Recaps

A young woman who was Medicine Saint Shaoyao’s final disciple emerged from the Martial Arts Diagram with Thousand Gold Formulas, and Ma Feifei learned that Yun Qingyang had previously eaten her inside the Great Desolation Relic. The next morning, rumors of an assassination and the looming war between Qin State and Yan State spread as a mysterious figure stepped out of residence number thirty.

• The woman emerged from the Martial Arts Diagram holding Thousand Gold Formulas, and Ma Feifei wondered why she had chosen a medical book.
• Yun Qingyang said she had eaten the woman inside the Great Desolation Relic, and Zhang Yunji identified her as Medicine Saint Shaoyao’s final disciple and heir to his mantle and academy leadership.
• Ma Feifei scolded Yun Qingyang for attacking the woman, then pulled her into the back courtyard when the woman looked toward them.
• After the Bookstore closed at dawn, cultivators outside noticed blood in the air near residences thirty through thirty-five and speculated that Crown Prince Yan might target Qin Shi Huang.
• The gates of residence number thirty opened, and an unidentified figure in black ceremonial robes stepped out as a cold wind swept through the street.

Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan discussed Qin Shi Huang’s threat and the possibility that other states wanted him dead, but a wounded general reported that Changping City had fallen to the Qin Army. The general revealed that the King of Northern Liang had withdrawn his forces and joined with Yuwen Hongdu, while Qin Shuren had massacred the Yan troops, leaving the Yan State in grave danger.

• Rumors spread through Dubian Town that Qin Shi Huang had driven back thirty-six powerful figures at Residence Number Thirty.
• Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan discussed Qin Shi Huang’s strength, the Emperor’s Aura, and whether the other states or the Mysterious Bookstore wanted him dead.
• A bloodied general reported that five hundred thousand Qin troops had breached Changping City.
• The general explained that the King of Northern Liang had withdrawn his army, disrupting Changping’s defenses and allowing the Qin Army to break through.
• The general revealed that the King of Northern Liang and Yuwen Hongdu had joined forces, and that Qin Shuren had slaughtered three hundred thousand Yan troops before the general died.

After Qin Shuren’s army captured Changping City, Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan asked Ma Feifei to let them return to the Yan State. Ma Feifei instead approved Luan Feng’s offer to lead her army back, leaving Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan in Dubian Town.

• Cultivators in Dubian Town discussed the fall of Changping City and feared Qin Shuren would slaughter its people.
• Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan went to the Mysterious Bookstore and asked Ma Feifei to let them return to the Yan State.
• Ma Feifei hesitated to release them because they were mission characters and other rulers might demand the same permission.
• Luan Feng offered to return to the Yan State, saying she was more than seventy percent confident she could help.
• Ma Feifei approved Luan Feng’s departure, while Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan stayed in Dubian Town until their three months were up.

Ma Feifei sent Ba Jiu to paint the final Four Spirit Pillar and planned to collect powerful figures during the coming war between Qin and Yan. As Qin Shuren’s army ravaged Yan State, Luan Feng returned to lead Yan’s forces and faced him on Baichuan Plain.

• Ma Feifei praised Ba Jiu’s qilin painting and told him to paint the final pillar in the Bookstore.
• Ma Feifei considered recruiting important figures from the Qin-Yan war for the Investiture of the Gods and the Bookstore’s future advancement.
• Ma Feifei persuaded Yun Qingyang to go out by promising her Spirit Crystals, then startled her by licking her neck; she knocked him down and attacked him.
• Qin Shuren’s five hundred thousand troops took Changping City, slaughtered its defenders, and advanced through Yan State, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians.
• Luan Feng returned to Yan State with fifty thousand Luanfeng Army troops and took command of its military affairs.
• Luan Feng and Qin Shuren faced each other with four hundred thousand troops apiece on Baichuan Plain outside Baichuan City.

Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang watched the Yan and Qin armies prepare to fight outside Baichuan City, with Yun Qingyang painting the scene. The chapter ended as Qin Shuren ordered the Qin Army to attack Luan Feng’s forces.

• Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang climbed onto the inn roof and saw the Yan Army camp outside Baichuan City.
• Yun Qingyang began painting the battlefield, hoping her work would gain a special effect.
• When the Qin Army arrived, Ma Feifei set out to find people who met the requirements for his mission, and Yun Qingyang followed him.
• Ma Feifei took Yun Qingyang above the clouds so they could observe the armies, led by Qin Shuren and Luan Feng.
• Qin Shuren and Luan Feng exchanged words before Qin Shuren ordered the entire Qin Army to attack.

Ma Feifei used the Investiture of the Gods to cover the battlefield with light, strengthening the Yan Army and preparing to take the soldiers into the book. Qin Shuren dismissed the Mysterious Bookstore’s power, drew the God of War Bow, and shot a golden arrow at Ma Feifei above the clouds.

• Ma Feifei sensed his connection to the battlefield and decided to take in as many soldiers as he could with the Investiture of the Gods.
• Ma Feifei sent ten thousand streams of light over the battlefield, and a red halo increased the Yan Army’s combat strength by twenty percent.
• Qin Shuren recognized Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang but dismissed the Mysterious Bookstore’s reputation as a mere stunt.
• Qin Shuren summoned the God of War Bow and ignored his deputies’ warnings as he aimed a golden arrow at Ma Feifei.
• Qin Shuren shot the arrow at Ma Feifei, who realized that the general was trying to kill him.

Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang faced Qin Shuren’s Godfall Arrows, while Luan Feng intervened and fought through his soldiers’ formation. Qin Shuren awakened the God of Slaughter Possession, but Ma Feifei knocked him unconscious with a book.

• Yun Qingyang caught Qin Shuren’s first Godfall Arrow, and Ma Feifei charged toward him after he fired a second.
• Ma Feifei punched aside Qin Shuren’s third arrow, but Qin Shuren drew a saber to attack him.
• Luan Feng intercepted Qin Shuren, struck him with her spear, and pierced his arm despite the soldiers’ formation.
• Qin Shuren seized Luan Feng’s spear and unleashed the God of Slaughter Possession, causing his soldiers to panic and flee.
• Ma Feifei appeared behind Qin Shuren and hit him with a book, dispersing the slaughter aura and knocking him unconscious.

After Ma Feifei suppressed Qin Shuren, the Qin Army retreated from Yan territory and Luan Feng reclaimed the occupied cities. On the First Year of Qiongyu’s first day, Ma Feifei learned that Taoism’s flourishing was complete and Confucianism’s had reached 85%.

• Ma Feifei suppressed Qin Shuren, and the Qin Army fell back before Luan Feng’s forces and eventually withdrew from Yan territory.
• Qin Shi Huang went to the Mysterious Bookstore seeking an explanation, but Zhang Yunji turned him away.
• Luan Feng pursued the retreating Qin Army and recovered the cities it had occupied, restoring Yan’s territory.
• The Chu Kingdom changed its era name to Qiongyu on the first day of the new year, while Dubian Town continued to grow around the Mysterious Bookstore.
• Ma Feifei received progress bars showing Taoism’s flourishing at 100% and Confucianism’s at 85%.

Ma Feifei considered the future benefits of the Confucian Dao Academy and heard Zhang Yunji’s request to place a library in Yong’an City. The Baili Family offered the Mysterious Bookstore a high-grade Spirit Crystal Vein Mine in exchange, leaving Ma Feifei contemplating his new wealth.

• Zhang Yunji told Ma Feifei that Qin Shi Huang had fought Crown Prince Yan and Yan Xun again, with neither side winning.
• Zhang Yunji asked Ma Feifei to consider establishing a library in Yong’an City at the request of Chuxue’s mother.
• Ma Feifei questioned whether Yong’an City was prosperous enough to qualify, and Zhang Yunji explained that it was the Baili Family’s fief.
• Zhang Yunji said the Baili Family would give the Mysterious Bookstore a high-grade Spirit Crystal Vein Mine if Ma Feifei placed a library there.
• Ma Feifei wondered whether he would now own a mine.

Zhang Yunji returned home after delivering Baili Hongzhu’s request to Ma Feifei, then joined Baili Chuxue and her family in the garden. Baili Hongzhu insisted that Zhang Yunji and Chang Kong press the Mysterious Bookstore’s owner again about the library, while Chang Kong objected.

• Zhang Yunji returned home without receiving a definite answer from Ma Feifei about the library settling in Yong'an City.
• Zhang Yunji found Liu Ying avoiding relatives who were trying to use her ties to the Mysterious Bookstore.
• Zhang Yunji recalled that Baili Hongzhu had opposed his marriage to Baili Chuxue and resented him because he was Chang Kong’s disciple.
• Baili Hongzhu praised Zhang Yunji for delivering her message and said she expected the owner to favor the Zhang Clan.
• Baili Hongzhu told Zhang Yunji and Chang Kong to approach the owner again, but Chang Kong warned that doing so could anger the owner.
• Baili Hongzhu demanded that Chang Kong introduce her to the owner if he refused to go.

Chang Kong explained that the Empress’s efforts to reclaim the Twelve Kings’ Spirit Crystal Vein Mines were part of a larger plan to consolidate Chu Kingdom before pursuing unification. The discussion left Baili Hongzhu and the others facing the possibility that the old order of the kingdoms would soon be overturned.

• Baili Hongzhu pressed Chang Kong to ask the owner of the Mysterious Bookstore to meet her, but Chang Kong hesitated because he was married to her.
• Baili Hongzhu explained that the Empress was moving to reclaim the Twelve Kings’ Spirit Crystal Vein Mines and that she feared the move would weaken the kings’ families.
• Chang Kong argued that the continent’s balance of power was changing as the rulers of Qin, Zhao, and Yan pursued their ambitions.
• Chang Kong asked about the saying “Honor the king and expel the barbarians,” and Liu Ying identified its source.
• Chang Kong explained that the Empress was securing Chu Kingdom internally so she could wage war across the land.

Chang Kong persuaded Baili Hongzhu to abandon her plans to seek Ma Feifei’s help and to bring the library to Yong'an City. Meanwhile, escalating fights among Qin Shi Huang, Yan Xun, Crown Prince Yan, and their supporters turned Dubian Town’s main street into a large brawl, leaving Town Chief Zhou Wuji to restore order.

• Chang Kong warned Baili Hongzhu that provoking the Empress could endanger the Twelve Kings’ families, so Baili Hongzhu gave up asking Ma Feifei for a favor and stopped discussing the library.
• Qin Shi Huang continued demanding that Ma Feifei lift the Imprisonment on his cultivation, while Ma Feifei refused.
• Qin Shi Huang bribed important figures with rights to use Qin State Spirit Crystal Vein Mines, and they helped him ambush Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan.
• The Sky-reaching Ape Monkey arrived before Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan were beaten to death, but news of the attack spread through Dubian Town.
• Subjects of Qin State and Yan State joined the fighting, turning personal feuds into a street battle that brought more than a thousand soldiers under Town Chief Zhou Wuji’s command.

King Zhao Kang mediated a truce between Qin Shi Huang and Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan, then served them a potent wine that quickly left the kings and Qiu Yunzi severely drunk. King Qi Wen and Qiu Yunzi returned to their rooms while Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan remained in a stupor at the table.

• King Zhao Kang urged Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan to end their conflict with Qin Shi Huang, then offered to negotiate with him.
• King Zhao Kang returned with Qin Shi Huang, who agreed to make peace with Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan.
• Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan accepted the truce and toasted Qin Shi Huang, who drained his cup.
• King Zhao Kang served wine he claimed came from beneath the Nine Springs of Zhao State, and the drink quickly made everyone at the table dizzy.
• King Qi Wen and Qiu Yunzi left for their rooms, while Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan were too drunk to make sense of what was happening.

Qin Shi Huang punished Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan after King Zhao Kang tricked them into getting drunk, while Ma Feifei considered the growing conflict among the states and checked on the Bookstore’s progress. The chapter left Ma Feifei wondering why the Medical Sage’s disciple had spent nearly two months reading the same medical text.

• King Zhao Kang left the drinking party, and Qin Shi Huang struck Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan after they realized he was sober.
• Qin Shi Huang beat the drunken Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan while the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey refused to intervene.
• Ma Feifei learned that Confucianism’s progress had reached ninety-one percent and considered the possibility that Qin Shi Huang would soon attack Yan State.
• Ma Feifei reviewed the Medical Sage’s disciple’s visits to the Bookstore and followed Zhang Yunji to see her reading there.
• Ma Feifei spotted the woman reading Thousand Gold Formulas again and wondered why she had stuck with that book for nearly two months.

Ma Feifei recruited Ling Xian as the eighth Book-holding woman by offering her access to the Epic-grade Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, then sent identical letters and badges to the others. After Yun Qingyang accepted her badge, she told Ma Feifei someone was waiting for him at the Mysterious Bookstore, where he recognized the woman in purple.

• Ma Feifei persuaded Ling Xian to become a Book-holding woman by letting her read the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon for one Spirit Crystal a day.
• Ma Feifei wrote eight identical letters to the other women he wanted to recruit and sent them through the courier station.
• Yun Qingyang received her letter and teased Ma Feifei for putting all eight names on each copy.
• Ma Feifei gave Yun Qingyang a Book-holding woman badge, and the system registered her as the first of nine.
• Yun Qingyang told Ma Feifei someone was looking for him, and he returned to the Mysterious Bookstore and recognized the woman in purple.

Azi visited Ma Feifei, who wondered what to offer her in exchange for becoming one of his book-holding women, while he made Mu Qingyi one of them. The next day, Zhang Caicai told Ma Feifei that people were saying he would marry the princess of Qi State.

• Azi visited Ma Feifei and said she did not have a husband, then ran away after admitting she would not mind having one.
• Ma Feifei considered what gift might interest Azi, but could not decide what to offer her.
• At dinner, Ma Feifei pretended to enjoy Mu Qingyi's undercooked dishes and gave her a book-holding woman emblem.
• Ma Feifei spent the night making repeated trips to the toilet and felt drained the next day.
• Zhang Caicai told Ma Feifei that people were saying he would marry the princess of Qi State.

Ma Feifei learned that Dubian Town believed he was marrying the princess of Qi State, though he denied the rumor and ordered Zhang Yunji to post a notice refuting it. Yun Qingyang then presented him with an enormous bill for her protection and bookstore services, and Ma Feifei offered himself as payment when he could not afford it.

• Zhang Caicai told Ma Feifei that he was getting married, prompting Ma Feifei to leave the kitchen and investigate the rumor.
• Zhang Yunji said the rumor claimed Ma Feifei would marry the princess of Qi State and that King Qi Wen was calling him his son-in-law.
• Ma Feifei denied the rumor and ordered Zhang Yunji to post a notice warning people to stop spreading it or risk being blacklisted by the Mysterious Bookstore.
• Yun Qingyang confronted Ma Feifei with a bill for protection, store-watching, unpaid loans, and steep interest totaling more than he could pay.
• Ma Feifei offered himself as payment, and Yun Qingyang accepted.

Ma Feifei dismissed the spreading rumor that he planned to marry the Qi State princess, while the three-month Walking Books task ended and he summoned the thirty-five surviving great figures to reward them. The chapter left the figures wary of Ma Feifei as Liuli appeared to present their prizes.

• Yun Qingyang warned Ma Feifei not to marry the Qi State princess, and he wondered how she had learned of the rumor.
• The rumor spread across Dubian Town and eventually the Azure Dragon Continent, despite Ma Feifei's attempt to deny it.
• After three months, the thirty-five great figures completed the Walking Books task and gathered in the Mysterious Bookstore's Private Room Number One.
• Ma Feifei congratulated the group and called Liuli to bring out their rewards, while they suspected he had secretly killed the missing Zuo Duanshou.
• Liuli appeared in a flash of golden light, and Qin Shi Huang stared at her with a desire to devour her before Ma Feifei told her to present the prizes.

Ma Feifei ended the three-month Walking Books event by awarding book spirits to its thirty-five participants and portraits to the three most-read figures. After the participants fled, Qin Shi Huang intercepted Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan and declared that those who insulted him must die.

• Ma Feifei gave book spirits to the thirty-five participants, and several, including Qiu Yunzi and Lingyun Fairy, broke through in cultivation.
• Ma Feifei named Qin Shi Huang, King Qi Wen, and Lingyun Fairy the event’s top three and gave them personally signed portraits.
• Ma Feifei announced the event’s end, and the thirty-five participants immediately dispersed after their confinement ended.
• Yan Xun, Crown Prince Yan, and other figures who had tried to assassinate Qin Shi Huang fled, fearing he would seek revenge.
• Qin Shi Huang intercepted Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan thirty li outside Zhenbei and said those who insulted him must die.

Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan fled Qin Shi Huang after he defeated the Three Heroes of the Grassland and appeared to kill the two Yan rulers. Observers learned they had escaped thousands of miles toward Yan State, aided by Crown Prince Yan’s control of the Cloud-Shrinking Boat.

• Yan Xun summoned the Three Heroes of the Grassland, who challenged Qin Shi Huang while Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan prepared to retreat.
• Qin Shi Huang defeated the Three Heroes of the Grassland and struck Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan with his sword, leaving them severely injured.
• Qin Shi Huang unleashed a devastating wave of sword energy, and distant observers believed Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan had died.
• A middle-aged observer sensed that Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan were flying toward Yan State, and explained that Crown Prince Yan could control the Cloud-Shrinking Boat.

Ma Feifei reflected on the conflicts among the five states before meeting Azi, who told him she would wait for him in Qi State. He chased after her and used his violet qi to take them away from the staring crowd.

• Ma Feifei heard that Qin Shi Huang had intercepted Yan Xun and Crown Prince Yan, then wondered whether his Longevity Pill had helped cause the turmoil.
• Yun Qingyang told Ma Feifei that his fiancée had come to see him, and he hurried to meet Azi.
• Azi told Ma Feifei she was returning to Qi State and said she would wait for him there.
• Ma Feifei chased Azi into the street, grabbed her hand, and vanished with her using his innate violet qi.
• Two men in white robes watched Ma Feifei and Azi disappear.

Zhang Ke and his uncle-master discussed Ma Feifei’s power and plotted to confront him ahead of the author ranking competition. Meanwhile, Azi accepted the bookstore’s book-holding role, and two powerful outsiders arrived at the Mysterious Bookstore, where one attacked the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey.

• Zhang Ke told his uncle-master that Ma Feifei was around the early Spirit Saint stage and that his companions included peak ninth-stage Spirit Saints and possibly a Half-Immortal.
• Ma Feifei explained the book-holding woman role to Azi, who accepted the Badge and ran off, promising to clear up the rumors.
• Zhang Yunji sensed two powerful men approaching the bookstore and ran inside to warn Ma Feifei.
• The Sky-reaching Ape Monkey blocked the newcomers and insisted that they follow the bookstore’s rules.
• The young man raised his hand and brought his palm down toward the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey.

Zhang Ke fought the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey above Dubian Town, while a middle-aged man entered the Mysterious Bookstore and tried to take its books. Ma Feifei blocked the man's escape and invited Zhang Ke inside, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Zhang Ke and the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey clashed above Dubian Town, and their battle shattered defensive arrays and devastated the town.
• Ma Feifei recognized Zhang Ke as the author he had met before, while Zhang Caicai said he thought he knew him.
• Zhang Yunji warned Ma Feifei that another intruder had entered the Mysterious Bookstore, and Ma Feifei went inside with Yun Qingyang and Zhang Caicai.
• The middle-aged intruder admired the bookstore's books, then tried to leave after sensing that using spiritual energy would put him in danger.
• Ma Feifei blocked the doorway, introduced himself, and told Zhang Yunji to invite Zhang Ke inside and stop the fight.

Ma Feifei subdued the middle-aged man and Zhang Ke after they entered the Mysterious Bookstore and tried to fight. He then led them to private room number one to discuss the trouble they had caused.

• The injured Sky-reaching Ape Monkey returned to the Bookstore with Zhang Yunji, while Zhang Ke approached with his martial uncle, the middle-aged man.
• Ma Feifei slapped the middle-aged man when he tried to warn Zhang Ke, then grabbed and slapped Zhang Ke after he challenged him.
• Zhang Ke tried to unleash his spiritual energy, but the Bookstore’s divine-grade array suppressed him and left him writhing in pain.
• The middle-aged man asked Ma Feifei to let the matter go, but Ma Feifei pointed out that they had caused the trouble and damage in Dubian Town.
• Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang entered private room number one, and the middle-aged man and Zhang Yunji followed with Zhang Ke.

Ma Feifei interrogated Zhang Ke about the world beyond the Azure Dragon Continent and learned that authors came from the Book Battle Continent, where Immortal Realm cultivators were considered weak. Zhang Ke revealed that authors who took over the Azure Dragon Continent removed its powerful cultivators and damaged its laws to obtain servants.

• Ma Feifei questioned the injured Zhang Ke about his purpose and demanded to know where he came from.
• Zhang Ke explained that the Book Battle Continent was a cultivation world where Immortal Realm cultivators ranked near the bottom.
• Yun Qingyang asked whether everyone on the Book Battle Continent was born in the Immortal Realm, and Zhang Ke clarified that most people there came from other worlds or planes.
• Zhang Ke said that more than thirty thousand years earlier, he had taken over the Azure Dragon Continent, removed its Immortal Realm cultivators, and damaged its laws.
• Zhang Ke explained that authors routinely took powerful cultivators from conquered worlds to serve as book slaves and book attendants.