Shock

Qin Yuan and Zhao Ye sat facing each other, one with white stones, the other with black.

The Chess Saint Pavilion was packed with disciples and Go enthusiasts. They held their breath, their faces tense.

Everyone thought this would be a match with no suspense. After all, Zhao Ye was the Chess Saint's eldest disciple, and his Chess Path had already reached the sixth rank.

Yet the expressions around them gradually shifted from anticipation to surprise, then shock, and finally barely contained horror. Their eyes were wide as saucers.

What had they just seen? They hadn't even been playing for a quarter of an hour, yet Zhao Ye, playing black, was already sweating cold bullets. Meanwhile, Qin Yuan across from him remained calm and utterly at ease.

The moves on the board had grown less and less frequent. Now, five minutes had passed without either of them placing a stone.

Of course, all five minutes had been spent with Zhao Ye racking his brains. Qin Yuan seemed not to need to think at all. Whenever his opponent placed a black stone, he immediately answered with a white one, easy and unhurried.

Even so, as time passed, the black stones on the board were surrounded and hemmed in by white, trapped with nowhere to go.

Even an apprentice who had only just begun studying the Chess Path could see that Zhao Ye's black stones were in their twilight, with death close at hand.

Qin Yuan lifted his eyes and looked at Zhao Ye, whose face had gone ashen, sweat poured down him, and pupils trembled. He said calmly:

"You really didn't lie to me. Your Chess Path can indeed only be called decent."

"Clack..."

Those words were the final straw that broke the camel's back. The black stone in Zhao Ye's hand trembled as he set it down.

His whole body went limp. The wooden stool toppled over, and he crashed to the ground. His once-calm, bright eyes now shook violently, bloodshot veins nearly covering their whites.

"No, that's impossible. How could this happen..." Zhao Ye murmured in a daze, as if his heart's path had shattered.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head and looked at Qin Yuan's calm face. His pale lips quivered.

"Y-you... can you tell me how long you've studied Go?"

"Half a year," Qin Yuan replied.

A commotion erupted through the crowd. When they heard Qin Yuan had studied the Chess Path for only half a year, everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They gaped in stunned disbelief.

Zhao Ye was even more shaken. His pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his mind reeled.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips. He had always prided himself on being a Chess Path prodigy. Only now did he realize that before a true genius, he was nothing worth mentioning.

When the words "half a year" left Qin Yuan's mouth, Qin Yuan's image in Zhao Ye's eyes instantly soared to heights beyond measure.

In reality, Qin Yuan was only a ten-year-old child, barely reaching his chest.

Yet that towering figure, standing proudly at the summit of the Chess Path and looking down upon it all, was etched vividly into Zhao Ye's mind, unforgettable for the rest of his life.

Qin Yuan became his nightmare.

Glancing at Zhao Ye, slumped on the ground, Qin Yuan shook his head in disappointment and sighed inwardly:

I'd hoped the Chess Saint Pavilion would let me compete against different Chess Path masters and help me comprehend the Chess Heart. And this is what I get? This is the Chess Saint's eldest disciple?

No, I can't have come all this way for nothing... Qin Yuan seemed to reach a decision. He rose and looked at Zhao Ye. "I hear Wang Qingyuan is the Chess Saint of the Heavenly Dou Empire. I'd like to experience the bearing of a Chess Saint. May I ask if he's here?"

Everyone was startled to hear Qin Yuan wanted to play against the Chess Saint. But on second thought, they figured he must want to experience the heights of the Chess Path firsthand.

They all firmly believed that Qin Yuan would one day reach, or even surpass, the Chess Saint.

Zhao Ye said nothing. He only staggered to his feet, bracing himself against the ground, then gave Qin Yuan a reverent look before leaving the crowd and heading upstairs.

Before long, hurried, uneven footsteps sounded from the stairwell.

Turning his head, Qin Yuan first saw an old man with half-white hair and a black-and-white robe hurrying downstairs. Two other old men followed close behind, with Zhao Ye bringing up the rear, his expression complicated.

The old man in the black-and-white robe strode toward them. The crowd parted on its own, and people called out, "Teacher!" and "Chess Saint!"

That was how Qin Yuan learned that the old man in the black-and-white robe was the Chess Saint, Wang Qingyuan—the foremost player of the Chess Path in the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Wang Qingyuan hurried up to Qin Yuan and nearly failed to stop in time. He was visibly excited, but inside, his heart was surging like a storm-tossed lake, still impossible to calm.

He stared at Qin Yuan, who barely reached his chest, his gaze burning as if he were looking at a priceless treasure.

Soon, Qian Feng and Liu Yuan also rushed over to Qin Yuan. Their expressions were just as fervent as Wang Qingyuan's, and even their breaths came out hot.

Li Fu, standing silently behind Qin Yuan, furrowed his brow slightly. The three old men were too close to Qin Yuan. They might pose a threat.

So he released a trace of the terrifying might of a Soul Saint. It swept over them like an irresistible, invisible wave and knocked all three men back two steps.

Wang Qingyuan and the other two froze, then looked sharply up at the taciturn Li Fu, their expressions grave.

This child must have quite the status... The thought flashed through all three of their minds at once.

"Chess Saint Wang, please." Qin Yuan gestured toward the seat opposite him. He didn't want to waste time. He'd already wasted enough.

Wang Qingyuan lowered his head at Qin Yuan's words and opened his mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing. Smiling, he nodded, walked to the seat opposite Qin Yuan, sat down, and extended his aged hand.

"Please."

Qin Yuan sat down and played against Wang Qingyuan.

This was destined to be a match without suspense.

With Wang Qingyuan's ninth-rank Chess Path skill, playing against someone who hadn't even reached the seventh rank was like a fully armed adult fighting a child who had only just learned to walk.

Qin Yuan finally grew solemn. He became just like Zhao Ye had been earlier, racking his brain for a long time before he could place a stone.

Wang Qingyuan placed his stones with ease, but whenever he saw where Qin Yuan put one, admiration and fervor filled his old eyes until they almost seemed tangible.

I must take this child as my disciple!!!

Wang Qingyuan roared inwardly.

Qian Feng and Liu Yuan watched from the side, their eyes blazing with excitement and admiration as they looked at Qin Yuan. At the same time, they lamented inwardly:

How tragic! With that old Wang around, this child will never be ours!

Damn that old Wang!

The two cursed him inwardly. A peerless prodigy like this, one unseen in a thousand years, was someone they wanted as a disciple too!

Time passed, second by second. No matter how long Qin Yuan pondered, Wang Qingyuan neither grew impatient nor grew angry. He waited with remarkable patience.

He even offered pointers during the match. His love for talent was plain for all to see.

But Qin Yuan had studied Go for too short a time. He simply couldn't match Wang Qingyuan, who had been renowned for years.

In the end, he lost without a shred of suspense.

Yet even in defeat, he had won glory. No one there dared look down on Qin Yuan.

Setting down his white stone, Qin Yuan let out a soft sigh.

"I lost."

"Hahaha! To reach this level at such a young age—you're unmatched in a thousand years."

Wang Qingyuan laughed heartily, his face glowing. He stared intently at Qin Yuan and asked:

"Child, would you be willing to take me as your master?"