Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke planned Chaoyang Commercial Entertainment Complex, assigning comics, webnovels, milk tea, escape rooms, and basketball performances to people he knew. He decided to develop Chaoyang Street through culture, art, creativity, and novelty rather than technology.

• Lin Ke chose Wang Lin to create comics and planned to teach Chen Pingping and Chen An to write webnovels.
• Lin Ke assigned Shopkeeper Tong and Bai Zhantang to sell milk tea and other drinks.
• Lin Ke planned an escape-room business with Li Chungang and Butcher Zhang, using their shops and cellar as part of its route.
• Lin Ke proposed dividing the Song-Listening Entertainment House into conventional performances and basketball performances featuring women.
• Lin Ke named the overall venture Chaoyang Commercial Entertainment Complex and settled on developing Chaoyang Street through cultural and artistic businesses.

Lin Ke explained his comics, novels, and escape-room plans to Minister Qi, who praised his independence and urged him to value the people and things that matter over power. Lin Ke revealed that he wanted to create not merely an industry but “A Tide of Ideas.”

• Minister Qi visited Lin Ke, admired his calligraphy, and asked about the comics and escape rooms he was planning.
• Lin Ke explained his ideas, and Minister Qi praised them as a way to earn money and support oneself.
• Minister Qi told Lin Ke that people should follow their hearts, explaining that power and money mattered because they protected one's life and loved ones.
• Minister Qi used his Great Confucian's Daoic Voice to clear Lin Ke's thoughts and praised the residents of Chaoyang Street, including Li Chungang, Wang Lin, Shopkeeper Tong, and Butcher Zhang.
• Lin Ke clarified that his ambition went beyond earning money and announced that he wanted to create a Tide of Ideas.

Lin Ke explained his plan to awaken the people's wisdom and transform the dynasty, earning Minister Qi's support and warning to keep his ideas off paper. Prince Jingang then gave Lin Ke a Golden Crow wing feather that would summon him whenever Lin Ke needed help.

• Lin Ke told Minister Qi that changing thought and breaking barriers of status were the first steps toward strengthening the dynasty.
• Minister Qi burned Lin Ke's writings, urged him to keep such ideas off paper, and pledged his support while reminding him to defeat Qi Ye in forty days.
• Minister Qi backed Lin Ke's plans for Chaoyang Street and vanished.
• Jingang told Lin Ke that Jinganglang needed phoenix blood from Kunning Palace to be reborn.
• Jingang gave Lin Ke one of his wing feathers and promised it would summon him to help.

Lin Ke received the Golden Crow Wing Feather from Jingang, then discussed with Li Chungang how his reputation as a Great Confucian could help their plans. Li Chungang revealed he belonged to the History School and offered to pass his legacy to Lin Ke, who remained surprised that he could join another school while already a Confucian.

• Lin Ke heated Jingang’s Golden Crow Wing Feather, received it as a gift, and watched Jingang depart.
• Li Chungang visited Lin Ke and explained that he could no longer openly sell blood tofu because his status as a Great Confucian would draw crowds.
• Lin Ke described his plan to use Li Chungang as an NPC in his arrangement with Minister Qi, and Li Chungang marveled at his insight.
• Li Chungang revealed that he was a Great Confucian of the History School and explained that its disciples should record the world.
• Li Chungang invited Lin Ke to join the History School and offered to pass on his entire legacy, explaining that the Hundred Schools were not mutually exclusive.

Li Chungang explained the debate over abolishing hereditary registry distinctions, and Lin Ke's defense of equal human worth evoked the voice of the Sacred Path. Lin Ke formally became Li Chungang's disciple, who then revealed the Sage Emperor faced two possible ways to address Great Wei's emerging internal troubles.

• Li Chungang explained how the Hundred Schools had been united under the Confucian Path and described the opposing factions debating whether to abolish registry distinctions and servile status.
• Lin Ke objected to judging whole groups by their registry and argued that people were born equal, prompting the voice of the Sacred Path to resonate.
• Li Chungang warned Lin Ke that the rival Sacred Paths of inherently good and inherently evil human nature had dangerous Half-Saint conflicts.
• Lin Ke declared that he could not accept darkness after glimpsing a lighthouse and the sun, and Li Chungang offered to support him and asked him to become his true disciple.
• Lin Ke knelt and accepted Li Chungang as his master, then listened as Li Chungang described two possible ways for the Sage Emperor to confront Great Wei's growing internal troubles.

Lin Ke and Li Chungang committed to proving that people of servile status should share in the Great Wei Sacred Dynasty’s path to the future rather than be sacrificed for a privileged few. Butcher Zhang joined them, and Lin Ke outlined how an interconnected network could spread new ideas and transform the dynasty; the three left the conversation eager to pursue his plan.

• Lin Ke told Li Chungang he would rather seek a breakthrough with the people of the Great Wei Sacred Dynasty than sacrifice those of servile status, and Li Chungang agreed.
• Lin Ke pledged to walk the same path as Li Chungang and put spiritual conviction ahead of wealth.
• Butcher Zhang arrived, and Li Chungang confirmed that he had joined their side; Butcher Zhang explained that a Great Confucian’s Threefold Silence had prevented him from publicly revealing he was a Demon Slayer.
• Butcher Zhang thanked Lin Ke for clearing his name in the Little Golden Crow Prince’s death investigation, and Li Chungang explained that Butcher Zhang secretly gave Demon Beast meat to poor people of servile status.
• Lin Ke explained his NPC idea and proposed novels, games, communications, shopping, logistics, and other services built around an interconnected network, which he called the internet.

Lin Ke’s plans for Chaoyang Street began drawing a crowd, and Constable Xing arrived to find the once-quiet street full of people eager to try its new shops and attractions. He was left baffled by the offerings and curious about what Young Master Lin had set in motion.

• Lin Ke reflected on the Sage Emperor’s dilemma over whether to exploit people of servile status or pursue a future that included everyone.
• Li Chungang and Butcher Zhang encouraged Lin Ke and promised to support his plans, while Lin Ke joked about Butcher Zhang’s enthusiasm for the escape room.
• Constable Xing headed to the Tongfu Grand Restaurant on his day off and was astonished by the crowd gathered at the entrance to Chaoyang Street.
• Constable Xing overheard visitors discussing milk tea, storybooks titled “Battle Through the Firmament” and “Resurrect, My Beloved,” the Immortal Realm Painting Studio, comics, and the escape room.
• As he listened to the crowd, Constable Xing became curious about Young Master Lin’s new ventures.

Constable Xing saw the cliffhanger comic Doraemon Cat displayed outside Wang Lin’s closed Immortal Realm Painting Studio and became desperate to learn what happened next. Inside, Lin Ke continued drawing while Wang Lin complained about his workload and his plans for more comics.

• Constable Xing received queue number 1,336 for milk tea and went to look around while he waited.
• Constable Xing and the crowd examined the four-panel Doraemon Cat comic, which ended just as the cat-eared maid introduced an Automatic Writing Pen.
• Constable Xing and the onlookers speculated about the comic, its mysterious tool, and when the Immortal Realm Painting Studio would reopen.
• Wang Lin stopped drawing and teased Lin Ke, but he kept working until she tried to kiss him as punishment.
• Lin Ke said he needed to draw more flagship comics, including Dragon Ball, Pokémon Beasts, and King of the Seas, and Wang Lin protested that he had already drawn for four hours.

Lin Ke and Wang Lin discussed the difficulty of writing novels before turning to drawing comics, and Lin Ke became absorbed in creating the first volume of Pokémon. The finished comic glowed as Wang Lin’s energy sustained it, then stopped glowing when Lin Ke drew Xiao Zhi returning to Pallet Town, sending an invisible disturbance outward.

• Wang Lin abandoned novel writing after Lin Ke suggested she write with Chen An, and happily returned to drawing her comic.
• Lin Ke struggled to draw with a soft brush and decided to make pencils and a hard-tipped pen when he got home.
• Wang Lin teased Lin Ke when he paused, while she drew Doraemon Cat and he began drawing Pokémon.
• Lin Ke drew Pokémon at extraordinary speed, completing its first volume in two hours as the pages glowed and Wang Lin’s energy flowed into him.
• The comic stopped glowing when Lin Ke drew Xiao Zhi returning to Pallet Town, and an invisible disturbance spread outward.

Lin Ke finished drawing a scene that triggered reactions across the beast-taming sects, which recognized it as a new Beast-Taming Great Dao associated with Xiao Zhi and an Electric Mouse. Lin Ke remained unaware of the uproar as someone behind him marveled at his work and asked whether he was a reincarnated Dao Venerable or Buddha.

• Sect Master Wang returned to the Beast-Taming Studio with his friend Xiao and found disciples lounging among the animals, then tried to pass it off as an illusion.
• A pillar of light rose from the Beast-Taming Studio, and its Spirit-Striking Whip reacted to the emergence of a new Beast-Taming Great Dao.
• Beast-taming sects throughout the land sensed the phenomenon and learned that the prodigy was named Xiao Zhi and wielded an Electric Mouse.
• Lin Ke finished his drawing, exhausted by the effort and unaware that it had stirred the beast-taming world.
• Someone behind Lin Ke exclaimed at the drawing and asked whether Lin Ke was a reincarnated Dao Venerable or Buddha.

Lin Ke discovered that his first comic, “Pokémon,” had become a Rare Treasure capable of catching and housing living beings, drawing Wang Lin’s attention to its value to the beast-taming lineage. Wang Lin urged him to build strength and choose a cultivation path, leaving him to consider the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist schools.

• Lin Ke revealed that his “Pokémon” comic had become a Rare Treasure with the ability to catch living beings.
• Wang Lin recognized the comic as a potential Supreme Treasure of the beast-taming lineage and explained how beast taming had emerged from Zhuangzi’s teachings.
• Wang Lin praised the idea of treating captured creatures as partners rather than tools, then told Lin Ke that gaining strength mattered more than continuing to draw.
• Wang Lin warned that beast-taming sects might seek Lin Ke out and discussed the support and cultivation options offered by the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist schools.
• Wang Lin said she personally wanted Lin Ke to join the Daoist School but thought the Confucian School would suit him better, and Lin Ke was left to choose among the three paths.

Lin Ke weighed which cultivation path to choose, then asked Wang Lin to explain how cultivation worked. Wang Lin described the preliminary examination and the different schools’ realms before explaining that each path drew a different kind of qi into the body.

• Lin Ke considered the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist paths and wondered whether he could choose more than one.
• The system presented three choices, each granting a registry and barring Lin Ke from all other paths.
• Lin Ke noticed Shopkeeper Tong and Li Chungang nearby and suspected he needed to choose a path soon.
• Lin Ke asked Wang Lin what cultivation meant, and she explained that the preliminary examination assessed young people and recommended them to academies, sects, or temples.
• Wang Lin described the early realms of the Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Martial paths, then said cultivation meant drawing qi into the body, with each school drawing a different kind.

Wang Lin explained that qi came from practicing ideals within a Half-Saint’s created universe, and Lin Ke realized Pokémon could serve as a world where he tested his own system. Lin Ke described his vision of a society where everyone could live freely and safely, prompting Wang Lin to call him naive.

• Wang Lin told Lin Ke that he needed intangible qi and recommended the Confucian path to protect himself.
• Wang Lin revealed that Half-Saints could create universes and establish realms that operated according to their ideals.
• Lin Ke recognized that Pokémon was a small universe where he could put his ideas into practice and develop a new path.
• Wang Lin challenged Lin Ke to explain whether he could establish his own school and develop its qi.
• Lin Ke described a world where people could live freely, safely, and prosper through human-centered development.
• Wang Lin called Lin Ke naive after hearing his ideals of equality and freedom.

Lin Ke discussed his plans with Wang Lin, while Constable Xing visited the closed shops and read the story posted at the Hanging Mountain Tea Shop. The readers praised the tale and agreed to tip its handsome author.

• Wang Lin warned Lin Ke to distinguish the Evil Path from the Demonic Path and urged him to settle on his own path soon.
• Constable Xing visited the still-closed Immortal Realm Painting Studio and heard people speculate about its owner, Wang Lin.
• Constable Xing went to the closed Hanging Mountain Tea Shop and reread the posted story about Xiao Yan, whose broken engagement drove him to pursue strength.
• Constable Xing joined the young readers in praising Xiao Yan's character and complaining that the story was being written too slowly.
• The readers agreed to tip the handsome author, and several said they would send him silver.

Constable Xing toured Chaoyang Street, where several shops remained closed for renovations and new attractions appeared. The Immortal Realm Painting Studio reopened to a chaotic crowd, and the previous Confucian Path Zhuangyuan Ye Jun arrived only to be ordered to line up.

• Constable Xing read the escape-room tasks posted at Li Chungang's Blood Tofu Shop and watched a monk begin offering fortune-telling nearby.
• Constable Xing saw that the Song-Listening Entertainment House was closed for renovations and had posted a schedule of upcoming sports competitions.
• Pan Jinlian announced the release of the illustrated works 'Pokémon' and 'Doraemon Cat,' drawing a surging crowd eager to buy the limited gift sets.
• Ye Jun flew in, introduced himself as the capital's most handsome young scholar and the previous Confucian Path Zhuangyuan, and offered to buy three thousand sets and present Lin Ke with a plaque.
• Ye Jun tried to descend into the Immortal Realm Painting Studio but was sent flying backward when someone shouted, 'Get out and line up!'

Ye Jun restored order outside the Immortal Realm Painting Studio, where Constable Xing bought comics and learned that collectible cards could be exchanged for treasures and a poem from Lin Ke. Lin Ke watched the successful opening and revealed that his deeper goal was cultural export and stirring conflict between the Servile Status and Noble Registry.

• Ye Jun reappeared unharmed, and the crowd lined up to enter the Immortal Realm Painting Studio after witnessing his power.
• Constable Xing entered the renovated studio, bought the first volumes of Pokémon and Doraemon Cat, and mistook Wang Lin's cosplay for her true form.
• Wang Lin explained the card tiers, rewards, and three unclaimed Peerless cards, prompting Constable Xing to wish he could buy more comics.
• Pan Jinlian let the next customer in, who cried out at the sight of Doraemon Cat.
• Lin Ke watched the busy opening and revealed that he intended to export culture and inflame conflict between the Servile Status and Noble Registry.

Ye Jun gave Lin Ke a protective plaque, but Wang Lin dressed her disciple in a cat outfit and left him to serve customers while she took Ye Jun into the back room. The chapter ended with Wang Lin sketching a romance story starring Lin Ke and Ye Jun.

• Ye Jun visited Lin Ke and gave him a plaque that would deter ordinary greater demons from entering his home.
• Lin Ke offered to write Ye Jun a poem, prompting Ye Jun to question whether poetry came easily to him.
• Wang Lin arrived, teased Lin Ke about kissing her, and accused Ye Jun of flirting with her disciple.
• Wang Lin dressed Lin Ke in cat ears and a tail, then sent him out to greet customers while she dragged Ye Jun into the inner room.
• Wang Lin began drawing a romance story about a catboy attendant and a well-endowed Zhuangyuan, with Ye Jun as the Zhuangyuan.

Wang Lin and Ye Jun discovered that a Plum Blossom Tree Spirit had accused Lin Ke of cutting down its kin. Ye Jun challenged the spirit’s account and accused it of neglecting the other plum trees before blaming Lin Ke.

• Wang Lin and Ye Jun joked about naming a future painting studio before sensing a powerful angry aura near Lin Ke.
• A second-realm Plum Blossom Tree Spirit confronted Lin Ke and accused him of felling the plum trees on the western hill.
• Lin Ke realized that his past chores had included chopping down the spirit’s kin and apologized, explaining that he had thought they were ordinary trees.
• The Plum Blossom Tree Spirit said the trees had been close to gaining sentience and accused Lin Ke of killing them without lawful grounds.
• Wang Lin questioned why the spirit had left the plum trees to wander, and Ye Jun accused it of taking the mountain’s spiritual energy and shifting blame onto Lin Ke.

After the plum tree spirit revealed that a head constable had ordered him to accuse Lin Ke, Lin Ke dealt with him and later visited Chen An, whose father remained unconscious. Chen An revealed his Half-Saint Yu Chu family inheritance and invited Lin Ke to join the Novelists' School, leaving Lin Ke surprised by his offer to share it.

• The plum tree spirit admitted that a head constable had told him what to say after Ye Jun frightened him into confessing.
• Lin Ke wondered whether Lord Qiu was behind the accusation, and Wang Lin asked how they should deal with the spirit.
• Lin Ke asked the plum tree spirit whether he could write, draw, or scare people, then worked through the day before Chen An summoned him.
• Lin Ke found Chen Pingping still unconscious and warned Chen An that the capital prefecture's Left Office might target them.
• Chen An revealed that his mother, Yu Xi, belonged to Half-Saint Yu Chu's clan and showed Lin Ke the copy of "Yu Chu's Miscellaneous Tales" he had inherited.
• Chen An invited Lin Ke to enter the Novelists' School with him, and Lin Ke was surprised that Chen An would share his family inheritance.

Lin Ke refused Chen An’s offer to take the book and urged him to keep writing, then visited Li Chungang and Butcher Zhang as they used their powers to print copies of Battle Through the Firmament. Lin Ke left encouraged by the prospect of bringing more webnovels to Great Wei.

• Chen An offered Lin Ke the book so he could draw qi into his body first, but Lin Ke declined and encouraged Chen An to write instead.
• Lin Ke went to Li Chungang’s backyard and found Li Chungang and Butcher Zhang making paper and binding printed novels with their powers.
• Lin Ke thanked Li Chungang and Butcher Zhang for their work, then said he was returning to practice his dance.
• Lin Ke saw the printed copies of Battle Through the Firmament and reflected on how the Great Confucian Printing Machine could bring countless webnovels back to life.