Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 321

“Uh.”

Situ Yan and Dabu exchanged strange looks; was this slap in the face coming a bit too fast?

Just a moment ago, they were feeling invincible, convinced their chess skills were unmatched and that no one could defeat them in the first round.

And now?

We all feel embarrassed for you!

“It shouldn’t be possible; how could there be a second Chess Sage in this world? To think he could even surpass seventy percent of my strength…”

The Chess Sage’s expression shifted constantly, muttering the words repeatedly, clearly affected by this blow.

In ancient times, he was undefeated in the Way of Chess, even dominating with seventy percent of his power to crush all opponents.

He never expected that, in this day and age, a new Chess Sage would emerge to pose such a formidable threat!

If someone could surpass his seventy percent strength, it meant their chess skills were infinitely close to his!

It could even mean they might surpass him…

As that thought flashed through his mind, the Chess Sage immediately rejected it, his deep eyes sparkling with intensity as he gritted his teeth and declared:

“Impossible! No one can defeat me! My chess skills are unbeatable!”

“Used to be and still are!”

The Chess Sage forcefully suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart, letting out a cold smile, “I’ll see who has the audacity to challenge me!”

Saying this, the elderly man in blue turned serious and said to Situ Yan:

“Situ, my friend, please rest for a bit. I shall personally take on that powerful rival; this final round is crucial, determining the fate of the celestial chess game.”

“Of course.”

Situ Yan replied softly.

At this point, what else could he say? Naturally, he had to agree!

Then, the Chess Sage closed his eyes, his entire being motionless like a clay statue, unaware that his mind had already connected to the celestial chess game.

At the same time…

Inside the chessboard’s inner space.

The universe was vast, the stars dazzling.

A young man in a black robe sat cross-legged, his flowing white hair cascading over his shoulders. His handsome face wore a hint of confusion as he gazed at the gradually solidifying phantom of the elderly man before him.

“Why hasn’t it started yet? Are you plotting something?” Ye Junlin frowned.

Not long after the second round of the game began, he distinctly felt that his opponent’s level was far superior to the first round.

However, with his trait of growing stronger against stronger opponents, he didn’t care about the opponent’s skill level.

You can be as strong as you want; I’ll just get stronger too!

So even though his opponent in the second round was at a higher skill level, Ye Junlin remained firmly in control and ultimately emerged victorious.

But now, as the third round was about to begin, the elder opposite him remained still, puzzling Ye Junlin greatly.

Suddenly,

The elder’s phantom across from him solidified, and his shining eyes locked onto Ye Junlin.

“So it’s this junior.”

After successfully connecting with his clone, the Chess Sage had a first-person perspective and thought darkly.

At the same time, he received the previous clone’s memories, gaining a clearer understanding of Ye Junlin’s chess skills.

“Remarkable, in this future Kunlun Realm, a new Chess Sage has actually been born, nearly reaching my level!”

“But in the Way of Chess, a small misstep is like a chasm; this time, I shall personally take command, and you will undoubtedly be defeated!”

The Chess Sage’s eyes sparkled with confidence in his skills.

Deep down, he felt a touch of satisfaction and arrogance in teaching the younger generation a lesson.

Snap!

The Chess Sage picked up a black piece and firmly placed it on the board.

“Hey, finally starting! I need to wrap this up quickly so I can grab my reward.”

Ye Junlin’s eyes lit up with eagerness.

“Hmph!”

“Arrogant fool!”

Hearing this, the Chess Sage smirked, thinking to himself: “Grab a reward? Dream on! Soon your luck will belong to me!”

What he didn’t know was that Ye Junlin was referring to the system rewards…

Thus, both sides engaged in their match on the board.

With full confidence, the Chess Sage utilized his lifelong knowledge, transforming his experiential skills into the strongest chess moves.

Each time he placed a piece, he did so with calm and steadiness!

The trajectory of the black pieces morphed into a ferocious black dragon, intent on devouring all targets and exterminating the white pieces on the board.

“Interesting.”

Ye Junlin picked up a white piece, a teasing smile appearing on his face.

His demeanor was calm, and at the instant he played, he unconsciously triggered his passive effect of growing stronger against stronger opponents, elevating his chess skills alongside the opponent’s level.

The white dragon crafted from the white pieces took on an even fiercer momentum, engaging in a fierce battle with the black dragon and gradually gaining the upper hand.

The black dragon was dismantled and dispersed, increasing the number of white pieces on the board.

“How could this be…”

The Chess Sage sensed something was wrong; his eyelids twitched, and his chess-playing demeanor shifted from decisive to hesitant.

He couldn’t understand why every move he executed so skillfully was effortlessly countered by his opponent. Clearly, the level showcased in the previous round was only about seventy percent of his strength, so how could he be pushed to such a limit in this round?

Could it be that his opponent had been hiding his true skill all along?!

“I can’t believe there’s a Chess Sage in this era who can surpass me!”

“You must be cheating!”

The Chess Sage’s mind spiraled into anxiety, desperately trying to comfort himself as he hesitated longer with each subsequent move.

As the situation grew increasingly out of control, leading to despair, the Chess Sage’s mindset began to crack, his hand trembling as he picked up a black piece.

“Come on already, old man, I’m still waiting for my reward!” Seeing the elder hesitate, Ye Junlin impatiently urged.

To him, the opponent was just an AI!

Could it be that he was so strong that he was about to crash the old man’s circuits?

“Don’t rush me!”

“I can still turn this around!”

The Chess Sage was extremely anxious, terrified of losing, as this related to his future.

But the more anxious he became, the more he lost his grip, making mistake after mistake.

Before long, the position of the white pieces on the board formed a winning layout, indicating that Ye Junlin had claimed victory in this round.

“Geez, how boring!” Ye Junlin tossed the piece aside, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“I actually lost…”

The Chess Sage trembled all over, his emotional turmoil reaching its peak as he let out a despairing cry,

“No!!!”

Boom!

The entire chessboard space shook violently, visibly collapsing at an alarming rate.

“What’s happening?”

Ye Junlin sprang to his feet, startled.

Clatter! The chessboard overturned, and the Chess Sage, furious and humiliated, pointed at Ye Junlin, yelling:

“It’s all your fault! My entire plan was ruined by you!”

“You won’t have a good end! No good end ahhhh!”

His tone was drenched in blood and filled with hatred.

Then, the Chess Sage’s phantom vanished into thin air.

Ye Junlin narrowed his eyes.

The sudden change made him realize that this peculiar celestial fate was hiding secrets and was manipulated by someone.

This old man before him was the mastermind.

“You old fool, dare to point your finger at me? I’ll track you down and make you pay for this!”

Ye Junlin’s eyes erupted with two beams of light as he coldly declared.

“Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the task, reward: Invincible Sword Heart!”

Inside his mind, the system’s notification chimed.

Out in the open.

Among everyone’s gazes, the golden chessboard phantom suddenly dimmed, the sound of cracking echoing in the background.

This phenomenon left everyone stunned.

“What’s going on?!”

“Look, the celestial chess game is collapsing!”

“Could it be that the elder successfully broke through the game?”

“Maybe!”

The crowd buzzed with varying opinions, the mountains echoing with commotion.

“No way, could Master really beat the Chess Sage?” Li Wujie was shocked.

“This…” Hong Qianye felt uncertain.

Based on past experiences, he had reason to suspect the other had been holding back a trick.

Crack!

A sound similar to a mirror shattering rang out through the air, the golden chessboard phantom fracturing.

Whoosh!

A youth haloed with celestial light appeared in mid-air, his white hair wildly flowing, eyes dazzling as stars.

“Master!”

“Senior Ye!”

Exclamations rang out one after another.

Ye Junlin surveyed the crowd, his voice low, “I know what you’re all thinking; yes, I won!”

Once this was said,

The crowd first fell into short silence before erupting into a frenzy.

Someone actually defeated the Chess Sage!

Among them, Huang Lao, a half-step Chess Sage, was overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down his face as he murmured, “To witness the current unparalleled Chess Sage, I would die without regrets…”

Compared to everyone’s excitement, Ye Junlin appeared considerably calmer, as he had something very important to attend to.

That was to hunt down the mastermind behind this!

“The aura was coming from that direction!” Ye Junlin immediately took off, his form darting like flowing light through the sky towards the destination.

“Strange, where is Master heading?” Seeing the disappearing figure, Hong Qianye wondered.

“I don’t know.” Li Wujie shook his head in confusion.

Qin Ruyan frowned, starting to suspect that something else was afoot.