In Chess Mountain's Inner Valley, below Meng Fuyun's Blessed Land, several disciples patrolled the area.
They performed their duties faithfully, stopping beneath a flight of steps halfway up the mountain for a brief rest only after checking everywhere and finding nothing amiss.
Since the war had subsided and their master, Meng Fuyun, had taken control of Chess Mountain, the Inner Valley disciples had been treated better and better. The powerful aristocratic clans of the Commercial Alliance, however, had suffered a catastrophe. Not only had they paid out vast quantities of spirit materials, money, and grain in compensation, but Meng Fuyun had also seized the opportunity to gather authority into his own hands and take complete control.
Now, however, they could only swallow their anger, for Meng Fuyun truly commanded a power they could not match. The balance of strength had been reversed.
Under Li Chen's watchful eye, Chess Mountain now maintained a delicate equilibrium. Even if they wanted to rebel and seize power again, Li Chen would not readily allow it.
Meng Fuyun had finally fulfilled his long-standing wish. The powerful clans would find it difficult to turn the tables anytime soon.
The disciples were also delighted to see their boats rise with the tide. They did not ponder the deeper issues behind it, nor did they care whether the various factions of Chess Mountain broke with one another. All they knew was that they had genuinely benefited.
The disciples began chatting and laughing, discussing how wretched the elders of the various clans had looked earlier. Some also mentioned talented members of their own generation, making for a lively conversation.
But as they talked, someone suddenly spotted a young member of a powerful clan racing toward them on a Mechanism Leopard.
**"How dare you! This is sacred Mountain Gate ground,