The Chess Match began to slow down.
During the opening, both sides' ambitions had been obvious. They each seized the four corners to claim territory, then extended toward the sides to expand their influence, each wanting to stabilize the ground they had already taken.
But as the game gradually entered the middle phase, the fighting became clear.
The two sides began clashing in certain places, fighting over them, tugging back and forth again and again.
The pace of each move slowed greatly. Every stone was like an army, and needed to possess strategic value.
It either squeezed the opponent's room to expand; or began trying to break into the opponent's camp to divide and dismantle it from within; or served to connect the "armies" on the left and right; or was a seemingly useless idle move that in fact contained tremendous ambition and calculation, a plan laid far in advance...
When Experts crossed hands, what they competed in was not only intelligence, calculation, and experience, but also mentality, willpower, resistance to pressure—even a person's character and flaws would show themselves in the process of playing their moves.
Most of those allowed in to watch understood chess.
People praised it one after another. As expected of immortal-like opponents—this game was being fought in a dazzling, evenly matched, inextricable fashion.
And those with deeper chess strength could see the enormous undercurrents and arrangements hidden beneath the surface slaughter.
Just then, a commotion stirred on this side.
At that moment, several people came running in with great strides, drawing everyone's attention.
That person ran up to the Sword God's brother and saluted. "Martial Uncle, someone stole something."
The Sword God's brother froze, suspecting he had misheard. "Stole something? Who?"
The man scratched his head. "The Tang Sect's Young Sect Master."
The Sword God's