World's First Traitor System [Isekai Transmigration] Chapter 218 - The Rules of the Rotten Axe

Fan Li stood on the giant Go board, feeling as insignificant as an ant. This was enemy territory. He decided not to wander aimlessly and instead waited to see what would happen.

Nineteen lines, crisscrossing, weaving tales of heaven, earth, and man?

He had already guessed his opponent's identity – the Sage Ruler of Chess from the Brahma Sound Pure Land.

The Sage Ruler’s tone had been polite, but forcibly dragging him into this pocket dinsion was clearly a hostile act.

What should he do? Could he count on Qing Qiu to rescue him?

He hoped so, but he knew it was unlikely. He had clearly walked into a trap. If he could escape so easily, the Brahma Sound Pure Land wouldn’t be much of a threat.

"Am I stuck in this place until we finish a ga of Go?" Fan Li wondered aloud.

"Precisely!" a woman's voice replied.

A figure materialized on the opposite side of the board. Dressed in white, her hair as white as snow, she had a beautiful face but a fierce expression.

“You’re Bai Shijiu, the Sage Ruler of Chess?” Fan Li asked, taking the initiative, startling the woman for a mont.

A re Golden Core cultivator, trapped within her Rotten Axe Go Board, and he dared to be so bold?

Bai Shijiu wanted to express her disdain, but she couldn’t find any fault with his deanor. She had expected to see fear or anger, but he seed completely at ease, as if he were strolling through his own garden, admiring the miniature world of the Rotten Axe Go Board.

"One ga. And I'll let you leave."

Her voice seed to emanate from the board itself, as if she were the ruler of this pocket dinsion, a goddess within her own domain.

Fan Li was surprised. Was she using ventriloquism? No, it was so kind of sound transmission technique.

She seed incredibly powerful and enigmatic, reminding him of a hidden master from a martial arts novel.

Perhaps that was her intention – to intimidate him.

“The esteed Sage Ruler of Chess, setting a trap and dragging here, just for a ga of Go?”

“I have just erged from seclusion. Jin De ntioned your reputation, Duke Jin. She said that although your cultivation is low, you possess the deanor of a great scholar. Even Elder Sister Yao Guang has spoken highly of you. She urged to pay you a visit, lest I miss the chance to et a contemporary hero.”

Fan Li chuckled inwardly. She spoke eloquently, but it was just a facade. At least she wasn’t as ruthless as the Sage Ruler of Archery, who had attacked him from miles away, without even revealing herself.

“Very well. I have plenty of ti to spare. A ga of Go won’t take too long,” he agreed.

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Bai Shijiu smiled inwardly. A re Golden Core cultivator. His experience and knowledge were limited.

Even within the Pure Land, she rarely took action. Even Qing Qiu wasn't fully aware of her thods, let alone Fan Li.

Her spirit treasure, the Rotten Axe Go Board, had two hidden abilities.

The first was a ntal attack. It didn’t draw blood or inflict physical harm, but it struck directly at the soul. Defeat could lead to damage to the primordial spirit, a weakened willpower, or even ntal tornt, trapping the victim in an endless loop of their loss.

The second ability manipulated the flow of ti. Once a ga began, ti within the pocket dinsion moved thousands of tis faster than in the outside world. It was said that “a day spent playing Go here is a century in the mortal world.”

Moreover, a cultivator’s resistance to the manipulation of ti depended on their cultivation level. The Rotten Axe Go Board was a Heavenly-grade spirit treasure. A Golden Core cultivator like Fan Li had practically no resistance to its effects.

Bai Shijiu, however, was different. As a Great Vehicle realm cultivator, she could reduce the ti dilation from thousands of tis to a re hundred. A day within the Go board would be a year in the outside world.

‘He’s a Golden Core cultivator. His lifespan is at most two hundred years. If I drag this ga out for two days, he’ll die of old age within the board. Even if Qing Qiu asks, I can simply say he lost the ga and couldn’t bear the sha. It’s his own fault for dying.’

‘Hmph, it’s a pity I have to be mindful of Qing Qiu. Otherwise, I could play a quick ga and drive him mad with his loss. That would also solve Elder Sister’s problem.’

anwhile, back at the gnarled tree, Qing Qiu stood guard, watching over the Rotten Axe Go Board. She knew Bai Shijiu had entered the pocket dinsion. According to their agreent, once the ga was over, Bai Shijiu would leave Fan Li unhard.

…

“Let’s begin,” Bai Shijiu said coldly.

“Right now?” Fan Li asked. “Who plays black, and who plays white?”

In Go, black had the advantage of the first move. To compensate, the player with black had to give the white player a handicap – a deduction of points at the end of the ga.

Bai Shijiu chuckled. Did this man truly believe he could compete with her? She was the Sage Ruler of Chess, the strongest female Go player in the world. If she wanted to, she could win within twenty or thirty moves, forcing Fan Li to concede. However, her goal was to trap him within the Go board until he died of old age.

"You play black," she said haughtily. "My surna is Bai. I always play white. Besides, I never accept a handicap."

Such confidence!

Fan Li was surprised. He wanted to tell her that this ga had been unfair from the very beginning.

Because he was cheating.

…

In the Fan Residence in Peng City, Fan Li's other clone set up a Go board, selecting the white stones. Across from him sat a thin, scholarly man, his deanor a bit reserved. However, his eyes, fixated on the board, glead with excitent. This man was clearly a Go enthusiast.

“Your na is Huang Longshi?” Fan Li asked with a smile.

“I am your student, Huang Longshi. I studied in Lu City for many years, but I lack talent and have yet to achieve much.”

As he said, Lu Chunqiu had three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were considered sages. Huang Longshi wasn’t among them.

However, Fan Li, while browsing through Lu Chunqiu’s list of disciples, had noticed Huang Longshi’s na. It was identical to the na of a famous Go master from his previous world. He had imdiately inquired about Huang Longshi, and Lu Chunqiu had confird the man’s exceptional Go skills. During his ti in Lu City, he had defeated all three thousand of his classmates, remaining undefeated. If not for his low cultivation level – after forty years of diligent study, he had only reached the Nascent Soul realm – he would have already been famous throughout the land.

Fan Li had invited Huang Longshi to Peng City long ago, keeping him close, waiting for the right opportunity to make use of his talents.

He hadn’t expected that opportunity to co so soon.

“Duke Jin, do you also enjoy Go?” Huang Longshi asked excitedly.

"Playing Go is a refined pursuit. How could I not enjoy it?” Fan Li replied with a chuckle.

He had inherited the original Fan Li’s talents, so his Go skills were decent. But he doubted he could defeat the Sage Ruler of Chess. As for genuine interest, he had none.

"Master Huang, I have heard of your exceptional skills. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to request a ga. Would you honor with your guidance?"