There was a sheer cliff, with no path ahead, only a giant chessboard suspended in mid-air.
Black and white chess pieces are placed on either side of the chessboard.
Although the giant chessboard hung suspended above the cliff, it was deathly silent, with no trace of life emanating from it.
At this moment, besides Ye Qiubai and his group, two men and one woman also arrived at this place.
Upon seeing Ye Qiubai and his group, the handsome man at the head of the group was slightly surprised, then smiled and said, "I didn't expect to meet you here."
Ye Qiubai is the only one who has gained the approval of the remnant soul.
Therefore, any prodigy who enters the Ancient Battlefield can recognize Ye Qiubai.
The man clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Fang Yan of the Purple Cloud Sect Fang Yan the Ancient Capital Star Domain." He then pointed to the other two and said, " Peng Shiwu and Tong Xu."
After saying this, Peng Shiwu and Tong Xu also bowed to each other.
Ye Qiubai returned the greeting with a cupped hand.
Immediately, Fang Yan asked, " Brother Ye, have you discovered anything?"
Ye Qiubai shook his head and said, "Not yet, but if we don't solve this chessboard problem, we might have no choice but to take a detour."
Fang Yan laughed and said, "Even you, Brother Ye, can't see anything? Shall we go up and give it a try?"
After saying that, Fang Yan took the lead and stepped onto the chessboard.
Seeing this, Shi Sheng chuckled and said, "Isn't he afraid of any traps? He seems quite bold."
Mu Fusheng frowned slightly and said, "No, most people wouldn't easily venture into an unknown place like this. What he's doing... seems a bit too deliberate."
At this point, Mu Fusheng turned to Song Xiao beside him and asked, "Brother Song, do you know the background of these people?"
Song Xiao understood Mu Fusheng's meaning and shrugged, saying, "I've looked into the Purple Cloud Sect, but I haven't heard of these people."
"That's normal. There are so many geniuses in the world; it's impossible for me to recognize them all."
Mu Fusheng nodded, keeping a Mind's Eye on things.
When Fang Yan stood on the chessboard, nothing unusual happened.
Ning Chenxin, however, stared intently at the chessboard, her brows furrowing slightly.
Hong Ying, who was standing nearby, noticed Ning Chenxin's unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong? Did you find something?"
Generally speaking, Ning Chenxin wouldn't show this kind of expression.
Ning Chenxin nodded and said, "I have some guesses, but we need to try."
Then, Fang Yan jumped down.
Just as she was about to say something, Ning Chenxin walked up to her.
Everyone looked over with curiosity, Fang Yan and the other two also looked at Ning Chenxin with peculiar expressions.
Ning Chenxin, after all, had no aura and little presence, making her the most inconspicuous person among Ye Qiubai's group.
However, when Ning Chenxin stood on the chessboard...
Everything has changed.
The chessboard seemed to tremble!
A deep rumble echoed from the chessboard!
As Ning Chenxin sat cross-legged on the right side of the chessboard, closed his eyes, and streams of Confucian Dao aura emanated from his body!
These Confucian Dao energies coalesced into a giant hand behind Ning Chenxin.
A giant hand grasped a black piece and placed it in the very center of the chessboard!
At this moment, opposite Ning Chenxin, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, a refined man dressed in a blue Daoist robe slowly appeared.
The man smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we played chess. I hope you can keep me entertained."
Ning Chenxin's expression remained calm as she nodded slightly. "I'll do my best."
Seeing this, the man, holding a white piece, attacked the black piece, saying at the same time, "What is your view on the Dao?"
A move was made, a word was spoken.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a mysterious aura transformed into a gentle breeze that blew across the chessboard!
Ning Chenxin ignored him, silently picking up a black piece and placing it down. "At first, I thought the Dao was about following nature and governing by non-action. Imposing too many rules and constraints on people would only restrict their freedom. The Dao is the Dao of following nature."
The man smiled, then raised the issue again, saying, "But you were talking about the beginning. What about now?"
Ning Chenxin did not hesitate, just like his State of Mind at that moment, decisive and resolute, and picked up the black piece and placed it down.
"What I hear and see—profit, power—has led countless people to break the rules and incite war. This overturns my idea that 'going with the flow' is just an idiom born from cowards' excuses for their escapism." Ning Chenxin's move expanded her territory, seemingly poised to devour all of the man's white pieces!
Without rules and moral standards, the world would descend into chaos and disorder. If we desire peace, we must establish rules!
As soon as the words were spoken, a flash of white light appeared on the chessboard. These Confucian Dao and Daoist auras, which had previously seemed perfectly peaceful, now resembled sharp knives, sharp and full of murderous intent!
Ji Qianyao, Jin Wujin, Jiang Qingluan... even Fang Yan and the other two were all shocked when they heard these words.
They never expected that this seemingly ordinary scholar would possess such spirit!
Dare to change the world, to redefine the rules for the entire world!
What a magnificent spirit!
The man was slightly moved, then smiled and placed his piece again. This time, he didn't defend, but instead took the initiative to attack! He wanted to stop the killing with killing, breaking Ning Chenxin's killing momentum!
"Establishing rules means breaking existing rules. Since it's about breaking and rebuilding... that's often what victors and top experts do. Since your goal is the same as other cultivators who break the rules, how are you any different from them?" The man's words, like the white pieces, were like sharp knives, piercing deep into the black pieces' hearts!
"The path to the summit is littered with corpses. So, can I consider your words, your path of Confucian Dao and Daoism, to be hypocritical?"
Ning Chenxin fell silent...
His master had discussed similar topics with him before.
What was he thinking at the time?
In addition, considering his years of preaching... it was indeed difficult to avoid the man's words.
This caused Ning Chenxin to hesitate, her moves becoming increasingly unpredictable, sometimes defensive, sometimes offensive...
I don't know how much time passed.
Perhaps half a day? Or maybe a whole day?
The man glanced at the black and white pieces on the chessboard, sighed softly, then picked up a white piece and said, "It's time to end this..."
Suddenly, Ning Chenxin said, "The goal is the same, but the process and the result are different."
The man's eyes brightened slightly as he looked at Ning Chenxin, signaling him to continue.
"Nothing can be perfect. Although this path may be full of hypocrisy, as long as we keep going, reach the peak, and stay true to our original aspirations, redefining the rules will be enough to achieve this unrealistic ideal."
That brings us to this.
Ning Chenxin placed a piece!
A forced capture of a living piece instantly reversed the situation!
Upon seeing this, the man laughed loudly, "Excellent! There is no perfect solution in this world, but since you have embarked on this path, it is most important to have a clear mind!"
"My name is Emperor Luan. You may inherit my mantle!"
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PS: Three chapters