Playing Chess

Qin Yuan stepped off the carriage, tilting his small face upward to gaze at the three vigorous, powerful characters inscribed on the plaque: 'Chess Saint Pavilion'. His clear, black-and-white eyes shimmered with anticipation.

There must be many masters of the Way of Chess inside... Qin Yuan thought to himself as he stepped into the Chess Saint Pavilion. Li Fu followed closely behind, silent as a shadow.

The Chess Saint Pavilion was not as bustling as he had imagined; on the contrary, it was extremely quiet.

However, there were quite a few people present. Almost every chessboard was surrounded by onlookers, and the crisp sound of pieces being placed—like pearls and jade colliding—resounded one after another.

The players and Go enthusiasts were all very quiet, maintaining an orderly atmosphere.

Qin Yuan had only been watching for a short while when a kind-faced young man in white walked over quickly.

The young man in white first glanced at Li Fu behind Qin Yuan, then turned his gaze to the boy, smiling as he said:

"Little... brother, are you here to learn chess?"

"No, I am here to play." Qin Yuan shook his head slightly. Looking at the young man, he lifted his chin and deliberately adopted an arrogant posture, saying:

"I just wonder, how is the standard of the players here?"

This sounded like a provocation. Could the players of the Chess Saint Pavilion be anything less than excellent?

The young man in white frowned imperceptibly. If the other party weren't just a half-grown child, he would have suspected the boy was here to challenge the house.

The young man in white said nothing, thinking to himself that he would find a formidable player for this kid, so he would know that the Chess Saint Pavilion was not some trashy parlor from the streets.

I'll just find a senior brother who has reached the third rank of the Way of Chess. Dealing with a half-grown child will be more than enough... Thinking this, the corners of the young man's mouth curled up slightly. He glanced at Qin Yuan and chuckled:

"Follow me."

Qin Yuan followed the young man in white, full of expectation. He thought that with such a provocative attitude, the other party would surely find him a top-tier player. How exciting.

At the same time, Wang Qingyuan, Qian Feng, and Liu Yuan were on the second floor of the Chess Saint Pavilion, drinking tea and chatting.

Ever since they had parted ways with Zhang Kaiming two days ago, they had not invited him to join them again, disdaining his company and isolating him.

As the three chatted, the topic drifted toward Zhang Kaiming.

Wang Qingyuan shook his head and sighed: "Sigh, that old fellow Zhang Kaiming has truly fallen; he has actually stooped to becoming a sycophant!

To think he claimed that Qin Yuan reached the realm of a half-step Grandmaster of the Way of Chess in just half a year—what a joke!

My eldest disciple is exceptionally gifted, and after thirty years of studying chess, he has only just entered the sixth rank of the Way of Chess."

As Wang Qingyuan spoke of his eldest disciple, Zhao Ye, his aged face bore a trace of pride, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

In his view, reaching the sixth rank of the Way of Chess after only thirty years of study was already remarkable. Although it was far inferior to his own level, it was certainly better than Zhang Kaiming's disciple, Qin Yuan!

"Heh heh, the chess talent of your eldest disciple is something that, in the entire Heavenly Dou Empire, only your Heavenly Star Chessboard lineage could suppress. That Qin Yuan certainly cannot compare."

Qian Feng chuckled, then turned to sneer helplessly:

"Zhang Kaiming has also become a senile old fool. To be able to say such things two days ago, sigh, it really is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Grandmaster of the Way of Chess, Liu Yuan, who was sitting to the side, snorted coldly and said indifferently:

"To reach a half-step Grandmaster of the Way of Chess in just half a year of study? Then what are we, who have delved into the Way of Chess for fifty or sixty years only to step into the realm of a Grandmaster?

Such an existence is fundamentally impossible in this world! If there truly were such a monster of the Way of Chess, the three of us old fellows might as well just smash our heads against a wall and die!"

"Sigh," Wang Qingyuan sighed lightly.

"That old fellow Zhang Kaiming, in order to curry favor with that noble in the Imperial Palace, would even say such things. He has truly lost his integrity! Sigh, it is laughable, lamentable, and pathetic..."

Qian Feng and Liu Yuan also shook their heads and sighed upon hearing this, not expecting Zhang Kaiming to be that kind of person.

Just as Wang Qingyuan, Qian Feng, and Liu Yuan were criticizing Zhang Kaiming, Zhang Kaiming's disciple, Qin Yuan, was already wreaking havoc downstairs.

"Bang!!"

Qin Yuan's fair, delicate hand slammed onto the chessboard. Without even looking at the ninth disciple of Wang Qingyuan, who sat opposite him with a face as pale as a nightmare, he stood up indignantly and glared at the young man in white who had arranged the matches:

"Is your Chess Saint Pavilion even capable of anything! Five people have played in a row, and I haven't even warmed up yet. Is this the 'crowd of masters' you promised me? Are you playing me for a fool!"

Seeing that even the ninth senior brother had been miserably defeated, the young man in white stood dumbfounded, his heart trembling.

He heard Qin Yuan's dissatisfied rebuke and turned his head to look at the four senior brothers who were slumped on the ground, their spirits shattered as if their Dao hearts had been broken.

He then looked at the ninth senior brother opposite Qin Yuan, whose face was pale and dull, his eyes hollow. A bitter smile flooded his own face.

The other disciples of the Chess Saint Pavilion and the chess enthusiasts who had come to play were all staring at the ten-year-old child with looks of shock, as if they were seeing a monster. Their faces were filled with uncontrollable horror.

Whose child was this? To be so terrifying that even the ninth disciple of the Chess Saint, who had reached the fifth rank of the Way of Chess, was no match for him—it was truly terrifying!

"What is happening? Why is everyone gathered here?"

Just then, a steady, middle-aged voice rang out from behind.

The young man in white, who had been at a loss, felt as if he had heard a heavenly melody. He hurriedly turned, squeezed through the crowd, and ran to a middle-aged man in a brownish-red robe, explaining the situation with rapid speed.

"What?!"

After hearing the young man's words, Wang Qingyuan's eldest disciple, Zhao Ye, shook violently, his pupils contracting in extreme shock.

He looked up and swept his gaze over the five dejected junior brothers inside, then at the exceptionally handsome ten-year-old child beside the chessboard, and believed the young man's words.

He suddenly took a deep breath, suppressing the raging waves in his heart, and walked through the crowd with a solemn expression until he stood before the visibly displeased and angry Qin Yuan.

Forcing an ugly smile onto his grave face, Zhao Ye said with a smile:

"I am the head disciple of the Chess Saint Pavilion, and my level of chess is decent enough. I shall play against you."

He was very confident and did not believe that the ten-year-old child before him could reach the sixth dan of chess. However, being able to defeat his ninth junior brother, who was a fifth dan, made him worthy of serious treatment.

A child with such peerless talent must be kept in the Chess Saint Pavilion. Once I defeat him, I will immediately report this to Teacher... Zhao Ye thought to himself.

Qin Yuan glanced at Zhao Ye and retorted irritably:

"I will give you all one last chance. I hope your chess skills are not as pathetic as the previous five!"

As he spoke, he sat directly in front of the chessboard and began to gather the pieces, clearing the board.

The corners of Zhao Ye's mouth twitched slightly. Since when could a fifth dan chess master be described with the word "pathetic"?

It seemed necessary for him to let this arrogant child know that there is always someone better, and that one should not be conceited but remain humble!

He exhaled softly, suppressed his emotions, sat down opposite Qin Yuan, and began the match.