Recaps

Tian Buyi and Daoxuan learned that Luo Yunji had terrorized the strange beasts in Black Stone Cave during an earlier visit, while Daoxuan later returned to Heaven-Reaching Peak. In Sub-mountain, Luo Yunji mistook a blacksmith's work for making rice cakes, then hurried home after learning about the difficulty of forging Meteorite Iron.

• Zheng Dali told Tian Buyi and Daoxuan that Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan had plundered fur, horns, and valuables from the strange beasts in Black Stone Cave, leaving the beasts afraid of Luo Yunji.
• A Heaven-Reaching Peak disciple recovered and reported on affairs at Azure Cloud Mountain, while Tian Buyi and Zheng Dali returned to smelting Meteorite Iron.
• Tian Linger and Bi Yao explored Sanfu Town together, and Zhang Xiaofan arranged provisions for the group at Black Stone Cave.
• Daoxuan returned to Heaven-Reaching Peak after discussing the materials with Tian Buyi, while Luo Yunji and Liao Xing went to Sub-mountain to find Liao Xing.
• Luo Yunji claimed a blacksmith was making rice cakes, then asked whether Meteorite Iron needed hammering and hurried off to eat before heading home.
• Liao Xing stopped Luo Yunji from running the wrong way and told the Quadruplets to find a Sedan Chair.

Luo Yunji brought Liao Xing, the Quadruplets, and seven soldiers to Black Stone Cave, where he wanted the soldiers to help forge Meteorite Iron. After Long Zi’s flight left his companions badly shaken, the soldiers tried hammering the heated iron, but their hammers broke without making a mark.

• Luo Yunji traveled with Liao Xing and the Quadruplets to the soldiers’ training grounds and recruited seven soldiers with blacksmithing experience.
• Luo Yunji took the group on Long Zi toward Black Stone Cave, and the passengers plunged into the cave, where Zheng Dali and Tian Buyi helped catch them.
• Luo Yunji gave the overheated group Cooling Pearls and explained that he had brought the soldiers to help forge Meteorite Iron.
• Zheng Dali heated a piece of Meteorite Iron and had the seven soldiers hammer it, but every iron hammer broke while the Meteorite Iron remained unharmed.

Luo Yunji brought Li Li to a magma cave to test whether his hammer magic treasure could forge Nine Heavens Meteorite Iron. After noticing Li Li’s flawed cultivation, Luo Yunji urged him to start over with an improved method, leaving Li Li torn between accepting the advice and abandoning decades of effort.

• Luo Yunji dragged Li Li from Morning Sun Peak after learning he owned a hammer magic treasure, while Chu Yuhong and Shen Tiandou mistakenly feared Luo Yunji meant to punish him.
• Zheng Dali explained that Luo Yunji wanted Li Li’s help forging meteorite iron, and Shang Zhengliang became eager to obtain some for Morning Sun Peak.
• Luo Yunji took Li Li to the magma cave, where seven soldiers used his hammer magic treasure to begin shaping meteorite iron.
• Li Li tried hammering the iron himself and proved more effective than the soldiers, prompting Luo Yunji to point out errors in his cultivation.
• Luo Yunji told Li Li to start over with his improved cultivation method, and Li Li struggled to decide whether to give up decades of progress.

Li Li restarted his cultivation under Luo Yunji’s guidance and learned Big Bamboo Peak’s latest improved method, forcing Tian Buyi and Zheng Dali to decide how to handle the secret. Meanwhile, Luo Yunji and Liao Xing returned from their outing, where Luo Yunji gleefully exposed his younger brother to the Princess Consort.

• Li Li agreed to disperse his cultivation and start over, and Luo Yunji crippled his cultivation before guiding him anew.
• Luo Yunji taught Li Li Big Bamboo Peak’s third version of the Taiji Mystic Purity Dao, and Zheng Dali revealed the method’s origins after discovering what had happened.
• Tian Buyi allowed Li Li to return home after their work was finished, while Li Li diligently cultivated and helped forge iron.
• Zhang Xiaofan deduced that Luo Yunji and Liao Xing had gone to Sub-mountain Town to watch iron forging.
• Luo Yunji and Liao Xing returned three days later, and Luo Yunji tattled to the Princess Consort that Liao Xing had snuck off the mountain.

Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan prepared to travel to the Imperial City with the Prince’s family and the Quadruplets, then arrived to a jubilant welcome. The emperor and several princes saw their return, and the princes decided to visit their royal uncle.

• Liao Xing returned home with Luo Yunji, dodged Zhou Mu’s attempts to grab him, and was saved when the Quadruplets restrained Zhou Mu with their blades.
• Luo Yunji took the Quadruplets to the Spirit Garden while Zhang Xiaofan continued handling his duties after hearing that Luo Yunji had returned.
• After half a month, Zhang Xiaofan finished handing over his work and arranged for Mother Wang, several chefs, and a hundred soldiers to accompany the journey to the Imperial City.
• Zhang Xiaofan and Luo Yunji rode Long Zi ahead with the Prince’s family, while the rest of the group followed under guard.
• Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan descended into the Imperial City on a Taiji diagram, drawing cheers from the people and a smile from the emperor.
• Several princes watched their arrival and agreed to bring gifts and pay a visit to their royal uncle.

The Prince reported to the emperor and then went to arrange Luo Yunji’s Academy admission, while Xiao Liu reunited with the big tabby cat Qiu Shi in Sanfu Town. Zhang Xiaofan set out to find a restaurant to take over, and the Prince’s Mansion steward guided him toward restaurants owned by the family.

• The Prince gave the emperor a booklet about Ming’er’s deeds in Sanfu Town, and they discussed the town’s affairs.
• Xiao Liu recognized the big tabby cat as Uncle Qiu Shi and learned that Qiu Shi had hidden the surviving fox cubs in the Fox Clan Secret Realm after their clan was attacked.
• Xiao Liu told Qiu Shi that he and Xiao San lived at Two Mountains and that Luo Yunji’s group had entrusted him with managing part of Sanfu Town, then carried Qiu Shi away to share the news with Xiao San.
• The Prince went to the Academy to make arrangements for Luo Yunji’s admission.
• Zhang Xiaofan decided to take over a restaurant, and the Princess Consort sent the Prince’s Mansion steward to help him find one of the family’s restaurants.

Zhang Xiaofan bought a site for a restaurant, while rumors about Luo Yunji and Sanfu Town spread through the Imperial City. The six princes visited the Prince's Mansion, where they met Luo Yunji as he ate with Liao Xing.

• Zhang Xiaofan bought a location and asked Steward Wang to help remodel it like the inn in Sanfu Town.
• Rumors about Luo Yunji studying at the Academy and Zhang Xiaofan opening a restaurant reached the emperor, who expected the Imperial City to become lively.
• The six princes tried to climb over the Prince's Mansion wall and were caught by guards who had trained at Two Mountains.
• Steward Wang led the princes to the Princess Consort, who was dining in the courtyard with Luo Yunji and Liao Xing.
• The Princess Consort invited the princes to share the Sanfu Town cuisine and introduced Luo Yunji as the Imperial Preceptor appointed by His Majesty.

Luo Yunji and Liao Xing ate voraciously at the Princess Consort’s banquet while the princes discovered that the stories about Eight Sage Drinks and the Little State Preceptor were true. The Princess Consort advised the princes about the throne, and the chapter ended with Luo Yunji and Liao Xing settling onto adjoining chaise lounges after overeating.

• Fourth Prince apologized to Luo Yunji, but Liao Xing explained that Luo Yunji ignored everything once food was served.
• The Princess Consort had a banquet brought out, and the princes noticed her Eight Sage Drinks and realized Third Prince’s stories had been true.
• Fifth Prince suggested going to Sanfu Town, but First Prince and Second Prince warned that the Emperor would refuse and recalled the danger of the journey.
• The Princess Consort revealed that the Emperor withheld the palace recipes because the princes refused to become emperor, then urged them to stop avoiding the throne.
• Luo Yunji and Liao Xing admitted they were full and fought over a chaise lounge until the Princess Consort had two pushed together.

Zhang Xiaofan, Luo Yunji, and their companions settled in at the Prince’s Mansion before the Prince sent Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan to the Academy. Luo Yunji showed that he could recite his lessons but struggled to understand them, and he soon fell asleep during the teacher’s explanation.

• Zhang Xiaofan returned to the Prince’s Mansion after choosing a shop, where he found Luo Yunji, Liao Xing, and six princes resting after a feast.
• Luo Yunji woke hungry again, and he and Zhang Xiaofan agreed to visit the streets the next day before the Prince announced they would attend the Academy instead.
• The next day, the Prince brought Zhang Xiaofan and Luo Yunji to the Academy, where Luo Yunji entered Earth Level Class D, Liao Xing joined Heaven Level Class B, and the princes entered Heaven Level Class A.
• Luo Yunji recited passages perfectly when his teacher tested him, so Zhang Xiaofan explained that he memorized the texts but did not understand their meaning.
• The teacher began explaining the lesson, and Luo Yunji soon started snoring.

Zhang Xiaofan brought Luo Yunji to the Imperial City, where teachers struggled to teach the Little State Preceptor until a young top scholar devised a new approach. The chapter ended with Luo Yunji eagerly practicing writing at home while Zhang Xiaofan went to keep watch.

• Zhang Xiaofan explained Luo Yunji's sleeping in class and terrible handwriting to his teachers, who made no progress over two months.
• Zhang Xiaofan welcomed the team from Sanfu Town, arranged for Food Mansion's chefs to prepare the restaurant, and warned Yan Hui not to repeat the events of more than ten years earlier.
• The headmaster and Diding Class teachers discussed the Old Prime Minister's letter and agreed to teach Luo Yunji from the basics, with a young top scholar taking charge.
• The top scholar engaged Luo Yunji with stories and gave him a sandbox to practice writing the character "One," but Luo Yunji only made a shallow pit.
• Luo Yunji returned to the Prince's Mansion determined to practice writing after dinner, and Zhang Xiaofan left to make sure he did not lose his temper.

Luo Yunji struggled to write properly, and Zhang Xiaofan discovered that his strokes were unnaturally powerful, making a single cut behave like several. The Prince agreed to have heavier wrist guards made after the available pair proved too light.

• Liao Xing was sent to study after he complained that Luo Yunji was supposed to play with him, while Luo Yunji kept practicing his writing.
• The Top Scholar Instructor challenged Luo Yunji to explain twelve textbook characters and their origins in exchange for interesting stories.
• Zhang Xiaofan felt unusual vibrations in Luo Yunji's wrist and compared the marks they made with a carving knife, realizing Luo Yunji's single strokes contained several strokes' worth of force.
• Dabai, the Loose Cultivator, Blackheart Elder, Madam Jinling, and the Monk explained that Luo Yunji's brush and weapon movements were unusually powerful, and Madam Jinling suggested adding weight.
• The Prince provided Mu'er's wrist guards, but they were too light to help Luo Yunji, so Zhang Xiaofan agreed to try making heavier ones from Dark Iron.

Luo Yunji made progress in his studies and began writing legible characters, while Mr. Top Scholar’s lively teaching transformed Diding Class. Meanwhile, Killing Monk struggled to find Zhang Xiaofan and arrived in the Imperial City, where Zhang Xiaofan’s family took him in without Zhang Xiaofan knowing.

• Zhang Xiaofan beat the students who resented Luo Yunji until they stopped provoking them, and the classmates gradually befriended Luo Yunji.
• Mr. Top Scholar’s engaging lessons helped Luo Yunji and Diding Class thrive, drawing students and teachers from other classes to listen and prompting transfer requests.
• After a month, Luo Yunji wore the Dark Iron wrist guards and managed to write a barely legible character, pleasing the Academy Dean and the Prince.
• Killing Monk traveled from Azure Cloud Mountain toward Two Mountains, learned Zhang Xiaofan had gone to the Imperial City, and collapsed from hunger outside Zhang Xiaofan’s restaurant, where the Quadruplets’ mother sheltered him.
• The Prince celebrated being able to read Luo Yunji’s homework and stocked the mansion’s pools with live fish so Luo Yunji could fish with him and Liao Xing.

Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan prepared four new dishes representing the sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors of life, which the Prince, Princess Consort, and Emperor sampled. As the Emperor and Prince discussed Two Mountains’ highly prized crops and Sanfu Town’s growing popularity, the Princess Consort went to the kitchen.

• Luo Yunji and Liao Xing did their homework outside the kitchen while waiting for Zhang Xiaofan to cook.
• Luo Yunji directed the kitchen staff as Zhang Xiaofan helped prepare four new dishes for the Princess Consort.
• The Prince returned with the Emperor, and the Princess Consort invited them to try the dishes served on the Four Seasons Plate.
• The Prince and Emperor praised the four flavors and shared rice and diluted Spirit Wine.
• The Prince told the Emperor that Two Mountains’ Spirit Rain made its grain, vegetables, and fruit especially desirable in Sanfu Town.

The Emperor complained that his sons wanted to escape the throne and visit Sanfu Town, while the students at the Academy took a monthly exam. Afterward, Luo Yunji demonstrated a talismanic script that set the teacher’s desk ablaze, leaving his classmates eager to get some of their own.

• The Emperor lamented that the princes did not want the throne and envied the Third Prince for escaping to Sanfu Town, while the Prince doubted Ming'er would return willingly.
• Mr. Top Scholar announced the monthly examination, and Liao Xing urged Luo Yunji to study for it.
• Luo Yunji finished the exam quickly and wrote talismanic scripts on spare paper; Zhang Xiaofan tore up his own answers after glimpsing Luo Yunji's papers.
• Luo Yunji asked Liao Xing to throw one of his scripts, and it landed on the teacher's desk and set it ablaze.
• The students scrambled to collect Luo Yunji's remaining scripts, and Liao Xing asked him to write more when they returned.

Luo Yunji taught his classmates and Liao Xing to use talismans, leading them to burn desks at the Academy and a rockery at the Prince's Mansion. The Prince and Princess Consort heard the Academy teacher's complaint and went to talk seriously with the two brothers.

• After the teacher criticized the students' handwriting, Luo Yunji revealed he had tricked them into practicing talismans and demonstrated one that set the teacher's desk on fire.
• Luo Yunji fled with Zhang Xiaofan, then visited Liao Xing's class and urged him to use talismans, where Liao Xing burned several desks.
• Liao Xing returned to the Prince's Mansion and confronted Luo Yunji, while the guards reported that his talismans had burned the rockery.
• The Prince and Princess Consort learned that Luo Yunji had tricked Liao Xing into getting punished at the Academy and that the talismans worked with spirit stones.
• The Academy teacher told the Prince that Luo Yunji had skipped class and the brothers had destroyed desks, and asked him to stop them bringing dangerous items to school.
• The Prince and Princess Consort decided to speak seriously with the brothers about playing with dangerous talismans.

Li Qian and the Academy Dean discovered that Luo Yunji had earned no points after writing “Eighteen Touches” on his answer sheet, and discussed the State Preceptor’s motives and Li Qian’s plans to keep teaching him. When the results reached Diding Class, Luo Yunji’s classmates learned what he had written, while students who scored well worried that they would be promoted away from Li Qian’s class.

• Li Qian showed the Academy Dean Luo Yunji’s answer sheet, and both were shocked by its contents and his zero score.
• Li Qian explained that Luo Yunji may have deliberately made the other students’ handwriting resemble his own after someone criticized it, and said they should keep observing him.
• The next day, Diding Class students questioned Luo Yunji about his answer sheet, but Zhang Xiaofan stopped him from revealing the answer before Liao Xing accused him of writing lewd lyrics and obscene songs.
• Luo Yunji proudly identified his work as “Eighteen Touches,” astonishing the students and the six princes, while Zhang Xiaofan silenced Liao Xing with a pastry.
• Students who had scored well lamented that they might be promoted out of Diding Class, where Li Qian would continue teaching Luo Yunji.

After several months of tutoring and growing close in Diding Class, Luo Yunji and his classmates became curious about Zhang Xiaofan’s wildly popular Food Mansion. Zhang Xiaofan offered them private rooms for the next day’s break, and the classmates eagerly prepared to go.

• Students who had moved up after the ten-day exam refused to leave Diding Class, and teachers struggled to restore the reassigned classes.
• Over several months, Luo Yunji improved under Li Qian’s tutoring, and students from different classes became a close group.
• Zhang Xiaofan’s Imperial City branch of Food Mansion became so popular that reservations filled through the end of the year, especially for his rare Seven Sages Gathering dish.
• Diding Class students discussed visiting Food Mansion during their break, but worried they could not get a table.
• Zhang Xiaofan offered the classmates two reserved private rooms and called Feng Yu toward the door.

Zhang Xiaofan kept Luo Yunji company as he rushed through his assigned calligraphy, then took him and Liao Xing out for a long-awaited outing in the Imperial City. The outing turned into another round of merchants presenting treasures for Luo Yunji to inspect at Food Mansion.

• Zhang Xiaofan arranged a private room for his classmates while Luo Yunji and Liao Xing stayed behind to finish Luo Yunji's calligraphy homework.
• Luo Yunji fell asleep before completing the hundred sheets, and Zhang Xiaofan carried him to bed but promised Liao Xing they would go out the next day.
• Luo Yunji happily explored the Imperial City's streets and bought items, while Liao Xing remarked that the city was better than Sanfu Town.
• Merchants brought rare plants and other treasures for Luo Yunji to inspect, and Killing Monk helped the accompanying soldiers maintain order.
• Luo Yunji selected many plants and medicinal materials at Food Mansion, while the merchants hoped to trade for a chance to settle or do business in Sanfu Town.

A student from Diding Class secured his family a Food Mansion reservation token, helping his father and older brother with their business troubles. Diding Class’s privileges and lively atmosphere made it the envy of other students, who deliberately handed in blank exams to join it.

• A worried father and his eldest son discussed a business deal and lamented that they could not get a seat at the Food Mansion to negotiate.
• The youngest son told them he could get a Food Mansion seat, then presented a reservation token to his father and older brother the next day.
• The youngest son explained that Diding Class had a private room at the Food Mansion and that his classmates had let him use their token first.
• The eldest son took the token to check it, while their father happily accepted the help and ordered the youngest son back to his studies.
• Diding Class students studied and spent their free time together, with Luo Yunji and Li Qian helping foster a diligent class atmosphere.
• The Academy Dean despaired over Diding Class’s blank exam papers as other students deliberately handed in blank exams to join the class.

Li Qian arranged for Luo Yunji to enter Heaven Level Class A to revive the Academy students’ ambition, and Zhang Xiaofan joined him after a secret visit to the Academy Dean. The resulting competition drove students into a frenzy, leaving the teachers seeking another solution.

• Li Qian proposed transferring Luo Yunji directly to Heaven Level Class A, and the teachers approved despite concerns about breaking Academy rules.
• Zhang Xiaofan visited the Academy Dean’s Thatched Cottage at night, and the next day he entered Heaven Level Class A while the cottage disappeared without a trace.
• The first class placement exam after Luo Yunji’s transfer caused a major reshuffle, with former Diding Class students advancing and four princes losing their Heaven Level Class A seats.
• Students competed so intensely for Heaven Level Class A that teachers reported some falling ill or behaving erratically.
• The teachers failed to agree on how to ease the pressure until one suggested that students could share good things with the Imperial Preceptor, prompting another teacher to ask if he knew Food Mansion.

Luo Yunji took Liao Xing out to play against his wishes, tying him to a sedan chair while Zhang Xiaofan and the Quadruplets accompanied them. On the street, they met former Diding Class classmates Tao Yong and Luo Ping, who learned why Liao Xing was bound and joined their stroll.

• Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan walked through the city with the Quadruplets carrying a bound and gagged Liao Xing in a sedan chair.
• The Prince's Mansion's residents let Luo Yunji take Liao Xing out, and the Princess Consort decided that a break from studying would do him good.
• Tao Yong ran into Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan, then discovered Liao Xing tied to the sedan chair because he had refused to go out and play.
• Luo Ping arrived, heard Tao Yong's explanation, and offered Liao Xing sympathy instead of untying him.
• Tao Yong and Luo Ping talked about their efforts to reach higher classes and reminisced about their old classmates as the group strolled together.

Zhang Xiaofan and Luo Yunji wandered through the Imperial City with their friends, who reunited with Du Chengping and talked about Two Mountains soldiers. At the Food Mansion, Luo Yunji punished Liao Xing by making him watch the others eat, and Liao Xing asked Tao Yong to lend him a spirit stone.

• Tao Yong explained to Zhang Xiaofan that Du Chengping and Luo Qingzhi came from poor families and lived frugally while studying in the Imperial City.
• Luo Qingzhi invited Du Chengping to join the group, and Du Chengping agreed as they reminisced about their former class and discussed their current classes.
• Tao Yong told Du Chengping and Luo Qingzhi stories about Two Mountains soldiers, including one who had brought a Monster Beast to the Imperial City.
• Zhang Xiaofan led the group to the Food Mansion, where Luo Yunji ordered dishes from Mother Wang and teased the bound Liao Xing by threatening to make him watch everyone eat.
• Liao Xing signaled Tao Yong and asked to borrow the spirit stone Tao Yong had previously borrowed from Luo Yunji.

Luo Yunji and Liao Xing bickered and fought through a meal, then joined Zhang Xiaofan and the others on a late-night walk. Dozens of black-clad attackers ambushed them in the Imperial City, and Zhang Xiaofan ordered his soldiers to kill them all as more enemies appeared from every direction.

• Tao Yong gave Liao Xing a spirit stone, freeing him to charge at Luo Yunji, but the two turned their quarrel into a familiar fight over food and a pot lid.
• Luo Yunji and Liao Xing made up, ate together, and finished their meal while Tao Yong, Luo Qingzhi, and Du Chengping watched in disbelief.
• After dinner, Zhang Xiaofan and the others walked through the empty streets, keeping Luo Yunji and Liao Xing apart to prevent another fight.
• Dozens of black-clad men emerged from the shadows and charged at the group without letting Zhang Xiaofan question them.
• Zhang Xiaofan ordered the two soldiers guarding Luo Yunji to kill the attackers, then saw more black-clad men swarming in from all directions.

Luo Yunji and Zhang Xiaofan fought off a nighttime raid while Du Chengping was poisoned by a Mayfly Louse. Luo Yunji froze the attackers as reinforcements arrived, but the aftermath left Tao Yong vomiting and Luo Qingzhi unconscious.

• A Mayfly Louse pierced Du Chengping, and Luo Yunji crushed it but could not stop the poison from spreading.
• Luo Yunji ordered the Quadruplets to fetch the White Elixir from the Prince's Mansion while the others held off the black-clad attackers.
• As Du Chengping worsened, Luo Yunji froze him inside an ice coffin and ordered Killing Monk to protect the others.
• Luo Yunji advanced through the attackers, freezing them in place, while Zhang Xiaofan fought beside him with the Fire Poker.
• A hundred soldiers from the Two Mountains arrived and killed some of the remaining attackers.
• Tao Yong vomited at the grisly scene and Zhang Xiaofan's bloodied presence, while Luo Qingzhi fainted into the vomit.

After Luo Yunji was attacked, he and Zhang Xiaofan captured and killed the assailants while demanding answers about their identities. In the Imperial Palace, the Prince and emperor confronted the ministers over the repeated attacks on the Liao Clan, leaving the court in fear.

• Luo Yunji froze the black-clad attackers, destroyed a shop to expose another assailant, and demanded to know where they came from.
• Zhang Xiaofan questioned Yan Hui, who denied knowing about the attack and promised to investigate.
• Zhang Xiaofan ended Luo Yunji's torture of a captive by turning him into a dried skeleton, then ordered everyone to identify the attackers.
• Zhang Xiaofan led Luo Yunji to join Tao Yong and the others, while the Prince demanded an explanation from the ministers in the Imperial Palace.
• The emperor warned the ministers that this was the second attack and said he would even surrender the throne if anyone could openly state an objection to the Liao Clan.