Chen Xia was not an expert in the art of Go, and after playing the game for tens of thousands of years, to say he couldn't play was a lie, but it was true that he liked to play recklessly.
However, this did not mean his Go skills were good. In fact, he was truly a poor player; playing a lot didn't necessarily make one a master.
But he did know how to start with a bold move, which was his signature unorthodox opening.
So, how does one even comprehend such a move as a Dao?
It couldn't be that he would actually create a space and then "beat someone's mother," could it?
Hmm...
It didn't seem impossible, but it was certainly questionable from a moral standpoint, and it was unclear whether it would enhance his opponent's strength or his own.
Chen Xia again fell into deep thought, trying to figure out how to comprehend a fifth Dao. It wasn't easy.
His puppet body, having been with him for a long time, naturally perceived Chen Xia's dilemma and approached him, its stiff voice speaking gently.
"There's no need to rush into comprehending the fifth Dao. Your previous four Daos are already quite formidable. The fifth Dao can be developed further with more time. Compared to the fifth Dao, becoming a Great Emperor would significantly boost your combat power."
"How do I become a Great Emperor?" Chen Xia asked with curiosity.
The puppet body replied, "Below the Great Emperor level, it's about comprehending Daos. To become a Great Emperor, however, one must validate the Daos. To become a Great Emperor, you need to validate four Daos. You already have the seeds of validation for the Way of the Sword and Time Dao. For the Way of the Sword, you just need to become unbeatable among contemporary sword practitioners. As for Time Dao, you need to deepen your connection with The River of Time. I’ve heard that in ancient times, the first Time Great Emperor was half The River of Time itself."
"What's difficult is your Dragon ancestor Dao and Thunder Dao. With the current decline of dragon species in the world, it's rare to see even one dragon species become a Great Emperor, let alone one who claims the Dragon ancestor Dao."
"And then there's Thunder Dao. An ordinary Thunder Dao is already occupied by a Great Emperor. The only Thunder Dao you can validate is the Heavenly Thunder Dao. It's powerful, yes, but it's also exceptionally difficult to validate. Throughout history, only two practitioners have managed to validate it."
Chen Xia slumped back onto his rocking chair, looking up and saying, "So, what do you suggest I do?"
"You need a stroke of luck," the puppet body replied, then pointed to East Jia State, continuing, "East Jia State is your chance. It's a primordial land of extreme heights. Once you claim it and merge with it, your Dragon ancestor Dao and Heavenly Thunder Dao might both come within reach."
"That means I have to wait around?" Chen Xia frowned, asking back.
"I have a technique that can create a quasi-Great Emperor, but the timing isn't right yet. More preparation is needed," the puppet body responded.
Seeing that it wouldn't disclose further details, Chen Xia shook his head and went back to contemplating his bold opening move.
It just seemed more promising.
Treasure Ring Scale State had become territory of the Divine Realm, and the original Immortal Realm practitioners naturally had no say anymore. Some Immortal Sects without principles were eager to gain favor by doing whatever it took to please the Divine Realm practitioners.
Anything from magic treasures, Divine techniques, to elixirs—if they could give, they gave. Among them were even elixirs that Chen Xia had once supported the Treasure Ring Scale State with.
The Divine Realm practitioners, tasting the benefits, grew even more demanding, even creating ranking lists to categorize the Immortal Sects.
There were four lists: Heaven, Earth, Human, and Beast. Those who provided lavish gifts were placed in the Heaven and Earth lists, receiving preferential treatment from the Divine Realm. Those who offered few gifts but showed servile attitudes could be included in the Human list.
Those who offered neither gifts nor a submissive attitude were labeled as part of the Beast list.
And Fuyao Immortal Sect was on the Beast list, which meant they received special attention from the Divine Realm practitioners. A Divine Realm quasi-Great Emperor came directly to their doorstep, without any preamble, covering the entire Fuyao Immortal Sect with a grand divine technique. With an arrogant demeanor, he declared:
"You have thirty breaths. The leader of Fuyao Immortal Sect, come out, or else I will destroy the entire Fuyao Immortal Sect."
After saying this, he stood in the sky, waiting calmly with an air of superiority, as if destroying Fuyao Immortal Sect was a trivial matter to him.
Only ten breaths passed before Great Sage Chen Xi arrived, asking the Divine Realm quasi-Great Emperor in the sky:
"May I ask, what is your purpose here?"
"Are we friends?" The Divine Realm quasi-Great Emperor, Hu Jiao, raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a mocking smile as he asked, enunciating each word:
"I am Hu Jiao, a quasi-Great Emperor of the Divine Realm. Who do you think you are to call me a friend? You can call me sir, master, or elder—but to address me as a peer? You’re not worthy."
Great Sage Chen Xi lowered her head, her eyes flashing with intense killing intent, but she quickly suppressed it, not letting any of it escape. She exhaled deeply, her voice trembling as she asked Hu Jiao:
"May I ask, elder, what brings you to Fuyao Immortal Sect?"
"The reason is simple; you know it well," Hu Jiao said, boredly picking at his nails, not even glancing at Great Sage Chen Xi, his disdain clear.
"I hear that Fuyao Immortal Sect treats Divine Realm practitioners with hostility, refusing even to offer tributes. Do you think this is still your former Immortal Realm territory and are you planning a rebellion?"
Great Sage Chen Xi lowered her voice to explain, "Fuyao Immortal Sect wouldn't dare act so audaciously. It's just that the sect is truly poor and can't afford to offer tributes, so..."
"Can't afford?" Hu Jiao's face was filled with mockery. "If you can't afford it, then there's no point in keeping your sect running. Disband it in a few days; it's better than being poor and hindering other practitioners' cultivation."
Great Sage Chen Xi took another deep breath, her eyes sharper as she asked Hu Jiao:
"Are you really not giving Fuyao Immortal Sect a way out?"
Hu Jiao crossed his arms, his face full of derision, retorting, "And what if I don't? Never mind your Fuyao Immortal Sect—even the Eighth Mountain would fall apart if it dared not pay me my dues!"
"I'll give you three months to hand over all the tributes you owe. If even a fraction is missing by then, your Fuyao Immortal Sect can forget about existing. Understand?"
Great Sage Chen Xi's expression was deeply sullen, her eyes fixed on Hu Jiao. After a moment, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength and wearily replied:
"Fine."
This was the helplessness of Fuyao Immortal Sect and the plight of Treasure Ring Scale State.
In the current situation, Immortal Realm practitioners had to be a step below Divine Realm practitioners, with no other choice.
She had thought of seeking help from Medicine Ancestor, knowing that it was Chen Xia, someone she had met briefly in the Great Death Realm and knew had a deep connection with Xu Zhen.
However, after news spread that the Lord of the Divine Realm had severely injured Medicine Ancestor, she gave up on that idea.
Currently, though life was hard and they were bullied, at least Fuyao Immortal Sect could survive.
But once they were connected to Medicine Ancestor and caught the attention of the Lord of the Divine Realm, what would happen to Fuyao Immortal Sect in Treasure Ring Scale State? Great Sage Chen Xi didn't even dare to imagine.
She licked her dried lips, which had gone parched from tension, and forced a bitter smile, murmuring softly:
"Endure, endure. After this winter passes, perhaps spring will come soon."
But after winter...
There might also be a bitter cold spring.
Good night.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
