Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

You mingled in the crowd, listening to the discussions, without saying a word.

However, despite the discussions among these people, the real Zhenlong Chess Game has not yet begun. Su Xinghe is still waiting for someone who can solve the game.

You settled down in a small town at the foot of the mountain, going up to look at it every day for over ten days, until finally this day arrived.

That morning, as usual, you went up the mountain and found a group of people coming up the mountain path.

The leader was a burly man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding righteousness. Behind him were several people dressed in monks' robes, and a young man in white.

Qiao Feng, Xu Zhu, and Duan Yu—they're all here at once.

You recognized them at a glance. It wasn't Duan Yu, mainly because Qiao Feng's aura was too strong. Standing there, he was like a mountain, making people afraid to look directly at him.

Xu Zhu was quite unremarkable; he was short and fat, ugly in appearance, wearing a tattered monk's robe, with his head down, looking honest and simple.

As for Duan Yu, he was still dressed in white, looking dashing and standing out in the crowd.

The Zhenlong Chess Game was set up on a flat area at the top of Leigu Mountain. Su Xinghe sat next to the game, his hair white and his face gaunt. Several disciples stood behind him, holding whisks and expressionless.

Many people came, but very few actually dared to sit down and play chess.

Everyone knows that Su Xinghe's chess game is not easy to break; if you can't break it, you might get injured or even lose your life.

The first one to go up was Duan Yu. He was quite good at chess and sat on the chessboard for more than an hour before finally sighing, standing up and admitting defeat.

"I can't solve this game," Duan Yu shook his head. "It's too complicated; no human can solve it."

The second one to go up was a disciple of the Xingxiu Sect. He was bewildered by the illusions in the chess game after only a few moves and almost went berserk. Su Xinghe swept him out with a wave of his whisk.

The third, the fourth, the fifth... no one could crack it.

You stand outside the crowd, watching all this unfold, completely unsurprised. Everything is just as it was in the original story; the true game-changer has yet to appear.

Sure enough, after a short while, a short, stout figure emerged from the crowd.

Xu Zhu.

"I...I want to try." Xu Zhu's voice was soft, with a hint of timidity.

The people around him burst into laughter.

"A mere monk dares to attempt to solve the Precious Chess Formation?"

"Is there no one left at Shaolin Temple?"

Xu Zhu's face turned bright red, but he did not back down. He walked to the chessboard, sat down cross-legged, and began to play chess.

"Wait, Xu Zhu went up there by himself?" You watched Xu Zhu playing chess and suddenly had a strange feeling.

You've thought it through carefully and are quite certain that Xu Zhu wasn't just put up there by chance, given a divine intervention, and then miraculously survived? What's going on here?

However, this unassuming little monk in front of me possessed something inexplicable—not intelligence, nor any talent, but purity.

His mind was free of distractions, desires, and calculations; he simply wanted to play chess, nothing more.

In the middle of the game, Xu Zhu suddenly made a terrible move, sending a large group of his own pieces to be captured.

The people around him burst into laughter again, but Su Xinghe's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Good!" Su Xinghe slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "This move is ruined!"

Xu Zhu was stunned. He didn't know how he had broken the chess game.

What happened next was exactly the same as in the original story.

Xu Zhu was taken into a cave, where he met Wu Yazi, inherited seventy years of internal energy, and became the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect.

When he came out of the cave, he was a completely different person—not in appearance, but in temperament.

There was something new in his eyes that he hadn't seen before: confidence.

You stand outside the crowd, watching Xu Zhu being surrounded and bombarded with questions, and your lips twitch slightly: "Luckily, Xu Zhu doesn't seem like the kind of cunning and calculating person, otherwise..."

You don't even know what you're feeling, but... the person Wu Yazi was waiting for has finally arrived.

After the game of Zhenlong Chess ended, you didn't rush to leave. Instead, you found a secluded spot on Leigu Mountain, sat down, and opened the entry extraction interface.

It's the twelfth year. Based on your experience and understanding, this year, coupled with the location of Leigushan, makes it very likely that you'll draw something good.

The tenth year is purple, so this year shouldn't be too bad. Plus, you have a feeling something good will happen today!

[The twelfth year has passed. Entry extraction in progress... Host detected at Leigu Mountain, witnessing the solution of the Zhenlong Chess Game, Xuzhu inheriting Wuyazi's mantle, witnessing the inheritance of the Xiaoyao Sect...]

[Detected that the host has achieved a state of mind of clarity and contentment on Leigu Mountain... Congratulations, host, you have obtained the blue keyword: Boundless Freedom]

[Effect: The ultimate master of the Xiaoyao School of martial arts. When using Xiaoyao School martial arts such as the Beiming Divine Skill, Lingbo Weibu, and Xiaowuxiang Skill, the effects are increased by 100%, and internal energy consumption is reduced by 50%. At the same time, the understanding and comprehension of Xiaoyao School martial arts are greatly enhanced, and higher-level martial arts can be deduced independently.]

[Quality: Blue Elite]

As you look at this entry, the corners of your mouth curl up. It's a blue "elite" entry; although it's not purple, it's not too bad.

Free and Unfettered: The effects of Free and Unfettered Sect martial arts are doubled, internal energy consumption is halved, and higher-level martial arts can be deduced on its own.

This means that when you use the Northern Darkness Divine Art and the Lingbo Steps in the future, the power will be twice that of others, and the energy consumption will be half that of others.

Moreover, you can create new martial arts techniques yourself, without relying on the secret manuals left by your predecessors.

This phrase, when paired with "Northern Darkness Returns to the Sea," is a perfect match. "Northern Darkness Returns to the Sea" allows you to absorb internal energy to its maximum efficiency, while "Free and Unfettered" allows you to use internal energy to its maximum efficiency.

With each in-and-out maneuver, your combat power and endurance are several times greater than others.

[System notification: Current term statistics...]

[White entries: 29]

[Green Attributes: 5 (Body Refinement Genius, Sword Mind Clarity, Agile Movement, Combat Instinct, Compassion)]

[Blue entries: 3 (Sword Intent Completion, Danger Perception, Limitless Freedom)]

[Purple Entry: 1 (Northern Sea Returns to the Ocean)]

You put the entry away, stand up, and the sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, falling on your face, warm and comforting.

You took a deep breath and felt that the Northern Darkness True Qi in your body was circulating much more smoothly under the blessing of "Free and Unfettered".

On your way down the mountain, you met someone on the mountain path.

Duan Yu.

Duan Yu was squatting by the roadside, looking dejected. He saw you, paused for a moment, then stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "Brother Wei! I didn't expect to meet you here!"

You returned the greeting: "Young Master Duan, how have you been?"

Duan Yu sighed, "Don't even mention it. I came to solve the chess puzzle, but I failed. What about you? You came to solve the chess puzzle too?"

"I just came to take a look."

"Want to take a look?" Duan Yu asked, somewhat puzzled. "Brother Wei's martial arts are superb, why don't you give him a try?"

You smiled and said, "Some things can't be overcome with martial arts."

Duan Yu nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Brother Wei, how is Miss Mu, whom you rescued last time?"

You glanced at yourself, your gaze calm: "She's fine."

"That's good, that's good," Duan Yu said. "I've been worried about her, wondering where she went. Brother Wei, do you know her whereabouts?"

"Know."

Duan Yu waited for you to continue, but you didn't. A little embarrassed, Duan Yu touched his nose and changed the subject: "Brother Wei, where are you going next?"

"Back to Taihu Lake."

"Taihu Lake? That's perfect! I'm also going to Jiangnan. How about we go together?"

You thought about it and nodded. "Let's go together, it's on the way anyway."

However, you might be curious about something else: Shouldn't Duan Yu be Wang Yuyan's loyal admirer and follower? Why is he here alone?