The bell rang, signaling that the Zen Child, Duke He, and the other important figures had arrived at Chessboard Mountain.
Duke He walked to the railing at the summit and gazed down at the lush green woods below, seemingly preoccupied.
He presided over the Plum Gathering, and however many concerns he had, he had nowhere to turn for help, because the Zen Child had not shown himself at all.
The Zen Child was resting in the Three Pure Ones Temple halfway up the mountain.
A great Buddhist master resting in a Daoist temple seemed somewhat strange however one looked at it, but Duke He knew that the Zen Child did not care about such things, so naturally he said nothing.
Duke He glanced at the distant imperial palace and said to the official beside him, "Then let us begin."
The bell rang again, officially raising the curtain on the Plum Gathering's Chess Battle.
Countless Daoist cultivators in the green mountains began moving toward the pavilions they had already picked out.
Seen from the summit where Duke He stood, they looked like pieces moving across a board, naturally evoking the march of armies on a battlefield.
Whether standing still or walking, the Daoist cultivators continued watching the movements in several places.
Tong Yan, of course, drew the most attention. People very much wanted to know whom he would choose as his first opponent.
Or would he casually pick an empty pavilion and wait for others to challenge him, as he had at the previous Plum Gatherings?
The movements of experts such as He Zhan, Que Niang, Gu Yuanyuan, and Shang Jiulou also attracted considerable attention, while many eyes rested on Jing Jiu beside the stream.
Tong Yan stood alone beside the cliff, watching clouds drift past the mountain, still unmoving.
He