Recaps

Chu Xinghe tried to stabilize Elder He during his Heart Demon crisis, but the Great Sage revealed that suppressing the demon had trapped him in an empty illusion. As Elder He's condition deteriorated, the Great Sage proposed a rescue that would destroy the Inheritance Spirit Orb, the Power of Mind and Spirit, and the associated treasures.

• Chu Xinghe used the Evil Repeller to suppress Elder He's Heart Demon, temporarily calming him but trapping him in an empty illusion.
• The Great Elder sent Shen Chun to fetch the Great Sage when Elder He grew increasingly agitated.
• The Great Sage explained the danger of suppressing the Heart Demon, and Chu Xinghe recalled the Evil Repeller.
• The Great Sage told the gathered elders that Elder He had to defeat his own Heart Demon to escape.
• Elder He failed repeatedly to escape Xu Peishan's illusions over three days, and his mounting negative emotions strengthened the Heart Demon as his body began to wither.
• The Great Sage proposed using the Evil God's Bone Flute to merge the Nightmare Realm with the illusion so Chu Xinghe could rescue Elder He, at the cost of destroying the Power of Mind and Spirit, the Inheritance Spirit Orb, and all the extraordinary treasures.

The Great Sage sacrificed the Inheritance Spirit Orb’s treasures to merge the Nightmare Realm with Elder He’s Heart Demon Illusion Realm and send Chu Xinghe inside to rescue him. Chu Xinghe killed Xu Peishan and then hunted down the Heart Demons throughout the illusion, leaving Elder He baffled by who the real demon was.

• The Great Sage proposed abandoning the Inheritance Spirit Orb to save Elder He, and Chu Xinghe urged him to carry out the plan.
• The Great Sage used the Evil God's Bone Flute to pull Chu Xinghe and Elder He into the Nightmare Realm and merge it with Elder He’s Heart Demon Illusion Realm.
• Chu Xinghe told Elder He how he had entered the illusion, then killed Xu Peishan when she appeared.
• After Xu Peishan died, the other Heart Demons scattered instead of resetting the illusion, and Chu Xinghe killed them with Evil Repeller.
• Chu Xinghe led Elder He out of the garden and continued killing Heart Demons in the Great Qi Kingdom capital, leaving Elder He confused about who the Heart Demon was.

Chu Xinghe used Evil Repeller to slaughter the blood-red Heart Demons in Elder He's illusion, while everyone else saw him killing people. His rampage corrupted the illusion's rules and left Elder He and the Vast Heaven Holy Land's observers baffled.

• Chu Xinghe saw the people in the illusion as Heart Demons, so he attacked them with Evil Repeller without fear of losing himself.
• The Great Sage reassured the Vast Heaven Holy Land's worried observers that Chu Xinghe's clear eyes showed he had not been overcome by bloodlust.
• Chu Xinghe killed Heart Demons as he made his way through Elder He's hometown, disrupting the illusion's scripted behavior and causing its guards to flee.
• Xu Peishan reappeared holding a banana instead of a poem, while other figures and objects respawned in the wrong roles around the city gate.
• The illusion reset to its opening scene, but the garden had become a graveyard where people drank from urns and recited poetry, leaving Elder He and the observers dumbfounded.

Chu Xinghe’s Evil Repeller caused Elder He’s Heart Demon Illusion Realm to descend into absurd chaos, and neither of them could understand why the Heart Demon kept returning in new forms. When the Heart Demon finally tried to speak, Chu Xinghe accidentally stabbed it before it could finish, and it reappeared as a roast duck.

• Chu Xinghe saw the corrupted illusion fill with bizarre scenes, including the city lord showing Elder He the madam and a guard receiving a tombstone as a love poem.
• White Tiger Holy Venerable explained that the Heart Demon Illusion Realm had gone haywire but would continue as long as Elder He’s Heart Demon remained.
• Elder He told Chu Xinghe he could no longer endure the increasingly ridiculous visions, while Chu Xinghe struggled to destroy a Heart Demon that kept returning in new forms.
• Xu Peishan appeared with malice and began warning Chu Xinghe that he could not kill the Heart Demon, but Chu Xinghe stabbed her before she could finish.
• The Heart Demon returned as a lotus blossom, and Chu Xinghe stabbed it because it could not communicate with him.
• The Heart Demon reappeared as a roast duck.

Chu Xinghe repeatedly killed Elder He's uncontrollable Heart Demon, which transformed into lotus plants and roast dishes until it finally appeared as a talking toad. Elder He translated the toad's warning that each death consumed the Lord of Evil Spirits' exotic treasures, and Chu Xinghe eagerly kept killing it to exhaust them.

• Chu Xinghe killed the Heart Demon through 608 transformations, while its forms left him and the onlookers hungry.
• The Heart Demon finally appeared as a toad, and Elder He translated its croaks as warnings and insults.
• Elder He explained that the Heart Demon revived using the power of mind and spirit and the exotic treasures, so killing it consumed their source power.
• Chu Xinghe realized he could use Evil Repeller to exhaust the exotic treasures and immediately killed the toad again.

Chu Xinghe slaughtered the Heart Demons in the Heart Demon Illusion Realm even after Elder He showed him that each death consumed the Lord of Evil Spirits' extraordinary treasures. As the treasures crumbled and the Misfortune Compass began turning, Elder He and the Vast Heaven Holy Land's observers were left baffled by Chu Xinghe's actions.

• Chu Xinghe killed the toad Heart Demon despite Elder He's explanation that they needed to find a way to overcome the illusion rather than waste the treasures' power.
• Chu Xinghe hunted down the Heart Demons as they repeatedly revived in different forms, throwing the Heart Demon Illusion Realm into chaos.
• Elder He spotted the source of power in the sky and showed Chu Xinghe that each Heart Demon revival drained it and caused extraordinary treasures to crumble.
• Chu Xinghe kept killing the Heart Demon, and the Misfortune Compass finally began turning as more treasures were destroyed.
• Elder He stopped Chu Xinghe and asked what he was doing, but Chu Xinghe told him to watch and wait.
• The First Elder and other observers in the Vast Heaven Holy Land watched through the Nightmare Realm and wondered whether Chu Xinghe was trying to destroy every extraordinary treasure.

Chu Xinghe camped at the Heart Demon’s respawn point and repeatedly killed him, turning Elder He’s Heart Demon Illusion Realm into a nightmare for the Heart Demon instead. The Heart Demon begged to help Elder He escape, but Chu Xinghe called it a trick and kept attacking, leaving everyone watching stunned.

• Cheng Xiaotian and other major figures watched the Heart Demon Illusion Realm and were shocked by Chu Xinghe’s relentless slaughter.
• Chu Xinghe killed the Heart Demon each time he revived, until the Heart Demon stopped fighting and tried to run.
• The Heart Demon begged Elder He to join forces and let him guide the way out of the illusion realm.
• Elder He asked Chu Xinghe to hear the Heart Demon out, but Chu Xinghe insisted the plea was a scheme and attacked again.
• The Heart Demon lamented that he had become the most miserable Heart Demon in history as the gathered onlookers fell silent.

Chu Xinghe tormented Elder He’s Heart Demon until it surrendered and agreed to guide them toward Elder He’s obsession. With the illusion realm in disarray, Elder He began retracing his memories through a bizarre recreation of his first meeting with Xu Peishan.

• Chu Xinghe repeatedly killed the Heart Demon, destroying the strange treasures in the sky while Elder He and the Vast Heaven Holy Land watched.
• Cheng Xiaotian’s Heart Demon disappeared, and people throughout the Haotian Grand Hall realized their own Heart Demons had vanished as well.
• The Heart Demon revived as a brothel girl, begged Chu Xinghe to stop, and explained that Elder He had to find and release his own obsession to escape.
• The Heart Demon told Elder He to retrace his past, and Elder He identified his first meeting with Xu Peishan as the start of the path.
• Elder He entered a chaotic graveyard scene to reenact that meeting, where the Heart Demon had become Xiaohong and bizarre figures and objects filled the roles of the other characters.

Chu Xinghe and the Heart Demon tried to guide Elder He through the memories in his Heart Demon Illusion Realm, but the realm’s chaos transformed General Weiyuan’s residence into a brothel. They pushed through the bizarre scene and set off for the imperial examinations, with the disgraced Heart Demon joining them.

• Elder He struggled to remain calm as Chu Xinghe and the Heart Demon helped him search for a way out of the illusion realm.
• Chu Xinghe accompanied Elder He to General Weiyuan’s residence, only to find that it had become a brothel called the Heavenly Origin House.
• Two brothel girls ushered Elder He inside, where General Weiyuan appeared as a madam and demanded that Elder He make the gold list before her girls would serve him.
• Chu Xinghe promised that Elder He would make the gold list and forced the scene forward despite the madam and General Weiyuan’s wife appearing in strange forms.
• Chu Xinghe accompanied Elder He to the examinations, and the Heart Demon joined them, pleading to help end the illusion realm.

Chu Xinghe and Elder He navigated a chaotic Heart Demon Illusion Realm, where the Heart Demon was forced to grill and act out Elder He’s memories. They finally reached the memory of Elder He’s rescue, but the realm spawned General Weiyuan’s wife in the rescuer’s place, leaving Chu Xinghe to misunderstand Elder He’s revived reaction.

• Chu Xinghe and Elder He arrived at the examination venue, where an examiner gave Elder He a grill and meat for a grilling test.
• Elder He and Chu Xinghe made the Heart Demon grill for him, and Elder He failed the examination because his grilling was poor.
• Elder He felt relieved to hear Xu Peishan was getting married, then made the Heart Demon act out the wedding scenes in his place.
• The Heart Demon performed the remaining memories, including Elder He’s confrontation with Xu Peishan and the events that led to his rescue.
• General Weiyuan’s wife appeared as Elder He’s rescuer, and Chu Xinghe suspected she was Elder He’s true obsession before Elder He insisted the realm had spawned the wrong person.

Elder He confronted the truth behind his Heart Demon: his lifelong longing for Miss Sheng, the woman who had saved him and inspired him to reach the summit. As the Power of Mind and Spirit threatened to overwhelm him, the First Elder urged Chu Xinghe to use the Star Divination Art to find her, leaving Chu Xinghe realizing he did not know the art.

• Elder He's Heart Demon revealed that Elder He's true obsession was the unidentified Miss Sheng, not Xu Peishan or his youthful embarrassments.
• Elder He remembered how Miss Sheng had saved him, encouraged him to cultivate, and promised he might see her again if he reached the summit.
• Elder He pursued cultivation and searched for Miss Sheng for a century, becoming known for his vast miscellaneous knowledge while never finding her.
• The Heart Demon Illusion Realm collapsed, and the Power of Mind and Spirit converged on Elder He, threatening to amplify the evil thoughts in his heart.
• Chu Xinghe tried to shield Elder He with Evil Repeller, but it could not disperse the pure Power of Mind and Spirit, which then forced Chu Xinghe out of Elder He's mind.
• The First Elder asked Chu Xinghe to use the Star Divination Art to locate Miss Sheng, and Chu Xinghe realized he did not know how to use it.

As Elder He’s Heart Demon was revealed to stem from his century-long search for Miss Sheng, the leaders of the Three Continents tried to identify her. Hua Xichen’s Great Prophecy Art revealed that Miss Sheng was dead but also present in the Vast Heaven Holy Land, leaving everyone baffled.

• The grand elder asked the gathered leaders to identify Miss Sheng, but Cheng Xiaotian and the others said they had found no trace of her or her cultivation technique.
• The grand elder asked Chu Xinghe to use the Star Divination Art, but Chu Xinghe privately admitted he did not know how to use it.
• Hua Xichen used Sage’s Descent to activate the Great Prophecy Art and received information about Elder He and Miss Sheng.
• Hua Xichen told the gathered leaders that the prophecy said Miss Sheng was dead and was also in the Vast Heaven Holy Land.

The Great Prophecy Art said Miss Sheng was dead yet alive in the Vast Heaven Holy Land, and Chu Xinghe identified the Holy Mother of Wujiang as the person Elder He sought. When she failed to calm Elder He, the Great Sage used the Spirit Fading Art and revealed that she really was Miss Sheng, though she knew nothing of her past.

• Hua Xichen summoned the Wise One twice, who repeated that Miss Sheng was dead but still in the Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• With Elder He close to succumbing to the Power of Mind and Spirit, Chu Xinghe chose the Holy Mother of Wujiang as the Miss Sheng Elder He sought.
• The Holy Mother of Wujiang entered the Nightmare Realm and called to Elder He, but he rejected her and began collapsing faster.
• The Great Sage suspected the Spirit Fading Art was hiding the truth and sent black light into the Holy Mother of Wujiang's brow.
• The Spirit Fading Art transformed the Holy Mother of Wujiang into a masked young woman dressed in black, revealing her as Miss Sheng.

The Holy Mother of Wujiang recovered memories of her past as Miss Sheng, breaking Elder He's century-long obsession and allowing him to merge with the Lord of Evil Spirits' Power of Mind and Spirit. The Heart Demon then revealed a damaged Fate Divinity, while everyone believed Chu Xinghe had deliberately pursued it, though he had not known what it was.

• The Great Sage explained that the previous Holy Mother of Wujiang had used the Spirit Fading Art and a Spirit Stripping Fruit to erase Miss Sheng's cultivation and memories, and had later restored some memories with a Dark Moon Clan secret art.
• The Holy Mother of Wujiang recognized Elder He as the man she had known as Miss Sheng, and Elder He's obsession finally broke.
• The Lord of Evil Spirits' Power of Mind and Spirit merged with Elder He, and the crowd expected him to inherit its power.
• A young figure resembling Elder He emerged as the Heart Demon, gathered the Nightmare Realm's lights, and revealed a damaged half of the Lord of Evil Spirits' Fate Divinity.
• The crowd assumed Chu Xinghe had repeatedly killed the Heart Demon to obtain the Fate Divinity, while Chu Xinghe privately realized he had no idea what it was and cursed the Misfortune Compass.

Chu Xinghe subdued the Fate Divinity hidden in the Lord of Evil Spirits’ spirit treasures and enabled Elder He to absorb it. Elder He gained the power to discern surface thoughts and flaws, broke his lightning tribulation, and helped suppress the disciples’ Heart Demons, though the Fate Divinity still could not read Xinghe.

• The Great Sage explained that Chu Xinghe had repeatedly slain the Heart Demon to tame the Fate Divinity and cleanse it of the Lord of Evil Spirits’ malice.
• The Fate Divinity flew into Elder He, and the Great Sage released him from the Nightmare Realm as he absorbed the surrounding Power of Purity.
• Elder He discovered that the Fate Divinity could reveal superficial thoughts but could not see through Chu Xinghe.
• Elder He drew the Evil God's Scepter from the void and shattered his lightning tribulation by striking its flaw.
• Elder He spread the Fate Divinity across the Vast Heaven Holy Land, clarifying disciples’ thoughts and suppressing their Heart Demons.

Elder He became a Half-Step Main God with the Fate Divinity, thanked Chu Xinghe for helping him resolve his century-long search, and began pursuing the Holy Mother of Wujiang, whose memories of their past had vanished. The Evil Lords learned that Elder He had severed their last connection to the Evil God's Scepter and concluded they would have to surrender when the Four Continents merged, while the Phantom Evil Lord praised An Ying's growing reputation.

• Elder He reached Half-Step Main God and obtained the Fate Divinity, then bowed to Chu Xinghe in gratitude before greeting the Vast Heaven Holy Land's leaders.
• Elder He invited the Holy Mother of Wujiang to study the Fate Divinity with him, and she agreed without knowing their past as the Holy Maiden and He Yanming.
• The Grand Elder ordered a feast to celebrate Elder He's breakthrough, while Chu Xinghe privately complained about the Misfortune Compass's ordeal and Elder He's unexpected gains.
• The White Spirit Evil Lord gathered the other six evil lords and told them Elder He had obtained the Evil God's Scepter legacy, prompting them to accuse him of surrendering.
• The Witch Curse Evil Lord argued that the Evil Lords would have to surrender after the Four Continents merged, citing the Beast God, Gu Mingchao, and Elder He as overwhelming opposition.
• The Wu Clan, Heart-Devouring, and Phantom Evil Lords each claimed they had allies or representatives in the Three Continents, and the Phantom Evil Lord said An Ying had already made the Phantom Evil Spirits famous.

White Spirit Evil Lord proposed Star-Picking Plan 3.0, a scheme to disrupt the Three Continents’ earth veins and prevent the Evil Shadow Continent from merging with them. Earth Sha Evil Lord’s Holy Son Gui Li volunteered to infiltrate the Vast Heaven Holy Land and use its resources to carry out the plan.

• White Spirit Evil Lord stopped the other Evil Lords from giving up and explained that the Beast God’s axe had accelerated the continents’ merger before their earth veins were ready.
• Earth Sha Evil Lord confirmed that disrupting the Three Continents’ unstable earth veins could weaken or reverse their attraction to the Evil Shadow Continent.
• White Spirit Evil Lord proposed sending Gui Li, the Holy Son of the Earth Sha Evil Spirits, to alter the earth veins with the Evil God Mask.
• Earth Sha Evil Lord explained that the plan required immense resources, leaving the Evil Lords at a loss.
• Gui Li arrived and volunteered to surrender to the Vast Heaven Holy Land, following Wu Man’s example, so he could use its resources while remaining loyal to the Evil Spirit Clan.

Gui Li prepared to travel to the Three Continents and seal off the continents’ merger, vowing to stay loyal despite the danger. Meanwhile, Elder He suppressed Heart Demons across the region, resumed courting the amnesiac Holy Mother of Wujiang, and helped Cheng Xiaotian reach Peak Mystic God; the chapter ended when Wang Tieniu burst into Chu Xinghe’s room saying he wanted to die.

• Gui Li assured the seven Evil Lords that he would risk his life on the mission and agreed to focus on protecting the Evil Shadow Continent rather than pursuing Wu Man, Zang Ling, and An Ying.
• The Evil Lords prepared Gui Li to travel with the Evil God Mask and prevent the Four Continents from merging.
• Elder He suppressed Heart Demons throughout the Vast Heaven Holy Land and asked everyone to keep his past with the Holy Mother of Wujiang secret while he courted her anew.
• Elder He helped Cheng Xiaotian suppress his Heart Demons, allowing Cheng Xiaotian to break through to Peak Mystic God and drawing many powerful visitors seeking the same help.
• Azure Dragon spread a rumor that Elder He never wiped after using the toilet, while Chu Xinghe stayed shut inside the Spirit Crane Palace.
• Wang Tieniu rushed into Chu Xinghe’s room in tears, hugged him, and declared that he wanted to die.

Wang Tieniu warned Chu Xinghe and the Vast Heaven Holy Land that spirit mines across the Three Continents were steadily losing their spiritual essence, while Chu Xinghe resolved not to act until he understood the situation. After the loss accelerated, the elders still chose to wait and see, leaving Chu Xinghe eager to pursue a plan that would finally fail.

• Wang Tieniu returned to the Vast Heaven Holy Land and told Chu Xinghe that every spirit mine was losing spiritual essence and might eventually become dead mines.
• Wang Tieniu explained that his Stone-Pointing Technique had revealed the decline across mines belonging to every faction in the Three Continents.
• The Grand Elder and the palace head elders gathered at the Spirit Crane Palace, where the Grand Elder and Elder He suggested waiting to see whether the changes continued.
• Wang Tieniu monitored the mines over the following days and confirmed that their spirit stones had lost around five percent of their spiritual power.
• Chu Xinghe held back from acting on his excitement and decided to wait until he could be certain his next move would end in failure.

As spirit mines across the Three Continents lost up to twenty percent of their output, Elder He explained that the Beast God’s Worldfall had disrupted the earth veins as the Evil Shadow Continent returned. The Great Sage said the mines would recover in about five hundred years, leaving Chu Xinghe convinced the Beast God had helped him while he continued waiting for a sure chance to act.

• Wang Tieniu discovered that spirit mines across the Three Continents were losing spirit, and their output fell to twenty percent below normal.
• Holy Lord Gu Mingchao convened the leading figures of the Vast Heaven Holy Land to discuss the crisis, but Elder He arrived late with breakfast for the Holy Mother of Wujiang.
• Elder He explained that the Beast God’s Worldfall had accelerated the Evil Shadow Continent’s return and disrupted the earth veins, causing the spirit loss.
• The Great Sage said the mines would recover once the continents reconnected, estimating that the process would take about five hundred years.
• Chu Xinghe decided the Beast God’s actions had benefited him but resolved to keep waiting before making a move.

Chu Xinghe held back while White Tiger explained that weakened earth veins had drained the spirit mines, and Vast Heaven Holy Land proposed an array to restore them within fifty years. As factions cut spending and spirit stone prices surged, the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s turnover collapsed, and Chu Xinghe celebrated as the Misfortune Compass counted the losses without him doing anything.

• Chu Xinghe stayed silent at Haotian Grand Hall, deciding to wait rather than risk acting on the spirit mine crisis.
• White Tiger explained that the accelerated continental merger had diverted earth vein power from the spirit mines and said the Earth Spirit Warm Resonance Grand Array could reduce recovery from five hundred years to fifty.
• Vast Heaven Holy Land shared the explanation and array proposal with factions across the Three Continents, prompting major sects to cut disciples’ spirit stone allowances by more than ninety percent.
• Cultivators hoarded spirit stones as their prices tripled, while the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s turnover fell by around ninety percent.
• Chu Xinghe sang to the Misfortune Compass and celebrated as it spun from the Chamber of Commerce’s losses.

Qin Xiangqian became president of the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce amid a crisis caused by spirit mines losing their spirituality and sales collapsing. Chu Xinghe stopped him from cutting staff pay or closing branches, leaving the chamber to keep operating at a massive loss.

• Feng Fei told Qin Xiangqian that solving the chamber's crisis could earn him the presidency and sent him to seek Chu Xinghe's advice.
• Chu Xinghe made Qin Xiangqian president and handed him responsibility for the chamber, while privately deciding not to offer any guidance.
• Qin Xiangqian proposed closing some branches, laying off staff, and cutting benefits to reduce the chamber's losses.
• Chu Xinghe rejected the cuts, arguing that the chamber must stand by its employees and loyal customers, and promised to shield Qin Xiangqian from blame.
• Chu Xinghe urged Qin Xiangqian to keep the chamber running through its losses, then watched the Misfortune Compass spin as the losses continued.

As the spirit mine crisis drove chambers of commerce to cut staff and wages, Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce employees feared mass layoffs. The Vast Heaven Holy Land appointed Qin Xiangqian president in place of Feng Fei, but rumors framed the change as a way to make Qin take the blame, just before a second decision stunned the Three Continents.

• Qin Xiangqian remained unable to find a solution to the chamber’s crisis, while employees across Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce feared layoffs and wage cuts.
• A manager warned his subordinates that an order from the Vast Heaven Holy Land was on its way, and worried employees pleaded not to lose their jobs.
• The managers opened the Holy Land’s first decision and learned that Feng Fei was stepping down as president and Qin Xiangqian would take his place.
• Employees celebrated Qin Xiangqian’s appointment, but a know-it-all claimed the promotion was a scheme to make him bear the blame for future layoffs and wage cuts.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land issued a second decision concerning the chamber, and news of it stunned the Three Continents.

The Vast Heaven Holy Land announced that the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce would avoid layoffs and wage cuts while continuing to expand, surprising the Three Continents. Qin Xiangqian attributed the decision to Chu Xinghe’s concern for the chamber’s workers, and the new branches received 170,000 job applications in a single day.

• The Vast Heaven Holy Land issued a decision under the Grand Elder’s seal to preserve the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s staffing and wages.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land announced across the Three Continents that the chamber would continue building two branches and recruiting staff.
• Qin Xiangqian told other chamber presidents that Chu Xinghe had rejected layoffs and wage cuts to protect the workers and their families.
• Chu Xinghe privately questioned Qin Xiangqian’s account while the Misfortune Compass spun rapidly.
• Qin Xiangqian received 170,000 applications for jobs at the new branches in one day, including more than 3,000 from people known in business.

Qin Xiangqian recruited 3,000 prominent business figures into the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce after Chu Xinghe insisted they receive their former benefits, despite the chamber's enormous losses. As the branch presidents struggled to understand Chu Xinghe's intentions, Qin Xiangqian decided to ask Ma Liang to help interpret them.

• Qin Xiangqian received 170,000 applications, including more than 3,000 renowned business figures seeking even low-ranking posts at the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce.
• Chu Xinghe told Qin Xiangqian to hire all 3,000 elites and preserve their previous benefits, believing the spirit-stone crisis made their business skills useless for now.
• Qin Xiangqian assigned the elites to branches around the region, while other powers criticized Chu Xinghe for adding to the chamber's huge operating losses.
• Qin Xiangqian convened a meeting with Sima Bian, Shi Biao, Lu Chengqing, and other branch presidents, who reported that the chamber's losses were even greater than outsiders estimated.
• Lu Chengqing suggested Chu Xinghe must have given Qin Xiangqian hidden guidance, so Qin Xiangqian decided to consult Ma Liang and interpret Chu Xinghe's intentions together.