Gen pushed himself up, his body aching. He looked around the vast, silent plaza. They were not alone.
Other figures stood scattered across the mirror-black floor. Besides his friends and the two monstrous beasts, a handful of other cultivators had arrived through different, man-made entrances along the plaza's edge. He saw the Li elder, Li Dah, and his young nephew who had fled earlier. They stood frozen at the perimeter, their faces tight with shock and a sharp, dawning greed.
*What is this place?* The question screamed in Gen's mind. But he had no breath to ask. He moved to where Liang was helping a groaning Chubbs stand. Kang Mao limped over, holding his ribs. Lorel landed softly beside them. They formed a tight, battered circle, back-to-back, their eyes darting between the recovering predators and the new arrivals.
The moment the other cultivators saw Gen's group and the enemies they faced, their faces darkened. Every person who had fought their way this deep into the castle had met a Greedy Shark or felt the Sky Demon's chilling intelligence. They understood the trouble these beings were. A silent accusation hung in the air: Gen Jiang drew calamity, and now he had brought it to their final refuge.
Gen's gaze was pulled to the plaza's center. There, on a raised white dais, stood the final piece of Master Yujin's puzzle. The King's piece. It was not a carved token, but a humanoid figure three meters tall, made of something like captured moonlight. It stood with regal stillness, one hand resting on the hilt of a sword that was part of its stone form.
The Three-Tailed Sky Demon let out a grinding laugh, black ichor still seeping from its shoulder. It looked at the assembled cultivators, its eyes glinting. "You have saved us the trouble of hunting you all down," it rasped.
Gen and his group tensed. The Greedy Shark hissed, its seven barbed tails rising. The other cultivators braced, hands on weapons, Qi flaring in a riot of colors. The air grew thick, ready to explode into chaos.
Then, the eyes of the stone King on the dais began to shine with a soft, steady silver light.
A strange pressure filled the plaza. It was a deep silence that swallowed all sound. Gen, in the middle of shifting his weight to charge, felt his muscles lock. He was frozen, one foot slightly off the ground. To his left, Lorel was caught with her hand outstretched, a half-formed Supremacy Sword glimmering pink. Liang was paused mid-point. Chubbs was stuck in a grimace. All around, cultivators were petrified in states of fear, flight, or attack.
Time stopped.
Gen blinked. He was no longer on the ground. He stood on nothing, suspended in the air at the exact center of the hall, level with the dais. The stone King was no longer a giant. It had shrunk to a human-sized figure of polished alabaster, standing on the opposite side, facing him.
Between them, the air shimmered. A massive chessboard solidified, floating in the void. Its squares were jet black and bone white, each large enough for a person. On the alabaster King's side, a cluster of luminous forms appeared: a King, a Queen, a Fool, and a Horse. The rest of that side was filled with standard Pawns—human-shaped figures of rough white stone. Gen's side was empty.
*Is this the last test?* Gen thought. *But a real board has more Horses, more Fools…*
This one had only those four special pieces. They were the exact four tokens from Master Yujin's cloud puzzle.
The alabaster King spoke. Its voice resonated in the mind of every frozen person below.
"Master Yujin has left this last game. It will determine who is worthy to receive the Eggs of Mujiin and Muiyin."
The words made every paralyzed cultivator's heart hammer. The legendary treasure. It was here. But the way to get it was nothing anyone imagined.
The King continued. "The game is called the Challenge of Kings. You," its sightless face aimed at Gen, "shall nominate three others. They will represent your strongest pieces: the Fool, the Horse, and the Queen. You, as the sole person who understood the essence of the first puzzle, shall represent the King. The rest," a gesture at the frozen crowd, "will be Pawns. The game will then commence."
The psychic voice faded. A heavy silence fell, then broke as the strongest cultivators strained to speak.
"Let me be your Horse!" a voice shouted.
"I can be your Queen!" cried another.
Kai, the brash cultivator from the entrance, yelled, "It does not have to be a female! I am the strongest here!"
The hall erupted. Voices clashed—begging, bargaining. The noise beat against Gen's skull.
Gen had no idea what was happening, but he knew following the rules was his only choice. He thought briefly. The three pieces would be his best chance to win. Any smart person would choose the strongest cultivators here.
But not Gen.
"Liang," his voice echoed, clear and certain. "You shall be my Horse."
A wave of disbelief passed through the crowd. They looked for the "Liang." They saw the timid, pale boy, still weakened from the old poison, rise from among the frozen Pawns. He floated up to stand on the board in front of Gen, his face a mix of shock and resolve.
The Three-Tailed Sky Demon let out a sharp hiss. "The weakling will get you killed, young cultivator. You should have chosen me instead. What a pity."
Before the creature's anger could spread, Gen spoke again.
"Chubbs. You shall be the Fool."
Chubbs, on the ground holding his broken shoulder, frowned slightly. "I am not a fool," he grumbled. But deep in his heart, a warm feeling rose. This was the first time since they met that Gen had really looked at him, had given him such a role. It was Gen finally accepting that Chubbs was part of *them*—not just Lorel's follower, but their friend. Gen would never say it out loud, but Chubbs knew. He was happy.
He pushed through the pain, using his good arm to rise. He landed on the board next to Gen with a solid *thump*, taking his place opposite Liang, his shoulders squaring with pride.
Finally, one piece remained. The Queen.
The entire group of cultivators tensed. Camui called out, "I will give you anything if you choose me, Gen! Choose me!"
Another cultivator laughed. "Now that we are in the castle, you have no value! You are useless now!"
Among the crowd, the mature female sect leader watched Gen, her expression intent. Everyone understood clearly: if this game still followed the rules of chess, the Queen would have the greatest power on the board. So everyone wanted it, regardless of gender.
Li Dah looked at Gen with a hint of bitterness. If he had not listened to his foolish nephew, he would have helped Gen. Then Gen might have given him a better role. But he had fled like a coward, and now he would pay. He wanted to strangle the boy, but could he really blame him for wanting to save his life?
Amid all the chaos was Lorel. She held her head slightly down, unwilling to look at Gen. In her heart, she prayed for him to choose her. It was only natural. He was the King on the board, and she would be his Queen. Even though it was just a game, just a title, in the young girl's mind it was more. It was them. But at last, Gen never once glanced in her direction.
On the chessboard, Gen was thinking. Lorel was a good match. But he understood something important: the Queen would definitely have the strongest power if the old rules still applied. But that would also put her in immense danger. Gen did not know how this game really functioned. Could he really place her in such danger?
He looked at Kang Mao. Even though they had been together only a few months, Kang Mao was already like a brother. He had strength and resilience, and his Shifting Jingdao let him adapt to any situation or trap on this board.
"Kang Mao," Gen said, looking in his direction.
Kang Mao smiled, feeling happy. But before he could ascend, Gen said, "Wait."
Everyone froze again. Lorel finally glanced in his direction.
In his head, Gen was listening to Shelai, who spoke. *It will be wise to choose that girl. From the memory I have accessed in your mind, she is very close to you, right? And clearly she has a thing for you. I can feel it.*
Gen frowned slightly. *How can you read my memories?*
*If my guess is correct,* Shelai explained, *this game was created using the five Wheels of Destiny by someone whose mastery reached a peak I cannot fathom. It means the positions of King, Fool, Horse, and Queen are embodied with immense power on this board—power created from the game creator's imaginative mind. Meaning on this board, it might not be about who is stronger, but about how Pawns are placed. It is safer to have those closest to you if possible, if you really care about her safety. Further, from what I have seen, her strength is not any weaker than any of you.*
Gen pondered for a moment. He felt Shelai was not completely wrong. Then, without much more thought, he said, "Lorel. You will be my Queen."
His words caused many to frown, searching the hall for this "Lorel." Then they found her. The dazzling teenage girl ascended toward Gen. Slightly taller than him and more mature, many looked on with confused expressions.
But in Lorel, her heart was jumping. She wanted to scream and shout but had to keep her cool face. He had called her *his Queen*. The rational part of her brain told her it was convenience, a game, a title. But her emotional brain was exhilarated. He could have just said "Lorel" like the others, but he insisted on calling her his Queen in front of all these cultivators. This was the first step in Gen openly acknowledging their relationship.
She settled next to him. Liang stood in front of him, and Chubbs on his opposite side. Gen did not look at Lorel. He was too focused on securing their first move.
Then the other cultivators all appeared on the board. Strangely, despite their number, they all fit on it. Furthermore, the Sky Demon and the Greedy Shark were not on Gen's side of the board, but on the other King's side. When he saw that, Gen's expression darkened even more. *What was Master Yujin playing at?*
The King looked at the players and said, "Before we start, these are the last rules. The game is simple, like chess. The King orders the Pawns to move, and they obey without question. The only way to get free of the King's command on this board is for another Pawn to be crowned Queen by reaching my side of the board. Then they can do whatever they want on the board, but cannot leave until the game is finished and all pieces of one side are defeated, or the King is cornered."
The human Pawns all had a vague smile flash across their faces. This was their lifeline. Clearly, the game creator wanted to give them a chance to decide their own fate. But until they reached that side of the board, they had to be very friendly toward Gen and pray he did not send them to their death. The atmosphere was tense.
Then Gen and the other King exchanged looks, and the King said, "Let the game begin."
It ordered, and its first Pawn moved. The humanoid white rock figure stepped forward like a real soldier, running forward with surprising agility as it landed a few paces on the board.
Then the King looked at Gen.
"Your turn."