Chapter Summaries

Qin Yao challenged the court to test his literary skill, and Yan Qinyu gave him a quarter of an hour to compose a poem about Flame Heaven Hall. Qin Yao used his enhanced memory to write a poem from his past life, leaving the entire hall speechless.

• Qin Yao offered to prove his innocence by answering a new literary challenge on the spot.
• Yan Yangyi realized Qin Yao's proposal could disrupt his plan to delay the case and plant evidence against him.
• Yan Qinyu ordered Qin Yao to compose a poem about Flame Heaven Hall within a quarter of an hour.
• Qi Huansu reassured Qin Lan outside the hall while guards brought in fresh paper and ink.
• Qin Yao recalled Jia Zhi's "Early Audience at the Daming Palace" and wrote it on the silk.
• The officials fell silent after Qin Yao finished the poem.

Qin Yao’s poem about the imperial court at dawn stunned the civil officials, who praised its artistry and bowed to him, while Yan Qinyu praised it from the throne. Yan Yangyi and Qin Yuwei were left shocked by Qin Yao’s unexpected literary talent.

• The civil officials read Qin Yao’s poem and marveled at how it depicted the grandeur and solemnity of the imperial court.
• The senior civil official bowed to Qin Yao, and several other officials followed, acknowledging that they had learned from him.
• Ke Leiyong teased a fellow general about the civil officials showing Qin Yao more courtesy than a battle-hardened general.
• Yan Yangyi clenched his fist and realized that Qin Yao might overturn the plans he had made for him as a pawn.
• Yan Qinyu praised the poem, while Qin Yuwei struggled to understand how her poor cousin from Red River County could have produced it.

Qin Yao defended himself against Jin Mengyuan’s accusation by challenging him to set a poetry prompt, then began composing a poem about wine before the court. His opening lines stunned the hall, leaving the contest unresolved.

• After Qin Yao’s poems cast doubt on the cheating accusation, Jin Mengyuan suggested he might have prepared them in advance, and Ke Leiyong angrily rebuked him.
• Qin Yao challenged Jin Mengyuan to set a prompt, and Yan Qinyu ordered Jin to do so and required him to apologize if Qin’s answer proved splendid.
• Jin Mengyuan chose “wine” as the prompt, expecting Qin Yao’s youth to leave him without firsthand experience, while Du Huaixia and Ke Leiyong condemned the choice.
• Qin Yao refused to let Jin change the prompt and declared that he had a drinker’s heroic heart.
• Qin Yao began reciting a poem, adapting lines about the Yan River and aging, and the opening verses stunned the court.

Qin Yao recited a stirring wine poem that stunned the court and overwhelmed Jin Mengyuan, earning praise from the officials and the ruler, Yan Qinyu. Yan Qinyu ordered wine brought to Flame Heaven Hall so he could drink with Qin Yao.

• Qin Yao recited his poem, adapting its references to Great Yan figures and history, then challenged Jin Mengyuan to drink with him.
• The court erupted in praise, while Jin Mengyuan stood frozen and Yan Yangyi seethed helplessly at Qin Yao's success.
• Yan Qinyu silenced the hall by striking the dragon throne's armrest and praised Qin Yao's poem.
• Yan Qinyu ordered wine and declared that he would drink with Qin Yao in Flame Heaven Hall.

Qin Yao impressed Yan Qinyu with his poetry and drank with the ruler, while Jin Mengyuan apologized for accusing him. As the court reconsidered the value of literary talent, Yan Qinyu suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

• Yan Qinyu invited Qin Yao to drink hundred-year Blazing Flame Jade Nectar in Flame Heaven Hall, astonishing the court.
• Qin Yao drank with Yan Qinyu and accepted the ruler’s praise for his poetry and martial cultivation.
• Yan Qinyu asked Jin Mengyuan to answer for his challenge, and Jin apologized to Qin Yao before withdrawing.
• Qin Yao told Jin Mengyuan that his loyalty to his friend would be tested when the truth about the Fourth Prince emerged.
• Huo Enting and the academy deans reflected on Qin Yao’s literary achievement, while Han Yongshi anticipated admitting him to the Outer Academy.
• Yan Qinyu suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Qin Yao answered Yan Qinyu’s probing with poetry that touched the ruler’s memories of youth, turning their tense exchange into a warm drinking session. As Yan Yangyi worried about Qin Yao’s growing favor, the Blazing Flame Jade Nectar began loosening the barrier at the peak of Qin Yao’s Blood Aperture Realm.

• Yan Qinyu questioned whether Qin Yao truly understood the feelings behind his poems, and Qin Yao answered that a ruler could not enjoy a commoner’s carefree abandon.
• Qin Yao recited verses about revisiting old places, wondering whether an old friend remained, and finding that youth could not be recaptured.
• Yan Qinyu praised Qin Yao’s final line, drank with him, and personally poured wine for him, while Du Huaixia recognized that the poem had made them kindred spirits.
• Jin Mengyuan feared Qin Yao would use his new favor with Yan Qinyu against him, while Fourth Prince Yan Yangyi worried that Qin Yao had become a threat to his position.
• As Qin Yao and Yan Qinyu reached their ninth cup, the Blazing Flame Jade Nectar stirred warmth in Qin Yao’s dantian and began loosening his Blood Aperture Realm barrier.

Qin Yao drank Blazing Flame Jade Nectar and began breaking through into the Mystic Gathering Realm while Yan Qinyu protected him. As Qin Yuwei was arrested for stealing Qin Yao’s examination paper and framing him, her pleas implicated Fourth Prince Yan Yangyi, leaving Yan Qinyu suspicious of his son.

• Qin Yao concealed how much his cultivation had advanced and acted surprised as Yan Qinyu explained the potency of the Blazing Flame Jade Nectar.
• The wine’s medicinal power surged through Qin Yao, and he began breaking through into the Mystic Gathering Realm as Yan Qinyu ordered the hall to stay quiet and promised to protect him.
• Yan Qinyu declared Qin Yao the winner of the literary contest, ordered a joint investigation into Qin Yuwei’s theft and framing, and had her taken to the dungeon.
• Qin Yuwei begged Qin Yao to save her and then called on Fourth Prince Yan Yangyi, drawing the officials’ attention to him.
• Yan Yangyi tried to silence Qin Yuwei, but Yan Qinyu stopped him and ordered the guards to seal her mute acupoint so she would not disturb Qin Yao.

Qin Yao won the literary contest and was cleared of the injustice Qin Yuwei had helped inflict on him, while Qin Yuwei and her accomplices faced a joint trial. As the crowd admired Qin Yao’s poem, Murong Qingquan blushed when Liu Qingqing teased her about having fallen for him.

• Eunuch Nur announced the emperor’s decree declaring Qin Yao the winner and ordering Qin Yuwei and the others involved in fraud and false accusations to be tried.
• The teachers and students celebrated Qin Yao’s victory, and Liu Qingqing and Murong Qingquan rejoiced at the news.
• Eunuch Nur relayed the emperor’s invitation for anyone who could match Qin Yao’s poem to drink with him, and the crowd read the poem in awe.
• Muzhi and Lu Ciwu praised Qin Yao’s work as an extraordinary poem worthy of lasting renown.
• Murong Qingquan stared at Qin Yao’s poem, and Liu Qingqing teased her for secretly falling in love with him.

Murong Qingquan reconsidered asking Qin Yao to pretend to be her lover after witnessing the stature of his poem, but resolved to ask him anyway. In Flame Heaven Hall, Qin Yao pushed his cultivation toward the Mystic Gathering Realm as the barrier began to crack.

• Murong Qingquan recalled that her parents expected her to find a suitable husband and that her father, Murong Jue, had at most half a year to live.
• Murong Qingquan became unsure whether Qin Yao would agree to her fake-lover scheme after seeing the power of Bring in the Wine and remembering his status as the Great Yan Kingdom ruler’s honored guest.
• Liu Qingqing praised the poem, and Murong Qingquan resolved to ask Qin Yao for help despite fearing rejection.
• In Flame Heaven Hall, Qin Yao drove his remaining inner force into the cracking barrier to break through to the Mystic Gathering Realm.

Qin Yao broke through to the Mystic Gathering Realm and received an upgraded residence as a reward from Yan Qinyu. After leaving court, Du Huaixia invited him to his home for a private conversation, and Qin Yao agreed after seeing his grandfather and sister settled.

• Qin Yao broke through to the Mystic Gathering Realm, forming three qi vortices and learning to coat his body with inner force.
• Yan Qinyu confirmed that Qin Yao would advance from the outer academy to the inner academy and upgraded his reward to a three-courtyard residence and ten thousand taels of gold.
• Yan Yangyi left the hall with a strained smile while Qin Yao resolved to deal with him once he had grown stronger.
• Du Huaixia seized Qin Yao's wrist outside the hall and invited him to his residence that evening to discuss poetry and literature.
• Qin Yao accepted Du Huaixia's invitation and said he would first settle his grandfather and sister.

After Qin Yao celebrated his success with his family, Grand Tutor Du Huaixia invited him to dinner and asked him for a poem about the Golden Frost Barbarians’ invasions. Drunk, Qin Yao recited verses that stirred Yan Qinyu, who had secretly come to listen, before he passed out.

• Du Huaixia hurried away to prepare for Qin Yao, who reunited with Qin Lan, Qin Dashan, and Qi Huansu after Qin Yuwei was taken away.
• Qin Yao brought his family to their new compound, then rode in Du Huaixia’s sedan chair to the Grand Tutor’s home.
• Over dinner, Du Huaixia questioned Qin Yao about his poetry and asked him to compose a poem about the Golden Frost Barbarians’ invasions.
• Qin Yao recited a poem about defending the frontier, and Du Huaixia copied it down.
• Yan Qinyu secretly arrived and asked Qin Yao about Great Yan’s humiliation at the hands of the Golden Frost Barbarians.
• Still drunk, Qin Yao recited a call for revenge that ended with the words, “Toward the Heavenly Court,” then collapsed, leaving Yan Qinyu deeply shaken.

After Qin Yao drank himself unconscious at Du Huaixia’s residence, Yan Qinyu privately judged his sincerity and resolve. Yan Qinyu left word that the Golden Frost Barbarians were about to act and promised Qin Yao a chance to serve his sovereign and country.

• Du Huaixia confirmed that Qin Yao was genuinely asleep from drinking, while Yan Qinyu watched him at the table.
• Du Huaixia recalled how Yan Qinyu had secretly visited in plain clothes to assess Qin Yao, whose poems about loyalty and reclaiming the nation had deeply moved the ruler.
• Yan Qinyu praised Qin Yao’s sincerity and instructed Du Huaixia to tell him that the Golden Frost Barbarians were about to make their move.
• Yan Qinyu departed, and Du Huaixia arranged for the sleeping Qin Yao to be taken to the east wing.

After Qin Yao recited two poems while drunk, Du Huaixia presented them to Yan Qinyu, who assigned Qin Yao a role in the Northern Expedition and granted him access to Imperial Capital Academy’s resources. Du Huaixia escorted Qin Yao to the academy, where onlookers mistook him for Qin Yao’s patron, though the emperor was now Qin Yao’s true backing.

• Qin Yao woke with a hangover and learned that Du Huaixia had taken his poems to the palace overnight.
• Du Huaixia told Qin Yao that Yan Qinyu planned to have him shoulder the Northern Expedition and had opened a special channel to the academy’s cultivation resources for him.
• Qin Yao accepted the emperor’s support and thanked Du Huaixia for recommending him.
• Du Huaixia escorted Qin Yao to Imperial Capital Academy and recounted Yan Qinyu’s praise of his poems.
• Teachers and students saw Du Huaixia arrive with Qin Yao and assumed the Grand Tutor was Qin Yao’s patron, while Du Huaixia knew the emperor was backing him.

Qin Yao arrived at Imperial Capital Academy, where the headmaster and deans praised his recent achievements and told him the emperor had named him an Assistant General for the northern campaign. The chapter left Qin Yao stunned by the unexpected appointment and the trust it showed.

• Su Muzhi and Lu Ciwu met Qin Yao at the academy gates and asked about his night at the Grand Tutor's residence.
• Han Yongshi, Zhu Qinke, and Huo Enting warmly welcomed Qin Yao and brought him to a private council chamber.
• Huo Enting explained how the Golden Frost Barbarians raided the northern border prefectures each spring.
• Huo Enting revealed that His Majesty had appointed Qin Yao an Assistant General and expected him to lead an army in the northern campaign.
• Qin Yao was shocked that the emperor had entrusted him with command of several thousand soldiers.

Qin Yao learned that he would march to the Northern Frontier in half a month and received unrestricted access to Imperial Capital Academy’s cultivation resources. He borrowed ten Upper Profound Rank arts and techniques, confident that his Grind Emperor System would let him master them.

• Huo Enting told Qin Yao that the sovereign expected him to improve before joining the army in half a month and had opened the academy’s resources to him.
• Huo Enting reminded Qin Yao that the frontier people were counting on him to bring them hope, and Qin Yao promised not to forget.
• Huo Enting told Han Yongshi and Zhu Qinke that he had high expectations for Qin Yao because of his battlefield record and concern for his comrades and frontier residents.
• News of Qin Yao’s special access spread through Imperial Capital Academy, where students watched him leave the Library Tower with a stack of books.
• Qin Yao borrowed ten Upper Profound Rank cultivation arts and martial techniques, then assured Huo Enting he could handle them with the help of his Grind Emperor System.

Qin Yao borrowed ten Upper Profound Rank cultivation methods and claimed pills and talismans from Imperial Capital Academy, ignoring the students who doubted his motives and prospects. He entered his secluded cultivation chamber and prepared to begin training with the Army-Breaking Blade.

• Qin Yao borrowed ten Upper Profound Rank cultivation methods for twelve days, declining Dean Zhu Qinke's offer to arrange instruction from Pan Shaochu.
• Students at the Library Tower speculated that Qin Yao was either foolishly overreaching or planning to copy and sell the books, while Qin Yao ignored their remarks.
• Qin Yao collected a large supply of cultivation pills from the Alchemy Pavilion, with Huo Enting affirming that the academy's resources were his to use.
• Qin Yao took as many defensive, Swiftstride, and Spirit-Gathering Talismans as he could from the Talisman Pavilion.
• Qin Yao entered his secluded cultivation chamber, gathered his supplies, picked up a saber, and decided to begin with the Army-Breaking Blade.

Huo Enting and the academy deans worried that Qin Yao had taken more pills, talismans, and cultivation manuals than he could use, and suspected he might sell them for profit. Yan Qinyu dismissed the accusation but gave Qin Yao three days to show progress, warning that he would investigate if his cultivation did not improve.

• Han Yongshi and Zhu Qinke questioned Qin Yao's decision to borrow ten Mystic-rank arts and take large quantities of pills and talismans.
• Huo Enting suspected Qin Yao might resell the resources and went to inform Yan Qinyu.
• Huo Enting presented Qin Yao's registered acquisitions to Yan Qinyu and warned that the boy might line his own pockets.
• Yan Qinyu rejected the idea that Qin Yao would jeopardize his future for profit, but ordered Huo Enting to report back if Qin Yao showed no cultivation improvement after three days.
• After Huo Enting left, Yan Qinyu considered the military threat at the Northern Frontier and warned that Qin Yao must not disappoint his expectations.

Qin Yao rapidly trained ten Upper Profound Rank techniques in the secluded cultivation chamber, using his system to raise his realm and earn System Coupons. After advancing the Army-Breaking Blade to Lesser Achievement and reaching the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm, he restrained further growth in that technique and finished the chapter with all ten skills at Lesser Achievement.

• Qin Yao advanced the Army-Breaking Blade to the Entry Realm, raising his cultivation to the peak of the First Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm.
• Qin Yao advanced the Army-Breaking Blade to Lesser Achievement and broke through to the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm.
• Qin Yao decided to avoid further cultivation gains from the Army-Breaking Blade and practiced the Scarlet Sun Palm instead, advancing it to Lesser Achievement.
• Qin Yao trained the Startled Phoenix Nine Transformations Spear, Whirlwind Thousand Shadows Kick, Mountain-Crossing Flowing Clouds, and other techniques to Lesser Achievement.
• Qin Yao completed the Torrential Rain Pear Blossom Needles and confirmed that all ten Upper Profound Rank techniques had reached Lesser Achievement.

After emerging from seclusion, Qin Yao astonished Imperial Capital Academy’s leaders by reaching the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm and mastering Scarlet Sun Palm to the Lesser Achievement Realm in a day. Huo Enting went to report Qin Yao’s progress to Yan Qinyu, who reacted with shock.

• Qin Yao left the cultivation chamber, and Huo Enting, Han Yongshi, and Zhu Qinke discovered that he had advanced to the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm.
• After Qin Yao ate, he credited his rapid progress to pills and an Upper Profound Rank cultivation method, though the academy leaders doubted his explanation.
• At the Number Eight Martial Arts Arena, Qin Yao used Scarlet Sun Palm against Huo Enting, who confirmed Qin Yao’s cultivation level and the technique’s Lesser Achievement Realm mastery.
• Huo Enting left to report Qin Yao’s progress to Yan Qinyu, whose black jade beads stopped as he heard the news.

Yan Qinyu learned that Qin Yao had reached the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm and ordered the academy to support his continued progress before promoting him to a higher post. As Qin Yao’s reputation spread through Imperial Capital Academy, he returned home to share his rewards with his family and reassure Qin Lan about the coming northern campaign.

• Huo Enting told Yan Qinyu that Qin Yao had reached the Third Layer of the Mystic Gathering Realm and cultivated the Scarlet Sun Palm to the Lesser Achievement Realm.
• Yan Qinyu praised Qin Yao, ordered that he receive whatever support he needed, and tied the significance of his future promotion to his progress over the next half month.
• Imperial Capital Academy’s leaders spread news of Qin Yao’s rapid advancement, prompting students to replace their mockery and envy with amazement.
• Su Muzhi and Lu Ciwu celebrated Qin Yao’s achievement, while Liu Qingqing urged Murong Qingquan to confess her feelings to him.
• Qin Yao returned to his new residence, gave his grandfather pills and talismans, and explained his appointment as a deputy general in the northern campaign.
• Qin Yao reassured his worried sister Qin Lan and made a pinky swear with her.