Chapter 2650: Chapter 542: The Highest Realm of Go (Part 4)
As soon as he finished speaking, many people around showed disappointment, while more cultivators looked surprised.
Immortal Star Chess is a cultivator who enters the Dao through chess.
Although Sect Leader Cao seemed adept in everything, as if there was nothing he didn’t excel in, they had truly never heard of Sect Leader Cao being skilled at chess playing.
Immortal Star Chess’s face revealed an obvious surprise, for he did not actually have much hope when he came to Hundred Peaks Sect. He had specifically inquired, and the Hundred Peaks Sect Leader had never played chess against anyone.
And his path, unless his chess skills significantly improved, would probably not allow him to breakthrough into the Golden Immortal Realm.
Yet, all the other Half-step Golden Immortal Realm cultivators were coming, so he could not not come; hence, he arrived here.
As a result, the Hundred Peaks Sect Leader immediately proposed to play chess with him.
The Hundred Peaks Sect Leader, is he also skilled in the way of chess?
Although he was surprised, he quickly nodded. Just as he was about to show expectancy, beside him, Cao Zhen had already raised his hand, and with a swing at the mountain peak beside him.
Immediately, the originally uneven mountain peak seemed to be sliced with a sharp knife, becoming incredibly smooth and flat.
Cao Zhen waved his hand again, and on this smooth wall, intersections of straight and clear lines appeared.
The chessboard had appeared.
Cao Zhen smiled and looked at Immortal Star Chess, saying, "Immortal Star Dao Companion, as the guest, please go ahead."
Immortal Star Chess glanced around, landing on a white stone not far away. He raised his hand and pointed at it, and at once, the Great Stone transformed into white chess pieces.
He played white and took the first move. With a light effort, a white piece flew out, but it didn’t land in the middle. Instead, he used an innovative opening strategy, choosing a corner to commence his attack.
Cao Zhen was slightly startled, and soon he shattered a black Great Stone, forming it into pieces. He raised his hand and shot out a piece.
The chess skill of Immortal Star Chess was indeed unrivaled, soon executing a series of exquisite layouts. Although he started from the edges, he gradually occupied the center of the board unknowingly, forming a dominating stance.
Cao Zhen, however, only used the periphery to launch counter-attacks repeatedly.
Every move of Immortal Star Chess seemed flawless, awe-inspiring to others.
Yet every move by Cao Zhen appeared stable and unremarkable, seemingly without any brilliant tactics, and constantly on the defensive. However, slowly, the pace of Immortal Star Chess’s moves began to slow down.
Though Cao Zhen remained in defense, gradually, his black pieces tightly connected, forming a massive defensive line, solidly protecting his territory.
Unconsciously, the roles of attack and defense had reversed!
Immortal Star Chess furrowed his eyebrows tightly, trying to find a weakness in the black defensive line, but he repeatedly failed.
Suddenly, Cao Zhen’s voice rang out.
"Immortal Star Dao Companion, how many realms do you think chess has?"
"Nine realms!" Immortal Star Chess quickly replied, "The first realm is unpredictable change, yet able to foretell, with essence entering the divine, winning without fighting, conquered without being opposed.
The second realm possesses the ability to respond appropriately to emptiness.
The third realm is creation and understanding at the critical moment..."
After listening, Cao Zhen nodded slightly, tapping on the chessboard, then continued to ask, "Then, what do you consider the highest realm, Immortal Star Dao Companion?"
"It is living!"
Immortal Star Chess said earnestly: "The so-called living means that all pieces on the board have life. They can breathe, defending and attacking effectively.
Living pieces maintain flexibility, with various maneuvers and changes; on such foundations, a player can respond adeptly.
The highest realm of living pieces is not just the survival of the pieces, but the vitality and dynamism of the entire game. It allows each piece’s function to echo and coordinate as a unified whole.
At the same time, what I consider living also reflects the state of mind. It transcends the life and death of individual pieces. I wonder, Sect Leader Cao, what do you think?"
"I believe that the highest realm of playing chess is a draw," Cao Zhen chuckled lightly. What he said wasn’t what he learned from Wang Jixin, but from a Go master back on Earth before his rebirth.
As for how he remembered, that was because his mother forcibly instilled it in him.
Ever since his mother discovered the world he was in now, she frequently searched for various knowledge online. Every time he chatted with his mother via China Cloud, she imparted this knowledge to him.
"A draw?" Immortal Star Chess frowned in confusion, as did the people behind him.
Someone couldn’t help but speak out, "People play to win, how could it be a draw?"
Cao Zhen’s smile became even more profound: "What I mean by a draw is different from what you mean. From my perspective, the joy of defeating an opponent is far less than losing one’s self-will within the game, instantly feeling that the chessboard before you is as vast as the universe, and each move mirrors the alignment of the stars.
During a match, to surpass oneself - that is what I consider a draw."
"Self-surpassing?"
Upon hearing these words, Immortal Star Chess’s eyes suddenly flared with brilliant light. In the next moment, beams of light shot upwards from behind him, and in an instant, these lights permeated the entire Hundred Peaks Sect, still surging outward, seemingly enveloping the entire world.
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