This World Cannot Have Such Monsters!

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The dishes on the dining table were steaming, their fragrance wafting through the air.

Wang Qingyuan, Qian Feng, and Liu Yuan all sat in silence for a long while before looking up at Zhang Kaiming, who was wearing a smug, triumphant smirk.

Within their three pairs of aged eyes lay nothing but concern and pity for their old friend.

Zhang Kaiming was only sixty-five; how could his mind have deteriorated so much that he had started spouting nonsense?

Sigh, it seems we need to find him a healing-type Spirit Master.

Zhang Kaiming had waited a long time, but instead of the shocked and envious gazes of his three old friends, he was met with looks of worry and pity, which left him completely bewildered.

"You guys..." Zhang Kaiming started to say something, but was interrupted by Wang Qingyuan's sigh.

"Kaiming, I know a decent healing-type Spirit Master. Just let me know if you need one; don't be shy," Wang Qingyuan said, looking at Zhang Kaiming with complete sincerity.

"..." Zhang Kaiming was stunned: "Qingyuan, what nonsense are you spouting? Why are you saying such things out of the blue?"

"It's not me spouting nonsense, it's you," Wang Qingyuan sighed softly.

"Do you have any idea what you just said? Reaching the Half-Step Chess Grandmaster realm in half a year—is that something a sane person would say? It certainly shouldn't come from the mouth of a Chess Grandmaster like you!"

As he spoke, he let out a disdainful scoff:

"In the entire Douluo Continent, I dare to call myself second in the way of chess, and no one dares to call themselves first.

I began learning chess at four, and it wasn't until I was nearly thirty that I reached the Half-Step Chess Grandmaster realm.

After three years of enlightenment, I finally grasped the Chess Heart, and at the age of thirty-three, I ascended to the rank of Chess Grandmaster! Such an achievement has already surpassed all previous Chess Saints; no one can compare.

And this Qin Yuan you just mentioned—he has only been learning for half a year and has already reached the Half-Step Chess Grandmaster realm? Do you think that's possible?

Such a monster cannot exist in this world!"

Wang Qingyuan stated this with absolute finality.

"Indeed, if such a monster truly existed, then what would that make us, who spent decades just to reach the Half-Step Chess Grandmaster realm?"

Qian Feng shook his head helplessly, not believing a single word of what Zhang Kaiming had said.

Liu Yuan added, "Kaiming, I think your mind has grown muddled. Stop spouting such nonsense!"

Wang Qingyuan looked at Zhang Kaiming and sighed:

"Kaiming, I know you want to show off your disciple; we understand. But you mustn't exaggerate so much. If words like these spread, you will be ridiculed, and it will damage your reputation.

We will pretend we never heard what you just said. Do not speak of it again; this is for your own good."

With that, Wang Qingyuan lifted his chin, his face full of pride:

"There is no one in this world stronger than me in the way of chess. My Spirit is the Heavenly Star Chessboard, and I am the greatest of all Chess Saints!

Who dares to challenge me in the way of chess? Who dares?! No one dares! And no one can!"

Seeing Wang Qingyuan's reactive response, as if his bottom line had been touched, Zhang Kaiming said nothing more, fearing that if he continued, they would no longer be friends.

He knew his old friend well; he loved chess more than his own life and was incredibly arrogant, especially regarding the way of chess, refusing to allow anyone to question him.

Seeing Zhang Kaiming remain silent, Wang Qingyuan, Qian Feng, and Liu Yuan became even more convinced that Zhang Kaiming was exaggerating, likely to curry favor with that noble in the palace.

A trace of disdain and sorrow rose in their hearts. This Zhang Kaiming had fallen; the pride of a Chess Grandmaster had actually bowed to power and status. They had truly misjudged him!

Zhang Kaiming did not know that his good intentions—not wanting to lose his old friends—had been interpreted by them as fawning over the powerful.

He only found their attitude toward him strange, as if they had grown distant, which left him feeling confused. However, being of a gentle nature, he did not take it to heart, nor did he think the worst of them.

Qin Yuan had been stuck at the peak of the sixth rank of chess for ten days.

He truly had no ideas left and felt that studying in isolation was ineffective. He needed to go out and spar with other players, absorbing various strategies and colliding with different schools of thought to spark a flash of inspiration.

Thus, he walked out of the palace.

Two beautiful maids wanted to follow, but he refused, allowing only Li Fu to accompany him.

Li Fu was a man over sixty, a level 72 Spirit Saint whose Spirit was a Shadow Leopard.

He was not a member of the palace, and ever since Qin Yuan had awakened with only half a level of Innate Soul Power, Emperor Xue Ye had treated him with indifference and would never have arranged for a powerful Spirit Saint to guard him.

Li Fu had been accidentally saved by Qin Yuan when the boy was seven. At the time, Li Fu was critically injured and dying, and his spirit power was only at the peak of the Spirit Emperor realm.

Upon learning that Li Fu's entire family had been brutally murdered by his old enemies, Qin Yuan had used Qian Renxue's influence to help him exact revenge, allowing him to kill his enemies with his own hands.

With no family left in the world and nowhere else to go, Li Fu became Qin Yuan's most loyal guard, taking orders from no one but him.

The luxurious carriage traveled through the bustling streets, carrying Qin Yuan toward the Chess Saint Pavilion.

Qin Yuan had once heard Zhang Kaiming say that the Chess Saint Pavilion gathered the most excellent chess experts in the Heavenly Dou Empire. Sparring with them might provide the inspiration he needed to grasp the Chess Heart.

Passersby saw the pure white swan royal emblem on the carriage and hurriedly made way in awe, watching the carriage pass with envious eyes.

Li Fu drove the carriage in front, as silent as a stone.

The three sturdy white horses trotted along, pulling the carriage, and slowed to a stop when they passed a dessert shop.

The curtain lifted, and Qin Yuan, dressed in luxurious black robes with a face as finely carved as jade, stepped down from the carriage and entered the shop.

Li Fu followed closely behind, never leaving his side.

The dessert shop was located in a prime area of Heaven Dou City, boasting high foot traffic and booming business; the shop, which could easily accommodate over a hundred people, was packed to the brim and bustling with activity.

Glancing at the thriving scene inside, Qin Yuan nodded with satisfaction, though the staff were so busy that they didn't even notice him.

He didn't mind and headed straight to the second floor.

The second floor was much quieter, and Qin Yuan and Li Fu entered the room at the end of the hallway.

Pushing the door open, they found a spacious, bright room with simple decor, containing only one table, four chairs, and a sofa.

Behind the table sat a beautiful girl of seventeen or eighteen, who was looking down at something; hearing the commotion, she looked up, and a look of pleasant surprise immediately appeared on her delicate, fair face.

"Benefactor, you're here!"

Xue Rou stood up in a flash and ran from behind the table to Qin Yuan, her tall, curvaceous figure swaying as she moved.

"I've told you many times, call me Young Master," Qin Yuan said helplessly.

"Understood, Benefactor," Xue Rou nodded earnestly.

"..." Qin Yuan twitched the corner of his mouth, too lazy to correct her again, and said:

"I happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look. How are you all doing? Are there any difficulties?"

"None," Xue Rou shook her head. "Everyone is doing very well, all thanks to your blessing, Benefactor."

"Mm, as long as there aren't any." Qin Yuan nodded, chatted for a few more moments, and then, under Xue Rou's reluctant farewell, boarded his carriage and departed, continuing on his way to the Chess Saint Pavilion.

This dessert shop belonged to Qin Yuan. However, he didn't count on it to make money, even if business was booming.

He wasn't short on money either; right now, his storage Soul Tool contained over a million Gold Soul Coins.

These were all birthday gifts from nobles and aristocrats over the years, and not a single one was cheap.

Even if Emperor Xue Ye didn't value him and treated him with cold indifference, who among the Heaven Dou nobility didn't know that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe doted on this younger brother of his the most? No one dared to be disrespectful, and they all scrambled to curry favor, hoping to leave a good impression on Xue Qinghe.

The employees in this dessert shop were all destitute beggars, disabled people who could barely survive, and some homeless orphans.

In his past life, Qin Yuan was an orphan who grew up struggling, so he deeply understood the hardships of the people at the very bottom.

Thus, having once been caught in the rain, he wanted to hold an umbrella for those in similar circumstances and do his part.

The wages were just the average level for Heaven Dou City, but it included room and board, allowing them to be self-reliant and support themselves through their own labor.

The shopkeeper, Xue Rou, was a girl he had saved from bandits when he was eight years old. She was literate and good at arithmetic, so he arranged for her to be the shopkeeper, sparing him the need to worry about it.

The luxurious carriage traveled unimpeded and, before long, stopped at the entrance of the Chess Saint Pavilion.