Chapter Summaries

Li Qingshan struggled to understand Gu Feng’s paper on the theory behind Dharma Aspect collapse, then found a reckless practice method that suited him and began attempting it. Meanwhile, auction houses prepared resources and research for him, while Gu Feng waited in vain for him to ask for help.

• Li Qingshan read Gu Feng’s paper, realized why breaking through to Fourth Order Inner Scene in the Star Academies helped prepare a Dharma Aspect for collapse, and struggled with the paper’s dense theory.
• After two hours of study, Li Qingshan left Gu Feng a polite comment and switched to Hua Yu’s poorly rated paper, which recommended repeatedly attempting collapse with treasures to interrupt failures.
• Li Qingshan began collapsing his 108-zhang Starry Aspect without using treasures, exploded, and reappeared a breath later with his expression unchanged.
• At Qiong Qi Auction House, a burly man prepared Heavenly Wood Spirit Liquid, Return Green Fruit, and Spirit Wood Sand for Director Li.
• Ying Shilan ordered her secretary to personally deliver Li Qingshan a Crystal Core containing tens of millions of screened papers.
• Gu Feng waited three days for Li Qingshan to seek an explanation, then wondered whether he had understood the paper after all.

Li Qingshan struggled to use Collapse into Body on his 108-zhang Dharma Aspect, then finally succeeded in the Martial Arts Space after three months of attempts. When Gu Feng summoned him, he warned Li Qingshan to be careful when he eventually broke through, since the breakthrough might cause a commotion.

• Li Qingshan repeatedly failed to rearrange his 108-zhang Dharma Aspect and resolved to keep attempting it until he succeeded once.
• Evil Slaying Department members discussed Li Qingshan’s exchange for Gu Feng’s paper and speculated about when he would achieve the Divine Aspect.
• After three months, Li Qingshan successfully completed Collapse into Body in the Martial Arts Space and began reviewing the experience.
• Gu Feng asked Li Qingshan whether he had understood the paper, and Li Qingshan admitted he had gained a little insight but had not studied it deeply.
• Gu Feng told Li Qingshan to be careful during his future breakthrough because the resulting commotion might get him slapped.

Gu Feng warned Li Qingshan about the dangers of the Wasteland Starry Sky and explained the power of eighth-order martial artists as they discussed the Third Division’s vacant Deputy Director position. Afterward, Li Qingshan continued practicing in the Martial Arts Space and saw that the Internal Forum was eagerly awaiting his paper.

• Gu Feng warned Li Qingshan not to shatter unfamiliar planets or venture into the Wasteland Starry Sky, explaining that Martial Dao Celestial Bodies could be mistaken for natural planets.
• Gu Feng proposed Lei Chen for the Third Division’s Deputy Director position and explained that Zhuang Chenxing’s influence and the corruption around Panlong Auction House made targeting Ye Lei or Panlong dangerous.
• Gu Feng described eighth-order power, including thousand-light-year-range Teleportation, and cautioned Li Qingshan to pursue Panlong only within the rules and never alone.
• Li Qingshan returned to the Martial Arts Space and repeated his gravity-and-space collapse technique in less than a day, then resolved to keep practicing until he could reproduce it reliably.
• Li Qingshan opened the Internal Forum and found a popular post whose replies were all expressing anticipation for his insight and paper.

As Li Qingshan trained to make his Seventh-Order Divine Aspect success foolproof, the Evil Slaying Department prepared to welcome dignitaries for his appointment and Gu Feng’s Body Transforms into Celestial Body. On July 1, representatives of the Four Great Auction Houses gathered at Investigation Star with gifts, while Shi Yan kept Black Scale’s offering secret.

• Li Qingshan repeatedly collapsed and rebuilt his Starry Aspect in the Martial Arts Space, recording his attempts and revising his notes as he worked toward a foolproof success rate.
• The 108 Section Chiefs of Third Division arrived, and Li Qingshan assigned them to receive the visiting companies and conglomerates, while naming Kong Yang as his secretary.
• As visitors and other Evil Slaying Department personnel arrived, the Section Chiefs received gifts from guests who were barred from setting foot on Investigation Star.
• On July 1, representatives of Panlong, Bai Ze, Qiongqi, and Black Scale gathered in orbit, and Lei Yao and Huo Wei announced their organizations’ gifts for Director Li.
• Li Wenbo asked Shi Yan what Black Scale had prepared, and Shi Yan said the gift would be revealed in due time.

Kong Yang turned away the gifts and meeting requests from Huo Wei, Lei Yao, and Li Wenbo, but invited Shi Yan to meet Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan revealed that he had written a paper on Collapse into Body and immediately began attempting the breakthrough so Shi Yan could record it.

• Kong Yang told Huo Wei, Lei Yao, and Li Wenbo that Li Qingshan was busy and accepted their gifts and messages for delivery.
• Huo Wei offered Bai Ze’s Crystal Core containing ten million screened papers, while Lei Yao and Li Wenbo also presented gifts and papers.
• Kong Yang returned the papers to Huo Wei and Li Wenbo, then invited Shi Yan to meet Li Qingshan.
• Li Qingshan showed Shi Yan his paper explaining Collapse into Body and admitted he had not yet broken through.
• Li Qingshan handed Shi Yan a camera and began the Collapse into Body breakthrough as his 108 Zhang Dharma Aspect burst through the roof.

Li Qingshan began collapsing his Dharma Aspect at Evil Slaying Headquarters, alarming those who feared the breakthrough could destroy Investigation Star and draw the Network’s attention. As the torrent washed over his physical body, it settled into a calm flow, leaving observers stunned by how naturally the breakthrough proceeded.

• Li Qingshan’s Starry Aspect shattered and collapsed inward as he attempted Collapse into Body.
• Huo Wei, Lei Yao, Li Wenbo, Gu Feng, and Xia Cunzhen reacted to the dangerous breakthrough, while Xia Cunzhen and Gu Feng rushed to prepare for its aftershocks on Investigation Star.
• Gu Feng and Xia Cunzhen watched the Dharma Aspect torrent surge around Li Qingshan and feared it might escape control.
• Ming Shuang reached through a Void Crack with her jade hand, then withdrew without intervening.
• Li Qingshan’s Dharma Aspect torrent quieted into countless small streams that flowed down and converged inside his mountaintop villa.

Li Qingshan smoothly forged a Divine Aspect and wrote a detailed practical paper about his breakthrough, though Gu Feng and Xia Cunzhen warned that most cultivators could not reproduce his method. After uploading it with a disclaimer, Li Qingshan left Ming Shuang considering the paper and calling Xiao Tianyou.

• Li Qingshan completed his Divine Aspect breakthrough without damaging the Villa, leaving Lei Yao, Li Wenbo, Gu Feng, and Xia Cunzhen stunned.
• Gu Feng and Xia Cunzhen found Li Qingshan calmly writing a paper and confirmed that he had advanced to Divine Aspect.
• Li Qingshan showed them his paper, which recorded the Collapse into Body process in detail, while Xia Cunzhen questioned how he controlled every microsecond.
• Gu Feng explained that the method depended on Li Qingshan’s unusual abilities and could not serve as a universal cultivation technique.
• Li Qingshan added a for-reference-only disclaimer, uploaded the paper at a modest price, and thanked the directors for their guidance.
• Ming Shuang read the paper on another planet and called Ministry of Education Minister Xiao Tianyou.

Gu Feng said farewell to the Evil Slaying Department and transformed into a gaseous giant star, while Li Qingshan learned that a seventh-rank Martial Dao Celestial Body must not grow beyond that limit. The chapter left Gu Feng’s new planet orbiting the Blazing Star as Li Qingshan watched.

• Su Yuan attended Gu Feng’s farewell, while the Second Division stayed away, claiming it was pursuing leads on Evil God Cultists.
• Li Qingshan asked Gu Feng whether he wanted to improve and hinted that he would understand after awakening a thousand years later, leaving Gu Feng too intrigued to let go peacefully.
• Gu Feng entered the void and exploded into golden particles, which gathered around his beating heart and formed an enormous gaseous planet.
• Xia Cunzhen explained that a Martial Dao Seventh Rank cultivator’s celestial body reflected their accumulated power but must not exceed the size of a gaseous giant star, or its collapse would be fatal.
• Li Qingshan thanked Xia Cunzhen as Gu Feng Star followed its Orbit past Perihelion, overlapping with the Eternal Blazing Sun in Li Qingshan’s view.

After taking office, Li Qingshan defended Ye Lei’s absence and kept the Investigation Office busy with its accumulated cases. His thesis on forging a Divine Aspect then drew attention after a reader credited it with helping him break through, prompting the Ministry of Education to send the thesis to the Star Martial Hall.

• Kong Yang delivered Li Qingshan’s message to Li Wenbo that it was not yet time to meet and that he hoped Li Wenbo would still be well next time.
• At a work report meeting, Shao Fenghua and He Jian urged Li Qingshan to punish Ye Lei for missing the farewell and report, but he said she should continue investigating her case.
• Li Qingshan began reviewing the Investigation Office’s backlog of cases, while Shi Yan stayed at a villa after arriving to deliver a gift.
• Li Qingshan’s 50-million-word thesis on the “Collapse into Body” process climbed the Evil Slaying Department rankings, and Qi Feng claimed that following it helped him reach Seventh-Order Divine Aspect.
• At a Ministry of Education meeting, Xiao Tianyou said he had sent Li Qingshan’s thesis to the Star Martial Hall, and Ye Hao praised the minister’s foresight.

After months of delay, Li Qingshan pushed for Lei Chen to become Deputy Director of the Investigation Office’s Third Division. Zhuang Chenxing unexpectedly supported the appointment, and Ming Shuang approved it unanimously.

• Li Qingshan dismissed the Investigation Office meeting and kept Lei Chen behind, telling him the Deputy Director position would require a difficult challenge.
• Li Qingshan and Lei Chen entered a virtual meeting with Ming Shuang, Zhuang Chenxing, Su Yuan, and Xia Cunzhen to discuss Lei Chen’s appointment.
• Li Qingshan mocked Zhuang Chenxing’s excuse for delaying the meeting by urging him to retire and focus on seeking a breakthrough.
• Su Yuan endorsed Lei Chen, and Zhuang Chenxing then declared that he had no objections to the appointment.
• Ming Shuang announced that Lei Chen had been unanimously approved as Deputy Director of the Investigation Third Division.

Li Qingshan learned from Ming Shuang that Zhuang Chenxing had agreed to his demands because he expected Li to leave for the Star Martial Hall. The chapter ended when the Star Martial Hall’s Hua Yu appeared as a new contact on Li’s Communicator.

• Li Qingshan questioned Ming Shuang after Zhuang Chenxing unexpectedly agreed to his demands, while Lei Chen took charge of the Third Division.
• Zhuang Chenxing reassured Ye Lei and Li Wenbo that Li Qingshan would soon become an Ascending Dragon and leave the Azure Dragon.
• Ying Yu told Ying Shilan that Li Qingshan’s paper had impressed the Star Martial Hall, but Ying Shilan revealed that Bai Ze had never sent the papers.
• Kong Xun continued practicing The Stars Are Calling while Ye Hao reflected on Li Qingshan’s rapid progress toward the Star Martial Hall.
• Two Shadows discussed Li Qingshan’s departure and agreed that old grudges should fade once he left the Azure Dragon.
• Ming Shuang told Li Qingshan that Zhuang Chenxing expected him to leave for the Star Martial Hall, and a contact from Hua Yu appeared on his Communicator.

Li Qingshan spoke with Hua Yu, who explained the Star Martial Hall’s role in advancing martial arts and invited him to research Collapse into Body. Li Qingshan declined the invitation but accepted an unfinished cultivation method intended to break the Divine Aspect Realm’s limit.

• Li Qingshan recognized Hua Yu as Rich Brother and thanked him for the paper that had helped him complete Collapse into Body.
• Hua Yu explained that the Star Martial Hall was a vast research institution affiliated with the Origin Seat Supercluster and invited Li Qingshan to join research on the Dharma Aspect Third Step.
• Li Qingshan declined, saying his path did not lie in the Star Martial Hall and that he had already recorded his understanding in the paper.
• Hua Yu sent Li Qingshan an unfinished cultivation method from the Divine Aspect Research Group as the paper’s reward.
• Hua Yu explained that the research aimed to surpass the Gaseous Giant Star limit, and Li Qingshan realized the goal was a stellar body.

Hua Yu explained that the unnamed cultivation method could push Li Qingshan’s Divine Aspect toward the Seventh Order Limit, though its final collapse stage remained an extremely dangerous experiment. After studying its costly Gas Giant Body requirements, Li spoke with Zhuang Chenxing, accepted a contribution from him, and revealed that he had declined Star Martial Hall’s invitation.

• Hua Yu explained that the unnamed method developed the Divine Aspect through eighteen orders of Gas Giant Body cultivation and warned Li Qingshan not to attempt its dangerous final collapse stage rashly.
• Li Qingshan asked whether the method could let him contend with Eighth-Order experts, and Hua Yu said his exceptional foundation might allow him to handle some ordinary ones.
• Li Qingshan read the method’s introduction and learned that advancing through the Divine Aspect’s five celestial-body stages could make up for a weak foundation.
• Li Qingshan reviewed the varied resources required for eighteen orders of Gas Giant Body cultivation and realized the process would be extremely expensive.
• Zhuang Chenxing called Li Qingshan to clear up misunderstandings, then gave him ten million in contributions after Li stared at him with golden eyes.
• Li Qingshan told Zhuang Chenxing that he had declined Star Martial Hall’s invitation, leaving the deputy minister stunned.

Li Qingshan used Zhuang Chenxing’s contribution points to buy cultivation resources, then met Shi Yan, who revealed his father’s death and gave him a map of Panlong Auction House’s freight routes. Shi Yan’s investigation suggested Panlong was sourcing high-order Evil God Alien Races from a Star Realm connected to their Starry Sky.

• Zhuang Chenxing grew furious as Li Qingshan exchanged his contribution points for vast quantities of resources.
• Li Qingshan met Shi Yan, who revealed that his father, an Eighth Rank expert, had died of old age in the Alien Starry Sky a thousand years earlier.
• Shi Yan gave Li Qingshan a Star Chart showing Panlong Auction House’s freight routes across the Jiao Xiu District.
• Shi Yan explained that Panlong’s steady supply of Sixth and Seventh Order Evil God Alien Races could not come from the district’s known World Gates or fortress rifts.
• Li Qingshan inferred that Panlong’s true source of goods was a high-order Star Realm connected to the Alien Races’ Starry Sky.

Li Qingshan learned that Panlong’s high-order Alien Races might be entering human territory through a Star Realm connected to several alien territories, and ordered Shi Yan to locate it. He chose to strengthen himself in seclusion while waiting for the Star Realm to surface, as others reacted to his refusal of the Star Martial Hall’s invitation.

• Shi Yan traced the transport of high-order Alien Races to Horn Constellation Zone Two, and Li Qingshan concluded that the high-order Star Realm likely connected to multiple Alien Race territories.
• Li Qingshan ordered Shi Yan to keep searching the Wasteland Starry Sky and told Kong Yang not to rush the Second Investigation Division cleanup, instead reminding Ye Lei to report her clues.
• Li Qingshan went to a satellite in Far Orbit to cultivate Divine Aspect Eighteen Orders using the resources he had gathered.
• At the Alien Star Institute, Ye Hao reacted with disbelief that Li Qingshan had refused the Star Martial Hall’s invitation while Kong Xun practiced The Stars Are Calling.
• Ming Shuang questioned Xiao Tianyou about his concern over Li Qingshan’s refusal, and Xiao Tianyou regretted that Li Qingshan had passed up the opportunity.

Li Qingshan studied the Unnamed Cultivation Method, discovered that his Gas Giant Body could form Quantum Star Cores, and learned that they could empower weapons to strike through Hyperspace Channels. He ordered a costly custom saber, while Ye Lei learned that Li Qingshan was staying and grew alarmed when Zhuang Chenxing did not answer her call.

• Kong Yang told Ye Lei that Li Qingshan had refused Star Martial Hall’s invitation and was waiting for her to report her supposed lead.
• Li Qingshan learned the Unnamed Cultivation Method’s Quantum Star Core requirements, which reached 256 million at the eighteenth order.
• Li Qingshan absorbed Cosmic Matter and formed two Quantum Star Cores, then used one to forge a saber from molten iron.
• Li Qingshan sent the saber through a Hyperspace Channel and discovered that Quantum Star Cores let him attack across light-years, but the saber shattered.
• Li Qingshan spent all one million of his contribution points on a custom saber and saw that his cultivation progress was at the first order.

Li Qingshan cultivated for a year, named his new blade Thunder, and used it to eliminate Evil God Cultists throughout the Jiao Xiu District. After years in seclusion, he faced Xia Cunzhen, who left to hunt Void God Cult remnants, only to discover Thunder racing ahead of her.

• Li Qingshan realized his Divine Aspect’s experience reflected the number of Quantum Star Cores in his body and resumed accelerated cultivation.
• After a year of calm in the Jiao Xiu District, Kong Yang delivered Li Qingshan his finished blade, which he named Thunder, and reported the locations of watched Evil God Cultists and a Panlong Travel Palace.
• Li Qingshan sent Thunder through the Hyperspace Channel to kill Evil God Cultists, earning experience as the blade struck targets across the district.
• Xia Cunzhen confronted Li Qingshan over the Investigation Office taking missions from the Action Office, but he claimed he had been in seclusion.
• Xia Cunzhen learned of suspected Void God Cult remnants and rushed to pursue them, then saw Thunder speed past and realized Li Qingshan was behind it.

A forum post mocked Xia Cunzhen’s Action Office after Li Qingshan’s blade struck across interstellar distances, while Xia rejected accusations that Li had colluded with Panlong Auction House. At Panlong headquarters, Yuan Zong praised Li Wenbo and revealed that Zhuang Chenxing was seeking a candidate to remove Li and reclaim the Investigation Office, hinting that Ye Lei might be positioned to rise through the ranks.

• An Evil Slaying Department forum post accused Li Qingshan of taking the Action Office’s kills and circulated a photo of Xia Cunzhen amid wreckage after Li’s blade reached across the Starry Sky.
• Xia Cunzhen confronted the middle-aged section chief who posted the image, then dismissed the idea that Li Qingshan had colluded with Panlong Auction House despite his own doubts about Li’s intentions.
• Yuan Zong praised Li Wenbo for supposedly resolving Panlong’s conflict with Li Qingshan, while Li Wenbo warned that Li was greedy and ruthless and could not be bought or trusted as a partner.
• Yuan Zong said Zhuang Chenxing had spent three years looking for a candidate to remove Li Qingshan and regain control of the Investigation Office.
• When Li Wenbo said Ye Lei had not recently approached him, Yuan Zong remarked that anyone seeking the director’s seat had to begin as Deputy Director and advance step by step.

Li Qingshan continued cultivating while misleading Xia Cunzhen about his plans to target Panlong Auction House, whose exposed channels he had secretly been tracking. Meanwhile, a research team studying Divine Aspects saw Li Qingshan’s unknown, innately perfected Divine Aspect as their hope of completing the Final Step.

• Ye Lei assigned Tu Shen to familiarize herself with Section 51 and wondered why Li Qingshan had finally begun acting after three years.
• Xia Cunzhen confronted Li Qingshan about leaving Panlong Auction House alone and proposed that their offices jointly investigate its channels.
• Li Qingshan persuaded Xia Cunzhen to wait, claiming he was secretly building a case against Panlong, while privately reviewing a growing list of its companies and associates.
• Li Qingshan resumed cultivating with resources he planned to obtain from Panlong’s exposed channels.
• A Starry Sky Martial Arts Hall research team warned that Feng Boyong might have reached the limit of his Divine Aspect and identified Li Qingshan’s perfected Divine Aspect as a possible path to the Final Step.

After four years in seclusion, Li Qingshan exhausted his cultivation resources and ordered the Investigation Office to raid more than ten thousand Cross-Domain Companies and groups, many of them tied to Panlong. He confronted Deputy Director Ye Lei and demanded the clues he had given her four years to provide.

• Li Qingshan received a newly forged longsword, infused it with a Golden Light Dot, and put it away without naming it.
• Kong Yang reported that the Investigation Office had prepared headquarters coordinates for more than ten thousand companies and groups, and Li Qingshan ordered the teams to close the net.
• Shao Fenghua led the Investigation Office into Shuisen Headquarters, while the First, Third, and Fourth Divisions raided targets across multiple Star Domains.
• The Evil Slaying Department forum filled with reports of the raids and discussion of the companies’ business dealings with Panlong and Li Qingshan’s return from seclusion.
• Li Qingshan appeared before Ye Lei on Yingou Star and told her that, after four years, it was time to give him the clues.