Chapter Summaries

Su Chen continued training while political pressure mounted over the deaths in Lost Flame and Qin Yun’s return without an explanation. As the Xuantian Church used its instrument to enhance talents and its fighters tested Su Chen’s old Training Projection, the churches and Royal Court began closing in on Qin Yun for answers.

• Qing Cang told Su Chen that Lu Huai and the Xuantian Instrument would likely remain at the Bronze Church longer, while Su Chen reflected on the growing danger of the Royal Court’s plan to merge the flames.
• Lu Huai confirmed that Venerable Lu Yanzhe had died and arranged with Qing Cang to use the Xuantian Instrument to enhance the Creation Copper Heart under demanding simulation conditions.
• Liao Yunfan narrowly defeated Su Chen’s outdated Training Projection, while Chen Hong and Xie Yufeng drew against it, leaving the Xuantian Church fighters impressed by Su Chen’s abilities.
• Chu Lingyuan pressed the recovering Qin Yun to explain what happened in Lost Flame, but Qin Yun maintained that everyone else had burned to death and offered no further account.
• Su Chen attended Wei Zhenghong’s gathering, where he learned that the Royal Court had invited the Five Great Sects to try to awaken the Prison-Suppressing King and that Qin Yun claimed to know nothing.
• Wei Zhenghong and the others worried that the Royal Court and churches would soon demand answers from Qin Yun about the missing Morning Star Rank experts.

Su Chen welcomed Teng Liang, Bu Siqi, and ten others from Scarlet Thunder Star to the Bronze Church and began arranging their roles in the Patrol Squad. Teng Liang then privately delivered letters from Su Chen’s teacher and friends, along with Strange Artifacts taken from the Cult of the Strange Gods.

• Wei Zhenghong and Zhao Ming discussed the deaths at Lost Flame and wondered whether the Peak Star Assembly would still take place.
• Bu Siqi, Teng Liang, and the others arrived at Copper Heart, where Liu Yang helped them obtain temporary entry permits after Old Zhang recognized their connection to Su Chen.
• Ming Lin greeted the newcomers and brought them to Su Chen’s welcoming banquet on Floating Island.
• Su Chen told Ming Lin he would arrange Patrol Squad positions for the newcomers, prioritizing Teng Liang and Bu Siqi, and offered Ming Lin a quota for the Xuantian Instrument.
• Teng Liang privately gave Su Chen a box of letters from his teacher and friends, as well as gains from Scarlet Thunder Star’s campaign against the Cult of the Strange Gods.

Su Chen traveled to Azure Tide Star with Ming Lin after preparing to intercept the Faceless Ghost and Black Pagoda God-Child. He identified two suspicious arrivals, and Qing Cang agreed to monitor them before taking action.

• Su Chen absorbed the Strange God's Power Teng Liang delivered, reviewed letters from Xia Hanshi and Little Pigeon, and decided to postpone moving people from Scarlet Thunder Star.
• Su Chen promoted Ming Lin to squad leader, assigned Teng Liang and the others to the Patrol Squad, and obtained permission to travel to Azure Tide Star.
• Black Zhao and Wuwang arrived at Azure Tide Star, where Wuwang recognized Teng Liang as the person who had exposed him before.
• Su Chen and Ming Lin monitored Black Zhao and Wuwang through the port's cameras, identified their cover identities, and reported their arrival to Qing Cang.
• Qing Cang examined Teng Liang, learned of his ability to sense Strange God believers, and decided to watch the two suspects before acting.

Qing Cang explained how divine scions and Strange Gods arose from corrupted Professional Spirits, while Su Chen and his companions monitored a secret meeting between Fan Zhao’s representative and Black Zhao. The representative asked the Strange Gods to kill Su Chen as a condition for further cooperation, and Qing Cang began explaining why meeting in person helped corrupt collaborators.

• Qing Cang described the three ways divine scions entered the physical world and explained that corrupted Professional Spirits could become divine scions or Strange Gods.
• Qing Cang told Su Chen to stay by his side while Su Chen considered how to question Faceless Ghost and Black Pagoda about the exposed divine scions.
• Fan Zhao learned Su Chen had arrived on Azure Tide Star and sent Fang Luoxun to meet Black Zhao and Wuwang in his place.
• Fang Luoxun told Black Zhao he needed help finding the spirit fire, but Black Zhao said he had to access the sect’s core grounds to investigate its disappearance.
• Fang Luoxun demanded that Black Zhao kill Su Chen before they continued cooperating.
• Ming Lin spotted the meeting on surveillance, and Qing Cang explained that in-person contact could draw collaborators deeper into cooperation with Strange Gods.

Qing Cang ambushed and killed the two Strange God God-Children who had come to Azure Tide Star, then captured Fang Luoxun and pursued Fan Zhao. While collecting the God-Children’s possessions, Su Chen discovered mist ember and learned the Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable wanted it purified.

• Black Zhao and Wuwang prepared to target Su Chen, but Qing Cang tore away the room’s roof and attacked them with a storm.
• Qing Cang destroyed Black Zhao and Wuwang’s bodies while Wuwang tried to escape through a spatial rift.
• Su Chen reached the ruins, where Ming Lin identified the captured Fang Luoxun as Fan Zhao’s second disciple and Qing Cang bound him.
• Qing Cang found Fan Zhao as he tried to flee, while Su Chen collected the God-Children’s belongings and extracted two portions of faceless ghost essence from their corpses.
• Su Chen found a faint mist ember among the scattered items and learned that the Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable desired it purified.

Su Chen and Qing Cang uncovered Fan Zhao’s collusion with the Strange Gods, though Fan Zhao claimed he had been seeking answers about a stolen spirit fire rather than targeting Su Chen. As Qing Cang prepared to take the prisoners back to the Church, he learned that Qin Yun’s return had shut down the star gates and demanded to speak with the person in charge.

• Su Chen concealed the mist ember after the Great Venerable showed interest in it, then Song Gang asked whether Su Chen had come for the Strange Gods’ scions.
• Qing Cang returned with Fan Zhao captured, and Song Gang recognized him as Qin Yun’s student.
• Qing Cang accused Fan Zhao of colluding with the Strange Gods to murder Su Chen, but Fan Zhao said he had contacted them to investigate the stolen spirit fire.
• Qing Cang sealed Fan Zhao’s mouth, ordered Song Gang to prepare the prisoners and the scions’ corpses, and warned Su Chen not to leave the Church’s core.
• Song Gang told Qing Cang that Qin Yun’s return had temporarily shut down the star gates, so Qing Cang ordered him to establish a communications channel with the Church.

Qing Cang explained that Mist Ember had latched onto the Bronze Church’s Flame, then returned to the sect with Su Chen and the captured Fan Zhao and Fang Luoxun. After revealing Fan Zhao’s alleged collusion with the Strange Gods and plot against Su Chen, Qing Cang forced Qin Yun to declare Fan Zhao’s punishment; Qin Yun called for his execution if the charges were proven.

• Qing Cang told Su Chen that the Ancient King’s search for Profession ascension had led Mist Ember to ensnare the sect’s Flame, and explained that removing it would destroy the Flame.
• Qin Yun returned to the sect’s central starport with Chu Lingyuan, while Qin Tianlin and the others welcomed him and wondered where Fan Zhao was.
• Qing Cang arrived with Fang Luoxun and Fan Zhao imprisoned in cages, accusing Fan Zhao of colluding with a divine son of the Strange Gods and attempting to kill a Star Seed.
• Qing Cang revealed that Su Chen was alive, exposing the reactions of Qin Yun’s faction and explaining that he wanted to see who wished Su Chen dead.
• Qing Cang asked Qin Yun how Fan Zhao should be punished, and Qin Yun said Fan Zhao should be executed without mercy if the charges were substantiated.

Qin Yun ordered Fan Zhao and Fang Luoxun executed if their collusion with Strange God's Sons was confirmed, while Qing Cang used the case to curb Qin Yun's influence. At Ancient King Hall, Qin Yun described how he entered Lost Flame and was nearly killed, and the Bronze Ancient King ordered him to recover and leave Church affairs to Chu Lingyuan as Qing Cang raised new concerns about the stolen Spirit Fire.

• Qin Yun called for Fan Zhao and Fang Luoxun to be executed without mercy, and Qing Cang assigned Wu Feng to investigate them impartially.
• Wu Feng discovered two God's Son corpses, and Su Chen identified them as belonging to the Faceless Ghost and Black Pagoda.
• Qing Cang, Qin Yun, and Chu Lingyuan answered the Bronze Ancient King's summons, where Qin Yun explained how the Royal Court had taken him and others into Lost Flame.
• Qing Cang suggested Qin Yun destroy himself to answer for the deaths in Lost Flame, but the Bronze Ancient King rebuked him and said the matter had not reached that point.
• The Bronze Ancient King ordered Qin Yun to keep his people under control, recover from his injuries, and leave Church affairs to Chu Lingyuan.
• After Qin Yun left, Qing Cang and Chu Lingyuan discussed the Strange God's Sons and the need for stronger inspections, then Qing Cang asked about the stolen Spirit Fire.

Qin Yun returned to Copper Heart and discussed the Ancient King Stele’s reaction to Su Chen with Qin Tianlin, while Su Chen experimented with the mist ember in the Nether Tower. The ember manifested as Black Pagoda and attacked him, but Su Chen remained determined to find a way to purify it.

• Qin Yun told Qin Tianlin that the matter involving Lost Flame would receive a satisfactory resolution and said the Ancient King might have a problem.
• Qin Tianlin told Qin Yun that the Ancient King Stele had flown over Su Chen’s Floating Island and that Su Chen possessed Star Amber-grade talent.
• Su Chen entered the mist ember with the Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable’s help and was pulled out of a mental illusion.
• Su Chen repeatedly tested the mist ember and encountered different forms of corruption, including a manifestation of Black Pagoda.
• Black Pagoda’s mist attacked Su Chen with a range of abilities before the Great Venerable pulled him out, and Su Chen considered trying again.

Su Chen tested himself against the weak Black Pagoda phantom and concluded he might defeat it after developing his professions further. Meanwhile, Fan Zhao's treachery shook the church, Qing Cang faced questions about Qin Yun's return, and Su Chen learned Ming Lin had used the Xuantian Instrument.

• Su Chen fought Black Pagoda again, lasted fifteen minutes, and surmised that Weapon Lord's ability or further profession development might let him win.
• Su Chen used stored essences to influence Weapon Lord and Stigmata Physician, then went to train while waiting for Song Yang and the others.
• The church learned Fan Zhao had colluded with a Strange God to harm Su Chen, and that the Punishment Hall was trying him based on evidence from Fang Luoxun's searched memories.
• Qing Cang brought Ming Lin to Lu Huai to use the Xuantian Instrument, then told Lu Huai that Qin Yun knew nothing about the recent deaths; Lu Huai left hostile and unconvinced.
• At Wei Zhenghong's gathering, Chu Ran celebrated reaching Star Amber Talent and told Su Chen that Ming Lin's use of the Xuantian Instrument had stirred discussion, while Wen Jing had stopped complaints.

Su Chen acquired the Weapon Lord profession, which let him merge his controlled Mystic Artifacts into his body and enhance them, then used their power to defeat Black Pagoda in the Nether Tower. He purified the Mist Ember, revealing its clear white core.

• Zhang Heng told the gathering that Qin Tianlin planned to use the Creation Copper Heart to claim the top spot among sixth-tier professionals.
• Jiang Mufeng reported that the Prison-Suppressing King could not wake and was being consumed by purple flames, while the other churches and the Royal Court held secret discussions.
• Su Chen stripped the spirituality from his five controlled Mystic Artifacts, merged it, and acquired the Weapon Lord profession.
• Su Chen used Crimson Warlord and Saint's Hand to enhance his Mystic Artifacts, then merged the weapons into his body to test their boosts.
• Su Chen entered the Nether Tower and overwhelmed Black Pagoda with his enhanced strength, speed, and defense.
• Su Chen destroyed Black Pagoda's black mist and purified the Mist Ember, exposing its white core.

Su Chen received gifts from the Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable after giving him a purified Mist Source, then learned more about Divine Radiance and arranged for Wei Zhenghong’s student to use the Xuantian Instrument. He began training with a powerful Red Sun Potion while considering how to forge Blood Burner into a Holy Profession.

• Su Chen gave the purified Mist Source to the Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable, who rewarded him with Flame of Infernal Fire and Punishing Thunder Fury and offered further help for more Mist Sources.
• Su Chen considered fusing Professions and wondered whether stacked talents could rival Divine Radiance, then welcomed Wei Zhenghong and his student Xiao Ying.
• Wei Zhenghong asked Su Chen to help Xiao Ying secure a slot for the Xuantian Instrument and gave him ten Red Sun Potions as thanks.
• Wei Zhenghong explained that Divine Radiance could forge a Holy Profession without Spirit Fire, while Su Chen considered the requirements for Blood Burner and his need to find Heart of Spirit Light and Morning Star Marrow.
• Su Chen drank a Red Sun Potion, discovered that it boosted body training, meditation, and nutrition, and began training with its effects.

Black Pagoda learned that the mist ember had been purified and ordered his believer to find out where it went. Su Chen, secretly posing as the believer, negotiated with Black Pagoda to secure a heart of spirit light for Zhou Yunyang in exchange for investigating the mist ember.

• Black Pagoda summoned Black Zhao and told him that someone had purified the mist ember sent into the church, ruling out the Bronze Ancient King.
• Tang Xiuqi returned from the Creation Copper Heart ready to advance to the Eighth Rank, while Liao Yunfan reached the sixth rank and challenged professionals on the Saint Ranking.
• Ming Lin emerged from the Xuantian Instrument with a Double Crimson result, and Lu Huai identified him as one of Su Chen's people.
• Su Chen's Profession development reached 41%, and he considered entering the Saint Ranking's top fifty to earn better supplies.
• Su Chen contacted Black Pagoda and claimed his plan to corrupt people close to Su Chen was progressing while agreeing to investigate the Divine Son's belongings.
• Su Chen told Black Pagoda that Zhou Yunyang wanted a heart of spirit light, and Black Pagoda promised to provide one if Su Chen found the mist ember and supplied convincing evidence.

Su Chen asked Luo Shuhang about ways to shorten Eternal Body’s time requirement and learned that Strange God power might alter Profession conditions, though unpredictably. After passing Copper Spirit’s verification for Hundredfold Forgemaster, Su Chen requested access to the next two Eternal Body sequences, but Copper Spirit questioned how he could meet the fourth sequence’s tier-six requirements.

• Su Chen promised Black Pagoda that he would trace the purified mist ember and investigate Teng Liang, then considered how to provide convincing evidence without exposing himself.
• Ming Lin returned from the Xuantian Instrument with Double Crimson talents, and Su Chen told him to focus on developing his Profession while Teng Liang and Bu Siqi handled the goods.
• Luo Shuhang told Su Chen that Strange God power could randomly shorten Profession requirements, and that Copper Spirit might be persuaded to let him access Holy Profession sequences in advance.
• Su Chen visited Copper Heart, passed Copper Spirit’s verification that he had taken up Hundredfold Forgemaster, and requested access to the next two Eternal Body sequences.
• Copper Spirit asked why Su Chen wanted to access them consecutively and pointed out that the fourth sequence required tier six, which Su Chen could not yet meet.

Su Chen fused the Meridian Wheel Walker and Abundance Envoy into the Rotating Saint, erased its job requirements, and directly advanced to the new profession. He also learned that the Peak Star Assembly would be held at the Bronze Church as part of negotiations over Qin Yun, though the gathering might also serve to probe the Bronze Ancient King’s condition.

• Su Chen persuaded Copper Spirit to reveal two more special professions and used the Flame of Infernal Fire to fuse them into the Rotating Saint, whose requirements were then erased.
• Copper Spirit refused to reveal the final special profession because it required tier seven, and Su Chen left to meet Chu Ran and the others at Wei Zhenghong’s floating island.
• Jiang Mufeng told the group that the Peak Star Assembly would move to the Bronze Church, easing tensions over Qin Yun while potentially allowing the other factions to investigate the Bronze Ancient King.
• Su Chen returned to his floating island and directly took the Rotating Saint profession, gaining the Four Seasons Meridian Wheel and greatly increased stamina and recovery.

Su Chen tested the abilities of his newly acquired Rotating Saint Profession, then planned his next Profession milestones and focused on raising his development progress. As the Peak Star Assembly shifted to the Bronze Church, Qin Tianlin acquired Heavenly Punishment Vajra and prepared to challenge Xiang Zhou, while Su Chen reached 50% development in two Professions and gained new fused abilities.

• Su Chen found that the Four Seasons Meridian Wheel strengthened his Stomach of Gluttony and let him sustain Meridian Wheel Release for twenty-five minutes before it needed to recover.
• Su Chen decided to seek Mist Ember through the Flame afflicting the Church, then planned to reach 50% development before pursuing Stigmata Physician and a sixth-tier main Profession.
• The Peak Star Assembly venue moved from the Royal Court to the Bronze Church, easing the concerns of Qin Yun's faction.
• Qin Tianlin acquired Heavenly Punishment Vajra, and Qin Yun approved his challenge to Xiang Zhou at the Challenge Center after Qin Zheng mentioned rumors about the Venerable.
• Su Chen raised Thunder Radiance Flame Lord and Scarlet Thunder Might Lord to 50%, gaining Tribulation Fire Thunder Body and Word Might.

Su Chen tested his enhanced abilities and entered the top hundred of the Saint Ranking after defeating Meng Jingyuan. Qing Cang visited to discuss the Xuantian Instrument, the Peak Star Assembly, Morning Star Marrow, and Qin Tianlin’s rise to first place, leaving Su Chen focused on Qin Tianlin.

• Su Chen challenged Meng Jingyuan, broke free of his ice attack, and defeated him with a single punch, reaching ninety-ninth on the Saint Ranking.
• Qing Cang agreed to arrange one Xuantian Instrument slot for a student of Wei Zhenghong and discussed preparations for the Peak Star Assembly.
• Su Chen asked about Qin Yun, and Qing Cang said the Bronze Ancient King could kill him as an explanation if the other factions did not apply pressure.
• Qing Cang explained that Morning Star Marrow came from Morning Star Rank professionals and that only the Royal Court could extract and preserve it.
• Qing Cang told Su Chen that Qin Tianlin had taken first place among sixth-rank professionals, then praised Su Chen for entering the Saint Ranking’s top hundred.

Su Chen defeated Qin Tianlin’s challenge projection by combining the Four Seasons Meridian Wheel with Saint’s Hand-empowered Blood Burner, Trampler, and Spirit Might. As Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an arrived to watch Qin Tianlin’s attempt at the top spot, Chen Xiaosheng discovered that a new challenger had reshuffled the Saint Ranking.

• Su Chen challenged Qin Tianlin and initially struggled against the vajra’s overwhelming strength and Dawn Heaven’s Execution attacks.
• Su Chen used the Four Seasons Meridian Wheel and Saint’s Hand to empower Blood Burner, Trampler, and Spirit Might, then seized and shattered Qin Tianlin’s compressed light spear.
• Su Chen overwhelmed the vajra with a barrage of strikes and destroyed the projection with a final Scarlet Thunder punch.
• Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an discussed the upcoming Peak Star Assembly and went to the Challenge Center after noticing a crowd gathering there.
• Wang Ye told Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an that Qin Tianlin was preparing to take the top spot, and Qin Guang confronted them outside the Challenge Center.
• Chen Xiaosheng saw that he had fallen from one hundredth to one hundred and first place, then noticed an unexpected change higher in the Saint Ranking.

Su Chen rose to ninety-ninth on the Saint Ranking, then stunned the Challenge Center by taking the sixth-rank champion position from Qin Tianlin while still at the fifth rank. The chapter ended with Wei Zhenghong celebrating Qin Tianlin’s record-short reign as champion.

• Chen Xiaosheng announced that Su Chen had reached ninety-ninth on the Saint Ranking, shocking Wei Zhenghong, Liao Yunfan, and the other onlookers.
• Qin Tianlin claimed the sixth-rank champion position, and Qin Guang celebrated his son’s achievement before a crowd of church officials.
• Xiang Zhou entered the Challenge Center to update his projection data, while Qin Tianlin invited Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an to watch.
• Xiang Zhou emerged without claiming victory, but the live rankings revealed that Su Chen had become the sixth-rank champion and pushed Qin Tianlin from the position.
• Qin Guang protested that the ranking system must be wrong, while Wei Zhenghong celebrated Su Chen’s records and Qin Tianlin’s brief reign.

Su Chen defeated Qin Tianlin and took first place among the sixth-rank professionals on the Saint Ranking, then celebrated his victory with Wei Zhenghong and the others. Meanwhile, Qing Cang argued with Chu Lingyuan and Qin Yun over whether to build a new satellite city for the Peak Star Assembly.

• Su Chen’s victory over Qin Tianlin shocked the Challenge Center, and Xiang Zhou predicted Qin Tianlin would fail to reclaim his rank.
• Su Chen recovered from the fight, considered using Qin Tianlin as a scapegoat for the Mist Ember’s purification, and claimed first place among sixth-rankers on the Saint Ranking.
• Su Chen reviewed his new potion and Creation Copper Heart benefits before leaving to find Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an waiting at his harbor.
• Wei Zhenghong welcomed Su Chen to a crowded celebration on his Floating Island and mocked Qin Tianlin’s faction.
• Qing Cang confronted Chu Lingyuan over a rejected materials transfer and argued that the church should build a satellite city for the Peak Star Assembly.
• Qin Yun opposed the construction, while Chu Lingyuan questioned whether the city could be completed in time.