In front of the mountain gate, on the blue stone steps.
Fang Da'ao clenched both fists, his knuckles white as he stared daggers at the man on the mountain path.
Across from him, Han Sha stood with his head bowed, dressed in the moon-white robes of the Sea Abyss Temple. He didn't dare meet Fang Da'ao's eyes.
"Han Sha!" Fang Da'ao's voice rumbled like thunder. "The sect was in trouble, so you switched sides. And you still have the nerve to come back?"
Han Sha shuddered. Before he could answer, the five Sea Abyss Temple disciples behind him burst into laughter.
"Birds of a feather flock to the right tree. Junior Brother Han is exceptionally gifted. How could he waste his talent in a third-rate little sect like yours?" A hook-nosed young man stepped out from the crowd, his words dripping with scorn.
"Lies!" Fang Da'ao roared, his hair bristling with fury. "If our Grand-uncle hadn't saved him from the sea bandits' blades back then, he would have—"
"Senior Brother Fang!" Han Sha suddenly raised his head, a flicker of struggle in his eyes. "I chose this path precisely to carry on my master's legacy! The Sea Yue Skill is incomplete. It can't lead to any real achievement!"
"You've been deceived!" Fang Da'ao said, heartbroken. Unable to stop himself, he strode forward twice, stepping beyond the mountain gate. "Martial Uncle, the sect leader, already told me that we—"
Before he could finish, the hook-nosed young man saw that Fang Da'ao had left the mountain gate's formation. He abruptly joined his fingers like a sword, and a water bolt shot from his sleeve!
Fang Da'ao twisted aside in a desperate hurry!
Whoosh—
At the critical moment, a white stone shot through the air. With a sharp chime, it knocked the water bolt askew, eating a hole three inches deep into the rock wall behind Fang Da'ao!
"An ambush?" Fang Da'ao didn't understand what was happening, but he knew he'd been attacked. His muscles coiled taut as bowstrings. He took up the Bear Stance, a mountain's weight gathering around him. "You want a fight? Then let's fight!"
Just then—
"Da'ao, stand down."
A voice rang out. Chen Qing walked slowly through the mountain gate, with Qu Xiaoyao close behind him, her little hand gripping the hem of his robe.
Chen Qing's gaze swept over Han Sha before settling on the end of the mountain path—
Four people stood there.
At their head was an old man with a long white beard that fell to his chest and a lean, refined face. His bright eyes gleamed beneath a brow of white hair. He wore a blue-and-white robe and leaned on a green jade staff, its head carved with an archaic-looking chess piece that shimmered with faint spiritual light.
Behind him stood two men and a woman, all with an air of distinction. The young man on the left carried a sword case on his back, a blood-red cinnabar mark between his brows. The man on the right wore a jade flute at his waist and had a face as handsome as carved jade. The lone girl looked about sixteen, and a golden bell on her wrist rang softly in the mountain breeze.
"Thank you for stepping in just now. Otherwise, my nephew would have been badly hurt by that sneak attack," Chen Qing said with cupped hands. "May I ask what brings the esteemed members of the Mystic Chess Academy here today?"
"Are you the sect leader of the Hidden Star Gate, fellow Daoist? You had already arrived, so even if we hadn't intervened, I expect you could have protected him." The old man gave a small nod, stroking his beard with a genial smile. "This old man is Mo Huaiyong. I heard your sect is a surviving branch of the Central Spirit Continent, so I came to pay my respects."
A surviving branch of the Central Spirit Continent?
Had that reputation reached even the Mystic Chess Academy?
Chen Qing's eyelid twitched. He glanced at Han Sha from the corner of his eye, then shook his head at Mo Huaiyong. "My humble abode is rather crude. I'm afraid we couldn't properly host such honored guests. There's really no need..."
Mo Huaiyong's white beard stirred, but his smile never faded. He cut in, "I have another fortuitous opportunity to offer on this journey. Since ancient times, the southern coast has had deep ties with the Mystic Chess Academy. It is our sect's custom to seek out promising talents at regular intervals. The Hidden Star Gate is also on the southern coast, so naturally we ought to pay you a visit."
Chen Qing's heart tightened.
His words were velvet wrapped around a blade, subtly declaring that the southern coast had always been within the Mystic Chess Academy's sphere of influence!
But from what Chen Qing knew of the situation, forces from the Southern Sea had also entered the fray, while the Mystic Chess Academy had been nowhere to be seen for quite some time.
"I see." He remained composed and cupped his hands, continuing to decline. "I appreciate your kindness, senior. Unfortunately, my disciples are rather dull, and I doubt they'd catch the Academy's eye."
Mo Huaiyong's gaze burned as it settled on Fang Da'ao. He said meaningfully, "His blood and vital force are vigorous, and his sinews and bones are nearly iron. He's already formed the beginnings of the Yellow Court. With guidance from a good master, he may well achieve something."
Fang Da'ao answered without hesitation. "I am a disciple of the Hidden Star Gate. I recognize no other sect in this life!"
Clang—
The sword cultivator behind Mo Huaiyong gave a faint ringing sound, but the old man raised a hand and stilled his sword.
"A few days ago, this old man offered guidance to some young disciples at the Sea Abyss Temple." He turned to Han Sha with a kind look. "One of them told me that he had two fellow disciples whose aptitude surpassed his own, both at the Hidden Star Gate on Misty Gorge Mountain. I cherish talent, so I made a special trip here. I mean no other harm."
Chen Qing's brow furrowed slightly.
Would the mighty Mystic Chess Academy really come all this way over some casual remark? And Chen Qing had repeatedly tried to turn him away, yet he still insisted. The old man's cultivation was unfathomably deep, and his sect wielded immense power. Why was he so fixated on their little sect?
When things went too far out of the ordinary, there was bound to be something foul at work!
"In the path of cultivation, opportunity matters most. Since we have come today, why don't we do this—" Seeing Chen Qing remain silent, Mo Huaiyong flicked his sleeve. A green jade chess piece appeared in the air, its clear light flowing around it. "This is the Inquiry Chess. It can test one's Root Bone and comprehension. Why not let the two young friends give it a try? Think of it as sounding them out. It is far more accurate than the bone-testing methods used by ordinary sects."
Chen Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.
The old Daoist looked kind, but was pressing him at every turn, using his power to intimidate. Yet if Chen Qing refused again, he might offend a behemoth like the Mystic Chess Academy! If all they were doing was testing Root Bone...
"It's difficult to refuse your generous offer, senior." He took a deep breath before continuing, "But our mountain gate is humble. Why don't we try it on the open stone terrace in front of it?"
A flash of light gleamed in Mo Huaiyong's eyes. He nodded. "Very well."
Soon, everyone moved to the open space in front of the mountain gate.
With his martial uncle's permission, Fang Da'ao took a deep breath and straightened his back. Qu Xiaoyao nervously clutched the hem of her robe, her little face tense.
Mo Huaiyong flicked a finger. The green jade chess piece spun through the air, its clear radiance falling like rain over Fang Da'ao and Qu Xiaoyao.
"Relax your minds and sense it carefully," Mo Huaiyong said, his voice distant, as if imbued with some mysterious rhythm.
Fang Da'ao gradually relaxed. A faint earthy-yellow glow stirred around him, vaguely taking the shape of a bear. Mist swirled around Qu Xiaoyao, hazy and dreamlike.
"Their foundations are passable..."
A flicker of disappointment passed through Mo Huaiyong's eyes.
Neither of them was the one...
At the same time, perhaps because Chen Qing was nearby, or perhaps because the clear light had a will of its own, the chess piece hanging in midair suddenly trembled!
Several strands of radiance unexpectedly fell upon Chen Qing!
"This is bad! Mr. Mo, weren't you testing my disciples? Why is it falling on this old hand of mine?"
Chen Qing's heart tightened. Instinctively, he circulated his Supreme Harmony Qi to protect himself.
But in the next instant—
BOOM!
The clear radiance met his Qi and boiled. It gathered above Chen Qing's crown before erupting into a brilliant pillar of light, river-like, then sweeping through the air!
In an instant, rolling visions blossomed from the light—
Towering mountains thrust up from the earth!
An endless blue sea surged and roiled!
As mountains and sea merged, an astonishing vision took shape in midair!
"This... this is..."
Mo Huaiyong's pupils shrank. All composure vanished from his face!
"His Qi is near Supreme Harmony, and the mountains and sea resonate with it?!" the young man carrying the sword case exclaimed under his breath. "His realm isn't high, yet he can stir such a vision. Could this be the person of profound fortune we've been looking for?"
The entire crowd fell silent, and only the mountain wind howled.
The jade-faced man behind Mo Huaiyong broke the silence with a whisper. "Martial Uncle Mo, this man is in the Initial Opening Realm, yet a vision of this scale can only manifest from someone with an exceptionally solid foundation. But he's also the head of a sect..."
Mo Huaiyong raised a hand slightly, cutting off whatever else he was about to say. Then he fixed his blazing gaze on Chen Qing.
Before you continue