Recaps

Chen Qing and the Shen Family tried to contain Sixth Master Shen after discovering the parasite, but Sixth Master unleashed hundreds of murderous puppets across Nanyang City to force them into a choice. Chen Qing formed rescue teams while Shen Laoqi realized Chen Qing had relatives in the city and suspected Sixth Master had noticed as well.

• Ghost Child destroyed the puppet that killed Shen Shi'er, and Chen Qing inspected the Shen Family members but found no other parasites among those present.
• Shen Laoqi activated his Thousand Eyes Spell to watch Nanyang City, but Sixth Master Shen sent more than nine hundred lookalike puppets into the streets, killing residents while others fled toward the gates.
• Chen Qing urged the Shen Family to save the people and warned that Sixth Master might stay in the city to target isolated Shen Family members.
• Chen Qing split the Shen Family into groups of three and took Shen Laoshi with him to rescue civilians, while Shen Laosi and the others guarded the remaining gates.
• Shen Laoqi told Shen Laoshiyi and Shen Laosi that Chen Qing had repeatedly watched the area where his relatives lived, and suspected Sixth Master had figured it out too.

Chen Qing found Shen Laoliu threatening his mother and eldest sister-in-law, and revealed that he had cooperated with Princess White Jade. He agreed to take Shen Laoliu out of Nanyang City and asked him to bring out his true body, leaving Shen Laoliu uncertain whether he could trust Chen Qing.

• Chen Qing's mother and eldest sister-in-law hid in an alley as chaos spread through Nanyang City.
• Shen Laoliu found the women and realized that Chen Qing was their son and relative, then prepared to use them to threaten him.
• Chen Qing arrived with Shen Laoshi and Ghost Child, and told Shen Laoliu that Princess White Jade had helped him.
• Shen Laoliu demanded that Chen Qing escort him out of Nanyang City or he would kill the women, and Chen Qing agreed.
• Chen Qing asked Shen Laoliu to bring out his true body so he could take him out safely.

Chen Qing escorted Shen Laoliu and Laoshi out of Nanyang City after Shen Laoqi chose not to attack, while binding Shen Laoliu with a soul oath to protect Chen Qing’s family. Once they crossed the city’s spell formation, a massive black arm burst from the ground and seized Shen Laoliu, revealing Chen Qing’s backup plan.

• Shen Laoqi and Shen Laosi debated whether to attack Shen Laoliu or let Chen Qing escort Laoshi out, and Shen Laoqi chose to protect Laoshi.
• Shen Laoliu revealed that his true body was hidden inside the puppet through the Seven-Skill Mofang, and he and Chen Qing formed a soul oath.
• Chen Qing and Laoshi used the Divine Wind Spell to leave Nanyang City, while Shen Laoqi let them pass and Chen Qing’s family remained behind with the puppet.
• Outside the city, Shen Laoliu realized Chen Qing had a backup plan, but an enormous black arm erupted from the ground and grabbed him.

Chen Qing explained the ancient insects’ connection to the Dragon Palace and revealed that Shen Laoda had absorbed two of them. The story left the Shen family facing a demon that commanded three insects’ high-ranking dependents and five million living corpses.

• Shen Yiyun used the Insect Spell to seize control of the ancient insect inside Sixth Master Shen and shut down the spell arrays around Liuzhou City.
• Shen Yifeng arrived with other Shen family members, and Shen Yiyun agreed to enter the city with Chen Qing for negotiations.
• Chen Qing reassured his family after the massacre in Nanyang City, then told the Shen family that Fifth Master Shen and Sixth Master Shen had a powerful ally in the capital seeking the Dragon Palace’s legacy.
• Chen Qing explained that the nine ancient insects carried memories that could reveal the Dragon Palace’s location, and said only four insects remained.
• Chen Qing revealed that Shen Laoda had killed and absorbed two other insects, giving it three insects’ high-ranking dependents and five million living corpses.

Hei Yun learned that West Sea City faced a sudden, coordinated siege by mutated living corpses and a vast serpent believed to be the Shen Family ancestor, threatening the Duke of Qin’s plan to preserve his forces and exploit the ancient incursion. Elsewhere, the eldest princess explained the hidden history behind the King of Qin’s fall and ordered the army to move out, telling the Shen Family monster that its flesh and blood had arrived.

• Lu Hong told Hei Yun that the living corpses had become stronger and united, and that their attacks had nearly breached West Sea City.
• Hei Yun and Lu Hong spotted an enormous serpent surrounding the West Sea coastline and suspected it was the Shen Family ancestor working with the living corpses.
• Hei Yun reflected that the Duke of Qin had planned to use the crown prince’s memories to seize the initiative against the ancients, but the attack on West Sea threatened that plan.
• Fei Tianxing asked why His Majesty had let the Duke of Qin lead the campaign, and the eldest princess explained that the Xiao Household had withheld records about the ancients from him.
• The eldest princess said the Duke of Qin had not rescued the King of Qin because he opposed the King’s refusal to let Lu Ming explore the demonic idol’s inheritance.
• The eldest princess ordered the army to move out and told the Shen Family monster that its flesh and blood had been delivered.

Chen Qing warned the Shen Family that Shen Laoda was consolidating living corpses in the West Sea, while the court’s Golden Dragon Guard marched into Jiangnan’s poisonous southwestern mountains under the eldest princess’s command. The troops discovered the trap after the princess and Fei Family spellcasters disappeared, as swarms approached through the mist.

• Chen Qing explained that Shen Laoda had devoured rival ancient insects and was gathering living corpses and military hosts in the West Sea.
• Chen Qing argued that the court’s elite forces could challenge Shen Laoda, but warned that the court was divided and Jiangnan’s hidden kin were stirring.
• The eldest princess led the Golden Dragon Guard into Jiangnan’s uninhabited southwestern mountains, confusing the aristocratic officers accompanying them.
• A young officer from the Hong Household recognized that the mist was poisonous, and the soldiers found that using their bloodline power weakened them.
• The officers discovered that the eldest princess and Fei Family spellcasters had vanished as vast numbers of creatures crawled toward the trapped army.

The eldest princess turned three hundred thousand Golden Dragon Guards into dependents and ordered them to evolve within ten days, while the Duke of Qin learned that the West Sea was under siege and prepared to meet the crown prince. The chapter left the Duke of Qi suspecting that Lu Ming and their old allies had all changed.

• The eldest princess watched the Golden Dragon Guards succumb to the insects and rise as living dependents.
• The eldest princess examined the officers, learned they could reach their next form in ten days, and warned that the threat in the West Sea would not wait.
• Hei Yun told the Duke of Qin that at least ten million living corpses and powerful demons were attacking West Sea City, where the Shen Family's ancestor had appeared.
• Lu Ming ordered the Duke of Lu to take a hundred thousand troops to reinforce West Sea City and told the others to stall requests for aid from Jiangnan.
• The Duke of Qin learned that the crown prince would meet him at Yunzhou's entrance in ten days and planned to take him away afterward.
• The Duke of Qi noticed that Lu Ming and the other dukes seemed unfamiliar and indifferent to their former allies.

Lu Ming met the crown prince in the mist and tried to win his trust by explaining why he had come to Jiangnan and recounting his refusal to explore dangerous legacies. The princess’s ambush exposed the crown prince as a puppet and trapped Lu Ming inside the formation, while she revealed her hatred for the people who had turned against the King of Qin.

• Lu Ming met the crown prince in the fog, and the prince questioned his motives for coming to Jiangnan and asked whether he wanted the Dragon Palace’s secrets to cure his illness.
• Lu Ming said he had refused the King of Qin’s offer to investigate the otherworldly demon statues and would not take that risk now.
• A centipede-like creature attached to the crown prince’s spine revealed that he was a puppet, and the princess struck Lu Ming with the Xiao Household’s Flame Saber.
• The princess admitted she had arranged the crown prince’s false identity and brought the Thousand-Faced Fox into the capital to lure Lu Ming away from his troops.
• Lu Ming realized the princess had trapped him in the formation to keep him from returning to his three hundred thousand men.
• The princess declared that Lu Ming and everyone who had turned against the King of Qin deserved to die.

Lu Ming realized the eldest princess had trapped him to leave the Lu Household’s three hundred thousand soldiers vulnerable, while Tian Heng gathered intelligence and debated where to send reinforcements. Wang Ye returned with news of Jiangnan’s devastation and secretly suspected that Fifth Master Shen was a living corpse; the commanders still faced a decision about their troops.

• Lu Ming gave up struggling in the sealing formation, realized the eldest princess was targeting his soldiers in Jiangnan, and placed his hopes in Tian Heng.
• Tian Heng left for a command meeting after Wang Ye returned and reported that living corpses had overrun most of Jiangnan’s major cities.
• Fifth Master Shen said Nanyang City remained largely safe but lacked the troops to rescue its surrounding counties.
• Fifth Master Shen urged the commanders to prioritize reinforcing Nanming Prefecture, and Tian Heng praised him while privately doubting his motives.
• Wang Ye recalled Chen Qing’s intelligence that Fifth Master Shen was a powerful living corpse and wondered whether to follow Chen Qing’s instructions.

Chen Qing secured the Nanyang prefectural seal and set out for Liuzhou with his mother and sister-in-law, while Chen Ye and Wei Gongcheng awaited their family reunions there. The chapter ended with Wei Gongcheng and Shen Yimiao worrying that Liuzhou’s gains might come too late unless Lord Wang returned with benefits from the current chaos.

• Shen Laoqi and the other Shen family members agreed to trust Chen Qing with Nanyang’s administration because the city faced dwindling food and another attack by living corpses.
• Chen Qing took the Nanyang prefectural seal and brought his seasick mother and sister-in-law aboard, promising his mother he would take her with him from then on.
• Chen Qing avoided telling his mother about Chen Household Village and his eldest brother, saying they would learn the truth when they reached Liuzhou.
• Chen Ye returned to the prefectural office and worried whether his wife would accept him, while Chen Yuan assured him she would be happy to see him and their son.
• Wei Gongcheng and Shen Yimiao discussed the growing faith in Liuzhou’s Underworld and the possibility that Wei Gongcheng’s family had accompanied the army.
• Wei Gongcheng and Shen Yimiao agreed that Liuzhou’s rapid progress might still be too late unless Lord Wang returned with benefits from the chaos.

Tian Heng punished Yuchi Feihu for demanding to join the front, while Wei Gongyan encouraged him to wait for a chance to earn merit. Wang Ye again urged Tian Heng to send reinforcements to Nanming Prefecture and judged him the duke most likely to support action against the other dukes.

• Tian Heng refused Yuchi Feihu permission to go to the front and ordered twenty strokes for barging into his command tent.
• Tian Heng learned that scouts tracking the Golden Dragon Guard had reached Yunzhou but were bitten by venomous insects before they could report to him.
• Wei Gongyan treated Yuchi Feihu's injuries and encouraged him to rest before seeking a chance to earn military merit.
• A young member of the Wei Household smelled a strong bloody stench coming from the southwest.
• Wang Ye privately urged Tian Heng to send reinforcements to Nanming Prefecture and concluded that Tian Heng was the duke most likely to act.

Wang Ye secured ten thousand troops from Tian Heng and gave him a jade talisman before offering another to Yuchi Feihu. After Wei Gongzhan secretly accepted the talisman and resolved to protect his young lord, Wang Ye used Tian Heng’s command tally to order the troops to withdraw to Jiangnan.

• Wang Ye persuaded Tian Heng to lend him ten thousand troops, and Tian Heng gave him a command tally.
• Wang Ye gave Tian Heng a jade talisman so he could find him if he needed refuge, and Tian Heng kept it after nearly discarding it.
• Wang Ye offered Yuchi Feihu a jade talisman, but Yuchi Feihu rejected it until Wei Gongzhan took it on his behalf.
• Yuchi Feihu threatened to dismiss Wei Gongzhan, who continued following him because his spirit speech warned him of grave danger from the southwest.
• Wang Ye showed Tian Heng’s deputy general the command tally and ordered the troops to withdraw to Jiangnan.

Wang Ye used a military tally to lead Lan Xiang’s troops toward Jiangnan as the court’s monstrous forces attacked the Duke of Qin’s allies. Tian Heng discovered that Wang Ye had taken his own soldiers too, leaving him stranded amid the battle.

• Wang Ye warned Lan Xiang that Golden Dragon Guards transformed into monsters were attacking and persuaded him to withdraw his troops to Jiangnan.
• Tian Heng recognized the danger and ordered two dukes to retreat toward West Sea, but the Eldest Princess struck them with a flaming blade.
• Fifth Master Shen slowed the two dukes with his art, allowing the Eldest Princess to kill them while Tian Heng fled.
• The Eldest Princess confirmed that West Sea had been sealed off and chose not to pursue Tian Heng immediately.
• Tian Heng returned to find his camp empty and learned from Lan Xiang’s note that Wang Ye had taken the troops to Jiangnan.

Tian Heng and Meng Hao tried to organize a retreat after the Black Dragon Guard’s lines collapsed, but Meng Hao betrayed Tian Heng to seize a chance at advancement. Meanwhile, Wei Gongzhan stopped Yuchi Feihu from charging into battle and led him toward Jiangnan, as the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley disaster marked the start of Great Jin’s decline.

• Meng Hao arrived seeking reinforcements and told Tian Heng that the West Sea front had been overwhelmed by powerful living corpses.
• Tian Heng decided to retreat into the West Sea, but Meng Hao pierced his chest and revealed that he had betrayed him to escape a life spent as a deputy.
• Yuchi Feihu tried to rush into battle, but Wei Gongyan restrained him and Wei Gongzhan drugged him with a silver needle.
• Wei Gongzhan persuaded Wei Gongyan to take Yuchi Feihu toward Jiangnan instead of the West Sea, trusting the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review to protect them.
• The Nine Heavens Mirror Valley incident destroyed most of the Golden Dragon Guard and Black Dragon Guard, beginning Great Jin’s decline.

Tian Heng survived Meng Hao’s attack but discovered that he and his deputies had been infected by the living corpses, so he headed for Jiangnan and contacted Wang Ye. Chen Qing met him with medicine to suppress the infection, but left for Nanyang before Tian Heng could receive treatment in Liuzhou.

• Tian Heng woke after escaping Meng Hao and realized that his wound was still bleeding and his deputies’ eyes had turned scarlet.
• Tian Heng found Wang Ye’s jade talisman and used it to contact him while retreating toward Jiangnan.
• Wang Ye sent Chen Qing to meet Tian Heng, and Chen Qing arrived with elite troops from Liuzhou.
• Chen Qing identified venomous insects in Tian Heng and his deputies and gave them medicine that temporarily suppressed the infection.
• Chen Qing said Tian Heng would need to return to Liuzhou for treatment, but he had to take reinforcements to Nanyang, leaving Tian Heng astonished.

Yuchi Feihu and his two guards reached Liuzhou City, where they found refugees entering under the protection of unusually powerful soldiers and saw signs that the city was secure and well supplied. After keeping their identities hidden, they were recognized by Shen Yuan, the former magistrate of Whitewater County.

• Wei Gongzhan advised Yuchi Feihu to assess Liuzhou before trusting Vice Minister Wang, and Yuchi Feihu defended him from Wei Gongyan’s demand for family punishment.
• Yuchi Feihu, Wei Gongzhan, and Wei Gongyan reached Liuzhou City and saw nearly a thousand powerful soldiers escorting refugees through its gates.
• Wei Gongzhan disguised the three as refugees, and the soldiers told them that they would be safe inside Liuzhou City.
• The three joined a refugee line and saw Liuzhou distribute thick rice porridge and nourishing meat while guards enforced order.
• Wei Gongzhan spotted a scholar following them, and the man approached and identified himself as Shen Yuan, the former magistrate of Whitewater County.

Shen Yuan told Yuchi Feihu and the Wei brothers how Chen Qing had taken control of Liuzhou, recruited an unusually capable army, and won the residents’ loyalty with generous provisions and supernatural claims. When the three sought a way to investigate the city from within, Shen Yuan revealed that admission to Liuzhou’s Yin-Yang Academy could grant residency, leaving them stunned.

• Shen Yuan told Yuchi Feihu and the Wei brothers that Chen Qing had confiscated county magistrates’ official seals and recruited Liuzhou’s soldiers from common people.
• Shen Yuan explained that Liuzhou offered recruits household registration, homes, and regular meals, while other refugees received less generous provisions.
• The men saw the silver-armored Day Wandering God appear in the sky as Shen Yuan described the gods and Underworld stories spread in Liuzhou.
• Wei Gongzhan told Shen Yuan that the court had sent reinforcements to Jiangnan and asked where the earlier force led by General Hong and Wu You had gone.
• Shen Yuan named three routes to Liuzhou residency, including joining the army, leasing farmland on Great Azure Mountain, and entering the Yin-Yang Academy.
• Yuchi Feihu and the Wei brothers reacted in astonishment when Shen Yuan said the academy’s recruitment began the next day.

Yuchi Feihu’s group split up to infiltrate Liuzhou, sending Shen Yuan to investigate its supposed Yin-Yang Academy. Wang Ye diverted Lan Xiang’s troops to Yangzhou, where they learned the city’s million residents had become living corpses, and headed for a nearby county town to see how Liuzhou’s rescue effort was proceeding.

• Yuchi Feihu assigned himself and Wei Gongyan to try out for the Tiger Guard Army, sent Wei Gongzhan to gather intelligence at Great Azure Mountain, and ordered Shen Yuan to enroll in the Yin-Yang Academy.
• Shen Yuan agreed to investigate the academy for the court, though he secretly felt excited by the prospect.
• Wang Ye convinced Lan Xiang that Yangzhou was a safer place to shelter the troops than Nanming Prefecture or Nanyang City.
• Lan Xiang’s forces landed at Yangzhou harbor and quickly destroyed the living corpses there.
• Wang Ye warned Lan Xiang that all one million people in Yangzhou City had become living corpses and explained that Liuzhou troops were rescuing people in the surrounding countryside.
• Wang Ye led Lan Xiang’s troops toward a nearby county town, urging them to arrive before dark.

Wei Gongzhan registered to farm on Great Azure Mountain and met Shen Yuan, who told him that masters had emerged from the City God's statue. At the temple, Wei Gongzhan recognized the statue's mask as belonging to a childhood role model from the Wei Household, leaving him wondering whether the resemblance was a coincidence.

• Zhou Haitao registered Wei Gongzhan to farm on Great Azure Mountain and directed him to find Master Lü at the academy.
• Wei Gongzhan met young men who had been rejected from the Tiger Guard Army and learned they had turned to farming rather than keep living off free food in Liuzhou.
• Wei Gongzhan encountered Shen Yuan, who described the academy's four divisions and said he had seen masters emerge from the City God's statue.
• Shen Yuan took Wei Gongzhan to the City God's temple, where Wei recognized the statue's mask as the one worn by a boy from the Wei Household who had served the Yuchi Household's master.

Wei Gongcheng and Master Shen San discussed the Ancient Insects’ plot and the soldiers who escaped to Jiangnan, while Yuchi Feihu settled into camp and befriended Di Yun. Di Yun called bloodline users who relied on their powers “bloodline trash,” leaving Yuchi Feihu stunned.

• Wei Gongzhan questioned whether an Underworld existed in Liuzhou, then left to join the expedition to Great Azure Mountain as Shen Yuan warned him to stay cautious.
• Wei Gongcheng told Master Shen San that the Ancient Insects had planned to parasitize Great Jin’s bloodline descendants and that Wang Ye had saved many of Tian Heng’s soldiers by bringing them to Jiangnan.
• Yuchi Feihu warned Wei Gongyan not to reveal his bloodline, but Wei Gongyan dismissed the warning and kept feeling watched.
• Yuchi Feihu joined Di Yun for dinner and gave him the name Huang Feihu, pleased that Di Yun praised his combat skills.
• Di Yun said that anyone who relied on bloodline power after losing was bloodline trash, leaving Yuchi Feihu speechless.

Yuchi Feihu watched the recruits’ demonstration preparations and learned that veterans like Di Yun were training ordinary soldiers for an urgent reinforcement mission. When Wei Gongyan challenged Di Yun and unleashed his bloodline, Di Yun stopped his saber and urged him to use his full strength.

• Yuchi Feihu practiced before dawn and spoke with Di Yun, who explained that the day’s demonstration would introduce recruits to the veterans’ training.
• Wei Gongyan dismissed the veterans as ordinary troops, while Di Yun announced that selected recruits would join units sent as reinforcements within five days and receive priority for blessings.
• Wei Gongyan mocked the demonstration and asked whether recruits had to use their full strength, prompting Di Yun to challenge him for his unit-leader position.
• Wei Gongyan activated his Wind Serpent Bloodline and attacked Di Yun, but Di Yun’s saber held firm against his strike.
• Di Yun taunted Wei Gongyan for using only part of his bloodline and told him to try using his full strength.

Di Yun defeated Wei Gongyan during the military selection and declared that all nine squads rejected him, revealing how powerful Liuzhou’s soldiers had become. Yuchi Feihu and the watching nobles recognized that Chen Qing’s Divine Path Style could create a force capable of challenging the bloodline aristocratic families.

• Di Yun shattered Wei Gongyan’s saber, twisted his wrist, and criticized his poor use of his agility-focused bloodline.
• Di Yun explained that he had let Wei Gongyan send him flying the previous day to protect nearby spectators, then announced that his First Squad rejected him.
• All nine squads rejected Wei Gongyan, sending him to basic training reserves for reassessment in one month or possible dismissal.
• Di Yun identified himself as a level-four fighter and demanded that soldiers demonstrate their abilities, while his veterans celebrated their new standing.
• Yuchi Feihu realized Liuzhou’s soldiers possessed a kind of power unlike demonic bloodlines and were different from Great Jin’s troops.
• Wei Gongcheng and Master Shen San discussed Di Yun’s rapid growth and the possibility that Chen Qing could raise ordinary fighters into a force threatening the bloodline aristocratic families.

Shen Yuan discovered that the academy’s Dao texts contained groundbreaking arcane knowledge and learned from Chen Ying that low spiritual power would not prevent him from specializing in spell formations. At dinner, he dismissed Gu Beiquan’s belief that Chen Qing would restore the former officials to office and warned him to enjoy the food while he could.

• Shen Yuan spent days absorbed in the academy’s books after initially doubting their value, and Chen Ying praised his arithmetic talent.
• Chen Ying told Shen Yuan that the academy’s spell formation methods relied on objects or formations rather than people, so low spiritual power would not be a major obstacle.
• Shen Yuan helped organize the Dao texts and then devoted nearly all his time to reading them.
• Gu Beiquan and other former officials approached Shen Yuan at dinner and claimed Chen Qing would soon need to restore them to government service.
• Shen Yuan asked Gu Beiquan about his examination scores, learned he had ignored the arcane subjects, and advised him to eat well before being sent back to North Street.

Shen Yuan ignored Gu Beiquan and focused on discussing spell formations with Cui Yang before Chen Ying announced the Yin-Yang Academy’s specialized admissions criteria. When scholars protested that the academy sidelined the classics, Gu Beiquan realized it was intended to train sorcerers and angrily accused Chen Qing of driving scholars out of Liuzhou.

• Shen Yuan arrived at the assessment announcement and chose to speak with Cui Yang about improving his theory rather than join Gu Beiquan and the other jinshi.
• Chen Ying announced the Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow Academies and explained their different subjects and admission requirements.
• Chen Ying said that results in the meaning of the classics did not count toward the main rankings because the academy was not meant to train jinshi.
• Gu Beiquan and other degree-holding scholars saw their poor rankings and questioned the academy’s purpose and fairness.
• Gu Beiquan inferred that the Yin-Yang Academy planned to train sorcerers, then accused Chen Qing of letting military men dominate Liuzhou and driving scholars away.

Chen Ying expelled Gu Beiquan and his companions after exposing their dependence on Liuzhou’s protection, while the academy’s teachers accepted Chen Qing’s plan to expand practical studies. Wei Gongcheng and Master Shen San then discussed the Dragon Palace inheritance and wondered whether Chen Qing could withstand the powerful families who would come to claim it.

• Chen Ying rejected Gu Beiquan’s criticism of Liuzhou and pointed out that its warriors and sorcery had kept him and the refugees alive.
• Chen Ying used a gust of wind to carry Gu Beiquan and his companions out, and the gathered scholars wondered whether they could learn sorcery at the academy.
• Wei Gongcheng observed that the teachers did not object to Chen Qing’s plan to promote engineering and other practical fields before establishing studies in politics and law.
• Master Shen San asked whether the Daoist archives linked to Princess White Jade’s inheritance were trustworthy, and Wei Gongcheng explained that they were only the Dragon Palace’s outer inheritance.
• Wei Gongcheng revealed that Nine Heavens Mirror Valley held a key to the Dragon Palace, whose secrets of immortality would attract Great Jin’s emperor and powerful families.
• Wei Gongcheng wondered whether Chen Qing had enough strength to compete for the Dragon Palace inheritance against the world’s great powers.