Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

Lin Shen glanced at the stall owner who had set up the endgame, another Celestial, but a bit old. His unkempt hair was greasy and had mostly turned gray, with many feathers on his wings also adopting a gray hue.

This was a sign of an old age in Celestials, as the feathers of the young ones are snow-white, turning gray only as they aged.

The Celestial appeared to be aged but not extremely so, with his wings speckled with gray among the white. He looked quite like a shaggy crane.

The weather on Sky Pinnacle Star was quite hot, probably over forty degrees. Such temperatures weren't much for cultivators, but they could still feel a bit stuffy.

In such hot weather, this Shaggy Old Celestial was actually wearing a thick cotton garment, the sleeves of which he had wiped to a glossy shine, seemingly without ever washing them.

The old blind man, though half-blind and nearly unable to see clearly, always kept himself tidy.

This Shaggy Old Celestial, however, was the sort who didn't care for appearances, with hair reaching his shoulders, tangled in many places, and apparently unwashed for a long time.

"How do you play this game?" Lin Shen squatted down and asked the Celestial.

"Ten Heavenly Currency to play a round, and if you win, this will belong to you," the Shaggy Old Celestial said, pointing to an egg-like object beside him that resembled obsidian.

"What kind of egg is this?" Lin Shen inspected it but couldn't determine its level, although it was at least of the Crystal Base Level.

"A Mutated Jade Exquisite at Ascension Level, worth no less than ten million," the Shaggy Old Celestial said, hands tucked into his sleeves, using them to wipe his nose.

"Kid, don't listen to his nonsense. What Ascension Level mutation, that's just a Crystal Base Level beetle egg," said a neighboring stall owner with a twist of his mouth.

He spoke up not out of kindness but because of his own prior curiosity that had led to him losing a fair amount of money to the Shaggy Old Celestial, leaving him feeling somewhat put out.

Of course, the main reason was that the Shaggy Old Celestial wasn't a regular street vendor but had only recently started his stall here and wasn't well acquainted with the other longstanding vendors.

"It's alright, paying is just for a bit of fun; what the prize is doesn't really matter," Lin Shen said to the stall owner beside him with a smile before asking the Shaggy Old Celestial, "Grandpa, how do you play this?"

"It's simple. Red and black sides battle, the knight moves in an L-shape, the elephant in an X, the chariot travels straight, the cannon leaps over mountains..." The Shaggy Old Celestial said, picking up chess pieces and showing Lin Shen how to play.

Lin Shen, of course, knew how to play. Not only did he know how to play, but he was also aware that the endgame positioned by the Shaggy Old Celestial was known as "Setting Fire to the Connected Camps."

The old blind man had used this particular endgame to swindle money from him.

After confirming that Lin Shen knew how to play, the Shaggy Old Celestial set out the "Setting Fire to the Connected Camps" endgame again, looking cheerfully at Lin Shen as he spoke, "Ten Heavenly Currency for a round. Red goes first; you can choose red or black. If you win, the Jade Exquisite Egg is yours. If you lose or draw, it's considered a loss.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Whether you win or lose, the Heavenly Currency is non-refundable."

As soon as Lin Shen heard this, he knew the Shaggy Old Celestial's skills were just so-so, likely a half-baked player who had gotten hold of a few endgame manuals and had begun running a stall to make money.

The "Setting Fire to the Connected Camps" endgame was once thought to be a draw, but after much research by many people, it was found not to be a drawn game.

At first glance, it seems that the player with the red pieces can move first and achieve a quick victory.

Thus, the old blind man loved using this endgame to lure in those unfamiliar with it, and many proficient chess players would fall into the trap, often choosing the red, which appeared to have a great advantage and the privilege to move first.

The red seems poised to win easily, seemingly being only a few moves from victory, but if one knows the tricks of this endgame, there is a way to win with the black pieces.

The fact that the Shaggy Old Celestial let Lin Shen choose between red and black showed that he didn't know black could win "Setting Fire to the Connected Camps."

He probably had an earlier manual which considered the game a draw, so he expected to win no matter how it was played.

"Hehe, the tuition fees paid in childhood are finally paying off." Lin Shen put on quite a show, appearing to study the board intently for a while before finally taking out ten Heavenly Currency to give to the Shaggy Old Celestial.

"Young man, do you choose to play the red or the black?" the Shaggy Old Celestial asked, taking the money with a broad smile, looking at Lin Shen as if he were family.

"I'll take the black," Lin Shen said.

"How can you play the black? The disadvantage is too great for the black side, you need to play the red to have a chance to win," a nearby stall owner kindly reminded him.

"I've already chosen, let's just play a game and see," Lin Shen said to the stall owner with a smile.

By the looks of the stall owner, he's probably lost a fair amount of money on this game; otherwise, he wouldn't know that playing the red provided an advantage.

"The young man is generous," the Shaggy Old Celestial said cheerfully, turning the chessboard around, bringing the black pieces over to Lin Shen's side, and spoke languidly, "Then I'll make the first move."

"Sir, please," Lin Shen replied.

The Shaggy Old Celestial appeared calm and leisurely, starting with a move of "chariot to four points", which made Lin Shen chuckle inwardly, thinking this game was as good as won.

Lin Shen played according to the standard strategies, but the Shaggy Old Celestial turned out to be more skilled than he had imagined.

The black pieces seemed dispirited, but in reality, each move was a trap, constantly baiting the red pieces into falling for them. However, the Shaggy Old Celestial did not take the bait.

Lin Shen immediately understood, realizing the level of skill the Shaggy Old Celestial possessed. He just didn't know the correct solution to the endgame and was probably following an outdated game record.

At first, the Shaggy Old Celestial had an air of ease about him, but as the game went deeper, the initial advantage of the red pieces vanished in a mere moment.

The expression of the Shaggy Old Celestial gradually turned serious, and what started as casually placing chess pieces became prolonged contemplation before each move.

"So it can be played like this..." The nearby stall owner also came closer to watch, gasping in amazement, attracting quite a few onlookers.

Unfortunately, on Sky Pinnacle Star, there were few who knew what Chinese chess was, unable to understand the rules, and most lost interest quickly and dispersed.

The Shaggy Old Celestial now sat upright, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

"How can this be... It shouldn't be like this..." The beads of sweat on the Shaggy Old Celestial's forehead multiplied.

At this point, Lin Shen had begun to respect the Shaggy Old Celestial. Being able to play to this stage without knowing the correct solution showed that his chess skills were not ordinary, far stronger than Lin Shen's.

The game was not yet over, but the Shaggy Old Celestial suddenly threw the chess piece he was holding onto the board and stared at Lin Shen intently.

"What's this, trying to renege?" Though Lin Shen respected him, if the old man tried to cheat, he would not stand for it.

"You win, I concede." The Shaggy Old Celestial picked up a black egg from the side and tossed it to Lin Shen, squinting his eyes as he asked, "Young man, what's your name?"

"Tian," Lin Shen replied casually.

"Tian, I'll remember you. We'll play again another day," the Shaggy Old Celestial said as he packed up his things and left.

"Don't go, can't you accept defeat? Running away after losing a game? Where's your honor?" the stall owner jeered at the Shaggy Old Celestial's retreating back.