Recaps

Le Yu realized that the sword scabbards all benefited from cooperating with Qin Leyin, and he made agreements with five of them ahead of the All-Knowing Eye examination. The sixth never approached him, leaving Le Yu curious as he prepared to plan with Qian Yuya and the others.

• Le Yu concluded that the sword scabbards would seek Qin Leyin’s cooperation because it offered them the best chance of avoiding defeat and winning the examination.
• Druid Cat Handler offered animal familiars with Savage Bloodline, and Le Yu agreed to cooperate with him.
• The hidden assassin Cai Nü arrived at night and secured a cooperation agreement with Le Yu, who remained wary of her seductive approach.
• Le Yu waited for the sixth sword scabbard to contact him, but it never did, and he grew intrigued by the omission.
• Le Yu planned to discuss passing information during the examination with Qian Yuya and the others, determined to prevent the test from becoming a campaign against Qin Leyin.

Le Yu discovered that Shi Wen and Lai Ya both suffered from severe Nightmare Sickness, which made learning combat arts dangerous and difficult. After exposing Shi Wen’s scheme to secure instruction for Lai Ya, Le Yu agreed to take both students as disciples, though he warned that their training could be dangerous or fatal.

• Shi Wen brought Lai Ya to watch Le Yu teach him combat arts, and Le Yu rebuked Shi Wen for using tricks to ask for help.
• Lai Ya explained that her poor eyesight came from Nightmare Sickness caused by childhood injuries, while Le Yu recalled that Shi Wen’s burns and extreme pain made combat arts training perilous.
• Le Yu realized Shi Wen had used himself as bait so Lai Ya could receive instruction if he refused to teach Shi Wen.
• Le Yu agreed to take Shi Wen and Lai Ya as disciples, warning them that training might be dangerous or fatal.

Le Yu decided to teach Shi Wen and Lai Ya Forbidden Combat Arts, using cruel training methods to exploit their Nightmare Sickness. After receiving a book on a painful variant of Blood-Drinking Eight Rice Flow, he realized its author was trying to shift blame and signed it as Jing Zhengwei.

• Le Yu concluded that Forbidden Combat Arts were the only way to give Shi Wen and Lai Ya a chance to overcome their disabilities, despite the Imperial Academy's ban.
• Le Yu blinded Lai Ya and ordered her to begin practicing Ruyi Sword-Wielding Combat Arts, then forced Shi Wen to train and spar with him.
• Shi Wen swallowed his anger and asked Le Yu to guide him, and Le Yu noticed the distant Platinum Tower as training began.
• That evening, Le Yu found Blood-Thorn Eight Rice Flow on his desk and learned that Principal Chahuan had taught Qin Xiao more than twenty years earlier.
• Le Yu discovered a hidden message in the book offering help in exchange for a name, recognized the author's attempt to shift blame, and signed Jing Zhengwei.

Li Ying rushed to attend Kui Nianruo’s elective and met a masked Hooded Man who was heading to the same class. Their conversation left his identity unknown as they approached the classroom.

• Li Ying recalled that she had promised to attend The Demise of Silver Blood for Kui Nianruo and hurried back to the Imperial Academy.
• Li Ying could not find the classroom and asked a masked Hooded Man for directions.
• The Hooded Man offered to lead Li Ying to class, and they discussed why she disliked Qin Leyin and the Imperial Academy’s notice board.
• Li Ying introduced herself and asked the Hooded Man’s name, but he had not yet answered.

Li Ying arrived late to Teacher Qin’s class and faced a choice between doing push-ups alone or having the whole class do them. Le Yu revealed that he had staged the dilemma to teach the class about authority and Jing Qingfu’s tactic of shifting conflicts elsewhere.

• Li Ying entered the classroom and read Teacher Qin’s demand that she do two hundred push-ups or the class do fifty together.
• The Hooded Man offered to share Li Ying’s punishment, and Qian Yuya, Lin Xue, Dan Chixia, Ming Shuiyun, Ming Shuangli, and other students joined them in doing push-ups.
• After the class finished, the Hooded Man revealed himself as Le Yu and took the podium.
• Le Yu explained that the students could have reported him to the principal instead of accepting either punishment, since he was the one at fault for delaying class.
• Le Yu described the episode as an example of Jing Qingfu’s Wine Persuasion, which shifted a conflict between teacher and students into a conflict among students.

Li Ying showed Lin Xue and the others a Youth Newspaper cover depicting General Lan Yan, prompting them to discuss its unusual, non-erotic style. In Chenfeng, Lu Zhong’s officials called for retaliation against the newspaper, but Lan Yan dismissed the cover as poorly made.

• Li Ying showed the group the Youth Newspaper cover of Lan Yan reviewing troops, and Qian Yuya pointed out that its style differed from the newspaper’s previous covers.
• Lin Xue kept the cover as a reminder of the gap between herself and Lan Yan, while Qian Yuya predicted that his political enemies would see it.
• At the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion, General Keda Ya demanded soldiers to attack the Youth Newspaper Agency, and Lu Heng urged Lu Zhong to condemn it and raise taxes on Dongyang merchants instead of going to war.
• Lu Zhong asked Lan Yan what he thought of the cover, and Lan Yan said its quality was worse than that of previous issues.

Lan Yan visited his fiancée, Lu Lingyin, and reassured her before their wedding, while his conversation with Yin Guyue revealed that he planned to avenge Lord Lu and was secretly building influence. The chapter ended with Lan Yan sending Yin Guyue to make White Night repay him, framing their actions as being for love and justice.

• Lu Heng defended Lan Yan against rumors and urged him to visit Lu Lingyin before their wedding.
• Lan Yan gave Lu Lingyin an Emerald Green bracelet, apologized, and spent the afternoon playing War Cards with her.
• Lu Lingyin showed Lan Yan four cards depicting different aspects of him, and Lan Yan wondered who had made them.
• As Lan Yan left with Yin Guyue, Yin Guyue accused him of deceiving Lu Lingyin despite his plan to avenge Lord Lu.
• Lan Yan admitted that rumors about his ties to former Statistics Department subordinates and the army's loyalty were true, then told Yin Guyue it was time for White Night to repay him.

Le Yu trained Shi Wen and Lai Ya in the Forbidden Combat Arts while forcing Shi Wen to adapt to his painful Bloodthorn Fishbone bracer. That evening, Yin praised the worldbuilding in Le Yu’s Echoes of the Future but called its plot third-rate, leaving Le Yu wounded and unwilling to discuss the book.

• Le Yu mocked Shi Wen’s cooking and punished him for refusing to train his left hand with the Bloodthorn Fishbone bracer.
• Le Yu made Lai Ya eat Shi Wen’s terrible fried rice while forcing Shi Wen to continue practicing with his left hand.
• Le Yu and Shi Wen discussed the upcoming All-Knowing Eye exam, and Le Yu scheduled their training to resume after noon.
• Le Yu asked Yin for an opinion of Echoes of the Future, and Yin praised its worldbuilding and ideas but rated its plot third-rate.
• Le Yu abandoned the book discussion and asked Yin about the next day’s exam instead.

Ming Shuiyun worried that Qin Leyin had lost interest in her after her bite mark healed, but her sisters encouraged her before the All-Knowing Eye exam. Their support left her feeling hopeful about facing the exam even without Qin Leyin's help.

• Ming Shuiyun noticed that the wound Qin Leyin had left on her had healed and felt uneasy about how long it had been since he had bitten her.
• Ming Qingyun complained about her sword sheath, then encouraged Ming Shuiyun to work hard for the All-Knowing Eye exam.
• Ming Shuiyun helped Ming Chaoyan with her homework, and Ming Chaoyan urged them to work hard together.
• Ming Taolang and Ming Dailan each encouraged Ming Shuiyun and wished her luck for the exam.
• Ming Shuangli told Ming Shuiyun she would take first place and promised that nobody would take second place from her.
• Ming Shuiyun fell asleep feeling hopeful after her sisters showed their support.

Le Yu prepared for the All-Knowing Eye examination as Yan Command agents guarded the Imperial Academy, while Qin Yueshi challenged his reasons for continuing his dangerous plans despite the Qin family’s new wealth. He chose to keep going, and the examination began when Nieruo arrived.

• Xianchan Chenchen and Yan Command agents guarded the Dire Faction Teaching Building, unsettling examinees as Le Yu exchanged barbs with the Civet Cat Inspector.
• Le Yu reassured Qian Yuya, Lin Xue, Li Ying, and Kui Nianruo before the examination, offered to help them with his class, and gave Lin Xue a cryptic hint about the Two Oddities’ strategy.
• The Radiant Heavenly Maidens arrived, and Le Yu jokingly told his students to lift Xianchan Chenchen’s hat and touch his head, claiming they were father and son.
• Qin Yueshi told Le Yu that the Qin family had earned 150 Gold Coins from the Peerless Ranking and could secure a future in Yan Capital, then urged him to abandon his dangerous ambitions.
• Le Yu refused to give up, reflecting on the people and losses that made him want to keep trying; Nieruo arrived as the bell rang and the All-Knowing Eye examination began.

Le Yu clashed with Nieruo and rejected their alliance, hiding his own reasons while keeping the other students from suspecting they were working together. He then entered the forest to disrupt the experienced teams helping students cheat on the All-Knowing Eye, aiming to leave the seven rookies to compete alone.

• Le Yu and Nieruo exchanged attacks, then separated after Le Yu demanded that Nieruo prove his strength before they cooperated.
• Le Yu privately admitted that joining forces with Nieruo would expose his own cheating, and he expected Nieruo to pursue the other students instead.
• Le Yu entered the forest near the Nightmare Teaching Building to start removing the outside helpers who assisted exam-takers.
• Le Yu considered how live substitutes and cheating studios used the Flying Flower Combat Arts and library research to help students score highly.
• Le Yu suspected Nieruo's cheating team was stationed nearby and decided to eliminate the powerful outside helpers before the rookies competed.

Le Yu dealt with students guarding the arena stakes and reunited with the beasts sent by Feng Lü before Cai Nü and the marksman Yin became embroiled in a standoff. As Mietangya arrived and the factions prepared to fight, Le Yu stepped forward and asked everyone to give him some face.

• Le Yu knocked out several students guarding stakes and other students fleeing from the beasts sent by Feng Lü.
• Cai Nü confronted Le Yu, but Yin fired at her from a distance and grazed her cheek.
• Cai Nü identified Yin as a marksman close to being an Instant Annihilator, and Le Yu considered whether to attack her with Yin.
• Mietangya arrived and prepared to fight Cai Nü as the beasts readied themselves for battle.
• Le Yu stepped between the factions and asked them to give him some face.

Le Yu deceived Mietangya and Cai Nü into believing they were allies against the Instant Annihilation Sword Sheath, then demonstrated his strength by defeating them and stopping a bullet. He persuaded the Sword Sheaths to cease fighting for now, but Mietangya and Cai Nü secretly planned to ambush their opponents when Le Yu lured them away.

• A red-haired man asked the Sword Sheaths to stop the war, but Le Yu ignored him and attacked Mietangya while pretending to reveal a secret plan.
• Le Yu defeated Mietangya with a powerful strike, then told Cai Nü that they needed to cooperate against the Instant Annihilation Sword Sheath.
• Le Yu knocked Cai Nü down and then challenged the hidden Instant Annihilation Sword Sheath to shoot him.
• With advance warning from Yin, Le Yu struck the bullet out of the air with one finger, convincing Mietangya and Cai Nü of his strength.
• Le Yu proposed a temporary ceasefire, and Mietangya, Cai Nü, and the hidden Sword Sheath each accepted.
• Le Yu rode away with his animal followers while Mietangya and Cai Nü secretly planned to ambush the Sword Sheaths he lured out.

Le Yu tried to prevent the Sword Sheaths from disrupting his side’s cheating plans by forming alliances with them all, then headed to meet Nieruo while letting Mietangya believe he remained loyal. He left Mietangya waiting outside the woods, confident that his self-deception had kept the alliance secret.

• Le Yu reasoned that preventing a fight among the Sword Sheaths would best secure his side’s chances in the All-Knowing Eye, so he had secretly allied with the other Sword Sheaths who approached him.
• Le Yu and his animal companions drove away nearby spies, while students fled the combat zone as the exam’s first hour ended.
• Li Ying and Qin Yueshi left the exam to copy the questions and seek answers at the White Box Library.
• Le Yu told Mietangya truthfully that he was going to find Nieruo, then entered the woods with Nieruo while leaving his animal companions behind.
• Mietangya convinced himself that Le Yu would not ally with Nieruo, and Le Yu confirmed that his act had succeeded when Mietangya stayed behind.

Le Yu admitted to Nieruo that he had secretly contacted other sword scabbards, then persuaded him that cooperating was necessary to protect Twin Carp Palace’s chances in the Sword Quest for Succession. Nieruo forgave him and asked to hear his plan.

• Nieruo explained why Twin Carp Palace’s Madness Mask represented a meaningful bond between Sword Master and sword scabbard, then tested Le Yu with a sword strike.
• Nieruo asked whether Le Yu had betrayed their agreement and allied with other sword scabbards, and Le Yu admitted that he had.
• Le Yu warned Nieruo that the Sword Bearer might favor another candidate and end the Sword Quest for Succession, threatening Twin Carp Palace’s prospects.
• Le Yu urged Nieruo to forgive him for acting in Twin Carp Palace’s interest, and Nieruo lowered his blade and agreed.
• Nieruo asked Le Yu to explain his plan.

Le Yu convinced Nieruo to fake a serious defeat so he could turn the other sword scabbards against one another, then used their fight to activate Blood-Drinking Eight Rice Flow. He overwhelmed Mietangya and announced that Mietangya would also have to withdraw, leaving him to carry out the scheme alone.

• Le Yu proposed that Nieruo pretend to be seriously injured and trust him to incite infighting among the sword scabbards.
• Nieruo agreed to the gamble and gave Le Yu a flare, hoping to eliminate the other sword scabbards before facing him.
• Le Yu practiced Blood-Drinking Eight Rice Flow on Nieruo, and the ensuing clash sent a burst of blood-red light from the woods.
• Le Yu emerged covered in blood and told Mietangya that Nieruo had been seriously wounded, then attacked him.
• After defeating Mietangya, Le Yu explained his plan and declared that Mietangya had to leave the exam seriously injured; Mietangya pleaded for him to go easy.

Le Yu forced Cai Nü to withdraw and enlisted Yin to help him lure and eliminate the remaining Sword Sheaths, believing the All-Knowing Eye exam was already lost. He left the battlefield in control of the situation and hoped Ming Shuiyun and the others would perform well.

• Cai Nü watched Mietangya flee, but Le Yu found her and pressured her into pretending to be seriously wounded and withdrawing.
• Le Yu explained that he planned to draw Nieruo and Mietangya back while searching for the Instant Annihilator, then have Cai Nü help finish them off.
• Le Yu reasoned that the Beast Tamer and the hidden Sword Sheath might already have secured full marks, so winning the exam mattered less than eliminating the other Sword Sheaths.
• Le Yu contacted Yin, explained his plan to have Yin snipe the Sword Sheaths he restrained, and gained Yin's promise to keep watching him.
• Le Yu reflected that he had deceived four Sword Sheaths to shape the exam for Ming Shuiyun and hoped she would perform well.

Cha Shiyin healed Lai Ya and allowed Shi Wen two hours to work without interference. Shi Wen helped Qin Yueshi and Li Ying answer the All-Knowing Eye exam, then insulted them over their shortcomings before apologizing after Li Ying confronted him; meanwhile, Zhaoye Bai escorted a disguised Ming Yueyan to the restroom, but Ming Yueyan escaped and was cornered in the woods.

• Cha Shiyin healed Lai Ya, told her he would not interfere for two hours, and approved of Shi Wen making someone eat his own cooking.
• Shi Wen began helping Qin Yueshi and Li Ying answer their exam by locating reference books and marking responses.
• Shi Wen criticized Li Ying's poor record and Qin Yueshi's privileged admission, prompting Li Ying to confront him and demand an apology to Qin Yueshi.
• Shi Wen apologized, and Qin Yueshi and Li Ying left with the answers; afterward, he told Lai Ya he resented people whose lives seemed easier than his.
• Zhaoye Bai escorted a student claiming to be Ming Yueyan to the restroom, but the real Ming Yueyan escaped through a window and headed for the woods.
• Ming Yueyan climbed a tree to avoid a jackal and two leopard cats, then fainted when a red-haired man appeared upside down in front of her.

Le Yu captured Ming Yueyan and learned that her sword scabbard could disguise itself as different people, while Ming Yueyan revealed she was the author of the Collection of Famous People and agreed to cooperate. As the third stage of the All-Knowing Eye exam began, Xianchan Chenchen drowned out the answer-carrying flute with a suona performance atop the Nightmare Teaching Building.

• Le Yu placed the sleeping Ming Yueyan on the Ferocious Jackal and suspected her sword scabbard could impersonate others.
• Le Yu considered the danger posed by the disguised sword scabbard but decided to keep Ming Yueyan alive and use her to reach them.
• A flute began carrying answers to examinees, and Le Yu explained that the third stage of the All-Knowing Eye exam had begun.
• Ming Yueyan admitted she wrote the Collection of Famous People and agreed to cooperate with Le Yu in finding her sword scabbard.
• Xianchan Chenchen appeared on the Nightmare Teaching Building roof and played a suona loudly enough to overwhelm the flute.

Xianchan Chenchen led Yantong in a campaign to stop candidates from passing answers during the Imperial Academy exam, using music to overwhelm the students. Qin Leyin found a way around the proctors by shooting answers into the examination rooms, leaving Xianchan Chenchen furious and unable to intervene.

• Xianchan Chenchen explained that Yantong aimed to prove its strength and prevent candidates from sharing answers during the exam's second half.
• Students used a qin and flute to send answers, but Linü countered with four suonas that drowned out the music across Yan Capital.
• Xianchan Chenchen considered ways Qin Leyin might transmit answers and concluded that direct delivery would be the safest method.
• Qin Leyin emerged from the woods with two girls, loaded a long-barreled gun, and fired answers into the examination rooms.
• Xianchan Chenchen watched helplessly as the bullets bypassed Yantong's defenses, then struck his operative with a suona despite being offered hot, cold, and iced water.

Le Yu finished marking the All-Knowing Eye answers on the examination room wall with gunshots, with Cha Huan allowing the cheating method despite the damage to Academy property. Before leaving with Qin Yueshi and their hostage, Ming Yueyan, he asked Li Ying what reward she wanted, and she requested an internship at the Steam Merchant Guild.

• Li Ying asked to fire Le Yu’s gun, but he refused and dismantled it.
• Qin Yueshi recognized Ming Yueyan as one of the Radiant Heavenly Maidens, and Le Yu said they needed to leave before the area became dangerous.
• Le Yu explained that the bullet-hole pattern gave the exam answers while disguising some incorrect choices, and that Cha Huan had let him proceed.
• Li Ying asked Le Yu for a reward because she had helped him, and he invited her to say what she wanted.
• Li Ying requested an internship at the Steam Merchant Guild, prompting Le Yu to question why an Imperial Academy student wanted to enter business.

Le Yu accepted Li Ying's request to train as a merchant and teased Qin Yueshi until she demanded a thank-you, then softened and thanked her. He took Ming Yueyan into the woods as a witness to a gathering of scabbards and summoned the others with a signal flare.

• Li Ying told Le Yu she wanted to train at his guild because she was interested in business, and Le Yu approved her request.
• Qin Yueshi demanded that Le Yu thank her for what she had done, but he teased her about wanting to settle her debt until she nearly punched him.
• Le Yu thanked Qin Yueshi, and she left with Li Ying, who offered to calm her down.
• Le Yu brought Ming Yueyan toward the woods and told her she would witness a gathering of scabbards.
• Le Yu fired Nieruo's signal flare to summon the other scabbards.

Le Yu decided to keep the other sword sheaths gathered for his All-Knowing Eye exam rather than leave with Ming Yueyan. Nieruo answered the signal flare, but an unseen Instant Annihilator attacked him, and Xia Mu joined the fight with a spear.

• Le Yu tied up his red hair with one of Ming Yueyan’s hairs and announced that his All-Knowing Eye exam was beginning.
• Nieruo recovered beside his poison-soaked flag, prepared his blade, and headed toward Le Yu’s signal flare, pleased that Qin Leyin had kept his promise.
• An unseen sniper fired at Nieruo, who used Cherry Dragon Sword Dance: Brushing Aside the Abode to block the bullet and recognized the threat of the Instant Annihilator.
• Nieruo unleashed Cherry Dragon Sword Dance: Butterfly Waves, destroying another bullet and sweeping the forest with a storm of sword lights.
• As Nieruo pursued a figure through the trees, Xia Mu attacked him from the side with a spear.

Nieruo and Mietangya fought to the brink of a Warrior’s Duel, but Cai Nü’s ambush was interrupted by a shot from the Instant Annihilator. Le Yu arrived and offered to end the conflict, leaving Nieruo to recognize him as both his greatest enemy and his best enemy.

• Nieruo and Mietangya traded powerful attacks, acknowledged their injuries, and agreed to settle who lived and died in a Warrior’s Duel.
• Mietangya activated his battle arts and charged as Nieruo unleashed Cherry Dragon Sword Dance, but Cai Nü sprang from hiding and attacked them both.
• The Instant Annihilator fired at Cai Nü, forcing her to deflect the bullet and withdraw; Nieruo and Mietangya also abandoned their duel and retreated.
• Le Yu arrived with the leopard cat, vicious sable, and Ming Yueyan, then offered to bring the conflict to an end.
• Nieruo’s blade grew sharper as he watched Qin Leyin, and he realized the red-haired man might be his greatest enemy and his best enemy.

Sou explained to Ning how Qin Leyin manipulated the Sword Sheaths into ending their fight and leaving him with Ming Yueyan, while Huang predicted Cai Nü would be the first to leave the game. Qin Leyin escaped with his allies’ trust intact, but an unfamiliar woman rushed up to him and said a Sword Sheath was hunting her.

• Sou explained that Qin Leyin’s speech appealed to the Sword Sheaths’ self-interest while making them feel he had sacrificed for them.
• Qin Leyin rejected Cai Nü’s suggestion to use Ming Yueyan as a hostage and promised to return her to the Thousand-Faced Sword Sheath.
• Huang predicted that Cai Nü would be the first Sword Sheath to leave the game because she had the lowest moral bottom line.
• Qin Leyin led Ming Yueyan away, and Nieruo, Mietangya, and the others let them leave without restarting the fight.
• Sou explained to Ning that Qin Leyin’s departure gave the Sword Sheaths a way to withdraw while preserving their alliance with him.
• An unfamiliar woman ran to Qin Leyin and warned him that someone, possibly a Sword Sheath, was hunting her.