Chapter 107: Life Is Like a Game of Chess

Dahuan Mountain.

Jiang Min had been contemplating for three days and three nights. She had mentally transformed into a white piece, analyzing the board’s momentum over and over, yet she dared not make the first move.

A chess game consists of three stages: the opening, the midgame, and the endgame. This remnant game had already passed the opening and reached the midgame, where the black stones held the upper hand and the white stones were at a disadvantage.

How severe was this disadvantage? The white stones were gasping for breath; any move she made would lead to being surrounded and slaughtered by the black pieces, losing several stones and falling into an even deeper abyss. Within the board, countless deceptive traps were hidden—paths that looked like a glimmer of survival were, in reality, traps leading to eternal ruin.

Thus, Jiang Min hesitated, unable to place her first stone. After all, she had seen many cultivators depart in regret, signaling that she was granted only one chance to play; there was no turning back once a piece was placed. During this period of deduction, her spiritual consciousness had improved significantly. Within her sea of consciousness, the celestial phenomena were distinct, with the sun and moon in rotation, nearing the realm of perfection.

"This game, with its poor opening, has resulted in danger and obstacles at every turn. Is there truly no glimmer of survival?" she wondered. "Or perhaps... should I sacrifice some white stones to counter-attack the black?"

Jiang Min reached a deadlock. Simply, she let her consciousness drift away from the white stones to overlook the board from above. After observing for a moment, she suddenly felt the game was somewhat familiar. It was like... her own past! It reminded her of the insignificant self who walked out of the tiny Weishui Village to venture into the vast world. Compared to other cultivators, she lacked power and influence, starting from behind with mediocre talent—just like the opening of this game, where a mess of poor moves had been played. No matter which step she took, it seemed to lead to total destruction.

Perhaps, when Li Mao had ambushed her, she should have died. Perhaps, when Lin Mingyue had struck, she should have been powerless to retaliate. Perhaps, while traversing the outside world and encountering powerful cultivators, she had already died countless times...

So, where was the path to survival?

A thought flickered in Jiang Min’s mind. For the first time in three days, she placed the first white stone.

"Retreat."

In a corner heavily surrounded by black stones, she retreated one step and played her first move.

*Boom!*

Within the world of the chessboard, a giant white piece descended, landing in a corner of the board.

In an instant, the white stones, which had previously been cornered, though huddled in one area and appearing cowardly and retreating, had come alive!

"Heh, this move is just like the year I entered the sect. I hid away on Liuyun Peak, not daring to go anywhere. But that period of learning to read with Senior Sister Ming actually gave me a moment to breathe, allowing me to quickly open my spiritual apertures and step onto the path of cultivation." Jiang Min recalled the past, feeling a sense of poignancy.

Indeed, after she made this move, the black stones did not press further but turned to play elsewhere. Her move had created two "eyes" for her, leaving the black stones with no place to enter.

Following this, she made a strange move. Instead of continuing to fight the black stones, she jumped away and played in an empty space. Upon seeing this, the black stones blocked the connection between that white piece and the others, beginning to surround and kill the white stones one by one. The white stones acted like a fool, easily manipulated by the black, occasionally capturing a stone or two as if their life and death were entirely at the whim of the black stones. It seemed that in a few more moves, the black stones would completely consume them.

Just as the black stones were about to finish off the white, Jiang Min placed another piece. In an instant, the situation reversed; the black stones were left with only one breath remaining!

The black stones, in disarray, could only play elsewhere. Jiang Min then placed a white stone, capturing all the black pieces that had been surrounding her. That earlier "jump" had actually been a feint—she had disguised herself as foolish and weak, only to play the pig to eat the tiger.

"I have no power or backing; I don't have the capital to collide head-on with the powerful. Only by playing the fool and growing quietly can I eventually counter-attack Qi Yan, Jiang Ziyi... and the others one by one."

"The situation is finally much better," Jiang Min thought, her eyes curving into a smile.

Now, on the board, the white stones were evenly matched with the black. The suffocating sense of despair from the beginning, where every move led to ruin, was gone. However, in the center of the board, most of the white stones were still within the encirclement of the black. She was now in a chase with the black stones, seeing who would have the last laugh.

Jiang Min looked at the piece she had just placed, beginning to chase the black stones across the center of the board. She fled, and the black stones pursued. She fled again, and they pursued again. Her tail had been eaten by the black, and the road ahead was fraught with danger. She remained constantly on the verge of being captured, and the black stones needed only one more move to extinguish her last breath or force her into a dead end, leaving her entire force wiped out.

Just as the black stones were about to force her into a dead end, she found several white stones waiting for her ahead—the very pieces she had left behind during her earlier counter-attack. As she reached them, the victory was sealed.

*Whoosh!*

As Jiang Min placed the piece, a great wind rose in this inner world of the chessboard. A tall, ethereal figure emerged above the massive board, wearing a long, flowing gown of pale yellow with cascading hair like a waterfall reaching the ground. Although her face was obscured, she could be seen bowing her head, savoring the game below.

"Your solution is quite unique—not trading life for life, but preserving oneself with wisdom..."

The woman's voice was distant and ethereal, as if it came from all directions; clearly, she was the owner of this game. While she was affirming Jiang Min's method, there was a hint of melancholy and regret in her tone—though what she regretted, one could not know.

"Greetings, Senior," Jiang Min said, paying her respects.

The figure contemplated the board for a long time before saying softly, "Your solution has untied my heart's knot; I shall grant you a fortune."

The figure waved her sleeve.

*Whoosh!*

An extraordinarily profound and majestic Daoist resonance descended from the void onto Jiang Min’s head, washing over her body from the Baihui acupoint. As the Daoist resonance descended, miraculous phenomena unfolded; flowers fell from the sky and Daoist lotuses swayed around Jiang Min, though they were fortunately shielded by the formation she had set up beforehand, so no one saw.

These resonances were ever-changing and magnificent. Much of it was beyond Jiang Min's current cultivation to comprehend, but the most direct effect was a earth-shattering transformation in her sea of consciousness, and the Dao seed in her Dantian became increasingly solid.

When the resonance faded, Jiang Min’s consciousness was clearer than it had ever been. Looking inward, she saw that the world within her sea of consciousness had seemingly ascended; it was shrouded in immortal mist, filled with brilliant phenomena, and glowing with a radiant light, as if a celestial paradise had been born. The Jade Hut within that world had transformed into a golden celestial palace, with carved beams and painted pillars, resembling the legendary White Jade Capital of the immortal realm.

"This... this is no longer the world within the hut as described in the *Classic of the Divine Jade Hut*!" Jiang Min was slightly stunned.

She did not know the state of her current spiritual consciousness, but seeing these extraordinary signs, she vaguely guessed that her spiritual cultivation had likely far surpassed that of other cultivators at the same level!

Jiang Min stood up and bowed solemnly toward the ancient chessboard on the cliff.

"Thank you, Senior, for the gift."

She thanked this ancient one for bestowing upon her a great fortune. She also thanked her for helping her understand that the game is like life, and life is like a game.

"This path of chess is quite interesting. Tasting the game allows one to observe the Great Dao, and acting in the world is like playing a game of chess." Jiang Min looked up at the cliff, reflecting on the game she had just played, and couldn't help but think: "I wonder, can those white stones that counter-attacked the black finally wrap things up?"

She had been in the Foundation Establishment stage for some time now. With her Dao foundation solidified and worldly affairs concluded, it was time to return to the sect, find a clear path for herself, and begin the formal training of the Foundation Establishment stage. Everything she had done in the past had been paving the way for this day.

Jiang Min raised her hand, about to withdraw the surrounding formation.

As her pupils slightly constricted, a figure slowly stepped into the range of the formation, making a polite gesture of invitation.

"Little friend, please forgive the intrusion. Would you care for a game?"