Grasping Evil

After a brief exchange of greetings, Master Shigui began to arrange accommodation for Ning Fan and Bai Ling.

There are still several months until the official start of the Arctic Daoguo Conference. Even so, the outside of the conference is already crowded with people, and the event is unprecedented.

The outer court only provides 10,000 cave residences for those who are not invited. However, there are more than 10,000 monks here. Most of them are not qualified to stay in the cave and have to go down the mountain to find another place to live.

After all, Shi Guizhenren is also a Nine Tribulations Immortal Emperor. It is impossible for him to receive even a mere cave. He has already reserved a cave for Ning Fan (Zhang Dao).

This saves Ning Fan a lot of trouble.

"It's getting late today, so I won't disturb Brother Zhang's rest. If you have some free time tomorrow, I hope Brother Zhang will come over and tell me something important." Master Shi Gui sincerely requested.

…

In the dead of night, Ning Fan was sitting cross-legged in the guest house, pondering over something.

In this trial time and space, the person he plays is named Zhang Dao. He is a close friend of the real stone ghost. After receiving a letter from the other party, he traveled thousands of miles to attend the appointment.

The specific reason why Shigui invited Zhang Dao is unknown. It was just because the letter from the Immortal Emperor that Ning Fan picked up at that time was too torn, and the contents could not be clearly seen.

[Brother Zhang Dao, your words are as clear as your face... The Northern Barbarian Kingdom is in urgent need... I specially invite Brother Tao to come... The Arctic Daoguo Conference... Borrowing the reputation of the disciples of the Holy Sect of Hunkun... To administer justice... The calamity of the Ziwei Demon Lord... Nine days later... The bronze boat will greet you …Brother, here’s your regards, Stone Ghost. 】

In this trial of time and space, why is the Northern Barbarian Kingdom in danger?

What does the calamity of the Ziwei Demon Lord refer to?

And what kind of justice does this Stone Ghost Master hope to uphold?

If these can be clarified, it may be helpful to the subsequent plot development of the Trial of the Holy Son.

"Speaking of which, my current trial score is still seventy-six stars. It has not increased for a while..."

While Ning Fan was thinking, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

It was Bai Ling who lived next door, visiting late at night.

If it were any other woman knocking on Ning Fan's door in the middle of the night, she would look somewhat charming.

Bai Ling's painting style is completely different. This woman came to visit late at night. It had nothing to do with romance, but she actually wanted to play chess with Ning Fan.

[Senior brother, I haven’t played a game for a long time. I have nothing to do at the moment. Can you please play a few games with me to guide me? ] Bai Ling begged in his heart.

"Of course you can. Should I let you be the fourth son?" Ning Fan.

【Um. Still the fourth son! Thanks for the advice, brother! ] Bai Ling said happily.

After that…

Ning Fan heard the sound of trial scores increasing for the first time in a long time.

[Event fifty-six: Give four pieces of guidance to win the game. Get points, one star. Current score, seventy-seven stars. 】

[Event fifty-seven: Granting four sons...]

【Event fifty-eight...】

[Event Fifty-Nine...Current score, eighty stars. 】

Throughout the night, four games of chess were played, and Bai Ling was irrevocably defeated in every game of guided chess.

Even though he had lost to Ning Fan many times, after losing four games in a row, Bai Ling still couldn't control his emotions and was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, I used my full strength without realizing it. Your chess skills have improved a lot during this period. If you teach the fourth son, it has reached a level that I have to take seriously." Ning Fan comforted him with apology.

He didn't want to make Bai Ling cry. He was not a devil, nor did he have any strange habits.

But asking him to let go of Bai Ling and deliberately lose to the opponent is also impossible. It's not that Ning Fan cares about winning or losing. If he deliberately lets things slip, Bai Ling will definitely be able to spot the clues. For a true chess player, such behavior is tantamount to blasphemy and humiliation and should not be tolerated.

【ah? Have I become stronger? But why can't I feel it at all? Senior brother must be making me happy. 】Although Bai Ling didn't believe it, he still shed his tears and calmed down his emotions.

[Please ask my senior brother for guidance on another game! In this round, I will definitely...will never lose again! 】The little girl is very competitive. She deserves to be a chess player.

"No more."

【Why? It's still early, let's play another round! Just one round! Really the last game! 】

"...It's already three o'clock in the morning. Do you have any misunderstanding about the word 'it's still early'? I have an appointment with Shigui Zhenren and I have to visit today, so I can't refuse. It's almost time to go out now, so I went down to Come here...and your mental exhaustion has almost reached its limit, it’s time to rest.”

【ah? Is it so late? I didn’t pay attention to the time at all...]

Since Bai Ling knew that Ning Fan was in trouble, he didn't dare to continue messing around and disturbing him. Moreover, she and Ning Fan played four games in a row, which was indeed a great mental loss. At this moment, when she realized that time had passed, she suddenly felt the world shaking.

He actually passed out directly.

This was because the mental wear and tear was approaching the limit, and it was also the reason why Ning Fan refused to play the fifth game with her.

So he sent the unconscious Bai Ling back to his room.

He didn't do any unnecessary idiotic behavior.

But I still heard the long-lost voice of the ant master.

"That's cruel! You are indeed a real man, a tough guy! Just for a few test points, you actually knocked this little girl out! I am impressed by your madness!" the ant master said with a strange tone.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with this matter. Women will only affect the speed of our monks in drawing swords. How can the trial score be important? At least this time, Ning Shangxian left several live chess pieces for others. You are a thousand times more polite than before!" Duo Wen's voice also sounded.

At first glance, that tone sounded like he was trying to defend Ning Fan, but it didn't completely justify him.

It also has a subtle sense of yin and yang.

"...The reason why I fought with all my strength was not because of the trial score, but because I couldn't bear to hurt the dignity of the opponent's chess players." Ning Fan explained.

But unfortunately, the ant owner and Duo Wen did not believe his explanation.

I don't even bother to explain.

"Speaking of which, when we met that senior roasted chestnut before, why were you two silent? Now you have the leisure to make fun of me." Ning Fan asked.

"Senior Chaoli? What Senior Chaoli?" The ant owner has no memory of this, nor can he snoop or share any of Ning Fan's memories about this matter, so he doesn't know why.

"I don't understand what you are talking about." Duo Wen also had no memory of this matter.

All traces have been erased by the old man roasting chestnuts. As strong as the Ant Lord, it seems that he can't fight against that kind of power.

Only Ning Fan still remembers the previous scenes...

"Forget it if you don't understand." Ning Fan said no more about the matter.

…

This was Ning Fan's third day in the Northern Barbarian Kingdom.

Today, the wind and snow in the Arctic Mountains have stopped for the first time in a long time, revealing a clear and sunny sky.

Ning Fan came as promised to visit Master Shigui.

Outside the cave of Master Shigui, two children were sweeping the snow. When they saw a visitor coming, they immediately stopped and saluted Ning Fan respectfully.

Then he said.

"My master is waiting in the snow pavilion at the moment. Senior, please come with me."

Ning Fan followed Tong'er into the courtyard, and after a while, he walked outside a snow pavilion.

The real stone ghost in the snow pavilion knew that Ning Fan had arrived and greeted him with a smile. However, the way he looked at Ning Fan seemed a little different from yesterday. When he looked at Ning Fan, he seemed to be a little more curious and inquisitive.

"Brother Zhang is such a trustworthy person that he arrived so early. Tong'er, please quickly prepare a pot of Master's best tea, and then get two of Master's new Dao fruits."

After Master Shigui gave instructions to Tong'er, he invited Ning Fan into the snow pavilion.

On the stone table in the pavilion, a furnace of incense was lit, and a chessboard was placed. The material of the chessboard was unknown. It exuded a faint green light and seemed to be of quite good quality.

When Ning Fan glanced at the chessboard, he vaguely felt that the green light on the chessboard was somewhat similar to the green light in his own eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Seeing Ning Fan entering the snow pavilion, his eyes fell directly on the chessboard. Master Shigui smiled and said, "If Brother Zhang likes it, I will give this chessboard to Brother Zhang, but before that, Brother Zhang still needs to fight me." How about using this chessboard for one game?”

Ning Fan was slightly surprised and looked at Master Shi Gui. It seemed that he did not expect that this person was also a chess fanatic and would play chess as soon as they met.

But there is no reason to refuse.

Then get off.

So the two sat on opposite sides.

As soon as he sat down in front of the chessboard, Shi Guizhen's eyes suddenly became serious, and his whole body exuded a fierce aura.

That kind of aura is different from the pressure accumulated in the realm of cultivation, but a special aura that belongs exclusively to chess players.

When Ning Fan and Bai Ling played chess, he could also feel Bai Ling's seriousness, revealing such momentum, but Bai Ling's momentum was not as powerful as Shi Guizhen's.

"This person may be a master..." Thinking of this, Ning Fan's eyes also showed a bit of seriousness, as if he was infected by the atmosphere.

Ning Fan holds white, while Stone Ghost holds black. This is the Stone Ghost's request.

The real world is vast and has countless fairy kingdoms. Different countries inherit different cultures and have also derived many different Go rules.

In some countries, white moves first, and in others, black moves first. In some countries, the seat system is popular to return the head, while others prefer to guess and stick to the head first. In Stone Ghost's hometown, black is the first, and those who wield black are mostly the killers.

Obviously Shi Guizhen believed that his chess skills were not as good as Ning Fan's, so he thought he was the next mover.

At this moment, Ning Fan heard the prompt from the Holy Son's Thunder Book.

[The branches of destiny appear: branch one, crush the stone ghost with absolute chess power, win in the middle game, and get scores from tens to fifty stars, additional rewards, ten thousand years of chess power; branch two, fight the stone ghost to the official position, and win, Obtain a score of five to twenty stars, and receive an additional reward, the first chapter of "The Secret of Victory and Defeat of the Great Rank"; branch three, lose to the stone ghost, but persist to the official level, obtain a score of two to ten stars, and receive an additional reward, the low-grade North Pole Road One fruit; branch four, lose to the stone ghost, admit defeat in the middle game, get points from one to five stars, additional reward, a set of seeking stone chess pieces; branch five, cancel the game before the winner is determined, no reward]

Ning Fan was slightly surprised.

What is ten thousand years of chess power? Can things like chess prowess be directly rewarded?

When I think about it, it's not surprising that since there are secret methods of initiation and improvement of cultivation, there are also methods of forcibly improving chess skills.

While thinking about it, Master Shigui had already made a decision.

Four out of four, lower left star position.

In Stone Ghost's hometown, the seat system does not seem to be popular. Out of respect for the upper hand, the stone ghost chose to move on the upper right. Ning Fan's lower left was the stone ghost's upper right.

Ning Fan would not be rude if the other party treated him with courtesy.

White, sixteen of sixteen, upper right star.

Black chess piece, small star below.

White, two consecutive stars above.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten hands passed by, and Stone Ghost's brows gradually furrowed, seeming puzzled.

It's strange, very strange. Ning Fan (Zhang Dao)'s choices in the layout stage today are very different from the Brother Zhang he knew in the past.

We haven’t seen each other for many years. Could it be that Brother Zhang has changed his chess strategy? The stone ghost secretly guessed.

He raised his head inadvertently and looked at Ning Fan's face.

From the stone ghost's perspective, what he sees at this moment is still the face of his Brother Zhang, which seems to be no different from the Brother Zhang he knew back then.

However, Ning Fan at this moment gave Master Shigui a slightly strange feeling.

After suppressing this incredible feeling, Shi Guizhen once again concentrated his energy on the chessboard, and his breathing and breathing faintly merged with the chessboard. This was proof that his mind was fully concentrated.

In the blink of an eye, another dozen hands passed by.

The strange feeling lingering in the heart of Shigui Zhenren became more and more frequent.

"Weird, so weird! In this move, Brother Zhang actually didn't use his best Nanliang Flying Knife style with me, and the choice of this step is also a bit strange..."

"When I played chess with Brother Zhang in the past, I could feel the huge pressure almost from the layout stage, but today, it seems that there is no sense of pressure from the past. Have I become stronger in recent years? Or is it just like the rumors outside? After the master passed away, Brother Zhang's chess skills plummeted and were not what they used to be..."

"Will win!"

"Facing Brother Zhang, for the first time I have the idea of ​​winning! I will try my best to win this round!"

As the chess game progressed, Shi Guizhen's fighting spirit became more and more intense, and Ning Fan gradually felt the pressure of mountains and seas from the chess board.

"Obviously it's just the layout stage, but I've already felt my disadvantage. This is an unprecedented situation. Is this master stone ghost's chess ability so high?"

After all, Ning Fan's Go experience almost all comes from Luan Gu's memory, and Luan Gu has never been a chess fanatic. For him, Go is just one of many hobbies, nothing more.

In terms of strength, Luan Gu may be far superior to Stone Ghost, but when it comes to chess ability, it is far behind. Obviously Shigui Zhenren has put much more effort into the game of Go than Luan Gu.

"No, if you continue like this, you will lose!"

"The gap in experience is so huge! In my lifetime, plus the lifetime of Master Luan Gu, the number of games played together may not be as much as a fraction of this person's..."

Ning Fan frowned and concentrated all his energy on the chess game like never before.

Must go deeper.

Must, deeper...

Ning Fan felt as if the small chessboard in front of him had turned into a boundless sea, and his mind was constantly heading deeper into the seabed.

Then, in the next move of chess, Ning Fan did not fall on the choice given by Luan Gu's memory. Instead, he hesitated and failed to make a move.

He is calculating, calculating the complex and cumbersome changes in the chess piece in front of him!

The fifteenth change…

The eighteenth kind…

Twenty-two kinds…

Thirty-nine species…

The various changes were inadvertently compared with the many Go formulas that Bai Ling had asked him for advice in recent days.

In his eyes, green light flashed!

Pre-reading, getting deeper and deeper!

At a certain moment, Ning Fan suddenly made a decision and finally made a move.

This is not the best move, but it is... the first move Ning Fan has made with his own chess skills in his life!

This move is not the ancient Go game, but Ning Fan’s game!

"Huh?" Master Shigui let out a light sigh, and then his expression fell on Ning Fan's move, and his eyes gradually became serious.

He inadvertently raised his head and met Ning Fan's shining green eyes, and he was immediately shocked.

"It's actually the gate of heaven and man! It's not the first level. This, this is almost opening the third gate! I didn't expect that even though I haven't seen Brother Zhang for many years, his chess skills have weakened, but his understanding has increased to such a terrifying level. ! Sure enough, the death of his mentor brought him such a huge impact..."

"This is not the best move, but after this move, I actually can't understand his move. What is the real purpose of his move..."

The stone ghost tried to calculate the various changes in this chess piece. The more he calculated, the more complex it became.

After a long time, Stone Ghost suddenly saw something clearly, and a drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead.

"This is actually a one-step test!"

"He is testing, from a very high position, how I will respond next, and the confidence he has in doing so must have accounted for all the local changes in this place! But how is this possible, in such a short time? , even I can’t do it to account for such a huge change..."

"It's so heavy! After meeting Brother Zhang again, this is the first time I feel this level of pressure from him, even more than before! Although I felt pressure in the past, it was actually based on experience. Brother Zhang's talent is far better than mine, and his experience is even better than mine. But now, my experience has caught up. But today...is the source of this pressure coming from the gap in computing power? "

In the blink of an eye, another forty hands passed by.

The sweat on Shi Guizhen's forehead was flowing more and more. He could feel that the advantage he had gained at the beginning of the layout stage was now being eaten away by Ning Fan bit by bit.

Another chess move fell, and Master Shigui's expression suddenly changed.

I saw that Ning Fan's next response actually mirrored the step of adapting more than forty times ago. One move later, what seemed to be just an adapting step before turned into a sharp sword that penetrated the heart of the real Stone Ghost!

"He actually buried such a move more than forty moves ago!"

Defeat is decided.

There is no need to continue.

If you have a pair of eyes, you can clearly see the real-time winning rate on the chessboard. At this moment, the winning rate of Shigui Zhenren may not even be one ten thousandth.

So he let out a long sigh, feeling relieved, but also regretful and unwilling.

Then he took out two chess pieces, placed them on the chessboard, and surrendered.

White wins the middle game.

Ning Fan not only defeated Master Shigui, but also almost crushed him in terms of computing power!

"I thought that Brother Zhang was really like the rumors. His chess skills have declined in recent years. I didn't expect that Brother Zhang just changed his chess strategy. Now he is more focused on improving his computing power... In this round, I am convinced that I lost. With Zhang My brother's calculation power can even compete with those second- and third-grade chess players!" Master Shi Gui was filled with admiration.

Although he lost the game, he paid great attention to the spirit of chess. I am happy to win, but also happy to lose, especially if I lose to such a wonderful move. If this game is spread, it may be included in the famous game records.

When he thought that one day he could become one of the famous people in ancient and modern times, even though it was just a backdrop, Shi Guizhen still felt extremely happy and honored.

"Tong'er, have you recorded the chess records?" Shi Gui asked Tong'er beside him.

"Go back to Master, I've written it all down." Tong'er said respectfully.

"Brother Zhang, why don't we review it now?" Stone Ghost pleaded.

"Okay." Reviewing the game after the game is the proper etiquette, Ning Fan will not refuse.

Although he won this round, he relied on the huge computing power that crushed the opponent by several levels. If he did not enter the deepest state of heaven and man, he would most likely lose.

Ning Fan knew very well that the opponent's playing experience was definitely far greater than his own, so playing at this moment would definitely be beneficial to improving his chess skills.

At this moment, Ning Fan himself didn't realize that for the first time, he felt the joy brought by Go itself.

It was a kind of fighting that was different from the **** sea of ​​cultivators, but the intensity was not inferior to a life-and-death fight in a desperate situation.

"No wonder Bai Ling likes to play chess so much. I seem to...understand this feeling."

Then he remembered that he had defeated the stone ghost and seemed to have completed the task of the Holy Son's trial.

So check out the rewards.

After discovering the Holy Son Thunder Book, he was rewarded with a white, strange Tao Fruit covered with snowflakes and snow mountain patterns, which was in the storage bag.

Because Ning Fan crushed and defeated the stone ghost, the Holy Son Trial rewarded Ning Fan with ten thousand years of chess power. To a certain extent, this Dao Fruit was equivalent to ten thousand years of chess power.

After reviewing the game, Shi Gui ordered Tong'er to put away the chessboard, wrap the chess equipment carefully and give it to Ning Fan.

"This is a chess game made with the Tao-seeking stone unique to my hometown. As mentioned in the preface, I gave it to Brother Zhang!"

Then he ordered Tong'er tea and Dao fruit to be put on the table and invited Ning Fan to taste them.

"Oh? It's enlightenment tea again?" Ning Fan was slightly surprised.

Unexpectedly, the tea used by Stone Ghost to entertain guests was actually the precious Enlightenment tea, which shows his great intention.

Take another look at the Dao Fruit called by the other party's Mingtong'er, huh? The appearance of this Tao Fruit looks like the Tao Fruit awarded to me by the Holy Son Lei Shu. Could it be the same kind of fruit? The only difference is probably that the quality of the Dao Fruit that the Stone Ghost entertains is lower than the rewards of the Holy Son Trial.

"This is the Dao Fruit that I recently planted. Although it is only a low-grade Dao Fruit, it is also a rare and wonderful product for you and me as chess cultivators." Master Shigui asked Ning Fan to eat a Dao Fruit. Take one for yourself.

Ning Fan thanked the stone ghost and ate the Dao Fruit. He felt that the range of the sea of ​​consciousness had been vaguely expanded. While his memory was enhanced, the intensity of his spiritual thoughts had also become slightly more refined. He was suddenly surprised.

How to evaluate a person's chess ability?

A person's chess ability includes not only the person's Go talent, but also depends on the person's Go experience. Calculation power, mental strength, memory, sense of chess, proficiency in formulas, and even ethereal chess luck... There are many factors that determine a person's chess ability. Improvements in any aspect can promote improvement in chess ability.

If chess ability can be quantified, then the improvement brought by this small Tao Fruit to ordinary people is equivalent to ten years of improvement in chess ability.

So...the Holy Son Lei Shu manifested the reward of ten thousand years of chess power into a Tao Fruit, was this the same consideration?

Then here comes the problem.

The low-grade Dao Fruit that Master Shigui took out can improve a monk's chess ability for about ten years.

My Dao Fruit is said to be enough to improve my chess skills for ten thousand years, but what quality is it?

I don't know, so it's not convenient to take out the Dao Fruit and ask the stone ghost, otherwise it will be suspected of being slapped in the face. I kindly invite you to eat the extremely precious low-grade Dao fruit. What do you mean by taking out a Dao fruit that is hundreds or thousands of times higher in quality? Are you making fun of me? This is inappropriate.

Therefore, Ning Fan temporarily put the unknown Dao Fruit aside, planning to worry about it later.

Today's visit is not for the purpose of playing chess, but because the stone ghost has something to tell him.

At this moment, the chess game has been played, the Dao fruit has been eaten, and the tea has been drunk. It is almost time for the opponent to get down to business.

really.

After eating and drinking, Shigui Zhenren ordered Tong'er to clear away the cups and plates, while he led Ning Fan into the inner room of the cave.

"I invite Brother Zhang to come here today because I have something to ask for. I hope that Brother Zhang will take care of our past friendship and lend a helping hand!" Shi Gui asked seriously.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . _wap.