Chapter 258: Chess and Sword

Six immortal pavilions rose around the Palace of Radiant Fortune. They stood on the sea, separated from the water by a faint, ethereal mist. Each pavilion was inscribed with its respective name.

Naturally, the six skill competitions were merely an interlude at the Dragon Mother's Grand Banquet. Many of the guests were outstanding young individuals from various sects and schools, who also needed opportunities to truly make a name for themselves.

The skills of Zither, Chess, and Sword needed no explanation. "Shu" (术) in "Shu Fa Dao" referred to pure skill, unrelated to spiritual power; "Fa" (法) was a competition of spells; and "Dao" (道) involved philosophical debates, which were profound and esoteric, making the final outcome difficult to judge. On several occasions, the Dragon Mother herself had to intervene.

Lu Jiajia naturally headed towards the Sword Pavilion.

She looked through the crowd at Ning Changjiu, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Aren't you going to the Dao Pavilion?" Lu Jiajia mouthed.

Ning Changjiu understood her, and mouthed back, "I don't like arguing with old men."

He was heading to the Chess Pavilion.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Your chess skills... are they acceptable?"

Ning Changjiu gave the same reply: "I can beat Xiang'er."

Lu Jiajia smiled helplessly, deciding not to press further. "Don't embarrass yourself," she said.

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Okay. You be careful too, and don't overexert yourself. I'll try to come find you as soon as I can."

Lu Jiajia's long, limpid eyes narrowed. "No need to worry about me," she said.

With that, she stepped into the Sword Pavilion.

Ning Changjiu, smiling, entered the Chess Pavilion.

The Chess Pavilion was colored in pure black and white, like chess pieces themselves, or like Zhao Xiang'er's eyes.

The rules here were very simple.

There were dozens of tables; one simply chose a table, sat down, and if victorious, advanced to the next floor.

Ning Changjiu sat down at a table in the southeast corner.

Years ago, the room Ning Xiaoling had chosen for him was also in the southeast direction.

In his previous life, Ning Changjiu had read a few chess manuals, and in this life, he had played two games with Zhao Xiang'er. This was the extent of his knowledge of chess.

However, for many things, once one grasped their essence, experience became merely a triviality, or even a hindrance.

He had confidence in his spiritual power.

But strangely, despite clearly being a newcomer, no one came to sit opposite him.

He quickly realized why—his appearance didn't resemble that of a newcomer.

The young man, with black hair and white robes, had a flawless, elegant face, serene as jade. Once he shed his usual hint of frivolous amusement, he exuded an even more ethereal aura, like a Qionghua tree of jade by a window, facing the spring breeze. This drew countless young women to cast glances his way, and a circle of ladies even pushed a girl forward, urging her to approach him.

Ning Changjiu ignored them.

He pondered for a moment, then reached into the chess bag, picking up a piece in a rather inelegant manner to toy with in his hand, as if he were a novice just encountering the game.

As expected, this action drew a scornful look from a man who then walked over and sat opposite Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu's first game began.

He was very serious, a seriousness born from the cautiousness of trying something new.

Yet he was also confident, for the Asura Divine Record had endowed him with spiritual power far exceeding that of ordinary people, like an inexhaustible ocean.

In the past, Ning Changjiu would often appear somewhat weaker in front of Zhao Xiang'er and Lu Jiajia, but that was not due to actual weakness; it was an act of indulgence. In his previous life, he had broken through the Purple Court Realm after twelve years of cultivation, and shattered the ascension bottleneck after twelve years of sword practice. In this life, he had faced the Nine Infants and battled the Sin Lord, often encountering perilous situations to reach this day.

He was a unique genius in the world. He hadn't thought so previously, only because his senior disciples in the Unobservable Monastery were even more formidable than him.

But now, he was in the mortal world.

No matter how luxurious and beautiful the Palace of Radiant Fortune was, how could it compare to a wisp of moonlight in the Unobservable Monastery?

Ning Changjiu held the chess piece and placed it on the board.

He believed that anything he truly set his mind to, he could do well.

The sound of chess pieces being placed echoed throughout the pavilion.

Ning Changjiu and the man alternately placed their pieces.

Before long, the intersections of the board's grid were filled with black and white pieces.

Ning Changjiu looked at the black and white pieces and fell into contemplation.

He wasn't thinking about winning or losing, but rather how the intersecting points resembled the infinite possibilities arising from the intersection of time and destiny.

And a single piece at their intersection could not simply vanish.

Unless...

Ning Changjiu picked up a black piece, placed it on the board, and then captured the white piece surrounded by four black ones.

His opponent sat still for a long time.

Ning Changjiu stood up and walked towards the upper floor.

His opponent did not stop him, merely gazing at the board, lost in frustrated thought.

Ning Changjiu continued to sit in the southeast corner on the next floor.

This time, an opponent arrived quickly.

Ning Changjiu sat calmly, his mind focused, activating the Asura Divine Record. With each move, he continuously analyzed and calculated the unfolding possibilities.

This was not easy, but it was not difficult either.

His opponent, too, gradually shifted from an initially relaxed expression to one of caution and solemnity.

Many people cast their gazes in their direction.

"Cao Rao? Isn't that the famous Cao Rao? Who is his opponent?"

"I don't know, but to dare face Cao Rao on the second floor... he certainly doesn't know his place."

"The champion this time will undoubtedly be Young Master Cao."

Ning Changjiu heard their discussions but paid them no mind.

He didn't need them to tell him; he could feel that his opponent was strong.

However, in their eyes, the same chessboard represented entirely different worlds.

Cao Rao was the national chess master of the Valley God Kingdom.

The Valley God Kingdom was one of the five largest among the eighty-one kingdoms of the Central Lands.

These five kingdoms governed the others, formed alliances, and wielded immense influence within the mortal dynasties.

The status and skill of the Valley God Kingdom's national master were self-evident.

He did not cultivate, only played chess, but through his knowledge and skill, he had researched this art to what he considered its pinnacle.

In Ning Changjiu's eyes, all the profound mysteries of chess faded away, leaving only "gain and loss."

Cao Rao played chess as if creating calligraphy or a painting, while Ning Changjiu played as if conducting business.

Everyone assumed Cao Rao would win easily.

Yet, their game grew progressively slower.

Almost everyone on the second floor had finished their games, but they were still playing.

Some wanted to reach the top floor and leave early, while others gathered around to watch this particular game.

Cao Rao thought for a long time, then finally made a move.

Outside the window, the sea mist dispersed and then gathered again.

A brilliant move is brilliant because it is naturally formed, and thus it naturally resonates with heaven and earth.

These sea mists seemed like the eyes of heaven and earth, gathering to witness this game of chess.

Ning Changjiu looked at the chessboard and sighed.

With almost no hesitation, he placed a piece, and outside the window, the sea mist instantly dispersed, letting light stream in again.

"Why?" Cao Rao asked.

Ning Changjiu replied, "This is a game for ordinary people, but mortals can never see the true end."

A faint sadness colored his voice as he spoke.

The Heavenly Dao also viewed cultivators who considered themselves extraordinary in the same way.

Cao Rao understood his meaning: humans ultimately cannot overcome heaven... His eyes reddened slightly.

Ning Changjiu bowed slightly to him, showing respect. This was because the time he spent thinking was actually several times longer than Cao Rao's, but he had erased that extra time using his authority over time. If they had had equal time, he certainly would not have been his opponent.

He had even considered reversing time to undo a move.

But out of ethics and dignity, he ultimately did not do so.

Yet, if he himself possessed such dignity and ethics, would those lofty beings who dominated the world also have them?

Ning Changjiu looked at the pieces on the board, sighed, and passed by, walking towards a higher floor.

Cao Rao, along with everyone watching the game, was unwilling to believe he had lost.

The others began counting the pieces, and after several counts, confirmed that Cao Rao had indeed lost by half a point.

"Who exactly is this young man?" they whispered amongst themselves.

Ning Changjiu had already ascended to the next floor.

His white robes were like snow, and his face was expressionless, a stark contrast to his demeanor when with Lu Jiajia and Zhao Xiang'er. He exuded the aura of an otherworldly master, detached and indifferent to beauty.

He felt this way himself, smiling inwardly and thinking that he had indeed become much stronger without the entanglements of women.

But as soon as the thought arose, he looked towards the Sword Pavilion, worrying about Lu Jiajia's current situation.

No sooner had he settled than a timid young girl awkwardly approached and carefully sat down opposite him.

This was the same girl who had secretly been watching him on the first floor.

Finally, on the third floor, she gathered her courage and sat across from him.

As soon as she sat down, her face flushed, she spoke, "Hello, senior. My name is Mo Zhu. Um... may this junior humbly ask for your name?"

"Ning Changjiu," he replied, then grabbed a handful of pieces, placed them on the table, and proposed to guess for first move.

Mo Zhu also became serious.

In fact, the girl's chess skills were terrible.

Her presence on the third floor wasn't due to her own skill, but because her previous opponents had all been her sisters.

Now that her sisters had all lost, putting her on the third floor, she felt she couldn't let their efforts be in vain if she didn't attack.

So, she came.

She considered herself very beautiful, the most stunning girl in her small kingdom, accustomed to favor and envious glances.

During the game, she would delicately rest her chin on her hand and idly tap the chess pieces, displaying expressions that were either charmingly naive or subtly alluring.

But from beginning to end, the senior never spared her another glance.

Not only that, he didn't even go easy on her.

The girl intentionally dragged out the game, pondering intensely, and even subtly hinted at her family background and beauty, hoping to elicit some ripple of interest in his eyes.

But in Ning Changjiu's eyes, there was only winning and losing.

Finally, looking at her captured pieces covering the board, she burst into tears.

One reason was Ning Changjiu's merciless "destruction of the flower" (ruthlessly defeating a beautiful woman); the second was that only today did she discover that all the praises she received in the palace about her being exceptionally clever and a chess prodigy were lies...

Ning Changjiu heard her crying, felt a little helpless, and not knowing how to console her, decided it was best to simply ignore her, and proceeded straight upstairs.

Mo Zhu watched his retreating back, extremely annoyed, but after a while, she began to think he was truly a principled gentleman, unmoved by beauty and always adhering to his standards.

Ning Changjiu ascended to the fourth floor.

On the other side, Lu Jiajia also reached the fourth floor almost simultaneously.

No matter how many geniuses there were in the Central Lands, how could they be a match for her tempered sword physique?

The Dragon Mother's Banquet was lavish and extravagant, and the challenge of becoming the champion of the six pavilions was said to be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But these challenges were for ordinary cultivators, not for people like them.

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, a man in black robes, who had been holding a sword and continuously sipping tea, suddenly stood up and walked upstairs.

"Seventh Master, you..." His sword attendant was startled.

Logically, Seventh Master attending the Dragon Mother's Banquet was already showing immense respect. Why would such trivial skirmishes in a sea kingdom warrant his personal intervention? Moreover, even he, the attendant, might be able to win a competition of this level.

The man called Seventh Master said blandly, "That woman also possesses a Sword-Spirit Coalescence, but unfortunately, she's on the wrong path."

The sword attendant followed behind him, puzzled. "Which woman are you referring to, Master?"

Seventh Master didn't reply, simply stating, "You don't need to follow. There's a rule at this banquet: you can only ascend a floor after defeating someone. I suppose I defeated you on the first floor, didn't I?"

"It can be done like that?" The sword attendant was slightly displeased but had no choice but to agree.

Seventh Master walked upwards, his voice cold: "How precious is a Sword-Spirit Coalescence, yet to waste it so wantonly? I shall make her understand what true swordsmanship is."