As he watched longer, Lin Shuangmu gradually gained some understanding of the game before him. At the very least, he knew this:
Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu was playing fast chess. Having seized the initiative, every move he made was crisp and swift, as though he needed no thought at all;
True Man Guangwei was far more cautious. As the pieces on the board increased, the pace of his moves showed a tendency to grow slower and slower.
Perhaps this was why a certain pattern had emerged:
Whenever Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu placed a piece, everyone focused completely, tense to the utmost;
Only when True Man Guangwei lingered over a move did the atmosphere relax somewhat, and the discussions grow more numerous.
Lin Shuangmu seized such an opportunity and nudged Wu Jing.
"Hey, how do you think this match will turn out?"
"What?"
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh, you mean who'll win this game? Vulgar. Far too vulgar!"
Wu Jing first gave Lin Shuangmu a fierce look, then patted his own cheeks to make his overtaxed brain work a little more nimbly. Only then, under Lin Shuangmu's sharp gaze, did he answer the question.
"Look across this lake. Anyone who knows even a little about talismans probably doesn't care about victory or defeat. Tsk, this game is played to absolute perfection... One word for it: clarity!"
"Oh?"
True Man Guangwei was still deep in thought. Wu Jing pointed at the chess formation created by Yu Ci's moves and had Lin Shuangmu take it in.
"Look—the technique, the structure, the train of thought, the foundation. Is it clear or not?"
Lin Shuangmu could only smile wryly. Fortunately, at a time like this, Wu Jing did not much care whether he possessed such discernment.
Wu Jing chuckled, as though he had drained a goblet