Odd numbers are the yang of the Heavenly Numbers, while even numbers are the yin of the Earthly Numbers. Yang is supreme. Nine is the utmost number of Qian (Heaven), while five occupies the central position, impartial and balanced. Among the six lines, the Nine in the Fifth Place ranks just below the Top Nine, holding the highest position and commanding the greatest respect. Put the two together, and you get "Flying Dragon in the Heavens."
The emperor's fate is called the Nine-Five Supremacy. But when anything overflows, it declines; when something reaches its extreme, it must turn back. The line above the Nine in the Fifth Place is the Top Nine: "Arrogant Dragon, Regret." It knows how to advance, but not how to retreat.
Even an emperor cannot bear this fate. So four strokes are removed from the character for ninety-nine, and a god becomes human. But if the Nine in the Fifth Place becomes ninety-nine, then a human becomes... a god.
