Chapter Summaries

Jing Jiu learned that the ancient god’s younger sister had painted the original sunflower painting on the Capital Planet, while Jiang Yuxia confessed she did not want to become a priestess and gave Zhong Lizi her training materials. Jing Jiu accepted Jiang Yuxia’s friendship with Zhong Lizi, and Zhong Lizi reaffirmed that she wanted to become a priestess despite the hardships.

• Jing Jiu questioned the priestess about people like him and learned the original sunflower painting was on the Capital Planet and had been painted by the god’s younger sister.
• Jiang Yuxia told Zhong Lizi she did not want to become a priestess because she feared becoming her family’s puppet, and gave her a storage device containing her priestly courses.
• Jiang Yuxia explained that her family had asked her to befriend Zhong Lizi because of Xuan Yu Company, but she genuinely liked her; Jing Jiu accepted her answer and left with Zhong Lizi.
• Jing Jiu and Zhong Lizi returned to their hotel, where he warned her that being a priestess was hard and that she could not have children.
• Zhong Lizi said she still wanted to become a priestess and had never wanted children because her illness was hereditary.

Jing Jiu used the True Words of Two Hearts Communication to cure Zhong Lizi’s illness and give her knowledge connected to becoming a Priestess. After waking with renewed vitality, Zhong Lizi went to class, where new knowledge surfaced as she answered a professor’s question.

• Jing Jiu reflected on the Priestess’s burdens and the Galaxy Alliance’s origins, then read Jiang Yuxia’s storage device and used the True Words of Two Hearts Communication on Zhong Lizi.
• In a dream, Zhong Lizi agreed to become a Priestess after a god told her she could resign if the role became unbearable.
• Zhong Lizi woke feeling healthy and discovered that her silver hair was growing in black; Jing Jiu suggested she dye it red velvet.
• At Star Gate University, the professor questioned Zhong Lizi about the Beiguyuan Campaign, and lines of knowledge appeared in her mind as she began to answer.

Zhong Lizi’s buried memories surfaced as she trained to become a Priestess, and she joined the candidates at the October Water Ritual. As the Priestess Selection began, Jing Jiu found a high vantage point beside the gray curtain and spotted a young woman in military uniform kneeling behind it.

• Zhong Lizi unexpectedly recited obscure historical knowledge, and Jiang Yuxia urged her to study the Priestess training materials before the October Water Ritual.
• During the following weeks, Zhong Lizi trained while Jing Jiu waited in the rain and studied mathematics and scientific papers.
• At the October Water Ritual, Zhong Lizi stood among the hundred candidates with conspicuously red hair, and Jiang Yuxia steadied her when she nearly fell.
• Jing Jiu entered the ritual hall, and the Shou’er City bishop secretly led him to a high position near the gray curtain.
• The Priestess Selection began as the crowd knelt before the Priestess’s silhouette, while Jing Jiu watched from beside the curtain and noticed a young woman in military uniform kneeling behind it.

The Priestess Selection began as the planet watched, and Zhong Lizi drew attention as the first candidate from the Underground District to reach the final selection. As the candidates prepared for a twenty-minute memorization test, Jiang Yuxia revealed that she had already read her assigned book.

• Bishops introduced the Priestess candidates, including favored contenders Jiang Yuxia, Mo Zhong, and Flower Creek, and Zhong Lizi from Minsheng District.
• People across the planet watched the selection, while Zhong Lizi’s former classmates and neighbors in the Underground District reacted to seeing her on the broadcast.
• Zhong Lizi grew nervous before the first test, and Jiang Yuxia gently patted her hand as she steadied herself.
• The candidates learned they had twenty minutes to memorize an entire book or be eliminated.
• Jiang Yuxia told the officials that she had already read her assigned book and asked them to give her another one.

Zhong Lizi passed the reading test and lost quickly to Major Ran Handong in the martial arts test. The third test asked the remaining girls to drink, and Zhong Lizi began by gulping grain spirits as she tried to get through it before passing out.

• Jiang Yuxia reminded Zhong Lizi to sit properly during the reading test, and Zhong Lizi passed the clerics’ examination despite her nerves.
• Mr. Xia announced a martial arts test, and Major Ran Handong defeated every girl, including Mo Zhong, Jiang Yuxia, and Zhong Lizi.
• Ran Handong spoke with the Priestess behind the curtain and questioned the girls’ fighting ability, while the Priestess appeared surprised by Zhong Lizi’s performance.
• The bishop revealed that the third test involved wine and invited the remaining girls to drink without explaining the rules.
• Jing Jiu hoped Zhong Lizi would avoid drinking, while the barbecue stall owner warned that she could handle only one bottle of ale.
• Unable to find Jing Jiu, Zhong Lizi poured high-alcohol grain spirits into a large cup and began drinking it in long gulps.

Zhong Lizi passed out during the drinking assessment, then woke in time to recite her theological text perfectly and remain among the candidates. As the final questioning began, she resisted revealing personal information about Jing Jiu, though her returning drunkenness left her grinning foolishly alongside Flower Creek.

• Zhong Lizi drank too much and collapsed, but the Sacrificial Hall did not disqualify her or the other girls who had passed out.
• Mr. Xia announced a surprise memory assessment, and Jiang Yuxia and Flower Creek answered accurately while Mo Zhong made an early mistake.
• When Zhong Lizi woke, she splashed water on her face and recited her text correctly, drawing cheers from viewers and admiration from Jiang Yuxia.
• The remaining candidates faced personal questions, but Mo Zhong and Jiang Yuxia withheld useful information.
• Zhong Lizi refused to answer questions about Jing Jiu and her secrets, then began grinning foolishly as her drunkenness returned.

The Sacrificial Hall named Jiang Yuxia, Flower Creek, and Zhong Lizi as the Priestess selection’s final three, then defended its decision against Mo Zhong and her father. Behind the gray curtain, the candidates encountered Jing Jiu, and Zhong Lizi realized he had helped her reach the shortlist, though she still wondered who he was.

• Mr. Xia announced Jiang Yuxia, Flower Creek, and Zhong Lizi as the final shortlist, leaving Mo Zhong stunned and angry.
• Mo Zhong challenged the decision, and Mr. Xia explained that Zhong Lizi had drunk more during the final trial.
• Mo Zhong’s father protested Zhong Lizi’s late scripture recitation, but Xuan Yu Company’s President and the Sacrificial Hall defended her, and the Mo family left.
• The three finalists were led inside to prepare for the Priestess’s choice, while Zhong Lizi searched the departing crowd for a familiar figure and did not find him.
• After bathing and changing into Ritual Garments, the finalists entered the inner hall and saw Jing Jiu standing on a terrace; Zhong Lizi realized he had helped her reach the shortlist.

Zhong Lizi became the Priestess's successor, and celebrations erupted across the planet. After the festivities ended, trouble arose outside the sanctuary, and Jing Jiu agreed to show mercy by killing fewer people.

• Jing Jiu asked Zhong Lizi if she truly wanted to become Priestess, and she accepted after asking whether she had to have children.
• The Priestess named Zhong Lizi her successor, and the people celebrated across the planet.
• The Priestess told Jing Jiu that Zhong Lizi seemed ordinary, and he said he did not care whether she was a genius or an ordinary person.
• Jiang Yuxia greeted Jing Jiu in the rear hall, but he ignored her.
• The bishop reported trouble outside the sanctuary, and the Priestess bowed to Jing Jiu and asked him to have mercy on the people.
• Jing Jiu replied that he would kill a few fewer.

Jing Jiu led Zhong Lizi out of the Sacrificial Hall despite the danger, while the Mo Household Head prepared to kill anyone who left. Outside, invisible threads stopped Jing Jiu and cut into his clothes, leaving the source of the trap unknown.

• Jiang Yuxia pleaded with Jing Jiu to spare her uncle, but Jing Jiu ignored her and told her she did not need to go.
• The Mo Household Head revealed that he planned to kill people who left the Sacrificial Hall, while Mr. Xia warned him of the Priest Lineage’s hidden strength.
• Ran Handong reported that many people had left and offered to call in a warship, but the Priestess deferred to Jing Jiu.
• Jing Jiu left the Sacrificial Hall with Zhong Lizi, and the Priestess prostrated herself as they departed.
• Jing Jiu stopped at the foot of the steps when invisible threads appeared in the air and cut lines into his clothes and face.

Jing Jiu broke through an ambush outside the Sacrificial Hall and used his sword intent to kill the attackers at their distant positions. After the head of the Mo Household died, beams of light suddenly converged on the Sacrificial Hall.

• Jing Jiu identified the invisible threads around the Sacrificial Hall as ultramicro particles material and cut through them while leading Zhong Lizi down the steps.
• Mo Household soldiers opened fire, but Jing Jiu protected himself and Zhong Lizi with an invisible barrier and advanced through the barrage.
• Jing Jiu sent out sword intent and killed the concealed soldiers, the retired military expert, and the head of the Mo Household.
• Mr. Xia watched the head of the Mo Household die and wondered what fate awaited him next.
• Dozens of beams of light suddenly illuminated the night sky and fell upon the Sacrificial Hall.

Jing Jiu survived the warship’s attack on the Sacrificial Hall and secretly reached the fleet in space. As the Priestess vowed that the attackers would die, Jing Jiu began examining the warship that had fired on him.

• Jing Jiu sensed danger and hurled Zhong Lizi into the Sacrificial Hall before the warships fired.
• A warship launched an indiscriminate laser attack on the Sacrificial Hall, but its gravitational field shielded the building while Jing Jiu vanished.
• The Priestess reassured Zhong Lizi that Jing Jiu would be fine and vowed that the Blasphemers would die.
• Three warships gathered in space, with two surrounding the one that had attacked the Sacrificial Hall.
• Jing Jiu, hidden in the shadow beside a warship, opened a panel in its hull and examined its cables.

Jing Jiu survived the laser attack, rescued Zhong Lizi, and returned with her to the hotel after she became the new Priestess. As authorities covered up the assassination attempt and the Mo Household came under investigation, Xuan Yu Company chose to protect Zhong Lizi and keep its ties to her.

• Jing Jiu searched the Blazing Sun's records, found the surveillance data erased, sensed a dangerous presence deep in its data channels, and left without taking control of the warship.
• Jing Jiu returned to the grassland, took clothes from the dead Mo Household Head, and reappeared before the people who had believed him dead.
• Zhong Lizi rushed into Jing Jiu's arms, and the two left as a warship arrived and soldiers searched the grassland.
• Gao Shu told Zhong Lizi that the government had taken over the Mo Household's companies and that the Administration Bureau planned to portray the laser attack as a celebration; Zhong Lizi chose to stay at the hotel.
• Xuan Yu Company's president learned his father-in-law had not known about Zhong Lizi, then ordered Gao Shu to serve and protect her and arrange a Game Pod.
• Jing Jiu watched the stars while Zhong Lizi watched television, as the media celebrated her selection and online discussion spread details of her past.

After Zhong Lizi became Priestess, Jing Jiu watched as she received lavish new accommodations and learned to handle her new status. Ran Handong recognized Jing Jiu as the face claimed by the Cloud Ghost and asked who he was, and he replied that he was the one chasing the rabbit.

• Zhong Lizi read forum posts about her selection and asked Jing Jiu whether she had embarrassed herself while drunk.
• Xuan Yu Company and Star Gate University silently renovated the hotel floor for Zhong Lizi, and she found a new gaming pod after reading Gao Shu's letter.
• Zhong Lizi asked Jing Jiu to help her receive officials, but he told her to handle the visits herself.
• The bishop of Shou'er City knelt to Jing Jiu before discussing procedures with Zhong Lizi, while Ran Handong watched in surprise.
• Ran Handong recognized Jing Jiu's face from the Cloud Ghost's picture and asked who he was, and Jing Jiu said he was the one chasing the rabbit.

Ran Handong and Tanggu investigated the attack on Zhong Lizi by analyzing secret data from the Blazing Sun Warship, while Jing Jiu arranged for the warship to return to the planet. As the ship was due to land the next day, Jing Jiu told Zhong Lizi he was going out to kill someone.

• Ran Handong learned Jing Jiu had obtained live, top-secret data from the Blazing Sun Warship and agreed to help him find discrepancies connected to the attack order.
• Tanggu joined Ran Handong’s investigation, and pressure from the Sacrificial Hall led the fleet to order the warship back to the surface for a joint investigation.
• Jing Jiu spent his days designing game characters while Ran Handong and Tanggu searched the ship’s records for the attacker.
• Ran Handong suspected Butterfly was involved and found that over a hundred crew members had recently been transferred aboard, possibly to conceal the key person.
• Ran Handong said the Blazing Sun Warship would land the next day, and Jing Jiu said he only needed it to come down.
• Jing Jiu told Zhong Lizi he was going out to kill someone, startling her as she brushed her teeth.

Jing Jiu infiltrated the warship Blazing Sun and identified the disguised cultivator Fang Xiang among its crew. When Fang Xiang attacked, Jing Jiu’s Sword Intent failed to pierce his Mecha, leaving the two facing off.

• Jing Jiu entered the Blazing Sun in an Alliance officer’s uniform and searched the crew during mealtime.
• Jing Jiu identified a bone-altered officer as Fang Xiang, a supposedly dead former commander, and confronted him.
• Fang Xiang revealed that he knew Jing Jiu had survived their earlier encounter through the gravitational force field, then unleashed his power.
• Jing Jiu watched Fang Xiang rise in the air before striking him with more than a dozen streaks of Sword Intent.
• Fang Xiang’s Mecha blocked the Sword Intent, and Jing Jiu removed his sunglasses, intrigued that someone had withstood the attack.

Jing Jiu pursued Fang Xiang from the planet into space and destroyed his Combat Armor and body. After extracting information from Fang Xiang’s nascent soul, Jing Jiu erased it and flew back toward the planet.

• Fang Xiang escaped the warship in his Combat Armor and fired a laser at Jing Jiu, who redirected the beam and sent the armor crashing into a hill.
• Fang Xiang fled into space, but Jing Jiu caught up with him and appeared before his Combat Armor.
• Jing Jiu sliced through the Combat Armor and destroyed it with a palm strike to its Energy Core.
• Fang Xiang survived the explosion behind a barrier, but Jing Jiu shattered his head and captured his nascent soul.
• Jing Jiu used Soul-Searching Hand and Two Hearts Communication to obtain information from Fang Xiang, then destroyed the nascent soul and flew back toward the planet.

Jing Jiu learned that Cocoon Breakers were people from another world, likely Ascension Ones, and searched the Starfield Network for clues about the Butterfly organization. After helping the Priestess recover some vitality, he left the Sacrificial Hall and asked about General Li, the commander of Military Command.

• Jing Jiu asked the Priestess what a Cocoon Breaker was, and she said they were people from another world.
• Ran Handong learned that Jing Jiu had killed the Combat Armor pilot and left no traces; he asked her to obtain Military Command clearance, and she said she would consult her father.
• The Priestess explained that her work had exhausted her mind and that she had little time left, so Jing Jiu soothed her consciousness and restored some of her vitality.
• Jing Jiu used the chip to enter the Starfield Network and searched for information, seeing images of a butterfly-marked door, Galaxy Alliance experts in Combat Armor, and flowers blooming in a Red Gas Giant's storm.
• The Priestess awoke, bowed to Jing Jiu, and followed him outside; when he asked who General Li was, she identified him as the current commander of Military Command.

Jing Jiu learned that General Li, the Military Command's leader, was likely behind the attempts on his life, then entered a game recreating his past on Chaotian Continent. He emerged from the Game Pod after nine days, and Zhong Lizi sensed that something about him had changed.

• Jing Jiu learned that the Priestess identified General Li as the Galaxy Alliance's military commander and considered which Ascension One from Chaotian might be behind the attacks.
• Jing Jiu returned to the hotel, where Zhong Lizi told him the Game Pod was ready, and he entered it to play as Jingyang.
• Jing Jiu relived Jingyang's early life in Chaoge City and decided not to alter the story's events or meet important characters ahead of time.
• Xuan Yu Company launched a closed beta after learning that Jing Jiu had activated the Game Pod, while Zhong Lizi waited as he stayed inside for days.
• On the ninth day, Jing Jiu left the Game Pod, and Zhong Lizi noticed that he seemed changed.

Zhong Lizi watched Jing Jiu spend nine days in a game world, quietly visiting people from his past, then worried he could no longer distinguish the virtual world from reality. He agreed to travel with her to the Capital Planet to find and kill someone, while the Priestess showed him an ancient mech preserved as art.

• Jing Jiu went to sleep in Zhong Lizi's bedroom, and she used spectator mode to watch his nine-day journey through the game world.
• Zhong Lizi saw Jing Jiu visit places and sit silently beside characters from his story, including Liu Ci, True Person Taiping, and Lian Sanyue.
• After Xuan Yu Company praised Jing Jiu's designs and asked to license them, Zhong Lizi warned him not to confuse the game characters with reality, but he said they existed in another world.
• Zhong Lizi told Jing Jiu she would soon leave for the Capital Planet, and he said he would go with her to find someone and kill him.
• The Priestess took Jing Jiu through the temporarily closed museum and art gallery in Shou'er City, where she showed him an ancient mech from the Star Gate priestly lineage.
• The Priestess explained that the mech had been found in an emperor's tomb and preserved as a relic, then recalled that the Capital Planet's priestess had called it art.

Jing Jiu traveled aboard the Blazing Sun toward the Capital Planet and sought access to take control of the warship while wondering what had become of Xilai and Cao Yuan. On Linden, Xilai continued studying the new world, unaware that a warship had entered the planet’s atmosphere.

• The Priestess asked Jing Jiu about the buried mech, and he confirmed that it had been white before leaving the museum.
• The Blazing Sun departed for the Capital Planet with Zhong Lizi, Jiang Yuxia, and the Bishops aboard, and Captain An Shanxiang welcomed them.
• Jing Jiu obtained Military Command access privileges and planned to use them to take complete control of the Blazing Sun.
• Jing Jiu wondered why there had been no news of Xilai and Cao Yuan since they arrived in this universe.
• Xilai studied the people and technology on Linden, then looked out at the planet as a silent warship entered its atmosphere.