Recaps

Chen Xin Yi defeated Zhan Ruoxi with her Mental Power and Silver Wolf True King, exposing the gap between their abilities. After Chen Xin Yi revealed her name, Han Yiyu healed Zhan Ruoxi, who recognized that the defeat was what her Grandmaster had wanted her to see.

• Chen Xin Yi used the Nine Yin Soul-Shifting Technique to defeat Zhan Ruoxi, whose ice attacks and cultivation were outmatched by Chen Xin Yi's attributes, physique, and combat experience.
• Bai Jun and Su Jingming checked Zhan Ruoxi and found that her injuries were minor, while Chen Xin Yi dismissed the Silver Wolf True King.
• Zhan Ruoxi asked her opponent's name, and Chen Xin Yi introduced herself as Chen Xin Yi of the Chen Clan.
• Han Yiyu told Zhan Ruoxi that she had learned there were people beyond others, and Zhan Ruoxi replied that this was what her Grandmaster wanted her to see.
• Han Yiyu used Soul Power to restore Zhan Ruoxi's meridians and ease the mental pain caused by the Nine Yin Soul-Shifting Technique.

Chen Menglin realized Han Yiyu had arranged the contest to give Zhan Ruoxi a chance to awaken and find a psychological anchor, while keeping her cultivation safe. After Xiao Yi won the ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow, Han Yiyu persuaded Chen Menglin’s group to remain in Ice Seal City for a meeting with her senior brother.

• Chen Menglin understood that either outcome of the contest could benefit Zhan Ruoxi, whose rapid cultivation had left her cold and distant.
• Han Yiyu asked Xiao Yi about her age and academy, and Chen Menglin said she studied at Chang'an Academy.
• Chen Menglin asked to claim the ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow, and Han Yiyu allowed Gu Dulin to collect it.
• Han Yiyu invited Chen Menglin to stay in Ice Seal City, citing the Chen Clan’s support for the Medicinal Herbs Market and her senior brother’s wish to discuss important matters.
• Chen Menglin agreed to stay, while the chapter described how the market’s trading network brought medicinal herbs from across the continent to Heavenly Water Province.

Han Yiyu and Bo Dongchen discussed Xiao Yi’s strength and realized she was Donghuang, the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking’s Top Rank. They speculated that the Chen Clan had hidden her from public view while treating the risks of her powerful martial soul, leaving Han Yiyu impressed by Bo Dongchen’s deductions.

• Han Yiyu asked Bo Dongchen to assess Xiao Yi and the Chen Clan after Chen Menglin and her companions departed.
• Bo Dongchen noted that Xiao Yi had repeatedly defeated Zhan Ruoxi at almost exactly the same point in their matches, suggesting Xiao Yi was stronger than they had realized.
• Bo Dongchen recognized that Xiao Yi’s age and abilities matched the information about Donghuang, the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking’s Top Rank.
• Bo Dongchen and Han Yiyu connected Xiao Yi’s Falling Star Vine, her Summoning Skull, and her ice soul dream vine soul ring to the defeat of a Soul Saint and a Soul Emperor three years earlier.
• Bo Dongchen theorized that Xiao Yi had spent the intervening years recovering from the secret technique’s damage and that the Chen Clan and Soul Fighting City had helped conceal her; Han Yiyu praised his insight.

Bo Dongchen and Han Yiyu discussed Xiao Yi’s mysterious fortune and her possible connection to the Chen Clan’s role in the continent’s coming upheaval. Bo Dongchen also described Chen Menglin’s unusual swordplay and its connection to the Dao of space.

• Han Yiyu urged Bo Dongchen to teach Ruoxi swordplay, and he agreed to instruct her when they returned.
• Bo Dongchen said he could not clearly see Xiao Yi’s fortune, which seemed immense and beyond his ability to perceive.
• Bo Dongchen told Han Yiyu that the Chen Clan might stand at the center of an approaching continental upheaval, though he could not tell whether Xiao Yi or Chen Menglin was more closely tied to the Ice Palace’s fate.
• Bo Dongchen revealed that Chen Menglin’s fortune appeared red shading into purple, and said he had opened the Eye of Bingyi again despite the cost to his lifespan.
• Bo Dongchen explained that Chen Menglin’s swordplay used precise spatial positioning and seemed to draw on an advanced secret technique touching the Dao of space.

Bo Dongchen and Han Yiyu discussed threats from the Crimson Church and arranged to buy spirit medicines from Chen Menglin. After Bo Dongchen revealed that Mei Changge and Chen Menglin were closely connected, he urged Han Yiyu to preserve the Ice Palace’s ties with the Chen Clan.

• Han Yiyu asked when Bo Dongchen would reach level 97, and they teased each other before she erupted in anger at his jokes.
• Bo Dongchen told Han Yiyu that Chen Menglin had warned him about the Yan and You families ambushing Chen Cong with help from soul beasts, prompting them to strengthen intelligence exchanges.
• Bo Dongchen said Chen Menglin might sell spirit medicines, including Wine Reishi Wine and a Ninth Grade Snow Lotus, and Han Yiyu hoped the lotus could go to little Ruoxi.
• Bo Dongchen and Han Yiyu chose Bai Laosan as the recipient of the five jars of Wine Reishi Wine.
• Bo Dongchen revealed that Mei Changge’s and Chen Menglin’s fortunes were intertwined, and he advised Han Yiyu to treasure the Ice Palace’s connection to the Chen Clan.

The Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family formally pledged allegiance to the Chen Clan, despite the threat posed by the Crimson Church. Chen Cong accepted their oath, making the Yang Family part of the Chen Clan.

• Yang Wuyi, Yang Bu'er, and Yang Tieyi presented a contract scroll and vowed to serve the Chen Clan as a Retainer Family.
• Chen Xiaojun warned that the Chen Clan had suffered heavy losses against the Crimson Church and that further trouble might follow.
• Yang Wuyi explained that the Yang Family had approved the pledge months earlier and would not be deterred by the Crimson Church.
• Chen Cong personally helped Yang Wuyi to his feet and formally accepted the Yang Family's allegiance.
• Chen Xiaojun welcomed the Yang Family as one family and promised the Chen Clan would treat its members well.

Chen Xiaojun hosted the Ten Great Families, defused Chu Tianshu’s probing joke, and turned the gathering to business. He announced that the Chen Clan and City Lord Xue planned to establish the Golden Guards to handle soul king-level and stronger troublemakers in Chang’an City.

• The Ten Great Families gathered at the Chen Clan’s invitation, and Chen Xiaojun arrived with Zhu Yanfeng and Ling Yunxiao.
• Chen Xiaojun welcomed the elders and hosted a feast before explaining that they had important matters to discuss.
• Chu Tianshu jokingly asked for every Chen Clan recipe, and Chen Xiaojun calmly refused while Zhu Yanfeng warned Chu that his conduct was inappropriate.
• Chen Xiaojun returned the meeting to business and discussed the earlier ban on High-Rank Soul Masters fighting in Chang’an City.
• Chen Xiaojun announced that the Chen Clan and City Lord Xue would establish the Golden Guards, staffed mainly by the Ten Great Houses, to handle soul king-level and stronger troublemakers.

Chen Xiaojun proposed creating the Golden Guards, a City Lord-controlled force to handle high-rank Soul Masters, major criminals, and threats beyond the existing security forces. The aristocratic families agreed to contribute squads, and Chen Xiaojun led them into planning the new force’s structure and duties.

• Chen Xiaojun outlined the Golden Guards’ organization, authority, recruitment, and role as Chang'an City’s rapid-response force.
• Chen Xiaojun offered substantial salaries, access to high-grade resources, and opportunities to practice secret techniques, including those of the War Dragon Sect.
• Shen Lang, Ji Chengjian, Liu Yirong, Chu Tianshu, and the Gao Family representative pledged support and squads for the Golden Guards.
• He Qingchuan and the remaining aristocratic families also declared their support.
• Chen Xiaojun thanked the representatives and led a discussion of the Golden Guards’ timetable, garrisons, patrols, and recruitment.

Chen Xiaojun announced reforms to expand the Brocade Guard and invited the Ten Great Houses to send qualified members. He left them with promises of rank-matched benefits, family access to secret techniques, and rare resources through periodic auctions.

• Chen Xiaojun explained that the Wolf Bandits’ attack on the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market had exposed security weaknesses and that the Chen Clan planned to expand the Brocade Guard.
• Cheng Nanxing and Yang Bu’er joined the gathering, and Chen Xiaojun announced that they had become the Brocade Guard’s commander and deputy commander.
• Chen Xiaojun set the minimum recruitment rank at Soul Ancestor and promised benefits equal to those of Golden Crow Guard members at the same rank.
• Chen Xiaojun said families could redeem secret techniques and that Brocade Guard auctions would offer rare treasures, including eighth-grade spirit herbs and Dragon-Phoenix Grass paired with Spirit Light Grass.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Dragon-Phoenix Grass took about five years to cultivate and that the Brocade Guard’s secret techniques would mainly come from the Heavenly Wolf Sect.

Chen Xiaojun confirmed that the Chen Clan had Purple Reishi available and explained Chen Yu’s battle against three Crimson Church Title Douluo. When the gathered families questioned the Chen Clan’s ability to withstand the Church, Chen Qiu Jun arrived and revealed himself as another Title Douluo.

• Chen Xiaojun confirmed that eighth-grade Purple Reishi was available for the Brocade Guard.
• He Qingchuan asked about Chen Yu’s battle, and Chen Xiaojun said Chen Yu had fought Yan Wufeng, Youguang Zhou, and Luo Ping, leaving all four gravely injured or wounded.
• He Qingchuan and the gathered experts questioned how the Chen Clan planned to face the Crimson Church’s threat.
• Chen Xiaojun summoned an elder to address their concerns, and Shen Lang recognized the newcomer as his Fifth Brother.
• Chen Qiu Jun introduced himself as Sword Dragon and revealed nine soul rings, shocking the gathering with the discovery that the Chen Clan had another Title Douluo.

Chen Qiujun appeared as the Chen Clan’s hidden Titled Douluo, reassured the gathered houses that the clan would continue its plans and retaliate against the Crimson Church, and secured their support for Chen Xiaojun. The meeting ended with Chen Xiaojun revealing that he wanted to recruit five thousand Soul Ancestor-level members for the Brocade Guard, leaving the houses stunned.

• Chen Qiujun arrived at the meeting, and the assembled representatives rose to greet him as a Titled Douluo.
• Chen Qiujun declared that the Chen Clan would continue expanding and reforming, and promised to retaliate against the Crimson Church.
• Chen Qiujun asked the houses to support Chen Xiaojun, then left after they agreed.
• Chen Xiaojun asked the representatives to keep Chen Qiujun’s appearance confidential, and they voiced support for expanding the Brocade Guard.
• Gao Ying asked how many recruits Chen Xiaojun wanted, and initially thought his raised hand meant five hundred.
• Chen Xiaojun corrected him with a demand for five thousand recruits at Soul Ancestor level or above, shocking the gathered representatives.

Chen Xiaojun clarified that the Chen Clan planned to recruit five thousand guards based on combat ability, not require five thousand Soul Ancestors, and outlined centralized recruitment and training. The plan aimed to use the rising Soul Master awakening rate to expand the clan’s reach beyond Chang'an City and build the strength needed to join the ranks of the Super Families.

• Chen Xiaojun explained to Shen Lang and the other family elders that Soul Grandmasters, Soul Elders, and capable non-Soul Masters could all join the Brocade Guard, while Soul Ancestors would be elite members.
• Chen Xiaojun said the Brocade Guard’s poor performance at the Heavenly Wolf Forging Market had prompted him to centralize recruitment, standardize training, and reassess existing guards.
• Chen Xiaojun described plans to recruit Soul Masters across the Southern Five Commanderies, Fasno Province, and the Greater Northwest, while also bringing in soldiers and other capable workers.
• Liu Yirong asked about the recruitment plan, and Chen Xiaojun explained that the five-thousand-person shortfall reflected the Chen Clan’s current needs and continued market expansion.
• Chen Xiaojun planned to exploit the rising Soul Master awakening rate reported by Zhou Tianshu to strengthen the Chen Clan and build a force large enough to earn recognition among the Super Families.

Chen Xiaojun secured support for recruiting Soul Masters into the Brocade Guard and proposed a centralized high-end supermarket in the East Market. The chapter ended as the clans began considering which luxury products to sell there.

• Chen Xiaojun arranged for the Chen Clan to hire retired soldiers and military family members for the Brocade Guard, giving Xue Chuxin quotas for 2,000 soldiers and 200 logistical workers.
• Xue Chuxin’s generals argued over the available positions until she promised more would open the following year, and Xue Churan later requested positions for her forces as well.
• He Qingchuan offered 500 Soul Masters toward Chen Xiaojun’s plan to recruit 5,000 people, and Chen Xiaojun warned that Brocade Guard duties would be demanding.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed combining premium goods from the Southern Five Commanderies and the clans in a centralized East Market venue he called a supermarket.
• Gao Ying asked whether his clan’s soul beast meat could be included, and Chen Xiaojun agreed as long as the goods were high-end.

Chen Xiaojun proposed an upscale hypermarket and expanded Brocade Guard recruitment, while the Chen Clan’s returned elders learned of Chen Yu’s grave injuries. The chapter ended with Chen Xiaojun arguing that the clan must prepare for the rapid rise in Soul Masters by recruiting through academies across the continent.

• Chen Xiaojun proposed building a ten-thousand-square-meter upscale hypermarket in an abandoned drill ground to ease the Chen Clan’s financial pressure and support Brocade Guard recruitment.
• Chen Xiaojun returned to the Chen Clan hall with Zhu Chengling and Yang Bu’er, where they greeted Chen Zixiu and Bo Xian’er.
• Yang Bu’er learned that Chen Zixiu and Bo Xian’er had returned, and Chen Zixiu welcomed the Yang Family under the Chen Clan’s banner.
• Chen Zixiu, Bo Xian’er, and Chen Xun had rushed back after hearing that Chen Cong and Chen Yu were severely injured, and Chen Zixiu and Bo Xian’er reacted with fierce anger and worry.
• Chen Xiaojun outlined plans for Brocade Guard training bases in four major cities and said the growing number of Soul Masters made recruitment through academies essential.

Chen Xiaojun explained his plan to recruit thousands of Soul Masters each year and expand the Chen Clan’s markets while avoiding political trouble. He outlined recruitment and publicity strategies, then described screening and training procedures for new Brocade Guard members.

• Chen Xiaojun explained why Sacred Sword City and three other cities would serve as training bases, while keeping recruitment discreet in the Star Luo Empire.
• Chen Xiaojun told Chen Zixiu that he aimed to recruit three to five thousand new members annually to support the expansion of the Chen Clan’s markets and Supermarket Plan.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed recruitment offices, academy partnerships, scholarships, and financial aid to attract young Soul Masters.
• Chen Xiaojun said a professional publicity team would promote recruitment through print materials, advertisements, and campus visits.
• Chen Xiaojun outlined screening, tests, interviews, and training to assess recruits’ ability, potential, and character.

Chen Xiaojun proposed more specialized academies and expanded suppliers to meet the Brocade Guard’s growing needs. Zhu Yanfeng agreed to work with the Gao Family on an Animal Husbandry Academy, while the Yang Family committed people to the Brocade Guard.

• Chen Xiaojun proposed a Forging Academy to secure the Brocade Guard’s supply of weapons and armor, and Ling Yunxiao said the Forging Alliance had reacted calmly to the attack on the Wolf Forging Market.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Zhu Yanfeng whether the Zhu and Gao Families could supply enough soul beast meat, and Zhu Yanfeng admitted their current production was insufficient.
• Chen Xiaojun proposed that the Zhu Family and Gao Family establish an Animal Husbandry Academy with the Animal Husbandry Association, and Zhu Yanfeng agreed to discuss it with Old Gao.
• The Chen Clan spoke with the Yang Family about supporting the Brocade Guard, and the Yang Family decided to commit a considerable number of people to it.

Chen Xiaojun outlined plans for specialized academies and a university city near Chang'an, adding a Scout Academy to the proposal. The discussion ended with Zhu Yanfeng arguing that the Animal Husbandry Academy should also be built at Zhongnan Mountain.

• Chen Xiaojun urged Yang Bu'er and the Dugu Family to cooperate on poison warfare and establish a Poison Master Academy, with a Poison Master Research Institute as an alternative.
• Chen Xiaojun said a Poison Master Academy could recruit poison masters for the Brocade Guard, and Yang Bu'er pledged the Yang Family's support.
• Cheng Nanxing proposed a Scout Academy, and Chen Xiaojun agreed to ask Xue Chuxin to help establish it or build it himself.
• Chen Xiaojun planned to place several academies beside Chang'an Academy and develop a satellite University City near Zhongnan Mountain for safety, learning, and revenue.
• Zhu Yanfeng insisted the Animal Husbandry Academy should be built at Zhongnan Mountain, citing its plateaus and rivers as suitable land.

Chen Xiaojun proposed creating an Organization Department to manage recruitment, while Chen Xun recommended appointing Chen Hua to lead it and moving the Brocade Guard’s northern training base to Glazed Tile City. Chen Zixiu then questioned Chen Xiaojun about his values and approach to leadership, leaving the clan with his vision of Confucian duty.

• Chen Xiaojun urged the clan to establish an Organization Department, and Chen Zixiu put large-scale recruitment and the four academies in his hands.
• Chen Xun recommended that Chen Hua lead the Organization Department and that Chen Qingrui replace him as Coordination Envoy in Soul Fighting City.
• Chen Xun proposed building the Brocade Guard’s northern training base in Glazed Tile City, and Chen Zixiu approved the arrangement.
• Chen Zixiu asked Chen Xiaojun about his identity, leadership, work, and view of the world, and Chen Xiaojun answered with principles of virtue, teamwork, perseverance, and composure.
• Chen Xiaojun described Confucianism as cultivating oneself, ordering the household, governing the clan, and bringing peace to the world.

Chen Zixiu praised Chen Xiaojun’s insights and appointed Chen Xun acting Deputy Clan Chief, naming him heir to the Sword Hero title. He also assigned leadership roles across the Chen clan’s departments, leaving its restructuring underway.

• Chen Zixiu praised Chen Xiaojun’s character, ambitions, and answers before the gathered clan members.
• Chen Zixiu appointed Chen Xun acting Deputy Clan Chief and designated him to inherit the Sword Hero title after the Clan Assembly’s confirmation.
• Chen Zixiu elevated Chen Xiaojun to Young Master, gave him authority equal to the Deputy Clan Chief, and appointed him Economic Management Department Minister.
• Chen Zixiu assigned Mu Lingyun, Chen Hua, Ling Yunxiao, Chen Chen, and Chen Cong to lead or continue work in their respective departments.
• Chen Zixiu ordered Chen Qiujun to bring Chenghui back to head Sword Rain Academy and oversee the academy and southern Branch Lines.
• Chen Zixiu assigned leaders for the External Relations, Education, Intelligence, Medical, and Internal Affairs departments, and placed Xiao Rong in charge of the Clan School.

Chen Zixiu finalized Chen Xun’s succession arrangements and directed the family to begin the Sunset Glow Plan’s final step. As the family prepared to return to the Village, Bo Xian'er insisted on retaliation against the Crimson Stronghold, and they learned that Qingyun’s return had been delayed by the Crimson Church.

• Chen Zixiu assigned Chen Hong to oversee the transition and clan departments, named Yu Jinghan to lead the Cultural Records Department, and ordered Chen Menglin to replace Hong at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and reassure the Northern Branch Lines.
• The elders unanimously accepted Chen Zixiu’s arrangements, and he approved the final step of the Sunset Glow Plan, ordering Chen Qiujun to bring Feng Tonglong back to the Village while guarding the Wind Sword Sect.
• Chen Zixiu told Chen Xun and his grandmother to return to the Village, while he planned to visit someone first; he also told Chen Xiaojun not to rely on Titled Douluo protection and promised to send help if the Crimson Stronghold was found.
• Bo Xian'er volunteered to lead an attack on the Crimson Stronghold to avenge Chen Yu, but Chen Zixiu promised to handle retaliation himself.
• Cheng Nanxing told Bo Xian'er that Qingyun had been informed of Chen Yu’s condition, but the Crimson Church’s trouble had delayed her planned return.

Chen Xiaojun learned that the Heaven-Knowing Tower had released special editions of the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking and an illustrated album of the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins. The album and posters had become an overnight sensation, while the story left the rankings’ subjects being celebrated across Tianshi City.

• Zhu Wuneng brought Chen Xiaojun the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking Secondary List and the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins album.
• Zhu Wuneng described the principal hairpins, and Chen Xiaojun learned that Zhu Wuxin and Su Ningxia appeared among the secondary hairpins.
• The chapter explained that all twelve principal hairpins ranked in the top fifty, while Zhu Wuxin ranked fifty-third and Ling Xinyao ranked forty-ninth.
• Gao Cuilan admired Su Ningxia’s portrait, and Zhu Wuneng praised the album’s depiction of Xiao Yi.
• Zhu Wuneng reported that Tianshi City had also released group and individual posters, which were selling rapidly.

Chen Xiaojun examined the luxury album and saw that Xiao Yi had only one solo portrait, while artists had made her a light-and-shadow silhouette in the group portrait of the twelve Principal Hairpins. The image, titled “Eyes That Looked Down Upon All Living Beings,” became a sensation and intensified excitement for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

• Chen Xiaojun leafed through the album and noted how the number and style of portraits varied among the ranked beauties.
• The artists had struggled to depict Xiao Yi because Tianshi City had provided only a brief description and Chen Xiaojun had requested an emphasis on artistic conception.
• Artists placed Xiao Yi above the twelve Principal Hairpins as a light-and-shadow silhouette with star-bright eyes in the group portrait.
• After their discussions failed to resolve how to portray Xiao Yi, the artists adopted a minimalist design proposed by a person of considerable standing.
• Over the following months, the portrait became widely discussed, fueled speculation about Xiao Yi's identity, and heightened anticipation for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
• Tianshi City preserved the original group portrait, which later became a world-renowned masterpiece.

Chen Xiaojun reflected on how the Chen Clan’s resources and training had helped its members dominate the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking. He focused on Yue Qingsi, the Chrysanthemum-Picking Girl of the Yue Family, and considered how her family’s chrysanthemum heritage might connect to Yue Guan.

• Chen Xiaojun’s influence on the Chen Clan’s rise was credited with helping six women reach the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking and strengthening the family’s influence.
• Gao Cuilan and Su Ningxia admired the serene bearing of the Chrysanthemum-Picking Girl, whom Chen Xiaojun identified as Yue Qingsi.
• Chen Xiaojun reviewed Yue Qingsi’s background as a talented Yue Family cultivator whose rare Reaching for the Moon from the Ninth Heaven Chrysanthemum Martial Soul led her to Moonlight Academy and the Moon Palace.
• Chen Xiaojun suspected that Yue Guan came from a collateral branch of the Yue Family and that its inherited knowledge had helped him transform his Martial Soul after consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

The group reviewed the supplementary Heavenly Prodigy Ranking, and Chen Xiaojun reassured Gao Cuilan after she felt hurt that her name was missing. Dugu Fu and Xiao Yi returned, and Chen Xiaojun warmly embraced Xiao Yi.

• Zhu Wuneng pointed out that Chen Ze and Chu Youwei had made the supplementary ranking, and Chen Xiaojun noted that many Soul Kings appeared on it.
• Chen Xiaojun noticed Gao Cuilan’s subdued mood and explained that her recent rise to level forty-two had not yet reached the ranking’s compilers.
• Zhu Wuneng praised Gao Cuilan and their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but his words deepened her hurt; she resolved to prove herself in the provincial tournament.
• Dugu Fu arrived and tussled playfully with Zhu Wuneng before Chen Xiaojun spotted Xiao Yi.
• Chen Xiaojun embraced Xiao Yi, relieved that she had returned after being away for several days.

Chen Xiaojun and his companions discussed the Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family joining the clan before Zhu Wuneng showed them Tianshi City's portraits of the Twelve Golden Hairpins. Xiao Yi accepted her first-place ranking with confidence, while Chen Xiaojun worried that the portrait might draw unwanted attention and hoped to keep her identity secret.

• Chen Xiaojun explained that Third Granduncle and Dugu Fu's grandfather were meeting privately about the Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family joining the clan.
• Zhu Wuneng showed the Red Chamber Twelve Golden Hairpins art book, and Dugu Fu fixated on Ma Yin Qi's portrait and joked about pursuing her.
• Su Ningxia warned Xiao Yi that her first-place portrait could attract resentment and trouble, and Xiao Yi replied that they should simply crush anyone who came after her.
• Xiao Yi said Chen Yanwu and their own people were exceptions, prompting Chen Xiaojun to wonder whether her words hinted at something about Xixi.
• Chen Xiaojun admitted that his drawing advice may have led the artists to depict Xiao Yi so prominently, and he said they would keep her ranking secret as long as possible.