The chessboard floated in midair, its black and white pieces crisscrossing in a grid. Ming Zhu studied it for two breaths before turning to Chu Wujiu. "What is this?"
She had never learned chess.
Chu Wujiu raised an eyebrow slightly but showed no surprise. He analyzed the board's situation for her.
At present, black and white were locked in battle, with black already on the losing side and about to fall. This was a formation built upon a chess game—to break it, one needed to find the path that would turn black's defeat into victory.
Gu Congshan also pricked up his ears to listen. Even though Chu Wujiu explained it in fairly simple terms, he still only half-understood. Ming Zhu, in contrast, seemed to grasp it quickly.
"Is this the endgame left by that young master of the Zhangsun Clan?"
Jiang Yuan was also studying the chessboard, his expression thoughtful. As a member of the Jiang Clan, he naturally had no reason to be absent from an occasion like the Spring Banquet.
He had heard the elders of his clan discuss this matter a few days prior, but this was his first time seeing the actual board.
As expected of the Zhangsun Clan—truly generous, Jiang Yuan thought to himself. They had actually offered a scroll of Formation Essentials as a prize for this game.
Even someone of Jiang Yuan's standing, born into an established family, could not help but be tempted.
The reason was simple: the world's complete systems of cultivation manuals were passed down only among the feudal lords' great clans and orthodox immortal sects. What circulated among the common folk were mostly scattered, incomplete, and shallow cultivation techniques that offered no clear path for learning.
So one could imagine how rare this Formation Essentials was—a text progressing from the basics to advanced knowledge. For a rogue cultivator, this scroll alone could set them on the orthodox path of formations, not to mention that it also contained formation arts that even ordinary noble clans had not recorded.
Even a local power like the Jiang Clan could not easily produce such a scroll as a prize. Compared to the Zhangsun Clan, the Jiang Clan's foundations were still far inferior.
Thus, when the Jiang Clan Patriarch rose and took out the Jade Slip left by Zhangsun Heng, the banks of the Wei River erupted in excitement.
Whether they were young scions of great families attending the banquet, or rogue cultivators without pedigree hoping to display their talents at the Spring Banquet and gain entry as retainers to the noble clans of Pingxiang, all were stirred.
The Jiang Clan Patriarch appeared quite satisfied with their reaction.
Though Zhangsun Heng had not attended the banquet, through this endgame he left behind, the Jiang Clan's reputation would surely rise another notch. This had been the original intention behind the Jiang Clan's earnest invitation to Zhangsun Heng.
His gaze met that of the Qu Clan elder seated nearby. The Jiang Clan Patriarch, in his flowing robes and broad cap, exchanged a knowing look with him, then spoke a few pleasantries before raising his wine cup to drink with the assembled guests.
Like this endgame set in advance, everything today had also been arranged for the best.
Jiang Yuan, seated among the guests, noticed this exchange and let out a faint, ambiguous scoff.
Though this matter was not something he was meant to know, he had still pieced together the hidden truth from a slip of his grandfather's tongue.
Jiang Yuan looked toward the stage below. There was no doubt that this scroll of Formation Essentials had excited everyone attending the Spring Banquet. The young heirs of the surrounding noble families were all whispering among themselves, discussing how to break the formation.
The endgame left by Zhangsun Heng was naturally not something that could be easily solved. Even the clan elders whose cultivation bases exceeded the Twenty Mansions realm could not readily see through its crux, for not all of them were skilled in formations.
For a Chess Formation deliberately set up like this, if one could perceive the key point, breaking it required little cultivation base at all. Otherwise, one would need a realm far above the formation's setter to have any hope of forcing a solution.
At the Spring Banquet today, most of those whose cultivation base surpassed Zhangsun Heng's were elders of advanced years who, mindful of their status, would not personally step forward to test him. Offering a few pointers to the younger members of their clans, however, was entirely harmless.
For a time, cultivators both on and off the high platform were deducing the chess game.
Before long, a middle-aged rogue cultivator with a long beard stepped forward first. He wore a Daoist robe and had awakened the stars of fifteen mansions; his every movement carried an air of immortal grace. For a rogue cultivator, such a cultivation base was by no means low.
The middle-aged rogue cultivator circulated his spiritual breath and cautiously placed his first stone. The corresponding white stone appeared on the board, and all around, whether or not they were versed in chess or formations, people raised their heads to watch the direction of the game.
By the tenth move, the middle-aged cultivator was placing his stones with increasing slowness. Under the oppressive force of the Formation, cold sweat gradually beaded on his forehead.
The path of the white stones differed from what he had deduced earlier—far more perilous and bizarre. He wished to recalculate, but the ever-shifting Chess Formation would not grant him more time.
Danger pressed close, and the middle-aged rogue cultivator could only place a stone in haste. From that point, his decline was beyond recovery.
In his consciousness, the white stones on the board surged like waves, rolling toward him with ferocious force.
Spiritual light burst forth, and the middle-aged rogue cultivator's consciousness, which had sunk into the game, was forcibly expelled. His qi and blood churned violently, beyond his control. He staggered back two steps and only steadied himself when someone nearby reached out to support him.
The middle-aged rogue cultivator smiled bitterly and shook his head. He had intended to seize the initiative, but in the end, he had fallen short by a single move.
"As expected of a young lord of the Zhangsun Clan," he remarked with a sigh. Such a person was beyond the reach of a rogue cultivator like himself.
The middle-aged rogue cultivator's failure did not deter the onlookers. After him, several more cultivators who believed themselves knowledgeable in formations stepped forward to try—rogue cultivators, as well as no small number of young men and women from noble families—but all were defeated in turn.
It was only then that the cultivators present gained a true appreciation of Zhangsun Heng's reputation.
As one challenger after another retreated in defeat, no one was quick to step forward again. Without confidence in breaking the formation, the experience of being repelled and cast out of the game was hardly pleasant, and attempting it too many times even risked damage to one's heart meridians.
Such an outcome was clearly anticipated by the Jiang Clan head and the others. Just as the assembled guests were marveling at the brilliance of the chess game, the elder of the Qu Clan seated above finally turned to the young man beside him and gave a slight nod of approval.
Qu Pingsheng then rose with unhurried grace and stepped forward to meet the many gazes upon him. He was decently handsome, with a hint of arrogance faintly visible between his brows. Chin held high, he was practically the embodiment of looking down one's nose at the world.
Watching him walk past, Jiang Yuan's gaze was especially cold.
Though the Jiang and Qu Clans were both in Pingxiang and had been on good terms for generations, Jiang Yuan could hardly claim any fondness for Qu Pingsheng.
Qu Pingsheng was two years his junior, blessed with parents who wielded real power, and possessed considerable talent in cultivation—his current realm had already reached parity with Jiang Yuan's.
Living in the same town of Pingxiang, encounters were inevitable. Qu Pingsheng did not hold this senior clan brother, two years his elder, in any regard, and Jiang Yuan was hardly one to swallow insults. In time, a grudge had formed between them.
His luck was truly something to envy, Jiang Yuan thought to himself.
Now Zhangsun Heng had sent over a chess game, and as it happened, Qu Pingsheng had some talent in the art of formations. The Qu Clan had thus consulted with the Jiang Clan, intending to use this opportunity to make his name at the Spring Banquet.
As for why the Jiang Clan didn't use their own people to break the formation—that would have been far too unsightly. If the Jiang Clan presented a chess puzzle and their own clansmen solved it, it would practically announce to everyone present that something was amiss.
Better to strike a mutually beneficial arrangement with the Qu Clan and exchange for other advantages.
As for the volume of Formation Essentials left behind by Zhangsun Heng, the Jiang Clan had of course long since carved out another copy for themselves.
Thinking of how Qu Pingsheng was certain to gain great fame after today, and how insufferably smug his expression would be, Jiang Yuan's face could not help but show a trace of gloom.
"It's the young master of the Qu Clan—"
Qu Pingsheng was young, but relying on the cultivation resources of the Qu Clan, he had already reached the Fourteen Mansions realm, earning him some renown in Pingxiang Town.
For him to step forward now, he likely already had confidence in breaking the formation.
Countless gazes converged upon Qu Pingsheng. He rather enjoyed such attention and was fully assured of what was to come.
After all, compared to everyone present, he had nearly three extra days of deduction time.
To ensure nothing went wrong today, the Jiang Clan had long since sent over an imprint of the chess puzzle. Qu Pingsheng had deduced it several times in advance and believed he had found the method to break it. The elders of his clan had also deliberated and found no issue.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qu Pingsheng circulated his spiritual breath and placed a stone on the board. As the white stone materialized, he placed another without needing much thought, his speed far surpassing that of the cultivators who had attempted before him.
Following his moves, exclamations of admiration occasionally rose from the crowd.
As time passed and the white stones yielded ground, the mist before Qu Pingsheng's eyes gradually dispersed. The situation on the board grew increasingly clear, as if a resolution was imminent.
Few knew of the arrangements made to build up Qu Pingsheng's reputation. To those unaware of the inside story, his ability to outshine the cultivators present and find the method to break the formation showed astonishing talent in the art of formations.
A white stone gleaming with spiritual light rose from the board—this was the Formation Eye of the entire puzzle.
A smug, self-satisfied smile spread across Qu Pingsheng's face.
Placing the final stone, he eagerly reached out, preparing to take the Formation Eye.
"Wrong." At that moment, Ming Zhu and Chu Wujiu's voices rang out in tandem.
Chu Wujiu looked at Ming Zhu in slight surprise. The chessboard reflected in her eyes, black and white interwoven, casting an extraordinary light.
How did she know?
Ming Zhu had just said she didn't know how to play chess.
Indeed, she didn't know how to play—but she had seen something.
Their voices were not loud. Only Gu Congshan, standing nearby, heard what they said clearly, though he didn't quite understand the meaning. Wrong about what?
Just as Qu Pingsheng reached for the stone, a sudden change erupted on the board.
Black and white faded away, leaving only the white stone serving as the Formation Eye floating above. Qu Pingsheng found himself standing on an infinitely magnified chessboard. In a daze, black and white stones shifted and moved around him, colliding with thunderous sounds and bursting into countless fragments.
He instinctively tried to dodge, but his body would not move. Helpless, he could only watch as the black and white stones hurtled toward his position. In his panic, he channeled his spiritual breath to defend himself, his body unsteady under the impact.
How could this be?!
He had calculated it perfectly—placing that previous move should have broken the formation!
"It's a trap—" The Jiang Clan Patriarch's expression changed, alarm rising in his heart. Even he had not detected this beforehand.
Once the deadlock was broken, the dissolving Formation could not be restored. So before today, members of the Jiang and Qu clans could only deduce from the transcribed chess routes, never truly verifying whether they were feasible. They had not expected such a trap to be hidden within.
Sensing that his consciousness was about to be expelled from the chess game, Qu Pingsheng's eyes burned with intense unwillingness. Today, he had come to make a name for himself—if he lost, wouldn't he become a laughingstock!
Though others did not know, he was well aware that he had gained three extra days of deduction time.
With this thought, he gritted his teeth and, disregarding his surging blood and qi, forcibly circulated his spiritual breath once more, reaching out toward the white piece that served as the Formation Eye.
He intended to rely on his cultivation base to forcibly break the Formation!
The Qu clan elders present all changed expression. Qu Pingsheng's cultivation base was merely at the fourteen mansions level—forcibly breaking the Formation could hardly end well.
A brilliant light burst forth from the chessboard. Before anyone could react, Qu Pingsheng was already sent flying backward, vomiting blood, crashing heavily to the ground with eyes tightly shut and breath faint.
"Pingsheng!" The Qu clan elder's face turned ashen as he hurriedly rose to check on his condition.
No one had expected the situation to develop this way. Though Qu Pingsheng's forcible attempt to break the Formation and his severe injury could be said to be his own doing, no one dared to discuss the matter, fearing they might offend the Qu clan elder, who was clearly in a foul mood.
The Jiang Clan head did not know what to say either. He looked up at the chessboard—this game left by Zhangsun Heng contained such unexpected variables.
After Qu Pingsheng, no one dared to step forward and challenge the chess game. The banks of the Wei River fell silent for a time.
"Would you like to give it a try?" Chu Wujiu suddenly spoke to Ming Zhu, his gaze carrying a hint of depth.
Ming Zhu looked back at him. "Sure."
With that, she stepped forward.