At Venerable Qingyun's abode, within the Lotus Pavilion.
Venerable Gu Yu and Venerable Qingyun were playing chess. They played very slowly, sometimes taking ages to place a single piece.
"Senior Brother, are you preparing to make your move?"
Holding a chess piece between her fingers, Qingyun seemed to ask casually before placing it on the board.
With a smile, Gu Yu picked up a piece as well, though his gaze never left the board. "Junior Sister, you will not stop me this time, will you?"
"Senior Brother is so certain he will not clear the trial?" Venerable Qingyun asked with a smile.
Clack!
Gu Yu placed a piece and looked up at Venerable Qingyun. "Junior Sister, do you think he still has a chance of clearing it?"
"What if he does?"
Qingyun replied calmly.
"There is no what if!" Gu Yu remained composed, his eyes filled with absolute confidence as he looked at Qingyun. "The reality is that the people from Qingyan Peak, Taichu Peak, and Cloud Palace Peak have all withdrawn. I presume Junior Sister will not interfere either!"
"What if I do interfere?"
Qingyun said calmly.
Venerable Gu Yu's brows suddenly drew together as he stared fixedly at Qingyun. For a moment, the atmosphere turned heavy.
"Master, we're back!"
Chi Yu and Nangong Aoyun's return finally broke the oppressive atmosphere.
"Greetings, Venerable Gu!"
The two saluted Gu Yu.
Gu Yu put away the severity in his eyes and gave them a faint smile. "Not bad. After a trip to the Red Rock Battlefield, you two have become much steadier. It seems you have made progress on the battlefield!"
"Thank you for your praise, Venerable. We did indeed gain something!"
The two hurriedly bowed. Though Nangong Aoyun was proud, she did not dare act presumptuously before a Venerable, and