In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 370 Refining the Heart with Precious Treasures
The next day, inside the villa, looking at Gu Shaoan with a smile on his face, Zhou Zhiruo placed some food in Gu Shaoan's bowl and said in a sweet voice, "Junior Brother seems to be in a good mood today."

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "Not bad!"

As the efficiency of refining the power of heaven and earth increased, Gu Shaoan could clearly feel the nurturing effects of essence, energy, and spirit.

This palpable sense of progress definitely put Gu Shaoan in a good mood.

The only problem is that the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will" consumes too much of one's vital energy.

Even with Gu Shaoan's skill and the purity of his internal energy, he could only sustain himself for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before he needed to regulate his breathing to recover his internal energy.

Yang Yan rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat lazy and depressed, and said, "Senior brother, your cultivation progress is getting faster and faster, while my senior sister and I are suffering. Right now, we are still at the fifth level of the Emei Nine Yang True Scripture. It will be difficult to reach the seventh level in less than seven or eight years."

Gu Shaoan comforted him, saying, "The 'Emei Nine Yang Manual' is the foundation and the most important thing, so we must proceed steadily and surely."

Yang Yan said listlessly, "That's true, but martial artists in the Celestial Realm have long lifespans. I heard Uncle Gu say that if you can enter the Celestial Realm when you're young, you can also stay young forever."

When the last few words were uttered, not only Yang Yan, but even Zhou Zhiruo's eyes flickered.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan glanced at Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan.

Speaking of which, there are martial arts such as the "Mingyu Gong" and the "Changchun Bulao Gong" in the world. Not only are they powerful, but martial artists who practice them can also maintain their youthful appearance.

However, the two women's internal energy has now reached the level of condensing qi into yuan, and in terms of refinement, the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" is no less than these martial arts.

Even if Gu Shaoan later obtained martial arts techniques like "Mingyu Gong" through a lottery, it would be impossible for him to make the two women switch to other internal cultivation methods.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shaoan said, "I do know some special medicines that, if prepared into a medicine, can also have the effect of preserving youth."

Upon hearing this, both women turned their heads and looked at Gu Shaoan with wide, sparkling eyes.

Yang Yan, in particular, practically had the word "want" etched on her forehead.

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "I'll ask my friends in a few days to help me keep an eye out for these drugs."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan leaned closer, hugged Gu Shaoan's neck, and kissed him.

"Senior brother, you're the best."

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiruo also kissed Gu Shaoan on the other side of his cheek.

But seeing the oil stains on Gu Shaoan's face, she smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe them off for him.

After the meal, as the two women came out of the kitchen, Gu Shaoan's voice reached their ears.

"Come to the pavilion, I'll show you something new."

Upon entering the pavilion, Yang Yan raised an eyebrow at the chessboard on the table and asked, "Is this the new thing you mentioned, Senior Brother?"

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough who goes first."

Zhou Zhiruo smiled gently, took light steps, and gracefully sat down opposite Gu Shaoan with elegant posture.

It must be said that after getting married, Zhou Zhiruo became even more feminine.

When Zhou Zhiruo was with Gu Shaoan in private, her gentle beauty, reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan, sometimes carried a touch of coquettishness.

Yang Yan sat down next to Zhou Zhiruo, ready to watch the battle with great interest.

Gu Shaoan smiled slightly, and without any modesty, reached out and picked up a dark, lustrous black piece from the chess box and placed it in the upper right corner of the chessboard.

"A star-studded start, upright and honorable."

Zhou Zhiruo's heart stirred slightly. She held the white cup in her slender hand and gracefully responded with a small gesture.

When she and Yang Yan were in Emei, they spent almost all their time with Gu Shaoan, except for cultivation. When Abbess Juechen taught Gu Shaoan to play chess, the two women naturally followed along and learned as well.

In their spare time, the two women would play a few games of chess to pass the time.

Gu Shaoan remained calm and made his moves with lightning speed. Almost as soon as Zhou Zhiruo's white piece was placed, his second black piece was already placed on the other side of the star position, forming a double star layout with a broad and imposing presence.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Zhiruo chose to approach from the corner, testing Black's response.

However, Gu Shaoan's response was unexpected. Instead of choosing the usual solid corner defense or pincer attack, he seemingly placed a piece lightly near the center.

This move, at first glance, seemed somewhat unreliable and had little to do with the struggle for the corner. Zhou Zhiruo frowned slightly and glanced at Gu Shaoan with some surprise.

Although it was only a few moves, both Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan noticed the changes in Gu Shaoan's playing style.

Filled with doubt, Zhou Zhiruo thought for a moment, then gently dropped the tassel.

Gu Shaoan didn't care; the black pieces fell one after another without him even thinking.

Yang Yan watched from the sidelines, initially puzzled, but as the game progressed to more than thirty moves, she vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

On the chessboard, Zhou Zhiruo's white pieces did occupy several corners, but those seemingly scattered pieces on the board were like invisible threads, subtly connecting to form a large net covering the entire board.

White's territory is isolated in a few corners, while the vast areas in the center and along the sides are filled with the subtle influence of Black.

Zhou Zhiruo, also sensing something was wrong, noticeably slowed down her moves, her delicate brows furrowing more and more tightly.

She felt that every move she made was precisely within the rhythm subtly planned by her opponent.

As the black and white pieces on the chessboard were interspersed, both women focused their attention on the ever-increasing number of pieces.

Unbeknownst to them, as Gu Shaoan placed his piece, his internal energy and spiritual energy began to circulate.

A moment later, after Zhou Zhiruo made her move again, Gu Shaoan placed the chess piece between his index and middle fingers onto the chessboard with a "click".

The moment the chess piece landed on the board, a surge of spiritual energy quietly spread out from the piece.

In an instant, the entire chessboard, including the chess pieces, seemed to ripple like water.

In Zhou Zhiruo's vision, the surface of the chess pieces on the chessboard was also glowing. The nineteen vertical and three hundred and sixty-one intersections seemed to suddenly enlarge and rotate. The black and white chess pieces were no longer static stones, but seemed to have a special magic, causing Zhou Zhiruo's eyes to tremble and her mind and attention to be unconsciously attracted. Even her hand, which was about to move the chess pieces, froze in mid-air.

Then, in Zhou Zhiruo's mind, she had returned to the time when she was young and first fought bandits with Gu Shaoan.

In the illusion, flames raged all around, and the corpses of bandits lay scattered on the ground.

Gu Shaoan, who was also young but covered in wounds, held her hand with one hand and a sword in the other, his hand covered in blood.

Three zhang away from her and Gu Shaoan, Ding Minjun, sword in hand, approached step by step with a murderous look on her face.

As Ding Minjun drew ever closer, Zhou Zhiruo felt as if her body was being weighed down by something heavy. Fear and dread surged into her heart, and she could only hold Gu Shaoan's hand tightly.

The tighter Zhou Zhiruo gripped Gu Shaoan's hand, the colder it felt. Unconsciously, Zhou Zhiruo, now inside the pavilion, was already sweating profusely.

As time went by, the true energy within Zhou Zhiruo's body began to circulate wildly and uncontrollably, accompanied by a faint surge of killing intent.

Sensing the surging true energy around Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Yan was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to speak.

"Don't disturb Senior Sister."

Just then, Gu Shaoan's voice suddenly entered her ears.

Yang Yan turned her head and saw Gu Shaoan gently shake his head at her.

Although she didn't understand what was going on, Yang Yan quieted down in response to Gu Shaoan's signal.

Meanwhile, within the illusion, Ding Minjun had already grabbed Gu Shaoan with one hand, and her long sword was placed against Gu Shaoan's neck.

At the same time, Ding Minjun's gaze fell on Zhou Zhiruo.

"You little bitch, do you think you can go against me just because this little beast is protecting you? Wait until I kill this little beast, then see how I deal with you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ding Minjun suddenly plunged her long sword into Gu Shaoan's abdomen.

"Junior brother!"

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes widened in fury. The grief and anger in her heart completely overwhelmed her fear of Ding Minjun, and she swung the wooden sword in her hand fiercely at Ding Minjun.

At the very moment the wooden sword was swung, Zhou Zhiruo's vision blurred, and her consciousness returned.

After regaining her senses, Zhou Zhiruo gasped for breath, her face as pale as paper, and her back soaked with cold sweat.

Gu Shaoan handed the cooled tea to Zhou Zhiruo.

After drinking some tea and calming down for a few moments, Zhou Zhiruo looked up at Gu Shaoan and asked, "Junior Brother, what was that just now?"

Gu Shaoan pointed to the chessboard on the table.

"The game of chess is like the game of the mind; a desperate situation is not a dead end, but an obsession is a prison. Only by giving up can you gain, and only by dying can you live. See through illusion and point directly to your true self."

"The chess game just now was called the Precious Chess Game. What Senior Sister just experienced was the mystery of the Precious Chess Game. It can use the Precious Heart Refining Method to pull the player into an illusion."

"If you can face your true self and break through your obsessions in the illusion, it will be of great help to both your mental state and the improvement of your spiritual energy. It will be just right for you and Junior Sister Yan'er."

Although Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan had already reached the Qi Condensation stage in terms of internal energy cultivation, both Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen knew that Gu Shaoan had protected the two women too well over the years.

Although the two women seemed to handle things in a measured way, they were actually just copying Gu Shaoan in many ways.

Compared to their peers, they might not be considered bad.

However, in the eyes of Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen, she was still a bit naive.

Especially in terms of mindset, they lack a certain resilience.

This is why, a few years ago, Gu Shaoan took advantage of the Beggars' Sect and other forces causing trouble to let the two of them and Mei Jiangxue experience a "life-or-death" ordeal, thereby elevating their state of mind.

After hearing what Gu Shaoan said, Yang Yan looked at the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard in surprise.

"I never imagined that playing chess could have such an effect, actually pulling people into an illusion to refine their minds."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan smiled gently and said, "The art of chess is profound and extensive, and to some extent, it is no less than the art of martial arts."

"In many ways, it is similar to martial arts. The psychological battles that martial artists engage in are similar to the game of chess. If one can integrate the principles of chess into one's own martial arts, one can also improve one's strength."

After listening to Gu Shaoan's explanation, Yang Yan was also very curious about the Zhenlong Chess Game.

He immediately sat down opposite Gu Shaoan.

And the result was exactly the same as Zhou Zhiruo's; she was directly pulled into the illusion.

It was at this moment that Gu Shaoan suddenly noticed Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen slowly approaching.

Noticing the situation inside the pavilion, Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen paused for a moment, then immediately slowed their pace and quietly approached Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan from behind.

After an incense stick's time, as the illusion dissipated, Yang Yan's face turned pale, and her blood and qi churned within her body.

It took a while for him to calm down.

"This illusion is far too real."

Recalling her experience in the illusion, Yang Yan looked still shaken.

Gu Shaoan replied, "If it's not real, how can it have the effect of refining the mind?"

After a moment, Yang Yan asked, "Speaking of which, how did you come up with this intricate chess game, senior brother? And your chess skills seem to have improved a lot. Just now, it seemed like you anticipated every move my senior sister and I made."

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "When I was traveling before, I bought some chess manuals to study. Over time, my chess skills naturally improved. As for this Zhenlong Chess Game, I obtained it by chance not long ago. It is said to have been created by a sect called Xiaoyao Sect."

At this moment, Zhou Zhiruo spoke up: "Junior brother, since the exquisite mind-refining method of this Precious Chess Game can improve a martial artist's mental state and help people break free from obsessions, will it also be useful for Master and the others?"

Just as she finished speaking, Abbess Juechen's voice rang out: "Your Zhiruo is still the best, Senior Sister. When she encounters something good, she thinks of us first. Unlike me, her disciple, who was like a warm cotton-padded jacket when she was young, but has become more and more leaky as she grows up."

Hearing the sound behind them, the two women turned around abruptly.

When the two women saw Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen, they were taken aback for a moment, and then they bowed to each other.

After receiving signals from Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen, Yang Yan moved to Abbess Juechen's side and took Abbess Miejue's hand.

"Look at what you're saying, Master. Didn't I just come out of the illusion and haven't recovered yet?"

Looking at Yang Yan, who was acting coquettishly in front of her, Abbess Juechen raised her finger and tapped Yang Yan's forehead.

"You, you're married now, yet you still act like a child, so unruly."

"Hey, anyway, in front of Master and Uncle, my senior sister, senior brother and I are all just kids."

With a smile on her face, Abbess Miejue said to Zhou Zhiruo, "A month ago, Shao'an started having his teacher and your two uncles play against each other every day using the Linglong Chess Game. Through this Linglong Chess Game, your two uncles and I have all gained a lot."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, "That's good."

Looking at Zhou Zhiruo and Gu Shaoan, Abbess Miejue's smile was full of friendliness.

As a disciple, what could make Master Miejue gratified more than that, that he could always remember her?

(End of this chapter)