Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke taught the Water Dragon Turtle Rhyming Pairs, prompting the turtle to break through, and discovered a clever wild fish who could mimic the poem’s rhythm. He named her Lin Yu'er and accepted her as his personal disciple as they continued across Cloud Dream Marsh.

• Lin Ke taught the Water Dragon Turtle Rhyming Pairs, and the turtle gained insight and began breaking through.
• Lin Ke noticed a blue-black fish mimicking the cadence of the Rhyming Pairs with bubbles and recited the poem for her again.
• The fish awakened her intelligence, spoke to Lin Ke, and agreed to follow him to the human world to seek insight into the sages' Dao.
• The Water Dragon Turtle completed his breakthrough and scolded the fish before Lin Ke explained that he had invited her.
• Lin Ke named the fish Lin Yu'er and accepted her as his personal disciple, then continued the journey with her and the Water Dragon Turtle.

Lin Ke traveled across Cloud Dream Marsh on the Water Dragon Turtle, teaching him and Lin Yu'er through music and stories as their friendship grew. Near shore, fishermen approached, and Lin Ke prepared to meet them while leaving Lin Yu'er behind with a paperweight for protection.

• Lin Yu'er accompanied the Water Dragon Turtle's recitation with bubbles, and the two quickly became friendly.
• Lin Ke played Three Variations on the Plum Blossom, drawing fish and birds around the Water Dragon Turtle as distant demons watched but did not interfere.
• Lin Ke shared fables and the teachings of sages with the Water Dragon Turtle and Lin Yu'er, helping the fish learn to speak fluently and the turtle begin to understand the human Sacred Path.
• After nearly two days of travel, Lin Ke and the Water Dragon Turtle reached the shore, where fishermen approached in boats.
• Lin Ke told the Water Dragon Turtle to approach calmly, asked Lin Yu'er to wait, and gave her a paperweight to protect herself.

Lin Ke gave Lin Yu'er a red bead containing literary qi and arrived at Turtle Village, where he learned that fear of the demon disaster in Jiangning Prefecture had spread to the surrounding region. He told the villagers that Cloud Dream Prefecture was safe and revealed that he was heading to Jiangning Prefecture to subdue the demon.

• Lin Ke gave Lin Yu'er a red bead with literary qi, and the little fish swallowed it before returning to the water.
• Lin Ke asked the fishermen where he was and learned that the place was Turtle Village.
• Old Wu told Lin Ke that villages feared the demon disaster in Jiangning Prefecture and were pooling money to hire guards.
• Lin Ke explained that Cloud Dream Prefecture was currently safe, though Old Wu did not seem convinced.
• The villagers admired the Water Dragon Turtle and discussed its size and meat after it introduced itself as Lin Ke's tamed beast.
• Lin Ke asked Old Wu for directions to Jiangning Prefecture and said he was going there to subdue the demon.

Lin Ke received a map and travel provisions from Turtle Village as he prepared to journey to Jiangning Prefecture to fight demons. Moved by Old Wu’s support and donation, Lin Ke decided to leave him a piece of calligraphy written in a script he named Lin Style.

• Old Wu told Lin Ke that his eldest son and several village youths had gone to Jiangning Prefecture and had not returned, then arranged for Zheng Shiliu to provide Lin Ke with a map.
• Lin Ke went ashore with the villagers and learned from Zheng Shiliu about Turtle Village and its trade in softshell turtles.
• Old Wu gave Lin Ke a map and a jar of turtle jelly, then escorted him out of the village.
• Old Wu offered Lin Ke a bundle of silver to support his journey and spoke of his admiration for righteousness and Lin Ke’s abolition of the old rites.
• Lin Ke accepted the silver and brought out a table, chair, and writing supplies, then announced that he would write a piece in his new script, which he called Lin Style.

Lin Ke wrote inspiring maxims for Old Wu and Zheng Shiliu, using his scholarly treasures to gather literary qi and stirring their thoughts about age and ambition. He left the two writings behind and departed, while Old Wu and Zheng Shiliu remained absorbed until their families called them home.

• Old Wu and Zheng Shiliu admired Lin Ke’s scholarly bearing and agreed to receive calligraphy from him.
• Lin Ke described his literary treasures and wrote “Growing Stronger with Age, Never Surrender a White-Haired Heart,” causing winds and clouds to gather briefly without forming a manifestation.
• Lin Ke explained the maxim to Old Wu, encouraging him to keep learning if he wished, regardless of age.
• Lin Ke wrote Zheng Shiliu the maxim “The Poor Grow More Resolute, Never Abandon the Ambition to Soar,” then collected his belongings and left.
• Old Wu and Zheng Shiliu emerged from their absorbed state at moonrise, took their writings, and returned home after their families called for them.

Lin Ke reached Guangxing Prefecture while traveling toward Jiangning Prefecture to deal with a fierce demon attacking villages. After joining a gathering of cultivators who could not locate the demon, he accused someone in the Imperial Court of covering up the attacks.

• Lin Ke rode the Sand-Particle Sword for a day and a night before reaching Guangxing Prefecture.
• Deputy Prefect Ji Yuantong invited Lin Ke to stay at his residence and discuss slaying the demon.
• Lin Ke entered the city through its protective formation and joined six cultivators discussing the demon's attacks.
• The group reported that the third-realm demon had attacked across six prefectures, moved quickly, and remained undetected despite a divination.
• Lin Ke suggested that someone in the Imperial Court was backing the demon and condemned the silence surrounding the slaughtered villages.

Lin Ke joined a group of cultivators preparing to hunt the fierce demon that had slaughtered villages across Guangxing Prefecture. As they left the prefectural city, the refugees fleeing to safety reminded them of the people they had sworn to protect.

• Lin Ke revealed his righteous Confucian thought, and Ji Yuantong praised his courage before Lin Ke asked what Confucian branch the demon cultivated.
• The group explained that divination, the History School, and the Medical School had failed to find the demon, while the Prefect was away investigating in Jiangning Prefecture.
• Lin Ke agreed to accompany the cultivators when they set out to hunt the demon later that day.
• Lin Ke learned about his companions over a meal, including a monk from Spirit-Summoning Temple and scholars who had come to help protect villages.
• Ji Yuantong escorted the group outside the city, where they saw roads crowded with people seeking refuge, and Lin Ke reflected that scholars must protect them.

Lin Ke joined a group of cultivators traveling from the prefectural city toward Jiangning Prefecture to hunt a cunning Third Realm Fierce Demon. As they traveled, the group discussed their abilities and praised Lin Ke’s reputation in the Imperial Capital, unaware that he was the very person they admired.

• Lin Ke and his companions bid farewell to Ji Yuantong and left the city to hunt the Fierce Demon.
• Wen Meng summoned a Zhuge Flying Carriage, and the group set off toward Jiangning Prefecture.
• Lin Ke showed the group Storm and learned that his companions specialized in medicine, mechanical puppets, protection, combat, and support.
• Lin Ke warned the group that the intelligent Third Realm Fierce Demon would be dangerous and difficult to find.
• The travelers asked Lin Ke about the Imperial Capital, and he described its powerful cultivators and thriving talent.
• Wen Meng, Wu, Gao, and the others praised Lin Ke as an incomparable prodigy, not realizing that he was speaking with them.

Lin Ke traveled toward Jiangning Prefecture with scholars, a monk, and Daoists, while they discussed his reputation and the landscapes of their homelands. As they reached a region devastated by a hidden fierce demon, Lin Ke blamed the Imperial Court’s secrecy and inspired his companions to speak fearlessly about the villains responsible.

• Monks, Daoists, and Confucian scholars praised Lin Ke’s standing as the Buddhist Heir and Dao Heir, while Lin Ke redirected their conversation toward Wen Meng’s hometown.
• Wen Meng described Wuchang Prefecture’s scenery and food, and the travelers shared stories about their own homelands.
• As the group entered Jiangning Prefecture, they found the countryside deserted and learned that a fierce demon had driven the region into panic.
• Lin Ke concluded that the Imperial Court’s blocked information channels had helped conceal the demon’s attacks, and he considered how the Great Wilderness Newspaper Office could spread news.
• The scholar surnamed Wu urged the group to discuss villains within the Imperial Court, and the monk, Daoist, and young Daoist declared they were prepared to risk their lives.

Lin Ke and his companions discussed who had suppressed reports of a village massacre before the City God tried to stop them from entering sealed Jiangning Prefecture. Despite learning that other young talents had died seeking the Fierce Demon, they insisted on going in and Lin Ke declared that they had nothing to fear.

• Wen Meng suspected officials in the Punishments Department or Demon Department had suppressed the report, and Lin Ke argued that the Punishments Department was most likely responsible.
• The City God stopped Lin Ke and his companions, explaining that Jiangning Prefecture was sealed and that several groups of young talents had already perished searching for the Fierce Demon.
• Wen Meng and the others refused to turn back, each affirming their resolve to slay the demon despite the danger.
• Lin Ke released his Confucian thought and told the City God that finding the demon required reason and determination, not cultivation, and that they did not fear dying for their path.

Lin Ke released his righteous Confucian thought to draw the fierce demon out and steady Jiangning Prefecture’s people. Wu Jun proposed using Lin Ke and the scholars as bait, and Lin Ke agreed, declaring that he would slay the demon himself.

• Lin Ke openly released his aura, prompting the City God to realize he was provoking the fierce demon and hoping to lure it into an ambush.
• The City God returned to report to the Prefect, while Lin Ke learned that Great Wei had no formal hierarchy or Underworld for the dead.
• Wu Jun proposed that Lin Ke and the scholars wait in the wilderness outside the prefectural city as bait for the fierce demon.
• Wen Meng and the other scholars volunteered to join Lin Ke, despite the danger and their lack of powerful Confucian thought.
• Lin Ke accepted the plan and vowed to slay the fierce demon himself.

Lin Ke and his companions found a village whose elderly residents entrusted Wu Jun with a young herd boy and his beloved water buffalo, A Shui, to take to safety. As Lin Ke reassured the boy that they would care for them both, A Shui suddenly spoke and declared that he cultivated the Confucian Path.

• The group traveled to Azureglow Mountain, where Lin Ke explained its Daoist history and they chose to wait for the Fierce Demon.
• Wu Jun went to a nearby village and returned with a young herd boy and the boy’s water buffalo, A Shui, after the elders asked him to take them to the prefectural city.
• Wu Jun explained that most villagers were elderly and unable to flee, while the able-bodied adults were trapped in the prefectural city.
• The herd boy told Lin Ke that he wanted to study, and Lin Ke agreed to take him in.
• Wen Meng raised concerns about caring for the water buffalo, but Lin Ke promised the boy they would keep both him and A Shui safe.
• A Shui lifted his head and told Lin Ke that he was no Fierce Demon and cultivated the Confucian Path.

Lin Ke and the others learned that A Shui was a gentle buffalo demon who had gained sentience and protected Xiao'er, then reinforced their Pavilion while waiting for the Fierce Demon. Xiao'er repeated his former teacher’s mysterious saying, and Lin Ke offered to help find the teacher.

• A Shui revealed that he had gained sentience over ten years earlier and stayed with Xiao'er’s family because he wanted only to plow their fields.
• Lin Ke invited A Shui to wait outside the Pavilion and discuss the Dao with them while they awaited the Fierce Demon.
• Gao Yan strengthened the Pavilion with defensive poems, including “Ode to the Humble Abode” and “Impregnable Fortress.”
• Wen Meng asked Xiao'er about his lessons, and A Shui stopped him from revealing too much about the former teacher.
• Lin Ke offered to help Xiao'er find his teacher, and Xiao'er repeated the saying, “Even a feud ten generations old may still be avenged!”

Lin Ke explained Gongyang Confucianism’s doctrine of great vengeance, arguing that revenge required a just cause and a proportionate response. He ended by telling A Shui that vengeance must fall upon the killer alone.

• Lin Ke described how Gongyang Confucianism’s doctrine of vengeance had shaped the Han dynasty and cited teachings from Confucius and Mencius.
• Gao Yan, Wu Jun, Wen Meng, the monk, and the Daoists discussed what they knew about the Gongyang school.
• Lin Ke explained that benevolence and filial piety gave vengeance its moral foundation.
• Lin Ke told A Shui and Xiao'er that revenge required a fitting cause, a just principle, and a response proportionate to the wrong.
• Lin Ke concluded that vengeance must fall upon the killer alone.

Lin Ke exposed A Shui as the hidden demon who had slaughtered villages in revenge for his kin, and the group attacked him. A Shui revealed overwhelming power, leaving Lin Ke to realize he had reached the fourth realm.

• Lin Ke explained the limits of vengeance in Gongyang Confucianism, impressing the others with his learning.
• After Xiao'er and A Shui said their teacher had never taught them those principles, Lin Ke drew Storm and accused A Shui of being the village-killing demon.
• Lin Ke cited the spared village, the victims’ connection to A Shui’s kin, his concealed Gongyang Confucian cultivation, and his false claim to be in the first realm as evidence.
• Wen Meng knocked Xiao'er unconscious and unleashed second-tier mechanical owl puppets as the group prepared to attack A Shui.
• A Shui released a crushing wave of demonic aura and revealed his true strength, which Lin Ke identified as the fourth realm.

A Shui confronted Lin Ke and the others on Azureglow Mountain, explaining that he had become a bookman after avenging his buffalo kin. Lin Ke challenged his revenge and defended the laws governing awakened demons, but A Shui remained consumed by grief and hatred.

• A Shui repelled Wen Meng's mechanical beasts and resisted the Middle-Aged Daoist's fragrance, the monk's chant, and Wu Jun's protective poetry.
• A Shui said humans had slaughtered and eaten his parents and thirty-six kin, and explained that he had endured until he could take revenge and become a bookman.
• Lin Ke argued that A Shui's vengeance contradicted the Confucian Way and reminded him that demon law allowed awakened beings to register as human and required compensation to reclaim kin raised by others.
• A Shui acknowledged that his kin had been killed before gaining intelligence and that demon laws were generous, but said he could not forget seeing his parents' flesh and blood eaten.
• A Shui declared that he would surrender his body to repay his mother's kindness in giving him life.

Lin Ke fought A Shui, whose revenge had driven him to slaughter innocent people, and used poetry and righteous Confucian thought to empower Storm. The battle escalated as Lin Ke drew on the people’s wrath to form sword intent and sent Storm to cleave A Shui’s ox-shaped literary intent.

• Lin Ke rejected A Shui’s justification for massacring humans and attacked him with Storm.
• A Shui summoned an Executioner’s Saber, but Storm damaged it in their clash and nearly reached A Shui’s eye.
• A Shui recited Confucian doctrine and formed a powerful ox-shaped phantom that knocked Storm away, revealing his potent revenge-driven literary intent.
• Lin Ke empowered Storm with his poems, while Wen Meng, Wu Jun, the Middle-Aged Daoist, and the monk moved to distract A Shui.
• A Shui unleashed the ox phantom against Storm as Lin Ke sensed the people’s wrath forming sword intent and ordered Storm to cleave the phantom.

Lin Ke fought A Shui while Wen Meng and the others fled to seek reinforcements. Sensing Jiangning Prefecture’s public will, Lin Ke entered an epiphany and began wielding the People’s Wrath Sword Intent against A Shui.

• Lin Ke and A Shui’s clashing attacks devastated the area around the Pavilion, and Wen Meng’s group could not intervene in their battle.
• Wen Meng led the others away and overloaded the Zhuge Flying Carriage to reach the Prefectural City for help.
• Lin Ke sensed the public will gathered by “Hear Thunder in the Silence” and linked his heart and mind with Storm.
• A Shui turned the intent of revenge onto himself and knocked Storm away, scattering its yellow sand form.
• Lin Ke reformed Storm into a blade, gathered People’s Wrath Sword Intent, and attacked A Shui as A Shui countered with his ox horns.

Lin Ke honed his sword intent while fighting A Shui and created the Azure Sun Demon-Slaying Sword Art. The chapter ended with A Shui standing calmly with a possible intent to self-detonate, while Lin Ke prepared to evade.

• Lin Ke reached unity of human will and human and sword intent as he fought A Shui on Azureglow Mountain.
• Lin Ke increased his attack speed to three hundred and sixty strikes per second, using the fight to hone his sword intent and strengthen his cultivation.
• Lin Ke’s blade cut off one of A Shui’s horns, forcing A Shui to drop to one knee and ask what sword art he had used.
• Lin Ke named the newly emerging technique the Azure Sun Demon-Slaying Sword Art.
• A Shui stood with a faint will to die, and Lin Ke suspected he might self-detonate and prepared to dodge.

A Shui faced execution after Lin Ke defeated him, but revealed that his late teacher was the father of the swordsman Xiao and shared beliefs tied to The Way of Kings. He challenged the humans gathered there to confront their own violence, leaving Lin Ke with new questions about Xiao and his father.

• A Shui refused to flee and told Lin Ke that his teacher had revered The Way of Kings, even as the prefect and his followers arrived to arrest him.
• The prefect questioned A Shui, who described a swordsman named Xiao and repeated his claim that his father's crimes could not be tolerated under heaven.
• Lin Ke recognized signs that the swordsman was Lin Xiao, the first owner of Storm, and asked whether A Shui's teacher had been Xiao's father.
• A Shui said his teacher had taught him Confucian teachings, vengeance, racial distinctions, and formations, then accused humans of hypocrisy and declared that they followed the human way rather than the sacred path.