My Card Is Infinitely Strengthened

Chapter 316 683-686 Immortal Monarch Immortal, the strongest in the world, the dragon of time and space, the iterative feast

Finally, the main legendary weapons are all ready.

"Do you have any eyebrows about King Azure Dragon's plan?" Su Li asked.

"No, there are many factors involved in this matter, so let's wait." Ji Yueyao lowered her head and flipped through the [Book of Truth].

"All right."

This must make him a big deal.

Su Li has one more thing to do.

【Character Capture】

"Immortal Monarch Li Changsheng, is your target."

"This person has been a hero all his life, and in the end he barely ascended to the legend, he is a weak legend.

There is no card for him yet, [Character Capture] can definitely be captured successfully. "

"Coincidentally, he has an only daughter, and a card appeared, which can be used as a bridge to contact him."

"His wife died when he was platinum, so that can be your starting point, save his wife and take him as an apprentice." Ji Yueyao shared a lot of information.

Su Li nodded.

It is for this kind of cultivator who values ​​love and righteousness.

Weak legends don't matter, he should train them well, not to mention being comparable to Jiang Li and Luo Qingcheng, and being able to fight back and forth with ordinary legendary card masters, it shouldn't be a big problem.

"That's him."

Su Li took out the card of Immortal Monarch Li Changsheng's daughter, then lit up [Character Capture], and chanted his real name.

Between the roar of time and space, a legendary card was born.

It worked!

Then there is the old process again.

Platinum-level Immortal Monarch Li Changsheng is only in his 20s.

Su Li is also an "older" practitioner now, more than enough to be his own grandson.

He also has Mu Qiulan, the goddess of life, who came to Li Changsheng when he was desperate and saved his wife.

The family of three are grateful.

Taking advantage of the trend, Su Li took Li Changsheng as his beloved disciple, taught him with all his heart, and even consumed 2000 mysterious abilities to complete his foundation.

This Immortal Monarch became obviously stronger.

Su Li asked him to stick to his heart and always act chivalrously.

I would show up every once in a while to give him advice, until Li Changsheng reached the 9th level of Crystal Diamond, and he finally said goodbye.

"Changsheng, I have to leave for a long time as a teacher, you are a good boy, I hope you will remain the same and never forget your original intention.

In the future, maybe I will need your help. " Su Li smiled.

He has always looked like a young man, while Li Changsheng is already a middle-aged man, but at this moment he respectfully kowtows to Su Li, bidding farewell to this teacher who has had a profound influence on him and is like a father.

"The teacher needs it, and longevity will definitely come." He wept, because he knew that this time Su Li really had to leave for a long time, and it was difficult to come back.

"You have a senior brother named Jiang Li, the peerless Martial Sage, you really resemble him." Su Li sighed.

he left.

As the level advances, it will come back, but it has been vaccinated in advance.

Then, the [Immortal Monarch- Li Changsheng] card has become one of Su Li's bottom cards so far.

Su Li's current cards are:

Legendary cards: [Wu Xianzi-Luo Qingcheng], [Immortal Monarch- Li Changsheng], and [Dark Practitioner-Leng Miaozhen] that can be used with a high probability.

Cards with unlimited usage.

In terms of attack: [Ragnarok], [Zhuxian Sword Formation]. There is also a piece of [Stars Falling] whose strength is only at the 10th level of the crystal diamond.

Defensive aspects: [Invincible], [Lock Deviation].

In terms of escapism: [Boundless Escape], [Swinging Up to Hundreds of Thousands of Miles], [Dimensional Space].

In terms of functions: [Heaven and Earth Cage], [Fair Battle].

The ultimate in luxury!

Even in the face of legend is not false.

After completing 【Immortal Monarch- Li Changsheng】, Su Li looked at the phone.

Huang Xueye sent him a message many years ago.

Her fate card is 【Fate Backfires】.

"Maybe it really has something to do with my life-force guidance?" Su Li pondered.

Anyway, in the future, the designation of destiny teacher qualifications will use the power of drama.

Because there is no cost.

"It's time to go to Canglan Sky City." Su Li was looking forward to it, what did the Empress prepare for herself?

Empress Ye Muxian naturally understood the meaning of a fortune master qualification.

Su Li and Ji Yueyao had a meal, and then went back to Qidian to accompany Jiang Mingyue for a few days.

"I'm so busy."

He said to Jiang Mingyue: "Get ready, choose one of the female Martial Sage soldiers, and I will give her the qualification of a destiny master."

[Immortal Monarch- Li Changsheng] It took Su Li about 8 years to correspond to the card master world, and after a few more days, Su Li's fortune master gift will be restored.

"Dark Knight Gusu Yun, although she once questioned you, after that, she adored you and was loyal to you, almost giving her life several times.

In my opinion, she is the female knight who is most qualified to be a fortune teller. "Jiang Mingyue whispered on Su Li's chest.

"Okay, it's her." The two finalized the candidate.

A few days later, Gu Suyun, wearing a dark armor, knelt down on one knee in front of Su Li and Jiang Mingyue, and said respectfully:

"Master, Empress."

"If you become a fortune teller, which fate card do you want?" Su Li smiled lightly.

Gu Suyun's heart trembled, and then she was very excited. She knew that she was going to become a fortune teller. Similarly, she was recognized by Su Li and Jiang Mingyue.

After questioning Su Li in the past, until today, Gu Su Yun still has a grudge, even though Su Li and Jiang Mingyue don't care about her offense.

But now, she was finally relieved.

"I want [a glimmer of life]." She said firmly.

This female knight's style of play is desperate, and [Living Life] is the most suitable.

"it is good."

Su Li lightly touched the center of her eyebrows, and while bestowing the qualifications of a Fate Master, she used the power of fate to delineate the types of Fate Cards.

"hope so."

As for Huang Xueye's time, the scope was relatively wide, and Su Li was not sure.

But this time, if it succeeds, then whichever fate card you want in the future, you will get it.

"I can't give myself a destiny card." Su Li shook her head.

He already has a level 7 crystal diamond, and he can choose the fifth destiny card in the future.

But I haven't figured it out yet.

[Blessing of Destiny] Yes, it can be superimposed with the power of drama, and the effect is explosive.

[Time footprint], powerful function.

[Fate Weaving] should be the last fate card that Su Li needs.

[Pendulum of Fate] This card is a bit weird.

This card is played by chance.

For example, when the opponent's attack comes, he can light up the [Pendulum of Fate].

Then, you can choose the intensity variation of this attack.

With a 50% chance, it will increase by 10 points.

There is a 50 percent chance of weakening by 10 points.

But the fate master has the privilege. If the effect is used on oneself, the chance of "beneficial to oneself" can be increased to 75%.

Of course, there are other uses.

You don't have to choose "Power Intensity".

You can choose "Power Lock Strength".

Suppose Su Li uses Christine's "Super Teleportation", as long as the opponent's "Power Lock Strength" is reduced by 10 points, he can successfully escape, then he can consider choosing "Power Lock Strength".

In this case, there will be no negative impact.

Because you can't get out of the opponent's lock, even if it fluctuates upwards, it doesn't matter.

But if it fluctuates downward, it can successfully break out of the lock.

[Pendulum of Fate] This fate card is really interesting.

The scope involved is not just fighting.

But in every way.

For example, Su Li's 4 [Wonderful Fate] superpositions can also be considered to add another [Pendulum of Fate] power to increase the income.

However, although the nine fate cards are evenly divided, there are still differences in rarity.

[Living line of life], [Trace to the source], [Time footprint], etc., are the most common ones.

[Wonderful Fate] and [Unexpected Fate] belong to the second tier.

[Pendulum of Destiny] and [Blessing of Destiny] belong to the third gear.

Su Li has never encountered a fortune teller who uses the [Pendulum of Fate].

[Blessing of Destiny] Xia Qian is the only one.

So the difficulty he wants to obtain is not small.

But if you really can't meet it, Su Li also has other ways.

At worst, after granting the qualification of Fate Master, you can recycle the Fate Cards by yourself

But don't think about it for now, let Qidian collect information to see if he can kill a fate master and let him get the fifth fate card.

After all, a destiny master qualification is quite precious.

"Xia Qian's injury, I should be able to solve it. Killing other fate masters, crushing the opponent's fate card, or repairing the cracks in her fate pattern." Su Li pondered.

Sure enough, Xia Qian's fate was finally in his hands.

"Go." Su Li laughed.

"Thank you, my lord." Gusu Yun bowed down.

After the dark knight Gu Suyun left, Jiang Mingyue whispered in Su Li's ear:

"Yunyun has obtained an exclusive physique card, [Dark God King Body], which can completely ignore the dark power of the same level and greatly reduce the damage of light power. Maybe your [Hunyuan Body Refining] can absorb a little bit from her. kind of change.”

"."

Su Li was shocked, why even you are like this.

He's not a stallion.

Su Li said helplessly: "We haven't reached such a critical point yet."

"The master of destiny must be the strongest." Jiang Mingyue looked very serious.

"I'm already the strongest." Su Li smiled lightly.

"I said it was the strongest in the world." The blonde queen buried her head in his arms.

"."

"Let's talk about it later."

"Help me find a fate master who can kill me."

"Um."

After saying goodbye to Jiang Mingyue, Su Li set off for Sky City.

This time, Xia Qian and Bai Moxue were brought along.

Gusu Yun has become a Fate Master, so she won't take it with her. Xia Qian may kill the Fate Master at any time to repair her injuries and regain control of [Fate Blessing].

"Su Li, I want to be a fortune teller too." Little Loli snarled, hugging Su Li's thigh.

"One by one." Su Li lifted her up and flicked her forehead.

Whoever contributes the most will be given first.

It will always come anyway.

At present, the female Martial Sage army is too competitive, and his 10-man team, the destiny army, has been on standby.

But today's Qidian is already extremely powerful.

The female Martial Sage army and the Destiny army have crystal diamonds of level 8 and above, have [Infinite Heart Sutra] and many rare cards, at least comparable to ordinary crystal diamonds of level 10.

There are dozens of fighters at the 10th level of Crystal Diamond, and with Ji Yueyao in charge, it seems to have become a powerful force.

And the growth rate is astonishing. All the powerhouses are far more than that, and they are still in the stage of rapid growth.

Of course, there is also a drawback, which is almost unable to provide Su Li with much mysterious energy, because they are all in the growth stage and consume too much.

Even Su Li is still posting the fate master qualifications.

However, Su Li does not plan to sell the fate master qualifications everywhere, and even after all the female Martial Sage soldiers become fate masters, he may stop making fate masters.

There are few fate masters in the world, this is the rule.

It is inevitable that he will create a fate master without thinking, and there will be terrible consequences.

"Set off."

Go to Canglan Sky City.

During the period, continue to superimpose [Wonderful Destiny] twice, arrive in half a year, and accumulate 1200 mysterious abilities.

Savings returned to 11200.

"Master destiny." Sky City solemnly treated Su Li's arrival.

"Go get the Holy Maiden!"

Not long after, Su Li met the Canglan Holy Maiden who hadn't seen him for nearly 30 years.

Sporting a black crop top, high-waisted sweatpants, high-top shoes, and a high ponytail, youthful and energetic, it doesn't match the atmosphere of this sky city as always.

"How is it?" Su Li laughed.

Huang Xueye brought Su Li to her bedroom, slightly dimpled, and said with a slight smile: "The things Master Destiny needs give the Empress an extremely headache.

So, it's still the matter that made the Empress hesitate for a long time. Specifically, you should go and see her. "

"Okay. How does it feel to be a fortune teller? By the way, doesn't the empress consider making you a time teller?" Su Li asked.

"The fate card is naturally easy to use. The time card seems to be used by the empress in other places." Huang Xueye recalled.

"Okay, I'll go see her."

Su Li got up, shuttled among the palaces, and once again saw the peerless empress.

Some temperament, some beauty, cannot be described by appearance alone.

Normal card masters are not ugly, and there are many handsome men and women, but the beauty of this empress is suffocating.

"Master Destiny, long time no see." Empress Ye Muxian said with a smile.

"Empress." Su Li also smiled.

"You helped us rebuild [Sky City] and made Xue Ye a destiny master. I have to carefully consider your needs."

"I have several choices here, Master Destiny may wish to choose one." Empress Ye Muxian said.

"If it makes things difficult for the empress, I can wait." Su Li's attitude was very sincere.

"That's not necessary. It's been so long. It's impossible to determine the future for this kind of thing. I don't know how long it will be." Ye Muxian shook his head.

"Listen up.

The first option, I have [Absolute Resurrection] here, which is a commonly used resurrection card.

With this card, even those powers aimed at resurrection can be ignored.

The meaning of [absolute resurrection] is absolute resurrection.

It's a pity that I just got this card, otherwise our legend might be able to use it to cross the world passage.

After this card is used, it takes several years to recover, and the CD is very long. "Empress Ye Muxian said.

Su Li nodded: "This is a good way to resist the Time Master."

To be honest, Su Li was very moved.

Apart from the fact that the CD is a bit long, there are almost no weaknesses.

This [Absolute Resurrection] must be one of the most precious cards in the world, absolutely right.

Sure enough, Empress Ye Muxian added: "The value of this card is actually far greater than a fortune master qualification.

Because this card is unconditionally used, commonly used, passively triggered, and absolutely resurrected, I believe that the destiny master will never doubt the gold content of this card.

Therefore, it may be necessary for the destiny division to make up the difference. "

"What about other options?" Su Li asked.

"The second choice. That is my Dragon of Time and Space." The Empress said, "This is also a point that I have been in trouble for a long time."

"How to say?" Su Li smiled.

"If I'm not mistaken, Master Destiny's ability should be far more than just being able to interfere directly?" Ye Muxian asked.

"."

Su Li is silent, these legends are really smart, maybe it is inferred from Luo Qingcheng?

He nodded and said, "Yes. But I need to pay a certain price."

At this price, it is still mysterious.

With enough mysterious ability, he can even kill a legendary past.

Of course, he has not been tested for the specific amount.

It should be far more than repairing Luo Qingcheng.

Empress Ye Muxian stared at Su Li, and said slowly: "There should be many people in the world who have studied my Dragon of Time and Space.

Especially the Temple of Time.

But once the Dragon of Time and Space was born, it was a legendary rank, which only existed in myths and legends, and even in the history of that world, it rarely appeared.

Therefore, it is too difficult for the world to collect information about the space-time dragon.

Only the owner of the card, that is, me, can get the dream fragments of the space-time dragon and all the information about the space-time dragon. "

"Could it be that there are two space-time dragons?" Su Li guessed.

"Yes, but the female dragon is already dead." Ye Muxian nodded, "You can associate the birth of the space-time dragon as a wonder of the world, a nihilistic miracle that does not conform to normal logic."

"The dragon that controls time and space shouldn't have appeared in this world, and only the phenomenon of world wonders can explain it.

However, the female dragon had already died in battle.

The reason why I have been hesitating is that this dragon of time and space is so powerful because I have obtained the essence of the other dragon of time and space.

If the past is broken, even if time passes and accumulates, its strength may decrease a lot, which will also lead to a decline in my combat power. "

Su Li pondered: "You have today's 【Castle in the Sky】."

Ye Muxian said: "Master Destiny, don't underestimate the terrifying creatures born in many worlds, the strength of some card masters is attached to these creatures.

King Azure Dragon is seeking the power of Time Master. He has lived for so many years. How powerful do you think he is?

The strong have already started to accumulate continuously, while the weak are moving forward slowly.

Besides, there will be a legendary revival of prehistoric card masters in the future. "

"And when Xue Ye is promoted to legend, she will become the new owner of [Sky City]." The empress laughed.

Su Li said with a low smile: "So, has the Empress thought it through now?"

"I need a guarantee from Master Destiny. In the future, you will log into the legend and help me print out the card of the female dragon."

"It's just a little thing."

"In addition, I also want to become a fortune teller."

"." Su Li explained: "If it is a legend like the empress, my strength may not be enough."

"It's okay, just wait until you log into the legend, and reserve it for me once."

"This is fine." Su Li nodded.

"Destiny master should use this kind of ability less." The empress reminded.

"I have an idea."

Sure enough, there were taboos, and both Ji Yueyao and the Empress reminded him.

He asked curiously, "Then how do I solve the time master's matter?"

"One male and one female, Master Destiny, do you need me to explain more?" The empress smiled.

"."

"If you can solve the death of the female dragon, although the combat power of the male dragon will decrease, they are still miracle dragons in the world. If they stay together, they may be stronger than a single dragon.

As far as I know, the relationship between the two dragons is very good, otherwise my male dragon would not be unhappy.

When they were born, since they were divided into male and female, they would certainly be able to give birth to the next generation.

As for how long it will take, it depends on the time, but for card creatures, they have plenty of time, don't they? "

Su Li thought about it, and pondered: "If it causes a decline in combat power, then I have to pay some price to solve its historical backlash."

"The price will be paid by me.

After all, there are other possibilities for this matter, such as two dragons confirming each other's paths, and maybe I get a more powerful space-time dragon instead. "The empress supported her forehead and said,

"However, I, Sky City, managed to slow down, and I'm afraid I'll have to overdraw again."

"You go to him first, maybe there is no price at all. It is rumored that you can suspend the historical time point?"

Su Li nodded.

"Why did the female dragon die in battle?" Su Li asked.

"Everything is positive and negative, just like the city in the sky, this kind of miracle suddenly appears, and there is a high probability that it will be accompanied by things and things that are completely opposite to it.

A dragon of ashes was born at the other end of the world. He was treacherous and evil, and wanted to devour two space-time dragons, and designed to kill one of them.

There are two solutions, one is to prevent this from happening, and the other is to save the dying female dragon.

If you stop it, there will be no legends for you this time. Luo Qingcheng may be able to fight, but you may not be able to find that battlefield.

So we chose to save the dying female dragon.

About this, I have prepared for you.

This is a [Great Return] that can be used without rank conditions. It has the highest priority and can definitely restore the female dragon's mortal injury.

However, the premise is that you have to find them and get close to them.

But this is simple, with clear dream fragments, in the north of the world, under the ocean god tree.

As for approaching them, this is easier, the space-time dragon has a gentle temperament, you just shout that you can save them, and shout louder and more intensively. "

"." Su Li felt unreliable.

The empress smiled lightly and said, "Or you turned into my appearance? I got his card from the early stage of its birth. Doesn't it mean that the true will came? There is still a fit, will he know me?"

Su Li shook her head: "I don't know."

"Well, I thought I would know each other. Only your Master Destiny will know about this." The empress laughed.

"You can go with peace of mind. If you are really played by the irrational Dragon of Time and Space, I will supply you here."

"With the words of the empress, I feel relieved." Su Li smiled.

In this transaction, the two should be equal, and there is no one who takes advantage of the other.

Su Li's contribution: 2 times of destiny teacher qualification, in the future help the empress seal another dragon of time and space.

The empress's contribution: The possible loss of the space-time dragon's combat power, a piece of [Return of the Golden Globe], and the loss of [Invincible] may be lost due to the loss of control of the space-time dragon.

[Invincibility] The empress also knows that if she dares to say this, there must be a similar card.

Empress Canglan's words, nothing in the world has more weight than this, so Su Li is not worried about anything.

"My [Invincible Golden Body] has been lost." Su Li reminded.

"Well, I see." The Empress nodded.

That's it.

"Oh, by the way, the prehistoric card master has created an iterative feast, do you know?" the empress suddenly smiled.

"Iteration feast? What are you doing?" Su Li frowned.

"Not long ago, that Lu Li card master sat in the sky above Canglan District and announced this matter." The empress smiled, flicked her fingers, and a picture appeared in front of Su Li's eyes.

In the center of the screen, under the blue sky, is the first revived prehistoric card master, Lu Li.

His style of painting has changed quickly. He used to be a handsome man in ancient costumes, but now he wears a suit and tie, and shiny black leather shoes.

"There is a force wrapping around him." Su Li noticed.

Once there is a legend, he will be moved away immediately.

Then he spoke, smiling, calm and graceful, and his voice echoed in the sky:

"The future is the future of our young people.

Although there was a little friction, we and you are actually the same people.

I hope you don't have to draw a line before and after iteration.

Here, we sincerely invite the talented card masters of the alliance to go to the iterative feast that our group is preparing to carry out.

At the feast, we will show enough sincerity to announce some information that can now be announced because of the continuous recovery of our group.

At the same time, we hope that this feast can promote the communication between card masters before and after the iteration.

And we also hope to join the alliance and become a part of the alliance.

I hope that the future will not be divided between you and me. "

Su Li couldn't help frowning looking at this picture.

The front is the video, and now the live video is connected.

What do these prehistoric card masters want to do?

A blue-green breeze suddenly blew in the distance of the sky, and the white clothes were as snowy as an exiled immortal.

Xia Xiyan has arrived.

"Hello, Fairy Feng." Lu Li smiled,

"Hello, Card Master Lu Li." Xia Xiyan said, "Is there anything Card Master Lu Li wants to talk to me about?"

"Although we come from prehistory, we recognize the existence of the current alliance, so we want to join the alliance. Is it possible?" Lu Li asked.

"I can't give you an answer to this matter for the time being. Although you are the leader, the alliance has never been an alliance of one person." Xia Xi's smoky eyes sparkled, the veil fluttered gently, and the fairy charm overflowed.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Lu Li said with a chuckle, "We will show enough sincerity, and we will also announce some things at the feast that I believe modern card masters will be very concerned about."

"Is there anything I can do?" Xia Xiyan asked.

With a slight movement of Lu Li, many cards flew out and surrounded him. He said with a light smile:

"We have designed a place for this feast that will not be disturbed. These are invitation letters, and the talented card masters of the League of Hope can come and talk.

Just ask the alliance to help convey it.

In addition, we have prepared a big gift for the alliance, which can be regarded as a contribution to the construction of the alliance before joining the alliance. "

In the palace, the Empress smiled and said, "Interesting."

She flicked her fingers, and a picture containing a lot of information appeared in front of Su Li's eyes.

The legend has fallen!

A lot of black history has been uncovered!

Several super-large card master forces fell apart in an instant!

It exploded directly on the Internet.

"Digital legends died at the same time, this is crazy! There are constant sad sounds in the sky in several regions, this is a sign of the fall of legends!"

"How did these prehistoric card masters without legends manage to kill legends?

"What they killed was the cancer of the alliance, the evidence is conclusive!"

Su Li felt turmoil in his heart.

These dead legends are all from the Azure Dragon King and the Time Palace?

"The Temple of Time released the evil card masters to stop the Feng Fairy faction, and then turned to deal with the prehistoric card masters. There must be something they want among the prehistoric card masters.

But I didn't expect that although the prehistoric card master had no legend, he was more difficult than imagined.

And the prehistoric card master also launched a counterattack. Taking advantage of this counterattack to build up his prestige, he joined the alliance and completely gained the opportunity to appear. "

Su Li has a big head.

But in an instant, some thoughts were almost cleared up.

If a lot of information is combined and reversed, the evil card master may really be related to the Temple of Time.

In Su Li's hands, there was Murong Hai's body.

However, his [Trace to the Root] is only at the 7th level of Crystal Diamond, and it is still early to solve this matter.

It's meaningless to hand it over to Ji Tianmu. If there is a ghost, I don't know how many layers of [Fate Weaving].

"What information do they want to announce?" Su Li was very concerned.

"Their ability to grasp information is really amazing." The empress commented.

Can a group of young prehistoric card masters without legendary card masters do all this?

The empress smiled lightly and said, "I'm afraid that among our group of legends, there will always be a spokesperson they have chosen."

Shocked, Su Li couldn't help but said: "They have woken up many times, and it seems that someone has such a means and arranged them out."

It is impossible for Card Master World to enter these restricted areas. If you want to come to Card Master World in the restricted area, it may not be impossible.

"That's right, there are some problems in history that cannot be solved, but if you contact them, it will make sense." The empress's eyes revealed a strange color.

"They should pay a huge price for waking up. The big iteration needs to clean up the products of the old era. Only now that this power is beginning to dissipate, these prehistoric card masters can recover in large numbers from low to high."

In the picture, Lu Li said to Xia Xiyan: "I really want to meet that Destiny teacher, I hope he can come too.

And there is no need to worry about some consequences. The place of the feast is drifting outside the world wall, and the return trip will be random, and will not encounter the calculations of people with good intentions. "

Fairy Feng nodded and said: "I will convey this information for you, but whether to come or not is what Destiny Master owns."

"Thank you Fairy Feng." Lu Li smiled, "Then, let's just say goodbye. Three years, three years later, the invitation letter will guide the way."

The live broadcast screen ends here.

Neither Su Li nor the Empress spoke, they were both thinking.

Suddenly, the empress smiled lightly and said, "Soon, the invitation letter has arrived, how about it? Master Destiny, do you want to take a look? The other party has already invited you."

She flicked it lightly, and a card fell in front of Su Li, suspended there.

[Invitation to Iterative Feast]

Su Li took the card and said with a calm smile, "Go, of course."

(end of this chapter)