Martial Cultivator

In the puddle, two faint figures could be seen flanking Zhou Gouqi from behind, their large sleeves also billowing in the rain.

Without a doubt, these two were also powerful existences at the Nepenthe Realm.

Zhou Gouqi halted his steps, flipped his palm, and made a subtle gesture, drawing the puddle's water into his hand. Then, this scholar turned around, looking at the two figures hovering not far behind him, and smiled, "Don't the two of you know that someone just died at my hands?"

The two exchanged a glance, sneering, "He was arrogant, thinking himself remarkable. Dead is dead. But do you think you alone can stand against the two of us?"

Zhou Gouqi sighed, "And that arrogance of yours is precisely your greatest mistake."

The taller of the two Nepenthe cultivators spoke calmly, "We naturally have the capital to be arrogant."

Zhou Gouqi nodded. "Indeed, with so many years of foundation, having arrogance isn't without reason. However, this place is not the Divine Capital, and neither of you are existences at the end of Nepenthe. What gives you such confidence?"

"We may not be at the end of Nepenthe, but it doesn't look like you're some sword immortal with infinite killing power either."

The shorter Nepenthe cultivator sneered coldly. With a wave of his sleeve, the once-drizzling rain suddenly froze midair.

As he waved his sleeve again, countless suspended raindrops layered upon one another, condensing into ice. Finally, they plummeted down in a cascade!

Blotting out the skies and covering the earth, it was like a hailstorm. But its scope was not too wide as it concentrated entirely around Zhou Gouqi, enveloping him completely.

Zhou Gouqi did not take any action. He just lifted his head, gazing at the falling hail that blotted out the skies and covered the earth.

The hail suddenly exploded mid-air, scattering into powder, resembling snow blowing in the wind.

Between heaven and earth, along the line separating the two, a white barrier appeared.

The two exchanged a glance and stomped heavily downward.

That white barrier crushed rapidly toward the ground.

It was as heavy as heaven and earth!

This was absolutely not comparable to a battle between ordinary cultivators.

Qi surged from Zhou Gouqi's body, colliding with the snowy white barrier. It was as if countless threads were rising from the ground simultaneously, piercing toward the sky, aiming to pierce through this sky curtain.

The two laughed coldly, quickly shifting positions. One darted in front of Zhou Gouqi, while the other remained stationary. From their sleeves emerged countless golden threads, intertwining to form a chessboard.

In mere moments, the chessboard took shape.

The chessboard hovered above Zhou Gouqi's head, and Zhou Gouqi was like a chess piece trapped within its boundaries.

Seeing this, Zhou Gouqi's expression became ugly.

“Zhou Xianshan, did you think that escaping with your life back then meant you had walked out of the chessboard? To tell you the truth, you've been a chess piece your entire life. When you jumped out of the chessboard, you merely became His Majesty's chess piece without even realizing it. How laughable!”

The tall cultivator reached out and pointed at a spot on the chessboard. It was as if a chess piece had been placed, and suddenly, the chessboard erupted with dazzling golden light, descending directly toward Zhou Gouqi's head.

Zhou Gouqi darted forward, and the spot where he had just stood was instantly struck by the golden light, leaving a deep crater in the ground.

Then...

The other cultivator likewise placed a piece.

Zhou Gouqi's path forward was abruptly cut off, forcing him to retreat and return once more to the center of the chessboard.

A beam of golden light followed, striking Zhou Gouqi.

The hair tie tying Zhou Gouqi's hair snapped instantly, and his long black hair scattered wildly.

“I've long heard that two itinerant cultivators once entered the Dao through chess, carving out a unique path in cultivation. It was considered an extraordinary tale of the time. Later, it was said the two retreated to the mountains after a game, but I hadn't expected reality to differ so much from the stories. It turns out that the two of you have chosen the path of 'hiding in plain sight.'”

Back at the academy, Zhou Gouqi had always been known for his erudition. While he may not have delved deeply into the teachings of the saints, he was well-versed in such miscellaneous matters.

It was natural that he recognized these two who had been famous in the cultivation world a few years prior.

“Judging by appearances, you must be Fellow Daoists Bai Yu and Xiang Mu.”

Though the cultivation world was filled with countless sects and factions, very few entered the Dao solely through chess to cultivate the Great Dao. These two had been the most renowned in years past, though in recent times, only Su Yi remained widely known.[1]

That national champion of Great Liang had entered the Dao through chess and apprenticed under the Dean as one of his disciples. His current cultivation realm was unknown, but his status was undoubtedly illustrious.

The tall cultivator was Bai Yu, while the other was Xiang Mu.

These two had remained in the Divine Capital all along, contrary to the rumors that they had retreated into the mountains.

Judging by the current situation, it was evident that the two had spent these years under the control of Great Liang's greatest traitor.

Bai Yu spoke calmly: “Chess and cultivation are two separate matters. Surely, you are aware of this.”

As his words fell, a golden light once again descended from a point on the chessboard.

After dodging it, Zhou Gouqi smiled and asked, “Don't you think that this approach is steadily weakening your chess skills?”

Xiang Mu replied expressionlessly, “Gain and loss, it's how things are.”

“That may not be true. Entering the Dao through chess was originally a noble endeavor, yet now, the two of you are tainted by worldly affairs, I suspect it will be difficult for either of you to make further progress in your cultivation.”

Zhou Gouqi avoided another attack, watched the golden light dissipate, and then raised his head with a smile. “Since you've already lost your original heart, you're no longer a threat.”

With that, Zhou Gouqi took a step forward, his robes flapping in the wind.

Bai Yu's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Xiang Mu opposite him, and the two nodded slightly in unison. Then, they both extended their hands, releasing an immense surge of qi from their sleeves. This qi fell upon the chessboard, causing the intersecting nodes to erupt with golden light simultaneously.

Countless golden threads all descended simultaneously at that moment.

Between heaven and earth, the sight was spectacular to behold.

This great murderous scheme suddenly unleashed its full might.

Zhou Gouqi stood within it, the situation appearing overwhelmingly dire.

Zhou Gouqi seemed bathed in endless golden light, unable to move.

The two had made a valid point earlier: since Zhou Gouqi was not an unparalleled sword immortal with unrivaled killing power, it would not be so easy for him to face two opponents alone.

The killing intent was palpable.

Confronted with such a predicament, Zhou Gouqi merely raised his hand. A bead of water floated up from his palm, and with a flick of his finger, countless droplets simultaneously shot forth.

Amid the golden light, water droplets carved out a path ahead.

The two Nepenthe cultivators suspended in midair watched this scene with some surprise.

When most of the water droplets had dispersed, Zhou Gouqi lowered his gaze to the last remaining droplet in his palm. It was not entirely clear, with mud and sand still mixed in.

He smiled faintly and flicked it toward the sky.

The droplet rapidly expanded and, in an instant, transformed into a curtain of water.

It then submerged the chessboard entirely.

Between heaven and earth, the scene transformed drastically.

In an instant, the scene shifted. Bai Yu and Xiang Mu suddenly found themselves standing next to a small river.

Not far away, a solitary bridge spanned the river.

On the bridge stood a figure, it was precisely Zhou Gouqi. Bathed in moonlight, he looked calmly at the two before him.

"This..."

Bai Yu frowned. He understood all too well that the two of them had been drawn into some strange illusion conjured by Zhou Gouqi.

Such methods were not particularly rare, but what astonished them was that, having entered this illusion, they could not discern any flaws within it. Since they could not find a flaw, escape was naturally impossible.

Suddenly, a breeze stirred.

It rustled the leaves of an unidentified tree by the riverbank, sending a single green leaf drifting down.

The leaf floated gently to the river's surface, landing precisely within the moon's reflection. The ripples it caused shattered the perfect moon into a crescent.

Zhou Gouqi opened his mouth calmly, “Spring waters passing solitary bridge.”

His tone was composed.

It should be a line of poetry...

Describing the very scene before them.

Bai Yu and Xiang Mu wore tense expressions, with no interest in appreciating poetry.

They had already noticed that the aura of this place was surging violently, and the flow of qi had grown increasingly unusual.

“The wind and leaves invite.”

Zhou Gouqi continued to speak to himself, seemingly ignoring these two people's existence.

This was a five-character quatrain...

The first two lines alone had already triggered a transformation in the aura of heaven and earth.

Bai Yu suddenly thought of a possibility, his expression growing extremely complicated.

Xiang Mu's face also became somewhat ugly.

“Fallen into the crescent moon.”

Zhou Gouqi smiled as he looked at the two on the riverbank and lamented softly, “Henceforth... the road stretches far.”

As his words fell, the two on the riverbank suddenly retreated countless feet, not daring to remain where they stood.

But they still failed to escape...

This is Zhou Gouqi's constructed world, where could they possibly flee?

A deafening explosion erupted.

The two of them simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood, their faces turning ghastly pale.

Zhou Gouqi turned his gaze toward the two, and that glance felt as heavy as the heaviest object in the world.

Xiang Mu could no longer hold on and, with a loud thud, dropped directly to his knees.

Bai Yu was still barely managing to hold on, but was clearly struggling immensely.

"Zhou Xianshan... when did you become a Saint?!"

Hearing this, Xiang Mu who was already half-kneeling looked utterly ashen, as if life had drained from his face.

Becoming a Saint...

Sword cultivators who reach the end of Nepenthe are called Great Sword Immortals. Daoist masters who reach the end of Nepenthe are called Great Daoist Sages...

As for Confucian scholars, when they reach the end of Nepenthe.

They would enter the Dao and become a Saint.

The end of Nepenthe for Confucian scholars, just in terms of its title, was indeed the most grandiose sounding.

In the cultivation world, there has always been a consensus: among Confucianism, there was only one Saint in the present age.

The dean of the academy.

But who would have thought, that now another has appeared here?!

Zhou Gouqi said calmly, "When did I become a Saint... Only we scholars dare to speak so shamelessly, to actually dare call ourselves Saints..."

"However, the end of Nepenthe is indeed just one thought away, and only then can it be barely stepped into."

——

I normally don't translate the author's notes, but this is important: I remember that the end of Nepenthe in Confucianism was never revealed in the book, right? When I started the book, I wanted to call it 'Saint,' but if that's wrong, I'll go back and correct it. Also, the five-character quatrain Zhou Gouqi recited is one I wrote myself; I find it quite subtle.