Dead End

"I truly have not heard of this matter. Thank you, Brother Shen, for your clarity."

Only after hearing this did Yang Lingrui understand that Li Qingwan had such a history at the Academy.

Combined with what Zi He had mentioned earlier-that Ancestor Li Yuande had entrusted someone to send Li Qingwan into the Chengtian Academy-it was likely tied to this Western Consort.

There was even a high possibility that this Western Consort was the person within the Wangchao willing to protect Li Qingwan.

Zhuhu Imperial Palace, Western Expedition Hall.

At this moment, ten chessboards were set up in the hall.

Li Qingwan stood before the second chessboard from the right, lost in silent, profound contemplation.

The first chessboard to her right had already concluded; she had played the white stones and won by a narrow margin of half a point.

Just as she was pondering her next move, the figure of the Western Consort silently descended into the hall.

The Western Consort stood behind Li Qingwan, quietly watching as she began to place her stones.

It took two full days to complete this second game.

At the moment of victory, Li Qingwan let out a long breath of relief.

Knowing the Western Consort was behind her, she did not turn around, but spoke, "You always assign me these most difficult, dead-end games."

"Because you yourself are a dead end."

The Western Consort's voice was frigid, devoid of any superfluous emotion.

"If you cannot finish these thousand dead-end games, your talk of switching to the Military Dao is nothing but a fool's dream."

"If you fail, when the time limit arrives, you will be reduced to a slave beneath the crotch of that old ghost from the Moon-Grasping Sect!"

The Western Consort stated this matter with brutal clarity.

The reason she was willing to stand up and vouch for Li Qingwan was her discovery that this young girl, like herself, possessed the potential to become a Military Cultivator.

Beneath the National Preceptor, the Zhuhu Wangchao possessed three great pillars of combat power, all at the Spirit Communion Perfection realm.

One was the Faceless Man who had played chess with the Western Consort that day; his true identity was the Chief Commander of the Immortal Patrol Office.

The remaining two were the head of Zi He's Demon-Slaying Bureau, Commander Xing, and the Warden of the Prison.

The Western Consort's cultivation was at the seventh level of Spirit Communion, just entering the late stage.

Looking solely at cultivation realms, there were several great cultivators above her.

But in terms of actual status within the court, she stood on equal footing with the three pillars of the Wangchao.

Her exalted status was partially due to her being the favored consort of the current emperor.

But more importantly, it was because she was the only Military Cultivator within the Zhuhu Wangchao!

The Military Dao lineage was nearly extinct within the Canglan Continent; whether one could enter this path depended entirely on that minuscule fated chance of an epiphany.

The Western Consort came from a military family. In her youth, she entered the Dao through martial arts, becoming a martial cultivator.

Later, after countless battles, she experienced an epiphany of the Military Dao amidst the baptism of blood and fire. Upon reaching the Spirit Communion realm, she shifted her cultivation to the Military Dao and shone brilliantly during the Western Expedition.

In one-on-one combat, a Military Cultivator's power might not compare to other types of cultivators of the same realm.

But if given a large, well-trained army, the combat power of a Military Cultivator would undergo a qualitative change, exploding exponentially.

On the Western Expedition battlefield, the Western Consort, at the early Spirit Communion stage, commanded a million-strong army, forcing a late Spirit Communion cultivator into a dead end. In the end, he could only abandon his cultivation and physical body, fleeing with his primordial spirit alone.

Later, in several key battles that transformed Zhuhu from a small state into a Wangchao, she repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, becoming the key figure who turned the tide of battle.

Now, the Western Consort's cultivation had reached the seventh level of Spirit Communion.

When she next took the field and commanded a great army, her combat power would be second only to the National Preceptor within Zhuhu, standing above ten thousand others!

It was precisely because of the extreme importance of Military Dao cultivators to the Wangchao's expansion that, after the Western Consort mentioned Li Qingwan's potential, the Zhuhu Emperor and National Preceptor were willing to negotiate with the Moon-Grasping Sect.

Everyone knew the result: a fifteen-year delay in handing her over.

However, the Moon-Grasping Sect did not know the true reason Zhuhu protected Li Qingwan. They only assumed that Li Yuande had some connection with a great cultivator of the Wangchao and had used his life to perform a secret technique, buying Li Qingwan fifteen years of time.

In these fifteen years, if Li Qingwan could use the Dao of chess to pivot into the Military Dao and become the second Military Dao cultivator in Zhuhu's history, then Zhuhu would spare no expense to protect her.

Even if the cost was an all-out war with the Moon-Grasping Sect.

The reason Li Qingwan only used the Dragon-Slaying Killing Chess move when playing against others was that she had no other path.

If she could not carve out a future for herself, what awaited her was a hellish fate.

She bore a restriction personally placed on her by the Zhuhu National Preceptor, preventing her from taking her own life.

Once the fifteen-year deadline arrived, if she had not successfully mastered the Military Dao, Zhuhu would unhesitatingly hand her over.

The Western Consort watched Li Qingwan, who had begun placing stones on the third chessboard, and said, "It has been almost five years. You are still more than twenty games behind schedule."

"I know."

Click, click, click...

As she answered, Li Qingwan rapidly placed stones on the board.

Before long, a grayish-white stream of air, like steam, rose from her body.

The Western Consort had intended to speak more clearly to remind her, but upon realizing she had entered a state of Military Cultivator's combat epiphany, her eyes widened in surprise, and she did not disturb her.

"Has she finally broken through?"

The Western Consort carefully observed Li Qingwan's state, and only after confirming she was stable did she withdraw her spiritual sense.

This was an unexpected delight.

Previously, no matter how she guided Li Qingwan, she always hovered at the threshold of the Dao, unable to truly enter the state.

"That stone from the Academy really was useful. When I see His Majesty, I shall request a merit for them."

She thought silently, "But what exactly happened in that Grotto-Heaven to make her willing to let go of the person she held in her heart?"

The Western Consort felt curious, and with a flicker, she disappeared from the hall.

After a few spatial shifts, she arrived before the Heavenly Book Grotto-Heaven at the deepest part of the Chengtian Academy.

She raised her hand, striking out a technique formula, and the entrance to the Grotto-Heaven parted like a curtain of water.

...

Piercing clouds and crossing mists, traversing mountains and rivers.

Six days later, the Academy's cloud boat arrived before the mountain gate of Daoyuan Mountain.

At first, the young disciples were filled with novelty, taking to the deck to feel the thrill of riding the wind. But after two days, they grew accustomed to the scenery and returned to their rooms to cultivate.

As the cloud boat landed, the current Great Dharma Protector Elder of Daoyuan Mountain personally welcomed them, arranging for them to stay in the finest caves within the sect.

Qiu Ran had returned home. Dressed in his Purple Lightning Dharma robe, he was greeted by many fellow disciples as he stepped off the vessel.

"Welcome back, Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, you have worked hard!"

"Senior Brother, with you this time, we will surely defeat the Myriad Transformations Sect!"

Daoyuan Mountain disciples excitedly gathered around Qiu Ran. As the current Senior Brother of Daoyuan Mountain, he was one of the two most important figures in this competition.

The other young cultivators stepping off the cloud boat, upon hearing these words, unconsciously turned their gazes toward the other protagonist of this competition.

Xiao Yize wore his trademark friendly smile. He had naturally heard the words of the Daoyuan Mountain disciples, but he did not respond. He only nodded in greeting to Qiu Ran from afar before departing with He Shenglai.

"Seeing your calm performance just now, you seem quite confident?"

After entering their cave, He Shenglai asked with a smile.

"Hiss-Brother Shenglai, let me tell you the truth. Ten years ago, I could beat him by taking advantage of the fact that lightning techniques are easy to learn but hard to master. Now, it is likely very difficult."

Xiao Yize plopped down onto a meditation cushion, showing a troubled expression: "Qiu Ran has already refined a Thunderfire True Intent of Daoyuan Mountain. If he goes all out, among us, only Shen Yue should be able to suppress him."

Upon hearing this, He Shenglai laughed: "A fine 'surrender before battle.' Then is your Myriad Transformations Sect doomed to lose this time?"

"Eh, that is not quite right."

Xiao Yize wagged his finger, then said: "Is there not still my Junior Brother? If I lose and he wins, that counts as a draw, does it not?"

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