The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1884 - The Great Confucian Chess Piece Killing, Life is like a game of chess

What Qing Shui said still stunned the woman. Just when Qing Shui thought that his opponent was angry, he didn't expect that they were unfazed. She just questioningly asked Qing Shui "Why?"

"There's really no reason, I don't have any good feelings towards the Great Confucian Empire, would that count as a reason?"

Qing Shui really didn't have any good feelings toward the Great Confucian Empire. After all, he didn't really like any great empires with too much ambition. In fact, this wasn't a big deal since it was very normal. The dynasty itself wasn't very ambitious, but each person in it was.

Ambition could be a very strong motivation. It was a trend of desire and hope and it was an indispensable thing to promote one's growth, but if it was too much. It would work against them, even resulting in an early death.

"Of course it counts, but could you tell me the reason why you don't really like them? It seems to me that you're not really familiar with the Great Confucian Empire!" the woman said playfully.

"Do you need a reason? I just don't like it. Just like you, can I say that you're not beautiful at all?" Qing Shui said after some thought.

"Ho ho, did I ever say I was?" the woman's laughter had a presence, this presence made her emanate an irresistible charm.

Qing Shui shook his head, this woman was confident in herself and won't let his words affect her. What she said was for the purpose of refuting him, even to the point where he would despise himself. Perhaps he could use this strategy to pique her interest.

Of course, Qing Shui didn't really think that she wasn't cute, but not everyone would say that she was. Even then, he knew it would be hard to find someone that wouldn't like her.

"All right, we're getting off topic. It seems that letting you leave the Great Confucian Empire wouldn't benefit me much, healing you also wouldn't help me. Since this transaction doesn't have much meaning, I'm not going to do it," Qing Shui smiled.

"I say you're very boring and I also feel that you are a hypocrite. Don't you feel ridiculous doing this? It would only make me look down on you," the woman said this serenely, her gazes were also extremely calm.

Qing Shui rubbed his head: "and why do I feel as though you were a narcissist? I'm not exactly in the best mood right now and I did say before that I don't heal people when I don't feel good."

"Then I'll just capture you, for each day that you don't heal me, I'll imprison you for a day more."

After these words the woman rushed toward Qing Shui in a straight line, leaving behind a long shadow. This wasn't an afterimage. It was very clear, like she had conjured them all.

A pair of clean, snow white hands slapped towards Qing Shui. Incisive, with a severe killing intent.

Great Grief Hands!

Qing Shui didn't dare be careless and returned the technique with his Taichi Cloud Hands.

Beng!

Without much of a gaudy movement, a muffled noise and that strong force collected at the center. This strong aura did not exceed three feet around the body. This was why strong people could still fight in confined spaces without destroying it, otherwise, with their current strength, they could easily shake the mountains and seas.

The cultivation level of Qing Shui's Cloud Hands was very high, so much that it could be counted as first class. Of course, its reliability didn't need to be mentioned. The most important aspect of the skill was the strength of its diversion, but despite that, he was still continuously pushed back.

His strength now wasn't enough for this woman!

Qing Shui had to accept the reality. Fortunately, his natural defense was strong enough. Even if he was being continuously pushed back like this, he wasn't taking a lot of damage. Just like a little bear pounding a person back, although it had enough strength to beat the person back, it still wouldn't hurt the person.

That was what Qing Shui felt now. That strength was comparable to a little bear, beating a person out of position, but not hurting him.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged over a thousand blows and Qing Shui backed up a few hundred kilometers. The woman also noticed many things, she knew that this man's defense was very strong and he was also very patient. Even after all these blows, he seemed to be completely unaffected.

Qing Shui was also very gloomy. If this continued, he could only take the blows and the advantage would be firmly in the woman's hands. But even then, he didn't use the Emperor's Qi. His unconscious mind didn't want to use it continuously, he didn't want to rely on it. Actually, he could rely on it since it was his own strength, potent, and following him forever.

"You need to be careful now!"

When the woman finished saying this, she made a circle with her hand in the air. A snow white light enveloped her body, then shot toward Qing Shui.

Qing Shui seemed to enter another world at that point. The surrounding area was much more spacious than anything, just that there were many strong beasts around. There seemed to be only a few dozens, but then came a few hundred, even a few million...

Each one emanated a frightening evil aura.

Great Confucian Piece Killing!

Life is like a game of chess!

At a glance, Qing Shui knew that this was an illusion. Although it was an illusion, these monsters seemed to be real. This was how strong the illusion was.

Qing Shui moved, the Nine Palace Laws appeared along with the Nine Palaces!

Then on the Nine Palace squares appeared something resembling the white and black pieces, this was the Great Confucian Chess Piece Killing.

Qing Shui wasn't alien to chess similar to the ones from his previous life, but he also wasn't particularly familiar with it. Qing Shui's mind from his previous life wasn't dull, in this life even less so. Qing Shui now was like a chess piece of the woman, only being able to fight the opponent. What his opponent wanted to do was to trap Qing Shui, while Qing Shui needed to rush through the barricade, throwing the pieces into a riot, then find the woman behind everything.

It was like chess, but the opposite player was right in front of him. Her position was from the king chess piece. Qing Shui needed to win.

Life was like chess, life was like a war!

Qing Shui took everything around him into the Nine Palaces. So when Qing Shui moved, the woman knew that the Great Confucian Chess Piece Killing couldn't hit him. It was because Qing Shui's moves affected by the Nine Palace steps and so he could move however he wanted. Just like the king piece in chess being able to leave the boundaries, it moved as though it were a rook, and attacking as though it were a cannon...

The woman knew that her Piece Killing Law couldn't finish her opponent. Instead, it was putting her in a bad position.

When Qing Shui moved again the surroundings returned to normal. The woman attacked again and a handsome white horse rushed toward Qing Shui.

Great Confucian Armoured Horse!

Qing Shui watched the white horse. It was pure and beautiful and much stronger than the "best" horses of before. It was completely snow white without even a single dark hair on it. It was two meters tall, five meters long with its tail waving towards the back. Its speed was very quick but also light at the same time.

It came close and Qing Shui smiled again. He rushed out a palm filled with a scary Force of Dragon Soul.

Roar!

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Tl Note: The cannons in chinese chess can only 'eat' the opponent's pieces if there's something standing right in its lines of attack.

King pieces can only move about in a fortified area consisting of nine squares with two guards for protection.

The rook in chinese chess shares the same movements as the rook in english chess.