Chapter Summaries

Yang Zhen solved Big Sis's sweat-drying question by cutting the character for “dry” from her plaque, then claimed to belong to the Wutuo Gang and demanded that Liang Kai call him Daddy Yang. When Xiao Huan told Big Sis that the solver was called Overlord Yang, Big Sis rushed out to see him and crashed into a doorframe in surprise.

• Yang Zhen split Big Sis's question plaque with his sword, and the crowd accused him of causing trouble.
• The clip seller noticed the character for “dry,” and Yang Zhen explained that the plaque itself answered the question about the fastest way to dry sweat.
• The crowd praised Yang Zhen, who called himself an academic overlord and claimed to be a disciple of the Wutuo Gang.
• Liang Kai asked to befriend Yang Zhen, and Yang Zhen told him to call him Daddy Yang.
• Xiao Huan told Big Sis that someone had solved the sweat-drying question, and Big Sis hurried out after hearing the solver was named Overlord Yang.

Yang Zhen entertained Xiushan City’s scholars with riddles, mocked Liang Kai, and turned the questions into a business opportunity with Qian Lai. The boss lady watched him with growing interest as Yang Zhen ended by lamenting that nobody could match him.

• The boss lady and Xiao Huan heard Liang Kai shout that he was stupid, then found Yang Zhen challenging him with a riddle about drinking water from a well.
• Yang Zhen corrected Liang Kai’s irrelevant answer, collected crystal stones from the gathered scholars, and explained that an ordinary person could jump into the well to drink.
• Xiao Huan told the boss lady that Yang Zhen had solved the teacher’s questions, and the boss lady decided they would approach him.
• Yang Zhen entrusted Qian Lai with selling copied riddles as Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Exams, including a more expensive advanced edition.
• The scholars and the boss lady wondered about Yang Zhen’s new questions concerning the sun, falling objects, and ships at sea, while Yang Zhen declared that no one could withstand him.

Yang Zhen impressed Big Sis with his boastful remarks and was invited aboard the Blade to meet her master, a renowned scholar. After mistaking her haste for a romantic advance, he insisted it was all a misunderstanding and tried to leave as Big Sis reached for her saber.

• Yang Zhen declared that his literary talent was ready to burst forth, and Liang Kai praised his words.
• Big Sis invited Yang Zhen to ride the Blade and meet her master, but Yang Zhen admitted he did not know who the master was.
• Qian Lai explained the master's fame, and Yang Zhen dismissed Writing as a Vehicle for the Dao as ordinary where he came from.
• Big Sis grabbed Yang Zhen's hand and hurried him along, while the onlookers assumed she was taking him to her private chambers.
• Yang Zhen asked if they were going to her private chambers, so Big Sis called for her saber; Yang Zhen protested that it was all a misunderstanding and tried to leave.

Yang Zhen followed Big Sis to the Blade to meet the master, who was seeking a personal disciple. After insulting the ambitious candidate Lin Shilang, Yang Zhen went inside to see the master, while Lin Shilang followed with a sinister smile.

• Yang Zhen agreed to accompany Big Sis after she invited him to meet her master.
• Big Sis showed Yang Zhen the enormous flying boat called the Blade, designed by the master using Writing as a Vehicle for the Dao.
• Big Sis sent Xiao Huan to tell the master that Lingdang wanted his guidance and had brought a promising talent.
• Lin Shilang greeted Big Sis and dismissed Yang Zhen when he introduced himself as the master's personal disciple, Academic Overlord Yang.
• Yang Zhen mocked Lin Shilang, shoved past him, and went inside to see the master.
• Lin Shilang watched Yang Zhen leave, smiled oddly, and followed them.

Yang Zhen found that the teacher had left the Blade, but Lin Shilang publicly named him the teacher’s destined final disciple to mock him. After Yang Zhen’s words left Lin Shilang stunned, Yang Zhen entered the teacher’s cabin and discovered a vast, star-filled realm of Literary Qi that drew him into contemplation.

• Xiao Huan told Big Sis that the teacher had left for Turtle-Snake Island and would not return with them.
• Lin Shilang declared that Yang Zhen was destined to become the teacher’s final disciple, prompting the onlookers to gossip and speculate.
• Yang Zhen patted Lin Shilang’s shoulder and recited a saying about knowledge, leaving Lin Shilang visibly shaken.
• Yang Zhen sensed a powerful presence behind the teacher’s cabin door, then opened it despite Lin Shilang’s taunts.
• Yang Zhen saw star patterns shaped like characters filling the cabin, sat down, and began to contemplate while Big Sis, Xiao Huan, and Lin Shilang watched in confusion.

Yang Zhen entered an epiphany in the Master's study and began condensing Literary Talent Qi Inscriptions. Lin Shilang, Big Sis, and the crowd realized he might be the personal disciple the Master had been seeking.

• Yang Zhen sat motionless on the Master's cushion, and a flash of golden Literary Talent Qi appeared around him.
• Lin Shilang suspected Yang Zhen was attempting to condense Literary Talent Qi Inscriptions without the foundation needed to survive the backlash.
• Big Sis recalled the Master's claim that only someone gifted at conveying the Dao through writing could enter an epiphany in the study.
• A crowd gathered outside the cabin and debated Yang Zhen's talent and why he was seated on the Master's cushion.
• Yang Zhen erupted in golden light as countless characters filled the room, prompting Lin Shilang to cry out that he had formed Literary Talent Qi Inscriptions.
• Big Sis shut the cabin door while the people outside wondered if the Master had finally found his personal disciple.

Yang Zhen formed the Tao Te Ching from scholarly Qi while studying in the master's cabin, then emerged after three days having comprehended an entire book. The Boss Lady and Lin Shilang were left stunned by his claim.

• Yang Zhen's Life Star lit up, and his scholarly Qi formed a complete Tao Te Ching as the Boss Lady stopped Lin Shilang from interrupting him.
• The people aboard the vessel waited three days while Yang Zhen continued gathering scholarly Qi.
• At Turtle-Snake Island, an old man stopped fighting a colossal beast after sensing a change, then accused it of taking his disciple and beat it as it fled.
• Golden lightning struck toward the Blade, but Yang Zhen awoke and halted it, absorbing a seal-script character into his mind.
• The Boss Lady asked how many characters Yang Zhen had comprehended, and he said he had formed a whole book, causing her saber to fall on Lin Shilang's foot.

Yang Zhen claimed he had comprehended the entire Tao Te Ching, prompting the Blade to sail toward the East Sea, where a major treasure site was rumored to be emerging. After surviving the Abyssal Turbulence, the crew spotted the feared sky pirate ship Black Dove.

• Yang Zhen told the boss he had comprehended the whole Tao Te Ching, and she ordered Xiao Huan to set sail for the East Sea.
• Yang Zhen sensed the Tao Te Ching's Literary Qi in his Spirit Sea but found he could not wield it freely.
• News spread that sea beasts had appeared near Turtle-Snake Island, drawing factions toward a possible ancient inheritance.
• Xiao Huan told Yang Zhen that the Black Dove outmatched ordinary flying ships with its powerful experts and long-range True Essence Cannons.
• The Blade passed through unusually violent Abyssal Turbulence, and Liu Shanquan warned Yang Zhen not to enter it.
• After the Blade cleared the turbulence, Liu Shanquan saw the Black Dove outside and shouted an alarm.

Yang Zhen survived the Black Dove’s cannon attack and decided to fight back despite the Blade’s shorter firing range. He fashioned an enhanced eight-times scope and prepared to test whether it could let Liu Shanquan hit the Black Dove from more than two thousand zhang away.

• Yang Zhen and the Blade’s crew panicked as the Black Dove fired its True Essence cannon, and Liu Shanquan tackled Yang Zhen to protect him.
• The cannon blast missed, and Yang Zhen refused to flee, declaring that he would destroy the Black Dove.
• Liu Shanquan and the Boss Lady warned Yang Zhen that the Blade’s accurate firing range was three hundred zhang shorter than the Black Dove’s.
• Yang Zhen challenged Lin Shilang to carry a True Essence cannon after he proved his plan, then appointed Liu Shanquan as the Blade’s Second Battalion Commander and ordered him to throw Lin Shilang out.
• Yang Zhen made an enhanced eight-times scope, and Liu Shanquan asked whether it could help him hit the Black Dove from more than two thousand zhang away.

Yang Zhen and Big Sis used the Blade’s True Essence cannon to devastate the pursuing Black Dove, whose crew had planned to capture the Blade and seize Lingdang. The Black Dove fled after taking another direct hit, and Yang Zhen prepared to pursue it with the eight-power scope.

• Yang Zhen mounted the eight-power scope on the Blade’s True Essence cannon and urged Liu Shanquan to fire, but Big Sis took over and ordered the Blade turned around.
• The young master aboard the Black Dove revealed his plans to capture the Blade and take Lingdang, then laughed at the Blade for turning to face them.
• The Blade fired from over two thousand zhang away, wrecking the Black Dove and blowing off one of the Nascent Soul Realm expert’s arms.
• The Black Dove charged, but Big Sis fired again and blasted away half its head.
• Big Sis spotted the Black Dove fleeing, and Yang Zhen told Liu Shanquan to take down his eight-power Italian cannon.

Yang Zhen chased the Black Dove with a True Essence cannon, killing Lin Shilang and a Nascent Soul Realm expert while exposing the pirates’ ambush. He urged nearby cultivators to hunt for treasure aboard the Black Dove, then dodged its cannon fire as the chase continued.

• Yang Zhen provoked Lin Shilang into pursuing the Black Dove, then killed him with a True Essence cannon shot and destroyed his storage ring.
• Lingdang realized Lin Shilang had likely known about the Black Dove’s ambush and ordered the Blade to chase after it.
• Yang Zhen damaged the Black Dove’s cannon, then blasted a Nascent Soul Realm expert who charged at him.
• Yang Zhen called out that the Black Dove held treasure, prompting the pirates’ old man to abandon caution and aim another cannon at him.
• Yang Zhen taunted the old man and used Traversing the Void in Midair to dodge while leaving afterimages in the sky.

Yang Zhen blasted apart much of the Black Dove, then stirred up the surrounding cultivators by claiming its treasures had spilled out. He followed the young master into the ship’s inner cabin, where a pool of blood and scarlet mist awaited, and fired the True Essence Cannon at him.

• Yang Zhen evaded the Sixth Level Nascent Soul Realm old man, seized the True Essence Cannon, and fired it into the Black Dove.
• Amid the resulting wreckage, Yang Zhen loudly claimed the Black Dove held rare treasures and scattered items to make the surrounding cultivators believe him.
• The nearby cultivators charged the ship to seize the supposed treasures, while the furious young master ordered Elder Mo to kill them all.
• Yang Zhen followed the young master into the inner cabin, where he found him beside a pool of bubbling blood surrounded by scarlet mist.
• As the young master charged at him, Yang Zhen hit the floor, and a pillar of True Essence light from the cannon blasted through the cabin door and struck the young master in the face.

Yang Zhen fled the Black Dove with a blood seed and reached the East Sea, where he learned of a literary gathering at the Sea Pavilion. He pushed into the crowded pavilion and watched a young girl paint as Young Master Bian’s work stirred Literary Talent Qi.

• Yang Zhen killed the young master with the True Essence cannon, took his storage ring, and secretly stored the blood seed in another ring.
• Yang Zhen escaped the Black Dove and traveled for two days to a vast city on the shore of the East Sea.
• Yang Zhen met Tian Rou, who explained that everyone had gone to the Sea Pavilion to honor its master and compete for the chance to become his personal disciple.
• Yang Zhen reached the crowded Sea Pavilion and used a fake claim about a dropped storage ring to push through the crowd.
• Yang Zhen watched a little girl paint bamboo, then saw Literary Talent Qi erupt as Young Master Bian’s work drew the crowd’s attention.

Yang Zhen encountered Yan'er and then disrupted the rivalry between Bian Liang and Sun Yushi when Hua Youyue arrived. After Yang Zhen revealed his identity, Sun Yushi recoiled, and Hua Youyue took Yang Zhen aside as he called her “Little Yueyue.”

• Yang Zhen spoke with Yan'er, who said she sensed that he was like family.
• Yang Zhen approached Bian Liang, whose three strands of Literary Brilliance had drawn a crowd, as Sun Yushi emerged from seclusion to challenge him.
• Hua Youyue arrived with Sun Yushi, recognized Yang Zhen, and laughed when he traded insults with Sun Yushi.
• Yang Zhen introduced himself as a talented scholar of the Wutuo Gang and a guest elder under Hua Youyue, startling Sun Yushi.
• Hua Youyue took Yang Zhen aside, and he called her “Little Yueyue,” making the crowd stare and Hua Youyue glare at him.

Hua Youyue warned Yang Zhen about offending Sun Yushi and urged him to be careful on the East Sea shore, but Yang Zhen insisted on pursuing his own path. Their conversation was interrupted by Ji Shulin, the Grand Elder of Turtle-Snake Island, whose arrival stirred the scholars gathered near the Sea Pavilion.

• Hua Youyue told Yang Zhen that Sun Yushi had condensed four streaks of Literary Talent Qi, reached the Nascent Soul Realm, and might become the Master's disciple.
• Yang Zhen denied causing the Imperial Preceptor to cough blood and said the old man was lovestruck over the Hua Household's Third Clan Elder.
• Hua Youyue invited Yang Zhen to Donglin Island, but he refused, saying he needed to improve his literary talent on the East Sea shore or Turtle-Snake Island.
• Hua Youyue admitted that the Third Clan Elder kept thinking about Yang Zhen, and he refused to visit the Hua Household because he feared provoking her.
• Ji Shulin arrived above the Sea Pavilion on a dragon formed from Literary Talent Qi, and Hua Youyue explained that he had eight streaks of literary brilliance and might have come for Sun Yushi or the gathering.

At the Literary Brilliance proceedings, Sun Yushi and Bian Liang prepared to compete under Ji Shulin’s supervision while Yang Zhen took bets on the outcome. Sun Yushi refused to accept Yang Zhen’s bet and displayed a powerful surge of Literary Talent Qi, leaving the crowd astonished.

• Ji Shulin arrived to preside over the proceedings and offered participants the chance to enter the Sea Pavilion and accompany him to Turtle-Snake Island.
• Sun Yushi challenged the crowd to compete, and Bian Liang proposed a contest between them with Ji Shulin as judge.
• Yang Zhen set up a betting stall, accepted Bian Liang’s wager, and refused Sun Yushi’s wager because he called him ugly.
• Sun Yushi glared at Yang Zhen, then released a powerful burst of Literary Talent Qi that surprised the crowd and Ji Shulin.

Sun Yushi defeated Bian Liang by painting a Tiger Roaring in the Mountain Forest and briefly condensing Literary Talent Qi into form, while Tian Rou failed to finish her dragon under the pressure. Sun Yushi then challenged Yang Zhen to compete, and Yang Zhen prepared to take the stage despite Hua Youyue's concern.

• Sun Yushi revealed four strands of Literary Brilliance and began painting a Tiger Roaring in the Mountain Forest, leaving Bian Liang too intimidated to continue.
• Yang Zhen saw that Tian Rou had painted a detailed headless dragon and realized she was trying to break through under Sun Yushi's pressure.
• Sun Yushi condensed Literary Talent Qi into the form of a fierce tiger, but Tian Rou dropped her brush before she could finish her dragon.
• Sun Yushi's tiger vanished after an instant, and Ji Shulin praised him as Bian Liang's defeat became clear.
• Sun Yushi called out Yang Zhen as the other person who had yet to compete, prompting Hua Youyue to urge Yang Zhen to leave.
• Yang Zhen refused to back down and told Hua Youyue he would charge straight in and amaze the crowd.

Yang Zhen rejected Sun Yushi’s challenge as a misuse of literature, then revealed overwhelming Literary Talent Qi and effortlessly destroyed Sun Yushi’s Literary Brilliance. He left the crowd stunned and turned to help Tian Rou finish her drawing.

• Hua Youyue warned Yang Zhen not to provoke Sun Yushi or Elder Ji, while Elder Ji encouraged the two to treat their contest as a friendly exchange.
• Yang Zhen criticized the use of literature to show off and fight, shocking the crowd and unsettling Elder Ji.
• Sun Yushi accused Yang Zhen of avoiding the contest and unleashed four strands of Literary Brilliance at him.
• Yang Zhen erased Sun Yushi’s attack with a glance, causing Sun Yushi to fall and reveal that he had never intended to go easy on Yang Zhen.
• Yang Zhen released a powerful burst of Literary Talent Qi, then asked Tian Rou what she was drawing; she said it was a dragon, and he offered to draw its head.

Yang Zhen guided Tian Rou's hand to finish a bizarre dragon painting, helping her condense Literary Brilliance in front of the stunned crowd. Tian Rou reached five strands, while Sun Yushi collapsed, and Yang Zhen offered to teach her more casual drawings.

• Yang Zhen took Tian Rou's hand and told her to close her eyes and trust him as he guided her brush.
• Yang Zhen drew a crooked faucet on the dragon and dotted its spout with a drop of water, provoking Sun Yushi's ridicule.
• Literary Qi surged from the painting, and Tian Rou began condensing Literary Brilliance as the crowd watched in shock.
• Yang Zhen comforted Bian Liang and jokingly asked him to hand over all his crystals.
• Tian Rou condensed five strands of Literary Brilliance, thanked Yang Zhen with a disciple's salute, and Yang Zhen offered to teach her more simple drawings.

Yang Zhen decided to paint a tiger and a phoenix simultaneously, despite the crowd doubting his crude art after Tian Rou condensed five strands of Literary Brilliance from his earlier painting. His two new paintings left everyone stunned, and Ji Shulin questioned whether the phoenix was a chicken.

• Sun Yushi accused Yang Zhen and Tian Rou of using trickery, but Yang Zhen praised Tian Rou's skill and mocked Sun Yushi for making excuses.
• Yang Zhen told Tian Rou he would paint a Tiger Roaring in the Mountain Forest to complete the auspicious dragon and tiger.
• Yang Zhen announced he would paint a super fierce tiger and a phoenix at once, using a brush in each hand.
• Yang Zhen rapidly painted two crude pictures while the crowd watched in suspense.
• Sun Yushi laughed at Yang Zhen's round, plump stick-drawn tiger, and Ji Shulin angrily asked if the phoenix was a chicken.
• Yang Zhen told Ji Shulin that the picture was obviously a phoenix and said he had forgotten to paint its halo.