The Rite of Sacrifice!

Snap!

With another soft click, the chess piece fell to the ground, and the world of consciousness stirred once more. Behind Gao Song, whose mind had focused, an army appeared. The Military Momentum was not powerful, and its formation was compact, as if it was accumulating strength and preparing to charge.

At the same time, insights into the Way of the Sages also circulated among the soldiers.

On the other side, Qiu Yan didn't hesitate. Gao Song's black stone was placed, he placed a white stone.

In the world of consciousness, behind Qiu Yan's mental body, banners fluttered and the procession resembled a dragon.

Both sides' Military Momentum began to take shape and they faced off.

Then, the two continued to place chess pieces one by one. In their mental world, two armies gradually unfolded, just like the preparation of supplies before the troops move in the battle between two countries.

In comparison, Gao Song's Military Momentum is clearly more well-organized and rationally positioned than Qiu Yan's, giving him an advantage. If nothing unexpected happens, this advantage will only grow stronger over time.

Among the Confucian scholars watching the game, there were also those skilled in the art of chess. They could discern the difference in skill between the two sides from their strategies on the board, but due to the rule of not speaking while watching a game, they refrained from uttering a sound. However, they were exchanging glances and subtly signaling to each other.

Surprise and disbelief were evident in the eyes of these people.

In their minds, the method of playing chess was proposed by Qiu Yan, so logically Qiu Yan should have been confident in it. But now it seems that his chess skills are not very good. In fact, when placing pieces and occupying territory, he still shows the traces of a novice.

"Since he's not good at chess, why bother playing against him? Isn't Qiu Yan afraid of ruining his reputation if he loses?"

People who have gained fame tend to cherish their reputation.

Qiu Yan's reputation is just beginning to take off, and he is establishing and consolidating it. However, he has chosen to compete with someone he is not good at, using his weakness to attack the other's strength. This is not a good idea at all, and he may very well ruin his good reputation.

"It's just that Gao Song got off easy. If I had known, we should have stepped in."

Hindsight is 20/20 in everyone's minds; they felt they hadn't seized the opportunity.

Among them, the most attentive to the game were the many disciples from the Ritual Reverence Academy who had come with Gao Song. Seeing their senior brother gaining the upper hand, the group was relieved of their worries.

However, the good times didn't last long. Before long, Gao Song's expression changed from relaxed to serious. The aura around him also changed, causing the Ritual Reverence disciples to focus their attention on the chess game again, trying to find a clue. Then, their expressions changed.

Qiu Yan and Gao Song chess at an extremely fast pace. The two sides exchanged blows, and before long, they were locked in a fierce battle. In their world of consciousness, the two armies transformed into two torrents amidst shouts of battle, colliding together.

Instantly, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, metal clashed against metal, blood splattered everywhere, some screamed, some roared, some wailed, and some fell.

The situation was in complete chaos, but Qiu Yan and Gao Song, who were in the middle of it, remained calm and composed, like commanders, listening to their subordinates' reports, thinking about the situation, constantly issuing orders to change the military formation, trying to find the enemy's weakness, and continuously sending troops to crush them.

The two people in this world of consciousness are a combination of thoughts and wills, embodying a person's intellect. Sitting upright in one's heart, unmoved as a mountain, commanding troops and issuing orders is precisely this kind of performance.

At the beginning, Gao Song's side had a clear advantage, but as time went by and the battle unfolded, Qiu Yan's Military Momentum, which was at a disadvantage, gradually rose up. After several attacks and retreats, they actually became evenly matched with Gao Song's army.

In fact, they even managed to take the lead in the rhythm of the game in successive encounters!

"This Qiu Yan is truly a surprise!"

The more the game went on, the more surprised Gao Song became. On one hand, through the chessboard, his thoughts flowed, and he exchanged and verified what he had learned. This allowed this leading figure of the new generation of the Ritual Reverence Academy to gain a lot. His contempt and prejudice against Qiu Yan gradually faded away, replaced by secret admiration.

On the other hand, Gao Song was also surprised by Qiu Yan's chess skills.

Qiu Yan's chess skills were not particularly outstanding. In fact, before this game, Qiu Yan had never actually played a complete game of Go in the true sense, neither in his past life nor in this one.

In his past life, his ambitions lay elsewhere. In this life, his family is poor, and he can barely keep up with his studies, let alone afford a chessboard and pieces. How could he possibly have the leisure to play chess?

His chess skills actually came from Book Mountain Mine. The Phantom Books related to the way of chess allowed him to quickly master the techniques and tricks from being a complete novice, thus crossing the threshold.

However, without the test of battle, skills are always just theoretical. When actually playing chess, one needs to make judgments on the spot. It's like a person who has honed a sword, but even if the weapon is sharp, it still needs to be wielded properly to defeat the enemy.

In this situation, Qiu Yan inevitably fell into a disadvantage in the early stages of the game. Although Gao Song was not an expert in chess, he was skilled through practice. Compared to Qiu Yan, he had played far more games and was quite knowledgeable.

But gradually, as the game continued, Qiu Yan mastered the memory and skills, showing signs of being able to do whatever he wanted, and the scales of victory began to tip.

"He initially appeared to be a beginner, but now his skill level is comparable to mine. His progress is astonishing. No one learning chess could achieve such progress. Perhaps it's a tactic of deliberately feigning weakness."

From feeling relaxed to feeling the pressure, Gao Song's expression had become tense. He avoided mentioning Qiu Yan's great improvement in chess skills and found a plausible excuse, ignoring the loopholes in it. Otherwise, his State of Mind would be in chaos, his momentum would fade, and he wouldn't be able to play the game.

With a quick glance, Gao Song's gaze swept across the chessboard, assessing the situation and preparing to launch a full-scale offensive.

To be honest, he didn't want it to end so quickly, not because he felt he had met his match or was reluctant to give up, but because behind the game of chess, there was another battlefield—

It was the two people's understanding of the Way of the Sages that they used to test and compete with each other using chess pieces and a chessboard.

During the game of Go, Gao Song gained a glimpse of the profound Sage from Qiu Yan, which he was still unclear about at the moment. But upon reflection and contemplation, it might be enough to elevate his Literary Dao to a higher level, and even have the potential to solidify his Literary Heart.

It should be noted that Qiu Yan's insights were not limited to Sage Sun's school of thought, but rather encompassed several schools of thought and involved numerous experiences. He condensed his Daoheart Fist Intent, drawing upon divine beings and Heart Demon to achieve the Way of Knowledge and Action. Even though he did not pass on his core insights, Gao Song benefited immensely from his understanding of Sage Sun's classic texts alone.

These insights are based on the Sage Spirit. He constantly enriches himself by analyzing these spirits, combining them with the things around him, and thus comes to understand them.

The Sage Spirit is the legacy of Sage thoughts. Whether it originates from manuscripts or emerges from the Scholar Forest community, it contains reflections on heaven and earth and the way of Human Path. To analyze the Sage Spirit is tantamount to listening to Sage teachings in person, an opportunity that is not often encountered.

Although he didn't know the source of Qiu Yan's insights, Gao Song was a discerning person after all, and his mind gradually began to work on it. However, there is always a price to pay; while he gained something, he also had to give something in return, and what he gave was exactly what he had learned over the years.

The legacy of the Ritual Reverence Academy largely stems from two volumes of Sage Manuscript, one of which is Sage Sun's " On Treatise on Rites".

Thanks to the Sage Manuscript, many disciples in the academy made great progress in their studies. However, unlike Qiu Yan, who mastered several subjects, the hundreds of students in the Ritual Reverence Academy could only focus on two manuscripts, making the competition naturally fierce.

Gao Song distinguished himself from his competitors and established his reputation.

Even so, what he received was still just fragments of information, not a complete inheritance. Although his soul contained the aura of Sage, it was difficult to condense a spirit, just like the three Merchant School Spirit that Qiu Yan obtained from Zhang Qin, which were incomplete and fragmented.

"Although it's a pity, one must make a decisive move. Qiu Yan's chess skills are becoming increasingly sharp, and the insights he conveys are profound and upright. He is openly exchanging his knowledge with me in a fair and square manner. How could I, Gao Song, be greedy for temporary personal gain?"

At this moment, Gao Song's State of Mind has undergone a subtle transformation after the baptism of spiritual enlightenment. His attitude towards Qiu Yan has completely changed. He no longer has any thoughts of scheming against Qiu Yan. Instead, he sincerely wants to exchange what he has learned and verify his understanding.

Once the decision was made, the player's strategy changed dramatically, closing in step by step, fighting for every inch of ground, becoming extremely fierce.

"Oh?" Sensing these changes, Qiu Yan shook his head slightly. "Gao Song intends to finish this quickly. That's good. Only a fierce battle with all our might can Separating Falsehood from Truth wheat from the chaff and reveal each other's True Intention..."

His thoughts followed his heart's desire; with the onslaught of Gao Song's Military Momentum, his resolve grew ever more urgent. His memories of the Sage poured forth, and he transmitted the most profound understanding he had ever grasped—

"The Sacrificer is an expression of deep affection and longing; it embodies the utmost loyalty, faith, love, and respect, and is a grand display of ritual and etiquette."

Sacrifices are a way to express one's feelings and longing; they are the highest expression of loyalty, faith, respect, and love, and represent the ultimate understanding of rituals!

Along with this sentence came Gao Song's annotations and explanations!

Instantly, Qiu Yan felt a jolt throughout his body, but it wasn't his Fleshly Body that was shaken; rather, it was his Divine Spirit Body, far away in the Southern Border, that was shaken!

This realization suddenly affected the Divine Body Divine Spirit Body, causing the runes within it to spin rapidly!

The next moment, divine power, Incense Faith surged from the Soul Aperture, rushing towards that enlightenment!

"I never expected this! I really never expected this unexpected gain!"

The divine power and the Incense Faith, upon encountering that enlightenment, immediately gathered and dispersed, shuttling back and forth within it, rapidly exploring its mysteries, causing ripples to arise in Qiu Yan's heart.

"I should have realized sooner that Rite of Sacrifice are also included in the 'Treatise on Rites,' and Sage Sun elevated them to an extremely high level, explicitly stating that the things worshipped in the mortal world do not actually exist. These sacrificial rituals are actually for expressing emotions and promoting customs, thereby subtly instilling Confucianism teachings into people's hearts! This point can even guide my future path!"

Just as Qiu Yan was feeling sentimental, the "The Sacrificer" insight, after being traversed by divine power several times, suddenly began to pulsate violently, showing signs of going out of control!

Shock!

At the same time, the chessboard on the table trembled slightly, and the ink on the board became faintly distorted!

"A god invading Human Path, resulting in a backlash?" Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he guessed the reason.

ps:

Thanks to "Wan Jie 123456" and "Eternal Old Black" for their monthly votes!