Chapter Summaries

Qing Mo entered Wenqi City after writing a verse that triggered a vast manifestation of noble righteousness, then quietly returned to the Flame Universe Divine Sect. Gu Shihan learned the poet wore the sect’s menial disciple robes and asked Yun Zhiyi to help find him, while Qing Mo remained unaware and enjoyed a barbecue in his courtyard.

• Qing Mo wrote “Walk to where the waters end, sit and watch the clouds arise!” at Wenqi City’s gate, causing a surge of noble righteousness and heavenly phenomena.
• Qing Mo entered the city and disappeared into the crowd before the stunned scholars could learn his identity.
• After completing his mission and personal affairs, Qing Mo returned to his menial disciple’s courtyard at the Flame Universe Divine Sect.
• Gu Shihan showed Yun Zhiyi the verse and explained that its unknown author had worn the Flame Universe Divine Sect’s menial disciple robes.
• Yun Zhiyi agreed to help search but learned Gu Shihan knew neither the poet’s name nor his appearance or location.
• Qing Mo barbecued with Da Bai, Yinzi, and Little Tail, unaware that people were searching for him.

Qing Mo learned that Confucian factions were searching for an unknown prodigy, then attracted Yun Zhiyi’s attention when he composed a poem praising her. His recitation summoned world-shaking righteous qi across the Flame Universe Divine Sect, leaving Yun Zhiyi astonished and disrupting her emotionless state of mind.

• Yu Zhengqian thanked Qing Mo for helping him complete his mission, gave him a Blood Charm Qiluo, and told him that Confucian factions and Yun Zhiyi were searching for an unknown Confucian prodigy.
• Qing Mo kept lazing around until Junior Sister Qing visited his courtyard while searching for the prodigy, and he praised her for a poem she had recited.
• After Junior Sister Qing reported his praise to Yun Zhiyi, Yun Zhiyi went with her to meet Qing Mo and asked him to write a poem about her in exchange for a treasure.
• Qing Mo recited an ode to Yun Zhiyi, summoning vast righteous qi and extraordinary phenomena that astonished the entire Flame Universe Divine Sect.
• Qing Mo dismissed the phenomena and asked Yun Zhiyi whether she liked the poem, while she realized his verse had unsettled the emotionless state of mind she had cultivated for years.

Qing Mo wrote the Ode to the Goddess for Yun Zhiyi and accepted her Goddess Peak Token in exchange, then persuaded her and an inner sect female disciple to keep his Confucian Dao talent secret. After Gu Shihan arrived and became captivated by the ode, Qing Mo came to Goddess Peak to collect the promised treasures.

• Qing Mo recited the Ode to the Goddess, astonishing Yun Zhiyi and the inner sect female disciple with its beauty and the righteous aura it stirred.
• Qing Mo transcribed the ode in Slender Gold script for Yun Zhiyi in return for three treasures from her Goddess Peak.
• Qing Mo asked Yun Zhiyi and the inner sect female disciple to conceal his identity as the Confucian Dao prodigy, and both agreed.
• Back at Goddess Peak, Yun Zhiyi and the inner sect female disciple realized neither knew Qing Mo's name, while Yun Zhiyi privately formed a plan connected to her Dao of Unfeeling.
• Gu Shihan arrived, praised the ode, and tried unsuccessfully to trade five divine artifacts for it.
• Qing Mo came to Goddess Peak to collect the treasures Yun Zhiyi had promised him.

Qing Mo collected treasures from Yun Zhiyi and Gu Shihan by composing a poem, then agreed to attend the Azure Martial Empire's literary gathering for a promised reward. He left with the invitation and a guarantee of thirty treasures, regardless of whether he won first place.

• Qing Mo entered the Goddess Palace and took the three finest treasures from Yun Zhiyi's vault as payment for the Ode to the Goddess.
• Gu Shihan challenged Qing Mo to compose a poem about loneliness, and Qing Mo recited a famous quatrain immediately.
• Gu Shihan tried to deny the wager, but she gave Qing Mo three treasures after he called her a sore loser and praised her beauty.
• Qing Mo took two more treasures from Yun Zhiyi's vault and prepared to leave the palace.
• Gu Shihan invited Qing Mo to the Azure Martial Empire's literary gathering, and he bargained for thirty treasures no lower than the Ancient God Realm.
• Gu Shihan agreed to give Qing Mo the thirty treasures whether or not he won first place, and Qing Mo accepted the invitation.

Qing Mo traveled with Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi to the Azure Martial Empire for the literary gathering, then explored the imperial city and visited Drunken Dream House. There, he learned about an upcoming courtesan queen competition and saw through the woman accompanying him, recognizing that she was a virgin.

• Gu Shihan urged Qing Mo to change out of his menial disciple robes, and he appeared in elegant ink-wash attire before traveling with her and Yun Zhiyi to the Azure Martial Empire.
• Gu Shihan arranged their palace accommodations, and Qing Mo recited poetry that delighted her and drew Yun Zhiyi's attention.
• Qing Mo asked Gu Shihan about places to listen to music, and she directed him to Drunken Dream House while warning him to behave himself.
• At Drunken Dream House, Qing Mo bought flower wine and divine delicacies, rewarded the woman who sat with him, and asked about the house's events.
• The woman told Qing Mo that a courtesan queen competition would be held in two days, and he recognized that she was a virgin despite her seductive disguise.

Qing Mo introduced Mandarin Duck Play at Drunken Dream House, then returned the next day with two more songs, Thread-Pulling Play and Black Silk. After the new songs drew a crowd, an arrogant young master demanded to meet their creator and buy all three.

• Qing Mo saw through the woman receiving him at Drunken Dream House but let her keep her past secret, then gave her Mandarin Duck Play to perform.
• The song delighted the crowd, earned Drunken Dream House generous rewards, and prompted its purple-dressed manager to cover Qing Mo's expenses in exchange for permission to perform it again.
• Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi confronted Qing Mo about visiting the pleasure district, but he brushed off their objections and quoted poetry before they left in frustration.
• Qing Mo returned to Drunken Dream House the next day and offered Thread-Pulling Play and Black Silk in exchange for a month's food, drink, and entertainment.
• The purple-dressed supervisor arranged for the new songs to be performed, and Qing Mo learned that his companion was Xiao Yayun.
• An arrogant young master's men demanded that Qing Mo come out so their master could buy Mandarin Duck Play and the two new songs.

Qing Mo rejected Fu Yanjie's insulting offer for his songs, learned Xiao Yayun's family had been massacred by a young master from a powerful sect, and set out to avenge her. By nightfall, his divine-sense avatar had nearly wiped out the Grand Vast Divine Sect and confronted its Sect Master, Fu Fude.

• Qing Mo refused Fu Yanjie's offer of one hundred mid-grade divine stones for his songs and publicly mocked him, while Xiao Yayun watched with delight.
• After Fu Yanjie left, Qing Mo noticed Xiao Yayun's hostility toward him and prompted her to tell the story of her clan's massacre and her escape as its sole surviving junior.
• Qing Mo agreed to hear Xiao Yayun's story in confidence, then let her massage his shoulders without discussing it further.
• That night, Qing Mo's divine-sense avatar sealed off the Grand Vast Divine Sect and slaughtered nearly all its people.
• Qing Mo's avatar spared nine survivors and Fu Fude, then sat on the Sect Master's throne with Fu Fude's head beneath his foot.

Qing Mo’s divine-sense avatar destroyed the Grand Vast Divine Sect and prepared a bloody message for Fu Yanjie, who remained unaware of the sect’s fate. Qing Mo then arrived at the Azure Martial Empire’s literary gathering with Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi, where he faced Fu Yanjie and Gu Yangou as the contest was about to begin.

• Fu Fude learned that Fu Yanjie had provoked Qing Mo by offering only one hundred mid-grade divine stones for three compositions, and he begged Qing Mo to spare the Grand Vast Divine Sect’s lineage.
• Qing Mo’s divine-sense avatar crippled Fu Fude and the other nine survivors, skinned them, hung their skins at the mountain gate, killed them, and took the sect’s resources.
• More than ten days later, Fu Yanjie traveled with Gu Yangou toward the literary gathering, unaware that the Grand Vast Divine Sect had been wiped out.
• Qing Mo, Gu Shihan, and Yun Zhiyi headed to the gathering, where Qing Mo reassured them that he would make Gu Shihan stand out.
• At the venue, Qing Mo taunted Fu Yanjie, while Gu Yangou urged him inside and pointed out scholars from Heavenly Billows Academy who had come seeking the renowned Confucian Dao prodigy.
• Qing Mo entered the venue with Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi, and the bells announced that the literary gathering was about to begin.

At the Azure Martial Empire’s literary gathering, Qing Mo stunned the assembled scholars with poems that summoned vast noble righteous qi and heavenly phenomena. He then answered the Heavenly Billows Academy scholars’ unspoken question with another poem, causing the phenomena to surge again.

• The Azure Martial Emperor set “home and country” as the gathering’s theme, and Kong Youde and Fu Yanjie recited poems praising it.
• Fu Yanjie challenged Han Wei to perform, and Qing Mo recited a poem about dying for his country that filled the imperial capital with noble righteous qi and battlefield visions.
• The Azure Martial Emperor praised Qing Mo, while Kong Youde and Fu Yanjie were shocked and humiliated by his achievement.
• Qing Mo added two lines about risking his life for his country and every common person’s responsibility for its rise and fall.
• Wei Wenshu approached Qing Mo with a question, and Qing Mo recited another poem that made the noble righteous qi and heavenly phenomena surge again.

Qing Mo stunned the Azure Martial Literary Gathering by producing celebrated Confucian verses, a poem and lyric on mourning the departed, and a prose piece comparing Gu Shihan to a lotus. The great scholars competed to claim his writing and recruit him, while Gu Shihan eagerly urged him to compose more.

• Qing Mo calmly rejected the great scholars' praise, then answered a jealous young scholar's challenge with two lines that summoned vast noble righteous energy.
• The Heavenly Billows Academy's scholars fought over Qing Mo's writing and begged him to become their disciple, while Kong Youde and Fu Yanjie grew resentful.
• At Qing Mo's suggestion, the Azure Martial Emperor announced mourning the departed as a new topic for the gathering.
• Gu Shihan urged Qing Mo to compose, and he produced a celebrated poem and lyric that moved the gathered scholars and drew another rush of noble righteous energy.
• Gu Shihan demanded a piece of her own, so Qing Mo compared her to a lotus and recited prose that triggered a third celestial phenomenon.

Qing Mo, posing as Han Wei, impressed the Azure Martial court with poems about the lotus and the empress, then wrote a poem praising osmanthus during the flower-themed literary contest. The gathered scholars were once again outshone, while Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde seethed at their defeat.

• Qing Mo recited an enduring essay about the lotus for Gu Shihan, who guarded the manuscript from the Heavenly Billows Academy scholars before her parents admired it.
• Gu Shihan offered Qing Mo one hundred thousand jin of divine wine to write a poem for the Azure Martial Empress, and he composed verses that moved both the empress and the Azure Martial Emperor.
• The Azure Martial Empress chose flowers as the next contest topic, and scholars including Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde presented works while Qing Mo waited.
• Qing Mo asked Yun Zhiyi to wield the brush and chose osmanthus as his subject; she wrote his poem, which conjured fragrant blossoms and golden light.
• The Azure Martial Emperor praised the osmanthus poem, Gu Shihan admired Qing Mo, and Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde grew furious at being outshone again.

After humiliating Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde at the literary gathering, Qing Mo refused offers to join the Heavenly Billows Academy and returned to the Drunken Dream House. There, he thwarted the two men’s attempt to intimidate him and composed a poem for Proprietress Yu in exchange for his expenses.

• Gu Shihan celebrated Qing Mo’s success at the gathering and named his lotus prose piece “Ode to the Han Lotus.”
• Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi warned Qing Mo that Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde might retaliate, but he refused to take a master at the Heavenly Billows Academy.
• Qing Mo visited the Drunken Dream House, where Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde confronted him and threatened him after he traded barbs with them.
• Proprietress Yu stopped Fu Yanjie from attacking Qing Mo by reminding him that violence would damage his reputation as a scholar.
• Qing Mo offered to write Proprietress Yu a poem in exchange for his expenses, then composed a verse that delighted her.

Qing Mo redeemed Xiao Yayun from Drunken Dream House after agreeing not to interfere with her future revenge. He then lured Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde’s group outside the imperial city and slaughtered them, leaving Fu Yanjie as the sole survivor.

• Qing Mo wrote Proprietress Yu the lyric “Butterflies in Love with Flowers” and reprimanded patrons who threatened Drunken Dream House’s girls.
• Qing Mo offered to redeem Xiao Yayun, and she agreed to follow him after he promised not to interfere when she pursued revenge.
• Proprietress Yu accepted three hundred thousand supreme-grade divine stones and gave Qing Mo Xiao Yayun’s contract of sale.
• Qing Mo secretly led Xiao Yayun out of the imperial city, where Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde ambushed them with their followers.
• Qing Mo killed Fu Yanjie’s Dao Protector and Kong Youde’s Third Uncle, then massacred the rest of their group, leaving Fu Yanjie alive.

Qing Mo spared Fu Yanjie after defeating his men, then brought Xiao Yayun to the ruins of the Grand Vast Divine Sect and revealed that he had destroyed it. After Qing Mo freed Xiao Yayun from her contract, she chose to stay and personally killed Fu Yanjie when he returned to the sect.

• Qing Mo killed Fu Yanjie's men, ordered Xiao Yayun to collect their storage rings, and let Fu Yanjie flee after humiliating him.
• Qing Mo took Xiao Yayun to the Grand Vast Divine Sect's ruins, where his divine-sense avatar returned to him and ten human skins hung above the gate.
• Qing Mo explained that he had destroyed the sect and avenged the Xiao Family, then returned Xiao Yayun's origin essence and erased her sale contract.
• Xiao Yayun chose to remain Qing Mo's maid, and the two waited for Fu Yanjie to return.
• Fu Yanjie came back, saw his family and sect elders' skins, and Qing Mo crippled him before ordering Xiao Yayun to finish him.
• Xiao Yayun confronted Fu Yanjie over the Xiao Family massacre and tortured him to death.

Qing Mo defended his decision to redeem Xiao Yayun as a maid, provoking Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi before asking Gu Shihan to escort them back to the sect. At Gu Shihan’s request, he composed a poem about regret, whose golden light and righteous qi once again covered the imperial city.

• Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi questioned Qing Mo about bringing Xiao Yayun back from Drunken Dream House, but he insisted he had chosen her as his maid.
• Qing Mo revealed he had spent three million high-grade divine stones to redeem Xiao Yayun, and Gu Shihan guessed he had traded away the treasures she and Yun Zhiyi had given him.
• Xiao Yayun apologized to Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi, and Gu Shihan told her to serve Qing Mo properly and leave her past behind.
• Gu Shihan asked Qing Mo what he planned to do about Fu Yanjie and Kong Youde, and he asked her to escort them back to the sect.
• Gu Shihan requested a poem on the subject of regret, and Qing Mo wrote “Joyful Meeting—The Forest Blossoms Have Fallen from Spring's Red,” unleashing golden light and righteous qi over the imperial city.

After returning to the sect, Qing Mo shut himself in his courtyard to rest, leaving Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi outside. He introduced Xiao Yayun to his companions and revealed his true identity to her, and she pledged to serve him faithfully.

• Qing Mo returned to his courtyard with Xiao Yayun and refused to entertain Gu Shihan and Yun Zhiyi, who left for Goddess Peak after Yun Zhiyi calmed Gu Shihan down.
• Yinzi and Little Tail came out to greet Qing Mo, and Xiao Yayun was astonished to learn that Yinzi was a dragon and Qing Mo's pet.
• Yinzi pointed out the sleeping Da Bai, but Da Bai startled Xiao Yayun when she tried to touch him before allowing her to pet him.
• Qing Mo told Xiao Yayun that Da Bai was his mount and Little Tail was his pet, then had Yinzi explain his true identity to her.
• Xiao Yayun vowed to keep Qing Mo's identity secret and serve him wholeheartedly.

Qing Mo, posing as the menial disciple Han Wei, deflected Jun Zile’s demand for Yun Zhiyi’s divine artifacts and advised him on how to win her interest. After accepting gifts for his help, Qing Mo supplied Jun Zile with a famous poem to present to Yun Zhiyi, and Jun Zile headed to Goddess Peak.

• Qing Mo left Xiao Yayun in the courtyard and went outside to confront Jun Zile and the disciples demanding the divine artifacts.
• Qing Mo offered the artifacts but warned that taking back gifts Yun Zhiyi had given him could damage her reputation, convincing Jun Zile not to take them.
• Jun Zile admitted he wanted advice on winning Yun Zhiyi’s attention, and Qing Mo recommended studying poetry and literature to build a connection with her.
• Jun Zile gave Qing Mo a bottle of fifth-grade pills and a high-quality divine artifact in exchange for his help.
• Qing Mo recited a poem about red beans, which Jun Zile wrote down before setting off for Goddess Peak.

Yun Zhiyi used Jun Zile’s borrowed love poem to draw closer to him, while she planned to pursue Qing Mo to cultivate the Dao of Emotionlessness. After sharing hotpot with Qing Mo and Xiao Yayun, Yun Zhiyi asked Qing Mo to help her fall in love with him, leaving him stunned.

• Yun Zhiyi praised the poem Red Beans but criticized Jun Zile’s handwriting, then agreed to teach him calligraphy as he resolved to improve it.
• Yun Zhiyi planned to use her feelings for Qing Mo to cultivate the Dao of Emotionlessness by falling in love and later severing that love.
• Qing Mo shared hotpot with Xiao Yayun, who eagerly enjoyed the meal, and invited Yun Zhiyi inside when she came to the courtyard.
• Qing Mo and Xiao Yayun taught Yun Zhiyi how to eat hotpot, and she enjoyed the spicy food despite having abstained from ordinary meals.
• Yun Zhiyi told Qing Mo that the benefit for helping her was herself and asked him to fall in love with her while she tried to fall in love with him, prompting him to spit out his tea.

Yun Zhiyi told Han Wei she wanted to develop feelings for him, but Qing Mo rejected her and exposed the danger her proposal could bring him. After she agreed to his provocative demand, Qing Mo discovered she planned to use their growing love to advance her Emotionless Dao and kill him, and he decided to turn her scheme against her.

• Yun Zhiyi told Qing Mo she wanted to develop feelings for him, and he warned that Jun Zile might retaliate if he heard about it.
• Qing Mo rejected Yun Zhiyi's offer of protection and demanded that she undress to prove her sincerity; after struggling with the demand, she agreed but asked for time.
• Qing Mo returned to his room with Xiao Yayun, while Yun Zhiyi went back to Goddess Peak and sat in stunned silence.
• Xiao Yayun asked whether Yun Zhiyi would follow through, and Qing Mo said he would let Xiao Yayun teach her if she truly pursued him.
• Qing Mo read Yun Zhiyi's hidden plan: she intended to deepen their feelings, then kill him at their emotional peak to sever her attachments and advance her Emotionless Dao.
• Qing Mo decided to let Yun Zhiyi's scheme proceed so he could scheme against her in turn, then kissed Xiao Yayun.

Yun Zhiyi visited Qing Mo’s courtyard but learned he had left on a mission, while Qing Mo and Xiao Yayun entered the Nine Jade Heavenly Pool and began hunting for opportunities. After defeating opponents and uncovering a hidden palace, Qing Mo reached an apparent inheritance site and triggered its guardian.

• Yun Zhiyi went to Qing Mo’s courtyard intending to speak with him, but a menial disciple told her Han Wei had left on a mission, so she departed without seeing him.
• Qing Mo and Xiao Yayun entered the Nine Jade Heavenly Pool and spotted several Kong Family disciples, whom Qing Mo planned to kill inside the secret realm.
• Qing Mo killed a group of young men who asked him to help defeat a black-furred tiger demon, and Xiao Yayun fought the beast and claimed its inner core.
• Qing Mo and Xiao Yayun defeated people blocking a mountain cave, then discovered its apparent treasures were illusions and continued deeper.
• Qing Mo tore apart an isolation formation at an underground white jade palace, destroyed a horde of more than a hundred thousand stone statues, and reached a hall where a glowing white figure appeared.