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.

Ning Que struggles studying on the second floor of the Old Books Building, but perseveres. He learns more about accessing the Two-Story Building and how to become Fu Zi’s personal disciple. Prince Long Qing and Hong Yu try to thwart Luo Kedi’s assassination attempt on Elder Lin Feng. On the way to Princess Li’s birthday banquet, Ning Que confronts Chen Zi Xian, General Lin’s most trusted aide.

Ning Que does not get a reasonable answer from Chen Zi Xian as to who is behind the killing of Lin Manor, except for a cryptic response “the child of Hades.” His new pen pal, Chen Pi Pi helps him unlock the secret of 2nd floor of Old Books Building. Hong Yu and Long Qing are promoted as the Department Head of Justice and Deputy Head, respectively, making them suspicious of the Justice Department.

Long Qing requests to be the Grand Priest of Light’s disciple, but he is rejected. His father believes he can be a student of Fu Zi of Tang Academy, so sets him up for the Two Story Building entrance exam. Ning Que checks out Yan Su Qing, the next lead in his investigation. He also learns more about his pen pal, whom he stumps with a mathematical question.

Su Qing reveals who was behind the plot to frame General Lin and murder his entire manor. He and Ning Que battle to the death. Shortly afterward, the vermillion bird awakens, signaling the Child of Hades is alive. Severely injured, Ning Que’s life hangs by a thread as Chen Pi Pi and Sang Sang scramble to try to save him.

Ning Que recovers with the help of Chen Pi Pi. General Xia becomes suspicious when three people involved with framing General Lin have all died. Rumors are spreading that Princess Li is the cause of the 6th little prince’s chronic illness, so Prince Hun Yuan decides to do something about it. Xiao Shu is severely injured, while Ning Que tries out some cultivation tricks.

The Emperor blames Princess Li and Prince Hun Yuan for poisoning the 6th Prince, but Princess Li thinks it’s a ruse concocted by Empress Xia to frame her. Prince Chong Ming is summoned back to the Yan Empire so that Long Qing can replace him and be a disciple of Fu Zi. He and Princess Li commiserate over their misfortunes, then decide to work together to achieve their goals.

To garner additional support, Princess Li reaches out to Grand Prince Pei Yan. The Emperor, befuddled by Ning Que’s calligraphy, continues his search for the unidentified calligrapher. Ning Que searches for his birth object and is surprised when he discovers what it is.

Chen Pi Pi tries to convince Ning Que to take the exam to be Fu Zi’s disciple, but Ning Que feels he’s not good enough. So Chen Pi Pi brings him to see Fu Zi’s 2nd disciple, Jun Mo, who inspires him. To make Prince Hun Yuan more disciplined, he enrolled in the military for training. The students of Tang Academy face off with Prince Long Qing.

Ning Que and Long Qing go after each other’s throats when Ning Que refuses to give Sang Sang to Long Qing. Ning Que embarrasses Long Qing, making him an enemy. Worried about not passing the exam, Ning Que turns to Cheng Pi Pi. Before heading back to Yan Empire, Chong Ming meets with Long Qing to bid farewell.

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.

General Xia Hou and Wei Guang Ming both target Ning Que, and he suddenly goes missing. Sang Sang and Yan Se search for him while he's held captive. General Xia Hou learns that Ning Que was behind the murders of Su Qin, Chen Zi Xian, and Zhang Yi Qi. Worried Ning Que survived the Lin Manor massacre, he doubles down on ensuring he is killed so the truth can remain hidden.

Ning Que meets the other disciples of Fu Zi, except for Lee Man Man, who is out with Fu Zi. He receives the amber tablet, symbolizing the embodiment of Fu Zi and solidifying his status as a disciple. He gets his first talisman lesson from Yan Se, and his calligraphy has become a hot commodity in the capital.

The Grand Priest of Light tells Long Qing he lost to Ning Que because of his fear of the Eternal Night, then he suddenly breaks out of prison to search for the Child of Hades. A tired Ning Que gets inspiration from Chen Pi Pi. The State Preceptor is worried Yan Se is pushing Ning Que too fast and too hard, to the point of breaking him. Ning Que begins learning the Awe-Inspiring Sword technique from Jun Mo.

While practicing the Awe-Inspiring Sword technique, Ning Que wreaks havoc with his disciple brethren. Given his low cultivation power, they decide to help him out. Due to Ning Que’s innate abilities suitable for talismans, Fu Zi allows him to spend more time with Yan Se to learn. Yan Se reveals to Ning Que that he was chosen to be the protector of the God Startled Formation, just as Yan Se was

Ning Que begins to look at Yan Se as the father he lost at a young age, and out of the blue while appreciating the rain, he writes his first talisman. As a result, his name appears in the Character Ri Scroll of the Heavenly Scrolls, quickly becoming the target of the Justice Department. As the Eternal Night spreads, barbarians from the wilderness begin moving out of the south and into the north, led by Tang of the Demon Sect.

Juan Da Jia’s old friend taught Jun Mo the Awe-Inspiring Sword technique and also happens to be Ning Que’s Little Junior Uncle Ke Haoran. Given Xiling is sending the Justice Department and various Southern Jin states to the wilderness to suppress the Demon Sect, the Emperor decides to send Ning Que to lead the Tang Academy students to the wilderness to practice.

Ning Que tells Sang Sang that she can’t accompany him to the wilderness, then asks Princess Li to take care of her while he’s away. Mo Shan Shan is enthralled with Ning Que’s Chicken Soup post and looks forward to meeting him in the wilderness, but her teacher reminds her she must find the Heavenly Scroll. Yan Se also tells Ning Que to retrieve the Heavenly Scroll and tells him the background story behind it

Shan Shan and Ning Que encounter Long Qing and to stay alive, Ning Que makes a bet with Long Qing on who will reach the next level first. While Long Qing, nears reaching the next level, Ning Que discovers the hidden Main Gate of the Demon Sect. Soon after, his birth element allows him to reach the next level before Long Qing. Angered, Long Qing viciously ambushes Ning Que and Shan Shan.

Although they were able to destroy Lian Sheng, they couldn’t find the Heavenly Scroll. Battered and injured, Ning Que, Shan Shan, and Hong Yu look for a way out of the gate. Yan Se is concerned that Guang Ming’s target is Ning Que after seeing him stay with Sang Sang. A fight between them is inevitable, pitting the master of Ning Que against the master of Sang Sang

Yan Se finally realizes that Sang Sang is a student of Guang Ming. He spends the day with Guang Ming for old times' sake, but they are unable to sway the beliefs each other possesses. They prepare for battle the next day, and Sang Sang is saddened that two good people are determined to fight each other. Pi Pi and Jun Mo attend the battle to help protect Sang Sang.

While battling, Yan Se and Guang Ming attain Dao by breaking through all five of the levels. To exit the Main Gate of the Demon Sect, Ning Que, Shan Shan, and Hong Yu rely on Tang Xiao Tang, who agrees to lead them out if Ning Que promises to help her become a student of the Tang Academy. With the help of Lee Man Man, Ning Que convinces Shan Shan to go to Tang Academy with them.

Princess Li asks the Emperor to Sang Sang but learns that Xiling will be coming to take Sang Sang to the Peach Mountains to inherit the Holy Seat of the Light as successor to Guang Ming. Despite Fu Zi’s rule that Tang Academy doesn’t get involved in court affairs, Chen Pi Pi comes to rescue Sang Sang. Princess Li invites Sang Sang to the banquet the Empress is hosting, where one of the official’s wives takes a keen interest in Sang Sang

Sang Sang’s mother and father urged her to go back with them instead of staying as a servant maid for Ning Que. Given she’s spent all of her years growing up with Ning Que, she doesn’t want to go with them. When Ning Que returns, Sang Sang sees Shan Shan and tries to avoid Ning Que. She brings him the pots of Yan Se and Guang Ming, but he is upset that the teacher she admires took part in the massacre of the Lin Manor.

Sang Sang believes Shan Shan is better than her in many ways, so she decides to live with her parents in Zeng Manor without telling Ning Que. Ning Que knows something is wrong when Sang Sang goes missing, so he desperately searches for her. They argue about Sang Sang coming back with him or staying at Zeng Manor. Fu Zi’s disciples are also split on who Ning Que should marry.

The disciples pick sides on who Ning Que should marry, but in the end, they agree it is his decision. Ning Que is again challenged to a duel, but this time, it is against Qu Ni’s son. The demon in Ning Que comes out, and the battle doesn’t end well, though it suddenly dawns on him that Sang Sang has been in his heart all along. He makes things clear with Shan Shan, then unexpectedly meets Fu Zi while drinking away his sorrows.

Sang Sang hears Ning Que is severely injured, so hurries home to care for him. Things seem to have gone back to normal between them as Shan Shan heads back to Grand River State. Xiling uses the death of Dao Shi to send Liu Yi Qing to challenge Ning Que. Fu Zi punishes Ning Que by locking him up at the Repenting Cliff to reflect on himself and not allowing him to leave until he has thought everything through

Unbeknownst to Ning Que, Fu Zi has locked him in the Repenting Cliff for his protection and safety. He learns that his junior Uncle was able to break through in 3 years, so Ning Que doubles down to make sure he also breaks through…at some point. Long Qing is once again inspired by his teacher, Chen Mou and learns from the beginning. The Grand Priest of Revelation and Li Xue head to Tang empire to bring Sang Sang back to Xiling.

Tang Xiao Tang not only makes a good impression on Chen Pi Pi, but she also becomes a student of Yu Lian. All of Ning Que’s brothers and sisters help him control the Awe-Inspiring Energy and pass the time in the Repenting Cliff. After 3 months, the Xiling envoy arrives to take Sang Sang. Ning Que springs into action and not only stops them but also conquers Liu Yi Qing

Chen Mou helps Long Qing recover his hope and faith in the light, allowing him to go to the Monastery of Knowledge and Obeisance. After leaving the Repenting Cliffs, Ning Que is officially acknowledged by Fu Zi as his student, then sends him back to the Repenting Cliffs. Ning Que and Sang Sang meet with the Grand Priest of Revelation to discuss when Sang Sang goes to Xiling. Chao Xiao awakens in a remote village, while Liu Bao forsakes the Justice Department

Chen Pi Pi likes Xiao Tang, but because she is a saintess of the Demon Sect, he knows it could never be possible between them. The Shrine leader implies that Hong Yu has been corrupted by Ning Que, prompting her older brother, Ye Qing, to go after him. Hong Yu arrives at Ning Que’s doorstep, asking him for accommodations. Xia Hou has arrived at the capital and is eagerly awaiting his battle with Ning Que.

Xia Hou invites Ning Que to a meal to try and provoke him, but Hong Yu tags along to keep him from making rash decisions. Hong Yu knows Ning Que is at a disadvantage so she lets him borrow Liu Bai’s sword to learn the Grand River Sword Force technique. Ye Qing enters the capital looking for Ning Que and Xia Hou. Chen Pi Pi meets with Ye Qing to explain why he left the Monastery of Knowledge and Obeisance

Ning Que asks Hong Yu to teach Sang Sang, given she is the successor of the Grand Priest of Light. The sage in the cave decides to give Long Qing half of his cultivation, but Long Qing becomes greedy for power and takes it all. He also steals the Heavenly Channeling pill plus other items from the Monastery of Knowledge and Obeisance. The Grand Prince and the Emperor battle it out as the massacre 16 years ago comes to light

Man Man and Jun Mo help Ning Que by making sure he gets a fair battle with Xia Hou. The battle is fierce and grueling, with Ning Que using all the tools and different abilities he has learned thus far. Alas, he is forced to use his birth object, but it comes with a great consequence. Meanwhile, cultivating alone in a cave, Long Qing announces his return.

After Sang Sang used her Heavenly Luminescence to take down Xia Hou, her chilling disease relapsed with greater intensity. To help her, Fu Zi recommends Ning Que take her to see Qi Shan, who is the only person who can save her. Hong Yu defeats the Grand Priest of Justice to take over his position. In search of Ning Que, Long Qing finally finds him and exacts his revenge.

A now more powerful and determined Long Qing crushes Ning Que, putting his journey to bring Sang Sang to Tile Mountain at risk. Xiling Shrine Leader, Chu Mo, sends Bao Shu from Heavenly Pillar Sect to use the Ghost Bell at Tile Mountain to definitively reveal Ning Que as the child of Hades. Ning Que crosses paths with Hong Yu and Mo Shan Shan.