Chapter 12: Becoming an Apprentice to a Sage, Understanding the Way of Chess!

After Water-Fire Boy finished announcing the decree, he did not hurry him.

He simply hovered quietly in mid-air, his clear eyes curiously sizing up the white-robed figure below.

The entire Siguo Cliff, and even Jinao Island,

fell into a strange, deathly silence because of this decree, followed by an earth-shattering uproar.

Countless Divine Thoughts intertwined—suspicion, shock, jealousy, inquiry...

All sorts of emotions gathered into a storm, all pressing down on Gu Ziyuan at the center of the tempest.

However, Gu Ziyuan seemed completely unaware.

He placed the last chess piece into the box and closed the lid.

His movements were neither hurried nor slow, as if he were completing a sacred ritual.

Only after finishing all this did he stand up, nodding slightly to Bixiao Fairy's face, which was filled with complex emotions, as a farewell.

Then, he took a step forward, and his figure appeared before Water-Fire Boy.

“I must trouble Fellow Daoist to lead the way,” Gu Ziyuan said with a bow, his tone calm, showing neither surprise nor joy.

“Senior Brother is too polite,” Water-Fire Boy hurriedly returned the salute, not daring to act arrogant, his evaluation of Gu Ziyuan rising another level.

To be able to maintain such composure and calm under a Saint's decree and the gaze of ten thousand Immortals—this person's state of mind far surpassed that of an ordinary Immortal.

The two turned into a streak of light, flying toward Biyou Palace above the Nine Heavens.

Along the way, Gu Ziyuan could clearly feel at least several hundred extremely powerful Divine Thoughts following him like shadows.

The owners of these Divine Thoughts were all pillars of the Jie Sect, Taiyi Golden Immortals, and even Grand Unity Golden Immortals!

They bore no ill will, only pure curiosity.

They were curious about who this obscure Outer Sect Disciple was to be personally summoned by the Saint.

Gu Ziyuan looked straight ahead, his heart as still as water.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the System carrier, the 'Heaven and Earth Board,' rotated slightly, emitting an invisible Dao rhyme.

It isolated all prying Divine Thoughts, like a cool breeze brushing over a mountain ridge, leaving no trace.

Soon, a simple and magnificent palace that seemed to merge with the entire world appeared before his eyes.

Biyou Palace!

There were no magnificent decorations here, only blue stones, yet they flowed with textures of the manifested Great Dao;

There were no visions of lingering Immortal Qi, only the tranquility of intertwined Laws.

Standing here felt like standing at the source of the Great Dao of the Primordial World.

“Senior Brother, Revered Master is already waiting in the hall. Please,” Water-Fire Boy bowed and stepped aside.

Gu Ziyuan took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and stepped into the main hall.

Boom!

The moment he stepped through the door, an indescribable and terrifying pressure, like the entire Universe and Chaos collapsing, instantly enveloped his whole body!

This was not magic power, nor was it an Aura, but a pure crushing weight of the 'Dao'!

Under this pressure, time seemed to stand still, and space seemed to freeze; if a Grand Unity Golden Immortal were here, their Dao Heart would likely collapse instantly, forcing them to kneel.

Gu Ziyuan's body sank abruptly, and a monstrous wave rose in his Sea of Consciousness.

However, the stone chessboard at his waist spontaneously lit up with a layer of warm, faint light at this moment.

Buzz—

On the chessboard, three hundred and sixty-one star points flowed, as if evolving into an independent miniature Universe.

The Saint's pressure, enough to crush the ages, fell upon the chessboard and was unexpectedly like a clay ox entering the sea, silently endured, transformed, and neutralized by this small Universe.

Gu Ziyuan instantly felt the pressure lighten and straightened his back.

He looked up toward the upper part of the hall.

On a high cloud bed, a figure sat cross-legged.

He could not see the face clearly, only a pair of eyes.

In those eyes, there were no sun, moon, or stars, no birth or death of the Universe, only the most pure and extreme Sword Intent; it felt as if one's Primordial Spirit would be torn into dust with just a single glance.

Sect Leader Tongtian!

“Disciple Gu Ziyuan pays respects to Revered Master.” Gu Ziyuan bowed, neither humble nor arrogant.

On the cloud bed, a flash of imperceptible surprise crossed Sect Leader Tongtian's eyes, which contained endless Sword Intent.

He did not tell Gu Ziyuan to rise but spoke directly, his voice flat yet sounding like the Heavenly Dao itself asking a question, pointing straight to the heart.

“Your Way of Chess is too heavy with slaughter; can it be the Great Dao?”

A single sentence, like ten thousand divine swords, stabbed straight at Gu Ziyuan's Dao Heart!

This was the Saint's examination!

If he did not answer well, at best his Dao Heart would be damaged, and at worst his cultivation would be completely destroyed, ten thousand years of hard work lost in an instant!

The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze to the extreme.

Hearing this, Gu Ziyuan did not panic; instead, he smiled.

He straightened his body, met the Saint's gaze that could sever everything, and said loudly, “Reporting to Revered Master, this Disciple believes that slaughter is also mercy!”

He did not explain too much but flipped his palm, and the stone 'heaven and earth chessboard' floated before him.

“Please, Revered Master, observe my chess game.”

Gu Ziyuan pointed his fingers like a sword and tapped the chessboard lightly.

Buzz!

On the chessboard, light and shadow shifted.

An image emerged: a newborn baby crying as it hit the ground, everything reviving, a scene full of vitality. This was 'Birth'.

Then, he placed another piece.

The scene shifted: the child grew, the youth struggled, the middle-aged man became steady, and the old man withered. This was 'Aging'.

The third piece fell.

In the image, plagues spread, diseases took hold, and countless living beings struggled in pain. This was 'Sickness'.

The fourth piece fell.

The scene darkened, everything became silent, and all living beings turned into withered bones, returning to the dust. This was 'Death'.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death—the cycle of Reincarnation never ends.

Sect Leader Tongtian watched quietly without speaking.

Gu Ziyuan's expression remained unchanged as his finger fell again.

On the chessboard, the scene changed again. This time, it was no longer living beings that were evolving, but the Universe. Stars were born, galaxies gathered, civilizations rose, and there was a scene of prosperity.

But immediately after, a black piece fell, Chaos invaded, order collapsed, stars were destroyed, and civilizations turned to ruins, until finally the entire Universe returned to the silence of heat death.

“Revered Master, please look,” Gu Ziyuan's voice echoed in the hall.

“The Universe has formation, existence, destruction, and emptiness, and sentient beings have birth, aging, sickness, and death; this is the order of the Heavenly Dao. However, when decay and tumors grow within the order, it accelerates the collapse of the entire chess game.”

His finger pointed to the black pieces symbolizing plague and Chaos.

“If at this time, there is a chess player who, to preserve the overall situation, uses thunderous methods to clear away these tumor pieces, although there is slaughter and although there is blood, it is so that more pieces can live on.”

“The Way of Chess is not for killing, but for establishing order!”

“When order is in Chaos, one must use the pieces to set things right!”

“Therefore, this Disciple believes that slaughter is also mercy!”

The moment his words fell, Gu Ziyuan's final piece dropped heavily!

Snap!

On the chessboard, all the black pieces representing death, decay, and Chaos were instantly and completely purified by a magnificent force! The entire chess game returned to clarity, radiating vibrant life!

Boom!

Outside Biyou Palace, in the clear sky, a thunderous sound of the Great Dao's resonance actually rang out!

[Ding! Detected the host explaining his Dao to a Saint. The Way of Chess philosophy 'Establishing Order through Slaughter' has received preliminary recognition from the Heavenly Dao!]

[Reward: Great Dao Merit Golden Wheel (Embryonic Form)!]

[Reward: heaven and earth chessboard core upgrade, unlocking the 'Great Thousand Deduction' function!]

A series of System prompts exploded in Gu Ziyuan's mind!

On the heaven and earth chessboard before him, a faint golden light wheel emerged, emitting a most pure and holy Aura of Karma.

The Aura of the entire chessboard surged instantly, jumping from the category of a top-grade Acquired Spirit Treasure to the threshold of an Acquired Karma Spirit Treasure!

Although it was only an embryonic form, it was already a qualitative leap!

On the cloud bed, Sect Leader Tongtian's Saint eyes, which had been as calm as an ancient well, finally erupted with massive waves!

He stared fixedly at Gu Ziyuan, as if wanting to see through him from the inside out.

A long time passed.

“Haha... Hahahaha!”

A burst of extremely hearty laughter resounded through the entire Biyou Palace, making all of Jinao Island buzz and vibrate.

“Good! What a fine ‘slaughter is also mercy’! What a fine ‘establishing order through slaughter’!”

Sect Leader Tongtian stood up from the cloud bed and took a step, arriving before Gu Ziyuan.

He looked at the Disciple before him, his eyes full of undisguised appreciation and praise.

“Your Great Dao is very much to my liking! From today on, you are the fourth Personal Disciple under my, Tongtian's, seat!”

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a token shimmering with purple light and engraved with the words “Shangqing” landed steadily in Gu Ziyuan's hand.

The Personal Disciple token!

This represented a supreme status within the Jie Sect, second only to the four of Duobao, Jinling, Wudang, and Guiling!

A meteoric rise to the heavens!

“Disciple thanks Revered Master!” Gu Ziyuan was also overjoyed. He solemnly took the token and bowed sincerely.

“Rise,” Sect Leader Tongtian helped him up and smiled. “Since you have become my Personal Disciple, I will give you your first task, which can also be considered a test.”

Gu Ziyuan's expression turned serious. “Please give your instructions, Revered Master.”

Sect Leader Tongtian turned around, his gaze seemingly piercing through Biyou Palace to look into the depths of the endless East Sea, his voice becoming meaningful.

“The East Sea Dragon Clan has had some unusual movements lately. Go on my behalf to see that East Sea Dragon King and ask him if he has forgotten who the Revered Master of these four seas' shores truly is.”