Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun served in the Document Office while the Deer Gate Army launched campaigns against nearby barbarian tribes, and he studied the differences between human and demon-barbarian warfare. After the Deer Gate Marquis refused his request to fight, Fang Yun wrote a poem that stirred debate and raised Zhang Longxiang’s literary fame; the chapter ended with Wei Changxian arriving at the Document Office with several men.

• Fang Yun settled into his duties at the Document Office, where the clerks nicknamed him the Pearl River Idler as he studied its procedures and military affairs.
• The Deer Gate Army won a campaign against nearby barbarian tribes, while the Pearl River Army’s Left General suffered heavy losses after falling into an ambush.
• The Deer Gate Marquis led two hundred thousand troops to victory against the tribes south of Pearl City, prompting a flood of congratulatory letters.
• After the Deer Gate Marquis rejected Fang Yun’s request to fight, Fang Yun wrote “Visiting a Garden, Yet Finding No Admission,” and its final lines sparked debate and acclaim across the Literary World.
• Wei Changxian burst into the Document Office near noon with a group of men.

Fang Yun used his poem “Lady Xi” to test the King of Chu’s reaction and provoke debate over his loyalty and treatment. After the King of Chu grew furious, Wei Changxian demanded that Fang Yun submit a confession for alleged failures in his duties, but Fang Yun refused to admit wrongdoing.

• Wei Changxian warned Fang Yun to stay quiet and stop building his literary reputation, but Fang Yun saw through his attempt to protect the Deer Gate Marquis.
• Fang Yun tried to reach the Deer Gate Marquis, was turned away by guards, and then published the poem “Lady Xi.”
• Scholars across the Literary World debated the poem’s meaning, and the controversy further raised Zhang Longxiang’s literary reputation.
• The King of Chu flew into a rage over the poem and rebuked the Deer Gate Marquis, who then reprimanded Wei Changxian.
• Wei Changxian brought the marshal’s order demanding Fang Yun write a memorial admitting guilt for alleged failures in his duties, but Fang Yun refused.

Fang Yun secured permission to leave his confinement and took command of the Pearl River Marquis's Personal Guard Army, the Pingjiang Army. He began asserting control over its officers and records, then questioned General Su Lun about his loyalty and grievances.

• Fang Yun negotiated a waist token allowing him to travel within ten li of Pearl City and submitted a hollow memorial asking forgiveness.
• Fang Yun rode to the Personal Guard Camp, where Zhang Qingfeng and the commanders welcomed him before ten thousand soldiers.
• Fang Yun told the soldiers and commanders they could choose whether to stay, then declared himself master of the Pingjiang Army.
• Fang Yun ordered every ledger, storehouse document, intelligence report, and other record from the past fifteen years brought to his command tent.
• Fang Yun asked Su Lun whether he resented the Personal Guard Army's reputation, and Su Lun admitted his grievances but said he would never let Zhang Qingfeng down.

Fang Yun rapidly read every military and government record in Pearl City, then moved to rebuild the depleted Personal Guard Army. He ordered Su Lun to take a thousand soldiers to Pearl River Street to reclaim the Pearl River Marquis Residence’s properties and income.

• Fang Yun ordered Su Lun to compile ten years of records about the Pearl River Army, then used Dual-Mindedness to read stacks of documents at extraordinary speed.
• Wei Changxian arranged for unrelated government records and books to be sent to Fang Yun, and the procession of wagons continued until the following morning.
• Fang Yun read the city’s discourse ranking, then returned to find that the Personal Guard Army had lost forty percent of its soldiers and thirty percent of its officers.
• Fang Yun drafted a new training and reorganization plan that raised pay, improved provisions, and proposed creating a five-thousand-strong cavalry force.
• Fang Yun told Su Lun to assemble a thousand soldiers and follow him to Pearl River Street, where the Pearl River Marquis Residence’s properties had been controlled by other factions.

Fang Yun seized Pearl River Street’s businesses to fund the Pingjiang Army and dealt harshly with shopkeepers who resisted. After the Deer Gate Marquis’s office barred him from the Qingming Literary Gathering, Fang Yun went to South City and began writing as the gathering continued without him.

• Fang Yun ordered soldiers to seal Pearl River Street and demanded that shopkeepers hand over their profits to the Pingjiang Army.
• Fang Yun summoned the merchant association’s head shopkeepers to the Flavors Pavilion, and two later died there as their families’ property was confiscated.
• Fang Yun settled the Pearl River Marquis Residence’s holdings while Su Lun handled the Pingjiang Army’s training plans.
• Wei Changxian told Fang Yun that the Marshal’s Office required poetry to be submitted for review and forbade him from attending the Qingming Literary Gathering.
• Fang Yun cursed the Deer Gate Marquis’s order, went to South City, and began grinding ink as the gathering proceeded without him.

Scholars flooded the Literary World's Discourse Ranking with letters to the Deer Gate Marquis, overloading his official seal and burning his hand. Fang Yun then wrote a poem criticizing the devastation south of Pearl City, and after publicly cursing the marquis while drunk, he was confined to his residence as officials moved to strip him of military authority.

• Scholars across the kingdoms mocked the Deer Gate Marquis for preventing Zhang Longxiang from attending the literary assembly, and tens of thousands joined a letter campaign against him.
• The Deer Gate Marquis's official seal overheated from the incoming Wild Goose Letter Relays, burned his hand, and forced him to seek help from the Temple of Sages before disabling the relays.
• Fang Yun wrote and posted “Scenes in Pearl City,” and scholars praised its lines as an attack on the Deer Gate Marquis's military failures and the deserted lands south of the city.
• Fang Yun drank himself into a stupor, cursed the Deer Gate Marquis, and was confined to his residence for ten days.
• The Ministry of War reprimanded Fang Yun, while imperial censors petitioned the King of Chu to strip him of his military authority.

Fang Yun began writing Crossing Lingding Ocean by the Pearl River, but stopped after the poem’s first half burst into flames, leaving scholars debating how it should end. Zhu Fengqiong demanded he finish it within three days, and Fang Yun returned to camp, where he overheard Wei Changxian berating the staff over undelivered documents.

• Fang Yun watched the storm over the Pearl River, then wrote the opening lines of Crossing Lingding Ocean in a pavilion.
• The poem’s written lines darkened and burned before Fang Yun could continue, and he left after saying that poetry depended on nature’s gift and a deft hand.
• Provincial Graduates posted news of the unfinished poem, prompting scholars to debate its meaning and predict its ending.
• Zhu Fengqiong messaged Fang Yun and ordered him to complete the poem within three days, but Fang Yun said he had a reason he could not finish it yet.
• Fang Yun inspected the restored ten-thousand-man Personal Guard Army and heard Wei Changxian threaten to impeach the Pearl River Marquis over documents left unsent during the marquis’s confinement.

Fang Yun processed a deliberately delayed backlog in the Document Office while suspecting the Deer Gate Marquis was preparing to frame him. Zhang Qingfeng then warned that soldiers were already blaming Fang Yun for their hardships, and a camp roar might break out that night.

• Fang Yun confronted Wei Changxian over the backlog, then began processing the unusually large pile of documents while asking Zhang Qingfeng to investigate the camps.
• Fang Yun discovered that some documents had been deliberately withheld and finished processing them by dusk.
• Zhu Fengqiong demanded that Fang Yun write a good poem attacking the Chu Kingdom and the Deer Gate Marquis, but Fang Yun argued that the Deer Gate Marquis was plotting against him.
• Fang Yun considered whether the Sacred Canon could hide his identity as Void Sage Fang and let him withdraw from the Ninth Mountain.
• Zhang Qingfeng reported that soldiers were angry over delayed uniform orders, lost livelihoods, and undelivered letters, and warned that a camp roar might erupt that night.

Facing the threat of a Camp Roar and overwhelmed by his hardships, Fang Yun wrote Spring View, which became a World-Passing Wonder Poem and sent soldiers’ letters home. The poem steadied Pearl City and made Zhang Longxiang the subject of worldwide acclaim.

• Zhang Qingfeng warned Fang Yun that the Deer Gate Marquis could provoke a Camp Roar and prevent them from intervening.
• Fang Yun felt his role as Zhang Longxiang had blurred with his own suffering, abandoned a draft of Crossing Lingding Ocean, and wrote Spring View.
• Spring View’s voice carried a thousand li as its page burned and drew in the surrounding primordial energy.
• Wei Changxian urged the Deer Gate Marquis to interrupt the poem and seal Zhang Longxiang, but received no response.
• The poem moved Liu He'an and sent his letter home flying north alongside tens of thousands of letters from Pearl City.
• Spring View rose to first place on the Hanlin Literary Ranking, and the Literary World's Discourse Ranking filled with praise for Zhang Longxiang.

After “Spring View” became the first world-passing poem in Sage Kong’s Literary World, it eased the soldiers’ homesickness and strengthened Fang Yun’s standing. Fang Yun met with generals at the Phoenix Estate, securing their support as the court audience continued.

• An Academy Student taught Child Scholars about world-passing poetry and urged them to remember “Spring View” and Zhang Longxiang.
• “Spring View” spread throughout Sage Kong’s Literary World, and visiting cards poured in for Fang Yun.
• Fang Yun traveled to the Phoenix Estate, reflecting that the poem had thwarted the Deer Gate Marquis’s plot and temporarily eased the danger to him.
• Fang Yun spoke with a farming couple near Phoenix Mountain and considered staying in the area for a few days.
• Zhang Qingfeng, Wang Li, and seven Metropolitan Graduate generals welcomed Fang Yun at the estate, committing themselves to his side and giving him control of forty percent of the Pearl River Army.
• When Zhang Qingfeng noted that the court audience had not ended, Fang Yun calmly drank his tea.

Fang Yun learned that Chu's court had left his reward for his world-passing poem unresolved, while Zhao's king and prime minister publicly honored his work and sharply criticized Chu. As pressure mounted, Qin's prime minister Zhu Fengqiong ordered Fang Yun to write another poem attacking Chu, but Fang Yun refused.

• Zhang Qingfeng told Fang Yun that Chu's officials had deadlocked over whether to reward him, and the King of Chu had postponed the decision.
• Wang Li announced that Zhao had added Zhang Longxiang Teaches His Son to Child Scholars' required reading, and Fang Yun saw Zhao's prime minister praise him on the Discourse Ranking.
• Fang Yun replied with an allusion to Yu Rang and Zhao Xiangzi, prompting scholars to contrast Zhao's support with Chu's inaction and denounce the King of Chu.
• Zhu Fengqiong urged Fang Yun to write a poem of grief and indignation to increase his literary fame, then threatened him when he refused.
• Fang Yun rebuked Zhu Fengqiong and refused to write another poem, then ignored the prime minister and continued browsing the Discourse Ranking.

Fang Yun read the Discourse Ranking to assess affairs across the Literary World and Saint Origin Continent, from outrage over the King of Chu to the wars against the barbarians. Learning about the brutal fighting at Two Worlds Mountain, he resolved to take command of the Pearl River Army and join the Battle of Bi and Shen.

• Fang Yun found that public outrage over the King of Chu would deter the king from secretly plotting against him, while Saint Origin Continent scholars assumed Zhang Longxiang was not in mortal danger.
• Fang Yun learned that debate over whether Lei Zhongmo deserved first place among the Four Great Talents had stalled the selection and drawn the Lei Family into lobbying the Sage Aristocratic Clans.
• Fang Yun read that human forces had suffered fewer casualties in the northern war thanks to improved mechanisms, war poetry, and his strategy Rested and Awaiting the Weary, though Demon-Slaying Weapons were losing their effectiveness.
• Fang Yun learned that Sage Kong's Literary World had sent five million troops to Two Worlds Mountain, but only one million remained, and its soldiers were mocked for their inexperience.
• Fang Yun resolved to take command of the Pearl River Army, join the Battle of Bi and Shen at Two Worlds Mountain, and pass the Ninth Mountain.

Fang Yun’s Literary Qi began transforming toward Grand Academician as he joined the southern campaign with the Pearl River and Deer Gate armies. After the forces found no barbarians along their route, the Deer Gate Marquis ordered a rapid retreat, leaving Fang Yun wary of a planned ambush.

• Fang Yun composed a bright poem about farming and spring, then spent three days working alongside farmers as his Literary Qi grew heavier.
• Another hundred thousand Deer Gate soldiers arrived in Pearl City, and the Deer Gate Marquis ordered a campaign toward Lotus Mountain Pass with 380,000 troops.
• The army advanced for two days without encountering any barbarians, and commanders grew suspicious when they found that nearby tribes had already departed.
• The Deer Gate Marquis decided to turn back, warned the army to stay alert overnight, and then ordered an immediate retreat at full speed.
• Fang Yun used Tongue Blossoms Thunder to ready the Personal Guard Army for the return march.

Fang Yun led the Pearl River Army and Deer Gate Army on a forced retreat toward Pearl City, only to discover that barbarians had blocked their route. The Deer Gate Marquis stripped Fang Yun of military authority and placed him under guard, while the armies faced the advancing barbarian force.

• Fang Yun organized the retreat, ordered the troops to keep their weapons and provisions, and helped steady the Pearl River Army.
• The Deer Gate Army led the march toward Pearl City while the Pearl River Army brought up the rear, and Fang Yun suspected the Deer Gate Marquis was withholding information.
• At dawn, the Deer Gate Marquis announced that barbarians were ahead and ordered the troops to prepare for battle.
• When Fang Yun demanded information, the Deer Gate Marquis revealed that the barbarians had cut off the retreat and stripped Fang Yun of command, ordering Su Lun to keep him under strict guard.
• Wang Li protested the accusation against Fang Yun, but the Deer Gate Marquis threatened to enforce military law; Fang Yun then returned to the Personal Guard Army.
• The armies saw densely packed barbarians approaching, armed with claws, fangs, and crude weapons.

The Deer Gate Army was trapped by three Barbarian Kings, and Xiang Ba ruined the terrain to prevent a cavalry charge. As the army prepared to defend and await reinforcements, Fang Yun cultivated toward a breakthrough while Lang Dan tried to sow distrust by claiming Zhang Wankong had joined the barbarians.

• Xiang Ba leaped across the ground, breaking it into uneven terrain and depriving the Deer Gate Army of its chance to charge through the enemy.
• The Deer Gate Marquis called Pearl City for aid and ordered the defenders to conserve Literary Qi and keep the reinforcements' movements secret.
• Fang Yun suspected the barbarians might be hiding another king, then sat down to recite the Classics of the Sages and weaken the Chu Kingdom's National Fortune's pressure on his cultivation.
• Su Lun recognized Fang Yun was cultivating and had soldiers carry him into a carriage, while the Deer Gate Marquis formed defensive lines and Wei Changxian raised the troops' morale.
• Xiang Ba returned to the barbarian camp and fell asleep, while Xiong Bei and Lang Dan ate and drank without attacking.
• Lang Dan claimed Zhang Wankong had joined the barbarians and accused the Deer Gate Marquis of betrayal, prompting the Deer Gate Marquis to challenge the three Barbarian Kings to a fight.

The Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling faced three Barbarian Kings in battle, using War-Poem forces to hold them back. The Deer Gate Marquis then summoned a mysterious double-pupiled warrior, leaving the fight poised to escalate.

• Lang Dan objected to fighting three Barbarian Kings against two humans, but Xiong Bei and the other kings charged the Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling.
• Xun Tianling summoned three thousand heavy cavalry with “Song of Splitting Bamboo,” which Xiang Ba and Xiong Bei attacked head-on.
• Lang Dan challenged the Deer Gate Marquis, but the two Grand Academicians drove him back with their Tongue Swords and summoned more War-Poem troops.
• The Deer Gate Marquis wrote a poem that absorbed his summoned soldiers and formed a purple-and-gold-armored warrior with double pupils, mounted on a black Dragon Horse.

The Deer Gate Marquis summoned Xiang Yu and used his famous-general poem to hold off Xiong Bei while the fighting with three Barbarian Kings reached a stalemate. When Gou Bao reported that two more Barbarian Kings had intercepted the reinforcements, Fang Yun demanded permission to act.

• The Deer Gate Marquis summoned Xiang Yu and sent him with nine thousand cavalry to fight Xiong Bei while he and Xun Tianling attacked the other Barbarian Kings.
• Xiong Bei used a Celestial-Aspect Strike to destroy many War-Poem Soldiers, but Xiang Yu survived and the Deer Gate Marquis replenished his forces.
• The two Grand Academicians and three Barbarian Kings exhausted their strength and paused to recover, with Lang Dan warning the others to beware hidden human powers.
• Gou Bao reported that two Barbarian Kings and fifty thousand barbarians had attacked his hundred-thousand-strong reinforcement army.
• Fang Yun reminded Zhang Qingfeng that he had warned about an ambush and called to the Deer Gate Marquis, demanding permission to act.

The Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling faced three Barbarian Kings while the armies awaited news from the Qishan Army. The Qishan Marquis escaped after grievously wounding a Barbarian King, and two Grand Academicians were sent as reinforcements.

• The Deer Gate Marquis told Xun Tianling that the battle was unavoidable, but Xun Tianling refused to flee or use his powerful treasures because he had come to train.
• Xun Tianling and the Deer Gate Marquis used treasures to rapidly restore their literary qi while Wei Changxian accused Fang Yun of trying to ruin the Deer Gate Army.
• The Deer Gate Marquis and Xun Tianling advanced to fight the three Barbarian Kings as the armies kept back from the battle’s destructive spillover.
• A Tongue Blossoms Thunder report announced that the Qishan Marquis had wounded a Barbarian King, escaped to Guangzhou City, and said two Grand Academicians were coming to reinforce them.

The human army waited for promised Grand Academicians while Fang Yun cultivated in his carriage, but the reinforcements never arrived. Three Barbarian Kings then appeared, leaving the humans facing an imminent battle as Xun Tianling broke the Fox Barbarian King's enchantment.

• The two armies paused after learning that two Grand Academicians were supposedly coming, while Fang Yun's cultivation grew more concentrated.
• Xun Tianling and the Deer Gate Marquis discussed the Literary World's barbarians as both armies waited, and reports spread that the reinforcements had not arrived.
• Three Barbarian Kings raced in from the northwest, and the human soldiers panicked at their approach.
• Hu Ding claimed the Grand Academicians had abandoned the rescue and that the barbarians planned to kill only the commanders and Hanlin Academicians.
• The Deer Gate Marquis rallied his soldiers to fight, and Xun Tianling shattered Hu Mu's enchantment with Tongue Blossoms Thunder.

Zhang Longxiang’s two books spread across the Literary World and the human kingdoms as the Kong Family, rulers, and officials promoted them for different reasons. Near Pearl City, Fang Yun’s power gathered beneath a sealed aura while Xun Tianling repelled the Fox Race’s demonic arts, frustrating the Barbarian Kings.

• Teachers in the Zhao Kingdom distributed Zhang Longxiang’s Book on Teaching Children and New Poetry Collection and Commentary, and the books spread rapidly through the kingdoms.
• Zong Ganyu persuaded the Ritual Hall to promote both books, while the Qing Kingdom made them school texts and Jing Kingdom officials sold them under Liu Shan’s quotas.
• The Kong Family urged its members to buy the books, and rulers and officials across the kingdoms encouraged their sale.
• Su Lun sensed Fang Yun’s primal energy compressing and growing vastly stronger before Fang Yun’s aura disappeared and he looked like an ordinary sleeper.
• Xun Tianling dispelled the Fox Race’s demonic arts with a rebuke, and Hu Mu demanded that Xiong Bei, Lang Dan, and Xiang Ba explain why they had not defeated their opponents.