Recaps

Ma Feifei refused to buy Yun Qingyang’s talismans, while a masked cultivator exchanged an Orange Fragment for a million Spirit Crystals at the Wantong Trading Market. The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion confronted him outside, and Ma Feifei refused to intervene as a fight loomed.

• Ma Feifei told Yun Qingyang he could not buy her batch of talismans.
• A masked man in black exchanged an Orange Fragment for a million Spirit Crystals at the Wantong Trading Market.
• The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion’s master accused the masked man of taking their fragment and demanded he hand over the money.
• The masked man walked through the Heavenly Fiend Pavilion’s ranks, then its six senior members surrounded him outside the market.
• Zhang Yunji asked Ma Feifei whether they should help, but Ma Feifei said the bookstore had no reason to interfere.

A masked man used Lingbo Weibu to evade the Heavenly Fiend Pavilion master’s attacks after refusing to return the one million Spirit Crystals. As the master’s hammer nearly struck him, the masked man summoned help and escaped the blow, while Ma Feifei went outside to investigate the noise.

• The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion master demanded that the masked man return the one million Spirit Crystals, but the masked man refused and challenged them to take the money themselves.
• The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion master attacked, and the masked man evaded him with Lingbo Weibu, prompting spectators to recognize it as a high-grade technique from the Mysterious Bookstore.
• The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion master brought out a giant hammer and overwhelmed the masked man with its pressure.
• The masked man produced a red-and-white Poké Ball, and two thick branches struck the hammer, slowing its blow enough for him to escape with Lingbo Weibu.
• The hammer crashed into the ground, and Ma Feifei stopped drawing talismans and went outside.

Li Bieli arrived at the Mysterious Bookstore with a Venusaur that had surpassed the fourth tier, drawing the attention of Pokémon trainers and stopping the Heavenly Fiend Pavilion from attacking him. After Li Bieli entered the bookstore, Ma Feifei confirmed his identity and said he wore a mask because he was old.

• Cultivators recognized the masked man's Pokémon as Venusaur and realized it had advanced beyond the fourth tier.
• A Spirit Venerable and other trainers pressed Li Bieli to explain how Pokémon could advance, but he said his Venusaur's breakthrough had been an accident and could not be repeated.
• The Heavenly Fiend Pavilion's master ordered his group to retreat after deciding that the crowd's interest in Li Bieli made an attack too risky.
• The Spirit Venerable offered Li Bieli two million Spirit Crystals for the breakthrough method and five million for Venusaur, but Li Bieli refused both offers and entered the Mysterious Bookstore.
• Onlookers concluded that Li Bieli had a close relationship with the shopkeeper and abandoned their plans to approach him.
• Zhang Yunji asked about the masked man's identity, and Ma Feifei confirmed he was Li Bieli and said he wore a mask because he was old.

Ma Feifei supplied alternate-space talismans for Dubian Town’s ghost hunt, helping control the fighting as cultivators collected Tianshu Fragments. The chapter ended with several major events beginning across the Azure Dragon Continent, including a succession challenge in Yan State.

• Ma Feifei drew thousands of talismans, then gave Steward Liu ten thousand and instructed him to publicize their alternate-space protections.
• The talismans reduced destructive clashes in Dubian Town, and Zhou Wuji stopped pressing the Mysterious Bookstore to cancel its bounty.
• Cultivators hunted the escaped vengeful ghosts, while Ma Feifei gathered more than eighty Tianshu Fragments from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
• Cultivators noticed that rewards from the Tomb of the Hegemon instance were connected to Emperor Chu the Conqueror, and word spread beyond Dubian Town.
• On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, Great Chu’s national banquet and the Mysterious Bookstore’s first Pokémon Championship began, while Crown Prince Yan and Luan Feng returned to Yan State and demanded that Yan Xun abdicate.

At Chu’s state banquet, the princes discussed the absent Zhou Wuji and rumors about his childhood betrothal to Chu Huaixiang. Chu Liuxiang revealed that Saint Chu had gone to Dubian Town, where the Mysterious Bookstore was holding the Pokémon Championship, leaving the reason for his visit unstated.

• Chu Liuxiang and Chu Huaixiang noticed that fewer important guests had attended the state banquet, and the Ninth Prince linked the absences to the Pokémon Championship in Dubian Town.
• Chu Huaixiang defended Zhou Wuji’s absence, and the Ninth Prince taunted him about his rumored betrothal to Zhou Zhuling.
• Chu Huaixiang retorted by mentioning the Ninth Prince’s failure to enter Vast Academy, and Chu Liuxiang stopped their argument.
• The Ninth Prince asked what King Chu Heng planned to do about the Mysterious Bookstore’s event, and Chu Liuxiang pointed out that the Sovereign’s Platform had only one phoenix-carved table.
• Chu Liuxiang revealed that Saint Chu had gone to Dubian Town.

At the Pokémon Championship, three hundred thousand cultivators welcomed Ma Feifei as he entered the arena. Their acclaim triggered a surge of spiritual energy that poured into him and raised his presence with every step.

• Cultivators crowded the arena to watch the first Pokémon Championship and learn more about Pokémon.
• Azi praised Ma Feifei’s appearance, and Second Mother teased her about Taishan.
• Ma Feifei entered the arena with Yun Qingyang, Gongsun Qiong, Chang Kong, and Zhou Wuji as the crowd chanted his name.
• Ma Feifei overcame his nervousness and walked confidently toward the arena’s center.
• The crowd’s presence and spiritual energy flowed into Ma Feifei, and his rank rose with every step.

Ma Feifei, Gongsun Qiong, and Zhou Wuji opened the first Pokémon Championship, and the tournament began with its preliminary rounds. As the first battles got underway across nine varied arenas, the crowd recognized several Pokémon, including Pikachu, Growlithe, Pidgeotto, and Ponyta.

• Ma Feifei addressed the crowd and opened the championship, followed by Gongsun Qiong explaining the rules and Zhou Wuji praising the event’s organizers.
• The guessing referee announced the elimination format and the Twelve Kings format for the finals.
• Gongsun Qiong told Ma Feifei she had declined to compete to avoid suspicion of favoritism, while Zhao Xiaodao had also opted out to oversee the event.
• Ma Feifei watched the first nine matches begin across arenas with different terrain and saw Li Bieli drawn to battle on a Water-type field.
• The crowd reacted to the Pokémon released in the opening matches, recognizing Pikachu, Growlithe, Pidgeotto, and Ponyta.

Yun Qingyang confronted Saint Chu as he approached the arena to invite the Mysterious Bookstore's owner to the imperial capital, and their clash plunged the sky into darkness and ice. Ma Feifei left to find Yun Qingyang while Gongsun Qiong and Chang Kong followed, as the competition continued under protection.

• Yun Qingyang left the arena and intercepted Saint Chu thirteen li away, warning him not to cross the trench she had cut between them.
• Saint Chu said he had come on King Chu Heng's orders to invite the Mysterious Bookstore's owner, but he destroyed Yun Qingyang's barrier and tried to proceed.
• Yun Qingyang unleashed a freezing domain that darkened the sky and sent icicles raining down around Saint Chu.
• A barrier protected the arena, and Ma Feifei told Gongsun Qiong to keep the competition going while Thunder Saint and Chang Kong guarded it.
• Ma Feifei ran after Yun Qingyang, Chang Kong followed him, and Gongsun Qiong also left as several cultivators trailed them.

Yun Qingyang faced Saint Chu, who wielded the semi-divine saber Immortal, and revealed that her sword Qingshuang was a divine artifact, prompting him to retreat. Ma Feifei realized King Chu Heng had summoned him because of the Tomb of the Hegemon and feared the consequences for the Mysterious Bookstore.

• Saint Chu summoned Immortal and shattered Yun Qingyang’s domain, then prepared to fight her with the semi-divine artifact.
• Yun Qingyang revealed Qingshuang as a divine artifact, and Saint Chu withdrew his presence, vanished Immortal, and fled.
• Ma Feifei arrived with Gongsun Qiong and Chang Kong after watching the confrontation from a distance.
• Yun Qingyang said Saint Chu had invited Ma Feifei to the imperial capital on King Chu Heng’s orders.
• Ma Feifei connected the invitation to the Tomb of the Hegemon and realized King Chu Heng was targeting him over the Mysterious Bookstore.

After the first day of the Pokémon Championship, cultivators discussed the competition’s favorites and learned that Liu Ying had advanced with a Jigglypuff ranked dead last. The chapter left the tavern patrons wondering how the seemingly noncombatant Pokémon had won.

• Ma Feifei brooded over King Chu Heng’s hostility while the championship continued and concluded for the day.
• Three men at the Pokémon Tavern identified the masked contestant’s fifth-rank Venusaur as the Pokémon that had fought the Heavenly Fiend Pavilion.
• The men discussed how the Venusaur’s fifth rank made it a formidable championship favorite.
• The ordinary-looking man revealed that Liu Ying had advanced despite her first-rank Jigglypuff facing a fourth-rank opponent.
• The ordinary-looking man explained that Jigglypuff used Sing to put its opponent to sleep, then dragged it out of the arena.

Cultivators discussed Saint Chu’s confrontation with the Mysterious Bookstore’s Saint, while Saint Chu reported to King Chu Heng that he had failed to capture the shopkeeper and had turned back from the bookstore. King Chu Heng feared the bookstore’s power and worried about his standing, then was left alone in the palace.

• A refined cultivator told his companions that Saint Chu had confronted the Mysterious Bookstore’s Saint and withdrawn without fighting, prompting speculation that the Tomb of the Hegemon was involved.
• Saint Chu appeared before King Chu Heng and explained that he had sensed danger inside the Mysterious Bookstore, then had been stopped by Yun Qingyang while trying to reach the Pokémon Championship venue.
• Saint Chu admitted that King Chu Heng could consider him defeated, and King Chu Heng reacted with shock and fear as his teacher spoke of his failure to reach the Immortal Realm.
• King Chu Heng ordered a eunuch beheaded after dropping his cup, then anxiously asked Saint Chu whether he should apologize to the bookstore or fight it.
• Saint Chu disappeared from the hall, leaving King Chu Heng brooding alone and shouting, “Kill!”

Ma Feifei completed the long-awaited Main Quest, gained new books and a major cultivation increase, then received a quiz-event quest and a new assignment to expand the Mysterious Bookstore beyond the Chu Kingdom. He discovered the quiz papers in the warehouse and began reading their questions.

• Ma Feifei continued drawing talismans while Yun Qingyang rested and Zhang Yunji sat outside the Bookstore, having reached the Spirit Venerable realm.
• The system announced that Crown Prince Yan and Luan Feng had completed the Side Quest Path of the Martial Saint and the Main Quest Fulfilling Book Lovers' Dreams, granting Ma Feifei three Epic-grade books and raising his cultivation to Peak Ninth Stage Spirit Venerable.
• The system triggered the Million Book Lovers Appreciation Event, requiring Ma Feifei to hold a quiz and promising rewards for book lovers and a Branch Store Teleportation Array for him.
• The system assigned Ma Feifei the Main Quest Path of Expansion, ordering him to establish a branch store outside the Chu Kingdom and promising to unlock the supply warehouse.
• Ma Feifei opened the warehouse, found stacks of quiz papers, and read questions about the Mysterious Bookstore and its book lovers.

After the Yan State’s transfer of power and the Chu royal family’s loss of prestige, Saint Chu worried that Great Chu was nearing ruin. He concluded that no member of the royal family could save the kingdom, then realized there was one person who might.

• Yan Xun abdicated, and Crown Prince Yan became King Yan amid rumors that he and Luan Feng had forced the change of power.
• Envoys from Qin and the Qi State mocked the Chu royal family at a state banquet, and news spread that the Mysterious Bookstore had stolen Emperor Chu the Conqueror’s tomb.
• At Zhenguan Academy, Saint Chu asked Yang Chengzhi whether he would defend Great Chu, and Yang Chengzhi replied that the nation had rotted beyond their power to save.
• Saint Chu lamented Great Chu’s decline and compared its rulers unfavorably with Qin Shi Huang, Crown Prince Yan, King Qi Wen, and King Zhao Kang.
• Saint Chu realized that one woman might be able to save Great Chu.

Liu Ying learned that other Pokémon Championship contestants had petitioned to disqualify Jigglypuff, so Zhang Yunji and Chang Kong went with her to seek Gongsun Qiong’s response. Meanwhile, Ma Feifei tried Zhao Xiaodao’s burnt lotus seed soup, tricked Yun Qingyang into drinking some, and fled as she chased him with her sword.

• Liu Ying told Zhang Yunji and Chang Kong that contestants had reported Jigglypuff for using Sing to put opponents to sleep and that the Wantong Trading Market would decide whether to disqualify it before the next round.
• Zhang Yunji and Chang Kong accompanied Liu Ying to visit Gongsun Qiong, while Baili Chuxue stayed behind.
• At Gongsun Manor, Ma Feifei enjoyed Gongsun Qiong’s Elk Soup and reluctantly accepted Zhao Xiaodao’s blackened lotus seed soup.
• Ma Feifei poured some of Zhao Xiaodao’s soup into Yun Qingyang’s bowl, claimed he was too full, and persuaded her to drink it with him.
• Ma Feifei hurried out of Gongsun Manor, and Yun Qingyang drew the Qingshuang Sword and chased after him with killing intent.

Ma Feifei fled from Yun Qingyang, then reassured Zhang Yunji, Chang Kong, and Liu Ying that Jigglypuff’s Sing was legal in the Pokémon Championship. After Ma Feifei vanished into a strange opening, Yun Qingyang attacked it, and the others went inside to help him.

• Ma Feifei ran from Yun Qingyang through the street until he stopped to vomit, and Zhang Yunji and his companions found him there.
• Zhang Yunji told Ma Feifei that Liu Ying’s Jigglypuff had been reported for using Sing to put opponents to sleep, and Ma Feifei said the move was permitted.
• Ma Feifei declined the group’s offer to escort him home and disappeared, leaving a tree in his place.
• Yun Qingyang cleaved the tree apart with the Qingshuang Sword, revealing a pulsing red opening.
• Chang Kong, Zhang Yunji, and Liu Ying decided to follow Yun Qingyang into the opening to help Ma Feifei.

Ma Feifei was dragged into a wilderness where he defeated a Thousand-Year Tree Spirit and collected its remains as construction materials. As he chopped down more tree spirits, Yun Qingyang and the others arrived and guessed at his strength, but Ma Feifei fled when his saber failed to cut one tree.

• Branches dragged Ma Feifei into a desolate wilderness, where he broke free and fought off vines.
• Ma Feifei uprooted a Thousand-Year Tree Spirit and learned its essence and trunk were materials for a branch store.
• Ma Feifei collected the tree's essence and trunk, then took Yun Qingyang's saber to chop down more trees.
• Yun Qingyang, Chang Kong, Liu Ying, and Zhang Yunji arrived and watched Ma Feifei cut down Spirit King tree spirits with ease.
• Ma Feifei struck a tree that did not move, failed to pierce its bark, and ran away calling for help.

Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang defeated a powerful tree spirit, and Ma Feifei discovered that the Tianshu Fragment it dropped was larger than ordinary ones. After gathering all ninety-nine fragments, he unlocked Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and found the resulting orange page blank, so he went to fetch a pen.

• Yun Qingyang cut down the tree spirit with her Qingshuang Sword and saved Ma Feifei and the others from its vines.
• The group returned from the alternate dimension, and Yun Qingyang claimed the unusually large Tianshu Fragment as her reward for killing the tree spirit.
• Ma Feifei compared the fragment with his other Tianshu Fragments and suspected that its size reflected the strength of the creature that dropped it.
• The next day, Ma Feifei gathered the remaining fragments, dismissed the bounty, and told Steward Liu to stop selling the talismans.
• Ma Feifei assembled all ninety-nine Tianshu Fragments, triggering a system notice that Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio could be placed on the bookshelf.
• Ma Feifei found the completed orange page blank and returned with a ballpoint pen.

Ma Feifei used the Tianshu Fragment to uncover Gongsun Qiong’s identity and learned that an assistance mission would begin only if she sought help from the Mysterious Bookstore. He returned Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio to the shelves, where the eager readers immediately crowded around it.

• Ma Feifei discovered that the Tianshu Fragment could reveal information, but it could not query his or Yun Qingyang’s basic details.
• Ma Feifei learned that Gongsun Qiong was Princess Chu Qiongyu, had the Blessing of the Immortal, and qualified for an assistance mission.
• The system told Ma Feifei that the mission would trigger only when Gongsun Qiong sought help from the Mysterious Bookstore and would disappear once her matter was resolved.
• Ma Feifei called for Yun Qingyang to return Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and Yun Qingyang sent the book flying out of his room.
• Ma Feifei placed Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio on the bookstore shelf, prompting the nearby cultivators to shove one another for a chance to grab it.

Ma Feifei chose to copy the Epic-grade Six Secret Teachings to win Luan Feng over and obtain the branch construction blueprints needed for his new main quest. After copying a thousand characters in less than three hours, he learned that Epic-grade copying drained his essence, Qi, and spirit, leaving him too weak to continue.

• Ma Feifei chose to copy Six Secret Teachings first because winning Luan Feng over would earn him the branch construction blueprints needed to open a bookstore branch.
• Ma Feifei used Spirit Crystals from the Bookstore's earnings to begin copying Six Secret Teachings with the Ballpoint Pen.
• Ma Feifei entered a chaotic white expanse, where a voice told him to use his body as a brush and heaven and earth as paper to write a divine book.
• Ma Feifei wrote a thousand characters in the expanse and returned to the Bookstore less than three hours later, having spent three hundred thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Ma Feifei tried to continue copying but could not make marks on the paper, and the system explained that Epic-grade copying consumed his essence, Qi, and spirit.

Ma Feifei agreed to attend Baili Chuxue's birthday feast after learning it featured a fifth-tier spirit beast meal. He arrived in disguise with Yun Qingyang, gave Baili Chuxue a gift taken from Yun Qingyang, and left the hosts to start the banquet.

• Ma Feifei argued with his system, then agreed to attend Baili Chuxue's birthday feast after Zhang Yunji invited him.
• Chang Kong delayed the feast while waiting for Ma Feifei, and Zhang Yunji insisted that the shopkeeper had promised to come.
• Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang arrived in disguise, and Baili Chuxue and Chang Kong recognized Ma Feifei by his voice.
• Ma Feifei wrestled a space bag from Yun Qingyang and presented it to Baili Chuxue as a birthday gift.
• Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang headed for the banquet tables, Chang Kong ordered Zhang Yunji to start the feast, and then urged Baili Chuxue to inspect her gift.

Baili Chuxue received a Dragon Ball from Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang as a birthday gift, and Chang Kong discovered it released exceptionally pure Spiritual Power. Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang searched for seats at the banquet, but the Fourth Prince challenged them when they tried to sit at his table.

• Chang Kong examined the glowing pearl in Baili Chuxue's spatial bag and felt pure Spiritual Power flow from it before telling her to put it away.
• Ma Feifei explained that Yun Qingyang's gift was a Dragon Ball that could support cultivation and protect its bearer, while Yun Qingyang insisted it was worth five million.
• Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang found two empty seats at a table occupied by Zhou Zhuling, Zhao Xiaodao, Zhou Guanyu, Chu Hongyuan, the Fourth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince.
• Ma Feifei introduced himself and Yun Qingyang under the names Jade-Faced Little White Dragon and Jade-Faced Little Flying Dragon, then prepared to sit.
• The Fourth Prince stopped Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang and demanded to know who had given them permission to sit.

At Baili Chuxue’s birthday feast, Ma Feifei ignored the Chu princes’ attempts to drive him away and let Chu Huaixiang’s hidden attack strike his Dragon Cicada Robe. When Chu Liuxiang ordered his guard Chu Qiao to remove Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang, a guest abruptly struck the Fourth Prince with a stool.

• Chu Liuxiang identified himself as the Fourth Prince and tried to make Ma Feifei leave, but Ma Feifei greeted him and sat down with Yun Qingyang.
• Ma Feifei ate the secret-recipe rabbit and let Chu Huaixiang hit his waist; Chu Huaixiang’s hand was left trembling and unable to move.
• Ma Feifei offered Chu Huaixiang spotted leopard paw and continued eating while the princes concealed their embarrassment.
• Chu Liuxiang summoned Chu Qiao and ordered him to remove Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang from the birthday feast.
• Yun Qingyang’s presence froze Chu Qiao’s hands, and a man seated beside Chu Qiao rose and struck Chu Liuxiang with a stool, sending him crashing into Zhang Manor’s wall.

Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang humiliated the Fourth Prince at Zhang Manor, and Saint Chu let them leave without interference. After learning of the princes’ behavior, Saint Chu resolved to act on his undecided plan and departed into the night.

• Ma Feifei struck the Fourth Prince with a stool and defeated him, while Chu Huaixiang refused to challenge him.
• Chu Liuxiang knocked himself unconscious, and Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang left Zhang Manor with a roasted black bamboo pig.
• Saint Chu watched the pair leave without stopping them, prompting the gathered figures to suspect he knew their true identities.
• Chu Huaixiang told Saint Chu how he and the Fourth Prince had treated Ma Feifei, and Saint Chu rebuked their pride by recalling that Ancestor Emperor Chu the Conqueror had been a commoner.
• Saint Chu concluded that the princes had disappointed him, resolved to carry out his plan, and left his residence.

Ma Feifei watched the Pokémon Championship finals, where Li Bieli, Liu Ying, and Jiang Yibei had secured the top three spots. The chapter ended as Jiang Yibei and Li Bieli faced off in the arena, their old family conflict surfacing before the match began.

• Ma Feifei visited the finals with Yun Qingyang after recovering from copying the Six Secret Teachings, and learned that Jiang Yibei had entered with a fifth-tier Charmeleon.
• Zhao Xiaodao guessed that Ma Feifei had been the disguised person from the previous night, then told him Gongsun Qiong and Chu Hongyuan were missing.
• By the eighth round, Liu Ying, Li Bieli, and Jiang Yibei had each secured seven points and guaranteed themselves the top three places.
• Jiang Yibei faced his elder brother Li Bieli, whose fifth-tier Venusaur revealed his identity despite his mask.
• Jiang Yibei and Li Bieli exchanged accusations about their family history, sent Venusaur and Charmeleon into the arena, and began their match.

Venusaur defeated Charmeleon after using hidden vines to knock it down, triggering Charmeleon’s rage and a wild flame attack. The match was awarded to Venusaur, but Li Bieli was revealed to have been burned and withered into a skeletal old man.

• Spectators debated whether Charmeleon’s temperament would affect the match as Charmeleon attacked Venusaur with flames.
• Venusaur split Charmeleon’s fire with spinning leaves, then struck it with vines hidden underground.
• Charmeleon flew into a rage and unleashed flames indiscriminately, knocking Jiang Yibei back and engulfing Li Bieli.
• The referee knocked Charmeleon unconscious and declared Venusaur the winner because Charmeleon had attacked a trainer.
• The masked Li Bieli vanished, leaving behind a severely burned, withered old man that shocked the spectators.