While chatting with Huangpu Tian, Ye Chen silently activated his email system, opening the backlog of messages he hadn't dealt with for days.

"Challenge Letter..."

"Challenge Letter..."

The first things that caught his eye were the challenge letters left over from last time. There had been hundreds, but he’d only challenged a few dozen before running out of time. However, as long as he didn't actively refuse them, the opportunity to issue challenges remained open.

The expiration date was one year.

Below those dozens of challenge letters were several notification emails.

"Congratulations, Esteemed Mr. Ye Chen, you have been promoted to the First Rank Genius Hall and are now a member! Please submit your address so that an Elder of the Genius Hall may personally deliver the accessory system chip for the First Rank Genius Hall, as well as the medal of the First Rank Genius Hall."

"Notice!"

"Esteemed Mr. Ye Chen, your virtual helmet signal is unclear. Please connect to the virtual world immediately, or you will be declared deceased."

Beneath these emails were three more; two were from acquaintances. The first acquaintance was Ye Chen’s own teacher, Venerable White Fang. The second acquaintance surprised him—it was from Teacher Tianwu King of the Tianwu Marquisate!

Ye Chen opened Teacher Tianwu King's email first: "Little disciple, haha! Last time, my avatar's divine sense went to the Imperial Capital of the Blazing God Empire. I chatted with a few old friends and was surprised to find your name in the Genius Hall! I checked, and it’s not just a common name, haha. Good disciple, when you return from the Bright Empire, your teacher will gift you something wonderful!" Reading this email, Ye Chen felt a surge of emotion, recalling that figure seated upon the obsidian throne, radiating infinite melancholy, and the life-saving talisman and map of the Ancient World that person had given him.

Ye Chen clenched his fist slightly, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He then clicked on the two emails from Teacher White Fang. The first was sent much earlier, four months ago.

"Kid, if you run into any trouble in that Dark Great World, tell me. I can arrange for a few people to protect you, but try not to call on me unless it's absolutely necessary."

The second was sent more recently, just a month ago.

"You stubborn brat! You’ve been missing for so many days, and I can't even get a signal from your virtual helmet. If you connect your helmet, come see me immediately!!!" Feeling the care hidden within those slightly scolding words, Ye Chen’s mouth curved slightly. He fell silent for a moment, closed the emails, looked up at Huangpu Tian before him, and said, "I have something urgent; I need to leave for a moment." Huangpu Tian blinked in surprise, then chuckled, "Go ahead with your business."

Ye Chen’s figure shifted, vanishing instantly. Using the virtual serial number given to him by Master White Fang previously, he arrived at White Fang's Crystalline Palace.

When teleported to the Plaza, the surrounding scenery was exactly as it had been before, unchanged. Ye Chen looked toward a towering, majestic mountain in the distance, turned slightly, bowed deeply, and murmured, "Disciple has come to pay respects."

"Come here." A voice resonated from a million miles away.

Immediately, golden light burst forth from the clouds and mist above, and a stunningly beautiful phoenix descended from the sky, landing before Ye Chen. Its every feather radiated a holy aura that made it difficult to look directly at.

Ye Chen moved, leaping onto the back of the phoenix.

"Caw!"

The phoenix let out a long cry to the heavens, spread its wings, and soared into the sky, hurtling toward the distance.

Ye Chen stood atop the phoenix, effortlessly ascending, the rivers and mountains below laid out before him, as if the firmament was within easy reach. The headwind rushing toward him was far more violent than that on the ground, yet it could not shake his body in the least.

Before long, they arrived at a solitary peak that pierced the sky. On the summit was a sea of flowers, and within this sea lay a stone disk. Despite the erosion of time, it bore no marks, appearing only more ancient and profound. Etched upon its surface were lines, running both vertically and horizontally, filled with the sediment of ages.

Seated at one end of this stone disk was an elder with white hair, exuding an air of solemn dignity. He was not distracted by the phoenix high in the air, instead gazing down at the black and white stones before him, seemingly lost in deep contemplation.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen moved, jumping down from the phoenix and landing beside the stone disk. He bowed slightly. "Master."

Venerable White Fang’s body did not stir. His gaze remained fixed on the Go board. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Where have you been all these days?" Ye Chen’s mouth twitched, and he lowered his head. "I was undertaking a trial mission in the Dark Great World." White Fang kept his eyes on the board, speaking casually, "Why couldn't I even get a signal from your virtual helmet? I thought you were dead."

Ye Chen coughed lightly. "Disciple is blessed with a long life. Although I encountered several perilous situations, I managed to turn misfortune into fortune."

Venerable White Fang lifted his gaze from the board and looked up, quietly observing Ye Chen for a long moment. Suddenly, he stood up and roared, "You scoundrel! If you were going to die, you should have told me! Do you know how many disciples I dispatched to the Dark Great World looking for you? Even if you died, you should have had your corpse brought back! Don’t disgrace me by dying out there!" "Yes, yes..." Ye Chen nodded repeatedly.

White Fang puffed out his cheeks, snorted, and sat back down. "Come here and play a game with me." Ye Chen resignedly sat down.

White Fang waved his mighty hand, and all the stones on the board vanished as if their traces had been erased, leaving only a few withered petals from the sea of flowers drifting across the board.

"You go first," White Fang grunted.

Ye Chen said nothing more and placed a stone.

Time flowed...

...Several hours later, Ye Chen was sweating profusely, his eyes intensely fixed on the board. At this point, the board was entirely dominated by black stones. Several massive dragon formations had utterly routed his white stones.

"I’m not playing anymore, I lose," Ye Chen said irritably.

White Fang raised an eyebrow, angered, "You idiot! You could have placed a stone in the eastern corner there; that would have made completing my dragon formation much harder."

Ye Chen looked toward the eastern corner and indeed saw an empty space. His eyes lit up, and he quickly placed a stone there.

White Fang nodded and placed a stone nearby, immediately capturing Ye Chen's last move.

Ye Chen froze for a moment, then immediately threw up his hands. "I'm done, I lose, I lose!" White Fang glanced at him. "Brat, couldn't you have placed another stone right there beside it? That would have made it much harder for me to form my pattern."

Ye Chen looked to the side and saw there was indeed another spot. He looked around again, confirming there was no hidden trap, and grit his teeth before placing another stone.

White Fang nodded slightly and placed a stone in an inconspicuous spot nearby, instantly swallowing the stone Ye Chen had just placed, further solidifying his formation.

Ye Chen couldn't help but slap the stone board and wave his hands. "I quit, I quit, I concede!" White Fang said crossly, "You give up so easily? You could have placed a stone right there next to it; that would have perfectly blocked my path."

Ye Chen rolled his eyes. "You play by yourself." White Fang glared at him, then finally deflated. "Fine. Alas, in this vast world, I cannot find a single chess companion. Life is truly as lonely as an avalanche!"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "Are you already unrivaled in the world of Go?"

White Fang declared proudly, "Of course! Those who can rival this old man are few and far between in this world. It’s just that those old fellows are usually too busy with their own affairs to have any free time." Ye Chen stood up. "I should leave now; I’ll come back to accompany you another time."

White Fang frowned. "Sit down first. I ask you, where exactly have you been all this time?" Ye Chen lowered his head, looking directly into his eyes. "I was trapped in a Divine Emperor's universe. That Divine Emperor happened to be absent, so I managed to escape." White Fang was stunned for a moment, then frowned deeply. "Are you certain you aren't lying? Ordinary Divine Emperors never leave their universes; that’s equivalent to soul departure, unless there’s a very special circumstance!"

Ye Chen shook his head. "I don't know about that. Anyway, I didn't die, and no one tried to arrest me in that universe."

White Fang nodded slightly. "If that Divine Emperor had been present, he wouldn't need to send anyone to capture you; a single thought could have crushed you to dust."

Ye Chen suddenly understood. "So that’s how it is!"

White Fang looked at him, his eyes flashing. "You’ve returned to the Ancient World now?" Ye Chen nodded slightly. "I have returned." White Fang frowned. "Are you still within the territory of the Blazing God Empire?"

"Yes," Ye Chen replied truthfully.

"Aren't you supposed to be heading to the Bright Empire? Is this much delay not an issue?" White Fang asked with a frown.

Ye Chen looked at him deeply, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and murmured, "How long does the fastest route from here to the Bright Empire take? I must arrive within six months." White Fang was taken aback. "That urgent? Traveling from here to the Bright Empire requires exit procedures along the way, followed by stamping documents and other tedious processes. It takes at least a year, even if you possess the 'Ancient Continent Pass' and bypass all procedures, traveling continuously via spatial jump channels still takes eight months."

Ye Chen nodded slightly, his gaze glittering. Although he was two months short on time, the flying speed of the Demon God Palace was entirely sufficient to make up the difference.

"How about this," White Fang suddenly proposed. "I will send you there. With the speed of my spacecraft, we can reach it in ten days."

Ye Chen blinked in surprise. "You'll take me?"

White Fang glared at him. "What? You’re reluctant? I happen to be passing by to visit a few old friends, and the Genius Battle of the Ten Nations is starting soon. In about another 100 years, it will be the Genius Battle of the Ten Nations and Ten Halls. At that time, the truly gifted individuals from the entire Ancient World will emerge one after another to support the prestige of the powers behind them."