The Jade Pot Realm.
The White Cloud Courtyard.
The Slender Old Man sat quietly before the stone table.
His gaze rested on the Go board on the table, his brows unconsciously drawn into a tight frown.
On the stone table, the previously clear-cut positions of black and white on the board had abruptly changed with the placement of those two stones, one black and one white. The situation had suddenly become murky.
"No, the problem isn't this white stone, but..."
His gaze fell on that black stone, and a trace of gravity entered his eyes.
"A single Taiyi Dao Lord has given these Great Sea Market factions a fresh breath of life."
"What exactly is he relying on?"
"Or is he relying on himself alone?"
After a moment's thought, he instinctively reached into the Go Container beside him, then paused slightly and turned to look inside.
Only two solitary white stones remained in the Go Container woven from bamboo strips.
After hesitating, he picked up the two white stones and spread them in his palm, staring at them distractedly for a while. Then he slowly closed his hand and finally set one of them gently beside the black stone.
"This... should do, shouldn't it?"
The Slender Old Man looked at the board and murmured to himself.
Just then, he seemed to sense something. He brushed his palm lightly over the board, and it immediately vanished from the tabletop.
Almost at the same instant, a figure abruptly landed in the courtyard.
He looked like a young man, but his head was shaven, and his face was peaceful and serene, as though he had attained enlightenment.
At the sight of the bald young man, the Slender Old Man immediately rose from the stone table, walked around it, and stepped forward to bow