CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 473: WORTHY OF YOU (PART 1)

At some point, Ruan Lan had actually given up her video games to watch Xu Lai play Go, her beautiful eyes shining brightly.

Only then did Xu Lai remember that his sister-in-law was a member of the Dongli University Go Club. Hmm... she might even be the next president of the Go Club. The club’s current skill level was coveted by players both domestically and internationally, its prestige at one point rivaling that of the Dongli University Clinic itself.

But as for his sister-in-law’s skill at Go... it’s hard to put into words. Even with a Chess Saint like Xu Lai personally teaching her, her progress crawled at a snail’s pace. She was what one would call a hopeless case at the game, so he simply ignored her "pointers."

Xu Lai continued to place stones on the board, his mind racing with calculations. For this particular endgame, he had even used his Divine Sense to contact Baize, the Divine General. When Baize heard that it was an endgame even The Supreme Emperor couldn’t solve, her interest was clearly piqued, and she began studying it with Xu Lai from afar.

As expected, two heads were better than one. Together, Xu Lai and Baize worked out more than three hundred and ninety different ways to solve the game.

"The Supreme Emperor, the correct solution must be among these," Baize said, her voice returning to its usual detached tone, as if nothing could faze her.

But one by one, every method failed. When the final one failed as well, Baize was stunned. "This shouldn’t be possible... How could this be?"

"Could there be another way?" Baize’s expression grew solemn. Her knowledge of the Star Origin Sect was limited to what ancient texts recorded about the Starlight Array, the "First Great Array of Ancient and Modern Times." She had never expected the Go skills of the Star Origin Sect’s Founding Ancestor to be so profound. Was there truly another way to solve this endgame? For a moment, Baize felt a pang of inferiority. She couldn’t even comprehend her opponent’s moves. She felt unworthy of the title "Chess Saint"!

"The Supreme Emperor, I will study this further," Baize said before closing the Divine Sense connection.

Xu Lai knew she had become stubborn. She would not emerge from her seclusion until she found the correct solution.

Xu Lai sat before the Go board, lost in a daze.

"Brother-in-law, trust me, you should play here." Ruan Lan pointed to a spot with her slender, jade-like finger, her voice edged with anxiety. "This is the right move."

Xu Lai’s voice was heavy. "Go play your games. Don’t disturb me."

"Hmph." Ruan Lan pouted. What an insufferable brother-in-law. This fairy is trying to teach you Go and you still scorn her. "Fine, I’m going to sleep!" his sister-in-law huffed and promptly returned to her room.

After Ruan Lan left, the night grew quiet, and three new potential solutions surfaced in Xu Lai’s mind. He eagerly tested them, but they were all incorrect.

Xu Lai checked the time. It was already two in the morning.

Even as a master of the Emperor Realm, whose skill at Go was matched by only one other in the entire Immortal Domain, Xu Lai still felt his head pound. Go was the art of strategic warfare. It required analyzing every one of the opponent’s moves—which were killing blows, which were bait, and which were decoys meant to mislead. The peril of a Go match was no less than that of a peak battle of Divine Sense! The slightest misstep could lead one to become forever lost on the board, a fate far more terrifying than any physical injury. Even Xu Lai dared not be careless; he had to give it his all.

He held a stone, hesitating for five minutes without making a move. Finally, he let out a soft sigh. "I never knew the Star Origin Sect’s Founding Ancestor possessed such profound mastery on the path of Go. I underestimated him."

Thinking about it, it was understandable. The Game of Go Path and the path of Formations had much in common. The higher one’s skill in Go, the higher their corresponding skill in Formations would be, and vice versa. But for Xu Lai and Baize to have tried nine hundred and ninety-nine methods without a single one being correct... that was terrifying. Two Chess Saints, working together, were still completely clueless about how to solve the endgame. Just who in the world was this Founding Ancestor of the Star Origin Sect!?

"No, wait... Nine is the ultimate number..." Xu Lai’s expression grew even more solemn. Breaking through this limit would be incredibly difficult. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, deciding to rest for the night and study it again in the morning after he had recovered. He had to maintain his respect for a powerful opponent.

Mentally exhausted, Xu Lai returned to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly. This was unusual, as he would normally pull Ruan Tang into his arms before sleeping. It was Ruan Tang who woke up in the middle of the night and, finding that he wasn’t holding her, bit her lip and took the initiative to snuggle up to him herself.

However, the soundly sleeping Xu Lai was completely unaware of what followed.

After returning to her room, Ruan Lan hadn’t gone to sleep. After cracking open her door to confirm the living room was empty, she stealthily crept back downstairs. Looking at the Go board on the table, she sat down with a carefree air, crossed her legs, and let her snow-white calves swing playfully in the air.

"The past is like a dream, gently touching my heart. I couldn’t understand it then, how life’s road could be so hard..." Ruan Lan hummed a little tune, propping her chin with her left hand while her right hand casually dropped a black stone onto the board.

It landed on the very spot she had repeatedly suggested to Xu Lai. According to Xu Lai’s calculations, this move was completely useless. It would even place him in an irrecoverable position. Any competent player would never make such a move, which was why he had dismissed her suggestion.

But... Ruan Lan played it anyway.

The board shimmered, and a white stone abruptly appeared in response. Ruan Lan wasn’t surprised or frightened by this. She had realized while watching Xu Lai that this was a powerful Go board, capable of automatically placing or capturing stones. The white stones were played by the Founding Ancestor of the Star Origin Sect.

If Xu Lai were here, he would be utterly bewildered. Ruan Lan had just made a terrible move. Anyone with even a little skill at Go could have crushed her.

But... the white stone’s response was an even *worse* move!

Looking at where the white stone landed, Ruan Lan’s expression turned exceptionally grave. "A master. This is a true master! To think they anticipated my next move!"

She pondered for a full minute before placing her stone right next to the white one, her eyes glinting with pride. "Hmph, watch me pull the rug out from under you!"

...

Meanwhile, someone else in Haitang Court was still awake: Dragon Spirit Xiao Hai. It stared through the mist at the Go board in the living room, its eyes filled with utter confusion. Go... can it really be played like this?

Just moments ago, when The Supreme Emperor was playing, the board had been fraught with danger and cunning traps, where the slightest mistake would mean losing everything. But now... it was one thing for Ruan Lan to make bad moves, but why was the white side playing just as blindly? What confused Dragon Spirit Xiao Hai most was that the white player was no longer moving with lightning speed as before, but seemed to be hesitating as well.

SNAP.

A minute later, a white stone landed.

"Brilliant!" Ruan Lan slapped her thigh, exclaiming excitedly. "What a move! A Dragon Tail Swing to cut off my escape! Now, watch me pull out your dragon sinew!"

Ruan Lan placed another black stone.

Hmm... still right next to the white one.

Over the next ten minutes, twenty more stones appeared on the board.

If Xu Lai or Baize saw this, they would surely frown. These twenty stones followed no set patterns and adhered to no strategies. They were just... clumped together. Yes, that’s right, simply clumped together!

Twenty black and white stones now filled a four-by-five section of the board, looking as if a three- or five-year-old child had been randomly placing them for fun.

"A true master," Ruan Lan praised again. "To prevent me from capturing even a single stone, they’ve chosen to defend by retreating, just like me. I’m truly impressed."