Chapter Summaries

Li Xiuluo, disguised as Second Young Master Zhu, killed Shui Qingchen after she tried to poison him, while Xu Yi attended Marquis Anqing’s banquet. The chapter ended with Marquis Anqing recognizing Xu Yi as the celebrated poet and welcoming him enthusiastically.

• Shui Qingchen knocked out the brocade-robed young master with poison, but he stabbed her and devoured her blood and soul.
• The brocade-robed young master revealed himself to be Li Xiuluo, disguised as Second Young Master Zhu, and the narration explained that Xu Yi had alerted him to Shui Qingchen.
• Xu Yi learned that Li Xiuluo had dealt with Shui Qingchen, then continued loading his plate with pastries until Master Niu confronted him.
• Xu Yi challenged Master Niu and introduced himself to Marquis Anqing, who recognized him through his famous poems.
• Marquis Anqing grew excited, took Xu Yi by the hand, and praised his arrival at the banquet.

Xu Yi attended Marquis Anqing's gathering, where the marquis punished Master Niu and then left Xu Yi to enjoy the refreshments. As Xu Yi reflected on his worries about Xia Zimo, his cultivation, Qiu Wa, and the Yin Extremity Bead, Yan Zi came to join him after attracting the attention of several young noblemen.

• Marquis Anqing learned that Master Niu had demanded a hundred thousand gold from Xu Yi and ordered him imprisoned for life.
• The guards knocked Master Niu unconscious and dragged him away while Marquis Anqing apologized to Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi declined further conversation with the marquis, ate pastries, and settled down with wine to wait for the auction.
• Xu Yi reflected on Xia Zimo's safety, his cultivation, Qiu Wa's situation, and his promise to return the Yin Extremity Bead to Tianchan Temple.
• Yan Zi approached Xu Yi with several young noblemen following her, and they scattered after Xu Yi called her over.
• Xu Yi teased Yan Zi about her popularity and encouraged her to go out more.

Xu Yi defended Yan Zi from Xiong Fa and his companions, then earned Prince Pu'an Yi's approval. Prince Pu'an Yi asked Yan Zi to become his goddaughter, leaving her to decide whether to accept.

• Xu Yi mocked Xiong Fa for presenting Yan Zi as a treasure, and Yan Zi laughed at Xu Yi's barbs.
• Prince Pu'an Yi arrived and rebuked Xiong Fa for failing to deliver his message.
• Xu Yi greeted Prince Pu'an Yi calmly and challenged Xiong Fa's claim that he had shown disrespect.
• Prince Pu'an Yi ordered Xiong Fa to leave, then praised Xu Yi's backbone.
• Prince Pu'an Yi told Yan Zi she reminded him of his late consort and asked to take her as his goddaughter.

Xu Yi mocked Prince Pu'an Yi for pursuing Yan Zi, prompting the prince to strike him and wreck Marquis Anqing’s gathering. Marquis Anqing intervened, then recognized the injured Xu Yi and rushed to his side, leaving Prince Pu'an Yi’s punishment of him uncertain.

• Prince Pu'an Yi set his sights on Yan Zi, and Xu Yi mocked him by proposing they become kin because Yan Zi was his family’s eldest grandson.
• Prince Pu'an Yi struck Xu Yi with a palm, sending him crashing through tables and display stands while Yan Zi rushed to treat him.
• Marquis Anqing dismissed the guards and challenged Ji Changtian, who apologized for losing his temper but insisted Xu Yi should still be punished.
• Prince Pu'an Yi ordered guards to seize Xu Yi and threatened Yan Zi, but Marquis Anqing suddenly recognized Xu Yi and hurried to catch him.

Marquis Anqing revealed Xu Yi’s identity as the Poet Immortal and Word Sage, turning the gathering’s dispute into a public confrontation. Prince Pu'an Yi and Ye Piaoling challenged Xu Yi’s reputation, while Xu Yi held back and saw an opportunity to profit from the spectacle.

• Marquis Anqing identified Xu Yi as the famous Poet Immortal and Word Sage, and the noblewomen in the hall surged forward to see him.
• Prince Pu'an Yi refused to back down and accused Xu Yi of deceiving the world and stealing a reputation.
• Marquis Anqing defended Xu Yi’s literary works, but Ye Piaoling stepped forward and questioned their authorship and merit.
• Ye Piaoling argued that Xu Yi’s couplet, Jianghu, and Wenqing were unimpressive, and that only Tianya deserved praise.
• Xu Yi stopped Yan Zi from intervening and privately welcomed the commotion as a chance to conceal his strength and earn Crimson Gold Coins.

Ye Piaoling challenged Xu Yi’s literary reputation, and Gu Yunzhen proposed a contest to settle the dispute. Xu Yi agreed to compete but demanded that Prince Pu'an Yi pay for any poems or ci he produced.

• Ye Piaoling criticized Xu Yi’s works and cast doubt on his titles as Poet Immortal and Word Sage.
• Prince Pu'an Yi called Xu Yi a fraud, while Marquis Anqing defended him and demanded a test of their talents.
• Gu Yunzhen revealed himself as the Poet Heart and proposed that Xu Yi compete with the writers gathered in the hall.
• Prince Pu'an Yi endorsed the contest, and Xu Yi agreed after Marquis Anqing asked him to take part.
• Xu Yi told Prince Pu'an Yi that he would compete only if the prince paid for his poems or ci.

Xu Yi baited Prince Pu'an Yi into wagering a million gold coins on a literary contest, with Marquis Anqing backing Xu Yi’s stake. As Gu Yunzhen and Ye Piaoling prepared to face him, Ye Piaoling proposed switching the contest from poems and ci to couplets, leaving Xu Yi to decide whether to accept.

• Xu Yi demanded a million gold coins to compete, then offered to match Prince Pu'an Yi’s stake and wager against him.
• Prince Pu'an Yi accepted the bet and produced a million-gold cashier’s check, while Marquis Anqing agreed to witness and covered Xu Yi’s stake.
• Gu Yunzhen and Ye Piaoling were chosen to compete together against Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi proposed a quick contest in poems or ci, confident in his command of literature and memorized works.
• Ye Piaoling argued that poems and ci were too subjective to judge and challenged Xu Yi to compete in couplets instead.

Xu Yi turned the poetry contest into a challenge of unmatchable couplets and wrote three lines that Ye Piaoling could not answer. Ye Piaoling then presented three famous Jiangbei couplets and dared Xu Yi to answer even one.

• Ye Piaoling proposed that each contestant give three couplets at a time, and Xu Yi agreed to go first.
• Xu Yi recited a strange first line, then wrote it down in exquisite calligraphy as “Smoke skirts the lovely eaves; smoke swallows watch with bright eyes!”
• Xu Yi wrote two more difficult couplets, leaving Ye Piaoling drenched in sweat and unable to answer.
• Prince Pu'an Yi urged Ye Piaoling to continue, and Ye Piaoling regained his resolve and wrote three couplets devised by Jiangbei scholars.
• Ye Piaoling challenged Xu Yi to answer any one of his three couplets, promising to concede if Xu Yi succeeded.

Xu Yi defeated Ye Piaoling by solving an allegedly unsolvable couplet, then accepted Gu Yunzhen’s poetry challenge. After Yan Zi painted a dusk fishing scene, Xu Yi’s poem made Gu concede and leave in despair, while Prince Pu'an Yi seethed.

• Xu Yi matched Ye Piaoling’s couplet with “Smoke locks the willows by the pond,” earning the hall’s praise and forcing Ye to concede defeat.
• Marquis Anqing urged Xu Yi to solve five more couplets, but Xu said he had no answers and suggested other scholars would solve them.
• Gu Yunzhen conceded Xu’s reputation but insisted on competing through poems inspired by a painting Yan Zi would create.
• Encouraged by Xu Yi, Yan Zi painted a scene of a fishing boat returning at dusk.
• Xu Yi wrote a regulated poem inspired by the painting, and Gu Yunzhen dropped his brush, praised Xu, and staggered out of the hall.
• Prince Pu'an Yi seethed as both challengers left him defeated.

Xu Yi won the poetry contest with a verse that worked in both directions, collected a million gold coins, and escaped the frenzied crowd with Yan Zi. After resting, he entered the auction in disguise and was led toward another passageway.

• A young scholar praised Xu Yi's poem but said it fell short of a peerless work, prompting Prince Pu'an Yi to accuse Xu Yi of conspiring against him.
• Yan Zi urged everyone to read the poem backward, and the crowd marveled as Xu Yi's verse formed another beautiful scene.
• Xu Yi thanked Prince Pu'an Yi for yielding, and Marquis Anqing gave him the million gold coins; guests tore the poem sheets apart to keep the fragments.
• Xu Yi took Yan Zi away from the chaotic hall, rented a quiet room, and persuaded her to return to Futuo Mountain.
• Xu Yi slept until the auction was about to begin, then disguised himself and followed a maid through the auction's hidden rooms and passageways.

Xu Yi attended the Divine Capital Business Alliance auction and began bidding aggressively on Divine Essence Pills for Yan Zi, who was close to breaking through to Sea Transformation. He won two pills and drove Number Thirty-Six to overpay for another, while the fourth pill came up for bidding.

• Xu Yi found his seat in the auction hall as black mist concealed the audience and protected their identities.
• The auction opened with a Divine Essence Pill refined by Alchemist Fu Zi, and Xu Yi bid one hundred and fifty thousand gold to buy it for Yan Zi.
• Number Thirty-Six raised the bid to one hundred and sixty thousand gold, won the first pill, and Xu Yi stayed silent.
• Xu Yi offered one hundred and fifty thousand gold for the second pill, and the other bidders let him win it at that price.
• Number Thirty-Six challenged Xu Yi for the third pill, and Xu Yi’s bids pushed the price to one hundred and eighty thousand gold before Number Thirty-Six won.
• The fourth Divine Essence Pill appeared, and Xu Yi immediately bid one hundred and fifty thousand gold.

Xu Yi watched the Divine Essence Pills and other auction items sell for soaring prices, then competed for the Thousand Machine Formation. He raised his bid to one million gold, drawing out a previously hidden bidder as the auction continued.

• Xu Yi bought two more Divine Essence Pills for Yan Zi, while Number Thirty-Six struggled against other bidders to acquire pills.
• The remaining Divine Essence Pills sold at sharply increased prices, with Number Thirty-Six winning the last one for two hundred thousand gold.
• The Top-grade magic robes and Top-grade Essence Restoration Pills sold for prices far above market value, while Xu Yi saved his gold for key items.
• Xu Yi recognized the Thousand Machine Formation as one of his targets and decided to obtain it at any cost.
• Xu Yi stayed in the bidding as the formation's price climbed, then raised his offer to one million gold and drew out Number One Hundred Thirty.

Xu Yi won the Thousand Machine Formation and spent over eight hundred thousand gold to secure three drops of Taiyin Liquid at the auction. With his main goals accomplished, he sat back to wait for the rare treasure linked to Sword King Feng Xifeng.

• Xu Yi outbid Number One Hundred Thirty and won the Thousand Machine Formation for one million three hundred twenty thousand gold.
• Xu Yi counted his remaining funds and resolved not to bid on anything else before the Taiyin Liquid appeared.
• Xu Yi watched wealthy bidders purchase extravagant lots, including a Purple Lightning Sable that Number Seventy-Seven bought for six million eight hundred thousand gold.
• The auctioneer introduced twelve drops of Taiyin Liquid and hinted that a later rare treasure might be connected to the late Sword King Feng Xifeng.
• Xu Yi bid over eight hundred thousand gold and secured three drops of Taiyin Liquid, then settled back to await the rare treasure.

Xu Yi won the Life and Death Realm for 2.4 million gold and learned that spirit soil was far more valuable than he had realized. As the auction continued, he spotted a silver needle made of the same material as an item from Feng Xifeng's Sumeru Ring.

• The auctioneer introduced the Life and Death Realm, explaining its risks and its connection to Sword King Feng Xifeng's mastery of the Divine Intent Sword.
• Xu Yi bid against the hall and won the Life and Death Realm for 2.4 million gold.
• Xu Yi listened to the auction of spirit soil and realized the supply in Old Ancestor Wen's Sumeru Ring was worth far more than he had thought.
• Xu Yi watched the five boxes of spirit soil sell for increasingly high prices and resolved to pay closer attention to the auctioneer's explanations.
• Xu Yi noticed a silver needle whose material matched an item he had obtained from Feng Xifeng's Sumeru Ring.

Xu Yi watched the auction of rare Five Elements materials and a powerful water-elemental Spirit Talisman, whose bidding escalated into a dispute over whether Zhan Shence could count his treasures and family prestige toward his offer. The auctioneer was left to decide whether to accept Zhan Shence’s claimed twenty-million-gold bid.

• Xu Yi watched the Source Iron Needle, Blue Crystal, Flame Fruit, and Taiyi Divine Wood sell for enormous sums and realized his wealth was modest by comparison.
• The merchant alliance introduced a water-elemental origin Spirit Talisman and promised a full refund if it could not match a Soul Sensing Ancestor’s full-strength strike.
• Bidding for the Spirit Talisman surged past eight million gold as bidders treated it as a force capable of guarding a family or sect against a Soul Sensing Ancestor.
• Bidders challenged one another as the price rose, and Zhan Shence claimed his remaining gold and treasures made his offer worth twenty million.
• An opponent rejected Zhan Shence’s offer because auction rules required gold coins, while Zhan Shence invoked his father, War Son of Heaven, and his opponent answered that the Ninth Prince would not fear him.
• The auctioneer became stuck deciding whether to make an exception for Zhan Shence’s claimed bid.

Xu Yi collected the treasures he won at the auction and met Marquis Anqing, who asked him to recreate the calligraphy destroyed during the literary contest. Xu Yi agreed and called the marquis Brother Gao, leaving them on friendly terms as Marquis Anqing prepared the writing materials.

• The auctioneer upheld Number Thirty-Five's bid of fifteen million gold and ended the auction without accepting treasures as payment.
• Xu Yi paid for and collected three Divine Essence Pills, three drops of Taiyin Liquid, the Thousand Machine Formation and its manual, and the black token for the Life-and-Death Mirror.
• Marquis Anqing found Xu Yi after the auction and brought him to a private room, praising his success at the literary contest.
• Marquis Anqing explained that Xu Yi's calligraphy had been destroyed and asked him to write it again.
• Xu Yi accepted the request, proposed that they call each other brothers, and told Marquis Anqing to bring the Four Treasures of the Study.

Xu Yi secured a black mist formation from Marquis Anqing and delivered the Thousand Machine Formation to Li Xiuluo, who warned him to prepare carefully for Condensing Malice. Back at Futuo Mountain, Lu Shanren arrived and confronted him about the powerful officials seeking to recruit him.

• Xu Yi accepted a black mist formation and a black-gold token from Marquis Anqing after Marquis Anqing insisted on repaying him for his calligraphy.
• Xu Yi gave Li Xiuluo the Thousand Machine Formation and its manual, and Li Xiuluo said the Demoness had been dealt with.
• Li Xiuluo advised Xu Yi to seek Essence of Earth Fire soon and thoroughly prepare before attempting Condensing Malice.
• Xu Yi returned to Futuo Mountain and shared a meal with Yan Zi as evening fell.
• Lu Shanren arrived, scolded Xu Yi for causing a stir at the gathering, and told him that powerful offices across the capital were competing to recruit him.

Xu Yi learned that Lu Shanren had protected him from being sent to the frontier and arranged an easy assignment at the Talent Selection Ceremony. He was then promoted to Deputy Commander of the Southern Guard, leaving Lu Shanren indignant at how quickly his rank had risen.

• Lu Shanren told Xu Yi that he had kept the Imperial Guards Commander from sending him to the frontier amid criticism from scholars.
• Xu Yi thanked Lu Shanren over a meal, and Lu Shanren advised him to lie low until the uproar passed.
• Lu Shanren assigned Xu Yi to represent the Imperial Guards at the Talent Selection Ceremony on Dragon Head Peak a month later.
• Lu Shanren revealed that Xu Yi had been promoted to Deputy Commander of the Southern Guard because his Literary Fame had boosted the Imperial Guards' prestige.
• Xu Yi questioned how he could rise so quickly, and Lu Shanren explained that the Commander had secured his promotion despite the Ministry of Personnel's usual restrictions.

Xu Yi gave Yan Zi three Divine Essence Pills to prepare for her breakthrough, then used three drops of Taiyin Liquid to strengthen his Yin Soul. The process caused a violent, mysterious backlash that left him unconscious for three days, and he woke still unsure what had gone wrong.

• Lu Shanren handed Xu Yi the official ring and left after Xu became Deputy Commander of the Southern Guard.
• Xu Yi gave Yan Zi three Divine Essence Pills and told her to prepare for a breakthrough while he went to the alchemy room.
• Xu Yi absorbed three drops of Taiyin Liquid, and his Yin Soul grew before swelling into a giant amid a storm of negative emotions.
• Lightning struck the giant Yin Soul, shrinking and refining it, while Xu Yi lost consciousness.
• Xu Yi woke after three days and told Yan Zi he was hungry, then wondered why the Taiyin Liquid had caused such a strange reaction.

After surviving the Taiyin Liquid’s effects, Xu Yi recovered enough to face sunlight again and discovered his perception had greatly improved. Yuan Qinghua visited with news of Xu Yi’s fame and a lucrative business opportunity involving his writing.

• Xu Yi realized the thunder’s power had calmed his soul after the Taiyin Liquid nearly overwhelmed it, and he recovered from his collapse.
• Xu Yi tested his perception and found it reached three times farther, covering everything within thirty zhang.
• Xu Yi removed his skin mask and Dark Robes, felt no discomfort in the sunlight, and celebrated being alive.
• Yan Zi urged Xu Yi not to rush his cultivation, and he teased her until she blushed and ran off.
• Yuan Qinghua arrived at Green Flat, complained that Xu Yi had neglected Zimo Xuan, and hinted at a major business deal involving the words from the exchange meeting.