Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun watched the Bright State Duke Residence while mastering his new Attaining Knowledge Realm abilities, then unleashed the True Dragon Ancient Sword and demolished the residence. An enraged old man in blue robes emerged from the ruins and demanded to know who had destroyed his home.

• The scholars recognized Fang Yun as Zhang Longxiang and speculated that a major event was coming, while Fang Yun watched the Bright State Duke Residence and the Qishan Marquis Residence.
• Fang Yun recalled how Gu Hong had attacked Zhang Jing'an over the Pure Medicine Edict and explained how advancing to the Attaining Knowledge Realm had enhanced his ability to analyze what he observed.
• Fang Yun stood at the window for two hours, practicing control over the knowledge-attaining skull until he could shut off its power.
• Fang Yun summoned the True Dragon Ancient Sword and struck the Bright State Duke Residence, collapsing its buildings and snapping its trees.
• An old man in blue robes flew out of the smoke on Walking the Blue Clouds and angrily demanded to know who had destroyed the Bright State Duke Residence.

Fang Yun confronted the Gou Household over its debts and defeated Gou Bao, collapsing his Literary Palace and destroying the estate. He then requested an audience at the royal palace, while the Ming State Duke protested his actions.

• Fang Yun flew from the Ji Family Restaurant toward the Gou Household after demanding that the people who struck Jing An face consequences within three days.
• The restaurant proprietor learned that a waiter had barred Fang Yun from going upstairs and angrily berated and kicked him.
• Gou Bao challenged Fang Yun and threatened him with the consequences of attacking a Grand Academician in Jingzhou City.
• Fang Yun’s True Dragon Ancient Sword shattered Gou Bao’s Auspicious Mountain Ancient Sword and collapsed Gou Bao’s Literary Palace.
• Fang Yun’s sword destroyed the buildings on the Gou Household estate, and he called out to request an audience at the Jingzhou Royal Palace.

Fang Yun left Ji Family Restaurant and entered the Chu King's palace, where the King questioned him about his father's alleged betrayal of humanity. The chapter ended with the King allowing Fang Yun to speak freely despite the Jing Commandery Prince's objections.

• Scholars at Ji Family Restaurant debated Fang Yun's intentions and feared the King of Chu might use the kingdom's power against him.
• The restaurant owner asked Fang Yun for permission to display his poem, and Fang Yun agreed; the owner then had the waiter kneel and thank him for sparing him punishment.
• The scholars agreed that Licentiate Liu would transcribe Fang Yun's poem and that they would record the events as witnesses.
• Fang Yun walked through the palace guards and entered the great hall, where the King of Chu waited with four Grand Academicians and the Jing Commandery Prince.
• The King of Chu recalled his and Zhang Longxiang's youth and asked why Zhang Longxiang's father had betrayed humanity; after the Jing Commandery Prince objected to Fang Yun's form of address, the King let him speak freely.

Fang Yun confronted the King of Chu over the deaths and injuries inflicted on his family and the plot to help Gou Bao transfer his assets. The King of Chu agreed to consider concessions, and Marquis Qingye proposed punishing powerful officials and reducing the ranks of the Qishan and Deer Gate marquis households.

• Fang Yun told the King of Chu he had come to demand answers for the peasant woman's death, Zhang Jing'an's injuries, and the transfer of Gou Bao's assets.
• The Jing Commandery Prince accused Fang Yun of committing grave crimes by destroying the Bright State Duke Residence and ruining Gou Bao, but Fang Yun dismissed the charges as pretexts.
• The King of Chu offered to put past grievances aside if Fang Yun admitted fault, while Marquis Qingye helped open negotiations.
• Fang Yun demanded that those responsible for the three matters be handed over and punished publicly according to the law.
• Marquis Qingye proposed punishing Pearl City's prefect and forcing Minister Yan to retire, and the King of Chu agreed.
• Marquis Qingye proposed reducing the noble ranks of the Qishan and Deer Gate households, and the King of Chu again agreed despite the other Grand Academicians' objections.

Fang Yun exposed the King of Chu as the true culprit and rejected his offer to reconcile. When the King invoked the Temple of Sages Seal and ordered Fang Yun seized, Heaven’s power turned the attackers’ weapons against them, and Fang Yun’s identity as the Void Sage was revealed.

• Marquis Qingye said the Jing Commandery Prince’s third son had conspired with Qishan Marquis, and the Jing Commandery Prince accepted blame and asked Fang Yun if the punishment was enough.
• Fang Yun pointed at the King of Chu and declared that he was the culprit, prompting the King to reveal thirty-seven concealed attackers.
• The King of Chu offered Fang Yun one last chance to join forces, then threatened to convict him and destroy his Literary Palace; Fang Yun refused and warned that the King had doomed the royal house.
• The King of Chu used the Imperial Jade Seal to invoke the Temple of Sages Seal and ordered the others to attack Fang Yun, but their Lip Spears and Tongue Swords stopped and turned toward their owners.
• The King of Chu and the Jing Commandery Prince recognized Heaven’s enforcement of the teacher’s authority as the Commentary on the Book of Changes withdrew, revealing Fang Yun as the Void Sage.

Fang Yun used his authority in Sage Kong's Literary World to punish the conspirators who had tried to kill him, then confronted the King of Chu over his repeated attacks and the harm done to Zhang Jing'an and innocent civilians. The King of Chu knelt and begged forgiveness, while the four Grand Academicians watched in shock and disappointment.

• Fang Yun killed thirty-seven Hanlin Academicians and Metropolitan Graduates with the Heaven's Teacherly Way after they begged for mercy.
• The King of Chu ordered the four Grand Academicians to stand down and offered to punish Gou Bao, the Deer Gate Marquis, and those who had beaten Zhang Jing'an, while promising to abdicate.
• Fang Yun explained that he had once intended to spare the King of Chu, but changed his mind after the king repeatedly plotted against him and endangered Zhang Jing'an.
• Fang Yun condemned the king for arranging the death of a farmer's wife after his subordinates arrested the couple who had hosted him in Pearl City.
• The King of Chu knelt before Fang Yun and begged forgiveness, leaving the four Grand Academicians shocked and disappointed.

Fang Yun rejected the King of Chu’s abdication as sufficient punishment and insisted on killing him for persecuting innocents and colluding with the barbarians. As Tu Zhaofeng tried to protect the king, Kong Qingnan appeared at his request to counsel Fang Yun.

• Fang Yun told the King of Chu and the four Grand Academicians that grave crimes could not be forgiven, and the academicians retreated as he approached the throne.
• Tu Zhaofeng arrived through a Great Temple Relocation and bowed deeply, asking Fang Yun to let the King of Chu abdicate and spare the Chu Kingdom further harm.
• Fang Yun argued that the people, not the king, were the Chu Kingdom’s true soul, and declared that he would kill the king to warn other rulers.
• Tu Zhaofeng warned Fang Yun that killing the king would provoke the Zong Family and other great families, but Fang Yun refused to change his mind.
• Tu Zhaofeng called on Kong Qingnan to persuade Fang Yun, and the powerful Kong Family Great Scholar appeared beside him.

Fang Yun rejected Kong Qingnan’s plea and killed the King of Chu, then took the throne and arranged for a new ruler. Tu Zhaofeng abandoned his opposition, and the Jing Commandery Prince asked Fang Yun to issue a command restoring order in Chu Kingdom.

• Kong Qingnan arrived and agreed to plead with Fang Yun for the King of Chu’s life, while Tu Zhaofeng and the four Grand Academicians bowed to him.
• Fang Yun refused to spare the King of Chu, and Kong Qingnan left after making his plea.
• Kong Qingnan restrained Tu Zhaofeng and the four Grand Academicians with the Temple of Sages Seal, while Fang Yun killed the fleeing King of Chu.
• Fang Yun sat on the throne and ordered the throne passed to the seventh son of the Prince of Wu Commandery.
• Tu Zhaofeng gave up opposing Fang Yun, and the Jing Commandery Prince asked Fang Yun to take the Chu Kingdom Jade Seal and issue a royal command.

Fang Yun seized control of the Chu Kingdom, installed a new king, and then returned to secluded cultivation, where he attempted to form a True Dragon Literary Platform. As unrest over Xiang Prefecture’s allegiance erupted, people began vandalizing Qing Kingdom businesses.

• Fang Yun used the Imperial Jade Seal to summon Jingzhou’s officials, execute the former King of Chu, appoint the Wu Commandery Prince’s seventh son as the new king, and reorganize the court.
• Fang Yun used the Temple of Sages’ Three Seals of Silence to prevent the officials from revealing that Zhang Longxiang was Fang Yun.
• The new King of Chu cleared the Pearl River Marquis’s lineage, rewarded Zhang Longxiang, and restored the Pearl River Army, while Zhang Longxiang announced his seclusion and disappeared from public view.
• The Sacred Academy announced that Fang Yun had returned from the Bloodmang Realm and advanced to Grand Academician, after which he reunited with his family and began secluded cultivation.
• Fang Yun tried to condense a True Dragon Literary Platform but struggled with repeated failures.
• On the Lantern Festival, people across Xiang Prefecture smashed and vandalized Qing Kingdom businesses while declaring their support for the Jing Kingdom.

Fang Yun learned of upheaval in Chu and Xiang Prefecture while focusing on his work in Ning'an City, then discovered Fang Daniu was troubled by a property dispute between his parents and the Lu Household. He agreed to help settle the matter despite Fang Daniu’s embarrassment.

• The new King of Chu purged the royal clan and officials, and the kingdom’s people increasingly looked to Zhang Longxiang as their spiritual leader.
• Fang Yun followed events in Xiang Prefecture through reports while concentrating on forging the True Dragon Literary Platform and writing History of the Ancient Demons.
• Fang Yun noticed Fang Daniu’s distress and asked what was wrong.
• Fang Daniu explained that his parents and the Lu Household disputed a strip of land, and his mother had fallen ill from the quarrel.
• Fang Yun recognized the Lu Household as Lu Zhan’s family and said he would try to resolve the dispute, then took out paper and a brush.

Fang Yun used a poem to reconcile the Fang and Lu households, then continued forging his True Dragon Literary Platform while conspirators plotted to draw him into Xiang Prefecture. He later traveled with Ao Qingyue to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and prepared to enter the Battle Realm, where Lei Zhongmo was believed to be.

• Fang Yun gave Fang Daniu the poem "Three-Foot Wall" to send to his parents, who demolished their wall and apologized to the Lu Household; the two families made peace.
• The magistrate of Ji County reported the reconciliation, and the court approved a commemorative archway honoring both households.
• Fang Yun declined invitations and continued forging the True Dragon Literary Platform while conspirators discussed using an appointment to Xiang Prefecture to trap him and reclaim the prefecture for Qing Kingdom.
• On the eleventh day of the second month, a dragon's roar shook the Sacred Academy; on the seventeenth, Fang Yun secretly traveled to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and met Ao Qingyue.
• Ao Qingyue explained that the Sea Eye led to the Battle Realm and confirmed that Lei Zhongmo had entered and not returned; Fang Yun prepared to enter.

The Sacred Academy’s selection of a leader for the Four Great Talents remained deadlocked as Great Scholars argued over the candidates and Fang Yun entered the Sea Eye. The chapter ended with Fang Yun arriving in a vast, battle-worn black hall.

• The Sacred Academy’s Talent Selection Hall continued its third year of meetings without reaching agreement on how to rank the Four Great Talents.
• The Great Scholars argued over whether to select the talents anew, appeal for Sage Judgment, or name Lei Zhongmo or Yang Xuanye as leader.
• Lei Tingzhen defended Lei Zhongmo and threatened to Appeal for Sage Judgment if the selection remained unresolved.
• Fang Yun stepped into the Sea Eye at the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and arrived in a vast black hall filled with an intense will to battle.

Fang Yun entered Heaven-Splitting Hall and pushed through its increasingly dangerous trials, gaining strength from the Dragon Qi along the way. He reached the seven-thousand-li mark, where a vast sea of magma blocked his path.

• Fang Yun opened the gates into Heaven-Splitting Hall and saw that one participant had already died.
• Fang Yun entered the sea on his Water Throne and crossed storms and other hazards to reach the thousand-li mark, where he sensed Dragon Qi strengthening his body and weapons.
• Fang Yun ran across the plains, defeating the Demon Barbarians that attacked him along the way.
• At the two-thousand-li mark, Fang Yun entered a desert of rising heat and fought off swarms of demon insects while enduring quicksand and extreme temperatures.
• Fang Yun continued through the desert and safely reached the seven-thousand-li mark, where he faced boundless magma.

Fang Yun entered the Lava Land and crossed its molten terrain without using literary qi or literary guts, relying on careful observation and his body’s resilience. The water demon kings who had expected him to fail watched as he continued deeper without falling.

• Fang Yun reached the Lava Land and saw water demon kings struggling to swim through the lava.
• Fang Yun analyzed the lava and decided to cross it without using his protective powers so he could gain greater rewards.
• Seven water demon kings mocked Fang Yun behind his back as he stepped onto the lava.
• Fang Yun leaped between cooler patches of lava, burning his feet only superficially as they healed.
• The water demon kings argued over how Fang Yun was managing the crossing, and some began to admire him.
• Fang Yun continued running and leaping across the Lava Land while the water demon kings watched him avoid falling.

Fang Yun endured the Lava Land and Hail Land to strengthen his body, then entered Dragon Might Land in search of Lei Zhongmo. A Great Dragon King's aura struck him as soon as he arrived.

• Fang Yun crossed the lava barefoot, absorbing its power while his feet and body burned, then collapsed in the safe region at eight thousand li.
• After sleeping for three days, Fang Yun woke healed and stronger and entered Hail Land, where he endured hail that battered and wounded him.
• Fang Yun used Literary Guts to shatter supersonic hailstones and reached the nine-thousand-li safe region with many bones cracked.
• After four days of rest, Fang Yun woke stronger and entered Dragon Might Land, where he found no sign of Lei Zhongmo among the few Water Demon Kings.
• A huge dragon claw appeared overhead, and the Great Dragon King's aura gave Fang Yun a splitting headache and forced him to stagger backward.

Fang Yun endured the Great Dragon King's dragon might in Dragon Might Land and began recovering while four Water Demon Kings discussed his arrival. Sha Qu warned Lei Zhongmo that Fang Yun had become a Grand Academician and reached Dragon Might Land, leaving Lei Zhongmo visibly shaken.

• Fang Yun withstood the dragon might without using his literary guts and suffered only slight damage to his divine sense.
• Fang Yun used Dual-Mindedness to recite the Classics of the Sages and accelerate his recovery.
• Four Water Demon Kings spotted Fang Yun and decided Sha Qu should warn Lei Zhongmo about him.
• Sha Qu hurried through Dragon Might Land, passed the nine-thousand-nine-hundred-li barrier, and found Lei Zhongmo cultivating.
• Sha Qu told Lei Zhongmo that Fang Yun had become a Grand Academician and reached Dragon Might Land, shocking Lei Zhongmo.

Lei Zhongmo learned that Fang Yun was enduring Dragon Might without relying on Literary Qi or Literary Guts, but underestimated how quickly he was improving. Over twenty days, Fang Yun advanced through Dragon Might Land until only a thin layer of mist separated him from Lei Zhongmo.

• Sha Qu told Lei Zhongmo that Fang Yun had been driven back by Dragon Might, and Lei Zhongmo predicted Fang Yun’s Literary Palace was damaged.
• Lei Zhongmo declared that he would claim first place among the Four Great Talents and hoped to teach Fang Yun a lesson when they met.
• Sha Qu warned that fighting Fang Yun was dangerous because he was a Literary Star Dragon Noble, then left the Heaven-Splitting Hall.
• Fang Yun repeatedly entered Dragon Might Land and recovered in shorter periods, while three Water Demon Kings watched his progress.
• Over twenty days, Fang Yun advanced to the nine-thousand-eight-hundred-mile mark, leaving only a thin layer of mist between him and Lei Zhongmo.

Fang Yun pushed through the Dragon Might Land to the 9,900-li mark, while Demon King Gui Cong’s betting pool left most of the Water Race Demon Kings out of pocket. Lei Zhongmo waited near the final stretch as Gui Cong proposed a new wager on who would pass 10,000 li first.

• Fang Yun reached the 9,800-li mark and fell asleep as more than twenty Water Race Demon Kings gathered around him.
• Demon King Gui Cong opened a betting pool on whether Fang Yun could cross the next hundred-li stretch within five days, and the Demon Kings placed their bets.
• Fang Yun entered the Dragon Might Land, endured its pressure without using literary qi or literary guts, and repeatedly retreated to recover before advancing.
• Four days later, Fang Yun reached the 9,900-li mark, smiled at Lei Zhongmo, and collapsed asleep again.
• Gui Cong paid the Demon Kings who had bet on Fang Yun, then proposed a new wager on whether Fang Yun or Lei Zhongmo would pass 10,000 li first.

Fang Yun repeatedly endured the Dragon Might in the Heaven-Splitting Hall without using his literary power, gradually advancing farther across the grassland as Lei Zhongmo watched. Meanwhile, Zong Ganyu and Lei Tingzhen plotted against Fang Yun, and Liu Shan’s faction worried that he might gain sweeping authority over Xiang Prefecture and Jiangzhou.

• Fang Yun accepted Gui Cong’s wager and began crossing the Dragon Might grassland using only his body and Divine Sense, repeatedly suffering injuries as he was thrown back.
• After many days of training, Fang Yun advanced five li across the grassland, astonishing the Demon Kings and Lei Zhongmo.
• Lei Zhongmo offered to advise Fang Yun, but Fang Yun ignored him and continued his training.
• Zong Ganyu and Lei Tingzhen discussed Zhang Longxiang’s literary contest with Fang Yun and planned to damage Fang Yun’s reputation while securing Lei Zhongmo’s position among the Four Great Talents.
• At the Talent Selection Hall, Great Scholars and Grand Academicians continued arguing over the Four Great Talents without reaching a decision.
• Liu Shan learned that Jiang Hechuan might propose making Fang Yun governor-general of Xiang Prefecture and Jiangzhou, and feared Fang Yun would wield overwhelming power.

Fang Yun continued tempering himself in the dragon might while Lei Zhongmo challenged him to a series of contests. Fang Yun’s True Dragon Ancient Sword defeated Lei Zhongmo’s Twin Flood-Dragon Ancient Sword, and Lei Zhongmo began a second contest with Summoning-Soldier Poetry.

• Fang Yun advanced through the dragon might until he came near Lei Zhongmo, who challenged him to spar.
• Lei Zhongmo unleashed his Twin Flood-Dragon Ancient Sword against Fang Yun.
• Fang Yun summoned his True Dragon Ancient Sword, which suppressed and defeated the Two-Headed Poison Flood Dragon.
• Fang Yun walked past Lei Zhongmo without looking at him as their ancient swords continued fighting overhead.
• Lei Zhongmo turned to Fang Yun and challenged him to a second contest using Summoning-Soldier Poetry.