Fan Li stood on the giant Go board, feeling as insignificant as an ant. This was enemy territory. He decided not to wander aimlessly and instead waited to see what would happen.
Nineteen lines, crisscrossing, weaving tales of heaven, earth, and man?
He had already guessed his opponent's identity – the Sage Ruler of Chess from the Brahma Sound Pure Land.
The Sage Ruler's tone had been polite, but forcibly dragging him into this pocket dimension was clearly a hostile act.
What should he do? Could he count on Qing Qiu to rescue him?
He hoped so, but he knew it was unlikely. He had clearly walked into a trap. If he could escape so easily, the Brahma Sound Pure Land wouldn't be much of a threat.
"Am I stuck in this place until we finish a game of Go?" Fan Li wondered aloud.
"Precisely!" a woman's voice replied.
A figure materialized on the opposite side of the board. Dressed in white, her hair as white as snow, she had a beautiful face but a fierce expression.
"You're Bai Shijiu, the Sage Ruler of Chess?" Fan Li asked, taking the initiative, startling the woman for a moment.
A mere Golden Core cultivator, trapped within her Rotten Axe Go Board, and he dared to be so bold?
Bai Shijiu wanted to express her disdain, but she couldn't find any fault with his demeanor. She had expected to see fear or anger, but he seemed completely at ease, as if he were strolling through his own garden, admiring the miniature world of the Rotten Axe Go Board.
"One game. And I'll let you leave."
Her voice seemed to emanate from the board itself, as if she were the ruler of this pocket dimension, a goddess within her own domain.
Fan Li was surprised. Was she using ventriloquism? No, it was some kind of sound transmission technique.
She seemed incredibly powerful and enigmatic, reminding him of a hidden master from a martial arts novel.
Perhaps that was her intention – to intimidate him.
"The esteemed Sage Ruler of Chess, setting a trap and dragging me here, just for a game of Go?"
"I have just emerged from seclusion. Jin De mentioned your reputation, Duke Jin. She said that although your cultivation is low, you possess the demeanor of a great scholar. Even Elder Sister Yao Guang has spoken highly of you. She urged me to pay you a visit, lest I miss the chance to meet a contemporary hero."
Fan Li chuckled inwardly. She spoke eloquently, but it was just a facade. At least she wasn't as ruthless as the Sage Ruler of Archery, who had attacked him from miles away, without even revealing herself.
"Very well. I have plenty of time to spare. A game of Go won't take too long," he agreed.
Bai Shijiu smiled inwardly. A mere Golden Core cultivator. His experience and knowledge were limited.
Even within the Pure Land, she rarely took action. Even Qing Qiu wasn't fully aware of her methods, let alone Fan Li.
Her spirit treasure, the Rotten Axe Go Board, had two hidden abilities.
The first was a mental attack. It didn't draw blood or inflict physical harm, but it struck directly at the soul. Defeat could lead to damage to the primordial spirit, a weakened willpower, or even mental torment, trapping the victim in an endless loop of their loss.
The second ability manipulated the flow of time. Once a game began, time within the pocket dimension moved thousands of times faster than in the outside world. It was said that "a day spent playing Go here is a century in the mortal world."
Moreover, a cultivator's resistance to the manipulation of time depended on their cultivation level. The Rotten Axe Go Board was a Heavenly-grade spirit treasure. A Golden Core cultivator like Fan Li had practically no resistance to its effects.
Bai Shijiu, however, was different. As a Great Vehicle realm cultivator, she could reduce the time dilation from thousands of times to a mere hundred. A day within the Go board would be a year in the outside world.
'He's a Golden Core cultivator. His lifespan is at most two hundred years. If I drag this game out for two days, he'll die of old age within the board. Even if Qing Qiu asks, I can simply say he lost the game and couldn't bear the shame. It's his own fault for dying.'
'Hmph, it's a pity I have to be mindful of Qing Qiu. Otherwise, I could play a quick game and drive him mad with his loss. That would also solve Elder Sister's problem.'
Meanwhile, back at the gnarled tree, Qing Qiu stood guard, watching over the Rotten Axe Go Board. She knew Bai Shijiu had entered the pocket dimension. According to their agreement, once the game was over, Bai Shijiu would leave Fan Li unharmed.
…
"Let's begin," Bai Shijiu said coldly.
"Right now?" Fan Li asked. "Who plays black, and who plays white?"
In Go, black had the advantage of the first move. To compensate, the player with black had to give the white player a handicap – a deduction of points at the end of the game.
Bai Shijiu chuckled. Did this man truly believe he could compete with her? She was the Sage Ruler of Chess, the strongest female Go player in the world. If she wanted to, she could win within twenty or thirty moves, forcing Fan Li to concede. However, her goal was to trap him within the Go board until he died of old age.
"You play black," she said haughtily. "My surname is Bai. I always play white. Besides, I never accept a handicap."
Such confidence!
Fan Li was surprised. He wanted to tell her that this game had been unfair from the very beginning.
Because he was cheating.
…
In the Fan Residence in Peng City, Fan Li's other clone set up a Go board, selecting the white stones. Across from him sat a thin, scholarly man, his demeanor a bit reserved. However, his eyes, fixated on the board, gleamed with excitement. This man was clearly a Go enthusiast.
"Your name is Huang Longshi?" Fan Li asked with a smile.
"I am your student, Huang Longshi. I studied in Lu City for many years, but I lack talent and have yet to achieve much."
As he said, Lu Chunqiu had three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were considered sages. Huang Longshi wasn't among them.
However, Fan Li, while browsing through Lu Chunqiu's list of disciples, had noticed Huang Longshi's name. It was identical to the name of a famous Go master from his previous world. He had immediately inquired about Huang Longshi, and Lu Chunqiu had confirmed the man's exceptional Go skills. During his time in Lu City, he had defeated all three thousand of his classmates, remaining undefeated. If not for his low cultivation level – after forty years of diligent study, he had only reached the Nascent Soul realm – he would have already been famous throughout the land.
Fan Li had invited Huang Longshi to Peng City long ago, keeping him close, waiting for the right opportunity to make use of his talents.
He hadn't expected that opportunity to come so soon.
"Duke Jin, do you also enjoy Go?" Huang Longshi asked excitedly.
"Playing Go is a refined pursuit. How could I not enjoy it?" Fan Li replied with a chuckle.
He had inherited the original Fan Li's talents, so his Go skills were decent. But he doubted he could defeat the Sage Ruler of Chess. As for genuine interest, he had none.
"Master Huang, I have heard of your exceptional skills. I couldn't resist the opportunity to request a game. Would you honor me with your guidance?"