[{"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-5":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},2336444,4569,"Chapter 5: Where Contradictions Breed, the Natural Site for the Task!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>The bustling commercial avenue in the east of the imperial capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The buildings here are arranged with elegance and grandeur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every brick and tile reveals the craftsman’s exquisite skill and boundless ingenuity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering pagodas pierce the clouds, constantly recounting the glory and splendor of the TianCe Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Li Chen was a prince and knew well how deep the waters of the capital ran; to avoid trouble, he stayed within the palace to cultivate in seclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, this was his first time coming here, and he was not very familiar with the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he had brought two elderly ministers along—to serve as guides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But times had changed; now he could fairly say he was inspecting his own domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the crowded streets teeming with people, Li Chen pondered how to complete his task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivation method in this world begins with the meridians; once the meridians are unblocked, one’s physical condition improves dramatically, allowing the intake and condensation of spiritual energy, followed by gradual advancement in cultivation base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the foundation is weak, later cultivation will never reach great heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combat involves activating the meridians to unleash tremendous power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, intense combat can damage the meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most cultivators rest for a period after battle to allow their meridians to recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, under normal circumstances, as long as a cultivator does not activate his meridians, no one can know his cultivation base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Li Chen uneasy—everyone looked roughly the same; where was he supposed to find a mid-stage Meridian Opening cultivator to beat up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Li Chen thought the task wouldn’t be hard, for he had once heard stories from palace insiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital was filled with many scions of noble families, and these youths often caused trouble in the capital, clashing with the sons of powerful ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial consorts would then plead for mercy before the late emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, the Crown Prince would step in as mediator, turning major incidents into minor ones, and minor ones into nothing—all following a set procedure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Prince was certainly eager to handle such matters; he cultivated goodwill everywhere, laying the groundwork for his future ascension to the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen harbored no resentment toward the Crown Prince, for there was no possibility of conflict between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Prince treated everyone without direct conflict of interest with exceptional kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was feigned, he at least feigned well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having grown accustomed to these tales, Li Chen now observed the more luxurious commercial districts—places with heavy foot traffic and frequent appearances by noble scions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he spotted a troublemaker, he would immediately beat him up and complete the task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the plan sounded good; yet after wandering for hours, he hadn’t found a single one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble scions he passed along the way didn’t seem nearly as arrogant and domineering as the rumors claimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Chen reconsidered—perhaps his approach was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most noble scions received excellent education, with strict expectations from their elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who were ignorant and idle were few; how, then, could he find places where cultivators clashed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of thought, Li Chen spoke: “Where in the eastern capital do cultivators gather most?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Li Chen’s view, cultivators were often proud and haughty; when mixed together, conflicts naturally arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So finding places with many cultivators should be correct. General Guo Po immediately answered: \"Your Highness, Master Li, in the eastern capital there are several combat academies that have trained many outstanding talents for our dynasty—those areas have the most cultivators.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, it had been Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan speaking, introducing local customs and scenery; Guo Po had stood like an invisible man, anxiously waiting his turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he had finally found a topic to speak on, he wanted to leave a good impression on the new emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the supreme military commander, he still understood cultivation well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once accompanied the late emperor on secret tours, and seeing Li Chen’s current demeanor, he guessed the new emperor was imitating the late emperor’s inspection of the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he called Li Chen \"Master Li\"—knowing Li Chen wished to conceal his identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the late emperor, who was accompanied by mysterious palace elites during his secret tours, Guo Po had also deployed numerous covert guards to protect the late emperor’s safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a general, he himself possessed formidable strength, yet it was easier to dodge a spear than a hidden arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allowing the imperial personage to be startled was his failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This new emperor was a Sage Realm cultivator; even the Second Prince, so powerful, had fled in terror. Logically, no one would dare harm him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did that mean he didn’t need guards?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Po thought the opposite!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Sage Realm cultivator was an extraordinary being; if this one lost his temper, to put it kindly, everyone would suffer the consequences; to put it bluntly, rivers would run red with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he had deployed more than three times the number of covert guards than the late emperor had ever had!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some who appeared to be ordinary passersby were in fact Guo Po’s men, extremely powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever any discordant scene arose within the area Li Chen traveled, they would resolve it beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, if two cultivators quarreled, or if a ferocious beast lurked nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These covert guards would bind the troublemakers and subdue the beasts, allowing Li Chen to pass through the area unimpeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Po’s men, upon hearing they were assigned to guard the new emperor, threw themselves into their duties with frenzied zeal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why, despite wandering for hours through the bustling districts, Li Chen had found so few troublemakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Guo Po mentioned the combat academies, Li Chen immediately became interested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For he was not the only one who had lived long within the palace; the imperial consorts, maids, and eunuchs were also bored and loved gossiping about capital scandals; Li Chen, with nothing else to do, had heard plenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital’s combat academies were not few—there were at least three major ones in the eastern district alone, each controlled by different factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one achieved outstanding results and graduated successfully, one could secure a position in the military or local forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, graduation guaranteed an official post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the number of posts was limited each year, these three academies competed fiercely, and tensions ran high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Chen had often heard that students from the major academies frequently fought publicly, preferring punishment over letting their academy’s honor suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The late emperor turned a blind eye to such incidents; he believed combat academy students must possess spirit and grit—the TianCe Dynasty needed no sycophants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the academies housed many noble scions and gifted commoners alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since ancient times, there had been noble scions and commoner geniuses who got along, trained together, and even became pillars of the state—stories celebrated as legends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet conflicts remained abundant, for noble scions sought official posts to solidify their status within their clans, while commoner geniuses could not let such a chance to leap from carp to dragon slip away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who graduated successfully from the capital’s major combat academies with outstanding results was truly a rare, carefully selected talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Li Chen’s view, this was certain—he would surely complete his task in such a breeding ground of conflict!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-20T21:59:17.413Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","143fd047feb09c3c77e41664ef1f2f82799b2fd116112d672c97ce7962762e6b","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-6","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-4",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]