Half-Step Chess Dao Grandmaster

Zhang Kaiming stepped out of his home.

For the past half-year, he had been as steady as a rock, never missing a single day of tutoring that noble personage in the Imperial Palace. He had even turned down invitations from several old friends, but now that he finally had some free time, it would be inexcusable not to pay them a visit.

Thus, having received an invitation from his old friend, the Chess Saint Wang Qingyuan, yesterday, he set out early in the morning by carriage, traveling all the way to the Chess Saint Pavilion.

The Chess Saint Pavilion was a sacred site in the minds of all Go enthusiasts in Heaven Dou City, and indeed, the entire Heavenly Dou Empire.

Every generation of Chess Saints had hailed from the Chess Saint Pavilion—or more precisely, from the lineage of the Pavilion Master.

This was because the lineage of the Chess Saint Pavilion possessed a martial soul known as the Heavenly Star Chessboard. Every soul master who possessed a chessboard as their martial soul was a natural-born genius at Go, and naturally, they learned the game far more efficiently than anyone else.

Zhao Ye, the Chess Saint's eldest disciple, had been waiting at the entrance of the Chess Saint Pavilion for quite some time. He clearly recognized Zhang Kaiming as a grandmaster of the game, and upon seeing him step down from the carriage, he immediately walked over with a smile.

"Old Zhang, you've arrived." Zhao Ye greeted him with respectful courtesy.

"Ah, it's Little Ye. Is your teacher inside?" Zhang Kaiming, dressed in a dignified maroon robe, asked with a chuckle.

"He is," Zhao Ye replied promptly. "Allow me to lead the way."

"Mm, very well." Zhang Kaiming nodded with a smile, following Zhao Ye through the bustling Go hall, up to the second floor, and into an elegantly decorated room.

There were three people in the room, all of them men over sixty with graying hair. These three could be considered the titans of the Heaven Dou Go world, possessing an incredibly high level of mastery in the game.

In particular, the man in the plain white robe, who looked full of vigor, was the foremost figure in Heaven Dou Go—the man known as the Chess Saint, Wang Qingyuan.

At this moment, the Chess Saint was playing against the other two elders, taking on both at once.

Yet, the Chess Saint wore an expression of utter nonchalance, while the two elders opposing him were grim-faced, unable to place their pieces despite long deliberation.

The room was deathly quiet. Wang Qingyuan watched his two old friends with a faint smile as they looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, even leisurely picking up his tea to take a slow sip, showing no signs of impatience.

Hearing the door open, he instinctively turned his head. A smile appeared on his aged, smug face, and he chided with a laugh:

"Well, look at you, Zhang Kaiming. I invited you several times and you wouldn't come, but now you've finally deigned to visit me."

Zhang Kaiming replied helplessly, "There was no choice. I had to tutor that noble personage for the past six months and couldn't get away. You know that as well as I do."

"Heh, sit down." Wang Qingyuan wasn't truly angry; he smiled and gestured to the seat beside him, signaling for Zhang Kaiming to take it.

Zhang Kaiming nodded and walked toward the seat, while the Chess Saint's eldest disciple, Zhao Ye, respectfully took his leave.

After sitting down, Zhang Kaiming glanced at his two old friends, who were staring with wide eyes at the black-and-white board, so focused that they hadn't even noticed his arrival.

He couldn't help but look at the Chess Saint, Wang Qingyuan. "How long have they been like this?"

"About an hour, I suppose." The corners of Wang Qingyuan's mouth curled up imperceptibly.

Hearing this, Zhang Kaiming became intrigued. His gaze immediately fell upon the board, joining his two old friends in searching for a way to break the deadlock.

Wang Qingyuan watched this scene with a smile, saying nothing, sipping his tea with an air of leisure.

As the silence between Zhang Kaiming and the others stretched on, the curve of his mouth became more pronounced, and his chin lifted slightly.

The sun shifted from the east toward the west, climbing until it reached its zenith, turning the morning into noon.

An entire morning passed, and Zhang Kaiming and the others remained as motionless as statues, their old eyes bloodshot as they continued to stare fixedly at the board, which seemed to be locked in a hopeless stalemate.

Watching his three titan-level friends in the Go world fail to break the deadlock even after working together for an entire morning, Wang Qingyuan's initial pleasure and smugness turned into boredom.

He shook his head slightly and sighed inwardly, At my level, there is no one left to play against. Loneliness, such loneliness.

He did not want to wait any longer; he had already given his three old friends ample time, but they were simply not up to the task.

Thus, he stretched out a withered hand, plucked a black piece from between the fingers of his opponents, and placed it precisely on a spot on the board.

In an instant, the dead end that Zhang Kaiming and the others had been staring at came to life, filled with infinite vitality.

Staring fixedly at the black piece the Chess Saint had placed, a look of sudden realization dawned in their minds, and their lips trembled as they muttered to themselves:

"So that's it, so that's it. The Gate of Life was right there. How could I not have thought of it..."

"Heh, let's eat first. You can think about it properly when you get back," Wang Qingyuan said with a chuckle, then clapped his hands.

The door was pushed open, and three maidens in white dresses entered carrying food. After setting the table, they left quietly.

At the dining table, Zhang Kaiming and the others remained lost in thought about the game, showing no intention of picking up their chopsticks. Wang Qingyuan's eyes flickered; he looked at Zhang Kaiming and asked with a smile:

"Kaiming, how is that noble personage in the palace progressing with his Go?"

"I have nothing left to teach him. Otherwise, how would I have found the time to come here?" Zhang Kaiming replied casually without lifting his head.

Wang Qingyuan froze. Qian Feng and Liu Yuan, who had been bowing their heads in thought, looked up at Zhang Kaiming with strange, puzzled expressions.

What did he mean by "nothing left to teach"?

They remembered clearly that Zhang Kaiming had only been teaching that noble personage for a mere six months. They assumed the person had either not truly entered the world of Go or had only just begun; how could there be nothing left to teach?

Wang Qingyuan frowned slightly, asking curiously, "Kaiming, what do you mean by that?"

Qian Feng and Liu Yuan also looked at Zhang Kaiming, full of confusion.

Zhang Kaiming raised his head, looked at his three puzzled friends, and suddenly offered a mysterious smile:

"Why don't you guess what level that young master has reached in Go now?"

Wang Qingyuan, Qian Feng, and Liu Yuan exchanged glances. If Zhang Kaiming could act this mysterious, the noble personage in the palace must be a Go genius; otherwise, Zhang Kaiming would never behave this way.

Qian Feng pondered for a moment and said, "He's only been learning for half a year. Even if his talent rivals mine, he should be at most a second-dan level."

Zhang Kaiming smiled without a word, merely shaking his head.

This piqued the interest of Wang Qingyuan and the other two; could it be that he was more than a second-dan in the way of Go?

Liu Yuan, shocked, made a bold guess: "Could it be that he has reached the third-dan? This talent for Go already surpasses both mine and Brother Qian Feng's."

Zhang Kaiming remained silent, still shaking his head.

This scene caused Wang Qingyuan, the Saint of Go, to knit his brows; if it wasn't third-dan, could he have possibly reached the fourth-dan?

To reach the fourth-dan after only half a year of study—even he had not reached that level back then; in half a year, he had only just approached the fourth-dan.

He did not believe there was anyone in this world with greater talent for Go than himself; even among the past Saints of Go, he could firmly claim the top spot.

Thus, he frowned and said directly: "Kaiming, stop playing games. It has only been half a year. No matter how exceptional that noble in the palace may be, it is impossible for him to surpass the level I reached back then and attain the fourth-dan! That is an impossibility!"

Wang Qingyuan was extremely confident in himself.

Watching the brimming confidence of Wang Qingyuan, Zhang Kaiming sighed inwardly; he knew that the other party would certainly be unable to accept or believe what he was about to say.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes over the past half year, witnessing the terrifying speed of Qin Yuan's progress, he would have found it hard to believe as well.

However, he still had to say it.

After all, he was Qin Yuan's introductory teacher in the way of Go; with a student so outstanding and exceptional, how could he not show it off and make these three old fellows green with envy?

He chuckled to himself, his lips unable to stop curling upward at the thought of what he was about to say.

Looking up at his three old friends, Zhang Kaiming said:

"First, you must understand that I am Young Master Qin Yuan's introductory teacher in the way of Go; that is an unchangeable fact."

"You old fellow, are you looking for a beating? Stop stalling and speak!" Wang Qingyuan and the others complained.

Zhang Kaiming stopped playing games and said, word by word:

"He is at the realm of a half-step Grandmaster of Go."