Faced with such a powerful enemy, no one could remain calm. At this moment, Lin Yun's own heart was churning with anxiety. He was extremely tense. Especially since, on this chessboard, it seemed he held no particular advantage.
The Chu River and Han Border divided the field. A red soldier had already captured a black advisor. Lin Yun's Yuan Qi weakened noticeably. This, in turn, caused the already demoralized black pieces to become even more listless. How could he possibly win like this?
He Jiemin, on the other hand, was laughing triumphantly. "Weren't you going to tell Prince Zuo Cheng all the secrets you know? But you're still trapped on my Star Luo Chessboard. I'd really like to see what skills you have to kill me now!"
As he conquered more territory, He Jiemin's advantage grew larger and larger. Lin Yun's side was being forced into a desperate situation. From any angle, it seemed impossible for him to defeat the mighty He Jiemin.
Just then, the Chongqing Bird spoke.
"I knew you'd run into trouble, you little brat. I just didn't expect you to wander right into someone else's Domain."
A Domain. It was one of the most powerful tools an expert could use to suppress a weaker opponent. It was just like Lin Yun's own killing intent domain, which, when deployed, was incredibly effective against those weaker than himself. The Star Luo Chessboard was the same kind of ability. Never mind that Lin Yun didn't understand its rules; even if he did, there was likely little he could do.
Within the Star Luo Chessboard, all of Lin Yun's individual skills were being infinitely suppressed. All he could do was his best. But it was clear that this was not nearly enough.
After only a quarter of an hour, all of Lin Yun's black soldiers had been completely captured.
"If you continue like this, you will surely lose this battle. When he puts you in checkmate, how will you respond?" the bird pressed. "Imagine yourself as the general of this battle. Use your own will to defeat the enemy's commander."
Hearing the Chongqing Bird's reminder, Lin Yun's tense heart gradually calmed. He glanced at He Jiemin in the distance. The man was still smiling, just as before. As he had said, on this chessboard, he was a king, and he had countless ways to defeat Lin Yun.
But now, Lin Yun's attitude had changed.
That's right. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If I cannot break free from these restraints, then I will use these rules to defeat him.
On the Star Luo Chessboard, their Yuan Qi was merely the fuel to move the pieces.
Lin Yun's spirit soared, and his entire body's Yuan Qi began to circulate. He raised his longsword high and let out a great roar to the heavens.
"To victory—charge!"
With his deafening shout, all the chess pieces on the board seemed to spring to life.
He Jiemin was dumbfounded. "No… this is impossible! With this boy's pathetic level of strength, how could he possibly do something like this?"
He had never imagined such a thing could happen. Given the massive disparity between their strengths, his victory should have been set in stone. He had never doubted it.
But now, he was seriously beginning to wonder. Can I actually win?
The next moment, Lin Yun's cannon captured one of his opponent's soldiers.
Once he began to understand the rules of this board, everything changed. This place was just a giant Chinese chessboard, and every piece was condensed from his own Yuan Qi. And based on one's Yuan Qi, even captured pieces could be recreated. But perhaps the only way to truly win was to checkmate the general.
However, to accomplish such a feat under the rules of chess while facing an endless stream of enemies was no easy task. For most cultivators in this world, it would be an incredibly demanding challenge.
But, quite unfortunately for his opponent, Lin Yun, in his previous life, had loved playing Chinese chess with his grandfather. In the beginning, he naturally had no skill and couldn't even think a few moves ahead. He was often soundly beaten. But after taking so many losses, Lin Yun had slowly grown to love the game and naturally began to study it on his own.
It wasn't easy at first, but hard work pays off. Even knowing the difficulty, Lin Yun had never given up. After a long time, not only had he truly changed his own fate, but his skill in chess had completely surpassed his grandfather's.
And this time, the only thing he had been lacking was the courage to command his pieces to fight. But after the Chongqing Bird's words, a raging battle spirit had ignited within him, causing the morale of his side to soar. Even when facing his opponent's pieces, he now held an absolute advantage.
The smile on He Jiemin's face had completely vanished. He was shocked to discover that Lin Yun had begun to continuously attack him within the rules. Although the pieces could be reborn, that took time. And this Lin Yun was like an old fox seasoned on the battlefield. Every single move he made was part of a deeply calculated strategy.
Perhaps in He Jiemin's eyes, it was nothing special. But to Lin Yun, these were the moves that would guarantee a faster victory.
And so, the battle between the two continued. At first, it wasn't a big deal. But as time passed, He Jiemin began to realize something was wrong. He thought he could see through Lin Yun's strategy, but when he launched what he thought was a decisive attack, he discovered that he had walked right into a trap.
"No! How is this boy doing this? How can anyone in this world be so skilled?"
He Jiemin was utterly baffled. He had modified these game rules himself. With this domain, he had been undefeated. That was why he had made it the template for his Star Luo Chessboard. But now, the appearance of Lin Yun was simply incomprehensible. How could such a young man be completely unafraid of his routines? How could he even turn them around and use a counter-routine against him?
Anyone in his position would have a headache, right? This was He Jiemin's most direct thought now.
When it came to chess, he was no match for Lin Yun at all.