Chapter 2165: Playing Chess

“Of course!” Zhang Xuan nodded, then sat down. He picked up a chess piece with his left hand and extended his right, saying, “Please!”

The Three-Bearded Daoist said no more and placed his piece.

With a faint smile, a book appeared in Zhang Xuan’s Library of Heaven’s Path.

It was densely filled with information, detailing the flaws of every chess move and position.

“First path, first piece position, flaw... Second path, second piece position, flaw...”

Each position on the chessboard had a varying number of flaws, some many, some few, but only one spot showed no content.

“It really works...”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile.

After learning the rules, he integrated this knowledge with the chessboard before him and indeed found the flaws in the moves. As long as he played according to the perfect positions indicated, he was sure to achieve excellent results.

“This move... is very stable!”

Seeing him make his move, Zhang Jia and Qi Ling-er looked over simultaneously. They exchanged glances and each breathed a sigh of relief.

Knowing that the other party had only just understood the rules, they no longer had any hope of winning; they only wished he wouldn’t lose too embarrassingly.

Although both sides had only placed one piece, all moves followed proper rules and could be found in chess manuals, avoiding an awkward situation where an amateur played haphazardly.

In the initial moves, which were part of the opening, not much thought was required as experience could compensate. The Three-Bearded Daoist played very quickly, and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind, almost without any hesitation. The faster his opponent played, the faster he responded.

In less than five minutes, over thirty moves had been played by each side on the board.

“This...”

Seeing the situation on the board, Zhang Jia and Qi Ling-er were somewhat bewildered.

Although Zhang Xuan’s moves seemed simple, lacking much experience or technique, each one appeared to be perfectly calculated, following all conventions and tightly locking down his opponent’s pieces, making it difficult for them to break free.

“How can there be no flaws?”

The others were puzzled, while the Three-Bearded Daoist was filled with disbelief.

Not many moves had been played, but it was the most stifling game he had ever experienced.

Every move made by his opponent seemed perfectly calculated, completely crushing all his intentions. If he were likened to a general leading an army, his troop movements and strategies were seen through by the opponent. No matter how he tried to advance, he was preemptively intercepted, pursued, and surrounded... given no chance at all!

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

He had continuously switched between eight formidable playing styles and twelve different chess manuals, which under normal circumstances would confuse an opponent and obscure their goals and direction. Yet, as soon as he completed a move, his opponent, without any apparent thought, immediately placed a piece.

At first, he couldn't grasp the purpose of Zhang Xuan's move, but after three more steps, he realized its profound subtlety. It was like a fishbone stuck in his throat—he couldn't spit it out, and it made it difficult to breathe.

“Impossible...”

His fingers trembled slightly.

He had immense confidence in his chess skills; he had no rivals in Nightglow City, and even in the Imperial City, those who could defeat him were few and far between!

Even the renowned chess masters, if they could win, would only do so after at least a hundred moves. Yet, this person before him, after only thirty-some moves, had pushed him to such a state of helplessness. It was utterly incredible and unimaginable.

Most importantly, his opponent seemed to have no weaknesses whatsoever. Every move he made completely sealed off the Three-Bearded Daoist's escape routes, leaving no opportunity at all.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he played a few more moves.

His opponent still didn't seem to think, playing casually.

The Three-Bearded Daoist's playing speed grew slower and slower.

“Not here... not there either...”

Holding a chess piece, he didn't know where to place it; he was already quite hesitant.

“Young Master’s chess skills...”

Zhang Jia also noticed something was amiss and looked at Qi Ling-er again, his eyes wide.

He had thought that since the Young Master had just learned the rules, his chess skills wouldn't be profound. Only by witnessing it firsthand did he realize how naive that idea was.

Every move seemed to have been calculated countless times, with no flaws or weaknesses whatsoever. Although the elder's chess skills were highly advanced, he remained completely helpless, constantly finding himself in awkward positions.

“Did he really just learn?”

Qi Ling-er also blinked her beautiful eyes repeatedly, an expression of disbelief on her face.

Zhang Jia was a divine beast, so even if he had some understanding of chess, he couldn't know too much. But she was from a prominent family; although she hadn't specifically studied chess, she knew a great deal.

The Three-Bearded Daoist's chess skills were considered top-tier even within the Qi family. Yet, facing the person before her, he didn't gain a single advantage; instead, he was completely overwhelmed...

It was like a titled Divine King battling a low-rank Divine Spirit, with the latter having no ability to retaliate at all...

How could one even play against that?

Hadn't she just taught him the rules?

His first time playing, and he was already this formidable?

The astonishment on this side hadn't subsided when the Three-Bearded Daoist on the other side finally dropped the piece he had been holding. With a bitter smile, he said, “I lose...”

He had no choice but to concede; his opponent had completely blocked all his paths forward without leaving a single flaw. To continue would only be to invite further humiliation.

“You concede too readily! Actually, I just learned, and there are many rules I still don't understand.” Zhang Xuan clasped his hands.

In truth, even now, he didn't fully understand how to play; he had merely followed the perfect steps provided by the library, placing the pieces one by one.

And then... his opponent conceded!

He felt a little embarrassed just thinking about it.

“You concede? Don't understand...” The Three-Bearded Daoist thought he was being humble, and his face flushed. “Young brother, saying that truly puts me to shame. In fact, by the tenth move, I already knew I was going to lose; the rest was just a dying struggle! Having lost so badly... please don't speak of concessions! If someone with your chess skills claims not to understand the rules, then what am I?”

If it were a difference of one or two pieces, saying “you concede” would be acceptable. But now... they weren't on the same level. A Divine King defeating a low-rank Divine Spirit and saying “you concede”... there's a limit to humility.

Brother, you're overdoing the modesty...

“Senior, you're too kind...” Zhang Xuan replied awkwardly.

“Alright, I've lost and I admit it. Tell me what you want!” The Three-Bearded Daoist waved his hand.

“I wish to purchase some Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills from you, Senior. I hope you are willing to sell them!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Only Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills?” The Three-Bearded Daoist was taken aback.

The other party had specifically come to play chess with him and won so brilliantly. He had thought there would be some difficult request, but he hadn't expected it to be so simple!

Although Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills were rare to find in Nightglow City despite having a price, they were not that hard to acquire. Some wealthy merchants and prominent families had them in stock... A grandmaster of chess, for such a small matter?

Zhang Xuan nodded.

“There's no need to buy them. I have thirty Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills here; I'll give them to you directly. No need for money...”

With a flip of his wrist, the Three-Bearded Daoist presented three jade bottles.

“Gift? How could I accept...” Zhang Xuan quickly waved his hand.

He had specifically inquired about the price of Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills; they were a hundred times more expensive than low-tier ones and almost impossible to buy. He truly couldn't accept so many as a direct gift.

“I refined them myself, so the price isn't as high as you might imagine. If... you feel uncomfortable accepting them, you could play two more games with me!” the Three-Bearded Daoist said.

“I'd be happy to accompany you, but... didn't Senior say you only play three games a day?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“That's when I haven't met an opponent. If I meet one, thirty games would be fine...” His face reddened, and the Three-Bearded Daoist quickly added.

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Since the other party had gifted him so many pills directly, he felt he had nothing to repay him with, so playing a few more games of chess was a small matter.

Anyway, he just followed the steps from the library, which didn't require much thought.

They reset the board, and piece after piece was placed.

Five minutes later, the Three-Bearded Daoist's face flushed again. “Another game...”

Four minutes later, “Again!”

Three minutes later, “Again...”

One minute later, “Alright, I concede...”

After several consecutive losses, the Three-Bearded Daoist began to doubt his life.

He had thought that his opponent had simply gotten lucky with his previous moves. He never imagined that no matter how he started the game or what method he used, it was like hitting a wall, leaving no room for resistance.

Losing once might suggest his chess skills weren't high, but losing repeatedly clearly demonstrated that the gap between them was far too vast to be compared.

“With your chess skills, there are few in this world who can defeat you. You could certainly enter competitions and earn rewards or cultivation resources...”

Knowing that continuing would only bring more humiliation, the Three-Bearded Daoist stopped fretting and looked at the young man before him, his eyes filled with anticipation.

No matter the profession, reaching its peak brought significant benefits, and chess was no different.

“No need!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

When it came to chess, he was an amateur; he had only won by using the Library of Heaven's Path, which was nothing worth mentioning.

“That's truly a pity...” Seeing that he indeed had no desire to pursue this path further, the Three-Bearded Daoist shook his head, full of regret.

Bidding farewell to his opponent, Zhang Xuan returned to the street. Qi Ling-er looked over and asked, “Should we find a quiet place to refine the Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills first?”

She could tell that his current purpose in seeking Divine Origin Pills was likely to break through his cultivation.

If that was the case, he would certainly need a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion.

“No need!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Qi Ling-er was puzzled.

What did he mean?

Was his purpose in acquiring these pills not for breakthroughs, but for something else?

As she wondered, she saw the young man, as he walked, pour the thirty pills he had just received from the jade bottles and pop them into his mouth one by one, as if eating candies.

Her eyebrows twitched.

Mid-tier Divine Origin Pills had miraculous effects even for Celestial God realm experts. An ordinary High-tier Divine Spirit would need at least a month to fully refine the energy from just one pill after consuming it. Yet, this fellow was eating them like candies...

Was he sure he wouldn't explode and die?

As she wondered, she saw his aura rapidly growing.

High-tier Divine Spirit middle-stage!

High-tier Divine Spirit late-stage!

High-tier Divine Spirit peak!

In less than two breaths, he broke through three minor levels, just one step away from the Celestial God realm.

Qi Ling-er trembled, feeling as if she was going mad.

As a scion of a prominent family, she had seen many geniuses and countless powerful individuals...

But a method of casually swallowing pills and easily advancing... this was the first time she had ever witnessed such a thing!

Emperor Bloodline... was it truly this terrifying?