Set in a magical island, the climactic scene in the Chinese wuxia novel《侠客行》(Xia Ke Xing or Ode to Gallantry) by famed author Jin Yong, witnesses its main protagonist decoding the poems inscribed in a labyrinth of caves. Illiterate, he saw the writings as images, responded to their graphical form and inadvertently attained mastery in the ultimate martial arts technique that eluded his lettered counterparts and predecessors.