In the Cultivation circle, the Cultivation practitioners usually didn't take on disciples until it was very late.
This was similar to the reason why the Emperor didn't want to have children; there was a deeper meaning behind it.
Few people like Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue took on disciples at such a young age.
"Senior Master!"
"Senior Master."
"Yao Songshan greets the two Senior Masters."
…
…
As they were talking, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were walking on the mountain path.
It was foggy in the distance. The disciples of the Aoyama Sect suddenly appeared by the side of the path. It was because they were on a mountain.
The mountain range was located to the west of Zhaoge City. Many elegant courtyards were built on the mountain range, which was designated as the residence for the Cultivation practitioners by the Imperial court. It was called the Nishiyama House.
The disciples of Aoyama bowed to him in tandem. The expressions in their eyes when they looked at Jing Jiu were a bit complicated.
They all knew that the Emperor would come to watch the tournament, so they felt a bit nervous.
They were worried that Jing Jiu would be nervous.
Jing Jiu didn't have a good relationship with many people. His relationship with Liangwang Peak had deteriorated after he had a conflict with Gu Han by the Sword-Washing Stream, and Liangwang Peak was the most desired place for the young disciples.
After he had wounded Gu Han and broken Guo Nanshan's sword at the Sword Trial, his relationship with Liangwang Peak had deteriorated.
The disciples of Aoyama were worried about him, not because they respected their masters, but because they had a natural reaction when facing an enemy.
Moreover, the person Jing Jiu was going to challenge this time was Tong Yan.
As the two peaks of the orthodox Cultivation sects, the Aoyama Sect and the Zhongzhou School didn't need to mobilize their disciples for any contest.
The disciples of Aoyama hoped that Jing Jiu could go further, or at least meet Tong Yan; otherwise, it would be a disgrace for their sect.
They followed the path made of green stone slabs to the deepest part of the manor house and entered the room. The young girl of Qingrong Peak who had led the way left the room soundlessly, but she couldn't help but glance at Jing Jiu once more as she closed the door.
A few wisps of light smoke rose from the incense burner. The fragrance was somewhat special and was different from the sedative incense commonly used by Daoist practitioners. It carried a faint fragrance of flowers and fruits, and seemed to carry the salty taste of the sea breeze when one smelled it deeply.
Jing Jiu knew that this was the rarest highland incense in the Southern Man tribe. In the past, she had sent a lot of them to Shenmo Peak.
The "she" mentioned in the statement was the "she" in front of him at the moment, the peak master of Qingrong, Nan Wang.
The room was very quiet, no one spoke.
Nan Wang looked at Jing Jiu for a long time, as if he wanted to see something from his face.
Jing Jiu looked at her calmly. He did not panic, nor did he retreat.
Many years had passed, and the once naive and barbaric girl had become a calm and composed big shot.
This kind of feeling seemed to have appeared before?
He thought to himself.
Nan Wang spoke.
"You have to win."
Her tone was nonchalant, but it carried a lot of weight.
It was because these three words were not encouragement or encouragement, but a demand.
Nan Wang stood up and walked to the window. Looking at somewhere, she said with a sneer, "If someone wants to compete with us, you have to kill them. Can you do that?"
Zhao Layue shot a glance at Jing Jiu.
Nan Wang's attitude was very tough. She didn't know how Jing Jiu would react.
"Okay," said Jing Jiu calmly.
He knew that something must have happened.
The Aoyama Sect had great resources and confidence, so they wouldn't suddenly pay attention to the chess tournament of the Plum Meeting just because the Emperor was coming to watch.
… …
… …
Every Plum Meeting would have a topic on the agenda, which was the allocation of resources for the Cultivation sects in the next few years.
This matter had been discussed before the meeting, but for some reason, the Western Sea Sword School suddenly raised a different opinion.
This was a major event in the Cultivation world, and it was very complicated. As the saying goes, "Pull one hair, and the whole body will be affected."
The different opinion of the Western Sea Sword School on the allocation of resources led to a small disagreement between the Sword Sect of Aoyama and the Zhongzhou School on the allocation of crystals.
The disagreement was indeed small, and the small amount of crystals was nothing for the two leading sects in the Cultivation world.
But it was a matter of face or momentum. No sect would give in easily, let alone these two sects.
How to resolve this disagreement? In the past, it had been decided by the result of the Cultivation tournament in the last event of the Plum Meeting.
This year … it was decided by the chess tournament.
The Zhongzhou School had no reason not to accept it.
Normally, the Sword Sect of Aoyama wouldn't accept it.
However, the Emperor said that he would come to the chess tournament in person this year, and a few state dukes took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, and the matter was settled.
Needless to say, those state dukes had been friends with the Zhongzhou School for many years.
… …
… …
The two of them left the Nishiyama House and walked toward the fog along the mountain path.
"Why?" asked Zhao Layue.
She was referring to his attitude of accepting the matter calmly.
Jing Jiu said, "In the words of the Zen sects, it's the cause and effect. In our words, it's the Dao Heart returning to peace."
How could the Dao Heart be truly peaceful?
The thoughtless.
How could the thoughtless be?
The flawless.
He was very familiar with the way Nan Wang stood by the window and the slightly trembling sleeves.
A swordsman in the State of Broken Sea could have such an emotional fluctuation because she was very angry.
She didn't criticize those state dukes when she argued with them, but she let such an absurd proposal pass.
Jing Jiu knew the reason.
Many years ago, she couldn't speak the official language well, so she wasn't good at debating with others. She got better later, but she would stammer when she was anxious, so she had no choice but to keep quiet.
If she didn't talk, she wouldn't be able to win an argument.
This familiarity was the connection between him and this world, just like Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui. They were both his cause-and-effect.
The mountain path passed through the fog, and it became brighter ahead. As a gust of gentle wind blew over, the fog was dispersed, and the scenery became visible.
Under the bright spring sunshine, the green mountains were extremely enchanting. There were pavilions everywhere by the cliffs, in the woods, and in front of the waterfalls.
There were so many pavilions on the mountain that it was hard to count them all at once.
Some pavilions had heavy eaves and large pillars, looking magnificent; some pavilions were very simple, built with twigs and thatch.
All kinds of pavilions were scattered in Aoyama, like chess pieces scattered in …
"You also think it looks like a chessboard, right? I just learned that this mountain is called the Chess Board Mountain. "
A clear and moving voice rang out.
Many Cultivation practitioners had arrived on the Chess Board Mountain.
Most of the young disciples who were going to participate in the chess tournament didn't talk to the practitioners of other sects with their masters and colleagues; instead, they were scattered all over the mountain.
They were either meditating with their eyes closed, or playing with the chess pieces in their hands, preparing for the game.
The young girl who came to watch the game was bored to the extreme. As she saw the two of them, she rushed over to them.
Zhao Layue greeted the Big Sister of the Platanus Sect, and then turned to Sensei and asked, "Didn't you say you didn't like playing chess?"
Sensei said while pointing at Jing Jiu, "I like watching the game. Besides, isn't he going to participate in it?"
She didn't participate in the zither tournament, and today was the first time she had appeared at the Plum Meeting.
As the daughter of the Sect Master of the Platanus Sect and the most favored granddaughter of the Great Grandmaster, she naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Now, these gazes all fell on Jing Jiu as she flew through the air and pointed at him.
Some of them had seen Jing Jiu in the zither tournament of the Plum Meeting, and some didn't see him clearly because they were too far away. But anyone could recognize him because of his face.
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