Chess Game

Qin Tian nodded and said, "Senior Xu, shall we play chess?"

He was now completely engrossed in chess, even a bit addicted. After returning to the Tianren Sect, he would often pull people to play with him.

He was already invincible at chess in the Tianren Sect, and only in front of Xu Yan did he feel completely outmatched.

"Alright."

Xu Yan didn't refuse. Recently, that girl Qin Yudie hadn't come to play chess with him, so it was fine to have Qin Tian in her place.

In fact, playing chess with Qin Tian was more relaxing, as he didn't have to think about how to go easy on him.

After five games, Qin Tian left with a hearty laugh.

Every time he played chess with Xu Yan, his cultivation would improve slightly. If this continued, he would be able to break through to the Sea of Consciousness Triple Heaven in just a few months.

Under normal circumstances, it would take at least ten years, or even a lifetime, to break through from the Sea of Consciousness Double Heaven to the Triple Heaven.

"That guy's chess skills are so bad, even I can't stand watching."

After Qin Tian left, the Golden Emperor Ant said in a mocking tone.

Hearing this, Xu Yan asked, "Can you play chess?"

Asking an ant if it could play chess, he found the question amusing himself.

The Golden Emperor Ant nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Master, Little Gold can do anything. Playing chess is no difficult task."

It usually acted all high and mighty, only toning it down a bit when facing Xu Yan.

Xu Yan asked with interest, "But with your tiny body, can you even move the chess pieces?"

He had never seen ants play chess before. Even if they could, with their size, they probably couldn't move a single piece.

The Golden Emperor Ant said proudly, "Moving mere chess pieces is effortless."

As it spoke, it walked onto the chessboard and, sure enough, nudged a chess piece with its head, easily pushing it several squares.

It patted the chess piece and boasted, "Master, how about that? Am I amazing?"

"Amazing!" Xu Yan praised it first, then an idea struck him. "Since you can play chess and move the pieces, how about we play a few games?"

He didn't actually think an ant could play chess very well. He just wanted to experience what it was like to play chess with an ant.

After all, an ant playing chess was a rare thing, and not many people had the chance to experience it.

The Golden Emperor Ant showed no fear and said, "Okay, if I win, will you buy me a roast chicken tonight, Master?"

It had traveled all over the world and eaten many kinds of roast chicken, but the taste of the half roast chicken Xu Yan had before was better than anything it had eaten before, leaving it craving more.

"Sure, but what if you lose?" Xu Yan readily agreed and asked the Golden Emperor Ant.

Of course, he was just joking with the Golden Emperor Ant. What kind of surprises could he expect from an ant, especially his own pet?

To his surprise, the Golden Emperor Ant thought about it very seriously for a moment, then said with extreme earnestness, "If I lose, then I will protect Master from now on and not let anyone hurt you."

Although it called Xu Yan "Master" because it was his pet, it didn't truly acknowledge him. It only acknowledged Xu Yan's roast chicken.

However, if it could be defeated in the Way of Chess, it was willing to truly acknowledge Xu Yan and treat him as its master.

But it was very confident in itself and believed it wouldn't lose to Xu Yan.

Xu Yan didn't expect the Golden Emperor Ant to say such things and laughed, "Then it's a deal."

He rearranged the chess pieces and began to compete with the Golden Emperor Ant.

One move... three moves... five moves... ten moves... thirty moves...

Xu Yan was astonished. At first, he had planned to go easy, but the Golden Emperor Ant's chess skills were so superb that he had to take it seriously.

Even when facing the Golden Emperor Ant seriously, they had reached thirty moves without a clear winner.

The entire chessboard and pieces exuded endless Dao Intent, enveloping the outer hall of the small shop, gradually surpassing the Dao Intent within the calligraphy and paintings.

Even so, Xu Yan and the Golden Emperor Ant still hadn't decided a winner, having reached fifty moves.

Each move was accompanied by the Supreme Great Dao and myriad laws. This was already a contest between great Dao laws. Ordinary chess masters would not have lasted even a few moves here.

Su Jiuer, standing by, was completely stunned. Watching Xu Yan and the Golden Emperor Ant's standoff was like witnessing an endless clash of rules.

And from this clash of great Dao laws, she, as an observer, benefited greatly, experiencing the evolution, birth, and demise of different laws and great Daos.

Boom!

Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from Su Jiuer, breaking through a certain barrier.

She had broken through and become a cultivator in the early stage of the Spiritual Roaming Realm.

However, she had no time to pay attention to this now, her focus entirely on Xu Yan and the Golden Emperor Ant playing chess.

Bang!

Suddenly, the Dao Intent shattered, and the laws perished.

On the ninety-ninth move, Xu Yan won.

The Golden Emperor Ant looked at the chessboard before it, finding it utterly unbelievable.

It had actually lost?

You see, it has traveled all over the world, surviving for endless years, its footprints found in all the realms.

It once unintentionally nurtured a Chess Saint, and also taught an Emperor. Through the endless years, it has witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras, long having grown indifferent to all worldly things.

Thus, it set up a wondrous formation of heaven and earth itself, walking the world in the guise of an ordinary ant.

But it never imagined it would be defeated in the Way of Chess by some creature. It had always believed itself to be invincible in this path.

Xu Yan's shock was no less than the Golden Emperor Ant's. He had battled an ant for ninety-nine rounds before winning today, and he hadn't gone easy on it.

This sounded somewhat dreamlike. An ant could actually contend with him for so long, far stronger than Qin Tian and the others by an unknown amount.

The Golden Emperor Ant stared at Xu Yan for several seconds, its imposing aura dissipating. It said, "I lost, Master. From now on, I will truly be your pet."

It had originally planned to stay here for a while before leaving, but now it abandoned that idea, preparing to stay and diligently become Xu Yan's pet.

"Don't worry, you still get Roast Chicken even if you lose," Xu Yan said, unaware of the Golden Emperor Ant's thoughts. He thought the ant was just sad because it lost and feared no Roast Chicken.

He was very happy today. This was the most satisfying game of Chess he had ever played, a contest that lasted ninety-nine rounds.

The Golden Emperor Ant's Chess skill was the strongest among all the creatures he had encountered, second only to his own.

"Good!"

The Golden Emperor Ant cast aside its feelings of gain and loss, its arrogant demeanor returning.

It glanced at Su Jiuer and said, "Watch carefully and learn well. If you can learn even one-tenth of the Way of Chess between me and Master, it will be enough for you to benefit your entire life."

This was not it boasting. The Chess Saint from back then had only learned one-tenth of its Way of Chess, yet they had proven their Dao through Chess and were revered as a Chess Saint.