Book 1: Chapter 38: Awakened by the Black Go Stone

In a magnificent hall in the Innate Puzzle World:

This hall was known as Guan Qi Hall. Although Guan Qi Hall was extremely dark, the figures of eighteen people sitting cross-legged inside were visible. However, their faces were obscured.

A coffin lay at the north of the hall. The only source of light in the hall was a Go board floating above the coffin.

This Go board was not large, and with only nineteen vertical and horizontal lines, it was ordinary. However, Go stones covered this Go board, filling all three hundred sixty-one positions.

Of the three hundred thirty-one Go stones, two hundred were white, while black had one hundred sixty-one. As they hovered in the air, they gave off a faint light.

The eighteen people quietly sat in the hall, not saying a word.

Buzz!

Suddenly, one of the black Go stones gave off a faint light, which drew everyone’s attention.

The black Go stone continued giving off light for a while. As that happened, it slowly changed color, turning into a white Go stone.

“There are two hundred one white Go stones now!” one of the eighteen people said excitedly.

“Yes, First Elder! There are one hundred sixty black Go stones left. When all the black Go stones turn white…” another person said excitedly.

“Speak cautiously!” The first elder’s voice rang out once again.

“Yes. This subordinate let my tongue slip!” that person said respectfully.

“Now that the Innate Puzzle World is open again and the outsiders entered, there will be plenty of variables. This place is the pavilion master’s burial place. Nothing is permitted to go wrong. From today on, the eighteen of us will take turns guarding this place. We will leave nine people here at all times in case anyone disturbs this place,” the first elder said sullenly.

“Yes!” the others answered.

“Has someone warned Little Nine?” the first elder asked indifferently.

“First Elder, perhaps we do not need to warn him. Little Nine suffered greatly this time,” someone said bitterly.

“Oh?” 

“Little Nine used a cloud beast, but he ran into Bodhisattva Lian Sheng, so he could only retreat.” 

“Bodhisattva Lian Sheng? He came?” the first elder asked gravely.

“I heard that Bodhisattva Lian Sheng is coming to seek out First Elder, to take what the pavilion master promised him. First Elder, what did the pavilion master promise him?”

The first elder remained silent for a while before saying, “He came in the end! Bodhisattva Lian Sheng? Back then, he played a game of Go against the pavilion master. The pavilion master was touched by his benevolence and promised to help him once.”

“Benevolence?”

“The pavilion master could tell from the Go game that Bodhisattva Lian Sheng took pity on the living. The pavilion master felt full of praise for this person’s breadth of heart. If you see him again, you are not to make things difficult for him. Directly bring him to see me. Little Nine is quite wise in retreating. He is not Bodhisattva Lian Sheng’s match. This is someone who can face the pavilion master in Go; it would not be difficult for him to solve the Heavenly Saber Death Match,” the first elder said gravely.

“Oh! The one who solved the Heavenly Saber Death Match was not Bodhisattva Lian Sheng but someone else.”

“Oh?”

“It is someone called Gu Hai. I heard that he is a division master of Elite Hall.”

“Elite Hall? Gu Hai?” the first elder repeated, feeling a faint misgiving.

“I heard that he came into this world only to search for the Unborn Man.”

“Search for the Unborn Man? Do you know why?” the first elder asked with some worry in his voice.

“He said that the Elite Hall Master is searching for him. First Elder, should we inform the Unborn Man?”

The first elder remained silent for a while before shaking his head. “No! No matter what, no one is to disturb the Unborn Man. He has his mission!”

“Yes!” everyone answered.

“First Elder, since Little Nine used the cloud beast, the golden Go stones might appear earlier. These outsiders are going to start stealing our Heavenly Go Pavilion’s treasures again. Why do we just leave them be every time, letting them plunder as they please? We don’t need to pay such a high price!”

“This is the pavilion master’s orders; we just need to obey. As long as the Century Lifespan Immortality Peach Tree is still around, let them plunder the other treasures.”

“But…” that person protested, feeling reluctant.

“Leave it! This is an order!” the first elder said coldly.

“Yes!”

——

Carefree Valley:

Gu Hai, Gao Xianzhi, Chen Tianshan, Xiaorou, and Bodhisattva Lian Sheng returned to the earlier cave.

The intense shock waves from earlier had not damaged this mountain peak. Like before, Night Pearls brightly lit the place.

However, the springwater had disappeared, revealing three huge pits and a circular jade Go board at the bottom.

Gao Xianzhi sat beside the circular jade Go board, stretched out his hand, and placed it on the Go board. Then, some time passed.

Buzz!

The jade Go board trembled, and a golden light appeared in Gao Xianzhi’s palm.

Gao Xianzhi opened his eyes and looked at his palm in shock. A golden Go stone lay in his palm.

“This is? The golden Go stone that Ninth Young Master used to summon the cloud beast a few days ago? How did it get into my hand?” Gao Xianzhi said in shock.

“Gao Xianzhi, you already sat there for three days, not moving at all. What happened?” Gu Hai asked, feeling misgivings.

Gao Xianzhi looked at the golden Go stone in his hand and thought back. Then, he shook his head and said, “I’m not sure. Everything is blurry. It was like someone taught me to play Go. Then, we kept playing until I gained that person’s recognition, and he finally gave me a golden Go stone. However, that was in a dream. How did this golden Go stone appear in my hand?” 

Gao Xianzhi looked confused.

Gu Hai’s group turned to Bodhisattva Lian Sheng.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng smiled faintly and said, “Don’t look at me. I don’t know, either. Perhaps the golden Go stone was hidden in the ritual array diagram.”

“Ritual array diagram?”

“It is this circular jade Go board. This is one of the Heavenly Go Pavilion’s treasures, something Old Mister Guan Qi reforged in the past. He used it to drive the spirit spring here, and it remained hidden underground. However, I found it and brought it up.” Bodhisattva Lian Sheng smiled.

“Spirit spring? A natural ritual array? No, the ritual array making the spirit spring is actually Old Mister Guan Qi’s treasure?” Chen Tianshan’s eyes turned slightly red with greed.

Such a treasure could create a spirit spring. How could Chen Tianshan not be tempted?

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng smiled faintly and said, “This ritual array diagram hides at least three golden Go stones. Just follow what Gao Xianzhi did and slowly take them out. After that, carefully put away the ritual array; don’t let others discover it. If they do, it will result in endless pursuit.”

“Bodhisattva Lian Sheng, you don’t want it?” Gu Hai looked at Bodhisattva Lian Sheng in shock.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng was going to give them the three golden Go stones and the ritual array diagram?

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng smiled faintly and said, “I don’t need it. This item is useless to me. I will be going to find the Heavenly Go Pavilion’s first elder soon. Do take care in this place.”

“Many thanks, Bodhisattva Lian Sheng!” Chen Tianshan immediately said excitedly.

However, Gu Hai frowned as he looked at Bodhisattva Lian Sheng. “Bodhisattva Lian Sheng, my group has no prior friendship with Bodhisattva. Why did Bodhisattva keep helping us, even letting us have such a valuable treasure?”

Everyone looked at Bodhisattva Lian Sheng.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng looked at Xiaorou and said, “Division Master Gu, your actions touched me. Perhaps we are similar people. There are not many who are similar to me. Meeting one is considered fate.”

Gu Hai looked at Bodhisattva Lian Sheng, still feeling somewhat suspicious. However, he could only nod.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng looked at Gu Hai and remained silent for a while before saying, “Speaking of which, I sense a familiar aura coming from Division Master Gu.”

“Oh?” Gu Hai felt even more suspicious.

“It is not you. It should be someone you came in contact with, a remnant of his aura. How mysterious!” Bodhisattva Lian Sheng said after some thought.

“Someone I came in contact with?” Gu Hai looked at Bodhisattva Lian Sheng with surprise.

“This is a unique skill of mine, so it should not be wrong. However, I do not have much time to investigate this now. Perhaps we will meet again not too long later. At that time, if I inconvenience Division Master Gu, I ask that Division Master Gu do me that favor.” Bodhisattva Lian Sheng smiled.

“Bodhisattva is too polite. As long as I, Gu Hai, can do it, I will do my best!” Gu Hai replied gravely.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng nodded and held his palms together. “Since that is the case, let’s meet again if it is fated!”

“Sending off Bodhisattva Lian Sheng!” Everyone politely offered a formal valediction.

Then, they sent off Bodhisattva Lian Sheng from the cave.

Bodhisattva Lian Sheng left rather eagerly, quickly disappearing from everyone’s sight.

After Bodhisattva Lian Sheng left, the group returned to the cave.

Gao Xianzhi brought up the rear, carefully hiding the entrance to prevent others from discovering it.

“Gao Xianzhi, you have obtained a golden Go stone. How about giving it a try? See if you can use the power of this world to form a cloud beast?” Chen Tianshan immediately suggested anxiously.

Gao Xianzhi shook his head and looked at Gu Hai.

“Huh?” Chen Tianshan appeared slightly confused.

“Using the golden Go stone to form a cloud beast will cause too big a commotion. Wait until all of us obtain a golden Go stone to try,” Gu Hai said while shaking his head.

“Huh? Yes!” Chen Tianshan immediately responded, nodding as he did so.

“Chen Tianshan, give it a try! Get the second golden Go stone!” Gu Hai said gravely.

“Yes!” Chen Tianshan immediately said excitedly.

Chen Tianshan sat down cross-legged and pressed his palm to the circular jade Go board.

Buzz!

The circular jade Go board suddenly gave off a white light, and Chen Tianshan’s expression immediately became vacant, like he had entered a meditative state.

“Division Master, did this happen to this subordinate as well?” Gao Xianzhi asked with a somewhat grave expression.

Nodding, Gu Hai replied, “That’s right. Your consciousness must have been pulled into the ritual array diagram. Gao Xianzhi, do you feel any discomfort?”

Gao Xianzhi closed his eyes and checked. Then, he shook his head and said, “I do not feel any discomfort. That old man guided me in Go within that dream realm. My Go skills seemed to be completely under that old man’s control. This subordinate did not like that feeling. It felt very restrictive.”

——

Three days later:

Buzz!

Chen Tianshan’s body suddenly trembled, and he jolted awake.

“Haha! I obtained a golden Go stone as well!” Chen Tianshan said excitedly.

“Was it the same dream as Gao Xianzhi’s?” Gu Hai asked, feeling suspicious.

“Yes, that’s right. The memory is blurry; I cannot recall it well. However, there seemed to be an old man teaching me Go in the dream.” Chen Tianshan frowned.

Gu Hai looked at the circular jade Go board. After some silence, he took a deep breath and sat down slowly.

Then, Gu Hai extended his hand and pressed it on the circular Go board.

Buzz!

A white light flashed again, dazzling Gu Hai. He appeared to have entered a meditative state.

Whoosh!

Gu Hai felt his consciousness turn blurry, entering some sort of dream realm. He instantly felt dazed.

Just at this moment, the black Go stone in his forehead space suddenly trembled.

Boom!

It felt like a loud sound rang out, jolting his consciousness awake.

The instant Gu Hai startled to his senses, he discovered that his consciousness had formed an illusory body standing within the space in his forehead.

Gu Hai saw the black Go stone responsible for bringing him from Earth to this world beside the illusory body. It was the black Go stone’s trembling earlier that woke him. Otherwise, he would still be in a daze.

Gu Hai felt frightened and startled.

The black Go stone looked down on the space in Gu Hai’s forehead like a ruler. There were one hundred thousand Go boards below with one hundred thousand Go puzzles. Everything seemed the same as before, except that a white mist lingered in this space now as if a surging cloud sea had infiltrated his forehead space.

Gu Hai vaguely saw a white-haired, old man amid the cloud sea.

He could not clearly see the appearance of that white-haired, old man despite being very close. The extremely blurry, white-haired, old man had a Go board in front of him. However, this Go board looked extremely strange. There were twenty-eight horizontal lines and twenty-eight vertical lines.

“Sit down and let me see your Go skills!” the white-haired old man said slowly.

“This humble one is Gu Hai. Might I ask if your distinguished self is…?” Gu Hai said gravely.

“Sit down and let me see your Go skills!”

“Sit down and let me see your Go skills!”

“Sit down and let me see your Go skills!”

The white-haired old man seemed not to hear Gu Hai, repeating his words.

Gu Hai narrowed his eyes. This old man is not some kind of spiritual body but some sort of pre-programmed puppet?

Had I not come to my senses, would I have accompanied him in a Go match like I was hypnotized?

Gu Hai did not reject. Then, he slowly sat down.

Now, the two sat on opposite ends of the Go board.

“Play a game of Go with me, and this golden Go stone is yours!” the old man said emotionlessly.

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