As if anticipating what Wei Yuan wanted to ask, Feng Chutang said, "Ji Liuli was just here."
Wei Yuan was suddenly at a loss for words.
Feng Chutang let out a long sigh and said, "Before she succeeded, everyone called her foolish. And now? With a single stroke, she has shocked the entire world! Now I find myself regretting it. Why didn't I persevere a little longer back then? Perhaps today would have been different."
Wei Yuan said gingerly, "Martial Uncle, your dharma idol is already formidable. Even if it can't compare to Eldest Senior Sister's, it's no great matter. At the very least, it's still second..."
As he said this, Wei Yuan hesitated slightly. After all, Bao Yun's Heavenly Demon Marvelous Form Seven Marvels Treasure Tree was bizarre, unpredictable, and of immense status, having already surpassed her original Seven Marvels Treasure Tree.
Feng Tingyu's dharma idol seemed ordinary and devoid of flashy displays, but its ability to isolate perception was a property that reached directly toward the Great Dao. Moreover, her dharma idol and combat techniques complemented each other seamlessly. Wei Yuan had experienced it firsthand—once enveloped by that patch of blackness, no amount of cries to heaven or earth would bring any answer.
Thus, Feng Chutang's Eight Directions Formation Spirit dharma idol might not truly hold second place.
Feng Chutang gave a self-deprecating smile. "Second? Isn't that just the biggest loser?"
For a moment, Wei Yuan had no idea how to reply.
Feng Chutang said, "Back when I gave up on cultivating an invincible Dao heart, I had already withdrawn from competing with them. So it's only natural that I cannot beat her now. I just didn't expect to lose quite so miserably."
Wei Yuan said, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in battle. Who doesn't lose the occasional duel? Take me when fighting wars, for instance... er, I suppose I haven't lost yet..."
Feng Chutang snapped in annoyance, "Go check on your teacher first! Ji Liuli has already gone looking for her."
Wei Yuan was greatly alarmed. "What is she looking for Teacher for? Teacher has only just established her Dao Foundation!"
"The two of them have plenty of ways to compete without using cultivation."
Shocked, Wei Yuan immediately rushed toward Zhang Sheng's secluded cultivation grounds. Zhang Sheng's seclusion was quite simple: it was merely in the small courtyard where she usually resided, where closing the meditation room's door was all it took.
When Wei Yuan arrived, he saw that the one Dharma Idol cultivator and four Dao Foundation cultivators he had stationed there as guards were all lying on the ground, neatly arranged in a straight row. The crux was that Wei Yuan had not sensed anything amiss from them at all; they had simply failed to send back any reports.
Wei Yuan burst into the courtyard and saw Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli sitting opposite each other in the main hall, engaged in a game of go.
Catching sight of Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng waved a hand, her fingertips tracing ripples of light in the sunshine. "You've arrived just in time. This woman overestimates herself and insisted on challenging this master's greatest strength. Your go skills were all taught by me. Come over here and let her understand what true skill looks like."
Feeling somewhat apprehensive, Wei Yuan said, "Uh, this disciple might not be up to the task."
"It doesn't matter. You don't need a landslide victory in this game; winning by three points will suffice."
Wei Yuan bowed toward Ji Liuli and asked, "May I?"
Staring at the board without lifting her head, Ji Liuli replied, "It's the same no matter who plays."
Deeply admiring Ji Liuli's audacity, Wei Yuan sat down across from her and examined the board.
The game had just entered the middlegame, and Zhang Sheng was already at a clear disadvantage. After inspecting the positions, Wei Yuan focused his thoughts. A moment later, the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World presented three options, labeled Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and so on, based on recommendation.
Wei Yuan naturally had no intention of making things hard on himself, so he chose the Grade A option with every turn. After a dozen moves, he had pulled the situation back to even.
Ji Liuli finally raised her head, giving Wei Yuan a penetrating look. Immediately, an exquisite seven-colored radiance began to surface across her body. The light flowed like rippling water, but in truth, it was flickering at an extraordinarily high frequency.
Then, she placed a stone down, instantly setting off a massive uproar within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World! Rarely had the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World encountered a countermove that was also rated as a Grade A choice. The last time this had happened was against a national grandmaster like Canglongshi.
The seven-colored light flowing over Ji Liuli moved faster and faster, and Wei Yuan's Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World also began to boil, continually mobilizing more and more people to join in analyzing this single game of go.
Every countermove Ji Liuli played was lethal. Wei Yuan's placements had grown thoroughly eccentric, yet Ji Liuli refused to follow standard patterns as well. Every move of hers was wild and unconstrained, matching Wei Yuan's style with uncanny synergy.
In the blink of an eye, both sides were locked in close-quarters slaughter, and the flames of battle flared across every corner of the board. If Canglongshi and his peers were to see this contest, they would surely exclaim that a new masterpiece had been born to the world.
The two of them fought all the way to the endgame in a single breath, still locked in an inseparable struggle. But in the end, Ji Liuli made two minor blunders and miscalculated in a few spots, ultimately suffering defeat.
Having played this game, Wei Yuan could see it clearly: Ji Liuli had invoked her Linglong True Intent, vastly accelerating her divine sense's processing speed, calculating thousands or tens of thousands of steps in an instant before responding—broadly similar to Wei Yuan's Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
However, the Linglong True Intent was Ji Liuli's personal capability, whereas the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World relied on the simultaneous division of labor and collaboration of tens of thousands of mortals. In that sense, Ji Liuli's genuine go skill was already at the level of a national grandmaster, while Wei Yuan, without the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, was merely a terrible amateur.
"I lost," Ji Liuli admitted straightforwardly. Then, turning to Zhang Sheng, she added, "I will come back for you."
"You are welcome anytime."
Ji Liuli nodded, and her figure vanished.
Wei Yuan asked, "Why did Eldest Senior Sister come looking for you?"
Zhang Sheng said calmly, "She simply wanted to witness my new Dao path and exchange some insights, that is all."
Afterward, stating that she needed to resume her secluded cultivation and could not fool around with Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng shooed him out.
Still somewhat uneasy, Wei Yuan went to Ding'an City to look around. He found that Bao Yun was still in closed-door cultivation, and Ji Liuli had not disturbed her. It seemed that although Eldest Senior Sister had entered a state of cultivation obsession, she still maintained a sense of propriety.
Wei Yuan made a circuit through Qingming, only to discover that both Sun Yu and Yu Zhizhuo were somewhat distracted and out of sorts. When he asked them about it, neither was willing to say a word.
Old Daoist Chuhe was as cheerful as ever, though he had not prepared a hot pot today; instead, he had sliced up some fresh medicinal herbs and arranged them on a platter. Xu Wenwu was sleeping in the inner room. Seeing that everything appeared normal, Wei Yuan prepared to leave.
As he was heading out the door, Wei Yuan felt a sudden prick of intuition. Looking up, he saw that in the large tree above, the flying sable was firmly tied to a branch. The rope binding it was a snake, and the flying sable's tail had been tied into a knot with a cat's tail, leaving the cat dangling in midair.
Wei Yuan was shocked and hurried to rescue them, but Old Daoist Chuhe caught hold of him, murmuring, "You must not save them!"
"Why not?" Wei Yuan was utterly baffled.
Perfected Chuhe said, "Ji Liuli was here just now. These three brothers of mine had a difference of opinion with her regarding their cultivation paths, so they came to blows, and this was the result. Ji Liuli said they must remain tied up for a full twelve double-hours before they can be taken down. If it's short by even a minute, they'll get another beating."
Caught between laughter and tears, Wei Yuan said, "I'd better let them down. What sort of spectacle is this?"
To his surprise, the cat waved a paw, indicating that this kitty was currently tempering its dharma body and could only finish after twelve full double-hours, so Wei Yuan shouldn't meddle in what wasn't his business.
From that, Wei Yuan knew they must have taken quite a severe thrashing.
With the staunch opposition of the three brothers Old Daoist Chuhe had spoken of, Wei Yuan could only leave them be. By now, Wei Yuan understood: Ji Liuli was out to re-establish her authority as Eldest Senior Sister. As for how she would establish that authority, it was simple: by pummeling them one by one. By suppressing all who were dissatisfied, she was the Eldest Senior Sister.
Wei Yuan had no intention of stopping her either; this could be considered a time-honored tradition of the Palace of Grand Beginning. With that, he flew off toward Feng Chutang's residence. The design blueprints for the Creation Pool had always given Wei Yuan an odd feeling, so he planned to use the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World to lighten Feng Chutang's burden a bit.
Just as Wei Yuan took flight, he suddenly halted. Ji Liuli had blocked his path. "The number one dharma idol in Qingming might very well be yours. Come, let me test your mettle!"
Wei Yuan had no desire to invite suffering upon himself and refused immediately.
Ji Liuli then said, "If you win, I'll let you see the paid content."
In an instant, Wei Yuan's fighting spirit surged to the skies!
Chapter 679