Mystical Journey

The carriage was accompanied by the sound of ringing bells as it moved forward.

Inside the carriage, Garen and Demoness Lola sat opposite each other. A short square table stood between them, and the dark red tabletop was currently filled with Go pieces. Garen chose the white pieces while Lola picked the black ones.

The player of the black pieces would usually be on the offensive side and the younger player would start the game, while the white pieces would be played by the senior player.

Garen had never expected that a game which resembled earth's Go would exist in this world with the exact same rules as well.

The white pieces had currently occupied most of the spaces on the checkerboard. Lola tried relentlessly to find an opening but could not find an empty space to place the black piece in her hand.

She raised her head and looked at Garen who sat on the opposite side of her, and pouted her lips.

"I don't want to play anymore!"

"Wasn't it your grand plan to dominate the board?" Garen smiled and asked softly. "Why aren't you going through with that?"

"What grand plan?! What's the use of a grand plan that involves dominating the board when I'm just going to die immediately?!" said Lola unhappily. "You don't even have a proper plan. You just come charging over directly before immediately destroying the layout that I planned painstakingly!"

Garen's route did not involve any grand schemes or layouts at all. His annihilation abilities were abnormally strong, allowing him to swallow his opponent's pieces whenever they came into contact. If the placement of his pieces were any better, it would be impossible for him not to win the game…

Lola put in a lot of effort to find a method that would allow her to drag her opponent out and occupy the board at the same time. Unfortunately, she spent too little time luring her opponent out, while Garen's precise calculations were too accurate, making it impossible for her to delay his moves. Moreover, her frazzled state of mind caused her pieces to be killed even faster…

"Is this a typical example of using strength to defeat skills?" said Lola in sudden realization. "When the difference between strength levels are too great, incidents like these will occur."

"It's good that you understand," nodded Garen. "In theory, skills can be used to make up for the difference in strength levels, except that there are limits to that. When you reach the stage where someone's each and every move and word requires you to rack your brains just to decipher them, that strength difference means that they can use force to defeat the skills of others."

Lola understood this principle naturally, as her master had mentioned it before.

"Wisdom needs to be used as a form of leverage and influence against an opponent to reach its full potential, is that right?"

"Wisdom is actually a form of strength as well." Garen smiled and began to sweep the pieces back into their own baskets slowly. "If your wisdom is sufficient to transform the world into your chessboard and everything else into your chess pieces, you would have achieved one of the strongest powers."

"But there are too many variables between heaven and earth. In order to reach this level, one must have basic knowledge of everything, terrifying control over information, as well as extremely powerful strength, right?" Lola asked again.

"Therefore between one's mind and strength, both of these paths have their own advantages and disadvantages. One will strengthen the physical body, while the other will give you leverage over everything. It depends on what others choose for themselves. The scientifically advanced guns and cannons of our current era are the results of the second path."

Both mind and strength were the final answers that brilliant martial artists of the past generations had been searching for.

Centuries worth of advisors, tyrannical generals, and first-rate strategists who lacked physical strength but were able to command great forces easily were once normal people that had no leverage over armies before they came into being.

Powerful generals and elite fighters that could wipe out a battlefield would ultimately face physical limitations as well, and would never be able to exceed the combined strength of multiple people.

Only the integration of the mind and strength and their mutual advancement and evolution, such as the balance between light and darkness, would be able to produce a harmonious state that was also the strongest state. From Garen's perspective, the strongest state was a strength that was powerful enough but also possessed sufficient wisdom and intelligence.

If it were compared to a measurable strength as its baseline, a strength that depended on intelligence as its leverage would not add up to much.

But when thousands of other powers were used as the baseline to be altered by intelligence, the effect would be truly terrifying.

Garen understood this. Therefore, his path had always comprised of prioritizing the advancement of his physical strength while supplementing it with wisdom. He chose this path because his talents and abilities allowed him to surpass limitations that most people could only dream of.

"Human strength will always have its limits…" said Lola regretfully while she pondered momentarily.

"That's right… The heart and mind can move the strength of countless people and gather them together, greatly exceeding the strength of an individual," nodded Garen. "That's why intelligence has no limits, while physical strength will always be limited."

Neither of them spoke for a short while, allowing the carriage to fall into silence slowly.

Garen felt somewhat emotional. Other people assumed that the road towards strength had ended, while he believed that the road was endless.

Clang… Clang…

Time ticked by before the white cuckoo clock that was hung inside the carriage rang suddenly.

Both of them glanced at the clock that read: 16:00.

Lola crouched beside the short table with a somewhat changed expression.

"Gate Master Garen, if you are truly the King of the Century that fought the final battle with the previous Divine Master, then that little girl in the provincial capital is your little sister's granddaughter…"

"Oh?" Garen was shocked.

"I've met her a few times," said Lola softly. "That little girl is the current Southern Sky Gate Master. During the battle on Black Smoke Island when you disappeared, Southern Sky Gate separated internally and the Sky Warriors formed their own groups and left the school of thought. Southern Sky Gate was once the result of the integration of twelve southern groups, but once they lost their unifying symbol and leader, a separation was inevitable. Some of them joined Immortal Palace while others joined Behemoth Gate. The ones who remained integrated themselves with White Cloud Gate, forming the current Southern Sky Gate.

"Continue…" This was the first time Garen had heard a full explanation regarding the developments of Southern Sky Gate. He had never expected that it would still be a result of the fusion with White Cloud Gate.

Lola rearranged her train of thought.

"Since they were no more Holy Fists in Southern Sky Holy Fist Gate, they changed their name to Southern Sky Gate. Under the guidance of Celestial Circle Gate and King of Nightmares, their leader Ying Er was able to run everything smoothly. However, Ying Er later died of illness and left an adopted son and daughter behind, causing Southern Sky Gate to split again because of a power struggle. Since they had no ties to the new leaders, Celestial Circle Gate and King of Nightmares did not look after them anymore, while Divine Master took the opportunity to take action. Although Behemoth Gate tried to take care of them to the best of our abilities, still… Still…"

She made a sympathetic face and spoke with great sentiments. Anyone who had heard her speak would have noticed that someone who was so concerned with the developments of Southern Sky Gate had obviously tried to assist them wholeheartedly.

When Garen heard that Ying Er had passed away from sickness, waves of emotion flashed in his eyes.

"That's how the Martial Prohibition came out?"

"Mhmm," Lola nodded. "Nobody expected that senior Ying Er would place her true hope in her young granddaughter. When they found out, Immortal Palace's great forces had already been established and although Behemoth Gate wants to help, it is difficult enough to protect ourselves now…" Lola looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Then what's going on at the current White Cloud Gate?" Garen, on the other hand, seemed unusually calm.

"Are you talking about the little school of thought in the Azure Continent?" Lola regained her composure hurriedly. "It is true that it was built by a previous White Cloud Gate disciple, but no one inherited it from long ago, and they only practice declining Secret Techniques." She was very knowledgeable, making her a worthy leader of Behemoth Gate, and also the first person in command of the soldiers there as well.

She sneaked a glance at Garen.

"You want to rebuild the ancestral gate?"

Garen smiled but did not reply.

"Andrela and King of Nightmares, are they still well?"

"Senior Andrela is currently the strongest Sword King in Celestial Circle Gate. He has been overseeing the entire group and has not shown his skills for many years. As for senior King of Nightmares… his whereabouts are unknown, but you already know that… This senior has unpredictable moods and is full of changes. Therefore, nobody has been able to track his movements… The only thing I know is that he's still alive." Following the local customs, Lola explained these matters in the East Continent language, sounding unusually fluent while using the appropriate terms.

Garen had only learned the East Continent language by speaking to that military punk Zhao. Therefore, he was not as fluent as her.

Andrela and King of Nightmares had been a pair of good friends since long ago. They had always been inseparable, and deep down in his heart, Garen knew that if he were to find one of them, the other would definitely be nearby.

"Also, please inform the members Celestial Circle Gate that Andrela and King of Nightmares should get over here right now!" said Garen indifferently.

"Using your original words?" Lola's heart beat frantically in her chest. The Celestial Circle Sword King and Nightmares were first rate masters, and although they had not made a move in many years, their powers were unfathomable. Even Divine Master tolerated Celestial Circle Gate's repeated protection of Southern Sky Gate. Some people even said that both of them would be able to defeat Divine Master in one strike if they formed an alliance.

"Of course." Garen turned his head and looked out of the carriage window. The black wild grasslands that they kept passing by formed layers of dark green ripples when the wind blew past.

Suddenly, a black pigeon flapped its wings and flew inside the carriage before landing on Lola's arm gently.

Lola glanced at Garen before lifting one of the pigeon's legs and removing the black scroll that was tied there.

She pulled the black string off and opened it.

She had only scanned through it briefly when her expression changed slightly.

"Gate Master, I'm afraid that we need to hurry up now. There have been changes in the provincial capital. Southern Sky Gate Master may be in danger."

"Give me more details." Garen's expression became faintly serious.

"Southern Sky Gate Master Xiao Ying has been put under house arrest. I'm afraid that Young Divine Master has realized her true identity."

Before she could finish speaking, Lola felt her waist tighten suddenly while her whole body became faint. Her vision was blinded momentarily before she realized that she was being held in Garen's arms. They had left the carriage and were rushing through the black wilderness hurriedly.

The sound of the wind whooshed beside her ears. She could faintly hear the sharp whistling of moving air. The scenery in front of her turned into a complete blur, and she was unable to see anything clearly despite her dynamic vision.

"Show me the way." Garen's voice was right next to her ears.

Lola was overwhelmed. When she looked in front, she could only see the wilderness, stones, and winding ashen path passing by quickly. When they rushed past a little stream by some grassy plains, she realized that the speed they were traveling at was faster than anything she had ever experienced on her own before.

"I… I can't see clearly…" said Lola in embarrassment. She was the highest ranking master in Behemoth Gate, but she could not even see her directions properly right now… Now, she had truly believed that Garen was indeed the King of the Century. Although she did not know why his appearance did not match her previous account, that was not an important matter. It was rumored that Immortal Palace's Omniscient Eye possessed the Secret Methods to memorize one's soul. Therefore, if a suitable body could be found, it would be disguised as rebirth.

Garen could only slow down temporarily so that Lola could find her bearings.