Chapter 48: Starry Sky Chessboard

Neither side was willing to concede. Both were imbued with the power of their chess Concepts. In the current environment, people who possessed the Concept of chess were far too rare, and both were delighted to have encountered the other.

At this moment, the Starry Sky Chessboard projected phenomena spanning several miles. A massive chessboard appeared beneath their feet, teeming with manifestations; on either side, the unique phenomena corresponding to their respective attributes materialized.

The two immediately flew into the air and sat cross-legged, playing against each other from a distance. With every move, a massive chess piece descended, and instantly, thousands of soldiers and horses appeared on the board, charging toward the other side.

The little boy nearby was already stunned by the scene before him; he had never seen his Master play chess with anyone like this before.

This scene left a deep impression on his heart. So this was the Dao of chess; this was what it truly meant to play chess. Watching each move by both parties trigger a collision of phenomena on either side,

he became even more obsessed with the Dao of chess.

This match did not end as quickly as one might imagine; both sides were constantly setting up and breaking through each other's strategies.

However, the result was the same as last time: Su Yu won. Yet, Su Yu did not win easily; this was the most exhilarating game of chess Su Yu had ever played.

The old man felt the same way. At this, he laughed heartily: "Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating! It has been so long since I experienced such a match, and with the added boost of Fellow Daoist's Starry Sky Chessboard, it was truly an unprecedented experience."

"After this match, I, this old man, am convinced of my defeat. May I ask for Fellow Daoist's name?"

"I am Su Yu."

"I am Qi Yu Xiu, and this is my recently accepted Disciple, Qin An."

"He was born with a Chess Heart; he was born to play chess. I discovered him by chance and took him as my Disciple. I told him that the great Masters of the Dao of chess could use the heavens and earth as a chessboard and all living things as pieces, but he did not believe me."

"It is true that the Dao of chess has declined, and ordinary people do not believe it. Only those of us who have truly walked this path can imagine the abilities of the great Masters from ancient times."

"Now that he has watched our match, look at him. It feels as though, in his eyes, he has no interest in anything other than chess."

Su Yu nodded as well, "Indeed. Nowadays, very few people study these things anymore."

"It is not easy to find a Disciple with a born Chess Heart these days. It all depends on how far he can go in the future."

"I hope he will be able to revitalize this path in the future."

"By the way, if you wish to play chess with me again, use this to contact me. We can meet here at this old spot."

"Very well, I shall impose upon you then."

"I will not easily let a rival of your caliber go, Fellow Daoist. I will come to find you for a game when I have time."

Afterward, Su Yu parted ways with them. Su Yu returned to the Sect, intending to Cultivate for a while, when Han Ting came running over.

"Uncle Yu, you're finally back! I've been looking for you for ages. Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it? Have you caused trouble again?"

"No way, no way! I just want you to accompany me to a Secret Realm to hold down the fort. Everyone else has someone to back them up, and I want that too."

"Why don't you ask your father? Your father is at the Golden Core Stage, yet you come to me, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator."

"My father is still in secluded cultivation, so it's useless to look for him. Besides, I don't feel as at ease with my father around; it's much better to have Uncle Yu go with me."

Su Yu did not refuse her.

"Fine, I will go with you. But I will not help you easily; I will not interfere with anything you can solve yourself."

"I will solve it myself when the time comes. It will be the perfect opportunity to show off the results of my cultivation. Thank you, Uncle Yu!"

The next day, Su Yu set off with Han Ting. Upon arriving at the Secret Realm, Su Yu looked around and saw that quite a few people had brought Dao Protectors with them.

Most were at the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and there were also a few with Dao Protectors at the Golden Core Stage, though they were mostly at the early stage.

At this moment, a girl about the same age as Han Ting walked up to her.

"Han Ting, is this your Guardian? He doesn't look very impressive."

"Look at my Dao Protector; he has the cultivation of the early Golden Core Stage."

"What's so special about the Golden Core Stage? My Uncle Yu is not bad either."

"Keep talking tough. Don't come begging me for help if you run into any trouble."

"You should worry about yourself; I don't need your help."

"I have a Guardian at the Golden Core Stage; that is an existence no one dares to provoke."

Han Ting ignored her then and took Su Yu toward the Secret Realm.

Su Yu understood why this Little Girl had suddenly wanted him to accompany her to this Secret Realm; so this was the reason.

Upon entering the Secret Realm, Su Yu used his Divine Sense to thoroughly scan the small Secret Realm. He knew exactly where the treasures were and where they were not.

Although he had told Han Ting verbally that he wouldn't help her, there was no reason to turn down treasures. While he didn't need them himself—the only useful things were some beautiful spiritual plants, which he would just take to plant in his own courtyard—

these resources would be just right for Han Ting, and could help her improve her cultivation.

In the process that followed, Su Yu constantly guided Han Ting toward the places with treasures in secret.

The Yao Beasts they encountered along the way were all dealt with by Han Ting, while Su Yu mostly just watched from the side.

If a Yao Beast ambushed Han Ting, he generally wouldn't warn her, unless the Yao Beast could inflict a fatal wound, in which case he would warn her or intervene.

After they had searched for some time, Han Ting was already grinning from ear to ear with joy.

"Uncle Yu, we've struck it rich! I didn't expect to find so many treasures this time, and these beautiful spiritual flowers are just perfect for planting in that small courtyard."

With him around, how could they not find many treasures? If he were to take action, not even a blade of grass would be left in this Secret Realm.

"Alright, alright, stop showing off. Quickly put away the treasures you've obtained."

At this moment, four people ahead were fighting over a treasure, and it was their Dao Protectors who were taking action. Both were at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and they were fighting quite intensely.

"Uncle Yu, some people are fighting. Shall we go take a look?"

"Don't be silly. You just love to gawk at the excitement; no wonder, you're just like your father."

"Hurry up and find resources. You still want to watch others fight? Fine, let's go; I'll just secretly watch with my Divine Sense."

Just then, while on their treasure hunt, Su Yu and Han Ting encountered the person they had met earlier at the entrance of the Secret Realm.

She also saw Han Ting.

"Well, well, isn't this Han Ting? Have you found any treasures? I've found quite a few."

"Whether we've found anything or not has nothing to do with you. Stop bothering me."

"I've heard that there are people who specialize in robbing others of their treasures in this Secret Realm. Can he really protect you?"

"That is none of your concern. Don't block our way; move aside."

The girl moved aside. As for clashing head-on with Han Ting, what a joke—since she knew Han Ting, how could she not know that she had Ye Lin backing her up?

She couldn't afford to offend her; at most, she could only satisfy her craving for a verbal jab.

But as for the Dao Protector beside her right now, she didn't hold him in any regard.