Chapter Summaries

Lingsha invited Stelle and the others to the Alchemy Commission, where they discussed the Commission’s corruption and the Ambrosial Arbor’s return. She revealed that her teacher had been framed and exiled thirty years earlier, with Jing Yuan approving the order, and that she had been implicated and forced to leave the Luofu.

• Lingsha thanked Stelle and the others for saving her, then invited them to the Alchemy Commission for tea and advice on its reconstruction.
• Ye Yan returned to the Alchemy Commission and gave Sushang milk tea while she was on guard duty.
• At the Commission, Lingsha and the others discussed the Ambrosial Arbor, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, and the Luofu’s troubled past.
• Dan Heng warned Lingsha that her ties to the Vidyadhara and the Commission could hinder reform, while Yanqing advised her to consult the general about the Disciples’ influence.
• Lingsha explained that her teacher had tried to reform the Commission thirty years earlier but was framed and exiled to the Zhuming Xianzhou, and that Jing Yuan had approved the order; Lingsha had been implicated and forced to leave too.

Lingsha brought Yanqing, Yunli, Ye Yan, March 7th, and Stelle to the Alchemy Commission, where Yanqing discovered Yunli had taken his flying sword and Ye Yan had it. Their rivalry nearly turned into a duel, but Lingsha proposed that they compete by slaying abominations in the Commission’s delve, leaving the contest about to begin.

• Lingsha told Yanqing that the Divine General bore responsibility for the Alchemy Commission’s decline, and Yanqing tried to hide his reaction.
• Yunli arrived with Qiongshi Bird Skewers, recognized Yanqing, and learned that the short sword in her luggage belonged to him.
• Ye Yan revealed that he had Yanqing’s jade-hilted flying sword, while March 7th and Stelle wondered which young fighter was stronger.
• Yanqing and Yunli’s competitive spirits flared, and both offered to help Lingsha clear abominations from the Commission.
• Lingsha set a fifteen-minute contest to decide the winner by counting how many abominations each of them slew.

Yunli and Yanqing’s spar at the Alchemy Commission was stopped by Feixiao, who criticized their fighting styles and suggested they settle their rivalry in the Wardance arena. Feixiao and Ye Yan returned to the milk tea shop, where she noticed the eerie green pendant lamp made from a Lord Ravager.

• Yunli and Yanqing continued their fierce spar after defeating the abominations near the Alchemy Commission until Feixiao stopped both of their weapons with her fingers.
• Feixiao introduced herself and advised Yunli and Yanqing that their fighting styles had shortcomings, then suggested they face each other in the Wardance arena.
• Lingsha thanked Feixiao for intervening, but refused to waive the Dragon Lady’s consultation fee; Feixiao asked her to bill the Seat of Divine Foresight as a teaching fee.
• Feixiao and Ye Yan vanished together, prompting Stelle and March 7th to conclude that Feixiao had come for Ye Yan’s milk tea.
• March 7th praised Feixiao and Yanqing’s swordsmanship, while Stelle gave an unenthusiastic response.
• Feixiao and Ye Yan returned to the milk tea shop, where Feixiao admired the green pendant lamp made from a Lord Ravager.

Ye Yan discussed Feixiao’s plan to target a Lord Ravager and offered her a suggestion, while Feixiao assessed Jing Yuan’s preparations for the Wardance with Moze and Jiaoqiu. At the Artisanship Commission, Yanqing worried about the coming Wardance, and Jing Yuan summoned the group to discuss the visiting generals.

• Feixiao said she intended to bring down a Lord Ravager, and Ye Yan offered to share a suggestion after sensing something.
• Feixiao asked Jiaoqiu and Moze for their impressions of Jing Yuan and the Luofu as they prepared for the Wardance.
• Jiaoqiu warned that the crowds arriving for the Wardance could spread rumors and trigger unrest.
• Yanqing admitted that seeing Feixiao fight had renewed his doubts about his abilities, and Dan Heng encouraged him.
• Yanqing invited Dan Heng and the others to the Seat of Divine Foresight at Jing Yuan’s request to discuss important matters.

Jing Yuan introduced Stelle and her companions to Huaiyan, who explained his role in investigating the Ambrosial Arbor calamity and offered a precious sword as the Wardance Championship Challenge prize. Yunli and Yanqing moved toward a rematch, while Stelle planned to watch them compete.

• Jing Yuan formally introduced Stelle and her companions to Huaiyan, who said he trusted Jing Yuan despite the Alliance's doubts about the Ambrosial Arbor calamity.
• Huaiyan revealed that he had come to listen during the investigation while Feixiao would conduct the questioning, and said his main concern was the Wardance proceeding safely.
• Huaiyan showed the group an empty sword case and proposed that the future Championship Challenge winner receive a precious Zhuming sword.
• Yunli and Yanqing traded challenges over who would defend the arena and win the sword, agreeing that their contest was not settled.
• Stelle suggested having Ye Yan defend the arena, but March 7th stopped her and joined her in wanting to see Yunli and Yanqing compete.

Huaiyan proposed that Yanqing and Yunli train an apprentice who could represent the Express in the Wardance, and March 7th reluctantly accepted the role. The arrangement left Yanqing and Yunli as her swordsmanship teachers, while Stelle suspected Huaiyan wanted the group to remain on the Xianzhou Luofu.

• Huaiyan asked Yanqing and Yunli to cooperate in training an apprentice who could win a Wardance match, and Jing Yuan suggested Stelle or March 7th.
• Stelle volunteered to learn swordsmanship, but Huaiyan judged that no one could guide her on her path and recommended March 7th instead.
• March 7th worried about her lack of experience and the time the training would take, but Yunli and Huaiyan reassured her, and she agreed after hearing Ye Yan might assist and provide milk tea.
• Huaiyan assigned Yanqing and Yunli to teach March 7th Cloud Knight swordsmanship, then left with Yunli to buy her practice gear.
• March 7th and Yanqing wondered how they had suddenly become teachers, and Stelle said Huaiyan likely wanted them to stay on the Xianzhou Luofu.

The Astral Express crew agreed to face the Luofu generals’ questions, while Feixiao explained to Yukong why the Alliance was scrutinizing Jing Yuan and revealed her plan to visit Hoolay. That night at the Dusty Inn, Ye Yan appeared with milk tea to celebrate March 7th’s chance to study swordsmanship.

• Dan Heng explained that Jing Yuan had arranged for Yanqing and Yunli to test the Express crew, and the crew agreed to answer the generals’ questions.
• Yanqing promised Jing Yuan that he would hold the Wardance arena for Luofu.
• Feixiao told Yukong that the Alliance was investigating Luofu’s report, Jing Yuan’s decisions, and Jingliu’s return, then disclosed that she intended to visit Hoolay.
• Feixiao explained that Yaoqing was concerned about Hoolay’s confinement and that routine century-spaced visits no longer reassured its leaders.
• At the Dusty Inn, March 7th went to Stelle’s room for a pillow fight and found Ye Yan there with milk tea to celebrate her Wardance training opportunity.

Ye Yan joked with March 7th about preparing for the Wardance, then she began sword training under Yanqing and Yunli. Their competing discipleship gifts left March puzzled when Ye Yan gave her a divination card called the Veil of Eternal Night.

• Ye Yan introduced March 7th to the Soap MK8888 Armor, while Stelle offered her the mimetic bat for the Wardance.
• Stelle told Ye Yan she had dreamed about Lycurgus and asked what he knew about Amphoreus; he described it as a good vacation destination.
• Stelle prompted March 7th to greet Yanqing as her master, and Yanqing agreed to teach her swordsmanship so she could defeat at least one Wardance opponent.
• March 7th began her first lesson with Yanqing and Yunli, who competed to impress her with gifts.
• Yunli gave March 7th a tailored Xianzhou outfit, Yanqing gave her a pair of swords, and Ye Yan presented her with a Veil of Eternal Night divination card.

March 7th began her swordsmanship lessons by sparring with Ye Yan, who effortlessly evaded and redirected her attacks while pointing out her flaws. Yanqing and Yunli then argued over whether she should practice footwork or power generation first, leaving March 7th caught between them.

• March 7th changed into Yunli's chosen swordswoman outfit and learned that her first lesson would involve sparring with Ye Yan.
• March 7th charged Ye Yan with a thrust and slash, but he evaded both attacks without disturbing his milk tea.
• March 7th tried a faster attack with footwork, but Ye Yan redirected her sword with two fingers and identified her unstable center of gravity, excessive force, and obvious intentions.
• Yanqing praised March 7th's potential but pointed out flaws in her sword swings, while Yunli and Yanqing disagreed about whether she should train footwork or power generation first.
• March 7th tried to mediate, but Yanqing and Yunli insisted that she follow their advice, leaving her silent between them.

March 7th began formal sword lessons with Yanqing and Yunli and explained that sword-hero immersia inspired her to learn. She planned to serve them apprenticeship tea, while Stelle suggested they find Ye Yan at the Sleepless Earl teahouse.

• Stelle visited March 7th's training and learned that Ye Yan had only helped during the first two days.
• Yanqing and Yunli asked March 7th what motivated her to wield a sword, and she recalled stealing Ye Yan's milk tea while he caught her flying sword.
• March 7th said she wanted to become a sword hero like the characters in immersia, and Yanqing and Yunli approved of her motivation.
• March 7th asked to serve apprenticeship tea, and Yanqing and Yunli agreed to accept milk tea.
• Stelle suggested holding the ceremony at the Sleepless Earl teahouse, where she thought Ye Yan was likely relaxing.

Scott harassed Mengming at the Sleepless Earl teahouse and provoked March 7th by insulting Xianzhou swordsmanship. March 7th accepted his challenge to fight the company's mechs in five days, with both sides agreeing to humiliating terms if they lost.

• Scott complained about Mengming's tea and insulted the Sleepless Earl as Stelle, March 7th, Yanqing, and Yunli arrived.
• March 7th called herself Scott's ancestor, and he mocked her swords and Xianzhou swordsmanship while summoning company mechs.
• March 7th challenged Scott's mech to a fight, and Scott proposed a wager to take place in five days.
• March 7th and Scott agreed to public punishments for the loser, while Stelle added apologies to Mengming and Xianzhou swordsmanship to Scott's terms.
• Scott departed with his mechs, still uneasy about the feeling that someone was watching him.

After Scott bullied Mengming, March 7th committed to learning swordsmanship so she could defeat him in their wager and protect people from injustice. Yanqing and Yunli set her a five-day test, and March began preparing to train with Stelle and Ye Yan.

• March 7th tried to call Chair Blake for help, then checked on Mengming and learned that Ye Yan was inside the Sleepless Earl teahouse.
• March 7th, Stelle, and the others joined Ye Yan in the private room, where March declared that she would learn swordsmanship and beat Scott.
• March 7th offered Stelle exclusive high-definition photos of Pom-Pom as teaching-assistant pay, and Ye Yan accepted the deal.
• Yunli and Yanqing warned March 7th that she had only five days and would need to follow a strict training plan and pass their test.
• Yanqing asked March 7th for her reason to wield a sword, and she said she wanted to become a great hero who stood up to injustice.

Yanqing and Yunli tested March 7th’s sword fundamentals, while Silver Wolf secretly prepared a hack to help her face Scott’s IPC mechs. The chapter ended with Silver Wolf assuring Stelle that March 7th could enter the match without worrying.

• March 7th learned that her first swordsmanship test focused on fundamentals, and Yanqing and Yunli warned she had little chance against IPC security mechs.
• Yanqing took March 7th to have her swords maintained as recognition of her progress.
• Silver Wolf visited Ye Yan’s milk tea shop and told Stelle she planned an offline meetup with a veteran Xianzhou player.
• After Stelle described March 7th’s upcoming match against Scott, Silver Wolf asked for an item March 7th carried and used it to prepare a buff.
• Silver Wolf told Stelle to reassure March 7th and claimed that knowing the enemy would make her opponent a dead dog.

March 7th passed Yunli’s swordsmanship exam after accidentally demonstrating a drunken sword routine, while Ye Yan and Stelle visited Qingque at the Divination Commission to look for a sword manual and told her about Scott. Qingque confronted Scott in Aurum Alley and provoked him into agreeing to a debate before March 7th’s duel.

• March 7th mistook Ye Yan’s special-effect milk tea for Flaming Strong Tea and performed a fluid drunken sword routine, impressing Yunli and Yanqing and passing her exam.
• March 7th estimated her chances against Scott at thirty or forty percent, then went with Yunli to get milk tea.
• Ye Yan and Stelle met Qingque at the Divination Commission and explained March 7th’s planned duel and Scott’s conduct.
• After hearing the story, Qingque became angry and went with Ye Yan and Stelle to confront Scott in Aurum Alley.
• Qingque criticized Scott’s attitude toward work until he lost his temper and challenged her to a debate before the duel.

Qingque and Stelle confronted Scott about defining himself by the IPC, and he agreed to apologize to Mengming and reconsider his life. After Scott left, Silver Wolf revealed that his changed attitude would reset at 4:00 the next morning, while she and Stelle discussed making him perform a SoulGlad jingle in two days.

• Qingque challenged Scott to name his own contributions to the company, and Stelle asked who he would be without the IPC.
• Qingque and Ye Yan’s remarks about overtime and life outside work broke down Scott’s defenses.
• Stelle encouraged Scott to explore tea and travel, then joined Qingque in showing him the value of ordinary working people’s lives.
• Scott agreed to apologize to Mengming and everyone living earnestly, and said he would reconsider his company job.
• Qingque accepted Ye Yan’s invitation for milk tea, while Silver Wolf appeared and explained that Scott would return to normal at 4:00 the next morning.
• Silver Wolf and Stelle planned for Scott to sing the SoulGlad advertisement in two days.

With a martial contest against Scott one day away, Silver Wolf reviewed his bizarre résumé while, on the Luofu, Jiaoqiu offered March 7th and Stelle unusual medicinal dishes. The pair learned the food would provide ordinary nutrition, but Jiaoqiu hinted at a rare Luofu prescription meant for snakes.

• Silver Wolf read Scott’s résumé to Ye Yan and mocked his eccentric history and taste in romance novels.
• Jiaoqiu met March 7th and Stelle at the Alchemy Commission and heard that March wanted miracle medicines to improve her swordsmanship.
• Jiaoqiu served March his Finger-Licking School dishes, and March 7th tried them after Stelle pushed a bite into her mouth.
• Jiaoqiu explained that the dishes would strengthen March’s body but would not greatly improve her swordsmanship, and Stelle offered her Ye Yan’s Eternity milk tea.
• Jiaoqiu hinted that the Luofu had a prescription intended for snakes in the mountains and dense forests.

Stelle and March 7th learned that Jiaoqiu’s Red Dragon was a riddle pointing to Lingsha and her medicinal blood, then returned to the milk tea shop and met Saileni, a prayer priestess of the Church of Eternity. Saileni introduced herself, invited them to the Church’s prayer sanctuary, and revealed that the Church’s priests relied on the knights for meals; March 7th then asked where Chair Blake and the priestess had gone.

• Jiaoqiu told Stelle and March 7th that a Red Dragon was hidden in the Alchemy Commission, prompting them to seek out Lingsha.
• Lingsha revealed that Jiaoqiu’s Red Dragon was a riddle referring to her, and offered March 7th a few drops of her blood while warning her about its risks.
• Stelle and March 7th returned to the milk tea shop and encountered Saileni, a veiled priestess of the Church of Eternity.
• Saileni introduced herself with an elaborate speech, forgot her lines, and offered the pair a half-price visit to the Church’s prayer sanctuary.
• Saileni explained that the Church charged for prayers and that its priestesses ate meals taken from the knights, before March 7th asked where Chair Blake and the priestess had gone.

Saileni explained that the Church of Eternity was searching the cosmos with Deacon Screwllum for a suitable branch base, while Stelle and March 7th imagined Fulisina delivering its introduction. At the Alchemy Commission, Jiaoqiu revealed that the supposed Red Dragon blood was sunset fruit juice, and Lingsha explained the medicinal meals and offered March 7th support against Scott.

• Saileni said the Church of Eternity had sent people and Deacon Screwllum across the cosmos to choose a branch base because Chair Blake and Fulisina were poor choices to represent it.
• Stelle and March 7th imagined Fulisina giving an intense introduction to the Church of Eternity and threatening its enemies.
• Jiaoqiu offered March 7th a bottle of supposed Red Dragon blood, but Stelle drank it after March refused.
• Lingsha arrived and revealed the bottle contained sunset fruit juice, while Jiaoqiu admitted he had wanted to see March 7th's reaction.
• Lingsha and Jiaoqiu explained that March's medicinal meals, sleep, and exercise had helped her, and they offered to help her deal with Scott.

March 7th worried she could not improve enough to beat Scott, so she asked several healers for a quick way to strengthen herself. Jiaoqiu and Saileni instead suggested weakening Scott, leaving March 7th to consider their laxative scheme.

• March 7th fretted over her coming showdown with Scott and asked Jiaoqiu, Bailu, and Lingsha for medicine that could rapidly boost her strength.
• Bailu offered March 7th restorative soup, while Lingsha warned that pain-blocking medicine could make her overlook fatal injuries.
• Jiaoqiu and Saileni secretly plotted while the others discussed ways to help March 7th.
• Saileni gave Stelle a cup of slippery slime, and Jiaoqiu proposed using debuffs on Scott instead of boosting March 7th.
• March 7th realized Jiaoqiu was suggesting laxatives and objected to him making the idea sound respectable.

Jiaoqiu and the Church of Eternity prepared a medicinal trick for Scott, but Scott drank the soup believing it would strengthen him. He began his showdown with March 7th in Aurum Alley by surrounding her and Stelle with IPC mechs.

• Jiaoqiu revealed that Moze had already arranged things, then hurried away as Lingsha and Bailu left too; Saileni denied using vicious medical tricks despite Stelle and March 7th suspecting she had suggested laxatives.
• Silver Wolf and Ye Yan watched from Aurum Alley, where Ye Yan had arranged for Saileni to spend time with Stelle and the others.
• Scott and March 7th arrived for their showdown, and Scott explained that he had chosen Aurum Alley to reclaim his pride in front of the locals.
• Scott said a warrior had encouraged him and given him and his brothers medicinal soup, which they had already drunk.
• Scott revealed that he had researched March 7th's brief swordsmanship training, summoned IPC mechs to surround her and Stelle, and ordered his brothers to attack.