“True power may lie in the ultimate control and integration of the essence of power. This is only the first hurdle; the rest will probably be much more difficult.”
After catching their breath, the two continued their exploration.
Sure enough, they hadn’t walked far when the second test came.
This time, they arrived at the top of a remote mountain shrouded in mist.
At the peak, there was only a simple stone pavilion, where sat the ghostly figure of an old man with white hair and a young face, wearing coarse linen clothes.
Before the old man was a chessboard, but the pieces on it were not ordinary chess pieces; but rather mysterious runes formed from black and white energy, which were constantly changing.
“Sit down.”
The illusory figure of the old man raised his hand in a gesture, his voice calm, “The second test will not test your fighting ability, but only your ‘understanding of the Dao.’ This is the ‘Qi Mechanism Chess Game,’ which contains the ancient principles of Qi cultivators about absorbing heaven and earth and harmonizing Yin and Yang.”
“As the black player, you make the first move and place your pieces at the points where the energies of the chessboard converge, thereby affecting a change in the game. If you can make this old man rise, or cause the game to develop into a picture of the ‘beginning of chaos’, then you have succeeded.”
David and the Red Cloud Demon Lord exchanged glances, both somewhat surprised.
Playing chess?
This test was completely unexpected.
The Red Cloud Demon Lord scratched his head: “I can’t handle this. David, it’s up to you.”
After thinking for a moment, David walked to the stone table and sat down.
He stared at the chessboard and suddenly felt dizzy.
The chessboard might seem ordinary, but on closer inspection, the black and white lines flowed endlessly, each area resembling a mini world, containing infinite variations and profound truths.
The so-called “place where Qi converges” is even more difficult to find and understand, requiring a very high level of spiritual awareness and insight into the flow of energy.
He tried to use his divine sense to sense it, but found that his divine sense was like a mud ox entering the sea, easily dissolved by the mysterious energy on the chessboard.
Clearly, this test does not test the strength of a person’s spiritual sensitivity, but rather their more basic “understanding” and “congruence.”
David closed his eyes, no longer using his eyes to see, nor his divine sense to explore.
He calmed his mind completely, recalling his understanding of the essence of power during the first test, and the state of chaos and ethereal yin and yang before the two separated when the four powers within him fused.
Gradually, he entered a state of emptiness and calm.
On the back of my hand, the Five Elements and Earth Fire patterns felt slightly warm.
Inside the dantian, four-colored ancient stars rotated slowly, emitting a unique rhythm.
After an unknown amount of time, David suddenly had an inspiration. He raised his hand without using any spiritual power, but simply relied on a kind of inexplicable feeling to gently point his index finger at a seemingly ordinary position on the chessboard.
Buzz!
The moment his fingertip touched the board, the black and white space at that point suddenly became active, undulating outward like the surface of a lake after a stone was thrown into it.
A gray light spot, which had emerged spontaneously from his body and was filled with the aura of the four powers, slowly condensed on his fingertip before gently landing on the chessboard.
These “chess pieces” are neither black nor white, but a chaotic gray.
The gray chess pieces fell, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake!
The atmosphere on the chessboard immediately changed completely!
Black and white energies churned, collided, and fused wildly, and the originally mysterious but orderly chess game began to evolve in an unexpected direction.
For the first time, the illusory image of the shabbily dressed old man showed a marked change from his usually calm and collected expression.
His eyes sparkled with a wondrous light as he stared intently at the gray chess piece and the dramatic change in the game it triggered.
On the chessboard, the black and white spaces were no longer clearly distinguishable, but began to merge and transform into each other.
Sometimes black gives birth to white, sometimes white gives birth to black, gradually evolving into shadows of basic elements such as earth, fire, water, and wind, which then annihilate each other and create each other. Finally, in the center of the chessboard, the small area of black and white disappeared completely.
Only the most primitive and ancient chaotic fog remained, slowly rotating. Even though its range was very small, it radiated an ancient, soul-shaking aura.
“The beginning of chaos is truly the beginning of chaos!”
The illusory figure of the old man muttered to himself, his tone filled with disbelief and shock.
He raised his head and looked at David deeply, as if trying to penetrate him. “A cultivator from the later generation was actually able to touch such primordial power. Then, you have passed this test.”
The illusory image of the old man, along with the stone pavilion and secluded peak, slowly disappeared.
FAQ Novel
Q: What is the key feature of the new sword technique used?
A: The sword technique merges chaotic energy with a subtle cycle of the five elements, creating a powerful and adaptable attack.
Q: How was the starlight whip defeated?
A: The chaotic energy on the sword caused the starlight whip to melt and disintegrate upon contact, allowing the protagonist to bypass its defenses.
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