In Wind Smoke Valley, the pine and cypress trees flourished green, and sunlight filtering onto the chessboard became serene and subtle.

Wind blew through the forest, creating waves of pine sounds like the rise and fall of tides.

The sounds of pine waves, spring water on stone, and the clear clicks of chess pieces alternated with one another.

Though the chess-viewing platform jutting out from the mountainside was spacious, Song Qian Ji and Ji Chen arrived late and could only squeeze into a corner position.

People around them heard Song Qian Ji say things like “played once” and “know a little,” and couldn’t help but look askance with contempt on their faces—

Two amateurs, why not cool off somewhere else instead of joining this crowd?

Ji Chen stretched his neck to look down, and casually struck up a conversation with the person next to him:

“Friend, why is there only one chess match in the valley right now? Please enlighten me.”

The battle on the board had reached a critical point, and the person initially didn’t want to respond, but seeing Ji Chen’s elegant attire despite his polite attitude, his dignified bearing despite his sincere expression, he patiently answered:

“The chess trial and martial arts trial began simultaneously. The top ten in the chess trial have already been determined. Since early morning, matches have proceeded one after another, allowing eliminated contestants to observe. Those who make it to the top ten in the chess trial are one-in-a-million chess prodigies. The matches between them are all very informative; it would be a pity to miss them.”

Ji Chen excitedly asked: “At this pace, could the chess champion be decided tonight?”

“Of course! The one playing chess in the valley now is one of the champion candidates, Yao An from Purple Cloud Observatory!”

“I see, thank you for your guidance, friend.”

Ji Chen turned to Song Qian Ji: “Brother Song, we’re truly lucky, arriving just in time for Yao An’s match. He’s quite famous!”

“Oh,” Song Qian Ji responded, gazing intently for a moment before suddenly asking: “Is he playing black or white?”

The person beside them was speechless: “Of course, he’s the one in purple robes playing black. You don’t even recognize Senior Brother Yao from Purple Cloud Observatory, yet you come to watch the chess trial?”

Song Qian Ji smiled: “The important thing is to participate.”

“Right, we’re just passing by,” Ji Chen grinned apologetically, then asked curiously, “May I ask who the master is facing Senior Brother Yao An?”

In the valley, two people were playing chess on a huge rock.

One played black, wearing a dark purple Daoist robe, sitting cross-legged with dignity, his hand steady when placing pieces, appearing mature beyond his years.

The other played white, dressed in coarse linen clothing, scratching his head and ears. He would crouch down one moment, then stand up the next, as if unable to find a comfortable position, seemingly uncomfortable all over.

Three strides away from them, stewards held brushes to record the changes in the chess match, and physicians sat beside stretchers.

Disciples from the Enforcement Hall stood guard with swords to handle any emergencies.

“That man comes from a small sect that was nearly extinct. He registered for the Dengwen Elegant Gathering for the prizes, but unexpectedly emerged as a dark horse, fighting his way into the top ten. Countless disciples from prestigious families and famous sects have fallen to him,” a spectator praised.

Ji Chen admiringly asked: “Truly a master! May I ask his name?”

Another person quickly answered: “His name is Li Er Gou (Second Dog). His sect has declined, so he doesn’t have a Daoist title. But to show respect for his chess accomplishments, we call him ‘Senior Brother Li Ci Quan’ (Second Dog).”

“Ci Quan?” Ji Chen blinked in confusion, muttering, “Isn’t that still Er Gou?”

Song Qian Ji couldn’t help but smile: “This Ci Quan friend is about to win.”

Ji Chen exclaimed in surprise: “But he looks so anxious and panicked!”

“Hey, amateurs keep quiet, don’t mislead others,” someone glared at Song Qian Ji, dissatisfied. “At this midgame melee, Senior Brother Yao An has the advantage!”

Song Qian Ji merely smiled, with no intention of arguing.

Another person said: “Indeed, the ‘Thirteen Chapters of Chess Classics’ states, ‘Edges are not as good as corners, corners are not as good as the center.’ Senior Brother Yao An has a stronger position in the center. His chess style is mature and steady, advancing steadily. Senior Brother Li Ci Quan has been relying on surprising moves, repeatedly winning by narrow margins. This time, facing a strong opponent, he probably can only go this far… Look, he’s asking for ‘extended deliberation’!”

A commotion arose on the chess-viewing platform.

Li Er Gou raised his hand, signaling the steward at the side to start timing, then jumped off the huge rock, ran to the spring, scooped up water to wash his face, then tilted his head back and gulped down two handfuls.

Others during extended deliberation would exhaust their mental faculties, closing their eyes to calculate moves, but this man’s deliberation involved washing his face and drinking water.

Yao An’s face became extremely unpleasant, as if Li Er Gou had splashed him with a basin of ice-cold spring water.

The disciples of Purple Cloud Observatory empathized, all disliking Li Er Gou:

“Poor Senior Brother Yao, having to play chess with such an uncouth rustic. This is the Dengwen Elegant Gathering—where is the ‘elegance’?”

“Don’t worry, once Senior Brother Yao wins, we won’t have to see him anymore.”

Ji Chen kept staring at the chessboard: “So formidable.”

Song Qian Ji said: “If you like it, why not learn?”

“I’ve played twice and was scolded for being stupid both times,” Ji Chen smiled bitterly. “I can’t even understand talismans, how could I learn something so difficult?”

“Who said that?” Song Qian Ji felt a slight stirring in his heart.

Ji Chen did not attempt to conceal it, laughing openly: “I’ve been frail since childhood and can’t wield swords. My family elders admonished me that my only possible path was to draw talismans. If I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t do anything else!”

Song Qian Ji spoke no more aloud, but transmitted his voice: “If you were Li Er Gou, what move would you make after this deliberation?”

Ji Chen was startled, not understanding why he used voice transmission: “How would I dare make a move? I’m fine just standing here.”

“What’s the harm in trying?” Song Qian Ji smiled.

After thinking, Ji Chen reluctantly transmitted back: “The ‘Ping’ position at three-nine?”

Song Qian Ji said: “If you play ‘Ping three-nine,’ Yao An will play ‘Ru two-eight,’ and in one more move he can capture three of your pieces.”

Ji Chen’s face showed slight embarrassment. He stared at the chessboard, calculating for a moment, then nodded in sudden realization: “Brother Song is right! Then I’ll play ‘Qu’ position at three-six?”

Song Qian Ji still shook his head: “Think again.”

Ji Chen reported ten different moves; if it were a real match, he would have retracted his moves ten times.

He felt like a headless fly, carrying white pieces and charging across the board, rushing left and right, but surrounded by iron walls, airtight.

Just as he glimpsed a ray of light, Song Qian Ji lightly placed a black piece, erecting a high wall in front of his escape route.

Cold sweat had already appeared on Ji Chen’s forehead.

Song Qian Ji: “Don’t assume Li Er Gou is in a losing position and only thinking of escaping. What if he plays ‘Shang’ position at four-two?”

Ji Chen frowned deeply, calculating rapidly.

Just then, the steward at the side struck a stone, indicating the end of the deliberation time.

Li Er Gou jumped onto the huge rock, pinched a white piece between two fingers, and without even looking at the board, decisively placed it—

Shang four-two.

Ji Chen slapped the railing and suddenly shouted: “Excellent!”

This shout wasn’t voice transmission, drawing glares from those around, reproaching him for shouting.

Ji Chen remained unmoved, his eyes bright.

Song Qian Ji said: “Now do you understand Li Er Gou’s chess approach? His style seems full of flaws, but it’s a trap to lure the opponent. The next move will bring his turning point.”

“Brother Song is truly godlike!” Ji Chen grabbed his arm tightly, then realizing his rudeness, quickly let go and transmitted: “Li Er Gou can truly win!”

“No,” Song Qian Ji smiled. “Now let’s assume you are Yao An.”

As the chess match progressed, the atmosphere on the viewing platform gradually became heavy, with occasional gasps.

Li Er Gou seemed like a different person, his white pieces pressing forward step by step, each move deadly.

After one cup of tea, Yao An spat blood and fainted, being supported by physicians who fed him medicine. Li Er Gou jumped off the huge rock and departed with long strides.

The Purple Cloud Observatory crowd exclaimed in shock, hurriedly rushing down the viewing platform: “Senior Brother Yao An!”

Ji Chen’s expression was dazed.

On the real chessboard, Li Er Gou defeated Yao An.

In the chess match in their minds, he had defeated Li Er Gou with Yao An’s black pieces under Song Qian Ji’s guidance.

Wouldn’t that mean Song Qian Ji could beat both of them?

Ji Chen’s mouth hung open, excited and shocked: “Brother Song has such extraordinary skill, why didn’t you register for the chess trial?”

“It’s just a minor talent. Sometimes I’m too lazy to calculate.”

“Why did Brother Song teach me?!”

Song Qian Ji said: “I just happened to have nothing to do.”

Like hitting a child during New Year’s—no, like teaching a child under the bright sun, it was just something to pass the idle time.

Ji Chen was speechless with emotion.

Song Qian Ji gazed at the sky: “I’ll go watch the zither trial first. You might as well stay here. While your intuition is good, play two more matches.”

The setting sun melted gold, and the mountains were cloaked in rosy clouds. This match had been too long, too drawn out.

“Until we meet again,” Song Qian Ji turned to leave.

Ji Chen instinctively reached out to stop him: “Wait!”

A sleeve slipped through his fingers.

Disciples of Purple Cloud Observatory were rushing down the stone steps in groups, and Song Qian Ji’s silhouette vanished into the sea of people, leaving no trace.

Ji Chen stood dumbfounded, feeling increasingly devastated as he thought about it.

He had originally thought he’d made a friend of a similar caliber, someone on his level.

Song Qian Ji said, “Life is about participation,” and he replied, “The harder I try, the worse I do.”

Two useless people accepting each other without disdain was a rare experience.

And he was richer than Song Qian Ji, could even help him…

The chessboard on the rock was cleared, and the contestants for the next match prepared to take the stage.

Suddenly dust arose as more than thirty people stormed into the valley, approaching aggressively.

People on the viewing platform didn’t understand their intention and discussed it heatedly.

Ji Chen, with his broad experience, looked carefully:

Ten stewards from Hua Wei Sect, ten examiners from the calligraphy and painting trial, and some people he didn’t recognize, probably powerful figures from Blue Cliff Academy since the Academy Principal walked at the end.

Ji Chen was greatly alarmed, wishing he could run away immediately.

Could it be that my scribbled examination paper was seen by the Calligraphy Saint?

Has the venerable sage become angry and sent you to arrest me personally?

Then he heard someone shouting: “Is Ji Chen of the Ji family from White Phoenix County here?”

Ji Chen’s face showed despair.

Brother Song, you left too early, why must I bear this alone?

The Hua Wei Sect stewards rushed onto the viewing platform first.

“You’ve been hard to find. Young Immortal Lord Ji, congratulations, congratulations!”

Ji Chen was bewildered: “What for?”

The steward who had supervised the examination had a face full of smiles and announced loudly, “Your calligraphy and painting examination paper has been designated as the champion by the Calligraphy Saint! You’re the first champion of this year’s Dengwen Elegant Gathering, quickly come with us to attend the celebration banquet!”

Everyone on the viewing platform stood in solemn respect, thinking that this amateur who didn’t understand chess, who appeared unlearned, was actually the champion of the calligraphy and painting trial.

Had they known earlier, they wouldn’t have glared at him just now.

Someone started applauding first, and congratulations merged into a unified sound, surging toward Ji Chen like a tide.

“Previously, I only heard that the eldest young master of the Ji family from White Phoenix County was useless, far inferior to those branch family members. It turns out it was all misinformation!”

“Of course it was slander! We’re lucky, we can count ourselves among those who’ve spoken with the calligraphy and painting champion.”

In the valley, the chess trial contestants were also smiling and applauding.

Above and below, the entire world spun rapidly around Ji Chen.

“Whose examination paper?” He widened his eyes, as if struck by a heavy hammer on the head, muttering: “This isn’t real, it’s impossible!”

“You’re being modest. What you wrote, the characters for ‘chicken egg,’ no, now it should be called the ‘Chicken Egg Calligraphy,’ is exquisite to the extreme, truly deserving!”

Chicken Egg Calligraphy?

Ji Chen’s legs weakened, and he grabbed the railing to barely avoid falling off the platform into the valley:

“I didn’t write it!”

Dao Ancestors above, what kind of friends have I made?

Everyone rushed forward, vying to support him.

The Blue Cliff Academy Principal slowly walked out from behind the crowd, smiling with deep meaning: “We judge only the paper, not its source. You are the champion of the calligraphy and painting trial. Come with us.”

***

The waterfall flowed straight down, its sound thunderous.

Occasionally zither sounds would rise, surpassing the water’s noise.

The setting sun shone obliquely, coating the small buildings by the pool with a layer of brilliant golden light.

As the zither trial progressed, more listeners gathered, most of them coming for Miao Yan.

The news that Miao Yan would play the zither after the trial ended had spread throughout the Hua Wei Sect.

People surrounded the pool, standing from the poolside to the hillside, waiting for Immortal Lady Meng Zhi, known as “Little Miao Yan,” to take the stage first.

At this moment, the crowd whispered, and stewards rushed about.

“Why hasn’t Immortal Lady Meng Zhi taken the stage? Does anyone know where Immortal Lady Meng Zhi has gone?”

“Someone saw her go to the bamboo building where Immortal Lady Miao Yan is staying.”

In the bamboo building, Meng Zhi knelt and bowed to Miao Yan: “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

Miao Yan smiled: “What is it?”

Beautiful young music cultivators with talent, Miao Yan had seen too many.

The person before her was just an ordinary one among them.

Her heart remained undisturbed.

Meng Zhi worriedly said: “Halfway through this piece, there are always two notes I can’t play well. I boldly came to ask Senior Sister for guidance.”

Her master was an elder with a minor position in the Divine Sound Gate who hadn’t come to the Dengwen Elegant Gathering.

With no one to consult about her difficulties, she had to ask Miao Yan.

In recent years, her star had been rising, and somehow she had acquired the title “Little Miao Yan.”

This pleased her, but whenever she met Miao Yan, she still felt like she was seeing a heavenly goddess, immediately feeling inferior.

Miao Yan sat upright, listened to her play two measures, and nodded gently: “Not bad. A slight flaw in white jade.”

Meng Zhi’s face flushed slightly, and she couldn’t help but curl her lips upward as if receiving great encouragement.

“It is commonly said, ‘The zither has nine virtues: extraordinary, ancient, moist, penetrating, fragrant, clear, even, quiet.'” Miao Yan virtually pressed her fingertips, plucking two notes. “You just lack quietness.”

Meng Zhi was slightly stunned.

Miao Yan said indifferently: “When thoughts are restless, the zither sound cannot be quiet. Wanting to win is good, but when pressing the strings, you must forget about winning or losing. Enter the piece quietly; your breath is too tense, making the zither sound stagnant.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Meng Zhi bowed respectfully.

“Go now, play well,” Miao Yan said. “I wish you the championship.”

Though it would be a championship no one would remember.

Whenever someone came seeking her guidance, Miao Yan always treated them equally and withheld nothing.

Therefore, most young disciples of the Divine Sound Gate genuinely respected her and spontaneously defended her reputation.

Wang Shu thought this was her disciple’s method of winning people’s hearts and never stopped it.

Others thought this showed Miao Yan’s kindness and nobility.

Yet they didn’t know this was just Miao Yan’s confidence—

“Even if I teach you, you still won’t play as well as I do.”

She had listened to more than half of the zither trial and already felt somewhat lonely.

Even a piece she had written herself, though it could be appreciated a hundred times, was becoming tiresome to her.

Now she wanted to hear a new piece.

But where would new music come from in the cultivation world?

***

After countless calls, she finally appeared.

Immortal Lady Meng Zhi, cradling her famous zither, walked step by step toward the pool.

The crowd parted on both sides.

She wore a red dress embroidered with a hundred flowers, splendidly radiant. When her large skirt spread out, it was as if a hundred flowers bloomed at once.

The zither music began, melodious and crisp, perfectly harmonizing with the sound of flowing water.

Everyone suddenly felt a spring breeze brushing their faces.

The dissatisfaction and anxiety of waiting vanished like smoke, leaving indescribable comfort in their hearts.

The ripples in the pool gradually changed, centering around the zither player, constantly undulating.

As the performance reached its zenith, the zither sound suddenly changed, like a clear phoenix cry falling from the ninth heaven.

From all directions came rustling sounds.

The crowd was astonished.

They saw sparrows and crows from the branches fly over, cuckoos and larks from the forest fly over, and wild geese and cranes from the clouds fly over.

Countless birds arrived in droves, their feathers colorful, flying, and dancing in the sky.

They circled the female cultivator playing the zither, hovering for a long time without landing, chirping and singing.

The zither music suddenly soared high and surged, and all the birds sang in unison, each sound responding to her.

As the piece ended, the birds flew away.

Meng Zhi stood up, the hundred flowers gathering.

The scene was silent, with only the sound of the waterfall continuing.

The crowd took a long time to recover, feeling clear-minded and refreshed, their fatigue instantly dispelled.

In the pavilion at the center of the pool.

Wang Shu praised: “With only Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet able to summon the phenomenon of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, truly a person of extraordinary talent.”

She shifted her tone and said to a cold-faced female cultivator beside her: “It’s just a pity she already has a master.”

The Divine Sound Gate’s beauty preservation techniques were unmatched in the world. Wang Shu’s appearance was at its peak. But her senior sister, Immortal Lady Jiang Yun, whose cultivation was on par with hers, had already lost her prime, with three thousand white hairs.

Jiang Yun twitched her lips into a smile: “It doesn’t matter. In the matter of accepting disciples, fate determines the connection.”

Besides the two of them, there were four or five other music cultivators from other sects in the pavilion, all masters of the zither.

But everyone was standing.

From the start of the zither trial until the setting sun, they had been standing.

Only one person was seated.

At this moment, that person’s thin lips slightly opened, faintly uttering four words:

“Played quite well.”

Upon hearing these words, Wang Shu suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

She turned her head to look at the top floor of the bamboo building by the pool, her gaze severe.

Miao Yan stood leaning on the railing, nodding to her master from afar, but sighing in her heart.

Meng Zhi had performed beyond expectations today, playing at her highest level. Whether or not her name would be remembered, she should have no regrets.

Thinking this, Miao Yan indifferently instructed her maid: “Go fetch my zither.”

As for the next contestant, merely a nameless figure who happened to be scheduled after Meng Zhi, she would probably finish quickly.

The maid presented a zither case with both hands.

Miao Yan opened it.

Five-colored light burst forth, adding even more radiance to her flawless face.

Just as Miao Yan had expected, when the next contestant took the stage, the crowd was still immersed in the birds’ symphony, wishing they could ask Immortal Lady Meng Zhi to return and continue playing.

Looking at that person, they felt her appearance was extremely untimely, too quick and abrupt.

That person had a slender, delicate figure, wore a plain white dress, and had a face veil.

“Excuse me, please make way,” she walked with steady steps, her white gauze barely moving, her face unseen.

Everyone looked at her with implicit impatience.

But she didn’t sit down, instead looking around, either searching for something or someone.

The steward at the side expressionlessly urged: “Number three six six eight, He Qing Qing from Blue Cliff Academy.”