Chapter Summaries

March 7th explored Scott’s memories while the Astral Express crew’s laxative scheme incapacitated him and the IPC employees, allowing the train to depart. Scott accepted March 7th as a worthy rival before Ye Yan’s Saileni carried him and the others away, and Stelle heard a mysterious voice as she prepared to leave.

• March 7th entered Scott’s inner world and witnessed his childhood, where Scott admitted he had deliberately broken Pefana’s leg and later helped expose Old Scott for bribery.
• March 7th watched Scott sabotage Ashavat’s transfer and Lakshmi’s confession to eliminate competition for a specialist position.
• In Aurum Alley, the medicinal soup gave the IPC employees severe stomach trouble, leaving Scott struggling alone to stop the Astral Express from departing.
• Scott succumbed to the soup and admitted defeat, then praised March 7th’s ruthlessness and offered to recommend her for work at the IPC.
• Ye Yan summoned a fully equipped Saileni to carry Scott and the IPC employees away, and Stelle heard an icy voice say, “A happy ending to the story... isn’t it?”

March 7th wrote to her friends about learning swordsmanship from Yanqing and Yunli, then continued training under their strict supervision as the Wardance approached. Jiaoqiu arrived and advised the two masters to tailor their teaching to March’s strengths, using cooking as a metaphor.

• March 7th read Ye Yan her letter describing her sword lessons with Yanqing and Yunli and her progress over several weeks.
• Yanqing and Yunli praised March 7th’s improvement, then argued over whose swordsmanship was superior and challenged each other to fight.
• Yanqing suggested March 7th try other Xianzhou swords, while Yunli insisted there was no single strongest sword.
• Jiaoqiu interrupted the lesson, and March 7th and Yunli questioned why he had been watching them.
• Jiaoqiu compared swordsmanship teaching to cooking and explained that teachers should adapt their methods to each disciple.
• Jiaoqiu described his Yaoqing medical tradition as dietary therapy and admitted he could be thought of as a chef.

Jiaoqiu discussed how medicine could be used to save or kill, prompting Yanqing to explain the meaning he found in wielding his sword. Yanqing reached a new understanding of himself as he looked toward the Skysplitter, while Jiaoqiu noticed three people he considered suspicious.

• Jiaoqiu showed Yanqing, Yunli, and March 7th Stumble Powder and argued that survival on the battlefield mattered more than appearing honorable.
• Yanqing explained that the Wardance let the Cloud Knights display martial virtue and preserve peace, then led the group to Stargazer Navalia to see the Skysplitter.
• Jiaoqiu noticed two Foxians and a Cloud Knight nearby and decided to watch them more closely.
• Yanqing described his rigorous training and recalled how Teacher Ye Yan's sword strike shattered his confidence and made him question why he wielded a sword.
• Yanqing concluded that he wielded his sword for the person he became when he faced an obstacle with all his strength and pressed forward without hesitation.

Jiaoqiu spoke with Yanqing and Yunli about their reasons for entering the Wardance, then left them at Starskiff Haven. March 7th, Yanqing, Yunli, and Saileni uncovered Borisin infiltrators, and March’s accusation that they had joined a Lord Ravager made Saileni’s playful expression disappear.

• Jiaoqiu learned that Yanqing wanted to prove himself through swordsmanship and Yunli wanted to win back her grandfather’s donated sword, then departed for his duties.
• March 7th, Yanqing, and Yunli encountered Saileni at Starskiff Haven, where she tried to recruit the children into the Church of Eternity.
• Saileni overheard three suspicious figures discussing a plan involving the ceremonial cannons and exposed their secret conversation.
• Yanqing recognized that the disguised Cloud Knight had spoken in a foreign language, and the Borisin revealed their true forms and attacked.
• Yunli blocked attacks from two Borisin, while March 7th connected their allegiance to a Lord Ravager and reported them to Saileni, whose smile vanished.

Saileni, Yunli, and Yanqing uncovered Borisin infiltrators with forged Xianzhou identities, while Stelle and Dan Heng answered General Feixiao’s questions about the Luofu crisis. Feixiao pressed them on the Stellaron Hunters and Dan Shu, but Dan Shu’s death left one key question unresolved.

• Saileni repelled the Borisin’s poison as Yunli and Yanqing killed the disguised soldiers, and two Borisin escaped by jumping away.
• Yanqing found forged official badges and realized that Borisin with false identities could be hiding throughout the Xianzhou.
• Saileni tried to force open a cargo container and tossed a bar of soap inside, causing an explosion.
• Stelle and Dan Heng met Feixiao at the Seat of Divine Foresight, where she questioned their trust in the Stellaron Hunters and Jing Yuan’s account of the crisis.
• Stelle explained that Elio’s prophecy had led the Astral Express to the Luofu, and she said Dan Shu had sought revenge against the Xianzhou.
• Feixiao questioned how Dan Shu had brought a Stellaron into the guarded Scalegorge Waterscape, but noted that Dan Shu’s death left no answer.

Feixiao questioned Jing Yuan, Stelle, and Dan Heng about the Luofu crisis, then proposed recording their testimony to settle opposition within the Alliance. She also sought to transfer Hoolay to the Yaoqing as Borisin forces regrouped under the guidance of Celenova.

• Feixiao accepted the explanations Stelle, Dan Heng, and Huaiyan gave about Phantylia and the Ambrosial Arbor, then accused Jing Yuan of oversight, abdication, and poor judgment.
• Jing Yuan acknowledged his failures and explained why he had relied on the Stellaron Hunters and proceeded with the Wardance.
• Feixiao revealed that Celenova was guiding the Borisin as their hunting packs united under the name Mangun.
• Feixiao said the Ten-Lords Commission needed to record the Nameless' testimony at the Prison of Deep Seclusion, and Stelle objected before Feixiao reassured her they would be free to leave.
• Feixiao asked Jing Yuan to transfer Hoolay, the imprisoned Borisin warhead, to Yaoqing custody so it could respond to the Borisin threat.

Jiaoqiu and Moze inspected Hoolay’s confinement in the Prison of Deep Seclusion and learned about his unnatural vitality and the strict precautions for visiting him. Stelle, Dan Heng, and Saileni also arrived to give their testimony and prepare to see Hoolay.

• Jing Yuan arranged for Stelle and Dan Heng to give testimony at the Prison of Deep Seclusion, and Stelle asked to say goodbye to someone first.
• Stelle persuaded Ye Yan to send Saileni with her and Dan Heng to the prison, using his Gate of Myriad Paths to travel there.
• Jiaoqiu and Moze met Xueyi, who explained Hoolay’s crimes, his regenerative power, and the precautions required before visiting him.
• Jiaoqiu and Moze took pills to guard against Hoolay’s Wolf Poison and read the rules governing his confinement and transfer.
• Stelle, Dan Heng, and Saileni read the visiting taboos, and Dan Heng remarked that Stelle was even more overpowered than the Abominations of Abundance.

Stelle, Dan Heng, and Saileni entered the Prison of Deep Seclusion with Judge Hanya to give testimony, learning about the prison’s dangers and its unusual construction. As they headed toward the Records Hall, Hanya recalled a Wardance she had watched as a child, describing fighters Stelle tried to identify.

• Stelle and Dan Heng discussed why the Ten-Lords Commission was questioning them inside the Prison of Deep Seclusion, where the Karmic Mirror could record evidence.
• Hanya greeted Stelle and Dan Heng, thanked them for their help at Fyxestroll Garden, and warned them to obey her instructions during the proceedings.
• Hanya led Stelle, Dan Heng, and Saileni toward the prison’s depths, cautioning them about its treacherous terrain and explaining that its layered spaces contained many dangerous prisoners.
• Dan Heng said Vidyadhara artisans may have helped build the prison, while Hanya shared a story about a prisoner who fell through it until he became old.
• Hanya recalled a Wardance she had watched with her sister as a child, describing a Cloud Knight swordsman and a fiery-haired challenger with an iron hand; Stelle wondered who they had been.

Stelle and her companions descended into the Prison of Deep Seclusion, where Saileni used Ye Yan’s milk tea to ward off the freezing cold. They uncovered corpses hidden in a cargo crate and were ambushed by wolf-shaped spirit mechanisms, leaving Stelle charging into the fight with her bat raised for an [Eternity] Home Run.

• Hanya asked Stelle about the Wardance before the group descended farther into the prison and encountered extreme cold.
• Saileni prayed to Yite of [Eternity], creating a warm protective dome around herself, Stelle, Dan Heng, and Hanya.
• The group found suspicious cargo crates, and Hanya spotted military officers’ corpses inside one of them.
• Dan Heng sensed an attack, and Stelle shielded the group as wolf-shaped spirit mechanisms surged out of the darkness.
• Stelle fought the mechanisms with her bat while Dan Heng guarded against attackers that slipped past her.
• An elite spirit mechanism leaped at Stelle, and she sprang upward to strike it with her [Eternity] Home Run.

Stelle and her companions discovered that the Howling Caskets in the Prison of Deep Seclusion were part of a jailbreak plot targeting Hoolay, while Stelle and Saileni fled a chilling presence and then faced pursuing mechs. The chapter ended with Saileni praying to [Eternity] for the power to overcome the threat.

• Stelle destroyed the Howling Caskets, then realized Saileni was missing; Dan Heng and Hanya investigated the wreckage and concluded the mechs had been sent to engineer a jailbreak.
• Dan Heng warned that the Yaoqing envoys were visiting Hoolay, the savage beast imprisoned beneath the Artisanship Commission, and that his escape could endanger the Xianzhou Luofu.
• Xueyi led Jiaoqiu and Moze to Hoolay’s delve, explaining that the Yaoqing envoys came to verify his confinement and condition.
• Saileni startled Stelle with a prank, but the two sensed a chilling presence and ran in the opposite direction instead of turning to face it.
• Stelle used the Reignbow Arbiter to race ahead, while Saileni turned to destroy the pursuing Howling Caskets with a punch.
• Saileni knelt with the Holy Word of Eternity and prayed for the power to traverse falsehood.

Saileni used the power of [Eternity] to chase Stelle in a race, summoning boba milk tea and declaring that victory belonged to [Eternity]. At the Prison of Deep Seclusion, Modu and his Borisin forces attacked Xueyi, Jiaoqiu, and Moze, while Hoolay killed a soldier who entered his cell.

• Saileni summoned a glowing cup of boba milk tea with the Holy Word of Eternity, drank it, and gained enough power to pursue Stelle.
• Stelle accelerated with her hourglass necklace, but Saileni chased her and repeatedly forgot the words of her proclamation before shouting, “Victory belongs to [Eternity]!”
• Modu led Borisin wolf soldiers into the Prison of Deep Seclusion and revealed that the guards could not hear Xueyi’s call for reinforcements.
• Xueyi and Jiaoqiu fought the attackers while Jiaoqiu urged Moze to find a chance to escape.
• Two Borisin soldiers slipped into Hoolay’s cell, and one was soon hurled back out dead, causing the fighting to falter.

Hanya and Dan Heng raced through the prison as Hoolay broke free and prepared to escape with Modu’s Borisin soldiers. Just as Hoolay took Jiaoqiu hostage, Stelle and Saileni burst into the passage, with Stelle crashing into Modu.

• Hanya ordered the officers to contain escaped prisoners and raiders while she and Dan Heng took a shortcut toward the prison’s depths.
• Hoolay emerged from his cell, disabled Xueyi, and demanded that Modu explain the Borisin escape plan.
• Modu revealed that the Borisin had prepared vessels and had four hours to escape, and Hoolay ordered him to provide a disguise potion.
• Hoolay chose to take Jiaoqiu as a hostage and headed for the exit with Modu and the Borisin soldiers.
• Stelle and Saileni suddenly arrived, and Stelle slammed into Modu, sending him crashing into the prison wall.

Saileni cheerfully promoted her milk tea in the midst of the Prison of Deep Seclusion crisis, while Stelle prepared to fight Hoolay. As Hoolay transformed into a Foxian-like form and unleashed his fury at Saileni, Ye Yan and Silver Wolf watched from Central Starskiff Haven.

• Saileni ignored the Borisin soldiers and Jiaoqiu, drank milk tea, and offered Hoolay's group a cup while joking about escaping.
• Stelle recognized the danger, drew her mimicry baseball bat, and readied herself for battle.
• Silver Wolf watched Saileni on an electronic screen and asked Ye Yan whether she could defeat Hoolay; Ye Yan said neither outcome was certain.
• Hoolay swallowed a pill from Modu and transformed from his towering werewolf body into a burly Foxian-like man.
• Hoolay unleashed his bloodthirsty aura and targeted Saileni, enraged by her casual disregard for him.

Saileni stopped Hoolay’s attack with one hand and used the Scripture of Eternity to restore Xueyi’s destroyed puppet body. The prison fell silent as Hoolay, furious and wary of Saileni’s power, faced her again.

• Hoolay lunged at Saileni, but she casually blocked his claws with her right hand while holding her milk tea.
• Saileni retrieved the Scripture of Eternity and recited a prayer that filled the prison with golden light.
• The golden light restored Xueyi’s shattered puppet body to its intact condition.
• Stelle, Jiaoqiu, Modu, and the Borisin soldiers watched Saileni’s display with shock and hope.
• Hoolay stared at Xueyi and Saileni, trembling with fury and wariness as the light faded.

Saileni restored Xueyi and then used the Scripture of Eternity and Stelle’s hourglass to withstand Hoolay’s renewed attack. Hoolay realized the relic was key to Saileni’s defense and ordered his soldiers to seize it from Stelle.

• Saileni used the Scripture of Eternity to restore Xueyi, while Hoolay broke his disguise in fury.
• Hoolay launched a stronger attack at Saileni, but Stelle’s hourglass necklace created a barrier that helped her block it.
• Saileni recognized that the hourglass’s power had combined with her Scripture of Eternity to stop Hoolay.
• Hoolay ordered Modu and the Borisin soldiers to attack Stelle and take her hourglass.

Stelle used the hourglass of [Eternity] to anchor herself at her peak and overwhelm the Borisin wolf soldiers, while Saileni kept Hoolay occupied. The fight left Hoolay wary, and Silver Wolf learned from Ye Yan that Saileni’s strength came from her bond with followers of [Eternity].

• Hoolay shifted tactics and attacked Saileni relentlessly while his wolf soldiers surrounded Stelle and targeted her hourglass necklace.
• Saileni defended herself against Hoolay’s assault as Stelle braced to fight the encircling Borisin wolf soldiers with her baseball bat.
• The hourglass of [Eternity] enveloped Stelle in starlight, anchoring her condition at its peak and enabling her to strike with overwhelming force.
• Stelle blasted the wolf soldiers away with power drawn from [Eternity], [Preservation], [Destruction], and [Harmony], making Hoolay falter.
• Saileni watched Stelle’s display with approval while continuing to clash with Hoolay.
• At Ye Yan’s milk tea shop, Silver Wolf questioned Saileni’s combat strength, and Ye Yan explained that her role as Prayer Priest gave her a special bond with sacred relics of [Eternity].

Stelle prepared to support Saileni against Hoolay, but Dan Heng arrived and wounded the Borisin warhead with the Cloud-Piercer Spear, whose power prevented the injury from healing. Outnumbered and unable to rely on his regeneration, Hoolay seized Jiaoqiu as a hostage and retreated toward the escape passage.

• Stelle saw Saileni struggling to hold off Hoolay’s relentless attacks and rushed to help her.
• Dan Heng burst through the Prison of Deep Seclusion’s gates and struck Hoolay in the left shoulder with the Cloud-Piercer Spear.
• The spear’s power of [Eternity] stopped Hoolay’s wound from healing, removing his advantage in regeneration.
• Hoolay decided to retreat, grabbed Jiaoqiu as a hostage, and threatened to kill him if the others followed.
• Hoolay called for Modu and any Borisin soldiers still able to move, then retreated toward the escape passage.

Saileni stopped Stelle and Dan Heng from pursuing Hoolay, explaining that her mark would let them track him and Jiaoqiu was safer while Hoolay needed him alive. As Hoolay escaped with Jiaoqiu, Jiaoqiu tried to bargain for time by telling him Jingliu had returned to the Luofu.

• Hoolay and the surviving Borisin fled through the prison gates with Jiaoqiu as Stelle and Dan Heng prepared to chase them.
• Saileni stopped Stelle and Dan Heng, saying Hoolay carried [Eternity]'s mark and warning them that an attack could endanger Jiaoqiu.
• Saileni sat down for Ye Yan's special milk tea, explained that Hoolay would keep Jiaoqiu alive, and revealed she had slipped him a bottle during the chaos.
• Hoolay's group fought through the jailers while Modu suggested Jiaoqiu could help them negotiate their escape from the Xianzhou.
• Jiaoqiu told Hoolay that Jingliu had returned to the Luofu, prompting Hoolay to silence Modu and demand that Jiaoqiu stay by his side as a source of information.

Saileni and Stelle used the Scripture of Eternity and Stelle’s hourglass to heal and revive the Prison of Deep Seclusion’s guards after Hoolay’s attack. At the Seat of Divine Foresight, Feixiao declared that she would mobilize the Luofu Cloud Knights to hunt Hoolay.

• Saileni and Stelle invoked their shared authority of [Eternity] to spread sacred light throughout the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
• The light healed exhausted and wounded guards, restored severed limbs, and brought dead guards back to life.
• Saileni finished the ritual exhausted, while the prison’s despair gave way to hope.
• A Cloud Knight reported to Jing Yuan and the other generals that the prisoners had rioted and Hoolay’s whereabouts were unknown.
• Feixiao warned Jing Yuan and Huaiyan that the Xianzhou Alliance faced threats from [Destruction] and the Abominations of Abundance, then announced she would mobilize the Luofu Cloud Knights to hunt Hoolay.

After Hoolay escaped and Jiaoqiu was abducted, Stelle learned that Borisin infiltrators had helped prepare the jailbreak, while Yanqing worried about more disguised enemies on the Luofu. Feixiao urged Yanqing to eat and wait patiently for Hoolay to reveal himself.

• March 7th and Stelle failed to persuade Ye Yan to intervene, while Saileni's bandaged state was revealed to be performance art.
• Stelle met Yanqing, who explained that Saileni had uncovered Borisin disguised as Foxians at Stargazer Navalia.
• Yanqing worried about the infiltrators' false identities and suspected the jailbreak might involve forces beyond the Borisin.
• Yanqing said he would give up defending the Wardance arena to focus on his Cloud Knight duties and the Luofu's safety.
• Feixiao joined Yanqing and Stelle, then told Yanqing to eat before they hunted Hoolay and explained that patience would draw him out.