The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 450 Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth

Wu Chang landed on the small island and walked towards the center of the snowfield. There was a clear footprint from the boat stop to the center of the island, as if someone had just left.

Based on the timing, the person who left should be the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who went to Kaiyang Immortal Mansion to activate the array's core.

Following the footprints, we came to a plum blossom grove.

In the center of the plum blossom grove, a clearing was set up. In the clearing, a circle of square stone platforms was placed. Inside the circle of stone platforms, there was a middle-aged scholar with a slender figure, wearing a black and white crane cloak and a black jade crown.

It's obvious without even guessing that the middle-aged scholar is an avatar of the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion.

Wu Chang sensed a similar aura of immortal destiny in him to that of the owner of the Kaiyang Immortal Mansion. An Rong's deduction and the favor of Lady Luck were indeed correct; there was indeed an immortal destiny hidden within the Tianquan Immortal Mansion.

He suppressed his excitement, walked closer, and saw that the stone platform surrounding the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion was actually a series of stone chessboards.

Upon his arrival, the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion pointed to one of the chessboards, gesturing for him to sit down.

The moment Wu Chang sat down, he felt a familiar binding force coming from him. The fifth trial was going to suppress his strength again. If he refused, the trial would not be able to be generated.

He stopped resisting, and after a moment, his strength was suppressed to the Mountain Opening Realm, which represents a first-class master.

But when he saw the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion on the other side, he almost couldn't help but curse.

The master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion was not at the Mountain Opening Realm, but at the River Breaking Realm, which represents a Grandmaster.

He had thought that the master of Kaiyang Immortal Mansion, who forcibly suppressed his cultivation level and refused to start the test unless he succeeded, was already unethical enough. Who knew that the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion was the one who was truly unethical.

That makes sense, though. Scholars have always been cunning and don't usually practice martial virtue.

Judging from this opening alone, it's clear that the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion has come with ill intentions.

Wu Chang looked at the chessboard and saw a game in the middle stage. There were black pieces in the chess box next to him, which meant that he was the black player.

The opening phase has just ended, and Black is already at a disadvantage. White is building up a huge influence around the center of the board. Once White surrounds Black, the game is already lost.

He looked around and noticed that the games on the surrounding stone platforms were at different stages, but the shapes of the pieces showed that they all started from the same point.

Some players find themselves in a dead end after only a few moves. As the game progresses, the difference between the two sides may seem small, but the game is already decided and there is no way to turn the tide.

Just like the final challenge of the Kaiyang Immortal Mansion, where the test-taker and the mansion's master can spar in a split form, allowing other test-takers to observe, in the Tianquan Immortal Mansion, these defeated chess games are not immediately eliminated, but rather used as a reference to be shown to those who come after.

The only game that wasn't over was in a close contest, with the outcome uncertain.

This game of chess must have been played by the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The Omniscient Crystal told Wu Chang that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had a chance of winning this game, but the probability of victory was very low. His own efforts alone were not enough; he also needed to see if the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion made a mistake.

Wu Chang doesn't know much about Go. All his knowledge comes from cartoons he watched as a child and a college entrance exam question from a certain year: "Basic move, brilliant move, and common move."

Of course, now there's also the hidden hand of the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion cheating.

However, he doesn't need to know how; he only needs to entrust his thinking to the Omniscient Crystal and act as a tool for placing pieces.

With the Omniscient Crystal involved, even AlphaGo wouldn't be able to do anything, let alone the avatar of the Master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion.

It's time to let the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion experience what the difference in computing power really means.

Wu Chang, playing black, made the first move. The Omniscient Crystal merely glanced at the board before determining the placement of the first piece.

He picked up a black piece, and just as he was about to place it, the piece was blocked by a force, preventing him from placing it.

In a daze, he understood how to play the game. The game in front of him was not an ordinary game of Go. He had to allocate some of his energy and attributes to the pieces in his hand in order to make them land on the board.

The amount of energy and attributes allocated to a piece determines its combat power. If the opponent wants to surround and kill pieces on the board, they must allocate more energy and attributes to place their pieces.

In other words, it's not just about skill level, but also about anticipating the situation.

You need to anticipate which of your pieces is more important and allocate corresponding combat power to them, and you also need to anticipate how much energy and attributes your opponent is willing to expend to capture your pieces.

Every bit of energy and attribute allocation is crucial and cannot be wasted.

It should be noted that the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion is a whole realm higher than the one being tested; failing to gain an advantage is a major disadvantage.

However, this is a problem that the other test takers should worry about. When it comes to playing with numbers, Wu Chang is no less skilled.

With the help of the Master of Breaking the Mold and the blessings of the full-layered Immortal Mansion, he managed to raise his stats by a whole realm. In fact, considering his attributes, he even had an advantage over the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion.

The complex setup of the Tianquan Chess Game is enough to stump ordinary AIs such as AlphaGo, but it cannot stump the Omniscient Crystal.

With just a few more conditions added, the Omniscient Crystal instantly made a judgment, telling Wu Chang how much energy and attributes to inject at this step.

After Wu Chang finished distributing the pieces, he placed one piece. The moment it landed, a question similar to the fourth test appeared before his eyes, giving him a requirement: how to complete the formation arrangement in a certain location according to the requirements.

Before he could even understand the question, the omniscient crystal had already provided the answer.

Snapped!
As soon as the piece was placed, Wu Changneng could sense that the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion opposite him straightened up a bit upon seeing his move, and his demeanor changed from relaxed to serious.

As expected of the God of Literature who controls the literary fortunes of the world, he could tell this was a high-level game just by seeing one step.

And so, the Omniscient Crystal and the Master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion went back and forth, constantly placing pieces on the chessboard.

The Omniscient Crystal placed its pieces with lightning speed, while the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion slowed down considerably, needing to think for a moment before placing each piece.

As an observer, Wu Chang gradually began to understand the test of the strategy.

Man proposes, God disposes. If the test of fate is whether one has the favor of God, then the test of strategy is the test of one's ability to devise plans.

Based on his experience exploring the Kaiyang Immortal Abode, it is not difficult to see that the five trials required to explore the Kaiyang and Tianquan Immortal Abodes, and even all seven Immortal Abodes corresponding to the Big Dipper, are not simply five independent trials.

The first four challenges are interconnected, all serving as preparation for the final fifth challenge.

For example, in Kaiyang Immortal Mansion, the four trials of righteousness, courage, perseverance, and strength are all designed to enhance the strength of the test takers. What is learned in each trial will serve as a weapon to defeat the master of Kaiyang Immortal Mansion in the final martial trial.

Similar to the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion, the four trials he completed earlier were all to enable him to pass the final game of chess.

This game of chess is a grand game with heaven and earth as the board and all living beings as the pieces.

Wu Changneng could see that the black pieces he was playing actually represented the seven immortals, which was the human side.

The black pieces represent humans, and the players are the seven immortals, who are also the successors who will inherit the seven immortal abodes. So the question is, what does the white pieces represent, and who is playing the pieces?

He couldn't figure it out for the time being, just like the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion opposite him, who was also struggling to defend himself against the attack of the Omniscient Crystal and fell into deep thought.

Just then, Wu Chang heard the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow behind him. A figure appeared behind Wu Chang and exclaimed in surprise:
"It's rare to see someone so engrossed in thought as the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion."

The fifth test is always set by the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion, causing the test takers to ponder for a long time, hesitating on how to make a move, and finally taking a step with five parts strength and five parts luck.

Now, the one being tested has taken the initiative, setting questions for the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion, which is truly a reversal of the Heavenly Gang.

Wu Chang turned to look at the speaker, only to see that the speaker was the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who had hurriedly left after setting up the array.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said, "I am Yuan Yan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices of the Great Xuan Dynasty. May I ask who you are?"

Seeing that the master of the Celestial Authority Immortal Mansion was still pondering, Wu Chang turned around and said:
"My name is Heping. I come from overseas and have only been in Daxuan for a short time."

"A celestial being?" Yuan Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Chang said, "Actually, I am just an ordinary person like you. However, I heard from the cultivators of the Human Alliance that we overseas cultivators are called Celestials in the Great Xuan."

As he spoke, he briefly recounted how he joined the Human Alliance, received the mission from Lü Changgeng, and came to explore the Immortal Abode.

Like the drunkard and the scholar, Yuan Yan was immersed in exploring the immortal abode and knew little about the changes in the outside world. He was very surprised to see living celestial beings appear before him.

What surprised him even more was that if Wu was truly a celestial being, wouldn't that mean that he not only completed the trial to join the Demon-Slaying Army in just half a day, but also explored all the way to the fifth round of trials?

Moreover, judging from Wu Chang's position on the board, he had a slight advantage, far better than Yuan Yan. This made Yuan Yan's heart skip a beat. After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with Wu Chang, he hurriedly sat back down at his own chessboard to continue his previous game.

He felt threatened by Wu Chang. As the number one prodigy of the Great Xuan Dynasty and the number one array master in the world, he had rarely failed since childhood.

The Great Xuan is a vast country with a large population, and it has never lacked geniuses.

Every year, various geniuses and child prodigies are born. As the fame of these prodigies spreads from rural counties to towns, from small cities to big cities, and from being known throughout the province all the way to the capital, those geniuses will realize that genius is not worth much.

Especially in the Taichang Temple, which is responsible for the earth-worshiping ceremony and has the highest requirements for talent, not to mention the junior ministers and vice ministers, even the chief clerks, doctors, and even the lowest-ranking assistant music officer were all local geniuses.

A genius is merely the threshold to enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

But when they see him, they will realize that genius is not worthless, but rather that they are not geniuses enough.

Before Wu Chang appeared, Yuan Yan was considered the most likely cultivator to obtain the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion, but Wu Chang's appearance made him feel threatened.

If this continues, Wu Chang is very likely to complete the trial. His only advantage now is that he can win before Wu Chang by making faster progress in his game.

Yuan Yan sat back down and made the brilliant move he had been pondering all the way.

Click.

Upon hearing the sound of the chess piece being placed on the board, the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion, who had been deep in thought, instantly relaxed, stood up from opposite Wu Chang, and walked towards Yuan Yan.

Everything has its order of arrival. Yuan Yan's game started before Wu Chang's. As long as he makes the first move, the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion will be the first to respond.

Of course, the main reason is that Yuan Yan's game is more relaxed. The master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion is being suffocated by the Omniscient Crystal and needs to find a weak opponent to refresh his mind.

He glanced at the brilliant move Yuan Yan had come up with, hesitated for three breaths, and then placed his piece.

This……

Yuan Yan was somewhat flustered when he saw his brilliant plan being easily countered, but seeing the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion walking towards Wu Chang's chessboard, he knew he didn't have time to think it over.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow his instincts in placing pieces, allocating energy and attributes.

Wu Chang shook his head slightly. Although he couldn't understand chess, he could understand people.

Yuan Yan's mind was in turmoil, and when the mind is in turmoil, mistakes are bound to happen.

According to the analysis of the Omniscient Crystal, if Yuan Yan makes no mistakes, he can rely on luck to gamble on the Tianquan Immortal Mansion's master making a mistake.

But now that what he learned from the heart and courage is wavering, he will make uncontrollable mistakes, and even lose the chance to wait for the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion to fail.

Planning is up to man, success is up to Heaven. The saying "planning is key" refers to human strategy. Once a plan fails, even if Heaven wants to help, it can't.

As expected, in less than an hour, Yuan Yan resigned due to a mistake.

He resigned himself to his fate and came behind Wu Chang. He found that Wu Chang's situation had turned from a slight advantage to a medium advantage. Even if he were to take over, as long as he had enough time to think, he was 80% confident that he could win.

What he found even more unacceptable was that Wu Chang had the leisure to get up and admire the plum blossoms, while the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion sat there, unable to make a move.

A sense of powerlessness filled Yuan Yan's heart. His master, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, once lamented that his journey had been too smooth. If one day he saw someone with even greater talent than him and realized that there are always people more talented than him, his mindset would be even more profound.

At the time, he didn't take it seriously, feeling that he had only heard about that feeling from his colleagues at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and had never experienced anything similar himself.

He really wanted to tell his master that he could feel it now.

On the other hand, Wu Chang appeared relaxed and at ease because he was genuinely at ease. Whether it was the placement of the pieces, the allocation of attributes, the answering of questions after the pieces were placed, or even asking questions to the master of the immortal mansion, everything was done by the Omniscient Crystal.

He was just a tool for placing pieces.

The method to break the omniscient crystal's deadlock is the same method prepared for the challenger when the game was set up.

That is, instead of actually penetrating the central region, they rely on harassment to shrink the central area as much as possible while making more space in the corners by relying on the previous situation.

By using the space at the edges and corners to replace the space in the center, one can win without a fight.

According to the Omniscient Crystal, Yuan Yan has already found a preliminary solution. Given two or three more games, he will be able to completely perfect the method to break the deadlock.

However, the problem is that finding a way to break the deadlock is only the beginning. According to the game's setup, the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion will rely on his higher realm to force his way into the corners and start a chaotic battle.

By then, the outcome will be extremely complicated. Even with Yuan Yan's skill level, the outcome will depend on whether he has enough luck; in other words, success is up to fate.

But Wu Chang was different. His stats were above those of the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion. The master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion was unable to force his way in and could only watch helplessly as the game slowly died, unable to resist.

It's like Wu Chang relying on numerical values ​​to ensure that planning and success both depend on human effort.

There are no random factors; it's a crushing victory.

Realizing that all was lost, the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion had no choice but to concede defeat.

Yuan Yan looked at all this with complicated feelings. He was initially unwilling, but when he recalled the chess game played by Wu Chang, he quickly felt relieved and a sense of relief arose in his heart.

Even though he had witnessed it firsthand, he couldn't analyze how the other party allocated the resources or what kind of deception they used to force the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion to be unable to resist despite being a weaker cultivator.

It can only be said that he was not ready yet; this Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion never truly belonged to him.

He cupped his hands in congratulations to Wu Chang:

"Congratulations, Lord Peace. This immortal abode is complex, and the items left behind by its master must be extraordinary. Throughout the Great Xuan Dynasty, no one is more worthy of this inheritance than you."

"I happen to be in this immortal abode. After you have taken over the immortal abode, I will activate the array core here, and then we can return to Zhenyue City together to report back."

Wu Chang replied, "Thank you for your trouble, Vice Minister Yuan."

As the two were talking, the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion had already put away the stone platform of the fifth level, making way for Wu Chang to pass.

Wu Changshun, along the stone platform
With the fifth test completed, the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion made way for Wu Chang to pass.

Wu Chang walked along the road and came to a larger version of the Boshi Building. He went inside and saw that it was filled with all kinds of books.

From animal bones to stone tablets, to bamboo slips and thread-bound books, it seems that every book that has ever appeared in a world instance can be found here.

In the very center of the first floor, he saw the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion holding a wordless book, slowly walking towards him.

Perhaps because Wenquxing was more composed, the master of Tianquan Immortal Mansion did not have the perverse pleasure of testing him with his sword. He simply walked up to Wu Chang, handed him the blank book, and said softly:
"Planning is up to people, and success is also up to people. Is it really possible to do that?"

Before Wu Chang could respond, the illusory figure of the Immortal Abode Master vanished.

One is born, the second is cooked.

Upon receiving the item for the Immortal's Fate, its description immediately appeared before his eyes.

Item Name: Book of Literary Fortune

Item Type: Special

"Item Description: The one who possesses this book will be regarded as the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion and can freely control all the arrangements within the mansion. The book records the immortal destiny left behind by the master of the Tianquan Immortal Mansion, and within this destiny resides the master's understanding of the Wenqu Star."

Upon obtaining the Book of Literary Fortune, and as he gained the recognition of the Immortal Abode, content seemed to appear on the originally blank pages.

Before he could even read the words clearly, his vision blurred, and he was transported into the memories left behind by the master of the Heavenly Power Immortal Mansion during his immortal destiny.

The moment he entered his memory, he heard someone beside him say:
"The Demon Birth Pool has occupied the Heavenly Gate, blocking our path to seek help. The faith and fortune accumulated through the sacrificial ceremony have been stolen by those demons, nourishing more new demons. If this continues, the world will be doomed sooner or later."

"Tianquan, what should we do now? Are we really going to..."

The next moment, the master of the Heavenly Authority Immortal Mansion said, "Since the demons have blocked the Heavenly Gate and the sacrifice to Heaven cannot be made, then we will change it to a sacrifice to Earth."

(End of this chapter)