Chapter 312 - 170: Plagued by Illusions, Ignorant of Restraint

Chapter 312: Chapter 170: Plagued by Illusions, Ignorant of Restraint

To play chess is to walk the Chess Dao, making this tantamount to a Dao discussion. Of course, if one were to be completely serious, who among those present could truly hold a Dao discussion with True Monarch Guangcheng? Therefore, it is more fitting to call it a test.

Since it was a test, there were naturally winners and losers. The higher one’s cultivation, the slower one lost, and the fewer moves one lost by. The Immoral Taoist often poked fun at Great Evil Zhenren, claiming his path to the Primordial Spirit wasn’t orthodox. Now, Great Evil Zhenren had seized upon an opportunity and, filled with sudden excitement, prepared to humiliate the Immoral Taoist in turn.

The Immoral Taoist rolled his eyes, not bothering to acknowledge him. Great Evil Zhenren wanted to press his advantage, but the Immoral Taoist simply blocked his voice transmissions. Unable to get his way and not daring to cause a commotion aloud, Great Evil Zhenren was momentarily choked with rage.

A moment later, Master Baiyun and Da Ji Zhenren also successively extricated themselves from the game. A look of pity lingered on Master Baiyun’s face, and Da Ji Zhenren wore a similar expression. However, Da Ji Zhenren had barely a moment to reflect when he suddenly noticed something. He glanced at the Immoral Taoist’s board, and the corner of his mouth hooked into a sneer. "Immoral child," he mocked, "your cultivation is truly lacking..."

The Immoral Taoist, growing impatient, flicked his wide sleeve and recounted the conversation he had just had with True Monarch Guangcheng. Da Ji Zhenren was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he asked, "Is that really true?"

In truth, he didn’t need an answer; he knew the Immoral Taoist wouldn’t dare lie about such a matter. A flicker of joy washed over him, and he was just about to swallow his pride and offer a few words of verbal praise when the Immoral Taoist suddenly said, "The matter of the Divination Pavilion came to be because of my Yi Daoist lineage. I see no need for the two of you to be considered for the position of Temple Master."

"What?" Da Ji Zhenren started. "No, absolutely not!" he said at once. "The position of Temple Master is only a matter of one’s skill in the divination arts! Whoever plucks the Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit becomes the Temple Master. That was decided long ago!"

Great Evil Zhenren hurriedly agreed, "That’s right!"

The Immoral Taoist pursed his lips. "The outcome will be the same regardless. Have it your way."

Da Ji Zhenren said with contempt, "What shameless boasting."

While the two were bickering, more and more people in the Daoist training ground began to extricate themselves from the game. This wasn’t to say their cultivation surpassed that of the Primordial Spirit True Men. Rather, it was because the workings of a Zhenren’s Primordial Spirit were worlds apart from those of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. They contemplated each move with serene confidence and placed their stones with extreme speed, playing over a hundred moves in no time at all.

Of course, by this point, it was also possible to throw in their stones and concede.

Meanwhile, among the Nascent Soul Cultivators who had been freed from the game, some had managed little more than a dozen moves before they were drenched in cold sweat, dizzy and muddle-headed. They would agonize over each move for an eternity, yet still fail to find a solution. In the end, it took only a few more turns before they were eliminated...

Among Nascent Soul Cultivators, there were, of course, differences in cultivation. In the face of a Pure Yang True Monarch, however, those differences seemed to vanish. In what felt like a mere moment, nearly every cultivator in the training ground had withdrawn from their games. Only a meager five remained, and their perseverance suddenly drew the eyes of the entire crowd.

These five happened to be seated in two groups. One group consisted of Zhuo Hansheng and Jin Yuanzai.

CLACK! Just then, Zhuo Hansheng placed a stone, a liberated smile on his face. After overcoming the trial of heart and mind, he had advanced unimpeded. He never imagined that in the end, he would make a mistake on a simple puzzle concerning Qi refinement.

The test was a strategic arrangement; each move was a response. With one misplaced stone from Zhuo Hansheng, the entire conceptual landscape of the game dissolved. A glance at the board revealed he was, at most, two or three moves away from a dead end. And so, with a relaxed smile, he threw in his stones and conceded defeat.

"Dinghu’s One Zhuo, you truly live up to your reputation."

Just then, a voice of praise reached his ears. Zhuo Hansheng turned his head to see a fellow disciple from Mi Zhen Dao. Many of those attending the lecture were from the two sects descended from True Monarch Guangcheng, so he wasn’t surprised. He cupped his hands and replied, "Fellow Daoist, your praise is too generous."

The disciple smiled faintly. "Nonsense, Fellow Daoist. You ranked among the top five of everyone present. Does that not earn you the description of having profound Daoist arts?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Hansheng’s brow rose. He scanned his surroundings and discovered that there were indeed four others still immersed in their games. He was especially surprised to see that one of them was Changhua.

Although Changhua was counted among the Eight Prodigies of Dinghu, he normally kept a low profile and rarely demonstrated his most profound Daoist techniques. That he had managed to last this long surprised not only Zhuo Hansheng, but also astonished many other disciples from both sects.

Zhuo Hansheng thought, ’I never expected Senior Brother Chang to be hiding his true strength. Come to think of it, he probably reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm long ago.’

He knew, however, that Changhua had been cultivating for several hundred years longer than he had. So, while his surprise was genuine, it was also fleeting. His gaze shifted to the remaining players.

Just as Zhuo Hansheng expected, the remaining three were Jin Yuanzai, Zhong Shenxiu, and Xuzhuang. Cen Fenghong, on the other hand, had already withdrawn from the game. A pensive look remained on his face, as if he were still processing the experience.

’The Daoist arts of these three are truly formidable.’ Zhuo Hansheng acknowledged his own competitive feelings but didn’t let any unhealthy emotions arise. He simply wondered, ’I wonder which of them will be the first to withdraw?’

Just as he was pondering this, True Monarch Guangcheng suddenly paced over. He stood behind Changhua, hands clasped behind his back, and watched him place a stone. The True Monarch nodded slightly. Seeing this, Zhuo Hansheng was taken aback and thought, ’Could it be? Will Senior Brother Changhua be the one to last until the end?’

In his mind, Jin Yuanzai and Changhua had already reached the Nascent Soul Third Layer, so it was only natural that their grasp of Daoist arts was profound. Zhong Shenxiu and Xuzhuang, though formidable, should be roughly on par with himself.

Therefore, if Changhua managed to hold out until the end, it wouldn’t be entirely outside his expectations.

However, not long after, Changhua placed a stone, then seemed to have a realization. He shook his head slightly, and before another two moves had passed, he picked up two stones and placed them on the board, conceding defeat.

Apparently, many people in the crowd had been thinking along the same lines as Zhuo Hansheng. When they saw Changhua withdraw from the game, quite a few couldn’t help but let out soft murmurs of surprise. After all, aside from Changhua, the other three were unfamiliar faces, which naturally bred astonishment.

True Monarch Guangcheng, however, seemed unconcerned. He simply smiled faintly and said with a note of praise, "Not bad."

Before Changhua could react with flattered surprise, True Monarch Guangcheng had already turned his attention to Zhong Shenxiu.

Seeing this, before the crowd could even process the change, a soft sigh came from the other side. Jin Yuanzai had lowered his hand, no longer making a move.

But with the exception of Zhuo Hansheng, no one else paid him any mind. This was because Daoist Monarch Guangcheng had glanced at Zhong Shenxiu’s board, a faint smile on his lips. He picked up a white stone and pressed it onto the grid.

Zhong Shenxiu’s moves had been like the wind, as if divinely inspired. Onlookers who bothered to count discovered he had already played nearly a hundred moves, seemingly without any obstacle whatsoever. It was impossible to tell just how profound his mastery of the Dao truly was.

Yet, with this single move from True Monarch Guangcheng, the swiftness of Zhong Shenxiu’s play came to an abrupt halt, and he fell into a long, deep contemplation.

The crowd saw this not as strange, but with immense envy. Although all of them had been playing a game with the True Monarch, for him to make such a move demonstrated a vastly different level of Daoist understanding. To receive personal guidance from the True Monarch—what a tremendous stroke of fortune! It was impossible not to be envious.

But it wasn’t over yet. After placing a single stone that stumped Zhong Shenxiu, True Monarch Guangcheng turned and glanced at Xuzhuang’s board. Deep within his eyes, a flicker of surprise appeared.

"Interesting. I hadn’t expected two such interesting juniors to appear today." True Monarch Guangcheng smiled faintly, picked up a stone, and placed it on Xuzhuang’s board. He thought to himself, ’He is stymied by his entanglement in illusion, aware yet unable to respond. You are stymied by not knowing satisfaction or when to stop. Are you aware of this?’

But Xuzhuang’s reaction was completely different from Zhong Shenxiu’s. He had been taking a moment to think after each of his moves. His play was steady and methodical, but it lacked Zhong Shenxiu’s ferocious speed.

But now, seeing True Monarch Guangcheng place a stone, even while immersed in the Chess Dao Realm, a smile appeared on his face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he picked up a stone and placed it right in the center of the board.

Tengen!

True Monarch Guangcheng’s eyebrows shot up, and he studied Xuzhuang closely.

"What a kid. Greedy, indeed." He thought for a moment, then chuckled in spite of himself. ’So be it,’ he mused. ’Since it aligns with his heart’s desires, it may well be a ladder to the heavens. It’s just that the hardships and obstacles along that path will be anything but simple.’

"Since fate has brought you here to play a game with me, this humble Daoist won’t be stingy with a helping hand. Otherwise, I’d never hear the end of it from Jade Longevity True Monarch, who would surely call me petty."