Inside the high pavilion, the atmosphere was oppressive, and the void seemed to have solidified.
The misty smoke floated in midair, motionless.
The celestial instrument symbolizing the Three Talents also ceased to turn.
The flow of time seemed to slow down.
Only in the Pavilion Elder’s eyes, the terrifying heavenly secret, the perilous causality, rolled like giant waves at the bottom of an abyss, ceaselessly surging.
After an unknown length of time, the atmosphere slightly eased.
The void began to flow again.
The smoke resumed its misty state, and the celestial instrument continued its rotation.
Everything was once again as usual.
Yet, the ripples stirred by the heavenly secrets in his heart had still not calmed.
"Rebirth..."
"That person’s...rebirth?"
The Pavilion Elder found it somewhat incredible.
The causality that had already died started to slowly develop once more.
The already bewildering and world-shaking chess game unknowingly evolved into a frightening variable.
"The Yin Yang Rebirth Formation, reversing Yin and Yang, transforming life and death, overturning principles, ignoring Dao rules..."
"This formation must not be learned..."
"People these days are truly bold, daring to imagine anything, daring to do anything... Is it the fearlessness of the ignorant, or do they truly have... unfathomable courage."
"Why exactly is it... this formation..."
The Pavilion Elder was silent for a long while and sighed.
How terrifying those four words "Yin Yang Rebirth" truly are, as a Pavilion Elder, he knew all too well.
Once released, the causality it would involve is too vast, even those slumbering elders might "awaken."
If the storm grows large enough, he might not even retain his position as Pavilion Elder.
The Pavilion Elder remained silent for a moment.
Change the bait, or change the fish?
Use this "bait" to catch that big fish.
Or change another "fish" to revitalize the situation?
Even a fool would know which choice to make.
This "bait" is a grand formation, containing the heavenly secrets of Yin and Yang and rebirth, even related to the position of Pavilion Elder.
Never mind a single fish, even a hundred, a thousand wouldn’t be worthy of this "bait."
Not even the Golden Dragon Fish.
"If truly unable to catch this fish, just change to another."
After pondering, the Pavilion Elder was about to put away the Yin Yang Rebirth Formation when a thought suddenly halted his movement.
The Pavilion Elder mused internally: .
"Even a fool would know how to choose...?"
As a dignified Pavilion Elder, am I going to do something even a fool knows how to do?
The Pavilion Elder’s gaze slightly condensed, sinking into deep silence.
A seeker of the Dao, intuitively understands the heavenly secrets, should perceive without being confined by perception.
To exhaust the principles of things, without being bound by them.
Do not be confined by the fame and fortunes of the world, maintain the innocence of a child, and regard all things equally, only then can the heavenly mechanisms of causality reflect their true form in one’s heart.
Following this line of thought, the Pavilion Elder pondered...
"The heavenly secret at this point in time, presenting this choice before me, is both allowing me to choose and... providing me an insight?"
"What is this insight...?"
The Pavilion Elder sat before the chessboard, silently contemplating, unmoving as if a clay sculpture.
All manner of heavenly secrets and causality continuously flowed within his mind.
The choices of fate swayed ceaselessly.
Time ticked away little by little.
The incense burned down bit by bit.
The moon set, the sun rose, the east turned white, then gradually dimmed, until the setting sun, with the evening glow across the sky, night was approaching.
The Pavilion Elder sat stoically on the prayer mat, pondering for an entire day and night, only then slowly making up his mind.
This decision even made him feel a twinge of fear.
But at the same time, it also brought him peace of mind.
In this world, there’s no loss or gain, everything is an insight from the heavenly mechanisms of causality.
With this thought, the world suddenly felt vast.
A glint flashed in the Pavilion Elder’s eyes as he retrieved the "Yin Yang Rebirth Formation" composed of golden causality from the void, with a point of his finger, spiritual power broke through the real and the illusory, condensing into densely packed patterns, overlaying another layer of "Formation Patterns" on the formation jade slip through formation pattern coverage.
Finally, he personally inscribed another five words on the jade slip:
Wood Revitalization Formation.
After doing all this, the Pavilion Elder summoned a youthful boy, instructing him: "Bring the Supervisor."
The boy obeyed and went.
Before long, the half-gray-haired, jade-complexioned Supervisor arrived, bowing: "Elder, you called for me."
The Pavilion Elder beckoned, "Come, play a game of chess with me."
The Supervisor hesitated.
The situation at the Qian Learning State Boundary was quite complicated.
Following the order of the Taoist Court, he, the Supervisor, also had many matters to prepare, time was tight, where would he find the time to play chess with the Pavilion Elder.
Moreover, the Pavilion Elder was "notoriously bad at chess"...
But he dared not refuse.
"Yes."
The Supervisor bowed, respectfully sat opposite, and began to play chess with the Pavilion Elder.
Sure enough, in no time, the Pavilion Elder’s pieces were defeated and scattered, a complete mess.
This was even with the Supervisor holding back.
The Pavilion Elder was displeased, saying: "Your chess play is lacking."
The Supervisor sighed inwardly.
It’s well-known that in the Heaven Shu Pavilion, the hardest thing is to play chess with the Pavilion Elder.
It’s not that playing chess is hard, but reading his mind is.
No one knows what exactly the Pavilion Elder is doing, clearly his own chess skills are terrible, yet he always says others play poorly.
When playing against the Pavilion Elder, if you play seriously, defeating him soundly, he says your chess skills are poor.
If you play perfunctorily, achieving a draw, he says your attitude is improper.
If you deliberately let him win, the Pavilion Elder accuses you of having an unsteady heart, being sycophantic, and scolds you harshly.
It’s truly hard to please him.
"I really don’t know what kind of person can truly get along with the Pavilion Elder while playing chess..."
The Supervisor silently complained in his heart but dared not slack, still striving to play chess with the Pavilion Elder.