I thought it was Gobang

Inside the tavern, the Old Beggar and Zhong Qing chatted about everything under the sun.

As the saying goes, a thousand cups are too few when drinking with a true friend, but half a sentence is too much when talking to someone you don't connect with.

Although they had just met, the two hit it off extremely well.

"Little brother, do you play chess?"

"How can there be wine without chess?"

"Would you like to change venues with me and have a good time?"

The Old Beggar was clearly drunk and ecstatic.

He acted on every whim.

Zhong Qing had heard of fine wine paired with delicious food.

A beauty in hand, fine wine on the lips.

But he had never heard of fine wine paired with chess.

However, seeing his high spirits, he didn't want to dampen them.

Moreover, it was rare to meet a drinking buddy he could talk to, and he had nothing to do at the moment, so he immediately agreed.

The two left the tavern.

They walked through a few alleys and finally arrived at a riverside lined with willows.

The small river flowed rapidly, and willows swayed gracefully on both banks.

A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness to the somewhat hot day.

"Come, come, come, this Old Beggar will show you a treasure!"

The Old Beggar led Zhong Qing to a willow tree about a zhang in diameter, and then began to dig the soil beneath it.

Before long, he dug out something wrapped in oilcloth.

He took out the package, opened the oilcloth, and revealed an exquisite chessboard and chess pieces inside.

The Old Beggar carefully placed the chessboard on a smooth large stone beside the willow tree as if it were a treasure.

Then, he invited Zhong Qing to sit cross-legged on the large stone.

"Little brother, how is your chess skill?"

He held the white pieces and made the first move.

After five moves, when Zhong Qing's five pieces connected in a line, "I won!"

The Old Beggar began to doubt his life.

"How did you win?"

"Where did you see that you won?"

Zhong Qing: "..."

I thought you were playing Five-in-a-Row with me, but you were playing Go.

He truly didn't understand Go!

Zhong Qing's mind stirred.

"How about this, I'll teach you a new kind of chess?"

"What new chess?"

The Old Beggar was clearly interested.

"Let's go, I'll take you to find some materials first!"

Zhong Qing recalled Chinese Chess from his previous life.

In terms of playability, Chinese Chess is much simpler and easier to learn than Go.

And its unique rules of movement often make people more fascinated.

The two arrived at the city gate.

Zhong Qing selected some stones of varying shapes and good quality.

Then he took out a carving knife and began to make the stones.

The knife was a reward from the System's sign-in.

Its quality was excellent; cutting gold and breaking jade was merely child's play.

And with his cultivation, carving some stones was naturally effortless for his knife skills.

Soon, those irregularly shaped stones, under his knife skills, transformed into chess pieces of uniform appearance, smooth and round.

Zhong Qing looked around and saw a large stone under an old Sophora japonica tree.

It was perfect for making a chessboard.

He immediately began to process the large stone.

Soon, a complete Chinese Chess board was finished.

Zhong Qing explained the rules to the Old Beggar.

The two played two trial games.

The Old Beggar was quickly captivated by the charm of Chinese Chess.

"Little brother, this chess is very interesting!"

He spoke as if he had discovered a new continent, his eyes shining as he stared at the chessboard.

Chinese Chess can be said to embody the essence of the wisdom of ancient people from his previous life.

In terms of influence, it is not inferior to Go in the slightest.

In his previous life, in parks and by riverbanks, one could often see old men playing a few games.

In terms of popularity, it far surpassed Go.

Zhong Qing was not surprised by the Old Beggar's reaction.

The two played many games.

All ended with Zhong Qing's complete victory.

However, the Old Beggar was not disheartened at all; instead, he became more courageous with each defeat.

He had a spirit of facing difficulties head-on and never giving up.

Under the Sophora japonica tree, the two figures, one old and one young, appeared extremely harmonious, as if integrated into the natural world.

They became a beautiful scenic spot.

Time always passed quietly and imperceptibly.

In a flash, it was already dusk.

"Alright, that's enough for today!"

Zhong Qing looked at the sky; it was time to go back.

The Old Beggar's face showed deep reluctance.

However, he knew the principle of moderation in all things.

He merely said, "Meeting you today, my young friend, is truly a great fortune in life."

"This Old Beggar lives nearby; if you have free time next time, my young friend, you must come and find me."

"Let this Old Beggar have another match with you, and determine a winner."

"No problem!" Zhong Qing said with a smile.

"In that case, I'll be leaving first!"

"We'll meet again another day!"

...

When Zhong Qing returned to the Immortal River Sect, there was an extra guest on Mufu Peak.

It was none other than Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong, the Sect Master of the Immortal River Sect!

"Sect Master, why have you come?" Zhong Qing was a little surprised.

"Oh, you!" Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong said helplessly and with a wry smile.

"The Seven Peaks Grand Competition is a grand event for my Immortal River Sect."

"Mufu Peak won first place, and this should be your time to shine."

"But at the crucial moment, you couldn't be found."

"Sect Master should know that I've never liked such occasions!" Zhong Qing spread his hands and shrugged.

Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong: "I really can't do anything with you!"

"I came this time just to tell you something."

"Mufu Peak won the top spot in the Seven Peaks Grand Competition!"

"In seven days, you will represent my Immortal River Sect at the Eastern Domain Xiandao Convention."

"Prepare well during this time."

"If you need anything, you can certainly ask, and I will do my best to satisfy your needs."

Facing Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong's sincere care, Zhong Qing smiled and said, "Thank you, Sect Master, for your concern, but it's just a trip out, there's nothing much to prepare."

Good heavens!

These words made Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong's brow twitch.

He thought to himself, is this an Immortal Emperor?

Always possessing endless confidence in himself.

Indeed, in front of such an existence, what grand occasions hadn't he seen?

Compared to them, the Xiandao Convention could only be called a small occasion, naturally failing to attract too much attention or importance from him.

It was he himself who seemed to be making a fuss over nothing.

It could be said that Zhong Qing's repeated performances, and even his acceptance of the two Elders from Limitless Sect, made Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong firmly believe in his Immortal Emperor identity.

Not only him, but also the high-ranking officials of the Immortal River Sect.

Not a single person now harbored any doubt about Zhong Qing's Immortal Emperor identity.

Even the two Grand Elders of the Holy Land could be subdued so obediently.

If this wasn't a unique method of an Immortal Emperor, they wouldn't believe it!

As for all of this, Zhong Qing was still unaware of it at the moment.

"Alright, since that's the case, I won't linger any longer."

"In any case, when you're out and about, always be careful."

Sect Leader Xuan Yuanhong gave a few instructions, then left under the cover of night.

As for Zhong Qing, he never really took the Xiandao Convention to heart from beginning to end.

In his opinion, this trip was just to let his two Disciples gain some experience and relax.

It was no different from a long journey.

For the next period, Zhong Qing's life remained as before.

His focus returned to Alchemy.

It is said that where there's a will, there's a way.

Indeed, after such a long time, his strength in the Dao of Alchemy had finally made a Breakthrough.