Chapter Summaries

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.

After Du Chengping was left alive but gravely ill, Luo Yunji grieved beside his ice coffin while Zhang Xiaofan and the court officials feared the consequences of the incident. Li Qinghe comforted Luo Yunji and encouraged him to seek help from Uncle Master Tian, leaving him with hope that Du Chengping might recover.

• The Emperor ordered a thorough investigation and left court with the Prince, while the Prime Minister and Great General feared Big Bamboo Peak might retaliate.
• Zhang Xiaofan had soldiers carry Du Chengping's ice coffin to the Food Mansion, then returned with medicine as Luo Yunji prepared to unseal it.
• Yan Hui questioned the Ghost King Sect disciples, learned they denied involvement, and ordered an investigation.
• Li Qinghe arrived at the Food Mansion and reassured Zhang Xiaofan that the child Luo Yunji had saved was alive, though he would suffer from illness.
• Li Qinghe embraced the sorrowful Luo Yunji and urged him to take Du Chengping to Uncle Master Tian for treatment, giving Luo Yunji hope.

Zhang Xiaofan confronted representatives over the attack on the Food Mansion and learned that the Myriad Poison Sect had taken part, with Qingyan Pavilion hiding its members. He punished those who disrespected him, then stormed into Qingyan Pavilion to search for the fugitives.

• Zhang Xiaofan questioned faction representatives, and a second-rank court official insulted him and the Azure Cloud Sect.
• Yan Hui presented Zhang Xiaofan with a list identifying the Myriad Poison Sect members involved in the attack and admitted he had not captured them all.
• Yan Hui revealed that Qingyan Pavilion, a subordinate force of the Acacia Sect, had hidden the Myriad Poison Sect members and said he had ordered it surrounded.
• Zhang Xiaofan warned the representatives that he would punish everyone involved, while soldiers carried away those who had disrespected him.
• Zhang Xiaofan kicked open Qingyan Pavilion's doors and sent soldiers to search its rooms; Yan Hui slapped a motionless Ghost King Sect disciple.

Zhang Xiaofan led the search for the people responsible for an incident involving Luo Yunji, exposing a secret chamber at Qingyan Pavilion and capturing five suspects. The two masterminds remained at large, so he ordered mirrors brought in to make the captives talk.

• Yan Hui killed a man who had approached, then gathered the Ghost King Sect disciples to search for the missing people.
• Zhang Xiaofan confronted the Madam at Qingyan Pavilion, and soldiers found and broke into a hidden chamber, capturing five people.
• The Madam accused Yan Hui of risking war among the Holy Sect, but Zhang Xiaofan dismissed her threats and revealed his strength and position as Ghost King Sect vice sect master.
• Yan Hui reported that the two masterminds were still missing, and Zhang Xiaofan demanded that the captives reveal where they had gone.
• When no one answered, Zhang Xiaofan ordered the soldiers to find mirrors.

Zhang Xiaofan tortured Qingyan Pavilion members into revealing that two ringleaders had left the Imperial City, then captured them and killed most of the pavilion’s people. After sending a warning to the Acacia Sect and Myriad Poison Sect and prompting arrests in the Imperial City, the chapter ended with Du Chengping waking under Li Qinghe’s care.

• Zhang Xiaofan made the Madam watch as his magic withered her exposed skin, then killed two Qingyan Pavilion members when no one answered his questions.
• A woman revealed that the two ringleaders had left the previous night, and Zhang Xiaofan obtained their portraits before setting off to find them.
• Yan Hui told the Madam that Big Bamboo Peak’s strength meant the allied sects could not intimidate Zhang Xiaofan.
• Zhang Xiaofan returned with the two ringleaders, killed most of Qingyan Pavilion’s people, spared two survivors, and sent a warning to Sanmiao Fairy and Poison God.
• Three days later, coffins reached Venom Snake Valley and Carefree Ravine, while the emperor had several ministers arrested.
• Du Chengping woke to find Li Qinghe treating him and realized he had survived.

After Du Chengping woke, Li Qinghe and Tian Buyi explained that the poison and rescue had left his organs badly damaged and that he would remain vulnerable to cold. Zhang Xiaofan brought Luo Yunji to Black Stone Cave to fetch Tian Buyi, and the chapter ended with Du Chengping asking how long he had left to live.

• Li Qinghe told Du Chengping that the Mayfly Louse poison had been purged, but his organs were still severely damaged, and he thanked him for saving Luo Yunji.
• Zhang Xiaofan told Luo Yunji to wait before visiting Tian Buyi, then took him to Black Stone Cave after dealing with the attackers from the Myriad Poison Sect and Acacia Sect.
• Tian Buyi erupted in anger after hearing the Demon Sect had attacked Luo Yunji, and he left Zheng Dali to keep refining the Four Spirits scales while he went to examine Du Chengping.
• Luo Yunji noticed that Li Li had reached the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm, then left Black Stone Cave with Tian Buyi and Zhang Xiaofan.
• Tian Buyi examined Du Chengping and said the ice used to save him had left him vulnerable to cold, though Luo Yunji's Fire Crystal could help him recover.
• Du Chengping asked Tian Buyi how long he could still live.

After Du Chengping survived an assassination attempt, Tian Buyi warned Zhang Xiaofan not to seek revenge alone while the prince vowed to deal with the conspirators. Du Chengping recovered enough to return to the Academy, where relentless exams reunited Luo Yunji with his original classmates in Heaven Level Class A.

• Tian Buyi told Du Chengping that he would live but suffer lasting pain, and Du Chengping chose to believe Luo Yunji might one day cure him.
• Tian Buyi warned Zhang Xiaofan not to take revenge on the Myriad Poison Sect alone, while the prince said he and the Imperial Brother had already dealt with some conspirators and would pursue the rest.
• Half a month later, Du Chengping returned to the Academy in a chair and moved into the Prince's Mansion, where he spent his time reading with Luo Yunji.
• The Academy reassigned classes after every ten-day exam, and months later all twenty students from Luo Yunji's former Diding Class entered Heaven Level Class A, displacing Seventh Prince.
• The Heaven Level Class A students celebrated their unchanged roster at the Food Mansion, where Zhang Xiaofan cooked and Luo Yunji watched in the kitchen as Liao Xing joined the gathering.

At the Seven Sages Gathering, Luo Yunji was kept from drinking until he apparently got hold of wine, prompting Liao Xing to rush him out of the city. The Food Mansion shook, and Liao Xing saw Luo Yunji floating above the city gate with an ice dragon circling him.

• The students praised Luo Yunji and played poetry and couplet games, while he lost each round and was denied wine.
• Liao Xing noticed Luo Yunji holding an empty wine jug and hurriedly took him out of the city, warning Wind Rain Thunder Lightning and Zhang Xiaofan to follow.
• Liao Xing returned to the Food Mansion and told the students that even one drop of wine could make Luo Yunji go berserk and that he had once destroyed a mountain.
• The Food Mansion shook, and Liao Xing saw Luo Yunji floating above the distant city gate with an ice dragon circling him.

Luo Yunji’s drunken rampage froze the Imperial City’s gate, and Zhang Xiaofan tried to draw him away before his ice dragon could destroy the city. Li Qinghe and Yan Hui joined Zhang Xiaofan in the sky as the civilians were evacuated, and the three flew out to confront Luo Yunji.

• Liao Xing fired a signal arrow, and Zhang Xiaofan ordered the Two Mountains soldiers to evacuate nearby civilians as the Prince arrived with his guards.
• The ice dragon descended on the city gate, and Zhang Xiaofan tried to reach Luo Yunji but was blocked by a sky full of Taiji Seals.
• The Prince’s guards, Yan Hui’s Ghost King Sect disciples, and Li Qinghe’s Azure Cloud Sect disciples helped move the crowd to safety.
• Liao Xing gave Yan Hui a spirit stone so he could use Daoist arts inside the Imperial City’s Forbidden Spirit Domain.
• Li Qinghe and Yan Hui joined Zhang Xiaofan, who flew out with them to draw Luo Yunji away from the city.

Zhang Xiaofan unleashed the Dragon Slayer Art against Luo Yunji’s Taiji Seals, clearing them before Luo Yunji counterattacked with a swarm of Taiji Spheres. After Zhang Xiaofan struck back again, the battle paused with him badly injured and the city left in ruins.

• Zhang Xiaofan gathered his strength and used the Dragon Slayer Art to erase Luo Yunji’s Taiji Seals in a flash of white light.
• Luo Yunji recovered and sent Taiji Spheres flying at Zhang Xiaofan, knocking him from the sky and pursuing him with a barrage of attacks.
• Liao Xing watched from a tall building as the Prince and Yan Hui reacted to the spectacular battle, while the blasts destroyed the city wall and nearby buildings.
• Zhang Xiaofan recited the Dragon Slayer Art again and answered the barrage with another blinding strike of white light.
• Zhang Xiaofan swallowed more pills and tried to recover as Li Qinghe examined his injuries and considered the damage Luo Yunji’s rampages caused.

Zhang Xiaofan tried to strike Luo Yunji’s Ice Lotus with the Dragon Slayer Art, but the Ice Dragon shielded it and Luo Yunji fell inside a massive block of ice while Zhang Xiaofan passed out. The next morning, Li Qinghe discovered the ice contained spiritual energy, and Liao Xing gathered the Prince’s Mansion guards to benefit from it.

• Zhang Xiaofan ordered the Quadruplets to carry him after Luo Yunji and used the Dragon Slayer Art to slash at the Ice Lotus.
• The Ice Dragon protected the Ice Lotus and shattered into ice, while the slash sent the lotus crashing down and left Zhang Xiaofan unconscious from exhaustion.
• Li Qinghe found Luo Yunji frozen inside a huge ice formation and explained to the Prince that she and the unconscious Zhang Xiaofan could not free him.
• Liao Xing and the guards failed to break the ice, so Liao Xing ordered firewood brought in to try melting it.
• The next morning, Li Qinghe detected spiritual energy in the ice and told Liao Xing that direct contact could benefit the guards.
• Liao Xing gathered the Prince’s Mansion guards at the ice, prompting the Prince to hurry over.