sinovels Chapter 121 Chess Game
Chapter 121 Chess Game
Chapter 121 Chess Game
Li Qingyi sat quietly at the desk, her elbows resting on the cold surface, her palm supporting half of her cheek.
The slanting sunlight streamed through the wooden window, slicing out distinct areas on his face.
Half of his face was bathed in golden light, revealing every detail.
The other half was hidden in the deep shadows, its features blurred, only its eyes were clearly visible.
A series of unexpected events caught even the composed Li Qingyi somewhat off guard.
Why was Xi Yue's disguise exposed at the last moment? What exactly is so special about Ling'er's so-called bloodline and metal nature?
Why did Zhang Zhiqing choose this moment to attain enlightenment? What is Ling'er's current situation at the Zhengyang Immortal Sect? Whom can I truly trust?
Five questions in a row left him completely disoriented.
The clamor of the brothel outside the window faintly reached my ears, but now it sounded particularly unreal.
"This is even more brain-burning than playing Werewolf—" He smirked.
In the world of cultivation, there are no fixed identities, no clear order of speaking; every step can determine life or death, and the opponent—
They were all beings several levels above him, transcendent beings.
Li Qingyi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the cool air rushed into her lungs, slightly suppressing the restlessness in her heart.
When she opened her eyes again, the turmoil in her eyes had mostly subsided.
He began to dissect the chaotic game like a seasoned chess player, analyzing and replaying each move.
The moment their deception was exposed, the cave trembled violently, and then a vast aura, as mighty as the heavens, spread out—
Yes, perhaps the moment that aura descended, they realized that they had failed.
Could the "golden nature" that the royal family and the Zhao family are plotting have some connection with the Golden Elixir of Enlightenment?
By sending Ling'er back to the Zhengyang Immortal Sect safely, a move that seemed to disrupt the other party's plan, unexpectedly benefited Zhang Zhiqing.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiqing's words resurfaced in his mind: "—If it weren't for your unexpected help, young friend, I would have no hope of achieving the Golden Core in this life—so I ask you, young friend, to ascend to paradise forever."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Thinking of this scene, Li Qingyi was so angry that she laughed.
"I helped you reach the Golden Core stage, and you wiped me out completely with a wave of your hand. You've settled this karmic debt cleanly."
"I'll remember this grudge!"
An unnamed fire rose in my chest.
This is no longer a simple case of repaying kindness with enmity, but rather a kind of indifference that looks down on all living beings as worthless weeds.
Golden Core True Monarch — Is this how a Golden Core True Monarch views the world?
What left Li Qingyi speechless was that the other party had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to the Zhao family to kill him.
In a single step, one can traverse most of the Xuan Kingdom, arriving in an instant and accurately finding oneself.
This power was completely beyond his comprehension.
Li Qingyi realized that sending Ling'er back to the Zhengyang Immortal Sect was not a viable option.
"When Ling'er returns to the Zhengyang Immortal Sect, a Golden Core True Monarch will appear. The first thing Zhang Zhiqing does after attaining the Golden Core stage is to come and kill me? Isn't that absurd?"
The simulation also revealed another key piece of information.
Ling'er has a tracking technique planted by Zhao Jingci.
This means that their actions, at least Ling'er's every move, were under the other party's surveillance.
Zhao Jingci later misjudged his own disguise, whether it was due to an invisible influence from a higher level of power.
A chilling thought suddenly flashed through my mind:
Could it be that I am currently under the sight of a Golden Core True Monarch? This—shouldn't be?
After thinking about it, he felt it was unlikely.
Not at all—what kind of existence is a Golden Core True Monarch? How could he possibly pay attention to a minor character like me who is only at the Qi Refining stage all the time?
Their self-illumination should be focused on Ling'er, who possesses the "metal element".
Otherwise, if I had been offering advice from the sidelines, I probably would have been eliminated long ago. Or is it that—my status as a Golden Core cultivator's disciple saved my life?
Upon reflection, Li Qingyi realized that the intimidating power of this title was greater than she had imagined.
Does that mean that I have much more room to maneuver than I imagined?
Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Li Qingyi's eyes regained their clarity.
Based on what happened in the simulation, Li Qingyi could already deduce most of Ling'er's fate.
"The metal element—it plays such an important role in the formation of the Golden Elixir?"
A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. "Why doesn't the royal family leave such a precious item to a True Person who has already broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, such as Li Changqing?"
Instead, they're going to go to all that trouble to shift the blame onto Crown Prince Li Xuance? Li Xuance—he seems to be only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, right?
Li Qingyi couldn't figure it out for a moment. As she pondered, another question arose: "Why did Master Minghao choose to go into seclusion at such a crucial time? Was it a coincidence, or—was he also set up?"
This thought sent a chill down Li Qingyi's spine.
If even a Purple Mansion True Person from their own sect could become a target of scheming, then the internal workings of the Zhengyang Immortal Sect are probably more terrifying than imagined.
"Perhaps, when True Immortal Minghao found Ling'er by chance back then, it was not an accident at all, but a move that the Zhengyang Immortal Sect had already made long ago."
Similar to the Zhao family's aim, they used Ling'er's special abilities to nurture her destiny, ultimately benefiting their sect and fulfilling someone's wishes.
Once the mind is opened, many seemingly isolated events are connected by an invisible thread.
The Xuan Kingdom royal family, the Zhengyang Immortal Sect, and the Zhao family —
This is now a contest between three powerful forces, both openly and covertly.
wrong----
Zhao Mengxi once said that she could take Ling'er away from the Zhao family.
That means there is another powerful clan.
Are there more experts?
Li Qingyi herself was taken aback by the complexity of the situation.
Ling'er's golden nature has become an irresistible lure to attract all sorts of powerful figures.
"Wait—where does Ling'er's golden nature come from? Is it innate? Or is it a gift of destiny?"
Li Qingyi would never believe it, not even if you beat her to death.
In the world of cultivation, especially at the level involving the Golden Core Dao, there is absolutely no such thing as chance.
"Could it be that from the very beginning, Ling'er was a bait deliberately thrown out by some unimaginable supreme being? Using the element of metal to stir up trouble and achieve some deeper purpose?"
Li Qingyi murmured, "So, does that mean Ling'er's supposed destined person is also nonsense? Fake—all fake. It's all a setup—these high-level cultivators are too ruthless!"
Li Qingyi shook her head, suppressing these miscellaneous thoughts, and turned to thinking about how to conduct the next simulation.
Just then, the simulator's reward screen appeared.
Simulation complete, rewards settled —
[Reward 1: Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation, after extraction, break through to Qi Refining Level 9.]
Reward 2: Pressure Resistance. After extraction, you will have a slight resistance to the pressure of the Purple Mansion.
Reward Three: Unknown Cause and Effect. After extraction, you will gain an unknown cause and effect with a certain being. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and there may be unexpected surprises or unexpected frights.
Reward Four: Extracting Ling'er's thoughts and ideas will give you a comprehensive understanding of her.
Li Qingyi pursed her lips.
Does he seem serious?
Li Qingyi immediately rejected reward four, feeling that the system was playing a joke on him.
Unknown cause and effect —
Li Qingyi frowned.
A blind box of cause and effect? A symbiotic relationship between fortune and misfortune?
Given his current bad luck, which seems to bring him misfortune wherever he goes, the probability of him getting good fortune is probably extremely low.
More likely, it will connect to an extremely troublesome person or event, or even directly attract attention from higher levels.
To be on the safe side, it's best to avoid it.
My gaze shifted upwards, leaving only Reward One and Reward Two.
"Resistance to pressure," he murmured repeatedly.
The name of the reward has a gamified feel to it.
Li Qingyi guessed that it was probably a special gain from directly facing the pressure of the Golden Core cultivator during the simulation.
To what extent can one resist the pressure of the Purple Mansion?
From "completely unable to move" to "barely able to move"?
The difference between these two things could be the difference between life and death, and the difference could be the difference between life and death.
Li Qingyi wondered, if she could barely move during the last simulation, would she be able to escape?
He shook his head. Running away didn't seem to make much difference, since Zhang Zhiqing had already locked onto him.
But what if we don't face the Golden Core True Monarch?
If we consider only the Purple Mansion, by taking advantage of Xi Yue's backup plan to escape, he might be able to save his life.
Even if you can't escape, you can still use the Netherworld God-Slaying Talisman to disgust your opponent before you die, no.
It has value.
Thinking of this, Li Qingyi couldn't help but laugh.
His gaze finally settled on reward one.
Cultivation is fundamental; it is the basis for employing all methods.
Refining Qi to the ninth level means having more profound magical power and a more refined spiritual consciousness, which will enhance the power of activating talismans and unleashing sword techniques.
More importantly, we are one step closer to the mysterious threshold of Foundation Establishment.
Just as Li Qingyi was weighing her options, a detail from the simulation suddenly came to mind. When Li Changqing suspected Zhao Jingci of betrayal, his first reaction was to protect himself behind him.
Protecting behind —
Li Qingyi keenly noticed this subtle difference.
Was it to repay a favor for exposing the conspiracy of the Youyue Kingdom, or something else?
He then realized that Li Changqing had shown him no hostility whatsoever since he saw his true face.
Moreover—the way he looked at me didn't seem like he was looking at a stranger.
An extremely bold idea popped into my head.
Could I also have some kind of connection with the Xuan Kingdom's royal family?
Am I also a pawn that has been placed in advance? A bait to lure an even bigger fish?
Considering Ling'er's experiences, this possibility is not zero.
He had already experienced firsthand the depth of these high-level cultivators' schemes and the darkness of their hearts.
When did I become bait? Was it from the moment Zhou Chuan took me away?
Shaking her head, Li Qingyi felt something was amiss again.
If it were from that time onwards, during the Qin clan's time, the royal family should have intervened.
From Li Changqing's change in attitude, Li Qingyi could easily tell that the other party probably knew something.
As for whether he might be a prince of the Xuan Kingdom.
Li Qingyi thought it was unlikely.
While in Yishan City, I heard from the city lord that the emperor was searching for his lost prince.
Having appeared in Xuan Ce City for so long, if it were true, the royal family, with their capabilities, would not be unable to find him.
If you weren't approached, it means you're not the one.
"Could it be that the royal family and Tingyu Pavilion have some shady dealings going on?"
Clang—!
Just as my thoughts were becoming increasingly chaotic.
A clear and melodious sword cry resounded from my heart, sweeping away all distracting thoughts.
His gaze instantly sharpened.
"Whether it is or not is not important right now!" he muttered to himself. "What is important is that I can use this connection to treat Li Changqing as a protective charm."
Suddenly, my mind cleared up.
It's pointless to dwell on whether you're a pawn or not. Before you're strong enough to jump off the board, the key to survival and breaking the deadlock lies in utilizing every rule on the board.
His gaze finally settled on the first reward.
"I choose one!"