Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi completed his breakthrough to Stardust Rank, and his Source Energy reading stabilized at 2000 points, giving the settlement hope against powerful Abyss Beasts. He prepared to demonstrate his techniques while Ren Yinuo reported his breakthrough to General Staff Command.

• Zhang Weidong, Ren Yinuo, and the settlement leaders gathered at the Old Department Store Building after Zhu Peng reported Lin Yi’s rising Source Energy reading.
• The leaders watched the reading climb past 1500 points and considered what Lin Yi’s breakthrough could mean against the three Leader Rank Abyss Beasts at Nest No. 4.
• Lin Yi completed the formation of his Secondary Source Crystals, stabilized his new Realm, and reached Stardust Rank.
• Zhang Weidong and the assembled leaders congratulated Lin Yi after his reading stabilized at 2000 points.
• Lin Yi asked Ren Yinuo to record him demonstrating his techniques, and she first reported his breakthrough to General Staff Command.

After Lin Yi reached Stardust Rank, the Supreme Command Center prepared Operation Dawn and prioritized support for him. Ren Yinuo relayed the orders in Helu City, where Lin Yi agreed to the schedule and offered to share training insights to help the wider rollout of the Guidance Technique.

• The Supreme Command Center assessed Lin Yi's breakthrough at 2,000 Source Energy points and decided to delay sharing the news with foreign powers until Operation Dawn succeeded.
• Li Zhenguo ordered the General Staff to congratulate Lin Yi, identify his needs, and send him Spirit Radiance Crystals, while approving Liu Zhi's request to seek Lin Yi's advice.
• The Academy of Sciences reported that its analysis of the Guidance Technique and standardized teaching materials were on track for completion within ten days.
• Li Zhenguo ordered all departments to begin Operation Dawn, with forces assembling to eliminate Nest No. 3 within three days.
• Ren Yinuo told Lin Yi that the operation would proceed on schedule and that the Tianpeng Squad would bring him Spirit Radiance Crystals; Lin Yi said three days would be enough to adjust to his new strength.
• Lin Yi offered to explain training tips and insights during future demonstrations to support the General Staff's research and the wider rollout of the Guidance Technique.

Lin Yi demonstrated Stardust Rank techniques and explained how soul power enhanced a cultivator’s abilities, while Ren Yinuo recorded his lessons for distribution. Afterward, Lin Yi prepared to rest briefly before the coming battle at Nest No. 4.

• Lin Yi demonstrated how intent resonated with the Source Crystal to control Source Energy through the Micro-Dust Art.
• Lin Yi showed how Stardust Rank improved Wandering Star Steps and the Star-Splitting Spear Art through precise Source Energy control.
• Lin Yi explained that Stardust Rank strengthened the soul, enabling faster thought, heightened perception, and pressure against weak-willed opponents.
• Lin Yi said he would later record a simplified Star Shatterer method and try to simplify other techniques for wider use.
• Ren Yinuo stopped recording and said the lessons would be copied and distributed to settlements across the country.
• Lin Yi said he would rest before turning his attention to Nest No. 4, where three Leader Rank Abyss Beasts had gathered.

Lin Yi organized a rescue operation and advanced toward Luming Stadium to eliminate the three Leader Rank Abyss Beasts in Nest No. 4. He left the convoy at a safe distance and walked alone toward the stadium, where the beasts were hiding.

• Lin Yi told Zhang Weidong he would clear nearby Nests over the next three days and deal with the three Leader Rank Abyss Beasts in Nest No. 4 first.
• Lin Yi asked Zhang Weidong to organize an elite rescue team to search for survivors once the beasts were defeated, and Zhang agreed.
• Ren Yinuo joined the operation to record footage, while Li Gang volunteered to lead the rescue team.
• The convoy advanced through Nest No. 4 as Lin Yi killed dangerous Abyss Beasts with azure Source Energy without opening his eyes.
• At Luming Stadium, Lin Yi ordered the convoy to establish a defensive line and wait for his signal, then walked toward the plaza alone.

Lin Yi demonstrated a basic Stardust Rank fighting style as he defeated three elemental Abyss Pythons in the ruined square. After signaling the rescue team to move in, he looked toward the residential compounds and hoped the survivors were still alive.

• Three Abyss Pythons attacked Lin Yi with ice spikes, fireballs, and a concealed poison strike.
• Lin Yi used Stardust Streamer footwork and the Micro-Dust Art to evade the attacks and redirect fireballs into one another.
• Lin Yi killed the Ghost Poison Abyss Python by hurling an ice spike through its mouth and skull.
• Lin Yi interrupted the Ice-Fire Twin Pythons' fusion with Abyss-Splitter—Star-Piercing, causing their unstable energies to destroy them.
• Lin Yi signaled that the square was safe, and Li Gang ordered the rescue team to move in.
• Lin Yi looked toward the residential compounds and hoped there was still time to save their occupants.

After the rescue began, Lin Yi collected three Gold-Veined Crystals from the slain Abyss Pythons and discovered they contained valuable defensive equipment and a device printer. He gave the printer to the Supreme Command Center in his plans and left the rescue site to search Nest No. 4 for more Elite Rank Abyss Beasts.

• Lin Yi recalled his Abyss-Splitter Spear and gathered the three Gold-Veined Crystals left by the Abyss Pythons.
• Lin Yi identified an Eagle Eye Fixed Source Energy Detector, a Sentry Type II Mechanical Guard, and a Shadow Print Micro Multifunctional Source Energy Device Printer inside the crystals.
• Lin Yi decided the Supreme Command Center could use the Shadow Print to produce equipment from blueprints and set the crystal aside for it.
• Lin Yi told Li Gang that the cleanup was complete and that he would not return with the convoy.
• Lin Yi headed deeper into Nest No. 4 to search for Elite Rank Abyss Beasts, while Li Gang resumed directing the rescue effort.

After returning to Helu City with rescued survivors and supplies, Lin Yi received a shipment of Spirit Radiance Crystals from General Staff and discovered Liu Yuan had joined the convoy. He gave Tianpeng a strategically valuable Gold-Veined Crystal to return to headquarters and agreed to advise Liu Yuan that afternoon, leaving to plan how to use the new crystals before the assault on the Nest.

• Lin Yi returned to Helu City after patrolling the perimeter and rescuing survivors, and Zhang Weidong thanked him for his work.
• Lin Yi recognized Liu Yuan, a future military powerhouse, among the officers waiting with the Tianpeng Squad.
• Tianpeng handed Lin Yi a case of Spirit Radiance Crystals sent by General Staff, including high-grade, Gold-Veined, and green crystals.
• Lin Yi gave Tianpeng the gray Gold-Veined Crystal containing the Shadow Print device, and Tianpeng rushed to escort it to headquarters.
• Liu Yuan asked Lin Yi for help with a sticking point in the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique, and Lin Yi invited him to the rooftop that afternoon.
• Lin Yi returned to his tent with the crystals to plan how their powers might help in the coming assault on the Nest.

Lin Yi examined the supplies the General Staff had sent him and considered how the settlement’s progress in learning Source Energy might improve its chances against the first Abyss Beast tide. The new equipment and techniques gave him more options for the coming battle, and he began refining his plans.

• Chen Yu told Lin Yi that he had understood the second key node in the Source Energy cycle before leaving for another search-and-rescue mission.
• Lin Yi estimated how quickly people at the settlement would learn the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique and hoped some would reach Stardust Rank before the Abyss Beast tide.
• Lin Yi opened the case and identified fourteen Level 3 Source Energy Crystals and four high-grade crystals containing a personal shield generator, Flash Light, Immovable Mountain Spear, and Star-Condensing Finger.
• Lin Yi found the Soul Control secret technique and Source Spring Type II Recovery Fluid among the Gold-Veined Crystals, realizing the fluid would help him fight while neutralizing Source Energy.
• Lin Yi discovered a Flowing Shadow portable personal flying device and began combining the new supplies and techniques with his existing battle plans.

As the Nest-clearing battle approached, Lin Yi prepared tactics, requested steel bearing balls, and helped Liu Yuan overcome a stumbling block in his cultivation. He was then summoned to the operations meeting, where senior commanders gathered to plan the Dawn Operation and greeted him with respect.

• Lin Yi learned techniques from the crystals, then asked Ren Yinuo to arrange a supply of bicycle bearing balls or similar steel balls.
• Liu Yuan told Lin Yi he could sense Source Energy but could not form a Source Sea, and Lin Yi advised him to treat it as a dormant organ awakened through Source Energy.
• Liu Yuan left to meditate on Lin Yi's guidance, and Ren Yinuo returned with word that Director Wang would deliver bearing balls that night.
• Lin Yi cultivated, absorbed energy from a Level 3 Source Energy Crystal, and practiced his newly learned techniques.
• Zhang Weidong told Lin Yi that the Dawn Operation forces were assembled and senior commanders were waiting for him at the Command Center.
• Lin Yi joined the operations meeting, where more than twenty senior officers stood to greet him and shook his hand as Zhang Weidong introduced them.

Nie Chang and the officers planned the Dawn Operation to protect Lin Yi while he neutralized the Source Energy in Nest No. 3, Nightmare Pupil. The meeting ended with everyone approving a Three-Layer Guillotine defense plan and pledging to complete the mission.

• Nie Chang opened the briefing and identified Nightmare Pupil as the operation’s core objective.
• An operations officer reported that up to 2,000 Abyss Wolves guarded the Nest and that reinforcements from nearby Nests could exceed 50,000.
• The operations officer outlined the military forces assigned to the mission, with Lin Yi responsible for neutralizing the Source Energy.
• Nie Chang presented a three-layer defense plan, assigning mobile hunting teams, the main defensive force, and an inner security line to protect Lin Yi.
• The officers refined the plan with measures to clear tank positions, trap narrow alleys, coordinate fire support, and evacuate the wounded.
• The officers unanimously approved the Three-Layer Guillotine plan and pledged to complete the mission.

Lin Yi handed the fixed Source Energy Detector to Zhang Weidong and headed to Small Nest No. 1 to hunt Stardust Rank Abyss Beasts before the planned battle. The Command Center tracked him confronting a beast with a Source Energy reading of 6,800, but the signal and nearby beast signals vanished before Zhang Weidong could learn what happened.

• Lin Yi gave Zhang Weidong the fixed Source Energy Detector and said he planned to clear elite Abyss Beasts from Small Nest No. 1.
• Lin Yi recovered his strength, summoned the Little Flying Ball, and flew west toward the Nest.
• Zhang Weidong set up the Detector in the Command Center and ordered Zhao Tan and the other analysts to monitor its signals.
• Zhao Tan spotted Lin Yi's signal overlap with an Abyss Beast reading 6,800 and urgently called for Zhang Weidong.
• Zhang Weidong reached the monitoring room and found the 6,800 reading and nearby beast signals had disappeared.

Lin Yi cleared six Stardust Rank Abyss Beasts around Small Nest No. 1, and Zhang Weidong told him that Operation “Dawn” would begin the morning after tomorrow. Back at his tent, Lin Yi faced his uncle Zhou Jianjun’s request to join the operation with the militia and considered how to refuse without dismissing the veterans’ desire to help.

• Lin Yi’s Source Energy reading fell as he recovered, and Zhang Weidong realized his cleanup had been an efficient demolition rather than a desperate battle.
• Lin Yi eliminated six Stardust Rank Abyss Beasts around Small Nest No. 1, clearing space near the settlement.
• Zhang Weidong told Lin Yi that Operation “Dawn” was scheduled for eight the morning after tomorrow and that Ren Yinuo would accompany the main force to record his neutralization process.
• Lin Yi returned to the settlement, recovered his Source Energy, and found Chen Yu and Zhou Jianjun waiting in his tent.
• Zhou Jianjun asked Lin Yi to help the veterans in his militia unit join the operation, and Lin Yi judged that their limited coordination and stamina made participation too dangerous.

Lin Yi persuaded Zhou Jianjun to lead the veterans in defending the settlement while the main force attacked the Abyss Beast nests. The force set out under Nie Chang’s command and reached Nest No. 3, “Nightmare Pupil,” with little resistance.

• Lin Yi convinced Zhou Jianjun that guarding the settlement was a crucial mission, and Zhou Jianjun left to organize the veterans’ defenses.
• Lin Yi trained as usual, then secretly piloted Little Flying Ball to Small Nest No. 1 and cleared Destruction targets from its detector.
• At eight o’clock on the third day, Nie Chang ordered the assembled forces to move out, with Lin Yi in a command vehicle and Ren Yinuo recording the operation from another.
• The convoy destroyed scattered Abyss Wolves with overwhelming firepower as it advanced through the ruined streets.
• At around nine twenty, the troops reached the streets beside Hongfu Restaurant, next to their target, Nest No. 3, “Nightmare Pupil.”

Nie Chang’s forces cleared the area around the Nightmare Pupil Nest and built defensive positions while Lin Yi struck the Nest with azure Source Energy. The Nest released a wave of energy that rallied thousands of Abyss Beasts and stirred three other Nests, which sent powerful creatures toward Hongfu Restaurant.

• Nie Chang ordered the combat units to clear nearby buildings, establish defenses, lay mines, and set up an aid station and supply depot.
• By ten o’clock, the units reported that the buildings were cleared and the defensive preparations were complete.
• Lin Yi stepped before the Nightmare Pupil Nest and fired a beam of azure Source Energy into its center, causing it to convulse and release a wave of energy.
• Abyss Beasts across the surrounding territories responded to the wave and charged toward the Hongfu Restaurant area.
• Micro Nests No. 1, 2, and 4 accelerated and sent out a rock-armored Giant Bear, a giant python, and a black panther.

A high-threat Leader Rank Abyss Beast emerged from Small Nest No. 1 as the beast tide advanced, forcing Nie Chang to reconsider the frontline operation. Li Zhenguo advised him to consult Lin Yi before deciding whether to retreat or fight, leaving command authority with Nie Chang.

• A Leader Rank Abyss Beast with a Source Energy level of 17,900 emerged from Small Nest No. 1 and moved toward the frontline with the beast tide.
• Zhao Tan reported four new Leader Rank signals to Zhang Weidong, who warned Nie Chang that the forces were facing a high-threat unit.
• Nie Chang assessed that the existing weapons plan could not reliably defeat the Small Nest Leader Rank unit and decided to organize a retreat.
• Nie Chang contacted Li Zhenguo to report the threat and recommend withdrawing with Lin Yi covering the retreat.
• Li Zhenguo urged Nie Chang to ask Lin Yi whether they should retreat or fight, while leaving the final decision to Nie Chang.

Nie Chang chose to trust Lin Yi’s promise to handle the incoming Leader Rank Abyss Beast and ordered the defenses to follow the original battle plan. The Abyss Tide reached the human line, where artillery and infantry opened fire and held off its first wave.

• Nie Chang told Lin Yi that a Leader Rank Abyss Beast with 17,900 Source Energy was approaching and asked whether the troops should retreat.
• Lin Yi ordered Nie Chang to continue the plan and said he would handle the Leader himself.
• Nie Chang trusted Lin Yi and ordered all units to prepare to engage according to plan.
• Lin Yi continued neutralizing Source Energy at the Nest as the Abyss Tide appeared on the horizon.
• Nie Chang ordered the troops to open fire, and artillery shells tore through the Abyss Beasts’ vanguard.
• Infantry weapons and grenades struck the advancing beasts, and the defensive line held firm against the first wave.

Nie Chang’s forces held off successive Abyss Beast assaults with layered defenses and heavy fire while Lin Yi continued neutralizing the Vortex. With the Small Abyss Nest Leader and two Stardust Rank Elites approaching and anti-armor ammunition nearly exhausted, the chapter left the soldiers bracing for a final attack and Nie Chang wondering what Lin Yi had prepared.

• Nie Chang ordered the troops to fall back from the first defensive line through smoke to stronger positions, where crossfire and artillery battered the charging Abyss Beasts.
• The artillery, helicopters, and anti-tank weapons killed the Sharp Blade Porcupine and destroyed a Shadow Abyss Leopard that broke through the first line.
• The human forces eliminated the Leader Rank Abyss Beasts from three miniature Abyss Nests, but the fighting depleted most of their heavy anti-armor ammunition and caused more than twenty casualties.
• Zhang Weidong warned Nie Chang that the Small Abyss Nest Leader and two Stardust Rank Elites had broken through the long-range artillery line and would reach the forward positions in five minutes.
• Nie Chang noticed Lin Yi make a deliberate movement at his waist while continuing to pour Source Energy into the Vortex, as the soldiers prepared their remaining weapons for the approaching monsters.

Lin Yi used a steel bearing ball infused with the Metal Element Rule and lightning to kill the Black Flame Abyss Tiger and its two elite guards in one strike. The battlefield was left stunned by his newly revealed power.

• The Black Flame Abyss Tiger and its two elite guards emerged on the hotel rooftop, and Nie Chang ordered the forces to target the guards while leaving the Tiger to Major Lin Yi.
• Lin Yi raised a bicycle bearing ball between two fingers and gathered Source Energy, lightning, and the Metal Element Rule into it.
• The Black Flame Abyss Tiger sensed the danger and prepared to leap at Lin Yi, but he fired the bearing ball first.
• Lin Yi's strike pierced the Tiger's head and detonated, obliterating the Tiger and both elite Abyss Beasts while destroying the top three floors of the hotel.

Lin Yi helped humanity destroy Nest No. 3, ending the battle and driving the remaining Abyss Beasts away. Nie Chang declared the Dawn Project a success and asked Lin Yi to retrieve the Seven-Colored Spirit Radiance Crystal as a symbol of humanity’s first victory against a Nest.

• Lin Yi’s Star Core Level attack devastated the hotel rooftop and helped weaken the Nest, while the cheering soldiers focused their fire on the Abyss Beasts.
• The Nest collapsed into a Seven-Colored Spirit Radiance Crystal, and the remaining Abyss Beasts fled the battlefield.
• Nie Chang ordered the communications officer to report that the Dawn Project had succeeded and Nest No. 3 had been neutralized.
• Nie Chang thanked Lin Yi for his role in the victory and identified the crystal as a historically significant trophy.
• Nie Chang asked Lin Yi to retrieve the crystal on camera, and Lin Yi agreed.

Lin Yi identified the Seven-Colored Spirit Radiance Crystal as a device that could gather scarce deep-space Source Energy and create a sustainable cultivation zone on Blue Star. He explained its strategic importance to Nie Chang and suggested that equipment might also exist to produce Source Energy Crystals.

• Lin Yi recognized the crystal as a 'Vortex' Type I Deep Space Source Energy Condenser, which could gather scattered Source Energy for cultivation.
• Ren Yinuo photographed Lin Yi holding the crystal, but Lin Yi then asked her to stop recording so he could report something important to Nie Chang.
• Lin Yi explained that Blue Star's naturally occurring Source Energy was too scarce to support cultivation without Source Energy Crystals.
• Lin Yi told Nie Chang that the condenser could meet the daily cultivation needs of those at Stardust Rank and nearly those at Star Core Level, prompting Nie Chang to grasp its strategic significance.
• Lin Yi suggested that equipment might exist to produce Source Energy Crystals from the environment.