Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke followed a fragrant scent through the jungle and found two First Realm leopards fighting over Monkey Wine. After the leopards attacked him, he apologized and revealed that he was more interested in their bodies.

• Lin Ke entered the jungle cautiously, captured a second Sausage Snake, and followed a sweet fragrance east.
• Lin Ke found a Golden Leopard and a Black Leopard arguing over Monkey Wine in a hollow tree.
• The Black Leopard spotted Lin Ke and attacked him, and the Golden Leopard joined in.
• Lin Ke dodged the leopards’ attacks, apologized, and said he was interested in their bodies.

Lin Ke defeated the spotted leopard and Dark-Gold-Eyed Leopard while seeking the Monkey Wine, then learned how the rare brew had been made. He captured the spotted leopard and considered whether he could produce Monkey Wine himself.

• Lin Ke struck the spotted leopard with his hammer and frightened the Dark-Gold-Eyed Leopard with his speed.
• Lin Ke chased down the Dark-Gold-Eyed Leopard, while the spotted leopard stayed behind and surrendered.
• Lin Ke returned and questioned the spotted leopard, who explained that a Water-Fire Jade-Patterned Monkey had brewed the Monkey Wine before dying.
• Lin Ke knocked out the spotted leopard and captured him in "Pokémon."
• Lin Ke examined the Monkey Wine and considered trying to mass-produce it.

Lin Ke questioned the Golden Leopard about the island’s demons and treasures, then set off to capture a snake demon with an ancient bloodline. Meanwhile, Lin Ke No. 2 finished the Pokémon comic, drawing a crowd to Lin Ke’s residence, where Constable Xing turned away a middle-aged man and a green-clad maid.

• Lin Ke summoned the Golden Leopard, learned that the Mountain Giant Banyan ruled the island through demon lords and annual tribute, and heard that demons could attend its lectures on the Great Dao.
• The Golden Leopard told Lin Ke about creatures with unusual bloodlines and pointed out a snake demon that could spit Ink Juice.
• Lin Ke rode the Golden Leopard into the jungle to find the snake demon.
• Lin Ke No. 2 finished the Pokémon comic, in which Xiao Zhi became the dynasty’s champion Pokémon Trainer.
• A middle-aged man and a green-clad maid hurried to Lin Ke’s crowded residence, but Constable Xing told them Lin Ke was not receiving visitors.

Lin Ke welcomed his Beast-Taming Sect teacher while a crowd of fans gathered outside his home. After entering with a green-clad maid, the teacher grew serious and began to explain why he had come.

• Constable Xing told Lin Ke that his teacher from a Beast-Taming Sect had arrived without an appointment.
• Lin Ke opened the door and drew the attention of the crowd waiting outside, who loudly praised him.
• Lin Ke announced that the final installment of "Pokémon" would go on sale the next day, then invited his teacher inside.
• The green-clad maid accused the teacher of having a strange fetish, but he covered her mouth and dismissed her as an unruly spirit beast.
• The teacher said he had come for a serious reason, but the chapter ended before he revealed it.

Lin Ke taught the sect master of the Beast-Taming Studio to distinguish between driving spirit beasts as slaves and mastering them as companions. The sect master realized the true nature of his path and released his spirit beasts, leaving Lin Ke stunned as they were free to leave.

• Lin Ke asked the sect master whether beast mastery meant commanding beasts or guiding them as equals.
• Lin Ke explained that trust and companionship could let a beast and its master overcome stronger opponents together.
• Lin Ke showed the sect master the bond between Xiao Zhi and Electric Mouse in "Pokémon" and questioned the sect’s reliance on numbers and powerful beasts.
• The sect master realized the Beast-Taming Path’s true meaning, summoned over a hundred spirit beasts, and told them they could stay or leave freely.
• Lin Ke was dumbfounded as he silently wished the departing spirit beasts would leave a few behind for him.

Lin Ke persuaded Wang Qingshan to embrace a beast-partnership path, and Wang named him its founding ancestor and leader. Wang then offered Lin Ke blood essence from a rare Mystic Jade Spirit Turtle, and Lin Ke proposed using the Life Breeding Technique to help it produce offspring.

• Lin Ke praised Wang Qingshan's spirit beasts for their loyalty, and Bi'er revealed her lizard form and affection for her master.
• Lin Ke offered to care for Wang Qingshan's spirit beasts, but they insisted they wanted to stay with Wang, who put them away.
• Wang Qingshan bowed to Lin Ke and declared him the founding ancestor and leader of the beast-partnership lineage.
• Wang Qingshan told Lin Ke about his friend’s Mystic Jade Spirit Turtle and promised to bring him some blood essence.
• Wang Qingshan explained that the turtle's bloodline aided plant aptitude and spirit herbs, but said its male specimen seemed impotent; Lin Ke suggested the Life Breeding Technique.

Lin Ke began explaining the Beast-Taming Path to Wang Qingshan, who formally became his disciple and recorded his teachings. Beneath the Plum Blossom Tree, Lin Ke declared that he would create a hundred methods for the path, and began laying out its foundations.

• Lin Ke told Wang Qingshan that beast taming was more than subduing beasts and that the Breeding Art was an important part of it.
• Wang Qingshan summoned writing treasures, asked to record Lin Ke's words, and performed a disciple's initiation rite before him.
• Lin Ke invited Wang Qingshan to sit beneath the Plum Blossom Tree with Bi'er and Little Wa, while Wu Daozi offered to paint them.
• Wang Qingshan revealed his Spirit Transformation power, drawing the attention of Butcher Zhang, Li Chungang, and others nearby.
• Wang Qingshan began recording Lin Ke's explanation with Rapid Writing as Lin Ke described the Beast-Taming Path as one of the great paths and announced his intention to create a hundred methods for those who came after.

Lin Ke dictated the vast Encyclopedia of Biology, a work that elevated the Beast-Taming Path and produced sweeping Manifestations across the Great Wei Sacred Dynasty. He credited Wang Qingshan as a contributing scribe, sharing the book’s standing with him despite the others’ objections.

• Lin Ke explained the Beast-Taming Path’s many fields, from selecting and breeding living things to taming and practical applications, while Wang Qingshan recorded his words.
• Wang Qingshan bound the thousands of pages into a book, and Lin Ke titled it Encyclopedia of Biology.
• Literary Qi poured into the book and created vast Manifestations of plants, animals, and natural landscapes across the Great Wei Sacred Dynasty.
• Wang Qingshan accepted that the book would be credited to Lin Ke alone and felt grateful for the chance to see the Beast-Taming Path advanced.
• Lin Ke wrote that Wang Qingshan was a contributing scribe, prompting Butcher Zhang, Li Chungang, and Matchmaker to urge him to erase the credit.
• Wang Qingshan asked Lin Ke to erase the words, and Lin Ke sighed and waved a hand at them.

The Grand Preceptor praised Lin Ke and offered him an audience with the Sage Emperor, while the Works Department sought permission to print his Encyclopedia of Biology throughout the realm. The Grand Tutor then challenged Lin Ke over his filial duties, and Lin Ke answered that he had observed them.

• Wang Qingshan thanked Lin Ke after Lin Ke explained why he had credited the people alongside him in the Encyclopedia of Biology.
• The Three Dukes and the court officials appeared above Lin Ke's courtyard, and the Grand Preceptor invited Lin Ke to enter the palace for an audience with the Sage Emperor.
• The minister of the Works Department asked to print and distribute a million copies of Lin Ke's encyclopedia, and Lin Ke agreed.
• The Grand Tutor asked whether Lin Ke had considered fulfilling his filial duties as he approached his coming-of-age ceremony.
• Lin Ke declared that he had observed his filial duties.

Lin Ke defied the Grand Tutor’s accusations of unfilial conduct and explained that he honored his mother, not Lin Xuanji, who had abandoned them. His blunt declaration provoked outrage among the officials, while Gongsun Hui challenged the Minister of Rites of the Punishments Department to a debate.

• The Grand Tutor accused Lin Ke of feuding with Lin Xuanji and threatened to revoke his Palace Examination and Dao Heir and Buddhist Heir assessments.
• Butcher Zhang defended Lin Ke with a shameless argument, while the Grand Tutor’s rebuke stirred dark clouds and fierce winds over the Capital City.
• Li Chungang stood up for Lin Ke, and Gongsun Hui revealed her identity as a Great Confucian of the School of Names and challenged the Minister of Rites of the Punishments Department to debate.
• Lin Ke declared that his filial piety was for heaven, earth, and his mother, recounting how Lin Xuanji had abandoned her and left him to fend for himself.
• The civil and military officials erupted in outrage, condemning Lin Ke’s declaration as treasonous and demanding that Lin Xuanji discipline his son.

Lin Ke defended his choice to honor his mother rather than submit blindly to his father, while officials aligned with Lin Xuanji demanded that he be barred from the Palace Examination. Shopkeeper Tong intervened against the Gods and Ghosts Department minister, and Wang Qingshan argued that Lin Ke’s achievements entitled him to compete.

• Lin Ke asked whether filial duty required him to obey his father, who wanted him dead, or his mother, who wanted him to live.
• Officials behind the Grand Tutor insulted Lin Ke’s mother and condemned him, while Lin Ke chose not to explain further.
• The minister of the Gods and Ghosts Department proposed stripping Lin Ke of his Palace Examination rights for failing to honor filial duty, and allied gods and ghosts supported the motion.
• Shopkeeper Tong stepped forward and challenged the minister, revealing Buddhist power that surprised the gathered officials.
• A bald monk recognized Shopkeeper Tong and called him a vile beast, but Kumarajiva stopped him from speaking further.
• Wang Qingshan declared that Lin Ke’s creative and scholarly accomplishments earned him a place in the Palace Examination.

Lin Ke’s bid for a Palace Examination Slot was interrupted by tax accusations, but Bai Zhantang revealed himself as the Third Prince and endorsed Lin Ke. The Grand Guardian silenced Bai Zhantang and left Lin Ke to decide whether the honors were worth pursuing.

• The Revenue Minister challenged Wang Qingshan over the Beast-Taming Studio’s unpaid taxes, stopping him from defending Lin Ke.
• Bai Zhantang transformed into the Third Prince and greeted the officials, while he and Lin Ke exchanged a private message.
• Bai Zhantang declared that Lin Ke deserved a Palace Examination Slot, the titles of Dao Heir and Buddhist Heir, and had the makings of a Zhuangyuan.
• The Grand Guardian ordered Bai Zhantang to establish a mansion and build a pavilion before appearing again, causing him to fall and revert to his waiter’s clothes.
• Left without support, Lin Ke questioned whether he should fight for the Palace Examination Slot and titles.

Lin Ke’s Encyclopedia of Biology drew Minister Qi and a gathering of military officers to his defense, and Half-Saint Jia Sixie became Lin Ke’s disciple before leaving with the book. As the officials reacted to the astonishing event, the Capital Prefecture Left Secretary confronted Lin Ke with more than seventeen hundred charges.

• Lin Ke asked Minister Qi whether his Encyclopedia of Biology was useful, and Minister Qi arrived with powerful military officers to support him.
• Minister Qi opened a spatial rift and summoned Jia Sixie, who asked Lin Ke to teach him the Biological Great Dao.
• Lin Ke agreed to teach Jia Sixie, who bowed to him, took the Encyclopedia of Biology, and left through a spatial rift.
• The officials were stunned that a Half-Saint had become Lin Ke’s disciple, while Lin Ke realized Jia Sixie had taken his Rare Treasure before he could inspect it.
• The Capital Prefecture Left Secretary stepped forward and asked Lin Ke to answer more than seventeen hundred charges.

Wang Lin returned during the officials’ attempt to ruin Lin Ke with over seventeen hundred charges and killed the Capital Prefecture Left Secretary with a bracelet. The ministers and officials erupted in outrage as the confrontation escalated.

• The Capital Prefecture Left Secretary accused Lin Ke of over seventeen hundred offenses, threatening his reputation and his chances in the Palace Examination.
• Wang Lin appeared beside Lin Ke, mocked him with lewd jokes, and asked the assembled officials how many she should kill.
• Officials argued over Wang Lin’s behavior and whether she had broken any laws.
• Wang Lin hurled a bracelet at the Capital Prefecture Left Secretary, and it broke through the officials’ defenses and shattered his skull.
• The Minister of Punishments feigned fury as the officials behind Lin Xuanji erupted into an uproar.

Wang Lin revealed herself as Princess Tian, the Sage Emperor’s beloved younger sister, and sided with Lin Ke after the officials condemned her for killing the Capital Prefecture Left Secretary. She confronted Lin Xuanji and slapped him, leaving the court stunned.

• Wang Lin stepped forward in regal attire and privately teased Lin Ke while the officials reacted to her growing aura.
• Lin Xuanji and several officials recognized Wang Lin’s beaded crown as the attire of Great Wei’s Princess Royal.
• Bai Zhantang identified Wang Lin as his aunt, Princess Tian, whose unprecedented title reflected the Sage Emperor’s devotion to her.
• The officials and other figures bowed to Princess Tian as she ascended and greeted them.
• Wang Lin approached Lin Xuanji, exchanged a few words with him, and slapped him across the face.

Princess Tian exposed Lin Xuanji’s abuse of Lin Ke and used Fuxi’s River Chart to reveal Lin Ke’s extraordinary future. The officials were left reeling as she suggested the Sage Emperor might one day abdicate in Lin Ke’s favor.

• Princess Tian slapped Lin Xuanji and accused him of starving and tormenting Lin Ke and his mother until they died.
• Wang Lin activated Fuxi’s River Chart and showed the officials a vision of a Fortune-Teller warning that Lin Ke would threaten Lin Xuanji and bring ruin.
• Lin Xuanji admitted that the Fortune-Teller had made the prediction, and Wang Lin mocked him for believing it.
• Wang Lin revealed the River Chart’s prophecy that Lin Ke would become a Supreme Sage, teach Bairen, and lead the Divine Land into an unprecedented age of prosperity.
• Wang Lin proposed that the Sage Emperor adopt Lin Ke and suggested he might someday abdicate in Lin Ke’s favor, prompting officials to loudly object while Lin Ke worried about the consequences.

Wang Lin called the Sage Emperor to court after rejecting the ministers’ objections to making Lin Ke a duke or creating a new department. With Lin Ke’s position suddenly elevated, she asked his allies to help devise a political platform for him, but their proposals were self-serving and ridiculous.

• Wang Lin proposed making Lin Ke a duke above the Three Dukes, then suggested creating a Foremost Department Under Heaven when the ministers objected.
• Wang Lin summoned her brother, the Sage Emperor, whose command began court and caused the officials’ projections to vanish from Lin Ke’s courtyard.
• Wang Lin told Lin Ke that his sudden rise had left him in danger and that she needed to build him a platform.
• Butcher Zhang, Li Chungang, Shopkeeper Tong, and Matchmaker Gongsun Hui proposed departments suited to their own interests.
• Wang Lin mocked their ideas and suggested an Illustrated Fiction Department, leaving Lin Ke speechless.

Wang Lin told Lin Ke that everyone at the gentleman realm and above except her had been subjected to Threefold Silence, then urged him to focus on strengthening himself and fighting for his own interests. She took him to meet the Sage Emperor, whose radiant presence appeared before Lin Ke.

• Wang Lin, Li Chungang, Bai Zhantang, and the others received a summons to court, and Li Chungang led the group toward the imperial palace.
• Wang Lin told Lin Ke that everyone at the gentleman realm and above except her had been subjected to Threefold Silence, and warned him not to spread the secret to those below that realm.
• Wang Lin advised Lin Ke to focus on his own interests and become strong rather than getting caught up in political struggles or seeking revenge.
• Wang Lin dressed in her ceremonial crown and took Lin Ke to meet the reigning Sage Emperor.
• A sunlike radiance appeared before Lin Ke as he encountered the Sage Emperor.

At the first court assembly in hundreds of years, the Sage Emperor’s court put Lin Ke first on the agenda and revealed the abuse and hardship he and his mother had endured in the Lin Residence. The account ended with Lin Ke nearing his sixteenth birthday and finding clarity before the plum blossom tree.

• The Grand Tutor summoned the rulers of the seas and domains, the Six Clans and Six Kingdoms, the Eight Paths, the Thirteen Schools, and other powerful beings before the Sage Emperor.
• The assembled beings bowed to the Sage Emperor, and the Grand Tutor opened court by naming Lin Ke as the first matter of discussion.
• Images revealed that the Lin Residence had taken Lin Ke’s mother in for her flower-arranging talent, then mistreated her after she bore a boy whom a fortune-teller predicted would undermine ritual order.
• Lin Ke’s mother endured forced labor and sexual abuse to feed and educate him, while Lin Ke helped her gather and chop firewood from a young age.
• After Lin Ke’s mother died from illness and deprivation, he grew silent and worked with increasing speed and precision.
• On the day before his sixteenth birthday, Lin Ke knelt before the plum blossom tree, split firewood flawlessly, and found the Dao’s natural course as two lines of poetry rang out.

Lin Ke watched the court debate his mother and his own conduct, as officials argued over whether Lin Xuanji or Minister Qi had acted rightly. The Grand Tutor and Grand Guardian then condemned Lin Ke and his mother from the perspective of ritual and filial duty, leaving the deliberation unresolved.

• Lin Ke saw the memories of his mother’s care and wept, while officials and representatives of other races were moved by her maternal love.
• Some scholars condemned Lin Ke’s mother for her status and accused Lin Ke of filial impiety, treachery, and numerous crimes, demanding his execution.
• Lin Ke remained calm as factions and neutral parties voiced support for or condemnation of him, while most high-ranking ministers stayed silent.
• The Grand Tutor said Lin Ke’s mother had violated ritual and shown no gratitude to Lin Xuanji.
• The Grand Guardian condemned Lin Ke for disrespecting his father and warned that such conduct would undermine the rites.