Song Huai wielded the Heavenly Dao, drew upon star divination, and now rose yet higher, approaching the eternal. Standing at such heights, bolstered by the Sun Palace, he played the part of Emperor Yangzhao in Dao Calendar 1321!
It could be said that at this moment, he was more powerful than ever before. Yet, to the naked eye, it was impossible to tell which of the two Wu Zhaixues who had entered the hall was real and which was false.
What... was going on?
Upon the lake of his heart, the Heavenly Derivation Bureau was packed with chess pieces, clattering until sparks flew.
The black and white dragons fought like swords, and the sword-wielders were the players themselves. The figures of those who had always sat on opposite sides of the board slowly emerged—in this lakeside pavilion, across the long years of the past.
The tall old man held a piece suspended in hand. The Daoist seated across from him had his hair bound with a jade pin. He gripped a handful of chess pieces above the stone bowl, yet instead of looking at the board, he stared blankly at his opponent—
They looked at each other across the chess table, beneath the dancing clouds of the spring countryside, at countless moments and in countless places, again and again... a master looking upon his disciple, as a father looked upon his son.
That year, that day, in Liheng City!
Chen Suan, fallen upon the long street, gazed upward in a daze. There was realization in his eyes, sorrow, and release—everything but hatred!
At that moment, Song Huai descended from the sky and met his gaze, just as they had in the lakeside pavilion within the Celestial Master Mansion.
"You are the finest player I have ever known. Yet through all