“Chess... A game you invented?” asked La Xia in amazement, looking at the chessboard. “I heard you ordered something from the woodcarvers recently, but I didn't expect this.”

  Her instructor, La Xia, was the perfect candidate to test the chess game. After all, he belonged to the group of people she intended to sell the game to: wealthy and, more importantly, bored cultivators.

  “Yes, I've had this idea in my head for a long time...” She said, sitting down and placing the chess pieces on the board. “If all goes well, maybe I could make some money from it? After all, I'll need a lot of money to cultivate.”

  The man sat down on the opposite side and looked at the arrangement of pieces on the board with some interest.

  “I'm glad you're being forward-thinking, but I'm afraid I have to disappoint you,” he said, picking up the Queen piece and examining it from different angles. “People who can afford such things won't waste their time playing games. Cultivators should cultivate, not engage in trivial matters that bring no benefits.”

  May disagreed with this evaluation. It was true that cultivators took cultivation very seriously, but did that really mean they couldn't allow themselves a moment of relaxation?

  “But there are benefits,” May replied.

  “Oh, really? And what benefits are those?” he asked, not quite believing her. “Apart from entertainment, of course.”

  “Logical and strategic thinking. In addition, this game requires planning and predicting your opponent's moves. However, I think we should try playing so you can see what I mean, Senior.”

  May was convinced that La Xia would be convinced after trying it.

  He thought for a moment and then replied, “All right. You've piqued my curiosity a little. Okay, so how do you play?”

  There was a moment when May was most uncertain. She knew the rules and had recently refreshed her memory of them. Unfortunately, she realized that the number of rules could be slightly intimidating.

  May began by introducing the pieces and explaining their placement on the board and how they moved.

  Fortunately, La Xia seemed to understand the information quickly. Although he was primarily a warrior, he was not lacking in intelligence. However, May noticed that he was thinking about something.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing. It is just about those names. ‘King,’ ‘Queen’… Those are the titles that rulers of the mage continent use, aren't they? If you want to sell them, maybe it would be better to change the terminology to the local one?”

  May had never thought about it. Although mages were tolerated in theory, their discoveries and inventions were treated with coldness.

  “I'll think about it...” She didn't particularly want to do so, but simply changing the names of the pawns wasn't a big deal.

  He nodded and listened to her words. She explained the most important fundamentals as best she could. She was not a professional. Finally, she decided to move on to practical training.

  “I think we should start, Senior. It will be much easier to explain it in action than with words alone,” she said, understanding that no one could remember so much information at once.

  La Xia nodded. “I more or less understand, but I must admit that I feel a little dizzy from all these rules.”

  The first few games were just practice. La Xia continued to learn the movements of the pieces. However, he was quite receptive to knowledge and quickly understood the basics, even though the knight piece caused him quite a bit of difficulty.

  As time went on, however, he became more and more absorbed in the game. Fortunately, he wasn't tired, as cultivators were exceptionally resistant to such things, and he still had plenty of energy to continue playing.

  To be honest, I'm starting to feel tired...

  May was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, so her endurance was not that good. And explaining the rules and discussing the game for hours was quite mentally demanding.

  After a few hours, La Xia said, “Okay, I think I know everything now.” Nodding, he added, “I want to play a game completely seriously now.”

  His progress was really fast for someone who was new to chess. That's what it meant to be a cultivator. They were on a completely different level, a different species from ordinary mortals.

  “White or black?”

  “White,” he replied, arranging the pieces. He started with the c4 pawn, English Opening. Of course, there were no British people in this world, so the name was destined for the garbage can.

  May responded with her pawn on e5.

  She used to enjoy playing chess with her grandfather. She remembered the last time she played with her grandfather, when she played her last game with him in the hospital. She was 16 at the time, and it was also the last time she played chess.

  Ironic. I still remember that game. He also started with c4. It was his favorite opening.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She knew it was a coincidence and didn't particularly care. However, she felt a slight pang of regret in her heart.

  La Xia, on the other hand, was thinking about his move. After all, it was his first serious chess game in his life.

  He placed his pawn on e4.

  May didn't think it was a very good move. He probably thought that this would block her pawn's movement.

  Ultimately, however, she wasn't an expert herself, so why should she judge him?

  Suddenly, La Xia spoke up: “The game is quite interesting... But there are too many rules. I doubt it will become popular.” He sighed. “It took me a long time to learn these rules.”

  “Really? I thought you grasped the rules pretty quickly...”

  “A few hours. Cultivators would consider it a waste of time. But anyway, Junior, your move!”

  They continued playing. La Xia played quite aggressively, which surprised May. She had expected him to think long and hard about each move.

  The pieces moved across the chessboard.

  “You can't do that...”

  He tried to make an illegal move a few times, but May quickly corrected him.

  For a first game, he was doing surprisingly well. Even though he lost his queen on the 10th move.

  He's playing too fast. He should think more about his moves.

  He mastered the rules at an alarming rate, but his impulsiveness caused him to lose, and May had no intention of giving him any breaks.

  By the sixteenth move, he had slowed down a bit and was pondering more, but it was too late to think. He had lost too much valuable material and was in a losing position. May was still pleased that he understood that rushing was inadvisable.

  Although he realized his position, he did not give up. He intended to get the game to the end.

  “Rook to d5, I take your knight,” she said, taking another piece from him. The game was coming to an end.

  He moved his king to c4. It was the end for him.

  “Pawn to b5.”

  “I lost,” he said regretfully.

  May nodded, wanting to let him know that it was normal.

  “It was your first serious game, Senior,” May replied. “I've had this game in mind for years, so it would be strange if you beat me.”

  He got up from the table. “Maybe. But I'm still a little disappointed,” he said, laughing. “But that's enough for today.”

  “Senior, what do you think of this game?” she asked curiously, seeing that he did enjoy the game after all.

  “Like I said. It's complicated, and I doubt cultivators have that much time to waste just learning the rules. That's why simple games are the most popular,” he replied. “However! I had fun, so I'd be happy to play with you again sometime.”

  May smiled.

  “Of course, Senior.”

  La Xia left and May was left alone. She began to put away the chessboard.

  “I guess it didn't turn out quite the way you wanted it to?” Minnie suddenly spoke up, having been watching their actions closely the whole time. “He's not very optimistic about your venture.”

  “La Xia is an old-school cultivator, a traditionalist. But despite what he said, he still liked the game. I'm optimistic,” she replied, still believing that her chess idea had some chance of making money.

  “If you say so. The important thing is that you decided to do something.” She replied, then fell silent.

  May was about to leave the room when Shui Gai's housemaid entered. She handed May a letter.

  Its content was quite simple. It was an invitation to the official ceremony to join Cloud Academy along with other exceptionally talented children.

  “Congratulations,” said Shui Gai.

  Just like that. Just like that, she got into Cloud Academy. A place every child in the Outer Court dreamed of. A place that only a small percentage of the Inner Court had a chance to get into.

  Just like that.

  Without any tournament or ability test.

  It was not surprising. After all, every child born into a cultivation family in the Inner Court who reached the 5th stage of Qi Refinement before the age of ten was automatically admitted to Cloud Academy. It was less than twenty people a year, but that was the way it was.

  However, May was from the Outer Court. There were no exceptions there; even if you reached stage 5, you still had to participate in the tournament.

  So that's how much someone from Outer Court has to do to get into Cloud Academy.

  “Even so, don't rest easy,” Shui Gai suddenly interjected, seeing the look on her face. “This isn't just any meeting. Even though you don't have to participate in the Outer Court tournament, this ceremony isn't just a simple celebration of your achievements.”

  Oh...

  “So even though they officially accepted me into Cloud Academy, they're still going to test me?”

  “Of course. However, I don't know the details. I'm not a cultivator, so I don't know how it works. You should ask Honorable La Xia.”

  May still couldn't believe it was that simple. It had been her goal for over a decade since she came into this world, but it all happened so fast. It was unbelievable.

  She felt a slight relief, but also disappointment. It was quite unsatisfying. She was already prepared for the tournament, only to find out that she would not be participating in it.

  Although she had just said her farewell to him, May decided to find La Xia and ask him for details.

  He was in the middle of sword training. She didn't want to interrupt him, so she sat down and watched from a distance. When he finished, she approached him and asked for details.

  “Congratulations,” he said upon hearing her words. “You don't need to worry. You've already been accepted into the Academy, so you'll just have to show off some of your skills.”

  “Senior, did you already know about this?”

  “Yes, Elder Ze Yun mentioned that he had submitted a request for this. He thought it was absurd that a person at stage 6 had to participate in the tournament like every other kid from the Outer Court.”

  So it's thanks to Ze Yun. Even though I rejected his proposal, he still helps me.

  “Do you know what this whole skill demonstration is about, Senior?”

  He shook his head.

  “I don't know. It rarely happens, and no one in my family has ever had such an honor. And this year, there are so many talented people... The golden age of the sect is approaching...”

  “All right. Thank you for the information, Senior.” She said, then walked away knowing she wouldn't learn much more from him.

  Either way, it didn't matter anymore. Cloud Academy was within reach. She didn't know what awaited her, but she knew that this would be her final stage of learning, after which she would become a true cultivator of the Inner Court.

  Returning to her room, she felt a slight regret, knowing that she would never again be able to call this estate her home. She had grown accustomed to luxury, but ultimately she was only a guest. After joining the academy, she would only be able to rely on herself.