Yang Xiao set the opening time of the Celestial Dragon Chess Game, and more and more people rushed to Yujing City.
There were even more extraordinary figures from the Eastern State in Yujing House, and countless cultivators from Yujing City gathered outside the house.
They were all waiting for the opening day of the Celestial Dragon Chess Game. When the time came, they would all go to Chess Peak to watch the game.
Liu Zong had yet to arrive, and there were people who claimed to have seen him in Yujing House, but no one knew if it was true or not. The number one among the younger generation of Xihua Sacred Mountain was indeed unpredictable.
Other than that, the news of Ye Futian, the Palace Lord of the Holy Zhi Palace of the Barren State's holy land, had also spread, causing many to discuss it.
Many sighed, feeling pity for the Barren State.
The Palace Lord of a holy land had come personally for the chessboard left behind by a saint. It was, of course, not something to be proud of. The other holy lands of the Eastern State had sent their juniors and cultivators, and there was no way a clan lord would come personally. That was a saint.
The Barren State was the weakest, and there was no saint in their holy land, which was why it was so.
Furthermore, it was said that the Noble Palace Lord was extremely talented, but he had come to play chess for the chessboard left behind by the Chess Saint. His playing style was terrible, and it made people sigh.
Of the Nine States, the Barren State only existed in name, and the orthodoxy of a holy land might not exist for many years before it was banned. However, the Palace Lord of a holy land of the Barren State was able to put down his pride and walk out of the Barren State, which was rather admirable. At the very least, it could be seen that the Noble Palace Lord was working hard for the Barren State. It was a pity that despite his extraordinary talent, his plane was still too low, and it was impossible for him to turn things around in a few years.
…
At that moment, in the courtyard where Ye Futian was in Yujing House, there were many books and jade scrolls before him, all of which were about the way of chess. Many of them had been brought down from Chess Saint Villa by Jiu Gongzi for Ye Futian to borrow.
The Chess Saint was the number one in chess in the Nine States, and the Chess Saint Villa was home to a group of people who were extremely skilled at chess. Over the years, some of the Chess Saint's abilities and special chess matrixes had been engraved into books or jade scrolls, so that they could be passed down from generation to generation and not be lost.
Cultivators who were recognized by the Chess Saint's nine students were allowed to read them freely. However, few were willing to spend time on them like Ye Futian did. They mostly just looked at the extremely famous chess records and learned from them.
But Ye Futian, no matter what kind of books he read, as long as it was about chess, he would read them all.
This was a habit he had developed in the Cottage. Back then, he used to read crazily in the Book Cave of the Cottage. Back then, when his teacher was teaching him, he also told him to read and practice spells. He also told him to practice all spells, no matter how difficult or easy it was. In the end, it proved that his teacher was right. The meaning of a book could be seen after reading a hundred times. It was the same for cultivation.
Now, Ye Futian's mind was filled with the chess game. It was as if there was a chess manual imprinted in his mind that he could not get rid of. It was probably because he had been too crazy these past few days.
Learning new things was a very interesting thing, especially when Ye Futian sensed the extraordinariness of the art of chess, which made him even more engrossed in it.
At that moment, a figure walked over and threw a book in front of Ye Futian, saying, "Are you planning to read all the books in the Chess Saint Villa?"
The silhouette was none other than Jiu Gongzi. He had followed his teacher in the art of chess, but he had never been as crazy as Ye Futian. He had only read a small portion of the books.
"I was born weak, so I naturally have to make up for it later." Ye Futian smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
It was a good thing that cultivators were different from ordinary people. The essence of ordinary people was far from that of cultivators, so it was naturally difficult for them to learn. However, sages at Ye Futian's level were able to understand the books with just a glance, and they only needed to think about how to use them.
"It's not hard at all. It's just that I haven't been to the Qingyu Tower to see my beauties these days." Jiu Gongzi was rather depressed. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I had known."
"It's too late for regrets now," Ye Futian smiled and said.
Jiu Gongzi shook his head helplessly. "What kind of person are you, Palace Lord of a sacred ground of the Barren State? Lecherous and shameless? Or diligent and studious? "
This guy was definitely a playboy when he was in the Qingyu Tower. Who would have known that he would be so studious back then?
"Me?" Ye Futian smiled and said, "Of course it's the handsome, talented, and elegant young master."
"Don't be so shameless." Jiu Gongzi was speechless. This guy is a little too thick-skinned.
"Let's be serious. The time is almost up. Do you have any confidence? You're still the only one I'll be recommending to the house. After all, I don't have to worry about such things with my brothers and sisters around. All I need to do is be a good-for-nothing. I didn't have much hope for you before, but seeing how studious you are now, do you really stand a chance?"
Jiu Gongzi looked at Ye Futian with a rather peculiar expression, but he then shook his head and said in a self-deprecating manner, "Why am I being obsessed like you? Second Brother invited Liu Zong, Zhou Zichao, Han Jing, and the others. No matter how much you improve, there's no way you'll be able to break the Celestial Dragon Chess Game before them. Or perhaps, none of you will be able to break the game."
He shook his head and left after saying that. How could he have come up with such a ridiculous idea?
"That young man is rather interesting," Sage Wanxiang said as he looked in the direction Jiu Gongzi left.
"He is indeed an interesting person. He's the last of the nine students, so it's only natural that he's free and unfettered," Ye Futian smiled and said. Back in the cottage, he was also taken care of.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Sage Wanxiang asked.
"I feel like I'm able to extrapolate the game on my own. But then again, I'm still not that good at the calculations that Uncle-Master talked about. I seem to be more inclined to predict the game based on my feelings," Ye Futian said.
"Everyone's perception of the same thing is different. You don't have to be the same as me." Wanxiang said, "I didn't know much about chess before and was able to break six games. Now that I've finished reading all the books with you, I'm considered to be well-versed in the art of chess. I'm able to calculate the entire game more specifically and form the ever-changing game in my mind. If I were to play again, I'd be able to break eight games with a conservative estimate, and the possibility of breaking all nine games is very high as well."
Wanxiang said.
"I'll try to integrate what Uncle-Master taught me with what I've learned, and I'll try out the nine games tomorrow," Ye Futian said.
"Alright." Sage Wanxiang nodded. "You can try different methods, such as reversing the game's path. You'll be able to extrapolate where your opponent might place a piece, but you'll be able to let nature take its course and see if it's as you think. Then, you'll be able to see how the game changes. You don't have to win."
"I understand." Ye Futian nodded.
"Listening to you guys talk about chess all day, I'm already considered a chess expert." Zhuge Mingyue and Gu Dongliu smiled as they walked over. The group had been casually looking at some chess records for the past few days, but they felt that it was rather tiring, so it was better to spend the time on cultivation.
Things that relied on talent like this should be left to Ye Futian.
"Second Sister, Third Brother," Ye Futian called out.
"Little Brother, I don't know much about chess either, so I can't help you. However, the great paths are interlinked, and chess is also a way of cultivation. Chess battles are like martial arts battles. Every move is an attack and a defense. If you want to defeat your opponent, you'll naturally have to defend against your opponent's attacks and counterattack, or use an attack that's stronger than your opponent's. On the chess battlefield, what you need to do is to control the overall situation. As such, the power of your spiritual will is also very important in chess battles," Gu Dongliu said.
Ye Futian nodded lightly. "I'll remember Third Brother's words."
"Don't tire yourself out," Gu Dongliu said softly. Gu Dongliu said softly. Ye Futian did not even rest for the past few days. One could not just train in isolation. The art of chess was extremely taxing on one's spiritual will, and that was even more so. One would become very tired after a prolonged period of time.
Ye Futian smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Brother. I'm rather interested in the art of chess itself."
Gu Dongliu nodded and said nothing more.
Ye Futian went to Chess Peak at dawn the next day. The nine chess games were still there, and there were even some people sitting cross-legged on huge rocks on Chess Peak. They had been studying and challenging chess games at Chess Peak, preparing for the upcoming battles of the Celestial Dragon Chess Game.
While they knew that their chances were slim, they had to give it a try since they were already there. Furthermore, they were able to meet the top-notch geniuses of the Eastern State, which served as a form of training.
When Ye Futian stepped onto the first game, the old chess keeper looked at him and said, "You've already broken six games. You can start from the seventh game right away. There's no need to repeat."
He was rather pissed off when he played against Ye Futian that day.
Ye Futian saw the old man's expression and could not help but smile. "I'd like to start all over again. Please guide me, senior."
"Very well." The old man nodded impatiently and waved his hand. The chess piece that coalesced from the power of rules was brought down with a loud rumble.
Ye Futian activated Freedom Meditation, allowing him to see things more clearly. It was as if he was on the chessboard, directing the chess battle. He waved his hand as well and placed a chess piece without hesitation.
The old man continued to place his pieces, and Ye Futian followed suit. The old man looked at Ye Futian with some surprise.
This time, Ye Futian did not use the extremely lousy moves he had before.
However, his chess skills were a little too lousy.
More and more chess pieces were placed on the board, and a chessboard seemed to have appeared in Ye Futian's mind. That chessboard was a projection of the game before him, and it continued to evolve. He was calculating and simulating the game.
Ye Futian waved his hand and placed a piece, but his eyes were fixed on a few other spots, feeling that the old man would place his piece in one of those spots. His eyes even landed on one spot, and as expected, the old man's piece came crashing down at the very next moment. A majestic force was formed, and a treasured cauldron crushed Ye Futian's spiritual will in a frenzy, trying to crush him.
Ye Futian was defeated after a while, but he did not leave. Instead, he said, "Old sir, let's play another game."
The old man frowned, but he continued.
"Old sir, please continue." Ye Futian continued to repeat, and the old man said rather angrily, "Your chess skills are so lousy. Why waste our time here?"
Ye Futian did not mind. He smiled and asked to continue. Through actual combat, he was verifying what he had learned over the past few days.
Many people on Chess Peak looked at Ye Futian. That guy … doesn't know how to play chess at all. It was indeed a waste of time. It was probably the old man who had been with him that day who had guided him to break six games in a row!
(End of Chapter)
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