Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The Poetry Cauldron Emerges!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Fang Yun defeats the Demon Barbarians surrounding Mohist Castle, the battle appears won, but he warns everyone that the corpses killed by the Plague Giant Blades may rise again as Plague Corpse Soldiers.
• The Plague Lord, possessing Lei Li, reveals a dark-green Sacred Mark. Anyone who looks at it without Medical Way protection becomes violently ill, vomiting plague-ridden worms. Medical Way scholars treat the affected graduates.
• The Plague Lord admits that Fang Yun disrupted his original plan. He had intended to use the Cloud of Plague to exhaust Fang Yun and slaughter the Human Race forces, but Fang Yun’s earlier actions forced him to reveal his power prematurely.
• Hundreds of thousands of dead Demon Barbarians revive as Plague Corpse Soldiers and begin advancing toward Mohist Castle. The previously fleeing Demon Barbarians regain their courage and prepare to pursue and kill the Human Race scholars.
• The Metropolitan Graduates realize they have almost no Literary Qi left and cannot stop the enormous army. Zhang Zilong, Hua Yuqing, Sun Renbing, and others acknowledge that even self-sacrifice would not secure victory.
• Ji Shouyu explains that the true threat is not the revived army but the Plague Lord’s avatar. Although the Plague Lord lost the immediate battle, he has achieved a strategic victory by buying time and placing himself beyond the Human Race’s ability to defeat him.
• Fang Yun reveals that he still possesses Sacred Blood from Human and Demon Sages, as well as a Sage Page. He explains that he deliberately forced the Plague Lord to release the Cloud of Plague so the resulting weakening would allow him to destroy the Plague Corpse Soldiers.
• Fang Yun pours Demon Sage blood onto the Sage Page and writes the poem “Passing Through a Volcano.” The Sage Page transforms the poem into a tangible, supernatural force, causing the surrounding air to heat and the ground to seem ready to erupt.
• A Tiger Clan Half-Sage phantom appears, merges into the Sage Page, and elevates the poem from the First Realm to the Second Realm.
• As Fang Yun’s power intensifies, the Human scholars retreat and the Demon Barbarians collapse in fear. A mysterious clear light appears behind Fang Yun, from which emerges a small bronze cauldron marked with the Oracle Bone Script character for “Poetry.”
• The chapter ends with the Poetry Cauldron emitting a resonant metallic sound that spreads throughout the entire Desolate City Ancient Land, signaling the emergence of a major new power.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun: Demonstrates exceptional foresight and strategic patience. Rather than merely surviving the battle, he deliberately maneuvered the Plague Lord into expending the power needed for Fang Yun’s counterattack. His identity as a Poem Ancestor becomes increasingly significant as he uses Sacred Blood, Sage Pages, and poetry to create unprecedented destructive power.
• The Plague Lord: Reveals his confidence, cruelty, and strategic intelligence. Though his avatar was defeated in direct confrontation, he considers the battle a strategic success because he has exhausted the Human Race and gained time.
• Lei Li: Remains physically present but is completely controlled by the Plague Lord, serving as the avatar’s vessel and the source of the terrifying Sacred Mark.
• Ji Shouyu: His earlier pessimism is vindicated. His Book of Changes calculations allowed him to recognize that the battle was effectively unwinnable under ordinary circumstances, though he continues withholding the full extent of his knowledge.
• The Metropolitan Graduates: Their confidence collapses as the Plague Corpse Soldiers rise. Despite their fear and exhaustion, many remain willing to fight to the death, showing courage and loyalty.
• Zhang Zilong and the Medical Way scholars: Act quickly to protect and heal those affected by the Sacred Mark, demonstrating their practical importance in the crisis.

Significant Themes

• Tactical defeat versus strategic victory: The Plague Lord loses the immediate clash but gains the larger advantage by exhausting the Human Race and buying time.
• Preparation and hidden strength: Fang Yun’s victory depends on plans made earlier, stored resources, and his ability to conceal his true intentions until the decisive moment.
• The power of poetry: Poetry is portrayed not as art alone but as a force capable of becoming physical reality through the Sage Page and Sacred Way power.
• Hope in impossible circumstances: Although the Human Race appears doomed, Fang Yun’s calm resolve creates a final possibility of survival.
• The limits of individual strength: Even powerful Metropolitan Graduates and renowned scholars admit they cannot defeat the Plague Corpse army without Fang Yun’s unique abilities.
• Sacrifice and perseverance: The scholars are prepared to continue fighting even when victory seems impossible, emphasizing courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Important Character Interactions

• Fang Yun and the Metropolitan Graduates: Fang Yun directs them to restore their Literary Qi, while they rely on his judgment and later become stunned by his revelation of a hidden countermeasure.
• Zhang Zilong and the affected scholars: Zhang identifies the danger of Lei Li’s Sacred Mark and commands the Medical Way scholars to treat those poisoned by it.
• The Plague Lord and Fang Yun: The Plague Lord acknowledges Fang Yun as his greatest adversary and explains how Fang Yun disrupted his plan. Fang Yun responds indirectly by revealing that the Plague Lord’s apparent success was part of his own strategy.
• Ji Shouyu and the other scholars: The group presses Ji for a solution, but he maintains that the Plague Lord’s avatar is beyond their ability to defeat.
• Fang Yun and the Sacred Blood/Sage Page: Fang Yun combines these treasures with his poem, demonstrating his ability to convert literary creation into overwhelming battlefield power.
• Fang Yun and the emerging Poetry Cauldron: The cauldron’s appearance marks a mysterious transformation or advancement in Fang Yun’s poetic power and sets up the next stage of the conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Poetry Cauldron Suppresses a Realm!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle at Bridgehead Fortress reaches its peak, with Human scholars fighting Demon and Barbarian forces across the fortress walls and skies.
• Human Great Scholars demonstrate their specialties:
  • Nangong Leng uses Half-Sage True Text to expose enemy weaknesses.
  • Ye Hongyu overwhelms five Great Demon Kings with his Lip Spear and Tongue Sword.
  • Sai Xiaoyu summons creatures from paintings.
  • Zhou Qingtian deploys the Myriad Army and Three Kingdoms Literary Platforms.
  • Li Wenying holds off two Great Barbarian Kings with the Blood-Dripping Ancient Sword.
• While reciting Wind-and-Rain Sword Poem, Li Wenying hears the cry of the Poetry Cauldron. His poem unexpectedly advances from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm.
• The Sacred Soul of Xu Xing, the Agricultural School Half-Sage, appears within the poem, transforming the rain into countless divine swords.
• The enhanced poem devastates the demon forces. One Great Demon King is completely destroyed by the rain swords and finished off by Li Wenying’s ancient sword, becoming the first Great Demon King killed at the fortress.
• The Poetry Cauldron’s influence spreads throughout Desolate City Ancient Land, raising every War Poem’s power by one realm. The sudden enhancement kills twenty-one Kings, 139 Demon Kings and Barbarian Kings, thousands of Marquises, and over a million lesser demon barbarians, while injuring millions more.
• The Human Race exploits the demons’ confusion and sharply increases their casualties. Even the sages cannot explain the Poetry Cauldron’s origin or power.
• The phenomenon is revealed to originate from Fang Yun’s poem Passing Through a Volcano, whose power has been amplified to nearly the Grand Academician level.
• Fang Yun summons a volcanic crater that consumes nearby demon barbarians, then launches ten enormous magma balls into enemy formations. The attack kills at least fifty thousand more demons and prevents their remains from being converted into Plague Corpse Soldiers.
• When the Plague Lord dismisses the losses as insignificant, Fang Yun promises to inflict even greater casualties.

Character Developments

• Li Wenying proves that, despite being a newly advanced Great Scholar, he can fight powerful Kings and unleash Fourth-Realm War Poetry. His mastery of Wind-and-Rain Sword Poem marks a major breakthrough.
• Fang Yun displays dramatically increased poetic power, using Passing Through a Volcano as a large-scale battlefield weapon. His confidence and willingness to challenge the Plague Lord become more pronounced.
• The Human Great Scholars collectively demonstrate exceptional coordination and effectiveness, holding back numerically superior enemy forces.
• The Plague Lord is shown to value the preservation and conversion of demon corpses, becoming visibly enraged when Fang Yun’s magma destroys them completely.

Significant Themes

• The transformative power of literature: War Poetry can determine the course of an entire battle, and a single realm of advancement produces catastrophic military consequences.
• Collective strength versus numerical superiority: Human scholars overcome larger demon forces through cooperation, specialized abilities, and strategic coordination.
• Unexpected intervention and mystery: The Poetry Cauldron’s unexplained power affects every battlefield, leaving even the Half-Sages unable to determine its source.
• Escalation of power: The chapter shifts the battle from a desperate struggle into a sudden Human counteroffensive, with Fang Yun and Li Wenying unleashing attacks of unprecedented scale.
• The cost and nature of war: The enormous casualties emphasize the brutality of the conflict, while the destruction of corpses highlights how even the remains of the dead are valuable resources to the enemy.

Character Interactions

• Li Wenying fights alongside the other Great Scholars, using his sword and Wind-and-Rain Sword Poem both to defend himself and assist allies.
• The Human scholars’ combined attacks repeatedly contain and injure groups of Demon Kings and Great Demon Kings.
• The Plague Lord and Fang Yun directly exchange words, with the Plague Lord minimizing the demon casualties and Fang Yun responding with a threat to cause even greater destruction.
• Human scholars report the inexplicable War Poetry enhancement to the sages, but receive no answer because the Half-Sages themselves cannot identify the source.

Chapter Summary: “Ten Percent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun unleashes his final War Poem, “Passing Through a Volcano,” against the Demon Barbarians and Plague Corpse Soldiers.
• The Poetry Cauldron activates Golden Resonance of Jade, dramatically amplifying the poem’s power. Instead of one volcano, ten enormous volcanoes erupt across the battlefield.
• The volcanoes bombard the Demon Barbarians with massive magma balls, which spread into a field of lava. The attack kills or burns nearly all enemy forces, including countless Plague Corpse Soldiers and Demon Generals.
• Several Demon Marquises attempt to destroy the magma but are killed by the resulting explosions. The battlefield is reduced to lava and blackened skeletons.
• The weakened Plague Lord is unable to withstand Fang Yun’s overwhelming attack. Four of the five Lei Family members under its control are killed, while “Lei Li” survives.
• The Plague Lord retreats toward Demon Mountain, warning Fang Yun that it will ultimately win.
• Fang Yun collapses from exhaustion after exhausting his Literary Qi. The Metropolitan Graduates also rest after hours of continuous fighting.
• Fang Yun’s immense number of kills causes the Spring Hunt Ranking to surge by millions of points. Jing Kingdom’s score alone surpasses that of the other nine kingdoms combined.
• Ji Shouyu estimates that the group now has a ten percent chance of escaping the Hunting Grounds alive, whereas previously they had virtually no hope.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates power comparable to an Enemy of Ten Thousand despite still being a Metropolitan Graduate. His use of Golden Resonance of Jade confirms his extraordinary growth and his special connection to the Poem Ancestor’s power.
• Fang Yun’s strength comes at a cost: the enhanced poem drains nearly all of his Literary Qi, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
• The Plague Lord is shown to be dangerous but currently weakened. Its retreat suggests that it remains a major threat and intends to recover before confronting Fang Yun again.
• Ji Shouyu emerges as the group’s strategic and prophetic guide. Though he cannot predict a certain victory, he recognizes that Fang Yun has altered the future he once foresaw.
• Yan Yukong, Hua Yuqing, Li Fanming, Kong Detian, and the other graduates shift from despair to cautious hope after witnessing Fang Yun’s victory.
• The Metropolitan Graduates increasingly regard Fang Yun as an unmatched figure capable of changing the fate of all ten kingdoms.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming individual power: Fang Yun’s attack allows one person to rival the military strength of an entire kingdom.
• Hope against impossible odds: The group’s survival chance rises from nearly zero to ten percent, showing that even a small possibility of victory can transform morale.
• The power of poetry and culture: Literary power becomes a force comparable to a natural disaster, emphasizing the martial potential of poetry in this world.
• Fate and its alteration: Ji Shouyu’s prophecy suggests that Fang Yun can disrupt predetermined futures and create a new path through his actions.
• Sacrifice and limits: Fang Yun’s victory requires nearly all his Literary Qi, underscoring the cost of wielding extraordinary power.
• Unity and shared admiration: The graduates’ reactions show how Fang Yun’s achievements inspire collective confidence and strengthen their determination to survive.

Character Interactions

• The graduates question Fang Yun about the source of his enhanced War Poem, and he attributes it to the Poem Ancestor’s power.
• They marvel at his battlefield accomplishments, comparing him to an Enemy of Ten Thousand and acknowledging that no ordinary competitor can match him.
• Li Fanming and the others openly express exhaustion after the battle, while their comments gradually turn into admiration and humor about Fang Yun’s enormous ranking score.
• The group turns to Ji Shouyu for guidance. He explains that their new ten-percent survival chance exists only because Fang Yun changed the situation.
• Ji Shouyu and Yan Yukong both affirm that Fang Yun has repeatedly created new possibilities in the past, inspiring the others to believe that his presence means there is still hope.

Summary: “Before Demon Mountain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the previous battle, Sun Renbing orders the more than three hundred Metropolitan Graduates to restore their Literary Qi through Calm Mind and Still Thought. Their collective practice creates a resonance that accelerates recovery, while Fang Yun’s Literary Star Fragment further enhances the effect for most of the group.
• Fang Yun conceals how quickly he recovers, fearing that the others will discover the connection between his recovery and the Literary Star Light. While meditating, he reflects on the battles in the Hunting Grounds and considers what he has learned from them.
• The group debates whether to remain in their relatively safe position and wait for rescue or advance toward Demon Mountain, where the Plague Lord’s avatar is hiding. Some fear that the Human Race Sages may be unable to reach them because the Demon Barbarians have likely surrounded Hunting Ground Island and blocked outside intervention.
• Kong Delun argues that the Plague Lord’s infiltration was probably unknown to the Sages, meaning the Metropolitan Graduates must depend on themselves. Others reason that even if the Demon Barbarians attack, the Human Race still possesses powerful Sacred Blood avatars and other means of resisting them.
• Fang Yun offers the frightened scholars the option of staying behind, but the majority chooses to follow him. Even the hesitant Metropolitan Graduate from Gu Kingdom ultimately continues with the group, unwilling to abandon his dignity as a scholar.
• The group travels west, crossing cooled lava and exterminating demons along the way. They eventually reach the foot of Demon Mountain, discovering that it is surrounded by thick green plague mist.
• A heavily fortified stockade blocks the route up the mountain. It contains at least fifty thousand Demon Barbarians, making a direct assault extremely dangerous. Sun Renbing estimates that an attack could cost dozens of Metropolitan Graduates their lives.
• Fang Yun orders the School of War scholars to devise a careful assault plan, emphasizing that no one should sacrifice their life needlessly. The scholars begin mentally rehearsing the strategy.
• Before the attack begins, Lei Li—under the Plague Lord’s control—appears at the stockade gate. The Plague Lord attempts to tempt the Human scholars into surrender by offering them status as his adopted sons and promising them noble standing among the Demon Barbarians.
• Sun Renbing angrily interrupts, rejecting the Plague Lord’s offer and condemning him for insulting the Human Race.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun becomes more clearly established as the group’s leader. He balances courage with caution, encouraging the scholars to advance while prioritizing their survival.
• Sun Renbing demonstrates both military leadership and fierce loyalty to the Human Race. He organizes recovery after the battle and later reacts with outrage to the Plague Lord’s attempt at recruitment.
• Kong Delun shows strategic insight and realism. He correctly suspects that the Sages may not know about the Plague Lord’s infiltration and insists that the scholars cannot passively wait for rescue.
• The Gu Kingdom Metropolitan Graduate develops from fear and hesitation toward resolve. Although he does not want to die, he chooses to continue with the group rather than surrender his identity and dignity as a scholar.
• The broader group of Metropolitan Graduates becomes more united. Their shared meditation, debate, and decision to follow Fang Yun show their growing trust and collective sense of responsibility.
• The Plague Lord is portrayed as arrogant and manipulative. He tries to exploit fear and ambition by offering the scholars prestige, but his condescending attitude only provokes their anger.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus fear: The scholars are terrified after surviving a deadly battle, but courage is presented not as the absence of fear, but as continuing despite it.
• Duty and responsibility: The older scholars explain that they endure bloodshed because they are responsible for defending the Human Race, not because they enjoy fighting.
• Unity and leadership: Collective meditation and coordinated planning symbolize the strength gained through cooperation, while Fang Yun’s leadership gives the group direction.
• Human dignity and loyalty: The Plague Lord’s offer represents temptation through power and status. Rejecting it affirms the scholars’ loyalty to humanity and their refusal to abandon their principles.
• Strategic courage: The chapter contrasts reckless bravery with disciplined action. Fang Yun is willing to advance, but insists on careful planning and minimizing unnecessary deaths.
• Isolation and self-reliance: Because rescue from the Sages may be impossible, the characters must confront the crisis using their own strength and judgment.

Character Interactions

• Sun Renbing leads the group’s recovery efforts and later supports Fang Yun’s decision to advance.
• Fang Yun speaks compassionately to those who wish to stay behind, avoiding coercion while still encouraging the group forward.
• Kong Delun challenges the idea of waiting for rescue and helps persuade the others that self-reliance is necessary.
• The scholars debate the likely conflict between Human and Demon Sages, revealing both fear and confidence in their respective forces.
• Fang Yun delegates the assault planning to the School of War scholars, showing trust in their expertise.
• The chapter ends with a direct confrontation between the Plague Lord and the Human scholars, as the Plague Lord offers submission and Sun Renbing forcefully rejects him.

Chapter Summary: “Febrile Disease School”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Plague Lord attempts to recruit Sun Renbing and the other humans into the Demon Realm, offering them a final chance to defect before dawn. To demonstrate his confidence, he withdraws the tens of thousands of Demon Barbarians guarding the mountain path and invites them to enter his cave.
• Despite the apparently abandoned route, Zhang Zilong explains that the Plague Lord’s avatar has regained much of its strength. The surrounding green plague mist is now saturated with Sacred Way power, making it impossible for the Metropolitan Graduates to reach the mountainside safely.
• The group considers various methods, including dispersing the mist with wind-based War Poetry and relying on Medical Books or protective treasures, but none can withstand the increasingly powerful plague force. Only a Medical School Grand Academician or a Half-Sage could realistically lead a rescue.
• Fang Yun refuses to accept defeat and urges the assembled scholars to combine their knowledge and devise a plan. He reveals that he can create a safe path through the outer plague mist using his Literary Guts, but they still lack a way to survive the dense poisonous mist inside the Plague Lord’s cave.
• After an hour of fruitless discussion, Fang Yun withdraws from the group and begins studying medical knowledge in the Strange Book World. Other scholars protect him while he works.
• Fang Yun rapidly reviews every major text concerning plague treatment, then reorganizes and evaluates their theories, prescriptions, and weaknesses.
• His research leads him to recognize the importance of the Febrile Disease School, a medical tradition absent from the Saint Origin Continent that corrected limitations in Zhang Zhongjing’s Cold Damage School and addressed illnesses that earlier methods could not cure.
• Fang Yun concludes that merely possessing medical knowledge is insufficient. To overcome the plague mist, he must personally write a new Medical Book specifically devoted to treating febrile plagues.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates leadership, determination, and intellectual adaptability. Rather than surrendering to the Plague Lord’s superior power, he seeks an entirely new medical solution and is willing to risk provoking a Contest of Sacred Ways.
• Zhang Zilong is established as the group’s leading medical authority. He realistically assesses their helplessness and acknowledges that even their combined Medical Books cannot counter the Plague Lord’s Sacred Way.
• Hua Yuqing confirms Zhang Zilong’s judgment but is praised by him for her exceptional potential, especially because of her past experiences with Fang Void Sage and the Comet Corridor.
• The Plague Lord appears confident and calculating. He uses the offer of defection both as psychological pressure and as proof that he believes the humans are incapable of reaching him.
• The gathered scholars initially rely on conventional treasures and techniques, but their failure forces them to place their hopes in Fang Yun’s innovation.

Significant Themes

• Innovation versus tradition: Fang Yun realizes that existing medical doctrines cannot solve the crisis and turns to the unestablished Febrile Disease School for a breakthrough.
• Knowledge as power: Medical texts are not merely academic sources; properly transformed into a Medical Book, they can gain Sacred Way power capable of confronting a Demon Sage.
• Desperation and sacrifice: Fang Yun is willing to challenge the authority of a Medical Sage and risk a Sacred Way conflict because survival has become more urgent than avoiding controversy.
• Limits of individual strength: Even hundreds of talented scholars and powerful Literary Treasures cannot overcome the Plague Lord directly, emphasizing the need for cooperation and intellectual creation.
• The tension between time and preparation: The group has reached the final stage of its mission, but the Plague Lord’s delay has allowed his avatar to recover, leaving them with almost no time before dawn.

Character Interactions

• The Plague Lord taunts and pressures Sun Renbing and the others by offering them a place in the Demon Realm, then openly invites them to challenge him.
• Sun Renbing questions the apparent retreat, while Zhang Zilong explains the strategic reality behind it.
• Zhang Zilong and Hua Yuqing support each other’s medical judgments, with Zhang encouraging Hua Yuqing despite the danger she faces.
• Fang Yun challenges the group to think beyond ordinary methods, and He Ludong presses the great families about hidden trump cards.
• Kong Detian explains that the Kong Family provided no special treasures because the expedition was not expected to be truly dangerous.
• The scholars ultimately protect Fang Yun while he studies, signaling their trust in him as their best remaining hope.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun decides to write a new Plague Treatise based on the theories of Ancient Hua Kingdom’s Febrile Disease School, using the Riverbend School and the Medical School of Saint Origin Continent as foundations.
• He recognizes that Wu Youxing’s original Plague Treatise is indispensable but too broad to reproduce completely. He therefore divides his version into:
  • An upper volume containing theories and prescriptions capable of countering the Plague Lord’s Plague Force.
  • A lower volume containing material that can be refined later but is not immediately useful.
• Fang Yun plans to combine Wu Youxing’s work with later physicians’ discoveries, Zhang Zhongjing’s knowledge, and Saint Origin Continent’s existing Medical Way. His greatest challenge is not copying information, but integrating different medical systems into a coherent and acceptable new theory.
• He mentally drafts and revises the treatise repeatedly within the Strange Book World. Although he lacks the practical experience of senior Medical School practitioners, his broad theoretical knowledge surpasses that of many Great Scholars.
• As Fang Yun continues working, the Plague Lord’s fog grows denser. The Metropolitan Graduates realize that by noon—only two hours away—the Plague Lord will gain enough strength to kill them all.
• Zhang Zilong, believing his Medical Way cultivation and Medical Book to be the strongest among them, volunteers to enter Demon Mountain and investigate the Plague Force.
• His Medical Book protects him through the initial green mist, but deeper within the mountain the mist becomes weapon-like and eventually penetrates his defenses. Zhang develops fever, severe coughing, reddened eyes, and increasing weakness.
• At the edge of the densest fog, the Plague Force transforms into swarms of plague insects. Even Zhang’s Hanlin Literary Treasure is destroyed almost instantly, and the insects invade his body, turning his skin green.
• Zhang uses a Swift March Poem to flee downhill, leaving a trail of blood. Other Medical School practitioners rescue him and work together to expel the Plague Force.
• After regaining consciousness, Zhang warns everyone to flee, declaring that the Plague Lord’s power will soon spread across the Hunting Grounds and that they have little chance of survival.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates strategic judgment and intellectual ambition. Rather than attempting to reproduce an entire medical classic beyond his current capabilities, he adapts it into a focused weapon against the Plague Lord.
• His strengths are clarified: he lacks extensive practical medical experience but possesses exceptional breadth of theoretical knowledge, allowing him to synthesize traditions separated by centuries.
• Zhang Zilong is established as courageous, responsible, and committed to the Medical Way. He knowingly risks his life to gather information and protect the others, even after being warned of the danger.
• Zhang’s confidence is shattered by the overwhelming power of the Plague Force. His return in a weakened state and desperate warning mark a shift from hope to near despair among the survivors.
• The other Medical School practitioners show solidarity by supporting Zhang and combining their Medical Books to save him.

Significant Themes

• Innovation through synthesis: Progress in medicine comes from combining older traditions with new theories rather than rejecting the past outright.
• Knowledge versus experience: Fang Yun’s broad theoretical foundation allows him to attempt what more experienced practitioners cannot, though the chapter also emphasizes the limits of theory without practical exposure.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Zhang Zilong risks death to investigate the plague, embodying the duty of a Medical Way practitioner.
• The urgency of crisis: The approaching noon deadline and the spreading fog create pressure, emphasizing the need for Fang Yun to complete the treatise before the Plague Lord reaches full strength.
• Human vulnerability before overwhelming forces: Even powerful Medical Books and Hanlin treasures prove inadequate against the concentrated Plague Force, underscoring the severity of the threat.

Character Interactions

• Fang Yun remains largely focused on his mental drafting while the others wait anxiously, creating tension between his quiet preparation and the group’s immediate danger.
• Zhang Zilong asserts his authority among the Medical School practitioners by volunteering to lead the investigation, despite their implicit concerns.
• The practitioners call out to Zhang to stop when his condition worsens, but he refuses until the plague insects force him to retreat.
• After Zhang collapses, Hua Yuqing and the other Medical School practitioners coordinate to carry him back and use their Medical Books collectively to purge the Plague Force.
• Zhang’s final warning urges the entire group to abandon the mountain, contrasting with Fang Yun’s continued effort to create a solution rather than flee.

Chapter Summary: “Sacred Way Devouring”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Plague Lord unleashes Sacred Way Devouring, a terrifying power capable of erasing everything connected to an enemy’s Sacred Way if they lack corresponding Sainthood protection.
• Zhang Zilong’s Medical Book begins to disappear as green Plague Force consumes its pages. If the process continues, he will lose not only his medical knowledge but potentially his entire future path toward Sainthood.
• Fang Yun uses a drop of golden Demon Sage Blood to protect Zhang’s Medical Book. The Sacred Blood restores the devoured pages, expels the Plague Force, and strengthens the book’s power.
• Zhang explains that the Plague Lord’s power is fueled by enormous baleful and deathly auras, likely created through the slaughter of more than a hundred million beings.
• While listening to Zhang’s report, Fang Yun simultaneously studies Medical Way texts in the Strange Book World to find a countermeasure.
• Fang realizes that a powerful Medical Way phenomenon might neutralize most of the Plague Force. He proposes using his weakened Skyfaring Tower Ship to break through the plague mist and reach the Plague Lord’s cave.
• Fang and the Metropolitan Graduates decide to make a final, desperate assault on Demon Mountain. The ship can disperse the plague mist temporarily, but the deeper mist inside the cave remains a major obstacle.
• Fang reveals that he intends to write a Medical Book capable of producing the necessary phenomenon, shocking everyone because such works normally require decades—or even centuries—of study, testing, and verification.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates extraordinary generosity and leadership by sacrificing Sacred Blood to save Zhang Zilong, framing the act as an investment in the Human Race rather than a personal favor.
• He also reveals remarkable confidence and ambition by attempting to create a Medical Book under extreme pressure, despite not being known primarily as a Medical Way cultivator.
• Zhang Zilong experiences despair when his Medical Book is devoured, followed by overwhelming gratitude when Fang restores it. His book is also strengthened by the Sacred Blood.
• Zhang becomes an important source of information about the Plague Lord and the potential of Medical Way phenomena.
• Sun Renbing and the other Metropolitan Graduates display courage and loyalty by volunteering to accompany Fang despite the near-certain danger.
• The group’s trust in Fang grows as they recognize his willingness to risk his resources and life for both his companions and humanity.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice for the greater good: Fang’s use of Sacred Blood shows that powerful resources should serve the survival and advancement of the Human Race.
• The fragility of one’s path: Sacred Way Devouring can erase years of cultivation and knowledge, making the preservation of one’s Sacred Way a central concern.
• Leadership through action: Fang earns loyalty not through commands but through decisive sacrifices and a willingness to share danger.
• Desperation versus preparation: The group must attempt an unprecedented attack despite inadequate time and uncertain odds.
• Knowledge as power: Medical learning is portrayed as a profound Sacred Way requiring experience, testing, and accumulated wisdom—not something easily created through inspiration alone.
• Hope against overwhelming destruction: Even though the Plague Lord’s power seems nearly unstoppable, Fang’s creativity and the collective resolve of the group offer one final possibility of survival.

Character Interactions

• Hua Yuqing and other Medical Way practitioners identify the danger of Sacred Way Devouring and explain its consequences to the group.
• The Metropolitan Graduates look to Fang for help, and he immediately responds by saving Zhang Zilong with Sacred Blood.
• Zhang respectfully thanks Fang, while Fang rejects formal gratitude and emphasizes their shared responsibility to humanity.
• Hua Yuqing questions Zhang about what he saw in the plague mist, prompting Zhang to provide crucial intelligence.
• Fang uses Zhang’s information to develop a plan involving the Skyfaring Tower Ship and a Medical Way phenomenon.
• Sun Renbing and the others pledge to join Fang, transforming the planned assault into a collective final stand.
• Zhang voices concern about the plague mist inside the Plague Lord’s cave, leading Fang to announce his startling plan to write a Medical Book.

Chapter Summary: “Medicine Gathering in the Pot”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains the immense difficulty and danger of creating a Medical Book. Unlike Military Texts, which may retain some power after failure, a completed Medical Book must undergo the “Medicine Gathering in the Pot,” where the wills of Medical School pioneers judge its legitimacy. Failure can destroy the author’s Literary Guts and strip them of their Medical Way.
• Many Medical School practitioners doubt that Fang Yun, despite his brilliance, can successfully write a Medical Book because he lacks years of experience treating patients. Others believe his encounter with the Medical Way, his reading of countless books, the Ten-Kingdom Competition, or the support of Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing may have given him an extraordinary advantage.
• Fang Yun begins writing on a precious Sage Page, signaling that he intends to create a work capable of possessing great power.
• As he starts, the Plague Lord launches a massive attack. Fifty thousand Demon Barbarians advance through the plague mist toward the Skyfaring Tower Ship, while the three hundred Metropolitan Graduates form a defensive line around Fang Yun.
• Fang Yun writes Plague Treatise, beginning with a preface explaining the book’s purpose. He praises Zhang Zhongjing and acknowledges established Cold Damage treatments while carefully criticizing later Medical School commentaries for neglecting damp-warmth and seasonal epidemics.
• Fang Yun then argues that plague is fundamentally different from Cold Damage and cannot be treated solely through Cold Damage methods.
• Drawing upon the theories of Wu Youxing and the “pestilent qi” concept, while also introducing ideas from the previously unknown Hejian School, Fang Yun establishes the framework of Warm-Heat Disease and Heat Disease as a new Medical Way school.
• The completion of these concepts causes the Sun-Moon Pot in the Sacred Academy Medical Hall to react, indicating that Fang Yun’s work has produced a profound Medical Way effect.
• Fang Yun completes the book by explaining the causes, pathology, and treatments of plague, including specific prescriptions. Immediately afterward, a powerful force descends from the heavens, apparently beginning the Medicine Gathering in the Pot, while the Plague Lord orders the demons to launch a full assault.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates extraordinary confidence, concentration, and scholarly ability. Despite lacking conventional medical experience, he uses his knowledge of medicine, historical theories, and modernized organization to create a systematic Medical Book.
• He shows strategic wisdom by presenting his innovations diplomatically. Rather than openly attacking Zhang Zhongjing, he honors the Medical Sage before distinguishing plague from Cold Damage, allowing him to challenge existing doctrine without alienating its followers.
• Fang Yun’s creation of Warm-Heat Disease marks a major advancement in his Medical Way development and potentially establishes him as the founder of an entirely new medical school.
• Zhang Zilong feels envy and awe at the possibility that Fang Yun may have been favored or guided by Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing, emphasizing the honor such recognition would bring.
• Kong Detian and the other scholars move from skepticism to cautious belief in Fang Yun’s chances of success, interpreting his actions as evidence that he possesses unusual support or certainty.
• The Plague Lord becomes increasingly enraged after Fang Yun refuses to submit and begins writing a Medical Book capable of opposing his plague power. He abandons restraint and orders a direct assault.

Significant Themes

• Innovation versus tradition: Fang Yun respects established medical authorities while exposing gaps in their theories and creating a new school of thought.
• Knowledge and legitimacy: True Medical Way power requires more than intelligence or a famous prescription; it demands a complete, coherent system of diagnosis, pathology, and treatment.
• Courage under pressure: Fang Yun writes while surrounded by an overwhelming enemy force, turning scholarship into an act of resistance.
• The danger of ambition: Creating a Medical Book can bring lasting fame, but failure carries catastrophic consequences.
• Synthesis and adaptation: Fang Yun combines ancient Medical School principles with previously unknown theories to address a crisis that existing methods cannot solve.
• The power of written doctrine: The chapter portrays writing not as mere documentation but as a means of establishing a new path capable of manifesting supernatural Medical Way power.

Character Interactions

• The Metropolitan Graduates debate Fang Yun’s qualifications and chances of success, revealing both their admiration and concern.
• Zhang Zilong’s reaction reflects the Medical School’s reverence for Zhang Zhongjing and highlights the possible relationship between Fang Yun and the Medical Sage.
• Fang Yun’s intellectual interaction with past Medical scholars is central to the chapter: he builds upon Zhang Zhongjing’s work, incorporates Wu Youxing’s theory of pestilent qi, and introduces the Hejian School’s fire-heat principles.
• The Metropolitan Graduates protect Fang Yun physically while he protects them intellectually, writing a treatise designed to counter the plague threatening them.
• The Plague Lord confronts Fang Yun through both words and force, but Fang Yun answers the threat by continuing to write rather than surrendering.

Chapter Summary: “Eight Wonders Saint Hand”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun enters the Medicine Gathering in the Pot, a Medical Way examination within the Heaven-Hanging Pot. He finds himself surrounded by medical books, instruments, and nine indistinct but powerful wills belonging to renowned Medical Way masters.
• The first master asks about the origin of medicine. Fang Yun explains that animals instinctively seek natural remedies, while humans developed medicine through observation, experimentation, organization, and accumulated wisdom. His clear and well-supported answer earns the first master’s praise: “Wonderful!”
• The second master challenges Fang Yun to define a plague, criticizing the vague explanation in his Plague Treatise. Fang Yun explains that a plague consists of two components: a Pathogenic Body and baleful qi.
• His explanation reveals knowledge beyond the Medical School’s current understanding. The nine master wills react with intense interest, and the second master also praises him as “Wonderful!”
• Each “Wonderful” evaluation increases the power of Fang Yun’s medical book by twenty percent. The chapter explains the Medical Way ranking system, with Eight Wonders Saint Hand being the highest known level, associated with Zhang Zhongjing.
• The third master creates one hundred patients suffering from various illnesses and orders Fang Yun to diagnose them according to his newly developed classification of plagues.
• Fang Yun begins diagnosing the patients rapidly and accurately. He identifies leprosy as an epidemic disease and distinguishes hand, foot, and mouth disease from smallpox based on symptoms, appearance, and careful examination.

Character Development

• Fang Yun demonstrates exceptional medical scholarship, combining knowledge from later generations with the Medical Way of the Saint Origin Continent. He remains calm under pressure despite knowing that his real body may be in mortal danger in the Hunting Grounds.
• His confidence grows after receiving two “Wonderful” evaluations. He recognizes that the Medicine Gathering allows him to reveal medical truths he had deliberately withheld from his written work.
• Fang Yun also displays intellectual caution. Although he initially considers diagnosing a child with smallpox, he pauses to examine the child more carefully and correctly identifies a distinct disease, showing that he values precision over speed.
• The nine medical masters shift from testing Fang Yun to showing genuine surprise and interest in his unprecedented theories.

Significant Themes

• Innovation versus tradition: Fang Yun’s theories surpass the incomplete medical knowledge of his era, especially regarding the nature and classification of plagues.
• Observation and evidence: The chapter emphasizes that medicine originates in careful observation of nature and depends on distinguishing diseases through concrete symptoms.
• Knowledge as power: Medical insight directly strengthens Fang Yun’s book and may determine whether he survives.
• The importance of accurate classification: Correctly distinguishing similar diseases is presented as essential to effective treatment and preventing dangerous mistakes.
• Human advancement through accumulated wisdom: Fang Yun’s knowledge draws on both ancient Medical Way traditions and discoveries from later generations.

Character Interactions

• Fang Yun respectfully answers the first master’s question about medicine’s origin, earning approval.
• He boldly challenges existing Medical Way assumptions when answering the second master’s question about plagues, introducing the concepts of the Pathogenic Body and baleful qi.
• The third master tests Fang Yun practically by presenting a hundred patients. Fang Yun interacts directly with the patients through observation, pulse-taking, and questioning.
• The nine master wills respond collectively to Fang Yun’s unprecedented diagnosis of hand, foot, and mouth disease, signaling that his medical theories are beginning to reshape their understanding.

Chapter Summary: “Myriad Physicians’ Consultation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun participates in the Medicine Gathering in the Pot, examining patients before the wills of four ancient medical masters.
• He quickly diagnoses several illnesses, using his extensive knowledge of later-generation medicine despite his limited practical experience.
• When Fang Yun mentions Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, the fourth master’s will challenges him to explain its mechanism.
• Fang Yun gives a hybrid explanation, describing the disease as caused by external pestilential influences combining with internal damp-heat, producing oral ulcers and blisters on the hands and feet.
• The master questions Fang Yun’s explanation, revealing that the Saint Origin Continent still follows the Cold Damage School and has not yet fully accepted the later-developed Febrile Disease School.
• To defend himself, Fang Yun recites the major principles of febrile disease theory, including:
  • The distinction between Cold Damage and warm-heat illnesses
  • Transmission through the mouth and nose
  • Differences in symptoms and pathogenic factors
  • Ye Tianshi’s Defense-Qi-Nutrient-Blood pattern differentiation
  • Wu Jutong’s Triple Burner pattern differentiation
• His teachings cause the World Within the Pot to tremble and summon the shadows of numerous legendary physicians, creating the rare phenomenon known as a “Myriad Physicians’ Consultation.”
• The medical wills praise Fang Yun’s Plague Treatise, calling it exceptionally profound. They ask how Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease should be treated, and Fang Yun gives several treatment principles involving clearing heat, dispelling wind, and treating the exterior.
• Fang Yun receives five declarations of “Wonderful,” though his unfinished Plague Treatise earns only a partial evaluation. He is told he may return for further judgment after completing the full work.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun: Demonstrates impressive breadth of medical knowledge and intellectual adaptability. Although he lacks confidence in practical medicine, he courageously introduces advanced theories from later generations when challenged. His anxiety and strategic thinking are evident: he carefully avoids overexplaining, improvises when questioned, and uses the opportunity to strengthen the power of the Plague Treatise.
• The four medical masters’ wills: Initially test Fang Yun through patient examinations and theoretical questions. Their skepticism gradually turns into admiration as Fang Yun explains the previously undeveloped Febrile Disease School.
• The legendary physicians’ shadows: Their appearance symbolizes the recognition and historical importance of Fang Yun’s medical contributions.

Significant Themes

• Progress versus tradition: The chapter contrasts the established Cold Damage School with the emerging Febrile Disease School, showing how medical knowledge develops through challenges to accepted doctrine.
• Knowledge as power: Fang Yun’s understanding of future medical theories gives him an advantage, but using that knowledge requires courage and careful judgment.
• The burden of innovation: Fang Yun knows that introducing the Febrile Disease School could save countless lives, yet he also understands that the Saint Origin Continent is not politically or intellectually ready for it.
• Medicine as a means of protecting humanity: The chapter emphasizes that medical advancement is as important to the Human Race as military poetry, since medicine saves lives while warfare defeats enemies.
• Incomplete achievement: Fang Yun’s half-finished Plague Treatise earns great praise but only a partial evaluation, reinforcing that major accomplishments require completion and sustained effort.

Character Interactions

• Fang Yun and the fourth master’s will engage in a tense intellectual exchange over the cause and transmission of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.
• The fourth master challenges Fang Yun’s interpretation according to Cold Damage theory, forcing him to explain the newer Febrile Disease framework.
• Fang Yun respectfully presents his knowledge while subtly trying to end the consultation before his lack of practical experience is exposed.
• The medical wills ultimately reward Fang Yun’s explanations with repeated praise and recognize the exceptional value of his Plague Treatise.

Summary of “Gourd-Hanging Resonance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun leaves the Medicine Gathering in the Pot after completing his Medical Book.
• His achievement triggers the Gourd-Hanging Resonance, an extraordinary phenomenon signaling a major advancement in the Human Race’s Medical Way.
• Within the Heaven-Hanging Pot, more than ten thousand legendary physicians appear, including famous medical scholars and masters from history. Four enormous elder physicians then arrive and announce a “Myriad Physicians’ Consultation” to diagnose febrile disease.
• The resonance is heard by powerful beings across the Myriad Worlds:
  • The demon race recognizes it as a threat because humans’ improved medical knowledge could counter their use of poisons, plagues, and diseases.
  • The Eastern Sea Dragon Sage becomes excited, hoping the medical breakthrough might cure his mysterious illness.
  • Scholars in the Sacred Academy’s Medical Hall celebrate the rise in Medical School and Human Race fortune, speculating that Fang Yun may become a new “Miraculous Hands, Benevolent Heart.”
• Fang Yun returns to the Metropolitan Graduate battlefield aboard the Skyfaring Tower Ship, where roughly three hundred human graduates are surrounded by more than seventy Demon Marquises and several Demon Marshals.
• The human forces are exhausted, wounded, and nearly out of Literary Qi. Fang Yun’s reappearance initially causes confusion, and the demons nearly exploit the distraction to break through the defenses.
• Fang Yun quickly intervenes:
  • He writes Mount Lu Game, creating an illusory mountain range that delays and confuses the demons.
  • He writes Wind-and-Rain Dream Battle, summoning Weak Water Cavalry and freezing the battlefield.
  • He writes World-Passing Edge-Concealing Poem Sword Chant.
  • He plays the battle melody The General’s Command on a jade zither, summoning powerful Qin-Sound Soldiers enhanced by the Thunderclap Stone and the Mist Butterfly’s Weak Water Strange Wind.
• The battlefield shifts dramatically. The Qin-Sound Soldiers injure more than half the Demon Marquises and weaken them by thirty to fifty percent.
• Using Dual-Mindedness, Fang Yun plays the melody while simultaneously unleashing his True Dragon Ancient Sword. Its immense speed and power kill more than twenty Demon Marquises in a single breath.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates the importance and power of his newly completed Medical Book, establishing himself as a potential future master of the fifth realm of the Medical Way.
• His calmness and decisiveness under battlefield pressure become evident. Rather than explain his success, he immediately acts to rescue the endangered Metropolitan Graduates.
• Fang Yun’s combat abilities continue to expand. He combines poetry, swordsmanship, music, strange treasures, and Dual-Mindedness with remarkable efficiency.
• The Eastern Sea Dragon Sage is portrayed as desperate but hopeful, revealing that his illness is severe enough to affect the entire surrounding sea and kill countless aquatic creatures when he loses control.
• The scholars of the Medical School gain renewed confidence and pride, seeing Fang Yun’s achievement as a possible turning point for human medicine.
• The demon race becomes increasingly alarmed, recognizing Fang Yun’s medical accomplishment as a strategic threat.

Significant Themes

• Advancement through knowledge: Medical scholarship is portrayed as a force capable of changing the balance between entire races.
• Healing versus destruction: Fang Yun’s medical achievement promises to cure disease, while his battlefield techniques destroy enemies; both abilities contribute to protecting humanity.
• Collective legacy: The appearance of historical physicians emphasizes that Fang Yun’s work is connected to generations of medical wisdom.
• Hope amid crisis: The medical breakthrough gives hope to humans and even to the suffering Dragon Sage while the human army faces near defeat.
• Adaptability and synthesis: Fang Yun succeeds by combining multiple disciplines—poetry, music, swordsmanship, and artifacts—rather than relying on a single form of power.
• The fragility of victory: The human forces are close to collapse, showing how quickly battle fortunes can change without Fang Yun’s intervention.

Character Interactions

• The historical physicians gather around Fang Yun’s achievement, symbolically recognizing and validating his Medical Way.
• Medical scholars in the Sacred Academy react with excitement, identifying Fang Yun as a possible successor to the legendary Tao Hongjing.
• The demon barbarians exploit the human soldiers’ distraction but are stopped when Fang Yun protects the group with Mount Lu Game.
• Fang Yun’s actions restore the defensive formation and directly support the exhausted Metropolitan Graduates.
• His Qin-Sound Soldiers and True Dragon Ancient Sword work in combination, transforming him from a rescuer into the dominant force on the battlefield.

Chapter Summary: “The Moment of Despair”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Demon Marquises initially underestimate Fang Yun, viewing him as merely a newly promoted Human Race Metropolitan Graduate. Their opinion changes only after he kills more than thirty of them, eliminating half their forces.
• Fang Yun’s combat abilities—his Lip Spear, Tongue Sword, Edge-Concealing Poem, Zither Way, and True Dragon Ancient Sword—allow the Human Race Metropolitan Graduates to launch a counterattack and slaughter the remaining Demon Marquises.
• A terrifying aura erupts from halfway up Demon Mountain, signaling that the Plague Lord’s incarnation has recovered much of its power. The Half-Sage pressure crushes the will of most Metropolitan Graduates, though a few determined fighters continue battling despite expecting death.
• Fang Yun orders the Skyfaring Tower Ship to charge directly toward the Plague Lord’s location. The ship smashes through Demon Barbarians and heads into the plague mist, shocking the other humans with Fang Yun’s apparent fearlessness.
• The Metropolitan Graduates assume they are making a glorious final assault rather than pursuing victory. They joke bitterly about having no escape, revealing their despair and helplessness.
• The ship crashes before the Plague Lord’s cave. The Plague Lord boasts that its recovered Sainthood Plague Force is strong enough to kill everyone, even a Medical School Great Scholar.
• Although the plague mist does not penetrate the Half-Sage-inscribed ship, the Plague Lord’s aura causes everyone’s illnesses and injuries to worsen dramatically. Most Metropolitan Graduates collapse, and even the Medical Way practitioners struggle to endure.
• Fang Yun remains unaffected because his body has been strengthened by the Emperor Race’s power through D Luo.
• Seeing that the wounded will soon die, Fang Yun abandons his plan to wait for the Plague Lord to emerge fully. He finally releases his Medical Book, the Plague Treatise, and invokes the Medical Way.
• The Plague Treatise instantly erases all non-Sainthood plague and poison throughout the Desolate City Ancient Land, heals ordinary illnesses and wounds, and strengthens every Medical Book’s power by fifty percent.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun: Revealed as far more powerful and fearless than the Demon Marquises or his fellow humans realized. He shifts from calculated restraint—waiting to lure out the Plague Lord—to compassionate action when his allies begin dying. His mastery of the Medical Way is confirmed through the Plague Treatise.
• The Human Race Metropolitan Graduates: Move from confidence in Fang Yun’s awakening, to terror under the Plague Lord’s pressure, and finally to resigned determination. The strongest among them prove willing to die fighting rather than surrender.
• Zong Wude: Provides comic relief through his complaints and jokes, but his words also reflect the group’s genuine despair and uncertainty about Fang Yun’s plan.
• Zhang Zilong and other Medical Way practitioners: Demonstrate their limits while attempting to protect the group, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of Sainthood Plague.
• The Plague Lord: Reasserts itself as an immense threat, boasting of its restored power and attempting to crush the humans through both physical plague and psychological pressure.

Significant Themes

• Despair versus defiance: Most characters believe victory is impossible, yet they continue fighting for honor and to take enemies down with them.
• True courage: Fang Yun’s direct charge toward the Plague Lord surpasses even the bravery of those prepared to die, presenting courage as decisive action rather than mere acceptance of death.
• Human solidarity and sacrifice: The Metropolitan Graduates are in danger largely because they protected Fang Yun, and Fang Yun ultimately risks his strategy to save them.
• Medical power versus destructive plague: The chapter contrasts the Plague Lord’s Sainthood Plague with Fang Yun’s Medical Way, establishing healing as a force capable of cleansing devastation.
• Misjudgment and revelation: Both demons and humans underestimate Fang Yun until his abilities become impossible to ignore.

Character Interactions

• The Demon Marquises dismiss Fang Yun until witnessing his rapid slaughter of their comrades.
• Fang Yun commands the Metropolitan Graduates through the Skyfaring Tower Ship, while Zong Wude and others question whether he has a viable plan.
• The Metropolitan Graduates respond to the Plague Lord’s pressure with fear, jokes, and grim determination, forming a contrast with Fang Yun’s calmness.
• The Plague Lord directly challenges and threatens Fang Yun from within the cave.
• Fang Yun’s final use of the Plague Treatise transforms the balance of the confrontation, rescuing his allies and openly opposing the Plague Lord’s power.

Chapter Summary: “I Nearly Cried...”

Key events and plot points

• The author directly addresses recurring reader criticism and misinformation surrounding the book’s historical and medical references.
• He defends Zhang Zhongjing’s status as the foremost figure of traditional Chinese medicine, clarifying that Hua Tuo’s fame in Romance of the Three Kingdoms should not be confused with his professional standing in medical history.
• He corrects several disputed details:
  • Sun Bin’s punishment was bin-foot, in which the lower legs were severed, rather than the kneecaps being removed.
  • The book’s use of “one breath” as a unit of time is an intentional approximation for fast breathing during movement, designed to help modern readers understand military timing.
  • Ancient China could have recognized illnesses resembling Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, even if it used different names.
  • The “Six Second Saints” were based on figures historically honored in the Confucius Temple, not characters the author arbitrarily elevated.
• After suppressing his frustration for nearly a year, the author finally explains these issues to prevent readers from accepting repeated accusations that the book invents information.
• He ends by calling on readers to follow the book’s correct content and the teachings of Confucian and related thinkers in building a harmonious “Saint Origin Continent.”

Character and narrator development

• The narrator reveals his growing frustration with persistent criticism, especially criticism based on misunderstandings or inaccurate historical claims.
• He insists that he is willing to admit and correct genuine mistakes, emphasizing that he is neither omniscient nor infallible.
• At the same time, he acknowledges his own past ignorance and tendency to look down on others, showing self-awareness and a willingness to reflect.
• His defensive speech demonstrates both emotional vulnerability—suggested by the title and repeated references to nearly crying—and confidence in the research and intentions behind his work.

Character interactions

• The primary interaction is between the author and his readers, particularly those who criticize or defend the book online.
• He challenges readers who repeat claims such as Hua Tuo outranking Zhang Zhongjing, Sun Bin losing his kneecaps, or the author fabricating historical titles.
• He also appeals to reasonable readers not to be misled by confident but incorrect commentary.
• The tone shifts between rebuke, explanation, self-criticism, and a final humorous, idealistic appeal to readers.

Significant themes

• Historical accuracy and interpretation: The chapter stresses the importance of distinguishing popular cultural portrayals from professional or historical status.
• The danger of misinformation: Repeated misunderstandings can make readers mistake false claims for established truth.
• Authorial intent and accessibility: Simplified measurements and modern disease terminology are presented as tools for helping contemporary readers understand the setting.
• Humility and self-correction: The narrator accepts that mistakes are possible but argues that criticism should be informed and respectful.
• Conflict between expertise and public opinion: Fame, widespread repetition, and confidence do not necessarily equal knowledge.
• Idealistic social harmony: The conclusion ties accurate learning and Confucian thought to the larger goal of creating a harmonious society in the fictional world.

Chapter Summary: Spring Sun Apricot Grove, Fragrant Orange Well Springs

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun’s Medical Book, the Plague Treatise, releases a dazzling phenomenon known as the Spring Sun Apricot Grove. Fresh grass, flowers, and countless fragrant apricot trees spread across the Metropolitan Graduate Hunting Ground, dispelling the plague fog and restoring hope among the Human Race.
• The Medical Way phenomenon begins weakening the plague inside the cave, but the Plague Lord reveals that it is too late for Fang Yun to defeat him. He gathers the remaining plague fog into a terrifying Plague Serpent, whose power is strong enough to threaten everyone despite the apricot grove’s cleansing effect.
• The Plague Lord emerges through Lei Li, with a beautiful jade-like snake coiled around Lei Li’s shoulder. The graduates retreat, recognizing the danger of the Plague Serpent.
• Fang Yun activates the Five Wonders Saint Hand, summoning the second Medical Way phenomenon, Fragrant Orange Well Springs. Unlike the broad protective power of the apricot grove, the orange wells possess a specialized ability to suppress and destroy plague forces.
• The combined phenomena rapidly dissolve the Plague Serpent. Fang Yun then sends a torrent of apricot blossoms, orange leaves, and Medical Way characters into the cave, incorporating his True Dragon Ancient Sword into the attack.
• Zhang Zilong sacrifices some of his own blood by cutting his wrist and adding it to Fang Yun’s Medical Way attack. His contribution strengthens the torrent by twenty percent.
• The Plague Lord recognizes that Fang Yun’s attack contains the power of a mysterious “little thing” and screams that Fang Yun is now his mortal enemy. He detonates the plague power within the cave, causing a massive explosion and releasing a terrifying green plague light across a hundred li.
• Although the Skyfaring Tower Ship blocks much of the explosion, the green light infects the graduates with severe, debilitating illnesses. Most collapse, and even those with Medical Books can barely resist the spreading diseases.
• Zhang Zilong explains that the apricot grove and orange wells have weakened the explosion’s Sainthood power enough to prevent immediate death, but without a Half-Sage’s intervention, everyone will die within ten days.
• Before the survivors can recover, more than ten thousand Demon Barbarians charge toward them. The graduates lose hope, believing that their efforts to defeat the Demon Marquis and Plague Lord will ultimately end in death.
• Fang Yun alone remains unaffected. The Plague Treatise shields him completely from the green plague light, suggesting that most plague powers of the Demon Realm may be unable to harm him. When asked whether he can fight the approaching army, Fang Yun calmly replies that it will take “some effort.”

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates a major advancement in the Medical Way, transforming from a powerful Medical Book user into a Five Wonders Saint Hand capable of summoning both the Spring Sun Apricot Grove and Fragrant Orange Well Springs. His calmness and immunity to the plague establish him as the group’s final hope.
• The Plague Lord shifts from confident superiority to fear and desperation. He is forced to expose himself, loses the Plague Serpent, and ultimately resorts to detonating his own plague power rather than allowing Fang Yun to defeat him directly.
• Zhang Zilong shows self-sacrificing courage by offering his blood to strengthen Fang Yun’s attack. His knowledge of the plague’s effects also makes him an important source of information for the others.
• Qiao Juze reflects the group’s emotional journey, first celebrating their apparent salvation and later expressing fear when the green plague light weakens everyone.
• Ji Shouyu remains cautious even during the initial victory, recognizing that the Spring Sun Apricot Grove alone may not be enough to overcome the plague.
• Ji Zhibai becomes deeply demoralized after the explosion and the arrival of the Demon Barbarians, viewing their situation as an example of fate undoing all their achievements.

Significant Themes

• Hope emerging from despair: The apricot grove transforms a diseased, deadly battlefield into a landscape of spring, symbolizing renewed morale and the possibility of salvation.
• The power of the Medical Way: Fang Yun’s achievements show that medicine is not merely a method of healing but a force capable of resisting evil, plague, and even powers touching the Sacred Way.
• Human cooperation and sacrifice: Fang Yun’s attack is strengthened by Zhang Zilong’s blood, emphasizing that victory depends not only on individual strength but also on collective contribution.
• Victory followed by new crisis: Even after defeating the Plague Serpent and apparently killing the Plague Lord, the heroes face fatal contamination and a vast Demon Barbarian army. The chapter stresses that triumph may come with severe costs.
• Fate versus human effort: The characters question whether their sacrifices were meaningful when they are immediately threatened with death, while Fang Yun’s composure suggests continued resistance against seemingly impossible odds.
• The rise of Fang Yun: His immunity to the plague and mastery of rare Medical Way phenomena imply that he is developing into a uniquely powerful force against the Demon Realm.

Character Interactions

• The graduates collectively react to Fang Yun’s first phenomenon with amazement and renewed confidence, while Ji Shouyu warns that it is insufficient.
• Kong Detian identifies the Plague Serpent and urges everyone to retreat, reinforcing the seriousness of the threat.
• The Plague Lord taunts Fang Yun and the graduates before being forced into panic by the appearance of Fragrant Orange Well Springs.
• Zhang Zilong directly supports Fang Yun’s attack through his blood sacrifice and later explains the effects of the plague explosion to Qiao Juze.
• The group’s despair contrasts sharply with Fang Yun’s calm response to the approaching Demon Barbarian army, ending the chapter with him positioned as their only remaining defender.

Summary of “Illusory Avatar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun and the Metropolitan Graduates defeat the Plague Lord’s first avatar, the Plague Avatar, using the combined power of the Five Wonders Medical Classic, Spring Sun Apricot Grove, Fragrant Orange Well Springs, and other Medical Way abilities.
• The Plague Avatar self-destructs, but Ji Shouyu warns that the Plague Lord is notoriously cunning and likely has another plan or avatar hidden elsewhere.
• Most of the Metropolitan Graduates are severely infected by plague and are unable to assist Fang Yun. Zhang Zilong confirms that the Plague Lord’s Plague Force, Illusory Force, and Saint Body are all formidable, making the danger far from over.
• Fang Yun approaches an army of more than ten thousand Demon Barbarians, including five Demon Marquises, three hundred Demon Marshals, and numerous Demon Generals.
• He summons White Horse warriors, True Dragon Ancient Swords, and three thousand Frost-Iron Cavalry through war poetry. When the cavalry prove insufficient, he activates the Lord’s Star Position, transforming them into powerful Demon Marquis-level warriors.
• The transformed cavalry annihilate the Demon Barbarian army, killing all of its soldiers and eventually defeating the five Demon Marquises. The Metropolitan Graduates celebrate Fang Yun’s victory.
• Immediately afterward, the Plague Lord reveals that its true contingency plan is an Illusory Avatar. It had secretly separated a strand of Illusory Force from every Demon Barbarian, hidden it within the mountain, and allowed it to accumulate strength.
• The Plague Lord declares that the Illusory Avatar remains alive despite the destruction of the Plague Avatar and claims it is close to advancing to the Great Sage realm. Fang Yun responds calmly, showing that he may already have anticipated this possibility.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates confidence, tactical intelligence, and extraordinary combat power. Though exhausted by using the Lord’s Star Position, he remains composed and determined to protect the wounded scholars.
• His subtle smile and apparent lack of surprise at the Illusory Avatar’s revelation suggest that he recognized the danger before the others did and may have prepared a response.
• Ji Shouyu displays strong awareness of the Plague Lord’s nature but is frustrated by his inability to help because of the plague suppressing his talents.
• Zhang Zilong provides important knowledge about the Plague Lord’s powers and history, especially its connection to Ancestor Sage Zhang Zhongjing. He is also helpless due to the weakness of his Medical Book.
• The Metropolitan Graduates shift from confidence after Fang Yun’s victory to renewed fear when the Illusory Avatar is revealed. Their dependence on Fang Yun becomes increasingly clear.
• The Plague Lord is characterized as calculating, deceptive, and strategically patient. It uses multiple forms of power and prepares layered contingencies rather than relying on a single avatar or attack.

Significant Themes

• Cunning versus strength: Fang Yun overwhelms the visible Demon Barbarian army, but the real danger lies in the hidden plan behind it. Raw power alone cannot guarantee victory against a deceptive enemy.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The destruction of the Plague Avatar creates a false sense of security, emphasizing that apparent victory may conceal a larger danger.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Though Fang Yun cannot heal the infected scholars, he chooses to fight on their behalf, accepting personal strain and danger.
• Human ingenuity and preparation: Fang Yun’s poetry, strategic adaptation, and use of the Lord’s Star Position show how intelligence and flexibility allow him to overcome overwhelming numbers.
• The limits of power: Even powerful scholars and protective treasures are rendered helpless by the Plague Lord’s influence, leaving Fang Yun as the group’s primary defense.

Character Interactions

• Ji Shouyu warns Fang Yun not to lower his guard and explains why the Plague Avatar’s easy defeat is suspicious.
• Fang Yun acknowledges the danger but insists on confronting the Demon Barbarians himself.
• Zhang Zilong supports Ji Shouyu’s assessment, explaining the Plague Lord’s three major powers and its historical resistance to destruction.
• The Metropolitan Graduates discuss their fears and express concern for Fang Yun, while admitting they are too weakened to assist him.
• Fang Yun’s successful defense temporarily restores their hope, but the Plague Lord’s final revelation immediately reestablishes the tension.
• The chapter ends with the Plague Lord unveiling the Illusory Avatar and Fang Yun replying with a calm “Oh,” creating suspense over whether he has a countermeasure ready.

Chapter Summary: “Moon God’s Eye”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Plague Lord traps Fang Yun inside an Illusory Land, transforming a section of the void into the terrifying Demon King Mountain Range. Countless Demon Kings and Barbarian Kings appear to be charging toward Fang Yun.
• Observers outside the illusion believe Fang Yun is doomed. They explain that the Plague Lord’s Illusory Force is a fragment of Sainthood capable of turning illusion into reality and even manipulating an opponent into harming himself.
• The Metropolitan Graduates prepare to sacrifice themselves. More than a hundred, including Kong Detian and Ma Chaoming, plan to activate Jade-Blooded Loyalty and attack the Plague Lord’s Illusory Avatar when it emerges.
• Inside the illusion, the Plague Lord attempts to break Fang Yun’s will by claiming that he has taken away Fang Yun’s River-Drinking Shell and writing brush. Fang Yun appears frightened and desperate while the Demon Barbarians close in.
• Fang Yun deliberately releases his Lip Spear and Tongue Sword as a distraction. The Plague Lord expects his Illusory Force to reverse their attack and make them kill Fang Yun.
• Instead, Fang Yun uses the military tactic of appearing to attack openly while striking secretly. The True Dragon Ancient Sword materializes behind him and wounds the Plague Lord’s hidden Illusory Avatar.
• Fang Yun’s newly empowered Moon God’s Eye sees through and destroys the Illusory Land, revealing the Plague Lord’s avatar as a small green snake.
• Fang Yun explains that the Moon God’s Eye was formed through the combined power of the Moon Essence from the Mid-Autumn Literary Gathering, the Wolf Barbarian Sacred Son’s Moon Phase Divine Stone, and the Moon God’s Relic.
• Working together, the True Dragon Ancient Sword and Ink Sword grind the avatar apart. The Moon God’s Eye then strips away the Illusory Force sustaining it, reducing its body to the level of an Ordinary Demon Marquis before Fang Yun destroys it completely.
• The Inkstone Turtle absorbs something left behind by the avatar and falls asleep. Fang Yun survives but is so drained of Literary Qi that he nearly collapses, leaving the Metropolitan Graduates stunned.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates that his apparent panic is partly a calculated deception. He remains observant and uses the Plague Lord’s confidence against him.
• His acquisition of the Moon God’s Eye marks a major increase in his ability to perceive and counter Illusory Force, giving him a weapon specifically suited to defeating the Plague Lord.
• Fang Yun’s cooperation with the True Dragon Ancient Sword and Ink Sword highlights the combined strength of Dragon Race power and Human Race civilization.
• The Plague Lord, initially confident that his Illusory Land guarantees victory, becomes increasingly shocked and enraged when Fang Yun sees through the illusion and destroys his avatar.
• The Metropolitan Graduates shift from despair to a stunned realization that Fang Yun has survived and overturned the battle.

Significant Themes

• Illusion versus reality: The chapter centers on the danger of manipulated perception and Fang Yun’s ability to distinguish truth from deception.
• Preparation and accumulated power: Fang Yun’s victory depends on gifts and resources acquired earlier, showing how previous experiences and alliances become decisive in a crisis.
• Courage and sacrifice: The Metropolitan Graduates are willing to die for Fang Yun and the Human Race, emphasizing loyalty and self-sacrifice.
• Intelligence over brute force: Fang Yun defeats a vastly powerful opponent through misdirection, timing, and understanding the enemy’s weakness rather than by overpowering the Illusory Force directly.
• Human and nonhuman legacies: The True Dragon Ancient Sword, Ink Sword, and Moon God’s power represent different civilizations and sources of strength combining to overcome the Plague Lord.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Zilong urgently warns Fang Yun not to underestimate the Plague Lord, but the illusion cuts Fang Yun off from the outside world.
• Kong Detian, Yan Yukong, Qiao Juze, and Sun Renbing analyze the Illusory Land and explain why Fang Yun appears helpless.
• Kong Detian and Ma Chaoming encourage the others to prepare a sacrificial counterattack, inspiring many Metropolitan Graduates to stand and fight.
• The Plague Lord taunts Fang Yun, boasts about his future alliance with the Great Sages, and tries to provoke panic.
• Fang Yun pretends to be deceived, then turns the Plague Lord’s expectations against him, ultimately mocking him before delivering the killing blow.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Yun returns after defeating the Plague Lord, prompting nervous jokes that he might secretly be the Plague Lord himself. Ji Shouyu confirms his identity, and the Metropolitan Graduates relax once Fang Yun announces that the demon barbarians in the hunting ground have largely been eliminated.
• The group realizes that Jing Kingdom’s Literary Ranking has risen to an astonishing twelve million points and continues increasing rapidly. They conclude that the two Half-Sage Incarnations Fang Yun killed were counted as millions of points, since each carried the status and value of a Half-Sage Incarnation.
• The Jing Kingdom graduates celebrate the enormous literary fame they have gained by association with Fang Yun, believing the achievement may be recorded in history.
• Zhang Zilong notices that the apricot and orange trees growing where the Plague Lord died have become unusually large. Hua Yuqing explains that they are absorbing the Plague Lord’s residual power, which may allow them to survive and produce extraordinary fruit.
• Fang Yun checks his Medical Book, Plague Treatise, and discovers that a dark shadow-book has formed beneath it. This produces a legendary Yin-Yang Medical Book: the yang aspect is Plague Treatise, while the yin aspect is a new book called Plague Scripture.
• The group explains that Plague Scripture is a rare Sickness Scripture, a Medical School book associated with the highest level of research into disease. It has not yet reached true Sainthood, but it possesses the potential to become a scripture-level work.
• The Metropolitan Graduates speculate that Fang Yun’s future Literary Platform could become a “Plague Literary Terrace,” making him an even more terrifying enemy of the demon barbarians.
• Fang Yun and the others rest among the transformed trees rather than pursuing the last scattered demon barbarians. At sunset, the official announcement declares that the Metropolitan Graduate Spring Hunt has ended.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun is recognized as the decisive hero of the hunt and is praised as the de facto leader of the Metropolitan Graduates. His defeat of the Plague Lord and two Half-Sage Incarnations greatly increases his fame.
• Fang Yun’s Medical Way advances dramatically with the emergence of Plague Scripture. He gains a power that could potentially rival or surpass the destructive force of the Plague Lord in the future.
• The Jing Kingdom Metropolitan Graduates gain immense reflected glory from Fang Yun’s accomplishments. Their pride and excitement contrast with their physical weakness from the plague.
• Zhang Zilong demonstrates his expertise in the Medical Way by identifying the significance of the transformed trees and explaining how Plague Scripture formed.
• Hua Yuqing provides the agricultural explanation for the trees’ growth and highlights the unusual value of the Plague Lord’s remaining power.
• The other graduates move from fear and exhaustion toward relief, admiration, and excitement as they realize the importance of Fang Yun’s achievement.

Significant Themes

• Victory over terror and disease: The Plague Lord’s death marks the end of an overwhelming threat, but the surviving plague power is transformed into a weapon under Fang Yun’s control.
• The dual nature of medicine: The chapter emphasizes that medicine and poison are closely linked. Medical knowledge can heal, but it can also create devastating diseases and weapons.
• Power born from destruction: The Plague Lord’s death nourishes the trees and gives rise to Plague Scripture, showing how destruction can produce new life and power.
• Fame and historical legacy: Fang Yun’s actions generate unprecedented Literary Ranking points, while the Jing graduates recognize that the event may become a permanent part of history.
• Fear versus authority: The graduates initially joke that Fang Yun could be the Plague Lord, but the possibility also reflects how terrifying and powerful he has become.
• Humanity’s struggle against the demon barbarians: The discussion of diseases designed to kill demons emphasizes the broader war between the Human Race and the demon barbarians.

Character Interactions

• Li Fanming jokingly accuses Fang Yun of being the Plague Lord in disguise, while Ji Shouyu dismisses the suspicion and identifies Fang Yun as the Void Sage.
• Gao Yong complains humorously about the Plague Lord’s possible survival, and the others agree that the enemy must finally be dead.
• Yan Yukong praises Fang Yun as the leader of the Metropolitan Graduates, a claim the others support.
• The group collectively analyzes the sudden Literary Ranking increase and attributes it to Fang Yun’s destruction of the Half-Sage Incarnations.
• Zhang Zilong, Hua Yuqing, and the Medical Way scholars discuss the altered trees and help Fang Yun understand the formation and significance of Plague Scripture.
• The graduates speculate together about Fang Yun’s possible future transformation into a figure even more feared by the demon barbarians than ordinary Medical School masters.

Chapter Summary: “A Great Scholar Arrives in Person”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the dangerous events in the Metropolitan Graduate Hunting Ground, the protective force surrounding it disappears, allowing Great Scholar Ye Ling to reach the survivors.
• Ye Ling confirms that the Moon Tree Phantom’s power is fading and that the island will soon return to normal. The saints will heal the injured Metropolitan Graduates.
• Fang Yun recounts the events inside the Hunting Ground, including the discovery of the Five Wonders Medical Classic and his battles against two avatars of the Plague Lord.
• Ye Ling reveals that Fang Yun’s poem, “For the source has living water flowing in,” has risen to first place on the Ding Ranking.
• Fang Yun is credited with killing two Half-Sage avatars:
  • He receives seventy percent of the credit for killing the Plague Avatar because others assisted.
  • He receives full credit for killing the Illusory Avatar.
• His military merit is expected to place him in the foremost section of the Brocade-Text Military Merit Register, though entering the legendary Bamboo Hall Register remains uncertain.
• Ye Ling explains the battles that occurred outside the Hunting Ground during the previous three days. Great Scholars, Demon Barbarian Kings, prominent family leaders, and Half-Sage avatars all took part in the conflict.
• The battle in Desolate City Ancient Land was likely a diversion. The Demon Realm’s real objective was to have the Plague Lord kill Fang Yun within the Hunting Ground.
• Ye Ling orders everyone except Fang Yun to keep the Hunting Ground’s events secret under threat of being branded Rebel Species. This includes the deaths of the Lei Family members.
• The Ten Kingdoms Spring Hunt is effectively over, and the surviving graduates will eventually become county magistrates and prepare for the Palace Examination.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun emerges as the central hero of the Spring Hunt. He has survived an unprecedented crisis, created a major medical classic, killed two powerful enemy avatars, and saved more than three hundred Metropolitan Graduates.
• His military reputation rises dramatically, potentially placing him among the most accomplished figures of his generation.
• Great Scholar Ye Ling is shown to be exhausted but responsible and deeply concerned for the graduates. He acts as both protector and authority, explaining the outside conflict and enforcing secrecy.
• The Metropolitan Graduates shift from fear and exhaustion to admiration and gratitude toward Fang Yun. Many acknowledge that they survived only because of him.
• Ji Zhibai remains silent and visibly troubled, suggesting unease or resentment over Fang Yun’s achievements.
• The Lei Family suffers a devastating loss: all five family members involved in the Hunting Ground die, intensifying the longstanding conflict between the family and Fang Yun.
• Qiao Juze helps restore a sense of normalcy by reminding everyone that the Spring Hunt has ended and that their official careers will soon begin.

Significant Themes

• Heroism and sacrifice: Fang Yun’s achievements are measured not only by his victories but also by the lives he saved.
• Military merit and reputation: The chapter emphasizes how extraordinary deeds are formally recorded and judged, while also questioning whether a single achievement can surpass the accumulated accomplishments of legendary Great Scholars.
• The danger of larger wars: The battles surrounding Desolate City Ancient Land hint at the possibility of a much greater conflict, potentially escalating into a War of the Two Worlds.
• Secrecy and political control: The Sacred Academy demands silence about the Hunting Ground, demonstrating how institutions control dangerous information and protect strategic interests.
• The limits of individual strength: Even the graduates recognize that battles involving saints and Half-Sage avatars are far beyond ordinary participation, emphasizing the vast power gap between them and the highest-level combatants.
• Rivalry and revenge: The deaths of the Lei Family members deepen their feud with Fang Yun, ensuring that the political consequences of the Spring Hunt will continue.

Character Interactions

• Ye Ling respectfully addresses Fang Yun as Void Sage, recognizing his elevated status while asking him to explain what happened.
• Fang Yun and Ye Ling discuss Fang Yun’s military accomplishments and future ranking, with Fang Yun remaining modest about his achievements.
• Li Fanming enthusiastically raises the issue of Fang Yun’s military credit, prompting Ye Ling to clarify how the merit will be divided.
• The graduates discuss whether they would truly want to witness or participate in battles involving saints’ avatars, revealing a contrast between youthful excitement and the caution of those with battlefield experience.
• Ye Ling sternly commands the graduates to keep the truth secret, and they unanimously agree.
• The graduates praise Fang Yun and predict that he will become the Jing Kingdom’s Zhuangyuan, while Ji Zhibai’s silence contrasts sharply with the general admiration.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After three days of fighting together in the Desolate City Ancient Land, the more than three hundred Metropolitan Graduates relax and strengthen their bonds as comrades.
• The Moon Tree Phantom suddenly shatters. A mysterious gaunt old man appears, captures more than half of the resulting light in a strange book, and praises the graduates for their courage, strategy, and insight.
• Fang Yun and the other graduates are transported back to the Cui Family courtyard in Jing Kingdom. The other twenty-nine Jing Kingdom graduates are unconscious but recovering from the Plague Force that had nearly killed them.
• Officials and members of Jing Kingdom’s great families welcome Fang Yun and question him about the astonishing Spring Hunt score of fourteen million points.
• The Temple of Sages announces that Fang Yun and Jing Kingdom’s graduates earned ten million points by killing countless Demon Barbarians and using stratagems to destroy two incarnations of a Demon Race Half-Sage. Jing Kingdom officially wins first place in the Ten Kingdoms Spring Hunt.
• The victory will greatly increase Jing Kingdom’s number of Metropolitan Graduates entering Hanlin Hall and improve its future chances in the Seven Halls challenges.
• Fang Yun declines to explain the details of the battle, citing the sensitivity of the events, and leaves for Spring Garden to rest before taking up his appointment as acting county magistrate of Ning’an County.
• On the Demon Realm’s Sages’ Tree, demons gather around the hunting-list steles and discover that Fang Yun’s name has risen to first place on the Grand Scholar Hunting List, surpassing even the renowned Great Scholar Yi Zhishi. His bounty continues to increase despite Fang Yun being only a Metropolitan Graduate.

Character Developments

• Fang Yun demonstrates composure, humility, and growing authority. He attributes Jing Kingdom’s success to collective effort rather than claiming all the credit, while officials clearly recognize that he was the central figure behind the victory.
• His experience in the Ancient Land has elevated his reputation enormously: he is now considered a major threat by the Demon Realm and has become the top target on the Grand Scholar Hunting List.
• The other Jing Kingdom Metropolitan Graduates survive their near-fatal injuries and emerge as participants in a historic national victory.
• Jiang Hechuan, Jing Kingdom’s Literary Chancellor, shows genuine concern for Fang Yun and appears to understand more about the secret events of the Ancient Land than the other officials.
• The mysterious old man’s praise suggests that the graduates’ actions will have lasting historical significance.

Significant Themes

• Comradeship forged through hardship: Shared danger and survival create bonds stronger than ordinary academic or regional ties.
• Collective achievement versus individual fame: Although Fang Yun is the decisive leader, he repeatedly emphasizes the contributions of all the Metropolitan Graduates.
• Political and national advancement: Jing Kingdom’s victory promises major improvements in its scholarly strength and standing among the Ten Kingdoms.
• Hidden warfare and secrecy: The true battle involving Half-Sage incarnations cannot yet be openly discussed, hinting at larger conflicts between humanity and the Demon Realm.
• Reputation and looming danger: Fang Yun’s extraordinary success brings honor but also makes him the demons’ foremost target.
• The rise of an unprecedented figure: Fang Yun’s placement above Yi Zhishi while still only a Metropolitan Graduate emphasizes his astonishing potential and disruptive influence.

Character Interactions

• The Metropolitan Graduates interact casually as newly bonded comrades, discussing battle tactics, national affairs, and their experiences.
• Officials and scholars warmly welcome Fang Yun, congratulate him, and question him about the Spring Hunt’s abnormal score.
• Fang Yun responds modestly and diplomatically, refusing to reveal confidential information.
• Jiang Hechuan privately expresses concern for Fang Yun’s health, while Fang Yun reassures him that he is unharmed.
• Jing Kingdom’s scholars celebrate the victory and discuss its benefits for the nation.
• In contrast, the Demon Barbarians react with shock and alarm upon seeing Fang Yun at the top of the hunting lists, signaling that his enemies now view him as an extraordinary and urgent threat.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The author receives a Weibo message asking whether he is a second-year middle school student.
• He discovers that an underage fan, “Mr. X,” has been impersonating him online and claiming to be the author of Confucian Sage. Another student appears to have participated or been misled.
• Similar incidents are mentioned in which people falsely claim to be successful authors while criticizing Confucian Sage, though the author initially treats such behavior as harmless boasting.
• The situation becomes more irritating when Mr. X and others criticize the novel’s early chapters. The author jokingly declares that the book was excellent from beginning to end and considers this criticism an unforgivable failure of “professional ethics” for someone pretending to be him.
• Although he initially avoids exposing Mr. X because he views him as merely a child, the author eventually adds him on QQ and asks for an apology and a promise not to repeat the behavior.
• Mr. X refuses to apologize. Instead, he responds with aggressive, convoluted arguments, denies or reinterprets the accusations, demands evidence, and challenges why the author contacted him.
• Bewildered by Mr. X’s confidence and argumentative style, the author deletes him rather than continuing the dispute.
• On the first anniversary of Confucian Sage, the author abandons his planned extra chapters and publishes this humorous special edition instead, presenting the incident as an example of “Chuunibyou” and villain-like self-justification.

2. Character Developments

• The Author: Begins as dismissive and amused by the impersonation, believing it is childish vanity. His pride is finally provoked when the impersonator insults the novel’s early writing. He attempts a reasonable resolution through an apology request but becomes increasingly confused and overwhelmed by Mr. X’s rhetoric. Despite his anger, he chooses not to reveal the boy’s identity, showing restraint and concern for the consequences.
• Mr. X: Is portrayed as an extremely self-important, argumentative adolescent. Rather than admitting wrongdoing, he uses denial, technicalities, demands for proof, and aggressive questioning to shift responsibility. The author humorously elevates him into a nearly supernatural “Fierce Lord” figure because of his overwhelming confidence.
• The Other Students: They function mainly as supporting figures in the impersonation and online mockery. Their exact identities are withheld because they are minors and may not fully understand the deception.

3. Significant Themes

• Online impersonation and identity: The chapter explores how easily people can pretend to be authors or public figures online and how difficult it can be to establish truth in casual internet interactions.
• Chuunibyou and adolescent vanity: Mr. X’s behavior is framed as childish role-playing and an exaggerated desire for importance.
• Pride and artistic criticism: The author’s supposedly mature indifference collapses when the impersonator criticizes his novel, revealing his strong attachment to his work and reputation.
• Self-justification and refusal to admit fault: Mr. X’s responses illustrate how someone can avoid apologizing by endlessly reframing the situation and demanding increasingly narrow proof.
• Humor through exaggeration: The author turns a minor online dispute into an epic confrontation involving “Conqueror’s Haki,” divine protagonists, and literary powers, parodying the dramatic style of fantasy fiction.
• Restraint and responsibility: Although offended, the author avoids publicly exposing the underage impersonator, suggesting that protecting minors and ending the conflict may matter more than winning publicly.

4. Character Interactions

• The author interacts indirectly with Weibo users who report the impersonation and share screenshots of Mr. X’s claims.
• He contacts Mr. X through QQ and calmly requests an apology and future restraint.
• Mr. X responds defensively and aggressively, denying the accusations, questioning the author’s motives, asking for evidence, and refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing.
• Their brief exchange becomes the chapter’s central comic confrontation: the author expects a simple apology, while Mr. X turns the discussion into an elaborate battle of logic and attitude.
• The chapter ends with the author jokingly imagining Mr. X as an unstoppable “protagonist” arriving at his home, undercutting the seriousness of the dispute with absurd fantasy imagery and apparent keyboard gibberish.