Mei Qing’s heart was shaken violently, causing his movements to slow involuntarily. Although Zhang Liusun had told Mei Qing where to place his next move, Mei Qing’s actions inevitably slowed, and after several breaths, he still hadn’t begun calculating where to place his piece.
This situation alerted not only Zhang Liusun but also caused Xu Fu to frown.
“Little Zhang? What are you doing now? Hehe, if you feel you can’t continue, just surrender and admit defeat. Why drag things out like this? Who plays chess this way?” Xu Fu mocked.
Zhang Liusun snorted and replied, “Hmph, old weirdo Xu, what’s the point of playing with you if it doesn’t require any real effort? I’m just finding it so easy playing against you that I’ve become too relaxed!”
Mei Qing’s mind stirred, finally realizing that in the immortal art of Go, besides skill and technique in placing the stones, the depth of one’s spiritual energy and the endurance of one’s vital energy were also essential factors in the contest. Naturally unwilling to allow Zhang Liusun to lose so easily, Mei Qing quickly followed Zhang’s cue and placed the stone on the board, though his mind was already forming other plans.
In that case, he might just have an opportunity. Mei Qing decided that each time before placing a stone, he would slightly display signs of his spiritual energy weakening—not enough to suggest it was nearly depleted, but enough to make Zhang Liusun feel compelled to assist him, whether he wanted to or not.
After several moves, Mei Qing indeed acted according to his plan. When Zhang Liusun instructed him where to place the stone, Mei Qing deliberately delayed slightly, feigning incomplete recovery. However, just before Xu Fu could frown and speak out again, he resumed his move, leaving the opponent with nothing to say.
Thus, every few moves, Mei Qing would intentionally pause briefly, pretending to be struggling to recover. Xu Fu grew increasingly annoyed, believing Zhang Liusun was merely stalling to regain his spiritual energy. Zhang Liusun, feeling helpless, assumed Mei Qing was genuinely weakening and didn’t want to be scolded by Xu Fu mid-game, potentially jeopardizing their mission. Therefore, when Mei Qing once again displayed signs of hesitation, Zhang felt his spiritual energy stir involuntarily, and indeed, he had no choice but to secretly channel his spiritual energy to support Mei Qing.
In reality, Mei Qing was nowhere near as weak as he appeared. His spiritual awareness was vastly superior to ordinary people, and his spiritual energy was also exceptionally robust. The reason he could deceive both of them was partly due to his own skill and partly due to luck.
In addition to the Tian师 Sect’s talisman arrays, Mei Qing’s foundation was rooted in the Divine Thunder Cultivation method of the Shenzhou Sect, which coincidentally resonated with Zhang Liusun’s own cultivation. However, what Zhang Liusun did not fully comprehend was Mei Qing’s mastery of the Huayan Sect’s techniques.
The Huayan Sect was an orthodox Buddhist sect whose cultivation methods focused solely on mental cultivation, differing greatly from Daoist practices. Although Zhang Liusun harbored some suspicions, he had little understanding of how these methods were actually applied.
Moreover, Mei Qing had always practiced the art of influencing others’ minds, and with his strong willpower, he was particularly adept at affecting others’ perceptions. Although both Zhang and Xu were extraordinary experts with cultivation far surpassing Mei Qing’s, during their intense battle, neither had guarded against this aspect of Mei Qing. Thus, they were completely deceived by his ruse.
Internally rejoicing, Mei Qing focused his mind, expanded the Huayan mental cultivation technique, and on one hand calmly accepted Zhang Liusun’s spiritual energy, while subtly influencing the two combatants. As expected, the two became increasingly immersed in their battle, completely unaware that Mei Qing’s body showed no signs of depletion—he was merely pretending.
Zhang Liusun, however, was secretly growing anxious. Originally, he had calculated that if he and Mei Qing could work together effectively, combining their strengths, they would have a good chance of exhausting Xu Fu and ultimately defeating him. If that failed, at the very least, Mei Qing’s spiritual awareness would be severely weakened, allowing Zhang to take over his body and do as he pleased.
However, Mei Qing’s performance far exceeded his expectations. Despite the immense strain, Mei Qing’s spiritual awareness remained strong, while Zhang’s own spiritual energy was being consumed at an alarming rate, making recovery increasingly difficult.
This unexpected situation caught Zhang Liusun off guard. If he forcibly took over Mei Qing’s body now, Mei Qing’s strong spiritual awareness would inevitably lead to a fierce struggle. Being inside the cauldron itself would further restrict Zhang’s abilities. Even if he succeeded, the cost would be enormous, and Xu Fu might detect the disturbance, leaving Zhang with no advantage while benefiting Xu Fu instead.
If he ignored the situation, it wouldn’t be long before their moves began to falter, leading to a mid-game surrender. Not only would they lose to Xu Fu, but Mei Qing would also grow suspicious of him, which would be detrimental to future plans.
After much deliberation, Zhang Liusun could only decide to send more spiritual energy to Mei Qing whenever he sensed the latter’s strength waning, hoping to offer some support. Fortunately, the earlier depletion had not been too severe, and he could still barely manage.
At this point, the game was gradually approaching its end. The closer they came to the final stages, the greater the pressure of calculations became. Naturally, both Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun grew increasingly strained. Xu Fu, who was simultaneously calculating the game and controlling the bronze figure, experienced an even more significant drain. He was no longer as relaxed and effortless as he had been at the beginning. His entire body had turned hazy gray, and the circulation of spiritual energy within him was visibly apparent. The bronze figure’s movements had also become increasingly difficult, showing signs of hesitation and delay.
Xu Fu was secretly alarmed, never expecting that this young Zhang Liusun could push him to such a point of exhaustion.
Actually, Xu Fu had considered that Zhang Liusun dared to challenge him with the bronze figure and his doppelgänger because his doppelgänger must possess some special ability to conserve spiritual energy or protect himself. However, Xu Fu was confident in his superior spiritual cultivation compared to Zhang’s. Moreover, being within his own cauldron, he had secret techniques he could employ if the situation became dire, which was why he had accepted the challenge with such confidence.
However, he truly hadn’t anticipated that the opponent could be this resilient. The game hadn’t even reached its conclusion yet, but his spiritual energy was already nearly depleted. Looking at Zhang Liusun, who still appeared as lifeless and unresponsive as at the beginning, Xu Fu couldn’t help but wonder whether that was just an act or if Zhang was genuinely nearing collapse.
After a moment’s thought, Xu Fu finally decided that continuing like this was unsustainable. Seeing that Zhang Liusun remained motionless, seemingly fully immersed in the battle, Xu Fu quietly exhaled and silently recited an incantation while his hand reached into his robe and crushed a strangely colored water orb.
Immediately, a stream of spiritual energy, without any warning, pierced through the water within the cauldron’s belly and silently projected itself into the restricted formation inside.
This technique indeed managed to deceive both Zhang Liusun and Mei Qing, and it was precisely the method Xu Fu had secretly planned to use from the beginning.
After all, a loose immortal usually possesses techniques unknown to ordinary cultivators. However, Xu Fu himself was well aware that although this method could help him recover spiritual energy, it would also result in significant losses.
The reason he could bypass the three restricted formations and channel spiritual energy was because this place was originally where he refined his immortal body. Although a loose immortal wasn’t a true immortal, the body he cultivated was modeled after that of immortals, naturally possessing extraordinary abilities.
Therefore, this spiritual energy was no longer ordinary cultivation energy—it had begun to take on the form of true immortal energy, accumulated over time within the treasure cauldron. Supplementing his energy this way was essentially drawing upon the cauldron’s magical power to replenish himself. This energy had been slowly accumulated within the treasure cauldron over time; even a tiny bit required over a hundred years of refining under normal circumstances.
Thinking of this, Xu Fu couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. However, he soon noticed with surprise that although he had received this spiritual energy supplement, the actual recovery of his energy was far less than expected.
Why was this happening? Xu Fu looked at Zhang Liusun nervously but saw that he remained unchanged, showing no reaction. Mei Qing also sat motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing that the opponent hadn’t detected his underhanded move, Xu Fu felt slightly reassured. Fortunately, although the energy drawn from the cauldron was minimal, it had still restored a bit of his strength. He quickly focused his attention back on the ongoing battle.
What he didn’t know was that on the opposite side, Mei Qing’s body was nearly in chaos.
The reason Xu Fu felt the spiritual energy he had drawn in was insufficient was precisely because the majority had been diverted to Mei Qing.
Xu Fu had been too focused on his own secret cheating to realize that Mei Qing’s body possessed extraordinary characteristics—the smaller cauldron was actually inside Mei Qing himself.
When Xu Fu secretly drew spiritual energy from the main cauldron, it had to pass through three restricted formations. Even though the cauldron was inside his abdomen, it was difficult to fully control. Thus, the spiritual energy naturally gravitated toward the most familiar presence within the formation.
Under normal circumstances, it would have flowed entirely into Xu Fu’s body. However, Mei Qing’s body contained the smaller cauldron, and upon sensing the main cauldron’s energy, it was like meeting a long-lost relative. Therefore, what Xu Fu had painstakingly obtained through great effort and sacrifice was merely a small portion. Most of the spiritual energy had actually flowed into Mei Qing’s body.
Originally, Mei Qing had been receiving occasional support from Zhang Liusun, so he was somewhat prepared for such occurrences. However, recently, Zhang Liusun had also grown increasingly strained, resulting in fewer and fewer supplements being sent his way.
Just at this moment, Mei Qing suddenly felt a massive surge of energy coming from outside, piercing through his body and injecting itself into the cauldron within, overflowing and filling his surroundings, which startled him greatly.
This spiritual energy was pure and harmonious, carrying a sense of familiarity. It flowed effortlessly through Mei Qing’s body, completing a full cycle before returning to the cauldron in his dantian, forming a small vortex of energy.
The small cauldron, after absorbing this spiritual energy, suddenly became lively.
It was as if spring rain had washed away the dust, revealing fresh green leaves, or like a dragon painted on a wall suddenly gaining life through the addition of its eyes. Mei Qing’s internal cauldron seemed to suddenly gain awareness, resonating with the sun and moon of his internal infant, emitting a unique glow. Mei Qing could even feel the cauldron’s excitement after undergoing this transformation.
What was going on here? Could it be that this cauldron was developing consciousness? It was almost laughable—if that were truly the case, wouldn’t that make him the cauldron’s mother? Would he give birth to a cauldron after ten months of pregnancy?
Even more peculiar was that although Mei Qing had carefully concealed this anomaly from both Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu, the bronze figure across from him seemed to sense something. Mei Qing could feel that in the subsequent moves, the already minimal interaction between them completely ceased. Occasionally, when they were in close proximity, Mei Qing felt the bronze figure’s aura had become more familiar and closer.
Carefully suppressing the vibrant vitality pulsing within his body, Mei Qing furiously circulated his spiritual energy and cautiously observed the two opponents. The situation was gradually approaching its decisive moment.
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