The game began unusually calmly.
Xu Fu maintained a composed expression. During the initial moves, there wasn’t much calculation involved—more a phase of cautious probing.
The bronze figure also appeared relaxed, placing its pieces one by one at designated positions as directed by Xu Fu.
Yet Mei Qing understood that beneath this apparent ease lay an extraordinary computational power and manipulation skill beyond ordinary imagination.
Even a conventional Nine-Palace Trigram Formation was difficult enough to calculate, and navigating it correctly was even harder. This board, however, stretched fifty-one lines in each direction, conforming to the cosmic numbers. Its difficulty was self-evident.
Mei Qing also realized that both sides were still in the general opening phase. Therefore, he had to use this time to familiarize himself with the rules as much as possible, preparing for the inevitable close combat later.
Moreover, he understood that although Zhang Liusun had spoken politely and shown no outward signs of suspicion, his silent control over Mei Qing indicated he had already grown doubtful.
This was quite natural. Anyone discovering suddenly that their own primal soul no longer recognized them, and upon attempting forced unification found the two souls vastly incompatible and even repelling each other, would inevitably feel suspicious.
Therefore, Zhang Liusun would no longer wait patiently for Mei Qing to recover his memories. Once Xu Fu was dealt with, he might very well stage a forced takeover.
To stand a chance when this unfavorable situation arrived, Mei Qing needed to use this interim period to prepare as much as possible.
Although Mei Qing knew that against the cunning and powerful Zhang Liusun, his chances of victory were slim, the current circumstances were peculiar. If utilized properly, there was still a chance for success.
After several moves, Mei Qing gradually began to grasp the subtleties of this celestial game, and started to learn how to analyze the overall situation in his mind.
If this were an ordinary earthly Go game, it would naturally be much simpler—basic rules of mutual encirclement.
Yet this game was played upon a magical formation, with pieces placed strategically to attack and encircle the opponent while also using the formation to protect oneself and strike the enemy.
However, since it was still a game, such defense and offense had to follow established rules. Precisely because of this, Mei Qing was not at a disadvantage when facing the bronze figure.
Though the rules of this game were not overly complex, the actual play involved countless variations. Zhang Liusun and Mei Qing each had their roles: one focused on the global placement of pieces, while the other calculated the formation’s transformations and placed the pieces accordingly. At first, their pace was extremely slow, especially Mei Qing, who was still unfamiliar with the rules, often taking a long time to place a single piece, which greatly annoyed Xu Fu.
After several moves, Mei Qing gradually became more familiar with the formation’s changes. However, he still did not rush. Although his speed had increased significantly, he deliberately kept it from rising too much.
After both sides had set their initial formations, Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu began to make contact. Their placements became increasingly cautious.
Their styles were clearly different. Xu Fu’s approach was bold and forceful, his moves aggressive. The bronze figure, under Xu Fu’s command, often used brute force to break through the formation’s barriers. Each piece placed on the board, though merely formed from water essence, landed with a resounding clang, exuding a powerful presence.
On the other hand, Zhang Liusun remained completely expressionless. His strategy was based on fluid combat, his moves naturally light and nimble, touching and withdrawing swiftly. After each calculated move, although his expression remained unchanged, he secretly circulated his inner techniques to recover energy. Besides whispering to Mei Qing to do the same, he paid no attention to the actual placement, leaving it entirely to Mei Qing.
After placing dozens of pieces, Mei Qing already felt extremely exhausted. At first, he deliberately slowed his pace, but as the confrontation with the bronze figure intensified, their struggle was no longer just about breaking through the formation and placing pieces. During the placement, mutual interference and control increased. If Mei Qing hadn’t carefully observed and meticulously calculated beforehand, and if Xu Fu’s command of the bronze figure wasn’t slightly slower than Mei Qing’s direct control, he might have already been overwhelmed and forced to concede.
After each move, Mei Qing would stand still, facing Xu Fu, forming hand seals to recover his energy. However, the seals he formed were unusual in shape. Xu Fu glanced at them, his face briefly showing contemplation, after which his pace quickened further. After another dozen or so moves, Zhang Liusun began to show signs of strain.
Although his expression remained calm, during calculations, the space between his eyebrows began to tremble uncontrollably. Especially when placing pieces, he was no longer as composed as before, his hand seals growing increasingly complex, clearly showing signs of fatigue.
Mei Qing naturally understood that the man was merely pretending to deceive Xu Fu. The placement no longer required Zhang Liusun’s calculations or commands—it was entirely handled by Mei Qing. Yet Zhang Liusun still feigned exhaustion, truly capable of deceiving the dead back to life.
Seeing this, Xu Fu’s face showed a faint smile, and he mockingly remarked, “Kid, still trying to hold on? Earlier, with your underhanded tricks, you might have gained a few advantages. But when it comes to an outright contest of skill, what advantage do you have left?”
Zhang Liusun remained silent, his hand seals becoming even more intricate.
Mei Qing inwardly calculated that Zhang Liusun’s reason for betting on this game was simply to seek survival in desperation. He certainly wouldn’t want to fight Xu Fu to the death. His ultimate goal was simply to escape unscathed. If he could also pressure Xu Fu into conceding defeat and revealing the refining method, that would be a pleasant bonus.
However, Zhang Liusun’s escape would not be good news for Mei Qing. Now that the man had realized Mei Qing was not his split soul, once out of this prison, there would be no pleasant outcome for Mei Qing.
Therefore, for his own safety, Mei Qing needed to find a balance between the two, striving to survive in the cracks between them. However, one side regarded him as a clone, while the other coveted the cauldron within him. No matter how he calculated, he couldn’t feel safe.
Thus, for his own sake, Mei Qing had no choice but to entangle both sides, taking advantage of their mutual fears to gain benefits.
The game had gradually entered its middle phase.
Although Xu Fu still appeared calm and composed, his moves had begun to slow, and the bronze figure’s actions were no longer as effortless as at the beginning. Occasionally, when engaging Mei Qing directly, he focused more on his own placement rather than spending extra effort to obstruct Mei Qing.
As for Zhang Liusun, his fatigue was even more apparent, though how much of it was genuine and how much was feigned remained unclear.
As for Mei Qing, he was now holding on purely through sheer determination.
By this point, hundreds of moves had been played. Each calculation and placement required immense mental and spiritual energy. Among the three, Mei Qing’s cultivation was the weakest, and he had been completely unfamiliar with this celestial game. Therefore, these calculations were especially difficult for him. Although he had been observant at the beginning, as the situation grew increasingly complex, each move now required repeated calculations of the formation’s transformations before he could finally place the piece at the position specified by Zhang Liusun.
Zhang Liusun’s pieces were formed just like the earlier palm lightning demonstration with the Five Elements Beads. Mei Qing, placing these pieces, had nearly exhausted his spiritual energy. He feared that a few more moves would leave him unable to continue.
Yet Zhang Liusun, who should clearly have been aware of Mei Qing’s condition, showed no sign of intending to support him, pretending not to notice while continuing to ponder deeply.
Mei Qing felt somewhat surprised. After all, since he occupied a crucial role in their combined plan, Zhang Liusun shouldn’t have allowed him to reach a point of exhaustion. If Mei Qing made a mistake at this critical moment, wouldn’t the entire advantageous situation be lost? Could Zhang Liusun really be willing to concede defeat and hand over his cultivation method?
In Mei Qing’s view, Zhang Liusun always acted based on self-interest. He would never engage in endeavors without benefit. Since he had gone to such lengths to pressure Xu Fu into this game, he certainly wouldn’t want a passive outcome.
Then… Mei Qing suddenly considered a possibility that startled him.
Zhang Liusun was not unable to assist—he simply had no intention of doing so. In other words, if Mei Qing truly reached the point of complete exhaustion, that would likely be exactly what Zhang Liusun wished to see.
Once Zhang Liusun doubted that Mei Qing’s soul was not his own, he would naturally consider reclaiming Mei Qing’s body with minimal loss. To achieve this, the simplest method would be to weaken Mei Qing’s consciousness significantly, then seize the opportunity when Mei Qing was weakest.
Thus, when Mei Qing reached the point of total depletion, Zhang Liusun would naturally seize the perfect moment. If he acted decisively and forcibly took over the body, the subsequent match would no longer be critical. If luck was on his side and Mei Qing lasted long enough to keep Xu Fu occupied, that would be ideal. Even if Mei Qing fell early and Zhang Liusun had to take over the body prematurely to face Xu Fu alone, regardless of the outcome, successfully reclaiming the clone would already be a worthwhile outcome.
After the game ended, as long as Zhang Liusun conceded defeat, at most he would lose a cultivation method. Then, by threatening mutual destruction, he could naturally escape the cauldron and slowly refine Mei Qing’s residual consciousness, merging his soul with the physical body.
At that point, even if he faced Xu Fu again, there would be nothing to fear.
If Zhang Liusun had indeed devised this plan after entering the cauldron, adapting swiftly to the changing situation, then his scheming mind was truly profound.
Even though Mei Qing now considered this possibility, he still had no effective countermeasure.
If he rebelled now, aside from not knowing whether Xu Fu would help him, even if Xu Fu did assist, escaping Zhang Liusun’s grasp only to fall into Xu Fu’s hands might lead to an even worse fate.
Zhang Liusun might still spare his life out of some lingering hope, but Xu Fu would likely extract the cauldron from his body immediately and dissect him into eight pieces for study.
If he didn’t resist, his spiritual energy and consciousness would eventually deplete completely, leaving him completely at their mercy, utterly defenseless.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage