Chapter 106: The Ancient Chessboard

Great Ring Mountain.

Located at the border of three kingdoms.

To the east lies the Jin Yun Kingdom, to the west the Zongshan Kingdom, to the north the Wanshou Kingdom, and a mighty Great Ring River flows through the mountain’s base.

At this moment,

Above the clouds,

A small white boat streaks across the sky, gradually slowing down.

Onboard,

Jiang Min sits cross-legged, casually setting aside a chess manual, her gaze piercing through the clouds toward the vast expanse of Great Ring Mountain stretching for dozens of miles.

On one of the steep peaks, figures flicker—numerous cultivators coming and going, some riding mystical beasts, others sprinting across the ground.

“That must be the ancient chessboard the scholar mentioned,” Jiang Min muses.

With a mixture of doubt and curiosity, she traveled hundreds of miles to Great Ring Mountain as described by the scholar. Before entering the mountain, she gathered information from nearby towns and unexpectedly discovered that a certain ancient chessboard had indeed appeared here half a month ago.

It is said

that this ancient chessboard is extremely complex and difficult to decipher; to this day, no one has solved it.

However, because the board itself is carved from millennia-old Dao jade, and the pieces are sculpted from Dao energy stones, even a shallow understanding can enhance one’s divine awareness and stabilize one’s Dao foundation.

Thus, such a treasure attracts two main types of people:

First, Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Second, enthusiasts of chess.

Having just completed her Foundation Establishment, with her Dao foundation still needing strengthening and her divine awareness requiring growth, the ancient chessboard held great allure for Jiang Min.

“I’ve heard that several powerful factions dominate the region around Great Ring Mountain. Such a treasure’s appearance will surely attract their attention. I hope I haven’t arrived too late and can still claim a share...”

Jiang Min carefully packed away the chess manual, rose, and guided the White Star Boat to land near the steep mountain peak. After securing the vessel, she infused her spiritual power into her invisibility veil, slowly fading from sight.

Invisible,

she swiftly crossed mountains and ridges to arrive below a precipitous cliff.

The forest beneath the cliff had been cleared, revealing a wide open space with a clear view.

Jiang Min noticed that near the cliff stood cultivators dressed in robes of several distinct but similar colors, neatly divided and clearly marked.

Other wandering cultivators kept their distance, studying the ancient chessboard from afar. Among these scattered wanderers were some with formidable presences—some had attained Foundation Establishment Completion, others Foundation Establishment Perfection. Perhaps this was why the robed cultivators had not fully dominated the area.

A place rife with intrigue and mixed forces.

No wonder that humble scholar, a mere Confucian cultivator of low rank, was blindsided.

Those occupying the prime locations must be representatives of the nearby powerful factions. They had already sent people, but judging by the situation, they were still competing for control of the ancient chessboard; otherwise, the place would have been completely sealed off by now.

“Then I must train while the chessboard is still accessible,” Jiang Min thought.

She lightly tapped a branch, perched at a vantage point, and scanned the surroundings until she found a concealed rock backed by the cliff—ideal for preventing ambushes and facilitating escape, with a perfect view of the chessboard above.

She moved invisibly to the hidden rock and set up a defensive formation she had refined.

Only then did she sit cross-legged, gazing upward at the steep cliff.

Embedded firmly in the cliff was a massive chessboard several yards square, freshly carved from the mountain itself, evident from the shattered stone debris surrounding it.

The board was made of white jade with nineteen intersecting grooves.

The pieces, black and white, balanced each other in a strategic layout.

Jiang Min had no prior knowledge of chess.

But before coming, she had deliberately purchased over a dozen chess manuals for study. With the powerful divine awareness of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the insight granted by the “Divine Jade Pavilion Classic,” she had already read through all the manuals, memorized every formation, and even solved many complex chess puzzles—a learning speed unimaginable before Foundation Establishment.

Yet,

when her gaze fell upon this ancient chessboard,

she remained utterly perplexed.

“Solving this chessboard is still beyond me. I will first absorb the Dao energy within it to further consolidate the second layer of my ‘Divine Jade Pavilion Classic.’”

She had barely cultivated the second layer during her Qi Refining stage, aided by sword intent. At Foundation Establishment, her sea of consciousness had been tempered by a heavenly tribulation, granting her substantial progress, yet she was still far from mastering this layer.

Better to use this opportunity to stabilize her divine awareness.

With a thought,

her divine awareness entered the chessboard.

In an instant,

her vision blurred, and her consciousness was transported to a realm where she seemed to become one of the white chess pieces.

Surrounded by countless black pieces, they tightly encircled her, continuously draining her energy, leaving her no escape—a deadlock. Wherever she moved, it would lead to a catastrophic defeat.

“So, I control the white pieces and must defeat the black ones...”

“Let me analyze the positions.”

Jiang Min began to use her powerful divine awareness to simulate moves, searching for a strategy whereby the white pieces could secure ultimate victory.

As she calculated,

subtle Dao energies flowed through her.

These energies resonated faintly with her sea of consciousness and Dao seed, gradually enhancing her divine awareness and further stabilizing her Dao foundation. She even remained cautious, using a peach branch to scan the energies, confirming their purity before immersing herself fully in the chessboard’s mysteries.

...

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away in Jishan City, within the lord’s mansion, a banquet was in full swing amid clinking cups.

The seven great factions surrounding Great Ring Mountain had gathered, discussing the ancient chessboard. After much negotiation, they decided that the chessboard would be jointly owned by all seven factions, reserved solely for their disciples’ cultivation.

Of course,

each faction secretly desired sole possession, but none would allow that. After half a month of bickering, all parties compromised, agreeing to share control.

Voices buzzed with debate.

“Since the matter’s settled, it’s time to clear and lock down the site. We can’t delay any longer.”

“But many Foundation Establishment cultivators, including those perfected in Foundation Establishment, are drawn here. To clear the area, we’ll need a Golden Core Patriarch to appear.”

“Last time, it was our sect’s founder who intervened during the secret realm dispute. Who will it be this time?”

“It should be the Cai family of Beiguan.”

All eyes turned toward the Cai family’s patriarch and elders in the northern gate.

The banquet hosted seven factions: the Great Cang Pavilion, Wu clan of Mingshan, Cai clan of Beiguan, Red Leaf Valley, Daocheng Sect, Wen Academy, and Jishan City.

These seven powers, intertwined through mutual restraint and alliance, had long dominated the borderlands of the three kingdoms.

Among them, the Cai family of Beiguan had only risen rapidly in the past hundred years, now standing shoulder to shoulder with the six ancient factions, thanks to a young and talented Golden Core cultivator who trained at the esteemed Dongling Immortal Sect, one of the nine great sects.

There were distinctions even among Golden Core cultivators.

The Golden Core patriarchs of these factions struggled to form Nascent Souls and mostly interacted with other Golden Core cultivators.

In contrast, the Golden Core cultivator from Dongling Immortal Sect had abundant resources, profound Dao techniques, and promising prospects, with a much stronger network.

Therefore, though the Cai family lacked deep roots, having this Fifth Patriarch allowed them to hold equal footing with the other powers.

“I have already sent word to the Fifth Patriarch. He said he will arrive within three days to assist us in sealing off the ancient chessboard,” said the Cai family patriarch.

Upon hearing this,

others smiled and raised their cups toward the Cai patriarch. “Excellent. We shall await the arrival of Patriarch Yanming.”

Back on Great Ring Mountain,

Jiang Min continued to delve deeply into the chessboard, bathing in the flowing Dao energies.

Unbeknownst to her, Patriarch Yanming—the very cultivator who had once tricked her during the exchange of the Thunder Jade Marrow—was about to arrive, representing the seven factions to seal off this place for their exclusive possession.