Within the Rotten Axe Go Board, Bai Shijiu watched in disbelief as Fan Li's hair turned from black to white, then back to black again. The wrinkles that had briefly appeared on his face, signs of aging, also vanished.
He still looked like a young man in his early twenties. Handsome, noble, and seemingly untouched by the passage of time.
'How is this possible?!' she exclaimed inwardly.
She studied him carefully, wondering if he possessed a spirit treasure capable of resisting the time manipulation of the Rotten Axe Go Board.
'No, even if he has a spirit treasure, this is my domain! It's the Rotten Axe's home ground. When two spirit treasures clash, the Rotten Axe will always prevail.'
She convinced herself that Fan Li was only temporarily resisting the time distortion. Once the Rotten Axe Go Board suppressed his mysterious spirit treasure, aging would become inevitable.
'I'll spend a few more days with you. Let's see if you can truly escape death.'
With this thought, her moves grew even slower.
Time passed, each moment a precious commodity.
By the ninety-eighth move, a full day had passed within the Go board. A day for Bai Shijiu was a year in the outside world. A day for Fan Li was a century.
She stared at him, incredulous. He showed no signs of aging.
'How many years has he aged? Ten? Five? Or maybe just two or three? I've lost a year of my lifespan. Is he aging at the same rate as me?'
'Damn you, Fan Li! Once you die, that mysterious spirit treasure will be mine!' she cursed silently.
Time was precious. Even for a Sage Ruler like her, with a long lifespan and the promise of immortality, every moment was valuable.
She was willing to sacrifice two years of her lifespan to trap Fan Li within the Go board. But that was her limit. Any more, and she would feel the sting of regret.
But as she looked at Fan Li, still youthful and unaffected, she began to lose confidence. Would he truly age another hundred years if she dragged the game out for another day?
"This game is taking too long," Fan Li complained. "Sage Ruler Bai, can you please play faster?"
A day and a night had passed, and they hadn't even reached the halfway point. Fan Li was growing impatient. His time was precious. Even with five bodies, having a clone's time wasted on a meaningless game of Go was frustrating.
Besides, Huang Longshi back at the Fan Residence was still playing quickly. Was the Sage Ruler of Chess truly so much weaker than an unknown scholar?
"What's the rush? I may be slow, but I'm carefully considering every move, planning for the entire game," Bai Shijiu replied.
Hearing his impatience, she felt a surge of hope.
'It seems his spirit treasure is failing, The time distortion of the Rotten Axe Go Board is about to take effect! Once your lifespan is depleted, I'll search your corpse for that spirit treasure. Let's see what makes it so special that it can resist the Rotten Axe for so long.'
She continued to stall, spending at least half an hour considering each move. Her moves were all conservative, defensive, as if she intended to drag the game on indefinitely.
…
Back at the Fan Residence, Fan Li placed a stone, looking expectantly at Huang Longshi.
The scholar's expression was strange. He stared at the placement of the stone, his face filled with disbelief.
"Duke Jin… Would you like to reconsider that move?" he asked hesitantly.
The advantage had shifted in the game. Huang Longshi had built a strong foundation, securing favorable territory.
Fan Li, instead of attacking, was trying to capture a large group of Huang Longshi's stones, but he was playing defensively, trapping himself.
Wasn't this a path to defeat, just a slow and agonizing one?
"There's no need. I'll play here. Just play your game. If you can defeat me, then do so."
Huang Longshi felt a surge of indignation.
'I offer advice, and he treats me with contempt? Duke Jin's moves are clever. He's clearly a skilled strategist. But he's only thinking three steps ahead. He doesn't understand the true essence of Go, which is to strategize for the entire world. Three steps only allow you to win small battles. I think ten steps, a hundred steps ahead, with the entire world in mind. I don't seek small advantages or minor victories. I aim for ultimate victory.'
'Very well! Today, I'll risk offending Duke Jin and show him what true Go is! True Go requires the foresight and ambition to conquer the world!'
He placed a stone, his expression solemn as he looked directly at Fan Li. He seemed ready to face any consequence.
His next few moves were bold and decisive, as if he were surveying the entire world, ready to rule.
Bai Shijiu, on the other hand, had lost the initiative from the very beginning. Now, she was falling further behind with each move.
She had initially slowed down to prolong the game, but now she was truly hesitant, struggling to make a decision.
She finally played a stone in anger. 'I can't lose to Fan Li! If word of this gets out, how can I call myself the Sage Ruler of Chess? But I made a mistake. I shouldn't have let him play black. I shouldn't have given up opportunities to attack his stones just to drag out the game. No! I'm the Sage Ruler of Chess. I can't possibly lose! I can still turn this around!'
Another day passed within the Go board.
Bai Shijiu stared at Fan Li in disbelief. He was still young, still as handsome and elegant as ever.
"Why?!"
She looked down at her hands. Her once smooth, slender fingers now showed faint wrinkles, visible even to her sharp eyes.
These were the signs of aging.
Two years might seem insignificant to her, with her centuries-long lifespan, but she had still aged.
Fan Li, however, seemed to have only aged two days.
'What kind of spirit treasure does he possess? Can it truly suppress the Rotten Axe Go Board?
No! My spirit treasure can't lose! I'll wait another three days, five days, ten days… I'll drain his lifespan eventually!'
…
Ten days passed.
The game had reached four hundred moves. The board was crowded with black and white stones, resembling a starry sky. The remaining empty spaces were the key to victory.
Huang Longshi, with his Nascent Soul realm cultivation, was still alert and energetic after ten days of continuous play. In fact, he seemed to grow stronger with each move.
His opponent, however, was on the verge of collapse.
"Why… Why are you still so young?!" Bai Shijiu trembled all over.
If this wasn't the world of the Rotten Axe Go Board, if they weren't restricted to playing Go, she would have slapped Fan Li to death.
This detestable man!
Ten days had passed. According to the Rotten Axe's rules, he should have aged a thousand years. But he was a Golden Core cultivator. He didn't even have a thousand-year lifespan.
He should be dead!
Yet, he was still young, unchanged from ten days, a thousand years ago.
She, however, had aged.
She looked down at her trembling hands. The once smooth, jade-like skin had darkened, losing its luster.
Fan Li's thousand years were her ten years.
Ten years were enough to leave their mark even on the Sage Ruler of Chess.
Time, in the end, had revealed its invincible power.