Chapter 525 One Child (1)

o Yun Sect!”"That doesn't seem to be the case. Regardless of this, your point is that you could open the box because your bloodline originates from the Martial World Holy Land, indicating the Evil Sec...Chapter 525: One Move

"Alright, let's not talk anymore and allow them to focus on their game without any disturbance," Xu Zijing said. It was already a great privilege to be able to watch from the side, and he didn't want to disrupt this match. If they did, it would make them千古罪人 (infamous sinners) in Go circles.

At that moment, Xu Zijing was more worried about Qi Yanran. She didn't care about the situation, but he feared her talking during a critical time. However, he couldn't say anything to Qi Yanran at this point. Could he ask her to leave

This was clearly impossible; they were only able to enter because of Xiao Yao being Qi Yanran's brother. Without Qi Yanran here, it might be difficult for the rest to even get inside.

Xiaofeng might have been present too, but no one would intrude without invitation from both players—it was a sign of respect towards them, not an inability to enter.

Outside there were many influential figures who could easily come in, yet they chose not to out of respect for the match. They preferred waiting rather than disturbing it.

The only one here unconcerned by all this would be Qi Yanran, and her unpredictable nature made it even harder to control; she was Xiao Yao's sister after all, no one could stop her.

To everyone’s surprise, when Xiao Yao began meditating, Qi Yanran sat beside him also in meditation, not uttering a word. The silence felt eerie.

This left Xu Zijing and the others somewhat uncomfortable; why was Qi Yanran so quiet

Actually this wasn’t unusual at all; she had grown used to Xiao Yao's behavior. During his studies or meditation, he completely ignored her presence, and she either chose to leave or join him.

Feeling somewhat tired after days of searching for him, Qi Yanran decided it was time to rest too.

"Alright then, we’ll just wait," Xu Zijing said as he found a place to sit down. The room offered many seating options; naturally these weren't the floor but chairs and other amenities provided. This was an upscale teahouse with top-tier rooms—without such facilities, who would come

Now all they could do was wait quietly for developments in the match. Though they couldn’t speak freely now, it was less restrictive than watching from below. They were willing to endure this restraint just to witness the changes firsthand.

This is what many outside desired as well; like others here, they didn't hold much hope for Xiao Yao’s win, seeing how white pieces were in grave danger while black ones had a significant advantage.

After Chu Xinan made another move, it appeared the white pieces were about to be overwhelmed. Everyone was amazed by this brilliant move and sighed over Xiao Yao's impending loss.

No wonder Chu Xinan is Chu Xinan; he’s no ordinary opponent!

"Hmph, your turn. If I were you, I'd surrender," Chu Xinan looked at Xiao Yao as the latter opened his eyes to examine the board.

Xiao Yao chuckled and said, "You go ahead then. I'll give you face."

"..." Everyone was speechless; how shameless of him to ask for a surrender while claiming he's sparing them dignity.

"Can't you have any shame" Xiaofeng asked Xiao Yao.

"Sure, but if I had no face, how could I see others Can you say the same" Xiao Yao retorted.

"Get lost. You’re different from me; I care about my reputation."

"Didn’t say you didn’t,"

“You…”

"Cough, if you insist on standing your ground, there’s nothing more to be said, carry on," Chu Xinan interrupted their banter, looking arrogantly at Xiao Yao again. He believed victory was imminent; Xiao Yao had no chance.

“Tsk, you’re the one trying too hard,” before Xiao Yao could respond, Qi Yanran spoke up, "daring to insult my brother You're asking for it.”

"Ah, Senior Sister Yanran, he’s your brother" Chu Xinan was taken aback; he still hadn’t known about their relationship. Although others were clueless too.

This brat as Qi Yanran's brother… this headache...

Had Chu Xinan known Xiao Yao was Qi Yanran’s brother, he would never have spoken to him like that or challenged him—there’d be no way out if he lost face either way.

A victory over Xiao Yao wouldn’t please Qi Yanran, and a loss would tarnish his own reputation; though the latter mattered more to him, it was still an undesirable outcome.

"What's wrong Do I need to prove anything" Qi Yanran asked Chu Xinan coldly.

“No need, of course not. What Senior Sister says is true, only unexpected that your brother turned out this extraordinary,” Chu Xinan replied with a smile; he lacked his usual arrogance before her due to fear.

Qi Yanran is notorious in the circle for being hard to provoke. Not only does she have a special status and strong backing, but her own strength is also top-notch. She has good relationships with many people as well, so very few dare offend her; Chu Xinan certainly doesn’t.

Although Chu Xinan calls himself the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, in this Demon Realm, everything revolves around martial prowess. His strength still falls short compared to Qi Yanran’s by quite a bit.

That’s right; in Qi Yanran’s eyes, the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang is merely another scholar who can recite poetry and prose like anyone else.

"But regardless of whether he’s your brother or not, if this game ends with him losing, fairness trumps everything. I won’t fake it just because he's your brother," Chu Xinan continued to say; at this point, no matter who was involved, he wouldn't change what needed doing.

This isn’t like an arrow that’s about to be released from a bowstring but rather one that has already been fired.

"Who needs you to fake it Xianyao will surely win against him; he just told me so," Qi Yanran said.

"Just now"

"Yes, just now. He said you’re too slow at chess and your skill level is poor," Qi Yanran stated.

"Ahem, Sister, I didn’t say his skill was bad; I only mentioned that it’s inferior to Lady Miss Three’s," Xianyao corrected.

"It amounts to the same thing. Being inferior means being inadequate," Qi Yanran said casually.

"You can’t put it like that, for instance, if someone has a lower strength level than their father, does that mean they are inadequate" Xianyao explained; he didn't want to belittle anyone else, so he was defending Chu Xinan.

"That’s true. So you’re saying his skill is decent but just not as good as others," Qi Yanran seemed convinced and nodded.

"Exactly." Xianyao nodded.

Chu Xinan didn’t cheer up despite Xianyao defending him; he wouldn't accept this explanation since he believed his chess skills were unparalleled.

"You don’t need to be indignant about it, my chess skill is also inferior to Lady Miss Three’s, and you’re even worse," Xianyao said with a smile, seemingly comforting Chu Xinan but only making him feel more agitated.

“Your meaning is that my chess skills are not as good as yours, really funny!” Chu Xinan said coldly, as if he had heard an amusing joke.

"That's naturally the case; your skill isn't on par with mine," Xianyao nodded and said.

“Hahaha…” Chu Xinan laughed several times, “I’m not inferior to you, don’t think that because I move slowly means I’m worse. Also, perhaps while in the middle of playing chess one should think deeply; it’s not like thinking for a long time can solve all problems.”

“That’s correct. That’s why I allowed you to think, otherwise you would have said that was unfair, but what I’m saying now isn’t about this. I want to tell you, you’re going to lose soon; sometimes one shouldn't just look at the surface. The step you’ve taken is precisely what I wanted to do a moment ago…” Xianyao smiled then picked up a white piece with his fingers and flicked it onto the chessboard.

“You talk big… It’s impossible, this can’t be possible…” Chu Xinan looked at that single white piece. With just one move, the game had changed dramatically; what was originally an advantage seemed to have turned into a disadvantage, and an unsolvable situation as well.

This one move among many pieces wasn't particularly eye-catching, but in this game it shone brightly like a beacon.

If they hadn’t seen the change happen gradually, just looking at the board would give them no such impression since that single white piece had blended into its surroundings. Now, everyone only saw black losing for sure, never imagining that a single stone could turn the entire game upside down when it was originally advantageous.

Everyone present could only marvel, unable to believe their eyes if they hadn't seen this themselves; how could anyone have guessed the effect of such an ordinary move

This was simply divine brushwork. This match is sure to become a classic that’s talked about for generations!

"Marvelous, truly marvelous!!"

“Unexpected! Unexpected! There are still moves like this!”

“This transformation is too astonishing…”

“…”

The commotion outside began as they had never thought such a change would happen; even now, it felt surreal and unbelievable.

In the current situation, everyone could see that white was about to launch an all-out attack while black’s defeat was imminent.

"No! I won't lose!" Chu Xinan gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t give up; if Xianyao could change everything with one move, then he could too! He definitely can!

(To be continued) would take several months for him to gain the right to access those books, but that was too long to wait, especially since he was now working at the inner academy library—there was no reason not to t...