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

As Ning Que seeks out Zhang Yi Qi for revenge, Xiao Shu, leader of the Dragon gang catches him in action. Everyone goes after Xiao Shu who has significant control of revenue in the capital. Xiao Shu invites Ning Que to help him and though Ning Que agrees to help in exchange for some money, that is not the main reason he decides to assist him.

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 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.

Ning Que has difficulty juggling being a student of both Yan Se and Fu Zi. His brethren Fu Zi disciples are playfully giving him a hard time. Chong Ming returns to the Yan Empire, but his father discovers that his love for Princess Li clouds his judgement, putting their plan at risk. Long Qing becomes the Shrine Leader’s disciple. Princess Li spends more time with Sang Sang, while Ning Que keeps busy with this studies.

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.