On an island in the East Sea stood a valley blooming with a hundred flowers, within it a cluster of exquisitely crafted palaces. This was the seat of Flower Stamen Palace, one of the Seven Hegemons of the East Sea.
Deep within the palace complex, however, stood an utterly ordinary pavilion that was all the more conspicuous for it. Inside, a strange and lively girl of sixteen or seventeen was playing chess with a beautiful woman in court dress.
Seeing that she was about to lose, the peculiar girl secretly formed a hand seal beneath the board with her right hand. Without even raising her head, the woman in court dress said coolly, "No tricks, or don't ever dream of having me play another game of chess with you."
The peculiar girl put on an aggrieved look, tugged at the court-dressed woman's hand, and said, "Sister, it's not often that you come to see me. Can't you give me a little leeway?" With a shake of her sleeve as she pulled the woman's hand, she sent the chessboard into disarray.
The woman in court dress said, "I remember the moves."
Just then, a streak of azure light flew in through the air. The peculiar girl caught it in her hand—it was a voice-transmission talisman. The woman in court dress curled her lips and said, "You're actually still playing this sort of trick."
But with a glance, she saw an unusually solemn expression appear on the peculiar girl's face and was startled. After listening to the message in the talisman, the girl said to the woman in court dress, "Sister, we need to contact the other five sects. Spirit Island has made another move."
The woman in court dress merely looked at her without speaking.
The peculiar girl sighed. "This voice-transmission