Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke and A Shui debated whether the Sacred Path belonged only to scholars, before A Shui dispersed his literary qi and died. Hua Qianjun thanked Lin Ke and his companions for ending the threat, then invited them to a banquet in Jiangning Prefecture.

• A Shui challenged the scholars’ claims about the Sacred Path, and Lin Ke explained that books showed heaven and earth through their writers’ eyes.
• A Shui released all his literary qi and died, ending the fierce demon’s rampage.
• Lin Ke wondered whether Lin Xuanji’s doppelganger had taught A Shui and Xiao'er, and what deeper purpose he had pursued.
• Hua Qianjun thanked Lin Ke for his help, and Lin Ke credited Wen Meng, Wu Jun, Gao Yan, and the others with assisting the investigation.
• Hua Qianjun invited everyone to his residence to celebrate, while Lin Ke returned with Wen Meng and the others.
• A monk bowed to Lin Ke and thanked him for saving the common people.

After A Shui’s death, the monk and Daoists left, while Lin Ke and his companions headed to the Prefect’s banquet. Lin Ke collected A Shui’s ox horn and offered Xiao'er two chances to challenge him in the future.

• The monk bowed to Lin Ke and the others on behalf of the disaster victims, then left to return to his temple; the two Daoists also declined the banquet and departed.
• Lin Ke picked up A Shui’s ox horn, and Wen Meng offered to carve it into a brush shaft for him.
• Lin Ke and the others boarded Wen Meng’s Zhuge Flying Carriage and discussed A Shui’s death and whether Xiao'er might resent Lin Ke.
• Xiao'er revealed he had been awake and listened to their conversation, then hid behind Wen Meng.
• Lin Ke told Xiao'er he could challenge him in one year and again in three years, offering to fulfill a reasonable condition if he lost.

Lin Ke reassured Xiao'er and let him choose a contest, while Wen Meng arranged for the boy to find work and urged him to think carefully before acting. After Prefect Hua Qianjun announced that the Fierce Demon had been slain, refugees began returning home, but their relief soon mingled with grief and resentment toward Chen Anping and the Imperial Court for arriving too late to save their loved ones.

• Lin Ke offered Xiao'er a contest, and Wen Meng told the boy he could work in her household and should consider every angle before making decisions.
• Xiao'er set aside thoughts of revenge and decided to think carefully about how to challenge Lin Ke at raising cattle.
• Prefect Hua Qianjun announced that Chen Anping and his companions had slain the Fierce Demon and told the people they could return to their villages.
• Refugees celebrated the demon's death and began heading home, while Lin Ke reflected on the people who had suffered during the crisis.
• A grieving woman and other refugees blamed Chen Anping, the Imperial Court, and officials for failing to stop the Fierce Demon sooner, and Lin Ke remained calm as the accusations spread.

Lin Ke used his Confucian Thought to stop the people of Jiangning City from directing their resentment at Chen Anping and learned that someone had been stirring up public will. He then rewarded a young man who had defended him and arrived at Prefect Hua Qianjun’s banquet, where he identified three possible suspects.

• Wen Meng questioned why Chen Anping had arrived so late, prompting Lin Ke to use his Confucian Thought to halt the crowd’s resentment and make many people repent.
• Lin Ke told Hua Qianjun that someone had been stirring up public will, and Hua invited him to the banquet to investigate the people capable of doing so.
• Lin Ke recognized Old Wu’s son among the young men who had defended him and offered him a Hardwood Pen in gratitude.
• The young man accepted the pen after Lin Ke promised he could repay it with a poem once he became a Third Realm Confucian Scholar.
• At Hua Qianjun’s banquet, Lin Ke spotted three scholars whose powerful Confucian Thought matched the prefect’s description of the possible culprits.

Lin Ke attended a banquet in Jiangning Prefecture, accepted the people’s plan to erect an honorary archway, and investigated the unrest caused by public resentment. He settled into seclusion on Azureglow Mountain while his Thousand Illusions Doppelganger arrived at Lord Ye Jun’s residence in the Imperial Capital for the Late Winter Literary Gathering.

• Hua Qianjun introduced Lin Ke to the officials from Jiangning and Guangxing Prefectures and told him the villages wanted to erect an honorary archway in his honor.
• Several scholars tried to arrange marriages for Lin Ke, but he declined and redirected Hua Qianjun’s attention to protecting villagers returning home.
• Hua Qianjun assigned the assistant prefect and associate prefect to address public anger, but Lin Ke found no clues about who had stirred up resentment.
• Lin Ke chose to remain in Jiangning Prefecture, built a thatched cottage at the old pavilion site on Azureglow Mountain, and moved in.
• Lin Ke’s Thousand Illusions Doppelganger arrived with Zhuge Li at Lord Ye Jun’s residence, and a guard hurried inside to report his arrival.

Lin Ke visited Gui Yunzhi’s residence and met several prominent young prodigies gathered there. The chapter left them together at a friendly gathering in the snowy martial training ground.

• Gui Yunzhi warmly welcomed Lin Ke, embraced him, and told his household to treat Lin Ke as they would treat him.
• Gui Yunzhi asked after Ye Jun, and Lin Ke explained that Ye Jun was away on business.
• Gui Yunzhi brought Lin Ke to the martial training ground, where several young talents were gathered.
• Huo Ran, Zhang Yuda, and Guan Fangyi introduced themselves to Lin Ke and exchanged friendly remarks with him.
• Gui Yunzhi introduced Lin Ke to the Sightless Monk, the Yaochi Saintess, and his younger brother, and the gathering continued in a relaxed mood.

Lin Ke met representatives of the great schools at a literary gathering, where several invited him to visit, teach, or create works for them. He agreed to visit Yaochi another day and left questions about trade and biological study for future consideration.

• Lin Ke met the Sightless Monk, the Yaochi Saintess, and the Little Scholar, who invited him to visit their respective institutions and activities.
• The Little Scholar teased the Yaochi Saintess, then Gui Yunzhi dragged him away after he asked to bathe in Yaochi too.
• Lin Ke accepted the Yaochi Saintess's invitation to visit another day after Huo Ran vouched for the bath's benefits.
• Zhang Yuda asked Lin Ke about opening trade between the Sage Domains and the Divine Land, and Lin Ke said the proposal needed further investigation.
• Zhang Yuda raised Lin Ke's writing on microorganisms, while Huo Ran and Guan Fangyi asked him for poetry and a novel.
• The Sightless Monk suggested composing poetry and exchanging couplets, then invited Lin Ke to give Buddhist lectures at Mingwang Temple.

Lin Ke and the others prepared a poetry contest, wagering a collection of spiritual treasures, but members of the Featherfolk Clan interrupted to challenge the humans’ literary reputation. The gathering ended with the rivals asking whether the humans dared accept their wager.

• Huo Ran proposed reciting a poem, and Zhang Yuda suggested they make the exchange more exciting by placing wagers.
• Guan Fangyi, Huo Ran, the Yaochi Saintess, the Little Scholar, the Sightless Monk, Gui Yunzhi, and Lin Ke each offered spiritual treasures as stakes.
• The group discussed the Sage Domain figures who had targeted Lin Ke, then returned to their good-natured preparations for the contest.
• The Featherfolk Clan mocked the humans’ literary talent and challenged them to include other races in the wager.
• The Featherfolk Clan asked whether the humans dared accept their challenge.

The Six Clans arrived at the Yunzhi Residence and insulted the humans, but their prodigies were quickly defeated by Huo Ran, Zhang Yuda, the Yaochi Saintess, Guan Fangyi, and the Sightless Monk. When the clans’ elders prepared to intervene, Lin Ke pointed his Bamboo Staff at them and ordered their heads off.

• A Featherfolk prince demanded to speak only with Human Prodigies, and Huo Ran severed his wing with Heavy Water Spear Intent.
• Huo Ran revealed that his ancestor had defeated the Featherfolk Royal Court and forced the Featherfolk King to submit to the Sacred Dynasty.
• Zhang Yuda’s poison ruined the Flowerfolk’s attempt to heal the Featherfolk, while the Yaochi Saintess intimidated a Merfolk woman and Guan Fangyi frightened a Deerfolk.
• The Sightless Monk shattered the Stonefolk’s arm with a single punch, and Gui Yunzhi stopped the Little Scholar from joining the fight.
• The Six Clans’ elders stepped forward after their prodigies were defeated, and Lin Ke pointed his Bamboo Staff at them and demanded their heads.

Lin Ke and the others allowed the Six Clans to stay for the Literary Gathering, where participants competed in poetry for stakes. After the Featherfolk prince recited a poorly received poem, Guan Fangyi answered with a stronger verse about snow nourishing the earth, though neither poem produced a Manifestation.

• The Other Races panicked at Lin Ke's phantom Imperially Sanctioned Staff, but Guan Fangyi persuaded him to let them attend the Literary Gathering and compete for stakes.
• Gui Yunzhi expanded the training grounds and made snow fall as the gathering began.
• The Featherfolk prince recited a poem about snow, and Huo Ran criticized it while requiring participants to put down stakes.
• The Featherfolk prince wagered a feather from a Golden Phoenix Divine Eagle, which Guan Fangyi wanted for his mount.
• Guan Fangyi recited a poem portraying snow as a maiden whose union with earth brought forth crops, and Lin Ke and the others praised it.

The Little Scholar silenced the Featherfolk with a poem that produced a powerful literary manifestation, settling the poetry contest in Guan Fangyi’s favor. As the Featherfolk’s gathering continued, Princess Jasmine of the Flowerfolk stepped forward to compete.

• An elderly Featherfolk proposed a draw between Guan Fangyi and the Featherfolk prince, while the Little Scholar angrily insulted them for dismissing Guan Fangyi’s poem.
• Lin Ke admitted he could try to produce a manifestation, but the Little Scholar recited a poem before he could act.
• The Little Scholar’s poem created a Hundred-Li Resonance Phenomenon, turning snowflakes into blades that shattered the paving tiles and leaving the Featherfolk speechless.
• The Little Scholar gave the Featherfolk prince’s discarded feather to Guan Fangyi, who accepted it.
• Princess Jasmine of the Flowerfolk rose into the air and announced that she wished to compete.

At the Literary Gathering, Lin Ke accepted the Six Clans’ proposal to hold individual contests and challenged them to compete with him in any Sacred Path. The Six Clans revealed that other Heavenly Prodigies awaited him, and Lin Ke declared that he would face them one by one.

• An elderly Flowerfolk woman proposed individual contests, and the Yaochi Saintess agreed to divide the space for them.
• Huo Ran, the Sightless Monk, Guan Fangyi, and Lin Ke each invited the Six Clans’ Heavenly Prodigies to compete in their areas of expertise.
• Lin Ke declared that he would compete in any Sacred Path and challenged the Six Clans to face him.
• The Featherfolk prince urged the Six Clans to compete, while the Featherfolk elder explained that other Heavenly Prodigies beyond the princes and princesses awaited Lin Ke.
• Lin Ke agreed to enter whichever contest he chose and vowed to battle the Six Clans’ challengers one by one.

Lin Ke entered a contest against the Six Clans’ hidden geniuses and challenged Deerfolk archer Adona to a speed-shooting match. Adona fired 253 arrows in ten seconds and left claiming a narrow victory, while Lin Ke had not yet taken his turn.

• The princes and princesses and the Six Clans’ hidden geniuses entered separate spaces to compete, while Lin Ke chose to face the hidden geniuses first.
• Lin Ke entered Adona’s space and cut off the Deerfolk youth’s tale of his past to ask what they would compete in.
• Adona challenged Lin Ke to archery, and Lin Ke chose shooting speed over accuracy.
• Adona used a two-hundred-stone Spirit Bow to fire 253 arrows in under ten seconds, hitting the same spot each time.
• Adona left saying he would tell everyone he had won by a hair, leaving Lin Ke baffled.

Lin Ke defeated Adona in an archery speed contest by firing 320 arrows in one second with the Chopping Wood Method. He invited Adona to the Lin Residence, stirring unease among the Deerfolk, and left Adona eager to learn from him.

• Lin Ke rejected Adona’s claim of victory and prepared to shoot.
• Lin Ke fired 320 arrows in one second, surpassing Adona’s record and leaving him stunned.
• Adona realized Lin Ke’s talent far exceeded his own and dissolved the contest’s space.
• The Deerfolk reacted with disbelief and fear when they saw Adona had lost.
• Lin Ke invited Adona to visit the Lin Residence and offered to teach him, darkening the burly Deerfolk man’s expression.

Lin Ke faced Bai Qingqing, a Gu Tribe prodigy seeking to escape a marriage alliance, and used the Encyclopedia of Biology to mutate her mosquito Gu during their contest. After witnessing the power, Bai Qingqing asked to become his disciple, and Lin Ke agreed subject to an assessment.

• Bai Qingqing asked Lin Ke to save her from being married to the Miao Frontier High Priest's grandson, but he refused to interfere.
• Bai Qingqing offered herself to Lin Ke, then challenged him to direct combat when he declined to help.
• Lin Ke used Genetic Mutation from the Encyclopedia of Biology to alter Bai Qingqing's mosquito Gu, killing many and changing others before he subdued the swarm.
• Bai Qingqing asked Lin Ke to teach her the power and then requested to become his disciple.
• Lin Ke agreed to consider Bai Qingqing for his tutelage after an assessment and learned her name.

Lin Ke refused to accept Bai Qingqing as his disciple until she passed his assessment, while the Gu Tribe decided her connection to him could benefit their emergence into the world. The other clans reconsidered their strategy and looked for a way to turn their likely defeats into ties with Lin Ke and the other powerful young talents.

• Lin Ke left the assessment with Bai Qingqing, who told the Six Clans she had sought to become his disciple to study the biological Sacred Path.
• Lin Ke said he had not accepted Bai Qingqing and would consider her only after she passed his assessment, then headed to the next space.
• The Six Clans argued over Bai Qingqing's request, and she rebuked a tribesman who criticized her by citing her coming marriage into the Miao Frontier High Priest's household.
• The Gu Tribe's representative said Bai Qingqing's connection to Lin Ke could give the tribe a powerful backer and planned to report the matter to the Gu King.
• The Gu Tribe's representative urged the clans to present their emergence as an opportunity to build relationships with Lin Ke and other prodigies, even if their contestants lost.

Lin Ke defeated the Featherfolk Heavenly Prodigy, then entered a cooking contest with the Stonefolk Heavenly Prodigy, Shi Polie. As Lin Ke began making tomato and egg stir-fry, Shi Polie watched with suspicion and excitement.

• The Featherfolk elder scolded the Featherfolk Heavenly Prodigy for challenging Lin Ke, and the Featherfolk prince and elder apologized to Lin Ke.
• The Gu Tribe uncle exchanged smiles with the Featherfolk elder and privately regarded Bai Qingqing as a bargaining chip in his clan's marriage plans.
• Lin Ke entered the next space and met the Stonefolk Heavenly Prodigy, who challenged him to cook a delicious dish he had never tried.
• Shi Polie brought out his cooking utensils, and Lin Ke selected tomatoes and eggs from his Spatial Ring.
• Lin Ke began cooking tomato and egg stir-fry for the contest.

Lin Ke won over the Stonefolk and Flowerfolk prodigies with cooking and cultivation knowledge, then faced a Merfolk prodigy in the Dao of lyrics. His response to her song formed a Ten-Thousand-Li Chant, giving the Six Clans a celebrated sign of their emergence into the world.

• Lin Ke cooked stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, and Shi Polie conceded and begged to become his disciple.
• Lin Ke invited Shi Polie to visit the Lin Residence, while the Stonefolk representative agreed to exchange culinary insights with him.
• Lin Ke defeated the Flowerfolk Heavenly Prodigy by revealing knowledge of grafting and propagation.
• Lin Ke entered the Merfolk Heavenly Prodigy's space and heard her sing a lyric challenging him in the Dao of lyrics.
• Lin Ke's literary response formed a Ten-Thousand-Li Chant, delighting the Six Clans.

Lin Ke recited “Green Jade Table: Lantern Festival Eve,” and its literary qi carried the lyric across the world, securing his victory in the contest. Su Liuli took comfort from its words, while the manifestation revealed that the lyric could conceal people.

• Su Liuli recited an impromptu lyric about her longing for love and asked Lin Ke whether he still believed in it.
• Lin Ke affirmed his belief in love, then recited “Green Jade Table: Lantern Festival Eve” and suggested Su Liuli might have overlooked someone who quietly supported her.
• The lyric’s literary qi shattered the small space and broadcast its verses throughout the world, astonishing the Six Clans and deciding the contest in Lin Ke’s favor.
• Huo Ran, Guan Fangyi, Zhang Yuda, the Yaochi Saintess, the Sightless Monk, and the Little Scholar reacted to Lin Ke’s lyric, while Gui Yunzhi praised his potential to become a Poetry Sage and Lyric Sage.
• Su Liuli thanked Lin Ke and returned to her group as the lyric’s skyborne manifestation formed, revealing its power to conceal people.

Lin Ke’s lyric, “Green Jade Table: Lantern Festival Eve,” gave rise to lyric intent and impressed the Six Clans. After Lin Ke’s companions won the wagering contest, the clans surrendered six treasures, and the Gu Tribe man privately asked Lin Ke for an important favor.

• The Six Clans marveled at Lin Ke’s lyric intent, and the Merfolk Representative asked permission to preserve the lyric as a clan treasure.
• Lin Ke asked how his companions had fared, and they reported defeating their opponents at the Literary Gathering.
• Gui Yunzhi pointed out that the stakes were missing, prompting the Six Clans to produce two treasures apiece after their defeats.
• Gui Yunzhi declared the wagering contest over, and Lin Ke accepted six treasures while hoping the Six Clans would leave.
• The Gu Tribe man sent Lin Ke a voice transmission asking for an important favor.