Chapter Summaries

Zeng Anmin used a charged necklace to study the Confucian Sage’s path of writing and witnessed a vision of Dean Qin’s overwhelming “Suppress” technique. He then manifested his Dharma Aspect and successfully used the technique himself.

• Zeng Anmin worried that the red Bizarre Qi would corrupt his six Confucian artifacts and cripple his cultivation, so he chose to study the path of writing.
• Zeng Anmin put on the fully charged necklace, which turned into a tattoo and sent golden light into his eyes.
• Zeng Anmin saw a vision of a man using a golden brush to destroy a horde of demons with the character “Suppress.”
• Zeng Anmin manifested his Dharma Aspect and used the golden brush to produce the character “Suppress” in his room.

At an Imperial Academy rally, Zeng Anmin was pressed by teachers and students to recite a poem before the Autumn Provincial Examination, then escaped the crowd after delivering one. Back home, he sorted through a mountain of gifts and was surprised when Liu Shishi returned from her mission to offer him a treasured uniform.

• Zeng Anmin noticed the eerie red light had spread further across the Golden Tablet and Golden Abacus in his sea of consciousness.
• Teachers asked Zeng Anmin to encourage the students preparing for the Autumn Provincial Examination, and the students clamored for him to recite a poem.
• Zeng Anmin recited a poem wishing the students success, then slipped away through the back door as they admired it.
• Zeng Anmin found a mountain of gifts in his courtyard and wondered who had sent several of them, including one bearing Xu Mingxin's name.
• Liu Shishi arrived on a flying sword and offered Zeng Anmin a new uniform she had treasured for years.

Zeng Anmin turned down Liu Shishi’s offer to serve as his guard but accepted her Jade Talisman. Bai Ziqing then asked about rumors involving Sai Chuxue and revealed he had noticed affection between Zeng Anmin and the Princess.

• Liu Shishi asked to become Zeng Anmin’s guard, but he politely refused and asked her to leave a way to contact her.
• Liu Shishi gave Zeng Anmin a Jade Talisman that would let him summon her, and he stored it away.
• Bai Ziqing arrived to see Zeng Anmin and asked whether the rumors about him and Sai Chuxue were true.
• Zeng Anmin insisted that he and Sai Chuxue were innocent and said he had already explained the situation to Qin Wanyue.
• Bai Ziqing asked whether Zeng Anmin had explained the rumors to the Princess, then said he had seen their affectionate glances when they drank together.

Zeng Anmin learned that Duke Ning would oversee the Illusion Array Imperial Examination and had moved it to the crowded Vermilion Bird Gate, where Zeng suspected he planned to damage his reputation. Zeng trusted his immunity to mental attacks, and the chapter ended as the crowd awaited his arrival at the examination site.

• Bai Ziqing told Zeng Anmin that Duke Ning would oversee the examination and that their feud had spread through the capital's official circles.
• Zeng Anmin recited Zhang Lun's words about refusing to bow to the powerful, and Bai Ziqing praised Zhang before learning that he had died.
• Bai Ziqing revealed that Duke Ning had chosen Vermilion Bird Gate as the examination location, and agreed to watch him there for Zeng Anmin.
• Zeng Anmin suspected Duke Ning intended to make him fail publicly and implicate his father, but trusted his immunity to soul and mental attacks.
• Imperial City Department personnel assembled around the arena at Vermilion Bird Gate as a huge crowd gathered to watch Zeng Anmin take the examination.

Emperor Jianhong arrived at the Vermilion Bird Gate to watch the Illusion Array Imperial Examination and spoke with Duke Ning and Minister Zeng. He held Huzi, who eagerly pointed out that he wanted to see his uncle compete in the examination.

• Wang Di led the Imperial Guards as Emperor Jianhong arrived at the Vermilion Bird Gate, where Bai Ziqing's personnel kept order.
• Emperor Jianhong greeted the assembled officials, spoke with Duke Ning about the grand examination, and watched him return to the front.
• Zeng Shilin arrived with Concubine Lin and Huzi, explaining that Huzi was descended from the Loyal Far Count's family.
• Emperor Jianhong recognized Huzi's lineage, then lifted him into his arms despite Concubine Lin's hesitation.
• Huzi excitedly told Emperor Jianhong that he wanted to see his uncle taking the imperial examination.

Huzi’s account of how Zeng Anmin became his uncle impressed Emperor Jianhong and increased his favorable impression of Zeng Anmin. At the Autumn Provincial Examination, Duke Ning, Li Jian, warned the students that the illusion array could expose their true natures, then named Zeng Anmin as the first to enter.

• Huzi explained that Zeng Anmin had promised to be his father and protect him after Huzi’s birth father died, so Huzi had once called him Father.
• Emperor Jianhong praised Zeng Anmin as an upright pillar of the Great Sage Dynasty, while the officials who had condemned Huzi’s words lowered their heads in shame.
• Zeng Anmin arrived at the examination arena and saw Liu Shishi among the Profound Formation Division disciples overseeing the exam.
• Duke Ning, Li Jian, told the students they could withdraw before entering the illusion array and warned that failure could ruin their reputations, while success could bring them a boundless future.
• Liu Shishi announced that Zeng Anmin would be the first student to take the stage, and Zeng Anmin grew suspicious when he saw Li Jian’s knowing smile.

Duke Ning, Li Jian, secretly tampered with the imperial examination illusion array, trapping Zeng Anmin in the deadly Kindling Illusion Array. Zeng Anmin’s Golden Finger protected his mind, and he woke in a future world with a new identity, where Little Fatty Crown Prince had become emperor.

• Liu Shishi activated the illusion array, but a tampered spirit stone caused a crimson Kindling Illusion Array to seize Zeng Anmin.
• Liu Shishi warned Emperor Jianhong and Zeng Shilin that Zeng Anmin could die if he failed the array’s trial, while Li Jian watched with satisfaction.
• Zeng Anmin entered the illusion and found that his Unyielding Martial God entry protected him from the array’s mental attacks and blocked its implanted memories.
• Zeng Anmin noticed in a mirror that the illusion had given him the appearance of a middle-aged man and learned that the emperor had come to visit him.
• Zeng Anmin recognized the emperor as Little Fatty Crown Prince, now an older ruler, and deduced that the illusion showed a world about twenty years in the future.

Inside the Kindling Illusion Array, Zeng Anmin accepted the seemingly suicidal mission to assassinate the invading Empress and devised a plan to approach her under the guise of peace negotiations. He went to the Duke of the State’s mansion to meet the future version of himself, whom he intended to offer as the price that would make the deception convincing.

• Little Fatty Crown Prince Wang Yuanzhen told Zeng Anmin that the Empress had invaded with seven hundred thousand troops and asked the Black Cat Martial Artist to assassinate her.
• Zeng Anmin agreed to risk his life, saying that everyone bore responsibility when the realm faced danger.
• Zeng Anmin proposed sending the Empress a peace treaty offering fifteen cities, then approaching her as an envoy with a map concealing a dagger.
• Zeng Anmin suggested making the Empress believe the offer by staking the head of Duke of the State Zeng Anmin, and promised to speak with him personally.
• Zeng Anmin visited the Duke of the State’s mansion and turned to face the gaunt future version of himself.

Inside the Kindling Illusion Array, Zeng Anmin moved his future self, the Duke of the State, with a poem about the people’s suffering and persuaded him to support an assassination of the Jiang State Empress. The illusion left Zeng Anmin riding as an envoy with a map and the Duke of the State’s head, while the crowd outside hailed him as an unrivaled national scholar.

• Zeng Anmin met the future Duke of the State, who planned to flee the capital with his family rather than resist the Jiang State invasion.
• Zeng Anmin recited a ci poem ending with the words, “When the nation flourished, the people suffered; when the nation perished, the people suffered,” moving his future self and the crowd watching outside the array.
• Zeng Anmin revealed his plan to approach the Jiang State Empress as an envoy and assassinate her with a dagger hidden in a map.
• Zeng Anmin offered to take the Duke of the State’s head to the Empress as a pretext, and the Duke accepted the plan after hearing his resolve.
• The crowd outside the array praised Zeng Anmin, while Duke Ning, Li Jian, suspected that his schemes had benefited Zeng instead.
• Zeng Anmin departed at the head of an envoy procession, carrying a map and the Duke of the State’s head.

Zeng Anmin assassinated the Empress inside the Kindling Illusion Array, then discovered the trial continued and that he had returned to his identity as Duke of the State twenty-seven years later. When the Black Cat Martial Artist asked him to save the people, Zeng Anmin realized how to break the array.

• Zeng Anmin traveled with the envoy delegation, bribed Gu Huaizhong with lavish gifts, and asked him to tell the Empress that the Holy Kingdom would submit and offer fifteen cities.
• Zeng Anmin presented the Empress with the Duke of the State Zeng Anmin's head and a map, then used the map to conceal a dagger and assassinate her.
• The Jiang Kingdom's generals attacked Zeng Anmin, while people outside the illusion array mourned and called him the Unrivaled National Scholar.
• Zeng Anmin awoke as the Duke of the State twenty-seven years later and wondered why the trial had not ended after the assassination.
• The Black Cat Martial Artist asked Zeng Anmin to save the people, and Zeng Anmin recognized the Kindling Illusion Array and declared that he knew how to break it.

Zeng Anmin passed the Kindling Illusion Array by sacrificing himself in the illusion so the Black Cat Martial Artist could assassinate the Empress, earning public acclaim and the array’s First Class ranking. As the Autumn Provincial Examination ended, a mysterious Hat Guest attacked Emperor Jianhong, and Si Zhongxiao and Liu Shishi moved to defend him.

• Zeng Anmin urged the Black Cat Martial Artist to use a map and hidden dagger to kill the Empress, then cut his own throat to give him a chance to approach her.
• The Black Cat Martial Artist swore to honor Zeng Anmin’s sacrifice, while the crowd and scholars praised Zeng Anmin’s righteousness after he awakened from the illusion.
• Zeng Anmin received the First Class ranking, shared an emotional reunion with Bai Ziqing, and left Duke Ning, Li Jian, brooding over his success.
• After the examination concluded, the Hat Guest flew toward Emperor Jianhong and attacked him, but Si Zhongxiao blocked the first strike and Liu Shishi contained its shockwave.
• The Hat Guest struck Si Zhongxiao’s shoulder, and Si Zhongxiao drew a scarlet dagger to fight back.

An assassin attacked Emperor Jianhong at Vermilion Bird Gate, but the imperial city’s Second Rank Martial Artist drove him off with a short sword. Zeng Shilin then confronted Master Xu over the Kindling Illusion Array, who revealed that Zhu Wanjun had tampered with it and that he had secretly strengthened the Arrays imprinted on Zeng Anmin.

• The Hat Guest fought Si Zhongxiao and Duke Ning Li Jian, shrugging off their attacks until the Old Ancestor’s short sword struck him and sent him fleeing.
• Emperor Jianhong ordered an investigation into the assassin, while Master Xu arrived too late to explain the Kindling Illusion Array to the officials.
• Zeng Shilin took Zeng Anmin to Master Xu’s Estate and angrily demanded an explanation for the array malfunction during the imperial examination.
• Master Xu admitted he had known Quanfu was targeted but said the Kindling Illusion Array would not affect Zeng Anmin, and revealed that he had enhanced the Arrays imprinted on him.
• Master Xu said Zeng Anmin had killed the person who tampered with the array, and Zeng Anmin identified Zhu Wanjun before realizing something was wrong.

Zeng Anmin learned that Zhu Wanjun had used Bizarre Qi to target him and discovered the corruption was spreading through his Confucian artifacts. As he searched for a way to stop it, Bai Ziqing arrived with news connected to the Hat Guest case.

• Master Xu explained that Zhu Wanjun and Li Jian had conspired against Zeng Anmin and that Zhu had planted Bizarre Qi in him, while Zeng Anmin learned the array tamperer was imprisoned.
• Wang Dong, the Second Rank Ancestor, visited Master Xu and announced he would seek an old friend in the south, asking Master Xu to protect the palace juniors while he was away.
• Zeng Shilin warned Zeng Anmin that Master Xu had knowingly let his disciple collude with Duke Ning, and Zeng Anmin said he intended to continue toward the metropolitan and Palace Examinations.
• Zeng Anmin saw that Bizarre Qi had consumed his Golden Tablet and begun corrupting his Golden Abacus, leaving him at most three months to find a remedy.
• After searching the Imperial Academy archives for two days without finding clues about the Heavenly Lotus or Dao Sect, Zeng Anmin met Bai Ziqing, who said he had good news about the Hat Guest case.

Zeng Anmin reluctantly took up his post as Northern Chief Clerk of the Imperial City Department, where Bai Ziqing pressured him to investigate the Hat Guest assassination case. Reviewing a reconstructed portrait, Zeng Anmin felt he recognized the assassin.

• Bai Ziqing showed Zeng Anmin an imperial appointment naming him Northern Chief Clerk, and Zeng Anmin went to ask Zeng Shilin how it had been arranged.
• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin to take up the post and explained that the Imperial City Department’s archives held an unparalleled collection of records.
• Bai Ziqing welcomed Zeng Anmin with a large squad of investigators, introduced him as their Second Master, and moved his office into Bai Ziqing’s.
• After the officials left, Bai Ziqing begged Zeng Anmin to solve the Hat Guest assassination case before the Emperor’s three-day deadline expired.
• Zeng Anmin examined the Profound Formation Division’s reconstructed portrait of the Hat Guest and said the person looked familiar.

Zeng Anmin searched the Imperial City Department’s Secret Archives Repository for information about the Bizarre Qi and traced it to the Daoist Talisman Sect. He left with a clear lead to pursue, while Xiang Wangxian offered him double Bai Ziqing’s pay to join his staff.

• Zeng Anmin recognized that the Hat Guest’s portrait resembled Bai Ziqing, then borrowed Bai Ziqing’s North token to enter the Secret Archives Repository.
• Zeng Anmin met Eastern Commander Xiang Wangxian, who warned him about the entrance array, and learned that the token granted access to the first eight floors.
• Zeng Anmin searched the sixth floor for records about the Dao Sect and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots, finding an account linking bizarre red qi to the Daoist Talisman Sect.
• Xiang Wangxian recognized Zeng Anmin as Mr. Bao Xin and offered to pay him double if he left Bai Ziqing’s staff to work for him.
• Zeng Anmin read that the Dao Sect had split into the Sword, Qi, and Talisman Sects, and found references to the Bizarre Qi and its founder in the Talisman Sect’s history.

Zeng Anmin searched the Imperial City Department’s archives for information about the Heavenly Lotus and discovered that the suspected Hat Guest resembled the female evil corpse he had encountered near Zhu Wanjun’s burial place. He learned the Heavenly Lotus’s location from Nan, but became more interested in the Earthly Lotus after recalling what he had read about evil corpses.

• Zeng Anmin read the Fu Sect guide’s warning that Bizarre Qi afflicted Confucian Cultivators, then left the archives without finding the information he wanted.
• Zeng Anmin remembered Nan’s knowledge of the Record of Strange Herbs and decided to ask her about the Heavenly Lotus.
• Zeng Anmin noticed Bai Ziqing’s portrait of the Hat Guest and altered it with white hair and blank eyes, identifying it as the female evil corpse he had seen near Zhu Wanjun’s burial place.
• Zeng Anmin told Bai Ziqing how Zhu Wanjun had died, while Bai questioned how the corpse could have been held back; Bai then decided to investigate the archives himself.
• Zeng Anmin pretended to be injured in the Heavenly Dao Alliance chat, and Nan gave him the Heavenly Lotus’s location near the border of Great Jiang State and Two Rivers Prefecture.
• Zeng Anmin recalled that the archives described the Earthly Lotus as able to boost an evil corpse, and focused his attention on the Daoist Evil Corpse.

Zeng Anmin suspected Emperor Jianhong had arranged the Hat Guest’s attack to weaken Duke Ning Li Jian, then discovered Liu Shishi had come to bargain for a Spirit Mine on land he managed. After she blocked his way and climbed onto his bed to plead, he told her the mine’s true owner was in the palace.

• Zeng Anmin reasoned that the Hat Guest was an evil zombie empowered by an Earthly Lotus and speculated that Emperor Jianhong had used the attack to undermine Duke Ning Li Jian.
• Liu Shishi visited Zeng Anmin in makeup and new clothes, bringing food; he teased her about being attracted to him until she revealed she wanted land in Qinghai Bay that contained a Spirit Mine.
• Zeng Anmin tried to send Liu Shishi away, but she blocked his path with her Flying Sword and then lay on his bed, crying about the cost of cultivating as a Third-Rank Demon Subduer.
• When Uncle Qi heard Liu Shishi crying, Zeng Anmin hurriedly told him nothing was wrong and demanded that Liu Shishi stop.
• Zeng Anmin said he only managed the land for someone else and that its true owner was in the palace, then told Liu Shishi to leave him alone.

After learning that the Earthly Lotus had been stolen from the Profound Formation Division, Zeng Anmin deduced that Zhu Wanjun had given it to the Daoist Evil Corpse as part of a possible scheme by Duke Ning, Li Jian, and reported his theory to Bai Ziqing. The chapter ended with Zeng Anmin realizing that Emperor Jianhong had sent Si Zhongxiao to investigate alongside Bai Ziqing, a move that alarmed him.

• Liu Shishi told Zeng Anmin that the Earthly Lotus had been stolen from the Profound Formation Division, and he revealed that the Princess was behind the Spirit Mine.
• Zeng Anmin deduced that Zhu Wanjun had given the Earthly Lotus to the Daoist Evil Corpse and suspected Duke Ning, Li Jian, had arranged the assassination attempt on Emperor Jianhong.
• Zeng Anmin visited the Princess and claimed Liu Shishi had threatened him and forced her way onto his bed, prompting the Princess to vow to visit the Profound Formation Division.
• Zeng Anmin shared his deductions with Bai Ziqing, who went to report them to Emperor Jianhong and returned with orders to investigate the Daoist Talisman Sect and the Evil Corpse.
• Bai Ziqing told Zeng Anmin that Emperor Jianhong had assigned Si Zhongxiao to accompany him, and Zeng Anmin reacted with alarm.

Zeng Anmin warned Zeng Shilin that Duke Ning Li Jian might exploit the Second Rank Ancestor’s absence to attack the imperial city with the Fourth Prince, Wang Yuanhao. Meanwhile, Wang Yuanhao asked Emperor Jianhong for permission to marry Qin Wanyue, and the emperor agreed, but the Crown Prince objected.

• Zeng Anmin told Zeng Shilin that Duke Ning Li Jian might move against the emperor while the Second Rank Ancestor and Si Zhongxiao were away, and suggested they use the opportunity to eliminate Duke Ning.
• Emperor Jianhong played Go with the Crown Prince, then invited Wang Yuanhao to take the Crown Prince’s place.
• After losing to Emperor Jianhong, Wang Yuanhao asked for permission to marry Qin Wanyue, citing her father’s sacrifice and his wish to protect the Qin Residence.
• Emperor Jianhong agreed to Wang Yuanhao’s request, but the Crown Prince immediately protested.

The Fourth Prince secured Emperor Jianhong’s permission to marry Qin Wanyue, while the Crown Prince was confined for opposing him. That night, Duke Ning and Wang Di launched a coup against the imperial city, and Wang Di’s attempt to reach the Eastern Palace was stopped by Princess.

• The Crown Prince argued that Qin Wanyue and Zeng Anmin were childhood sweethearts, but the Fourth Prince cited rumors about Zeng Anmin and Sai Chuxue and begged Emperor Jianhong to grant him Qin Wanyue.
• Emperor Jianhong approved the Fourth Prince’s request and confined the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace for three days.
• The Fourth Prince reported the outcome to Wang Yuanhao, who said events had gone as expected and that the operation would begin.
• Duke Ning led a thousand Shadow Cavalry to Vermilion Bird Gate while Wang Di turned on the guards, opened the gate, and joined the attack.
• Duke Ning ordered Wang Di to kill the Crown Prince and sent the Shadow Cavalry deeper into the palace as he headed toward Qiankun Hall.
• Wang Di broke into the Eastern Palace, where Princess confronted him and asked what brought him there.