Chapter Summaries

The Marshal left Lan unconscious and fled after arranging for a doctor to draw and preserve her blood. Guan Liang traced her to Xuling and pieced together her plans, then chose to protect her intentions rather than pursue her; elsewhere, Xianyu and Akivili acknowledged the painful choice binding them as friends.

• The Marshal subdued Lan, asked a server to call a doctor, and left after telling him everything she had said was true.
• Guan Liang arrived at the suite, questioned its staff, and found a video of the Marshal’s birthday greeting for Hua on her Jade Abacus.
• The doctor revealed that the Marshal had asked about blood loss and recovery, then had about a hundred milliliters drawn and stored for someone to collect.
• Guan Liang realized the Marshal intended to die, but Lan persuaded him to erase the evidence of his visit and not undermine her efforts to protect him and others.
• Guan Liang left after admitting his anger and acknowledging the Marshal’s humanity, while Xianyu told Akivili that he was his only remaining friend and Akivili comforted him.

Xianyu and Akivili spent their remaining time traveling together, ending their trip beneath an aurora before returning to the Astral Express. Xianyu tried to keep Akivili from learning his plans, but the Gray-Haired Girl arrived and helped restrain the Aeon.

• Akivili and Xianyu followed a list of adventures across the Starsea, saving the aurora at the planet's pole for their final destination.
• While waiting for the aurora, Akivili and Xianyu discussed partings; Akivili said he would remember his friends forever, and then they watched the aurora together.
• Akivili publicly announced that it was his best friend Eric's birthday, and the crowd wished Xianyu well beneath the aurora and the Xianzhou Thanksgiving Festival fireworks.
• Xianyu took Akivili back to the Astral Express, gave him the Neutron Gun, then rendered him unconscious and used Tenseiga and the Gnosis while preparing to shut down the system.
• Akivili woke before Xianyu could finish, and the Gray-Haired Girl entered the room and tied up the Aeon with a leather cord.

Xianyu learned that Gray Wind had come on Zandar’s orders, then asked her to carry out his final plan involving his body, Tenseiga, and Akivili. On the Xianzhou Luofu, Guan Liang remained unable to find the Marshal until her Jade Abacus received a message from Daiyang.

• Gray Wind knocked Akivili unconscious and told Xianyu that Zandar had sent her to bring him back.
• Gray Wind recounted how Eric had tasked her with helping people in other worlds and explained how the Time-Worm had trapped Eric, Zandar, and others in repeating ordeals.
• Xianyu realized that his earlier self had chosen to save Zandar, then asked Gray Wind to take his body somewhere humans could not reach and deliver Tenseiga to Akivili.
• Guan Liang learned from Marty that the Marshal had left the Neutron Gun aboard the Astral Express because guns were banned on the Xianzhou.
• Guan Liang received a message on the Marshal’s Jade Abacus from Daiyang, who wrote that a thousand years had passed since they parted.

At Hua’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Marshal sent a tender birthday message, but he did not attend. Afterward, Lan revealed that Xianyu’s divine power had returned to him and that he had told Lan to take Hua to Xuling.

• Marty recalled how the Marshal had comforted his impoverished student and reassured her that the Xianzhou’s meals were no charity.
• Guan Liang told Marty that the Marshal would not attend Hua’s ceremony, then asked him how the Marshal would greet someone after a long separation.
• The Marshal’s recorded birthday message moved Hua, and Guan Liang led her away from the guests with Lan.
• Hua confronted Guan Liang and Lan, realizing they knew something about the Marshal’s absence.
• Lan told Hua that Xianyu’s divine power had returned and that Xianyu had instructed him to take her to Xuling.

Hua learned that the Marshal had died and prepared to delay the announcement until after the Thanksgiving Festival, while the Aeon of Elation delivered bloodied fragments to her. As Hua sought answers about the Marshal and the Xianzhou’s strength, Marty discovered a dangerous report about the universe and noticed the Neutron Gun’s wearer’s vital signs had vanished.

• Hua asked Guan Liang what to do after her father’s death, then proposed delaying the announcement until after the Thanksgiving Festival and placing every Xianzhou on high military alert.
• Lan refused to explain the Marshal’s fate and insisted Hua would have to stay on the Xuling, while Guan Liang learned that a new amber era had begun and that Zandar was near the venue.
• The Aeon of Elation appeared before Hua, gave her a jacket containing bloodied fragments, and vanished; Hua hid the fragments and told Guan Liang and Lan only part of what he had said.
• At the gathering, Hua questioned how many planets the Xianzhou possessed, while Guan Liang left to speak with Marty.
• Marty read a report about a civilization destroyed after its people believed the universe was a virtual world, ordered the files disposed of in the Marshal’s name, and then saw that the Neutron Gun’s wearer’s vital signs had disappeared.

Marty investigated the Marshal’s disappearance and discovered from the Neutron Gun’s recordings that the Marshal had gone somewhere beyond human reach and might have fallen. Grieving and blaming himself, Marty heard his Jade Abacus repeat the Marshal’s final advice: “Don’t follow my example.”

• Marty checked the Neutron Gun’s location and suspected that the Marshal was hiding from Guan Liang.
• Marty watched Akivili search for Eric and learn that he had gone somewhere humans could not reach.
• Marty saw Akivili enter the Subspace Crystal Wall’s opening, where Qlipoth and two strangers appeared.
• Marty watched the final recording, in which someone gave Akivili a sword and said Eric hoped they would meet again.
• Marty grieved over the Marshal and regretted failing to understand his guidance.
• Marty’s Jade Abacus answered his spoken questions by repeating the Marshal’s words: “Don’t follow my example.”

Marty learned the truth about the Marshal’s apparent departure but convinced himself the Marshal was recovering, then set out to conceal the evidence and destroy the dead civilization. Zandar tried to turn Marty against the Xianzhou and recruit him, while Gray Wind revealed that she had brought Eric back too late.

• Marty resolved to hide the Marshal’s departure, falsify his vital signs, and arrange for a Colossus to destroy the civilization that had exposed the universe’s essence.
• Marty encountered Guan Liang, asked how to deploy the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon, and later recognized Mountain Breeze’s name at Hua’s birthday banquet before leaving the hall.
• Guan Liang’s guards tracked Marty to a teahouse, where he met Zandar and showed him a Longevity Tablet bearing Eric’s name.
• Zandar condemned the Xianzhou natives’ treatment of their self-sacrificing hero and tried to persuade Marty to leave with him, but Marty departed without accepting his invitation.
• Zandar returned to his ship and learned from Gray Wind that she had brought Eric back, but she had arrived too late.

Gray Wind brought the gravely wounded Eric back to Zandar, and his faint heartbeat stopped Zandar from resetting the universe immediately. As Zandar resolved to try to save his student, the Xianzhou gathered to watch fireworks, while Marty watched alone with the Longevity Tablet.

• Gray Wind revealed to Zandar that Eric had died after asking her to dispose of his body, but Tenseiga had been handed to Akivili and Eric had regained a faint heartbeat.
• Zandar watched Eric in the Medical Pod and remembered how he had named and raised him, built the Astral Computer, and concealed his dimensional ascension plan from him.
• Zandar learned from Gray Wind that Eric had wished for a peaceful place to grow up and had believed sufficient power or authority could change life and death.
• Gray Wind told Zandar that he might be the only one in the Starsea able to save Eric, and Zandar decided to wait until Eric's heart stopped before starting the engine.
• People gathered across the Xianzhou to watch fireworks, while Marty stopped among the crowd with the Longevity Tablet and thought of Xuling's cavern abode.

Marty concluded that the Marshal had deliberately prepared for her disappearance and chose to preserve his consciousness while concealing the truth so Hua could enjoy her birthday. On Xuling, Daiyang recognized Lan as the Reignbow Arbiter and collapsed after accusing him of breaking a promise, while Hua and Guan Liang discovered the Marshal’s farewell letters and a drawer full of red envelopes.

• Marty reasoned that the Marshal had intentionally erased herself from public memory, then boarded a ship for Cangcheng to preserve his consciousness and carry out her wishes.
• Guan Liang and Hua brought Daiyang to meet the Reignbow Arbiter, and Daiyang recognized Lan, accused him of breaking his promise, and fainted.
• Lan told Hua and Guan Liang to take Daiyang to Xuling, where they entered the Marshal’s cavern abode and retrieved her letters and will.
• Lan burned the letter addressed to him, then directed Hua toward a gift the Marshal had left for her.
• Guan Liang read the letter addressed to the Chief Strategist and found the Marshal’s teasing question about whether he was crying.
• Hua opened a drawer and found it filled with red envelopes.

Hua watched Xianyu’s farewell video, learning about her duties as Star-Sea Overseer and the dangerous Aether-Phase Engine he left as a fallback plan. The recording ended with Xianyu revealing that he had hidden her red-envelope windfall in the drawer she had already opened.

• Hua found the Fenghuang Down and Jade Abacus, then played the video Xianyu had left for her.
• Xianyu told Hua to oversee disaster relief across the Starsea Community and guard against member states exploiting the crises.
• Xianyu explained that the Aether-Phase Engine could transform stars and planets, leaving Hua to decide whether to use it.
• Xianyu apologized for treating Hua as his heir rather than his daughter and asked her to live as herself.
• Near the end of the video, Xianyu revealed that the red envelopes were in the third drawer, which Hua had already opened.

At a Luofu gathering and the Marshal’s arrival, Dan Feng concluded that Jingliu had long been in love with Xianyu and arranged to get them alone together. After Jingliu helped the drunken Xianyu to his suite, he recognized her feelings and called Akivili for advice.

• Jing Yuan asked Jingliu how she had passed the Guard Corps selection while the friends gathered in Scalegorge Waterscape.
• Jingliu shared memories of the Marshal, and Dan Feng suspected she had fallen in love with him.
• Dan Feng watched Jingliu avoid Xianyu’s gaze and brought the Marshal their old wine to start a drinking contest.
• Dan Feng got Xianyu drunk and maneuvered Jingliu into taking him back to his suite.
• Jingliu gently tended to Xianyu, who realized she loved him and called Akivili to discuss the problem.

Hua, Guan Liang, and Lan dealt with Daiyang’s grief after the Marshal’s disappearance, then began planning his funeral. Guan Liang later visited the dying former Cauldron Master and told him their secret had succeeded, leaving him to die in peace.

• Hua took the Jade Abacus, “Fenghuang Down,” and the bow from the Marshal’s room, then found Daiyang grieving in the Front Hall.
• Guan Liang gave Daiyang the Marshal’s farewell letter, but she rejected the idea that he had left them and insisted he would keep his promise.
• Lan told Daiyang she would meet the Marshal again, and she asked him to withdraw his blessing; she then declined Hua’s offer to alter or erase her memories.
• Hua and Guan Liang discussed the funeral, choosing the Forest of Utmost Loyalty and estimating that attendance could reach five digits; Lan said the Marshal’s remains lay somewhere humans could not reach.
• Guan Liang visited the dying former Cauldron Master at the Alchemy Commission and told him they had succeeded and the Marshal did not know; the man died peacefully, and Guan Liang left in tears.

Guan Liang and Hua prepared the Xianzhou for the Marshal’s presumed death while trying to keep her subordinates from learning the truth too soon. At the generals’ assembly on Xuling, Lan confirmed that the Marshal’s power had returned, and the Yaoqing General demanded to know why the Aeon of Preservation had struck during the Thanksgiving Festival.

• Guan Liang checked the Marshal’s Jade Abacus, learned the Neutron Gun was with Aha, and persuaded Marty to erase its tracking data.
• Guan Liang and Hua prepared the guest list and waited until the Jade Abacus reported a data error near the Intellitrons; Lan found an empty Stellar Destroyer at the Marshal’s final coordinates.
• Marty altered the Jade Abacus data to show the Marshal missing, then convinced his colleagues to preserve their consciousnesses and wait for her instead of resorting to extreme measures.
• Guan Liang brought Hua, Daiyang, and the Yaoqing General to Xuling, where the generals gathered and he reported the Marshal’s disappearance.
• Lan told the generals that the power he had lent the Marshal had returned to him, prompting the Yaoqing General to angrily question the Aeon of Preservation’s hammer strike.

Guan Liang read Xianyu’s final letter to the grieving generals, and Hua ordered a search along the route recorded on his Jade Abacus while preparing his funeral. As the vigil began, Aha arrived with a flower basket, and Lan tried to stop him from entering.

• Guan Liang reasoned with the generals, handed them Xianyu’s farewell letters, and read the public letter asking them not to seek the truth or hold anyone responsible.
• Lan claimed Xianyu would return, prompting Hua to order the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon, the fleet, and the Galaxy Rangers to investigate his last known location and recent route.
• Guan Liang and Hua arranged a ten-day funeral in Xuling, while the Xianzhou learned that hundreds of Cangcheng Laboratory researchers had died by suicide and Hua ordered them buried in their hometowns.
• Aha came to Xuling for the vigil and told Lan that a plan involving Xianyu and Nanook had failed, while Lan corrected Aha’s claims about whom Xianyu had favored.
• Aha revealed a flower basket bearing a mourning inscription and headed toward the venue, so Lan seized him by the collar to keep him from entering.

As the Xianzhou prepared to bury the Marshal, Hua took command and kept his records secret while vowing to preserve them for the future. Lan and Aha arrived to pay their respects, and Aha recalled how the Marshal had urged the Empire to conquer the Starsea and slay the gods.

• Hua and Guan Liang prepared for the Marshal's funeral, while the generals returned without finding him and the Rangers brought his belongings back to Xuling.
• Guan Liang warned Hua about political pressure and public criticism, and Hua proposed changing the education system and preserving the sealed records for future textbooks.
• Hua greeted Lan and Aha at the hall entrance, accepted Aha's flower basket, and left Lan to entertain him.
• Lan objected when Aha joked about the Marshal's romantic life, then dragged Aha away as Aha reminisced about meeting the Marshal in the Empire.
• Aha recalled the Marshal's speech calling the Empire a refuge for humanity and ordering his subjects to slay the gods for him.

Aha recalled how Nanook killed their clone after they tried to stab their best friend, then joked with Lan about the past before leaving the Xuling. As the Xianzhou mourned its former Marshal, Hua and Guan Liang addressed a troubling discovery, while a Company shareholder sought to reclaim shares and ordered the Nameless blocked from advancement.

• Aha remembered Nanook killing their clone after they drew a dagger, and Lan said the Marshal had closed their eyes afterward.
• Lan bought funeral flowers for the Marshal, while Guan Liang investigated whether Zandar had contributed to Marty's death and discovered Marty had bought a Longevity Tablet.
• Hua arranged for a mysterious buyer to purchase the Longevity Tablet at auction, hoping its seller would regret parting with it.
• Visitors from the Xianzhou and beyond paid respects to the Marshal, and a Company shareholder asked Hua about reclaiming shares he had gifted to the Nameless.
• The shareholder left the Xuling and ordered the Company to keep the Nameless from becoming permanent employees or advancing beyond P35.

After Eric’s funeral, Hua became the Xianzhou’s young Marshal and Star-Sea Overseer, while Zandar searched for a way to wake Eric from his long unconsciousness. Centuries later, Zandar realized Eric’s system had given him authority over Eric’s life and death, leaving Eric with a chance to return.

• Gray Wind watched Eric’s funeral procession on Xuling, then returned to Zandar, who believed Eric’s higher-dimensional nature meant he could not be completely killed.
• Hua became the Xianzhou’s Current Marshal and won the Star-Sea Community’s vote to serve as Star-Sea Overseer despite doubts about her youth.
• Hua used diplomacy and the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon to stop member states’ wars, then ordered that Cangcheng residents who wished to return to their roots could do so.
• Mimi found Hua’s box containing the broken blade, and Hua later buried the Labrador beneath Xuling’s maple tree after playing her a recording of her former owner.
• Over the following centuries, Hua saw her generals retire to become Galaxy Rangers, while Zandar continued studying medicine and trying to save Eric.
• Zandar realized Eric’s system had given him authority to decide whether Eric lived or died, and understood that Eric had entrusted him with the chance to bring him back.

Gray Wind brought Eric, whose age and memories Zandar had altered, to the Luofu after the Aeon of the Hunt appeared, and Hua confirmed that the child was the same person as the Former Marshal. Hua and Guan Liang secretly arranged Eric’s upbringing on the Xianzhou, where he grew wary of his caretakers and eventually received an enormous inheritance, reduced by Daiyang’s own inheritance tax.

• Zandar considered raising Eric himself, but Gray Wind persuaded him to let Eric grow up on the Xianzhou and preserve his memories through Fuli; Zandar agreed to take him back if the Aeon of the Hunt did not appear.
• Gray Wind brought Eric to the Luofu, where the Reignbow Arbiter appeared, and later Hua and Guan Liang received genetic test results confirming that the child was the Former Marshal.
• Hua destroyed the test report, kept Eric’s identity secret, and arranged for a married couple to raise him while she and Guan Liang searched for suitable teachers.
• Eric remained guarded around his caretakers, and Hua and Guan Liang learned that he was being bullied at the Academy and later began selling Talisman Paper.
• Hua and the former generals arranged for Eric’s caretakers to fake their deaths and leave him an inheritance, but Daiyang discovered that inheritance taxes had cut the assets down to a few tens of billions of Strales.

Hua watched Xianyu from a distance at his graduation celebration, then argued with Lan over whether Xianyu should regain painful memories. Two years later, she learned that Jingliu had filed an application to marry Xianyu and was left stunned by the news.

• Xianyu passed the Divination Commission recruitment exam and graduated, while Hua visited the Luofu and watched him reconnect with Jing Yuan at the graduation ball.
• Hua left without revealing herself to Xianyu, then confronted Lan, insisting she would protect him even if recovering his memories harmed him.
• Two years later, a Diviner reported that the Luofu's future could not be foretold, and Hua visited the Luofu and spoke with Bai Zhu about Xianyu.
• After a campaign against the abominations ended, Teng Xiao showed Hua Jingliu's application stating that she and Xianyu were in a romantic relationship and intended to marry.

Teng Xiao brought Jingliu’s marriage application and Hua’s guardian’s asset gift agreement to Hua, who suspected Jingliu wanted to seek her blessing. After learning that Guan Liang had discovered Hua’s guardian could cure mara-struck people, Hua ordered an immediate return to the Luofu and went to meet Jingliu.

• Teng Xiao reviewed the Cloud Knights’ marriage rules, prepared the required forms, and presented Jingliu’s application and the asset gift agreement to Hua.
• Hua summoned Jingliu, suspecting she had submitted the application because she wanted to meet Hua and seek her approval.
• Hua confronted Guan Liang about his trip to Xuling and the erased location data on his Jade Abacus.
• Guan Liang revealed that Hua’s guardian could cure the mara-struck and that he had found the Reignbow Arbiter and the blood he had left behind at Xuling.
• Hua ordered Teng Xiao to return to the Luofu immediately, then ran into Jingliu and invited her to go with her.