Inside a four-cornered pavilion overlooking picturesque mountains, rivers, and pastoral fields,
an old man was playing a game against a young man. However, they were not playing Chinese chess, but a special type of chess called the Nine Tribulations Heaven-Defying Grand Chess Game, a unique activity within the Cultivation World. Every chess piece had a fixed movement pattern, but each move consumed the cultivator's True Essence.
This was an activity used to display one's status in the Cultivation World. It did not exist in the mortal world at all, because cultivators who had not yet ascended simply lacked the True Essence needed to complete even a single game.
Furthermore, the number of boards and pieces in this game was not fixed. As the match continued and the situation grew more intense, the scale of the game would steadily expand.
At this point, the board had evolved into seven main boards and thirty-one auxiliary boards.
Bright red blood seeped from Jia Xin's nostrils and dripped onto the ground. Jia Xin had to complete thirty-eight moves within a minute. Setting aside the True Essence consumed within him, the most important factor was that his comprehension of Daoist Mind had been suppressed by the Great Daoist Master ever since the game began.
By this point, Jia Xin's endurance was no longer merely a burden on his body, but a burden on his mind and soul as well.
Moreover, if Jia Xin had not activated True Immortal Form, his body would likely have been reduced to ashes during the course of the match.
After flawlessly completing the thirty-eight moves, Jia Xin spat out a mouthful of blood across the board before him. Yet after making that move, an exceptionally strained smile appeared on his face.
"Main 3, 5: checkmate. Auxiliary 2, 3, 5, ...32: