Above the Great Marsh.
Immortal music played melodiously, and the cries of cranes were clear and ethereal.
Uncle Xun stared blankly at the blue light in the sky, his thoughts drifting far away.
In the Chess Master Realm, aside from the worldly phenomena brought by the manifestation of the central palace,
the best reflection of one's Foundation and strength was the number and quality of these dao chess pieces.
The quantity went without saying; naturally, the more, the better.
But when it came to the quality of the dao chess pieces themselves, the intricacies ran deep.
The quality of the dao chess pieces condensed by a Chess Player Cultivator depended not only on the grade of the Chess Condensation Method itself but, most closely, on the Materials used for condensing the piece.
The world knew that the best Materials for condensing chess pieces were objects of dao integration.
But how precious were objects of dao integration?
They were rare treasures left behind from the beginning of heaven and earth or the evolution of the Great Dao; for every one used, there was one fewer in existence.
Except for behemoths with unfathomable Foundations like the Nine Great Dao Sects and Yunmeng Palace, who could provide top-tier objects of dao integration for their direct disciples to use lavishly,
it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary forces to find even a single object of dao integration.
Therefore,
the vast majority of Chess Player Cultivators in Yunmeng Township took alternative paths.
The world was vast, and the divine craftsmanship of creation had nurtured all sorts of incredible and mysterious lands.
The Five Qi Treasure Lands were one such example.
Within these treasure lands, through the accumulation of time, the Qi of the Five Elements could be condensed.
When a Cultivator found such a place, they could draw the Five Qi into their body to serve as the cornerstone for condensing a dao chess piece, replacing an object of dao integration.
Furthermore, once this Five Qi was consumed, as long as the Foundation of the treasure land was not destroyed, it could be nurtured and born again over time.
Because of this, the various Five Qi Treasure Lands of all sizes in Yunmeng Township became contested territories that every faction fought over.
dao chess pieces condensed from ordinary Five Qi often could not compare to the divine craftsmanship of an object of dao integration.
However, there were always exceptions to everything.
If one had Heaven-Defying Opportunity and found top-grade Five Qi, or perhaps encountered some mutated Origin Qi,
the dao chess pieces condensed from them could actually be several degrees more powerful than those made from ordinary objects of dao integration.
Because of this,
among ordinary Cultivators and demons, who would pursue something as thankless and difficult as an object of dao integration?
But regardless of what material was used to condense the piece,
once a dao chess piece was born, its quality was immediately apparent.
The most common were Mortal Grade dao chess pieces.
When they appeared, they mostly emitted a pale white brilliance with mediocre aura, failing to trigger even the slightest worldly phenomenon.
Most Loose Cultivators and even ordinary demons in Yunmeng Township enshrined this type in their Qi Seas.
One step above that,
if one was lucky enough to obtain some special Five Qi or find some flawed objects of dao integration,
they could condense a Treasure Grade dao chess piece that emitted a green brilliance.
When a Treasure Grade was born, its brilliance would soar to the skies, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, or the phenomenon of surrounding Spiritual Qi tides pouring inward.
For ordinary Cultivators and demons, being able to condense a single Treasure Grade dao chess piece was already commendable and rare.
It was enough to walk with their heads held high among others of the same realm.
But above the Treasure Grade, there was yet another level.
It was the deep blue brilliance currently above the Great Marsh, tearing through the clouds and triggering phenomena for a hundred li.
The spirit grade dao chess piece.
When a Spirit Grade was born, it was inevitably accompanied by worldly phenomena.
Immortal cranes gathered to offer blessings, and immortal music played in celebration.
In terms of power alone, a single spirit grade dao chess piece was enough to match two Mortal Grade pieces without being at a disadvantage.
Hundreds of years ago, there was a Utility Disciple of a great sect who was ostracized by his peers and accidentally entered a hidden Five Qi Treasure Land deep within the Great Marsh.
That kid struck it lucky and actually triggered a wisp of mutated Water Qi in that treasure land, forcefully condensing a spirit grade dao chess piece.
From then on, his strength skyrocketed; he slew his fellow disciples and destroyed his enemies.
In a short span of a thousand years, he established a sect and founded a significant clan around the Great Marsh.
This was the terrifying nature of a spirit grade dao chess piece.
One who could condense a spirit grade dao chess piece was already a peerless Prodigy, one in a hundred million within this Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh.
Aside from the personal disciples of major powers, ordinary Loose Cultivators and demons wouldn't even dare to dream of it.
Yet this Girl in Black Robes of unknown Origin before him...
Not only did she casually suppress and kill two demon generals of the Chess-Player Two-Piece rank,
but now, just by sitting cross-legged on this flying boat, she had effortlessly condensed a spirit grade dao chess piece?
Behind her... exactly what kind of great power was there...
The blue light gradually faded.
The phantom images of immortal cranes circling in the sky also dissipated.
The Great Marsh returned to tranquility.
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes; in the depths of her pupils, a flash of deep blue vanished in an instant.
Sensing that the Prison-Suppressing Sword Toad had completely stabilized in her Qi Sea, its deep blue brilliance restrained beneath the dark red palace,
Jiang Yuechu's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
At last, she hadn't wasted so much of her Dao Cultivation for nothing.
The consumption of over two million years in exchange for such a change—this deal was not a loss after all.
Noticing the Girl in Black Robes sitting cross-legged had opened her eyes,
Uncle Xun's heart trembled. From the corner of his eye, he saw his young master still huddled in the corner, staring straight at her.
The old man hurriedly shot him a look.
Staring like that, if it caused her displeasure...
Seeing the old man's look, Xu Linmiao hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to take another look.
Only then did Uncle Xun fold his hands and bow deeply: "Congratulations, Senior... Senior's talent is peerless. To casually condense such a spirit grade dao chess piece and draw the phenomenon of singing cranes is truly an eye-opener for this old man."
Hearing this,
Jiang Yuechu lazily stretched her arms and looked at the old man with some curiosity.
"spirit grade dao chess piece? What does that mean?"
"..."
Uncle Xun's body stiffened slightly.
He subconsciously felt the girl was making fun of him.
With such a terrifying Foundation, how could she not know what a spirit grade dao chess piece meant?
But when he quietly looked up, he saw only pure confusion on that exquisitely beautiful face.
It didn't seem fake.
What did this mean...
Seemingly sensing the old man's conflict and shock,
Jiang Yuechu waved her hand casually.
"I have been in secluded cultivation in the deep mountains since childhood, indifferent to worldly affairs."
She fabricated a lie without changing her expression. "I only recently left the mountains and know very little about the rules and terminology out here."
So that's how it is...
Hearing this, Uncle Xun breathed a long sigh of relief.
So she's been in secluded cultivation in the deep mountains; that explains...
Explains my foot!
The old man complained wildly in his heart.
How could such a person not have a Great Power guiding them behind the scenes?
And what Great Power would forget to teach even these basic things?!
Despite thinking this, given the current situation, Uncle Xun still patiently explained everything he knew about the Five Qi Treasure Lands, objects of dao integration, and the grades of dao chess pieces in full detail.
A stick of incense later.
The wind over the Great Marsh gradually settled.
"So that's how it is..."
Jiang Yuechu nodded thoughtfully.
According to this old man, in Yunmeng Township, using an object of dao integration to condense a dao chess piece was actually the superior method.
Ordinary Cultivators and demons mostly sought out those Five Qi Treasure Lands to draw the Qi of the Five Elements into their bodies as a substitute.
But it made sense.
Although Yunmeng Township was much larger than her own broken world and its Heaven And Earth Treasures were bound to be abundant,
correspondingly, the number of demons and Human Cultivators here was as vast as the sea.
If everyone relied on objects of dao integration to Breakthrough to the Chess Player realm, no matter how divine the craftsmanship of this world's creation was, it certainly could not provide for so many Chess Playing Great Powers.