“Bloody hell?!”
Lu Zheng jolted, his eyes narrowing. His grip on the cliff face nearly slipped, almost sending him plummeting. Tightening his hold on the rock, he blinked, carefully sensing his surroundings. Apart from the mountain breeze, carrying the dampness and scent of grass typical of the transition between spring and summer, he detected no other presence.
Yet, that voice had clearly echoed in his mind. A master! Someone with profound spiritual cultivation!
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered. He had visited this place six or seven times, and the other party had never spoken. Only this time, when he hadn’t filled his water, did they speak, reducing his wariness by at least half.
In that case, he would investigate!
Thus, Lu Zheng didn’t retreat but advanced, climbing higher while calling out loudly, “Thank you, Senior!”
Continuing up the cliff, he soon reached a small platform. This platform was only halfway up the mountain, with sheer rock walls stretching dozens of yards above and below. The nearby vegetation seemed to have been cleared, revealing a cave against the cliff.
This was it!
Another cave!
Lu Zheng first bowed respectfully at the entrance, then stepped inside. Though his pace was steady, he remained mentally vigilant, his blood and qi circulating to protect himself thoroughly.
The cave passage sloped downward, not too deep. After two turns, it opened into a spacious cavern.
The cavern was small, only a few dozen yards across. The ceiling had numerous cracks connecting to the outside, allowing sunlight to stream in, illuminating the space. The light scattered, highlighting numerous emerald-green stalactites that caught Lu Zheng’s eye.
But what drew his attention most was not the cavern’s environment or the stalactite pools in the recesses. It was a spot on the inner side, where a beam of sunlight fell.
An old man in a brown robe, with a gaunt face, black beard, and black hair, sat calmly before a two-foot-square stone slab. His gaze was fixed on the slab until Lu Zheng entered, when he stiffly raised his head and glanced at him.
Their eyes met, and Lu Zheng felt the old man’s gaze was like a deep abyss, its light swirling as if containing an entire universe.
A true master!
“Lu Zheng, outer disciple of White Cloud Temple, pays respects to Senior!” Lu Zheng said, bowing.
“Hm.” The old man seemed distracted, as if lost in thought. After a moment, he gestured toward the stalactite pools. “Go collect it.”
“Yes, thank you, Senior!” Lu Zheng bowed again before heading to the centre of the cavern.
In the cavern, inverted stalactites hung from above, with drops of emerald-green spring water gathering at their tips before dripping down.
Below, the ground’s low spots formed small pools filled with this stalactite water. The water was vivid green, clear, and fragrant, of better quality than the spring water he had collected below the cliff.
Lu Zheng took out two empty bottles and placed them in the pools, filling both.
As he collected the water, the old man seemed to react, saying with some surprise, “An outer disciple with such skill? Is White Cloud Temple that impressive now?”
Lu Zheng smiled shyly. “You’re too kind, Senior!”
“Hm.” Perhaps Lu Zheng’s cultivation wasn’t remarkable enough to astonish the old man. He nodded, saying no more, watching as Lu Zheng filled two bottles and placed them in the bamboo basket behind him. Then he asked, “Do you play chess?”
Lu Zheng turned and saw the two-foot stone slab before the old man, a carved chessboard with black and white pieces arranged in what seemed to be an endgame of Go.
“A little,” Lu Zheng replied.
“Come look,” the old man said.
“Yes.” Lu Zheng nodded, approaching and looking down.
The two-foot-square stone slab had thirty-eight intersecting lines carved into it. Stone pieces were placed at the intersections. Though the pieces appeared evenly split between black and white, Lu Zheng immediately saw that black held a significant advantage, nearly surrounding and defeating white entirely.
“Be careful,” the old man warned.
“Be careful?” Lu Zheng blinked, looking at the board again. His vision blurred momentarily.
In an instant, the black pieces filled his sight, transforming into a dark universe that enveloped him, disorienting his sense of time and direction. Then, the white pieces slashed like blades, each strike cutting toward him, his soul feeling a chilling dread, as if facing imminent destruction.
Incredible!
Guarding his spirit tightly, Lu Zheng rapidly circulated the *Nine Heavens Golden Palace True Transformation Technique*. His mind cleared, and his vision brightened, returning him to the stone chessboard.
“Eh?” The old man glanced at him again. “Not bad spiritual cultivation.”
A drop of cold sweat ran down Lu Zheng’s temple, his mind heavy. Looking at the board again, he found nothing unusual. “What a strange game.”
“An old friend set up this endgame. I’ve been pondering it for thirty years,” the old man said calmly. “It carries some of my insights. For you to break free so quickly is impressive, very impressive.”
Thirty years… terrifying…
Lu Zheng smacked his lips, then studied the board again. Standing for a while, he mentally calculated, trying several approaches and projecting dozens of moves. Yet, all led to white’s inevitable defeat.
“Can white really win?” Lu Zheng asked, frowning. With his current skill, he couldn’t see white’s path to victory, and he doubted it was possible.
“It can definitely win,” the old man nodded, looking at Lu Zheng with surprise. “How many moves did you calculate?”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed, and he answered honestly, “Four lines, each twelve or thirteen moves.”
“Oh?” The old man’s eyes lit up. He gestured for Lu Zheng to sit. “Try it.”
“I’ll make a fool of myself,” Lu Zheng said, bowing before sitting cross-legged opposite the old man. He picked up a white piece, thought for a moment, and placed it on a spot.
“Not bad,” the old man nodded, responding with a piece.
They played quickly, one piece after another, completing seven rounds rapidly, as these moves were within their prior mental simulations.
On the eighth move, Lu Zheng slowed, as the old man’s response was outside his calculations.
By the fourteenth move, the old man also slowed, as Lu Zheng’s response surprised him.
However, despite Lu Zheng’s efforts, black’s initial advantage was overwhelming. With the old man’s remarkable skill, Lu Zheng conceded on the nineteenth move.
“Excellent!” The old man’s eyes gleamed with surprise and delight. “You have three more approaches?”
Seeing Lu Zheng nod, the old man lightly swept his hand across the board, returning the pieces to their original endgame positions. “Again.”
Lu Zheng took a deep breath, picked up a white piece, thought briefly, calculated silently, and placed it gently on another spot.
