Old Monster Jin, refusing to believe this was some kind of trick, gambled another round, the stake still being an Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasure.
He felt his previous loss was due to carelessness and underestimating his opponent. This time, he warned himself from the very start to be cautious and meticulous.
But caution was one thing, meticulousness another.
Not long into the second game, he couldn't help but start muttering to himself again, because he simply couldn't comprehend Gu Qingfeng's chess strategy. Just like the first game, the black pieces Gu Qingfeng placed on the board seemed scattered and unconnected—not traps, not setup moves, not transformations—they appeared completely meaningless.
Old Monster Jin grew more and more bewildered as the game progressed. The more bewildered he became, the more nervous he got; the more nervous he got, the more fearful he grew.
And then... then there was no 'and then'...
He lost again.
Just like the first time, the loss was baffling. He didn't even know how it happened until Gu Qingfeng pointed it out; he couldn't see his own defeat.
Two consecutive losses. Two Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasures, plus a Five-Color Crystal.
For any Daozun, this would be agonizingly painful, even for a wealthy and extravagant fellow like Old Monster Jin.
"Care for another couple of games?"
Gu Qingfeng gave a faint smile as he tidied the pieces on the board.
"You little..." Old Monster Jin glared at Gu Qingfeng across from him. He truly couldn't fathom how someone with mere Golden Core cultivation and no discernible Fortune Breath could possess such profound and unfathomable chess skills—so profound that his playing style was utterly unheard of and incomprehensible.
"What's the matter?"
"Afraid to play?"
Gu Qingfeng lifted his wine gourd, took a sip, and smiled lightly.
"What is there for this old man to be afraid of!"
Old Monster Jin gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and carefully produced another Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasure. "I don't believe you're really this uncanny!"
As the third game began and Gu Qingfeng was about to place a black piece, Old Monster Jin suggested swapping colors. Gu Qingfeng had no objection, so the two exchanged their sets of pieces.
This time, Old Monster Jin mustered twelve parts of concentration. Even so, every move felt like treading on thin ice, terrified he might carelessly lose again.
This time, he finally understood Gu Qingfeng's strategy.
But before he could feel any joy, the next moment left him dumbfounded. He realized he had fallen into a trap, and by the time he became aware of it, it was too late. After Gu Qingfeng placed three white pieces, he had lost again.
"Apologies, another small win for me."
Gu Qingfeng reached out and retrieved the Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasure beside Old Monster Jin. Old Monster Jin watched, the pain evident in his eyes.
"So, shall we continue?"
Gu Qingfeng's words snapped Old Monster Jin out of his stupor.
Continue?
He had lost three games in a row, forfeiting three Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasures.
He had just lost his last Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasure. Apart from the Spirit Treasures he had personally refined, he had no fourth Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasure left on him.
How could he continue?
Moreover, he didn't dare continue.
This youngster's chess style was just too bizarre. After three consecutive losses, it had instilled a sense of trepidation in his heart.
Yet, if he didn't continue, Old Monster Jin felt unwilling. He had gambled on chess his entire life; he had lost before, but never had he lost so frustratingly, so ignominiously as today.
"Play!
This old man wants to see just what abilities you really have!"
With that, Old Monster Jin waved his hand grandly, and with a clatter, dumped a large pile of items from his storage bag. There were crystals, spirit pills—all sorts of valuable cultivation resources. "But this old man has no more Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasures on him. The combined value of these resources is absolutely equivalent to one, if not more."
Seeing this, Bai Yue, who had been watching nearby, quickly intervened. "Old Monster Jin, let it go. This young brother is clearly a master of exceptional chess skill. If you keep gambling, I'm afraid you'll only lose more."
While Bai Yue didn't know who Gu Qingfeng was and was also curious how someone with Golden Core cultivation could possess such formidable chess skills, he understood even more that there were heavens beyond heavens, and people beyond people. Some might lack talent in cultivation, but that didn't mean they lacked it in other fields—be it martial arts, spells, or music. In his view, this young man before him must possess extraordinary talent in chess. Otherwise, at such a young age, his skills couldn't possibly be so divine.
It was truly divine.
At first, he too couldn't comprehend it.
Only after three games did he gain some insight. It wasn't that he couldn't understand; it was that this young man's technique was simply too advanced. It seemed chaotic and disorganized, yet every piece held a certain significance.
Ordinary players aimed to Move Qiankun, focusing only on their own pieces.
Masters first suppressed their opponent, then Moved Qiankun.
There was another kind who could suppress their opponent while simultaneously Moving Qiankun.
But he discovered this young man played in a completely contrary manner. Not only did he not suppress, he even helped his opponent Move Qiankun, deliberately allowing the opponent to make transformations. The crux lay here: every one of his moves assisted your transformation, and every one of your transformations was within his anticipation. When you weren't paying attention, he would use your own transformation to Move Qiankun, achieving the unexpected—a highly sophisticated approach.
This was a very advanced strategy. Bai Yue had heard of it but never witnessed it until now, truly broadening his horizons.
Moreover, he knew that someone who could wield this strategy so uncannily likely possessed chess skills far more profound than he had imagined.
To master this strategy, one needed a thorough understanding of all derivations, evolutions, and permutations. Ordinary people couldn't play it, couldn't handle it; if played poorly, they would lose.
A master!
An absolute master!
Bai Yue tried to persuade Old Monster Jin to stop gambling, but Old Monster Jin, stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat, insisted on continuing.
The fourth game began.
Gu Qingfeng continued using the white pieces, Old Monster Jin the black.
But the moment he placed his first black piece, Old Monster Jin had an ominous premonition that he might lose this game too.
And so it was.
As the second, then the tenth black piece fell, this feeling grew stronger. His chess skills were no lower than Bai Yue's, and after several consecutive losses, he could more or less discern some of Gu Qingfeng's strategy. Precisely because he could glimpse a fraction of its mystery, this feeling arose. Especially as his own transformations multiplied and he drew closer to Moving Qiankun, his fear intensified.
From the moment he placed his first black piece, he felt he had boarded a ship.
It seemed he was the master of this ship.
In fact, he felt like the master too, steering it wherever he wished, as fast as he desired. Just as he was about to reach shore, for some inexplicable reason, the ship would mysteriously sink to the bottom.
And then...
He lost again.
The loss was swift and thorough. The first three games cost him three Upper Mystic-Grade Spirit Treasures; this one cost him over half the resources from his storage bag.
Old Monster Jin was dumbstruck.
He sat there, staring blankly at the chessboard, seemingly unable to accept such a cruel reality.
Beside him, Bai Yue also gazed at the board, his brow deeply furrowed. The more he looked, the more incredible and unbelievable it seemed.