influence and livelihoods.
• Han Jingchuan reported that Xu Shi appeared to be at odds with one of his wives, whose Divine Punishment had changed her temperament.
• The Pope ordered the Church to worsen the rift and use it as a fuse for an attack on Xu Shi and the royal family.
• The gathered Church leaders supported the Pope’s plan, declaring that they would purge the heretics and restore the Church’s glory.

The Church prepared to confront Xu Shi while the Saintess baptized its followers, and Xu Shi studied her blessing ability as he learned the Church was gathering elites. He planned to delay action until his cargo ship arrived, but a few days later someone urgently reported that something had happened.

• The Church’s followers and several Templar Knights welcomed the order to strike Xu Shi, while Qin Yiyan accepted the Church’s preparations for a comeback.
• The Saintess began granting baptismal blessings, with Qin Yiyan helping prepare the ceremony.
• Xu Shi reviewed intelligence about the Saintess’s ability to enhance and permanently improve those she baptized.
• Xia Ke'an told Xu Shi that the Church had gathered elites from the outer districts to prepare an attack.
• Xu Shi ordered his units to strengthen surveillance and wait for the cargo ship before confronting the Church.
• A few days later, someone rushed to Xu Shi and reported that something had happened.

Xu Shi learned that the church was using sensational newspaper stories to undermine him, the Cat Cult, and the Hualan Empire, so he sent his allies to secure the palace, church, and docks. As a cargo ship carrying vital supplies finally docked, he ordered everyone to find Da Qin and bring her home.

• Pan Ling brought Xu Shi newspapers claiming he was the Sea God's servant and spreading gossip about his relationships.
• Xu Shi identified the church as the force behind the stories and warned that its campaign threatened the Cat Cult and the Hualan Empire.
• Xu Shi sent Xiao Qin to the Imperial Palace, Xiao Ling and Xiao Feng with Ke'an to the church, and himself and Xia Youyou to the docks.
• Xie Qing asked to accompany Xu Shi, but he told her not to act rashly and assigned her to stay behind.
• Xu Shi learned that the cargo ship would arrive in about an hour and a half, then ordered the crew to unload it quickly when it docked.
• Xu Shi told everyone to find Da Qin and bring her home.

Xie Qingyan confronted Xu Shi over his treatment of her, then appeared to succumb to Sea God Corruption and attacked everyone at the docks. When the Templar Knight Order trapped the group, Xie Qingyan revealed she had been acting and stopped Luo Yu from killing Xu Shi.

• Xie Qingyan demanded an explanation from Xu Shi over the newspaper reports and told him she wanted his protection and concern; Xu Shi apologized, but she said she still wanted to kill him.
• Xie Qingyan's eyes turned black, and she attacked Xu Shi and the others with tentacles, forcing Shen Qin to defend them while the civilians fled.
• Xie Qingyan lashed out at Ye Shanshan and Jiang Chengcheng, and Xu Shi told Ye Shanshan to summon Wuyou as the group struggled to contain her.
• The Templar Knight Order surrounded the docks with an array, and Luo Yu and four other Silver Knights accused the group of being Sea God abominations.
• Luo Yu attacked Xu Shi, but Xie Qingyan stopped him with a tentacle and pierced his shoulder, revealing that her eyes were clear and she had not truly gone mad.

Xie Qingyan fought four Silver Templar Knights while Xu Shi watched, and Night Sin City’s forces counterattacked the Church’s personnel. When one Silver broke away to kill Xu Shi, Su Lin arrived and knocked him aside.

• Xie Qingyan used Ability Nullification and copied abilities to fight the four Silvers, while Xu Shi admired her skill.
• Shen Qin and Ye Shanshan joined the battle against the Church’s lower-ranking leaders as Night Sin City’s forces gained the upper hand.
• Jiang Chengcheng stayed beside Xu Shi until one Silver abandoned the fight with Xie Qingyan and charged at him.
• Su Lin stepped in front of Xu Shi, sent the attacking Silver flying, and asked her young master to punish her for arriving late.

Xu Shi’s reinforcements arrived at the docks, where Su Lin and Xu Shi helped defeat the Church’s attackers. After the battle, the group prepared to move against the Church’s headquarters, while Xu Shi reassured them that someone had gone to protect the Cat Cult’s base.

• Su Lin arrived from Night Sin City and used her Slow Motion ability to overpower and kill Silver Brother, who had no name.
• Piao Guochang and Ji Bochang attacked Xu Shi, but his United Will-enhanced strength let him defeat both of them.
• Su Lin, Xie Qingyan, Shen Qin, Ye Shanshan, and the combat team finished off the remaining attackers, while Gu Yi emerged from hiding after the fighting ended.
• Xu Shi reunited with Gu Yi and Su Lin, then ordered everyone to rest before heading for the Church’s headquarters.
• Ye Shanshan worried that the Church had also attacked the Cat Cult’s headquarters, and Xu Shi said someone had already gone to protect it.

Pan Ling exposed a staged poisoning attempt at the church, then helped defend the Cat Cult when disguised church forces launched an attack. The defenders were pushed into a standoff until Tang Shuang and Lin Yue arrived and overwhelmed the two Silver Knights.

• Pan Ling recognized that a man pretending to be poisoned was part of a scheme, and he admitted someone had ordered him to stage the incident.
• Disguised priests and knights revealed themselves and attacked the church, while Pan Feng fought and Pan Ling and Xia Ke'an summoned the nearby combat teams.
• The Cat Cult's defenders evacuated civilians as Pan Feng struggled to hold off two Silver Knights.
• Tang Shuang attacked Silver Brother with explosive bullets and batons, while Lin Yue engaged the other Silver Knight and wounded him.
• Pan Ling recognized the arriving fighters as Tang Shuang and Lin Yue.