King of Assassins

Chapter 1266: Chapter 761: Four Seas City (Part 2)

In the end, Yue Honglian had to suffer a little before she could grasp these principles for herself. Otherwise, even if she talked her mouth dry, Yue Honglian still wouldn’t listen.

Things like principles can’t be passed on by words alone.

Li Xiulian brought Yue Honglian, riding on a streak of Sword Light, soaring to the southernmost corner of Four Seas City. From afar they could already see a towering high-rise, resplendent in gold and jade under the sunlight, looking extremely imposing.

When they arrived at the front gate of the building, they saw a horizontal plaque hanging above the door, with four golden Dragon Chapter characters written on it: "Making Friends Through Chess."

Outside the gate a diligent attendant came over, saluted, and greeted them. He asked, "May I ask which floor the two of you would like to go to?"

"Is there some particular rule about that?" Yue Honglian asked curiously.

The attendant bowed with a very respectful posture, but his voice was clear and crisp: "Honored guests, the rules of this tower are like this: chess strength determines how high you can go. Ordinary guests usually start from the first floor.

"If you don’t have this tower’s Jade Token, first-time guests who wish to go above the fifth floor need to pay a deposit..."

The attendant was quick-tongued and soon finished explaining all the rules of the Beast Fighting Chess Tower.

Yue Honglian waved her small hand. "Let’s go straight to the ninth floor first and have a look."

The attendant smiled obsequiously and said, "Since this is your first time, you’ll need ninety Spirit Crystals."

Spirit Crystals are extracted from Spiritual Qi and are quite precious.

Cultivator Demons below Celestial Tribulation are unable to condense Spirit Crystals. Only those who have passed the Celestial Tier and also inherited a Secret Technique know how to refine Spirit Crystals.

The disciples under the Earth Element Daoist Monarch are rather adept at refining Spirit Crystals; these Spirit Crystals are useful to all Cultivators. Over time they became a medium of exchange and naturally turned into the common currency of Four Seas City.

In fact, Spirit Crystals are standard currency throughout Central Province. Only a barbaric place like the Eight Desolates doesn’t use common Spirit Crystals.

Ninety Spirit Crystals could be considered a sizeable fortune, enough to purchase a Low Tier Spiritual Artifact.

Yue Honglian was Yuan Qinglian’s beloved disciple; her monthly allowance alone was a thousand Spirit Crystals, so how could she care about such a small sum.

The attendant took one hundred Spirit Crystals, trotted over to the counter to pay the deposit, and helped Yue Honglian obtain a Jade Token.

"Honored guest, when you return, this Jade Token can be exchanged back for your deposit."

The attendant carefully presented the Jade Token and the remaining Spirit Crystals with both hands. Yue Honglian casually picked up the Jade Token and said, "The remaining Spirit Crystals are your tip."

The attendant was overjoyed, but quickly restrained the smile on his face and respectfully led Yue Honglian and Li Xiulian up to the ninth floor.

Upon reaching the ninth floor, Yue Honglian found two Cultivators playing chess in the main hall.

Above the hall hung a huge square Water Mirror, currently displaying the situation on the chessboard.

Beast Fighting Chess sounds simple, but each side actually has thirty-six Demon Beast pieces, each with different abilities.

How to combine and command these Demon Beast pieces is a great test of the player’s wisdom.

Because these Demon Beasts each have dozens of abilities, there are already many possible combinations in themselves. Add in the thirty-six pieces, and the total permutations are beyond calculation.

How both sides nurture their Demon Beasts in the early stages, how they allocate their resources—this tests the Cultivators’ calculation and adaptability even more.

Once you add in offense and defense from both sides, the variations become even more complex.

Even powerful Earth Immortals could never exhaust all the variations of Beast Fighting Chess. Earth Immortals often play Beast Fighting Chess for entertainment as well.

On the Water Mirror above the hall, a group of Cloud-like Demon Beasts was tangled in battle with Pegasus Demon Beasts, while clusters of flames and flashes of lightning flared in the rear—Flaming Bear Demons and Lightning Demon Beasts had also joined the fight.

Judging from the scene, it was incredibly lively.

Yue Honglian took one glance and couldn’t move her eyes away. Her senior sister hadn’t lied—this place’s Beast Fighting Chess really was formidable.

The Demon Beasts on both sides were extremely fierce; the fluctuations in their auras were almost indistinguishable from reality.

With just a single glance, Yue Honglian was drawn in by the intense, brutal aura of their struggle.

She was a grandmaster of the Way of Chess and immediately saw that the game had reached its most critical juncture. Moreover, the chess strength of both players was not weak.

After watching for a moment Yue Honglian said, "Red is going to win."

The attendant said with a flattering smile, "We allow betting here. If you favor one side to win, you can place a wager..."

Yue Honglian shook her head. She had come here to play chess; winning a bit of pocket change on a bet held no interest for her.

"Let’s just find a seat here."

Yue Honglian noticed that the surrounding corridors led to private rooms, and many guests were watching the excitement from those boxes. But she was here to build her name through playing chess—what was the point of hiding away in a private room?

The attendant hurried to arrange seats for Yue Honglian, then served tea and water, and brought some small fruit plates and desserts.

All these delicate little snacks together weren’t worth even one Spirit Crystal. Having received such a generous tip, the attendant naturally had to take care of everything properly.

Once everything was set, the game in the hall also came to an end. As expected, Red was victorious.

The attendant quickly laid on the flattery for Yue Honglian. Being able to predict the winner in advance did show some skill.

Of course, it wasn’t all that difficult either. The attendant’s enthusiasm and flattery were mainly thanks to the generous tip.

Yue Honglian was already itching for a game; she immediately issued a challenge.

The Red player was a white-haired elder. Seeing that his challenger was an unfamiliar young girl, he couldn’t help but show a trace of disdain on his face.

Even so, at ten Spirit Crystals a game, with someone volunteering to hand him free money, of course he wouldn’t refuse.

When Yue Honglian played, the chessboard naturally manifested on the table before her; there was no need to change seats.

As Yue Honglian’s Divine Thought sank in, the chessboard in front of her kept expanding, quickly turning into a vast and lifelike world.

Thirty-six Demon Beasts were arrayed before her. This time she opened on a mountainous terrain, with Spiritual Qi quite abundant.

In the initial phase of Beast Fighting Chess, the terrain keeps changing. The Powerhouses who created Beast Fighting Chess believed there was no absolute fairness in the world. Luck is also a part of fate.