Not long after the meal, the renowned Go master Qian Renxue had found arrived.
Zhang Kaiming stared at the ten-year-old child before him and froze for a moment. It was his first time seeing such a beautiful child.
His brows were like swords, his face like a sculpture, his skin like jade, his lips red and teeth white—he looked as if he had been carefully carved by nature itself.
Coming back to his senses, Zhang Kaiming bowed slightly and greeted him:
"Young Master, my name is Zhang Kaiming. His Highness the Crown Prince invited me to be your Go teacher."
Qin Yuan looked Zhang Kaiming over. The man wore a brown-red robe, had graying hair and an average build, and was slightly stooped. Yet there was a hint of pride between his brows; he must have confidence in his own skill at Go.
To have been chosen by Qian Renxue, he was surely among the best Go players in Heaven Dou City.
"Teacher Zhang." Qin Yuan didn't put on airs because of his status. He returned the greeting politely.
A flicker of surprise passed through Zhang Kaiming's aged eyes. He had never met such a well-mannered noble child, one utterly free of arrogance.
A smile spread across his deeply wrinkled face.
"Young Master, shall we begin?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Zhang Kaiming was indeed one of the rare Go Path masters in Heaven Dou City. His understanding of Go ran deep, and his explanations were incisive and thorough, easy to grasp after hearing them just once.
Like a sponge, Qin Yuan eagerly soaked up knowledge of the Go Path.
The old man and the child studied from morning until dusk. They paused for a while to eat, but spent the rest of the day teaching and learning the Go Path.
As the sky darkened, Zhang Kaiming took his leave, and Qin Yuan saw him out.
As he left, Zhang Kaiming looked at Qin Yuan with deep astonishment.
He had never seen anyone advance so quickly in the Go Path. In just one short day, the child had surged forward like a monster.
The knowledge he had taught that day was enough to equal several months of study for an ordinary person!
Most terrifying of all, Qin Yuan could absorb it all, draw inferences from one example, and apply what he learned elsewhere. Truly horrifying.
How could such a clever child exist in this world?
After seeing Zhang Kaiming off, Qin Yuan summoned the panel.
[Name: Qin Yuan] [Age: 10] [Martial Soul: Little Grass Snake] [Soul Power: Level 5] [Skills: None] [Evolution Points: 0]
He glanced at the unchanged panel and wasn't surprised. After all, it had only been one day.
He closed the panel and returned to his room. White Butterfly had already warmed his bed.
Once White Butterfly had left to attend to the doorway, he fell into a deep sleep, his mind slightly exhausted.
Over the next two days, Zhang Kaiming continued to arrive in the morning and leave at dusk.
Near dusk on the third day, as Zhang Kaiming taught him a certain point about the Go Path, a line of information suddenly appeared before Qin Yuan, who had been listening in rapt attention.
[Go Path advanced to Stage 1. Reward: one Evolution Point]
Qin Yuan jolted, his eyes widening.
So soon?!
He looked up at Zhang Kaiming, who was in the middle of an enthusiastic explanation, and said:
"Teacher Zhang, let's stop here for today."
Zhang Kaiming's voice cut off abruptly. He glanced at Qin Yuan in surprise, then looked up at the dimming sky. It was much earlier than the past two days.
But he knew better than to ask. He simply nodded and left the Imperial Palace with Qin Yuan seeing him out.
After seeing Zhang Kaiming off, Qin Yuan headed straight back to his room. He shut the doors and windows tightly, then spoke:
"Uncle Fu, no one is to come in without my permission."
"Yes, Young Master." An aged voice came from a shadow outside the door.
Li Fu wasn't one of the Imperial Palace's people. He was loyal only to Qin Yuan, and Qin Yuan trusted him.
Hearing the reply, Qin Yuan's lips curled into a slight smile. He walked to the bed and sat down, then focused his mind.
[Name: Qin Yuan] [Age: 10] [Martial Soul: Little Grass Snake (+)] [Soul Power: Level 5 (+)] [Skills: Go Path Stage 1 (1/100)] [Evolution Points: 1]
He gazed at the number one under Evolution Points and the little plus signs beside Martial Soul and Soul Power, his eyes gleaming.
Just one Evolution Point could evolve a Martial Soul?! These points were worth a fortune!
After glancing at the plus sign beside Soul Power, Qin Yuan decided to evolve his Martial Soul first.
After all, sharpening one's axe wouldn't hold up the work of chopping wood.
"Add points!"
Evolution Points: -1.
At the same time, Qin Yuan felt a warm current surge out of nowhere inside him. He could clearly sense his Martial Soul changing, growing stronger.
The sensation came and went in a flash.
He immediately looked at the panel, his gaze falling on the Martial Soul entry. The corner of his mouth twitched.
His Martial Soul had changed from Little Grass Snake to Big Grass Snake.
It was still essentially a grass snake, so there wasn't much difference. His Innate Soul Power had probably gone from half a level to one level.
Well... not bad, considering he'd only spent one Evolution Point. The future still held promise.
"Young Master, would you like me to warm your bed tonight?" At that moment, the maid Red Moon's gentle voice came from outside. It was her turn to warm his bed tonight.
"No need," Qin Yuan replied, declining her offer. He had been transmigrated for ten years and was long accustomed to the extravagant life of a pampered young master, but tonight he didn't need it.
"Yes." Red Moon's slightly disappointed voice sounded outside the door.
For the next while, Qin Yuan continued to display astonishing, almost unbelievable comprehension.
On the third day of studying Go, he advanced to Stage 1 and gained one Evolution Point. On the tenth day, he advanced to Stage 2 and gained two Evolution Points. On the twenty-fourth day, he advanced to Stage 3 and gained three Evolution Points...
After six months of studying Go, he reached the pinnacle of Stage 6 and had gained a total of twenty-one Evolution Points.
That evening, Zhang Kaiming looked at the ten-year-old child before him with a complicated expression and sighed.
"Young Master, you're the greatest Go prodigy this old man has ever seen! In half a year, you've reached the threshold of Go Path master. There's nothing more I can teach you. To become a Go Path master, you'll have to comprehend it for yourself."
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Teacher Zhang." Qin Yuan sat straight as a board, blinked his clear eyes, and replied.
Zhang Kaiming gave a bitter laugh. No matter how well he taught, no one could reach the threshold of Go Path master after only half a year of study.
Even the Chess Saint of Heaven Dou City was far behind Qin Yuan.
"Young Master, teaching you has been the honor of my life." After saying this, Zhang Kaiming took his leave.
He wouldn't come again. There was simply nothing left to teach.
Qin Yuan saw Zhang Kaiming a long way out of the Imperial Palace before returning to his room. He instructed Uncle Fu to let no one enter. After receiving his reply, he sat in a chair and summoned the panel.
[Name: Qin Yuan] [Age: 10] [Martial Soul: Golden Flood Dragon] [Soul Power: Level 6 (+)] [Skills: Go Path Stage 6 (5000/5000)] [Evolution Points: 10]
Over the past six months, his Martial Soul had evolved twice.
He had spent one Evolution Point to evolve Little Grass Snake into Big Grass Snake.
He had spent ten Evolution Points to evolve Big Grass Snake into Golden Flood Dragon.
The Golden Flood Dragon Martial Soul was a Beast Martial Soul of decent quality. Qin Yuan estimated that it corresponded to about five levels of Innate Soul Power, but he wasn't satisfied.
He looked forward to his next evolution, hoping for a top-tier Martial Soul that would satisfy him. Only then would he go obtain a Soul Ring.
Therefore, he wouldn't spend his Evolution Points on raising his Soul Power for now. He would save them up and evolve his Martial Soul again.
His gaze fell on the Skills entry. His finely sculpted, fair little face showed a troubled expression.
He had reached the pinnacle of Stage 6 seven days ago. His skill could advance directly once its experience was full, yet he had been stuck ever since.
To advance to Stage 7 of the Go Path—in other words, to become a Go Path master—he had to comprehend Chess Heart.
That stumped Qin Yuan. Chess Heart was so intangible—how was he supposed to know how to comprehend it?
He had asked Zhang Kaiming, a Go Path master, but the man couldn't explain it clearly either. All he had said was, "You'll have to comprehend it for yourself."
Qin Yuan had no choice but to figure it out on his own. He had pondered it for seven days, but still hadn't the faintest clue. A huge question mark hung over his head.
He closed the panel and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the blue-green canopy with his two clear, bright eyes.
What exactly was Chess Heart?
Before you continue