Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• Lygus contacts Zhang Xiu through an Intellitron, reveals that he knows more about Zhang than expected, and invites him to join an experiment on Amphoreus. He promises to help make Zhang’s dream come true.
• Zhang recognizes Lygus as one of Zandar’s incarnations and wonders what the experiment involves. The promise of fulfilling his dream persuades him to accept, though he postpones going.
• Yaoshi asks whether he truly intends to participate. Zhang says he does, and she decides to accompany him.
• The next morning, Zhang notices that Lygus’s message gives no directions to Amphoreus and wonders how he will reach it. He sets aside the questions and prepares to continue their other plans.
• Finding March and Stelle missing, Zhang suspects they may have eaten the cake brought back the night before. Yaoshi finds them unconscious beside the partly eaten cake and uses her Abundance powers to revive them. She teasingly calls herself their “Mommy” as they wake.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu shifts from suspicion and uncertainty to eager commitment when Lygus offers to realize his lifelong dream. His excitement is so intense that he briefly fails to notice Yaoshi trying to get his attention.
• Yaoshi protects Zhang during Lygus’s unsettling appearance, then supports his decision by insisting on joining him. She also playfully cares for the incapacitated Stelle and March.
• Lygus remains mysterious and confident, offering Zhang little practical information while emphasizing the experiment and its promised reward.
• Zhang and Yaoshi share a quiet, intimate moment after agreeing to go together.
• Yaoshi, Stelle, and March have a playful, affectionate interaction when Yaoshi restores the two friends and jokingly adopts a maternal role.

Significant themes

• Pursuing a personal dream: Zhang recognizes that concern for loved ones cannot become an excuse to abandon what he wants to achieve.
• Trust and uncertainty: He accepts Lygus’s invitation despite not knowing the experiment’s details or even how to reach Amphoreus.
• Partnership and care: Yaoshi supports Zhang’s ambitions while remaining close to him, and her healing of Stelle and March shows her nurturing side.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu plans a busy day: testing Herta’s Simulated Universe, visiting Bailu and Dan Heng, and later joining the Ten-Lords Commission’s Ghost-Hunting Squad to capture Heliobi. March 7th eagerly asks to join.
• Yaoshi tries to accompany Zhang Xiu to Herta Space Station despite Herta’s objections. She hides inside his oversized cloak, but Herta finds her. Yaoshi pretends to be a cat; Herta gives up trying to keep her away and lets the group proceed.
• Herta prepares the Simulated Universe scenario and sets the task: find the previous incarnation of the Aeon of Propagation.
• On Duyu Star System, Celine has settled into a healthier life since her lifespan problem was solved. Norden and Naya use the Power of Abundance, guided by the Swarm as a model, to create a new member of their species. This offers hope to the endangered Insect Girls.
• The Insect Girls begin trying to reproduce the success. Celine refuses Syd’s invitation, feeling that creating life this way is not right for her. She recalls Zhang Xiu’s belief in lifelong love and wonders what the emotion means.
• Celine and Syd hear a disturbance and assume Zhang Xiu’s group has returned. Instead, they encounter armored bounty hunters carrying rifles.

Character developments

• March 7th shifts from embarrassment over the earlier incident to enthusiasm about ghost hunting.
• Yaoshi shows affection and consideration for Herta, willingly playing along with the disguise rather than simply forcing her way through.
• Herta reluctantly softens her opposition to Yaoshi’s presence, recognizing that Yaoshi could evade her if she truly wished.
• Celine continues to grow beyond survival concerns. She begins forming personal ideas about love and commitment, though she does not yet understand them.
• Norden and Naya achieve a breakthrough that may save their species.

Character interactions

• Zhang Xiu teases March 7th and Stelle about eating discarded cake, then includes March in the day’s plans.
• Zhang Xiu tries to keep Yaoshi away from Herta’s station, but she insists on going with him. Herta catches them, and Zhang attempts to placate her with exaggerated compliments.
• Syd asks Celine to help create more of their kind; Celine declines, guided by her emerging sense that reproduction should be connected to something meaningful.
• Celine and Syd run toward the bounty hunters, expecting familiar friends, setting up a likely confrontation.

Significant themes

• Survival and renewal: The Insect Girls’ species gains hope through the creation of new life.
• Love and personal choice: Celine questions whether reproduction should be purely practical, using Zhang Xiu’s commitment to love as a moral reference.
• Affection and respect: Yaoshi’s deference to Herta contrasts with the power she could wield, while Herta’s eventual acceptance suggests mutual understanding.
• Expectation versus reality: Celine and Syd mistake the approaching disturbance for friends, only to find armed strangers.

Key plot points and events

• Celine and Syd encounter a group of Bounty Hunters, who try to subdue them and declare their intention to take the native species into space.
• Celine and Syd fight back with overwhelming physical strength: Celine’s punches scatter the hunters, while Syd lifts and throws a mountain, killing several.
• A surviving hunter hides among the rubble and is attacked by a swarm of tiny bugs, but he manages to defend himself. Celine then breaks apart the rock pile and Syd tears apart a powerful hunter.
• A distant female hunter begins firing at Celine. Her shots devastate Celine faster than her Abundance-enhanced regeneration can heal her. Syd shields her, suffering severe injuries herself.
• More Bounty Hunters arrive in spaceships, vastly outnumbering the Insect Girls. They threaten to capture the girls as pets, leaving Naya and the others in a desperate standoff.
• Zhang Xiu arrives with Yaoshi. Seeing the wounded girls and the hostile hunters, Zhang Xiu turns toward the crowd—and blushes.

Character developments

• Celine shifts from wary innocence to fierce aggression when she recognizes the hunters as enemies. Though formidable, she is badly injured by the distant sniper.
• Syd proves both exceptionally powerful and deeply protective, risking herself to shield Celine.
• Naya feels the strain of defending the group while outnumbered and without Celine’s help.
• Zhang Xiu arrives to find the Insect Girls gravely hurt; his reddening face signals a strong emotional reaction, setting up the chapter’s closing beat.

Character interactions

• Celine and Syd fight as a team, with Syd repeatedly supporting and protecting Celine.
• The Bounty Hunters treat the Insect Girls as targets for colonization and even as potential pets.
• Yaoshi immediately tends to Celine and Syd after Zhang Xiu’s arrival, while Zhang Xiu confronts the hunters’ hostile presence.

Significant themes

• The danger of imperialism: The hunters assume that a planet-bound people are weak and fit to be exploited.
• Strength and vulnerability: Celine and Syd can overpower ordinary attackers, yet a distant, well-equipped enemy can still bring them close to death.
• Protective loyalty: Syd’s willingness to suffer for Celine stands out amid the escalating violence.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu erupts in rage when the Bounty Hunters threaten those around him. His power overwhelms them, and he nearly unleashes a devastating Flame Arrow.
• Yaoshi restrains him and reminds him not to destroy the area indiscriminately. Zhang Xiu checks himself, reasoning that even the “bugs” in the Simulated Universe—and any hunters who might still be redeemable—deserve consideration.
• He leaves his companions to get acquainted, then secretly investigates the hunters by infusing them with Path Power, which lets him glimpse fragments of their past and judge whether they should live. One hunter, Avril, is spared and healed; she escapes, eager to return to the children she supports.
• Zhang Xiu spends hours tracking down the infiltrators, kills those he judges guilty, and cancels the commission that brought them there.
• Reflecting on the scale of the Abundance Alliance’s war against the Xianzhou, he recognizes how overwhelming the conflict was for General Yueyu. He refuses to let Yaoshi wipe out the Abominations of Abundance indiscriminately, since many of their people may be innocent.
• Meanwhile, the others gather in a tree hollow. They discuss Yaoshi’s small, humanoid form and compare it with an insect species’ reproductive problems.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu reveals both the frightening extent of his combat power and a more restrained moral outlook. Though furious, he chooses to judge individuals rather than slaughter indiscriminately.
• Yaoshi acts as his emotional and ethical anchor, stopping him from causing needless destruction. She later explains that her small appearance is her true form.
• March 7th is shaken by Zhang Xiu’s violence and newly understands how powerful he is. She then joins the others in their awkwardly curious conversation about Yaoshi.
• Avril is shown to be a bounty hunter with a compassionate motive: she takes dangerous work to support children. Zhang Xiu’s glimpse into her past leads him to spare her.
• Celine contributes an unsettling example from insect biology, prompting the others’ bemused reactions.

Significant themes

• Restraint and responsibility: Great power does not justify indiscriminate destruction.
• Individual judgment and compassion: Even enemies may have reasons, and whole populations should not be condemned for the crimes of some.
• Respect for life: Zhang Xiu questions whether simulated beings count as people, but concludes that their lives still deserve respect.
• The cost of war: Yueyu’s death illustrates how even a powerful leader can be overwhelmed by the scale of a conflict and the losses suffered by those under her command.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu returns after resolving the immediate danger, and Yaoshi joyfully throws herself into his arms. Naya thanks him and offers food, while the Insect Girls set out to gather Origin Larvae—the local delicacy.
• Zhang Xiu keeps the newly healed Celine and Syd behind, asking them to show the group around and help care for Naya’s children. He learns that Yaoshi’s Abundance power has already allowed the children to eat, though they are not yet conscious.
• Herta’s Doll reminds the group of their assignment: find the being who will become the Aeon of Propagation. The group sets out, with March nervous about encountering the future Aeon and Stelle distracted by eating bugs.
• Using Herta’s research, they locate a huge swarm of intelligent beetle-like True Stings. Zhang Xiu questions one, hoping to identify Tayzzyronth, but the insects lack language and names. The group cannot determine which one is the future Aeon, and Yaoshi says she cannot help without using more power.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu shows concern for Celine, remembering the suffering she has endured, and encourages her to rest rather than join the search. Naya backs him up and asks Celine and Syd to watch her children.
• Naya’s gratitude toward Zhang Xiu is tinged with embarrassment and a sense that simply calling him family is not enough to repay him.
• March is grossed out by the prospect of eating larvae and later panics when Stelle chews a bug and she accidentally steps on another.
• Zhang Xiu jokes about “bullying a bug,” but becomes frustrated when the True Stings cannot communicate who Tayzzyronth is.
• Yaoshi remains affectionate toward Zhang Xiu but is constrained by the need to hide her power from another version of herself.

Significant themes

• Care and family: The group repays Zhang Xiu’s help with hospitality, while he and others look after Celine and Naya’s children.
• Loneliness and identity: Tayzzyronth’s future ascension is linked to being the last of his kind and feeling alone, yet identifying him is difficult because the swarm has no names or shared language.
• Limits of power and knowledge: Even powerful characters cannot easily solve the search; Yaoshi is constrained, and Herta’s research cannot overcome the bugs’ lack of communication.

Key events

• Unable to identify the Tayzzyronth precursor among the enormous True Sting swarm, Zhang Xiu suggests beating them all up. March 7th objects, and Herta’s puppet quickly pinpoints the target: Tayzzyronth has only just been born, thousands of kilometers away.
• Zhang Xiu takes Yaoshi and races toward the target, with March 7th and Stelle relying on Celine and Syd to keep up. Along the way, they glimpse an Origin Larva being sought by the Insect Girls.
• The group reaches a miasma-filled valley covered in webs. Celine warns that a powerful Giant Spider may have carried off their quarry; Syd confirms that her mother created the spiders.
• March 7th is horrified to learn that Celine’s people created life throughout the star system and reproduce through a cycle in which a younger sister consumes her older sisters after their deaths, gives birth to the next generation, and is then eaten by that generation.
• The group enters the valley. A yak-sized Giant Spider attacks, but Celine kills it with one punch, removes its venom sac, and eats it—offering some to the others, who refuse.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu stays focused on finding the precursor, relying on Herta’s remote help and taking charge of the journey.
• March 7th grows increasingly overwhelmed by the valley’s insects and the revelations about the Insect Girls’ origins and reproduction. Stelle only makes things worse by teasing her with a bug.
• Celine and Syd treat their strange biology and the local ecosystem as ordinary. Celine displays formidable strength, while both sisters casually regard the Giant Spider as food.
• Herta, through her puppet, efficiently locates the target. Yaoshi joins the expedition, while Stelle helps carry March 7th.

Significant themes

• The alien and the familiar: March 7th’s reactions highlight how unsettling the Insect Girls’ ordinary customs seem to outsiders.
• Creation, life, and death: The chapter presents a cycle of creation and reproduction built around consumption, blurring the line between family and food.
• Humor through contrast: The group’s matter-of-fact behavior clashes with March 7th’s mounting panic, especially during the spider encounter.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu’s group finds Tayzzyronth as a larva in a cave, beneath a True Sting corpse and parasitic eggs. The larva’s broodmother appears to have been killed shortly before giving birth.
• A battered adult True Sting arrives, kills a spider, and tries to reach the larva. Celine restrains it, while the larva desperately calls out to it.
• After the insects calm down, Celine and Syd explain that the adult may be the last survivor of its colony and intends to sacrifice itself so the larva can survive. Zhang Xiu refuses to let that happen: he has Yaoshi heal the adult, knocks it unconscious, and carries both insects to safety.
• At the underwater palace, Zhang Xiu treats the larva as a curiosity, teasing it and confirming it is male. The group waits for dinner while Celine prepares food.
• Celine describes an “Origin Larva,” a nutritious food source her ancestors created for newly born offspring. Her inherited memories say it tastes exceptionally good, leaving Zhang Xiu and even March 7th curious.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu shifts from amused curiosity about the future Aeon to reluctant compassion, rescuing the adult True Sting despite his frustration at losing a “touching moment.”
• Celine and Syd reveal that True Stings can show attachment and self-sacrifice, complicating the group’s assumptions about insect behavior. Celine also guides the others through her species’ inherited memories.
• March 7th is unsettled by the insects’ possible sacrifice and wary of exploring, but her anxiety gives way to curiosity about the Origin Larva’s taste.
• Yaoshi heals the injured True Sting at Zhang Xiu’s request; Stelle entertains herself by teasing the larva.
• The Herta puppet completes its recording, briefly noting Yaoshi for its records.

Significant themes

• The chapter challenges the assumption that insects act only through instinct, presenting kinship, attachment, and sacrifice among the True Stings.
• It contrasts different species’ moral frameworks: Zhang Xiu’s group interprets the adult’s behavior as moving, while Celine and Syd explain it matter-of-factly.
• The absurdity of treating the future Aeon of Propagation as a helpless, possibly tasty larva adds comic contrast to the chapter’s emotional rescue.

Plot points and events

• Celine explains that her children cannot safely be given Origin Larvae because they are too fragile. She brings out four enormous eggs: the children are tiny black organisms beneath pulsing shells, and their eventual appearance is unknown.
• The group examines the eggs, then samples the Wise Bugs’ unusual desserts: armored insects coated in a red liquid that helps digest their filling bodies. March enjoys them, unaware at first that the liquid is potent enough to damage an ordinary person.
• Naya and the others return with only four Origin Larvae, revealing how rare and powerful they are. Zhang Xiu recognizes that they hurried back so he would not have to wait.
• Rather than share the larvae or let his companions share theirs, Zhang Xiu keeps the arrangement simple to avoid making the Insect Girls feel indebted. He hopes to join their community as family, without special status.
• In a separate scene aboard a deteriorating spaceship, Kafka and Silver Wolf discuss Elio’s Script. It predicts that Zhang Xiu will become the hero he imagines and reach the place where “Existence” resides. Silver Wolf questions what this means and whether Elio will intervene; Kafka suggests that, since the Script has not changed, events will not greatly affect them. Kafka wonders what Blade is facing on the Xianzhou.

Character developments

• Zhang Xiu shows sensitivity to the Insect Girls’ feelings and a desire for genuine belonging, not influence or obligation. He also recognizes how close-knit and trusting their society is.
• Celine is tender and protective toward her unusually fragile children, while remaining optimistic about raising them.
• March 7th is curious and adventurous, eagerly photographing the eggs and trying unfamiliar food despite her initial hesitation.
• Silver Wolf is unsettled by the Script’s unexpected implications and questions Elio’s reliability, while remaining skeptical and pragmatic.
• Kafka stays composed and teasing, using Blade’s dislike of wine to turn the conversation toward him.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Zhang Xiu values becoming part of the Insect Girls’ family on equal terms.
• Care and vulnerability: Celine’s fragile children contrast with the strength of the adults around them.
• Cultural exchange: The visitors encounter unfamiliar customs and food, prompting reflection on another civilization’s way of life.
• Fate and agency: Elio’s Script raises questions about Zhang Xiu’s future and how much control the characters have over it.

Character interactions

• Celine shares her children with the visitors, who watch over the eggs with fascination.
• Zhang Xiu, March, and the others share the local food, with Zhang quietly realizing the danger of its digestive coating.
• Zhang Xiu stops Stelle and March from giving up their Origin Larvae, aiming to prevent the exchange from creating a debt.
• Kafka and Silver Wolf discuss the Script; Kafka offers wine, Silver Wolf refuses, and Kafka links their shared dislike of it to Blade.

Plot points

• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi take Dan Heng to meet Bailu, joking with him along the way. Bailu is waiting near Aurum Alley with A-Zhuo.
• Jingliu arrives to see Bailu about her “ailment of the heart.” A-Zhuo is suspicious of her at first, but Bailu explains that Jingliu is her patient. Blade then appears, followed by Jing Yuan.
• Zhang Xiu, Yaoshi, and Dan Heng arrive, bringing together the five former members of the High-Cloud Quintet. Their reunion is tense and wordless, so Jingliu redirects everyone into a line for medical consultations with Bailu.
• Blade has a brief consultation, then exchanges a charged, silent look with Dan Heng before leaving. Jingliu and Dan Heng are also visibly affected by the encounter.
• After the consultations, Bailu asks Dan Heng and Zhang Xiu about the former companions’ unusual behavior. A-Zhuo then reveals that people calling themselves Dragon Masters have warned her to stay away from Bailu. Zhang Xiu assigns Bailu to help guide A-Zhuo and hints that he and Dan Heng will deal with the Dragon Masters.

Character developments and interactions

• Dan Heng remains reserved and uncomfortable with the reunion, but his look with Blade reveals their painful shared history. He also lightly teases Zhang Xiu’s singing.
• Blade stays withdrawn, using his place in line to see Bailu first. His brief exchange of gazes with Dan Heng suggests unresolved grief and conflict.
• Jingliu is gentle with Bailu, despite her severe appearance, and uses the medical consultations to break the group’s silence. Seeing the others clearly stirs her emotions.
• Jing Yuan arrives with characteristic calm and concern, but leaves without speaking privately to Dan Heng.
• Bailu is caring toward her patients and senses that the group shares a complicated past, despite lacking memories of her former life.
• A-Zhuo is protective of Bailu and quick to suspect strangers; her report about the Dragon Masters introduces a new threat.
• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi bring the former companions together, with Zhang Xiu’s joking demeanor contrasting with the reunion’s sorrow. Yaoshi becomes embarrassed when he connects the group’s tragedy to her Emanator Shuhu.

Themes

• The reunion explores shared history, grief, and estrangement: the former companions stand together again but struggle to speak or meet one another’s eyes.
• Memory and identity appear through Bailu, who lacks her past-life memories yet intuitively senses the weight of the group’s connections.
• The chapter balances emotional pain with humor and ordinary care, using jokes, medical consultations, and playful plans to ease the tension.
• The Dragon Masters’ warning foreshadows a coming conflict involving Bailu and A-Zhuo.

Plot points and events

• Dan Heng agrees to handle the Dragon Masters, while Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi put off their plan to summon Shuhu. Zhang Xiu worries that killing the immortal creature now could disrupt Blade’s later reckoning with his past and draw the Xianzhou into a larger conflict.
• Zhang Xiu takes Bailu and A-Zhuo to Fyxestroll Garden. His magically created sun makes the gloomy memorial grounds bright and picturesque, and the children play there until they tire.
• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi then wait at the Ghost-Hunting Squad’s office for the others to arrive. Huohuo comes first, but sits alone until Zhang Xiu brings her over to Yaoshi.
• Yaoshi’s affection prompts Huohuo to cry. Tail explains that after he ate Huohuo’s tail, people—including, painfully, her mother—treated her cruelly and called her a “tailless monster.” Yaoshi comforts Huohuo and uses her power to soothe her.
• Once Huohuo has recovered, Zhang Xiu jokes about tasting one of Yaoshi’s tears, embarrassing Huohuo further. Sushang and Guinaifen arrive, with Guinaifen livestreaming; March messages that she and Stelle are on their way.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu balances caution about Shuhu’s fate with a playful, teasing manner. He takes the children sightseeing and draws Huohuo out of her corner, though his joke afterward adds to her embarrassment.
• Yaoshi shows a strong maternal tenderness toward Huohuo, comforting her without judging her tears and actively easing her distress.
• Huohuo is revealed to carry deep hurt from childhood bullying. Though anxious and ashamed of showing emotion, she accepts Yaoshi’s comfort and finally lets herself grieve.
• Tail admits the painful consequence of his past action and falls silent rather than mock Huohuo, suggesting guilt and sympathy.
• Bailu and A-Zhuo enjoy Zhang Xiu’s transformed garden, while the approaching Ghost-Hunting Squad members set up the next gathering.

Significant themes

• Immortality and its consequences: Shuhu is nearly impossible to destroy, and the group must consider how intervening could alter Blade’s future.
• Compassion and healing: Yaoshi’s patient affection gives Huohuo space to express pain she has long kept inside.
• Belonging and cruelty: Huohuo’s childhood mistreatment shows the lasting harm of being labeled and excluded.
• Light transforming place: Zhang Xiu’s sun softens Fyxestroll Garden’s oppressive atmosphere, even though its memorial purpose and eerie design remain.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu introduces March 7th to the group, including Guinaifen, Sushang, and Huohuo. Xi Xing also greets March while pretending they have not met before, leaving March confused.
• Guinaifen shares a post from Qingque describing strange behavior at the Divination Commission. Huohuo suspects Heliobi possession, prompting the group to warn Qingque and investigate.
• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi visit the imprisoned Heliobus Fuyan for information. They aggressively shake and kick it before realizing they have not asked a question.
• Fuyan identifies Xiyan as a Heliobus who torments prophets and oracles by making them struggle between chance and destiny, then collapses unconscious.
• The group sets off by AI-operated Starskiff to find Qingque. When another vessel cuts them off, their Starskiff’s AI responds by activating “Angry Driver” mode.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu’s boisterous, teasing manner is on display throughout; he treats the group like children and joins Yaoshi in comically rough treatment of Fuyan.
• Yaoshi appears gentle with Huohuo but is equally mischievous and physically enthusiastic when dealing with Fuyan. Her name triggers Huohuo’s uneasy suspicion that she may be the infamous Plagues Author, though Huohuo dismisses the idea.
• Huohuo shows gratitude toward Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi for comforting her, while Sushang notices her watching them and asks about it.
• March 7th joins the group and meets its members, though she remains startled by the eerie surroundings and Fuyan.
• Fuyan is reduced to a dazed, comic state by Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi, but still provides a useful clue.

Significant themes

• Comedy amid danger: The threat of Heliobi possession is undercut by the group’s absurd behavior and the Starskiff AI’s road-rage mode.
• Chance versus destiny: Xiyan’s interest in unsettling prophets and oracles introduces the chapter’s central supernatural mystery.
• Trust and uncertainty: Huohuo’s thoughts about Yaoshi show how a name and reputation can create doubt, even when someone appears kind.

Key plot points and events

• A Starskiff driver provokes Zhang Xiu by blocking his route and threatening him. Zhang Xiu tells the AI to pull over and confronts the man.
• The man claims his father is “Zhang Erhe,” expecting the name to frighten Zhang Xiu. Instead, Zhang Xiu bursts out laughing at the coincidence.
• Zhang Xiu inspects the man’s memories and finds a spoiled rich bully whose worst known act was breaking someone’s legs. He prepares to kill him, but Yaoshi reminds him that the incident could put their friend Jing Yuan in a difficult position.
• The Cloud Knights arrive to investigate. The man rolls behind them, recovers quickly, and falsely claims Zhang Xiu tried to kill him.
• When the man looks at Yaoshi with lecherous intent, Zhang Xiu’s restraint ends. In public, he punches through the man’s body, restores him with Path power, then repeatedly breaks his limbs, declaring that this is what “harming someone” looks like.

Character developments

• Zhang Xiu shifts from playful amusement to deliberate brutality. He briefly considers the consequences for Jing Yuan, but the man’s lustful stare at Yaoshi overrides his restraint.
• Yaoshi acts as Zhang Xiu’s calm counterbalance, preventing an immediate killing and reminding him of their ties to Jing Yuan. She also quietly shields the group from view before Zhang Xiu attacks.
• The man is exposed as a cowardly, entitled bully. His bluster collapses when confronted, and he resorts to hiding behind the Cloud Knights and lying.

Character interactions

• March 7th accidentally sprays tea on Stelle after hearing the AI’s stream of abuse, then apologizes and wipes her face.
• Zhang Xiu dismisses the AI’s warnings and takes responsibility for confronting the Starskiff passenger.
• Yaoshi restrains Zhang Xiu once and later supports him silently as he reacts to the man’s leering.
• The Cloud Knights try to control the scene and gather evidence, but Zhang Xiu’s violence leaves them shocked and unsure how to respond.

Significant themes

• Power and entitlement: The man relies on his father’s status to intimidate others, while Zhang Xiu wields overwhelming power without hesitation.
• Restraint and provocation: Yaoshi’s appeal to friendship and public consequences briefly holds Zhang Xiu back, but personal disrespect pushes him into open violence.
• Justice versus vengeance: Zhang Xiu initially considers using the authorities and the man’s past crimes against him, then abandons that measured approach for a brutal personal punishment.

Plot and key events

• Zhang Xiu explains to Jing Yuan that he attacked a man who had threatened him, maiming him. Public opinion largely supports Zhang Xiu because the man has a bad reputation, though Jing Yuan wants the case handled through a formal public ruling.
• Zhang Xiu asks Jing Yuan to send the offender and his father to the Prison of Deep Seclusion, then tries to leave. Jing Yuan makes him stay until they can announce the matter publicly; Zhang Xiu is released after losing several chess games.
• Yaoshi waits outside for Zhang Xiu. They discuss the Heliobus situation and decide to go see what happens at the Divination Commission.
• Fu Xuan, influenced by Xiyan, declares Qingque fired. Qingque is initially stunned, but soon embraces the prospect of leaving her job—while insisting she’ll help resolve the crisis first.
• Rather than step in directly, Zhang Xiu secretly records Fu Xuan’s delusional speech and has Yaoshi place the phone behind her, intending to give Qingque leverage over her.
• Fu Xuan proclaims that everyone’s choices are predetermined. When Zhang Xiu prompts her about becoming general, she enthusiastically predicts she will become general, defeat major enemies, succeed the Marshal, and ultimately become the next Reignbow Arbiter.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu presents himself as gentle and frightened despite his extreme violence, then turns the Divination Commission crisis into an opportunity for mischief. His affection for Yaoshi is clear in their playful, intimate exchange.
• Jing Yuan remains patient but weary, balancing friendship with procedure and public accountability.
• Yaoshi is affectionate toward Zhang Xiu and willingly helps carry out his scheme.
• Qingque shifts from hurt and disbelief to excitement at being fired, treating it as a chance to escape a job she feels is wasting her talents. She nevertheless wants to help before leaving.
• Fu Xuan speaks with grand certainty under Xiyan’s influence, revealing her ambition to become general—and beyond—while mistaking her delusions for clear judgment.
• Stelle, Sushang, Guinaifen, Huohuo, and Tail react to Qingque’s dismissal and debate how to free Fu Xuan from the Heliobus’s influence; Huohuo’s reliance on Zhang Xiu draws Tail’s criticism.

Significant themes

• The chapter plays with free will versus fate, through Fu Xuan’s claim that all choices follow a predetermined path.
• Ambition and self-image are exposed in Fu Xuan’s increasingly extravagant predictions about her future.
• Accountability and justice appear in Jing Yuan’s insistence on formal procedure, even when the accused is unpopular.
• Work, purpose, and escape surface in Qingque’s unexpected relief at losing her post.
• The comic tone comes from the contrast between serious supernatural danger and Zhang Xiu’s opportunistic, teasing response.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi rejoin the group, joking about Fu Xuan’s bizarre behavior while possessed by the Heliobus Xiyan. Stelle and March 7th regret not recording it.
• Zhang Xiu explains that he used his Path Power to inspect a criminal’s memories and says the man and his father have been sent to the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
• Fu Xuan briefly resists Xiyan after recognizing Zhang Xiu and recalling that he mocked her height. Zhang Xiu then pulls Xiyan out of her and traps it with his Path Power.
• Huohuo gives Fu Xuan and the unconscious diviners elixirs, then seals Xiyan in her gourd.
• Qingque tries to turn Fu Xuan’s possession-induced dismissal into a lucrative severance payout. Fu Xuan claims she cannot remember what she said and orders Qingque back to work.
• As Qingque leaves, Zhang Xiu stops her and plays a recording of Fu Xuan boasting that she is destined to become general, defeat the Abundance and Destruction, and even succeed the Marshal or become the next Reignbow Arbiter. He teases Fu Xuan that Jing Yuan could hear it.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu is portrayed as powerful, mischievous, and fond of recording embarrassing moments. He rescues Fu Xuan and the diviners, but ends by using the recording to provoke her.
• Fu Xuan recovers her composure after being freed, thanks Zhang Xiu, and cleverly tries to evade Qingque’s severance claim. Her grandiose words while possessed leave her mortified.
• Qingque remains opportunistic and lazy, scheming to use her dismissal for a comfortable life running a mahjong parlor. Fu Xuan shuts down the plan, and Qingque reluctantly returns to work.
• Stelle and March 7th share in the group’s amusement and wish they had recorded Fu Xuan’s antics. March also becomes nervous when Zhang Xiu mentions searching memories, fearing he might uncover her theft of Pom-Pom’s snacks.
• Huohuo handles the practical aftermath, treating the affected diviners and containing Xiyan. Yaoshi joins Zhang Xiu in enjoying the comedy.

Significant themes

• The chapter mixes comedy with supernatural danger: possession causes real distress, but also leads to absurd behavior and embarrassing revelations.
• Power and responsibility appear through Zhang Xiu’s ability to examine memories and restrain Heliobi.
• Workplace rules and opportunism drive the Qingque–Fu Xuan exchange, with Qingque trying to turn an impulsive dismissal into severance.
• Reputation and blackmail provide the punchline: Fu Xuan’s ambitious boasts become leverage once Zhang Xiu’s recording threatens to reach Jing Yuan.

Plot and events

• Zhang Xiu uses a recording of Fu Xuan’s boast about becoming general to pressure her, presenting it as a “deal” between them.
• Fu Xuan refuses to let him send it to Jing Yuan. Zhang Xiu abruptly changes the bargain: he and Yaoshi will delete the recording if they can pat her head. Fu Xuan reluctantly agrees, insisting they do it in private to preserve her dignity.
• Afterward, Zhang Xiu reveals he has sent Qingque a copy of the audio. Qingque plays it, prompting an embarrassed Fu Xuan to attack her and try to seize her phone.
• Qingque eventually shows Fu Xuan that she has deleted the clip. Reassured, the two calm down and leave together.
• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi secretly watch and humorously argue over which of the two is likely to take the lead in their relationship.
• The group reunites with Hanya, who praises their work and says the Ten-Lords Commission will provide medals and extra pay. Everyone prepares to rest; Zhang Xiu suggests picking up Dan Heng for a meal.

Character developments and interactions

• Fu Xuan remains proud and defiant under pressure, but her embarrassment at the recording overwhelms her. Her attempt to retrieve Qingque’s phone gives way to relief when Qingque deletes it.
• Qingque moves from amused bystander to Fu Xuan’s reassuring friend, choosing to delete the recording and show genuine concern for her.
• Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi treat the head-patting bargain as comic mischief, then privately tease each other about Fu Xuan and Qingque.
• The group winds down after the day’s events, with Hanya offering formal thanks and recognition.

Significant themes

• Embarrassment and reputation: Fu Xuan’s concern about her boast becoming public drives the conflict.
• Trust and reassurance: Qingque’s deletion of the clip helps restore calm between her and Fu Xuan.
• Humor and teasing: The chapter turns a potentially serious threat into escalating comedy, while Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi’s playful commentary frames the aftermath.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu, Stelle, and March 7th meet up in the Xianzhou for a meal. Zhang remarks that bullying seems widespread there; Stelle confirms she intervened when a blind girl was targeted, while March recalls Huohuo being mistreated.
• They overhear two people arguing about the strength rankings of famous fighters. March asks how she ranks and is told she has few notable feats, which leaves her feeling inferior to the rest of the Astral Express crew.
• Zhang tries to cheer March up by offering to have Yaoshi turn her into an Abomination of Abundance, but she refuses. Her mood quickly lifts when she spots a sweets stall.
• At the restaurant, Zhang recognizes Li Ge and Chen Chang’an and joins them. They discuss how the Skydeep’s newly solved lifespan problem has left people with too much time, allowing unchecked desires and violence to take hold. Riots have eased since the unrest ended.
• Li Ge and Chen Chang’an notice Yaoshi, their worshipped Aeon, and Zhang teases them for staring at his wife. They retort that he is the one who sleeps with their god.

Character developments

• March 7th briefly confronts insecurity about being the least powerful crew member, especially compared with Stelle’s Stellaron and the others’ exceptional abilities. Her distress proves fleeting, however, as snacks restore her cheer.
• Stelle shows compassion and a willingness to intervene against bullying.
• Zhang Xiu is protective of March and Yaoshi, using humor to defuse awkward situations and displaying irritation at the powerscalers’ debate.
• Li Ge and Chen Chang’an appear worn down by the social consequences of the Skydeep’s changed circumstances.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: The powerscaling debate reduces complex people to tiers and feats, frustrating Zhang and unsettling March.
• Insecurity and belonging: March wonders whether she is the crew’s weakest member, highlighting her sense of inadequacy.
• Freedom without purpose: The Skydeep’s extended lives have removed one problem but left people vulnerable to excess and destructive impulses.
• Compassion and bullying: The group’s stories underline how vulnerable people are mistreated—and the importance of stepping in.

Character interactions

• Zhang, Stelle, and March share a relaxed meal outing, with teasing and mutual concern.
• March’s encounter with the powerscalers exposes the gap between how she sees herself and how others assess her.
• Zhang’s reunion with Li Ge and Chen Chang’an turns serious as they discuss the Skydeep’s unrest, then ends on irreverent banter about Yaoshi.

Key plot points

• Zhang Xiu, Li Ge, and Chen Chang’an discuss Skydeep’s aftermath. Zhang Xiu says his wife resolved the crisis involving their former kin, while a new department will manage Skydeep’s internal affairs. Li Ge says the Luofu is also working to establish ties with the Xianzhou, despite some opposition.
• March 7th brings the group Xianzhou soda douzhi. Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi enjoy it, but March and Stelle find it revolting and try to trick Dan Heng into tasting it. Their prank fails when Dan Heng reveals he dislikes douzhi.
• Dan Heng explains that the Dragon Masters pressured him to surrender the High Elder’s legacy or resume serving as High Elder. He refused, arguing that doing so would be unfair to Bailu, and says he persuaded them to leave her alone.
• The group swaps stories, including Liuxue, Zhang Xiu’s prank-loving doll, and Stelle’s visit to Kafka, who kept her doll. The conversation turns to whether Kafka or Himeko counts as Stelle’s mother, and Zhang Xiu jokes about calling Yaoshi “Mommy.”
• Beneath the banter, Zhang Xiu admits he feels bored and unfulfilled despite having saved many worlds and gained great power. Yaoshi comforts him, urging him to keep moving toward the person he wants to become.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu appears confident and playful, but reveals an underlying emptiness: easy victories and immense power have not given him a sense of accomplishment. He holds Yaoshi close as he opens up.
• Yaoshi is affectionate and supportive, grounding Zhang Xiu with reassurance rather than dismissing his feelings.
• Dan Heng asserts his independence from the Dragon Masters and prioritizes fairness to Bailu. His calm response contrasts with March and Stelle’s failed douzhi prank.
• March 7th and Stelle share a mischievous moment trying to make Dan Heng drink something they themselves dislike. Their teasing continues when Stelle discusses Kafka and her doll.
• Li Ge and Chen Chang’an take on responsibility for Skydeep’s administration and face the challenge of handling opposition to closer Xianzhou ties.

Significant themes

• Recovery and governance: The characters move from crisis toward rebuilding institutions and relationships between worlds.
• Duty and fairness: Dan Heng rejects a role that would harm Bailu, while the group considers how to manage political dissent.
• Fulfillment and purpose: Zhang Xiu’s power and success have not resolved his inner dissatisfaction; his growth depends on striving toward a deeper ideal.
• Found family and playful intimacy: The group’s jokes about parents, spouses, and family reflect their relaxed, teasing bonds.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Xiu and the Astral Express crew receive Guinaifen’s report of a possible Heliobus incident and travel to the Xianzhou.
• After meeting Guinaifen, Huohuo, Sushang, and the others at Fyxestroll Garden, they learn that a Cloud Knight at the Alchemy Commission has begun muttering about combat and attacking people. The Ten-Lords Commission has asked them to investigate.
• At the scene, Zhang Xiu approaches the possessed knight despite the danger. The knight’s attacks cannot harm him; Zhang ends the fight with a flick to the forehead, which sends the knight flying and restores his senses.
• The knight explains that his weapon had spoken to him, coached his swordsmanship, and then complained that he was a poor student. He also remembers seeing a child with a sword—General Jing Yuan’s prized disciple, Yanqing.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu remains flamboyant and playful, making grand declarations on the Xianzhou and casually drinking milk tea even while facing a dangerous opponent. His overwhelming strength lets him resolve the immediate crisis without effort.
• March 7th is exhausted after staying up late browsing the Luofu’s message boards. Her companions tease her and make sure she finishes her coffee and toast.
• The crew’s easygoing, familiar banter continues throughout the journey, contrasting with the threat they have come to investigate.
• Yanqing’s appearance in the knight’s recollection links the incident to the Xianzhou’s young sword prodigy and raises questions about what the weapon—and possibly the Heliobus—has been doing.

Significant themes

• Possession and loss of control: The Cloud Knight’s behavior suggests an outside influence acting through his weapon.
• Power and responsibility: Zhang Xiu can face danger casually, while the Cloud Knight’s experience shows how vulnerable ordinary people are to supernatural forces.
• Humor amid danger: Domestic teasing, milk tea, and Zhang’s theatrics soften the serious investigation without removing the mystery.

Key plot points and events

• A Cloud Knight explains that a heliobus possessed Yanqing and used him to attack others. The Knight was defeated almost instantly, and Yanqing left with the spirit still attached.
• Sushang and the others worry about confronting Yanqing, whose reputation as a prodigy and battlefield hero is formidable. Zhang Xiu insists he can handle the situation.
• Yanqing’s sentient sword finds the group and leads them through a street littered with Abominations killed by precise, single sword strikes. The trail points to the Dragon-Praying Altar.
• With no suitable boat available, Zhang Xiu hurls the group’s boat across the water, then runs after it. The passengers arrive shaken but unharmed.
• At the altar, they find a vast formation of flying swords surrounding Yanqing. He says the display offers him endless martial techniques, and he sees it as a genuine opportunity to learn rather than merely an illusion.
• Yanqing recognizes Zhang Xiu and challenges him to fight, eager to test himself against someone the general has praised.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xiu remains confident despite the others’ doubts, and his reckless boat-launching demonstrates that confidence in dramatic fashion. March worries he may get carried away and hurt Yanqing.
• Sushang, Guinaifen, and Huohuo are unsettled by Yanqing’s reputation and fear the group may be in danger. Guinaifen correctly suspects the threat may be to them, not Yanqing.
• Yanqing appears consumed by the sword formation’s promise of limitless martial knowledge. His excitement turns into an immediate desire to challenge Zhang Xiu.
• The group’s concern for Yanqing is evident: they want to help him without injuring him, even as he initiates the confrontation.

Significant themes

• Ambition and the pursuit of mastery: Yanqing is captivated by the chance to surpass his current knowledge.
• Reputation versus reality: The group’s fear of Yanqing contrasts with Zhang Xiu’s confidence, while Yanqing’s own focus on improvement makes him more than just a legendary fighter.
• Power and recklessness: Zhang Xiu’s extravagant shortcut and Yanqing’s impulsive challenge both show how confidence can push characters toward risky choices.
• Influence and peril: The heliobus and the sword formation blur the line between genuine opportunity and supernatural danger.

Plot points and events

• Under the Heliobus’s influence, Yanqing’s pride and self-doubt turn into anger when Zhang Xiu appears to dismiss his challenge.
• Zhang Xiu explains that he wants Yanqing to keep believing in himself, not suppress his ambition. To prove his point, he gives his Path Power to Yaoshi and fights Yanqing using only his physical strength.
• The two clash fiercely. Zhang Xiu endures Yanqing’s attacks and repeatedly overpowers him, while Yanqing meets the danger without backing down.
• Zhang Xiu tells Yanqing that losing is no reason to give up: he can learn from defeat and win next time. He disarms Yanqing and asks whether he understands.
• Yanqing regains his composure, laughs, and thanks Zhang Xiu for his guidance. He says he now understands what he should strive for.
• The Heliobus Molten Torch tries to recruit Yanqing as a disciple. Zhang Xiu declines the offer on Yanqing’s behalf, calling himself mediocre at learning. Yaoshi returns Zhang Xiu’s Path Power, and Zhang Xiu uses the Black Flame of Preservation to consume the sword formation.

Character developments

• Yanqing shifts from bitter insecurity to renewed confidence. The fight lets him experience a challenge without surrendering to fear, and he reframes defeat as something he can overcome.
• Zhang Xiu reveals a playful but sincere teaching philosophy: youthful confidence and ambition matter, even when they lead to failure. He shows care by matching Yanqing’s intensity and taking the risk of fighting without his powers.
• Yaoshi understands Zhang Xiu’s purpose and cooperates by holding and later returning his Path Power.
• Molten Torch attempts to exploit the moment by offering Yanqing greater power through an apprenticeship.

Significant themes

• Youthful ambition: Young people should be allowed to believe in their own potential rather than being made timid by setbacks.
• Failure and resilience: Losing is not final; one can try again and win later.
• Growth through challenge: A demanding fight helps Yanqing confront his doubts and rediscover his resolve.
• Guidance through action: Zhang Xiu teaches less by lecturing than by giving Yanqing a battle that makes the lesson personal.

Character interactions

• Zhang Xiu confronts Yanqing’s anger with encouragement, then demonstrates his respect by fighting him seriously.
• Yanqing responds to Zhang Xiu’s pressure with courage, turning the encounter into a genuine exchange rather than simply submitting.
• Afterward, Yanqing acknowledges Zhang Xiu as a teacher and expresses gratitude.
• Molten Torch’s recruitment pitch is gently rebuffed by Zhang Xiu, while Yaoshi supports Zhang Xiu by returning his power.