Chapter 2569
2569 Enlightenment of Bodhi
“As expected of the Chess Immortal.”
Yun Zhu chuckled.
Jun Yu was obsessed with chess and actually dragged Su Zimo to play chess in the room for an entire day and night.
Ordinary people would not be able to do something like that.
Mo Qing looked at the chessboard on the Astral Chessboard and asked curiously, “Junior Brother Su is also proficient in chess such that he’s able to play against you, Fellow Daoist?”
Jun Yu had a conflicted expression. “Fellow Daoist Su’s talent in chess is truly… yes, it’s indescribable.”
In terms of chess strength alone, Su Zimo was far inferior to her in terms of the layout of chess, formations, strategies, plans and other technicalities.
After all, Su Zimo had just learned the rules of chess and could only be considered as a beginner.
However, in the game of chess, the talent, comprehension, psychology, play, spirit and determination displayed by Su Zimo were comparable to hers!
In fact, in some aspects, he might even be above her.
Furthermore, Su Zimo was often able to come up with earthshaking moves such as fighting to survive in the face of death, breaking through absolute stalemates!
Yun Zhu was surprised as well.
She had dabbled in chess as well and was rather skilled. However, she was defeated in multiple games against Jun Yu back then.
To think that Su Zimo would receive such a high evaluation from Jun Yu in terms of chess?
“Right now, the chessboard looks a little…”
Yun Zhu merely swept her gaze across the Astral Chessboard. When she caught sight of the chessboard, she frowned and wanted to speak but stopped.
Given her skills in chess, there was no way she could survive if she was on the side of black!
Or rather, this chess game was a dead end!
Jun Yu did not hide things from Yun Zhu and Mo Qing either. “I’ve prepared nine zugzwangs. Fellow Daoist Su has already cleared six in succession. Right now, the two of you are looking at the seventh.”
The Ling Long Zugzwangs were incomparably profound and unpredictable.
Even if Jun Yu and Mo Qing watched from the side, they could not make out anything.
Mo Qing was not interested in chess. She merely found a cushion not far away from Su Zimo and assumed a lotus position.
Yun Zhu stood at the side and glared at the zugzwang, wanting to find a way to resolve it.
However, even after half a day, Su Zimo did not manage to make a move and Yun Zhu had no clue either.
Not only that, she stared at the Ling Long Zugzwang for a long time and expended a lot of mental energy—it was even more exhausting than fighting for a long time!
Yun Zhu shook her head gently and closed her eyes, gradually calming down.
“Fellow Daoist, how long did it take you to resolve this zugzwang?”
After resting for a while, Yun Zhu opened her eyes and asked Jun Yu.
Since Jun Yu laid out this zugzwang, she definitely had a way of resolving it.
“Nearly 500 years.”
Jun Yu did not hide anything and gave a figure.
Yun Zhu was secretly speechless.
Even with Jun Yu’s skills and understanding of chess, it took her 500 years to resolve this zugzwang.
She no longer intended to continue trying.
Given her chess skills, she might not be able to resolve this zugzwang even after 5,000 or 50,000 years.
Yun Zhu’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly asked, “Fellow Daoist, how long did you take to clear the sixth zugzwang?”
After a moment of silence, Jun Yu replied, “More than a hundred years.”
Yun Zhu smirked and a smile flashed through her eyes. She did not continue asking.
Jun Yu had just mentioned that Su Zimo had cleared six zugzwangs in a day and night.
This meant that Su Zimo took less than a day and night to clear the sixth zugzwang.
At the very least, Jun Yu had already lost to Su Zimo in this aspect!
Yun Zhu was extremely interested when she discovered this.
However, she did not highlight it as a form of respect for Jun Yu.
The seventh Ling Long Zugzwang gave Yun Zhu a headache. She did not continue to try and resolve it. Instead, she gave up and casually found a cushion to sit on.
Yun Zhu had read a lot of books and had a broad perspective and a carefree nature.
She understood that there were many things in this world that could not be accomplished even if she exhausted her entire life’s efforts.
Since that was the case, why force and make things difficult for herself?
Giving up at the right time was also a form of wisdom.
There were things that others might be able to do, but so what?
In this world, humans were different to begin with.
Indeed, Jun Yu was superior to her in terms of chess.
However, her understanding of the history of the upper world and the past of many experts was far inferior to the Chess Immortal.
Su Zimo closed his eyes and recalled the scene of the black-robed woman releasing the Nine Palaces Subtle Steps repeatedly. He compared it with the seventh Ling Long Zugzwang before him.
The reason why he was able to resolve the first six Ling Long Zugzwangs in a single day and night was because of this technique.
However, towards the end, the Ling Long Zugzwangs became more complicated and were filled with countless possibilities.
The number of steps that had to be calculated and the control of the situation required had far surpassed Su Zimo’s imagination.
He spent half a day deducing. Not only did he fail to resolve the zugzwang, his mind was in extreme chaos.
After pondering for a moment, Su Zimo suddenly took out a seed from his storage bag and held it in his palm.
The moment he held the seed, his mind regained clarity and the complicated clues gradually sorted out.
That seed was the Bodhi Seed he snatched from the Jade Firmament Immortal Domain!
The Bodhi Seed was extremely beneficial to his cultivation.
The improvement to cultivation speed itself was secondary.
Most importantly, holding the Bodhi Seed could greatly increase a cultivator’s comprehension ability and maintain their clarity of mind and sharpness!
The Bodhi Seed originated from one of the three sacred trees of the Buddhist monasteries, the Bodhi Tree.
Legend has it that at the start of the upper world, Buddha meditated for seven days and nights under the Bodhi Tree and defeated the temptation of countless evil demons. When daybreak arrived, he gained great comprehension and became the Buddha!
The three sacred trees of the Buddhist monasteries had their own origins and were all related to Buddha.
Legend has it that Buddha was born beneath the Ashoka Tree and attained the Dao beneath the Bodhi Tree, undergoing Nirvana beneath the Sal Tree.
Because of that, the three trees obtained the Dao of Buddha and eventually became the three sacred trees that protected the Pure Land of Bliss!
Su Zimo held the Bodhi Seed and recalled the process of the black-robed woman releasing the Nine Palace Subtle Steps once more. He did not let go of every single detail and verified them against the zugzwang.
Unknowingly, the sun set and night descended.
Su Zimo held the Bodhi Seed in one hand and the black chess piece in the other. He had a focused expression and maintained his posture motionlessly.
Finally, at daybreak, with a bang, Su Zimo took over the black side and made his move on the chessboard!
“He’s finally made his move!”
Yun Zhu was invigorated and looked over hurriedly.
Jun Yu’s eyes lit up at the sight of that move.
That move was the key to resolving the seventh Ling Long Zugzwang!
However, that move by itself was far from enough to resolve the Ling Long Zugzwang completely.
After that, there were at least six more moves Su Zimo had to make, without any mistakes no less, before he could resolve the zugzwang!
Jun Yu remained silent and placed a white chess piece.
Su Zimo’s second move was extremely fast and he did not think at all, as though everything was already planned.
Jun Yu was expressionless.
Su Zimo’s second move was not wrong either.
She continued playing.
Su Zimo replied swiftly and placed his piece for the third time.
The two of them continued playing and within a few breaths, each of them placed seven pieces in succession. Yun Zhu watched from the side in a daze and could not even keep up with their thoughts!
However, after the two of them placed their pieces respectively, she looked at the chessboard and realized that the black chess pieces had already broken free from the encirclement of the white chess pieces.
From then on, the outlook was promising!
