I love this series. A LOT. LitRPGs are my jam.
However. This one was super repetitive and not just stuff from last books - stuff we were told from someone else's point of view just a chapter or two ago, or even just a paragraph ago! (I know the tree is ink affinity, I was there when it was planted - and you've told me now four times!)
I did almost get upset because of the lightning storm and Julian's family - I paused the book three different times within that ten minutes and should have just kept listening because it all turned out fine and I was not actually upset about it at all.

i was so angry that we were going to have the death of this entire family explained in detail while Tree watched, but it ended up serving as a reminder to him to cultivate his humanity as well as Qi and he saved them

HOWEVER. major cliffhanger. Like middle of a paragraph just STOPS.
So half a star docked. Still love everyone and Diana is a bamf.