[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet-":3,"chapter-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-42":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Just Maxed Out, and You Want Me to Be a Puppet Emperor?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2336481,4569,"Chapter 42: What","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>How was your cultivation today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Li Chen wiped the blood from the corner of Li Sining’s lips with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when wiping her lips, the crimson blood smeared across her pink, plump lips added a seductive allure, making her already exquisite features even more alluring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the texture was especially good—soft and elastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve only just started cultivating, and I’ve only opened two meridians; it’ll take many more days to reach the twelve main meridians you mentioned, Brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Sining pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only two meridians opened by morning—he probably wasn’t satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if this got out, it would scare many people to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normal cultivators take a week to open one meridian; some, to solidify their foundation, take a whole month per meridian, finishing exactly in a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Meridian Opening realm, speed isn’t always good—but this fast is genuinely terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen thought it was fine; after all, he could go even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, Li Chen told Li Sining that cultivating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians was crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you locate and open the twelve main meridians within the body, you can absorb heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, and your physical attributes will improve accordingly—strength, speed, reaction time, and more will all rise to varying degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If your talent is high, you may awaken special abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Hao awakened a Wind attribute, achieving high proficiency in movement and sword techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Qi awakened a rare Dark attribute; when he unleashes it, dark energy surges over his body, corroding opponents and granting massive advantages in prolonged battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ming awakened something far rarer—the Fire attribute, a once-in-ten-thousand phenomenon that countless cultivators dream of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire attribute not only grants immense combat power but is also the primary requirement for alchemists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, Xiao Ming also awakened the Earth attribute, which he usually uses to play the fool—he switches to Fire when he needs to show off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two abilities Li Chen awakened were even more extraordinary—they transcended all things: golden energy representing the power of the Dao, the will of Heaven, imbued with infinite majesty and sanctity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And purple energy symbolizing imperial qi, the most noble existence in all creation, granting him an aura of sovereign dominion at all times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why, when he unleashes his power, he stirs a resonance between Heaven and Earth, making others feel as if Heaven and Earth share eternity and the sun and moon shine together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Sining must fully cultivate all twelve main meridians before she can awaken a special ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Chen just tested her meridians—if nothing goes wrong, it should be the Thunder attribute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each attribute has tiers of superiority; what ability she awakens depends on her fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After chatting for a while, Li Sining grew curious about cultivation and asked: “What realm comes after Meridian Opening? What can you do then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen replied: “After Meridian Opening comes the Spirit Condensation realm. Once you reach it, you can store heavenly and earthly spiritual energy within your meridians, use your awakened ability, and further strengthen other meridians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what comes after Spirit Condensation? Does it grant any special abilities?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After Spirit Condensation comes the Nascent Soul realm—you can activate your Nascent Soul.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two siblings chatted for a long time, mostly about cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was plenty of playful banter along the way; for Li Sining’s cultivation, Li Chen had no real demands—he just let her practice for fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, Li Sining suddenly remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, aren’t you going on a date today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, can’t I stay here and keep my little sister company?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course you can! Then today, you’re all mine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Sining guessed some reasons but didn’t spoil the mood by voicing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Chen returned, he received word that Chu Ruoyan had been summoned by the Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empress Dowager probably wanted to lecture Chu Ruoyan on harem rules—and maybe brainwash her a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Chu family was under the Empress Dowager’s faction, and Chu Ruoyan knew this was the Empress Dowager’s gift; naturally, she’d listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the harem, offending the Empress Dowager was extremely dangerous. As for how Chu Ruoyan would ultimately decide, Li Chen wasn’t worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With some emotional foundation, even if Chu Ruoyan followed the Empress Dowager’s advice in certain matters, she’d do so only if it didn’t harm Li Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, with proper training, she’d be completely obedient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Li Chen saw Chu Ruoyan, he judged her as a girl who had never been “trained,” which was why he’d taken the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she’d been a loyal servant of the Empress Dowager, sent straight to the harem, Li Chen wouldn’t have bothered—he’d have just enjoyed himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Different people, different approaches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, many in court greatly underestimated Li Chen’s current power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without deliberately seeking it, he could obtain these kinds of rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because during the late Emperor’s reign, these palace guards and eunuchs were utterly loyal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men controlled various intelligence networks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the Chief Eunuch, Eunuch Cui—he served the late Emperor for decades; his strength and ability were unquestionable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Commander Li Sixing, a true imperial clansman; betraying the Emperor would bring him no benefit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li Chen were powerless, a puppet emperor, they’d quickly defect to the major court factions for self-preservation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that Li Chen is like this, they naturally uphold the sole principle of being loyal ministers to His Majesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They don’t even need Li Chen to give orders—they’ll report everything happening inside and outside the palace, just as they did for the late Emperor, and perform their duties faithfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No court faction, no matter how powerful, could surpass the late Emperor’s influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The art of rulership seeks balance, but that doesn’t mean the Emperor doesn’t need to hold power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there are still some matters beyond Li Chen’s control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as long as they don’t cause trouble—if they obey orders like Zhao Wenyuan and Guo Po Yun—Li Chen really doesn’t care to deal with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the advantage of not hiding it: lay it all out— I’m a Saint Realm cultivator, figure it out yourselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had a good rest today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps even Li Chen hadn’t realized it—he was now like the world’s ultimate boss, with many people’s ultimate goal being to eliminate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Chu Ruoyan returned to her family mansion only in the evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, everyone in the Chu family believed the matter was settled: the Chu family’s eldest daughter had won the Emperor’s favor and been summoned by the Empress Dowager—her entry into the harem as a consort was a foregone conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Empress Dowager’s nephew had come today to cultivate ties with the Chu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, the Chu family head couldn’t even easily meet this man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chu family had long been a faction under the Empress Dowager’s nephew, serving him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he came to them voluntarily—the Chu family head felt immense face, finally standing tall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happy as he was, the Chu family head seriously warned his daughter: once you enter the palace, never cause trouble—listen to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and you’ll never go wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Chu Ruoyan suddenly asked: “If the Emperor and the Empress Dowager give opposite orders, whose should I follow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chu family head froze, then stood up, scanned the surroundings, confirmed no one was nearby, and said: “The Chu family has held its ground in the capital thanks to the Empress Dowager’s protection—but the Emperor is now extremely powerful; even the Imperial Tutor has knelt and submitted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ruoyan blinked in confusion: “Father, what’s the difference between what you just said and saying nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the Chu family head thought his daughter still lacked experience—wasn’t that the answer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, saying nothing is how you avoid offending either side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is great wisdom disguised as foolishness? It’s pretending ignorance while knowing full well!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he asked Chu Ruoyan: what did you think when you saw the Empress Dowager? What did she say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question completely stunned Chu Ruoyan, because the moment she saw the Empress Dowager, she felt two immense pressures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big! Really, really big! I’m not sure even both my hands could hold them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1380,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","adaf33ed260e9c45985f0c16f36fd5159483c44b358ddf39c8d940fa25378e22","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-43","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-41",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]