In a certain secluded place.

Gu Huaixin, his long hair a mix of black and white, sat cross-legged on a pure white cushion, engaged in a game of Go.

The board was made of *xiaoming* spiraled yellow wood, its grain clear and known to soothe the mind and nourish the eyes.

Seated opposite him was a man who appeared to be around fifty years old, not showing much age, with a refined and scholarly air, sitting on a pure black cushion.

The color of the stones he held, however, were the exact opposite.

After a long deliberation, he placed a white stone.

The placement of this stone was very strange, completely deviating from the entangled battle zones. If it were for securing territory, there were far better options. It seemed to be a completely wasted move.

He seemed to always be playing wasted moves, which was why the white stones on the board were already completely at a disadvantage.

Gu Huaixin held the advantage but showed no arrogance. He merely played a standard move, securing the winning position in the upper left corner.

The scholarly man picked up another white stone and pondered for a long time, saying, “Over these many years, it’s truly been difficult to wait for you to make a single mistake.”

Compared to his opponent, Gu Huaixin placed his stones quickly and decisively. But he showed no urge to rush, nor any impatience. He simply said, “I finally waited. It seems that as long as you live long enough, anything is possible.”

This remark didn’t sit right, as merely from their appearance, there was an age difference. Their actual ages were even further apart. For the younger person to say this couldn’t help but carry a hint of sarcasm.

But the scholarly man showed no annoyance, instead letting out a wry chuckle. “Huaixin, you are always like this, unwilling to suffer any loss in any aspect or any matter.”

“Let’s put it another way,” Gu Huaixin also smiled. “I always win.”

The white stone repeatedly tumbled between his three fingers. The scholarly man pondered for a while longer before placing another useless stone. He sighed lightly, “It seems so.”

Gu Huaixin still maintained his usual rhythm. After a brief thought, he placed a black stone and began to capture the dragon.

He lifted the stones one by one, not too fast nor too slow, naturally possessing the composure of someone with the overall situation in hand.

The scholarly man stared at his losing board but suddenly said, “I have always admired Shaoqing. He has intelligence, talent, and ruthlessness. But now it seems his perspective is slightly lacking.”

“What is perspective?” Gu Huaixin, though very serious when privately instructing Ji Shaoqing, was unwilling to tolerate criticism of his beloved disciple. He casually retorted, “Each generation has its own mission. What age one is, one does what one should do. At an age of less than forty, constantly considering matters a hundred years hence, is that truly great perspective, or is it simply being bogged down by the mundane? Brother Xu, when you were young, your pair of judge’s pens shattered the entire Mist Mountain sect, weren’t you also criticized for lacking perspective and magnanimity? And now? You are a True Person of this era, your power shakes the near seas, where are those who spoke of you?”

Looking across the entire Near Sea archipelago, the only person who could be called “Brother Xu” by Gu Huaixin and who had the surname Xu was Xu Xiangwan, the Third Elder of the Sea-Fishing Tower.

Throughout the changes during the Great Sea Sacrifice, Gu Huaixin’s actions were constant, leaving traces of his involvement everywhere.

And as the other party in the struggle, Xu Xiangwan, from beginning to end, was as if transparent. Apart from the few times Hai Jingping couldn’t bear it and retaliated, there were no further movements from his faction.

Many people believed that this was a sign of Xu Xiangwan’s inferiority.

But if one were to set aside the actions of each party during the events and only look at the final outcome, it is not difficult to discover a fact – Gu Huaixin’s faction was busy running around, creating a lot of fanfare, but in the end, they left in disappointment. Not only did they not achieve the expected gains, but they were also severely struck. Xu Xiangwan seemed to have done nothing, yet he remained unharmed and still held the position of Third Elder. During the establishment of the Sea-Guarding Alliance, he enjoyed great benefits, his mouth dripping with oil.

There were many voices saying that this was the balancing technique of the Sea-Fishing Tower Master, Wei Xun, who favored and helped, allowing Xu Xiangwan to keep his position. But the true truth of the matter is not known to outsiders.

From their appearance, Gu Huaixin looked younger than Xu Xiangwan. This indicates that Gu Huaixin achieved the Divine Arrival at a younger age, thus possessing greater talent. In the time they were both True Persons, it was foreseeable that the latter would surpass the former.

Gu Huaixin’s focus on words like “age” and “being bogged down” was merely to highlight his own advantages.

But regarding Gu Huaixin’s words, Xu Xiangwan still showed no hint of displeasure.

He merely smiled and changed the subject, saying, “Shaoqing has perfected his Five Mansions and is already exploring the Star Vault. The two divine abilities he has obtained are both very powerful. And Jiang Wang of Qi has newly established his Three Mansions. Judging from the divine light, he has obtained three divine ability seeds, also a rare talent. This battle will be worth watching.”

Others might not know how many divine abilities Jiang Wang had obtained, but True Persons of this era could easily penetrate the essence and see the divine light.

Although when he spoke of Jiang Wang, he used the word “also,” implying that Jiang Wang’s talent was similar to Ji Shaoqing’s, both he and Gu Huaixin knew very well that Jiang Wang obtaining three divine abilities upon opening his Three Mansions meant the Heavenly Mansion was foreseeable! In terms of talent, he surpassed Ji Shaoqing. His achievements in the Miasma Realm battle were even more overwhelming among his peers, earning him the first place in the副榜 of the Sea Merit List.

However, because Ji Shaoqing was older and had cultivated for a longer time, he was ahead in cultivation. Just regarding this battle, the two sides were indeed evenly matched. With the power of Ji Shaoqing’s divine abilities, perhaps three or five years later, he would still have a chance. But if nothing unexpected happened, ten or twenty years from now, this battle would not need to begin.

Gu Huaixin also had no intention of continuing the tit-for-tat. He simply said, “The God of War has a disciple named Wang Yi’er, who is known as the greatest Through Heaven Realm cultivator of all time. Many in Qi regard him as another God of War. But after the Soaring Dragon Realm, he was defeated by someone in the same realm, shaking Linzi. That was the battle where this Jiang Wang first made his name. It is said that in that battle, Jiang Wang first won a round in the Soaring Dragon Realm, and then both sides simultaneously advanced to the Inner Mansion, and Jiang Wang won another round, completely breaking the God of War’s disciple’s undefeated path… Qi is indeed a place where heroes emerge in large numbers, worthy of its overlord status.”

“For those with a truly strong mindset, that is not a bad thing.” Xu Xiangwan also seriously discussed the genius of another country with him. “That Wang Yi’er, even if he replicated the God of War’s undefeated path, might not be able to become another Jiang Mengxiong. Because Jiang Mengxiong is ahead on the path, he is a beacon, but also a mental obstacle. He will never have his own undefeated. Having his undefeated path broken might actually allow him to truly walk his own path.”

“Yes, temporary victory or defeat means nothing,” Gu Huaixin said meaningfully, then changed the subject. “If Shaoqing can suffer a great loss in this battle, it might not be a bad thing, perhaps even turning disaster into fortune.”

Jiang Wang and Ji Shaoqing had clearly agreed to a life-and-death battle, but the worst-case scenario in Gu Huaixin’s words was only that Ji Shaoqing suffered a great loss.

This showed that he would not stand by and watch Ji Shaoqing die in battle. At most, he would let him know shame and forge ahead.

But if the defeated party was Jiang Wang… If Jiang Wang was seeking death himself, what did it have to do with him?

There was no reason to argue this. No matter who it was, they would not watch their disciple be beaten to death.

Just as when Jiang Mengxiong came forward to take Wang Yi’er away in Linzi.

Xu Xiangwan naturally understood this principle. If he were in that position, he would also make the same choice. But he placed the stone he had been weighing for a long time back in the container and slowly said, “Someone delivered a message to the Tower Master.”

Gu Huaixin raised his eyebrows, looked at him, and indicated that he was listening attentively.

“That person said that Jiang Wang, as a genius of Qi, voluntarily risked danger to clear the name of a discarded disciple of the Sea-Fishing Tower. This is out of his own righteousness, and there is nothing to say about it. The Sea-Fishing Tower laid out a grand plan in the Miasma Realm for the long-term good of the human race, and the people of Qi are also prepared to sacrifice themselves. Even if they are treated as chess pieces, there is nothing to say about it.

But you cannot set conditions and ask people to do something, and then when they achieve it, you make things difficult in every way. The people of Qi can die in battle, can sacrifice, but they cannot be so toyed with.”

Xu Xiangwan sighed and relayed the message, “That person’s original words were – ‘If you don’t remember the rules, I will come myself and teach you the rules’.”