The examination begins for Tang Academy and Ning Que is off to a rolling start. The Emperor doesn’t attend so the target is shifted to another Imperial person. During the assassination attempt, Ning Que springs into action. He encounters Jun Mo and pleads with him to take him as his student disciple. He is then tasked by General Xu to figure out who is behind the assassination attempt.

Due to the failed assassination attempt, Prince Chong Ming looks for a way out. Prince Long Qing is framed for the murder of Priest Xuan Yi, his teacher. As they attempt to arrest him, Ye Hong Yu from the Monastery of Knowledge and Obeisance, rescues him. Ning Que is miraculously admitted into Tang Academy.

For the exam, the candidates are to travel up the mountain, where the first person to reach the mountaintop and retrieve the gourd from the tree will win. Things are not as simple as they seem when the candidates are suddenly beset with challenges throughout their climb. Yan Se’s and Qing Shan’s interest in Qing Nue is renewed when they hear stories of him cultivating when they had previously assessed that his acupoints were blocked, preventing cultivation.

Yan Se rushes to the two-story building exam, hoping he can get to Ning Que before the winner of the exam is decided. Meanwhile, State Preceptor Qing Shan informs the Emperor that Ning Que is the calligrapher he’s been searching for. Up in the mountain, Ning Que and Long Qing battle internal demons to find their way to the mountaintop.

Yan Se and Huan He argue over Ning Que’s fate. Though Tang Academy allows Ning Que to be a student of Yan Se after admittance into the Two Story Building, the ultimate decision resides with Ning Que. Having found the mystery calligrapher, the Emperor invites Ning Que to the palace to meet him. Long Qing ponders how he lost to Ning Que, while many begin to target Ning Que.