Qin Tian smiled. "Your chess skills are even worse than mine. Even I might not be able to break this formation. After all, this is a trial formation left behind by the Chess Saint."
Although the Chess Saint had been dead for many years, tales of him still abounded, and those tales were almost always connected to chess.
The Chess Saint was the greatest master of the Way of Chess. That was practically common knowledge.
"I'm not who I used to be, Grandpa. Don't underestimate me," Qin Yudie said with confidence.
Then she walked up to the chessboard and began playing against the figure conjured by the formation.
After a dozen or so moves, she was defeated.
She was deeply unwilling to accept it. She had studied under Senior Xu for so long—how could she have made no progress?
So she played another game against the formation's avatar, only to suffer another crushing defeat.
"Let me try," Qin Tian said.
Seeing that Qin Yudie was no match for it, he knew he would most likely fare the same, but he still had to give it a try. Who knew—perhaps a miracle would happen.
But... no miracle happened. He lost miserably. Unconvinced, he played three more games, and not one lasted even twenty moves.
The three members of the Evil God Palace, lurking in the shadows at a distance, all sneered. The Fat Hall Master even mocked him aloud. "Qin Tian has no idea of his own limits. How could he possibly break a formation left behind by the Chess Saint?"
People kept arriving in droves. The Murong Family came too, but the situation was the same as with the Tianren Sect: no one could break the formation.
Jiang Taiyuan of the Tianya Sect arrived as well, but he might as well not have. His chess skills were even worse than Qin Tian's, and he was simply crushed in two games.
The Sect Master of the Hundred Transformations Sect, the Medicine King Valley's eldest disciple, the head of the Xuantian Sword Sect... one great figure after another from the Southern Domain arrived. Mortals and ordinary cultivators crowded around the outer edge, until the entire foot of Tianren Mountain was packed with people.
But no matter how many people came, none of them could break the formation.
"Old Qin, do you have any way to break this formation?" Jiang Taiyuan sidled up beside Qin Tian and asked in a low voice.
He knew the Tianren Sect was close to Xu Yan, and figured they must have gained quite a bit from him.
Qin Tian replied irritably, "This is a trial left by the Chess Saint. What could I possibly do? I'm only a little better than you. In front of the Chess Saint, I'm nothing."
If he could break the formation, he would have done it already. Why wait until now?
Jiang Taiyuan gave him a mysterious smile and whispered, "Old Qin, why not ask Senior Xu to come? With Senior Xu's chess skills, breaking a formation left by the Chess Saint shouldn't be difficult."
He had played chess with Xu Yan himself. The pressure had been far greater than when he played against the avatar conjured by the Chess Saint's formation—not even close to the same level.
If Xu Yan came to play against the formation's avatar, he would succeed without a doubt.
Hearing Jiang Taiyuan, Qin Yudie said, "Grandpa Jiang, we absolutely mustn't disturb Senior Xu. There are so many people here, and Senior Xu is a reclusive expert. He probably wouldn't like somewhere so crowded and noisy."
She believed that if Xu Yan were here, he could break the Chess Saint's formation with ease. But Senior Xu was likely an even more powerful reclusive expert than the Chess Saint. Why would he come to break the formation?
Besides, there were so many people here, and it was incredibly noisy. Even she didn't like it here, let alone a reclusive expert.
"You're right. Yudie, you've thought this through. No wonder you're so close to Senior Xu and have won his favor," Jiang Taiyuan said, nodding as he teased her with a hint of envy.
He knew Qin Yudie and Xu Yan had grown closer and closer. Xu Yan had even attended Qin Yudie's birthday celebration.
He envied her terribly. He dreamed of building a good relationship with Xu Yan.
"No... Senior Xu and I aren't that close," Qin Yudie said, her face turning slightly red as she denied it.
She wasn't that conceited. Senior Xu was a reclusive expert of such stature; he had merely taken a little more of an interest in her. She couldn't let it go to her head.
The Sect Master of the Hundred Transformations Sect spotted Qin Tian and Jiang Taiyuan standing together and walked over with a smile. "Sect Masters Qin and Jiang, what are you two whispering about?"
He was a cultivator at the Sea of Consciousness Realm First Heaven. He had just tried his hand at the formation too, but had lost to its avatar in fewer than ten moves, utterly unable to resist.
"We were discussing how to break the formation. We still haven't come up with anything," Qin Tian said, smiling without warmth.
He had no real relationship with the Sect Master of the Hundred Transformations Sect. In fact, the Hundred Transformations Sect had once suppressed the Tianren Sect. They had only settled down after he became a cultivator at the Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven.
"The trial formation left behind by the Chess Saint is far too difficult. I'm afraid no one in the Southern Domain can break it," the Sect Master of the Hundred Transformations Sect sighed.
This was the Chess Saint's legacy. Even without thinking too hard, anyone could tell it was an immense opportunity, and there were bound to be treasures within.
"If no one in the Southern Domain can break it, why don't you seniors let us give it a try?"
A clear, melodious voice rang out. Countless people turned toward the back at the sound and saw several young people parting the crowd as they approached.
They were people from the Dao Palace.
The Dao Palace was not a Southern Domain faction. Under normal circumstances, its disciples had no reason to interfere in the affairs of the Southern Domain.
But how could they stand by when a treasure had appeared?
Besides, they had just heard that this was the Chess Saint's legacy. It was certainly no ordinary treasure.
"Friends from the Dao Palace, by all means, give it a try," Qin Yudie said generously.
The Dao Palace was a dominant force beyond the Southern Domain, so powerful that neither the Tianren Sect nor any other Southern Domain faction could compare. There was no harm in letting its people try. The trial formation left by the Chess Saint would not be broken so easily anyway.
"Senior Brother Qiang Di, good luck!" one of the Dao Palace disciples called out, cheering him on.
Of their group, Qiang Di was undoubtedly the strongest, so he had the best chance of breaking the formation.
If even Qiang Di couldn't break it, then none of the others, including Yun Yao, would stand a chance either.
Qiang Di smiled. "A trial formation left by the Chess Saint isn't easy to break. I'm only here to experience the Chess Saint's skill for myself. I wouldn't even dream of breaking the formation."
He was humble by nature, which had earned him the admiration of the Dao Palace disciples.
But the truth was, he was pretending. More than anyone, he wanted to make a name for himself. But for now, he was only a follower of the Holy Son and had nothing to show for himself, so he needed to develop his strength in secret.
Many of the Southern Domain's great powers watched Qiang Di play against the formation's avatar, and they were all slightly surprised.
Qiang Di's chess skills were far superior to those of the Southern Domain's top figures. He held out against the avatar for thirty moves before losing.
"Senior Brother Qiang Di, are you all right?" Yun Yao walked over to his side and asked with concern.
Countless Dao Palace disciples liked her, but she had long since set her heart on someone: Qiang Di.
Qiang Di stepped away from the chessboard and smiled bitterly. "My chess skills are poor. I'm no match for the formation left behind by the Chess Saint."
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