To protect Empress Xia Tian, General Xia Hou sets a trap for Princess Li, whose entourage is attacked on their way to the capital. Qing Chen is overpowered by someone in the Demon sect, so Ning Que helps kill the attacker, while Sang Sang protects the princess and her son. Qing Shan, State Preceptor, and General Xia perceive Ning Que as an unknown variable in the struggle for power

As they head to the capital, Ning Que finds out from Qing Chen that eleven of his seventeen acupuncture points are blocked, rendering him unable to cultivate. Despite, he asks Qing Chen to teach him the cultivation levels for his own knowledge. He keeps getting recurring dreams that haunt him about the sky becoming dark. The official for the department of transport is murdered.

Ning Que and Sang Sang visit Zeng Manor upon entering the capital. After 15 years, Ning Que reunites with his sworn brother, Zhuo Er. They both have sworn revenge upon General Xia, who killed both of their families when they were young. At the time, they also found Sang Sang as a baby, among the dead. Princess Li meets with her father, Emperor Li

Ning Que and Sang Sang set up a shop so they can sell Ning Que’s handwriting, but the landlord thinks they won’t be able to stay open for long. After a day of exploring, they see a dead Zhuo Er and look for clues as to the cause of his death. Their sleuthing leads them to Zhang Yi Qi, the transport bureau official, who was previously the Imperial Censor that framed General Lin and causing his death. Prince Long Qing continues his search for the son of Hades.

Reinforcements come to help Ning Que and Xiao Shu at the last minute. Unbeknownst to Grand Prince Li Pei Yan, Xiao Shu has a strong backer in the Imperial Court helping him. Battling together has forged a brotherly bond between Ning Que and Xiao Shu. Prince Long Qing sees the eternal night looming.

In recognition for helping Xiao Shu, Ning Que is promoted by General Xu as a secret imperial guard, called into action whenever asked of him. Xiao Shu decides to step down as the leader of the Dragon gang, upsetting the Emperor. Prince Long Qing escapes punishment from Luo Kedi, while Prince Chong Ming and He Ming Chi of Xiling Academy collude to take down the Emperor.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

Remembering all the adventures they’ve had together, Sang Sang and Ning Que bid a tearful farewell as he goes off to the wilderness. Fu Zi and Lee Man Man continue their search for the Drunkard and the Butcher, who have survived the last Eternal Night a thousand years ago. Wei Guang Ming enters the Tang capital, while Ning Que meets Mo Shan Shan, though hides his identity from her.

To gain the support of Princess Li, He Ming Chi discloses that the Empress is meeting with the Third Elder of the barbarians. Ning Que, pretending to be Zhong Da Jun, helps Mo Shan Shan and then volunteers to guide her and her students in the deep wilderness to supply the Yan army with rations. Sang Sang meets an old, homeless man who asks her to be his student.

Although Mo Shan Shan has expressed her admiration for Ning Que, he still hides his real identity from her and gives her advice on how to deal with the powerful leaders. Third Elder gives Hun Yuan a lesson after learning he’s been giving the 6th Prince diarrhea medicine. Mo Shan Shan and Chen Jia meet, while the Third Elder and the Empress face off.

Princess Li rushes to the palace to reveal the Empress is from the Demon Sect, but unbeknownst to her, her father already knows. The Third Elder sacrifices himself for the Empress and for the lives of the barbarians being slaughtered. Mo Shan Shan tries to get justice for the people killed in her group, but General Luo and Qu Ni hinder her efforts, forcing Ning Que to reveal his true identity.

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

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 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

Li Xue convinces Xia Hou to ascend to the next level by dying via a magical weapon and then taking the Heaven Channeling Ping. Long Qing enters the Monastery of Knowledge and Obeisance, vowing to the climb to the top of cultivation. Hong Yu receives the Grand River Sword from Liu Bai, while Ning Que receives the formation eye pestle that Yan Se left him, which controls the God Startled Formation that protects the Tang Empire

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.

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

Grand Prince Li admits his crimes to the Emperor and asks to lose his royal status as punishment. General Xia Hou admits he killed the people of Lin Manor but righteously proclaims that his misdeeds in the past should not overshadow all of his achievements as a General over the years. Ning Que challenges General Xia Hou to a battle of life and death, but the Emperor tries to prevent this by decreeing General Xia Hou is guilty. All are shocked when Ning Que reveals his true identity and doesn't back down from his challenge.

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.