Chapter 14: Shadows of Strategy

Zong Ji, kicked out by the qin master, could only slink back to the top floor.
He buried himself in stacks of jade slips, browsing piece by piece.
From the vast sea of information, he slowly pieced together the current state of the merged Xuanyu Continent.

The lamplight flickered gently, bathing the study in a warm glow.
Paired with the deep night outside, it almost felt like an ancient scholar reading by candlelight.

Star-Picking Tower closed at the third watch every night.
In the dead of night, Zong Ji slipped down to the first floor.
In the main hall, he saw the restored chessboard.

The news of Sword Sovereign solving the Hundred Cranes Chess Game had already hit the jade slips.
It ranked just below the headline, sparking heated discussions.
Everyone speculated what condition Sword Sovereign would demand from the Dark Hall.
After all, the Dark Hall’s influence was undeniable.
Its master had once boldly promised to grant the solver one unconditional request, piquing widespread curiosity.

“Hall Master.”

Zong Ji nodded slightly to the dark guard, not pausing.
He walked to the chessboard and looked down.

The board was large, adorned with exactly one hundred cranes poised to take flight.
The artist’s skill was so exquisite that, infused with spiritual energy, the cranes seemed ready to leap off the board, vivid and lifelike.

Zong Ji recalled how he’d referenced the ancient Chinese “Thousand-Layer Pagoda” style.
Using it, he crafted a cunning, ever-shifting chess game.

The placement of black and white pieces was deceptively intricate.
At first glance, it looked chaotic, but those who tried to solve it soon uncovered layers of hidden killing intent.
Step by step, they could only retreat, until no moves remained.

Almost every renowned Go master in The Carefree Journey had a copy of the Hundred Cranes Chess Game.
Yet not one had managed to place even half a piece.

So how had Jing Zhe solved it?
Zong Ji clearly remembered that, in his original setting, he hadn’t given Jing Zhe any chess-playing cheat ability.

But the board before him showed a single piece placed horizontally on a true eye.
It blocked its own lifeline, overturning the original stalemate in a stroke of brilliance.
One couldn’t help but applaud.

“No need to restore it. Leave it as is.”
“Prepare for departure. I’m heading to the Eastern Kingdom tomorrow morning.”

“Yes.”

In One Sword to Immortality, after Jing Zhe emerged from seclusion, he found a Xuanmen descendant in Shengyang City.
That’s how he learned fragments about the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.
But now, Sword Sovereign had stumbled into Zong Ji’s Dark Hall by chance.
The author himself had practically handed him a cheat code, exposing the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s secrets entirely.

Zong Ji had even marked the sect’s secret chamber, known only to past sect leaders, for his son.

What a coincidence.
Before transmigrating, Zong Ji had planned an entire volume in One Sword to Immortality just for the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.
He’d even drawn a map of the sect’s terrain with a pen to streamline the plot and setting.

Zong Ji recalled the white-clad Sword Sovereign he’d glimpsed that drunken night, his feelings tangled.

In the end, it was Jing Zhe who benefited.

Outside, the sky shifted from dawn to dusk, then to deep darkness torn by eastern sunlight.
Quiet streets buzzed with life again as vendors set up their stalls.
They propped up sunshades with cooling runes, ready for a new day.

“Look, what’s that?!”
“What, what?!”
“Someone’s causing trouble in Shengyang City! Who’s so bold?”

Suddenly, a commotion erupted by the northern Wei River.
Cultivators, whether walking or trading, stopped to crane their necks and watch the spectacle.
Shengyang City was jointly governed by major sects.
No one dared act recklessly here.

Who was bold enough to stir trouble today?
Did they not know this was Tai Xu Sect’s domain?
Were they itching to test the sect’s enforcers?

As countless onlookers opened their jade slips to watch the drama, the plot took an unexpected turn.

“Wait… that’s… a Saint-tier powerhouse?!”
“What did you say? A Saint-tier?!”

Though the world had merged, only thirty or forty people across both books had broken through to Saint-tier.
On the talent-filled Xuanyu Continent, every one of them was a known name.

The vendor who spoke had seen it all clearly.

A man in a black robe leaped from the top of the world’s tallest tower.
His black hair danced wildly in the air, his gold-threaded sleeves billowing.
He seemed to blend with the rising sun not yet fully revealed.

His leap was effortlessly graceful.
As the vendor held his breath, the man casually lowered his gaze, tapped his foot lightly, and took a single step.
It looked simple, but he steadied himself in midair, treading on the void.

Saint-tier!

The watching cultivators gasped, their eyes burning with awe.

Xuanyu Continent revered strength above all.
Power spoke loudest, and a Saint-tier was the pinnacle, the tip of the pyramid.
Rarer than a giant panda.

“Which powerhouse is gracing Shengyang City?”

The crowd grew, and enforcers began maintaining order.
But the figure above… technically hadn’t broken any rules.
He walked on air, not stepping on jade tiles or disrupting public order.

“It… it seems to be His Excellency the Saint.”

A breeze passed, and the black-haired man remained unfazed, strolling through the air.
In a few steps, he crossed Shengyang City’s busiest street.
From afar, most couldn’t see his face.
But as the breeze swept by, a black-and-gold longsword at his waist revealed half its blade.
Its master’s spiritual energy sent a chilling sword aura rippling outward.

Many cultivators wore black-and-gold robes, imitating that figure.
Many also carried black-and-gold longswords, for the same reason.
But only one could wear them with such unmatched elegance and unfathomable power—the original himself.

“His Excellency the Saint is in Shengyang City!”
People spread the word, faces alight with excitement.
The news drew crowds in no time.

After breaking through to Saint-tier, every cultivator earned a unique title.
Swordsmen became Sword Sovereign, Sword Immortal, Sword Ghost, or Sword Demon.
Blade users followed suit—Blade Demon, Blade Ghost, Blade God.
Titles were usually tied to weapons.

There were exceptions, like Emperor or Demon Venerable, based on status.

Zong Ji’s “Saint” title was a rare, eclectic one.
It just sounded ridiculously impressive.

He draped himself in his usual aloof, lofty persona, hands clasped behind him.
Noticing the crowd below was sufficiently stirred, he leisurely drew a magical treasure.
With a toss, it spun and expanded into a glowing platform in the air.

The treasure was a grandly named Mountains and Rivers Map.
Despite the fancy name, it was just a stylish transport tool.

Zong Ji had deliberately made a big show, and he was pleased with the result.

Now, he had to head to the Eastern Kingdom to back an unfavored prince, as agreed.
Naturally, he resumed his public identity as Tai Xu Sect’s Saint.

The task was originally D-rank in difficulty.
But the world’s merger added Emperor Dong Yan, spiking it to S-rank.
Reluctantly, Zong Ji resorted to this spectacle.

He sighed inwardly, sweeping his long sleeves, still exuding untouchable arrogance.

The Mountains and Rivers Map was elegant, but Zong Ji wasn’t fully satisfied.
It wasn’t the peak of his flair.

The black-robed man stood tall above the clouds, looking dashing.
Inwardly, he debated a trip to Illusory Sea Flower City to catch an immortal crane for a mount.

The more he thought, the more feasible it seemed.
Immortal cranes were revered by cultivators for their purity and alignment with the Dao, exuding celestial aura.

After handling the Eastern Kingdom, visiting the Ancient Ruins, and before attending the Demon Sect’s development meeting, he could grab a crane for fun.

Pleased with his plan, he stepped onto the Mountains and Rivers Map, channeling spiritual energy to depart.
Suddenly, his hairs stood on end, locked onto by a sharp sword aura.
Raising his eyes, he met another’s gaze.

A white-clad swordsman stood like an unsheathed blade on a jade-tiled wall.
His face was nearly expressionless, but his body radiated battle intent, his dark eyes heavy.

Zong Ji read countless “I seek a fight” signals in those eyes.

Zong Ji: …
He’d even drawn the Ten Thousand Demons Sect map.
How hadn’t this guy found their base yet?

Also, just because you’re Sword Sovereign, standing on Shengyang City’s jade tiles doesn’t make you exempt.
That’s disrupting public order, got it?

Time to call Tai Xu Sect’s enforcers for a fine (smile).