Chapter 47

"Little friend."

"This game, you win."

Before the chessboard, Hongjun spoke slowly.

He looked at the youth before him.

The initial contempt had entirely disappeared.

Today's events.

For Li Xiang, it was an encounter.

But for Hongjun, was it not the same?

Looking at the scroll of the Heavenly Book about the Ninth Step on the table, Hongjun's heart shook slightly.

"If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening."

That sentence was still ringing in his mind, deafening!

He was a product of doing subtraction to seek emptiness, born as an Eighth Step being.

Replacing everything of the true self—cultivation, status, treasures.

The only thing he could not inherit was the true self's temperament.

Looking at Li Xiang, who was still somewhat bewildered before him, Hongjun's expression was very complex.

The Dao.

For these beings, is it really that important?

Willing to abandon a status that is nearly transcendent.

Just to pursue that illusory thing.

He did not understand.

Opposite him, Li Xiang did not reply to Hongjun.

Nothing else, just because the system in his mind was constantly broadcasting content.

【*Ding! *】

【System is upgrading!】

【Current progress: 41%】

【Current progress: 57%】

Li Xiang listened to the system broadcasting constantly with a blank face.

"System?"

"It can upgrade?!"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a strange purple Qi drill into his Spirit Platform.

The next moment, the system began to enter the upgrade state.

He vaguely remembered that he seemed to be playing chess with Hongjun.

And then, borrowing Yang Mei's power, he borrowed his own peak state from the future.

But now, it seemed a small accident had occurred?

Just as he was letting his imagination run wild,

a crisp system prompt sounded again.

【Current progress: 100%】

【System 2.0 version is online】

【Respected host, hello. The new function "Spirit Realm" has been opened for you.】

【Other related functions will be unlocked when you cultivate to the First Realm of Transcendence.】

【Please pay attention in time!】

"Spirit Realm?"

"Is this some new additional function?"

Li Xiang complained softly.

He was also very curious why the system had suddenly upgraded and added several additional functions.

Just as he was pondering,

he suddenly felt a gaze.

It was Hongjun.

With the completion of the system upgrade, Hongjun also seemed to sense something.

"Spirit Realm."

"So that's it, so that's it."

"One person transcending is not enough; you actually want to..."

"Is this the path you want to walk?"

Hongjun sat opposite, looking at Li Xiang with eyes like the sea.

It seemed he wanted to find out all the secrets on him.

After a long time,

Hongjun sighed faintly.

"Good!"

"Little friend, I have benefited a lot from today's chess game."

"I will give this object to you; if we are fated in the future, we will meet again."

He saw Hongjun hand over an object.

A glow wrapped around the object and slowly landed in Li Xiang's hand.

"This is?"

Li Xiang looked at the glow in his hand and then at Hongjun before him.

His memories after borrowing the future power were a bit blurred.

He vaguely remembered that he seemed to have won.

But the rest of the content was not clear.

"Thank you, Teacher, for your fulfillment!"

Hongjun smiled and did not answer.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Yang Mei.

Signaling him that it was time to send Li Xiang back.

Too many things had happened today; he urgently needed to return to the Purple Heaven Palace.

To discuss it with that one.

Especially when he looked at the Heavenly Book on the table,

he felt it was even more inconceivable.

Clearly, the Ninth Step Li Xiang had already re-entered the water.

Yet this Heavenly Book from the future was still intact.

Even Hongjun could not see the clues of his methods.

Li Xiang stood up, holding the glow,

and bowed to Hongjun and Yang Mei.

"It is a great honor to meet you, seniors, today."

"Thank you, two seniors."

*Hmm? *

An invisible force supported him.

His bow could not be completed.

How strange.

But before he could think carefully, he suddenly saw the heaven and earth before him begin to change rapidly.

The stagnant time began to flow once more.

The figures of the two mighty figures before him slowly dissipated.

The exquisite Immortal Abode began to become old bit by bit.

Time left traces of the years on them.

Li Xiang knew that this encounter mission had completely ended.

A??? -level encounter was truly bizarre and inconceivable.

Yang Jian, Kongming, Wu Zetian—fellow Daoists from different worlds and different times gathered here.

Flat Peaches, Ginseng Fruit—spirit fruits that only exist in legends—he had even tasted one himself.

Hongjun, Yang Mei—these two divine beings who only exist in myths—he had actually played chess with them.

What he saw and heard here could not be described by just the word "bizarre."

Looking up, the passage of time before his eyes became faster and faster.

The sun sets in the west, the moon wanes and waxes.

Looking up, a feeling of vicissitudes of life and changing mountains and rivers touched his heart.

The mountains and rivers are vast; who can be immortal?

The beautiful landscape, how many brilliant talents?

As time passes, regardless of geniuses or beauties, regardless of princes or generals, in the end, it is nothing but a handful of yellow soil.

"Time..."

"Is truly the enemy of all beings."

Although he had experienced the miracle of time change once,

seeing the forward flow of time for the first time and watching the changing mountains and rivers in the distance, this feeling still made Li Xiang's heart surge.

After a long time, a familiar darkness came.

It's here!

If he remembered correctly, he should still be at the bottom of the water.

Taking a deep breath,

before long, a cold feeling came from his skin.

The passage of time stopped!

He had returned to Shihe Village.

*Bubble... *

A bubble rose and floated toward the surface.

Li Xiang shook his body gently and swam agilely toward the path he came from in the water.

Crossing the grotto.

Like a big fish, he quickly approached the shore.

*Splash. *

The water surface broke, and a tall, thin youth, 1.87 meters tall, emerged from the water.

The moonlight shone on his body, outlining his agile figure.

He was wearing simple rags, looking somewhat funny.

Having swallowed the Ginseng Fruit, Li Xiang's body had also undergone many changes.

That was a Ginseng Fruit.

Kongming could reverse his Blood and Qi and return to his peak after eating it.

Not to mention Li Xiang.

One piece pulled him directly to his most perfect form.

"Ah, this..."

"I need to find a technique to change my body size."

"Otherwise, if people see me, let alone my parents not recognizing me, others might take me for a monster and send me to the Demon Slaying Division."

Li Xiang muttered to himself.

He was still somewhat immersed in today's encounter.

This experience was truly too bizarre to be forgotten.

Just at this moment,

a flash of light suddenly passed through his hand.

It was the thing Hongjun had given him!

Opening his palm, the glow flickered.

The power of time had left traces on it; Li Xiang had crossed time and space to return, and this object had become somewhat dim, no longer as bright as before.

"What is this thing?"

At this time, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

【Congratulations to the host for completing the??? -level encounter: Chess Game Through the Ages】

【Obtained??? -level item: Tianyuan!】

【Tianyuan: Gifted by Daoist Hongjun, it is a world seed that has not yet evolved; if used properly, it can evolve into a vast world.】

Opening his hand, the glow gradually dimmed.

Looking again,

a mottled chess piece was lying quietly in Li Xiang's hand.

It was the black piece he had smashed onto the Tianyuan!

What else could it be!

Reporter: What makes you persist in 996, even finishing today's update at 4 AM?

Reporter: Is it because of love? Is it because of responsibility to readers? Is it because of the fear of being sent blades if the climax doesn't end?

Author: No, it's for the follow-up reads and tickets (crooked mouth).

(End of this chapter)