Chapter Summaries

Xu Wuyi’s Heavy Water Sphere optimization project reached its initial testing phase, leaving him with more free time. Lin Lan asked him to help test newly discovered spirit-form Star Beasts, and Xu Wuyi considered the opportunity and its risks.

• Ye Guanlan told Xu Wuyi that the Heavy Water Sphere model was initially optimized and that stability tests would reduce his daily workload.
• Xu Wuyi continued cultivating, stabilizing his Heavy Water Image and improving its balance with the Golden Crow phantom.
• Lin Lan contacted Xu Wuyi about testing unknown spirit-form entities captured in the Seventeenth Star Realm Battlefield’s newly controlled zone.
• Lin Lan explained that the entities could absorb environmental energy, were difficult to damage with ordinary attacks, and might target a tester’s mind or energy core.
• Xu Wuyi asked how the tests would be kept safe, and Lin Lan described the testing grounds’ barriers, isolation fields, and automatic emergency safeguards.

Xu Wuyi tested Gray Nightmare-3, a hostile spiritual Star Beast, at Testing Ground Number Sixteen in D Sector. After it attacked him with mental energy and mist claws, his Heart Fire burned away the claws and forced the spirit to retreat.

• Xu Wuyi accepted Lin Lan's request to test the unknown spiritual Star Beast and arranged to begin that afternoon.
• Lin Lan briefed Xu Wuyi on Gray Nightmare-3's physical immunity, energy devouring, mental corrosion, and mutable form, then gave him a mental stabilizer.
• Xu Wuyi entered the force-field testing ground, and Gray Nightmare-3 escaped its cage when the test began.
• Xu Wuyi sensed Gray Nightmare-3's ravenous intent as it formed claws and struck at his head.
• Xu Wuyi raised Heart Fire, which melted Gray Nightmare-3's claws and drove the spirit backward.

Xu Wuyi tested Gray Nightmare-3’s attacks and defenses, then annihilated it with Golden Crow Heart Fire. Lin Lan recorded the target’s vulnerabilities and Xu Wuyi’s defensive method as the test concluded.

• Gray Nightmare-3 condensed into a humanoid form and sent mist threads toward Xu Wuyi, who destroyed them with a ring of Heart Fire.
• Gray Nightmare-3 transformed into a dark-gray sphere and launched a powerful spiritual shockwave, which Xu Wuyi stopped with Heavy Water Image—Suppress.
• Xu Wuyi slowed the sphere with an invisible gravity field and struck it with a pinpoint of dark-gold Heart Fire.
• The Heart Fire annihilated Gray Nightmare-3, and Lin Lan recorded the test results.

Xu Wuyi tested his Heart Image against several spirit creatures from a newly controlled zone, helping researchers identify their weaknesses while refining his own combat methods. After fifteen days of cultivation and project work, the Great Marsh in his sea of consciousness suddenly shook.

• Xu Wuyi learned that Gray Nightmares were part of an ecosystem of spirit creatures possibly linked to an unknown energy plane, and agreed to continue testing captured specimens.
• Xu Wuyi reviewed his battle with the Gray Nightmare and concluded that precise control of Heart Fire and mental strength were important for fighting spirits.
• Xu Wuyi tested Phantom Spider-7, Shadow Strike-2, and Polyhedron-4, defeating their illusions, scattered attacks, and emotional influence with Golden Crow Heart Fire.
• Xu Wuyi told Lin Lan that the spirits resembled energy-based Alien Race priests, while Lin Lan explained that broadly equipping troops with countermeasures would take time.
• Xu Wuyi improved his Heavy Water Sphere framework and raised his Great Marsh compression from 10% on the seventh day to 15% on the eleventh day.
• On the fifteenth evening, the dark-gold Great Marsh in Xu Wuyi's sea of consciousness shook with a thunderous roar.

Xu Wuyi broke through to a twenty-percent Heavy Water compression ratio, and Ye Guanlan helped him develop two combat applications: Water Drop and Returning Ruins Seal. Xu Wuyi chose to master both, then began training them with the research institute’s support.

• Xu Wuyi reached a twenty-percent compression ratio, stabilizing his Heavy Water Sphere and extending its duration to about thirty seconds.
• Ye Guanlan showed Xu Wuyi two proposed forms: a highly compressed Water Drop for piercing single targets and a broad Returning Ruins Seal for crushing and suppressing enemies.
• Xu Wuyi chose to develop both forms and named them Water Drop and Returning Ruins Seal.
• Over the next ten days, Xu Wuyi practiced forming and controlling both techniques in the virtual intranet, gradually improving his unstable Water Drop.

Xu Wuyi tested the piercing power of Water Drop and the area suppression of Returning Ruins Seal, then began practicing both in an interference-free virtual environment. He left off able to form a Beginner-stage Water Drop for twelve seconds, still short of the compression required for Minor Achievement.

• Xu Wuyi used Water Drop to pierce three Level 40 energy shields, a heavy-armored target, and two alloy walls, while Ye Guanlan analyzed its penetrating force.
• Xu Wuyi tested Returning Ruins Seal, crushing a simulated Alien Race formation and nearby terrain into a deep, square pit.
• Xu Wuyi proposed combining the two martial arts, and Ye Guanlan warned that using them together would burden his mind and risk interference.
• Xu Wuyi entered the research institute's interference-free virtual environment and concentrated Heavy Water to form a rice-sized Water Drop.
• Xu Wuyi maintained the Beginner-stage Water Drop for twelve seconds, though he could compress only one percent of the Great Marsh.

Xu Wuyi cultivated Water Drop and Returning Ruins Seal until both reached Minor Achievement, gaining new traits. He tested their improved power in a virtual combat zone, where Water Drop pierced three shielded targets and Returning Ruins Seal crushed them while leaving a lingering suppression field.

• After one hundred effective cultivation sessions, Xu Wuyi gained an enlightenment that raised both martial arts' proficiencies by more than thirty percent.
• Xu Wuyi cultivated over five days until Water Drop and Returning Ruins Seal reached Minor Achievement and gained traits that recovered some Water Drop energy and prolonged the seal's suppression.
• On the tenth day, Xu Wuyi tested Water Drop against three shielded alloy targets and pierced through all of them with minimal energy loss.
• Xu Wuyi struck the targets' area with Returning Ruins Seal, crushing the targets and ground into a pit and leaving a weight-based suppression effect for an estimated nine seconds.

Xu Wuyi chose to leave the institute for Northland to seek Grandmaster Liang’s guidance on perfecting his Heart Image. He departed for Frost Airport, where arrangements had been made for him to visit Cold Pool Villa the next morning.

• Ye Guanlan observed that Xu Wuyi progressed faster with Returning Ruins Seal than with Water Drop, and predicted it would reach Major Achievement sooner.
• Chen Zhang told Xu Wuyi that Grandmaster Liang had returned to Cold Pool Villa and had placed Xu first on her visitor list.
• Xu Wuyi decided to travel to Northland, judging Grandmaster Liang’s guidance more valuable to his Heart Image than further institute training.
• Xu Wuyi packed his belongings, left the institute, and headed to the capital airport as Ye Guanlan saw him off.
• Xu Wuyi messaged Chen Zhang that he had departed for Frost Airport, and Chen Zhang confirmed that Xu could visit Cold Pool Villa the next morning.
• Xu Wuyi boarded a military transport plane and flew toward Northland.

Xu Wuyi visited Liang Sixian at Cold Pool Villa to seek guidance on his Heavy Water Heart Image and its connection to the Still Waters Run Deep lineage. He revealed a new, living rhythm in his cultivation, surprising Fang Fu as Liang Sixian observed.

• Xu Wuyi arrived in the Northland and traveled with Chen Zhang to Cold Pool Villa in the Still Snow Mountains.
• Fang Fu greeted Xu Wuyi and Chen Zhang at the cold pool, then led Xu Wuyi to meet Liang Sixian.
• Liang Sixian welcomed Xu Wuyi and asked him to demonstrate his Heart Image.
• Xu Wuyi released a trace of Heavy Water's heaviness, causing the air and floor to respond in a slow, breathing rhythm.
• Fang Fu was surprised by how Xu Wuyi's Heart Image had changed since their last meeting.

Xu Wuyi demonstrated his newly created Heavy Water martial arts to Liang Sixian, who praised their potential but pointed out that heaviness and life remained separate in his techniques. She agreed to guide him for several days at her residence so he could learn to unite them.

• Xu Wuyi showed Liang Sixian how Water Drop compressed Heavy Water and how Returning Ruins Seal created lingering area suppression.
• Liang Sixian explained that Xu Wuyi needed to merge heaviness and life into a single whole rather than use them in separate stages.
• Liang Sixian told Xu Wuyi to meditate by the cold pool each morning and meet with her each afternoon for guidance.
• Liang Sixian mentioned that Flame Venerable had asked her to guide Xu Wuyi, and Fang Fu led him to his guest room and cultivation room.
• Xu Wuyi told Chen Zhang that Liang Sixian had agreed to guide him, and Chen Zhang returned to the city.

Xu Wuyi discovered that the cold pool at Still Waters Run Deep held the accumulated spiritual imprints of generations of disciples, offering insights into water-related Heart Images. He began studying those imprints to broaden his understanding and refine his own Heart Image.

• Xu Wuyi meditated beside the cold pool and sensed its immense spiritual presence, slow undercurrents, and countless imprints connected to water.
• Fang Fu explained that the imprints were left by disciples who had cultivated beside the pool for over a thousand years, making it a record of the sect’s martial understanding.
• Fang Fu told Xu Wuyi that his Heart Image resonated with the pool through the qualities of weight and life, and urged him to make the most of his time there.
• Xu Wuyi returned to the pool the next morning and perceived seven clear imprints, including Heart Images called Frost, Sea of Mist, and Tide.
• Xu Wuyi observed the imprints without copying them, broadening his understanding of water beyond weight and sinking, then continued his daily discussions with Liang Sixian.

Xu Wuyi spent several days practicing Water Drop and reconsidering how his Heavy Water Heart Image expressed “life” through “weight.” After reaching one thousand effective repetitions, he gained a great enlightenment that reframed Water Drop and the essence of Heavy Water, though the chapter ended as the Great Marsh shook in his sea of consciousness.

• Liang Sixian questioned Xu Wuyi about the source of Water Drop’s weight and the nature of the Returning Ruins Seal, prompting him to refine his understanding.
• Xu Wuyi practiced Water Drop and the Returning Ruins Seal by the frigid pool and realized that he had been too focused on combining motion and stillness.
• Xu Wuyi dedicated three days to Water Drop and concluded that life was not motion but change, expressed through the changing weight of Heavy Water.
• Xu Wuyi completed one thousand effective Water Drop practice sessions and received a great enlightenment.
• Xu Wuyi understood that weight was Heavy Water’s essence, life was change, and changing weight—not changing form—expressed its vitality.
• The dark golden Great Marsh in Xu Wuyi’s sea of consciousness shook violently as his enlightenment arose.

Xu Wuyi reached Major Achievement in Water Drop by awakening the Heavy Water Great Marsh’s living, fluctuating weight, which also strengthened Returning Ruins Seal. He left the Cultivation Room intending to visit Grandmaster Liang, aware that the Golden Crow portion of his Heart Image now lagged behind Heavy Water.

• Xu Wuyi made the Great Marsh breathe on its own, causing its weight and the weight of his Water Drop to rise and fall with his breathing.
• Liang Sixian told Fang Fu that Xu Wuyi had already grasped the essence of life within weight and praised his focus and martial heart.
• After meditating through the night, Xu Wuyi recognized that Water Drop had reached Major Achievement alongside the transformed Heavy Water Great Marsh.
• Xu Wuyi formed Returning Ruins Seal and found that its naturally shifting weight created a stronger, more complex suppressive intent.
• Xu Wuyi sensed that Heavy Water had advanced beyond the Golden Crow portion of his Heart Image, then left to see Grandmaster Liang.

Xu Wuyi learned that his Heavy Water Heart Image had advanced him to the Quasi-Grandmaster realm, and Liang Sixian explained how he could absorb the weaker Golden Crow portion to form a complete Heart Image. After two days of training by the cold pool, he had stabilized Heavy Water’s great mastery and gained finer control over its vitality.

• Xu Wuyi demonstrated Heavy Water’s newly awakened vitality to Liang Sixian, who recognized that he had reached the Quasi-Grandmaster realm.
• Liang Sixian explained that Xu Wuyi needed to absorb Golden Crow into Heavy Water rather than equalize the two portions before becoming a Grandmaster.
• Xu Wuyi understood Liang Sixian’s guidance and was told to stabilize his cultivation before attempting to absorb Golden Crow.
• Xu Wuyi spent the next two days contemplating by the cold pool, cultivating, and consolidating Heavy Water’s great mastery.
• Xu Wuyi improved his control over Heavy Water’s changing weight, making his attacks and suppressive techniques harder to predict.

After stabilizing his Heavy Water realm in Northland, Xu Wuyi was summoned to the Capital Military Department for a frontline mission. Feng Zhuohua showed him a report on vast swarms of rapidly reproducing insect-type Star Beasts, whose attacks had resisted conventional weapons.

• Xu Wuyi bid farewell to Liang Sixian, who warned him that he must control his Heart Image rather than let it control him.
• Chen Zhang told Xu Wuyi that the military had urgently requested his assistance, and Xu agreed to go.
• Xu Wuyi traveled from Frost Airport to Xingjing Military Airport and went to meet Feng Zhuohua at the Military Department.
• Feng Zhuohua showed Xu Wuyi footage of insect-type Star Beasts attacking a human outpost and explained their numbers and rapid reproduction.
• Feng Zhuohua said conventional artillery and energy weapons had failed to deal effectively with the Star Beast swarms.

Xu Wuyi accepted a mission to destroy alien insect brood nests in Sector X-24, despite the Feathered Humans’ suspected plan to assassinate him. He demonstrated his new Heavy Water techniques to Feng Zhuohua and declared that he could escape even if three sub-Kings attacked him.

• Feng Zhuohua explained that alien insects had occupied Sector X-24 and that Xu Wuyi would lead the assault on fifteen to twenty brood nests with support from the 17th Armored Division.
• Feng Zhuohua revealed that Feathered Humans were collecting brood nest samples and might be targeting Xu Wuyi, with at least three sub-King-level fighters waiting in the region.
• Xu Wuyi considered the risks and accepted the mission, citing his mastery of Heavy Water and new attack methods.
• Xu Wuyi demonstrated Water Drop and Returning Ruins Seal, showing Feng Zhuohua techniques suited to piercing defenses and destroying nests.
• Xu Wuyi told Feng Zhuohua that he might not defeat three sub-Kings head-on but would be able to escape them.

Xu Wuyi received temporary command authority and led a mission to clear aberrant insect brood nests in the X-24 Star Realm. After planning with Iron War, Lu Wenyuan, and Zhou Kai, the team entered the Star Realm and prepared to secure the 17th Armored Division’s supply routes.

• Feng Zhuohua gave Xu Wuyi command authority over one armored battalion and assigned Iron War and Lu Wenyuan to support him.
• Xu Wuyi met Zhou Kai at the Third Military Spaceport and reviewed reports of expanding aberrant insect activity and suspected brood nests.
• Iron War and Lu Wenyuan joined Xu Wuyi and Zhou Kai aboard a transport aircraft bound for the X-24 Star Realm.
• The team discussed how to destroy brood nest cores, recover valuable materials when possible, and respond if the Feathered Humans interfered.
• Xu Wuyi set a plan to clear the brood nests around Forward Base Three and secure the supply route before advancing deeper into the Star Realm.
• The transport aircraft passed through the jump point and entered the X-24 Star Realm.

Xu Wuyi, Iron War, and Lu Wenyuan fought through an alien insect swarm at Forward Base Three and located the mother nest underground. Lu Wenyuan completed an interference barrier that temporarily disrupted the nest’s control of the insects, leaving Xu Wuyi poised to attack its core.

• Xu Wuyi, Iron War, and Lu Wenyuan descended near Forward Base Three, where alien insects were assaulting the Federation base.
• Xu Wuyi used gravity techniques and Returning Ruins Seal to kill more than a hundred alien insects, but the swarm continued to converge on them.
• Lu Wenyuan detected the mother nest core eight hundred meters away and forty meters underground, and warned that at least five hundred insects guarded it.
• Xu Wuyi told Iron War to hold off the swarm while Lu Wenyuan set up an interference barrier, then prepared to strike the nest without collapsing its tunnels.
• Lu Wenyuan completed the barrier, disrupting the swarm’s coordination and starting its one-hundred-and-twenty-second duration.

Xu Wuyi infiltrated the brood nest and destroyed its core before the interference barrier expired. He returned to the surface as the team confirmed the nest was dead and began recovery operations.

• Lu Wenyuan reported that the biological-wave signal had been severed and gave Xu Wuyi one hundred and fifteen seconds to reach the brood nest core.
• Xu Wuyi used the Returning Ruins Seal to suppress the insects near the nest, then entered the underground passage and found the core.
• Xu Wuyi fought through the defending insects and pierced the brood nest core with a compressed dark-gold drop of Heart Image power.
• The core’s destruction caused the insects to collapse, and Xu Wuyi signaled Lu Wenyuan to begin recovery operations.
• Xu Wuyi returned to the surface, where Iron War had finished off the last insect and Lu Wenyuan confirmed the core’s destruction.

During the cleanup of alien insect brood nests, Xu Wuyi and his team encountered three Feathered Humans led by Jialou, a level 49 Lesser King sent to kill him. Xu Wuyi fought Jialou while Iron War and Lu Wenyuan engaged the other two, and Jialou tried to exploit Xu Wuyi’s reluctance to use flames near the brood nests’ energy veins.

• Lu Wenyuan warned that nearby brood nests had sensed the battle, so Xu Wuyi ordered the team to accelerate the cleanup.
• On the third day, Lu Wenyuan detected three approaching Feathered Humans, and the team prepared to fight.
• Jialou identified Xu Wuyi as the Blood Sacrifice Temple’s target and challenged him, while Iron War and Lu Wenyuan took on Jialou’s companions.
• Xu Wuyi evaded Jialou’s opening strikes with Quicksand Step and noted that Jialou was slower than the Bloodwing Twin Kings’ combined attack.
• Jialou unleashed his full power and taunted Xu Wuyi for avoiding flames because an explosion in the alien insect nests’ energy veins could kill his allies.