Chapter 57: A Wonderful Calligraphy Gathering

The summit of Cangmu Peak.

It was deep into the night, a time when Liang Yan and Xiu Musheng would normally be playing chess. However, the entire summit was empty; not a soul was in sight.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the mountain path, followed by the arrival of a youth in gray clothing with sharp, star-like eyes—it was Liang Yan. Upon arriving, his first instinct was to look toward the great tree at the summit, but seeing it empty without any sign of Xiu Musheng, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of disappointment.

"Could it be that the old gentleman is angry with me for breaking our appointment and will no longer play with me?"

Thinking this, Liang Yan walked toward the great tree. He saw a chessboard set atop a massive boulder, already marked with black and white pieces. Hovering in mid-air above the board was an envelope, inscribed with: *For the young friend, Liang Yan.*

"It was actually left for me!" Surprised, Liang Yan reached out and took the envelope from the air. He opened it to find the following written inside

"Please forgive me, young friend Liang Yan. With the upcoming Mystical Calligraphy Assembly approaching, this old man is tied up with official duties and fears I cannot make our appointment on time. The board before you contains a formation I have laid out; perhaps it may serve to ease your boredom."

After reading the letter, Liang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "So, the old gentleman isn't angry with me; he is simply busy with official business. I just don't know what this 'Mystical Calligraphy Assembly' refers to. I've never heard of it."

He pondered for a moment but could find no clues, so he sat down beside the boulder and turned his attention to the game on the board.

The board was a complex web of intersecting lines, with the black and white sides each controlling half the territory. After staring at it for a long time, a strange expression gradually appeared on Liang Yan's face.

The Way of Go emphasizes the concept of "surrounding." Though there are many methods of formation, the ultimate goal is always how one "surrounds territory." Yet, on this board, the black and white colors formed over a dozen distinct lines, varying in length and not competing with one another. They were like a dozen long rivers crisscrossing the board; it looked less like a game of chess and more like a black-and-white ink wash painting.

"This isn't an endgame! Is the old gentleman playing a joke on me?" Liang Yan's first reaction was that Xiu Musheng was teasing him. But on second thought, he felt that given Xiu Musheng's personality, he wouldn't engage in such trivialities. Thus, he patiently looked at the board once more.

"Eh?" Liang Yan's expression shifted. He noticed that within one of the lines formed by the black stones, a single piece was conspicuously missing, leaving a gap.

After a moment of contemplation, he lifted a black stone with his right hand and, with a *snap*, placed it into the empty spot.

*Rumble!* The scenery before Liang Yan's eyes turned upside down. Although he remained seated on the stone stool, the entire Cangmu Peak beneath him had vanished, replaced by over a dozen winding, meandering rivers flowing north and south.

Liang Yan was floating high in the sky—or rather, he was being held up by the stone stool beneath him. Above him, a full moon hung high, appearing as if it were right above his head.

"Is this some kind of illusion?" Just as shock gripped his heart, the rivers beneath his feet suddenly began to roar and surge! *Rumble!* A sudden, sharp pain pierced Liang Yan's mind, followed immediately by a string of mnemonic words echoing abruptly in his consciousness.

"The Azure Water Sincere Heart Manual!" The information in his mind provided the name of the technique. Looking down again, he realized those were not rivers at all, but rather meridians, and the flow of the water clearly represented the method of circulating spiritual energy within the body.

Sitting high in the sky, Liang Yan looked down upon the winding rivers, matching their flow to the mnemonic formula in his mind, and began to slowly comprehend the technique in the heavens.

If an outsider had arrived at this moment, they would have seen a youth in gray sitting motionless on a rock beneath a great tree, eyes tightly shut, holding a black stone in his hand, frozen in the posture of having just made a move—as if he had fallen into a trance.

Minutes and hours passed. When a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon, Liang Yan suddenly opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat and his face was pale, but his eyes shone with joy.

"This 'Azure Water Sincere Heart Manual' is actually a supplementary cultivation technique. It can slightly increase the speed at which Qi Refinement cultivators condense spiritual energy. For a cultivator with such poor aptitude as me, it is undoubtedly the most urgent need. Furthermore, this manual is quite useful when breaking through bottlenecks or resisting inner demons!"

Thinking of the miraculous nature of this technique, Liang Yan felt a surge of secret joy. At the same time, he felt a wave of gratitude toward Xiu Musheng. The man was straightforward and sincere, acting as both a teacher and a friend to him. Xiu Musheng already knew of his mediocre talent, yet instead of looking down on him, he had helped him as much as possible—a sharp contrast to Yan Xinyu, which warmed Liang Yan's heart.

"It's just a pity I couldn't play a few games with him today. I'll have to wait another month for the next time; it's quite a loss of fun," Liang Yan said, shaking his head with a look of regret.

After leaving Cangmu Peak, Liang Yan headed straight for the grass hut in the apricot grove. Just as he reached the courtyard, a person walked toward him—it was his fellow disciple, Sun Qianli.

Liang Yan glanced at him and saw that while he looked haggard, his eyes were bright and spirited. He knew Sun must have spent another night cultivating in the spiritual spring cave. He smiled and said, "Brother Sun is working harder and harder. It seems your breakthrough will come naturally."

Sun Qianli looked at him in surprise and asked, "You could tell?"

Liang Yan smiled slightly. "I was busy with some matters before and haven't had the chance to congratulate Brother Sun on successfully breaking through the third level of Qi Refinement and advancing to the fourth!"

Sun Qianli possessed a secret method to hide his cultivation level, and he was far more sophisticated than the cultivators in Yongle Town. At this moment, his aura was flickering, making it nearly impossible even for Liang Yan to perceive.

Sun Qianli gave a bitter smile. "Nothing escapes Brother Liang. The reason I am cultivating so feverishly is actually out of necessity."

Observing his expression, Liang Yan knew there must be difficulties involved. However, every family has its own troubles; since Sun Qianli did not wish to elaborate, it would be inappropriate to pry. Moreover, since the issue of the red light orb within his own body remained unresolved, he had no extra energy to help others.

At this point, Sun Qianli seemed to remember something and continued, "Speaking of which, Brother Liang always has one day a month where he isn't cultivating in the cave. Now it seems he isn't in the grass hut either. Could it be that you went to seek out some lady of the sect?"

Liang Yan coughed and joked, "I didn't expect Brother Sun to be such a rogue. Fine, I'll tell you—when I'm not in the cave, I'm actually out seeking a senior to play chess with."

"A senior?" Sun Qianli's expression turned strange. "Are you saying there is some senior in the sect with such leisure and grace to play chess with you?"

"What?" Liang Yan's heart stirred, and he pressed further, "Could it be that something major is happening in the sect?"

"Don't you know? In two months, it will be the day of our sect's 'Mystical Calligraphy Assembly'."

"The Mystical Calligraphy Assembly!" Liang Yan suddenly remembered that Xiu Musheng's letter had mentioned the assembly was approaching, which was why he couldn't make the appointment.

"I know nothing of this. Could Brother Sun enlighten me?" Liang Yan asked.

Sun Qianli nodded. "It's not strange that you don't know. Even Li Dali and I are hearing about it for the first time. After all, the Mystical Calligraphy Assembly is a grand event held by our Yixing Pavilion only once every fifty years!"

"Once every fifty years!" Liang Yan gasped. While ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators could strengthen their bodies and extend their lives, they had not yet shed their mortal coils. A lifespan of perhaps one hundred and fifty years meant there were only a few fifty-year periods in a lifetime. How many such grand events could one attend?

"On the day of the Mystical Calligraphy Assembly, a Supreme Elder who remains in seclusion year-round will make an exception to emerge and lecture on the Dao. It is said that in past assemblies, low-level disciples have attained sudden enlightenment and broken through their realms on the spot. Additionally, during the assembly, there are combat competitions between various lineages and paths, allowing everyone to exchange what they have learned. The sect even sets generous prizes for the winners; in the past, some famous magical treasures and spiritual tools have appeared."

"Such a thing exists?" Liang Yan realized. "No wonder the old gentleman isn't here. Such a grand event must be a top priority for the sect; he must be busy preparing for it."

Seeing Liang Yan's realization, Sun Qianli shook his head and continued, "Actually, that is secondary. The most important part of the Mystical Calligraphy Assembly is the struggle for the Kirin Dao Fruits. These fruits are divided into three colors: silver, gold, and white. A Foundation Establishment cultivator who consumes a silver fruit gains the equivalent of twenty years of bitter cultivation; a Yuanqi Realm cultivator who consumes a gold fruit has a chance to improve the quality of their Golden Core during condensation; as for a Golden Core Realm cultivator, consuming a white fruit increases their chance of breaking through a bottleneck by ten percent. The entire Yixing Pavilion owes its fortune to the Grandmaster, Yixing Zhenren. In his time, he used great divine powers to seize a Kirin Sacred Tree for the sect and planted it in the forbidden grounds of the Yixing Pavilion's back mountain. This tree bears fruit once every fifty years, producing five of each color. They are awarded to the winners of the various realm competitions and to those who have made great contributions to the sect during those fifty years."

"In that case, this Mystical Calligraphy Assembly truly lives up to its name as the premier event of Yixing Pavilion," Liang Yan interjected. "I just wonder if we Qi Refinement cultivators have such luck?"

"You're overthinking it!" Sun Qianli laughed. "Those participating in this assembly must have at least a Foundation Establishment cultivation. Only a few Qi Refinement disciples with special identities are brought along by elders or masters. As for the Kirin Dao Fruits, don't even dream about it."

"I see!" Liang Yan nodded. For some reason, the image of a graceful, slender young girl in white clothes surfaced in his mind. "If it were her, she would surely be able to attend this assembly."

Thinking of Tang Diexian, Liang Yan fell silent. Seeing his sudden distraction, Sun Qianli couldn't help but ask, "Brother Liang, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Liang Yan snapped back to reality and gave a brisk smile. Since he had already made his vow—that he would not seek this woman until he reached Foundation Establishment—there was no need to dwell on such things and disturb his own state of mind. He was not one to linger on sentiment; with a slight smile, he bid Sun Qianli farewell and turned back to his room.