879: Time is a game of chess; who dares to play?

Outside the building, Ye Ziran looked at the old Taoist priest: "Master, you've always been the one to trick others. Who tricked you this time?"

How could he not know his master's temperament? Almost everyone who interacted with him would be tricked, so it was quite peculiar that someone could trick his master this time.

The old Taoist gritted his teeth and said, "It was a brat from Zhongzhou Academy. Not only did he trick me out of a meal and a few girls, but he also tricked me out of a treasure."

When he said this, he became even angrier.

That brat had four beautiful girls all to himself, while he? He only had an old madam pouring his wine. Thinking of this, his molars almost shattered.

Taking a step back, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

"I can't stand it. I must go to Zhongzhou Academy. I must teach that old fellow Li Fusheng a good lesson. He doesn't even know how to teach his academy's disciples. It's simply hateful."

After the old Taoist finished speaking, his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

"..."

Ye Ziran's brows furrowed. Something big was likely about to happen at Zhongzhou Academy.

——

Hongru Academy.

In the courtyard, a chessboard was laid out.

A group of people gathered around, including gentlemen and disciples of the academy, as well as a group of outsiders.

"Gongsun Yuan from Xuan Mountain Academy has come specifically to Hongru Academy to seek guidance in the Dao of Chess. I wonder who dares to spar with me?"

A black-robed man, holding a folding fan, spoke with a smile on his face, a hint of playfulness in the depths of his eyes.

He was here only on orders to challenge the academy!

"..."

The people of Hongru Academy frowned. Recently, people from Xuan Mountain Academy had frequently come to challenge them.

It was rumored that Xuan Mountain Academy was founded by the Chess Saint of Zhongzhou Academy and was subordinate to Zhongzhou Academy.

Such an academy was not small in Donghuang City, yet they came to their small Hongru Academy to cause trouble, which made people puzzled.

Hongru Academy currently had six Mr., but only one Mr. was present.

Gongsun Yuan looked at a woman in a black dress among the crowd and smiled, saying, "Miss, you must be the Fifth Mr. of Hongru Academy, Wen Jiu! I presume you are also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Do you dare to play a game with me?"

Wen Jiu glanced at Gongsun Yuan and said indifferently, "I heard the Chess Saint has a disciple whose cultivation has reached the late stage of Guixu Realm. That must be you."

The Chess Saint's disciple coming to challenge them was no simple matter; this incident likely involved that certain opportunity!

The several Mr. of Hongru Academy who came here all had special purposes, and Gongsun Yuan's arrival here also seemed to involve certain things.

"The Chess Saint is indeed my master!"

Gongsun Yuan smiled faintly. His challenge was naturally arranged by his master.

As for the deeper meaning, he did not know, but he would do as his master arranged.

"..."

Wen Jiu was silent for a second before stepping forward.

She also knew a bit about the Dao of Chess, but facing a disciple of the Chess Saint, she had no confidence whatsoever.

"Oh! Quite lively, isn't it? Are you going to play chess?"

Xie Weilou entered the courtyard and looked at the people present in surprise.

"Mr. Xie!"

When Zilu saw Xie Weilou, he quickly bowed.

"He is the new Mr. Xie?"

The disciples of Hongru Academy all looked at Xie Weilou, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"..."

Wen Jiu was also staring at Xie Weilou, with a hint of scrutiny in her eyes. Could this person have the same purpose as them in coming to Hongru Academy?

However, after some observation, she found that Xie Weilou only had the cultivation of the Xuanhuang Realm. Could she have overthought it?

"Boy, the opportunity at Hongru Academy is linked to Zhongzhou Academy. We are currently in the negotiation stage. If anyone comes to provoke, you can act. It's fine to even kill them. The more people you defeat, the greater Hongru Academy's leverage will be."

The Confucian Sage's voice quietly entered Xie Weilou's ears.

Hongru Academy and Zhongzhou Academy both possessed an item. Only when the two were combined could the opportunity reappear, but the opportunity was limited.

Zhongzhou Academy clearly wanted to monopolize certain things, which he naturally would not agree to.

So, both sides chose to negotiate, letting the young people spar. Whichever side won more, the greater the opportunity they would receive.

Now, the Chess Saint's disciple coming to challenge them was the first round!

When Xie Weilou heard this, he looked at Gongsun Yuan and smiled faintly, "This Xie's cultivation is not good, but This Xie happens to be skilled in the Dao of Chess. How about I spar with you?"

"I didn't expect Hongru Academy to have a new Mr. That's quite interesting. Let's spar then."

Gongsun Yuan's smile was mocking as he directly sat down in front of the chessboard.

He could feel that the person in front of him had ordinary cultivation, which could be described as weak. Such a person wanting to play against him was undoubtedly seeking death.

Chess match?

Naturally, it wasn't a pure match; it also involved life and death!

Wen Jiu looked at Xie Weilou, frowning slightly, feeling that this person was in for big trouble.

"..."

Xie Weilou smiled and sat down opposite him.

Gongsun Yuan looked at Xie Weilou and said with a deep smile, "Let's play a handicap game. I'll give you nine pieces."

Xie Weilou smiled faintly, "I'll give you nine pieces!"

Gongsun Yuan raised an eyebrow: "So arrogant? I am the Chess Saint's disciple. In terms of the Dao of Chess, even many of the older generation are not worth mentioning in front of me."

"A frog in a well is like this!"

Xie Weilou said with a smile.

"You..."

Gongsun Yuan's face sank. He sneered, "Fine! Since you're so arrogant, then let's play an even game!"

"Guess for first move!"

Xie Weilou casually picked up a few white chess pieces.

Gongsun Yuan picked up a black piece and placed it directly on the table.

This Xie Wei released his hand, and five white pieces fell.

"It seems I go first."

Gongsun Yuan pressed down on the black piece and placed it directly on the tengen position. The piece falling on tengen declared his dominance.

Xie Weilou waved his hand casually, and four white pieces flew into the chess basket. He pressed down on the remaining white piece, about to place it.

Buzz!

Just then, an aura of late Guixu Realm diffused from Gongsun Yuan. The surrounding world instantly changed, and a starry sky appeared.

At this moment, Xie Weilou was in this starry sky, and all the chess pieces had turned into stars.

"Heaven as the chessboard, stars as the pieces, who dares to play? This is my domain, Starry Chessboard! You probably don't even know what a domain is, but unfortunately, you won't have the chance to find out. You will die here next."

Gongsun Yuan sat not far away, looking at Xie Weilou with disdain.

Once his domain was activated, it could trap enemies within it, annihilating their souls and preventing them from ever being reborn.

"Is that so?"

Xie Weilou smiled faintly. He flicked his sleeve, and this domain was instantly shattered. Stars were extinguished, the starry sky collapsed, and the surrounding environment returned to its original state.

"Pfft!"

Gongsun Yuan's body trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face extremely pale, with a look of horror in his eyes. His domain was broken just like that?

"Heaven as the chessboard, stars as the pieces? With your meager cultivation, you dare to say such words? You are quite boastful."

Xie Weilou pressed down on a white chess piece on the board and placed it directly on a star point.

As the white piece fell, a Dao Principle of Time quietly diffused, directly sealing the chessboard.

Buzz!

The environment before Gongsun Yuan's eyes changed strangely again. This was an boundless universe, with a Guangyin River running through it, its end unseen, eerie and unpredictable, as if merely looking at it would strip one of their lifespan.

"Time as the chess pieces, who dares to play?"

Xie Weilou's voice echoed from within this universe, like a master of the eternal cosmos, making Gongsun Yuan feel a chill down his spine.