Recaps

Jiang Ning focused on advancing the Summer Canon after killing Fang Yu, while Profound Finger Mountain and the Heaven-Answering Alliance discussed how to respond. The chapter ended with Jiang Ning reaching mastery in the Summer Canon, ready to break through its limit.

• Jiang Ning decided to prioritize the Summer Canon, trained beneath the sun, and later reunited with Wang Qingtan at his courtyard.
• Li Sixiang told Zheng Changfeng and Mountain Lord Yun Shanhai that Jiang Ning had killed Fang Yu.
• Yun Shanhai refused to avenge Fang Yu himself because attacking a prefecture's inspection envoy could bring disaster upon Profound Finger Mountain.
• Li Sixiang agreed to kill Jiang Ning in exchange for Profound Finger Mountain joining the Heaven-Answering Alliance and requested a segment of Divine Bone bearing Yun Shanhai's Mountain-Sea Intent.
• After four days of training, Jiang Ning reached mastery in the Summer Canon and saw that he had 201387 source energy points.

Jiang Ning broke through the Summer Canon’s first limit and gained the purple trait Sun-Yang True Fire, then trained the Two Forms Hard-Soft Sword until it reached the threshold for another limit break. He ended the chapter in the mountains with ample source energy remaining and the sword skill ready for advancement.

• Jiang Ning spent ten thousand source energy points to break the Summer Canon’s first limit, unleashing heat and golden light that set the stone pillar ablaze and melted its surface.
• Zhao Yulong and Su Zhi witnessed the light from Dongling City, and Zhao Yulong said Jiang Ning might be the greatest martial prodigy in centuries and could become a second Martial Saint.
• Jiang Ning discovered that the Summer Canon had granted him the Sun-Yang True Fire innate divine ability, tested its power, and found that it could melt boulders and ores but consumed his essence, qi, and spirit when used directly.
• Jiang Ning checked his progress in Visualization and the Two Forms Hard-Soft Sword, then decided to keep training the sword skill before sunset.
• Jiang Ning practiced through the night until the Two Forms Hard-Soft Sword reached 7000/7000 experience, leaving him poised to spend ten thousand source energy points on its seventh limit break.

Jiang Ning strengthened his swordsmanship and Sun visualization while preparing to travel to the Royal Capital for the imperial martial examination. Meanwhile, Li Sixiang recruited Tyrant Blade Li San to kill Jiang Ning and offered him a segment of divine bone tied to Yun Shanhe’s Mountains and Rivers Finger.

• Jiang Ning spent source energy to break through the Two Forms Hard-Soft Sword, gaining the Ocean Embracing a Hundred Rivers trait and improving his sword arts.
• Zhao Yulong and Bai Luoyu visited Jiang Ning to congratulate him on his advancement, and he shared a drink with them.
• Jiang Ning told Lü Yi that he would travel alone to the Royal Capital for the martial examination, but planned to delay leaving in case Profound Finger Mountain retaliated for Fang Yu’s death.
• Jiang Ning advanced his visualization skill and made progress in the Summer Canon and Two Forms Hard-Soft Sword through cultivation.
• Li Sixiang met Tyrant Blade Li San by the Luo River and asked him to kill Jiang Ning, then offered him a segment of divine bone containing the intent of mountains and rivers.

Tyrant Blade Li San entered Dongling City and challenged Jiang Ning, first testing him with a blade strike that could not harm him. Li San then crushed a jade box and unleashed a mountain-sized finger attack that transformed the street into a rushing river and swallowed Jiang Ning, leaving Zhao Yulong stunned.

• Tyrant Blade Li San entered Dongling City, and the gate captain recognized him as an imperial wanted criminal and alerted the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning learned that Li San was heading to his residence, suspected Profound Finger Mountain had sent him, and moved his household to Dongling Mountain.
• Zhao Yulong watched as Jiang Ning confronted Li San in the empty street and heard Li San declare that he had come to test the Heavenly Rankings’ fourth-ranked inspector.
• Li San unleashed a powerful blade strike, but Jiang Ning’s Indestructible Vajra Body left him unharmed.
• Li San crushed a jade box and released a mountain-sized finger attack that formed a river and swallowed Jiang Ning while Zhao Yulong watched in shock.

Jiang Ning killed Tyrant Blade Li San and recovered a mysterious finger bone that Shen Wenyuan identified as a Divine Bone bearing the Mountains and Rivers Finger. After learning that Profound Finger Mountain’s Yun Shanhe was the titled Mountain River Marquis, Jiang Ning asked about the balance of power in Five Peaks Prefecture and learned its Prefect was nearly his equal.

• Jiang Ning used his Six-Foot Golden Body to withstand Tyrant Blade Li San’s finger strike, then killed him and took the finger bone from his hand.
• Zhao Yulong joined Jiang Ning, suspected the attack came from Profound Finger Mountain, and said Shen Wenyuan might identify the finger bone.
• Jiang Ning went to the Marquis Residence, where Shen Wenyuan identified the technique as Yun Shanhe’s Mountains and Rivers Finger and explained Yun Shanhe’s title and strength.
• Shen Wenyuan identified the finger bone as a Divine Bone from a fallen god and said Jiang Ning had endured an attack comparable to a titled grandmaster’s full-strength strike.
• Jiang Ning asked about the situation in Five Peaks Prefecture, and Shen Wenyuan said its Prefect was a titled powerhouse only a hair’s breadth weaker than Yun Shanhe.

Jiang Ning traveled to Celestial City to meet the Marquis of Five Peaks Prefecture, rested, and reforged a blade blank into a sword embryo before visiting the Marquis's residence. The Marquis and Zhong Yue were preparing to draw out Profound Finger Mountain, and they recognized Jiang Ning when his arrival was reported.

• Jiang Ning crossed into Five Peaks Prefecture and entered Celestial City, where he located the Marquis's residence and rented a room at Spring Breeze Tower.
• After resting overnight, Jiang Ning used Sun-Yang True Fire to reforge his blade blank into a sword embryo and sealed it with his blood.
• Jiang Ning went to the Marquis's residence and introduced himself as Dongling Commandery's inspector.
• In the rear garden, the Marquis told Zhong Yue he planned to make the first move against Profound Finger Mountain and had invited someone to help draw out its hidden force.
• A gate guard reported Jiang Ning's arrival, and the Marquis and Zhong Yue recognized his name before the Marquis ordered the guard to present Jiang Ning's identity token.

Jiang Ning met the Violet-Clad Marquis and Zhong Yue, learned that Profound Finger Mountain had already sent an attack against him, and agreed to join the Marquis's planned assault. After arriving at the manor, he trained the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword until he performed a strike that split light into dawn and dusk, leaving him close to mastering the art.

• Jiang Ning met the Violet-Clad Marquis, the head of the Five Peaks Inspection Office, and received his identification token.
• Jiang Ning showed them a divine finger bone containing the Mountains and Rivers Finger's intent and explained that someone had used it to ambush him.
• Zhong Yue revealed that Profound Finger Mountain had tried to abduct Zhong Ling, and the Violet-Clad Marquis agreed that Jiang Ning's strength made him a crucial ally.
• The Violet-Clad Marquis told Jiang Ning that he and Zhong Yue had prepared to attack Profound Finger Mountain, and Jiang Ning agreed to cooperate while concealing his identity.
• After resting at the manor, Jiang Ning trained the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword and performed a strike that divided light into day and night, bringing the sword art close to the proficient level.

Jiang Ning attended a family banquet hosted by the Purple-Robed Marquis, where Madam Xu discovered he was already engaged and abandoned her matchmaking plans. Back in his courtyard, Jiang Ning broke through to the proficient level of the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword, studied its spatial distortions, and prepared to rest before tomorrow’s battle at Profound Finger Mountain.

• Jiang Ning arrived at the Purple-Robed Marquis’s family banquet, where Zhou Tuo was told to address him as Uncle Jiang.
• Madam Xu asked Jiang Ning whether he was betrothed, and he said he already had a marriage engagement, ending her matchmaking plan.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword and advanced from beginner to proficient, while his immortal root grew into a seven-inch-eight-tenths sapling.
• Jiang Ning tested the proficient sword art and found that it twisted space, distorted perception, and made his attacks difficult to track or intercept.
• Jiang Ning noticed that the sword art consumed golden mist from his dantian and decided to conserve it before the battle at Profound Finger Mountain the next day.

Jiang Ning received Dark Frost Weave clothing and a silver mask from the Violet-Clad Marquis, then set out with him toward Profound Finger Mountain. The Marquis explained his military arrangements and said his chances of destroying the mountain depended partly on whether the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land intervened.

• Madam Xu brought Jiang Ning the Marquis's Dark Frost Weave outfit and silver mask, while Ronger praised Jiang Ning and admitted she thought herself unworthy of him.
• Jiang Ning dressed in the protective, identity-concealing outfit and joined the Violet-Clad Marquis, who left Madam Xu and Zhou Tuo behind with orders to remain at the residence.
• Jiang Ning revealed a needle-thin sword he had forged himself and said he would use swordsmanship to conceal his identity.
• The Violet-Clad Marquis and Jiang Ning flew toward Profound Finger Mountain, and the Marquis described how Inspection Office martial artists and the Phoenix Cry Army were approaching in scattered units.
• Jiang Ning promised he could hold back a top grandmaster, and the Violet-Clad Marquis estimated his chances of wiping out Profound Finger Mountain at sixty percent if the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land stayed out of the fight and eighty percent if it sent people.

The Violet-Clad Marquis and Jiang Ning arrived at Profound Finger Mountain to demand Gongsun Zhi from Yun Shanhe, while the two mountain leaders agreed to fight. As the Marquis followed Yun Shanhe into the sky, Fang Daoquan battled Feng Zhen and Zhong Yue, overpowering them and forcing Feng Zhen to keep fighting.

• Fang Daoquan confronted Feng Zhen and revealed that his mental pressure showed he was close to becoming a second-rank Grandmaster.
• The Violet-Clad Marquis arrived with Jiang Ning, then used precise mental pressure to intimidate Fang Daoquan and summoned Yun Shanhe.
• Yun Shanhe appeared, refused to hand over Gongsun Zhi, and challenged the Violet-Clad Marquis to a match.
• The Violet-Clad Marquis followed Yun Shanhe into the sky after telling Jiang Ning not to hold back.
• Feng Zhen and Zhong Yue attacked Fang Daoquan, but Fang Daoquan knocked Feng Zhen's staff away and injured Zhong Yue with a single blow.
• Feng Zhen charged Fang Daoquan again, knowing he had to keep him occupied because no one else could match him.

Jiang Ning, wearing a silver mask, stepped in to fight Fang Daoquan after the peak master overwhelmed Feng Zhen and another master with his Martial Dao will. Their battle escalated into a series of powerful clashes, and Fang Daoquan realized Jiang Ning was stronger than he had expected.

• Fang Daoquan suppressed Feng Zhen with his spiritual pressure and swiftly crippled the master who tried to intervene.
• Jiang Ning drew a golden sword and blocked Fang Daoquan's attack, giving Feng Zhen time to leave and support the other fighters.
• Fang Daoquan brought out his spear and challenged Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning resisted his Martial Dao will and repeatedly deflected his attacks.
• Jiang Ning and Fang Daoquan exchanged increasingly powerful blows, ending with Jiang Ning standing firm against Fang Daoquan's full-force spear strike.
• Fang Daoquan suspected Jiang Ning might be one of the invincible masters from the rumors after seeing his strength.

Jiang Ning killed Fang Daoquan with the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword, then joined Feng Zhen’s fight and cut down Profound Finger Mountain’s grandmasters. As the battle continued, the Violet-Clad Marquis and Yun Shanhe remained locked in a deadly confrontation above the mountain, preventing Yun Shanhe from aiding his sect.

• Jiang Ning used the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword to outmaneuver Fang Daoquan and sever his head, killing the top grandmaster.
• Jiang Ning left Fang Daoquan’s battlefield and killed a grandmaster beside Feng Zhen, then answered Feng Zhen’s questions without revealing his identity.
• Feng Zhen saw Fang Daoquan’s headless body and realized Jiang Ning had killed the peak master of Profound Finger Mountain.
• Jiang Ning fought toward the entrance to Middle Finger Peak, killing grandmasters as he sought to inflict greater losses on Profound Finger Mountain.
• Yun Shanhe shouted at the Violet-Clad Marquis from above, and the Violet-Clad Marquis said he would prevent Yun Shanhe from going down to save his people.

Jiang Ning helped Zhou Sheng’s forces attack Profound Finger Mountain, but the battle was interrupted when Xiang Yuan appeared and tried to breach the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land. After the grotto-heaven’s surviving ancestor repelled him and took Yun Shanhe away, Xiang Yuan destroyed Profound Finger Mountain’s main building and ordered Jiang Ning to follow him.

• Jiang Ning slaughtered the defenders at the mountain gate and left Feng Zhen to lead the assault up Middle Finger Mountain.
• Yun Shanhe arrived, questioned Jiang Ning’s identity, and fought Zhou Sheng before Zhou Sheng called on Jiang Ning to help hold him back.
• A woman emerged from the Mysterious Origin Blessed Land’s five-colored light pillar, but Xiang Yuan shot her with a bloodstained arrow, killed her, and tore open the passage.
• The grotto-heaven’s surviving ancestor struck Xiang Yuan back, seized Yun Shanhe, and closed the entrance, leaving Xiang Yuan unable to reach the cave-heaven’s heart.
• Xiang Yuan acknowledged Zhou Sheng’s role, destroyed Profound Finger Mountain’s grandest building with another arrow, and told Jiang Ning to come with him.

After the Martial King, Xiang Yuan, warned Jiang Ning to prepare carefully before attempting his ninth blood exchange, he urged him to visit Xiao Wuque in the Royal Capital. Jiang Ning trained his Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword as the assault on Profound Finger Mountain continued, then learned from Zhou Sheng that Xiao Wuque was the Martial Saint Manor’s most gifted disciple and likely successor.

• Xiang Yuan praised Jiang Ning’s eight blood exchanges, warned him against rushing the ninth or entering the realm of Martial Dao myth, and told him to visit Xiao Wuque in the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning returned to Profound Finger Mountain, saw the Inspection Office’s battle against the remaining defenders, and decided to focus on training rather than rejoin the fighting.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his Indestructible Vajra Body and practiced the Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword, gaining experience as the battle continued across the five peaks.
• Zhou Sheng arrived and praised Jiang Ning’s sword technique, recognizing that it had made Fang Daoquan’s defeat inevitable.
• Jiang Ning told Zhou Sheng that Xiang Yuan had sent him to meet Xiao Wuque, and Zhou Sheng explained Xiao Wuque’s exceptional standing in the Martial Saint Manor.
• Zhou Sheng warned Jiang Ning that Yun Shanhe and Mysterious Origin Blessed Land remained threats, promised to report Jiang Ning’s contribution privately, and advised him to prioritize meeting Xiao Wuque.

Jiang Ning trained at Zhou Sheng’s residence before attending the Victory Banquet, where Zhou Sheng presented him as a prince to the assembled guests. The chapter ended with Jiang Ning discovering that he, Zhou Sheng, and Feng Zhen had been served especially valuable wine.

• Jiang Ning resumed training the Indestructible Vajra Body while waiting for Zhou Sheng to return, and worried that Yun Shanhe might come after him.
• Zhou Sheng reassured Jiang Ning that his Silver Star Sand mask concealed him from detection, then reminded him to attend the Victory Banquet.
• Zhong Yue asked Jiang Ning to keep looking after Zhong Ling, and Jiang Ning agreed.
• Jiang Ning chose to focus on cultivation and completing nine blood exchanges rather than further improving his Grand Void Yin-Yang Sword.
• After bathing and dressing for the banquet, Jiang Ning followed Zhou Sheng’s maids to the hall.
• Zhou Sheng addressed Jiang Ning as “Your Highness,” prompting the guests to rise, and Jiang Ning noticed that only the head table had been served the valuable wine.

At Zhou Sheng’s victory banquet, Jiang Ning drank energy-rich wine while the prefect of Five Peaks Prefecture questioned his royal identity, then spent the night and morning training before preparing to return to Dongling City. After Jiang Ning departed, Zhou Sheng sent two maids to follow him, hoping they might serve him.

• Zhong Yue and the prefect toasted Jiang Ning at Zhou Sheng’s victory banquet, and the prefect questioned whether Jiang Ning was truly a prince before offering an apologetic toast.
• Jiang Ning drank throughout the banquet, then returned to his courtyard and trained the Indestructible Vajra Body late into the night and again the next morning.
• Jiang Ning told Zhou Sheng he was leaving for Dongling City, and the two promised to share a drink when they met again.
• After Jiang Ning departed, Zhou Sheng asked the two maids whether he had touched them and offered to send them to serve him in Dongling City.
• Zhou Sheng explained to his steward that assigning the maids elsewhere after they had served Jiang Ning could insult him, and sent them after Jiang Ning with Green Fern.

After returning to Dongling City, Jiang Ning prepared for his journey to the Royal Capital while focusing on strengthening the Indestructible Vajra Body. The chapter ended with him rested and ready to finish its breakthrough that day.

• Jiang Ning returned home and told Lü Yi and Zhong Ling that Profound Finger Mountain had been destroyed, explaining that Martial King Xiang Yuan had appeared to pursue the Heart of the Grotto-Heaven.
• Jiang Ning decided not to spend Source Energy Points on Wind-Thunder Steps or grind the Summer Canon, and devoted his training time to the Indestructible Vajra Body before leaving for the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning fed Linglong his blood to strengthen her so she could protect his family while he was away.
• Jiang Ning trained nearly nonstop for several days, raising the Indestructible Vajra Body to 37866/40000, then fell asleep from exhaustion and was carried to bed by Linglong.
• Jiang Ning woke refreshed the next day and believed he could complete the Indestructible Vajra Body breakthrough that day.

Jiang Ning broke through the Indestructible Vajra Body, greatly increasing his strength before leaving for the Royal Capital. Before departing, he bid farewell to his family and Bai Luoyu, then learned from Zhao Yulong that the Yellow Heaven Cult was gathering around the Luo River.

• Jiang Ning spent one hundred thousand source energy to advance the Indestructible Vajra Body to Four Limit Breaks, nearly doubling his strength and upgrading Dragon-Elephant Strength.
• Jiang Ning said goodbye to Liu Wanwan, Jiang Li, Little Doubao, Jiang Yiming, Zhong Ling, and Lü Yi before setting out for the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning visited Bai Luoyu, asked him to assist Jiang Li if trouble arose, and left after Bai Luoyu arranged extra patrols near Commissioner Jiang's residence.
• Jiang Ning went to the Inspection Office and asked Zhao Yulong about the worry on his face.
• Zhao Yulong told Jiang Ning that confirmed reports placed members of the Yellow Heaven Cult gathering around the Luo River, though their purpose was unknown.

Jiang Ning left Dongling Commandery for the Royal Capital, using the Great Five-Element Water Escape to shorten his journey and reaching Upper Capital Prefecture. In the capital, Ji Mingyue told Ji Minghao she was determined to marry Jiang Ning and worried that he might miss the martial examination.

• Jiang Ning told Wang Qingtan he was leaving for the Royal Capital, while Wang Qinghan urged her sister to worry about his rumored connection to a princess; Wang Qingtan said she would not try to hold him back.
• Li Sixiang learned Jiang Ning had left for the metropolitan martial examination and ordered his people to predict the route, but Jiang Ning crossed Guangning Prefecture by water and avoided the route Li Sixiang watched.
• Jiang Ning reached Upper Capital Prefecture after recovering from the strain of the Great Five-Element Water Escape and adjusting his course with the help of his remembered geography.
• Ji Mingyue told Ji Minghao she had confessed her feelings for Jiang Ning to the Emperor and accepted confinement so she could bear the pressure herself.
• Ji Mingyue worried Jiang Ning might miss the martial examination, while Ji Minghao reassured her that Jiang Ning was likely to rank among the top three.

Jiang Ning entered the Royal Capital for the martial examinations and encountered Lord Fuyuan, a clay-bodied god whose power and standing unsettled him. After comparing maps, Jiang Ning set off toward his first destination.

• Jiang Ning arrived at the Royal Capital, where a Heavenly Surveillance Bureau Daoist identified him as a powerful young Martial Dao grandmaster and martial examination candidate.
• Lord Fuyuan's imposing procession entered the city, and the clay-faced god addressed Jiang Ning as an admirable fellow Daoist before passing through the gate.
• Jiang Ning learned that Lord Fuyuan had once been a divine statue and judged him more powerful than the God of Flesh and the Black Lotus Matriarch.
• Jiang Ning entered the city and considered the gods' power and eventual return as he made his way through the Royal Capital.
• Jiang Ning bought a map from a local man, checked it against his own, and vanished toward his first destination.

Jiang Ning arrived in the Royal Capital, rested at the Nine Heavens Tower, and listened to news about Lord Fuyuan and the leading candidates for the metropolitan martial examination. After learning more about the city’s power struggles and realizing Lord Fuyuan had noticed him, Jiang Ning set out to visit Xiao Wuque.

• Jiang Ning heard diners describe Lord Fuyuan as a powerful Orthodox God of the Heavenly Court and learned that Wan Jianyi and Mingxin were favored to lead the metropolitan martial examination.
• Jiang Ning learned that the Bashu Sword Pavilion had sent Wan Jianyi to compete and wondered whether he might meet his senior sister Li Qing again.
• Jiang Ning heard that he ranked fourth on the Heaven Ranking and resolved to avoid getting close to Ji Minghao while the emperor’s succession remained unsettled.
• Jiang Ning rested at the Nine Heavens Tower, then listened to martial candidates discuss the examination and the rankings of Wan Jianyi, Mingxin, and He Shouchi.
• Jiang Ning learned that Lord Fuyuan had survived attacks from powerful opponents and had clashed with the Imperial Preceptor, while Lord Fuyuan’s earlier words left Jiang Ning wary.
• Jiang Ning finished his meal and left the Nine Heavens Tower to visit Xiao Wuque.

Jiang Ning met Xiao Wuque at Inspection Headquarters and discussed his cultivation, awakened past-life memories, and character. Xiao Wuque explained that life originated from indestructible true spirits and questioned whether revered Buddhist and Daoist figures were genuine reincarnations.

• Jiang Ning went to Martial Saint Manor seeking Xiao Wuque, but the gatekeepers said Xiao was absent and refused to reveal his whereabouts.
• Xiao Wuque summoned Jiang Ning to Inspection Headquarters, where Jiang Ning crossed the strange threshold of Hell-Prison Hall and met the chief.
• Xiao Wuque asked about Jiang Ning’s blood exchanges and past-life memories, and Jiang Ning said he had completed eight blood exchanges and awakened two lifetimes’ memories.
• Xiao Wuque identified the mysterious elder as the Blind Elder, head of the Astronomical Bureau, and said the Martial King had reported on Jiang Ning.
• Jiang Ning spoke of his gratitude to his elder brother and sister-in-law, and Xiao Wuque judged his character favorably.
• Xiao Wuque explained that all life came from an indestructible true spirit and said any real reincarnations of Buddhist or Daoist patriarchs would contain only fragments of true spirits.

Xiao Wuque explained that Jiang Ning’s two remembered lifetimes meant his True Spirit was newly born and exceptionally gifted, then rewarded him for his recent merits with immortal phoenix blood to aid his ninth blood exchange. He gave Jiang Ning a token for the Dao Palace library, and Jiang Ning arrived at the palace to begin studying.

• Xiao Wuque told Jiang Ning that his True Spirit had been reincarnated only once and that his limited memories explained his extraordinary talent.
• Xiao Wuque explained the dangers of the Ninefold True-Spirit Metamorphosis Blood Exchange Method and described how his master had created it to cleanse a True Spirit of accumulated dust.
• Jiang Ning checked the dossier of his recent merits and confirmed that it contained no discrepancies.
• Xiao Wuque rewarded Jiang Ning with sealed immortal phoenix blood, which could strengthen his physique and potentially save him if his ninth blood exchange failed.
• Jiang Ning accepted Xiao Wuque’s token granting him access to the Dao Palace library and left the Hell-Prison Hall.
• Jiang Ning arrived at the Dao Palace, where a lame old man dozed beside the gate.

Jiang Ning explored the Dao Palace Library Pavilion and used his divided mind to read ten books at once, rapidly raising his Literacy experience. After recovering from the mental strain in the Dao Palace lake, he discovered its nourishing energy and drew some of its mist-filled water into his wine jug.

• Jiang Ning entered the Dao Palace and found that its Library Pavilion contained a vast, spatially expanded collection of books.
• Jiang Ning used his spiritual perception to read and absorb information from as many as ten books simultaneously, startling nearby Dao Palace students.
• Jiang Ning read for hours, increasing his Literacy experience before stopping when mental fatigue set in.
• Jiang Ning entered the lake and used Fire Eye to see the active energy within its unusually nourishing water.
• Jiang Ning drank wine containing Emperor's Flowing Essence to recover, then used his control of the lake water to draw its energy-filled mist into his empty jug.

Jiang Ning resumed reading in the Library Pavilion, then went to the Dao Palace dining hall for breakfast and met Li Mujin. He learned that Ji Mingyue had publicly declared she would marry no one else and had been confined to Luan Palace, leaving him worried about the trouble ahead.

• Jiang Ning returned to the Library Pavilion and used his spiritual sense to read thousands of books until morning, greatly increasing his Literacy experience.
• Jiang Ning followed Dao Palace students to the dining hall and ate spirit rice porridge and steamed fish.
• Li Mujin sat with Jiang Ning, introduced herself, and recognized him as the inspector of Dongling Commandery and Ji Mingyue’s sweetheart.
• The diners told Jiang Ning that Ji Mingyue had declared herself pledged to him, refused to marry anyone else, and been confined to Luan Palace.
• Jiang Ning worried that Ji Mingyue’s public declaration had damaged her prospects and left the dining hall, while Li Mujin watched him go.